life is so blegh sometimes i just want to go shave my head and see what people say......

Stuff is difficult. That's really the only way I know how to put it right now. Prayer would be appreciated

i am soooo flippin tired!!!

i go through the ordinary life of a teenage girl. although that i have one very special mission and that is to tell others about god! thankfully i dont have to bear this alone and that my friends and that god is here to help me but it is still a lot to carry.........

http://dailybeacon.utk.edu/showarticle.php?articleid=50953

you'll probably have to copy and paste it into the box. but it'll take you there.

piece

I've got that Within Temptation song stuck in my head... hey does anyone out there have one of their CD's?

Pa's doing good so far, and I've watched alot of funny videos on YouTube. So I'm coughing like a maniac, my fault!

So I found a trailer for a book I read in like the 7th grade, and hated it. The movie's called Blood and Chocolate, not really looking forward to it. Leslie roped me into going, her and Delaine need someone that's hated the book to balance them out when tey get worked up about some twist the script writers put in.

I seriously need to get this song out of my head!

Ok, after 3 days and hours and hours of trying to upload pics to Phusebox I give up ... Day 1 wasn't too bad and I was successful in uploading about 11 pics ... since then I'm 0 for 50 ..... I've wasted a gazillion hours of my time.

During my lunchtime today I will try to upload some pics from the office.  I hate doing this, but don't have much of a choice.

Today is Friday (yeah).  Decy and I may do something different tonight (we have an invitation to a special club) or we may just go back to CJs. Haven't decided yet.  For lunch, Decy is going to visit with somebody she met here that is from Angola (surprise, surprise).

Tomorrow, we are invited to an open house. Don't know if we will go or not ... I have a bunch of work I need to do ... and Saturday afternoons is a good time to do it ... especially if I try to get a massage in the morning.

As for Sunday, one of our friends, Nat Simpson, may be coming over ... so I won't get much work done then.

As you can see ... not really much to report ... all's quiet in who'ville.

ciao ciao

This is my tribute to the nice girls. To the nice girls who are
overlooked, who become friends and nothing more, who spend hours
fixating upon their looks and their personalities and their actions
because it must be that they that are doing something wrong. This is for the
girls who don't give it up on the first date, who don't want to play
mind games, who provide a comforting hug and a supportive audience for
a story they've heard a thousand times. This is for the girls who
understand that they aren't perfect and that the guys they're
interested in aren't either, for the girls who flirt and laugh and
worry and obsess over the slightest glance, whisper, touch, because
somehow they are able to keep alive that hope that maybe... maybe this
time he'll have understood. This is a homage to the girls who laugh
loud and often, who are comfortable in skirts and sweats and combat
boots, who care more than they should for guys who don't deserve their
attention. This is for those girls who have been in the trenches, who
have watched other girls time and time again fake up and make up and screw up the guys in their lives without saying a word. This is for the
girls who have been there from the beginning and have heard the trite
words of advice, from "there are plenty of fish in the sea," to "time
heals all wounds."

This is for the girls who have
spent their weekends playing Florence Nightingale for a vomiting guy
friend or a comatose crush, who have received a drunk phone call just
before dawn from someone who doesn't care enough to invite them over
but is still willing to pass out in their bed. This is for the girls
who have left sad song lyrics in their away messages, who have tried to
make someone understand through a subliminally appealing profile, who
have time and time again dropped their male friend hint after hint
after hint only to watch him chase after the first blonde girl in a
skirt. This is for the girls who have been told that they're too good
or too smart or too pretty, who have been given compliments as a way of
breaking off a relationship, who have ever been told they are only
wanted as a friend.

I honor you for the night
his dog died or his grandmother died or his little brother crashed his
car and you held him, thinking that if you only comforted him just
right, or said the right words
then perhaps he'd realize what it was that he already had. This is for
the night you realized that it would never happen, and the sunrise you
saw the next morning after failing to sleep.

This is for the hugs you've received from your friends, for the nights they've reassured you that you are
beautiful and intelligent and amazing and loyal and truly worthy of a
great guy; this is for the despair you all felt as you sat in the
aftermath of your tears, knowing that that night the only companionship
you'd have was with a pillow and your teddy bear. This is for the girls
who have been used and abused, who have endured what he was giving
because at least he was giving something; this is for the stupidity of
the nights we've believed that something was better than nothing. This is for the
girls who have been satisfied with too little and who have learned
never to expect anything more: for the girls who don't think that they
deserve more, because they've been conditioned for so long to accept
the scraps thrown to them by guys.

This is what I don't
understand. Men sit and question and whine that girls are only
attracted to the mean guys, the guys who berate them and belittle them
and don't appreciate them and don't want them; who use them for sex and
think of little else than where their next conquest will be made. Men
complain that they never meet nice girls, girls who are genuinely
interested and compelling, who are intelligent and sweet and smart and
beautiful; men despair that no good women want to share in their lives,
that girls play mind games, that girls love to keep them hanging. Yet,
men, I ask you: were you to meet one of these genuinely interested,
thrillingly compelling, interesting and intelligent and sweet and
beautiful and smart girls, were you to give her your number and wait
for her to call... and if you were to receive a call from her the next
day and she, in her truthful, loyal, intelligent and straightforward
nice girl fashion, were to tell you that she finds you intriguing and
attractive and interesting and worth her time and perhaps material from
which she could fashion a boyfriend, would you or would you not
immediately call your friends to tell them of the "stalker chick" you'd
met the night prior, who called you and wore her heart on her sleeve
and told the truth? And would you, or would you not, refuse to make
plans with her, speak with her, see her again, and once again return to
the  party scene and search once more for this "nice
girl" who you just cannot seem to find? Because therein lies the truth,
guys: we nice girls are everywhere. But you're not looking for a nice
girl. You're not looking for someone genuinely interested in your
intermural basketball game, or your anatomy midterm grade, or that
argument you keep having with your father; you're looking for a quick
fix, a night when you can pretend to have a connection with another
human

So don't say you're on the lookout for nice girls, guys,
when you pass us up on every step you take.You don't want the nice girl. so don't say you're looking
for a relationship: relationships take time and energy and intent,
three things we're willing to extend - - but in return, we're looking
for compassion and loyalty and trust, three things you never seem
willing to express.

Maybe nice guys finish last, but in the
race they're running they're chasing after the skank and
the easy-targets... the nice girls are waiting at the finish line with
water and towels and a congratulatory hug (and yes, if she's a nice
girl and she likes you, the sweatiness probably won't matter), hoping
against hope that maybe you'll realize that they're the ones that you
want at the end of that silly race.

So maybe it won't last
forever. Maybe some of those guys in that race will turn in their
running shoes and make their way to the concession stand where we're
waiting; however, until that happens, we still have each other, that
silly race to watch, and all the chocolate we can eat (because what's a
concession stand at a race without some chocolate?)

Unfortunately the paper does not update thier web page on a regular day to day basis, but if they did, you would see the article that i wrote! maybe i can scan it later onto here, but dont have time right now. but then again, they may update the web page later and i can just put up a link.

i dropped a class the other day, i didnt feel like i could acheive my goals and take 18 hours at the same time. my goals include:

1)make all A's
2)make alot of new friends
3)loose about 10 pounds
(and some other stuff)

but the one i was most worried about is making all A's because it is the one that i want the most.

hope everyone has a great day.

piece

Is it bad that I'm already sick of most of my classes?

I really like it when I pull up behind a van with one of those flip-down movie screens. It keeps me entertained while I sit in traffic.

Sun, Aug 06, 2006 02:19 am

hey i think you're cute
would you like to be my new best friend?
we can talk for hours or just lay in bed
you're just the kind of kid i could grow old with
so won't you walk with me to the park up the road
i told you that i'd be right back
you said that i'll be the judge of that
'cause see boys they have a tendency of running from me
as fast as they can i don't know why
and i just laughed and asked if you'd like a coke or some sort of assorted beverage from the diner up the road
if so, you should walk with me
feel free to hold my hand
feel free to kiss me on the cheek even though i'd prefer the lips

hey i think you're groovy
would you wanna see a movie with me?
we can sit in uncomfortable seats and eventually
i'll get the nerve up to put my arm around you
can i put my arms around you?
'cause i'd sure like to
it'll be like an episode of boy meets world
except without the commercials
and i'm just fine with that
how about you?
i like the way you talk
i like your died black hair
i love your halfass accent you stole from the foreign movies
i like your pretty eyes
and how you're afraid of the dark
well i am too, so would you like to take a walk with me
through a well-lit park just up the block
i'll be the bright side of your bad day
i'll be the bright side of your bad nights
i'll be the bright side of your bad day
if you'll be mine

"Hey"
 Backseat goodbye ♥

...

what do you say to someone when it needs to be said but you dont want to ruin a friendship?

------

[[I'm so glad i said something.]]

What little time I have available for the internet is currently being wasted trying to upload pics into Phusebox. Not sure what is going on ... the pics are compressed ... I try uploading them ... 5 at a time ... after about 15 minutes the Phusebox screen comes back blank.  This is happening even with 1 pic.

... other than the above ... all is fine here.

I will try again.

The bloodwork came back today, and I have whooping cough. Yay me (note the sarcasm).

My grandpa has a tumor in his sinus cavity the size of a small something. That's as much as I could get from trying to listen to my mom talk to Ms.Jeana, so be more worried for him than me. I think mom knows I know, but it doesn't matter.

Umm, just be praying for him. It'd be nice for him to stick around a little longer...

Chillin' in art class.  Listening to Moby. Doing a powerpoint on Robert Mapplethorpe.

I'm taking a break from shopping today.  I'mma go home and take a nap.  Perhaps visit my mom.

That's the problem with updating too often.  You run out of things to say.

here we are now going to the north side

i look at my friends as they start to ride

ride at night we ride all day

looking out for a sunny day



here we are now going to the south side

i pick up my friends and we hope we won't die

ride at night, ride through heaven and hell

come back and feel so well.

I don't know if you've seen the movie The Mask, but at the beginning it
shows a guy who is just having a rough day.  He gets ripped off by the
car repair men for unnecessary repair, he gets kicked out of a club,
get's a puddle splashed on him, his rental car breaks down on a bridge,
and then it starts raining.....then he finds the mask.


Now that past couple of days have really not been that great for me.  I
won't go into details, because then this would just be a gloomy blog. 
Instead I want to share with you some blessings that God has done the
past couple of days.


Yesterday I had had a long day, and it was about time for work to
start.  Now recently, because of school and other circumstances, I am
extremely low on cash causing a need for me to make my dinner for
work.  I made a sack lunch, and it honestly just looked terrible.  I
made it quickly, and it really wouldn't have satisfied me.  Well, when
I showed up to work that night, I ended up getting to train someone! 
This means that I not only get a higher hourly pay, but I also get a
free meal!  That was totally a God thing. 


Now today hasn't been the best day either, but one thing that really
had me worried was my theory class.  Today was our first lesson, and
already we are told to begin memorizing fixed solfage where every note
on the piano has it's own syllable (sharps and flats are different). 
This can be done, but since we are required to obtain the textbook by
tomorrow, I was in a real jam, because of the above mentioned pickle. 
I didn't have much money at all, and I was sure the book was
expensive.  Well, I ended up going to the bookstore to see what the
damage would be, and how much money I would need to acquire, and the
book ended up being surprising inexpensive, and I could afford it right
there.


It's funny how we don't notice the little things like that unless it's
in the middle of a bad day.  I want to start counting my blessings a
little more closely now. 

Always remember
that you're unique. Just like everyone else.

I actually got in a few hits today.

The Perfect Dress = craptastic, just like last year.

JC Penny = actually had dresses.  Dresses that fit me.  Too bad they didn't work out.

Dillard's = random not-ugly dress thrown in with old lady dresses.  Marked down to $83.  Okay prom find, not really Mil Ball material.  Was a little tight.  Although it made me sad, I let it go.

So, a few punches, but no wins thus far.  David's Bridal is either tomorrow or Thursday.

So far, dress #1 from Vivid is at the forefront... We'll see how it goes.

ps - Big ol' thanks to Rachel and Mady for shopping with me on Monday.  And an extra big ol' thanks to Jennifer for shopping with me today!

I hate how things develope. What i think/expect to happen, well it doesn't. this is something that iritates me endlessly.

I step out on a limb and am quickly hurled down to the knotty rooted dirty ground. ALl humbled, im thinking what the fuck just happened. I was 96.7% certain that that particular branch would hold me. and those are good odds. But as if snapping in two and dropping me , i'd give it a good 13 feet, wasn't enough. I also have to be clunked in the head with, alas another branch, putting me in my place completely. I never thought my ego was that big, and i assure not only you but myself (again) that it isn't. So why did i think this particular branch wouldn't snap? Or maybe i knew it would snap, and just didn't want to let the oppertunity of having it maybe not split, which could have led to an even greater view of the vast horizon of life i was dreaming/gazing on. The cruel interworkings of nature, they leave me not only blushed, but shame faced as well.

It is good for me. REALLY good for. Its good not to get what you want every now and again.

Do what you like. ANd fuck the rest.

yes Mondays and Wednesdays i have a break from 11:15-12:45 so i will be in the KUC getting lunch for anyone that wants to join... theres the open invitation...

Well last night I got very little sleep, and I just knew that this would result in a miserable first day back, but now I am happy to announce that I had an absolutely fantastic first day back!

I arrived on campus before 8, and was happy to get a parking spot. I went straight to the business office and worked for a little while before heading to my first class, Honors Psychology of Social Behavior. I am going to love this class. My teacher started teaching today and I just didn't care because it was so interesting. Bailey Alderson is in that class with me and of course familar faces always make a class better. We both agreed that this should be a good class.

After that I headed for Television Production, and that of course was fun. Not only do I have the same teacher as last semester, but we are also meeting in the same room, not to mention a lot of the same people are there... so needless to say, it was really nice and familiar. It was so great to see Ryan, Jason,  John, Jolene (who did get in the class and is in my lab! Yay!), and several other familiar faces. We had to introduce one another and I met a cool girl that way so that was pretty fun.

After that, I headed to the KUC and hung out with friends, and that pretty much ended the wonderfulness of my day because then I had to face the massive crowds at work... ick...

So anyhow, I hope tomorrow goes equally as well. Unfortunately, I don't have friends in either class AND they are both senior level courses... which scares me a little, but one of the teachers is supposed to be easy and I'm thinking the other class shouldn't be so bad. Anyhow, I have a weird break from 11:15ish to 12:40ish, so if anyone else has this break we ought to hang out!

Everyone else who went back today let me know how it went for them!

Struggling to get the pics posted ... even with compressed files ... time to go to work. I try some more tomorrow.

All is fine .....

So theres this guy...

isnt that how the story always begins?

My main focuses right now are:

Building a stronger relationship with God, Church, my finances(which include budgeting out my paycheck as far as it will stretch for everything I'm planning right now, the weird thing about me is that I love budgeting...even more reason I know accounting is where I am supposed to be), and figuring out a good and "healthy" work schedule that won't overwhelm me too much. Sounds like fun right?

I haven't been on for a while. Lets see, what's up with my life.
School- I'm still taking core classes except for one this semester, and so far it looks like none of them are going to be classes I dread. I'm taking: Message of Old Testament, Intro to Comp-Bases Systems, Rhetoric&Research, College Algebra, and Psychology.
Relationships- I basically hang out with 2 people. Adam (who you all know) and Courtney. As a lot of you probably don't know, I'm "casually dating" Courtney. I know that there are a lot of nosey people here, so I'll do this... I'll post 2 pics of her, and if you ask anymore than that I will be tempted to eat your first born.
Fun- I've played ultimate frisby, watched movies with friends, and hung out in Chatanooga (there's a 98% chance that that's misspelled, but I don't care enough to go look it up)

That's basically my life :-)

i love chester !~ he is mine!!!!

i don't really know, for sure.

i know falling in love exists. i've been there. i've felt that.

when that person walks into the room and your heart beats faster. when you can't help but think about them every minute of every day. you call them just to listen to the silence knowing they are there on the other side.

i also know that the feeling doesn't last forever. eventually, it fades. and what remains is a choice. the choice to keep caring . . .

or to quit.

i've said before, "love is a feeling, loving is a choice. never stop loving."

because really, it is a choice.

do i believe that a woman can look her husband in the eyes after twenty years of marriage with three kids and say that she doesn't love him anymore and mean it? yes, i do. it's her decision. it might be due to his actions, but she made the choice.

love isn't a contract you sign on your first date or your wedding day.

you can always make the choice.

the worst part is when two people who have fallen in love choose differently concerning loving. that can destroy hearts and lives.

something many of us know all too well.

so do i believe in love? yes. do i believe in loving? yes. true love? maybe. that depends on your definition.

if true love is two people deciding each morning that they will continue to love each other for the duration of their lives, then yes, i believe.

if it is a feeling that God dishes out to two people as a gift to last forever, then no, i don't.

love, like everything else in life, is something you have to work at. nothing is perfect.

"there is no such thing as a free lunch."

love doesn't just happen. you aren't going to get married one day and be happy forever "just because."

"happily ever after" isn't real. it's more of a "happily each moment."

so don't listen to disney.

because love isn't the destination, it's the journey.

and that goes for all kinds of love, whether romantic or not.

that's one lesson everyone could stand to learn.

so, my brother made a bulletin on myspace[gasp] that talked all about stereotypes. you've probably seen it...it goes a bit like this...

I'm GAY, so I MUST have AIDS.

I'm RELIGIOUS, so I MUST shove my beliefs down your throat.

I'm ATHEIST so i MUST hate the world.

I DON'T HAVE A RELIGION, so I MUST be "evil" and not have any morals.

I'm SOUTHERN, so I MUST be white trash.

I'm a CHEERLEADER, so I MUST be a whore...

I'm a DANCER, So i must be stupid, stuck up, and a whore

I'm a TEENAGE MOM, so I MUST be an irresponsible slut.

ok so, there are a few...a few that caught my attention. so, i thought about this, and how quick we are to judge. oh yes, even the christians are quick to judge. maybe even a little bit quicker, because we have all te answers because well, we have Christ. but how often do we just sit back and try to look at those people and put ourselves in their shoes and just watch the world from their life. i dont know about you, you im a people watcher. no, i dont really like to go to the mall and just sit there and watch others but on campus, i love to walk alone. i love to watch how other people interact with one another and i think its interesting to know what they are talking about. but that's just me. so, my first point on my stereotype soapbox is to STOP. just stop. i know its hard. but really, we dont have the golden ticket.

Secondly, as soon as i went from that myspace bulletin i hopped over to my own myspace. and the verse for today was...

"there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." _galatians 3:28

so here it is...my version
_neither prude nor rebel, slut nor punk, jock nor geek, we are all one in Christ_ cheesy, i know, but i'm in the cheesy-its-very-late-i-should-really-be-asleep-but-i'm-avoiding-my-8 am-class-and-6 am-alarm mood.
i love you all. and dont forget to cut everyone else some slack.
_bekah

I was reading Stacys blog and it got me all thoughtful.

I'm happy she can control her asthma and evrything, but I always hated my nebulizer. It always seemed like something that held me back. I had to use it everyday, and I felt absolutely REVOLTING afterwards.

I shook, I couldn't walk, and I could barely keep down anything after I ate.

I was litteraly chained to that hunk of plastic, I hated it. I loathed and despised it.

I think my problem is that I can't understand how someone can be happy about having a Nebulizer when I hated mine so much. Camp was the right place for me to be, otherwise I might have had to be chained to it for the rest of my life.

I hadn't used it in years, thanks to modern medicine (which I don't take anymore, muahaha) but it just sort of became a symbol for it.

I'm not saying it's bad for Stacy to have it, she needs it. So congrats Stacy!! I'm glad you can control it now, and yeah it would be bad for Sunday to repeat its self.

Give it a rest already!
We've heard it all before.

You're such a bromide,
Repeating endless arguments,
And "pat answers".
But now it's time for your rebuke,
So let's hear it again
For the final time.
What has your thinking done
For anyone: that matters most,
Does it not?
You can't use logic
To defeat applied purpose,
Any more than you can catch
A breeze in your hand.
So you say the supernatural
Comes chimerically, but
Have we explained it all to you?
Do you know enough to suppress
The open-minded, or the leaders
With just cause?
So shut-up, and stop trying to
Bowdlerize everyone's ideas
When you know so little,
And you know so much.

"do you...and i'm just curious... ever open your mouth without sarcasm spilling out of it?" --- Milo (24, day 6)

it was an ok 3 day weekend. Kind of disapointed it wasn't fabulous... but still worth being out of school. That martin luther king jr. HE did something right.

My dad was watching sports center or something of the sort. it was 2 black guys and one white guy. The two black men were talking about what Martin Luther King stood for to them... The white male said nothing... i found this amusing. I chuckled.. I know i know beat me with a stick, i'm being disrespectful.

i haven't talked to my sister in over a week. She is probably upset with me. ahh well...

got to do my c ollege stuff tomorrow night finally... I sent in my fasfa but not my applic ations... times a ticking.

also i still cant wait for model un. I seriously am not sleepin g because i'd rather be up researching the country of dennmark and how they feel about sustainable growth in central Asia.. I am so wired. Today Josef and i hit up Bargain center for UN Attire... that wen t fairly well.. although we bought nothing..

well..

guten nacht freunden

fun people comment!



so the question is....
are you fun?

I just wanted to take this time to wish you all a very safe and happy chocolate milk day!

so i guess i really fucked up this time...fucked up with sean....gosh idk where the fuck that's goin....i fucked up at home. and i fucked up with myself..gosh i guess i'm not as strong as i thought that i was...nor will i ever be...why the fuck does life have to be soo hard and complicated or maybe i make it complicated...why do i make it soo complicated...gosh....i guess i'll just have to live with all this shit..i wish there werent soo much shit..and i wish i hadnt fucked up this big..

As we lay there together, I turn away,
afraid that you'll see the tears that
are about to form in my eyes.
You ask of anything's wrong.
I smile, I kiss you, and tell you that I'm fine
but I can't stop thinking about how much
I'll miss you when you leave again this time.

god how true can taht really be.....

Well, i talked to my dad today.

Apparently we're moving in 6-8 weeks. i won't be changing schools. but it's still kind of sad. i love this house. so many memories. but at the same time, i think this could be a very good thing. The past 2 years haven't exactly been the best, so this could be a great way to start over, just kind of.. refresh everything. we're getting rid of old stuff that we never use & all that great stuff. Right now, i guess i just have mixed feelings about all of this.

I am excited about my room though. I have had plans for decorating my room for foreverrr but my dad is always like "no because we might be moving".. so now i know that we are, and that in my new room i can have it just like i want it. The theme is going to be black and white. and every wall is going to be insane. PLUSSS. today i went down to the music room in our basement, and got all of my dads best records, they are going to be on one of the walls. it's going to me awesome.

asdlf;kj he has some of the best records.

okaybyeee.

p.s. hey you, remember where you used to keep our conversations hidden. something's waiting for you there. if you ever get the chance. then again, you probably don't even know i'm talking to you.

:]

My mom brought me a Nebulizer today! I am very happy to have it. That means that I can keep my asthma under better control. And it hopefully means that the little episode on Sunday isn't likely to happen again. Yay! I never thought I would be so pleased with medicine that takes forever to take and makes me feel gross! I didn't even think that we had an extra one I could use at school. Thanks, God.

... its just Tuesday ... I'm working on copying and compressing some files for posting ... I'll blog later or tomorrow.

First:

Dress shopping.  Not.  FUN.
Plenty of dresses I liked.  Precious few that fit.
The only one that even looked halfway decent fit well, but the color was ultra lame.

Not giving up yet.

Second:

Moron in a white car decided to cut a corner going really fast as I was approaching said corner at a right angle to him.   He sped into my lane as I approached the stop sign, I slammed on my breaks, and missed taking off the back of his car by perhaps an inch, inch and a half.

So hooray.

i just wanted to let eveyone know what today my best friend, Caitlin Cheadle was in a pretty bad car accident.
she slid off the road and hit a tree.

she's in intensive care at Vanderbilt right now, her hip is broken and she has some bruised ribs. her elbow also might be broken or bruised.

that's all i know right now, but i also know that she needs prayer, and i know that God can help her through this.
i know she'd appreciate the love.

thanks everyone. <3

wwwwwooooowwww.......

so friday i went to the club - of course. it's always so fun goin with Elliott and Bradford. =]
got hit on a lot.
i decided to talk to bar tenders, beCAUSE, they are among the few people that are totally sober. and they're real sweet. =D

saturDAY was really good. i went to the DBS Fashion Show with Hope - and it was adorable. then we had Chili's.
NEXT TIME you go to Chili's - try the Shanghi Boneless Wings!!! they're SO good.
saturday night was... drama.
but i think it's worked out now.

yesterday i just worked... then i went to GAME night. haha. it was sssssoooooo fun.
yeah. that's all. =]

but that was my CRAZY weekend.

and today is a good day to just stay at home - since it's all icky outside.
now i just have to resist spending money on itunes.

=]

Proverds 15:33
     The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom,
And before honor is humility!!

Well.

I suppose life's alright :)

Matthew 26:36Then Jesus went with his
disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, "Sit here
while I go over there and pray." 37He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38Then he said to them, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me."

 39Going
a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My
Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I
will, but as you will."

 40Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. "Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?" he asked Peter. 41"Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak."

 42He
went away a second time and prayed, "My Father, if it is not possible
for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be
done."

 43When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. 44So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.

Do you ever feel like this?

"My
Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I
will, but as you will."

my apoligies if i dont post much happyness on here. i swear im not emo. i just talk abou tmy happy things outloud to ppl....the less happy/moody tends to come out thru a key board much more easily.


i like hootie and the blowfish.



guess i still have a bit of a problem.
not too bad tho.
and at least im not the only one.

as long as u were being completely honest.

I get way too attached too easily...

"I have to remind my dad, 'Journalists - no matter how many cigars they
smoke with you - are not your friends, so don't talk to them."
-
Cameron Diaz

I'm ENGAGED!!!!

So my first weekend of working at Easter Seals camp is finally over. And I have to say it's one of the best decisions I could have ever made. I learned SO much in just a couple of days. My patience, strength, and compassion were all stretched just a little farther. It was certainly a drain on my physical strength. I did everything from lift campers out of bed, help give them shower and dress them, to taking some on nature walks, to leading a few games, to a 2 hour dance, to scrubbing down a cabin with bleach.  I even learned how to count to 12 in Russian with UNO cards!! All of the counselors hit the floor at 6:30 and didn't get into bed until about 11 at the earliest. It doesn't seem like a whole lot, but it's a long day with little to no rest or sitting down. And yet every single moment was worth it. I've got a little more paperwork to do and then I'm officially on staff for every month's respite and summer if I want. Although the job will probably put me away from home all summer during the weekdays I can't wait for it. It's hard to explain how much this weekend impacted me. Most of it was made up in the little moments that maybe didn't really mean anything to anyone but me. Rather it was a campers smile or a hug or just a statement. It changed me, and God taught me a lot through this opportunity. I can't wait to go back next month!!

be in prayer for rachel davis.
she was running across thompson lane to get to Miller Colleseum for the Tractor Pull by the Ag Center. A car didn't see her running across and hit her. I don't know for sure exactly how she's doing..but i do know that she is okay and will recover.


It will take ALOT of strength, courage, faith.. and heart.




we love you rachel!

Tomorrow never comes.

Today is all I have.

I hit the sack expecting another day. I nap expecting to open my eyelids again. I am tired of living like this; it isn't rational, it is lazy, it is impractical.

I am going to go study, I don't know what tomorrow might bring and I have nothing else to do today... by this point.

If you could keep me in your prayers, that would be great!

Im at somewhat of a crossroads in my life right now. 1 year from now can look a variety of different ways for me. I'm not sure wher God is taking me, but no matter how next year looks, I am really excited about it!

Thanks for your prayers!

This is totally not fair I dont get tomorrow off when its a National holiday Martin Luther King Jr's birthday

well everyone have fun while your out of school (think of me)

totally not fair

NEW EMAIL ADDRESS:
hamby@diversionyouth.com

NEW MYSPACE NAME
www.myspace.com/worship2God

Monday morning ... what to write about?  Remember, I talked about the new maid Sumi (which Decy has nicknamed Mimi)?  Well, I thought that Mimi was about the size of Wiwi, except heavier by a couple of pounds.  Reality is ... Mimi is probably 1 inch shorter than Wiwi (we had them stand back-to-back to measure.  It was interesting through ... Wiwi's hips are 3 inches higher ... and her shoulders are about 2 inches higher than Mimi's.  However, Mimi's neck is longer ... and catches up most of the height difference (just in the neck).  Strange.  I don't have a pic yet of Mimi ... but here is one of Decy and Wiwi (and Paul in the background for good measure, no pun intended) ... so just take Wiwi's size and subtract a bit.

On Sunday we went to a wedding reception of a friend.  Very interesting.  As I understand it, the wedding itself is for immediate family and best friend.  Then there is a "open house" type of reception.  Basically, there is a 6 hour reception (outside, in a tent in this case) where guests come in ... congratulate the bride & groom, eat a meail, leave an envelope of money then depart. We arrived about 1230 ... and left about 130.  The B&G were beautiful and handsome in their wedding clothes.  I need to get from Decy some pics to post (yeah yeah yeah, you've heard that story before).

I hate working weekends (which I did some of both Sat & Sun) as it cuts into any free time I have on the PC ... I already spend 30-40 hours/wk keyboarding in the office ... then each morning before work ... so, weekends, I like to rest my hands ....

*** Girls return to school today.

Enough of this, let me see if I can get some photo editing done ... so i can upload some pics tomorrow.

ciao ciao.

So, I realize that it has now been 2007 for 14 days, but I never really made any sort of blog post to commerirate the event, so that is what I aim to do now with some "best of" moments...

Ringing in the new year at the Moore's...

Doing 3 for the Son and getting to know some awesome 7th grade girls...

Valentine's Day...

Hanging out with the McPhee's...

Practicing for "The Hiding Place"...

Fun in the sun with friends...


Which included my two year anniversary with someone special...

Summer AO...

Two Damascus Road shows...

Atlanta...

...especially the awesome log ride...

Switchfoot concert #1...

Garrett's family cookout...

Wrapping up the summer with goofiness and fun...




MTSU games...



Road trip fun...

Fall retreat and many new friends...


Time with him...

Hanging out with old friends when I needed it most...

Working on Collage with some great friends...

Switchfoot concert #2...

Thanksgiving and the Christmas season...

Ringing in the new year...


What I learned in 2006:
*Worrying and stressing are not worth it.
*There is absolutely nothing I can do that will make God love me any more or less.
*Growing up is about responsibility.
*Astronomy is evil.
*Being perfect is impossible and the effort to be such is completely futile.
*People change and will surprise you (both for the better and for the worse).
*People know what I stand for just by my actions.
*Having an approximately 180 lb. person fall on top of your head results in a knot that remains for two months.
*Video production can be tough, but the end result makes the process totally worth it.

What I hope to achieve in 2007:
*Love God more.
*Judge no one.
*Love people more.
*Write more.
*Make a parody movie (help me make this happen this summer).
*Stress/worry less.
*Exercise. At least a little bit...

Okay, so I'm back in Cookeville.  I've got a single room in Murphy now (hallelujah!) that is well stocked with Ramen (36 cups, meaning over a month of sustenance) as well as other nifty edibles.  I'm on the fifth floor, so now I can get a little bit of exercise every day by using the stairs (it's rather sad, but I woke up with sore legs this morning).  Here's hoping my classes go well!

Anyway, the new season of 24 begins in just over 6 hours, but I've got a meeting in 2, and it may go long and I may miss the beginning or (*shudder*) the whole thing.  Either way, I'll watch a recording.  It's like sitting on nails waiting for it to begin.

I think i am starting to get senioritus. I am fed up with my job, bored with my classes at school (i even had my schedule chaged because it was TOO easy and well...its still too easy), and i don't have a vehicle because the Haynes family is cursed with cars that don't ever work and/or get wrecked. But other than that things are goin alright. I'm just ready to graduate. I'm also ready for that senior trip. Yeah....that'd be nice. Where do yall think i should go? Don't say the beach, b/c i hate the beach. And don't say Gatlinburg, b/c i hate that place too. I'm open for suggestions.

well today i am going to the boat show up in nashville.... and yeah...that should be fun then tomorrow i am going caveing with fade.. that is going to rock...lol....

but friday wasnt the best... i cant trust kay anymore.. she was going to go to florida with me but now i cant trust enough to take her cuz i think she might try and run away down there.... so yeah rhat kinda sucks... and she knew me, ash, and kaylah could talk to her and help her with it... but no she had to be an ass and run away.... and everyone was worried about her... and i only got a hold of like two people on friday and they even help.........geeeeeeeee.... yeah that goes to show you what happen when you run away and how many people worry about you....

well anyways i am tried cuz my cat didnt know what he wanted...i gave him food...tried to let him out BUT NOO he didnt want any of those......

well anyways i am out

meg

I hate complaining, but

right now life is frustrating, unfair, and viciously ironic.

pretty sure i love it when people you haven't talked to in forever randomly call or message you out of the blue.

Ah Saturday, a day that anybody would look forward to.  It was actually a weird day for dearly beloved Jak.  I would start telling you about it, but it would take me a very long time for me to tell the whole story.  Nevertheless, this is going to be my last blog.  I've tried this blogging thing out for a few days to give it a shot, and seriously it's just not for me.  If you want to write me a message, then great, I'll read and even respond.  But sorry guys, no more blogging for me.  Seems kind of like a waste of time.

okay kids.

4 classes. not many, right? I mean, what are the chances of having class with anyone i know.

so. here's the breakdown. and for kicks and giggles, names of the people i'm spending the semester with

Music: 2 girls from my highschool(one of which was in AE tonight) Patricia Bass & Jerika Hale.

Speech: 2 girls from HS, Lacey Gooch & Jerika Hale

Intro to rec: one from my North Boulevard days/HS one from a class last semester, and one from RFC(cherie gambill, jarrod wilson, & brad fradrich)

rec for persons with disabilities: RFC, brad fradrich

some of you. . . :: cough :: anna miller :: cough :: will prolly get a kick out of this list. . .maybe, idk. . .and then the weiler woman may find it interesting as well. . .who knows

dang i gotta move. this is out of freaking control.

have you ever felt like your best friends are your worst friends?

is officially one of the coolest things I've ever done!

And it's not crawilng!! Yay!!

I still have no voice, but it's been serving me well. I've been able to just sit on the couch and do nothing all day. Well, until mom told me to clean my room... which I did.

It looks really freakin' cool now, I put up a few more candle holders. I'm eventually going to get the painting done, I just don't know when, grrr.

I even made myself a little snuffer, I got that bored. I'm really nifty that way, all it took was a medicine cap 9the kind your parents use to give you the medicine) a black and silver dowel rod, aluminum foil, and some craft wire. Go Me!!

Chris borrowed our drive way today, and I stole his CD case. I have Skillet and Three Days Grace now so woot. He seems to think I need to listen to Breaking Benjamin, I might just do that...

Never test the
depth of the water with both feet.

HA HA
Ok so my sister and I took my brothers  Skateboard and rode down the rode..... well we took turns sitting on it!! :) It was so funny, i got it on video!!! We rode it from the top of this small hill to all the way around the curve! It was so funny!! Well yeah just thought i would tell you FANTASTIC people.

~~~ Grace

Well I have been home alone since I got home from baseball yesterday.  I went over Adam's last night though, we played guitar hero. it was swell, i suppose.When your home alone, you get bored enough to do the dishes, laundry, and mop..

I really need to get into the word, i've been struggling with that; i try to oversome sins, and i can't since i have no backing..funny how that works.

My Seahawks play tomorrow, I'm ready.

 I am with the most amazing guy and i dont kno what to say cause its left me speechless.................. I kno that i have to take it slow this time so i hope i dont fuck up some how. I just hope that it finally works cause he is sweet, cute, strong, and real. He is really real and its great cause fake people piss me off.

I need prayer.

This week has been the worst. i've spent the past 2 years trying to build my trust level again. [because things happened in my family that really caused me to not be able to trust anymore.] I was doing this with the help of a youth leader. Only to find out, this person wasn't the most trustworthy either. Knocking my trust level back to zero. I feel as if everyone i get close to isn't honest with me, or leads a complete double life. they use me & lie to me. i don't know what to do anymore. i want to shut off the world completely. Honestly, i'm angry at God a little for allowing this to happen. But i've stayed in the scripture trying to make sense of all of this. maybe it just needs time.

& Now, what i ask of you is that you pray for me, that i may have a forgiving spirit towards all of this, that i have strength to say that this won't hinder my walk with Christ, that it will be a stepping stone to build my relationship with Him, and make me smarter for the future. right now, all of that seems so out of reach. But i'm trusting the power of prayer. and support from my brothers & sisters in Christ.

Love you all.

<3

well last night was fun
my best friend ran away to a guys how
now she is deffently going to boarding school
and it's her fault.... so yeah

Wow, I've never really thought of this, I mean, I have, but not in the depth I just did.

John
12: 4But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray
him, objected, 5"Why wasn't this perfume sold and the money given to
the poor? It was worth a year's wages.^[b]"
6He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was
a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what
was put into it.

We
tend to look at this passage and look so poorly upon Judas, but don't
we do this all the time? Don't we so often look at a situation and spit
out some memorized response, rather than a heartfelt one?

In other words, we frequently handle situations like a church member, rather than like Jesus.

The
point is, Christianity is not about having an instruction manual for
every situation in life, but about a consistent Christ like attitude,
one that's always seeing the world through the passion and love of
Jesus, not through empty, ritualistic approaches mindlessly brought
forward from your denomination's regulations.

Because
if we don't approach situations like this, we'll be the ones looking a
desperate church member in the face asking for money saying "you should
have tithed," looking at a pregnant teenager saying "you should have
been at youth service," or heartlessly telling a heartbroken spouse
that their lost family member "had plenty of chances to come to Christ.

In
other words, if we don't stop ourselves from treating God as teacher
and not Lord, reciting words for religion rather than compassion, it
won't be long before we look ourselves in the mirror and find that we
too, have become, a modern day Judas.

hey yall whats up? homecoming was super fun! i would love to re-do that night! so many memories!!! well i will ttyl write to me

<3love<3
        Candace

Do you ever feel like your just passing through in life??  I mean like your just an add on to everyone else's lives.  I mean its like you don't feel like you belong and your friends are acting strange and you just feel like a tagalong.  I dunno .... maybe thats just my thoughts about my life lately.

I need some prayers. so any would be greatly appreciated.

Today was definately a fun filled day. jess and I went to the greenway this morning and walked about 6 miles with a Front Porch Cafe break in between (our favorite restaurant!) then she took us to get 30 minute massages...oh it was SO wonderful! then we went back to her house to get ready for tonight. We drove to Monteagle to this cute little dinner theater called Bear Hollow. We had a delicious dinner and watched a hilarious play called Murder at the Howard Johnson's. So now I'm spending the night at her house. We're just glad we made it there and back safely! Thank you Jesus! Whoo! 

I am so tired.... i have been staying up really late thinking. It's weird b/c like i want to go to sleep, yet i just can't!
I have no idea whats wrong with me :)
Other then school i have been unpacking and fantastic stuff like that. I am going to one of my Best~Friends Birthday party this Friday..... i can't wait to go :) :P I love just hanging out with all my FANTASTIC friends!!!

Yeah so it's fridaynight and i am home! doing what i always do on a fantastic friday night..... nothing. I hope you people are having more fun then i am :)
Thanks for reading this boring entry.....

~The One And Only
             ME :)

So I'm sitting here hanging out at Easter Seals camp. It's not even 10 and I'm already done for the day. The campers are all in bed and all the staff are hanging out in the lounge reading, homework, talking, etc. There's only about 10 of us on staff. Most of us are college students or graduate students It's amazing here. Even tonight I've already learned stuff I couldn't learn in a classroom.  The campers are great and totally different from anyone I've worked with before. I'm really really praying stuff works out and I end up on staff on here. Guess I'll find out by Sunday!

Ah the sweet smell of Friday, and your american hero Jak has been understandibly looking foward to this.  Work was only a half day, I was gone by lunchtime, that happens every Friday.  Also on every Friday I am starting a new tradition to stop by the store, pick up a sandwich and a rose, go to the cemetary and have lunch with my father.  It's probably the most peaceful time of my week.  Afterwards I went to the gym for a couple of hours to take out my agressions on an illeptical.  Tonight a couple of friends from work wanted to go get drinks and shoot the breeze about their ever so monotaneous week, so we all went to the local O'charley's.  I'm back to my apartment from there, a little tired now, so now I'm making my entry and heading to bed.

If you've seen more than 44 you officially have no life


January:
[ ] Hostel
[ ] Grandma's Boy
[ ] Munich
[x] Casanova
[ ] BloodRayne
[x] Last Holiday
[x] Hoodwinked
[x] Glory Road
[ ] Tristan and Isolde
[ ] Brokeback Mountain
[ ] Underworld: Evolution
[x] End of the Spear
[x] Big Momma's House 2
[x] Nanny McPhee
[ ] Syriana
[x] Annapolis
[ ] The Matador
Total: 8


Feburary:
[x] When a Stranger Calls
[ ] Something New
[ ] Capote
[x] Good Night, and Good Luck.
[x] The Pink Panther
[x] Final Destination 3
[x] Firewall
[x] Curious George
[x] Eight Below
[x] Date Movie
[ ] Freedomland
[x] Doogal
[x] Tyler Perry's Madea's Family Reunion
[x] Running Scared
Total: 11


March:
[x] 16 Blocks
[x] Ultraviolet
[x] Aquamarine
[x] Dave Chapelle's Block Party
[ ] Transamerica
[x] The Shaggy Dog
[x] Failure to Launch
[x] The Hills Have Eyes
[x] V for Vendetta
[x] She's the Man
[x] Inside Man
[ ] Stay Alive
[x] Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector
[x] Ice Age: The Meltdown
[ ] Slither
[x] ATL
[x] Basic Instinct 2
Total: 14


April:
[x] The Benchwarmers
[x] Take the Lead
[ ] Lucky Number Slevin
[ ] Phat Girlz
[x] Scary Movie 4
[x] The Wild
[ ] Thank You For Smoking
[x] Silent Hill
[ ] The Sentinel
[ ] American Dreamz
[x] Friends With Money
[x] RV
[ ] Akeelah and the Bee
[x] Stick It
[x] United 93
Total: 9

May:
[x] Mission: Impossible III
[x] Hoot
[ ] An American Haunting
[x] Poseidon
[ ] Just My Luck
[x] Goal! The Dream Begins
[ ] Art School Confidential
[x] Over the Hedge
[x] The Da Vinci Code
[ ] See No Evil
[x] X-Men: The Last Stand
Total: 7


June:
[x] The Break-Up
[x] The Omen
[x] Cars
[ ] A Prairie Home Companion
[x] Nacho Libre
[x] The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift
[x] Garfield: A Tale of Two Kitties
[x] The Lake House
[x] Click
[ ] Waist Deep
[x] Superman Returns
[x] The Devil Wears Prada
Total: 10

July:
[x] Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
[x] You, Me, and Dupree
[x] Little Man
[x] Monster House
[x] Lady in the Water
[x] My Super Ex-Girlfriend
[x] Clerks II
[x] The Ant Bully
[x] Miami Vice
[ ] John Tucker Must Die
Total: 9

August:
[x] Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby
[x] Barnyard: The Original Party Animals
[ ] The Descent
[ ] The Night Listener
[x] World Trade Center
[x] Zoom
[x] Step Up
[ ] Pulse
[x] Snakes on a Plane
[x] Accepted
[ ] Material Girls
[ ] Little Miss Sunshine
[ ] Beerfest
[ ] Invincible
[x] How to Eat Fried Worms
[x] Idlewild
Total: 9


September:
[ ] The Wicker Man
[ ] Crank
[x] Crossover
[ ] The Illusionist
[ ] The Covenant
[ ] Hollywoodland
[x] The Protector
[ ] Gridiron Gang
[ ] Everyone's Hero
[ ] The Black Dahlia
[ ] The Last Kiss
[x] Jackass: Number Two
[x] Flyboys
[ ] Jet Li's Fearless
[ ] All the King's Men
[x] Open Season
[ ] The Guardian
[ ] School for Scoundrels
Total: 5


October:
[x] The Departed
[x] Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
[x] Employee of the Month
[ ] The Grudge 2
[x] The Marine
[x] Man of the Year
[ ] One Night with the King
[ ] Flicka
[ ] The Prestige
[x] Flags of our Fathers
[ ] Marie Antoinette
[x] Saw III
[ ] Catch a Fire
Total: 7


November:
[x] Flushed Away
[x] The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause
[ ] Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
[ ] Stranger Than Fiction
[ ] A Good Year
[ ] The Return
[ ] Babel
[ ] Harsh Times
[ ] Happy Feet
[ ] Casino Royale
[x] Let's Go to Prison
[ ] The Queen
[ ] For Your Consideration
[ ] Deja Vu
[ ] Deck the Halls
[ ] Tenacious D in: The Pick of Destiny
[ ] The Fountain
[ ] Bobby
Total: 3

December:
[ ] The Nativity Story
[ ] National Lampoon's Van Wilder: The Rise of Taj
[ ] Turistas
[ ] Unaccompanied Minors
[ ] The Holiday
[ ] Apocalypto
[ ] Blood Diamond
[ ] Charlotte's Web
[ ] Eragon
[ ] The Pursuit of Happyness
[ ] Rocky Balboa
[ ] Night at the Museum
[ ] We Are Marshall
[ ] The Good Shepherd
[ ] Black Christmas
[ ] Dreamgirls
Total: 0

GRAND TOTAL: 95

The medicine my doctor gave me is not fun at all. It feels like I'm out of my skin, and when I'm in it, it crawls. Most definately not fun.

Pretty sure I haven't said 2 words today. My voice is beyond gone, and I really feel like complaining about it.

Believe me I've complained to Leslie about in via text. She's pretty cool that way. She doesn't have a problem with me complaining about stuff, which is probably a good thing right about now.

I'm watching Sister Act right now, not really paying attention right now. It's at the beginning, so not much to pay attention to.

Here is a post from the people @ passion i thought i would pass along to you all!!


Do Something Now!

During the days of Passion 07 over 22,000 of us banded together to make a difference throughout the world in Jesus' name. The Do Something Now Campaign was more than charity, it was our worship as we offered to God what He really loves. The results so far have exceeded our expectations...and the story has just begun!

Touch Atlanta
We wanted to Touch Atlanta by providing towels and socks to 15 area organizations assisting those in need. 13,000 towels and 31,000 pairs of socks were provided.

Help Stop Human Trafficking
Speaking up against the trade of precious people in the sex industry, 3000 signatures were gathered with Stop The Traffik to be presented to the UN with others from around the world.

Bibles To Unreached People
We wanted to send 3000 Bibles into East Asia, committing to pray for each recipient for one year. 4000 Bibles were sent. 4000 people are being prayed for!

Clean Water For Africa
We sought to sponsor the drilling of 11 wells (at a cost of 3K each) to bring clean water to African villages for life. 52 wells were sponsored + additional funds were collected for at least one more expensive well in Sudan.

Life-saving Surgeries For Kids
We hoped to sponsor 50 surgeries for children in Central/South America at a cost of $1,000 each. A donor agreed to match whatever was given at Passion 07. 124 surgeries were sponsored, bringing the total (with the matching grant) to 248 surgeries.

College For Promising Africans
20 young people were sponsored to attend college in Africa through Compassion's Leadership Development Program. Additional Compassion children were sponsored.

A Community/Student Center on a Campus In Iraq
We sought to raise money for the Freedom Center in Kurdistan of Iraq.
Over 2400 bricks were purchases for $10. (Our goal was 500!)
17 groups have committed to raise $5,000. (Our goal was 10! An additional 20K was given at Passion 07). The numbers are still growing.
200 people have committed to pray about spending a year in Iraq teaching English at The Freedom Center.
1200 committed to pray for the Kurds for one year.

The Bible For The Dela People of Indonesia
Through us, God funded the translation of the New Testament for the Dela people of Indonesia. In addition, so many gifts/pledges were made we have funded additional translations for the Rikou and Lola people of Indonesia. But there's more... we have funded the completion of three additional translations that were in mid-stream for people groups in Indonesia. We set our sights on one translation and have now completed six. Calls and requests are pouring into Oneverse with people/groups requesting additional translations to sponsor. Over $450,000 was given/pledged for translations of the New Testament!

On top of these amazing ventures, the offering for Passion's World Tour (we are trusting God for close to 4 million) taken on the last morning was $256,000... and it's still growing. Humbling. Thank you for letting us know you are with us.

God is amazing!! And in Him we can change the world together. Let's don't stop here!
If you still want to get involved, information on our Do Something Now partner organizations under Latest on the Passion Website.

PS-Who said college students were poor?

 Everybody... guess wat??? At school Elizabeth got MOST TALENTED and i got MOST FRIENDLIEST we were so happy!!! lol

i leave for memphis tomorrow at 11 instead of sunday afternoon.

There are two
theories to arguing with women. Neither one works.

So today a friend of mine and I decided that the only way we would get
motivated enough to work out is to work out with a buddy (maybe that's
just me, but you can't deny that a spotter makes things a lot easier),
and we also came to the conclusion that with our schedules, the best
time to do this would be at 6:30 am at the rec center at MTSU.  We
would shower afterward and head straight for our 8 o clock classes
(that's what I get for signing up late....nevermore).  So we've decided
to start the first day of school and that happens next Tuesday. 
So.....somehow between now and Tuesday, I need to become a morning
person.  I have a feeling day time naps will save me from narcolepsy. 
Anyways....I'm still excited about this.  Waking up early takes
self-discipline which will come in handy in a lot more areas in my
life.  Plus when you get to working out, it actually wakes you up and
gets the blood flowin.  We'll see how it goes.  Wish me luck.....

"If society was like a human body, I would be the appendix."

I shouldn't have to tell you how today started.  But if you don't know, it started the exact same way it always does.  I woke up at the same exact time and fought the same exact homicidal traffic.  The only alteration of my morning was the breakfast that I ate and the clothes that I wore.  So I put on my crispily ironed shirt and ever so dark slacks, and lastly I put on my red tie, triple knotted as usual,  and headed to work.  I moved money between accounts at work for 9 hours and then clocked out.  On my way home I fought just hard enough to swing by the local Target and purchase eucolyptus scented bath salts among other things.  So I fought my way back into traffic, and finally made it to the apartment.  Because of the reason of my most recent purchase, the first thing I did when I was home was spend quality time in the tub.  Being a rather tall male you wouldn't expect me to be the type of person that uses bath salts in his bath, but oh contrare!  What better way to end a day filled with trying to make sense of numbers then for ravishing young Jak to relax in a bath, taking in the relaxing aroma of eucolyptus mixed with the sweet sense of monotany that my day brings.  After that I can honestly say that I spent the rest of my night drinking a couple of cold ones while becoming an abnormal spud growth on the couch, and I didn't feel guilty about it.  I had finally had my nothing night that I felt so much like the now-relaxed Jak deserved.  Just in time for Friday...

Ok so this is my entry and I am doing it on my brand new labtop! haha so leave some comments. Hope everyone is doing well... Keep Fighting the good fight of faith!
IN CHRIST john

Elizabeth and I thought of the craziest thing...we should go to Wal-Mart and like think of a game and play it in Wal-Mart like someone has to find the coolest thing to buy or something like that...and we were going to see if anyone else thinks that would be fun to do????

hey y'all well tomorrow is homecoming at my school! and i cant wait... im like flippin Bored right now ugh! write to me

I went to the doctors office today, they did bloodwork. so now i have a bruise where they took it out of my arm. They took 3 dang tubes full!

I'll find out wha the heck is wrong with me this time in a day or two. In the mean time, I'm stuck at home.

Ah, wonderful Fridays.   Glad it is finally here.  After about a month of short work weeks (due to a messed up vacation schedule) it seems strange working all 5 days of the work week (excludes work I do on Sundays).  Thus, Thursday was a bit of a difficult day.  However, with it now being Friday ... and the weekend just a few hours away ... I will be fine today.

At the office, I'm slowly pounding out the presentations and submitting all the required year end data.  There is so much to do ... and so many new activities for 2007.  Seems like I am already behind.  urrrgghh.

Looks like Decy and I are finally getting into a routine on "normal spending" .... the transition from Angola to Indonesia has been difficult .... between buying cars, furniture, dealing with pent up demands (nothing available in Angola for 4 years), visitors (Daisy, Stela, boys), Christmas ... it has been very hard to get a handle on expenses.  Although I know precisely how much we have spent and and on what things, it is still hard to separate out normal vs unusual ... and then extrapolate into the future ..... its like the "fog of war".   However, Decy and I caught up on the finances over the past week ... and I was very pleasantly surprised. Doesn't mean we are over the hump and there are no issues .... just means that for once there were no "negative surprises".

One thing is very clear .... there is a substantial cost premium to live an American lifestyle in Indonesia.  Many things are incredibly cheap .... but if you want a car ($25k-$50k) ... and put gas in it ($400/mo for two) .... and air conditioning ($900/mo electricity) .... and broadband access ($225/mo) ... then you pay dearly.  Based on that last 3 months of expenses ... utilities, staffing, phones, security, gas, auto mtse, etc ... basic "infrastructure costs" are running close to $3k per month ... and that is after paying cash for the cars.  Food/groceries is running about $1,500/mo but I think about 1/2 of that is (a) buying misc for the house/kitchen and (b) the initial "stocking up" on many things.  Then, of course ... there is the dining, entertainment, gifts, vacation, medical, massages, salons, etc .... we probably need another 2-3 months of "run time" before I get a good understand of the overall cost of living here.

RE more personal things ... Decy, Chely, and I are starting to exercise a bit (each on our own) ... seems we all feel the need to "tighten up" just a little bit. For me, I am focussing on my stomach (sit ups) and some free weights.  Its not that I have a big belly (I don't) its just that a few sit ups can help tighten up what I have.  As for Thasya - well, she doesn't need to exercises ... she has a dragon in her tummy that absorbs everything she eats ..... growing at about 4 inches a year for the last 3 years .... she is now about 5' 6" and still stretching to the sky ...

*** Seriously considering going hashing tomorrow .... its been a long time.

ok, enough of this.  I need to eat some fruit (my breakfast) and wrap things up so I can go to work ... besides ... it is ALREADY 506 am ....

ciao ciao 

I got to drive a 2007 Mazda3 today... fun stuff.

It's not as fun as the lexus or the G6 that I drove but still lots of fun, though it is hard to get used to using one of those new automatic manuals. I still prefer to have a clutch, a clutch is just so much more fun.

So I've gone to all my classes now. And most of them look pretty good except college algebra. the teacher doesn't teach and has the personality of a rock. He just presses the slide show button and mumbles and doesn't make any sense to anyone. Not to mention he assigns homework like his class is the only one we have. English looks like it's gonna be really good again. Intro to teaching wasn't as bad as I was expecting. It even looks somewhat enjoyable. And U. S. History  is looking like my favorite class. Dr. Barnett is pretty amazing. So yea, aside from math, as usual, things look pretty good. But now I get to go do my 4 homework assignments and 2 quizzes for algebra...all of which are due tomorrow!

the first day of classes wasnt too bad. i have all my classes on monday, wensday, friday. i'm kinda worried about that, but it'll be ok i think. i'm afraid i might be bored on tuesdays and thursdays, but i'm going to make a conscious effort to study on these days. oh well, we learn from our experiences.

we had practice this morning. we were supposed to meet at 530 like we usually do and run on the track outside till the rec center opens, but i put my foot down and said we werent going to run outside. i was tired of running in the cold. i dont think it's good for my lungs. :( that could be really bad. it was like 25 degrees this morning, so i'm glad we didnt run outside.

i had my only class though on tuesday and thursdays at 8, so after we got back i showered and ran to my car, it was frosted over, but i was running late so i drove anyways. i'm not going to lie, it was dangerous, i should of let it defrost, but hey, i dont like to be late. i'm worried that i'm going to sleep through some of these 8 o'clock classes, which wont be good cause they deduct from your final grade. and if you miss 6 classes you fail. but they deduct 2 percent of your grade each time you miss. not 2 points, but 2 percent. so it adds up quick.

well i gotta study,

piece

  I CAN NOT WAIT TO GO TO THE CONCERT WINTER JAM... WHO ALL IS GOING??? ELIZABETH IT IS GOING TO BE SO MUCH FUN WINK WINK HINT HINT..LOL

AND I'M SO BORED.

I hate this town.

I hate this town.

I hate this town.

Another day, another dollar, as the famous line goes.  Another dollar indeed.  Wednesday started out just like Tuesday did, which is just like any other day of my monotanous morning.  The only difference between Wednesday and Tuesday morning was a granola bar instead of a slice of pizza, and waking up feeling like a trainwreck.  Does a night of hockey actually do that to a person?  I feel a sense of jealousy toward the coworkers I have that can party at night and be able to function in the office in the morning.  Nevertheless, I leave for work and fight the ever so gleeful homicidal traffic that is downtown Nashville.  Once again, I'm going to skip the part about work and wish I could be talking about my hypothetical day spent fishing or something similar.  Once I leave work, I still have the trainwreck feeling of this morning.  On top of that I feel sick, but I'm not sick.  When Darling Jak was redoing the floors in his mother's house, he didn't wear a dust mask and thus breathed in insullation material.  I didn't think it was any harm, only the fact that I would be coughing up a raw cat a week later.  I finally get to my apartment, the time of the day I've been looking forward to the most.  The time to where I do nothing but become an abnormal growth attached to the seat of my sofa.  I feel like I deserve a nothing night, even last night I was doing something, albeit entertaining.  A short while later my neighbor Chris stops by and insists that I go bowling with him and his brother and girlfriend.  Oh how I looked forward to the nothing night, but a bribery of free dinner was much more worth it, even if it was a quick stop by the drive-thru at McD's.  After dinner we went ahead and bowled a couple of games.  He didn't know this but bowling used to be a hobby of mine, I felt like I was good at it too.  I'm a little washed up now but I can still beat an everyday joe, and apparently I could beat the fearsome threesome with much ease, especially while armed with my Brunswick, it was 220 if you're curious.  Poor, pitiful, and sick-feeling Jak is back in his apartment now, and after a night of bowling he's ready to go to bed, only to wake up and attend to what has now become known as Jak's monotanous mornings.  Perhaps one day when I have nothing else to write about I will tell you about work, perhaps my dear friend.

Sorry i haven't updated in a while! Not like any of you people care. Anyway, I moved! FANTASTIC...... not really, i am still not used to the city yet! I am still wish we lived in the farm house! But O well :) I am becoming a city girl now!
Today i went over to my bestfriends house *the fantastic Lane* and took care of my horsies! Oh, and we watched THE best movie of all time! Step Up !
We just got home from Church and plane to go make musice videos up in my NEW room!!!
Talk to you fantastic people later

When he/she gets in trouble,

The child of the Arminian household says, "The devil made me do it."

The child of the Calvinist household says, "God made me do it."