anybody want to go to the beach one day soon?

i've been working on some stuff lately...

this is my portfolio site
www.susanbluedesign.com

and this is my very dramatic video from my trip to mississippi (i made it for my family) but if you have time to kill, feel free to watch. it takes a while to load... but it eventually will.

mississippi

photo from tracylynn



well, tracy and i went on a high class gulf coast tour a week ago, and it's just now all setting in...

we visited LSU and my friends in Baton Rouge (see above picture) as well as spent alot of time in New Orleans. it was really great to see old friends, and to find out who's married and having babies and all that jazz. (it's okay though cause most of them are older than me!) also to find out who's not doing so well and so on...
apparently there's a rumor in Baton Rouge that I'm moving there... but it's just a rumor (i think... we'll see)

my friends have very recently planted a church in Baton Rouge that i'm really excited about. ring community church

on the day we flew out we drove to Pascagoula where i lived from age 12 until my 2nd year in college. we went to my old house. the people who lived there were living in a trailer in the front yard, which is how most of the town, if they are still there, is living it seems. my house had no windows and the front door was open... so i snuck in and videotaped a skeleton of a house that i had spent all my teenage years in. there was nothing but new drywall from about your waist down... which led me to believe that was the water line.

i mean nothing. no kitchen, no toilets, no place in the corner where me and my best friend emily had written our names... nothing. i knew i was trespassing and shouldn't have been, but i didn't care at the time. later after talking to my friend jennifers parents, i realized that it was really stupid of me to just go into the house, apparently they'd been shooting people for stuff like that. oops :)

it's not the same town. i kept telling tracy how pretty it had been. I lived 1 block from the beach, and now most of the buildings that were between my house and the beach weren't there. so strange and honestly really sad.

we did have rainbow cookies from andersons and chili cheeseburgers from eds, and that won't mean a thing to most of you, but hopefully it will make Laura and Garreth smile.




photo from tracylynn



this was the bridge that connects ocean springs to biloxi. i can't tell you how many times my friends and I have driven across this bridge just cause it was fun. the brigde wasn't really even so when you drove across it, your car would kinda bounce. if you yelled or sang a note your voice would bump as well. we were easily entertained.

this scene shocked me, as did all that i saw the rest of the afternoon. the beachfront in biloxi and gulfport has disappeared. the restaurants that we'd go to for fun on friday nights are gone, but some of the signs are still there. as we were driving it hit me that so many people aren't going to be able to show their kids where "so and so happened" cause it's not there anymore. the olive garden where i had my first real "the boy pays" date, is gone. my favorite place to go during the summer of 1997, fun time USA was gone. the church where i heard my dad sing christmas music at every year, well it's only half gone. from the road you can still see the balcony and the screen above the choir loft.

anyway, it's pretty surreal and if you have a chance to, i suggest you go see it for yourself. I'm glad i got to make the trip, it was theraputic, and it reminded me over again that life is short and precious and this stuff here on earth is so temporal. and that God's grace and love are amazing. and He's about restoration.

i spent the morning with my favorite friend (okay it's hard to really pick a favorite, but he was today at least!) i knew someone who had an extra ticket to Regis and Kelly this morning and invited me... so i went even though i have a whole lot of stuff to do. it was fun, and i'd been wanting to go anyway, but getting to see David Schwimmer made it all so much more fun! alright, now i gotta go do about 7 loads of laundry.

at the zoo... these monkeys do not have personal space issues



animal not at the zoo...



fun times girls! ... funny and talented. i just want to bottle that up...  and dance to outkast in washington square park and be asian for a day. oh wait...

today at church i saw a little girl who i used to teach who had a bow on top of her head that was as big as her entire head. it was pretty cute. i wonder how she was able to balance that thing and walk at the same time. as she walked away i think i saw her almost topple over. thank god for the south and big bows... it made me smile.

i also got to hear Donald Miller speak today. it was really good. i'll tell you about it if you want to know...

the excitement that is my life. i actually got to witness this clever banter...

AJ: I have a cousin who lives in Hoboken

Justin: So he's like your Hobo-Kin? (as he can't stop laughing at himself)

On a totally different subject...  I'm so excited that LSU is in the final four. Every year, like a good fan, I pick them on my bracket to win it all... but this year i decided to pick the top teams (way to go, sue) I'm even more excited that I get to watch the games with my family in Nashvegas (in flip flops because it's warmer there)

this made me laugh today...



it said Brad Pitt... couldn't they have listed Pittsburgh first and Bradley second?

and my other fun photo of the day



this is the happiest kid i know! not to mention that he's really cute.

i totally saw jennifer love hewitt today in the city... she's short.

I was driving home this afternoon from work and as I passed the movie theater I decided to go see this movie that was filmed at my old church when I worked there. When they were filming it, I got to watch a whole lot of it being shot and my parents are even in a scene in the movie. I also found out that a whole lot of people that I know are in it. One of my friends sings in a couple of scenes. Curt, one of our church custodians is in the first scene. Logos and posters that I'd designed were in the background all over the walls throughout the movie. It really actually made me homesick even though it portrayed my church as the big rich white suburban church... (ok so that's actually true.) It was a pretty good movie, I didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I did. If you have a little extra time and cash on your hands, go see it. It's a really great story and it makes you think about what the Church is and what it should be.

The weird thing was that I was the ONLY person in the theater. I had my own private screening. I didn't even turn my cell phone off because it wouldn't have interrupted anyone but me. It was strange to be alone in a big theater, and to see my mom on the screen (even if you could barely see her.) To see the halls of a church building that I used to wander down when i needed to get away from my desk on movie screen was very very surreal. The credits rolled, and I knew like 15 people listed. I guess you can say the movie was quite a nice afternoon surprise.

www.thesecondchancemovie.com
 

i bought these apple in-ear headphones in december and i really liked them, but all of a sudden about a month ago they just got really quiet and you had to turn up the ipod a ton to hear anything. so needless to say they didn't work anymore and i wanted to return them and get something different. long story short... apple is mailing me a new pair for free no questions and they don't want the broken ones back.

normally i think i wouldn't tell alot of people about this so that no one would take advantage of a great corporation like apple, but i know the 3 or so people that will actually read this know better. i also know that it's only $50 of product and they probably wouldn't just mail me a new G5 if i called to tell them mine was giving me that sad mac icon.

anyways i'm a dork and i think i just proved it. but in a few days i'll be able to hear zach morris as well as see his tight rolled jeans thanks to itunes and my new earphones.

 (p.s. i've also turned over a new leaf and the mean streak is gone. i think it's cause i'm dealing with an upcoming birthday and i needed a change.)

photo from kimkmcil

hmmmmm... i like him. he's funny, cute and nice. it may be safe to say i have a little crush.

i'm really excited that the olympics are soon. and really sad that i don't have tivo to watch them. oh well, i'll get over it :) having a dvr really changes the whole olympics experience. you don't have to stay up until 3 am to see your favorite figure skaters or that luge race you just didn't want to miss or my personal favorite, curling. Which brings me to the question, what is the point of the curling event and can it really be considered a sport?
on a totally different note, my upstairs neigbor either has a really low voice or has the bass on his tv turned up, cause all i hear is a really low voice rumbling. he talks way too much. see tracy's phusebox for back-up proof of this claim. we hear them screaming at each other every once in a while.

i was watching an episode from last seasons LOST (cause I'm a newcomer to the wonderful show) and holy cow...

there's a character with my name. susan loyd. crazy

she's dead, but still it was kinda weird to hear your name on a tv show.

I'm never doing that again unless I'm in a moving truck! (hmm... never say never.) 

here's a few things that made it not so awful.

1. my ipod and the first season of lost until the battery power i had ran out. (which was like 5 episodes)

2. at 8:00 am we saw this church sign when we stopped at sonic. I have a question for this church of christ somewhere in east tennessee, are you proud of this? REALLY??? someone thought they were being very clever. (I'm sure this sign attracts droves of grateful givers)



3. being with two good friends and laughing really hard

4. beth moore and her believing god teaching cd's

5. InStyle magazine's January edition

6. finally seeing the city skyline again and being really happy :)


I think i'm becoming David Letterman with my lists that i make on this thing :)


on a completely different thought I just read this:

MAT KEARNEY TO PERFORM ON CARSON DALY!
On Friday, January 13, set your TiVo or DVR and tune in to watch Mat perform on NBC's Last Call with Carson Daly! This will be Mat's first national television appearance, don't miss it!

that's really really cool - he's awesome
make sure you check it out

prayer.

so i used to do alot of artwork to illustrate bible verses or concepts or attributes of God, stuff i'd learn. i think i'll start again...



i guess you could say that this is what's been rolling around in my head for the last few days. seeking.

some people write songs, i think it's ok to worship through photoshop sometimes...

try it.

Week 10 AP Top 25

1. USC (57) 8-0
 2. Texas (8) 8-0
 3. Virginia Tech 8-0
 4. Alabama 8-0
 5. Miami 6-1
 6. LSU 6-1
 7. UCLA 8-0
 8. Notre Dame 5-2
 9. Florida State 7-1
10. Penn State 8-1

not bad tigers, not bad

i was reading an article on relevant's website and i really really loved it so i wanted to share it:

Faith like a 4 month old
by: Drew Moser

The last thing I was looking for was something "that would preach,” as they say in this weird American form of church ministry. Pastors often look for the obscure sermon illustrations that fill them with covetous joy, as they exclaim, “that’ll preach.” I’ve heard enough sermons on plumb lines: the course of the ship, the journey of life, lessons from Lord of the Rings and Nehemiah campaigns to build new “churches.”

 So when you read the byline and see that I’m a pastor, don’t think less of me for using my son, Ben, as an illustration. He used me as an illustration on how to love. Don’t misunderstand: my son is no wunderkind. Maybe he is, but we haven’t discovered it yet. He’s your typical 4-month-old boy, and my wife and I are loving life with him.

 What’s amazing about Ben is his love for people. He’s but an infant, yet he already longs to connect eye to eye with everyone who passes by. Just the other day, Bekah and I were at a college football game. Ben was a little excited (to say the least) at the feast of visual stimulation that surrounded him. Inside and outside the stadium, Ben’s sole purpose for existence was to catch someone’s eye and give them the biggest grin he could muster. As soon as he saw a person strolling our way, his eyes locked like a laser beam on their head. He was resolute, and with baited breath he’d wait for the other’s gaze to meet his. As soon as they did, it was like long lost friends reuniting. We’re talking more than just a smile—Ben’s entire face would beam pure, uninhibited joy just at enjoying another’s presence.

 I’ve read articles on how babies respond to beauty. The prettier the face, the greater the response from the baby—that’s generally the conclusion drawn from such experiments. My son isn’t representative of a normal baby’s response, because that day (and every other day), he showed no prejudice, no favor to those our world would deem beautiful, successful, intelligent or popular. His common denominator for sharing his joy was humanity. I’m guessing that the pure innocence of a 4-month-old doesn’t discriminate by the world’s standards in spite of such studies. I have to hope that we haven’t corrupted them this early.

 As I continued to watch my son captivate the presence of complete strangers, I was struck by how inept I am at dealing with people. My son, without language, can captivate people with joy. I never do that. Mike Mason, in his book Practicing the Presence of People writes, “To love people is to enjoy them truly, warts and all.”

 All I see, and all humanity typically sees, is just warts.

 I’ve tried to adopt my son’s behavior toward others. I spent an afternoon smiling the biggest, most genuine smile I could muster at everyone I passed on the street. I’ve never received so many strange and disgusted looks in my life. People reacted as if I were violated their personal space by smiling so uninhibitedly at them. I’ve thought long and hard on why this is, and I think it’s because such a smile that radiates such joy doesn’t merely invade personal space. It stares into the soul where light and darkness, hope and despair, community and loneliness all collide in a battle for you, me and everyone else on this earth. A baby can get away with such an offense, but not a 26-year-old man. My son is bringing the love of Jesus, a momentary glimpse into the kingdom of heaven, into the lives of strangers everywhere. As Mason writes, “Isn’t the kingdom of heaven a gentle invasion of personal space?”

 Maybe, just maybe, this sort of invasion is what Jesus was getting at when He said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these" (Matthew 19:14, TNIV). You see, Ben gets it. He truly enjoys people—all people. And he’s not afraid to show it.

 I look at Ben, and I see pure joy, joy that isn’t tarnished by greed, selfishness, oppression or hate. I see Jesus in Ben, and every other infant who, like Ben, smiles at me for no reason other than I am human.

 Some may chalk Ben’s smiles up to his naiveté of how people really are. Sure, that may be there. But I chalk it up to the image of God stamped upon his soul (that same image stamped upon you and me) being unhindered by our sinful nature. Is Ben without sin? Of course not. His sinful nature is there, just like it is in you and me. But the difference between Ben and me is that he doesn’t let his sinful nature build up barriers between himself and others. I do, and I’m guessing most adults do too.

 Loving people for nothing else other than the fact that they are human ... now that’ll preach.

i think that is what we are all called to. to get past yourself and really enjoy other people. that'll show them how much God loves them. especially in this crazy wonderful place of new york city. people just want to be loved and that's what God put us here for was to show His love, so go do it, wherever you are. (and now i'm done preaching, at least for now)