maligayang pasko!

my birthday and Christmas were incredible this year. something about it was different even though i did what i do every year. it was a quick trip down to virginia beach, but it was worth it. i was literally surprised by all my gifts. i even cried opening one of them. i don't do that often. thanks, mary.

the gifts i received this year were extra thoughtful and i amazed by my friends and family. it truly was the year of the Batman. yay, Batman pez dispensers! i received a really cool gift from the cafe staff as well (ask me & i will show you). sara gave me a gift card to the movies, so i could spend time with friends. (and for movies that she has no interest in seeing). and maribeth finished off the gift-giving this past saturday with a special edition pair of HULK HANDS!!!!

i am truly thankful for all the gifts i've received. however, i'm more grateful for the presence of the people i love in my life. i didn't have enough money to buy everything i wanted for people so i created an album of what i would give if money or reality was not an option...i didn't have time to finish it...but i did what i could.

merry christmas!!


it's the thought that counts...

christmas/birthday celebration

wii weekend and more...

we hosted our friends, jen and danielle, for a night of wii games and pizza. this is the closest i came to taking real photos of the event. i try to be nice to people sometimes if they don't like photos taken. however, in the albums below, i was not that nice. we had a good time that evening and it ended shockingly with me asking questions. believe it or not, they didn't go running for the hills. i was very impressed. they may choose to never visit again, but i am glad they made the trip this time.

the links below are photos of events that have taken place recently...enjoy.

amy's baby shower & visit to the johnsons

turkey day event

thanksgiving 2008

beedle and the bard event

holiday party

happy tenth anniversary, sara!

happy anniversary, sara! there are more than a hundred reasons why i love you, but usually i can only come up with three. click the link to see one of your presents....TEN TIMES TEN.

when sparkling looks like sweat?!?

everyone knows that i was excited to see this movie. everyone that has talked to me in the last few months knows that i really love the characters in this book. "twilight" is my favorite book in this series. i would have never read the other three if i hadn't fallen in love with bella and edward.

i know that a movie will never match what your imagination creates from reading. however, some movies are able to come close. this is not one of them.

a teenager walking out of the theater said it best, "i didn't think this was supposed to be a comedy."

walking humbly

i've had the opportunity to actually go to church a few times within the last month or so. the days where i used to go to mass every sunday seems a really long time ago. in the last five years, i have struggled with a faith that always seemed to be constant and strong within me. with the help of prayer and connection with friends and family, i have rediscovered a peace that i thought i had lost.

i went to church with my friend, kourtney, a couple of sundays ago. i have not been hugged as much in one setting since college. it was nice. i felt very welcomed. it was a non-denominational christian church. the music, which i loved, was an integral part of the service. i had to get up and introduce myself (with a microphone) as a guest to the church. then, kourtney warned me, "they are all going to hug you now." this might bother some people, but not me.

i have been struggling with how to deal with forgiveness of self, forgiveness of others and with various relationships in my life. the sermon was about how one's innermost self does battle with one's outermost self. God is found within your innermost self and it is a conscious decision to let God affect your actions or your outer self. i know that there are moments that i am moved by God to do or to say things to others. i know that comes from deep within me. i know that i am an instrument and a vessel in other people's lives. and i know that certain people are brought into my life as instruments as well.

however, there are emotions that affect my decisions and actions that are not always Christ-like. i struggle with anger, selfishness, and jealousy. i struggle with being overly competitive and with a strong desire to be loved. i know that when i focus on listening to God that i tend to fight the more negative nature of my personality. i do fight the negativity within me with a strong desire to be a better person. i am constantly on the journey to having my faith be what drives my decision making and to let go of my constant need for control. there have been clear examples in my life where God has shown me that i am not in charge, that i needed to let go of the wheel.

a long time ago, i heard a sermon that pointed out that you may be the only example of a Christian that someone might encounter. this thought really resounded with me. i've applied this thought to other aspects of my personality, being a lesbian, being a filipino, and even being a gay Christian. i could easily wear outward symbols to make it obvious that i'm all these things. it would make for an interesting outfit, t-shirt, or tattoo. i've been told by some that my orientation and my heritage are obvious without wearing rainbow-colored flannel or speaking tagalog while frying fish.

is my being a Christian as obvious to others? truly, i'm not sure. hopefully, it will be one day.

happy birthday, maribeth!

i've known maribeth for over ten years, but feel like i've known her all my life. she is just one of those types of friends. there are very few people in my life that accept me as completely and unconditionally for who i am, good and bad, like she does. i can say absolutely anything to her and she does not judge me, she loves me more. we spent a part of my last visit with her talking about we see each other and how others view us. as different as we may seem to others, we are pretty much the same inside. we do not look alike. we do not act alike. we do not sound alike. we definitely don't laugh alike. but we do love the people in our lives with the whole of our being exactly the same way. if you make it into our hearts, you will own a piece of it for life.

we drift in and out of each others lives when we need each other most. i truly have no walls when it comes to her. you do not come across friends like that very often. if you don't have at least one friend with whom you never have to edit your words or actions, then you are missing out. i am very blessed to have her in my life. she has always been there when i needed her. and i truly don't know what i would do without her. she is truly and utterly amazing. and if you know her, i know you think so too. i love you very much. happy birthday, maribeth!

it's a new dawn, it's a new day

i heard the news in a tearful voicemail from sara, since i was at work and my phone had died. the joy radiated from within and i actually felt hopeful. i announced it over the loud speaker to the one other employee in the store, "hey ron, it looks like we have a new president." i was so proud to be an american at that moment. when strangers look at me initially, some of them don't assume that i was born here. they almost never assume my parents are citizens. i felt truly american yesterday and glad that we made history happen. i am excited by the thought of change and hopeful that the change will come. for once, i think people finally believed that every vote matters.

making a change...

i love voting. i have voted since i was eighteen years old. i have a couple of friends who are voting for the first time this year. i love the process. and this time, i loved waiting in line to take part in this historic election. i am excited and nervous. not to mention the almighty "i voted" sticker, it may be one of the most powerful stickers out there.


and yet...unlike any other presidential election, i got a free coffee from starbucks and a star-shaped red, white, and blue sprinkled donut from krispy kreme. i love free stuff. i'm a sucker. it was the icing on the cake on a historic morning.

i'm hoping that i bet on the winner. otherwise, we're moving to canada.

an early anniversary trip

the photos

anniversary day one

anniversary day two

spookTACULAR

it's amazing how much planning it takes to orchestrate a two hour event. it's amazing how long two hours seem when you aren't wearing a watch. it was a lot of work, but it was a lot of fun. we had a puppet show with aesop's fables rewritten by rakel and acted out by her and anjalee. we WILL definitely have another puppet show. ghost bingo. pumpkin toss. pumpkin says. good times.

there were some technical difficulties like with our pumpkin toss game and the microphones. j.t. may have gotten pummeled with tons of tiny candy bars. however unlike our kids' party a month or so ago, it went off relatively smoothly. we took some cute photos of the kids, but i don't want to post them without the parents' permission. however, the photo of the kids above had the parent in the background and she seemed very happy about the photo being taken. it was my favorite picture from the day. he and his sister came closest to guessing the weight of the pumpkin, so they got to take it home. i wish i could have taken a photo of the expression on his face when he won. it was priceless. it made all the hard work worth it, even just for that one moment.

and i get paid for this.

other photos from the event...my staff is awesome!

why she is MY friend

this is one of my best friends, maribeth, attempting to jack up her car. she is THIS funny almost all of the time.

"alone. bad. friends. good."

photos from the trip

i'm not quite sure if you can click the link to see people's comments on the photos, but if you can, you should.

a trip home

i spent last weekend with my friends in virginia beach. one of my good friends, elizabeth, and her husband, james, are expecting their first child, emma reese, and were hosting a baby shower. it was also an excuse for me to see my other friends during my trip.

the first stop was to see my brother, mike, at his new store in the 'burg. it was across the street from presidential park...the park with the large presidential busts.
and yes, i wanted to go in...but $11.75? nope.

the second stop was to visit my friend, maribeth. i've known her since my office max days. she has a tendency to take me places i have never thought i would go...like to a ballroom dancing class. and no, i didn't dance. it was amazing to watch though. maribeth is an amazing friend and we seem to never run out of things to say to each other.

next stop was my friend, elizabeth's baby shower. it was completely amazing. it was great to see her and her mom. it was good to meet her husband, james, and a tiny bit weird to touch her belly and feel emma. elizabeth is incredible and i miss having her only five minutes away.

i gathered a group to meet for dinner at a restaurant where my friend, steve is a chef. the food was incredible. the laughter was abundant. and i despite how long it had been since i'd seen some folks, we picked up like we had just clocked out yesterday from work. i miss them all very, very much. some time was spent afterwards at a bar in "downtown virginia beach."

sunday morning, i attended the wave church with sara's mom and sister. these days i can't escape church without crying. this was no exception. i was challenged that morning between forgiving and being too forgiving. i don't know where the line is at times. i can walk away, but my heart doesn't completely close. once you are in my heart, no matter where you go physically...you will always reside there. no matter what people do, i have to strive not to harden my heart. i will not close myself off.
i love my friends, family and people too much.

if i stop trusting my instincts about people, i would miss out on having a weekend like this..surrounded by people i love more than i love myself.

i am two hours away from leaving for a trip to new york to see craig. i will post a video blog when i get back. and for those who asked where i was going in my last video (chrissy d), i went to virginia beach to reconnect with some good friends.

project runway: will i watch this show again?

i'm a little behind because i had to work on Wednesday night and had to watch it on Tivo. and luckily, my friends at work did not tell me who won. otherwise, i may not have watched. i'm been fairly successful at choosing who would win "the big show." usually, it tends to be my favorite. not this time. i wanted korto momolu to win.



i liked leanne. but not as much as korto. i hope she ends up like jennifer hudson and leaves everyone else in the dust. not sure i will watch this show again...but i did watch sheer design again. (i just stopped the first season when my favorite got sent home.) and my favorite from THAT show last season now has her own AWESOME show...Tabitha's Salon Makeover.

first video blog

it's my first time. i have to figure out to not look like a dork...well, perhaps not AS much of a dork as i usually do.

uh...popcorn?

Pop Corn téléphone portable micro-ondes
Uploaded by sassiere

this sadly is something that i would do with my friends. i would probably proceed to drink heavily afterwards after realizing what would happen to my brain due to my many years of cell phone use. yikes.

a surprise date

sara decided to surprise me and take me out to a movie when i got home from work last night. at my urging, i suggested that we see "burn after reading." it wasn't my favorite coen brother movie, but it was enjoyable. obviously, brad pitt was a highlight for me. there will moments in that movie that include him that i will not easily forget. his hair alone was worth the price of admission. i love frances mcdormand. they were quite the dynamic duo. and i have to admit i enjoyed george clooney's performance as well.

lars and the real girl

these are scenes from "lars and the real girl" set to one of my favorite all-time songs by Ray Lamontagne, "Be Here Now." i love ryan gosling. he is incredible in this movie. i know i say this all the time, but i LOVE this movie. i'm a little late watching it. i've been a little behind, but i love the world that the writer and director create here. i love patricia clarkson with a passion. go rent it. go buy it. just do it, you will not regret it. i promise.

don't watch this whole video...it contains spoilers. watch it after you watch the movie. seriously.

crush: joseph gordon-levitt

i have watched most of the films he's been in of late. i just watched "stop-loss" last night. "lookout" is the next on my list. i love his voice. i really liked him in "mysterious skin." i get very attached to actors that portray people that are on-the-edge or a tadbit crazy. i like him. he's sexy in a cute kinda way.

really belated birthday wishes

i'm very behind on the blogging. stacey celebrated her birthday on the 11th of september with me, sara and her mom in williamsburg, va. we made a quick trip down for the day, enjoying colonial food and shopping. we always have a good time when we are together. there is always at least one moment of pure amazing laughter or joy.

stacey is my sister in every sense of the word. i am very proud of her and i can only say that because i've known her since she was sixteen years old. i love hearing the stories she tells about the kids that she teaches in the third grade. i know that she is one person who has found their true vocation in life. she picks on me like a sister. she supports me like a good friend. and she is one of the only people who will understand what it's truly like to live with sara.

i am very blessed to have her in my life. happy birthday, maj!

"were you on top chef?"

i was shopping at Babies'r us today with sara for a gift for a friend's shower. and the woman from the registry desk sent another employee over to the cash register to ask me, "were you on top chef?"

i've been asked a lot of questions before, but that had to be one of the funniest. i thought for a minute about who she might be referring to...then i responded, "i think she had spikier hair." i laughed the entire way out of the store.

speaking of spikier hair, the woman, Dee, that i wanted to win on Sheer Genius - Season 2 WON!!!! i was pumped. yay! if you look at the photo below, i'm sure you will be shocked by this.

vacation with maj - part one : baltimore zoo

these entries about my vacation this year are going to be random depending on what photos i can get uploaded to flickr. we all went to the baltimore zoo and these are a few photos. it involved much more than is shown, including a camel ride or two. see photos of sara below. this zoo is only about twenty minutes away from us and it had some pretty unique animals. it was a lot of fun and had animals we had never seen before. the photos of me on a camel will not be making their way to the internet. i've also been informed that i skipped the nationals game we went to first. more photos coming soon.

strange nicknames, good friends & weird week

i am way behind in trying to keep this blog updated. i have a whole week of a really cool vacation to share with everyone, but i'm a little behind. however, this week has been unique starting with seeing a batmobile replica parked in front of my store. and all i could think, "WHERE THE HELL IS MY CAMERA?" i had brought it to work for the two days prior and left at home that day. i took some shots with my cell, but it is not the same.

i spent sunday afternoon scrapbooking with two of my really good friends, christine and danielle. after months of trying to get together, we finally managed to see each other. it was fun having them over to the house and especially fun watching danielle try guitar hero. it seems that the scrapbooks might never be finished, but it's a really good excuse to see each other.

on monday, i watched my boss get fired. i'm still in shock. as people close to me know, i have been battling with this man for over a year. i almost walked off the job because of him. i honestly can't believe he's really gone. please pray that his replacement is better. it's been a really long year.

last night, i got to break bread with some amazing friends whom i don't get to see near enough. apparently, jen reads my blog to keep up with me as she travels all over the continental United States. thus, today's entry felt necessary. this is another occasion where i said to myself, "WHERE THE HELL IS MY CAMERA?" jen has blessed me with one of my strangest nicknames, "fire hydrant." apparently, in my youth, i was no taller than the fire hydrants on virginia tech's campus. it was really good to see her and all my friends last night. if you would have told me back in the day that i would still be friends with people from college, meet their husbands/wives, share photos of their kids, i probably would not have believed you. i'm glad i was wrong. there is something amazing about being around people who have known you over ten years.

i was walking around the mall where we met before dinner and thought that i would never really have the money to spend there. i felt poor for a minute. however, i am rich in the things that really matter. i have more than i deserve in a lifetime. end cheesiness.

since i did not have my camera AGAIN, i have to leave you with a internet photo of jen's favorite dishes...chicken shawarma. and jen, the picture text challenge is on!!!!



for all the new people reading my blog, please excuse my grammar. and trust that if the entry is grammatically correct, sara has read it. :)

LeRoi Moore 1961-2008

Leroi Moore was one of the founding members of the Dave Matthews Band. He passed away from complications resulting from an accident that occurred in June at his home in Charlottesville, VA. He was an amazing saxophonist. I personally will miss wondering what was going on behind his sunglasses that he wore on stage most nights. I am very glad that we were able to see him perform this summer. It's a sad day for Dave fans. He will be missed.

for fun & due to slackness

thanks shelly!

i've been slacking, but we did a lot on vacation. but i did see "Dark Knight" for a second time today. it was even better the second time. i WILL find it in IMAX next with my buddy, Omeed.

i love batman.

tween extravaganza

the other night we hosted a midnight release party for "Breaking Dawn" by Stephenie Meyer. despite my concern that no one would show up, we had a fair showing of pre-teen girls a.k.a. tweens. i was pleasantly surprised. you have no earthly idea what kind of work is involved for one of these things, but the hard work totally paid off.

i was amazed by how much these girls have invested in this series of books. i have read these books myself and i have also heavily invested in these characters. however, i could not answer the trivia questions that were asked about these books to save my life. they also fiercely debated over who the main girl, Bella, should choose as her boyfriend. it was a debate over vampires versus werewolves.

i led the werewolf side, the underdog, so to speak. i lost. it was terrible. so much for all those years on the debate team. (i was never that good.)

the attendants made the evening a lot of fun. they came in costume. they decorated t-shirts. i've never seen people get so excited about stickers, buttons and t-shirts. the staff had a good time and i'm very lucky that they are all so willing to participate and help without much question. there were so many cute moments throughout the evening. one of the tweens even wrote a cute note to one of the male members of the staff and colored him a picture. i won't even go into what was written on the "graffiti wall." we also raffled off the duplicated book covers that rakel and i created for decoration. (the photo above is the line for the raffle) the high pitch sound of tween girls counting down to midnight is something i will not easily forget. and we only got one complaint...from an adult.

i had a really good time celebrating a series of books that has come to an end.

i haven't read it yet. so don't tell me what happens.

dark knight

i have been slacking off in the blog department by not blogging about "Dark Knight." i honestly don't know what i can say. the movie speaks for itself. if you haven't gotten a chance to see it, GET IN YOUR CAR RIGHT NOW AND DRIVE TO YOUR NEAREST THEATRE!!!
i loved this movie. i loved the first "Batman" with Michael Keaton, directed by Tim Burton. it was my favorite Batman movie....not anymore.

Heath Ledger was amazing. There are no words. There were so many moments of "Oh My God!" in that movie related to what he did in this role. He could not have played the part better. He redefined the Joker by being as insane as the character is in the comic book. I am truly sad that I will only be able to see him play that role again. I honestly got upset when he said he could do the dance forever. Legendary.

Christian Bale. Aaron Eckhart. Gary Oldman. Michael Caine. Morgan Freeman. Maggie Gyllenhaal.

Incredible.

Turn off your television. Lock your door. Leave your life for a couple of hours and visit Gotham City. You will not regret it.

molly and matt

on the 18th, we attended the beautiful wedding of molly and matt at meadowlark botanical gardens. they made the HUGE mistake of asking me to take photos. these are just a few put to the music of Tim McGraw. they had a very intimate wedding with close family and friends. the ceremony was simple and utterly amazing. i had a great time taking photos and being able to share their wonderful day. the reception was hosted by matt's family at Clyde's and the cake was incredible.

and to make this one of the best wedding days ever, they decided that we should see "The Dark Knight" to finish off the day. honestly, i'm not sure if they enjoyed the movie as much as i did. i am VERY glad that they chose to go to the movie. i will be posting what i thought about the movie at a later date. i'm hoping to see it a second time....

congrats molly and matt!

i've been warned

i recently took a road trip with sara and her family to lock haven, pennsylvania. this was our second trip to pennsylvania this summer. we attended a wedding of one of sara's childhood friends. i thought it was a lot of fun, and it was amazing that i was invited as sara's date. ruth and ryan seemed to be a very fun couple and their daughter was beautiful. it was fun to watch sara and her family dance the night away. and my distaste for the mullet hairstyle on women was reinforced strongly. if i ever rock the mullet, please shave my head bald immediately.

the next day we traveled to hershey, pennsylvania to visit the chocolate factory. i was actually kinda weird about taking my photo with the giant kitkat bar, but sara volunteered to join me and i did it. i have never seen so much chocolate in one place. i enjoyed the ride through the "factory" that talked about how the chocolate was made. i know, i'm a geek. it reminded me of watching food network. and they gave away free chocolate. nice. if you have kids or are a big kid like me, then you must go.

according to sara, i always say "a fun time was had by all." well, it WAS fun. it's always good to hang with stacey and mary. they even put up with a stop at wegman's on the way home. i had to mention it. i'll spare you the photos.

a visit from one of our favorite families

we got the chance to see some amazing friends yesterday on their east coast tour for the first time in about five years. i am so glad that we got to spend time together. we got a chance to see their son, Nicholas again and to meet their daughter, Elena for the first time. Nicholas is going to be taller than me in about five minutes and Elena thoroughly had me charmed with her cuteness. it was great to spend time with Christine, Eddie and the kids.



my favorite moments:

1. holding Elena :)

2. watching Christine's face light up like a Christmas tree when she realized that Sara's dissertation topic was directly related to her work (i'm glad someone knows what it means)

3. hearing Eddie making snoring sounds in response to Christine's excitement :)

4. having Nicholas ask for a "feast" from the waitress (i think i have to steal that line :) )



i wished that they lived closer and it was incredible to see them. Christine and I have known each other for a long time...longer than some of my employees have been alive. she amazes me. i love her and her family. it was good to see them all happy.

even though we are both incredibly bad at keeping in touch with each other, i'm glad that she knows that i love her and that i'm blessed to know her. and if she doesn't know, she does now.

concert in the mountains

i didn't take this photo of the concert that we went to last week. it was from "The Times-Tribune" on June 12, 2008 and was taken by Pamela Suchy. i didn't try to take a camera into the venue, although i must have been the only one to make that decision. we went to Scranton, PA for our annual Dave Matthews Band show. we had chosen this site because Paolo Nutini was supposed to open...didn't happen. however, despite the rain and the major hike up the mountain, the show was pretty amazing. the last song of the night was my favorite - "Thank You" by Sly and the Family Stone. Dave danced around like a maniac and that's why i still like him. i can only watch him live once a year, but i still like him.

on the way home from Scranton, PA, we made a stop at Steamtown National Historical Site. if you like trains, you will love this place.
i took a lot of photos and we were able to take a short train ride operated by one of the first diesel engines. if you have kids who are into trains or are a kid at heart like me, you will enjoy this spot. i'm a dork. i loved it.i think my favorite part of our trip was going to my first Wegmans grocery store. it was grocery heaven. i have never seen a store so clean, so big. i took photos. i will find the closest one to me. i promise you. this should be the standard for grocery stores. i love all grocery stores in general, but this was an experience.

beer with my take out? seriously? c'mon.

i miss the toy store

i just watched "Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium" the other night. i hadn't had the chance before this but, my friend, joy insisted that i watch it. i absolutely know why she did. it reminded me so much of my old job at Store of Knowledge. i loved that place. i love toys and i love watching kids play with toys. i believe i still get that look on my face when i see some toy that i think is cool.

just ask sara about how i act when i come across the newest set of "Hulk Hands" at Target. i want a pair of those. badly. i miss that store and the people. toys rule.

an evening with chuck palanhiuk

i went to an amazing reading by chuck palanhiuk last night with my friends, c.j. and nick. (all thanks to Sara :) ) he's an author that i've loved since my days at Store of Knowledge. an employee told me that i should read "Fight Club" before watching the movie and i was hooked. when i started working at Borders, i debated internally about my first "Staff Selection." it was "Fight Club." i did get some interesting comments about it. i knew it said something interesting about me to people who know what his books are about. and that book is one of his tamer ones.

he approaches subjects that are offensive, incendiary, and socially taboo. he creates characters who wear their flaws on their sleeves and relish in them. his characters stand apart from a world into which they will never fit. there is always a duality and struggle within each of them. i think that is what i relate to most. misfit. outside.

when i was talking about posting this, i didn't necessarily want it to follow yesterday's post. how can i go from talking about God to talking about a man whose latest book is about the porn industry? the picture of him above is as he is throwing out blow up dolls and he threw out earplugs to the crowd in case they were easily offended. i won't even go into what the bookmarks had attached.

obviously, there are many sides to everyone. sexuality is a part of my spirituality. the more i've discovered who i am, the closer i became to God. i am not ashamed of my sexuality or my faith. i've recently been asked how can i be gay and still be a Christian. and i've been asked why bother being Christian if you are gay.

i connect to the duality of the characters in chuck palanhiuk's books, the complexity of their struggles. i've always struggled with the feeling of not fitting into this world. i am not the labels, the stereotypes. i'm not a typical example of the minority groups to which i belong. i am finally figuring out that i don't i need to fit in anymore. i just have to be me, like it or not.

God don't make junk.

God's playlist for me

I've mentioned in a previous blog entry that I'm struggling with my faith. I've been struggling with where I should go to church and how rarely I get to go to church at all. For people who have known me for any length of time, my faith in God has been inherent and without question. I am not questioning whether God exists in my life. I am completely surrounded by how God has blessed me. I have never had a problem seeing Him in other people and in the journey of my life. What I'm struggling with is the connection I have with Him personally...where is the God in me? This is NOT a plea for compliments! You could tell me over and over that you see God working through me, but I need to find that again myself. I feel like I've been ignoring a really good friend for a LONG, LONG time and I'm having our first really awkward conversation on the phone to reconnect. I made that call yesterday and actually requested a mix CD.

I prayed that God pick the songs that He wanted me to hear as it randomly shuffled on my Nano. I don't listen to lyrics. I am not like Sara or Craig who can quote and memorize lyrics. I just like songs, how they make me feel. I connect to God through music. However, I listened to the words yesterday. It was amazing.

I listened to the love songs as if the love involved God's love, something I learned from a friend. It works with some songs, not all.

I listened to the entire song and did not skip.

I devoted the entire drive to work to spending time listening to what God wanted me to hear. I was so intent on this that all of a sudden the "low tire pressure" indicator light started flashing and I realized that I had past my exit to work. It went off as I turned around. The light has come on before, but it has never flashed like that. It was weird.

I am still thinking about what I am taking away from what I heard. Oddly enough, I feel closer. The songs on the playlist are in the order that I heard them. I will blog later about what I took from them. The message from some songs were obvious. Shockingly, I'm still analyzing what some of them mean to me. The last song made me laugh because Weezer is a band a friend is trying to get me into and they released a new CD today. Feel free listen to them on the right.

I have decided to devote my time alone in the car to prayer and to opening myself back up to God.


"Be still and know I am God." Psalm 46:10

just another reason

i have to work all memorial day weekend, not too surprising. on a normal day when i come home and dinner is made, i REJOICE. i LOVE it. it could be hot dogs or a ham sandwich. if i didn't have to make it, it doubles the value of the food. i love cooking, but it can be hard to muster the energy after a long day at work.

yesterday i came home to a "picnic" meal created by sara, accompanied by a frozen margarita. INCREDIBLE. food and ALCOHOL? amazing. she didn't want me to miss out on the holiday that everyone else gets to celebrate for three days.

take a piece of advice from me... it's the smallest things that make the biggest impression.

5 dollar not-so-fun

i am a big ross mathews fan. i read his blog daily whenever possible and one of the things he does with his friend, nikki, is called "5 dollar fun." they shop in a random store and spend five dollars on each other. in a fit of boredom, sara suggests that we try this game. i chose the store...toys'r us.

i don't know if anyone is familiar with the "James Brown" incident circa 2003, but i should NEVER be allowed to choose a gift for Sara without some guidance. needless to say, i don't think sara will give into her boredom in this way again.

sara was pretty successful in her quest for something i would like....



how cool was that stuff? all for under five dollars. well, this is what SHE got...



believe it or not, this gem left me with $1.02 in change left over. i was sadly convinced that she liked spiderman. how can you go wrong with a spiderman potato head?

by buying for sara.

i'll be returning it.

maybe.

moms rule!

i love my mom. i love sara's mom.
i love all my friends who are moms.
here's a tribute to some of the moms i know and their beautiful kids.
thanks for doing one of the hardest jobs on earth.

song by scissor sisters -"take your mama"

family, shopping & a grill

sara's mom and sister came to visit this past weekend to do some shopping for us and for the house. it was a fun weekend filled with new clothing for all. i was in desperate of need of clothes that fit. i was out and about with sara and noticed a woman wearing clothing that i may have picked for myself. it became painfully obvious that i need all the fashion guidance these women provide me. if i were left to my own devices, i would be in flannel shirts with batman t-shirts underneath, three sizes too large. good thing that these people love me.

we moved onto the more fun purchase of the day.....a grill. oh yeah. we have propane, houston. the neighborhood better be aware. good, good times. a lawnmower. a grill. a batcave. who knew?



yeah, that's an apron. what up? say something.

pure coolness

thanks maj...for the gift.
thanks sara...for making it.
thanks batman and legos....for pure awesomeness.

i don't like being angry

i hate getting angry. i do everything in my power to avoid that emotion. i don't think that i had good role models growing up to teach me how i should deal with it properly. i don't think i've worked in a place that has brought that out in me as often as this one. i'm more disappointed than angry about something that happened at work last night. it's become painfully clear that i garner no respect at all. as a result of two employees actions, i got "flaming pissed," as a friend would say. in most situations, i would walk out and not turn back to avoid saying anything i would regret. (the "run away, run away" solution) i cannot do that at work. i just did what i had to do and left as quickly as possible. one employee was actually brave enough to ask me why i was mad. and for once, i told him directly.

i'm learning to do that more often. i'm not good at facing what makes me angry. i've never been able to confront a boss about my disappointment or anger. i have done that in this job.
last night, i was able to tell the one employee why i was pissed right after it happened. usually i will tell everyone ELSE why i'm mad, then i will tell the person i was mad at directly ten years down the road. i'm getting much better at telling people directly. it's pretty scary.

there are VERY few people i will yell at or argue with directly. i can count them on one hand.
i don't like who i become when i get angry. it is not a nice person. i'm working on it. watch out.

an evening with laura & the boys

music by the flaming lips "yoshima battles the pink robots pt. 2"

sara and i hosted our friend, laura and her two boys, noah and gavin last evening. i'm glad to say that the "batcave" seems to appeal to the under 12 y.o. age group. between the pizza, chips and the wii, i think we were able to keep the boys amused. however, i think i enjoyed playing with the legos the most myself. i forgot how fun it was to build things and then completely demolish them. it was good to see laura and spend time with the boys. they are amazing. they promised to bring over guitar hero the next time....

are we our cats?

i am up way too early. i shouldn't be blogging, but i know one is way overdue. sara and i joke around about this all the time. so i thought i would actually consider the concept in writing that she embodies "Grace" and that i embody "Cooper."

Why Grace is like Sara:
1. Grace loves to groom. Sara is very tidy and loves to clean.
2. Grace is taller than Cooper. Sara is taller than me.
3. Grace is affectionate when she is in the mood. So is Sara.
4. Grace makes her needs clearly known. Sara is very honest and direct.
5. Grace does not like going to the vet. Sara does not like going to the doctor.
6. Grace does not enjoy taking medication at all. Neither does Sara.
7. Grace is a daredevil. Sara wants to try skydiving one day.
8. Grace likes to nap on the couch. Sara likes napping on the couch.
9. Grace pretends to be annoyed with Cooper, but loves him. (I am annoying.)
10. Grace loves me for some unknown reason. So does Sara.

Why Cooper is like me:
1. Cooper grooms, but it is not a pastime. I shower as quickly as possible.
2. Cooper is very affectionate. I love hugs.
3. Cooper is extremely predictable. I shock no one.
4. Cooper is a small cat. I am a short person.
5. Cooper is an instigator. I love to push buttons.
6. Cooper loves the "BatCave." I love the the "BatCave." (my basement)
7. Cooper is a little bit clumsy. And we all know how I love to trip and fall. Doh!
8. Cooper hides from strange people. I would, if I had a choice.
9. Cooper loves to play with toys. I mean, seriously?
10. Cooper loves Sara. Me too.

obviously, i love my cats.

i woke up way too early this morning.

the new place

here are a few photos of the new place. i thought i would post the photos that i took prior to moving in to entice people to come and visit to see it decorated. sara and her mom were in charge of decorating primarily. however, i got to decorate the basement. i'm sure you can only imagine. it has officially been dubbed the "batcave."

the move was crazy, but worth it for multiple reasons. if anyone has been to where we were living before, then you will truly appreciate how the new place is way more fun.

sara and my dad both celebrated birthdays this past week and i'll post some photos later about that.

my friends, joy and cain, have created a blog for their little girl, lennon. the photos are way too cute...Lemon 'n Dill.

a sandwich story

while i was home for Easter, my brother, mike, and i went out to a small italian pastry shop for lunch. i enjoyed a canolli and an incredible caramel latte. i watched my brother devour a grilled prosciutto, tomato, and fresh mozzarella sandwich on focaccia bread. by the end of the meal, i HAD to order a sandwich to go for later in the evening.

i ate half of the sandwich later that night and left the rest wrapped up in the fridge in a brown paper bag. i spent most of the next day with sara and her family. i got home pretty late and opened the fridge looking for the sandwich. it was GONE!

i was disappointed, but i figured that my brother may have gotten hungry. not a big deal.

i woke up the next morning and asked mike about it. he raised up his hands and said "it wasn't me." he had come home the day before and my mom was in the middle of eating it. she turned to him and asked, "is this yours?" he says no. then she asks, "do you think she'll mind?" mike just walked away.

so i wait until the sign of peace in the middle of Easter mass to quietly ask my mom, "so, was the sandwich good?" and her first reaction was to wave and point toward both her and my father. not only did she eat my sandwich without asking, she also throws my dad under the bus without a second thought. it was a classic mom moment.

if i could have laughed out loud in church, then i would have laughed until i cried. i love my mom. if you have met her, this story will mean more. but if you haven't met her, you should.

the culprits