tuesday...


*

So I don't think I've officially posted about the following, so I will now. I get to go to NYC in just a few weeks with the youth choir at my church. My friend Kathy was supposed to go as a chaperone, but she couldn't because of her work, so she asked me to go in her place! How awesome is that! I've been to NYC twice before, but I'm still really excited to go. Not so sure about the train ride, though. That's the way we traveled last year and it was miserable, but I'm hoping things will be different with a big group of people rather than just four of us. It'll probably be like any long bus trip I've been on, so I guess that's not too bad. I do really wish we were flying though. I've only gone on one trip in my entire life that required flying, but I LOVED it. Anyway, I talked to Mrs. Donna yesterday (the director of the youth choir, and Phil's mom for those who know him) and she wants to do a service project where we bring shoe boxes of small gifts to the Police and Fire Departments in NY, so I'm now in charge of getting those together before the trip. And, during my conversation with Mrs. Donna, she was sure once again to throw in a comment about her seemingly-overwhelming desire for Rob and I to get married! (The first time she told me that was the first day I met her! But that's just how she is.) Funny to me how if two people meet, start dating, and after only five months decide to get married (get engaged) people are like "oh my gosh! can you believe that?! they've only been together five month!" But then you have two people who don't jump right on that let's-get-married-even-though-we've-only-been-together-five-months bandwagon and people continually make the suggestion that they should. Am I the only one that sees the irony in this? Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled that so many people think it's a good idea for me and Rob, but the irony of it is just funny to me. Anyway, that was my random tangent of the day! I'm going to go finish my smoothie that I made and see what productive things I can do today while I am still unemployed. Later!

happy may...

"i'm here" explodingdog.com

random thoughts of today...

I am in love with... Rob Stone. Crazy in love. I had a wonderful time visiting the pier yesterday. Very redemptive after watching Family Guy ;)

I am encouraged by... many things, but specifically right now my good ol' friend Quinn and his new blog. Lots of good stuff to read. Also encouraged by studying Ephesians currently. It's awesome. I like when I get to lead Bible study because I get deeper into the scriptures we're looking at. Also encouraged by Louie Giglio. I've been listening to a sermon series of his in my car this week instead of music. What a communicator of God's message!

I am praying for... my girls and everyone else who is on mission in Mexico this week. I know God is using them in huge ways.

I am committing to... being healthier. I am giving up sugar (for a while), and have been several days without it thus-far. (Yes, the sugar-free ice cream at Cold Stone is a reasonable substitute.) I plan to shop and eat healthier in as many ways as possible.

I am waiting on... the job God has for me for the summer. I had an interview today with a staffing agency, and I hope to hear from them with a job placement in a day or two.

I am preparing for... Wednesday night when I am speaking at Fusion. Thoughts are still whirling around in my head, but as of right now, the plan is for me to speak on Christians being the "stones" of the temple of God built upon Christ the cornerstone. (See Ephesians 2:19-22) But we all know how plans go... they really don't matter because it's all up to God! I may incorporate something about grace compelling us to do good works, as that was my first idea, but I may not. We'll see.

I am..... hungry. So I'm going now. Peace out!

good times...

So I bought my first-ever pair of Airwalks today. The slip-on kind. They're black with pink trim. I like the statement on their hang-tag. It said, "we made this for you. feel the love. mad styles since 1986." I got them for half-off at Payless because I bought another pair of shoes, too. Two pairs of shoes in one day... life is good. I also got a minor problem with my car fixed today... quickly and for free... can't beat that. And I had a spicy chicken soft taco supreme from Taco Bell for lunch... surprisingly good.

On Thursday nights Rob and I are in the habit of watching "The O.C." at 8:00. So we were sitting on his couch last night, like every other Thursday night, awaiting the voice that says, "Last time on the O.C. ..." and what do we hear in its place??? "The President of the United States." I have no objection to the President addressing the nation, but during prime time??? Can't they put it on during the middle of the day where if you really wanted to watch it you would have to make a special effort, and it wouldn't interrupt any quality television, only soap operas? That would seem logical to me. But the good news came today that next Thursday will be back-to-back episodes, the one we missed out on and the one that would have shown next week anyway.

I just read an article about Copeland in the latest issue of Relevant magazine. I really enjoy Copeland. I like what Aaron is quoted as saying: You need to "do whatever makes you the most positive, loving and Christlike." The article mentions the fact that Copeland is Christian guys playing in a band without being a "Christian band." I liked that it said "They prefer performing in clubs and smoky bars because that is where they can best identify with people, and on the other side of the coin, it is where there is the greatest need to hear Copeland's messages of pain, spirituality, faith, and hope." They seem to be good guys.

Other exciting news: I got to see my niece Allison yesterday. She's cute. Learning how to scream, though. But it's just one of those things little babies go through. I think she'll outgrow it quickly. Amy was practically dying yesterday because she so badly wants Allison to laugh (as she hadn't quite mastered that yet), but Mom said this morning that Allison laughed for the first time last night for David and Amy. That's exciting. I think those little "milestones" are cool. I look forward to the day I'm a parent marking down all the cheesy little things I find to be amazing about my child. Other exciting news: Mom took me shopping at Old Navy yesterday and I got some good stuff. That's always cool.

Sad news of the day: Christina is packing up. We will seriously miss her.

Looking forward: going on a date tonight... dinner and watching "Hitch-hiker's Guide to the Galaxy." Sure to be a good time.

sorry...

Public apology to my roommates for my over-reaction in the last post (the comments have since been removed). I do love you girls and I'm sorry I didn't approach things better. Thanks for hearing me out when we talked though. Love you all.

drizzling...

Yes, there are probably a million other things I should be doing besides posting right now, but this alone is what I feel like doing. I could be cleaning the bathroom, cleaning under the kitchen sink (which desperately needs to be done), finishing my resume, doing my quiet time (as I have not done it yet today), filling out the application for my next FTCE, .... the list goes on. As for the cleaning options, I have been telling myself for days that I would do those things.

***

I led ladies' Bible study last night. I think it went well. We had lots of good discussion, which is what I always hope for in Bible studies. Looks like I'll be leading again next week because half of the girls will be away on the Mexico mission trip, and the others who will be left didn't want to take next week. I'm speaking at Fusion next Wednesday, too. Not sure on what yet. The following Friday is Phil and Tracy's wedding, which is very exciting, and the next day is the Edge. All in all, that should be a fun weekend.

That's all my news for now. Grace and Peace.

good weekend...

Well, my last-ever finals are over! Life is good. I spent this weekend in Ft.Lauderdale with Rob's family for his sister Megan's baby shower. Rob and I and Megan's friend Erin all rode down on Friday evening. Saturday, the females did the shower thing, which was fun. By the end of it I was sort of done with all the girlieness, but then it was nice to sit around with the other three "under-25" girls and sort all the good stuff that Megan got. (The average age of those in attendance at the party was probably 60... church friends and family members.) Sunday Rob and I led worship at the church where his family attends... small, older-generation Nazarine church... a lot different than leading at Fusion, but it's still fun. After a relaxing lunch with the family, we headed back home to St.Augustine.

Today has been nice and relaxing. I got to sleep in, and then didn't have anywhere to go. I made some calls about potential summer jobs, but so far no luck. I had a nice lunch with Rob, despite slight chaos involving ducks. Then, I came home and reviewed the stuff for ladies' Bible study because I'm leading tonight. I like leading Bible study because all there really is to it is telling what I learned from the verses and then having other people share their thoughts. It doesn't rely so heavily on me, like speaking at Fusion, which I'm doing a week from Wednesday. I don't mind speaking. Truth be told, I probably would hardly ever volunteer for it without being asked, but when I am asked I don't turn it down because I know that those are specific opportunities that God is giving me. I try not to tell God "no" any more than I already do! Still working on not doing it at all.

God's will is a cool thing I think. It happens in the little things of life. As I was praying last night I acknowledged that God knows what He's doing by not telling us everything all at once. For example, He tells us to go somewhere without telling us a purpose, but He has intended for something good to happen to us if we go. If we are obedient, and therefore are in the right place at the right time, whatever it is that God had planned for us will happen. I think that's why I don't tend to get so worked up about "What is God's will for my life?" because I know that He accomplishes that will little by little in the day-to-day stuff. All I need to be concerned with really is doing the little things He tells me to do. That's sometimes easier said than done. Sometimes I don't want to do the little things He tells me to do... because I don't see the purpose in them, or I just don't feel like it, or it seems too inconvenient, or whatever. And other times I want to worry about all the other stuff besides just being obedient. But if we keep our focus where it's supposed to be, God's will happens. That's cool.

concerns...

It's weird when you feel particularly concerned for certain people but can't really do anything to help their situation. Right off hand, there are five people that come to mind that I am concerned for right now. Three that I'm freinds with currently, two from the past. All completely different situations. None of which I have any direct influence over. The most I can do, for those I speak to, is to be a positive influence in their lives and speak the truth to them and let them know of my concern. As for the two from the past, one of them I have no real desire or reason to speak to; the other, even if I wanted to speak to, it would be weird to call after so long and just be like "hey, how's life? I'm a little worried about you." Come to think of it, I guess there's a lot of people from my past that I could say I feel concerned for. Such is life, I guess. We all take different paths, some of which are not quite as good as I would hope. Anyway, these are my thoughts tonight, spawned from various conversations and situations of the last several hours. The end.

Please pray for me as I take my Teacher Certification Exam on Saturday morning! Thanks.

the light...

There is indeed a light at the end of the tunnel. My portfolio is done. My presentation is tomorrow evening, and while it will no doubt be stressful, it's really not that big of a deal. I also have an exam tomorrow, so it will be a busy day. Saturday is my K-6 certification exam. Next week are my final exams. Then it's over! I'm DONE with college... except for my internship, but I'm looking forward to that. I'm too tired to write anything else, so I bid you all a good-night.

changes...

I'm sitting here at work with nothing to do (as if that's out of the ordinary). Marcie is out of the office today, though, so there's even less to do. Theoretically, I should be making adjustments to the content of my portfolio, but I'd rather sit here and mess with my blog. So what I was going to say is that I considered changing my blog template, but the only one I liked looks exactly like Niki's with a different color scheme (green of course), so I didn't want to be a conformist and have my blog look just like everyone else's. I did update my music list on the left, however. I thought it would be appropriate to take off the bands that I haven't listened to in ages and add on the ones that currently tend to be played in my car.

success...

I finally created my official Blogger profile. You can view it under the "about me" link in the box near the top of the page. Although, for most of you who actually read this, it will not be new information. And it's slightly incomplete, for instance I like far more bands than I actually listed under the music section of the profile, but maybe eventually I will have a more complete list for your viewing pleasure. Anyway, it was fun to make.

two days in a row...

Yes indeed. Two posts in two days. It is truly amazing.

Part of the verse of the day today says "Let your gentleness be evident to all" (Philippians 4:5). I like that. It reminds me of what Krissy and I were talking about (during the college basketball game) yesterday. We were basically talking about evangelism through love, and how the real way to help people come to know Christ is through loving them. Erica will be speaking on that topic in a few weeks at Fusion. I just think that the most important aspect of being a Christian in a non-christian society is living in a way that the difference in our lives is clearly evident. That's my little blerb for today.

I have three tests tomorrow. Have I studied for any of them yet? Absolutely not.

let me introduce myself...

"Hi, my name is Megan. I'm sure you don't remember me since it's been forever since you heard from me!" Okay, so I know it's been forever since I've put up a post, but life has been keeping me busy. And for the record, last Tuesday I wrote up a beautiful and lengthy account of all the latest happenings of my life so that all three or four of you who actually read this would be up-to-date, but when I hit the button to submit my post, it disappeared. I was quite annoyed and have not had any time to recreate said post. So I'll "spread it out for you in a nutshell." Since College Weekend, which was basically the last thing I wrote about, I had a two-day "spring blink" which was entirely rainy, save Thursday which I spent doing laundry. I did get to see Copeland in concert, however; Rob took me up to Five Points that Friday night. It was a good time. The next day we took a drive down to Daytona for some photo supplies, and we spent the majority of the rainy day shopping. We went to church on Saturday night to avoid the Sunday morning Easter crowd, and then went to the sunrise service at the beach on Easter, which was followed by a surprisingly enjoyable breakfast at IHOP. Registration the following day was the easiest thing I've ever done: I handed the Registrar girl my ID, said "I'm interning for elementary ed," she punched a couple of numbers into the computer, and I was done. Beautiful. This past Friday Rob and I had dinner at Harry's, and had intentions of doing the Art Walk, but the rain canceled those plans. Saturday I woke up early to do a beach clean-up project which I had been elected to head up for Kappa-Delta-Pi, but due to the early morning rain it wound up being just me and one other girl. (Rain wins again.) But we did what we could, and it actually went pretty well. Later that day was Phil and Tracy's shower, which was really nice. Rob and I put together a game for it where we asked Phil and Tracy questions about each other to see who knew the most. We then presented them with prizes which consisted of random dollar-store finds... including matching dollar-store lingere. Tracy's face was priceless. Quinn and Shelley also got married in Jacksonville on Saturday. Quinn's the first person I grew up with that I actually stay in any kind of contact with to get married. It's kinda weird. But I'm definitely very happy for the two of them. They're perfect for each other. Speaking of, Rob and I ran into Quinn and Shelley last week at the Copeland concert. It was nice to get to talk with them and catch up a little. Anyway, then Saturday night was the Edge, which was great, as usual. The UCF Campus Crusade band was there, which consists of two of Rob's friends who actually grew up here at Anastasia. Then came Daylight Savings Time. It is definitely of the devil. Sunday was a little hard to wake up, but today was far worse. So anyway, now you're all caught up. This week I have my intern meeting, three tests, and an extra day of work. Saturday is yet another wedding, which I haven't actually been to one recently, so I'll enjoy it. And hopefully I'll also be going to the Jacksonville Museum of Modern Art, too. Sunday is my dad's birthday. Next Wednesday is my portfolio presentation, upon which my very existence hinges. Friday is a party for the people on Fusion Leadership. Saturday is my K-6 teacher certification exam (AAAAGGGGHHHH!). The following week is finals. Then Ft.Lauderdale for Megan's baby shower. Then SUMMER!!!!!!! Oh my gosh I can't wait! Nine days of school, then finals. If I make it through, it will be possibly the most anticipated summer ever.

finally...

At long last, a very relieving end to my week has come. Actually, for as busy as I have been this week, it has been a relatively good one. Not too stressed out, as I was last week. And God has definitely blessed me in lots of little things over the course of the past several days, so that's really cool. It's cool that God is so good to us, even when we don't deserve it. I guess it's like the prodigal son, which Rob reminded me of yesterday... from a Bright Eyes song, oddly enough. Part of the song talks about this guy who is in the hospital from overdosing on drugs, and his dad is there in the room with him, and he tells his dad he's sorry for being so stupid, and his dad is like "there's nothing you could do that would make me not love you." God sees us that way, and that's cool to me. What's ironic, however, is that (in my opinion) when someone tells us that ("there's nothing you could do that would make me not love you") it makes us want to do better. I mean, we could be like, "Sweet, I can do whatever I want," but that's not how it seems to work. The fact that we are receiving unconditional love seems to make us want to work harder at deserving it. On the other hand, if we are told that we will only be loved if we meet certain requirements or expectations, it's like we blow it off and say, "Well forget that. I'll never be good enough. And I don't need them anyway." Funny how that works. But a good thing, because I know I could never deserve God's love. And that makes me want to try. hmm.

I had no idea I was going to write that when I sat down at my computer a few minutes ago. I like posts like that. Well, that's all for now. I think Rob and I are headed up to Jax Beach to go to Al's Pizza, which I've never been to, but have heard lots about. It should be tons of fun. Later.

the latest...

So I got my official intern placement in my box today. Very exciting. I actually knew about two weeks ago where I was being placed because I ran into the VP while I was doing my practicum. Anyway, I'm going to be working with Mrs. Johnson at R.B.Hunt, who is a second grade teacher (perfect), and current teacher of the year, so she must be doing a pretty good job. I met her when I first found out I was being placed with her, and she seems very nice and very helpful. I am looking forward to my internship for the sheer fact that it means I don't have to take any more classes, but now I'm definitely encouraged that it will be a good experience.

My throat is hurting today. I hope it's just my sinuses being weird and not me getting sick. I don't have time to be sick.

I had a wonderful surprise last night... I am now the proud new owner of my very own, very handsome orchid plant. It was accompanied by a nice letter and a great mix cd, and of course the handsome boy who brought it to me, who had to lie to get me to find it on my front porch. I'll forgive him though :) Orchids are my absolute favorite flowers. I decided today that God put them on the earth simply for my enjoyment if for no other reason. They're out of the ordinary, and actually a little weird in a way, which is probably why I'm so drawn to them! I think as much fun as receiving them last night was finding one of the blossoms on my windshield this morning. It made me smile. So despite the craziness of school right now, this has been a very nice week.

College weekend went very well this past weekend. (And Easter is coming up in another two, although plans have not been determined for that as of yet.) My parents and Rob's parents met over the weekend, which seemed to go over well. I built a pinhole camera this week, and hope to get a decent picture made from it tomorrow. I have had two tests so far this week, and other than the regular stuff, all I have left is to finish the case study I am working on. I say "all" as if that's a small task. It's really not. The improv team is "performing" or whatever you call it at Fusion tomorrow night, which should be fun. And I hope to see the one-act plays at school this weekend. Also, the pictures from everybody in my photo class and Photo 1 are hanging in Flagler's art gallery this week, so I hope to get over there at some point and see them.

So that's the latest on my life. Thanks for reading. Hopefully more to come next week, as I hopefully will not be as busy. Later.

at last...

at last! my love has come along!
my lonely days are over
and life is like a song...

I love that song.

taking a breather...

In the midst of the craziness that is my life, today I am glad to be sitting at work with absolutely nothing to do. It is nice. So, I hope you all are having a wonderful day... I am off to savor the next two peaceful hours, and then a few more having dinner cooked for me and watching reruns of Friends or something. Peace.

how awesome is this...

For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.

Romans 8:3-4/NIV

good song...

This is "Do You Remember" by Jack Johnson from his In Between Dreams album. The whole CD is so good! Thanks, Honey.

Do you remember when we first met? I sure do
It was some time in early September
You were lazy about it, you made me wait around
I was so crazy about you I didn't mind

I was late for class, I locked my bike to yours
It wasn't hard to find, you painted flowers on it
I guess that I was afraid that if you rolled away
You might not roll back my direction real soon

I was crazy about you then and now
The craziest thing of all is over ten years have gone by
And you're still mine, we're locked in time
Let's Rewind

Do you remember when we first moved in together?
The piano took up the living room
You played me boogie-woogie I played you love songs
You'd say we're playing house now you still say we are

We built our getaway up in a tree we found
We felt so far away but we were still in town
Now I remember watching that old tree burn down
I took a picture that I don't like to look at

Well all these times they come and go
And alone don't seem so long
Over ten years have gone by
We can't rewind, we're locked in time
But you're still mine
Do you remember?

the same...

I would like to say things are less hectic now, but they're not. I told Rob today that I was looking forward to next weekend, meaning that I couldn't wait till this coming week was over, but then I remembered that next weekend is College Weekend at church, and while I am looking forward to that, it also means that I will have an additional two days of busy-ness. For now, I am going to the EDGE for what will hopefully be a relaxing and fun time of worship. Later.

aaaagggghhhhh...

Life is CRAZY right now! Maybe one day things will calm down. All is well, though. God is still God, and He is good.

for niki...

This survey was created and posted by my buddie Niki. Some of the questions/answers will only make sense to her.

Mother’s maiden name: Manhart

Name of your first pet: Cindy was around when I was born, I think. (she was a beagle-mix) Sweetpea was the first one I claimed as my own, even though she started as my brother's. (she was just a mut... but a wonderful dog)

Do you like Mikhail Gorbachev?: i'm apathetic

If you didn’t know me would you think that I was weird?: no, i don't think so

If you were a character in Lord of The Rings who would you be?: one of those talking trees

Who did you vote for?: Bush

Favorite color: green

Stripes or dots: stripes, usually

Photo albums or frames: neither... currently either matted pictures or "loose" ones in a shoebox

Last song you listened to all the way through: whatever country song just finished on marci's radio

Favorite movie: Notting Hill

Last thing you said: can't remember. probably "Heidi Ricker just called you. I left her number on your desk."

Last thing you heard: the radio... country music... blah

Your name backwards: eelellehcimnagem (first, middle, and last all together)

Euthanasia. Is it murder?: i want to say yes, but i don't think i'm 100% convinced of that. i haven't thought about it in a long time.

If you could live anywhere where would it be?: right here, st.augustine

Best Friend: allison

Close second: krissy

Enemy: no one in particular

Future kids names: girls: Audrie Dyllan, Madylin Evette. boys: Peyton Brook, Owen Douglas

AIM or Yahoo: AIM, but i haven't used it in ages

Text or call: call, unless it's allie... we text all the time

Leather or Lace: neither, since i'm not a lace-type person, nor do i want to sound like i dress like a biker. i think i own one shirt with lace trim on it. i don't own leather, other than shoes, watches, and belts.

Is SpongeBob gay?: oh my gosh yes.

Middle name: Michelle

Birthday: September 16, 1983

What’s my birthday?: umm... is it in August??? now i feel bad.

What is my mother’s birthday?: i'm really not sure. i feel bad again.

What is my Father’s name?: oh i know this...... it starts with a D....

If I said EWB who/what would I be talking about?: ??? your cat Elvis? or is Elvis your dog anyway? i don't know.

Who is Lola?: your car! I got this one!

HTR?: ???

Favorite band: yours or mine? yours is Hanson. Mine is in a transitional phase.

Cell phone brand: the actual phone is Nokia

What time is it?: 2:44, according to the computer

What day is it?: tuesday

Where are you?: at work

If I said “Hand me the decator” what would you hand me?: umm... the remote control?

Dating?: yes

Will your wedding dress be white?: yes.

Should it be white?: yes

Should it be slightly off white?: no, but funny question nik!

Are you lying?: no

What color is my hair?: that depends... what day is it?! i'd say strawberry-blond, but sometimes just blond, sometimes light brown, sometimes reddish...

What color is your hair?: dark brown

Who is Moobassoc Ikin?: you. backwards.

Who is Mlehliw Einahpets?: Stephanie Wilhelm (a crazy, crazy girl)

Who said “May the tides of Stephanie be kind”?: i'm not sure, but i'd go with you or Rachel

How well do you know me?: not well enough to answer all of these questions, but well enough to guess the backwards names before even thinking about it

Pet peeve: the door that constantly slams in the stairwell at Flagler while I'm in the classroom adjacent to the stairwell; when people refuse to turn the knob in the shower far enough to make it stop dripping when they exit the shower... my room is only three feet away.

Next vacation: spring "break" if you can even call it that... we only get two days off of school... the 24th and 25th... i'm hoping to do something fun at least one of those days

Legolas or Aragorn: i'm not a fan enough to pick

Napoleon or Kip: ditto

Why isn’t it 4:45 yet?: because it's 2:52

Sneakers or Flip flops?: flops

Staple or Paperclip: staple, usually

Last book you read: hahahahahaha!

Last time you had chocolate milk: last thursday night

If you could eat dinner with anyone in history who would it be?: Jacqulin Kennedy

Dooney or Coach: neither

Favorite Blog: mine! haha. actually, i'd say niki's

Favorite Website: B&H photo

What did I just stop and do?: buy a diet coke?

Elvish?: no

What color is WS Mauve?: a putrid purplish pink, slightly darker than your average mauve. i'm making that up.

I seriously want some pizza rolls right now: sweet!

Whose picture is the screen saver on my cell phone?: stephanie?

What are you doing tonight? writing a rediculous paper for my curriculum class. i've procrastinated. and i've been busy.

High School: TCA

Hometown: J-ville

Favorite month: September

Favorite saying: "Solomon... you know." (from Rex) "Tuesday." (from Marti) "...because it's tuesday." (from Rob)

disappointed...

I literally feel sick to my stomach when I see Christians who willingly allow circumstances to get the best of them, when they suddenly begin acting rediculous in response to those circumstances. Here are the facts: life is tough and things WILL go badly sometimes. The thing is, you HAVE to GET OVER IT! You can't allow yourself to remain depressed over it or to act like a raging idiot just because you are still bothered by stuff that happened. And furthermore, you can't go making up scenarios and stating them as though they were fact simply in response to your emotions. My overall point is that Christians should act like Christ... no matter the circumstances. Regardless of whether you are happy or sad or encouraged or depressed or any other emotion, it is your God-given duty to represent Christ accurately. This includes the way you act, the way you speak to people, the words you use, the thoughts you think, the places you go, the activities in which you participate... everything. Live like Christ. That's what we're here for. Life is not about our satisfaction.

here...

So, here I sit in the library, waiting for my group to show up for our group meeting. One of the four of us already wasn't able to come, but I am highly doubting if the others show up either. The guy wasn't in class yesterday, so the last time we even saw him was last Friday, so I can't say I could blame him if he forgets. The girl works till 8:00, so I also would not be surprised if she forgets. So that leaves me. The one who always shows up for group meetings and waits and waits when the other members forget to come. This is at least the fourth time this has happened, but thankfully not with the same group. I would say I'm thoroughly annoyed, but I really am not in the mood for a meeting anyway, so I can't say that I would be completely crushed if I just had to go home. Besides, I drove here rather than walking anyway, so it's not like I would be expending much extra energy. It has been 15 minutes... can I leave yet? I guess I'll give it another five. Or at least time enough to finish this post. Wait... the guy's here now. I guess I have to at least talk it over for a minute. It still doesn't look like I'll be here long.

another survey...

1. What time is it: 1:58
2. Name as it appears on birth certificate: Megan Michelle Lee
3. Nicknames: Meg, Megs, Meggie, Meggie-moo... do "georgeous" and "baby" count?
4. Piercing: ear lobes only
5. What is the most recent movie you've seen in the theater: Fetch
6. Eye color: brown
7. Place of birth: Jacksonville, FL
8. Favorite foods: tough choice.... pasta, chocolate, cheese
9. Ever been to Africa? no
10. Ever been toilet papering: yes... long time ago
11. Love someone so much it made you cry: friends, yes
12: Been in a car accident: only "fender-benders"
13. Croutons or bacon bits: croutons... especially the ones made from croissants at the Bunnery
14. Favorite day of the week: Sunday
15. Favorite restaurants: Bunnery, Pizza Garden, Olive Garden (or any other Italian place)
16. Favorite flower: Orchid
17. Favorite sport to watch: eh...
18. Favorite drink: i have several... diet coke, cherry coke, sweet tea, water... depends on mood
20. Disney or Warner Brothers: eh, WB
21. Favorite fast food restaurant: also depends on mood... anything but McD's
22. What color is your bedroom carpet: off-white
23. How many times did you fail your driver's test: 0
24. Before this one, from whom did you get your last e-mail: Stephanie Barnes
25. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card: i don't actually have one, but if i did, probably Target or maybe Old Navy
26. What do you do most often when you are bored: i haven't had enough time to be bored much lately, but sometimes i clean, sometimes i just sit in my room and do absolutely nothing, sometimes i write in my journal
31. Favorite TV shows: The OC, simply because it's the only one i actually watch
32. Last person you went to dinner with: hmm... i ATE dinner last with Rob at his house, but that's not GOING to dinner... we ate at the church with the senior adults on tuesday but that's not really GOING out either... i went out to Cici's on saturday with Rob and everybody who was working for the high school retreat, but i didn't eat so that doesn't really count either... last thursday Rob and I had Subway while driving, so i don't know if that counts either... i could keep listing things, but i'll stop now.
33. Ford or Chevy: chevy, for the sake of my parents
34. What are you listening to right now: country music in marci's office
35. What is your favorite color: green
36. Lake, ocean or river: ocean, i think... i like all forms of water
37. How many tattoos do you have: none
39. Which came first--chicken or the egg: chicken
41. If you could be any age in life or relive any age what would it be: hmm... maybe 25, but i think i like my life right now enough that i wouldn't change it

in just two days...

In slightly more than 48 hours, Rob and I will be on our way to Melbourne for a David Crowder concert! I am so excited! Marcie in the office was asking me if we did anything for Valentines Day, so I was telling her of our in-leu-of-Valentines-Day event, so now I'm thinking all about it. I am currently trying to paruse the DCB website, but it is loading slowly today for some reason. But I do see that the new book/CD release is today. Very exciting. Prior to telling Marcie about David Crowder, I made my best attempt of explaining Emo-Rock to her. Her response was basically "Oh. Okay." That all stemmed from the Judge asking what we called "that hard stuff" us young people listen to. I told him I don't listen to the "hard stuff." He's a funny man.

Random thought:
So in my quiet time lately I've been reading in 2Kings. That's one of those books of the Bible that I read and when I get to the end of a passage I'm like "okay... what now?" First of all, it's hard for me to follow because of all the different nations and kings and all. I should use a Bible map; it would probably help. Then, once I figure out everything that's going on, I'm not sure what I'm supposed to learn from it. The questions provided in the quiet time book I use generally help, but sometimes I'm still a little fuzzy. All in all, I know it's still important for me to read these types of passages, but it's so much more enjoyable when I have a clear application. I'll be out of 2Kings soon enough though. I think I only have two days of it left. Anyway, just thinking about that.

Here's something else that's random. This is a little poster in the education office next to the computer I sit at.

1915 Rules for Teachers:
1. You will not marry during the term of your contract.
2. You are not to keep company with men.
3. You must be home between the hours of 8pm and 6am unless attending a school function.
4. You may not loiter downtown in ice cream stores.
5. You may not travel beyond the city limits unless you have the permission of the chairman of the board.
6. You may not ride in a carriage or automobile with any man unless he is your father or brother.
7. You may not smoke cigarettes.
8. You may not dress in bright colors.
9. You may under no circumstances dye your hair.
10. You must wear at least two petticoats.
11. Your dress must not be any shorter than two inches above the ankle.
12. To keep the school room neat and clean, you must: sweep the floor at least once daily, scrub the floor at least once a week with hot, soapy water, clean the blackboards at least once a day, and start the fire at 7am so the room will be warm by 8am.

The evils of ice cream stores.

Yeah, I can tell you what I would not be doing if it were 1915. (Of course, I guess women weren't doing much of anything else back then in the way of careers either.)

a very happy v-day...

I have had just an absolutely fabulous day. I had a really good morning, for no reason whatsoever... just in a good mood I guess. Then, I had a wonderful lunch date. Then, I went to my practicum, and while my work there was cut a little short for the holiday festivities, I very much enjoyed watching two classes of kids dive into bags full of Valentines and more sugar than I think I've seen in the past six months! I'm talkin' cake, and cupcakes, and candies of all sorts, and those cookies you get at Wal-Mart with the frosting on top (my girls know which ones I'm talking about!), and anything else you can imagine that contains rediculously large amounts of sugar. Clever of the teachers, however, is that this all took place during the last hour of the school day, so the kids will be wired for their parents!

Anyway, I'm off to photography class. Got to take a quiz. Blah.

quotes...

"I lift my eyes up unto the mountains, where does my help come from? My help comes from You, Maker of heaven, creator of the earth. Oh how I need You, Lord! You are my only hope! You are my only prayer! So I will wait for You to come and rescue me, to come and give me life."

"There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear..." I John 4:18a (verse of the day)

mood...

So I'm in the mood for doing a random survey but don't have one to do and am too lazy to search for one, so I will make up my own as I go along, dividing my personal information into as many questions/answers as possible, at least till I get bored with it. So here it goes.

1. First name: Megan
2. Middle name: Michelle
3. Last name: Lee
4. Birthplace: Jacksonville, FL
5. Place where you grew up: same as above, specifically "the Westside"
6. Current residence: St. Augustine, FL (in beautiful historic downtown)
7. Place where you hope to live permanently: St. Augustine
8. Church affiliation: Southern Baptist, but with a slight dislike of all large denominational organizations (I'm complicated)
9. Church in which you were raised: Westside Baptist
10. Church in which you are a current member: Anastasia Baptist
11. Did you attend preschool? not officially, the WEEN program at WBC (a shout-out to Allie!)
12. Elementary School: Normandy Village Elementary
13. Middle School: Trinity Christian Academy
14. High School: same as above
15. Graduation year: 2002
16. Favorite grade in HS: 11th
17. Hardest grade in HS: 10th
18. Best decision you made during HS: to take dual-enrollment classes
19. College: Flagler
20. Currently attending? yes
21. Major: Elementary Education
22. Minor: Fine Arts (but that's a bit of a story)
23. Graduation date: Dec. 2005
24. Living situation: with three fabulous room-mates (origionally 4) in the 3-bedroom first floor of a house on Oviedo Street. I get the single room. (new room-mates to be added soon)
25. Biggest peev about living with roomies: feeling like I'm the only one who ever cleans. people using my dishes/pans and leaving them dirty for days on end.
26. Favorite thing about living with roomies: they are awesome, godly people who offer constant love, support, and encouragement.
27. Favorite thing in your room: photos (currently, the ones of Rob... they humor me!)
28. Favorite color: green
29. Favorite food: cheese
30. Favorite dessert: all kinds :)
31. Favorite article of clothing: jeans
32. Favorite casual shoes: brown flops
33. Favorite dress shoes: black pointy ones
34. Best friend: Allison
35. In love? yes
36. With who? Rob (I know that comes as a huge shock)
37. Favorite blog: Niki's "lonliness"
38. Black or Blue ink: blue
39. Pen or Pencil: depends on mood
40. Favorite book: And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
41. Favorite book of the Bible: James
42. Favorite scripture: Romans 8:38-39
43. Favorite Bible story: woman who touches the hem of Jesus' garment
44. Most often ordered beverage: water
45. Most appreciated office-type invention: the three-hole punch
46. Favorite hobby: photography, singing
47. Favorite people to sing with: Rob; Allison; Devon; Mel (in a group); Krissy
48. Favorite number(s) to exaggerate by: 12, 87, 8,000, 87,000
49. Favorite time in life: right now.
50. Favorite number to end a survey on: 50

who am i to complain...

Suddenly, my Quiet Time seems much less complicated. This is apperantly what some Catholics do as their daily time with God. As the post so clearly demonstrates, it seems very, very complicated.

Speaking of Quiet Time and Catholics, while I am not Catholic myself, I have chosen to participate in Lent by setting aside a specific time each day for my Quiet Time. Granted, this is not something that I want to do just for Lent, but I figured this was a good time to get myself back on track. I also intend to try to go to bed at a reasonable hour for the next 40 (well, 39 now) days. I did give the stipulation, however, that Wednesdays are excluded, mostly because of Fusion. During Lent, you are "allowed" to take Sundays off, but I don't really plan to. Like I said, Wednesdays are my off nights for going to bed early, and I think Saturdays will be the biggest problem as far as my quiet time goes. I didn't really do Saturdays before, so I haven't yet decided what I plan to do now.

Nothing more for now. But I have two hours left at work, so you never know what may happen.

he loves me, he loves me not...

He loves me. That's such wonderful news!

(Girls: remember that terrible thing we used to do with poor, innocent flowers when we were little? What's up with that? Who decided that dismembering a beautiful little piece of God's creation would tell our love-fortunes? Oh to be six again! But twenty-one isn't half bad either!)

diminished mental capacity...

I was sitting in class today (or I think it was in class) and I thought of a topic on which I would post while I was at work today. But of course, as you may have assumed by now, I cannot remember what in the world I was going to write about.

wait....

I REMEMBER!

Fears. I was going to write about fears. I was in my Introduction to Exceptionality class, where we study various types of impairments, whether mental, physical, emotional, et cetera, and I realized (not for the first time) that one of the scariest things I could imagine happening is being pregnant and being told my child would be born with a disability (of any kind). I guess that's just because everybody has these dreams and expectations of what their child will be like, and you never really consider the possibility that your child won't be perfect. Scary. I fear it in the sense that all females fear being violently raped: you don't generally think about it, nor do you actually think there is a great possibility of it happening, yet when the idea is entertained, it is very scary. That analogy leads me to a third fear: becoming pregnant from a rape. I can only imagine that that would be one of the hardest things in the world to deal with. What would you do? By no means would I ever consider abortion to be an option, but what about adoption? For me, I think it would be wrong to give up the baby for adoption because I would be perfectly capable of giving the child a decent home. Yes, it would be incredibly hard, at least for a period of time, to have a baby who constantly reminded me of the horrible event that led to her existence, but I don't believe that is reasonable cause for me to give her up and risk her being shuffled along through "the system" for years to come, with the possible final outcome of being stuck in a bad home. No. I would definitely have to keep her no matter what. I just can't imagine.... So scary.

Okay, so I apologize for the randomness of this post. And for the "weirdness" level. Just following my train of thought, random as it may be.

wish list addition...

I want a subscription to American Photo magazine. I've looked at them before, but yesterday I picked up the most recent issue in the photo lab and brought it home with me to read. SO good! Being an art-focused magazine, there are some rather risque articles, but that's to be expected.

Speaking of photography, yesterday was our first presentation day of the semester. It went well. I had a few compliments from classmates, which is always encouraging, and had some good comments from the instructor. And something that might even be better than both of those is that I was pleased with my photos even when they were up on the wall next to everyone else's. As intimidating as it can be, I'm glad we do public critique in that class because it's cool when you start noticing specific things that could be improved about photos and then the professor points out the exact same things. That's when you know you are developing a "good eye," as they call it. So overall, yesterday was a good critique day. I love photography.

yet a third...

I have obviously not had much actual work to do today at my work-study job. It's been nice. Not only have I been able to catch up on emails, posting, and internet reading, I also was able to get some work done for my portfolio so that I'm no longer behind. Anyway, here's what I was really going to write about...

I just had the brief opportunity to interpret for one of the Deaf teachers here at the school. (For those who don't know, we have Deaf teachers here who teach the ASL courses.) She came into the office to ask a question, in which case she would normally have to find a piece of paper and write the question, wait for the person to read the question and write a response, etc. But instead of all that nonsense, I simply told her I sign, and we conversed in a far less restrictive manner. What's my point? Well, it's more of a connection than a point. Already today I had been thinking of something which this reminded me of. To sum it up nicely (before I explain in further detail), there are no coincidences. Everything happens for a reason. God has a plan for me. Earlier I was thinking a little about what it is that I want to do with my life, which is a scary and intimidating topic most of the time. (One of the topics that gets vetoed from conversation frequently at the house because it stresses everyone out!) Anyway, today I was thinking: "I'm going to graduate with a teaching degree, but what if I don't teach? Will it have been a waste?" (In all honesty, I wasn't thinking quite that concretely about it... it was more of a vague thought.) My thoughts about that question brought me back to things that God had shown me a while back. I first came to Flagler/St.Augustine for the sole reason that I wanted to major in Deaf Education, and Flagler was the place to do that. I took all my sign language courses, but before taking most of my actual Deaf Ed courses decided that it was not the field for me, despite my love for the language. I switched majors to Elementary Ed, and was quite pleased with my decision for some time. I had determined that God wanted me to teach and He knew the only way to get me into the profession was to sneak me in by means of Deaf Ed. Otherwise, I would have gone kicking and screaming the whole way. While this is still a possible explanation, another thought has come up, as well. My new theory is that the profession wasn't where God needed to get me, He just needed to get me to St. Augustine. (For the record, I believe I will teach, but I'm not sure how long.) Regardless of anything else, I am certain that St. Augustine is exactly where God wants me to be. I have been here 2 and a half years now and have never questioned if it was right or not; I have always been confident of that. Everything here is a perfect fit for me: atmosphere, friends, church/ministries, current relationship, school atmosphere, housing situation, EVERYTHING. I could not imagine being happier or more content in another place. What a great feeling! To tie this all back in to the origional story, I just was thinking that I believe that no step along the way was a waste. I am very glad to know sign language, and I know God will use it in specific ways throughout my life, even if they are small ways like being able to help someone else communicate easier. As for being an Education major who may not remain in education, that's okay too. I will have gotten a Bachelor's Degree, which--let's be honest--is really the only thing most employers care about, and even if I don't "use" my degree, I have learned lots of interesting stuff about the ways people learn... one of those things I am interested in anyway. So that's my point, or rather my lengthy connection of ideas, for today. I'm satisfied.

if...

If I were a really anal person... okay, if I were really anal in a mean sort of way... this is the kind of blog I would have. It's called "Things I hate about my flatmate." (They even have a mouse problem, which the girls and I can relate to right now.) But don't take that the wrong way... I love my girls and would never write nasty things like that about them.

Speaking of room mates, Christina got into the school she applied to, so that's really exciting. The not so exciting part, however, is that our lease is up next month, so when we re-sign, only three of the origional five of us will be re-signing. We need to get another room mate. We've talked about that idea, but that's really as far as we've gotten. No names have come up and no action has been taken as to actually finding someone. But we really do need to. More on that in days to come.

my beef...

(for you, k-dogg)
I'm a listener. That's what I do. More so, that's who I am. Throughout my life as a listener, I have come to realize that the most important part of it is simply the listening... NOT the responding. People come to you with problems because they need someone to talk to, someone who will listen to them, someone who will not judge them. They do not necessarily need your advice. Especially your uneducated, unconsidered advice. A good listener is willing to say, "I don't know what to tell you." Sometimes that's the best thing you can say because all they needed to do was to speak their heart. If they want your advice, or you feel it would be appropriate for you to give it, be sure you have seriously considered and prayed about what you are going to say to them. If it is a serious situation, you do not want to be hasty in your advice-giving. You could really mess them up. Be willing to take the time necessary to make sure that the advice you are giving is the best advice... not merely good advice.

On another, unrelated note, I have been overwhelmed this week with the concept of Christ's forgiveness, and how it is our responsibility to show that to others (you know, forgive as Christ has forgiven you). How fake it is of us to say we love God and to enjoy His forgiveness, yet when a situation comes up that requires us to forgive someone else, we withhold forgiveness from them. I have encountered and observed more than one situation recently where this principle applies (whether it was properly applied or not). I am amazed daily at the unconditional love that Christ has for me, and He has just been revealing to me this week that my response to that is to be like Him.

Determine to live like Christ.

David Crowder at Murray Hill, January 2003 

David Crowder at Murray Hill, January 2003 

content...

Today was a good day. I went to my 9:30 class, which went as normal. When I walked home, there was a car in the driveway which Krissy was getting into. It was Jayce and Chris. They were headed to Chick-Fil-A and invited me to come along, so I did. So the four of us had a wonderful time dining on the finest in fast-food chicken. (I really do like CFA a lot.) I came home, did some stuff on the computer, and went to my 12:30 class, which also went as normal. I then came to work, which was a little busier than normal, but I am obviously having some down-time and posting now. Tonight is a Kappa Delta Pi meeting, at which Nena is speaking. Then it's probably some homework, and chillin' with the girls, especially since Rob is in Orlando.

I am looking forward to Ft.Lauderdale this weekend.

first...

I found a picture from the first concert where I saw David Crowder! I'm going to try to post it, but I need to be on my computer and I'm at work right now. Hopefully I'll get that done later. That was a good day... fun times. Today's been a good day, as well. Work is dragging on a bit though. Another hour to go.

wish list...

I was just looking on the David Crowder Band website and I've come up with a wish list, in case you were wondering :)
1. Sunsets & Sushi (CD)
2. Praise Habit: Finding God in Sunsets & Sushi (book)
3. the green squirrel T-shirt

In addition, I want a upright bass, and want to learn to play it. Not that that's going to happen any time soon! Nor does it have anything to do with DCB. But I thought of it, so I shared it. But there is a connection technically... DCB and Charlie Hall were both at the Passion conference, and the guy in Charlie's band plays the bass. See, it wasn't totally random after all!

thankful...

So here's something random that's on my mind this morning. It is so awesome how much God cares about me. He answers prayers that I don't even pray. There was something that had been on my mind off and on in recent days, and I basically thought to myself "I wish I could do something to change that, but I really can't, so I'll just leave it alone and not worry about it." Next thing I know, God's working in that area, making the changes that I wasn't capable of making. And I didn't even ask Him to. I was just going to accept that the situation was the way it was and move on with my life, but God knew it was something important to me, so He took over. How cool is that! And now that I think about it, everything I just said applies to a second situation, as well. It's cool when God moves like that --in situations that I have already been thinking about-- because it's very confirming that I'm moving in the right direction. It's like He's saying, "Yes, Megan, this is My will for you." God's so cool.

There are no coincidences!

good...

Things are going very well for me currently, in case that was the question in your mind today. Rob and I are having loads of fun being together, as are my room mates and I. I'm glad to have the girls back in the house after the break. My first three days of school went well. I got all the classes I signed up for, and I was able to add my Photo II class, which is a wonderful thing. Everything at church is awesome, as always. Tonight I'm going out to dinner with Rob and his parents, then having the first Continuation meeting of the year. Tomorrow I get to help Rob pick out new furniture! I love any excuse to shop for house stuff. In the mean time (as in before dinner) I should go clean my room and put away my laundry and all that.

By the way, the Passion conference was incredible. The speakers were Louie Giglio, Beth Moore, and John Piper. The bands were David Crowder, Chris Tomlin, Charlie Hall, Matt Redman, and Shane & Shane. There were other speakers and bands for some of the sessions, but these were the main ones. Louie is my favorite speaker of all time. All three speakers were awesome though... very wise, knowledgable people. David Crowder was my favorite band performance wise (no surprise there), but I think I enjoyed Charlie Hall the most as worship leader. Both very awesome guys. Anyway, that's all for now. I'm sure I'll mention other little things about the conference as time goes by.

stuffy...

My allergies started bothering me off and on sometime between Christmas and New Years. Since then, however, I think I caught a cold while on the Passion trip. Krissy, Rob, Mrs.Phyllis, and I are all sick. Hopefully it clears up soon for all of us. The worst part for me is that my nose constantly tingles, like when you have to sneeze, but no sneeze comes. I would say the congestion in my head is the worst part, but I'm relatively used to that because of my frequent allergies. My major events for the past two days have included taking cold medicine, eating soup, and many hours of sleeping. I actually did get some other things accomplished however. I went to church yesterday, picked up Erica at Jax airport, had leadership meeting last night, and watched a movie with Rob. (High Fidelity... pretty good) Today I woke up early, registered at school, bought books and a new hoodie, and went to Wal-Mart. I had been putting off going to Wal-Mart for a while now just because I hate being there with the crowds of people, but on Monday morning at 9:30 it was completely bearable. I was craving a donut, so I stopped in at Dunkin Donuts on the way home. I ate my donut, put away my groceries, and crawled in bed for several hours. That was basically my day. I look at it like this though: sleeping may help me start feeling better, I have nothing else to do anyway, and starting Wednesday I won't have the opportunity to take naps.

In other news, as I mentioned school starts on Wednesday. I can't say that I'm particularly excited, but I'm also not dreading it. I'm going to try to get into the Photo II class, but I'm not sure if that will happen or not. There was only one seat left when I checked it a week ago, so I may have to fight for it. Rob is speaking at Fusion this week, for which I am glad. I was asked to speak next week, but as of yet have no idea what I'll be speaking on. I thought about Hosea last night. We had mentioned it at church yesterday and it stuck with me. We'll see. I desperately need to get back to my daily reading. I'm in Chronicles right now, and there's some good stuff I might pull from there too. As for this week, I hope Rob and I both start to feel better, since he's speaking and consequently we'll be one person short for the worship team, leaving me and Devon and possibly Phil.

That's all for now. I'm done. But I will try to post soon about how awesome the Passion conference was. Later.

updates...

Since I haven't officially written in a while, I guess I'll update everyone on current events in the life of Megan. Two weekends ago I went to Ft.Lauderdale with Rob for his parents' 25th wedding anneversary. It was a good trip. It was nice to meet everyone in the family and the people at the church where they grew up. Everyone was super nice and I look forward to seeing them again. Last week I didn't really do a whole lot, since I am without a job and not in school. I cooked dinner for Rob on Thursday night after going to the movies with him. I made chicken marsala... it was pretty good for a first attempt. Friday morning I went to Jacksonville for Christmas weekend. That afternoon Michael and Jeannie and their kids came over to do presents, so rather than leaving mine and mom and dad's few presents for Christmas morning, we just did them all together. After presents had been passed out to the "visiting" family members, I started on mine. My first gift was a tripod for my camera. I was very excited for that, and expected that to be my main present. The second one was a Rubik's cube... okay. I thought that was it for my presents; I wasn't expecting much since I hadn't asked for anything. I had forgotten one box however. My dad passed it to me, and I began opening it. It was filled with newspaper, so I was like oh it's probably a piece of jewelry or something small disguised in this big box. Not jewelry. Car keys. CAR KEYS!! Mom was like "What is it???" in her sarcastic I-already-know-what-it-is voice. I said "Keys... to something that's not here." "Are you sure?" she said. That's when I remembered that we now have a second garage behind the house. I threw on some shoes and we went marching out the back door. The garage door went up, the lights went on, and there it stood in all its glory: a beautiful electric blue 2004 Honda Civic. Upon inspection of the interior, my six-year-old nephew informed me that the car was "wicked awesome." "Yes, it is," I replied. If it weren't for the bitterly cold, wet weather we had that day (and the following), I would have taken the car out immediately, but the weather was just too gross. I've had plenty of opportunity to drive since then, so all is well. The car has since been named Bret.

That's about all my excitement thus far for Christmas break. Except that I got two cool new watches from Rob, along with the newest Relient K cd. Rob and I also went out with Greg and Laci on Monday and had a very nice time. Then, we had dinner with my parents on Thursday night, which was the first time Rob met them. It was nice. I think they're pleased. For New Year's Eve we didn't have too much excitement. Rob, Chris, Krissy, and I hung out. The guys had been watching the Miami/Florida game at dinner and came to pick us up at half-time, and we went to watch the second half at All-Stars. We then came back to our place to watch the ball drop. Krissy decided we needed to do a toast, but we didn't have anything for toasting. So she made us "Apple Cider Spritzers" with apple cider and Sprite. They weren't too bad. Today I'm doing laundry and packing because we leave at 4am to go to Nashville for the Passion confrence!!!!! I'm so excited! It's going to be awesome. The plan currently is that none of us (who are together) are going to sleep tonight; we're just staying up until 4am, rather than sleeping for a few hours and having to get up so rediculously early. We'll sleep on the long bus ride. I can't wait to get there!! Okay, that's about all. I'm headed out for some laundry. Later.

selections again...

~This or that~
219. beach/mountains: probably beach to live near and mountains to visit
220. Donuts/bagels: donuts
221. Day/night: both
222. Wicked witch of the east/wicked witch of the west: what’s the difference?
223. Heaven/hell: heaven
224. Make love/have sex: let you know when i'm married... but at that point they're essentially the same aren't they?
225. Coffee/tea: tea
228. Britney/Christina: neither
229. Swiss cheese/american cheese: both
230. Real World/Road Rules: neither
231. Backstreet Boys/*Nsync: neither (common answer for questions concerning pop-culture)
232. Silver/gold: silver
233. Nike/Adidas: Adidas
234. McDonalds/Taco Bell: Taco Bell
235. Sweet/sour: toss up
236. Punk/emo: definitely both
237. Hot/cold: cold
238. Winter/summer: winter
239. Spring/fall: fall
240. Operas/plays: toss up
241. Read/watch tv: neither :)
242. Cd's/tapes: cd
243. Dvd's/vhs: dvd
244. Old/new: depends
245. Shorts/skirts: "shorts are for 3rd graders" says niki
246. Pink/red: probably red, but i like pink too... just don't have as much of it
247. Colored pictures/black and white photos: black and white by all means
248. Meat/vegetables: chicken
249. Mexican food/chinese food: chinese, but it's close
250. Commercials/infomercials: commercials?
251. Scary movies/comedies: both, but currently scary
253. Sandals/tennis shoes: flip flops usually, but it's cold right now so tennis shoes
254. Dogs/cats: dogs
255. Unicorns/fairies: what? neither
256. Water/land: water
257. Sugar/spice: sugar
258. Black/white: black
259. ribbons/bows: ribbons?
260. Chicken/beef: chicken
261. Colored Christmas lights/white Christmas lights: white
262. Cars/trucks: cars... especially my new one!
263. Austin Powers/James Bond: Bond
264. Popcorn/pretzels: popcorn?
265. Hip/hop: what?
266. Passionate kiss/peck: both?
267. WWE wrestling/real wrestling: neither, except to be in support of my life-long friend Robbie Brown I'll say WWE
268. Back rub/foot massage: both :)
269. Picture frames/photo albums: frames, unless the album is done really well
270. Pens/pencils: pens

trips...

I just got back yesterday evening from our mission trip to Punta Gorda, FL, where we ministered to people who were victims of the hurricanes. We did a lot of door-to-door stuff letting people know about a food pantry that First Baptist of Punta Gorda has and asking them if we could pray for them in any way. We also did some work cleaning up a few yards that still had a lot of trees down. It was sort of weird seeing what life is like down there because as I told a few people already we had a hurricane four months ago and now it's over; they had a hurricane four months ago and are still dealing with it. Lots of houses and buildings are still without roofs, and hundreds of people lost their homes completely. The main neighborhood we worked in for the door-to-door canvasing was a place called FEMA City. It is basically a trailer park set up by the government for people who lost their homes in the hurricane. There were rows and rows of identical white mobile homes... 350 to be exact. And all on white dirt roads. The most steril outdoor environment I've ever seen. Most of those people just needed to see a smiling face and hear a kind word.

Second trip: I'm leaving town again tomorrow with Rob to go to the Ft.Lauderdale area. This weekend his parents are having a 25th wedding anneversary party. Actually, it's a surprise party for them. We're going down for that, and so I can meet more of his family. I'm very excited. It should be a really fun weekend.

So that's about it. Hopefully I'll write again somewhere around Monday. Peace out!

selections from a survey...

Have you ever been drunk?: no
taken drugs?: no
stolen? : probably
shoplifted?: yes, once when I was really young
tried to commit suicide? : no
Lied to a boyfriend or girlfriend? : not that I recall
gotten into a fight? : not really
Are you more innocent or guilty? : both
Would you date a drug addict? : no
Have you ever had to look after someone who was a drug addict? : no
Are you racist? : as much as I would love to say no, I think everybody treats people differently based on racial stereotypes, at least at first.
Have you been a hypocrite in the past?: I think everybody has. And for Christians, technically we are every time we sin.
Do you have an open or closed mind to other peoples beliefs and feelings? Depends on the situation, I guess. Generally open to feelings. I try to be open to beliefs as well.
~Media~
Do you watch tons of tv? : no
How many times have you been to the movies in the past 6 months? : Not many. Like 2-3.
Do you listen to the radio often? : No. Always CDs.
Do you read the newspaper? : no
Do you read magazines? : not usually, but lately I’ve at least been skimming Relevant.
Are you a couch potato? : not at my house, but definitely at my parents house.
Do you use the internet too much? : sometimes
Favorite Book: And Then There Were None (also published as Ten Little Indians) by Agatha Christie
~Music~
Whats your fave style of music?: I like lots of styles, but some days punk is my favorite:) Rob is introducing me to Emo… I seem to like it.
Do you play an instrument? : did play clarinet. I can still play, just haven’t done so in a while. I sorta miss playing with an orchestra or band.
Do you sing? : yeah
Who's your favorite male solo artist? David Crowder. I love that man. He’s just so fun and quirky, and has a good voice and fun style. Currently a little interested in Jack Johnson, courtesy of the 18-month-old that I baby-sit. She likes to dance to his music.
Why: I answered that already.
Who's your current favorite female solo artist? I’m a Nora Jones fan.
Why: she’s got a different style than almost any other singers. Nice mellow music.
Whats your fave band right now?: Postal Service
Why? : they’re new and fun, and they were personally recommended to me by a classmate, and Rob put some of their songs on my CDs.
Have you met them before? : um, no.
~Thoughts~
Ever had funny thoughts and laughed and no one understood you? yes
Whats the first thought that comes to your head when you hear these names?
Melissa : Bunk. good friend from jr.high/high school
Bob : bobclean. Screen name of Laci’s ex-boyfriend Rob.
Vanessa : character in a hypothetical story
Alyssa : Briant. One of my “siblings” from this summer.
Jess : roomie
Brian : pyromaniac
Charlie : Brown
Olivia : Cosby Show
Drew : female classmate of mine
Lily : purple plastic purse (children’s book)
Anita : Sowers
What's the first thought that comes to your head while hearing these words?
cheese : yum!
rubber : eraser
clothes : green
big : hug
dress : church
jacket : wearing more frequently now
polyester : yuck
kite : Let’s go fly a kite, up to the highest height. Etc.
washing : laundry
What is your favorite gum: Extra winterfresh
restaurant: Café 11, Chili’s, Olive Garden, Bunnery
drink: water, diet coke, cherry coke
season: fall
type of weather: right now, cool and nice
emotion: relaxed-comfortable-happiness. Like hanging out with a good friend and telling each other funny stories while chilling on the couch.
thing to do on a half day: go outside
late-night activity: walk on beach, cuddle on couch
city: St.Augustine
store: Target
When was the last time you...
cried: early September?
played a sport: couple weeks ago
laughed: a few minutes ago
hugged someone: last night
kissed someone: last night
felt depressed: not lately
felt overworked: eh, just a little busy with school these past few weeks
faked sick: either middle school or high school
lied: I don’t know. I probably repress the memories even when I do.
What was the last...
word you said: control
thing you ate: blueberry muffin
song you listened to: umm… whatever I woke up to this morning. I was too asleep to remember what it was.
thing you drank: water from the fountain in the hall
place you went: Rob’s house last night, or home or school, all in how you take the question
movie you saw: Polar Express
movie you rented: Nightmare Before Christmas
concert you attended: Charlie Hall
Who was the last person you...
hugged: Rob
cried over: a good friend with some serious issues
kissed: take a guess…
danced with: Rob
shared a secret with: umm… the girls, if it counts as a secret. Rob told me a "secret" last night at dinner :)
had a sleepover with: Lisa for her 25th birthday!
called: Rob
went to a movie with: Rob (recurring theme)
saw: Marcie
were angry with: don’t remember
couldn't take your eyes off of: who do you think…
obsessed over: ?
Have you ever...
partied 'til the sun came up: maybe once
had a movie marathon: sort of
gone too far on a dare: I’m not much for dares
spun until you were immensely dizzy: I'm sure

One of my posts disappeared when I put up my last one. If anybody cares, it just said to check out the new links for Jess, Krissy, Rob, and Niki's sites.

a good night...

big embrace after good day. dinner, no wallet. rent movie. special song with piano and embrace. movie--pretend to watch but eyes close. one holds other, head on chest, arms wrapped, hands linked. hearts at peace. momentary sleep slips in. credits roll, eyes open. lips press. and again. cheek to cheek. comfort. "okay, i'm leaving now." mm-hmm. back-scratching during Lenno. long hug, short kisses. lingering glance from door. engine starts, headlights on, pull away.

a good night.

a quiz to see what you know...

Here's a quiz Greg sent me today. Read the questions and write down your answers to see how observant you are. The answers are at the end but DON'T CHEAT! Also, you cannot look at the items mentioned in the questions to help you answer. After the answers, I'll tell you how I scored.

1. On a standard traffic light, is the green on the top or bottom?
2. How many states are there in the USA? (Don't laugh, some people don'tknow)
3. In which hand is the Statue of Liberty's torch?
4. What six colours are on the classic Campbell's soup label?
5. What two numbers on the telephone dial don't have letters by them?
6. When you walk does your left arm swing with your right or left leg?
7. How many matches are in a standard pack?
8. On the United States flag is the top stripe red or white?
9. What is the lowest number on the FM dial?
10. Which way does water go down the drain, counter or clockwise?
11. Which way does a "no smoking" sign's slash run?
12. How many channelson a VHF TV dial?
13. On which side of a wo men's blouse are the buttons?
14. Which way do fans rotate?
15. What is on the back of a Canadian dime?
16. How many sides does a stop sign have?
17. Do books have even-numbered pages on the right or left side?
18. How many lug nuts are on a standard car wheel?
19. How many sides are there on a standard pencil?
20. Sleepy, Happy, Sneezy, Grumpy,Dopey, Doc. Who's missing?
21. How many hot dog buns are in a standard package?
22. On which playing card is the card maker's trademark?
23. On which side of a Venetian blind is the cord to slide them up anddown?
24. On the back of a Canadian $1 coin, what is in the centre?
25. There are 12 buttons on a touch tone phone. What 2 symbols bear nodigits?
26. How many curves are there in the standard paper clip?
27. Does a merry-go-round turn counter or clockwise?

ANSWERS 1. Bottom 2.
50 3. Right 4. Blue, red, white, yellow, black, & gold 5. 1, 0 ! 6.
Right 7. 20 8. Red 9. 88 10. Clockwise (north of the equator) 11. Towards
bottom right 12. 12 (no#1) 13. Left 14. Clockwise as you look at it 15. The
Bluenose (sailboat) 16. 8 17. Left 18. 5 19. 6 20. Bashful 21. 8 22. Ace of
spades 23. Left 24. Loon 25. *, # 26. 3 27. counter-clockwise

I got 20 correct. I missed #4 yellow and blue; #7 I said 15 matches instead of 20... I'm not a smoker; #12 I had no idea about the tv channels; #14 I said fans go counter-clockwise because mine does... technically, the answer should say that ceiling fans can go either direction... there's a little switch where you can reverse the direction; #15 I had no idea about Canadian coins; #23 the cord on the blinds... i couldn't remember which side was the usual side b/c one set of blinds at my mom's house is purposely reversed; #24 Canadian money again... what is a loon anyway? That's it. Tell me how many you get correct.

another survey...


What color is most reflective of you? green
How did you get the idea for your diary name? mine just says meg... i think that's pretty self-explanatory
What time were you born? 7a.m.ish i think
What song are you playing now, or wish you were playing? "I am Yours" by Casting Crowns (I think that's the name of it)
Has the death of a celebrity ever made you cry? no
Do you want a baby? yes, but not today
What does your mom do for a living? she's a mom... lots of work, no pay
What does your dad do for a living? Refrigeration Mechanic
What color are your bedsheets? pale yellow, the other set is white
What are the last 3 digits of your phone number? 388
What was the last movie you saw? Polar Express in the theater, Antwon Fisher last night
Who do you dislike most at this moment? can't think of anybody
What food are you craving right now? something from the Bunnery
Did you dream last night? not that i remember, but i'm sure i did
What was the last tv show you watched? can't remember the last time i watched a tv show... except for Friends dvd at Rob's house
What is your fave piece of jewelry? if the question is what type, i'd say watches... but my specific favorite piece is my silver cross neclace
What is to the left of you? window
What was the last thing you ate? slice of cold pizza
Who is your best friend of the opposite sex? currently i'd have to say rob... next in line would be luis... one that i've known the longest would have to be Robbie Brown but we're not as close these days as we should be
Where is your significant other right now? at work
Do you have a crush? Yeah
What is his name? rob :)
What shampoo do you use? Nexxus Xoil... but i just ran out, so until i get more i'm using Garnier Fructis
When was the last time you cut your hair? August. I hope to get a trim soon.
Are you on any meds? no, but i'm a frequent user of allergy med
Do you have a mental disease? i don't think so
What shirt are you wearing? my green "relay" Tee
What time is it? 1:25pm
What color is your razor? silver and black
What is your fave frozen treat? smoothies. orange julius is definitely a good option too.
Are you sexy? i'd rather leave it at "cute" or maybe even "pretty" but that's for others to determine
Whats your favorite shopping store? food: Publix. clothes: target.
Are you thirsty? a little
Could you imagine yourself ever getting married? I can't imagine not getting married :)
What's on your bedside table? No bedside table
What do you eat when you raid the fridge late at night? leftovers
What is your secret guaranteed weeping movie? Patch Adams, Notting Hill (probably my favorite movie, to answer the question from a few surveys ago)
If you could have plastic surgery, what would you have done? probably a tummy-tuck, but i don't think i'll ever choose to have surgery
What is your biggest fear? not being able to have kids
What feature are you most insecure about? my body
Do you ever have to beg? For what? no, except when i go to the store with my mom and want her to pay for something for me
Are you a pyromaniac? not really
Do you have too many love interests? I am lucky to have one :)
Do you know anyone famous? Jesus. (good answer, rob)
Describe your bed: Comfortable
Spontaneous or planned? planned
Do you know how to play poker? Yes, but not well
What do you carry with you at all times? Keys. if going to school, backpack w/ keys and cell in it (in addition to school stuff). if going out to most other places, purse w/ keys, cell, wallet, sunglasses, etc. if walking around town, just keys.
How do you drive? pretty well
What do you miss most about being little? no responsibility
Are you happy with your given name? yes. quite happy, actually.
How much money would it take to get you to give up the Internet for one
year? a lot. unless everybody else had to give it up too, then it wouldn't be that big of a deal.
What color is your bedroom? st.aug: white. jax: light blue.
Have you ever been in a play? yes
Who are your best friends? Allie, Krissy, Laci
Do you talk a lot? not really
Do you like yourself and believe in yourself? for the most part
Do you think you're cute? sure
Do you consider yourself to be a nice person? most days

so happy...

The past seven days have been possibly the best week of my entire life!

:)

fall in love with the 80s...

(title as tribute to Relient-K) I am soooo excited about tonight! We're having an "80s dancd party" for Jess as her going away party. Everyone is coming fully-decked-out in their finest 80s paraphernalia. So far, I've seen Krissy's and Jess' outfits and heard about Amy's, Kara's, and Derek's. I can't wait to see Derek's... it sounds awesome! Mine is still incomplete, as I still need a really brightly colored shirt and hopefully some tights and fold-down or scrunch socks. There will be plenty of thrift store shopping this afternoon, however, so never fear. I will be taking Erica to some places around town in search of the perfect ensemble for her, so there's always potential of stumbling across just the right shirt at that time. And if that is unfruitful, I am certain I will have success when Rob and I make the trip to the Jacksonville thirift stores. Rob is in need of some Miami-Vice-style polyester. I'm thinking that will be relatively easy to find.

Tomorrow is Nights of Lights. I'm SOOOOO EXCITED!!!! No one really knows why it's so exciting to see a bunch of little tiny lights turned on, but it really is. I can't wait. I have to work on a huge project all morning, however, so the evening will be a wonderful relief.

Sunday is the St. Johns County Fair, which "The EDGE Band" is playing at, so I'm a part of that. I haven't been to the fair in I don't know how long. I'm really looking forward to it.

Well, that's all my news for now. It should be a very nice weekend for me. I hope it is for you, as well! Later!

anticipation...

it's an interesting thing... especially when it's something that you want to happen... and especially if you feel confident that it will happen... then you're left to wonder if you're right... and even if you are right, you're left to wonder when and how... and if it'll be what you expect... you hope it'll be what you expect... you really hope that, for obvious reasons... 'cause you don't want to be disappointed... things have been known to disappoint you in the past... but eventually something has to work out, right?... i mean, eventually you will come across the one true 'right answer'... but there's never really any way to know if the next one is it... but you tell yourself that you feel like this could be it... does that mean anything?... or is it something we feel before every next possible answer?... who knows... who really knows... all i know is anticipation is an interesting thing... and i want this to happen... and i hope it works...

correction...

I'd like to correct myself on my method of eating Oreos: I twist them apart, eat the "blank" side, and then eat the side with the cream. I had Oreos yesterday and ate them this way without even thinking about it, and then realized I always eat them this way. So I thought it only proper to make this necessary correction. For the record, however, I did happen to eat a peanut butter cup yesterday, as well, and I was correct about my method of peanut butter cup consumption.

That's all I have to say for now. I know you're glad you took the time to read this today!

latest events...

Well, last night I got three hours of sleep. Actually, slightly less. I had no other option but to wake up and go to my 8:00 class because that was the main one that I had to turn in work for. So I went, and we got out early, so I came home for a nap with the specific intention of sleeping through my 9:30 class and returning to school for my 11:00 class. And that is exactly what I did. And it was terrific. (I would have skipped my 11:00 as well, but I needed the time to do work... that's my Instructional Design class in the Mac lab.) After ID class, I went to photography, where I had a quiz that I'm not really sure how well I did on, followed by me giving a presentation on photographer Keith Carter. The presentation went well. I like the presentations in that class because they're so laid-back (like my teacher) and there's no real rules as to what you have to do. All he wants is for us to inform everyone else of what we have learned about our specific photographer. You would think that with so few "requirements," the presentations would be half-hearted and utterly crappy, but honestly, I think people do better without so many boundaries and parameters. Makes me question conventional teaching methods. We actually had an improptu conversation about this same general topic in my 8:00 class. Very interesting.

So that was school. Then, I got beat by Alex in chess. Alex is in fourth grade. I felt very humbled. For a kid who hates to "work," he sure is smart. It wasn't chance that he won; he totally had a strategy going. I don't do strategies. My brain doesn't work that way. I'm just like, "oh, I'll move this pawn here... and this knight here..." Anyway, I suppose he did have a bit of an advantage because he plays chess on the computer frequently, and I haven't played in years.

Later in the evening, I opted (with the support of two of my roomies) to skip my practicum at the tech center. Long story short, I'm supposed to have 20 hours done this semester, I currently have 0 (mostly the fault of Flagler)... I was going to start my practicum tonight and continue going for the remaining Thursday nights of this semester because Thursdays are my ONLY free nights... but when it came time for me to go tonight, I debated its worth because I also had to write my internship application essay, and as I reasoned, it really makes no difference if I have 6 or 8 hours of the 20 done at the end of the semester. With Christina's (and Krissy's) confident support, I decided to stay home and write my essay. So my essay is done and will be turned in tomorrow morning, and I will soon know if I will be interning at the school I chose. I'm anxious to find that out.

So that is all for now. I think I have written plenty for one day. Buenos noches.

at last...

Finally, a slight reprieve from the chaos! I have completed all the work I am able to complete today. My remaining three assignments (none of which are due immediately) require resources that are not available to me tonight: photography project requires natural light, language analysis requires tomorrow's observation, and instructional design project requires the Mac lab at school and I'm simply not going there at 9pm. So, rather than sitting on my bum and making a total waste of my time, I have decided to post the info I promised to Allie. So without further ado Allison, this is what I spoke on at Fusion two weeks ago.


Good v. Best... choosing to wait

"The good often becomes the enemy of the best in life." (Lady in Waiting)

In our lives we have millions of choices and it is often important that we choose what is BEST rather than settling for what is simply GOOD.

In the field of Psychology, studies have been done involving children and marshmallows. In these studies, a child is placed in a room with a marshmallow on a plate. The child is told that the adult (the researcher) is going to leave the room for a while and if the child DOES NOT eat the marshmallow, he will be rewarded with a second marshmallow when the adult returns and will be allowed to eat both of them. However, if the child eats the first marshmallow, he will not receive a second one. In the child's eyes, one marshmallow is good but two is best. The determining factor is if they can WAIT.

In the book of I Samuel, there are two examples of people who had the option of choosing what seemed good or waiting for what was best. The first is Saul. In chapter 13, Saul was king over Israel, and one of his commanding officers had killed the Philistine governor. In response, the Philistines planned to attack the Israelites. Saul gathered his troops and prepared for battle. When they saw that they were greatly outnumbered by the Philistines, they scattered and took cover. Saul was told to wait for seven days and the priest Samuel would come make offerings to God on their behalf to bring God's blessing on them during this battle. The seventh day came, and there seemed to be no sign of Samuel. Saul decided that offerings needed to be made whether the priest was there or not, so he took it upon himself to perform the offerings. [THIS WAS NOT HIS JOB! HE HAD NO BUSINESS DOING THAT!] Only priests were allowed to perform the offerings. Samuel arrived just as Saul was completing the offerings and condemned him for his actions. Saul's misguided choice to do what he thought seemed good (or good enough) caused him to lose favor with God rather than gain it. He chose not to wait on what was best, but to settle for what seemed good.

Second story: In chapter 1 of I Samuel is the story of Hannah. Hannah was married to a man named Elkanah. Elkanah also had another wife named Peninnah because at the time it was very common for men to have more than one wife. Peninnah had children; Hannah did not. At the time, a woman's worth was determined by her children. For many years Hannah waited and prayed for a child. Peninnah tourmented and taunted her for not having any. In their culture, it would have been completely acceptible for Hannah to have given her maid to her husband and had a child by another woman, but Hannah chose not to do that. She knew that God had put it in her heart to have children, so she continued to wait. At one point in her life, she was at the temple praying. She was very upset and the priest approached her because he thought she was drunk. She explained that she wasn't, that she was just pouring her heart out to God. The priest, realizing her sinceriety, blessed her and told her to go in peace. Shortly after, the answer to her many years of prayer came, and she had a son. In Hannah's situation, it may have seemed good at some points to have a child by another woman, but Hannah held out for what was best--what God had planned for her.

In our lives, sometimes we know what we're waiting for, like the kid with the marshmallow... he knew he was waiting for a second marshmallow. But more often, we DON'T know what is coming... like Saul and Hannah. They were NOT completely sure what was going to happen; they only knew they were instructed to wait.

Acts 1:7 says, "And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power." God does not guarantee that we will know what He has planned for us. He only tells us to be obedient by waiting. Abraham had to leave where he was living without knowing where he was going. Hebrews 11:8 says, "By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going."

We don't always know what God has planned for us, but we do know that there is something in store. Our obedience through waiting on God is what will bring us to the BEST in life rather than merely the good.

Psalm 27:14 "Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say on the Lord."

looking...

"Whatever you're looking for is looking for you, too. The catch, of course, is recognizing it when it pops up in front of you."