Wednesday, November 28, 2012

open letter wednesday

Dear Thanksgiving Leftovers,
The truth is..... I always love you more than the initial Thanksgiving meal. Cold cranberry sauce in the fridge, turkey sandwiches, random lunches of only turkey and spinach, smorgasbord dinners-- you warm my little heart.

Dear travel bug,
I do believe that I am due to visit some other location, since you are bothering me a bit. Just not till after December. Where shall we go??

Dear Hostess Foods,
I'm kinda in awe of the public outcry at the prospect of losing Twinkies. It's sad that so many of your jobs were lost but America wasn't as concerned about that. They wanted processed snack cakes. Wow. Just wow.

Dear Powerball Lottery,
Many of my coworkers have pooled their money together so that they can win you. OF COURSE I didn't participate (um, sorry?). But then I wondered just *what if* they win and all leave me here as a non-millionaire.....? Hm. Maybe that'll be job security? And hopefully a promotion, too.

Friday, November 23, 2012

good morning, lovelies!

Awww, my fake smile today looks so happy!
I really am happy though! I am blessed with so much, even more than I deserve. I have amazing family and friends, I go to a great church and I get the privilege of living for God!

Not to mention that I'm very well rested {in bed before 10!!!!! that's unheard of, especially on Thanksgiving!}. Plus I didn't request today off but I'm Thankful to Have a Job to come to this morning.
Oh and breakfast was pretty good too:

Yes, that would be pumpkin pie and ice cream.
So Thanksgiving Eve, my personal tradition is to bake pie late at night. I just like being up late and having the kitchen to myself. Mary was my company via phone!

Posing with my pumpkin
Rolling out the crust



Done! Pumpkin and Pecan
Annnnnd this happened, so I had to post it on Instagram. My mom is funnnny! But she really is the Turkey Master. Her's always come out moist and flavorful and AMAZING. She's converted many a non-turkey eater.

Me with my "adopted" grandparents! Love these two and so happy they could have dinner with us!

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

don't you forget what He said!

{He said}
I won't give you more
more than you can take
and I might let you bend
but I won't let you break
and no-o-o-o-o
I'll never ever let you go-o-o-o-o
don't you forget what He said

[group 1 crew and chris august "He Said"]

I get really happy when I hear this one come on the radio. 
I don't know the verses by heart but when that chorus comes on, I can't help but start a mini car concert and sing along loudly {especially during the oh-oh-oh parts}. plus I love Blanca's voice.

it's so encouraging too! when we go through things, it sometimes feels never-ending and like there's no purpose for it. BUT trials and frustrations and annoyances are here to make us stronger! so yeah, it may feel kinda uncomfortable right this second but just think of all the strength and wisdom that will come out of it! and remember that God will always be there in the midst of it. 

don't you forget what He said!

Thursday, November 15, 2012

walkin' in an autumn wonderland....

because yes, I am the weirdo walking around taking pictures of trees.
what can I say? I'm in my happy place.






yay for fall!!!!!!!

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

the result are in



"What? Why is she talking politics? I thought she didn't like this stuff!"

I don't. :) I don't like the name-calling and lies among candidates and overly passionate attitude of voters, whether it's drunken dancing in the streets or uncontrollable weeping.

But I DO like this part - the counting of the ballots and the analysis and all. 

So despite my persistent ambivalence, after giving blood I went and voted. All day long, I had been seeing people posting their "I Voted" stickers on Instagram. Maybe that convinced me? LOL! Went to my local voting station and Guess What?!? They weren't giving out stickers! THE NERVE!!!

So, if your man/woman won the presidency or a house representative seat or the railroad commissioner position, congrats! If your man/woman didn't win the presidency or a house representative seat or the railroad commissioner position, no worries! God is in control of all of this, after all.

Craziness.... After reading several news stories and refreshing my map often last night, I actually dreamed about politics!!

A few things I want to touch on-

*See my map above? That's a screenshot from this morning about 7:30am CST. Okay, Florida is the only grey undecided state. Seriously, what is the deal with Florida???? Remember way back with the whole Dubya/Gore debacle and the recounts? I don't understand.

*Look at the numbers under the popular vote. It was a very close race! Exciting! Also the Senate is almost split in half.

*I think swing states are super interesting. The media was calling them "battleground states".... so dramatic. But I think that if I lived in a "battleground state", I would definitely make more of an effort to be an informed citizen. Just being real!

*Jesse Jackson Jr. has not been campaigning and is being investigated for misusing funds. However, he Won! Hmmm, wonder why....

*WA and CO just legalized recreational marijuana. Washington - I get it. But COLORADO?! When I think Colorado, I think Heritage (haha!) and Adventures in Odyssey and Focus on the Family. But yeah, I'm sure that's just a small segment of their population. It's just so odd to me! There's a report that there are more pot shops in Denver than Starbucks. Really?!?

*I've never made a bucket list. But if I did!!.... One item on it would be to go to a election party. The kind in a hotel or a ballroom where I can wave my little flag and they drop balloons and confetti  from the ceiling when your candidate wins. It doesn't have to be a national election. I just need balloons and/or confetti to fall down. *SIGH!!!* Okay I'm done.

Monday, November 5, 2012

WCC/church/sandy/election time

Goo Mah-nin!

First of All, Happy WCC Week to those of you attending! I sent that in a text to my favorite {only!} Josephine yesterday... :D. Stay up incredibly late, laugh till your stomachs hurt, do your hair in record time and be on time for prayer before service!! Gosh, I kinda sound like a mom. Anywho, I hope my lovely friends have a great time! Awwwwww, I'm gonna miss out on this 2nd Heritage Reunion, LOL!

Meanwhile, over here CHURCH has been pretty fabulous, doncha know! I live in a part of the country that is along the infamous Bible Belt. There are lotsa beautiful churches but the downside is that everyone and their grandma and their Dog thinks that they're already Saved. So it Really touches my heart to see people come with humble, hungry hearts to learn about God. A young couple came with a baby a few weeks ago and the Friday before the wedding that I previously blogged about, we did a small wedding ceremony after church! So now the wife has the holy ghost and the husband is seeking it. I love love love it So Much!

This weekend, we had Elder Jimmy Lee with us and it was so good. There's nothing like gleaning wisdom from a good elder and his wife!

My heart goes out to the northeast dealing with the effects of SANDY. Thankfully, my family over there has fared well but many people were not so fortunate. I am wary of how donated funds are used but I encourage people to donate blood! There's a blood shortage and if you are healthy and not toooo scared of needles, it would be a great gift to give!

Also, pardon my seeming irreverence but the name "Sandy" doesn't connotate a storm that left death and destruction in its wake. It sounds so nice and happy. Like, Katrina sounds like a catty woman but maybe that's only because I once knew a human who was a catty Katrina. I can't think of a bad Sandy. Anyway, I digress. It'll be interesting to see how Sandy affects everything that happens tomorrow.


Soo, you know what tomorrow is? Right? It's ELECTION TIME. Ughhh. Let me tell ya, Jen is so looking forward to 11/7/2012. That's the day after this madness. MAKE IT STOP!!  I find it really hard to get impassioned about any of the candidates. I think the party system is so flawed and I find it difficult to completely agree with any of them. And it's so divisive! I love harmony and unity and all that jazz. Conflict bugs me! People want to engage me in political discussions. I either poke holes at the inconsistencies that I see or I just pretend that I've lost the ability to speak. Soooo done with it all. Thank God the end is near.

Might I interest you in some of my Pinterest Political Propaganda???? say that 3 times fast! alliteration is fun!


right?!?!
long as I got King Jesus!!
This is my personal favorite! COOKIES!!!!!!