For the Love

Am I really blogging after 11 p.m. on a weeknight? Yes, yes I am. I am also currently coughing up a lung. I've been plagued with a nagging cold/allergies/sinus thingy for a week now, and I'm ready for it to be gone! Sore throat and cough and runny/stuffy nose do not a happy Erin make. (But apparently they do make me type sentences that Yoda could utter.)

A few confessions:

1.  I have not run at all since my half marathon on March 31, unless you count the 5 minutes I ran last Monday with Charlotte in the stroller (after which I realized my calves were on fire and promptly slowed to a walk).  The first 2 days were intentional rest days, but after that I just plain didn't feel good. I am going to have to run soon, though, or before I know it I'll be forced to go through Couch to 5k a 3rd time.

2.  Even though I'm not blogging about weight loss, I still weigh myself almost every day. It keeps me in check.

3.  I've had way more ice cream than is good for me the past few days. (Did I mention I've had a sore throat for a week? Ice cream is about the only thing that feels good on a sore throat. Well, that and milk shakes, which are also super healthy.)

4.  I have cried during almost every single episode of Parenthood. I bought the first 2 seasons with Christmas money and just finished up season 2 tonight. I love the stories and characters on that show! One of my friends claims she loves it more than she loved Gilmore Girls, but I cannot commit to that blasphemy such a statement. Parenthood doesn't come close to touching my love of Gilmore Girls. Still, it's a good show.

5.  Easter is my favorite holiday. I am not sure why, but it has held special meaning for me this year, and I truly loved being able to celebrate with our church on Easter, as well as going to the Holy Week services on Thursday and Friday. Without Easter, Christmas would be meaningless. I am unspeakably grateful that because He died and rose from the dead, we can have life forever with Him!

I hope you all have a great week!

1.  The weekend. Always the weekend. :)

2.  March 23. Stephen and I both have the day off, which means date day! We are going to go see The Hunger Games and eat lunch somewhere and enjoy a carefree day.

3.  My half marathon on March 31. My training has been so different compared to two years ago. There have been very few runs that I just haven't enjoyed at all. Running has been much more fun for me this time around, but I'm not really sure why. I don't think I'm doing anything differently. Maybe I'm mentally in a different place than before, who knows? Running is still hard, but I look forward to it in a way I didn't before.

4.  Painting my toe nails. This must happen soon, since we are definitely having some prime flip-flop-wearing weather!

5. Easter. I love Easter, and I am looking forward to celebrating it at our church.

What are you looking forward to?

During our purging/organizing session this weekend, Stephen and I found these:




Apparently I was once a wee bit obsessed with water bottles. But I did get rid of at least half of them in the purge! (I kept all of the ones from Sea World because Sea World is awesome.)

P.S. Blogger finally added threaded commenting, so now I can reply directly to your comments! That means you have to leave me some, haha. :)

In no particular order:

1.  The tornado sirens are going off as I write this.  It seems like the sirens have gone off at least once a week for the past month, and it's getting very old.  We lost power for at least 10 hours last night, and I hope we don't lose it again tonight.  Fortunately, Charlotte is completely oblivious to severe weather, which is definitely a blessing!   I was in Memphis on Monday with my boss because we were meeting with clients, and the storm seemed to come out of nowhere.  We were headed back a little before 1 p.m. and listening to the radio for weather updates and realized we were basically driving into the bad weather.  Awesome.  Of course I was thinking about Charlotte the whole time and praying that she was safe and that everything was fine.  When we got back to Jackson, my boss was kind enough to take me by the daycare so I could go see her.  I found her in the basement, and the workers told me she had been sleeping for most of the time they were down there, and I was so relieved. 


2.  I haven't worked out since my first Couch 2 5k workout last Tuesday.  There just don't seem to be enough hours in the day for everything, and I am feeling overwhelmed and discouraged. 

3.  I feel like I will never lose the weight.

4.  I think Charlotte gets cuter every day.  Look at her on Easter:
It's almost too much cuteness to handle!

5.  I feel kind of like a bad mother when people ask me, "Is Charlotte sleeping through the night yet" and I have to respond in the negative.  I think the longest stretch of sleep she's gotten is 6 hours, and that was only once.  We get excited if she'll sleep for 4 hours. 

Those are some things on my mind?  What's on your mind?

I've started a post in my head several times but haven't been able to make it all come together in my head, so here's a bit of what's been floating around in my mind the past few days:

1. Tonight I'm having a girls night with two of my best buds, and I am so excited. Girl time makes my heart happy.

2. I really want Brooke Fraser's new album. Have you heard of her? Her voice is fantastic, absolutely mellifluous, and Albertine, her last album is one of my favorites. You can even listen to the new album on her site.

3. My birthday is a week from today. I love celebrating my birthday and would prefer it to be every day of the year, but then I guess it wouldn't be as special. :) What's great is that this year both Stephen and I were able to take the day off, so we've got the whole day to spend together. I still don't know exactly what we're going to do, but it will be fun.

4. I can't believe I am going to have a real, honest-to-goodness baby in 20 more weeks! It still hits me as a surprise sometimes.

5. I think I felt Charlotte move yesterday! I am still hesitant to say it for sure because it could just be gas, but it felt different to me. I can't wait until I can feel her kicks and know FOR SURE it's her.

6. Stephen and I used Swagbucks to buy Lecrae's newest album, Rehab, and it is so much fun. I have been jamming to it in my car and while on the treadmill, and not only is it fun, but his lyrics are really solid. You can listen to 3 of the tracks here.

7. It is so nice to have a treadmill! Stephen and I have both been using it, and I love that I don't have to use headphones anymore to listen to music while working out. It was definitely a smart investment.

Thus concludes my radomness. What's been on your mind this week?

Baby Mount is now 13 weeks old, which means I am entering the last week of my first trimester! Woohoo! In honor of this, I'm posting a little survey I stole from Karli (who looks AMAZING at 19 weeks!).

How big is the baby? Baby Mount is now almost 3 inches long and the size of a medium shrimp. This is the first week in a while that has not compared Baby to a piece of fruit. Hehe.

Weight gain? Umm, next question, please.

Stretch Marks? Not yet, but they are inevitable because I have residual stretch marks from when I was much heavier.

Maternity Clothes? Not yet, but I think they will be coming very soon. I am still wearing all of my regular clothes, but my pants are definitely getting snug and won’t last much longer, I’m guessing.

Sleep? If I could sleep 10 hours a night, I would. I have had a lot of trouble falling asleep some nights, and then I feel all out of sorts the next morning. It’s frustrating.

Best Moment of the Week? Stephen’s parents came to town for a quick trip, and it was fun to see them. I also went to a baby shower for one of my friends, and knowing that I will soon have a little one made it all the more exciting!

Food Cravings? Zaxby’s and anything sweet, especially cake or ice cream. Danger, danger!

Name? We are totally stuck on a boy’s name, but we really like the name Charlotte if it’s a girl.

Movement? It’s too early for me to feel any movement, but I can’t wait until I can!

What I Miss? I can’t really think of anything that I miss. I’m just so grateful for this pregnancy!

Fun Fact? Baby Mount has fingernails now! And if the baby is a girl, she will already have over 2 million eggs in her ovaries! Isn’t that crazy??

I had a post up here earlier, but I deleted it. It was too whiny, and I felt bad about posting such a negative post, so I took it down. So if you clicked over here from a reader and are wondering where it went, that's what happened.

The good news is we just might have the air conditioner fixed next week! I can only hope!

More good news: I don't have to go to work tomorrow. The bad news: I don't have to go to work tomorrow because my workplace is having a POOL PARTY all day long. Yes, that's right, I'm invited to don a bathing suit and swim in front of my boss. Awesome, right?

In other news, I'm doing well with my goals. Expect a full report next Monday! I also am going to try and take pictures of the house this weekend now that we have everything unpacked. Yay!

And if anyone has any suggestions about how I could keep my current layout but make my header more readable, I'd love some! All the colors I've tried don't seem to work with the background.

I'm sorry I haven't blogged this week, and I'm sure only two of you have even noticed. :) Stephen and I have been busy with some other stuff that perhaps I will tell you about shortly, should I feel so inclined. Aren't I a tease?

In the meantime, feel free to read about what led me to start losing weight, or about my struggle with comparing myself to others, or about my secret confessions, or about my right to bare arms.

I hope everyone is having a great week!

Things I love about spring:

1. Easter. It’s such a meaningful holiday. I love celebrating the resurrection of Jesus.

2. T-shirts and flip flops. Need I say more?

3. March Madness. I’m no sports fanatic, but I love filling out a bracket (or two or three) and following the games. This year Stephen and I both filled out "serious" brackets, and then we also filled out one using coin tosses to decide who would win each game. I am sure that bracket will be completely ruined after the first round. Hehe.

4. The brown and gray of winter is replaced with the green of spring. I love the way the sky and the ground seem to just come alive in the spring.

5. Cadbury Eggs. Yummy goodness. I actually have yet to have one of these yet because I just want ONE, not a package of them, and I can't find them sold individually!

What do you love about spring?

1. I am left-handed. Hooray for southpaws!

2. I have probably mentioned this before, but cutesy spelling drives me nuts. I love a good Krispy Kreme donut every now and then, but why can't it be spelled correctly?? I have a feeling people would still eat the donuts.

3. I love flipping pancakes. It took me a while to master this, and I still mess up, but for the most part, I am a pretty awesome pancake flipper. It's all about the kind of turner you use.

4. I have a terrible habit of picking my nails. I don't bite them, but I will start picking them and sometimes not even realize I am doing it.

5. Using "ur" for "you're" or "your" annoys me (and I even had a student use it in a paper once). It's not like "you're" or "your" are long words, so there's no need to make them shorter! In my opinion, texting is going to be the death of English grammar.

Any random facts you'd like to share about yourself?

I know this will sadden all of my readers greatly, but today’s post will be the last of the reader questions. I’ve taken long enough to answer these, right? Most of the ones I’m answering today are ones that I can answer quickly, so I thought I’d try and cover a bunch of them. Consider it an online survey made by you and answered by me!

From Mary, an excellent weight loss/health blogger:
What is your favorite hobby (um, besides blogging)?
This is rather sad, but I don’t know! I used to be an avid reader but now struggle with finding time to read, so the most I read is during my lunch break at work. I also used to play the guitar, and I am thinking about trying to learn how to play again.

If you could go anywhere in the world, right now, where would you go? Italy, all of it, but especially Florence and Venice. I have wanted to go to Italy for years and years. Someday I will get there. (Right, Stephen?) :)


From Renee, a lovely poet whose first chapbook is coming out soon:
Where do you see yourself in ten years? It is hard to imagine myself in 10 years, but I will be 38 (eek!), and I hope to have one or two children by then if the Lord wills. I hope to be at home with them, happily managing our household. I want to be as madly in love with Stephen as I am right now (or more so), I want to be pursuing the Lord wholeheartedly, and I want to be in service to the church in whatever ways I can.

What are some things you've improved on in the past five years, and what are some things you're still working on? I think I’ve become less of a perfectionist, which is a HUGE victory. I also have become more flexible, more confident, and less affected by unkind words. On the flip side, I am still far too concerned with what other people think, and I am still a very fearful and anxious person most of the time, and I know each of these things hinders my walk with Christ.


From Heather, another lovely writer:

What is your ultimate dream job? To have children and stay at home with them. If we’re talking outside the realm of probability, I’d love to work with dolphins. Or be a famous singer or writer.

How do you keep your spiritual life fresh? What devotionals/books would you recommend, specifically for women, if any? That’s a good question. I find that it helps me to have a reading plan of sorts, to give focus to my devotional time. For example, I just finished reading what I call the General Electric Power Company (aka, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians). I now have moved on to the minor prophets. I also like plans that take you through the Bible in one year. I haven’t actually read any devotionals directed toward women, but I love My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers. I also love this really wonderful little book called Stepping Heavenward by Elizabeth Prentiss. It’s comprised of journal entries that are a glimpse into the heart of a woman trying to follow God. I highly recommend it.


From Sarah E.:
Tell a funny/embarrassing story. When I was in middle school, I decided to run for student council vice president. To this day I really don’t know why I thought I had any chance of winning, but I was very gung-ho about it. Each candidate had to give speeches to each grade at different assemblies, and when it came time for me to give my speech to my grade, I completely froze, forgot I had notecards in front of me with ALL THE WORDS ON THEM, and rambled for a bit before bursting into tears and sitting down. Needless to say, I didn’t win the election. :)


From Lauren, a true bibliophile:
How do you cope with the munchies? I munch. Just kidding! (Well, most of the time.) I try to keep myself busy. I will chew gum or drink water, and if I am at home, I avoid the kitchen when at all possible. At work it’s not as hard because there’s no vending machine (praise the Lord), and I just bring one snack to work with me every day. If it’s at night and past my self-imposed curfew of 8 p.m., I try to ONLY eat if I am really hungry, and then I limit my selection to fruit. Brushing my teeth also helps a lot.

How has your journey towards being healthy effected your marriage? your relationship with friends? family? This is a really good question. I think my marriage has been improved in that I have been able to see just how supportive and awesome Stephen is. He has been my biggest cheerleader and source of strength during the whole process, and without him I don’t even know if I would have begun trying to lose weight. I was fine just talking about it until he asked, "How will you change it?" I don’t feel that my relationships with friends or family have been affected to much, besides the fact that they too have been so supportive and encouraging.


From Macy, who shares my love of all things purple:
Do you ever do creative writing? short stores? poems? It seems like you would be the kind of person who would, and if you do, sharing it here with us would be lovely! :)
I started writing when I was in the fourth grade and have always enjoyed it. (Back then, my favorite poem that I wrote began with, "Colors, colors everywhere, / A little here, a little there." Even then my genius was evident.) Although the only writing I have done in the past few years has been on this blog, I have always enjoyed writing and admired other people’s writing endeavors. In college I primarily wrote poetry, though I also dabbled in creative nonfiction and short fiction. I have stopped and started a novel at least 5 times. Maybe next year I will participate in NaNoWriMo and actually finish a novel. If you go through the blog archives, you can find some of the poems I posted on here. They’re mediocre at best.

So that’s it! I hope you feel as though you know me a little better. Thanks to all of you who asked questions and thanks to all of you who read my blog. I really appreciate it!

I'm experimenting with a new blog look. Thoughts?

This post is going to be all over the place because, well, I feel like being all over the place.

First, the weekend. Things didn't go as planned with my workouts. On Friday I was still really sore from my strength training on Wednesday, and I also just felt tired in general, so I scratched my workout, opting to rest my body when it tells me it needs it. Hubby and I went swimming Friday after he got off work, and we were out there for over an hour. While it wasn't a strenuous workout by any means, we were active in the water and didn't just stand in the pool the whole time, so that's better than nothing, right?

I was supposed to run 2.5 miles and walk 2 miles on Saturday, and I was planning to do this. Until I went out to my car and it didn't start, that is. Turns out my battery, which I just got TWO YEARS ago, was dead! So hubby and I went to WalMart to get it checked out, and we spent about two hours there. We had some things to buy, so at least we were able to multitask, but I definitely would have preferred not buying a new battery. Oh well, I am glad it was nothing worse than that. Anyway, the gym where I workout closes at noon on Saturdays, so that meant no treadmill for me, and it was too hot for my liking to do my run. I ended up doing 30 minutes of strength training, and while I only burned minimal calories, I felt good about making my body stronger. Here it is Monday and I've already gotten in my two strength training sessions, something I haven't done all month! That's a victory!

Even though I always have this mental dread attached to strength training, I love how it makes me feel. When I am lifting weights, I feel empowered and strong, not weak and flabby. And the fact that my muscles are sore the next day (and sometimes the day after that) tells me that I worked hard and am changing my body. So while it's still not as exciting for me as cardio, I am trying to appreciate the benefits of weights and to work at incorporating them every week so I can really see the results!

Since I didn't get in my run on Saturday, I decided to try it on Sunday. It was only 82 degrees outside, so I thought I would be fine with an outdoor run, but it was BRUTAL. The humidity was miserable, and it was all I could do to push myself to get 2 miles, and I ended up taking 2 walking breaks totaling 3.5 minutes. I ended up with 2.3 miles overall, which is a little shy of what I wanted, but I am proud of myself for not quitting but sticking with it! I am going for 3 miles on Tuesday, and I AM going to finish it!

I am still thinking through my post from last Thursday, and I am trying to figure out what my goals for next month will be. Right now, I am thinking about weighing twice a month, once on the 15th and once on the last day of the month. That way I can still check in to see that I am not gaining, but I won't be so fixated on the number. I am sick of thinking about numbers! I have also considered just weighing at the end of the month, but I'm not sure I can do that just yet. I do know I'm not ready to give up on my goal, though!

Now, free stuff! Have you guys heard about SwagBucks.com? It's a search engine that rewards you for searching! You can randomly win "swagbucks" while searching for things that you would use Google for, and after you accumulate a certain amount of SwagBucks, you can redeem them for things like gift cards, music, t-shirts, and other things. You can also earn SwagBucks by referring friends, which means that for the first 100 bucks your friend earns, you also earn! If you want to join, just click on the image below to get started or click on the graphic in the left column of my page!




Also, if you haven't already heard, SparkPeople.com is a FREE weight loss website, and I have SparkPeople to thank for helping me lose the weight. It is full of wonderful articles and tips on fitness, motivation, and weight loss, and when you sign up the site will calculate a calorie range for your food, and you can track your eating and your exercising using the site. It has been an invaluable resource for me, and I can't believe that it's all FREE! So click on the graphic on the left side of my page or visit Sparkpeople.com to sign up! And once you join, look me up! My username is Erin1022!

I hope you have a happy Monday!

1. I am in the home stretch with school; this is finals week, but I had my students turn in a paper as their final, so I'm just camped out at home pretending to grade but actually watching season 4 of The Office. They'll get done, though. Eventually.

2. I have several books I want to read, but here are three I am definitely tackling as soon as grading is behind me: The Reason for God by Timothy Keller, Same Kind of Different as Me by Ron Hall and Denver Moore, and The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley.

3. I burned 3000 calories working out last week. This week my goal is 3,500, which is what it takes to lose one pound.

4. I am proud of the way I've been pushing myself with exercise, but I still need to work on my eating. Some days are really good, and other days frustration or laziness gets the best of me, and I don't make good choices. I think I will battle food issues the rest of my life, but I will NOT go back to where I was at the beginning of this year.

5. If Vicky wins this season of The Biggest Loser, I will be furious. She is the biggest game player and has acted horrendously for most of the season. I'm rooting for Michelle, who is pretty much the only likeable person left.

6. When the new year begins, I will be thinner than I've been since I graduated college. For once I won't regret where I am but will look forward to where I am going. God has done an amazing work in my life this year!

7. Favorite album of 2008: Albertine by Brooke Fraser. Go and look her up; you won't regret it. Runner up: Ending is Beginning by downhere.

Xanga is so quiet these days! Here's a survey, since no one's really reading this anyway.

A is for age:
24, but I'll be 25 in 16 days!! Presents will be accepted (I take checks or money orders or cold hard cash).

B is for beer of choice:
I choose not to drink beer. Gross.

C is for career right now?
Composition instructor

D is for your dog's name?
Sandy.

E is for essential item you use everyday:
Toothbrush!

F is for favorite TV show at the moment:
It's a toss-up between Grey's Anatomy, LOST, and Gilmore Girls.

G is for favorite board game?
LIFE. I know it's cheesy, but I just love it for some reason.

H is for home town:
Bartlett, TN

I is for instruments you've played/play:
Guitar, once upon a time.

J is favorite juice:
Orange, although I'm on quite an apple juice kick recently.

K is for whose ass you'd like to kick:
This is rather violent, isn't it? But I'd like to kick the Palladino's collective ass for leaving Gilmore Girls.

L is for last restaurant you ate at:
Wasabi, I think. It's been a while.

M is for would you marry someone now:
Heck yes! Colin Firth! (Just kidding, Stephen!)

N is for your full name:
Erin Nicole Hetzel, soon to be Erin Nicole Hetzel Mount (yay!!)

O is for overnight hospital stays:
When I was four I had surgery on my bladder or something. (I don't really remember the specifics; all I remember is having to get all my hair cut off for some reason.)

P is for people you were with today:
Not many, just the few students who dropped by to talk about their presentations.

Q is for quote:
"Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds." Shakespeare

R is for biggest regret:
Not getting certified to teach high school English.

S is for status:
Status of what?

T is for time you woke up today:
9:20

U is for the color of underwear you are wearing right now:
Who cares??

V is for vegetables you love:
Corn, potatoes, broccoli

W is for worst habit:
Picking at my nails or my lips.

X is for xrays you've had:
Just teeth, I think.

Y is for yummy food you ate today:
Grandma's chocolate chip cookies (they're the best kind!)

Z is for zodiac sign:
Libra

What is the deal with singing Disney Channel stars? Is that a pre-requisite for being on a show? Is that part of the audition? Perhaps I should go audition. My roommate says I could make it. It seems like every day there's a new music video with a different Disney Channel "star" in it. Not that I watch the Disney Channel every day. That would be juvenile.

And now, a Xanga haiku:

Xanga is fickle.
Eprops come and go with ease,
But real friends remain.

I'm always... hopeful and slightly goofy.
I love saying... "Rats" or "What in the world?!"
I think flowers are... poetic and happy and lovely
My favorite Beatles song is... Eleanor Rigby
My parents are... wonderful examples of what a godly marriage looks like.
I hate... it when people don't use their turn signals, leave their cell phones on in movies, or getting stuck in traffic.
I love... dolphins, purple, talking on the phone to a certain someone, reading for pleasure and not for class.
I was born... in October. The best month ever!
Sometimes I try too hard... to please everyone and make them like me. I also try to hard to appear perfect, which of course is ridiculous.
I work well on things... when I am able to work at my own pace and on my own schedule. I detest group projects. (Stef, so many of our answers are similar, shockingly enough!)
My childhood was... very happy and typical and positive.
My high school was... rather large, loud, and full of people who annoyed me.
I love to read books about... Christianity or mysteries or love stories.
I'm addicted to... my iPod, Gilmore Girls, and Xanga.
I drink too much... diet pepsi.
My earliest memory is... the first day of kindergarten.
The last place I went on vacation was... Atlanta!
I want to live closer to... a certain someone.
The President is... not very popular right now.
Kids can be... adorable, high maintenance, and sometimes spoiled rotten.
Kids were mean to me when they.. called me "four eyes," made fun of my weight, or picked me last on the playground.
I despise it when... people are inconsiderate or my friends forget my birthday.
If I could go anywhere it would be... Italy.
Malls are a really fun place to... go and people watch and shop by myself. I don't like shopping with other people if I'm in the mood to actually buy things.
I had fun when... I was in Atlanta with my gals.
I thought it was hilarious when... we found a penny in our toilet in Atlanta.
I love my friends even though they... don't always return my phone calls.
Life is... wonderful. A gift.
I love the TV show... do I even need to say it?
I don't get enough time to... read for pleasure or hang out with my friends.
One of the nicest things someone has done for me is... throw me a surprise party for my 21st birthday. (Seriously, Stef, this is crazy!)
When no one's around, I really like to... sing and act like a dancing idiot.
If you want to see me go crazy, you should talk to me about.... grammar.
If I had a million dollars... I'd go to Italy, take a trip around the world, buy my brother a house, and buy every book I ever wanted.
My dream college would be... the one I went to, Union dearest Union.
My dream job would be... something involving people and books and learning. Or writing. Or singing. Or taking care of dolphins.
I want someone to... sweep me off my feet and love me forever.
I hope... I survive the rest of this semester and have an amazing summer.
I would like... to be married, to be happy with my job and my life.
I dream about... very random things.
I have nightmares ... rarely, and usually only if I've watched a movie that freaked me out.
In 5 years, I want to... be married and be happy. I know at least one of those will be true.

I have no more classes! Woohoo! All I have left is a 10-page paper, a 25-page paper, and a 5-7-page paper. Wow, that's still kind of a lot. Hmm.

You Should Be a Film Writer

You don't just create compelling stories, you see them as clearly as a movie in your mind. You have a knack for details and dialogue. You can really make a character come to life. Chances are, you enjoy creating all types of stories. The joy is in the storytelling. And nothing would please you more than millions of people seeing your story on the big screen!

Hmm, I've certainly thought about being a screenwriter.  I would try and write an adaptation of Troilus and Criseyde.  I really can't believe no one else has done that.  It's an amazing, fabulous, multi-layered story.  And it's Chaucer, so what's not to love?

In other news, there's apparently a website out there that urges people to vote for the worst singer on American Idol!  Right now they're backing Kevin, and I can't say I blame them.  They started in season 3 and backed Jasmine Trias, who made it to the top 4, and they backed that awful, creepy Scott Savol last year, which I think actually explains why he made it as far as he did.  I can't say I completely agree with what they're doing because I don't want it to ruin the chances of Mandisa or Chris, but it is really funny. 

Today on Ellen there was a woman in the audience who was in her fifties and had gotten a tattoo five years ago because she had made a list of things she wanted to do or accomplish in her life, and that was one of them, so she finally took the plunge.  It got me thinking about what I want to do before I die, so here's a preliminary list:

1.  Ride in a hot air balloon.
2.  Go sky-diving.  (I really want to do this, but I'd much rather do it with someone else than go alone!)
3.  Visit Sea World.
4.  Go snorkeling in Australia.
5.  Learn how to knit.
6.  Get something published.
7.  Visit all 50 states.  (My trip this summer across country should knock out several of them!)
8.  Visit Italy. (I'd love to have my honeymoon in Florence or Rome, but we'll see.)
9.  Be in two places at once.  (Haha, just kidding. Anyone remember what movie that's from?)
10. Live overseas.

That should keep me busy for a few years, eh?  What would be on your list?

EDIT:  Today's entry from my 365 Stupidest Things Ever Said calendar:  "Suave Naturals Body Scrub Costs Less Than More Expensive Brands" (from an add for Suave).  I guess it better cost less, since they have idiots writing their ads!  :laughing:

"Faith never knows where it is being led, but it loves and knows the One who is leading." ~Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest.

How fabulous is this quote? Gotta love that Oswald. I don't really have much to say; I just don't feel like thinking about all the work I have to do (much less actually doing any of it), so I just whip out my handy procrastination tool, Xanga. It just seems against the laws of nature to do homework over spring break. Oh well, I guess I forfeited the right to a footloose and fancy-free spring break when I ceased being an undergrad. At least I know that half of the other first year MAs will be hanging out in the library with me. Misery loves company, after all.

Hebrews 11:6: Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for He who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who earnestly seek Him.

EDIT: Okay, I'm going to check out the show that pretty much everyone I know can't stop raving about: Grey's Anatomy. I don't exactly need another show to be hooked on, but it's spring break! I'll apprise you of my opinion after it's over. (Isn't "apprise" a great word? People should use it more often!)

EDIT:  Two hours of sleep.  Awesome.  I wish someone would discover a medical cure for procrastination.

Okay, I know I'm updating like a crazy person, but I have this stupid project due tomorrow that I just can't seem to make myself work on, so I xanga instead!

You Are Coke

A true original and classic, you represent the best of everything you can offer. Just the right amount of sweet, just the right amount of energy... you're the life of the party. Your best soda match: Mountain Dew Stay away from:Dr Pepper

In other news (that's becoming like the trademark thing for me to put in these posts; let's make it a trend and spread it around!), I got really excited when I first read the headline "Church to stop protesting at funerals" but then when I read the article, I realized the church in Kansas who protests at the funerals of those who fought in the war is only stopping protests in the states where it's been made illegal to do so.  Says the daughter of Fred Phelps, pastor of this church, "We're not going to get arrested.  We obey the law."  Well, how commendable of you!  Forget that you're breaking God's law by showing such complete hatred and disregard for other people.  Forget that protesting at funerals is certainly not the way to "win friends and influence people."  Forget that Christians are called to spread the gospel and promote the glory of God, not spread hate and breed bad feelings about Christianity.  Forget all of that.  You're not breaking any laws, so good for you. 

Calling all girls:  Have you had your heart broken by an unfaithful man?  Post his picture and a list of his misdeeds on the Internet!  I tried to go to the site and read some of the entries, but you have to have a user name, and I don't care that much.  All jerks are the same; it's the ones who aren't jerks that are different and worth your time.

P.S.  I'm in no way implying that only males are jerks; on the contrary, females are equally as capable of being jerks, but it seems that males display their jerkiness more often or in ways that are much sleazier.

P.P.S.  Believe it or not, none of this is coming from personal experience.  All the guys I know are just idiots.  :winky:

EDIT:  For a glimpse into the mind of one guy who's not an idiot, visit Moose Max's site.

EDIT 2 (I'm totally procrastinating):  I'm so glad I didn't take the SAT.  They screwed up some people's scores.  Oops.  Just goes to show that technology isn't foolproof.  (As if any of us had doubts about that.) 

And OH MY GOSH, Mandisa, one of the final 8 on American Idol, just admitted to the viewing public that she sucked her thumb until she was TWENTY-FOUR (that's my age).  I don't know if she's brave or just stupid for confessing that.  Girl can sing, though.