Stuck in a Furrow

There are 5 things I learned this morning....

1. It is always a good idea to put make up on and do your hair in case you happen to run into police officers outside your apartment building.
2. It is hard to sneak a picture of the cute cops and their cruiser without being too obvious.
3. Stealing CDs from Best Buy is not a good idea
4. Claiming you are innocent when your crime is caught on tape is not the smartest.
5. Always put on pants just in case you are about to get arrested.

On my way home from work, I was pondering what I was going to do tonight. It is a rare occasion that A) I am solo as the boy is in Chicago and B) I have no solid plans for an evening. Since this is an unusual occasion, I wanted to make the most of my Friday night. I was determined to hit the gym as I have a very vain goal of bikini's in Vegas and 5k in October but other than that, it was up in the air. I had numerous options ranging from hanging out with friends from my Denny's days to bondinng with Matthew to reading a good book and going to bed early. I also wanted to do some housecleaning because I wouldn't be able to do it over the weekend. I also had a bottle of Ravenswood wine and it was just asking to have some quality time with me and I wasn't about to disappoint.

I went to the gym about 2 hours ago. I have a love/hate relationship with the treadmill. My legs feel like jelly and any plans I may have had for tonight have gone out the window. It is just me, some wine and the remote. I may even light some candles and enjoy my evening alone.

I can clean on Sunday!

I got tickets to see Celine in Vegas.

Woot Woot

Check this out...

I think I love this song.



Thanks Timothy. I'm glad you listen to strange music! Now I'll have to check out Sigur Ros. I heard it is good for driving through the mountains...

I can still sing the entire DC Talk hit, "I Don't Want It". I may have even been humming it yesterday in the mailroom as I was going about my daily work. I can even do the rapping part and credit this to numerous hours listening to that CD. It was one of my favourites and even this morning, I was tempted to put it in my car and groove along to the old memories that lie within those melodies.

I wish that having the "sex" talk was as easy as slipping in a CD and pushing repeat! Last night, I had to teach on this subject with 10, grade 7 and 8 girls. EGADS. It went relatively well but since my 1 co-leader was slightly shy about the whole deal, guess who got to answer the awkward questions?!? Yuppers, yours truly! Leave it to me to push past those embarrasing moments. I even refrained from hand gestures! My other co-leader was not afraid of the topic either so I think we did a decent job. Don't worry, I won't get into the questions they asked, but lets just say that I was stumped on how to answer a few of them. The good thing about this curriculum is that it covers all the topics including dating, boundries, sex, grace and all that jazz without dweling on just the physical part. Good stuff and it lead to some amazing conversations. It is scary to think that these girls know more about sex than I did at their age but they are more exposed. Some even know girls their age who are pregnant or who have had to deal with some of the side effects of promiscuity. Scary stuff, especially when you are 12.

[Ah yeah, Red Leader, I don't think I copy that
Uh, did you say you don't want sex for now?
I'm confused, could you clarify? Over.

Yo, s-e-x is a test when I'm pressed
So back off with less of that zest
Impress this brother with a life of virtue
The innocence that's spent is gonna hurt you
Safe is the way they say to play
But then again safe ain't safe at all today
So just wait for the mate that's straight from God
Don't give it up 'til you tie the knot]



**Just to bring back the memories! I dare you not not hum it all afternoon!**

I keep my tattoos hidden at work. I'm not ashamed of them or regret them. It is just easier as apparenlty my operations manager thinks that I am not as competent at opening mail if I have a tattoo. Whatever. I think I've done a fairly good job at keeping my little secret and people are usually shocked to find out that a "good Christian girl" has not just 1 but 4 of these taboo markings. Today I got one of those snide comments along the lines of "why do nice girls do that to themselves". Who said I was a nice girl?! I have no grand stories about my tattoos or how I got them. I got my first when I was just over 18 and my parents took me. I think they hoped that I would chicken out but I proved them wrong! It was the summer before I went to Bible School. The second one, on my elbow, I got with mom on a completely impromtu trip. She was getting one and the artist had time, so I picked something and away I went. It is my favourite. I would like to pretend that my third was a mistake but I can't. I love what it stands for and not necessarily who and why I got it. I contemplated getting it covered or altered or even removed but I won't, at least not right now. My wrist one is almost 2 years old already and I got it with Carmen. She was getting her first.

It is time for a new one. I have been doing some searching online for what I want and have always wanted something that reflects my love of Africa. Carmen and I are toying with the idea of getting one in Vegas and I don't just want to walk in and pick something off a wall. I want there to be a bigger story. I want it to mean something, to me at least.

Here is an idea I've stumbled across...



Can you see the elephant?



Hmmm...I will have to do some pondering to decide what I want and where I want it.

Or else I'll just walk in a pick something off a wall. Maybe Carmen and I can get matching ones...or not!

I missed my 1 year anniversary of blogging. So sad.

Ok...I'm not famous but I am in a picture on a this blog. John spoke at our leadership retreat in Canmore over the weekend. He was fantastic. I'm sad to have missed his talk on Saturday night as he talked about Mozambique and had some amazing pictures.

Check out his pics on Flickr for some pictures of the weekend and other speakers including yummy Chad Johnson.

I'm addicted to this webcam.

This morning there was a whale....

Today is probably my least favourite day of the year. I can't help but wake up feeling a little sad and out of sorts. It was 5 years ago today that Corey died. In some ways, it feels like just last week when I got that phonecall from mom and in others, it feels like forever. I miss him, we had a special bond that went beyond uncle to friend, mentor, boss and so much more. Today I contemplated going out to his grave but I am not sure I can. I have some great memories of him and I'm afraid that one day, I'll forget these so I try to think of him often. Some of these memeories are too hard for me to even type as the tears build up and roll down my cheeks.

I remember playing the "That's Gross" game with him. He always won with a trump card which always prompted me to exclaim "That's Gross!". I never won. I still don't.
I remember spending the week with him and Sue at camp after Jordan was born.
I remember him taking my car for a drive with Grandma and scaring the pants off of her.
I remember watching Family Guy when Sue wasn't home.
I remember going for "screws" everyday at 3 during the summer and having to stop for cokes because we deserved it.
I remember him not leting me run out the door to meet Jared. He made him come to the door like a real date. I remember the awkward kissing talks.
I remember how proud he was when he pulled off my 16th birthday present at the school without me knowing.
I remember him, shortly after I moved in, siting on my bed and not saying a word. The tears were streaming down his cheeks. I knew he was crying for me.
I remember our talks of life and God and relantionships and everything that made a 17 year old girl afraid. He never laughed at me but he did cry with me.
I remember that he didn't put sugar on his grapefruit and I thought that it was wierd.
I remember the depressing birthday song and the dump truck song he sang to Jordan.
I remember him letting Craig and I hide in the backseat of his car when he picked up his girlfriend. We would jump out and scare her and it made us laugh.
I remember him teaching me how to vaccinate the lambs.

I remember so many things, some of them obscure and a passing thought. I remember grandpa crying as we sat around their house, remembering Corey and singing through our tears.

Here I am, once again
I pour out my heart
For I know that You hear
Every cry
You are listening
No matter what state my heart is in

You are faithful to answer
With words that are true
And a hope that is real
As I feel Your touch
You bring a freedom
To all that’s within
In the safety of this place
I’m longing to ...

Pour out my heart
To say that I love You
Pour out my heart
To say that I need You
Pour out my heart
To say that I’m thankful
Pour out my heart
To say that You’re wonderful.