Name That Tune

Alrighty! It's been a while since I've been in blog land, but hopefully that video blog made up for a bit. Well today's topic is: RINGTONES!! In case you weren't aware, I recently got my new Austin cell phone #!! So excited!! If you don't have my new number and would like it, just send me a message either via facebook, myspace, comment on this post, or email me at amomca@gmail.com :D

So one of my favorite things about having a cell phone is customizing tones played for each person in my contacts list. Though I'm not gonna lie, sometimes it's hard to categorize the groups to which the tone belongs. For instance, last year, the First Year students at MCA would all have the "KIDS IN AMERICA" tone by The Muffs, and the MCA Staff would have "NEW AMERICANS" by Geoff Moore and the Distance as theirs. For right now, I have people in the following categories:

Texas Peeps
VIPs (which I used last year for the pastors and their wives who would call me)
Family
Flying Marshmallows
Kel (ley Rowe)
Sarah (Noble)
Pastor Dan
and then just a general tone for whoever is not sorted into any of these categories.

So I thought I would share with you what those tones are and why they are, and then let you make some cool choices via commenting. :D

The first one is:


This one I chose because sometimes I get sad and miss all my friends back home, but when they call and i hear this, it makes me laugh and smile!
like this ----> :D ...only....not sideways.


Then we have the VIP's ringtone.


Like I said, this tone is for pastors and other influential leaders in my life, because they are...my heroes.


Next up is the Family ringtone!


I chose this one as a joke just cause it's a cute song and I didn't want to have "We are Family" blasting from my phone. :D


And the Flying Marshmallow tone is:


This is just such a great tone and is like, my prayer for The Flying Marshmallows!


Then there's the ringtone for Kelley Rowe!!


This one is funny...I came across it one day and I told Kel that I was gonna put it as her song. She doesn't like the song, and she doesn't live in LA, but it's still funny!!


And the ringtone for Sarah Noble, who is my absolute BEST FRIEND!


Okay, so we took a road trip once to Louisiana for our friend Kayla Norman's wedding, and we had to drive home that evening..all the way back to Austin. So we were desperately trying to stay awake and we were so delirious! So we started scanning the radio stations for upbeat music and it landed on Live Like You Were Dying by Tim McGraw...and we died laughing and were singing it at the top of our lungs. And then, to make things even funnier, we did a spur of the moment human video to the song using hand motions!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!


And then we move on to the one for Pastor Dan!


This one, I think...is fairly self explanatory if you've ever been in MCA under P.Dan's leadership. It's the ultimate MAKE IT HAPPEN, Go-Mode song! hahahahahahaha! Alumni-- sorry for making your eyes twitch and your body convulse! hahahahahaha!


And if you aren't in any of those lists (don't take it personal) then this is the tone that plays when you call:


The song is BETTER IN THE END by Frontline, which a worship team birthed out of Master's Commission in Phoenix, AZ...and their music is SOOOOO powerful! I listen to their songs almost every day and have 4 of them added to the playlist on my cell phone. So when I'm walking, I'm listening to them. :D This song is just...the story of my life. Some of the lyrics are:

IF THERE'S ANYTHING LEFT I HAVEN'T GIVEN
IF THERE'S ANYTHING LEFT DISGUISED AND HIDDEN
I CAN FEEL YOU HOLDING ME FAR AWAY FROM WHAT USED TO BE
TIRED OF FEELING THE SAME OLD FEELING
WANNA MOVE ON TO WHAT I'M DREAMING

...I DON'T WANT TO FEAR WHAT YOU MAY CHANGE
MAKE YOURSELF AT HOME IN ME
CAUSE YOU SEE THE PICTURE OF MY LIFE
IT'S SO MUCH BETTER IN THE END

It's just...so exactly what my prayer is...to keep trusting God... because He knows the big picture and i don't.

-----------------------------------------

NOW HERE'S YOUR PART!!!

You tell me: If I had a song to go with your name when you call me on my phone, what song would you want it to be??
Please leave me a comment and tell me! And if you're already listed, you can definitely make suggestions for a different song. :D COMMENT AWAY!

video blog: Just Saying Hello! (12 mins.)

Hey everyone, I know this isn't THE video blog of the music video yet...but I'll explain it all in the vid blog....it is still coming...it's just taking a bit longer. Should have it done by this weekend! In the meantime, here's a Video Blog for you to enjoy!!



PS: a big thanks to Joshua Curtis for sharing the song! ;)

now that's funny!

Okay, so on this post, I wanted to share some of my favorite funny videos. I hope they make you laugh as much as they made me laugh! Enjoy!

*and as a disclaimer, I don't condone every sketch done by any of the following people/organizations, these are just geniuinely funny sketches.

THE LAWRENCE WELK SHOW SKIT (snl)


HE LIKES YOU SKIT (snl)


FAMILY ORIENTED (anjelah johnson)


NAIL SALON (anjelah johnson)


BUSINESS MEETING (snl)

a tale of three fingers...

So today's free clinic experience was quite interesting! So I woke up early to take the bus to Lake City (just a smidge north of Northgate where I live) and I walked to the free clinic. What I didn't know is that the free clinic is part of the Northwest Community Center, which is also where the Northwest Food Bank is. So I finally work my way around the lines for the food bank to get to the free clinic, which is only open on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. So I get there, and there's a big sign on the door that says GOVERNMENT ISSUED ID AND PROOF OF RESIDENCY REQUIRED. Of all of the things I brought with me...the only thing I DIDN'T bring was proof of residency. :(

...did I mention that when I called, they said nothing about bringing proof of residency? just thought i'd mention that..

So I take the bus back home, to go get the proof of residency...and then I take the bus back. I'm seen by the nurse who is super sweet and friendly and I go through the rundown with her. So then she takes my blood pressure and she says it's a little high. Then she goes to give me the blood sugar test...you know...the one where they stick your finger with a needle and put blood on the test strip? yeah..did i mention i HATE needles and I almost always cry...even though I'm 26? yeah.

So she pricks my finger, does the test strip thing, and the machine won't read the results and gives an error message.

So then she gets a different machine, and pricks the same finger to get the result.

And the machine doesn't work.

So then she brings the doctor in, and he asks what she did, and walks her through some things...

And pricks me again on a different finger. And they get the error message and decide to call the pharmacy to get new test strips because they think there's something wrong with the test strips.

So they send me 2 blocks down the road to pick up some new test strips and a coding device for the machine at Bartell's Drugstore. And I get back...and they have to prick me again. ugh... needles...i hate 'em.

So they finally get test results and it's good news: I DON'T HAVE FULL ON DIABETES- I JUST HAVE PRE-DIABETES!! Which, I can BEAT! And the nurse really gave me some good tips and explained a lot of stuff to me and really was so encouraging! It was great! So I'm going to be slowly changing up my meal habits and starting next week, I'm going to be going to get a gym membership. Along with the membership, I'm setting up a workout plan on Gyminee (thanks for always posting your awesome story/results, Brian S.!) and working hard to lose weight and keep it off! :)

I'm so excited that I have FAIR WARNING and can do something about it! PTL!

.................................................

Okay,so for those who I've not talked to about this, which is a lot, cause I think I've only talked to 5 people about it, tomorrow is a big day for me. After talking to a very great friend about some health issues I've been having, it has been suggested that I may have either pre-diabetes or full on diabetes. This doesn't really surprise me. Being an overweight latina whose mom and apparently dad's side of the family both have diabetes, I'm a prime suspect. So tomorrow I am going to go to the free clinic in Lake City to get screened for diabetes.

I realize that if I DO have diabetes, my life is going to change dramatically. Regardless or whether I am or not... there will be some really positive changes going on for me. First of all, I'm changing my diet to be more healthy. I'll also be getting a monthly gym membership to 24 hr. fitness, which is 4 blocks from my house. :D I'm going to be maintaining a steady workout plan and am going to be more conscious about things I put in my body.

If I do have Pre-Diabetes, and not full on Diabetes, I will fight to beat it!

Well, tomorrow is the big day...where I find out what's going on. :D

wish me luck and keep me in your prayers!

no day but today

Hey everyone! So I thought I would post a dangerous post, and it's dangerous to me, because if anyone who reads this blog is a stalker, they know how to find me. So...if you're a stalker, please, find someone else to stalk. I'm really not interested in any added drama, and trust me, you can do better than me. :)

So now that I've scared away any potential stalkers, I wanted to post about my success in developing a weekly schedule for myself! yay! You know, when you've been in an environment where most of your waking hours are mapped out for you, it can be a real hectic thing to have to make your own adjustments and decide what works best for you, when. And now that I've lived here in Seattle for about 2, going on 3 months, I am happy to report that I have found a schedule that suits me...at least for now.

And please note, that I am still very flexible. For instance, if I stay up too late either talking to my mother, sister, friends, etc. it may lead to a later bed time because I make sure I do my bedtime routine before I hit the hay. (man, i know, i sound like a third grader...but trust me, it's a good thing) But that just means that I have to cut a part out of my morning routine to make sure I'm where I need to be on time. :)

Here is what my days look like Monday-Friday>>>

5:45 a.m. : WAKE UP (also allot time for hitting the snooze button) hehehehehe
6:00 a.m. : Get Ready for the Day (this includes ironing, getting dressed, putting on makeup, and packing up my stuff to take to the office)
7:00 a.m. : Morning Time (this includes coffee, breakfast, short quiet time, and watching the news updates, and packing my lunch for the day)
7:45 a.m. : Bus To Work (the bus comes at 7:57 a.m., and I walk less than a block to get there)
8:30 a.m. : Office Prep (clear head, put lunch in the kitchen, checking emails, checking blog, facebook, twitter, etc.)
9:00 a.m. : Office Tasks
This is the part of the day where I WORK. Sometimes the day is busy, sometimes it's not. Today, I had to send out a mass email message promoting a forum that my boss is hosting. Here's the design:

All through the day, I schedule meetings for my boss, work on updating filing systems, work on updating the database, checking the mail, making deposits, etc.
Then...
12:00 p.m. : This is generally when I take my 1 hour lunch break :) yum!
5:00 p.m. : Pack up and head to the bus stop. Then I take the bus home. And usually I'll take a book with me, because the bus rides can vary in times that i'm riding or waiting...so I get to read in the down time.
6:15 p.m. : This is usually when I get home, unless I make any unplanned stops like at Target, Best Buy, Barnes and Noble, U Village, etc.
6:30 p.m. : Make any AUSTIN phone calls. Since my friends and fam are two hours, if not more, ahead of me here in Seattle, I call them around this time so that it's not too late for them. So they get the calls around 8:30 p.m. But most of the time, I'm talking to my mom. Most of the time I will cook dinner while I make calls to multi-task. If not, I cook afterwards.
8:00 p.m. : Watch TV and chillax or go out
9:30 p.m. : Get Ready for bed. (shower, brush teeth, pick out outfit for the next day, etc.)
10:00 p.m. : Evening Quiet Time -aka- 20/10. I take out 20 minutes for bible reading and study and then have 10 minutes of prayer time just before I hit snoozeville. And then I'm up and at 'em again at 5:45!

Saturdays are a bit different. Saturday I sleep in a bit, make a nice big breakfast, and either go out somewhere like downtown or to the movies, or I go to Barnes and Noble to read a book, or just go on a nice walk. I try not to spend too much time watching TV or using the internet, but I'd be lying if I said it didn't happen. ;)

Sundays are different too. Every other week, I help out with Kingdom Kids at Westside Church. On the mornings I help, I wake up early to go to the 9 a.m. service so I can still learn some cool stuff. And then I go down to help. On the mornings I don't help, I sleep in a bit and go to the 11 a.m. service. Since the bus runs every hour on Sundays, as opposed to 15 or 30 mins. I usually get to the bus stop early (which is 4 blocks from the church). And the stop runs right in front of Larsen's Bakery, so I peek in there, get a Pecan Cinnamon Roll and sometimes a Chai Latte and walk to the park between the bus stop and church. And I have a small quiet time and sing some songs to God...since no one is usually there when I am. ;) And then after church, I head home and take a Sunday nap or just chillax and read or watch tv.

Well...that's pretty much my week! Though I do make sure that certain nights are reserved for my fave shows: Monday= One Tree Hill, Wednesday= CSI:NY & BONES, Thursday= CSI:the original. :)

...just a stranger on the bus, tryin' to make his way home...

Today was a whirlwind of a day. So I went in early to work...7:30 a.m. to be exact, so that I could leave at 3:30 p.m. to go downtown and pick up my tickets to Justin Nozuka's and Missy Higgins' concerts...i only got missy's... but still glad I got those! So anyway, I grab some starbucks cause i know it's gonna be a long morning...I have 2 sheets of 3 rows full of email addresses that I have to add to a distribution list...on a slow PC... while still managing the office and scheduling meetings for the boss. So I work on it all day...for 6 hours, that is. And I decide to skip lunch because my dad IMs me on Skype during my lunch break and I didn't want to get out of my seat in case something happens and he has to go...want to make sure I can say bye and that I love him. :) So as we're talking, he says that I can have dinner on him and Cindy! yay! But then I get back to work for the last bit of work, and just as I'm about to send out the mail merge, Outlook pops up a message: MICROSOFT OUTLOOK IS UNABLE TO SAVE YOUR LIST DUE TO LACK OF MEMORY SPACE. PLEASE REMOVE NAMES FROM THE LIST... oh man. boo. So I walk away from the day, upset that I just lost 6 hours of work...in 5 minutes. But on the other hand, I got Missy Higgins tickets...and I got to eat dinner at Red Robin down on the waterfront. And just so you know...I LOVE THE WATERFRONT! It's SO SO SO beautiful and makes my heart so happy. Some people look at the mountains and leaves to see the beauty of God...I look at the water, the fish, and Chad Michael Murray...jk.....kinda. not really. maybe. err...

anyway...

So if you're ever downtown and you want to get to my house, you just walk to 3rd and Pine and take the 41 to Lake City via Northgate. You'll hop on the bus and it will make about 3 stops before hitting the highway. Then you'll get to the Northgate Transit center and transfer to the 75 to University District. Which runs right up to the corner of Roosevelt Way NE and Northgate Way. It's a wonderful ride! you pass over the bridge and you can see Lake Union on the left, and Portage Bay on the right...again.. the water is so amazing!

Well I'm waiting downtown at 3rd and Pine and a lady comes up to me and asks me if the 41 has come yet. You see, up until about 7 p.m, it runs in the tunnel. Anytime after that, it rides on the upper streets along 3rd Ave. So I explain that all to her and tell her that I'm waiting for it too...and then it pulls up. It's kinda crowded, so we both get aisle seats near the front. And then a lady in a seat near us in the front asks her if she has change for a dollar. She says no, but I did have change, so I bust out the ol' wallet and give her the 4 quarters. And the bus stop lady goes, "Well you're just helping everyone out today!" and I was like, "Well..I try." And then we just start talking...the three of us...just talking about life, family, kids (not that i have any...but you know...) and all sorts of stuff. It was so fun just being friendly with strangers. And it felt great to be a help. :) I love it here!

Concert Fee-vah!

There are two great concerts coming up and I can't wait to go see them!!


Justin Nozuka is going to be playing at Neumo's downtown on the 12th. He's a 20 year old singer/songwriter who has such a soulful voice. He has played at SXSW in Austin and now he's coming to Seattle! Some of my favorite songs he's written includes: Criminal & Save Him. If you want to hear him, you can find him on iTunes!
By the way, Kyra Sedgwick (Kevin Bacon's wife) is his mom!

and...


Missy Higgins is going to be playing at The Showbox at the Market (Pike Place Market) on November 2nd, so going to her concert is going to be my birthday present to me! :) She is an Australian singer/songwriter and well...this chick rocks. Her lyrics are deep and meaningful and the stories that go with them are incredible. Some of my favorites that she has written includes: Scar & Nightminds...and a lot of her others too!

Now granted, neither of these music artists are Christian, but their music still speaks. Their lyrics are well thought out and their talent is amazing! I can't wait to go to their shows!!

And just to give you a little insight, i'll tell you the stories behind one of each of their songs.

Justin Nozuka's SAVE HIM was written about his foster brother's parents. The father was a nasty drunk, and one night it got way out of control. He shot his wife, than shot himself, with the baby, Justin's foster brother, in the roon. And in the second verse, it talks about how the mother used to get beat by her father. And I know that it's a sad song, but to me, it's a topic that gets brushed under the rug, i think. And i'm glad that someone out there is giving a voice to the truth...bringing a form of awareness about something that is so devastating.

Missy Higgins wrote the song KATIE as a way to reach out to one of her friends who was anorexic. I think using your gifts and talents to reach another person right where they are, even just to let them know that you notice them, is great!

Designer's Showcase

Alrighty, so I wanted to take some time to share with you guys some new design stuff I've been working on! So my main job is as an Administrative Assistant and Office Manager for Washington Association of Churches and I also help them a little with promotional materials. So I'm going to share some of those things first. In this collection, is the new business cards i designed, a postcard for Faith Advocacy Day, an a promotional Information/DVD Packet, and our 2008 Bridging the Gap Fundraising Campaign Brochure. :)







And on the side, I volunteer to design the slides for Kingdom Kids (kid's ministry) at Westside Church (my new local church). These are some of my favorites that I have done. It's great because I've already done graphics for Adult, College, and Youth ministries... so doing Kids ministry makes me train my brain a little differently and causes me to explore more! I love it! Well, enjoy!
















PS: THE FIRST PERSON WHO CAN GUESS WHO ALL 4 OF THE PEOPLE IN THE HEAD SHOTS SLIDE ARE, AND POSTS A COMMENT WITH THE CORRECT ANSWER WILL WIN A $5 STARBUCKS GIFT CARD THAT I WILL MAIL TO YOU!!

AND THE WINNER IS....

A Tie!!! hahahahahahahaha!!!

A giant THANK YOU to everyone who voted! And yes, the results are in and it's a tie between

Ali Lohan's "ALL THE WAY AROUND"



and Rascal Flatts' "LIFE IS A HIGHWAY"



So since it was a tie, I'm going to do BOTH! This upcoming week, I will feature the video for ALL THE WAY AROUND and the next week, I will feature LIFE IS A HIGHWAY! It's going to be so much fun!! So keep checking back and be on the lookout for more fun here on my blog!

In the meantime, I will leave you with an awesome music video I watched this week that has given me some really creative ideas for filming. maybe not for these funny ones, cause i want them to be funny, more than professional...but this video is very creative, and the song is really good. It's by one of my favorite artists, Missy Higgins.




Enjoy everyone!! And thanks so much for voting!!! You guys are AMAZING!! I will have a BRAND NEW post up tomorrow!