City Streets and Summer Heat

We're getting closer!!! Check out those highs!!!  Please be right, weather forecasters!!!  It almost counts as summertime here!!!  :D

Hit Me With Your Best Shot

I had so much fun today!!! So every so often, the office staff all go to a Rec Center in Queen Anne after lunch and play basketball. So I came ready today to play. I didn't know what to expect, but I must say that today I had the BEST time ever playing basketball. I don't normally play...for so many reasons...

1. I'm kinda clumsy.

No, really. Like, I might trip over my own self. Or hit someone in the face with my attempts to make a basket.

2. I'm not really into sports.

For instance, one time I was playing flag football and I totally threw the ball to the wrong end zone. Cause I don't really understand the gist of football... or most any other sports for that matter.

3. The people I would normally play sports with are super competitive and make me feel like a schmuck for sucking at sports.

Even getting me to consider playing sports... is a big deal. And the times that I have, no one will pass me the ball/frisbee/football/hackysack...etc. because I'm not going to score any points with my lack of skill. I get a lot of eye rolls and a lot of sighs and a lot of being rejected. Sad, but true.

4. I'm not competitive.

When I play sports...it's for fun. That's it. I don't care if the other team makes a basket or a goal, I'm gonna clap. Cause you know what... that takes skill and talent... and I appreciate that. I'm not gonna get upset cause I didn't win... I just don't care enough.

But today, playing with the people at work, I felt completely comfortable, and completely valued. They never made fun of me, never rolled their eyes, and we didn't keep score. We just had fun. We got exercise and cheered each other on and just laughed a lot. I even shot the ball at the wrong basket... I missed, by the way... and no one got upset, and they even continued to throw me the ball afterwards. I felt like there were finally people who would be willing to put themselves on my level and be real teammates. At the end, they were all encouraging me and giving me high fives and just hugging me and making me feel like part of the family. It was so great! And, it was during office hours, so we got paid to play basketball! :D I LOVE MY JOB! And I LOVE the people I work with!

After we got done playing, Tim, one of the head honchos at my office, said: NOW you're officially hired! :D

In other news, I completed my first ever quarterly journal publication for my job and it felt so great!! My boss encouraged me and was so proud of me! Today was a GREAT day!!

Enjoy some photos:

warming up (l to r: Diane, Sooja, Ellie, Jesse)

practice shots (l to r: Jesse, Valerie, Ellie, Tim)

I believe I can fly...

catching the pass!

taking a practice shot

having so much fun! (l to r: Jayne, Jesse, Lisa, Valerie, Sooja, Ellie, Diane)

DEFENSE!! DEFENSE!! DEFENSE!! (l to r: Lisa, Jesse, Diane, Sooja, Katie)

We're such a fun team! (l to r: Yuko, Ellie, Tim, Katie, Sooja, Jesse, Valerie)

all tuckered out from playing a good game!

I'll Tell You What I Know

Okay so tonight I was with some friends and an older woman made a comment about the summer and wanting to be able to wear thongs and shorter shorts and such.  Now when I first heard the comment, I nearly spit out my water from laughing.  Because she totally was talking about flip flops.. but that's not what we call flip-flops nowadays.  

And that got me to thinking of some of the other words that the older generation of people say and it leaves me in that "Princess Bride" moment where I'm saying over and over in my head:

I don't think it means what you think it means.

Here is a short list of some of the words I am referring to:

THONGS: they don't mean flip flops or sandals anymore... they're actually the proper name for a type of chick knickers

HOOK UP: most people will use it like so:  "Well, I'm gonna go to this movie so maybe we can hook up afterwards." In the past, Hook Up may have been used as a variant of "Catch Up" but nowadays, it means to make out like mad crazy and eventually do the dirty deed.

MILKSHAKE: it's not an innocent little ice cream treat anymore.  It's currently commonly used as a reference to a woman's jiggle.  crazy, i know.

PEEPS: yeah, it's not the little Easter marshmallow treats.  It now means friends or "people."

SHORTY: so people used to use this to describe someone's height, ie: "He's a real shorty." or "Hey Shorty!" but nowadays, if you call someone Shorty, it's most likely cause you're dating them.

Again, these are just some of the updated slanguage terms.  If you are part of the older generation, I do recommend- both seriously and as a joke, getting these Slang Flashcards.  But uh, do us a favor, and don't go overboard, k?  ;)


PS: If i'm 50 and still posting on this blog site... please remind me about updating my slanguage. ;)

Between Rupture and Rapture

I went to the movies today because I had a free ticket from Regal Cinema due to my frequent moviegoing skillz!  ;) hahahahahahahhaahah

So out of the movies available to see, I decided to go see a scary movie.  I went to see THE HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT.  It was true to form as far as scary elements, and the storyline had an interesting injection of faith and hope to it, which took me by surprise.  The actor who played the main character was really really really good.  I mean, in one second, I felt ultimate pity for him, and the next scene I felt afraid of him, and in the next I felt extreme respect for him and man, he could just switch from portraying one facet to another- great array of depth for the character.  The story-line was really interesting as well.  

I think the more and more I study screenwriting and practice it, the more I see the movie on paper as opposed to just going to see another movie.  I'm not saying that this movie will definitely win Oscars, but the mood and the cinematography definitely left an impression on me.  Though I'm not sure I'd ever be able to write a horror/thriller script without feeling like a complete knob, it definitely inspired me to keep writing.  

This new "dedicated hobby" of mine has challenged my creativity and I love exploring new mirrors and doors and being able to express the things, the characters, the locations, the scenarios that play out in my imagination all throughout the day.  And I love the discipline it's teaching me as well.  

I recently got to sit down with one of my mentors- Brian Brooks, who taught me a vast amount of exploring creativity in life, graphic design, web design and video production... and it was so refreshing to run my ideas through him and explain to him some of the things I've been learning.  I got to share with him the synopsis of both screenplays I'm working on and one of them is definitely more tragic than the other, but one of them actually hit home with him.  And for me, though it is a tragic situation, to know that what I'm writing is relatable and not just "poopy-shash" as it were, gives me a new level of confidence that I can write something and get something out of my mind that's not just unique to myself.   

I love writing. so much. truly.  And I think that this "dedicated hobby" I've ventured into is bringing out a lot of honesty and a lot of depth to my own mind and heart.  I love it!

One thing that I've been wrestling with as a writer lately is the "line" of involving faith in the scripts that I am working on.  I mean, you have to think so deeply about the characters and what they like and what they would say in any moment... how would they stand if asked a serious question? how would they respond to a cat call?  would they laugh at an unfunny comment?  And for me, I've wrestled with... language.   Would I be less of a Christian if my character said "Hell" flippantly?  Would I be looked down upon for one of the characters saying "Damn"?  If I'm true to the character in my head, she would say that.  If she was being attacked, she's not going to say "Oh crap!"  She's not necessarily a Christian.  And in the moment, I wonder, if she were a Christian, and she was being attacked, would she really "turn the other cheek?" Honestly? I think not.  I think that when you explore the lives of other people (real or fictional) that you begin to realize that their situations where faith meets life, are not 100% perfectly holy.  There will be anger.  There will be retaliation.  People are people.  

So I was thinking the other day, does it make me less of a Christian if I don't promote bible verses and people getting "saved"?  And I'd like to think that if what I write is in line with what I believe in my heart that God wants me to write and if I do it with excellence, He will shine through more and more.  Because this ability to write the things in my head, the characters, the lives, the stories... it's all because of HIM. Seriously.  

While I'm still wrestling with a lot of elements involved in these scripts, I love knowing that it's meaningful.  If not to others, at least to me.

My Life Would Suck Without You

(new T-shirt worn by Apple Store Genius Bar workers)

I just got back from University Village and dropped off my baby... my sweet, sweet, beautiful baby... you know, I really SHOULD think of a name for my laptop. eh. nah. Nothing I name it would do it justice. It is a mighty mighty machine and it has captivated my heart. So help me, if something goes wrong while she's under the knife, I don't know how I will live.

She makes me smile.
She makes my heart jump for joy.
She makes me feel deep love.
She brightens my day.
She brings me delight.
She is a Mac. She is a machine. She is amazing.

Yes. I know. I DID just write a short ode to my laptop. I've got it bad. I think Gavin DeGraw was thinking of my laptop when he wrote "I'm in love with a girl..." ;)

Welp, she's in good hands now. I will sit waiting patiently by the phone, for Justin, the guy from the Genius Bar to call me and tell me that she's all better and can now burn CDs and DVDs once again. I mean, I already owe Justin a great big hug for fixing my laptop so she closes now. If I was that type of person to just do that sort of thing, I might jump into Justin's arms and kiss him uncontrollably for bringing my laptop back to life. But I'm not. So I won't. But it would be funny. He'd probably call security.

I wouldn't blame him.

Until my baby comes back to me... I will resort to less personal computers. *sigh*

Too Far Gone

Today's post is a little ranty... just warning you...

So I was watching an episode of One Tree Hill on Monday, and it was so good. And there was this scene where one of the characters tells her foster child that she is "unfixable." And in the end they make up and it's a super sweet scene... but it got me to thinking about all the people in life that I've called "unfixable" in my mind in the past, and how disgusting that was for me to even think about a person in that light. I will be the first to admit that I am completely unperfect. There have been times in my past that I would not blame someone for calling ME unfixable. But I look back now and though I'm not completely 'fixed' (whatever that means), I realize that I am completely grateful for those who DID take a chance to get to know me and despite my angry exterior, worked their way into my heart and life.

But that episode got me thinking about this one phrase...that I absolutely HATE. In every sense of the word, HATE. Being involved in ministry in the past, it's very easy to get discouraged at all the times that students "don't get it" or "don't do what we think they should do" or respond "fast enough" to something we're teaching them... because we're pretty sure our timing is perfect right?...wrong. But there's this one phrase that was introduced to me about 5 years ago and that is calling someone "PRECIOUS"... but not in the context of like, "that baby is precious..." or "that's a precious gemstone." It's more used in the terms of "that person sucks the energy out of you and no matter what you do, they probably still won't get it." And all of a sudden, a beautiful word of praise becomes this looming black cloud of casting someone as "unfixable" or a "tough case" and everytime you mention them, there's an eye roll and then someone mentions that that person is "just being precious." Like they're not even worth your time, or energy, or tears, or hugs, or whatever. And to that I respond... is that the way to do it? Is that really being a reflection of Christ?

Since when did we as Christians get it in our mind that we are better than anyone, that others who don't do what we do, or act as we act, or say what we say in the same way that we did, somehow matter less. That is crap!

You know what, that's not what life is about. At all. I'm pretty sure that that is NOT at all what Jesus had in mind when He called us to love one another and to bear one another's burdens, etc. But what's sick, is when it's people who claim to know and love God, and serve God call someone "precious" with such disdain... well you know what—you can know God, serve God, and love God, but if you're not loving people the way He does, and if you're using "christian code" to label others "unfixable" or viewing them as just another "tough case" instead of working that much harder to love them, with a happy heart, knowing that in the end, they are going to know that they matter, then maybe you should just stop associating yourself with Christ. Cause that's NOT what He's about. At all.

I absolutely REFUSE to call someone "Precious" or "EGR (Extra Grace Required)" or "T.C. (Too Cool)". Because you know what, I've lived that. I've been the person who needs a lot of grace. And I've been mislabeled "Too Cool" when really I just have a different matter of opinion or a different way of doing things. And calling me things like "Precious" or "EGR" or "T.C." makes me not trust you. It makes me not want to talk to you. It puts up a wall that says, "I'm not valued by that person." And that's not the way I want others to respond.

I don't believe that anyone is too far gone that they don't deserve ultimate love and respect and trust and honor. And I'm pretty sure that when God paid a price to redeem my heart and soul, He didn't think I was too far gone.

Goodbye Love

Tomorrow is a very sad day indeed.  After 3 years of smooth sailing loyalty, it's time to take my laptop to the Mac Genius Bar to get fixed.  My superdrive isn't working on my Macbook Pro, so I can't burn CDs or DVDs... but all of that will change soon my friends!  In the meantime, I'll use the computer at home to update my blog and check emails and Facebook and Twitter and such.  I just hope that those geniuses do the genius thing and don't accidentally erase any of my iTunes.. oooh buddy.. that would be bad.  :(   On one hand, I'm sad that I'll be without my laptop for a bit... on the other hand... any visit to the Apple Store is a fun trip!  And since I'm going after work, I'll probably get to grab din din at U Village, where the Apple Store is.    :D

Informer

new pics from Grace's wedding... courtesy of Bianca Cruz, one of the other amazing bridesmaids!

enjoy!

me and my groomsman- Robert 

the vows

the bridesmaids: Rachel Brown (MOH), Patience, me, Rachel Blonde, and Bianca 

being walked down the aisle by her daddy!

Robert and I gracing everyone with our presence... ;)

trying really hard not to fall down the stairs 

grace's mom! woot!

Okay, so Andrew Simo (the guy in the green shirt) was standing off to the side during the whole wedding and was wearing some super awesome shades...and he TOTALLY looked like a CIA agent or like secret service guy...all he needed was the earpiece! it was awesome!

the wedding site: Perry Park Country Club in Larkspur, CO

the blushing bride

the gangsta' bridesmaids!  A big thanks to Patience for making our hoodies!!  Love it!

Auntie & Grandma

So I was finally able to go through all my recent emails and I came across this awesome gem of an email! My Aunt Olga (my mom's side of the family) sent me an audio clip that I just HAVE to share with you all!!

Okay, so my cousin, J.J. is a Morning Show DJ for 107 FYX (a radio station in Texarkana, Arkansas). The show is called HEATHER AND J Show on 107 FYX. They are doing a Fantasy Idol spot, where they try to guess who will be the next American Idol. My cousin, JJ decided to use a lifeline and call my grandma, who we call MAMO.

Here is my cousin:


and a link to their show myspace: HEATHER AND J SHOW

And here is the audio clip from when they called MAMO on the radio show!

Apple and Cinnamon

So since nothing super duper uber exciting has happened since the wedding, I figured I would post something fun.  I want to keep in the habit of keeping this sucker updated and just keep in the habit of writing in general.  So today's topic is: FOOD!! I just wanted to share with you guys some of my favorite foods.
#1.  PIZZA... need i say more?

#2.  COFFEE... it counts as a food group, right?

#3.  RED ROBIN'S MUSHROOM SWISS BURGER... it's what Jesus would eat...eh?

#4. RUDY'S BBQ... but mostly the cream corn

#5. CHEDDAR'S SANTA FE SPINACH DIP... the best spinach dip I've tasted... my whole life

#6. CHICK FIL A CHICKEN SANDWICH... top it off with waffle fries and a sweet tea and you'll be in heaven!  Now all they need is to have some of these in Seattle!

#7. CHEESE ENCHILADAS... a family favorite... my dad's homemade ones are the best!

#8. DAN'S BREAKFAST TACOS... If you're ever in Austin and we hang out, you should ask for a breakfast date...cause we'll totally chow down on these suckers!

#9. VELVEETA SHELLS AND CHEESE... I do love good 'ol Mac N Cheese, but if I'm treating myself, it's def. the shells and cheese

#10.  HERSHEY BAR PIE...  I am a chocolate lover in general, but this is one of my faves... to make and to eat!

An Interlude

Time for some new stuff to check out!  Here are 3 songs, 3 books and 3 movies I recommend you listen to/ read/ watch.  :D  

3 songs: 

Breakable by Ingrid Michaelson

Wonderwall (cover) by Ryan Adams

You're Not Sorry (CSI Remix) by Taylor Swift

3 books:

A Bright Red Scream: Self-Mutilation and the Language of Pain by Marilee Strong
"...explores this hidden epidemic through case studies, startling new research, and the insights of self-mutilators themselves...an essential resource for victims, their families, teachers, doctors, and therapists."

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
"A wonderfully entertaining coming-of-age story, Northanger Abbey is often referred to as Jane Austen’s “Gothic parody.” Decrepit castles, locked rooms, mysterious chests, cryptic notes, and tyrannical fathers give the story an uncanny air, but one with a decidedly satirical twist."

Eat This Not That! Supermarket Survival Guide by David Zinczenko and Matt Goulding
With this simple illustrated guide to thousands of foods—along with the nutrition secrets that lead to fast and permanent weight loss—you’ll make the smartest choice for you and your family, every time!

3 movies:

THE WIZARD - an 80's classic that will make you cry and smile really big! It also features a cameo of a very young Tobey Maguire!


THE COLOR PURPLE- a sweet tearjerker flick that brings so much hope


PAN'S LABYRINTH- a very artsy flick with a great story. It truly is a fairy-tale for grown-ups

I hope you like them as much as I do!

I've Had The Time Of My Life

Post #5: The Finale

And then Saturday morning, came around and that meant the flight back to Seattle.  It was odd because I actually started feeling homesick for Seattle this morning.  But now I'm home.  And here's some pics from the day. 

One big funny story is that Simo, Joshua, and Taylor were supposed to leave at 7:30 but didn't leave until 9 a.m. because Simo accidentally locked his keys in the trunk of his car.  So him, Joshua, Taylor and Sam were all working together to get the car open (the doors were locked) and Simo accidentally slipped with the little crowbar looking thing in his nose!  It was really funny and we felt bad, but we totally laughed!  So anyway... onto the pics:

We stayed at Rachel Robinson's house and it was so nice!  I LOVE her parents!

Sam Burwell, the comedian ;)

Trying to get the door open

After getting hit in the nose

The culprit...

Getting back to business

All in all, it was a spectacular trip and I had so much fun spending time with my friends!  But now I'm back home and excited to be here!  More pictures will come when I have access to them!  :D

Can't Get Enough Of Your Love

Post #4: The evening of the Big Day

After the wedding, me, Joshua, Simo, and Devin Vitone all met up with some of our other Colorado friends:

Brian & Hannah Brooks

Sean & Heidi Mitchell

and Brent McNeely

We all met up for pizza at Il Vicino and then had ice cream at Josh & John's Naturally Homemade Ice Cream Shop!  We had GREAT conversations and got to catch up with everyone!  I wish I had taken more pics, but we were too deep in laughter and conversation.  :D

One cool thing is that at the ice cream shop, they had a giant black board and chalk out where you can doodle or write or whatever and "leave your mark"... and I totally did.  Check out my AMO signature on the board!  :D

From This Moment On

Post #3: The Big Day!

These are some pics from the wedding day!  Grace was stunning.. and it was just PERFECT...seriously.  The site was beautiful!  And, for the after ceremony bridal party photos, we got to drive golf carts to the area of the golf course where we took them!  I didn't get to take actual photos of that part, or the ceremony... for OBVIOUS reasons, but once i find them, I will share!  :D  

Pastor Jesse and his son, Josiah

Gettin' Jiggy wit' it!

I know it's water, but Joshua totally looks boozy in this pic! Ha!

Me. Dancing. In Cleveland.

Getting ready to head to the getaway car

Their first dance!

The program

Our Bridesmaid bouquets

The dress was gorgeous...and tight. I almost fainted.  But sometimes, especially in this case, fashion wins!

This is the area where we took most of our bridal party pics (in front of the big rock)... we had so much fun riding the golf carts to get there!  I rode in the cart and Rachel Robinson drove...and I was hanging on to dear life, and just cracking jokes about dying!  So funny!  We totally broke all the rules of riding the golf carts!

In the bridal suite getting ready

She is such a BEAUTIFUL bride!

They are SO in love!!

I was so honored to get to celebrate such a special day with her!