Chi Alpha

Just a quick post to try and get the word out as quick as possible...
I am no longer working with Chi Alpha. As many or most of my readers know I began phasing my way out at the beginning of this year and due to my insane schedule I have now had to leave completely. Thanks to all my supporters through the years. I love all you guys and I couldn't have done it with out you.

Chandler

1996 Rocks!

Your 1996 Theme Song Is: 1979 by The Smashing Pumpkins

Shakedown 1979 Cool kids never have the time On a live wire right up off the street You and I should meet

What's Your 1996 Theme Song?

In 1996 I was a freshmen in high school at Benjamin Franklin High School. I got my drivers license. I went to my first "party"...know what I mean? I went to 3 homecoming dances including one in the Superdome. I had my sweet sixteen party in the warehouse district in New Orleans. I played softball for a city team and tennis for my high school. I had really really short hair and wore a size 4. Hmmm...

Look Who's Blogging Now...

Similar to Look Who's Talking but different...
Here's an interesting piece from Slate about blogs written by TV characters. There are tons of them out there (maybe too many): Creed from The Office, Margene from Big Love, Barney from How I Met Your Mother, to name a few.

"In general, they're written with more attention to detail -- and better punctuation -- than the average day-in-the-life blog," the story says. "And, theoretically at least, they could be a welcome development ... With a few notable exceptions, however, most of these blogs kind of stink."

I agree. I have a hard time reading character blogs because I know the task is falling to assistants or cast members or interns or anyone but the writers who should be doing them in the first place. Frankly, I'd rather read about the inner-workings of a show (like this) than spend time with the show's character.

WAY TOO EARLY

So recently I've been having to get up earlier due to my job and our 6:15AM opening time. And you know what I've discovered? Apparently it's true that when you have to all the time get up super early you really can't sleep in late when you don't have to get up that early. I always had friends who'd get up early and tell me that's why but I never really understood not being able to sleep later then 8am. Actually I woke up at 6:30AM this morning. And today is my day off! I've got to fix this now!

Facebook

I joined facebook and have been ignoring all my blogs. My bad. But I HAD to share this with my blogging world...speaking of facebook.

The Best

Here's the best song from High School Musical 2. And yes that is Zac Efron who also is the star of the hit movie Hairspray. And yes I am so cool that I do know these things and have seen high school musical 1 and 2.

IDEAS

Hey all I'm using this blog as a source to see if there are any ideas out there that you would like to share with me. Let me be more specific...EVERYONE loved the chi alpha 1950s video and the district would love to continue on this track of fun videos that are short, funny, but still get the messege across. Also we'd like to stick with Jo. So share your thoughts with me. I need some ideas on other videos or concepts that could be done or "mocked".
Videos that we could do and need ideas for...
Promo to attract new chi alpha workers to this area
General retreat video
Freshman adjustment
Churches doing out reach on campuses near by
Chi Alpha internship in DC
Get involved in missions

There are probably more but that's all I can think of right now...so if something strikes you or if you have an idea you've always wanted to see or be a part of LET ME KNOW and tell your friends.

circa 1955

Jo makes her chi alpha video debut. Hopefully there will be more to come. This is a 1955 health video knock off advertising Chi Alpha to graduating seniors.

My Hair Smell SOOO Good...and has nothing to do with this post

Go this in an email today that made me laugh so stinkin hard I had to post it. Who cares if it's true it's so funny. My favorites are the rummage sale one at the top here and the kill christ king. Awesome. These sentences actually appeared in church bulletins or were announced in church services:
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The Fasting & Prayer Conference includes meals.
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The sermon this morning: "Jesus Walks on the Water."
The sermon tonight: "Searching for Jesus."
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Our youth basketball team is back in action Wednesday at 8 PM in the recreation hall. Come out and watch us kill Christ the King.
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Ladies, don't forget the rummage sale. It's a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Bring your husbands.
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The peacemaking meeting scheduled for today has been canceled due to a conflict.
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Remember in prayer the many who are sick of our community. Smile at someone who is hard to love. Say "Hell" to someone who doesn't care much about you.
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Don't let worry kill you off - let the Church help.
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Miss Charlene Mason sang "I will not pass this way again," giving obvious pleasure to the congregation.
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For those of you who have children and don't know it, we have a nursery downstairs.
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Next Thursday there will be tryouts for the choir.
They need all the help they can get.
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The Rector will preach his farewell message after which the choir will sing: "Break Forth Into Joy."
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Irving Benson and Jessie Carter were married on October 24 in the church. So ends a friendship that began in their school days.
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A bean supper will be held on Tuesday evening in the church hall. Music will follow.
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At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be "What Is Hell?" Come early and listen to our choir practice.
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Eight new choir robes are currently needed due to the addition of several new members and to the deterioration of some older ones.
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Scouts are saving aluminum cans, bottles and other items to be recycled. Proceeds will be used to cripple children.
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Please place your donation in the envelope along with the deceased person you want remembered.
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The church will host an evening of fine dining, super entertainment and gracious hostility.
Potluck supper Sunday at 5:00 PM - prayer and medication to follow.
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The ladies of the Church hav e cast off clothing of every kind. They may be seen in the basement on Friday afternoon.
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This evening at 7 PM there will be a hymn singing in the park across from the Church. Bring a blanket and come prepared to sin.
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Ladies Bible Study will be held Thursday morning at 10 AM. All ladies are invited to lunch in the Fellowship Hall after the B. S. is done.
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The pastor would appreciate it if the ladies of the congregation would lend him their electric girdles for the pancake breakfast next Sunday.
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Low Self Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7 PM. Please use the back door.
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The eighth-graders will be presenting Shakespeare's Hamlet in the Church basement Friday at 7PM. The congregation is invited to attend this tragedy.

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Weight Watchers will meet at 7 PM at the First Presbyterian Church. Please use large double door at the side entrance.
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The Associate Minister unveiled the church's new tithing campaign slogan last Sunday: "I Upped My Pledge--Up Yours."

OW

So, I didn't break anything but I came close enough.




I sprained my pinky and injured and bruised the left side of my hand by trying to put my hand into an ice machine and get some ice broken up. Most of my hand went into the machine, but my pinky chose to stay out and bend not only backwards but also far to the side. Then I got to spend 4hours in urgent care to have a little kid dr. tell me he was going to put tape on it and the I should take pain medication. Well, at least I know it's not broken.
Things that are now hard to do:
type, get dressed, pour milk, shower (can't get it wet), drive

You can not believe how stinkin much you use you pinky opn your left hand. And I'm not even left handed.

Pretty Amamzing

I followed this link on Kendi's blog and to a 3 question quiz and I'd say this is pretty much right on. Amazing.

Your Personality Is

Rational (NT) You are both logical and creative. You are full of ideas. You are so rational that you analyze everything. This drives people a little crazy! Intelligence is important to you. You always like to be around smart people. In fact, you're often a little short with people who don't impress you mentally. You seem distant to some - but it's usually because you're deep in thought. Those who understand you best are fellow Rationals. In love, you tend to approach things with logic. You seek a compatible mate - who is also very intelligent. At work, you tend to gravitate toward idea building careers - like programming, medicine, or academia. With others, you are very honest and direct. People often can't take your criticism well. As far as your looks go, you're coasting on what you were born with. You think fashion is silly. On weekends, you spend most of your time thinking, experimenting with new ideas, or learning new things.

The Three Question Personality Test

explination later

The Simpsons Movie

Ok so I just got back from the Simpsons Movie and the I need to start out with that I wasn't really expecting much but it seems like it'd be funny enough to keep my interest. Well, in fact is was more than funny enough, actually I thoroughly enjoyed it. I was fearful that would be one of those movies that had all the funniest things in the commercial, but that's not the case. The entire movie was packed full of laughs.

Marge Simpson: How did the pig tracks get on the ceiling?
[cuts to Homer holding a pig to the ceiling]
Homer Simpson: [singing Tune to Spider-Man Theme Song] Spider-Pig, Spider-Pig. / Does whatever a Spider-Pig does. / Can he swing / from a web? / No he *can't*, / cause he's a *pig*. / Look out! / He is the *Spider-Pig*!

Also it maintains it's Simpsons characters not altering smaller characters to fit a full length feature film.
The basic plot is Homer screws up...
Springfield pays the price...
Homers family gets ticked...
Homer saves the day...
Oh and let's not forget also that we get to see more of Bart than ever ever before (once you see the movie that will make more sense)

Over all it was a good movie. I give it my suggestion of movies you should see during matinee at the theater.

Not so much Ranting as RAVING

Okay so I am some what of a movie freak. There I said it so you don't have to. I love watching movies, owning movies, talking about movies, making movies, but mostly going to a movie theater to watch new movies. And recently I have been putting some serious time into attending movies at the theater. But with all I've seen lately there are still more I have yet to see. But that's another post for another time. Recently I have seen Harry Potter, Transformers, Live Free or Die Hard, and most recently I say Hairspray. AND I LOVED IT. Now I was a tad hesitant in committing to see it because I am one of few but still a huge fan of the original movie starring Ricky Lake. But I decided I would give this new Hairspray a chance and I am SO GLAD I did. It was incredible. The movie is not only crammed packed full of funness and laughter but it's also full of talent. Can I just say that I love that they are bringing musicals back to the movie theater. I really am enjoying them. Anyway, out of all the movies I've seen recently Hairspray is my top pick for suggestions but I also REALLY enjoyed Die Hard (loved those all already) and Transformers. Truly I could take or leave Harry Potter. The book was better.

No more sick yuckiness

So I'm finally, after almost 10 days, feeling better. I'm still coughing but it seems to be the only thing lingering. Actually every time I'm ever sick I always end up keeping the cough for longer than I'd like. And if it's not a cough then it tends to be a soar throat or something having to do with my throat. Boo sickness. Anyway, I'm better.
Know what I wish...
I wish there was an instant cure for the common cold. Like pop a pill be totally better. Talk about miracle medicine. When they bring us the flying car and houses built on clouds they should also get rid of the common cold altogether.
You know what else I wish...
I wish I had a puppy. No more common colds, flying cars, cloud houses, and a puppy.

SO TIRED

Well, I'm still sick. It's been about 5 days and I actually feel worst today than I did earlier in the week. I'm thinking that's not such a good thing. Actually I think that earlier I was actually fending it off and now my body has just given in. SUCKS! And what else is so odd is that I'm also so sleepy all the time since I've had this. Just exhausted. It's very strange.
In other news, I got paid this past friday. I'm really liking this getting paid twice a month thing that I have with my current job at Ebs. I don't think I've ever had a twice a month pay check but it's fun stuff. Yay money.

Don't want to be sick any more...just thought I'd say.

So I'm sick. I hate being sick. It's been a while since I was truly sick. I've been "sick" a few days here or there but it's really allergies or fatigue. But now I am actually for real sick. I was so ill this morning that I actually woke up at 530am to find replacements for me at work. It seemed to have worked it self out, thanks Juliet and Christine and whoever else covered my shift but I have to go in tomorrow. I think the worst thing about being sick is I always get so tired and lazy. My body really shuts down and stops when I feel bad. Especially if I have fever, like I do. I can't wait to not be sick anymore.

These are the films that won awards at the Buzz Conference. They were sermon illustrations as well as church directions. Two of them are SO FUNNY! All the rest are just really well made videos. So take a minute check them out.

Ridiculous

I stole this from Rose's blog but I'm in it too so there you go.

There are a lot of things that Satan doesn't appreciate...
God...
God giving his son to fix everything...
People following God's son...
And things that work towards what God and His son taught us...
Lately he (satan) seems to be particularly peeved and annoyed with Ebenezers Coffee House. Most of my readers know what that is but for the few that don't it's the coffee house that National Community Church owns and runs and all it's income will eventually go to missions and outreaches done by the church. Anyway, Ebs is still a baby, a little more than a year old and recently a lot of bad things have been happening there. I've never thought about this or attempted this before but I'm actually gonna ask for prayer for an inanimate object. So, if you have a minute here or a minute there to lift up NCC and Ebs in some way please do so. And for all of you concerned of what "bad" things have been going on there, I'll cue you in now. But I also want to offer some encouragement of the good things that are occuring at the same time that we hope are counteracting all the bad.

In the last 6 months Ebs has been broken into twice...Our daily intake has almost tripled.
A pipe burst in the walls near the elevator causing serious water damage to that part of the building...we've had to double up on coffee orders and muffins from our suppliers in order to meet demands.
Not 1, not 2, but 5 windows in the last couple of weeks have started leaking when it rains not just causing dripping indoors but actual puddling...shifts are now be covered by 3 people instead of just 2 to help with customer service due to popularity.
TODAY the ceiling on the top floor caved in on the offices. Specifically it fell in on the desk of the coffee house manager. No one was there, praise God, but the caving also caused the air conditioner to fall in as well and be shut off all morning. FYI the temperatures in DC reached over 100degrees before 10am this morning...But the cause of the cave in was condensation from the AC which has been working over time lately. There were 219 people at the saturday service last weekend. Which is held in the coffee house.
Please remember to pray for this ministry and the people that keep it open.

Britains Got Talent

Anyone seen America's Got Talent?
Well, this is the British version of that show. And there are some super duper people and stuff on this show. You can pretty much watch all of it on youtube in bits and pieces. But this guy is incredible. He's just an average guy why an amazing talent and surprises everyone.
It's a good watch.

I...um...yeah

This was seriously THE MOST VIEWED VIDEO of the day today on Youtube. WHAT?!

Things I'm Thankful For

You know what a great invention was...backup lights on cars. I mean it's just one of those things that you are probably thankful for but I know that I take it for granted. I'm just so used to always being able to see what's behind me at night when backing up.

Other things I'm thankful for that I never thought about...
Toilet Seats

Wood

Clocks


Fire
Cookies
Plastic
Cameras
The Letter S
Clouds
The Color Orange
Door Knobs
Laser Vision

I could go on, but I won't.

i'm just all over the place

so here's whats amazing to me. well there are a lot of things that amaze me but specifically here's something that amazes me...what people spend time thinking about. we are some really random out there creatures. we obsess over strange and sometime insignificant things. other things that should be big deals we ignore. we hold conversations with one another that often times make no sense to people on the outside and even more common we talk over each other to get our point there faster or sooner or louder or something. tonight or rather this morning as it is 2am, i was going through totally random blogs and seeing that there are some very odd things out there that people blog about. i found one blog that was nothing but list. not just list but they were all made up list about things you'd never make list about. such as books that will never be published, things i would've done had i known you were coming, why you should literally kick buckets. another blog i ran across is completely dedicated to the lower case L. it's a blog entirely dedicated to pointing out that we tend to put lower case L's in words where there probably should be an upper case L. examples given were actual pictures. they had AMERICAN IDOl and someone had a picture of their name BlAKE. wow my lower case typed L looks like a number one. weird. anyway, it just got my very tired and off mind thinking about how we process things and how we communicate and how we decide something is important or worthy of our thought. i know that my thought patterns are very all over the place. yesterday for example i wrote a very long email about a lot of nothing really important to a friend and it jumped from one thought to another with no transition at all and yet she knew every where i was going and what i was talking about and responded. amazing. isn't it incredible how our brains can work and process and comprehend things? that's what amazes me.

Is this acurate?

You Are 25% Left Brained, 75% Right Brained

The left side of your brain controls verbal ability, attention to detail, and reasoning. Left brained people are good at communication and persuading others. If you're left brained, you are likely good at math and logic. Your left brain prefers dogs, reading, and quiet. The right side of your brain is all about creativity and flexibility. Daring and intuitive, right brained people see the world in their unique way. If you're right brained, you likely have a talent for creative writing and art. Your right brain prefers day dreaming, philosophy, and sports.

Are You Right or Left Brained?

Adventures in Metro Land

So I have a really random story to share today about something that I noticed on the metro today and I think in general I would not see in other places. So I was on my way home on the metro from union station today and I was riding right next to an obviously homeless woman. She had uncombed, unwashed hair. Her nails were very dirt. She smelled of liquor. She was wearing several shirts and had plastic bags with her. But here was the thing that struck me...she was reading the paper. Not only that but she was reading the washington post from today. Not only that, and I double checked this, she was reading the business section. HA! Too Awesome.
Oh and on a even more totally random note...Have you guys seen those cingular commercials where the calls get droppped and the conversation gets completely ruined? The one where the guy calls and thinks she doesn't like him and so he says, you like we had a brother sister connection. Well, this new one where the lady calls her husband to tell him they are pregnant and they drop the call KILLS ME. Those commercials are so painful for me. I can barely watch them. And this new one is by far the worst. Seriously? Uuuhhhgggg. Can I get an AMEN?!

Today's letter: K

Good evening (when I'm writing this) Good morning, good afternoon or good night when you might be reading this...
Anyway today was a particularly interesting day at Ebs due to the fact that at around 9am this morning our expresso machine decided to stop pulling shots and left about 20 people waiting in line for drinks we couldn't make. Then at around 11am our computer crashed and for the next 30 mins or so we were doing it old school. That's right kids. We were writing all orders by hand, doing subtraction for change in our heads, and using our memories and best estimations for tax. But I think some of the most funnest things I saw today were actually both shirts. By the way I want both these shirts. I looked for them online but no luck. One shirt was bright red and it said RED on it. The obvious really works well for me. I laugh. I laugh now. Okay I'm done. The other I saw was just a regular looking shirt that said K is for Karate. That's right both shirts that I liked today were shirts apparently from Sesame Street. And just for our enjoyment I was looking for these other two shirts and found this one. Now don't fight over who gets to buy it for me. There are lots and lots of shirts you can all buy them for me.


And if you don't get this reference...well, I'm sorry...we can't be friends any more.
Saved by the Bell Rules!

TOTALLY SPEEDY WOMAN

So I have a totally random story to share this afternoon with everyone. I probably feel the need to share because this is so amazing and I did it and I don't believe it.
So this morning I needed to be at work, meaning in DC at Union Station at 7:30am. My alarm was set for 6am. The very first time I was even aware that it sort of resembled morning was at exactly 6:47am. Over the next couple of minutes I got up, used the bathroom, got dressed, pulled my hair back, went from my room to the basement (that's 3 stories), pulled clothes out of the dryer (cause I needed the jeans that were in there), got in my car, drove 2 1/2 miles to East Falls Church metro stop, parked my car, went into the metro and stood on the platform. What's so amazing about that? The first time I looked at my watch this morning was 6:47am and when I looked at my watch again on the platform waiting for the metro is was only 6:56am. I kid you not. I did all that in under 10mins. I even checked my cell phone wondering if my watch had died or something. Amazing Totally Speedy Woman will be my superhero name I think. ATSW for short.

Banana Phone

This is just fun. That's all.

This is an actual AP story

Linda Burnett, 23, a resident of San Diego, was visiting her in-laws in Los Angeles and, while there, went to a nearby superma rket to pick up some groceries.

Several people noticed her sitting in her car with the windows rolled up and with her eyes closed, with both hands behind the back of her head.

One customer who had been at the store for a while became concerned and walked over to the car. He noticed that Linda's eyes were now open, and she looked very strange. He asked her if she was okay, and Linda replied that she'd been shot in the back of the head, and had been holding her brains in for over an hour.

The man called the paramedics, who broke into the car because the doors were locked and Linda refused to remove her hands from her head.

When they finally got in, they found that Linda had a wad of bread dough on the back of her head.

A Pillsbury biscuit canister had exploded from the heat, making a loud noise that sounded like a gunshot, and the wad of dough hit her in the back of her head.

When she reached back to find out what it was, she felt the ! dough and thought it was her brains.

She initially passed out, but quickly recovered and tried to hold her brains in for over an hour until someone noticed and came to her aid.

PAINT!

Such a great weekend. We all went out on mother's day and painted a single mother's house in DC. Tons of fun and tons of paint.


Jo in all her gracefulness actually tripped while painting, covering herself in paint from head to toe...literally.

USC Student Film Trailer: The Lost Journal of Vice Marceaux

How do you get to see student films because I want to see this one.

Update

So for those of you who don't know, I recently picked up a second job. For now it is a part time job added onto my regular full time job and the combination of the two is totally wearing me out. But the great thing about this new job is that they are great about giving me off when I have other responsibilities for my full time job. However, this week is filled full of Chi Alpha duties and so as a response I only ended up on the schedule for only 4 hours and I am now trying to get out of it because amazingly enough I have double booked. HA! Here's hoping I can get out of my shift and not have to change my other plans around.
Also this week I am in Hagerstown MD at our district council for the potomac district. It's basically meetings after meetings and services after services that's packed ful of pastors. Really an interesting experience. More later.

Totally Random of Randomness

Okay this is totally random but it's an obersavtion I have...
If you just a word or a phrase to the end of any thought, email, sentence, story, etc., it can totally change the entire meaning or level of seriousness of what ever it is you are trying to communicate. Example would be that I have a super duper bestest friend forever ever and I am always ending emails and stories, not like every time or even every week but enough, with "and then we made out". It's a total lie and doesn't fit with the rest of what I was saying, but it works. It totally cracks me up every time I write or say it and she totally cracks up every time she hears it or reads it. Just think...

Dear Blankety Blank,
Today was a horrible day. I got in so much trouble with my boss. I totally forgot to tell him about this appointment he had. I wrote it down but he never saw the note. So it wasn't completely my fault but I guess I should've pointed it out. I'm going to lose my job and my family will probably starve in the streets. My boss yelled at me for 3 hours and then fired me. And then we made out.

What do you think? Does it work? Try it. It adds a little something.

Virgina Tech Chi Alpha

Hi all,
I just wanted to share a little something that I just read from Stefa's blog. A few of you have asked if VT is part of our Chi Alpha district. It's not. But we do have a Chi Alpha there, since we are a national organization. This is an update letter that Stefa posted from the XA directors there on the campus and VT. It's an interesting perspective and offers something that's been lacking...HOPE. Good read. Please enjoy and feel free to pass along the hope.

First Day

So as Jen mentioned in the past comments... Today was my first day at Ebenezers Coffee House at NCC. It was a completely nuts experience. First off I had to get up a little before 6:00am. That's so freakin early. Then had to hop the metro to make it out to Ebs by 7:30am. It was fun and thrilling but so intense. Very baptism by fire. I didn't really have any training and this morning was so incredibly busy. There was a consistent flow of people from the minute I arrived until I left at noon. It was fun to be behind the scenes of something I go to all the time. There's a lot that goes on back there. Including "secret" passages and stairs. Well, maybe they aren't really secret but I didn't know they were there. Also funny to me story, one of the girls I was working with tried to count out one of registers close to a dozen times but every time someone came in and I told them the price out loud she'd lose count. It was so funny to me. She say 75 and I'd say $1.54 and she'd say 55. It was totally making me crack up. It was good times had by all. Although I am really going to have to get used to this schedule because I am completely exhausted.

Heroes

Heroes comes back TONIGHT

When Email Attacks

Ok so I have to tell you that a lot of odd things have happen to me on my computer. Such as it freezing with no reason. Or crashing with out warning. Or my email randomly kicking me off and making me sign back in even right in the middle of writing an email. Or my computer beeping uncontrolably. But this is a new one.

When Email Attacks... It was a sunny day outside. It started out cool but not cold. As the day grew warmer Chandler went around her day as normal. She did things such as make some phone calls, look for a new doctor, and check her email. And that's when it happened. I was never expecting it. It came out of no where. Email attacked me. That's right. Emails were attacking me. I got 12 of the exact same email from the same person all in a matter of about 5 mins. As I lay there attacked all I could think about was my family and loved ones and I think it was the only thing that pulled me through. I'm recovering now but I never want to go back to that place. Soooo Scary.

TAXES

Happy Tax Day everyone. Well, you Americans. Anyone wondering why they weren't due yesterday? Well, I'll tell you.
The municipality of Washington, D.C., celebrates April 16 as Emancipation Day. On that day in 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Compensated Emancipation Act for the release of certain persons held to service or labor in the District of Columbia. The Act freed about 3,100 enslaved persons in the District of Columbia nine months before President Lincoln issued his famous Emancipation Proclamation which presaged the eventual end of slavery to the rest of the nation. The District of Columbia Compensated Emancipation Act represents the only example of compensation by the federal government to former owners of emancipated slaves.
In Texas, Emancipation Day is celebrated on June 19. It commemorates the announcement in Texas of the abolition of slavery made on that day in 1865. It is commonly known as Juneteenth.
The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico celebrates Emancipation Day on March 22. It's an official holiday.

Happy Easter

Happy Easter Everyone! I seriously can't believe that it's spring and Easter and the 4th month of 2007. I feel as though I blinked and here I am a third of a way through the year. Amazing.
Well, it's been a big week for me. Here's some highlights...

I officially became a VA resident this week. I now have a VA drivers licence and VA plates for my car. I also got all the fluids changed in my car which may not be that big of a deal to some of you but I hadn't done it in who knows when and so I knew it was more than time to do it again.
I got a big kid bed. Yay big kid! Most of you probably don't know but I've been sleeping on a loft bed for the last almost three years. And now I have a full sizes bed that I don't have to climb 5feet up in the air to get in to.
I also got some other new furniture for my room and built it all and set it up. Basically completely changing my room.
I took care of two awesomest doggies, Jimmy and Holly. And we learned how to go outside with out leashes as well as how to stay alone in the house with out destroying everything.
I also worked a full week that was super busy including three day trips and meetings out the wazoo. And I don't mean Washington State University. I am refering to the wazoo as in behind.
It's been an incredible week with tons accomplished, I'll be glad to go home and rest for a bit this coming week in Louisiana. Yay family. Yay trips home. Yay not cold weather. Yay the returning of friends.

Have a great Easter!

Totally Awesomest Radical Pictures Ever Ever

So Ellen Degeneres does this segment on her show called Best Pictures Ever but they are really some of the silliest and worst pictures you have ever seen that viewers send in. And it got me thinking that I have a few pictures like that so here's a taste of some totally awesomest radical pictures ever ever.

I AM deep

ON THE OTHER HAND, YOU HAVE DIFFERENT FINGERS.

Just think about it

LIGHT TRAVELS FASTER THAN SOUND, WHICH IS WHY SOME PEOPLE APPEAR BRIGHT UNTIL YOU HEAR THEM SPEAK.

A DAY WITHOUT SUNSHINE IS LIKE, NIGHT.

Bar-codes ARE Evil

You know I've always wondered if bar-codes were evil in anyway. Thank goodness that now I know. Down with bar-codes! Yes this is a real story that a reporter really did go and report on. Isn't news helpful and informative?

MOSCOW (Reuters) - A hundred residents of a Russian village have refused to switch to new passports because they believe the documents' bar codes contain satanic symbols, state television reported Wednesday. "We believe these new passports are sinful," Valentina Yepifanova, an elderly resident of the village Bogolyubovo, told Rossiya television as she clutched an old, tattered passport she said she wanted to keep.

"They have these bar codes and people say they contain three sixes. We are against that."

Some residents of Bogolyubovo, which means "God-loving" in Russian, have also stopped collecting their pensions at the local post office because the payment slips also have bar codes that might contain the mark of the devil, Rossiya TV reported.

Esteban goes home

So in case anyone was wondering. I am pretty much out of pictures of esteban. I have a few of the same or similar things but pretty much that's it. Esteban did go home and was safe and sound in his little corner with out Jen ever noticing his disappearance. When i did return him I did see that he had a new friend. A very different looking gnome. Esteban seemed ok about it because he knows he's still the cool one. Welcome home Esteban.

And HAPPY BIRTHDAY JO! which has nothing to do with esteban

Estebam Goes to the Office

Esteban spent Monday with Kendi at work.

Things got a little out of control.

Later the week Esteban also went out to the AG district offices. And then out to lunch. He really loves Mexican food. It's a little spicy but he can deal for the incredible taste. Oh and you may notice that once again he's getting all the women. PIMP!

Adventures of Esteban IV

After a day off to rest it was nice to get back out there and head off to church. Ah Sunday mornings at Ballston.
What a rockin' band! Esteban was thrilled. He loves praise music. It was so strange to find that Juliet and Stef smile just like Esteban. CHEESE! Also he was thrilled to be held up by Pastor Joel. Good thing Dave was there to hold up Joel. PHEW!
After such a great morning of praising God. Esteban and I were glad to just hang out with friends and grab a little lunch with friends. Esteban was super thirsty. It was really nice that we were able to share a soda. Esteban doesn't drink all that much being that he's only about 10 inches tall.
And man he is always getting the love. All the ladies love him. But we did have to have a little bit of talk because he also loves all the ladies. And that can be a little bit of problem. Women are sensative. He can't just be bouncing all over sharing the love like that. He's a little bit of Hussy. It was still nice to share a little lunch. What a great Sunday.

Adventures of Esteban III

So after such an awesome day Esteban was now really into this whole social scene. He couldn't believe how much he'd been missing for so much of his short life. He really couldn't wait until that night. Where would he be headed next?
Next up would be a great visit to Ebeneezers, a local coffee house, for a volunteers dinner. Actually before ever going there he actually made a stop at his home to see Jen but Jen didn't know he was even there.
So off he went to the coffee house. The show was great.
But the people were even more fun. He was thrilled when he got to chat with the lead pastor. Hi Pastor Mark!

Adventures of Esteban II

The gnome was in fact taken secretly with out knowledge of Jen. So all pictures were taken with aid of others and myself in "secret". Enjoy.

After a little help from his friends, Esteban was off to experience the world. On his first night out he thought he'd take it pretty easy and chill out a bit. He sat around on the couch. And caught a little TV. After a night of chillin' out, maxin', relaxin' all cool Esteban was ready to get there and meet the people. See the sights. Live the life.

His first stop was the gym. He knew he was a little heavy so he was happy to get the opportunity to meet with a personal trainer as well as jump on a scale. Honestly he couldn't remember the last time he'd weighed himself.
After such a work out he thought he better go home and get ready for his night out on the town. After all he had a big night ahead of him...

TO BE CONTINUED

The Adventures of Esteban

Yes this is the series that I've been hanging over your heads and so it begins.

Once upon a time there was a Gnome named Esteban. At a young age he dreamed of traveling. But being that he had no joints or muscles he found it to be hard to get around. So day in and day out he sat on his shelf at Target. Then one day his whole life was changed. He was brought home to a loving family. The Charron sisters.
Oh how he couldn't wait for his new life to begin with his new family. How great it would be to sit out front guarding their front door. The trip home was absolutely thrilling for him. And as much as he enjoyed his corner he wondered...Is there more?

So for months Esteban thought and wondered what else could be out there. I mean he knew a few things. He wasn't totally in the dark. He knew about dogs...

He knew about Jens...

But there was so much more that he wondered about. But how would it ever be possible. But then he thought about how his life had begun and how he thought he would never have a family. He would never leave his Target shelf but that dream came true. He just had to have faith and ask for help. But who? Who would help a gnome?
That's when he realized he had to get out there. He had to experience something more. And he knew just what to do. He was going to ask the one called friend. Not actually a parent. But someone he knew and knew she came in and out a lot and probably could show him lots. This is what he would do. And finally he would see the world.

TO BE CONTINUED

Be expecting

So I'm now accepting guesses on what my next series of blog post are going to be. What? That's right I'm about to start posting a series of post that all go together in some way. Anyone care to make guesses as to what it'll all be about?

Antici...
Antici...
Anticipation!

That's Good

I don't usually just copy and paste from another person's blog and put it on my own but this was good. I got this from Pastor Mark's blog about Politically Correct vs. Biblically Correct.

"For what it's worth...whenever I have to have a tough conversation with someone where I have to confront an issue, I almost always reference John 1:14 where it says Jesus was full of grace and truth.

Grace means I'll love you no matter what. Truth means I'll be honest no matter what. Grace without truth is weak and shallow! Truth without grace is counter-productive. But grace and truth is a Christlike combo that will impact people!"

Like I said I don't usually do something like this but if I had been in a service where he had said this out loud I would have said, "Oh, that's good." And something we need to remember. A lot of us avoid confrontation at all cost. Others of us come on too strong. It's hard to find a "happy medium" for such an uncomfortable situation. But it seems like this would be as good as you can get.

What's up

So this past weekend was Chi Alpha's Winter Conference. Many of you were praying for it so I thought I'd offer a little info about what went down. It was the largest retreat we've ever had. There were 340 people there. We were overflowing and had to actually get a couple of hotel rooms to for the extra people. Awesome! Dick Foth was our speaker and he really hit the nail on the head on felt. He spoke about who God is and who he wants to be in our lives. It was really powerful. It was kind of a back to basic time. Dick told some really amazing stories both funny and moving. As far as weather goes it was also really freezing cold but unlike last year when we got about 2 feet of snow it stayed dry just way cold. Also I was way lucky to have Jen there for almost the whole time. As well as Kendi and Theresa helping out on Friday night for registration. What a blessing. Thanks for all who were praying.

Then this week I was supposed to be out of town all week, however, the ice and snow caused me to cancel at least part of my work plans.

But what I'm currently looking forward to is this coming weekend. That's right! This weekend I am headed home for Mardi Gras. I haven't been down to New Orleans for Mardi Gras in 3 years now. But before those 3 years I had never missed a Mardi Gras in 23 years. Seriously my first Mardi Gras I was at I was only 4 months old give or take a few weeks. Should be lots of fun and I'm also really excited to take Jen down with me. Woo Hoo! Mardi Gras weekend!

Video? What?

Okay so you don't have to watch this video but this is blowing my mind and I had to comment on this. This is a totally short uneventful video that I made for a conference that Stefa and I went to back in October. It's only 21 secs long if you do want to watch it. Here's the crazy thing though...it has a 180+ hits on it. It makes NO SENSE. And the only tag for it is bling. And I have other bling videos and they have like 7 hits. I feel like something so odd is going on and I really can't figure out why it has so many hits.

Anyway, I found it crazy strange and thought I'd share. Anybody have any thoughts on why it's been watched so many times?

19 ways to entertain yourself ALWAYS

1. At Lunch Time, Sit In Your Parked Car With Sunglasses on and point a Hair Dryer At Passing Cars. See If They Slow Down.

2. Page Yourself Over The Intercom. Don't Disguise Your Voice.

3. Every Time Someone Asks You To Do Something, Ask If They Want Fries with that.

4. Put Your Garbage Can On Your Desk And Label It "In."

5. Put Decaf In The Coffee Maker For 3 Weeks. Once Everyone has Gotten Over Their Caffeine Addictions, Switch to Espresso.

6. In The Memo Field Of All Your Checks, Write "For Smuggling Diamonds"

7. Finish All Your sentences with "In Accordance With The Prophecy."

8. Don t use any punctuation

9. As Often As Possible, Skip Rather Than Walk.

10. Order a Diet Water whenever you go out to eat with a serious face.

11. Specify That Your Drive-through Order Is "To Go."

12. Sing Along At The Opera

13. Go To A Poetry Recital And Ask Why The Poems Don't Rhyme

14. Put Mosquito Netting Around Your Work Area And Play tropical Sounds All Day.

15. Five Days In Advance , Tell Your Friends You Can't Attend Their Party Because You're Not In The Mood.

16. Have Your Coworkers Address You By Your Wrestling Name, Rock Bottom.

17. When The Money Comes Out The ATM, Scream "I Won!, I Won!"

18. When Leaving The Zoo, Start Running Towards The Parking lot, Yelling "Run For Your Lives, They're Loose!!"

19. Tell Your Children Over Dinner. "Due To The Economy, We Are Going To Have To Let One Of You Go."

You may be asking yourself, is this a lame email fwd that Chandler got and laughed about and put on her blog because she thought it was funny even though I've seen it before or at least seen emails similar to it? And the answer would be yes.

As jo puts it...
I don't even know what to say.

Happy Groundhog's Day

Looks like spring will be early this year. First time since 1999. Amazing...oooo...aaaaa.

Groundhog Facts
GROUNDHOGS:
are also called woodchucks, marmots or whistle pigs
are mammals and belong to the squirrel family
usually have grayish brown fur and bushy tails
can grow to be two feet from head to tail and weigh 5-14 pounds
live in burrows underground which can have more than one entrance
are herbivores - that means they eat plants like grass, clover, and alfalfa.
hibernate, like some other animals, during the winter to avoid the cold weather
communicate danger by making a loud whistling sound
have several enemies, including foxes, bobcats, and humans.
are said to be able to predict the weather
have a holiday named after them - Groundhog Day - because of this special "ability" to forecast weather.

Now you know and knowing is half the battle.
Yo Joe!

Altered Perspectives

Ever look at something one way for a really long time? Like not just a few hours but years and years and then just one day your perspective changes and your views are altered forever? And you know it's never just on that one thing. No everything that's connected to your first idea also now must be reexamined. It's almost like now you're double checking yourself. I know that I often think, "How did I miss that? What else can I see here?" And I don't just mean things that I'm actually physically looking at like a shirt that looks good in the store but when you get home it's herendous. No, more I mean life expectations. Or chances that we take. Or plans that we make. And the craziest thing is that just the smallest thing can alter one's perspective forever. It only takes a minute to wreck a car but that experience can change the way you drive or look at cars forever. It only takes two people, a few words, and a piece of paper to get married (really if you think about it) but it can alter one's perspective on life forever. I don't know...I just guess that to me the human brain and just how we view ourselves and things around us and how our brain processes it all is amazing and truly we should be in awe of the creator of something so amazing.
There have been so many times in my life that my perspectives have been altered. I'm sure in smaller measures it's happening everyday all day long. But some major alterations occured on a few occasions that I thought I'd process out loud.
When I gave my life to Christ. My whole world view and purpose in life was changed forever. It was as if I was now walking around on my hands because my entire world, or what I knew as my world turned upside down.
When I graduated from high school. I don't know. Maybe it's just me but my graduation from high school was so much more altering than my graduation from college. Maybe because I truly felt like an adult leaving home and moving away.
When I moved to DC. Talk about culture shock and major adjustments on my world view.
When I connect with friends who become some of my best friends. That alteration broadens everything just because now I've added some of their thoughts and views into my life.
And finally (only in this post not in reality or my life) when I stepped out of 9-5 job (or acutally a 7:30-4:30 job) and joined missionary ranks altering so many perspectives forever.

by the way...the picture is just the close up shot of the side of an elephant

INFORMATION

At my ripe old age there are lots of things I've learned. And now I shall share a few of those things with thee.

Thee and the are not the same word.
Fire is hot.
When you see a dogs teeth, it's not smiling.
Just because you knock on a door doesn't mean anyone will open it.
God's in charge. That includes when you're driving, working, playing, even sleeping. Pretty much all the time God is in control.
Mud is gross and to avoided unless you pay lots of money and are in some fancy salon type place and sitting in what looks like a baby pool.
There are 5 NFL teams with Birds for mascots.
You just tried to figure out what the 5 mascots are.
If you were born before Jan 1990, you are now an adult.
When you're hungry, eat.
When you're thirsty, drink.
When you're tired, sleep.
Eat and sleep almost rhyme but then they don't.
This is the end of my post.