So for some strange reason, I just feel like writing a really long entry. Not to say that this will be one, but I do feel like it. I really just don't know what I will say. I read some of my friends sites and they often write these really long posts. I just don't tend to do that. I think I just very rarely spill the details of my life and thoughts- spurred on this thought...no, actually this thought was spurred while I was listening to Alicia Keys, a brilliante piano artist! :) Is this a diary for my own good, or for others reading enjoyment. Obviously, if it were for my own good, I should write more- but I'm just not that type of journaling person, although I wish I was. We all think of that some time, don't we- who are we writing for?
Anyway...
I just got back from the last of my Christmas shopping. I ended up doing pretty well for my dad, I think- thanks to the 10 second phone conversation I had with him this morning, and just the way I am brilliant at shopping sometimes. Thank the Lord for Target- I would not be able to live without that store! At the end of the day, maybe I will post everything I got for Christmas!
Okay, to make this a somewhat, long and somewhat meaningful Xanga post, I'm trying to decide what to say next....aight, here's a blogideas.com idea...
5 things about your hometown...which I'm going to consider Shoreview, not Arden Hills:
1. the speed limit on hwy 96 is 50 MPH, except when you are near Centerville Rd, then it's 40, but you are not in Shoreview anymore then
2. the part I consider truly Shoreview is Hodgson Rd. in between Chippewa Middle School and Cty. Rd. F because that is where my growing years centered
3. Sitzer Park- what a great place for Little League games!

Man....this is kind of hard...I don't know what to say! I'm so lame!

4. I remember when the Harbor Place neighborhood started, there was no Shoreview Community Center, Rainbow Foods or funeral home...in fact, we biked through the woods on that corner to get to the Shore Oaks Dairy Queen and I always got a medium M&M Blizzard
5. I give up...I have nothing good to say....

Time to wrap presents.....


SERVICE OF DEDICATION 2005
Out with the old, in with the new. A night of worship and
prayer to dedicate the coming year to the Lord.
5:15PM - Saturday, January 1, 2005 - CPC Sanctuary.
Featuring Hosanna!, the CPC Worship Team, with special
guests Sara Renner, Kenni Holmen, and Bruce Edwards.
Come start out the year on the right foot with celebratory
worship, directed prayer, and a meditation from the Reverend
John Crosby. We will cover the year with praise, confession,
thanksgiving and supplication, inviting the Lord to dwell in
all we do, guide who we become, and to give us a vision for
how we can be more yielded to being transformed by His
spirit.
The service is free and child care is provided.

I discovered that the missing question to that survey was to spell your name out with band names....I will try it with my full name....can anyone else do it with theirs? :)
Sunny Day Real Estate (not even a fan, just heard of them...emo...)
All Together Separate
Relient K
Avalon
Elms
Limp Bizkit (ick, I know, but it came to mind first)
I, um, yeah, can't do that one
Zoe Girl
Audio Adrenaline
BarlowGirl (fo shiz!)
Evanescence
Third Day
Hokus Pick
LaRue
I, man...
Geoff Moore and the Distance (LOL)
H
Three Soul Cry
Beastie Boys
Overflow (just heard of them... I wonder if they are good...)
DC Talk (obviously)
Y
Hmmmm.....that was harder than I thought it would be...help me out with the missing letters....or other suggestions that you think are better!!!

BC

Reasons I miss being a Bethel College student:
-dorm life
-ordering Dominoes on Flex
-Quesadillas and Smoothies in Market and Grilled Cheese in the DC on Keith Chapel Wednesdays
-being able to corporately worship a minimum of 4 times a week
-volleyball games
-free admission at all sporting events
-road trips to big football games
-always having someone to eat with
-the Bethel Choir
-all the memories contained in the Great Hall
-GSN at 1am with the boys in H113
-neighbors that become your best friend
-how much you can learn about people in the Roster
-true fellowship
-the 3rd down defense cheer
-blue velvet robes...in the Uppsala Cathedral
-D. Piddy
-learning about true love through friends- Jack, Robb
-always having someone to talk to
-having amazing professors and faculty that cared for you as an individual and inspired you to learn and grow in your faith
-Chapel Worship teams
-actually being able to work at camp in the summer because it was more than I made during the year anyway, and I didn't have to pay the loans yet
-having a car so I could get away when I needed to
-having a car so I could take my friends out
-being able to share Christ's love with others
-sleeping outside Krispy Kreme
-Vikings football in Edgren
-banquets
-roommates
-amazing musically gifted friends
-so many familiar faces, yet always a chance to meet new ones
-the friends that would squeal and hug me just to see me....and would let me do that for them
-taking finals in my PJ's, and the relief when they were over
-Vespers
-Wel-come We-ek, Wel-come We-ek, Wel-come We-ek, Wel-come We-ek
-Women's Chorale tours- Donna
-not quite being a part of the real world yet
-cable TV in Heritage- so I could watch the Wendells play hockey!
-DC desserts
-DC salads covered with hard boiled eggs, cottage cheese, ranch dressing and sunflower seeds, side of baby carrots
-last minute practicing duets with Andrea
-homecoming week- the cheers, tug of war
-Kresge Courtyard
-PO #1238
-Erica Lewis and our sexy shoes
-Music History study sessions
-accompanying for Royal Players auditions
-Greg Boyd
-the alto section
-Emily Lou's really cute wave
-when I tried to straighten my hair with a curling iron
-the practice mods
-Thursday choir devotions
-I fit in if I wore Gap or AE but gag me if I wore A&F
-taking the cordless phone in the dorm room all the way down the hall
-taking full advantage of vis hours
-carrying my heavy backpack because I didn't want to go back to my room all day
-visits from people like Steph Welch and Marie Dee
-leaving on Saturday to go to Crown football games
-sitting for hours in the computer lab and chatting on AIM while writing papers
-hockey
-Heather Yue, playing guitar, and BSB
-Kristie Kunnari and her overflowing joyful spirit
-Jessa Gamble, Phil Carlson, Tyler Gregory
-walking the treacherous hill to bonfires
-conversations that challenged your viewpoints yet were central to salvation in Jesus alone
-Jared Carlson
-Clint and Nikki
-concerts in the Great Hall
-Mounds View class of '98
-9ft. Steinway
-chapel
-Sherry Bunge Mortenson
-Eric W. Anderson, Caroline White, Katie Blu, C Nels
-visiting for at least a half hour after Vespers EVERY week
-driving my roommates crazy because I REEKED after coming home from work at Perkins
-the radio station you couldn't even hear on campus
-sleeping through several 9AM classes
-always knowing God is faithful to provide for finances, health and passing grades
-learning more about music than I ever thought I could
-applying that education while in school
-learning all about myself and the person God wants me to be, striving for to be a whole and holy person of integrity

stole this from Kelsey.. just so much fun
1) Have you ever had a song written about you? I think only if you count the ones that I have written myself

3) What song makes you cry? hm, shucks, i don't know
4) What song makes you happy? Wake Up by the Swift...and oh, so many more
5) What do you like to listen to before bed? Emily and Sara, Thankful ;)
a p p e a r a n c e
HEIGHT: 5'6, well, close enough
HAIR COLOR: dark auburn, although it seems its fading back to blondish...weird
SKIN COLOR: um, according to Cover Girl, Creamy Natural
EYE COLOR:green-brown
PIERCINGS: just the basic ears, never use 'em though
TATTOOS: nope

r i g h t . n o w
WHAT COLOR PANTS ARE YOU WEARING?: Old Navy jeans
WHAT SONG ARE YOU LISTENING TO?: nothing, but I was just listening to The Swift in the car
WHAT TASTE IS IN YOUR MOUTH?: ice cubes, with a hint of Coke
WHAT'S THE WEATHER LIKE?: COLD
HOW ARE YOU? better....it's been an icky week

d o. y o u
GET MOTION SICKNESS?: sometimes...I have to sit up front to avoid it, but usually I just drive, so it's all good
HAVE A BAD HABIT?: biting my fingernails and chewing on them
GET ALONG WITH YOUR PARENTS?: yes.
LIKE TO DRIVE?: absolutely

f a v o r i t e s
TV SHOW: Scrubs, Friends, 7th Heaven, Gilmore Girls, Dawson's Creek, Real World
CONDITIONER: Pantene- the green kind
BOOK: reading is a new habit I have picked up again
MAGAZINE: People- I have a strange addiction to those types
THING TO DO ON THE WEEKEND: whatever my friends or youth group kids invite me to do
BAND OR GROUP or SINGER or RAPPER: currently, The Swift!!!

h a v e . y o u
BROKEN THE LAW: yes
RAN AWAY FROM HOME: nope.
SNUCK OUT OF THE HOUSE: never had a reason to
EVER GONE SKINNY DIPPING: nope.
MADE A PRANK PHONE CALL: ha- who hasn't!
EVER TIPPED OVER A PORTA POTTY: Ew. No.
USED YOUR PARENTS' CREDIT CARD BEFORE: yes, but with permission
SKIPPED SCHOOL BEFORE: never knew I could be such a rebel, eh? :)
FELL ASLEEP IN THE SHOWER/BATH: no
BEEN IN A SCHOOL PLAY: yes
LET A FRIEND CRY ON YOUR SHOULDER: absolutely

l o v e
BOYFRIEND: n/a
GIRLFRIEND: definitely n/a
SEXUALITY: are you asking if I am heterosexual- well of course!
CHILDREN: yes, i absolutely love children
BEEN IN LOVE?: no
HAD A HARD TIME GETTING OVER SOMEONE:actually, not really. God is good.
YOUR GREATEST REGRET: I don't think I have any. And if I do, I'd rather not think about them.
GONE OUT WITH A SOMEONE YOU ONLY KNEW FOR THREE DAYS: not a chance.

r a n d o m
DO YOU HAVE A JOB: yes, currently 3
YOUR CD PLAYER HAS IN IT RIGHT NOW: The Swift
WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY?: Jesus
WHAT'S THE NEXT CD YOU'RE GONNA GET?: none- I have bought too many lately
WHO DO YOU CONSIDER GOOD FRIENDS?: oh man, I have way too many

w h e n / w h a t . w a s . t h e . l a s t
TIME YOU CRIED?: I will always get a little teary at altar calls/invitations, therefore last weekend at the Planet Wisdom Conference
YOU GOT A REAL LETTER?: I got Christmas Card from Caitlin the other day- that was very exciting!
THING YOU PURCHASED: mountain dew
TV PROGRAM YOU WATCHED: I'm watching a silly dating show on MTV right now
MOVIE YOU SAW AT THE THEATER: two of them today: Oceans 12 and Napoleon Dynamite

Okay, sorry for the delay, but here are my office pics....Impressed, aren't ya! :)

don't let me forget!....

So I got an account on Birthday Alarms so I can actually remember everyone's birthday. It sent an email to pretty much everyone in my address book..but if you haven't done so already, click on this Birthday Alarm link !

I bought a new camera and took pics of my office....I will post them soon. I am tired and lazy now.
I had an out of the norm day today. One of those days that refreshes you to make it through the monotonous ones. It wasn't that I did something exciting. It wasn't planned ahead of time. I had no expectations. I just said, "okay, I'm gonna do this and see what happens." I live for that sort of adventure!
After my route this morning, I headed up to the district youth pastors' meeting in Monticello. It was great....me and 8 male, married youth pastors!!!!! Hahaha! Actually most of them I alread knew so that was super cool. It was great to interact with them. I'm going to look forward to these times ALOT! I know that it will be a huge encouragement and lots of fun. One of them I went to Bethel with, but we never crossed paths, so it was great to connect with him. One of them is married to a friend of mine from high school. (He goes, "my wife is from Shoreview!" I go, "then I'm sure I know her" he told me her name, I'm like, "DUH!" :)) A couple other ones I know from being camp pastor at BSC and kids I know in their youth group. Oh, and one is the youth pastor at my last church, so we have already been in touch! Way cool. We went out to lunch and had a good time. Wahoo- so excited for this experience and networking and encouragement, etc.
Since I was so close. I had my first shopping experience at the Albertville Outlet Mall. Don't tell my mom! I intended to walk all the way through, then come back to Old Navy as a reward, where my car was parked. Instead, I saw the sale signs at Old Navy and I couldn't say no! I got a performance fleece sweatshirt and pants, jeans and a purse for $36!!!! Then I went to a book store and spent church money! And then I went to Adidas and bought shoes for $12! I decided that even if I hadn't gone even halfway through the stores, I better quit. But get this- my merchandise full prise would have totaled about $150. I barely paid $50. Pat on the back for bargain shopping, thank you! :)
During the meeting I got a text message from my buddy Robb, to babysit for him. (Not his kids- ones he babysits.) It was basically an emergency thing cuz he is sick and he offered to get a friend to help out. I toyed with it for a long time, but decided it could be fun and a great way to serve and meet some new cool people. So it was a bit of an adventure, but definitely fun. Great family. Cute, adorable, well-behaved kids. I forgot how much fun it is to babysit. And people pay you for it! :) Haha. I look forward to an opportunity to do it again and build a relationship with these people....if they can ever catch me on a free night again! :)
I'm tired and I have a long weekend ahead of me....woot for the Planet Wisdom Conference....and The Swift and the Mall of America and my birthday and hanging out with my great youth group kids! :) Peace out y'all. Pray for my kids this weekend. And never forget. His mercies are new every morning. God is faithful.
P.S. Thanks for all prayers already! I see the fruit! Wednesday's group was great and the kids that were burned out and threatening to leave are continuing with even more energy and joy!