November 2007...

my record month!

I have had the most posts published on my blog this month...EVER!

A total of 49 (including this one)!!!

I love setting records :)

My friend got published!!!

Damaris and her parents are featured in today's LA Times (front page of the California section).

Check her out online right HERE (you might have to register online to see the article)...or pick up the actual newspaper!

This sweet picture was featured in the article...I love this family...they look adorable!

Irrational Fears (Part 2 of many)

#11. Being alone in movie theater bathrooms-they always creep me out, I think some crazy person's gonna' pop out of one of the stalls and kill me...really.

#12. Hitting someone with my car-there's this dark corner by my house that I always make a left on, the combination of my bad eyesight and the dark make me fear I might run over someone who's crossing the street.

#13. Being stalked-my mom always tells me to have a heads up whenever I get home late because you never know who's watching. I'm scared someone might be watching me and attack me...I keep my finger on the ALERT button of my car alarm until I get into my house.

#14. Park trash cans-when I was a little girl a big news story came out about how there were serial killers who cut their victims up and threw them into public trash cans. Whenever I walk past a trash can at a public park I can't look in...I think there might be someone in there.

#15. Showers-I saw the movie "Psycho" when I was 9. It took me 3 months to leave the bathtub and get into the shower. I now search the entire bathroom before I go in, lock the door behind me and keep my eyes open the entire time.

My friends call me Colleen*

All of my life people have called me Jessica (duh, that's my name).

My mom and dad called me Jessiquita when I was little...
my mom calls me Jessi when she's rushed...
she calls me Tita when she's being sweet...
everyone else calls me Jessica...

except for my friends (those people I love so much)...

they call me Jess.

I'm not sure when it changed from Jessica to Jess, not sure when I started to notice, but I do know it feels so good to have them call me that. It's like they know me.

*This post title came from an episode of "Saved by the Bell" (when Miss. Bliss was still around). Zack faked an illness just to be able to meet and get serenaded by "Stevie" (a teenage rock star). Little did he know she was Miss. Bliss' niece, Colleen (whom he had kissed earlier that week). While on stage "Stevie" told him, "My friends call me Colleen". Nobody believed him when he said he had kissed "Stevie". I love that episode.

I forgot!

yesterday was my blog's one year anniversary...and I forgot!

Dear Blog,

I am so sorry that I completely forgot your birthday. Please forgive me for my lack of sensitivity. I promise that I will make it up to you. You have been awesome this year! And I know that next year will be even better.

Love,
Jessica

HAPPY late-ANNIVERSARY BLOG!!!

Honesty

I mentioned that I'm currently reading "Boundaries in Dating".

Last night I read a bit more and found what I read so beneficial, that I thought I'd share snippets with you. Here's the first jewel of wisdom...

be HONEST.

The book went over a slew of things to be honest about; descriptions, details, all kinds of lies, all sorts of liars, etc. But what I want to say is...

be honest about who you are.

Be you, not who you think the other person wants you to be. There's a fine line between being kind and considerate, sensitive and even aware of the other person...but those feelings and that kindness toward the other person should never come at the expense of losing who you are (at the core).

Let that person fall for the real you, even if you're weird, let them love the weird (or not love it). I know there's risk involved. If you are YOU and they reject you then they really didn't like YOU. That's okay, because someone else will come along who will like YOU.

Be you, don't lie about anything, even if you think you're sparing the person of pain or something...the deceit alone will be enough to end the relationship.

Be honest.

Two Birds, One Stone

Probably one of the best shows I've been to...

Last night we went out to UCI to see Switchfoot and Relient K. SO, SO good!

The lighting, sound, vocals, showmanship...wow, so good.
Every time they played another song I kept thinking, "it can't get better than this"...but it did. Relient K even made it snow when they played "Sleigh Ride".
And Switchfoot...oh, so amazing. A true rock show from them...love them.

Relient K

Switchfoot

The boys playing cops in the parking structure

Parking structure sign

No, we didn't pee.

Yes, I'm a Nerd

I loved (and own) the movie "Legally Blonde". Mostly because I love Reese Witherspoon, but also because I fell in love with Elle Woods. She's sweet, innocent and smart.

(I realize how blonde this makes me sound.)

I've seen the musical version on MTV twice and I loved it too.
The music is SO good.

I bought the musical soundtrack on iTunes yesterday...
I've replayed it about 10 times and every time I do I feel like dancing, singing and crying.

I hope it's still on Broadway when I get to New York in October!

Wow, I'm a nerd.

P.S. If you're in my car or office this week, you'll hear it. It's on full blast.

Dating?

I just started reading this book last week, "Boundaries in Dating".

I’m reading it for two reasons. First of all, I’ve always been anti-dating and recently wanted to look beyond the superficiality of it all and really find out what benefits can come from a dating relationship. Secondly, I’m working on some curriculum for an all-nighter with our high school girls small groups that will center on relationships.

I've only gotten through the preface and first two chapters, everything Cloud and Townsend have written (thus far) makes so much sense, but as I've continued to read the word dating over and over I realized that I don't even know how the authors of this book define dating. I don't even know what my definition of the word is. So I looked it up:

Wikipedia says...
Dating is any social activity performed as a pair or even a group with the aim of each assessing the other's suitability as their partner in a intimate relationship or as a spouse. The word refers to the act of agreeing on a time and "date" when a pair can meet and engage in some social activity.

Dictionary.com says...
An engagement to go out socially with another person, often out of romantic interest.

Allwords.com says...
A planned meeting or social outing, usually with a person one is attached to.A person whom one is meeting or going out with and who one usually finds attractive.

I must say, everywhere I searched had a flimsy, unfocused answer. There weren't any sources that really gave a GOOD definition.

I've come to the following conclusion.

Dating is what you want it to be, you set the rules, boundaries, definition, and then voice that. Make it known, no secrets, be yourself and just put all the cards on the table. If you don't, someone will end up disappointed or disillusioned.

Now, I've got to come up with my definition...

Irrational Fears (Part 1 of many)

While in line for the Matterhorn yesterday German pointed out that I have many, many ridiculous fears...Janette proceeded to name them one by one (well, all of the ones she knows of).

I promised them I'd make a list of them...the ones thus far (I am fully aware that more will be added on as time goes on).

These are irrational fears, which means they may not make any sense to you, but they do to me. So, please, no judgement.

#1 Bridges-afraid they'll collapse while I'm on them or that an earthquake might come as I'm driving mid-way.

#2 Deep sea-afraid of getting eaten by a sea creature, my head exploding from the pressure or even worse, the dark unknown places.

#3 Deep space-afraid of what's out there, or getting lost in space...just drift forever...yikes!

#4 Self-Pollinating Plants-those things could poke out an eye.

#5 Breaking my bones- I am so scared of the pain and hospital visit.

#6 The Abominable Snowman in the Matterhorn- he's really ugly and I hate his growl...gives me chills.

#7 The battle scene in the Pirates ride at DL- what's behind those dark caverns?

#8 Clouds- I think they'd suffocate me if I breathed them in.

#9 Having bacteria in my throat- every morning I purposefully cough up from the back of my throat as I brush my teeth...I'm afraid some weird bacteria might accumulate back there over night.

#10 Having a terminal illness and not knowing it- I think it's because of all my Grey's viewing.

Trust me...there's more to come.

Change...

oh, I can feel it coming.

I'm not sure how, when or why...

but in 2008,

lots of change.

Welcome Home Janette!

Here's Janette's first day back...in pictures:

So so so much fun!

My last three days...

have pretty much consisted of:

tons of food,
TV on DVD,
many movies on TV (many, many movies),
lots of play time,
lots of family,
hours spent shopping,
tons of cleaning,
hours on the new recliner (with my blanket),
being dressed in my PJs,
balancing my check book,
too many naps,
finishing my Christmas gift list,
planning a birthday getaway
and reading US weekly.

These past three days have been some of the most relaxing days I have ever had...

so good to just BE.

Black Friday

I swore I wouldn't give in to you this year, but inevitably, I did.

5:15AM wake up call...

Target and Toys R Us were the stops.

Got 8 presents for $120...

SO worth it.

Thanksgiving #3

SO SO great!

On the menu:
Ham
Mashed potatoes and gravy
My sweet corn (oh yeah)
Macaroni salad
Some delicious croissants
Ceviche with tostadas (yes, I realize how crazy that sounds)
Pumpkin pie
Cherry pie
Martinelli's apple cider (which my dad kept calling champagne)

Attire:
Mostly comfy clothes (I wore my favorite pair of jeans, Coke/Jesus t-shirt and my black hoodie...with socks).

It was my immediate family, which made it so sweet and fun.
Just laughs and lots of stories with tons of jokes.

We all saw "Evan Almighty" right after dinner (it was okay...give it a B-).

A really great Thanksgiving with the loves of my life.

Thanksgiving #2

Church Staff Thanksgiving Lunch.

We just finished...

On the menu:
Turkey
Mashed potatoes and gravy
Caesar salad with dressing
Steamed veggies
Cranberry sauce
Wheat rolls
Lots of pie (I opted for pumpkin and wasn't disappointed)
Oh, and tons of sweet sparkling apple cider...yum!

Attire:
Mostly slacks and button-ups for the men and jeans with jackets for the girls.

It was nice (once it was over), the during part was a bit awkward.
While we were cleaning up, things got really fun, here are the pictures (not everyone was here):

I know this is bad...

but I can hardly wait for Thursday, November 29th (9pm).

Kathy Griffin's new special "Straight to Hell" is airing on Bravo.

Not only that, but Bravo will also be airing all 4 of her Bravo specials earlier that day.

I love her banter-ability, snide remarks and vast knowledge of pop culture...

can't wait.

Thanksgiving #1

This was the first of my three Thanksgivings (students, office, family).

Last night we had our High School Small Groups Thanksgiving Party.

On the menu:
Edgar's Ham
Angie's Mashed Potatoes (with KFC gravy...mmmmm)
My sweet buttered corn
Georgina's macaroni salad
Bibi's bread rolls
Abby's homemade cake
Store-bought cake
Chips
Soda
The turkey went missing (that's another story)

Attire:
We were told to come in our "Sunday Best", most people did...the boys really cleaned up good!

A lot went on:
Celebrated two birthdays (Rene and Abby), football, dancing, music, foosball, people drank gravy and put it on everything they ate (by people I mean me), cake fights, learning how to lock-up the lot, tons of pictures, lots of laughter...

such a fun, crazy night!

I'll fill you in on Thanksgivings #2 and #3 once they happen.

Hippocrates' 4 Temperaments

Today in the office we studied Hippocrates' 4 Temperaments...and sized each other up.
Here are my results:

I am...

Melancholic- Often very kind and considerate, melancholics can be highly creative - as in poetry and art - but also can become overly pre-occupied with the tragedy and cruelty in the world, thus becoming depressed. The temperament is associated with the season of autumn (dry and cold) and the element earth. A melancholy is also often a perfectionist, being very particular about what they want and how they want it in some cases. This often results in being unsatisfied with one's own artistic or creative works and always pointing out to themselves what could and should be improved.

I should marry...

Sanguine- A person who is sanguine is generally optimistic, cheerful, confident, popular, and fun-loving. He/She can be day-dreamy and off-task to the point of not accomplishing anything and can be impulsive, possibly acting on whims in an unpredictable fashion. Sanguine people usually have a lot of energy, but have a problem finding a way to direct the energy.

Yikes!
I don't know if I like my husband.

A Fight

Today at lunch I made the following comment:

"If being an adult and being a teenager had a fight, being an adult would kick being a teenager's butt".

And I meant it.

When I was a teenager I'd tell my parents that I wanted to grow up already, they'd always say that once I became an actual adult, I'd wish I was young again.

I don't.

I love that I can got out to lunch in the middle of the day, take a day off (just because), come and go as I please, stay out 'till one in the morning if I want, not do homework, like what I do all day at work, make my own decisions (consequences and all), eat whatever the heck I want, the list really does go on.

I don't miss being stuck in school all day, having a terrible curfew, having to eat what my mom made for dinner (even if it grossed me out), not being able to have a choice about what classes to take in school or having a "fixed" schedule.

I love being an adult...

that's why it really kicks butt.

You Snooze...You Lose

If you weren't quick enough to see the video of Damaris at the AMAs (below)...then there's no hope, it's been pulled off.

Maybe next time.

Damaris on TV

I mentioned earlier that Damaris was at the AMA's last night.

You can see her (for the first time) at about 1:50 in this video...she pops up several times later.

So fun :)

Anonymous Doesn't Equal Insignificant

I read a post today that really left me thinking...

Josh wrote about how just because your service (in the church or elsewhere) isn't always known or visible, it doesn't mean that it is less significant, makes less of an impact or is less appreciated by God.

This is a lesson (or sermon) most of us have heard, but I think it's worth thinking about.

I really do believe that tons of people out there think that if their ministry is publicly known or has growth (numerical) it means God is using them (which is probably true). But even if your ministry is simple, small, focused (and you are honoring God through it)...guess what? God is using you too. A book, fame, recognition should never be the end goal, but a part of the journey God has called you to live out. And we all have our own unique journeys that God has designed with purpose.

As a leader of leaders I need to recognize that everyone needs to be reminded that they are important, no matter how "behind the scenes" or "small" their work/role may be.
Tons of leaders say this but don't ACT upon it. We focus on those that do more, that do big, that do visible. But, maybe we could stop telling our leaders how vital they are and start showing them what an amazing impact they are making.

How about:
-getting students they minister to, to write them an appreciative note.
-giving them a night off from ministry as a 'thank you'.
-taking them out to lunch and do a great overview of the ways you see God using them.
-listening to them.
-leaving them an encouraging voice mail.
-constantly reminding them of God's amazing power in them.
-publicly appreciating those private ministers (maybe a hidden hero spotlight).

There are so many ways to do this.

I love our leaders so much and hope to show them how much I do.

If Six Degrees of Separation exists...

then I sat behind Fergie last night...at the American Music Awards.

I also saw Josh Duhamel and "Grey's Anatomy" cutie, Justin Chambers (Alex Karev).

Damaris called me last night letting me know that she went in as a "seat filler" at the AMAs. I thought it was cute that she said she thought I'd be the only one of our friends who would be even remotely interested in any of the people she saw were.

What can I say?
I'm a pop culture genius.

I Watched "Knocked Up"

Really gross, but so funny.

Best line: "Stop shaving in the bathroom, the last time I took a "dump" it looked like I "pooped" a stuffed animal!".

I couldn't stop laughing.

But seriously, really gross.

Titanic

I watched "Titanic" last night.

Well...part of "Titanic". I couldn't bear to watch the last 30 minutes (the actual going down part).

I totally forgot about this one hilarious, yet disgusting scene.

Once the ship hits the ice burg, the water starts filling the lower decks (where the least expensive cabins are). Everyone feels the ship shudder and gets out of bed, only to find out they are ankle deep in water.

As the people start running out, the scene focuses on a bunch of mice running down the hallway. One of the guys says, "if this is where the mice are going, it's good enough for me" (in an Irish accent) as he runs after the mice.

Wow...

So gross (to see the actual mice) but so funny to think that anyone would take direction from a mouse.

Don't get me wrong...I figure that the people on the boat would be so desperate, they'd do anything to be safe (I would too if placed in that situation). But, mice?

I thought of Evelyn the entire time.

Life goal #1

To be a great cook.

I already know how to make some of my mom's most complicated dishes: chiles rellenos (stuffed peppers) , camarones empanizados (breaded shrimp), grilled chicken breast, all forms of rice, all types of salads, pasta dishes, a mean bacon wrapped hot dog (I guess that doesn't count as an actual dish) and I make delicious scrabbled eggs (ask Teddy Bear).

I'm really good at making a well balanced meal too.
I put the protein, veggies, starch, etc.

I'm also really good at presentation.
I firmly believe that you first eat with your eyes...so I try to make all of my dishes look appealing.

But on top of that, I'd like to be able to cook ALL of my mom's BEST dishes by the time I'm 25 (which gives me about 10 months to learn).

I love watching the Food Network in my spare time, picking and choosing tips from Rachel, Giada, Michael, Emeril, Paula.

I'd like to one day cook well, frequently, in large quantities, with my kids, with my husband, in my kitchen, at the barbecue grill...that would be nice.

13 days away...

my blog's anniversary is.

Get ready for the BIG ANNIVERSARY POST.

It's only 13 days away.

Winter Camp

Oh how I long to be there!

As I woke up this morning I had this incredible desire to go to winter camp. With students...not by myself.

In our student ministries we've always done summer camp, but never winter camp, we've taken leaders out to winter retreats, but never students. I think it'd be awesome to take them out...be cold...cuddle...board games...all nighters in a cabin...wear HUGE coats...hang out in the lodge...camp fires...long talks...just being with students...I think it'd be so great.

So...
(Bibi, if you're reading this)

I propose winter camp next year...keep summer camp simple and do something totally amazing for winter.

I love just thinkng of it...

but if I had my way...I'd be there right now.

The Loves of My Life

Marlen's Birthday last night...
in pictures:

Jeremy decided what faces we ought to make:

Smiley

Scary

Mad

Sad

Fun night!