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.