defining moments

Too much, too little

2008-08-29T21:39:00.000-07:00

It's been a while, I know.

Not that I don't have anything to say. Probably that I have too much to say and can't whittle it down to a coherent post.

Excuses? Probably.

The truth? Yup.

One of those moments

2008-07-14T21:22:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago CVC finished a series called "Six Secrets of A Satisfying Marriage." I felt particularly captivated by this series since I am, you know, married.

One weekend Pastor John brought his wife Pam up at the end of his message to share some words. God used her to burn something on my heart. The way your kids talk to your spouse is an excellent indicator of how YOU talk to your spouse. Ouch.

My tongue gets me in trouble at home. I have a temper (which actually may surprise some of you) and I unfortunately have said things to Mark I would love to be able to take back and have needed much forgiveness for. God is hammering away on me in this area.

Mark is so much better at saying positive, affirming, loving things to me in front of Lance and Tyler. The other day at dinner little four and half year old Lance looks at me and says, "You're beautiful, Jeanne." I'll let you guess where he heard that from :)

Go SLTPCA!

2008-07-13T17:26:00.000-07:00

What is SLTPCA you ask?

South Lake Tahoe Canine Association - visit their website (that Mark created) at www.sltpca.com

July 10, 11 and 12 SLTPCA hosted the 1st annual South Lake Tahoe Police K-9 Trials. Over 30 agencies from California and Nevada came and competed in:

Narcotics Search - dog teams compete to find hidden narcotics like methamphetamine, cocain, heroin and marijuana

Search Phase - dog teams compete to find a suspect hidden in an object on a field (like a car)

Obedience Phase - Conducted off-lead. Dog teams judged on how well they follow non-verbal commands

Agility Phase - tests the dogs ability to negotiate several obstacles and the handlers ability to lead his dog through the course

Protection Phase - dogs compete in how well they bite! (This is the coolest the watch...)

I am really proud of Mark and the team at South Lake PD. They did an awesome job putting the trials together. I can't wait till next year!

I'm gettin' my domestic on....

2008-07-07T20:21:00.001-07:00

Nope.

I'm not talking about being a domestic diva.

I'm talking about gettin' my domestic disturbance on.

In two weeks Mark and I are going to be actors for the Western Nevada Police Academy practical training scenarios.

Part of your training in the Police Academy is being put in training scenarios with live actors that mimic real life calls for service...like domestic disturbances, car stops, etc. So I get to embrace my inner actor and yell at Mark and the "cops" and maybe get arrested or searched or something. How the cadets respond to the scenarios are closely watched by the instructors and they are graded on things like officer safety, knowledge of the law, when to arrest and not to arrest and interaction with the public (actors).

Many of the actors are police officers so they can give the cadets an accurate portrayal of what they will run up against on real calls. And then there are other actors who just happen to be related to a cop and therefore get to join in the fun!

I'll be sure to blog about my experience and let you know how I did! (and if I was the one arrested or not!)

Somthin' to chew on...

2008-07-02T15:11:00.000-07:00

Check out Tony Morgan's post about ministry growth. Thought it was cool.

Recipe Site Review

2008-05-25T14:02:00.000-07:00

Recently I have been on the lookout for some new recipes to try at home. I've looked on a bunch of different websites...but found one that rises above the rest: www.allrecipes.com

What I really enjoy about this website is the member reviews. When you find a recipe you think looks yummy - read a bunch of the member reviews. They often contain hints for ways to make the recipe better, hints on cooking time and tasty ways to modify the recipe. I'll probably never buy another cookbook again.

I've gotten several really good recipes that my family has enjoyed. Check it out if you are tired of your same old dinner standby's!

2008-05-09T12:39:00.000-07:00

Meet Mario.

Our new lizard friend.

TV Rundown

2008-05-04T23:09:00.000-07:00

Here's some shows I love right now...

1. Survivor - Mark got me hooked last season. I have no idea why I love to watch them stab each other in the back...but I do.
2. Mythbusters - it taps into my science side without all the boring research school required.
3. COPS - I only watch it to listen to Mark narrate what the cops are actually thinking... :)
4. Wings - gotta love Nick at Nite.
5. The Closer - hands down my favorite show on television. If you get TNT you have gotta check it out. You'll love it as much as I do.
6. Criminal Minds - seriously creepy sometimes. We have to Tivo this one and watch it on a night when Mark doesn't leave me in bed at 4 am.
7. Clean House - I have had thoughts of junking up my house just so I can get a makeover. Sick, I know.
8. Almost anything on HGTV.

2008-05-03T15:07:00.000-07:00

Messin' with the template on my blog... I gave up last night when I got really tired. Hopefully I'll have enough energy to finish tonight!

Green Dinosaur?

2008-04-28T21:43:00.000-07:00

I had an interesting conversation with Lance this evening. It went a little something like this:

"Jeanne, is that a cross on your shirt?"

"Yup. It sure is."

"Jesus died on the cross but now He's alive. Right?"

"That's right, Lance."

"Where does Jesus live?"

"Jesus lives up in heaven."

"The green dinosaur lives in heaven, too."

And then he walked away. I have no idea who the green dinosaur is. I must admit...I am curious.

Tagged!

2008-04-27T13:50:00.000-07:00

Ok, Tina. Here goes!

Got this by email, but thought I'd post it here.. The way the game goes is if you read it, you must post it on your blog... Answer in 4s please..

WHAT WAS I DOING TEN YEARS AGO?

16 years old and getting my driver's license, playing in the band, singing in the choir, NOT paying a mortgage!

WHERE HAVE I LIVED?

Shoreham, Vermont; Washington, IL; Manchester, New Hampshire; Carson City, Nevada

WHAT SNACKS DO I ENJOY?

yogurt and berries, brownies, any little debbie snack cake, vanilla wafers

WHAT JOBS HAVE I HAD?

office cleaner, job coach for disabled adults, junior high history teacher, music director

IF I HAD A BILLION DOLLARS I WOULD?

pay off our house and LANDSCAPE.

5 THINGS ON MY TO DO LIST TODAY..

laundry, vacuum, weed front yard, clean kitchen and dinner with friends

4 THINGS YOU"D BE SURPRISED TO KNOW ABOUT ME

I was the runner up for Prom Queen Senior year of high school, I hate the sound of a bathroom fan, I really want to be a dancer

MY FAVORITE THINGS TO DO ARE:

spend time with family, travel, be outdoors

O.K., YOUR TURN...

AAAHHHHHH!!!!!

2008-04-21T13:26:00.000-07:00

Seriously. I am so excited right now I could just pee my pants.

I have had a long and frustrating history with Sprint PCS Wireless. My contract is up on July 5th and we were planning to make our escape then to AT&T (unfortunately having to pay Mark's early termination fee).

We get unbelievably sketchy and stinky cell coverage at our house. AND to top it off the screen on my phone broke so I can no longer use the PDA or see who is calling me. Really frustrating. Especially for someone who likes to know who is on the other end of the phone before she answers.

Cell phone companies make you sign a contract for a reason: They want your money. I totally understand that. But I thought it couldn't hurt to try and reason with them see if they would release me from my contract a little early. So Thursday Mark and I went into the local Sprint store. I pleaded my case. They told me to pound sand.

Ok, I expected that. Mark expected that.

But I still thought I could maybe reason with someone who would take pity. So today I called Sprint Customer Service. After a very rude encounter with the first representative I spoke to I was transfered to Account Services.

I pleaded my case. She actually listened. She tried to sell me a new phone. I thanked her and gently reminded her that a new phone would not solve the issue of coverage at my home. And you know what I found out?? Our home is OUT OF SPRINT COVERAGE.

Ha! I say, Ha! Mark and I are not crazy. We really don't get cell coverage at our home!

It also means that after I fax some documents verifying that we actually do reside at our house we get RELEASED from our Sprint contracts with NO PENALTY.

I know you can't see me right now...but I am doing a very fun and very crazy HAPPY DANCE!!!

This is the best day ever!!!!!!!

Yeah, but...

2008-04-19T22:07:00.000-07:00

I have many flaws. Some of them small...some of them not so small.

One big flaw is my tendency to criticize my husband for what he doesn't do instead of appreciating the things that he does. I'll say "thank you" in one breath and add a " but you didn't..." in the next.

Example: Mark is extremely good about taking the full kitchen trash bag out to the trash can. He's not so good about remembering to replace the bag in the kitchen. Yet I am ashamed to admit that more often than not instead of thanking him for taking the trash out I am criticizing him for not replacing the bag.

So I am working on just saying, "Thank you" for taking out the trash and simply replacing the bag myself.

Or he'll do laundry and stop short of folding it. My gut reaction is to be annoyed that he didn't finish the job. But is it really a big deal that I have to fold the clean laundry? He washed it, afterall.

How about, "Thanks for washing the laundry. I appreciate it." And leave it at that.

We are less than a month away from our one year anniversary. The farther we get into marriage the more I realize how important every word I speak to him is. Careless words can wound where careful words can bring life.

How bout it? How often do you affirm or thank the people around you without tacking something you feel they did wrong to the end of it?

The Block has been blocked...

2008-04-11T20:17:00.000-07:00

Read this and check out what my cute husband has been up to at work...read the whole article! I'm so proud of him :)

He's back...

2008-04-09T20:17:00.001-07:00

I convinced Mark to join the blogging world again. His new blog address is www.warning-humor-ahead.blogspot.com. Check him out! He should be working on it in the days ahead!

Resurrection

2008-04-07T12:30:00.000-07:00

Here I am at the end. I'm in need of resurrection.
Only You can take this empty shell and raise it from the dead.
What I've lost to the world, what seems far beyond redemption.
You can take the pieces in Your hand and make me whole again.

I've been thinking a lot about these lyrics since I first heard them a couple of months ago. Something about them strikes a chord with me.

Probably because I feel as though I too have lost a lot to the world in the last few months.

Time.
Health.
A baby.
Hope.

Trying to navigate the waters of this season have been no easy task. The water is rough and the waves at times, enormous. Hard going when there are days you feel like you are trying to make it in a battered rowboat instead of a cruise ship.

It's easy to try and tell God He's made mistakes in your life when you are trying to bail water out of your dilapidated little boat. "Sure God. Drown me. Super plan." Blame is no doubt the easier way to feel better temporarily. But I heard my pastor say something the other night - He said God will always use two things to grow you to spiritual maturity: suffering and obedience.

Crud.

Suffering and obedience.

The worst part is it doesn't explain anything. It doesn't make it hurt less. It doesn't change my circumstances. It just means that He who began a good work in me will see it through to completion.

Here I am at the end. I'm in need of resurrection.
Only You can take this empty shell and raise it from the dead.
What I've lost to the world, what seems far beyond redemption.
You can take the pieces in Your hand and make me whole again.

It means what I've lost to the world only God can redeem.

Buffalo Burgers and Grocery Shopping

2008-03-29T10:51:00.000-07:00

Because of our schedules, Mark and I NEVER get a full day off together where it is just the two of us. One of us is either working or we have kids.

But not this week! I had the last couple of days off, and at the last minute Mark was able to get them off too. Short of us being out of state together, this was the FIRST time in almost a year of marriage that we'd had one full day off together alone - let alone two in a row! I almost didn't know what to do!

Thursday we decided to make the trek up to Reno to check out the new Cabella's . It's Mark's most favorite store and it was fun to see him excited about finally getting to go. They have a small but really good cafeteria in the store where we decided to eat lunch. They sell all sorts of game like elk sandwhiches, buffalo burgers, etc. I opted for a safe cheeseburger, but Mark ordered the Buffalo Burger. Turns out it doesn't really taste much different than regular beef. After we ate we wandered around the store and took pictures like we were tourists!
It was a blast! Even if you aren't a big hunter/fisherman/outdoorsman it is a cool store to wander around for a while.

Friday we didn't have any big plans other than just getting to hang out together. We went grocery shopping (yippee...) and spent the rest of the day at home. We've been talking for a while about moving the kids to the bigger bedroom and decided it was a good day to do it. It took us almost all day - sorting through junk, moving furniture and cleaning. It still isn't all the way finished but it feels good to have gotten so much accomplished.

The two days were really a gift of time that we are really grateful for!

2007-12-30T14:34:00.000-08:00

December's almost gone - which is really strange since I swear it was just last weekend that we did our Imagine Christmas production. But the calendar tells me it was actually quite a number of weeks ago; and the calender doesn't lie.

The month is a blur. A crazy, exhausting, emotional, joyful, rollercoster blur. Truthfully, I am kinda glad it is almost over.

I thought I would share a random story from my day: I am driving to church this morning with the children in the backseat, talking to Mark on the phone. Lance and Tyler keep trying to get my attention, but I am trying to finish my conversation with Mark. They get more insistent, so I pause my conversation to see what they need. They promptly inform me that the guy in the car next to us was on America's Most Wanted last night and we need to call the hotline to turn him in.

Ah. It was the best part of my day.

You're a kid of the 90's if...

2007-12-05T23:08:00.000-08:00

You can finish this [ice ice _ _ _ _ ]

And im blue da ba de da ba die!!! aka im in need of a guy!

You remember watching:
-Doug.
-Ren & Stimpy.
-Pinky and the Brain.
-AAAAAAAH Real Monsters!
-Rockos modern Life.
-RUGRATS =]

You've ever ended a sentence with the word "PSYCHE!"

You just cant resist finishing this . . . "Iiiiiiin west philidelphia born and raised . . ."

You remember:
-Full house.
-Step by Step.
-Family Matters!!!
-Dinosaurs.
-Boy Meets World!!!!
-Double Dare.

You remember when it was actually worth getting up early on a Saturday to watch cartoons.

You got super excited when it was Oregon Trail day in computer class at school.

You remember reading "Goosebumps"

You took plastic cartoon lunch boxes to school.

You still get the urge to say "NOT" after (almost) every sentence . . . not

when everyhting was settled by:
-rock paper scissors or
-bubble gum bubble gum in a dish or
-daddy had a donkey inky binky bonky.
-skunk in the barn yard
-ms. mary mack
-big mac a tea a tea

when cops and robbers was a daily activity.

when we played Hide and go seek until our legs grew numb.

when we used to obey our parents

You used to listen to the radio all day long just to record your FAVORITE song of ALL time.

"Where in the World is Carmen San Diego?" was both a game and a TV game show.

Captain Planet. He's a Hero.

You knew that Kimberly, the pink ranger, and Tommy, the green ranger, were meant to be together.

You remember when Super Nintendos and Sega Genisis became popular.

You always wanted to send in a tape to America's Funniest Home Videos . . . but never taped anything funny.

You remember watching Home Alone 1, 2 , and 3 . . . and tried to pull the pranks on "intruders"

You remember watching:
-The Magic School Bus.
-Wishbone.
-Reading Rainbow.
-and Ghostwriter on PBS.

You remember when Yo-Yos were cool.

You remember those Where's Waldo books.

You remember eating Warheads.

You remember watching:
-the 1st Batman
-Aladdin
-Ninja Turtles
-Animporphs
-ghost busters

You remember Ring Pops.

You remember drinking Surge, and Tang.

If you remember when every thing was "da BOMB!"

When they made the new lunchables so that you could make pizza AND tacos.

You remember boom boxes vs. cd players.

Making those little paper fortune cookie things, and then predicting your life with them.

You played and/or collected "Pogs" :)

You had at least one Tamagotchi, GigaPet, or Nano and brought it everywhere.

one word. . . . . . . . Furbies.

You haven't always had a computer, and it was cool to have the internet.

And Windows 95 was the best.

You watched the original cartoons of Rugrats, Power Rangers, and Ninja Turtles.

Michael Jordan was a king.

YIKES pencils and erasers were the stuff!

All your school supplies were "Lisa Frank" brand.

You remember when the new Beanie Babies and Talking Elmo were always sold out

You collected those Beanie Babies.

Carebears

Gak was the coolest stuff invented.

Lambchop's song never ended.

The old dollar bills.

Silver dollars, which were cool to have.

Everyone watched the WB and yelled at people who interupted them.

You collected all the Troll dolls

If you even know what an original walkman is.

if you still have one.

You remember wanting to sit on the orange Nickelodeon couch.

You've gotten creeped out by "Are You Afraid of the Dark?"

You know the Macarena by heart.

"Talk to the hand" . . . enough said

You always said, "Then why don't you marry it!"

You went to McDonald's to play in the playplace.

You remember playing on merry go rounds at the playground.

Before the MySpace frenzy . . .

Before the Internet & text messaging . . .

Before Sidekicks & iPods . . .

Before MIKE JONES . . .

Before PlayStation2 or X-BOX . . .

Before Spongebob . . .

Back when you put off the 5 hours of homework you had every night.

When light up sneakers were cool.

When you rented VHS tapes, not DVDs.

When gas was $0.95 a gallon & Caller ID was a new thing.

When we recorded stuff on VCRs.

When we called the radio station to request songs to hear off of our walkman.

When checking out drawing books and that one book about the rainbow fish from the library was THE cool thing to do.

You had slap bracelets!

Way back.

Before we realized all this would eventually disappear.

Super taster???

2007-11-24T11:23:00.000-08:00

his lecture and learned some very interesting tOur friend Lucas is working on his graduate degree in Neuro-Science at UC Davis in Northern California - so he came over to our house to spend Thanksgiving with Mark and me this year. He is a TA for a professor there and is giving a lecture on Tuesday about taste. (I got a preview ofhings about my tastebuds.)
Lucas became convinced that I was a "supertaster," meaning that I have an above-average number of tastebuds in my mouth. To prove his theory we coated my tongue in blue food coloring. Apparently, blue food coloring will dye your whole tongue blue except your tastebuds - allowing you to count them.

Here's a picture of my blue tongue:Unfortunately, Lucas could not determine from that test if I was a supertaster or not. But he did take some pictures of my tongue for his research.

It was fun...it an odd sort of neuro-science way.

Illinois Bliss

2007-11-24T11:11:00.000-08:00

Mark and me on the Peoria riverfront.
Mark and me in front of the bonfire my Dad built Tuesday night.
Me and my friend Laura on the field at the Whitesox stadium.
Me, Mark, Suzanne, Peter, Laura and Dad in the stands at the Whitesox Stadium.
Mark and a gorilla at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago.

We all had a great time. Lots of treasured memories.

Synopsis

2007-11-24T11:07:00.000-08:00

Much has happened in a short time. Here's a synopsis:

Went to Illinois. Had a great time.
Came home and went to UNR/Hawaii game.
Car was burglarized while at the game.
Purse/keys/laptop stolen. Window smashed.
Very angry/annoyed/inconvenienced.
Window fixed. Bank accounts a mess.
Had a super Thanksgiving.
Back to work.

A Delicious Moment

2007-11-04T18:00:00.000-08:00

Warning: If the November 1st episode of Survivor: China is still in your TiVo not yet watched...I am going to spoil the ending.

I'm sorry - but could there have been a better way for Jamie to have been sent home? The entire episode I was dying to know if she was going to be ridiculous enough to play the fake immunity idol. I will admit that I was yelling at the TV hoping it was going to be so.

And it was so. Perhaps I should have more compassion on her in light of her humiliation. I highly doubt she will ever live down Jeff Probst throwing her fake idol in the fire. But reveled in the moment and did a little dance when her fire was extinguished.

Now to vote off her counterpart, Phee-Gee.

At long last....

2007-10-26T20:22:00.001-07:00

Just like Steve posted a few days ago...A picture is worth a thousand words.

Road trip

2007-10-26T20:05:00.001-07:00

So last Monday Mark and I took a little road trip to Hope Valley and Markleville to see some fall colors. We were about a week late to see anything good in Hope Valley. Most of the leaves had already fallen off the trees. But we stopped in several places in Markleville and got some really pretty pictures. Here is a little photo journey....

It was the best day I have had in a long time. :)

Lessons learned

2007-09-30T17:08:00.000-07:00

How much do you look like Jesus? My three year old step-son Lance got me to thinking about that question today.

This weekend we had a powerful drama in our services in which Jesus was portrayed in the traditional first century garb.

He saw the drama during rehearsal this morning and only had one question for me: "Why is Jesus here at church?" Tyler, my six year old stepson had the answer - "It's not really Jesus. Just some guy that looks like him."

Just some guy that looks like him. It got me to thinking. How many people were present this weekend that looked like Jesus? How much do I look like Jesus?

Ya think we were tired?

2007-09-29T10:39:00.000-07:00

My husband and I had dinner plans last night. Too bad we both fell asleep on the couch at 6:30 and didn't wake up until 10:00 pm. We just scratched dinner altogether and crawled into bed. Unfortunately Mark had to get up and go to work at dark-thirty - but I was blissfully asleep until 9:00 am this morning.

Ah, sleep.

2007-09-09T16:55:00.000-07:00

I have been thinking a lot lately about writing a book about Step-Parenting. Granted, I have not held the title all that long - but it's one of those trial by fire things. You learn a lot in a short amount of time.

In my opinion (and since this is my book it gets to be all about my opinion!!), I think the number one scariest and most frustrating thing about step-parenting is loneliness. Very briefly, this is why I think that...

Step-parenting is hard. Every single day you have thoughts and emotions (not all bad ones, but a barrage of them nonetheless) that you don't know what to do with. Some that you think are too horrible to say out loud. Some that you think no one else on the planet must have ever thought about step-parenting. Image management keeps you from talking about them with others - especially your spouse. And so you are prone to getting trapped in this self-made box of loneliness.

I know I have had experiences talking to other step-parents where I find out that "oh my gosh. They have some of the same thoughts that I do. Cool. I'm not the only one."

I want to write the book not because I think I have great or new things to say. I want to write the book so someone can read it and think, "Praise God that I am not the only person to have ever experienced this." There is comfort in knowing that you are not alone.

I have a GREAT title: "Try Not To Pee On Your Children - and Other Life Lessons Learned as A Step-Parent."

Catchy...isn't it??

Perhaps it deserves a little explanation.

Dogs mark their territory by peeing on things. Hydrants, bushes, couches...whatever. They put their scent on things so that when another dog walks by they will smell the other dogs pee and know that dog has been there. I have observed that parents can be the same way. They don't literally pee on their children, but they mark their territory in other subtle ways. I think on of the greatest gifts a step-parent can RECEIVE is when both natural parents give their children permission to love the step-parent with a wild abandon. In essence, when they do not pee on their children.

Mark's ex-wife Lisa is actually really great at this. She gives both Lance and Tyler permission to love me. One of the greatest moments for me as a Step-parent was a direct result of this. We were dropping the kids off at Lisa's and I was sitting in the car. Long story short Lisa came out to say hi to me and the kids followed her outside. Lance opened the car door, and climbed up into my lap to give me a hug goodbye. In front of his mom. That might not seem like a big deal if you aren't a Step-parent...but trust me when I say it is!

Anyway, the book is mostly percolating in my brain right now. One of these days I will put it to paper.

mmm mmm good...

2007-09-08T11:31:00.000-07:00

I love muffins. And lately I have been in the mood to make some. I came across a recipe for Banana Muffins and Apple Streusel Muffins that I thought I would share.

The Banana Muffin recipe I found on the Internet. I admit I changed it a little...I added brown sugar, vanilla and chocolate chips to the recipe and they tasted...well...tasty!

Banana Muffins (makes 12 muffins)
1 1/2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
3 large bananas mashed
1 tsp Baking Powder
3/4 cup sugar (1/2 white, 1/2 brown sugar)
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 Egg
1/2 tsp Salt 1/3 cup butter, melted (you can sub 1/2 cup applesauce for healthier muffins!!)
1/2 tsp Vanilla chocolate chips (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat Muffin pans with non-stick spray, or use paper liners. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
2. Combine bananas, sugar, egg, melted butter (or applesauce), vanilla in a large bowl. Fold in flour mixture until smooth. Scoop in muffin tins.
3. Bake in preheated oven 25-30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

My Aunt Karen writes and published cookbooks. I was flipping through one of them the other day and came across this Apple Streusel Muffin Recipe. Turns out that it was my grandmother's recipe (she died about 10 years ago of breast cancer.) These are a lot more work than the banana muffins - but really good!

Apple Streusel Muffins (makes 12 muffins)
1 1/2 cup flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup sour cream
1/4 tsp allspice
2 large eggs
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup margarine, melted
2 tsp baking powder
1 cup apple, diced
1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400. Mix flour, sugar, allspice, salt, baking powder, cinnamon and baking soda in large bowl. In another bowl, combine sour cream, eggs, butter and apple; blend well. Pour over dry ingredients and mix only until moistened. Spoon into muffin pans. Top with streusel topping and bake for about 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Streusel Topping
1/2 cup chopped nuts
2 tbs margarine
1/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp cinnamon
3 tbs sugar

Combine all ingredients together and mix until crumbly.

Both muffins are delicious. I doubled each recipe because 12 muffins would not last 12 minutes in my house...

Enjoy!

Home Sweet Home

2007-09-03T13:25:00.000-07:00

I really love our house. I love where it is. I love that it is something tangible that Mark and I can change and adapt to meet our family needs.

But I really love our view. Late last week it rained - and this is what greeted us in our front yard...

Ignorance is Bliss

2007-08-18T21:32:00.000-07:00

As if I needed to add to my car saga...

Tonight after church I popped my hood to add water to the cooling system. I found what I least expected. A family of mice and their nest. On top of my engine block. I screamed. So did Lance.

They ran down into my engine. Not out of my engine mind you...but into the engine. The entire way home I kept waiting for a mouse to drop out of the front of the car and onto my foot (you know...the one on the accelerator.) I had to continually give myself a pep talk: "Jeanne, if a mouse drops onto your foot you must remain calm. You cannot kill your stepchildren by freaking out and running into a tree. Remain calm."

As it turns out I made it home without the car breaking down or a mouse trying to eat my foot. However, about three minutes from home Tyler notices an unpleasant aroma. I tell him it is because of the recent fire about 6 miles from our home. But I suspect it is something much more sinister. Cooked mouse.

Yuck.

So I Think He Can Dance

2007-08-16T15:36:00.000-07:00

Go Neil!!

I hope you voted for him.

We shall find out tonight!

Surprise me.

2007-08-07T22:11:00.000-07:00

I love it when I listen to a new song and I am surprised by a chord. I'm rockin' along to I - IV - V - I and BAM!

There it is.

A sweet chord.

The kind that makes you smile.

The kind that restores my faith in the creative songwriting process.

mmmmmm. I love it.

They can definately dance

2007-08-01T22:10:00.000-07:00

There are nights when I am not a fan of Mia Michaels. Like her alien bug routine a few weeks ago with Lauren and Neil. Many times I just don't get it.

But tonight...

The dance she choreographed was nothing short of exceptional. Breathtaking, really. In the dance she is reunited in heaven with her father that she lost to cancer two years ago. It was simply unreal the way the dance moved me. Lacey and Neil told the story so beautifully that I couldn't help but sit on my couch in awe and cry.

If you have it on Tivo, stop reading this and go watch it. It's worth it.

One of those days.

2007-07-29T21:47:00.000-07:00

Yup. Just one of those days.

My car's broken. Again. I got home this afternoon, parked it in the rocks (it's leaking oil now so I'm not allowed to park in the driveway), and it promptly overheated, spurted steam everywhere and dumbed the contents of my cooling system on the ground. Again. I wanted to scream.

Mark pulls in the driveway 30 seconds later. I yell for him to come see. The first thing he says?? "Well, good thing you aren't parked in the driveway. That would have made a mess."

WHAT? I'm sorry...I am now without a vehicle AGAIN and the first thing he thinks about is the cement in the driveway. And honestly, I can't understand why it matters what the cement in the driveway looks like. It's a driveway. You drive on it. It's gonna get dirty.

At this point I have no idea what to do about the car. It has been in the repair shop twice now in the last three weeks and this is still happening. So I do what any girl would do. I called Dad.

He was no help. "Well Jeanne, it sounds like a really slow leak that is going to be hard to find."

He tells me to fill it with water and drive it till it comes up to temperature, but hopefully not overheating, so I can try and pinpoint where the leak is. I'm sorry...but on my list of things to do when I got up this morning that was SSSSOOOOOOO not on it. As if I want to go drive my unreliable car around so I can possibly strand myself on the side of the road in 100 degree weather so I can possibly try and ascertain where this tiny little leak is. I may have picked up some auto repair skills from my father but that was NOT ONE OF THEM.

Rewind. Mark and I are in the driveway watching my car steam and spit. He tells me he's glad I didn't get his driveway dirty. I want to kick him. But I can't do that. So what do I do? I start kicking my car. Hard. I was really trying to dent it. Had I been holding a bat I probably would have used it. But I wasn't so I had to use what was available and that was my foot. It sorta hurt but I was oddly satisfied having kicked it. My dad would not have approved. Neither did Mark.

Yup. Just one of those days.

Arrrggghhhh Matey!

2007-07-29T21:33:00.000-07:00

It's a really long story.

Here's the short version:

About a month ago Tyler was at a birthday party and got shot in the eye with a foam dart. He was sorta devastated, but really fine.

Later that evening while trying to get him to fall asleep (the poor guy was having a rough night) he confesses to me that he is still really upset about his eye and thinks an eye patch will heal it.

"I'm sorry sweetie, I don't have an eye patch to give you."
"Well can we go to the store and get one?"
"Not tonight...it's already really late."
"Tomorrow?"
"Sure, tomorrow."

It's not Halloween. We couldn't find an eye patch. More devastation for our six year old. Mark convinced him that we could make him an eye patch if he really wanted something to cover his eye. He assured us it wasn't as good as the real thing, but that it was better than nothing. The picture details what we came up with.

He was happy. But asked that we remove it 15 minutes later. We couldn't help but laugh.

You can bet this picture is coming back out when his first girlfriend comes around... :)

mmmmm meat

2007-07-29T21:21:00.000-07:00

I don't like spaghetti. I have no idea why because I love all other sorts of pasta. Just not spaghetti. My husband loves spaghetti. With lots of sauce. And lots of meat.

And although I do not love spaghetti I love my husband. So I made spaghetti for dinner the other night. Here is Mark enjoying the meal. He was so happy at dinner that I just had to take his picture. (the bowl to the right of his plate is the extra meat I didn't put in the sauce. Hence another reason he was so happy. A whole bowl of meat just for him.)

Going to the chapel and we're....

2007-07-29T21:05:00.001-07:00

...Gonna get married.

Admittedly, I am little late on the Dad-Vegas wedding post. Better late than never, I guess.

I'll post some pictures...but here are a few highlights.

*Getting to spend some time with long distance family. 'Nuff said.
*Spending time with my sister Krystina who lives an ocean away! I miss her.
*Seeing my Dad happier than I have seen him a very long time. Jeri is a good woman.
*Getting to spend some quality time with my husband (Some days I have to carry a picture around of him just so I can remember what he looks like...)
*Eating "dinner" with Mark in a casino cafe at 2:00 am. And having a gay waiter named Elvis. (the irony of having a waiter named Elvis in Vegas was almost too much for me to handle!)
*Going to see Stomp with Mark and Krystina on Friday night. I highly recommend the show!
*Getting to stand up with my Dad as he got married (at 11:30 at night!).
*Leaving Carson Valley for a few days! :)
*Going to the Wax Museum in the Venetian (see Mark with the Rock...)

525,600 minutes...

2007-07-17T10:18:00.000-07:00

Mark,

Today is exactly one year from the day that we went on our first date. I don't often sit and think about that day anymore as so much has happened since then. However, today is a day to remember...

I remember being nervous. And I remember wanting to back out. But I also remember this nagging feeling that if I did back out that I would be missing out on something fantastic. My nagging feeling was probably the Holy Spirit. And it was true - had I turned you down I would have missed out on the greatest blessing of my entire life - you.

I remember early in the afternoon waiting for you to call and set up the details of time and place for the evening. I remember the feeling when I saw an unfamiliar number on my phone and knowing it was you. Being scared to pick up but really curious as to what you had to say. I remember our conversation and thinking how nice you were - and that it wasn't that hard to talk to you after all.

I remember sitting at my kitchen table with Sunny and waiting for you to pick us up. Wondering what in the world we were going to have to talk about. Curious as to why you picked me. Wondering if you knew how old I really was. Not knowing if you were going to want to go out with me again after that night. Not believing that it was my life that this was happening to. You rang my doorbell. My life changed forever.

I'll probably always remember what you had on that night. And where we sat in Applebee's. And how nice you were. Probably the nicest guy I had ever met. And such a gentleman! Sunny and I thought you were too good to be true. That no one could be that much of a gentleman. Or that nice.

But it was true. I married the nicest, kindest, most chivalrous man on earth. You are everything you said you were that night and more. I'm so glad you picked me. I'm so glad I said yes.

Happy One Year Anniversary, Mark. I love you.

Jeanne

Another one bites the dust...

2007-06-21T18:02:00.001-07:00

Another one down. We are officially down to one goldfish. Just in case you were wondering, that is.

Top 100 Reasons Why I Love My Husband

2007-06-13T22:55:00.000-07:00

(in no particular order)

1. He loves God.
2. He loves me.
3. He won't end a telephone conversation without telling me he loves me.
4. He'll cuddle with me.
5. He makes me laugh with his silly jokes.
6. He'll give me his dinner if I like it better.
7. He takes out the trash without me even asking.
8. He gets excited about little things.
9. He loves cartoons.
10. He can talk his way into any ballpark.
11. He can talk his way into just about anywhere.
12. He can talk his way out of a ticket.
13. He is a really good cop.
14. He looks really cute in his blue uniform.
15. He loves to party.
16. He thinks I'm beautiful even when I am not trying to be.
17. He thinks I'm beautiful even when I am trying to be!
18. He will watch movies I want to watch.
19. He'll share a Coldstone ice cream with me when I know he wants his own.
20. He tries really hard to understand my job.
21. He is my biggest fan.
22. He gives the best hugs.
23. He gives the best kisses.
24. He genuinely wants to serve his community.
25. He loves taking care of his family.
26. He's a big kid.
27. He buys super hero t-shirts and looks really good in them.
28. There is not a selfish bone in his body.
29. He thinks mattresses only cost about 500 dollars.
30. Gummi Bears are his favorite candy.
31. He loves and respects his mom.
32. He likes to grill.
33. He loves sports just enough to be really manly about it.
34. He can make me smile and laugh really hard with his french accent.
35. He loves to take care of me when I am sick.
36. He loves to take care of me even when I am not sick.
37. Let's face it. He's hot.
38. He proposed to me at Wrigley Field!
39. My dad loves him.
40. My sister's think he is the greatest thing since sliced bread.
41. He is the greatest thing since sliced bread.
42. He is a smart cookie.
43. He knows lots of information about the weirdest things.
44. He can arrest people!
45. He loves his kids.
46. He loves to play X-box.
47. He'll go shopping with me.
48. He's not afraid to put me in my place.
49. His smile brightens my day.
50. He is a good provider.
51. He is a really hard worker.
52. He has the biggest heart of anyone I know.
53. He is the most generous person I've ever met.
54. His eyes smile.
55. He never gives up.
56. He is tender.
57. He's passionate.
58. He loves to laugh.
59. He understands the importance of carnival food.
60. He loves to learn.
61. He has a humble and teachable spirit.
62. He has big plans for our backyard.
63. He'll watch HGTV with me.
64. He doesn't complain too much when I want to watch the style network...
65. He doesn't steal the covers! :)
66. He buys me flowers.
67. He just wants to make me feel special.
68. He makes me feel more loved that I ever have in my life.
69. He is dedicated to family.
70. He has an adventurous spirit.
71. He can keep a secret.
72. He can plan a good party!
73. He's all about marking special moments.
74. He will buy my favorite candy bar if he sees it.
75. He'll fall asleep on the couch but deny he did till the end.
76. He wasn't afraid to make a scary career move because it was good for us.
77. He is the bravest man I know.
78. Did I mention he was hot??
79. He loves milk (so delicious.)
80. My family is important to him.
81. What I think is important to him.
82. He thinks I am a good singer.
83. He respects me.
84. He respects other people.
85. He will help anyone in need.
86. He'll go out of his way to do it.
87. He teaches me to have more fun.
88. He teaches me to be more generous.
89. He makes life more enjoyable.
90. He knows every lyric and author of every song ever written.
91. He'll go to church an hour and half early just to be with me.
92. He loves baked beans.
93. His expression at our wedding. I'll never forget it.
94. His gentleness.
95. His mischievous side.
96. The way he dances.
97. The way he calls just to tell me he loves me and is thinking of me.
98. The way he holds my hand.
99. The way he gives of himself everyday.
100. I love him for who he is. Not what he can do. Just for who you are, Mark.

Two down.

2007-06-13T22:04:00.000-07:00

My littel family won four goldfish at the carnival on Sunday. Two have already died. I do not have high expectations for the life expectancy of the other two.

Home Improvements...

2007-06-13T21:48:00.000-07:00

My home decorating itch has started. It must be scratched. And scratch it I have.

The last three days I have been painting the largest wall in our living room a really beautiful red color. The official name is "Hawaiian Cinder." But that is just fancy talk for deep, rich red. I finished up my touch-up's this evening...and it looks pretty good if I do say so myself. We have one more wall to paint - but I need to borrow a really tall ladder. So I'll have to get to that later.

We also know have curtains in the living room. Hard to believe, I know. I think they look really fantastic...but then I did pick them out. My opinion might be biased.

I'm going to give my deliciously red wall a few days to cure before I start nailing stuff the walls. Besides, I want to think long and hard about what I want to go on the wall. I was wholly unsatisfied with what I previously had going on on that wall...The only thing I am sure of is that pretty much none of what was there before is going to reappear on that wall.

I'm really quite glad that my life has slowed down a smidge to where I have a little room in my brain to start thinking about really setting up shop here at home. I think it will help my state of mind, too. When I have a really beautiful space to come home to the world just seems a little nicer.

You should come over and see the improvements some time. I think you'll like 'em!

defining moments

2007-06-12T21:52:00.000-07:00

The title of my blog. Defining moments. Few of the incidents I right about are actually that. But not so today.

Last night I had the privilege of seeing my husband sworn in as a Police Officer of the City of South Lake Tahoe. A defining moment. It marks the beginning of his official transition from Deputy Sheriff to Police Officer. I am really proud of him.

What made the event even more special was that I got to pin his badge on him.

I love you, Officer Hounsell.

2007-06-07T17:32:00.001-07:00

I had a weird moment this morning. I was helping my husband study for his California POST exam and I had this strange sensation of missing studying. I flashed back to a class I took in college - History and Literature of Music - by far the class that required the most studying of any that I took in my four years there. I made some kick-butt study guides for the tests in that class. I can vividly recall sitting on the floor in my door room with three or four other girls drilling the study guide over and over. I really don't mind that kind of studying. I actually kind of miss it, truth be told.

I'm in an awkward kind of place right now. Not bad. Just awkward. Transitional, really. Our schedule at home is anything but settled and there has been a lot of change lately. I am sure that this all contributes to my feelings of awkwardness. But I have to wonder if part of it is not a failure on my part to feed my mind and my soul. I am a learner. I always have been. The last long while I have been in "get it done" mode. There has been precious little time to just learn something new. To stretch my mind some. Granted, I must take some blame for this. I have had a thousand excuses. Work. Wedding. Family. Sleep.

I have a list of hundred things I would love to learn. Or classes I would love to take. Here's a sampling...

1. I've always wanted to take violin lessons.
2. I'd love to take a photography class.
3. I love American History. I'd enjoy taking an American History class from a good teacher.
4. I should really take up voice lessons again.
5. I would love to take a creative writing class. Who knows...maybe I have a story in me.
6. I would DIE if I could take ballroom dancing.
7. Taking an English Literature class would be fun too.
8. Piano lessons would be great...

Anyway - perhaps you can relate. Are you a learner? Do you get in a funk when you get in "do" mode instead of "learn" mode?

By the way - I got a 98% in my History and Literature of Music class... :)

Easy Bake Oven...

2007-05-30T15:59:00.000-07:00

Ok. I didn't have an Easy Bake Oven as a kid. But my sister did. Fun for a child...but to quote Monica from Friends, "It is unrealistic to expect a child to wait an hour for a lightbulb to cook brownies!" How true.

I don't really enjoy cooking all that much. Maybe I would if I had more time - but after a long day cooking is really the LAST thing I want to think about. Usually anyway.

Every once in a while I will get in the mood to bake. For some reason, baking and cooking are two different things in my mind. Separate categories. Maybe that's because baking will most often end with a delicious pie or cake or cookie to eat. MMMmmmm.

Last night I got the opportunity to bake some cookies for a co-worker who helped me out yesterday way above and beyond what he had too. And I got to use one of my new toys...

Oooooo.....aaahhhh..... That's right. My generous Aunt and Uncle gave Mark and I a Kitchenaid Mixer for a wedding present. Making cookies has never been so easy. My arm didn't get weary at all because I wasn't the one doing the mixing.

I highly recommend this appliance if you can get your hands on one!

He loves me...

2007-05-26T21:58:00.001-07:00

There are many reasons why I know my husband loves me very much. But tonight he demonstrated it in a very cool way...

We were at dinner at a fairly nice establishment and we both ordered different steaks. When they came, we tasted what the other had ordered. I made the passing comment that I liked his better - and he switched steaks with me (and that is a big deal if you knew how much Mark likes steak...).

Ah, such love.

2007-05-24T17:26:00.001-07:00

I love my husband.

2007-05-22T14:12:00.001-07:00

"The Devil, the originator of sorrowful anxieties and restless troubles, flees before the sound of music almost much as before the Word of God."

-Martin Luther

The Fleecing of America!!

2007-04-19T16:18:00.000-07:00

Can you believe that it cost Mark and me 69 dollars to get our marriage license?? I mean really! For a little piece of paper. The ink better be pure gold. That's all I have to say.

I've decided that the hidden costs of getting married are: 1) postage 2) your marriage license

Yeah. I'm annoyed.

A guilty pleasure...

2007-04-18T20:13:00.000-07:00

Mark has gotten me addicted to the show "Dog the Bounty Hunter." I have no idea why I like it because I do not normally enjoy shows of this nature. But for one reason or another the show has peaked my interest.

On related story...My sister Krystina lives in Hawaii on the island of Oahu. Mark asked her one time if she had ever seen Dog (his business also being on Oahu). She replies, "No, I've never seen him - but we go to the same tattoo place."

Only from my sister Krystina would you get such a response. You have to love her. :)

Outdoor Fun

2007-04-06T10:49:00.000-07:00

One of my "resolutions" (if you can call it that) is to spend more time outside doing fun outdoor type activities. It's just plain wrong that I live in this beautiful area and never to go to Tahoe or Topaz or any of the other magnificent spots available to me.

So I have been getting ready. Every summer around July I decide I want a beach umbrella. But you can't buy them in July...sold out. So I have already bought two. One for Mark and I and one for the boys. I am also stocking up on beach toys. Buckets, shovels, sand molds, balls - that sort of thing. One of the gifts I got at my wedding shower was an igloo ice chest. Perfect for the all day beach excursion! I want my family to have nice memories of the summers that we spent outdoors. And we have already started, folks. This last week we took a picnic lunch to Lake Topaz. Definately not nearly as nice a lake as Tahoe...but Topaz is only 10 minutes from our house and they allow dogs. It's still water...and it is still pretty nice. I only had two hours - so we couldn't spend the day there. But the time we did have was really nice. Here are some pictures!

Rubber ducky, you're the one...

2007-04-06T10:24:00.000-07:00

Mark got called into work the other night - so I got Lance and Tyler ready for bed. Who knew bathtime could be so much fun?

He's so cute.

2007-04-04T16:02:00.000-07:00

That's right...my adorable fiance now has a blog. Check him out here.

Kids say...

2007-03-31T11:21:00.000-07:00

The darndest things.

Like at dinner the other night.

My mom and her husband Rusty had come over for dinner and Tyler (who is six) had just come from T-ball practice. They had apparently also had a scrimmage that night so he was in his full uniform...

Dinner was past ready when they got home so instead of having him change we just all sat down to eat. We get about five minutes into the meal and he yells out, "Ah, can't I go take my cup off?"

Not ever having had to wear that particular piece of athletic equipment I have no idea if they are comfortable or not. But judging from Tyler's disdain over having to wear it at dinner...I'm going to guess not.

We're going...

2007-03-28T18:23:00.000-07:00

On a honeymoon!! It's a long, long story of how we got here...but the short story is that our friends Henry and Cindy (Incidentally it is Henry that is marrying us) gave us a week of their time share for our wedding present! So we will be spending a glorious week at a resort in Scottsdale, AZ. I just love them.

In case you were wondering...

2007-03-27T12:42:00.001-07:00

Only 44 days until the wedding!

Odd source, true statement

2007-02-19T21:03:00.000-08:00

I came across this article on msn.com about a couple from IL that are planning on getting married in a cemetery. Which, I have to admit, is weird. However, at the very end of the article the bride makes a very good point. In response to co-workers who were giving her a hard time about having nuptials in a cemetery she says, "Does it matter where we get married, just as long as we get married?" Huh. Good point. Not that I want to get married in a cemetery mind you...but she does make an excellent point.

I confess that from time to time I have gotten caught up in the where and how of our wedding. But really, whether we get married in a beautiful backyard or the courthouse, the end result is the same. I will be Mrs. Hounsell. (But I still want the beautiful backyard!)

Here's the article for your reading pleasure....

With this ring, I thee wed in a graveyard
Hearse-driving Missouri couple plans cemetery wedding

PACIFIC, Mo. - It's not the traditional "till death do us part," but Scott Amsler and Miranda Patterson believe getting hitched in a graveyard is just thinking outside the box.
Come September, the Illinois couple expects to pledge their undying love among the dearly departed in this St. Louis suburb's city cemetery, even though those who approved the request are dead set against seeing it become a trend.
The wedding wouldn't be out of character for Amsler, 27, a computer expert for a financial company by day and rehabber of old hearses by night.
The graveyard, he said, just has a certain tranquility and thriftiness for nuptials the young couple insists will be small, private and traditional — except for the bagpipes, Amsler's refurbished hearse and the throng of eternally silent witnesses.
"People are going to think how they want. I don't actively try to convince people that my interests are normal or logical," Amsler said. "I'm not a freak or Satan worshipper or cult member. It just goes with our theme."
Deep down, the couple said, it just seemed right.
Amsler and Patterson, who recently moved to Collinsville, Ill., became an item not long after they met in November 2005 at a birthday party where Patterson, 21, was to have been the celebrant's blind date. Amsler showed up in a retooled hearse that caught Patterson's eye.
‘I wanted a ride in it, but I chickened out’"I wanted a ride in it, but I chickened out at the last minute," she said.
By their first date weeks later, on New Year's Eve, Patterson knew Amsler was the one. Not long afterward, she quit her factory job in Sullivan, Mo., and moved in with Amsler in Troy, Ill.
Amsler proposed last June, affixing to the side of the 1965 hearse — which the two call "Edgar" — a plate with a simple message: "Will you marry me?" Seconds later, the ring slid onto a crying Patterson's finger.
She received Edgar as an engagement gift and had only one stipulation: The wedding had to be outside, in a gazebo.
Her worries were laid to rest while she and Amsler drove to her dad's house. While traveling on Interstate 44, Patterson spotted a gazebo on a hilltop, only to find it was in a graveyard. No worries.
"The view was just gorgeous," she said. "I said, `This is where I want to get married.'"
When the couple called last fall for permission to use the three-acre cemetery, which dates to the Civil War, City Clerk Jo Ann Hoehne told them the local cemetery committee would have to decide.
‘Just a normal young couple’"When I spoke to them, they were just a normal young couple who wanted to have a wedding someplace they thought was nice and serene for a very small, intimate wedding," Hoehne said. "They weren't any cult group or anything like that."
Bill Hohman, a 71-year-old alderman on the cemetery panel, wasn't sure what to think.
"It's strange to me. This is kind of an unusual thing around here," he said of the country town where the roughly 5,700 residents "roll up the sidewalks at 9 o'clock, and everyone goes to bed."
The committee last month signed off on the couple's request despite concerns about the appropriateness of the setting for the occasion — and fears that a burial might be scheduled for the same time.
Hohman, though, vows to introduce a measure to make Amsler-Patterson nuptials the last among this town's tombstones. "Once the horse is out of the barn, you have to have an ordinance," he said.
But Patterson said she and Amsler have respect for the living and the dead.
"We're not going to do anything stupid or horrible. We just want to have a wedding," she said.
"Some of the ladies I work with said, `Are you crazy? Why would you get married in a cemetery?' Does it matter where we get married, just as long as we get married?"

"I've Got the World on a String..."

2007-01-12T21:58:00.000-08:00

Here are some random observations of mine from the last few days...

I (kinda) miss taking voice lessons. Last night at NewSong rehearsal our former choir director brought in her private voice students to perform for us. Her recital is next Thursday and she wanted to give a few of her students an opportunity to perform one of their songs in front of people they didn't know as practice for their real recital. It's a great idea. I was sitting in the front row watching, listening and remembering back to the days when that was me singing in Italian at what felt like the top of my register in front of people that I didn't know. Part of me was sad because I know that I have lost much of my technical skill that I worked years to achieve. As more time passes it feels like I am looking at that portion of my life through a haze. Mozart feels like a long time ago and part of me is saddened by it. There is, of course, another part that is glad I am not singing in Italian at the top of my register in front of people I don't know. I feel both those emotions at the same time, and more than likely always will.

With the assistance of my brilliant wedding planner, Tina, I have picked 2 REALLY nice songs for the ceremony. I shall not reveal the name of the songs until the wedding day itself... so if you want to know what songs I picked I guess you'll just have to come and see me get married :) Rest assured though... it ain't no Shania Twain.

Mark and I started our premarital counseling yesterday. I can tell that it is going to be hard for me (in a good, learning and stretching sort of way). The couple counseling us is asking the sort of questions I don't like answering: questions that I can't study for and that often involve how I feel. I like questions with concrete answers that I can study for. Plus, I will give you my best answers when I can think about the questions for a long time. Thoughts need time to percolate in my brain. It's just the way I am. So when I get asked a question that needs percolating and I have to answer immediately I feel like everything that comes out of my mouth is unintelligent gibberish. It's not a great feeling, really. We have a book/workbook (Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts) that we are working from... so I hope that I will feel better prepared to answer their questions having spent all week reading and thinking about the exercises in the book. Or maybe I just need to get over my question anxiety. That's a possibility too...

It's been a weird week. LOTS has happened that I couldn't even begin to have space to blog about here. I'm sure I'll write about it in the weeks and months to come. Just not tonight.

And all that jazz

2007-01-06T22:02:00.000-08:00

As previously mentioned, I am getting married. May 11th, 2007. For those of you who are counting, that's 124 days from now.

I have been thinking extensively about the music for the ceremony. Songs for the processional and recessional. Special songs to be sung during the ceremony. Pre and Post service melodies. It's a lot of music, really. Many of you who read this blog probably know that I am a Music Director for a very cool church. Music is my business you could say. It's what I do all week long. And it is why I'm feeling a lot of pressure for the music to not suck at the wedding.

Let me explain.

Obviously, whoever I ask to play or sing will do an excellent job. I'm certainly not going to ask someone to perform whose skills are questionable. And I apologize if this sounds harsh...but there is simply no room for mediocre at this wedding! The suck knob is going to be turned down so far that it is off. No, I am not stressed about quality. I'm stressed about song selection.

Let me explain further.

I am very passionate about our wedding not being a "cookie cutter" ceremony. I'm sure we have all been to those weddings where you felt like you could say "insert bride and groom here." I don't want the wedding to be so off the wall that it's bizarre...I simply want people to leave feeling like they just spent time with Mark and Jeanne - Not any random bride and groom. Therefore I have put a ban on the following song selections:

Canon in D
Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring
Anything Shania Twain
Anything Steven Curtis Chapman
Anything Twila Paris

Now, I have great respect for those songs and artists. But apparently so does most of the rest of the free world because they have been performed at every wedding since 1990.

If you were going to the wedding of a florist you would come expecting spectacular flowers. If I was going to the wedding of a career musician I would expect spectacular music. Now, I will admit that it is entirely possible that this problem is all in my head. Very possible. But I am going to operate under the assumption that it is not and strive to have fun, creative and meaningful music selections during my ceremony.

Expect the unexpected, wedding guests. There will be no Canon in D here.

Christmas

2006-12-31T18:52:00.000-08:00

Here's a pic of Lance and Tyler in front of the tree... Enjoy!

2nd post of the month.

2006-12-16T22:20:00.001-08:00

That's right. A second post. My streak is broken!

Numbers and call signs

2006-12-16T21:55:00.000-08:00

My soon to be husband bought me a police scanner so that I could listen to what he is up to while at work. Tonight is the first opportunity I have had to turn it on and listen. It is really quite fascinating - and mildly frustrating because I don't know what all of the codes mean yet. These are the ones that I do know:

10-4 = "ok"
10-8 = "out of service" (like if they were eating lunch)

And yeah...that's about all I know at this point. I'm going to have Mark make me a list of what all their codes mean so that I can at least attempt to make sense of what he does.

It is pretty neat how they identify themselves over the radio. Each shift is assigned a number. Graveyard is 1, Day shift is 2 and Swing shift is 3. Then, each beat that the deputy is assigned to is given a number. For example, the Ranchos in Gardnerville is 06. For example, if you had a deputy working in the Ranchos on Swing shift his call sign for the night would be 306. I think it's pretty cool, anyway.

I have learned a lot about police work and Nevada law since I have been with Mark. Did you know that everything in Nevada is a misdemeanor? Mark can arrest you for a broken tail light. He probably wouldn't of course...but he could! I have also learned that cops spend a great deal of time writing reports. I wouldn't have guessed that. But apparently they do!

I haven't heard Mark on the radio yet tonight. Maybe he is in the station writing reports...

2006-11-29T17:48:00.000-08:00

I'm getting married!!! Yeah!!!!!

Drinking through a firehose...

2006-10-22T22:43:00.000-07:00

Ok, I'm back from Hawaii. In a nutshell - it was wonderful. I'll post about specifics and pictures later. Tonight I shall just give you some random wonderful moments...

Driving around the island with my sister singing along to Garth Brooks. Especially "She's My Lady Luck." Now THAT brings back some memories!

Being dragged up on stage by my sister and made to do the Hula in front of 500 people.

Swimming in the Pacific Ocean!

Not being able to pronounce a single city or street name on the island.

Going snorkeling and seeing fish in colors that I never even dreamed.

The beach. Enough said.

Getting to see where my sister lives and works. Very cool!

And oh yeah...Surviving a 6.6 EARTHQUAKE! Good times, Good times.

Go Team...and all that

2006-09-23T10:38:00.000-07:00

The game was fun. UNR beat Northwestern-which is apparently a big win for them since Northwestern is a Big Ten school (and should have been able to tromp the little ole' Wolfpack). I was torn as to who to cheer for - Northwestern being an Illinois school and all. I really have no emotional attachment to the Wolfpack. But alas, I then realized that I have to attachment to Northwestern, either. So being a good Nevadan now, I decided to root for the Wolfpack.

However, I'm not a big "cheerer." I never have been. I have always had zero school spirit. Maybe if I knew someone playing it would be different...

I was excited about seeing the band play during the game and at half-time. I was to be sorely disappointed. They stunk. The band was small, the marching was plain, and they were using music! Hello...you are in a college band...MEMORIZE YOUR MUSIC! Then, to add insult to injury when they were finished with half-time they didn't even march out of the stadium. Once they hit the track they just walked out. UM HELLO?? These people seriously need my help. It does not want to make me take any classes in their music program, that's for sure!

The stinky band did not ruin the whole night however! My first college game was a ton of fun - probably more to do with the company seeing as I had no idea what was going on on the field :)

Go Wolfpack!

2006-09-22T15:05:00.000-07:00

I'm going to my first college football game tonight. Today is Mark's birthday - and he is a college football nut - so to celebrate this auspicious occasion we are going to go watch the Nevada Wolfpack play Northwestern University. Mark tells me it is going to be a good game, but knowing nothing about football I'll just have to take his word for it! I'll try and post some pictures of my outing later.

Ah, the Nostalgia

2006-09-19T17:33:00.000-07:00

I purchased something the other day I haven't had since high school: Watermelon bubble gum. No, it wasn't Bubblicious...it was Extra. But still good...

Working at the car wash...

2006-08-08T17:17:00.000-07:00

Dad would be proud. I actually washed my car tonight. I think it must be a guy thing to be so obsessed about having a clean car. On my list of things to do, it isn't very high. But every time I looked at my dirty car I felt guilty. Plus, I knew that one of these days Dad was going to ask if I had washed it and I did not want to have to admit that I had not. So it's done. Although I must say it was a very unpleasant experience...

Since I live in an apartment, I have to take my car to a car wash. But the pressure washers don't get all the buggies off of the car. So I took a bucket and sponge out in the parking lot to get the bugs off before I took it to the car wash. This lady walks by and begins to question my method. Excuse me...but I really don't think it is any of your business how I wash my vehicle. Keep moving - thank you.

Then I actually make it to the car wash. It is a dangerous place. They should really post some warning signs. To start with, the wind kept kicking up and spraying soapy water in my face. Then, the hose kept whipping around and whacking me in the face. I was lucky to get out of there without getting a black eye. No one would have ever believed how I got it.

But my car is clean. For now anyway.

2006-08-06T07:04:00.000-07:00

This morning I am thinking about freedom. The word is deceptive because freedom is "free" at all. It comes at a high price.

My brother-in-law Nick leaves for Iraq this morning. His unit will be gone a year. Until this moment the war in Iraq was something far removed. It was something journalists covered on television and President Bush spoke about in speeches. It was a war I supported because of my sense of patriotism and pride for our troops. Because I value freedom. It was a war that I supported in theory. I now support it with my family.

I will probably follow the news more carefully in the weeks and months to come. And I'll pray for safety for Nick and the rest of the soldiers. I feel certain that when I now hear that when a soldier has been injured or killed my heart will still, and my first thought will be, "God, please don't let it be Nick." I am reminded of a passage in Psalms 139 that is central to our services this weekend:

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, you eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."

All of Nick's days were ordained by God before one of them ever happened. I have to work to remember that. Trust is hard when the rubber hits the road.

I am so proud of you, Nick. God be with you.

The Title of My Life.

2006-07-23T22:38:00.000-07:00

Lately I have been pondering what I would title a book - if I was so inclined to write one. I have come up with several interesting options, some of them more inspired than others:

Confessions of a Twenty-Something (the clock is ticking on this title...a little over 5 years left)
Life With A Metronome
Church On a Budget and Other Lessons I Didn't Learn In School
My Secret Life as a CIA Operative
"Yes, I Work Full-Time" and Other Offensive Questions To Avoid

What would you title a book you wrote?

2006-07-22T10:47:00.000-07:00

Lincoln Brewster was rained out. I was sitting 15 feet away from him. He played one song. And then it stormed. There are no words to describe my disappointment.

He said he'd be back. I'm holding him to it. And when he does return, I'll be there. This time hopefully only 10 feet away.

I know. I'm a groupie. It's sad. But I don't care!

Fort Knox

2006-07-20T22:55:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to decide which is normal: living in a dwelling that is always locked whether I am in it or not, or dwelling that is never locked. My apartment is like Fort Knox. I dare anyone to try and enter. It is just habit that I come in the door, turn around and lock the deadbolt, than hang my keys on my keyholder right by the door. It doesn't matter if I am going to be home for ten minutes or ten hours, I always lock the door. And all of my downstairs windows are locked. In fact, I hardly ever open them. Locked tight.

I am house-sitting for a family that lives in house in a smaller town. They never lock their doors. Any of them. Or their windows. In fact, many of the windows are open. I came home tonight and it was after dark. I must confess to you that it took every single ounce of my courage to walk into a dark house that had been open all day. I keep thinking that someone is going to jump out of a closet at me.

This particular breed of fear is one I haven't experienced since I had to stay at my Dad's old farmhouse alone out in the middle of nowhere. I slept in the living room on the floor because somehow it seemed safer. I'm not sure why. But it made sense to me at the time.

I'll probably be fine. But just in case you never see me again...you know what happened!

Redeemed!

2006-07-17T22:48:00.000-07:00

The weekend is redeemed! I just spoke with one of my long time friends and he has finally set a date to come and visit me here in good ole' Minden, NV. We spoke for a while on the phone and now I am reminiscing about some of our good times together:

Christmas Eve. Our families are good friends and spent every Christmas Eve together. We would go to the Christmas Eve service at church, go caroling around town, and then have a party (With Mary's little weenies. Mmmm so delicious). I really miss that Christmas tradition.

Thumb wrestling in band. We both played alto saxophone, and when we would get bored we would thumb wrestle. I never won. Not in eleven years. Not even once. It's very sad.

Solo and Ensemble contest. Every year in high school we would play a saxophone duet for Solo and Ensemble contest. Two of those years we even got perfect scores. However, I'll never forget our senior year when I had a total brain fart moment and played the pages our duet out of order. We "finish" and Lucas says to the judge, "That second page is really nice. Would you like to hear it?" The judge actually lets us play the piece over. We still managed to get a I rating.

High school dances. We went to three of them together. Sophomore year Homecoming Dance, Sophomore year Vice-Versa dance and Senior Prom. I still have pictures somewhere...

Serving together at the Peoria Rescue Mission. Our youth group would go there periodically and serve dinner. Somehow, Lucas always managed to be the dishwasher.

Too many other memories to count in this space.

How exciting! No one comes to visit me for almost two years and now I have three friends coming in one summer! Yippee!!!

The Rascals fall flatt....

2006-07-17T19:34:00.000-07:00

I saw part of the Rascal Flatts concert last night up in Lake Tahoe. And I say part because we left before the concert was over. And I can't say that I'm sad about it, either. Even though overall the evening was ok, the concert was not what we expected. Here's why:

1. Everyone, and I mean everyone, was DRUNK. And I mean drunk. And lucky for me, the person immediately to my right was drunker than a skunk and was constantly bumping me. By the time we left I had seriously run out of patience for them. I have zero tolerance for stupidity like that.

2. The concerted "started" at 7pm. Except there were TWO opening acts. Rascal Flatts didn't even start playing until shortly after 9 pm.

3. Rascal Flatts was a disappointment on several levels. First, while we there they played very little music from the albums. They did several covers of other people's stuff, and the did what I would call "messing around." A few very large drum solos (they had two complete drum kits with two drummers. If I hadn't been annoyed it would have been cool.), a long fiddle solo, and a lot of TALKING. Which leads me the second reason I was disappointed in them. What they did have to say was not in the least bit edifying. In fact it was down right offensive. To sum it up - it was about drinking and fine women. Come on guys, you can do better than that. Plus, after two songs the lead singer disappeared from the stage for over 30 minutes!! What?? I came here to see YOU. Don't LEAVE. Ugh. We ended up leaving about 45 minutes into their set because Sunny had reached her physical limit for the day. I was not disappointed.

Now, having said all that, I am still grateful to have gotten to go - especially if you know the story of how we got in.

I do have a couple of positive comments about the show - the musicians were unbelievable. I was in awe of their sheer talent. And the stage was very cool. They had a huge LCD screen that projected images and created moods. The entire right side of the stage (from top to bottom) was probably 30 smaller screens. It created an amazing effect. To top it off, in the center of the stage was a "building block" thing that they band was on. The front of it was also another screen. There were some great pyrotechnics and lights. It was very cool.

At the beginning of their show the lead singer was talking in between a couple of songs and said something to the effect that they had taken a poll and their music and show was better when you were drunk. I think he might actually be right.

2006-07-16T13:16:00.000-07:00

Thou Shall Not Panic. I'm pretty sure that is in the Bible somewhere. The eleventh commandment maybe. And I'm trying really hard. Really I am.

But it isn't everyday that I get asked out. And it certainly isn't everyday that I say yes.

Breathe...

2006-07-15T22:49:00.000-07:00

I just had the most amazing night. God is so good!!

Jeanne Recommends...

2006-07-15T11:15:00.000-07:00

I had the most delicious sandwich yesterday. So delicious that I just have to tell you about it. My sister and I had lunch at this great little cafe bakery in Minden, and having been there before we both knew what sandwich to order. It's called the Gregory. It is a Turkey sandwich on whole wheat with real cranberry sauce, cream cheese, sprouts and cucumber. My sister added avocado to hers and she loved it. Plus, the turkey is actual turkey. Not cut from a processed log turkey. Delicious, I tell you. Simply delicious.

O Happy Day!!

2006-07-11T19:12:00.000-07:00

They're coming! They're coming! But Jeanne, who is coming? So glad you asked. Laura and Lindsey (only two of my dearest friends and some of the coolest people in all of Illinois) are coming to visit me in September. They have bought their tickets, marked their calendars, and taken off work. Yippee!!! You can't see me right now...but I am doing a little happy dance.

2006-07-08T09:39:00.000-07:00

There are several things in life that I am very particular about. Really, truth be told there are many things I am very particular about. However, my obsessive compulsive tendencies are not the point of this story.

I am very particular about my keychains. I think it goes back to the fact that I tend to be sentimental. My particularness over my keychains started on a mission trip I took in high school to inner-city Atlanta, GA. It was there that I bought a very special keychain. I had had many keychains before this. In fact, my ratio of keychains to keys was probably around 10 to 1. But this new keychain was different. It was special. It was a small plastic rectangle that had a hollow footprint in the center filled with real Georgia dirt. I bought it at Stone Mountain. Honestly, I am not sure why I became so attached to this particular piece of plastic - but I did nonetheless. I discarded all other keychains in favor of this one. And I used this keychain all the way until its little heart just gave out my freshman year of college. What was I to do? I couldn't just FIND another keychain like that one. It was special. It was unique. It was the keychain I had when I started driving. I was just supposed to replace it? I searched. I looked. Every time I was in a store I would peruse the keychain section. Perhaps something would catch my eye. Maybe today would be the day I would find the ONE. To no avail, however. It was not to be.

Spring of my freshman year we went on our Week of E trips. My friend Christi was going to Puerto Rico. My wheels started turning. Maybe she would find a suitable replacement for me there. So I charged her with the duty of searching Puerto Rico for the perfect keychain. I was very specific. Something simple. Something small (afterall, at this time I had a lot of keys. Everything on campus locked...and everything required a different key). And above all, it must be something wonderful.

Success! She returned with exactly what I had been looking for. It was a clear rectangular plastic keychain with that said "Puerto Rico" on it and had the Puerto Rican flag. My search was over. I could stop looking. I could rest easy.

Until this week.

My sister recently took a weekend trip to San Francisco. "I bought you a present," she said. "It's nothing big." But hey, a present is a present - right? Gasp! It was a keychain. A little silver bear that has arms and legs that move. It's very nice. "Will you use it?" she asks me. "Yes, of course I'll use it. It is a very nice keychain." But my mind was reeling. I had a keychain. Was God asking me to retire my Puerto Rican find? Dilemma.

I hung Mr. Bear (That is what I am calling him) on my key hook by my front door. I of course could not make a rash decision about this. I have to think. I have to get used to him. Decide if he will be a loyal keychain like the others. But he was staring at me. Every time I would walk by he would call out: "Jeanne, use me. It's ok." How can you argue with a talking keychain? So yesterday I replaced my trusty Puerto Rico keychain with Mr. Bear. I still have Puerto Rico. He now holds my extra house and car key. I figure I can always take him back if Mr. Bear turns out to be a fraud.

Like I said...very particular.

2006-07-07T18:22:00.000-07:00

Well, Dad has come and gone. It was great to see him if only for 2 days. He delivered my car (which by the way is simply heaven), took me to a movie (I do not recommend the Devil Wears Prada), bought me an electric skillet (Whoo Hoo...free kitchen items), and made me pancakes and sausage. It was delicious. He even made me extra so I could enjoy leftovers. What a nice Dad I have.

My sister's boyfriend is going to sell the Green Machine for me. He gets a commission for it, but I decided that it was worth it to not have the hassle of trying to sell it. I'm all about less hassle. I cleaned all of my things out of it the other night, and I was feeling oddly nostalgic. I'll admit it: I'm a sentimental fool. I've been a lot of places in that car. I moved across the country in that car. I have a lot of memories wrapped up in the Green Machine. And so even though I certainly did not want to keep her, I was sort of sad to see her go. Time to move on.

I had this horrible dream last night that my sister (no, not you Nina) was being really mean and made me cut my hair. It was odd. I woke up really relieved that I still had my nice haircut. I called her this morning to recount my tale and she promptly apologized for being cruel in my dream. That's what every good sister should do - apologize for what happens in my subconscious.

In other exciting news, I am having a CD player installed in my car in the morning. I'm very excited. Carson Valley has painfully awful terrestrial radio. I've been dying having to listen to it...and I spend most of my time fishing through the channels trying to find something good to listen to. I am eventually going to have XM Satellite Radio installed - but that purchase is going to have to wait a bit. I'll be satisfied with a CD player for now. :)

And that has been my life this week. What's been happening in yours?

Come Again??

2006-07-03T18:18:00.000-07:00

I had one of those moments Saturday night. You know the kind of moment I'm talking about. The kind that stuns you and leaves you saying, "I'm sorry...what?" We are all prone to these kind of moments. Sneaky little devils.

I fear that the affects of this moment are going to be far-reaching. Not necessarily in a bad way. The moment challenged me. The moment made me evaluate what I think my future might look like. In short, the moment got me thinking.

I think God is using this moment to work on some fears. To work on some areas that I don't trust Him very well in. To work on some emotional baggage that I've chosen not to deal with. The million dollar question is whether or not I am going to let Him do anything...

Those darn moments.

That is brand new information!!

2006-06-29T20:43:00.000-07:00

I have made it no secret that I love the television show Friends. I have a hidden talent where I can relate any real-life situation to something that happened on an episode of Friends. What can I say? I'm simply gifted.

I have several theories as to why Friends was so successful. The obvious being that it was a funny show. They had good writers and talented comedic actors that had a real chemistry with one another. But like I said, that's the obvious reason. I think there is an underlying reason as to why the show was so popular.

We want to live their lives. Not just because they live in New York and have fairly interesting careers. We want to live their lives because they have 6 intimate friendships. That is many more than most people in the United States can boast of. My Pastor, John Jackson, sent me an article yesterday about this very issue. It was disturbing reading. The study, published in the American Sociological Review, revealed that 25 % of Americans have no one to confide in. A quarter of our nation has no one to confide matters that are important to them. That's really sad. And lonely.

But also very telling. No wonder we love to watch Friends. Watching Friends is watching the relationships that many people long for. That a quarter of American's apparently lack completely. Who wouldn't want to have the kind of relationship where you can just walk in and out of each other's apartments? The kind of friendship where you can just hang out with someone and not have to entertain them?

At it's core, Friends was a show about relationships. And I believe that is ultimately why it was so successful.

But I still watch it because it is so darn funny...

Hey Baby, er, Griddle Cakes!

2006-06-26T13:09:00.000-07:00

I love pancakes. And my Dad makes the best pancakes you've ever tasted. Unfortunately, I don't think pancake making is a genetic trait because I stink at making pancakes. I've tried; believe me I've tried. In my defense I think it has something to do with the fact that Dad makes them on this really old and seasoned griddle, whereas I attempt to cook them in a not so seasoned skillet. But dang, I really want a good pancake.

I am resting in the fact that in one week my Dad will be here. I plan on petitioning him for some pancakes. He loves me, so I'm sure he'll oblige. Hopefully, having his pancakes next week will hold me over until Thanksgiving when I see him again...

Oldies but Goodies

2006-06-25T21:17:00.000-07:00

I am a dichotomy (I really love that word.). It seems that it is when I have the most to say that I cannot find the right words to say it. Or that when I have the most stories to tell I cannot decide which one to relate. Like I said - dichotomy.

So I'm just going to make a list. I really like lists. They organize and strategize. This list is not meant to do either; but that does not detract from the fact that I really like lists. So here is my random, but still wonderful, list.

1. The high temperture today was 102 degrees. Shoot me now.

2. I really miss playing my instruments. I realized the other day that I have five - count them five - instruments in my apartment that I never play. My own fault, I know. But it is still a hole in my soul.

3. I only have to drive the Green Machine for seven more days. This week cannot pass soon enough.

4. 102 Days until I leave for Hawaii. Uh, that sounds like an awful lot of days.

5. I had a dream I went on a mission to Africa. I am going to choose to believe it was NOT prophetic.

6. We did a Mercy Me song this weekend in our services. There is a line that has really stuck in my head: "If I give the very best of me, that becomes my legacy." Let your mind roll that around for a while.

7. I wish I had a pen pal.

8. The soundtrack to the 2005 film "Pride and Prejudice" is breathtaking music. It is food for my soul.

9. I'm feeling restless. Not bored. Restless. Those of you who are plagued by restlessness will understand.

10. Someone explain to me why I can go grocery shopping, come home with food, and still feel like I have nothing worth eating in my kitchen. I don't get it.

Everything's Coming up...

2006-06-22T09:34:00.000-07:00

Perk #24 about being a grown-up: No one can tell me I can't eat Strawberry Shortcake for breakfast. MMmmmm good.

Happy Anniversary

2006-06-20T19:10:00.000-07:00

"Happy Anniversary to me. Happy Anniversary to me. Happy Anniversary dear Jeanne. Happy Anniversary to me."

Today, June 20th 2006, is my one year anniversary working for Carson Valley Christian Center. It is a day of celebration.

My team even celebrated with me. As a surprise, I got a really nice card and a generous gift from my Arts Pastor and my Vocal Team. They are the best.

I love my job.

Vegas, Day 2

2006-06-12T21:39:00.000-07:00

The second day of our Vegas retreat was just as good as the first. Saturday we traveled to Canyon Ridge Christian Church and Central Christian Church to meet with their Arts Staff and attend their services (we actually attended Central's service Sunday morning). It was really great to see what other people are doing, to hear their philosophy of ministry, and to talk with them about Arts in the church. The whole experience was very productive.

Once we arrived back at the hotel, Steve, Kirsten, Christina and myself went up the top of the Stratosphere. It is 109 stories tall (I believe the tallest building in Vegas...). There are rides up there, but I'm a big chicken and had no desire to go on them. One ride, called the Big Shot, shoots you straight up in the air. Not my idea of fun. Another ride called Insanity dangles you over the edge of the building and twirls you around. Again, doesn't look like fun. The last ride is a roller coaster that takes you off the edge of the building and drops you. Yeah, like I'm gonna do that. But it was a lot of fun to go up there. The view was amazing! Here are some pictures.

Vegas, Day 1

2006-06-12T13:38:00.000-07:00

Our Arts Team retreat to Vegas was fantastic! Day one (Friday) was spent in large part traveling and getting checked into our hotel, the Stratosphere. We ate dinner at a really nice food court at Ceasar's Palace (see photo). I ate a delicious hamburger. Mmmmm.

After we finished eating, we saw Celine Dion's show, A New Day. It was, without a doubt, the most amazing show I have ever seen. It managed to be visually stunning without being over the top. The marriage of song, lighting, media and dance was just perfect. I sat leaning forward in my seat the entire show. Watching the show in a reclined position was just not an option. The show was worth every single penny. In fact, I would pay more to see it again. Below is a photo of our group as we were about to enter the theater.
After the show, we walked over to the Bellagio and watched a few of the fountain shows. It was so beautiful. I am sure that the show would be beautiful during the day, but it was just breathtaking at night with all the lights. Here's a picture:

By the time we made it back to the hotel, it was a little after midnight. Since Vegas is the city that never sleeps, we decided to go to an all night diner that was in our hotel. They had a section of the menu called "Midnight Madness" that was breakfast specials that they served from Midnight to 5am. We all sat in the diner and talked about the show until about 1:30 am. It was the most fun I have had in a long time. It was the perfect end to Day 1 of our retreat.

Up, Up, Up and Away!

2006-06-09T10:30:00.000-07:00

Almost time for Vegas! Don't worry, I'll bring you back a present.

Wilting...

2006-06-06T21:39:00.000-07:00

I'm really not a hot weather kinda girl. I wilt under the heat. If I could live in a climate where it was perpetually fall I'd do it. Unfortunately, I don't think that place exists. Dang.

Vegas, Baby!

2006-06-04T21:13:00.000-07:00

In five short days I am going to be livin' it up in Vegas. Nope - not like that. Our Arts Staff is going on a retreat to Vegas this next weekend to visit Canyon Ridge Christian Church and Central Christian Church. We'll be sitting in on rehearsals, talking with their staff, and attending their weekend services. I'm stoked.

We are also seeing Celine Dion while we are there. The tickets were mucho expensivo...but probably going to prove to be worth it!

And, for those of you long time readers...remember my list of things to do before I am 25? (The day is rapidly approaching, by the way). This weekend I am going to be able to cross #1 off my list - to see the fountains at the Bellagio. I plan to take lots and lots of pictures. I'll post some when I get back.

2006-06-02T20:30:00.000-07:00

I don't rest well. I'm a mover and a doer - so when I am not moving or doing I have trouble knowing what exactly to do. Maybe if I start thinking of resting as an actual activity I would do better.

I'm still recovering from my food poisoning battle from Wednesday. I actually felt worse today than I did yesterday. I attribute that to the fact that I worked a full day yesterday and didn't give my body any time to rest or heal. My sister told me I was crazy...but unfortunately it couldn't be helped. So today I only worked half a day. I wouldn't have made it through a whole day alive anyway. I did what I absolutely had to get finished for the weekend, rented a few movies, came home and began my resting.

For the first few hours it was not terribly difficult. I felt awful. I wanted to rest. My head felt as though someone was banging on it with a hammer. I was feeling skittish about taking medicine...I'm afraid everything I put in my stomach now is going to cause some revolt. I suppose I will eventually get over this as I cannot live off of applesauce and gatorade for the rest of my life. After about four hours of unbelievable headache pain I relented and took some Ibuprofen. My head now feels mildly better.

I still don't feel well. And I don't want to go anywhere or do anything because I would probably fall down after the first 15 minutes - but I am tired of resting.

Ah, such a dilemma. Back to my movies.

Back from the dead

2006-06-01T22:14:00.000-07:00

I got food poisoning. It was awful and I pretty much wanted to die. I won't gross out with the nitty gritty details, but suffice to say I would rather cut off my right arm than go through it again. Nuff said.

I just finished watching the National Spelling Bee. It was much more interesting than one would think. I watched it for an hour and a half and I knew ONE word. Not I knew how to spell one word...I had heard of one word: Koine. And I only knew this word because I know what Koine Greek is. It's depressing that there are a whole host of 7th and 8th graders that are smarter than I am. And did you know that these kids have spelling coaches? Interesting.

There was one classic moment I would like to recount. One boy spelled his word incorrectly, so he is back stage being interviewed. The reporter asks him, "You placed significantly higher this year. What do you attribute this to?" The kid replies, "I don't know. God?"

I thought it was classic, anyway.

Much Ado About Nothing.

2006-05-30T22:35:00.000-07:00

Ok, not nothing. Lot's of little somethings I guess.

I'm going on my first grown-up vacation. To Hawaii. That's right...Hawaii. Much thanks to my sister and her husband who are stationed in Honolulu. I can't tell you how much I am looking forward to ten days with my sister on a beach. I'm turning my phone off. And my email will be off-limits.

It will be a vacation of firsts for me. My first time in Hawaii - My first time on a military base - My first time staying in the home of my MARRIED sister (sorry Krys....still weird when I remember you're married. Good weird, of course.) It is really very exciting.

I'm learning to run sound. It's complicated. But to my advantage I have an excellent teacher. Our Tech Director knows more about sound than....well I can't think of a good comparison. But suffice it to say that he knows a whole heckava lot. The hardest part is EQ. Intellectually, I understand what all the buttons do. I can explain where the signal gets routed and why. And my ear can tell you what is wrong with a sound, but I haven't yet mastered how to EQ it. I need to learn to connect what my ear says is wrong to what knob on the board to turn. All ear training, according to Dave. I gotta be honest that nothing has made me feel like more of an idiot than this whole EQ business. I suppose I'll master it...eventually.

I suppose learning new complicated processes are good for me. I'll just consider learning all about audio equipment and EQ an exercise in staving off Alzheimer's.

Man, I'm tired. Time for bed.

A Scathing Review

2006-05-27T13:08:00.000-07:00

*Note: If you don't want to know how this movie ends, don't read this.

Last night I watched the movie The Family Stone (Sarah Jessica Parker, Luke Wilson, Diane Keaton, Claire Danes, Craig T. Nelson, and Dermot Mulroney). I don't recommend it. The best comparison I can think of is "a bad Meet the Parents."

Not one of the characters are likeable. And Merideth (Sarah Jessica Parker) is the only character that you can remotely sympathize with. And even that is a stretch. The whole family is a rude, horrible, vulgar, dysfunctional mess.

Here is the plot in a nutshell. Dermot Mulroney's character (Everett) is dating Sarah Jessica Parker's character, and he brings her to his family's home for Christmas with the intention of getting his grandmother's wedding ring and proposing to Merideth. The family hates her, are horrible to her, and push her towards asking her sister Julie (Claire Danes) to come for moral support. Ben (Luke Wilson), Everett's brother, ends up having a thing for Merideth, and Everett ends up having a thing for Julie. To add insult to injury, you find out Diane Keaton's breast cancer has returned and she is dying.

Merideth and Everett end up breaking up, Julie ends up with Everett, and Ben ends up with Merideth. They try and redeem the movie by adding an epilogue that takes place the next Christmas. You see all the happy couples decorating a tree sans Mom, who has passed away some time that year. I know this ending was supposed to satisfy me in some way, but all I could think was these horrible characters had cheated on one another with their siblings. Yeah, there really is no redeeming that. And the mother was such a horrible woman that I had a really hard time feeling bad that she was gone. And then I felt bad that I didn't feel bad.

If you haven't seen it, don't waste your time. A Christmas classic it is not.

mmm...

2006-05-25T22:05:00.000-07:00

There is just nothing in the world like the feeling of clean sheets.

Sisters and Tower of Power

2006-05-24T18:45:00.000-07:00

Today was a really fun day. Most days at work have elements that are really fun. But almost all of today was a blast. Dave calls me a few minutes before staff today (Dave is on vacation) and tells me that we (we meaning our Creative Arts Team) needs to cancel our meeting and go with him to Reno to watch the Maytan Soul Band perform at a grade school assembly. I'm totally game. I told him I'd talk to Steve and get back to him. The point of the trip would be to network with other musicians in the area. Introduce ourselves, show support for what musicians in the Carson-Reno area are doing. Dave is the one with the connection with the band. He met them at a rehearsal they had a few months back.
Here's something I love about our Creative Arts Pastor, Steve - He's totally flexible, game for adventure, and passionate about people in our community. Hence, when I told him about Dave's idea, he was completely game. And in a matter of minutes our meeting had become mobile, the decision made to travel to Reno and watch the band.
Here's another thing I love about my job. I get the privilege to work with really smart, talented people. It is a pleasure to simply talk with them. The hour drive to Reno was fun simply because it gave us all an uninterrupted hour to talk about ministry. It was great. I feel like the trip was worth it simply for that time in the Suburban. But I digress.
The concert was short (it was grade school children, afterall) but AWESOME. There was a full horn section and rhythm section, and a vocalist. They really were unbelievable musicians. After the concert we introduced ourselves to the band and chatted for a few minutes.
Seriously, who has a better job than I do? Who else would get to take a roadtrip on a Wednesday to go to a gradeschool assembly?
Try not to be too jealous.

Days of Old...

2006-05-23T11:58:00.000-07:00

Last night I ran sound for the Douglas High School Senior Awards Night (They used our auditorium). Their Jazz Band played for about 45 minutes before the program began. They were actually pretty good. Not since I graduated high school six years ago have I missed playing my instruments so much. My heart squeezed with all the memories. I don't have very many memories of high school that don't include band, choir, or chamber ensemble.

But mostly band.

My mind replayed a hundred different scenes while they were playing: Touring around to the different grade schools and giving concerts. Our trip to Florida to play at Disney. Our trip to Texas to play at Six Flags. Marching band competitions where it was a hundred degrees and I am wearing a hot, heavy band uniform. Band camp. Amoeba tag. Mr. Tallman. Watching the University of Illinois Marching Band. Mrs. Reem. The glock block. Doing countless half-time shows at Friday night football games. Long bus rides.

And as my mind plays these scenes I see the people I miss most - Laura, Lucas, Brock, Lindsey, Rusty, Darcie, Angie, Jamie. Many others. Some who I still talk with. Many more who I do not. But they still exist in my mind. Out on the practice field. Out on the football field. Up in the band room.

I love that I have these memories. I wouldn't go back to high school. But I wouldn't trade those memories for anything.

2006-05-21T22:22:00.000-07:00

I have been thinking quite a bit on relationships lately and although I am far from being an expert, I have come to a few conclusions. First and most obvious, they are important. When God said that it is not good for man to be alone I don't believe that He was speaking exclusively about the husband-wife relationship. We were created to know and be known by God and one another. God Himself is community. He is triune. Relationships are important.

Second, only you can decide which relationships will be important to you. No one can make this decision for someone else. I decide Jesus is important to me. I decide my family is important to me. The burden rests at my feet alone.

Third, relationships take work and energy or they die. All relationships. Family. God. Friends. Spouses. Co-workers. No relationship is exempt. They are an intentional effort for all involved. Deciding not to give someone your time, energy and heart is telling that person they are not important to you. And like a rose in the desert, it will die.

Fourth, relationships are worth the effort. I may not always feel like believing this, but God's word clearly teaches it. Think for a moment about the ultimate relationship: Us and God. He thinks we are worth the effort. So much so that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. So much so that the sin that separates me from Him was nailed to cross so I could know Him. So much so that He conquered death so I could have life. God believes relationships are worth the effort. I will too.