Dear Taylor Swift

Although I enjoy your music, I do wish that you would sing a little less powerfully.  After listening to your latest album (several times back to back), I feel like I broke up with all of your boyfriends.  You now owe me one happy Sunday afternoon and a rigorous workout to counteract the Oreo shake that I had to drown your sorrows in.

Sincerely,
Your Way-Too-Old-To-Be-A-Fan Fan

P.S. If you refuse my requests, I'll write a song about you.

road trip

I just subjected Layla to five hours in the car with a constant stream of "angry girl music of the indie rock persuasion."  And yeah, I sang along pretty loudly.  I'm pretty sure this trip was all about the destination and not so much about the journey for her.

P.S. Ten cool points if you can name that movie!

If you want me to

The pathway is broken
And The signs are unclear
And I don't know the reason why You brought me here
But just because You love me the way that You do
I'm gonna walk through the valley
If You want me to

Cause I'm not who I was
When I took my first step
And I'm clinging to the promise You're not through with me yet
So if all of these trials bring me closer to you
Then I will walk through the fire
If You want me to

It may not be the way I would have chosen
When you lead me through a world that's not my home
But You never said it would be easy
You only said I'd never go alone

So When the whole world turns against me
And I'm all by myself
And I can't hear You answer my cries for help
I'll remember the suffering Your love put You through
And I will go through the valley If You want me to

- Ginny Owens

numbers

I just worked on one homework assignment for over five hours.  I had to...

read two cases,
write five diagnostic summaries, and
create two individual service plans with three goals each.

It ended up being eight pages of text.
And if I did it correctly, guess how many points I'll earn.

five.  FIVE!  Ridiculous!

(in)appropriate footwear

Did I accidentally wear moccasins to my diversity class on "Counseling Native Americans" night?  Yep!  But hey, I have one thirty-second of a right to rock the moccs!  I'm just relieved that I wasn't also wearing my largest piece of turquoise jewelry.  Because come on, of course I was wearing some turquoise.   It's my AmEx...I never leave home without it!

Speaking of AmEx, what is a Bose Sound Dock, and why does American Express think that I really really want one?!

And finally, jumping back to observations in diversity class*, I have decided that the movie Smoke Signals would be more appropriately titled Hey, Victor!.  I'm pretty sure that those two words account for half of the script.

*Dear English students,
  Please do as Ms. Howell says and not as she does when it comes to structuring your writing.
  Not everyone enjoys rabbit trails.
  Sincerely,
  Ms. Howell

 P.S. Does Roger seem like someone you know really well?
 P.P.S. What are you doing reading this?!

homework pass

using it now!

what('s) an idea!

Today in English, we had a review of nouns.  I was trying to explain that a noun can be an idea, which is a hard concept to teach.  I did my best.  It came out a little something like this: "A noun can be an idea.  An idea is something that you can think about, but you can't see it or touch it...like friendship or love."  I'm not quite sure I got the point across.  Immediately after my oh-so-precise explanation, Roger (you may remember him from the spelling quiz) said, "Oh, like my nose!  I can think about it, but I can't put my fingers in it!"

sigh of relief

Midterm over!  Now I can look forward to a relaxing Thursday :)

wish me luck!

I have my midterm tomorrow evening!  I'm a little nervous.  I spent the past 4 hours studying disorders like Caffeine Intoxication while drinking coffee.  The good news is, I know how to treat myself!

I don't care what you think.

My pastor said this last Sunday.  And you know what?  I wasn't offended!  I'm so tired of trying to justify theories of human development and counseling when I know that the one answer to all of the questions is not acceptable to my professors.  I'm narrow-minded and judgmental if I say what I believe, so I have to find different terms for it and creatively sneak it into someone else's counseling jargon.  I have to write my faith off as just one tiny factor of my "culture."  The fact of the matter is, I can say what I think all day long, but saying what I know is a completely different story.  And it goes a little something like this:

This world and the people in it are broken, and our only hope of redemption is a relationship with Jesus Christ.  We will always have pain and sorrow and heartache and suffering and disease and yes, even battles with the Devil himself.  Those things will never go away, no matter how many coping strategies or meditation exercises we learn.  Nobody will be able to fill another person, no conversation will enlighten us enough to escape the truth of our depravity.  Fifty minutes once a week for a lifetime won't even do it.  And until we believe what we have been told over and over and over again - that we are in desperate need of the Lord's mercy and forgiveness, which he offers freely and abundantly - then we will forever be in bondage to the very things that we seek to escape.

Whew.  That felt good.  Goodnight!

ahead of the game...but still not ready for it

Laundry is done, floors are vacuumed, lunch is packed, lessons are planned, dog is walked...and I have yet to crack open a book for my midterm this week.  Procrastiductivity is maybe one of my greatest talents!

big tex

Laura Bell Bundy is great!  Going to one of her shows will make you want to buy all of Dolly Parton's albums.  I don't think that's Laura Bell's goal, but it is what it is.

Also, I highly recommend fried smores.  Next time we're singing kumbaya around a campfire and lighting marshmallows on fire, I'd like to also hear the sound of a large vat of grease bubbling nearby.

And finally, Crazy Mouse is a surprisingly thrilling ride.  Worth every ticket!

thankful

...for...

pumpkin donuts
fall weather
a parent conference that went extremely well
more Mexican food than a girl should have in one day
a couple of hours on the couch with a good book
a dog with a waggly tail
spontaneous dance parties in the car
friends who make me laugh out loud
a comfy place to lay my head

more power to ya!

Bill Dunbar: You know, if you were mine, I'd never let you go.
Katherine Watson: I wouldn't have asked your permission.

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this quote.  If you don't recognize it, get to googling!

meal plan

This semester may be eating my lunch, but I'm still the reigning champion over breakfast, morning snack, midafternoon chocolate frenzy (Are six fun size Snickers equivalent to one regular size one?), after school pantry scavenging, convenience store dinner, and last resort peanut butter and honey dessert.  Eat that, semester!

who you callin' random?!

Tonight, after a lovely sushi dinner, my friend, her two-month-old daughter, and I copped a squat on the curb to sit and chat.  We were on the edge of the sidewalk, where cars pull in to park, and we were facing a vacant parking spot.  When a giant suburban rolled in and hit the brakes inches from our feet (and the baby's head), we kept chatting and pretended not to be alarmed.  We shaded the baby's eyes until the driver of the giant suburban finally turned the lights off.  My friend commented, "Well, that's random to just leave your lights on for that long."  And, of course, I said, "Really?  She's the random one?  We're hanging out on a curb with a baby."  I think we may have just surpassed the ghetto factor of the "baby in a bar" scene from Sweet Home Alabama!

observe your breath...not your neighbor

Tonight, during the last twenty minutes of class, my professor decided to demonstrate a relaxation exercise.  Really?  Really?  After listening to three hours of lecture, you want twenty exhausted people to sit still in little plastic chairs, close their eyes, and observe their breath?  Okay, but don't act surprised when we all topple like dominoes because one student (your favorite, I'm sure) gets a little too "deep in meditation."  Oh, and also, cute guy in class whose name I don't know but whose blue button down shirt is my favorite, if I happen to casually lay my head on your shoulder, pay no attention...it's totally an accident!

Ironical

While putting the finishing touches on a ten page paper about racial and cultural identity development, I reached an impasse.  If your name is Lee Mun Wah, is Mun your middle name or part of your last name?  How do I cite you, Lee?  How?!

rediscovered greatness

This morning when I didn't want to start my paper, I perused my collection of DVDs and pulled one that was still in its original package.  After wrestling with the plastic and picking off all the little pieces of the strip of tape that refuses to come off in one fluid motion (Why do they put those things on there anyway?), I popped the DVD in the tray and settled in for a Saturday morning slumber party!  Much to my surprise, Mona Lisa Smile is fantabulous!  Fantabulous, I tell you!  So fantabulous, in fact, that I am watching it again for my Saturday night slumber party!  And the best thing is, I never got out of my pajamas.  Talk about being prepared!  So, goodnight, moon and hello, Wellesly girls!

someone else's dreams

If there is a disorder for people who are tired but cannot make themselves go to sleep, I have it.  All day long, I look forward to hitting the hay.  Then, when the opportunity arises, it just seems like such a sad thing to sleep when I could do more productive things...like read some good fiction, or watch some good fiction, or listen to some good fiction.  If only I could make myself dream my own fiction!

For I am not ashamed...

...to admit that I very much look forward to my Thursday ritual of watching a chick flick and Friends DVDs while I clean house and do laundry.  Maybe my favorite thing ever!

True Story

You know you're exhausted when the toilet flushes automatically and your immediate response is, "Thank God!  I was way too tired to do that myself."

a little bit crazy

Raise your hand if you asked your department head if it would be okay for you to leave campus to go buy file folders because the ones you have available in the supply closet are an unsettling shade of blue.  Keep your hand up if you went to Target, were appalled by their prices, drove to Walmart, were appalled by their lack of quality, and retraced your route back to Target to pay the appalling price.  Thank you, Mom, for passing that trait right along!

the little engine that conked out at 9:30

If there were a children's book written about me, this would be it.  Hasta, my friends!

completely done

What reason have I to doubt
Why would I dwell in fear
When all I have known is grace
My future in Christ is clear

My sins have been paid in full
There's no condemnation here
I live in the good of this
My Father has brought me near
I'm leaving my fears behind me now

The old is gone, the new has come
What You complete is completely done
We're heirs with Christ, the victory won
What You complete is completely done

I don't know what lies ahead
What if I fail again
You are my confidence
You'll keep me to the end
I'm leaving my fears behind me now...

- Jonathan Baird, Ryan Baird, and Rich Gunderlock

steppin' out

Getting ready for a night of boot scootin', and if I have as much fun as I expect to have, I'll be too exhausted to contribute to my blog post-dancing.  So, I'm going to go ahead and say I had oh so much fun and broke my previous records for number of dances total and number of consecutive dances.  Unfortunately, also on the list of projected broken records: the number of times I say, "I'm tired" and "My hip hurts!"

much needed night in

I may or may not have watched three hours of Friends episodes followed by You've Got Mail.  TGIF!