Forever

Nothing special today. I was just reminded of one of my favorite songs of all time by Ben Harper and I've been listening to it on repeat....so I thought I'd share! Enjoy! :)

Not talkin' 'bout a year

No not three or four

I don't want that kind of forever

In my life anymore

Forever always seems

to be around when it begins

but forever never seems

to be around when it ends

So give me your forever

Please your forever

Not a day less will do From you

People spend so much time

Every single day

Runnin' 'round all over town

Givin' their forever away

But no not me

I won't let my forever roam

and now I hope I can find

my forever a home

So give me your forever

Please your forever

Not a day less will do

From you

Like a handless clock with numbers

An infinite of time

No not the forever found

Only in the mind

Forever always seems

to be around when things begin

but forever never seems

to be around when things end

So give me your forever

Please your forever

Not a day less will do

From you

Oh I almost forgot! I do have something exciting to share....AMY, ALISON, AND I ARE GOING TO DC TOMORROW TO SEE ANNA!! Whoot whoot! I can't wait!! :)

Stumble upon THIS!

My good friend Jesse Norris came to visit me this weekend and he introduced me to my new addiction: http://www.stumbleupon.com. It's seriously the most fun way to waste time! Just enter your interests and start stumbling upon random websites to suit your likings! For example, I like food, humor, and exotic animals....so these are a few things that I have stumbled upon today:

yummy in my tummy!

another mouth-watering treat: chocolate peanut butter torte

:)

this reminded me of 4th grade and it made me happy

Dear whoever designed the toilet,

Please consider making them echo resistant.

Sincerely, that fart was supposed to be quiet.

Have fun stumbling!

Chiché

In the past couple days, it has come to my attention how incredibly sad it is that some of the most profound verses in the Bible have become cliché to so many. For example:

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 

- John 3:16

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts always hopes, always perseveres. 

- 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

It's like we have become calloused to the greatness of God and the amazing gift of Jesus Christ....a gift that not a single one of us deserves.....a gift that was given at an incredible price....a gift that was given because God is love. And he is patient. And kind. And slow to anger. And he is everything that we are not.

I hope to always be reminded of this and never take for granted the miracle of my salvation.

Surprisingly delicious

I used to be the pickiest eater growing up. I lived off of spaghetti, pb&j, chicken tenders, cheese pizza, and McDonald's (with lots and lots and lots of ketchup). Then this miraculous thing happened in college.....I started eating anything and everything.....turning into the human garbage disposal that I am today. (It's truly amazing that I'm not fat.) So in order to make up for my 20 years of terribly boring and unadventurous eating habits, I now jump at the chance to try anything new.
Well while I was at work tonight, I had such an opportunity. One of the other caregivers was snacking on Doritos and cottage cheese, so I gave it a shot. Result: DELICIOUS! You should seriously try it. And if you don't try it then you will probably annoy me because unadventurous and close-minded people do that to me. I think it's due to the fact that I, myself, used to be boring but have seen the light....so now it is my goal to give everyone the same joy that I have received from this new lifestyle. I mean, why would anyone consciously deprive themselves of goodness? I just don't get it! So go ahead.....try it out!








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Longing to Belong

Eddie Vedder has a new ukulele album coming out! I'm so freakin pumped! This is his cover of Pearl Jam's "Longing to Belong" (I love the lyrics):

I'm falling harder than I've ever fell before

I'm fallin faster, hoping I'll land in your arms
Cause all my time is spent here
Longing to belong to you

I dream of circles perfect, eyes within your face
My heart's an open wound that only you replace
And though the moon is rising, can't put your picture down
Love, it's a frightning way to fall

And when the time is right, I hope that you'll respond
Like when the wind gets tired and the ocean becomes calm
I may be dreaming but I'm longing to belong to you

In the past week....

• I passed out while watching 127 Hours. For those of you who don't know, this is a true story about a young man named Aaron Ralston who survived 127 hours in a canyon with his hand trapped between a boulder and the canyon wall. After being stuck for five days, Aaron finally comes to terms with the fact his only chance of survival is to amputate his arm. He does this by applying enough force on his arm to break his radius and ulna, and then proceeded to hack away at his flesh with a dull pocket knife. You think that sounds bad? Well what came next was what really did me in....he had to dig deep in his muscle tissue and rip through the nerves and tendons with his fingers because the knife wouldn't cut them. Now, this was simply more than I could handle. I started to get the familiar pre-pass-out tunnel vision, something that I have learned to recognize and manage in other circumstances, but I didn't even have a fighting chance this time! I was literally out within seconds, falling onto the shoulder of my friend sitting next to me. I awoke from dreamland moments later, all sweaty and nauseous and feeling sooooo embarrassed that I passed out in front of my friend....while watching a movie, hahahaha! I am already looking forward to the numerous blackouts that will occur during PA school....I only pray that I get over it quickly!

• I "competed" in an indoor triathlon. The reason I put "completed" in quotations is because I didn't really go into it with the intention of anything other than surviving. It was only a 10 minute swim, 30 minute bike and a 20 minute run, so I knew it wouldn't be too difficult.....but since I am historically a sprinter and had never done anything like this before (or swam or biked in a year), I decided to play it safe. For each event, I settled into a comfortable pace and stayed relaxed, not wanting to overexert myself. Well as it turned out....I succeeded in under-exerting myself, haha. I mean, how does a person do any kind of triathlon and not even feel tired or sore afterward?!  I would have liked to at least feel a little pain to show I did something! So in the end I placed 6th out of 8 competitors total, all of whom were at least 10-30 years older than I. Looking back, I wish I had pushed myself....but at least now I know what to expect for the next time!

• One of my very best friends, Anna Louisa Leutheuser, got engaged to Will Dunham!!! ("I could not have parted with you, my Anna, for anyone less worthy"). I am so so so so soooooo excited for them and I simply cannot wait for their wedding this fall! After living with Anna for four years, I am certain that it will be the most beautiful wedding of all time because she has been planning it for years....believe me, I've seen pictures of "the vision" and they're stunning! I love you, Anna. Someday I will be calling you to come help my mother plan my wedding....because I am clueless!

• I GOT A GUITAR!!! And it's a GIBSON! WOOOHOOOOO!!! I have always wanted to learn how to play the guitar but have never had the opportunity. Now, I am so very grateful to have been given this amazing gift by a great musician that I have come to know during my time in Okemos. I wish I knew how to repay him for his kindness. I feel so blessed :)

In my dreams...

I don't allow myself to do this very often, but over the last couple of days I have been shopping online.....it has led me to these two items that I really really really want! And to be fair, I honestly need one of them....

• I am trying to learn some more complicated songs on my uke that have a lot of picking in them. Well, I've discovered that my budget ukulele doesn't exactly measure up in sound-quality when things start to get technical.....so here is my dream uke:

Isn't it pretty?! :)

Also in my dreams, I would have the musical talent to be able to translate guitar tabs into ukulele tabs because it is very difficult to find the songs I want to play for the ukulele. For example, I would love love love to have the tabs for:

William Fitzsimmons - "Passion Play"

Nickel Creek - "Doubting Thomas"

Train - "Marry Me"

Another annoying thing about the ukulele is that people who play the uke apparently aren't country fans. I can't find ANY country songs for the ukulele. I mean, come on now! Seriously?! I guess Hawaiian and country don't naturally go together....but I'd like to make it work.

• I'm starting PA school in three months! WOOHOOO!!!!! And that means I need a new laptop. I found an AMAZING deal on this Toshiba Satellite for $579 (originally $899)......but the deal only lasts for three more days! Ughh! Why does everything cost money?! Maybe a rich man will come into Mongo tomorrow and leave me a $600 tip?!

          ...but I won't hold my breath....