Pics from Disney World... finally

I am finally getting time to breath after my crazy two weeks. First, Disney World and then right after I have had a VERY full week at work trying to cram 40 hours into 3 and a half days. But here you are and enjoy our Disney memories!

To start us all off... the gateway to magic

We almost missed our connecting flight in Dallas... we had been waiting at the wrong gate because our first flight told us the wrong gate... stupid!

It was so cold!!! 42 degrees as the high in FLORIDA! Coldest it's been in several years for them

Walt is telling Minnie and I a very important Disney World story... let's listen in...








Tyler was tired so he slept in a Main street shop























Fantasmic!



This little boy looked so into the Animal Kingdom map. He was barely 2 years old so you know he had no idea what he was looking at... but he was so ready!!






It was an awesome trip!!! I am glad to be home though!

Leavin' on a jet plane

Tomorrow morning I will be on a plane to Florida where I will be spending the next five days in DISNEY WORLD!!! YAY!!!! I am super excited!!

I had a lovely New Years!! Hope all of you did too!! No pictures though... bummer. Ah well. I will have tons of pictures to share with you all when I get back next week!!

I will leave with a list of my 2008 "Hopes":
(I don't do resolutions because I end up disappointing myself at the end of the year... so instead I think of things I hope I will get to experience in the coming year)

- Visit Germany in August
- Complete last two classes at Community College
- Start school at ASU in the fall
- Visit to Disneyland (I mean I have an annual pass)
- Visit to Wisconsin... haven't been in over 2 years
- Plan a visit to England (hopefully to study there in 2009)
- Take incredible risks
- Be deliriously happy!!!

My completed puzzle!!!

Some pictures...

This blog is in serious need of art... so here are some fav pictures from the season:

Nicole, baby and I at Jeremy's wedding

Mom and Stacy at our "Christmas Eve Group" Party

I did not make all this... but I helped set it up

All the pretty lights and ornaments

Christmas Eve kids picture

Lunch with friends from high school. Jenna and her husband were in town

This is John Lynch at Joel and Misty's Christmas Vacation Party... there are no more words.

Thompson cousins caroling...

Mom and dad

Mamaw and Papaw... they are so cute

Christmas Eve breakfast with Shawn and Nicole

Matchy Matchy brothers... with they keychains

Christmas money!!! Yay!! My hair is awful!

Christmas Day Dinner with Nicole's family

I taught myself a song on Winston's new guitar... the song and it's simplicity is irrelevent.

Mom and me

My presents!!! Look at all those movies!

NEW CLUB!!!!!

I am going to form a new club!!! It will be called the "I'm still in my 20's and act like an old lady" either that or "Old Lady Club"... the name is still up in the air and will be decided later. The reason behind my club formation: my day began with Martha Stewart Living and cereal. Then I watched a couple episodes of the Office before heading out for a walk for about an hour and a half. Then I came home and watched more of the office while deep cleaning half my apartment (the other half will be completed tomorrow). The climax of my momentous day was watching more of the office while starting a puzzle... THAT'S RIGHT A PUZZLE!!!! Tomorrow will probably be filled with more of the same. I am such an old woman it isn't even funny!

Jim and Pam... one of the great love stories.

Christmas pictures are still to come... but in the meantime please enjoy some great Jim and Pam moments!! I really think I am in love with Jim Halpert!!!





I love these videos because they are set to two truly great songs... and yes this is how I have spent my Christmas Day evening!

Less Frustrating... and some awesome!!!

The re-roofing has stopped... They left around 9:30 at which time I went back to sleep for a couple hours... now I feel ready to start my day. And what a wonderful start it has been... I woke up to this wonderful bit of news:

PETER JACKSON HAS SETTLED WITH NEW LINE CINEMA AND WILL BE PRODUCING THE HOBBIT!!!!!!!!! I think my dad and I watching the movies yesterday gave Jackson a bit of luck!!! YAY!!! You have no idea how happy this makes me!!

Now I am going to get dressed, do some shopping for christmas presents, and probably come back here and do a whole lot of nothing (probably while watching a movie... and probably getting some cleaning done which is sorely needed).

Frustrating!!!

I am miserably sick... flu, sore throat, sinus pressure... the whole bit. Yesterday I spent the entire day (and I mean ENTIRE day) watching the three extended editions of Lord of the Rings with my dad. It was lovely.

But today I planned on staying home (at my apartment) all morning sleeping and peacefully watching TV or a movie or two. Then this afternoon possibly going out to get some Christmas Shopping done. But alas I have been thwarted. They are re-roofing my apartment!!! I recieved a note on my door yesterday notifying me. 7am I was woken up to this nice construction worker at my door saying they were going to begin work for the day. So I try to go back to sleep (probably in my half-slumber I thought I may be able to sleep through it). No dice. They are hacking and pounding away and God knows what up there for God knows how long!!! Meanwhile I can't hear myself think let alone expect to hear a television. To top things off I have a skylight in my bathroom right above my toilet (I think the designer of the apartment figured that if we can't have window in the bathroom we should get a skylight and if we need a skylight it should most definitely go right above the toilet). Which for all intents and purposes makes no difference to me, except when there are men on my roof and the top part of the skylight has been removed for the roofing project... I need to go to the bathroom and I am not waiting for they're frickin' lunch break.

I just want to sleep and do nothing... and I don't know how long this is going to take today... because they are scheduled to be here tomorrow as well!!! I hate roofing!!!

I also forgot my camera over at my friend Meredith's house this last friday... so pictures of my apartment will have to wait. Hopefully I can go pick up the camera later today.

I am officially on vacation!!! Yay!! I will now have time to blog a little bit more often (I know you're right, you shouldn't hold your breath) and I am hopefully going to be able to get some pictures of Christmas Decorations around my apartment on here so you all can see how I am making my place holiday-home-like.

Yay disneyland!!!

Just got back from the happiest place on earth... and it truely was just that! Our group had so much fun, and it was awesome that our entire group of 21 people stuck together for almost the entire time (with the occasional break for meals). We got to ride so many rides!! It rained a little bit in the afternoon so I think the weather kept a lot of the locals away which left minimal crowds in the afternoon and evening. We spent the entire first day 8am - 12am at Disneyland and the second day 10am - 3:30pm in California Adventure. I found great souvenirs!! I got this gorgeous tree topper for my Christmas Tree and some christmas ornaments (but unfortunately I grabber the wrong shopping bag so Clark has my stuff and I'll get it back tomorrow). But the best gift I got for myself was... wait for it... an ANNUAL PASS!!!! YAY! They deducted the price I paid for my current ticket and so the cost of the Delux Annual Pass was a complete steal!!!

Here are some pictures to enjoy of Christmas at Disneyland!!








Ben proposed to Laura right after the fireworks ended and the snow started to fall on Main Street... it was awesome! I got some awesome pictures.






The whole group (minus Joel) on Tower of Terror... notice Shawn, Tyler, Clark and I each did a Bluth chicken!! Awesome!




Yay Annual Pass!!



Hope you enjoyed!!

heater is fixed, but...

my computer is acting funny. I installed Leopard last week (Mac's new operating system) and now it says I have very little disk space to download songs and general files and what-not... this totally sucks!! I may have to take it to the apple store and have them tell me what the heck is happening (I do have connections there), or take it to my dad and have him fiddle around with it. Either way it all just makes me very uneasy.

Went to my Mark Williams book launch party last night. It was fantastic!! I can't wait to start reading his book... hopefully sometime today!! I am so excited for him and this huge accomplishment. His whole family was so excited too!

In other news: 3 more days till I am in Disneyland!!!! Yippie! So excited to ring in the Christmas season at the happiest place on earth. I'm going with The Call (church college aged group)!!!

In other other news: just a week and a half until my vacation!!! Hallelujah!!!! I am needing to have this amazing break to rest and relax.

That is all... wish my posts were more thrilling.

I think my heater is broken...

I have to set on like 80 degrees now and it still won't get above 67 degrees... do we all agree that something may be terribly wrong with my heater? I have never paid much attention to heating systems until now, so maybe this is how it works? hehe ;)

can't think of a clever post title...

My dad's concert was wonderful!! you can see some of the pictures on my mom's blog... really fun, really awesome, and rockin' music!!!

My family decorated my parent's house yesterday... we watched Christmas Specials - Mickey's Christmas Carol (where Goofy learns to ski) and Charlie Brown Christmas. It was super fun to get to ring in the Christmas Season with whole family. I even got to feel the baby move in Nicole's tummy!!! YAY!!

Also this weekend we saw my cousins whom I haven't seen in over a year. My cousins Matt and Sylvia and their 9month old little boy Elijah were visiting from Germany where they are stationed in the army. Also, my cousin Ben and his new fiance Helen came in from California for a visit!! So much fun to see all of them!! They are awesome and Elijah is incredibly cute... he liked hanging out with me.

Besides that I have been in kind of a funk... a stupid funk that the longer I am in it the more I realize how it is a waste of my time and energy, and yet I am still in it. Please pray for me... You know the song by Paul Simon "Think too much" (the slow one... not the fast one), it is kind of my theme song at the moment. It's true... I do think too much and too hard.

The Countdown has begun...

I have a significant amount of vacation time coming up here and I am now counting down the days until I am free!! Three weeks of work yet. This week is shaping up to be great... I have wednesday evening off and the entire day on thursday free!! Yay!! Then next week I am only working 23 hrs!!! Yippie!! Then it is the last week of work before my THREE WEEK VACATION!!!! You have no idea how wonderful those words are!

By the way I dad's concert is this coming weekend Dec. 1st!! A great way to kick off the Christmas season! It starts at 7pm. The Location is Open Door Fellowship Church at 19th Ave and Butler (between Northern and Dunlap)!! Come and celebrate Christmas with my family. (Does that not sound like a stupid Hallmark Card).

Happy Birthday to me!!!!

I am officially 23 years old today!!! I love my birthday, although I feel like it has snuck up on me the last couple of years. I am so focused on Thanksgiving that I keep having to remind myself that my birthday is right after!! Today I am hanging out with my family - dinner tonight... sushi yum!! Who know what else the day or weekend will bring!!

Turkey Day...

Or as I affectionately call it - The first day of the Christmas Season!!!! Hope everyone is happy and full of food!!!

Yay... I'm so proud

Cash Advance Loans

Bear Grylls on Man Vs. Wild just cooked fresh camel meat (from a dead camel that he is using as a pillow) over a fire fueled by Camel dung... I think I'm in love!!! I am just fascinated by this show.

Aside from that I am enjoying an evening alone in front of the television.

Rob Bell...

went to see Rob Bell last night at the Orpheum theater. It was incrediblle. He is a Christian speaker and was the guy in the video I posted about on Oct 31st. Phenomenal speaker!! He spoke for 1hr and 45 minutes without even so much as a sip of water. The theme of his tour was "The gods Aren't Angry" and he spoke from the dawn of time all the way to when Christ came. He talked about what people believed and how different cultured served different gods and sacrificed different things to appease said gods... it was fascinating!! He summed it up with the fact that God isn't upset with us and we don't have to bargain with him so he won't be angry... he loves and adores us and so all the sacrifices and obstacles and what-not that are required by other religions and "gods" isn't true of God. Really cool stuff.

Holly Butler...

A friend of mine from high school has a blog now!!! She has the most ridiculously cute little girl McKenzie!! I also went to school with her husband Jake. We were all in musicals together. Anyway you should check out her space - hollybutler.blogspot.com!! Hope everyone is having a wonderful Sunday because so far I know I am!!

What makes me happy...

Christmas music has started to play on 99.9 KEZ.

People are gettin engaged - Caleb Lynch and Kali Kyper got engaged, announced last night

My neice or nephew is healthy - Shawn and Nicole says all is well at their last check up

I will be having a very fun weekend this weekend - hanging out with cool people, relaxation, church, possibly a girls night with friends

I get an afternoon off where I will be seeing a movie by myself - no don't feel bad this actually makes me happy!!

That is all for now.

Late night TV...

So because I get done with work at 11pm I find that when I get home I am not quite ready for bed. So I am always looking for something to watch to lull me into sleep. I watched Sex and the City on Ch 3 for a while, but now that I have seen every episode at least three times I moved on to Will and Grace on Lifetime... bummer they don't show it anymore at 11 and 11:30. But tonight I just discovered that TBS has the Office showing at 11 and 11:30... YAY!!! All the helpings of Jim, Pam, Michael, Dwight and the whole Dunder Mifflin gang that I can handle in one night!!! So now I am spending time watching the Office before I head to sleep.

Emancipating Elias

My friends Jeannette and Jessica are like sisters to me. Most of my high school weekends were spent at their house and their parents are like my second parents. Well, their dad, Mark, just published a book. That's right PUBLISHED a book. And it's a novel... which I consider a harded feat to accomplish. So the book is called Emancipating Elias and although I haven't read the book I hear it is very good: romantic, funny, the whole gamut. Very cool!!

Check it out at Amazon.com, Borders.com, target.com, and Barnesandnoble.com... I can't wait to read it!!!

May I also note that is sold in the UK as well on Amazon.co.uk. This is so exciting!!!

Feeling much better...

Went shopping after work this morning... needed some bridal shower gifts and a birthday gift. Also hit up the after halloween sale item. Bought a couple awesome halloween decorations then immediantly came home placed them in a box with the rest of my halloween stuff and put it on top of my closet. Bummer.

Christmas decorations are out and they make me so very happy! It has actually been feeling like Christmas the last few days - with all the decor, staff meeting this morning we spent time planning all the holiday parties for the campus, and the fact that I am sick makes me think of Christmas (bare with me here...) I usually get sick like this right before Christmas Eve so I spend Christmas morning coughing up a lung (if only you could watch the home movies!! hehe). Maybe the fact that it hit me early this year will save me the trouble of being sick during all the fun holiday festivities.

Watched the Office this afternoon... so funny!!!!

Tonight I am going down to "first friday" with Ashley, Shannon, and Laura for Ashley's 21st birthday!!! YAY! I may get some cute pictures of me with my new glasses!!

Can't breath through my nose...

I am sick... miserably sick. I can't breath through my nose, and my ears are plugged, and my throat is scratchy, I am achy all over and I sound like a baby sea lion when I cough... yuck. This is the first time I have been legitimately "down-for-the-count" sick in a while... but can I stay home and milk it? NO!! I tried calling around last night when I started to feel unhealthy, to see if someone was available to at least take this morning's class (I am supposed to work today 8:30am - 11pm) but absolutely no one who would be able to teach this particular class is available. So I must soldier on and try to at least get through this morning - pray someone can take my afternoon class... I do already have someone lined up to take my evening class. This stinks.

funny things happen when you pray...

So I have been really struggling with a lot of stuff recently... and stuff that really no one else can help me with or anything, because only God and I can really figure out my deep question - Who am I? Seriously, I have no idea who I am, what I am supposed to do, what God has set me apart for. It has affected everything that I am struggling with on top of that - my job, my desires, my dreams... all of it stems from the deep question - who am I? I say this all the time: God has been constantly refashioning and reshaping me. I look at people around me and see people who have known what they have wanted for most of their lives and they get it and they live this amazing genuine incredible life. I am sure that they have struggles but they know who God has made them... I on the other hand have constantly had the answer to my question change. What I would have said in high school is very different than how I defined myself in college. And then I went to Massage School and it all changed. I am an artist, I am funny, I am theatrical, I love movies, I love reading good books, I read tabloid magazines, I love traveling, I am a breamer, I am a romantic, I am self concious, I am analytical of myself, I am a child of the most high God... those are what I know to be true about me. But none of those answer the question "who am I?"
So I know that I am Christ in me... I am everything God says in the Bible about me, but I don't know what that means. And it gives me no direction... and I guess that is what I long for most some hint or whisper of a path I am supposed to be on. And how that manifests itself in my life is that I don't feel comfortable in my own skin... and I have a lot of self doubt.
This quest kind of all came to a head on friday in a staff meeting when we as a staff were basically told by our managers and corporate representative that we all suck!! That we aren't doing our jobs well enough and that students are leaving and failing because of me. Now for a person with a struggle like mine, it shattered my heart. I am a people pleaser and I am a perfectionist and to be told that I am failing is not good for the soul. I don't even want to be doing this job for very much longer, so a meeting like that really made me want to pack up and run. Growing up in a church that has taught me that I can be a failure and a loser in the worlds eyes and that's okay because God loves me despite all that, made me really frustrated by what I was being told. I don't know who I am and what I am supposed to be doing with my life and apparently what I am doing with my life right now is done really really poorly.
So I spent the weekend seeking God and his love and his answers. I even wrote on my bathroom mirror "God, I give you this day. Help me to see your encouragement and love in my life." And a funny thing happens when you ask God to show you how much He loves you... he actually does.
Yesterday was very pleasant at school - I can't get specific with all the little things I was blessed with because it would really make no sense... but the biggest thing God blessed me with was this video. The speaker is a man named Rob Bell (an amazing speaker) and he has several and I am talking several videos made by this organization called NOOMA. Well this video just came out today... and I cried through the whole thing... isn't God great that He would bless me as He does.
Now I still don't have my answer all figured out, but I am so very hopeful in Christ for me he is doing in my soul.