High School All over again...

I said I'd never go back. Here I am.

High school all over again...
I actually attended 3 high schools, but I attended the last one the longest. So I'll use that one.

1. Who was your best friend? Mary D. or Wyatt or Heather or Jeanette

2. Did you play any sports? nope. In fact, during PE I'd play a ridiculous position in any team sport where I'd position myself directly behind the 2nd baseman so I didn't have to do anything in the outfield. If it was a pairs sport I'd find a friend, hopefully Jeanette, who'd be silly with me, so Coach Earlywine didn't catch us slacking off. Although I did rock at badminton. And my freshman year of high school, I won the boys vs. girls dodgeball game all by myself. GO ME!

3. What kind of car did you drive? After I took driver's ed the summer I turned 17, and got a C-, I drove a red Mercury Sable. I loved that car. I put it in the ditch, and another time slid down an icy hill and almost got hit by a semi. But most importantly I moved to college in that car. Until my parents told me that I had to let them take it back so my sister could drive it. *SIGH*

4. It’s Friday night. Where were you? At home. Or if my parents let me, with my friends having pizza @ Pizza Hut, as long as I was home by 9. : I know.

5. Were you a party animal? Um, no. I co-founded a chapter of SADD at my last high school and I turned in a friend for drinking alcohol during two separate NHS events (he was breathalized, and passed from what I remember. Pray for me to leave this event at the cross because it still causes me anxiety, anger, and embarassment), and pretty much avoided any kind of large social gathering.

6. Were you considered a flirt? No. I was too shy to talk to most boys, because I'd blush so hard when I'd get nervous. I had lots of crushes though.

7. Were you in the band, orchestra or choir? Band. I played french horn, and not to toot my own horn (LOL!!) but I was pretty good.

8. Were you a nerd? HUGE band nerd.

9. Were you ever suspended or expelled? I don't think I'd have made it this long if I had been.

10. Can you sing the fight song? Go we Mo Valley, Fight for Victory... That's all I know. I was usually playing the fight song (huge band nerd, remember?)

11. Who was your favorite teacher? Well, as far as teaching as a role model? I'd say J.T. (Joel Thury). But Coach Knott's dimples and blue eyes were the talk of all the girls. And Senora gave me my current level of Espanol.

12. What was your school mascot? Big Red - a huge Indian head complete with headdress and axe.

13. Did you go to the Prom? We had junior-senior prom, and I was a prom server my sophmore year. We had to wear those screen printed shirts with a tuxedo on the front (mine was a XXL) with our names puffy painted on (purple for girls and green for boys I think), and on the back was the prom logo and the year. I had a junior boyfriend who really wanted me to attend prom with him, but I wasn't allowed to go. My junior year I loved my dress and hair, but didn't really enjoy the prom itself.I preferred my senior prom, but my dress was horrible and I hated my hair.

14. If you could go back, would you? Absolutely not.

15. What do you remember most about graduation? Um, either people laughing at me during the invocation, people trying to trip me while going down the stairs to play in the band, or trying to trip me while I received my diploma. Yeah. There were maybe 3 people in my graduating class who tolerated me after I turned that guy in.

16. Where were you on Senior Skip Day? In school, working on the yearbook while the other editors were out.

17. Did you have a job your senior year? I worked @ Jones' Food Center. I liked that job. Most of the time I stood around, read the ridiculous magazines at the front counter, and "dusted" the food.

18. Where did you go most often for lunch? The library. Or JT's room.

19. Have you gained weight since then? I have.

20. What did you do after graduation? Worked that summer, and thankfully left MoVal. I went to college, which I really miss.

21. What year did you graduate? 1998

22. Who was your Senior Prom Date? someone I was dating.

23. Who was your homeroom teacher? I don't think we had homeroom. I guess if we did, it would probably be Miss Spears, my band teacher.


Thanks for the meme, Bob at The Four of Clubbs.

WAHOO!! Such a God thing!

(WARNING! This post includes lots of excitement, including, but not limited to: Internet shouting, excessive exclamation points, PRAISE!!, conviction, hyphenation, word creation, parentheses, run-on sentencing,etc. If you aren't prepared, stop reading now!! TOO LATE!)

Yay! I'm so totally praising God right now. YAY! A new cake order! A woman found my site through someone's blog (thank you whomever it was!), and sent me an email. You should know that I check my email. Obsessively. Compulsively. So often I might need to attend a meeting for this addiction. (Another sign of my addictive personality, but that's another post)

Of course, My Sohl-mate took the computer which contains my business email with him on his trip this week. Did that matter? NOPE! Why? Because --- God is great! He don't need no stinkin' email. He's got G-mail (no, not Google-mail). God connected this same woman and I just after First Wednesday (which is totally a God thing in and of itself!!). She approached me, and asking, "Are you the girl who makes diaper cakes?" Imagine my shock! WAHOO! You better believe I am. I was shocked, though. How did she find me? How did she know me? How did she know?? G - O - D! Thank you!!

O.k., I know I'm a little excited, but God has been showing my that I'm not taking Him seriously enough. He has been telling me all over the place that He wants to bless me in so many ways, but I've been pushing it off and throwing myself a little bit of a no-orders-on-my-terms pity party. Finally the other day I just threw some of my constant, long-time stumbling blocks at His feet. I'm working my hardest not to run back and pick them up, even though I know it's where they belong.

Then last night the blessings began. The Wagnocker Hometeam discussed a previous message, and we talked about passions, gifts, experiences, and locations. I was falling back over one of my long-time stumbling blocks when God threw me for a loop. When called out on my what my passions were, I faltered, saying I didn't know, maybe entertaining. (Please, roll your eyes as God did at my non-committal answer) Kirby totally called me out, though, on two occasions, and reminding me that God does see me as someone better than I allow myself to see. God, through Kirby, was saying, "Hey! Remember you left those insecurities back here?!? They're gone now, wiped away. So stop trying to pick them up again. You're not who they said you were. You never have been. Be who I'm telling you you are." It was totally a world-coming-to-an-audible-screeching-halt moment. WHOA!! THANK YOU GOD!!! Thank you for forcing me to remember who is really in charge of me, and of my direction.

So today when that sweet woman approached me, I was shocked, and not. I wanted to give her one of those almost-knock-you-over, squish-tastic hugs. Trying to maintain my "business etiquette", I politely thanked her, and asked her a few questions. I did end up giving in and hugging her, though not the hug I had initially wanted to bestow upon her. I knew it was God, saying, "See what happens when you let Me do it?"

Such is God, right? Once we show that we'll stay the course, that we want what He wants for us, He opens the gates. YAY! WAHOO!

Harry Potter!

If you haven't read the book, don't try to read the post or the comments. I don't want to spoil it for you.

If you have, let's chat! Hilight the text, so you can read what I wrote.

My first thoughts were that the book was overall great. I really enjoyed it. Having had time to analyze my likes and dislikes with my fellow Hogwartians She-DaWagna, She-OckersOcean, my funk-Sohl brotha, my Hollen-rockin' sista, and my Sohl-mate, I've decided that it could never have met my expectations. It's the last of the series, the last she intended to write (or so she says), and there was bound to be a let down regardless of what she penned.

Notable differences, you ask?? Well, I didn't get that "old, warm coat" feeling when I read the first few hundred pages. Having read these articles (yes, all 16), since she didn't follow the Dursely-Hogwarts Express-Quidditch-Christmas-etc., timelines as the last six books did, that might have contributed to the unfamiliarity; however, it was more than that. It felt like another person wrote the first section - no, I don't recall the point where it felt "normal." While she has grown most obviously as a writer (who couldn't after 7 enormous books), it didn't seem "J.K." Nonetheless, I liked the break from tradition, and thought moments of appreciation from Dudley were perfect.

Another difference - much more crass language in this book, particularly from Mrs. Weasley. HOLY COW! I didn't see that one coming. I was disappointed that the important DA characters (Neville, Luna, Ginny) didn't get more facetime. I can see, though, how six teenagers running amok might draw a bit of attention to themselves.

Last, I loved the more dominant role faith played in this book. She quotes Matthew 6:21 and 1 Corinthians 15:26, though not as plainly as I have, and thanks God twice by name. Lots of references to the King's Cross, the after-life, and while veiled, references to where Voldemort would end up.

I would like to have read less running-around-like-chickens-with-their-heads-cut-off sequences, and had a bit more detail in the whole wand description. I also could have used a bit more clarity about the thing making noise at King's Cross, and why Harry wasn't killed, but Voldemort was.

I'm not sure it will end up being my favorite book, but I really enjoyed the resolutions of various plotlines from previous books in this one. Most importantly, I enjoyed this book immensely. While I'm not sure I'm ready for it to end, I appreciate the season of life J.K. Rowling is in. I'm hoping that when she said that she might write an encyclopedia, she meant she would. Oh, and now I await the release of the Half-Blood Prince in November 2008 (even though I said I wouldn't see it after I saw, and was somewhat disappointed by, Order of the Phoenix).

What does your name mean?

http://www.behindthename.com/

Summer rains *sigh...* or maybe not.

I've made a commitment to myself and to God that I'll try to find the positives in any situation, a reason to praise and thank Him, regardless of strife.

So summers here have been stretching me to find reasons to praise. They start early, finish late, and in between, it's blazing hot, humid, and mosquitoes apparently love my sweet nature just as my Sohl-mate does. Right now, there's plenty of rain, but no heat lighting shows, and the indoor activities I don't personally plan about which I know are extremely limited.

But I'll find a reason to thank, a reason to praise for each of my complaints because I've made that commitment to Him and to myself. Thank you God that the length of the summer allows me plenty of time to test out the waterparks, the beach, the amusement parks, and still enjoy a nice time in my own backyard. Thank you that the heat and humidity help me appreciate the cooler months all the more. And, thank you that the mosquitoes give me a great excuse to put off that weeding project one more day. Thank you for the rain that saves me from having to artificially water my lawn, and for the lack of lightning that means that my Sohl son can rest peacefully at night without an encore or two. Last, but not least, thank you for the need for me to create my own special activities which they themselves create special memories that I'm sure I'll treasure forever.

So, when it rains on my hot summer day, or any other day, I'm looking for reasons to thank God.