Harry Potter is boss

I love all things Harry Potter.

Yes, I am 31. Don't care. And not ashamed to say it. I luff Harry.

And I'm sorry Twilight fans. Stephenie Meyer, Edward/Bella/Jacob, and Robert Pattinson - you and your fictional world are interesting and entertaining. But you simply cannot hold a candle to J.K. Rowling and her amazing epic Potter universe. It is superior in every way.

The sixth Potter movie was supposed to come out last November. I was so excited! And then we heard the studio was going to delay the release until July 2009. Seriously? And why did they decide to do that? Harry Potter movies make more money in the summer. So they went and royally ticked off all the HP fans who now had to wait eight more months to see the next installment. L-A-M-E.

Anywho, as it's getting closer to the release, some images from the film have been popping up on the internet. I thought I'd set up a fun game for other Potter fans like myself. The first person to name the main characters in each picture AND what scene it is...I will mail you $5. Remember this is Book 6 "The Half-Blood Prince". Good luck!

1)

2)

3)

4)

5)

Extra credit: name all these characters:

Fun Fridays

Every other Friday, I get to spend the day with the world's cutest baby (aka: my nephew Judah). Today is one of those days! I told my sister that when I drive over to their house on Thursday nights, it's like Christmas Eve. Judah is already asleep so I have to wait till morning to see him. And when I climb into bed, I lay there thinking, "Sarah - just go to sleep, because the sooner you do, the sooner it will be morning and you get to play with him!" But then I can't fall asleep because I get so excited at the thought of getting to spend the whole day with him! Vicious cycle.

Anyway, he is 5 months old now and SO FUN! My sister wrote a blog recently about this, saying how he used to be a blob, but now he's like a real baby. My favorite thing is how he loves to touch everything. His little hands want to feel different textures. Whether it's the carpet, a painting, the curtains, my jeans, whatever. He also loves to touch my face when I lean over and give him thousands of hugs and kisses. Never-Ending cuteness! (cue The Never-Ending Story theme song here...) "Never-Ending Cuuuutenesssss....Ahhhh Ahhhh Ahhhhh...."

Another thing he loves to do (just like all babies) is put everything in his mouth. Everything. Here is what he has tasted today: milk from his bottle, his toys, his Johnny Jumper, my fingers, a blanket, his bunny stuffed animal, the strings that hang from my hooded sweatshirt, the book I read to him, his own thumb and fingers, his burp cloth, and my hair. Ew. (I pulled that out right away)

I am in love love love with this little man. He makes me so happy. I look forward to my Fun Fridays SO MUCH.

The Isaiah Project L.A.

So wow, we're back from our LA mission trip. Different from Mexico in almost every way, and yet, still SUCH an amazing trip.

There is so much to tell but I'll share the main stuff. We drove down Monday, found the CSM headquarters, unpacked our stuff, settled into bunkbeds, and then were taken out to dinner. Every night they took us to a different ethnic restaurant so we could experience different cultures and foods (I thought this was a great idea because many of our students are picky and don't try new things when it comes to food). Monday night was Honduran. Mmmmm, sooo good.

And then our worlds got rocked.

They took us on a prayer tour. We drove around south-central LA and stopped in certain areas so our two hosts (Nikki and Chris) could tell us about what was going on in those communities and how we could pray. Our second stop was hard. It was an elementary school with gates 20 feet high surrounding it. Across the street, we saw a warehouse-looking building and Chris told us it used to be a prostitute house. Right across from the school! The teachers (who are severely underpaid, overworked, and had the most difficult kids) would come early to school every day and clean up everything on the block that little children should not have to see. As someone who used to be in education, I tried to imagine what it would be like to have these difficult kids with such sad stories of home life (if they even had one). Not to mention teaching right across the street from a brothel! Heart...breaking...

Toward the end of our prayer tour, things got worse. We drove through Skid Row. You guys, I have NEVER seen so many homeless people in my LIFE. I have seen homelessness before. But nothing like this. I went from shock to disbelief to anger to sadness to hopelessness. We drove by block after block of people settling in for the night on the sidewalk. It was freezing outside and I saw men covered in tiny blankets with their feet sticking out the end. There were so many. Hundreds all in this one area.

And THEN

(this part makes me sick)

Literally two blocks away, was the LA Financial District. Skyscrapers! ESPN Zone! Convention Center! Starbucks on every corner! Swanky bars and restaurants! People dressed fancy! Lights! Huge TV screens flashing images!

I seriously thought I was going to throw up.

Two blocks away.

We stopped at City Hall and got out of our cars. I noticed I wasn't the only one who had been hit by the two extremes. Many of our group were crying. I just couldn't wrap my mind around it. How is it possible there are that many people living on the streets? And how there could be people two blocks away, not knowing or caring.

We shared what we were thinking and feeling and the main words I heard were "hopeless" and "helpless". What can we do? We are just one person. Or 17. Whatever. It didn't matter. This situation was beyond any and all of us. We all went to bed that night with heavy hearts.

BUT

This is why I loved this trip.

Yes, we saw the reality of south central LA. BUT God is at work. Every day, our hosts would take us to multiple organizations to help. Whether it was a soup kitchen, a mission, a church, an after-school program for inner-city kids - we would show up and they'd put us to work. We got to see and be a part of what God is doing to bring HOPE to that area. I was amazed at how many wonderful organizations there are in the city. How many people God is using to be a light in the darkness. I was honored and humbled to be a part of this. And these people do it every day! We were only there a week!

Some places we got to serve:

* St. Francis (soup kitchen - we sorted and made food bags for families)

* Grandview Retirement Home (we played Bingo with the folks - the lady I was with, Loretta, told me her second husband produced Gone With The Wind. I always complain about how old I feel, but now I realize "Man, I am YOUNG.")

* Central City Community Church (we tutored and played with the children at their after-school program every day. I fell in LOVE with those kids!)

* Project Angel Food (they make meals for people with AIDS, cancer, or other life-threatening illnesses. This was my favorite place. The vibe was SO great. 50 of us working, laughing, cooking, encouraging, volunteering. Myself and 2 other ladies made 235 quiches in 3 hours. Whew!)

* Breakfast challenge - taking someone on the streets out to breakfast. It's so interesting when you stop and take the time to really get to know someone and hear their story.

* Midnight Mission (awesome organization! They offer meals, sleeping space, a courtyard, drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs, counseling, job and skill training, and tons more! It's the only mission on Skid Row. We helped serve lunch. I have to admit: I don't like seeing anyone homeless, but I got especially sad seeing the women there)

* LA Regional Food Bank (largest food bank in LA. This is where most missions and organizations get their food. We sorted and examined food, to make sure it had not expired)

For dinner we had Honduran food, Thai food, Nicaraguan food, and Armenian food. All delicious, hole-in-the-wall places. Places where you bet they're family-owned and use grandma's recipes.

The last night, Chris and Nikki took us up to the Griffith Observatory to watch the sunset, see the night lights come out, and have a final debrief time and prayer over the city.

None of us wanted to come home. We were so tired but so full of joy. It was crazy to think back on Monday, how sad and hopeless we all felt. And then by Friday we were like, "What's next!? Where else can we go and serve?!" We felt so alive. No phones, no computers, no TV, no distractions. Just a desire to go out and continue being a part of what God was doing in the city!

Such a good trip. Here are some pixs from the week. Thanks for reading!

home

Home. Exhausted. Joyful.

When I've caught up on sleep, I will share pixs and stories.

God is good.

-Sarah

CSM, son!!

Today: I am heading to south-central Los Angeles with 17 other high school students, college students, and adult leaders. This is the crew that decided to still go somewhere, even after our mission trip to Mexico was cancelled.

What will we be doing? I'm not sure exactly but it sounds like:

* Living in the CSM facilities on Skid Row

* Working with the homeless community (taking them out to breakfast, "meeting a need" they might have, spending time with them)

* Playing Bingo with some folks at a inner-city retirement home. ("B 5!") Spending time with them, loving on them.

* Helping at local soup kitchens and shelters - serving food, organizing food for distribution, etc.

* Playing with inner-city kids at after school programs

Pretty much we will do whatever they ask us to do.

I can't believe the trip is finally here! If you pray, I would love prayer for safety (especially on the drive there and back - we're taking 4 vehicles), health, eyes to be opened, growth, and anything else that comes to your mind. And on a personal note, I would love prayer for patience. There are so many details, so many questions that get asked, and so many little decisions to be made. And being around the same people 24/7 is going to be challenging.

But I know it is going to be a great trip! I am looking forward to seeing what God is doing in L.A. Can't wait to come back with some stories.

Till then my friends, peace out.

these are for Jody

Happy Easter!

Judah with my dad ("Grand-dude" to baby J) and mom ("Gigi"). I told my sister that Judah looks like the Joker from Batman in this picture (in baby form).



Judah and his favorite aunt. (Why God WHY am I doing the "Blue Steel" look from Zoolander?)

Good Friday

All Fridays are good.

But this Friday is the best.

I hope you all have a wonderful Easter weekend!

the cross before him

Um, apparently next Sunday is Easter.

I just realized this yesterday when I went to church and they said it was Palm Sunday. Huh!?!?

I feel like this happens every year. It's my busiest season. I spend tons of time planning for our Spring Break mission trip. (And with having to switch trips this year, it's been extra crazy) And then all of a sudden Easter creeps up on me.

And I'm kind of annoyed at myself.

What we as Christ-followers celebrate at Easter is sacred to me. And yet I let life and busyness take over and distract me.

Needless to say, I am really glad I went to church last night.

The pastor talked about the symbol for our faith could have been anything. The tree of life (creation). A burning bush (God revealing himself to man). A dove (the Holy Spirit descending on His people) etc. But it was chosen that the cross would symbolize our faith. And we have sort of romanticized it. Crosses are on everything. Necklaces, T-shirts, water bottles. But when you think about it, the cross is brutal. It was used by Romans in the 1st century to kill criminals. However it represents the ultimate sacrifice Jesus made. Sometimes we'd rather skip ahead of what he went through on our behalf and just focus on Easter. Happy! Celebration! He is Risen! But the cross is sobering. It makes me stop and contemplate how deep and rich and good and abounding God's love for us is.

So this week before Easter, I look to the cross. The beautiful, horrifying, redemptive cross.

Where my Jesus died so I may live.

another week

Another week has passed. We are getting closer and closer to our LA mission trip. Tomorrow night and Sunday morning we are getting "commissioned" at our church services (we tell the congregation what we'll be doing in LA and they pray for us). And then we leave a week from Monday - the day after Easter.

I felt responsible this week. I went to the dentist which I was dreading because I despise the dentist (too many traumatic stories to tell...). However, I have a NEW dentist (just switched) and I LOVED my new one. I wonder if it's because she's a woman? She is much more nurturing and sympathetic than my last unfeeling bastard of a tooth driller who would basically tell me to grow up every time I cried during one of my office visits.

I also went to see my chiropractor this week. I try to go every month but I haven't been in months and I could feel it. My neck was beginning to hurt if I turned it around too much. My chiro said I was suuuuper tight and used this little electric massagy-thingy to loosen up my back, shoulder, and neck muscles. And then she went to town and cracked whatever she could. Hallelujah! Oh blessed relief. I feel much better.

And lastly I got an oil change this week. I am pretty religious about this. Every 3 months or 3,000 miles. And nothing but the best oil for my Corolla, Johnny! He gets the top-notch stuff. As they were checking out all the fluids, I was called outside and showed that my front right tire has a nail in it. Whoops, better get a new one soon.

On a completely unrelated note, I saw the movie Australia this week. I went into it with low expectations and was pleasantly surprised. It came out at Christmas time with Hugh Jackman (Rrrrrrrrrr....) and Nicole Kidman. It's directed by Baz Luhrman who directed Strictly Ballroom (a family favorite growing up!), Romeo and Juliet, and Moulin Rogue (LOVE!). I recommend renting it if you enjoy one or more of the following: long movies (it's 2 hrs. 45 minutes), epic story lines (takes place during World War II), crying (I love movies that can make me cry), love stories, and/or Hugh Jackman.

In closing, the big news this week was that my friend Amy and I saw a dead whale on Wednesday. It has been beautiful weather lately, so we went out to lunch with her 10 month old son and then went for a stroll by the ocean. While we were walking and talking, we saw something large in the ocean. We stopped and talked to some other people and realized it was a whale! We were so giddy. A whale so close to shore! I thought it was just sleeping because it bobbed on top of the water. But sadly when we came back that way 30 minutes later, we were informed by a lady with binoculars that it was dead and being pushed to shore by the current and waves.

It was a 3 ton female California gray whale and she beached on Wednesday night. She was 25 feet long. This morning a crew hoisted her up the cliff and drove her to a landfill to be buried. No one knows how she died. They figured she was about a year old and migrating from Mexico up to Alaska when she died. Sad.





That's been my week. How 'bout yours?

"Stop! Hummer time..."

** The title of this blog is a shout-out to one of my heroes from 1990: the man in the parachute pants, MC Hammer.

I have long been an enemy of the Hummer. It all started back in 2000 when a good friend told me about this website called fUh2.com. While I don't agree with the language, the website encouraged people all over the U.S. to flip off any Hummer they see. Why? Because we're against those gas-guzzling, environment-polluting death machines! Who's with me?!?!

So I'm at church and one of my co-workers tells us her car is getting fixed and she has a rental. And she wants to take us all out on a joyride. I figured with the nice sunny weather we've been having it might be some sort of convertible. Sweet! I'm in! And then she dropped the bomb on us.

It was an H3.

Judy, you have GOT to be kidding me. But no, she was for reals. Apparently she asked for a different vehicle, but it was all the rental company had. So that's what she was driving around town. I asked how many people had flipped her off yet and she said, "None yet. But I'm just waiting for it..."

6 of us (high school and college staff) walked out to the parking lot, and there it was in all its black, massive glory.



I got in the passenger seat, feeling super apprehensive. After 9 years of making fun of Hummers, I was actually going to ride in one. Observations. First off, they are waaaaaay smaller on the inside than they look on the outside. I imagined them to be spacious since they were such tanks. Nope, just like any other car. Second, I can see how people who drive Hummers must get drunk off their power. I mean, you are HIGH UP. You could run anyone off the road and not feel a thing. It was like Monster Trucks for the common folk.

Lastly, I have to admit, it was fun. Windows were down, sunroofs were opened, the satellite radio was blasting, talk and laughter abounded. Despite feeling like a hypocrite, I loved the Hummer joyride. We definitely got lots of looks, but thankfully no middle fingers.

I will NEVER buy a Hummer. And I still think they're ridiculous. But maybe after this experience I'll stop making fun of them.

Nahhhh.

tweet

I will NOT be jumping on the Twitter bandwagon.

The End.

Keanu Reeves and poodles

Yeah for fun videos!

Last August the 6 student leaders in the college group, my associate Jeff, and I had a little leadership retreat. We took over my parent's house for two days and spent them praying, planning, eating, getting to know each other, talking about the upcoming year, etc. On the second day, we thought it would be fun to do a video challenge. We split into two teams and were each given a video camera and two random words. Your video could be about anything but those two words had to be mentioned in it. The first group got the words "underwear" and "cowpies". The second group (me, Michael, Grace, and Jeremy) got "Keanu Reeves" and "poodles".

SO

We decided to walk to a nearby elementary school and do a "Man On The Street" type video. There were after-school practices, kids, and adults everywhere. We went around and asked people what they thought about our two topics. Yes, we got weird looks. But man, oh man, it was fun. And Michael finally posted it on YouTube today (yes, seven months later). Without further ado, I present our 10 minute video (yes, it's long). Enjoy!

what not to eat

food you should not eat with braces:

Ice
Nuts
Peanut brittle
Hard pizza crust
Corn on the cob
Ribs
Chips
Tacos
Popcorn
Pretzels
Hard rolls, bagels, and bread crusts
Raw carrots and celery
Bubble gum
Carmel
Dried fruit
Beef jerky
Suckers
Hard candy
Chewy candy
Taffy
Corn Nuts


food I eat with braces:

Ice
Nuts
Peanut brittle
Hard pizza crust
Corn on the cob
Ribs
Chips
Tacos
Popcorn
Pretzels
Hard rolls, bagels, and bread crusts
Raw carrots and celery
Bubble gum
Carmel
Dried fruit
Beef jerky
Suckers
Hard candy
Chewy candy
Taffy
Corn Nuts
and more


Suck it, braces.

better

I am feeling better after a weekend to think and process things. The only bummer is that I am feeling sick again. I didn't go to church today and instead slept until 3 pm. DANG, GIRL! Off to go blow my nose again...

too many emotions

In the book (and movie) Peter Pan, it is said that fairies are so small that they can only have one feeling at a time. Lately, I wish it could be that way for humans. I'm exhausted. Here are some emotions I've been dealing with:

Tired and weary. It's been a long two weeks. Not getting a whole lot of sleep.

Bummed. Our annual spring break trip to Mexico (to build homes) has been cancelled, due to all the drug war violence at the border.

Upset. We've put so much time into this trip and it was all for nothing. All the planning, meetings, calling, organizing, coordinating, emailing, processing, raising money, applications, paperwork, health forms, passports, etc. You can't help but feel like it was wasted time. Hours and hours that we could have used on a million other things.

Uplifted. Finding an alternative trip we can do during spring break with Center for Student Missions. Working with the homeless at Skid Row in South Central L.A.

Lamed out/disappointed. The high school and college students who bailed out for reasons like "But it's not Mexico" or "My friends aren't going, so I'm not going." Hey, I'm bummed we can't go to Mexico either, people, but we can still serve! Just in a different place. However, the facts are: we've gone from 60 people to 20.

Sad. Thinking about all the families in Mexico who will not have new homes. Why did all this drug war stuff have to happen NOW?! The timing is awful. And we are just one of many churches that has pulled out for safety reasons. That means many, many families will not be getting homes. And I've seen what they live in. My heart breaks.

Frustrated. Working through some stuff with my student leaders and we are just not getting each other. How do we help each other understand?

Discouraged. Lots of stuff is going on at work. Had a couple meetings today about different things. Left them feeling like a horrible worker, employee, boss, and leader. Many tears fell today.

I am feeling all of these emotions and MORE.

Too many.

However.

I'm searching for moments of joy in the midst of all this.

Like dancing in my hip hop class, wearing green and eating St. Patrick's Day chocolate cream pie on Tuesday, surprise gerbera daisies given to me by a friend, catching up with my roomates who I feel I haven't seen in a long time, singing happy birthday to my sister on the phone, sitting outside in the beautiful sun (with an ocean breeze keeping the temperature perfect), watching LOST (my favorite show), having a picnic lunch at the park with a good friend, discovering my new obsession with those little Clementine "Cuties" (mini-oranges), walking barefoot in grass, having a marshmallow fight with college students at the end of Wed. night, finding a new band I really like, spending all day tomorrow with Judah.

further proof that my nephew is the cutest baby ever

The Vampires

The other night I was at a taco bar with two friends, Jody and Amy. In the middle of conversation, a group of bikers walks in. Ya know the motorcycle gang look: leather jackets, facial hair, don't mess. (except for one guy that Amy said looked like Mike Myers from the 90's)

They ordered their food and then came and sat at the table next to us. It was then, to our enjoyment, we realized the name of their biker gang: The Vampires. It was on the back of their jackets. I don't know WHY it struck me as so funny, but it DID. I think Jody and I were having way too much fun, while Amy kept her head down and was scared to do anything around them, in case they decided to strike.

So then, stupidly, I thought it would be funny to go stand next to one guy and pretend I was a vampire too.



And then Jody and I thought it would be funny to have her pretend she just got bitten by one of them.



Meanwhile Amy kept her head down and whispered frantically at us that it was only a matter of time until they turned around and caught us making fun of their gang name. We then had a conversation that went something like this:

Jody: "What? You think they'll come after us?"
Me: "No worries, Aim. Just make the cross." (I made the cross sign with my fingers)
Jody: "Oh and Amy, you just ate a HUGE piece of garlic in your salsa! You're fine."
Me: (after thinking about it) "I could break this wooden stool I'm sitting on and make a stake!"
Amy: (in a whisper, looking even more terrified) "Shut UP, you guys!!"

The Shack

I realized lately that I haven't been blogging as often as I'd like. Life has gotten very very busy. This is what I would call my "busy season" at work. We start in early January and go straight for 5 months without a break until the end of May. So I feel smack dab in the middle of all the craziness.

BUT

I wanted to share with you all about last Saturday night. I had the awesome opportunity to hear William Paul Young speak. He is the author of The Shack. Which if you haven't read yet, I fully recommend. It is causing some controversy, and I totally understand why. But I guess it's good to just remember that it's not the bible. Yes, it's based on biblical principles, but it's fiction. And it will rock your thoughts on God.

I just finished the book that day, so everything was still fresh in my mind. I brought my book, a notebook, and a pen. The church was packed! It was great to see so many faces. Our head pastor came out and introduced "Paul" as he likes to be called. And then began two hours of amazingness.

I feel like even trying to capture what he shared and type it on here would not be doing him justice. He was incredible. He was vulnerable, funny, insightful, tearful, and kind. He shared his story growing up as the son of a missionary couple (who were too busy doing "God's work" to take care of him) in New Guinea. From 10 and a half months old till 10 years old, he lived among a tribe that was known for their cannibalism, witch doctors, ritual sexual abuse practices (he was raped by the village men constantly from age 4-6 and a half, ultimately becoming a predator himself at age 6 - he didn't know any different), spirit worship, and so much more. It broke my heart. His tragic childhood caused him to lead a destructive life as an adult.

In 1994, his wife found out he was having an affair with her best friend. Things finally caught up to him, she said she would never trust him again, he became suicidal, and his "Great Sadness" began (If you've read the book, he brings that phrase up a lot). His Great Sadness lasted for 11 years. He worked with a Christian counselor who helped him with his healing process.

In 2004, his wife told him he should write a story (about what he learned) for their 6 children. So he did. He wrote The Shack for his kids. He even said to us, "Please don't take this the wrong way, but I didn't write this for you (meaning us in the audience). I wrote it for my kids. I had no idea that it would become what it did. I wasn't an author. I just wrote a book for my children." And then with a smile he added, "I didn't know that a couple years later it would be dissected by a thousand theologians."

I have a video clip I took with my digital camera during the Q and A time. He was talking about Jesus on the cross crying out, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?"



This part blew my mind. I had never thought about it before. You've probably heard it said that Jesus has experienced everything we have, so it is comforting when we go to him with our struggles because he has been there. But this was one part of being human I never realized Jesus experienced: feeling like God has abandoned us.

I bet all of us have had those times in our lives. "Where ARE you, God? I feel so far away from you. I feel like you don't even care." Jesus was 100% God and 100% man. So even though he KNEW that his Father was with him, as a human he also experienced what it felt like to feel so far from the Father. "My God, my God. Why have you forsaken me?"

I haven't been able to stop thinking about this.

I heard through the grapevine that the church might post the session on MP3 or something like that. If they do, I will post the link on my blog. I would LOVE for you to listen to it and hear what you think.

the ninjas were rain-free

All week I checked the weather forecast. Rain all day and all night on Wednesday. "No, please no!" I would mutter every time I checked. Wed. night was going to be our monthly "Fun Night" with the college group. We had been planning an epic evening: NINJA NIGHT. Every single activity we planned was going to be outside. And we didn't have a back-up plan (all buildings at church was full with people, kids, classes, seminars, etc).

Sunday - Checked weather.com. Rain predicted on Wed. Prayed.
Monday - Checked. Rain all day and all night on Wed. Prayed.
Tuesday - Checked. Um, yeah still planning on tons o' rain. Prayed a ton.
Wednesday - Rained during the day. Started to panic. Um, what are we going to do? Everyone will show up wearing their ninja costumes and...we'll have to stay inside our meeting room. Where's the fun in that?

Then...about an hour before college group started, the rain lifted. The sun made brief, sporadic appearances from behind clouds. A half rainbow shone over the nearby community college. I got hopeful. Maybe it will stay clear enough for us to play?

You guys, I am not even kidding: we were rain-free until the very MINUTE we all finished our activities and went back to our meeting room. I was one of the last people inside and I went over to the sink to wash my hands. I looked out the window and was like, "Whoa! No way! It JUST started pouring!"

Thank you, God!

This might seem so silly to you, but to me, it meant a night of fun and building community with our college students. We had such a great time! And the whole night would have been a bust if it had rained.

What did we do for Ninja Night, you might be wondering. We had three sections of activities. The first was to practice ninja fighting skills. We had a guy come and teach us some sweet martial arts moves. Then we had bostaff combat (using pugil sticks), and then a throwing stars competition (we threw the stars at cardboard pirates). The second section was to practice their speed and agility. We had an obstacle course in the playground (including a Gauntlet of DEATH - people on swings trying to knock them down as they ran through). The third and last ninja section was to practice stealth and concealment. So we had a huge game of Hide and Go Seek around church.

Here are pictures from the night.

90's Playlist

A couple posts ago I said I wanted to put together a playlist of songs from the 90's. The 90's were a special time for me. The emcompassed my high school and college years. The fun thing about this music is that it makes me think of certain times back then. Don't you love that? How a song comes on and you are magically whisked away to that special memory of when you heard it.

Anyway, here is what we've come up with so far. You'll notice there is no N'Sync or Britney on here. Don't get me wrong; I love me some pop music. But they were too late in the 90's so I don't think they really count, and plus I want this list to be LEGIT.

And now I need your help. Which bands or songs am I missing? When you think of music in the 90's, what comes to mind? And is that on this list? If not, please let me know. I want to make this the best playlist EVER.

Nirvana "Smells Like Teen Spirit"
Blind Melon "No Rain"
TLC "Waterfalls"
R.E.M. "Losing My Religion"
Fiona Apple "Criminal"
Pearl Jam (what song?)
Alanis Morissette "You Oughta Know"
Red Hot Chili Peppers "Under the Bridge"
Metallica (what song?)
Beastie Boys (what song?)
Shawn Colvin "Sunny Came Home"
Soundgarden "Black Hole Sun"
Counting Crows "Mr. Jones"
The Cranberries "Linger"
Third Eye Blind "Semi-Charmed Life"
Oasis "Wonderwall"
Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories "Stay"
Savage Garden "I Want You" (best line: "like a chic a cherry cola!")
Green Day "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" or "When I Come Around"
Goo Goo Dolls "Iris"
Spin Doctors "Two Princes"
Collective Soul "Shine"
The Fugees "Killing Me Softly With His Song"
Matchbox Twenty "3 AM"
Jewel "Who Will Save Your Soul"
Sugar Ray "Fly"
Weezer "Buddy Holly"
Will Smith "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It"
Barenaked Ladies "One Week"
Paula Cole "I Don't Want to Wait"
Blues Traveler "Run-Around"
Sarah McLachlan "Building a Mystery"
Stone Temple Pilots (what song?)
Toad the Wet Sprocket "Good Intentions"
Gin Blossoms "Hey Jealousy"

free hugs anyone?

Have you heard about the "Free Hugs" campaign?

This one guy, Juan Mann (who looks like Jesus with glasses) started it all in Sydney, Australia. If you haven't seen the video or read his story, you can check it out here.

Anyway, Wednesday night we are having a "Random Acts Of Kindness" night at the college group. We have these nights every other month. They are a great way to get out into our community and share God's love.

What are we doing this time? Yep. Free Hugs. We'll be splitting our students up into groups of 5 and sending them all over the county. And they will be holding up signs and giving free hugs to complete strangers. How will it go? How will people respond? Will police be called? Will it bring smiles to peoples' faces? Will they think we are weird?

I'll let you know.

** UPDATE (Friday Feb. 27) **

The night ended up going really well! We made posters and then had 5 groups go out to different locations. Some people were wary and walked by with a "no thanks" but for the most part, people were TOTALLY into it! One group went to a bowling alley and it was like a hugging frenzy. There was one crew in front of a grocery store and a woman came out and found out they were from a church and asked for prayer! The students prayed with her right there in the parking lot. Love it. My favorite part of coming back and seeing everyone's pictures was noticing how everyone hugging (or being hugged) had a huge smile on their face. One simple act of kindness can make someone's whole night.

observations

Here are my observations after spending the day with my nephew.

* Sorry to everyone else in the world who has a baby. He wins. He is the cutest and most adorable.

* He loves being changed. I'd lay him on his changing table and we'd just smile, make noises, play around.

* Speaking of smiling, I mention this in the video below but he smiles so much! Every time he smiled, I would squeal loudly and then he'd stop smiling and look all concerned. So I had to learn to just keep my mouth shut and not let any obnoxious sounds come out of my mouth.

* He spit up. A LOT. His clothes and mine got soaked.

* He sleeps. A LOT. I barely have time to play with him before he is fed and put back down for another nap. That's the life.

* I realized that I am a bit envious of babies. First of all, if you know me, you know I LOVE to sleep. And that's a ton of what babies do. Also they eat a lot. Sweet! I love food too. Also, people play with you and bring you whatever you need. Heck, you could be sitting in your stroller, chillin' and having a nice poop and they will even clean it up for you!

* People's voices raise about four octaves around babies. Judah and I went for a walk and I would say hi and have conversations with people on the street. It didn't matter if they were young or old, male or female. They'd talk in normal tones with me and then turn to Judah and in high pictched voices say, "Well, hello there!! Aren't you the sweetest thing!" It was awesome.

* I love watching his eyes. He looks around at everything and I wonder what he's thinking.

* I'm sorry friends, I have become one of those annoying aunts who always talks about their niece/nephew. I promise to blog about something other than Judah very soon.

* I LOVE HIM!!!

Top Ten Things Sarah Is Thinking About

10. Yeah for President's Day. A lovely day off yesterday.

9. Day 13 of my cold. Seriously? Be gone!

8. Can someone please explain the $787 billion stimulus plan to me?

7. Rain, rain, rain. We need it. So that's good. But Sarah needs to see a glimpse of the sun to not go crazy. Maybe tomorrow?

6. My co-worker Jeff and I are working on a 90's playlist. All our favorite songs from the 90's. Blog coming soon about that. I'll want your input. Start thinking now...

5. Going to the orthodontist on Thursday to get rubberbands put on my braces. Time to straighten that jaw! Bring it.

4. Saw "He's Just Not That Into You" last week with a friend. We laughed ourselves silly. Definitely a movie to see with some ladies. There were a couple things I didn't like, but overall it was very entertaining.

3. The author of The Shack is coming to my church in a couple weekends. It will be cool to hear him share.

2. Judah-time in 3 days. Yes, I will be taking a ton o' pictures and maybe a video or two. Can't help it.

1. We're doing a series on Christian apologetics in the college group. Last week we talked about "Is the bible reliable?" This week is evolution vs. creation. Coming up next month: Heaven and Hell (are they real?) and Jesus (did he really exist? Was he the son of God? Did he really raise from the dead on the third day? etc) Some amazing conversations have been going on! I like seeing students wrestle with this stuff.

being an aunt is the coolest

I get to go to my sister's house next Thursday, spend the night, and then play with Judah ALL DAY FRIDAY!! I have not seen my adorable nephew in weeks, so I feel like the luckiest person in the world. Amy sent me a video to get me excited for my up-coming Sarah/Judah hang-out time.



Love you, little man.

cell phones and rainbows

Today I met a long lost friend for lunch. How did we re-connect? Facebook. Love it. Anyway, we decided to meet in between where we both live so we each only had to drive a half hour. It was so wonderful to see her and catch up on life. We both brought pictures and chatted for hours. However, after she left and I was walking back to my car, I realized...where's my cell phone?

I dug through my purse again and again. Not there.

I searched my car. Could it have falled out? Nope.

I ran back to the cafe. No one had turned it in.

I paced up and down the streets I had walked. Up and down. Up and down, scouring the sidewalk for any sign of it. No luck.

So then I went into mini-panic mode. Um, crap. I've never lost my phone before. I don't know if any of you have, but it is NOT a fun feeling. And then just to make things worse, it started to rain.

The first scenario that ran through my head: it was out in the street somewhere (fallen out of my purse) and had been promptly run over by a car and then rained on. I imagined the noises and sparks coming out of my phone (like you see in movies) as it slowly died.

Second scenario that ran through my head: some creep found it and was now using it to make long distance calls to Herzegovina and my bill would be two million dollars.

Third and most hopeful scenario: some kind person found it and would try and track me down. Not the most likely, but one can hope, right?

So I sadly got in my car and drove home. The first half of my drive I was still freaking out. I was thinking about the hassle to cancel the number, go buy a new phone (which are flippin' expensive), get it activated, put everyone's numbers in all over again (ahhh!), not having a phone for awhile if people needed to get ahold of me, etc etc.

But then.

Through the rain, a huge beam of sunlight came shining through. I immediately looked around and - WHOA. There it was. A big, beautiful rainbow. It was like I had literally just driven under it. And here's the best part....I could see where it touched the ground! I have never seen that before! I've never been close enough to see it where it touched the ground. But it was right there!

Instantly, my heart calmed. I breathed. My mind cleared. Suddenly, all my worries didn't seem so bad anymore. Thanks God.

I got home, feeling a lot better. I went into the kitchen and saw there were two messages on our machine. Who were they from? My mom and my sister. Both messages said:

"Hey Sarah? Just wanted to let you know a lady named Ashley found your phone. It was out in the parking lot where she works. She's holding it for you. Here's her number..."

Snow Blast countdown

We're home!

It was a great weekend. I'm still sick (you'll hear me losing my voice in some of the videos), but thankful for such a wonderful trip. Here's the countdown:


40 cupcakes made for Michael's "birthday"

Michael's "birthday"


28 games of pool played (yep, our cabin had a pool table AND hot tub!)

23 of us on the trip

18 times Steve (a leader) said, "That's not okay..." (way too many funny and/or inappropriate moments on this trip)

15 games played (Apples to Apples, Speed Scrabble, Catch Phrase, Monopoly, cards, etc)

13 times people sledded into trees or bushes

sledding


11 movies watched over the weekend

10 skiiers/snowboarders on Friday



9 times Sarah started driving too fast on the freeway and then slowed down for the others (I kept forgetting we had to stay together on the road)

7 snowmen made



6 snowball fights



6 racketball games played (there was a rec center nearby)

5 store runs (we need TP! paper and pens! cake mix! tupperware!)

5 vehicles taken for the trip

4 epic games of telephone pictionary

telephone pictionary


3 guys in bikini tops at dinner one night

3 times Jesus tried to take the wheel from Jeff (we had a bobblehead Jesus on our dashboard and he kept falling and sliding over to the driver's side)

2 amazing cooks (leaders) who spoiled us with delicious food all weekend

2 screams in the middle of the night (one girl had a nightmare and woke us all up at three a.m. by screaming "DON'T!STOP!" So freaky....but memorable)

2 In 'N Out stops (one on the way up, one on the way down)



1 trip to church Sunday morning

1 day of a student snowboarding with his luchador mask on (he got many, many looks)

1 midnight hospital visit (a girl had an asthma attack)

1 Expedition stuck in the snow with the tires spinning

1 mullet haircut in the bathroom



100 moments of laughter, new friendships, and fun.

sick

I'm sick.

Luckily, it's not the throwing-up-chills-and-sweats flu. But I still feel yucky. I took yesterday and today off. I HAVE to get better because tomorrow I'm taking 25 students to Tahoe for our snow weekend. So here's my agenda today: sleep, take medicine, drink lots of fluids, suck lozenges, and sleep some more.

** UPDATE THURSDAY FEB. 5TH **

Still not feeling well. But leaving now to go to Tahoe. I'm just going to take it reeeeeally easy. If you think of it this weekend, please pray for me to feel better soon and for safety. It's snowing up there so we are gonna need extra protection prayers. Thank you, friends! I'll share pictures and stories when I get home!

Superbowl XLIII recap

Did you all watch the Superbowl yesterday? Great game! First off, how amazing was Jennifer Hudson with the national anthem?! Sing it, girl!! Then the game: I'm not the hugest football fan, but I was rooting for the Cardinals. Larry Fitzgerald is my new hero. His arms seemed to stretch out of nowhere and grab onto whatever Kurt Warner threw him. I loved the end of the 4th quarter when it was 20-16 (Steelers were ahead) and he ran straight down the field past everyone else for a touchdown. I screamed my head off (my throat hurts today).

I seriously thought the Cards were going to win. I had been eating throughout the game, but from that point on, I was "nervous eating" with my eyes glued to the tube. In the end, the Steelers won, but the Cards gave it their best.

Thumbs up commercials:

1st place - Denny's. The mafia-looking thugs in the booth talking about "takin' care of someone" and then the waitress spraying whipped cream all over their pancakes. Classic.

2nd place - Bud Light with Conan O'Brian. Don't worry Conan, they'll only see this commercial in Sweden.

3rd place - Monster.com with the moose head through the wall. So funny!

Runner up - E*trade talking babies ("Take these broken wings! And learn to fly again!")

Thumbs down commercials:

Any commercial that degraded women - the Fast and the Furious trailer, GoDaddy.com (both of them), Doritos (the guy's "Lucky Day"), Teleflora talking flowers, etc. I was disgusted and dumbfounded. KIDS are watching these commercials! Families are watching these commercials! I AM WATCHING THESE COMMERCIALS. They are not appropriate or acceptable no matter who you are.

And then for the best part...a whole hour of The Office! *cue opening song* I thought it was a great episode. I laughed at so many parts. The chaotic beginning with the smoke and throwing objects at windows, doors, and the vending machines, Angela's cat toss, Oscar's feet breaking through the ceiling, Stanley saying he has to stay calm in the office ("I'm gonna die"), Kevin doing CPR on the dummy and quitting, saying "Call it..." Dwight cutting off the dummy's face, Michael's roast, Pam sharing that he falls for internet scams all the time, Kelly's list of who'd she kiss before Michael Scott (Lord Voldemort), the list goes on and on. It made my night.

What were your thoughts on the Superbowl, commercials, Office episode?