Wish List

This is what Em and I are doing at work today. I've decided to make a list of things that I would really like. Here goes, in no particular order....

-Apron
-Bread machine
-iPhone
-iPhone case
-Case for my Macbook
-Gift certificates (iTunes, Red Robin, Old Navy, On The Border, Starbucks, Target, Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Ross, Barnes & Noble, movie theater, etc)
-Flowers
-Diet Dr. Pepper with limes
-Dove Dark Chocolate
-Oil change
-Batteries
-Rechargeable battery pack for my camera
-CDRs
-Hairspray on DVD (November 20th!)
-One of those packs of like 30 different colors of Sharpie markers
-Hair cutting scissors
-Clarinet reeds (Vandoren size 4)
-Elixir strings for guitar (medium/light)
-A pick up for my guitar
-Djembe
-A piano
-Piano lessons
-Nice digital camera
-Zoom lens for camera
-CO Bigelow Cinnamin Mentha Lip Shine (available at Bath & Body works)
-Gum
-Trip to Graceland
-Schlitterbahn tickets
-Cubs tickets
-Bearclaw boots- 410, black, size 9.5
-Fluffy warm socks
-Haircut
-Funny salt & pepper shakers for my collection
-Loc lac
-Old Navy jeans
-Cake decorating things (bags, tips, etc)
-Mint Melano cookies
-Jamba Juice!
-A good football
-A good baseball/bat
-Wakeboard
-An orange julius
-A really large blank canvas
-Clarinet book of etudes
-Trip to the art museum
-Chips and salsa (you can't go wrong)
-Guitar Hero
-Simple diamond earrings
-Wireless mouse
-Shoes, shoes, and more shoes
-A vacuum
-A steam cleaner
-An air freshener for my car
-A dance party
-Going dancing
-Swing dancing lessons
-One of those Oklahoma hoodies that are different colors. The light blue one.
-A cruise
-Bean bag
-Giant ottoman
-A large amount of cookie cutters
-Biolage shampoo and conditioner
-A chi (hair straightener)
-Tools (I don't even own a screwdriver... sad)
-Water purifier pitcher thing
-Febreeze
-A broadway/off broadway show (Phantom of the Opera, Hairspray, Lion King, Rent, The Producers)
-Taramuharas
-Dwight Bobble Head
-Bobble Head Stoops
-Watch battery
-A wallet that holds checks
-Extension cord for Mac plugs
-New glasses
-Special K vanilla almond cereal
-Sweet tea (McAllisters or Cain's)
-Guitar picks (light)
-Spice rack
-Rolling pin
-An elliptical machine
-Fondue skewers (I already have a fondue pot)
-A good concert (Dave Matthews, Pearl Jam, David Crowder, Coldplay, John Mayer, Norah Jones, Josh Groban, Bon Jovi, etc)
-Horse and carriage ride
-Scavenger hunt
-Banana pancakes
-Grande Chai Latte from Starbucks

Dancing pipe cleaner

I spent like 20 minutes on this at work today. Hilarious!

http://www.davidbessler.com/pulldown/pipecleaner_dance3.swf

Bloggggg

I wish people still blogged. That was one of my favorite pasttimes- writing and reading other's blogs. Sad day.

Stronger Woman, Softer Heart

I just finished a great book entitled Strong Women, Soft Hearts by Paula Rhinehart. Don't let the cheesy titled dissuade you from the great treasures inside. It's an awesome read. Written with heartfelt passion, this book dives deep into a woman's heart and makes sense of everything going on in there. As women (especially living in America) we can think that we need one more thing to do or event to add to the schedule. But we lose our hearts in that, and in return we've lost touch with our passions and who we are really meant to be in God. As a Christian woman sometimes I can imagine what my life will be like down the road as a mom or working or traveling the world or whatever, but the reality is that I need to live life NOW. Rhinehart says, "It's strange the way we meander through life, thinking we are moving forward, only to discover that we have left our hearts behind." And that is true. Routine causes me to lose focus on the things I really think God created me for. And I need to take that back each and every day.

Here are some of my favorite quotes from the book:

"God made our spirit to respond to him- to hunger and desire beyond ourselves that which is wholly other, Holy Other. He made us incomplete- with gaps, holes, yearnings, desires that woo us to our real home. We make a big mistake if we toss our longings away lightly...Do you ever see Jesus accusing someone of wanting too much? When does Jesus rebuke someone for desiring? If anything, you see just the opposite. Jesus actually fanned the flames of desire."


"I have God's permission to live out the truth of who I am- to believe that my desires are not an accident, a mistake, or a nuisance. It is the definition of joy to be able to offer back to God the essence of what he's placed in you, be that creativity or a love of ideas or a compassionate heart or the gift of hospitality. I am convinced that owning our longings and trusting God with those is crucial in bringing the color and music back into our lives."


"Don't you find that when you offer to the Lord the crumpled mess of the dreams you can't make happen-of all you cannot control- what he gives you in its place is a mysterious sense of hope?"


"But accepting the mystery of what we cannot know will lead us to the heart of God where we trade our craving for explanation for a simple willingness to trust."


"To be vulnerable is to voluntarily place yourself, for the sake of a larger purpose, in a situation that could bring pain. You see something at stake- your own spiritual growth or someone else's- and you are willing to risk your heart in a vulnerable way."


"We may be blameless before God, but we can never be sinless- and that is a crucial distinction. The reality of being forgiven means that we, of all people, have the freedom to admit where we are wrong."


"Loving someone is the one venture in life in which the more you succeed, the more you have to lose. It is so tempting to keep your heart in reserve. To hedge your bets seems a reasonable choice in the face of things. But then, whoever said love was reasonable?"


"God doesn't erase fear from the blackboard of our lives. Rather, he grows our souls by the sometimes largely uncomfortable experience of trusting him as we do the thing that's frightening. And we discover him there, in it all. As Joyce Meyer explains, we don't wait until we have overcome fear to move out as God wants us to. Her word of encouragement is, 'Do it afraid.'"




Those are just some tiny nuggets from a great book. Women need to see just how God created them with passion and HEART and not to lose that in the mundane, the scary, the unknown, or even the bliss.