Uh-oh

So my sink started making a strange gurgling sound just a little bit ago. Sounded exactly like the bubbles from a large water dispenser (you know the ones I'm talking about?) I kept going over there to see what it was. Then Paul, my landlord, came over and asked me if something had overflowed. Apparently there is water running down the wall (not sure how fast) downstairs in the garage.
Oh dear.
I don't think it could have been anything I've done.
I hope not.

Poor Paul. Now he is downstairs hammering away at the drywall so he can find the leak.
Goodness.
Never a dull moment.

4th of July

I had such a wonderful 4th of July weekend. As you may have read, my trip started out with a lot of prayer as I waited to get to Seattle. When I think about it that craziness really helped me rely on God more, so it really was a blessing. 

It was so nice to actually have a vacation. Don't get me wrong, I love my summer job, but everyone needs some sort of vacation. And let me tell you, it was wonderful. 

On the first day my friend Lindsay had to work so I was "stuck" at her house. It was so nice to be able to  have a cup of coffee, spend time in God's word and just take my time in the morning. I loved it. A little before lunch time I went for a walk. This is what I found. 

Isn't that a beautiful view?! And there was more to it than just that. There was no one around. All I had was the view, the sound of a lawn mower and laughter from down on the beach. Even with the sounds it was a peaceful time with Jesus. I was struck by how awesome God is while I was looking out at the water. I really needed that time to get my focus in the right place. 

The rest of the day was spent being lazy. Awww gotta love vacation. 

 On Saturday Lindsay took me over to see her brother and his family. It was so nice to reconnect with them. Their kids have grown so much and they have another one on the way. 

After our visit Linds and I met our friend Ali at a marina where we walked around a farmers market and later on a pier. 

This is where we got a little sunburned. Oops! Didn't even think we were out there that long. 

Then came the long awaited moment. Meeting Jeff. Jeff was actually one of the main reasons why I went up to Seattle. I had to meet the guy who was marrying one of my best friends! I would have felt a little funny being in the wedding and meeting him the day before. I'm sure that has been done before, but I didn't want to do that. 

 Jeff is ok. I guess. 

Haha! Just kidding! He is great and I can tell that he loves Lindsay a lot. I am so happy for the two of them. I'm looking forward to being a part of their wedding in September. 

Sunday and Monday were a lot of fun. After church we drove out to Jeff's family's beach house/cabin. I'm not sure what to call it. It was a beautiful place and I'm not sure why I didn't take a picture of it. Those two days were filled with jet-skis, kayaks, swimming (some of it voluntary - lol), bbq, fireworks, digging for clams, beautiful stars, bocce ball and a lot of laughter. I had such a great time. I'm really glad I was able to go. 

Jeff & Lindsay

Ali and I kayaking

God has blessed me so much with so many great friends. I love that even though I don't talk to them or see them too often I'm still able to pick up as if we had seen each other yesterday. God is so good. 

Day 23

Day 23 - A Meme
Meme? What is a meme?
I had to google it. This is the definition that made the most sense to me. 

Meme - An idea that self-reproduces like a virus; a catchphrase or concept, or other unit of social currency. Example: "Where's the beef?"

 Well, I like the example they gave in the definition, but I can't use that one. The only thing I can think of is "Good Grief" from the Peanuts cartoons. A lot of people relate that phrase to Charlie Brown. I say it all the time and the kids I work with usually remind me that Charlie Brown says it too. 

Do this count?

"Are you ready for some football?"
Everything I think of has to do with TV. Does that tell you something? I watch way too much tv. 


Can you think of a Meme? 
I'm sure you can come up with a better one than me. 

Travel Adventures

Yesterday I flew to Seattle, Washington to visit my friend Lindsay. 
I have to tell you I didn't think I was going to make it here. A friend gave me a guest pass to use with Alaska Air which made the flight very (!) affordable. I am so thankful for that ticket from her. 
The hard part of the ticket was that I was flying standby and there was a chance that I wouldn't make it on the flight. The flight from Santa Rosa to Las Vegas wasn't hard to get on. There was enough room for me. 
The flight from Vegas to Seattle was the one I was nervous about. I had a 2 hour layover there and was number 5 or 6 on the standby list. The flight was full. Oh boy. My coworker, Patti, was really nervous for me. She gave me her sister's number in case I got stuck in Vegas. I guess her sister lives close to the airport there. It got to the point that I thought I was going to have to call her. 
The plane ended up having a mechanical problem and the flight was really delayed. The lady at the desk told me that I probably wouldn't get on the flight unless people started leaving the flight because it was so late. She also told me that the following flights to Seattle were full. 
I sat close to the desk and saw several people make other plans because of the delay. I was praying the entire time. "Ok, Lord, I'm trusting that no matter what happens You will take care of me. Please let me get on this flight." 
They were boarding.
The line was gone and they were calling for people who hadn't boarded yet. Then they started calling people from the standby list. "Please, Lord." The lady started calling names quickly looking for people who were waiting. Finally she called my name. I probably looked like someone on a game show. Hahaha! "That's me!" I yelled as I ran up to the desk. They had to reopen the gate door to let me on! Yikes! Talk about last minute! Thank You Lord!
As flustered as I was I don't think I'd mind flying standby again, but I think I'd prefer it to be a direct flight so that I'd be stuck at home if it didn't work out. 


So there you have my adventure. I hope the trip home is a little easier. :) 

Day 22

Day 22 - A thing you do everyday
As I'm thinking about this I'm realizing that there are somethings I do everyday and that I shouldn't. For instance watch tv. I wish I could say that I read my Bible everyday, but I'm working on that one.

I guess the thing I'm the most consistent at everyday is drinking coffee. Hahaha! I'm turning into my dad! The only time I don't drink coffee is if I don't have creamer when I make coffee at home. I love drinking coffee. I haven't had any yet today, but I'm thinking I'll get some while I have a layover on my trip today.

Have a good day!

Day 20

Day 20 - A picture of my "crew"

I have several "crews" one from high school, 2 from college and one from now. I couldn't just choose one of them to post about so I did them all. :) Unfortunately I don't have a picture from high school on my facebook. I guess I need put a few up soon.

My Chorale "Crew"

My Dorm "Crew"

My Santa Rosa "Crew"

Day 21

So I'm skipping day 20 (a picture of my "crew") because I'm not at my home computer so I don't have any pictures available. If I have time I'll pull some off of facebook, but I'm currently waiting for kids to show up at day camp. Once someone gets here I have to log off. 

Day 21 - A dream I had recently

I'm not that great at remembering my dreams. I usually remember only bits and pieces and they are usually very weird. The last one I remember had to do with a snail. All I can remember is Danika holding a really, I mean really, long snail and she was flinging it around. I was totally grossed out, which is probably why I remember it. 

This dream stems from two things. The first being that when Danika was little we found her in the sandbox with her finger in a snail and a very zoned out look on her face. NASTY! Secondly, I saw a ton of snails outside a friends house a few weeks ago. Again I say Nasty!

I wish I had a more exciting dream to share, but that's it and there is a kid here now so I have to go. 

Have a great day!

Day 19

A Recipe

This is one of my favorite recipes that I use. My family loves it when I make it. I actually found it on allrecipes.com. You should try it! It is easy and tastes SO good!

Chicken Marsala

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour for coating
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - pounded 1/4 inch thick
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1/2 cup Marsala wine
• 1/4 cup cooking sherry

Directions

1. In a shallow dish or bowl, mix together the flour, salt, pepper and oregano. Coat chicken pieces in flour mixture.
2. In a large skillet, melt butter in oil over medium heat. Place chicken in the pan, and lightly brown. Turn over chicken pieces, and add mushrooms. Pour in wine and sherry. Cover skillet; simmer chicken 10 minutes, turning once, until no longer pink and juices run clear.

Day 18

A Thing You Are Afraid Of

Oh, I am most definitely afraid of falling. It doesn't matter if I'm on the top of a cliff (which I never am, thankfully) or roller skating (fell once and broke my wrist). I get really paranoid about falling. I'm really funny to watch jump on a trampoline because I hardly relax. When I think about falling I get major knots and/or butterflies in my stomach. 

I've had many dreams where I'm falling and I wake up with a start. 

Interesting that one of the things on my 30x30 list is to go on a hot air balloon ride. Hmmm. I still want to do it. :)

Day 17

Day 17 - A Secret

Well, if I told you a secret then it wouldn't be a secret anymore!
I really don't have any good secrets to tell. How boring am I?!? 
Seriously, I'm sitting here trying to think of something and there is nothing good. 

I guess I'll go on to the next post.

Day 16

Day 16 - A picture you took

Dani's favorite thing to do. I love her reflection in the water. 

Day 15

Day 15 – A wish

I wish I had a craft room in my house. The room would have lots of storage for all of my supplies, visible shelving for my fabrics, a good amount of counter/surface space to have multiple projects going at the same time, a place for my sewing machine (and if I had a craft room I would have a really good sewing machine), a bulletin board for inspirational picture, and a good sized table for laying out and cutting fabric. Oh what a wish. As of right now most of my craft stuff is in boxes under my bed. Who knows. Maybe someday my wish will come true. (Can you hear Jiminy Cricket singing right now?) 
Here are some good ideas for craft rooms and craft room accessories: 

_____________________________

On a side note: I also wish that I didn't have to do work today. Had a situation yesterday that has to be dealt with today. Please pray it goes well. I'm sure it will all turn out well, but I'm feeling anxious. 

Day 14

Day 14 – A bad habit


I'm sure I have a lot of bad habits, but one of them for sure is that when I'm bored or feeling a little down in the dumps I tend to go shopping. 
Thankfully half of the time I don't really find anything to buy. But there are times when I end up buying things I don't need (I'm confessing, mom). The good thing is that I'm working at training myself not to do this anymore. For one thing, when I'm bored there are definitely things that I can be doing around my apartment. (I should be doing those things right now) And when I'm feeling "down in the dumps" (usually because I'm overtired and therefore rather emotional) I really need to seek comfort in God. At times like these the random shopping doesn't make me feel better, but when I go to Scripture my focus is brought off of myself and onto Christ. That works so much better than any spending does. 

Day 13

Day 13 – A list of favorite memories.

I like this one :) Some memories are from a long time ago and others are very recent. They are in no particular order. 

walks with my mom last summer

playing with Tara during summers when we were kids

Danika at Disneyland

1st time I held Danika

singing in Carnegie Hall

golf cart drive in the woods by the lake in Wi

laughing with ladies at the women's retreat

Alfred Hitchcock marathons with Kelley

walks with Steph

getting hired as the 3rd grade teacher (!) 

watching old tv shows late at night with Julie at Grandma Humphreys' house

watching my dad act like Jerry Lewis

Christmas lights turning on for the first time each year 

Grandma Bice's humming 

building snowmen in Grandma and Grandpa's front yard

when my science lesson backfired, while I was student teaching and my advisor was observing (funny story for later) 

Day 12

Day 12 – A thing that worries you

Ok, why did I decide to do this silly blog challenge? It is making me write about things I don't want to write about. Insecurities and things that worry me. Good grief. 
I know that I worry about things more than I should. One of the verses I quote the most is from Matthew 6. "Do not be anxious about your life..." 
One thing that I tend to worry about is being late. Just ask my family. I think I drove them nuts when I was growing up. I've been like that for as long as I can remember. In the last year or so I've gotten a little more relaxed in being on time for thing. In high school I didn't want to be late because I didn't want a lot of attention drawn to me. My parents used to give me a hard time about it as they should have. I was a little ridiculous. Now when I'm running late I just have to remind myself that I'm not the only one who has been late to something and it isn't the end of the world. 

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:34

Pottery Studio

I love, love, love going to the pottery studio! I don't go very often, but when I do I have such a great time. It is a little stressful at first, but once I get going on a project it is usually (emphasize the usually) smooth sailing. I really find the time there relaxing. I could go with a group of friends or even just be there alone and feel happy.
This is one of my recent projects from the Pottery Studio. I did it quite a while ago and forgot to post it on my blog. So here I am finally getting around to it. This project took a long time. I started by drawing it on the mug in pencil and then went to town with the colors. The black was the last thing and that took a long time too. I ended up having to make two trips to finish it up. I'm still not sure what I'm going to do with it. I'd like to keep it, but it would be a fun gift too.
I currently have a plate waiting to be picked up. I'm a little nervous about how it turned out. That is the harder part is knowing how the finished product will look. I get a little paranoid about that.
In the several times I've visited the pottery studio the same lady has been working there. I know her by name and she knows my face (she'd probably remember my name if I went a little more often). I've chatted with her several times and asked her opinion on my paint colors. I've really been convicted lately that I'm kinda stuck in a Christian bubble and this lady has been an answer to my prayers. I'm pretty sure she is not a believer. And I don't think it is by accident that she is there every time I go in to paint something. I don't know what God is going to do, partly because I know I can't afford to go there every week. But I'm excited that there may be an opportunity to share Christ with this woman. If you think of it pray for Sue. I might just have to make the pottery studio a little part of my monthly budget. Who knows.

Day 11

It has been several days since I've posted. I have a good excuse though. School ended and Day Camp started within one week. I've been running around like a crazy person trying to get things finished and started. My brain is so confused. But today I finished up my school stuff so now I can be in Day Camp mode. I will be thinking about school throughout the summer though, but that is ok. Of course I'll be thinking about teaching my own class!

On to other things.

Day 11

An Actor

I have a lot of favorite actors and actresses. There are some really talented people out there. One of my favorites right now is Nathan Fillion. There are two characters that he has played that I really like. One of them is from the SciFi show Firefly. I make my dad proud when I say that there are some sci-fi shows and movies that I do like to watch. Firefly is one of them. Nathan Fillion plays the captain and I really like him on the show.
The show he is currently in is Castle. I love this show! Fillion plays an author who follows around an NYC police detective in order to write a novel. It is such a fun show. His character is funny, obnoxious, and sweet at times. I have a few more episodes to watch in order to finish the season. That might just be on the agenda for the weekend.

Reading

So I've decided that since it is summer I'm going to do a lot of reading. The book I recently picked up is The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax. My mom has read all of the Mrs. Pollifax books so I thought I'd give it a try. It is a really fun book. I'm not even half way through the book, but I really like it. It is about this widow with grown children who decides she needs to do something interesting with her life. So she goes to the CIA and volunteers to be a spy. Surprisingly she ends up in Mexico City on a simple mission, but everything goes wrong. It is definitely an older book, but I like it anyway. I'm just excited to be reading for fun! I'll let you know what book I'm going to read next. My goal is to read books so that I can keep up with my 30 by 30 list.
Have a nice day!

Day 10

  An insecurity

I have to be honest. I'd really like to skip this one. Lol, I think I feel insecure writing about this. :) Does that count? One of the books on my list to read is "So Long, Insecurity" by Beth Moore. I haven't had time to read it yet, but I know I will benefit from it. A LOT! 
One of my insecurities is how I look. I have several pounds to lose so it is hard for me to feel confident in how I look. I'm constantly looking for clothes to make me look skinnier or checking in the mirror to make sure I look ok. I also get really insecure about how I look when I'm not exactly sure how I am supposed to dress for an event. Just recently my sister can attest to this. I get a little nervous about being over or underdressed. Usually I'm just fine, but once I get the idea in my head it is hard to get it out. 

The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart. - 1 Samuel 16:7

 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. - Psalm 139: 13-16

The context of the first verse is when the Lord is telling Samuel whom to choose to be the new king of Israel. It is such a good reminder to me that God doesn't see me the way I see myself or the way other people see me. He knows my heart and that is what makes me beautiful to Him. In Psalm 139 I'm reminded that God made me just the way I am. God is perfect, He doesn't make any mistakes. Now I do know that I need to be healthy and work on my weight some, but it shouldn't be something I'm insecure about because God thinks so much better of me. 

Stalling

Ok, so I know what I should be doing right now and I don't want to do it. I really don't like cleaning my apartment, which is why it is a disaster area right now. I should have caution tape outside my door in case anyone were to come by. "Caution... messy apartment! Cleaning in progress!"
So in order to stall just a little longer I'm going to make a to do list for the rest of the day. You've gotta have a plan right?

Here's what I'm going to do:

Straighten up apartment

Vacuum apartment

Cut fabric for apron

Iron pieces for baby quilt 

Make dinner

Read a few chapters in a book

Hopefully I'll be able to report back later telling you all (all 3 readers) that I've made some accomplishments today. Have a lovely day!