Originally Unoriginal

Not that I'm a republican by any means...but this was a good response!

Jenny was a vibrant, young girl. She loved life. She freely trusted those she loved and held nothing back. She was free, happy, joyful. She was full of dreams of the future but was content with her present situations. She was caring and considerate, honest and playful. She was comfortable in herself, free to be who she was born to be. Then, one day, out of nowhere, Jenny's life was thrown off track. It was a tragedy that occurred too early in her formative, adolescent years. Jenny was left emotionally crippled. It didn't completely kill her hopes and dreams, but part of Jenny was destroyed after that fatal day. She still loved life but didn't quite enjoy it as much. Although she still clung to her loved ones, she was a bit jaded, cynical, and untrusting . Jenny tried to hide her disappointments, not wanting anyone to know the pains that were deep within. She did such a great job at disguising the pain that many people never knew it existed. Jenny herself even began to belie...

The Lord directs the steps of the Godly. He delights in every detail of their life. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand. Psalms 34:23-24 Wishing Everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!

So I'm sitting in the floor of Barnes & Noble in Riverside, CA. We couldn't find a plug in at the Starbucks cafe, and the laptop was dead. So we are sitting in the middle of the "Religious" section. It was as if God was calling us to the outlet! Tomorrow I will be heading home, back to reality. I must admit that Hollywood...the whole LA area...is so surreal. I can't believe that people actually live everyday in this fairy tale land. I can definitely see how thousands of people get caught up in the dream of becoming famous. It's in the air...I think the smog is actually spirits luring people to stay...to dream...to believe that even I could have my name in lights. **Sigh** But I realize that life is more than having your face plastered on billboards or the big screen. Not that I would mind being famous, but after a while, I think the fantasy fades with everyone. There is still something missing. There is still a hole inside the heart that can't be fil...

We happened upon the premiere of Enchanted on Hollywood Blvd. and got to watch all the stars enter into the after party. We saw Patrick Dempsey and several members of the cast of "Grey's Anatomy." We also saw Carrie Underwood, Terri Hatcher , and people from "Dancing With the Stars!" Also, I got a picture with Jonny Lang. I'm definitely star struck.... I'll post pictures when I get back...definitely!!

Rap music is dumb. Ok, not all rap music is dumb, but a very large majority of rap music is dumb. I realize that most of the music is about beat not lyrics. I'll even admit that there are several rap songs I like. But when I sit and listen to the lyrics I shake my head. Take for instance, Kanye West's "Stronger." Now Kanye considers himself the cream of the crop but that new song is dumb. The verses have nothing to do with the chorus. The main part of the song is "that that don't kill me can only make m stronger." Then the rest of the song talks about getting on some girl. You would think if the main part of the song is about overcoming and making yourself better, the rest of the song would follow. Nope. He turned what could be a positive message into something about sex. Yeah, I realize that sex sells, but shouldn't someone be demanding more. I realize that teenagers don't know better, but am I the only one just shaking my head over this?

My mom's side of the family has always been pretty close. We always spent all major holidays at Nanna's house, until she died and the family split apart for various reasons. I've dealt with it and moved on, but I realized this past weekend how much I missed my family. My cousin married on Saturday afternoon, and almost the entire family was there. Even though it seemed like a bit was strained and overdone, we all tried to be nice to one another. And for a brief moment, I remembered all the good times, and things were OK. I miss hanging out in the living room, watching football, and wrestling with everyone. I miss eating leftovers and reminiscing about the old days. I miss the love of my family. Also at the wedding, the idea of growing up and maturity got a hold of me. My cousin that was married this weekend is the first to get married in several years. My two oldest cousins have been married for a while, both having kids who have entered the double-digits. The rest of us h...

Not wanting to risk a chance of jinxing anything, I'm going to keep this blog as vague as possible. There is a guy. There is a date planned. Unfortunately, because of our busy schedules and Thanksgiving just a few weeks away, this date will not take place until the weekend AFTER Thanksgiving. I realize that a lot can happen between now and then, and that is why I'm not forthcoming with details. Just know that today I'm a little giddy...a little bubbly. :) Maybe good things really do come to those who wait....

I have an internal stress clock that goes off around November 1st every year. It's chiming rather loudly right now. Seems everything falls upon the few short weekends between now and Christmas and everyone is demanding something from me. Here's a small snippet of my schedule: This Week: Monday-- Basketball Game Tuesday-- Band Practice Wednesday -- Church Thursday--Band Practice Friday -- Playoffs Football Game Saturday--Mom's Birthday, Wedding, Gig at a local restaurant, friends come to visit Sunday--Church Next few Weeks Leave to go to LA on that Friday come home on Wednesday before Thanksgiving December 1st--Friend's Baby shower (out of town) December 9 th -- Church Christmas Play (When am I going to have time to practice for that??) Add in several basketball games a week, plus working at the YMCA, (By the way, I haven't started that YET!) 9-weeks test, Semester finals, and all the other in between things I manage to throw in. So as you can see, the countdown to...

Here's a video of me and my students learning about...culture??