Monday, June 28, 2010

please don't touch.

Please don’t touch. What is it about that phrase that makes it so appealing? Am I the only one that struggles with this? Last night we were at the movie theater at Jen’s apartment building for Bible study and there, written in big bold letters, were the words, “Please do not touch the screen.” I don’t have a weird obsession with touching things, but reading that really made me want to touch it! Why? Who knows?! I can’t imagine it being much different than any other movie screen and I’ve never had a desire to get up before or after a movie in the theater to feel the screen. There was just something so enticing about that phrase. Why can’t you touch it? What happens if you do? What’s the big deal anyways?

This isn’t the first time I’ve been tempted by such a phrase. I remember quite vividly going to the Smithsonian in 8th grade where there were signs galore to keep our hands off of the glass. And you wanna know the first thing I did when I walked in there? Touched the glass! Only to be embarrassed (and slightly alarmed) by the sirens that went off. And that was not my only offense. I remember a babysitting experience where my cousins and I were left alone and told not to play with the candles. I’m pretty sure we had no intentions of “playing” with candles, but no sooner had our adult supervision left the room before we were pulling out matches. Even in the Holy Land I just HAD to pick one of those olive branches. And I’m even just as guilty with little things like overeating sweets. If my mom had a dollar for every time she told me to only have one piece and I indulged in a second…and later had a tummyache…she would be a millionaire. Oh, and remember THIS little accident with the ice sculptures at the National Harbor?

I’ve never really thought of myself struggling with self-control until a trip to the MET this summer. I walked in and the guard stared right at me and said, “Don’t touch the object.” Hey pal, I didn’t touch anything…yet. Did he know? Do I have some sort of museum reputation?

Anyways, there is a point to this post. The relation to self-control and my life…I wonder if that was what it was like for Eve? I mean, part of me can’t blame her. I probably would have wanted to eat a forbidden fruit too. I’ve been reading through “Lies Women Believe” with the same girls I did Tuesday Bible study with in the Spring and I highly recommend the book. One particular thing that Nancy Lee DeMoss said struck a cord with me, especially in terms of self-control…

When speaking about Eve, she writes, “Over and over again, the Scripture teaches that God’s laws are for our good and protection. Obedience is the pathway to freedom. But Satan places in our minds the idea that God’s laws are burdensome, unreasonable, and unfair, and that if we obey Him we will be miserable. In the Garden, he caused Eve to focus on the one limitation God had placed on her.”

The crazy thing is, an obedient life is simple! For everything you “can’t,” “shouldn’t,” or “don’t” do there are a million things you can, should, and are able to do! God calls us to an abundant life, not a bunch of rules. Those “rules” are there to help us and protect us. I think often times we get so stuck on what we can’t have that we forget what we can. Why did I feel the need to play with candles when I had a million other toys? Or touch a stupid piece of glass when there were so many things to see? Or eat another piece of cake when I was already stuffed? Why do we do any of those selfish sinful things? No wonder my mom kept me so close in expensive stores.

Saturday, June 26, 2010

finish line

I did it! I finished the race! And I think I finally got my "runner's high." Bring on another race! I told Jess this morning, as we nervously approached the starting line, that my stomach felt like it does right before a roller coaster - you know that nervous feeling you get even though you know what you are about to do is completely safe and totally fun? Crossing that finish line was a complete rush!

I'd like to give a big thanks to God for giving me good health and the ability to run, Beth for getting up in the wee hours of the morning to run the hills of Wyndhurst with me, Miley Cyrus for getting me to the finish line, and Turkey Hill for FREE ice cream!!!!!

* Sidenote: I would never normally promote anything Philly-related, but this ice cream is crazy good - graham cracker ice cream with chocolate covered marshmallows and graham swirl!

Friday, June 25, 2010

chocolate fudge


The last time I was home I walked into my room to find 4 new unopened boxes of Pop Tart goodness just waiting for me to dive into - Vanilla Milkshake, Chocolate Fudge, Grape, and Cinnamon Roll. My first flavor of choice? The chocolate fudge of course! It has been far too long since my taste buds have indulged in this classic flavor. Somewhere along the way of experimenting with new flavors I must have forgotten this staple! My former chocolate lovin' roommate would have had a hay day with a pack of these.

Toasted: In one abbreviated word - delish.
Frozen: Gooey and almost brownish in consistency and flavor. How could you possibly resist?
As Is: Ummmm....delicious!! Hello?! How could I have possibly forgotten about this gooey, fudgey, yummy, chocolately goodness?!

Pop Tart Fact: In 1971, a cartoon character named Milton the Toaster was introducted to promote Pop-Tarts. William Schallert from the Patty Duke Show voiced him. The campaign ended when a commercial showed a child hugging the toaster, leading to complaints that children might imitate the commercial and burn themselves.

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

s'more please!

Today when I was having lunch with Andrea she told me about this unique little contraption that makes s'mores in the microwave! Did you hear that? S'MORES!!! Only one of my all-time favorite desserts. So as soon as I got back to work after lunch I immediately had to google this. Check this thing out!!!!
Sooooo awesome! And only $7 - what a steal! I need it. Since I know my mom reads this I'm going to go ahead and provide a link: "Please?"

While browsing on Amazon I also came across this convenient little cookbook...

One word: Yum!


Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Savior, please

Savior, please take my hand.
I work so hard, I live so fast.
This life begins, and then it ends.
And then I do the best that I can,
but I don't know how long I'll last.

I try to be so tough,
but I'm just not strong enough.
I can't do this alone, God I need you
to hold on to me.
I try to be good enough,
but I'm nothing without your love.
Savior, please keep saving me.

Savior, please help me stand.
I fall so hard, I fade so fast.
Will you begin right where I end?
And be the God of all I am because you're all that I have.

Hallelujah!
Everything you are to me
is everything I'll ever need.
and I am learning to believe.
cause you're the one who's saving me.

- Josh Wilson

Monday, June 21, 2010

whit's wedding!

This is, no lie, the summer of weddings! Saturday was Tim & Whitney's wedding and it was BEAUTIFUL! The ceremony took place at her house and the weather was perfect. I can't believe so many of my close friends from college are married now. I'm so happy for them! Here are a few pics from the wedding...

Sunday, June 20, 2010

dad's day

This is the third Father's Day in a row that I have not spent with my dad :( I know it doesn't bother him, but I miss him a lot...especially today! And the 186.67 miles that are between us feel like light years.

You see, my dad and I are close. Really close. We've always had this sort of special bond. I think I've always been a "Daddy's girl." He just gets me. He knows exactly what to do or say to encourage me and he does it often. He is also my biggest supporter. There has never been a day in my life when I wasn't 100% completely sure of his love for me (even when he had to punish me!)

I truly believe my relationship with God is so strong b/c of the example my dad has set for me. I've heard it said often that God loves us so much more than our earthly fathers ever could, which is so unreal to me b/c I can't imagine anyone loving me more or taking better care of me than my dad now.

Thank you Dad, I love you.


Monday, June 14, 2010

hello hershey

This weekend was really fun! It ended up being a mini reunion of sorts due to my friend Kelly's wedding. For those of you who don't know, Kelly was my roommate my sophomore and junior year of college. She was the PERFECT roommate...you know...non-smoker, clean, slept through anything, kind, considerate, friendly, all of the above. What I didn't know going into my sophomore year was that I would start out with a roommate and leave with a friend! I was lucky enough to have her crash on my couch a few nights leading up to her wedding and it was so good to just spend time catching up with her in the midst of all the craziness. She headed home to PA in the middle of the week and I drove up after work on Friday. Since I couldn't leave until after work I split my trip in half and stayed at JMU with Loisann - the exact halfway mark!! It was really good to see Loisann too! I think the last time I saw her was when she came to visit me at Christmas time which is wayyyyy too long! Saturday morning I drove the rest of the way and met up with Kerri & Nikki!

As you can see from the photos below, Kel's wedding was absolutely beautiful. And get this, almost everything you see from decorations to the cake (yes, even the cake!) she completely made herself! The girl is amazing.


After Kel's wedding, Nikki, Kerri, and I headed back to our hotel for some R&R (and a little World Cup!) before heading out to HERSHEY!!!! It was my first time there and of course I LOVED it! We went to the park just long enough to ride the Comet and grab dinner before a huge thunderstorm came! We were bummed, but we refunded our tickets and used it to make our own chocolate bars in Chocolate World which turned out to be way cooler than any roller coaster I could have ridden that day.

The "Create Your Own Chocolate Bar" Factory had only been open for 2 weeks so we are some of the first people to ever create our own there. The process is pretty basic but a lot of fun. First, you put on your gear (see below) and head to a mini chocolate orientation. Then, you use computers to select your chocolate and ingredients - I picked milk chocolate with graham cracker crumbs, sprinkles, and vanilla chips! You get to watch your chocolate go through the conveyer belt where it gets filled with all of your add-ins and while the chocolate hardens/dries you go to another computer room where you get to design your own label. It was so cool and the chocolate was delicious!!!!!!!!! We had a blast. Check it out...

Dressed & ready to make some chocolate!
My chocolate bar!
Yum!

Friday, June 11, 2010

its your life...whatcha gonna do?

5 Things I wanted to be when I was a kid:

1. Movie star. This was a long-running aspiration mostly because I think I liked the idea that being an actress allowed me to be all the other things I wanted (see below) without the hard work involved in getting there. Get paid to play pretend? Works for me! I was so convinced I was going to have my own TV show growing up - I made videos, stole the spotlight from my friends, craved attention, etc. This dream was really cute until about middle school when people stopped replying with, “Awwwwww” and started to say, “No, really?” Ummm…I was for real.2. Dolphin Trainer. I went through a phase of life where I loved dolphins. They were plastered all over my walls and I thought vacay to Sea World was the coolest thing I had ever done. Sometimes I think it would still be fun, until I smell fish and remember how stinky that job would be when you had to feed them. Pass.3. Professional ___________ Player. Fill in the blank with whatever sport I was playing at the time and that is I wanted to be. Popular fill-in-the-blanks included; ballerina (as evidenced by the high top bun I wore my hair in practically every day for a year), soccer (specifically around 2001 when WUSA came out), and field hockey.4. Back up dancer for Missy Elliot. Have you seen her videos? This doesn’t even need an explanation.5. Brain Surgeon. I blame TV for this one. I saw a “brain surgery” on a fictional hospital-themed primetime TV show and was convinced it was my calling for life. It was the coolest thing I had ever seen.
Isn’t it kind of funny to look at where you are and look back at what you thought you’d be doing? Sometimes I wonder if my 10-year-old self would have been disappointed if I had known I wouldn’t have ended up doing any of those crazy dreams. But then again, who’s to say I won’t?

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

overnight

Something that you may or may not know about me is that I love Amy Grant. She is my all-time favorite singer. I own every album. Her music resonates with me. And seriously, who WOULDN’T be able to at least relate to “Takes a Little Time”? One of the best Christmas gifts I ever received was a surprise from my dad…front row tickets to her Christmas concert AND a backstage pass to meet her after the show!

SURPRISE!

And then again on my birthday the next year…front row tickets to her show and a backstage pass. She even wished me Happy Birthday on stage! She is one of the kindest, most engaging people I have ever met, which just makes me love her music even more. Last time I was traveling home I put in her newest CD “Somewhere Down the Road” and I only made it to the second song before I found myself sticking it on repeat. Never has a song been truer in my own life. Listen for yourself…

Monday, June 7, 2010

oui oui

I have found that one of the best things about growing up and not living with your parents anymore is that you get to do things that would never normally fly at home...

Like eating french toast for dinner.

Several nights in a row.


Speaking of french toast...what ever happened to this delicious cereal?!?

Sunday, June 6, 2010

frosted blueberry

Classic blueberry - this flavor was one of the first four flavors that ever came out and is STILL one of the most popular. I personally liked the blueberry muffin pop tart better, which seemed sweeter to me even though it has 1 less gram of sugar than the regular frosted blueberry!

Toasted: Still tasty, though the toasting process didn't enhance and/or take away from the original flavor.
Frozen: Ditto.
As is: Not bad, but not exactly great either. If I had tried this flavor before I had tried the blueberry muffin I think I would have liked it better. The regular frosted blueberry just isn't quite as sweet.

Pop Tart Fact: Pop Tarts now has a Rewards program (where was this when I started my pop tart project?!?!) that encourages fans to try all 27 flavors. In return, you get points for cool prizes like movie tickets, music downloads, magazine subscriptions, & more! Awesome!!