Smoke Gets In Your Eyes

 

♫ Theyyyyy asked me how I knew my true love was TRUUUUEEEEEE . . . I of course replied, something there inside cannot be denieeeeeeddd . . . ♫

 

For instance, here’s what can’t be denied. I actually think that my April Fools prank paid off this year! :O

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, boys and squirrels, thou hast been pranked! 

Hyuck-Hyuck [100 awesome points if you said that in a Goofy voice]

Look folks, it was a risk I was willing to take. In all honesty, I DID go to the Army Surplus store with my friend and we did have a really sweet clerk—who actually encouraged me to don this outfit—but by the time I worked up the courage to go back in there, he was helping another customer. I’ll be back to visit sometime soon, I’m sure. 😉 I really just wanted the picture to send to my dad to say, “You’d be so proud of me! I’m in your store!” Sometimes being an Army brat makes you do ridiculous things.

 

So I didn’t actually end up spending my night out on a hot coffee date. Instead, I opted for a nice evening that most single ladies dream of . . . I got off of work, headed to the gym . . .

 

I went to Body Combat class . . . and now my body is Jell-O. But man oh man do I feel tough!

And then I headed out to the grocery store to pick up supplies to prep my meals for the week . . . 

 

Not pictured is the other package of turkey sausage I’ll be pulling out of the freezer later to make some sausage w/ sweet potato mash. Yummo!

 

By the way, strawberries going on sale 2 for $4 may be the best worst thing that ever happened to me 😉

And now I’m settling in for the night, refueling from the workout, and doing some prep-work for our upcoming VBS . . . while watching TOMMY BOY. It’s the perfect Hot-Date-By-YoSelf combo! 😉 Ah yes, this is the life . . . the Single Lady Life. Don’t worry folks, hopefully sooner than later it’ll be the Dating Lady Life. Just give me a little more time and space. ♥ 

 

PS: I’m strongly considering getting tested to see if my hormones are outta whack or something. For the past 2 weeks, I’ve been craving and nomming down on chicken sausage chilli and sweet fruit! :O Seriously—pretty much every night, I’ve eaten an entire bin of strawberries. yeesh! :O

 

To all of those who left sweet comments on my FB post—THANK YOU!! It’s actually quite reassuring to know that you would trust and support me in the dating endeavor!! Sadly, I still have not gone on my first date ever. The way I see it, it’s like a fine wine . . . the longer I wait, the more sweet and rich it will be. *fingers crossed* And honestly, if you are the praying kind and would like to add my love life to your prayer list, you could always lift up a little request that God would send the right person at the right time in the right way . . . my way. 😉 

And for those who are still waiting patiently for me to get in the dating game—thanks for your patience. I actually had a guy hit on me the other day . . . but he was in his upper 50s . . . and wasn’t attractive at all. Bummer. Seriously, can we clone Ben Affleck already?!? 

Well folks, I hope you all had a very Happy April Fools and didn’t get tooooooo trixed. If it makes you feel better, this trickster totally got trixed in the lamest way. This morning in our office meeting, one of our co-workers said, “Make sure you’re all prepared for the massive storm that’s due to hit tonight.” We all panicked for a hot second before she laughed and said April Fools. I’m telling you, the level of relief that hit me afterward was ridiculous. I’ve been stranded at my workplace toooooo many times do to inclement weather. No. Thank. You. 

And now, if you’ll excuse me, I must get back to . . .

 

Two of Hearts

With all the new exciting things happening in my life, I’ve REALLY felt the love!! So, I figured now would be a great time to share some love as well! Okay, okay, so basically it’s more a sharing of things I’ve fallen in love with lately, but still, it’s something, right? Since my heart is so overwhelmed with lovely things, why not double the fun? Here are some pairs of things that have captured my heart lately:

 

Techy Things:

I really need to thank my friend (and Seattle Dad) Del Irwin for giving me the hot tip on this one!

• The Flipboard social magazine app on my phone. For the most part, all of my bus rides involve reading—blogs, e-mails, books, and NOW, Flipboard! I have Flipboards set up for FOOD, DESIGN, PHOTOGRAPHY, NEWS, TECHNOLOGY, GAMING, CELEBRITY, MUSIC, FILM, and HOME. So as I’m riding the bus or waiting at a stop, I can browse my Flipboard and read up on some really innovative things! And the app allows me to e-mail the links to myself, favorite them on Twitter, or send them to my Evernote (my favorite option, by the way). It’s an extremely convenient inspiration and information source for me!

 

Thanks for the hot tip on this one, Korin!

• Okay so this one is more of a gadget, but just go with me, ‘kay? Recently, my friend Korin and I went to our friend Kathy’s house to watch Sense and Sensibility. While we were getting the air-popper ready, Korin mentioned this new microwaveable air-popper bowl that she had bought. I was fascinated and was on the hunt—I NEED one of those! I currently make my popcorn in a skillet on the stove, but it’s so tedious and truth be told, our pan lid doesn’t really fit so I have to hold it the entire time—lame sauce! So I recently went to TARGET in search of this bad boy and I got one!! And I used it yesterday and I’m in LOVE with it!! It’s a perfect option for me and I don’t need to even add oil for it to make the perfect bowl of air-popped popcorn! My snack life is revived!!

 

 

Tasty Things:

Nomilicious!

• My snack platter this week is my favorite combo thus far! It’s full of variety and packed with so much flavor and sustenance. On the menu, we have: A sliced cucumber, blueberries, a sliced apple, Toasted sesame crackers with cashew butter spread on them, a hard-boiled egg, and a mug of Laughing Man Espresso Roast! Also, you should know I’ve gone into a mild panic because I’m ALMOST OUT of my Laughing Man coffee grounds!!! . . . time to order more online!

 

• Italian Chicken Sausage + Orzo Pasta with Basil, Zucchini, and Red Pepper. My love for this dish is unending!! I made this for my lunches this week and it’s so ridiculously full of flavor. Every time I eat it, I feel like I’m decked out in a white sundress, dining on the grounds of a mansion while sitting at a fancy schmancy table in the bright warm sun! I dunno why, but this light and filling dish just makes me feel like royalty . . . maybe it’s the basil, or just the combo of everything, who knows. But seriously, if you can, please make this at home. You won’t regret it! I used Italian Chicken Sausage for the meat in mine, but I’m sure you could sub in any kind of meat you want and it would be just as awesome!

 

 

Thoughtful Things:

As I mentioned before, I love to read and since I’m on the bus so much here in Seattle, I get a LOT of reading in. I’m constantly reading e-newsletters and blogs to stay up to date on information that interests me. Here are 2 of my FAVORITE blogs that I follow:

 

• Orange Leaders Blog. Orange Leaders is “a gathering of leaders who are passionate about engaging churches and families to influence the faith and character of the next generation.” It is run by the reThink Group and offers so much practical and spiritual insight into leadership development, which is my perfect cup of tea! ♥

 

• Carrots ‘N’ Cake. Tina blogs about so many incredible things that inspire me! She offers so many great anecdotes that cover a great range of topics that interest me—from fitness to food to family life—and she’s so great at keeping things real. Plus, she’s a huge fan of nut butters, just like I am!! Her blog has helped me grow leaps and bounds throughout my Fit Life journey and I always look forward to her posts! In fact, I’m such an fan that I’ve even found myself adopting her phrases (like “HOLY YUM!”) 😉

 

Tune-worthy Things:

• LINK IN A CHAIN by Missy Higgins. Missy Higgins is one of my all-time favorite singer/songwriters, hands down! Her style is clean, creative, and innovative sound—and that Aussie accent is pretty rad too! So when I found out that Missy was coming out with a new album, I got butterflies in my stomach. After purchasing (and listening on repeat to) her latest release, THE OL’ RAZZLE DAZZLE, I was reminded of why I fell in love with her music all over again—it’s just wonderful quality all-around and inspires me to create music that matters! LINK IN A CHAIN is my favorite song off of the album because it challenges the listener to break through the chains they’ve lived in for so long and live an extraordinary life, which is something I value so much in my personal life.

 

• BE YOUR EVERYTHING by Boys Like Girls. Let’s get real, I’m a sucker for a good love song, and this one just hits the spot! It’s not a super slow song that reminds you of a scene out of A Cinderella Story. Instead, it fits my style and makes me think of speeding down the highway to destination anywhere with the car top down and the love of my life holding my hand as we head into adventure! It’s power poppy with some spunky punk grooves and Martin Johnson’s voice just soothes me for some reason. This song is featured on their recent release, CRAZY WORLD EP—go ahead, give it a spin!

 

 

Twitteriffic Things:

I feel like I spend less time on Twitter these days, but when I do, I can count on 2 friends of mine providing enough entertainment to make up for anything I may have missed during my absence:

 

• emzuniga. This girl is a RIOT!!! Elaine and I went to school (MCAustin) together for 3 years before she moved to Louisiana to pursue an MC Staff position there. Through the years, we’ve kept in touch through social networking and do our best to see each any time I’m back in Texas on vacation. I love the practical wisdom and quick wit she shares with me when we’re together! Her Twitter feed never fails to keep me smiling, with her snarky thoughts, intellectual marketing insights, fun pics of her rambunctious kitty cats, and the delicious food that she makes! If I could bring myself to do it without feeling like I’m such a creepster friend, I’d ‘favorite’ all of her tweets and save them for a rainy day!

 

• AudreyHannahB. Audrey is one of those powerful women that I wish I lived closer to so that could frequently go out for coffee with her. Alas, I must settle for her sweet, quirky, fun tweets about photography, business, spiritual life, and family. She’s the incredibly inspiring wife of my long-time teacher/mentor/creative guru from MCAustin, Brian Brooks at Innovado. But don’t think for a second that she is merely arm candy—this chick can hold her own! She’s funny, wise, kind, and an astoundingly creative professional photographer! She has her own photography business, AUDREY HANNAH PHOTO that takes her all over on adventures, helping people of all ages and backgrounds capture treasured moments in the most gorgeous ways! Don’t believe me, just check out this sweet shot that she took of a sweet couple in Colorado:

 

Photo by Audrey Hannah Photo

 

 

Treat Things:

Why not finish with something sweet?? Since cleaning up my nutrition and completing the No-Sugar Challenge, I’ve become much more sensitive to sugary sweets. That doesn’t mean that I don’t still CRAVE sweets, it just means that I have to be more conscious about my choices because too much sugar will make my stomach hurt something fierce and will make me feel lethargic and out-of-sorts. Therefore, I’ve been on the search for substitutes that make it easier for me to enjoy the sweeter things I crave. Two of my favorite recent finds are:

 

 

• Dreyer’s No Sugar Added Fruit Bars. Out of habit, I still venture down the Ice Cream aisle any time I go grocery shopping. I’m a sucker for cold sweet treats!! I’ll admit, I was skeptical when I bought these because (1) I never really jumped on the Splenda train and (2) Most of the time, Sugar-Free or No Sugar Added equates to No-Flavor At All. 😉 HOWEVER, and this is a BIG HOWEVER, these fruit bars are a WIN!!! It’s just the right amount of sweet, I can’t taste the ‘ol “Splenda after-bite” I had become familiar with back in the day, and they are so refreshing and delicious!! Now it’s just tough not to eat 10 of them at a time! :O [Bonus: The Black Cherry is my favorite!]

• Private Selection brand Acai, Pomegranate, & Blueberry Green Tea. God really DOES answer prayer! A few years ago, I led a missions trip to Brazil. It was there that I was first introduced to the glory of Acai. And NOW, three of my favorite flavors have all joined up to fight crime in a healthy Green Tea blend!! Talk about tasty sweet loveliness—Holy Yum! This tea is a perfect treat for me and I’m so glad I found it. I picked it up at the grocery store over the weekend and I’ve had at least 3 mugs of it daily since! If you’re a fruit lover like I am and you’re looking for a way to get that sweet fix without the sugar buzz, this is the way to go! ♥

 

Welp, that about wraps up my current “Love Life.” 😉

How about you? What are some things that you have fallen in love with recently?!?

 

Ceremonials | Happy 2012!

When Jeff and Sue sent their New Year’s Eve Party invitation, there was a phrase that piqued my interest:

. . . there will be loud and raucous fireworks at midnight!  Jeff has never grown up in this regard.

I’ll admit, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I knew they lived in a residential area and that it wasn’t in a prime location for fireworks (that I knew of). However, I couldn’t pass up the chance to spend the evening ringing in the new year with some of my best friends, yummy treats, and FIREWORKS!!! You see, Jeff isn’t the only one who has never grown up in regard to fireworks. I am a sucker for those bright and beautiful explosions in the sky! So I donned my party hat and squawker in anticipation of the bombs that would soon be bursting in air. I was NOT disappointed!

 

 

We all gathered on the elevated back patio and looked down as Jeff and Fabian emerged from the ground level entrance, toward the table of fireworks, wearing plastic-shielded helmets and safety headphones. When Jeff picked up his butane torch lighter, we KNEW he meant business! The light show was gorgeous in and of itself, but the real “fun” came when one of the mortars accidentally fell over and sent its explosion headed straight toward us! We all ran inside and laughed about almost dying for a long while before everyone finally packed up and said their goodbyes. We were in such a funny frenzy that you would’ve never thought that just 20 minutes earlier, I was snuggled up next to Kathy and Heather on the couch, talking about Jane Austen, youth ministry, and everything in between. In that moment, I remember thinking that if this had been my night to die, I would’ve died with no regrets and among some pretty amazing friends and I would’ve been quite alright with that.

 

 

Last year, I chose one word to focus on throughout the year. That word was FORWARD. I tried brave new things to get over fears, I survived one of the most trying relational situations I’d ever been in with flying colors, and I finished out the year with a very fun and freeing trip home filled with surprises and excitement. The goal was to move through the year in a FORWARD motion and I feel like I reached that goal! This year, I’m going to focus on a different word/theme and resolve to make it the big deal/lesson to learn in my everyday life. My word for 2012 is:

 

Dis·cov·er[y]   (verb)   \dis-ˈkə-vər\

1. To to make known or visible
2. To obtain sight or knowledge of for the first time

 

It seems so simple, and I’m pretty sure it’s something that’s done naturally and often without care or concern. However, this year for me will be all about intentional discovery. I am consciously choosing to rise up to the challenge of pushing myself to see just how far I can go in every area of my life as I chase my dreams. I am choosing to explore the world around me with an open heart and mind. I am deciding that this year, I will learn more about myself and others so that I can increase the amount of love, care, concern, and attention that it takes to make my life and theirs count. And who knows, I *might* also discover my true love this year . . .  😉

Happy 2012, everyone!
Let’s make it count! 

 

The Little Things You Give Away

I don’t think I’ve done this in a while, but for today’s post, I’m going to link to another blog post that I think is worth reading. Here are things it will do for you (with a 95% GUARANTEE):

1. Make you smile.
2. Make you cry.
3. Make you think about the people in your life that mean the most to you.
4. Make your heart hurt.
5. Put you in the writer’s “shoes” so to speak—it’s very well written
6. Make you cry some more.
7. Make you realize the beauty of life
8. Make you realize that sometimes the best blessings look different than we planned.
9. Make you smile some more.
10. Make you want to share love with someone in need.

(thanks to Kelley for the link)

CLICK HERE IF YOU DARE

American Love

3 more days until I see Jack’s Mannequin live!!! I’m sooooo excited!!!

As a songwriter, Andrew McMahon’s style and his ability to write clever songs that speak deep into your heart and mind, and challenge the way you think about life and the things around you really inspire me to make the things that I write follow suit. Our words and experiences are obviously different, but the way he uses language to its fullest to convey a deeper meaning is just very inspirational to me. One of my favorite songs that he sings is called American Love and the funny thing is that the way the song came about was pretty different from his typical approach to songwriting—but he tried something new and it came to be this great song that challenges the way we see love. And it starts out like this:

You see I got this American Love
A brand new planet in my solar system
I kiss her neck but I just can’t look her in the eye

And THAT challenges me because it’s so true. As people, we crave intimacy, but a lot of times we’re not willing to go through every situation that leads to true intimacy. We want to have love and touch and feel so amazing, but not if it causes us to face our own demons or our own issues. I’ve seen a lot of relationships fail. I’ve seen a lot of them succeed. The thing that separates them is the ability of the people in them to give and take equally, and readily face each situation with truth, honor, and unconditional love.

When I think of relationships and dating, I think one of the best things is the ability to learn more about yourself through the life that you take time to invest in, to love unconditionally, to grow with. It’s a challenge. It’s a blessing and a curse. But the best blessing and the best curse. I must admit, part of what frightens me about being in a relationship with someone else is having to step outside of myself and on a consistent basis put someone else’s needs before mine. I’m pretty selfish. Most wouldn’t see this right away. I value my close friends because they’ve spent quality time with me and have seen me get bratty because I didn’t get my way or because I felt inconvenienced—and it wasn’t pretty. But what I love about them is that they challenge me to get over myself. They walk through situations with me and they’re not afraid to tell me I’m wrong or that I need to try to see things from a different perspective. And because of them, I learn all the time what my triggers are and what I can do to avoid a meltdown or a shutdown. And every time I learn, I get better and the next time isn’t as bad. I haven’t completely tamed the dragon of selfishness in my life, but I’ve gotten closer and I get burned less and less the closer I get to it.

All week I’ve been listening to Jack’s Mannequin, and getting more and more excited. The words to American Love really do challenge me.

In my non-romantic relationships—do I let people see the real me? Or do I put up a front just to look like I’ve got my life all figured out? Do I offer them a friendship with stipulations or am I truly able to keep them close without strings attached? And when I come close to veering towards the negative side of things in the relationships, do I trust God and do I trust them to point me in the right direction?

In my romantic relationship(s)—will I be able to see past their flaws and meet them halfway in arguments? Will I value their mind as much as their looks and talents? Will I let them help me get over myself? Will I trust them fully with my heart? Will it just be about physical intimacy or will there be meaning and purpose behind the things we endeavor to do as a team?

It’s a challenge. One I’m willing to take on. One step at a time and I will reach my goal—to live and love on purpose, with purpose, endeavoring to have meaningful relationships with people.

Breakeven

I’m looking back on all the life that you gave me
And I’ve never felt more alive
No words explain all the ways that you changed me
The way you made wrong things right

There will be days that I’m barely hanging on
And then I’ll think of you, and you and me
But when everything has turned shades of gray
You still color the world around me

-Color the World by Amanda Martinez

Last night was very eventful—and I’m not just talking about the football game. For the past few weeks, one of my co-worker’s husband has been in critical condition in the ICU with some serious organ failure due to a bout with Hepatitis C. Yesterday at the end of the work day, we got the call that she was going to take him off of life support. A bunch of my co-workers were going to be going to the hospital to be with her in that moment. In the grand scheme of things, I’d never met her husband and she and I were not especially close—but I knew I needed to be there. No one should die alone, and no one should have to go through the death of a loved one alone. She needed people she could cry with, share memories with, and just BE with. I wanted her to know that I was there for her.

A bunch of us showed up and suited up (so that we wouldn’t catch any diseases from her dying husband) and surrounded my co-worker with love and support. It was one of the most powerful displays of affection and family I’d seen in a while. My co-worker’s husband’s family was not very close and so very few of them showed up (even during the course of the hospitalization). Our entire staff was there, save for two people who had colds and therefore couldn’t join us. We were their family—and it showed.

I got to watch an amazing woman express her love and honor to this wonderful man who had an uncanny way of making her come alive, and come out of hiding. I loved watching her love and care for him while we were there, caressing his pallid bony skin and bragging about how handsome he still is. I think one of the sweeter moments for me was when she turned directly to me and said,

“Amanda, I wish you two could have met. Ray would have loved you and loved spending time with you. He would’ve loved your big heart and your witty sense of humor and he would have loved hearing you sing your songs.”

She didn’t say it as an off-the-cuff nicety. She meant it and it caught my attention. It’s not so much the accolades that caught my attention, but the fact that she, having known and loved this man, could speak for him with such certainty—she knew him that well. It moved my heart. So I wrote about it—I’ve included some of the first round lyrics (Color The World) at the top of the post. I’m still working on the song, but being in that room, witnessing that tender honest love inspired me that true love is, in fact, not lost. It is waiting, and I’ll be ready when it shows it’s lovely face. 🙂

What’s Love Got To Do With It

I came across this hilarious article at msn.com today. go ahead… try to read it without laughing out loud!

And after I read it, it brought to my mind something about love. I’ve been really lucky to observe many awesome love relationship and many crappy love relationships. I’ve been able to talk to so many people in so many unique relationships and I’ve learned a LOT along the way. What’s funny about this is that I haven’t ever dated anyone…my entire life…yet. But I have so many guy friends and girl friends who will come to me for insight/advice when it comes to liking someone romantically. Being great friends equally with guys and girls has taught me a lot about the human heart and tons of other things. But I decided to take some time today and just blog out some things I’ve shared, and some I haven’t for all those who might have questions about love love love…

First of all, let me say that I think LOVE, real LOVE is a beautiful thing. I think crushes are beautiful too, because whether it actually works out or not, you learn a LOT about yourself. You learn about what triggers your heart to love. You learn about your own selfish needs and wants, and whether they should get the merit they tend to receive. And you learn how to dream for something more than just the mundane things in life. And if it doesn’t work out, you learn to not give up, to recover from a “crushed” heart, and how to evaluate what went wrong so that it can be fixed in the future.

So, on that note, here are some words of advice I have for you:

FOR BOTH GUYS AND GIRLS:
– don’t expect the other person to be perfect.
– love is a give and take thing. If you’re not willing to give the other person a listening ear, instead of a talking mouth, things will head south quickly.
– be aware of the things you’re saying to the other person when you’re not moving your mouth.
– realize you’re different people and not just pod people, and move forward from there.  
– they won’t notice you if you’re not at least making an effort to be noticed. Most of the time, walking up and saying hi will get you ‘in the door’
– take your time and enjoy the friendship/relationship
– don’t spend all your time together. make sure you save time for your friends and family too!

– you don’t have to copy other people’s relationships. make yours unique!

– make an effort to make friends with their friends

– when showing affection in public, don’t be gross.  it’s possible to show love without re-enacting a dirty romance scene.  ps: dry humping in public is sick.

– being in a relationship with him/her won’t solve all of your personal problems, but you can both learn from one another along the way

FOR GIRLS:
– he DOESN’T think you look fat. If he did, you wouldn’t be going on your date, or be in the relationship. Stop making him answer silly questions. He thinks the world of you.

– don’t wear P.J’s on your first date

– he can’t read your mind.  communicate.

– he’s not shia lebeouf, matt damon, or any other actor you think he may need to be compared to.  love him for who he is. 

– don’t throw a fit if he doesn’t pick out the exact style of purse you really wanted.  The fact that he wandered into purse world is gift enough.  In this case, it REALLY is the thought that counts.

– go easy on him if he doesn’t get the hint after the 3rd time that you’re not interested in him.

– don’t twist his words around.  If he says he’s tired, he doesn’t mean you’re boring. He’s just tired.

– if he’s really not into something you’re into, don’t fault him.  and if he’s into something you’re not into, at least give it a try.  Sharing the experience with him might just make it more enjoyable- ie: sports games, art shows, concerts, etc.

– if he asks you out for coffee, don’t assume he wants to marry you.  He just wants to get to know you better.

– Don’t you dare talk to him about how he compares to your previous boyfriends (good or bad)

– he’s not your human ATM machine.  don’t make him buy you everything.

– don’t pressure him if he doesn’t want to go to baby or wedding showers

– give him his nights out with the fellas.  you need it just as much as he does.

– On movie dates: don’t always make him watch a chick flick with you.  Alternate who gets to choose the movie. and be cool with it.

– Good Idea: smelling nice for the date.  Bad Idea: Showering in perfume for the date.

FOR GUYS:

– telling lies…even little ones= not cool. just be honest.

– don’t let us boss you around all the time.  

– if your girl/friend thinks a baby is cute, don’t assume she wants to have 90 of them with you the next day.  

– Good Idea: snuggling on the couch for movie night in house.  Bad Idea: EVERY date is snuggling on the couch for movie night in house.

– when we say, “I’m not interested.” we mean it. sorry.

– don’t fight with her parents.  they can be your biggest ally if you let them be.

– keeping ex-girlfriends numbers on your phone…so not cool

– madden 09 is not a gift we’re looking forward to getting (for most girls- super sport fan girls are the exception, but make sure she is before getting it)

– if a girl is dating someone else, don’t dis her boyfriend just to make yourself look good. cause it makes you look really bad.

– she’s not your mom

– she’s not elle mcpherson, catherine zeta jones, or any other super fine fox you might like on the big screen or magazine.  love her for who she is.

– when “Aunt Flo” comes to visit, offer chocolate.  And be brave enough to go down the Sanitary aisle for her.

– Use pick up lines sparingly.  Most of the time, saying hello is an easier approach.

– protect her, but don’t be overprotective.

– don’t forget she’s around when the guys come over.

These are just some thoughts from me.  Things I’ve learned from watching other relationships.  It’s not absolute.  But I just thought I’d share.  And if any of you blog readers have other advice, please leave a comment.  😀

Love Like This

Happy Valentine’s Day to you all!! 😀 I hope that for those of you who are married or in a relationship you are doing something special today to show that person how much you love them! 😀 Love is a great thing, isn’t it? Just. It is. 😀 And since I am not currently dating anyone, I’m choosing today to reflect on the love I have for other things and people in my life! For everyone in my life: I LOVE YOU so much and I hope you realize how much you mean to me! 😀

So in honor of those things and people, I’ve put together a little video to show my love:
http://www.youtube.com/get_player

thanks for watching and for checking out my blog! Have a super amazing day!! 😀

PS: if you didn’t make it into the video…i am so sorry…i’m only allowed to have a certain amount of video on this site. 😦 but i still love you mucho!!!

And now I leave you with one of my favorite love songs:

If You Asked Me To

If you asked me to come up with a “lovey dovey” playlist for Valentine’s Day, this is what it would look like:

http://www.profileplaylist.net/mc/mp3player_new.swf?config=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.profileplaylist.net%2Fext%2Fpc%2Fconfig_red_noautostart.xml&mywidth=435&myheight=270&playlist_url=http://www.profileplaylist.net/loadplaylist.php?playlist=58968796&t=1234581345

I hope you have a great Valentine’s Day tomorrow. 😀

Nobody Knows Me At All

25 random things about me:

1. I love the BBC Version of Pride and Prejudice and stubbornly refuse to watch any other versions.

2. I totally love Psychology

3. I usually buy cell phones because i think they’re cool looking or have cool features, not necessarily for their functionality

4. I am an army brat

5. I am really bad at sports….like…ALL of them!

6. My idea of camping involves a cabin with a TV, DVD Player, and Fireplace.

7. I love quoting lines from movies, and in everyday conversation, certain phrases make me think of lines from movies and my whole demeanor will change because all i can think of is that moment in the film

8. I really want to visit Barcelona and Madrid, Spain

9. I exist in Bear form (my friend owns a build a bear that resembles me!)

10. My dream car is an indie blue mini cooper s with white racing stripes

11. My favorite foods are: Red Robin’s Mushroom and Swiss burger and Pizza Hut’s Stuffed Crust Pepperoni and Black Olive pizza! Although I don’t get to eat either very much anymore, if I did, it would be a MEGA treat!

12. I love making people laugh

13. The majority of my blog titles are song titles. And I stole the idea from One Tree Hill…because all of their episode titles are either album or song titles 😀

14. I wish I could dance professionally…like all kinds of dances. And I kind of wish I had a dance studio where I could just make up dance choreography and teach others.

15. I am a completely idealistic person

16. I do my best to “qualify” people before i “disqualify” them.

17. I am afraid of heights and falling from them

18. I am wary of putting people on pedestals and of being put on a pedestal

19. I am in love with love

20, I am really bad at math

21. It’s really easy for me to be a jerk to my parents because I know that they will still love me no matter what.

22. I would rather tell a guy up front how i feel about him, than leave him wondering

23. I love living in Seattle!

24. I love to teach!

25. I wish my brother had a facebook. 😀