No Regrets

2009-02-23T19:20:00.003-06:00

Oscar Party 2009

I know I haven't written much lately, but I thought I'd post a couple of slide shows from Meag's Oscar party this past Sunday.

2008-12-17T13:15:00.001-06:00

Inspirational Speech
My friend Kyle shared this with me...it was too funny not to pass on!

2008-10-31T12:16:00.003-05:00

The Calm Before the Storm...

I have about 45 minutes before people start arriving up here at the church to get their booths ready for tonight. Also my parents are only about 2 hours away...I'm not sure if they're coming up to help me tonight or not. We'll see!!! Tonight should be fun! I'll have some pictures up on Facebook later if you are interested. Can't wait to see who comes...and what costumes we have!

2008-10-20T13:05:00.002-05:00

Movie Recommendation

Hello! Once again I have neglected to blog for a couple of weeks. Right now I'm getting ready for Fall Festival and that is taking up a lot of my work time.

Last night I went to see City of Ember with Meag, Kyle, Jay and Joe. I had not heard anything about the movie before we saw it, so I went in with no expectations. I loved it! It's actually a children's/family movie, but one of those really good fantasy movies, so it was a genre I very much enjoy! It was completely clean (no bad language), and had only a couple of moments with a giant mole (it takes place underground) that would probably make it too scary for small children. It's based on a book, so now I have to track down a copy of the book to read. If it's even half as good as the movie, I'll enjoy it.

So if you like fantasy type movies, I would recommend you check this one out! There's a synopsis and trailor on the official web site.

2008-09-29T10:43:00.003-05:00

One year!!

My roommate Meagan and I have lived together for a year now. It's been one of the best living situations that I've had...and one of the funniest! Meagan and I like to say that we share a brain and sometimes the sharing of that brain leads to some very ditzy moments!

This morning when I was about to leave for work, I noticed that Meag's dog D'Lanie was in the kitchen. We have a baby gate that we use to keep her in the kitchen when we can't have her running around the apartment. Meag usually does this in the morning while she is getting ready. I stepped over the baby gate, got my breakfast bar and a drink from the fridge and headed out the door. I noticed that Meag's car was not in the parking lot, so I just assumed that since D'Lanie sometimes has to be in her kennel longer than Meag likes, that maybe Meag was going to try leaving her in the kitchen when she needed to leave the apartment. When I got to the church, I noticed that Meag's car was in the parking lot (not unusual b/c she also works here), but didn't see her in the youth minister's office. I wondered, in passing, where she was, but didn't really worry about it.

A little before 10:30 my cell phone rang. When I answered, we had the following conversation:

"Nissa, the strangest thing just happened. I just stepped out of the apartment and my car isn't here."

"I know. It's in the church...OH MY GOSH! We drove straight home last night!"

The facts were these:
Last night after our church activities, we went out to dinner with a group of friends. Because the church would be on our way back home, Meag asked if she could just ride with me. As we were leaving, I did remember that I needed to go by the church, but then one of our friends stopped us again to talk and I completely forgot. Meagan said she had thought about it once, too, right before we left. We got home and neither of us noticed that Meag's car was not in the parking lot...until this morning!

Yeah...so...It's been a joy living with you Meag...definitely NOT boring!!!!

2008-09-16T13:08:00.003-05:00

Where are all the Superheroines?

As a dork, I found this article facinating!!! What do you think?? I liked the quotes from Joss Whedon that the author included. (And yes, I realize that this is from a liberal magazine, but I agreed with this article).

(Look...two blog entries in a week!! Woo hoo!)

2008-09-15T14:06:00.009-05:00

Top 25 Most played

Well it's been almost a week and I am just now sitting down to write another post...but I am doing better than I did before!

One possession of mine that I really do love probably more than I should is my iPod. I listen to it all the time--at work, at home (I have a docking station with speakers both downstairs and upstairs), in the car. I have a lot of music on my iPod, but find myself going to some of the same songs over and over again depending on what I am doing. I looked at my top 25 most played list and got a kick out of what actually made up this list--There were definitely some surprises.

25. Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along-Blog:
If you haven't seen this short musical by Joss Whedon, you can find it on iTunes. It's about 45 minutes long total and has 3 Acts. I have watched it so many times now, that it made it to my top 25. This silly story revolves around Dr. Horrible (played by Neil Patrick Harris), a villian who wants to join the Evil League of Evil. He thinks that the world is bad, so he wants to rule it so he can make it better. His arch nemesis is Captain Hammer (played by the delightful Nathan Fillion--Captain Mal to Firefly fans) a very strong but stupid hero. Dr. Horrible is in love with Penny (Felicia Day), who has fallen for Captain Hammer. Overall, just a lot of fun...but it does have a sad ending. Click here to see my favorite song on YouTube.

24. Toxic - Covered by Nickel Creek
Yes, this is a Britney Spears song, but Nickel Creek is so amazing that they can make this song actually sound good. I saw them on their Farewell for Now tour last year they did this song. It is hilarious!!

23. Prayer of St. Francis - Sarah McLachlan

22. Love You 'till the End by The Pogues - "P.S. I Love You" Soundtrack

21. The Nearness of You as sung by Norah Jones

20. One Moment More by Mindy Smith

19. It's All Wrong, but it's all right sung by Michael Johns (American Idol)

18. Get Rhythm (Johnny Cash) sung by Joaquin Phoenix - "Walk the Line" Soundtrack
This is a song at one time I played a lot when I went to visit my family and would dance with Aubrey and Brendon while it was playing.

17. No Good Deed sung by Idina Menzel - "Wicked" Soundtrack
This one surprised me, because I thought Defying Gravity would be on the list instead. But when I saw Wicked in Dallas a year and a half ago, the girl who played Elphaba did such an amazing job on this song, that I guess I must have started to listen to it a lot more!

16. Hello as sung by David Cook

15. I am a Man of Constant Sorrow by The Soggy Bottom Boys - "O Brother Where Art Thou" Soundtrack
Okay...this is a bit odd, because I own this soundtrack, but I've not seen the movie all the way through yet. The band that actually plays the music for The Soggy Bottom boys are the guys from Alison Krauss and Union Station, so I was already a big fan of the music and had to get the soundtrack. In their Live DVD, Dan Tyminski, who does the main vocals joked that his wife liked hearing his voice come out of George Clooney's mouth.

14. Walk through the Fire from "Once More With Feeling" Buffy musical episode
Another Joss Whedon great!

13. Black Horse and the Cherry Tree by KT Tunstall
This song is one that I LOVE to listen to in the car...it gets me tapping and moving.

12. So Close by Jon McLaughlin - "Enchanted" Soundtrack
This was another surprise...I thought if something from Enchanted made it on here, it would be That's How You know? I know that this song comes up a lot when I am in my car and I always love to hear it. It's a really pretty song that is actually pretty sad!!

11. Neverland - Piano Variation in Blue by Jane A. P. Kacmarek - "Finding Neverland" Soundtrack
When I saw this movie, I loved the music so much that I immediately had to get the Soundtrack. This song quickly became my favorite.

10. Out of the Rain by The Duhks
I can't remember who told me about The Duhks (maybe Adam S.?) Or maybe after I started listening to a lot of Nickel Creek, they were recommended on Amazon. Like Nickel Creek, they have so many talented musicians in their group. They have a different girl on lead vocals now, but this song is still my favorite of theirs.

9. Gone, Gone, Gone (Done Moved On) sung by Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
What do you get when you pair up my favorite singer (Alison Krauss) with the lead singer for my friend Jay's favorite rock band Led Zeppelin (Robert Plant)? You get an amazing folk CD!! This song is another one that has me bouncing no matter what I am doing.

8. You Don't Have to Move that Mountain by Nickel Creek
My friend Lisa introduced me to Nickel Creek and I am forever grateful! They are such amazing musicians, and I was actually able to see them live last fall before they stopped playing together. This song is on their collection CD, and is a lot of fun! I also like a lot of their instrumental stuff.

7. August's Rhapsody - "August Rush" Soundtrack

6. Dueling Guitars played by Doug Smith & Heitor Pereira - "August Rush" soundtrack

This is another soundtrack I bought before I saw the movie. Both of these songs are just amazing!!! (and yes I know it's not really the actors playing in Dueling Guitars).

5. Whispering Pines by Dar Williams with Alison Krauss, Chris Botti, Cliff Eberhardt, & Stefan Lessard
Dar Williams is a recent discovery, but obviously I love this song of hers!! It doesn't hurt that my favorite female vocalist is also in this song!

4. Falling Slowly by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova - "Once" Soundtrack
Jay gave me a copy of this soundtrack before I saw the movie (I'm noticing a pattern!), and I liked it, but once I saw how the songs fit into the movie, I LOVED the music! The movie is very simple, but is really good. (Meagan's sister thought it was boring, though, so it's not for everyone). This song won the Oscar for best original song, but one other song in the movie became my favorite (and is my number one song by a lot!)

3. The Music of the Night sung by David Cook
Meag and I were not expecting this on the Andrew Lloyd Webber night from our favorite rocker.
2. Over the Rainbow sung by Jason Castro
I was so excited that he sang this when he performed at the American Idol concert that Meag and I went to last month. I'm glad I have the studio version on my iPod, though. (cuz it's longer!)

1. If You Want Me by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova - "Once" Soundtrack
In this part of the movie, the girl (they are actually just named girl and guy in the cast list...no names) is listening to a demo that the guy recorded and is trying to write lyrics for the song. She runs to the store to get batteries for her walkman and sings while she is walking. I listen to it over and over if it comes up on shuffle.

2008-09-09T15:10:00.008-05:00

Tuesday

For someone who does not have school anymore, I am not seeming to find all this spare time that I am supposed to have. :-)

Tonight I am starting my first night at BSF (Bible Study Fellowship). My mom has been in BSF for several years now and is starting her second year as a BSF Discussion group leader. All the years she has been doing this, she has loved it. She loves the people that she meets and really gets a lot out of the Bible Study. They have young adult groups, so I went online and found a group that meets on Tuesday nights in Fort Worth. I'm really looking forward to it, but I'm also a bit nervous. I'm sure I'll make some great friends, though.

Speaking of friends, here are some pictures from my roommate's sister's bachelorette party.

Erin and Mike's wedding was a blessing to be at. It was more of a worship experience than a ceremony. I'm excited to see where God will lead them in their marriage.

2008-08-26T10:32:00.012-05:00

American Idol Concert 2008

I know it's been next to forever since I've written on this thing! Summers are extra busy for Baptist ministers! Now that school has started back up for my kids, and we are back to our regular schedule, I hope to have more time to write.

This is the first time in 23 years that I haven't been thinking about school starting for ME, and it's been a strange, but wonderful feeling!!!

Meg and I went to the American idol concert last night...here are some highlights!

The Slide Show (yes there are a lot of pictures of David Cook...sorry...)

My camera also takes video, so I got a few VERY SHORT clips...

Michael Johns (sooo good!)

Jason Castro (who was my favorite on the show) did Over the Rainbow, one of his best...

David Archuleta did a Josh Groban song

And of course David Cook was awesome!

It was a fun night with my roommate! I'm glad I have a friend who likes to do stuff like this with me!!!

2008-07-06T23:27:00.004-05:00

New Family Member

This is D'Lanie. She is our newest roommate. Meg decided she wanted a puppy, so she got her this weekend. D'Lanie is a Cocker Spaniel and 8 weeks old. She's trying to talk me into getting a friend for D'Lanie. She's very cute and very fun!

2008-07-02T17:54:00.002-05:00

New Hair Color

I know I've been promising a longer blog than this, but my life has not slowed down very much. A minister's life is even busier in the summer!

Monday night Meg helped me color my hair...I did something a bit drastic! I'm still getting used to it, but I think I like it!

This last one is a top view (duh!)

2008-06-17T12:23:00.003-05:00

Praise and Prayer Request

Hey everyone...Well, our VBS is off to a great start! We had 68 kids last night and 34 of them were visitors, so that's exciting news for us!

I have a major prayer request for all of you. One of our babies, a 2 month-old, had open heart surgery on Sunday. I went to see him and his family in the PICU, and he is doing okay, but still has a long way to go. Their goal today is to get him off of the ventilator. They need him to be a little more awake before they'll try that, though, so it may be tomorrow before that happens. Please just be praying for baby Ryan.

2008-06-09T10:00:00.003-05:00

Life After Graduation and So You Think You Can Dance

It's been about 3 weeks since I graduated from DBU, and I've still been super busy. I worked for a week and then took a vacation for a week. Now I'm working hard to get everything ready for VBS. I promise I'll write something more after I get past VBS. (which I am super excited about! Next week is one of my busiest weeks of the year!)

Now that American Idol is over (Yay for David Cook!), Meg and I are watching So You Think You Can Dance. It's in its 4th season and I watched Season 2 from beginning to end and loved it! The top 4 were my favorite 4 dancers and my favorite dancer (Benji) won. I'm not sure how I missed last season, except that it was my first summer here, so I was trying to learn how to do summer activities. Anyway...here are some of my favorite moments from Season Two:

Benji & Heidi's Mambo:

Travis & Heidi's Contemporary dance:

Benji & Travis' Hip-hop routine:

Benji & Donyelle's (my favorite couple) Hip-hop routine:

Benji & Donyelle's Broadway routine:

Top 4 Group Routine:

2008-05-18T22:53:00.003-05:00

I did it!

Here are some pictures my dad and cousin Josh took at my graduation and reception. It was an amazing day!

2008-05-14T11:59:00.001-05:00

First Ticket in HEB

On my way to meet my parents and grandparents for a very early dinner, I got my first speeding ticket in 10 years...going 30 in a school zone. :-P

2008-05-12T14:57:00.001-05:00

I'm Graduating!!!
I've seen my grades for the semester (a B, B+ and an A) and I'm officially graduating from grad school! (I wasn't worried or anything; I just now know that it's officially happening!!)

YAY!!!!!!!

And my family is here, so that is also lots of fun!!!

2008-05-03T17:17:00.003-05:00

Pictures from Meagan's Birthday Party

2008-05-01T11:39:00.002-05:00

What is up with Paula??

To set this up, all the contestants sang one song with no judges comments afterward. Then they all came up on the stage for a few quick comments from the judges...

2008-04-29T10:32:00.003-05:00

Life is CRAZY...

I have not written in this thing in awhile...life has just been so CRAZY busy!! I graduate soon and my life has been pretty much just school and work and making sure I see my friends. But I have some new things to share...

I was reading my friend Kara's blog last week and saw that she had started using the Wal-mart reusable shopping bags now. I needed to pick up some things at the grocery store, so while I was there, I bought 5 of these bags to use...and I LOVE them!! They are really big and sturdy, so I could fill them up and not have to worry about the bag breaking and spilling my groceries all over the parking lot at my apartment. And I'm kind of OCD about how the groceries go into the bags, so I'm really careful with how I put them out on the checkout counter. Now I can just keep things separated in the bags while I'm shopping. Yes, I'm really this excited about grocery shopping bags...

Meg & I are still watching AI faithfully each week. We were heartbroken to lose Michael Johns a couple of weeks ago, and now Carly Smithson last week. Our favorites (Jason Castro and David Cook) are still in the competition, though. Last week was Andrew Lloyd Webber and Jason didn't do as well (mainly cuz it wasn't his style at all), but thankfully he has a good fan base (I personally spent about 45 minutes hitting redial on our phone to vote for him). Here is my current ranking of the finalists...

1. (tie) Jason Castro...like I said, not his best...but I still love him...

1. (tie) David Cook...I've always liked him, but after his performance of the Music of the Night last week, I was blown away! Who know a rocker could sing like this?!

3. Brooke White...She also had a rough night...having to start over is tough...

4. David Archuletta...He's very talented, especially for his age, but I just have other favorites

5. Syesha Mercado...She also did a really great job last week and didn't deserve to be in the bottom two with Carly, but I just have my favorites...

And here is Carly's performance from this past week...she should not have been eliminated...honestly Brooke and Jason did worse, but I didn't want either of them to go home yet either!!!!

Let's see...what else is going on with me....Oh! I told Jay to turn some music down after life group last week and he told me that I needed to get some rock music education. I asked him to burn me some music to "educate" myself. I was expecting a CD or two of songs...he gave me 5 mix CDs, along with all of his Led Zepplin. So this week, I've had my iPod on shuffle, and along with the Nickel Creek, Alison Krauss, Todd Agnew, AI singles and various musical soundtracks, I also hear Led Zepplin, Stone Temple Pilots, Cream, Alice in Chains, Foo Fighters, Queen, the Rolling Stones and others. And I've actually enjoyed most of what he suggested for me, so it's been fun! Any other suggestions anyone?

2008-04-02T15:14:00.004-05:00

American Idol

I think I've only really watched season 2 of this show, and some of the season that Chris Daughtry was on it. This year, because I'm living with an AI FANATIC, I've been watching the show faithfully, and really getting into it! They actually have some really talented people on the show. Last night they did songs of Dolly Parton and Dolly coached them as they prepared. Tonight they will eliminate one person and be down to eight finalists...Meg and I have 5 that we just LOVE, one that we like, and 3 that we want to see go home...

My rankings of the 9 finalists are...
1. Jason Castro:

2. (tie)
Michael Johns:

David Cook:

4. Brooke White:

5. Carly Smithson:

6. David Archuleta:

7. Syesha Mercado:

8. Ramiele Malubay:

9. Kristy Lee Cook:

2008-03-17T12:24:00.000-05:00

My name is Nissa...and I'm a Lost addict

2008-03-05T12:00:00.002-06:00

One of those survey things
Amy had this on her blog, and I thought I'd do it...

10 years ago:
I was in my senior year of high school. I honestly don't remember much about what I was specifically doing in March of 1998...it was a month before my 18th birthday...I know I had a major case of senioritis and was so ready to go off to UMHB and do my own thing. I was working as a nanny for two girls that I absolutely loved!

Things on my to-do list today:
- Set up for G.A.'s, Sunday School and J.A.M.
- Work on the Kids' Worship Guide.
- Check with Meagan about when to do our girls' night next week
- Read next chapter of Systematic Theology book for class tomorrow night

What would I do if I were suddenly made a billionaire:
I agree with Amy. I can't wrap my head around this much money. I know I would pay off my parents' debts, my debts, maybe even my brother and his family's debts. Definitely tithe and then give a separate offering designated to the children's ministry so I could redo the children's area like I want it. Buy a new car and new house for Meg and me. Give HER money for college (I know how much that stuff costs), so that she doesn't have to stress out so much about work. I would give a bunch to children's charities. I think that I would quit my job and try my hand at writing like I've always wanted to! Or at least try to find some training to help me in that area.

Three of my bad habits:
1. Kicking my shoes off when I walk in the door and then not taking them upstairs.
2. Hitting the snooze button more than once.
3. Fidgeting with my rings (when I wear them)

Five jobs I have had:
1. Nanny
2. Youth Intern at FBC Temple
3. Music/Children's Intern @ FBC Temple
4. Children's minister at FBC Temple
5. Children's minister at North Pointe Baptist Church

Five things people don't know about me:
1. I worked at Foley's for a month the summer after my freshman year at college.
2. I watch Supernatural. (Jensen Ackles is so good looking!)
3. I currently have a 3.78 GPA in my graduate program.
4. My shortest "relationship" in junior high lasted 45 minutes. (and I'm using that word loosely).
5. I secretly sometimes wish I could be on American Idol.

2008-02-25T09:58:00.004-06:00

Possibly the cutest thing I've seen in a long time...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBM854BTGL0

2008-02-25T00:57:00.010-06:00

And the Oscar goes to...

My roomie threw a really fun Oscar party tonight...we got to get all dressed up and had a great time! (And can I just add...I love my dress!)

Did I mention that I love my dress?

2008-02-21T15:16:00.002-06:00

Wow...

I must finally be ready to be in a relationship again...I gave my Grandaddy permission to give my phone number and e-mail address to the grandson of a friend of his.

Weird...

2008-01-30T15:06:00.000-06:00

What every Christian single adult would like you to know...

There are very few times in my life that I think to myself, "I wish I was married." I am usually quite content to be single and even not to have a boyfriend. Then the very well meaning Christians in my life try to "help" me out.

The picture above is from our college and career class Christmas party. We had a really fun Murder Mystery party where we had to dress up in clothes from the late 1920s. The picture is of three of my closest friends and me. From Left to Right it is me (duh), Jay, Meagan & Kyle. The four of us hang out quite a bit and because of that people in the church have started to form some...well...theories.

Apparently Kyle and I are perfect for each other. We "look cute together." And apparently singing together makes us a couple. The first I time I got wind of this was right before a Sunday afternoon leadership meeting back in November. Kyle (who is the music intern) came over to sit by me and told me that two different people had asked his mom that morning if we were dating. I think my response was...to burst out laughing. And apparently since then, more and more people have asked her about it.

Over the past couple of weeks, it has apparently become a popular conversation topic in our church. Meagan took her middle school girls life group out to lunch Sunday afternoon and the girls talked about how perfect Kyle and I are for each other. One of them even said, "Yeah, my whole family thinks so." (Which means that this was her sister, her parents AND her aunt, uncle and cousins who go to our church). When Meagan tried to tell them otherwise, they just said, "Just wait...they may think that now, but it'll happen eventually." I know most of the girls, so I sent one of them a message over myspace, and we ended up sending messages back and forth about it. Then this girl's mom and older sister were in my office chatting today, and I brought it up, and the mom said, "I've even heard that one." Apparently one Sunday when I sat by Kyle in church (to be fair, I was sitting by Kyle AND Jay), some of the youth girls were passing notes saying, "Look how cute Miss Nissa and Kyle are!" (So glad to hear they were paying attention to the IMPORTANT part of the service). :-) I just laughed when they told me this. And then...the mom and daughter started looking at each other and the mom said, "So...we won't tell, but is it even a possibility?" To which I just had to laugh and say, "No!"

Now it may sound mean for me to be so quick to shout NO everytime someone pairs Kyle and me up, but it really isn't! Kyle is one of my closest friends, and I love him to pieces, but anyone who's spent any extended amount of time around the two of us knows...I would KILL him! He has the exact same response to the question...NO!

The latest theory that someone has given to Kyle's mom is that Kyle and I will date, but the best chance at a long-term relationship will be Jay and me...So apparently I'm going to date Kyle, kill him, and then move on to his best friend (I think someone has too much time on her hands).

So...married Christians and Christian teenage girls everywhere...what every single adult at your church wants you to know is that it really is possible for us to be friends with the opposite sex without there being something romantically involved...I promise!

:-) I mostly think all of this is hilarious, though. Kyle and I are sure having fun with it!

2008-01-29T11:26:00.000-06:00

What Happens when you have Jay and Kyle as friends?

You build Missa (no I didn't misspell my name...that's the combo of Meagan + Nissa) Lego Land on your fireplace, of course!

2008-01-13T22:52:00.000-06:00

The Difference Parenting Can Make...

Because I work with grade school and middle school girls, I can tell you that Hannah Montana is quite popular with this age group! Her concerts are selling out rapidly and the tickets are going for unbelievable amounts of money. Parents will do almost anything to get ahold of tickets...as told in this story...

http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/Music/12/29/fake.essay.ap/

The company decided to take away the girl's tickets. While I'm sure that was hard for the little girl (she was following her mom's bad example), she learned a valuable lesson. I'm glad that they made that decision.

Contrast that story with this one:

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/showbiz/2008/01/10/anderson.sbt.montana.miracle.cnn

What amazed me the most about this story was that the two girls didn't know each other before the 5 year-old gave away her tickets. From hearing the mom speak as well, it's not a surprise where this sweet girl learned about compassion. And I LOVE hearing the little girl say that she wants to give everyone Hannah Montana tickets...very cute.

But overall, just a vivid contrast of the difference parenting makes in the lives of our kids.

2008-01-07T11:17:00.000-06:00

Outdoor Warning Sirens Send False Alarm
At approximately 2:18 a.m. on the morning of Jan. 7 City of Hurst outdoor warning sirens malfunctioned for three full minutes. Reasons for the malfunction are undetermined as of this time. There is no emergency and no cause for concern.

You are probably thinking..."Nissa, you live in Euless, why do you care about the sirens in Hurst malfunctioning?" Well, Meg and I live on the very edge of Euless. Seriously...You turn Left out of our parking lot and you are in Hurst. This means that at 2:18 this morning, both Meagan and I (along with all our neighbors) flew out of bed and tried to figure out what the heck was going on! It took me another hour to fall back asleep...so I'm a little grouchy today...

2007-12-26T00:10:00.000-06:00

My Favorite Christmas Music (pt. 5)
Okay, so technically, it's now the day after Christmas (as of 10 minutes ago), but I just didn't have a chance to sit down and do this list. I was enjoying spending time with my parents on Christmas Day. :-)

My Favorite Christian Christmas Music

Rose of Bethlehem (by Selah) - I heard this song for the first time last year, and sang it at both my current church and my home church this past week. It is a beautiful picture of the price that Christ paid for us. I wish I could find a video to post with this song...I just love it!

In the First Light (by Glad) - I grew up hearing this song...It's a reminder to me of just exactly how miraculous the birth of Christ was...not only His birth, but what He came to do.

All Is Well (Point of Grace version) -

Bethlehem Morning (by Sandi Patty) - I grew up hearing this song every year as well. I loved singing along with it, because it was so exciting to be reminded that the birth of Christ gives us so much hope. God kept His promise to send a Savior through the birth of Jesus.

O Holy Night - I love this song and love several different versions of it. I think I can safely say that his is my favorite Christmas song, so I thought I'd find a few versions.

Celtic Women:

Shane and Shane:

Renee Fleming:

Josh Groban:

Billy Gilman:

And probably my two favorite versions...

Kelly Clarkson:

Point of Grace:

2007-12-24T14:38:00.000-06:00

My Favorite Christmas Music (pt. 4)

My favorite Christmas Albums - I decided to save my favorite Christian Christmas songs for later tonight or tomorrow. Here are the Christmas Albums that I can't wait to listen to every Christmas.

My Holiday (By Mindy Smith)

Bethlehem, House of Bread (Annie Moses Band)

Brand New Year (SHeDaisy)

A Christmas Story (Point of Grace)

Winter Wonderland (Point of Grace)

Christmas with the Cambridge Singers

Christmas (Mannheim Steamroller)

A Time for Romance (Lee Ann Womack)

Peace (Jim Brickman)

White Christmas (Martina McBride)

Rose of Bethlehem (Selah)

2007-12-23T22:40:00.000-06:00

My Favorite Chrtistmas Songs (pt.3)

My favorite Christmas Songs that aren't really Christmas Songs
These are all songs that can be found on Christmas CD's, but if you listen to the lyrics, they are not talking about Christmas.

What are you Doing New Year's Eve?(Diana Krall Version) -
Okay...so this song is about the Holiday right after Christmas. I like it because it's fun so sing along with. And maybe I'm hoping I'll hear it from some mystery guy (who I obviously don't know yet) and actually have a New Year's Eve date this year.

Count Your Blessings(Bing Crosby & Rosemary Clooney) - This one gets included on Christmas CDs because it was in in White Christmas. Like I said before...I love Bing!

River (by Joni Mitchell) - Okay, granted this one mentions Christmas at the very first and at the very end, and you can hear Jingle Bells in the accompaniment and the beginning and the end. Other than that, it's not really about Christmas. I found this video on iTunes with figure skating (which seemed appropriate).

Baby It's Cold Outside - I think this song is so fun and flirty!! It talks about the snow, but isn't about Christmas specifically. (You could listen to this in January). I couldn't decide which version to put up, so I'm putting up two.

Let It Snow! - I was listening to the radio on my way to Amarillo today and learned that (according to the DJ who was on whatever station I was listening to) this is the most requested Christmas song of all time...and it's not even about Christmas! Strange, huh?

I thought the Gilmore Girls would be appropriate for this...since Lorelai loves snow as much as I do!

2007-12-23T22:28:00.001-06:00

Murder Mystery Party

Here are some pictures from our Murder Mystery Christmas party (College and Career) at church. It was a blast!!

2007-12-20T09:57:00.000-06:00

My Favorite Christmas Music (pt. 2)

My favorite sentimental Christmas songs
These are the songs that under normal circumstances, I would find way to sappy and annoying and cheesy. And while they are all of these things, I love belting them out in my car!

Where are you Christmas? (by Faith Hill) - Why school choirs think they need to sing this, I'll never know (this is a solo song and hearing 15-30 kids scoop around the pitches is not a pretty sound). I found this clip on Youtube with both the version from the Grinch movie and the version Faith Hill sang in the closing credits. I love hearing this one on the radio. I turn it up and sing it loud!

Sending You a Little Christmas (by Jim Brickman, feat. Kristy Starling) -This song is one I sing out loud and proud to as well...until I tear up! My friend Lisa sent this to her husband while he was in Iraq. Beautiful song! I like this video version of it the best, but it wasn't available to embed, so go here to watch it.

All I Want for Christmas is You (by Mariah Carey) - very cheesy, but I liked this song before I was old enough to really have a reason to sing it! :-) Instead of posting the Mariah Carey version, though, I thought I'd post the Love Actually version.

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (as sung by Judy Garland) - This version is from Meet Me in St. Louis. (Great movie!). In this since, the little sister is sad because their family is moving right after Christmas (Father is the only one who actually wants to move), Judy Garland's character is singing to help comfort her.

I'll Be Home For Christmas (sung by Mindy Smith) - This is a song I like no matter who sings it, but Mindy Smith is one of my favorite singers, so finding her version of this from the Grand Old Opry on YouTube to post was too good to pass up.

The Christmas Song (sung by Martina McBride) - This is another song I like pretty much no matter who sings it. I love Martina McBride's voice and her Christmas CD is very simple and traditional and one of my favorites.

Blue Christmas (by Elvis) - Harry Connick, Jr. also does a version of this that I love, but you can't beat Elvis!

And saving the best for last!!

White Christmas (sung by Bing Crosby) - I love, love, love Bing Crosby's low, croony voice, and this scene from the beginning of the movie White Christmas always makes me happy.

2007-12-18T11:12:00.000-06:00

I LOVE CHRISTMAS MUSIC

Which I think is funny, because a lot of Christmas music is so ridiculously cheesy, and that's the exact reason that I don't usually care for patriotic music. I took this quiz that Amy Bunch had on her blog and got a 96% (only missed one). See how you do and post your score in the comments section.

So like I said, I love Christmas music, and not just the stuff about Christ's birth...I love it all! I was going to do a top "something" list of my favorite Christmas songs, but decided that would be too hard because I like different songs for different reasons. In fact, there are certain artist's versions of songs that I like a lot, and the actual Christmas song is not one of my favorites usually. Anyway, I am going to post four different lists over the coming week--My favorite secular fun Christmas songs, my favorite ridiculously sappy, sentimental Christmas songs, my favorite Christmas songs that aren't really Christmas songs, and finally, my Christmas songs that celebrate the birth of Christ.

So...to start off with (in no particular order)...

My favorite Secular Fun Christmas songs

Jingle Bells (SHeDaisy version) - SHeDaisy is supposed to be a country group, but they sound more like a secular Point of Grace (with one less person). Their Christmas CD is one of my favorites. I couldn't find their Jingle Bells on YouTube, but I did find their version of Deck the Halls which is so unbelievably corny, but fun!

Carol of the Bells (Mannheim Steamroller) - I have always love this Christmas song and it sounds amazing in this version.

Twas Da Nite (Take 6) - Okay...I admit that this one is one I grew up hearing and love simply for that reason! Unfortunately I couldn't find a video for this one, so you'll have to look it up on Amazon.

Santa Claus is Coming to Town (Point of Grace version) - Here is an example of a Christmas song that usually is not on my favorites list (I like it okay, just not a favorite), but I LOVE the Point of Grace version of it...couldn't find it on YouTube either...

Santa Baby - I probably should find this song too stupid to like, but it always makes me smile. It took me forever to find a video to put with this one, because it seems to be a rule when you sing this song that you have to wear a short santa dress with a santa hat and shake a lot.

And this article made me laugh: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071220/ap_on_fe_st/odd_mary_christmas;_ylt=Agy5mSwALgn8OhLvw5Dx4jcuQE4F

2007-11-20T11:07:00.000-06:00

I think Marianne did this for Luke last year, but I couldn't resist "elfing" myself with my niece and nephews.

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=9557775427

I also "scrooged" Kelsey, my little brother...this one really made me laugh!

http://www.scroogeyourself.com/?id=9557860187

2007-10-25T14:33:00.000-05:00

My Top Ten Favorite TV Shows

One of the podcasts that I listen to regularly is the Ramblecast with Jay and Jack (They also do an excellent podcast on Lost). A recent Ramblecast episode had Jorge Garcia (Who plays Hurley on Lost) on the show, and they each listed their top 10 favorite T.V. shows of all time. I started thinking about my favs and here's what I came up with (I'll try to include a video clip of each).

#10 - Profiler - This show started when I was in high school and was about a FBI forensic Scientist named Dr. Samantha Waters. Sam's job is to try to get into the mind of a serial killer to try to figure out who he is. There was a case each week that they focused on, but what was more interesting was the story arc about Sam and a serial killer known has "Jack" (Jack of all trades). Jack never killed a victim the same way twice and became obsessed with Sam. The tension and suspense of this storyline kept me tuning in every week. Once Sam left the show (at the beginning of season 4), I lost interest.

#9 - Arrested Development - This was a show that I watched completely on DVD. It's directed and narrated by Ron Howard and is one of the most bizarre and funny shows that I've ever seen. It's about the Bluth family-the most dysfunctional family that you'll ever meet. It's also one of the shows that Fox didn't give much of a chance (even after it consistently won Emmy's).

#8 - Pushing Daisies - This is a new show on ABC that I am absolutely loving and will probably move up my list! It is about a man named Ned who as a small boy discovers that he can bring dead things back to life by touching them. But there's a few catches. If he ever touches them again, then they will die. Also, if he does NOT touch them again within 60 seconds, then someone else will die. He starts working with a private detective. After a suspicous death, they go to the morgue and Ned touches the person who was killed. He finds out who really killed them, or at least clues about it, and then they try to solve the crime (for the money, of course). When the show starts, the latest victim is a girl that Ned was in love with when he was little. He goes to find out how she died, but doesn't touch her again within 60 seconds, so the undertaker dies. Now if they ever touch again, "Chuck" (Charlotte) will die.

#7 - Alias - Another show I caught completely on DVD. Sydney Bristow. Tough girl spy out to take on the world. What else can I say? She had a different Alias every week (some of them hilarious). Some of the later episodes got pretty ridiculous, especially with the Rimbaldi stuff, but I enjoyed this show a lot even at the end.

#6 - Firefly - I love Joss Whedon. Out of the shows that he's done, Firefly is my favorite. (Another show Fox cancelled before it had a chance). Firefly was a Western set in space. The show is set five hundred years from today in a new planetary system after humanity abandons "Earth That Was". Under the leadership of Malcolm Reynolds, a renegade who fought against the new unified central government (the "Alliance"), the crew of the Firefly-class vessel Serenity struggles to survive any way they can. (from TV.com). Both the characters and the witty dialog on this show made it amazing! Serenity (the movie) helped to conclude the story some. I also loved the music to this show, especially the theme song.

#5 - Gilmore Girls - One of the few shows that I have ever followed from beginning to end. This show tells the story of Lorelai Gilmore, a woman who grows up in a very affluent home, but balks against the life that her parents are planning for her. At the age of 16, she gets pregnant and gives birth to a daughter (Rory). She moves out and raises her daughter on her own and pretty much cuts off contact with her parents (Her mother comments on the first episode that it was nice to have her girls over on a day when the banks were open). The show starts right before Rory turns 16. Lorelai and Rory are more friends than daughters, and are living in the very small town of Stars Hollow. Rory gets into a very good private school, and Lorelai is forced to go to her parents to borrow the money. They agree on the condition that Rory and Lorelai come over every Friday for Friday night dinner. This show was quickly known for it's very quick and witty dialog as well as the insane number of obscure pop culture references that were included. The last season was not as good (I almost gave up on it), because the creators of the show left, but over all, this was a show that I kept up with for seven years.

#4 - Battlestar Galactica - Frak! I have Kyle and Jay to thank for introducing me to this show. It's another Sci-Fi show. In the miniseries, the Cylons launch a massive attack against the humans and wipe out the Twelve Colonies, sending the 47,000 survivors on a desperate search for the fabled 13th colony--Earth. The story continues in the series with Captain Adama and his crew and the newly sworn in President Laura Roslin as they try to work together to find Earth.

#3 - The Office - I have my friends to thank for getting me interested in this show as well. It's absolutely hilarious!! It is done kind of in a documentary style. The Office is about the Scranton branch of the Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. Michael Scott, the regional Manager, thinks he is the coolest, funniest boss ever, but most of his staff just thinks that he is an idiot, with the exception of Dwight Schrute. The funniest parts of this show, though, are the pranks that Jim and Pam play on Dwight.

#2 - Lost - This is the show that actually brought me to most of my friends. Oceanic Flight 815 crashes on an island and the survivors must figure out what they can do to survive. This show is honestly one of the most confusing ever with all of the twists and turns and everything. But I love it! It definitely keeps you on your toes! (And gives you a massive headache trying to figure things out!)

#1 - Veronica Mars - I'm pulling this straight off of TV.com "In the wealthy, seaside community of Neptune, California, the rich and powerful make the rules. Unfortunately for them, there's Veronica Mars, a smart, fearless 17-year-old apprentice private investigator dedicated to solving the town's toughest mysteries. Veronica used to be one of the popular girls, but it all came crumbling down around her after her best friend, Lilly, was murdered, and her then-sheriff father, Keith, was removed from office for naming Lilly's rich father as the lead suspect. During the day, Veronica must negotiate high school like any average teenage girl. But at night, she helps with her father's struggling, new private investigator business--and what she finds may tear the town of Neptune apart at the seams." Kristen Bell plays Veronica Mars and she is the best female character on TV. Unfortunately this show was not given much of a chance. It was on UPN to start out with and then moved to the new CW where it only lasted a season...and was replaced by The search for the next Pussycat Doll. Come on TV execs! Why do you keep pulling smart TV and then replacing it with ridiculous reality shows!

2007-10-01T09:12:00.000-05:00

Hot, Bothered and Bewildered

Well, Meagan and I are all moved in to our new place...but the air conditioning is not working! I figured this out last night when I came home from church and went to turn on the air. It was already on and set to about 72, but our apartment was 95 degrees! It's pretty miserable in there...thankfully, our maintanence crew is really good about taking care of things quickly! I'm sure they'll have it fixed by the time I get home tonight.

I'm very excited to be living with Meagan! There are adjustments for both of us to make, but we are both pretty laid back, so I think we'll be just fine. She's adjusting to living away from her family for the first time and living with just one other person instead of seven. I'm adjusting to having someone else there all the time!

The place is pretty messy right now as we unpack boxes. We both had things on Saturday and Sunday, so we haven't been able to unpack as much as we would like to. I have an especially messy room right now..she's been able to unpack a little bit more. I have Fall Break this week, so maybe I'll be able to unpack more (although I do still have some school stuff to do!) We're going to go grocery shopping tonight after we get home from our Monday night stuff, but I'm hoping to get a little bit more stuff unpacked. I would like to be completely unpacked before I leave for Nashville on Sunday...that's the goal!!

2007-09-27T12:12:00.000-05:00

Wow...has it been a year already?!

Well, today officially marks my one year anniversary here at North Pointe (yesterday was the day of the week, today is the actual date). It also means that my nephew Canthen turns one today! Happy Birthday Canthen!

This past year has been a great year full of changes and surprises! When I started here a year ago, I was so excited because God had so carefully laid the path down for me to come here. I was absolutely certain that I was where God wanted me to be.

But along with that excitement was a lot of fear and a little bit of sadness. FBC Temple had been my church home for about 8 years...even the 2 years I was serving as music intern at another church, FBC Temple was home. I had served in the children's ministry for a little over 5 years at that point. My "family" was there. My mentors Doug and Terri Young who God so carefully placed there only a few months after my call to children's ministry were in Temple. They taught me so much and were my biggest supporters. Would I be able to step out from under all that guidance and support?

I loved the kids that I worked with! I had built such great relationships with so many of them and couldn't imagine not being around to see them continue to grow in the Lord (especially the ones that I had the privilege of praying with when they became Christians). As I looked through all their homemade cards and pictures, I cried and cried over how much I would miss them!

I had a great staff to work with, including a secretary who was so very talented and helpful! I had a childcare coordinator who was a joy to work with because of how hard she worked and how good she was with the children, and a CDC director who did all she could to work with us on difficult issues like sharing space. I loved my co-workers, especially the ministerial staff, that I was able to serve with.

I had a Bible Study group who supported and loved and prayed with me through a lot of difficult family stuff and relationship stuff. These ladies were my prayer warriors and I depended on them so much. I wasn't a minister to them...I was a person who needed love and support just like everyone else.

After having almost all my friends move away after college, and the ones who hadn't moved were married, God had finally brought me some single girl friends (Cindy and Andrea). The three of us are so different, yet we worked so well together as friends. They saw me through some difficult times. We even shared a love of music and sang trios together. I love singing with people, so this always was a blessing! I was even kind of seeing someone.

There were so many families--the Knoxs, Dinah Jones and her family--who really took care of me...how could I possibly leave all of that??

Yet, I knew that if I obeyed what God was leading me to do and stepped out in faith, then He would take care of my worries. I have also had to remember that the closeness and fellowship that I had with that staff and with those friends and family came over the course of 5-8 years of getting to know them and serve and worship with them.

This past year God has blessed me in so many unique ways.

I may not have my girlfriends that I can sing with...but now I sing with our pastor and worship pastor! That has been more fun than I can tell you! (I don't know that I've ever known a pastor who could sing). These two men have such hearts for God and for worship, so getting to worship alongside them is a joy!

Although I don't have my mentor walking me through every step of the way, I have a staff that is always willing to help and who value my opinion and my judgement. We plan worship together as a ministerial staff, so I'm able to give my input on helping the children to engage in worship. I've also starting writing a Kids' Worship guide (for 3 age groups) each week to help them connect to the pastor's message.

Being closer to DBU has certainly been a blessing! After years of wondering if I would ever finish, I can now see the light at the end of the tunnel, and know plan to graduate in May 2008!

Being in the DFW area has been a plus because of all the different shows and musicals and just everything that there is to do! I've mentioned all of the things that I've been able to do and am going to get to do, so I won't list those things out again, but I LOVE getting to do those things!

The biggest way that God has blessed me has happened over the past several months. I spent the first 5 months here loving my job, but not really having anyone to do anything with socially. I prayed that God would send me some friends...and He answered this prayer over and above my wildest dreams!

I've had some great friends over the years--from my childhood friends, to my church friends, college friends and then my single gals--and there's no way I would replace a single one of them! They have all been a blessing and what I needed at that stage of my life. But this group of friends has been unlike any other! I have never connected so quickly with a group of people before...and never have I felt more comfortable to be myself!

It started with Meagan, the girl I wasn't sure I'd have much in common with, because all I knew about her was that she worked with the youth, was a little younger than me, and had a nose ring. But Pastor John said that he thought that the two of us would get along, so I asked her if we could meet for lunch. It turns out that we have so much in common that it is scary sometimes!! We love the same books, the same obscure musicans, the same food, the same TV shows...and we're great big dorks! We even share the same negative sense of direction...we've gotten lost several times together!

Little did I know that being a dork was going to bring more friends my way...

"Wow! I just realized something. Nissa's a dork!" With those words, more friendships were born, and for the first time in several years, God has brought some truly amazing guy friends into my life.

There's Adam, who can turn anything into a reference to the show Lost (which we all get together and watch during the season). His home is where we all hang out a lot of the time (my place is the other place we gather) He hosts the best movie nights because he knows so much about movies and how they are made. We don't just see the movie, we get to analyze it and hear why certain things happened or the history behind it.

Then there's Jay...who shares my birthday and has become like a brother to me. He's probably my best guy friend here and has been there for me whenever I needed him. He also likes to pester me! (Like hiding a pillow from my couch where I couldn't reach it!) We have fun movie nights where we each pick out a movie the other one hasn't seen and get together and watch them both. Because of me, Jay has now seen Newsies, The Sting, and The Importance of Being Earnest. Because of Jay, I have now seen Say Anything, Rocky, and Tremors.

More recently Kyle has been added to the mix. Kyle is a fellow dork! He loves most of the dorky stuff the rest of us do (and brought Battlestar into my life), and shares my love for music (He got my other Nickel Creek ticket). Kyle and Jay can get me laughing like no one else! You add Adam to that mix and it's just a mess!!!

And Meagan...Meagan has become my best friend here. I've never had a friend who "got" me like this. We're so much alike, so we really can understand each other. It's definitely a two-way friendship. Spending time with her is always so much fun and always brings me a lot of joy! Some of that connection comes from a shared love of the ministries we've been called to. And because of that connection, we are moving into a town house together tomorrow!! I can hardly wait!! I have loved living alone over the past 2 years and wouldn't give that up for just anyone.

So a year ago, I wondered what in the world God was doing...now I am so thankful that His plans are always so much better than we could ever imagine!

2007-09-10T15:44:00.000-05:00

More Nickel Creek

2007-09-07T13:13:00.000-05:00

Update

Wow! It's been forever since I've made a real entry in this thing! Things have just been so busy lately.

I've started my next to last semester of Grad School. I can't believe I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. I'm so ready to be finished and have my degree. I should graduate in May.

I'm also getting ready to move again (but only to a new place). My friend Meagan and I are getting a town house together. I'll only have to move down the street, but I still have to pack everything up. I'm really looking forward to a new place, though...and it will be so fun to have a roommate again!! I'm also finally going to have my piano (that I inherited from my grandmother) moved down here. So fun!!

Work is also going well. I can't believe I've been here almost year now...In some ways it feels like just yesterday, and some ways it feels like I've been here forever.

One of the benefits of living in the DFW area is that I'm getting to see some shows and musicals that I wouldn't get to see otherwise. I went to Wicked last May, I saw Jenson Ackles & Lou Diamond Phillips in A Few Good Men, I got to go to the Star Wars Exhibit at the Fort Worth Science Museum (with a lot of the actual costumes and things from the movies), I'm going with Meagan to see the touring Broadway production of the Lion King...and my latest concert that is the most exciting to me is that I'm finally going to get to see one of my favorite groups...Nickel Creek! I just bought those tickets today...I have no idea who I'm going to get to go with me, but I get to go!! They are doing a concert at the House of Blues in Dallas. (They are on their last tour before they take a break to pursue solo careers!). I can't wait!!!

2007-09-06T17:09:00.000-05:00

Omazing Grace???

I promise I'll find time to update this weekend! Andrea sent me this...watch all the way through for the funniest part!

2007-08-29T17:05:00.000-05:00

Texas

I know I've been a bad blogger lately....I've seriously had lots of ideas for things to blog about, but I've been so busy, I just haven't had time. Here's something silly my grandaddy sent me to tide you over:
Forget Rednecks, here is what Jeff Foxworthy has to say about folks from Texas ...

If someone in a Lowe's store offers you assistance and they don't workthere, you may live in Texas
If you've worn shorts and a parka at the same time, you may live in Texas .
If you've had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialed awrong number, you may live in Texas .
If "Vacation" means going anywhere south of Dallas for the weekend, you may live in Texas.
If you measure distance in hours, you may live in Texas .
If you know several people who have hit a deer more than once, you may livein Texas .
If you install security lights on your house and garage, but leave both unlocked, you may live in Texas .
If you carry jumper cables in your car and your wife knows how to use them,you may live in Texas .
If the speed limit on the highway is 55 mph -- you're going 80 and everybodyʼs passing you, you may live in Texas .
If you find 60 degrees "a little chilly", you may live in Texas .
If you actually understand these jokes, and forward them to all your Texas friends & others, you definitely live in Texas .

2007-07-31T09:37:00.000-05:00

Back from Vacation

I took some days off of work and went to Amarillo to visit my family. It was really nice to be away for awhile...after camp and VBS, I needed the time off!! Here are some pictures from my trip...

And here's my favorite pic from this week:

Grammy is still Aubrey's favorite person, but she actually wanted to be around me quite a bit on this trip. Aunt Nini really liked Aubrey following her around and wanting Nini to hold her or wanting to sit by Nini at lunch.

2007-07-22T00:31:00.000-05:00

I just finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows about a half an hour ago...after reading straight for 3 hours...I'm exhausted, but it was so good! I loved it!!!

2007-07-16T10:48:00.000-05:00

Something fun on a Monday...

If you go here, you can see what song was #1 on the Billboard charts the day you were born. "Call Me" by Blondie was number #1 when I was born. What about you?

2007-07-03T10:10:00.000-05:00

Nothing to Laugh about today

So...Our church was broken into last night...and my laptop was stolen. (The one night I actually left it at work). I'm sitting at a secretary's desk doing my work...or trying to.

What is so upsetting is that I accidently left my Bible in my laptop case...I suppose I should think that maybe someone will read it and get saved or something...but all I can think about is that my personal Bible...the one I took notes in, recorded births (of my niece and nephews...of Miss Ivy Grace), the one I recorded my friends marriages in, the one that has a picture of me with Mrs. Roberts (who had me in the baby room) on her 100th birthday...is gone...

I just want to go somewhere and cry...

2007-07-02T15:10:00.000-05:00

Nice idea...

A couple of Sundays ago we voted to call a new youth minister. We wait a week in between the candidate coming in view of a call and the vote, so he wasn't at the actual vote. He and his family live in the area, though, so once it was announced, the youth went over to his house and stuck cloth flowers all over their yard as a surprise.

As they were doing this, one of the youth girls (who helps me a lot in the children's area) told Meagan, "We should go toilet paper Miss Nissa's house!" When Meagan told me this later, it made me laugh out loud.

I live in an apartment...There is a shrub next to my door...that's about it!

2007-06-27T10:04:00.000-05:00

I just almost had a heart attack!

Okay...so as some of you know, my friend Meagan and I are planning to move in together in the fall. We are both very excited about this move and are pretty much counting down the days until we can get on the list for the floor plan we want (we can put our names down no sooner than two months before).

I guess about a month ago, Meagan just randomly asked me what I thought about us getting a snake. I asked her what kind and how big. She held up her index fingers about a foot or so apart and said, "just a bull snake." I didn't say no, but said I would think about it. We've talked about it some since then, and I thought, "why not?

I decided to blog about this, and typed "bull snake" into google to get a picture...and this is what I found:

Along with a description that said it would get up to 5-7 feet long!!! Needless to say, I stopped breathing! I called Meg with a panicky message...

A few minutes later, I realized that Meagan had said King snake, not bull snake. I looked that up, and although it still can get up to 5 feet long...it just doesn't look as scary, although this quote from one of the sites made me shudder, "The most important point to emphasize is that kingsnakes and milk snakes, in fact all snakes, are amazing escape artists, and if there is even the slightest opportunity to escape, they will certainly find it."

Now...I think a king snake is a much prettier snake (there are lots of different kinds...this kind only gets about 20 inches long). I think I could handle having this snake in my place...

Although I'm betting this means that Luke will never visit me!! ;-)

Later Edit: Meagan called me back laughing at both of the messages I left her on the phone. She said that it was either a king snake or a corn snake that she wanted. She agreed that she didn't want anything that looked like it would kill her and eat her in her sleep! :-)

This is what a corn snake looks like...both are pretty...I could handle that... The other thing we agreed is that we have to give it a really girly name.

2007-06-14T14:23:00.001-05:00

Day Four
Good morning! Only one more night to go!!

Last night we had 89 children, 99 Learners total (with special friends), and a total of 194 in all.

2007-06-13T15:08:00.000-05:00

Day Three
Last night....
Children only: 80
Total with adults: 189

We also had 5 children who indicated that they are ready to trust Jesus as their Lord and Savior! What an exciting night! I went home with tears of joy in my eyes!

2007-06-12T16:25:00.000-05:00

Pictures from A Few Good Men

Dinner at Chili's before.

A picture after the show with our playbills

Fighting over Jensen...I think I'm trying not to laugh!

Kiss! Kiss!! I think I look more committed here!

2007-06-12T11:45:00.001-05:00

Day Two of VBS
I'm discovering that I like having VBS at night. I'm also still overwhelmed at how well organized this VBS has been. I just have an amazing group of adults helping me out.

Day One attendance (corrected): 68 kids, 74 learners (kids + special needs adults class), 169 total learners and leaders.

Day Two attendance: 83 kids, 95 learners total, 185 total learners and leaders.

It's going great!!! We have lots of visitors which is fabulous!

2007-06-11T14:45:00.000-05:00

Friday night
Okay...I finally have a few minutes to explain my last post! This past Friday night, my friend Meagan and I went to see A Few Good Men at Casa Manana in Ft. Worth. Because of their Texas roots, Lou Diamond Philips and Jenson Ackles played the starring roles (Philips played Col. Nathan R. Jessep and Jenson played Lt. Daniel Kaffee). It was very well done, and we had a great time!

What struck me right before the play started was that before Friday night, I had never really been in close proximity to a real celebrity...and we were about to see two of them. I honestly was quite starstruck (Meagan and both think that Jenson Ackles is quite good looking; he's not as well known as Lou Diamond Phillips, though. He's a regular on a TV show we both watch). We even waited around afterward hoping to have a chance to get autographs, but no such luck! :-) Jack Nicholson plays Col. Jessep in the movie and of course has the famous "You can't handle the truth!" line that everyone knows. I was worried as we approached that moment about how that would go. I was glad that Lou Diamond Philips didn't try to sound like Jack. He did it in his own way and was wonderful. Ackles did an excellent job in his role as well (the Tom Cruise role in the movie). He was quite charming and cocky at the same time. Not to mention that he looked nice in the different military uniforms he wore. ;-)

In other news, we had our first night of VBS last night. We had about 156 participants (84 children) which is a good number for this church. We had a lot of visitors, so I was pleased with that!! God has been at work already heading off potential glitches, and I can honestly say that this is the most efficient VBS I have ever been a part of! Lots of good ideas that I will take with me wherever I end up!

2007-06-09T09:33:00.000-05:00

So this is what I did last night...and I was a little star struck...more on that to come...

2007-06-01T12:17:00.000-05:00

Summer Reading
Well, I guess I've officially become an adult! It used to really puzzle me when I heard an adult say that they bought a book to read on vacation because they never have time to read at home. I love to read, so I pretty much read all year long. I also have no spouse or children to take care of when I come home from work. What I did have this semester was 9 hours of graduate work to complete during the week. I did practically no fun reading all semester.

I was clothes shopping the other day and discovered a Half-Price bookstore down the shopping center from the Cato's I was at. That may be a dangerous discovery for me! I just may have to make a rule that I can't buy a new book until I finish what I have in my library at home. And speaking of libraries, I really need to get library cards for the ones around here, so I don't spend all my money this summer on books.

Anyway, as I was looking at half-price books, I decided to buy several books that I've always wanted to read, but never have before. I reread a lot of really great books over and over again (LOTR trilogy, The Chronicles of Narnia, all my Jane Austen, Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, Little Women, The Anne of Green Gables series, etc.).

So I bought Gone With the Wind, The Count of Monte Cristo, Les Miserables & The Secret Garden (which i have read, but it's been forever). I also bought a little copy of Persuasion (one of my Jane Austen favorites) to keep in the car with my little copy of Pride & Prejudice (my very favorite Jane Austen). 5 books for only $15.

I also have some sets of Jane Austen novels that weren't completed and some Tolkien stuff to read (Simarillion, The History of Middle Earth, etc.). My friend Jay is reading though the LOTR trilogy for the first time right now, so it's been fun to discuss that with him (he's only seen the movies).

I've started Gone With the Wind and am loving it so far! I'll take a break from these books only when the new Harry Potter comes out. (I have to read through that immediately). I'm excited! If you have any suggestions of other books to add to my list (Luke, I'm sure you do), leave them in the comments area.

2007-05-23T11:23:00.000-05:00

New Friends
One of the things that God has blessed me with the most is good friends. Sometimes I have to wait awhile before He brings them into my life, but when He does, it has always been worth the wait.

One of the only things that made me hesitant to leave Temple was because of the two friends that I ran around with there. My best friend and her family moved about the same time as I did, so I was going to be living in a different town than them anyway. But leaving Cindy and Andrea was going to be hard. We had just become friends the year before, so I was wondering why God would move me somewhere after I'd finally made some new single girlfriends! (Most of my college friends had married and/or moved away).

When I first moved here, I didn't really meet anyone around my age. I just worked and went to school and came home. I was busy, so it wasn't like I was bored, but I was getting a bit lonely. I was also in danger of becoming "hermit girl." At the end of January, I finally went to my pastor and told him how I was feeling. He told me that he was starting a life group for young singles in February and suggested that I try to get to know our youth intern. We started hanging out and soon she suggested that I come with her to watch Lost at this guy's house. The Wednesday before, I stayed after Life Group with Meg and these other two guys and then all of a sudden, one of them called me a dork...and we've all been friends ever since!

I've been quite the social butterfly these days...I do something with just Meg or with Meg and the guys several times a week...I've never felt so comfortable so quickly with a group of people.

God is amazing.

2007-05-20T17:42:00.000-05:00

Josh's Graduation

This weekend I went to Austin to see my cousin Josh graduate from UT.

2007-05-13T22:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Mother's Day
Of course, I called my mom to tell her Happy Mother's day today!

But my biggest surprise was that I got the news that my friends Adam and Brooke Moore welcomed their baby girl early this morning. I can hardly wait to meet her!! Happy Mother's Day Brooke!!

2007-05-05T00:25:00.000-05:00

I went to see Wicked tonight with my cousin and a friend...It was amazing!!!!!! I had a great time! It's been such a long time since I've seen a show like this. Now that I'm living in the DFW area, I will have to do this more often!!

2007-04-23T12:47:00.001-05:00

I can't believe they gave someone $25,000 for this!

2007-04-16T10:28:00.000-05:00

TRY THIS
Take 60 seconds to do this, I guarantee you will show someone else, it's too funny not to.
1. Go to www.google.com
2. Click on "maps"
3. Click on "get directions"
4. Type " New York " in the first box (the "from" box) (Top of the Page)
5. Type " London " in the second box (the "to" box) (Top of the Page)
6. Click "Get Directions"
7. Scroll down to step #23

2007-04-15T20:32:00.000-05:00

Fearsome Four

I am so thankful to have good friends in my life to celebrate days like this with!

2007-04-13T01:32:00.000-05:00

Definitely related
My niece and nephews all did the same thing with a favorite baby toy.

My niece at 11 months

My nephew at 9 months old

My youngest nephew at 6 months old

2007-04-12T09:48:00.000-05:00

There's a squirrel in my copier!

Our facilities manager informed me that we needed to fix something on the copier in the children's resource room, because a squirrel got into the building, and tried to hide in there!!!

I think that's the craziest thing I've heard all week!

2007-04-10T15:11:00.000-05:00

Dreamed up phone number leads man to a bride

It would totally creep me out if a guy contacted me like this.

2007-04-09T09:46:00.000-05:00

Free Countdown Clocks at WishAFriend.com

2007-04-03T16:48:00.000-05:00

Thank you to all of my friends who have started having children for naming your children something that isn't an obvious cry for attention. Check this out.

2007-04-02T11:25:00.000-05:00

Charmer

I've mentioned before how my niece has everyone wrapped around her pinky. Yesterday mom called me from the car to tell me something (now I don't remember what), and she had my niece and oldest nephew with her. We hung up after talking less than a minute and then she called back just a couple of minutes later. Apparently Aubrey was begging to talk to Aunt Nini. :) This is a big deal to me only because I've never been able to get her to talk to me on the phone (mostly because she wasn't old enough really). She jabbered away and I only understood about half of what she was saying, but it made my day!

Mom told me later that she kept saying, "Nini at Grammy's house." She thought was going to see me when they got over to Grammy's house. So cute!!

2007-04-02T11:16:00.000-05:00

It's Raining, It's pouring...
Or at least it was this weekend. As a result, part of our church flooded..the part that happens to contain our offices. I got a call Saturday afternoon from our Facilities manager asking me if I would run up to the church and move some stuff around in my office so that it was mostly off of the floor. At first I thought he was playing an early April Fool's joke on us, but then wen I stepped into the church and the carpet floors were squishing (eew!), I realized he had told me the truth. Thankfully nothing important was ruined. So far, I only have a learner guide from one class in VBS ruined.

I also have these two machines (picture below) sitting in my office to help get all the water out of the carpet. The hallways smell musty and it is FREEZING in the offices because some of these contraptions have huge fans. What a mess!!

On the upside...I think this is the most clear my desk has been since I got here! (I had to move almost everything off of it, in case they needed to move it).

2007-03-25T21:58:00.000-05:00

VBS Preview 2007

We had our VBS Preview today. I spent 6 hours at the church yesterday with all of our VBS leadership decorating the fellowship hall for today. We served hot dogs and people came and signed up to work in VBS. It was a great idea! (not mine...they do this every year...I will definitely take this idea wherever I go).

2007-03-20T12:41:00.000-05:00

2007-03-19T12:52:00.000-05:00

The Ox in the well
Providence is a funny thing. I would have to agree with you, Marianne!

This weekend I went to Amarillo to go to my friend Amy's wedding (Which was beautiful, by the way). I was in the reception party, so I had a good time chatting with Jenn while cutting bride's cake and serving punch. I left at about 5:00 to head back to the HEB area.

I was just north of Memphis when a tire blew out! I pulled to the right shoulder, turned on my hazards, and got out to look at the damage. Then I got back into my car, called AAA, called my mom, called my pastor, and then waited for help to come. Long story short...I ended up in Amarillo for another day.

I was very sad to not get to teach my kids on Sunday (I was supposed to do a children's sermon), but it was nice to get to spend another day with my family. I went to church at TBC and then out to lunch with my parents and my brother and sister-in-law and niece and nephews.

Mom, Daddy, and I went to Sears that afternoon to get a new tire. While we waited, we wandered around the mall. My mom commented that she felt strange being in the mall on a Sunday. My parents are really good about observing the Sabbath. I apologized, and my mom said, "That's okay...It's the ox in the well." We then spent the next few minutes debating what the ox was...my car or ME!

All in all...it was a blessing!

2007-03-15T10:19:00.000-05:00

I just realized something...Nissa's a dork!
Those words were said to me about halfway into about a 90 minute conversation on Lost (and other things) that happened between four of us in Life Group. And they were meant as a compliment!!

Last night we had three new people show up for Life Group. We've added new people every couple of weeks, but we've also lost a few people from our original group. There are 7 of us, including the pastor who have become the regular members. Last night we ended up with 9 of us, I believe.

Anyway, after we had our discussion time (which I led, because our pastor had to leave early), we sat around and talked and ate the snacks that I brought (that's my job in Life Group...bring food & keep the drinks stocked). Gradually almost everyone left. The four of us who remained began discussing Lost, Heroes, Batman, Serenity/Firefly, various movies...it was one of the most entertaining conversations that I've had since moving to HEB. Like I said, about halfway into this conversation, one of the two guys that made up this group suddenly said, "After all this Lost talk, I just realized something...Nissa's a dork!"

Basically, I think that meant that I'm part of the group now! :-) I'm making friends, and I'm so very thankful for it!!!

(This also means that I get to be a part of a weekly get together to watch Lost and discuss every possible detail on it).

2007-03-13T08:36:00.000-05:00

Praise the LORD!!
One of my young mothers here at NPBC just gave birth yesterday to a beautiful baby girl. While the miracle of life is reason enough to praise God, this baby is a baby that our whole church family is jumping for joy to have added to our family! This young mother had FIVE miscarriages over the past few years. She portrays Mary, the mother of Jesus in our annual Christmas Pagaent and every year, while loving the part she was able to play, she would ache to have a baby of her own.

She and her husband had trouble getting pregnant in the first place, and they went through several very costly procedures to get pregnant, only to lose each baby only a few weeks into the pregnancy. Finally, after a lot of tears and a lot of prayer and a lot of "whys" to God, they felt led to stop trying the procedure and see what else God might have in store for them. They surrendered their desires over to God and chose to trust Him. They were just beginning to look into adoption, when to their surprise, this young mother discovered she was pregnant!!! Not only that, but everything has gone very smoothly for this pregnancy!!

I just spoke with our Minister of Music who was there yesterday in the waiting room. He said that he had never seen so many people from our church in a waiting room before! :-) She had brought every verse that God had given her during this pregnancy and during their struggle (She had them written on index cards). The whole time during her labor (she couldn't have an epidural b/c of some medication she was on), she had someone with her reading those scriptures and praying with her. What an awesome testimony for this baby girl to have...she was literally brought into this world bathed in the Word of God!

And this young mother would be the first one to say that it was not her ability to believe that got her through...because there were times througout this struggle that she just didn't understand...but it was her God giving her the strength that she needed.

*Update on Canthen: Thanks for your prayers! Canthen went home on Friday and is doing much better!

2007-03-11T12:21:00.000-05:00

Why do I love my pastor?
Not only does he preach the Word, but today when he was talking about us being aliens in this world, he broke into an E.T. voice and pointed and said, "E.T. Phone home."

That woke everyone up on this time change Sunday!! :-)

2007-03-08T13:15:00.000-06:00

Prayer for Canthen

Please pray for my nephew Canthen (5 months old). He is sick with RSV right now. He was having trouble breathing yesterday, so they put him in the hospital where he is staying until sometime tomorrow.

2007-03-07T16:13:00.000-06:00

March of Dimes
Hey everyone! My friend Jenn sent me this link to donate for the March of Dimes WalkAmerica. It's a very worthy cause, so if you can, please make a donation. They raise money to help save premature and sick babies. Premature birth is the #1 cause of newborn death and the biggest threat to babies’ health today, and through WalkAmerica, the March of Dimes is funding important research to find out why premature birth happens and what can be done to prevent it.

Any donation, large or small would be a great help!!

www.walkamerica.org/jenncate

2007-02-28T16:51:00.000-06:00

Podcasts
I finally got around to buying an iPod (I've been saving up for awhile), and I am loving it!! I have been importing all my CDs to my iTunes and have put some of my favorites on my iPod to listen to at work (I'm someone who has to have background noise to work).

My favorite part of my iPod, though, is being able to listen to podcasts. I just love it! I listen to them when I'm doing work that is a bit monotonous and doesn't require me to concentrate as much (stuffing envelopes, working on VBS schedule, etc.). Right now I'm listening to Dave Ramsey. I can listen to podcasts on my favorite TV shows (Heroes, Lost, Veronica Mars, Gilmore Girls, etc.). I get a podcast that is a quick ettiquette lesson--only about 3-4 minutes long--that are wonderful (I'm a big Miss Manners' fan, so I like this type of stuff). I listen to theologians and authors that I like (my favorite podcast right now is Ravi Zacharias).

Any other suggestions of podcasts that I should check out? What about cheaper places to download music that iTunes?

PRE-SCHOOL POLITICAL AD

2007-02-22T18:20:00.001-06:00

I hate political ads, but this made me laugh!

2007-02-22T10:40:00.000-06:00

Miss N-Dog, Part Two

I was wondering if anyone I know actually reads my blog, (cause I never have any comments), and then I went over to my friend Matt Smith's blog, and noticed how my name had been added to his "other blogs I read" list.

:-) Guess that answers my question!

2007-02-20T16:23:00.000-06:00

2007-02-20T15:09:00.001-06:00

Miss N-Dog
That is a nickname I've acquired since coming to Hurst. I've gotten to know the pastor's family pretty well, and I spent New Year's Eve hanging out with their three daughters (one is in 4th Grade, one is in 7th and one is in 9th). They also had a friend over (the same age as the oldest, I think), and we were sitting around playing a game and talking when one of the girls asked me, "Do we call you Miss Nissa or Nissa?" I told them either was fine with me, just as long as they didn't call me Miss Walker. Then their friend said, "How about N-Dog?" So we started joking around about it...and they started calling me "Miss N-Dog" that night.

A few weeks ago, I was talking to the pastor, his wife and the girls in the hall as we were leaving (on a Wednesday night). His wife was telling a story and they both ended up doing something silly that was really embarrasing the three girls. It was actually pretty funny, but you know preteen and teenage girls--they were embarrassed. Their middle daughter said, "I'm going home with N-Dog"

Every Sunday, their friend passes me during the welcome and says, "Hey Miss N-Dog!" and gives me a hug.

And those 4 girls have called me nothing else since!

And I love it!

2007-02-15T13:21:00.001-06:00

Unfortunate Valentines
These made me laugh outloud!!!

And it's official...
4 months and 19 days...that's how long it took before someone here decided that she needed to find me a boyfriend. I thought I was in the clear...guess I was wrong!

2007-02-14T13:19:00.000-06:00

No Valentine's Day Scrooges Here!
Today started out differently than my usual Wednesday. Last night I tried to take my Online Church History and Heritage Test and it froze on me. Because Internet Explorer shut down, I couldn't get back into my test...I had a minor panic attack (I even called my mom!), but I did everything that I could to get in touch with my professor last night. So...this morning I called him before I left for work and finally caught him. He was very understanding and set it up so I could take the test online this morning before I went in to work. Whew!!

As a single young adult, Valentine's Day used to be a sore subject to me, but with my growing contentment and my true joy at have my own place and loving the single lifestyle, I decided that I would not be the Valentine's Day Scrooge this year. I wore a new red blouse (with little silver sparkles) in honor of the day. I've been listening to love songs on my Yahoo! Music Jukebox, and have a love song CD playing in my car.

I've noticed that the assistants & support staff here are very festive with holidays. I've had two valentine cards and candy and even a cookie (one of those wonderful sugar cookies with frosting and sprinkles). Part of the not being a Scrooge was not eating all of that to make me feel better. I ate two pieces of candy and put the rest in my candy dish. Now the cookie is calling my name. (I won't eat again until Life Group, so I think it'll be okay to eat it now!)

I've also enjoyed hearing stories of what the married people around me are doing for their spouses. So far our minister of music has been my favorite. He made his wife a homemade card with the word SWEETHEART on it. He took each letter and listed something he loved about her. Way to go Paul! Hallmark doesn't have anything on you!

I know I posted this on my old blog last year on Valentine's Day, but it's still my favorite love poem! (Shakespeare's Sonnet 116)

Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove:
O no! it is an ever-fixed mark
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wandering bark,
Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.
Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle's compass come:
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error and upon me proved,
I never writ, nor no man ever loved.

So...Happy Valentine's Day everyone!
Married friends (or friends with a significant other)...what did you do to celebrate today?

2007-02-08T10:02:00.000-06:00

Only 12 hours ago...
I was in this very office getting my stuff so I could finally leave! Actually, it was a little later than 10:00 when I left. But I was so glad to be still at church, because I was getting to finally be a part of a Life Group.

Our church started doing Life Groups about 2 1/2 years ago to help build relationships in our church family. It is a place for a person to come and meet with other believers and learn about God, have accountability, and have true fellowship that is based on more than mere pleasantries...more than just the "how are you's?" stuff. It was wonderful!!!! There are 7 of us young singles, plus our pastor who is leading us for now...I'm really looking forward to how we will grow through this group!!

And on a funny note...I had a great kid moment last night.
We have G.A.'s & R.A.'s on Wednesday nights, and I've been helping with G.A.'s. I have the K-2nd graders in my group. We were working on an activity, and the girls kept saying how funny I was. "You're funny, Miss Nissa." I wasn't trying to be funny, but apparently I was being funny.

Well, a very active 2nd grader said, "You should have married my dad." She didn't look at me or anything. She was just working on her activity. I did a double-take, because her dad is married to her mom, so it's not like she was trying to be a little matchmaker. So I said, "(Girl's name), why do you say that?" Her answer: "Because you and my daddy are both funny."

I sat there for a second (trying not to laugh and faint at the same time), and said, "Well, I don't know if your mommy would like that. And if we didn't have (this child's name) mommy and (this child's name) daddy, we wouldn't have (her name). "

She thought for a minute and then said, "Oh...Never mind."

:-) Wow...at least my job isn't ever boring!!!!

2007-02-06T15:40:00.000-06:00

Later edit: I realize that you can't read this just looking at it right now, but if you click on it, you should be able to read it.

2007-02-02T11:24:00.000-06:00

El Elyon - The God Most High

Right now for my morning devotion time, I am using a book by Kay Arthur called, LORD, I Want to Know You. It is a study on the Names of God. It spends several days focusing on a name of God. Right now the focus is on El Elyon, the God Most High. Today it had me read several passages of scripture and then write down my thoughts on each of them, and then at the end write what I could take and apply to my life.

Isaiah 5:5-7: "And now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard. I will remove its hedge, and it shall be devoured; I will break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down. I will make it a waste; it shall not be pruned or hoed, and briers and thorns shall grow up; I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it. For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel,and the men of Judah are his pleasant planting;and he looked for justice, but behold, bloodshed; for righteousness, but behold, an outcry!"

Deuteronomy 32:39: "'See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god beside me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand."

1 Samuel 1:5-6: "But to Hannah he gave a double portion, because he loved her, though the LORD had closed her womb. And her rival used to provoke her grievously to irritate her, because the LORD had closed her womb."

1 Samuel 2:6-10: "The LORD kills and brings to life; he brings down to Sheol and raises up. The LORD makes poor and makes rich; he brings low and he exalts. He raises up the poor from the dust; he lifts the needy from the ash heap to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor. For the pillars of the earth are the LORD's, and on them he has set the world. He will guard the feet of his faithful ones, but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness, for not by might shall a man prevail. The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken to pieces; against them he will thunder in heaven. The LORD will judge the ends of the earth; he will give strength to his king and exalt the power of his anointed."

Isaiah 45:6-7: "that people may know, from the rising of the sun and from the west, that there is none besides me; I am the LORD, and there is no other. I form light and create darkness, I make well-being and create calamity, I am the LORD, who does all these things."

John 19:10-11: "Pilate said to him, "You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you?" Jesus answered him, "You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above."

Here's what I wrote in my journal:
God is Sovereign. He created the universe and controls everything that happens in it. I cannot possibly grasp this. That's why preachers, scholars, professors, and theologians argue so much about what this means.

What I think--and I know that I am likely to be very wrong about all of this--is that God is in control over everything that happens on this earth. He created it, so it is His to do with as He pleases. Who am I to question the "whys" of anything I see around me? It is by grace that God does not completely destroy this sinful world.

But, God allows me to ask why. He does things/allows them to happen so that I will ask why. And often these ways seem very cruel or unfair to my eyes. But I do not see as God sees. I think that He does this so that my image of Him is not put in this limited box of my understanding. But the breaking of my box is usually a painful process

And it is comforting to know that God's Sovereignty does not hinge on my understand--It just is. Whether or not I "agree with" or understand an aspect of God does not make it any less true.

2007-01-29T20:44:00.000-06:00

Wrapped around her pinky

Mom included this story about Aubrey in an e-mail she sent me. Let me explain that my dad has studio recording stuff and likes to record our very musical family. The result is that my mom has a CD of me singing that she keeps in her car.

I was listening to a CD of you in the car yesterday. I had Aubrey w/ me. She wanted to know who was singing. I told her that it was Aunt Nini. She said she wanted to go see Aunt Nini. I told her that Aunt Nini lived far away, but that it would make her happy to know that Aubrey wanted to come see her. She said she liked your singing. Her words, "I like it. It's pretty." Now, have I made your day?!

I melted! She definitely made my day! I keep teasing my parents about their granddaughter having them wrapped around her little finger, but if she keeps saying things like that, she'll have her Aunt Nini wrapped around that pinky, too!

2007-01-27T23:20:00.000-06:00

Canthen pics

Here's my youngest nephew before his surgery & after he healed from his first surgery. He's 4 months old today...so precious!

2007-01-23T11:17:00.000-06:00

I'm starting to think that I'm a bit of a crazy person for taking 9 hours while working full-time! This is what I have to get done this week (Some of it is catch up from last week).

Read 12 chapters of The Story of Christianity by Justo Gonzalez
Read the book of Acts
Read the 1st chapter of World Religions in America by Jacob Neusner
Read the Martyrdom of Perpetua and Felicitas and the Martyrdom of Sebaste
Read the Apostle's Creed
Read Chapters 2, 6 & 7 of Teaching Preschoolers: First Steps Toward Faith
Read Chapters 1-6 in Family Ministry
Read Chapter 2 and write a presentation on it from the Handbook of Preschool Religious Education
Watch slide show presentations for Early Childhood Ministry--"Do Babies Matter?" and "Characteristics of Preschoolers"
Go through the session 1 & 2 notes for Christian History and Heritage online
Go through session 2 notes for Early Childhood Ministry online.
Do the Discussion thread online for both Christian History and Heritage and Early Childhood.
Start planning ahead for big projects and tests.

Please help me pray that I will manage my time well this semester...It won't be hard if I will just plan ahead!!!!

2007-01-18T16:00:00.000-06:00

Number 322

When I looked at the Pop Candy website, I found a link to the 20 richest women celebrities. As I was looking through that list, I noticed a tab for the 400 richest Americans. I skimmed through the list and found several Texans, mostly getting their money for oil. One had "Salsa" as his source--that one made me laugh for some reason. I saw Jerry Jones and Ross Perot. Then I noticed that at number 322, the location was listed as "Temple, TX." Sure enough, Drayton McClane was listed. Drayton is a member at my previous church and owns the Astros (the pastor and his wife got to go to the first World Series game played in Texas...and I baby-sat their kids). He lives about 2 blocks from my old apartment in Temple, and I've even been to his house once (for a Sunday school Christmas party). He and his wife Elizabeth are some of the sweetest people at my old church. Drayton has a knack for remembering names (which I'm sure comes in handy with all the business that he does. They are a very strong Christian couple.

I can't believe I know the 322 richest person in America...very strange!

In other news, I just found out that one of my old roommates, Annah, has moved to the DFW area! YEA!!!!!!! So exciting to have a friend nearby!

2007-01-10T11:51:00.000-06:00

Wednesday Morning

I just spent the last two days in the Houston area for a conference. It was just long enough for me to decide that I don't think that I ever want to live in Houston! :-) I'm adjusting to living in the Metroplex, but it seems like the Houston area traffic is even crazier!

The conference was pretty good (not quite as good as past years), and I got to see Cat & Jeff and their kids (Emma has grown so much!! And J.C. is almost adopted!)

Canthen had his first surgery last Friday, and it went well. Mom e-mailed me this morning to tell me that the stitches had torn while they were feeding him. Please keep them in your prayers! Here's a picture of Canthen...I'll try to post more as his lip heals.

2006-12-24T22:44:00.000-06:00

Christmas Eve

We just had our marathon celebration day today! We went to church this morning...had ALL the family (including grandparents and even my great-aunt) over for lunch and to exchange gifts. Then we went to church for the candlelight service and came back home and had dinner with just the parents and K&H and their kids, and then opened presents, and then sang Happy Birthday to Jesus and had birthday cake. It was a very good, very fun day! Mom is exhausted, though. She keeps saying that if she stops moving that she will crash!! Here's some of my favorite pictures from the day!! (as you can see, Aubrey can get Aunt Nini to do whatever she wants!!)

2006-12-19T00:29:00.000-06:00

You know what struck me when I saw this picture? Aubrey and Brendon look the same age...but they are a year apart! They look like twins here, though. In fact, Brendon looks like he might be a little bigger than her (I think he outweighs her by now, but she's still taller).

2006-12-18T09:31:00.000-06:00

Ugly Naked Guy

I thought I'd better write something before Adam took me off of his blogging friends list again!

Yesterday, our church took our Christmas pageant on the road. We went to Ft. Hood and presented it at one of their chapels. It was a lot of fun, and I got to know several people in the church better both on the bus and backstage.

Through chatting backstage with some of the other ladies, I discovered that I missed seeing my very own ugly naked guy walking down the street I live on. The mom in a family that lives close to me told me that they were driving somewhere on Saturday afternoon at around 5:30, and there was a man walking down my street completely naked! They immediately called the police (who had apparently already gotten some phone calls about this guy). Frances (the mom) said that it looked like he was either high or drunk or something. Pretty crazy! And I was just sitting in my apartment, clueless about the chaos going on outside!

On a totally unrelated note, here's a really great, easy recipe for Christmas (or it could work for Thanksgiving, too, since it's pumpkin).

Pumpkin Pie Bread (Recipe is for two 9X5 loaf pans)

You'll need:
3 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
3 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. salt
3 c. white sugar
4 eggs
1 c. vegetable oil
1 (15 oz) can of pumpkin puree
1/2 c. water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease your pans.
Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat together sugar, eggs, vegetable oil, and pumpkin.
Stir in flour mixture alternately with water. Divide batter equally between pans.
Bake at 350 for 60-70 minutes or until toothpick inserted to center comes out clean.
For best flavor, store in clear plastic wrap at room temperature for one day before serving.

I made this for my Sunday School teachers, and they all loved it! I used 3X5 foil pans instead, though (little loafs). The recipe is enough for 9 of those pans and you only have to bake for about 40 minutes. Enjoy!!

2006-12-07T11:27:00.000-06:00

Christmas Memories

We just had a group of 6th graders come in caroling. They had been at a nursing home and had some time to kill before they needed to head over the mall for lunch, so their choir director (a former member) called and asked if they could come over here. It brought back SO many memories of choir days in the past.

It was their 6th Grade Girls Choir and 6th Grade boys choir. There were about 30 girls and of course, maybe 8 or 9 boys. They sang one song together, and then 2 songs each by themselves. One of the girls sang Silent Night as a solo. The boys sang "Grandma got Run Over By a Reindeer" and "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch." The girls sang a Santa medley and that Faith Hill song from the new Grinch movie "Where are you Christmas." (All trying to sound like Faith Hill...as a group...)

Aahh...those were the days...I actually miss singing in choir. Once I finish up at DBU, I plan to find a community chorus that I can get involved with. I'd love to sing with the Pointe of Praise choir here at church, but they meet the same time as our G.A.'s and until we get some leadership for this ministry, I'm going to need to help out there!!

2006-11-30T11:03:00.000-06:00

Christmas Music

My friend Adam just wrote on his blog that he only likes really good Christmas music. I guess I'm not as selective...I like pretty much any Christmas music by almost anyone. I have Yahoo Music Jukebox, so I'm able to listen to a lot of music that I don't have CD's for. My Christmas playlist is a fairly interesting blend--Lee Ann Womack, Point of Grace, Reba, Todd Agnew, Martina McBride, Clay Aiken, Mariah Carey, Sarah McLachlan, Celine Dion, Brad Paisley, Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Jessica Simpson, Hanson (yes, it's true!), Harry Connick, Jr., Il Divo, Chris Botti, Vince Gill, Rhonda Vincent, Jim Brickman, Julie Andrews, Take 6, Glad, Michael Buble, Faith Hill, Jaci Velasquez, Manheim Steimroller, Brian McKnight, Trisha Yearwood, Rosemary Clooney, Sammy Kershaw, 98 Degrees, and N'Sync (yes, I'm slightly ashamed by these last two). I do have several of these on CD (I'm not saying which), but most are newer for me.

Adam's favorites looked interesting, so I'll probably look them up, too!

My only rule about Christmas music is that you can only listen to it between the day after Thanksgiving and Christmas (or until your family finishes celebrating Christmas if that's after the actual Christmas Day).

2006-11-23T09:37:00.000-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving???
Well, most of you are probably getting ready for a huge Thanksgiving feast with your family...I'm sitting on parents' couch talking to my mom and trying to figure out what the two of us are doing today!

No family coming over, no big Turkey dinner cooking...Dad's working today (actually he's sleeping, because he's on the night shift), and then Kelsey is working tomorrow before my dad wakes up...so we're having Thanksgiving on Saturday. And because we always decorate the house for Christmas on the day after Thanksgiving, so the house will be decorated for Christmas when we celebrate Thanksgiving. We're also having Chicken Spaghetti...and we have to do it at 11:00, becuase Kelsey has to be at work at 1:00, and I need to leave early afternoon to get home at a decent hour (because next week is pageant week)...it's getting harder and harder to coordinate our schedules.

So...Mom and I are going to Furr's today to have Thanksgiving dinner...and then we're going to go see Facing the Giants.

It just doesn't feel like Thanksgiving yet...But Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

2006-11-20T23:42:00.000-06:00

Some Pics

I couldn't resist this picture of Brendon's squished face!

And once again my niece and oldest nephew show their similar tendencies.