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!!!

Pictures from Meagan's Birthday Party

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...

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?

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:

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

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.

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

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

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?

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...

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!

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!

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.

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...

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:

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)

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!

Murder Mystery Party

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

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.

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