My Favorite James.

Y'all.

I may not have mentioned this, but I have mad love for Jimmy Choo.

Granted, I own exactly one item from the esteemed company, but it's a beautiful handbag-slash-small army tent.

I still count myself a fan, because that totally counts, right?

So the Choos [Can I call you that, darlings?] are creating a lower-cost line for H&M that I am loving, if the above photo is any indication of the budget-friendly offerings.

I'm going to need to pitch a tent on the sidewalk in front of H&M until someone finds me a pair of these shoes in my size.

Please and thank you. :)

Her, Here.

Today I re-read a post at Bring The Rain that smacked me in the heart. I'd only had a chance to skim through it, so I went back today.

You'll want to check it out.

It's okay, go ahead. I'll wait right here.

The emotions and the conflict of reconciling a calling and ministry and passion with everyday living that she writes about? Well, sister girl is reading my mind, y'all.

I can close my eyes and perfectly recall moments in time that are so crystallized in my memory that I'm almost there again. Times when lives were changed in an instant and grace rested over hushed gatherings with fellow servants of God and hands reached out to touch another soul and tears were shed simply because we knew in our hearts that the gift of a moment sharing His anointing with another is far more than any of us deserve.

Moments when ministry happened.

But right now?

Right now I'm doing the daily. The practical, necessary things that will result in my degree [finally] and my financial security. Right now I am daydreaming my way through textbooks on statistics and theories and hunting for jobs simply for the paycheck that will carry me through.

And reading reports about events that I wish I could be a part of.

And praying for people and miracles that I can't even see.

And banging out scales on the piano when I really want to be playing songs of joy again. [But really, it's about time I learned to play by note!]

There's a parallel there, yes?

I'm just sayin'.

But more than straining at the barriers, impatiently trying to skim through lessons and steps that will ultimately serve as a foundation for me to minister even more effectively, I need to be her, here.

My mission field surrounds me daily; I live to be an extension of His heart.

I Am The Queen Of Underestimation.

When I posted [precisely two months ago, which is completely incidental] that my life was a little busy, I didn't think that the next two months would turn into a dazzling panoply of utter randomness.

Who wasn't prepared for all that?

[raising hand]

Um, me.

Keeping up with every day is a full-time job, apparently. I'm even having trouble staying on top of twitter, which, at 140 characters a pop, speaks volumes about my communication situation. But hey, those scads of emails to return and projects to finish, though? I'm all over that.

Soonish.

I have survived another semester of school, remedied the Hair Disaster Of 2008, gained 10 pounds, decided that a great dane puppy is definitely in my future, started dieting, requested prayer for my sister during her ordeal with an aggravated injury, driven the two-hour drive from Houston to my parents' house roughly 7 thousand times, lost my great tan from 2006, given away almost my entire wardrobe, gotten indignant at the Lakers for winning the championship, been humbled and awed at God's mercy, requested prayer for my ailing car [her name is Daphne, and I am winning her to the Lord for the sake of her heart, soul, and engine knock that threatens to leave me in a serious jam], learned to cheat at straightening my hair [it's all in the strategic planning of the sections, y'all!] and memorized the dollar menu of virtually every fast food joint on Highway 59.

You might say that the learned ability to accurately calculate your tax and guess your total before the cashier in the drive-through lane tells you how much your burger and drink costs is a certifiable issue, but I beg to differ. As I may have pointed out before, I like to think of it as thriftiness, y'all. And I do love me some thriftiness with extra vegetables.

But hey, it's summer and I'm a jobless hobo, and since job searching and googling 'lose 10 pounds tomorrow' and 'funny youtube clip' have been bringing me into a closer bond of fellowship with my computer, you can expect me to pop up again soon.

And with that ominous warning promise, I bid you good day.

Until next time, dear bloggites!

Where, Oh Where, Are You Tonight?

Nothin' but love for Hazel. Seriously, do you not just secretly cringe at adore Buck Owens howling through the chorus?

But I digress.

So this month. In a word, wow! Or maybe 'whew!' since I've had trouble catching up with my brain long enough to post. It's tragic. I have random notes scribbled onto bits of scrap paper and old receipts and typed into my phone - bloggy things I can't remember how I planned to share.

Tilapia/Zucchini? 2 Samuel 22:17-20? Security - Ty story?

Um.. Right-o.

Apparently, I have the memory span of a goldfish. A goldfish might have me beaten on the note-taking skills, though. My bad. May I offer you a summary instead?

1 - I am still officially job-hunting. Yes, still. Sure, telling people that I am a Freelance Graphic Designer sounds glamorous, except that businesses are putting on their recession boots and holding off on redesign projects these days. So I've been knocking on doors and praying that Jesus would provide something in the way of a paying job... And I have an interview tomorrow!

2 - I am still hitting the roads on an almost-constant basis. I've been dragging dearest sister along for the rides, which makes road time much more bearable.

3 - I am having the hardest time EVER with my classload this semester. Really, after spending 7 years [part-time, in my defense! ;)] on a 4-year degree, you'd think that I would have the school gig down to a fine art, but Spring 2009 Semester has reminded me that I can, indeed, be kicked in the academic tail.

4 - is a nice, even number, so I'll stop by saying this; JOIN ME ON TWITTER! :) I know. I am soooo understated. Since I seem to be able to handle updates that are 140 characters or less, though, come follow me and I can follow you and I will make you fishers of random, useless bits of information. Amens.

Oh, and one more thing to add to the potpourri of randomness?

Don't mind if I do. Have a happy humpday! :)

Top O' The..

..St. Patty's Day to ya!

[Late wishes are better than never wishes, right?]

In keeping with my gloriously unproductive Spring Break, we took Ty to decorate shamrock cookies at ye olde Chick-Fil-A [oh, how I love thee!] for family night - and some of us made sure we wore green so that no one pinched us. Ty was very specific about his hair ["like a leprechaun"] and his clothes ["I hafta wear GREEN!"] and I claimed exemption from the green rule - like I do every year - because, well, I have green eyes, and that's like an Irish free pass. I think. Plus, I already had my outfit picked out.

Thankyouverymuch.

I've Got A {Spring} Fever!

Happy Spring Break, y'all!

The term 'break' is a little ironic, yes? After all, spring break means more schedule shuffling. And more errand running. And plans to 'catch up' on everything that has been put off until now. And for me, recovery from a minor surgical procedure last week.

But it's a lovely break since I have two very special visitors for the week!

Two of my precious nephews are here to visit for the week, so this Spring Break also means baking cookies. Every day. [Heeelloo, hips.] And playing at the park. And cuddling during those old black-and-white Popeye cartoons that Ty loves. And I am lovin' it, y'all! I fully intend to make the most of the little moments like these. Today was park day, and it was one of roughly two days of the year when the weather in SoTx is absolutely perfect. Here's a few snaps [from my camera phone, hence the ghetto fabulousness] of today's adventures.

Ty and I squint into the sun while sweet baby Ray chews on his overalls - and this is a good shot!
Here's my sweet little Ty. He was content to swing for hours. When I suggested that he slide or swing from the monkey bars, he said 'Actually, I'm okay just swinging here' and he was so cute about it that I totally believed him.

Ty and I. He was beautifully patient about the whole taking-pictures-at-the-park-when-we're-supposed-to-be-here-to-play thing.

Pushing sweet baby Ray on the baby swing. He wasn't convinced that swinging was such a great idea at first...
... And he kept acting very offended that I would push his seat. How dare I attempt to unsettle the king of cuteness from his throne?

Eventually, he got the hang of enjoying the ride, though!

...So what are your break plans? ;o)

'Ello, Luv!

I mentioned that I'd share details about the incredibly cool times to be had with my darling friends from New Zealand and Australia recently [and by recently, I mean in January] but sometimes [and by sometimes, I really mean sometimes] punctuality leaves me in it's dust.

Not anymore, y'all.

Two months later, I'm ON this.

So it was a well-spent few weeks with precious friends, and we laughed, cried, ate, sprayed each other with various hair products, shopped, and prayed together in large doses. I can't even begin to cover all of the fun in a blog post, but I'm all over a synopsis. Just for you. Good times.

Our [my sister and I] first visitors were Valerie and Amber, and they arrived in Texas on a cold, blustery Saturday.

That's Ambs, me, and Valerie. Since the gals were in transit, on their way to conference, our first visit was a whopping 24 hours. Not that we didn't rock the mini-trip, 'cause we so did. We packed in countless wrong turns [my gps is disturbingly unfamiliar with THE CAPITOL OF TEXAS], Texas Roadhouse overindulgence [much love for the hot rolls and cinnamon butter], and several hours at a questionable Greyhound bus station where Val and Ambs waited patiently for a bus driver who very nearly forgot to stop and pick them up.

We managed to occupy the time by making multiple wardrobe changes in the car, bringing mad business to the vending machines in the lobby, and snapping pictures like fiends. Here, some girl is ruining a perfectly lovely snap of Amber and Leah with my her giant forehead.

Tsk, tsk.

There might also have been some stalking involved...

...But I assure you, no one was harmed or frightened in the making of these photos. ;o)

While we waited, we also decided it would be a great idea to video ourselves singing. Never mind that Val and I both had sore throats and scratchy voices and that we were performing outdoors at 1:00am in a strange city. In the freezing cold. It's the memories that count, right?

Right?

Since vimeo is being all doofus-like and refusing to embed, you can click here to hear us in all of our head-cold glory, as long as you promise not to judge us for our many unflattering layers and tired scruffiness.

So.. despite dodgy bus drivers, we made it to our destinations, hoping that the day and night we'd spent together wouldn't be the end of our trip, because, really, is 24 hours fair? I think not. That's why we were ecstatic to be able to join Valerie and Amber, along with our new friend Akua, in Louisiana.

We spent a few days there before embarking on The Road Trip back to Texas. [Please note the titling of this road trip. The thang was may-jah.] We got up close and personal with some truly incredible people, got to see what was happening behind the scenes of the super-awesome church we visited, and enjoyed teatime with Sister Vani, a lovely lady powerfully anointed by God.

[That's all of us, crowded so closely around poor Sis. V, you'd think we wanted to steal her away and bring her home with us or something. Which may or may not have been the case... I'm just sayin'.]

So The Road Trip back to Texas commenced with all five of us crammed into my Honda Accord. She's always seemed amazingly roomy, until 5 girls + 5 girls' worth of luggage proved how woefully inadequate storage space actually is. Thankfully, the girls didn't hold it against her, and after some serious luggage manipulation, we were on our way.

[Here's Akua, Amber, and Leah in the backseat. The photo fails to capture the suitcases they were sitting on and the bags of Very Important Items looping around their ankles at will, but you can imagine the nightmare fun they had with all of that.]

We made it back to Texas minus a nail or two, but wiser, stronger women.

We were able to see a few of the sights in Texas before the girls had to leave - including the awesomeness that was a motorcyclin' dude in a furry viking hat - and bond over baking and shopping and being girly. And may I say that I will NEVER be tired of any of the above - even the viking hat?

*ahem*

It was with sadness and many hugs [and possibly a sniffle or two] that we let the girls go home, because we seriously considered an elaborate kidnapping scheme. We tried to convince them to stay FOREVER - or take us with them - but you know how those things go. Legalities and visas and family and things. No matter - it may have been the first trip, but it definitely won't be the last.

...And there you have it! The story of how I got my new accent.

[Ok, ok, so I didn't really get to keep their cool accent. But I kept the memories, and those are always worth keeping.]

Much love, my Djibouti girls!

Photo Fun.... Um.. YEAH!

I've come to the sad conclusion that I will never be immortalized in paint by Andy Warhol, I will never grace the cover of Victoria Beckham's favorite magazine, no one is interested in chalking my likeness upon city sidewalks, and I already missed my opportunity to make the front page of the Annandale Advocate in March of 1985.

I know.

It's a tragedy that I had to face.

I can have fun sticking my nose into other people's pictures at Photofunia, though, and that's just as good.

Or better, because I don't have to wear sunglasses at night.

Poking around on their site has carried me through many a long, boring class period, though - I've 'funiad [because I feel like Photofunia and I are on nickname terms, even if said nickname makes me hungry for onion-flavored chips] myself, my longsuffering family members, and random pictures from Google, and it's still not old.

Because I'm way too easily amused/distracted truly convinced that the most entertaining endeavors in life only cost us time and love, of course.

Viva La 'Funia-ing!

God Is...

I heart this song right down to my toes.

I heart it so much, in fact, that despite the fact that it is basically a shoutin' song meant for high praises in the house of the Lord, it used to be my ringtone. Because I am that cool.

I was churchin' it up, yo!

Every time I hear this song, I think of St. Pete. Sweet mango peach tea and precious company. Good times and crazy times and God's provision, and the sounds of Smokie's mad riffs and heartfelt praises. Even if I nearly jumped out of my skin every time my phone rang.

Behold the goodness {and the awesome testimony} that is Smokie Norful's 'God Is Able'.

I'm Stylin'

My first job has to rank among the coolest jobs ever. No, seriously! I was an apprenticed interior designer from 14-17.

See?

I told you it was that cool.

I got to develop my own sense of style, learn valuable skills {which might be more attributed to my momma, who has mad DIY skillz - if you need walls painted, ceilings spackled, flooring laid, or light fixtures replaced, you've got your gal}, and play with fabulous, one-of-a-kind decorations in clients' homes.

You can imagine the fun times. My mentor was a fabulous, one-of-a-kind lady that I will always remember with fondness.

So how excited was I to see that Whittaker Woman had posted a link to Sproost, an unbelievably awesome decor and design site?

V-E-R-Y.

I found out, through Sproost's handy-dandy personal style test, that I love the beach, live best in comfortable layouts and cozy furniture, that I'm a country girl, and that I shop on eBay.

...And now I'm suddenly feeling uncomfortably vulnerable and I wonder if Sproost somehow figured out that I secretly want to own a Slanket, too. {Be still, naysayers. ;o)}

So what's your style?