another fog blog

I was driving to work through some fog one day last week. I love driving through fog. it seems like I always have some sort of spiritual breakthrough every time I drive through it.
here’s how it went: I was driving and thinking: dang, I can’t see very far past the fog… can’t see where the road leads… I see several feet ahead… enough to feel safe going ahead… but can’t see the entire road and/or landscape. and then I started thinking… that’s how I feel about life right about now. I can only see so far… can’t see past the fog… I don’t know what’s ahead but I can see enough to feel safe moving forward. this sucks… but it’s kinda cool in a way…
moving into the unknown requires trust & faith that there’s actually something or some road in front of you to go to. as I was thinking about this… I was thinking about how I knew where it was I wanted to go(I knew the location of my destination) but could only see a little bit in front of me at the time. and then all at once it seemed that God was trying to tell me something & a light went on. I know your destination- I know the road in front of you. I know how you’ll get there. You just focus on what’s in front of you right now and I’ll lead you down the road you need to go. You know where you want to go and I know how to get you there. Trust Me.
sounds easier than it is though... it requires a daily decision to trust Him... a daily decision to believe that God knows what He's doing no matter what it feels like & He is strong enough & big enough for anything that might come my way. But like He reminds me, I just need to focus on Him- right now- and let Him take care of the future.
so there you go everybody. :)

I just received some sad news.

Russ Tatro, a great man of God, passed away this afternoon. Russ served through foreign missions since 1985. He and his wife, Wendy, served as missionaries in the nations of Guatemala, Liberia and Sierra Leone pioneering Bible training centers during their years in West Africa. Well over 100,000 students have graduated from LWM-affiliated Bible training centers and many of these graduates now serve as missionaries leading ministries throughout Africa and other parts of the world. They established Living Word Missions in 1993.He is survived by his wife and their two daughters. Pray for Wendy & the family that God will give them strength & comfort to continue the missions work that she & Russ started so many years ago.

http://www.livingwordmissions.org/

rain

i'm at the coffee shop across the street utilizing their wifi.

it's raining outside... it's been raining a lot lately.

several weeks ago one of my friends was talking about kids and discipline. anyway, she said something about finding out what the child's "currency" is so that you could discipline them in the most effective way. each person has a different "currency". each person is different. somethings are more important or less important to others.
the day after we had that conversation, i asked my wise friend what she thought my currency might be... and i've continued to think about it off and on. what is your currency? what do you live by? mine is friendship.

Rebecca mentioned about a week ago that she thought people were trying to live their lives like Laguna Beach. what a good observation... i hadn't thought of it until she brought it up... and it's sad but true. so many people are trying to play the part... have perfect lives... have the look... have the image that everything is in control and everything is perfect. guess what? it's not. you're not on tv and people don't hear a theme song when they see you walking down the street. but i have to say that i do think that it's okay to have your own internal theme song playing in your own heart, soul & mind. pick a good one. pick one that helps and doesn't hurt. ultimately the only thing that can make you happy is a real relationship with God. when you can accept His love for you... things will be a lot easier...

thought i'd point you in the direction of one of my favorite blog reads.
http://www.xanga.com/mochaspree/486722050/loathing.html

fun times

Cyndi has been after me for weeks to update the picture on the blog... since it's a couple years old...
so here's a new pic that she took yesterday. :)

Grambling

i saw an amazing thing on Saturday night... the Grambling State University Marching Band. they performed at the arena football game that i went to. yeah, i said arena football... it was actually fun to watch... believe it or not. http://www.gram.edu/band/default.asp
This is the same band that has performed for Presidents and First Ladies, Kings and Queens from the USA to Zimbabwe... they've been seen at numerous Super Bowls and Presidential inaugurations. I guess the GSU band has even starred in their own Coca-Cola commercial. Who knew that a marching band could be so cool?
yup, the band WAS cool but this is somewhat of a cop-out entry because i've got nothing but seriousness floating around in this head... for about 2 weeks now... not exactly blog-friendly thinking... it wouldn't be blog-friendly writing.
but yeah... very cool & impressive marching band. the had the coolest guy leading it... not sure what his official title is but he was COOL. guess i should go rent Drumline... haven't seen it yet.
maybe i'll write a more substantial entry soon... i hope... :)

the sound of music

on my way to work this morning, i saw a woman in her SUV head-banging and singing along to the music. it was awesome. made me crack up laughing... made me happy to see that i'm not the only one who gets carried away. but i like to include the airdrums too...

speaking of music, i hope everyone knows about http://www.pandora.com ! If you don't, allow me to introduce you... it's awesome and it's free. You type in the type of music you like- maybe a song or an artist- and Pandora will take what you enter in and play other songs/artists in the same genre of music... it's pretty cool. i'm listening to music via Pandora right now. i've been introduced to a lot of great new music. love it. Thanks Roy.

whoo-hoo for wireless!

we finally got the wireless network up and running this weekend... so what am i doing? watching Miami Ink and using the new laptop at the same time... whoo-hoo!
i love Miami Ink.

risky business

i’ve had this great little black leather journal for a long time… but until just recently I’d never written anything in it. you know, it was just one of those things where I wasn’t quite sure that I wanted to fill yet another journal with MY ramblings or whatever… but a couple of weeks ago I finally decided that the journal couldn’t live without words any longer and came up with the perfect use for it. I decided that I’d start writing little quotes in it that I’ve been collecting for several months.
so now I’m filling it with quotes like this one from Helen Keller: “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.”
this has become a pretty inspiring project for me… maybe because I’ve chosen a lot of quotes from people who have defied odds, overcome obstacles… like Helen Keller. she was one amazing person.
someone else who defied odds? Walt Disney. Did you know that he was once fired from an ad agency because he was told that he “lacked ideas” and couldn’t draw? um, yeah, I’m betting that the guy who fired him ended up feeling like a huge idiot later... and rightly so. Disney once said this: “It’s kinda fun to do the impossible.”
I love that.

speaking of great quotes, I read a motivating article yesterday. If you’re interested, it’s a great read. It’s written by Margaret Feinberg and there’s a diamond analogy that she includes in this article that really made the light go on in my head… or in my spirit… whatever.
http://www.injoy.com/Newsletters/catalyst/Full/default.aspx?article_id=34

The things that stuck out to me in this article:
“Courage requires the belief that something greater than yourself is at stake. It also asks you to trust that Someone greater is at work. “
“Learning to fly is risky business. Crash landings usually hurt, and it's hard to get up, brush yourself off, and try again. Stepping out and doing what you were created to do rather than what is expected of you is hard. Even faith is a risk, so living a life of following Jesus is littered with risk.”

Does that speak to anyone besides me? are you willing to step out and do what you were created to do rather than what is expected of you? RISKY BUSINESS!
oh well, like Helen said, “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.”

Bublé in concert

Michael Bublé performed in T-town last night… and I went.
oh my… it was something else. at first I felt like I was at an Elvis concert the way the old ladies seated in front of us were carrying on… they kept hollering and dancing & swaying to the music. it was pretty funny. obviously there were women of all ages there screaming & going crazy but it was the 2 old ladies in front of us that I thought funny… did they think he was Tony Bennett?
anyway, he put on a great show but I gotta say that I could’ve done without so much cursing… but oh well… you can’t have it all. I hope Bublé eventually realizes that it doesn’t help him in the “being classy” department to have such a mouth. when it comes to the singing though… obviously he was great. sings as great in-person as he does on his recorded albums. he forgot or messed up on his words a couple times… but it’s easy to look over little mess-ups when his voice is so great.
it was a mix between Elvis, Desi Arnaz, the Rat-Pack… and Johnny Knoxville. He was pretty funny & he did a few impressions of other people like Ray Charles, Johnny Cash, & yes…even Michael Jackson.

it was definitely an entertaining evening.

have you watched Cash's video yet?

Your Career Type: Social

You are helpful, friendly, and trustworthy.Your talents lie in teaching, nursing, giving information, and solving social problems. You would make an excellent: Counselor - Dental Hygienist - LibrarianNurse - Parole Officer - Personal TrainerPhysical Therapist - Social Worker - Teacher The worst career options for your are realistic careers, like truck driver or farmer.

What's" Your Ideal Career?

boy, good thing i gave up truck driving.

in other news, look at what I came upon:

http://mchammer.blogspot.com/

cool.

Johnny Cash's "Hurt"

i love music videos. LOVE.
here's one of my new favorites:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmVAWKfJ4Go

been there- done that- bought the t-shirt.

well, haven’t exactly been “there” yet or done “that” quite yet… but I have bought the t-shirt. What am I talking about? I’m talking about that dream inside every person’s heart… the one that calls out to you & wakes you up in the middle of the night. That thing you would finally do if you had all the money in the world… if there were no boundaries, no walls, no bars… the thing you would do if there was nothing holding you back. What is it that you dream & daydream about? What have you always imagined doing with your life that you haven’t quite done yet?
As for my dream- well, no, I’m not “there” yet- haven’t done it yet- but at least I’ve bought the t-shirt. I’ve bought into my dream… at least I can say that- can you? If you can say “yes” then that’s great, it takes something to own your dream. way to go- you’re on the way to making it a reality. you believe in yourself or God (or both) enough to know that you’re taking the first steps.
For those who haven’t quite owned up to the fact that your life is for a reason bigger than yourself- if you can’t own up to the dream that’s in your heart- or if you lost sight of it 15 years ago- it only takes one decision to turn that around. you CAN own your dreams. I have a feeling that after you decide to buy into what your heart says- after you own your dream- it’ll only be a matter of time before you own your life & are living it… or should I say giving it…?
so, c’mon, whatcha waiting for? as cheesy as it may sound- buy that t-shirt.

never too late

a co-worker sent this link around today- you need to check it out.
don't know how long this link will be active but it's a cool story.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=UBYPaNc57Ik&search=autism%20basketball

"It is never too late to be what you might have been. " -George Eliot

myspace vs. my acumen

so i’m contemplating the whole myspace.com thing… should i do it? should i take the plunge & give into peer pressure?
oh, btw, hope everyone had a fabulous Valentine's Day!

most of the time, they don't talk at all, because they walking.

I watched Hustle & Flow last night. If you can’t handle rated R movies w/the f-bomb and other R rated activities, then it’s not for you.

So, what’s it about? Here’s the plot in a nutshell: DJay is a pimp suffering a midlife crisis, yearning to be a rap star, and after being galvanized by a gospel song, he gets to work, finding it a very hard road to fame and respect.

In one of my favorite parts of the movie, the character Key(played by Anthony Anderson) gives a lecture to DJay(played by Terrence Howard) about not just talking but about walking.
KEY:There are two types of people:
Those that talk the talk and those that walk the walk.
People who walk the walk, they sometimes talk the talk.
But most of the time, they don't talk at all, because they walking.
Now, people who talk the talk, when it comes time for them to walk,
- you wanna know what they do?
DJAY: What is that?
KEY: They talk people like me into walking for them.

My other favorite part is when Shug(played by Taraji P. Henson) hears herself singing- hears her own voice on a track for the 1st time. It’s like she realizes for the 1st time in her life that she’s somebody.
She sings “It’s hard out here for a pimp…”

Not the best movie ever but it’s true what they say:
“Everybody gotta have a dream.”
http://www.hustleandflow.com/

get out of that tree!

here’s something I’ve been thinking about for the past few days:
Some people say that you shouldn’t give money to the rough guys- the “bums”- who stand on the corners with signs that say “Will work for food. God bless you.” People say that you can’t trust them- people say that they’re just going to take your cash & go get drunk. Well, I think every situation is different and you just never really know whether that person is seriously in need or not. I was reading the story of Zacchaeus in Luke 19 the other day and it got me thinking.(Bear w/me… as I paraphrase & ramble.) Here was this guy who was a tax collector… this guy who no one liked and no one trusted… and Jesus looks up at him DIRECTLY and calls out to him and says “Zacchaeus! Get down! I MUST go to your house today!” And the people mutter among themselves: Jesus is going to hang out w/a sinner? So, this Monday, as I was sitting at the traffic light where my daily “bum” stands with his sign… and as I was thinking about what people say about “bums”, God reminded me and said “Hey, I want to go to his house.” No matter what other people may be thinking about someone else… it doesn’t matter because Jesus wants to visit their house. Even if they’re not living for God as Zacchaeus… even if they’re dirty and stinky… Jesus still says to them “HEY! I MUST GO TO YOUR HOUSE TODAY!” How cool is that? I love that. I love that God wants to visit my “bum”… He wants to visit the cool gothic girl who’s the checkout clerk at my grocery store… He wants to visit all of us… Get out of that tree!
And notice that the Bible doesn’t say that Jesus stopped, asked what the guy’s name was who was hanging out in the tree and then said “Zacchaeus! Come down here & let’s go hang out at your place!” No, He didn’t have to ask what Zacchaeus’ name was… (at least not that we know of) He already knew Zach’s name. I love that He knows the names of all the people in my life like the checkout clerk & the bum. yup, cool stuff.

yes, I'm still alive & breathing...

Hope everyone is doing really well and enjoying everyday life. :)
Rebecca & I went to the gym(the AC) last night. did some walking, then tried the elliptical machine (I lasted for a whole 3 minutes), then Rebecca taught me how to play basketball. (yes, I really know how to play but I’m afraid I’ve lost my skills). Dang! What has happened to me?!?! I need to take this working out stuff more seriously! I need to tone up and get back into shape!
New subject: OPRAH & THE MILLION LITTLE PIECES CONTROVERSY. Here’s the short version of what’s happened- the guy who wrote this book(James Frey) made some of his life story up but tried to pass it off as truth. On Oprah’s show, the book was said to be Frey’s true life story. Then not too long ago it came out that some of it was fabricated & I guess that Oprah didn’t handle it the way she could have… I don’t know what she said and I don’t know what she didn’t say… but if I was her I would’ve at least said Oh, hey, we found out that this was untrue and we’re sorry to have mislead you… please forgive us as we ourselves were mislead… or something like that. But i guess she didn't say that & some viewers are ticked with her.
Well, anyway, I say all of this to say that if you’re planning on reading this book (which I’ve heard is pretty good) then read it knowing that the author made some crap up so that he would seem like more of a superman than he really is. Or maybe if you’re looking for a good you-can-fight-through-it-and-win story, then just go pick up an authentic Superman comic? Don’t get me wrong, I see nothing wrong with a good book… it’s just that if it’s fictional then don’t lie and tell the world (via the Oprah show) that it’s all non-fictional truth.
Here’s an article on it: http://adage.com/news.cms?newsId=47546
peace out.
p.s. for all of you who've forgotten, my happy bday is monday... feel free to send me your love via ecards or gifts. :) I hate when people remind me of bdays- i'm terrible at remembering bdays!

need more oxygen

this time last week I was in Colorado. yup, went to visit Ingrid on her b-day. Even though she never reads my blog and there’s no danger of her seeing whether or not I disclose her age, I won’t do it. had a good time even though I had a slight problem with the altitude this time… i got over it by drinking tons of water.
so now I’m back home and I feel a little bit like these guys… feel like I’m trekking!
I wonder if they had problems with the altitude?

Merry Christmas!

Luke 2:11-14
11For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
12And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
13And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
14Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

Anytime I hear or read this verse, I hear it in Linus' voice from the Charlie Brown Christmas Special... no joke. :) love that Linus... I'm a big fan...
MERRY CHRISTMAS!

{{{{{{{{{ frosty }}}}}}}}}}

"Half of the world is composed of people who have something to say and can't; the other half consists of people who have nothing to say and keep on saying it." Robert Frost

Hmm... i think that's a great quote. So i've been having a mental block lately... not able to post much... sorry Steph! I have a feeling that the block will pass soon. Shoot, i might even start writing some poetry up on here or something! ha!
So the last couple of weeks have been pretty good- been keeping busy with all the Christmas stuff- shopping, partying, etc. I've received some great gifts already and it's not even Christmas yet! We did that "Secret Santa" thing at work and my Secret Santa (who was Jamie) was really good to me and got me James Blunt's "Back to Bedlam" album and lots of other great stuff! More about James Blunt: http://shopping.msn.com/prices/shp/?itemId=1738404,ptnrId=26,ptnrData=0
I've also received lots of Starbucks love thanks to winning a door prize at the work Christmas party & thanks to another gift from my Secret Santa. Can't go wrong with Starbucks people! Just in case you still haven't had the opportunity to do your shopping for me... S T A R B U C K S. :)

I'm listening to the Vince Guaraldi Trio(Charlie Brown Christmas) and i love it. you've got to love jazz. Christmas is just around the corner... and we're having a little snow in T town today! hmm... i hear a peppermint mocha calling my name.