A dollar isn't so bad...

Guess what...!!! I got a raise! It's a $1 raise :-)! At first I thought, oh that's cool, but honestly what's a meezly dollar? But here is how I put it into perspective! It comes out to about $85 more a pay check (yes, that's nice), $170 more a month (ok, looking good), and $2,040 more a year (hey hey, now we're talking). Not bad eh? Anyways, I've never received a raise before. I think I like them. :-) Keep 'em coming!

It strikes again...

Well, this "it" is the killer cold/virus thing that is going around San Luis Obispo...and the whole U.S. I believe. Jason just had it, or still does, and so does more than half of his extended family...and I believe more than half of Grace Church. It seems to manifest itself in many different ways but the most prominent being an ear infection. Jason stayed home from work for two days and I finally was able to talk him into going to the doctor. I was just sure that he had an ear infection. You see, I've had a ton of them growing up...I've learned to recognize the signs. I am actually pretty deaf in my left ear becuase of it. So, he went yesterday and sure enough...I was right. Now, I have a sore throat (that is the first symptom Jason had). When I called him this morning and told him I had a sore throat he said, "Oh no! I hope you don't get an ear infection! You can't lose all of your hearing! I don't want to have to learn Sign Language." Thanks Jason...the sympathy is just bubbling over. lol! It was funny.

The Little Engine that No Longer Could

Last night my faithful sewing machine died. I think that the thing was made in the 80's or very possibly in the 70's...it is old and olive green (hence why I think it was made in the 70's). It was my nana's, then it was my mom's, and now it's in my possession. I have used it a fair amount and so have the other two possessors of it. Last night I was trying to finish up a pair of PJ bottoms that I'm making and it just pooped out on me. The engine inside makes this whiring noise but the needle doesn't move. I was able to kind of finesse it a little by by turning it manually and then I could get it to do a few stitches. It won't even do that now...bummer. So, I may be in the market for a new machine...or at least a new, used machine. I was about to put my order in for some fabric samples for my quilt too. Oh well. Maybe I will be really diligent on the quilt becuase I will be so excited to try out my new toy! By the way...the samples I am ordering are Amy Butler's Lotus line...it's a super fun, some what retro line that reminds me of spring. Maybe one day I will make a more "wintery" quilt Let's see if I can find it...Oh, here it is. It's sort of a pink and olive green theme.

a picture...

An "After College Life" Crisis maybe?

I think that I am going through an "after college life" crisis. People go through mid-life crisis' around 40 or 50 and want to buy fast cars and feel young. I feel like I want to eat tofu, live in the bush, and wear hemp clothing. Weird. I have no idea where this is coming from. I always told Jason that if I wasn't a Christian I would be a hippy. I think a clean one though...dirty things gross me out--and minus the dreds...no bueno for me. I guess more like a "mountain woman"...that's a better description. I am totally drawn to living in a commune though where everyone contributes to life equally. I would love to be self-sufficient with my food and where I lack, give to others, and vise versa (I realize that this is very unrealistic in America, at least Suburbia America, and maybe altogether unrealistic becuase of the sunfulness in man). But, I've always felt "drawn" to stuff like that and I think that it's really neat! Lately though this desire has been much stronger. I even have been looking at organic cotton clothing and have been buying most everything, food wise, organic. What is wrong with me? I'm wondering if it's the climbing thing. The climbing community seems to be "purests" for the most part. I guess we've been hanging out at the climbing gym more...maybe that's why. Well, whatever it is...my identity is secure in Christ, even if I do I, in a weird way, crave this life. Here's a hippy quote by John Lenon I found, "Imagine no possesions, I wonder if you can, No need for greed or hunger, A brotherhood of man. Imagine all the people Sharing all the world." HaHa. I guess I wouldn't go that far. :-)

On another note, sort of, Jason and I are still at the climbing thing. We can pretend that that really sweet picture to the left is me...it's not. So, did I ever say that we went climbing for "real" on Bichop's Peak a couple of Saturdays ago. Yeah, Ross Newby and this guy we met at the gym took us. It was...hard. It was also very very cold. Thus, I wouldn't exactly call the experience pleasant. I got up on the first route and couldn't finish it because my legs were shaking so much. It was driving me nuts. I don't really know the reason except that I was freezing, tense and stiff, and a little nervous. All of that together made for a very discouraging first climb. Then I was just mad at myself becuase I knew that I could do it. It was humbling. I don't usually feel humbled when it comes to physical activity...I didn't realize how much pride I had in regard to my physical ability until that climb. How foolish. I guess you sort of take it for granted when things comes easy for you (I take no credit for my ease in physical exertion...it's completely genetic and God given :-) ) So, I did all that I could to not become a grump and I tried it again. That time I made it. (Keep in mind Jason sailed up that route the first time with almost no effort it seemed like). After that we went around the corner and did another climb. I made it up that one too...one part was so hard though, I was sure that I wasn't going to be able to complete it. Anyways, it was a good experience...I don't know if I would go as far as to say that it was fun...maybe the next time it will be warmer. That would make it more fun.

I will end this long post with a cartoon that reminds me of climbing. When on the routes there are all of these terms for rock shapes and hand holds. So, when up there I would yell down, "I don't see where to go from here" Then the guys down below would yell up some non-sense like, "Ok, grab that crimper with your left hand, the one by your elbow and then bump your foot off of that spot by your knee to make it to that horn by your waste. Than you'll see the bucket to your right and grab that." Then I sit there, usually barely hanging on, and say..."WHAT?!" Then they usually laugh and make fun of you...meanwhile you are stuck on the face of the rock and have no where to go. So, here is the cartoon...enjoy! :-)

Another quilt idea

So, picture this one on a smaller scale (I know nothing really about block patterns so I bet this one has a name...I just don't know it). It reminds me of bricks. They will be staggered skinny rectangles about 3x7. The fabric print is smaller and finer, I just made it bigger so the pattern can actually be seen. This is a lighter blue quilt with Amy Bulter fabric from her line Lotus...wow, just uploaded it and it looks really bad...lol, well, you get the idea.

Day 6...9.5 hours.

Well, today is Day 6 of working 9.5 hours. Ugggh. I am so happy that this is the last day. My co-worker has been out of town and so I have had to man the post alone. We usually split the day up so that I work 8 hours and she works 6 hours...with a 4 or 5 hour overlap. I didn't realize that adding on an hour and a half would be so hard. A lot of it has to do with being alone the whole time...it get's boring. The up side to working almost 60 hours in 6 days is more money. I guess that's almost worth it. I have a $3000 student loan and I have set my mind to having it all paid off...being 100% debt free by June 1st. Yay! Debt is so looming and heavy. I don't even really HAVE much debt...AND I don't gain interest on it until July 23rd (which by then it should be paid). I can't imagine what it feels like to have thousands of dollars of debt with one of those crazy APR's. Whatever...so, yay for 8 hour days again and yay for the sun once again shining. I got tired of the 4 days of rain. It will sure make for pretty green hills though!

Spring Fever

Well, I did some copying and pasting and with the help of MS publisher I came up with this quilt. I actually think that I like Heather Bailey's Freshcut line for now. Here is my first quilt possibility...Maybe I will post what I am thinking on here and you guys can tell me which one you like best!!! It will be queen size and each square in 6"...the block of 4 squares is 12". So, here it is. Obviously the print is a little destorted becuase of the cropping and what not that I had to do to the fabric swatches. I am sticking with a simple pattern for this quilt...one, becuase it's easier and two...I'm not actually I big fan of the crazy complex stuff. So..I'll call this one..."Spring Fever" becuase that is what it reminds me of!

More on quilting...

So...I think that I may have found a different designer that I like more. Her name is Amy Butler. Anyways, I discovered her at this site that I REALLY like called quilthome.com. This site is really cool. When you place the fabric swatches in your shopping cart it creates a "Design Cart" on the right hand side of your screen where you can pick the swatches up and arrange them on your screen. It is really neat and helps you see what things are going to look like together. Kind of fun. So, I'm taken by Amy Butler's Bella line and also Heather Bailey's Fresh Cut line. We will see though. Such desicions.

Feeeeelin' Craftee!

Well, I have been desiring to do a quilt for some time. I have done a couple of small silly ones but I have never done a full size quilt for my bed. I know the pattern than I want to do...I just haven't found the fabric. Well, I think that I have found a designer and I really like his stuff! His name is Joel Dewberry (He's a man! Weird) and the line that I like right now is called Ginseng. I seem to be fond of the Mulberry Palette...although the Jasmine one is really pretty too. I'm trying to steer away from pink though. I like pink, I just seem to get tired of it a little quicker than other colors. Being that this will go on my bed for a while I hope...I should probably pick colors that I like a lot. I seem to be drawn lately to a red, pale yellow, and grey combination and these are the colors that he uses. I like it, it's a bit retro but also different than some of the stuff I've seen lately. But...I have to wait until May. Oh well, it gives me time to save up for it!

I also liked his bio. He grew up in a family of 7 kids and his mom is a well known artist. She always encouraged her children to be creative and so when he entered college he became a graphic design major. Now he has four kids and his greatest passion is being a husband and father. He just sounds...nice. :-) So, here are some sample swatches:

Resumes, Biking in the Rain, & Tamales

Well, I just applied for a new job. I don't know if I will get it although I feel somewhat qualified for it. I think the biggest part of it though was making that first step. It seems like the first resume put in is always the hardest. It's not in a field that I love or anything but I think that it pays well. It also has a 401K (I don't even really know what that is but I think that it's good!), and benefits (which after paying for my own for the last 6 months would be wonderful). We'll see. It would be nice if I got...I would be fine if I didn't SO I guess I just have to wait and see what happens!

On another note...it's now raining. I of course chose to get some exercise and ride my bike to work (it wasn't raining at that point). Bright move! It wouldn't be so bad except I know that Jason can't give me a ride and I need to be at a meeting at 4pm. I am thus stuck riding it rain or shine. Hopefully the Lord will stop the rain at 3:45 so I can get to my meeting dry. I would rather not have to sit in my soaked clothes throughout the whole thing.

Good thing I have left over tamales that the "Tamale Man" sold to me yesterday. I don't have to go out to get lunch now! I love the "Tamale Man". He's from Mexico and once a week comes by the business I work at and sells his yummy yummy tamales. I actually had cash this time on me to buy some! He's always so excited about them and it's contagious. He walks in smiling and says in his thick Mexican accent, "Would you like to buy some tamales? I have pork, chicken, and cheese and jalapeno. They are 3 for $3 or 6 for $5.50" Why thank you Mr. Tamale Man...I'll take 6!

My Celebrity Look-A-Likes

So, what do you think? That first girl...whatever her name is (it's a strange name like Mischa or something) is like 85% compatible with my face apparently! :-) I'll tell you what I think...I think all of those women are gorgeous...well, most of them, and I'm not quite convinced that I look like any of them. It's fun anyways though!

Mmmmmm...

That's much better! I got tired of looking at a blog that was nothing like what I was seeing outside! Right now all of the bulbs in SLO are coming to bloom and the hills are so green. It may be cold outside still but it's beginning to feel more and more like spring. So, here is a new spring time blog...becuase I'm certainly ready to leave winter behind! Hmmm...it is obvious that I would have no tolerance to the cold in a place that actually GOES THROUGH winter!

Pride and Prejudice

Yes, this is the book that I have been reading as of late! (Did you know that you can buy most of the "classics" for only $4.95 at Barnes and Noble?) I must say that it is one of the best books I have ever read (and no, I didn't read it in high school...not sure why). The character Elizabeth is just...amazing. She's one of those characters you read about and wish to be like. Jane Austen is so talented and she makes me wish I could write. I have been reading it on the bus on the way to work each day and I am finally almost through...about 10 pages to go. Elizabeth has finally confessed her love for Mr. Darcy. The great thing about this book is the eloquence of Austen's writing. There are so many amazing quotes in this book...some are just plain hilarious! Here are a few of my personal favorites!

"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife. However little known the feelings or views of such a man may be on his first entering a neighbourhood, this truth is so well fixed in the minds of the surrounding families, that he is considered the rightful property of some one or other of their daughters."

"I could easily forgive his pride, if he had not mortified mine."

"If a woman is partial to a man, and does not endeavour to conceal it, he must find it out."

"A lady's imagination is very rapid; it jumps from admiration to love, from love to matrimony, in a moment."

"Elizabeth, having rather expected to affront him, was amazed at his gallantry; but there was a mixture of sweetness and archness in her manner which made it difficult for her to affront anybody; and Darcy had never been so bewitched by any woman as he was by her. He really believed, that were it not for the inferiority of her connections, he should be in some danger."

"Stupid men are the only ones worth knowing after all."

"For what do we live, but to make sport for our neighbours, and laugh at them in our turn?"

And the next two are a couple of my all time favorites!!!

"I have been a selfish being all my life, in practice, though not in principle. As a child I was taught what was right, but I was not taught to correct my temper. I was given good principles, but left to follow them in pride and conceit. Unfortunately an only son, I was spoilt by my parents, who, though good themselves (my father, particularly, all that was benevolent and amiable), allowed, encouraged, almost taught me to be selfish and overbearing; to care for none beyond my own family circle; to think meanly of all the rest of the world; to wish at least to think meanly of their sense and worth compared with my own. Such I was, from eight to eight and twenty; and such I might still have been but for you, dearest, loveliest Elizabeth! What do I not owe you! You taught me a lesson, hard indeed at first, but most advantageous. By you, I was properly humbled. I came to you without a doubt of my reception. You showed me how insufficient were all my pretensions to please a woman worthy of being pleased."

"I cannot fix on the hour, or the look, or the words, which laid the foundation. It is too long ago. I was in the middle before I knew that I had begun."

So...it's a fabulous book and if there is anyone out there, like me, who hasn't read it yet...read it! You won't be disappointed!

A Blog a Day, Mon-Fri...

I just realized that I wrote a blog entry every day this week (at least Mon-Thur.). I wasn't planning on writing one today...I don't have much to say...but I realized that if I do than I will have a Blog entry for Mon-Fri. Wow, that's a lot of blogging. I really wish that I wasn't so bored at work every day. I think that I may start looking for another job...but what?

I can get an Admin. job kind of like this one (but with more work) and get paid about $12-$18 with benny's! I don't particularly like this kind of work though. I mean I can do it and it's not terrible. What I would LOVE to do though is work at The Cakery (a cake shop here in SLO). They had a job opening not very long ago that started at part time, they trained you to decorate cakes, and then would move you up to full time. I think the pay was not much over minimum wage though to start. I would love to bake and decorate cakes some day. I love doing stuff like that and even have sketches of cake ideas. I would also love to find a profession that I can do from home and that uses my creativity. I guess this is one of my BHAG's as Tim puts it. Who knows what will happen though.

Jobs like THAT sound fun...even if I never do it for a real profession. The problem though lies in cost of living in SLO. Minimum wage just won't cut it. So, for now I will pray for joy in my current job and opportunities for me to make my job a little more exciting by sharing my faith and making lasting relationships with the lost who need the Lord here and now.

Here's to chocolate, and flowers, and evening hours spent with the one's we love (but we're not saying that "L" word yet so..."like" for me!)

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!!

February Sunburns

Well, it's Wednesday and I meant to write about my fabulous weekend. It was one of those weekends that are just so...fun. Usually I look forward to the weekend but it ends up not being all that special and fun all things considering. Last weekend was great though. It was between 75 and 80 degrees the WHOLE weekend and thus Jason and I, and some friends, basically stayed outside all weekend long...AND I even managed to get a sunburn. A sunburn in February...who thought I would manage that!

So, I had to house sit and watch the Peet's little dog...that was in heat. No more needs to be said except that my family always faithfully neuters our animals and I have never dealt with a dog in heat. I hope to never do it again...yuck! My dear friend Autumn came into town for the weekend for a wedding and so she stayed with me at the Peet's. On Friday night we ended up staying up till 2am just catching up and talking about life. It was so very refreshing. She just knows me quite well and we have a lot of history. It was great.

Then I woke up late, had coffee and tea with Aut in the morning, and finally went on a mountain bike ride at 11am. Our mountain biking friends were out of town and so it was just Jas and I. It was nice to be out there with just him. I love sitting with him and talking at the top of the mountain. This time of year is especially nice becuase it's the time when SLO begins to turn green...so beautiful!

After our ride we met Shannon and Stephen on Madonna Mtn and went on a hike. They are great friends. They are sort of our "couple" friends. Shannon and I usually pair off while Jason and Stephen pair off, then sometimes we talk as a group, and sometimes I even talk with Jason while they talk together...we just feel at ease while we are together. They are really fun people and we always enjoy hanging out with them.

After our hike we decided that since we exercised so much we should reward ourselves with fish and chips from the Custom House in Avila. Jason's brother and sister in law work there and we ended up having...bread and butter, bowls of clam chowder, half a beer each, fish and chips, and this amazing apple fried desert thing. Oh my gosh we were full!!! Uggghh. We only paid for the fish and chips too. Joanna, Tyler's wife, is the manager there so she was able to treat us! Fun stuff! After our disgustingly rich and yummy meal we walked down the Avila pier to digest a little. Walking helps so much with that! Wow. The waves were really big at Avila too. It was neat.

So, we called it a night and the next morning went to church. In Jason and I's Sunday school class we had only 5 kids! That was nice. I love the kids but sometimes it's nice to have a smaller class. We had a blast with them doing things that we wouldn't normally do with say 10-15 kids. After that we conquered Bishop's Peak. It was so crowded. It was a beautiful warm hike and we ended up running down. I'm a bit out of running shape and my legs were quite sore after that. After our Bishop's peak hike we went to Thrifty's and got $1 iceream cones...Chocolate Malted Crunch! Yum! I love that flavor...so good! And finally we ended our day with an evening at SLO-Op climbing gym where I did a climb successfully that I haven't yet been able to do. Yay! So, overall...a fabulous weekend and the weather was amazing. Thank you Lord for blessing us so!

Why is it that...

Here are some questions I wonder about sometimes. I saw someone else do this and it seemed fun so here it goes...

Why is it that...

-some internet sites seem to to trap me there. They won't let you go "page back" or anything. some blogs even do it. It bugs me.

-you can't buy brocolli in a can? It seems like you can buy every other veggie. Hmmm. I think that it would be gross though.

-you know how they say that you can't block an emergency exit inside a building? (like you can't hang out inside in front of a door) If there was an emergency though...wouldn't you run out the exit, therefore no longer blocking it!?!

-everytime I have PMS I never realize it at first and think that I am coming down with some sort of bug. You would think that I would figure it out eventually.

-I don't feel hungry from when I get up to about 1pm. After 1pm though I feel like I eat 3 times what I should and I am just starving...even if I make myself eat more in the morning.

-size 0 pants at Gap don't come in "short". They are made for someone who is like 5'7"! The average size 0 girl is short...not tall. I'm tired of hemming my pants!

-(more on pants :-) )I used to wear a 2 at Gap and other stores and now wear a 0. I didn't lose weight. If they keep adjusting the sizes I will no longer fit in clothes...that's no good.

-it is sooooo hard to give things to the Lord. It is a constant, minute by minute battle for me sometimes. I think with every day I live I see more and more the true depth of the sin and depravity of man.

-the Lord would love ME to send His Son for MY life. I just can't wrap my head around it.

So...

I went online and read up a lot on green tea and guess what...it's known to help acne. Green tea helps balance hormone levels and also is an anti-oxidant which helps you keep a clear face.

Apparently there are only two known herbal remedies for treating acne and green tea is one of them. Green tea has natural anti-bacterial properties and antioxidants, particularly epigallocatechin gallate (whatever that is!) which is 200 times more powerful than vitamin E at fighting free radicals. Green tea also helps to reduce inflammation, hormonal activity and aids in detoxification. Green tea digested after a meal is often known as 'Pimple Tea' in many Chinatowns. When you drink it after a meal it aids digestion and helps to detoxify your system, getting rid of the toxins that can cause acne. Supposedly you aren't supposed to drink it with sugar but I put about a teaspoon or so in it and it seems to still work. So, there you go...who knows if it's true but I found this on a ton of sites. :-) So, drink green tea and see what happens!!!!!

Back so soon and a question on green tea...

This is a particularly boring day at work so I thought that I would give you a little beauty tip that "seems" to be working for me.

So, I have been battling acne since I was maybe 15. It wasn't so bad in high school but starting in my 2nd year of college it seemed to get worse. I have also begun getting rupturing ovarian cists. Google it if you don't know what it is. Anyways, when this does occur my hormones go wack-o. I think that I get them maybe every 3 months...varying degrees of them.

The last two months have been particularly bad with acne. I had no idea what it was. I figured that it was hormonal (is that spelled right). So, about two weeks ago I had a pretty bad cold. I love coffee but that didn't sound good at all. During my lunch break I popped over and bought a big box of green tea from TJ's for like $1.50. I enjoy the tea and it's a nice pick me up in the afternoon but has less caffeine than coffee. So...I have been having a cup a day for the last two weeks. Last week my face started clearing up. I didn't think much of it. I just figured it was a nice "clear" time. Then over the weekend I broke out a little (I didn't have any green tea). Then this week I drank it all the way through the week and I'm pretty clear again. Weird or what? So, has anyone ever heard of green tea doing this? Am I crazy? I know that Olivia drinks a lot of green tea...or at least you did! :-). Well, whatever it is, it seems to be working for me and I think that this weekend I will be bringing a couple of tea bags home!!!! Placebo? Maybe! But, I am not too proud to be munipulated by a placebo that has effects! :-) Perhaps I will do some research online!

Missions Meeting

Jason and I went to the Grace Mission's meeting last night. These last few weeks have been the Mission's Conference at Grace and we have been receiving a ton of exhortation and encouragment to live life for eternity...to make every day count, whether abroad or here in SLO. So, last night, our Mission's Pastor, Danny Martin, had a missions meeting for everyone who was interested in possibly going on a summer missions trip. Some of the one's that Grace is doing (well, actually other organizations are leading them but Grace is supporting them) are a trip to Namibia to help with AIDS children, the Philippines to work in the schools and help refugee families, Romania to do music ministry, Guatemala to teach teachers about incorporating Christ into the curriculum, and also to Indonesia through the Navigators (it's pretty much the same trip that Andy Jeffrey did).

Well, Jason and I went and to be honest...there wasn't really one that stuck out to me. Weird. We were thinking that the Indonesia one would be neat becuase we have been discussing in church the possibility of adopting a people group from Indonesia. Jason and I, and especially Jason, have had the burden to set roots and live some where for the long term. Danny was talking about sending a group to Indonesia who could go scuba dive and scope out the group that they want to adopt through that. Jason was amazed becuase he is actually Rescue Diver certified. He got into scuba diving a couple of years ago and has gone through a lot of classes and dives to get to that level. So, he thought that it would be so neat if God ended up using that in the long run for His glory. The trip that Danny mentioned though wasn't this one that is being offered in the summer. The dates for the Navigators trip to Indonesia are a little conflicting too for us. So, it seems that we won't be doing a trip this summer (as of now). That's ok though. I just want His timing and His guidance. I will say though that I was hoping that maybe one of those would work out. So, I guess we will see...:-) (By the way, as of now I will be getting scuba certified in April!!!)

Oh weekends...how I love thee...

and it's Monday...hmph!

It's funny because Jason's dad always tells Jason and I, "Don't live for the weekend. You must serve the Lord at your job and really try to enjoy it. It will make working so much more enjoyable!" The fact is though that the weekends are so nice, you are so free, it's the time when you have all of the fun! I am trying though and every week gets a little better. 4o hours a week is a lot to get used to BUT...I received my first full two week check last Friday and I will say that was very very nice!

So, in celebration of my first check Jason and I decided to have a little splurge! I have been budgeting...very strictly...for the last 5 years. If I have an expense that's "fun" I usually need to save for it. I haven't really been able to do spontaneous spending except for an occasional on sale $6 shirt from Gap. So, Jason and I have been wanting to get into climbing and on Saturday we bought my first pair of climbing shoes and chalk bag. I am super excited!!!! It's those purple beauties shown to the right!!!

The best part of the whole thing is that there is this really sweet underground type of climbing gym around the corner from my work. It's called the slo-op bouldering gym. It's this super laid back, free spirited constructed gym for bouldering! It's non-profit and you pay $25 a month to climb 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You get the combo and you get to go whenever you want. So cool! I'm super stoked to take on a new hobby! So, I will be sure to post some pics of Jason and I looking like crazy people hanging from walls! I can't wait to go climb Bishop's! We'll wait until we are little more skilled for that! :-) This is the gym shown below!