My own place

So I just signed my lease and have the keys in hand to my new apartment. Yeah! Now I can move all those boxes I have packed and since it's so convenient to work I can load up my van in the morning and take it down after work that day. I have pretty much everything I need except a couch so that's great! A friend of mine who's getting married in April is giving away some of her stuff so I'm getting a few things from her as well. And the great part is I live above the rental office/space that they use for show but the rental lady doesn't actually live there. So there won't be anyone below me at night which will nice for when I have people over.
And I have another interview tomorrow morning for the job I applied for so we'll see how that goes. Nothing like changing everything at once!
And just to let those of you who live in the area know...if I've helped you move previously I just might be calling on you to help me. :-)

Bears Superbowl Shuffle

Since I was only 7 when this happened I definitely don't remember it but I think they should do an updated one!! It had me rolling on the floor, especially McMahon with his sunglasses and hat!

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/69344/super_bowl_shuffle/

And here's an interesting Wikipedia entry:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Bowl_Shuffle

GO COLTS!

What a great game that was and now we're headed to to the big game! Weehaww!! :-)

Job search

So I just got back from interviewing with Human Resources about a position I applied for and I think it went really well. Of course, it was funny that the lady who interviewed me has only been at the University for a week... I also found it humorous that they wanted to test me on Word and Excel before I went in - uh, I've been here working in Finance for 4 years so I'm pretty sure I'm good on that! And needless to say I passed both tests just fine. :-) So now it's just waiting to see if I get called for a second round of interviews with the actual department.

This weekend I got a bunch of boxes so I think I"ll start packing books tonight since I've got to start sometime and books are the easiest.

I'm also a little tired today cause I didn't get to bed til midnight last night. I was babysitting but I didn't fall asleep this time after the kids went to bed because I brought a book to read instead.
Okay, back to the last 45 minutes of work today. Have a great evening or morning or afternoon- wherever you are!

Apartment search

So I think I've narrowed it down to 2 places from which I'll choose to live the next part of my life. Working in the accounting world as I do, after I was done looking I went home and made an Excel spreadsheet of all the pros and cons. :-) The amount of money I may spend on gas getting to work from one could even out the higher cost of rent at the other one. There aren't that many differences - the main thing would be location, of course. So I'm starting to collect boxes at work and will probably start with my books...gotta start somewhere. If you are in the area reading this and have access to boxes, I'll take them!
Oh, and in fun unexpected news, I apparently have a mouse upstairs in my bathroom - good times! Now to just find the little bugger!

Moving

So I'm moving sometime in February, out of my shared 3 BR, 2 Bath house to a 1 bedroom apartment. It's a ton of work looking at apts but I'm excited to finally live all by my lonesome - I've never truly lived by myself before so it should be a Grand Adventure, as A.A. Milne would say. I've looked at one place and have another appt. Saturday and might just take a day off work next week to look, since most places aren't open on the weekends. Finance wise I wasn't expecting this so soon but that's where my wonderful family comes in!!
And it's good I don't own much so the move should be pretty easy. The place will be quite sparsely furnished but so what? I'll still be having people over to eat at my cardboard table with me I'm sure. I might even put a tablecloth on if it's really important company...

Prosperity Gospel

My sister showed this to me and I was laughing so hard. I particularly liked "Escalade."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-plwB8AW58

NFL Playoff options

So just in case your team doesn't make it through the playoffs here's a little fun to see on who's bandwagon you should jump. I did it twice and got good teams both times with different questions. Have fun, let me know who you get and go Colts!!

http://playoffs.nfl.com/bandwagon/

Happy New Year from a cute little girl!

Here is Anna in all her pink glory! (and my skinny sister!) :-)

Snow anyone?

So I'm resting here at my mom's laptop after a morning and part afternoon of shoveling through about 2.5 feet of snow...and we're not done yet!! I'm glad I got in Tuesday night I'll tell you that. I did come out here for snow and I must say God definitely gave me a positive answer to that request! It's been fun though, Mom and I have gotten a lot done inside so it's a successful storm all around. I'm definitely getting a workout-which is good since we can't make it to the gym as planned. We're taking turns with the shovel but I can't remember the last time I shoveled this much snow! I mean, growing up with it every winter is one thing but not having used those muscles in a while is worthy of a bath, in my opinion. Anyway, just thought I'd let everyone know that we are okay and slowly but surely digging our way out.
One funny thing I just saw a few minutes ago...a bunch of college guys had hooked up a tow type rope to the back of their car and one dude was snowboarding down the road behind them...it was great!!

thinking...how very dangerous for me

So I've hit a never before seen lull here at work, (commence sarcastic laughter now), and since I'm taking a break from posting other places, figured why not put something up here? Might be random thoughts but since do you get much else from me?

I finished all my shopping as of yesterday and am set for what may come - at least present wise. I'm getting ready for my visit to Mom and CO which begins next Tuesday! Yeah for moms who live with lots of snow!! Haven't seen much of that yet over here so fine, I'll fly to where it will actually feel like Christmas. Even though I know snow has nothing to do with Christmas, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera...I just like snow at Christmas time is that okay?

Random fun fact #1- Matt's parents and my mom will meet in the Denver airport on the 23rd. No one ever said our family was conventional!! (His or mine.) Long story short, he and his brothers are flying in to visit their mom and dad and since my mom lives so close to the airport we thought that might be as good a chance as any. Should be fun!
Random fun Fact #2- I'm meeting up with the Daggetts and Jennie Dangers while I'm there. Always fun to see new babies and old friends!!

Got my usual "Your 52 days are up can we get some more blood please?" phone call from the Red Cross wanting my life-giving blood, so I need to make an appt. That's what happens when you're a life donor, which I would highly recommend for anyone who is able. It's great and I often see the same nurses and the same donors, which makes it quite familiar and fun!! It's like a little we love to give blood family. :)

So my sis and I were watching Biggest Loser 3 Finale last night and we were crying! Anyone else absolutely amazed with Eric, Jaron and Brian? And go Poppi from NJ!!! Way to represent girl. Losing half your body weight - that's just crazy! And didn't Heather look good for being 5 months pregnant? What a great show!!

Okay, that's pretty good. I have a bit of stuff to do before I take off. It's funny that as soon as people know you are going on vacation they all of a sudden have tons of stuff they need you to do before you leave. Maybe I'll just sneak out one day...shhhh!

Unless something major happens I probably won't blog until after I get back so Merry Christmas to all and to all a good flight! (oh wait, that's me!)

In one ear and out the other

Okay- I'm officially a winter wimp. Although the winds are blowing at 20 mph and it's about 27 degrees (but really feels like 11 degrees) it still shouldn't be that bad for a girl who lived the first 23 1/2 years of her life in the upper Midwest. I just had to walk across campus to get the President's signature and as I was walking in that afore-mentioned weather I realized I was freezing. My ears were frozen, my chin felt numb and my legs hurt from the wind. What??? I should be thriving on this but no, I'm freezing. Something has gone terribly wrong in the last 4 years - I'm afraid I'm adapting to mild Jersey winters and now when it's decidedly chilly I can't handle it. This makes me somewhat sad...but still, here I will stay until God tells me otherwise. At least there was a teeny bit of snow on my van this morning - now that's what I want to see!!

In other news, on Monday I went to Barnes & Noble to have a caramel steamer and read the conclusion of Captivating. Immediately upon finishing I set to work on the devotional I'm giving next week at our ladies Christmas Tea. I spent Monday evening, part of Tuesday and Wednesday evening going at it hammer and tong, if you will. So last night I did a dry run with my mentor, (sans the song I will play), and happy of all happies she really liked it! It's fun to learn things that impact and mature yourself as person but it's more fun to have the desire to share that with others and to see them grow and change right along with you. :-)

Also, I was reading cute cute Sarah Irani's blog a while ago and have decided to love my curls and take care of them as well as I can. So I haven't brushed my hair in a good few weeks and am learning all sorts of fun things to make it look even more fun! Someone asked the other night if I had gotten a perm, to which I replied no, I've just decided to love my curls instead of hiding them. Now, if I could only figure out how to eat without them getting in my food...

Come join us tonight for the 4th annual Christmas party at our house if you happen to be in the area!

Captivating Part 2

I'm still getting through this wonderful book and thought I'd share some more insight. I just finished the chapter titled Arousing Adam and find it amazing how things that we usually view as temptations or rabbit trails off the narrow road can actually lead to better relations and levels of intimacy with your spouse. To learn to take those opportunities or circumstances and turn them around to pursue such love and awakening with our husband or wife can create stronger bonds between each other. I'm clearly not married yet but simply knowing how I can encourage my brothers to pursue a higher calling in the midst of all this wordly confusion is a gift I have unwrapping for a few years but I think I'm finally getting through the tape and into the real gift.
The Eldredges say that the deepest fear of women is abandonment and for men is failure, (amen to that!), but also that men still long to be looked upon as a Hero and challenged to show their strength and ability. But we as woman need to know that we can make or break that desire or the result of such a test. To let him know that he is needed and believed in is so necessary and a must for a healthy relationship. I am trying to think of good ways to try these ideas out and since I have such a good man to try then with, it's worth a shot. :-) It's not easy or natural for me to be super sensitive or aware but I'm learning.
There was also a chapter about womanly relationships and how vital they are to simply being a woman. We all have been given the gift of mothering far beyond bearing children. Whenever we see a need and rise to fill it or love each other or are a part of bringing out and nuturing the true heart of a friend we are mothering. This is something that is great for all of us to realize and put into practice. Though we childless women are often looked down upon, God has still show His love toward us in this inborn, innate desire and gift of mothering with which He has blessed us.
Okay, on to the next chapter. Have a marvelous day!

The Nativity Story

I saw the Nativity Story last night and I highly recommend it. It made the lives of Mary and Joseph so much more real and now I see them in a different light. I can't imagine how difficult their lives must have been! I do agree with Matt on the comic relief they threw in. They didn't make it a boring and totally serious movie, for which I was thankful. So I say go see it and enjoy the story of the birth of our Lord yet again, but for the first time.
I was also playing around with the settings and templates on here and had some fun changing and adding a few things to my blog. Have a great day!

It's been a while

So I was talking with Amy the other night and she made me realize I hadn't blogged in a while so here I am! Lots of things have happened since I was on last - my sis had another birthday, (and Dave and I successfully pulled off a surprise party for her), Anna turned 9 months and is close to having 4 teeth, I started dating again, had a really fun Thanksgiving with family and friends, planned a trip to visit Mom over Christmas and I'm sure other things as well.

I had a fun Thanksgiving and we had a ton of food. I'm not even sure it's all gone yet - I think I saw some mashed potatoes in my sister's fridge last night when I was babysitting. :-)

Alright, back to the work sitting in front of me staring me in the face...until next time.

p.s. I highly recommend Bebo Norman's most recent album and Shawn McDonald's Simply Nothing album. :-)

Back again

It's been a while but it's been busy. My roomie is actually home tonight so we need to figure out details for our 4th annual Christmas party, when we are cleaning the house and when we are putting up the tree...I also need to buy my ticket to go visit Mom over Christmas, read more of my book(s), charge my phone and a few other things. So because of all that and the beauty of procrastination, here I sit, happily procrastinating and blogging to you.

So for all the lackadaisical workdays I've had recently, I'm making up for it. With the 2006 United Way Campaign in action plus working on this year's annual Financial reports the days have been flying by. Thank goodness the University only has about 5,000 employees - I have no idea how I'd handle all the donations if there were more! It's good to feel like I'm actually earning my paycheck but nice to get paid whether or not I'm actually working the entire day.

It's rainy and wet this week but no snow as of yet. I don't mind snow at all, duh, but I do mind how drivers completely forget how to navigate those large vehicles they have been certified to drive on a regular basis! Ah, Jersey drivers... and don't even start me on what happens when it rains.

Okay, I've postponed long enough plus my tummy is telling me it's dinnertime - so I'm going to head downstairs to make some food. Happy reading to all and to all a good night!

Captivating

So my mom brought the above mentioned book out for me to read. I started it on my lunch hour and am intrigued. I have all of John Eldredge's other books and this was is just as good. It's interesting to me to see how he and his wife uncover some deep truths about Godly femininity and how they are so right on. The three truths of man and the three truths of women are incredibly complimentary and God continues to awe me with His truth, beauty and grace.

One of the lines that caught my eye was this: "By 'mystery' we don't mean 'forever beyond your knowing,' but something to be explored." This is a much more healthy and alluring definition of such a word as mystery. If even "angels long to look into these things," how much more should we as His beloved, hand-crafted sons and daughters, search out the mysteries of God and all that surrounds Him? It's such a fun adventure to embark upon or to continue the search we have already begun. My personal view of mystery is that the more that is uncovered, the more I see there is to discover. How great is that? A consistent, persistent pursuit of God is about as exciting as it gets. We might never know the answer until we reach heaven but it's still worth whole-heartedly pursuing while we are still down here!

Mom's here!

My mom is out here visiting for a few days and it's fun when she comes out. The kids love it of course and it's good to catch up and just sit around talking. I went to the Philly airport to pick her up yesterday and because of my sister's wonderful suggestion of perhaps eating at Franklin Mills, (an outlet center), we got through Philly traffic and ate and did a little shopping. I've always wondered, why do people say "We didn't do too bad" when they come out with a few or more packages? Just one of those things I've never understood.
I think Matt's going to come over sometime this weekend while she's here so that should be fun. They only met once before, at least 3 1/2 years ago but they know a bit about each other so it should be good. He's hung out with Dave and Bethany so they know him a bit too. It's always fun to introduce someone new to our family. Though I don't know how new he is, since we've been good friends essentially since I moved out here and done lots of things together. And I'm sure he'll appreciate reading about himself online...
Work has been fairly steady, yet somehow still dull. Ah well, finance has never really been that exciting of a field for me! As soon as United Way starts up I'll wish for these peaceful days but until then, I'll find other ways to amuse myself- not an unusual task for me here at work. Have a great day!

Put on a happy face...

...cause Anna certainly is!

2 nephews & a niece

Here are some pictures of the kids I thought you might enjoy:

2 sisters reading to 2 brothers

Even Sim thought he looked old in this picture

the highway men come riding

Joely learns to wink with Grandpa

our cute little Anna comfy in Papa's arms

a little Joely lion and a Simeon tiger at a Princeton vs. Brown football game