Good News vs. Bad News

So the bad news first: I heard from Accenture the other day and my start date has officially changed from February 7th to February 21st. I'm a little bummed about that but what are ya gonna do right? Besides, my good news far out-weighs the bad.

I'm not sure if I've mentioned here or not, but I've had some frustration at my church in regards to the music ministry. I love to sing, and I really feel like that is where I am meant to serve. However, I haven't always felt like I've been given many opportunities to use my gifts in that area. My frustration stems mostly from the fact that they had never really taken the time to listen to me sing. I mean, it's one thing to listen to me sing and then tell me that you just don't think you can use me but to not even take the time to listen is a little discouraging. So, they gave notice that they were going to be having "auditions" for the praise team which totally excited me. Today was my day to go sing so I cued up a song called "How Beautiful" by Twila Paris. After a verse, the music guy stopped it and goes, "Wow that was...well, beautiful. I don't think I've ever actually heard you sing by yourself. We're going to use that in the next couple of weeks just as soon as we can tie it into a sermon." So I was super thrilled. He wants me to sing in the choir thing that they're putting together plus he's still going to rotate me into the praise team so all in all it turned out well. Just goes to show you that God will find a way to encourage you and use the gifts He has given you if you just have the patience to wait for Him.

As for Jeremy, he's been on a major movie binge lately. We've watched movies almost everyday this week which is totally fine by me because I love movies. Today was nice because it was raining outside which made it a perfect movie day. We rented Paparazzi and The Forgotten, both great movies. I slept through the second half of Paparazzi because I had to get up early this morning for my audition at church. I managed to stay awake for most of The Forgotten and then he kicked me out because he had to do homework. Apparently, he wants to get this thing called a degree and he can't do it if I don't leave him alone so he can do his homework. Crazy person.

Random thought:
I never used to be sensitive to cold. I could sleep with the windows open and 2 fans blowing in the dead of winter and be extremely comfortable. Now it's like I can't stay warm no matter how hard I try. I can be wearing shoes and socks and yet my toes still manage to get cold. Today after lunch we walked outside and I told Jeremy "I officially cannot feel my toes anymore. They're completely numb from the cold. For all I know they could have fallen off my feet and are just rolling around in the front of my shoe." He said I was being "dramatic." Pssh!

Abstinent in the Country

So I've been thinking about how much I like writing here (when I actually find then time) and it occurred to me that, perhaps, I could be the next Sex in the City writer! Of course, I would have to substitute "abstinent" for "sex" since I don't actually have sex. I also don't live in the city, I live in the middle of nowhere. But I really think that "Abstinent in the Country" could be just as big a hit don't you?

I mean, between the funny farm moments and the driving incidents that happen daily in my life, it's sure to be a hit. Speaking of driving, I apparently drive "bad" by some people's estimation. Of course, now that I own a 2 door car, I manage to have 4 people pile into my car once or twice a week. During the 5 years that I owned my 4 door Jetta I think I had 4 people in my car about once a year! Anyway, I don't see so well at night and they always decide that they want to go somewhere at night so I really think it's their fault. I can't help it that I'm the only person out of everyone that can seat 4 people in their car and they should know better than to want to go out at night because they have been warned. They all take the term "speed limit" far too literally. Yes, as I've mentioned before, I know that "limit" implies that you should not exceed a certain speed and it does give the incorrect impression that it is in some way acceptable to drive below the posted speed. In my estimation, if you're not going at least 5 over the posted speed, you're going to slow and you need to get out of my way. Still, on a regular basis I hear "Hey speedy, this isn't Nascar." To which I respond "I'm not going that fast." "The speed limit is 35 and you're going nearly 50!" "...And your point would be?" I've resigned myself to the fact that they just don't know how to drive and it's my responsibility to enlighten them.

On the Casey-front, I've been informed that there is a boy in the picture!!!!! I'm very happy that she is considering being interested in a male that has only two legs. Things just aren't the same here without her, but it sounds like she's really having a good time with the air force so it's all good. Once my work starts in 2 weeks, I hope to have much more interesting stories to share with her and you, but till then my mundane daily activities will have to suffice.

Final thought for the day: I went back to working out today. I've had about a 2 week break. It still sucks as much as it did before, in case you weren't sure.

Was it Nancy Reagan who said "Just Say No"?

I find it so amusing that people think that pressuring me into doing something is the actually going to persuade me to change my mind. I'm about as stubborn as they come. Take, for instance, the birthday party I went to on Saturday night with Jeremy (the guy I'm dating). A couple days before the party actually took place he received a phone call from the girlfriend of the birthday boy. The plan had originally been to go to Dave and Busters, but she told him that now they were going to go to a strip club. So I hear him go "cool tools" and he looks at me and says "We're gonna go to a strip club on Saturday night ok?" My eyes get big and I go "No?" Then he decided I was mad at him for asking me. (He thinks I'm mad alot. I don't know why. I've never considered myself to be an especially surly individual.) So after I assure him I'm not mad, I tell him I was just surprised that he thought I would actually go. He asked if I'd ever been, and when I gave him the negatory on that he told me that it was something that I should experience once in my life. I told him I don't need to experience it because I don't want to experience it. I told him I was happy to go to the Dave and Busters portion of the evening, but after that I was going home. He took this to mean he couldn't go either, at which point I told him that was his decision to make, not mine. He said, "You'll be mad at me if I go." When I told him I wouldn't be mad, he said, "But you'll be disappointed in me right?" at which point I informed him that "disappointed" is a completely different word than "mad" and I was simply saying I wouldn't be mad. I don't want to be the person who tells him "No." I want him to choose to do the right thing, I don't want to tell him to do it. Not to mention, it's really hard to stand up against someone you care about.

So Saturday night rolls around and we arrive at the party. About halfway through the night, he wanders off to the bar with the birthday boy, and I'm left with the somewhat drunk girlfriend of the birthday boy. I knew that he wasn't happy that Jeremy had decided to come home with me instead of going to the strip club, which is why I wasn't especially surprised when the girlfriend approached me and, with a slight slur, inquired, "So you guys don't want to go to the strip club right?" at which point I informed her that was correct. So she gave me an anecdote about how she has only been to a strip club once, and she hadn't really wanted to go the time that she did because she thought it would be dirty. However, when she got there she found it wasn't really as dirty as she thought it would be, that yes, the girls had their tops off, but they weren't completely nude and she could deal with that. She would much rather be there with her boyfriend than have him go alone so she can witness what happens, and it really wasn't that bad in her opinion, which I obviously should relate with because she is very Christian/Catholic. At the close of the story, where I was obviously supposed to say "Well I'll think about it and maybe we'll go since it's not that bad," I simply told her that a strip club just wasn't a place I wanted to be.

At the end of the night, Jeremy rode home with me, leaving the birthday boy and a few other party-goers to visit the strip club without him. He was really great about it in the end, a real trooper. I was glad he didn't go to the club because I wasn't really too keen on the idea of him watching girls dance around half nekkid. He respected my feelings on the whole thing and, while I felt bad that he missed half of his friend's party, I felt good that I had held onto my beliefs and hadn't been present at an establishment that I think presents a lifestyle that I disagree with.

Farewell Loretta the Jetta, Hello Wanda the Honda

Ok so, I couldn't wait for another day to post about the things that have happened recently. It all began shortly before Christmas. I had been home most of the day after getting my tire repaired because I had gotten a nail in it. In all my years of driving, I have never had a nail in my tire, but in the last 3 months I have had not one, but TWO nails in my tire. I told the guy at the tire store that this year I had gotten two nails in my tire after years of having no nails. His words of wisdom: "Well, at least the year is almost over." Well, gee thanks for those comforting words.

Anyway, that evening I was going to go to the health club and continue my workout regimen. As I'm driving, I keep hearing this weird noise. It sounded almost like birds chirping, and it was really kind of disturbing to think that I had a little nest of birdies in my engine that I was slowly mutilating. So, I called my mom and she said it might be that they hadn't tightened my lugnuts on my car so I should come home right away. Fine by me, I didn't really want to workout anyway. So I drove by the health club, cause I was almost there, and decided that it was silly to make this trip out pointless, so I would stop for ice cream in lieu of the workout (sheer brilliance if you ask me). So I pull into the drive through, roll down my window, and place my order. Then, with my window still in the down position, I roll through to the window and as I'm rolling I realize that that little bird chirping sound was actually the sound of metal scraping against metal. Now, I'm no car guru, but I figured this couldn't be good so, ice cream in hand, I proceeded home.

The next day my dad looked at my car and told me that my "idler pully" was broken. Who'd have thunk that you actually needed a pully to idle. I thought it was just some magic thing my car did. He showed me where the idler pully was located and I realized that they were going to drop my engine to make the repair which would cost at least 600 bucks. Since I'm jobless, the prospect of spending 600 dollars on a car I don't want anymore wasn't exactly high on my list of things I want to do so I let my dad fix it which proved to be much cheaper cause I don't have to pay him for labor.

Now the exciting part: After Christmas, I went car shopping!!!!! I got a beautiful car. It's pretty and shiny and I think I'm going to name her Wanda the Honda. She's a 2005 Honda Accord Coupe EX with a V6 engine. She's white with tan leather interior and a 6 disk in-dash cd changer and bun warmers and I love her! Of course, now that I own her I'm super anal about my car. No drinks, no food, and you better get all the crumbs off you before you even think about touching her. They gave me a "complimentry cleaning kit" with my car and told me it had a few cleaning supplies and a shammy in it. I was like "ooo I get my own shammy!" My mother's response was "Yeah now all you have to do is learn how to use it." See on my last car I was very clever. I kept a protective layer of dirt on it at all times to keep the paint in pristine condition. Some people wash their cars, but I think that just makes your car more susceptable to the elements.

So now I have Wanda and life is good again. I'll try to post a picture of her for you soon. We're getting her windows tinted tomorrow so she'll be perfect.

True

I know, I know. I'm a horrible, awful, slacking blogger! I *promise* I intend to return to blogging very soon. So much has happened lately that I want to tell you all about! For now though, I just wanted to share the lyrics to a song with you. I was listening to music and for some reason this song just really touched me today. It's just beautiful and if you have time, I strongly reccommend you download it (legally, of course! I would never, ever promote illegal downloading *ahem*)

True - Ryan Cabrera

I won't talk
I won't breathe
I won't move till you finally see
That you belong with me

You might think
I don't look
But deep inside in the corner of my mind
I'm attached to you

I'm weak
It's true
Cause I'm afraid to know the answer
Do you want me too?
Cause my heart keeps falling faster

I've waited all my life
To cross this line
To the only thing that's true
So I will not hide
It's time to try anything to be with you
All my life I've waited

This is true

You don't know
What you do
Everytime you walk into the room
I'm afraid to move

I'm weak
It's true
I'm just scared to know the ending
Do you see me too?
Do you even know you met me?

I've waited all my life
To cross this line
To the only thing that's true
So I will not hide
It's time to try, anything to be with you
All my life I've waited

This is true

I know when I go
I'll be on my way to you
The way that's true

I've waited all my life
To cross this line
To the only thing thats true
So I will not hide
It's time to try, anything to be with you
All my life I've waited

This is true