God,
I am so thankful for the location you have me in for this season of my life.
I live on the outside of St Louis; I call it The Lou' for short. It only takes me about 15 minutes to get to the city from here. I love it because
A) There is so much to do, even just walking randomly around the city streets is fun!
B) When I make that final turn that opens up to the bridge crossing the river into Missouri, and the Arch practically serves as the gates welcoming everyone in, I feel like I enter a whole new world of creativity every time!
I am a city boy...I don't really know how I became a city boy, because I wasn't really raised in a big city, but for some reason I feel most at home around the city life.
Today, while at a stoplight, a photographer, probably a hobbyist, was crossing the street. During my wait, God placed a thought in my head; Why does a photographer prefer walking around to look for the right shots rather than driving around to find interesting places? The most memorable discoveries you can make in life are ones made when taking a closer look at where you are standing and why you are there, rather than taking a passing glance, searching for what everyone else claims is better.
Final thought: The photographer doesn't spend his whole life taking pictures of the same thing over and over again, but instead of rushing past, he takes each step looking for the beauty in every moment that leads him to the next step.
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Figuring It Out
I am thankful that, when we follow God with everything, He pushes us till we hit a day like today; when I've just gotta step back and say, "Who am I?" We are so fortunate to have all of the experiences in our lives, and some of us don't take the time to realize how all of that makes us who we are. I am thankful that God shapes us.
Today I hit the wall that made me stop and realize something about relationships; I strongly believe the person you're in a relationship with should be able to naturally bring out the best in you, but how can they bring out the best in you if you don't even know who you are to begin with to show them where to start? Before God blesses us with true lifelong best friends, spouses, connections within family, network partners, doesn't God deserve the honor of us firmly grasping the canvas of who He has made us to be so that who He places in our lives can be the paints that form us into who we can become? What if the answer to our questions of, "Why isn't my prayer being answered?", is simply that God knows we're not ready for whatever it is that we are praying for to shape us even further into His likeness?
So I've begun the process of coming up with a definition for myself, and one of my first discoveries is that I am kind of boring when it comes to hanging out with people. True Facts: I'm not good at raising the bar of excitement when I enter a room, I think too hard about how to start a conversation with someone, and I make myself feel like I'm doing a lot by pacing around. What's wild is that God has placed people in my life that have pushed me to step out of my comfort zone, start conversations without thinking about it, and, instead of just thinking about all the things I could be doing at all the places I pace around, actually doing the things my mind brainstorms about. I have never really stopped to consider how those people have helped me grow.
Have you ever noticed how good you feel when someone comes up to you and starts up a really good conversation with you? Why is that? It's because they actually value you. This crazy balance starts happening when someone shows an interest in who you are, because it also makes you want to show an interest in who they are, and then both of you start asking questions that keep the whole thing going.
Now I'm just rambling, but that's what "Just A Sprinkle" is all about!
Every day we are learning new things about ourselves, but my desire is that I glorify God with who He has created me to be by embracing who I am, so that I don't answer another question of "Who are you, really?" with "I don't know", and if I am this important to take the time to define, so is everyone else. Every one of us have stories to tell.
Today I hit the wall that made me stop and realize something about relationships; I strongly believe the person you're in a relationship with should be able to naturally bring out the best in you, but how can they bring out the best in you if you don't even know who you are to begin with to show them where to start? Before God blesses us with true lifelong best friends, spouses, connections within family, network partners, doesn't God deserve the honor of us firmly grasping the canvas of who He has made us to be so that who He places in our lives can be the paints that form us into who we can become? What if the answer to our questions of, "Why isn't my prayer being answered?", is simply that God knows we're not ready for whatever it is that we are praying for to shape us even further into His likeness?
So I've begun the process of coming up with a definition for myself, and one of my first discoveries is that I am kind of boring when it comes to hanging out with people. True Facts: I'm not good at raising the bar of excitement when I enter a room, I think too hard about how to start a conversation with someone, and I make myself feel like I'm doing a lot by pacing around. What's wild is that God has placed people in my life that have pushed me to step out of my comfort zone, start conversations without thinking about it, and, instead of just thinking about all the things I could be doing at all the places I pace around, actually doing the things my mind brainstorms about. I have never really stopped to consider how those people have helped me grow.
Have you ever noticed how good you feel when someone comes up to you and starts up a really good conversation with you? Why is that? It's because they actually value you. This crazy balance starts happening when someone shows an interest in who you are, because it also makes you want to show an interest in who they are, and then both of you start asking questions that keep the whole thing going.
Now I'm just rambling, but that's what "Just A Sprinkle" is all about!
Every day we are learning new things about ourselves, but my desire is that I glorify God with who He has created me to be by embracing who I am, so that I don't answer another question of "Who are you, really?" with "I don't know", and if I am this important to take the time to define, so is everyone else. Every one of us have stories to tell.
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Christmas Vacation
Two reasons I've been barely seen on blogspot for the past week, both are reasons I have to be thankful to God for! Family, and job!
I was stationed in Effingham last week with the hopes of getting sponsors on board to help us bring free Christian children's books into their local schools and churches. I got to stay in their Super 8, and I must say, I was very comfortable! Even though I came back home with no solid financial partners, it is a community I see a LOT of potential in! God blessed me by getting to meet several wonderful people, and find out that the town really is a simple joy.
After finding their local movie theater, I got to see Sherlock Holmes 2 and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. (short reviews - Sherlock gets an 8 out of 10: The CGI was incredibly detailed and the action had a lot of variety to it with all the slow down and speed up scenes, but I am just not a major fan of action movies having a lot of dialogue to explain what's going on; Dragon Tattoo also gets an 8 out of 10 - very well made mystery plot, amazing actors and actresses, but be careful who goes to see it due to the very graphic scenes in certain parts.) The theater was the first I had been to that doesn't show trivia or ads before the movie is scheduled to begin; it's interesting how this seems to be the local hang out spot for people to mingle right up until showtime, and if you don't know anyone you're basically sitting in the shadows until the screen lights up, but the quality and cleanliness of the theater was top notch, and the staff was very friendly!
I got to visit the giant cross by the interstate Effingham is so famous for. I had it as a mission of mine to finally go there in person instead of just passing it while driving by. It wasn't until I ended up in the industrial park that I started noticing the signs that led to the park. It's a beautiful lot, and would be great for a pik-nik in warmer weather!
Lastly, I closed out Christmas week with my familia. It was great to spend time with my mom, dad, sister, her husband, and my two nieces Christmas day. I went up after Parkview's Candlelight service Saturday night. (even with a small church family, candles have a way of making a sanctuary feel so warm and connected) The family didn't think I was coming down till after our Sunday Morning service, but I felt God really pushin me to surprise them by worshiping with them at their church for a change. It was a gift just to see more church family that I haven't seen in a few months! What an honor to get to worship with two extended church families for Christmas!
Everyone loved their gifts. I can't help but rejoice about what I recieved this year from my friends and family! Katie (one of the teens at Parkview) got me a handmade leather woven wristband from Hawaii with my Hawaiian name engraved on it! Haylee (another one of the teens) surprised me with one of those snap wristbands that says "AUTOBOTS" (with the logo of course!) and a mini Transformer toy Bumblebee! Maddy (a former teen and now college/career student, and also the daughter of the family that gives me shelter at their home) got me the classic version of "Clash of the Titans" on DVD, a black belt with a hybernating white tree on the buckle, and a very warm winter hat that looks like a shark!
My youngest niece, Larisa, got me an all in one screwdriver/flashlight set from the Santa's Workshop store at her school, my sister, Heather, and her husband, Terry, gave me $50, and my parents surprised me with a new iPhone 4! (I've already spent part of the $50 on a new pair of grey Khakis from American Eagle!)
I also recieved cash from my church, a gift card to my favorite restaurant, Red Lobster!, from Keith and Paula, a gift card to McDonald's from my boss, James, and cards from so many of the friends I've come to feel so blessed to have in my life!
The only regret that I had was that I didn't get the white Christmas I hope for every year...oh well! It wasn't part of God's amazing plan! Who can complain when you get to spend time with family, see friends you haven't seen in a long time, and make new friends and hear from them on the phone!? I can't wait to see what God has in store for 2012, just a few more days away!
I was stationed in Effingham last week with the hopes of getting sponsors on board to help us bring free Christian children's books into their local schools and churches. I got to stay in their Super 8, and I must say, I was very comfortable! Even though I came back home with no solid financial partners, it is a community I see a LOT of potential in! God blessed me by getting to meet several wonderful people, and find out that the town really is a simple joy.
After finding their local movie theater, I got to see Sherlock Holmes 2 and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. (short reviews - Sherlock gets an 8 out of 10: The CGI was incredibly detailed and the action had a lot of variety to it with all the slow down and speed up scenes, but I am just not a major fan of action movies having a lot of dialogue to explain what's going on; Dragon Tattoo also gets an 8 out of 10 - very well made mystery plot, amazing actors and actresses, but be careful who goes to see it due to the very graphic scenes in certain parts.) The theater was the first I had been to that doesn't show trivia or ads before the movie is scheduled to begin; it's interesting how this seems to be the local hang out spot for people to mingle right up until showtime, and if you don't know anyone you're basically sitting in the shadows until the screen lights up, but the quality and cleanliness of the theater was top notch, and the staff was very friendly!
I got to visit the giant cross by the interstate Effingham is so famous for. I had it as a mission of mine to finally go there in person instead of just passing it while driving by. It wasn't until I ended up in the industrial park that I started noticing the signs that led to the park. It's a beautiful lot, and would be great for a pik-nik in warmer weather!
Lastly, I closed out Christmas week with my familia. It was great to spend time with my mom, dad, sister, her husband, and my two nieces Christmas day. I went up after Parkview's Candlelight service Saturday night. (even with a small church family, candles have a way of making a sanctuary feel so warm and connected) The family didn't think I was coming down till after our Sunday Morning service, but I felt God really pushin me to surprise them by worshiping with them at their church for a change. It was a gift just to see more church family that I haven't seen in a few months! What an honor to get to worship with two extended church families for Christmas!
Everyone loved their gifts. I can't help but rejoice about what I recieved this year from my friends and family! Katie (one of the teens at Parkview) got me a handmade leather woven wristband from Hawaii with my Hawaiian name engraved on it! Haylee (another one of the teens) surprised me with one of those snap wristbands that says "AUTOBOTS" (with the logo of course!) and a mini Transformer toy Bumblebee! Maddy (a former teen and now college/career student, and also the daughter of the family that gives me shelter at their home) got me the classic version of "Clash of the Titans" on DVD, a black belt with a hybernating white tree on the buckle, and a very warm winter hat that looks like a shark!
My youngest niece, Larisa, got me an all in one screwdriver/flashlight set from the Santa's Workshop store at her school, my sister, Heather, and her husband, Terry, gave me $50, and my parents surprised me with a new iPhone 4! (I've already spent part of the $50 on a new pair of grey Khakis from American Eagle!)
I also recieved cash from my church, a gift card to my favorite restaurant, Red Lobster!, from Keith and Paula, a gift card to McDonald's from my boss, James, and cards from so many of the friends I've come to feel so blessed to have in my life!
The only regret that I had was that I didn't get the white Christmas I hope for every year...oh well! It wasn't part of God's amazing plan! Who can complain when you get to spend time with family, see friends you haven't seen in a long time, and make new friends and hear from them on the phone!? I can't wait to see what God has in store for 2012, just a few more days away!
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
The Weekend full of Surprises (Part 2)
I felt like this blogpost needed two parts; There was a lot that God showed me through the caroling experience on Saturday, and there is a lot I want to rejoice about that happened on Sunday as well. God has given us all gifts, it's just a matter of how we choose to invest those gifts so that we reap a good result for His return. I am thankful we all have been given individual gifts that make us all as the Body of Christ so much more creative and diverse!
Sunday morning was our church's Christmas program. We designed it this year where everyone had the opportunity to offer something; We had two teens voluntarily do specials in song, one of my teens' mom that sang "Mary Did You Know" while her daughter did interpretive dance, and a full skit designed by the teens they performed taking the story of the Good Samaritan and giving the message of how we tend to treat the homeless of today and how Jesus teaches us to treat "The Least of These". The skit was done to Christy Nochol's "By Our Love", and we had teens step forward to be involved that have never been involved before! They had adults coming to them at the end of the service with tears in their eyes thankful for the message they brought (and I wasn't excluded from the tears). A couple parents said it made them think about if their teen really did end up in that situation and how it would make them feel, that it made them feel closer to their child and wanted to heal anything that may have been in the way of their relationships.
God doesn't work in mysterious ways, He knows exactly what He's doing.
Sunday morning was our church's Christmas program. We designed it this year where everyone had the opportunity to offer something; We had two teens voluntarily do specials in song, one of my teens' mom that sang "Mary Did You Know" while her daughter did interpretive dance, and a full skit designed by the teens they performed taking the story of the Good Samaritan and giving the message of how we tend to treat the homeless of today and how Jesus teaches us to treat "The Least of These". The skit was done to Christy Nochol's "By Our Love", and we had teens step forward to be involved that have never been involved before! They had adults coming to them at the end of the service with tears in their eyes thankful for the message they brought (and I wasn't excluded from the tears). A couple parents said it made them think about if their teen really did end up in that situation and how it would make them feel, that it made them feel closer to their child and wanted to heal anything that may have been in the way of their relationships.
God doesn't work in mysterious ways, He knows exactly what He's doing.
The Weekend full of Surprises (Part 1)
God has a way of surprising us so that we can't hold our mouth shut! Thank you God, for the unexpected!
Saturday, I got the opportunity to go Christmas Caroling with Light Up Christmas; an event a really good friend of mine, Leah, puts together every year through her church, Faith Family in Shiloh, Illinois, for everyone to participate that loves spreading the Love of Christ to hospitals, nursing homes, prisons, and special care facilities! That's a mouth full! Due to some changes in seasons in our lives, I wasn't sure if I was going to get the chance to join with my friend, Leah, in the caroling this year, but God has a way of making sure good friends stay together and support one another! I got to bring one of the teens in my ministry with me to share the blessings as well!
We ended up at St. Paul Nursing Care in Belleville, Illinois, and met lots of amazing people hungry for God's Love! Me and the teen from my church, Katie, got to help one of the ladies back to her room by pushing her wheelchair. At first it was just me and Katie offering a couple of cookies and Christmas cards to some ladies at a table in the cafeteria we just finished caroling in, then one of the ladies spoke up and said she thought it'd be a good time to head back to her room. She looked up at me and looked me straight in the eyes asking if I could help her back....after making sure it was ok for me to do so, we walked her out of the cafeteria and started our way down the hall.
At first she said we pushed her differently than the others, so I asked her how the others were different. She said they pushed a lot faster. I asked her if she liked going fast, and she said, "oooh yes!" We kicked it into high gear and she knew exactly where to go.
When we got to her room, she told us that she was dismantling a fruit basket. Then she asked us how many Christmas trees we thought she had in her room. She had five. Then she asked us what kind of fruit we liked, and she let me pick an apple from her fruit basket; I helped her dismantle one more piece.
There were a lot of others there that night that were dealing with speach problems, amnesia, mobility, breathing, and maybe even heat exaustion (it was quite warm in there), but you could see the hospitality of the staff, and the hearts of the residents, were open to the joy of Christmas, and that little lady in her wheelchair I'll never forget her gift of sharing.
Saturday, I got the opportunity to go Christmas Caroling with Light Up Christmas; an event a really good friend of mine, Leah, puts together every year through her church, Faith Family in Shiloh, Illinois, for everyone to participate that loves spreading the Love of Christ to hospitals, nursing homes, prisons, and special care facilities! That's a mouth full! Due to some changes in seasons in our lives, I wasn't sure if I was going to get the chance to join with my friend, Leah, in the caroling this year, but God has a way of making sure good friends stay together and support one another! I got to bring one of the teens in my ministry with me to share the blessings as well!
We ended up at St. Paul Nursing Care in Belleville, Illinois, and met lots of amazing people hungry for God's Love! Me and the teen from my church, Katie, got to help one of the ladies back to her room by pushing her wheelchair. At first it was just me and Katie offering a couple of cookies and Christmas cards to some ladies at a table in the cafeteria we just finished caroling in, then one of the ladies spoke up and said she thought it'd be a good time to head back to her room. She looked up at me and looked me straight in the eyes asking if I could help her back....after making sure it was ok for me to do so, we walked her out of the cafeteria and started our way down the hall.
At first she said we pushed her differently than the others, so I asked her how the others were different. She said they pushed a lot faster. I asked her if she liked going fast, and she said, "oooh yes!" We kicked it into high gear and she knew exactly where to go.
When we got to her room, she told us that she was dismantling a fruit basket. Then she asked us how many Christmas trees we thought she had in her room. She had five. Then she asked us what kind of fruit we liked, and she let me pick an apple from her fruit basket; I helped her dismantle one more piece.
There were a lot of others there that night that were dealing with speach problems, amnesia, mobility, breathing, and maybe even heat exaustion (it was quite warm in there), but you could see the hospitality of the staff, and the hearts of the residents, were open to the joy of Christmas, and that little lady in her wheelchair I'll never forget her gift of sharing.
Ugly Christmas Sweater
I am thankful that God gave us the gift of laughter, and the ability to find cuteness in the ugliest of life. I am also thankful God gives us friends to share it all with! I was invited to an ugly sweater party on Saturday night, so Saturday I went out on a little adventure hunt for the perfect ugly sweater. I decided that for this blog I would share with you some of the findings!
I didn't end up winning, but the party was great, and I even learned some new games with some new friends! We ended up playing Fish Bowl, Mafia, and Catch Phrase; all games I highly recommend!
Monday, December 19, 2011
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Santa's Ceramic Candle House
Friday was a busy day. *FAIR WARNING-LONG READ* That's why I'm writing about it today! One of my readers has reminded me of something; in prayer, Jesus shows us to remember to thank God for His blessings before saying anything else. I practice that when I pray, but how often do I do that in other areas of my life? So, to start off in this post, I want to start doing just that.
I am thankful that God has provided ministries for me to be a part of that fits the gift He has given me in building relationships with people. He has given me the feeling that I can finally get back on my feet again, and not wonder where food is going to come from tomorrow. I have a lot of catching up to do, but He also gives His strength so that our burdens are not so heavy. I am thankful for a God that gives us flexibility.
It came to my mind again about how busy we've made our world, and how we've gotten into the habit of not slowing down. It can be a struggle to make ourselves slow down, but I strongly suggest you try it, because when you do, everything else around you feels like it explodes like the matrix in slow motion to where you can finally see the power of God trying to shine through! Take a moment, and breathe.
Yesterday I got to spend the day with my boss and founder of Blue Dog Publishing. I took him with me to call on a few more sponsors in Mount Vernon, which turned out very promising, and enjoy a deliscious meal, catered by the Mount Vernon Central Kitchen, at the annual Chamber Christmas Banquet at Cedarhurst Art Museum! It felt so good to mingle with everyone God has brought into my life, and for James to see how active the Jefferson County Chamber really is, and when it was all said and done, I got to take home a Poinsettia centerpiece, which is now on display in our church.
Last night, our church's adult class had their annual Christmas party at Schiappa's Italian Restaurant again. We shared a giant supreme pizza (for those of you that know how picky I am about food, you can guess how scared I was), and had a white elephant gift exchange. (You basically pick something random you already have lying around the house to give as a gift and place it on a table with everyone else's random gifts. Each person draws a number that tells them what order they go in. Then when their number is drawn, they get to either pick an unopened gift from the table, or "steal" one that has already been openned from someone else.) I had an extra snow globe from JC Penny's Black Friday door busters, and since I didnt have any wrapping paper handy, wrapped it up in a Santa Clause napkin I found in the kitchen. I ended up with a ceramic candle holder shaped like Santa's winter cabin. Keith and Paula, the couple from church that I'm staying with right now, ended up with a book someone had lying around their house...after looking it up on ebay, they found out it's worth $80! haha!
When the night was still young and the party was over, I went back to the house to discover a hilarious show on tv featuring four friends that try to embarass each other by making each other do stupid things around the city; posing as the worst cashiers ever, or asking people on the street "poll" questions they wrote for each other to ask that they dont see before asking them....laughter is an amazing thing.
After that was over, I noticed The Town was getting ready to come on. I never went to see it in the theaters, and after watching about 10 minutes of it, I'm glad I missed it. It got turned off after that 10 minutes was up and I reached my limit of cuss words and unecessary sexual content. A tear came to my eye thinking about all the young people that have seen it and like it as a "good mix of violence and a love story". That's all the review it deserves, and in the end I give it a 1 out of 10. The concept was worth the 1, I just wish they would have seen they don't have to throw all the trash in for a movie to be good, because that killed it for me.
Sant'as cabin about sums up the day: It's glittery and metallic on the outside with lots of bright colors that make your eyes dance, but on the inside it is empty and calling out for something to add light to its darkness. Our lives are like that. On the outside, we get so caught up in appearances, trying to sound cool with our tough language, giving each other the "perfect" gifts, candy coating everything in staying busy and humiliating each other for a good laugh, but on the inside, what we need is God. When He reigns in us, His light can't help but pour out of all the windows and doors in the walls we've built for our lives, and just like those cabins on the old Underground railroad, provides hope and shelter for everyone else. Have you ever thought about what kind of light, or lack of, your life is giving?
And now, I'm going ugly sweater shopping, because I got my first paycheck yesterday, and I can now afford an ugly sweater!
I am thankful that God has provided ministries for me to be a part of that fits the gift He has given me in building relationships with people. He has given me the feeling that I can finally get back on my feet again, and not wonder where food is going to come from tomorrow. I have a lot of catching up to do, but He also gives His strength so that our burdens are not so heavy. I am thankful for a God that gives us flexibility.
It came to my mind again about how busy we've made our world, and how we've gotten into the habit of not slowing down. It can be a struggle to make ourselves slow down, but I strongly suggest you try it, because when you do, everything else around you feels like it explodes like the matrix in slow motion to where you can finally see the power of God trying to shine through! Take a moment, and breathe.
Yesterday I got to spend the day with my boss and founder of Blue Dog Publishing. I took him with me to call on a few more sponsors in Mount Vernon, which turned out very promising, and enjoy a deliscious meal, catered by the Mount Vernon Central Kitchen, at the annual Chamber Christmas Banquet at Cedarhurst Art Museum! It felt so good to mingle with everyone God has brought into my life, and for James to see how active the Jefferson County Chamber really is, and when it was all said and done, I got to take home a Poinsettia centerpiece, which is now on display in our church.
Last night, our church's adult class had their annual Christmas party at Schiappa's Italian Restaurant again. We shared a giant supreme pizza (for those of you that know how picky I am about food, you can guess how scared I was), and had a white elephant gift exchange. (You basically pick something random you already have lying around the house to give as a gift and place it on a table with everyone else's random gifts. Each person draws a number that tells them what order they go in. Then when their number is drawn, they get to either pick an unopened gift from the table, or "steal" one that has already been openned from someone else.) I had an extra snow globe from JC Penny's Black Friday door busters, and since I didnt have any wrapping paper handy, wrapped it up in a Santa Clause napkin I found in the kitchen. I ended up with a ceramic candle holder shaped like Santa's winter cabin. Keith and Paula, the couple from church that I'm staying with right now, ended up with a book someone had lying around their house...after looking it up on ebay, they found out it's worth $80! haha!
When the night was still young and the party was over, I went back to the house to discover a hilarious show on tv featuring four friends that try to embarass each other by making each other do stupid things around the city; posing as the worst cashiers ever, or asking people on the street "poll" questions they wrote for each other to ask that they dont see before asking them....laughter is an amazing thing.
After that was over, I noticed The Town was getting ready to come on. I never went to see it in the theaters, and after watching about 10 minutes of it, I'm glad I missed it. It got turned off after that 10 minutes was up and I reached my limit of cuss words and unecessary sexual content. A tear came to my eye thinking about all the young people that have seen it and like it as a "good mix of violence and a love story". That's all the review it deserves, and in the end I give it a 1 out of 10. The concept was worth the 1, I just wish they would have seen they don't have to throw all the trash in for a movie to be good, because that killed it for me.
Sant'as cabin about sums up the day: It's glittery and metallic on the outside with lots of bright colors that make your eyes dance, but on the inside it is empty and calling out for something to add light to its darkness. Our lives are like that. On the outside, we get so caught up in appearances, trying to sound cool with our tough language, giving each other the "perfect" gifts, candy coating everything in staying busy and humiliating each other for a good laugh, but on the inside, what we need is God. When He reigns in us, His light can't help but pour out of all the windows and doors in the walls we've built for our lives, and just like those cabins on the old Underground railroad, provides hope and shelter for everyone else. Have you ever thought about what kind of light, or lack of, your life is giving?
And now, I'm going ugly sweater shopping, because I got my first paycheck yesterday, and I can now afford an ugly sweater!
Friday, December 16, 2011
Food Review: Liberty Cafe's Breadbowl Potato and Bacon Soup
The bowl was filled to overflowing with the thickest, creamiest soup I've ever tasted, and the flavor was OUT OF THIS WORLD! Service added to the experience with a "waiter" bringing the order out to the table and calmly checking to make sure everything was to my liking...even checking on refills! Keep in mind this is just a sandwich shop, but I felt like I had been seated at a 5 star restaurant!
I wish I could describe every detail, but it is one dish best experienced personally. (also, keep in mind I am not much of a soup kinda guy)
All in all I give this dish 10 out of 10 spoonfulls of delisciousness! High end quality, for a low end price! I only paid around $6 for everything!
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
BREAKOUT Christmas Party!
Today was the big Christmas Party for BREAKOUT; the name of the youth ministry I serve as youth pastor in at Parkview in Fairview Heights, Illinois. I hope they had as much as I did!
The teens can be a wild bunch and they may have some small barriers up between each other, with age differences or relationship drama, but one thing is for sure, they make me feel young, and they know how to have fun without destroying things that weren't meant to be detroyed. When it is all said and done, I am proud of them.
I got pretty creative with some Christmas inspired games! Here's some for anyone else's future ideas, including some tweeks that I found, after tonight, that may make the games a little better:
We ended the night with a circle of prayer, and then those that could stay a little longer stuck around while we showed the movie, "Elf".
A couple teens brought me gifts tonight, too! One just got back from Hawaii not too long ago, due to the O'Fallon Township High School's marching band getting to go, and she had a leather braided wristband made for me with my Hawaiian name engraved on it! The other found me a mini Bumblebee Transformer and one of those snap wristbands with "AUTOBOTS" printed on it! You have no idea how excited I am to get these gifts!
All in all, this Wednesday ROCKED!
The teens can be a wild bunch and they may have some small barriers up between each other, with age differences or relationship drama, but one thing is for sure, they make me feel young, and they know how to have fun without destroying things that weren't meant to be detroyed. When it is all said and done, I am proud of them.
I got pretty creative with some Christmas inspired games! Here's some for anyone else's future ideas, including some tweeks that I found, after tonight, that may make the games a little better:
- Christmas Ornament Bowlgolf - Mark an "X" on the floor at one end of the room, and have the teams stand in line at the other end. Each team gets two ornaments. Each teamate has two chances per turn to roll their ornament closest to the "X". The team that gets one or both ornaments the closest gets a point. The line goes in order from front to back twice, so each teamate ends up with a second chance to roll. The team with the most points wins!
- Stocking Stuffer - Teamates have 10 seconds each to reach in a Christmas stocking and feel a Christmas related object that is hidden inside. They cannot take the item out or look inside the stocking. Teamates must remain quiet and think to themselves what the item may be until all participants have had the chance to feel what is inside. Once everyone has had their turn, teams can then talk amongst themselves to come up with one answer each team's captain will give. The team with the most correct, once all items have been guessed, wins!
- The Perfect Gift - Each team chooses someone to be the "gift". Teams have two minutes to wrap their "gift", using wrapping paper, ribbon, bows, tape, etc. The team that uses the most material in two minutes, and covers their "gift" the most, wins! (we used Thomas the Tank Engine and Justin Beiber wrapping paper, but you can use whatever design you want)
We ended the night with a circle of prayer, and then those that could stay a little longer stuck around while we showed the movie, "Elf".
A couple teens brought me gifts tonight, too! One just got back from Hawaii not too long ago, due to the O'Fallon Township High School's marching band getting to go, and she had a leather braided wristband made for me with my Hawaiian name engraved on it! The other found me a mini Bumblebee Transformer and one of those snap wristbands with "AUTOBOTS" printed on it! You have no idea how excited I am to get these gifts!
All in all, this Wednesday ROCKED!
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Food Review: Ravanelli's Chicken and Italian Sausage Rigattoni Marinara
The name itself tells you it's gotta be good in the most Italian way possible! If you know me at all you know I have to choose something from the menu that is considered the iconic dish for the style of restaurant I'm eating in. Ravanelli's is famous for their chicken, and they're obviously Italian, so this one was a no brainer for my first try; Chicken and Italian Sausage Rigattoni Marinara.
I love the thicker ribbed rigattoni noodles they use in this dish, they go perfectly with the juicy, tender, melt-in-your-mouth thin strips of chicken they artistically lay on top! They put a sweet marinara sauce over the noodles to tie everything together.
The only thing I really wasn't completely in favor of was the Italian sausage. I guess mainly because I was expecting it to come chopped up into the entre for some reason, but it came out as a long stick laying on the side of the plate. I'd never seen that before served at a restaurant, so it kind of startled me. This was an invite to the church board's Christmas dinner though, so I had to put on my I-expected-this face. Needless to say, the whole thing ended up being placed in my to-go box, which the server filled for me, with the rest of my half eaten meal! The portions were definately enough to last for a couple more meals after this!
All in all, I give this one an 8 out of 10 "zesty meat-a-baulz". not recieving the full 10 mainly because of presentation.
As a side note, our server looked exactly like an actor that I could totally picture in my head, but for the life of me I couldn't remember what movies he played in. (I'm sure everyone has experienced that at some point in time) I'm still trying to figure it out.
I love the thicker ribbed rigattoni noodles they use in this dish, they go perfectly with the juicy, tender, melt-in-your-mouth thin strips of chicken they artistically lay on top! They put a sweet marinara sauce over the noodles to tie everything together.
The only thing I really wasn't completely in favor of was the Italian sausage. I guess mainly because I was expecting it to come chopped up into the entre for some reason, but it came out as a long stick laying on the side of the plate. I'd never seen that before served at a restaurant, so it kind of startled me. This was an invite to the church board's Christmas dinner though, so I had to put on my I-expected-this face. Needless to say, the whole thing ended up being placed in my to-go box, which the server filled for me, with the rest of my half eaten meal! The portions were definately enough to last for a couple more meals after this!
All in all, I give this one an 8 out of 10 "zesty meat-a-baulz". not recieving the full 10 mainly because of presentation.
As a side note, our server looked exactly like an actor that I could totally picture in my head, but for the life of me I couldn't remember what movies he played in. (I'm sure everyone has experienced that at some point in time) I'm still trying to figure it out.
Serving the Weekend
I know this is a day late, but my life has been in a giant snowball recently and I'm just goin along for the ride, so here it is!
Saturday was awesome! I LOOOVE helping wherever needed with concerts! I had the privilege of helping with the set-up and tear-down of the Newsong's Very Merry Christmas Tour concert at Faith Family Church in Shiloh, Illinois from 9am till Midnight! I was like a zombie when I got home, but I wouldn't of had it any other way.
Eddie of Newsong talked to me about who to get in touch with if I wanted to be a spokesman for Holt International with traveling as a singer and speaker. I would be floored to recieve the opportunity to team up with a non-profit organization as a spokesman for them wherever they send me! It would be through the hands of God for sure!
I've made a new friend in Jeff, the drummer for Ignite Experience worship band from Faith Family, and we both got to talk with the drummers for Newsong and Kutless. I also added Chris August and Jamie Grace to my Mountain Dew duct tape wallet of autographs!
Oh yea! and I shouldn't forget to say the concert was incredible!
Sunday went well. BREAKOUT (the name of our youth ministry at Parkview Church of the Nazarene) is putting on a big skit this Sunday for the Christmas program, kind of a helping the homeless spin on The Good Samaritan. The teens have really caught on to their parts extreemly well and they seem to love it!
I got to share lunch with a new couple in our church. They seem to be an answer to prayer, opening up to me about their desire to serve any way they can in youth ministry and are more than willing to be sponsors/chapperones! I love it when people find their desire to serve!
Saturday was awesome! I LOOOVE helping wherever needed with concerts! I had the privilege of helping with the set-up and tear-down of the Newsong's Very Merry Christmas Tour concert at Faith Family Church in Shiloh, Illinois from 9am till Midnight! I was like a zombie when I got home, but I wouldn't of had it any other way.
Eddie of Newsong talked to me about who to get in touch with if I wanted to be a spokesman for Holt International with traveling as a singer and speaker. I would be floored to recieve the opportunity to team up with a non-profit organization as a spokesman for them wherever they send me! It would be through the hands of God for sure!
I've made a new friend in Jeff, the drummer for Ignite Experience worship band from Faith Family, and we both got to talk with the drummers for Newsong and Kutless. I also added Chris August and Jamie Grace to my Mountain Dew duct tape wallet of autographs!
Oh yea! and I shouldn't forget to say the concert was incredible!
Sunday went well. BREAKOUT (the name of our youth ministry at Parkview Church of the Nazarene) is putting on a big skit this Sunday for the Christmas program, kind of a helping the homeless spin on The Good Samaritan. The teens have really caught on to their parts extreemly well and they seem to love it!
I got to share lunch with a new couple in our church. They seem to be an answer to prayer, opening up to me about their desire to serve any way they can in youth ministry and are more than willing to be sponsors/chapperones! I love it when people find their desire to serve!
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Sunday, December 11, 2011
Saturday, December 10, 2011
The Journey
Today I took a journey. My boss called me and asked if I would be interested in going with him and some people he knew to the Harvester Christian Church's "Journey to Bethlehem" in St. Charles, Missouri, tonight. It started out fairly awkward when it turned out to be just me, him, and his girlfriend going, but after some time letting the awkwardness fade off, it turned out to be a really cool time! (literally...IT WAS FREEZIN!)
We started out getting name tickets, I took on the identity of Daniel. We were told we were going to need them to get through the guards later on. Then we were separated into groups of 30.
Each group was ushered into the church's santuary during a continual running of a live production of Mary and Joseph finding out Mary was chosen to give birth to Jesus. At the end of the skit, these three singers come out and sing Silent Night and O, Holy Night. They looked like Sandi Patty with black hair, Chris Tomlin, and vaguely Rob Bell. Once we sat through the full production almost twice (no fault of theirs, this thing is CRAZY huge!), we were ushered out to start our journey.
We got hassled by several Roman guards askin for our I.D.'s and then stopped at several tent camps along the way. They depicted families traveling the same road, tax collectors taking advantage of you around every turn, the three magi making their way to deliver their gifts, and scribes writing what would become the Bible! There were live animals all over the place, including sheep, goats, hens, and camels!
At the end of the journey, you got to see Mary and Joseph with their newborn baby Jesus, and a speaker had us "kneel before the King" while he told us that we have the privilege of him being our King! Even though it was freezing outside, it was an experience I will probably want to seek out next year! To top it off, we were walked into a warm room where they served cookies and hot chocolate! (they made over 400,000 cookies for this event and served hot chocolate out of Gatorade dispensors!)
The whole event was free, the staff and actors were all volunteer, including the little kids they had in the skit that had to do their part, just like everyone else, on repeat every 15 minutes for around 4 hours every night of the production! That's a heart of service!
and then, I'll state this very briefly, tonight after getting back home from hanging out with the boss, I figured out that even 25 year olds like me have moments that make them feel like 3 year olds. Why is it that being the one to innitiate talking to people you'll never really had the privilege of talking to in person before can make a grown man weak to his knees? That's all I'll say for now. :)
This has been my journey.
We started out getting name tickets, I took on the identity of Daniel. We were told we were going to need them to get through the guards later on. Then we were separated into groups of 30.
Each group was ushered into the church's santuary during a continual running of a live production of Mary and Joseph finding out Mary was chosen to give birth to Jesus. At the end of the skit, these three singers come out and sing Silent Night and O, Holy Night. They looked like Sandi Patty with black hair, Chris Tomlin, and vaguely Rob Bell. Once we sat through the full production almost twice (no fault of theirs, this thing is CRAZY huge!), we were ushered out to start our journey.
We got hassled by several Roman guards askin for our I.D.'s and then stopped at several tent camps along the way. They depicted families traveling the same road, tax collectors taking advantage of you around every turn, the three magi making their way to deliver their gifts, and scribes writing what would become the Bible! There were live animals all over the place, including sheep, goats, hens, and camels!
At the end of the journey, you got to see Mary and Joseph with their newborn baby Jesus, and a speaker had us "kneel before the King" while he told us that we have the privilege of him being our King! Even though it was freezing outside, it was an experience I will probably want to seek out next year! To top it off, we were walked into a warm room where they served cookies and hot chocolate! (they made over 400,000 cookies for this event and served hot chocolate out of Gatorade dispensors!)
The whole event was free, the staff and actors were all volunteer, including the little kids they had in the skit that had to do their part, just like everyone else, on repeat every 15 minutes for around 4 hours every night of the production! That's a heart of service!
and then, I'll state this very briefly, tonight after getting back home from hanging out with the boss, I figured out that even 25 year olds like me have moments that make them feel like 3 year olds. Why is it that being the one to innitiate talking to people you'll never really had the privilege of talking to in person before can make a grown man weak to his knees? That's all I'll say for now. :)
This has been my journey.
Friday, December 9, 2011
Movie Review: Immortals
I finally talked myself into seeing Immortals last night! I was pretty cool with 300, because I like image detail in movies instead of turning the camera away before the audience sees too much blood. I figured this movie would have the same kind of detail since it was directed by the same guy. I was right, but what I can't stand in a movie that claims action from beginning to end are long scenes of dialogue or slow scenes where there's really nothing happening. I felt like I was watching a History channel original movie about Greek mythology with several bloodygore Youtube videos randomly thrown in.
There were two overly graphic scenes in the movie; one to introduce Athena, and the other to show an oracle, Phaedra, giving up her gift of seeing into the future, because Theseus persuaded her to feel like it was a curse. From watching 300, I knew the director would probably lean toward having some of this in the movie, after all it is faily accurate considering the timeline being portrayed, but I didn't know it would be so randomly placed or really even have anything to do with the plot. It was almost as if Tarsem Singh said, "This is a movie for men; throw in some of that, they'll like that!" I can go a whole movie without having to see that, and I am a man.
On the other end, I was reminded of how excited I got after watching the trailers for Clash of the Titans, only to be left sitting in my chair, at the end of the movie, thinking, "wait, wasn't this suppose to be epic? Was that it???" I wanted more destruction from the Kraken and felt like the gods were too randomly placed in the movie. There's not much more to say about it, there were so many simmilarities with Immortal's and Clash of the Titan's story lines, they speak for themselves.
Another question that rose in my head was, how did no one in that random cliff dwelling ever think there might be something up with the giant melted rock mound moulded around several of their mortuary chambers, and why did no one accidentaly hit that one fragment of rock to reveal the Epirus bow before? I guess in this case, it would have been too difficult for Theseus to have to go on a journey to find it; the best way to get it into his hands, for at least three seconds before loosing it to Hyperion, is to practically put it right there in the open.
So to sum Immortals up in one solid description: Immortals is 300 meets Clash of the Titans, inspired by History channel documentaries. It had a few good names in the acting line-up, but I really wanted to see more out of them. I won't remember much about them in a couple days. I would normally give a movie like this no more than a 6 out of 10, but due to the detail in the graphics, and somewhat decent 3D works, I'll squeeze out a 6.5 out of 10 electro-magnetic invisible arrows for the Epirus bow.
There were two overly graphic scenes in the movie; one to introduce Athena, and the other to show an oracle, Phaedra, giving up her gift of seeing into the future, because Theseus persuaded her to feel like it was a curse. From watching 300, I knew the director would probably lean toward having some of this in the movie, after all it is faily accurate considering the timeline being portrayed, but I didn't know it would be so randomly placed or really even have anything to do with the plot. It was almost as if Tarsem Singh said, "This is a movie for men; throw in some of that, they'll like that!" I can go a whole movie without having to see that, and I am a man.
On the other end, I was reminded of how excited I got after watching the trailers for Clash of the Titans, only to be left sitting in my chair, at the end of the movie, thinking, "wait, wasn't this suppose to be epic? Was that it???" I wanted more destruction from the Kraken and felt like the gods were too randomly placed in the movie. There's not much more to say about it, there were so many simmilarities with Immortal's and Clash of the Titan's story lines, they speak for themselves.
Another question that rose in my head was, how did no one in that random cliff dwelling ever think there might be something up with the giant melted rock mound moulded around several of their mortuary chambers, and why did no one accidentaly hit that one fragment of rock to reveal the Epirus bow before? I guess in this case, it would have been too difficult for Theseus to have to go on a journey to find it; the best way to get it into his hands, for at least three seconds before loosing it to Hyperion, is to practically put it right there in the open.
So to sum Immortals up in one solid description: Immortals is 300 meets Clash of the Titans, inspired by History channel documentaries. It had a few good names in the acting line-up, but I really wanted to see more out of them. I won't remember much about them in a couple days. I would normally give a movie like this no more than a 6 out of 10, but due to the detail in the graphics, and somewhat decent 3D works, I'll squeeze out a 6.5 out of 10 electro-magnetic invisible arrows for the Epirus bow.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
TV Show Review: The Next Iron Chef - Super Chefs
All I have to say is that Chef Zakarian will win this year's Next Iron Chef. I love this show! A lot of people misjudge my taste in food, (even I don't know how to answer the question, "what do you like to eat?") but I know good food when it crosses my path! I would literally try anything that came out of the Iron Chef kitchen, and to see the top chefs battling it out for the title unleashes a little explosive of excitement inside of me. All in all, I'd give this years battle for top chef a healthy 10 out of 10 star-shaped plates. Everything they come up with is pure genius.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
One Proud Uncle
Today is summed up in one thought, "Let go, and let God!"
Because of His timing, I got to experience the many blessings of being given opportunities in the future for singing, evangelism, youth ministry, making a new friend, and seeing my youngest niece (Larisa) perform in her 2nd grade Christmas program!
Tonight, the Primary Center in Mt. Vernon held their Christmas program, themed around the Christmas songs from years gone by! Their director got kids to dress up like The Jackson 5, The Oakridge Boys, Elvis Presley (which was played by Larisa's friend from church, Caden), and many more! I was so proud to see my little niece up there smiling so big and singing her heart out! Makes an uncle feel good to be so blessed.
Everything that happened today is because of God! I give Him all the glory!
Because of His timing, I got to experience the many blessings of being given opportunities in the future for singing, evangelism, youth ministry, making a new friend, and seeing my youngest niece (Larisa) perform in her 2nd grade Christmas program!
Tonight, the Primary Center in Mt. Vernon held their Christmas program, themed around the Christmas songs from years gone by! Their director got kids to dress up like The Jackson 5, The Oakridge Boys, Elvis Presley (which was played by Larisa's friend from church, Caden), and many more! I was so proud to see my little niece up there smiling so big and singing her heart out! Makes an uncle feel good to be so blessed.
Everything that happened today is because of God! I give Him all the glory!
Monday, December 5, 2011
My First Movie Review: Gladiator
I know I am reaching back into the vault a little bit for this one, but it's constantly on tv, and i watched it tonight, so it is fresh on my mind. Gladiator has to be in the top ten movies of all time! In fact, on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being so lame I wouldn't even waste my time burning it in a bonfire just to keep warm, and 10 being so amazing that I'm made to curl up in the fetal position rocking back and forth because I feel so small and weak after watching it...I give it a 10!
Every emotion imaginable exists in this film; I laugh, cry, get angry and yell at the screen, and feel the love. With all the twists and turns, it plays with my mind like a jigsaw puzzle even though I've seen it nearly a hundred times.
I strongly suggest the full, not cut for tv audiences version, simply because I am a guy and find the bloodshed to be AWESOME! (it's fiction, people!)
The message in the story is way more than revenge...in fact, it's not necessarily about revenge at all. It is a story about loving others so much, you are willing to sacrifice your life for their good. So there are a couple of Biblical examples I see lightly being an inspiration for this movie; The story about Joseph being sold out by his own brothers into slavery, ending up in jail because of the dreams he told, and then eventually saving the empire from death by famine and earning himself a seat next to Pharoah to lead the people into peace, AND the story of Jesus, knowing He is God's One and Only Son, being sent to this earth to experience our joys and pains, to lay His life out on the line so that we may be saves, watching as His Father's creation turns their back on Him in the name of violence and greed, and yet still finding the good in people to allow Himself to be sacrificed for our salvation!
In the end, the people of Rome are given back their empire instead of being ruled by a dictator. It reminds me that I have my own choice to make, a relationship with God because His Son gave His life for me, or be dictated by my own selfish ways. I choose Christ!
And I give Gladiator a healthy 10 out of 10.
Every emotion imaginable exists in this film; I laugh, cry, get angry and yell at the screen, and feel the love. With all the twists and turns, it plays with my mind like a jigsaw puzzle even though I've seen it nearly a hundred times.
I strongly suggest the full, not cut for tv audiences version, simply because I am a guy and find the bloodshed to be AWESOME! (it's fiction, people!)
The message in the story is way more than revenge...in fact, it's not necessarily about revenge at all. It is a story about loving others so much, you are willing to sacrifice your life for their good. So there are a couple of Biblical examples I see lightly being an inspiration for this movie; The story about Joseph being sold out by his own brothers into slavery, ending up in jail because of the dreams he told, and then eventually saving the empire from death by famine and earning himself a seat next to Pharoah to lead the people into peace, AND the story of Jesus, knowing He is God's One and Only Son, being sent to this earth to experience our joys and pains, to lay His life out on the line so that we may be saves, watching as His Father's creation turns their back on Him in the name of violence and greed, and yet still finding the good in people to allow Himself to be sacrificed for our salvation!
In the end, the people of Rome are given back their empire instead of being ruled by a dictator. It reminds me that I have my own choice to make, a relationship with God because His Son gave His life for me, or be dictated by my own selfish ways. I choose Christ!
And I give Gladiator a healthy 10 out of 10.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Madrigal
Today was nonstop from beginning to end, just the way I like it! (although one of these days I'm really gona need to be able to just veg out) It started with a trip to Effingham for a Nazarene Clergy Christmas Banquet, then getting to experience a place called Bandana's BBQ for the first time, and finally the first Madrigal I've ever attended!
All food was good...Banquet turkey and Madrigal Chicken Cordon Bleu was a 7 out of 10, basically due to being made in large quantities for the number of people at the event, and Bandana's Ribs were an exceptional 10 out of 10! Lot's of meat on the bones, tender, juicy, and messy....but not uncomfortably messy!
It's the Madrigal that was the highlight of my day. I've had friends that performed in madrigals, but I had never been to one, and for my first one to be at O'Fallon's Milburn High School Campus, I may have gotten spoiled! To not spoil it for you, if you haven't been to one yet, I won't go into too many details, except to say I felt like I had gone back in time for a 2 hour visit of Midieval England! We were served by the students, and treated like royal guests! The music was phenominal, and I teared up twice!
All food was good...Banquet turkey and Madrigal Chicken Cordon Bleu was a 7 out of 10, basically due to being made in large quantities for the number of people at the event, and Bandana's Ribs were an exceptional 10 out of 10! Lot's of meat on the bones, tender, juicy, and messy....but not uncomfortably messy!
It's the Madrigal that was the highlight of my day. I've had friends that performed in madrigals, but I had never been to one, and for my first one to be at O'Fallon's Milburn High School Campus, I may have gotten spoiled! To not spoil it for you, if you haven't been to one yet, I won't go into too many details, except to say I felt like I had gone back in time for a 2 hour visit of Midieval England! We were served by the students, and treated like royal guests! The music was phenominal, and I teared up twice!
Friday, December 2, 2011
My Very Artsy Day
To start things off, While creating the title to this entry, a thought rushed through my head....I wonder if the use of "y" or "ie" at the end of a word to describe something changes by if it's a man or woman writing it. hmmm...
Today was a busy day.
It started out in Mount Vernon talking to more businesses about becoming sponsors of the Children's book distribution program, got to have lunch with my dad and sister, which is now officially going on 5 weeks without siezures (woohoo!), I had a bowl of Steak N Shake Chilli (the first bowl they brought out to me had 3 beans in it and the rest was brown water. after asking if that was normal, she brought out a new one which was a LOT meatier! yum!), and ended the working day by meeting up with my sales manager who helped me put together my first mailing to the headquarters for my first paycheck!
After that I talked with the CEO about the future with Blue Dog, and he was excited that I made a few sales this week! It feels good to be appreciated doesn't it?!? I talked with him on the phone on my way to a pottery sale at SIU Edwardsville. I've never walked on the college grounds there, so it literally took me 45 minutes to find the building the sale was in! That was a cool time, a slight hint of incense permiated the air, but you could definately tell the art students selling their works knew what they were doing and loved every second of it.
Then I made my way to the Belleville East High School campus where they were performing their verson of A Midsummer Night's Dream. It is amazing all the ways TomTom tries to take you from Edwardsville to Belleville. I stopped and grabbed a few Krispy Kreme doughnuts on the way to celebrate such a good week (and to feed my sweet tooth) and still managed to get to the school 40 minutes early (Plenty of time to enjoy my doughnuts while listening to a mix between B.O.B. and Chris Thomlin flipped between radio channels). I remembered A Midsummer Night's Dream from when I was a kid in grade school and we took a field trip to see it, a) performed by the high school as a way to show us what we could be a part of when we got to high school, and b) performed by a college with full fog and light effects! (neither of which kept me from falling asleep)
Maybe it's because I'm 25 and now able to add scenes together better because of a bigger vocabulary, or because my mind has become so insane that something like this play actually started making sense, but in either case Belleville East had me laughing through the whole thing and occasionally on the edge of my seat! For a high school Fall play, I give it 4 out of 5 gold stars.
For those of you that have never witnessed Shakespear's "A Midsummer Night's Dream", picture four people battling with who loves who, a group of poor townsfolk who are horrible at acting but are trying to impress the king/president with their skills of writing a play, and woodland ferries that get mixed up in the middle of it all....then you kinda get the idea of how it can be kinda confusing to a kid seeing it for the first time in grade school.
I'm glad I got to experience today.
Today was a busy day.
It started out in Mount Vernon talking to more businesses about becoming sponsors of the Children's book distribution program, got to have lunch with my dad and sister, which is now officially going on 5 weeks without siezures (woohoo!), I had a bowl of Steak N Shake Chilli (the first bowl they brought out to me had 3 beans in it and the rest was brown water. after asking if that was normal, she brought out a new one which was a LOT meatier! yum!), and ended the working day by meeting up with my sales manager who helped me put together my first mailing to the headquarters for my first paycheck!
After that I talked with the CEO about the future with Blue Dog, and he was excited that I made a few sales this week! It feels good to be appreciated doesn't it?!? I talked with him on the phone on my way to a pottery sale at SIU Edwardsville. I've never walked on the college grounds there, so it literally took me 45 minutes to find the building the sale was in! That was a cool time, a slight hint of incense permiated the air, but you could definately tell the art students selling their works knew what they were doing and loved every second of it.
Then I made my way to the Belleville East High School campus where they were performing their verson of A Midsummer Night's Dream. It is amazing all the ways TomTom tries to take you from Edwardsville to Belleville. I stopped and grabbed a few Krispy Kreme doughnuts on the way to celebrate such a good week (and to feed my sweet tooth) and still managed to get to the school 40 minutes early (Plenty of time to enjoy my doughnuts while listening to a mix between B.O.B. and Chris Thomlin flipped between radio channels). I remembered A Midsummer Night's Dream from when I was a kid in grade school and we took a field trip to see it, a) performed by the high school as a way to show us what we could be a part of when we got to high school, and b) performed by a college with full fog and light effects! (neither of which kept me from falling asleep)
Maybe it's because I'm 25 and now able to add scenes together better because of a bigger vocabulary, or because my mind has become so insane that something like this play actually started making sense, but in either case Belleville East had me laughing through the whole thing and occasionally on the edge of my seat! For a high school Fall play, I give it 4 out of 5 gold stars.
For those of you that have never witnessed Shakespear's "A Midsummer Night's Dream", picture four people battling with who loves who, a group of poor townsfolk who are horrible at acting but are trying to impress the king/president with their skills of writing a play, and woodland ferries that get mixed up in the middle of it all....then you kinda get the idea of how it can be kinda confusing to a kid seeing it for the first time in grade school.
I'm glad I got to experience today.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Food Review: Little Caesar's Italian Cheese Bread
My first review, and it happens to be about food, which is ironic considering I usually eat like a bird. So, because the scenery and timing may effect a review, let's set the stage! My new job with Blue Dog Publishing allowed me to start my first week on my own as an Account Executive in my home town of Mount Vernon, Illinois. I got to eat supper with my parents, and they chose Little Caesars Pizza. I happen to be very fond of their (Little Caesar's) Italian Cheese Bread, and it really hit the spot tonight, making it the ideal candidate for me to write about!
Little Caesar's Italian Cheese Bread:
On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being so terrible I wouldn't even use it to see how long it sticks to the wall in a throw up contest, and 10 being so incredible you don't even care how embarrassing the sounds you're making in the middle of a public restaurant are, I'd give it an 8. Why not a 10? You know how, when you walk outside, right after thinking you heard a really fast rain there are small puddles and wet patches of concrete to prove you were right? That's what the grease looked like on this delisciousy goodness...if it wasn't there I'd probably rate it a 7 anyway, simply because it wouldn't be Little Caesar's without it, but still knowing how that grease is now coating my insides, I am unfortunately not able to give it a perfect 10. I am also slightly swuaded by the conversation it made me have with "John" after getting back to O'Fallon.
However, now that the negative is out of the way, the reason I give Little Caesar's Itailian Cheese Bread an 8 is because
1) It's so good I called it "delisciousy goodness".
2) For cheese lovers, the cheese on this stuff makes me want to wrap myself up in it like a mummy.
3) The bread doesn't make you feel like you just played Chubby Bunny with a box of sponges growing inside of your mouth.
4) The crust is not so thin that you loose your fingers in everything else on it.
5) Herbs and garlic, but not so much that you feel like your breath is melting your own tongue.
6) I'm a huge fan of crisp and soft, they nailed it.
7) It never occurs to me that I forgot to pour myself something to drink until after I eat all 10 slices and realise the box is empty.
8)and lastly, for those of you concerned about healthy food groups, it contains your dairy, grain, vegetable (garlic), and sugar groups, so you've knocked out half the pyramid right there!
To me, that's good food! Well done, Little Caesar's!
Little Caesar's Italian Cheese Bread:
On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being so terrible I wouldn't even use it to see how long it sticks to the wall in a throw up contest, and 10 being so incredible you don't even care how embarrassing the sounds you're making in the middle of a public restaurant are, I'd give it an 8. Why not a 10? You know how, when you walk outside, right after thinking you heard a really fast rain there are small puddles and wet patches of concrete to prove you were right? That's what the grease looked like on this delisciousy goodness...if it wasn't there I'd probably rate it a 7 anyway, simply because it wouldn't be Little Caesar's without it, but still knowing how that grease is now coating my insides, I am unfortunately not able to give it a perfect 10. I am also slightly swuaded by the conversation it made me have with "John" after getting back to O'Fallon.
However, now that the negative is out of the way, the reason I give Little Caesar's Itailian Cheese Bread an 8 is because
1) It's so good I called it "delisciousy goodness".
2) For cheese lovers, the cheese on this stuff makes me want to wrap myself up in it like a mummy.
3) The bread doesn't make you feel like you just played Chubby Bunny with a box of sponges growing inside of your mouth.
4) The crust is not so thin that you loose your fingers in everything else on it.
5) Herbs and garlic, but not so much that you feel like your breath is melting your own tongue.
6) I'm a huge fan of crisp and soft, they nailed it.
7) It never occurs to me that I forgot to pour myself something to drink until after I eat all 10 slices and realise the box is empty.
8)and lastly, for those of you concerned about healthy food groups, it contains your dairy, grain, vegetable (garlic), and sugar groups, so you've knocked out half the pyramid right there!
To me, that's good food! Well done, Little Caesar's!
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
My First Blogpost
I've been feeling the tug to start up a blog of my own for a long time now, and I've finally talked myself into it. So, to start things off, I want to say thanks to all of you who are stopping by to catch a little of my crazy ramblings! I see a lot of movies, eat a lot of different foods, and love to travel, so since I constantly find myself giving my review to imaginary people, I figured I might as well write them down. Enjoy!
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