East coast, West coast throw down

The object of dissension:

CUPCAKES

Magnolia Bakery (coming out of NYC, yo)

vs.

Sprinkles (like, you know, from, like, Beverly Hills)

Now I've never tasted Magnolia's cupcakes from their store (although a friend did make some from Martha's recipe and they were yummy) but Big D (Dallas) just got a Sprinkles and well I'm addicted.

Three dollars for a cupcake you say? Inconceivable. I know, I know there are better ways to spend my money but they are just so good and addictive. Hmmm and there are so many flavors. So far I've tried the red velvet, lemon coconut, and peanut butter chip (AMAZING). There are so many other flavors too, it's like cupcake heaven.

Alas, I'm on a cupcake boycott for a while (for the sake of my bank account and my hips) but if I ever make it to NYC I'll have to do a taste test of my own to see how Magnolia match up.

On the topic of public restrooms

Who new a public restroom could be so intriguing?

For instance:

Did you know that the Portland airport practices water conservation in their potties?

My favorite part is the descriptors they use for the specific bodily function you are commencing in.

Do you see it? #1 or #2. Is that proper technical jargon?

And then there is the ever so handy dual purpose soap.

You know just in case you are wanting to do some extra primping in the PUBLIC restroom sink area.

HAIR and BODY SHAMPOO.

Overheard*

"Take Jesus out of your mouth"


*And the gal who said this even suggested I blog about it, so miss spaghettiepie you are now a blogstar on kpinion. Congratulations!

Interview

Jes over at Chirky is participating in a little interview adventure. She thought really long and hard to give me the following questions of information that obviously she doens't know about me (although we were roommates - TWICE). And so I thought long and hard and then just decided to type whatever came to my mind.

And away we go:


You must move to either Bombay or Helsinki. Which one and why?
Well to make such a big decision as this I of course had to do some research.

By the way, if we want to be technical Bombay is now known as Mumbai (didn't know that but thank you Wikipedia). After reading a bit about it, there are a few turnoffs for me - pretty severe factions at war with each other resulting in terroristic attacks, two seasons: humid and dry, lots and lots of people, 13 million in the city alone to be exact.

Ok, after some reading (again thank you Wikipedia), Helsinki wins hands down. Mild climate, hey I live in Texas but I actually like the cold, amazing architecture and geography, not too many people (just a little over 1 million in the city and surruounding area), I might actually be able to pick up the language and look like I belong there (remember I'm pale and blonde and kind of nordic looking), amazing cultural areas and BEACHES, lots and lots of beaches (wheee), and the economy seems pretty good (gosh I'm a nerd) and they have a tendency to hire non-Finns (although give me a few months to pick up the language and lose my southern drawl and I would pass for a Finn).

So Helsinki it would be. In fact part of me wants to add it to the list of places I want to visit one day.

What is your favorite state fair-type food?
For all of you non-Texans, let me start by explaining that the State Fair is a major event for us down here. There are rides, exhibits, but the biggest draw is the FOOD (well that and the Texas/OU game played on the fair grounds). If you watch a newscast around fair time, they are always talking about the food and what is being deep fried this year.

Jes so wisely asked about "state fair-type" food since you don't want to exclude anything that might be thought of by the crazy minds that seach for more things to deep fry.

I'm a simple girl really. Oh, I like my fried foods (in general that is) but I would lean more toward a corny dog with mustard, ice cold Dr. Pepper, and a big ice cream cone than say a deep fried twinkie.

Do you have a secret talent?
Yes, but if I share it here than would it be a secret anymore? No I don't think so. Therefore I will share my non-secret talents. I am a good faller. Now you might not count this as a talent but I do because will all my falling experience I have yet to break a single bone in my body - that is talent my friends.

But if you are looking for more of a talent that you would see on stage somewhere than alas I am saddly lacking in that area. I can recall random facts that offer little to no value at any given moment thereby filling the suckage of dead air in a conversation gone bad. That is a talent but it really isn't stage worthy.

Hmmmm maybe I need to go learn a talent, or are you just born with talent, darn I need some talent here people. Suggestions?

What is your #1 favorite movie of all time?
I've already complained to Jes about this question as I find it rather limiting and unfair. There are so many genres of movies that to limit them to just one movie is painful. So I thumb my nose at this whole idea of giving only one answer and will give you my categories:

• Chick Flick: Pride and Prejudice (long or short version will suffice)
• Manly Movie: Braveheart (something about fighting for freedom, honor, and truth gets me, that and I can handle pretty much any war-type flick without screaming or cringing)
• Suspense: The Village (I realize most people hated this movie but I liked the story and what it said about separating yourself from the world)
• Childhood Favorite: The Secret of Nimh (love this movie, love it)
• Epics: Lord of the Rings Trilogy (go ahead call me a nerd, but I saw each movie on opening night and own both the theatrical and extended editions, I love this story, L.O.V.E. it and need to set aside a day to watch them all back to back)
• Can watch over and over again: Princess Bride (If pressed to pick an ultimate favorite this would probably be it. If you can watch a movie over and over again and enjoy it just the same if not more each successive time it should be your favorite. I've probably memorized this entire movie (more because in college one day at work I was bored and read through the screenplay).

So there you go my movie list.

What's your most irrational fear?

Irrational fear? I guess I should ask if any of my fears are actually rational? Or better yet do I actually have fears? I mean there are things that I generally don't like, soggy bread, snakes, spiders, but do I fear these? And then I wonder if there is anything that would just paralyze me with fear if I encountered it. So I might have to think about this one a bit more, because right now I'm coming up with a big blank. I have worries and dislikes but nothing so huge and overwhelming that I would call it a fear.

Ok so now for the rest of the game.

1. Leave me a comment saying, “Interview me.” [Or you could say something about my charming wit, beautiful hair, etc.] <--Y'all. Am lame. I literally copied and pasted this section from Whoorl's site, and didn't even notice this sentence until someone left a comment about my great hair and I was all, "What? How do they know? It's totally true, though." Am leaving it up in case any one else wants to participate in the flattery. Shameful, I know. Now the stuff in Pink is a direct quote from Jes but Iwant to include it just in case you want to say something about my hair. Ha, we're both fishing for hair compliments.
2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. I get to pick the questions.
3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

One Year Ago

Hello all.

It seems that of late my blogging has been hit or miss, which really translates to "I really enjoy my new job and it keeps me busy so I haven't been able to grab a few minutes during the day and put on paper(or computer screen) what is floating in my mind". But I'm hoping to get back in the game and put up some new thoughts and ruminations that are trapped up in my noggin.

It's actually quite a trip down memory lane for me to look through my posts from the last few years. Some make me laugh, some make me cry, and some take me back to a feeling or a time in my past.

So in honor of that I figured I would pick out a few from April of 2006 to share with you. For some reason these posts just mark some "moments" in my life, some truth that I needed to realize, and some expression that I needed to get out.

Collision

Slavery

Met by Grace

Choices

TEMPTATION

Free ice cream cones at Ben and Jerry's.


FREE

ICE CREAM

BEN AND JERRY'S

Why dost thou tempt me?

Willpower gone.

Leaving now to succumb to temptation.

Weak

But eating ice cream

One Down and One to go

First off, CONGRATS to Steve and Katie Sporre. Their wedding was Saturday and perfectly them. Go check out Steve's blog HERE to see why.

Well that's one wedding down and one more to go. Wednesday, I continue my tour of the west coast with a drive to Cali-forn-I-A for Caron and Brad's wedding which will be Sunday.

So that's me, what are you up to?

Tour of Weddings

I'm embarking on a tour of weddings beginning tomorrow with an aeroplane ride to the west coast. First stop, Portland for Steve's wedding and then next weekend it's off to Cali for Caron's wedding.

Ironic thing about all this?

I can thank this little blog for getting me to these weddings. Steve met me on my blog (and yes I'm saying he met me because he initiated contact, and that makes him have a just hint of weird stalkerness) and I met Caron through Steve after fulfilling the friend exchange program that was set up when he visited Texas and then I visited Oregon.

So, here I go to attend the wedding of a great friend who came from blogland and then be part of a wedding of a precious and wonderful friend who came as a byproduct of blogland.

In my mind this whole post has some sort of background music to it. The really cheezy kind that is instrumental and played behind dramatic scenes on soap operas. And as I wrap up this little post the words begin to fade to black as the theme song crescendos and the icon for my own little life story pops up on screen.

Oh, also this means I might be incommunicado for the next few days. I'll try to pop on when i get a chance.

Happy Easter everyone.

School Project

If I was a youngin in a private christian school, the rebel part of me would have stolen this idea and watched with glee how the teacher reacted.

Peeps for Passover

Mission Impossible

As I've been reading through Romans for my Bible study this year something has struck me. God often asks us to do the impossible, at least the impossible for us. He asks us to love our neighbors . . . to even love our enemies. He asks us to serve others . . . again to serve our enemies. He asks us to be part of His body and do His work . . . and yet He asks us to do this with gifts that are only from Him.

God asks us to do the impossible. He calls us to be not like ourselves but to be like Him, to love not like we want to love but like He loves, to live not as we see fit but as He lived. He asks us to be like Him, which is impossible if we try on our own accord. And yet something I heard last night reminded me that God asks us to do the impossible while providing us with the ability to do just that, the impossible: "The same power of the Holy Spirit that raised Christ from the dead dwells in you."

And this all seems so timely as we march through the week leading up to the most impossible thing ever accomplished by a man. Life from death, both for Him and therefore for us.

Success

It's a bit of a blow to your confidence when children begin crying the moment they see you. Many of our kiddos in children's ministry associate me with the dreaded event of their parents leaving for an hour and so the waterworks begin as soon as they see me.

My goal has been to stop the tears and save my self-esteem. This Sunday marked a moment of success. One of our sweet toddlers who gives me the look of death and immediately bursts into tears while whimpering "go, go, go" (for go home) every time she sees me on Sunday morning turned a corner. When I dropped into her room to check on another toddler she came up to me, lifted her sweet little arms and wanted me to pick her up and play with her. I'll admit my heat jumped and I probably got the biggest smile on my face.

SUCCESS SWEET SUCCESS

One down just a dozen more to go.