Quickest Way to My Heart...

1. BABIES (african, caucasian, asian, etc).

2. Frozen berries (blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, etc).

3. Acoustic music (Ernie Halter, Jason Reeves, Tyrone Wells, etc).

4. Lots of smiles and laughter (this one's pretty self explanatory, etc).

It's that simple.
The End.

Beautiful

Sunday, in the aforementioned church service, the pastor preached on something I hadn't given much thought to up to this point...the beauty of heaven. I know that may sound odd to most believers, but I normally don't take the time to dwell on heaven and all that awaits us in eternity. But Sunday as I listened to the message about eternity and the wonderful things our Heavenly Father has prepared for us there, maybe for the first time, I got a small taste of what it might be like.

I'm sure we all have our preconceived notions on what we think heaven will be like, but for whatever reason, I had chosen to abstain from coming to any conclusions about it (probably because I haven't done enough investigating to back it up with scripture). Even when I picture the best the Earth has to offer, I know it is nothing in comparison to what God has in store for believers. That just blows my mind. So even when you see the most beautiful thing you could ever behold; be it the perfect sunset, snow peaked mountains, or a tropical paradise... this world is still cursed. The very ground that we praise as beautiful and the scenery that "takes our breath away" is called "cursed" by God.

And to Adam he said,
"Because you have listened to the voice of your wife
and have eaten of the tree
of which I commanded you,
'You shall not eat of it,'
cursed is the ground because of you;
in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life

Genesis 3:17

So how much more beautiful must heaven be if all we know and have seen is cursed? I can't even wrap my mind around it.

Creepy

Yesterday I went with some friends to First Baptist Irving, which is a great church who's pastor John Durham (the old youth pastor at Houston First Baptist) basically teaches doctrine and theology every Sunday, which I love :), but apparently I'm not the only one, seeing as it is the new "it" church for DBU goers. Well anywho, I always forget that at the end of each church service they do the whole "everyone join hands and sing" thing where you are expected to join hands with the people on either side of you and worship.

In theory, I don't have any problems with this...in practice sometimes it's a little different. Last Sunday I was seated between a girl that I know from school (no problem there) and some random guy that I assume was a high schooler (seeing as he was sitting with his mom and giving off that "awkward kid" vibe). The church service was awesome... worship was great and the message was definitely enlightening and in general it went off without a hitch, until those faithful words to join hands...

I instinctively grabbed the hands of those closest to me... but shortly after I did that, I realized that the kid on my right had the softest hands I have ever felt. It was gross. I don't know if this kid moisturized on a regular basis, or just has naturally creamy, soft, infant-like hands, but I was completely grossed out by it. It was like holding marshmallow creme without the sticky residue. No me gusta.

I feel like boys have a right to be scratchy and rough and even dirty on occasion! I don't like that I have to worry if a boy will have softer skin than me. I understand taking pride in your appearance, but I draw the line at satiny hands... it's creepy and weird.

Give me Jesus

These past few days I have really been reminded of the depth of the need we (as people) have for Jesus. We don't need miracles or "things" that we think will comfort us or bring us joy...we just need Jesus. It's as simple as that, yet we make it so much more complicated. We have a Savior that offers peace and joy and redemption, why would we need to pursue those things elsewhere?

So today my prayer is that as Christians we would realize that Jesus satisfies every need and lifts every burden. I pray that He would become my heart's desire, and I would quit settling for less and becoming distracted by so many other things. After all, when the Earth fades away, there will be Jesus.

Give Me Jesus- Jeremy Camp

Spring 2009

Seeing as my semester starts tomorrow, I figured I'd fill everyone in on what I'll be doing with the next 4-5 months of my life... I'm really excited about the classes I'm taking. This semester I'm starting to take some more specialized courses mixed in with my core stuff. As of today, this is my schedule

History from 1865-Present: Monday, Wednesday, Friday: 8 am
New Testament: Monday, Wednesday, Friday: 9 am
Chapel: Monday, Wednesday, Friday: 10 am
Christian Leadership: Monday, Wednesday: 2 pm
Fitness for living: Tuesday, Thursday: 8 am
Developing a Christian Mind: Tuesday, Thursday: 9:30 am
The Educational Ministry of the Church: Tuesday: 2 pm
Human Growth and Development: Thursday: 2 pm

My hardest will probably be Developing a Christian Mind, it's a core course but it is a TON of work and I'm pretty sure I got the toughest professor :/ The classes I'm MOST excited about are The Educational Ministry of the Church and Human Growth and Development...they're both only once a week for 2.5 hours, so I'm crossing my fingers that I get interesting professors!

All this is topped off by the fact that I was informed I will be working 20 hours a week at work now (last semester I only worked 15)...on top of my 18 hours of class! It's gonna be intense, but I think it's doable.

Wish me luck! I'm sure there will be many posts to follow about things I'm learning and all that junk :)

Name Snob

I'm starting to realize that I am secretly a bit of a snob when I first meet people. I try to be really polite and tell them my name and smile as they tell me theirs, but I might as well be listening to static. I don't know what it is but I can never remember peoples names! I don't forget on purpose or choose not to listen, I just blank when people tell me. I walk away scratching my head and hoping that (God forbid) I ever run in to that person again, they will forget my name so that we don't have to do the whole awkward "You-remember-me-but-I-have-no-clue-who-you-are" greeting. I feel like this happens to me a lot at work... I meet all these important deans and professors that go out of their way to be nice to me and remember my name and I can't even respond with a proper greeting. Blah. I wish I could change my ways, but in the heat of the moment it never fails... the only way I'm going to remember you is through intense repetition.

In other news, my bffae is back in town and we will be spending the rest of the week together... Scrubs marathon, our first annual steak dinner ;), taking LOTS of pictures, etc. It's gonna be pretty stinkin sweet.

P.S. Sorry I haven't posted in a while... I know all 3 of my readers are extremely disappointed in my lack of post's ;) But don't fret, regular posting will officially resume next week when I head back to Dbu.

Christmas with the Criswell/Weghorst/Cherry/Johnson's!

Christmas this year has been full of firsts! It was Kaitlyn's first Christmas, the first Christmas I could buy everyone presents with my own money (something I was VERY proud of) and the first Christmas in a long time we had all of my siblings together :) It was awesome.

I realize some of you aren't fortunate enough to have met my entire family, so this post is dedicated to them and our wonderfully crazy/dysfunctional holidays...

Christmas Tree!!

This is my beautiful sister Devon and my brother-in-law Justin...Together, they produced the cutest baby ever known to man, aka Kaitlyn Grace.

My other sister Kelly and her bf Ryan.

My crazy brother Kyle...

My "rents" overseeing the festivities ;)

Me with my favorite neice!

Here are some of my fav's of Kaitlyn...I got a little carried away, but how could I not?!

To My BFFAE

Who would have known
when we first started out
that the two of us would make it
through all the muck and clout?

We were young and reckless,
well i guess we still kind of are
but we managed to stay together
even though now you're really far.

You used to like frogs
but then they started to creep you out
and we used to always argue
and then you would inevitably pout ;)

We struggled through Jr.High
through bad haircuts and boys
you almost even hooked a few
even if they weren't so choice.

Then there came high school
and we both did separate things
you'd watch me throw
and I'd listen to you sing.

But graduation crept closer
and we chose our own schools
We both chose B.U.'s
so I guess that's kind of cool...

I'm glad you've stuck it out with me
I like to think I made you tough
and even if you're far away
you'll always be the "stuff".

At Last

Today I finished my last final! It's crazy to think that I am halfway through my freshman year of college :) Anywho, I am super-dee-duper excited about Christmas break and all that that entails.

I don't know how much I'll be able to post over break, but I'll see what I can do...

Here's to you...

Many Ginobili: My favorite all time basketball player, personal hero and potential spouse. I have been drawn to you since I saw you play your rookie year in one of many Spurs Championship games. Honestly, it was you that opened my eyes to the greatness that is The Spurs. Your hustle and aggressive playing style has served you well, taking you from an unknown Argentinian ball player to an NBA Champion and Olympic Champion. I will never get tired of defending you and cheering for you. To me, you are the epitome of basketball and everything I would ever want in a player.



Matt Bonner: My favorite redheaded player. I love you because you remind me of myself. My heart soars when you actually get to play. Though most people probably don't know who you are, I will always be your number one fan. Your physical mentality in the paint and excellent 3-point percentage has made you an excellent contributor (when you actually get in the game). But hey, I don't care that you don't play a lot... I'm content to see your red hair sitting along your teammates offering encouragement and relief when you can. I like to think if I was a NBA player I would be you.



Fabricio Oberto: My second favorite Argentinean. You my friend, are a grease monkey, but your powerful play in the post has been tremendous these past few seasons on the Spurs. You came into the NBA a virtual unknown from Argentina and I have watched you blossom in to a smarter and more agile player. I am always impressed by your heads-up play and determined mindset. Even when I'm angry at stupid mistakes you make I know you were a great investment. I have no doubt you will continue to grow into an excellent ball player.



Steve Nash: My little buddy. I hate when The Spurs play The Suns because I respect you so much. Your quickness is unmatched and I am hard-pressed to think of anyone who's basketball knowledge and passing skills can match yours. Even though you are in your mid 30s, you can outplay any 20 year old put in your path. You are so fundamentally sound it's scary...watching you play reminds me of why I love basketball.



Chris Paul: You are one crazy little ball of fury. You have taken The Hornets from virtually unknown to Championship contenders. I admire your determination and hard work. It's not everyday a rookie can carry his team farther than they've ever gone before. It's hard not to be a Chris Paul fan when you play basketball the way you do and still manage to keep your attitude in check. I have high hopes for you mister...



Beno Udrih: Oh Beno...where do I begin? You are another player that is vastly underestimated. Not only are you a lefty, which for whatever reason is a big plus in my book, but you are also from Yugoslavia. How cool is that? I first noticed your awesomeness your first season on The Spurs... and even though I can't claim you anymore, you still hold a special place in my heart.



Dwayne Wade: You are one of the few "big hype" players I bought in to. I'm not going to lie, I like that you seem to be a genuine good guy that doesn't let his ego get to him. You took The Heat to new heights and even though it didn't last forever, I have no doubt that you will do great things (regardless of your team).



Tim Duncan: I love me some Timmy. You are one of the quietest superstars on the court today. I have no doubt that The Spurs would be minus quite a few championships if you hadn't been on the court. I have watched entire games before I realized how much you've impacted it, and believe me, I mean that in the best way possible. Please don't ever get old.




Shane Battier: Now that Mutombo is retired, you reign as my favorite Rocket. I love your hustle and smart play but most of all I love that you give me a reason to cheer for The Rockets. You single handedly redeem them.



Rasheed Wallace: Oh Rasheed...I don't even know where to begin. You are the most ridiculous, foul mouthed, insane player and for whatever reason, I can't help but love you. You always make me laugh, but I still respect your great play on the court. I would never want my children to imitate you, yet I find myself wishing every team had their own Rasheed to shake things up.

"Lazy Sunday"

You're Welcome.

If my life were a movie...

Now I realize this may come across as incredibly vain, but I think it would be really funny to see my life played out in a movie. Granted, I should probably wait a few years to see if there are any major plot twists, but if I were going to have a movie made of the past 18 (almost 19) years of my life I would want it to be acted out with the best possible cast.

Cast Members Include:

Laura Prepon as Me:


Geena Davis as my Mom:


Maurice Bernard as my Dad:


Rachel McAdams as my sister Devon:


Jimmy Fallon as my brother Kyle:


Sarah Silverman as my sister Kelly:


My grandparents played by James Garner and Gena Rowlands:


Ellen Page as Marie:


Tom Hanks as Jeremy:


Adam Goldberg as Andrew:


Vanessa Hudgens as Danica:


Katie Holmes as Lauren:


Amber Tamblyn as Allison:


Katherine Heigl as Jessie:


Eva Mendez as Danielle O:


Topher Grace as Daniel:


Bradford Anderson as Ian Dabomb Deetz:


Alexis Bledel as Molly:



I tried to include as many people as I could think of, but if you are reading this and aren't on the list let me know. Also, if you would like someone else to play you, just write who you think would be a better you in the comments...I'll take it in to consideration ;)

Instructions

I wish people came with instructions. Think how much simpler life would be if every time you were interacting with someone that you didn't know that well (or someone you don't understand) if you had the option of just peeking at their tag. Ideally it would be similar to clothing tags, but instead of instructions to wash, there are instructions on how to handle this person.

I think mine would look something like this...

"Handle with care: Loves sunshine and smiles, but is known to get a bit carried away. Do not mix with obnoxious personalities. Needs Jesus, laughter, naps and the Spurs."


So what would your tag look like?

Forbes gets it right

Forbes just released the best "prime-time bargains"...basically, the best basketball players for the buck. They compared player statistics to pay to see which players are making the biggest impact and are basically settling for less pay than they deserve.

Guess who was number 1...MANU GINOBILI. He beat out Steve Nash and Kobe Bryant to take the spot of #1 prime-time bargain for a guard*!

Now I finally have proof :)


*I realize that part of the reason some of these guards (like Kobe Bryant) aren't at the top is because they make WAY too much money to qualify as being a "bargain".

The View

Can I just say how much I HATE The View?! Seriously, it is the worst show ever...I'll try to present my argument in an organized way:

1. Any show where they are going to discuss political and world issues, but have an unbalanced panel, is like a bomb waiting to explode. It just needs the right issue to make it go off.

2. Though the women on the show might be mildly intelligent, it usually just leaves me thinking about how utterly ridiculous and foolish they look when they argue and yell over one another.

3. For me, it's hard watching women make fool's of themselves, but remain totally serious about it. It's different if I'm watching Paris Hilton's Super Awesome Fabulous Fun Life on MTV...she KNOWS she is ridiculous (or at least I hope she does). But the women from The View seem to think they are God's gift to womankind. Bleh.

4. Besides giving women a bad name, Joy Behar gives red heads everywhere a bad name...and I just won't stand for that. There are too few of us to be associated with the likes of her.

5. Your IQ actually decreases the longer you watch it (it's a proven fact).

Baby it's cold outside...

It is freezing 0utside (literally) and it is AWESOME! Though I'm assuming the grounds crew didn't get the memo because a few of our trees were covered in icicles...which leads me to believe someone left the sprinklers on. I'm okay with it though, they were really neat looking.

P.S. I don't know when I started saying "neat" but it really needs to stop. I feel like June Cleaver.

P.S.S. I'm really excited about Christmas! It's gonna be super neat ;)

Closing time.

16 more days, 2.5 more weeks and only a couple of finals stand in the way of me and the end of my first semester here. Don't get me wrong, it's not like I have hated it here or anything, but when all is said and done, I will be glad when this semester is over and behind me. It has been challenging in ways I hadn't anticipated and rewarding in ways I couldn't have imagined.

All that to say that now that the school year is winding down, I have decided to write down some of the things I have learned in my first semester of life at DBU. Enjoy!

• Never judge a book by it's cover. A great example of this would be my roomie...all the hot pink, pom pom waving and makeup had me hesitant at first, but she turned out to be one of the best possible roommates I could have gotten. We get along great, and as ridiculous as she is, I love her.
• I am naturally really optimistic. If there is a silver lining to be found, I WILL find it.
• God always provides, but rarely in the way I expect.
• I love learning about scripture. If I could take all Religion classes, and no core courses...I would.
• I thoroughly enjoy being spontaneous.
  
• College exams really aren't as hard as people make them out to be...or at least the ones I've had thus far haven't been too bad.
• There is nothing like sitting outside by yourself. It's a rare treat, but it's really refreshing and peaceful.
• Absence really does make the heart grow fonder.
• Tofu will never be good...I don't care how you prepare it or what you serve it with.
• Working in the "typical" office as a student worker is really boring.
• I REALLY hate talking on the phone, especially to international students. Judge me all you want, it stinks.
  
• Using the weekends to catch up on all the sleep I missed during the week is FAWSOME*.
• I love teaching and sharing with other people about the bible. But I'm still working on what people I'm allowed to teach. I should probably stick to kiddos.
• Usually things are more complicated than I would like them to be.
• Cafeteria food gets old REAL fast.
• Being on a beautiful campus makes me happy.
• I love that all my classes are "Christ-centered".
• I study best early in the morning.
• Real work NEVER gets done if I'm in bed.
• College life is great and all, but I'm really excited that I get to graduate and be an adult in a few short years.
• I NEED alone time sometimes, but I am miserable if I'm alone when I don't want to be.
• I really took for granted having a car and going places whenever I wanted.
• Some things (like shopping) are much more enjoyable when done alone.
• I might have a learning disorder. I'm still deciding if it's legit.
• Hot chocolate makes me feel really good about life.
• Skipping class as a reward is excellent. But getting carried away and skipping too many is not.
• Freshman chapel stinks (the other two chapels during the week are usually really good).
• I miss being able to cook!
• I will never be one of those people that stresses about grades all the time...but I usually end up feeling guilty that I'm not concerned about them.
• Studying at the library is prime. But I get really upset when people are not completely silent.
  

*Fawsome: adjective, a term coined by Ernie Halter. It means freaking awesome...obviously.
Judge me if you must. Daniel will understand ;)

I'm cursed.

I've decided that I am completely cursed when it comes to electronics. I don't know what it is, but I always manage to break/leave behind/misplace my phone. This time I forgot my charger at home. Which means I will be without it for a couple of days till my mom ships up my charger. It could be a good thing. It's been a while since I've had to go without it. Maybe it will be refreshing, but my gut says it will just be frustrating. Ah well, I'll make d0 with what I've got.

I'm convinced life would be much simpler without technology. Or at least less stressful. But then again, maybe that's the curse talking...

#7: Medicine

I just took Robitussin cough medicine, which I haven't taken since I was a kid (even then I've probably only taken it twice). Well, I have been coughing like crazy, so I decided it would be in my best interest to medicate my troubles away. My inner dialogue went something like this...


ME: "I'll just drink a little bit of this 'long-acting' Robitussin and I will be healed and rejoice.
Surely it can't be as bad as I remember, maybe I was just being dramatic.
I should get something to wash it down just in case..."

*drinks medicine of death*

BLEH! Definitely worse than I remember.
Another one of the many reasons I choose not to get sick.


I don't get why medicine has to taste so bad*. I mean seriously, is there is no possible way they could have made it taste better? With all the modern advances in science and technology, they couldn't have managed a better tasting cough serum?!



*If you are one of those wierdo's that thinks cherry/bubblegum flavored medicine is yummy then you can just take a hike because I think you are full of it.

The Standard

Warning: this is going to be extremely sappy.

I'm sure I have mentioned to some of you how much my grandpa means to me. He is the epitome of the perfect man, not in a weird way, but he has always been what has set the standard for me (as far as what I look for in a guy). I know that may sound weird to some people, but it makes perfect sense to me. So after I talked him up this much, I have decided to give those of you that haven't met him (basically all of you) a little insight to what makes him so great.

He is from a really small town of Mississippi but he actually met my grandma at Pearl River Junior College where he was playing football and basketball. He was raised to be a southern gentlemen, in a time when that was the norm, and she was only 16 when they met because she graduated high school early. They hit it off from the get go. Two years later, when they graduated from Pearl River, my grandma moved to New Orleans to work with a few of her girlfriends. Judge me if you must, but it was like something out of a movie when I read the letter my grandpa wrote to her in her yearbook. SO cute. He went on to play more college ball at William Carey and finish his education, and they got married shortly thereafter and had their first child (my mom) in 1956.

Now, I'm sure I'm romanticizing this a little bit, but if you saw the way my grandpa cared for my grandma and looked at her, you would have a hard time imagining it being any other way. My grandma's health isn't the best, so my grandpa spends the majority of his time caring for her. He is so kind and patient with her. I love watching them interact. Especially when my grandma is feeling particularly feisty.

Besides the fact that he is wonderful with my grandma, he also has a great sense of humor. He makes me laugh every time we are together, even if I've heard the story 100 times already. I wish I could have known him when he was younger because I think he would have been a total goofball. His sense of humor and mine match really well, so it's really fun when we get to hang out.

To top it all off, he is and has always been a great spiritual leader in my family. I know without a doubt that he lives his life according to his faith and convictions, and I admire that kind of maturity.

I encourage you to meet him if you can. His name is Henry Elbert Johnson. Look him up. He is my grandpa and my hero and I love him...a lot.