the face in sand date.

One of the most written about things in women's magazines is ''How to get a second date'', or more so, ''How to keep your man interested in you". As I skim through these magazines almost every time I'm at the checkout line at the store, I've noticed all the advice consists of being sweet, funny, charismatic, graceful, and ''easy-going''. Well, as I was on my first few dates with Justin, I was definitely trying to work out the ''lessons'' I had learned in these magazines for years in real life. I laugh a lot anyways, but I was especially giggly, was trying to be light on my feet and ''go with the flow''. On our 3rd date, Justin took me to a camp that we met at to have a sunlight dinner and walk around, very romantic, right? It was late August and the trees were just starting to change along with the crisp summer night air so the night was perfect. We decided to walk around for a bit and came to the volleyball court, so we started a little competition. I said I would definitely win, and he said he would win... so we both were working hard to prove our volleyball skills far exceeded each others. We hit the ball back and forth and it was getting a little heated, more so from my side because he was winning. I went for the ball one last time, and BAM I face planted into the wet sand. I don't mean just a on the knees fall. I mean totally pancake flat on my face type of face plant. Please remember, this was our 3rd date. I hop up and try to play it cool, knees and face throbbing from the impact, repeating to myself, "Please don't cry, please don't cry." Come to find out, Justin was saying the exact same thing to himself. Thankfully, gracefulness must not be at the top of Justin's requirements because we've had many, many dates since then. So maybe, girls, you should try falling pancake flat on the ground on a date instead of telling the latest joke you heard.. it seems to work! ;)

Cinna-sation

This week at work we were talking about the ''myth'' that it is impossible to dry swallow a tablespoon full of cinnamon. Let me just say, I am not the type to attempt disproving these random, crazy facts. Well, I don't know if it was the long exposure to the sun or my frivolous attempt to be rebellious... but I actually tried to swallow an entire tablespoon of cinnamon. My two roommates, Brittany and Emma, along with Brittany's boyfriend all piled out onto our balcony at watch me attempt this crazy fact that they have never heard of before. I was a bit full of myself and thought I could actually accomplish this, how hard could it be, right? Wrong. I loaded that tablespoon full of spicy cinnamon and sent it plunging down my esophagus only to be coughed back up and then tragically inhaled into my lungs. The cinnamon left my throat as dry as the desert in a midsummer's drought. I could not breathe. My lungs began to close up leaving my face to display the desperation I was in for the source of life, air. I was seriously turning purple. My roommates got so frantic and had deer in headlight eyes, as did I. They were about to call the ambulance when I squeezed out a "Water, I need water". I sounded like I had been smoking a pack a day for 75 years! The pain of speaking is indescribable. The air burned as it exited my body and the water did not help ease this discomfort. The first gulp of water that went down into my stomach triggered an overflow of my dinner that I had just eaten... all over the people's Persian rugs that they were drying downstairs. There was cinnamon ALL OVER the place. I the air, on my face, on my roommate's faces, on my neighbors $1,500 rugs. It was a total disaster. Not to mention the fact that nothing eased the discomfort taking place inside my body. I had to just wait it out and let it my throat naturally heal and lubricate itself. There is no cure, no salvation from the pain...except for 2.5 hours of vomiting and some hot tea and soup from Panera Bread when the nausea left. I am going to give some advise, if you're thinking, " I could totally do that"... you can't. Sorry. I was bound and determined to keep it down, and one of the most stubborn people I know, and I could not do it. Don't try this at home, kids....it's bad, and did not make me feel cinnasational.

Is this a funeral or a wedding?...it's both!

About 2 weeks ago my great grandmother passed away at the ripe old age of 89. I knew time was cutting short about a year ago, and the Holy Spirit definitely was telling me this, too. Every time I saw her for the past year the Holy Spirit was convicting me to share the Good News of Jesus with her. I would prepare myself to do it upon every drive going to see her, and would leave each visit feeling defeated by Satan due to fear and apathy. Well, I would always say "next time''...every time I left. Well, unfortunately, the ''next time'' was my drive to the hospital to say goodbye. On my drive there, I was thinking about what I could say to someone on the brink of tasting death. I had a huge speech prepared but when I stepped foot into the room with a howling mamaw grieved by seeing her mother dieing on a bed, all my expectations of what I wanted to say left, and I stepped back to let Christ take over. I sat down beside of her and could see the absence of mind in her lifeless eyes. The only thing I could say was she is going to see Jesus, clinging to the hope that she is a believer, since I did not know due to my lack of care earlier in our relationship. I soon realized this was her wedding with Jesus, going to meet her bridegroom and spend all of eternity with Him who died for her sins! I found out from my uncle, who is a pastor, that she was a believer and is definitely going to see Jesus!

Two days later I was at the funeral surrounded by extended family along with familiar faces. I found a beautiful hydrangea plant that had been sent to the family and told my mother how beautiful and captivating it was, and she said I could take it home. Then one of my extended family members came in and requested it, and my mother said it was already spoken for but that she would ask the person who had wanted it..which was me. I was totally willing to give it over, but the rest of the family was not willing to let their own opinions that I should keep the plant to themselves. I soon found myself in a family tug-of-war over a yellow and pink hydrangea plant. I ended up caving in and agreeing to keep the plant. We are at a funeral of a beloved family member being distracted by an earthly plant. I was soon being aggressively approached about the plant, with conniving questions about my ability to take care of a plant by this family member and decided not matter what my family thought or did, I was giving it over. I told my mother and we all three went out to the car to transfer it (my mother knowing I really did not want to give it up made me carry it.) On my way to her car I started bawling behind the huge plant and pretty much threw it to my dad and asked him to take it to the car. This got my whole family into an uproar yelling and protesting that I am keeping the plant. Dad put it back into the van and that was that. I now have a 2ft. wide plant in a 20ft. home. It is beautiful, and makes me think of my grandmother... though it was much like a brawl of single bridesmaids fighting to catch a bride's bouquet...pulling of hair, gnashing of teeth, and sweet hearts fighting for what they want. I love my dear, dear family!

The Mystery of 3219

This week, today actually, there have been a series of weird events within the household of the Shuffler,Smith,Guinn,Loveday household. I come home and see that there was some major cloggage in the toilet, and thought maybe it was Brittany. Well, turns out Brittany thought it was me... nope. Neither of us. So then we ask the roommates, and it is neither of them. We could not figure this mystery out until we realized there is a phantom toilet clogger running around the Haven who sneaks into apartments, blows up your bathroom, and leaves his claimed victim to ferment. Disgusting! Then, Brittany, Jessica and myself ALL wear the same t-shirt today. weird. I really want to find the mystery toilet clogger, and enlighten him about how I was forced to clean my toilet instead of read an amazingly relaxing book at the end of my exhausting day. Thanks, nasty, thanks. I absolutely refused to sit on that thing not knowing who's honkytonk badonkydonk had been sitting there. It will get resolved... kinda makes me think of this video.

Grocery Shopping

So, one of my absolute favorite things to do is grocery shop. I just think it is so fun to push my buggy around and collect good, wholesome food to eat for the upcoming week. I usually do my grocery shopping on Sunday afternoons, which is one of the prime times for people to shop. I like it, though, because I get to be around people. Anyways while on my shopping endeavors, I've learned a few things..

1.) "Shop the Rainbow." - To keep yourself, and family, nourished you need to have a wide array of colors in your diet. Different colors have different nutritional value. You need to buy enough to fill your plate 1/2 the way full of vegetables of different colors, and 1/4 of the way of fruits. You can substitute the fruit for another vegetable, but some fruits, such as kiwi, provide 2X as much vitamin C than an orange and almost as much potassium as a banana! So, if you know your produce, you can get a lot of nutrition by taking short cuts such as the kiwi and avoid having to buy as much fruit.

2.) Frozen Vegetables are GOOD!- I always thought it was horrible to buy frozen vegetables, who knows what they put in them, right? Well, come to find out that fresh produce sometimes loses it's highest potential nutritional value due to traveling and the amount of time between being picked and eaten. Whereas, frozen vegetables are flash frozen immediately upon picking, therefore, holding much of its nutritional value until cooked. So, all you "in a hurry'' moms and college students, go ahead and get the frozen veggies, it's better for you!

3.) Buy Yourself a Treat! - I used to walk into the store with the notion of being ''healthy'' and would not buy anything that wasn't fresh or good for me. Then I would get home and feel like I had nothing to eat because I was really craving something sweet or moderately bad for me. I quickly learned to limit myself to buying one or two ''bad for me'' items when I went shopping to save the harassment of cravings, money when I gave in and went to Marble Slab and spend $4 on a milkshake, and actually bit the cravings in the butt by not depriving myself. So, go ahead and face the music, buy one or two spurge foods, and enjoy eating it!

I'm sure I'll add more as I think about it.. but these are my 3 main rules of thumb while shopping.

the dance of 20 mint green toes..

Last night I had the absolute best shower of my entire life. I am not exaggerating. Taunted by the memory of forgetting an assignment and wanting an escape, I decided to turn on a steaming hot shower and invite relaxation to overcome my mind and body. Looking down to the floor of the tub, I noticed how tenderly pinkish my feet had become set off by the cool mint green nail polish my roommate had let me borrow. I was in a trance as I watched my left foot go flat and my right toes tap in front of me to the beat of "Stop This Train" by John Mayer. I was completely content with staying in that shower for the rest of the night, watching my feet dance to the beat of a song I desired to live at that moment, stopping the ''train'' of a school work load. Come to find out when I was all dry and in comfy pajamas that my sweet roommate was in her shower freezing to death! I can just imagine her feet washed white from the frigid cold water, blending with the softness of her mint green nail polish all the while I am having a paradise in my bathroom with John Mayer and vanilla mango bodywash. It's kind of like life... we have so many similarities with people (mint green nailpolish) and assume they are living identiacal lives next to us, all the while they're stuck in a bitterly cold situation and no one even notices because they're too warm and romanced by life's lavish offerings to look into the other bathroom.

Blogging!

I've wanted to start a blog for such a long time now. I have so many things filling my head and want to share them with people. Some are very amusing (as is much of my life), some is very serious and throught provoking, and a lot is probably ridiculious and hilarious! I also want to share yummy recipies with people and get good ideas about things around the house. I guess I'll figure blogging out as I go!