Ramblings from Liz: 2008

"A diamond is just a piece of coal that has become good under pressure." -Brian Houston

Arboretum Photoshoot!

My loves and I went on our LA Arboretum photoshoot yesterday and we had SO much fun!! We took a grand total of 539 pictures. I don't know how we managed that!!

Here are a few of my favorites!

hanging around...

tossing leaves!

our boy band pose.

A Practical Bit of Knowledge

Never leave a lotion bottle in the car for a long period of time.

If I do not talk about it, I will not think about it.
If I do not talk about it, I will not think about it.
If I do not talk about it, I will not think about it.
If I do not talk about it, I will not think about it.
If I do not talk about it, I will not think about it.
If I do not talk about it, I will not think about it.
If I do not talk about it, I will not think about it.
If I do not talk about it, I will not think about it.
If I do not talk about it, I will not think about it.
If I do not talk about it, I will not think about it.
If I do not talk about it, I will not think about it.
If I do not talk about it, I will not think about it.
If I do not talk about it, I will not think about it.
If I do not talk about it, I will not think about it.
If I do not talk about it, I will not think about it.
If I do not talk about it, I will not think about it.
If I do not talk about it, I will not think about it.
If I do not talk about it, I will not think about it.
If I do not talk about it, I will not think about it.
If I do not talk about it, I will not think about it.

Christmas is almost here!

6 more days!

(Isn't Chubby the cutest snowman you have ever seen?)

Boot Hunt.

I have a tendency to do this--going from one mall to another in search my size of something I want.

I did it this summer with a skirt. I seriously tried like 4 or 5 malls before I found my size. And when I finally tracked it down, it was way cheaper than I was planning to pay for it! Yay!

This week, I fell in love with a pair of boots. These boots:

(but I wanted them in gray.)

Anyways, since I didn't buy them the day I spotted them, I thought I would go back to the mall the next day to get them. When I got there, they were out of my size! I was so bummed! The lady checked for me and found that they were pretty much running out of my size in like all the nearby malls.

I checked a few other stores to see if they had similar ones, but they didn't...so I was disappointed.

When I got back to Riverside today, I decided I'd try the mall here. Ashley and Kylee came with me (yay for shopping company!) and I walked to the shoe section very frantically. I spotted it on the display. I picked it up and looked at the bottom. "Only size 5 and 6," read the sticker. Oh no! But I wear a size 7! Or a 6 1/2 at the smallest! I walked up to one of the workers and before I even say anything, he says, "That [size 5] pair that you are holding is the only one left." NO! "But the sticker says you have a size 5 and a size 6," I tell him. "Oh, let me have someone check for you."

The guy he sent to check comes back with a box. YES!! The excitement starts building. He found a size 6! I pull off my shoes and pull on the boot. It fits!! Yay! Ashley notices the tie thingy on the back is missing. I ask the lady at the register and she tells me that they'll give me 10% off cuz of it. Oh well, that's easily replaced. She fidgets with the computer for a while and keeps accidentally putting the discount twice. She gives up and lets me have it. On top of that, I have a 15% off coupon!! YAY! So I got my boots for a grand total of $27.

Today is a wondrous day!

So that is my incredibly long, dramatic boot hunt story for ya. =]

Product Recall.

Hahahaha! One of the funniest things I have seen lately!

Read here.

Dumpster Diving

we've been up and down this road
we put a knife in the fork
we've seen the sun we've seen the storm
baby what are we running from
the lighting struck and left a glow
it's hard to let some things go
we know what's false but don't know what's true
baby where are we running to?

(lyrics from "dumpster diving" by castledoor)

Seriously, this is like my new favorite song.

Platform Flipflops.

They used to be totally hip. And i owned like a zillion pairs. I am clearing out my closet today. Hello salvation army!

Just a little something.

Some people are open, some people are not. And can I just say, it is extreeeeemely difficult for me to hold things in!

K. That's all. Just had to let SOMETHING out.

I bet you all are dying of curiosity now!

Power-Picking!

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Most people go to the orange groves to pick oranges...

Yvonne and I, we dare to be different.

We were driving back from Alicia's bridal shower and we were driving through the woods (hahaha, Michelle). We pass by all these orange trees that are very tempting. So I stop my car right in the middle of the street and Yvonne dashes out! You should have seen her! She was power-picking!!

Here's a shot of her in action!

It was pretty intense! Then all of a sudden, I see a car in my rear-view mirror. It's still a distance back, but I started to get nervous. Luckily, Yvonne noticed too and she dashed back.

We came back with two handfuls of freshly picked oranges. Mmm Mmm!

My printer doesn't like long papers.

My printer is bipolar.

First of all, it's strange. It prints backwards, starting with the last page and ending with the first. I started printing my long exegetical paper...it printed pages 13 to 5...and then it got stuck. poop!

it kept printing weird looking pages as if the ink was out. but i was way too lazy to go to the library.

i went to the kitchen for our stocking decorating party. i was there for like an hour. apparently, a miracle bug landed on my printer within that hour.

i came back to my room and attempted printing once more. and it worked! YAY! and it even let me print the other random things i had to attach to my paper! yay for 17-page papers! lol.

i guess my printer just doesn't like long papers.

Facebook Stranger.

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He requested me on facebook. I didn't recognize his picture. But we had fifteen mutual friends from my church so I figured there'd be no harm in adding him.

All of a sudden, he sent me an IM on facebook chat asking me if I knew this one guy from cbu...which I didn't. Then he starts chatting. He goes to a couple of services at my church that I go to so I guess I have probably seen him before.

I don't know why this guy keeps talking to me.

All of a sudden, he says, "You know what the enemy uses the most to get us away from God? Especially when ur single."

Awkward. I don't know you. Why are you asking me this?

He goes on to say, "Well for my single friends and I ...i noticed that we talk about our future wives all the time. and for the past 2 weeks now that verse mathew 6:33 has been very true. All we need is to seek the Lord."

Hmm, ok. Maybe God is trying to tell me something through a stranger. Maybe? Umm, still a little awkward though.

He keeps talking. I don't know why I just didn't sign off. I probably should have.

More chatting. Small talk.

All of a sudden...THE question...."Hey when you come back from break you wanna get a cup of coffee sometime?"

Oh dear. A stranger just asked me to coffee. Awkward.

Somehow, I blow off the question. More small talk. Finally, I tell him I need to get going because I have to get to class. It's one of those long, repetitive goodbyes. He tells me to say hi to him if I ever see him at church. I have to be the one to say hi because he claims, "I am bad with faces..."

But it was the rest of that sentence that added more awkwardness to the already awkward situation.

"...maybe not with u."

Ahh! This facebook stranger who wants to go to coffee with me is gonna remember my face even though he is bad with faces! Awkward!!!

If Humans Hibernated.

Happy December!

Today's December 2nd and is finally starting to get cold! It was freezing this morning and the fog was craaaazy! But it was a nice way to welcome in the season (finally!)

Winter leaves one question in my mind. What would life be like if humans hibernated? Sometimes, I just wanna escape. Not from problems or stress necessarily, but from everything! Wouldn't it be great if we could just take a two year nap?! Clocking in and out of reality...ahh that'd be amazing!

Black Friday

Black Friday was yesterday.

And let me tell you, this day is waaaaay over-commercialized! My mom and I went to the mall and came out with ONE bag! Sales weren't even that wonderful at all! Granted, there were SOME stores that had pretty rockin sales, but by the afternoon, all those marvelous sale items were gone. Half the stores hike up prices more than usual just to make it a larger percent off.

What do I think?

SCAM.

(did that just for you Yvette! lol.)

Everyone should watch this...

Thank You, Lord.

As Thanksgiving is approaching (actually, it's already here!) this song comes to mind...

"Came to My Rescue" by Hillsong

Falling on my knees in worship

Giving all I am to seek Your face

Lord all I am is is Yours

My whole life

I place in Your hands

God of mercy

Humbled I bow down

In your presence at Your throne

I called You answered

And You came to my rescue and I

I wanna be where You are

In my life be lifted high

In our world be lifted high

In our love be lifted high

This is something I know I don't think about enough. Many times, us Christians who live in the United States take God for granted. We don't have very many real problems here so we don't know what it means to be truly rescued by God. But when you really think about it, we don't deserve His amazing goodness. We don't deserve the many blessings He showers upon us. And we don't deserve heaven.

Thank You, Lord for saving my soul. Thank You, Lord for making me whole. Thank You, Lord for giving to me. Thy great salvation so rich and free!

Cool Water Bottles

I really wanted a cool water bottle. I don't know why. It's a problem I have. Random gadgets and accessories. But I promised myself that if I got a cool water bottle, I would use it. Bought it from Target. Way cheaper than the one I almost bought from Amazon. and this one is even better! Cuz you can open this one with one finger. That's right! One FINGER. Pretty much coolest water bottle out there!

P.S. For all you go green fanatics, it IS bpa free =]

Street Buy

Driving Yvonne to the airport, we passed by a street buy. That's what the sign said anyway. I wonder what they sell there! Hahahaha!

(We recreated the sign since we weren't quick enough to take a pic of it while we were on the road. This is exactly what it looked like!)

Meet my cute, little friends.

I'm sure you wish you had friends like mine!

Excitements of the Week.

Excitements of the week:

- I was confused when Jillian posted a blog with a pic of a gas station sign that had gas for only $1.99. I thought it was one of those little ghetto places that makes cars sound like clunkers. But then yesterday, I found it!! I filled gas for $1.99 and am still a happy camper! =]

- Yvette made a discovery. It IS possible to sneeze with your eyes open. I haven't yet done it successfully myself, but I now know it is possible so I will do it one day in the near future.

- While prank texting a friend of a friend (haha, like how I am keeping this anonymous?), this ridiculous guy came up with the most ridiculous excuse I have ever heard in my entire life..."I was overseas. I got a few head injuries. So some things get mixed up." Hahahaha! I now have a future excuse to tell a cop if I ever get pulled over for speeding or something!

Thriving.

At Upper Room last night, the guy who spoke said something very convicting. I have heard it before, but for some reason, I really felt convicted last night. He said that whole thing about if the church was in the same spiritual state as an individual person, would that church be thriving? I thought about it and thought about my life right now. If the church as a whole was praying as much as I was now, it would not be thriving. If the church as a whole was reading their Bibles as much as I was now, it would not be thriving. If the church as a whole was loving as much as I was now, it would not be thriving. This is a problem.

God, please help me thrive for You. Bring me back to the place where I connect with You each and every day. Give me a greater desire and passion for You. Grow me and stretch me.

"In my life,

be lifted high.

In our world,

be lifted high.

In our love,

be lifted high."

Pandora.

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Why has no one ever told me about Pandora before?! It is the greatest thing that has happened to internet radio!!

It was kinda funny how I heard about it actually. I was listening to Matt Wertz at work from his myspace page. Taylor goes, "Is that Pandora?" I replied, "No, it's Matt Wertz." And he said, "I know, but is it Pandora?" "No, it's Matt Wertz." "But is it Pandora?" "NO, Matt Wertz!!" "But are you on Pandora.com?" "Huh?" Then, he FINALLY explained it to me!

This is the greatest site ever! You type in the name of an artist and it matches music to that artist and creates your own personalized radio station!! And it does a pretty good matching job as well!!

I think you all should check it out!!

Am I the only one that was in the dark about this or has this blog enlightened anyone?

The Trip.

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Nope, I didn't go on vacation. I tripped.

I trip all the time, but this was THE trip. My flip-flop got caught in a spot of uneven pavement and I flew! But with my mad never-falling-when-tripping skills, I was able to land on two feet (about 5 feet away from where the incident occurred). It was the most embarrassing thing ever! Mind you, I usually do not get embarrassed when I trip, but this was the worst trip ever! And on top of that, this guy was walking toward our direction when it happened. I'm sure he laughed on the inside. If I were him, I would have probably laughed out loud! Good thing there are still some nice people left in the world.

Dedications.

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It's procrastinating time again!

This blog is dedicated to a few people...

First off, welcome to blogspot Amy!! =] I'm glad you joined! Faith and I humbly take the credit for you joining the blogspot family! lol.

Secondly, I would like to wish a happy birthday to three marvelous people! In 42 minutes anyway! lol. Happy birthday Janette, Clara, and Andrea! I love you all dearly!

Thirdly, I would like to congratulate Faith for being quick to journal. She and I decided we were gonna take up journaling again (after we bought cute journals at Target) and she already wrote in hers! Now I have to catch up to her! =]

Fourthly, Yvonne, your pumpkin cookies are to die for! Literally! Like WW3 can totally happen because someone didn't get to eat one of your cookies before their friend ate it! Just had to point that out. Mmmm they are so yummy!

"1 Pack" of Necklace.

I bought a cheap necklace from target. Or rather, "1 pack" of necklace. Does anyone care to explain that to me? Lol.

(I apologize for the blurryness of the photo.)

Why Horses Neigh.

You can learn a lot by people watching.

Today, I learned the reason for horses neighing. Bear with me, I will explain how.

As Yvonne and I were walking back to our cottage from lunch, I couldn't help but laugh at the way a certain guy was walking. He was lifting his legs in a really strange way, kind of like how a horse lifts its legs. (Use your imagination.) Anyways, I pointed him out to Yvonne and she thought it was funny too...so she started walking like him. It was hilarious! But after walking about ten feet like that, she was getting completely out of breath. This caused her to need to take a big breath and sigh...imagine a horse doing this...it sounds like a neigh!

So pretty much, we realized that since horses use so much of their energy to walk, they neigh to catch their breaths! Ha! I should write a wikipedia article!

New President.

We have a new president now. Sadly, it is not who I voted for. Praise the Lord prop 8 passed though! That is a major sigh of relief. The really sad thing is that prop 4 did not pass. Prop 4 DID NOT PASS but prop 2 DID! Kill the babies, save the chickens! That apparently is the direction california is moving in.

God, we need you now more than ever. Please show your light in the middle of all this darkness and guide the nation in the way you see is best.

"He shall receive blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from God of his salvation. This is Jacob, the generation of those who seek Him, who seek Your face." -Psalm 24:5-6

November 4th.

November 4th. Election Day. Two year anniversary of the worst day of my life.

Pretty much, there is a lot going on in my mind right now. Honestly, as much as the election is on my mind, it pales in comparison to the memories of my dear Aunt Martha. She was like a big sister to me. Not a day goes by where I do not think of her. Praise the Lord for the hope of heaven. I cannot wait til the day I will be reunited with her and with so many other great men and women of God.

Near Death Experience #2

I saw a possum today.

And if you know anything about my fear of rodent-like creatures, you would know that possums may very well be the things I fear most in life. Honestly, I might drop dead if one comes within 10 feet of me.

Anyways, I had just got back from church. I got out of my car and proceeded toward the walkway so I can go back to my cottage. All of a sudden, I spot the disgusting tail. My heart rate immediately went up. Panic. Sweaty palms. I almost screamed. Then I noticed a couple walking by and I didn't want to embarrass myself so I held back on the screaming. I pull out my phone so I can call Yvonne and verbalize my freaking out. But since I was shaking so much and intensely freaking out, I COULDN'T EVEN FIND HER IN MY PHONEBOOK! (btw, she's last in my phone book, and therefore very easy to find...usually.) I give up on trying to call her and freak out for about 3 more minutes before I gain the courage to RUN all the way back to my cottage. Scariest event of the year, by far!

I get back to my cottage, still shaking and freaking out...About an hour later, Yvonne is on the phone and she goes outside to talk. She is standing on the bench outside when she spots another one!

Ahhhhhh! Crazy possum infestation at cbu! HORRIBLE HORRIBLE HORRIBLE!

Note: I know "opossum" is the correct spelling. It just sounds better without the O. Those horrible creatures need all the help they can get.

Too bad it isn't cold...

One and a half hours til November.

It's fall. It's supposed to be raining. And it's supposed to be cold.

BUT IT'S NOT.

POOP.

I hope winter comes soon cuz this 80-some degree fall isn't working for me. Anyone wanna go to Switzerland with me? lol.

Unnecessary Wealth

I came across this website and was quite convicted. Reading statistics about how much money we Americans spend on unnecessary things makes me realize how selfish we truly are. No wonder we have this "I-am-so-good-in-and-of-myself-and-I-don't-need-God" mentality. God, please forgive us and help us to not be blinded by our unnecessary wealth.

Near Death Experiences and New Realizations.

It is scientifically impossible to laugh while you are not breathing. I should know...I tried it today. My roommate almost killed me with her humor. On top of that, I had a massive gulp of McDonald's Iced Coffee in my mouth. Laughter and iced coffee aren't meant to be enjoyed together, I learned. But I also came to the realization that the best way to die would be to die laughing.

So here's to near death experiences and new realizations!

Who's so vain?

Apparently, we are. This is our vanilla ice cream sign at school.

Thank You's from Teachers.

A couple weeks ago, one of my teachers sent me a thank you email for participating in class. Keep in mind, this was not a response to an email I sent him...he just sent it out of the blue. I thought it was the funniest thing EVER! (You might not understand why it is so funny, but know that it is. lol.) Today, I got another thank you from a teacher. This, on the contrary, was a response to an email I had sent, but it was funny nonetheless. "Thank you for being a conscientious student," it said. Hahaha! I just must be majorly amazing or something!

Just kidding...I'm not really that amazing.

Something to ponder...

"It isn't what we do that pleases God, it is what we are." --Don McClure

We are just lumps of clay. Our lives aren't about doing favors for God. Let Him anoint you! Know that He loves you and wants to fill you with His Spirit! God doesn't want new commitments; He just wants YOU!

(Don McClure spoke tonight at Harvest. Amazing as always!! This blog post doesn't do his message justice.)

Confused Culture.

"We live in a confused culture." That's what my mom said today as we were leaving the mall.

We were rushing to get to my cousin's house but we were waiting in line foreeeeever for the guy to come back just so we could exchange a $10 lamp that we accidentally got in the wrong color. Anyways, he finally gets there, we exchange our lamp, and walk to the escalator. This woman gets to it right before us and stands right in the middle. We managed to squeeze to the right of her and walk up so we can pass her.

As we are walking out of the mall, my mom and I are discussing the fact that everyone seems to be so slow paced but us. Then my mom points out that everyone in this culture is confused... "No one ever wants to walk anywhere. Even if people are going to the store right down the street, they hop in their cars. Then at the mall, they see an escalator. 'Oh good! Moving stairs! Now I don't have to walk anymore!' Then, they wake up at FOUR IN THE MORNING so they can go to the gym! It would save them a lot of gym membership money and give them more sleep if they just walked up the escalator!"

Hahahaha! My mom is hilarious for thinking like this!

Whole Wheat Noodles and Lameberry.

Today was amazing!

I don't miss my shows for just about anything. Only the greatest people would cause me to miss them. Yvonne + Colleen = great people.

So, tonight, we made dinner (amazing, btw...and whole wheat noodles are way better than people claim) and got so stuffed that our esophaguses have probably gained some weight. But that didn't stop us. We went to Coolberry too. We parked right in front of it and were pleased that the sign said "open." Colleen goes to reach for the door handle and pulls it. Nothing. The lady mopping inside didn't even flinch--didn't even lift her head and let us know that they were closed. Then I noticed the sign. They closed at 8:30. "Coolberry?! More like lameberry!!" Colleen so eloquently said. Lameberry indeed.

So...we drove to Cherry On Top instead. And just so you know, it is amazing! Here are our frozen yogurts!

Pretty much, this way the best way to miss my shows. I'd do it every week!

P.S. I still need to try Lameberry.

It just deserved to be blogged.

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Yvonne and I walk into the caf at lunch and Wanda greets us by saying "Yo yo yo!" Now, if you know who Wanda is, you'd understand why that is so funny. If not, it might benefit you to know that she is a cute, little old woman.

She then proceeds to ask us, "Did you girls stop by the seminary tables yet?"

"Umm..no..." we both said in slight confusion. There is a grad school fair going on at school today and we were wondering if we had seminary written all over our faces or something. "Why?" we asked.

"There are some pretty good looking men out there at a few of the tables...at Golden Gate and Southwestern."

After lunch, we went to see if Wanda was right. Nah, she has different taste than we do.

So there you go! If you are a young male from Golden Gate or Southwestern, you should be pleased to know that Wanda thinks you are attractive.

Linkage.

Pretty much, everyone and their moms should read this blog! hahahahaha!

Three Cords.

Funny, I find myself getting a lot out of novels. Granted, they ARE christian novels so I guess that's the point.

But anyways, in Where Yesterday Lives by Karen Kingsbury, there is a part that talks about how a rope of three cords isn't easily broken. In the novel, it was talking more along the lines of guy/girl relationships, but I think it applies to any sort of relationship. And that really got me thinking. Any friendship where God is left out just seems to fall apart. And that makes sense. When there are only two cords, if one breaks, the rope is then broken. But when one out of three cord breaks, the rope is still there! I've seen that happen a few times in some of my friendships. Even in friendships where my friend and I are both Christians, there are situations where God is left out of our relationships. And that's when problems arise.

I guess I am seeing more and more these days the importance of Christ being right in the center of everything. Not just his name being tagged along, but His very being right there with me in everything. Somewhat of a struggle at times, but after all, I am human. It's a learning process.

Cute Babies.

Everyone always posts pics of cute babies on their blogs. I wanted to follow the trend. This is my little friend Tali. I am addicted to taking pics of her. Ha! Maybe it's cuz she always has hilariously cute facial expressions...

Spontaneous.

So, jillian totally gets cool points. Because of her, i have made spontaneous history! Jillian, ashley, and i are driving to san diego right now for the shane and shane concert! Yay! I have never done something like this so all of a sudden! Totally decided to go and left in like five minutes. Ha!

All for the sake of green grass!

Honestly, do they even have to ask?! The turf smells like every cow on the planet had a bad case of diarrhea! No one wants to be within even one mile of the turf! I wonder if this is detrimental to our health. It probably is... All for the sake of green grass!

Random Facts of the Day.

There is no Acts 8:37. The only versions that have the missing verse 37 are the King James and the New King James.

Funny how I never noticed that before!

AND...

Apparently the words compassionate, merciful, and pitiful are synonymous cuz in the King James version, James 5:11 states, "The Lord is very pitiful."

Pretty much, after today, my respect for the King James Version is diminished.

Since when am I not the slow one??

Ever since I can remember, I have always been the slow one in school. I am always the last to finish assignments and I am always last to turn in tests. Well, apparently not this time. These graphic design classes are waaaaaayyyyyyyy too slooooooooooow. (Shout out to Rachel! I know you feel my pain!) In one of my graphic design classes, I finished my project earlier so my teacher gave me another one to keep me busy. I finished the second project before the rest of the class even finished the first! Then in this class (the one I'm sitting in and wasting time in right now) I finished my project early as well! Today was supposed to be "test print" day, but our teacher wanted to go around and look at people's work before having them test print. Problem: she already checked mine last week and I already test printed it! Our sketches for our next project were due today and I already did those too! Mannnnn, I cannot handle this slowness! I need some speed in my life!

I apologize for that vent session. I just had to let it out.

Quote of the Day

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"Christians are like manure: spread them out and they help everything grow better, but keep them in one big pile and they stink horribly."

Probably the greatest thing I have ever received in the mail...

Story:

Target was going through a lawsuit. Apparently, they didn't pay some of the people that should have been paid during their vacation times. Well, it just so happened that I worked at Target the summer of 2006. This was right smack dab in the middle of the time period that they were cheating people of their hard-earned money. Because of this, I was supposedly going to receive something in the settlement. That was already funny to me considering I didn't even work there long enough to receive paid vacations. Oh well, extra money never hurts. Yesterday, I got my settlement check in mail. It was a grand total of (get ready for this!)...FOUR DOLLARS!! hahahahahahahahaha! ($5 if you count what they took away from me in taxes.) Oh well, I'll get my $1 back at the end of the year. Oh the pros of being a dependent!

Ozzy

I was reminded of the man today. (He was one of the people we talked to in England. Read about him here.)

Kristi sent me a message asking me if he had emailed me. It kind of made me a little sad that he didn't. When we gave him a copy of the Gospel of John, he promised us that he would read it and that he would email me when he did. Poor guy, said he was gonna be locked up in three days. Part of me did wonder, do they grant patients at a mental hospital internet access? I hoped they did. But nope, it's been close to two months and I never did get that email.

I guess it's just one of those prayer reminders God gives us. I am thankful those seeds were planted in Ozzy's life and I hope and pray those seeds get watered someday.

Please pray for Ozzy.

Something to think about...

"All I could never be, all men ignored in me.—This, I was worth to God." -Browning

P.S. Thanks for the banana.

So, I walk into my room after walking back from class and me and Yvonne start talking. As she is talking, I get up and attempt to multitask. That's when I noticed she brought me a banana. I have been craving a banana ALLLLLL day and when I went to get one at the caf, they were out! Anyways, as Yvonne and I were talking, I almost accidentally said "p.s. thanks for the banana." Who says "P.S?" I have a problem...

Abstract?

Are they trying to mess with my mind? Or are they just trying to be funny? This is the sign for the abstract reference section in the library...

PTAS.

Yes, I make up my own disorders and syndromes.

Pre Test Anxiety Syndrome. That's what I call it. Before every test I feel like the whole world is crashing down. No exaggeration.

Well, I just diagnosed my roomie. She has Pre Paper Anxiety Syndrome. Same symptoms, different cause.

Horrible. If anyone knows of a cure, please enlighten us with your knowledge.

Late night lawn mower...

Who stinkin mows the lawn at 12:16 in the morning? Apparently cbu people do. Yvonne's a light sleeper so she's never gonna be able to fall asleep with that crazy noise. Maybe our thunder from our tv will cover it up...

The Month of September.

I just realized, for the month of September, I had only 10 blog posts...and Michelle had 11!! I had been begging Michelle to make a blog for a whooooole year, and she finally makes one and beats me at blogging! That is not ok! Sorry Michelle. So, this blog is utterly useless for those of you who are reading. Congrats at beating me, Michelle. Well, I guess this useless blog makes us tied! And September isn't over yet!

P.S. I conformed. I have a twitter now. "Follow" me. And if you don't have one, you should make one =]

I think I have a problem.

I don't know why I do this.

There is absolutely no more room in my closet at school. But today, I was in that shopping mood. The whole day I was dreaming of the mall. So when I got home, I asked my mom if we could go shopping.

We came back from the mall after our 2 hour spree...and I had with me one pair of capris, two shirts, one skirt, and one sweater.

I think I have a shopping problem...

Oh the Joys of homework! Part 2.

So, last week, I wrote about how Yvonne and I added a little note to the assignment we turned in to Dr. Dan.

Well, he liked it. =] He gave it back with two giant blue exclamation points on it!

Summary: Dr. Dan really IS the coolest teacher ever!

Holes in your pants...

Yvonne and I are sick of our paper. I mean, it's on a good topic and all, but who likes writing papers? So, it's on marriage based on romantic love vs. marriage based on biblical love. I asked Yvonne, "What exactly is holy companionship?" Her profound answer blew me away...

"It's when you have holes in your pants and you don't mind letting your companion see."

hahahahaha!!!!!

stupid stress.

current stress level: 8.5

i hate writing papers when i feel like i have no direction. and i hate when they have to be in stupid apa format. dude, if we could just turn in papers in blog format, life would be so good. ha, like how i am here writing a blog instead of attempting my paper. gaaaaaah!

(p.s. you better appreciate the alliteration in my title. it's the academia flowing out. ha, academia. i don't think i've ever actually used that word in proper context before...)

Exalted

I've noticed something quite frequently these days. A lot of worship songs aren't really worship songs. They are Christian songs, but they are not really worshipful to God.

God is SOOOO deserving of our worship and praise. I think this song is definitely music to the Lord's ears.

Exalted (Yahweh) - by Chris Tomlin

Exalted, he is exalted

On high, he is exalted

Great is the Lord, let all the nations say

Exalted, he is exalted

Blessing and honor

Glory and power unto the Lord be praise

Sing with a chorus resounding before us

Holy is his name, his name

Exalted, he is exalted

On high, he is exalted

Great is the Lord, let all the nations say

Exalted, he is exalted

Blessing and honor

Glory and power unto the Lord be praise

Sing with a chorus resounding before us

Holy is his name

Blessing and honor

Glory and power unto the Lord be praise

Sing with a chorus resounding before us

Holy is his name, his name, his name

Yahweh, holy is your name (4x)

Blessing and honor

Glory and power unto the Lord be praise

Sing with a chorus resounding before us

Holy is your name

Blessing and honor

Glory and power unto the Lord be praise

Sing with a chorus resounding before us

Holy is your name, your name

Yahweh, Yahweh, holy is your name

Yahweh, holy is your name (4x)

A Bad Sign.

I was sitting in my room when Mariah walks in and says,"Somebody wrote a bad sign on the fridge." Immediately I deny doing it. My curiosity couldn't hold it any longer so I walked out to look. This is what I saw. Hahahaha! Faith, YOU are brilliant!

Oh the joys of homework!

Biblical Interpretation is the best class ever! (And Dr. Dan is the coolest professor ever!)

Ok, so our homework assignment tonight was on the passage in Mark 5:21-43 where Jesus heals Jairus's daughter and the woman with the blood flow disorder. We had to find contrasts and comparisons between both stories and write them in a list.

Yvonne came up with the best thing ever (only as a joke, of course). But I thought the opportunity was way too good to pass up. It has now been "posted-noted" (yes, I make up my own hyphenated verbs) and is soon to be in the hands of Dr. Dan. I hope he finds it as humorous as we did!

My rebellious heart just wants to park on the grass.

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The End of the World. It happened yesterday.

I pulled into cbu at 8:58 p.m. Yes! I'm back before 9 so I can quickly finish my homework so Yvonne and I can watch a movie!

I drive over to where the apartments are so I can drop Michelle and April off and then I drive back to the cottages. I drive up and down every isle and cannot find a single parking spot! So I drive to the back parking lot and check there too. Nope, no spot. So I come back and try the first lot again. Still, no spots. I drive to the back again, and then to Lancer Arms, and then back to the cottages. Pretty much, this cycle went on forever! I was getting SOOOOOO frustrated! I call Michelle to vent, then I call Yvonne to vent.

Then I called Public Safety. I said to the guy as nicely as I could, "Umm, I have been driving around for twenty minutes and there is not a single spot for me to park in. Is it ok if I park in visitor parking tonight?"

"ABsoLUTEly NOT!" he replied (emphasizing the same syllables I capitalized). "There is a volleyball game going on right now. What I suggest is that you stop your car, put it in park, and wait til the game gets out."

Ughhhhhhhh! That is not ok! Seriously, it should not be the end of the world to park at my "small, private school." And...public safety should not be so rude.

My rebellious heart just wants to park on the grass.

instructions on how to sleep.

I have a problem. I never realized that it was a problem until I got to cbu. My first time eating at the caf two years ago, I realized I was too short to reach the fruit. Problem. Well, I thought that problem was solved when they [finally!] lowered the fruit this year! But this year, I realized that everything in the cottages was designed for taller people. Problem. I can't reach half the cabinets in the kitchen and I have to stand on my tippy toes to reach the closet pole. Also, I need Yvonne's help to reach anything on the shelf in the closet.

Move-in day, I start to make my bed. I unpack the cheap mattress pad I bought from Ross [for only $9.99!] and realize that they pretty much give you instructions on how to sleep. Problem. My height does not allow me to comply with their recommendations for comfortable sleeping. If I place my head where their instructions say, then my feet wont reach where they are supposed to! I guess I'll just have to wallow in my lack of comfortable sleep due to my height impediment...

any takers?

being back at cbu has been wonderful. classes are awesome. i love my cottage; i love my cottage mates. (i love using semicolons in blogs.)

one thing i am lacking though is a photography buddy. i mean, i have tons of friends who like taking pictures, but i've been in that i-wanna-go-outside-and-take-500-pictures mood since i got back from england! and cbu is so photogenic! so...any takers? anyone wanna bring their camera and walk around with me and my camera and just take pictures?? =]

This is True Love

I cannot describe to you My love. I can only give it to you. It is beyond the Cross. Go through. The Spirit alone can communicate what lies on the other side.

-excerpt from Come Away, My Beloved

"Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends." -John 15:13

"By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us..." -1 John 3:16

Credit Where It Is Due.

Harry Wasylyk.

I bet you've never heard of the man. Well, I felt the need to give this man the credit he deserves and the recognition I am sure he never receives.

This man invented something we pretty much cannot live without. The trash bag. What we do without this wonderful, multipurpose, compact object? Can you even imagine life without it? Where would we put our trash?!

Thank you Mr. Harry Wasylyk for your very beneficial invention. We apologize for taking this commodity for granted.

Mobile Blogging.

This is a test. On saturday, i posted the greatest mobile blog. But apparently mobile blogging was down so it never actually posted. What a shame. You all missed out.

Realization

I just came to the realization, I have NO IDEA what I want in life.

There are different comfort zones I have in different periods of life. During the school year, my comfort zone is being at school and being with my roommate and CBU friends. During the summer, my comfort zone is getting to hang out with my high school besties once again. As the summer progresses, I find comfort in being at my home church and being with my church friends and family. This summer especially, after going to England with my church, I feel like I am even more closely knit to my church family.

Now here lies the problem. The fact that I have three different comfort zones which have nothing to do with each other kinda scares me. Maybe it's a fear of the future. It scares me to imagine life without CBU and my CBU friends. It scares me that time flies and that these two years are gonna disappear in a blink! It scares me to think that my high school friends are moving on. They seem to be on the train track of life while I am just wandering aimlessly without even being on the track. It scares me to think that my church friends come and go. They move on in life too. People move, people go to different schools, and frankly, some just change churches.

It's strange that I am even thinking like this because I have always been someone that likes change. But at this point in my life, I think I am most comfortable in my routine. Sometimes, I wish I could just freeze time. I wish I could stay 20 forever or even go back to the younger days. I don't want to grow up. I don't want to move on. Maybe it's just being unsure of the future that is making me scared. I wish I could just see ahead into the future and know what God has in store for me. But I guess that's the whole idea of faith. What is faith if I am not trusting in Him to guide my future and give me a peace about?

One thing to cling to, I have God's promise of a future and a hope.

So here's to my future, wherever God may lead!

Moody Mighty Mouse

My Apple Mighty Mouse has mood swings. Occasionally the scroll ball works, and occasionally it doesn't. You'd think after paying $60 for a mouse, it would work. Oh, this is what you call love. I love Apple so so much that I didn't even bother to complain to them or get angry. I just get a little annoyed and resort to using the good ol' trackpad. Apple should thank me for being such a devout customer.

Shoes

Shoes, originally uploaded by liiiz.

I like shoes. And I like this picture. What do you think? And what do you think of the "photos by liz" logo?

Warning: A lot of numbers are in this blog.

I love it when things work to my advantage.

My mom and I walked into Mervyn's today. I spotted it--the perfect bed set for the new school year. I saw it and I coveted. $79.99. Whoa, way too expensive. Wait, sale sign...$59.99. Ehh, still too expensive. Wait, another sale sign...and another. $47.99 and $39.99. Ah! Which is the real price? I pick it up and start walking...I scan it at the price check and it says $59.99. Bummer! I see a worker and tell him, "Umm, excuse me. This bed set scanned for $59.99, but there's a sale sign that says $39.99." "Well, do you want it?" "Huh?" "I'll give it to you for $39.99 if you want it. Just take it to the register and tell them to page Francisco." "Ok! Thanks!"

Basically, Francisco saved today's shopping spree. Thank you Francisco!

It's like I'm stupid...

Well, maybe I am. It takes me at least 5 times to learn the same lesson.

Pretty much, I like to vent. But I'm learning over and over, when I hold things in and forget to vent, it's just all around better cuz then I forget the whole reason I even needed to vent in the first place! Instead of repeating the same story 2 billion times and reliving the moment, it's easier just to kick it to the curb and forget about it! So...that's my new goal. I'm allowing myself only a few vent sessions per week. Yeah, I know that doesn't sound like I'm cutting back, but if you know how much I currently vent, that is a BIG cut back!

Egotistical - Part 2

Also, I just had to say, there are a few pictures from my England trip that I am pretty proud of. So I'm gonna show them off. Enjoy! (And I apologize if you have already seen them on myspace, facebook, or flickr. lol.)

Is this Egotistical?

I am pretty proud of myself. I was looking at numbers of blog subscribers for all the blogs I am subscribed to. They range from about 0 to 8 (minus, of course, the 268blog which has like 400-something subscribers.) Anyways, mine has 4. So for the 4 of you who so devotedly read my blog, I'd like to say thank you. Please leave a comment on this and make yourself known. =]

Sick.

I barely ever get sick.

I pretty much dwelled on this statement when I was in England. I didn't take any vitamins (besides the ones already in my food, haha) and I was even semi against hand sanitizer. Well, here I am, exactly a week after getting home from England...and sick. I feel like poop. I had a fever yesterday and even had to miss church! It was horrible. And to make matters worse, today I was supposed to join Jen and her friends and family at the beach and I can't. I miss you Jen!

It's weird--this whole saying goodbye to everyone before they move back into school thing. I'm tired of doing this every year. At least we wont have to do it anymore after we get out into "the real world." Two more years! Yes!...?

I miss them!

Christian Surfers UK, originally uploaded by liiiz.

Basically, what I miss the most about England is the Christian Surfers UK people!

The first day of Creation Fest was the best! I loved working the CSUK table and I love all the people I met!

I miss you Kris, Ness, Oli, David, Nick, and everyone else!

Back from England!

I'm back from England! Our team got back Thursday night, and I am finally getting around to writing a blog! I've been uploading my 1000+ pictures since I've got home to myspace, facebook, flickr, and myfabrik (although facebook is being a little dumb and hasn't worked yet).

Anyways, the trip was wonderful and such a blessing! Thank you to all of you for your prayer and support while we were there.

When we first got to Woolacombe, the weather was super hot for England, which was actually kind of strange. I even got a farmer's tan again--bummer! The Sunday after we got there, a bunch of us went to the Calvary Chapel Woolacombe service that morning which was so awesome cuz it was outside on the grass overlooking the ocean! Talk about worshipping God while being surrounded by His beautiful creation!

The next few days we spent going around to different towns and passing out flyers for Creationfest and sharing Jesus to people we met on the streets. Praise God for opening the eyes and ears of so many people! The day my group went to a town called Braunton, I was with Gaby and Kristi. We were getting a little discouraged cuz it was such a small town and it seemed like everyone had already got flyers and didn't wanna hear about Creationfest again. We sat down on a bench and were just kinda hanging out together when a guy walks behind us. Gaby gets up and hands him a flyer and tells him it was for a free music festival that weekend. The guy makes a comment about how he was amused by our American accents. (It was definitely a God thing to open the doors to talk to this guy by using something as simple as our amusing accents.) Anyways, we get to talking to this guy. He asks us, "Do you mind if I smoke?" and Gaby so spontaneously says, "Not if we can tell you about Jesus!" It was so amazing! We got to talk to this guy for like 45 minutes! He didn't get down on his knees and pray with us at the end of the conversation, but I definitely believe seeds were planted. (And he did let us pray for him before we left.) It was devastating to hear his story though. This guy had faced so much hurt in his life and had been hurt so much during his childhood from so-called religious people. He kept asking us the typical "How can a loving God...?" questions. Please keep this man in prayer if you remember...and I'm sure you'll never forget him once I tell you his very catchy name...Ozzy Osbourne. Anyways, that was just one of very many stories I have. Please pray for this man and pray for everyone else that was spoken to before, during, and after Creationfest. Pray that God would water the seeds that were planted and that these people would be opened to the truth!

The ministry opportunities did not end after our morning runs! Each of those nights, we went to Creationfest Roadshows! Those were pretty awesome as well! But then came the actual event. Setting up for Creationfest was interesting. It was pooooouring rain and it was so extremely muddy on that field. But that only made things more fun especially since we went out and bought rainboots. (Definitely a good investment!) When we finished setting up, they gave us our assignments. I was so happy to find out that I got retail! It was so much fun getting to sell merchandise and meet the bands and sooooo many other people! Shout out to the many friends I made from Christian Surfers UK! Basically, I could go on forever about how much I loved Creationfest, but this blog is already getting long! (But if you wanna hear any more specific stories, just ask me and I'll be more than happy to share them!)

Creationfest ended on Sunday, tear down was on Monday and then Tuesday we drove to Kingston University. Wednesday was our London day which was a lot of fun! I got to do some sightseeing and some shopping and then we came back home the next day! Pretty much, this trip was all around amazing and Lord willing, I will be able to go again next year!

England is TODAY!

Here i am...at the lovely airport. (I have to say, i really like this blogging from my phone thing!) I can't believe i'm going to england TODAY! I am so stinkin excited and i can't wait to see the awesome things God is going to do over there! If you are reading this, please say a prayer for our team and continue to pray for us as we are there. :) thanks so much! I can't wait to tell you all about the trip when i get back...and show you pictures of course! :)

Inspiration from a novel.

Funny how you can gain so much inspiration from a novel.

"Be careful following what feels right in a day. Our feelings change with a moment, or a word....You must find the answer to such questions in life. Not ignore them or go off the momentary emotion. First, seek God in these things. Ask for His guidance. The heart itself is a fickle organ. Then seek your purpose, and once you find it, be dedicated to those things God instilled within you even through the bad feelings."

Wow.

Healthy Dinner?

So much for taking vitamins and eating healthier before traveling. I had the craziest dinner. A whole mess of nacho doritos and a cup of mint 'n chip ice-cream. Talk about healthy! I am SO ready for England! =]

Ahh, don't you just love when I post super short blogs?

Packing.

I hate it.

4 more days til England! I am sooooo excited! But I wish I could just skip over the packing step. Packing is a gruesome task...especially when you are limited to a 24-inch suitcase because of bus space. This is going to be tough...

On a different note, my parents are nearly perfect. I mean, what family goes to church, listens to a podcasted message on the drive home, drives to church at night, and then listens to a message on the radio when they get home?! See! Perfect, I tell you!

Oh...and, I am really jealous that everyone is at jr. high camp without me! Just had to throw that in here...since I mentioned it like 2 billion times today.

Hello!

Learning that my parents read my blog, I decided to give them their own special shout out! Hello Mom and Dad!

P.S. For those of you who aren't my parents and found that reading the previous two sentences was of no benefit to you, I decided to remind you of my England trip...it's in 10 days!

Long car ride are sometimes a blessing.

Driving home from church is always boring for me cuz it takes me at least 45 minutes. I usually try to make the time fly by either listening to music or calling people.

Tonight, I called three people, all of which didn't answer. I was about to turn on the radio but I sensed God telling me, "Let's spend some time together." It was pretty amazing! Pretty much, the best prayer sessions take place in my car! God is sooooo good! There is SO much to thank Him for. And as Garid Beeler always says, your attitude is totally changed once you start thanking God for everything. It just turns your mood into a good mood!

Basically, I say this to say (haha, I know that was redundant), cherish those quiet times. Spend some alone time with Jesus. It's a blessing...I promise.

p.s. as of the next few minutes, it'll be 11 days til england! =]

Chasing Pita Bread

My family is not so typical.

While most families spend their 4th of July in the backyard barbecuing hamburgers and hot dogs, we choose to barbeque fish. Keep in mind, we are Egyptian, so we are unable to eat fish without pita bread.

"Uhoh...we don't have pita bread??"
"Can you go get some from the 99 Cent Store?"
"Ok."

Here we go, a not so typical day has assigned me a not so typical adventure. Chasing pita bread. I drive over to the 99 Cent Store only to find they have every kind of bread ON THE PLANET except for pita bread. I call my mom and she tells me to go to ValueMart. Yay for ghetto grocery stores!

I pick up four bags and drive back home. I get home looking like I just took a shower and forgot a towel. Yay for 104 degree weather!

Moral of the story: Appreciate your family. They might not assign you to the wonderful task of chasing pita bread, but they still deserve your love.

Happy 4th of July, everyone!

Becca's Poem

Scared that Becca would randomly decide to delete her myspace and I would lose her beautiful poem forever, I decided I would post it here. All credit goes to her of course.

"Hope? Yes, Indeed."

by Becca Harden

these feeling are temporary

but for a few moments
whether acknowledged or not
they seem to have a hold on you
you begin to build this image inside your head
of what could be
or what should be
and you lose your balance
but only for a few moments
until you look to the cross
and see the One who paid it all
and you remember
He is with you
standing right beside you
holding your hand
and saying
"I love you, My beautiful child.
Hold on tight, and whatever happens, try not to let go.
When you are scared, just grasp tighter.
I will never let you go."

My God is a BIG God!

Happy July!

(and happy birthday Allison!)

I can't believe the year is half over already! My goodness, time sure flies!

I like the way this month is starting...

23 days til England.

God is good!

I am learning more and more and more how BIG our God is. I have this problem...people always used to tell me I dream too big. I have these desires and they just don't seem realistic. But I am learning that God is even bigger than my biggest desire! Why pray for God to grant one specific dream when you could be praying that He fulfills His will in your life? His will is so much greater than any dream of mine!

"The poor and needy seek water,

but there is none,

Their tongues fail for thirst.

I, the Lord, will hear them;

I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.

I will open rivers in desolate heights,

And fountains in the midst of the valleys;

I will make the wilderness a pool of water,

And the dry land springs of water.

I will plant in the wilderness the cedar and the acacia tree,

the myrtle and the oil tree;

I will set in the desert the cypress tree and the pine

And the box tree together,

That they may see and know,

And consider and understand together,

That the hand of the Lord has done this,

And the Holy One of Israel has created it."

Isaiah 41:17-20

Dream big, but realize that your dreams are miniscule in the hands of our God!

An Adventuresome Friday

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I spent practically the whole day chasing after this little fellow. He likes to sit under my car...He belongs to my neighbors, but they aren't very good about taking care of their pets. First time I noticed him sitting there, I grabbed my camera and tried to get a good close up picture. (Haha, Janette, that reminded me of you trying to get pictures of the birds!)

Surprisingly, he let me get pretty close to him...but then I think I got too close and he ran away. The rest of the afternoon was spent trying to regain his trust. Haha.

Then, when my mom got home, I asked her to go shopping with me. (I had found a bed set I wanted online and found out they had it at the West Covina mall.) So we go to the mall, get my bed set and a few other things my mom wanted. And then my mom decides we should go back to the car and drop everything off so we can shop without such big things in our arms. We go out of the mall, only to find out that my mom's car is no longer there! SOMEONE STINKIN STOLE IT! So, we had some lovely fellowship with the mall security and some lovely policemen. Hopefully the car turns up...and in one piece!

Man! What an adventuresome friday!

A Perpetual Fountain of Glory

"The movings of the Spirit are never convenient to the interests of the flesh, and I shall engineer your circumstances to conform to My plan and My will. You will glorify Me; for My plan for you excels all other ways, and in the center of My will is a perpetual fountain of glory."

-from Come Away, My Beloved

:)