There are only 30 hours left in 2010! 2011 is upon us and I am SO excited to use my new mini moleskin planner!

2011 will be the year of counting.

1. I will be participating in Project365 so that requires the counting of photos.
2. I will be counting how many cans of mousse I go through. I need to know how much I'm spending on hair products per year.
3. I will be counting how many books I read the whole year. I usually count in the summer, but I'm not leaving the rest of the year unnoticed this time around!

There's a strange dynamic in church college groups. Everyone is either in a serious relationship or looking. It kinda scares me. I think that's why I've always avoided going to the college groups.

But for the first time (even though I already graduated college) I am going to the winter retreat with the college group at my church. I'm excited, but I also don't know what to expect. It makes me a little nervous. I'm feeling like I should just pretend that boys have cooties and talk to no one but the girls.

Is there a third category besides the people in relationships and the people who are looking? I'd like to think that there's a category of people who care less, but I'm thinking that category doesn't actually exist. What do you think? Does it exist or not?

For the past week, every morning when I wake up, my feet hurt reeeeally badly. They are fine when I go to bed, but I wake up in pain. Can someone please explain this to me?

"Your place of service may not be a big one, but it's an important one; and God put you there because you're the right person for the job right now. He wants to work through you to get some things accomplished for His glory, and He will do it if you will 'let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom' (Col. 3:16). No matter how difficult your place of ministry might be or how discouraging the situation, adopt the attitude of Peter, and God will do wonders for you: 'Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net' (Luke 5:5). That 'nevertheless' of obedient faith makes the difference between success and failure. You can trust in this truth: 'There has not failed one word of all His good promise' (1 Kings 8:56)."


Exerpt from Wiersbe's On Being a Servant of God

I would like to go to San Francisco so I can see this tree in person and take pictures standing next to it.

I know this is gonna look extremely stalkerish, but I feel like my blog isn't THAT popular so it wont be a problem to the few people that read this. Basically, when I saw this, I nearly peed my pants. My friends are TOO funny. I just couldn't resist taking a screen shot!

I'm a punctuation person. So naturally, when there is an exclamation point in the Bible, it catches my attention.

Some Christians are getting so hyphy this year. They make us all look like crazy people. Bart Millard (of the band MercyMe) posted a quick facebook status and wrote "Xmas" instead of Christmas and it was as if he dropped a bomb on the church—people were FRANTIC. The feedback made me hysterical. I hiiiiiiighly doubt he meant anything by it. He was just typing a quick facebook status.

On a similar note, at work a couple weeks ago, I had been working on Christmas Eve Service Invitation Postcards. Look at that long, five word title. The printing company is very specific about their file names and it can't be more than 20 characters long. Naturally, my file name turned into xmasevefront.jpg and xmaseveback.jpg. Am I taking Christ out of Christmas? No, I am not. I am simply changing a file name. And Bart Millard merely posted a quick mobile status update. CALM DOWN, CHRISTIANS. Don't give us all a bad name. Christianity is so much more than that.

Pastor Chuck talked about this yesterday morning at church. The celebration of Christmas itself has become hypocritical, regardless of the name you give the holiday. It is supposed to be a celebration of the coming of Christ, but has become this vast commercial holiday where the focus is receiving and giving gifts to each other. How about Christ? Where is He in that picture?

Rather than go crazy and ridicule people for saying "Happy Holidays" and "Merry Xmas," we should be celebrating that Christ is still here in the midst of our commercialism. Notice that the very same people who refuse to say the word "Christmas" are confessing, "Christ, by highest heaven adored, Christ the everlasting Lord, late in time behold Him come, offspring of a virgin's womb. Veiled in flesh, the Godhead see; hail the incarnate Diety. Pleased as man with men to dwell, Jesus, our Immanuel. Hark the herald angels sing, 'Glory to the new born King.'"

That's a LOT of doctrine in one song. Praise God that the name (and deity) of Christ is being spread through mere Christmas jingles.

I thought I'd help some people out. There are no answers on google and now there will be!

If you own a Pocket Square digital camera and don't read Japanese (the instructions don't come in English) you will thank me for this blog post.

There is no "normal" aka "00" mode. The three modes are P1, P2, and P3. And of course, the photojojo site defines them backwards. I've tested it over and over...here are what the modes are.

P1 - monochrome
P2 - noise
P3 - vivid

They are in alphabetical order so that should make it easy to remember! Same way with the videos! Have fun! :P

Hilda Grahnat, one of my favorite bloggers, posted a blog on her favorite holiday snack. I, along with several others, requested her recipe and she was kind enough to share it! I did a little bit of altering, since ingredients are a little different in Sweden than they are in America so here is my final recipe! (Decimal measurements might be a little awkward too, but they will suffice!) Enjoy! :)

.6 cup golden honey
1 cup brown sugar
7 oz butter
3/4 tbsp ground ginger
1/2 tbsp ground cloves
3 tbsp ground cinnamon
.6 cup heavy cream
1 tsp baking soda
5 cups flour

Stir honey, brown sugar, butter and spices to a batter. This is easiest if the butter is either melted or room temperature. Whip cream into foam and mix it in with the batter. Mix baking soda with flour and add flour to batter little by little. Make a "dough loaf" and let cool in the refrigerator over night, covered in aluminum foil.

Use rolling pin to make a thin layer of the dough. Use extra flour on the roller if the dough too sticky, but not too much! Use baking shapes and lift the shaped cookies onto a baking pan covered in foil. Bake at 395˚F for 6-10 minutes or until brown enough. Careful, they burn easily! Move onto a cooling rack. Serve when cool and store leftovers in a closed metal or glass (not plastic) jar.

By the way, this recipe makes approximately 7 dozen cookies. Yes, SEVEN dozen, aka 84 cookies. A lot, I know. Perfect for family gatherings for the holidays.

(Photo Credit: Yours Truly—had to give myself some credit since I'm pleased with the way this photo came out!)

God has been answering a lot of my prayers these days. Not so much prayers of what I should be doing, but questions I had been asking.

Today, He answered another question. I have read this before, but today, it had new clarity.

I'm not even going to elaborate. Just let it speak to you.

1 Corinthians 10:23-11:1
23(A) "All things are lawful," but not all things are helpful. "All things are lawful," but not all things build up. 24(B) Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor. 25(C) Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience. 26For(D) "the earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof." 27If one of the unbelievers invites you to dinner and you are disposed to go,(E) eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience. 28But if someone says to you, "This has been offered in sacrifice," then do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for the sake of conscience— 29I do not mean(F) your conscience, but his. For(G) why should my liberty be determined by someone else’s conscience? 30If I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that(H) for which I give thanks? 31So, whether you eat or drink, or(I) whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 32(J) Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to(K) the church of God, 33just as(L) I try to please everyone in everything I do,(M) not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved. 1(N) Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.

Ever do that thing where you take your Bible, flip it open to a random page, and drop your finger on a random verse, and ask God to speak to you? Seems like that's a back-up method when you're in a state of spiritual desperation.

Don't let yourself get to that state of spiritual desperation. We are to be constantly in the Word. But let's face it, we're human. Sometimes we need that little tug in the right direction. Life Discipler is the perfect little tug. It's like a concordance in your pocket, but it gives you the verses without you even having to look for them! A perfect little Christmas gift that gives right back!

Team Buzzplant provided me with a free one to review, and I would definitely recommend this little gadget. Check it out on http://www.lifediscipler.com/. And if you choose to purchase it as a Christmas gift, there is a discount that goes until December 17th! Check it out! :)

Bad luck takes its toll.

11:30 pm - I reach in my purse for my ipod because I wanted to charge it. I notice my ipod case is wet, along with the bottom of my purse. Uhoh! What spilled?
11:32 pm - I realize my ENTIRE water bottle spilled onto my bed, explaining my wet purse. But now my entire mattress is soaked. How do I sleep?
11:34 pm - Blowdryer to the rescue!
11:40 pm - Uhoh, my blowdryer wont reach all the way! Now what?
11:42 pm - I try using a towel to absorb the water. But it's too much water. And it's already absorbed completely through my mattress.
11:43 pm - Back to blowdryer!
11:44 pm - Blowdryer blows out. Lovely.
11:46 pm - There are extensive instructions underneath the reset button instructing you on how long to wait before and after you press the button. I read every word and follow it to a tee.
11:47 pm - My blowdryer resurrected! Yessss! Buuuuut, it still doesn't reach.

Guess I'm sleeping on the floor tonight.

I am upset.

One of my lifelong dreams has been to move to the UK. I've actually been thinking about this quite seriously, applying for jobs, and looking at housing accommodations.

Then it hit me. In the back of my mind, I couldn't imagine never going back to school again. (So much that I just used a double negative.) So why not go back to school in England?

I frantically began my search. I had always heard that schools in the UK were less expensive than ones in the US. But in my search, I learned that they were only cheaper for UK residents which, sadly, I am not. My sneaky mind automatically thought, there HAS TO BE a loophole. I did quite a bit of searching. No loophole.

I wish I was born in the UK. Oxford costs roughly $8,000 US dollars per year. Good ol' CBU, the second cheapest private school in Southern California costs roughly $20,000. Mind you, I'm only comparing tuition costs, not housing, fees, books, etc. Four years at Oxford: $32,000. Four years at CBU: $80,000. Are you depressed yet? I am.

People have always complained that the cost of living is higher in the UK. Who cares! I surely wouldn't mind paying a little more for a sandwich and a pair of jeans knowing that I saved about $48,000 on my higher education.

Solution? Jen and I have comprised a list.

Plan A: When Jen becomes a famous movie star (and makes lots of money), I will design her business cards and website and take her head shots. That, in turn, will make me famous with lots of money and then I wouldn't have to worry about paying the international student costs at a university in the UK.

Plan B: We sit here, penniless and not famous (unfamous? infamous?) and end up in an insane asylum.

Plan C: We come to grips with the fact that we were born in the US. Instead of becoming insane old maids, we become elderly roommates and live cooky lives like Audrey Hepburn in "Breakfast at Tiffany's." We take up knitting and learning Japanese. After all, we'd need some wild endeavor to keep us sane.

Which plan would you vote for?

I'm kinda REALLY excited about my Christmas gift to myself this year. Why do I even get myself gifts? Because I have terrrrrrrrible sales resistance. Becca assured me that it was alright though, since I am exceptionally great at bargain shopping.

So here it is.

What is it, might you ask? A pocket square digital camera. Notice in the url, it is under the category of awesomeness. That's because it is. 

C'mon USPS! Please get this little thing to me before Christmas, or preferably before Dec. 21st so I could play with it on my arboretum photoshoot with the friendsies. Thanks.

Unbiblical Christianity says, What can I get out of this?, while Biblical Christianity says, How can I listen to His Word so that I am equipped to teach His Word to others?

...April, June, and NOVEMBER.

Yeesh! I hadn't realized December will be here TOMORROW. Sorry for the delay, folks. To download your December calendar, just click the link below the picture! It's sized for a 15-inch macbook pro, but will be a great wallpaper on any computer! :)

Enjoy!

Today was SO outrageously out of whack that it deserves a blog post. I think my twitter account captured the wackiness though so I'll just compile a list of tweets that got the most feedback today.

• "May I have your first and last name please?" "Elizabeth Mousa." "Thanks Kelly, how may I help you today?" "Uh, I'm Elizabeth."
• The janitor just told me, "You're very pretty." Today keeps getting more and more interesting.
• the bathroom at work is FRIGID. i thought my hands were going to fall of when i washed them.
• a million little kids just came into my work. i need a decibel diffuser.

Ok, maybe it wasn't THAT bad. Guess you just had to be there. Or maybe the play by play on twitter just made it more dramatic.

This might be the coffee shop with my most favorite design sense I have ever seen. I am inspired to travel to the midwest.

#7) I am thankful that Jesus, though sinless, took my punishment and died on the cross to spare me from eternal separation from God.

#6) I am thankful for food.

Living in America, most people never even stop to appreciate the blessing of food. We always have it. We often even have more than three meals a day. And even when money is low, we never sacrifice our food.

Thank you, Jesus, for always giving me a meal to enjoy. 

#5) I am thankful that I was born and raised in a home where my parents love and serve Jesus.

I'm a sucker for cheesy Christian movies. Many people don't like them, but I looooove them. And they ALWAYS make me cry. No matter what the topic, I will cry. (Mind you, I'm not even a cryer!)

Team Buzzplant provided me with a free copy of "Homeless for the Holidays" so I could review it. It easily made its way to the top of my list of the best cheesy Christian movies I have ever seen. And the only thing that made it cheesy was the fact that it was a low budget project. But for being a low budget film, they did a really good job! And it definitely helped that this movie was based on a true story!

This movie is about a man who has a high paying executive job. But after some sketchiness in the office, he ends taking the blame for something he didn't do and losing his job so the rest of the company could stay afloat. The whole time I was watching this movie, I couldn't believe that these events actually took place! Everything that happened to this man were completely unfair. (Who ever said life was fair anyway?) The movie documented the progression of time as he remained jobless with no income to provide for his family.

The thing that touched me the most was the reaction of his children. That's what got me thinking. If I were a young child, I don't think I would be so considerate. I would be unwilling to part with the life I was used to. But these children were appreciative even in the hard times! And what's even more touching is that they still desired to bless others even though they barely had anything of their own! Ugh! Tear jerker! You just gotta watch it! It's definitely a family film that teaches a lot of good lessons.

To learn more about it or to purchase it, go to http://homelessfortheholidaysmovie.com. (It can also be purchased at select Christian bookstores.

#4) Even though I complain about being in the United States sometimes, I am thankful that God, in His divine wisdom, chose for me to be born here. I could have been born in a third world country in poverty. But instead, I was born in one of the wealthiest countries in the world where I can enjoy innumerable amounts of material blessings.

#3) I am thankful for the true friends I have in my life. I realized recently that I don't have as many friends as I thought I did, but the close ones, the real and genuine ones, are a blessing in my life. I don't know what I'd do without them.

#2) I'm thankful for God's provisions. I complain about the functionality of my car, but at least I have a car. I complain that there isn't a way to live working only 10 hours a week, but at least I have a job (that I enjoy)! I complain about my phone not being the latest, but I have a phone.

God is so amazing! He blesses even when we gripe and complain!

In light of it being a week away from Thanksgiving, I thought I would join Kristina in blogging about things I am thankful for.

#1) I am SO thankful that God never gives up on me, even though I fail over and over and over again. [Psalm 78♥]

I spoke with a dumb blonde on the phone today. How do I know she was blonde? Well, I don't know. But I know that she was most definitely dumb.

Oh my gosh, that's so mean, Liz! I know that is what you are probably thinking, but believe me, she was dumb.

I called T-Mobile Customer Care because I had been receiving calls on my cellphone from England. I hadn't been answering them for fear of being charged outrageous amounts per minute, but I wasn't even sure if I would get charged since I was only accepting the calls.

This woman (with a craaaazy hick accent, might I add) answers the phone. I ask, "If I receive calls from another country, do I get charged for that or does it only come out of my minutes?"

"Let me check for you," she says. "Which country are these calls coming from?"

"England."

"Alright, hold on for a moment and let me check..............What country did you say that was?"

"England."

"Yeah, but what country is it in?"

"England."

"Yeah, but what country is that place actually inside of?"

"Eng-LAND." (At this point, I was starting to think she was hard of hearing!)

"I don't seem to be finding that on the list..."

"Ohhh, maybe it's under UK or United Kingdom!"

"There it is!"

Ok, seriously, WHO doesn't know that England is a country?! I mean, it's a really popular country too! It's not like I said I was receiving calls from Turkmenistan! Sheeeeeeesh.

You think you're bad at saying "I love you?" I'm definitely worse. I am the QUEEN of awkward responses to that lovely sentence of endearment. Call it psychological if you want, but I honestly don't know why I have this problem. I noticed it years ago, but I feel like it has been progressing lately. Responses come in all shapes and sizes, from "you too" to the awkward giggle.

If you've ever received one of my awkward responses, don't take it personal. I sincerely apologize. I love you.

Just kidding. I don't even know you. Probably.

Ever wonder why iTunes has its own volume control?

Clara and I discovered why last night. We were having a late night video chatting session. I had put my iTunes music on hold so I could hear her (since I had my headphones plugged in). But then I realized I could play my music and lower the volume on iTunes but raise the volume on my computer so I could hear her louder. Brilliant.

Thank you, Steve Jobs, for keeping socializing in mind when coming up with this feature.

I'm a big fan of blogs. I follow over 150 of them! It's a common trend for design bloggers to design their own calendars and I thought I'd jump on the bandwagon. So here's my first one: a November 2010 Calendar! Enjoy!

Click the link below the image to download the full size calendar (which is 8x10) and perfect for printing!

I do believe that this is my most favorite conversation I have everrr had on facebook.

If God knows my sitting down and my rising up, I trust that He knows which job is best for me.

I interviewed for another job today. This one was interesting. I left not even knowing if I would want to take it if they offered it to me.

Thankfully, I'm playing on the Lord's team and He will provide me with the job that He sees fit. I wouldn't be able to make the decision on my own.

"O LORD, You have searched me and known me.
You know my sitting down and my rising up;
You understand my thought afar off.
You comprehend my path and my lying down,
And are acquainted with all my ways.
For there is not a word on my tongue,
But behold, O LORD, You know it altogether.
You have hedged me behind and before,
And laid Your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is high, I cannot attain it."
Psalm 139:1-6

this.

(spelling out my name. liz will do.)

I posted a random question as my facebook status the yesterday and no one was able to give me an accurate answer. So I have come to the conclusion that we are not well-versed when it comes to random facts.

Therefore, this is what I want for Christmas.

I have nothing against people who are in agreement with prayers at church. You know, those people who repeat "Yes Lord, yes" out loud while a pastor is praying. But there is a line that must be drawn, a line that must never be crossed. Vain repetition. It's in the Bible, just read it. Jesus spoke against it in Matthew 6:7. Not to mention, it completely gets on the nerves of the people sitting around you.

Last night at church, I was a victim of this very thing. In the middle of prayer, I heard something that sounded like hissing. Ssss ssss. Over and over. Ssss ssss. At first, I couldn't even tell what it was. I didn't hear anything else, just the emphasized S sound. Ssss ssss. I slowly felt like I was losing my mind. Ssss ssss. I couldn't even pay attention to the prayer. Ssss ssss. I found myself praying that God would take away the distraction, whatever it may be. I finally just opened my eyes and turned in the direction the hissing was coming from, noticing that it was coming from a woman a couple rows behind me. The girl sitting next to me apparently was getting annoyed too, because she turned at the exact same time I did. Glad to know it wasn't just I who heard it. What was strange about this situation is that the woman even did it when the pastor was telling the people to come forward during the altar call. I mean, agreement during prayer is one thing, but why do you need to agree when the pastor is telling people how to get out of their row to come forward if they are stuck in between a bunch of people?!

When the altar call was over, a girl on the other side of me expressed her frustration out loud. "What is that annoying hissing sound? It's getting on my nerves, but I only heard it during the prayer," she said. Clearly, my entire row had been distracted by it.

Moral of the story: don't be a noisy churchgoer—it does nothing more than distract those around you.

First off, let me start off by saying, I am not typically a fan of Christian self-help books. But for the sake of open-mindedness and BuzzBlogger (who provided me with a free copy of the book and the planner), I gave Allyson Lewis's "The Seven Minute Difference" a chance.

It got me from the very beginning, the introduction! It told a story of Sir Ernest Shackleton, a man who braved the cold of Antarctica in the early 1900s, even though he and his men came across life threatening obstacles. His life motto was "By endurance we conquer," which I found to be very encouraging. Life is a battle, a race. "Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:12-14).

This book emphasized writing things down. I felt this was a very practical method of motivation. Spending only 7, 10, or 15 minutes a day writing down goals and methods to reach those goals can drastically affect the outcome of your day. And think about it, 7 minutes out of 1440 (the number of minutes in a whole day) is practically nothing! It's just a micro-action, as Lewis calls it!

Though I am already one who writes everything down, this book encouraged me to do it in a more organized manner. The fact that the planner has everything categorized was helpful—and definitely a nice plus for someone as OCD as I am! :P

If you want more information on this book and planner, check out http://www.the7minutelifesystem.com!

There is one thing I would like someone to explain to me.

How are they comfortable with their hair like that?? I wish I was brave enough. It looks good on them, doesn't it??

One more person jumped out of my boat today. It's getting lonely over here. My cruise liner now feels like a kayak. A one man kayak, not a two man one.

Ohhhh woe is me.

So brilliant, it deserved a blog post.

http://poolga.com/

I have been reading Britt Merrick's Big God: What Happens When We Trust Him and I am currently in the chapter titled "Faith Waiting (Sarah)." It seems all too appropriate since I am currently in a waiting stage of life. I'm waiting for quite a few things, but specifically, a job—a particular job for that matter.

But I was encouraged. Abraham and Sarah waited for 25 years for God to fulfill the promise He made to them. And how long have I been waiting? 17 days.

I can do this. I can wait. God has promised to take care of my provisions. No need to fret.

"Only fear the Lord and serve Him faithfully with all your heart. For consider what great things He has [already] done for you." -1 Samuel 12:24

I want a man who would buy me a cashmere sweater once fall weather arrives. No occasion necessary—just because he loves me and feels the need to splurge. :)

Jon Acuff, definitely one of my heros, posted this on his twitter the other day:

"Is it possible that 'Words with Friends' is the 6th Love Language?"

While he was just being silly like usual, he made a valid point. Words with Friends consumes me. Even when I stopped using my iPhone as a phone, I refrained from selling it so I could continue using the apps, specifically Words with Friends.

There's something about playing that game with someone. It makes me feel loved. If I don't know you all that well yet you still play a game with me, I feel like I've gotten to know you a whole lot more. On the other hand, if we are close friends and you refuse a game with me, I feel rejected and a bit hurt.

Words with Friends very well might be my love language.

Today, I witnessed a bunch of teenage girls make themselves look like complete idiots.

As Jen and I sat at a small table at Starbucks, two EMTs sat at a table close by. A group of about five girls sat at the table right next to them. They kept glancing at the EMTs and doing the flirtatious giggle. Mistake number one. About half an hour later when they got up to leave, they all waved and said goodbye in way too high of a pitch. Mistake number two. Their now unoccupied table sat empty for only a couple minutes until two more young girls came. These girls seemed all too eager to follow the belief that EMTs are chick magnets, immediately causing themselves to look like idiots. One of the girls got up to get her drink, and when she returned, managed to drop it. It was pretty dramatic if you ask me. It almost seemed to go in slow motion—the cap flew off, half the whipped cream landed on one of the EMT's arms, and the other half splattered onto the ground. Instead of running to grab some napkins for the poor guy, this girl proceeded to do the all-too-familiar flirtatious giggle as she repeatedly said sorry. The guy ended up going to grab napkins for himself. You could tell these two EMTs were fed up. They got up and left a few minutes later.

Jen and I continued our coffee date and sat and chatted for at least another hour. When we walked to the car afterwards, I noticed an ambulance in the parking lot. I glanced—there they were, sitting in the ambulance! Those poor, fed up EMTs! They couldn't even handle sitting in Starbucks because of those ridiculous idiotic teenage girls!

Moral of the story: Don't flirt with an EMT; chances are, the only thing you will accomplish is making yourself look like an idiot.

There's something about airport security—something that makes you think to yourself, "Do they honestly think I'm going to use a pink Schick razor obviously used for cosmetic purposes to evoke harm onto someone?"

I've had them take things away from me before. One time, they took a nail clipper. The next time, they took my tweezers. This time, I didn't even bother taking a razor with me to Michigan. You might not realize the problem in this, but I had to resort to using a crappy hotel razor. I tried, and then I ended up looking like I had chicken pox on my legs. Terrible.

Basically, I think airport security people need to take a chill pill.

We braved the heat of September 25th! The majority of the day was 109 degrees, but we survived and managed to get some good shots! :)

Here are a few!

Dear Fall,

I would like to wear cardigans, sweater socks, and boots. Please cool down your weather. We didn't have 110+ degrees in the summer so why should we have it now? This is a season of cuddling on the couch in front of the fireplace with a cup of hot cocoa, not a season of randomly feeling the need to jump in the pool. I, along with millions of other people, would like it if you comply.

Sincerely,
Liz

When I'm married, my bedroom is going to look exactly like this.

I'm cheap. Therefore, I need a job before I would ever spend $25 on a planner.

But I'm not gonna lie...I want.

[product]




P.S. I know this is completely unrelated, but I just had to share....this is BRILLIANT.

..."Ministry means that God uses us to create a spiritual atmosphere that encourages others to grow and become fruitful in the Lord." (Quotes by Warren Wiersbe from On Being a Servant of God.)

When talking about how everyone is part of the body of Christ and functions differently, Gary always says he is a nose hair. His job is to filter out the good and the bad. Sometimes, when I thought about my specific function within the Jr. High ministry, I wondered. Do they even really need me? Am I doing this for the right reasons? But I feel God has placed me in the Jr. High ministry for a reason. On a regular day to day basis, God uses each individual Jr. High Counselor and Leader to help encourage these pre-teens to grow in their walks with the Lord.

So I'd like to say, in the body of Christ, I am the pituitary gland—I contribute to growth by planting more  seeds of encouragement in the lives of these Jr. Highers. :)

...and I'm definitely ready for fall!

I had a Pumpkin Frap at Coffee Bean earlier this week.

I have a Pumpkin Loaf baking in the oven right now.

And I'm gonna make applesauce tonight :)


Mmmmm, the taste of fall!

I went to get my car radio fixed today because the idiot who installed it put it loose, and it would rattle the whoooole time whenever I drove. I was pretty sure it was going to land me in a mental hospital. The guy who fixed it today agreed that something like that could drive anyone crazy and told me he would have it fixed in about half an hour. He also flirted a bit. I may or may not have flirted back.

When I returned to pick up my car, he asked me if I went to Cal Baptist. (He obviously had seen my license plate frame—good ol' marketing!) I told him I had just graduated from there and he told me that he used to go there. Small world; fifty miles away from CBU, two former students run into each other at a Best Buy! Turns out he was there several years ago on a full ride soccer scholarship, but he "messed it up." I asked him what he meant by that, he hesitated, and then informed me that he fell in love with a girl and then dropped out (which he now regrets since that girl is no longer around). Poor guy!

Call me superficial, but he was pretty attractive too. Basically, if I had the authority of a boy, I would have asked for his number.

There is a link for this blog on my website. My website's url is on my business cards and on my resume. Clash of interests? Is it unwise for me to link to this "unprofessional" blog on things that might contribute to my professional career? I have nothing to hide, but...

What do you think?

I've been avoiding mentioning my job interviews in my facebook statuses because I am well aware of the fact that I am "friends" with many people who actually care less about my life. But I figured, if you're taking the effort to actually read my blog posts, then you must at least care a little bit.

I have a second interview next Tuesday for a place I would really like to work at. Second interview is good sign. I would very much appreciate your prayers at this point. I need a job, and this one would be lovely. Also, if you could, please pray that God calms my antsyness. It's really hard waiting for so long before even having the interview! I've practically already planned out my next few big purchases (see previous blog) haha. So now I just need some sort of decent income.

Thanks for the prayer, friends! I will keep you all posted!

These are the things I would like before Christmas:

• a job
• a new macbook pro
• adobe cs5
• an ipod touch
• a new car

(...in that order would be just fine.)