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.