Four things.

From Loverman....fun times! After you read, copy and paste on your blog!

Four jobs you have had in your life:
1. Salad bar person at Western Sizzlin
2. Speechwriter
3. Asst. Mgr. at Piggly Wiggly
4. lifeguard

Four movies you would watch over and over:
1. Big Daddy (and have w/ Shauna a million times!)
2. The Sound of Music
3. The Matrix
4. Christy (the pilot was a movie, made into a tv show)

Four places you have lived:
1. Curtis, Arkansas
2. Tuscaloosa, Alabama
3. Overland Park, Kansas
4. Alma-Ata, Kazakhstan

Four TV shows you love to watch
1. Lost
2. Will and Grace (on Tivo)
3. Law and Order: SVU
4. My name is Earl

Four places you have been on vacation:
1. Cancun
2. Destin, FL
3. Gulf Shores, AL
4. Atlantic City, NJ

Four websites I visit daily:
1. yahoo
2. www.unitedstreaming.com
3. www.drudgereport.com
4. my blog

Four of my favorite foods:
1. sushi
2. steamed broccolli
3. grapefruit
4. chips and dip

Four places I would rather be right now:
1. at Amy's
2. at Heather's
3. at home (arkadoo)
4. hanging with Shauna

Discovery Rocks!

Hello strangers!!! It's been awhile since I've been on here...whew!!! It's been a fast and furious 2 weeks. I had a whole week off before I started my new job and I had a great time. I slept late everyday which was awesome and got a ton of things done that are just hard to do when you are working-banking, post office stuff, taxes, etc... I also got a chance to go to lunch with friends, work out, catch up on some reading, see Third Day in concert, and just relax. It was perfect. I realized that despite my disappointment about not getting to go home for the week, God prepared that week for me to chill out, rest and prepare my heart for the new job. WOW. I had no idea how much I would need it!!!

New job started on Tuesday-Monday was a holiday. I can't remember having a first day of work ANYWHERE where I didn't feel like, "oh my gosh, what have I done!" My first day at Discovery was no exception. It was CRAZY. Got there way early (because I left 2 hours early to make sure I'd get there on time-not used to the commute yet) and then when I went in, I was bombarded! My boss gave me a 2 week schedule--down to the minute--and it was WAY overwhelming. One hour to the next I was jumping from one person to another recieving technical, complicated explanation after explanation--having not a clue the entire time! By Tuesday evening I was burnt. I didn't even make it to BSF...I just went home and vegged. Wed. morning I had a little "come to Jesus" with myself--I have ABSOLUTELY no doubt that God has ordered this job for me--did I mention that my territory is Arkansas and Alabama???? So Wed. morning I got up praising the Lord for this amazing blessing--finanacially, challenging (means not being bored!), great company, etc.... Then, I hit the road. Here's the funny part, and I'll try to be brief...

Left the house Wed. morning looking fly. My fave camel colored wool pants, starched white shirt and blue jean jacket. All highlighted by Shauna's super cute, cheetah print loafers. By the time I was 15 min. down the road, I realized that the rain I encountered when I walked out the door was turning to sleet. (I don't watch the news-EVER-therefore I had no idea.) A few minutes later, that sleet was snow, and not long after that, that snow was FURIOUSLY coming down. Needless to say traffic was banged up pretty good. I was late for my orientation at the HQ building and about to pee in my pants to boot! I made it to Bethesda--still with 20 minutes more or so left on the trip to Silver Spring-but I had to go to the bathroom. I stopped at McD's and on my way back to the car, in the driving snow/sleet/slush, the worst thing happened. I BUSTED MY TAIL IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PARKING LOT. Now, I fall ALOT. That's not the problem. The problem was that the entire right hand side of my body was sopping wet and covered in parking lot grossness and there was a hole in my pants and my knee was spurting blood to boot! Oh...and did I mention I was already like 20 min. late with another 20 or so to go??? I freaked out for a second or two....called Shauna and Anne--both of whom said to keep going....went in, cleaned myself up a bit (thankfully, after it dried, all you could see were the bloodstains on my knee and the hole!) and made it to orientation! Tragic, ain't it??? But hilarious!!! The funniest thing was, as I was laying on the parking lot ground, all I could think was don't let your hair get wet!!! I did just get a new do, after all!!! :)

The week has gotten progressively better and better everyday. I am sooo excited! Hopefully, as I get more aclimated, I will be able to stay in better contact. In the meantime, I'm using my PIMPIN' SPANKING NEW LAPTOP to steal a little bit of a wireless connection from a neighbor!! HA! If you're interested in what I do...go to www.unitedstreaming.com and check it out. This is the product I support and implement. Awesome. More details to come!

Forget Georgia...I've got Ireland on my mind!

Looking for a hotel. Scary. Expensive. Debating on staying in Dublin the whole time or traveling into the countryside. Yikes!!! I'm thinking we're gonna spend at least one nite out of the city. Anyway...so exciting. I hate to be, as Susan says....so self-centered, but I'm excited!!! So, Tuesday's the big day! Yah! Can't wait! Actually, I can...I've had a week of nothing but what I want and I'm a tad bit spoiled! In the meantime, gotta ton to do this weekend...so here's a quick list to remind me of what's important...

Thankful:

1. Days in February that are 65 degrees. Yummy.
2. Gel writers--got a ton for v-day....awesome.
3. Special dinners--I had one this week with my best friend. Sweet.
4. Lonely Planet--so glad somebody put those travel books together!
5. Friend of friends--people are creatures that need each other. So nice to have that!

Peace out, homies....

Out of touch

Sooo....I've had the whole week off!!!! Hard to believe it's Friday already!!! I took the week off b/w my old and new jobs and have had an AWESOME week. Nothing major exciting....major snow last Saturday-got snowed in in MD, got my hairs done, taxes, checked the mail, read alot, slept late, saw Third Day in concert, helped at Tuesday nite 4 and 5 yr olds at church, had a nice V-Day dinner after church, rode my bike, swam, no running-but I considered it!!! ;) It's been a very relaxing week and I've thoroughly enjoyed it! I kind of dread Tuesday! But I'm excited, too! Shauna and I are heading to Atlantic City on Sunday to try our luck...wish us luck! Hopefully, I'll be back more regularly next week! Ta-ta!

Thanks, guys.

Shelton, Virginia, Tony, Penny, and Darren.

It was my pleasue. Take good care!

MAJOR REQUEST....

HELP!!!! I've lost my favorite hat!!!! See pic below (look how cute I look!!?!?!?!)....I have misplaced the hat you see in this pic of me and Nancy....I NEED IT BACK!!!! Look around, would ya??? If you are holding it for ransom...i will pay!!!!!

Blizzard of '06...

It's only appropriate...I mean, I was here in the blizzard of '96! Now that they are predicting a huge nor'easterner, it's only right that I get locked in during the blizzard of '06! If history proves to repeat itself, I'm betting that the 10-12 inches we are predicted to get will actually be 10-12 hours of being unable to buy bread, milk or toiletpaper and bad traffic and that's about it! Regardless, after work I'm headed to the hacienda to feed the kitties and pack a big bag--I'm getting snowed in in Maryland! Whoopee!! Movies and snowpants, here I come!!!

Speaking of...WELCOME TO THE WORLD NATALIE CLAIRE (sp?)!!!!! Cheers to Jim and Katie McMurry who welcomed their healthy daughter into the world last nite around 10:30 ish! Thank Heaven for little girls!!!

Dublin, Here I come!!!

Yea!!! After a brief moment of indecision, I am definately going to Dublin, Ireland! Tickest were purchased yesterday--without insurance, so no refunds! Yikes! We are going April 27th thru May 1st. I can't wait!!! Leprechans, guiness, golf...what more could you want out of a vacation???

Here! Here!

2 things, quote of the day...and a shout out to my girl, Vi!

“All the war-propaganda, all the screaming and lies and hatred, comes invariably from people who are not fighting.”- George Orwell

Vi (pronounced vee) is one of my MBI co-workers. She's become a good friend and I'll miss her. In the meantime, she is high-larious and filled with funny ramblings. Take SuperBowl Sunday for example. We went to the same SB party. Afterwards, I was walking her to her new car..which I hadn't seen yet. It's a little Scion, super cute. She is telling me all about the features she likes best....interior, gas mileage, small and easy to park, and in the middle of a very normal list, she says, "and it looks just like a roller skate!" And she meant it! So funny. You go, Vi--the one and only!!!

The Final Countdown...

And no, I don't mean the cheesy 80's song, either. I mean my last days at the Dept. of Justice. It's been a good ride! I've made some good friends here and I will definately miss seeing them regularly. It's sad that our nature makes us not appreciate something fully until it's coming to an end or we lose it. Regardless, I have 3 and 1/2 days left at the Civil division, and I plan on making the most of them! Today I brought my lunch, but I'm going to Franklin every day for the rest of the week!!! :)

BSF (my Monday nite Bible study on Genesis) has been pretty good as of late. We are on Abraham and Isaac. Last nite the lecture was on the near-sacrifice of Isaac. The theme I couldn't get past was Isaac's willingness to be sacrificed. He was somewhere b/w the age of 12 and 37 (although teens is most likely) and he could have gotten away EASILY from his father of 100+ years old. But he didn't. That level of obedience humbles me. As one who rebels EASILY at just about anything, I am struck.

Okay, that brings me to a funny story. Yesterday I got home a bit early from a dr's appt. I was so excited to get home, but didn't have my keys b/c I had switched cars (and therefore keys) w/ my bud. Scott came to the rescue and let me in the house. Blah, blah, blah....In the meantime, in the rush of getting home, hurrying up to get to BSF, doing some things I had to get done, Austin (the big golden retriever that lives upstairs) came in for a visit. Nixon HATES Austin. Despises him, in fact. Austin was thoroughly excited and barking b/c of all the activity (Nixon really hates the barking). Nixon was SO MAD about Austin being in the house, that he went into the kitchen, right outside the litter box (which is a pimpin', extra fancy enclosed box) and pooped RIGHT OUTSIDE the door. As if to say, "you know I hate that dog...so take this!" The litter box is FRESHLY changed!!! There was no reason for him to do that except to get me back. My own flesh and furball!!! Those dang cats, I tell you. They are smart. I immediately sent Austin on his way while I mopped the kitchen floor. Nixon just sat in the corner grinning, as if to say, "Say my name, beeyah!"

Dreams are good.

In the spirit of planning a trip to Euope in April with a good friend (I am!), I have been looking around at the options available to us for our trip. Originally, we were planning on going to Belgium (Anne's idea, for reasons I'm still not sure of--JK, ANCHOVIE!!!) Alas, it appears we may actually be going to Dublin!!! In the spirit of the Irish, I had a Guiness at the Super Bowl party last nite! We have nailed down a date (take that back...just got a call that is putting the dates in question again!)...but we are on our way! We have a committed schedule. Trip to be planned and purchased IN FULL by February 21st (my first day at Discovery!). YEA!!!! Still not 100% sure where or when--but for sure somewhere!

I am soooo excited. For lots of reasons, obviously. It's fun to travel and see the world and all that...but there's more than that. I have a spirit of unrest. It's been awhile since I've been anywhere "foreign" and I have an itch. The itch is starting to make me dream about picking up and moving to Switzerland (see further below). So this trip is big for me. And I'm really excited about going with Anne, too--she's fun to travel with. And we travel really well together. She is definately a Godly friend to me in that, "as iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." She is not afraid to pull out a file and take off some of my edges. So I have no qualms about the hard stuff that comes when you travel with someone in close, tight, uncomfortable European quarters!

Another thing I look forward to-we worship well together. I can't wait to go to church there--wherever we end up! And seeing mountains...we both have a thing for the mountains. I feel God in the mountains like NOWHERE else. I look forward to being with someone I feel comfortable worshipping with. What better way to see the world--with an expectation of God's glory. I cannot wait!

It's funny, when Anne and I first became friends, we found we had a mutual thing for a place called L'Abri. L'Abri means "shelter" in French, and it's a place that was founded by Francis and Edith Schaffer in 1955 in Switzerland. The short explanation is that it's a place for people seeking God. I want to go soooo bad I CANNOT STAND IT!!! It's too $$ for our weekend trip, however, so in the meantime I'll settle for Dublin (or wherever we end up!) and hold onto to the "shelter" dream for later!

L'Abri

Field of flowers at L'Abri

Majesty, anyone??

What a view!

I'll go someday! In the meantime, I'll dream of it....cause dreams are good.

The Lord giveth, but the tax man taketh away...

TAXES. Makes me wanna curse like a sailor!!! I just got off the phone with my accountant (yes, I have an accountant) and I am hot and bothered all ready!!! I still owe a million dollars (about $600) from 2004--so I am PRAYING that this year I'll have made up the difference and have a little left over! You should have seen the amount I owed to start with!!! Yikes!!

So, say a prayer for me. I need patience and strength and a little luck!!!

In the meantime...here's to Matthew! Tax collector turned apostle!

Slow Day...

Have you ever had one of those days where you felt like you were coming out of your skin if you didn't DO something?? I'm having that moment today. I've been kind of busy, but since I'm a short-timer, there aren't any REAL projects for me to work on. Blah.

No news. Trying to decide what to do with my whole week off! The plan was to go home for a week....not going work out it appears.... Amy James...you better call me back! You are so unreachable!

Here's to fake spring in the District! Gonna go to the pool after work! In fact, gonna run and call the La Petite Poisson now! Peace!

Grateful again...

Today's gratefulnesses:

1. Alleve.
2. Vacation. I am planning a long weekend trip to Europe in the spring and I am so excited to
have something to look forward to!
3. Jobs. We all need 'em...we all got 'em...we all get tired of 'em...but thank the Lord for 'em!
4. iPods. I love mine. I mean love it! I've actually started listening to it in the car instead of
my car stereo!
5. Friends. I have a bunch and am so lucky for it.

Going away is not so bad...

So last night was my "going away happy hour" for my exit from ENRD. I still have a week and a half until I leave DOJ, tho. Then a week off, then off to Discovery I go!!!

So last nite was fun. Alot of fun, actually! It's too bad I didn't bring my camera because there would no doubt be some incriminating photos! There were lots of folks there...I felt very loved! Vi, Lil' Kim, Lisa, Amanda, Shauna, Anne, Lisa O., Michelle, Shelton, Darren, Fernando. I think a good time was had by all!

I am sad to be away from Lisa, but so glad to end where I started. Back with my old boss, Penny. Back at Franklin Grille-the deli where I learned to order food in DC and how to cross the street and that has the best potato salad in the world! 11th and L--the building where I learned the in's and out's of garage parking! We all come full circle.

I'm tired and a bit melancholy today....I'm sure it has nothing to do with last nite! ;) More to come on my week off....bring it on, Amy!