Proud Season Ticket Holder

So I tried to post something before lunch but I didn't really have anything interesting to say. I do now though!

Over lunch I went to the Post Office really quick to send off my broken studio lamp. :( First I get hit on by some weird guy who had a strange nervous tick or something and couldn't stand still to save his life. What made that part even more awkward was that Kenny Kim was ahead of me in line. And I didn't really want the strange guy asking me any more personal questions.

Speaking of personal questions... you know if I had a dollar for all the times I've been asked if I go to the U of I since I graduated, I'd probably have enough to pay for my education. Oh well, I guess I should appreciate it while it lasts.

Also over lunch, I finally bought my season tickets. The last straw? Well, I got an email this morning saying that there are only 1,000 horseshoe seats left. Well NOW THERE ARE ONLY 999!!! :D And when I got back I received a Fighting I-Mail saying that the season ticket renewal deadline is 4/27. Whew!!

My website is getting some finishing touches today and Seth says it will be done tonight. I really hope so because I printed 170 cards with the address on them last night!

Tonight is date night!! Ryan finally has a weeknight where he doesn't have to work, but this means that he'll miss our small group party tomorrow night too. :( He's going to fix me dinner at my house (so I can work on stuff while he cooks) and then we're going to see a movie (I think). He wanted to go minigolfing but it's kind of raining and a little chilly here, so probably not.

The mental preparation for my first wedding of the season began on Sunday. I'm trying to make lists and sort things out in my head so I don't miss anything on Saturday. Going to the dress rehearsal on Friday will help, along with having an hour or so to myself at Kristina's house on Saturday morning. Wish me luck!!

Edit: Ooh, I forgot a couple more things... I found out that Pantene has a program where I only have to cut off EIGHT inches of hair instead of TEN! WAHOO! Now THAT I can definitely do. Now I just need to talk Stephanie into it...

My friend Brian sent me a link to a cheap PocketWizard (it's a remote flash trigger for you photo-clueless types). It's on its way to me for only $169!! Yeah!

Nick E. Cheese

My cousin Nicki has decided to start a catering business in order to fulfill her life-long dream. She needs a name though, and here's a little bit of what some of my friends came up with:

Down Home Catering
Taste of Home Catering
Nick E. Cheese
Puttin' on the Grits Catering
And, similarly... Patton on the Ritz Catering (THIS ONE IS MY FAVORITE!)
Nicki's Country Stuffin'
Nicki's Gnocchi

I'll keep thinking...

Massacre at VT

I forgot to mention this below, but the VT thing has been on my mind a lot too. This is absolutely horrifying that this would happen. Some of the video and audio footage brings me to tears. It just breaks my heart that there are people out there dealing with things that they feel like they can't handle, so they feel the need to murder or in this case, mass murder. And then besides the depression, there is the mass amount of hate the gunman had for other people. It makes me ask questions like: Where did this hatred stem from? What initially sparked his disdain for fellow students? Why was his life so bad that he resented other people so much? Why didn't someone realize that his quietness was probably a sign of something else?

All I know is God weeps over situations like this. And I know that that young man needed Jesus more than anything in this world. But like all things, God will use this situation to bring some sort of good, as awful as that may sound the day after.

My prayers and thoughts are with the families of the deceased and the students who had to witness the massacre yesterday. I don't know how I would deal with seeing that.

Girl put your records on...

So I don't know what to write about, but for some reason I feel like I should today, so here's a list of songs I've recently downloaded:

Put Your Records On - Corinne Bailey Rae
Not Ready to Make Nice - Dixie Chicks
Big Enough - Ayiesha Woods
Boston - Augustana
I'm Not Who I Was - Brandon Heath
Beautiful Disaster - Jon McLaughlin
The Sweet Escape - Gwen Stefani
Give Me Jesus - Fernando Ortega
Untitled Hymn - Chris Rice
Jesus You are Holy - Kate Miner

Let's see... what else is on my mind?
- I screwed up and missed a photo shoot last night. Oops.
- I was woken up at 3 a.m. last night by my neighbors and one of their girlfriend's OBNOXIOUSLY LOUD cars. Then I couldn't sleep and they came back an hour later and were still loud. Jerks.
- My jerk-y roommate is still at her usual ways even though the bf is gone. Seriously. Who parks in the driveway behind your landlord blocking them in? Jerks. That's who.
- I felt really compelled last night during my sleeplessness to write a letter to my ex-stepmom. I might work on that tonight. Along with 326 other things I have to do.
- Why was I the last person to hear about Mom & Joe's party? If you wanted me there, so bad, why wasn't I one of the first to know?
- I can't really handle when one person dominates a conversation. It makes me uncomfortable and I feel bad for everyone else present.
- I think I need a day off or two, but alas, my stupid job only started me out with 5 vacation days. What a load of crap.

How awesome am I?

And you know, Regis too, I guess. :)

Lots of things to tell...

The first is that I had my first gig as the football photographer for InsideIllini.com this weekend. I wasn't super happy with the results, but the guy who hired me seemed to like my work. He gave me a few suggestions and tips and is going to get me a subscription to the premium forum which is ultimately where I will post my photos from now on.
You can view my photos here:
Spring Practice Photos 4-7-07


I have a BUSY week this week, which is good because I've been lacking energy lately and I think it's because I was sick and then wasn't so busy and then the weather got cold again. I have high hopes for this week. I have a Vineyard leadership training meeting tonight, Breaking Free Bible study tomorrow, football practice tomorrow and Wednesday, a wedding consultation Thursday, and lots of loose ends to tie up when I have a little free time. Ha! Free time.

This weekend will be fun too. I will get to hang out with Ryan during the day on Saturday (he's on call in the evening) and then Sunday afternoon is Taylor's bridal shower luncheon.

I also need to get crackin' on my website updates. My friend Seth put some stuff together for me in exchange for me shooting photos at the Taste of CU this summer. I can't wait to see what he came up with (AND get it posted!).

Let the busy-ness commence... I'm out.

I'm going to plant a Vineyard.

But not that kind of Vineyard. :)

So this is what's on my mind this week:
Vineyard
Church Planting

This thing is way in the early stages of planning, but it's going to happen in summer of 2009. It's kind of scary, and kind of exciting. I know that this is what I'm supposed to do.

If you have questions, you can ask!