Bird's Blog

iiiiii quit, i quit, i quit mr. white, i quit.

2010-03-30T12:17:00.000-05:00

that's right. in the words of jimmy-lead singer of the oneders\herdsmen- i quit blogger. i've had enough. it asked me if i wanted to upgrade my blog and i did, and subsequently it lost most of my info. so, i'm moving my blogging over to tumblr.com. if you want to read my blog, you can look it up at birdalicious.tumblr.com

peace out, blogger....

currently in constant repetition on my ipod

2010-03-23T15:23:00.000-05:00

music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life- red auerbach

music. it can make you laugh. it can make you cry. it can make you dance. it can lift you up. it can drag you down. it is a way to translate how you feel when you can't find any words to do so. these are the songs that are washing away that current dust right now:

1. chin up cheer up -ryan adams
2. sideways -citizen cope
3. virginia may -gregory alan isakov
4. your protector -fleet foxes
5. colors -april smith & the great picture show
5. wash away -joe purdy
6. wish you well -katie herzig
7. what can i say -brandi carlile
8. poison & wine -the civil wars
9. the walls are coming down -fanfarlo
10. world sick -broken social science
11. first of july -foy vance
12. new redemption song -over the rhine
13. my repair -the noise 10 featuring brandi carlile
14. never leave your heart alone -butterfly boucher
15. something, somewhere, sometime -ben sollee & daniel martin moore

...i could name 15 more, but these are my favorites of the favorites!

take a listen to the ones available on playlist, the ones that aren't are links to hear them elsewhere!...

5 reasons vh1 should bring back pop-up video

2010-03-11T09:36:00.000-06:00

pop-up video. as you read those words you immediately sang that little ditty to yourself didn't you? (pop-pup video-o) yeah me too...
back in the 90s when MTV still stood for music television and VH1 had not yet been infiltrated by celebreality, pop-up video was a smash hit. A half hour show airing in segments of 5 music videos, a little bubble or "info nugget" would pop up to give us random tidbits about the video- from where rick astley shot his video for "never gonna give you up" (...never gonna let you dow-ow-own) to pointing out that mandy moore was only 14 when she drove that green vw bug in her video for "candy." (please see youtube and vh1.com for further reference.)
so, after 6 years of wonderful pop-up "info nuggets" the show was axed, eventually leading to the celebreality of surreal life, i love new york, tool academy, and many more i'm too ashamed to mention. here are the reasons pop-up video should be brought back from the dead to rid us of any more celebrity fit club with k-fed and screech:

1. lady gaga. any insight as to what the hell goes into the making of a lady gaga music video would be greatly appreciated by all.
*it would also be awesome if a pop-up would reference who\what she was before the fame monster- click here

2. they could do a "break-up" special edition pop-up video with bands or couples that have broken up since the show went off the air and tell their break-up stories through pop-up nuggets. examples: jessica simpson and nick lachey, n*sync, j.lo and ben affleck.

3. because nobody wants to watch tool academy15

4. so we can count how many times beyonce's booty shakes in "single ladies." she's gotta hold some sort of record for that.

5. so they can start doing pop-up episodes of their trashy reality tv shows that pop-up explanations as to why they thought any of them were a good idea.

D is here!!!

2010-03-03T22:05:00.005-06:00

it's been almost 2 months since i moved to nashville, and this past weekend, D finally moved in!
(sidenote: a big shoutout and thanks to the Fridrichsens for housing me for those 2 months-if em and jonas hadn't opened up their home to me, i may still be in atlanta right now! i really loved living with them, and it was really awesome to be able to spend time with em at such an exciting time in her life!)

we had been pretty unsuccessful in finding an apartment, so we are renting out a really fun house that D's parents' friends own (confusing, i know). duke, D's little wiener dog, came too, and he is awesome! he loves to cuddle, and spends the day snuggled under a big blanket next to me on the sofa.
it truly is such a blessing to be able to call D my roommate. we have been best friends since the 2nd grade, and i never imagined i'd actually end up being in the same city as her after college, let alone living with her! we live in kind of a random area, but we are literally down the street from opryland, opry mills and the grand ole opry, so that makes it fun!

to say i've been bored is an understatement as i am still jobless. i have put my free time to good use, however, in driving around downtown and learning where everything is. took a lovely drive through belle meade the other day....although i almost ran over a bicyclist, who i'm sure was actually some rich surgeon in spandex (whoops). i've also been frequenting the local panera breads. plural. i think i've hung out at every panera in town with the exception if a recently discovered location in hermitage. no. seriously. i'm THAT bored. the people watching at panera is unparalleled, with the exception of a day trip to dollywood and perhaps an indigo girls concert. i've seen a small child roar like a dinosaur while eating her grilled cheese, i've seen a free-spirited teenager dancing while seated reading a book without an ipod to provide any music, and i've made a new friend in an elderly man that likes to come in for the soup special.
anyways...
D is here!! YAY!!!

The One Without the Coffee

2010-02-23T11:44:00.003-06:00

72 plus hours without a single sip of delicious, rich, smooth, hazelnut-flavored coffee.......

T minus a ka-zillion hours until the next sip.

music makes the world go round

2010-02-21T21:37:00.001-06:00

I'm Sorry, Dunkin Donuts

2010-02-14T17:25:00.003-06:00

It's that time of year again. The time to commit myself to cruel and unusual punishment through a voluntary fast lasting 40 days and 40 nights- AKA: Lent. Previous fasts have included soda, chocolate, meat, and chocolate again. (Abstaining from chocolate has only been accomplished 1 out of the 2 times it was attempted. Again I'm sorry, Jesus!)
This year, I have considered a few options of what I could either give up or begin doing for the 40 day period before Easter: television (insert gasp of shock here), diet coke, chocolate (again), make a commitment to exercise 3x/week. After much thought about what was both achievable and sacrificial, I have decided to limit myself to 1 cup of coffee per day with no other caffeinated beverages the rest of the day. So, no diet coke, no sweet tea, etc. Only 1 mug of coffee each morning, if at all. Maybe I should just give up caffeine altogether, but with 8am class on Saturday mornings, I just can't. Like I said, it has to be achievable, and I highly doubt that I'm ready to go cold turkey on this one.
There are a couple of reasons for this decision. One being that I'm getting worried about how much my hands shake if I haven't had my daily intake of coffee....that's a bad sign. It makes me feel out of control of my body, and I really hate sitting in panera with the shakes as I pick up a fork to eat my pumpkin muffies! Another reason is so that I will no longer have to endure caffeine headaches after I have weened myself off of it. My addiction has only grown since I began drinking coffee, and I had gone up to as much as 4 cups a day. Not good.
So, that's what I'm giving up for Lent. Hopefully after the 40 ays are up, I will be able to continue my coffee limit. And next year, I think I'm going to actually give up television. The only reason I didn't give that up this year was for 1 simple thing: the final season of LOST! :)

Lost

2010-02-09T14:56:00.001-06:00

what the crap?

IT'S FINALLY HERE!!!!! AHHHHH!!!

2010-02-02T14:12:00.005-06:00

LOST SEASON 6!!!!

The FINAL season premiere starts tonight at 8pm. To say I am excited would be an understatement... to say I am slightly obsessed would be also!!

I am not, however, excited about commercial breaks, only getting 42 minutes of the show per week, and hanging questions at the end of each episode.

NOBODY call me between the hours of 9-11pm eastern\8-10pm central time...i will not answer! (Molly, I'm talking to you :))

http://abc.go.com/shows/lost

Let the Countdown Begin

2010-01-25T12:10:00.007-06:00

That's right. T minus 8 DAYS until the final season of LOST!!! Beginning this past fall, I have watched (i know what you're thinking...loser with too much time on her hands, oh well.) every single episode of the series up until the season 5 finale. Maybe I'm a geek, but I had to do something after Nat moved out and I was alone in the apartment in Atlanta. Don't judge me. Throughout my own flashbacks to past episodes, even more questions arose to me for the final season: what the CRAP is the black box, and how did Locke's dad get to the island, only to have Sawyer kill him? What really happened to Rousseau's crew? What do the numbers mean? Who the CRAP is the man in black?...and most importantly, what's the smoke monster? The questions are endless, and the answers will be pouring out in only 8 days! While living with Em and Jonas, we have been having Lost Theory Discussions about what it all means.....most of these discussion end in even more confusion! Here are some of my theories\thoughts:

-Sayid is gonna die...for sure. last we saw him he had a bullet in his gut, he's a dead man!
-Locke is related to Jack, and so are Claire and Widmore (who, if you don't remember, is also Faraday's dad)
-Charlie will come back, just so I can hear Claire scream "Chaaalie, where's my babay!!"
-Christian, Jack's dad who keeps popping up on and off the island, is really the "man in black." He used jack's dad's dead body to find the "loophole", and then switched into Locke's body in order to go kill Jacob. that's the loophole...i think
-Kate will not choose Jack or Sawyer. that's gonna be 1 of the unanswered questions the geeky writers will leave us just to piss us off!
-Richard Alpert will never age..he will always me a middle-aged guy with eyeliner on.

Although I'm really sad to see the show ending, thus leaving me with nothing to do on Tuesday nights at 8pm, I can't freakin wait for the final season! Live Together, Die Alone....

Cha-Cha-Cha-Changes

2010-01-10T16:43:00.010-06:00

A lot has changed over the past few weeks. since december 23rd, i have quit my job, moved out of atlanta, moved to nashville, and started graduate school. like i said, a LOT has changed. Em and Jonas have been incredibly generous and supportive by opening their home to me and letting me stay in their guest room until i find a place to live with Danielle, who will be finishing up PT school this spring and getting a job here. The timing has been perfect! I feel completely overwhelmed with how different my life is now compared to just 3 short weeks ago. 3 weeks ago i was living in atlanta, going to work at an advertising agency. now my belongings are scattered between my parents house in knoxville and this guest room in nashville, i had my 1st day of grad school class, and i'm jobless. the word "overwhelmed" almost doesn't give the situation justice. the uncertainty is exciting and frightening at the same time.

it's really nice to be back in a city where i know a lot of people. i get to see 1 of my best friends every single day, i'm about to move in with my best friend from home, and the people who took me in like family in Mexico are a short drive across town. all that definitely makes the transition easier!

i'm anxious to see what nashville has in store for me, and where this new journey is taking me. but most important, i'm anxious to see if i remember how do write papers and read textbooks :)

....because i do love my "top 5" lists:

Top 5 Things I Miss from Atlanta:

1. Mother Tucker: going to movies anywhere else feels like a huge rip-off after paying $5 for every movie i ever saw in atlanta. plus, they served amazing hot dogs :)
2. Apt #3308. that apartment was so awesome and we got a steal of a deal on it.
3. Mykonos Greek Tavern. hands down best hummus i've ever had, and the waitors were always so nice. Nat, Chrissy, and I discovered its greatness way too late, but once we did, we ate it a lot!
4. ummmmm......i dont think i can think of 5 things, i kinda hated atlanta
5. I will miss my friends from 22squared. my buyers were the best and i lucked out as far as bosses and co-workers go. if i could've moved them to nashville with me, i totally would've in a heartbeat.

#1 thing i will NOT miss about altanta? I-85. worst.interstate.ever.

Top 5 Moments of A Bird Family Thanksgiving

2009-12-05T08:47:00.008-06:00

not gonna lie, i wasn't expecting all that much form turkey day 2009. i was excited to be home, sure; but let's face it, thanksgiving is usually just a placeholder until the bigger holiday gets here: christmas. not to mention molly and benj wouldn't be coming up, and there would be a noticeably vacant spot at the table with the absence of pa bird. but TD'09 was anything but boring. so, without further....ado? adue? adeaux? (i can't spell):

Top 5 Moments of BFTG 2009:

1- picking up Nanny at her house, the first words she says to me: "Hey, baby, don't look at my tooth, all the others fell out and this 1's gettin' loose." (as she wiggles the solitary tooth on the bottom of her mouth)
2- the discovery that my cousin's 40-something boyfriend can quote Young Frankenstein in its entirety along with me. "well, hello hansome."
3- i learned 2 new things about pa bird. 1: instead of stopping at the Canadian boarder during a family trip to let the mounties check his car, he doesn't think its necessary and just drive on through. smart man, eh? 2: while visiting the Yellowstone National Park, pa bird finds a small tree that would just look wonderful back on bird mountain in TN, and digs it up. he stole a tree from yellowstone. turns out, pa bird was a bit of a rule breaker!
4- while sitting at the dinner table, my aunt julia decides she's hot, and without a word, in 1 quick motion, takes her sweater off. did i mention she was sitting at the dinner table?
5- b/c i prefer to bookend my lists, this 1 is also about nanny, b/c she was just full of suprises that evening. nanny is telling a story about CB radios, and without going into too much detail, says the words "horny" and "beaver" and yes, she meant them in the "thats what she said" kind of way.

Let's hope Christmas is just as interesting, although it will take a lot to top 1 of the best thanksgivings ever!

Confessions

2009-11-18T20:06:00.025-06:00

in the spirit of usher, chris brown, hugh grant, balloon boy's psycho dad....you get the idea; i've decided to confess my...confessions? (some secret, some not so secret)

in no particular order:

1-i love celine dion. (i'm putting it out there. if she ever stops singing amazingly corny love ballads, i fear my hear will not go on)

2-i find it 100% impossible to watch an episode of "friends" without quoting along with it aloud-alone in my apt or with a big group of people. it's like word vomit, and i'm not sorry.

3-in a competition of hot dogs vs. hamburgers, hot dogs win every single time- i love weiners. :)

4-when i was little, my only use for barbie dolls was when they played the roll of victim to all my troll dolls.

5-my first music concert was reba mcentire when i was 7 yrs old at thompson-bowling arena in ktown. i wore black cowboys jeans, a mock turtleneck, and a shoulder-padded plaid blazer. i was a badass.

6-if forced to listen to 1 song over and over for an eternity it would be "i want it that way" by the backstreet boys (some may know them as "bsb"). don't judge me.

7-the only thing i've read in the twilight series is the first 300 pages of new moon, only b\c it was in a pile of books at the house where i was house sitting and that's as far as i got before they got home. i thought it was absurd and ridiculous and melodramatic-i repeat: 300 pages (in 1 night).

8-i cannot remember all the states in alphabetical order in the "fifty nifty united states" song. when i get to maryland i stop and pick back up at tennessee. i apologize, mz. music at bluegrass elementary who looks like winefred sanderson from hocus pocus.

9-(not to be outdone by confession #1)....i love cher. i don't even know if love is a strong enough word...i have a cher wig, and i also do an impression. not gonna lie-it's pretty good. becky bird got me tix to her farewell concert for my bday a few years ago, and the show got canceled. bitter- party of 1.

10-if the movie "the secret of my success" starring michael j. fox comes on tv (like it tends to do every saturday in the summer on lifetime and\or wgn chicago) i watch it in its entirety. the music, the hair, the shoulder pads- it's got it all.

Oh Dear

2009-10-14T19:37:00.010-05:00

oh. my. gosh. i have been wanting to go to a brandi carlile concert since the minute i downloaded her free itunes single of the week 3 years ago. every time she came to the south i was in freakin mexico or at 1 of the million weddings i've attended since college. this weekend, i got to go! it was incredible. she walked out on stage with her whole band gathered around 1 single microphone and with a short breath, out came that amazing voice. i'm so jealous of the ease with which she sings. i took way too many pictures, and a few videos too. she sounds about a million times better live than on any cd player. my sweet sister had been the 1st to tell me she was coming to Workplay in Birmingham, so she accompanied me, along with the 2 Emilys- Fridrichsen and Sparks- and 1 Jonas :) he was a trooper to be there, especially considering the opening act was 1\2 of the gay indie band Indigo Girls. molly was cracking me up with her wide-eyed people watching. i guess living in atlanta has made me more apt to not notice things like that, or at least not really care. i was too focused on the stage. it was the best concert i've ever been to. i think my favorite part was when she talked about her love for Kings Of Leon, but that her mother had discovered them before her. She said her mom left her a voicemail 1 night requesting that brandi get her "the cd of that band that sings that song, you know, yyyooouuuu your sex is on fiiiirreee" and she held out the note real long, b/c her mom is a twangy country singer! top 3 things you never want to hear your mother say!

It was awesome. if i were rich, i'd go see her tour out west, buuuuut i'm not.

Here are some pics, and also video of my absolute favorite- "Dying Day"- which i would listen to alot when i was in mexico homesick for tennessee.....

Brandi Carlile- Dying Day
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k--w7YoDuDI

For All You Nay-Sayers.....

2009-09-29T18:03:00.007-05:00

....you may think my TOMS are dorky, out of style, and bear a striking resemblence to Hugh Hefner's house slippers, but to think that would be to go against America's Sweetheart herself! Check out who loves TOMS just has much as I do:
footnote: Becky Bird, you are no longer allowed to make fun of my stylish footwear :)

Kinda Fonda Wanda

2009-09-25T20:13:00.004-05:00

i love wanda. she is loyal. she is dependable. she is...smelly. She is my car. a 1995 honda accord. and she is molding inside. as most everyone is aware, atlanta has been hit with crazy amounts of rainfall. don't get me wrong, i like rain. but as some of you are also aware, i tend to lock my keys in my car. it's just this really awesome, intelligent thing i do at really awesomely inconvenient times. as a result of this tendency, wanda has lost some of her weather stripping on the driver's side door. as a result of that, whenever it rains, it rains into my car. so, back to the whole rain thing. last week it rained for more than 6 days straight. atlanta got over 14 inches of rain. it closed down schools, it caused traffic jams, it turned six flags into a waterpark. it soaked my entire floor on my car and the driver's seat. usually when it rains in my car, i crack the windows for a day or two to let it air out. this time, i couldn't do that because it was raining every freakin day. now, my baby smells like dirty rain water. the air inside of her is literally more humid than birmingham in july. its miserable. in the mornings when i get in it to go to work, the inside windows are covered with waterbeads from the humidity. i have to drive with all windows down with my head out the driver's window like ace ventura for the first 2 miles of my commute to work. not cool. my pants get damp when i sit in the seat from the moist humid air. i do not enjoy looking like i peed my pants when i get to work, even if billy madison says its cool. its NOT cool. i'm worried. my baby is not doing good. i'm kinda fonda wanda, but i'm also kinda fonda not smelling like mildew.

I Shall Not Walk Alone

2009-08-26T19:19:00.004-05:00

This song has been on continuous play on my ipod since last Wednesday, when Pa Bird, after 94 joyful years of life on this earth, finally went home to be with the Lord whom he served so faithfully. The lyrics are so powerful: "Beauty that we left behind, How shall we tomorrow find? Set aside our weight in sin, So that we can live again...When my legs no longer carry, And the warm wind chills my bones, I just reach for Mother Mary, And I Shall Not Walk Alone." Pa Bird was such a bright light in this dark world, and he was always looking after me to make sure I was walking on the straight and narrow. I think I got a Bible from him for Christmas for about 6 years in a row, not to mention many-a letter in the mail at college with clippings from the United Methodist Church Newsletter! So, although Pa Bird is gone from this earth, I know he is with me, and I Shall Not Walk Alone...

"You're Not Famous Until My Mother Has Heard of You"

2009-08-14T15:09:00.003-05:00

It's official: I heart Jay Leno. I've always loved him! He is by far my favorite Late Night guy, but now my love has grown even deeper. My sweet friend at work, Kara, was going to the local NBC station to do a meet and greet with Jay to promote his new Fall show, and asked if I could come along when someone else backed out. So, I got to sneak out of work for a couple of hours and see The Chin himself ;)

He was so stinking nice! I was super nervous and really star-struck, so when I walked up to get my picture with him, he held out his hand to shake mine, and what do I say? -"Oh, I have sweaty palms, I'm sorry!".....Classy, huh? He laughed and gave me a hug instead!!

PS....for all you Knoxville kids, I also saw Ted Hall, who used to do the news at WBIR, and I was equally star struck by him, too!

Vit-a-Vet-a-Vegetarian

2009-07-01T10:55:00.003-05:00

So, my sweet PETA-loving friend, Chrissy, sent Nat and I our very own PETA kit complete with a very disturbing video of how pigs are killed for meat. I'm all about animal rights for little Babe and the others, but I'm also all about delicious poultry. So, the 3 of us decided we would give up meat for 30 days. I figured if I could give up chocolate for Lent (40 days), this wouldn't be that difficult.

I didn't become a hardcore vegetarian cutting out all meat products like eggs and milk, because if you know me, you know I live for some Honey Nut Cheerios! But it was strictly no meat! It was tough.....but I was really proud of Natalia. As a half-breed Mexican, not eating meat is like not having a billion cousins named Jose....it's just not an option! But she did it! She went 30 days with absolutely NO meat! And so did I!! It was tough........I thought I'd be craving chicken the most because I eat chicken almost every day, but I didn't miss it that much. What I REALLY wanted these past 30 days was a big fat Oscar Meyer Weiner!! A HOTDOG!!

Now that the 30 days are over, tonight we are celebrating our 30 day fast from meat with the best hotdog in town: Tucker Hotdogs!!!! We're going there to see a movie and chow down like true carnivores!! I'm so excited I blogged about it!!

The Wonder of the Cross

2009-04-10T09:53:00.001-05:00

"O precious sight, my Savior stands,
Dying for me with outstretched hands.
O precious sight, I love to gaze,
Remembering salvation’s day,
Remembering salvation’s day.
Though my eyes linger on this scene,
May passing time and years not steal
The power with which it impacts me,
The freshness of its mystery,
The freshness of its mystery.
May I never lose the wonder,
The wonder of the cross.
May I see it like the first time
Standing as a sinner lost,
Undone by mercy and left speechless,
Watching wide eyed at the cost.
May I never lose the wonder,
The wonder of the cross.
Behold the God-man crucified,
The perfect sinless sacrifice.
As blood ran down those nails and wood,
History was split in two, yes,
History was split in two.
Behold the empty wooden tree,
His body gone, alive and free.
We sing with everlasting joy,
For sin and death have been destroyed, yes,
Sin and death have been destroyed.
May I never lose the wonder,
The wonder of the cross.
May I see it like the first time
Standing as a sinner lost,
Undone by mercy and left speechless,
Watching wide eyed at the cost.
May I never lose the wonder,
The wonder of the cross."

It's kind of ironic that the day we observe the crucifixion of Jesus is referred to as "Good Friday." The pain and suffering and humiliation that was hurled upon him on that day is something so unimaginable to me, I don't think I will ever comprehend the suffering and agony he went through. And yet, the outcome of this day is something "Good." Because what happened on this day forever changed the future of the world. Because of this day, we as sinners, are able to receive grace, mercy, and salvation. Pretty freakin' awesome. Just as the lyrics say, oh what a precious sight: my Savior dying for me with outstretched hands. It is the most selfless act any human being can do in my opinion. Every day we are asked to "sacrifice our flesh" for our faith. Of course we fail daily to sacrifice ourselves, because we are "sinners lost." But, may we "never lose the wonder of the cross," not just on Good Friday or Easter Sunday, but every day.

Indiscriminate Act of Kindness

2009-03-24T14:27:00.004-05:00

She came from the cold wet,
Dropped her luggage bags, looked the concierge in the eye
Said, "I need a room for the night,But I don't got no money.Would you take payment of any kind?"
He said, "It's alrightI, got a room here, you can share mine.
Make the bed in the morning and that'll do fine.You can change in the bathroom,Hang your clothes on the line."
A tear came to her eye, She thought how could he be so kind
How could he be so kind

She sat down on the bed with a needle
He said, "I'd hate to see you bleed,Just fetch a warm towel,I'll sit with you til you're dry."
She started to cry, Said, "Why? why? why? why? why? why?"

Consider it an indiscriminate act of kindness.

She was cold turkey, He was holding her hand
She said, "I was ruined by man,This was never in my plans."
"I dreamed of men who loved me,Together we'd see the world.
Somehow I lost myself among the insults they hurled."
"I'm sure your a wonderful woman,And someday there will surely be someone.
So just relax now, it's important that you're calm."
She said, "How is it you can see past me as I am?"
Consider it an indiscriminate act of kindness,
Consider it an indiscriminate act of kindness.

When you took your chances,It was like you placed a bet.
And sometimes this is the reward you can get.
I was always taught if you see someone defiled,
You should look them in the eyes and smile,
And take their heart, no better yet
Take them home, home, home."
She awoke early in the morning
Made the bed, gathered up her clothes to leave
Saw the concierge curled on the settee
Said, "What you did for me was hard for me to believe."
"I was just doing what was right.
No one that knows love could leave you out there on such a night.
If you can help someone, Bare this in mind
And consider it an indiscriminate act of kindness."

Consider it an indiscriminate act of kindness.
-Foy Vance

I have so many "conciereges" in my life that have indiscriminately been too kind to me when I am most undeserving. I pray that God would help me be the concierge every day.....but I fail alot.

5 Reasons Why I Heart Beyonce

2009-02-26T17:25:00.005-06:00

In the words of Chrissy Wells, Beyonce is my new "girl crush!" This is the part where I would usually explain why I'm making this list.....but the Diva needs no introduction:

#5: No only does she have a badass enough first name to need no last name, but she has also come up with an alter-ego with an equally badass name: Sasha Fierce!! That's gutsy! You'd think she would've known to stray away from creating an alter-ego considering others have tried and failed miserably (Chris Gaines? Anybody, Bueller?) I admit, when I first heard about Sasha Fierce, I poked fun......not anymore!

#4: Her thighs. Have you seen the Single Ladies music video? Those things could strangle a 350 lb. man if necessary. Some have debated whether or not they are actually real!

#3: The "Single Ladies" music video. That choreography is unhuman, I mean the 1st time I saw the video, I could not avert my eyes! Those moves are not possible for a normal human being to do (unless of course, you are this guy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTegy6sBQVA). I mean.....how does she dance in those heels? And how can she get so low to the ground so fast? Its like, she's dancing, dancing, and then BAM....on the ground! Amazing!

#2: Her performance of "Ave Maria" on the Christmas special last year. Yes, Beyonce has somewhat strayed away from her singing roots into the movie, fashion, tabloid world; but nobody can ever say she's a manufactured product of Hollywood. The girl has God given talent with a voice that gives you chills. In case you didn't see it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mo3KEQrVm3s

#1: "Na na na A diva is a female version of a Hustla, of a Hustla, of a Hustla.....I'm a I'm a a Diva, I'm a I'm a a Diva"

http://www.youtube.com/user/beyonce?blend=1.... t needs to words....

Top 5 Songs I'm SO Freaking Annoyed by Right Now

2009-02-12T20:42:00.006-06:00

Top 40 and Pop Hit Radio, as we all know, tend to play the same songs over and over and over and over again. You'd think Atlanta would be different because it's a bigger city with tons of different music venues for all genres of music.....but NO!! Here are 5 songs that make me want to hurl the moment they come on the radio....sometimes on 2 stations at the EXACT same time....awesome:

5: "Take A Bow"- Rihanna- Ok, I know what you're thinking.....Rihanna just got the crap beat out of her by her BF, and now I'm gonna rag on her song?......Yep!! I'm sorry, but I'm pretty sure this song was "the new 1 from Rihanna" like, 4 songs ago! So why the crap is THIS the 1 they play on repeat all day? Rihanna just needs to go away, just for a little bit, long enough for us to start missing her, b/c its been overkill lately. I can't handle it.

4: "Just Dance"- Lady Gaga-Oh My GOSH......SHUT UP!!! You look like Christina Aguilera without her voice, and although I must agree that if you "just dance, it'll be OK," please SHUT YOUR PIE-HOLE, Hooker!! And that stupid beat just gets in my head and wont get out.....real annoying! (sorry Katie!)

3: "I'm Yours"- Jason Mraz- This is the most tragic 1 on the list. Star94 and Q100 have completely ruined this sing for me. When I first heard this song, I loved it. I thought it was great...really catchy, and yet not as mainstream as most songs played on the radio. But now..I cringe when I hear the beginning chords. I'm pretty sure I hear this at least 3 times a day to and from work, and almost every time, its on BOTH station at the same time! At least now Jason's got that duet with Colbie Failboat Callait, so they can stop playing "Im Yours" and start ruining the new 1 for me too.

2: "Hot N Cold"= Katy Perry- I secretly loved this song the first few times I heard it. Now, Katy- I'm cold, FRIGID even, to this little ditty. At least it got :I Kissed A Girl" off the air for a bit.....Thank the Lord!

1:"Love Remains the Same"- Gavin Rosdale- UUUGGGHHHHH!! As if the MILLIONS of commercials for that awful movie with Richard Gere and Diane Lane weren't enough to get me nauseous with this song in the background, every radio station in Atlanta is still putting this in constant rotation, even the 1 station I turn to to get away from all the mainstream stuff, DaveFM, has it running on repeat. I can't get away from it. As Gavin's love keeps on remaining the same, my hatred for this song steadily increases with each note.

*I promise my next entry will be less Debbie Downer, more happy thoughts!

LOST

2009-01-27T08:06:00.002-06:00

So, obviously by my blog background, I am a fan of LOST. I have been waiting for January 21st to get here for quite a while, and it finally arrived last week. I was pumped for the 2 hour Season Premiere of possibly the most interesting, confusing show on television. I wish I had lowered my expectations, because they weren't quite met. I think for the first half hour I just sat there with my mouth open and a blank stare on my face out of sheer confusion. What the crap is the deal with the Island going back and forth in time so much with every flash of bright white light? I'm sorry, is this a homage to "Back to the Future?" The entire 2 hours I couldn't decide whether it was really creative and intriguing or just really far-fetched and kinda dumb. So far, I think I decided on the latter judgement. So, as the 2nd Wednesday approaches, please, LOST, be Awesome....you've lowered my expectations- now meet them!

INVEST

2009-01-10T10:09:00.003-06:00

Invest. Don't worry, I'm not about to go on some soap box tangent about the recession/depression/crappy economy. Invest, like, devote time and energy into something.

It's amazing how God can just slap you in the face with something He's been trying to subtly teach you for a long time, because you just haven't gotten the hint yet. He slapped me right in the face this week, and I totally deserved it! I've been working at my job for almost 5 months now, and I don't think I can tell you 1 intimate detail about my co-workers. Well, that's not totally true because there's a couple people who actually go into too much intimate detail about their personal lives! Anyways, I tend to be incredibly timid and quiet in a new environment, and it takes a lot for me to break out of that. My daily routine consists of going straight to my little egg-shaped cubicle and sit there at my desk the entire day working and emailing people, only getting up to get some water or send out a fax. No wonder I don't really like my job, right?! I also tend t be extremely intimidated by people-mainly grown ups and rich people. The head of the department, a lady who scares the crap out of me for no 1 reason other than the fact that she is the head of the whole department and I have heard her scream cuss words while doing business on the phone, decided to meet with each of us assistants individually the other day to discuss training, etc. Of course, I was completely nervous. So, she just talks to me about how we are not where assistants should be at this point in the game, and that its not to our fault but to theirs for not giving us proper training during this busy season in the industry. However, she criticizes the fact that I do not ask enough questions. And she is completely right. I don't. Well, I ask questions, I just ask them to 1 of the other assistants. She doesn't know this though bc I'm pretty sure that up until this point I have spoken to her maybe 4 times, and none of those 4 times involved questions.

The point of this story is that I have been so preoccupied with how much I don't think I like this job, that I forgot to try harder to make it bearable, better, actually enjoyable. And now I realize God has been trying to get me to INVEST more in this job and the people that come along with it, and I have been blatantly ignoring Him for 5 months.

So, this meeting was on Thursday......so yesterday, I get up to work out, and like always, I come back in to take my shower and get ready for work and turn on my iPod to my usual Morning Playlist. But today, for some reason, I don't really feel like listening to music, so I decided I am hungry for a good podcast sermon from Mosaic, the church in L.A. I turn to whatever the next sermon is that I haven't listened to yet, and what do you think that sermon is titled?-Yeah, INVEST! BAM-Slap, right in the face. Thank you, Lord! The sermon is great, talking about our dreams and how we should always dare to dream big and to do big things because we have God on our side. He talks directly to me, talking about how a lot of days we just get into our routine without spending time with others, we "go to work and don't know the people we spend 40 hrs a week with..." Really? Really, Jesus?-Really! He got me, I am totally convicted. I am Jim Carey in "Yes Man." I love the word "no." It might be 1 of my favorites words (other than my all-time favorite-"hooker"). I would rather say no than say yes to something that might lead me to something extraordinary. Sad. I wonder what all I have missed out on by simply choosing the word "no" over the word "yes?"

So, with my a heavy conviction and a red mark on my face, my new thing is to INVEST. Invest in people, in my work, in my relationships....and in turn, invest in my Life. We only live on this earth once, why not invest in it?

Ding Dong the Witch is GONE!

2008-12-22T21:48:00.004-06:00

Webster defines the word "eviction" as follows:

Eviction: action by a landlord that compels a tenant to leave the premises (as by rendering the premises unfit for occupancy).

My Definition: Ding Dong, Broom Bitch is Gone!! Peace, Hooker!!!

That's right, folks, Broom Bitch is dead to us forever!!

Christmas came a few days early this year for me and my roomie, Natalia!! Broom Bitch is GONE, Adios, Bu-Bye, B-bye now, Outta here!! Woohoo!! I got a call today from the very nice property manager dude at the apartments, informing me (without going into too much detail) that as of January 15th, 2009, we should not have a single problem with noise or disturbances of any kind because the residents above us were given a notice to vacate by that date!! MERRY CHRISTMAS to me!! I about jumped outta my chair when he told me that, but I tried not to act too excited to hear the good news we've been praying for! The blog Gods must have read my last post and decided to grant my Christmas wish! So, now, we just have to wait until January 15th, although I'm sure every night until then she'll be yelling at Darnell about some other girl's panties, or beating up on her best friend, or maybe just scream at her yappy little dog for the sake of annoying us.......but I'm pretty sure me and my can of Mace can handle it for the 3 short weeks left of her occupancy!!

All I Want For Christmas.....

2008-12-10T20:25:00.004-06:00

....is Broom Bitch evicted!! Holy crap...so most of you have heard our apartment situation with the obnoxiously loud, disrespectful, incredibly scary girl that lives above us. Sunday night, we called the cops on her...thats right, the COPS, Po-Po, Policia! She had her usual stereo music blasting- Beyonce's new cd- with the bass turned way up. Then we start to hear her and another girl talking, then arguing, then yelling. So Broom Bitch starts just going Off on this girl, the girl walks out of the apartment, screaming ensues out in the hallyway, phrases like "F**k you" and "Dontcha disrespek me, donchu dare disresepk me!" are thrown around. Then- It happens. Broom bitch BEATS UP some girl! I call 911, the cops come (30 minutes later, I might add). ALl they do is knock on her door and ask if she's ok. We leave a message with the courtesy officer, and the next day Natalia goes to the office on her lunch break to talk to the office girl who's been handling our little situation. She then begins to tell Nat that Broom Bitch is NOT, I repeat, NOT getting evicted. This is her final notice, and then next time she's loud, she's out. Other people had called to complain as well. The VERY next night, what's she doing? Playin her music, being all loud and thumping around at 11pm. Nat calls the officer, not here again, she talk to the office people the next day (tuesday). Even though the previous day they tell us the next time will be the last time...they tell Nat the same thing Tuesday. "3 strikes and she's out, so next time she's out." I'm sorry, we alone have 4 complaints on this girl, not to mention the people who complained the night she BEAT UP another girl! So now, we are in Limbo, living in fear that crazy girl will come beat the crap out of us, or slash our tires, who knows? Because if she has the guts to beat the hell outta her friend, you can only imagine what she will do to the girls who call the cops on her!! AWESOME!!!! Welcome to Atlanta, Megan, oh..and by the way....EXCELLENT choice of apartments to choose from in the entire complex, well done, Me!!!

Sascha Fierece, Putchya Hands Up......

2008-12-09T14:24:00.001-06:00

It squeaks when you bang it. That's what she said.

2008-10-28T20:39:00.011-05:00

I am so freakin excited about this show this season. I love The Office, and expectations were high in my mind when it premiered this fall. I had missed it all last season, and I was giddy with anticipation of what the season premiere would give me! Let's be honest here.....it got off to sort of a rocky start. They quickly killed the hilarious "hazing" joke of telling the new HR rep, Holly, that Kevin was retarded, which could have gone alot further. Pam started Art classes in NYC, and consequently is shy of absent from this season other than her voice via phone conversation with Jim- not cool. Thirdly, Serenity by Jan- enough said. But then, a little "romance" started blooming between good ole Michael Scott and the new HR dork, Holly. I'm lovin it! Michael's usually uncomfortable, off color, and just plain stupid jokes are a hit with the dweeby Holly! She even encourages the Yoda/Cosby impression!! So, with other highly anticipated shows this season (i.e. Greys, Private Practice, Kath & Kim) falling short of the Megan Bird Stamp of Approval, The Office stands alone at my number 1 choice of tv viewing.

So, who rounds out my top 5?......

#2: ER

-Sure, it's not as slutty as Grey's Anatomy, maybe not as fresh or as young.......but it is by far way more creative, not to mention just plain interesting this season than Grey's. I am literally falling asleep to the sound of Meredith Grey's half-lisp, depressed, slurred narration of each dull, predictable episode. Plus, it always has the ability to touch my heart each episode, and get me to cry....which is no small feat!

#3: The first 15 minutes of SNL

-I think the picture says it for me. Tina Fey= Genius, even if she is a hard core liberal Democrat, I can do nothing but laugh til my gut hurts when her Sarah Palin walks onscreen every Saturday night at 11:30...not to mention the Will Ferrell cameo last week! Why do I say only the 1st 15 minutes? Keep watching after the opening skit, and find out for yourself....
#4:
-I kind of hate to admit this, because substance and real-life storylines are lacking in this show......but it's so freaking addicting.........Dang you, Katie Bondurant and The OC!!

#5:
-When I actually stay up to watch this show (which is not very common these days) I freakin love it. Mainly, because I love Chelsea Handler! She says what everyone else is thinking!

2008-10-28T19:49:00.000-05:00

the One with All the Good Music

2008-09-30T19:15:00.005-05:00

So, I have a new favorite singer/songwriter at the moment who is AWESOME!! (Sorry, Brandi Carlile, you're still my favorite, but you never come visit me!) Her name is Missy Higgins, I discovered her about a year ago right before I left for Mexico, but I rekindled an interest when she opened for the Indigo Girls here in Atlanta. A couple of weekends ago, I visited my fellow musical enthusiast and lifelong best friend, Danielle Rapkowicz, who introduced me to a new song from Missy called "The Special Two." I love it. I listen to it all the time. And, a lot of times, a song resonates with me because it has some sort of theme that rings true in my life, or it reminds me of an experience I had. But the theme of this song has no real common thread with my life, it's just a beautiful, heartfelt, honest, and very raw storytelling of 2 people dealing with a bad decision and the guilt that comes with it....but also of the hope that they will be those "special two" standing together in the end. Like I said......nowhere near what my life is like or has ever been like! But, I am in love with the song. In the musically world where the #1 song on the chart talks about 2 girls makin out or slappin the crap out of your Ho when she does you wrong, or pretty much anything that Kanye West does (bluh).....it's nice to see that there are still truly gifted songwriters who can move me with their lyrics, and inspire me with their music. Where are the Carly Simons? The Patty Griffins? The John Denvers? The Johnny Cash's of the music world? They exist in the songwriters like Missy Higgins, and Brandi Carlile, and Foy Vance. They are still here, and they are only just beginning! So, listen to "The Special Two" by Missy whenever you get a quiet moment, and just listen to the words and her voice. You won't be dissappointed. And while you're in the mood....."Turpentine" by Brandi Carlile and "First of July" by Foy Vance. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tqUYrfSlac

2008-09-30T19:10:00.000-05:00

Things I never thought I'd miss from Mexico

2008-09-11T18:10:00.003-05:00

1. The fish tacos from the taco stand on the side of the road in Navajoa. They are AWESOME! I have been craving them for like 2 months, and nobody has them! You eat these with this weird, watery salsa verde stuff that just makes it taste even better! I never thought I'd miss fish tacos, but holy crap, I wish I had 1 right now!!

2. The chickens. Every morning while Carla and I were washing breakfast dishes, I would have to stop and run outside to chase the chickens back to Abuela's house from the garden outside the kitchen. The chickens would always come over to the "casa grande" looking for food scraps, and in the process, mess up all the plants in the garden. I acutally kind of missing chasing them around and watching them scurry away from me! I secretly always wanted to kill 1 with a big rock....is that weird?!

3. Frijoles. I used to Hate bean, like Hate them. I'm talkin...wouldn't even eat Becky Bird's famous baked beans hated beans! Then, I went to Mexico. You can't go to Mexico and not eat beans. Those people eat beans ALL the time, like every single meal. And they know how to cook 'em!! Benita's beans were the best refried beans I have ever had! Not even the best mexican restaurants in town can compare to hers!

4. Tesia. OK, I knew I'd be missing my favorite community in Mexico, but I'm pretty sure a piece of my heart was left there along with some of the bravest, most loving people I've ever met.

The One With All The Coffee

2008-09-04T17:44:00.004-05:00

This is what corporate America has done to me.......and I'm only on week 3 of my job! As most of you know, I have always disliked coffee. Every time we went on a Starbucks run in college, I was that girl that orders a hot chocolate. All that coffee house mumbo jumbo was so confusing......Linti soy mocha-frappa latte with non-fat milk....I mean what the crap does that even mean? It takes a freakin dictionary to order something there. So, after years of swearing off coffee and endless cups of hot chocolate later, I finally caved. Besides the stress of a somewhat "corprate" (whatever that means!) job, I blame 2 people really......Emily Ray Fridrichsen and Molly Bird Bush. They are the reasons for my downfall. Em has been giving me sips of her mocha-frappa-soy crap for years, and it always ends with me making a disgusted face and brushing my teeth as soon as I reach the nearest toothbrush. Molly has been a little more aggressive by actually serving me coffee doctored up with sweeteners. So, during Cult Reunion 2008 in Nashville, I decide to take up Em's offer of coffee on Saturday morning and let her doctor it up for me-mistake #1. I like it- mistake #2. Mistake #3- I proceed the following week at Kroger to buy coffee and sweetener, excusing it by telling myself it's for Molly when she comes into town that following weekend. I have a cup every morning before work that week (last week). Then, as if it hasn't been bad enough...Molly introduces me to the wonderfulness that is Dunkin Donuts' coffee. We each proceed to drink at least 2 cups on Saturday while out shopping. So, now, as I sit here finishing up my 2nd cup of the evening before dinner, I realize that I have just added 1 more addiction to my list (this addiction comes in 2nd to my addiction to chocolate, and a little head of my tv watching issues). So, I guess you could say I have officially joined in with the rest of Corporate America with my newfound love of coffee....not to mention the office lingo I've picked up like, "I'll shoot you an email" and the constant usage of abbreviations like, "Do you have that MG on SET for WSPA from estimate 2327?" More on that stuff in a later blog!

A Little Perspective....1 Year Later

2008-08-25T20:21:00.005-05:00

What a difference a year makes! So, I was asking the always insightful Katie Bondurant what I should blog about after such a long period of being absent from it. She said I should write about where I am now compared to where I was 1 year ago. Really, there is no comparison. 1 year ago on September 1st, I was riding a bus with Brenda and Ashley Ray headed for Mexico...and when I say Mexico, I'm not talking about a place like Cancun or Cabo. I'm talking about the middle of nowhere, can't find it on Google Earth Mexico! Most everybody who reads this knows about my life down there, so I'll spare all the details and crappin in a hole and eating chicken talon soup! But, basically, my time spent in Mexico was the most thought-provoking, wonderful, scary, spiritual experience of my life. I have come back with a whole new perspective on everything in my life. I just look at things differently now. God taught me so much about Him, about myself, and about my relationship with Him. I take Mexico with me everywhere I go, and I will never ever forget what I learned and who I met there.
So, now, as I sit in the living room of Katie's apartment in Atlanta, I realize how much my life has changed in just 1 short year. I've gone from living in Mexico teaching class, doing dishes, going to Bible studies to living in Atlanta, Ga working at an ad agency, sitting behind a desk 5 days a week, and completing the definition of what America calls a "grown-up." I mean, I don't think these 2 periods of my life could be any more different! My life has changed so dramatically over this past year, and usually this big, huge, scary change of moving to Atlanta and having a new big-girl job would be way too much for me to handle. But after living in Mexico by myself for so long, I know now that I can handle it because I know that God is with me...so I have nothing to worry about!

How These Days Grow Long, Til I Find My Way Back Home

2008-04-02T16:46:00.004-05:00

So, obviously I love being down here in Mexico, the land of strange insects, dirt, and lots of people who can't understand a word I say (in spanish); but there are several things I've really been missing from home......here's my top 5:

1. QUOTING. Hands down, I miss quoting like crazy! Half my vocabulary is made up of quotes from Friends, SNL, or Mean Girls....sometimes Titanic, but only when Dana's around so we can annoy the crap out of everyone else! Almost daily there is some incident where a quote immediately comes to mind from some beloved tv show or movie, and I can't say it because none of the mexicants can understand me! Other times, the quote just comes outta me like word vomit (look, i'm quoting!) and the girls jsut give me a funny look and say...what?! I have been successful with 1 quote down here from Two Weeks Notice where Hugh Grant asks the fat black lady named Polly when her baby is due, and she responds (insert accent here) "Baby? What Baby?" Carla and I quote that 1, although she's never even seen the movie. I only told her about it because she loves black people!

2. Manchu Wok sesame chicken from the Brookwood food court in the Ham. Katie Bondurant, I hold you completely responsible for my addiction to this wonderful chinese cuisine! I have been craving it every day down here with no satisfaction! There's 1 chinese place in town called JoWah (very fun to say!) that serves up a good chicken fried rice, but its nothing in comparison to the savory taste of the sesame chicken from Manchu Wok, which you can buy in a huge quantity for a reasonable price if you as for it "to go" - again, thank you Katie!! I'm pretty sure I'll be making a special trip to Birmingham for it when I get back!

3. TV and Movies. Shocker, I know! Keeping in theme with my #1, I miss sitting at my apartment (well OK, I have no apartment, but if I did I would miss it!) watching tv for hours! It can be such a waste of time, but some of my best memories include watching Grey's Anatomy with all the girls every Thursday night and eating dinner together and spending quality time together, but only during commercial breaks! Also, Em Ray and I were known junior year for skipping class (sorry Mom!) and watching hours and hours upon seasons of 24, The O.C., and Sex and the City, even though at first we adamantly denied enjoying watching SATC and that we only watched it to make fun of the characters! I wish life could still be like that some days! I also really miss the whole movie theater experience.....paying almost $20 for your ticket, some snowcaps, and a very small coke.......it's totally worth it, you know why? PREVIEWS!! I love watching movie previews! It's amazing how the movie people can make even the worst movie ever, including one that stars Lindsay Lohan, look like a movie worth spending 10 bucks on! OK, top tv shows I miss the most:
LOST
The Office
Grey's Anatomy (even though y'all all tell me its not as good, i still miss it!)
FRIENDS reruns
Weeds

4. Diet Coke. I used to loathe diet coke. I was a regular coke-snob even (D, you can testify to that for me!). And then I went to college and met Hayden...the girl who drinks diet coke before the sun comes up! I was hooked. I love me some diet coke. It goes well with my #2- sesame chicken. Nobody down here drinks soda, and if they do, its like grapefruit soda....I mean, what the crap is grapefruit soda?! Its nasty! Oh, sure, I could buy myself a Coca-cola light and pretend like it's the same thing, but its NOT!! Oh, to have a diet coke again.....

5. Jim and Becky. How could I not miss them? They have been incredibly supportive in everything I've decided to do since graduating. I told them, "Hey, I'm moving to Mexico and I'm not really sure when I'm coming home, or what I'm going to do when I come back, and I won't be getting paid!" And they let me go...Pretty freakin cool! I miss them terribly and it's hard because I almost NEVER get to call home and talk to them and tell them all the things I wanna tell them, but they are faithful in their emails and are patient when I can't get a chance to write them back! Mom, Dad....I love y'all!

Of course, I miss all my friends TERRIBLY!!! It's so hard to get on facebook and read your emails and see how much y'all are growing and doing things and I am not up there to share it with y'all or to talk to y'all and be a part of what all of y'all are doing! Y'all are defintely a part of my family and to be away from y'all with little contact is really hard and makes my heart heavy! There are so many times when I wish y'all were all here to laugh with me about something or cry with me about something, or for y'all to just see what it is that I do down here every day and to share it with y'all......that part of being in nowhere Mexico is the part that sucks! BUT I can't wait to come home and hang out with all of y'all this summer!!

The One in Tesia...also in Mexico

2008-03-20T22:41:00.004-05:00

Yep....cutest little boy ever!! This is Aron, he just turned 1 year old! It's Carla's nephew, and his mom calls him "toro" which means bull...you can see why above! So, I went to Tesia this past weekend to be the photographer for Aron's birthday party, and also to celebrate Carla's birthday on Sunday. It was a lot of fun! I was SO thankful that Ana and Dan let me have the weekend off to be able to go! I think I took about 300 pictures on Saturday night! From Navajoa, we had to take a bus to get to Tesia, which is just a small "pueblo" or "suburb" if you will, of Navajoa, and I don't think I've ever been stared at as much as I was on that bus ride!! I LOVE going to Tesia because almost all of Carla's family lives there in this 1 area. There are 3 "houses" all together, one house is her mom's where her youngest sister, her husband, and Aron live along with Carla's mom. The other house is Trini and Beto's who are in charge of the "Comida y Cristo" food program that this cool guy Frank (see below) from South Carolina started. They have 2 kids of their own and 2 little girls also live with them full time

They come from a family of 10 kids where the whole family only eats 1 meal a day and only showers about once every 2 weeks...and when i say shower, i mean they bathe in the nearby river. The 3rd house is Carla's oldest sister's house where she and her husband live with their 4 kids.

So, anyways, Carla's family is the SWEETEST family ever. They always cook me good food and have cereal and purified water waiting for me when i get there!! I had such a great time. We ate at the chinese restaurant in navajoa, Jo Wah, on Sunday and then headed back to the ranch Monday morning for a week of WORK!!

Today was the annual Retiro de Mujeres (women's retreat), so we've been cleanin our tails off working in and outside of the house making sure everything is set and ready. There were about 90 women who came, and it was such a blessing! Ana asked me to give my testimony and share how God has been faithful to me in my life, and I decided to do it all in Spanish! I was super nervous, but I did it and i think the Mexicans all understood me too!! Ana stood by me to help with random weird words i didnt know! It was really cool to see all the ladies and hear some of their testimonies. Abuela's sister whose about 73 becamea Christian today, something that the whole family has been praying for for a very long time. It was so sweet to see Grandma LaLa go up and put her hand on her sister and pray for her. It made me think of Molly and how much I miss her!

I am absolutely exhausted from all the work from this week and from all teh craziness thats been going on, but tomorrow we get to sleep in until 8, which is huge for us b/c we get up at 6:30 every morning! It's been a busy and great week though, and this Sunday morning we're having and Easter sunrise service on the top of a hill near the ranch at 5 am...i cant wait!!

I'm missing all of y'all like crazy and I hope y'all are having a great week and Happy Easter!

The One in Mexico...

2008-03-12T12:51:00.004-05:00

Well, I haven't updated this thing in a while and Becky Bird isn't happy about it, so here's a new entry! So, I had my first doctor's experience in Mexico 2 weeks ago. I woke up 1 night with a horrible ear ache, so the next day Ana took me to the doctor and they drugged me up! After about 2 days I was feeling better, but my ear was still clogged up, and I couldn't hear out of it. Normally this wouldn't be a huge deal, I mean the other ear worked perfectly, BUT I couldn't understand what the crap all the Mexicans were saying to me! Ana had asked me to translate at 1 of the bible studies for some gringos that were visiting, and I couldnt do it! Everytime Carla tried to ask me something from about 10 ft. away for further, I had NO clue what she said, so I would just say, "Mande?" really loud! (that means "what", by they way) So, we started counting how many times in 1 day I said "mande?" and we lost count! It was sad!
Well, in a week from tomorrow we are having a Women's Retreat here at the ranch for the women in the communities to come and invite friends who are new Christians or who aren't Christians at all to come and talk and learn more about God. I've been asked to give my testimony and share how God has been faithful to me in my life...in Spanish! HOLY CRAP!! If you know me at all you know how much I hate and suck at speaking in front of a crowd! I mean, I don't even like crowds period! I get all nervous and my hands get sweaty and I just wanna curl up in a ball and act like Julianne the voudu doll from BHS (Katie, D, Christine...you know what i'm talking about!) So, that should be interesting, and scary!!
This Sunday is Carla's birthday, she'll be 29 and she says she's gonna put on all black and have a day of mourning because she is officially old! I am probably going with her to Tesia this weekend to help celebrate-mourn the day of her birth! That should be fun, and a much needed break from the girls and the ranch!
I'm still loving it here and just trying to learn Spanish like crazy before I go back home. I miss home like crazy, sometimes I just don't even check my email even if I have time, because it just makes me miss you all even more! But I'm trying to be better about writing you all back!! That's all....

Jesus, mi fiel amigo, No quiero volver atras

2008-02-01T19:43:00.000-06:00

There's a Spanish praise song that we've been singing a lot lately that I just love called "Jesus mi fiel amigo" which means "Jesus, my loyal friend." It talks about Jesus taking the writer up to Heaven where there is always peace, and where you have to be silent to hear Him, and how the writer cant believe what it will be like. Its really cool. At the end of the chorus there's a line that reads, "Quedate conmigo, no voy a volver atras" which means " Stay with me, I will not fall behind." This line has really been sticking in my head because I feel like all I ever do is fall behind....meaning I always say that I will try so hard not to commit certain sins, but I always fall behind and do them......but then I realized that what I need to do is to ask God to "quedate conmigo"...to be with me so that I wont fall behind.

On this same subject.....I've been reading a lot in Romans, and Paul wrote some things that have really rang true to me, and I'm sure to everyone...

Romans 7: 15-16, 21 says: "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do i do not do, but what I hate I do....When I want to do good, evil is right there with me."

This could not be any more true for me...because I feel like the things I do are all the things I hate to do, all teh sins I commit I hate to commit, and yet I keep falling behind by doing them. It's a lot easier down here at the Ranch surrounded by wonderful examples of Christ and going to Bible Studies almost daily...but going back home even for just 5 weeks....it was SO easy for me to fall behind and get back into the groove of doing things I told myself I would not do when I went back, and yet I did them.

So, I realize that I when I am in a situation where temptation is overwhelming, when I want to do good and that evil is right there with me....that I need to ask God to be with me and give me strength...to say no to teh sins of the flesh and to say yes to what is good and Spiritual and right with the Lord. I'm so thankful that God is teaching me this.....along with so many other things through this whole experience!

PS- I realize this is deep...especially for me....but thats what blogs are for...."Deep Thoughts!!" Dont worry...my next post will be filled with quotes and other random things , I promise!

Oh...p.p.s.- One of teh girls had her appendix taken out, and i had the pleasure of spending the night ON THE FLOOR in a Mexican hospital with her last week....it was crazy!! I love y'all and miss you like crazy!

11 hour bus ride to Mexico: $50....Jim Bird in Mexico: PRICELESS!

2008-01-23T13:47:00.000-06:00

Well, my dad and I made it safely to Mexico approx. 26 hours after our departure! As soon as we got to the station, the van pulled up and out jumped Carla and all the girls to greet us! Dad did very well.....it took him all week to learn everyone's names, and almost never did he pronounce anything right, but he tried so hard and did very well! He helped out alot, and ALWAYS volunteered me to do stuff, even though I already had stuff to do...shocking! I will write more later, but for now here's a pic of Dad and I with all of Carla's family in front of their house in Tesia, where we have church every Sunday morning!( The bigger lady in the black shirt is Carla's mom, she's awesome, and then Carla's in front of me holding her new 8 day old nephew!) I wish you all could have seen JIm Bird so out of his element down here, it was definitely a new experience for both of us! He had a good time, and I'm so proud of him for coming and making that horrible trip with me! I'm so thankful for such a loving, caring dad like him!

Jim Bird's going to Mexico!

2008-01-11T21:46:00.000-06:00

Yes, that's right! My dad is going back with me to Mexico! We leave tomorrow morning (saturday) and will get there around 9 am Sunday morning. I haven't even finished packing, because once I finish, that means I actually have to go back.....although I'm really excited to see everyone down there and I've missed it, I'm not completely ready to leave home. I've been spoiled so much the past 5 weeks getting to call all my friends and family and travel to see everyone and take a hot shower for longer than 5 minutes, and the best thing....use the freakin dishwasher! haha
I'll hopefully be updating on this blog pretty frequently so y'all can just come on here and read my posts instead of being annoyed by my emails that are too long with too many questions! So.....please check my blog and write me stuff, and I'll do the same for y'all! I had SO much fun hanging out and seeing all of you and I can't even begin to write down in words how much all of you mean to me! I love y'all!!