Engagement pictures: Mushy stuff and silliness

Hey Everybody, look at my engagement photos! Nate and I had our super great friend (and member of the Bridal party) shoot our photos. She's super. We had a lot of fun just being silly (as usual) and putting all of our creative juices to work. These were all taken around campus. The sunset ones were taken about 1 mile out of town. And yes, its a real sunset.

SGA- A look into where I work

Hey everybody,
I wanted to post this video that we made for orientation this year. Our goal was to show new students what SGA is and what we do. I hope you enjoy. Nate helped us tremendously as our head writer and director. Dustin our treasurer (the guy with the long hair) also helped edit our film.

Cast:
Melissa- President
David (lead actor)- VP of Student senate
Adam- Office Consultant (one of the drink-sharers)
Sarah- Director of Campus Activities (another drink sharer)
Megan- Executive secretary (answers the phone)
Dustin- Executive treasurer (long hair)
Sam- Student Chaplain

What a week

This all happened last week-

Monday- I was returning from a retreat in Colorado and was at ease about my hour and a half long flight back to Wichita. As we were preparing to land the pilot notified us that due to hail we could not land. Therfore we were going to wait in KC for the weather to clear. They let us off the plane into one of the gates at the KC airport. If you've ever been to the Kc airport you know that due to it's shape each gate has it's own security screening. That means once you're in the gate, you are stuck in the gate. So they let us off into a gate where there was no food or water and told us if we left the gate area we would risk losing our seat. A full plane of people locked in one area+ dinner time+no food/drinks=cranky

So we waited and waited. What was supposed to be 45 minutes turned into about 3.5 hours. At the end of the time they said that there was no way we'd go back to Wichita. That meant our options were flying back to Denver and flying to Wichita the next morning or staying in KC and flying from KC to Chicago to Denver to Wichita. Both meant finding your own hotel room with only a slight discount. I took option C: Call Ang and trav about 10:30 at night and stay at their house. So Trav picked me up and I slept on their couch. Mind you my bad was still on the plane going back to Denver. I stayed at their house until my Mom could come pick me up on Wednesday. Overall it was a good learning experience- this was the first time something like that had happened to me. And I managed to get $150 out of it for not taking their options, which none of the others who choose their own 'C' thought of. I even met a Jehovah's witness (who looked like Chandler Bing from Friends)!

Thursday- My great friend Ellen came by for a visit before summer gets crazy and she gets married (yay!). We drove to Wichita to shop and basically get out of Halstead. We were headed to dinner at a near by shopping plaza. I turned into the shopping plaza when I saw a car coming into my lane. I slammed on my breaks and reached a complete stop. All I could do was watch as this person slammed into the left side of my car. As the car approached I saw this person reaching into the back of her car, obviously not watching.

Once we crashed she got out of her car and starting yelling everyone's favorite F word. I felt bad for her because she didn't look like she was having the best day or life situation. Then she went back to her car and pulled out a baby from the back seat. She was baby sitting him. Turns our he was fussy and she was checking on him when the crash happened. The good news was the following: No body was injured. She was driving a bug which wasn't tall enough to hit my lights. Her insurance is covering all my repairs ( a new front bumper, a new tire).

After getting all the info Ellen and I went to dinner and had a lovely time. Then on the way home my tire seemed to be making a funny noise. We stopped in front of a car maintence center (it's open sign was on, but it was closed) to check it out. There was definitely some sort of bolt or screw in my tire. So Ellen and I, being the strong females we are (with Dads who teach their daughters this stuff) set out to change the tire. Praise the Lord I have full spare! We got the spare down but hit a snag when the jack would not come out of it's tiny compartment in the wall. Just then a man and his girlfriend pulled up to pick up her car. He offered to help and changed the tire in a matter of minutes. Though l was really thankful for his help, Ellen and I were a bit sad we didn't get to show off our skills.

Friday-Cold of death strikes in the evening. Extremely sore throat, head ache, exhaustion, sinus pressure, high fever. I went to bed at 10pm, which has not been my bed time in about three years. Thankfully it was short lived. I've been taking medicine like crazy though. I've been gargeling, shooting stuff up my nose, taking mucinex, and general cold medicine. I've also been taking naps.

It was a crazy week. God was faithful through the whole thing. I was dumped in a city that I knew pretty well and had family. My friend Ellen was able to help me keep calm and walk me through the process after the accident. The accident is no big deal-minimal damage, no cost to us, not hike in my insurance. The cold is almost gone!

Three cheers for life experience!

I'm smitten...well, more than that actually

I've been dating a wonderful, funny, talented man who loves Jesus (!!!) for almost 10 months now and yet some of you don't know anything about him because I don't write about him that much.

Well, I think it's time that I write about our relationship. I've held back in the past for several reasons:

No one wants to hear mushy relationship stuff all the time.

I'm not one of those people who stake their whole personality and life off of another person and wouldn't want to worry anyone.

I'm busy.

With that being said, here I go... complete with timeline appropriate photos.

First, here's some basic info about Nate:

He's a junior theatre major/ religion and philosophy minor who recently discovered his natural ability to interpret Greek and his love of Biblical studies. He's been a camp counselor tons! He's from Norco, CA. He plays drums and guitar. He's tall. He's awkward like me!

Nate and Sam: The Abridged Version

Nate and I had been close friends for two years before we started dating. We dated very briefly freshmen year (about 2 weeks) before I decided that the constant nauseous feeling I had was because I didn't have peace about being in this relationship. We broke up and I said, "I still want to be friends." Which was TRUE. I knew that though I couldn't be in a relationship with him that I had found a really great friend.

After about 2 days of post-break up awkwardness we couldn't handle it and forged ahead in our friendship.

From that point onward we had lots and lots of DTR's (the Sterling term for 'define the relationship'--this means going for a walk or sitting on park benches and talking about where each person is at and how they feel about the other person). Mostly they were caused by Nate really wanting to date me, me liking Nate but not liking Nate, me not wanting to be in a relationship, Nate respecting that, us remaining at our 'just friend' status. The DTR's varied between being hard, annoying, stressful, hilarious, and great.

God used that year and a half or so to draw us closer to Him and mature us. We also grew in our friendship.

In that time we:

Made up lots of inside jokes

Went on Choir tours together (see left: Nate and David-my two favorite guys. Enacting a scene from Baywatch in CA)

Won a swing dance competition

Played in praise band together

Had late night talks in the union

Hung out with my family

Hung out with our friends.

And just had fun!

And the best part is that the core of our relationship is our friendship. This past June we decided to date(there are so many different terms people use-courtship, dating, etc. I think the best way to explain it is that from the start we took our relationship seriously. We felt strongly that it could head towards marriage but still wanted to enjoy 'dating' and getting to know each other even more.) It was amazing to see how God prepared us to be in a deeper relationship with one another.

Nate is a huge blessing in my life. He is a confidant, someone who understands and shares my random sense of humor, and a wild man; he strives to be who God made him to be and won't be tamed by others.

Nate is also a great spiritual leader. He reminds me of the truth when I need to hear it. He prays for me and with me when I am discouraged. He constantly reminds me with his words and actions of God's love and mercy. I'm excited for whatever God has for us! As the famous line from the 80's said it, "The future is so bright, I've got to wear shades."

Here are some more pictures of us:

Someone's listening to rap at work

I went online to check the weather forecast for tomorrow and this is what I found:

Tonight: Increasing clouds, turning windy and sharply colder. Some patchy freezing drizzle or snizzle overnight. Lo: 20 Wind: SW/NE 15-30
Tomorrow: A chance of mainly morning light freezing drizzle or snizzle. Otherwise, clouds break for some sun. Very windy and sharply colder! (Early morning high of 36.) Hi: 26 Wind: NE 20-40Tomorrow Night: Mostly cloudy with a bitter wind. A chance of a light wintry mix. Lo: 17 Wind: NE 10-20

More funnies

Godzilla and Mothra-An Average Weekend

"What do you want to do this weekend?"

"I don't know. What do you want to do?"

"DESTROY THE CITY!!!"

For your viewing pleasure

Since I don't have much time to update these days (this is my last week of classes before finals) I've decided to post some cartoons I drew this summer. They are really random snapshots of how I often imagine things. That being said, you might think they don't make sense. No offense taken. I hope you enjoy them though!

This is called "Bear Attack"

"Once, twice, three times a she-bear"

"This guy had a lot of problems. Until tonight bear attacks wasn't one of them."

Nancy Kerrigan Halloween

More cartoons to come later

This was my #1 fear about parenting...until I read this article

I found this treasure on msn.com

check it out

Stop Animation=Cool

If only my middle school flip books were as cool.
Click here

Disclaimer: At one point one of the guys is in his tidy-whities. Nothing too inappropriate. Just a warning.

Never let your gaurd down....

Even though squirrels are cute, the are vicious (apparently).
Take a peak at this article titled Squirrel goes on rampage .

Myers-Briggs anyone?

So I randomly found this online quiz the other day. It's a shortened version of the classic Myers-Briggs test. Sometimes it's interesting what these kind of things end up saying about 'you'. Sometimes they are very vague or general so anyone could fit into the description. I was surprised at how well this test described me.
I am an INFJ (introverted-intuitive-feeler-judger). Go check it out and then report you findings in the comment section.
Here are some of the things that seemed right on the money:

INFJs are deeply concerned about their relations with individuals as well as the state of humanity at large. They are, in fact, sometimes mistaken for extroverts because they appear so outgoing and are so genuinely interested in people -- a product of the Feeling function they most readily show to the world. On the contrary, INFJs are true introverts, who can only be emotionally intimate and fulfilled with a chosen few from among their long-term friends, family, or obvious "soul mates." While instinctively courting the personal and organizational demands continually made upon them by others, at intervals INFJs will suddenly withdraw into themselves, sometimes shutting out even their intimates. This apparent paradox is a necessary escape valve for them, providing both time to rebuild their depleted resources and a filter to prevent the emotional overload to which they are so susceptible as inherent "givers." As a pattern of behavior, it is perhaps the most confusing aspect of the enigmatic INFJ character to outsiders, and hence the most often misunderstood -- particularly by those who have little experience with this rare type.

Due in part to the unique perspective produced by this alternation between detachment and involvement in the lives of the people around them, INFJs may well have the clearest insights of all the types into the motivations of others, for good and for evil. The most important contributing factor to this uncanny gift, however, are the empathic abilities often found in Fs, which seem to be especially heightened in the INFJ type (possibly by the dominance of the introverted N function).

For instance, there can sometimes be a "tug-of-war" between NF vision and idealism and the J practicality that urges compromise for the sake of achieving the highest priority goals. And the I and J combination, while perhaps enhancing self-awareness, may make it difficult for INFJs to articulate their deepest and most convoluted feelings.
Usually self-expression comes more easily to INFJs on paper, as they tend to have strong writing skills. Since in addition they often possess a strong personal charisma, INFJs are generally well-suited to the "inspirational" professions such as teaching (especially in higher education) and religious leadership.

INFJs, like many other FJ types, find themselves caught between the desire to express their wealth of feelings and moral conclusions about the actions and attitudes of others, and the awareness of the consequences of unbridled candor. Some vent the attending emotions in private, to trusted allies. Such confidants are chosen with care, for INFJs are well aware of the treachery that can reside in the hearts of mortals.

Finally, some practical fashions

I found this story on CNN : Wet Wine dress grows as 'cave woman' fashion.
I thought that I might need to add something onto my previous essays on clothing.

My favorite quote is this:

"Cass said that, once the fibers became more pliant, his creation would have a more practical application.
"If you wanted a shirt you could get a cast made of your body and layer the cellulose around it," he said."

Sure, that's simple. I just had a cast of my body made the other day. Good job fashion industry.

The picture they put up doesn't help them much either.

Awkward things I've done this week

Here are a few things that happened to me this week that reminded me that I really am awkward. They are arranged from least to most awkward

• Food- My nice new khaki colored sweater wanted to taste some lasagna. It's a good thing that red and khaki go together. Good thing I have that Tide-to-go pen!
• Class mix-up- Every Wednesday we have chapel from 9:50-10:50am. I have no class from 8:50 until then and so that become nap hour every M-W-F. This Monday I came back from class, exhausted after about 5 consecutive days of going to bed at 2:00am (average) and waking up at 7:00 (average), and got ready for my nap. I set my alarm, crawled under my snugly blankets, and had an amazing nap! One of those naps where you sleep like a log, where you feel like you slept a full 8 hours in 1 hour, and maybe even relaxed so much as to drool. I got up a little later than planned and rushed over to my photography class. I arrived at the art center just as my friend Megan D. was walking in (she's in my photography class). She asked me what class I was here for. "Strange question," I thought to myself. And then replied in typical immediate-post-nap syndrome straightforwardness "This one!". Megan gave me a confused look. "Pssh!" I thought, "What was that for?!". I finally put 2 and 2 together and realized that I had shown up for photography one hour early. I could have kept sleeping. I could have let myself wake up a little more before I looked at my alarm clock. Then I went and filled in gas, came back to the dorm, and finished my nap. Oh well.
• Something that has never happened to me before! Awkward History. In chemistry (the most painfully boring class I have taken in awhile) The guy behind me (Stephen, actually a pretty cool guy) accidentally kicked my folder off the chair next to me onto the floor. The class is held in one of those lecture hall, tiered seating kind of places with the desktops that swivel up to be used. I leaned over to recover the notebook and heard a creaking (not unusual for these particular desks), felt the tension release (a little odd), and heard the tiny 'ching' of something metal hitting the floor (ummm...). Yah, I broke the seat. I think it's still attached by one screw. We'll see how long that will last. I've never broken a chair before! Congratulations me! I guess I just know how to throw my tiny amount of weight around (watch out attackers!).

That's all the awkward news for now.

"Maybe I just have a fat, girly face"

Kudos to Relevant magazine online for highlighting this hilarious news story. The best part is the quote used as my title. Just check it out, it should make your day.

Awkward

I am an awkward kid. Most of you know that. Every once and awhile I do something that reminds me of my awkwardness. Yesterday I had one of those awkward kid moments.

As the previous post discussed yesterday VBS started. I went to the church early to help with last minute set up and the like. I was carrying some of my things like maracas, costumes, my script, and some duct tape. The steps at the Methodist Church are awkward in themselves due to how they were made. They are the same length depth wise as most steps but their height is quite different. Instead of 6 inches (approximation) they are about 3 inches high. I know that they are weird, I did grow up in that church, however that didn't stop me. For some reason with my feet obscured by the costumes and the already awkwardly balanced stuff I couldn't master the stairs. Expecting to take a higher step I wiped out and slid down the stairs. I landed on most of the stuff but the maracas came flying out and made a loud maraca-ish noise when they hit the stairs.

As I was getting up I said to myself, "Go Awkward kids." Once I gathered my stuff and my balance I stood up and saw above me on the steps the high school aged son of one of the women I worked with on VBS. I said ,"Hey" (in a truly awkward fashion) as he passed me on the steps.

It wasn't embarrassing as much as it was hilarious. Sometimes Jesus likes to humble me in a humorous fashion.
Good one Jesus, good one.

Are you an awkward kid?

I'm an awkward kid. If you knew me at all when I was younger (especially in late middle school to junior high) you would agree with that statement. What is an awkward kid anyway? I can verify that they never completely grow out of their awkwardness, more like into it, and that has to make them some of the coolest people around. So how do you know if you (or someone else) was or is an awkward kid? Here are some of the symptoms:

• Sports related injuries. (In my case getting hit in the face a lot when playing sports that involve balls.)
• Slightly uncoordinated.
• Has albums full of awkward junior high photos (as mentioned above)
• Trips over oneself frequently
• Talks before thinking (foot in mouth)
• Embarrasses self frequently, often thinking it's worse than it is.
• Can be shy
• Unique sense of humor

Now here are the counterparts of what makes Awkward kids cool:

• Cool scars and heightened tolerance of physical pain
• Often finds out later that they can be incredibly suave in other areas (i.e. dancing) and that they look smoother than they feel.
• Has photo's to look back on to use as stand-up comedy routines and realize how good looking they are now.
• Still trips, however less injuries and embarrassment are sustained.
• Has learned when to speak and when to listen. (Depends on the person)
• Has learned not to care about other people's opinions=less embarrassment, more self-confidence.
• Befriends shy people. Compassionate to others.
• People finally appreciate their unique sense of humor. Also enjoys other people's quirks

Although some are more awkward than others, everyone has been an awkward kid at some point in their life. I hope you can see how awesome, unique, and wonderful your awkwardness has made you. Go awkward kids!

Wedding Showers

There's nothing that makes a teenager feel older than a wedding shower. Granted I'm nineteen, in college, and Sterling is like marriage capital of the ACCK (Association of Christian Colleges in Kansas, or something similar to that), I still feel too young to actually attend as the friend of the bride-to-be and not just a tag along with my Mom.

The shower was for my R.D. Jen "soon to be Pierce" Baranowski. We've become pretty close this year through Kilbourn Prayer and planning The 48 together. The shower included games like "How well do you know Jen?" and "Make a wedding dress out of toilet paper." I'm sure they have more scientific names but you get the idea. Then there was present opening. I think this has to be the most awkward part of the shower. Granted, it really isn't that awkward at all, but it is sort of awkward. Why? It's just like opening presents at birthdays or graduation: everybody is watching you open every single present waiting to see your reaction. Then they gauge their life's happiness off of how much you smiled and the sound of delight you made.

All together it was a good time and we had a lot of fun. I think it was a good 'first wedding shower experience'. Now I've got some ideas for my sister's shower. What will be really scary is when friends my age start to have them. (Shivers). Friends, please don't hurry. We're still young.

Low-Risers, Cheesecloth, and all sizes fit none (Final Installment)

Well, I guess this is it. Enjoy the final installment of Clothing Conundrum:Low-Risers, Cheesecloth, and all sizes fit none.

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Why finding the right size is harder than winning the lottery.
At the root of all fashion problems lies this fact; even if clothes are “your size” they are likely not to fit. One day you could be a size zero and the next day a size 12. With all the different designers and companies it is becoming increasingly difficult to find a specific size that fits your body type. This difficulty is the result of all companies deciding that if they make clothes with random measurements they are bound to strike “size gold” sooner or later. Consequently, many women are left to try on many different sizes of the same outfit while inadvertently inflicting friends or family members to many grueling hours at the mall following you around, listening to smooth jazz or adult contemporary music, avoiding sales clerks, and holding your purse or jacket. On behalf of all your loved ones, “We forgive you”. We are all guilty of this crime. So is there any way to find that perfect size?

Even a person with an average body type has problems finding clothes that fit. Because I am slightly smaller than the average teenager it would be rational to assume that because of my size it is easy for me to find clothes. This assumption, however, is rarely true. In fact is very hard to find clothes that properly fit my body type. Take for instance a make-believe shopping trip that I have compiled from many separate, yet equally frustrating, shopping trips. I arrive at the store hoping to find a shirt that is long enough to cover my new low-rise jeans and is more durable than tissue paper. I begin searching and find a few shirts that vary in color which may just fit. But wait, I hit a snag. One of the shirts looks a little bit small, so I return to the rack and get the same shirt in a different size. This happens repeatedly with almost every shirt I have previously picked up.

Finally I reach the dressing room weighted down like a pack horse. Trying on my first shirt I realize that it is about the size of a 6 to 9 month old infant’s shirt. So I move on to the next size up. The new shirt is long enough to cover my low-rise jeans; however, it is too baggy on top and could become like a parachute if I ever bend over. This process takes several hours of trying on and hanging up my clothing items. Finally I leave the dressing room 254 shirts, 6 sizes, and 24 colors later with a shirt I randomly picked from the 75% off rack. I hate shopping.

Fascinating as it is to be a part of fashion and watch trends come and go, these current trends must finish their fifteen minutes of fame before anyone is subjected to another viewing of rear end “cleavage” or rips a hole in their new shirt just by putting it on. Despite the attempts of the fashion industry to be “cutting edge”, or even just “edgy”, they repeatedly fall short, causing mass hysteria in shopping malls all throughout America. To all you designers of the low-rise jeans, the cheese cloth shirts, the tube tops, the mini skirt, and yes, the bell bottom, I say, “No, thank you, I would rather be naked!”

If you think you're having a bad day...

Check out this headline Girl's prosthetic legs stolen for second time.
It's one thing to lose your leg because you were hit by a careless driver.
It's one thing to get your prosthetic legs stolen.
It's another thing to get you prosthetic legs stolen twice.

I would be mad, but perhaps get in a chuckle at the irony of the whole situation.

Thankfully, this girl seems undeterred by the whole thing. Talk about positive.

It makes me wonder though...do you think the actual thief was missing a leg? That creates a funny mental picture for me. Imagine a one-legged thief carrying a leg out of a bedroom window. At what point would they realize they should just put the leg on to quiet suspicions?

Low-risers, cheesecloth, and all sizes fit none (Pt 2. cont.)

Again, here is the second installment of Low-risers, cheesecloth, and all sizes fit none. Enjoy.

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“Are you wearing cheesecloth?”
When I enter the shopping mall, with or without a shopping agenda, I usually see one of two things right away; strange clothes or people wearing strange clothes. It is not always the style of clothing I notice, but rather the material their clothing is made of. Recently the texture of fabric has become thinner and thinner while the prices are getting higher and higher. It would be logical to conclude that with the common usage of sweat shop and child laborers companies could use more durable fabrics since they do not really feed or pay their workers. Maybe if the companies did treat their workers humanely they might actually make durable clothing.

The main problem with this fragile clothing is their sheer impracticality. These cheesecloth-like materials do not meet the basic definition of clothing. They cannot keep you warm, sheltered, or even remotely covered. It seems as though the fashion industry is playing a trick on consumers much like the king in the story, “The Emperor’s New Clothes”. The only practical use of any of these flimsy clothing items is possibly as a pasta strainer or a door screen. The downfall of using clothing in uncommon ways is the likelihood of such uncomfortable conversations as, “What are you doing with my new Ralph Lauren skirt? …Did you re-cover our lampshade?” or “I do not appreciate you using my $400 shirt as a butterfly net”.

Currently it seems as though this trend of thread-bare, barely there clothing is on the rise. Trends, horrible as they may be, are fine in my opinion, but they are only approved if I am assured that they will fade away and cause mass embarrassment to the trend victims, allowing them to wallow in fashion shame. Only a substantial amount of humiliation inflicted upon the masses will prevent the comeback of horrid trends. There is something about this common trend of virtually nonexistent 'clothing' that troubles me; designers have taken skimpy to the extreme. In fact, it seems that the main demographic of this trend turns out to be young women. This convinces me more and more each day that of all the fashion designers and trend setters in this world, the majority of them are men who went into the fashion designer career so they could further eliminate a difference between fully clothed and nudity.