A Toast at Amy & Joe's Cyber Reception

To make sure credit is given, this cyber-reception is Nichole's doing. =)

My Toast...

I have been thinking on how I would toast Amy and Joe's wedding. Every time I've thought about you two, today, I get an emotional smile. I'm so proud of you both for doing this your way, in your time.

Amy and I go waaaay back. There have been lots of sleepovers, pool june bug incidents, and phone calls while watching competitive eating contests. We've seen each other through family illnesses, tragedies, boys, and lots of laughs. (Ahem-M C.)

Amy and I have watched a lot of our friends get married over the years. We've remained the 'single girls' who tend to understand or feel things differently than our married friends and have spent many an hour on the phone, lamenting about it. I remember a time when Amy didn't think she'd ever get married. I always knew she would.

I'm honored that I get to be a part of such an amazing person's life. I'm so grateful, Amy, that you turned around in the water fountain line in 3rd grade and asked me to come to your birthday party. My life's never been the same.

I've never been happier for someone on their wedding day than I am for you and Joe. You deserve this man, this love, this life together that you're embarking on. I feel like the timing was absolutely perfect for you both: God knew what he was doing when he allowed the past 10+ years' history to happen to you both. He allowed you to meet at the right time to help complete each other and become 'one.'

I love you, princess! You'll always be another sister to me.

Raise your glasses and join me in a toast to Mr. and Mrs. Joe M!

A Dance in Amy and Joe's Honor

Female Super Bowl

I forgot that the Chicago Force (women's professional football) play on the campus where I work. I also forgot that they play in the summer time. For three years, I've tried to make it to some games, and always forget until it's the end of the season.

Last night Maegen, Chantel and I went out to dinner, and on the way home we saw a packed out stadium, with a couple dozen folks standing on the sidewalk outside the packed out stadium. We were able to walk in, because the game had just started in overtime. It was the championship match between Chicago Force and Dallas Diamonds. We only got to watch about ten minutes before the Diamonds scored and won the game.

SO fun!!! Next season I want to buy season tickets! Chantel thinks she wants to try out. =)

I Heart Chicago in the Summer

One of my favorite things about living in the city is the lake. I'm almost exactly three miles from the lake, although it takes about 15-30 minutes to get there, depending on traffic.

I love going, and swimming, in the lake. (I know, I know...this flies in the face of 'the flying fish story' but I've come to love swimming in the lake and ocean.)

Last night Chantel and I went, and it was so peaceful. My intention was to actually swim for exercise, but couldn't because the water was too choppy. There were huge, crashing waves, the water was warm, and the sunset on the skyline was gorgeous. It made me think about Seal Beach, although the current wasn't nearly as strong. I spent some good reflective time, riding the waves and praying about some stuff. It was awesome.

If I didn't have a work meeting tonight on the south side, I'd go tonight as well.

Rock n Roll Stepper

I like it.

It's like a step machine, elliptical and lunges all wrapped in one. The fact that I despise all three of those things with a passion makes it ironic that I like this machine. I could only do 12 minutes before my legs became jelly, however. I felt like I had just done a gagillion lunged with a trainer. This morning I had trouble coming up the stairs at my office. ;)

I will work it up to 45 to an hour!!!!

Impulse Buy

I purchased the Tony Little Rock n Roll Stepper last week. I'm a sucker for a couple things:
1) Impulse buys at HSN or the checkout counter
2) Workout equipment I can use in my home when I don't feel like going to the gym (which is the rut I am currently in)
3) Workout equipment I can use in my room, in my limited, almost non-existent space. =)

I'll let you know how it goes.

Beach Reads

If you haven't checked out Cathy Kelly, I highly recommend you do so. I picked up her book "Always and Forever," thinking it would be a good beach read. I have since realized that it is listed as a #1 International Bestseller.

I had to read it to believe the hype. My two cents is that I can't put this book down. Think writing somewhat on par with "Sex and the City." LOVE IT! It's a good book to take your mind off things. I fully intend to read her other books.

I think I picked this up at the second hand store The Brown Elephant, which is one of my favorite places to shop for books. The books are $.50 for paperbacks, $1 for hardbacks. Every once in awhile they get overstocked with books and will have a sale. I recently bought ten books for a grand total of $3.82. There are great finds in there!

A busy weekend

It's going to be a busy, but fun, weekend.

Tonight I'm going to lake with Chantel. It's so hot and humid right now - I'm totally looking forward to it.

Tomorrow morning I have a wedding of a young lady that I'm SO excited is moving back to Chicago! Read her story - she's an absolutely incredible human being who has lived more in her 31 short years than most of us live in a lifetime.

I'm going to the wedding with my friend Jennifer, whom I adore. We don't get to hang out too often due to our crazy schedules. Tomorrow night I'm picking up a good friend from the airport and having dinner.

Sunday is Girl About Town day!!!

Saving Money, Part Deux

So excited after a coupons shopping spree at Costco last night. While I dropped $150, I have enough supplies to last me at least six weeks to two months, minus a couple of fresh things. I did some super-planning, and bought some fresh veggies in bulk that I used a lot in cooking and am preparing them for my freezer. (E.g. peppers - cutting them up and putting them in freezer bags to remove the amount I need for cooking.)

I also ended up with about seventeen thousand bottles of Starbucks Frappucinno and Diet Coke. Costco + coupons + freezer space = lots of savings!

I'm that geek who is going to calculate how much I saved at the end of my first two months. =)

Saving Money

I've had to do some hard 'restructuring' of my lifestyle in order to pay off debt and make do with these higher grocery and gas prices.

I've tried the hardcore 'only one Starbucks iced coffee and eat out once this week' and then I've found myself completely blowing it because I'm annoyed/deprived. Here's what I've decided: I have to find a nice middle ground. My latest middle ground? Buying a small freezer so that I can buy good stuff I want to eat from Costco for much cheaper. In addition, I've discovered that I love the bottled frappuccinos and double shots from Starbucks. You can buy them in bulk for around $1 a bottle/can at Costco. That's still an expensive beverage, but it's a lot cheaper than the $3-5 I'll spend at the actual coffee shop. Go me!

Did I just have a 'Works for Me' Tuesday?

Welcome to Chicago, Amy!

One of my oldest and dearest friends from Missouri, Amy, is moving to Chicago this weekend. I can't wait for move-in day! I will be giddily jumping around, thinking 'this isn't a visit! She's here ALL THE TIME!' This is my first friend from back home who has moved to Chicago. The timing is perfect, too. Two of my closest friends in Chicago moved or are moving away this summer. =( (I miss you Bree-Bree!)

Amy and her fiance, Joe, will soon be leaving for Jamaica, to GET MARRIED! Congrats, Amy!!!

Heart of the Game

I watched this documentary tonight. It was so good.

I was furious at the WIAA for trying to deny Darniella the right to play her fourth year after she had her baby. FURIOUS! I was especially upset at the sound bite from a radio talk show with all those people saying how she deserved consequences for becoming pregnant in high school, and how she's such a bad role model.

Allow me to get on my soap box for a minute. My opinion is that no child of God's is a mistake. Perhaps she made a mistake in getting pregnant so young, but both she and her child were lovingly created in the image of God. Getting pregnant as a teenager out of wedlock does not a bad or unworthy person make. She deserved the same rights as all the other students. (The movie makes the point that boys don't have to suffer these consequences because they don't carry the baby, and this is what ultimately wins their case in court.)

As for her being a bad role model, all signs pointed to what a great role model she is to other young mothers. After she gave birth, her grades increased. She ended up graduating with honors. She finished school, played incredible basketball, fought an unjust system, was a part of a very supportive and loving family system (including the baby's father's family) and a good mother. I say that's an incredible role model.



Great documentary. NEtflix it!

The Great BBQ

I love food from the grill. My problem is that I hate feeling like I 'wasted' charcoal by only grilling one or two pieces of meat. I've learned by trial and error that only burning 'enough' charcoal for one or two pieces of meat results in meat that doesn't cook...and then I end up having to light more charcoal.

So...that results in my 'turbo cooking' when I have the grill fired up. Tonight I made two buffalo rib steaks (I was expecting small rib sections, but it's actual steak on a rib bone - yum!) two pork chops and some shrimp.

I'm quite proud of my grilled shrimp. I put three tabs of butter in an aluminum foil 'bowl' that i make by folding up the sides of hefty aluminum foil, chop some green pepper and onion, throw in chopped garlic, the shrimp, some lemon juice, and put it on the grill. I wait until the butter is bubbling and the shrimp are nice and hot. YUM! Then I throw some shredded asiago or parmesan cheese on it. MMMM.

I won't have to cook anything except veggies for the rest of the week! I ate my shrimp and part of a pork chop for dinner tonight.

Grand Canyon

Another adult on the trip, Beth, took beautiful photos. I will post some of hers when I get them...her sunset photos were beautiful.

We camped at the Grand Canyon, so there are also some fun photos of the kids. =) I so enjoyed my time with them!

Great Sand Dunes National Park

I had never been here before. Have you? SO worth it!

Colorado has the largest sand dunes in North America, and they were on our way to Alamosa, where we spent the week with Youth Works on a mission trip. I was having pretty significant altitude sickness by this day, so I spent the majority of the time in the van resting while the kids went nuts on the sand dunes!

By the way...for those of you wondering how I came about on this trip...
I was with a church from Glendora, CA. My friend Josh used to be a youth pastor in Chicago that I volunteered with for several years before he moved back to CA. He's always asked me to go on his group's trips since moving away, but I finally went. I flew out to California the day before we left to drive to CO. We camped for two nights on the way, saw the dunes, did white water rafting and went on to Alamosa. After we were finished, we drove to the Grand Canyon for a couple days, and saw the Four Corners on our way home to California. I had such a great time!

I love these guys!!!

Here are various photos of the youth I was on the trip with...















The pig-tailed beauty you see here is Beth. I just met her, and she's already in my top five favorite people! I love it when you meet fun folks like that!!

Death Valley

We stopped here on our way to white water rafting.

Why I Do Youth Ministry

I just got back from a two week trip with youth from a church in Glendora, CA, to a missions site in Colorado. I'll explain why I was with this group when I post photos in the next couple days.

I always seem to have troubled young men gravitate towards me. I recently emailed a male youth ministry colleague and asked him what young men need to hear from a female leader like myself, and he said that many young men today put women into two categories: mother/grandmotherly types that discipline them, and sex objects. He said when someone like me comes along, with a spiritual gift to unconditionally love them, despite their behavior, they cling to me and desire my attention. He said my job is to try to help break those two stereotypes of women, and show them that women can be more than disciplinarians and/or sex objects.

I had two young men on this trip gravitate towards me. I was thrilled when they were both put into my small group. Color me shocked when at the end of the trip, another young man who had barely spoken to me told me in tears that he thinks of the phrase 'unconditional love' when he thinks of me. He said that despite their doing things they shouldn't do, or acting crazy, I would usually laugh and have a comeback that showed him I loved him no matter what he did. He ended up leaving us a couple days early, and hugged me three times before he left. That meant the world to me.