Livin the Dream.

tornado fun.


You know what gets me ragging mad...popcorn seeds. Jolly Time Popcorn Seeds. I absolutely hate when I eat a piece of popcorn that looks fluffy white and delicious but when you bite down, needless to say, your whole jaw freezes up because you've just crunched down on a giant 'metal' seed. Crazy. What's more, when this very unsettling incident happens right at the most intense moment of a movie.

It's Tuesday night, nine o'clock and I'm in the middle of the last episode of the most intense 'storm chasers' ever. Tornado season. Oh yeah. Get excited. I am. In one segment I've eaten a whole bag of popcorn without even noticing, probably kernels and all...but doubtful.-Oh hold on, the commercial is over...wow, intense. An F4 rain wrap that engulfed an entire downtown area of a town the size of Lawrence-dude. Sorry for that rude break in this blog. My fault. I hate when they leave you on edge. I mean, yeah, it leaves you craving more..but really, that's just mean and ruins the moment! I hate it. I hate it so so so much. More than your average popcorn kernel interruption.

Did you know that I heard a myth once that Native Americans (who now would prefer that they be called First People) thought that when popcorn popped it was actually a persons little soul stuck in that seed ready to pop out and escape. Culture for your thoughts. It's funny, I looked to the right and discovery channel has a video on how popcorn works (video #4)...the myth I heard is incorrect. Darn. I felt very philosophical for a minute.

Another segment of the last episode for this seasons Storm Chasers just finished...even better than the one before. What a perfect time for this to air. The two days out of the winter season where it almost feels like spring. Kid you not, in the middle of a very very intense moment when the one vehicle team from Oklahoma (very energetic, dorky, but cuties just out of college) are being chased by a perfect F4 he cries out 'it's a cow!!'. So perfect. So perfect. Earlier there was a hog farm that was eaten by 100mph rfd winds. It was sad to watch. This is sad too, because people on the other side of the highway won't move, they won't move at all. Don't worry...it dissolves before anyone is hit. Thankfully. Ok, that is all for now, I need to finish this to see how this season turns out.

Thank you Discovery Channel.



.Karlie, side note: Sunday at seven, encore presentation of Planet Earth.

best commercial of the season.

Santa forgot mine...

Ging Gaow. Hong. Boon Rod.


Elephants.
They are my favorite.
Obviously.

This animal amazes me more than almost any other creature on the planet. The wonderful things that this beautiful creature contributes to life...I could talk about for days. However, I have chosen this specific blog to talk about something that I have a sincere passion for...art. What's more, art combined with healing.


A loving heart is a heart that gives, and a giving heart is a heart that contributes change.

Drama therapy, music therapy, art therapy-any therapy that uses the right side of the brain just fascinates me to no end. Elephant painting is a type of art and therapy that I have been interested in for a number of years...if only I could afford one. "The leap from doodling in the sand to painting on canvas requires training, encouragement, and art supplies-for both elephant and human artists...Moreover, very few elephants or mahouts(trainers)have ever set foot inside an art museum and, at least for the moment, most remain art-world outsiders...Elephant Abstraction may only be the first phase in the stylistic evolution of pachyderm painting. Perhaps some day soon we might see the development of Elephant Impressionism, Elephant Surrealism, even Elephant Conceptual Art. The future belongs to them..."--Asian Elephant Art Conservation

renee mural(right).
Nappakhao(below).
kam lai tong.
blessings.

A Time of Giving...Christmas Cards!

It would be nice this time of year to bring someone a bit of cheer.


A Recovering American Soldier
c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center
6900 Georgia Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20307-5001

Carrots.

Toes freak me out.
End of story.

Norad is neat.

I've blogged a freakish amount in the past week...but I'm catching up for lost time over the past semester. This will be a short one, I promise.

http://www.noradsanta.org/en/home.html#utm_campaign=en&utm_medium=mapshpp&utm_source=en-mapshpp-na-us-gns-gm


REALLY?!!?

A few of my favorite things...

Christmas is coming upon us very soon.
It doesn't feel like it to me yet.

This morning and the latter half of last night I haven't felt well and so I've been sleeping quite a bit within the last twenty-four hours. When I finally woke up this morning for church I stumbled down the stairs in a dazed confusion to make breakfast/lunch. I felt bad because I was pretty much miss. grinchzilla. At least I felt that way. Didn't say anything, had a huge headache, and only responded with silence or grunts while walking back upstairs to go back to sleep with hopes of awaking sick free. Didn't happen. Anyway, my wonderful roommate came in few minutes ago where upon we had a DELIGHTFUL and much needed talk about our lives lately that actually made me feel a lot better. Was my illness perhaps mental? I don't think so, but after living a life with my mom who works and breathes health care, I feel that uplifted and positive spirits help and cure a lot health issues sometimes. While she was up in my room she said 'You should blog about your favorite things-everyone is doing it'. Going with the theme of society in the blog world, here goes. Maybe these favorite holiday things will cure my grinchzillness this very cold and dreary day. :-)

1) A deep color of red sitting next to a gold or a burnt sienna.
2) Micro fleece wrapped around me like a swaddling baby on a freezing cold morn'.
3) The smell of a crackling fire and the silence of everyone watching in amazement as if we had actually just created it for the first time.
4) My uncle eddie and my cousin in law going at it neck deep over silly political issues that they will never let lye.
5) The smell of pumpkin spice or apple cinnamon.
6) The joy and childlike spirit my dad exudes when he comes home from work to find us decorating sugar cookies (the second love of his life which he counts down the days to eat ALL year long).
7) Picking up shifts at the old shop on the square where I worked in high school and watching 'White Christmas' over and over and over and over and over again while wrapping Christmas gifts.
8) Girls nights back home...star gazing in the cold and listening to the lives we're all two steps behind in now that school has consumed us all yet again.
9) Midnight Mass with the girls. I laugh every year (it doesn't help that they all look down the pew at me EVERY year waiting for Father Keith to come to the glorious part of the 'Ass (donkey)'. It's late, I'm tired...it was funny the first time many years ago.
10) My last and most favorite...waiting for my Grandad's blessing over the Christmas meal. I love Christmas so much. It is my favorite time of year, even more so than Halloween. Because, instead of dressing up in silly costumes ranting over someone or something that we are not, we are covered with joy and happiness of truth for all to see because of a beautiful and selfless man who was born on this eve'.


New favorite song: 10,000 stones by Adrianne.

Peppermint Puff Goodness

Seasonal bags.
Women across the world understand this phrase.
Seasonal bags, means this: happy times.
They almost have the same effect as coats do.
Picture this: Waking up with cold fingers, you go to leave the house and decide that it's winter weather so you walk to the closet. After digging and rummaging through boxes or hangers, you finally find the big heavy duty coat that will do the job. But, what's this-your gloves?! Where are they??? The other pocket? Nope-BUT there is a five dollar bill! Score.
Seasonal bags almost have this ordeal happen, however, it's way better.
Peppermints. I love peppermints. Not just any peppermints. The puffy ones that dissolve in your mouth peppermints. The kind of peppermints that bring joy and happiness to anyone anywhere all across the world! But...these peppermints don't really have a name and when you do find them...expensive. Well, at least for this poor college student. But-guess what I found when I broke out my seasonal Christmas purse today?????



PUFFY YUMMY DELICIOUS SAVORY PEPPERMINTS OF COURSE!
A whole bag full of them. Not even kidding. You're probably thinking like a handful of them-nope. Almost half of a purse full. I don't know what Christmas party I went to last December, but they must have had so many that I guess I didn't feel guilty about the amount of melty peppermints I hoarded.

More so, look at what I found:

http://www.groovycandies.com/V2brand_listALL.asp?mfg_id=53
http://candy-crate.stores.yahoo.net/buttertoffee.html (on this site, click the bag, SO COOL!)

Winner.
Today is a good day.
I love bags.

bakersman, bake me a cake!

Can you imagine actually living in a gingerbread house? Talk about living a fairytale life. Oh food. Food is a funny thing. Also an art form.

Food network had a competition on yesterday for cake making. The twist: they had to be replicas of an exact house or mansion. It was crazy. I thought 'what a waste!'. They should have a food eating contest on after the cake making contest. In honor of this event, I've been googling funny food's the past day. I have many favorites. These cakes just make me laugh...


yeah titanic.


best note ever.


pretty pretty princess.


five year old boys dream birthday cake:lifesize. for real. i wish.



old man nation.


patty cake patty cake bakers man.


...my favorite. he's on rollerblades?

...Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.

...Sometimes I wish I could write something amazing. I mean, something absolutely brilliant. Sometimes I'll be listening to someone like Grace Potter & The Nocturnals and I feel as though I could write something that could turn this world on it's axis. The problem is...I can't ever think of anything besides funny little tid bits or witty comments that have happened in my life or something that I've awkwardly seen by 'people watching'. I don't necessarily think this a bad thing though.

On my heart today:
The individual gifts that each of us are blessed with amaze me. We each have specific ornate gifts and talents that build us up to make the skin we live in and the lives we lead important and touching to others around us. 'Therefore, whatever gifts ye have received, it is from the free grace of God'. I love this passage, though in this blog, I'm not even necessarily speaking of spiritual gifts, just in general-more traits that shine through as positive to ourselves and to others I suppose.

I'm often asked what my pet peeves are or what drives me absolutely crazy...and honestly, there are very few things in this world that make my skin just itch with frustration. I feel like a parent or a teacher when I say this, but it's so true-my biggest frustration is when I see someone push themselves down to a place where they feel they are insignificant, not important, or that they are not talented. Whats more, when someone else pushes them to this point. It breaks my heart. What uplifts me more than anything is encouragement from others; what's more...when others encourage those around them with uplifted spirits and love. I feel that to function fully as a body and community we must encourage one another with our gifts and...well, there is much more that I want to talk about but it would go on forever. There are many elements that I feel need to happen within a community to really move...but the greatest of these is love. Love wins my friendly friends. Haven't you seen the back of my car? Hello bumper sticker. I love driving down the highway and having people look at it like 'whaaaat?' and then others that the look on their faces like 'yeeeeah!'. Makes me happy.

'Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.'

La la la la la...A good day.

Owls.

My new favorite.

Today my heart also beats for:
.Matt Costa. .Bombazine Black. .Priscilla Anne. .Jaymay.


I recently came out of a severe country kick. It happens every fall. I like it, but I miss my music. MY music. That music that puts everything into perspective and just makes you happy...makes your heart literally beat. The kind of music that you can live your life to. I missed it. These past few days we've been kindling a long lost relationship that was on a hiatus for a moment that was much too long. I'm grateful for artists, of all retrospects. I feel that every person that walks this beautiful earth is an artist in some form or another, there's no fighting it.

Artist: 'One who makes their craft a fine art'

We all create something, whether it be a composition or a thought. Each and every day we create something that is our own, that has our own personal and independent mark. It's beautiful. Individually each one of us strives to not only create something, but more so on a larger level, fine tune something that I feel we sometimes overlook as a major component to our happiness. Our life; our life as a whole.

For me what makes life so beautiful is the finer more simplier things that are overlooked. Much like looking at an abstract painting. I'm no painter, so forgive me if I'm explaining how to 'take in' a painting incorrectly, but I don't think there is a wrong way to interpret art. There's no telling what exactly it may mean from afar, there is so much to take in; but to look closely at the strokes, the mixture of colors, and the smaller details that the artist has thought carefully about but has also moved their steady hand with what their heart felt was right to complete this masterpiece of emotion-that's where the beauty is. Once you understand and have taken in the beauty of the components that make up the piece of art, then this is when you take a step back and take it all in. It's a whirlwind experience that is indescribable.

I know several people who have this figured out, but even more that don't. I think it's completely ok. No one really has life figured out...if they do, please write a self help book for 'dummies' that I can buy on clearance. Actually, no, I enjoy the process of figuring life out. It makes things that much sweeter when you do-like country music. I go on this kick and then the music that I LOVE, I respect and adore that much more when I return to it. It's steps and strokes like this that create this huge beautiful and wonderful piece of art we call life.

This is a corny metaphor, but I really wanted to write what I felt and sometimes, life is super corny. You just 'gotta go with it I suppose. Sometimes I feel that things are 'corny' because everyone wants them to happy...well, we all want happiness, right? So maybe this isn't as corny on the grander scheme of things as I thought...

Redirecting

I love gmail. It makes me really happy. I don't know why, but it just does.
However, because of KSU mail, I haven't been able to filter my ksu mail to my gmail. This makes me sad. I have, however, corrected this mistake a few minutes ago. To start, I sent myself a message of 'hi, hickory hurray!' to see if it would go through. Before I could even check, my inbox was FLOOOOODED with new mail. At first it was 60 and I was like 'WHAAAT!' I thought my e-mail to myself had multiplied or something. Then it reached 70 and soared to 90 and then rocketed to a 'mere' 179. (Do you like all my verbs that I tried to use as a type of imagery as well...). The number is now down to 146 as I attempt to delete the ones that I have already read from ksu and they just filtered my entire inbox to me. That was nice of them...but I yet to receive my hickory hurry e-mail. Sad day.


Do you ever feel like you have a day when you are in consistent prayer? I love these days almost more than I love gmail-though these days it's difficult for my to focus on much else because I'm just constantly thinking. I'm lucky I haven't run into anything-which brings me to my blog about the rock with coordinatesin the middle of the yard by my building on campus that if tripped on could kill someone. You will be able to read about that later. Promise.

Blessings.

Playbill in three acts: The Process

Tonight after watching a show with the company of dear friends, and then sipping on a peppermint patti in one of my favorite little shops in this place I now call 'home', I was overcome with a thought. Naturally, since I did not have my 'portable' laptop with me, I grabbed the first writable thing that I could to jot this little note down:



'Play of life in three acts:
1-Struggle
2-Boldness of Truth
3-Fulfillment'

'Though this lesson is preached all through our lives, in my opinion, it can't be preached enough. To wear a mask and conform yourself to views that are not your own, is no better than a crazed man convincing a sane one that they are of the same disciplines-it just doesn't work. Though I only have a few decades under my belt, I find that with this society, being the age that I am this issue is not only common, but is becoming a very fearful, dare I say, widespread disease. I can't help but look around at this secular world and become completely overwhelmed and distraught with the pressures that so easily influence and most of the time manipulate us to draw a facade over our eyes of our consciences of what we know is right and true. There are so many instances that I could use as examples to explain this, but there is not enough room in this McAlisters Deli advertisement.'

'I'm a hopeful person. This is a positive trait that I am hopefully known for, but it is sometimes difficult for me to have this outlook when a dark cloud of materialistic sin overhangs so closely to us all. There IS hope, and a large amount of it as well-it's a matter of boldness. For those of us aware and who see these struggles of life with sin, or just weight on someone, I feel as a body it is imperative to somehow show hope through love and encouragement.'

'This is just a thought, and an unfinished one at that from influences of many different situations that I have experienced or seen in my life (perhaps I'll blog about it later) and these words may be bold and possibly misunderstood, but are written with hope that I may have the disciplines to act out boldly with love when struggle of any kind is brought into my life either for myself or others around me. It just kills me to see someone say 'Oh-just this one time' 'It won't matter tomorrow' 'I'll figure it out later' 'I just need to work through it on my own' 'Who cares, live today to the fullest, right?!'...The lives we lead now are only for a set of moments which should be moments that are not for ourselves and that also combine into a continual process. This 'process' that we live is always working and is always changing...the love and grace that we have received is neverending and neverfailing. If we consistently speak words of truth and love and act as boldly and lovingly as easily as we sometimes slip into the materialistic facade of this secular world, this process of life that we live might just be a little more joyfilled and easier to understand for us all.'

One of my favorite songs right now, Casting Crowns-Slow fade.

"Be careful little eyes what you see
It's the second glance that ties your hands as darkness pulls the strings
Be careful little feet where you go
For it's the little feet behind you that are sure to follow
It's a slow fade when you give yourself away
It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray
Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid
When you give yourself away
People never crumble in a day
It's a slow fade"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-8SYA6rfbs