The Beauty and the Mess

Happy election day, fellow Americans! What an exciting day. I'm going to vote at lunchtime. This is only my second presidential election - I was seventeen in 1996 (which really irritated me!). Tonight Evan and Ryan and I are eating out as usual, and then I'll make a pumpkin pie for us to enjoy while we watch the results roll in. If there's another recount, I won't be one iota surprised. This morning on the radio they were explaining that in the event of a tie, it's possible that Bush will still be President, but Edwards will be VP. Isn't that weird? Anyway, Laura, I wish I was in Indiana so I could vote for Hostettler! I'm thinking of you today. :)

This past weekend was busy. On Friday night I went to the corn maze with a bunch of friends. At first it was fun, but toward the end we were lost, muddy, and tired...and suddenly I realized my cell phone wasn't in my pocket. I almost started crying right there among the costumed children and people with (fake) chain saws. Fortunately, Luke was with me and called the phone. Someone answered it and it wasn't far back from where we were. So that was a little miracle. :) Then we went to Chili's, and Myla and I had a great talk about politics that made me feel much more secure in my opinions. I have great friends.

Saturday was full of wedding stuff and then we went to Robin's Halloween party. I went as a butterfly, with blue posterboard wings that I had painted. Evan decided to be a butterfly, too, but his "costume" consisted of a T-shirt on which he had written, "I am a butterfly." Everyone liked his costume better. Talk about unfair! He was cuter, though. :) On Sunday I had some sort of physical breakdown. I haven't felt like myself for a few days - very run-down, achy, and overemotional - and in the middle of playing congregational music, I got really shaky and started feeling awful. I was so hungry. We met my parents for lunch at Olive Garden, which helped, and then I took a two-hour nap. It was a good thing, because later we went back to church to work at our church's Halloween alternative, the Festival of Melons and Gourds, and I spent an hour kneeling over and over to pick up little Frisbees. It was fun (and some of the kids were so cute!), but I was worn out all over again by the time we left. Evan worked the booth next to mine, and I loved watching him kneel down to help the little kids with their game. He's going to be a good dad someday. :) Anyway, I'm still not feeling so great. I have twenty-five days to get back to 100%.

God is really providing for us, and it looks like we'll be able to pay for Evan's spring semester of school without too much trouble. We keep getting checks in the mail and have no idea why: U of M apparently sent a check for $100 to me at my parents' house; Evan got some "back pay" from FedEx, which he left a year and a half ago; my church paid for the repairs that my flute needed. I feel very cared for. So he's going to go to community college this first semester back, and hopefully by then the FAFSA will have taken effect and we can get enough aid to send him to U of M. Maybe this will all work out after all. :) Yay God!

We just had a soup cookoff here at work. They do it every year as a fundraiser for cancer research. I had about twelve little cups of soup (I voted for the clam chowder) and a few pumpkin bars. I have so little self-control with food these days. :( My aforementioned Green Tea Diet has done nothing but make me hungrier all the time. I know it's the tea, because my sister is also doing it and has noticed the same results. This might be a sign of my metabolism speeding up, which would be a good thing, but it seems like it's just defeating the purpose. Last night at Bible study I ate a big brownie. I'm not sorry, because it was amazing. Evan kept saying "It's just a brownie," until he realized it's probably been years since I had one that wasn't low-fat.

Anyway, they also had karaoke at the soup event, and Joe Birch (local news personality) came to read the number for a raffle. Then he disappeared. I guess he had another story to cover. :)

I have added comments to all my user pictures. That's a pretty cool feature. I also made some new icons. I would have made more (and uploaded some bridal shower pictures and stuff), but I have serious mouse arm from our database project at work. So please be patient while I heal!

Tonight we're going to the Agricenter corn maze. I've always wanted to go, so it should be fun! It's going to be a very Halloweeny weekend, since I also have a Halloween party to go to and am volunteering at our church's Festival of Melons and Gourds on Sunday night. Oh, and it's also fall-back weekend. Normally that's a very sad time for me because it means I hardly see the sun for several months, but it might be worth it to not wake up in the dark anymore. By the way, we may set a new record high of 86 degrees (F) today. :P Happy almost-November, everyone.

FYI: My friend Lance told me about electoral-vote.com. It's a conglomerate of all the polls...very interesting.

CONGRATULATIONS to my Em, who just passed the bar exam! I'm so proud! :D *cue SNL skit music* She used to be a student...now she's a lawyer...Unfrozen Non-Student Lawyer!

I've realized something really obvious. Have you ever noticed that almost every famous person or group pushing people (especially young people) to vote is liberal? When was the last time you saw a Republican MTV Rock the Vote rally? I thought that was weird until Evan pointed out that it's in liberals' best interest to promote youth voting, because most young people will vote Democrat. Figures. Did anyone see the Daily Show on Wednesday night? One of their "reporters" went to the last debate and kept going back and forth between the camps in the press room, asking each for the truth about who won the debate. When they each assured him that their side had won, he "began to suspect that they might have their own agenda." The segment ended with him standing in the middle of the room screaming, "This is all a lie and a sham!" and collapsing. It was hilarious - and I can kind of relate. It'll be a relief when the election is over.

Bible study was wonderful last night. The topic was hope, one of my favorite spiritual subjects. :) He talked about how everyone needs hope - something to look forward to. Without hope, we'll die. Maybe not physically, but spiritually. To most people, hope is related to uncertainty (like, "I hope I did well on that test"), but as Christians, our hope is certain (Hebrews 11:1). He went on to say that when Jesus went to the cross, we - the Church - were His hope. It was just amazing. I did a search, and it's surprising how much the New Testament has to say about hope. I feel inspired.

Has anyone heard about this? Wow! I can't wait for the new U2 CD. They're incredible.

I'm excited about this weekend. We're getting the apartment in order, like I mentioned, and Saturday night is my lingerie shower that Myla is throwing. It'll just be a few of us since I didn't want everyone I know there...for obvious reasons. :) Myla definitely knows how to throw a party, though, so it's going to be a lot of fun. Yay!

I can't ever remember feeling as happy as I have these past six months or so. You could say I'm just excited about the wedding, but I like to think that getting married is bringing about a change in me that makes me a more optimistic person. That's what true love is supposed to do, right? God gave us marriage to make us holy. And happy.

Time for a Diet Vanilla Coke!

Tonight I'm anticipating a fun time at my parents' house. I'm helping Debra cook for the shower, and Ryan's coming to keep us company and eat most of our efforts. We will also watch the debate and play Presidential Debate Bingo. Speaking of politics, I wanted to share an article that Kimma sent me. It's long, but well worth the read: Deterrence.

Last night I finished The Last Sin Eater by Francine Rivers. It was unusual and a little unbelievable, but good. That's the last of the books I borrowed from Evan's mom. Now I need to get back to Pride & Prejudice, which I dropped as soon as I got those other books. Kathy told me I wasn't allowed to read anything else until I had finished P & P, so she can't find out about this. :) There are a couple of other "Christian living" books I started but can't finish. With a few exceptions, I get bored or frustrated easily with contemporary Christian non-fiction. If it's not C.S. Lewis or R.C. Sproul or someone similar, it doesn't really hold my interest. I'm sure that makes me unspiritual. :P I tried to read an Elizabeth George book, one of Evan's mom's, and I wanted to throw it across the room because her tone was so relentlessly perky. Also, several of her illustrations drove me nuts. One was about a girl who visited her house and turned down some cherries offered to her because she'd already eaten. The writer said she was so convicted by this because if she had eaten at the Right Time, she wouldn't be eating cherries either. It was about self-control, but if I'm supposed to be so self-controlled that CHERRIES become evil and indulgent, forget it. It's not like it was a triple chocolate cake.

And now, because it's Friday....( LJ Stats survey )

Congratulations time, in advance: Happy wedding day tomorrow to Sharon and Josh! I'll be thinking of you guys! Also, happy early birthday to Danielle, who's been a great LJ friend for several years now. :)

Evan and I are having a date tonight! :) It's our first real date in months, so I'm excited. We got a coupon in the mail for American Cafe, so we're going there for dinner. Then we're going to see Garden State...it was written by Zach Braff, the Scrubs guy, who also stars in it. Speaking of which, who saw the show on Tuesday? The Sugar Hill Gang alarm clock was hilarious.

Last night Evan went to a game night, and I stayed in and watched the President's speech. I was very impressed. Does anyone know what the heck happened with those people who were dragged out by guards? No one's said anything about it. I guess they were just protesters who came too close to the stage? As interesting as the speech was, I had to get up and move around to stay awake because I was so exhausted. I ended up falling asleep at about 10:15, and when Evan called to say goodnight, I was barely coherent enough to talk to him. This week I'm just not feeling right. I knew it'd be rough getting back to my exercise routine after a week off, but I didn't think it would be this bad. I feel sore all over, and especially bad on my left side. This morning I skipped Pilates because I thought I'd just be hurting myself. Sigh. Also, with Debra back at school, I feel a little lonely. Hopefully Myla or someone will be free to get together this weekend.

Anyway, happy Labor Day weekend, fellow Americans! And GO TIGERS GO!

( Movie Survey )

One of my co-workers brought in Sunday's Dilbert strip, which is a timely reflection on our office situation. I really ought to read Dilbert more, just as I need to watch Office Space again now that I've been a cube drone for almost three years.

Em and her Daniel will be proud that I went to the Shelby County Republican Headquarters today with one of my co-workers. I got one of those square black W stickers. My co-worker went a little nuts and bought several stickers, a button, and a hat. :)

Last night after Bible study, Luke and Myla (and this guy Adam, whom we've all been getting to know) came over with their guitars to play the wedding song for Evan and I. Well, as I expected, it was incredible. It's called "Chosen Family" and I guarantee there won't be a dry eye in the church when they sing it. I'm so humbled and moved when I think about it. Before we went to my place, Myla was making up some horrible song and trying to convince me that that's what the song was. "And it has this voice-over in the middle...Baby, I'm so glad we're getting married...Then there's a rap!" Later, Luke announced that he'd also written a song for us, and made something up on the spot that made me turn beet red until Myla pleaded with him to stop. So in comparison, the real song was even better. :) Anyway, they ended up staying and jamming until pretty late. It was awesome. My friends are so talented. I wish their stuff was copyrighted so I could post it for all of you to hear. Luke has a hilarious song about whiskey, which I enjoy despite the fact that I'm not a drinker.

Tonight Ryan and I are McAlisting, and then Debra's joining us for fun times at Old Navy. I'm aware that I shouldn't be shopping, but with these clearance prices I seriously cannot stay away. There's a difference between blowing money on full-price clothes, and investing in reasonable clothes at a great price. Hello, my name is Becky Bloomwood. Anyway, Debs is spending the night, which should be fun. It'll be her first test of the futon.

( Inventory Survey )

Everclear's "Santa Monica" is one of my favorite songs. I'm not sure why.

So I think I've had it with marriage books. Evan and I have read Reforming Marriage and Each For The Other (we both preferred the latter). Now I'm reading The Excellent Wife. It's stressing me out a little, and Evan suggested maybe I should stop reading it. :P Each For the Other left me feeling optimistic and encouraged about becoming a wife. This book is causing frustration and despair, since I am a sinner and can't possibly attain the perfection that the book models. Also, it seems to be geared more toward women whose husbands are not believers. The main message I'm getting from it is, "Your husband will mistreat you constantly. You must respond in perfect joy and love. The end." It's depressing, especially since Evan is so good to me and so easy to love. Am I supposed to tell myself he's going to turn into a cruel, selfish ogre after the wedding?

I'm also reading a book called Super Foods that I borrowed from Kathy's mom. It's about the fourteen most beneficial foods. I don't usually read diet-y books, but this one is interesting. I already eat most of the Super Foods- blueberries, spinach, salmon, broccoli, and tea are included. Yum! I'm eating so healthily now that I'm on my own. It's great. However, I'll have to start cooking more meat for Evan's sake. I made chicken last night, which I've done maybe three other times in my life. It actually wasn't that hard! Next time I might try Jessica's Sesame Chicken recipe.

My city's government has lost all pretense of sanity. Last week they cut millions of dollars from the county school system, laying off 100 people and cutting out music programs (which always makes me very angry). Yesterday our mayor pulled all funding from the city school system. You read that right- ALL. As in, hundreds of schools now have no money. My boss says he's trying to force a consolidation of the city and county systems, which will mean the official end of Memphis public education. I predict that within two years we'll be like New Orleans, where the schools are so bad that kids have to go to private school to even have a chance. I was sort of planning to put my future kids in private school- now I think I better start saving today. :P It's so discouraging.

Enough hot button issues for one day. :)

I spent two hours at my parents' last night talking to my sister about marriage, jewelry, and politics, among other things. I told her how I'm close to not watching the Today show anymore, because Katie Couric is becoming almost unbearable in her liberalism. A few mornings ago, Kathy and I were eating breakfast in the dining area when we heard NBC Special Report music. Immediately we went to see what was going on. Since 9/11, whenever I hear special report music, I sort of steel myself to see more planes flying into buildings. (I don't think I'm alone in that, either.) So once most of the viewers were on edge, what was the special report for? A Kerry/Edwards photo op! Unbelievable. We flipped to the other channels, and of course, none of them thought this worthy of a break in programming. Kathy was disgusted. Now she keeps saying things like, "Breaking news! Kerry's brushing his teeth for the first time since he announced his candidacy! Look, he even got the back ones!"

I'm going to miss her.

Gandalf has been funny lately. Every morning just before I leave, I give him a cat treat. He's good at routine, so as soon as he hears me go to the door with my shoes on, he hurries over. Well, the other day I was walking into the kitchen, and he came barreling around the corner and literally knocked me out of my shoes. It was hilarious. Apparently the treat is the high point of his day. I explained that I couldn't give it to him if my arms were broken, but that hasn't deterred him from tripping me before.

( Honeymoon waffling, etc. )

I had lunch today with Alli, my third bridesmaid. She bought my lunch and gave me a copy of Chicken Soup for the Bride's Soul. Isn't she nice? I'm so glad she's going to be in the wedding. And now I have something to read on the plane. Virginia, here I come...

Oh, and happy birthday to laraemily, one of the most fun, creative people on LJ. Yay!

Doesn't it feel like today should be Friday?

So tomorrow is a national day of mourning for Ronald Reagan. I have been really touched watching the coverage of all the people coming to his memorial. I wonder how long it'll be before we have another President who brings people together like that. I was too young to understand at the time, but hearing about his Presidency now, I'm amazed by how much support he had. It would be nice to have that kind of unifying confidence again.

Anyway, I think they might give him a holiday. When I told my boss this, she pointed out, "They didn't make a holiday for Kennedy." To which I replied, "Why not?" I'm all for more holidays. I say we honor every President with his own individual holiday. An extra forty-two days off a year! Woo hoo!

Last night I gave in and went (with Evan in tow) to the Bath & Body Works sale. His verdict on many of the lotions was that they smelled like Robitussin. I got a few things for other people, and for myself, a travel-sized set of Cotton Blossom and a set of Gardenia Lily (they're retiring it, Jessica!). As I checked out, the cashier told me the sale runs through July and there will be more stuff put on sale later. Oh gosh, please don't tell me that. Anyway, I immersed myself in the Gardenia Lily and I smell very nice today, if I do say so myself.

I miss Jen. I had a bizarre dream last night in which I called her to tell her something important, and she informed me I'd called and told her the same thing two hours earlier. Basically I'd been doing and saying all sorts of stuff without my knowledge. It was creepy.

Back to work now.

Here's an entry while I wait for my 40-page fax to go through...so I can follow with another 40-page fax.

Today is much better than yesterday. I'm wearing my new skirt, I don't have band practice tonight, and Evan is taking me to McAlister's for dinner. Also, I had lunch with Casey today. I love talking to Casey for many reasons, but a big one is that she's the only one who completely understands what a miracle my relationship with Evan is. For those who don't know or don't remember, Casey was the RUF intern during my years in the group. I often refer to her as my "mentor-type person." She has known Evan and I as long as we've known each other. For years I spilled my confusion out to her, and she counseled me so patiently. She was also there for some really happy times. We don't see each other as often now, but I still consider her an important person in my life. Anyway, she's so excited about Evan and I that it reminds me again what a gift God has given me; how shocked and awed I would be if I met three-years-ago-me in the street. I'm sorry if I'm too mushy or talk about this too much, but I am a very blessed, and undeserving, girl and I want the world to know about it. :)

Last night I finished three pages of my 7x7 Evan & Me scrapbook. I'm glad to have finally started it. Unfortunately I've already used up most of my "real" pictures and need to print out the rest.

This forward came from my church's e-mail list. I'm sure it'll stir up all kinds of controversy, but it made me think and I wanted to share it. ( It's not just about Americans )