Eek!

I was so excited yesterday when I peered into my mailbox. I saw that my passport had arrived. I went inside, let the dog out, fed him, and let him out again before I sat down to open the envelope and carefully slip out my new passport. The first thing I noticed was that it was a lot thicker than my previous passport. It's that newfangled technology I guess. Next, I opened it and started flipping through it to see what the pages looked like. Then I saw it. My passport, which I had been very pleased with, was distorted grossly by the government's printer. I look really scary and paler than usual (which is REALLY pale!)! Oh well. I'll probably look really scary when I use it, what with mission hair and all. Despite the misrepresentation of my complexion and head-to-neck ratio, I'm quite pleased and incredibly excited! What a good day!

Confession

I have a confession to make: I am a baby when it comes to needles.

The first time I had my blood drawn, the nurse almost had to have another nurse sit on me. Granted, I was only 8, but ten years later I still had to have my mommy hold my hand. Even worse than getting blood taken is getting shots. They don't ease the needle in. Instead, they throw it like a javelin deep into your arm. Who wouldn't be afraid of that?

Why am I confessing this now? I was discussing whether or not to get the recommended vaccines for my trip to Brazil, and I was firmly on the NOT side. I was planning on getting my tetanus updated and calling it a day, but I was then informed that Yellow Fever is pretty bad in Brasilia, one of the cities I'll be going to. I arrogantly replied with, "Oh, I'll be fine!" Then the good news fairy said that Yellow Fever is carried by mosquitoes. Well, guess who mosquitoes love to nibble on? That's right, me. I go outside for two seconds and end up with about 47 mosquito bites the size of a quarter. That being said, guess who's getting the Yellow Fever vaccine? me.

This is forewarning that I will be the biggest baby on the planet until all of the necessary javelins get launched into my arm.

Cello Cases

I spent a disgusting amount of money today. I ordered the cello case and flight cover that will protect my instrument while in cargo on the plane. I was incredibly nauseous through the entire ordering process, but now that I've ordered, I just feel blessed that it was possible. God has really provided through this whole process and is continuing to show me that He is in control and cannot be bound by a calendar or a calculator.

So, do you want to see what I'm getting?


Here's the case. I'm getting the silver one (blue wasn't available). It's a Bam Classic with wheels.



















And here's the flight cover. It looks heavy... but it also has wheels!

I'm going to Brazil?

Usually when I stop blogging it's because I'm extra stressed at work and can't free my mind. But the past couple of weeks of no blogging is a result of being so overwhelmed by God that I haven't been able to find the words to write. I've sat down to blog several times over the past few weeks, but I could never find words big enough or good enough to explain what God was/is doing in my life. Whatever words I use would certainly be puny in comparison to who God is. So here's what's going on...

On February 6, I went to a church orchestra workshop led by Camp Kirkland, big time church music arranger. Camp shared about a music mission trip to Brazil as well as some other mission opportunities through Global Missions Project for instrumentalists. I was interested in the idea, so I went to the Global Missions Project website and starting looking at all of the different projects they had scheduled for the next year. At the top of the list was the Brazil trip that Camp mentioned, but I thought to myself, "That is way too soon and so not possible!" I perused the website that Saturday, Sunday, and again on Monday searching for the mission project that would be most appealing to me and the one that seemed the most financially feasible.

Over those three days, it was like God was pointing a huge arrow toward the Brazil trip. Sure that He was mistaken, I discussed these factors in full with God:
• I could not raise $2,995 by June.
• Never in my life have I wanted to go to Brazil or anywhere in South America.
• What?! I have to also pay for 2 meals a day and oversized luggage fees for my cello? Another $800?!?!
• I don't have a current passport and can't afford one.
• There's just not enough time!

Even after "discussing" these things, I knew that God wanted me on that trip. So, that Tuesday morning, I registered and shortly after paid my deposit and started the ball rolling.

Now that it's two weeks later, I wonder: Have you ever felt like God was laughing at you? Every time someone hands me a check, I feel like I can hear God chuckling while saying, "Duh! You can't raise that much money, but I can!" And while I'm impatiently waiting for the status of my passport to change from "processing" to whatever is next, I really think God is enjoying watching me squirm.

Basically, I think He's enjoying watching me learn that my timeline and my desires don't matter. He can make things happen in 4 months no problem! He can give me a heart that wants to go to Brazil. He can even make me love the people there before I get there! He can provide for a huge financial need. He can do all of these things because He never fails, and I love that about Him!

More updates on my mission project to come...

1/12 of the way there

I have officially completed the first full month sticking to my 2010 goals. Here are my thoughts so far ...

I've been super consistent in working out. I work out an hour a day five days a week. I've also been pretty good at counting my calories and eating my fruits and veggies, but I am incredibly frustrated that I'm not losing any weight. I know that I am lenient on my calories on the weekends, but seriously! I come out of that gym dripping sweat every day and nothing?! Not any weight?! So that's a little frustrating. Weight lost: 2.8 pounds (27.2 to go)

Another frustration is that I forgot to scan my card before one of my workouts, so the gym only has 19 recorded workouts for me instead of 20. I hate it when I'm to blame! It's the worst. Workouts at gym: 19 (technically. 81 to go)

I thought working out at the gym would be the hardest goal to accomplish, but I've found finding time to read incredibly difficult. Really finding extra time at all in my schedule is a little hard to do. By the time I get home from work I don't want to use my brain any more so I had to force myself to read. It paid off because I thoroughly enjoyed both books I read last month (The Blogging Church and Emma by Jane Austen), but I'm afraid I'll have to force myself to begin every book and even force myself through the first few chapters until I'm in to deep to stop reading. Books read: 2 out of 24

As far as my financial goals ... well, I hate money. It stresses me out something fierce. If everything goes as planned I'll be debt free by the end of March, so that's awesome. I can't really be frustrated about that, now can I?

All in all, January was a productive month and I didn't give up on any of my goals. The process to reach and the outcome of some goals may not have been great, but I'm just gonna hang in there and see what happens.

Week 3: I'd rather not talk about it

Week 3 was not a great week. I didn't lose any weight, I barely read out of my current book, this is only my first blog of the week, and I spent more money than I should have. Even though it was a disappointing week, I know what went wrong and what I can change next week. Here are the three major factors:

1. I need to drink more water. I worked out for one hour five days this week and only drank about 20 ounces of water each day. That is just not enough. Diet Coke should not be used as a substitute. (I say this as I drink one right now.)

2. I shouldn't stress about things I can't control. This week I retired from a ministry I was a part of for 10 years, and I know that is what God called me to do, but I also know that there are a lot of people that aren't happy with the decision or the timing. But here's the thing: it was God's decision and God's timing, so I don't need to stress out over the fact that people don't agree with that.

3. I should not eat all you can eat tacos. That just opened the door for birthday cake, Ben & Jerry's, cookies, and too much more. Now that I look back on it, I should have gained about 75 pounds this week.

I'm excited about a well-hydrated, stress-free week next week with no appearance from the words "all you can eat" unless it's celery.

Week 2: Frustration

Week two has been frustrating.

I've had headaches all week, which has kept me from reading, so I have some major catching up to do. I started reading Emma, and my goal is to have it done by a week from Sunday because KCPT is airing a movie version that night. Out of 55 chapters, I have read two. I know what I'll be doing this weekend!

My determination kept me from using my headaches as an excuse not to work out, and I managed to get all of my workouts in this week. I'm using the Biggest Loser 30-Day Jump Start DVD, and it's kicking my butt! I've also spent 30-40 minutes working out at the ROC Fitness Center every day, which is also kicking my butt. My feet hurt so bad I think I would welcome amputation. Now that I've put in the work, what kind of results did I get? Well, if you watch Biggest Loser, you know that week two is notoriously bad for weight loss. My week two wasn't horrible, but it wasn't as good as I was hoping for. I lost .8 pounds bringing my total loss to 3.4 pounds in two weeks, which I'm proud of.

Hopefully week three will be a better one!

The Blogging Church

A few weeks after starting a blog and Facebook and Twitter accounts for my church, I decided I should know how to make the most of them, so I went to Amazon.com to find some good reads. I made a list of about 75 books that I want to read, but only ended up buying two: The Blogging Church by Brian Bailey and Less Clutter. Less Noise. by Kem Meyer. Those two books moved from flat surface to flat surface in my house for a couple months until I decided to add them to my 2010 reading list. And being the nerd that I am, I was actually reading The Blogging Church when the new year began.

The Blogging Church gives a great overview of the what, why, and how of blogging. So much that if you are an experienced blogger and have decent computer skills, you'll be able to skim and possibly skip several chapters. If you've never blogged before and you want to begin, buy this book, even if you aren't blogging for church. The same principles will still apply.

I think when people start writing about technology it's easy to get wordy, but Brian kept a good pace going throughout the whole book, and to help break up the book, after every few chapters is a five question interview with a blogger and/or pastor, all of whom had a slightly different take on blogging.

The great part about this book is that it tells you what to do, but the best part about this book is that it tells you what not to do in "Build a Really Bad Blog." That was my favorite chapter of the entire book because I have done a lot of those things and probably will still commit a few offenses here and there.

I'm not an avid non-fiction reader, but I do enjoy a book I can learn and grow from, and that's what I got out of The Blogging Church. It made me excited about my job, the church's blog, and my church, as well as excited about my own blog.

Well begun is half done

According to my mom, Mary Poppins was my favorite movie as a kid. Looking back on things, it shows!

I didn't mind cleaning my room because "Snap! The job's a game." My sister and I would sip our cough syrup from the sides of our spoons, although the flavors were never strawberry or lime cordial. I love umbrellas, but I have never found one that will take me up into the air. Carousels used to freak me out and I never knew why, but it's probably because I thought the horses were going to jump off the ride and take off into the countryside. Probably my favorite part about the movie is how much Uncle Albert (Ed Wynn) reminds me of my grandpa. The resemblance in appearance and laugh is uncanny.

I watched Mary Poppins the other day while struggling to write a few articles for a newsletter, and something struck me in the movie: "Well begun is half done." I'm not sure if I got it from the movie or it's just my obsessive compulsive tendencies, but I cannot finish writing anything unless it is well begun. I have struggled with newspaper articles until I had the perfect lead, and the introduction to research papers had to be written before the rest of the pages could flow.

But this week I painfully tried to ignore that writing philosophy. I threw together some empty phrases to get me started and I tried to begin attacking the middle paragraphs. Let me just say that four days later, the article was still not written. This morning I deleted all of the nonsense I had previously written and set out to begin again. About twenty minutes later, I had my opening paragraph done, half of the article written, and the rest of the article in my head.

Mary had it right all along. I guess she really is practically perfect in every way!

The Rabbit Attack

There I was minding my own business at my parents' house when out of nowhere my sister's 8-foot-tall rabbit hurdled toward me and ripped my hand off at the wrist.

Well, maybe that's not how it happened.

Over the years, my family has had dogs, cats, fish, turtles, rats, frogs, guinea pigs, rabbits, chickens, and ducks. I've been beaked by a chicken, bitten by dogs, clawed by cats, and had allergic reactions to rats (go figure!), but never in my life have I been so mistreated by any living creature than I was last night by my little sister's Champagne d'Argent rabbit, Antoinette.

Rabbits are supposedly cuddly little woodland creatures that avoid human contact because they are poor, defenseless animals. WRONG! I attempted to pick up this poor, defenseless animal when it began flailing its front paws in the air while digging its back feet into my flesh. My knee-jerk reaction was the drop the monster, and, luckily, for her sake, she landed on the couch. Needless to say, Antoinette and I will not be exchanging pleasantries any time soon. I spent the rest of the evening without feeling in two of my fingers and with excruciating pain from the impaled area on my wrist.


Everyone roots for Bugs Bunny, but I'm with Elmer Fudd. He's had it right all along.

Week 1: So Far, So Good

We are officially one week into the new year and I have already made some notable progress toward my goals.

The rewarding feeling of extreme stiffness in my legs is a result of working out every day this week, both at the gym and at home. After today, I'll only have to work out 95 more times this year to get that snazzy t-shirt I have my eyes on. According to the scale, the hard work is paying off. I am down 2.5 pounds this week. That may not sound like a lot (especially when you watch The Biggest Loser and they're dropping 15-30 pounds in the first week), but that's a pretty good number for me. I'd be ecstatic if I could lose that every week!

I am almost done with my first book of the year - The Blogging Church. I'm very excited about everything I'm learning and how I'm going to apply it to First Baptist Raytown's blog. I had to laugh because there was an entire chapter about building a bad blog, and I'm pretty sure they checked out our blog before writing it. The FBR Blog is fine for the first blog the church has had, but it is incredibly horrible in the grand scheme of the blogosphere. I'm hoping to change that. Check out the progress at fbrblog.wordpress.com.

Well, one week down. Fifty one to go. As long as my legs don't feel like this the whole time, I think it's going to be a very productive year.

I am resolved

I am resolved not to have New Year's resolutions this year; instead, I have decided to set goals for 2010. I have compiled a list of goals that include such stereotypical items as losing weight, reading more, and becoming debt-free. Why do I think you care? I don't think you care. In fact, I know you don't; however, I also know that if I write down my goals where someone else can see them, those goals are more likely to be reached. So what are these goals?

1. Blog at least twice a week. One down for this week!

2. Become debt-free. Thankfully I never had a huge amount hanging over my head, but I'm much more keen on the idea of no amount.

3. Save more and spend less. I've found that I spend a lot on really ridiculous things like tons of movies and books, which I have no time to watch or read.

4. Read at least 24 books. I love to read, but never make time to do it. The goal is to read at least 12 fiction books and 12 non-fiction books this year. (Seeing as how goal #3 has already been set, my reading list will be comprised of books I already own.)

5. Lose 30 pounds. I took off 20 pounds in six months last year, so I think I'm up to the challenge of 30 pounds in 12 months. (I say that now, but when the cookies start calling, I might be singing a different tune.)

6. Become a ROC Star. No, I don't mean a rockstar. I have no ambition of singing in front of anyone. If I work out 100 times in 2010 at the ROC Fitness Center, I'll be named a ROC Star and get a snazzy t-shirt ... and bragging rights of course!

I think that's enough to keep me busy for a year. I'll help fulfill goal #1 by blogging occasionally about my progress on goals #2-6, so hopefully, for your sake, my progress will be speedy and full of interest.