LaLa's Bucket List

New Blog!

2010-04-06T11:30:00.000-07:00

After pretty much every life change possible (with the exception of children) in the past year, I decided it was time to renovate my blog. And with a new last name, that also included changing my domain name. So, without further ado, I give you:

Two newlywed's adventures in home renovations, traveling and experiencing life together.

Check it out, and please switch your bookmarks, RSS feeds, etc. to lauraellerbroek.blogspot.com. I will be posting over there from now on. Enjoy!

Cake Pedestals

2010-04-01T21:23:00.000-07:00

After my post about the mobile cupcakery, my friend Steph offered to pick up some cake pedestals from Costco for me. Here they are...

How adorable are those!?! And the best part... They're only $20 for the pair! Now I just need to find a fantastic cake recipe so I have something to put on them!

Gorgeous Photos + Adorable Cupcakes = Drooling Laura

2010-03-22T14:19:00.000-07:00

Check out these gorgeous photos shot by Jose Villa of the Enjoy Cupcakes mobile cupcakery. These images just make me happy. And hungry...

For real this time...

2010-03-21T22:28:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I think it's time I jump back on the blog bandwagon. Philip and I have been super busy working on our house, so I have tons of projects to post about, complete with before and after pics. And we have also been doing quite a bit of traveling, so I'll have some fun reviews and photos from all those trips! But before I dive into all that, I'm feeling the need to update my blog a bit, including the name. I would love to hear any ideas you come up with, as I'm terrible at naming. Please share your thoughts, and I'm looking forward to sharing what I've been up to for the past year! Cheers!

I'm BAAAAAAACK!

2009-10-06T08:50:00.000-07:00

Hello all! Sorry for the long furlough. Apparently getting married and planning a honeymoon to Europe takes a significant amount of preparation :) Now that I actually have some time to breathe, I can get back to my blogging. Over the next few weeks I'll update you on everything that happened over last six amazing months. Until then, I'll leave you with this passage that's been working on my heart this morning.
Mrs. Ellerbroek :)

John Ashcroft wrote that in order to clean up New York City, "Rudolph Giuliani started by going after the little things. 'I am a firm believer in the theory that "minor" crimes and "quality of life" offenses are all part of the larger picture,' he explains. Among the first elements to go were the 'Squeegee Men,' drug-addicted and shady-looking riffraff who personified New York's rough edge. Armed with a soiled rag and a dirty bottle of watered-down Windex, these men would bully and badger motorists for money.

"Giuliani said, 'We're not going to put up with this anymore,' and he brought this intimidation to an end. He then declared war on graffiti, subway panhandlers, loitering, broken windows, and petty vandalism - minor offenses that would have gone unnoticed in days past while the police force was overwhelmed with homicides and violent crime. But Guiliani had a hunch: If you send out a signal that you won't tolerate these minor offenses, people will get the idea that the major offenses will be treated even more seriously.... It worked. Giuliani has been successful in reducing crime beyond all expectations."

What if we began the same policy concerning the "city" of our hearts? If we declare war on the "minor" sins, surely the major sins won't be able to lodge in our cities and defile the quality of our walk with God.

Live Fearlessly - A Study in the Book of Joshua
Lenya Heitzig and Penny Rose

Wedding Website

2009-03-25T20:55:00.000-07:00

I recently put together a fun little website containing wedding details for our guests, using a WordPress blog. (As a web development sidenote, I'm loving WordPress as a content management system!) We're still adding content, but feel free to check it out at www.lauralovesphilip.com. Enjoy!

Engagement Photos

2009-03-20T15:00:00.000-07:00

Phil and I just had the pleasure of having our engagement photos taken by Kimberly Bee of Kimberly Bee Photography. I absolutely love her work and have followed her blog for awhile now. She has such a creative eye and incredible Photoshop skills. I'm so thrilled that she will also be flying to Sioux Falls to take our wedding photos for us! So, below are a few of our photos, taken in Carefree, Arizona. They have yet to be edited with Kimberly's fancy Photoshop skills, but you get the idea. Love, love, love!

Conference IQ Website Redesign

2009-03-01T14:50:00.000-08:00

I have completed a site refresh for Conference IQ, an online meeting product. The only challenge on this was keeping the design within a Joomla template that was already in place. Even despite that, I'm really happy with the final layout. I designed the homepage and the secondary page template, and the client took it from there and loaded their content. Check it out at www.ConferenceIQ.com.

Engaged!

2009-02-01T16:28:00.000-08:00

I'm sure most of you have already heard, but if not, I'M ENGAGED!!! Philip proposed to me on my birthday, January 27th. He took me to the Westin, where he had kissed me for the first time over a year ago after I beat him in Shuffleboard :) When we first arrived we ordered a glass of wine and went out to the firepit. There he gave me my birthday present, a sweet book of all the reasons he loves me, complete with illustrations! He then said that my golden birthday (27 on the 27th) wouldn't be complete without a little gold :) So he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. And of course my answer was YES!!! We called our parents, and I found out my dad already knew since Phil had asked for his blessing before proposing to me. We then went in and had a wonderful dinner at Deseo, along with a fabulous bottle of wine and dessert. I couldn't have asked for a better birthday celebration. Not only the start to a new year, but a new life with Phil as well.

My ring was designed by Cornelis Hollander.

Movie Review: Bride Wars

2009-01-23T08:49:00.000-08:00

A bunch of girlfriends and I went to see Bride Wars last night. It was good, but I'm also pretty easily entertained. For those of you hoping to see lots of wedding details, gorgeous dresses, beautiful flowers, over-the-top decorations, etc. - this is not the movie for you. The focus was primarily on the relationship between Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway, lifelong friends who end up planning their dream weddings at the Plaza on the same date. It really shows the ups and downs of friendship, but the beauty of having a best girlfriend who's there for you when you need her most. There are some pretty hilarious scenes, as well as some pretty cheesy parts. I don't know if I'd pay $10 to see it in the theater, but it's definitely a renter.

Coldplay and Puppets

2009-01-22T09:43:00.000-08:00

Just saw this Coldplay video. Awesome!!! Artistic, well done, and so different from your typical music video. And it features puppets! How can you not love puppets?! Well, other than the creepy ones...

Taglio Salon Website Launch

2009-01-14T16:14:00.000-08:00

Last night I received final approval to launch the new Taglio Salon website. This project has been many months in the making, but owners of the salon were an absolute pleasure to work with, and I'm thrilled with the final outcome. Please take a look at the site and enjoy :) www.TaglioSalon.com

Unemployed... Sort of...

2009-01-12T14:53:00.000-08:00

On Friday my previous employer, Moses Anshell, did their second round of layoffs, and I unfortunately was one of the people cut. To answer some of the questions I've been asked:

Yes, this did come as a surprise. Although, given the current state of the economy, I don't think anyone feels incredibly secure in their job.

Yes, I was given a severance package. One month pay and health insurance through the end of February.

What's next? I'm currently seeking freelance work. If you or anyone you know has a need for graphic or web design, I can be contacted at lauramiiller@gmail.com or 602.821.3222.

Long-term, I'm strongly considering moving back to Sioux Falls. I would love to be closer to my family, and the economy back home is in much better shape than down here in Phoenix. (And yes, Phil would come with me :)

All in all, I feel incredibly fortunate to not have a family or children that I'm financially responsible for, nor a house or mortgage to worry about. And I'm lucky to have a career that I can immediately begin making money at without having to find another job. I really feel this is a blessing in disguise and know that God has great things in store for me, whether that be moving back to South Dakota to be near my family or working as my own boss. I'm off on the next big adventure!

Phoenix in January

2009-01-09T08:53:00.001-08:00

70 degrees and sunny

New Music Monday

2008-12-01T14:46:00.000-08:00

Today's music is from Lifehouse, their newest song Broken from their album Who We Are. This blogger sums it up best for me: "Sometimes I simply find myself barely holding on… But I’m holding on and that’s the important thing. Christ doesn’t offer us a glamorous easy life, but the knowledge that He’s got things in order and working them out according to His glory is more than OK for me."

The broken clock is a comfort, it helps me sleep tonight
Maybe it can stop tomorrow from stealing all my time
And I am here still waiting, though I still have my doubts
I am damaged at best like you’ve already figured out

I’m falling apart, barely breathing
With a broken heart that’s still beating
In the pain there is healing
In your name I find meaning
So I’m holding on
I’m barely holding on to you

The broken locks were a warning you got inside my head
I tried my best to be guarded but I’m an open book instead
And I still see your reflection inside of my eyes
That are looking for purpose they’re still looking for life

I’m falling apart, barely breathing
With a broken heart that’s still beating
In the pain there is healing
In your name I find meaning
So I’m holding on
I’m barely holding on to you

I’m hanging on another day
Just to see what you will throw my way
And I’m hanging on to the words you say
You said that I will, I will be okay

Broken lights on the freeway left me here alone
I may have lost my way now; haven’t forgotten my way home
I’m falling apart, barely breathing
With a broken heart that’s still beating
In the pain there is healing
In your name I find meaning
So I’m holding on
I’m barely holding on to you

New Music Monday

2008-11-17T23:08:00.000-08:00

I love Bebo Norman. And I really love his new song Britney off his self-titled album. Here's what Bebo has to say about this song: "'Britney' is a song about what our culture says and does to young women these days. It's about the lies we tell them about fame and money and what's beautiful and what will give them life. It's an apology for those lies. But more than that, it's an invitation to the truth about a God who is bigger than the pain this world so often leaves them in." Listen to it here on his MySpace page.

Britney I’m sorry for the lies we told
we took you into our arms and then left you cold
Britney I’m sorry for this cruel, cruel world
we sell the beauty but destroy the girl
Britney I’m sorry for your broken heart
we stood aside and watched you fall apart
I’m sorry we told you fame would fill you up
and money moves the man so drink the cup

I know love goes around the world we know
and you never see it coming back
you never see it coming back
I know love goes around the world we know
and you never see it coming back
but I can see it coming back for you
yes coming back for you

Britney I’m sorry for the stones we throw
we tear you down just so we can watch the show
Britney I’m sorry for the words we say
we point the finger as you fall from grace

I know love goes around the world we know
and you never see it coming back
you never see it coming back
and I know love goes around the world we know
and you never see it coming back
but I can see it coming back for you

yeah, its coming back for you, yeah, its coming back for you,
yeah, its coming back for you, yeah

Britney I do believe that love has come
here for the broken
here for the ones like us
I know love goes around the world we know
and you never see it coming back
you never see it coming back
and I know love goes around the world we know
and you never see it coming back
but I can see it coming back

I know love goes around the world we know
and you never see it coming back
you never see it coming back
I can see it coming back for you

its coming back for you... yeah

Wordless Wednesday

2008-11-05T11:12:00.001-08:00

New Music Monday

2008-11-03T13:48:00.001-08:00

Today's song is All I Can Say by the David Crowder Band, off their second album. Beautiful song. Listen to it here. Enjoy :)

Lord I'm tired
So tired from walking
And Lord I'm so alone
And Lord the dark
Is creeping in
Creeping up
To swallow me
I think I'll stop
Rest here a while

And didn't You see me cry'n?
And didn't You hear me call Your name?
Wasn't it You I gave my heart to?
I wish You'd remember
Where You sat it down

And this is all that I can say right now
And this is all that I can give

I didn't notice You were standing here
I didn't know that
That was You holding me
I didn't notice You were cry'n too
I didn't know that
That was You washing my feet

Happy Halloween all you Mavericks!

2008-10-31T16:25:00.000-07:00

This year I was aiming to win the "Time Capsule" award at work, so I joined my friend Kristen for a very now group costume. Kristen dressed as Sarah Palin, complete with her $150,000 suit and rifle, and I came as her pregnant daughter, Bristol, including baby brother Trig. But this was all in good humor, as I'm a McCain supporter. We had a lot of fun, including lots of "You betcha's" and "Maverick" comments. And now I have a slight inkling into what it must feel like to be preggers. My back is killing me! And for some reason I'm really craving chocolate...

Feel Unconditional Love

2008-10-27T12:30:00.000-07:00

In the movie "Meet Joe Black", Joe asks Quince how he knows his wife loves him. Quince's reply is "Because she knows the worst thing about me and it's okay." Yesterday I got to feel this unconditional love first hand, and it blew me away. What a precious gift, to have another human being model God's love for us. It's a rare and beautiful thing.

Juggle... And more.

2008-10-21T15:42:00.000-07:00

I want to learn how to juggle. Not cause I want to join the circus. But so if I'm ever just standing around holding three or more objects, I can throw them around. That's all.

Now check out these sweet wall graphics sold by blik. Made of PVC, when applied these wall stickers look just like paint, but can be easily removed. And even better, they're only around $40-$50 per kit. A fairly inexpensive way to quickly transform the look of a room! Enjoy!

Wordless Wednesday

2008-10-15T14:39:00.000-07:00

New Music Monday

2008-10-13T16:41:00.000-07:00

Love, love, love this song! This is for my baby - Love you Phil! Everything by Michael Bublé, from his album Call Me Irresponsible.

You're a falling star, You're the get away car.
You're the line in the sand when I go too far.
You're the swimming pool, on an August day.
And You're the perfect thing to see.

And you play your card, but it's kinda cute.
Ah, When you smile at me you know exactly what you do.
Baby don't pretend, that you don't know it's true.
Cause you can see it when I look at you.

And in this crazy life, and through these crazy times
It's you, it's you, You make me sing.
You're every line, you're every word, you're everything.

You're a carousel, you're a wishing well,
And you light me up, when you ring my bell.
You're a mystery, you're from outer space,
You're every minute of my everyday.

And I can't believe, uh that I'm your man,
And I get to kiss you baby just because I can.
Whatever comes our way, ah we'll see it through,
And you know that's what our love can do.

And in this crazy life, and through these crazy times
It's you, it's you, You make me sing
You're every line, you're every word, you're everything.

So, La, La, La, La, La, La, La
So, La, La, La, La, La, La, La

And in this crazy life, and through these crazy times
It's you, it's you, You make me sing.
You're every line, you're every word, you're everything.
You're every song, and I sing along.
Cause you're my everything.
yeah, yeah

So, La, La, La, La, La, La, La
So, La, La, La, La, La, La, La

Learn Italian

2008-10-06T14:00:00.000-07:00

Ever since the first time I visited Europe, I've wanted to learn to speak Italian. Partly because it's a really beautiful language. And partly so that if I ever go back, I can say that I want my sandwich hot or ask for one pound of fresh cherries, without playing charades and getting a blank stare back from the storekeeper, who's thinking "what an idiot."

Chapter 15 in Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert gives the history of the Italian language and why it's so beautiful. The languages of most European countries were determined by the strongest city. Their language became the accepted language of the whole region. Italy was different. Parts of it belonged to France, Spain, the Church, and whoever else conquered a portion of it. Everyone spoke in their own local dialect, and because of all this internal division, no one could communicate with each other. So, in the sixteenth century, a group of Italian intellectuals got together and decided to handpick the most beautiful local dialect and crown it Italian. The chosen dialect was the personal language of the Florentine poet Dante Alighieri some two hundred years earlier. When writing his Divine Comedy in 1321, he shocked the literate world by not writing it in Latin, because he thought it corrupt and elitist. He instead picked up the real Florentine language spoken by the residents of his city, and shaped the vernacular even as he was writing it, calling it il dolce stil nuovo, the "sweet new style."

"The Italian we speak today, therefore, is not Roman or Venetian (though these were powerful military and merchant cities) nor even really entirely Florentine. Essentially, it is Dantean. No other European language has such an artistic pedigree. And perhaps no language was ever more perfectly ordained to express human emotions than this fourteenth-century Florentine Italian, as embellished by one of Western civilizations's greatest poets... The last line of the Divine Comedy, in which Dante is faced with the vision of God Himself, is a sentiment that is still easily understandable by anyone familiar with so-called modern Italian. Dante writes that God is not merely a blinding vision of glorious light, but that He is, most of all, l'amor che move il sole e l'alte stelle... "The love that moves the sun and the other stars."

I'm going to try learning Italian by using the podcasts from LearnItalianPod. If that doesn't work, I might have to break down and fork out the $200+ to get the Rosetta Stone tutorials. Whatever the means, "it's really no wonder that I want so desperately to learn this language."

New Music Monday

2008-10-06T11:35:00.000-07:00

My pick for this week came to me while watching the season premier of Dirty, Sexy, Money, and I haven't been able to get it out of my head since. It's Under Pressure, originally titled People on Streets, by David Bowie and Queen, featured on their 1982 album Hot Space. Great song!!! Little weird at parts, but overall, really fun :) Listen to it here. You may also recognize this as the song that Vanilla Ice sampled the bassline of for his only hit, Ice Ice Baby.

Love love love love love
Insanity laughs under pressure we're cracking
Can't we give ourselves one more chance
Why can't we give love that one more chance
Why can't we give love give love give love give love
give love give love give love give love give love
'Cause love's such an old fashioned word
And love dares you to care for
The people on the edge of the night
And loves dares you to change our way of
Caring about ourselves
This is our last dance
This is our last dance
This is ourselves
Under pressure
Under pressure
Pressure

Wordless Wednesday

2008-10-01T15:52:00.001-07:00

Wordless Wednesday

2008-09-24T15:19:00.001-07:00

New Music Monday

2008-09-22T22:54:00.000-07:00

This weeks song is by tobyMac! You may also know him as 1/3 of the Christian band dc Talk. So I'm loving his song Burn for You. It's off of the album Welcome to Diverse City, released in 2004, and is about the renewed life that tobyMac experienced after adopting his twins. His sound is a combination of rock, funk and hip-hop. Check it out on his website!

I'm a brand new man, I'm a conscious man
I'm a man who's burnin' for you
The mistakes I've made have been chased away to the bottom of the ocean blue
I'm a brand new man in a foreign land, I'm a man who's feelin' that fire
And it's all so clear when I'm standing here at the peak of my desire

So won't you move me like you used to
I want the world to know I burn for you

I feel revived again, I am alive again
(Burnin' for you) You got me lifted and lifted you lift me up
I feel revived again, I'm energized again
(Burnin' for you) You got me lifted and lifted you lift me up

Woke up in a sweat, those ghosts in my head
Had a grip, but I slipped on by
It's a whole new day as the darkness fades
And the sun's climbing in the sky
I concede, my love, that I need your love
I'm before you, a broken man
And it's only you, no substitutes who can renew this soul again

You got me higher than Kilimanjaro
Got me believin' I can "save the day"
I'm up and running like their ain't no tomorrow
I'd rather burn for you than fade away
I'd rather burn for you than go my way

I'm a whole new guy with a whole new vibe
Changed inside - more flame in the fire
Can't stop, won't stop praying for desire
Like the bunny on the screen feel so energized
Old shell gone without a trace, new face
No more shortness of breath, new pace
Live life now without the taste of fear
TOBYMAC, Double Dutch now let the smoke clear

Europe!!!

2008-09-15T16:02:00.000-07:00

Phil and I are beginning to plan a trip to Europe this spring. I've been there before and had the chance to visit Barcelona, Florence, Venice and Dublin, all of which I loved. Phil has never been to Europe. So, we're trying to figure out where to all go while we're there. I would like to visit a few cities that I haven't been to before, but I also don't want Phil to miss out on anything great. We've also talked about possibly doing a Mediterranean cruise. So this is where you come in. If you've been to Europe, please share with us your favorite cities/countries. We'd love your help in planning our trip! Grazie tante!

New Music Monday

2008-09-15T13:00:00.000-07:00

Anyone who knows me knows how much I love music. So, every Monday I'm going to post a "new to me" song. Something that's been stuck in my head lately. So, to kick it off, we'll start with a tune by Phil Wickham. He's an amazing, up-and-coming Christian artist who got his start leading worship for his youth group at age 12. He's now 24 and recently released his sophomore album, Cannons. The first single from this album, Divine Romance, definitely caught my attention. His more recent release, True Love, is an incredibly powerful song that invites listeners to hear the story of the Gospel. You can check it out on his MySpace page. You can also download a live version of Cannons for free on his website. Enjoy!

Come close listen to the story
about a love more faithful than the morning
The Father gave his only Son just to save us

The earth was shaking in the dark
All creation felt the Fathers broken heart
tears were filling heaven's eyes
The day that true love died, the day that true love died
When blood and water hit the ground
Walls we couldn't move came crashing down
We were free and made alive
The day that true love died, The day that true love died

Search your heart you know you can't deny it
Come on, lose your life just so you can find it
The Father gave his only son just to save us

The earth was shaking in the dark
All creation felt the Fathers broken heart
tears were filling heaven's eyes
The day that true love died, the day that true love died
When blood and water hit the ground
Walls we couldn't move came crashing down
We were free and made alive
The day that true love died, The day that true love died

Now, Jesus is alive

Jesus is alive
Oh, He is alive
He rose again

When blood and water hit the ground
Walls we couldn't move came crashing down
We were free and made alive
The day that true love died, The day that true love died

Come close listen to the story

Wipout

2008-09-11T11:41:00.000-07:00

I freaking love this show :) Maybe it reminds me of creating my own obstacle courses as a kid. Or it's just really enjoyable to watch other people look like idiots. Either way, it's laugh till you cry, pee your pants kind of funny. During this week's episode, the most hilarious part was on the dreadmill. The contestants had to wear a pair of goofy goggles (which screw up your depth perception, kind of like being drunk), while running on a gigantic treadmill while trying to dodge traffic cones. Basically, the contestants would trip and fall over the cones before they even knew they were in front of them, and then fly off the end of the dreadmill into a big pool of mud, LOL. The best was semi-pro baseball player, Thomas Lynum, who looked like a little league player about to tackle the cones. The cones won. If you haven't already, you should definitely watch this show. It's on ABC on Tuesdays at 8:00 (7:00 Central). Or you can check out past episodes online. Plus, the hosts, John Henson and John Anderson, are HILARIOUS!!! :)

Wordless Wednesday

2008-09-10T23:10:00.000-07:00

Learning to Golf

2008-08-22T17:19:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Phil taught me how to golf! Or at least how to drive. Here is what I learned:

1. Swing the club straight back, not behind me.
2. Keep my left elbow straight and caulk the club with my wrist.
3. Swing through with my hips following.
4. Keep my head down.
5. Follow straight through.

I did awesome! I only missed the ball one time. And most of my hits were right down the center, about 100 yards out. And most importantly, I had fun, mainly because Phil is a great teacher :)

After one more practice tonight, I'll be putting my skills to use, probably sooner than I should. Phil and I are in a golf tournament tomorrow morning, Chipping Away at Cancer at the Legacy Golf Resort. I'm really excited, although I doubt the rest of our foursome will feel the same after they find out I just started playing golf this week, and this will essentially be my first time playing on a course. Luckily it's best ball. I don't really know what that means, but apparently it's a good thing. I'm primarily there to provide entertainment and a good laugh :) Wish me luck!

UPDATE: The golf tournament was a blast! I had so much fun and really started catching on towards the end. The highlight of my day was hitting a 125 yard drive and landing it on the green! Overall, it was a really great day and I learned a lot. I'll definitely be doing a lot more golfing :)

Wordless Wednesday

2008-08-20T21:49:00.000-07:00

Be Silent

2008-08-13T21:49:00.000-07:00

I'm working on the art of being slow to speak and quick to listen. In order for that to happen, I need to talk less. Therefore, I'm taking my good friend Jana's lead and starting Wordless Wednesdays, despite my long post this morning :) So, here it goes...

Don't Indulge in Anger

2008-08-13T09:53:00.000-07:00

"...Anger is not an emotion I will allow myself to indulge in." said Hugh McCutcheon after the stabbing death of his father-in-law, Todd Bachman, at the Beijing Olympics. This statement has repeated itself in my mind many times over the last few days. How do you not indulge in anger? When someone takes credit for your work? After someone you once loved takes nearly everything you ever owned? When half of a double-wide driving down the interstate takes up two lanes and the car in front of you in the only other lane is driving 55?!?

The worst part of my anger is that I hold it inside, and let it eat me alive. So I can understand Hugh's statement, because my anger hurts no one but myself. So what's the point? There is none. But how do you NOT indulge in anger? I try to stuff it down and distract myself, but it always resurfaces. I try to talk it through, but it only gets me more worked up, and I don't want to be a person who is constantly spewing negative thoughts. Unfortunately, I think our society somewhat encourages this anger. "An eye for an eye." We let our emotions direct our actions. But I want to be the exception to this, like Hugh, because anger only leads to evil. But again the question... How?

The only thing I can come up with is prayer. Because I can't do this myself, I can't change my emotions. But my God is bigger than me. He alone can make me "slow to anger and abounding in love." Because ultimately, it's not about the person who wronged me. My anger consumes me alone. And I refuse to be consumed by anger. So I'll pray. That God will change my heart. That he'll make me quick to forgive. That I can live a life full of joy rather than anger.

"For man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires." ~ James 1:20

Waxing my Car

2008-08-06T13:45:00.000-07:00

So I've always wanted to wax my car. People that do this themselves talk about it with such excitement, planning their whole weekend around it. I've never really understood it, but was always curious about it. My boyfriend is one of those people. He's been talking about waxing his truck pretty much since I met him. So this last weekend it finally happened. I'm walking around his house and can't find him. So I go out to the garage. Sure enough, he's busy applying the wax to his truck. Mine's next, he tells me. I go back in the house. After thinking about it, I want in on the action! I want to know what this secret little club is all about. So when it's time to remove the wax, I go out to help. He gives me a terry cloth, and I begin wiping the wax off my car, trying to remember everything I learned from Karate Kid. Wax on, wax off. This is pretty fun! And certainly a good arm workout. By the time I'm done, my car is so shiny I can see my reflection in it. It's beautiful, like a Ferrari. Except it's not. Just an Altima. But beautiful none the less. I get it now. It's about pride. And a big smile every time I look at my shiny car.

I wish my car didn't smell like urine.

2008-08-01T12:04:00.001-07:00

Seriously. I think a disgruntled employee at Danny's Carwash peed in the glass cleaner. Or just straight-up in my car. Now everyday when I get in my car, after it's baked in the sun for 9+ hours, it smells like a sauna powered with urine. Lovely. It's like that episode of Seinfeld, where Jerry gets his car back from valet and it smells like B.O. Then him and Elaine start smelling like it. That's how I feel. Like Pigpen with a cloud of piss around me. Especially when my boyfriend curls up next to me the other night and says "What is that smell?" "Oh, it's just urine honey."

So I'm not sure whether I should:

1.) Go back to the carwash and complain. But then they might leave a big turd in my car. To give me something to REALLY complain about.
2.) Febreze the piss out of my car (literally) and buy one of those cheap pinetree air fresheners. Or...
3.) Sell my car

How much would you pay for a car that smells like urine?

Acoustic Guitar

2008-07-31T15:11:00.000-07:00

I've always found the acoustic guitar to be completely irresistible. Nothing beats the simplicity of an acoustic performance. Some of my favorite songs are just a beautiful voice and guitar. Ani DiFranco "Both Hands," James Blunt "Fall at your Feet," Tristan Prettyman "Melting," Howie Day "Ghost" (old skool), Dave Matthews "#41," and of course, my good buddy Kethro. After constantly listening to all of these incredibly talented musicians, it's pretty intimidating, but I'd really like to learn to play the acoustic guitar. If nothing else, it'd give me an even stronger appreciation for those musicians. But I'm hoping that it'll be yet another creative outlet for me, and maybe even a good stress reliever. Don't hold your breath waiting for me to start singing while playing though. Perhaps that's where some of my hesitation comes from, I'm pretty self-conscious about my voice. Now, rocking out to Real McCoy while cruizin down the freeway is a different story. But singing in front of people, no thanks. I think I'll hide behind my guitar. If I had one. In which case, I'd get something like this Takamine, with a natural, reddish finish. Because it's pretty :) Anywho, I think that will be my little project for the evening, to have Phil teach me the basics of playing acoustic guitar. Then fall asleep to him playing for me. My fav.

Ad School

2008-07-30T12:18:00.000-07:00

So the first dream on my "bucket list" began nearly two years ago, and just resurfaced this morning. On my ride to work I was talking to my good friend Kristen about her educational experience. After graduating from college with a degree in advertising, she attended the Miami Ad School for a 12-week boot camp in Account Planning. This intense, 7 days-a-week program trains students to be the strategic brains behind creative solutions. The account planning piece of this is a relatively new interest of mine (more on this in a later post). But I've been intrigued by ad school ever since I came across the online portfolio of Dave Werner. Absolutely incredible. Never has any website been so inspiring to me. I guess my hope is that by attending an ad school (Dave graduated from Portfolio Center in Atlanta), I can someday be as creative and imaginative as he is. But really, I just like the challenge. I miss that fast-paced, sweat and tears excitement of school and the passionate people I'd be surrounded by. I yearn for that creative stimulation. Plus, the thrill of moving somewhere like San Francisco, even for just a short time, is almost more than enough to persuade me to apply!

Welcome to my blog...

2008-07-30T11:51:00.001-07:00

...and a peak inside my head. Anyone who knows me well, knows my passion for life and all the opportunities it provides. I'm the kid who changes her mind everyday about what she wants to do when she "grows up." Mostly because I want to do everything. I want to see and experience everything possible. I'm the first in line for any and every activity, the social planner for my circle of friends with a calendar full of events. So here will be a compilation of my dreams, aspirations, and a few occasional ramblings. A "bucket list" of sorts. My hope is that you'll let your imagination run wild with me, and perhaps join me on my next adventure :)