it’s almost time!

Some of my favorite moments of Eclipse that should be in the movie:

“I’ll be back so soon you won’t have time to miss me. Look after my heart— I’ve left it with you” -Edward

“It’s not like love at first sight, really. It’s more like… gravity moves. When you see her, suddenly it’s not the earth holding here anymore. She does. And nothing matters more than her. And you would do anything for her, be anything for her…. You become whatever she needs you to be, whether that’s a protector, or a lover, or a friend, or a brother” -Jacob

“I prefer brunettes” -Edward

“I promise to love you forever— every single day of forever. Will you marry me?” -Edward

And because I prefer Jacob [based on the books, of course ]:

“My fingers tightened in his hair, but I was pulling him closer now. He was everywhere. The piercing sunlight turned my eyelids red, and the color fit, matched the heat. The heat was everywhere. I couldn’t see or hear or feel anything that wasn’t Jacob. The tiny piece of my brain that retained sanity screamed questions at me. Why wasn’t I stopping this? Worse than that, why couldn’t I find in myself even the desire to want to stop? That my hands clung to his shoulders, and liked that they were wide and strong? That his hands pulled me too tight against his body, and yet it was not tight enough for me? The questions were stupid, because I knew the answer. I’d been lying to myself. Jacob was right. He’d been right all along. He was more than just my friend. That’s why it was so impossible to tell him goodbye— because I was in love with him.” -Bella

I am really hoping Eclipse is better than New Moon and Twilight. I was rather disappointed in New Moon… I guess I will be finding out Tuesday/Wednesday at 12:01 am! Yay!

dentist, i abhor thee.

i seriously dislike the dentist. like most people, my idea of fun does not involve sitting in the dentist chair while someone pokes around in my mouth.

i also try super hard to take good care of my teeth. but it seems no matter what i do there is always something that needs to be fixed. always. i even had those sealant things put on my teeth when i was a teenager, and they did NOT work. i think i grind my teeth, so they may have worn off, but goodness! never fails, i always have something.

before last year, it had been about 6 years since i had been to the dentist. dental work is expensive and my parents didn’t have dental insurance. so, i didn’t go. last year, i was provided with dental insurance through my job and finally went. as you may have guessed, i had a lot of work to get done. did i mention i hate going to the dentist?

last year i had some stuff done and am finishing it up this summer. generally if you have insurance, they bill you for the amount you owe. they did last year, so when i went today, i was expecting the same thing. they proceeded to tell my they are trying to get away from billing and that i was required to pay the balance then. um, come again? i am glad these people think i have a few hundred laying around to pay for their services. [thankfully, i do, but still.] what if someone didn’t? because we don’t use any credit cards, if i didn’t have the money then, what would they do? if you are expected to pay in full at the time of services, they should inform their patients. most people cannot afford to drop several hundred on dental work at one time. it is customary if you have insurance to be billed for the balance. and you can either pay a little at a time, or in full when you receive your bill.

they also overprice EVERYTHING! a little tiny filling generally cost about $60… not there! it is around $100+. i hate it for the people who really need a lot of care and no insurance. how can they even pay for all that? it is just not fair to penalize everyone for a few people that may not pay their bills. i pay mine. and i pay it on time.

i also, may or may not be passive aggressive.

but! my birthday is tomorrow and i am going to eat at pie in the sky with the fam! i LOVE the buffalo chicken pizza from there. best. thing. ever. [salivating just thinking about it... or maybe it's cause my mouth is numb?]

and next tuesday at midnight, i will be in line with a ton of crazy girls going to see ECLIPSE at MIDNIGHT!!!!!!!!!!! yay!

burn, baby, burn.

If you have ever been driving on Interstate 74 through Ohio, there’s a slight chance you would have seen this:

[you really can't miss a huge Jesus statue on the side of the interstate]

I thought it was ridiculous the first time I saw it. I laughed for a good 10 minutes of the sight of this statue of Jesus. Not that I think Jesus is ridiculous, but spending $250,000+ on a statue in His likeness? That I think is ridiculous.

And in a bit of irony Monday night, lightning stuck the statue. And the statue burned leaving only an ashy frame.

[above photos AP]

Now, I certainly hate that the church had to deal with a fire… and the damage it caused. but, let’s be honest. This is funny.

and adding to the ironically funny situation is this 911 call:

Caller: Reports a “bolt of lightning” has hit the statue.

Dispatcher: “Jesus is on fire”

Caller: “I swear to God, this not a prank … I am serious. I just saw it get struck by lightning.”

Dispatcher: “I believe you.”

Caller: “I know it’s not funny, but literally his one hand is on fire.”

Another Caller: “Lightning hit the touchdown Jesus monument, it’s flaming.”

[You can even watch the "Touchdown Jesus" burn to cheesy music]

lately…

as spring arrives and summer draws near, my job gets extra crazy. when the weather gets warmer most kids seem to get… crazier. chaos in the classroom is something to expect this time of year. add on top of that an end of the year play and transitioning to a new playground (the BIG kid playground) and you have full blown insanity. though, i do love this time of year because summer break is just around the corner.

i have some added responsibilities at my job now. i am the director of the 4’s play and the hard job of being the door coordinator two days a week in the afternoons. i have to listen for the kids’ names and get them lined up to leave in the right order. it is absolutely crazy. i don’t know half of the kids names… and then sometimes they all rush up at the same time… the teachers are talking… the kids aren’t paying attention… you have the slow pokes who take like 10 minutes to get up to the line…. and then sometimes everything can be right and there’s a last minute name added and it messes everything up. i don’t know how the previous person did it all without writing down the names. i would get lost after the second child was called. i am just thankful that most of the time i get it 90% right.  and understanding co-workers if i mess it up. and i am ever so thankful that i have a job that i enjoy. even with the added stresses this semester

and on the home front we have been working hard to get our basement finished after all the flood damage. the media room is painted and carpeted. we now have to re-tile the bathroom, paint it and maybe replace the vanity. i will be thankful when it is complete and we can have people over again. i miss our entertaining space. since nathan and i got married, i have had 3 vehicles. the toyota was a great car, but we upgraded to the audi. turned out to be a piece of work. we had so many problems with it. it is currently sitting in our garage waiting to be fixed up to be sold. and now i have the x-terra. it has been pretty good, with a few minor issues… well, “minor” turns into big issues in a 10 year old vehicle. we took it in to get the AC fixed and turns out to be a bigger problem… my engine is about to go. so… now it is time to purchase vehicle number 4. haha… what can you do? it’s a hit or miss kinda thing when you buy used cars. hopefully our next purchase will be better. *hopefully*

nathan and i have been doing research on our family history. nathan has found out some really cool stuff on his side. unfortunately, we have not been able to trace back far on my side due to lack of information and my family only being here in the country for just the past century or so. the most interesting thing and heart breaking thing we discovered was that many of my great-great aunts and uncles were killed in the holocaust. we were able to find which camp they were sent to and what area of Germany they lived in. luckily, my great grandfather was able to get out of Germany pretty early. i can’t imagine growing up in that time as a jewish person. it must have been terrifying.

and LOST. the past several episodes have been great. i especially LOVED richard’s episode. so great to finally see a back story on him. and DESMOND is back!!! i am so sad to see the show end soon, but i am so so excited to find out what is going on. it has been an exciting and mysterious journey. i don’t even know what i am going to do with myself once it is over.

so… that’s me lately. a lot of boring stuff

how have YOU been lately?

here’s the thing…

earthquakes and tsunamis happen. disasters happen. and even if they happen close to each other does not mean the end times are coming, people. biblical proportions? i call it nature.

and it is devastating. but the end of the world? i think not.

stop being dramatic and DO something. donate. volunteer. pray.

jacob. jacob.

i was looking at LOST shirts and found this. the description says, “this jacob doesn’t sparkle”

ummm… neither does the other one. he’s a werewolf (technically, shape shifter). only vampires sparkle. duh.

[me=dork]

always thinking.

sometimes i am really on top of things… like today for instance when i locked my keys in my car. always thinking.

today was the first day i was able to leave my house since thursday. i had to take my car in to the shop on thursday, was unable to pick it up on friday due to the snow… six inches of snow and ice later, nathan was also unable to get his car out of our steep driveway. despite the warmer temps today, our driveway is STILL covered and our roads are still icy and snowy in parts… and all that slush will re-freeze tonight. nathan spent about an hour or so trying to clear a path to get out of our driveway. with a little bit of work (fish tailing and all) we were able to get it out. FINALLY! out of the house! we got my car and i had to park on the street to avoid the crazy snowy driveway… i got out of my car to check around to make sure i’d have enough traction in the morning… and then, i locked and closed my door. DOH. the key was definitely still in the ignition. nice. way to use my brain, right?!

i was looking up locksmith prices while nathan looked up videos to break into the car with a coat hanger and discovered this helpful article. i decided to call the nissan dealership and they were able to make me a door key. it only cost $7.00. that’s right. $7. WAAYYY cheaper than getting a locksmith to come out. i still feel stupid, but not nearly as stupid as i would of felt out on our street with a locksmith. and now, i share this story with you incase you ever lock yourself out of your car and have no spare key. first, get a spare key. if you don’t have one, call the dealership. if you have your title and identification you can mostly likely get a key made. nissan was very helpful and it was definitely a cheaper alternative to a locksmith.

and… unfortunately my snow days come to an end tomorrow. school is going to resume. i am a little anxious with the freezing temperatures again tonight and all the snow and ice still left on our streets… here’s to hoping i am successful in making it to work in the morning!

and of course….

TOMORROW! TOMORROW! TOMORROW!

LOST! LOST! LOST!

good.

i have been thinking about this a lot lately…

many people think that young people today are so wild, out of control and are just corrupted by all the junk in the world. and that may be true for a lot of young people. sex is in their faces all the time. alcohol and drugs aren’t as hard to get as some people think. they live in a world that is so “me” driven. bad stuff is there. it happens. but, there are a lot of good kids too.

when i was a youth leader at belle aire, the girls weren’t concerned with sex and partying like a lot of girls their age. they may have been concerned with boys from time to time, but more than that, they were concerned about being a light in a dark place. they wanted to be an example in their school. they wanted to show people Jesus. and that is true about a lot of the young people i know. there is a passion to be good. to be different. to be set apart.

i am one of 4 young people working at the school i teach at. most of the women are in their late 30’s and older. they have children, some of which are teenagers. they are always so concerned with them going out or being with the opposite sex. i, from time to time chime in, explaining some of the decisions and experiences i had when i was in high school. when i told them i went to a co-ed sleep over you can only imagine the shock that they had that my mom actually allowed it. i also had two guys friends stay over one night with another friend that was a girl. and nothing happened. at the co-ed party there was no making out or drinking. we ate pizza and watched a movie, then we went to bed. when my friends stayed over, we just hung out and eventually went to bed. i didn’t drink in high school. my friends didn’t drink. i didn’t have sex, my friends didn’t have sex. we were good kids. some of my friends didn’t make the best choices. they weren’t all “goody goody” christian kids. i had friends that smoked pot and drank. but when i hung out with them and there were opportunities to do those same things, i chose not to. teenagers can make good decisions.

in a world full of a sex driven media and having it right at our finger tips, many people think that people saving themselves for marriage is a thing of the past. but not for me. i have photographed several weddings in the past couple years and the majority of girls had waited. and the majority of the girls that i am friends with that have gotten married recently have too. there are young people making good decisions. there are people who are trying their absolute best to live they way Christ wants them to live. in a world full of sin there are actually people that are good.

there are plenty of young people that are so passionate about our planet and the people that are suffering in other countries. they want to make the earth a better place for generations to come. they want to give people clean water and a decent life. they want to stop the poverty that people face. just take the recent earthquake that devastated Haiti and the many generous donations given to help and you can see that so many young people are good–even if they may not be making the decisions that their parents or other people agree with.

but, i suppose good is a relative word. what defines good after all? the point is that not all young people are like lindsay lohan and paris hilton. they aren’t constantly being irresponsible and completely careless about their actions and others. there are a lot of young people that are good. there are a lot of young people that have a passion to make this world a better place. there are young people that make sacrifices so others can have a better life. i think good in a christian perspective is different than the worldly perspective. but i think good for everyone is being kind and loving. and making decisions that reflect that.

i guess there will always be someone… some old grumpy person that is cynical about young people and how the world is progressing. but like the former tonight show, conan o’brien said, ”All I ask of you is one thing: please don’t be cynical. I hate cynicism — it’s my least favorite quality and it doesn’t lead anywhere. Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get. But if you work really hard and you’re kind, amazing things will happen.”

good things can happen out of kindness and love. and i know a lot of kind-loving people. and good things most certainly will happen.

nemesis.

remember long long ago when snowbird came to my school?

today when i looked at our schedule, i gazed horrified at the news: snowbird. *shudders* my nemesis was returning. since that horrible day, i have plotted about my evil attack on that stupid penguin. i pictured it a thousand times… snowbird talks in his high pitched snowbird voice and suddenly from the right… POW… i tackle him! i also happen to have this being recorded, naturally, to put on youtube… my revenge will get a million views…

anyway, i stepped out of the room today to get some supplies… and there from around the corner appeared the wee little man himself! no taller than i you see. much like a leprechaun that man, and instead of stealing gold, he steals happiness! i peered at him… NEMESIS! ah yes… the time for the evil plot approaches.

when the time came to take the innocent children to the evil penguin, as fate may have it, we were the first to arrive. i was face to face with the penguin. but the children… witnesses to my evil deed. ohhh but how i abhor him. this was the time!

AND suddenly i sprang forth towards the snowbird!

ok, so… i sat down and smiled slyly.

and as soon as i could i left that room. i could not stand the sight of him! and that VOICE!

as i was walking back in, my co-teacher said, the snowbird was asking “where is that rachael?” did my nemesis remember me? had he too remembered that awful day where he took away a girl’s dream? a penguin? how could a PENGUIN be so hateful?

then she laughed and laughed. he had not remembered me. and with so many witnesses, i could not attack. (and i don’t want to get fired or served….) BUT! this year i will train with many ninjas. and next year when he makes his return, i will be prepared!

Mwa haha ha ha ha!

[dear people of the law, news or nemesis, please understand sarcasm. i wish no harm upon the snowbird (cough cough). sincerely, a hurting girl that just wanted a picture with snowbird many years ago]

picky

as i was enjoying my left over chicken enchilada for lunch today, i thought about all my picky eating habits. and there are a lot of them.

my picky eating generally has more to do with texture than taste. even something like my delicious chicken enchilada can become a bad experience if the chicken is not tender enough. here are some highlights of my picky habits just in case you were ever curious as to why i don’t eat much:

Meat, Poultry and Fish:

• i love [most] chicken. although, i hate eating chicken that is overcooked and chewy. it bothers me to chew meat that long. [shudders] that is one of the reasons i dislike steak. it is much too chewy. and besides, it lacks flavor.
• fish also has a weird chewy texture. and i’m also not too fond of the taste.
• turkey is ok if it moist. otherwise it is that nasty dry chewy thing that i hate.
• ham is mostly fine… just not that salted/cured kind… it is ridiculously hard to eat. much much too chewy.
• hamburgers are probably fine in the flavor department, but in the texture department… no way jose. ground beef makes me shudder.
• but strangely enough, i can manage to eat a hot dog. talk about ironic.

Vegetables:

• first, i don’t like a lot of vegetables. not too much because of flavor, but the texture. i dislike crunchy veggies.
• broccoli is one that i have come to like. but it has to be really tender. and maybe in some cheese. haha
• corn is the only veggie that i eat that is ok with a bit of a crunch.
• green beans are good if they are well seasoned and tender.
• don’t eat salads because i can’t find a dressing that i like
• onions cooked into dishes only bother me if i can feel them when i am eating. if they are crunchy, i will remove them.
• i don’t like tomatoes. i don’t like chunks of tomatoes in pasta sauces. i even prefer to order light sauce on pizzas. and am not fond of red sauce for pasta. ick.
• i like mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes. i don’t like lumpy mashed potatoes. they need to be smooth and seasoned well. however, i will eat it if it is lumpy. i don’t like baked potatoes because they have  a strange texture.

Drinks:

• here’s the thing about drinks… they need to be what i expect them to be. i don’t like chunky surprises. so, that eliminates smoothies and fresh fruit slushies or drinks (like a fresh strawberry lemonade). i don’t like seeds floating around in my beverage.
• i also don’t like really thick beverages. so, no egg nog. but i do like milkshakes because it is ice cream and is supposed to be thick.

Everything Else:

• i have tried and tried to like yogurt. but i just can’t. i haven’t found a flavor that i like.
• i like strawberries, hate those darn seeds. therefore, i rarely eat them.
• like apples, hate how chewy the peel is. therefore, i usually peel the peel off.
• like oranges, dislike the skin-like thing and the tiny seeds.
• can’t stand oatmeal… even chocolate oatmeal cookies
• don’t prefer to eat things with peanuts or any type of nut. the texture is not ok.
• like the taste of popcorn, but can’t stand the texture. it always gets in my teeth. ick. therefore, i don’t eat popcorn. funny fact: i used to just lick popcorn when i was younger.
• corn chips are not my first choice for chips. i eat them now, but am not a fan of the texture.
• i know granola bars are good for me, but i can’t eat them because of the texture. it gets in my teeth and i can’t stand it.
• i love reeses, but sometimes that peanut butter filling has a strange texture.

i know i am ridiculous. but, things with funny textures bother me like crazy. if you think i am bad now, i used to be worse if you can imagine it. i can suck it up and eat a lot of things i dislike now. and have even started liking a lot of new things. so if you were ever wondering my reasoning behind my picky eating habit, there you have it.