The Difficulty of Blogging

One of my goals this year was to blog at least once a week. I wanted to WRITE because I want to WRITE (amazing how that works, eh?) and I did an amazing job at it... for about 2 months. Then things slowly petered out.

I'm sure I'm not the only person who has set a goal and watched it crash and burn. In honor of all of our flaming goals, I'm going to say that my goal REALLY was to blog 52 times this year, minimum. That counts, right?!

In honor of that, and because sometimes I have great lessons from life to share, and others I just... don't... I am going to create a great list of "things to blog about if you don't know what to blog about."

To be fair... I'm stealing some of these from the internet.  There were a ton more here that I didn't steal!

• My Favorite Things - favorite treats and places in DTLV.
• Short Story
• A recent speech
• Link to a TED talk, then share a takeaway
• Interviews
• List of 100 things to do when you're bored
• Bucket List
• Things you'll never do again
• Instead of just listing gifts, pick 3 gifts and talk about them. "Eucharisteo always precedes the miracle!"
• Other questions to ask instead of "How are you?"
• Review a book or movie
• Pet Peeves
• Talk about learning styles or personality styles and how they interact with others
• Share a friend's blog
• Join a link party and blog about that topic (if there is one)

There we go! I now have an official list of things that sound fun to me. What else do YOU write about?

Glitter

This city is crazy, people.

I don't know who designed the Spaghetti Bowl, but they were crazy, too. It's the intersection of I-15, Route 95, and I-515, multiplexed with US 93, and exits to Martin Luther King Blvd. and all of the Downtown Las Vegas exits.

I drive 95 multiple days during the week, usually during rush hour. Sometimes I breeze on through with no problem. Often, I'll have a few weeks with no backups, things going quickly, not even too many dumb drivers out there! And then something happens, usually on I-15, and it backs up everything on 95 because of the multi-lane connector ramps. That's when I park on the freeway, thankful that this isn't an earthquake area (why do I always worry about earthquakes when I'm on bridges or raised freeways!?), and I look at the creepiest billboard with a dead black widow spider on it (don't worry, it's fake).

My favorite part of the Spaghetti Bowl, however, is the fact that it rolls right on over Downtown Las Vegas. And my favorite time to see it is right at dusk.

You see... this city lights up. I know you've seen it all, either in pictures or a visit or maybe you even live here. The neon. The twinkle. The glitz. Some people think it's gaudy, that it's too much, that it's hiding something.

I think... I think it's beautiful.

I always have. I've been to Vegas a few times before moving here and have always felt a swelling excitement looking out the plane window at the lights twinkling below. No, I'm not a drinker or a gambler, but there's always something to do here, and I loved the difference between that and the quietness of my home.

Now that I live here, I love it even more... especially downtown, which has captured my heart.

If you come to Las Vegas, be sure to say hi to me. If you live here, I hope we're already connected. Either way, I hope you give our Downtown, our DTLV, a chance. Hop on the 95 at dusk and catch a glimpse of the magic I get to see. Spend a few minutes at the entrance of Container Park waking up the Praying Mantis. Head down to Fremont East and stand beneath the slipper, reminiscent of a time gone by. Catch City Hall's nightly light show, or the glowing paintbrushes that make up the "corners" of 18b, the Arts District. Catch the fever for the beauty of this place, and then realize that that glow is in the people here, too. And be thankful that you get to be a part of the magic that is happening right now.

This place is crazy. But I love it so.

Are YOU wet?

So apparently I suck at blogging, which is funny because in real life you can't shut me up. Serious. Life has been insane this year, though, which causes a bit of stress, a lot of laughter, and some pretty funny moments.

This is the first Memorial Day Saturday that I'm not at the ocean. Even when I bailed on camping with my friends (talk about freezing and rain galore), I still went and stayed with my parents. Probably the only time in the last 20 years or so that I HAVEN'T been there is when I was in MN.

I'm not there this year because of some health issues, but I also want to be at church tonight. Yes, I truly do love my church. I've enjoyed church before, but never have I just loved to BE there, hanging out with friends, meeting new people, worshiping and loving Jesus. It's good stuff.

Anyway, celebrate with me that it's Memorial Day and I'm not wet... well, my hair IS wet right now, but... the shower caused that--not the rain.

And for the record - YES, I know it's not raining at the ocean right now. But I DID see the picture of Lake de Hume. :)

Emily A to Z

Totally stole this from Mandy. Have been behind in posting AND in reading other blogs, so this is a little fun... So here's a bit about me . . . from A to Z.

A. Age: 32 until June!

B. Bed size: Queen

C. Chore you dislike: Litter box.

D. Dogs: None right now. Poor Gus Gus left us last year... and I won't get another dog until I'm either married or move somewhere with a yard. :(

E. Essential start to your day: a shower

F. Favorite color: Red

G. Gold or silver: Silver

H. Height: 5' 7"ish

I. Instruments you play(ed): Flute, Oboe, Bells/Xylophone, Guitar

J. Job title: Program Manager. Praying for a job title that includes some form of the word "Pastor."

K. Kids: Yeah, not yet.

L. Live: Washington!!

M. Mom’s name: Eileen

N. Nicknames: Emmy, E'my or Em'my or however Mandy spells it, aaaaaaand that's about it.

O. Overnight hospital stays: None!

P. Pet peeves: Bad drivers. Bad grammar. Bad spelling. (I'm sure you don't want me to list them ALL. :))

Q. Quote from a movie: "These mashed potatoes are SO creamy..." No, just kidding. :) I have so many... This one makes me laugh: "I'll tell you what a paramecium is--THAT's a paramecuim! It's a one-celled critter with no brain!! Don't mess with me man, I'm a lawyer!"

S. Siblings: Dad's side: Serry and Gentry - Mom's Side: Jeff, Amy, Scott

T. Time you wake up: 5:30 sucky am

U. Underwear: De-de-definitely

V. Vegetables you don’t like: Pretty sure you should ask which ones I DO like.

W. What makes you run late: Not much. I HATE being late.

X. X-rays you’ve had: I don't remember... The latest one was my left knee.

Y. Yummy food you make: A great macaroni-hamburger-tomato soup

Z. Zoo animal favorites: All of them. We just went to a wildlife park and I had fun watching the Kodiak Bears! :)

Back in the Day....

You know, Facebook does today what we would have never imagined 10 years ago. We can sit on our couches, or in our cars (hopefully not driving!), or at work, and connect with people that normally would have dropped out of our lives years and years ago... but we've somehow reconnected with through the magic of the internet.

This week, I've been amazed, not necessarily at Facebook, but at the fact that I am now "friends" with some people that I normally would have never seen post 1996... unless it was at a high school reunion. And do you want to know the cool thing about it? Most of us have actually grown up. ;)

Seriously... I see the class clown as a loving and devoted Christian father and husband. I'm in awe of the family that another has grown... so beautiful and honest. Some are off on adventures, some are here in Washington, active in their communities and trying to change the world (even when I don't agree with all the changes!).

I think our opportunity today to witness what LIFE does with people, and what people do with their LIVES... well, I think it's pretty neat.

Days 6-8 :)

Day 06 - A picture of a person you'd love to trade places with for a day

I thought of trading places with Obama so that I could repeal the health care law (grin). I thought of trading places with Beth Moore to see what it feels like to do something like she does and be so successful. I thought of trading places with Stefanie from Ni Hao Y'all to see what it's like to have that many kids - with that many adopted, too.

But you know what? God has given me MY life to live. I have my own struggles and difficulties, but... I also have things that are exciting and fun, and if God has chosen for me to not have or do certain things yet, then I want my own experience!



Day 07 - A picture of your most treasured item

OK, first off, I'm too tired to go take a picture of my envelope system, so I'm stealing a pic of someone else's.

THESE are envelopes. You put your money in envelopes (because cash is king!), and you spend it. When it's gone, it's gone. :) I put this as my most treasured possession, not because of the $$ in it (not much there right now, lol), but because of how much and how UNEXPECTEDLY it's changed my life. Gazelle intense, baby. :)



Day 08 - A picture that makes you laugh

This is the ABSOLUTE BEST picture I've ever seen of my little sister. I ♥ it. So much! (G - I'm sorry.... ;) hehehehee)

Day 05 - A picture of your favorite memory

Day 05 - A picture of your favorite memory

OK, there are a LOT to choose from, I decided. ;) But this one? This one was stinking AWESOME. Steven Curtis Chapman in the Live in This Moment Tour... He posted an obscure video hidden on his website telling us to wear or bring something that said "We Are" (as in, "We are the children of God!," in one of his songs). It got those of us who did ON STAGE. In this pic, he's asking who I am and telling me he has a daughter with my name (Yep, I knew that, lol). Later, he came over and put his arm around me as we both sang the chorus into the mic. It was... unforgettable.

BTW - my sign is fingerspelled W-E A-R-E. He kept staring at it when I held it up (while still in the audience), trying to figure out what the heck it was. Then when he got it, he gave a huge grin! :)

Day 4 - A picture of your night

Day 04 - A picture of your night

I love my church. Like... SERIOUSLY love it. We worship Jesus. We talk about Jesus. We encourage and love each other. We discuss the happy stuff, and we discuss the crappy stuff. This is where I spend Saturday nights, and I'm really happy that Day 4 landed here.

Thank You, God, for bringing me to Faith Assembly of Lacey!

30 Day Photo Challenge

So this is a FB challenge, but I'm throwing it on here, too! :)


DAY 1 - A Picture of Yourself with 10 Facts

1. I didn't take a new photo for this picture (I'm a cheater, lol)
2. I would love to buy a quad-line kite - Revolutions are BEAUTIFUL
3. I'm older than I look. MUCH older. Most of you think I'm 24ish. I'm 32.
4. I have 5 siblings.
5. My family has llamas. hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
6. I hate cancer. A lot.
7. My favorite place in the whole wide world is the ocean.
8. I LOVE to read. I'm reading a Dan Miller book right now - SO good!
9. Cross-stitching is SUPER fun.
10. Some of the best friends are pirates. :)




DAY 02 - A picture of you and the person you have been closest with the longest.

BJ and I have been friends since 7th grade. He's totally one of my BFFs (And I just threw the "BFF" out there because it'll bug him, GRIN).


DAY 03 - A picture of the cast from your favorite show

GILMORE GIRLS!
Best. Show. Ever.

SO Excited

OK, maybe you remember me introducing you to Ni Hao Y'all a few weeks ago. Well, she's doing 30 days of giveaways--so many beautiful, handcrafted items. Guess what? I won!!! :) Check out Suzanne's blog: http://onelessbrokenheart.blogspot.com/ Click on the Family Values Canvas link and check out the pics on the right - aren't they FANTASTIC?!

I'll be working on getting mine done--making it custom colors, words, etc. When I DO get it, I'll post pictures. I'm so excited! Now, you need to know this.... She's using the money she raises from making these signs to help bring her little boy Eli home from Ethiopia!!! You should contact her and check out her signs and aprons!! :)

Snow Day!!!

• Outside of my window…. is snow. And ice. And frozenness. BRRRRRR....
  
• I am thankful for… Christmas movies. I've been watching a LOT of the Hallmark channel. A LOT.
  
• I am thinking about… the fact that my eyeballs hurt and I'm really tired.
  
• I am praying for…my future. My husband, my children... those orphans who don't/won't have a mommy until God lets me into their lives.
  
• My projects for the weekend…Christmas and Thanksgiving. The Thanksgiving part is obvious, but I'm starting to decorate for Christmas right now. I just cleaned some parts of my carpet today, so I've got furniture in the middle of the room. When the carpet dries (i.e. tomorrow), I'll have everything rearranged so I can get my Christmas tree next week.
• I am nervous about... The busyness of this next month. Between commitments at church, work, etc., I have to truly focus on God - and the reason WHY I am so busy--how much I love my Jesus and celebrating his birth!!
  

This and That

I stole this from another blog--Michelle is a Compassion Advocate and I love reading her stories about her kids, etc. She posts this from time to time... and I sometimes have a hard time coming up with fun topics... so this is what *I* am going to modify for myself!!! :)

• Outside of my window…. it finally looks like November. :) It's gray, drizzly, cool... It's funny, though... with the warm days + the rain, some of my plants have started blooming again! I've got a bright yellow Gerbera Daisy on my porch--my favorite flower... thanks, God!
  
• I am hearing… the Dick Van Dyke Show. I just turned an episode on to watch while I ate some lunch. :) All weekend, though, it's been Pandora with Christmas music!
  
• I am smelling… my fuzzy, snuggly Lockwood.
  
• I am wearing… my 2007 RID long sleeved shirt. It's warm and comfy.
  
• My plans for the day…I already went to church... I help sometimes with the sound for Children's Church. It was fun, and the kids were super cute. I MAY have friends swinging by later, but not sure. That means I should probably vacuum downstairs! :)
  
• I am thankful for… my long weekend. I've been off work since Wednesday (it's Sunday now) and have done SO Much in my house. It's been a long time since I've been this productive.
  
• I am thinking about… how glad I am that I've gotten connected with Faith Assembly of Lacey. I just love the people there, and God is truly growing me there.
  
• I am creating… at the moment... nothing. I haven't picked up my cross-stitch for a LONG time. I may have to do that soon.
• I am praying for… My Ezra in Indonesia. She's my sponsored child through Compassion, and I've been writing her more and more lately... I feel like I'm actually developing a relationship with her--and it's about time. If you sponsor a child, I would really like to encourage you to WRITE to him or her... it's as important as the monthly money.
• My projects for the week… Well, my major project this weekend was getting my house clean - and, except for the office, I accomplished it. It feels SO good.

Gleeful Feeding :)

So I just watched the second to last episode of last season's Glee. Do you watch Glee? It's the most fantastically fantastic show on TV right now, at least in my opinion. And when you watch the episode for the second time, you catch the little bits that you missed the first time - and laugh even harder. This was the Lady Gaga episode and it was so fun this time to sing along to Bad Romance and Poker Face--songs I'd never even heard of before this... that I know own on CD! I can't wait till next week when the new season starts! I have to watch it the day after after it airs, though--it's on too late for me. :)

Today we had the Combined Fund Drive fair at work. CFD is through the state, a way for state employees to donate to charities. Today was several of those charities in one big event. I LOVE these fairs. (We have Public Employee Appreciation, a Safety Fair, CFD... the diversity fair was cancelled this year... but they're so fun!) I always get a ton of STUFF at them... and when I moved my office a few months ago, I had a "garage sale"--all the crap that I'd collected over the years went out on the file cabinets for whoever wanted them. I probably had about 20 or 30 items! It was great!

Anyway, today's fair was fun because I got to see the folks from Feline Friends. that's where I adopted my kitties from. They're such wonderful people--and I got to see my babies' foster mom, too! She loves seeing pictures of the boys and hearing stories about them... they were her first fosters! They're having a bit of a rough year this year... They did a rescue of 42 cats from a horrible environment and had astronomical bills. If you can help them at all, I'm sure they'd appreciate it. You can even donate online.

While talking to them, I mentioned that I'm transitioning the boys to raw food. THIS has been an adventure. This week I chopped up my first raw chicken into tiny little bits... very gross. ;) But... they seem to be happy. Cosmo has lost about 4 pounds... I'd like to see him up about 1 lb--then he'll be really healthy. Lucky, on the other had, has gained weight. He weighs approximately 20 pounds now--he's a beast. I want him to DROP about 4 pounds. I'm hoping that this diet will do just that. As of yesterday, they're on 100% raw at night, but still with kibble in the morning. I don't have any organs in the meat that I have, so I'm nervous about completely switching them. Plus, Lockwood isn't completely keen on the bones yet, so I'm giving him time to learn how to eat it. They seem content, though... they do love their chickens!! I'm kind of looking forward to watching for sales and seeing what other meats I can get for them... they can have beef and poultry and rabbit... pork... occassionally a fish, but you've got to watch the mercury levels--that could get dangerous. For right now, as I'm learning, I'm staying away from raw fish. If you're interested at all, I'll keep you updated. If you're grossed out... I'm sorry! ;)

Catch Up

I miss blogging. It seems like facebook has taken over life with the 2 second status update... but without any real concern of what life is about. It will be interesting to see where technology takes us over the next few years. I'm sure most of my readers have jumped ship, but that's OK.

I've got a lot of friends who are totally changing their lives by getting healthy, losing weight, exercising, etc. I've even added Kelly's blog on my blogroll... Hers is Starting my 45th Year - check it out. She's been doing great and just ran a 5K today!

Tomorrow we have a small group leader's meeting at church. I'm supposed to know what my small group will be studying this fall. Is it horrible that I'm completely clueless? I had one idea, but wasn't super sure about it and didn't develop all the stuff I'd need this summer anyway. I could always just do a book of the bible, but I don't even know where to go with that. I'm asking God, but seriously, there's no answer yet. At least... *I* haven't been able to decipher one yet. ;) Sometimes He speaks loud and clear and I still miss it.

Time to go read my Bible anyway... I'm reading 2 Kings. For most of the other books I've been engaged and retaining information, but for both Kings books, I've had a hard time. I think I'm slacking off a little and pushing my bible reading time to too late at night... so that I'm half asleep when I get there (like right now). I probably should have read my bible and THEN blogged. Sigh. ;)

June is bustin' out all over!!!

June shocks me... for several reasons!
1 - You realize that this is the 6th month of 2010... yeah, we're almost HALFWAY through this year! Wasn't it JUST Christmas???
2 - My birthday is this month. That's just weird.
3 - Relay for Life - EEEK! I'm TOTALLY behind on fundraising and EVERYTHING this year. We're nowhere near goal. If you want to help me out... http://main.acsevents.org/goto/emilyhill
4 - All my teacher friends are bragging about how many wake ups they have. Yeah... you get three months off, don't complain about the pay. ;) (you know I love you... but seriously? the rest of us still have to get up each day.)

5 - this is the BEST one of all. My sister Serry will be celebrating ONE YEAR OF REMISSION this month!!! WOO HOO! :)

5 Things I'm Thankful for TODAY

1. I had to feed llamas at my dad's house today. No one was around, so after I gave them grain and hay (they love me forever), I wandered out into one of the fields. It was warm and toasty... the sun was golden on the dry grasses. The ground crunched as I walked, and crickets leaped out of my way while calling their songs to each other. It was VERY good.

2. I still only have a couple unread emails at work (and they're unread for a reason). I used to have about 100 on a daily basis.

3. Once I go to bed I get to sleep in a little bit longer because I have a doctor's appointment in the morning and it's not worth going to work before it.

4. I had a dream last night that I got engaged to Chandler Bing, but wasn't ME... I'd lost my... well, my SPUNK if you will. It was a really good reminder to me to be ME in a relationship.

5. I get to get off the computer and go read about Jesus. That's got to count for a few, eh?

Meetings

Just a quick post. Do you know how many meetings I've been in this week? about 300. That's all...

Thank the Lord He is a great God. :)

Commercial...

This was supposed to have been aired during the superbowl, but NBC cut it. Go figure.


***BREAKING NEWS****

NBC Sacks Pro-Life Super Bowl Ad

Network Nixes Commercial Celebrating Potential of Life

CHICAGO, Jan. 29 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- NBC has rejected an uplifting and positive pro-life ad submitted for its Super Bowl broadcast this Sunday. After several days of negotiations, an NBC representative in Chicago told CatholicVote.org today that NBC and the NFL are not interested in advertisements involving "political advocacy or issues."

Brian Burch, President of CatholicVote.org reacted: "There is nothing objectionable in this positive, life-affirming advertisement. We show a beautiful ultrasound, something NBC's parent company GE has done for years. We congratulate Barack Obama on becoming the first African-American President. And we simply ask people to imagine the potential of every human life."

"NBC told CatholicVote.org that they do not allow political or issue advocacy advertisements. But that's not what they told PETA," said Burch. "There's no doubt that PETA is an advocacy group. NBC rejected PETA's ad for another reason altogether."

According to an email posted on PETA.org, Victoria Morgan, Vice President of Advertising Standards for Universal, said: "The PETA spot submitted to Advertising Standards depicts a level of sexuality exceeding our standards." Morgan even detailed "edits that need to be made" in order for the spot to run during the Super Bowl.

"NBC claims it doesn't allow advocacy ads, but that's not true. They were willing to air an ad by PETA if they would simply tone down the sexual suggestiveness. Our ad is far less provocative, and hardly controversial by comparison," said Burch.

"The purpose of our new ad is to spread a message of hope about the potential of every human life, including the life of Barack Obama," said Burch. "We are now looking at alternative venues to run the ad over the next several weeks."

The ad aired on BET in Chicago on Inauguration Day. It has become an Internet hit with over 700,000 views in seven days. The ad was in the top 10 "most viewed" category on YouTube on Inauguration Day last week.

The ad reads: "This child's future is a broken home. He will be abandoned by his father. His single mother will struggle to raise him. Despite the hardships he will endure...this child...will become...the 1st African-American President." The ad concludes with the tagline, "Life: Imagine the Potential." The ad is the first of several ads in new campaign launched by CatholicVote.org.

The ad can be viewed at www.CatholicVote.org -- a project of the Fidelis Center for Law and Policy.

SOURCE Fidelis Center for Law & Policy

Copying...

OK, saw this on a few friend's blogs, so I'm copying....

1. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
2. Using only the first page, pick an image.
3. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd’s mosaic maker.
4. Copy the mosaic image (right click, save image as) to your computer.


The Questions:
1. What is your first name? Emily
2. What is your favorite food? Chocolate
3. What high school did you go to? Tumwater
4. What is your favorite color? Red
5. Who is your celebrity crush? Matthew McConaughey
6. Favorite drink? Diet Coke
7. Dream vacation? Australia
8. Favorite dessert? Blackberry Pie
9. What you want to be when you grow up? Pastor
10. What do you love most in life? Jesus
11. One Word to describe you? Happy
12. Your flickr name? Acebo222


Photo Credits
1. Emily, 2. Tossed Cookies, 3. Tumwater Falls, 4. Red.Source, 5. Matthew McConaughey, 6. Diet., 7. Radiance, 8. It's a piece of cake....., 9. Its good to be... flickr, 10. Plus haut, 11. Call of the Raven (formerly Nature's Special Effects), 12. Acebo / Holly tree

This is me

Good evening, everyone... it's been awhile since I've done much of a REAL update post, so here I am. :)

Last Friday I did an "interview" with Wolf Haven International to be a volunteer. Their mission is "'working for wolf conservation' by: protecting our wild wolves; providing sanctuary for captive-born wolves; promoting wolf restoration in historic ranges; and educating the public on the value of all wildlife." Earlier this summer, I was looking for some volunteer opportunities - I wanted somewhere where I could get involved in something good, impact people (or animals in this case), get out of my current world (i.e. work and church), and develop some strong relationships with people I may not otherwise meet. Wolf Haven kept coming up. After scouring their site for information, and using the knowledge I've had about WHI all growing up, I decided to volunteer. I'm now a tour guide-in-training. :) I'm totally excited... and have already learned SO MUCH about wolves--and I'm barely scratching the surface. As a tour guide, I have to learn a TON of information (remember, tour guides are supposed to be the experts). Once I learn it, I have a "test" and have to do a practice tour with the volunteer coordinator (which will come after observing several tours as well). Once I pass both of those, I'll be a certified tour guide! I suspect that as things happen there and as I learn more, I'll be posting info on wolves. I hope you look forward to learning with me... With everything I learn, I'm really astounded at how the wolf was designed to create balance in our environment.

I thought I'd also share some things I'm learning in Scripture. I'm in Proverbs now--should be through with it in a few days (need to figure out where to go next). Something interesting I found the other day... I was reading Psalm 136. You might want to go there in another window. Please? OK, now that you're there, read it. Don't worry, I'll wait. ... ... ... ... ... ... ... OK, done? Good. Now when you read it, did you READ EVERY WORD? Or did you read:
1 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good.
His love endures forever.
2 Give thanks to the God of gods.
(I don't have to read the echo any more because I've already read it once and know it's there)

The first time I started it the other day, I was of the second mindset. I knew the words, I could SKIM them. Yeah... then I forced myself to start over. I read. every. single. word. And you know what? A dinky history lesson became and amazing epic about God's love throughout time! If you didn't read every word, I'd encourage you to go back and do it again--I promise, it won't take long. :)

OK, I'm listening to these little 7 year old boys out side and they're singing a little chant/song thing... One, two--lallalalalooo (I can't remember the words), three, four--lock the door..... then they shout out "pick up hot chicks!" Sigh..... HAHA now a MOM heard it and said, "Pick up WHAT?!" hahahahhaha