Santa loves Jesus

(Please read this with as much sarcasm as you can muster up) Last night I saw the most beautiful display of Christmas. We were driving around Chelle’s neighborhood, looking at the Christmas decorations when I came upon the most spectacular demonstration of what this season is all about: Baby Jesus, in a manger, wrapped in swaddling clothes. Oh, but wait, who is that kneeling to pray next to him? Who else, but Santa Claus! I was taken aback at this beautiful display. What better way is there to teach kids about Christmas, including all the individuals that make this holiday what it is today? I dare you all to find a better demonstration of Christmas…in fact, I double dare you.

Two things I can't live without

Well, I have found out there are a few things I must have everyday. Actually, only 2 things to be exact.

Yes, this is my nalgene and my burt's bees chapstick. Without these things, I could not function. Of course, a close 3rd is Starbucks, but I do manage to go on without coffee from time to time.

**Obviously I'm having too much fun with my camera phone.

I love my sister

So I went home on my lunch break and checked the mail. The only reason for this is because I'm impatient, and have been waiting on a book to arrive. Well, still no book, but I did have a Christmas card from my sister. On the outside of the card it said "You might want to sit down...This could possibly be the best Christmas car you ever receive!" So what do I do? Well, I don't know if it's a self-torture thing with me or what, but I set it aside deciding that I wanted to wait to open it. (I've always done this--I tend to hoard things, not sure why) I have no idea why I did this. Anyway, about 20 minutes later I did open it, and it was quite wonderful, so thank you Lucas. (-; (Oh, and I'm so sure my sister wanted me to share with all of you her nickname that I gave her when we were little...haha) Oh, what'd you say? You want to know why I called my sister Lucas? I thought you'd never ask! Well, actually, it's a mean story. I called her this because I told her she looked like a boy. Ok, so now you know I was actually a big jerk as a child. (If you think I still am, I don't want to hear it.) Anyway, today has been great because all I've done is listen to music and pretend to work while reading and writing in my blog. I do have to go to a meeting soon, and I have a feeling it will be pretty heated. What fun, eh? I also got to go down memory lane for a few minutes because I saw Dr. Brooks, an old science teacher from Ouachita. He actually works at ETBU now and was here visiting my co-worker. So that was fun-I love seeing old faces. (Not saying he's old, just people I don't see anymore) Ok, so this post wins for the most parentheses. Hope you all have a great day and I'll see many of you soon! (And if I'm not going to see you soon, I say it's your fault.)

P.S. Please leave me comments. I need them--Thanks! :-)
P.P.S. My favorite line(s) from Lindsey's Christmas card: "Each card I send is a blessing for whoever receives it! And no I don't struggle with humility-I'm pretty much the most humble person I know!"

Quality family time...

Well, Friday night, I put on my best face, recruited my best pal, and we went to Santaland with my family. (minus my brother, because he's a punk and of course Lindsey wasn't there because she's at school...oh, and 2 family friends came too: Sonny and Carol. Ok-back to the story) Well, first I'll tell you that Santaland is a place here that displays 1,000's of lights with several themes throughout this drive-thru light display. (Since I know you're already very interested, here is a link to their poorly designed website http://www.santalandtexas.com/) When we pulled up, all crammed in the family van, because you pay per vechicle, I realized it would be hard for us to see with 3 of us in the back seat. So, I said, "I'm sitting on top of the van. Who else wants to?" Of course Ine and Chelle wanted to do the same, so we were ready to jump up there. Now, if you know my dad, he wasn't very keen on the idea. He made statements about us falling off and denting the top of the car. This was not going to stop me. If I was going to Santaland, I was going to have fun! So, while my dad was still driving (slowly), we opened the sliding door, and climbed on top of the van. We did have to disregard the signs posted that stated "Please stay in your car for your safety." It was a little chilly, but worth it, because you could see a lot better from the top of the car. Also, we attracted a lot of attention from other cars staring at us as if we were circus freaks. (please, no comments on this) For your enjoyment, I'll put a few pictures up of the evening.

Yes, those are my feet, and yes, I have my shoes off. I was afraid they'd slip off. And yes, my dad did use the wipers and wiper fluid to get my socks wet.

Ine and Chelle enjoying their ride on the top of the van.

I don't think it's possible to have much more fun than this!

Chelle doesn't get out much...j/k...I love this girl (-:

Random sampling of some of the light displays.

Last picture, I promise-Pretty Poinsettas

As I hope I've portrayed, you can tell we all had a wonderful time. Now on to Saturday...My mom wanted some dishes at Foleys, and on Saturday morning, at 6 o'clock, they were giving out $15 gift cards to the first 300 people. My mom recruited Ine, Chelle, and I (by bribing us with Starbucks...what can I say, we're easy) to go stand in line with her. This made it possible for her to get a place setting of her dishes for $3.24. My mom is the biggest bargain hunter I know. After receiving our caffeinated rewards, we all went home and went back to sleep. I mean, we had only gotten 4 hours of sleep anyway, so this was needed even after the coffee. After we all managed to get some sleep, we got our pets ready and went to Petsmart. Santa was there to take pictures with pets. Chelle wanted to bring Lucy, her dad's cat, for a present to him. And of course, I couldn't miss out on this photo-op for Annabelle. Here are some pictures from this outing:

Here is Lucy, the modest cat with her tail so daintily placed, with the strange Santa.

Annabelle with Santa...She's so photogenic.

Well, this is all for now. I know you're all probably sick of these pictures by now anyhow. More to follow...Now that I've figured out how to put pictures up, I may be posting a lot more. I know you're very excited Katy (-:

Warning: Serious post below

I think I know what Bono meant when he sang “I still haven’t found what I’m looking for.” I feel like I’m detached from society as a whole…severed off from civilization even. I go through each day the same: Get up, work out (most of the time), get ready, and go to work. After work activities vary, but usually consist of reading at Starbucks. Sometimes I’m with friends, and these times are good. I enjoy the community that is found with others, but as a whole, I feel like everything is surface level banter. I long for deep, significant conversation with others. I want to feel like there is more to this life than the commonplace. Even with close friends there is a lack of real depth, and when deep topics are discussed, it’s in a fleeting moment. I haven’t decided if this is because of me, or because this is how people have become in our day. I long for my heart to be connected to others…to know that my life is better because of someone and vice versa. Don’t take this wrong. The time I share with others is valuable to me. Maybe that’s why I’m not satisfied though, because I know it could be so much more. I want to expose my soul to others, to show them my inner self.
I think this is why God said in Genesis "It is not good for the man to be alone”. He didn’t say this so you would always have someone to wake up next to, or so you’d always have someone to enjoy dinner with. As humans we truly need someone to bare our soul to, someone with whom we can be completely honest. When you can’t do this you become trapped within yourself, wanting this part of you to break out. You need communion—and not just with Jesus Christ. We all know that Jesus is the friend that sticks “closer than a brother” but frankly, there are times when I don’t know what to say to Him, or just don’t know how to approach Him simply because of all He has done for me. From time to time I need to talk to someone just as defeated and scarred as I am.
I’m beginning to wonder if I can even recall a single conversation that would be described as meaningful. I know this occurred in Germany, and I know this has happened with a precious few of my friends, but it makes me sad to know how few times this has taken place.
Being single, I get asked a lot “why aren’t you married?” or “are you dating anyone?” etc…My typical response has something to do with how satisfied I am with my current friends/relationships and dating just means I have someone to share starry-eyed moments and kisses with. However, I need to withdraw this sarcastic retort, because dang, I do want those things too.

I want to be a Yankee

Well, I spent most of last night at Matthew and Kristie’s house. It was our second to last bible study, but I must confess that we didn’t really have bible study. We mostly all sat around talking, in between Jackson and Crosby (the kids) screaming with pants on their heads. Seems like most of the stories Matthew told last night started with “When I was watching the History of Toilet Paper…” As you can see, it was a stimulating night of conversation. Actually, I really did enjoy myself just being around all these people. They are a lot of fun.
I’m beginning my countdown to New York. It’s only 19 days away and I can’t wait to get on that roomy American Airline plane and fly up to Yankee-town. I’m hoping to pick up the accent within the first 2 days. The northern inflection will be noticeable to all if I do the job well. I know once I’m there I’ll want to move there. Of course I’d live in Jersey since the apartments there are much cheaper. Ahh, the good life. I wonder if people there would mind me wearing my Boston Red Sox hat. I guess I’ll find out when I get there. If anyone wants a souvenir, now is the time to speak up. I plan on finding the most odd items to bring back with me. However, I will have to get a new Statue of Liberty lighter since my old one broke. (“I keep a lighter in my back pocket all the time. I'm not a smoker, I just really like certain songs.”—Demetri Martin a.ka. really funny guy) If anyone else is going somewhere fun for the holidays, I want to hear all about it. Or even better, if you’re going to be in The Big Apple, we need to hang out. I really hope to catch one of Demetri’s shows while there. I had emailed him awhile back and he said he wasn’t sure when or if he’d have any during the time we’ll be there, but hopefully he’ll realize that his biggest fan will be there and he needs to plan one. Ok, enough rambling.
I was supposed to get up and play racquetball this morning but it didn’t happen. Neither myself nor the person I was supposed to play with got up. We’re so lazy, but I just really cherish my sleep. It was nice sleeping until 7:20 this morning.
Overall, I haven’t been super productive today, so I think I’ll work on that now. Hope you’re all doing well on your finals (if you are taking finals). And Lindsey, even though you’re not reading this, I know you’ll do fine on all your finals. Remember, you’re the smart one (-:

My weekend, for Katy, b/c I think she's the only one that reads this...

Friday night went to dinner w/my parents, then hung out w/George. There were also many other people there, most of them 6-7 yrs. younger than me. Made the most of it-had a good time. After all the young folks left to TP a house, George and I tried to figure out why the disk wouldn't open on the computer. Ended up going to my office where the files finally opened and George wanted to kiss me because this worked. Don't worry, we didn't (-: After all that, I went home and slept.
Saturday I tried to sleep in, but woke up at 9. Dad brought me breakfast in exchange for my help with raking the yard. After that, watched a show on E! about the young royals. Got ready and went to Barnes & Noble so I could pay full price for some books I didn't have the patience to wait on if I had ordered them online. Went to Starbucks, with the plan of spending most of my afternoon here reading one of my new books. It was crowded so I sat outside, but it was nice. Also tried to call my sister but as usual she was too busy to talk to me. I should be thankful for the 41 seconds she gave me, right? Actually, we've talked about this now and everything is fine. I'm not the type to hold a grudge. After I left Starbucks I decided to stop at Hastings. Well, here is my one exciting/scary moment of the weekend: I pulled in the parking lot and saw a great spot. No other cars around that I could see, so I head toward it. As I'm pulling in, I see a car (purple grand am) in my peripheral vision that I had just pulled in front of. Oops-common mistake, right? Well, it wasn't to this lady. (I also want you to know that there was another spot right next to the one I got, so I wasn't leaving her without a spot.) She sat and waited on me to get out of my car. I didn't move. After 2 long minutes, she started driving off so I got out. Well, she circled around, rolled her window down, and yelled this: "Hey, you need to watch out pulling in front of people. You could get hit, OR SHOT!" Yes, she said I could get shot. Who shoots people for this? This lady obviously needs a course in Anger Management. The worst part was her son, probably 8 yrs. old, was in the car. What a great example for your child. Anyway, after that, I went home, walked the dog, and got ready for the evening. I was going to hear a Christmas program with the East Texas Symphony Orchestra and Green Acres Celebration Choir. It was good-went w/my mom, grandmother, 2 aunts, 1 uncle, and one aunt's boyfriend. Well, I'm for sure the only silly person in the group, so I had no one to make my ridiculous comments to. I did manage to count the choir members-there were 312. I don't know why I do this. I give myself little assignments, not because I'm bored, but maybe because I have A.D.D. (If you want to see a very serious-and funny-case about such "assignments", read chapter 2 of David Sedaris' book Naked) Anyhow, the evening was enjoyed, even if I was mostly entertaining myself. I ran into a few old friends there too, so it was fun. I went home after this and watched Spiderman 2, since I've wanted to and none of my friends ever do. Sunday, I went to church, found out our church is closing down at the end of the year. Yeah, bad news, but God will take care of me and maybe it gives me a good reason to really look into moving, since one of the main reasons I was staying here is because I loved Woodgate so much. I spent the afternoon/evening with Chelle since we hadn't seen each other all weekend. I skimmed about 10 books about New York so i could get some information for our trip coming up (22 days) and enjoyed my peppermint Mocha. After that, we made dinner, if you call grilled cheese and tomato soup dinner, and called it a night. I mean, I did have to get up this morning and work out since I promised Shani that I wouldn't quit on him.
Well Katy, thanks for thinking my life is interesting. I'll try and keep it up!
Oh, and for closing, I'll tell you my new favorite bumper sticker: "My black lab is smarter than your honor student"

This is me being serious for a change...

Well, if you read my short post yesterday, hopefully you know I was being silly. I don't really think those are important things to consider in finding a mate. However, this morning I was reading on Boundless (really great online magazine) and I thought this was worth sharing. Just to get you interested, I've copied some of the article below, but to read the entire article, go here: http://www.boundless.org/features/a0000973.html

To most Americans, calling happiness a “destructive myth” sounds ridiculous —
it’s the kind of thing that conjures up mental images of dour religious types
dressed in black. After all, doesn’t the Declaration of Independence call the
“pursuit of happiness” an “inalienable right” on par with life and liberty? Yes,
it does. However, the right to pursue happiness isn’t the same thing as the
right to be happy. What’s more, what Jefferson and company meant by “happiness”
differs from our understanding of the word. For us, the word “happiness” refers
to a subjective emotional state more or less synonymous with “contentment,” with
a dollop of euphoria thrown in for good measure. For instance, I spent the day
after Thanksgiving with my family, many of whom had flown in from Puerto Rico
for the occasion. We literally talked and laughed the day away. When I got home
Friday night, I wished I could have bottled that day and made it last forever.
That feeling is what we mean when we use the word “happiness.” The problem is
that these feelings are fleeting, not to mention subjective and even a bit
egocentric. You can’t build an individual life, much less important
institutions, around them. That’s why the Founders, harkening back to John
Locke, St. Thomas Aquinas and, of course, Aristotle, understood happiness in
more permanent (and more social) terms.

Why is it that when I only have 10 minutes of free time in a day that has been full of meetings, and there are still 2 more, do I choose to write in this blog? It's one of life's mysteries I guess...either that or I've just got a sick addiction to blogging and coffee.
I was talking to a friend the other day about future mates. Everyone seems to have a list of things that are "must haves" as well as their share of "can't stands". I know my list is probably similar to many in the fact that my man has to wear clothes in public. I mean, this is important to me, you know? I think the big problem with most people's lists is that they aren't specific enough. For this reason, I've decided to ask you a few questions that maybe you should consider before dating that leads to marriage. Now if you're a casual dater, obviously your standards aren't as high, so this is not for you.

1. Are you willing to date/marry someone that wears a Metallica t-shirt at least once a week?
2. Do you care if your future mate wears shoes everyday?
3. Would it bother you if they let their dog lick their mouth?
4. Is it ok for your future mate to drink more beer than water on a typical day?
5. Would you date/marry someone that laughs at themself more than others do?

I hope this has inspired you to add a few important "must haves/can't stands" to your list. I would love to go on, but as I stated in the beginning of this, I only have 10 minutes and I've used 4 of these for this, so I must go to my last 2 meetings.

I'm so important, I get conference calls

Right now I'm sitting in a presentation for some computer software the school is thinking about switching over to. Our current system is POISE which is also referred to as "poison" by most people on campus. It's definitely not user-friendly. It's very inefficient so this new system, Banner, would probably greatly benefit the school. However, for the entire school to switch over, it will take around 2 years, and I sure don't plan on being here for that. I will say that this system has my vote--not that I think my vote counts. It's basically like voting in Texas this past election-what's the point when you know Bush will win the state? Anyway, we have to meet with another company next week. Hopefully we'll get more free stuff like the floating pen, but I sure hope it doesn't take as long. We met with Banner yesterday for 2 hours and this presentation I'm in now is supposed to last 3 1/2 hours, but so far I've only been here for one of those hours. I'll probably slip out at the break. At least for now it looks like I'm taking really thorough notes, and I don't think anyone has noticed that I'm listening to the radio. I couldn't be expected to miss the Kidd Kraddick interview with Gavin DeGraw. I did think of a cover story if someone asked me about the bud in my ear. You see, I'm waiting on a conference call. They're talking now, but my part hasn't come yet. (Oh, and so you know, my phone is a radio, that's why this story would work) I can't talk until the first part of the call is finished, so I'm just listening, waiting for my part. I think it's a pretty good story. I just hope no one ask why in the world I'd be involved in a conference call. Anyone that knows my position would question this so-called conference call. Luckily I haven't had to use the story, so there haven't been any such questions. Oh-I think I just heard something about housing. I better pay attention now, since this is really the only part that pertains to me. Too bad I'll have to leave early for a conference call...

Change of plans...sigh

Well, maybe I should be relieved because I think God has taught me something, but I won't be going to Michigan this weekend. It's sort of a long story, but I had a job opportunity there and I would have been able to work on my Masters (which is my goal) with the job because of the hours. It would have been a real ideal situation for me right now, however, I think God has something else in store for me. I don't know what this could be, but I'm excited about the possibilities and I know He hasn't forgotten me. I'm reading a book right now called "If you want to walk on water, you've got to get out of the boat." Maybe I just had a case of jumping out of the boat too soon. I trust that God is going to guide me, but sometimes I guess I think He needs my help. This is obviously not true, and I'm really glad it's not. If it was I think my life would be in a huge mess right now. So my post for now will be short, because I feel "spent", but as Derek said, "We have a big God" and I know that my big God will care for my needs, no matter how petty they may seem.

Just another manic Monday

My morning:
5:05 a.m.-Received a call from Shani asking if I was on my way to the gym. I looked at the clock and reminded him that it wasn't 6 yet.
5:07 a.m.-Went to the bathroom then fell back asleep (in my bed, not the bathroom)
5:50 a.m.-Got up, brushed my teeth, pulled my hair up, put on my t-shirt, adidas pants, and "N" shoes as the Cox's boys call them.
5:58 a.m.-Left the house and went to the gym
6:02 a.m.-Did some stretching then started lifting weights. Shani arrived a few minutes after this and told me he was looking at his TV for the time, and he hadn't ever set that clock back. After a few quick sets, went to run around the track until Shani was ready to leave.
6:46 a.m.-Left the gym, dropped off Shani, and went home to get ready for the day
After this, the times are a little hazy, but I did manage to shower, get dressed, talk to my Mom, hear the names of Julia Roberts twins, and eat breakfast. Right before I left, I went in the garage for a minute to look for something (I'm sitting here now, racking my brain, trying to figure out why I went in the garage). Anyway, I did notice while I was in there that my pants weren't zipped. So I'm glad I went in the garage. Who knows when I would have noticed this otherwise.

I think I'll go to lunch now, only because if I don't, I'll probably pass out soon. Oh, but in the middle of me writing this, I just agreed to go to Michigan this weekend. Pray for me. I truly need guidance in a big life decision.

Bear Trail afterthoughts

Tonight as I was in Waco, I was walking my dog on the Bear Trail. If you're not familiar, this is a trail that goes around Baylor's campus. My dog had just been in the car for 2 hours, so I figured she needed to stretch her legs and probably take care of other business. So off we went...I realized that I'm thankful for something else today. I hope it's ok that it's a day after Thanksgiving. While we were walking, we came upon another girl with her dog. As our dogs approached each other, they did what every dog does--put their noses right in each others butts. That's the moment I realized that I'm thankful God doesn't have such a big sense of humor that he thought it'd be funny to make humans do this to in order to "get to know each other". So there you have it...Everyone can come up with AT LEAST one thing a day they're thankful for. I just did and it wasn't even that hard. We also went past a lady that was sweating profusely. I wish I had that kind of stamina. She asked me when I was going back to school. Now, I could have said, "how did you know I was even thinking about going back"? But, I know she just assumed I was a Baylor student. I figured it was easier to just tell her when, instead of explaining that I wasn't a student and actually just here with my sister for the night. Anyhow, she said, "I think you might be the only one here." and then she went on running. Made me wonder if she was going to double back and kill me, but that was just a fleeting thought. Hope everyone had an excellent Thanksgiving. I'm out to enjoy the metropolis of Waco, Texas.

44 degrees and I'm loving it

Man, I couldn't ask for better weather. I love the cold weather. Of course some people wouldn't call 44 degrees cold, but hey, I'm in Texas and this is good for us. I'm really not properly dressed for this new weather change though. I'm wearing my beach-walkers as Zelda, my secretary, calls them (flip flops, if you didn't figure it out) but I just can't get out of that habit. I would go barefoot if they'd let me. Oh, and who is shocked I have a secretary? Yeah, me too. I don't have to file anything if I don't want to. Oh, but she's really great and so are the student workers in our office too. I'm only working for about another 20 minutes so that's really nice. I went out walking on campus earlier because I had to help a guy in the student mailroom, but I was glad because it gave me an excuse to enjoy the outdoors. It's so weird to walk out on campus with no students. I think I would be depressed if I was here everyday with it this dead. I did stop by the admissions office though and visit Stephanie and B-rad. Of course Brad called me an idiot, but I'm sure he didn't mean it. :-P
When I get off work I get to go help Chelle move her stuff out of her apartment. My brother is going so I plan on making him carry the heavy stuff. He's going to make a great husband one day because my sister and I have trained him well. His future wife better appreciate it!!
Well, it's almost time to get off so I'll just leave you with a tip for Thanksgiving on behalf of good 'ole Jack Handy:
If you're at Thanksgiving dinner, but you don't like the stuffing or the cranberry sauce or anything else, just pretend like you're eating it, but instead, put it all in your lap and form it into a big mushy ball. Then, later, when you're out back having cigars with the boys, let out a big fake cough and throw the ball to the ground. Then say, "Boy, these are good cigars!"

Same old jokes and Thanksgiving memories

As I'm sitting here at my desk, drinking from my green nalgene bottle, I can't help but wonder if that guy thinks he's funny. Ok, so you ask, "what guy"? or maybe you think, "jenn needs help." Either way, I'll tell you about the guy. There is a guy in my office, and everytime he sees my green nalgene bottle, he tells me of how it looks like I'm drinking urine and that it reminds him of a bottle he had to use in the hospital. Yes, I'll admit the first time he said this, I sort of laughed, mostly to amuse him, but after the 20th time, it has gotten very old. Now I know, I'm pretty jaded anyway and usually find some way to be cynical about a situation, but come on...get a new joke! And if you don't have anything to say, then just don't say it. You aren't obligated to speak to me just because I walk to the water cooler to fill up my nalgene. Ok, there is my one rant for the day. I'm sure I'll have more, but I won't be at the computer so you're lucky you won't have to hear it.
This is a good week though...It's the week of Thanksgiving. I can think of many things I'm thankful for and for your enjoyment, I'll make a list:

1. My family, including but not limited to: Dad, Mom, Lindsey, Cory, Ine (foreign exchange student) and of course Annabelle (just because she's a dog, doesn't mean she isn't family) Maybe I should feel bad for leaving Franklin and Mary Jane, the other pets, off this list, but I don't think they'll be reading it.
2. My friends--especially Michelle and Jessica. I'm very glad Jessica is getting to spend the week here since she's living so far away now. And just because I didn't list your name here, doesn't mean I don't love you deeply and truly value our friendship .
3. Getting off work at noon on Wednesday-This is a very good thing. I'm very glad educational institutions close down for major holidays.
4. My uneaten orange sitting on my desk. You may wonder why I'm thankful for this, but I'm sort of hungry so I'm glad I have it.
5. And I've saved the best for last: My beautiful Savior, Jesus Christ. He continues to renew me daily and is always forgiving for my many faults. I know that without Him I am nothing and for this I am very grateful.

Obviously there are many things left off this list, but those are just a few that I felt like highlighting today.

I am looking forward to the week off though. My sister will be home tomorrow and her boyfriend is coming in on the weekend. That will be fun. For Thanksgiving day my mom's family will all be at our house. There will be about 30 of us, and I'll be at the kids table even though I'm 25. Last thanksgiving my sister and I sat in her room and ate while watching TV. My uncle came in and asked "What are you guys watching"? to which we both replied in unison "Pimp my Ride". Sadly, this is my only recollection of my Thanksgiving of 2003.

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving this year, and I hope you don't find yourself watching Pimp my Ride, but instead enjoying a stroll around the block with family and friends. Oh, or playing poker, because we've decided that is going to be a new Thanksgiving tradition thanks to Michelle. She's always got good ideas.

Just another rainy Wednesday

Weird question of the day (asked by an 8th grade boy): If you get in a fight and kill someone, then have to go to jail, when you get out of jail, will all your stuff still be in the dorm and you can move back in? Why are these kids thinking of things like this? I guess for those of you that don't know, I should explain that I work in the dorms, or residence halls to be more p.c., at a junior college. Occasionally we have a group of middle school kids come to tour our campus, and they usually want to see the dorms too. Some people might think this is fun, I however think it is REALLY FUN! I have always heard the strangest questions from this age group. They also don't understand how 2 people can live in the tiny rooms. Oh, and can we get a satellite dish for our room? We have to watch MTV and BET! What? You can't have girls in your room? Why not? And just so you know, these are usually the gifted and talented kids!

Anyway, other than this, my day has been pretty uneventful. I tried to do a little Christmas shopping online, but I got side tracked looking at the grilled cheese sandwiches that look like virgin mary on Ebay. One guy promises to make your grilled cheese within 24 hours of payment. He even states that he does this with a pumpkin carving kit and his george foreman grill. Guess the price...Yes, it's $87,100. So congratulations to ebay user nastyjack_bmore for having the high bid for now. Now the best one, and the one that gained so much attention, is the grilled cheese that this guy supposedly made 10 years ago and when he took a bite, he looked at it and saw the Virgin Mary herself looking right at him. He immediately sealed it in a plastic container. He says there were no steps taken to preserve the item, but it has remained mold free. He also believes that his house has been blessed because of this item. In fact, he gives the sandwich(i.e. Virgin Mary)the credit for his $70,000 winnings from a local casino. If you're interested in bidding, the current price is $69,107.69. It started out at only $3,000. What a deal! I think I might be on the wrong career path.


So you ask, what is my advice for the day? Stay off ebay. Once you start searching, you'll never stop. There are always more "treasures" to find that are usually a hoax, but of course fun to laugh at. Oh, and don't forget to go bid on Britney Spears used gum that I found...It's the real thing, I promise!

I want to dance...

Some of you know this is my 2nd attempt to start an online journal, or blog. If you want to see my first failed attempt, go to http://www.livejournal.com/users/jennshep0704 This was mostly unsuccessful because I started it towards the end of a semester and when summer came, I didn't want to spend my free time typing. This drove me to my composition book that I still have with me where ever I go, but after reading several of my friend's blogspots, I thought, "Man, I should try and do that again." This was also decided when I realized I really do have a lot of free time at the office. I guess that's fine for most people, but I get stir crazy so I'm going to try and be consistent and write in this at least once a week. I know you're all very excited now! Of course, this first post won't be very long...You'll have plenty to read from my aforementioned link. Stay tuned for more exciting news from the world of Jenn. I promise, it can only get better from here! Like my dad always said, "Don't give 'em the good stuff first or they'll always expect something more next time." Ok, my dad never said that, but someone's dad did I'm sure...