Exhausted.

I feel like I haven't slept in days, yet I got a healthy eight hours last night. I could barely keep my eyes open on the way home from work tonight, and I would really rather curl up on the couch for a nice, long nap after writing this than going downstairs to clean the house like I'm going to have to do. I don't know what is going on with me! My house is a complete wreck, I have clean laundry all over the place that is not even folded, much less put away. I haven't made a good, home-cooked meal in at least a week. I've been keeping my hair up and barely putting on any make-up in the morning before work. My blog posts have been admittedly lame lately, and I accidentally missed 2 days of my Project 365! I am just beyond tired, and I have no idea why. I'm chalking it up to the fact that I haven't gotten to sleep in for weeks, even on the weekend, and I'm just very weary from being frozen all the time. Thank goodness the days are slowly but surely getting longer!

This weekend I am helping at 30 Hour Famine all weekend, and next weekend I have to travel to YSU to judge a DI tournament EARLY on Saturday morning (I will explain what DI is eventually :-P). The weekend after that, though, I am going to take it easy, have some fun, and relax a little bit! My sanity needs it.

Until then, I think my strategy is to just not sit down until everything is done. Because once I sit down, whether it's right after work or at 8:00 at night, it is a major chore for me to work up the motivation to get moving again. Seriously. And as far as the blogging goes, I think I'm putting too much pressure on myself! Lately I've been trying to write what I think other people will like to read. Consequently, blogging is not as much fun as it used to be, and has become just another chore. I don't want it to become that! So I'm going to write whatever I feel like writing. I'm not going to worry about whether other people are going to think it's interesting or not. I think if I do that, it will become a lot more fun again and less of a chore. Consequently, I think it will be more interesting.

Well I'm off to start tackling some tasks on my to-do list. I've let things go for way too long! I think once I'm up and moving, I'll get my second wind!

Also motivating me is the fact that it will soon be spring. When the weather warms up, I always get a huge burst of energy that lasts for weeks. Probably because of the vitamin D that I'm finally getting after months and months without much of it. I know that winter is all but over, and I doubt we'll have any more huge snow storms (KNOCK ON WOOD!!!) It's supposed to be in the 40s a lot this week and next week, so I can officially see the light at the end of the tunnel. Temperatures in the 40s would feel positively steamy in comparison to the weather we've had all winter. It makes me feel better to know that THIS is right around the corner:

I took all of these pictures last spring at my house and my moms' house. Can't wait for more photo-ops like this again! My project 365 blog definitely needs some life like this!

Miscellany

First order of business in my miscellaneous post is THE BACHELOR.
Ugh. I had a feeling he was going to pick Vienna, but I was still really disappointed when it actually happened. During Jillian's season, Jake was the "nice guy." He was the really sweet one that had good morals, always did and said the right things, and seemed too good to be true. And Tenley was the female equivalent of that in Jake's season. I just thought they were both so sweet! I thought they'd have the perfect little family if they got together! And then there's Vienna who was the "bid girl." The one who didn't get along with anyone, said rude comments with no tact, and was very immature. I really think that choosing based on physical chemistry was a mistake!! I think it's only a matter of time before Jake realizes Vienna is immature, needy, and rude, and he will be begging to have Tenley back! Oh well, his loss. I wish Tenley was going to be the next Bachelorette. I didn't like Ali as much. I thought she stirred up drama with the girls (especially Vienna) and for some reason got on my nerves. I know this is not the popular opinion, as most people LOVE Ali. But even though she's not my favorite, I'm sure I'll be tuning in when she's the next Bachelorette!

Sidenote: I've never watched Dancing with the Stars before, but with Jake and Kate Gosselin on this season, I might start!

Next order of business: GLEE
I was home alone most of the day on Saturday, and in my boredom, stumbled upon some episodes of "Glee" online. And I can't get enough! I feel a little bit like a nerd, because I think Glee is a slightly more grown up version of High School Musical (I mean, I've never watched HSM, but I'm guessing it's similar). But I love it! The story lines are so ridiculously "out there." (i.e. a woman FAKING her own pregnancy to her husband? Yeah, who does that?!) But it's like crack...I just can't stop watching! I HAVE to know what happens next! It doesn't hurt at all that every ten minutes, the glee club breaks out in songs like "Defying Gravity," "Imagine," and "Lean on Me," cheesy choreography and costumes included. It just makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside :-P I was in show choir in high school, and I must say that my experience was certainly nothing at all like glee club is portrayed in the show. But it still brings back memories! Does anyone else like this show??

And finally, let's talk about my vacation to Orlando! I want to thank everyone for your suggestions and advice. We just found out that we may have a couple to go with us, though, so our plans may be changing significantly. Instead of staying at a hotel, we may stay at a condo. Some condos I found are just about the same price as hotels. But 2 couples can stay in them, and we'd get our own kitchen. We'd only be paying half the price for the condo if we went with someone! And we might drive instead of fly since we'd have more people to take turns driving. That way, we wouldn't have to pay for a rental car or worry about catching a hotel shuttle bus. I think it's pretty close to being a sure thing that we're going, and with all the money we save, we may be able to spend an extra day at the parks! So we'd be at Disney for two days, and Universal for two. If it all works out, I think I'll have to do a post sometime about how to do Orlando on a budget....we are looking at spending less than $800 on everything except food. I bet you're sick of hearing about this already, but I'm so excited!

Anyway, happy Tuesday!

Saying Goodbye

I don't think I've mentioned it before, but my church is about to begin construction on a whole new wing! It's a pretty exciting time, and we know God has amazing things in store. However, this is bittersweet for me. It's Just a tiny bit bitter, and mostly sweet. I can't help but be a little sad.

Our church is not big enough at this time. Sunday morning it can take up to ten minutes just to get from the sanctuary to the exit door, because of the huge mobs of people in the lobby. We currently have 4 services every Sunday morning, and all but one are bursting full of people. We need more room!

Here's a little (recent) church history: In 2002 (I believe) we added a whole new wing onto our church. It included a big new lobby area, a gym, classrooms, offices, a social room, kitchen, and a new library. We thought we were set for awhile. But it seems that we have outgrown the facility again. There is only one problem with that: our church is land-locked. There's a big canyon behind it, a road right in front of it, and parking lots and houses on both sides. There is literally nowhere to grow! So after months and months of deliberation, the church finally came up with a plan: completely demolish the old section of the building, and rebuild it, in a way that will provide for more church growth!

What an exciting time, right?? It really is. We start construction very soon! This morning was our very last church service in the sanctuary. And this week, things are going to start being cleaned out and deconstructed. I hate to get sentimental, but I felt like I really wanted to "say goodbye" to the place where I feel like half of my memories have been made!

I have a lot of personal history at this church. My parents have both attended there pretty much forever. They were married there. My sister and I were dedicated there. I went to Sunday School and children's church there every Sunday, and CLC, which later turned to KBC, every Wednesday night. I remember going up onstage and receiving a Bible from the church in second grade. I remember performing concerts and Christmas musicals with the children's choir. I attended youth group there all through junior high and high school. I made some of the best friends and shared some of the most bonding experiences with these people. After high school, I started helping out with the youth group, and that is where I got to know and fell in love with Luke, and it's where we said our vows on our wedding day four years later. It's where our young adult worship service is held on Sunday mornings which started out with a few dozen people, and is now too big for all the young adults and families who attend to fit.

Tonight I took a walk through the old section of the church, and took some pictures before the construction begins.

Here is what you see upon entering the old section. It is the children's wing, and it has a "reignforest" theme.
"The Hut," or welcome area for the children's department and our supply closet, used to be the church library before the add-on in 2002. I checked out books and movies here probably just about every Sunday (still do, in the new library!)

They've already started cleaning out, so it's a little messy

Here is the 2&3 year old's classroom. It wasn't bright green back in 1986 when I was in there, though ;-) It is also the room where my mom taught her little preschool class on Wednesday nights called Joy Bells during KBC. And I taught in that room a few years ago, too!I wonder how many little people have sat in those chairs and were taught the foundations of faith.
This is now a hallway with classrooms on either side, but when I was little it was one big room with four little open Sunday School classrooms surrounding it. It's where k-3 grade had children's church and Sunday School. Karen would tell us stories and lead us in singing fun songs, and then we'd go into our little classrooms for Sunday school where we'd listen to more stories, played games, ane made crafts. And if we were lucky, we had a snack and some punch ;-)
This is the chapel, and it's the room where the 4-6 graders had children's church when I was little. I remember our teacher, Marsine, bringing Bible stories to life, and teaching us what it really meant to be Christians and have faith. This room is now a preschool classroom.
This room, which is now a classroom, was once our youth room. I can't believe we all fit in there! When I was a freshman, we repainted the room. Our youth leader, who just happened to be my aunt, let us paint it however we wanted! We decided to paint it like the sky: one half of the room was painted with a sun and puffy clouds, and the other side was painted with the moon and stars. A bunch of us girls got together during Christmas break that year to paint it. I wish I still had a picture of it!!
This room was at one time our social room. There is a small kitchen off to the side, so this is where we would have dinners and parties. I remember playing games in this room at KBC in gradeschool. I remember serving spaghetti dinners in here to raise money for my mission trip to Belize in 2000. It later turned into the youth room when we outgrew our old one. And that's what it is now.
Here is the old nursery. Although I don't remember back then, I'm sure I spent lots of time in here as a baby! I've also worked in the nursery watching lots and lots of babies, some of whom I'm sure are just about old enough to work in the nursery themselves now! I feel old :-P
And that brings me to my final stop of my picture-walk: the sanctuary (which is a mess because the band was setting up for 30 Hour Famine this weekend...the very last event that will be held in there).

In seventh grade I graduated from children's church, and was allowed to sit up here with all the adults in REAL church! I remember feeling so grown up my first Sunday up there :-) I've heard countless sermons in this room, which have no doubt shaped me into the person I am today. I've worshiped and sang my heart out in this room. I've laughed and I've cried. I've knelt at the alter and had some amazing experiences and conversations with God here. I became a wife right there on the stage. Once the regular congregation outgrew this sanctuary, they moved downstairs to the gym, and it became the place for the one80 service, our young adult worship service. I've watched Luke play his drums onstage every Sunday for the past couple of years. This is the place that I will miss the most.

I
I will miss the building. But I'm glad we're getting ready for something so much better! The building itself is not what has made my memories here so special. Instead, it is the presence of God. It is the people and the fellowship. It's the experience I've had worshipping and growing closer with my Father. It's the teachers who have taught me about Jesus, and what it means to be a real Christian. It's the people who I've prayed with, prayed for, and who have prayed for me. It's the things I smiled at, and the things that have made me cry. It's the feeling of community that I've always felt there, and the fact that my faith has been cultivated and grown a little every time I've walked through the doors. These things will still be present in the new building. they would be present if we met in a shack or on a hillside. And because of that, I can't wait to see what amazing things God will do at DFC!

What memories will I make there? Will my own children be dedicated there? Is it where they will become saved? Maybe they will meet their future spouses there, just like Luke and I did, and my parents did ;-) Where will we be "called to serve" there in the next 50 or so years? What new lessons will I learn, and what new experiences with God will I have? I can't wait to find out!

Although I may have shed a tear or two today as I walked through the old section of the church, I couldn't be more happy about the new addition, and I pray that God will use us in it to bring more people to Him!

If you go or have ever gone to DFC, feel free to leave a comment sharing your favorite DFC memory! :-)

Apparently I'm Very Persuasive!

Well, it seems that my little commercial for Disney World may have actually worked. I was totally expecting Luke to laugh at my idea and tell me that there was no way he was going to spend money on a trip to Disney World in the summer. But he told me he is actually interested...if we can afford it, that is.

Basically, I don't know yet how much the whole thing would cost, and if we in fact CAN afford it. I am willing to save every cent of my splurge money possible in order to help pay for the trip. And today I am writing this post begging for your travel advice!

I've spent the last hour or two...or more...researching every corner of the internet for travel sites where I can hopefully find cheap flights/hotels/tickets. And all I've managed to do is confuse and overwhelm myself. I've been on Travelocity, Expedia, Orbitz...you name the travel site, I've probably been there this evening. And my brain is just on information overload! Do you have a suggestion of a favorite travel website?? There are just so many out there. I think I like Expedia the most at this point, because it just seems to be the easiest for me to use for some reason.

Another question...anyone who has visited Orlando a lot: Are there any CHEAP hotels that you would recommend? I know you get what you pay for, and I won't get anything spectacular for low, low prices. However, it would be nice to get recommendations for places that are at the very least clean and comfortable!

Also, do you have any favorite tips on discounts to Disney World tickets or things inside the parks? I'm already getting a day free through the volunteer program, so that will help a lot. IF we go, that is.

At this point, I'm really trying not to get my hopes up. I'd say there's maybe a 50% chance that we will go. But I just absolutely LOVE trip planning, and I'm trying to figure out if this is going to be a good idea for us financially. I should have been a travel agent.

I'm actually a little shocked at how cheap the airplane tickets and some hotels are! Not very expensive at all! It's the tickets to the park that seem to cost an arm and a leg. And Luke and I talked about it a little bit, and we decided if we go, we want to skip Epcot and Animal Kingdom, and go to Universal/Islands of Adventure instead. Luke's more interested in that than Disney World, and I really want to check out the new Harry Potter section of IoA! Anybody know if there's a way to get discounted tickets to those parks, too?

So anyway, if you have ANY tips or tricks that would help me with potentially planning this spontaneous vacation, I'm all ears (get it? Mickey Mouse? Ears? Sorry, I had to :-P)

Free Disney Day

A month or so ago I was approached by a coworker to see if I would volunteer to be a judge for a Destination Imagination competition (DI is a program for elementary kids...if you've never heard of it, it's okay, I don't entirely understand what it is yet either. Ha!) I was told that I would have to spend a Saturday morning being trained, and then give up another entire Saturday from dawn until dusk judging the actual day of the competition. I decided that wasn't so bad, and plus one of my friends from work was doing it so I wouldn't be totally alone! So I decided to do it.

Fast forward to Monday of this week. I received my information packet about being a "DI Appraiser" and come to find out that DI volunteers are officially on the list for Disney's "Give a Day, Get a Day" program. For those of you who haven't heard of this program, if you volunteer for a day for any of the approved programs on the Disney website, you get a 1-day, 1-park ticket to Disneyland or Disney World. FOR FREE.

When I first heard about this program, I scoffed at it. I thought it was so silly to bribe people to volunteer. If they're getting something out of it, it's not really volunteering. However, I did sign up to volunteer BEFORE I knew it was one of the approved volunteer opportunities on the Disney website. And when I first heard that I COULD gain a free ticket to Disney World for volunteering, I didn't give it a second though because Luke and I have no plans to travel to Florida this year. Or anywhere, for that matter. Our vacation money is being spent on car repairs :-P

Well, of course in the boredom of my workday today, the wheels finally started turning in my mind. I'm a Disney FREAK. I love it. I don't care that I'm 25 years old...I would give my right arm to visit Disney World again :-P

During my lunch break today I found myself searching online for the cheapest flights I could find to Orlando, and the cheapest hotels there. By the end of the day I pretty much had an entire vacation dreamed up in my mind.

I really thought this thing through. I thought I could go to Disney World sometime this summer (I know...Florida in the summer...YUCK. But when you work in a school, you don't have a whole lot of vacation time that's NOT in the summer). I would want to leave super early in the morning on a Monday and fly out to Orlando. I would probably want to purchase a 1-day park-hopper ticket so that I could spend a day going back and forth between Animal Kingdom and Epcot, my two least favorite parks. Then I'd buy a 1-day, 1-park ticket so that I could spend the whole day Tuesday at Hollywood Studios. I would then use my free ticket on Wednesday to spend the entire day at Magic Kingdom, by FAR my favorite Disney park. On Thursday I'd either fly out early, or book a later flight so I could spend some of the day exploring and shopping at Downtown Disney.

I would want to get to the parks in the morning the moment they open, and not leave until they close. I would book the cheapest hotel I could find that has a shuttle bus service to the parks. I don't mind a little less luxury and a little more work if it means going to Disney World! And if it was just me going, I have no doubt that I could save up enough of my splurge money (aka weekly allowance) and then some to do it before this summer.

There is only one problem with my whole plan: Luke. I am willing to save up my own splurge money to pay for this trip for myself, but I doubt he would be. And I probably couldn't save up enough money to pay for both of us. I would be willing to brave the Florida heat, but I'm not sure if he would be so gung-ho about the whole thing. I would be more than happy to spend upwards of 12 hours on my feet, three days straight if it meant exploring the "Happiest Place on Earth." But I'm not so sure about my hard-working hubby, who would probably more enjoy a relaxing vacation. Sigh.

I'm still pondering the idea in my head. I seriously considered making a persuasive Powerpoint presentation about why we should take a trip to Disney World this summer. I decided that was a little too extreme, though :-P So instead, I thought I'd write a blog post about the whole thing to try to convince him ;-) And hey, if he can't go, I can always try to pursuade someone else to go with me. (Julie?? If you're reading this, I'm talking about you :-P How fun would a sister trip be??)

Anyway, I would really love to go with Luke, and I really want to go to Disney World before we have kids. Kind of like one last time to BE kids before we have our own. Not that we're having kids anytime soon, but I figure if I could get a day FREE, what better time than now to go? I guess it's just a little dream I have :-)

I mean, who could turn down THIS??

Luke, if you're reading this, please let me down easy :-P

Musical Theater

I LOVE musical theater! I love any type of show, whether it be at a high school, a local theater, or on Broadway.

My first experience with a real Broadway show was "The Lion King" in 2001. I had the chance to go see it on a band trip when I was about sixteen. Within the first five minutes I had tears running down my cheeks because it was so beautiful. It was amazing how all of the actors, dancers, costumes, and sets brought the movie to life. It looked like there were real animals on the stage, and it was breathtakingly beautiful! I was hungry for more :-)


The next time I had the pleasure of going to a Broadway musical was in 2008. My family + Luke went to see "Wicked" when it was on tour in Cleveland. I didn't know anything about the musical beforehand, and was just absolutely blown away by it. I enjoyed it even more than "The Lion King." It had a great plot, it was hilarious, the music was incredible, and it was just completely captivating. Even Luke genuinely enjoyed it, so you know there was truly something for everyone. I could not help but become completely pulled in by the story and the music. Ahhh, I loved it. Here are Luke and I outside after the whole experience (it was during February...don't we both look like we haven't seen the sun in years?!)

And here's a video of a few highlights...it will make you want to go see it too ;-)

There is only one musical that I like more than "Wicked." I've always been intrigued by the story, but in 2004 when It was made into a movie, my interest exploded. I rented the movie because I had mono and had nothing else to do, and seriously watched it over and over when I was sick. I got the soundtrack and listened to it for hours. It was the only thing that got me through those boring weeks of being sick in bed. I remember making a desktop wallpaper with pictures from the Broadway musical. And I could sing every word of every song in the entire musical to you right now....

I'm talking about Phantom of the Opera. Ever since my obsession started in 2004 I've been following the musical online to see if it would ever come to Cleveland or Pittsburgh. Well, tonight I was bored and decided to check again, and GUESS WHAT!! This July 28-August 22, it will be in Playhouse Square in Cleveland!!! I think I will buy tickets the day they go on sale. I have been wanting to see the musical for six years! If you were to go look at the bucket list I made about a year ago, you would see that going to see this musical is #66 on the list of things I want to do before I die. I am sooo excited!

I was sitting in the living room on my laptop when I saw the tour dates, and I gasped so forcefully, Luke jerked his head around like he thought something very alarming had just happened. Then I proceeded to squeal and gasp some more and giggle a lot too as I explained the situation to him :-P I then started shaking a little. That's how excited I am!! Just hearing those first few notes of the overture makes my heart start to race. I can't wait!!! I wanted to post a video, but all the ones from the musical that I found have embedding disabled. So here is the overture from the movie, because it's the best I could do :-P I'm sure it doesn't even begin to compare to the actual musical, but it's my favorite movie nonetheless :-) Have you ever heard a more haunting tune than this one? Oh man, I LOVE it!!!


I'm sure this is not the last you will hear about this musical before I go see it this summer. But I am so excited I just had to share today! I don't know exactly when I'm going or even who I'm going with, but I don't even care at this point. I'll go by myself if I have to :-P I could not be more excited!!!

Have you ever seen this musical? What is your favorite musical??

Movies

I've seen a couple of movies lately that I think are worth posting about. First of all, I went to see "Dear John" with my mom on Monday.
Since "Dear John" is a movie based on a Nicholas Sparks book, I just had to see it! And the fact that Channing Tatum was in it didn't hurt at all, but don't tell Luke I said that ;-) Anyway, it was a good movie, and I'd recommend it. I really don't want to give anything away, so I won't say much about it. But who doesn't love a good romance movie set near the ocean? It definitely wasn't my favorite Nicholas Sparks book-made-movie, but it was worth seeing.

I haven't read the book at all, so really didn't know what to expect when I came into the theater. I had predictions, but they actually all proved to be wrong, and there was a twist or two that I definitely didn't see coming. And one great thing about it was that I only cried a little bit...not buckets like when I saw "A Walk to Remember," "Message in a Bottle," or "Nights in Rodanthe." :-)

The second movie I want to mention was one that I've been seeing previews for for MONTHS. I had seen so many previews for it, I couldn't NOT see it. I was just too curious. The movie I'm talking about, if you haven't figured it out, is "Shutter Island."
When I walked into the movie theater, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. And when the movie started unraveling, I only felt more and more in the dark. From the very beginning, the movie gave me a feeling of unrest. Seeing the dark and dreary island full of white-coated nurses and orderlies escorting around the patients/prisoners...it was all just very unsettling! Something just didn't feel right. It was very eerie!

Anyway, I got completely sucked in by the plot. It was one of those movies that made me forget that I was in a movie theater, and I actually felt like I was going through what the main character was going through. By the end of it all, I didn't know what was what anymore, or who to trust. It was great when it all came together in the end :-)

And it wasn't really a horror movie...there were no fancy scare tactics, and there weren't many special effects or "jump moments." But there were moments that in their simplicity were so bone-chillingly frightening, I could feel my pulse quickening and goose bumps rising on my arms!

I really enjoyed both movies, and would recommend either one! Especially Shutter Island. It was creepy, but not quite as scary as I was expecting. So don't let that stop you from seeing it!

What movies have you seen lately??