cosmetic disfiguring

I've been watching lots of silly afternoon TV shows recently, just to have something on in the background while I'm doing my homework or the laundry or cleaning the house. And they've mainly been What Not To Wear and Ten Years Younger. And I've noticed a trend in Ten Years Younger of doing teeth-whitening, botox injections, collagen lip injections along with the usual makeover stuff. And I've been thinking how ridiculous so much of it is. I don't know if you've ever watched The Swan. I saw a couple of episodes, I don't even remember when, but the creepiest thing about it is that, at the end, every girl looked exactly the same. Long hair, big boobs, skinny body, plump lips. Any individuality about these women was erased and seen as a flaw. It's so sad that uniqueness is seen as an imperfection, instead of a part of who that person is.

Anyway just a few thoughts about what I find annoying about this world and it's influences on what people think is beautiful.

I love Starbucks

Thanks to my lovely Starbucks PerksCard John and I were able to open a gym membership today for only $20 a month each. Isn't that crazy!? I love Starbucks.... It's 24 Hour Fitness and Kelly also has a membership so we'll go work out and do fun classes together! John and I are excited to get in shape and enjoy their facilities!!!

We just had an most excellent birthday weekend for John. I surprised him on Friday night by taking him to the airport to pick up Bekah! And then yesterday morning I surprised him by getting him a Wii. Awesomeness! We spent some of the day playing it and we really, really enjoyed it! Then we headed to Jim & Kelly's for a fun party of banoffee pie, margaritas, Bailey's and fun Wii playing... Pix to come on facebook!

velvet elvis

I have been slowly reading Velvet Elvis, by Rob Bell, and it is truly an excellent book. I am amazed at how much this guy knows about what is really going on in the Bible. I would definitely recommend this to everyone.

This really impacted me tonight:

"This is why it is impossible for a Christian to have a secular job. If you follow Jesus and do what you are doing in his name, then it is no longer secular work; it's sacred. You are there; God is there. The difference is our awareness."

I work at Starbucks. I make coffees, serve pastries, and take cash from customers. It's not quite as fulfilling as taking a bunch of college kids to Brazil to hang out with orphaned kids, or seeing God transform a church in Japan just because of your team's presence. But this quote really hit it home. What I am doing is sacred and I have to begin seeing it that way. It's so hard to be doing the 9-5 thing (or in most cases, for me, the 4:30-8:30 thing, and yes, that's 4:30 in the morning). YWAM has pretty much been my entire life. And it's an environment that just breathes, lives and talks God. God is always talked about, sung about, prayed to, mentioned. Here, in Colorado, I'm at home, work or college, and there's not much talking about God in either of those places. I'm having to do my own talking, singing, praying without anybody else helping, and it's really hard. I'm learning how to do it, though it's taking a long time. It helps to think that everything I do is sacred, even the mundanity of making lattes, and cleaning the condiment bar! God is there, I just need to get it in my head that He is there.

arrested development

For all those who love TV, and haven't yet watched Arrested Development, you have to watch it. This show is by far the funniest thing that's ever been made (it's up there with Friends for sure!) Anyway, Netflix it, buy it, Blockbuster it, download it, however your boat floats, get this show and watch it. Sadly they only made three seasons and cut the last season in half. Get it, watch it, enjoy it! We just passed on Season 1 to some friends of ours on Tuesday night and they have already blown through the season in two days. I love passing on the Arrested Development love!

i love craig's list

We had some wonderful friends come visit this last weekend, friends from Taylor University, where John did his degree. They told us how much of their snowboarding gear they had gotten from craigslist. Yesterday, I decided to browse their "Sporting gear for sale" and found a posting about a pair of Vans Snowboard boots that were to small for the owner. She wanted to sell them for $20 or even do a boot exchange with someone who had bigger boots. Much as I love my boots, they have always been a bit too big, and I have to pull the laces really tight in order to lace up, which, if you've ever worn snowboard boots, is really hard to do. Especially with my old boots, the laces were like sandpaper, cutting up my fingers whenever I tied up my boots (or John's fingers, as more recently, he ties my boots up for me - I love him so much!) However, I digress...

I emailed this girl, who promptly replied, saying she would love to try my boots and would I like to give her a call tonight to arrange a potential switch. I knew from the pix that the boots were sweet, I just had to see whether they would fit. If mine didn't fit her, I could still buy hers for $20. She came over, the boots fit gorgeously both myself and her, and we made the exchange.

These boots are almost completely brand-new and have the amazing click lacing system, which means no more pulling on laces (John is jealous, even though he has sweet boots!). Laces are the bane of snowboarders! She gladly took my boots, even if they were almost 10 years old (still in great condition), as she would rather get "free" ones right now.

So, I now officially love Craig's List... Check out these gorgeous boots.