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shawanda
9:58 AM
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.| Your Blogging Type Is Thoughtful and Considerate |
 You're a well liked, though underrated, blogger.You have a heart of gold, and are likely to blog for a cause.You're a peaceful blogger - no drama for you!A good listener and friend, you tend to leave thoughtful comments for others. |
shawanda
8:43 PM
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-Blue Man Fever-
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For my birthday, John surprised me with tickets for the Blue Man Group show in Chicago. Last night was the night of the show. We were able to score front row seats on the left side of the theater, closest to the center isle. We were told that the first five rows of each section were poncho seats and to be prepared for splatter. I was soo psyched about this that it was hard for me to contain myself. However, when we got to our seats and I began putting the poncho on, I wondered if we hadn't gotten ourselves into something we would regret later.
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As it turned out, we had nothing to worry about. There was a little splatter during the show but nothing came close to our side of the stage. I have to admit that I was a little disappointed at the end of the night. The overall experience however, was nothing short of cool and amazing. Those three blue men kept us entertained with their talent, wit, and audience participation. It was great! I wish I could explain more about the show but it's an understatement to say that you just have to see it to get what it's about. John and I went thinking we had some idea of what was going to happen but it was soo much more than that. And the audience got to interact a lot more than I expected.
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At the beginning of the night, John made a comment about running into someone from Eastern that we haven't seen in a long time. It happened to us at Medieval Times and he joked about it happening again. But wouldn't you know it, we indeed ran into two Eastern Alums that we haven't heard from in a year or seen in over 7. Just as we were heading into the lobby area, Kim Bretzlaff started calling my name! Kim and John were there to see the show with a group from church. It was great catching up with them. I asked about their daughter Roxana and commented on how much they looked the same. Well, John looked a little more rock star with his fancy hair and all.
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After hugging and saying our goodbyes, I stood in line to have my picture taken with my favorite Blue Man. I'm soo glad it turned out well though I definitely look as if I'd been jumping around and playing with streamers all night.
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.The rest of the night didn't go so well. John ended up getting soo sick that we had to stay the night in Bolingbrook. But maybe I'll leave this part for John to talk about on his blog.
shawanda
1:28 PM
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-New Xanga Post-
shawanda
1:52 PM
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-It's My Birthday. . .Lucky Me-
.Every year I find myself dreading my birthday. For whatever reason, I stopped enjoying my birthday at the age of 20. Maybe it was 19. Each time September 8 rolls around I am either depressed (and never about my age), sick, too financially strapped to consider
doing anything, or a combination of the three. The day before and after my birthday might be the best days of my life. But from 12AM - 11:59PM September 8, things never seem to go well for me. It just seemed useless to look forward to a day that would inevitably let me down.
.Looking back, my 20's as a whole have been pretty interesting. They say your 20's are spent finding yourself and it has certainly been that way for me. And though I must admit that I love the sound of being "20-something," going through my 20's has definitely left me with a few scars. It's been a long and hard road and I guess it's only fitting that my birthdays were greeted with hesitation.
.That was until I decided that this year, my last year as a 20-something, should go out with a bang. I don't know what I was expecting this year but I wanted to actually
enjoy my birthday. And not just my birthday. I've decided that I am going to usher in 30 with a fantastic year. I'm going to try new things, take chances, fulfill dreams, and make sure that I am treating myself well - physically, spiritually, and emotionally. I am going to take all of the things I have learned (mostly the hard way) this past 9 - 10 years, and really live a life that is true to me.
.Well, the jury is still out on whether my birthday was actually different this year. (Yes, I did have a moment tonight where I cried about the disappointment of it all. I think I have a problem with setting my expectations a little high.) BUT, I have already kicked-off this year with great success. So, in honor of my last year as a 20-something, I decided to make a list of things that are making this year special. Things that will not make me dread turning 30 but instead, remind me that it is good to be me.
.* Though I may be 29, I am still often mistaken for someone just entering her 20's. Better yet, I often walk around with little to no make-up on but never look "plain." Boy am I learning to love the skin I'm in!
..* I have actually stretched myself by learning to play the bass. And might I say that it is wild!.* I have people in my life who love and care about me..* I have found a job that lets me operate on my own terms (and it seems to be getting better each year.).* I have overcome some of my biggest fears, which has reconnected me to things like drama and singing. Big steps for me..* I recently had a conversation with the Act 3 director concerning my Haunted post. During this conversation, it became very evident that not only does he think I'm talented and worth having as part of this ministry, but he actually respects me as a person. Know what I mean? Besides family and super close friends, I don't think I have ever walked away from someone knowing they felt that way about me. Especially someone I consider to be older and wiser. Completely blows my mind. This by far has been the best birthday gift this year..* I have a good Christian husband who truly thinks I am the most beautiful person in the world..* I am finally beginning to understand the way God has created me and am finding joy in it..So I think I've got a pretty good start to an awesome year. I am determined to make it memorable. It's exciting to think about dreams and passions that I am already living out. It encourages me to see growth within myself. It humbles me to think about the ways God still wants to blow my mind and use me for things too big for me to comprehend. Whether 29 or 89 - may we all live this year with wild abandon and to its fullest!
shawanda
9:42 PM
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New Xanga Post-
shawanda
9:16 PM
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-Soul Search-
.Have you ever had a time in your life where things just seemed to move too quickly? That's kind of how I'm feeling lately. I told John that I wanted to take a break from life yesterday and at first, he had a hard time understanding what I meant by it. I'm sure it's because I have a hard time explaining what I mean. And what I mean is that I wish I had some time (maybe a week or so) where I could really process all the things that are going on around me.
Really process them. I feel like even though things are hectic and life-changing decisions are being made, I'm suppose to take it all in during my allotted time and simply move on. One of the biggest things going on right now is the restructuring of Apex. God has totally blessed us with someone who can help us organize and plan in a big picture way. All the leaders (4 of us) had a mini-retreat where we did some heavy strategic planning. It was great and very beneficial. But I walked away feeling soo overwhelmed. I'm still not sure where my place will be in the ministry this next year or even if I want to be big part of the leadership team. I would love to participate for a month without having the responsibility of being in charge. As soon as the weekend was over, I had to quickly move on to the next big thing. And because Apex is starting our fall season soon, all the planning and reorganizing is happening soo fast.
.I have tried lightening my schedule a little by taking a break from some things like worship team for a while. I thought it would help. But it wasn't until yesterday - talking with John - that I realized it's not just a matter of having too much stuff to do. This is more an issue of having important stuff to deal with and not allowing myself enough time to digest it all. I'm thinking I might sneak away one day next week to really absorb and sort out everything. At least it will be a good start.
shawanda
11:18 AM
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