Christmas List with a Little Help from Carrie Bradshaw

Hello All and happy Fall! I Can't believe the leaves are already changing but it's beautiful. This is my favorite time of year. Even though I'm enjoying this season, my thoughts are already turning to Christmas. Not in any sort of religious or spiritual sense unfortunately but rather in the form of a Christmas wish list. Some members of my family are asking for my list, in some cases threatening to get me something I don't want if I don't come up with a list soon :)

So, I starting thinking about what new gadgets and toys that I wanted this year and feeling like I was going to totally blow this Christmas on a bunch of crap that I don't even need. I had all this floating in the back of my mind as I was getting in bed this afternoon to take a nap. As I pulled back the sheets, it occurred to me what I should put on my Christmas list. SHEETS!

My sheets are really old and worn but I'm too cheap to get new ones. Then, as I was trying to go to sleep, I thought of an old Carrie Bradshaw moment. The episode where her shoes get stolen at a baby shower and she gets her friend to replace them by registering for them. Really, I only vaguely remember the episode but she says something about all the people she has bought wedding and baby gifts for but what about single people? When do we get loot? That's right, Christmas.

My Christmas list this year is going to look more like a home warming registry than a Christmas list. I'm planning to buy a house in the next year and will need lots of house-y things. Instead of getting DVD's and junk I don't get, I'm asking for flatware, sheets and dinnerware.

When I proposed this idea to my mother and said the phrase, "since I'm obviously not getting married," and she freaked out. I had to amend to, "anytime soon." Despite that, she thought it was a good idea and I'm pretty excited. I think I might actually march myself into target or bed bath and beyond, get one of those scanners and walk around the store zapping stuff. It's like getting married without the dress or cake or groom for that matter ;) So excited!

I'm Not Dead, Just Stuck...

Me doing the "Flamingo Pose." I'm weird, don't ask...

So, you may have noticed that I've been completely out of touch lately. I haven't posted a *real* blog in over a month, sometimes I don't even log into Tweet Deck until the afternoon and I've even gone days without checking my e-mail (GASP)! What's been going on with me? A lot. I'll spare you the details but the short is that I had a staph infection, two allergic reactions to the antibiotics they used to treat the infection, an event I've been planning for four months and another condition that I just found out yesterday will require daily medication and ongoing treatment for at least a year if not more.

Regarding the illnesses, there's not much to say there. They sucked and I complained a lot and was often overwhelmed but c'est la vie. I'd rather not dwell on that and I'm sure you would appreciate that as well.

The event. After all that work and planning, not just by myself but by some awesome volunteers and staff, the event was canceled due to weather the morning of the event. Talk about anti-climactic. The good news is that most of the fundraising was done online and ahead of time so our clients will still benefit. That's what is most important. So far, we think we've raised about $48,000 which compared to the $36,000 raised last year is a miracle--especially for an event that didn't really happen! There are still numbers being crunched (not my strong point) and questions that we're asking ourselves but overall I'm pleased with the outcome.

Speaking of asking ourselves questions, I've been asking myself a lot of questions lately. Many "why" and "what for" questions. I can't say that I've found many answers, or at least ones that I like, but I'm asking anyway. It's confusing and sometimes frustrating but again, c'est la vie.

I am excited about some shows that are on or back on TV now. Not that I have a TV but who needs one when you have hulu, right? I'm in love...with Glee and excited that Grey's is back on. I was a little disappointed in the season premiere of Dollhouse but I'm sticking it out because it was awesome last season! Of course we also have my crime shows: CSI, Bones, Numbers and I have to track down The Closer since TNT won't play on my MAC (Ted Turner is a loser!). I'm too far behind on the Office, Samantha Who and 30 Rock to watch this season but they're wonderful anyway. What shows are you excited about this season?

Losing My Web Video Virginity!

Click here to visit my fundraising page!

Failure to Launch

My nephew and I taking a nap when he was a baby

As you may have noticed, my Etsy store is NOT open yet. I had hoped to launch last weekend but was not able to do so. Although I'm disappointed, I can see some key steps that I needed to take in order for this to happen.

1.) Don't over commit. Although I knew I had a lot of deadlines at work last week and was pretty certain that I would be working some overtime, I still set the deadline for last weekend. I even knew that Sunday I would be at church and then work until in the evening. I ignored these facts because I really wanted to launch but I should have realized that it just wasn't feasible.

2.) Eat an elephant one bite at a time. I had a list of all the things that needed to be done: policies written, pieces designed, photographs taken and descriptions written. but I didn't really have a plan for getting all those done except for, "I'll do them this weekend"--A weekend I already knew was going to be busy. Now, I have a step by step plan to get those things done that doesn't involve pawning it off on the weekend. Just manageable pieces each day so that maybe I can still enjoy my weekend and not stress.

3.) You still come first. I was so exhausted from my stressful week that I could hardly hold my eyes open Saturday afternoon or Sunday evening and those were the main times I had available to work on my store. In the end, I still had to choose health over getting my store up. I needed to get some serious rest this weekend instead of running myself further into the ground.

I'll start posting more updates on the store but thank you for being patient as I get everything situated. Trust, it will be worth the wait!!!!

Grand Opening??

So this is my workspace. I'm busy trying to get some pieces together for the grand opening of my Etsy store, Where You Live! I'm still hoping to launch it this weekend but we'll see. There's still a lot of work to be done. I'll try to post some pics of actual pieces as I go along. Wish me luck!

MAC-5 | PC-0

There was a snowstorm somewhere really hot last weekend as my father made ANOTHER big conversion. This time to a MAC. Yes, my father ordered his first Apple computer this weekend.
Years ago, when I was the first in my family to convert, I never thought that anyone else in my family would ever own one. To be honest, I thought this might be my own little unique attribute (as the middle child, I'm always trying to stand out). Apparently not now. After I got my beautiful 17 inch G4 (that's what we had back then), my younger sister got one followed by my brother-in-law the pilot, my other sister and now my father. I never thought I'd see the day...

I am not in the MAC evangelism group. I love them but I don't look down on people who don't have one and I don't really say a whole lot about it. In other words, I don't try to make people want to get one. There are some really hard core Apple people out there who will list off 20 reasons why you're an idiot and completely uncool if you don't have a MAC but I'm not that hardcore. I will, however, share why I switched purely to communicate my reasons not to convert people.

1.) I was so sick and tired of my Dell crashing. My first two years of college, I went through at least four Dell laptops. One actually pretty much caught on fire and had smoke coming out of it. I spent more time on the phone with tech support than I did in class. They made me take it apart and do all this stuff to it. I was like, if I wanted to be a computer technician, I probably wouldn't be at college studying theatre. Any call that requires multiple screwdrivers, at least 2 hours and a translator is just NOT worth it!

2.) They just don't have as many problems. Most viruses aimed at PC's and don't even effect MAC's. The only problems I've ever had were getting a printer to work with my MAC (user error, didn't understand the whole "driver" thing) and a mother board went out. Neither one of those issues ever involved me getting a screwdriver or having a two hour phone call to India.

3.) Let's face it, MAC's are pretty! I don't mean to be completely shallow here but I have impeccable taste and they're just beautiful pieces of art. Even the boxes and packaging is pretty. More than that, they can make pretty things too. I was at art school in Atlanta when I bought my first MAC and that's what serious creative people use. It just makes sense that if you want to make pretty stuff then you use something pretty that is kind of the expert of pretty things. Now, that being said, I think that you can be an artist or film maker or whatever and use a PC. This doesn't make you any less creative. These are just reasons why I have one.

4.) Steve Jobs is a genious. I love inovative people and inovative things. Apple encompasses both. End of story.

5.) This is why you shouldn't send a PC to do a MAC's job:

My parents with their three PC laptops, none of which do what they want (thus the new MAC)

Where you live cannot decide whether you live or whether you die

Yesterday, I saw someone who tweeted that she was going to do something today for the sole purpose of keeping herself "accountable." It turned out that it didn't work out exactly how she thought but it got my wheels turning all the same.

Earlier this week, I posted that I wanted to get a bike. This expense is kind of unnecessary so I haven't been able to justify it to myself...until now! I've decided to use social media to keep myself accountable for something I've wanted to do for awhile but "haven't had time" and this something can help me make the money I need to buy my bike. It's a win-win. So here it is...

I'm opening my Etsy store!!!!!

As some of you know, I dabble in making jewelry. I've been doing it for almost 10 years and I love it but it's an expensive hobby. I've sold pieces and even done some commissioned pieces but I've never been in it for the business. I found this awesome website called Etsy several months ago and kicked around the idea of opening my own store. I even blogged about it here. Well, I finally stopped dragging my feet and took the first steps. The store is live and you can visit it but there aren't any items posted yet. Coming soon, I promise! I'll start with my jewelry designs (earrings, bracelets, necklaces and sets) but hopefully will also branch out into other "top secret" product lines later:)

A little background on the concept for the store. We all know I'm a complete non-profit junkie and in college I got involved with the One Campaign which is a movement to end extreme poverty in Africa and around the world. I was very inspired by Bono, rock legend turned humanitarian, and became very active in that organization. I once heard him give a speech where he said, "Where you live shouldn't determine whether you live or whether you die." His words just struck me and I knew then that this quote would be significant to me. Now, almost four years later, I'm opening an Etsy store whose name comes from that quote.

The plan is, to give 10% of my profits to organizations that help in some way respond to the need brought up by this quote. I also want to have special pieces where 100% of the proceeds go to some of my favorite non-profits that do such important work to ensure that no matter where or in what state of being one lives it does not determine "whether they live or whether they die."

To jump start the launch of my store, I will attempt to sell at least $125 worth of jewelry in the first 2 weeks so I can get my bike!!!! See how this all works together? I chose that number because I need about $100 to buy my bike, $12.50 will go to charity and then the rest is to cover the fees associated with listing on Etsy. I hope that you'll help me reach this goal and have a GREAT GRAND OPENING.

I'll be posting about the entire process from creating designs, listing items and actually selling. My goal "true open" date is NEXT Saturday, August 15th at noon. Be on the look out and keep checking in for updates. Thanks for going on this journey with me and I look forward to seeing where we go!

What endeavors have you made for the sake of passion and art?

What's Good for the Goose is Good for the Google!

So, I was smart enough to do something for work a year ago that I hadn't done for myself until today--GOOGLE ALERTS. Great things, really, but for some reason had never thought to do them for my name and blog. It all goes back to how Randy and Spence talked about branding yourself.

I love branding, why didn't I think about this sooner? hmmm....
If I already received Google Alerts, I would have discovered several neat things about my social media "conversation" yesterday. First, one of my social media heroes @GailHyatt RT'ed me. I knew that from Twitter but I also would have seen it in my Google Alerts if I got them before today. Second, two (count them TWO) CEO's tweeted AND posted a link to my blog from theirs. That must explain the spike in my blog views from 20 to almost 200 yesterday. I was also tweeted by six complete strangers which I found out about on this neat little site called Tweet Meme. I'm still not exactly sure what this site is but it looks interesting. Anyone familiar with it?

Monitoring your web presense is also essential for businesses and non-profits. If Etapestry and FristGiving didn't moniter theirs, they would have no idea about a disgruntled customer from a little non-profit in Nashville. And who would have thought they'd care? But they were watch and they did care. That situation is completely worked out now and I can say with 100% certainty that it wouldn't be if it weren't for Twitter.

Tomorrow, I should recieve Google Alert e-mails for "Mandy Singleton," "mandycsingleton," "mandycsingleton.blogspot.com," and "Mandy C. Singleton." We'll see how that goes. Now I just have to keep writing, doing and being interesting so there's actually a reason for an alert!

Do you have Google Alerts and how else do you manage your brand and web presence?

Choose Health

I am an extremely busy person. Probably to a fault. My job is very intense, especially right now with an event coming up and lots of mailings about to go out, and I'm involved with a lot of organizations. I also have lots of hobbies like making jewelry and social media (I consider this blog to be one of my new favorite hobbies).

Lately, I've realized that I may actually be too activity driven and have been trying to make choices that respect my energy and health. In other words, I've been trying to give myself some down time so that I don't lose my mind. Last weekend, I planned to go into the office on Saturday because I have a lot of things going on. In fact, I spent 6 hours the Saturday before at the office and have been working about 50 hours a week. It's just one of those times when everything falls and I've taken on some new roles so I'm not complaining about that just giving background.

Saturday morning, I decided not to go. I just needed some time to get things done around the house and just be here. I cleaned, vacuumed, did three loads of laundry, watched some Netflix and hung out with friends. It was great. This week has been extra crazy because of that decision but I think it was the right one.

Tonight, I had to make the same kind of decision. It is the first night that I could actually get home before 8:30 but I had a meeting at 7 for an organization that I care a lot about. I really wanted to be there but I was so exhausted and knew that I just needed to go home. It was hard to choose health in this situation but I know it is the right thing for me. So, before I put on my PJs and watch Confessions of a Shopaholic, I wanted to post some encouragement for you if you're over extended, feeling a little overwhelmed or starting to burn out. Here are some ways to choose health:

1. Take care of yourself. If you run yourself into the ground, you're not going to be able to help anyone. This isn't selfish, just self preserving.

2. Have boundaries. At the end of the day, people can only take what you give. I'm terrible about this but I'm working on it. I acknowledge that it's important and awareness is the first step right?

3.Reward yourself. Whether it's a bubble bath, a movie night, dinner with friends or blogging, reward your hard work with something that you love.

4. Remember who's really in charge. We are not the savior of the universe and sometimes we have to remind ourselves of that. "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28)."

On that note, I'm going to go rest and be restored!

How can YOU choose health?

An Explanation of "Twitterstand"

I used this word in my post last night and some people have asked about it so I thought I'd post the video that I got it from. This is one of the funniest things I've ever seen and the source of the word "Twitterstand." Enjoy!

Now I Twitterstand, Thanks Etapestry!

I'm a believer. Never again will I underestimate the power of Twitter! Yesterday at my day job, I hit a wall with our online fundraising website, FirstGiving, that we're using for our fall event. I called our rep at FirstGiving to trouble shoot and was told that the problem was our donor database company. I was furious because this issue was the very reason that we are using FirstGiving this year. So, what did I do? I tweeted about it--just once. This is what I said:

"Etapestry has ruined my day and I will not forget this!!!!"

There were seven comments on Facebook about it (since my Twitter Updates my Facebook) and I thought that we would just deal with the problem internally. This morning, however, I had an e-mail and my co-worker who manages our Etapestry database had an e-mail and a voicemail. Someone from Etapestry saw the disgruntled tweet and tracked my work information down even though I tweeted from my personal account. That's impressive people.

My co-worker and I exchanged some e-mails and even had a little conference call with Etapestry today and pretty much figured out that FirstGiving had maybe not been completely honest with us. Very not cool FirstGiving. The customer service at Etapestry was excellent and it's really interesting because several of the comments I got both yesterday and today on Facebook were very positive about Etap and people were shocked that I was unhappy with them (which I was obviously wrong about).

I think that there are some great lessons in here:

1. Even the UGLIEST truth is better than a lie. Firstgiving has lost my trust and that's a very difficult thing to earn back once it's lost. I'm a very loyal customer typically and they had been great up to this point. I had suggested them to multiple non-profits and commended their excellent customer service, helpful website and convenience. None of that is as important to me as their honesty though so they may have lost a customer over it. In the end, we may find that FirstGiving didn't mislead us but someone did so is that worth it?

2. Twitter is a powerful tool, don't ignore it. If Etapestry had not made the commitment to monitor and respond to their social media, I would be sitting here tonight wondering why they make my life so difficult. Because my event also isn't for another two months, I probably would have continued to tweet about it until at least then if not longer and possibly influencing other people to have a negative opinion of them. Etapestry is also now aware of a pretty serious problem: their competitor is lying to their customers about them. Wouldn't you want to know that?

3. "It's about a conversation not campaigns anymore." That's something that Randy Elrod and Spence Smith said at the amazing LifeWorks 2.0 seminar I went to last week and this experience really brought that home for me. I actually ended up having a neat conversation with the representative from Etapestry through e-mail because he saw on my Twitter that we had a staff retreat this morning where we were discussing Strength Finder 2.0. How many times have you talked to a company's customer service representative about a great book you just read and shared what you learned about yourself from it? Yeah, things are changing out there. Are you stuck in the past or leading the way forward?

4. Always give them a chance. I don't really regret tweeting what I did because we would have never gotten to the bottom of this otherwise but I think I will be more cautious about getting both sides of the story from now on. In fact, I'm calling FirstGiving tomorrow to see what they say unless they also monitor their web presence and beat me to the punch. You always want to get all the information though before you make a final judgment.

Thank you Etapestry for the great lessons and also to Desiree for being in the middle of this with me. I'll admit, it was really cool to be in the middle of a situation created by social media.

What experience have you had that's been impacted by social media?

Tangent to Outer Space: God and TIme

I was on Twitter today and saw a tweet that I found very interesting. You may know this person, maybe even in real life unlike me who only knows her online, and she said this: "Prayer is effective only on the day of..." She was referring to something specific but it's not relevant to the point so I left it out.

It got me thinking though; I don't think I believe that. I'm not criticizing her or saying, "She's so stupid, she's wrong." It was truly one of those moments where your mind just goes off on a big ole tangent into outer space. I started thinking about God and time.
Kairos is a Greek word that means "the appointed time in the purpose of God." I have some dear friends, an Anglican bishop and his wife, who always talk about kairos and God's time. Not just His timing but time as it exists in heaven. See, on earth we have a linear view of time or chronos (from which we get the words chronological and chronology). No, this is not a Greek lesson but I think it's important to see the difference in our understanding of time and God's.

For us, Christ died on the cross more than 2,000 years ago but that's our measure of time. Those constraints, and let's all admit that time is a constraint most of the time, do not pertain to God because He's God and above time (in Kairos). Chronological events are before God at the foot of His throne at all times. That's another amazing thing about Christ's sacrifice on the cross, it is as present as "current" to God today to cover my sins as it was 2,000 years ago to cover the sins of Christ's contemporaries. It is always before Him and not bound by our linear view of time. Wow, crazy.

I once had a physicist--well, I don't know if she was a physicist but a math and science person anyway, explain this principle to me. She said that it's like a person on a train understands that they are moving from point A to point B in a linear motion. Then that train passes another train going the opposite way and it's hard to tell which way you're moving, it's completely disorienting. The planets are actually moving in a similar but much more complex manner. You have one planet rotating this way and moving in this orbit but this other planet rotates that way and has this other path to orbit in (this makes a lot more sense when you see the hand motions but just imagine). So you have all these planets rotating and orbiting in this beautifully complex movement and God designed them that way. Pretty cool. But she said that this is more how God views time, in these complex orbits rather than linearly. Did I totally lose you? It sounds really out there and crazy but let me give you a more concrete example.

My parents are newly converted Eastern Orthodox but we have friends that have been Orthodox for many years so I've grown up being exposed to their traditions, beliefs and culture. They have a service that I'll admit I don't know a lot about and haven't actually been to so all my Orthodox friends feel free to jump in here. This service or part of a service is held after the death of a loved one. What is interesting is that they pray for their life, the decisions they made and ask God to intercede for them. This seems odd to us linear people because being bound by the chronology of time, those decisions and actions have already been made right? Not necessarily in kairos. My understanding is that they believe those prayers are before God, above linear time, even as their loved one was alive on earth and that prayer offered after their death is heard by the same ear as those offered during their lifetime. Does that blow your mind?

Maybe that doesn't fascinate and wow you like it does me but I think it's amazing and just reminds me in so many ways how amazing God is. He is the Alpha and Omega, beginning and the end. As Christians, we believe in eternal life and so one end is actually another beginning.

This was kind of an experimental mind flow that might have been really out there but I'd love some feedback. What do you think about this concept of God and time?

What about God really amazes and wows you?

Which is Bigger, Multimedia or God?

My Small Group from MTSU Search 2008: Laffy Taffy!!!!

For work tonight, we did a baby shower for a women’s Bible study. They were so much fun! I mean, a totally zany group of funny ladies but really great. It made me wish that I had a group like that and made me realize how much I miss having a place like the Catholic student center in college.

I was there three or four nights a week for Bible study, movie and discussion nights or the occasional party. They were my family even though I’m not Roman Catholic. As with most families, we also had our fights and disagreements too but that was just part of life.

Seeing those women bring snacks, talk about the Beth Moore studies they just finished, and to work together to reach out to a ministry like us was really awesome. I’ve been really discouraged by churches lately. Having to work more closely with them now, I find myself more disappointed than encouraged. Churches are too big and too busy to even talk to people, much less come to a free lunch to hear about what God is doing in lives with so much need right here in our own community. I had a 15 year old guy, he was probably older but looked 15, who worked at a church scoff at me because I said something about a slide show. He quickly told me that their church was “really big into multimedia” and they wouldn’t dream of doing something like a slide show. How about being really big into helping people and sharing God’s love, what happened to that? Don't get me wrong, I love some multi- and social media but let's not loose focus here.

So, it was really good to be with a small group of women who care about their faith and about sharing their love for Christ with hurting people. I’m very glad that I got to be reminded that there are people who care out there and it’s not just impersonal, “multimedia,” mega consumers left. Thanks ladies!

Are you part of a Bible Study, small group, or organization that inspires and encourages you and how do you keep focus?

To Bike or Not to Bike, That is the Question...

So, I took this weekend for some much needed "Mandy time" and I'm glad that I did. I also unfortunately took a nap today so it's midnight and I'm still up :( Of course, I have a mission...

I went and looked at bikes today and am thinking about getting one. Just a simple little bike that I can ride on the Greenway or something. No mountain-y kind of things here people! I want something that I can put a cute basket on or maybe even a cute little bell.

I, of course, have no idea what I'm doing. I had a bike growing up but we mostly rode it in the basement because we lived on a big hill out in the country and there really wasn't anywhere else to ride it. It was a pink Huffy with a banana seat. Do they still make those? I guess I'm too old for them even if they did but it would definitely be cute and I bet I could put a basket and a bell on it!

I thought I might start out with a more inexpensive bike and if I really like it and use it a lot I could then move up to something more professional. That sounds like a good plan right?

I think that what might have started this was that I saw a movie the other day where one of the characters was always jogging and it looked like fun except for the jogging part. I don't jog or run unless being chased and there have to be large animals with big teeth or armed thugs involved at that. It did make me think, however, that I would like to have an activity like jogging so that's when I became interested in bicycles.

Riding a bike could be a great "Mandy time" activity where I could get some exercise and have some time to just go out and do something that's not work, it's not obligation, it's not consuming anything, it's just doing something and enjoying it. Sounds perfect...

What's something that you do for "me time?"

Sexual Assault and Brokenness

I had planned on not writing at all about my "day job" which is more like a day, nights, and weekends job seeing as how I'm sitting in my office right now on a Saturday evening:) But something has come up and I'd really like to blog about it. Less about my job but brought up by something that happened at work.

This morning, I received an e-mail from someone that I do not know. I don't believe that she's a volunteer or has any tangible tie here. That really has no significance except that she is a stranger and quite possibly could have stumbled on our site from anywhere. Maybe she's a potential or past client, who knows. Either way, I have never met her and do not know her story.

Her e-mail referred to a testimony that I myself posted on our website. It is the touching story of a client, "Emma," who experienced horrible events and circumstances but still chose to give her unborn child, the result of a rape, the gift of life and further more bless a couple who couldn't have children by placing him for adoption. You can read Emma's entire story here. Have tissues handy, it's a very powerful testimony.

Apparently our e-mail friend this morning had a complaint about the fact that we put a note at the end of the testimony that says, "Less than 3% of unplanned pregnancies are a result of rape." This statement was seen, by the e-mailer, as offensive, led her to believe that we think our client was lying, and as being disrespectful to all victims of sexual assault.

At first, as I read the e-mail, I was furious. So many things ran through my head: Why would I post her testimony if I thought the client was lying? Wouldn't that defeat the purpose? How is it that we were able to disrespect EVERY victim of sexual assault by helping someone who was raped? Do people really have so much time on their hands that they sit around and find things like this to write e-mails about? And then the important question...what about this situation upset our e-mailer so much?

I won't spend much time addressing the question raised by our e-mailer except to say this: we of course believe our client or we wouldn't have put her story up on our website and also used it in a mailing that went out to ALL of our donors in December if we didn't. We are actually asked that question a lot, how many unplanned pregnancies are the result of rape, so we chose to answer before being asked. I guarantee that if we had not put that footnote up, I would have received several angry e-mails demanding that we point out the low percentage of pregnancies resulting from rape and probably accusing us of skewing the facts by NOT including that information. None of this was intended to disrespect or discredit women who have been sexually assaulted or even become pregnant as the result of a rape.

What this got me thinking about though, is why it elicited such an emotional response from both of us. What has she been through or seen that caused her to be so upset by what she perceived, however incorrectly, was publicly criticism of a rape victim. What about her e-mail made me so mad that I wanted to track her down on facebook, find out where she lives, and go yell at her (which I would never do but that's just how mad I was). Was it the friends that I've personally know who have been the victims of sexual assault? Or maybe it's the years I've spent working and volunteering at Mercy Ministries where I heard the most horrendous stories of sexual assault, ones you couldn't even think of because they're so disturbing. I saw the damage and carnage left in the wake of sexual assault in ways that I hope most people NEVER see. I even helped edit Mercy's book about sexual assault called Violated.

I saw girls who develop eating disorders just to feel like they had control over something after their assault left them feeling powerless. Weighing 90 or less pounds, coming to Mercy because the hospitals sent them home to die because there was nothing else they could do or their insurance ran out. Girls who cut their arms and even tried to kill themselves because they can't deal with the memories or the pain.

My heart broke that someone would think that I don't have respect for these women and it made me incredibly angry. It also made me realize that I was dealing with a theme that seems to be coming up a lot in my life lately: brokenness. We're all fallen and broken and it is out of that brokenness that we interact with each other. We all come with previous wounds, emotional baggage and a virtual psychological mine field. Hurt people going around hurting other people. It's a pretty vicious cycle and there's only one solution to it--forgiveness.

I hope that eventually she can see that we weren't trying to be hurtful and in fact, try to bring hope and healing to women's lives. I also hope that I can have compassion for her, as well as our clients and the thousands of women impacted by sexual assault.

thanks for letting me get that out. I've been really upset about it all day. Maybe that's why I couldn't get this poster designed today!

Spinach Quiche Recipe

So the truth is, I'm not much of a cook. I have a limited array of recipes but the ones I do have are usually a pretty big hit when I make them for other people and I thought I'd share one with you. This is one I got from my cousin at a baby shower for my sister-in-law/nephew (he and I are pictured below).

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup of Shredded cheddar
1 package of frozen spinach
3 eggs
1 cup of heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup of chopped, roasted peppers
1/2-1 cup of crumbled feta
1 pie crust (or make it from scratch but you're on your own there:)
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

• Cook spinach to almost done and then very thoroughly squeeze out excess water
• In a large mixing bowl, add 3 eggs, heavy whipping cream, salt & pepper to the spinach
• Take the pie crust and mix the mozzarella and cheddar in the bottom
• Pour the spinach mi over the cheese in the pie crust
• Sprinkle feta and red peppers over the top
  
• Cook 50 minutes @ 350 then let it set for 10 minutes
  

*If it looks soggy after 50 minutes, it probably just needs time to set. If it's still soggy, there was probably too much water left in the spinach (this happened to me the first time) so be sure to really squeeze as much excess water as you can!

Enjoy and let me know if you try it out!

If They're Scary...Twitter Away

Because I’m new to Twitter, I’ve been thinking about how to grow my following and increase the community among those followers. I decided to start by looking at what leads me to follow or more importantly not follow my fellow tweeters. My basic rule is this: If they look scary, run away! Just like when you were kindergarten. That simple. Sometimes I like to say Twitter away but you get the idea. Read below to see some sure fire ways to ensure that I will NOT follow you on Twitter...
1. Inappropriate picture. I don’t even have to click to see your tweets because it doesn’t matter. Girls in bikini’s or even guys without shirts just indicate to me that you don’t have enough content to warrant my time. Respect us and yourself by having a G rated picture, we both deserve that. The two lesser but still alarming warning signs of a "bad tweeter" is to have some weird non-human picture or no picture at all. Easily remedied here, just have to put the effort out

2. Explicit tweets. If you’re profile picture doesn’t set off enough red flags and I actually look to see some of your tweets but see something like this: “I've got a big @# $ that just needs to be slapped around!” It’s over. And yes, that is honestly the one and only *actual* tweet from someone I blocked after they tried following me. Lends the question, if everyone on Twitter is selling something then what are you peddling? Leave that stuff on Cupid.com or “live chat” websites.

3. Sell, sale, sail! If all your tweets are about whatever you’re selling, whatever you have on sale, or simply location updates of where you’re currently sailing through life, that’s not very interesting. You have to find a balance between giving a 20 on your whereabouts and activities and sharing INTERESTING and non self-serving information. I struggle with this. I wonder sometimes, what interesting information do I have to share with people? I just try to be authentic and share what honestly interests me. Try it.

4. RT or @ syndrome. This could also be known as no original content-itis. I completely understand thinking that someone else’s tweet is really interesting and that you want to share that information while also giving credit to the original sharer, but don’t get gratuitous folks. When I see a tweeter with all @blahblahblah @yaddayadda and so on with no information relayed, it’s almost useless. Occasionally pointing out interesting people that you follow, totally different (I think there’s even a think called following Fridays for that) but keep it within reason. Stay true to yourself and share your own thoughts and content too. Again, find that balance between interesting external content, real life and experience, and authenticity.

These are just few things that I thought of off the top of my head. What attracts or repels you from following someone on Twitter or what are you pet peeves?

Interesting Dinner Conversation

Out here in beautiful Lake Tahoe, my family decided to play "Top 5" around the dinner table one evening. If you're unfamiliar with this game (although it's more of an activity), it's where everyone tells their top 5 of something. It can be top 5 favorite books, top 5 places you've been or want to go, top 5 favorite musicians, etc. 

We were discussing what top 5 list subject to do and everyone was throwing out ideas but none were really suiting the entire family (there are 12 of us but only 10 who communicate verbally and then 8 of those are adults). I came up with a new twist to solve our dilemma of finding a subject that everyone would enjoy: freestyle top 5. You pick your own unique subject for your top 5 list. Pretty ingenious I though!

For my top 5 list, I listed the top 5 things that I would like to do in the next few years. Thought I would share them here. Drum roll please...

5. Learn to scuba dive

4. Skydive

3. Go to Africa

2. Buy a house

1. Open an Etsy store

It was really interesting to see not only what was on each family member's list but also what list they chose to make up. It's a really neat thing to do if you want to try it at your next family meal or even a dinner party with friends. What kind of interesting top 5 lists can you come up with? Post your answers in a comment!

Will You Fight the Asian Shark Fin Mafia?

Every cause has it's champion, right? Well, this film has a very unique one: SAVE THE SHARKS! Might sound crazy but give it a chance....

SHARKWATER follows a "photographer and biologist" on his quest to uncover the source of man's fear and unbridled destruction of sharks. His daring coverage of the dark shark fining industry almost costs him his freedom, his right leg and even his life. His thesis that sharks are a vital part of our ecosystem and unjustifiably massacre remains unwavering as he's chased by coast guards from several countries, shark hunters, and the "Asian shark fin mafia." Yeah, seriously. There's an "Asian shark fin mafia" and in Coasta Rica no less.

Although a little melodramatic or lagging in plot points at times, the filmmaker's passion for the subject, the evidence he presents and the statistical support he provides is very convincing and even moving. In the time it took me to watch the film, more than 15,000 sharks were killed and no one is doing anything about it. Well, there are a few renegade fighters but the worldwide community (governments in particular) are sitting silently by.

This thought provoking film has a very interesting message and one that I feel deserves a fair viewing. Hopefully, your perspectives will be challenged by the film and who knows...you might be the next warrior in the fight against the "Asian Shark Fin Mafia!"

Is This the Best or Worst Time to Dream?

Sorry I haven't written lately, things have been crazy and I've been a little less than inspired. A dear friend was laid off at work, I moved (primarily by myself), I've had a lot of family and social events so I'm just now settling back down.

I have been inspired lately by two very busy people who blog consistently, Thomas Nelson CEO Mike Hyatt and LifeWay CEO Thom Rainer. If these two have time to blog, I guess I should too. I started following them on Twitter and reading their blogs "for work." As the official blog and tweeter for my organization, I wanted to see some people who know what they're doing to get an idea for what I should be doing. Not only do I find them interesting but it's also an education experience. It's kind of this whole new world that sucks you in. You read one blog which leads you to another, the author of which you decide to follow on Twitter too, and before you know it you're following 36 people and reading most of their blogs--because everyone has a blog right? So, we'll see if this becomes something that I need to scale back and control or if it really is helpful.

Another thing I've been inspired by lately, and am embarrassed to admit, is a new venture I may undertake. Part of me thinks it's a total hair brained kind of thing and the other is just so too pleased to have something creative and that I'm excited about that it doesn't care how silly it is. I've been kicking around the idea of opening an Etsy store. For those of you not familiar with Etsy.com it is "your place to buy and sell things handmade." I found this website several weeks ago and have been enamered with it ever since. My initial thought was to sell my jewelry on Etsy but then I thought, why stop there? I could make everything from jewelry to baby items and household decor! Then it really starts running away with me as I start doing the math on capital, profit margins, and time committment for order fulfillment. My biggest hangup, of course, is the branding. I've probably spent more time thinking of the name, color scheme, advertising, and graphic design aspect of this store than on acutal products. Then again, that's why they pay me the big bucks (or the not so big bucks).
I've taken out all my beads and jewelry making tools, dusted off my notebooks with sketches and ideas, and done pages of brain storming maps (that's just how I think). The above is some of my early work, very early. It's amazing to look at my early pieces and look through my old notebooks, I just see things differently now. There are things that I never thought I would be able to do that are so easy to me now but there are also things I thought I would have all figured out and I still have no idea. I went to Portland over Christmas of my freshman year of college to visit my dear friend April. We went to these adorable stores in downtown Portland (one of my favorite cities in the world) and then we talked over dinner about the "design empire" I wanted to build. I found a notebook with some of the sketches and notes I made on the plane back from that trip. I have "believe in the empire" and "build your brand" written everywhere. I was just sure I would have my own company by now. Really, I had a very rough first semester and glad to latch onto anything that even remotely resembled hope that I wouldn't fail miserably at life. Maybe I'm there again. Not sure where I'm going or what I'm doing and very aware that success isn't easy. It's that place where you doubt yourself and everything that you do. You wonder if you really do have any useful talents or marketable skills and if so, are you using them well.

It's hard to dream. It's hard to believe in yourself and to invest in your own ideas with such unwavering faith that nothing can knock you down or keep you from achieving that dream. I don't know if right now is the worst time or the best time to dream because I don't believe in myself but I also am looking for that glimmer of something creative and bright that I dig into and find that excitment for what I'm doing. We'll have to see. We will have to wait and see...

Awkard Tattoos

As I wrote my last (imperfect) post, I started to take a detour that I decided to cut out and make an entirely separate post another time. So, without further adieu, here's my bunny trail from the post-it note post...

How does answering "Yes" to the question, "Do you know that I love you?" mean for our relationship with others? In my last post, I talked about how answering that changes ourselves and our relationship with God, but the more I thought about it the more I contemplated how this effects my perspective of other people--or how it should effect my perspective.

Answering “Yes” for myself has really convicted me that the answer is “Yes” for other people too and if God loves and desires fellowship with other people too, then in what way am I called to fellowship with them? It’s just really about seeing people through God’s eyes and with His love. I love that Brandon Heath song Give Me Your Eyes. If you haven't heard it, you should check it out but here's the chorus:

Give me your eyes for just one second,
Give me your eyes so I can see,
Everything that I keep missing,
Give your love for humanity.
Give me your arms for the broken-hearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach.
Give me Your heart for the ones forgotten.
Give me Your eyes so I can see.

If we have God's eyes for people, then we would see how much He loves them and desires fellowship with them. Now, that sounds great. To do list: see people as God sees them and love them as He would--Check, right? Not so easy. I don't know, maybe that is really easy for you (and if it is let me know how you do it) but it's difficult for many of us including myself. To be honest, I'm kind of a hateful person deep down. Sure, I seem nice most of the time and I do truly care about people but there's still that sinful part of me that judges people, is unforgiving, impatient, envious, disconnected, short tempered, selfish and fails to encourage people. These are hard habits to break!

To see people with God's eyes requires us to forget every perception, prejudice, and past experience. It really makes me appreciate that whole, "no record of wrongs" thing. Thankfully, God is big enough to see me with all my faults and failings and still love me. I just pray that he helps me to do the same with other people. A little refresher course on love more for myself than anyone else...

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.- I Corinthians 13:4-7

As many or some of you may know, I have a tattoo (gasp!). It's on my wrist and it says "Love." I had a lot of reasons for getting this particular tattoo. First, I wanted to get something with meaning and significance. I believe that love is the core of existence. God's love for us, our meager attempt at reciprocating and duplicating His love, etc. I mentioned in my previous post how there are those things that you've said that you look back on and think, "What an idiot." Okay, that's not exactly what I said but just go with me on this one. It was not too long ago (within the last two years) that I sat in a room filled with my friends (after Bible study I think) and declared that I did not believe in love and that in fact it was a fictitious creation of desperate people trying to find solace. Oh, and what idiots for buying into that. Yeah, so add bitter to that list above. I cringe thinking back to that now because, let's face it, that was dumb. But I am grateful that God has worked on that area of my life and continues to instill in me that love does exist and that my perspective has even shifted enough to place it as the "core of existence." I do believe in love and in the power of God's love to transform the world, even my pathetic, rebellious heart.

So, when I reach out to people I hope that it is, as my wrist states, out of love. Because otherwise, that makes that tattoo *really* awkward :)

Post-it Note from God

I've been waiting for the perfect post to come to me. I wanted my first *real* post to be inspired, a blog the likes of which has never been seen before. This, however, is not that blog. It's not perfect, I'm not perfect. And that's what I want to write about right now.

Sunday at Church of the Redeemer in Nashville, Father Thomas talked about testimonies and this format that people try to fit their stories into: bad, sinful person-->then God-->resulting in a changed person. This wasn't the point of his sermon but it was a good one so you should check it out here. As he was talking about this, I thought about what my testimony is. I've actually "given my testimony" before and it's funny to think back on the things you've said and the lessons you've taught. I don't know if it's because I'll be 25 later this week and feeling a bit older, but I've been thinking more about the follies or arrogance of my youth. Not that those talks and testimonies were wrong or totally off base, they just might not be what I would say today. So what would my testimony be today?

I was a sinner. Unforgiving, hard hearted and headed, quick to anger, failing to love and live my life by love. Ignoring God and following the thoughts and desires of my own heart. I left undone many things I should have done and did many things I should have left undone. There was no health in me. And then God...and then I was still a sinner and all those things except covered in grace, mercy, and the forgiveness of God's love. Striving to be better, striving to love better and to live better but knowing that it is only through Him that I am changed.

One of Father Thomas' points or questions in his sermon was, "What is God doing in your life? In what areas is He working on you?" I think I've been more acutely aware of this lately because this last year has been a time of great change and transition both externally and internally. God has brought many people in and out of my life and I have seen Him work more clearly than I think I have ever been aware before. There have been blessings and sorrows, joy and trials, but He's sustained me through it all. I am not perfect but I can still embrace what Nouwen calls "becoming the beloved." Knowing that, despite my imperfections and failures, He still loves me. That's pretty amazing. This video really touched me and speaks very eloquently about this so I wanted to share. Please watch it, it will be worth the two or three minutes I promise! I'll wait...

Wow, how powerful. I now have a post-it note on my desk that says, "Do you know that I love you?" I read it everyday to remind myself. As I was trying to explain this to one of my best friends tonight, I said that it was kind of like having a post-it note from God. I encourage you to have your own post-it note, whether mental or physical, to know that God "loves you just as your are and not as you should be." I dare you :)

Hello Out There...

So, I'm trying to expand my technological horizons so I've created a blog and a twitter account (follow me here). Thanks for joining me on this journey, we'll see how it goes...