I can be morbid

As most of you probably know, there was a tornado that touched down in Joplin, MO last night. So far, there are 89 people dead and they are expecting a lot more. Joplin is a little over an hour from Springfield (where I live) and there was a fairly high chance that the tornado would be coming down the freeway toward the area where I live.

So what was I doing last night while this was going on? I was planting cacti in mugs and French marigolds in a teapot.

(Credit: I got the teapot idea from my friend, Seth, and I got the crate idea from a friend, Ryan. Anthony suggested using mugs, and I decided to use starkly different ones. I stole their really cool ideas.)

Anyway, talk about frivolity. While people are dying, I'm planting flowers. I didn't even realize that there was anything going on until my mom called me multiple times wanting to make sure that I was okay. After she called, I got a text from my aunt, several calls from my dad, and a call from my granddaddy. About the time that I started looking at the weather reports, Anthony and I decided to go to his house, since he has a basement.  We literally grabbed our stuff and opened the door and it started pouring. When we got to his house, the rain was still going crazy and the sky had turned green. It was super eerie.

The tornado obviously missed us, but reading about all of the damage done in Joplin while looking at a very green sky was rather unsettling for me. We did, however, get to see a gorgeous double rainbow.  These pictures were taken on my iPhone, but Amy got some beautiful photos that you should check out on her blog.

  







When something awful happens, I tend to obsess over it.  I don't think that people should dwell on things, but sometimes I do to the maximum degree.  Last night and this morning, I've been imaging what it would be like to have a tornado rip through my house, finding someone dead who I care about (or don't, for that matter), being whipped around by the winds, etc.... I'm not talking about casually empathizing with the people of Joplin; I'm talking about literally trying to imagine the feelings that I would have, seeing my things ruined, my home demolished...

This is not an uncommon thought/question, but why does crap like this happen? It really doesn't seem fair. I believe in God; I love God; why, God?

This is probably pretty weird, but I have something inside of me that is terrified of taking things for granted.  It scares me to think that I might miss the blessings that are given to me all of the time. It is for this reason that I tend to dwell on negative things a lot. This is most likely a pretty terrible thing, especially if I forget to pay attention to the blessings.

I've talked about balance before, and I guess I ought to talk about it again. (This blog is sometimes a way for me to try and make sense of things for myself.)  I know that it's okay to have those "it could have been me" moments, because it helps to put things in perspective; however, it is not healthy for me to let those thoughts consume me and prevent me from "living my life." (cliche/cliche/cliche)

But as I go throughout my day, I want to keep Joplin in my prayers. I am very blessed.

Happy Leez

It's the end of Spring Break... :(

I'm not ready for school to start up again. BUT, it's been a pretty good break. I worked too much, I think, but I left early yesterday and I took today off, too.

Anyway, I hung out with some good friends and got a decent amount of sleep every night. That makes for a pretty decent break, I'd say.

Heather came over on Thursday night and we decorated spools. I know it sounds weird, but we were at a flea market last week and saw these picture holders made out of spools. Heather had the idea to lose the picture holder part of the idea and just put them in mason jars. So, we did.

We had to unravel all of the thread off of the spools, which took forever. I'm pretty sure we could have found an easier way to do this...

We wrapped the spools in ribbon/twine and then glued a button on them. It was super easy/simple, but I really like how they turned out. We are old ladies together. It's kind of awesome.

Friday night, Heather, Dave, Amy, Anthony and I went to see The Adjustment Bureau. I still don't know how I felt about it. A part of me thought that it was really good-- the acting was awesome, and the story line was semi-original; although, the idea itself is not original. The other part of me thought that they sort of butchered the potential of the idea. If you haven't watched the movie, I would recommend it, I think. (Haha- that's not very convincing.) I'm not going to do a "review," because I truly do not know if I liked it or not. Anyway, I loved Inception; I liked The Adjustment Bureau.

After the movie, we went to Ziggie's, and I'm pretty sure everyone thought that we were drunk. We weren't-- we just have fun. 

Everyone came over to my house afterwards, and we watched a ton of episodes of The Office. It was fun, as usual.

Tonight, I'm meeting up with a bunch of people at Bambu (AN AMAZING PLACE) for delicious food before Jeremy Larson's concert. Amy introduced me to "him" and I've been hooked ever since. I'm excited to see Lydia again, too.

Tomorrow, Amy and I are checking out a new church. I'm excited about that.

Okay, it's going to be a good end to my spring break. I am so blessed.

Cheers.

The Man with a 30 Second Memory

Today, there are many things that I am grateful for. This is one thing that has been sticking with me for several days...

I am so very glad for my memory. I don't need to go into detail, because this video pretty much sums up how good we all have it. I mean, I shouldn't bother studying for tests, since my mind is so awesome! Haha; just kidding. But really, check this out. As rare as this is, it can happen! (This man suffers from both retrograde and anterograde amnesia.) My physiological psychology class is fascinating!

If that didn't make you think, you are dumb. ("You are really dumb, fo' real." And if you don't catch THAT reference, we are not friends.)

Cheers, friends.

Cookies!

Aren't they wonderful? I mean, ooey, gooey deliciousness in a perfect circle.  You know what's even better?? Making cookies with a group of old women.  Dudes, I love, Love, LOVE my job. Who else gets to hang out with the greatest people on this earth while making scrumptious desserts!?
We had cinnamon, chocolate, butterscotch, and peanut butter chips to add to our fairly simple cookie, and they turned out wonderfully!

(Finished product!)

So, what am I grateful for today?? Old people and cookies. They are what makes this world go 'round.
Cheers.

Hello!

I've been a "blogger" since Valentine's Day last year, but I kept it anonymous so as to keep people from really having an opportunity to know me.  I am done with that! Here is my new, official blog that I'm sure will be full of ups and downs. I may copy and paste entries from my old blog, but for the most part, I am starting fresh. 
As most people know, this has been an incredibly difficult several months. 
B U T 
I am blessed beyond reason, so I intend on embracing that aspect of my life. 
To start this off the right way, I am going to write about one thing that I am grateful for, all the way up through Thanksgiving. I know, I get into the spirit of things!! (haha)

(Tamiz photography)

I'd like you to meet my best friend and her husband: Elena and Cameron.

Aren't they beautiful?! This weekend we wrote a song together... or rather, Cameron had a partial song and Elena and I put our two cents in. 

I fell asleep singing the song, doing my best to stay positive when circumstances aren't the greatest. Elena was my roommate a year ago, and since then we have continued to get closer and closer. Her husband is stealing her from me, and they plan on moving to Wyoming in December. GAHHHHH. I hate that! But I am buying my spring break plane ticket soon.

Anyway, these are two wonderful people who I love very, very much. We drink lots of coffee, and Elena makes awesome ginger cookies! 

So, since I have to go to my night class and I don't want to ramble, I am so very grateful for Elena and Cameron. Yay!

Cheers.