quote of the day

"Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!" 

- 2 Corinthians 9:15

holiday party part 3

currently listening to "we are young" by fun

another holiday party! so much free food and wine; i had so many coconut shrimps i lost count. got my fortune told too which i dont believe in, but still kinda interesting to see what 2012 is supposedly going to look like - apparently alot of decision making... shocking. anyway, off to boston this morning.. so excited to finally spend christmas/new years back home for the first time in over 4 years!

living space

currently listening to "changes" by stars

obviously still a work-in-progress.. never really knew how much time and energy it took to put together an entire apartment, but loving every minute of this decorating madness and clearly it isn't quite as difficult since my color scheme is kindaaa limiting.

sms (shine)

a bunch of my friends spent endless hours at our church to help make this video using over 700,000 pegs of lite brites; it was definitely no small feat! the result is simply incredible:

david crowder band was the worship band at my college church: ubc. i remember going over to dave's house freshman year for his annual welcoming party, helping them package hundreds of their special pre-order cd release bundles for this album, babysitting jack's (the guitarist) baby girl, going to their release parties, and basically being spoiled every sunday with their incredible talent. they are all so wonderful and ill miss them dearly as they've decided that this album will be their last.. praying for them to continue to shine so bright with god's light and for their music to never stop impacting the world. 

quote of the day

Darkness can not drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.

- Martin Luther King Jr.  

holiday party part 2

currently listening to "how to love" by lil wayne

from our office holiday party earlier this week -- any reason to have unlimited wine starting at 3 is alright with me!

holiday/housewarming party

currently listening to "it's christmas time" by andy davis

had so much fun last week with some of my closest friends.. karaoke cab was by far my favorite part!

mr. blue

coming soon: holiday party

currently listening to "grown-up christmas list" by michael buble

tonight im throwing a christmas/ housewarming party -- i cant wait!! if you live in dallas please feel free to stop by! pictures to come :)

guest blog: colleen mcbride on flying kites

currently listening to "only you" by david crowder band

i've asked my very beautiful friend, colleen, to guest blog about her upcoming mission trip to africa. colleen and i were baptized together at our church back home and her faith has only continued to flourish since then... i feel so lucky to call her my friend and even more, a sister in christ. i am so very proud to be able to share her story with all of you and hope that you will support her endeavors to be christ's light in the world whether through prayers or through a donation for her trip.

"To start off, I’ll give you a little bit of an introduction to myself. My name is Colleen McBride and I am currently a senior at Endicott College in Beverly, MA. I am studying Early Childhood Education and have been completing my student teaching this semester. I taught Kindergarten in September and October and have been teaching First Grade since November. When I am not at school, I live in Hopkinton, MA with my family… and that is where I met Jenny. Now, I’m sure some of you have heard this story before (because it’s actually Jenny’s favorite introduction of me) but I’ll just be out front and tell you all that although Jenny and I now have a beautiful and Christ-filled friendship, our friendship began because of the sheer fact that she is Asian. Yes, as silly as that sounds, it’s true… In high school, my friend Lauren and I had a slight obsession with Asians… and when I saw that there was a new girl at our high school who not only loved Jesus but was Asian, I was sure that we would be friends. Only someone as amazing as Jenny would fully accept the fact that I secretly wanted to be her friend because of her nationality.

Today, I’m writing to tell you about the faithfulness of God and an incredible opportunity I have to share God’s love with children in Kenya.

As I stated before, I have been studying Early Childhood Education for the past three years of college and I have been babysitting, nannying, working at children’s camps and teaching since middle school. All of these experiences have only confirmed the extraordinary love for children and passion for teaching that God has placed on my heart. The six words “I want to go to Africa” have come out of my mouth more times than I can count and I have been praying for and dreaming of the opportunity to share life with children there since high school. A couple a weeks ago, I was flipping through the pages of my bible, trying to find a passage when I stumbled upon a folded up and wrinkled piece of paper. When I opened it up, I found a draft of an essay I wrote senior year of high school. In it I wrote, “My future is not in my hands. Therefore, I cannot say with confidence what it holds for me. I know that someday I hope to serve in Africa working with children. My heart yearns to show my love to these children as a teacher. I want so badly to put my arms around them and embrace them in a hug and tell them that they are loved while at the same time equipping them with the skills to be successful individuals in society”.

Well, in the three years since that time in my senior year, God has been faithful to my heart’s love for children in Africa and has provided for me a path to my dreams. On December 28^th (in 20 days!) I will be flying to Kenya where I will have the chance to volunteer with, teach, and love some of the world’s most beautiful children. The organization is called Flying Kites* Twenty-seven children live at Flying Kites and these children, ages 6 to 16, have lived through startlingly tragic events.  However, thanks to Flying Kites, they are able to receive the help, love, and attention they need to genuinely enjoy their childhood- a gift taken from so many children.

As a part of my degree at Endicott, I have to complete a Senior Thesis paper and presentation. At the end of last year, I wrote the paper portion of my thesis about Sensory Integration and the use of hands-on learning and creative thinking in the classroom. Here in the United States, the department of Education has been working hard to incorporate this way of thinking and learning into the classroom. In Kenya, creative and imaginative thinking is something that is woefully missing from the National Curriculum. I can’t wait to be able to incorporate what I have learned throughout my education into my teaching in Kenya!

 
In the end, I thought my dreams were my own, but they not. They were God’s. He gave me a path, a way and an answer. He has walked with me through the journey of finding my way to Africa and He will continue to walk with me as I go."

Prayers for Colleen's trip and the children, matrons, volunteers and staff of Flying Kites are appreciated. Donations can be made payable to Colleen McBride and sent to 9 Kimball Road, Hopkinton MA, 01748 or given online at http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/colleenmcbride/flyingkitesinc.
To read more about Colleen's journey, visit her blog: rediscovering childhood and self.

*The Flying Kites Leadership Academy is a home and school for abandoned, abused and orphaned children. It is a non-profit organization that strives to give children the tools they will need- education, imagination, and resolution- to succeed in and contribute to a complex and changing world. Flying Kites seeks to raise the standards of care available to the world’s poorest children. They provide them with exemplary care and education and prepare them to impact their societies through an emphasis on compassion, advocacy, and leadership. It is located at the foot of the Aberdares Mountains. The home is about an hour or so outside of Nairobi. Flying Kites is dedicated to providing a strong education to the children of the Njabini villages. They built a new school, employing teachers from the village, and are working on building the first library in town. Another project they are working on is constructing a health clinic.  In every way Flying Kites is partnering with the village to create a higher quality of life for its residents.

rumour has it/ someone like you

if you don't watch glee, i think i can change your mind..

quote of the day

“Live simply, love generously, care deeply, speak kindly, leave the rest to God.”

- Ronald Reagan

pretty little tunes vol.10

this week's favorites are reminiscent of my freshman year of college:

1. "amber" by 311

2. "sleep" by copeland

3. "jumper" by bedlight for blue eyes

4. "i still ain't over you" by augustana

5. "im ready" by jack's mannequin

6. "look after you" by the fray

7. "last transmission II" by mae

8. "turn on me" by the shins

9. "soul meets body" by deathcab for cutie

10. "the city lights" by umbrellas

chicago photo diary mashup

currently listening to "faithfully" by glee cast

stuffed spinach bread and the malnati chicago classic at lou malnati's

312 urban wheat and sofie ale at goose island

bratwurst at the german fair going on downtown

hot dogs, maxwell street style polish dogs, and italian beef sandwich at portillo's

the bean, millennium park, wrigleyville, world's largest macy's

dysfunctional holiday revue comedy show at the second city

and of course, lots of dunkin... my drink of choice? dunkaccino

take it all

Didn't I give it all, tried my best

Gave you everything I had, everything and no less
Didn't I do it right? Did I let you down?

Maybe you got too used to having me around
Still how can you walk away from all my tears?
It's gonna be an empty road without me right here

But go on and take it, take it all with you
Don't look back at this crumbling fool
Just take it all with my love
Take it all with my love

Maybe I should leave to help you see
Nothing is better than this and this is everything we need
So is it over? Is this really it?
You've given up so easily
I thought you loved me more than this

But go on, go on and take it, take it all with you
Don't look back at this crumbling fool
Just take it all with my love
Take it all with my love

I will change if I must
Slow it down and bring it home, I will adjust
Oh if only, if only you knew
Everything I do is for you

But go on, go on and take it, take it all with you
Don't look back at this crumbling fool
Just take it all with my love
Take it all with my love

blue's egg

currently listening to "county line" by cass mccombs

last meal of the trip at blue's -- we got the short rib benedict (daily special) with steal cut oatmeal and the dubliner with aged provolone stuffed hash browns. they were both so delicious and pretty "gourmet" as far as diner foods go. now it's time to live on a diet of salads and more salads until christmas break...

quote of the day

“Love shouldn't make a beggar of one. I wouldn't want love if I had to beg for it, to barter or qualify it. And I should despise it if anyone ever begged for my love. Love is something that must be given  -- it can't be bought with words or pity, or even reason.” 

- Jacqueline Susann, Valley of the Dolls

the bean

currently listening to "it will rain" by bruno mars

is there anything more exciting than a bunch of tourists getting so genuinely thrilled about a very large wonderfully designed mirror? probably not. chicago was just as beautiful/cold/windy/rainy as i remember; now we're back in milwaukee watching a never-ending marathon of my new favorite show: community. back to dallas tomorrow!

mitsuwa

currently listening to "the greatest" by cat power

stopped by mitsuwa, a japanese marketplace, in chicago today. we ate two plates of sushi and a miso ramen/ sushi rice with salmon roe combo from santouka. afterwards, we went to the second city improv comedy show, lou malnati's for some chicago deep dish, and goose island at wrigleyville -- more pictures to come!

pretty little tunes vol.09

this week's favorites will definitely make you feel like you're back in the 80's:

1. "under the milky way" by the church

2. "you make my dreams come true" by hall & oates

3. "don't dream it's over (hey now)" by crowded house

4. "the past and pending" by the shins

5. "a letter to elise" by the cure

6. "fade into you" by mazzy star

7. "the promise" by when in rome

8. "everyday is like sunday" by morrissey

9. "true faith" by new order

10. "sweet dreams (are made of this)" by eurythmics

milwaukee

currently listening to "helplessness blues" by fleet foxes

walked around today for oh abouttt 15 minutes; the cold air definitely froze our faces. proceeded to then spend the entire afternoon vegging in front of the tv after massive food coma part two. tomorrow we're off to chicago!

comet cafe

currently listening to "the sound of settling" by death cab for cutie

flew into milwaukee last night to spend thanksgiving with my brother. i was famished after spending 7 hours traveling so he took me to milwaukee's best -- the comet cafe. be prepared to be impressed.

we ordered a bloody mary (yes, it came with bacon IN it), milwaukee beer on tap, aj's compact turkey dinner, mac and cheese with chili, meatloaf sandwich, and the menu-secret: akimbo burger. we got a few stares and giggles when all of our food arrived, but im proud to say that we only had to box up the mac and cheese. yea, we dont play games. 

watch the video below to see when the comet cafe was featured on diners, drive-ins and dives: 

oh and dont worry, i had leftover mac this morning... breakfast of champions. happy thanksgiving everyone!!