I'm Going To...

I'm going to enter this contest and you should too!




It all goes to a good cause!!

Thanks MckMama :)

I Haven't Seen This In A While

Its 3:30 (ish) in the morning and this is the first time in a long time that I have stayed up this late. For the past few months I have been on a "normal" schedule.

I have to be honest, I have kind of missed 3:30am...there is some quality TV on at this time.

I mean come on, it doesn't get better than vintage Degrassi: The Next Generation. :-)

The Reason For The Season

I Celebrate the Day by Relient K

And with this Christmas wish is missed

The point I could convey

If only I could find the words to say to let You know how much You've touched my life

Because here is where You're finding me, in the exact same place as New Year's eve

And from a lack of my persistency

We're less than half as close as I want to be

______________________________________________

And the first time

That You opened Your eyes did You realize that You would be my Savior

And the first breath that left Your lips

Did You know that it would change this world forever

_______________________________________________

And so this Christmas I'll compare the things I felt in prior years

To what this midnight made so clear

That You have come to meet me here

_______________________________________________

To look back and think that

This baby would one day save me

In the hope that what You did

That you were born so I might live

To look back and think that

This baby would one day save me

_______________________________________________

And I, I celebrate the day

That You were born to die

So I could one day pray for You to save my life

_______________________________________________

I found this song here and now I am in love with it.

I Can't Believe It Is Over

Today was the last day. Now its over. I turned my portfolio and its finished.

I have my master's degree in early childhood education. I cannot believe it. It still feels surreal.

I turned my life upside down to pursue this goal and now that I have accomplished it I don't know what to do next.

I do have some things in the works. I am really concentrating on praying for God's will to be clear to me. Some of choices in the past have been made on my own, and I giving this next step of my life to God. He is control and I want to do His will.

Please pray:
- that I am really able to take myself out of all this and let God be in control
- for the couple of interviews I have lined up
- I feel confident that I seeking God's will and not my own ambitions
- I listen!

Not Me Monday

Ok I am back with a Not Me! post.

I did not curse at the christian radio station for only playing Christmas music. I did not rant about how annoying Christmas music is.

I did not come home early from work to do my homework, but instead read Perez Hilton.

I did not eat 3 breakfasts this morning.

I did not really want to tell one of ECI moms that her baby can't hold his head up because his head is HUGE.

I did not almost go to Journey's to buy baby checkerboard vans because that would be weird since I don't have kids.

And I did not waste 15 minutes tonight trying to connect to the wireless network on campus so I could do a Not Me Monday post when I should have been working on my portfolio.

Please Pardon This Blogging Interruption

I made a blog for a project in my special ed class. I want to link it here so it will be easy to get to tomorrow for my presentation.

My Guiding Principles



Now back to your regular blogging program....

Happy Thanksgiving Y'all

I hope everyone out there in the internet has a happy thanksgiving filled with food, family, friends, love, and thankfulness.



Thanksgiving is a day for everyone to count their blessings from God.



Thus, I am thankful for:

- my God for saving me

- my family

- my friends

- my health and the health of my loved ones

- a place to call home

- stability in an unstable world

- hope

- love

- faith

Total Blessing

I am sitting in class waiting for it to start and I have been trying to figure out how to post from my Blackberry since I got it so we will see how this goes.



Today has gone by in a flash; it was a productive day but I feel behind a little. On thursday of last week I totaled my car and ever since then I feel like I have been one step behind. I did get news about my car today; State Farm gave me a good price for my car and it will be completely paid off.



This whole wreck situation has really been a blessing. I know that sounds crazy but things could not have gone any smoother on all aspects of it. The Lord is really teaching me a lot through this. I have truly trusted Him with it. I have offered nothing but thanksgiving for it all and He has blessed me in return.



Now I just pray that I remember to keep God in it as I shop for a new car. I want to make a responsible choice for my new car. I pray that I remain humble throughout my decisions and that I give thanks for the blessing of whatever car I get.



I would have never guessed that wrecking my car would have been such a blessing but like everyone always says, God works in mysterious ways. Life is full of teachable moments if you open your mind and heart to see what God is showing you.

November is a month of birthdays in the Crandall/Meyer household

Wordless Wednesday- Just Cause I Felt Like It

Blogging Niche

I am searching for my place in the blogsphere......

Mommy Blogger? nope that one doesn't fit

Newlywed? nope that one doesn't fit either

Sex and the City? nope sorry, I don't have random sex and date hundreds of guys

Career Women? nope currently unemployed, thanks

Working Mom? nope, no kids and no job

Adopting? nope, would need a husband for that (in my opinion)

Crafter/Cooking? nope, while I am learning to sew I cannot say I am crafty

Anyway, you get my point. I don't really fit anywhere. Why isn't there a category (and a readership) for blogs about nothing. Come on people, Seinfeld was about nothing and it was the top rated show for a long time. My blog could be the Seinfeld of the blogsphere.

Not Me Monday

This is my first "Not Me Monday" post for the blog carnival sponsored by Mckmama. So here it goes:

I did not plan to wear a hat today so I didn't have to wash my hair last night.

I did not buy 2 boxes of brownie mix at the store because I am on a diet and it would be wrong to buy brownies.

I did not chicken out from writing a post about the 1 month anniversary of my grandmother's death because I didn't want to deal with the emotions.

I did not leave a load of clean dry clothes in the dryer because I didn't feel like folding them. And I did not just lay my other clean clothes on my bed instead of hanging them up.

I did not get up yesterday only to go lay on the couch and sleep for another hour.

I certainly did not debate for a long time about whether it is weird or not to pray while laying in the tanning bed.

Also I did not get a little superstitious about writing a "Not Me Monday" post because the last time I planned on writing one, my grandmother died.

Nope, Not Me, I didn't do any of those things.

A Day At The Zoo

Today was Educator Day at the Houston Zoo, which basically means it is free for teachers to get in, there were classes to take about animals, science, and teaching science curriculum. So I was not going to pass up a chance to go the zoo for FREE. I hadn't been to the zoo in a really long time. The Houston Zoo is awesome and huge, so it did not disappoint.

Aww baby and mommy monkey!

This monkey was posing for each person and moving down the line so each person could take a picture, so cute!

NEMO!!!!!

Lazy Lion.

I loved the giraffes, they were out and playing around.

This was the most beautiful snake I have ever seen. He was grey blue with deep blue eyes.

These were some hungry turtles!

I love the zoo!

Wordless Wednesday- It's About That Time

Happy Birthday Kristina!

I am so disappointed

A completely disgraceful event happened at Baylor on Tuesday, and once again Baylor University is in the news for something horrible.

I am embarrassed to be a Baylor Alumni today.

Get it together Baylor, we are better than that.

He is one insightful son of a gun

Quote from Best Friend Robbie:

"They are not looking for diversity, they are looking for minority."


*In regards to the option to write a diversity statement for the Yale University Graduate School Application

Life Updates

Teach for America:
- I had my final interview last week so now all I have to do is wait for November 17 to see if there is a big move in my future. I can't believe after all the little things I had to do to complete the TFA admissions process that all I can do is wait.

TeXes Test:
- I passed my EC-4 Generalist Test!! Yippee!!! Now I need to start studying for my PPR TeXes test.

ECI Internship:
- Going completely awesome! I love love love love love it. It is going to be tough deciding about going straight into the classroom or working with ECI for a while.

School:
- On December 8 I will be ALL done. Then on December 19 I walk across the stage to officially make me a master. :)

I guess that is the highlights.

Silly Silly DSL Man

Well the DSL Fixer Man called me at 8 am this morning to tell me my DSL was back up and running. I should have wanted to praise him and give him gifts but instead I wanted to go out there and punch him in the face.

No one appreciates getting woken up at 8 am on a Saturday.

Internet Woes

DSL down again.....

Embarq, you have a comment this time?

Divine Inspiration In An Unlikely Place

Excerpt from LOUDER THAN WORDS, by Jenny McCarthy

"Looking back, I'm amazed at the strength it took for me to put one foot in front
of the other, but I did. Day after day. Instead of getting mad at God, like I'm
sure a lot of people do, I decided to make Him my buddy in this. I remember
saying to Him around this time, 'God, I know you gave me an autistic son for a
reason. I know I'm supposed to do something with this, and I don't quite know
what it is yet, but I need you to help me out. I need to be always pointed in
the right direction. I need the messages to be loud and clear so that I can
serve my purpose in your calling.' " (Pg. 90)

When I sat down to read this book, I did not expect to receive a lesson in faith. I didn't know much about Jenny McCarthy and honestly, I certainly didn't expect her to be a person of such faith and devotion. In this book she talks about the beginning of her journey with her son's diagnosis with Autism.

As the quote excerpt points out, when she was faced with a huge challenge and uncertainity she gave it to God and decided to trust Him completely in his purpose. She leaned on him for support and guidance. I like to think that I would do the same thing, but I can't honestly say that I know what I would do. I do not doubt that everything is a part of God's plan and I can do anything through Him, but I don't know that in the face of a great challenge or hardship that I wouldn't get angry or question God. So I am going to take away from this lesson that Jenny McCarthy taught me, and try to remember that no matter what is dealt our way we have to make God our buddy in all of it and trust that He will lead us out of the bad times. All we can do is learn and grow from faith in God and His plan for our life.

Thursday Thirteen- Standardized Test Edition

1. I have taken the 5 ridiculously long standardized tests. (not counting TAAS Tests and all the practice tests I took for the other "official" tests I have taken)
2. SAT
3. ACT
4. LSAT
5. GRE
6. TeXes EC-4 content exam
7. I have at least 3 more ridiculously long standardized tests to take.
8. TeXes PPR exam
9. TeXes ESL Supplemental exam
10. Praxis II- Social Studies
11. After every test I come and take a ridiculously long nap
12. Tests make my brain fried
13. I am pretty much a standardized test taking expert.

Wordless Wednesday- What is wrong with this picture?

I am posting this just so I never forget.

*This is the eulogy I read at my grandmother's funeral. I wanted to put here so that I will always remember it and I can never lose it.

There are no words I can say that will express how much I loved my Mawmaw and there are no words that can adequately describe the amazing person that she is. She was the most wonderful person that you will ever meet and I am so lucky that she is my Mawmaw. She offered me help countless times and she was my source of strength countless times. And you know what, this time is no different. My Mawmaw was there to help me with this too. On the very last page of her bible she had some bible verses written down. Those verses are perfect for today.
First I found Philippians Chapter 1 verses 20- 24 which reads:
“For I live in eager expectation and hope that I will never do anything that will cause me shame, but that I will always be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past, and that my life will always honor Christ, whether I live or die. For to me, living is for Christ, and dying is even better. Yet if I live, that means fruitful service for Christ. I really don’t know which is better. I’m torn between two desires: Sometimes I want to live, and sometimes I long to go and be with Christ. That would be far better for me, but it is better for you that I live.”
It was definitely better for us that she lived. But now Mawmaw is rejoicing in heaven with her Lord.

Also on that last page Mawmaw had written II Timothy Chapter 4 Verses 6-8 which reads:
“As for me, my life has already been poured out as an offering to God. The time of my death is near. I have fought a good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. And now the prize awaits me.”
No one deserves that prize more than her.

In this time of great sorrow, all we can do is lean on our Lord God for strength. In the book of Isaiah, the Lord promises to dry our tears and smooth out the road in front of us. We must find peace in these promises.
The final piece of wisdom Mawmaw laid out for me was found bookmarked in her bible. I Samuel Chapter 2 Verse 1 reads “My heart rejoices in the Lord! Oh how the Lord has blessed me!”
And that is true, we must thank the Lord God that we have been truly blessed by being privileged enough to have a woman like Mawmaw touch our lives.

Eating my Feelings

Even though I have had a significant weight loss this past year. My issues with food are not resolved. The past month I have been eating my feelings.

First after Hurricane Ike: I ate when I was anxious, I ate when I was relieved, and I ate when I was bored.

Then it was my birthday: I ate when I was excited, I ate when I was happy, and I ate to finish the cake.

Finally my grandmother passed away: I ate when I was sad, I ate when I was anxious, I ate when I was mad, I ate when I was numb.

I hate that I do this, but honestly I have no idea what to do about it. I know I have put back on some of the weight I have lost but I am too scared to know how much.

Wordless Wednesday- I just can't believe she is gone

My heart is aching.

You can never be prepared for the death of a loved one. But this came as unexpected as you can possibly imagine.

At 12:57 this morning my grandmother passed away. She was fine one second and then the next she was gone.

I don't even know what to say. My heart is aching.

Sewing Class & My First Project

I got this sewing machine for my birthday. I had no idea how to use it so I decided I needed to take a class. After a Google search I found an awesome place in Houston to take a beginner's class. Sew Crafty Houston is a seriously cool place in the Heights and my class was perfect. If you are in the Houston area, you should really check out what Sew Crafty Houston has to offer.

This is my very first sewing project EVER. In my class the project was to make a craft apron. Overall I am satisfied with my apron. There are things (which you will see) that I would change, but for my very first time ever touching a sewing machine, I am pretty pleased with the outcome.

One mistake I would like to change. After my backstitch I got a little crooked.

My decorative embellishment stitch is most definitely not straight. But oh well. Practice makes perfect.

I am pretty proud of my pockets. I did 3 pockets: 1 big one, 1 medium one, and 1 pen, pencil, or scissors pocket.

My wonderful class. Some of those ladies were definitely more crafty than I am but it was a ton of fun and we all had super cute finished projects. I definitely plan on taking another class at Sew Crafty!

I *heart* this

"I did my best, it wasn't much
I couldn't feel, so I tried to touch
I've told the truth, I didn't come to fool you
And even though
It all went wrong
I'll stand before the Lord of Song
With nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah"

FYI- This is Phil Wickham

26 is starting off as the best year yet

So yesterday was my 26th birthday. Here is just a quick recap of the birthday festiviteis. First off on Tuesday, Amber kicked off the celebrations by bringing cupcakes to our class for my birthday. (Thank you Amber, you are so awesome and I love you for it!) In the afternoon I went to lunch with Robbie and had some awesome Mexican food, and then I was expecting a low key family evening, but I was in for more than I thought. My mom picked me up for dinner at their house, but we made a stop a local restaurant to pick up a to-go order. Again I was in for more than I expected.

We walked towards the back of the restaurant and in the private party room was my family and our closest family friends. Everyone yelled SURPRISE and I was in shock. I was completely 100% surprised. I had no idea that my family had been planning a surprise dinner party for me. I was so surprised and completely touched that I started crying. (Picture of my entry to come as soon as my uncle sends it to me)

I cannot believe that my family was able to pull off such a surprise. I have never had a surprise party before so I was completely overwhelmed. The whole night was amazing. It was awesome. It was fun filled. It was overflowing with love. The guest list was perfect and we all had a great evening. Everyone at the table is very important to me and my family and I am so lucky to have them all in my life. And even luckier that they were there to celebrate my birthday. The only thing missing was my grandparents, who couldn't make it because they were out of town for my cousin's wedding. So I will see them next weekend and I'm sure that party will be just as great.

After dinner I went to my parent's house where they showered me with gifts and we ate cookie cake. Seriously the whole night was perfect. I am truly blessed by the people in my life. I am a lucky girl. I thank God for all the blessings he gives me, my family, and friends.


If this next year of my life is as awesome as my birthday I am in for one heck of a year.

Thank you to all those people who made my birthday so special. I love you all so much!

Life is good.
God is good.

October 8, 1982

As today at 1:00 pm CST I am officially closer to 30 than I am to 20.

Oy!

26 better be a good year.

Whoa this is getting too real

I just learned that I have been invited into the 3rd/final round of interviews for Teach for America. YIKES! This means that I am one step closer to Hawaii!

I'm starting to get nervous. Excited but nervous. I want to make sure that I am doing the right thing and feel confident that this is where God is leading me.

Please pray that I feel peace about this process and pray that I am seeking God's will/plan with my decisions.

Gratuitous Cuteness

Blogging Slump

I don't know what is wrong with me but I am totally in a blogging/life slump. Life has been pretty boring and mundane lately so I am lacking in material.

Thus, I give you a list of things that I am excited about that are coming up:

• My birthday
• My sewing machine
• My sewing class
• Cooler weather
• Researching my focus topic for ECI
• Doing a gross motor therapy session by myself next month
• The possibility of going to Vail at the end of the month

Blah

I am having a blah kind of week. Not a bad week but just not an exciting week. So instead of posting something boring, I am just going to post some links of cool blogs for y'all to check out.

CF Husband

Moosh in Indy

I am Bossy

Operation Skinny Bitch

Bring The Rain (Angie Smith's Blog)

Hurricane Ike by the Numbers

Ike was a category 2 storm.

Number of lives lost 51. (not counting the unknowen lives that were swept away in Galveston)
Number of homes without power 2 million.
Number of bruises on my legs from clean up 6.
Number of days without power 11.
Number of days with no phones 5.
Number of generators 2.
Number of portable AC units 2.
Number of gallons of gas for the generators approx 300.
Number of windows lost 1.
Number of trees lost 2.
Number of times the carbon monoxide detector went off 2.
Number of garbage bags filled (at least) 20.
Number of Gilmore Girls episodes watched 12.

Number of trees on our home 0
Number of cars totaled 0
Number of friends and family lost 0
Number of friends and family without a home 0
Number of days without water 0

Number of times I was thankful it wasn't so hot COUNTLESS
Number of times my brother made us laugh COUNTLESS
Number of times my mom did a flashlight check COUNTLESS
Number of times I thanked God we were safe COUNTLESS
Number of times my Dad had to check the generators COUNTLESS
Number of times our neighbors thanked us for the help COUNTLESS
Number of times I was thankful for the Carbon Monoxide detector COUNTLESS
Number of times I was thankful we were prepared COUNTLESS
Number of times I was thankful for my family COUNTLESS
Number of times my mom fussed at the boys for not finishing their drinks COUNTLESS
Number of times my dad tried to make us go to bed early and we ignored him COUNTLESS

Two T-Shirt Weekend

I had a fairly eventful weekend this week. It was in fact a two t-shirt weekend, let me explain.

Friday-
I volunteered at the Veggie Tales live show that was being held at Sugar Creek Baptist Church. The Veggie Tales are an awesome christian program for kids. The local christian radio station was in need of volunteers so I signed up to help in any way I could. At first I handed out program flyers to all the parents and children as they were entering the sanctuary, and this was so much fun. I got to see how excited these little kids were to see Bob and Larry. I never would have guessed how happy a giant tomato and cucumber could make children. Then I watched a little of the show before heading to help at the merchandise table. Man, did those parents buy a lot of stuff for their kids. We sold out of almost everything. At the end of the night the merchandise guy gave me a CD of Veggie Tales songs and a free t-shirt. The whole night was tons of fun and I was glad I got to help out. That was free t-shirt #1.

Saturday-
I have been wanting to get re-certified in my CPR training, and my friend Amber found online that Methodist Hospital and the Red Cross were doing a CPR/AED training day for only $10. I thought that was super cheap so we signed up. So I spent my Saturday afternoon doing CPR compressions on a dummy and learning how to properly shock peoples' hearts. (FYI- they changed the CPR compression ratio to 30 compressions for every 2 rescue breaths, and man you get really tired. Also they changed the location of where to properly thrust someone when they are choking.) Anyways, after all my CPR practice and passing my test I was once again a certified CPR giver. And then on our way out they gave us a goody bag with a free t-shirt in it! That made it the second t-shirt of the weekend.

I love t-shirts and I love them even more when they are FREE! I am in need of t-shirts that do not have sorority or fraternity letters on them, or some sort of Greek function on them; while I love my sorority I feel I am a little too old to be wearing date dash and crush t-shirts. But I am not too old however to sport my pink Veggie Tales t-shirt or my Methodist Hospital Community Heart Day t-shirt!

As well as my 2 t-shirt weekend, I was suppose to have my phone interview with Teach for America tonight at 10:50 pm central time. But it is now 11:26 pm and I have yet to receive a call. It is very strange because in all my other dealings with Teach for America they have been super punctual and on top of things. Oh well, I will just email them and reschedule like the website says to do or who knows maybe they will still call. They are lucky I am a night owl or I would be mad.

Wordless Wednesday

It's about time!

I just got my power back on!!!

After 11 days of NO power, it is about time it came back on. I thought I was going to lose my mind!

We Survived

Everyone is ok.

House is ok.

Still no power.

Still no phones.

Sort of cell phones but not really.

Occasional texting abilities.

No cold food.

No gas.

Still sucks.

But we are all safe and we still have a home so that is what matters.

Pray for those who lost their homes and possessions.

More updates and pictures to come.

Pray for Us

Hurricane Ike is coming to Houston with a vengeance.

Pray for the Gulf Coast.

Pray for our home.

Good Ole Ike

OK well it looks like Ike is getting a little scary.

I am over this.

November marks the end of hurricane season and it cannot come quick enough.

Observations from my day as a Houston commuter

1. Getting up at 6am sucks, no matter how much sleep you got.
2. If you have to drive past a high school before the first bell you can add at least 20 minutes to your commute time.
3. Sometimes getting out of the suburbs takes the longest time.
4. The DJs during the 7 am hour on the morning radio shows aren't funny because they are in an awful song-traffic report- song- traffic report pattern.
5. You should have a city of Houston freeway map memorized in order to understand the traffic reports.
6. Traffic reporters shouldn't start a report with a sigh or a grunt. That doesn't make the drive very positive.
7. It is unnecessary to have flashing signs reminding us it is hurricane season. Trust me, we know.
8. You should always reflect on your morning drive during your work training meetings so your blog post is done when you get home.

A month until my birthday

So blog reader people, today marks one month until my birthday (October 8). Thus I have decided to compose a list for you in case you would like to buy me a gift.

There you have it folks, I want a sewing machine, a digital camera, and a dirt bike.

A Moment of Domesticity

I made dinner for myself tonight.

Mashed new potatoes with garlic and butter

Breaded Chicken Tenders

My newest obsession, Propel Water (with caffeine)

I even made brownies!

In a moment of rare domesticity I made myself a real dinner. I cooked it all by myself. I breaded the chicken tenders, mashed the potatoes, and made the brownies (from a box). It may not have been the most healthy of meals, but it was very yummy! It may not be any fancy gourmet type meal but its better than nothing; at least I tried. I am quite proud of myself. But I will be honest, I wish I was cooking for two instead of one. :-)

Mystery- Phil Wickham

Here in the Quiet speak to me now

My ears are open to

Your gentle sweet whispering

Break down the door, come inside

Shine down Your bright light

I need a lamp for my feet, I need a lamp for my feet

I want to hear the thunder of who You are

To be captured inside the wonder of who You areI

want to live I want to breathe

To search out Your heart and all of Your mysteries

You were the first and You'll be the end

Time cannot hold You down

Why save a wretch like me?

No eye has seen, no ear has heard

No heart could fully knowAll of Your mystery

Thoughtful or Thoughtless

So I haven't updated lately with anything of much substance. Lately I have been alternating between having no thoughts in my head and having so many thoughts that they don't make sense.

Thus, I have the only choice of posting silly pictures of my cat. I am afraid if I tried to put on my thoughts out on here right they would come out all random and crazy like. They wouldn't make sense.

So for now you are going to be stuck with my posts that don't amount to much.

No worries though, I still love y'all! =)

Seriously, how much cuter can he get?

Casey in the bottled water package and this isn't the first time he has done this.

Seriously, how cute is he? A little strange, yes. But too cute.

Resurrection- Nicol Sponberg

I'm at a loss for words, there's nothing to say

I sit in silence wondering what led me to this place

How did my heart become so lifeless and cold

Where did the passion go?

When all my efforts seem like chasing wind

I've used up all my strength and there's nothing left to give

I've lost the feeling and I'm numb to the core

I can't fake it anymore.

Here I am at the end I'm in need of resurrection

Only You can take this empty shell and raise it from the dead

What I've lost to the world what seems far beyond redemption

You can take the pieces in Your hand and make me whole again

Who knows...

I don't really have all that much to say.

Just a few updates:

• Internship is good.
• Getting up early blows.
• I have a Teach For America web meeting on Wednesday. That should be interesting...

That's all I got.