As of today, I have gone 150 days without having a soda. Those of you who know me well understand just how big a deal this is. Last year, I was addicted to Mountain Dew, but no more, my friend! No more!
For my New Year's Resolution, after drinking probably about two liters of Pepsi, I decided to give up soda. Not just my beloved Mountain Dew, but all soda. Normally, my New Year's Resolutions last until maaaaaybe February, so I wasn't expecting to be too successful with this decision. But it's now the end of May, so I think it's safe to say that I'm doing well.
It was super difficult at first. Like I said, I was addicted to Mountain Dew (or more likely all the caffeine inside of it) so I experienced some serious headaches within the first few weeks. Substance withdrawal is no fun. At all. But Tylenol then became my best friend as it took the edge off the headaches.
The constant cravings also made the change a challenge. So many times I had to fight the urge to go to the vending machine at my office. And some of my coworkers kept taunting me with their cans of deliciousness. But I stopped trying to make up legitimate excuses and remained strong. And I didn't want to suffer the wrath of my older sister who also gave up soda and would kill me had she discovered I had some.
Now that I've been soda free for nearly half a year, I can honestly say that I do feel healthier. I'm drinking much more water and find that I actually crave it now. I still get caffeine occasionally from sweet tea and coffee, I don't have to worry about headaches and crashes after I have it.
What about my soda free plans for the future? Glad you asked. I just purchased a case of Mountain Dew Throwback with reeeeeaaaaal sugar and will hold onto it until New Year's Eve of this year. That day, I will down a can or two of that and whatever else I miss drinking. And then I'll feel so sick that I'll be more than happy to do my soda free year all over again.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Friday, May 28, 2010
Hebrews 11
I'm still slowly working my way through Beth Moore's "Believing God" and I'm still loving it. Lately, we've been studying Hebrews 11, the "Faith Chapter" of the Bible. Beth is like the tour guide walking us down this long hallway and stopping at every portrait to explain exactly why these people have the honor of being mentioned in this famous chapter.
I remember being little and thinking these "heroes" of the Bible were so cool. My silly little mind pictured them walking through life as depicted in a stained glass window, so perfect and bright and always did the right thing. But upon further study, I discovered that this was definitely not the case.
Enoch, who was taken straight into the presence of God and spared from death, spent the first sixty-five years of his life apart from God. (Genesis 5:21-22) Abraham, who became the father of the Jewish nation, was a foolish liar. (Genesis 20:2) Moses, who lead the Jews out of captivity in Egypt, was a murderer. (Exodus 2:12) And Rahab, who saved her family from the destruction of Jericho, was a prostitute! (Joshua 2:1)
Their failures are part of the point of this chapter of faith. They weren't remembered because of their actions, because if they were, their bad actions would outweigh their good ones! But they are remembered for their faith in God. They believed that God is who He says He is and that He would do what He promised He would do. And because of that unwavering faith, God blessed them abundantly and used them for His greater purposes.
I dunno about you, but I am not perfect. I have committed more than my fair share of sins. But I find comfort in the fact that I am not alone. Not that I'm glad these Bible heroes messed up, but I'm glad to see that God does indeed use people despite their mistakes in life. He will reward continual faith in Him, and I don't want to miss out on that.
I remember being little and thinking these "heroes" of the Bible were so cool. My silly little mind pictured them walking through life as depicted in a stained glass window, so perfect and bright and always did the right thing. But upon further study, I discovered that this was definitely not the case.
Enoch, who was taken straight into the presence of God and spared from death, spent the first sixty-five years of his life apart from God. (Genesis 5:21-22) Abraham, who became the father of the Jewish nation, was a foolish liar. (Genesis 20:2) Moses, who lead the Jews out of captivity in Egypt, was a murderer. (Exodus 2:12) And Rahab, who saved her family from the destruction of Jericho, was a prostitute! (Joshua 2:1)
Their failures are part of the point of this chapter of faith. They weren't remembered because of their actions, because if they were, their bad actions would outweigh their good ones! But they are remembered for their faith in God. They believed that God is who He says He is and that He would do what He promised He would do. And because of that unwavering faith, God blessed them abundantly and used them for His greater purposes.
I dunno about you, but I am not perfect. I have committed more than my fair share of sins. But I find comfort in the fact that I am not alone. Not that I'm glad these Bible heroes messed up, but I'm glad to see that God does indeed use people despite their mistakes in life. He will reward continual faith in Him, and I don't want to miss out on that.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
I Love You, Zachary Levi
I went to the movies for a double feature yesterday - Iron Man 2 and Shrek 4. Both of which were great, but that's not the topic of this post. What I heard and saw before each movie has given me the giddiness to type up these few paragraphs.
So one of my favorite shows is NBC's Chuck. It's about a geek who is forced into spy work for the government. It's quite hilarious. If you get the chance to watch it, you definitely should. But anyways, the main character is played by Zachary Levi. I loooove watching him on tv, but then he suddenly showed up on the giant movie screen during the pre-movie entertainment.
Sitting alone in the theater at the time, my jaw dropped as I saw my beloved Chuck behind a microphone singing along with Katherine McPhee. I nearly melted into a puddle right there when I realized he was not only my favorite actor, but he could very well become my favorite male singer. Move over Josh Groban, this man has one of the sweetest, smoothest voices.
I love you, Zachary Levi.
So one of my favorite shows is NBC's Chuck. It's about a geek who is forced into spy work for the government. It's quite hilarious. If you get the chance to watch it, you definitely should. But anyways, the main character is played by Zachary Levi. I loooove watching him on tv, but then he suddenly showed up on the giant movie screen during the pre-movie entertainment.
Sitting alone in the theater at the time, my jaw dropped as I saw my beloved Chuck behind a microphone singing along with Katherine McPhee. I nearly melted into a puddle right there when I realized he was not only my favorite actor, but he could very well become my favorite male singer. Move over Josh Groban, this man has one of the sweetest, smoothest voices.
I love you, Zachary Levi.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Summer Movies
One important part of my summer is the great movies that come to our theater. Even if the weather is hot, humid, and overall nasty, I can still enjoy an air conditioned building and brand new flicks. This weekend, I kicked off my summer movie series with Letters to Juliet.
Honestly, I didn't even want to see it. I thought it was gonna be lame, slow, and boring, and I went into the movie already knowing exactly what's going to happen. But I decided to endure it for a friend who really wanted to see it. I figured if I was going to endure cinematic torture, I was at least going to enjoy a giant bucket of buttered popcorn. And gosh, did I enjoy it.
Surprisingly, the movie was much better than expected. I was right about what was going to happen, but it was nice to watch the characters get to the end. Although, Iron Man 2 was being played way too loudly in the room next to us. I enjoy explosions on screen, but not in the middle of a mushy scene. I should be hearing "aaaawwwww" not a somewhat muffled "BOOM!" at that moment.
It was during this movie that I realized why I enjoy going to the theater so much. Not just for the movie that I want to see, but for the story telling experience. I get to sit in a big dark room, with a lap full of food (whether smuggled in illegally or not), and be told a 2-hour story. It's a chance to get away from the daily routine and be taken on a short vacation from reality to fantasy.
I've already got a pretty long list of movies that I know I want to see: Prince of Persia, Iron Man 2, Toy Story 3, Shrek 4, Despicable Me, The Last Airbender, and maybe the Sorcerer's Apprentice. But I might have to find a few more movies to see just so I can enjoy the experience... and more of that buttered popcorn.
Honestly, I didn't even want to see it. I thought it was gonna be lame, slow, and boring, and I went into the movie already knowing exactly what's going to happen. But I decided to endure it for a friend who really wanted to see it. I figured if I was going to endure cinematic torture, I was at least going to enjoy a giant bucket of buttered popcorn. And gosh, did I enjoy it.
Surprisingly, the movie was much better than expected. I was right about what was going to happen, but it was nice to watch the characters get to the end. Although, Iron Man 2 was being played way too loudly in the room next to us. I enjoy explosions on screen, but not in the middle of a mushy scene. I should be hearing "aaaawwwww" not a somewhat muffled "BOOM!" at that moment.
It was during this movie that I realized why I enjoy going to the theater so much. Not just for the movie that I want to see, but for the story telling experience. I get to sit in a big dark room, with a lap full of food (whether smuggled in illegally or not), and be told a 2-hour story. It's a chance to get away from the daily routine and be taken on a short vacation from reality to fantasy.
I've already got a pretty long list of movies that I know I want to see: Prince of Persia, Iron Man 2, Toy Story 3, Shrek 4, Despicable Me, The Last Airbender, and maybe the Sorcerer's Apprentice. But I might have to find a few more movies to see just so I can enjoy the experience... and more of that buttered popcorn.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
The Wonderfulness of Chick-Fil-A
My sister said the other day, "Chick-fil-a is magic. I swear, they put like fairy dust in their chicken or something." And I think she may be right. But not only is the food delicious, the environment is wonderful too. No matter how I feel as I'm driving up to the building, I always become super happy when I enter through the double glass doors. Chick-fil-a probably has way too much power over me.
At least at our Morehead City branch, the employees are so nice. They smile sweetly and always say "my pleasure" after I thank them. In so many other places, the employees are pretty sad looking, but these people seem so happy to be working there that they are practically skipping around behind the counter.
Also, they use REAL flowers in cute little vases on the table! It's like they're saying "Not only will we provide you with delicious food for a relatively cheap price, but we think you're special enough to put actual carnations out for you!" While the men may not care, we ladies greatly enjoy being given flowers, even if it's only for the duration of our meal.
And then there's the cow decorations. The cardboard stands depicting a cow wearing a sign with hilarious misspellings is the original LOLcat. Think about it!! Chick-fil-a has been putting funny captions on animals long before icanhascheezburger.com has!
I find it funny that the Arbys next door is so empty while the drive thru line for Chick-fil-a is wrapped around the building. When Arbys first opened, they were really busy. But why eat there when awesomeness is just a few yards away?!?!
I'm sorry I've flung a craving on you. I would suggest you go there tomorrow to get some food, but they're closed on Sundays. Now you'll be thinking about their mouthwatering food all day long tomorrow with no way to satisfy that hunger. I'm sorry. :)
At least at our Morehead City branch, the employees are so nice. They smile sweetly and always say "my pleasure" after I thank them. In so many other places, the employees are pretty sad looking, but these people seem so happy to be working there that they are practically skipping around behind the counter.
Also, they use REAL flowers in cute little vases on the table! It's like they're saying "Not only will we provide you with delicious food for a relatively cheap price, but we think you're special enough to put actual carnations out for you!" While the men may not care, we ladies greatly enjoy being given flowers, even if it's only for the duration of our meal.
And then there's the cow decorations. The cardboard stands depicting a cow wearing a sign with hilarious misspellings is the original LOLcat. Think about it!! Chick-fil-a has been putting funny captions on animals long before icanhascheezburger.com has!
I find it funny that the Arbys next door is so empty while the drive thru line for Chick-fil-a is wrapped around the building. When Arbys first opened, they were really busy. But why eat there when awesomeness is just a few yards away?!?!
I'm sorry I've flung a craving on you. I would suggest you go there tomorrow to get some food, but they're closed on Sundays. Now you'll be thinking about their mouthwatering food all day long tomorrow with no way to satisfy that hunger. I'm sorry. :)
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Graduation!!!
Yesterday, I officially graduated from Carteret Community College with my Associates in Applied Science specializing in Computer Information Technology. Wow, that's a long degree title to even type. After three years of work, I finally had the chance to participate in my own graduation celebration. I had considered not attending the ceremony thinking it would be a waste of time, but I figured that since I had worked so hard I totally deserve to have a room full of people I don't know applauding me.
To be honest, I zoned out for much of the ceremony. A few people spoke for a little while and got my attention only when they brought out a Dr. Seuss book and quoted a few lines from it. Best idea ever. Finally after lining up to the stage, it was my turn to walk across. While many were too proud to allow the man at the side of the stage help them up the steps, I thought "Hey, he's cute, sure I'll let him hold my hand!" Then I gave the card with my name to the announcer but didn't really listen as she said my name and I proceeded to get my paper and shake the hands of people I don't know. I might've known who these supposedly important people were if I had paid attention during the rest of the ceremony, but too late. Not that I really cared, because I was too preoccupied thinking "left foot, right foot, grab paper, shake hand, left foot, right foot, shake hand, BREATHE!!, left foot, right foot, shake hand, left foot, right foot, off the stage." I had every movement planned out because I did not want to be the one to trip on stage. Fortunately I made it across quite gracefully even if I do say so myself.
After returning to my seat, I entertained myself while talking with my friend about the cuteness of the shoes of those who were walking across the stage. When I wasn't admiring footwear or clapping for people I knew, I was getting poked in the eye by the tassels of another friend. In reality, I don't get the point of the silly hat and tassels. But I did think it was pretty cool that I was awesome enough to get two tassels. Graduating with honors can have its perks. It was weird when we moved our tassels to the other side because I suddenly felt off balance. I got so used to it being on that side, ya know?
Only after the event did my giddiness and exhaustion take over. After picking up my purse, I met my family at the nearby steakhouse where they told me how awesome I was, and all that other mushy stuff. My mind totally left me as I ordered my meal but forgot where I was as I suddenly slipped into my traditional taco bell order. Requesting my baked potato be delivered without onions completely confused my poor waitress and sent my family into a laughing fit. It was even worse when I was complaining about the blisters brought about by the new shoes and said something like "I'm wearing new feet." Apparently when you graduate from college you somehow leave your brain in the auditorium, making you useful only for causing someone else's laughter.
All in all, the event was a great time with my friends during the ceremony and then my family afterwards. I didn't think I would be so happy to get my associates, but I really am quite proud of myself. The only problem is, I have no idea what to do now. But I should probably go back to the auditorium and find my brain so I can figure it out.
To be honest, I zoned out for much of the ceremony. A few people spoke for a little while and got my attention only when they brought out a Dr. Seuss book and quoted a few lines from it. Best idea ever. Finally after lining up to the stage, it was my turn to walk across. While many were too proud to allow the man at the side of the stage help them up the steps, I thought "Hey, he's cute, sure I'll let him hold my hand!" Then I gave the card with my name to the announcer but didn't really listen as she said my name and I proceeded to get my paper and shake the hands of people I don't know. I might've known who these supposedly important people were if I had paid attention during the rest of the ceremony, but too late. Not that I really cared, because I was too preoccupied thinking "left foot, right foot, grab paper, shake hand, left foot, right foot, shake hand, BREATHE!!, left foot, right foot, shake hand, left foot, right foot, off the stage." I had every movement planned out because I did not want to be the one to trip on stage. Fortunately I made it across quite gracefully even if I do say so myself.
After returning to my seat, I entertained myself while talking with my friend about the cuteness of the shoes of those who were walking across the stage. When I wasn't admiring footwear or clapping for people I knew, I was getting poked in the eye by the tassels of another friend. In reality, I don't get the point of the silly hat and tassels. But I did think it was pretty cool that I was awesome enough to get two tassels. Graduating with honors can have its perks. It was weird when we moved our tassels to the other side because I suddenly felt off balance. I got so used to it being on that side, ya know?
Only after the event did my giddiness and exhaustion take over. After picking up my purse, I met my family at the nearby steakhouse where they told me how awesome I was, and all that other mushy stuff. My mind totally left me as I ordered my meal but forgot where I was as I suddenly slipped into my traditional taco bell order. Requesting my baked potato be delivered without onions completely confused my poor waitress and sent my family into a laughing fit. It was even worse when I was complaining about the blisters brought about by the new shoes and said something like "I'm wearing new feet." Apparently when you graduate from college you somehow leave your brain in the auditorium, making you useful only for causing someone else's laughter.
All in all, the event was a great time with my friends during the ceremony and then my family afterwards. I didn't think I would be so happy to get my associates, but I really am quite proud of myself. The only problem is, I have no idea what to do now. But I should probably go back to the auditorium and find my brain so I can figure it out.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
My Last Assignment
After three years of college and what had seemed like endless homework, my Associates degree was only one presentation away. This was for my Systems Support Project course in which I had to go out on my own and perform one huge project using several of the skills I had gained in my studies. So this presentation summarizing my entire project needed to be something that really impressed my instructors.
I built a powerpoint presentation and wrote up some handouts going over the basics of my project and prepared to have the details described verbally. As I wrote all of this up, I realized just how complicated this project was and therefore just how awesome I was! I did so many things over the semester including taking computers apart, installing operating systems, setting up a network, creating a website, and building a complex database. Although I knew just how amazing I was, I now had to convince my instructors.
So I practiced my presentation several times during the weekend prior to the big day, both before my family and by myself. My family really wasn't that helpful because after being completely lost in my explanations, they began making faces just to annoy me. And it was weird doing the presentation to myself. You see, I talk to myself regularly, so it's nothing new. But I don't normally speak to myself with so much thought and purpose!
I was completely calm and collected as I drove up to the school and entered the building. But as I came into the classroom and prepared for the presentation, I got all nervous and shaky and actually began to "glisten" a little. Gross, I know. I would normally blame that on the classroom that has a reputation for being ridiculously warm, but there's just no sense in arguing that it wasn't my nerves. But after getting a few slides into my powerpoint, I realized "What the heck, I know what I'm talking about here!" so I ditched the nervousness and enjoyed the company of fellow geeks who asked intelligent questions and appreciated the difficulty of my work.
Overall, I rocked my 20 minute presentation. And then the coolest thing happened. One of the people in the room asked me if I would be interested having the occasional job at the college doing classes for the corporate and community education department. No kidding. It would involve explaining to various people how to use popular software, such as Microsoft Word. Next time they need someone, she is going to suggest me!
So I went into this meeting hoping to do well on this presentation, and came out with a quasi job offer! I think it's safe to say that I totally impressed my instructors. Yeah, I'm that awesome.
I built a powerpoint presentation and wrote up some handouts going over the basics of my project and prepared to have the details described verbally. As I wrote all of this up, I realized just how complicated this project was and therefore just how awesome I was! I did so many things over the semester including taking computers apart, installing operating systems, setting up a network, creating a website, and building a complex database. Although I knew just how amazing I was, I now had to convince my instructors.
So I practiced my presentation several times during the weekend prior to the big day, both before my family and by myself. My family really wasn't that helpful because after being completely lost in my explanations, they began making faces just to annoy me. And it was weird doing the presentation to myself. You see, I talk to myself regularly, so it's nothing new. But I don't normally speak to myself with so much thought and purpose!
I was completely calm and collected as I drove up to the school and entered the building. But as I came into the classroom and prepared for the presentation, I got all nervous and shaky and actually began to "glisten" a little. Gross, I know. I would normally blame that on the classroom that has a reputation for being ridiculously warm, but there's just no sense in arguing that it wasn't my nerves. But after getting a few slides into my powerpoint, I realized "What the heck, I know what I'm talking about here!" so I ditched the nervousness and enjoyed the company of fellow geeks who asked intelligent questions and appreciated the difficulty of my work.
Overall, I rocked my 20 minute presentation. And then the coolest thing happened. One of the people in the room asked me if I would be interested having the occasional job at the college doing classes for the corporate and community education department. No kidding. It would involve explaining to various people how to use popular software, such as Microsoft Word. Next time they need someone, she is going to suggest me!
So I went into this meeting hoping to do well on this presentation, and came out with a quasi job offer! I think it's safe to say that I totally impressed my instructors. Yeah, I'm that awesome.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
More on Prayer
God has been teaching me so much lately! A lot of it is stuff I've known for the longest time, but He and reality have been slapping me in the face. In so many areas, I'm not practicing what I've studied. Most of the problems are in my prayer life, and I've already talked about it in my posts Believing God and Prayer's Pretty Awesome. But He continues to show me new things!
So when someone hurts a member of my family or one of my friends, I'm so quick to get angry and potentially violent. I cannot tell you how many times I have wanted to drive to someone's house and punch them in the face. Yeah, I know you're shocked because I'm just too sweet to want to do something like that. Pardon me while I do my do my evil laugh... k I'm back. But I definitely have my violent tendencies when someone I love is hurt. Maybe that's partially due to the movies full of explosions that I love so much, I dunno.
Anyways, God pointed out to me today that my fight is not supposed to be against flesh and blood. It's supposed to be against evil forces. Instead of putting on my brass knuckles and preparing to make somebody sleep with the fishies, I need to put on the full armor of God and fight with prayer for my friend. Because it's not other people attacking my friends. It's the enemy and his nasty homies. My God is great and awesome and can fix a situation so much better than I can with duct tape and a cinder block. (Ephesians 6:12-18)
Instead of being quick to desire revenge, I need to be quick to prayer. And not just a "God bless so-and-so" generally heartless prayer, but specific petitions. I've seen recently how God does in fact answer prayers, so I can't help but wonder how many times people I love have suffered because I refused to come to God with prayers specifically about certain situations. Prayer and the God who hears it have sooo much power and I'm not taking advantage of it. And it's so stupid of me.
From now on, I want to daily use prayer to battle the enemy and defend my family and friends. It's gonna be like this epic battle scene at the end of Lord of the Rings, but instead of wielding a sword, I'm gonna use the power of prayer and watch as my amazing God slays the enemy before me. Though unlike that battle scene, we will win not because of our skills with an ax or bow, but because we trusted and relied on God and He gave us the victory.
So when someone hurts a member of my family or one of my friends, I'm so quick to get angry and potentially violent. I cannot tell you how many times I have wanted to drive to someone's house and punch them in the face. Yeah, I know you're shocked because I'm just too sweet to want to do something like that. Pardon me while I do my do my evil laugh... k I'm back. But I definitely have my violent tendencies when someone I love is hurt. Maybe that's partially due to the movies full of explosions that I love so much, I dunno.
Anyways, God pointed out to me today that my fight is not supposed to be against flesh and blood. It's supposed to be against evil forces. Instead of putting on my brass knuckles and preparing to make somebody sleep with the fishies, I need to put on the full armor of God and fight with prayer for my friend. Because it's not other people attacking my friends. It's the enemy and his nasty homies. My God is great and awesome and can fix a situation so much better than I can with duct tape and a cinder block. (Ephesians 6:12-18)
Instead of being quick to desire revenge, I need to be quick to prayer. And not just a "God bless so-and-so" generally heartless prayer, but specific petitions. I've seen recently how God does in fact answer prayers, so I can't help but wonder how many times people I love have suffered because I refused to come to God with prayers specifically about certain situations. Prayer and the God who hears it have sooo much power and I'm not taking advantage of it. And it's so stupid of me.
From now on, I want to daily use prayer to battle the enemy and defend my family and friends. It's gonna be like this epic battle scene at the end of Lord of the Rings, but instead of wielding a sword, I'm gonna use the power of prayer and watch as my amazing God slays the enemy before me. Though unlike that battle scene, we will win not because of our skills with an ax or bow, but because we trusted and relied on God and He gave us the victory.
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