bowl of cherries

January-July Recap

2010-07-14T19:12:00.000-07:00

-Served my time at New Life Kid Kare, teaching 4 year olds their ABCs and little insights to carry with them the rest of their lives (my favorite was "Girls are always Right" ..they really took to that one!). Although I bitched and complained about working there a lot, looking back I really did enjoy those kids- even if they were pains sometimes. I'm keeping a mental note of all of their names so I can facebook stalk them in ten years and see if they turned out okay. Which I'm sure they will.. they did have an awesome pre-school teacher after all...

-Saved over $4,000 dollars working at that said Kid Kare. I am super proud of myself for this. I pretty much saved every penny I could.. which is a big deal for me. I have a problem with impulse buying.. or just buying things because it makes me feel good. There aint nothing like the feeling you get after buying a new shirt or necklace or SHOES. Ah, shoes. Love Love Love. I even enjoy grocery shopping for my mom- At least I've admitted I have a problem.

-Upgraded my Canon Rebel Xti to a 5D Mark II- and ahh am I in love. Such an awesome piece of equipment. A year ago today I was drooling over it, and never in a million years would I have thought there would be one sitting on my desk next to me right now. I think my original plan was to save enough money to upgrade over a couple of years and then buy it.. not in 9 months time. Go me. Not saying it didn't hurt to see $3200 leave my savings account in a matter of mere seconds, but I know it will definitely pay me back over and over again with time.

-Figured out what I'm doing with my life. Goodbye Tampa, Hello Orlando! It wasn't really a hard decision to make, even though I will definitely miss home. Granting my parents wishes for me to go back to school was a begrudging choice at first, but I'm now excited about it. I'll be earning a degree in graphic design from Valencia, learning everything there is to know about Photoshop and Illustrator, creating my own branding, website, portfolio, and interning somewhere cool hopefully. Just last week Hannah, Jessica and I found someplace to live- which was an answered prayer for sure- We'll be living in a pretty much perfect house with two awesome girls- the McGill sisters! Move-in date is the first week of August, and I couldn't be more excited.

-I'm going to be an Auntie come November! I already love this baby girl sooo much. Cannot wait to welcome Leah into the world!

-My love for guac has not changed. In fact, it may have gotten worse. If we don't have any at least once a week, something is seriously wrong. Withdrawls come, followed by midnight trips to super walmart for ripe avocados. Nothing beats fresh cold guac, at any time of the day.

-City Church is no longer in Brandon, but has moved to Ybor City under the name Ecclesia (e-clay-sia) Church, meeting for the past couple of months Sunday nights at Garland's house on 9th- and come August we'll be meeting at the Cuban club! This change deserves more than a paragraph, but I have things on my list of things to do still and its already 10 (one of which is uploading and editing pictures for the Ecclesia website). Long story short, Its been good. Really good. God is doing great things and even greater things are yet to come! Sounds churchy, but its true.

-I've developed a love for straight up bumming. I cannot tell you how much I've grown to love lazy Sunday mornings that consist of sleeping in, coffee, a hearty breakfast, pajamas, and netflix. Now that I'm temporarily unemployed this has been happening much much much more often, and I'm enjoying it as much as I can for the time being. Soon school and work will consume all of my time, time to do what I want!

I'm sure I've forgotten huge chunks of information, but that's all I'm going to squeeze out of my brain for tonight. Hopefully I'll post again within the next 7 months ;)

blog neglect no more?

2010-07-14T18:15:00.001-07:00

Dear blog,

Apologies for neglecting you, for say, the last 7 months or so. I feel as if the world of personal blogs has slowly come to a stand still and other media blogs, such as tumblr, have taken over. I know I am guilty of this new type of social networking and interaction, and I'm not saying I don't enjoy it.. tumblr is a quite entertaining and satisfying way of sharing inspiring photos, anecdotes, music and the like. I do miss real journaling though- even simple entries that are as mundane as what you ate for breakfast that morning (mine was grilled cheese and tomato soup, btw. I woke up at 1:30 :/). That said, I am going to attempt to get this blog up and roaring again (not that it ever roared before..), even if it is just what I ate for breakfast that day.

Sincerely,

Michelle

2009: Year in Review

2010-01-02T20:35:00.000-08:00

2009-11-16T20:11:00.000-08:00

^this is what I was doing a year ago. Why can't the weather be like this right now?
I realize it's semi-chilly outside right now, but that doesn't change the fact that tomorrow's high is going to be in the 80s. Ugh.

2009-10-27T14:10:00.002-07:00

^the auckland tower, '04
update: not going to New Zealand.
I'll go when Jenny marries Marc with a C.
Hopefully I'll get more than 4 months notice that time. haha.

2009-10-26T00:58:00.000-07:00

Looks I need $1600 sooner than I expected.

I'm goin to New Zealand!

thank you, ikea

2009-09-29T16:51:00.001-07:00

fotoblog

2009-09-18T22:16:00.000-07:00

hillsborough baptist lions vs. the it doesnt matter cause we beat 'em team

#79

^told him to look like a mean football player, and this is all he could come up with!?

^the mikey cheering squad. as you can see, they're pretty B.A.

insomnia?

2009-09-09T23:32:00.000-07:00

you know, there's only so many things to do when you're alone. and unemployed.

how unfortunate. but, im not complaining, even if it sounds like it ;)

I've gotten pretty good at making lemonade out of lemons- practice makes perfect. Who knew.

And, things are looking up in the job world- people keep planning weddings, and I'm reaping the benefits! I've got two lined up already, plus the honor of being a guest at another two.. mmm wedding cake. (note to self: something must be in the water.)

i forsee neglect.

2009-08-20T23:07:00.000-07:00

tumblr was made for me.

that is all.

2009-08-19T22:55:00.000-07:00

"life's a climb..

but the view sure is great."

baha.

p.s.

if i cut hair for a living, i'd have these.

p.s.s

can you believe it's almost september?!

what I'm feeling wednesday

2009-07-08T18:57:00.000-07:00

discomfort.

phew!

2009-06-23T14:40:00.001-07:00

practicing being domesticated is hard work!

so far I've gone grocery shopping for 5 people, cleaned out the fridge and organized the pantry, done the dishes, and still on the horizon for tonight is laundry and cooking dinner.

How did I get myself into this you ask?

I have no idea.

at least I aint got no kid on my hip.

June 12, 2009

2009-06-13T12:43:00.000-07:00

I have some horrible news!

my pro account expires tomorrow on flickr!

..okay so it's not horrible news or anything. just an inconvenience.

I managed to squeeze in a large upload today though, just in time:

happy birthday dad!

p.s.

I can't seem to figure out why blogger likes to cut off my pictures.

sorry! :/

inspired.

2009-06-12T17:03:00.000-07:00

So, I just left my dad's birthday party to type this down-
I have come up with a new photo project I want to undertake this summer.. and I am pumped! yes, I just said pumped.

The Plan:
to photo-document my family, including all my extended family members.
I want to make a photo book with portraits of each person: I'll dedicate a page or two to each family, with a unique individual portrait that fits their personality, and then a group portrait with each person from that family.

I'm hoping this will push me back into photo-love. My camera has been neglected since shawn and aubree's wedding, and I need to start taking photos again! I pour through hundreds each day, and I can't seem to figure out why I haven't been capturing images of my own.

For a shorter, easier to complete project, I want to make another photo book documenting this summer. How cool would that be?
Kind of like a year book of my life.. but in a summer.

anywho, I'm really excited!
I'll edit this post later and add a photo or two.. but I had to get this down now!

p.s.

super long photo-post coming up next from my dad's birthday :)

get dat tat

2009-06-03T11:36:00.001-07:00

oh, it's happening.

le balloon rouge

2009-05-29T18:39:00.000-07:00

lets be honest,

how cool would it be that kid?

i think i love this.

thumbs up

2009-05-27T13:43:00.000-07:00

happy hump day!

(story of my life.)

sorry.. i'm still working on photo credits :/

P.S.

coolest mug EVER!

hey adele, you are fabulous

2009-05-18T19:39:00.000-07:00

rites of passage

2009-05-14T19:49:00.001-07:00

may- a month full of too many events.

seriously, there is like a birthday for every day this month!

and both my grandparents from my dad's side died in the month of may.

lets not forget graduations..

and weddings!

I love may though, despite it being busy. I just love birthdays, and celebrating them. Not just mine, but you know. Birthdays have always felt so special to me.. and I like making it special for others. I try to put out some effort. I haven't been too awesome on the birthday train lately though.. I've gotten a little lazy. But after tomorrow, I'm going to try and make birthdays special for everyone again! I got a 'happy gram' in the mail from one of my teachers in high school today- she's been a teacher for like.. 20 years- and has some big birthday book that she records EVERYONE'S birthdays in. Every year in high school she'd send you a 'happy gram' that wished you a happy birthday and wrote down your name on the birthday section of her chalkboard. Sounds elementary, but I liked it. And, I just found out that she sends 'em even after you graduate! What a woman. I want to be like that. ..Hmm.. I think I'll start my own birthday book! (;

This birthday will be hard though. My grams is gone, and I won't be getting one of her special hand-made (well, printed out) birthday cards- she'd spend HOURS on each one on her computer! She was cute. I'll miss those.. But I'll miss her more ):

In fact, every birthday we have a carvel cake, and her and my aunt would always split a slice so she'd get the vanilla, and my aunt would get the chocolate. Little details like that keep popping up in my memory that I'll miss. It's hard to explain. Sigh.

I still can't believe she's gone.

It's been an experience, that's for sure. It's funny how loss can bring everyone together again. I haven't spent this much time with my aunts and my cousins in quite a while. It's really refreshing.. I didn't realize how much I missed it all. We have family gatherings allll the time, but I never felt like I was actually spending time with everyone, if that makes any sense. I miss knowing what is going on in everyone's lives (which, I mean, everyone kind of knows everyones business already, because no one can't keep anything a secret -but know what's going on everyone's lives first hand!).

Part of my birthday tomorrow is going to be spent with the fam (and I mean everybody). We're all going to meet at my grandma's house and have lunch, and we'll prolly look at all the old photos they've been scavenging through for a slideshow of my grandma. I'm kind of excited about it.

..after that, I'm hittin the spa!

they were all booked in the morning.. so i'm stuck goin round 5. Oh well. I aint complainin!

weird. I'm going to be 19 in just a few minutes.

doesn't seem like a big deal.. but I remember turning 7 (to my disbelief) and thinking I was SO OLD! I'm so old! Time has gone by so fast... and if anything, it feelings like it's getting faster and faster. Sigh. Life really is short.

thats all I got.

Love,

michelle

p.s.

I'm singing at my grandma's funeral on tuesday with val and two of my cousins.

"wind beneath my wings" isn't exactly one of my favorites.. but it's my grandpa's song, and it was special to my grandma. I'm hoping I'll be able to get through it without choking up :(

p.s.s

and, because every post looks better with a picture:

I should have a 'stache bash next year.

I mean, right!?

(;

I want a cake with my face on it.. like this one. baha

classic!

call me crazy..

2009-05-09T21:07:00.000-07:00

I'm redesigning my room. again.

actually, I could really still call this the first redesign, since it was really never finished.

It involves dividing my room up with 1.curtain panels which will create a walk-in closet (so to speak)

2. this nifty lil guy:

(so i wont be doing work in bed anymore. I'm constantly drifting off.. it's just too comfy.)

and 3. walls with color!

and I'm sick of the previous color scheme I had in mind originally, and white walls aint cuttin it. Bump dat!

(don't worry jessica, the new scheme wont involve pink walls.)

anyone have any color schemes they wanna share?

I'd like to thank ikea for their inspiration and the headaches they induce. Oh, and thanks for being so close to my house now. Actually, I take that back. This could be a future problem.

Special shout-out goes to urban for giving me an idea on shelving involving crates. Sounds ghetto, but its cheap, efficient, and I'm old enough to buy spray paint.

(p.s. urban, don't put old furniture in your free section if it AINT FREE. And I'm glad I didn't pay 70 bucks for your crappy coat rack! overpriced son of a..)

goodnight all!

Love,

Michelle

p.s.

via cardboardlove.com

2009-05-07T06:59:00.000-07:00

What is it with this week?

I just want to get away.

news news news

2009-05-05T14:27:00.000-07:00

My classes end June 10th- which means, after June 10th, I have no classes. Obviously.

So what does that mean? What willll I be doing until July 26th?

Well, I asked the same questions. And today, I got some answers.

1. No more kids camp planning. Kids Ministry=Caput. Val and Dan have stepped down, because they don't want to do it anymore, and apparently have been telling people for 5 months, but no one had taken initiative to take over everything. And, we only have like 3 kids every Sunday. Two of them are related to me. So, Kids church is taking a break.

2. Camp Warrior is the new main focus. So, for 3 days a week, the interns will probably be working Camp Warrior.. if not Monday and Friday too. And it looks like we'll be getting paid.

Not my dream job, but hey! $$cash money! ..More hours than I've been getting (; And, they go on tons of field trips! Looks like I'll be livin it up at skateland this summer...

No really, they'll be going to tons more places this year. I'm kiiiiind of excited about it. I wouldn't chooose to work it myself, but, since I kind of have to, it's not that bad.

And part of our intern duties will still be helping plan youth camp. I'm hoping that things will be less stressful than last year..

3. I think thats it. I still want to hop on a plane and fly somewhere for my birthday, but I may just save that for another time (; Don't really have any alternative plans yet, but I'm sure I'll think of something fun. I just don't want to end up doing the same ol same ol.

4. I'm thinking about getting another job on top of camp warrior. I need the dough- I need to start saving. For what, I'm not sure yet. All I know is that my savings account has a suffix of 0 dollars and 0 cents.. and my checking account aint that far behind.

the end!

-michelle

p.s

it is pouring rain outside right now, and I'm looovin it :)

p.s.s

paper chain countdowns!!!!

If only it was July

2009-05-04T18:17:00.000-07:00

There are not enough hours in a day!

I'm avoiding responsibilities right now:

-midterm for brett's class tomorrow. I really should be writing rough drafts for his THREE essay questions tomorrow.

-need to finish editing 8th grade pictures.. I got an extension till tomorrow.. but I still have a bunch to go! Here's one:

...in my opinion, graduating middle school aint that big of a deal. Cap and Gown? Really?

-read for val and g's class

-start reading a book that has to be read by next week...so i can write an essay on it.

and okay, I take back the whole "not enough hours in a day" thing.

It's my fault I haven't done any of it yet. Sigh. There are just so many other things that I could spend my time doing! ^All that is boring (minus the editing. that aint so bad). I only live once, right? (;

oh and side note..

how many freakin May birthdays are there!?

tooooo many.

..back to the grind :/

another beach day!

2009-05-02T17:41:00.000-07:00

Akiya's 5th birthday party (Ft. DeSoto Beach):

(we share the same birthday (: they just decided to have her's earlier)

this is akiya's grandpa standing next to my shrinking grandma.
the tallest and the shortest (not counting the kiddos) members of our family.

and I have never been more entertained watching little girls open presents before today:

she loves hannah montana.

one more thing.. on the way home my grandma told me all about how when i was little every time my grandpa saw me he would grab me and pick me up and sing to me the song "Michelle."

He passed away when I was only 3.. but I do remember him doing that. Sigh. Love that song.. and my grandpa was quite the man. Apparently he could carry a tune like nobody's business, and wanted to be a conductor when he grew up.. but instead was a cop. In brooklyn. My grandma talked my ear off about him the whole way home... she really misses him ):

..All in all, good day. Not burned, ate good food, and the grams wore me out. I want to go to New York.

Love,

Michelle

#74

2009-04-29T13:43:00.000-07:00

^got myself a coat wrack, finally.
It's HUGE! and its this awful canary yellow color, because urban was out of white when i took back the one with the missing pole. Most of my coats/jackets are red (I went through a red phase..it comes back every winter) ..so it looks like this ketchup and mustard mcdonald masterpiece in my room. I would've kept the the picture above in color, but the color clash is just too awful to be shared with the interwebz.
I plan on spray painting it a cooler color.. if I get around to it (;
At least all my coats arent on the floor anymore!

In other news,
I was told for class I had to make a 3 year plan for my life, and I think it's actually helping me kick the 'ole procastinatin habit.
My parents were overjoyed when they learned I wanted to use my bright futures up at the 'ole HCC. And, thanks to AP and dual enrollment classes, Gen Eds can suck it big time!

I'm still a little leary however. "Introduction to the Internet" and "Introduction to Adobe Acrobat" seem like SUPER fun classes to take.. I might not be able to handle all that excitement, if you know what I mean... But I guess I'll deal. Easy A's, right?

Now all I need is a super cool job so I can buy these.

oh hai God

2009-04-26T12:22:00.001-07:00

Service was... epic today. I can't really describe what happened, but I haven't felt God's presence like that in a long time. And it wasn't even service really, it was after service when everyone stuck around and decided to just worship a little longer.

Literally what had been a crappy last night and a morning that was starting out pretty crappy too (not that any one had done anything, it's just been me feeling crappy), God surprised me and did a little switcheroo when I wasn't expecting it, at all.

Everything that was said and spoken to me was confirmation of exactly everything that has been going on right now. Everything. And it was confirmation that everything that has been going won't be in vain.. even though it feels like it. God's hand is in the mix, he knows what he's doing, and he's got a plan.

Perfect timing, really.

I've been so frustrated this past week. SO frustrated.

Not with just one thing either. Everything.

I forgot. I forgot who God was.

I forgot that He can change any situation and make it good.

I forgot that even when I feel like I'm in the darkness, that is where He is made light.

I forgot that his burden is easy, and his yolk is light.

I forgot that he knows me by name.

I forgot that he's always been there, even when I haven't been.

And to be more specific, cause I was kind of vague up there,

I received a text from a completely random person (zuriel jessica! raaandom) telling me something they thought I needed to hear, someone I didn't know came up to me and told me they had a word for me, and everything the come&live! guys spoke they thought God was speaking/doing/situation our church is in right now was right on key. They even spoke about someone that had left the church hurt/something had been broken, and that we needed to find them and apologize and fix things. Needless to say, I cried. A lot. I mean, right!?! ohsigh.. God, you're good. And I need to quit grumbling.. because You're good.

That is all.. kind of.

This is just the beginning.

and not to be completely off topic, but I think I might start watching fringe. I hear it's addicting. In fact, I might start having a fringe night every week at my house myself.. my tv might not be large enough though. THATS RIGHT. hahaaaa

Love,

Michelle

Insomnia

2009-04-25T01:53:00.000-07:00

I can't decide what to write anymore.

I don't feel like posting anything I just spent the past two hours typing out.

Most of it sounds and looks like the last couple of posts, I'm a broken record!

But, how am I doing?

I am lukewarm, complacent, lazy, stressed, excited, confused, frustrated.

I'm a magic eight ball, ready to spit out any kind of answer.

Too many things are going on, I can't focus and I keep trying to do it all on my own. Baad move.

It's after 5 in the morning, and I'm waking up at 9 tomorrow beach it, bask in the sun, read something I actually want to read, and hopefully untangle some of the mess in my mind.

That's all you're getting for now :)

Love,

Michelle

p.s.

If I wasn't so dependent on caffeine I wouldn't have these late nights problems. I get horrible caffeine headaches now if I don't get my fix during the day! Never used to have that problem. I blame the internship and mcdonalds for getting me addicted to caramel iced coffee and chicken biscuits. I've also discovered iced coffee from starbucks.. with soy, and it's delicious. and soy. How am I going to survive the real world after this!?

p.s.s

blog about well project to come soon!

"rosesarebeauts" bahaha

2009-04-20T23:34:00.001-07:00

I just found my old livejournal. The one I had before the one I have now.

I'm finding that I used to be an extremely interesting poster back then.. seriously, I'm addicted to reading my old posts. It's weird, because I barely remember writing ANY of it. I used perfect grammar, witticisms, and most of the time, visuals. And my vocabulary wasn't so bad either.

Hmm, I must have been a pretty cool 16 year old.

I'm glad I never deleted it. It's 16 year old Michelle, frozen in time. Wait.. 15. Just saw the year.

It's crazy how much we change over the years, whether it be in little minute details, or in huge areas of our lives. I'm not saying I'm done changing either.. I'm just glad that chapter of my life has a big fat CLOSED sign on it.

haha.. now I stay up till 3 in the morning wasting my good solid sleeping hours away and wondering what I'm going to do with the rest of my life. I'm pretty apathetic toward it right now though.. I don't really feel like seeking an answer to the big "What are you going to DO?" question. I could care less, although it's not like I don't think about it. I just don't feel motivated enough to act on it. Maybe it's just because my stubborn side sticks out like a sore thumb and this is just my way of sticking it to society and it's ideas that high school graduates have to go to college or their future will be very, very dark. I'm just avoiding the idea all together.

It doesn't help though that every time I seem to blog I'm half asleep and don't really feel like doing ANYTHING at all, let alone figure out my future.

..I'm going to sleep now, before I ramble on too much and make myself sound dumb. If I haven't already. Ha.

way to go, hot shot

2009-04-18T19:53:00.000-07:00

I can't please everyone, not even myself.

I hate it.

how exhaaaausting!

p.s.

my hair is starting to look like my life

..straggly with split ends baha

drunken texts, reader beware

2009-04-16T20:34:00.000-07:00

I think I forgot how to have fun.

Or maybe I'm just becoming an old fart.

I find myself looking forward to going home everyday.. so I can "relax and unwind" as my mom would call it.

I'd rather stay home in my robe and watch a movie by myself than go out on the town. Even the thought of going out right now tires me.

I think my "thinking cap" is permanently attached to my head right now. Seriously, the wheels are turning 24/7.

Am I turning into some kind of introverted hermit?!

I think I need to stop waiting for time to move faster.. and that sounds like an oxymoron.

I need to get out more. Live a little. Maybe I'll take up belly dancing classes. bahaha.

p.s.

Does anyone find it weird to listen to mayer now that you follow him on twitter? Because I think his tweets have killed the magic for me a lil. I find him borderline annoying. Now I just pretend John Mayer and @johncmayer are two completely different people. Problem solved!

I'm just sleepy and delirious. I shouldn't have a blog for these reasons. It's like drunken texts.

..and i just re-read all that and I sound like a drama queen. But I'll still post for your enjoyment.

prepare to be shocked

2009-04-15T07:28:00.000-07:00

and they still have plans for the sanctuary..

Um..

2009-04-14T21:17:00.000-07:00

Trying to find a legit organization that will dig a well= ridiculous.

there are too many out there! And all of them say something different about how much a well will cost. For instance- a deep water well, according to World Vision, costs $18,000. According to "Living Water International" a deep water well costs $10,000. Other organizations claim that to dig a well doesn't cost that much, and some, out the wazoo! Blood:Water Mission is completely useless in information. They just ask for your money and don't tell you how they're using it, or how much one water project costs.

How about all these organizations combine all their donations, and then, hey, they might just have enough money combined to fix everything! Seriously, there's like a bazillion of them.

I just solved the world's poverty problem!

..just kidding.

edit//

actually, maybe!!

i want to be a humanitarian!

2009-04-14T14:14:00.001-07:00

Things are finally starting to take form.

Since we canceled our missions trip, due to lack of fundraising and support and whatnot (and the fact that my heart wasn't in it, nor was CJ or Jessica's), we had to come up with something to take it's place, since it is a requirement for our degree. I told everyone about my desire to dig a well in Africa, Val found an organization that sends shoes to kids in Guatemala, and we collectively decided to try and bless someone in need of car.. with a car. According to Val's internship contact, we still had to have some sort of ministry outreach to count as the missions trip requirement, so, we're slightly getting away with counting youth camp this summer as a ministry outreach- which it is, in a sense. We've already gotten more churches from around the country interested in joining us this year, and I would most definitely say that not every kid that comes to camp knows about God and has a personal relationship with Him. So, there you go. Requirement met. But, we also needed the planning aspect of a ministry trip.. so, our jobs as interns now includes planning everything we need to do with the well digging fundraising process (we're looking into different organizations now, and we're hoping we can help out an area we already have put some interest in), collecting shoes for them kids in Guatemala, and raising money for a car. I also suggested we get GC involved with Love146, by donating at least $25/month, which will help support one of the organization's safe homes for little girls. We're also working on ways to reach the kids in the surrounding neighborhoods.. we want them all to come to our kids camp, which we're also planning. I'm excited that we have the opportunity to finally start DOING things that will help people! As for Well fundraising, we're in the process of planning a couple of benefit shows at the porch.. which I think will really make a dent!

..I never would have thought this all would start happening.. seriously. And.. I am so stoked we're not going to Hungary! haha.

As for other news

-tv program is back up and running (which I had no idea up till Sunday.. when I was told I should be filming..)

-i have to put the tv room back together again, which was taken apart in a million pieces and thrown about all over the two rooms backstage. and there are NO LIGHTS back there. shoot me. okay, I am exaggerating a little bit. I did find light sources. I shoved one of the light boxes my dad made back there (which has an excellent glow might I add).. and the lamp from the tv room is now inhabiting the other side. But the million pieces part? 100% accurate.

-I've caught up on all the heroes i've missed, and lemme tell you, it's gotten good! Like, first season good. Not even kidding! I think the writers finally realized the story line they had going was a piece of crap, and decided to get back the the baaasics. (no more cheesy fugitive crap.. thank the lorrrd). Jess, you needa catch up!

-I'm seriously addicted to blogs. I probably spend a good couple of hours every night pouring over them.. my inspiration folder? jaaaam packed. Here's a few:

(and I just pull them straight from the blogs to my desktop.. so I dont know who to credit.. oops)

-still don't know what the heyyy I'm gonna do after the internship, cept have fun!

I aint rulin wedding photography out, but I know I aint starting anything anytime soon.

Seeing the finished outcome of Aubree's wedding kinda made me rethink things.. I'm gonna keep givin it a go I think (: ..But not yet, and not on my own!

-and, I'm loving the color pink right now. More than I probably should. If I could wear pink everyday, I would. But only this shade or lighter:

dat's all i got.

love,

michelle

oh ya!

before and after pictures of the sanctuary to come!!

this is ridiculous.

2009-04-11T20:33:00.001-07:00

I watched Taken tonight- really good movie! ..but it isn't like sex trafficking is something they just made up.. It's a huge industry today, right now, at this very moment. It just kinda opened my eyes to how real it actually is. It's sickening. In fact, there's a lot of things that sicken me. Isn't it great how most of us just all sit in our own little worlds, oblivious to what's going on across the street? ...And most of the time, even if we are aware, we choose to ignore the ugly truth and go on with our lives, always striving for the "american dream" and looking out for number one. I'm just tired of it all. I'm disgusted with myself, I'm disgusted with this country.. I'm disgusted with people who don't care.

And what's the point of celebrities anyway? They're just people. They breath the same air we do. They get paid millions of dollars a year so the "regular" people like you and me can place them on pedestals and scrutinize their every move from what kind of starbucks drink they are chugging down to how they raise their children to who has cellulite or not. You name it, it's in the tabloids. And it sells! The American public would much rather hear a whole bunch of sugar-coated, pointless garbage over what is really going on in the world today.

And it sucks.. because I fit in to that category. I'm materialistic, I take for granted the roof over my head and the car that I drive and all the love that surrounds me 24/7. and I'd much rather hear sugar-coated pointless garbage over children being sold for sex.

How do we change this? How do we make people less selfish and care about the world around them.. so much so that they too are burdened for change? Sigh. This world needs God. I need God. I can't do anything without Him.

And I'm so frustrated right now! I have all these different thoughts whirling around in my head about so many different things and I just can't get them out so they all make sense.. If I even tried to explain it you would think I was a crazy person.

I don't even want to try and finish.. I'm too tired haha.

I used to be a good writer.. I used to make good points! And tie them together! And my conclusions? superb!

...I'm sure I'll get more off my chest later.

p.s.

easter is tomorrow.. what a wonderful time to thank God for all he's done for us, for sending His son to sacrifice himself for our sins (and Jesus didn't have to!), and then to raise again, to live with us forever! Life truly cannot get any more real than God's never ending love for us- I was thinking the other day about how much God really does love us- how he doesn't love just me, but he loves my crazy neighbors, he even loves people I that I have a hard time tolerating- and he loves us all the same. It just blows me away about how bad we can screw up and blow God off for silly things- but yet, he still desires us, he still wants us, and he doesn't care about the past. If anything, He only loves us all the more.

p.s.s.

if anyone has any ideas on how we can help change the world, or how anything I want to do with my life.. like taking pictures or designing things or becoming a professional blogger (that one's new.. not blogging like this, but about other things (: ) etc has anything to do with changing the world, let me know. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

p.s.s.s.

..not only are we getting a well dug, we're gonna send shoes to guatemala for kids who aint got none, AND raise money to buy somebody a car! ..It's still not enough. I want to do more!

p.s.s.s.s.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6XGUhzfutc

p.s.s.s.s.s.

I know after all this rambling it's not really that important baha... but bangs?

it aint no cruise, but...

2009-04-09T20:20:00.001-07:00

tonight my parents finally decided on a spring break vacation..

10 minutes away from my house.

yep, that's right. 10 minutes away, for one night.

I'm in temple terrace, on the third floor of a hotel.

and even though my parents are in a separate room, my mom still insists we have the heat on in our room.

..it's been kind of fun actually. I just have to pretend I'm far far away.. and turn the AC on when she leaves (:

at least this place gots an elliptical and a hot tub!

AND right next door is a nail salon. I can WALK to get a pedicure. good deal.

However, I wish I was eating pretzels and watching Hell's Kitchen..

p.s, i love you

2009-04-09T16:05:00.000-07:00

news

2009-04-07T08:11:00.000-07:00

Instead of going to Hungary, I'm getting a well dug! I win.

I'm being serious. Trip's canceled.

p.s, I love this:

(via swiss-miss)

it's a towel that turns into a bag!

2009-04-03T23:45:00.000-07:00

cant sleep, and i have to get up in a lil over 3 hours.

i feel sick.

day four

2009-04-02T19:29:00.000-07:00

I made a bucket list. And for some reason making it made me feel just a lil bit better, for a slight second anyway..butttt I'm back to where i was before. My dad's worried about me, by the way.. I got the blues big time. I don't think it's gonna get any easier either.. so I'm trying to suck it up. But that might take a while. Good thing I've got 3.8 months..... :/

sigh. it's so hard.

I have to remind myself to get outta the fml mindset everyday haha.

and for some reason, my heart has decided to bear the weight of the world on it! I feel responsible for doing something- and it's something like I've never felt before. I'm tired of seeing and hearing statistics about what little we would have to do here in America to help out third world countries.. and I would ramble on, but I already tried typing out this huge long explanation of myself and I was all over the place and it didnt make much sense so I'll sum it up:

1) Shoot, I'll adopt! I'll sponsor a kid! I'll sponsor a family! better yet.. I'll sponsor a village!

money... pffff

2) I only need 3-4 grand to sponsor a well to be drilled in Africa..that will change the lives of 500 people. If that aint doing SOMETHING.. I don't know what is. You want to bring God to a people? Bring them clean water so that when they drink it won't give them diseases and kill their children.

3) Our culture has butchered the way the church was in the beginning, along with A LOT of other things.

4) We're all superficial, self-gratifying, and we forget who's really in control here. No wonder Christians are viewed as hypocritical people. And I realize I'm being harsh.. but it's a reality... and I aint excluded.

5) I'm just not satisfied with it all. It's frustrating, because I don't know where to start.

p.s.

i dislike christian things.. like t-shirts and plaques and key chains... and bumper stickers! they're all cheesy. not the good kind of cheesy either.

and good ole John Mayer. He'll never get old.. but his twitter updates will. Seriously, a signed stratocaster??

<3

2009-04-01T22:10:00.000-07:00

^i'm addin seein them to the list!

..i'll post a real blog later.

note to self

2009-03-13T17:05:00.001-07:00

i hate writing long papers, it sucks balls.

the end.

2009-03-04T22:18:00.000-08:00

i could do this all day.

p.s.

life is goooood.

i go on..

2009-02-24T19:33:00.000-08:00

Im beginning to learn about myself that not only am I a procrastinator, but I like to start projects and never finish them. For example, my bedroom :D ..at the moment, it is once again a train wreck and I havent painted my walls yet.. so none of the lamps are hung and my headboard has not yet been made. ay ay ay. There is not enough time in my life. Which is why tomorrow I am turning a new leaf with all this time I have! I am going to redecorate and paint my bathroom! forget my room! bathroom, here I come!!

But seriously, it is in dire need of a facelift. It's had the same theme for like, 10 years. No exaggeration. I'm painting it whatever I desire, and no one can stop me!

In other news, I am a thief.

I saw this idea for a sign online a couple of weeks ago and copied tonight for my sisters birthday. I'm in love with it. Whoever's birthday is next, be prepared to see that sign! (:

And, I cannot resist posting this picture of Levi. Last weekend we house sat and got to babysit Levi one of the nights- we gave him a bubble bath.. and this photo is one of the results (:

He is just too adorable. Really.

And, for hannah's sake, here are the rest of the pictures from Kathleen's valentine's day present (she was also too adorable):

And, for an even more obnoxiously long post, here's some pictures of danielle.. for good measure. These were also for her boyfriend. Ohhhh Valentines day. ay ay ay.

the end.

-m

sneak peek

2009-02-11T14:24:00.000-08:00

(: I think it turned out well. I can't post the other pictures yet because it's a surprise!

2009-02-06T20:55:00.001-08:00

so, tomorrow I have to face the world.

sigh.

and, I'm expected to participate in a car wash at 8:30 in the morning.. newsflash, it's 39 degrees outside right now. And the high tomorrow is only 73! i'ma die, i'ma die, i'ma die.

goodbye cruel world.

i cant wait for july 26th, by the way.

2009-02-03T20:18:00.000-08:00

I've been so productive tonight, I feel sick.

My room is at the point of cleanliness so much so that my bed is ACTUALLY made.

I can't remember the last time I've had a made bed. I'm sitting on top of it right now. And looking at my sickeningly clean room.

I actually did homework too.

and I cleaned my macbook.. the keys are all white again!

and did I mention that my bed is made?

something is wrong with me :/

In other news,

-i found a receipt tonight from moes that said if I fill out a survey, I get a free joey. How did I overlook that??

-free grand slams at dennys were a bust.

-i've lost almost 15 pounds since i graduated high school.. i blame the cafeteria food.

-i uncommitted listening to only non secular music

-i think i found 5 dollars just in change alone all over my room

-one day, I will own this:

yep. one day.

I am white

2009-01-29T10:32:00.000-08:00

and I like it

stuff white people like

be here now

2009-01-27T16:13:00.000-08:00

So yesterday, I decided to get some ambition in my life. No more doin the same ol, mundane, day to day stuff. I'm ready to start livin the life! I want to see the world, and live as if it really matters to me- live as if I'm going to die tomorrow. I mean, we all hear that life is short crap.. but it really is true. What exactly am I doing? I know I'm in the middle of an internship.. but I want more! I want every day to be a fresh and exciting day with God.. learning new things about him (which I am..) and new things about this life that I'm apart of. It just seems a waste to do the same things all the time.. which, don't get me wrong, aren't bad or anything. But, I'm ready for change! I'm a little late for resolutions, but oh well. That's just my style (:

1. I resolve to live each day to it's fullest potential!

What can I get out of today? What can I do to glorify God? What movie can I watch? (;

2. I resolve to create something EVERYDAY!

I like creativity. I like thinking out of the box. I want to get so good at bein creative, that I'll get paid for it!

3. I resolve to spend time with God everyday!

This shoulda been higher up.. but whatevs. I really do needa start giving God more time out of my day :/ I mean, He is God and all.

and thats all I got so far. I'm sure I'll think of more.

In other news,

-ray lamontagne has once again swept me off my feet,

-my room WILL be primed by tonight

-i like distractions and stapling papers an awful lot..

i'd say more and more each day!

-Ever heard of mixing hot chocolate and instant coffee together? It's my specialty, and it's straight up delicious.

-I still am in love with target

-My brother gets more adorable every day. I don't know where he gets it from.....

-jen's dad is up there with my favorite people right now.

-and i took that picture^ ..not really my style, but it seems real fitting with this song.. and I'm loving it.

2009-01-14T19:35:00.001-08:00

I feel really selfish all of a sudden. Or like I've been oblivious to life around me way too long- and I'm just now really realizing how good I got it and how much I don't deserve any of it.

new lense, new memories

2009-01-05T18:50:00.000-08:00

back from Georgia!

the winter song

2008-12-25T21:16:00.000-08:00

today was rich.

I have one amazing family- we're all so different and we never really see each other- but it doesn't matter. Because when we all get together, it's just.. love. We love each other! I wouldn't trade my melting pot of a family for the world.

also, this has nothing to do with today..

but i want to experience winter like this:

you get the idea.

11 bucks my butt

2008-12-14T22:27:00.000-08:00

mmm monday december 15, 2008, 1:30 AM

i just finished my first mustache. only 50 more to go! haha.

aint too shabby. I'm surprised I actually started on em tonight.. I was wonderin if I ever was gonna get around to it. I blame my dad.. he got me all in the christmas-y mood. I came through and he was prancin' around the house with wrapping paper and his box cutter labeling presents with his recently bought label maker and humming christmas tunes and calling my mom the grinch. Every time she walked by he serenaded her with "You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch.." She doesn't like Christmas too much. I think it might be because she's British. Who knowwws.

I live an interesting life. Gosh I love my family.

other updates:

target sells a hot dog and icee combo for 2 bucks

yoasis gots candy cane flavored yogurt (yum!)

alyse and brett did it last night

hannah's in town

needles hurt when they poke you

i love kanye west

i wish i had mistletoe

my grandpa sent his annual christmas cd of him singing ancient songs

i already have a paper due on tuesday

anddd there's only 10 freakin days till christmas!!

-m

just puttin this out there..

2008-12-03T06:20:00.000-08:00

could 234 days seem any longer?

photobucket treasures

2008-12-02T21:32:00.000-08:00

Today I stumbled across my old photobucket.. so naturally I went and looked through all the ancient ridiculous pictures of everyone. You know how people say in the present that one day you will look back on yourself and wonder what the heck you were thinking? I just had one of those moments. Not saying they weren't some good times.. but LORD! what were we thinking?!

^this was taken after staying up all night in front of best buy on a black friday.

yes, we wore paint on our faces.

^ I think that one has to be my favorite.

With hopes of many more "What the heck was I thinking?!" moments to come,

Michelle

copeland/lovedrug show

2008-11-22T18:55:00.000-08:00

eh.. it was aight (;

...happy birthday yesterday jessica!

I love..

2008-11-19T21:29:00.000-08:00

these nights.

minus 43 degree weather conditions.

perspective

2008-11-17T21:16:00.000-08:00

What exactly does it mean to love God more than your own life?

can you imagine waking up in the morning and literally being overtaken by such a sense of wonder and awe of who God actually is.. every morning?

I want that, so badly.

I want to wake up in the morning and have the only thing I think about is how beautiful God is.. and truly, truly appreciate this life he has given me.. and then! maybe even strive to do something great with it.

So often we take it for granted, getting caught up in our agendas and things we feel are important- yet when put into perspective (dare I say!) ..are not. I find that I need to remind myself daily (though sometimes I forget) of what exactly I'm here for- nothing more than to glorify God in all that I do.

anyway, Im ready to face whatever is coming.. whatever that is. hopefully something great.

in other news..

i have recently discovered tampa!

how bout that.. I've lived here my whole life and never really ACTUALLY walked around the city. It was fun.. I think I'll do it more often.

andddd

my camera is fixed... ehh it was never actually broken :/

thanks chris and cj! haha (:

-m

p.s.

the vow is cheesy as crap

jus sayin.

My clever mom.....

2008-11-15T19:50:00.000-08:00

I came home today, and discovered that my mom had covered up her mac camera with a bandaid. Hahaha.

2008-11-03T00:33:00.001-08:00

this paper is so easy... yet time consuming.

why do i keep making this longer!

study break #3

2008-11-02T23:43:00.001-08:00

instead of posting bulletin updates on my paper breaks, i decided it would be much more worthwhile to just blog them here.

hence, my first two paper breaks:

i find the most interesting things while i'm procrastinating.

study break #3 consists of this:

an american apparel hoody.. that i want

a very tasty peanut butter and banana sandwich (energy!!)

AND

the scent of a spiced pumpkin candle. mmmmm.

I realize i'm not too good at this whole paper-writing thing. Maybe I'm ADD, I dont know.

AT LEAST i'm going to finish it tonight though.. and then, tomorrow I won't have to worry bout anythin cept sleepin in till noon! mmmm (:

with the hope of many, many more breaks to come,

2008-10-31T17:39:00.000-07:00

so i realize i haven't updated in a while... my bad.

i really shouldn't be bloggin right now.. i gots a 8-10 page paper to write by tuesday, which is, by the way, election day.. so vote vote vote!

so down to business.

last night i went stargazing with my girls down on taylor road.. and lemme tell you- it was perfect! I made my special hot chocolate, brought my christmas mix cd (i had forgotten what a mean mix that thing is!) and saw not one, but THREE shooting stars. Then we watched sister act 2.. that movie always makes me wanna dress in 90s clothes and join a choir. couldn't tell ya why..

i dont have any pictures to document last night though, because my camera is still broken.

hence another area of my life i procrastinate in. :D

BUT,

i do have a picture of my first pumpkin carving from a couple weeks ago! It only lasted bout 2 days, and then start to shrivel up and get all moldy.. it was pretty gross.

if you ask me, thats the cutest pumpkin i've ever seen (;

p.s, happy halloween! i'm bout to get my bowl-on tonight.

more later.

-m

benedryl

2008-10-09T20:38:00.001-07:00

i hate ants ):

my foot is so swollen right now.

we gots the penthouse suite, dawg!

2008-10-06T16:12:00.000-07:00

penthouse suites, white comfy robes, fancy schmancy restaurant, room service.

perfect weekend.

however, the night before i got a concussion :/

see what happens when i fall off trampolines and bump my head?

i put paint on my face.. i don't remember this being taken, i swear.

..okay so maybe i do remember.

please, don't let me near a trampoline ever again.

anywho..

i aint got no mo homework left and tonight heroes is on! i'm full of pure joy right now.

thats it. i cant take it anymore.

2008-09-30T05:53:00.001-07:00

i'm getting my dang camera fixed.

im cravin some dang picture takin.. RIGHT NOW.

im smitten all over again.

mmm

2008-09-29T22:52:00.001-07:00

ahhhhhh good song!

whenever i find a song i like i tend to overplay it and ruin it..

hopefully this song won't become a victim to my ocd just like

dancin in the moonlight (;

just got done with homework- it was fun actually. i had to look in depth at the life of Nehemiah

and try and figure out all these different things. It got kinda confusing, seeing as there was either 10 different King Artaxerxes

or just one with different names.. ughghghhg. We will never know.

Esther is an amazing story however. I like reading it.. but somehow thanks to veggietales I always think of Mordecai

as a grape and Hamen as a peach and the king as a pickle or whatever he was.

Today i thought a lot about the upcoming holidays.. I am so excited. I love

Thanksgiving. And Leftovers. And Miracle on 34th Street. And camping out with

Jason and the girls outside Circuit City for Black Friday deals. AHHH so much fun. I love life. And winter.

Hopefully it will get cold sooon.. i like seeing my breath

outside.. and wearing scarfs and boots. mmmmm (: and bonfires. and 94.9 christmas music.

WAIT! would that be considered secular music?

Sigh. It really is the most wonderful time of the year.

love,

p.s.

it's raining (:

hold on, hold tight

2008-09-28T21:31:00.000-07:00

first, jason has a potty mouth.

second, passion iced tea RASPBERRY lemonade from starbucks is my new favo

third, study groups at starbucks are not a good idea. we don't get anything done. I think out of the four hours we were there, 30 minutes of it was good solid work.

fourth, my AF is still broken. and i'm too lazy to get it fixed/

fifth, i got problems mayn

paper writing time :/

2008-09-21T19:29:00.000-07:00

i dont feel like it i dont feel like it i dont feel like it

homework bites mayn.

2008-09-20T22:56:00.001-07:00

i stay up too late, wake up too early, procrastinate on homework, have unhealthy eating habits, and break rules too much.

and life has never been better.

but, i know it will only get even more awesome once i start doin things right- so i'm working on that.

i am a good intern, i am i am i am.

p.s.

2008-09-06T23:15:00.001-07:00

i have soo much homework.

dancin in the moonlight

2008-09-06T22:48:00.000-07:00

i want to start taking more pictures of the simple things in life.. you know, back to things that usually go unnoticed or are just simply taken advantage of because they are so common. I don't know.

today i went to a 50th birthday party with the fam. It was nice just being together for once.. our schedules have been so busy lately and they all conflict with eachother, so it's hard to have good family time, you know? Anyway, there was an open bar.. and lemme tell ya, i took advantage of all dem free shirley temples, if you know what i mean (;

here are some more pictures from our after dinner walk:

and, this song has been stuck in my head alllll night.

i think i may have listened to it a good 20 times.

2008-09-05T12:41:00.000-07:00

I, am a train wreck.

study hall

2008-09-04T10:35:00.000-07:00

so, the internship has finally started. right now we're all sitting in the conference room not doing our work..

hey, we got the whole weekend, right? (:

love,

the interns

startin tuesday...

2008-08-31T20:56:00.000-07:00

i'm gonna be single for 11 months.

buttttt it's okay..

i'll be gettin some sweet lovin from jesus?

in other news,

JOHN MAYER

was amazing on Saturday.. mmm him and his sexy pants. mmm mmm mm mmmm mm.

you dont even know. haha. But seriously, this man is one talented musician.. he pretty much blew me away.

more later. i'm tired.

-m

my af is broke mayn!

2008-08-25T13:40:00.000-07:00

so, the automatic focus on my camera is broken. ^that's daniel massey's goofy face up there.

anyway, i think i broke it at mosi during kids camp.. i was playing around with some science exhibit in the kids place, and you have to spin some lever around really fast. My hand ended up getting wedged between the lever and my camera and it knocked my camera so hard that it gave my hand a bruise. I think that's where the deed was done :/ I'm pretty depressed about it. Today i really feel like taking pictures too.. and i could, but using my camera manually would be a major pain in the BUTTT.

Anyway, yesterday I took a 6 hour nap. I don't know how I did it, but it happened. I woke up around 1 AM and couldn't fall back asleep till around 5. I am so irresponsible. Whatever. I do what I want! haha.

more exciting updates later.

-m

vote for me!

2008-08-22T10:45:00.001-07:00

dear cha cha,

2008-08-21T16:33:00.000-07:00

what do you do...
when a bag flies out of your car, and a cop pulls you over,
and you and all of your passengers are in their skivvies?

love,

kellie, michelle, chelsea, holly, jessica, and tony perkis

skinny dippin tuesdays

2008-08-20T10:54:00.001-07:00

last night we decided to go skinny dipping..

we've decided to make it a weekly ritual.

2008-08-09T22:29:00.000-07:00

these past few days have been crazzzzy.. kids camp wore me out!
and today finally we did another photo shoot.. honestly, i think it was the best yet too.. even though at the time all we wanted to do was either jump in a pool or go streaking (thanks to danielle, she fufilled the latter) because it was so dang hot and humid out there.
anyway, i'm waiting to edit them all.. even though it's driving me crazy. I already have a few done- here are two moments of our day at the abandoned slaughter house-

I finally got that bouquet of huge sunflowers.. 'cept i bought em myself! ..and right now they're wilting in a vase on my kitchen table (they were out too long galavanting with us).

more later.

-m

restlessness

2008-08-05T15:17:00.000-07:00

someone should buy me a bouquet of huge sunflowers.. i'm jus sayin.
and they're on sale at super target, so why not?

I need a long vacation. a very very long one.
and is it possible to marry someone's voice? cause I'd marry john mayer's.

-m

p.s.
cadre tonight.. coffee. just what i need.

we went on an adventure

2008-08-05T12:42:00.000-07:00

I love when hanging out is planned ahead of time.. so I don't have to make any spur-of-the-moment decisions. Yesterday we went to clearwater beach and had a blast!
My camera died unfortunately right in the middle of the sun going down, so I don't have many more pictures to document the rest of the night.. but we had fun, regardless of me being the buzz kill! (: Fortunately CJ just got his new slr, so we weren't completely out of luck.

From Snowflake Inn to Frenchy's to watching scene boys dance around with glowsticks to weird music, we had a great night. Clearwater beach is hoppin! The beach part sucks though.. there's signs up saying you can't swim past a certain point. The view however, is brilliant and great for taking pictures.. which I've been dying to do lately. I haven't pulled out my camera to do anything creative in ages it seems.. so, yesterday was completely refreshing and I can't wait to take more! I even put new batteries and film in my 35mm camera.. which has been collecting dust on my bedroom floor for far too long.

more updates soon, and hopefully with pictures <3
-m

life, it's funny sometimes

2008-08-03T20:48:00.000-07:00

congratulations for winding up here!
i'm starting a new blog 'bout my life..
you know, what happens behind the scenes and on stage.
and dang, that just seems so unoriginal.. but i dont care.