Burt's Bees

I have bypassed that product over and over and over again. I'm your tried & true chapstick lover. Not to mention spending close to $5 on 1 stick of chapstick made of beeswax seemed absolutely ridiculous. But then, to quote Napolean, "my lips hurt REAL BAD" and nothing was doing the trick. Soooo - I did it. I purchased the $5 lip balm and now I can't get enough. It's the perfect combination of softness, mint, and protection. I put it on and my lips tingle with joy!

I finally caught up on the Top Chef finale last night. Karla completely blew it. I loved her - she was always the dark horse who layed low until the last few episodes where she won almost every challenge. Then, CASEY did her in. Why oh why did she let her have so much influence in her final dishes?! Casey was the one who BLEW IT big time 2 seasons ago in the finale. It was truly Karla's to lose and she lost. But, at least Stefan didn't win. I really only believe they kept him over Fabio during the semi's for TV ratings. He was WAY TOO cocky and quite honestly didn't impress me towards the end. So congrats Hosea - you never won a challenge, you cheated on your girlfriend with greasy Leah, and your dishes in the finale really weren't outstanding but somehow you managed to win the whole thing. Good job. I think next season they should do a head to head challenge with Tom Calicchio where the judges have no idea who's dish is who's... he talks a good game but I haven't seen him walk a good game and I'm waitin' for it...

I haven't had my coffee yet and my stomach is making all sorts of grumbling noises. Not to mention i'm procrastinating way too much right now.... ok i'll be back...

Ok, ok...

Can you all forgive me for not blogging in ooooo... FOREVER! Seriously, the last few blogs - i'm sure - have left you all feeling starved. But i'm back for the most part.

Let's talk about a few things....

I've decided to observe Lent this year. I haven't done it since my Catholic days and this year I wanted to bring something before God that would be a challenge for me. Something I use as an emotional crutch. So, I'm giving up chocolate (are you all finished gasping... please take a breathe... thanks). That means no Snickers, M&M's, Hershey Kisses, any sort of Mocha coffees, brownies, chocolate chip cookies, and the list goes on. Nothing, nada, ziltch. I can do this although I think i'm hallucinating already... I could have sworn I just saw one of those M&M characters run across my computer screen...

I'm going to an AMAZING church, as in, going every Sunday. It's been a LONG time since I was a regular attender. Reasons of which I think are quite understandable. Here's the kicker... this white girl is going to a bilingual Spanish Pentacostal church (did I cause a second gasp?! you might have to get a paper bag at this point). IT... IS... FABULOUS! There is so much healing taking place. The people are true blue, salt of the earth goodness. The Pastor is in your face incredible... I've learned more over the last few weeks than I have over the last few years. The worship is just beyond words. Even when I can't understand it the Spirit moves in ways where it doesn't even matter. And, I finally feel a sense of community again. Having that has opened my eyes to just how badly I've been hurt and how much we as christians need that. Whether or not it becomes my home church, for right now, it's where He has me.

Speaking of... I would not have been going to that church had I not been blessed with my amazing friend Rebecca. I would toss up some pictures on here but you can see them on Facebook. I deleted any and all pictures from this laptop because it was so slow I was ready to beat it with a baseball bat. Anyway, just a little kudos to her on my blog because she has been my rock over the last few months. God has formed a unique bond between us and I cherish our friendship very deeply. She's pretty fantastic and an incredible woman of God. Ya'll need to meet her... for realz...

I have a new love... COFFEE! For years I would only drink coffee in the afternoon and it generally was a sugar filled Starbucks latte. One day a few months ago I was having a really rough start. I was soooo tired and I thought, I NEED coffee... truly... today is the day I need to have it in the morning. That one morning turned into another which turned into another and then another. Now, i'm up to about 3 cups a day and last night I had my first ever VENTI Starbucks at 6pm. I'm an addict.

I'm also addicted to the Houswives of New York City. I love these women!!! I want to meet them, hang out with them, chill at their summer homes in the Hamptons. More so, I want to spend a day with Jill & Bethenny. Those two seem super fun and I can envision them taking me to the coolest parties, drinking the best cocktails, and shmoozing it up with New Yorks finest. I think of these things...

Ok, I need some motivation to keep blogging and to draw more traffic to the site. Should I make the blog more specific to one topic... any thoughts?!

As if I should have expected anything different...

Supposedly i'll get them tomorrow... not today... I should have had them a month ago if they weren't held for so long

::Sigh::

Papers will be in my hand tomorrow...

WHATEVER, WHATEVER, WHATEVER

I've got so much turmoil going on inside of me right now that I don't even know how to deal with it all...

I feel like Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane when He's asking that the cup be taken from him and yet He knows that His Father's will must be done. And so my life must continue to move forward with whatever divine purpose is before it but right now my emotions are just incredibly intense and I would love to have some sort of release...

In my soul

There's a place deep down inside me that wonders, that agonizes over why the men in my life never fought for me. No, not a physical fight - but a deep, get past your own issues, come rescue and cherish the one you love kind of fight. It's painful today...

Tis the season...

I was a little over ambitious yesterday. I practically packed my entire apartment up and moved it to my sisters apartment all on my own. Can you tell i'm eager to get on with this part of my life. I would have taken pictures of my car, which if a cop pulled me over he would have thought I was living out of with the way it looked, but the camera on my phone no longer works. In the drugged up haze (cold medicine) over the weekend I dropped my phone in a cup of tea. ::just realized i posted about this in the last one... oh well...:: Luckily that was the only water damage. Although, the buttons are starting to really stick but the phone itself and texting still work fine. Remember the days without cell phones - how in the world did we live like that? I have a friend who doesn't own a cell phone... yes... doesn't OWN A CELL PHONE... and i'm kind of envious of her. LOL

The more and more I think about the upcoming holiday's the more at ease I am about them. I went and got a Peppermint Mocha from Starbucks today and there's something about the 'bux at this time of year that immediately puts me in the Christmas spirit. I think it's the red holiday cup and the goodness that comes inside it that brings it out. There truly is something comforting about a Starbucks coffee - marketing geniuses they are! Something as simple as a red cup can make people happy...

The big move is the 23rd. Over the next week I have to paint my new bedroom. I'm going with an Italian Rustic theme. Deep red walls, gold trim, european art on the walls. It's going to be my little hideaway. I want to be transported into another time and place when I enter it. I'm determined to have pictures so keep your eyes peeled on my blog for them when it's done.

Oh and my VOICE IS GETTING BETTER!!! The cold is finally going away and the medicine that I have to help my vocal cords finally has a chance to do its job. And, I think it's working. I think - let's keep our fingers crossed and our prayers coming...