Too Much Time...

This guy had WAY too much time on his hands... Check It!

Early Morning Fun

I woke up this morning promptly at 5:15am a full 3 hours before I truly needed to be awake. Ugh. And I tried to go back to sleep, really I did, but to no avail. After such a conclusion I decided to go downstairs to eat a bit of breakfast, watch a bit of TV and call Hannie (it's her birthday... she's OLD now!) So that's just what I did. I grabbed a bowl full of Honey Nut O's and flipped the channel to catch the end of 'Matlock' and then 'Magnum PI' Oh yes. I spent my morning with the one and only Tom Selleck. Be jealous. Be very jealous.

I Heart Glittens... and many other things!

Yesterday was my day off. Usually I spend such days lounging around in my pjs all day long watching TV and napping on and off BUT yesterday was no such day, my friends. Oh no.

I started off the day with the ever-so-exciting activity of paying bills and balancing my checkbook. (I know you're jealous of all the fun, just admit it!) Then I switched cars with the Rockey's and ventured out to Wasillaland to do some shopping. Oh baby, oh baby, was that shopping experience productive!! Not only was EVERYTHING 20% off but I also found an uber cute sweater and some pretty snazzy Columbia pants as well as some other things I ought not to mention on here :) I'm probably going to venture back to the store after I get paid tomorrow to purchase some more Fiestaware for my collection. THEN I went to the post office where I picked up my beautiful new glittens (see last post) and they're even more wonderful than I had initially imagined. Yay. THEN I went home and couldn't get up the haul I call a driveway so I spent the next hour sanding it by hand so my roommates could get up it when they got home. After April purred up the driveway, her dad came by with a truck full of pea gravel and some trashcans. We then spent the next 45 minutes shoveling that gravel so that we wouldn't have to do it the way I had just done it an hour prior. THEN I had a meeting for VBS which was mostly productive. THEN I had a roommate meeting that was... not so much productive but needed. THEN I got to watch Law & Order. And, oh yeah, talk to Philip :)

Yay for productive days off. Now it's back to the grind. Whew!

PS Wish me luck tonight! I've made it through meeting the friends but tonight I'm meeting the band students-- EEK! This may make it or break it, folks!

New Toaster Anyone?

Now to many of you out there in Blogland, buying a new toaster isn't all that exciting. I mean, sure, a good toaster turns out that perfect, lightly-golden-brown toast for that favorite tuna or turkey sandwich you lovingly make for yourself or a friend. But not these Toasters, my friend. Oh no. These Toasters are for your hands.

The Toasters are quite possibly the greatest gloves in the world. As you can see from the picture at right, they are mittens BUT when you open that zipper, you find a FULL GLOVE on the inside. Oh, baby, am I excited to get my Toasters in the mail. My hands will never be chilly again with these-- the comfort of a mitten, the agility of a glove.

Oh yes. I. Am. Happy.

Cosmetic Surgery

I'm getting Dean back on Monday or Tuesday!! YAY!!!

He's got about $5,700 worth of "corrective cosmetic surgery" to undergo yet but my mechanic, Steve (we're on a first name basis ;) ) says Dean'll be ready to come home the beginning of next week. Hallelujah!

Nothing FISH-y Here!

Just got back from spending a wonderful evening with a couple of my kiddos fellowshipping with the folks out at Lamb of God at FISH (Fellowship In Serving Him). When we first arrived, the doors were covered with the following:

"STOP! In order to enter, you must answer the following question:
What do we have to give when we follow Christ's footsteps?"

Inside the door was a poster with markers for us to write our response. The next sign read:

Read Philippians 4:4-6 then enter the Sanctuary in peace."

Inside the Sanctuary were four prayer stations with directions

1. Write a prayer request you have and then pray for it and the others on the list.
2. Write something you're thankful for God giving you and thank Him for them.
3. Think about a prayer God has answered, write about it and say a prayer of praise.
4. Write the names of those non-Christians in your life and pray for them.

After all the stations were complete, we gathered together to take a look at the answers the group wrote for that first question. By far, the most popular answer was "My Life" (or some variation thereof), which led into a conversation of what kind of sacrifices we make to live a life worthy of being called Christian.

Now, you might be thinking, "James, we don't need to do anything to have the title of 'Christian' besides having faith in Christ as our Savior." To that I say, absofreakinglutely. Agreed. But that's not what I'm talking about. Our faith in Jesus' sacrifice, and all that entails, needs nothing added to it. It's simply enough to believe BUT living this life as a reflection of Him requires some sacrifices:

• Sacrifice of Praise & Sharing (see Hebrews 13:15-16)
• Sacrifice of Time (see Job 42:11)
• Sacrifice of Prayer (see Colossians 4:2-4)

Perhaps using the word "sacrifice" with the word prayer seems a bit odd (it does to me!) but think about the last time you earnestly prayed for those situations and people nearest and dearest to you... when was that? How long ago? I hate to admit it but, even though I pray on a daily basis for my kids and family and friends, the last time I took the time to earnestly pray for them was a REALLY long time ago-- and I sincerely apologize for letting y'all slowly drift to a mere afterthought! But, you know, all the things we discussed tonight have convicted me to make a change. Thus, my new year's resolution (a mere 21 days late!) is this:

• To lift each of you up in prayer everyday;
• To use the beautiful journal the Sutton family gave me for Christmas to keep track of those things for which I pray; and,
• To keep in better touch with you so that I know what you need prayer for the most.

So, please, please, please help me to keep this resolution by letting me know anything with which you are struggling or praising via email or phone calls. I'd truly love to hear from each of you... and we'll see just how powerful God can truly be!

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7

Smiles

I've been having a pretty darn good week... actually, pretty darn good couple-a-weeks. Besides the subject of my "Januarys Suck" post, life has been actually pretty grand mostly because of a very specific person. Just wanted y'all to take note that I sure have been smiling a lot...

Just For Fun!

For those of us who like making up words, these ones actually exist:

1. AGLET - The plain or ornamental covering on the end of a shoelace.
2. ARMSAYE - The armhole in clothing.
3. CHANKING - Spat-out food, such as rinds or pits.
4. COLUMELLA NASI - The bottom part of the nose between the nostrils.
5. DRAGÉES - Small beadlike pieces of candy, usually silver-coloured, used for decorating cookies, cakes and sundaes.
6. FEAT - A dangling curl of hair.
7. FERRULE - The metal band on a pencil that holds the eraser in place.
8. HARP - The small metal hoop that supports a lampshade.
9. HEMIDEMISEMIQUAVER - A 64th note. (A 32nd is a demisemiquaver, and a 16th note is a semiquaver.)
10. JARNS,
    NITTLES,
    GRAWLIX,
    and QUIMP - Various squiggles used to denote cussing in comic books.
11. KEEPER - The loop on a belt that keeps the end in place after it has passed through the buckle.
12. KICK or PUNT - The indentation at the bottom of some wine bottles. It gives added strength to the bottle but lessens its holding capacity.
13. LIRIPIPE - The long tail on a graduate's academic hood.
14. MINIMUS - The little finger or toe.
15. NEF - An ornamental stand in the shape of a ship.
16. OBDORMITION - The numbness caused by pressure on a nerve; when a limb is `asleep'.
17. OCTOTHORPE - The symbol `#' on a telephone handset. Bell Labs' engineer Don Macpherson created the word in the 1960s by combining octo-, as in eight, with the name of one of his favourite athletes, 1912 Olympic decathlon champion Jim Thorpe.
18. OPHRYON - The space between the eyebrows on a line with the top of the eye sockets.
19. PEEN - The end of a hammer head opposite the striking face.
20. PHOSPHENES - The lights you see when you close your eyes hard. Technically the luminous impressions are due to the excitation of the retina caused by pressure on the eyeball.
21. PURLICUE - The space between the thumb and extended forefinger.
22. RASCETA - Creases on the inside of the wrist.
23. ROWEL - The revolving star on the back of a cowboy's spurs.
24. SADDLE - The rounded part on the top of a matchbook.
25. SCROOP - The rustle of silk.
26. SNORKEL BOX - A mailbox with a protruding receiver to allow people to deposit mail without leaving their cars.
27. SPRAINTS - Otter dung.
28. TANG - The projecting prong on a tool or instrument.
29. WAMBLE - Stomach rumbling.
30. ZARF - A holder for a handleless coffee cup.

Reminiscing

I've just spent an hour of my day reading through literally every single one of the blogs I've posted since April of '04. Isn't it funny how some things change... and some things stay the same? The same struggles I have with my ministry now, I had back then. And the issues I had with friendships and relationships seem silly and, quite frankly, stupid now. While one's past is an important part of who they are today (read: never regret anything in your life, ever!) it's one's future that makes life exciting. Yes, I've written things in the past that weren't necessarily meant for everyone on the internet to read but I'm not ashamed of who I am and all of these entries are a part of me-- whether I'd like to admit it or not! As said last night, everyone has issues and everyone has baggage they have to claim at one point or another. So, if you're one of my faithful readers or if you've just found yourself studying up on who Jamie really is... let me know if you need any sort of clarification-- obviously I'm a pretty open person!

148 Movies=No Life for Jamie

If you've seen over 110 movies, you have no life. Mark the ones you've seen.
There are 240 movies on this list. Put your score in header and re-post.

(X) Rocky Horror Picture Show
(x) Grease
(x) Pirates of the Caribbean
( ) Boondock Saints
() Fight Club
() Starsky and Hutch
(x) Neverending Story
() Blazing Saddles
(X) Airplane
TOTAL SO FAR: 5

(x) The Princess Bride
( ) Anchorman
(x) Napoleon Dynamite
(X) Labyrinth
( ) Saw II
() White Noise
(X) White Oleander
(x) Anger Management
(x) 50 First Dates
(x) The Princess Diaries
( ) The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement
TOTAL SO FAR: 12

(x) Scream
(x) Scream 2
(x ) Scream 3
(x) Scary Movie
( ) Scary Movie 2
( ) Scary Movie 3
( ) Scary Movie 4
(x) American Pie
(x) American Pie 2
(x) American Wedding
() American Pie Band Camp
TOTAL SO FAR: 19

(x) Harry Potter 1
(x) Harry Potter 2
(x) Harry Potter 3
(x) Harry Potter 4
( ) Resident Evil 1
( ) Resident Evil 2
(x) The Wedding Singer
( ) Little Black Book
() The Village
(x) Lilo & Stitch
TOTAL SO FAR: 25

(x) Finding Nemo
(x) Finding Neverland
(x) Signs
(x) The Grinch
(X) Texas Chainsaw Massacre
(x) White Chicks
(X) Butterfly Effect
(x) 13 Going on 30
( ) I, Robot
() Robots
TOTAL SO FAR: 33

(X) Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
( ) Universal Soldier
() Lemony Snicket: A Series Of Unfortunate Events
(x) Along Came Polly
(X) Deep Impact
(X) KingPin
(x) Never Been Kissed
(x) Meet The Parents
(x) Meet the Fockers
(x) Eight Crazy Nights
(x) Joe Dirt
() KING KONG
TOTAL SO FAR: 42

(x) A Cinderella Story
(x) The Terminal
(x) The Lizzie McGuire Movie
(X) Passport to Paris
(x) Dumb & Dumber
( ) Dumber & Dumberer
(x) Final Destination
( ) Final Destination 2
( ) Final Destination 3
( ) Halloween
(x) The Ring
() The Ring 2
() Surviving Christmas
(x) Flubber
TOTAL SO FAR: 50

( ) Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle
(x) Practical Magic
(x) Chicago
(X) Ghost Ship
() From Hell
(X) Hellboy
() The Secret Window
( x) I Am Sam
(x) The Whole Nine Yards
(X)The Whole Ten Yards
TOTAL SO FAR: 57

( ) The Day After Tomorrow
(X) Child's Play
(X) Seed of Chucky
( ) Bride of Chucky
(x) Ten Things I Hate About You
(x) Just Married
(X) Gothika
( x) Nightmare on Elm Street
(x) Sixteen Candles
(x) Remember the Titans
(X ) Coach Carter
(X) The Grudge
(x)The Mask
( ) Son Of The Mask
TOTAL SO FAR: 68

( ) Bad Boys 2
(X) Joy Ride
( ) Lucky Number Sleven
(x) Ocean's Eleven
(X) Ocean's Twelve
(x) Bourne Identity
(x ) Lone Star
(x) Bedazzled
(X) Predator
( ) Predator II
( ) The Fog
(x) Ice Age
(X) Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
() Curious George
TOTAL SO FAR: 77

(x) Independence Day
(X) Cujo
( ) A Bronx Tale
(X) Darkness Falls
(X) Christine
(x) ET
(X) Children of the Corn
(x) My Boss' Daughter
(x) Maid in Manhattan
( ) Frailty
() War of the Worlds
(x) Rush Hour
(X) Rush Hour 2
TOTAL SO FAR: 87

( ) Best Bet
(X) She's All That
(x) Calendar Girls
( ) Sideways
(x) Mars Attacks
( ) Event Horizon
(x) Ever After
(x) Wizard of Oz
(x) Forrest Gump
() Big Trouble in Little China
(x) The Terminator
(X ) The Terminator 2
(X) The Terminator 3
TOTAL SO FAR: 96

(x) X-Men
( X) X2
( ) X-3
(x) Spider-Man
(x) Spider-Man 2
(x ) Sky High
() Jeepers Creepers
( ) Jeepers Creepers 2
(x) Catch Me If You Can
(x) The Little Mermaid
(x) Freaky Friday
(X) Reign of Fire
( ) Equilibrium
(x) The Skulls
(X) Cruel Intentions
( ) Cruel Intentions 2
(x ) The Hot Chick
(x) Shrek
(x) Shrek 2
TOTAL SO FAR: 110

(x) Swimfan
(x) Miracle on 34th street
(x) Old School
(x) The Notebook
( ) K-Pax
() Krippendorf's Tribe
(X) A Walk to Remember
() Ice Castles
( ) Boogeyman
(X) The 40-year-old-virgin
TOTAL SO FAR: 116

(X) Lord of the Rings Fellowship of the Ring
(X) Lord of the Rings The Two Towers
(X) Lord of the Rings Return Of the King
(X) Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
(X) Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
(X) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
TOTAL SO FAR: 122

( ) Baseketball
( ) Hostel
() Waiting for Guffman
( ) House of 1000 Corpses
( ) Devils Rejects
(X) Elf
(X) Highlander
(X) Mothman Prophecies
(X) American History X
(X) Three Amigos
TOTAL SO FAR: 127

() The Jacket
() Kung Fu Hustle
( ) Shaolin Soccer
( ) Night Watch
() Monster
(x) Titanic
(x) Monty Python and the Holy Grail
(X) Dawn Of the Dead
( ) Willard
TOTAL SO FARr: 130

( ) High Tension
( ) Club Dread
(X) Hulk
(x) Hook
(x) Chronicle Of Narnia The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe
(X) 28 days later
() Orgazmo
( ) Phantasm
(x) Waterworld
TOTAL SO FAR: 135

() Kill Bill vol 1
() Kill Bill vol 2
(X) Mortal Kombat
( ) Mortal Kombat: Annihilation
( ) Wolf Creek
(X) Kingdom of Heaven
( ) The Hills Have Eyes
( ) I Spit on Your Grave aka the Day of the Woman
( ) The Last House on the Left
( ) Re-Animator
( ) Army of Darkness
TOTAL SO FAR: 137

(X) Star Wars Ep. I The Phantom Menace
(X) Star Wars Ep. II Attack of the Clones
(X) Star Wars Ep. III Revenge of the Sith
(X) Star Wars Ep. IV A New Hope
(X) Star Wars Ep. V The Empire Strikes Back
(X) Star Wars Ep. VI Return of the Jedi
(X) Ewoks Caravan Of Courage
(X) Ewoks The Battle For Endor
TOTAL SO FAR: 145

(X) The Matrix
() The Matrix Reloaded
() The Matrix Revolutions
( ) Animatrix
( ) Evil Dead
( ) Evil Dead 2
() Team America World Police
( ) Red Dragon
(X) Silence of the Lambs
(X) Hannibal

TOTAL: 148

WOW... I really have no life...

January's Suck

January has never been a good month for my family. When my dad was in high school, his dad (my Grandpa Al) died unexpectedly in January. January of '04, his mom (my Grandma B) died. January of '05, my 19 year old cat Smokey died. January of '06 my Grandma Potts died. And, now, January of '07 I get in a car accident.

Obviously, I'm okay (either that or I'm dictating to the nurse who is actually typing ;)) but my beloved Dean is not so okay. You can see some of the carnage below:

Hopefully it looks worse than it actually is. There wasn't anything leaking but I had it towed due to the strange smell it was giving off. Therefore it is undriveable meaning I have to get a rental car for less than $25/day... AND I have to have 4-wheel drive to get home so we'll see how that goes.

Overall, the accident itself wasn't horrible. The lady who I hit was really nice (and uninjured as well) and immediately admitted it was her fault-- something my Daddy always warned me against! We called the police who sent Officer Ridge out. He took pictures, cited her, and called me a tow truck. We towed it to church (for lack of a better place to take it) and Bristol picked me up.

Honestly, I'm VERY tired of talking about it since I've had to recount the accident 5-times to the insurance companies but I just thought those of you in blog-land might like to know. Hopefully I'll be able to get through the next 26 days without more horrible things happening...

Happy New Year!

Is it just me or do the years go by faster as we get older? 2006 certainly seemed to slip through my fingers but many things managed to happen in those twelve months. I'll spare you the details by instead giving you the overall ending: it was a good year. I'd rank it probably a "6" on a scale of one-to-ten. Could've been better, could've been much worse. I'm looking forward to my 2007 though. If I learned only one thing in '06 it would be that a lot can happen in a year or less. No expectations, just hopes and prayers.

And now my resolution:

In the year 2007 I resolve to: Dance randomly at work. Get your resolution here.

And you know I will... :)