The 2012 Blogger Awards

 So my dear friends Mary and Angela have started a blog called Domestic Divas and they are WAY WAY better at the whole posting thing.  I'm pretty sure this was a way to get me to start posting things since I said that I was gonna do that and all so this is a blog award.  Here's the problem though, I don't really have 11 people that I know that have blogs so I'm gonna break the rules...cause I'm a rule breaker in my soul anyways.

And for all of you rule followers out there, here are the rules:
The Rules:

1. List 11 facts about yourself.

2. Answer the 11 questions given to you.

3. Create 11 new questions for the bloggers you nominate for the award.

4. Choose 11 bloggers with 200 or less followers to nominate.

5. Go to each bloggers page and let them know about the award.

My 11 facts:

1. I have the maturity level of a middle school boy, that's right, that shows how very VERY low my maturity level is.  A reflection of this is the fact that I think bathroom humor is hilarious, I love farts and poop.  There's nothing funnier to me.  Which is why I have the job that I do, working with high school girls, which goes to point number 2...

2. I love, love, LOVE high school ministry.  I love the privilege of being someone that high school students can be themselves around, completely.  That is a rare place to be when you are in high school.  I'm so blessed to be in a job where I can wear a tshirt & chacos to work, go hiking, drink lots of coffee, and point students to the only One that can satisfy their longing hearts. (that will be my only serious one...it comes in waves).

3. I hate showering or just anything hygienic.  It's a pain in the butt, I'll go a few days a week without showering.  I hate it.  I don't care about germs, i'm building up my immune system.

4 & 5. My husband is the only person in this entire world that could ever put up with someone like me. I put these together because my other fact is that I'm not a very "emotional" person, to say the least.  There is no one else out there that can put up with the this independent, don't touch me, prideful woman and I am thankful for him.

6. I love being outside.  The beach is my favorite place on earth to be specifically St. Pete Beach, FL.  Being at the beach is the one place that I can truly relax and let go.  You will typically find me on a hike on my off days.

7. I love good food and good drink.  I don't do beer flavored water beers such as Coors or Bud...don't do it.  I also judge people that like them.  (that's right Mary, Penney, and Angela).  I would spend more money on good food than I would on new clothes.

8. I have two dogs that are my children, Wallace and Dega.  Yes, they are over 60 lbs, and yes, they do get on the couch and the bed.

9. I believe that when it is cold outside that the White Witch in Narnia has come to reign and that we must fight to restore Aslan to his rightful place.  I hate the winter, I hate the cold, I would rather be in a fiery furnace than be in the snow.

10.  I am a parrothead, hence the fact that my blog is named after my favorite Jimmy Buffett song.  I could listen to Jimmy Buffett everyday, and for the most part usually do.

11. I believe in fairies, mermaids, Santa, and anything else that you "muggles" might call "make believe."  Which means I love a great adventure. Peter Pan is one of my heroes.

Mary and Angela asked:

1. What college team do you cheer for?

-I am a Florida State fan and an Auburn fan.  My dad played baseball for FSU and we have been tried and true Seminoles for my whole life.  I also love Auburn and hate Alabama. WDE.

2. What's your favorite magazine to read?

-I honestly don't read a lot of magazines.  I like Cooking Light, Southern Living, and Real Simple, but don't really "read" so much as look at pictures.

3. Tell us about your favorite holiday and why you love it so much.

-I love Christmas.  I love the magic of Christmas as well as the holiness of Christmas.  Christmas is just a great time to spend with family, to have fun together, and get away from normal every day life.  

4. What make up item can you not live without?

-Mary and Angela must not have been thinking about me when they asked these questions.  I could really live without all makeup, I'll be honest.  I know my husband would like it if I didn't wear anything.  But I guess mascara.  

5. Name your favorite TV show...past or present.

-Presently my favorite show is definitely New Girl.  I laugh until I pee my pants every time I watch it.  It's glorious.

6. Android, iphone or neither?

-Iphone all the way.  Had an android, hated it.

7. Favorite meal?

-Anything that my dad cooks.  It is always delicious.  Especially on New Year's Eve he whips out some sort of crazy meat and fancy recipe.  It's so great.

8. Who's the person you admire the most?
-Gonna break the rules here again and go with personS that I admire.  No doubt in my mind would have to be my parents.  To look at all of the things that they have both experienced in life and see how the Lord has used them is incredible.  They have also built a life that my siblings and I do not have to experience many of the things that they had to experience.  They have taught me so much about life, about marriage, and about experiencing life to the fullest.  I am so thankful to them and admire them in so many ways.

9. Tell us about the best trip you've ever been on.
-This is a tough one.  I've been to a lot of incredible places and I've also been on ALOT of trips.  My honeymoon was fantastically wonderfully restful and the best.  Seriously would go back every day.  As far as a trip where the group I went with worked so well together and really was knit together by the Lord would be the first time I went to the Dominican Republic.  It was incredible.  Instanbul, Turkey is probably the coolest place I've ever been.  Take me to an island, any island and I'll be happy.  Except for mud island (emily).

10. Best gift you've ever received.
-Probably my new camera.  My husband got together with all of his side of the family to give money to a new camera and I use that thing so much.  I love it.  

11.What website do you visit when you're bored or want to waste time.
-Definitely would have to say pinterest.  I could waste a whole lot of time there and a whole lot of money trying to make things that I see.

My questions: 
1. What is your favorite meal that you've ever had?
2. Favorite character from a book.
3. If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?
4. Who is someone that you are dying to meet?
5. What is your earliest memory?
6. What is your favorite Christmas tradition?
7. Favorite Christmas movie.
8. Best roller coaster you've ever been on.
9. One thing you've learned about yourself over the past year.
10. Who is someone you want to be like when you grow up?
11. How many pets have you had growing up?

My Nominations:

Ashley and Leigh Ellen @ The Wonder Twinz

Emily @ Constant Cravings

Caroline @ little known facts

32 years and many more to go...

Today is my parents 32 year anniversary, or as my dad would say "32 years of me making your mother perfectly happy."  Just wanted to do a little shout out to them and thank them for who they are.  They have taught me so much about marriage just by their incredible example in their own marriage.  The number one thing I have learned, marriage is forever, bottom line.  There have been hard times, and great times, ridiculous times, and normal times, but always with the love for one another that is forever. It doesn't mean you LIKE each other all the time.  It doesn't mean that someone won't ever let you down.  It doesn't mean that you will be happy at all times.  It means committing to one person forever and vowing to love that person FOREVER.

Often we think that "rebelling" against cultural and going against the grain means "I'm never getting married," or "I'll be with whoever I want," or even "At least there's divorce..."  But all of those things are not against the cultural norms.  In fact, it is so strange that a couple would be together for 32 years that it is often a surprise and something to be congratulated.  Yes, it is something to be congratulated, but honestly, it shouldn't be.  Biblical marriage calls you to a lifetime commitment, not a "well at least I've got an out."  I am blessed to have parents that have made that commitment and taken it with the same seriousness that scripture calls us to.  What a beautiful picture of Christ's love to us.  We suck in every way, we run after everything else other than our relationship with Jesus, but Christ continues that relationship with us.

Thank you mom and dad for teaching me these things.  My husband and I are 3 and a half years and can't wait to be at that 32 year mark.

this one is free, you're welcome.

So you're on a junior high retreat.  You have "the room," if you're in youth ministry you know what I mean.  It's like all of your junior high girls have been doing shots of red bull or maybe even have just been injecting B vitamins into their veins.  Bottom line, they don't sleep, and there's nothing you can do...oh but wait.  I'm about to give you some incredible information that will put these crazy ladies out, no sleeping pills necessary.  

It was one of those late night talks. Their minds are reeling with ideas and thoughts and they are just FINALLY at that vulnerable moment where they ask things that wouldn't normally, but that they've always wonder.  Everybody is yelling and screaming and someone pipes up and says, "Sara, how do you feel about homosexual marraige?"  I proceed to go into what I think about it and what I think the Bible says about it and all that jazz...SILENCE.

I literally said, "Is that really how we're going to the end the night? Really?" No response, everyone was sound asleep.  So you're welcome.  Homosexuality...key subject to make jr. highers sleep.  Warning: this will NOT work for high schoolers.  

this is happening.

Well.  I'm terrible at blogging.  But alas, here I am again.  Attempt number 958, and by that I mean, it seems like I've blogged once a year over the past three years.  I think maybe because I didn't really have a goal in mind when it came to my actual blogging.  But I'm getting to that point where I'm starting to figure out what's going to happen on this blog.

1. I'm in youth ministry, so I hope to say some things on this blog that are helpful, encouraging, and/or make you laugh at the fact that I'm still doing this whole ministry thing.  As a female in ministry, it's hard, and we are a weird group of people so this blog will be used to let my other females in youth ministry say to themselves, "Yes, I can do this," or "No, I'm not cool, but that's ok."  So there's one of my goals.

2. I like to do creative things.  So I'll be sharing some of those creative things that I do.  And if anyone reading this wants me to make them something, I'll do that to.  For money of course (see point 1, I'm in youth ministry).

These are the envelopes I addressed for my friend Meghan's baby shower...Don't worry Penney, I did not reveal your address, you're welcome.

3. I love adventures, imagination, funny things,  and I'm a generally absurd person, so I'll be sharing some of those things too.  I'm also a wife, and probably not your standard "great wife" so you can just read those things to feel better about yourself.  Self deprecation is what makes people laugh the most right?

Lower your expectations, all 2 of you that might read this.  This might be one of a few, but I'm going to attempt to do this blogging thing.  If nothing else for my own personal therapy.  

So here goes 2012...well the end of it anyways.
Happy Fall.  And Go Nolz.  I have to say SOMETHING about football.  I am from the South after all.

Oh Eleven

Remember how in 2010 I never posted on my blog. Maybe 2011 will be different. Here's the start...

Oh yeah, there's Dega

So I guess I forgot to mention some VERY important information that has happened during this MIA period. Sandy, my dog that I had since I was in 8th grade, went to doggy heaven over the summer. It was really sad and terrible for all involved. So we got Wallace a new friend, her name is Dega, as in TallaDEGA. She's a hound mixed with a lot of other things. Here's her introduction to the blogging world:

Thoughts On A Song

Listening to: Vienna (Billy Joel)

Not listening to: If I Die Young

I'm gonna do that thing that you do with a friend that you forgot to call back after like 3 months and just pretend like we've been talking this whole time. Not even going to address the issue of being MIA on the blogging world for a hell of a long time. Yeah, I know, I just basically did. Moving right along.

Ok so, I love country music. I do, I admit and would choose to listen to country music over most anything else. However, with new "country" music you get a few people here and there who are, well, ridiculous. For example, the song that I've been thinking about a few times called If I Die Young by The Band Perry (yes that's there name). So I'm listening to the words of this song, and first of all it's just sad, but as I'm listening I can't help but think to myself... what DO you want us to do with you if you die young, little lady? She says the following in her song:

If I die young, bury me in satin

lay me down on a bed of roses,

sink me in a river at dawn

send me away with the words of a love song.

Ok let's recap what she wants US (HER FANS? HER MOM? HER FRIENDS? HER BAND?) to do with her IF she dies young. First we are to bury her in satin. Maybe a satin dress, some lingerie, I don't know, but in satin. Ok that's easy. Then we are to lay her down on a bed of roses. Ok that will get kind of stinky after a while as the flowers die and her body decays. So, so far we've got a satin girl laying on a bed of roses... seems a little more like someone's honeymoon night, not there burial day. But ok. Then we are to sink her in a river at dawn. So we have to wake up before 5:30am, dig her up out of the bed of roses in her, now dirty, satan dress, tie some sort of weight around her ankles and sink her in a river whilest singing her a love song. Gosh. This might be the most complicated burial I've ever heard. I sure hope she makes a lot of money on this song so she can leave those friends and family of her some good money after they have to do all of that to bury her. Geez. Thoughts for the day.

ALSO... came out of the bathroom this morning only to find a lady using a Neti-Pot in the PUBLIC RESTROOM of our office. Don't know what one is? I'll be glad to help: