This one isn’t about Charlie Sheen

Enchante:

I finally got around to going to Vanessa’s to get my new necklace and earrings.  I love them!!    Here’s a shot of me in the necklace and the earrings:

Duh! Winning! (sorry, I can't help myself!)

Don’t I look pretty?  (blush) 

Michaela does fine work.  These pieces really are built for quality.  AAANNNNNDDDDD  she’s super sweet on top of that.  The necklace and earrings came with not one, but TWO pieces of ghirardelli chocolate (yum!), and she threw in a few little postcards and notecards that are just adorable!  I don’t want to use them – I want to frame them!  Check out both their blogs!  Check out Enchante’s shop, too! 

Summer Snow:

Summer Snow is Bethany’s newest snow cone stand.  I will be working there on the weekends, so come by and see me!  I’ve been given permission to experiment with the flavors to come up with my very own “Jill Nelson is Your Daddy” snow cone.  I think, once perfected, this has the potential to bring in millions.  MILLIONS!  Here’s the snow cone stand:

Check out the Facebook page here.  While you’re at it, check out Jill Nelson is Your Daddy’s page as well. 

Giveaways:

Riddle me this, should I attempt giveaways????  Vanessa seems to have a fun time with them and it’s such a nice little treat.  Cast your vote!

Today in History:

1999 – The Matrix was released

The Matrix Cast

I bet you didn’t know that I starred in this film. 

PS – I am taking Jill Nelson is Your Daddy snow cone flavor ideas 🙂

On Eye doctors and Charlie Sheen

Eye Doctors:

I went to the eye doctor yesterday.  I felt like a hypochondriac with all the troubles I had to share with him. 

First – crazy allergy eyes!  Itchy and watery.  HATE IT.  Turns out, I did have some irritation and some swelling on the cornea of my right eye.  He said that could be allergies, but it also might not be.  He did give me some eye drops and they really did seem to help this morning. 

Second – my left eye twitches somethin’ awful!   It’s been driving me absolutely batty the last couple of weeks.   After my exam was all said and done, I learned the my left eye had actually improved.  The reason for the twitching was strain caused by looking through too strong a lens.  I didn’t know that was possible.  That was about the only good news to come from the appointment, though.

Finally: darkness surrounds me in the dark!  That makes a lot of sense, doesn’t it?  This is what really happens – Occasionally when I am going to sleep, if I open my eyes, I cannot see hardly a thing out of my right eye.  It’s like looking through really dark sunglasses.  I can see more light around the peripheral than in the center.  So, I tell the eye doc this and he said he’s never heard of it before.  He does a really thorough eye check and there’s nothing wrong.  My eye is perfectly healthy.  I guess there’s nothing that can be done about it unless it gets worse. 

The worst news of all: my eye dr. is not in my insurance network.  Wish I would have known that!!  Appointment alone: $117.  Contacts for one year: $180.  Knowing Charlie Sheen still thinks he’s winning even when he’s not: priceless.

Charlie Sheen:

I seriously cannot get enough of him right now. You know what they say: one person’s mental breakdown is another person’s sanity sustainer. 

This is Charlie Winning - for real

 But really, who is encouraging this megalomania behaviour (besides, like, you know, me and every other american just waiting for his next ridiculous interview)?  It’s even more entertaining than when Tom Cruise derailed the Scientology train a few years back.  At least we could kinda, sorta, if we really stretched our imaginations, blame Tom’s insanity on zeal for his beliefs.  But come on, Charlie.  The best you’ve got is some sort of goddess-worship (basically the beginnings of the Sheen cult) and a ridiculous claim at having tiger’s blood.  Let me tell you something about tigers, Charlie:

1. They are great swimmers
2. They can walk on their toes
3. They have retractable claws
4. They are not easy to catch
5. They are human hunters

….I guess this pretty much does describe you.

Maybe someday, I’ll post something of substance again, but for now this will have to do.  I’m enjoying being funny right now.

Today In History:

I’m starting this new section to my blog, just for miss Alicia Henson!

1974: John Denver has his first #1 hit with “Sunshine On My Shoulders.”  

He has sunshine and a frog on his shoulder

Congratulations, John. I wasn’t alive to tell you that in 1974.

I’M ON A BOAT!

Abelard:

Abelard is doing much better. When I got home from the library last night, he went berserk! He was not only back to normal, he buzzed right through normal and was making a second lap. EN-ER-GY! I’m glad he’s better. He may drive me nuts, but he definitely adds a little something special to my life.

The Thesis Chronicles:

In other news, my thesis is due in 35 days. I had a pretty significant breakthrough last night. Hopefully the momentum from that will carry me through the week. I’ve got to get through another 40 verses of exegesis by Sunday to stay on target. I know I can do it! It’s just a matter of discipline. There’s that word again!

 

TurboFire:

Finally, I don’t think I’ve told you about my get my life healthy plans. First, for a little over a year now, I’ve been making a conscious effort to be a vegetarian…well, pescatarian. I do alright.  I have had my occasional lapse.  More often, it is the occasional “people think I’m weird and therefore only offer beef items for the three days I visit them.”  Anyway, I’ve done pretty good all-in-all.  It’s not always easy – I crave Chick-fil-a almost hourly, but I resist. 

On top of that, I’m doing TurboFire.  I’ve been consistently working out for about 3 1/2 months now. They say after about 2 weeks, something becomes a habit.  Not true.  I still dread the exercise everyday.  Somehow I make it through.  I’m able to do an hour of cardio at this point (never thought that would be possible) and I’m down roughly 14 pounds.  It’s a whole lot easier to gain weight than lose it.  This is me stretching for my big workout:

Finally, I’ve been doing calorie counting since January. I think that has contributed exponentially to my weight loss.  I have to be much more selective on which snacks and meals I can have.  It’s been beneficial for me to think before I eat.  And I find that I’m enjoying healthier, whole foods more than I ever did before. 

I’ve got a few goals I’m working toward: 

1. To weigh roughly what I did when I first moved to OKC.  It’s possible.  I just know it.

2.  To fit back into my awesome jeans with the hole in the knee.   I’m really close!!

3. To feel more comfortable in my summer gear this year.  I’m planning on getting a white water pass (to cure the paleness) and go on a couple of float trips.  I don’t want to sink the raft!!  Currently, this is me on a boat:

I’M ON A BOAT!!!!!!!!!

I will continue to keep you up-to-date on my journeys – whether it be puppy parenting, thesis-ing, weight loss-ing, or anything else. 

Until next time…

My Poor, poor puppy

Abelard has had a traumatic weekend.  My cousin and her two girls watched him while I was at a church retreat.  This is what happened to him:

My little pink poodle

He looks so confused in this picture!!

Then, when we got home, he had a mild flare-up of his pancreatitis.  He only ate half his dinner and wouldn’t touch the water.  Eventually, he wouldn’t have anything to do with either.  Then he started getting the shakes.  Then he wasn’t interested in being all up in my bidness.  All of this is abnormal.  He is always wanting to eat and always wanting to be right on my lap.  So today, my good friend Lea Anne (who just happens to work in the office of Abelard’s vet) took him to work with her to get him checked before the vomiting started.

That was a good call.  In the past, if he gets REALLY sick, it usually runs me around $200, give or take.  This time, $20.  THANK YOU, JESUS!  I spent the morning scared I’d have to spend the money I have saved for my eye dr. appointment on keeping my dog alive.  I would have done it, but it would just make my budget that much harder to live with.  So, from now on, I’m going to pay super close attention to my dog’s behaviour.  If I can always catch his sickness early, it should save the budget.

He’ll be home around 8 tonight.  I think he deserves a hug.

On Viviana, funny nephews, and, duh! WINNING!

Viviana:

So, Vivi and I work together, work out together, go to church together, and sometimes just hang out.  We are together a whole heck of a lot.  I warned her this morning that I was going to blog about her and tell the TRUTH!

She’s hateful.  I mean really.  She tells me to hush when I call Chalene (on the work out video) names.  She reminds me that Abelard is insane.  She sasses me at work and threatens to punch me when I dare speak before spoken to.  She criticizes my driving (she calls me “bob-and-weave”).  It’s unbearable!!

Ok. That’s not ALL true.  I love Vivi.  She has helped keep me motivated to work out.  That motivation is hard to come by for me.  I’d rather sleep.  She invites me over for delicious mexican food.  We split carpooling to work to save on expenses.  She is patient with my inability to admit being wrong (not because I know I’m wrong and I’m too stubborn to admit it; but because I honestly think I’m right).

Fabulous!

She looks amazing in her little dress 🙂  TurboFire, baby. It works.

Funny Nephews:

My sister Tiff called me last night to tell me about the pure “genius” of my nephews.   My step-dad, Billy, took four of my nephews, along with three of their friends, camping the other night.  God bless Billy, because I would never take 7 boys (ages 13-15) camping. No way, no how.  Well, Brenden talked David into going into a cave he found with him.  Brenden then decided he was going to barricade David in.  So he starts piling up rocks and tree branches in a hurry.  I mean, the kid is focused!  But, being the oh so bright child that he is, he doesn’t realize that David isn’t in the cave – he’s right behind him, cheering him on.  Brenden got nice and worn out before he realized that David wasn’t in there.  Silly boy.

Brenden (left) and Trenton (right)

This next little story is one of my favorites.  A few months back, I told David and Nathan (twins) that a study was done that proved one twin is significantly dumber than the other.  David’s response was, “Nathan’s dumber.”  Nathan’s response, “they really proved that?”  Haha!  Oh, Nathan.  “They” didn’t prove anything, but you sure did!

Nathan (left) and David (right)

Oh, my nephews!  I sure do love them 🙂

Duh! WINNING!:

As I mentioned in a previous post, I never win anything. Ever.  Until today.

That’s right, I won something!  Michaela Dawn makes and sells beautiful jewelry.  I mean, I love her jewelry.  It’s ever so beautiful.  You can look on her Enchanté website for more items or her blog, but this is what I won:

The stunning Chloe necklace

Gorgeous planting seed earrings

She just added a fantastic “fly above it all” necklace that is stamped with her custom-made wings insignia.  I cannot wait until I can buy it!   Please, please, please, check out her store and her blog.  She’s a true crafts(wo)man.  It’s quality, it’s handmade, and it’s beautiful.  It really doesn’t get much better!

Now, how did I win it?  That’s a great question. By taking the time to post a comment. Check out my friend Vanessa’s blog: Wearing My Big Girl Pants.  She is chronicling her year of dressing like a woman, and, in an effort to help the rest of us poor souls who don’t know how to dress, she offers giveaways!  And to get entries, all you have to do is follow the blog (duh, how else you gonna know there’s a giveaway???) and share the good news of the giveaway with your friends.  The rules and guidelines are listed on every Giveaway post.

So, GO!  READ! COMMENT! SHARE! WIN!   If I can win, there’s a good chance you can, too!

PS – the photos of my winnings are property of Michaela and I used them with her permission.

Let me save you a dollar

For those of you who do not know, I now sell Mary Kay skin care and cosmetics.  I love the product, and not just because I sell it.  In fact, I sell it because I love it. 

Here are a few of my favorite items:

Microderm Abrasion:

Try it! Love it!
These results were experienced after just one week.**
85% saw improvement in skin texture.
73% saw a reduction in fine lines.
71% saw smaller-looking pores.

Ultimate Mascara:

This mascara makes me look like I have gorgeous, Marilyn Monroe eyelashes.  Fabulous!

Finally: The Brush Collection

believe me when I tell you, the right brushes make all the difference.  The entire set of real-hair brushes (powder brush, blush brush, 2 eyeshadow brushes, and eyeliner brush – all in an awesome roll-up makeup bag) is only $48.  Many companies sell just one brush for that much – and they’re synthetic!  Real hair brushes are porous.  This is a good thing! The pores hold onto the powder and then release it onto your face, making your product go further. 

 Anyway, here’s how I’m saving you a dollar:

I’m placing an order on April 4, 2011.  I’ve got some good discounts in place for you:

Orders up to $25 – 10% off

Orders $26-50 – 15% off

Orders $51 and up – 20% off

Host a party: 50% off any one color item of your choice! 

HURRY, HURRY!  Balance your checkbooks, give up Starbucks for a week! Do what you have to do to take advantage of this! 

Men, does your mom, girlfriend, wife, or sister have a birthday coming up?  Anniversary?   contact me!  Girls love make-up! you can’t go wrong!

on yummy breakfasts, the Thesis Chronicles, and the joys of puppy parenting

Yummy breakfasts:

 

This morning I went to my very first “professional breakfast.”  It was for the Edmond Chamber of commerce and it was delicious!  I’m pretty sure I can’t eat anything else today if I’m going to stay within my calories.  Eh, who am I kidding?  I’m still going to eat!

The guest speaker was one miss Jennifer James.  She spoke on social networking and blogging.  She is a public relations consultant and she talked about some of the ways that social networking has driven her business and made her name known.  She talked about how she is unafraid of posting her opinions on her blog  and the risk she runs of losing business because of it.  I appreciate that honesty.  I’d much rather read the blog of an honest, heart-felt person than a dried-up, tired old business agenda written by an overworked, underpaid, burned-out administrative assistant.   So, I suggest you follow miss James’ blog.  It’s www.jenX67.com and her twitter is @_jenniferjames.  She’s saavy, engaged, and honest….sounds a lot like me, actually 🙂

Thesis Chronicles:

T minus 38 days until it’s due.  I spent last night game-planning how I can realistically acheive this goal even when I can’t put in more than 30 minutes on some nights without losing too much sleep.  It’s going to require extra work on the weekends and some get-the-heck-off-facebook-no-one-thinks-you’re-that-interesting-anyway discipline.  Ah, discipline.  I’m learning a lot of it lately. 

So, keep me in your prayers.  I know how stress can tear up my body, so I’m trying hard to stay calm and focused and rested.  It will be worth all of it when my degree is complete and I have something to show for all my loans and suffering!

The joys of puppy parenting:

Oh, Abelard.  You are insane.  I haven’t talked much about him lately, so I shall get you up to speed.  Abelard is my insane rat terrier/shih tzu mix.  He’s black with a white soul patch and a white man patch on his chest.  He recently got a hair cut and his ears look HUGE right now.  I mean, yoda-style.  It doesn’t help that he keeps them sticking straight up most of the time.

I recently learned that he has pancreatitis (spelling????).  Basically, he’s on a special dog food diet (special = expensive) and can not have any people food.  It’s linked to high fat foods, so he’s on a low fat diet.  I never gave him people food to begin with, but at least now I don’t feel guilty when he begs.

We have a stand-off in my living room almost daily. It usually starts with him trying to get in the trash or nose through my purse or chew on something he’s not supposed to.  When I tell him to stop, he’ll growl (aka: talk back).  Then I really get onto him for sassing me.  At which point, the lines are drawn and who is top dog in the house is, again, up for debate.  It usually ends with me, spray bottle drawn and ready to shoot, threatening his life and him, butt in the air, staring me down like I’m the cat he hates at my mom’s.  One squirt with the spray bottle, and he’s finished!!  I’m top dog.  Usually.

Lately, he has been going through my purse to find new things to chew up.  He likes pens and pencils, thermometers, etc.  If it is shaped like a stick, he thinks he can drag it under my couch and demolish it.  Fortunately, he hasn’t busted open the actual ink portion of the pen. Trust me, if I end up with an ink stain on my carpet, Abelard is getting dropkicked.  PETA can just deal with it.

In all seriousness, I love my dog.  I would be terribly lonely in that medium-sized apartment all by myself.  He’s extra sweet in the mornings when he’s sleepy.

sweet puppy, sleepy Jill

The mornings definitely make the rest of his insanity bearable.  Maybe someday he’ll get trained.  And maybe someday I’ll wake up with my eyebrows on fire.  Neither one is very likely.

on budgeting, the luck of the irish, and the thesis from (but not about) hades

BUDGETING:

My budget is tight.  I mean, I have 26¢ to my name right now.   For about a month I was really perturbed with the big Guy Upstairs for not miraculously providing  me with some extra income.  I mean, seriously, if God was so “all-knowing” couldn’t he tell my car was about to cost me $600???  Well, the truth is, I have car trouble.  I should have been prepared for a car expense.  A big one happens about once a year and I never plan for it.  And my lack of planning somehow gets twisted into God’s lack of concern. 

And the truth is, I made some foolish decisions and wound up in debt.  And the truth is, I chose to go to expensive schools and sign the dotted line for those overwhelming loans.  I’m not sure God is responsible for much of this…

Anyway, the past week or so, I’ve come to some peace about it.  I finally talked to my small group pastors and owned up to all the debt, all the bad judgment, and all the anxiety my finances were causing.   We started a “get Jill out of debt” game plan, and my anxiety levels dropped about 92% immediately. 

I’ve learned a few things during this time that I’m truly grateful for:
1. discipline:  budgeting requires intense discipline.  I cannot buy anything I want.  I have to think about what groceries I will actually use and only buy those.  I have to be intentional about gift-giving.  I have to plan for purchases.  Budgeting requires my brain be engaged in the bill paying. 

2. the difference between needs and wants: buh-bye netflix.  buh-bye air conditioning whenever I get even slightly warm.  buh-bye supply of chocolate that is large enough to sustain me for several months if I ever had to move underground.  buh-bye new purse (a tear just rolled down my cheek).  buh-bye afternoon 7-11 big gulp run.  It’s hard letting go of some of my luxuries.  I’m re-prioritizing, and, the fact is, I’d much rather have groceries than have netflix.  I’d much rather have gas in my car than a new purse.  I’d much rather save the money to build my underground bunker than have chocolate with which to stock it!

3. I’m not doing this alone.  Part of why I was so angry is the injustice of being a well-educated woman who barely makes ends meet.  Adding insult to injury, I was making those ends meet all by myself.  I’m not married.  Don’t even have a boyfriend. I don’t have a roommate.  I pay 100% of all my expenses.  After talking with my pastors, I realized that they’re in this with me.  No, they aren’t going to pay half my rent.  No, they aren’t going to fill my gas tank.  BUT, they offered me a part-time job to help generate some extra income to pay off some debt.  Jessica even brought me some cereal and black beans to help my grocery budget (I’m not sure she knows how amazing of a blessing that was).  Most importantly, they listened and helped me strategize.  They helped calm me when my emotions regarding my budget were overwhelming. 

God wasn’t ignoring all my desperate pleading for help.  He wasn’t overlooking my sleepless nights.  He wasn’t disregarding how physically sick I had made myself by worrying.  He was leading me to new levels of relationship.  He was teaching me to trust Ryan and Jessica in ways that I’m not comfortable trusting.  He was teaching me to give despite having nothing to give.  He was teaching me to let someone else carry my burdens and to rest in that provision. 

I’m only starting to learn this.  And, no doubt, I will have to learn these lessons over and over again.  But I know God has started this work in me and that it will be completed 🙂

THE LUCK OF THE IRISH:

I never win anything.  I need to kiss the Blarney Stone or something…

THESIS FROM (BUT NOT ABOUT) HADES

My thesis is due 39 days from now.  HOLY CRAP!  How is it due already?  Why isn’t it done already?  Geez, loiuse.  I’ve got around 25 pages and only about 60 more to go.  I know I can do this.  I know I WILL do this.  I am going to have to be crazy obsessed with it for the next month.  So, unless I work with you, go to church with you, or work out with you, I’m going to be MIA until May 1.  Then I’m going to be a nervous wreck waiting for my marks to come back.   Hopefully by the end of the summer, I will hold my actual MA in Religion degree in my hand.  What a glorious day that will be. 

Then it’s on to a PhD????????????? 

peace

How do we respond to Japan?

If you are anything like me, the minute you heard about the devastating earthquake/tsunami/nuclear-crisis trifecta, you began plotting ways to get there – to help hands on – to make the difference. Then, if you are anything like me, you realize how terribly arrogant we Americans can become in situations like this.  “I” am going to help.  “I” am going to make the difference.  Well, I’m a Christian before I am an American.  The fact is, God is the only one who can make the difference – in Japan and in me. 

I’m not saying I shouldn’t go and do what I can.  There is definitely a solidarity this world desperately needs when people can put aside cultural, religious, and political differences and just help.   According to James, true and undefiled religion is helping the widow and the orphan.  Well, Christians, there are several thousand more widows and orphans needing us to reach out with the hands of Christ.   And they aren’t statistics – they are people.  People God created and loves.  People that Christ died for and loves. 

What I am saying is, before I pack my bags and aimlessly go, maybe I should pray.  Maybe I should trust that God really is in control even when disasters like this cause me to doubt.  Maybe God really does love Japan and knows how best to heal the wounds.  Maybe, just maybe, God knows what needs doing better than I do. 

I’m not going to pretend I know why these things happen.  Why God would “allow” this sort of devastation to occur.  I’m not sure I would understand even if I did know.  It is encouraging  that I’m not the first one questioning God.  And I’m not the first one being answered with silence.  As God reminded Job: “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?”  But Job never did get to learn why the bad things happened, but he did come to rejoice in God again. 

I am also not going to pretend I feel much more about this than I do watching a crime drama.  It’s unbelievable – and the 30 second reports I am getting here and there only reinforce my warped sense of reality – that this is just entertainment.  These things don’t really happen.  People in Japan aren’t really suffering.  I am seeking out every opportunity to talk about the tragedy.  To read everything I can. To watch everything I can.  I NEED this to be real to me.  I NEED my emotions to catch up with my brain.  I NEED to feel this.  I NEED God to teach me how to feel it rightly!

During this time that I, half a world away, struggle to even just believe the reports I am seeing, I must have faith.  And if it is in my story that I should go and help, I must have faith.  I must have faith that God is redeeming creation – ALL OF IT – even if it’s not happening my way.  I must have faith that God is mourning with the people of Japan – even if I want to blame him for not stopping the devastation.  I must have faith that Japan will be able to rejoice again, even though they are irreparably scarred.  I must have faith – faith that risks me looking the fool. 

And maybe now is also a good time to say a prayer for all those irreparably scarred by Oklahoma’s bombing or 9/11 or the New Zealand quake.  Or the countless other tragedies that remind us of our vulnerability and need for one another.

spray tan and Rosie Thomas

I discovered the song Farewell by Rosie Thomas and also spray tan this week. thank you, universe 🙂