i sneezed, and i think a little calculus came out...
that's when you know you've been studying WAY too long.

so i am going to go see the play "how to kill a mockingbird" tonight for an NHS fieldtrip...
hmm, maybe i will learn how to kill that bird that keeps singing at 1:00 in the morning... let's hope that the little pest is a mockingbird, otherwise the play's information will be useless.

"today's another day, lets forget about yesterday,
tomorrow is another way, to distract us from now,
take my heart, take it all,
and i lay my life down at your feet,
and i want what you want for me.
today's another day, i guess tomorrow's yesterday is now,
we're only one breath away from it all coming down,
Whatever it takes, whatever you want,
Bring it on"

quotations mean that i did not write this myself... it's part of a song i'm listening to right now.

the word mesopotamia rocks my world...
and did you know that hippopotamus means "river horse." (potamia/potamus means river).

i am currently highly fascinated by the concept of time travel... are you curious, because i have it all figured out... i can prove that time travel will NEVER be achieved. prepare for a headache though if you want to hear the proof. maybe you already knew it was impossible, but i bet you don't know how to prove it.

have a good night...
be a green tree...
or hug one.

tell me... what kind of bird sings at 1:00 in the morning???
well you know what? if i owned a shotgun it would be a dead bird.
this bird has been bugging me the last few nights, and i am hoping that it's not here tonight.
so today... fun day...
"i'd like 20 happy meals please."
the cashier lady stared at my friend... "are you serious? you're not joking?"
she wasn't.
then a guy comes out from the back as he just saw the order come up... "seriously? 20? no joke?"
nope, no joke.
manager lady comes out... "you bein' serious?"
mmhmm... oh, and could you add ten more?
hilarious stuff... one of my little buddies turned 3 years old today, and there was a birthday party for him at the lakewood mall, and we all got happy meals!
so i went with my friend to go order them and help carry stuff, and it was just one of the funniest things. we started carrying the drinks across the food court to where the tables were, and as the happy meals came out, we carried those too. in the first trip, i carried ten happy meals at once!!! oh, and a mess load of straws in my sweatshirt pocket!
i have to say, that's one thing i can check off on my list of life-to-dos... carry 10 happy meals at once... i'm serious, when are you ever going to get to do that again?
what a fun party... good stuff!
i wish my birthday parties were that fun! :)

tuesday came and went... VERY SLOWLY.... VEEEERRRRYYY SLOOOWWLLY.
oh dear

wow-wii

so i played nintendo wii for the first time ever today... i played the tennis game!
before i go on, i have to explain that it was at a friend from house church's place, and their "tv" is actually a projector, and they made it so that the screen took up the entire wall (which makes it like you are in the game... huge).
have you guys ever played wii tennis before??? it is HILARIOUSLY fun... i couldn't stop cracking up. the character i picked was some bald old guy, but amazingy, when i swung for an overhead, he could jump 6 feet in the air and flip around (and miss occasionally). this game is so hilarious!
anyway, we kicked butt and no one could stop us or our mad tennis skills. it gets so intense, and i love how you actually swing and stuff!
who thinks of this stuff? it's crazy!

so that was my new experience for today.
oh, and i also had my first fondue experience... delicious.

and so the long week begins...

when will my reflection show, who i really am?

so that's a song from mulan, in case you didn't know.
"rule #1: cow does not talk..."
and so the cow adventure began!
"ready to suit up?"
ohhh yaaaa... born ready!
most hilarious thing ever... they put the head on, then the suit with the red t-shirt, then the paws and shoes.
have you ever seen your reflection when it wasn't you?
i turned around and looked at my reflection in the window and laughed out loud... it was crazy that that HUGE cow i saw in the window was me... that was me... it was hilarious.
anyway, my first shift (each is half hour) they put me in the back of a pick-up and dorve me down to the corner of south and gridley... only the busiest corner around there... and my new friend who was holding an arrow sign and i crossed the street... and so it began.
i had no trouble getting in to a groove, and i felt like i was born to do this. so many honks, so many little kids with their faces pressed on the car windows or sticking their hands out the window to wave, so many "hi cow!!!"s... oh, did i mention that there was a group of about 10 guys skateboarding on that corner... i had fun with them. it was so much fun!
so after that, me and my friend went back and switched where i was now holding the sign and she was in the suit... this time we were across the street from the resturaunt. i was stinkin cold, and actually was holding the wrong sign that said "now open" even though the resturaunt was not. some friends of mine showed up to see me in action, which would be my second shift.
second shift i got a different suit (did i mention there were 3 cows total?) one with a big sign on it that said "eat mor chiken." i do not prefer this suit because compared to the red t-shirt one, mobility is limited, especially with the legs. this time i was located right by the drive thru entrance in the parking lot trying to get people to turn in and get some free chiken.
this shift was SUPER fun... my friends that came took a pic with me, and i have to say, it was hard to not laugh out loud. then after that, it was pure dance! i started tapping in to my ultra cool dance moves that i've been practicing ( i'll get to those in a sec). this shift included a little girl who was so excited to see me...
"hi cow!!! hi cow!!!" she walked by with her mom and got some chiken... then on her way back to the car... "bye cow!!! i like you cow!!! bye cow!!!" after she was a little ways away, me and my friend began to laugh at the cuteness... then the girl turned around with a smile, and looked up at her mom and began to jump... "the cow said my name!!!! the cow said my name!!!"
i didn't say anything, but appaerantly she thinks so, and i think it made her day, so all is good.
after that, another sign shift, and then i got the honor of the final cow shift, back in the red tshirt cow!!! again in the parking lot.
i pulled out all the moves on this one, and i like to think that my dancing encouraged people to come get some chiken (my dancing, and, well, the sign that said "free" on it).
i had three more people come take pictures with me, more little kids saying "hi cow!", and a group of girls sing "old mcdonald" while i break danced.
so, what type of dancing skills did i use...
here's a brief list: line dancing, thriller, break dancing, disco, the running in place one, moonwalk, the chicken dance, interpretive, ballet, macarena, can-can... you think of it, i probaly did (or at least attempted it).
so at 9pm the chiken was gone, and my final shift was done. i clocked out and went home.
i have to say that that was one of the funnest things i have ever done... i cannot wait to do it again!!!
but i am tired... very tired!
so i must go now..
training tomorrow morning!

ciao ciao cow cow

secrets, shopping, and super cool fruit (oh and some rain)

i have a secret, but i'm not sure i want to tell...

as i promised, the pic that shopping can cause cancer (this was on the door to the mall):

super cool fruit:

and some rain... i actually ran to my car to get my camera to take a pic of the super cool fruit, but when i got in my car, i was distracted by the sound of rain on my car... it's actually really cool. so i sat there for 10 minutes in my car in my driveway (it was for the 10 minutes that the rain was coming down as more than just a drizzle). cool sound. if it's raining, i suggest you go get in your car right now. do it. dooo it. so right before i ran back to my house, i took a pic through my moon roof... sun roof... whatever.. i like moon roof better.

Happy Birthday to BLOG!

...happy birthday to blo-og... happy birhtday to you!

today (21st) my blog turns two years old. can you believe it? i've been doing this for two years now? i have to say that it is quite fun to go back in to the archives (which i know the "ch" makes a 'k' sound) and see some of the things i've written. like i said the other day... time goes by!

i figured since i don't have much to write about for today, i will just copy my very first post to show you all how it all began:

"Okay, you all have to agree that the first post is the most awkward one... You just sit there wondering what to post... You wonder if you should introduce yourself, if you should write a little preview to what your blog is going to be about, or just dive right in and forget that stuff. So then you type your post out, rewrite it a couple times (cause we all know that our first post leaves a big first impression on the reader), then re-read it a few times and add little comments here and there. Finally, you nervously click 'publish post.' 5 minutes later you sit there wondering, "What should I post next?" because posting turned out to be so fun. Then finally you wonder, "Will anyone even read it... does anyone even know this blog exists?" (Maybe some of you didn't go through that... But that is what I have experienced and come to laugh at.) I can all ready tell that having this blog will be an interesting experience... I have no idea what I will be using it for, so my posts will be very random at most times. Anyway, I better get this first post over with, so...ya, this is the end of the post... (I always find ending posts a little difficult)."

i LOVE looking at things written in the past... it is just hilarious... kind of like a mini time capsule.

know some people involved in childish squabbles?
Dis of the day:
"Middle school called, and they want their drama back."

time.. still goes by when your watch is held together by a band-aid

Tuesday hit me like a fish in the face. (for those who forget exactly what that is like: it hurts, and boy does it stink)
i was sleeping rather happily, enjoying the rem cycle, and then, at 5:30 am, my alarm went off.
now, this morning alarm was a bit different. when the alarm went off, it was as if there was some person screaming "welcome back to the real world!!!!!!!!!!!" amidst all my business and food-coma-fun of the nice long weekend, i managed to steer my mind completely clear of any thoughts of school and things on my to-do list. so, again, when my alarm went off, it wasn't just, "wake up and go to praise practice." it was, "wake up, go to praise practice, but don't forget to do this before you leave, oh and that, and after practice and once school starts, remember this, and do that, and this, and this, and this, and this, and make sure to do this and that!!!" i started to write some reminders on my hand, but then quickly ran out of space.
so i managed to forget my books in my car (which included homework due for the day). i also had three places to be at once during lunch, and somehow managed to get to all three.
it was just a stinkin long day, and it's unfortunately the forecast for my week.
however, i've finally managed to take a deep breath, and close my eyes for a few minutes.
i have this thing where i keep thinking ahead and stressing about my tomorrows, and i think i have come up with a fairly good analogy of what happens when we look too far ahead to fast.
have you guys ever been walking (or even running) while staring at something in the distance when BAM! you completely run in to a fire hyrdrant and totally eat it? (of course i am totally not speaking from a personal experience... i ran into a pole, not a fire hydrant) i think that is what stressing about tomorrow is like... kinda sorta... hmm, i think i need to work on that one.
anywho!!!
i best be off... things to do!

watch out for fire hydrants!

Sentence to Ponder:
--YESDTERDAY USED TO BE TOMORROW--
time goes by, dude

i blame it on the food coma

ok. so i must say that i am probably one of the worst cases of food coma.
food coma is when after you eat, you become so tired and out of it that you really can't function properly. talking is difficult, remembering is difficult, reacting is difficult... everything becomes hilarious, and everything startles you.
jenny and i went to lunch today, and within seconds of taking my last bite, i slipped into my food coma and was ready for a nap. when our waitress came to see if we were done, it took about three times as long to ask for a to-go box... "um, ya, can i have, uh, *points to the rice*, one of those, uh, *outlines a box in the air*, container things for my, uh *points to rice again* ...rice?"
jenny quickly pointed out that i was in a food coma, and then i couldn't stop laughing.
we left, and i suggested that we walked so i could try to walk off the food coma. so we went to some stores, and we were both really out of it.
on our way home, golden spoon sounded great, and when we got there, our food coma severity grew. there was a short line, so we sat down because we were to tired to stand... we waited and laughed at some stuff that i can't even remember. when we finally worked up the energy to go up and order, i was leaning my head on my hand (which was holding my keys and cell phone) in order to stay upright. as we were about to order, my phone rang while i was holding it on my ear and it scared the socks right off of me, causing me to jump and scream. of course, due to food coma, jenny and i thought this was hilarious and had to wait a few moments to catch our breath and order.
after we sat down with our golden spoon, we got to talking about the craziness of the day, when jenny realized that in midst of my coma, i forgot to grab the rice when we left the resturaunt. again, we found this absolutely hilarious and couldn't stop laughing. then, as jenny finished up her golden spoon, she managed to accidentally fling her cup of golden spoon (with some yogurt left) at me, causing me to flip out yet again. and of course, much laughter followed.
as we exited and walked across the street to our car, a car drove by in front of us and the driver waved... after about a 10 second delay, we both yelled, "oh!! it's mrs zoeteway!!!" and we started yelling and laughing. we talked with her a bit after she parked and explained our comatosis.

so this post may be really weird, but like i said in the title, i blame it on the food coma.
i bet this post doesn't even make sense.

but what you can get out of it is that if you are one to get food coma after meals, life can be really fun :)

oy ve...

what a weekend

suspicious sand-digger

today was an inservice day, so no school for me!
i decided to go down to manhattan beach today, and for the most part it was rather uneventful. after i realized that i would be coming back to mb tomorrow, i decided to post-pone my run til then.
so i picked up a yummy sandwhich and walked down to my spot in the middle of the sand (i have this thing about where i walk/sit in the sand... i don't know why, but i always have to find a spot of undisturbed sand, or walk where there aren't footsteps... i dunno, something about being the first to leave a mark in the sand is really cool...) anyway, my spot is pretty much in the middle of nowhere as far as a beach goes. not near the pier, not in the wet sand, but not near the bike path. it's really cool though, because of where i sit, sound is muted because there's a little hill right before the ocean and it bounces the sound up over your head if you sit where i do. you see the waves crash, but all you hear is muffled sound... pretty neat. wow, that was a tangent.
anyway, i ate my sandwhich, and then i had the sudden urge to dig (after i took a 10 minute nap in the sun). so i started to dig... and dig... and dig. then, i wanted to bury, so i stuck my legs in the hole (up to my knees) and then burried... and then piled on more sand from another hole i dug. i was like a little child playing in the sand, and a few people walked by wondering what in the world i was doing... especially as i was making sound effects while smashing small piles of sand i built (sadly, this is very true).
after a bit of sand fun, i decided to take off and head to the mall. i will post the picture tomorrow, but you'd be surprised to know that shopping can cause cancer... trust me on this one. i'll show you the proof later.
so at the mall, i walked out of one of the stores and noticed a mall security guard standing there, and as i walked past him (at a leisurly non-suspicious pace) i noticed he started to walk about 7 feet behind me. as i continued to walk down one side of the mall and looked at the stores as i passed them, i noticed in my peripheral (sp?) vision that he was still walking behind me... 6 stores down, still there. as i reached the end of the mall, i made a u-turn and checked out the other side of the mall... as did the security guard!!! when i was nearing the other end, and he was still following me, i wanted to make sure that he was following me, so i cut across the middle and went in to the hallmark store... he cut across as well and stood outside the store!!!!!! can you believe it?!?!
i will say this... i do walk around with my hands in my pockets, and i often wonder if that makes me look suspicious... but come on, what could i seriously shoplift into my pant pocket?!?!
i almost felt like walking up to the guy and saying, "just search me already, punk!" but i refrained... i don't think i am one to be confrontational... at least with authority... but then again, would you call a mall cop authority? haha, wow, totally not serious on that one.
anyway, he left after i stayed in the store for a while... but i was getting bored, i mean how many valentines cards can you look at before you've seen em all?

okay, so as i look back on the day, i guess it wasn't that bad... but manhattan beach wasn't that exciting today as it usually is...
maybe it'll be more exciting when i attempt a 2 hour run tomorrow after waking up early for a used gear sale.

hmmm, we'll see.

isn't God awesome?

i happen to think so

:)

ok...
Calvin just got cooler!!! you may be wondering, is that possible? well, indeed it is...

Clavin has a frisbee golf tournament!

so what's so cool about that???

it's inside the library!!!!!!!!!!
i just read a little article on it... it's going to be their 3rd annual library frisbee golf tournament.
by the way, calvin's library is the second largest private college library in michigan, and it is 5 stories high! so the course takes place on the top four floors of the library at night.

i can't wait.

$2 run

got to manhattan beach, found a parking spot, put in $2 for 2 hours, and then ran away.
really, i ran away. first, i ran to the left of the pier to (what i never knew until today) was the hermosa beach pier, ran back to the manhattan beach pier, then ran past that to the other jetty. that was about an hour and 15 minutes of running. i planned on walking back on the beach from the jetty back to my parking spot, but after 15 minutes of walking (and finding my first ever sand dollar :) i realized that there was no way that i was going to make it back in a half hour from where i was. so, with shoes in hand, i ran for a little over 20 minutes on the deep soft sand back to my car, where i made it back with 5 minutes to go on the meter. i figured a total of around 7 miles today, most i've ever done... but seeing how i will be attempting 13.1 miles on march 31, i should starting going some distances.
anyway, i put in some more money in the meter and then went off to have lunch... as i walked down the sidewalk i hear, "cristina!" from across the street. first thought, "who in the world would be here??? nobody is supposed to be in manhattan beach!" haha, anyway, i look, and it's my photography teacher and her husband eating at where i was headed for lunch (a most awesome sandwich place you should all try). i laughed and crossed the street to say a quick hi and see what they were doing in manhattan beach. turns out that they come out there to have lunch sometimes and take pictures of the volleyball and what-not. hilarious. that was a fun little surprise.
so i am at home now, and my knees are killing me... really, they are, they should be charged with homicide in the first degree... what a run.
oh, jenny and i went to a little japanese resturaunt in bellflower tonight... it was delicious... i think we'll be going back sometime soon.
and it rained without me even knowing about it!!! how does that work?
another big first for me... now you probably won't believe this but it's true. tonight was the first time i have EVER done homework on a saturday! EVER. pretty crazy, huh? i usually wait until sunday after church, but i decided to mix it up a bit and do it tonight. see, i can be studious :)

bye-bye pizza pie

new weight loss method for cookie eaters...

you'll never reach in the cookie jar again...

hmm, what's this, a cookie jar?

.....gotta find the biggest one...

!!!!!!!!!!

AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

....never again, never again!!!

TWO HOURS LATER:

so i just got back from hanging with my bf tonight. it was a ton of fun. oh, and do i need to clarify? i say "bf" as in baby friend... psh, i know what y'all were thinking, "ooo stina, who's the boy?!" haha, please!
his name is Micah, and he's a bit over a year old. lets just say the night was filled with books, elmo, spaghetti-Os (immediately followed by a bath :) and running around in circles. thankfully, the night did not consist of any crying! micah is a total chill baby.
speaking of babies, i can now chalk it up to 5 friends from house church/bible study that are pregnant... five! holy guacamole! haha
interesting post, this is, i must say.

i shall end my words here for tonight :)

oh! actually i lied... it doesn't end there...
i forgot to tell a story from last night when i went out to dinner at 2nd street (open sesame). when my parents went to go park the car while i put our name in and waited. i was standing next to the big rocky mountain chocolate factory bear, and as i glanced down the sidewalk, there was this guy, maybe 35 years old, could be 40, but anyway, wearing tighter jeans, cownoy boots, and had one of those mustaches that go down the chin like a go-tee, but it's just a mustache. anywho, he was walking (and smoking, may i add) and i saw that he was going to walk right past me.
before i go further, i need to explain a little something about me... when i pass people anywhere in public (grocery store, school, sidewalk, anywhere) i don't like to act as if they don't exist, so i usually make eye contact and smile... but, it's not a creepy zoloft smile bearing all teeth for the world to see. it's one of those small smiles... you know, tight-lipped discrete smile with a slight downward-nod so that it's not weird for either person... it's just a polite way to motion "hi there".
okay, so when i saw this guy 35+ guy coming towards my direction, i made the decision to avoid eye contact so i wouldn't have to smile. i looked down, but as i heard the boots approaching, i just looked up for a slight moment, and when i did, eye contact... shoot! automatically i did my polite smile, but this guy... this guy did not give me the small tight-lipped smile... oohhh no. he delivered a toothy grin with an upward-nod, topped off with the grossest looking wink i've ever recieved!! GROSS!!!! he winked at me!!! my polite smile diminished as he and his loud boots and trail of cigarette smoke went past me. it turned in to an open-mouthed appalled look as i muttered to myself, "gross, gross, gross." keep in mind my parents were still parking the car. i turned to the rock mountain chocolate factory bear: "did you see that?!?!" the bear just stared at me. i would have much rather recieved the look the bear gave me from smoking cowboy than that gross look that screams "hey there little lady" all over it!
so ends my story of a gross man winking at me.

gross

PART 3: the last part... some thoughts and a psalm

so i kind of lost my momentum with the whole joshua tree story telling thing, but i will try to finish strong with a few things.
saturday was fun, and i had a lot of time between teams coming to my MIGZ station, so i scouted out this little rock that was perfect for sitting on. i broke out my journal and just wrote all day long... about 4-5 pages worth! did i mention that i like writing stuff?
anyway, it was awesome time just enjoying jtree, thinking on stuff, writing, praying, and then when teams came, having a blast watching people struggle to put a tent together while blindfolded. fun stuff.
so before i finish off this story, i want to insert a psalm that i wrote for my Land Culture Book class i am taking. we were given this assignment before the weekend, and while i sat on a rock at jtree, i figured it was a perfect time to write a psalm... so here it is.
Surrounded by silence, warm blue skies above,
I ponder on Your creation around me, and the life ahead of me.
How great is the hand that formed this place, the One that thought this place!
You know each crevice and crack each rock holds,
the number of needles each cactus is armed with.
Yet, how awesome is it that You created and know little-me just as well! You know all that is to come!
Here on this rock, I close my eyes and feel embraced in Your love, in Your peace, safer than ever before.
That I sit here today (with a lot behind me and more to come) is a blessing--a blessing of life.
Above all the questions that flow through my mind,
it comes down to one:
'Where to next, my Lord, my Rock?'

Does this kind of give you an idea of why these trips mean so much to me? they provide for so much growing!
here's another thing... i never feel more in my element than when i am on these trips... when i'm teaching systems, leading a hike, heading a station, or anything with some sort of leadership while out in nature and what-not, i feel most comfortable. i think you could compare my comfort level to that of sleeping on a tempur-pedic memory foam bed. i can't quite explain it, but i think saying "in my element" is just about as close as you can get.
so of course, when the MIGZ were over, and the time to get on the bus to go home came, i couldn't help but think of the past three years of wilderness challenge, and specifically joshua tree trips. then i thought about how this trip was the perfect and best trip to end on... and then that word entered my mind.. end... shoot, another good-bye to say. so within about 30 seconds of boarding the bus, despite my attempt to not, i said good bye (or more like a "see ya later") to joshua and let a few tears slip by.
it's kind of nice that i don't have to say all my good-byes at once... this is probably my 3rd or 4th big one of the school year, and i'm glad i don't have to save these ones for the end... otherwise it would get too overwhelming.
but i've noticed that "see ya later" is much better and more appropriate...
it's a bit easier on the tear ducts :)
haha, and even now they leak just talking about it :)

have a most blessed wednesday, my friends :)

PART 2: the wordy stuff :) it's long

okay, y'all knew it would come sometime! it's time for the wordy stories from j-tree!
i'll try to keep it interesting :)
so we left thursday night and headed off to joshua tree. we arrived later that night in somewhat chilly weather, but it was beautiful... the moon was full this weekend so we could see without even having to use a flashlight.
friday was filled to the brim with hiking and walking for me, but in a totally fun and awesome way. mr. becksvoort and i were in charge of taking each group (three total) on a hike in rattle snake canyon. it's about a mile to the canyon, and then probably half a mile in to the canyon (with a decent elevation gain). the first hike out was an interesting one. i was leading the hike, and once we got to the canyon and on the trail, we came to a spot with some boulders in our way. second guessing myself, i thought that this was the wrong trail and we radioed for some info on where the real trail was. we found what we thought would be the trail and improvised. after a short hike up this "trail," we stopped and mr. bex gave a quick talk about us living our lives in a way that we prove the Living Water in us like a tree proves that there is water nearby... really cool analogy.
the second group was my favorite. you know why? with this group, once we got to the canyon, we decided to go back to the first trail i went to and thought we should just keep going over the boulders... and you know what??? it was the right trail! this hike was amazing, and when we finally found the spot we were trying to get to, everybody was really excited... it made me excited just to see others be so happy. we hung out in the caves for a while and checked out the springs coming from the rocks and then headed back down. mr. bex and i were just so stoked that we found the place!
the third group was pretty much the same (except for a little less energy since they were the last group, and they weren't quite as thrilled as the second group). so we figured that we did at least 5 miles of walking that day! i was SO stinkin sore, but it felt so good because it was soreness from hiking around and rock scrambling, stuff i love to do. plus the day held some pretty awesome weather for hiking.
it did get a bit chilly at night, but i had plenty of layers to keep me warm and i brought along my little fleece blanket with polar bears on it :) i love fleece. plus i had a tent buddy this time :)
so the next morning i woke up before the sunrise to help set up at the amphitheatre for one of our MIGZ stations (MIGZ standing for "multi-intelligence games-zzz... it's the big race that the students compete in). i was really excited to set-up because i didn't teach systems on this trip (which i usually do because i love systems... i know, weird) because i wanted to lead the hikes, so this allowed me to get to set up a system. there's nothing like setting up a system on top of a rock while the sun rises and the moon sets.
------------------
anyway, since this is getting long, i will tell the rest of the story another time... i need to get to the gym before it gets too late!

hooroo

PART 1: the illustrated version of JTree, with a few words

here are my few words for now to hold you off until i start typing out a bunch of stories in the days to come.

i wish that everyone i know could experience something like a wilderness challennge trip... in fact, i think this trip would be a great example... having mr.becksvoort as our speaker put it over the top.

lemme just say this: i would pay to have you experience a wilderness challenge trip, every aspect of it... and of course, i would pay a little extra to leave out the way i smell right now, because no one should experience this... i smell bad.

anyway, i will put up pics with a few words if needed... click for big!

this is up in rattle snake canyon where there is pretty much nothing but

rocks and sand... however, there is a huge green tree growing right out of the rock... must be water somewhere!

does anyone else think, "UH OH" when they see this picture? -->

these are pics of the moon rising... it was a full moon that night, and it was crazy bright... no need for a flash light... i was messing around with camera settings for these pictures.

this morning i woke up before the sunrise to go set up a system, so i had the blessing of seeing the sun rise (top) and the moon set (bottom)...

this is my chipmunk friend who hung out with me today while waiting for teams to come to my migz station. i put my apple core down to see if he wanted it, and well, he literally jumped onto and clothes-lined the apple core (which was actually slightly bigger than his own size). he then wrapped his front arms around it and bounced off.

stories to come :)

there was no need to shampoo this morning...

so my shampoo is the kind that "adds bounce" to your curls... whether it works or not, i've never really known.
however, today at our school's pep assembly, i found that sack races add a lot of bounce to your hair. i will further explain.
they called a guy and girl down from each class to compete in the sack race, and of course, my name was called for the senior class. have you guys ever done a sacke race down the length of a basketball court before??? it is really really exhausting!!!! not only was it weird bouncing down a court in a potato sack, but i just knew that my hair was bouncing all over the place... probably looked really funny.
anyway, me and my partner won the first race, and then in the final, which they made us do right away (and i was still trying to catch my breath) we lost. i almost slipped in the second race, but luckily i caught myself. however, didn't quite catch myself when i tagged my partner because i fell on my knee (which is nastily bruised and hurts when i walk). however, i must say it was one of the funnest things i've ever done in our school's pep assembly (it ranks above eating a plate full of fruit as fast as i can (which was freshman year) and it ranks below monster badminton (which was last year)).
ah, fun memories of hopping in a sack :)

sore hands and $5

so i lost $5 in a bet that it wouldn't rain while we were at school because i so firmly believed that it doesn't rain during the day anymore.
and my hands are sore from squeezing a lot of tennis balls :)

anyway, here's the exciting news that you all have been eagerly waiting for:
mark your calendars, my friends, because on friday february 23rd, between the hours of 3:30 and 7 pm, i will be dancing around in a cow suit at the new chick-fil-a :) please do come and visit :)

that's all for now... if you haven't read the post below, i encourage that you do :)

"bud momby, i'm dot sick!"

what i think the little girl was trying to say was, "but mommy, i'm not sick," however only a nasal-ly jumble of words found their way out of this little girl's mouth.
i was at a store a few days ago (we'll just call this store "darget") when i witnessed this little event occur in the aisle with all the cheezits. i didn't know exactly what this girl wanted, but her mom had clearly said "no" due to the fact that her daughter was obviously sick (which the daughter did not believe to be valid).
"blease momby?" i kind of chuckled to myself and thought, 'dude, you are so obviously sick, give it up, your mom knows what she's talking about.' the girl put on a pouty face (as snot started to run, further supporting her mother's case), but then surprisingly, moments later she was happily wiping her nose on her sleeve and seemingly over it.
i moved along and took a stroll through "darget," and as usual, the thoughts began to flow.
i bet you God deals with this all the time. so often we ask God for things that we clearly shouldn't have or something that we think we should have. maybe we don't necesarily ask with a nasal-ly voice like the little girl, but we ask as if we really know what's best for us. what we don't realize sometimes is that God hears our "nasal" voice and sees our situation in a completely different way... in a way that He knows exactly what's best for us. you could say that God sees the panoramic view in comparison to the small particle of life we see under the narrow view of a microscope (sorry for going science on ya). i bet God chuckles sometimes when we believe that we can convince God that our way is better or that we know what's right.

"He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught. The Sovereign LORD has opened my ears, and I have not been rebellious; I have not drawn back." -Isaiah 50:4-5

i think this is something we have to learn and practice. listening isn't always my strength, and often i think that i hold the solution in my mind. however, God always has the solution, and sometimes it might agree with me, and sometimes it won't. either way, it is my job to listen, be obedient, and not be rebelious.
so you guys, if you find yourself fighting God's words and instructions, give it up. in fact, wipe your nose on your sleeve and grab hold of God's hand. i think it is safe to say that God knows what He's talking about.

:)

+45 -6

so my calculus teacher just posted our exam grades and our class grades online.
i'm not going to lie, but the numbers i saw were fairly ugly... actually, VERY ugly. consequently, my GPA wasn't so pretty either. can you tell that i'm slightly obsessive with grades?
anyway, i think i have finally come up with a new mentality with all this... and surprise surprise, i have found a way to weave tennis in to my solution.
no, i am not going to practice calculating derivatives and acceleration by calculating the slope of each forehand i hit at any given point in time... that would make me a freak :) i've taken more of an analogy approach.
i see myself in calculus as being down 1-5 in a set, and love-40 on my serve in relation to how far behind i am in understanding and knowing how to complete problems (correctly). before this year, being down 1-5 meant the set was over. however, due to one of my most memorable matches from this past tennis season where i indeed was down 1-5, i have learned from experience that the match is not over at that point. long story short (cause i think i've posted this story before) i took it to a tie breaker (and faced multiple set points while getting to that point) and eventually took the set.
so, now back to calculus. i'm down 1-5, but you know what? i am going to make the most killer comeback ever! so, if y'all here me complaining about how hard calculus is, remind me of the score, and remind me that i made the decision to comeback (because belive me, i'm not going to want to remember that i made this decision :)
by the way, those numbers in the title?
the first is the percentage of correct points on my exam, and the second is the percentage my grade dropped.
there's a first for everything :/

i have a calculus essay to write, so i best be on my way.

ciao

girl power!

well, the men's australian open final was early this morning, and federer finished with the usual results... straight sets. he is actually the first guy in a long time to go through an entire major tournament (one of the slams) without dropping a single set. this guy is not human.
anyway, here's another cool first that happened in this final...
today was the first time ever that a woman was the chair umpire for a men's final in any grand slam!!!! i don't know why it took so long to get a girl in the chair for a men's final, but hey, it's kind of cool to have witnessed the first. they made a pretty big deal about it in the ceremony and congratulated her on being the first. pretty neat.
so now the australian open is over, as are my days of watching tennis everyday... i believe the french open is next, and that is my favorite tournament to watch, so i can't wait.
ta-ta for now!

:)

Welcome to Chick-fil-a, how may I serve you?

Here's me in my new chick-fil-a uniform, ready to serve you, the customer, in any way i can :)

My uniform comes with shoes, pants, shirt, belt, and yes, my very own name tag (not the cheap kind where they just use a label maker and stick it on, it's metal and my name is actually on the tag, not a label.).

the clothes are all the brand "team chick-fil-a style." look at the tags that came on my clothes:

fun stuff!!!

thank you, have a nice day!

(i'm practicing :)

bee fris

best way to celebrate the end of the first semester???
go to manhattan beach, have lunch, stop by the vintage store, head to the sand, throw a frisbee around, run in circles, get really tired, go down to the water, find a stray boogie board, chase the tide, run in circles, get really tired, get desert, go home...
did i mention get really tired? :)
so if you haven't guessed by now, that's what we did today.
unfortunately, i forgot my camera, so i don't have pictures right now, but others had their camera and the pictures will be along shortly... i must say they were rather funny pictures.

so after i got home from a rocking birthday party (another little pal of mine just turned one!) i went on the australian open website to check and see when the serena vs sharapova final was going to be on...
"serena triumphs 6-1 6-2 over sharapova"
oops
i guess the match wasn't as late as i thought it was. i'm not too bummed, as many of you know my feelings toward this final.

want a rather nice chuckle? this article is genius, and unfortunately, what it mocks is true. enjoy this article about the sad but true rumor that schools ar banning dodgeball.

Not to alarm you, but America is going softer than left-out butter. Exhibit 9,137: Schools have started banning dodgeball.
I kid you not. Dodgeball has been outlawed by some school districts in New York, Texas, Utah and Virginia. Many more are thinking about it, like Cecil County, Md., where the school board wants to ban any game with "human targets." Personally, I wish all these people would go suck their Birkenstocks.
Human targets? What's tag? What's a snowball fight? What's a close play at second? Neil Williams, a physical education professor at Eastern Connecticut State, says dodgeball has to go because it "encourages the best to pick on the weak." Noooo! You mean there's weak in the world? There's strong? Of course there is, and dodgeball is one of the first opportunities in life to figure out which one you are and how you're going to deal with it.
We had a bully, Big Joe, in our seventh grade. Must have weighed 225 pounds, used to take your underwear while you were in the shower and parade around the locker room twirling it on his finger. We also had a kid named Melvin, who was so thin we could've faxed him from class to class. I'll never forget the dodgeball game in which Big Joe had a ball in each hand and one sandwiched between his knees, firing at our side like a human tennis-ball machine, when, all of a sudden, he got plunked right in his 7-Eleven-sized butt. Joe whirled around to see who'd done it and saw that it was none other than Melvin, all 83 pounds of him, most of it smile.
Some of these New Age whiners say dodgeball is inappropriate in these times of horrifying school shootings. Are you kidding? Dodgeball is one of the few times in life when you get to let out your aggressions, no questions asked. We don't need less dodgeball in schools, we need more!
I know what all these NPR-listening, Starbucks-guzzling parents want. They want their Ambers and their Alexanders to grow up in a cozy womb of noncompetition, where everybody shares tofu and Little Red Riding Hood and the big, bad wolf set up a commune. Then their kids will stumble out into the bright light of the real world and find out that, yes, there's weak and there's strong and teams and sides and winning and losing. You'll recognize those kids. They'll be the ones filling up chalupas. Very noncompetitive.
But Williams and his fellow wusses aren't stopping at dodgeball. In their Physical Education Hall of Shame they've also included duck-duck-goose and musical chairs. Seriously. So, if we give them dodgeball, you can look for these games to be banned next:
Tag. Referring to any child as it is demeaning and hurtful. Instead of the child hollering, "You're it!" we recommend, "You're special!"
Red Rover. Inappropriate labeling of children as animals. Also, the use of the word red evokes Communist undertones.
Sardines. Unfairly leaves one child alone at the end as the loser -- a term psychologists have deemed unacceptable.
Hide-and-seek. No child need hide or be sought. The modern child runs free in search of himself.
Baseball. Involves wrong-headed notions of stealing, errors and gruesome hit-and-run. Players should always be safe, never out.
Hopscotch. Sounds vaguely alcoholic, not to mention demeaning to our friends of Scottish ancestry.
Marbles. Winning others' marbles is overly capitalistic.
Marco Polo. Mocks the blind.
Capture the flag. Mimics war.
Kick the can. Unfair to the can.
If we let these PC twinkies have their way, we'll be left with:
Duck-duck-duck. Teacher spends the entire hour patting each child softly on the head.
Upsy down. The entire class takes turns fluffing the gym teacher's pillow before her nap.
Swedish baseball. Players are allowed free passage to first, second or third, where they receive a relaxing two-minute massage from opposing players.
Smear the mirror. Students take turns using whipped cream to smear parts of their reflection they don't like, e.g., the fat they have accrued from never doing a damn thing in gym class.

not a good day for those seeking success

I studied I studied I studied.

she passed out the exam, I tried, and I cried.

I failed I failed I failed.

Andy roddick hit and hit and hit.

Roger federer hit and hit and hit (way) better.

Andy Roddick failed failed failed (very fast).

I'm sure he cried too.

death by calculus

if you are reading this between the hours of 8am and 10pm, i ask that you pray for me as i will be fighting my way through my ap calculus exam.
if you are reading this after 10am, i would ask that you pray for me as i will be dead, having suffered death by calculus.

farewell my friends

no thank you, i'm walking on purpose

i woke up and saw that it was a be-a-utiful day outside... just gorgeous. so, i decided that i would walk to school when i had to take my exam today. i had to take my environmental science exam at 1pm today, so i figured i could also be environmentally cool and walk instead of drive. i also used the time it took to walk to last minute cram.
besides one car that drove by and screamed out the window at me, making my heart stop, the walk was rather peaceful and enjoyable. oh, and i found out that some people are pretty cool. when i turned to go on to dumont on the middle school side, a friend drove by and offered me a ride... i kindly said no thank you and said that i actually wanted to walk. "why?" i replied that it was a beautiful day for a walk, and said i would see her in a bit. about two minutes later, i was at about the middle school, and a car filled with girls stopped, and one, i believe it was lisa o, stuck her head out the window: "cristina, do you want a ride??" with a chuckle, i said no thank you and explained that i was walking on purpose... and when asked why, i again explained the prime weather for a walk. "ok... i love your hair!" i laughed and thanked her, and before they even took off, another car, a blue mustang, stopped, and i knew who drove this car. next thing i know, christian cardena was sticking his head out the window and yelling "cristina, do you want a ride??!!" at this point, i was 50 yards from the high school, and as i laughed, "no thank you, i'm walking on purpose." he asked if i was sure, and i assured him that i was fine, but thanks for the offer.
so i arrived 5 minutes before the test, and i was just laughing and thinking how cool these people were... haha, they totally just offered me rides! i also laughed at how unusual wanting to walk was for them... they knew i have a license, so why was i walking...
hilarious stuff :)
cool people, fun times.

i will end the story of my day there... the rest wasn't as fun as my walk.

gator _^^^^ '<

forgot to put this pic up

"um, excuse me, would you mind not doing that?"

i pulled out my earphones, "huh?"

"could you stop snapping please?"

I was running on the treadmill and had been snapping along to my song, and the guy next to me, who happened to be one of the few without those white wires dangling (go to gym post for explanation), so he could hear my snapping loud and clear.

i smiled and quickly stopped, and then i thought, well, you know you're having a good day when you find yourself snapping while you're running on the treadmill. and you know what? it has been a rather pleasant day.

"how do you know you've had a good day?"

that was actually one of the questions that was asked during my first interview, and it was a fun one to think about. my original answer went a little like this: i know i've had a good day when i am about to go to sleep, and when i reflect on the happenings of the day, i smile. a good day, for me, is one where i got stuff done and i know it wasn't wasted. i know it's been a good day if 1) i'm tired from a full day of fun stuff or 2) i am rested from a day of catching up

today, for example, was a mix of both... although i did a bunch of stuff, a lot of it allowed me to catch up mentally. for those of you with a short attention span, hang in there because there will be some pictures soon, i promise... and then more words after that :)

after my two exams today (piece o choco cake), i went out to lunch and golden spoon with some pals of mine. good stuff, fun times. I got home, and the weather was just beautiful, and i wanted to do something outside. both of my rackets are being strung, so i couldn't go play tennis. well, i had gotten a letter from calvin the other day saying, again welcome to calvin, but this time, they enclosed a "calvin college" decal for my car. i read the instructions:

"clean area before applying." i went outside and looked at my car, and i quickly came to the conclusion that i was going to need to clean more than just the decal area. so i pulled out the hose, grabbed a bucket and decided to wash my car!

washing my car is something i LOVE to do... here's why...

for me, taking an hour or two to hang out and wash my car is kind of theraputic... hear me out... i put on my headphones (lately it's been Brandon Heath on my playlist, who i HIGHLY recommend... go get his album, you'll love it, good acoustic :) anyway, i put on my headphones, and as i'm scrubbing the car down and cleaning it up, i get time to sort through some thoughts, think on life, on God, on anything i want. so i may sing out loud a little, and the neighbors may not appreciate that, but it's fun. i busted out the camera and took some sweet pictures, and i just had a fantastic time washing my car... totally put me in a good mood... and i will get to what i thought about today in a sec, but i promised some pics...



good pics?? i like the zenny soap... it's fun :) i recommend clicking on the tire one so you can see the cool water drops :)

okay, so i got on thinking on something, and that continued on as i finished up cleaning the inside of the car and took off for the gym to go for a run. same thing goes for when i run: head phones on, zone out, start thinking. then that's when i started to snap to the beat of Heath and then mr.anti-snap asked me to stop... okay, so you're caught up.

here's what i've been thinking about today, and this one is for my friends... it's a bit sappy, so bear with me :)

i have just been having a blast lately with all my friends... as i was washing my car, i started thinking about each of my friends, and i thought to myself, wow, i am so blessed to be surrounded by all these people. i have so much support, so much fun, and so many blessings coming from these people... (not that i don't get that from my family, don't worry fam, i didn't forget you guys... i'm just talking about my friends right now :)

so, after thinking about this stuff all day, i just wanted to tell you, my dear dear friends, how much y'all mean to me :) i think today was the first day i realized there is something that could be sad about going off to college... i won't have all of you with me all the time.

so, expect to hear it personally from me sometime this week, but for right now i'll just do a shout out: i love you guys! haha, i'm getting all mushy and sappy :) it's kind of fun

then after thinking all this, to put a big grin back on my face, i put on my very first decal on my car, and it is only fitting that it is indeed the calvin college decal :)

(insert clever title here)

i'm losing the creativity for my title posts... i'll try to think of some more soon.

anyway, i have just settled down with a nice cup o cocoa (which i now know is not part coffee) and was about to turn on 24, but then when the tv turned on, i saw the face of no, not keifer sutherland about to save the day, i saw ANDY roddick in a little bio thing for the match that is tonight. it's mardy fish vs andy roddick (both americans) and they are actually best friends... grew up together, went to high school together, room mates in high school at the tennis academy, ping pong pals... HUGE match!!
it takes presedence over 24... bauer can wait... andy needs my rooting :)

ok, so now to the big news... i bet yall are itching to know.
so i got dressed and left for the chick-fil-a interview, and when i arrived at the site (where there was lots of construction) and saw what they meant by "make-shift" office. it was one of those metal storage bins, except it had a door. so i walked in, and there was an interview in process, but the guy (adam) told me to go ahead and sit down. so i got to hear the rest of this gal's interview and hear all the questions he asked (which was good, because i had no idea what interviews were composed of). so i sat there, and when adam asked her a question, i sat there and silently answered the questions to myself... some interesting questions.
after she was done and she left, adam had me come over and sit in the chair to begin the interview. i couldn't find a comfortable professional way to sit, so i kept on shifting back and forth, and then the questions began.
now this adam guy, he's a character. i don't know if this is a typical interview, but is the interviewer supposed to talk a lot... about himself??? i mean, every answer i said was followed by a story from adam about how he could relate or did something like that... i have never known a guy to be able to change the topic to himself so much before... well, i know one, but anyway.
that interview lasted about 45 minutes, and i tossed in a few charming jokes, and was even brutally honest when asked of my favorite food. i told him the truth... apple sauce with cheerios (taste before you judge!). this was one of my answers i predetermined when i heard him ask the other girl. he laughed at me when he asked me about college plans... he got a kick out of how i could not stop grinning from ear to ear each time i opened my mouth to say calvin or double-major or michigan :) he was more surprised when at the end i had an interesting question for him... "uh, so could you tell me about the cow suit?" he was surprised to hear that i was really wanting to do it, and he even wrote it down on the interview paper that i was "cow willing,". i dunno, i don't see much more fun than getting in a cow suit and dancing around in public!!! get your cameras out :)
anyway, after this interview, he asked if i could stay for a second interview with the owner, and of course i had no where to be so i agreed. this was outside in another seating area, and the owner was interviewing another gal (different from the first) and as i sat and waited, i heard him tell the girl "well, thank you, we'll be giving you a call soon." i thought forward to that and thought, ick, i am not going to like this whole waiting for a call thing.
so i sat down with this guy (fernando i think) and this interview only lasted about 10 minutes. at the end, he put down his pen and said, "well, thank you very much, i'd lke to congratulate you and welcome you to chick-fil-a, you're hired." :O i wanted to scream out zip-a-dee-doo-da, but instead i smiled, said thank you, and shook his hand. he told me to go inside and fill out some paper work (where they also asked for my shoe size) and make it official.
so, I am an official team member of chick-fil-a!!!
yay!
thanks for hanging in with the long story

eat more chicken :)