uggg

all day. this has taken me almost 5 hours. and i still have no paper to show for it.

Procrastinating

cookie dough. for breakfast. this says how much i am procrastinating. i dont even like cookie dough that much. this is good, but still. i need to write me lit paper. :(

101 Dalmations

Funny story. So a few days ago Sarah borrowed 101 Dalmatians from us (on VHS, nonetheless). Just a little background, Hannah LOVED this movie. She seriously has always dreamed of owning her own dalmatian  one day and watched this movie non stop as a child. So she trusted Sarah to take good care of it, and return it in one piece. Sarah watched it, enjoyed it, and brought it back to us at church Sunday. Hannah put it in the pew rack in front of us and forgot all about it. She came home from church and panicked when she realized it was still in the pew rack. Like full on panic. We then had to remind her that 1. It was left at CHURCH. We hoped people of the church would not steal this beloved possession. 2. It was VHS. Do people other than us still own a VHS player?? 3. It was "well loved" (aka nasty). The case is cracked and has traces of what looks like chocolate. Not sure though. So right after school we rushed down to the church and hallelujah!:

IT WAS SAFE AND SOUND. It was a Christmas miracle. Lesson learned.

Day 50: A Happy Heart

Day 50. A Happy Heart.

Holy moly, I did it. I really did it. I have been a successful blogger for 50+ days. The whole point of this blog was to point out the happy things in my day because, as we all know, a thankful heart is a happy heart. This entire weekend has been one filled with family, friends, love, and many blessings. Before I get too far, here is my Thanksgiving day in pictures:

Flying plastic meat.

Toe thumbs.

It was so great being with people I love. That is the one thing in the whole world that gives me the greatest satisfaction. I love parties. I love people/family. Combine the two, it is a sweet, sweet combination. With only a week and a half of school left I feel like I have been given the energy to power through what I know will be an incredibly stressful week.

So here I am. Trying to figure out what all this means. All I know is I am thankful. So thankful. Here is a small taste of what I am feeling.

1. Jesus. I have no idea what my life would be like right now at this point without Him. Just saying, I have enough issues but it honestly scares me to think what my life would be without my beautiful Savior.

2. My family. I can't even put into words how blessed I am. I truly cannot even comprehend how good I have it.

3. 2011. I am ready for a fresh start. 2010 would probably be classified as the most bittersweet time in my life. January 2010-August 2010 was just a strange year of loss of people, relationships, and spirit. Late August was a turning point for me. I really had to let go of everything I had planned for my little life and realized I need to trust God to take care of me. So here I am. Nowhere close to where I thought I would be at this time last year. But I am loving it. I have been so much more happy then I have been in a while. Not that this whole thing is about me being happy, but I just am feeling it.

4. Sunshine. This is weird for me. Up till this year, I have always loved the rain, the dark, the cold. I have been longing for the sun, the golden sunsets, and all the beauty that comes with it. Is this God's way of telling me I belong in California?? I'm hoping so.

5. Food. I love food.

6. Music.

7. Crafts.

8. Coincidences.

God is so good to me.

So what now??

I have decided to continue blogging. NOT EVERYDAY THOUGH. I love blogging but it has been such a major task/source of procrastination. But I will keep blogging. Here is my new plan: new name, new layout, new ideas. Starting December 8th, I will be sewing/creating like crazy, for example. I need to blog all this as a way to motivate me to finish the tasks I have before me. So that is my plan.

But thank you. It makes me happy to see that people actually read this. It is kind of silly but I enjoy it. I totally encourage everyone to start blogging. I have really loved doing it.

A little boy I babysit once told me "Melissa Miller, my heart is telling me I love you". Needless to say, that made me melt. It was so sweet and just a picture of how our heart loves others. So. What is my heart telling me?

My heart is telling me I am happy.

 My heart is telling me I am content.

 My heart is telling me I love Jesus.

 My heart is telling me I am blessed.

 My heart is telling me I am thankful.

So incredibly thankful.

Thanksgiving Preview

So I am really tired and still trying to process this weekend. Tomorrow I will do my final post once I can get my act together. And when Christy is spending the night. So here is a little teaser to excite you for tomorrow.

This was Christy drinking bacon soda. The only one brave/dumb enough to drink it. I love her.

Day 49: Harry Potter Fail

Day 49. Harry Potter Fail.

I tried to watch it. Fell asleep again. :( This is such a sign.

Also, this this makes me happy:

COUSINS!! YEAH!!! (ignore the skin. long story short...we did this thing and I needed a beard for it. so we drew one and now its not coming off).

Day 48: Wonder

Day 48 (for real this time). Wonder.

This is my day in pictures:

The first thing I saw when I looked out on the backyard this morning

Snow date with some of my favorite children in the world. Bright and early!!

We tried...

Some great finds at the thrift store

MY CHRISTY IS IN MY KITCHEN DRINKING TEA A DAY EARLY!!
and yes. that is Orlando Bloom...

So my day started early with a playdate with the Adams family. We played in the snow, drank hot chocolate, snuggled, and played games. It was so much fun. Those children make me so happy.

I went straight from there to a fun lunch at Shari's to celebrate Ehlana's birthday. The plan was to go to French Press buuuuut it kind of snowed and that got ruined. Yet, we were still able to surprise Ehlana with the beautiful Molly and Luke. It was so fun to plan and it was wonderful to see them. Seriously I can't think of a more fun way to spend this snowy birthday.

After lunch we braved the elements and went to Value Village. Seriously we are the thrifting team. I found some amazing room decorations and the fun dress that I plan to cut up and remake. It will be good. I hope.

THEN...I can home and SURPRISE, SURPRISE!! Christy and Tim came a day early. They live in Seattle area and I did not think they would be able to come. But they did and I am so happy. It is so good to have them here. I love them so much.

To top it off, we went over to Sarah's and did the final planning for my moms party and getting things ready. I also was able to talk to Jessica a little bit and it just made me so excited to see my entire family in a month.

I love my family. Today marks a year ago that my grandma passed away. She was the most wonderful woman in the world and had such a great love for her family and everyone she met. My cousin Jessica put my feelings in to words perfectly. Today she wrote: "Yet one year ago today, my grandma became an even more beautiful angel!! She has blessed my life beyond any measure!! She was wonderful, loving, caring, terrific, forgiving, amazing, kind, generous, nurturing, Godly and again loving, servant of God!! I am thankful to have her watching over me and my children!".

I miss my grandma but I am so happy she is out of pain and memory loss. She is free and knowing this is freeing for me. She has created this amazing family that I have and I am so thankful for that. I don't know what I would do without these people.

So yes. I am so thankful for today. It was a day spend in wonder of Gods grace and love, and spending my day with all the people I love. Seriously. My day has literally been filled with people who I love and people who love me. It was a great way to spend today.

As I drift off to sleep I will be thinking of how wonderful today was and how much I have changed (for the good) from last year.

I am so happy.

Oh family.

Day 51 (only not): Snow

Day 51 (only not). Snow.

I love snow. The world seems to stop whenever it snows. The streets are quiet and all you can hear is snow falling. There is something so magical about it. I love it. Except it is kinda throwing my plans off for tomorrow. But hey. I can live with a little snow.

It was fun. Ehlana was over watching a movie/eating and it started snowing as soon as she got here. Perfect timing. Also, it is officially her birthday now (Tuesday). Today is a interesting day. Not only is it my little peachs' birthday, it is also the one year anniversary of my grandma's passing. The next blog I do will be about that, but I just want to say how much I love my little Ehlana.

We have been friends since 2000. 10 years. Holy moly. She is such a good friend. Like she is the person who is/has been such a good constant friend. No matter what. Except that time when she took my Clair's gift card in 3rd grade......just kidding. I'm over that. I want everyone to have a girl/boy like Ehlana in their life. She is just so perky and cute and encouraging and honest and motivating and crafty and so much more. What a girl. Anyway, happy birthday Ehlana. I cannot wait to celebrate with you tomorrow.

As I drift off to sleep tonight I will be pondering what I read in my devotions this morning. After reading 1 Corinthians my devotional prompted me with this challenge:

Be alert and expectant today, noticing God's wonder and grace, and thanking him for it.

Thank you God for snow.

Day 49: Happy Birthday Mom

Day 49. Happy Birthday Mom.

Today was a big day. It was my moms 50th birthday. Holy cow, what a woman. Okay. Before I go into how much I love her, I have to get one thing off my chest: I. Made. Dinner. Full on dinner. By myself. This has never happened in my life. But today was the day. Here is a little visual to show my handiwork.

We had fish, baked potatos, sourdough bread, broccoli, and yummy strawberries. Looking at this now, this is such a "woman dinner". Haha. It is so light and fresh. But, the food was fabulous. I finally am getting hope for my future in cooking. One thing you have to understand is, my mother is an amazing cook. These mere fact that she wanted to eat at home on her birthday is a sign of the level of food snobs we are. Just kidding. That is dramatic, but it is somewhat true. She has taught us how food can be actually good when made at home. I so appreciate this. Anyway, after dinner we opened presents, drank tea, ate 2 bags of Milano cookies, and drank cups of the decaf Starbucks Christmas Blend coffee my grandmother dropped by. So good. Anything Christmas is good. Add it with coffee and it is better.

Is it bad how much food is in my blog?? I don't know/don't care. It is my goal to eat what I like whenever I like, for the rest of my life.

After we opened gifts, we sat around then played Uno (pretty much the only game we ever used to play), then watched old episodes of Monk. Seriously, tonight was so classically my family. My mother is such a remarkable woman. I really don't know what I would do without her. She is kind, giving, patient, selfless, forgiving, and so many other things. I could go on for a while. She has been a stay at home mom all my life and we have had a lot of time together. What a blessing. She has taught me how to function in practically every aspect of my life. She is also the one who cleans up her 18 year-old baby's puke all night then still has enough energy to haul the other kids to school 4 hours later. She is the one who literally spent days and nights caring for my grandma last year before she passed away and still had enough energy to come home and feed us a full dinner. She is the one who swore she would never drive me to school when we lived a block away, yet she still ended up taking me everyday. She is the one who encouraged me to do things I hated, yet only grew stronger from them. She is the one who has shown me what healthy relationships look like. She is the one who was there when I chose to go to Chemeketa. She was the one who encouraged me with the words, "Just fall in love with Jesus". She was the one who has devoted all her time and energy to her family and the people around her. She does so much, my mind is overwhelmed with all that she does that it could take hours and days for me to brag about how amazing she is.

My mother does not get thanked nearly enough. So mommy, THANK YOU. You are such a wonderful woman and you do so much for me and the rest of our family. I want to be like you. I cannot wait for the day you get to relax and let me take care of you. I love you so much and I cannot wait to celebrate life with you for another 50 years. I love you.

So mom, thank you for keeping this family functioning. We love you so much.

San Fransico ♥

Happy Birthday Mom.

Day 48: Haircuts

Day 48. Haircuts.

I got a haircut today. Nothing drastic. Just a thin and trim. But holy cow. It feels so much better. Getting my haircut is the best. I love it. My head feels like 6 pounds lighter. I have wayyy too much crazy hair. I am worried when it gets really long that it will get heavy and hurt my neck. It is so thick. But hey. At least when I'm 80, I'll still have really full hair. Right? Anyway, the sweet lady had to straighten it to cut it correctly. So enjoy it while its here. I no longer straighten my hair. It took forever, but I have finally embraced its crazy curls. But it is still nice to have sleek, smooth hair for a day.

P.S. The weather outside is frightful.

Day 47: Busy

Day 47. Busy.

This is what my desktop reminders looked like today:

My day off was spent wither running errands or doing homework. This list is still not that much smaller. It feels like everything takes 5 million hours longer today. I have so much going on that I have to do it one chunk at a time or else my mind will explode. So yes.

Oh. And here is a lovely picture of my sweet angels on their way to the Harry Potter premiere. I, however, have never read even one page of those books, nor have I seen a movie in its entirety. For some bizarre reason, I went to the last Harry Potter premiere and slept through the whole entire thing. It made no sense and I felt like sleeping. So I has a great nap and can still say I have never seen a Harry Potter movie. Not quite sure why I went to that...but yeah. They also had a pile of sticks/wands in the passenger seat of Hannahs car for weeks now. It was pretty legit/odd. So yes. That is Harry Potter. Look how cute they are:

Ok. I still have so much to do.

Jussst kidding. It is like 2 hours later and nothing else is accomplished except for this. Which may cancel out all my procrastination ever.

WARM CHOCOLATE LAVA CAKES. from scratch. sooooo good. Just like Applebees...only way better. yum.

Day 46: Shake Face

Day 46. Shake Face.

So I have been known to play this little game called shake face. It seriously kills me every time. Here is a little snippet of a classic example:

This was taken like a year ago at BJ's birthday and has remained #1 at http://www.shakeyourface.com/. Actually, now as this game has kinda picked up, people are getting good. Here is an example of some of competition:

So suave

mmmmmm

father-son shake face??

DROOL. YES.

this one gets me every time

Then there is this one...
Yes, the shake face is a bit amateur, but it is all in the eyes!
AHAHAHA.
THEY ALL HAVE ONE CREEPY RED EYE!!!

I have no idea why this is funny, but it is.

So. That is shake face. Oh man. So good.

Day 45: Sick

Day 45. Sick.

I am sick. Very sick. But a lot of good has come out of today. It all started at 2 this morning. I threw up for about an hour. Luckily my mother heard me and came to my rescue. Seriously, she is the greatest. After I was finished, she sent me back to bed and cleaned up after me. Then it happened all over again about an hour later. And she got up again. That is love. I had it under control (kind of), yet she stayed with me then tucked me back in bed like when I was little. Can I just mention that before I started this whole incident, I was dreaming about those feathers I blogged about yesterday. What the heck...

Anywho. I slept all day and only was able to drink things. I hate this. I love food. Also, I laid on the couch for 12 straight hours today. I did not even get up to use the bathroom. This confuses me. How is that possible? Actually I am really confused. Confusion always happens when I have a fever. This post is probably way too much information, but I'm on like a fever high. I just cant stop.

But good things did come out of today.

1. My computer is back home all repaired. Perfect timing!
2. I was able to finish my paper for Lit. Not sure how I did it, but it took me forever. I kept falling asleep while writing it. Such a relief.

and 3.

THE JOHNBLANC FAMILY MAILED HANNAH AND I A PACKAGE FULL OF BACON FLAVORED ITEMS.

Seriously. Those people know how to win a girls heart. I just found that to be the sweetest thing ever and it made me so so so so happy. I love my family.

Take a look at the contents:

I was all ready to drink up, but my mother advised me that probably was not the best choice in my condition. Alas, I will wait. But not long...

Day 44: Waiting

Day 44. Waiting.

I have come to realize that is is the waiting season of my life. I have nothing urgent in front of me but a desire to move forward. Hence the waiting. I sometimes have to tell myself I am not stuck. I am just waiting. Waiting to go to a "real" college. Waiting for amazing friendships to occur. Waiting an hour for a 16 ounce coffee (no joke. That happened today). I am just waiting. But it is good. I feel myself growing and excited for whatever God has planned for me. It is frustrating, but good. I can't wait to be out of college right now/married/10 million children/amazing job/proud house owner/superhuman. But I need to stop wanting to fastforward and enjoy where I am. I really, really need to do that. So it is weird. But weird is good. I just need God in my waking. God in my sleeping. God in my working. God in my thinking. God in my hoping. There in my dreaming. God in my watching. God in my waiting. I need Him to be my everything. Just my everything.

Today was another dreary day and to be honest, the darkness is starting to frustrate me. I want weather like we had in October. Sunny, but cold. Once again, waiting. But I spent some much needed time in the Prayer Room in the Broadway building, then came home and helped Ryan build a science project. It looks awesome. Then everyone came home and we watched the Cosby Show. It was real cozy. A much needed ending to my gloomy feeling day.

Oh. Also I want these:

FEATHER EXTENSIONS. They are odd sounding. I know. But I want one (or two) really bad for some reason. Whoooooo knows.

Day 43: Vintage Dresses

Day 43. Vintage Dresses.

So today was Hannah and my "once a month sister date" to Bridgeport. It was so much fun. We ate yummy sandwiches and drank Jamba Juice and bought organizers for our clothes and closets. We also bought boots and dresses. Super cute dresses. I am in love with this amazing dress from Urban Outfitters. I love the back and it is so vintage and flowy. Except it is super chilly. Like really freezy. But I like it.

And now I am listening to Christy babble over the phone about her new coat. I'm so confused. But I love her and can't wait to see her in like less than 10 days. YEAH!!!

Day 42: Cleaning

Day 42. Cleaning.

Ugg. Today was a day spent pure cleaning. Let me set this up for you. I had a closet, TWO dressers, a shelf, and a massive pile of clothes on the dryer stacked full of clothes. Seriously. This was out of control and extremely unnecessary. Who needs two dressers stuffed with clothes? Not me. Ehlana helped me sort all my stuff out and forced me to get rid of some precious pieces.  All that to say, we are now down to one dresser, one closet, and like a tiny pile in my room. I have a ton of clothes to give away and I want to find somewhere that will give them to people who need them. But I'm not quite sure where that is, so I will have to do some research.

But it feels so good to have things in order. Ehlana helped a bunch. She is such a good girl.

After I was done cleaning, I babysat for the Adams and we lounged around and watched a movie and ate pizza. Those children crack me up.



Oh. And I miss this:

Tonight I am really wishing I was in California. With this baby and her brothers. In the sun. And all the wonderful California things.

Day 41: Ice Cream

Day 41. Ice Cream.

Ugg. Nights like tonight make wonder why I decided to do this for 50 days. But I'm on day 41 so I think that is pretty good. Ehlana is spending the night and I really don't feel like thinking of something smart. But I will just say Hannah, Ehlana, and I downed 3 pints of ben&jerrys. Do the math. That is one pint each. Yeaaaaaaaah. My day has been somewhat dreary but so many things tonight have just made it better. I'm sleepy. But I doubt I'll sleep anytime soon. Ok. I need to get back to Ehlana.

Day 40: Christos

Day 40. Christos.

Lunch today= Christos. Hannah has been sick all this week and she missed her dinner out with her work friends last night. So I helped her make up for it by going out to lunch with her before work this afternoon. So good.

and she got cheese...

It was yummy and my mouth is still burnt from all the hot cheesy yum. But I forgive it. Then we made our Christmas lists on the napkins.

Yes. Christy is on Hannah's list and a pomegranate tree is on mine.

Now I am drinking peppermint tea with milk. Thanks to Ehlana. This drink is pure genius. So delicious.

Oh and I have this next week/weekend off of work. Yea me!!

Day 39: Fog

Day 39. Fog.

Ugggg. I am so tired. Working in retail is hard work. I never knew how hard it would be till I started working in it. It is intense.

But I am happy!! It could be any reason. Like these:

1. The bruise on my knee from a hardcore light saber war with Ryan. Needless to say, my brother won.
2. Sparkly nail polish.
3. Pasta for dinner.
4. A job well done at work.
5. The uncomfortable moment when my Lit teacher admited he did drugs in the 60s.
6. Ehlanas new puppy that I get to meet tomorrow.
7. Making friends with nice new people.
8. Worship music for my drive home.
9. Super, scary, dark fog. So heavy Keizer Station was not visible from the freeway. How is that possible?
10. Getting a Green Tea Frappucchino free with my coffee this morning. Quick story: Keizer Station Starbucks always gives me free drinks. Always. Or they upgrade my drink to the next size up. Even if I dont want it. I am always left sitting in my car wondering how I will drink 2 drinks. Somehow I always manage, though. I don't understand it. Does this happen to everyone??
11. Brooke Waggoner. Brooke Waggoner. Brooke Waggoner.

Seriously. Brooke Waggoner is/has been my favorite artist for the past year. I looooooove her.
Here is the link to her myspace.

Plus she has lushious red hair.

Day 38: Pomegranates

Day 38. Pomegranates.

Today I went to grandpas rehab center and we shared the first pomegranate of the season and talked about family, Biola, and grandma. Whenever he buys a pomegranate, he invites me over to share it. So I kept up with tradition. It was so nice. He is such a wonderful man.

Day 35.5: British Babies

Day 35.5. British Babies.

To the little boy in the coffeeshop: you made me so happy.

1. You have a British accent.
2. You are wearing dinosaur jammies.
3. You are buying hot chocolate for your "mum".

Seriously. I want to steal you and put you in a time freezing machine so you will stay this tiny and cute forever.

Day 35: Music

Day 35. Music.

My music taste has been crazy lately. CRAZY. I have been listening to everything from Yael Naim (bedtime) to Mumford and Sons (driving) to She & Him (study music) to Ellie Goulding (music that makes me dizzy) to Taylor Swift (annoy Hannah music) to Gungor (my happy Jesus music) to Hellogoodbye (my highschool/memory music) Temper Trap (music to scream the lyrics) to The Almost (my always playing music) to Justin Timberlake (my never-gets-old-music). I have never listened to such a weird assortment of music. But I like it. It is me.

The song I keep replaying is this song from The Almost. The ending gets me every time...

Oh. Here is a picture of me & Pru from this weekend.

Not sure why I am so pink, but that is ok. It was a fun weekend.

Day 34: Rain

Day 34. Rain.

Discouraged. Tired. Really tired. Possibly sick. All things I am experiencing right now.

But the rain is so soothing to me.

I need to sleep. But just can't yet.

Not to whine. It could always be worse.

I want vacation.

I need to sleep.

I will try now.

Oh. My computer decided to break itself. No exaggerating when I say this.

Tomorrow I will send it in and I will try to blog either on my iPod or my parents computer.

How inconvenient.

Wow. I am so spoiled.

It kind of makes me sick-er.

I need to stop feeling sorry for myself.

My life is so good.

Day33: Bible Study- Part 2

Day 32.Bible Study- Part 2.

Ok. Here is the story about my Bible study.

So a month ago I decided I needed to be in a Bible study. I looked for one with people my age and pretty much had zero luck. I'm at that weird age where I am not in high school but I am not in my 20s. I also really wanted to stay connected with Salem Alliance even though many kids from school have let me check out their college groups. So anyway, I pretty much gave up hope. Then Carol Adams came along. She told me about the foundations class she was in and invited me to it. Last wednesday I went and I loved it. It is just what it sounds. It is the basic foundations of Christianity. There are people from all different spiritual place and it feels super inviting and open. I really enjoy it. In fact, I am going to try and get wednsdays off from work so I can attem regularly. It is fabulous. So thanks Carol. I guess God wanted me to join a group study and this happens to be a great one!

Day 32: Toy Story 3

Day 32. Toy Story 3.

Today:

+

=

♥