wow, what a whirlwind weekend!  holiday weekends are such fun!

the bridesmaid dress shopping went pretty well.  we think we found the perfect dress.  it’s only imperfection is that it doesn’t come in chocolate.  it comes in a very very dark brown, and a tan, so we might go with either of those shades.  here’s a picture of the dress:

the only alteration is that we’re going to add straps, and the bow/waistband will be pink (the rest of the dress will be brown or tan).    oh, and for the record, i wear a smaller size than becky in this dress.  boo-yah!  lol

oh, backing up a bit.  I saw Madagascar Friday night.  it was pretty lame.  not very funny and the plot was extremely simplistic.  i was disappointed.  so my recommendation is – it’s not worth $9.  don’t bother. 

i went to a couple graduation parties this weekend too – what fun!  i remember when i graduated and how much fun it is!  congrats to all of you who graduated this year!!!

sunday afternoon i went to a baseball game with my parents and bethany.  i must admit, i so do not go to games for the game.  i love the atmosphere and being outside and the sounds and smells and the crowds!  and during the 7th inning stretch we sang God Bless America and Take Me Out To The Ballgame.  I felt very American. 

i did some shopping yesterday and found such wonderful treasures!  some denim capris and white shorts (both of which i’ve been looking for for ages! hooray for finding them!). and THE find of the day was an adorable light green denim jacket with white stitching and white buttons that i had seen at Kohls about 6 months ago and had decided that as cute as it was, it just wasn’t worth $25 to me.  well, it is now on clearance and i found it again – only this time it was $7.74!  woo-hoo!!  thanks, Lord, for the little blessings you give! 

yesterday afternoon i did some cleaning – cleaned up and cleaned out my room, cleaned the bathrooms, dusted the house, emptied trash cans, scrubbed the tub…  and i’ve come to discover that there are few things that i find as gratifying and wonderful as the feeling i have after cleaning house.  i love it.  i think it’s partially due to the fact that you get to immediately enjoy the fruit of your labors – the clean house!  and i’m sure it’s also partially due to my love of all things domestic. 

my brother got home last night!!!  he had been gone in Pasadena and San Diego since last Thursday at noon.  i hadn’t seen him in 5 days!  it was jolly good to have him home again. 

random thought: it’s pretty pathetic when we think that $2.18 for gas is cheap.  Ay, yi, yi. 

my mom and dad and i all went to the gym together this morning!  and then all four of us had breakfast together before ryan and i headed off to work.  and then my daddy took me to lunch!  that’s one thing i really love about summer – since Dad’s off school (he’s a teacher), he’s home a ton more and we get to enjoy things as a family , and with Dad, that we don’t normally get to enjoy.  he said he wants to take my bro and i to lunch or breakfast at least once a week during the summer.  yay! 

my work life consists of steve, rich and Together ’05 (or Kum-by-yah ’05 as San Diego is calling it; or Picnic ’05 as Pasadena is calling it; or Calibration as the xangans are calling it ).  and it’s quickly becoming more and more Together ’05 as we are currently at, what? T minus 4 weeks?  oi vey.  i just have to say, i’m certainly looking forward to seeing how God moves in the next 4 weeks b/c it’s going to take much grace and help from Him if everything is going to get done!  bring it on!  i am eager and prepared to be amazed at the work of His hand!   

well, that’s the Andrea update.  thanks for tuning in!   

we – being nicole, becky, timarie, courtney and i – are going bridesmaid dress shopping today!  woo-hoo!  i hope we’re able to find dresses, but even if we don’t, i know we’ll have a great time together! 

and in case any of you hadn’t heard yet, my friend kelley (from MD) got engaged!  major wootage!!  so i’ve been talking all sorts of fun wedding stuff with her too.  

weddings, weddings…

it smells like summer! 

we made it!  woo-hoo!  we got on the first flight out of phx, no problems (except we didn’t get to sit together) and arrived safely in portland.

we spent the entire day at Powells and it was glorious.  more details later.  just wanted to let you all know that we made it and are having a blast!

it’s raining too, btw.  talk about true portland weather… 

i saw Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith last night.  wow, it was definitely the best one of the [first, numerically] three.  i have a number of thoughts on it, but those shall have to wait till later…

well, i’m off to Portland today (Lord, willing)!  leaving for the airport at noon.  please be praying for us! 

have a great weekend y’all!   

got to go to lunch with my grammy today!  macaroni grill.  mmmmm…. 

going to star wars tonight!  woo-hoo!

going to Portland tomorrow, Lord willing.  i can count on you all
to be praying for the trip, right?  that we actually get on the
place would be the #1 prayer request.    thx!

and i have witnessed history folks.  yes, indeed.  this is
momentous in the technological world.  drumroll please! 
::dun-dun-duuuuun!::  wayne (one of my bosses) sent his first txt
msg on tuesday night!   amazing, i know.  AND (yes there is yet ANOTHER momentous, historical event that happened this week!) chris
FINALLY posted on his xanga!  woo-hoo!  so everyone needs to
go say hi to chris and congratulate him for stepping out and
posting.  i said something like this in the last post, but i shall
say it again – how cool is it that our singles pastor and his wife have
xanga!  rock on.  (and yes, they DO have two of the cutest
kids EVER – you can see picture’s on tara’s site). 

i started packing for Portland tonight.  i know, i know.  seems a little neurotic to be packing on tuesday when i don’t leave until friday.  but there’s stuff going on wednesday and thursday nights, so i was trying to get a little ahead. and since it’s going to be relatively cold up there, i can get away with packing nearly all my clothes ahead of time, since it’s all stuff i had put away now that summer is almost here.  so anyway…

hey y’all – tara has xanga now!  woo-hoo!  everyone go and say hi!  how cool is that, that our singles pastor’s wife has a xanga?!  rock on, tara! 

going to lunch with my grammy on thursday.  she called me up yesterday and wanted to take me to lunch.  she’s so sweet.

and in case any of you are wondering – no, i’m not going to the midnight showing of Star Wars tomorrow night.  as much as i would love to be there, wisdom would dictate that i shouldn’t.  so i’m not.  this time.    but i AM going to see it thursday night at 7pm.  so i’ll still get to see it “opening day” (technically). 

alrighty, i’m off to iron a few things and then hit the sack! 

mom made strawberry shortcakes for dessert!  and i jokingly told her that it seems weird to have strawberry shortcake for dessert after you eat enchiladas for dinner.  strawberry shortcakes seem like they should follow a good southern dinner (or perhaps i should say “supper”) of [fried] chicken, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob and sweet tea or homemade lemonade.  we even have a blue plaid tablecloth on the kitchen table!  haha!  oh well.  but now i’ve been inspired to make a meal like that sometime in the near future.  that would be fun!   

just a few minutes ago i was in the kitchen helping.  and i had one of those moments.  you know, one of those “this is so amazing!” moments.  my mom was chopping green onions and i was shredding cooked chicken.  and we were talking.  and i realized again how blessed i am by my family, by my life.  me and mom standing side by side, making dinner, chatting away.  it was beautiful.   

in other news…  this morning at the gym i discovered that i prefer the treadmill to the elliptical machine.  and i prefer the treadmill to actually running outside as well.  mostly i think for the accountability you get with a treadmill.  i can’t slow down if i feel like it.  no siree!  that belt keeps going whether i feel like it or not!  and i think i caught a hint of that feeling that runners call “finding your stride.”  maybe.    but who knows.  i’m not a runner.  yet.   

in other – more exciting news – i’m going to Portland this weekend!  bethany and i are going to portland, oregon together to visit Powell’s Book Store.  now, don’t be too quick to laugh me out of town over the idea of flying to another state just for a bookstore.  this is not like any other bookstore i have ever been to or heard of.  Powells is located in the heart of downtown portland.  it’s expanse covers and entire city block… four stories high!  yeah, it’s pretty incredible.  and it sells new and used books, so there are all sorts of treasures to be found within it’s floor to ceiling trove of literature.  i visited it two summers ago and thought to myself, bethany would love this place.  how fun would it be to come up and spend a whole day together just perusing?  well, the end of finals (for bethany) and two free Southwest Airlines buddy passes/vouchers later, we’re going!  but i would covet your prayers, as the buddy passes dictate that we fly standby and getting out on a Friday afternoon flying standby is not always favorable.  i’m trusting God that if we’re supposed to get out, He’ll make it happen, but i would still ask for and appreciate your prayers for travel mercies!  thanks!

i went running this morning.  yeah, i know, what was i thinking?!  i hate running. 

i know what i was thinking.  every six months or so i get this urge to run as exercise.  so i do.  and get my fix.  and go right back to swimming or jumping rope the next day. 

but today was a little different.  my legs “hurt so good,” you  know?  so i might hit up some of the machines at the gym next time instead of the pool…  we’ll see…  and music really helps when you’re exercising.  somehow not being able to actually hear myself gasping for breath, helps it not seem quite as tiring.  haha!

had an amazing quiet time today.  read in Hebrews 11.  took me awhile to get past the first verse. i took some time to dwell on specific words and what they mean and the implications they have in the context of that passage.  hope.  assurance.  conviction.  faith.  once again, i have been changed by the Word of God. 

my brother bought a pink polo. 

and popped the collar.

and wore it to church yesterday.  (except my mom convinced him to put the collar down, because it was mother’s day.)

i could have keeled over.

what is this world coming to?