this made me smile.

Happy Friday!

I <3 this picture! It pretty much speaks for itself.
Hope everyone is having a GREAT Friday!

Hate.

Thought of the day:

"As long as you hate, there will be people to hate..." - George Harrison

autobiography

Happy June. Its hard to believe that 2011 is halfway over. Its been a good, good year so far.
Remember when I used to post on my blog regularly? I'm ATTEMPTING to get back to that this month! Here's a fun post... even though it isn't Friday.


Once you've been tagged, Fill this out and repost as, "My Autobiography" ... And use your own answers, not anyone else's.

1. Where did you take your profile pic?
My current Facebook picture was taken at April's bachelorette party at the Cajun Queen

2. What exactly are you wearing right now?
gray pajama pants. Winthrop t shirt.

3. What is your current problem?
too much stuff to do, not enough time to do it

4. What makes you happy most?
some wonderful people in my life

5. What's the name of the song that you're listening to?
The Beatles 'If I Fell"

6. Any celeb you would marry?
DUHHH. Justin Timberlake.

7. Name someone with the same birthday as you?
Hillary Duff

8. Ever sang by yourself in front of a large audience?
nope.

9. Has anyone ever said you looked like a celebrity?
I hear Kristin Vagness from Criminal Minds a lot... especially when I was blonde

10. Do you still watch kiddie movies or kiddie TV shows?
Finding Nemo is my favorite!

11. Do you speak any languages?
English

12. Has anyone you've been really close with passed away?
nanny, aunt Faith

13. Do you ever watch MTV?
Jersey Shore <3

14. What's something that really annoys you?
People twice my age who are half as competent at work!


Chapter 1:
===============

1. Middle name:
Taylor

2. Nickname(s):
Fresh

3. Current location:
my apartment

Eye Color:
blue

Chapter 2:
===============

1. Do you get along with your parent(s):
yep love them

2.Are your parents married/separated/divorced
happily married but not to each other

3. Do you have any Siblings?:
yep. AMAZING ones.

Chapter 3: Favorites
===============

1. Ice Cream:
oreooooo!

2. Season:
spring/summer

3. Shampoo/conditioner:
I prefer Aveda rosemary mint shampoo.

Chapter 4: Do You..
===============

1. Dance in the shower?
nope. I sing though

2. Do you write on your hand?
ALL THE TIME.

3. Call people back?
not usually. thats what texts are for

4. Believe in love?
eh.

6. Any bad habits?
about a million of them

7. Any mental health issues?
yeah. my job is a mental health issue

Chapter 5: Have You..
===============

1. Broken a bone?
nope

2. Sprained anything?
ankles

3. Had physical therapy?
nope

4. Gotten stitches?
possibly.

5.Taken painkillers?
sure

6. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling?
nope.

7. Been stung by a bee?
ugh. yes!

8. Thrown up at the dentist?
no. ugh. I hate he dentist.

9. Sworn in front of your parents?
I'm sure.

10. Had detention?
once. It was Colt's fault!!

11. Been called a ho?
more than likely


Chapter 6: Who/What was the last
===============

1. Movie(s)
The King's Speech. Thank you Redbox

2. Person you called?
mom

3. Person you hugged?
Leesa

4. Person you kissed?
Harrison

5. Person you tackled?
Leesa

6. Person you talked to on IM?
omgahhh. I couldn't tell ya. Facebook IM it was probably Kiley

7. Thing you touched?
macbook

8. Thing you ate?
fruity pebbles!

9. Thing you drank?
milk

10. Thing you said?
love you tooo!

Steal it, comment and tell me to go read yours. =)

Fun Friday #1!

Happy Friday everyone. Sorry I've been MIA this week. I've been feeling pretty under the weather all week. I'm fairly certain its all allergies, so hopefully things will be clearing up soon. Anyway, if you read my blog, you know how strongly I believe in prayer. I'm on the verge of several big things in life, and I'd GREATLY appreciate if you'd pray with me about whats going on. I am waiting to hear if I was accepted to grad school at Winthrop. I applied for a new apartment, and I'm waiting to hear about that. It would be my very first apartment all alone. I really feel like I'm growing up, and I couldn't be more excited!

Anyway, I posted some random stuff about me a week or so ago, and it got a really good response. As, such, I decided that I'm going to post a "fun" post every Friday in addition to the more reflective, theological posts that I usually make during the week. I think it will be a great way to let readers into my life a little bit, and also to break up the important, but heavy topics I usually discuss. As usual, thoughts are always welcomed! =)


Today's fun post is a quiz. If you blog feel free to steal this so I can learn more about you!

1. When you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what was the first thing you thought? WOW. MY HAIR DOESN'T LOOK AS BAD AS I THOUGHT IT WOULD.

2. How much cash do you have in your wallet right now? A 20 AND A LOT OF PENNIES.

3. What’s a word that rhymes with DOOR? FLOOR.

4. Who is the 4th person on your missed call list on your cell phone? UNKNOWN NUMBER... HENCE ME NOT ANSWERING

5. What is your favorite ring tone on your phone? THE BEATLES, "HELP"

6. What are you wearing right now? GRAY CARGO PANTS AND A WHITE TSHIRT. PRETTY MUCH MY DAY OFF UNIFORM

7. Do you label yourself? I DONT REALLY LABEL MYSELF, BUT I KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE THINK OF ME AS KINDA INDIE/ROCK/HIPSTER ETC.

8. Name the brand of the shoes you’re currently wearing? NONE, BUT I WAS WEARING RAINBOWS EARLIER

9.Bright or Dark Room? IN THE MIDDLE, MORE DARK THAN LIGHT THOUGH

10. What do you think about the person who took this survey before you? DONT KNOW HER.

11. What does your watch look like? DONT HAVE ONE. I JUST USE MY PHONE.

12. What were you doing at midnight last night? I WAS SLEEPING

13. What did your last text message you received on your cell say? LOVE YOU TOO!

14. What's a word that you say a lot? "I MEAN REALLY.." "CLEARLY.."

15. Who told you he/she loved you last? MY MOM =)

16. Last furry thing you touched? APRIL'S DOG.

17. Favourite age you have been so far? 25 IS PRETTY GOOD. LOOKS LIKE ITS GOING TO BE GETTING EVEN BETTER.

18. What was the last thing you said to someone? LOVE YOU!

19.The last song you listened to? THE BEATLES. "OB LA DI, OB LA DA"

20. Where did you live in 1987? WITH MY MOM AND DAD... I WAS 2.

21. Are you jealous of anyone? WHOEVER IS CURRENTLY DATING JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE.

22. Is anyone jealous of you? POSSIBLY.

23. Name three things that you have on you at all times? CHAPSTICK, IPOD, SUNGLASSES.

24. What’s your favourite town/city? I LOVE CHARLOTTE ACTUALLY. LOVE LIVING AROUND HERE.

25. When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone on paper and mailed it? ITS BEEN QUITE A WHILE.

26. Can you change the oil on a car? YEP. DRIVE IT RIGHT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND LET THEM HANDLE IT.

27. Your first love/big crush: what is the last thing you heard about him/her? WELL YESTERDAY I HEARD THAT JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE IS NOW SINGLE LOL

28. Does anything hurt on your body right now? HEADACHE. DANG ALLERGIES!

29.What is your current desktop picture? THE BEATLES.

30. Have you been burnt by love? OH YES.

ME.

I really like it when I get feedback on my blog. Two things that I hear a lot about my blog are as follows: One. I don't have enough pictures. Two. I don't really much about myself in my blog other than what I'm learning about Jesus at the moment. Well, there really isn't a reason for those things, other than the fact that its just not my style. I just write about whatever is going on in my head... and as you can see, I pretty much think along the same lines all the time. Anyway, to appease some curious readers, I came up with a list of a few interesting facts about me. These are some things that I think might provide some background and maybe make some of my blogs a little more understandable. I posted some of these on facebook a LONG way back, but they still apply. Oh, and as for the pictures... maybe I'll get around to that one day... but I doubt it.

1. I am absolutely obsessed with The Beatles. It's a lot worse than I let on, but I don't want people to make fun of me. I also LOVE Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, Audrey Hepburn, Clark Gable. Old hollywood makes me smile. I'm an old soul I suppose.

2. I consider myself a Christian, but sometimes I don't really know what that means. I KNOW that all the stuff I was taught in church as a kid isn't the right stuff. I know that God uses me, speaks to me, and relates to me completely different than he does anyone else. At any rate, I am really enjoying figuring it all out....especially at Elevation :)

3. I think about 3/4 of my daily calorie intake is from beverages. Nothing beats a great latte or a coke!

4. I'm going to write and publish a novel... seriously. Don't make fun or you won't get an autographed copy. Its going to be amazing!

5. I'd sit and listen to ANY thoughtful light rock boys (John Mayer, Jon Mclaughlin, Mat Wertz, Jack Johnson, Jason Mraz, Tyrone Wells... or throw it back to classics like Elton John, Rod Stewart, Hall & Oates etc) all day long if I could. Nothing makes me feel better than a great singer/songwriter. This seems to annoy some of my friends.

6. I used to make fun of April b/c she was OBSESSED with her Macbook. I got one. I no longer make fun. You can't understand unless you have one. It's like a way of life. I <3 my mac.

7. I walk around in public listening to my iPod. Its not because I'm antisocial... I just like having a soundtrack. I spend a lot of the morning at work thinking of what I want to listen to during my lunch break. A good playlist revitalizes me enough to make it through the afternoon.

8. If I could spend $1000 at Macy's or Barnes and Noble, I'd totally go with the books over the high heels. I totally don't care that that makes me a geek. Oh, and kindles are stupid if you ask me. I love the feel of the pages in my fingers.

9. Half the time I think I want to become a respected psychiatrist and make lots of important discoveries about mental health, and the other half I just want to get married and bake and clean house. I don't know which would make me happier.... Hopefully I'll end up doing a little of both.

10. I have the most comfortable bed in the whole world and I attribute it to my lack of motivation in the morning. Plus I LOATHE getting up early. After a year and a half on first shift I'm still not adjusted at all.

11. I'm a lefty, and I REALLY hope that my kids are too!

12. I seriously have the coolest siblings in the entire world. I wish I was half as good looking, funny, smart, charming, selfless, creative, motivated (and I can keep going) as any one of them.

13. I have a college degree. Before I got one I thought that it was the most important thing in the world, and definitely a key to happiness in later life. I'm glad I finished school, but I know I was wrong. The stuff that changed me in college wasn't the stuff from the classroom.

14. I have four girlfriends who I really think are my soulmates. I LOVE THEM.

15. I am friends with some of the greatest guys in the world. How all these boys ended up in Rock Hill and being friends is beyond me. I don't see them as much as I used to, but I still love the heck out them!

16. One day I am really self-conscious and the next day I am totally overconfident and I have NO IDEA why. Its weird. I can't decide if I am totally strange or really awesome.

17. I miss college more than I thought I would. Sometimes its the college lifestyle, but more often than not, its just the learning experience. It feels good to expand your brain. I can't wait for grad school.

18. I've not eaten meat for a long while now. I can't believe I'm actually doing the vegetarian thing. It was a goal of mine for a long time and I'm SO proud that I actually did it!

19. Its pretty dorky, but I write in a journal. ALL THE TIME. I don't think I'd be able to sleep at night if I didn't write my thoughts down regularly. I take notes during sermons, write down song lyrics and quotes I hear, write my thoughts all in the same book. Its actually really fun to look back and see where I've been.

20. I am terrible about getting addicted to TV shows. My latest? Paul McDonald from American Idol. I don't really like the show, but he is such a good singer that I HAVE to watch and cheer him on!

21. I want to meet Justin Timberlake, but I know if I ever did I'd probably die. I've been in love with him since I was 14. Part of me seriously thinks that we'd hit it off and become real friends... although I really want to be his wife. If you know me, you know I'm TOALLY serious about that.

22. I have rarely buy new clothes. The main reason is that I get attached to old stuff and I don't want to wear something new. My favorite items? Super worn in 7 jeans. Ramones tshirt. pink converse. red hobo bag from the Gap. Plaid scarf. =)

23. I looooove living in the south and I know I could never make it up north. Cold weather is just NOT for me. I absolutely HATE it.

24. I'm really emotional. Stuff like Applebees commercials and episodes of Full House make me teary eyed. I have no clue why.

25. I want a tattoo soooooooo bad. Its drawn out and everything. I just need someone to go with me. I'm too chicken to do it alone!



Ok, now you know a little more about the girl behind all these posts. So, tell me something about YOU!

George.

Well, I posted something on John Lennon's birthday, so I figured I'd post something today in honor of George Harrison's birthday. Everyone knows that I LOVE Lennon, but a lesser known fact... Harrison is actually my favorite once the Beatles broke up. His solo stuff is just phenomenal. Today, though, I'm posting lyrics from my favorite song by Harrison during the Beatles era. Coincidentally, Harrison is the only Beatle on the original track for "Within You Without You." It appeared on the Sgt. Pepper album (aka the BEST album ever made). The song was also included on the 2006 remix album Love. For this album, George Harrison's lyrics and melody were mixed over McCartney's bass and Ringo's drum parts from "Tomorrow Never Knows," although the opening lyric, "Turn off your mind... Relax... And float downstream........ It is not dying.......... It is not dying." came from "Tomorrow Never Knows." Its a CRAZY good mashup. Check it out.

Yes, I know you all were wondering about that. It seems that this post doesn't fit in with my normal range of topics. I've got to say though, I never am more aware of how beautiful and creative my God is than when I listen to music. Of course, The Beatles are a big part of my musical selection... so I kind of feel like this post DOES fit. =)


Within You Without You Lyrics
Artist:The Beatles

We were talking-about the space between us all
And the people-who hide themselves behind a wall of illusion
Never glimpse the truth-then it's far too late-when they pass away.
We were talking-about the love we all could share-when we find it
To try our best to hold it there-with our love
With our love-we could save the world-if they only knew.
Try to realize it's all within yourself
No-one else can make you change
And to see you're really only very small,
And life flows ON within you and without you.
We were talking-about the love that's gone so cold and the people,
Who gain the world and lose their soul-
They don't know-they can't see-are you one of them?
When you've seen beyond yourself-then you may find, peace of mind,
Is waiting there-
And the time will come when you see
we're all one, and life flows on within you and without you.

Happy birthday George!

overwhelmed.

I'm one of those people. You know, the ones who worry... a lot. Yep. I know I shouldn't. I know its not helping me. I know it makes me moody and keeps me from sleeping. But I worry a lot. Usually though, I find small ways to reduce that stress and worry into a manageable load. Lately though, thats been easier said than done. Lots of things are changing, and I have a lot of decisions to make in a rather short amount of time. Anyway, I've been praying constantly over what to do. Today though I found an unexpected amount of comfort at Elevation.

This week started a new sermon series called 'Get Back.' The series is all about recovering your spiritual momentum. Throughout the sermon Pastor Steven just kept going back to the concept of not asking God WHY, but asking God WHAT --- What's next? What do you have for me? What do you want me to do? It was such an affirmation that its ok that I don't quite know where I'm going. It doesn't mean you're doing something wrong if you don't have it all figured out. As Pastor Steven went on to explain we should be looking for natural means to make room for a supernatural occurrence. His encouragement was to 'prepare for the blessing you're praying for as if its already yours.'

The Pastor specifically said, maybe all your friends are engaged and moving on to new life experiences, and you're wondering what's next for you. I'm not ashamed to say that that sentence was straight from God's heart to my ears. I may be being overly vulnerable here, but I do feel like I'm a little behind the rest of my friends in some ways. I'm still waiting on the perfect guy, the perfect job, and plenty of other things. I'm just trying to do the best I can where God put me. On the other hand though, I'm aware that I am loved by a perfect and holy God and everything will come about in his time. God reassured me of that today thanks to a wonderful sermon at what I'd say is the best body of believers on the planet.

Oh, and to top it all off, the theme of the sermon series was based on the Beatles song 'Get Back.' Everything from the videos, to the printed material, to the music had a Beatles flair to it today. And think I'm reading too much into this if you want to... But EVERYONE knows how much I love the Beatles. I just felt like God was saying 'not only do I know what word your spiritual life needs today, but I know you personally, who you are, what you like, what you want and need, and what I speaks to you most because I love you... and this service is for you.'

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm overwhelmed today by how prefect our God is and how much he loves me. I hope you know He feels the same way about you. =)

LENNON.

30 years ago today John Lennon was murdered.

As everyone knows I'm a Beatles fanatic. Lots of people criticize me for loving Lennon so much, especially when he was "communist/atheist/whatever else." Even so, I still think he was one of the most talented people ever, and when I listen to his lyrics I hear them through the lens of my life, beliefs, culture... so I don't have a problem with the things about him personally that were different than me. For example... Some of my favorite lyrics penned by Lennon follow. Now, he was talking about some girl, but I appreciate these lyrics in the context of my relationship with Jesus. Lennon's writing was only half of the work... my interpretation is the other half. Think about it the next time you're listening to your favorite 'secular' music...



IN MY LIFE

There are places I'll remember
All my life, though some have changed
Some forever, not for better
Some have gone and some remain
All these places had their moments
With lovers and friends, I still can recall
Some are dead and some are living
In my life, I've loved them all

But of all these friends and lovers
There is no one compares with you
And these memories lose their meaning
When I think of love as something new
Though I know I'll never lose affection
For people and things that went before
I know I'll often stop and think about them
In my life, I'll love you more

Though I know I'll never lose affection
For people and things that went before
I know I'll often stop and think about them
In my life, I'll love you more


RIP Mr. Lennon! <3

generations.

Just got home from church.
Yes, its Saturday night.
Yes, my church has a Saturday afternoon service. (Some of us have to work in the morning, ya know.)
Yes, I went there instead of to a bar. (And had significantly more fun actually.)

Just thought I'd share some of what I heard tonight. It was WONDERFUL to hear something that didn't need to be chewed on or decoded... just principles that can be put into action. Right here. Right now. I'd feel bad for "stealing" but Pastor Steven TOLD us to talk about this stuff this week... so here goes... some straightforward, easy to apply advice, coupled with how I relate it to myself and how I plan to apply it.

Ephesians 3:20-21
"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout ALL GENERATIONS, for ever and ever! Amen."

The basis of tonight's teaching was that there are certain things that every generation should pass to the next. There were 5 specific ideas, but we stopped after 3. I'm hoping for the other two next week. =)

1. PRACTICE SELECTIVE HEARING.
This does NOT mean hearing only what you want... like when my mom would ask me to empty the dishwasher as a kid and I somehow never heard it. Strange phenomena. Instead I should be selective about the people who I listen to in regard to my choices and decisions. So many people my age are taking their decision making cues from places like Lil Wayne songs... HELLO?! He just got out of jail. That's not where I plan on ending up. So MAYBE I should be listening to people who have achieved the goals that I'm pursuing. people who have the integrity, character, personal strengths that I strive to have. Its such a simple thought that I want to say DUH!! Seriously though, I don't always do this. As Pastor said (after admitting that it was a cheesy line) "right voices lead to right choices." I'm blocking some people out. If you're negative, consider yourself disregarded. My next project? Making sure I'm ALWAYS one of the voices that you can listen to....

2. FIND YOUR SOUND AND PLAY IT LOUD
Needless to say I LOOOOVE this analogy. Music, more than anything else in my life speaks to my soul. I KNOW that sounds exceedingly lame, but its true. EVERYONE knows how I feel about music... specifically The Beatles (who happened to be covered in the worship set and referenced in the teaching... I LOVE MY CHURCH!) But as Pastor Steven pointed out, and as I WELL know, The Beatles were insanely popular because they were new, fresh, unique. They found their own special sound and they played it loud. Its the same for us. To quote tonight's teaching "The thing that makes you unique is the thing that makes you powerful." I'm so much different than anyone I know... even my best friends, my roommate, my sisters. And thats what makes me valuable and useful to God. There's no one else with my combination of experiences, personality traits, interests, strengths, weaknesses. Sometimes I think I stick out like a sore thumb. For example... at work I'm one of about two white girls. I'm the ONLY one who doesn't listen to 100% hip hop. I don't even know what my coworkers are talking about half the time. Outside work, I'm the only one of my friends who can't stand up in a pair of high heels. Everyone else is someone's girlfriend, focusing on getting married, and I'm daydreaming about finishing grad school and becoming a licensed therapist. I watch the news about 5 times a day. I have a hoop in my nose, and I wear geeky "Buddy Holly" glasses. I read constantly and I always have headphones in my ears. I drink too much coffee and I LOVE anything to do with psychology. And all this silly stuff that makes me ME is what makes me a tool that God can use. How? Where? When? I don't know, but I do know that my interests and personality strengths dictate where I'll go in life, and thats why God made me the way I am. So I'm gonna pursue my interests, follow the dreams God instilled in me, achieve my goals with His help, be as ME as I know how to be... and I'm gonna do all that in the most Christ-like way possible, in the hopes that God will use me in a way that is totally unique and special to my life.

3. JUST KEEP SHOWING UP!
This part is my FAVORITE! How many times do we beat ourselves up because we don't measure up to Christ's standard? I do it ALL THE TIME. I just wanna quit trying because I always fail. But the funny thing is that He knows that... if I was gonna succeed then I wouldn't have needed him in the first place. When I'm tempted to sin Satan makes me think Oh, this is no big deal... then BAM! As soon as I do it he makes me think this is SERIOUS, God's never gonna forgive you for this. And yet, somehow I continuously fall under the guilt of this little scenario. SO SILLY... when the point of being a Christian isn't to be perfect... its to fall... and then GET RIGHT BACK UP. Now, THAT I can definitely do. I'm fully capable of coming back, showing up again, and asking for forgiveness... and lucky for me that's all I have to do! Its not about following rules at all... which is good for me, 'cause I've never been the best at that. Its about knowing that you can't, and depending on the only one who can. I'm gonna keep failing on occasion (its inevitable), but I know that won't stop me from showing up!



As I said before, we never got to the last 2 things... I'm staying tuned 'til next week. I guess you will have to as well. =)

come together =)

previously posted on Facebook... apparently I'm plagiarizing myself. Whoops.

One Artist, Many Questions

Using only song names from ONE BAND, answer these questions. DO NOT repeat a song title (or else, what's the point??). It's harder than you think.


Pick Your BAND: THE BEATLES!

Are you male or female: SHE'S A WOMAN

Describe yourself: TOO MUCH MONKEY BUSINESS

How do you feel about yourself: NOT GUILTY

Describe where you currently live: THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD

If you could go anywhere you wanted to go: ACROSS THE UNIVERSE

Your favorite form of transportation: TICKET TO RIDE

Your best friend is: MICHELLE (LEESA MICHELLE OF COURSE)

Your favorite color is: GOLDEN SLUMBERS

What's the weather like: RAIN

Favorite time of day: THE END

If your life were a TV show, what would it be called: TO KNOW HER IS TO LOVE HER

What is life to you: I DONT WANT TO SPOIL THE PARTY

What is the best advice you have to give: LEAVE MY KITTEN ALONE

If you could change your name, what would it be: LUCILLE

Your favorite food is:STRAWBERRY FIELDS FOREVER

Thought for the Day: DONT BOTHER ME

How I would like to die: A SHOT OF RYTHMN AND BLUES

My soul's present condition:DEVIL IN HER HEART ;)

My motto: COME AND GET IT