Super Thankful Sunday

I have not done a thankful blog in a while and although it is Sunday and not Thursday I think I can make it work. Here are the things I am super thankful for on this beautiful Sunday morning:

• How often I have been able to run lately

• Watching movies with friends- good movies and strange movies

• God's faithfulness and patience with me

• The hot sunshine
  

• How light it stays at night

• Spontaneity

• The chance to serve others in a time of need

• My wonderful church family at Hope

• Soft-serve ice cream at Jason's Deli

• Sushi

• All the fun LOST conversations I have had with friends

• My coffee press

• This crazy house and neighborhood I live in

• I am most thankful for all the amazing people in my life. What a blessing it is to sit around and talk, laugh, enjoy each others company and share our lives together.
  

A little behind

I saw Avatar for the first time last night. I know I am behind the times but I just never got around to it despite all the good things I heard. By the time it came out on DVD I didn't want to see it because I knew it would not be as good at home as it was in the theater, but last night I was swayed by the nice TV and blue ray player and all my friends who had already seen it multiple times wanting me to see it.

So I gave in and I really enjoyed it. As most people said, it was very pretty. The colors were beautiful and I love colorful things. I really loved that orange dragon. It looked amazing! I also enjoyed the story of how the Avatars connect with the earth. I feel that way sometimes and although my connection comes from God and I do not plug my hair into anything, I can kind of relate.

All of the characters were great and I especially enjoyed seeing Ana Lucia (I don't know her real name). She was fun to watch.. I also was really impressed with the acting by the main blue girl. It was her acting right and not just computers? I think it had to be because she was way too realistic to not have a human character behind her. When she (and her mom) cried and wailed I cried too because I could feel their pain.

I know some people felt like environmentalism was being crammed down their throats but oh well. Those Avatars had a beautiful planet to protect and they were being attacked. Now I really hate war in all circumstances so I did not really like that any of them had to fight but it was just a movie with blue people so I need to get over that.

I am not sure that I had a favorite part but I did really connect with a part my teammate Mer told me about and that affected her vision for Concepcion. It is when they all surround the Jake and put their hands on him and although not everyone is touching them they are all connected through someone else. Beautiful image.

I could go on and on about what I liked and what I didn't like but I will just end it here. It was a great movie, not without its flaws, but a great movie and I was surprised how easy it was to connect with these blue people despite their strange blueness. Great job James Cameron.

Double Bow

I saw a double rainbow yesterday. It was so beautiful! It was raining lightly and sunny at the same time so I figured I would see one. I put my rain jacket on and stepped outside and was so surprised. Not only was it a double rainbow but the brighter one went all the way across and the colors looked so deep. I was so excited to see this that I could not help but run inside to get my camera and snap a picture. This picture does not do it justice. I hope others in the area got to experience this beauty of God's creation also.

Oh Friends

Hehehe, this list made me laugh. Friends NEVER gets old. Some of these things are actually good advice. I think my favorite is: When moving a couch upstairs, PIVOT

• Never use “we were on a break” as an excuse
• Everybody has a lobster
• Quitting the gym is just as hard as quitting the bank
• For more space in bed, use “hug and roll” technique
• Yemen is a good place to escape unwanted girlfriends
• Always say the right name at the alter
• Powder and lotion will not help remove hot and sticky leather pants
• ‘MAN BAGS’ aren’t manly
• Don’t count ‘MISSISSIPPILY’ when in a tanning booth
• “HOW U DOIN” never fails
• If stung by a jellyfish, pee on it
• Never let a monkey near a tv remote
• Only in prison do they ‘CUP’ whilst measuring pants.
• It’s not smelly cats fault
• Always read the whole make up letters all the way through, even if they are 18 pages long, FRONT AND BACK!
• A nap with your best friend could be the best nap you’ve ever had
• Never let slip to a child that they are in fact adopted
• Meat is not an ingredient of trifle
• There is no such thing as SHARK PORN
• Your first name is not your ‘FAMILY NAME’
• Throwing your own wake is not a good way to meet women
• A ‘day of fun’ is a good way to know someone
• Everyone has an identical hand twin
• Eating too much meat can cause ‘meat sweats’
• It’s never too late to resurrect the routine, just don’t change it
• REGINA PHALANGE and KEN ADAMS make great false names
• It is possible to drink a gallon of milk in 10 seconds
• When moving a couch upstairs, PIVOT
• A silent auction is not a place to guess the right price
• Always double check your measurements when making an entertainment unit
• Playing too much on the arcade machine can lead to getting ‘THE CLAW’
• UGLY, NAKED and GUY do not make for an attractive combination
• Never pose for a V.D. poster campaign
• ‘PHEEBS’ is short for phoebe, it’s not just what we call our friends
• Wooden spoons and toy trucks make great massaging tools
• Never put your head in a turkey
• Taping oven mitts to your hands will prevent you from scratching chicken-pox
• Never bet your apartment in a game of ‘WHO KNOWS WHO’
• Don’t leave teeth whitening gel on for longer than recommended
• W.E.N.U.S stands for…… UMMM?….
• Everybody is entitled to a ‘freebie’ list of 5 celebrities they can sleep with if the opportunity arises

2010 FIFA World Cup: United

I love all the World Cup commercials that have been airing lately. They are helping me to get excited. My favorite is this one. It has a great message and I love when the world comes together and fights for something that is not war.

I'm Done!!!

That is right, folks. I completed my Masters degree this past Saturday and it could not feel better. I have been done with school stuff for a couple of months now but it is even better to know that I am completely done and that now I have my Masters. I have my Masters!! That is so crazy. I never would have thought I would do this and although it was hard I am glad I pushed through.

Me and the Padres

The weekend was a lot of fun. A number of my family members came in to celebrate with me and I really enjoyed that. Saturday was filled with graduation type things and also lots of time to talk and eat yummy food.

My aunt and I at one of the best burger places in town

The actual graduation was more enjoyable than I expected. I got to sit with many of my friends and saw them all graduate also. We had front row seats and listened to the best graduation speech I have ever heard. Great job Dr. Money!

Me and the brother and s-law

My aunt asked me if there was anything that went wrong that was behind the scenes that the audience could not tell. I told her no but later I found out I was wrong. Apparently the lady who hooded all of us Masters students put our hoods on upside down. Now who actually knows hoods well enough to know which was is up and which way is down, I am not sure but she did it wrong. I was concentrating so hard on smiling, not tripping, shaking hands and taking my diploma that I was not really aware of what was going on as I walked across the stage and down the stairs. I do seem to remember people at the bottom fixing my hood but I just thought it was crooked. Oh well! No harm done!

Me and my mentor/professor/friend Chris

Hooding...such a strange tradition...

On Sunday after graduation we got to cook breakfast for my mom for mothers day. We all crowded into my little house and had yummy carrot cake pancakes! Mmm! It was a wonderful weekend and I am so thankful I got to celebrate it with my friends and family.

The kids with the mom and aunt...and dog

I cannot tell you how many pics we have of the family laying on hotel beds. It is practically a tradition!

Big Picture

I love this site. The Big Picture is the best news/photo site ever and I love looking at the new posts. I am a little behind, but the Earth Day 2010 group of photos is amazing. Check out this baby giraffe. I love giraffes.


But seriously, you should check out the Earth Day photos. They are amazing! I was going to put more photos on here but decided I would end up putting them on all here so it might be easier for you to just go to the website. Enjoy!