Mom!

A tribute to… my wonderful Mom, who is also my favorite person alive! (This may be longer than most...)

1. Her full name is Mildred Maxine Muecke... she goes by Maxine, for obvious reasons! lol She loves her family with all her heart, and really cares about all the little details in my life!

2. Always the “Homeroom Mom” during our CHA days; she was awesome at planning class parties and decorating for Fall Festivals, etc. She was very involved in all our activities (programs, spelling bees, field trips, sports, debate matches, etc.) and I really loved that!
3. Took Rach and I and our friends TP-ing several times – we had a blast TP-ing the trees and using silly string and sidewalk chalk in the yards! (We didn’t know at the time that she had also called the boys’ parents and okay’d it w/them first. Lol)
4. My 8th grade year when she homeschooled me (that year only), we had so much fun! =) We always got the school part over with on Monday and Tuesday, and spent the rest of the week hanging out, shopping, and doing fun things for and with Rach’s class! Good times!
5. Calls me every morning with my daily “wake-up call.” Yes, I'm serious. =) We also talk every night before bed and get all caught up on what happened in each others’ days!
6. She quit working when I was in first grade so that she could be a stay-at-home mom, which she loved and found great purpose in (side note: it really angers me when people belittle women who choose that path)!
7. She has good fashion sense, and really enjoys shopping for me… yay!! I’ve come home several times to find a bunch of new fun clothes laying on my bed! :)
8. Whenever she comes to stay with me now, she always cleans my house and makes everything look awesomely perfect! She just can’t help it. lol
9. The most generous person I know; always thinking of others and willing to help in any way she can! If it’s important to me or Rach, it quickly becomes very important to her… like taking food to Billy and Nikki, for example!
10. She's where I get my creative talent and organization. She loves to do the time-consuming but awesome crafty projects for people; she’s always my painting assistant; and we love to Scrapbook and have spent hours and hours scrapbooking together at our dining table!
11. She doesn’t cook meals very often, but loves to bake tasty cookies or brownies or cakes… (which could help explain my love of sugar and total indifference to cooking.)

12. She leaves me little Post-it notes in random spots that brighten my day, and every card she gives has a nice, long, heartfelt note in it!
13. She believes it’s not worth doing something if it’s not worth doing RIGHT, which has rubbed off on me… she does everything (making the bed, cleaning house, Scrapbooking, painting, etc.) with excellence and attention to detail!
14. She obviously cared about our education and always helped us with homework and studying; but she was cool enough to give us random days off once in a while – random days when nothing major was happening at school and we'd take the day off to rest or go shopping and eat lunch at a fun restaurant! :)
15. Encouraging and supportive; she builds me up and really makes me feel like I can handle whatever challenges I’m facing.

16. I can talk to her about anything and everything I’m going through… we’ve always been really close and had a Gilmore Girl-ish relationship in that way. (We are also Gilmore Girl-ish in our ridiculously high sugar tolerance and love of sweets… but unfortunately, we don’t share their super high metabolisms. lol)
17. Always wants what’s best for me, even when it’s hard on her (like me moving to the Tulsa-area for this job or applying for a job out of state)!
18. She’s got the Reba-esque feisty redhead attitude and definitely stands up for herself and doesn’t allow others to use or mistreat her or her family!
19 She grew up on a ranch and is a country girl at heart …couldn't care less about flowers, she loves watching sports and is very into football and basketball (and would’ve been an awesome mother to a son…), but she loves her girly, city-slicker daughters anyway! Lol
20. She throws the best and most creative parties in town! Like our fake glamour shots parties when we were little (really hilarious Polaroid pictures!), our NY Eve parties where we put confetti on the fan blades and turned them on at midnight (so much fun, but awful to clean up afterwards), and our awesome end of school year swim parties! We were always the cool house where everyone loved to hang out, mainly due to her fun-loving and easygoing nature, and her always providing food and having fun ideas for things to do! =)
21. She shares my love of all things Christmas! We love the music and decorating our houses and eating frosted brownies (yes, that's part of our decorating tradition) and going to check out North Pole City together! It’s the most wonderful time of the year, seriously!
22. Has confidence and strength that I really admire and desire! I love hearing her stories from her childhood and high school days! She didn't get married until she was 26, and during her single days, she loved to go out dancing, but chose to stay away from drinking, even though most of her friends did.
23. Helped me so much in learning court reporting… practiced with me every day (by reading to me at certain speeds so that I didn’t have to listen to the ridiculously boring tapes). Also, it’s extremely helpful being able to call her when I have little questions on transcripts or need an assistant proofreader. :)
24. She woke me up one night a while back to tell me it was snowing (because I have always adored winter) and we both stood by the piano room window watching the first snow fall of the year, all illuminated by the streetlight, and I remember thinking of that snowy night moment in Stepmom that the daughter says she’ll “remember always always.”
25. Loves God, was a Godly role model for me growing up, and last but certainly not least, she's the person who led me to Christ when I was 7 years old!! ❤

YAY, best Mom ever!! ;-) 

Bobbi Michelle

A tribute to… Bobbi Michelle Carter, a woman after God’s heart!

1. The first thing that springs to mind is her compassion, which I so admire… she has such a servant's heart and loves to be a blessing to people in need!
2. She loves to go before God in prayer, and she’s someone I know I can count on to really pray for me when she says she will!
3. She and Angie and I were accountability partners for a while, and it was a blessing getting to know her heart and seeing how God is working in and through her life.
4. Loves the Melting Pot (see pic of us eating awesome dessert dippers), Kaffe Bona (especially the “Hail to the Queen” drink), and Freckles Ice Cream… yum!  Sadly, she does not love chocolate (only white chocolate), but that leaves more for me! lol
5. Her family has not been in Oklahoma for a while, but she has two wonderful “adopted families” who love her and are always there for her, which is pretty awesome!
6. She is “Aunt Bobbi” to several kids (who aren’t really her nieces and nephews, but might as well be)… and she’s great with them and takes them out to parks and out for ice cream and such! :)
7. She’s one of the most selfless people I’ve ever met, which I guess I already made clear in #1. She does a wonderful job of being in the world, but not of the world.

8. Loves Beth Moore like I do, and came to my Daniel study last year.
9. She has a lot of wisdom and I love hearing what she has to say at LifeGroup… she also has great discernment, and is careful not to judge too quickly or say anything out of wrong motives.
10. My awesome LG co-leader, and she hosts group at her house every week!
11. Really made the effort to reach out and get to know me a couple years back (when I was running low on friends and was exhausted from being used by people.)
12. She was my Kelly/Reba concert buddy! =) I love Kelly and she loves Reba. Really, I love Reba too – they’re both just awesome!!
13. Authentic… she strives to follow the will of God on the heart level, keeping her thoughts and motives pure rather than just putting on an outward show!
14. She has built relationships with her neighbors and is a real blessing to them! She lives out the Christian faith day to day and uses discernment and boldness in bringing that up in conversation.
15. She had an “Asian dinner party” and printed us awesome name plates and decorated with the theme. She even used a door for the table… creative and fun!
16. Always uplifting and fun to hang out with… tennis, ice skating, Kaffe Bona dates, jogging, movie nights, dancing at Caravan, going out to eat, her having people over and cooking dinner… all fun! :)
17. Introduced me to the Fleet Feet running program last year, which was good for me. And I’m going to start meeting them (her and Angie) to run outside at least once a week! Yay!
18. Serves faithfully at LifeChurch and has a warm, genuine personality that makes people feel welcome.
19. Her annual “Christmas Shenanigans” party is always a blast… all the girls in our PJs eating Oreo balls and drinking hot chocolate and watching The Holiday… ahh, Christmasy fun!
20. She is an encouraging and positive person!
21. Introduced me to some great books during our accountability meetings.
22. Helpful in coordinating the details and organizing things in our LG events and missions projects! (It’s nice having a professional event planner around!)
23. Actually enjoys mowing her lawn – funny! She has an awesome backyard for fun summer parties, if only I was a bigger fan of the great outdoors!
24. Has a new photo app on her I-phone that takes awesome, cool pictures!
25. Led by the Holy Spirit and pursues peace and harmony; doesn’t condemn or judge others or get upset or angry as quickly as most people!  Yay, Bobbi Michelle!! ❤

Babah

A tribute to… “Babah,” (which is how I pronounced the word "Grandma" when I was a baby, and the name stuck)!

1. She has a strong attitude and always stands up for herself and her family! :)
2. She used to bake and decorate cute “smiley-face cakes” for us when we were little - we were always excited about them!  ...When I think of my childhood favorite foods, I remember Grandad's mac n' cheese and chocolate-chip cookies & Babah's butterscotch pudding and smiley-face cakes! =)
3. Also makes the best sugar cookies around… and we always had fun decorating the Christmas tree cookies together (see picture above of her and Rach)!
4. She was always willing and happy to sew clothes and fun costumes for Rach and I... whether at Halloween or just because we randomly wanted a fun princess dress to twirl around in! We once got to draw and design our own dresses and have her make them, which was probably not the easiest project for her, but was super exciting for us... (mine was white with three rows of red ruffles, and I thought I looked awesome!) #stylin
5. As of last week, she’s been through 15 surgeries, but she never gets bogged down in self-pity about the pain she’s going through... she always recovers pretty quickly, and I think it’s largely due to her attitude about the whole thing!
6. She is also a breast cancer survivor... (I wish I remembered more about that season and had been old enough to be more helpful and compassionate - I had no understanding of how serious cancer really was at the time).
7. Now that we're older, she’s decided these last few years to get the grandkids super-practical gifts for Christmas, so we all get to unwrap boxes of Kleenex, chapstick, Neosporin, etc.  It’s become quite funny, and we really play up the reactions now! :)
8. Me, Rach, and Emily decided to return the favor this year and gave her 3 pocket-packs of Kleenex for her birthday! Lol
9. She was there whenever we needed her help with school projects, and she and Grandad attended several of our school programs and events!
10. She currently watches Frasier and Two and a Half Men… which I found surprising, but funny.  We've laughed together about a lot of the stuff on Frasier... such a good show!
11. She was on the board at Royal Neighbors Insurance and got frequent flyer miles from all of her travel. She took all the grandkids on a few awesome vacations with her… including Florida, my only trip to Hawaii, and my very first trip to Las Vegas!! =)
12. While in the limo ride from the airport to our hotel in Hawaii, we were seated across from a random couple passionately making out.  So she said, at full volume, “Oh, look, girls. Here’s us a lesson on how not to act in public.”  Wow… mortified! lol  (...They did kinda deserve it, though.)
13. When mom was little, she once made a bet with her friend that she could make my mom change seats without saying a word. Mom sat down at their kitchen table, and Babah gave her the eye, then eyed the seat next to her a couple times, and mom quickly got up and moved! I kinda love that story, because it so explains her personality! Lol
14. I love hearing her tell stories, and I always love her laugh.  She really enjoys life and has a lot of fun! :)
15. Random memory, but in Hawaii, she bought us a bag of chocolate candy (an assorted mix) and we sat out on our hotel balcony eating it for a couple minutes. She said, as if it would be quite difficult, “Let’s see if we can finish this whole bag tonight,” and me and Rach both cracked up! ...I mean, c’mon, give us a challenge! Lol
16. She loves to go out dancing with Grandad, and was very happy to hear that I’m learning to two-step and going country dancing with friends lately! :)
17. She and Grandad would come over for Sunday lunch a lot as we were growing up - they'd be there when we got home from church, and she'd usually be cooking tasty fried chicken or hamburger soup or potato soup! #yum
18. She loves telling stories about us as kids and looking through old pictures together!
19. They were poor as Mom and JoBug were growing up, and they also had to take in two of Mom’s cousins… but Babah made the necessary sacrifices to take care of them well and always made sure the kids were clean and looking nice!
20. She doesn't think she's better than anyone... but if someone else has an attitude thinking they're better than her, they'd better watch out!
21. She has a great sense of humor and is a great story-teller!
22. She doesn’t like to sit around and do nothing; she wants to be active and do something for others, which is awesome!
23. Very helpful in so many of our creative projects… and was a lot of help when I moved, making my curtains and bedskirts and pillows and such!
24. She was really encouraging after all the Josh drama and bought me a coffee mug that says, "You're too good for him."  It's on display in my kitchen now, and it still makes me smile and think of her. lol
25. She’s a very strong woman who's had an extremely interesting life, and I’m sure I don’t know the half of it!! (But I hope to learn more!)

Pic = Babah and Grandad with their four grandkids, Christmas Eve 2014. :)

Chet Lee!

A tribute to… Chet Lee Wilson – one of my awesome LG friends who always brightens my day!

1. Chet is truly one of the funniest guys I’ve ever met. He always makes me smile and laugh!

2. “All he wants to do is dance, dance, dance!” His 21st birthday was our first trip to the Caravan... and he's been just about every week since then. lol He knows how to lead and is not afraid to try new things, and he's learned some really fun spin moves, including the pretzel!
3. I met him at the Christmas party… then me, him, and Sarah were a Scavenger Hunt group at the NY Eve party (still love our pic at the Praying Hands! Lol) I had no idea they’d be two of my close friends soon after that… again, it’s cool how God works things out!!
4. He’s easygoing, easy to talk to, trustworthy, full of life and passion, and always fun to hang out with!
5. He caters the most fun parties and makes the best homemade pizza around… even if no one in our group bothers to show up on time! Lol  He's typically the life of the party anyway. ;)
6. Very encouraging friend; sends Thought for the Day emails and random uplifting texts to the group, and he's been really supportive to me in my efforts toward eating healthy and losing weight… I so appreciate him not giving up on me there!
7. We became friends while talking about The Biggest Loser as we ate our cookie cake at LG! lol  True story.
8. Has an awesome, strong heart for God and a passion for serving others… serves faithfully at LifeChurch every week and has the outgoing personality to really make people feel welcome and loved!
9. Ran in a mud run recently… which I find hilarious!  And (like me) he also knows all the words to “Vanilla Ice, Ice, Baby…” random, I know, but it adds to the awesomeness that is Chet-Lee!
10. He always has a positive attitude and inspires and encourages others to do the same… he knows that it’s a choice, and he chooses to be happy and trust God rather than getting stressed out and overanalyzing things, and he doesn’t hang around negative people… so you can count on him to be uplifting and brighten your day!

11. Seeing his “O-Chet” license plate always makes me smile. :)
12. He has an awesome testimony... very impressive to hear his story.  I love that he knows the exact date he first came to LifeChurch and what series it was (Aug. 4, 2007/Thirty Days to Live)!
13. One of my two most faithful blog readers, even going so far as to read my entirey 1,000 Awesome Thing list! Definitely my closest guy friend in the Lifegroup, and knows me better than most people! =)
14. Very involved in our Lifegroup… even made a T-shirt inviting people to our group… he’s someone you can always depend on to show up and help out, not only for the parties and game nights, but also with the mission projects and events!  (And random garage remodels, or to come over and kill a bug or plant flowers for me. lol)

15. He took the initiative to go learn more about Eugene Field and got Jeremy to come speak to our group, which led to the awesome cookout with the kids, where he was also incredibly helpful!!
16. Hosted a group bonfire, including an entertaining round of Chubby Bunny w/him and Laura! It was a lot of fun… (right up until he called and told me to check myself for ticks afterwards. lol)

17. Introduced us all to Caravan and Wanda’s Cake Gallery; also taught me about the magic of cinnamon and Splenda on a sweet potato… Mmmm! :)
18. Doesn't enjoy school, but is becoming determined to work harder and have a better attitude… and regardless of the degree, I know God has awesome plans for his life… perhaps including becoming a personal trainer someday, because he would be perfect for that!  Or a campus pastor... that too.
19. Much like me, he is always camera-ready …ready to smile if he might possibly be in a picture!!  This picture proves that pretty well. lol

20. He really lives out the Christian faith; committed to serving at church… does a great job of reaching out and inviting people to LifeChurch or our Lifegroup… and when his coworkers need prayer, he’s the one they come to!
21. He makes everyone feel comfortable around him, he’s the life of every party and is always in the mood to have fun!
22. Ultra-determined and driven!  He lost a lot 50+ pounds on his own last year without a personal trainer or much help from anyone… really inspiring!
23. Loves Twitter and Facebook and blogging, and has a job where he can be online as much as I am! Hooray! =)
24. Loves ice cream and chocolate icing as much as I do! :)  Pic = our hilarious bet in Vegas with the "Forbidden Broadway" Sundae! 

Tara: "I don't understand how anyone could eat that stuff." (about chocolate icing)

Chet: "Well, gimme a spoon, and I'll show you!" hahaha

25. He is great about remembering all the birthdays in our group and making sure to celebrate them and make people feel special! He always believes the best in people, holds people accountable (which I appreciate), and it’s obvious to me that he genuinely cares about his friends and wants the best for them!  Yay, Chet Lee!!

Mini-Update

First off, wow, my judge is apparently at a Judicial Conference all day today and tomorrow... why on earth am I here!? lol When I head home at noon, I'll be done till Monday. =)

Secondly, I heard back from Ransomed Heart yesterday, and they have filled the position... I was definitely disappointed, but thanks to several great sermons I've heard recently, I did a better job staying in peace than I usually would! It got me thinking about my motives... I always say I wanna do something great for God's kingdom, but I can do so much for Him right here, right now. I need to stop being concerned about having a ministry job title, and to focus on God's opinion and on being a light where He has placed me! So that was a good reminder. 

 I'm happy I applied, and I do believe God wanted me to do that and that He is directing my steps right now. I've been thinking about what's in the future for me... and something I really enjoy, especially since I started this blog, is writing... so that's something I'm going to consider more seriously and continue working on. But for now, I'm going to keep enjoying life, growing with God, and doing what I can to impact others right here!

Okay, now back to the tributes... =)

JoBug!

A tribute to… “JoBug,” my favorite aunt!  (Picture by one of the bright hallway walls we painted at Deer Creek.)

1. My Mom’s sister and my favorite aunt… her name is Carol LaJo O’Brien.  She goes by LaJo, and we all call her “JoBug!” :)

2. She always used to get Season Passes and take me, Rach, Blake, and Emily to White Water Bay and Frontier City during the hottest days of summer… I didn’t realize back then that it probably wasn’t as much fun for her as it was for us! lol
3. She worked for years as a Special Ed teacher at Deer Creek Elementary, receiving the Oklahoma Teacher of the Year award… I remember decorating for the huge party for that, where we did a “This is Your Life” game and had several surprise guests – so fun! =)
4. She has an awesome heart for kids, and is very interested in who they are… in learning the story behind their behavior problems/attitudes, and in building up their self esteem!!
5. Outgoing, FUN, vibrant, loud, and passionate! :)
6. Super emotional and cries really easily… which has become kinda funny. She’s never seen Titanic because she refuses to watch any movie if she knows ahead of time that it will make her sad. Lol
7. She loves to lay out as often as possible in the summer, and on our Hawaii and Florida vacations, it was always fun laying out for hours and listening to the ocean waves as we chatted and caught up on everything!
8. As emotional as she is, she really pulled it together and was strong for Blake (my cousin, her son) through his diagnosis and brain surgery, and all the treatments he’s had to do since then. (I’m obviously not saying she didn’t cry; but she’s there for him and strong when he needs her to be!)
9. She was roped into being the head Cheer Sponsor for Deer Creek this year, which I’m certain she’s perfect for! Mom and I helped her put together some little crafty gifts for the girls, which was fun. :)
10. She still works at Deer Creek, but now tutors kids who need specific help in a certain class… she’s intelligent, insightful, and can teach any subject, but I think her encouraging spirit and compassion is what’s really making a difference in the lives of those kids!
11. She makes sure all the kids feel included and loved, and makes them feel comfortable enough to ask for help when they need it. She also does her best to make sure NO ONE mocks or belittles the Special Ed children or unintentionally offends their families!
12. She has an adorable little mop dog named Lucy… and she brings her to school with her most days! Lol

13. She makes an effort to stay active and be healthy, working out regularly and trying new things so she won’t get bored, and I really admire that!
14. During the week of Blake’s brain surgery (which was in California), Mom, me, Babah, Rach, and Emma completely re-did their kitchen and living room (something she’d talked about doing but had never quite had the time). It gave us something to do besides worry the whole time. I remember the day she got home, right when she walked in the door, she just burst into tears and couldn’t really say anything. It was a pretty emotional day for all of us…
15. She stays pretty active and is busy and involved in several different activities, so she never knows the fun shows because she honestly doesn’t have much time to sit around and watch TV… I want to become more like her there!
16. Funny and uninhibited; I once wore a cute, retro, hippie-esque shirt to a restaurant with her, and she was somehow inspired to burst into a loud rendition of “This is the dawning of the age of Aquarius!”  LOL
17. She doesn’t waste time on self-pity and doesn’t allow her kids or students to wallow in that mindset either.
18. She singlehandedly taped the entire ceiling in every room when we painted my new house (which is my least favorite part, so I was ultra-grateful)... she climbed the ladder a gazillion times to make it look perfect for me.  Awesomesauce!

19. Always fashionable and trendy and cute!
20. Really believes in and cares about people, and helps them learn to believe in themselves. She's been so encouraging to me in my efforts to lose weight and get healthier!
21. Willing to confront phony Christians who aren’t walking the walk (ie some of her fellow teachers who were being unreasonably hard on students and had no concern for what they were going through at home).
22. Could have been promoted and made more $ as the Principal of the school, but chose to stay in a position where she could work closely with the kids.
23. Grew up showing horses with Grandad; definitely a country girl/cowgirl at heart! :)
24. Unselfish… willing to go out of her way to make sure that me, Rach, Blake, and Emily have a great time on vacations – she was always the one who went with us to the theme parks or parasailing or walking the Vegas strip in the blazing heat! lol
25. Energetic and expressive and lives her life to the fullest!! ❤  Yay, JoBug!!

Malori Riah

A tribute to… Malori Riah Dahmen (middle name sounds like Mariah Carey without the "Ma" ...last name pronounced like Matt Damon), my awesome new roommate and closest friend.  So thankful for her friendship!

(*Post edited in 2012)

1.  We met in September 2007 at the first CLS (Christian Legal Society) party I attended with Cassie, which was actually a belated surprise birthday party for Malori!!  (We’ve realized since then that we were both at the most broken point in our lives right around that time.  And interestingly, our friendship and John Eldredge’s books were helpful for both of us in healing.) It’s awesome to look back and see how God moves and directs things when we are so unaware of their importance at the time!
2.  We have similar tastes in movies, music, books, plays, restaurants, TV shows, and people ...we knew we would be good friends when I was the only one who aced the movie trivia at her Oscar Party. lol
3.  She is HILARIOUS, sarcastic, quick-witted, and clever... she always makes me laugh!
4.  An eloquent speaker... she speaks with confidence and intelligence, and she's well-versed in such a wide variety of subjects, which I have always found impressive!
5.  Easygoing and fun to hang out with… a friendship where I feel relaxed and comfortable.
6.  One of few people I feel I can totally be myself around and say anything to.
7.  She would have been my friend in high school. ;-)
8.  For the most part, we like and dislike the same "sweet-spirited" people, and find the same random stuff funny!
9.  She also used to play the flute in high school! (Although she was quite a bit more passionate and talented there than I was.)
10.  (2010 update) I loved learning about her "Driver" personality and how well our opposite personalities complement each other and work together!  I appreciate knowing I can always count on her for an honest opinion; she is decisive and blunt and is not fake with people.
11.  One of the strongest women I know ...her self-discipline, fiery confidence, and strength inspire me to improve on those things!
12.  An awesome, fun roommate for me... I so enjoy our PJ-party chats over oreos and milk. :)

13.  She's a great vacation buddy and planner (Vegas, NYC, and Big Cedar), and it's impressive to me that she managed to have a good attitude even when she was deathly ill in NYC!

14.  She bakes tasty chocolate cakes every once in a while just for fun, which makes ordinary days feel more special and celebratory! =)
15.  For obvious reasons, she has the younger sibling tendencies and I have the older …so that's another reason we understand each other well and make a good pair!
16.  She strengthens and encourages me spiritually, and vice versa... and we can talk to each other when we are doubting or questioning something, which is usually quite helpful.
17.  Compassionate, supportive, loving, trustworthy, and generous in helping out her nephews and her close family and friends!
18.  Taught me how to do my own French manicure nails, a cuter way to wear scarves, how to properly format my Resume, how to understand and appreciate tennis, and even how to make vegetables taste more appealing! lol
19.  She puts up with my random quirks, kills bugs for me (YAY!), and humors me when I insist on taking cheesy pictures, which is always! =)  But how cute are the Chipmunks!?

20.  Sends me hilarious text messages that make me almost choke on my food when she is having a rough day, or when something crazy was happening at “The Shack!"
21.  Well balanced -- works with ambition, excellence, diligence, and attention to detail... but is good at relaxing and taking it easy at home. =)
22.  A good listener who makes me feel comfortable and safe saying what I need to say.  I so appreciate that she listens well and remembers the little things we’ve talked about.
23.  Stands up for herself and won't let others disrespect or mistreat her.  Very feisty, and I love that quality!
24.  She got two amazing job offers yesterday (the first day of class for her last semester of law school) -- super exciting, and she definitely deserves it that success!
25.  My best friend... someone I believe will be part of my life from now on, then we'll still be friends in heaven, and that means more to me than I can put into words! ❤

Holly Dei

A tribute to… Holly Dei Albright Wesselhoft – one of my sister’s classmates and one of my closest friends throughout high school… truly one of a kind!

1. Hilarious to me, often without trying to be!
2. Loves diamonds and knows the cut, color, clarity, etc… something that usually annoys me in women, but she’s so passionate about it, you can’t help but enjoy it – we used to have to stop at Tiffany's so she could pretend to be engaged and try on several rings! lol
3. She is an odd combination of Monica on Friends, Paris on Gilmore Girls, and Karen Walker on Will & Grace! lol
4. She’s fully passionate about everything she does, even if the passion only lasts a few days…
5. She wants to open a high-end restaurant called The Gallery where each room holds a different era of original paintings, and where small children are not welcome. She hired me to design the logo for it.
6. She also plans to open her own department store in NYC (whose name I cannot mention so that no one else will take it - lol) that caters exclusively to the ultra-wealthy and donates a portion of the proceeds from every sale to the charity of their choice. She is determined to convince me to move there and be her business partner, but I’m afraid there’s not much chance of that.
7. When she really sets her mind to something, she has the passion and drive to follow through on it!!
8. She set her mind during high school to getting into an Ivy League college, and she recently graduated from Yale University!
9. Has worked at Harry Winston and DeBeers Diamonds, both great jobs for her!
10. She once worked as a hostess at Red Lobster, and to this day, calls it “The Lob.”
11. She has a hilariously playful side in the midst of all her serious pursuits… as evidenced by our bizarre but funny trip to Chuck-E-Cheese where she played on all the kids’ stuff. We also once spent an entire Spring Break going to different furniture stores and trying out all their massage chairs, trying to talk them down to a certain price, even though we had zero intention of buying one.
12. She is 1/64th Pottawatomie Indian. Mark used to tell her to be careful not to get a paper cut, or she’d lose all her Indian blood! lol
13. Don’t bother getting into a debate with her on anything; you will lose… not necessarily because you’re wrong, but because she’s ridiculously persistent. lol
14. Memory:  Our traditional downtown carriage ride at Christmas time! (We only did this once, but have meant to do it every year, and still refer to it as our tradition!)
15. Refreshingly negative. Lol I don’t know what else to call it. She was real and called things like she saw them in the midst of a lot of fakeness and pious people at CHA. 

 16. She refuses to eat the green jelly beans. I just find that funny. =)
17. She’s adorably petite and cute. When she was in a relationship with a really tall guy, she was “Minipod” and he was “Megapod.” lol
18. She loves her unique last name (and the umlaut is essential). =)
19. The first thing she said when I called and told her about the friendship-ending letter from Josh was, “God, I deserve an award for listening to all this!” That still makes me laugh! lol
20. She loves to take naps, way more than the average person... I woke her up by flashing a camera in her face once… quite funny!
21. She’s a devoted and loyal friend and really cares about me… I didn’t take her advice to “build a wall around my heart,” but I definitely understand and appreciate where she’s coming from!
22. She loves the Celine Dion song, I’m Alive, and always turned it up and did a hilarious little dance to it in the car.
23. She’s not fake; if she doesn’t like you or doesn’t like what you’re wearing (or your lovely Charm & Luck purse), you’ll probably know it! lol
24. She loves to ask people lots of questions and really get to know them when she meets them… she once asked Troy what he wanted to be when he grew up, and her stunned speechless expression was oh so funny when he said (in all seriousness) “I really want to be a professional clown.”
25. She has a wonderful imagination, and I so love that about her. Examples: She wants to be proposed to on a yacht with fireworks; nothing else will do! We used to go hang out at the airport for no real reason, but we’d have made-up elaborate stories ready in case anyone wondered why we were there. We also went to Bass Pro Shop and sat and relaxed on their boats pretending to be on some fancy cruise… she also got stuck in a kid-size life jacket she tried on there, which was one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen! =)  (I’m sure the workers really appreciated us.)  Anyway, cheers to Holly Dei!!

Tara Lynn

A tribute to... Tara Lynn Thompson, great friend and blogger extraordinaire! =)

1. Passionate about knowing and teaching TRUTH in every area!
2. Extremely talented and witty writer… and in my opinion, should totally publish her Singularity book… (which I still want a full copy of, by the way!)
3. Sarcastic, deep, funny, and fun!
4. Intelligent, and has Godly wisdom and discernment

5. Cared enough to teach me a lot about healthy eating; introduced me to Whole Foods… (granted, I didn’t do a great job of following through, but I am slowly improving my habits and losing weight now…)
6. Devoted patriot – loves America and wants to help restore it to the nation the founding fathers originally had in mind
7. Fights against injustice and boldly stands for freedom

8. Has a positive outlook; loves getting to know new people, and believes the best in them
9. Compassionate and has a servant’s heart… started the Remnant group as a way to bring Christians together to really walk in love by actively serving others… you know, to BE the church God calls us to be!
10. Loyal and trustworthy friend
11. Very passionate about exposing lies and finding the truth in politics
12. Dancing queen… seriously amazing dancer and can follow any lead… I love to watch her on the dance floor (more accurately, I want to BE her on the dance floor! lol) …sexy and smooth, and you can tell she really loves it! =)
13. Introduced me to Jason’s Deli… yum!
14. Inspiring, unwavering faith and hope!
15. Secure and confident in who she is, and makes you feel comfortable being yourself
16. Loves brilliant old movies and TV shows, and doesn’t watch anything that mocks or belittles her beliefs and values
17. Convinced me to try several new foods - some good, some not so much! lol
18. Fabulous dry, sarcastic sense of humor
19. Uniquely beautiful… I love her freckles and perfect naturally curly hair!
20. Bold and unintimidated; will not bow to the pressure to conform or be quiet about her views
21. Eats gluten free and enjoys it… (still love this pic of her looking sad by all the donuts at Krispy Kreme! lol)

22. “Would rather sleep on a bed of poison ivy than participate in a bouquet toss.” …lol
23. Generous with her time and money; kind and unselfish.

24. Confident, but not arrogant. Optimistic, but not naïve. Humble and loves peace, but not a pushover! =)
25. In a word… integrity!

Quick Update

Hey!  It's been a while since I've given an update, so here goes...

I just got back from Larry's hair salon, so I'm feeling ultra-fabulous today. Larry is seriously awesome! (I went brown with red highlights and 1960s retro bangs - love it!) Also, I've decided I want to bring back scarves... how fun are scarves!? So many retro and 50s trends are back now, but the cute scarf in the ponytail has never quite made the comeback. Whatever, I think it's fun and feminine, so I'm gonna singlehandedly bring it back. lol :)

My parents got an adorable new puppy, so that's been a blast!! I have been a bit sick with a cold lately, but I think it's getting better. Work is going well... but I kinda feel like I'm just coasting at that job, so I'm still excited to hear from Ransomed Heart! Also, after seeing Bobbi's fun cameraphone app and looking through Alli's pics on her blog, I am wanting to get into photography... not for a job, but as another fun side hobby! So hopefully, I'll be posting some cool pics here soon!

Malori officially moved in last night (I'm at my parents' house this weekend, but still, yay for having a roommate who is also my awesome best friend!) We started Francis Chan's book, Crazy Love, at Lifegroup last week, which I'm excited about! He's just such a cool guy with an amazing passion for God! My mind is a bit blank right now, but I'm sure there are exciting things I'm missing.? I'm signed up to run the Race for the Cure in September, and of course, the half-marathon is coming up in November! I'm getting frustrated w/myself lately, but I have made a lot of progress since I started really working out/eating better, so I need to focus on that and be thankful!!

God is awesome; I am happy and becoming healthier; life is good; my family is doing well; I love my friends; and I'm trusting God with my future and expecting great things! =D

A few more...

These all make me laugh... such great memories w/awesome, fun people...
and of course, a few TV shows and movies too!

"Winning and shattering the male ego are my two favorite things in life." -Holly Dei Wesselhoft, one of the funniest people ever, typically without trying to be :)

"He and I don't really talk that much ever since he chased me off with a weed-eater." -Wesley Blake :)

"If I were Vice President, the President would seriously need to watch his back!" -Holly again, it's funny because it's true

"Aww, he's never hurt a fly... OH! Did he get ya?" -Bill talking about his hatred of dogs (he's a postman and has so many great stories)

"Grandad would look good in that." -Mom, seeing a fancy pickup she wanted for her dad
"I was kinda thinkin' TyWeezie would look good in that... Baaaall-innnn!" -Ty :)

"Look at my calves... that's just one solid muscle. See that definition? That's PIMP!" -TyWeezie (while running like an idiot) on our vacation :)

"Crank Fancy up! Tell me about it, Reba!!" -Wes

"I never get asked out!" -Jean Ko (hilarous foreign exchange student)
"There's a reason for that." -Julie
"What being??" -Jean Ko
"'Cause you don't look like a girl half the time." -Julie
"Yeah, I guess!" -Jean Ko :)

"I'm pretty much struggling with everything I do in my life right now, but you have to struggle to succeed." -William Hung (how cute is he!?)

"That was God smiting me for making fun of your sister." -Mark, in the middle of choking after mocking Kelsey Law

"Have you said to him, "Beelly, I love you!?" -Hugh Grant, Two Weeks Notice

"I think he thinks we're rich and that he's marrying into money, but he's got another thing coming!" -Lynda about her future son-in-law :)

"Death would be more exciting than this, and childbirth would be more enjoyable!" and "Everyone here is IDIOTS!" -- Holly during Napolean Dynamite (which we both walked out of, but I've come to like it now)

"Dig deep, guys!" -Jordan Law to our Catchprase team, while holding his hand up and no one high-fived him.... it became a running joke :)

"Ugh, I can't get this open!" -Rach (after trying hard several times... she then gave it to Ty, who opened it the first time he tried)
"Well, I guess it's retarded-proof." -Ty

"What'd you all do yesterday? Oh, we went to lunch. How long did that take? Oh, about 12 hours!" -Bill, the day we drove to Lambert's just for lunch :)

"Wow, you guys are like a French whorehouse." -Holly, because we had several different types of perfume! lol I just love Holly; I miss her now that I'm thinking through all this.

"And Mr. Sedarius would like to know if you have any sisters." -Cassandra, to a juror (she was unattractive, and Mr. Sedarius had written that note to Cassandra as a lil' joke... so, so funny when they both were finally able to laugh about it during the recess.  She covered it well in court and just acted like he thought he might know the family.)

"I like your blonde hair. But it's dark underneath... did you mean for it to be like that?" -Jenny
"Ummmm, yeah!" -Kate

"Sometimes, I don't wear bras with certain tops." -Kate
"Me too, but I don't look slutty or whorish." -Jenny
"Huh!? Did you just call me slutty and whorish in the same sentence?" -Kate

"WHO is this girl w/Ty? She does NOT look good enough for him!" -Jenny (looking at a pic she didn't realize was Rach and Ty)

"I like Ashlee Simpson's new haircut, but the color... NOOOO." 
(a few minutes later) "Hey, this looks just like your hair color!" -the one and only Jenny Womble

(Catchphrase) "I don't think you're ready for this..." -Justin
"...Jelly!" -Brandon (so fast and hilarious!)

"Beavers and ducks!" -Billy Bob Thornton, while dreaming, in Bandits (odd & hilarious movie)

"This is a game for bragging rights." -Derek (playing against little Morgan at pool)
"Ours was for bragging rights. This is about pride and integrity!" -Jordan Law, my favorite person alive at that time

"This is SMACK DAB in the middle of the blue!" -Chandler to crazy Eddie

"Of course she has more boys than girls, because her husband's a boy." -Heather, definitely speaking before she thought! lol

"Are we driving, or just FLOATING ON AIR!? This is tiggity-freakin-tight!" -J-Law, so pumped the night Rach got her X5

"I know you think you're too cool for school, but I've got a newsflash for you, Walter Cronkite -- you AREN'T." -Derek Zoolander :)

"Are you mentally handicapped?" -Aaron, (arguing his point with Mark in Debate class)
"Maybe!  I've never taken an IQ test." -Mark, never wanting to give a direct answer... so funny

"Is that a basketball goal... or a MASKED MURDERER!?" -Jordan Law, mocking Rach's irrational fears

"Havno moves with a Ninja-like silence. It's like our house is haunted." -Michael, talking about our Uncle Havno Naime (yes, that's for real)

"Ahem... always consult me before you do things like that." -Amber (Gene tried to fit the mirror into our trash can by breaking it into a million little pieces, then Mom was worried about our dog, Kelsey, stepping on the glass.)
"Oh, I don't think she'd step on it. Her paws are so tiny!" -Gene
"That...... doesn't make any sense." -Amber :)

"Get inside the system, and make it work for you like little puppets!" -Mark, commenting on Rach and I always being office aides at CHA and the perks that came along with it! ;)

"And we're also gonna need a big thing to go." -Rach (who couldn't think of the word "setup") to the waiter at Ted's... me, Megs, and Holly couldn't stop laughing about that!

"Seriously, guys, I'm allergic to Clydesdales!" -Rach being dramatic when her allergies were getting to her after our fabulous downtown carriage ride :)

"WHAT!? Ohmygosh, I'm getting wet!" -Wes, when he went to pick up the football in our neighbor's yard and their sprinklers came on right then... haaaalarious!

"Respect your elders, Megan!" -Holly
"You just said you'd rather be the moon than a llama. That pretty much cancels out the respect." -Megs :)

"Wait... FIX the lampshade." -Mark when Aron hit our lamp with a football
"This is Mark's second home you're dealing with!!" -Jason (talking about our house)

Aww, memories! =)

Happy Quotes =)

Random Quotes (verses not included) that make me smile:

"Sometimes you have to take a break from being the boss of everyone, and just... be the boss of dancing!" ~Michael Scott

"The sea was angry that day, my friends!!" -George Kostanza, dramatically explaining him saving the whale while pretending to be a marine biologist! :) I love George!

"'Pretty good!??' There's not a dark corner in the entire room!" ~Kate mocking Rach's need for lights while we sleep on our cruise... the way she said it was hilarious

In Hawaii, after me, Rach, Black, Emma, and JB had waited outside on Uncle Mike to come pick us up for quite a while, he finally showed up (after getting really lost on all the one-way streets.)
"Where the hell have you been!??" -JB, loud and already kinda laughing
"I have no idea." -Mike, so quiet, but sooo hilarious

"All I need now is a pink feather boa." -Chet, while imitating Drew Barrymore in Never Been Kissed during Zumba class, so funny

"I see your sign says, 'Jesus is the reason for the season.' Prove it, you hypocritical pharisee!" ~Blake Gruenberg, random but funny

"What is this dairy delight you speak of!??" ~Laura, appropriately mocking the product placement ads in Biggest Loser

"Is this some kind of a joke!? I was gone 3 hours!!" ~Ricky Bobby, upon coming home to find his wife remarried to his best friend, best part of the movie by far!

"I'd rather sleep on a bed of poison ivy than participate in a bouquet toss." -Tara Lynn

"I think you're acting really immature." -Rory
"I'm not acting." -Lorelai -- love the Gilmores!

"It certainly does look delicious." ~The cute redhead son on Talledega Nights, about the Applebees dinner

"Let's go! Every horror movie ever made was probably based on a true story from this town." ~Kate after going to the bathroom at a disgusting gas station, so funny

"I love that movie! I saw it 3 times." -Rach, talking about Wild Hogs
"Aww, come sit on my lap." -Kate, off in her own bizzare but funny world
"That's .......weird. Because I've seen Wild Hogs??" ~Rach

"This is mass chaos." ~K-Lamb during Partini game at NY Eve party :)

"Maxiiiiiiine, I'm HURT!" ~Mark, after his chair tipped over as he leaned back trying to play it cool in our Mafia game :)

"Typical day in the Wesselhoft household, but I don't feel the need to cry at parties." ~Holly Dei, annoyed at another girl for being a drama queen over her family issues

"Now, I have a machine gun. Ho...Ho...Ho." ~Hans, so slow and angry, Die Hard

"Oh, that Bob Richardson." ~Jon Lovitz, City Slickers II

"Wow, it has never been such a MONSTROCITY as that to shave my legs." -Kate, bc of the rocking motion of our cruise ship
(Rach making a Jim Halpert face and mouthing to me:) "Monstrocity?" -Rach

"I kinda teared up for a second! I was just glad I had on my 3D glasses..." ~Rach, while telling me about seeing Up

"WHAT!??" ~John Cusack's delayed and dramatic reaction in Serendipity

"Barry Manilow represents my very soul." ~the one and only Danielle Schmidt

"What's been keeping you so busy lately!??" -George Kostanza, totally skeptical
"Well.... mostly the chemotherapy." ~Jon Lovitz' character

"Bah-bada, Bee-bada." ~Karen Walker, Will & Grace

"You either wanna be with me or be me!" ~Nelly Furado, ManEater... love the attitude!

"You just thought all the Tanzanite was gone. The Wallaces have drawers of it!!" ~Bill Wallace, mocking Debbie for buying tons of jewelry because of a stupid sales pitch

"Hey Mike, ya know when I first started liking midgets?" ~Bill again

"If I had blue eyes, it'd be over... I wouldn't even know what to do with myself!" -the ever-humble Ty Wallace :) lol

"I am JUST LIKE Danny Ocean in Oceans 11!" ~Mark, totally serious, while playing poker at our house :)

"If I had no morals, I would totally make out with you right now!" ~Joe Crow to me at Chili's

"Wow, you are a dumb son of a b****." ~Rach
(long pause) "...Daughter." ~Kate... they're so funny together

"Yes, I was testing you. It's niiiiiiiine." ~"Mr. S" (Jack Black), as they are "learning in sing-song" on School of Rock

"Milly and me's goin' to town!!" ~one of Rach and I's fav quotes, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

"Are you yelling at me!?" -Bruce Willis as Elizabeth's dad, Paul
"God, NO." -Ross (my favorite of the friends, though no one else seems to feel that way.)

"Oy with the poodles already!" ~Lorelai Gilmore, making up a fun new phrase because the words "oy" and "poodles" are always fun to hear

Great Expectations

I saw 500 Days of Summer tonight.

In my favorite scene (this won't ruin the plot, especially since they already said "it's not a love story" in the preview) they did a split screen when he saw his ex for the first time in a while, and one side depicted his optimistic "Expectations," and the other showed the harsh "Reality." Really interesting and something I totally identify with. Unrealistic expectations and a sense of entitlement get me into so much trouble. And by trouble, I really just mean heartbreak. People aren't perfect, and realistically, they're bound to disappoint you. But still, it's hard not to expect certain treatment from those you really care about. That is a weak area for me, especially because I usually take things a bit more personally than I should.

I want to be more careful about that, because I tend to feel entitled to be treated a certain way... by others and by God. I've really been in a mood this weekend, because I'm struggling with that very thing - feeling disappointed and a little used in certain friendships, and I guess you could say I'm questioning God's plan on a few specific situations in my life and the lives of those I deeply care about. I genuinely need God's help to be able to trust Him with this stuff, because it makes zero sense to my imperfect human mind. I want Him to change these things, and I know He has the power to do it.  I'm frustrated that nothing is happening, and part of me feels that it's because He doesn't care enough, and I'm tired of praying about it.......

"We see God as a means to an end rather than the end itself... the assistant to our life, versus God as our life." Surprise, John Eldredge got it right again. I have so many expectations of God, but I sometimes forget that He also has expectations for me... and that His main goal is to change my heart, not my circumstances. I definitely forget to see HIM as my life itself.  I sooooo want this selfish attitude to change in me; I want GOD HIMSELF, knowing God intimately, to be the chief desire of my heart... for everything else to pale in comparison. I'm most definitely not there yet, but I'm pressing toward it, and I don't intend to stop!