25 things.

1. Filing is my secret shame. I believe everything in the world has a home, and it's my responsibility to put it there.

2. I don't wash my hair very often.

3. I used to pretend I was drowning whenever my grandma took me swimming. I wanted to see if she was telling the truth when she said she couldn't swim. I never found out because she never jumped in to save me. Touche, grandma. Touche.

4. I am good at impersonating people; however, I never impersonate them on purpose--only by accident when telling a story about them.

5. I like telling stories.

6. I used to take ballet.

7. I'm really picky about my jeans. I usually buy them, return them a couple of times and ask for several opinions before keeping them.

8. I wanted to be a grandpa when I was younger. I think it was because my grandpa sometimes drove a blue moped.

9. I would drink heavy whipping cream if it was socially acceptable.

10. I don't like awkward silence. I usually just start talking.

11. I don't care about math or driving. Consequentially, I'm terrible at both.

12. I will order anything on a menu with avacado in it.

13. I can watch a movie once and quote half of the lines.

14. My 85 year old neighbor used to drive me around the block on the back of his golf cart when I was 5. One day he stopped being home. My parents finally told me five years later that he died.

15. I think brown is the prettiest color. Ever.

16. I can't sweat and I have really slow circulation.

17. I like to paint with water colors.

18. I am not very good at sleeping on my back, and I've had years of practice.

19. I would rather eat ice cream than anything else. Except avacados.

20. My mom, my sister and I were all both on the 6th day of the month.

21. I played with Trolls until I was in 5th grade.

22. I've been to a lot of really great shows. Bob Dylan is the only person left I really want to see play live.

23. I quit the Gift and Talented program at school when I was 14 because I didn't want anyone to know that I was smart. I rejoined again when I was 17 again....because I didn't want to have to sit in the hallway during our lunch hour.

24. When I was in second grade I made a Steggasaurus out of paper plates, puff balls, toothpicks and glue. I won a blue ribbon from my teacher.

25. I have really low expectations for everything. That's why I'm always so excited.

walrus.

I just found this website. Check it out.

http://www.americanmustacheinstitute.org/MustacheStyles.aspx

I think my favorite part is: "But it is important to note that the greatness of a mustache is that a new style can be created each day by any mustached man... and sometimes a woman."

top 5's.

I stole this from Trostest with the Mostest and Swilson. :)

Here's a list of my Top 5's from 2008

Top 5 Concerts:
1. Ray LaMontange in KC
2. Ryan Adams and the Cardinals
3. Amos Lee at Peoples
4. Matt Wertz--always
5. Jonny Lang at RIBFEST AMERICA

Top 5 Events:
1. DTC Dodgeball
2. Ribfest America
3. DTC retreat
4. My niece turned ONE!
5. Faithwalkers

Top 5 Totally random events that turned in to way too much fun:
1. Steele Crosswhite at Drake
2. Pumpkinpalooza
3. Monday night prayer walk
4. Johnny Five's Birthday and outside volleyball
5. Summer Olympics viewing party

Top 5 new gadgets/favorite things I discovered this year
1. Des Moines. I just really love it.
2. The DTC--changed my life.
3. My beach cruiser
4. LA BARISTA. Best coffee in Des Moines.
5. China Place lunch special.

Top 5 Movies
1. The Dark Night
2. Kung Foo Panda
3. It's a Wonderful Life--I've never seen it before!
4. Chronicles of Narnia
5. Expelled

Top 5 Favorite Quotes of the year:
1. Anything out of Andrew Meyer's mouth.
2. "Top of the morning to ya, Miss Kelli!"--Cobi Vetrus
3. "Just...everybody grab a crapton."-Darrin Miedema "How much IS a crapton?"-Kim Sadewasser
4. "Are you ready to party like a ROCK STA-aaaar. OH NO!"--Cara Seifert
5. "If I ever have a son, I'm going to name him Oscar."--Justin Meyer

Top 5 Books I've read this year:
1. Wednesdays with Barry
2. Crazy/Love
3. The Glass Castle
4. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
5. Three Cups of Tea

Top 5 CDs I was obsessed with this year:
1. Ray LaMontange-Gossip in the Grain
2. Matt Wertz-Under the Summer Sun
3. Matt Nathanson
4. NeadtoBreath
5. Ryan Adams-Heartbreaker

hide-and-seek.

I used to love hiding. I don't know if was the thrill of accidentally being found by an unsuspecting "seeker", or the comfort of knowing that if I tried hard enough....I could tuck myself away from the rest of the world for as long as I liked and then BAM! I'd make my grand re-appearance upon my leisure.

One summer evening, when I was about five or six, I went came inside from my backyard and discovered that my dad wasn't at home and my mom was in the shower. I patted myself on the back for being responsible and returning home at dusk without any verbal prompts from my parents.....and then came up with a brilliant plan.

I went to my parents' bedroom, flattened myself out on the floor as best as I could and quickly rolled myself under their queen size bed. My plan of action: wait in the secret shadows of the bed's underbelly until my mom returned to her room to get dressed. The second she walked anywhere near the edge of the bed, I would grab her ankles as a "surprise", which would make her scream and squeal and probably pee all over herself. Upon her recovery of total shock and terror, she would laugh, compliment me for being sneaky and clever and then give me some sort of treat.

The best laid plans, right?

I ended up falling asleep before my mom even got out of the shower.

She got dressed and went outside to call me in. After searching around the house....block....neighborhood...and talking with neighbors who said that I had gone home "hours ago", she alerted the police and relatives who lived in towns nearby. A search-party was quickly formed and the town was blanketed with people who wanted to find me.

My small hometown turned itself upside down looking for their most prized citizen. The city police blamed themselves for not protecting its townspeople better. Women, children and babies were crying at the thought of such a great loss. Grown men were sobbing too. My older sister, who never had any interest in me until I suddenly disappear, grieved the loss of her only sibling by throwing a fit and asking to sleep in my parents' bedroom that night while the manhunt outside continued.

As my grandma put my sister into the bed she noticed a shoelace trailing out from under the mattress. She reached her hand under the bed, wrapped her old wrinkled fingers around something warm and fleshy and pulled out her favorite grandchild, who up until that point had been peacefully sleeping. My grandma picked me up, wrapped me in her arms and tearfully told me "I love you."

The funny thing is, no one was mad. They had every reason to be. But everyone was just happy that I had returned. Safe. Sound. All parts of me still stuck together.

In Matthew 18:12-13 it says "If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray." God loves us and rejoices over us when we return to him too. He isn't mad that we wasted his time. He isn't mad that we wandered away or intentionally left him. He has every reason to be.

We can't really hide from God. Sometimes I try, but he is always there to pull me out from under the bed, tell me he loves me and welcome me home.

undecided.

People have been telling me for quite some time to get a blog.

So here it is.

I sort of think blogs are a little weird. It's like letting the whole world into your mind, whether you post your deepest secrets or just some off-the-cuff thoughts of the day. To me, that's frightening...because I have very long days and a lot of thoughts.

BTW; I'm sure you're all wondering and the answer is yes. I totally intend to post my deepest, darkest secrets on here.