we're goin on a mouse hunt

this is my little one... what a cutie!! i opened the blinds the other day, and she was so fascinated by the leaves blowing out on the courtyard. see, i'm not really "allowed" to have pets, per se, - but she's little trouble, so i'm sure it' s not a problem (cough, cough) - this is why my blinds are always closed.

recently, this curious princess has been enjoying a game she invented. my sis bought her some of these colorful mouse toys that are more than entertaining for kittens, and she bats them around until they end up under a piece of furniture. (my apartment is very small, so the main pieces of furniture slightly raised off the ground are the fridge, the couch, and my bed.) anyway, once all the mice are freed from their momentary beating, pessa begins to cry. so i, being the hero that i am, come along with my hanger and swipe under all the furniture until i can retrieve the missing rodents.

lately pessa has been over-zealous in her tossing, and has managed to hide the mice in places that i can't find. about every 5 minutes, i hear a little wimper, and have to grab the hanger for another search. she follows me around with this helpless look on her face and crouches down right beside me, eyes glued to the hanger, anticipating the swipe that will bring forth her prey.

for those of you who were worried, we are currently only missing 2 mice, since i found one of the new hiding places (behind my trashcan). i'll keep you posted with any new updates on this subject.

gimme a break!

this would save me so much energy next time i go home.

valtunes

i often find myself making a soundtrack of my life... you know, like in the movies. (i guess this is why i spent an unnecessarily long time working on background music for this blog.) for example, my volleyball coach in high school used to get pissed because i was always asking if we could turn on music during practices... she said that it distracted us, but it really made me feel bad-ass! i mean, come on, "rocky" just wouldn't have been the same if we watched him run up those stairs while listening to his panting, the patter of his tennis shoes, and the city traffic.

although it is sometimes an adrenaline booster, most of the time it is an emotional soundtrack... something from "hope floats" or "a walk to remember". i often wish every sentimental talk and good-bye would end with the fading-in emo, which contained all of the words that were too cliche to be said aloud. (because in reality, if you spoke the words of a song to someone, they'd think you were kinda creepy... it just works better when it's in a song and they hear it.)
somehow, artists can express my feelings better than i can.. not only on heartaches and love, but also on spirituality. i know that there are many christian bands out there, and more power to them, but i find the majority of my spiritual influence through main-stream songs. there's just something about finding a song, listening to the lyrics, and really connecting. many times, i spend (ironically) quiet time writing down lyrics of songs, and applying them to my faith. here's a "conversation" between me and God that howie day captured wonderfully... i feel like i deserve some part of this copyright!

The dawn is breaking
A light shining through
You're barely waking
And I'm tangled up in you

I'm open, you're closed
Where I'll follow, you'll go
I worry I won't see your face
Light up again

Even the best fall down sometimes
Even the wrong words seem to rhyme
Out of the doubt that fills my mind,
I somehow found you and I collide

I'm quiet, you know,
You make the first impression
I've found I'm scared to know,
I'm always on your mind.

Even the best fall down sometimes
Even the stars refuse to shine
Out of the back you fall in time
Somehow find you and I collide

Don't stop here
I lost my place
I'm close behind

Even the best fall down sometimes
Even the wrong words seem to rhyme
Out of the doubt that fills your mind
You finally find, you and I collide
You finally find, you and I collide

anyway... i guess the point is that it's very therapeutic and you should try it!

seeing is believing

i wasn't blessed with biological brothers, so God decided to put these boys into my life. now at first, i was shocked by their 8am "wake-up calls" of jumping on my bed, their sudden attacks of wrestling, and their relentless overprotective nature, but i do have to say that i have become a better woman for it.
in fact, it has actually been verbalized that they are on the '5 year plan' to domesticating me. this plan included me waking up to cook them breakfast, preparing for them a hot pot of coffee in the evening, and receiving such items as a spatula, oven mit, and "cooking for dummies" for my birthday. after all is said and done, i have to admit that i do still use the spatula and i fix one damn good cup of coffee, but as for domestication... well... maybe next year boys!

more specifically, let me introduce you to my friend, aaron. aaron is a 20-something pastor at a non-denominational church in southern indiana. his favorite attire is a white hanes t-shirt and jeans, his favorite drink is coke, his favorite game is euchre, and his favorite sport is golf. if one were to describe him in one word, i believe traditional says all that is necessary. you see, aaron is a fine young man (both in character and in physical appearance), and he is definitely out to serve the Lord. however, unless you are mrs.cleaver, i'm not sure that you'd make his list of options for a wife. at one point i thought i could suck it up and be the woman he wanted, but after realizing that i would probably have 8 kids (matthew, mark, luke, john, paul, peter, mary margaret, and elizabeth) and live somewhere in south africa where i homeschool the entire community, i decided that God had a different path for me.

i always laughed at the idea of aaron finding someone "good enough", or rather, someone submissive enough to put up with him! :) however, this past weekend, pastor aaron found himself a bride!

upon meeting his beautiful wife, i had wondered if someone had dug into his head and formed a live being out of his imagination and dreams. i was amazed at the fact that there was actually someone in the world, let alone the midwest, that matched him so perfectly. as i talked to him after the ceremony, he discussed how he was so blessed, and how glad he was that he had never compromised what it was that he desired in a woman. saturday afternoon he was awarded for his faithfulness. as i dried my eyes from "giving away" another one of my boys, i was in awe at the amount of trust he handed over to the big man upstairs. it's one thing to realize that there's a plan out there for us all, but it's truly an amazing thing to witness it. i have come to realize the value in not compromising and the truth behind "the desires of your heart".

i'm excited that God believes she is ready to be barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen, and i'm excited that He's got some more tweaking to do in my '5 year plan'.

california

well, today another chapter in the story (ok, epic) of val has been closed. one gq has officially left the chambana, and taken with him part of our hearts (oh, and his wife)!!

it's crazy to think where i'd be today if that boy hadn't walked into my life. for one, i'd be living in a trailer in southern illinois with a husband who's idea of a good time is killing large rodents, but most importantly, i wouldn't have been plugged into the group that i now call my best friends. it's so strange how, if you take the time to stop for a second, you can see the amazing work of God in your life... amazing work that we think doesn't exist sometimes, because we rarely do stop our busy lives to enjoy what and who He is working through.

although we had our strings of late night perkins and (more frequently) our busy scheduled absences, what a journey it has been. i think one of the most amazing blessings has been his wife... formerly known as miss.becca. the girl that i met my freshman year (and was terrified of because of her 'coolness' and humor) has grown to be a wonderful role model and Godly woman in my life... and of course, a good excuse for custard cup!

so as i sit here at my computer and remember the good times, i can't help but suppress the bitterness of getting left in the freakin' midwest! i better get a damn christmas card fools!!

we love you langstaffs!!

(insert profanity here)!

do you hear music? if you're using firefox, i'm guessing you don't!

i've been working my little buns off for an unecessarily long time trying to work on this template, but for some reason mozila doesn't like it! blasted! for those of you who are still in the internet explorer days.... enjoy!

(bragging rights) - for all you computery peeps out there, the little bit that i did accomplish was done alone!!! (MJS, you're nerdiness is infectious)

idle time

this one's for you t-dogg!

elfin magic

i have a public confession to make... i have been overcome by temptation and stooped to committing one of the 7 deadliest sins. my enemy has found my weakness and has presented itself as a glamourous pleasure. i introduce you to the consequences of the fall of man:
E.L. Fudge cookies

yes, my friend, they may seem harmless at first, but before you know it, addiction has its grip on you. what seems like 1 cookie here and 1 cookie there turns into 2 packages within 4 days. most can't conceive of such an atrocity, except for those who suffer from the soul-threatening habit themselves (eg becca and lauren).

these little elves have somehow taken over both my bank account and my waist line, and have given me little more than a temporary boost of sucrose. in fact, today i opened my fresh new package of sugary sin to find that my package was short 1 cookie. have i become so dependent on my butter and fudge gods that they are capable of ripping me off, and i accept it? after all, they have monopolized the market... for purchasing knock-off E.L.s seems far too dangerous.

i ask that you can all forgive this fire that i am playing with, and pray that i have the strength to overcome my addiction. there is hope... there is hope.