Karen's Lord of the Blogs

January 26, 2006

I'm the worst...

Here it is, the beginning of a new year, ok... it's not even the beginning of a new year any more... it's like, the end of the beginning of a new year. It's the 26th day of the first month of the new year! I'm only now making my first blog entry? What kind of blogger am I?! I'm a slacker. I admit it. It's a good thing my New Year's Resolution wasn't to keep up with blogging. I knew better.

Today, I am at my first concert of the New Year. The Indescribable Tour. Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman, Louis Giglio. A good tour. All good people. Good show. Good venue. Good times. Plus, my husband came along! Who could ask for anything more!? Not me.

I'm tired, though, and it's cold in here... the production cave. I'm just awaiting my husband's arrival, and the show's beginning. Wahoo! A smooth day for me. The show's first day of the spring leg. A few bumps for them, but all in all, a good day. Did I mention I was tired?

Posted by karen at 05:57 PM | Comments (1)

December 13, 2005

Christmas in the South

Hello all! It's been a long, long, long, long, long time. I apologize. A lot has happened in the last 4 months! I got married. I moved. I've been to Vegas. I have a new job. New relatives... the list goes on and on!

I just wanted to take a short moment to reflect on this new season of my life and this new season in the south! Yep, Christmas is what I'm talking about. The first peculiarity was spending the day after Thanksgiving at the beach. Yep, me and my husband spent the Thanksgiving holiday at the beach with his Mom & a friend. It was fantastic! But weird. Waking up to the sound of the surf is always a welcome noise, but hearing it in November is something to get used to.

Secondly, it's just a complete adjustment to adjust to the holidays away from the snow! I've seen photos from PA with the snow and such, and let me tell you, here in NC, we just don't see that sort of thing. I'm told that it may ice every once in awhile, possibly snow once in a blue moon. Again... weird.

I must confess I get a little weepy every once in awhile missing my friends and family from back home in PA. I get all nostalgic. Last night was the Creative Ministries Christmas party. I nearly had a small meltdown, but my fantastic husband helped keep my mind off of it. And he is fantastic. I couldn't be happier and more blessed to have such a wonderful and understanding husband. He allows me just the right amount of nostalgia, and the right amount of cheering up. I am still the luckiest woman in the world!

So, while this year is quite the adjustment with all these new things. I am blessed with a wonderful family in NC, and my PA family is coming to visit, and I will get to visit them too. So, again... weird, but in a good way. Bring it on... Happy Southern Holidays... um... y'all.

Posted by karen at 08:10 PM | Comments (1)

May 07, 2005

It's been awhile...

Again. I'm such a slacker. I guess life gets too busy for me to focus on sitting and talking about my life. I admire those who put aside the time to do it, because I think it's a very cool thing. I just have to focus on it, I guess. Stacey, for instance, maintains her blog pretty darn well. She also journals regularly and writes some great poetry and stories, so I guess therein lies the difference. Sigh. It's all good. While I can write, I've never claimed to be a prolific writer. I am an award winning poet, however, from my one submission back when I was in sixth grade. I cling to these achievements to make myself feel better when I feel like I should be doing better.

Anyway... today, Saturday, May 7, I hope to make a terribly productive day, with a bit of fun mixed in. In about 10 minutes, I'm off to my local consignment shop to find some summer non-t-shirt shirts. I've got enough t-shirts to last me until the next millenium, but those other shirts are the tricky ones. Then, I'm going to the ReSort, where they take used books for the next book sale. I've got my trunk full of them. THEN, I'm heading into Lancaster to find a particular soundtrack I'm looking for. So much to do. PLUS, Stacey is going to call me about going to the March for Parks in York where Starbucks abounds. It's a beautiful day, I think I'm going to do it.

I want to go to church tonight, since tomorrow is Mother's Day and we've got lunch plans with the fam. Our traditional stop at Olde Greenfield Inn. It's a wonderful spot.

And to top that off, if I happen to get bored, I have Creation apps out the wazoo to work on. So, this weekend should be busy, which is good... because all I want to think about is driving to NC on Wednesday so I can see Robin again. It's been over a month since I've seen my fiance... there's just something wrong with that.

So... here's to a well-planned, productive weekend!

Posted by karen at 09:43 AM | Comments (1)

March 14, 2005

My Life as A Doorstop...

Last night, some friends and I went to my favorite restaurant, TJ Rockwell's in Elizabethtown, PA. They have the awesomest food and beverages in the land! This being such a fine eating establishment, there is generally a wait to be seated. Not usually a long wait, and believe me, it's totally worth it, but tonight, we happened to be waiting in the doorway. I was given the opportunity to hold the door open for the majority of the people coming and going while we were waiting to be seated. It was brought to my attention yesterday that I had not blogged in awhile, and as suggested, as my long-awaited return to blogging, I will recount some of the comments made to me while I was holding the door open:

1. Thanks!
2. Are you taking tips?
3. I don't want to squish you back there.
4. Thank you.
5. Boo!
6. Hey thanks!
7. Oh! I didn't see you back there... thank you.

So, there you have it. My life as a doorstop.

Posted by karen at 10:23 AM | Comments (2)

February 24, 2005

What!? Two days in a row!

I know, I didn't mean to shock anyone by writing two days in a row, but... well, here I am! I have time, so I'm going to do it, darn it! First though, I need to go make pancakes for dinner. Stand by...

Wow. Those were some tasty pancakes. Not as good as Pampered Chef's bake mix pancakes. I would highly recommend those, if you've never tried them. Tonight, I had Bisquick Blueberry pancakes. They were tasty. The sad part is, I can't eat nearly all of the pancakes that the mix makes, so I end up pitching more than half of it. Oh well.

So, the big snow storm we were supposed to get today. Didn't really happen. I stayed home to work, for fear of the snow, but it didn't really happen. I have to admit, I really enjoyed working from home. I got to periodically jump on my exercise bike, have the travel channel on most of the day, while I was working, and make whatever I felt like for lunch. How great is that? I won't get used to it, though. I know it won't happen very often. Plus, I never know if I will have internet access at home or not.

I've also been having some seriously vivid dreams lately. Consider this a ranting aside, if you will. I don't think I've gone a single day in the last two weeks without having a dream. Most of them have been good dreams, but I have had a number of nightmares. What is the cause of that, I wonder? If anything, I've been taking less drugs to sleep. Maybe that's the key.

Anyhoo... there you have it! Two... count them... two blog entries in a row!

Posted by karen at 06:14 PM | Comments (2)

February 23, 2005

Elusive Sleep

Did you ever feel like you were trying really hard for something, but it was just out of your grasp? You keep persuing and it's just out of reach. I'm dealing with that in several areas of my life right now, but the most physically obvious is my sleep. I have been trying method after method to bring sleep to me. First off, to complicate, some of the prescriptions that I'm taking make me sleepy. You wouldn't think this would be a complication, but, alas, it is. For they make me almost too sleepy, so when I take them at night, I can't wake up in the morning, so I take them in the morning, and I struggle to stay conscious through the day. I'm convinced this will even out eventually.

Secondly, I had been taking over the counter sleep aids to fall asleep and stay asleep. This works splendidly, but to be honest, I don't think it's healthy to rely on a sleep aid to try and sleep all the time, even though it works GREAT! So, for the past two nights, ok, three now... I haven't been able to go to bed as early as I would like, or to fall asleep as quickly. I have a feeling it's a lot like it would feel like to beat one's head against a brick wall. However, since I have never experienced this, I am only speculating.

This theme has begun to spill over into other areas of my life. The beating of one's head is that of which I am speaking (trying to avoid the dangling preposition, and it comes out all 'formal'). Anyhoo... there are things in my life that are out of my control and that drives me absolutely crazy. As anyone who remotely knows me knows... I am a bit of a control freak with a touch of OCD on the side. I know... go figure. But when things are out of my control, and I try really, really hard to take control and it doesn't work, I get frustrated.

I'm feeling a little on the outside of a lot of areas of my life right now, and I know some of that is my fault... probably a good portion, but there's the little voice in the back of my head that keeps thinking that it's not all my fault, and somehow, I am on the outside looking in... almost pounding on the glass, and I can't break through. How about that for a metaphor, huh?

Posted by karen at 11:23 PM | Comments (1)

February 15, 2005

Going home

It's Tuesday, and I'm heading home from North Carolina. The worst part of this trip is that I have no idea when Robin & I will get to be together again. In the past, we've always had another trip planned, but this time, we don't. It's getting a little expensive to fly, which is the best way to travel. I sure wish I was independently wealthy.

Yesterday was pretty uneventful, which I knew it was going to be, Robin still recovering from mono, and Robin kept telling me he didn't want me to be disappointed with our first Valentine's Day together. The truth is, it was disappointing, but not because we couldn't do anything, but I felt more disappointed because he wasn't feeling any better. I know it was misiniterpreted, but that's the truth.

Now, I'm leaving in less than an hour, and I'm pretty sad about that. I don't want to leave. Especially since I've had a chance to help out a little bit, running errands and such, and now I feel a little like I'm abandoning them. Plus, with the added fact that I won't know when I'm going to be coming back.

Oh well, as we keep reminding each other, God is in control.

Posted by karen at 11:02 AM | Comments (0)

February 12, 2005

Sitting at the airport...

Here I am again, sitting at HIA. Waiting to board my first of two flights today on a dinky little airplane. It's a ridiculous hour of the morning. It's not even 6am yet. At least when I started typing this. By the time I post, it will no doubt be after 6. Still... what are all of these people doing up this early?! It's EARLY, people! Go back to bed! I wish I could.

I'm excited about this weekend, spending my first Valentine's day with Robin. It should be a great weekend, even though he is still recovering from Mono.He's getting better, so that's a good thing, but 'taking it easy' is the theme of the weekend.

Tina, one of my NC friends, is picking me up at the airport and we're going out for breakfast when I arrive in Greensboro. That should be fun, provided I don't fall asleep in my food.

So, I hope everyone has a great weekend... I might try to keep up with my blog this weekend, but I make no promises.

Posted by karen at 05:58 AM | Comments (0)

February 07, 2005

Happy Monday!

It's Monday. It's an absolutely beautiful day outside. The sun is shining, birds are singing... I love it. It almost feels like Spring. I won't get too excited though. I know another blast of winter is just around the corner. I will, however, enjoy it while it lasts.

So, the weekend was wonderfully uneventful. I slept a lot. I did my laundry. I cleaned up my house. I even started my taxes. I couldn't finish them because I need a different form this year, but I got a good start on them! I went to church. It was really nice and uneventful.

On Friday night, my parents and I went to a Spaghetti Dinner with my brother to benefit the 5th Grade class camping trip at his school. It was fun. Seeing his students, good food, hanging with my family. Here's the funny part...they had these 'gift baskets' that you could buy little raffle tickets to win. The tickets were a dollar a piece, and I bought five, more to benefit the class than anything. I never win stuff like this. Well, I'm sure you can tell where this story is going... I won one of the baskets! I'm not even sure what's in it. I really wanted to win the Playstation basket... but no luck. The one I won has little food stuff in it. It's pretty big. Even funnier, my mom won another one of the baskets. Hers was tickets to the Dutch Apple Dinner Theater. There were only, maybe, five baskets, so it's funny that I won one, and my mom won another one. Yay, us!

I didn't watch much of the Super Bowl last night. I got a nasty headache, so I couldn't even go watch it with my friends. I was bummed about that, but at least the headache went away pretty quickly, and I got a good night's sleep. That's always a good thing.

Posted by karen at 01:53 PM | Comments (1)

February 04, 2005

Prayer Requests Aplenty...

Hello my little group of friends who read my blog. I have a few prayer requests to pass along. Prayer Request #1. My boyfriend, Robin, is very sick. He has mono. I blame myself. I had mono when I was in high school, and once you've had it, you can't get it again, but you are still a carrier until the end of time. I feel horribly guilty, even though there really wasn't anything I could do about it, aside from the obvious. So, please pray for a quick recovery, regained strength and lots of good rest in the meantime. We both would appreciate it! I am making a trip down there next weekend for Valentine's Day even if I have to sit there and watch him sleep. I want us to be together on Valentine's Day, darn it!

Prayer Request #2. My friend, Stacey, is recovering from her second and final surgery to correct her Ulcertive Colitis. This is an amazing step forward for her, but I know prayers for a smooth transition into her new 'system' would be appreciated. Quick healing and return to 'normal' would be great.

Prayer Request #3. My headaches. I am trying some new drugs for my headache prevention because as of late, my headaches have been more frequent. So far, I have been headache free since Wednesday, which is a good start, seeing as how I've only been on the combined new stuff for about a week and a half. I'm praying that this will work and my headaches will become much less frequent, or if I get them, they will be much less intense.

Finally, Prayer Request #4. Please pray for Robin & I and our relationship. Every thing is absolutely great. Totally. I just know that I would appreciate your prayers as we continue our relationship that everything we do would be with our focus on God.

Thanks! I appreciate all of you so much!

Posted by karen at 03:12 PM | Comments (1)

January 28, 2005

Sitting at the airport...

Waiting for my plane. Going to North Carolina. The flights before mine were both cancelled. I'm a little nervous about that. It says they were delayed because of lack of flight crews. Hmmm. So, I'm going to Pittsburgh first, hoping to have a happy flight crew. I imagine they might be a little overworked. Everyone should really be super nice to their flight attendants. I plan on doing that... I always do, but I want to be super nice today!

Posted by karen at 05:05 PM | Comments (0)

January 25, 2005

Where has the time gone?

Holy Cow. Suddenly, it's January 25! How is that even possible? The last entry I posted was two weeks ago! Yeesh. I feel like such a slacker.

I've seen a couple movies since then (Elektra, In Good Company, The Aviator)... seen my boyfriend when he came up here to visit, cleaned my house! The list goes on and on!

So, I'm travelling again this weekend. I'm pretty excited. I just can't seem to spend enough time with Robin! It's frustrating to live so far apart. I would like things much better if we were, say, even an hour apart, but no... we have to live stinkin' 7 hours apart. Oh well. God has a purpose for everything. I just need to remind myself of that evey once in awhile.

So, apparently, yesterday was the 'worst day of the year.' Stray told me that this morning. So, I looked it up, and some British psychologist has a formula that scientifically says that yesterday would be the most depressing day of 2005. I think that's good news! It's already out of the way. Things are only going to get better from here on out. Right on! That's something to be happy about, now isn't it?

Posted by karen at 03:22 PM | Comments (1)

January 07, 2005

Christmas is Over

The last of the Christmas presents have been opened, and the Epiphany is past. For me, that definitely signals the end of the Christmas season. It was time for the decorations to come down, so last night, that's exactly what happened. Isn't it amazing how much faster it is to take down, than to put up? I had all of my Christmas decorations stipped from the walls and the tree in under 3 hours. It easily took me four times that to get the house decorated. What's up with that?

I even have most of my Christmas presents in their new homes. I was on a mission last night. In order to get my life back to a semblance of normalcy, I needed my house to be in a semblance of normalcy. Now, it is. Whew. Sigh of relief. I even got most of my laundry done last night, which was a major accomplishment, coming home from a week long trip.

My next step is to organize my 2004 receipts, in preparation for taxes. I'm ready. I have my PA State tax booklet, and my Federal Tax booklet. All I need are the W-2's. I'm ready. Bring it.

Posted by karen at 12:45 PM | Comments (2)

January 06, 2005

I'm back...

Today is Thursday. I got home from North Carolina last night. I'm sad. I miss Robin. I wish I was still with him.

My house is a mess. It's like it exploded or something. I tried to unpack some stuff last night, but I was too tired to finish. I want my Christmas decorations to be gone, but they're still up. My mail from the past week is all over my kitchen. My laundry is desperately needing to be done, and there is no food in my house, so the grocery shopping also needs to be done. Give me a couple days, and my life will be re-organized, but right now, I totally hate it. My brain is still in North Carolina. My heart is still in North Carolina.

It was good to get off the plane last night and see my parents. That was definitely a good thing. It was also nice to come back to work and have not much change, but, well, last week was such a great week, I didn't want to come back!

So, Robin will be here in a little over a week for our Staff retreat, so that's a good thing. That may be just enough time to get my life back in order from Christmas and travelling. Maybe enough to keep my mind on something else while I'm waiting for next Saturday. :)

Posted by karen at 02:47 PM | Comments (0)

January 04, 2005

Time to come home

Much to my dismay, my stay here in North Carolina has almost come to an end. Tomorrow is the day that I have to return home. I have to admit, I'm pretty sad about that. This has been an outstanding weekend. Full of actual 'dates,' and time spent with my boyfriend...in person. That is a hot commodity when you live seven hours apart. By the end of this trip, we will have spent just about an entire week together, just about 24/7. I got to spend time with Robin's family and friends. We went shopping together, and church, and just about everywhere. It's been great. I don't want to come home.

On the other side, I miss my friends and family, although I have had contact with them via IM and the phone. Not quite the same, but I guess if I end up moving down here, that's going to be the way it is. It's hard to imagine. Kind of weird, but I do like it here a lot. They have sweet tea! Have you ever had good Southern sweet tea? It's outstanding. No, really. TOTALLY OUTSTANDING. If I needed a reason to move down here, that would almost be good enough. I don't need that excuse, of course, but there it is, if I would.

So, the moral of this story is that I don't really want to come home, because it's harder and harder to spend time away from Robin, but I know I have to, so I will.

Posted by karen at 04:57 PM | Comments (1)

January 02, 2005

What Day is It?

Were you ever on a trip and you just couldn't figure out what day it was? Well, that's how my trip is starting to become. Days are flowing into each other... I can't remember what's going on. It's kind of a great feeling. Stuff just keeps happening, and I just keep rolling with it. It's nice.

I'm still in North Carolina. Having an awesome time. Tonight, Robin & I went out with some friends to a cool pizza and wings place and then back to their house to play some games. It was a nice, relaxing evening. I really, really enjoyed it. These were the same cool folks who hosted the New Year's Eve party two nights ago.

Last night, Robin's brother and his family came over for dinner, and then his neice, Kara spent the night. She is an incredibly cute little girl of five. She has an overwhelming abundance of energy and talking skills. She opened my Christmas present to her last night, and we proceeded to have an excess of tea parties for the rest of the evening and also this morning, as soon as I woke up. It really was a lot of fun. We also got to watch Barbie's 'The Princess and the Pauper," and a portion of a Care Bear's video. This morning, we all went to church together and had lunch afterwards where Kara was reunited with her family and went home.

This afternoon, Robin got the work done he needed to do, and I perused a very cool Cake book his Mom has. Not a bad way to spend an afternoon. I also packaged up some of my stuff to ship back because on the trip down here, my luggage was already over-weight, and I got Christmas presents to boot! Needless to say, I needed to create some space in my luggage, not add to it. Best solution, ship it back. When Robin was done working, we took a walk around the neighborhood behind his house and then left to meet Todd & Tina, and their adorable daughter, Savannah.

So, the trip goes well. I'm having a fantastic time. It's really going to be hard to leave on Wednesday. But I suppose I will have to come back to work. Oh! I was just thinking of great things about North Carolina, and I don't believe I mentioned that we went to a real Krispy Kreme restaurant for breakfast yesterday morning. How cool is that? So, there you have it. Good times, my friends, good times.

Posted by karen at 09:16 PM | Comments (2)

January 01, 2005

Happy 2005!

Ok, it's now 2005. I resolve to try really hard to keep up with my blog. I have been very very delinquent the past month. So much is going on, it's really hard to keep up. But it's a new year, with new opportunitues and a completely blank slate. I'm going to give it a shot.

Today, I am in North Carolina, celebrating the New Year with my boyfriend, Robin. Robin is one of the many many blessing God has bestowed upon me this year. With everything going on in the world today, I have really begun to notice just how blessed I am. I am so thankful for that. Life's little problems just aren't worth getting upset over, when there is so much tragedy in the rest of the world.

I recently took an on-line test that characterized my strengths by category, out of a choice of 34 different categories. By taking a series of 180 questions, it determined my 'strength' categories. Here's what it came up with for me... 'Adaptability,' 'Developer,' 'Belief,' Responsibility,' and 'Relator.' Each category had a little description... see if you think it's me... Adaptability means I like to take things as they come and discover the future one day at a time... Developer means I see and cultivate the potential in others, and derive satisfaction from spotting signs of small imporovements... Belief says that I have core values that are unchanging and define a purpose for my life... Responsibility says that I take psychological ownership of what I say I will do, and am committed to honesty and loyalty, and Relator says that I enjoy close relationships with others, and find deep satisfaction in working hard with friends to achieve a goal. Overall, I think it's pretty accurate. It was interesting to do and see the results.

Last night, New Year's Eve, was a super fun evening here in North Carolina. We went to a nice little party with Robin's Care Group from church. We ate super good food, played some fun party games and rang in the New Year. There were three couples, two kids, and one person whose husband and son were sick so they had to stay home. It was a fun little party, an event that I haven't been able to enjoy on New Year's for some time, but I had a really really fun time.

So, the New Year is upon me. 2005. This would be the year of my 15 year High School Reunion, if I did such things. My 11 year College Reunion, if they had such things, and 13 years at my current job. I have a feeling that 2005 is going to be bringing a lot of changes in my life, new and exciting ones, but I am totally trusting God to lead me where He will. Thank goodness it's out of my hands and He is in control.

So, I pray humongous blessings on all of my friends and family this year. I pray everyone loves each other whole-heartedly and takes care of each other. Happy 2005!

Posted by karen at 09:36 AM | Comments (1)

November 26, 2004

Help!

I think the guys installing the carpet here in the offices are trying to asphixiate Kate and I. At least that's the way it feels. If we are found dead in our offices... you'll all know why. I've been trapped here in my office for about an hour at least. They are gluing the carpet down now, so I think they're nearing the end, and I'll be able to go make copies. I need to do that to finish my settlement packet for the Michael W. Smith concert on Sunday.

So, I was really excited about going to see Finding Neverland on Wednesday, right? Well, I got to the theater, and they had cancelled the showing. The studio pulled the print and they didn't have the movie anymore. Very disappointing. So, I sent my family into see National Treasure, because I thought it was really good, and I went home and got some work done. Not exactly what I had in mind for the evening, but it all worked out.

Yesterday, Thanksgiving, I woke up with a nasty migraine. Luckily, the wonders of Imitrex helped get rid of it by 9:30 and I was able to leave for home in time to catch some of the Macy's Parade. I also got to watch a nice portion of the Dog Show, after the Parade... I love that.

Now, I am here at work instead of out braving the crowds and shopping, which I would MUCH rather be doing, although I don't have that much money right now anyway, so maybe it's all for the best. I hope to decorate, or at least assemble my tree tonight and get lights on it. That will be festive. Yep, I'm up for festive this year. Bring on the Christmas, darn it... BRING...IT...ON!

Posted by karen at 02:43 PM | Comments (0)

November 23, 2004

Cell Phone Morals

So, have you ever been on your cell phone, and not known that you were roaming, only to find that, when you got your bill, you had spent $300 worth of minutes? Well, that happened to me not long ago. So, being the intelligent girl that I am. I made my way to the Cingular/AT&T store today to switch my plan to a MORE intelligent plan for a girl with a boyfriend in North Carolina. Unbeknownst to me, I should have stayed home, paid more money, and kept my life a LOT simpler. I suppose it will be worth it in the long run. Here's my saga...

I went to the Cingular store, which was formerly the AT&T store, happily, to switch my plan to their GSM plan, no roaming, no long distance charges, and I'll get a spiffy new polyphonic phone...woo hoo! So, all of the nice people are busy helping someone else, so I'm waiting... and waiting... and waiting... for about 20 minutes. Not a problem. I should be at work, but I need this plan switched, so I wait. Finally, someone emerges from the back to help me. This nice man can't find his passcode to log into the computer. He's 'new.' Ok. I smile. No problem. So, I wait some more while he searches for his passcode. He finds it. Good... we're on our way. We choose my plan... 600 anytime minutes with rollover, with unlimited nights and weekends. We choose the phone. A Motorola V180. Nothing fancy. Good, good. All is well. I can keep my old phone number, right? I ask. Yep. Good, good. What is your number? I give it to him. He punches it in the computer. Hmmm.... he says. Uh-oh. This is not a good sign. I can tell. Is this a corporate account? Um... no. Hmmm. Has it ever been a corporate account? No. Hmm. He calls over someone else. They look at the computer screen, puzzled. They punch some keys. Did someone change this to a corporate account? No? Maybe your boyfriend? Uh... no. Hmmm. This goes on for about ten minutes. Finally, they determine they can't help me, and I have to call a toll free number to get my new plan because for some reason, when AT&T merged with Cingular, and they pulled the records together, someone, somewhere, decided that I was a corporation. This must have been because of the $300 phone bill. No one person in their right mind could possibly have had a $300 phone bill. They must be a company.

The saga continues... they call the toll free number, which happens to be the Cingular Business number. I am now on the phone for another 40 minutes, lining up my new service plan with a woman in some other part of the country. She's asking me for all of my information again. I ask her. I can keep my old number, right? Yes... she says. Ok... I'm not holding my breath, but I sure hope she's right. Then, after going through all of the plan information, and we start to talk about the phone. She puts me on hold to find a price for the phone. She comes back and tells me they don't make that phone for Cingular. I tell her I'm looking at the Cingular box right in front of me. I read the model number and everything. She still doesn't believe me, so I give the phone to my nice friend who tried to help me at the store. She won't believe me... I say. He tells her. She won't believe him either. He finally convinces her, about another 10 minutes later. So, at some point, 3 to 5 business days from now, an elf will show up at my door with my new cell phone, all ready to go. Here's hoping.

The moral of this story is... DON'T CHANGE YOUR CELL PLAN! If you do... just do it on-line or something. Or pray that your cell company doesn't merge with another one. There's a moral here somewhre... a good one... I just know it!

Posted by karen at 06:12 PM | Comments (0)

November 22, 2004

I am such a blog delinquent!

Forgive me, my friends! My life has gotten out of control! I have absolutely no time to myself anymore, so I am now blogging at 10 o'clock at night, when I should be home in bed... so I'll make this quick. Let me sum up:

1. North Carolina was AWESOME! BEST WEEKEND EVER!
2. Stacey's surgery went really well. She's at home recovering and Mom & Dad are here taking care of her for another week or so.
3. The Newsboys show wasn't so bad.
4. Thanksgiving is coming up... which means Christmas isn't far behind.
5. Ann's Bridal Shower/Tea was fun... I won Bridal Bingo because I ROCK!
6. I need to clean my house, and I can't seem to find enough time to spend in it to do that.
7. Only 2 concerts to go! WOO HOO!
8. Since I last reported, I saw The Incredibles...Incredible...Polar Express...creepy...The Spongebob Squarepants Movie...funny...and National Treasure...awesome. Finding Neverland is scheduled for Wednesday, and I might sneek in Ray tomorrow night, if I can get out of the office.
9. My next plane trip is Dec. 30, start praying...but more importantly, and MOST excitingly...
10. Robin is coming to visit on DEC. 9! YIPEE!!!

Ok, that's a wrap... It's all I have time for, I'm going to fall asleep on my computer. Peace out, YO!

Posted by karen at 09:51 PM | Comments (0)

November 11, 2004

I'll Fly Away

Tomorrow at this time, I'll be sitting in an airport, or possibly on a plane, preparing to fly for the first time since September 11, 2001, when I swore I would never fly again. It's amazing what a few years and an amazing person will do, isn't it? I'm flying to North Carolina to visit Robin. I've been practicing my meditation exercises. There has been lots of prayer, which will continue into tomorrow, and beyond. I've contemplated the drugs that I can take, but pretty much any option that I have would render me unconscious for the weekend, so that's not really an option at all. So, I'm counting on my prayers and the prayers of my friends to get me through. I'm very nervous. But it will all be worth it. This is going to be a great weekend. I'm a little nervous about meeting Robin's neice Kara. She's the cutest little girl, and has Robin wrapped around her little finger. She means the world to him. Which is awesome, but it also means that I want to make a good impression. She already knows about me and is excited about meeting me, too, so that's a good sign. Just another step along the journey...as we would say. :)

Another thing I have had to contemplate for this trip is how to pack. I'm not a very good packer. I like to have choices when dressing in the morning. When flying on a plane, you can't have too many choices. You need to keep it simple. I'm not really good at that. I spent last night trying on outfits to determine what I could take that might be able to be swapped out for something else. I need choices in my clothing. I've ended up with not too many so far. I still have one more night to pack. Whew. I dress according to mood and comfort. This is all very important, or at least it's a distraction so I don't have to think about the flying.

So, there you have it. I'll be flying tomorrow. The next time I write here, I will have done so. Woo hoo. Pray for me, if you think of it! Thanks!

Posted by karen at 10:19 AM | Comments (1)

November 09, 2004

What?

I feel like I am walking around in a state of "huh?" today. Do you know what I mean? I'm still very sleepy from the weekend and it's like my brain is struggling to try and catch up with where the week is going. It's Tuesday, right? That just doesn't seem possible. I mean, I'm glad it's Tuesday. The sooner I can get this week over with, the better. I'm looking forward to Friday very much. Well, sort of...I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm really looking forward to Friday, because I get to go to North Carolina, but I have to do that on an airplane. Haven't done THAT in a long time. I'm a little, er, a LOT anxious about that. I know it will be ok, I just can't help freaking out about it. Dramamine is out of the question, since I want to be conscious when I arrive in North Carolina, and drinking before noon is just ridiculous any day of the week. So, I'm thinking deep breathing exercises, and then maybe I'll just pass out sometime before the plane takes off. All will be well.

It's cold in my office today. I can't tell if my nails are purple, because I have nail polish on, but I bet they are. I've been on a Jars of Clay kick lately. Ever since I saw them last weekend, I've been listening to their first album. There's just something about classic Jars that I love. I decided the other day, that they are my favorite Christian band. Go figure. I never knew until that moment. But there it is. They are. Good to know, huh?

I can't wait to see The Incredibles this weekend. I've been waiting to see it with Robin. Those who know me know that this is a big deal. I would have been to the theater on opening weekend to see this at least once. I'm glad to do it, though. The anticipation is great, and it will be SO cool to see it with him. :) I am SO looking forward to seeing Boundin' the Pixar short playing in front of the movie. I've been waiting for a year to see this short. It's about a dancing sheep! How cute is that?! A dancing sheep! I can't wait. This is going to be an OUTSTANDING weekend. I can tell.

Posted by karen at 12:52 PM | Comments (2)

November 08, 2004

Third & Independence!

Well, I survived the weekend. For those of you who didn't know, we took a road trip to my friends' wedding in North Carolina. The Outer Banks to be exact. A really pretty area that I would love to return to someday, if given the opportunity. The weather was beautiful, the wedding was beautiful... the travelling... not so much. There was much drama in picking up our friend Rona in Washington D.C. on the way down to North Carolina... let me explain...

Rona was visiting some friends in Washington D.C. and we were picking her up on the way to the wedding. Ann had coordinated with Rona to pick her up at the Native American Museum, or something along those lines. Well, apparently, there are more than one Native American Museum's in Washington D.C. Also apparently, D.C. is a bad place to be on a Friday afternoon, although this wasn't much of a surprise. So, we are driving around D.C., no map, heading to the wrong museum, hoping desperately to find her...somewhere in the city. Imagine us, if you will, spotting the Capitol building, spotting the Washington Monument, knowing we somehow needed to get there, but not really knowing how. So, I called my dad. He lived in D.C. long ago, and he had a map. So, after stopping to ask some non-English speaking construction workers for directions, taking direction from my dad over the cell phone, talking to Rona, who kept moving from one intersection to the next, we finally found her at Third and Independence, which is RIGHT across from the Capitol. Good times, good times.

So, moving on from there, or barely moving, as the case may be, we found our way past the Pentagon (very cool, by the way, and I quote Stacey "Hey what's that big Pentagon shaped building over there?") onto 95 south, and inched our way, about 2 miles an hour out of D.C. There's just something about Virginia and their highways and travelling on Fridays on your way to North Carolina that isn't a good thing. I would know. We made it to North Carolina by about 11:30pm, in time to go to sleep in our cute little hotel, the Island Guesthouse. Fun.

The Wedding was beautiful. The Church was beautiful. The programs were beautiful. Everyone in the wedding was beautiful. The reception was at the Elizabethan Gardens and THEY were beautiful. It was just a great, great event. I'm so happy for Stray and Melody! I'm so excited for them to get back to Lancaster! Our drive home, which came immediately after the cutting of the cake at the reception was fairly uneventful, just really, REALLY long. We dropped Rona off in Georgetown, this time we got to see the Iwo Jima memorial. That was cool. We made our way home by 10:30pm. Whew!

Up on Sunday morning for the Jeremy Camp concert. Crazy, crazy weekend, people. A long, long day. Full of wedding program assemblage, hazer discussions, fraudulent check writers, and lots and lots of coffee. I'm glad the weekend is over. I'm sleepy. I'm leaving work early today to try and get some stuff accomplished. I'm not sure if that will happen or not, but I'm going to give it my best shot.

Our battle cry is THIRD AND INDEPENDENCE! And if that doesn't mean anything to you, that's ok, because it doesn't really mean anything anyway! Peace out, YO!

Posted by karen at 12:59 PM | Comments (1)

November 04, 2004

Betrayed by a Chocolate Chip

Well, what happens when you eat two cookies, chocolate chip cookies, mind you, when you haven't eaten any REAL sugar in quite some time? Not good things, my friends, not good things. My brain is all kinds of confused and fuzzy and annoyed and just plain wrong. Here, I thought I was doing a good, happy thing. How could chocolate chips be wrong?! I ask you! I beg of you to explain! Chocolate chips are our friends, our allies. We look to them in the depths of despair, the moments of elation! The moments of triumph! How could they have let me down? I am at a loss. I turn to my true comrade. Coffee. Coffee will never let me down. I just know it. Tried and true. Full of wonderful caffeine. Ready at a moment's notice. Always there. On edge, at the ready. It will not let me down. It will jump start my poor confused brain back to its necessary place. I'm not sure where that is right now...but COFFEE KNOWS!

Posted by karen at 02:43 PM | Comments (0)

November 03, 2004

Bush Wins!

Well, I'm happy to say that I am currently sitting in my boss' office, waiting for John Kerry's concession speech for the presidential election. I am thankful that my and many other prayers have been answered. I believe that the correct candidate has won the election. I also pray that Bush will do everything in his power to unify the country, now that the election is over. I think that is really important. Winning the popular vote in this election is such a great statement, so I hope as a country, we can move ahead and get past all of the election mudslinging. It's just ridiculous, isn't it?

So, today is a great day. Bush wins the election. I had an outstanding dream last night. I went to Old Navy at lunch time and found the sweater I've been looking for. Birds are singing, rainbows are forming, bunnies are frolicking.

Tonight, Lost is on TV. 8pm, on ABC. If you aren't watching, you should be. This is a bit of a disjointed entry. I can't help it. My brain is going in a bunch of different directions. I just finished the first draft of a short story last night, so all of my directed thinking has been spent for the week. On Friday, Fred, Ann, Stacey, Rona and I are travelling to North Carolina to the Outer Banks for Stray's wedding. How exciting is that? It should be a fun roadtrip. So, pray for us. We have to come back home to do the Jeremy Camp concert. Woo Hoo! Good times, people. Good times.

Posted by karen at 01:18 PM | Comments (2)

November 02, 2004

Election Day Irony

So, is it ironic to anyone else that today, Election Day, is also The Day of the Dead in Mexico? I'm not sure why that would be ironic, but it seems like it should be. I was out bright and early at 8am...well, 8:05 to be exact at my polling station. They changed the entrance, so I was walking around the building, trying to find the correct entrance. Finally, a nice man pointed the way. I walked right in, stood in line behind two people for a brief moment, quickly voted, grabbed my free candy, and left. I was done in less than five minutes. It was beautiful. I had a longer wait at the Turkey Hill to get my coffee. Apparently, everyone went to vote and then go and hang out at the Turkey Hill. There was no milk left in the dispenser. I had to settle for Half & Half. It's all good, though.

I had the day off yesterday. That was a nice break. I took the time to sleep in (go ahead, be jealous...I can take it), and then go shopping in Harrisburg. I went to Target. What better way to spend a day off? I went to Old Navy. I went to Starbucks. Let's hear it for the Lite Frappuccinos, shall we? Nearly guilt free sweets! Woo Hoo! Then I went to Capital City Mall. Haven't been there in awhile, and it was fun to walk around, do a little window shopping, then a little real shopping. My cool purchase of the day was a Carolina Tarheels Sweatshirt. There was a guy in the store who was also buying one and we were discussing the advantages of one style over another. It was fun. Good times...good times.

I had forgotten to eat breakfast or lunch yesterday, so I splurged on a Taco Bell Chicken Border Bowl. It was pretty good. Chicken, rice, beans, lettuce, tomato, etc. etc. It seemed ok. That's pretty much all I ate yesterday. I watched Extreme Makeover: Home Edition "How'd They Do That?" It was an extension of the show from Sunday night. What a great show. I can't watch it without crying at least seventeen times during the show. Then, I was tricked into watching the episode of CSI: Miami where my favorite character was killed off. I had never really wanted to watch it, but it was on and suddenly, he was getting shot! I was very upset. I cried again! Silly television shows. Silly emotional basketcase I am sometimes.

I also took a big chunk of time yesterday to start and work on a short story. It's very abstractly about a guy I knew growing up who was killed in a car accident, but it's more of a romantic ghost story. Perhaps some of you will someday read it...perhaps not. Only time will tell. So, that was my day yesterday.

The weekend was good. Nobody got killed at the concert on Saturday. That was a good thing. Sunday was my dad's birthday, so I got to spend part of the day with my family. Small group followed, and I got to end the day talking to Robin on the phone, which was great, of course. So, there you have it. A not so eventful weekend that was pretty cool. I like it when time passes as such. :)

Posted by karen at 12:52 PM | Comments (6)

October 29, 2004

I Found It!

Last night, as I was NOT watching Survivor...I was given a reprieve, I was kind of shuffling around my apartment, doing things that should have been done months ago. I was cleaning things, putting things away...getting ready for the fall/winter stuff to come out. You know how it is. I found my class ring from high school last night. How exciting. I haven't seen it for while, and there it was. My parents would probably be happy, because this was not a cheap piece of jewelry. So, I'm wearing it today. How fun! It's platinum something, and it's got a tourmaline-type stone. The 'other' birthstone for October, and the ring is small, which I like. I'm not much of a "jewelry person." But this is exciting! A blast from the past, if you will. Good times...good times.

So, right now, there is a concert going on outside my office. Trevor Morgan is playing a lunchtime concert at the radio station where my office is located. It's kind of nice to have live music while you work, you know? Maybe I could get Kurt to schedule this once a week. It also totally smells like Subway here, because they were kind enough to donate the food for the luncheon. It's also FREEZING in here, because I guess they're trying to keep it cool enough for all of the people in the room outside of my office. But, goodness, I'm cold right now. My fingernails are purple. Brrrrrrr!

And tonight, Stray, Stacey, Ann & I are going to visit the Jars of Clay concert. Please note that I did not say that we were going to the Jars of Clay concert. While I do enjoy the music of the Jars, I don't enjoy concerts very much any more. In my line of work, I've grown a bit apathetic toward the concerts. Not all of them, mind you. There are those special ones that are still fun to go to, but the purpose of tonight's trip is to see Stray's production in action, but more importantly to visit our friend, Bobby. Who I just heard was getting married in January! Woo HOO! Way to go Bobby! That is so cool to hear. Another one bites the dust, so to say. :)

Prayers would be appreciated for tomorrow's concert with Pillar/Project 86. It should be a good concert, but I could use some prayer for my attitude tomorrow. Long story, some of you know it, some might not, but I just need help keeping a positive attitude toward one of the bands tomorrow. Jesus told us to forgive 70 times 7 and I am finding the need to do just that...over and over, and I haven't been able to let it go yet. I need some help. So, prayer would be great. It should be a good weekend. I have some confidence that God can do some amazing things through this show.

Posted by karen at 12:31 PM | Comments (3)

October 26, 2004

Music...from the heart to the mind...

Last night, I was catching up on my taped episodes of Smallville. It occured to me, as I was watching the episode featuring The Flash, whose name was Bart, by the way... that cracked me up, that the WB network's shows always feature some great music. Now, I know for a fact that there are those who will not agree that this particular selection is great, but they ended the show with a Rascal Flatts song, Feels Like Today, which happens to be one of my favorite albums right now. On a previous episode, one of the reruns, they used Five For Fighting. I've heard all kinds of cool music on the WB shows. Music being one of the touchstones in my life, it always hits a nerve and creates a stronger emotional link for me with whatever I happen to be relating to at the time. This can be good and bad.

For instance. There is some music I can simply not listen to for the emotional scars that are attached to it from past experience. Past relationship. Whatever. You get the idea. But then, on the plus side of this, there is some music that simply makes me smile and makes my hear soar every time I hear for the circumstances surrounding it.

Music has such a strong connection from the heart to the mind, doesn't it?

Posted by karen at 04:15 PM | Comments (2)

October 25, 2004

The Weekend...

It was a good weekend. Good? Might I say Great? Dare I even say... The Best? Yes, I dare. Why, you ask? Well, let me tell you. I got to spend the weekend with a very very wonderful person. His name is Robin. This would be the first time I have actually mentioned him by name. I have, of course, alluded to him many times, but I think it's about time to get his name out there. :)

On Friday, after spending the day on Thursday at the Third Day show, getting the band shuttled around so they could play for the Presidential rally, and being at the Giant Center until 1am, I got up at 7, and hopped in my little Saturn Ion, grabbed a giant sized coffee, and 4 pints of Diet Green Tea, and started on my supposed seven hour trek to High Point, North Carolina. Here begins the journey. I'm buzzing along, making GREAT time, when at mile 176 on I-81 in Virginia, traffic stops dead. Oh, dear, I think... this can't be good. (This, of course, is the G-rated version for my friends and relatives who might be offended by what may have actually went through my head at this time.) So, traffic begins inching along, and I slowly pass mile marker 175, the Natural Bridge exit. Little do I know that this is the last exit for 8 miles. Shortly after passing the exit, traffic stops dead again. I make some phone calls. One to my parents, to see if they can investigate the cause of this horrendous traffic, one to Robin, to tell him I may never get to his house. So, the parents call back. There's an accident, they say. Mile marker 168. Really? I say. There isn't another exit between 175 and 168. Well, they say, the highway is supposed to be closed until 5 o'clock. Oh, my. I say. (Ok, not quite what I said, but I'm keeping it simple, here.) At this point, I've talked to Robin about every half hour to an hour with updates on my progress, which has been about one mile an hour. It's only about 3 o'clock, that's two hours until the projected opening of the highway. Robin is on-line, giving me reports on the accident and trying to find me a way around it. As I finally start inching closer to mile marker 168, things start to move a little better, and Praise the Lord! they have opened one lane. I finally get to move on. So, what should have taken 7 hours to accomplish, took ten. I arrive in High Point, North Carolina, to finally spend time with the best guy in the whole world, at 7pm on Friday.

From there, it was really just a great, GREAT weekend. Just spending time together was more than I could have asked for. God has really blessed me with a wonderful person. Sadly, I had to leave to come home on Sunday. It was a MUCH too short visit. Sunday morning, at 10am-ish, I had to climb into my little car (much less enthusiastically, this time), and leave High Point, North Carolina, knowing I will be returning in three weeks made it a little easier, but I still didn't want to go. Not at all! So, I leave. Make a very much needed stop at Starbucks. (They have TWO in High Point!) Buy a Venti Skim Vanilla Latte, and two Doubleshots for the road. I'm on my way...

Did you know that there was a Nascar race in Martinsville, Virginia on Sunday? Did you know that Martinsville is on Route 220 in Virginia? Did you know that the route that I travel on to get from North Carolina through Virginia is Route 220? Do you know how much traffic is generated from a NASCAR RACE?! Good grief! So, I discovered the beauty of the back roads of Virginia on a lovely, grey, misty Sunday morning. I just couldn't sit through another three hours of traffic! So, I took an hour detour. Not bad. There were people selling t-shirts, earplugs, rain ponchos... whatever! All through the lines of traffic. I just couldn't take it. So, after 8 hours, I finally made it home. I didn't want to be home. I would still much rather be in North Carolina. Three weeks... just three weeks...

Posted by karen at 02:59 PM | Comments (1)

October 20, 2004

Suddenly...the week is over!

So, today is Wednesday, but for me, the week is pretty much over! Tomorrow is the Third Day concert, and I'm not working on Friday. So, the middle of the week has become the end of the week. There's some weird time/space continuum thing going on here, I just know it! I'm ok with that, though. I feel ready for the concert tomorrow, whatever may happen. And I'm DEFINITELY ready for Friday. For sure.

This has been a fairly uneventful week, as far as work weeks go. I've been liking that a lot. I've got a bunch of stuff to do tonight for the weekend. I also have to watch LOST. My favorite new show, in case anyone has missed that. 8pm on ABC. If you're not watching it, you should be.

So, there you have it. A pretty uneventful day. We got to celebrate Kurt's birthday today, which was fun. You finally caught up, Kurt. Way to go. It's also Viggo Mortenson's birthday. That's something to celebrate right there. Alrighty then... not much else going on. I hope everyone has a lovely night! Watch LOST!

Posted by karen at 03:28 PM | Comments (0)

October 19, 2004

The weekend is over...

It's been a long weekend, which is a good thing. I got to go away with my Mom and Dad on our sort of annual outing to Shenandoah National Park's Skyline Drive. It was a welcome retreat after our concert experience on Friday, which wasn't bad, it's just nice to decompress after one. It was a long day, but a great concert. It's nice to have a worship concert every once in awhile. There were actually Amish people in the audience. How cool is that? It was nice to have a show where I could have gone out and enjoyed the experience if I had wanted to. I didn't, but I could have.

The trip to Skyline Drive was nice, too. We stopped at the Prime Outlets in Hagerstown, Maryland, where I got an outstanding deal on a Woolrich jacket. A $100 jacket for $25. Can't beat that. I also got a new sweater at Bass, which is one of my favorite outlet stores. I get all of my shoes there. I love those shoes.

We moved on to Front Royal, VA to where we spent some time before church. My mom is Catholic, so we had to make sure we fit church into the schedule. We spent some time at the Front Royal visitor's center and then found a nice coffee shop to spend time before we went to church. I was teasing my mother, because the message during church seemed to me to be more of a political statement than a spiritual message. She didn't find it amusing, but I did. That's the antagonist in me. I couldn't help it. We let it go, so everything was fine.

Onto the Skyline Drive... where supposedly, they were calling for snow! It was really, really cold. Very windy. But beautiful. I love going to National Parks. It's not like you can't see it anywhere else, but it's seems like you can really see God's handiwork in full force at the National Parks. It just kind of hits you in the face. I love it. There were deer right in front of our lodge room. Our balcony overlooked the Shenandoah valley, and we even saw a black bear cub! It always amazes me what God can do, and fall is another thing that really brings it out. The leaves were in mid-change, so there were spots on the drive that were just breathtaking. The colors of fall are so awe-inspiring to me. If you can't see God in that, there's something wrong.

So, now I'm back to work, which is good because we have the Third Day show this Thursday at Giant Center in Hershey. If you're familiar with the Hershey area, you know that Giant Center, Hersheypark and the Hersheypark Stadium are all within, say, half a mile of each other. It just so happens that President Bush is having a rally at Hersheypark Stadium on Thursday, the same day as our concert. That's superiorly cool, but I'm hoping that it won't make life too difficult for us. With the band flying into the same airport that Air Force One will be, it could cause some delays and stuff. Although, this just in... they supposedly will be playing for the rally. So, there you have it. No worries about getting the band there on time.

So, there's something to keep things exciting for the week... like I needed something else.

Posted by karen at 12:35 PM | Comments (2)

October 14, 2004

Your Big Dream

I just finished The Dream Giver, the book I highly recommended the other day. It raises some really good questions. Am I living out my BIG DREAM? What IS my BIG DREAM? This has created quite a stir in my little brain. There is a part in the book where it questions if you are not living your Big Dream, you must fall into one of five categories... I can't remember all of them, but the one that immediately stuck out that I MUST fit into was that "I don't have a big dream." Not true, the book says. We are all born with a big dream inside of us. God gave it to us. Our Big Dream is given to us to fill a Big Need. So, this morning, I have been in a discussion to try to figure out just what IS my Big Dream.

What is my greatest passion? What would I be doing all the time if I could? These were the questions posed to me. The answer for me is simple, but the solution is not, and it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me, either. The answer is MUSIC. As long as I can remember, there has been music flowing through my veins. In the 3rd Grade, I started with the piano lessons. I had been banging on one prior to that, but I guess my parents figured it was time to get some structure in my life. I also took up the violin... that didn't last long. Suffice it to say there was an incident at a recital that involved a flying bow. No one was hurt, except perhaps my pride. The flute followed shortly thereafter. The violin abandonded quickly.

In the 6th Grade, I began voice lessons, after a choir director in 5th Grade was inspired by my "Annie-like" voice. I've even got the red hair, so I was into it. In the 8th Grade, I found a true love... the saxophone. I felt like I was meant to play. Now, I'm not going to disillusion anyone here and say that I totally rock at any of these instruments. I'm pretty good at all of them, but I'm not super-duper performance level at any of them. I was never that good at Improvising on the sax... a pretty important qualification. I was a much better classical player... not much call for that, you know. I went to college as a Music Education Major at Towson State University. I loved it. I was surrounded by tons of saxophone players, all who were better than me. I practiced probably 6 hours a day. It was hard, but I was really in heaven. Playing all the time. Music being my focus. It was really wonderful.

Well, everything happens for a reason, and I ended up tranferring to Lebanon Valley College after a semester. I switched to being a Music Major, and the only saxophone major at the school. Obviously, I wasn't as inspired here. I still practiced, but not as much. Soon, I was an English Major... how the HECK did THAT happen. It all went crazy from there. Here I am now, a concert promoter. After creating an individualized major, I graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Music Management... I was determined to keep the music in there somewhere, you see. I've been here for 12 years. That is so strange to me. And only now I'm trying to figure out my Big Dream? Life never stops being interesting. I'm glad, though. 'Cause if it did, what would be the point, right?

Posted by karen at 11:26 AM | Comments (4)

October 12, 2004

The Dream Giver

No movies for me tonight. It's definitely a sit at home and turn off the brain kind of night. Besides the fact that my nose hurts...allergies, (Only happens badly twice a year...now is one of them.) I'm just very sleepy. I slept through the new espisode of Spongebob last night. It was an accident! I was so excited about it, and then I fell asleep right before it, and missed the whole hoopla! Rats! Oh well, it's not like they won't play it 10 gazillion more times in the next week. I'll be ok.

Today is my friend Brian's birthday! Yay, Brian! I feel strongly about celebrating birthdays this year. So let's all hear it for Brian! Bri-an! Bri-an! Bri-an! Woo Hoo! Ok, I feel good about that now.

I'm reading a book right now called The Dream Giver. Basically, the book says that everyone on Earth, EVERYONE, has a Big Dream that they are born with. They just have to figure out what that Dream is and pursue it. The Dream Giver, God, gave us this dream, and know that this Dream can change our life. This book is supposed to help you discover your Big Dream and then show you "how to rise above the ordinary, conquer your fears, and overcome the obstacles that keep you from living your Big Dream." This is all really very interesting to me. I once thought I had one (a big dream), but gave it up because I felt like it wasn't what I was called to do. So, according to this book, I was either wrong about that, or there's something else inside of me that really IS the Big Dream that I was given by the Dream Giver. I can't wait to get through the book and see if anything comes clear. I've always fancied myself a bit of a dreamer, so it's interesting to see someone else write about it, too. The book is written by Bruce Wilkerson, whose name many may recognize from The Prayer of Jabez. Personally, I never read that book, but apparently, it was pretty good.

So, this is a book I would really recommend. Also, Epic by John Eldredge is an INCREDIBLE book that I have already given to Fred to read, then passed onto Stacey and now Kurt has it... and I hope he's reading it while he's on vacation. I just got back from vacation, but I'm still jealous.

So, there you have it. Not much else going on right now. Oh, one month from today I get to travel to North Caroline. That's pretty exciting.

Posted by karen at 03:30 PM | Comments (2)

October 09, 2004

Show Day.

In the Name of Love Tour. Todd Agnew, David Nasser, Building 429, Barlow Girl, Starfield. It's a long day. I arrived here at 7:30am. And started waiting for things to happen. And they did... I had to go to the post office to mail something. That was very important. It had to be done. With that done, I returned to the hall to wait for something else to happen. Things did eventually. We had a bit of an issue with the drivers and the hotel, but that was soon remedied. Next, was lunch. Couldn't do breakfast, because there were too many carbs involved. Then, I got a very important phone call. :) A great way to break up the day.

After that, I've been sitting around waiting for things to happen. People have been floating in and out of the office visiting, which has been nice, but I haven't done anything else. I'm getting very sleepy. I had three cups of coffee (Lattés) this morning, and they are definitely wearing off. I may fall asleep here in this office soon. It's almost time for the staff to arrive. So, I can do the box office thing soon. That will be fun. Print out the comp list and all. So, the drivers are getting picked up at midnight, which means we won't get out of here until probably 1am. Yikes. Not good. Church is at 9am.

That's cool, though, my birthday celebration continues tomorrow at lunchtime with my parents. We'll be going to Texas Roadhouse for my "offical" birthday lunch. Yipee! I've successfully strung out the birthday for almost two weeks. A new record... for me, anyway. So, the concert continues. I hope to be able to read during the show. I have a book I'd really like to make some headway on. Here's hoping!

Posted by karen at 04:32 PM | Comments (2)

October 04, 2004

Boston Uncommon

Well, we made it...finally! It's hard to believe, but it took us about 11 1/2 hours to get here. Why, you ask? Oh, let me tell you. For some reason, hotels.com took us around New York City to get here. We were very excited at first. We saw the Statue of Liberty and The Empire State Building (and I quote Stacey here, "from a safe, "non-mugging" distance). Unfortunately, we also went RIGHT by Newark airport. I felt nauseous for about an hour after watching about 10 planes land and take off right before my eyes. I'm still trying to get over that fear of flying thing. I would not recommend driving by airports when you're trying to get over the fear. We're also really not too far from Logan airport here in Boston... anyway, I digress.

So, we're driving around New York. We come upon the George Washington Bridge, where instead of New York welcoming us into the state, they CHARGE us $6 bucks, traffic stops dead, we inch our way through the outer boroughs for the next hour. It was about 8pm until we stopped for dinner in East Haven, Connecticut, and we were still at least two hours away from Boston. Little did we know we would be inching our way on I-91 for about a half and hour while they were paving, too. So, by now, we're looking at arriving in Boston at about 11:30pm. No problem... or so we thought.

Never in my life have I seen such confusing directions. They didn't make any sense. We spent the next TWO HOURS driving to and fro around the streets of Boston. Across the river and back. Into Cambridge, and back out again. I feel like I have attended MIT for the amount of time I have spent on campus. It was really ridiculous. Finally, at 1:30am, we found our way there, after driving the wrong way on a one way street, and making about 5 illegal maneuvers enroute to the hotel. THEN, we finally got our room, and when we got there, we only had ONE queen size bed. I had to call down, then they moved out room to one with two beds. It was then about 1:45am. Crazy.

But today, today was an altogether better day, after I got over the fact that my email wasn't working this morning. That was really frustrating. I almost threw my computer across the room. Apparently, there was a problem with the network. That would have been good to know before I spent about 45 minutes trying to get it to work.

So, after I finally gave up for the moment, we went downstairs for our FABULOUS continental breakfast. Eggs, sausage, biscuits, danish, and the list goes on and on. But the highlight was the moment when the hobbit stepped off the elevator. I'm not even kidding. A hobbit. Then Aragorn came over and got some coffee before picking up two elf women and leaving before the Lord of the Rings Exhibit at the Science Museum. Ok, so they were people dressed as a hobbit and Aragorn and elves, but they were very well-costumed. It was great.

Stacey and I then accomplished our next hurdle of the day... Mass Transit amidst the Big Dig. We found our way to Government Center, right where we wanted to be, from Lechmere Station, right outside our hotel! I was impressed with us. We rock. The day was great. We shopped all morning, until lunchtime, where we ate at the Purple Shamrock. We then followed the Freedom Trail, a historic guided tour, if you will, of the historic landmarks in downtown Boston. From the Old State House to Paul Revere's House and everything in between. It's a lot of walking, but it was all kinds of fun, and GREAT exercise. It also seems to be true that there is a Starbucks on every corner. Either that or a Dunkin' Donuts. There is a Dunkin's Donuts right down the street from our hotel. Beauty, eh?

So, after all that, for dinner, we ate at the Black Rose. Another spectacular pub. Then, we came back to the hotel to spend the evening mentally preparing for the day that will be tomorrow... The Lord of the Rings Motion Picture Exhibition! It should be awesome!

Posted by karen at 06:34 PM | Comments (2)

October 03, 2004

We're leaving TODAY!

Today is the day! In just under 5 hours, Stacey and I are leaving for Boston! Woo Hoo!

The weather is beautiful, there's a chill in the air...people are still singing Happy Birthday to me. It just doesn't get any better than this! Well, actually, with one small improvement, it would be perfect. C'mon, you all know what it would be...

Anyway, stay tuned...in theory, there is high speed internet at the hotel in Boston, Stacey and I are hoping to give updates!

Here it is for the last time...and I've never been to Boston in the fall!

Posted by karen at 08:23 AM | Comments (0)

October 01, 2004

It's almost here...

Today is Friday...a day of anticipation. So much to anticipate! Tomorrow is my birthday. For the first time in years, I'm very excited about that! I've been celebrating for three days now. It will continue for another four at least. Stace and I leave for Boston on Sunday! That's exciting! I'm expecting something in the mail today from someone special, which is something very exciting! I get to meet little Jadon Burkholder for the first time today...that's exciting! What an exciting day! Can anyone tell that I'm excited!

Ok, deep breaths...I'm so much better than I was yesterday. What a difference a day makes. I had a nasty migraine yesterday. Pain, nausea...drugs. I'm much better today. A little Imitrex, a little sleep, a lot better. Thankfully, I don't get those very often anymore. In fact, that's the first one I've had in a few months. Even more thankfully, the Imitrex worked. Apparently, four out of five times, it doesn't. That fifth time is the kicker. Someone ends up taking me to the doctor, and I get a shot of Demoral, and I'm unconscious for a day. I'd much prefer to be conscious. I don't want to miss out on life, darn it! I'm glad I'm better for such a day as today. It's beautiful. There's a bit of a chill in the air. The sun is shining brilliantly. This feels like a birthday present from God. Such a great day. Thanks, God!

I missed talking about Lost yesterday, because it was taking me six times the regular time to type, I didn't do an entry. Lost SO rocks. What a great show. My only complaint is that I keep having to re-live the plane crash OVER and OVER. I mean, what did I expect...but YEESH! I'm already afraid of flying, and now my favorite show involves a plane crash. Anyway, this weeks drama was great...conflict between the Middle Easterner and the Psycho with the gun...a charging polar bear on an island in the south Pacific...a drug addicted Hobbit (ok, I know he's not really a hobbit), a surgery on the beach, a baby resurrected! The stories go on and on!!!! Whew. Exciting, isn't it? So, are you watching? If you aren't, you should be.

Posted by karen at 09:37 AM | Comments (1)

September 28, 2004

It's a grey day...

It's all kinds of rainy outside today. I believe this may be the remnants of Hurricane Jeanne wooshing her way through our area. It's better than Ivan was, I suppose. That caused some serious flooding here last week. It's just raining, a lot. This makes it a good day to get a lot of work done, though. Don't feel much like running outside in the beautiful weather when it's not beautiful, right?

So, I woke up today feeling particularly icky. That's the only word I can use to describe it. Hy head's a little achy, and actually, my stomach is not so good, too. I keep convincing myself I will feel better soon, but I haven't yet, and it's almost 2:30. I will, though. Positive reinforcement can make me feel better, I just know it! If not today, tomorrow. For sure. It all feels weather related. I've always joked that I'm a walking barometer.

On a completely different note, I've discovered, ok, I didn't discover, but I found a great new CD that everyone should listen to and appreciate. Some already have, and I should have payed attention, I know, I know, but my friend, Scott Brickell, sent me this CD, he is now managing them, and they are just the coolest group/artist/duo whatever, I have heard in a long time. Monk and Neagle are their names. Trent Monk and Michael Neagle. You could check out their website at monkandneagle.com or check out a really cool interview with them at fusemagazine.net I would highly recommend this website. Completely. With no reservations.

So, there you go. Only five days until Boston! Yay!

Posted by karen at 02:11 PM | Comments (0)

September 27, 2004

Weekend Wrap

Well, I had a GREAT weekend. Let me sum up...

Friday night, I got to hang out with Mindy & Stacey for a little "girl time." That was a ton of fun. Steak and salad and friends...what more could you ask for. The kids were there, too, which was really fun. It seemed to me that Dalton, her four year old, was flirting with me. Very cute.

Saturday morning, I got to sleep in, a little longer than I expected, and I woke up and watched a little Spongebob. Love that Spongebob...is everyone aware that the Spongebob Squarepants Movie is coming out on November 19? Wee Haw! That should be fun. Well, after a failed attempt to attend a breakfast buffet with Stacey on Saturday morning, I successfully talked my brother into going to see "The Forgotten" with me. That's a movie, in case anyone was wondering. I really liked the movie. My brother described it as one long X-Files episode, which I would have liked anyway...loved the X-Files. My favorite show while it was on. I thought the movie was sci-fi fun, while keeping me guessing at the same time. There were little twists that I wasn't expecting, which I love. There were moments that made me go "NO WAY!" which I love. Plus, I really like the actors in the movie...Julianne Moore, Dominic West and Gary Sinise were great in their various parts. There were definitely some story points that were stretches to believability, but I think that was part of the appeal of the movie for me. It made you stretch your brain a little. You had to believe what was happening, to GET the movie. If you like sci-fi, and dramatic stories, and even if you don't especially like sci-fi, I think you could buy into this film, for the drama. Just prepare to test yourself. I would definitely recommend it.

So, moving along on Saturday. How much do I want to divulge here, I got to talk to a good friend on the phone for a little while before I went to church. That was really fun. Then, I went to church, where we started our next sermon series on Experiencing God, where the technical crew seemed to be Experiencing Technical Difficulties. I kind of felt bad for them. Worship was great, though, and the message was great. Came home, watched Moulin Rouge. Love that movie...Ewan McGregor is so great in that. Who knew he could sing, too?

Ok, Sunday...we're almost there...I did The Firm Tone & Sculpt workout. Good Grief...my legs are SO sore today. It hurts to stand and sit...and walk...and, well, pretty much move at all. It's a good pain, though. It proves that I worked the muscles...and that I need to work them more. Yeesh. I was going to go see First Daughter, another movie, on Sunday afternoon, but I was inspired to stay home. I made a late lunch, and read a book...I finished the book. I decided to try to finish another book, and I did. Harry Potter #3, done. I then got some much needed errands done. Did a little exploratory shopping for some upcoming events and holidays, and did some filler grocery shopping, since Stacey and I leave for Boston in less than ONE WEEK! Yipee! Came home, made dinner, which was really good, if I must say so myself, which I must, since no one else was there to enjoy it. I realized I had not talked to anyone all day when Stacey called me, and I basically talked her ear off for about 45 minutes. Funny. Thanks for listening to me babble Stace, I appreciate it!

Finally, Sunday night, I watched Star Wars: Episode IV A NEW HOPE, my new DVD. So very cool. What a great movie. There's just not enough good things to say about Star Wars. But, was that a Gungan in the Cantina now? What is a Gungan doing in the Outer Rim? I didn't understand that. oh, well. Anyway, I finally finished the DaVinci Code after Star Wars was over. What a great, productive day. I felt really good about myself. Very...productive.

So, here's hoping I can continue the trend...here's hoping.

Posted by karen at 10:49 AM | Comments (1)

September 24, 2004

Planes and Stuff

So, today, I bought a plane ticket and am prepared to fly for the first time since 9/11. I wasn't much of a flyer before 9/11, but after that, I was dead-set against it. But today, I bought a ticket to fly to North Carolina. It's going to be good. It's going to be fine, and I have seven weeks to convince myself of that. I'm sure it will be fine. It will be worth the trip, so that's all that matters.

I have a few other phobias. Just a few. Spiders and small closed in spaces. Typical things. So, I can get over the flying thing. Sure. I've got seven weeks.

Today, I was surfing around on-line and found a "Pirate Name Generator." After a series of questions, they assign you a Pirate name based on your personality. Here's mine: "Mad Mary Flint" And here's the commentary on it: "Every Pirate is a little bit crazy. You, though, are more than just a little bit. Like the rock flint, you're hard and sharp. But, also like flint, you're easily chipped, and sparky. Arr!" Fun stuff. It's so Friday.

Stacey and I are going over to our friend Mindy's tonight for a little girl time. It's going to be fun! Can't wait!

Posted by karen at 02:13 PM | Comments (2)

September 23, 2004

LOST...

Well, some things are better than your expectations, and last night was full of that. To begin with, the new series on ABC, LOST, was better than I expected it was going to be. A TV show better than MY expectations, now how often does THAT happen? Not very often, I'll tell you. It was so...thesaurus time...because last night it was decided a word better than awesome would have to be used, because that is overused. So, I'm going to go with STUPENDOUS! and another word in the thesaurus, when looking under "awesome" was "zero cool." I'm not really sure what that means, but it sure sounds neat, doesn't it? So, anyway...loved the season premier of LOST. Matthew Fox as Jack is a great leading man, a strong, wise doctor who pushes fear to the back of his mind with a simple mantra...1...2...3...4...5...what a great use of storytelling, using the same idea later in the show with Kate pushing her fears away, already showing Jack's influence and leadership. Then, there's Charlie, my favorite, a little bit of comic relief in a horrible situation, at least in the first episode. Aside from the fact that he is a Lord of the Rings Alumnus, Dominic Monaghan does a great job as the rock star who's kind of out there. I loved his character...and the list goes on and on. J.J. Abrams did a fantastic job of pulling together an incredible group of characters who have to interact with each other in this incredibly tense situation. It's great the way he uses the little nuances in the storytelling to bring the human element to this humongous tragedy. I'm sure those fans of J.J. Abrams noticed the cameo of Greg Grunberg, of Felicity and Alias, as the short-lived pilot. Poor guy. He survives the crash, only to be eaten by an unseen monster. Bummer. So, J.J. does it again. I'm a big fan. I can't wait for next week. The suspense is killing me! But as a very good friend has told me, I am supposed to savor this moment...it's part of the joy of the story (however, he also pointed out this was supposed to be a two-hour season premier, so I don't have to savor it too much...I can be really impatient to see next weeks show. :)

Speaking of very good friends and exceeding my expections...

Posted by karen at 08:56 AM | Comments (2)

September 22, 2004

Happy Birthday Frodo & Bilbo!

This is one of those days when I'm trying to figure out which emotion is going to win out. Ever have one of those days? It's a great day for any die hard Lord of the Rings fan, such as myself, because it is Bilbo & Frodo's birthday. In the books, this is the day of the 'Long Expected Party." When Bilbo left for, ultimately, Rivendell. It's a good day.

It's also the day that LOST premiers. A hugely anticipated television show for me and many others. Smallville's season premier is also tonight. CSI: New York is also premiering tonight. A good day for television, to sum up.

It's ALSO the first day of FALL! My most favorite season in the ENTIRE world. That's kind of a silly statement, but you know what I mean. It's a beautiful day...again. We've been having a lot of those lately. Beautiful days. Last night, I had a Mary Kay party at my house, which was really fun. I was doing it as a favor for a friend, but it ended up being really therapeutic for me. It had been a rough day at the office, and I just really needed a night with the girls. It was great.

Today again, work is feeling really...not overwhelming exactly...I don't quite know how to describe it. It's not really annoying, maybe it's still pretty frustrating. Just little things that are bugging me. Sometimes, everything just seems harder, you know? I think it's a combination of the weather and I just really want some time off...it's coming soon. I'm keeping my eye on the prize. So, I'm fighting for a positive attitude...I'm about 80% there, although the 20% negative is pretty dark.

Well, Happy Birthday to Frodo & Bilbo. Literary Legends. I'm wearing my Frodo Lives T-shirt in honor. I do stuff like that. It makes me happy. I wish I had dug out my 'Let the Wookie Win' T-shirt for yesterday, but I thought of it just a little too late. Maybe that's what's wrong. I'm in a t-shirt funk. Could be...something to ponder...

Posted by karen at 12:41 PM | Comments (0)

September 21, 2004

The Dark Side of the Force...

Today is such a great day! It's the day that the Star Wars DVD comes out! I've got my Star Wars soundtrack blaring in the background...I'm in the spirit. Then, like Darth Vader's theme looming in the background...the dark side of the force enters...itickets has darkened my day. Things keep randomly disappearing from the events that I have added. Why, do you ask? Nobody can give me an answer! It is SO STINKING FRUSTRATING! I've taken to deep breathing exercises to try to calm down, and to keep from swearing every time I come upon another thing that has been changed that I didn't do. AAAUGH!! It's killing me to be out of control!!!!! Help me Obi-Wan, you're my only hope...

Posted by karen at 03:32 PM | Comments (0)

September 20, 2004

So many thoughts, so little time...

There is so much running through my head right now, I just want to get some of it out, so I can get on with my day!

First on the list is the fact that I saw four movies this weekend. Two in the theater, two in my new "Home Theater." Yep, I bought a new Home Theater System in honor of the release of the Star Wars Trilogy on DVD tomorrow. That is a momentous event in my life. I'm a Star Wars geek since the age of 4. Action figures and all. Bring it on Lucas! It's about time! Anyway...so, I purchased a rather inexpensive Home Theater System to further enjoy the Star Wars DVD experience in my home. The first DVD I tried out on it was Return of the King, of course, I couldn't watch the whole thing, but I had to put that in first. So, there's that.

The movies I saw this weekend were as follows...Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, Wimbledon, Dirty Dancing Havana Nights, and Dogville. Interesting combination, no? Sky Captain was phenomenal! I loved every second of it. The story was all kinds of action, with fun characters, and a cute romantic sub-plot, all on the canvas of blue screen, but it didn't really feel that way, which is what made it so cool! I had read a lot about the technique they used to make this film, which is what made it so intriguing to me, but I left feeling like I wasn't overwhelmed by that, and that is also what impressed me so much. It was the fun action and the characters. Now, granted, there wasn't a TON of depth in the story, but WHO CARES? That's not why I went to this movie. So, four stars for Sky Captain...highly recommended for anyone who enjoys action movies, or big blockbusters. You won't be disappointed. Plus, it's a British actor, Jude Law, in the title role. Love those Brits! Speaking of Brits...I move on to Wimbledon...another one of my favorite actors, Paul Bettany. This movie was a romantic comedy revolving around the tennis Championship Wimbledon (hence the name...duh). An aging British tennis star hooks up with an up-and-coming American tennis star and she inspires him to kick in his killer instinct and play better. I won't give away the ending, but it really kicks butt. A very fullfilling romantic comedy. Very fluffy and happy. Not a lot of depth, again, but hey, if I want depth, I'll talk about Dogville...and I'm getting to that. I would highly recommend Wimbledon, but the way, if you're into those happy romantic comedies, which I am, to a point. Four stars, as far as romantic comedies go. P.S. I love Paul Bettany. He's British, you know. Ok, moving on...Dirty Dancing, Havana Nights. Hmmm. Not sure what to say about this one. Well, Diego Luna was in it...he's great. I saw him in Y Tu Mama Tambien, which I would never tell anyone to see, but it was a good movie. I felt like I needed a shower after watching it, so I would not recommend it to most of my movie viewing friends. But I do like Diego Luna. That's why I rented Havana Nights. Patrick Swayze was in it, too. There were a lot of little tributes to the original, which was kind of fun, but it did not live up to the original. I'd say, maybe 1 1/2 stars. Save your money, or watch the original. Now, Dogville, that was an interesting movie. I've been trying to rent it for the past three weeks, I'd say. The concept intrigued me. It was filmed exclusively on a soundstage, with minimal sets, therefore relying on the actors to create the movie. Everything took place in one location...Dogville. The movie was a criticism on America by some foreign director, and I'll have to say, he was pretty darn critical. It was a very long movie, a prologue with 9 acts, as it said when it started. It totally drew me in, though. I found myself disgusted with the characters' actions, but strangely detached at the ending. It was a really unusual movie. Artistically, it was an amazing film, and the story was, I don't know how to describe it...it was disturbing, but somehow it felt important. The message felt important. This movie is definitely not for everyone. In fact, I wouldn't recommend it to most of my movie viewing friends, but there are a few that I think would appreciate it. I'm glad I finally got to see it. Nicole Kidman and Paul Bettany starred. So, that was my movie viewing for the weekend. I started early on Friday, and really watched three on Friday, and then Dogville late Sunday night into Monday morning. So, it was a full weekend beyond the movies...

I feel like I did a ton of stuff on Saturday. I did my daily workout, fixed myself some breakfast, watched some Spongebob (love that show! Season 2 is due out on DVD in October!!), did a little shopping (bought my Home Theater), got to church...

Ah yes, church...we finished our series on the DaVinci Code, of which I did not finish reading before we finished the series. I have been distracted by reading about four other different books since I started it. I am about 3/4 done with DaVinci. I just need to FINISH IT! And I will. Unless a book is REALLY bad, it never goes undone. We start our next series on the Experiencing God book. Is it me, or does our church sound like a book club? It's really not like that, but it sure does sound like that today. :) After church, I came home and attempted to hook up my Home Theater system...I got it all hooked up, after a slight snafu with the Radio Shack man, and the cords I needed, sat down on my couch, ready to blow myself away...no dice. I messed with it for hours...nothing...wait, this is great...so, Sunday, I called Mom & Dad, begged for their help, they came to my rescue. My Dad checked the connections...they all seemed right to him (I really didn't think I was a COMPLETE idiot. I can read instruction manuals, after all, I'm a girl). We're messing with it for another hour. Get this...I turned up the volume. It worked. Duh. So, all is well now. I have beautiful surround sound in time for Star Wars tomorrow. Yipee!

And now, for my ruminations on today...it's beautiful. There was a slight chill in the air...I love it! Fall...bring it on! The sweaters, the sweatshirts, the jackets! I don't shop for these things for nothing, you know! I love this time of year! I have an apple spice scented candle burning in my office...'tis the season!

Posted by karen at 11:25 AM | Comments (2)

September 17, 2004

FRIDAY!!!!!!!!!!

I know it's clichÈ, but thank goodness it's Friday. I've been living for this day all week. If you've been keeping up, you may already know this. It's now approximately 10:30am. I am leaving for the movie theater in 3 hours. The countdown begins. I can't wait to turn off my brain for the afternoon. Not really turn it off completely, but the part that needs to make decisions and such. That part will be dormant as long as possible this weekend. It will be GREAT! I wish it was noon. Then it would be lunch time and I could use some more time to eat and socialize.

Not long ago, someone told me they wished they could "waste" a whole afternoon at the movie theater. It took everything in me not to be offended by that, because I knew it wasn't meant that way. However, it did say "waste" and I don't see spending the day at the movies as a waste of my time. I see it as an excellent use of my free time, a mental health experience. I wish I could do more of it. I use my mind so much at work sometimes, it just needs a rest. You know? So, it's all good. I wasn't offended, but I did feel the need to defend my use of time. After all, there is also popcorn involved at the movie theater. That is my second most favorite food group, behind cake. Just before chocolate. So anyway, bring on the darkness, the movies, the popcorn and the British actors.

On another topic, I just want to publicly endorse the devotional that I've been reading all year. It's called "A Year With C.S. Lewis." It's really outstanding. It takes little daily snipets of his collected works and splits them into themed series every few days. So, you will be reading a few readings from Mere Christianity, followed by Screwtape Letters, then from his sermon series, Weight of Glory. The selected readings all have similar themes running through them for the several days in a row. For instance, right now, they are talking about virtues. At the end of August was an excellent few days about Forgiveness, which I really needed to read at that particular time. It just is a great collection of short devotions that are perfect to start any day.

So, it's finally Friday. Our on-sale for Michael W. Smith Christmas went pretty well. We sold enough to earn our lunch. Always an important question. We're currently discussing the lunch of choice. We're up for Boston Market or KFC. We're leaning toward Boston Market, for those of us watching our carbs. Yipee!

So, there we go. It's Friday. It's going to be a great day!

Posted by karen at 10:46 AM | Comments (1)

September 16, 2004

Almost there!

It's Thursday! It's SO close to the weekend! I can't remember a time is recent history (unless it was last week) where I was so looking forward to the weekend! It's been a good, productive week, I just want OUT of here! I want to think of nothing that has ANYTHING to do with work for as long as possible. Is that wrong? I don't think so. I would love to do something fun...go somewhere, shop for something, I don't know. I could have sworn I heard IKEA calling me the other day. But it might have been Crate and Barrel...or possibly the entire King of Prussia Mall. I'm not sure. I may have to get a little closer to find out. We'll see.

Tomorrow is also an on-sale day, which should help the day go faster, and then, I'm leaving early to go see Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow and Wimbledon. That should be a great mental health afternoon. I'm very much looking forward to it. PLUS, my last trip to the theater earned me a free movie pass. God Bless the Regal Crown Club, and my recently acheived 'Star Status.' I only have to pay to see one movie tomorrow! Whee!

Today, I got to play my Creative Ministries IT role. It was fun. I got to bestow a new computer upon Stacey! YAY! It's so exciting for me when someone gets a new computer, even if it's not brand new, but new to them. It's always a great moment. I spent the morning cleaning out the computer and tranferring files from her old computer to the new one (oh, Trish, if you're reading this, your computer was bestowed upon Stacey!). Also, making sure all of the programs will work and all of her data was appropriately transferred. I love pretending like i know what I'm doing. So far, so good. I think I've got them all fooled here....HA! HA! HA! Oh, wait...they're probably reading this...disregard that laugh...moving along. The saddest part of the transfer is that I realized that my computer is now the Pokiest little Puppy in the office, aside from the ancient iMacs that are still around. Now, don't get me wrong. My computer is wonderful. It refuses to crash...it just won't die. It's a wonderful machine. I've never had ONE major problem that has effected my work. The only thing wrong with it is that the CD/Data burner no longer works, but as for hard drive, etc, it's a rock. It's good...TOO good. I think if I accidentally spilled coffee on it, it would dry itself off. If it fell out the window, a little parachute would pop out the top. If a car ran over it, some sort of force-field would protect it. I can tell. It does not want to die. It will not die. Ever. I suppose I should be thankful. I AM thankful. I just wish my computer were faster and newer. Sorry, little computer! I love you!

So, one more day until Friday. I am clinging to that with all that is in me. Survivor premier is tonight. That will be fun. Movies tomorrow, even more fun. People that have been away will return home soon. Even better...

Posted by karen at 01:35 PM | Comments (0)

September 15, 2004

'Tis Wednesday

Ah Wednesday...the middle of the week. Halfway to the weekend. It's a beautiful thing. It would be more beautiful if it was Friday, but I'll take what I can get.

Last night was game night at the Lititz Library...again...finally! After a long, LONG, LOOONNNG break over the summer, we have begun our gaming again. The pre-game merriment began with a traditional dinner out at Hoss' with Craig, Lyle and Stacey. Meat and salad...yum! Plus, we all signed up to try to win a free Ford vehicle. Here's hoping! I would actually sell the vehicle and keep the money, since I LOVE my new Saturn, but I would never turn my nose up at a new car. I also came THIS close to winning a little stuffed alligator out of one of those claw machines, but he slipped out of my grasp twice! Slippery little sucker, that 'gator! Drat! I wanted to give it to Phredd, the stuffed animal wrestler. Oh, well, I suppose it was not meant to be. So, after the pre-game activities, we finally made our way to the library for our long-awaited return to the gaming world. Well, I was a little behind the others getting to the library, and Stace was on a phone call when I got there, so we entered the library a little later than the guys, and they had ditched us to play games with others! Yeesh! So, Stacey and I played a quick game of Balloon Cup while we waited to see if they wanted to join us (I won, but it was a close game). Then, we reunited with our comrades and learned a new game called Elfenland. The premise was to get your Elf around to the various lands by way of dragons, clouds, unicorns, things that looked like R.O.U.S.'s, Elfcycles, and ugly old men. My elf was not very good at travelling (ie. I stunk at this game, but it was FUN). My elf came in last place. Oh well, I enjoyed it. As usual, I love playing these games, I'm just not very good at them. Sigh.

So, today is a new day...I'm ready for the week to be over, even though it's going pretty well. I'm ready for the weekend...for SO many reasons. For now, though, I'll just be happy in the moment, because I think we need to be happy where we are with what we're doing. Right? Right.

Posted by karen at 12:12 PM | Comments (2)

September 14, 2004

BOSTON! BOSTON! (aka Stacey Rocks!)

I'm not sure if I have mentioned my upcoming trip to Boston yet. I probably have, since I am HORRIBLY excited about it, but I think I shall take some time out to mention it again. Here goes...

Generally, I don't celebrate my birthday. I'm usually in denial of them, but for some reason, this year, I decided, "It's my birthday, darn it! My Mom didn't go through all that for me to ignore it! I'm going to celebrate! I'm going to give myself a present!" Hence, the trip to Boston. I'm not sure if any of you are aware that I'm a bit of a fan of the Lord of the Rings films. I may have mentioned it once or twice (hee. hee.). Well, the Museum of Science in Boston is holding the first stateside Lord of the Rings Motion Picture Exhibition from August to October. Ding! A bell went off in my head. What a great birthday present to me! A trip to Boston...(I've never been to Boston in the Fall)...to see the Lord of the Rings Exhibit! Now, who will go with me on such an adventure? My best friend Stacey, of course! Because Stacey Rocks! Stacey went to the LOTR Trilogy screening with me, she sat through other various screenings of the films with me...she doesn't laugh at my collection of memoribilia (at least not to my face, which is really great of her), and now, she's travelling 8 hours to Boston to look at movie props, movie technology, and all things Lord of the Rings, because she is my friend! Yay, Stacey!

So, in a few short weeks, Stacey and I will travel to one of the cities richest in Revolutionary war history to visit an Exhibition about the Lord of the Rings Movie Trilogy. Go figure. I think we're going to try to fit some history in. Maybe. I also think we're going to get to leave a little earlier than expected because the Bebo Norman tour has a bizarre settlement clause in the contract. It works to my advantage. Yipee! Thanks Stray and Ann! You engaged people rock, too!!! Yay, everyone! Everyone rocks! Boston, Boston, c'mon, everyone now...BOSTON...BOSTON!!!!

Posted by karen at 10:58 AM | Comments (2)

September 13, 2004

Monday, Monday

It's still beautiful outside, even if it is Monday. I had a really productive weekend. I got a lot done around the house, at work, and I solved all of my TV taping problems. I purchased a small 13" VCR/TV combo to put in my spare room to tape the shows that are on at the same time as other shows that I want to watch. Why didn't I think of this 4 years ago?

So, Thursday, I can now watch Survivor AND the O.C. Forgive me, all. The O.C. is my guilty pleasure, and I'm watching survivor, because a new friend I recently met watches it, and it's a fun thing to talk about. The last time I watched was Survivor Outback, and I loved Colby. I was so disappointed when he didn't win the million dollars.

I would really like to take a few days off. I haven't had a chance to do that since Purple Door. Stace and I are going to Boston in October, but that just doesn't seem soon enough. I'm itching for a mini-vacation. But alas, it will probably not happen. I'm holding out hope, though. There is always hope.

So, back to my TV solution. The only day it will not help me is Wednesday. I had started to watch Hawaii, which was a really cool new cop show, but starting on the 22nd is LOST, which looks totally cool, plus, it's done by J.J. Abrams, my Alias guru, and Smallville, which I am told is going to be pretty good this season. Only 2 TVs. Three shows...I think you see the problem. Ah, well. Life will surely go on. I choose Lost first, Smallville second, and Hawaii third.

So, there you have it. It's a new week. It's a beautiful day here in PA. I wonder what it's like in Myrtle Beach?

Posted by karen at 11:17 AM | Comments (2)

September 10, 2004

It's a Beautiful Day!

The sun is shining. The birds are singing. I saw the coolest red-tailed hawk on the way to work. Actually, it was in the Giant Center parking lot, but it was on the way to work. I will not let ANYTHING get me down today. It just feels like too great of a day for that. Nothing work-related, nothing personal (not that that's too likely)...nothing. I'm just going to go with the flow. I've also decided I want to get my hair cut. It's time. The birthday is coming up, I have a bit of money right now so I can afford it. It is time. Yep.

On a movie note, I watched The Triplets of Bellville last night. It's an animated film that was an Oscar contender this past year. It was amazing! It's hard to explain why it was so good. There was very little dialogue. The animation wasn't the cutting edge CGI that you see in Finding Nemo or Shrek. The story centered around a grandmother who connected with her grandson by buying him a bicycle and over the years helped him train for the Tour de France. There's a kidnapping involved and the Triplets of Bellville are three old women who seem to exclusively eat frogs who are involved in a rescue. If that isn't enough to intrigue, I don't know what would be. There are gangsters, chases, great music, and lots of humor. It's all fairly subtle, but an excellent, EXCELLENT movie. I would really recommend it. There's really almost NO dialogue in it, which makes it even more interesting to me. Everything is communicated with gestures and looks and drawing, really. For an animated film, that seemed to be very avant garde. I really loved it.

So there you have it! Today will continue to be a beautiful, productive day, no matter what!

Posted by karen at 09:42 AM | Comments (2)

September 09, 2004

One Email...One Song

Isn't it amazing how one little thing can change your mood like THAT! I recently bought the new Ryan Cabrera CD. It's a fun CD. Very pop...there's absolutely nothing deep about the CD. But it is a really relaxing, upbeat, mood-lifting CD for me. It hasn't really left my CD player since Monday, except to travel from office to car and back again. I'm addicted to Ryan Cabrera. So, I am in need of his happy pop music to lift me from the crashing effect that one simple email that has dashed my best laid professional plans to the ground. Isn't it funny how one little email can do that? I've been bopping around the office with a smile on my face, singing along to my new friend Ryan Cabrera (ok, not friend, but, you know). One email...crash. I'll be ok, I swing back around, but yeesh. It was such a GOOD idea. Darn it. Stupid job. It can be really frustrating sometimes. Really, REALLY frustrating. You'd think after 12 years it would get easier, but no. There's always a new challenge around the corner. I suppose that's a good thing. Sometimes. Ah well, I shall turn to Ryan. He will pick up my mood with his happy brand of pop music. I can't take it all the time, but this week, happy pop is what I want.

Posted by karen at 10:58 AM | Comments (0)

September 07, 2004

A somewhat theological question...

Somewhat on the heavier side of things...here's my question. As Christians, are we entitled to be hurt by someone and get angry for the reason behind the hurt? Offer forgiveness, and have it be met with defensiveness, and be hurt again and be empty...no anger, just be left with hurt.

I realize it's possible, but I don't know the proper response. I know there has been a serious change in my life, because I sincerely felt bad about being angry, hence the forgiveness, but I never imagined feeling so hurt.

Sorry for being so evasive. I can't get into specifics, nor do any of you want to hear them, I'm sure. We all have our own things to deal with, but I was just venting in the open. Seeing if anyone had any thoughts.

Posted by karen at 01:45 PM | Comments (2)

September 03, 2004

Band Irony

I've got it! Thanks to my friends at the pharmaceutical company (see previous post) I have a great idea for a new band. I would say it would resurrect ska, but I think I'd like to go more along the lines of free form jazz, or maybe big band. Yeah, big band. The name of the band...you guessed it...Trombones Labyrinth, but here's the irony, folks...no trombones. I only took half a semester of Brass Class in college. I did ok on the trombone, but not enough for performance. Ok, I think I'll go back to the free form jazz, because that will fit my irony better. All saxophones. Finally! A use for my education! Well, besides my current career, but the saxophone part! I knew it! It was out there, and now, I can put together a free form saxophone band called "Trombone Labyrinth." Are you feeling it? Oh, yeah...

Posted by karen at 07:52 AM | Comments (4)

September 02, 2004

Spam Subjects

Are you kidding me? If you are like me, and I know you are, you get about 70% spam in your email box every day. Well, today, I got about my 17,000th offer for on-line pharmaceuticals, which was by no means a surprise, but what made this email catch my eye? The subject. There are always some bizarre titles to spam emails. Some jibberish, some understated, some blank, some porn, and some like this one...brilliant. I have to admit...it pulled me in. Are you ready? Here it is:

trombone labyrinths near 091

What the? I mean...WHAT THE? It's too cool! I don't get it at all, but it MOVES ME! Maybe it's because I'm a musician and the trombone part caught my eye, and it reckons me back to that movie with David Bowie from the 80s, and when I saw 091, it made me think of Area 51, my most favorite video game. I just can't thank that company enough for brightening my day with the Trombone Labyrinths near 091.

Posted by karen at 03:58 PM | Comments (0)

August 26, 2004

Purple Door Recovery

So, it's the Thursday after Purple Door. I am still horribly exhausted. I figure by next week I might have caught up on my sleep. What a crazy, crazy festival season it was. Purple Door being the most adventurous. I won't go into details, because most of the people who read this blog were there, and those that weren't, well, you can ask me about it sometime. I'm thankful that it's over and that we came out pretty much unscathed. There were definitely moments I wanted to cry, but there were also those moments when I was laughing hysterically. It's a good blend to look back on...almost fondly.

Now, I get to try to move back into normal life, whatever that is. My plans for the weekend include cleaning up my house and organizing my second bedroom. woo. hoo. You know what, though? I'm really looking forward to not coming into work and having to do something. This will be the first day I'm not working since the second week of July. Yay!

I have seen a lot of movies since I last wrote in my little blog here. The highlights would have to be "Napoleon Dynamite" and "Garden State." Two movies on entirely different planes, but great movies, both.

So, to summarize...Purple Door, over. Life...back to "normal." Movies...good.

Posted by karen at 03:20 PM | Comments (1)

July 14, 2004

Brilliant!

Well, the Symphony last night was outstanding! It was a great mixture of movie and music, two off my favorite things in the world. Having seen the movies so many times, I could just sit back, absorb the music, and be in the movie. It was a great experience. Mindy and I had a really good time. People watching at a Lord of the Rings Symphony is an interesting passtime as well. It's not your normal Symphony crowd. There was every kind of person represented at the show. It was really great seeing small children, older couples, younger couples, families, friends, fans, whatever out to enjoy an evening of great music. It was pretty inspiring. The conductor was very good, even if he wasn't Howard Shore. From what I could understand he was the person who had helped Howard arrange the music from the full movie score down to the two hour, six movement piece we heard last night. There were just a few shaky points in the music that felt like it might not hold together, but the director and musicians did a fine job of pulling it through. The choir, boys choir and soloists all did justice to the choral parts, and Sissel, the featured soloist, doing the Gollum's Song, and Into the West really did a great job. I would not want to try to live up to the expectations of the Annie Lennox vocals on Into the West, but I really thing she did a great job. I really liked it because she DIDN'T try to be Annie Lennox. So, anyway, the evening was great. The weather was fabulous, the crowd was great, and the music was brilliant. I can't wait to see it again at the end of the month in Pittsburgh!

Posted by karen at 01:57 PM | Comments (0)

July 13, 2004

Lord of the Symphony

I'm going to see the Lord of the Rings Symphony tonight with my friend Mindy! I'm very excited, though slightly disappointed because Howard Shore, the composer of the music, who was supposed to be directing, is no longer directing. It will still be a good time, though, I am sure. Mindy and I get to have some quality hang out time and listen to some quality music. I will also get to see the same symphony at the end of the month in Pittsburgh, and Howard Shore is supposed to be directing there, so hopefully he will keep his engagement at that one.

I'm not quite there yet, but I slowly feel like I'm getting a grasp on what's going on here at the office. It's hard to get back on your feet after a vacation. It feels really overwhelming. Plus, this time of year is really overwhelming anyway. Some big goals for the week are the booth holders for Purple Door and the Artist Information out to the Artists. If I can succeed in getting that accomplished this week, I'll feel really good about myself.

It's a goal.

Posted by karen at 04:26 PM | Comments (0)

July 12, 2004

I'm back!

Well, I have returned to the office after a week off on vacation in Maine. Can I tell you how much I love Maine? I really would love to live there. It's so beautiful. Everything seems greener and bluer. My family and I spent the week in Southeastern Maine, in Freeport for a day (shopping at L.L. Bean) and the rest of the time in Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park. I could have spent all of my time there. I could spend time just sitting and staring and absorbing and resting and enjoying the beauty. It really is amazing. If you've never been there, you should go.

I have come back a bit tired, however. I took some time to see 'King Arthur' on Saturday. Clive Owen is my second favorite actor behind Ewan McGregor. He's wonderful. Tall, dark and handsome...and British. Can't go wrong there. I enjoyed the movie a lot. I've read some unflattering reviews, but I still liked it.

Yesterday, I went to my Mother's side Family reunion. It's the first time I've gone in years. I'm usually too busy over the summer to get away, but since it was the end of a week's vacation, I decided to make the effore, plus, after my last grandparent passed away this year, it helped me to realize the importance of family. I don't always feel like I fit in with my extended family, but I love them just the same.

So, now it's back to work. Purple Door is looming. I'm quite a bit behind, and have quite a lot to do. It's a bit overwhelming, but I will do my best to suck it up and plow ahead. My theme for the summer is "PUSH THROUGH THE PAIN!" I can do it! God will help me. I'm counting on it.

Posted by karen at 03:19 PM | Comments (0)

June 11, 2004

Sock Puppets

What did you do at work today? Made a video with sock puppets. Yep, that's what I did, after shopping for the materials to make the puppets and prepare the scenery. My sock puppet got to eat a burnt marshmellow. Yeah! It was quite fun in the mess of all other things we are having to do to get to make a video with sock puppets.

It's only one wee