"Misses Clause's Little Tacky Helper"

Can't forget about David and his "award-winning" outfit.

He is seen with both my sister Kaley and dear friend Mellissa!

Oh lucky ladies!

Santa Baby

Had a fantastic time at our Annual Christmas Party! Setting up the Green festive backdrop was a lovely idea!

Elevate Women's Ministry of The Journey Church

I was asked to think of some paintings to help with stage design/logo for a Women's expo at The Journey Church, and this is what I came up with.

The botanical beauties.

Faces

Question

I was asked a couple weeks back, to name one thing I cherished, this was my answer:

Love...

Love provoked God to send his only son to the Earth to save us
Love overcame Jesus, enough to share the truth of the Gospel while on this planet.
Love brought my Mother and my Father together, united in a bond, which formed me.
Love moves my heart to care for David, deeper than I've ever known
Love causes me to serve in the Church, to be apart of a move of God.

Love is something that I cherish.

1Corinthians 13:13
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is Love.

On My Mind, All The Time

Doing the same this over and over again
expecting different results
each time.

is insanity.

Being in the same types of relationships
with the same type of people
being the same you each time
putting up with the same garbage
and yet,
expecting for things to be different
better
new
fun
Simply because you are the constant factor

is insanity

Finding the person God made for you
letting him decide your "type"
letting him do all of the arranging
working with him to create standards

is brilliance.

Good luck with that insanity.
in your life.
Thank you Lord, for your brilliance.
in my life.

Picture of the Week: Invisible Girlfriend

David went to California

I wasn't able to join him

but it didn't change a thing.

I was there on that bench with him

In his arms

Big cheesin' it for Tim's camera.

In his mind

Things I Love:

My Lord and Savior, personal friend, Jesus Christ
Lisa & Patrick Mooney
My siblings
David Longobardo
David's family
Fancy Sushi
Hot Apple Chai
My new bed
The Journey Church
Alyson & Owen
Goldwell's "Big Finish" hairspray
Mat Kearney
Sam Knock's voice
Blu Blockers Sunglasses (Dave, I just ordered you some more!)
How God speaks on relevant issues, through people he calls
VelPanWurly sound on the Roland: Fantom keyboard
Yoga pants
Dutch Tulips OPI Nail color
David's acting skills
Naps
Blogging (not enough to do it often)
People's sincere compliments
Pam Freeze's fruit dip
My life, through all the bumps, jumps and triumphs.

Photos of the Week: Graduation

Class of 2009

This blog post is in honor of Kelso and Jawdin's trip through Highschool. It's been crazy and we sure have come a long way! Congrats Kelsey, on all your hard work! Love you dearly!

Dun Dun Dun

“Growing up is never easy. You hold on to things that were. You wonder what's to come. But that night, I think we knew it was time to let go of what had been, and look ahead to what would be. Other days. New days. Days to come. The thing is, we didn't have to hate each other for getting older. We just had to forgive ourselves... for growing up.”

-The Wonder Years

Photo of the Week

Update

I have found the man, that I heard about, but never thought I would see.
The one that I was told I would meet some day, and know he was made for me.
The one that would sweep my off my feet and love me everyday more and more.
A person, that seemed unrealistic and unreachable.
Found.
I wasn't looking for him, and he wasn't looking for me
But love was looking for us.

Happy Birthday

For Mr. Longobardo,

March 17th is such a great day in history. I mean c'mon...

The FDA approved the first Chicken Pox vaccine (thank the Lord, those little poxes itch like crazy), Paul Kantner, of Jefferson Airplane was born and then you, made your first appearance to the world and spent the rest of the day, hanging out in your hospital crib that had been appropriately decorated with balloons and shamrocks.
(A little birdie told me that story cough*your mom*cough)

Then, if you want to bring some good old fashioned Birthday Lore into it, according to the "Old Farmer's Almanac", you are retiring, thoughtful, and rather philosophical, and have definite opinions. You do not invite the advances of others and, when you receive them, are indifferent. Those who are fortunate enough to gain your confidence are true and loyal friends.

So, with all that being said... Happy Birthday Dave. You are such an awesome man of God and I am so blessed to be apart of your life. Can't wait for our day to start!

Ta Da

Sometimes I have creative blocks when it comes to blogs
Just like when I paint
Or play music
Anyways, hopefully soon, I will be inspired and write something brilliant
If not, I will just right something simple
We'll see
Thank you Lord for all the wonderful people in my life
Thank you for beautiful days full of joy
Thank you for staying near to me always always always
Off to Fernandina, my second home sweet home

Code of Thankfulness

You are one of the greatest people in my life right now.

Thank you for being there for me when I needed it most

and for finding my blog, it was easy.

You Made It Lovely

Sand is kinda weird
Sometimes it can be soft and silky and warm and thin
And then other times it's cold and wet and course and gritty
Sometimes your toes sink deep and you have to plunder thought stacks of it
And then sometimes, its hard and packed up and your feet skid across
Sometimes you make castles, and sometimes you climb dunes
Every once in a while it's sticky and never washes off
Then on any given day, it runs right through your fingers and scatters all around
You can never fully rid your clothes or trunks of sand
Shells can hide in it, crabs take shelter in it and turtles make nurseries out of it
Footprints that are put in it, will always tell a story
Sand is grand, and that's a my beach-like rhyme.

Spotlight on Life

The last few days have been pretty awesome and I thought that I would brag on what God has done in my life!

Thursday night we had an awesome rehearsal for the upcoming weekend services and then a group of us went to chilli's are enjoyed dessert and everyone discovered my wrinkly hands (not such an upside)

Friday I worked all day, but had fun with the girls and we ordered OPS and Heather and I had fun making fun of some of the painful clients that come to see Hayley! Then headed to go see "Taken" with the crew. Including our pastor and his family, then it was to Boston's where we grew impatient and moved to good ole cracker barrel, I mooched off of Dave's yummy french toast....goooooooood

Saturday, work work work, but then played an AMAZING service at The Journey, our set list was
"My Savior Lives" -New Life Worship
"Lord of Lords"-Hillsong
"Overcome"-Desperation Band
"It's my Desire"- Celebration Church
"The Same Power"-Hillsong, and
our rendition of "I Surrender All"...

Later a group of Student Leaders for X-Change met up at Charlie and Becky's for a meeting of sorts, I led some music and then we planned the next few months our for the youth program..it's so great to see these kids get so involved and on fire for leading!
From there, I left for Chris and Margo's and we played our regular game of Cranium (trying to explain Cranium to a Chinese girl that's only been in the US for 2 weeks was quite the ordeal for us, but hilarious) and of course, my team won, cough*dominated*...thanks to Brandon for the Play Dough.
Still SATURDAY, we finished up with a movie (second time was just as funny) and made it home around 2 am.

Sunday = early morning with 3 hours of sleep ha, but we played 2 more services that were packed! and the people were awesome and worshipping. We had a crew come in and film some of the 11 am service for a commercial, and we had a little "private" filming session which was so awkward ha, I'm trying to play and sing and I had a camera in my face and then on top of me, it was sweet though, excited to see how it turned out (Esp. with all the new lighting that was put in Tuesday, amazing!)
Lunch at Arte' Pizza with the girls! Good choice Veron! tasty downtown pizza place followed by the BEST thing of the weekend
NAPPPPPPPPP (man, needed one bad and I got one)

Lastly, I headed down to Fernandina again after dinner, to keep Dave company down at the Kofe' Hous. He didn't expect it at all (but after the picture of his face up against a table was sent to me, I knew something had to he done)
Just hung with Chris and Margo and had yummy hot chocolates, then ate at McDonald's and shared my history of car accidents/his pull overs.
HOME! SLEEP!

Thank you Lord for lots of energy, friends, good times, yummy snacks, lovely stories, amazing Church.

My Purse's Treasures

These are just a few of the RANDOM things that I found in my purse, that ALWAYS stay in my purse, quirky little blog, forgive me

1. In ears! They are E-2's, and the hang out along with maybe 3 other pair of little ear buds, always need em for playing at The Journey (or in my car when my fusion dies, and I need music)

2. Sunglasses, yea, generic I know, but it's always safe to have some (prevents crows feet around the eyes, that you get from squinting)

3. Sweet mints, anytime they're at a restaurant, I smuggle like 50 of these little guys

4. Carmex, makes mah lips feel wonderful and fingers all sticky

5. 1/4inch Stereo Adapter, I only have this one, and I must lose it 6 times a week. It comes in handy when you have musical equipment or an amp.

6. Special K Chocolaty Drizzle yummy snack bar. I don't just eat it cause it 90 calories, its a tasty little morsel that can resist being squished in a purse!

7. Bobby Pins! You always need 676,783,334 of these, they save peoples lives, they remove pieces of hair that cause hours of frustration in your eyes, and can form an up-do in less then 5 minutes. They are pesky and I happen to leave them everywhere I go. If you see a bobby on the ground, you know I am near

8. Redbox baby! $1.06 a pop and I love it. We have 4 reboxes in Camden and I am addicted.

9. Bangles. You never know when you need a bangle (or two). These handy little circles work with pretty much any outfit and are indestructible ha

It's Good to Learn Something New Everyday

So I was sitting with a new friend the other day, when I was challenged to do some research about something that I had made all sorts of judgements about, and didnt even take the time to eliminate the cliche'

FRATERNITIES!

There was a specific one that he has been apart of and so I felt pretty interested in seeing what Lambda Chi Alpha was all about.

It was the first fraternity to abolish pledging and remains a leader in the fight against hazing, alcohol abuse, and other challenges facing today's college students.

Lambda Chi Alpha seeks to promote higher education by providing opportunities for academic achievement, leadership, and lifelong friendships.... which is something that my friend was so excited about. He is able to travel all over the country and will always have some of his brothers to join him or that he will stay with. I mean, afterall, it is one of the largest men's general fraternities in North America, by its own count, having initiated more than 268,000 members and held chapters at more than 300 universities!

Lovely Core Values
Loyalty
Duty
Respect
Service and Stewardship
Honor
Integrity
Personal Courage

For Dave Longobardo

New Year Fortune

"Faith, Meet Culture...Culture, Meet Faith"

Can I just tell you how many coincidences happen in my life, I know that there are no such things as coincidences in the life of a Jesus follower which means to realize that things happen as some sort of confirmation for me, In this instance, I am delighted to share...

LATELY I have been having lots of trouble sleeping and staying asleep, I've tried all sorts of techniques to try and trick my body into sleeping like a normal person. Last night's technique was to lay in bed and read a good book until I became drowsy and then turn the light off and sleep.

• Book of choice: "Lord, Save us from your Followers"
• Chapters read: 2 (duration of about and 40 minutes, is was so good!)
• Sleep: It worked! and that book has been sitting in my closet for several months, I had wanted to read it, since it's purchase at Sams Club *ha

So today I logged on to twitter to see that a musician has recently started to follow me, his name, Scott Phillips. Scott Philips received the World Vision “New Independent Artist of the Year” award for his work with his favorite organization. I looked him up on myspace to give a listen to his tunes. Immediately something caught my little eyes, his caption, which read "Lord, Save us from your followers"

I was thinking, cool, he's read the book as well, but then decided to go to his website, which has his tour dates listed, only to find, that, not only has he read the book, but he will be headlining in the tour, for the book!

It's "Lord, Save us from your Followers" The Tour. It's hitting campuses around Ameica!Sponsored by "World Vision" "Groundwork Managements" and "Relevant Magazine"

The tour is all about sparking a conversation between culture and faith in America. College, university and seminary campuses across the country will host this innovative tour in twenty cities. The combination of film, spoken word, music and art will serve as an invitation on each campus—an invitation to consider the relationship between Christianity, love and culture. And it’s an invitation to take action: reach out to the hurting, serve the poor, love your neighbor, do it now.

Matthew Paul Turner – Speaker/Author (Churched)/Blogger/Journalist/Former editor of CCM magazine, as well as Dan Merchant – Screenwriter/Author/Speaker/Conversationalist will be among the speakers on the tour, both are all about the stuff that no one seems to discuss anymore. Their thoughts, ideas, and humor about life, Christianity, and other topics (such as politics, sex, and even money) have opened up opportunities for him to speak at colleges and other venues.

I am thrilled to think about the film being shown to so many students, it crosses the generation lines and is inspiring all ages to love in ways that could help the world once again know Christians by their love instead of their hate.

check the website out for more: lordsaveusfromyourfollowers.com

Writing It Down

I thought this would a neat way of expressing my goals, dreams and where I seriously see myself in any amount of years. Almost like inspiration to go through with things. Only by God's grace, of course. His will is WAY better WAY bigger WAY happier then what my little brain can come up with. Keep in mind, somethings are true goals, and others are birthed out of my little mind of crazy thoughts.

This Year...

• Get my school finished with and take the necessary standardized test to graduate
• Apply to Hillsong Leadership College (start the process early)
• Go on the missions trip with the teens as a youth leader, build that house!
• Save my money and be an awesome steward, keep giving! Support missions.
• Write a song, record it.
• Make an impact in the lives of the girls that I mentor..spend quality time with them
• Take road trips, Go to Nashville with Elissa and Katie
• Play lots of worship songs on the weekend services and see The Journey Church grow.
• Keep staying active and go on many bike rides,never give up on a good healthy breakfast.
• Get a tasteful creative meaningful TATTOO!
• Learn to dance, either swing,salsa or ball room fancies.
• Study daily in the word, become super-duper equipped for any situation
• Figure out the ins and outs of my Yamaha MO8, sheesh! Tweak my memory to hold it all.
• Cherish someone and be cherished

Over the next few years...bunch of years....

• Go to Australia, live there, Go to Hillsong Leadership College and serve in the church
• Become pro at something, whether it's better at painting, photos, piano...
• Travel Travel Travel, I want to explore!
• Be in the home that is decorated to "Target,Ikea,Urban,Pottery Barn" perfection
• Always have bottles of Sparkling White Grape Juice in stock in my fridge.
• Meet the person that was created for me! Have fun and be loved by him.
• Never cut my hair short again. Wild woman hair forever!
• Have the wedding of my dreams and enjoy: silly,awesome,tough newlywed days
• Be in leadership at a church or organization, something, on staff...love the sound of that.
• Enjoy life and experience new things, with good godly friends and family
• Live simple, live happy, love the Lord, be thankful for the years passed and look forward to amazing things in even more years to come...

So there you go, there's no telling what could happen in the next few years but I am excited nonetheless to discover what God has in store for me. Big things.

LOVE

Meaning

The Universe yet incomplete
On the sixth day God created her
WOMAN
And God said to her I shall give to you
A heart full of compassion
A spirit free to fly with the birds
A vessel to carry life into the world
Wisdom to know great truths
Courage to rise out of oppression
Gentleness to kiss the earth
Passion to set the world on fire
Vision to respect the earth that bore you
A playful nature to dance with the children
Laughter to fill the valleys
Tears to wash the pain away
Hands for laboring and loving
Intuition to know the unknown
Desire to be that which you were created to be
And God said to her
WOMAN
I have created you in my image and likeness and
YOU ARE GOOD

-susan marie