blame this on Jordan Pittman February 21, 2007

1.Someone knocks on your door at 2 am, who do you want it to be?
Greg!!!

2. Your boss tells you he/she will give you a $20 raise if you’ll do your job naked, do you stay?
No, but I’d sue him for sexual harrassment and make millions!

3. Describe yourself in a nutshell:
I am WEIRD, I like the color purple, I love my family, my boyfriend, and my dog Arnold. Oh yeah, and I love Jesus.

4. Ever seen a ghost?
Yes, three of them… women in white robes standing in my doorway when I was a kid. I swear, they were there!!!

5. Would you change your body?
Nope. I like it.

6. A reason you would move to Iceland?
Well, seeing that Iceland is green and Greenland is icy, I’d probably move to Iceland if they have good real estate prices and free daycare.

7. A place you’ve lived that you miss?
My Grandaddy’s house – I lived there alone one summer while he and my Grandma Max were living in Maine. It was WONDERFUL.
8. A person that you miss?
my cousin Jace, who never returns my phone calls!!

9. A band/group you thought was cool when you were little?
New Kids on the Block, who ELSE was there to listen to!?

10. You have a nightmare, who’s the first person you think to tell?
whoever is up as early as I am!

11. Wanna have kids before you’re 30?
definitely

12. A memory from high school?
Once, April, Erica, and I skipped class to go to Birmingham to pick up April’s prom dress…. and my dad called while we were there. Being the idiot that I am, I answered it and told him I was in the choir room???? He totally bought it and we never got busted.

13. Ever had a crush on one of your friend’s parents?
uhh…. no….

14. Naughtiest thing you’ve done at work?
Naughty!? Nothing comes to mind here!!

15. Do you look more like your mum or your dad?
My daddy

16. Something you’ve always wanted to learn how to do?
solve a Rubix cube

17. If you could be with one person who would it be?
As in romantically? Then that would be Greg. As in right this very moment? I’d want to hang out with Carla – I’m in a girly shopping mood.

18. Where you’d like to be in 10 years?
Somewhere with a house full of kids!!

19. Something you learned about life this year?
That it’s time to GROW UP and LIVE!!

20. What do you want for your birthday?
wow… that’s in August, so… it’s hard to say. Maybe some new clothes?

22. Last item you bought yourself?
Today I bought myself a hoodie from Old Navy. It was on sale for $9.97.

23. What did you have for breakfast?
honey nut oatmeal, orange juice, and key lime pie yogurt

24. Name a celeb you have a crush on?
Brrrrad Pitt

25. What’s your ring tone?
Depends on who is calling. For girls, it’s “Popular” from Wicked. For boys, it’s the theme song to Aqua Teen Hunger Force. For my family, it’s “Home” by Michael Buble. For Greg, it’s “Steady as She Goes” by the Racnoteurs. For people I don’t know, it’s “Call Me”…. by… I don’t know who it’s by.

26. How many hours of sleep do you get a night?
7-9…. gotta get my sleep!!!!

27. Have you ever been tied up?
uh – WHOA! no!

28. What do you wish you were doing right now?
playing the Sims!!!

29. Last time you witnessed a fight?
uh… middle school.

30. What was the last alcoholic beverage you drank?
Crown & Sprite on Valentine’s

33. Do you like your hair pulled?
No.

34. Name three places you would like to travel to?
Chicago, Brazil, Europe. All in that order.

35. Is there anyone you want to date at the moment?
My boyfriend.

36. Favorite food?
Taco Casa

38. Is bigger really better?
Not always.

39. What do you think of Brad Pitt?
He’s beautiful, he’s an idiot for leaving Jennifer Aniston, but he’s beautiful.

40. Name someone you have the most in common with?
I don’t know….. April probably. We are practically the same person at times.

41. What color are your toenails?
The color of toenails.

42. Last person you talked with on the phone?
My mommy.

43. Do you own anything with a skull on it?
Hah… I don’t think so.

44. Have you traveled to Europe?
Sadly, no.

45. Last movie you watched:
Chronicles of Narnia… but I only watched about half of it.

46. If you could be anything in the world what would it be?
a housewife with foster kids who doesn’t have to worry about making ends meet!!

47. Last sin committed?
ummmm…. i’m not sure.

48. Last board game you played?
the board game that I made Greg for Christmas

49. Leather or lace?
lace….. where is this going!!?

50. Ever had a black eye?
nope

51. Where do you rent your movies?
wherever I don’t have a late fee

52. Have you said I love you to anyone today?
Yeah

The apple of his eye

Last night, I rummaged through an old box of photographs and momentos that my dad had saved. I had been looking for old photographs and, last night, I hit the jackpot! I mostly found pictures I’d seen before, but most of them I had forgotten even existed. It was such a huge blessing. I just cried and cried in the back bedroom all alone… looking through these photographs! I got really choked up thinking about just how much my daddy loved me and how proud he always was of me.

At the funeral, the pastor talked about how I was the apple of my daddy’s eye – something that is probably true for most father/daughter relationships. But, to be the only daughter is sort-of special. He always believed in me, always trusted me, always encouraged me. He was a great daddy. 

Today marks five months since he’s been gone. It’s still hard, but finding things like boxes filled with tangible memories of him bring more comfort than you could imagine.

What Really Happened to Anna Nicole Smith February 16, 2007

I have been following the saga of Anna Nicole Smith’s tabloid-tale life for the past few months. For some sick, strange reason, I have been thoroughly intrigued with the goings on as she gave birth, lost a son, fought for the privacy of her daughter’s father, and then lost her very own life. It’s a really, really sad story. With my extensive knowledge in criminal intent (trust me, I’ve watched enough Law & Order to be a bona fide dectective), I have come to this conclusion about what really happened to Anna Nicole Smith: 

     Howard K. Stern, long-time companion and former attorney of Anna Nicole, convinces her to impregnate herself with the frozen sperm of her late husband, J. Howard Marshall, sometime in December 2005 or January 2006. She gives birth to a healthy baby girl in early September of 2006 in the Bahamas, where she had been living Stern. She puts Stern’s name on the birth certificate in order to avoid speculation. Her 20-year-old son, Daniel, comes to the Bahamas and dies during a visit to the hospital to see his mother and sister. Cause of death is determined as drug-related, but Howard K. Stern is really to blame. Stern had poisoned him, contributing to the headaches he complained of. Three days after the birth of Dannielynn Hope Marshall Smith, Stern either forced or encouraged Daniel to take a deadly combination of typically harmless presecription medications to combat his headaches and fatigue, ultimately killing the young man.  
     Just weeks after Daniel Smith’s death, Stern encourages Anna Nicole to join him in a commitment ceremony, which takes place in the Bahamas. Although not a legally recognized , this ceremony solidifies the relationship between Stern and Smith, confirming Stern as the closest thing to next-of-kin, since Smith was estranged from her biological family. The short proxemity between her son’s death and her commitment ceremony to Stern is no coincidence – Stern manipulated Smith’s grief-stricken state of mind to convince her that they should commit themselves to one another. 
     Anna Nicole, although blessed with a healthy baby and seeminlgy happy relationship with Stern, is unconsolable and depressed due not only to her sons’s death, but also by the media frenzy surrounding the true father of her daughter. Larry Birkhead, a former boyfriend, claims that he is father and takes legal action to determine paternity. Stern, again, convinces Smith to fight back and continue to promote Stern as the father of the child. 
    Not even five months after the death of her son, Anna Nicole dies in a Florida hotel room. Cause of death: prescription medication, the same as her son. Over time, Stern had been lacing her typical prescription medication with lethal doess and/or combinations of other medicines, which ultimately caused her death. However, the autopsy comes back with an unclear explination of her death due to the long, slow poisoning inflicted by Stern. 
    After Smith’s death, three parties (her estranged mother, Larry Birkhead, and Stern) fight for custody of Smith’s body and burial. To make matters more confusing, Stern pays  Prince something-or-the-other, husband of Zsa Zsa Gabor, to claim to be the father of the baby, stating that he had a ten-year affair with Anna and was with her during the time of conception. The Prince also takes legal action regarding paternity. Stern claims to be the father of the baby, but knows that he is not – which works for him due to clauses he knows are in Anna’s will that will be released just days after her tragic death.
    In her will, Howard K. Stern is named trustee of her estate, which was intended to be left to Daniel. The will also specifically and intentionally omits “future spouses,” “other family,” and “future children hereafter born or adopted.” The will is dated back to 2001, when Stern was still her attorney.  
    
And since I am also a psychic, here’s what will happen to those closest to Anna Nicole:

    Howard K. Stern is found guilty of criminal manipulation and the murders of Daniel Smith and Anna Nicole Smith and is permanently deported to the Bahamas, where he will serve 50 years to life in a minimum-security prison. Smith’s estate is given to her estranged family. The family puts the money towards annexing the town of Mexia, Texas, Anna’s hometown. They change the tiny town’s name to Annaville, Texas. All of her family members have some sort of plastic surgery performed and all build mansions in the newly-formed town of Annaville. Anna’s step-father is elected mayor of Annaville. Anna’s sister, Donna Hogan, marries Larry Birkhead after they met during the paternity testing trials. A judge orders paternity tests for anyone interested and it is determined that J. Howard Marshall is, in fact, the father of Dannielynn (who’s full name is Dannielynn Hope MARSHALL Smith). Due to the fact that Marshall is deceased and that none of his living relatives are interested in child rearing, custody is awarded to Ryan Seacrest. Smith’s body is buried next to her son, in the Bahamas. Dannielynn grows up a to be bright, talented, and fiery blonde and goes on wins American Idol: Season 24. She has a booming music career and marries Baron Trump, son of Donald and Melania Trump. 

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is what really happened to Anna Nicole Smith.

Love in the dictionary February 14, 2007

“Love: a strong, complex emotion or feeling of personal attachment causing one to appreciate, delight in, or crave the affection or attention of an object and to please and promote the welfare of that object; devoted affection or attatchment; specifically, the feeling between husband and wife, brother or sister, or lover and sweetheart; one who is beloved, a sweetheart; animal passion; the personification of the love passion; Cupid; in some games, as tennis, nothing.”
“Love in the Dictionary” – it’s a fine art song.

Well, today is D-Day, I mean… V-Day. I am going to wear a pink shirt today. But I have on black nail polish. 🙂

God has answered a lot of prayers about today. For this glorious day of love, Greg and I originally made plans for him to come to my house and then for us to go to the Cotton Patch for dinner. Then, the Gospel Supply schedule came out and I was scheduled to work at the bookstore tonight (5-9 – I RARELY ever work nights) and had to cancel my dinner plans with my boyfriend. It wasn’t a huge deal, but I was a disappointed. However, Rachel and I had made plans to go out that night and be each other’s Valentines and were really excited about hanging out.

Then the unthinkable happened – our boss decided to close the store EARLY! (We don’t even close early the night before Easter!!) That was exciting because that meant Greg could come down. It was also a hassle because we celebrated on Sunday and didn’t really want to spend more money eating out. So, THEN, I get a phone call from work saying that our boss is going to throw us a Valentine’s pizza party after we close!! So, that means free food! How good is our God!? 

And, on top of that – God dropped a weekend babysitting gig in my lap yesterday. That means four days where I will get paid to hang out with a kid, play games, watch movies, and have fun!!! 

And THEN, my sister bought me a teddy bear for Valentine’s day from Hallmark. His name is Louie. Everyone called my dad Louie.

I see the blessings! My eyes are open and Ican finally see them dropping from the sky like rain!

Edit 2-1507 at 7:08 am:

The Lord gives and the Lord takes away…. and he took away the pizza party I thought we were invited to. Apparently, it was only for single people – something that hadn’t been made clear until I asked if Greg could come with me. So, this whole time, we could have gone with our VERY first plans (to eat at Cotton Patch). But, instead, we had Taco Casa and coffee. I’m not bitter, just…. really wanting some Cotton Patch!!!

A Fall to Grace February 13, 2007

In November of last year, a shockwave was sent through the Christian community regarding Pastor Ted Haggard from New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Immediately, thoughts of other “fallen” men rushed through my mind and I quickly associated Pastor Ted with the Jimmy Swaggarts and Jim Bakkers of the world. 

Greg has lots of friends – and even some family – that attend New Life or have attended New Life and were close to Pastor Ted and his ministry. It was hard to hear the criticism from the world, knowing that there were real lives and real people hurting because of one man’s actions. But, I was also thankful to Jesus that He is our moral compass – not our pastors, not our ministers, not our worship pastor…. Jesus is our guide. People are going to fail us – even the people we think have it all together, because sometimes Satan attacks those the hardest. 

When I visited New Life in December, I could feel the “peace that passes all understanding” that this church has embraced since the news about their pastor broke the headlines. The church has responded with dignity, compassion, and grace.

The reason all of this was stirred up in me today is due to an article by Ed Young from the Jan/Feb 2007 issue of Relevant, entitled “A Fall to Grace.” In the article, Young talks about the difference between falling from grace and falling to grace – meaning that believers can’t “fall from grace” – a term we often use for situations such as Pastor Ted’s. We talk so much about the abundant, “inexhaustable” (I liked that word) grace of God, but when someone fails us, we forget that we, too, are supposed to give grace to people when we feel we have been “wronged.”

It’s funny I read this article today because it related so much to the sermon I heard on Sunday – I am not quick to forgive people and I am not quick to say I’m sorry. It’s something that I have always struggled with. I have always felt that, when someone wrongs me, I am entitled to hold a grudge, to be angry, or to get even. It has wrecked and ruined several of the best friendships and relationships I have ever had. My inability to forgive has burned bridges that I will never again be able to cross. It had stirred a spirit of bitterness in me that I let fester into anger and hatred, even. 

But, what broke me of all that was a simple act by two of my favorite people in the whole world. Two people that I have hurt over and over and over again. Two people that I wanted to erase from my life because I was tired of hurting them, and tired of being hurt. But, when my Dad died, I reached out to them and they were there for me. I don’t mean “there for me” in a phone-call, “I’ll pray for you” kind of way. No, they drove an hour and a half to my house, brought me biscuits, hugged me. They bought me clothes to wear (since I hadn’t packed any) and one of them cleaned my apartment while I was staying at home. 

They showed me grace when I didn’t deserve it – at all. They immediately forgave me of the things I had done to them. Even though I know things can never be the same – mainly because we’re all heading in completely different directions – I know now that they were serious when they said “we’ll be there for each other – no matter what.”

God grants us grace even more abundant than that. And not just once in our life time – no, He does it every day. The bible says to offer grace and forgive people over and over and over again… even if it seems to no avail. Why? Because that’s what God does for us. Over and over again, we fail God and He still rescues us. He still forgives us. He still offers us grace. And, one of the greatest things we can do in life is reflect what He has given us. Open our hearts, forget the past…. and forgive.

The Lovliest Time of the Year February 3, 2007

I hate Valentine’s day. I really do. It’s the most pointless holiday ever created. It’s just a scam to get us to buy flowers, chocolates, cards, and paper hearts that will all end up in the garbage. 

I am guilty, though, of buying Valentine’s cards this year… and Valentine’s stamps… and Valentine’s stickers…. why, oh, why am I doing this!? It can’t be because I have a boyfriend – last year we didn’t do anything for this silly little holiday…. this year, we’re already talking about where we want to eat and what we want to buy. I even wanted to buy a pink shirt especially for Valentine’s day.

Rid me of this fascination with Valentine’s Day. Let me want to barf all over it again. Let me want to wear black instead of red or pink. Let me want to make fun of all the people who get engaged on Valentine’s day. Let me return to my hatred of this ridiculous excuse for a holiday!!!