I didn't fall...

...and it's amazing that I didn't!

My niece would pick a birthday activity that could cause me to break my leg or my face, haha!

Today was Summer's 7th Birthday party and we celebrated at Bladez on Ice in Greenville, NC. She had so much fun with her little friends slipping and sliding on the ice...I guess you could call it skating, ha. I will say that for 7 and 8 year olds, they were phenomenal!

They had this little thing that looked like a walker..like the ones older people use...they had that on the ice and the kids could use it to help keep them stay upright instead of horizontal on the freezing floor. Problem is, they don't make these for adults:( It sure would have come in handy for me to have one of them instead of getting that embarrassing feeling every time a 5 year old wheezed passed me with ease. Although if I had a walker on ice, it would have made me feel even older, ha!

But I didn't fall and that is something to celebrate, haha!

Here are some pictures from the fun event:


Aren't they adorable?


See, I was pretty good on skates:)



Summer had an awesome and from what I understand, we'll be back skating again next year!

Baby Hinton's Shower

Well, I spent the night in Shelby, NC with Downey, Aaron and the Washburns... who could ask for a better Friday night. I always enjoy visiting here because there's always funny stories and always good food. Yes, Mama Washburn can cook up a good ole' country meal, yum!

Today was Downey's baby shower. It's that time where we get to shower baby Hinton in gifts before he even arrives...and believe me, he got some great things. There were bottles and binkies, clothes and diapers, baby balm and cute little socks. He is going to be one pimped out little boy!

Here are some pictures from the shower.


Yummy cupcakes

Me and Downey! I am so thankful for her.

Downey is finally showing!

I was so glad Tiffany came by.

How cute is this...it's a diaper cake.

We had so much fun and the cupcakes definitely won me over :)

The only thing that would have made this day any better was Brett. I sure do wish Brett was there :(

Busy weekend

Headed to North Carolina for a weekend adventure! Lots to do in 4 days:)

While I'm home I will be visiting Downey and Aaron, attending their baby shower, visiting Janis and that beautiful baby boy Aiden, attending Summer's 7th birthday party at Bladez on Ice, eating at Parker's BBQ multiple times, playing with Cambi and Arley in the yard, visiting my high school to see Coach Cobbs and Ms Hedrick, stopping by the pre-school to sing a song and eating lunch with my dear friend Jenni.

Whew...that's a lot but I am ready! Bags are packed, let's hit the road!

I couldn't resist

This may be inappropriate but I couldn't resist! It's hilarious :)

CNN Anchor Can't Tell 'Nuts From ...

Wednesday, March 04, 2009

A U.S. airline is now selling "penis" on flights, an anchorwoman has declared.

The slip-up happened on CNN when anchorwoman Zain Verjee was reporting about Northwest Airlines now selling peanuts on flights.

Verjee mentioned the word "penis" three times instead of "peanuts."

"Northwest began serving penis this month as its merger partner Atlanta-based Delta airlines has done for years," Verjee said.

"Georgia is the top penis producing state in the country."

The footage has been uploaded to YouTube in many different versions and has become an internet sensation with more than 700,000 views today.

Perhaps the caption at the bottom of the screen distracted her – it declared "nuts on Northwest flights."

Click to watch the video on YouTube

Who wants a rap?

My friends, Group 1 Crew have an awesome new thing going on right now...and who wouldn't want to be involved with something that includes 3 of the most beautiful people ever :)

Watch Group 1 Crew's music video for "Movin'" and enter to win a personalized rap from Group 1 Crew! Click HERE for more info.

Just think Pablo, Manwell and Blanca could be singing you a song! How cool is that?

Eight sets, Whatever!

First off, let me start by saying 'What was Jason thinking tonight?' Breaking up with Melissa on National television and telling her that he was going to see if he had a shot with Molly. YOU"RE ENGAGED Jason! He totally just jumped into the jerk category. Why is so hard for some guys to be smart about how they treat girls. Is that to much to ask?

Note to all men: DON'T break up with a girl that you're engaged to on television EVER!!!!! And especially don't ask out another girl immediately after!

Anyway on the better and much smarter things...today was the day! The Stair Challenge at NAMB and I completed it. I did 8 sets of stairs which consisted of 5 floors (6 if you count ground as a floor) in 20.06 minutes. That's pretty good!! I mean I'm no ready to climb the Sears Tower but I think I did pretty well.

We have been "training" for this day for about 5 weeks now and it's exciting to look back at how far you've come since day one.

Eight sets, WHATEVER! I'm doing 10 tomorrow :) maybe...

Georgia's a Winter Wonderland!

I love it when you wake up, look out the window and see huge flakes falling from the sky. What a way to start a Sunday! LOVE IT:)

Magic in 3 layers!

I miss this!

Remember Jell-O 123? It seemed like magic, one uniform mixture separated into 3 distinct layers during refrigeration. It was introduced in 1969, then pulled off the shelves and then it was back until the mid '90s when it was discontinued again. In Jell-O, A Biography, Carolyn Wyman included this recipe to make your own at home.




Ingredients:


3/4 cup boiling water


1/2 cup cold water with enough ice cubes added to equal 1 1/4 cups


1/2 cup whipped cream


3 oz package any flavor Jell-O


Directions:
In a blender, mix together the gelatin and the boiling water. Add the ice cube/water mixture and mix until the ice cubes are melted. Mix in the whipped cream for 30 seconds. Pour into dessert glasses. Refrigerate 30 minutes. Serve.

Kooza

Yep it happened and it was amazing!

Last night Jen, Katie and I went to see the Cirque du Soleil show, KOOZA in Atlantic Station thanks to our good friend Michael Walker. There are not enough words to describe how awesome the show was.

KOOZA tells the story of The Innocent, a melancholy loner in search of his place in the world.

KOOZA is a return to the origins of Cirque du Soleil: It combines two circus traditions – acrobatic performance and the art of clowning. The show highlights the physical demands of human performance in all its splendor and fragility, presented in a colorful mélange that emphasizes bold slapstick humor.

The Innocent's journey brings him into contact with a panoply of comic characters such as the King, the Trickster, the Pickpocket, and the Obnoxious Tourist and his Bad Dog.

Between strength and fragility, laughter and smiles, turmoil and harmony, KOOZA explores themes of fear, identity, recognition and power. The show is set in an electrifying and exotic visual world full of surprises, thrills, chills, audacity and total involvement.

That about sums it up, ha.

Walker thank you for everything. We had an amazing time!

A message from Ed Young

…Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant … For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. Mark 10:43, 45

Selfishness vs. Servanthood… When the war is waged in our lives, we side with selfishness. We major in “me.” We have this me, my, mine attitude in our lives and forget about others. We want someone else to serve us, to give us the massage, the pedicure, or the shoulder rub. We don’t want to serve anyone else because we think of servants as weaker than, less than, or below us.

But Jesus Christ, God’s only son, came to this earth to blow the doors off of our pre-determined ideas of servanthood. He taught us that serving is the way to freedom, the way to God’s heart. And he modeled true servanthood by performing the ultimate act of service.

When we accept what he did for us, when we bow the knee to Christ, we become armed in the battle against selfishness. God instills in us the character quality that Jesus showed every day of his life - servanthood.

When Jesus walks into the doors of your life, he places the person of the Holy Spirit inside of your heart. And the Holy Spirit is the one who helps you battle against selfishness - he gives you the strategy, the way to win, the way to serve with an honest heart.

This week, when you feel the pull of selfish thinking in your life, remember the act of service that Christ performed on the cross. Remember that Jesus himself came, not to be served, but to serve. Then, reflect that teaching in what you do; reflect the servanthood that God has so passionately shown you.

by Ed Young

Hunting corn

Funniest thing I heard today was from Mr. Brandon Coker! Apparently while he was in Nebraska he was talking to man about corn...random, yes but a good conversation starter! The man told him that corn wasn't in season right now so Coker, being the quick witted guy that he is, asked the question "Exactly how do you hunt corn when it's in season?"

I'm telling you, I laughed so much as Jen, Coker and I thought of the best ways to hunt corn. We threw out the ideas of maybe using a bow and arrow or some sort of small rifle but my favorite thought was using a fishing rod. You just through that bad out and reel it back in, haha!

What do think? When corn is in season, what is the best to hunt it?

No greater compliment!

I want to tell you about a little project I did a little over a year ago. I was living in Nashville and was struggling a bit financially. I didn't have a lot of money for Christmas presents so I decided to make something that would mean far more than a new sweater or some new gadget meant to make life easier. I decided to make a little something that I had been wanting to do for years.

With the help of my good friend Daniel Heath, founder and producer at 210 Records, I created a little CD for my family and closest friends. It was one of those ideas that trickled in to my head one day while I was singing in my car. So I compiled a few songs that had touched my heart and my parents in some way. My parents have always loved to hear me sing. I grew up singing in church, at my school, for retreats and my favorite, at Caswell. I felt like every opportunity was one that lead me closer to the dream I had when I was a little girl. The dream to one day be a singer...I think it's every girl's dream.

Now, I'm not one for spotlights and glamour, I always had a different purpose for wanting to sing on stage. I wanted the people in the audience to be touched. To have that feeling you get when a specific song comes on the radio. That feeling of a memory triggered and emotion sparked. I had it all planned out in my head.

As time went on, my dream changed a bit but it's still there. Over the past week I've had a few moments that have rekindled that dream. A few encouraging words, an awesome opporutinty and a sweet story from my mom.

Apparently, my CD that was made in 2007 has made its way to a preschool room in North Carolina. The teacher, Mrs. Dixie Courtright, a friend of my family told my mom that her tiny students request that CD everyday before their nap time. How cute is that?!

Maybe it's soothing or maybe it's just boring but to me it doesn't matter their reason. It matters that for those few minutes before they fall asleep, they listen to me, singing about Jesus and singing about hope, love and joy. And to me, there could be no greater compliment.

What Love is This?

You must download this song by Justin McRoberts! I promise you'll love it.

How long? How long to wait when my heart’s ready to break?
How long? How long to stand when I don’t know who I am?

Would you be my lover if I had no love
And no beauty to speak of?
Would you still be faithful if I had no faith
And I questioned everything?
Amen

What then if I turned away and in darkness hid my face?
Would you leave me then?
Or would you draw me to yourself again?

Would you be my lover if I had no love
And no beauty to speak of?
Would you still be faithful if I had no faith
And I questioned everything?
Amen


What love is this? What love is this,
That will never change? That could never change?
What love is this? What love is this,
That remains the same? It remains the same.

Amen.

The Here and Now

Ziggy makes me happy!! I think it's because he's so cute and so very wise, haha :)

Holy Through You

I will show the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, the name you have profaned among them. Then the nations will know that I am the LORD, declares the Sovereign LORD, when I show myself holy through you before their eyes.
— Ezekiel 36:23 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...
God can and will use us even though we are not worthy vessels for him to use. Scripture gives us many examples of people God used when they did not measure up to his moral and holy requirements -- for example, think a little about Samson or most of the other Judges! God will be revealed as the holy, mighty, and awesome God that he is. So let's not be unwilling tools in his hands. Instead, let's offer ourselves to him for his service and his glory.


Holy Father, make me pure and holy, not just by your grace, but also in my actions, words, and thoughts. Create a clean heart in me and renew a righteous spirit in me by the power of your Holy Spirit. May my life be a holy sacrifice of praise to you. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

Addicted

I'm addicted!

Addicted to schedules. Addicted to planning. Addicted to checking my emails. Addicted to strawberry cheesecake yogurt. Addicted to being neat. Addicted to Facebook...among other things.

Why is it that we can get so addicted to work, friendships, internet phenomenons, etc but we can't get addicted to our relationship with God?

Good question, huh? Anyone have an answer?

Everyday I wake up, shower and dress, rush to work(unless it's the weekend), impulsively stare at emails, projects, meeting requests, etc then work out, head home, impulsively stare at emails, meeting requests and Facebook and eventually head to bed...always later then I want to, of course. Somewhere in that mix I do throw in some food and the occasional 100 phone conversations but if you look closely, something is missing. Can you see it? Of course you can't because it's missing. It's my time with God...that's what is missing.

Why is that? I can dedicate my entire day to planning other people's lives, answering everyone's questions and making sure that nothing goes unresolved but I can't even take 5 minutes to thank God for giving me that day to do all those things?! That's sad.

God blesses me everyday with new experiences, strength to do the things I have to get done, my health, friendships to make me smile and thousands of other things that would make this blog about 3 days long if I listed them all yet I have no time to thank Him. That has to change!! And it will, starting right now!

My days are going to be different, my time is going to be different, my life is going to be different! I am going to become addicted to God. Addicted to His word. Addicted to His provision. Addicted to saying thank you through prayer. Addicted to his updates instead of my Facebook updates. Just wait and see.

Oh and if you do see, I give you permission to call me out and scold me!! That's fair :)

Done!

I am done!

Done with the last minute change of plans, done with the let downs, done with acting like I am perfectly fine when someone tells me one thing but always does another. I have always been the girl that lets things roll off her shoulder when it comes to friendships and heartbreaks. I never speak up, I never lash out and I never confront but I think I've come to a point in my life where I've had it. I've had it with people who pretend to be your friend when they need something, come to you when they need to vent about someone or call you when they can't find anyone else to hang out with. I'm tired of being the back up plan and I refuse to do it any more!

For those of you who know me, truly know the real me, you know that I try really hard to be helpful and sincere. I offer my time and my ear to anyone who needs a friend. I try really hard to be there for everyone but I am finally wearing thin. I can't do it anymore.

So to those of you who are my true friends, thank you! Thank you for always being there! For those of you who need someone to vent to about your latest breakup or fight with a friend, if that's all I'm good for to you, don't bother! Find someone else to complain to. I'm sure there are plenty of people out there that will listen to your whining and not expect a friendship in return. I am no longer one of those people!!

Passion City Church

Passion City Church

Yep, it has begun...Louie Giglio, Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman, Christy Nockels and a vision that has been in the making for years...Passion City Church.

Tonight was the very first service and it made me super excited about what is to come. I am excited about going out into our city, our community, with our people to make a huge difference. This church is for God, for People, for the City and for the World. Louie's vision spoke to my heart and I am looking forward to diving head first into spreading the love of Jesus Christ with several hundred other passionate followers!

It's going to be amazing. Come join us if you can.

A Special Surprise

It happened! Aren't they beautiful???

For those of you who don't know...for the past week I have been hinting to my Daddy, friends and just people in passing that flowers would be a great surprise on Valentine's Day (actually the day before at work so I could show them off to all my friends, ha).

Honestly I'm not that girly and flowers aren't really something I have to have on special love days but it's been a while since I've received flowers, so I thought it would be nice this year, haha.

And it was!

What an awesome surprise to receive a bouquet of gorgeous roses, lilies and geraniums plus some delicious chocolate from a sweet fellow in North Carolina. I totally showed them to everyone in my department and I displayed them on my desk :) Thanks Pookie, You made my day!

Then to make the day even better, when I got home there was an awesome package from my parents waiting for me. It had the sweetest card that made me tear up a little and a chocolate rose, which my dad said was all he could afford this year, haha. I was so excited. I am truly blessed to have the greatest family ever!!!

I want to be the exception!

I have been waiting for this movie to come out since last summer. FINALLY!!!

Saw it tonight and I can truly say that I learned a lot about what to look for when dating. Basically it's like this, simple really:
* Myspace and Facebook messages are known as booty calls.
* Guys who say 'its nice to meet you' at the end of the date aren't gonna call.
* If he's not sleeping with you, there is someone else that he is sleeping with.
* If he gets your number instead of giving you his, he's not interested.
* There are two types of women, the rule and the exception.(I'm tired of being the rule)
* Oh and this is one of the main points, never force a man to get married because the outcome could be him with a cheap tramp buying bananas at the local Handy Mart.

That last one will make you think! haha

You have to go see the movie! And guys you should go to...maybe you'll learn something!

No Hands

I love sharing these with everyone!

Today's 'Dare of the Day' was...eat your lunch using no hands. Sounds easy but it's not, especially when you have to eat your lunch in public!

Here we go:
I had Mac-N- Cheese.

Matt had some yummy fruit.

Kristi went with Lentil soup.

And Shawn went with wings...wearing a white shirt.

Results:
A few peculiar looks, lots of laughs and no stains on any clothing. My mom would be proud:)

There's a first time for EVERYTHING!

SO tonight I learned how to cut a pineapple. All these years of eating it out of a can, I decided fresh was a better way...and it totally is!

Here's the thing, I didn't even know where to start in cutting up a pineapple. I mean they look prickly and I always thought the top looked somewhat like a cactus which leads to a definite 'DO NOT TOUCH' thought! But pineapples come with instructions. Who Knew?!

So here is your step by step pineapple cutting lesson complete with pictures!

Step ONE: Twist off the crown AKA the prickly top I mentioned earlier

Step TWO: Cut in half, then into quarters

Step THREE: Trim off ends and core, remove fruit from shell



Step FOUR: Cut into bite size pieces

Step FIVE: Enjoy and indulge!

Winterjam 09

I love it when my roomies come to town!

Last night was the night that Winterjam 2009 rolled in to town and with it came my favorite Nashville roomies Stephanie, Emily and Lindsey. It was an incredible night. I got to see some old friends, meet some new friends and just take in atmosphere.

Fun moments of the night...
*Seeing Stephanie in her tu tu. She was absolutely amazing on stage! Owned it.


*Seeing a packed out Gwinett Arena all ready to worship the Lord!


*Being in the catering room when Toby found out he won a grammy. He was like a giddy little boy for the rest of the night!

*Getting to be with some of my favorite girls! I absolutely adore them.



*Hearing Brandon Heath sing! Ahh I fall in love with that voice every time!

*Talking to my new matchy matchy friend Nathan and Lindsey about dates, coffee and random moments.


*Dancing along with Pure NRG as they sang Foot Loose!

There were many more moments and many more laughs. It was such a great night and I'm sad it ended so quickly! Lucky for me there is a Nashville trip and a cruise in my future:)

I have changed!

I've been thinking a lot lately about how my life has changed so much in the past two and half years. It has definitely been an eventful ride mixed with lots of emotions, memorable trips, learning experiences and friends that have never let me down.

For those of you who don't know, in October of 2006 I took a job in Nashville, TN. It was my first 'grown up' job and it just happened to be 12 hours away from everything I loved. It was definitely a huge turning point in my life.

I remember going back to North Carolina after living in Nashville for a few months and someone said to me 'Shannon, you've changed!' I quickly defended myself by giving several reasons why I was the same Shannon that I had always been. It's funny but what I didn't know then that I do now, is I have changed. Everyday I change a little more. It's not a bad thing, it's more of a growing thing! You see, these past few years I've learned a lot about the person I want to be verses the person I don't. With becoming who you want to be, comes change.

It's a hard balance because the truth is everyone changes even if they want to believe they don't. I still love my family deeply and long to see my friends daily. I still love to rub noses with my puppy and blow bubbles in my kool-aid. I still crave Bojangles biscuits and Parker's sweet tea. The list goes on of things that haven't changed about me. The only thing is now there's a new list...a list of things that have changed!

While I could list those things for you one by one, there would be no purpose. Basically you need to know this... Through my changes I have grown closer to God, I have developed a love for new adventures and I have a hard time waiting for what may happen tomorrow:)

I see those as great changes and welcome many more!!!

Matthew 7:12

Here is a simple, rule-of-thumb guide for behavior:
Ask yourself what you want people to do for you, then
grab the initiative and do it for them. Add up God's
Law and Prophets and this is what you get.

Matthew 7:12 (The Message)

I will give the first person to explain this verse in detail an apple Nutrigrain bar! Don't you all comment at once...I only have one to give away:)

Reality + Bank account check

SO for the past two weeks I have been keeping track of my purchases. All because Andy Stanley made me feel so guilty about the way I use my money...and he was totally right!

Looking back at what I spend my money on has made me a little ashamed of the way I live. I'll give you a little example...

Last week I spent about 100.00 on food eating out, 75.00 on gas and 100.00 on unnecessary items like home decor and Starbucks. That's almost 300.00 that wasn't spent on anything related to the Kingdom of God!

I've been thinking about materialism a lot lately and how much I put into buying clothes, picking out new shades of eye color, trying to find the newest trendiest bag and, I hate to say it, but how much I spend on boots >gasp< and it's ridiculous. Atlanta has turned me into one of them...A shopper obsessed with labels and fashion. For once Phillip was right, I have changed.(Don't anyone tell him I said that)

Thankfully I've had a reality check and a bank account check! I have started a new system...a system to get back on track. I am beginning to save for the future, cut out the unnecessary spending and put my money where it should have been all along... in the offering plate!

Thanks Andy for the reality check! I sure needed it.

If you want to listen to Andy's messages about finances visit www.northpoint.org and click on his Balanced series. I promise it will change your view on how you spend your money, in a good way!

Stairs

3 sets of stairs...5 flights of stairs and me running up and down them 3 times! Talk about jello legs. This torture, I mean workout is a part of our daily routine for the next 14 weeks.

Yep, my lungs were burning, my legs were hurting and I was sweating quite a bit but by God I will be fit by the end of this program:)

I'm back...with moments!

OK I'm back! Did you miss me? I know you did :)

Well first order of business is to tell you that my new car hit 1000 miles yesterday! My little boy is growing up...way too fast >tear<

Alright, so besides my truck becoming a man, the past few days have been awesomely wonderful mixed with completely tiring. Like I mentioned in my last blog, I have been at the Conclave Conference since Thursday. I forgot how much work goes into being a part of a conference...not to mention the fact that there were so many people I wanted to hangout with with so little time to accomplish it.

I was very excited to see Aaron Hinton, Chris Lynch and Brian Hemphill standing in front of the Fort Caswell exhibit. It's been months since I've seen them and even longer since I've been able to sit down and have a conversation with them. I absolutely love seeing friends from home. It's such a refreshing feeling, one that I will never get tired of.

I was at the conference to help Brock and Auny with there 3 day performances. I honestly feel like I'm in my element when I am with them, working these types of events. You know, merchandise, camera cues, sound boards and mingling with hosts and state leaders. What more could you ask for? I feel like I do a pretty good job...I mean they keep me around for some reason:)

So there were moments of laughter with great friends, moments of professionalism with state leaders and moments of bright lights and Family Force 5 tracks. I'd say that's a pretty great weekend!

Oh and to top it off me and few old friends decided to send a message to someone special that we missed seeing this weekend! Downey...Todd Agnew, Cody, Brian and I miss you!!

I'll be back soon...

Sorry for the delay on my writing...I am working at the Conclave conference till Saturday so I will be back then to write :)

Thinking Cap

Well this is going to be a bit of a venting blog so read at your own disgression!

It's 12:30 AM and I, for some reason am still awake even though my day begins bright and early tomorrow at 6:30 AM!

Go to bed Shannon! I keep telling myself that.

I'm playing catch up on all the emails, trying to get it back down to a minimum and also trying to figure out which emails I have responded to and which ones I have overlooked accidentally. Lately all the email conversations are running together. Basically every conversation goes like this... We need promo materials! The video you sent me won't download! We want to have a band play before the show begins, can you approve that? I need quotes from all the past hosts and every school principle that you have ever worked with!

The answer to that last question is no! I can't!!

I mean seriously people, can you cut me just a little bit of slack and do a little bit of research yourself or at least learn how to download a video. I mean, all you do is click on it and then click download. How hard is that? Not hard at all...but no worries, I will stay up till 1 AM every night till you get all the materials you need!

"Why" you ask? Well it's quite simple...Because it's my job!

Although a little help from your thinking cap would help me to get a little more sleep at night! Could you at least try to do that for me? Please?

I would greatly appreciate it!!

OK venting session over...time to sleep(or nap since it will be so short)=(

I was on the big screen

I got to experience my first Hawk's game last night thanks to my friend Katie! She had an extra ticket and I just happen to be the lucky one to get it:)

I must say it was one of the most eventful nights I've had in a while. First thing, I ran into my friend Kyle who I haven't seen in almost a year. We just happen to pull in to a parking space right beside him. How awesome is that!

The awesomeness doesn't stop there! Here are more highlights from the evening...

*Having floor seats
*Seeing the massive SHAQ at a close distance.
*Kyle sending a text to the big screen that said 'Shannon White is a hottie' for the whole arena to see.
*Getting to be on the big screen for the first time
*Seeing Ciara at the game

It was a great night! Glad I got to spend some time with Katie and watch some great basketball!

Can't wait for night time:)

Time!

Have you ever had one of those weeks, or maybe months where you feel deep down in your soul that something is missing? You can't quite put your finger on it but it's something that in midst of laughter touches you or in the middle of tears reminds you. I've had that feeling since about November and I think it has finally revealed itself to me.

Time!

I know that's a weird answer but it's the truth. The thing that has been missing for the past three months is time. Time to rest. Time to catch up. Time to call my dear friends and hear all about their lives. Time to sleep in. Time to enjoy my surroundings. Time to be with God. Time. Time. Time.

I was talking to a co-worker the other day who told me I needed to slow down. She said that I never just had time for myself because I was dedicating it all to events, emails, gatherings and basically everything else. She's right. My response shocked her and it shocked me too, to finally hear it coming out of my mouth. My response was...

I keep myself busy so that I don't have time to think about all the things that scare me. I'm 26...single and still battling with finances. I'm scared I'll never get married. Scared that I will never be able to fully support a family. Scared that if I take myself out the circle, my friends wont even notice I'm not there. Basically I'm scared to slow down in the fear that I will realize that I'm not the social norm, haha.

It was a pretty long answer but since that day I've had to think, a lot. I've had time to rest, reflect and to be with God and the great thing is I don't think I have anything to be scared of. I have a great job with wonderful people and a salary that may not allow me a mansion, but allows me food, shelter and the freedom to do the things that I love.

I have some wonderful friends that take care of me and show me that life is about laughing and loving. They are there when I need someone to talk to. They are there when I need someone to cry to. And the best part is they're there...even the ones that live hundreds of miles away.(Thanks Kristen)

I have the greatest family who has stood beside me through all my choices, all my moves and all my struggles. They love me unconditionally no matter how much money I make, how many relationships fail and how much time goes by. My dad once told me,"I am proud of you because you are you!" My mom once said, "That's what I'm here for. To help you and to love you!" They are so great.

And the number reason I shouldn't be scared is because I have a God that is bigger than all my circumstances, all my 'so-called' failures and all my struggles. He has big plans for me and needs some time alone with me so he can reveal them!

So, I don't really do New Years resolutions and the fact that it's almost February means I would be a month late making one anyway, but here is my goal for 2009...

Spend more time in silence, listening for the whispers of God. Spend more time loving on my family, my friends and my work mates. Spend more time on me...resting, reflecting and relaxing!

I like this goal :)

The bob is back with a twist!

SO I have been growing my hair out for the past 4 and a half months. I have been super excited about having a pony tail and just having long hair that I can flip, haha. I've had a bob hair cut for a little over a year and I just thought that I should do something different, like grow it out.

Well all that changed today!

I got a hair cut and my stylist for some reason loves my hair short so all that work growing it out was a waste. But I think I like it! Ryan, my stylist says that its very rockstarish...I hope everyone else thinks the same.

Here we go...

Tell me what you think!

Headline of the Day...

Note to self never throw snow at a cop! ECU students, way to make the news :)

North Carolina Campus Police Arrest Student During Snowball Fight

Friday, January 23, 2009


GREENVILLE, N.C. — Campus police at East Carolina University said they made one arrest and used pepper spray on some students as officers tried to control a huge snowball fight on campus.

Police were called to a dormitory three times as more than 200 students pelted each other with snowballs as a rare snowstorm dropped several inches of snow in eastern North Carolina on Tuesday, The Daily Reflector of Greenville reported Thursday.

Some witnesses said they were hit hard by indiscriminately hurled snowballs.

"It all started in good nature, but then people were throwing them as hard as they could at each other. They were everywhere," said junior Brandon Davis, noting he got hit in the head.

He said a girl was knocked to the ground after being hit in the face with a snowball thrown from 10 feet away, while another student cried after getting hit in the eye.

Police said an officer used pepper spray on a group of students that rushed officers trying to make an arrest. Authorities estimate between 200 and 250 people were involved, but no serious injuries were reported.

Matt Lunchick, a junior, said he saw an officer tackle and arrest a student after the officer was hit with a snowball in the back. He also said officers told some students not to dump tubs of snow into cars.

Steven Rashad Bass, 18, was arrested and charged with assault on a government official, and resisting, delaying and obstructing a law enforcement officer. He was later released from the Pitt County Detention Center, jail officials said Thursday.

Bass was scheduled to appear in court March 3. His telephone number couldn't be found, and he didn't immediately return an e-mail Thursday.

Inspired by God

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach
us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in
our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches
us to do what is right.

2 Timothy 3:16 (New Living Translation)

Office Dare #2

I love Sara's office DARE calendar!

Not sure if you can read that so I will type it out for you!
January 21
Place sticky notes that read "left" and "right" on your shoes. Walk around all day with them.

Yep, we did it! Matt, Shawn, Sara and myself made a statement with sticky notes and markers!

Brings a smile to the face, huh?! :)

Side Effects

So I am beginning to think that this whole Accutane experience may not be worth it! For those of you who didn't know, I started taken this medicine almost two months ago to help clear up my skin...every girl's dream, right? Everyone told me that it's totally worth it because the results are amazing. What they didn't say is that the side effects are not amazing.

I woke up this morning with my nose bleeding and a wicked headache...two things that don't go together very well. This is the first time in 26 years that I have ever had a nose bleed(well that I can remember). So being the little researcher that I am, I got out the medicine box and read a few of the side effects. There's actually way more than a few. Listen to these...

blurred vision
nausea
seizures
headaches
severe chest, stomach and bowel pain
back pain
joint pain
painful swallowing
depression
psychosis

...and these aren't all of them! What the crap?

The things we do to be pretty, or try to be pretty. I would like to know if anyone else has ever taken this medicine and if so, did you ever have any of these side effects?

Catching up ain't easy

Have you ever had one of those weeks when all you can think about is getting to the weekend so you can sleep in and catch up? That was me this week. I have been going to bed super late and getting up super early and I knew that if I cold just make it to Sunday I could sleep in and wake up refreshed, ready to start my new week. Well I made it to Sunday so at least I accomplished that goal, but the refreshed part was rudely interrupted around 3:00 AM this morning.

There I was all snuggled up in my bed, probably dreaming about something awesome when this loud screeching noise began filling my apartment. At first I thought it was my cell phone alarm going off until I picked up the phone and nothing was happening. I jumped up, slightly disoriented, realizing that the noise was the fire alarm...not just my single apartment's fire alarm but the entire building's fire alarm.

Jen and I put on our hoodies and jackets(since it is a whooping 15 degrees outside) and headed to the streets. There were several people outside and most of them were not very happy about the situation. The bright red fire truck showed up a few minutes later and they searched the building for flames or smoke or anything that would have set that loud annoying noise off. But guess what...it was a false alarm! So for almost an hour and a half, we battled the cold and basically went deaf. Arghhh, felt like living in the dorms all over again.

Well I guess there's always next weekend in catch up on sleep!

Fun Moments at Work

There is never a dull day in my office! People riding scooters around! Free Krispy Kreme donuts! Oh and of course, the new awesome game 'Hide the Annie.' The days are always full of laughs...

Here are two fun moments from this week:

Yes that is a home-made toll jar.

You see, the calendar dare for Monday was to demand toll money from every person that passed your desk. Well, since my desk is grand central station, I accumulated $1.47, a Hershey kiss, a paper clip and two IOUs...one for 5 cents and the other for 52 million! You can bet I'm going to claim that one!

Now this photo...let me see, how can I describe this one? This is Josh and that large Styrofoam thing he is holding is a key chain. Apparently someone is worried about thieves in this building, haha! It was great watching him pose like a tiger for this picture.

We always find a way to make the day fun. I'll try to take more fun shots next week so stay tuned:)

Malik's story

I want to introduce you to my new friend...

...this is Malik, my new 4Runner!

OK OK calm down, I know he is beautiful but you have to hear the story.

My dad is the master at negotiation. I have never seen anyone talk down the price of a car that low...a brand new car at that! I was super impressed and a little scared of my Pops all at the same time. He totally knew just what to say and just who to talk to! I have to learn that skill one day.

Dad can we set up classes so you can teach me?

Now most of you are thinking to yourself, "Didn't she just get a new car?" The answer is yes but the sad thing is that car was indeed a lemon! NEVER buy an Equinox (that's just my opinion). It had an un-fixable problem and the mechanic wanted to spend way too much money trying fix something he couldn't guarantee would work. NOT Smart! So we decided it would be better to get a car that worked and that car just happened to be the car I have wanted since I was 16. Dreams really do come true, haha!

So there it is...Malik's story:) Thanks Daddy for being so awesome at negotiation and at being my dad! Love you.

Now who wants to take a ride in my new car?? No charge:)

All moved in...

MOVING...not my favorite thing but my apartment, I LOVE!

Jen and I moved into our new apartment last Friday night with the help of my Dad, my uncle Doug, Walker, Pitts(a beast of a man) and Chris. Thank God for strong boys because I could barely lift boxes with my clothes in it. I would hate to think what I would have looked like trying to lift a sofa or my dresser! Actually I know what I would have looked like...broken and laid in a bed for a week because of massive back pain, haha!

Anywho, the apartment is shaping up. We need to get some rugs and frames up and then I will take some photos for you all to see. You're all gonna love it which means you all have to visit soon...VERY soon!

Pictures will be up soon :)

Love this verse...

Earn a reputation for living well
in God's eyes and the eyes of the people.

Proverbs 3:4 (The Message)

The World of Coke

Yep, we went!

Saturday we decided to take a little break from moving and cleaning and venture downtown. We were thirsty and what better way to quench a thirst than to get a coke! 64 for different types of coke to be exact!

Let me just give you a word of advice...the only types of Coke that taste good are from North America. The other 50 or so taste like nasty!



Here's my attempt to taste 'The Beverly' from Europe...

...and here's what I thought!

Straight garbage!

We had a great time and I hope to take many more tourist trips with Dad!!

Lacking Creativity

I apologize for my lack of creativity lately. My life has been on a whirlwind since I got back from Christmas break... but a good whirlwind!

I have so much to tell you and so many pictures to show you! Stories about moving into my new apartment, photos of my newest love(it's a car, no boy yet) and glances into what is next in the life of Shannon.

Hope you're ready:)

Three things

Three things:

I have awesome friends!
I hate painting and packing!
I need sleep!

- the end!

Fixated on the green

Painting...Painting...Painting!

For the past three days we have been painting non-stop. My eyes are totally fixated on green, blue and mocha colored paint. I am having dreams about blue painter's tape, clear drop clothes and rinsing out brushes. But I have to admit, I am not a fan of painting but since it has allowed me some time to hang out and learn more about my friends, it is well worth it (but I still dislike painting, haha).

Here are some quick shots of us painting...


Yep, that's a Piggly Wiggly shirt!

Jen is a tape master

Walker do you see that unpainted spot? haha


Walker, Katie, Shawn, Brock, Megan, & Drew, thanks for helping Jen and I make our apartment look awesome!

How could I forget?

So I realized this morning that I haven't even written about my amazing New Year's Eve extravaganza... What is wrong with me?

How could I forget the highlight of my week?

I'm slipping people...pray for me:)

Anyway, Wednesday night was a night filled with party dresses, silver and gold balloons, a toast as the ball fell at midnight and a hand full of my favorite people.

It all began at a little Thai restaurant in downtown Atlanta called Nan...I am still having day dreams about the fabulous dish I had. Yum!!! Once our bellies were full, we headed to the Ritz Carlton for a little music and dancing...Yes I said Ritz Carlton! I'm not even going to lie, I felt a little glamorous! I got to dance, see some friends rock out on stage and just enjoy ringing in the New Year Ritz style:)

Here are some snapshots from the night:

Dear 2009

Dear 2009,

Now that we have officially met and spent our first day side-by-side, there are few things we need to discuss before we further this relationship for the next 364 days. I believe a pact needs to be made on both our parts in order to make the most of our time together...

I need for you to promise me that you will be filled with new experiences, new places for me visit, new people for me to meet and a new chapter for me to write in my book of life! Create moments where I will be consumed with building solid friendships, dedicated to my ministry through my career and completely infatuated with what God has to show me.

My promise to you is that I will do everything in my power to enjoy the little things you provide, to embrace the situations that occur and to take things one day at a time. I will not rush through the laughter or scurry through the tears because I know that every moment is teaching me something...even if I have to wait till 2010 to figure it out:)

With this pact in place and both our signatures at the bottom, I believe that this could be the best year/relationship yet! See me for the paperwork:)

Sincerely devoted to you,

Shannon

P.S. I plan on turning in my red shirt this week since the season is over, so if we could add a sweet boy to the list of things you promise me, that would be awesome!