Life has been incredibly busy lately, but this week is a little less crazy for me. Yesterday was Youth Sunday at Mt. Carmel, and although I am relieved it is over, it went very well! I was so proud of all the students that participated in the praise music, Scripture reading, prayers, drama, and testimonies. Yesterday was one of those days that is a reminder of how important the work that I do is, and certainly encourages me to keep on keepin on! Some middle school students who had never sang on the worship team sang yesterday, and both the high school group and middle school group did dramas with an Easter message, and then a few students did short testimonies. I felt like a proud mother watching these students step up in leadership!
We have a few exciting events coming up for the youth group including a high school lock-in and middle school bowling night!
Monday, March 22, 2010
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Reflections of a Reality TV Junkie...
I'm not always proud to admit it, but I love reality TV! As I think about the shows I watch, they are pretty much all reality shows (with the exception of Law and Order of course!) Of course the drama and entertainment value are hugely important when it comes to getting hooked into a reality show. I also think, however that many of these shows tell us about teh culture that we are living in. Here are some of the ones I am into right now:
This is my favorite! I love to travel and see the world and I love watching other people do it on this show! This season there are two cowboys that were not necessarily seen as a threat by the other groups, but have been doing great, and I love their laid back appreciative attitude! There are a few other "couples" that I like, but it's hard to tell yet because it's still early. One the things I love the most about this show is seeing them go to a country or area of the world that I have been before, like a few seasons ago they were in Moscow and that was fun to watch, especially when they showed red square where Nolan and I had our first un-official "date!"
This is a new show this season and I wasn't sure at first, but I am loving it! If you haven't seen it yet, I encourage you to check it out. The president or CEO of a major company goes "undercover" as rookie employee in various places within their company. Every single boss has had a humbling experience meeting some of the behind the scenes people and hearing their stories. For the most part, I have been impressed with some of the changes they have made in their companies as a result of their experience. For example, the president of White Castle decided to set up a health and wellness program to help employees reach their own goals and the president of 7 Eleven is setting up a leadership training program for their employees. Check it out on Sundays at 9 (or online!). So far the companies that have been featured were: Waste Management, Hooters, 7 Eleven, and White Castle.
This is my favorite! I love to travel and see the world and I love watching other people do it on this show! This season there are two cowboys that were not necessarily seen as a threat by the other groups, but have been doing great, and I love their laid back appreciative attitude! There are a few other "couples" that I like, but it's hard to tell yet because it's still early. One the things I love the most about this show is seeing them go to a country or area of the world that I have been before, like a few seasons ago they were in Moscow and that was fun to watch, especially when they showed red square where Nolan and I had our first un-official "date!"This is a new show this season and I wasn't sure at first, but I am loving it! If you haven't seen it yet, I encourage you to check it out. The president or CEO of a major company goes "undercover" as rookie employee in various places within their company. Every single boss has had a humbling experience meeting some of the behind the scenes people and hearing their stories. For the most part, I have been impressed with some of the changes they have made in their companies as a result of their experience. For example, the president of White Castle decided to set up a health and wellness program to help employees reach their own goals and the president of 7 Eleven is setting up a leadership training program for their employees. Check it out on Sundays at 9 (or online!). So far the companies that have been featured were: Waste Management, Hooters, 7 Eleven, and White Castle. 
Of course American Idol is on my list of favorites, and this year is even better because I love Ellen Degeneres and think she is a great choice for a judge! So far, I have seen more of the guys shows than the girls because of my schedule, but I will be watching the girls tonight! My favorite guys are Casey James, Michael Lynche, and Andy Garcia. Let's see how the girls do tonight!
Finally last year, Project Runway moved to a channel we get and it has become one of my very favorite shows. On Thursday nights, Nolan has "guys night" with his friends, so it's the perfect night for it to be on! I have really enjoyed this because last season, I found out that my neighbor Natalie loves this show too, so I have gotten to know her better when she comes over to drink wine and watch Project Runway!
Monday, February 22, 2010
Sorry Sid!
Nolan and I enjoyed watching the exciting hockey game last night between Team USA and Canada! Everyone predicted a Canadian win, but USA won 5-3. It seemed weird routing against Crosby but I will be back to cheering him on soon! Along with a big Pitt basketball win over Villanova, yesterday was a good day in sports!
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
When Will It End?! Plus the Olympics!
As I sit in my office, it's hard to think of a part of my body that isn't sore from all the shoveling I've done over the past 12 days! Nolan is down for the count with a bad back and can't shovel anymore, so it all falls on my shoulders (literally!) On the news this morning they reported that just in February so far we have had 39 inches! I have to say I love sitting on the couch in our apartment and looking out the front window at the beautiful snow falling, but as soon as I have to go somewhere I just want it to stop!
While I am ready to be done with winter, I am enjoying one of my very favorite things in the whole world, the Winter Olympics. I like them even more than the summer ones! The only things I have kind of been disapointed in was the opening ceremonies, although Nolan and I had fun trying to guess how many athletes would come from each country and seeing who was closest...haha I think cabin fever had taken its toll by then! My favorite so far has been the moguls, pair skating, and snow boarding....I even caught some curling last night!
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Snowed In!
Pittsburgh has been hit with a huge blizzard and we have been without power since Friday evening! We have been staying at my moms, and been doing a lot of shoveling! We finally just came home to a warm and lit apartment! But we also had a lot more shoveling to do. Here are some pictures of all the snow:
Look how deep it is!
Taking a break from shoveling
I promised Nolan if he walked to the coffee shop with me he could throw me in the snow when we got back!
On a walk
Mel and Nolan shoveling
Holly didn't know what to do with all the snow
View from my mom's porch
Nolan sprinkling salt at our house
The tree remains that were in our yard on top of a power line for 4 days!
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Flowers!
I came home from work yesterday to find that Nolan left me some pretty white flowers on the dining room table. Little surprises for no reason make me very happy and also make me think that I have the best husband in the world! :-)
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Movies I Have Seen in 2010
Nolan and I love watching and going to the movies. I think being in tune with movies is also an important part of being a youth worker because movies are what teenagers are talking about and they also tell us a lot about the culture that we live in. It just helps that they are very entertaining! Here is a list of the movies I have seen so far this year and a few of my thoughts:
500 Days of Summer was the first movie we got from Netflix and it was a very sweet and entertaining movie. It wasn't incredibly deep or anything like that, but it was interesting because I think that every single person can relate to these characters at some point in their lives.
Yikes...The Road was a weird movie and I would like to have those 2 hours of my life back. This is a post-apocalyse movie and was mostly focused on the two main characters escaping cannibals. I did not like the characters much and there wasn't much of a story. I feel like the writers could have been more creative, but left too many questions ananswered especially at the end. I would not recommend this movie.
The Book of Eli on the other hand, I highly recommend! I absolutely love Denzel Washington and thought he was excellent in this film. The movie is one which really challenges its audience to consider ideas concerning love, faith, humanity, family, ethics, etc. If you are uncomfortable with some violence, this probably isn't the movie for you. The cinematography was also incredible! It's hard to say much more without giving things away, but definitely go see this movie!
Did You Hear About the Morgans? was a very cute and funny movie. Certainly not a thought provoking film or one I will be thinking about for a long time, but it was a sweet refreshing chick flick.
Some friends invited us to see Crazy Heart with them and I didn't know anything about it, but saw it anyways and really enjoyed it. The story was entertaining and realistically portrayed the impact of alcoholism, depression, etc. can have on a life, but also shows a hope for recovery. The music was also really good!
Of course, we had to see Avatar because of all the hype about it. I enjoyed the film, the special effects were absolutely incredible especially in the 3D. The love story is one which has been told for centuries, but James Cameron puts an interesting and modern twist to the classic "Romeo-Juliet"-esque story. If it were up to me, it would have been a little shorter, but other than that I think it is a good movie and one which will be talked about for a long time.
500 Days of Summer was the first movie we got from Netflix and it was a very sweet and entertaining movie. It wasn't incredibly deep or anything like that, but it was interesting because I think that every single person can relate to these characters at some point in their lives.
Yikes...The Road was a weird movie and I would like to have those 2 hours of my life back. This is a post-apocalyse movie and was mostly focused on the two main characters escaping cannibals. I did not like the characters much and there wasn't much of a story. I feel like the writers could have been more creative, but left too many questions ananswered especially at the end. I would not recommend this movie.
The Book of Eli on the other hand, I highly recommend! I absolutely love Denzel Washington and thought he was excellent in this film. The movie is one which really challenges its audience to consider ideas concerning love, faith, humanity, family, ethics, etc. If you are uncomfortable with some violence, this probably isn't the movie for you. The cinematography was also incredible! It's hard to say much more without giving things away, but definitely go see this movie!
Did You Hear About the Morgans? was a very cute and funny movie. Certainly not a thought provoking film or one I will be thinking about for a long time, but it was a sweet refreshing chick flick.
Some friends invited us to see Crazy Heart with them and I didn't know anything about it, but saw it anyways and really enjoyed it. The story was entertaining and realistically portrayed the impact of alcoholism, depression, etc. can have on a life, but also shows a hope for recovery. The music was also really good!
Of course, we had to see Avatar because of all the hype about it. I enjoyed the film, the special effects were absolutely incredible especially in the 3D. The love story is one which has been told for centuries, but James Cameron puts an interesting and modern twist to the classic "Romeo-Juliet"-esque story. If it were up to me, it would have been a little shorter, but other than that I think it is a good movie and one which will be talked about for a long time.
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