Tuesday, February 24, 2009

picture THIS

i am really, really antsy to get a photog business started...but there is so much patience required for me to get there!!

next week i have a shoot with melissa & tony at the beach so i'm excited about that & interested to see how it turns out!

but i need to buy an SLR, a new computer & photoshop in order to really start things up so i have to pray for patience everyday!

eek, it would be so much fun!











any advice/comments/suggestions/criticism is welcomed!

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

my dad's already trash talk-emailing the family about the game tonight...

so i sent him this:



Thursday, January 29, 2009

we are family?

interesting thoughts i've read lately on the effects of "the family" and the way our political system works.

"capitalism thrives from the breakdown of the family"
...a.k.a. spending is out of control when people/lives are out of control...i think that's basically what this concept comes down to at it's simplest level

thoughts on this? i'm currently trying to begin to wrap my mind around how far this might go, but i'd like some of your thoughts on whether the government and the economy thrive, recede or stay the same as the concept of "family" becomes less and less stable in America.

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

we're not gonna' pay....

i'm going to see RENT on saturday & these two are in it...i can't WAIT!

"measure your life in love"

Friday, January 16, 2009

H is for Happy Birthday MELINDA!!!!!

i really wanted to get this mouse pad for melinda for her birthday:



or this one:but alas, my creative thoughts came too late, as in yesterday.


melinda, maybe one day, this will appear as a random gift at your door, or at your wedding or even on your desk. you never know what i'm going to do! but i did want you to know that this was my best idea, and that you are getting the second best idea as your real gift this weekend. and for that, i am sorry.


but happy birthday to my wonderful, beautiful friend melinda! (even though it is next thursday) there are days of celebration to come...

Monday, January 12, 2009

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/597/story/467122.html
look like tony almeida is taking over the air space here in charlotte! i hope that means jack bauer will be showing up here shortly.

Thursday, January 08, 2009

it's not like He doesn't know already.

i'm tired.

of a lot of things.

but most of all, i am tired of pretending that i am okay with everything all the time, and that God doesn't know how crazy i really am inside my head.

...that i can't control my life.
...that it doesn't look like i want it to look.
...that i'm not where i thought i would be at 25.
....that i don't know what the point of everyday is.
...that i really try to do what God wants me to do and yet still find myself wondering what the point is half the time.
...that i don't yet have a clue where God wants me to fall into place in this whole "career" thing.
...that i am constantly wrestling with God over the romantic relationship aspect of my life and i realize more and more than frankly, i have very little faith and trust that God has a plan for me that involves joy and love.

these things break my heart, they literally break my heart. so much that i weep fairly often these days.

i have been having a tough time lately and trying to continue on the path even though i don't see any fruits. i find myself upset every night when i go to bed and waking up to the same feeling...and looking in the mirror at a person who probably wrestled herself all through the night and feels like she didn't sleep at all.
_______________________

i realized last night that i have an extremely hard time living in the present.

logically, it's the only place to be! emotionally, it's extremely hard and i think this is probably prevalent in female minds. i think about the past and the future all the time when making decisions. i find myself nostalgic for things of the past, hopeful that the future will look just like those times in my life and then i try to fit those pieces (and sometimes people) into my immediate life. this just isn't a realistic way to think about life! and yet, i find it so difficult to control my thoughts (which, in these cases, are mostly driven by emotion). and thus, these thoughts about my life weigh so heavily on my heart and in my mind that i find myself paralyzed, feeling lifeless and worthless (not in a lack of self-esteem way, but in the way that i feel like i am not doing anything positive because i'm so bogged down in my own head).




i write these things not for sympathy, i really don't. i know that i will get through this part of my life and i DO know that God is faithful. i also realize that the reason it's hard for me to trust God is that i (sadly) seem to think that His plan is not the best for me. i hate even admitting to that, but it's simply the truth sometimes.

the real reason i write this is because i'm fairly certain you can relate, at least on some level. i thought today "if i write this, i will probably read it in a week and think it's stupid and dramatic" but i reminded myself that i write to capture different times in my life when i'm in the thick of things. i also write so that, when i do come out of this valley, i will see God's faithfulness more clearly and that you will be able to see it too.

i also just want to be a real person. i am not a spiritual giant and i by no means have it altogether. i am as weak and crazy as they come. so, there you go, a little dose of michelle for the day. i could change my tune overnight and i wouldn't be surprised, but i wanted you to know where i am today....presently.

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

dreary

the weather is fitting for my office today.

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

a chill in the air

as i walk out the door to go to work this morning, the crisp air hits my face & i am reminded that seasons change.

i am bustling out the door in a sweater, skirt, tights, boots, coat and scarf....how much more can a girl put on to protect herself from the drastic change in weather?? not enough, clearly. it seeps straight through.

i am freezing...and annoyed...and my joints are achy...and i am reminded that change isn't fun. sure, after awhile you get used to it when you get into the routine, but it's generally not something that feels good in the beginning or sometimes even in the middle.




personal life change is lonely.

i tend to feel like i'm all alone in the things that i experience because
a) i don't have the 24/7 in-your-face support of an incredible friend chain that i used to,
b) i don't have anyone in my life to fill the "more than friend" aspect that hugely helps in day-to-day life and
c) i am a lot weaker than i seem when it comes to depending on God as a support. i know that He is there, but it's very hard for me to feel His presence each and every minute. (and for this emo, feeling girl, that is a difficult absense of "feeling" to overcome)
__________________________

i just found out that i owe a good amount of money for medical bills that i did not anticipate. i won't even begin to go into the politics of all that, but i will say this: i wish there were people, or a specific person, in my life that i could share that with who cared enough about me to simply be my cheerleader as i get through the tough times that are ahead as i figure out how that is going to add to my bills each month and how that will significantly reduce the fun in my life.

i realized a few weeks ago (late, i know) that i need to start being honest about the fact that i am not self-sufficient. i am lacking in my life right now because i was made for close relationships and unfortunately, i've not found too many yet. there are a few on the cusp that i am going to definitely invest more time in and hopefully grow them, and i am incredibly thankful for my community group and how we've all grown together over the past year and i see those relationships deepening each day.

i am moving into a townhouse in a few weeks with lauren (from my small group) and i think that will probably be the best choice i've made in awhile. coming home with someone to talk to will change my life for the better, no doubt.
__________________________

all in all, there are quite a few changes that i can foresee in the coming months. most will be uncomfortable, hard to get used to, not exactly what i would have wanted. but at the same time, these are the changes that will be the foundation for growth and ultimately produce goodness and plenty. i just need to collect my manna one day at a time.

but in the meantime, i sure am freezing.

Thursday, October 23, 2008

also in today's news,

this morning's "good morning office" song was "son of a preacher man"

sing along with me.....

"the only one who could ever reach me,
was the song of a preacher man..."

solo (as usual) by amy, whose wedding i'm going to be in! just found out this week! exciiiiting!

Opinion Poll: Michelle's Taste in Men

yesterday during lunch at qdoba, i pointed out a guy to my co-workers...a guy wearing two different prints in one outfit (button-up shirt/pants). i told them i thought he was attractive.

my friend tina (who has very different taste than my own) suggested that i needed to look up a guy from that crazy hit show "gossip girl" because i would definitely love his style. she also said i would wear a purple skirt and an orange shirt together, which is just not true! (unless of course it looked good!)

all this to say, i circulated an email to some friends yesterday because i found a pattern in my celebrity (and real life) crushes and have received several opinions back...here is an excerpt...
___________________

A quick photo comparison of Michelle’s celebrity crushes… (With the new addition “Chuck Bass” from Gossip Girl, suggested by Tina)…

Jude Law
Justin Timberlake / Adam Brody (a wonderful DOUBLE whammy here)


David Cook

Chuck Bass



I hope I can find someone who has a scarf, vest and/or wears different prints together in the same outfit.

Otherwise, he’s a goner!
___________________

So I'm just going to throw this out here for opinions...I'd love to hear them!
I just think it's so interesting how we were all created with very different tastes & I think it's fun to discuss!
I obviously should move to Europe. Not such a bad idea, because then I wouldn't have to vote in this election either.

Thursday, September 25, 2008

i want to be a photographer.

suggestions?

Friday, August 29, 2008

baby makes her first cake!





















tina & i made kenny a birthday cake last night - he is a co-worker of ours who LOVES the mets!

best cake i've ever made, for sure and i learned a lot from tina :)

our CEO even came in and now wants to join our suite for birthday cake today!

"you can't put baby in a corner!"
(that's me because i'm the youngest here & i sit in the corner)

Thursday, August 28, 2008

melinda > michelle

http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/1197228.html

wow!

i'd say this guy is the nc state to unc - always on the defense.

but that's just my opinion, haha. :)

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

why i heart buies creek

http://www.gocamels.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=65455&SPID=7313&DB_OEM_ID=15300&ATCLID=1569312

let me highlight:

He has a feeling he put together a better team than he thought he could in the first couple of years, not that much is expected of Campbell. Jeff Sagarin's preseason computer ranking lists the Fighting Camels at No. 244 among 245 college football teams.

Steele and his staff won't know for sure what they have until Saturday.

"It'll be a surprise for the kids, for us, for everybody," Williams said. "Heck, I don't know what's gonna happen."

LOVE IT! don't know what i'd do without it!!

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

o v e r w h e l m e d

so much so, i really can't stick around to type very much tonight.

BUT, i wanted to update since i've been very bad at that lately.

work is insanely busy, but i think things are lookin' up (as far as my motivation to get it done)

i am considering a huge decision to be a younglife leader in the local high school here, which would literally change my life and i'm really not sure (to be honest) if i could handle everything right now, so i could use some prayer there

i really miss my friends from college (and probably forever will)

things to be thankful for:
- i get to go on the lake on sunday FINALLY! and with my small group!
- i didn't start back as an undergrad at campbell u today like some people did
- i am taking on the amazon account full force (that's why i'm still at work right now but i'm taking a breather)
- i get to see lots of wonderful people next weekend!!! :)

and she's off!

the emerald city

you're invited to seattle!

i tried to give you a tour the best i could :)

Thursday, July 31, 2008

once again,

bragging on my genius mip...

incredibly (and sadly) interesting and most of the time, no awareness.

Thursday, July 24, 2008

i applied for the bachelor. haha.

thanks mom.

Friday, July 18, 2008

NKOTB

yep, that's right. i used the initials.

right now in the office: "the right stuff"

this picture even went out in an email.


ohhh, fridays.


NKOTB.
Time Warner Cable Arena
Charlotte, NC
October 30, 2008