Oh yeah, there was Thanksgiving!

So I haven't posted for awhile, so I thought I'd just write a little of what's gone on....

I got to see a sneak preview of The Nativity Story. I highly recommend it. It deals with such great questions that many people have about the birth of Jesus. Ok So that sounded wrong, what I mean is that it answers questions like "How did Mary's parents deal with it?" "How did Joseph react?" It really shows Joseph's character very well and I just love this character. The one thing that I kinda had a problem with was how the three Kings are there at the birth of Jesus, but when I saw it, the producer of the film was there and he explained why that is. He said that most often people picture the Nativity with them there (think of all your Nativity scenes) and so to make it a familiar picture to most people, they had them there. It's great! They explain how the Kings would be able to be there at the birth. For those of you who are wondering why I think that is weird that they are there at the birth... It's because historically they probably didn't arrive until after Mary, Joseph and Jesus return to Nazareth from their exile to Egypt. You have more questions, ask me later.
Anyway it's good. Go see it this weekend so that more Biblical movies will be made in Hollywood.

What else...Lots of school and lots of work. Same old. Same old.

Oh! It looks like I will be going to CSUF (or as Drew says, Cal State Disney) next semester! So cool. I'm this close to getting my degree!!!!!

Oh yeah, there was Thanksgiving! My sister came home from the Navy for Thanksgiving and it was great! We went shopping and hung out A LOT! On Saturday we went to Yankee Doodle's in LBC with Nick, Cherise, and Paul and we had a BLAST! I miss her already, but she's coming home for Christmas so I'm super excited!! I'm so glad we get along as adults. I know at one point I was ready to write her off completely and now I can't imagine not being as close with her. LOVE YA SIS!!

Yeah, so that's about it. I'm super excited for Saturday!! Candlelight! :)

Thank YOU!

So I just gotta say that the show "How I met your Mother" is... wait for it.. AMAZING!!! I totally recommend that ALL OF YOU watch it! It is very funny and the timing is great! Today's episode was really funny...

Today was good. I went to school and then work, where for the holiday I decided to make a hand turkey, you know when you trace your hand on construction paper and make a turkey out of it. Good times. Then I went back to school and my French teacher wants me to bring escargot to Monday's class. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!? The day after Thanksgiving weekend, she wants me to make ESCARGOT! Which no one will eat anyway. So guess what? No I'm not making it. If any of you want to make it for me you can, I'm not going to stop you.
Then after being told to spend a heap of $$ on a snack for my French class, I went to my Cali History class. Now I want you all to imagine that you are in my class. So close your eyes-no wait don't. I want you to not close your eyes. Now do you remember in Ferris Buller's Day Off the two teachers that are in the High school? Yeah take the worst traits of both of them, combine it into one socially awkward community college teacher and now you're in three hours of my life every Monday.
So I can't wait for this weekend. More about thanksgiving tomorrow, but before I go. You get the AMAZING privilege of hearing/reading my favorite Thanksgiving poem:

When the turkey gobble gobbles
He's proud and plump and perky
When our family gobble gobbles
We are gobbling down the turkey.

Thank you!

It's done

So I finished my paper just now... yeah lots of procrastinating....

I can't wait for Cara to come home in just a few days!!!!!!!! We are going to go ice skating, and make snow angels and eat sugar plums....



That's all for now....

Delaying the task at hand

so I'm supposed to be writing a paper right now that's due tomorrow, but I haven't started yet.... ugh. I'm sick of writing papers. I'm sick of school. Why can't teachers give tests like they did in the "old days".........

Ukraine was on Amazing Race tonight and that was pretty cool. (see www.decorationplace.com ) Not that the ornaments were on TV but Ukraine none-the-less.

Does someone want to write this paper for me????

Before I go... here's a picture for you, Ryan M. I've been promising to send it and I'm sorry it took so long... so now it's here for everyone to see.




OK enough stalling..... I'll go now.

Where one begins another ends..

Something very tragic happened today...

Brittney filed for divorce from K-Fed citing that irreconcilable differences were the cause.

Another Hollywood marriage down the drain. What will Kevin and Bean talk about now?

Wow, I tell you what, wow

So my good friend Drew got engaged today to Shauna! YEA!!! Congrats you two crazy kids!



Aren't they cute?!?!?! I hope you two are VERY happy together!

On another note, the Youth Specialties confrence is over now... :( it was great and I learned so much. If anyone out there is reading this and they are going to it in Cincinatti or Charlotte, please beg Mark O to break dance in his talk at the General Session... WORTH IT!!! huh Ryan?!?!

Well I'm tired and off to bed...

Free stuff!

NYWC is awesome! We get free stuff. I like free stuff. One of the things we recieved was a sampler of this thing called "The Bible Experience." Holy COW!!! It's way cool. It's a bunch of people reading the New Testement dramatically on CD and MP3. I got it! It's insane! It has great people like Cubba Gooding, Jr. and Samuel L. Jackson, Dule Hill, and Blair Underwood.... it's cool. You should all get it.

Ok more later...

PS- RYAN NIELSEN IS THE BEST BOSS EVER!

Quel Vive!

So I know it's been a while since I last blogged, not that I have a ton of fans yet, but just you wait!

Life is great and interesting and scary!!!! This weekend I'm attending the National Youth Workers Convention. I'm always amazed at Christian gatherings and how most attendees (women generally) try to out-do each other in how Christian they are. "I went to a bible college!" "Really so did I after attending my super Xian High School!" "Yes but I got my doctrine at 3 years ago and have been published 20 times since!"

You would think with all of that "Christian Education" they might have learned humility, but alas, I know that is not true... I went to Biola. Is that how those people define themselves? Really?

A couple of weeks ago I was giving the devotional to my Jr. High kids (shout out- WOOT!) and I was asking them WHO ARE YOU?!?!?... yeah, you know from Alice and Wonderland? (I know you're all thinking..."leave it to Janel to preach on Disney") I think so often we focus on defining ourselves that we don't see how God defines us.. does that make sense? Well too bad if it doesn't I'm moving on...

Youth Specialties amazes me. I'm here, again and I'm remembering almost exactly what was said that the last one I attended almost 5 or 6 years ago. I'm again remembering how much God works in me at retreats and camps.

I remember going to camps always wanting alone time to talk to God and discern what he is saying in my life. Today at the first session a woman asked us to take a physical posture to reflect what we wanted to ask/speak to God about. I just bowed my head and asked for him to reveal to me what HE has planned for me.

I wish I hadn't. Now I'm scared. Life is weird and God is great! I hope that His desire for me will continually be present this weekend, and for him to provide me with wonderful words of wisdom from those in my life.

That brings me to the part of this blog that I would like to dedicate to Sydney. I love you so VERY VERY MUCH. You are an amazing friend who lets me call you at 12:30am to cry and vent and be completely honest and open with. I pray that everyone in their lives may have someone as half as wonderful as YOU! You are the best friend a girl could ask for! Thank you for your honesty and love. I will never forget it.

Ok well it's officially way too early in the morning to continue this and I have to be up in less than 4 hours for God to speak to me again! :)

Just one more thing.. I can't go without this...

Today at NYWC I ran into a guy I went to HS with!! Yep, no joke! How cool is that!?!?! Ok I've been freaking out all evening because of it.

Well I love you all and I will hopefully write more tomorrow.

XOXO