humility, new year's resolution.

topics of the day: humility and new year's resolutions. the two don't really go hand-in-hand, but if you were to try and force it, you could say you need humility to see the changes you want to make in yourself bc you don't like them...therefore, creating new year's resolutions. that's a stretch.
humility: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&defl=en&q=define:humility&sa=X&ei=SYQaTZLrIoSdlgfH0ZHTDA&ved=0CBsQkAE. in a nutshell, the link describes humility as meekness in spirit, freedom from pride or arrogance. this week already (in observation that it is only tuesday) has been crazy. i took yesterday off and went back to work today...it was so hard to go back after being off a few days. and now our hygiene schedule is so full to the max, we barely get a chance to breathe. a hard part for me to have to adjust to is how fast pace everything is...and how that conflicts with the fact that i like to talk to my patients. i like to relate. i like to ask my little kiddy patients about their lives and what they want to be when they grow up and what santa is bringing them for christmas. o my goodness, kids really say the darndest things.
i am currently at a coffee shop, inhaling java- which always seems to calm me down- and attempting to study...and i felt a desperate urge to dive into the powerful Word of God. to seek Him, to pray, to just unload and bring everything to the table- including this work week and my exhaustion and stress. and as always, the Words of the Lord are so eye-opening, and so kindof "in your face", but in a good way. from psalm 95, this reminds me that God is so in control. He is so involved in our lives, in the details of every minute thing, and not because He wants to be a control freak, but because He loves, and that is why He lives: love.
"Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the rock of our salvation. let us come before him with THANKSGIVING and extol him with music and song. for the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods. in his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. the sea is HIS for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. come let us BOW down in worship, let us KNEEL before the Lord our Maker; for HE is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care."
all of us experience moments where those bolded letters come to life- BOWING and kneeling. where we have this deep hurt or anxiety or even praise where we can only think to get on our knees in worship. i love these verses & need constantly to be reminded of them, especially this week. so if you talk to me this week, say psalm 95. haha.
next topic: new year's resolutions. i have a few:
1. LOVE. others. first. above myself. and love others better. love GOD first and foremost in my heart.

http://gal.darkervision.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/love-god.jpg
2. COFFEE. drink only coffee with splenda...no creamer! AH this is a challenge. i love my creamer and splenda with coffee.

http://www.vancouvercoffee.ca/wp/uploads/black.jpg
3. PRAY. give my requests to the Lord, give EVERYTHING to Him, and pray. simply pray. and pray for others- friends co-workers.

http://cdn.elev8.com/files/2010/08/a-prayer-for-times-like-these.jpg
4. STUDY. stick w/my studying for GRE and continuing education. and study the Word more often...and actually stick with a good Bible study.
5. ENCOURAGE. open my eyes to the hurt around me, friends and co workers and encourage.
6. train better for the marathon than i did the first time...i think my dad is going to do it and will probably get a better time and not even train.
7. hydrate. drink more water.

http://www.liquidsculpture.com/images/water/water-drop-a.jpg
8. hold my tongue. try not to complain as much and try not to gossip and get caught up in drama.
that's all i can think of for now!!

and a partridge in a pear tree...

can you believe christmas has already come and left us? oh what a short visit it seemed. michael reminded me that this is the one day out of the year that everyone looks forward to for 360 something days...and then it's over in a flash. i am a little kid still and feel like this every year :(
well this year was spent hanging out with my family...ALOT. i mean movie after movie, tv show episodes, playing w/my new camera!!, and spending time with family friends and seeing michael. these things are things i'm reminded to be thankful for. i was so happy my brother michael o was home. he always livens up the party.
below are some pics taken while playing w/the camera and trying out different settings. i asked for a camera for this purpose only: BLOGGING! i wanted to be able to take good quality pics. so long, nikon coolpix from the 80's. hello nikon coolpix from the modern times.
NOW thinking about the new year...anyone have resolutions? i am thinking of some and will post them this weekend. i only need to survive our busy-bee days of work this week!!!
and pics:

ho-ho-ho!!

and getting ready for the Christmas season! this past weekend definitely got me in the mood :) i finished up my Christmas shopping...saw some good friends...and went ice skating. DEFINITELY christmas time. ALSO our work christmas party was this past weekend, good times.



here are some pics that captured the moments. one of my best friends milo and her hubby came from auburn to visit nashvegas and see GARTH, we went to pucketts to eat a yummy lunch...with another one of my best friends from mem who was in town for a wedding. and i decided that nashville is very central!! tonight is our bible study christmas party...pics to come (hopefully). we are playing dirty santa and eating yummy food!!!!!!
can't wait for garth this week, going home to fam, seeing mic wiggs, and eating christmas food. and of course looking at christmas lights. ho ho ho!

pajama jeans

yes, this post is called pajama jeans. these may be the silliest "invention" i have heard of in a while.
i'm seeing so much of this convenience type invention lately...pajama jeans are supposedly comfy yet stylish, so you can sleep in them, read in them, yet still go to the grocery store or out on the town in them. um, don't people do that in regular jeans anyway? america is becoming so "convenient".
as much as i love facebook to stay in touch with people and continue surface relationships that will never go deeper if facebook is the only way of communication, i still have trouble accepting it, because i don't like surface friendships. it sometimes bothers me! but after christmas, i'm going to limit myself to logging on facebook, and if that doesn't work, i'll probably get off of it for a while. i would like to figure up how long i spend on facebook during a day or week.
a verse for the day...
"set a guard over my mouth, O Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips. Let not my heart be drawn to what is evil, to take part in wicked deeds...but my eyes are fixed on you, O Sovereign Lord; in you i take refuge- do not give me over to death". psalm 141
and don't forget: PAJAMA JEANS- add to your wish list.
https://www.pajamajeans.com/flare/next?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=PJOfficial&etag=pjx&gclid=CK-a4Omw7qUCFUHt7QodIklpnA

SNOW!!!

i wish i could upload a picture right now outside my apt. i am snowed in tonight...watching sarah palin and kate gosselin on their camping adventure and drinking multiple cups of coffee that i'm hoping won't keep me up, because i'm 99% sure i will be working tomorrow :(
this weekend was one of the most fun weekends! one of my best friends got married and it was so beautiful. here are some pics to enjoy...and i'm going to attempt to load a video of a dance we learned to "single ladies" to do at the reception. it was hilarious.








here are some quick updates: this weekend=my friend milo and her hubby come, my work christmas party, kier comes to visit, deep clean my apt, and then next week is garth and seeing wad! YAY! also, i am posting a link to my new running sched---to train for the full marathon that is in april in nashvegas. i'm hoping to have a better time than the last, which was around 4:30. here's the link just in case you, as a reader, are interested in running or training even for a half! http://www.halhigdon.com/marathon/inter2.html

it's GREAT to BE an AUBURN TIGER...

so no pics to post from the weekend...the only ones are on my fbook and on a different computer. the shower for abby was SO fun and such a special time for abby. she is going to make the most beautiful bride inside and out. her and her family both are the most gracious, giving, kind people i know.
the title of this blog pretty much sums up the weekend and this entire football season. not only are we the SEC champs, but we went out with a bang...and are now headed to the BCS BOWL!!!! YAYAYAYA. i cannot wait for that game. and can i say that (not just because he plays for auburn) cam newton is one of my favorite football players. really he's my ONLY favorite. it would be a dream come true to meet him in person. haha. every time my mom and i see his face on the screen we both say- "he has such a good smile"- HA, coming from a dental hygienist it sounds kindof funny.
and lastly, i got back tonight and had some hand-me-down christmas decorations to put up that i got from my mom. i just finished putting the ornaments on my 4ft tree and the old/creepy santas on the mantle holding my 2 sad stockings. haha.
well, that's about it. i'm looking forward to this week for a few reasons:
tomorrow- bible study
tuesday- the mall to look for a dress to wear in abby's wedding. ***anyone have any suggestions? it has to be black and knee length and kindof cocktaily?***
wednesday- modern family, pack for m-town
thursday- wear all green day at work, m-town after work, abby's bach. party
fri- bridesmaids luncheon, rehearsal/rehearsal dinner
sat- ABBY & CAM GET MARRIED!!! YAYAYAY!!!

1/2 marathon here i come!

So, i was going to wait until sunday to post about the st jude half marathon that's coming up this weekend, but i'm getting anxious about it, and decided i wanted to go ahead and post, and sunday i can give better details about how the race goes. the other day when i was home, my dad and i went on a run. now when i run, i am either focused on my music, or i think about things in my head and hash situations/problems in my mind until my brain feels weaker than my body by the end of the run. well this run with my dad, my mind was a'churnin. i was thinking about so many things, i felt like i could have kept running forever. one of the main things i was thinking about was God's love. crazy during a run to think deep thoughts like this, right? well, as i was running i was a little ahead of my dad the whole way...not on purpose, but i just had this burst of energy where i could stay ahead of him. what was cool was this: my dad has a VERY consistent pace and breathing pattern. as i was running in front of him, i was thinking- what a picture of Christ's love for his children. we are constantly "running"- whether it's away from him or trying to keep ourselves busy or whatever it is...but we like to think we can get away from him or do it ourselves if we go our own route at our own pace and of course we make mistakes along the way and we fail him...but this is what sparked my mind was i could hear my dad's breathing. it was constant, steady, and RIGHT behind me. i just pictured the love of Christ and Him with His arms WIDE open, pursuing me...loving me constantly,steadily,and unchanging, just like my dad's pace/breathing pattern. i know that may be a little odd of an analogy, but as i'm running on saturday, i feel like this will pop into my mind many times.
i'm so excited about the wkend; i'm going to be able to spend some time with my family, my dental hyg friends :), and one of my best friends for her lingerie shower! i cannot wait. good memories are to be made this wkend!!! AND the biggest memory you ask? AUBURN TIGERS winning the SEC championship. that will be an epic moment in my life, no doubt. and cam newton- eligible. enough said.
can't wait to post that on sunday!!! :)