Come on Baby Light My Fire...

was the song my dentist serenaded me with today. Last time it was "You are so beautiful, to me..." Freaks me out, but makes me laugh at the same time. He plays this oldies/easy listening station in his office and he sings along with the songs the whole time while he is working on your teeth. I appreciated it at my first few visits because I am a song singer alonger type of person and I always like when people feel comfortable just being themselves. I would totally sing along too, but he's poking at my gums until they bleed and that doesn't make for the best singing circumstances. So I just sit there and try not to choke when I force myself to hold back the laughter. Anyway, it's gotten wierd the last two times because the songs have been all love-ish and I kind of expect him to stop singing because Wierd! But he doesn't. And it doesn't seem to bother him one bit. At least when he's not singing he talks a lot about his wife and kids so I'm pretty sure he's a solid guy. So I think I'm ok with it. Just hoping "Unchained Melody" doesn't start playing during my next visit.

This Exhibit is Free!

Last weekend I went with a friend to the Ansel Adams exhibit at the Corcoran. Kinda liked it. He really has some great photos, but of course my thought through most of the exhibit was “how many not so great pics did he have to take to get this one good one?” cause you know I always stay on the happy side of life. Anyway, looking at Ansel’s photos got me thinking about how I like to take pictures and I seem to remember a few decent pics coming out of my very professional/high tech/the envy of any good photographer, Canon Powershot. So I thought I’d post a few of my favorites for you all to enjoy. Let me know which ones you like the best!

I named this one “Typical Thanh.” This is a pic of Thanh at the Gorges du Verdon on our European road trip in 2005. I have never abruptly pulled over so many times during a road trip in my life! I only kicked the back of Thanh's seat about 18 times, but in the end, we sure did get some great pics!

I call this one "YS Falls, Jamaica." No clever name here. It's just super pretty, ands lush and I love JA!

Let's call this one “Cow Lick.” This is a beautiful cow that became Liz’s friend when we went out cow feeding on our trip to Montana. The sad thing is that this cow is quite possibly no longer with us since the ranch we visited ships their cows off to the slaughter house so we can all enjoy burgers at Five Guys. Thanks cow!

I call this "Foreshadow." Two escorts that look eerily like mine and Liz's side by side in a used car lot in Florida. It's like God was telling us "It's time to sell your cars. And I love you." And we both did. And He does.

Horses always make for a great pic. Just ask the Pioneer Woman! I can't think of a good name for this one and I don't feel like waiting any longer to publish this post.

This one is called "What every young Christian girl needs to know." Rachel knows what's up! Look pretty (a white bow in the hair is a nice touch) and keep your man fed and you'll be set for life.

We'll call this "Farm Family” This is the Dad, bro, and sis working on the farm. My favorite part of this pic is how the fam is framed by the tree and the shed and I love the tractor wheel peakin out from behind. Good pics are easy to come by when you’re out on the farm.

I call this one “David’s Arse.” I’ve been spending too much time with Britney lately so I’ve picked up the British accent. I’ve determined that some amount of nakedness is required in every artist’s/photographer’s portfolio so here is my stab at it. Not sure what I was thinking when I took this pic, but I’m proud to say that I think I have an eye for a good rear end when I see one. I hope my mom never reads this blog.

"Me on Tractor." Bet you didn't know this was me sitting behind the wheel of the tractor. Haha. The title is the key to this photo. Deep stuff.

"Are you my Mother?" This is the Geico Gecko in front of Balanced Rock at Arches National Park in Utah. The resemblance between the man-made bobblehead and God-made bobblehead is uncanny!

I call this "Save the Outhouse (phase II)." Like the use of the Roman numeral? Another farm pic. This is definitely one of my favorites. I love the corn in the background, the sky, the work that’s taking place. This is from our family work on the farm weekend that may or may not have had something to do with an outhouse, hence the title.

“Where’s Lance?” He was in the pack somewhere. I like this pic because the viewer has no idea how fast the bikers are really going. I almost lost a couple of toes when the zoomed by! This is from the Tour de France in 2005. Notice the angle I got on those biker dudes. Yeah, my favorite side. I need to stop talking.

Let's call this “Switzerland, God loves you!” because he made you look like this. Another moment where Thanh pulled us over on some windy road and we came away with this.

And finally, I call this “What’s Up, George?” because George is up there and I’m down here. This is George’s face on Mt Rushmore taken from underneath a rock on the trail that goes around the monument.

That's it! Hope you had fun!

Best of 2007 (Finally!)

And in no particular order.

Sufjan Stevens. Rachel introduced me to Sufjan in the summer of 2006, but Suf has made the 2007 list because I’ve listened to him and loved him (he’s currently my musician crush – sorry Chris Tomlin!) for the entire year. Rachel, Kandi and I even loved him enough to stand out in the early morning February cold at 5am at the Kennedy Center to try to get free tickets to his concert. There were about 20 people in front of us when they handed out the last ticket. Boo! Maybe 2008 will be the year I see Suf in concert? My fav songs are Casimir Pulaski Day, Come On! Feel The Illinoise! (I’ve choreographed a great marching band field show to this song) and To Be Alone with You.

Here’s a little Suf (singing Casimir Pulaski Day) for you all to enjoy:



The NP’s. I can’t write out their name because I just can’t, but I love their music! One of my goals is to be tambourine girl for the NP’s. Fav songs right now are Myriad Harbor, Go Places and All the Old Showstoppers.

Here they are singing All the Old Showstoppers:



John Piper and his stinkin Future Grace! I lost my salvation at least two times while reading this book! But we’re back on track. And as much as Piper drove me crazy with repeating the phrase “faith in future grace” at least 37,000 times, I did take a lot away from the book. His chapters on future grace verses “whatever sin” were all very practical and helpful with reminders that God give us the grace each day to trust Him and His promises rather than give in to the promise of sin.

Dawn’s suggestion for bridesmaid dresses. Dawn is awesome. Just look at the dress and you’ll see why. Don’t worry – we went with something else.

The Pioneer Woman. By far my favorite blog this year. I am addicted to her “Black Heels to Tractor Wheels” story of how she and her husband met.

AAA guys – sometimes nice, sometimes creepy, but always helpful. It was such a relief to see the AAA guy show up in Hyannis this summer that I told him I loved him. And when Rachel locked her keys in her car in Williamsburg she called AAA and within 23 seconds we saw a AAA car coming down the street. We all flipped out (talk about service!) but it turns out that he was off to help someone else around the corner. Still got to us in about 20 minutes and then tried to pick up Lyndsay (there’s the creepy), the one gal in the group who actually has a boyfriend!

Liza. Duh. Did you think she wouldn’t make the list? 2007 was definitely the year o’ Liza! I saw her in concert for gosh sakes! Best concert ever and she didn’t even fall off the stage. Here’s a favorite Liza number for your viewing pleasure:

Beth Moore – My small group finished the Tabernacle study (aka “A Woman’s Heart: God’s Dwelling place) in 2007 and it was a blast. Of course my brain retains only about 1.2% of what I read, so I don’t remember a whole lot about it, but I can draw a mean rendition of the tabernacle down to the cubit. Seeing Beth Moore at the Women of Faith conference was a highlight of my year and my obsession with her blog is another reason why she made the list. And I love that Jill and I talk about Beth, Amanda and Melissa like they’re our bff’s.

The Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup shirt. It was most def the shirt of the year for me and only cost like $7 at Walmart. I wore it all the time this summer! It looks especially nice paired with a white sequined tube top worn as a mini skirt but no one except Rachel, Lyndsay and Kandi will ever see that.

Burt’s Bees. I (with the Lord’s help of course) kicked my Chap Stick addiction this year. I was then introduced to Burt’s Bees (I think by Rachel, which would make since because she’s introduced me to just about everything else that has been wonderful in my life this year!) and it has been great. When I apply it to my lips (maybe once a day) it doesn’t cause them to feel even more dry 7 minutes later. Unfortunately, I did not inform Jimmy that this chain in my life was broken, and he bought me a 20 pack of Chap Stick for Christmas. I haven’t decided what to do with it yet, but I kind of want to burn it because I certainly don’t want to give it to someone else and perhaps cause them to fall into the pit of Chap Stick addiction that I was in for so many years!

Travel. This year was chock full of trips! There was WV girls weekend with Lynds, Rachel and Kandi, the SC/GA/FL trip with my mom, the New England road trip with Liz, the CO/WY/MT/ND/SD trip with Liz, Traci (and a visit to see Danica), the Jamaica trip with Liz, Katy and Paige, and the ladies trip to NY with Dawn and all her lady peeps. Here’s a pic from the NY trip since I don’t think I’ve posted any of those before:

Quiznos (the restaurant) and Quizno (the boyfriend). I’ve been to Quiznos a lot this year. It all started when Eboni introduced me to the Roasted Chicken Salad. I love it. Then one day I smiled at the guy behind the counter (who I’ve nicknamed “Quizno – the lunchtime boyfriend”) and he gave me a discount. Since then, whenever he is working the register he gives me a discount. And sometimes when he’s not working the register and he sees me coming, he’ll slide down the line and whisper in the register girl’s ear and then give me a wink to let me know I’ll get my discount. So I keep coming back :)

Youtube. Obviously. Look how many clips I’ve included in this post. I love it! I’ve been able to watch so many great clips from TV shows or concerts that took place before my time that I never thought I would see. And look what God did. He brought me Youtube. This is a favorite example of something I never would have seen had Youtube not come to be.

Turkey Lurkey Time from the 1968 Tony Awards:

That's it! Can't wait to see what happens in 2008!

Come On! Let's Boogey to the Elf Dance!

And take a tour of my home! Many thanks to Boomama for hosting this Christmas tour! Welcome!

Stop 1: The front door of our apartment. This is Liz's super cute Christmas welcome door hanger thingy. Someday when we find us some husbands and are no longer roommates, I will have to find something like this for my door because I love it!

Next stop: The Christmas tree! Boy Scout Troop "some number I don't remember that sells trees on Wilson Blvd" came through for us again and supplied this great tree!

And up next: People!!

And food (recipes below)!

Yes - this is my favorite way to decorate at Christmas! Fill your house with your favorite friends and your favorite food, and play you favorite Christmas tunes in the background and you've got yourself a celebration. And don't forget to use the word favorite as many times as you can! These pics were taken this weekend at Anne and Liz's annual Very Merry Christmas Party! And it was Very, Very, Merry! Here we are in front of the tree!

I cut off all my hair! Whoa! Afterwards, some of us went outside to take a picture in front of the house:

Oh wait! I mean George and Laura's house! Oops! I think our tree competes well with theirs!

And now for a couple of recipes. Liz and I make basically the same things every year at our party and the food is always a hit. I've posted two yummy recipes (one really easy and Christmas-y (Jello squares) and one that requires a little more work but it worth every minute).

Christmas Jello Squares:

3 (3oz) boxes of Jello (I make one batch with cherry Jello and one with lime)
1 pack of gelatin
3 cups boiling water
1 cup whipping cream

Dissolve Jello and gelatin in boiling water. Add 1 cup of whipping cream and stir.
Pour into 9x13 pan and chill over night. When the jello chills, the cream rises to the top and creates a lovely layered effect (you can see them in the food pic above).

Sweet and Sour Meatballs:

1lb ground beef
1/2 cup soft bread crumbs
2 tbsp minced onion
2 tbsp milk
1 clove garlic
1 tsp salt
dash of pepper

Mix above ingredients and form into meatballs. Place in 9x13 baking dish and bake at 400 for 10-12 minutes. Drain excess fat.

In sauce pan combine 2/3 cup of Heinz Chili Sauce and 2/3 cup of grape jelly. Cook over med-low heat until well mixed. Add meatballs. Serve in crock pot to keep warm.

Well, there you have it!! I hope you all have a merry Christmas!! Enjoy the bloggy Christmas tour!

What time are you starting the prayer vigil?

...was the question posed to me by my coworker Andrew after reading this article:

Liza Minnelli collapses during Swedish concert

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Thursday, December 13th 2007, 9:47 AM

STOCKHOLM, Sweden -- Liza Minnelli collapsed after finishing a song during a performance in Sweden, and she was seen by a doctor at her hotel and then flew Thursday to the United States for medical treatment, a concert organizers said.

Minnelli, 61, was performing in a Christmas show Wednesday in Goteborg, Sweden’s second-biggest city, when she collapsed while walking offstage, said Zlakto Nedanovski, a spokesman for the concert organizers said.

"As she walked down the steps, she passed out," Nedanovski told The Associated Press, adding that she did not return for the rest of the show.

"She was taken immediately to her hotel, where a doctor was waiting," he said.
He said Minnelli was flown to the United States on Thursday on the advice of doctors there.

"They decided together with her management that it’s best for Liza to go to the U.S. right away," Nedanovski said, adding that he did not know the medical diagnosis.

"She had felt a bit dizzy before she got up onstage," but decided to proceed with the show anyway, he said.

Minnelli’s spokeswoman, Liz Rosenberg, confirmed the entertainer "had complained of dizziness" before the show and "became very ill after the show began."

"As a result, she was unable to finish her performance and was rushed back to her hotel by her manager," Rosenberg said.

She said a doctor examined Minnelli, and in consultation with her New York physician, determined that she needed "to immediately return to New York City to receive further medical evaluation."

In a separate statement, released by concert organizer Svensk Nojesutveckling, Minnelli’s manager, Gary Labriola, said: "We don’t yet know what happened, we are all very worried."
Minnelli was performing with several Swedish entertainers in a show called "A Classic Christmas Night." It was the fourth and final show in a series of four concerts in Sweden, Rosenberg said.

Minnelli, the daughter of Judy Garland, won an Oscar and a Golden Globe for her portrayal of Sally Bowles in the 1972 film "Cabaret." She won an Emmy for the 1972 TV special "Liza with a Z," and Tony Awards in 1974 and 1978.

The $50 Carrot

I went to my 10 year high school reunion a few weeks ago. I'd been going back and forth about whether or not to go since I didn't have much fun at the five year. But eventually I decided to just go for it and hope that I'd see a few people who would be interesting to talk to and not just there to get drunk. And I found a few! It was fun to catch up with people but I left there so thankful for the friends I have now. I love being blown away by the way God takes care of me and He has certainly done that with the friends and family He has provided. Shout out for God!

I almost forgot - the reason the title of this post is "The $50 Carrot" is because I spent $50 to attend the reunion and left it realizing I'd only eaten one baby carrot. I had been sick most of the week before, and didn't want to dive back in to the world of real food by eating wings and meatballs. So I grabbed a carrot and that was enough to satisfy!

Aren't we a lovely bunch? I love how Paul (standing behind me) and Brian appear to be gazing lovingly into each others eyes. Makes me laugh :)

I'm Drowning in Soap

Which is why I haven't been blogging lately. And I just haven't been inspired. All my energy is going to wrapping soap and selling it at the farmer's markets each weekend. This is what our dining room table has looked like for this last month.

And I've got another soap wrapping station set up in my room. And we've got soap bins scattered around the living area with soap drying. At least the apartment smells good!

Really, though, I've enjoyed just about every minute of my life as a "soap sister", except for those early hours at the farmer's market the last two weekends when the temperature has been hovering around freezing. But other than that, I've totally been turned on to fun and fancy (and all natural) soap! And scents. Which is kind of an amazing thing, because in the past I have specifically purchased soap without a scent because they give me headaches. And now my whole world is filled with lavenders, melons, mints, lemons, gingers and plenty of fragrances I didn't know existed. And to all my friends and fam who read this blog: bet you'll never guess what you'll be getting for Christmas this year?? :)

Goodbye little red car!! Have fun building homes!

Last week the Habitat for Humanity peeps came and picked up my car. I donated it to their Cars for Homes program. I wasn’t as sad as I thought I would be to see it go. Actually, I was kind of relieved after all the fun and good times I’d had at the DMV the week before trying to get the title changed over into my name. But most of you have already heard that story. Or maybe the sadness wasn’t there because I’d been driving my new car for over a month and all things red and Ford had completely been erased from my mind and been replaced with blue and Honda. Who knows?

What I do know is that I loved that car! It took me and my friends all over the country and it never let me down. It came close to rear ending other cars about 237 times, but not once did it not stop just in time. It had a few scratches from its encounters with many a pole in the FDIC garage, but never complained. And it even laughed along with me when I locked my keys in it again and again. A car doesn’t get any better than that!

I had a great time cleaning it out last week and reminiscing about all the people who had been in and out of it throughout the years. The friends, the boyfriends, the family members, the girls I baby sit for who got such a kick out of the manual windows. I found a comb that belonged to cute Jeff who is a member of the “God uses cute guys to draw Anne closer to Himself” club. And lots of great mixed tapes that my friends made for me back in the middle and high school days. And my favorite find was a note from a French family at our church who saw my France sticker on the back of my car and wrote “Vous etes Francais aussi!” They thought I was French and that makes me very happy! Thankfully, I went back to Europe in 2005 and bought the same sticker at the exact same shop in Monaco (because I just didn’t want to by it in France), anticipating the fact that I’d soon have a new car and would need another France sticker. Now I have to find it so I can stick it on the Honda.

Anyway, the last 7.5 years and 83,808 miles were quite a fun ride! Can't wait to see where I'll be when I've got that many miles on the new car. Probably pushing forty, which is a crazy thought!

Let Go and Let God

Say your 10 year high school reunion is coming up in November and you'd really like to lose 5 pounds. Six months out, you tell yourself you'll work out 3-4 times a week and stop eating all the brownie mix. A few months go by and you realize you've gone through spurts of working out and eating well, followed by spurts of sitting on the couch and eating brownie mix. But you think to yourself "That's ok! I still have 3 months. And fall is here! Perfect for long jogs and bike rides outside." Then all of the sudden November rolls around and you discover that you weigh the exact same thing you have weighed for what feels like forever down to the .6 that always seems to follow the 1xx. So you say "whatever" about the whole losing weight idea and decide you'll wow your former high school peeps with your super personality and Liza Minnelli moves. Well, let me just tell you (because I am living proof) this is the exact moment that God steps in and makes you violently ill the week before your reunion. You spend the early part of the week returning (in a not so fun way) all the food you enjoyed over the weekend. And for the next three days you live off of Gatorade and saltines. You try to eat a banana one day because you really really want a banana, but this is not a good idea. So it's back to the saltines. When you finally get the energy to stand up without feeling dizzy, you get on the scale et voila! A number lower than you've seen in quite some time. So you laugh a little about how funny God can be. Then you say a little prayer that you'll actually make it to your reunion without passing out from all the fever.

Anne with an "E"

Some of you have left comments lately about the name of my blog so I think I need to set the record straight on where the name originated from. While I do love and appreciate Anne of Green Gables, my being Anne with and “E” came to be long before I knew who Anne Shirley was. Actually (and I think any Anne will attest to this) before I was even old enough to write my own name, I knew I was Anne with an “E” because I’d heard my Mom say it at to the receptionist at the dentist or pediatrician’s office or I received random birthday cards from little old ladies at my church who’d forgotten the “E” and I was smart enough to know that “Ann” was not my name. All that being said, I have proudly been an Anne with an “E” for as long as I can remember.

During my elementary years, I read several of the Anne of Green Gables books (can’t say that I’ve read them all) and certainly felt like Anne Shirley and I were kindred spirits. And of course now I own the first two movies. But then something amazing happened in my life sometime during the middle school years. I discovered Liza! I’ve talked about my Liza obsession before, so I won’t bore you with it now, but I will say that when Liza came into my life (sounds a bit like a conversion story, doesn’t it? haha) so did the song Liza with a “Z” (which was written for the made for TV concert of the same name). And you bet I could relate to Liza always having to tell everyone her name was Liza with a “Z” not Lisa with an “S” and although Ann without an “E” is not pronounced differently, it’s still annoying to always have to tell people.

Well, being the wannabe performer that I am, I decided that I would one day have a show (and theme song) called Anne with an “E” that would open on Broadway. To date, the show has only opened in my head, but I still have high hopes.

So here we are today with the Anne with an “E” blog. I’ve been thinking that the quote at the top doesn’t really give any information as to who I am, other than the fact that I love Jesus. So I’ve been toying around with what we’ll call a mission statement for my blog. My church’s mission statement is “Spreading a passion to love God and people above all else.” This of course comes from Matthew 2:36-40:

"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

Somehow, the discussion that followed between Jesus and the Pharisees about the importance of finding some type of super star in the entertainment industry to obsess over (preferably one of the Broadway ilk) was left out of the Bible. I’m really not sure how this was overlooked, but who am I to question the Lord?

So I’m working on some kind of mission statement/blog theme sentence which you’ll hopefully see in the near future. It will be something along the lines of loving God, people and Liza above all else, but I need to make it catchier than that. If you have any suggestions, please leave a comment! And go out and download some Liza tunes today!