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I’m finally catching up on sleep from my trip to Savannah! I haven’t felt like blogging since I’ve been back (relax, it’s only been since Saturday night, and I only have a computer at work), but thought I owed my non-existent public an excuse and at least one post before I leave again.
That’s right, I’m leaving again. Tomorrow I head down to Peotone, Illinois, for  ‘s wedding. I’ll be back next Wednesday though. The last trip was good. Unfortunately, all the pictures I’d uploaded in the week before I left… mysteriously left my server. I’ve had time to fix some of them, but not all of them, so you’ll just have to suffer. Sorry.
Maybe  will guest blog while I’m gone, maybe not. We’ve both been pretty busy. She’s got some family stuff going on too, and a lot of trips away on weekends for the rest of the summer.
It’s  ‘s birthday today. Happy Birthday (even though he doesn’t read this, primarily because I haven’t told him about it and don’t think I want to….)!!! Love you! See you soon!
Rockin’ out to: Silence
Wisdom Source: Return of the King, of Lord of the Rings (I finally finished Pride and Prejudice! You MUST read it! It is WONDERFUL!!!!!)
Today’s Wisdom: Wisdom? What’s that? I’m lucky I can walk and talk at the same time.
I miss their beautiful faces and how cute they are! Fortunately, I’ll be home soon….
 Handsome Romeo, looking regal
 Sorry A, I couldn't clear out your face on this one....
 Aren't they adorable together?
 Matea's such a darling - that's right, lick the side of your face
 Hi!
 PS - Don't ask how old I am. I don't even want to know.
When it’s time to play (which is always),  is a crazy woman! She has this feather toy that makes her do amazing acrobatics. I don’t think these pictures quite capture it, but enjoy!
 About to do a backflip
 Must... kill... feather...
 This is what spending too much time with junior highers does to me!
So, here I am. The infamous “A”. If you haven’t figured it out yet, that stands for Amanda. Not much to say about me. Maybe just a little blogger illiterate. Kell typed all of these draft posts (one for each day) and told me, if nothing else, I should post those…well, no can do. Can’t figure that out to save my life. So I guess that means I have to tell you a funny story or something….hmm…
Well, there’s always my terrible hatred of geese. Canadian ones, specifically. They are terrible animals. Hereafter, they will be referred to as “devilbirds”, because really, they are. Case in point: Last night I had just dropped a 13 year old girl off at her home when I got lost on my way out of her maze-like subdivision. I finally figured out I was going the wrong direction (and knew which direction was the correct one), so I pulled into the parking lot of this classy office building (with a pond out front, notorious for attracting the aforementioned devilbirds) to turn around. On the way out, the sun was glaring in my eyes. I hear a “Thud!” Loud profanities leave my mouth. I put the car in park, get out, and sure enough, there was a devilbird lying on the ground in front of my car. More profanity. I hate the birds, but don’t get me wrong, I don’t want them to DIE! So, I approach the bird to check for vital signs, when the little @#$%!& flapped up to its feet and came running at me hissing!! Now, this doesn’t leave this room…I, being a farmgirl, with my tough muchacha image to maintain cannot have this getting out, but I ran screaming like a 12 year old schoolgirl. Geese have always freaked me out. Next time I won’t forget my .22 shotgun.
Rockin’ out to: Bob Street (classic R&B show on KFAI/Open Air Radio)
Wisdom Source: Sense and Sensibility, Jane Austen
Today’s Wisdom: “When you are knee deep in mud, it’s OK to pee your pants.”
Last fall I went home for my college’s 40th Birthday / Homecoming. It was only my 3rd year since graduating, so I didn’t expect a great turnout from my class. However, I did expect there to be a fairly large turnout for the birthday celebration part. It was rather disappointing. Still, we had some fun.
We had hoped to revive “Female Flag Football,” a game played while in school between the majors or that last year, just within the youth ministry major. It just didn’t get organized in time. Here are some pics, however, of me and my friends with a football….
 Kate and me
 Kate and Amy
 Amy and me, watching the soccer game
 ...
I’ve been pretty busy at work here the past few days. We leave on our mission trip to Savannah, Georgia, tomorrow morning at 7 am. This has meant a lot of extra work to get ready for the trip, and also to take care of things for while I’ll be gone. Double-duty, instead of half-duty, like it sometimes feels here. Sorry about the lack of posting. I’ve asked to guest-blog for me while I’m gone, but I don’t know if she will or not. Tune in to find out!
My major sunburn from last weekend still hasn’t peeled. I’m afraid that it will start tomorrow around 8:00, just in time for a two-day van ride. Yeah. According to the Today show, Georgia’s weather is “oppressive,” in terms of heat and humidity. Yay.
I am excited about our trip, especially since our site director sounds really great, and we’ll hopefully come out on top financially, since one of the other groups was able to find a student to take our open spot. Plus, gas prices have gone down, and I planned to spend around $2.15/gallon, and that isn’t the case anymore. This makes me feel not so bad about buying those Starbucks gift cards for the site staff.
I’ve got my letter all ready to send to Wisconsin in contest of my speeding ticket. I also mailed out a Father’s Day card to my grandpa today. Unfortunately, I made an error on the one for , and can’t fix it until I get home, so his will be arriving late. (OK, major funny, because I wrote “I love you, grandpa” on the card for . Now, what would you think? Yay, my daughter is pregnant out of wedlock! Probably not the message I wanted to send.) He needs an up-to-date picture of me anyways (last time I saw him he was carrying around my high school graduation photo that’s eight years old).
Wisdom Source: Pride and Prejudice – I just got to the good part, and I have to leave it at home for a week!
Today’s Wisdom: Exodus 20:12, “Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the LORD your God will give you.”
Stealing this from someone else’s blog, who stole it from a friend…
A – Act your age? I prefer to think not. As I turn [gasp!] 26 next week (thank goodness I’ll be gone and no one will know), I like to think that age means nothing (but if it didn’t, why would I care if anyone knew my age?). I also like to think that sometimes I act like a goofy teenager (or younger), and sometimes I act wise beyond my years. That’s probably just wishful thinking. No one’s ever said to me, you have an old soul.
B – Born on what day of the week? Saturday
C – Chore you hate? Cleaning the toilet (ewwwww!)
D – Dad’s name? Wesley
E- Essential makeup item? Mascara. I almost never leave the house without it.
F – Favorite actor? I currently have “crushes” on Vincent D’Onofrio and Ivan Sergei.
G – Gold or silver? Silver. Gold disappears on me, since my coloring is so pale and I have red hair. Trust me.
H – Hometown? St Charles, Illinois, a far suburb of Chicago.
I – Instruments you play? Piano since 2nd grade (that’s 18 years) and guitar (self-taught, self-professed to be not very good)
J – Job title? Administrative Support Staff / Interim Youth Ministry Director (depending on employer)
K – Kids? Nope. 2 cats,  and , who are featured often here. Also, I have PCOS, so I’m not sure if I’ll be able to have kids. I’d love to adopt instead of giving birth, especially if I can’t, or if I’m not married in a “few” years.
L – Living arrangements? Cute, cozy “2″-bedroom apartment with and our 2 cats and 2 fish. Wonderful balcony that’s huge, with ‘s hammock on it and some plants. Great view of downtown from our kitchen table.
M – Mom’s name? Karen
N – Need… $$$. Blinds in my bedroom (it’s only been 9 months that I’ve been changing in front of an open window…). More time to sleep. A new job.
O – Overnight hospital stays? Not really. One nighttime trip to the ER for… digestive tract stuff, but I didn’t really stay overnight, just until like 4 am.
P – Phobia? Any place or event where I have to enter alone or potentially be alone in a crowd. Strangers. Talking on the phone. Can we say, Social Anxiety Disorder?
Q – Quote you like? “wisdom begins in wonder” is my current (Socrates).
R – Religious affiliation? Christian, evangelical, Calvinist, probably Baptist, Evangelical Covenant.
S – Siblings? One sister who’s 24 this year in August and is married.
T – Time you wake up? Between 6 and 8:30. Yeah, I know. My alarm goes off at 7. Sometimes I wake up before then, but don’t make myself get out of bed like I should. Nobody cares when I get in to work and I take the bus, so… I’m pretty lazy in the morning.
U – Unique talent? I do pretty good dressing others (as in, “What Not To Wear” and the like) but amazingly enough can’t really dress myself that well. I always end up… missing it somehow.
V – Vegetable you refuse to eat? Eggplant, parsnips, zucchini, tomatoes, cooked onions
W – Worst habit? Talking while others are talking, spending money I don’t have, I have a lot of bad habits.
X – X-rays you’ve had? My intestines. See O.
Y – Yummy food you make? Apple pie with a caramel/pecan topping.
Z – Zodiac Sign? Cancer.
Commie is the new name of my PDA, an iPAQ 3955. I didn’t want to name it Packer, in case people thought I was a Wisconsin Packers fan. Commie, however, has prompted me to attach this graphic to his exterior:
 And you know Communism is EVIL My car’s name is Sly (as in Sylvester). He looks like this [picture removed].
Prior to that, I owned a 1992 Honda Civic LX in navy blue. He was never named, which was supposed to prolong his life, but it didn’t work.
There was Skippy [picture removed] who was both my first car and my fourth car. I drove Skippy in high school for two years, and then  got to drive him while I was in college. then bought me Merle, [picture removed] who lasted many years, through college and into Michigan. then owned Skippy, and sold him to me (Merle was given to a college professor). He had a computer problem, and I drove the church van for several months. Briefly I drove a really old truck. Skippy was fixed, and then promptly died again, when I bought my Civic. Which died on Labor Day 2003. And then I bought Sly.
Other things that have been named? Most recently, the squirrels that hang outside our apartment, Merle, Berle, Earl, and Girl.
I’m sure some of you have great stories – please share!
Wisdom Source: Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen
Today’s Wisdom: Proverbs 10:7, “We all have happy memories of the godly, but the name of a wicked person rots away.”
I went to see the Coexistence exhibit today. Well, not on purpose, but there it was, in Rice Park. I really liked it, especially for free traveling art. Check out the site, read the quotes. And, if you’re in the Twin Cities area, take the time to go. June 14-July 6 in Rice Park in St Paul (it was formerly in Minneapolis). Or check out the list of other cities to know when it’s coming near you!
Saw the parrot man again today. [Long pause as I look through archives to find original reference. Can't. Sorry.]
Also got to experience the joy of having a guy say “hey baby” while walking past me on the street. I ask, how am I expected to react? Women out there, how many of you have ever given positive reinforcement for similar experiences? I’m really curious if guys ever actually get encouraged to do this, or they’re just… stupid?
Someone help me out.
Wisdom Source: Nothing (I finished Mansfield Park, and it ended exactly like I wanted it to!)
Today’s Wisdom: Genesis 1:20, ‘And God said, “Let the waters swarm with fish and other life. Let the skies be filled with birds of every kind.” ‘
That’s right. Starbucks Vanilla Mocha VENTI.
I haven’t slept well the last couple of days, which accounts for most of that. While I love that my bed is directly under a window, when there are storms, this interferes with sleep. It was too hot Monday night for decent sleep. I woke up several times, once to go to the bathroom (which I never do), and when I got back in bed I had major stomach muscle issues. Last night there was lightning, and then , who had escaped earlier, meowed mournfully through most of the night, which kept me awake. I did pet him for about half an hour around 4:30 in the morning, just to make him be quiet. And I’ve had a headache on and off today since 4 am. I’m a joy to be around today, let me tell you.
This sleep thing is one of the reasons why I’m switching medications. On [generic] Prozac, if I take it in the morning I don’t eat lunch, and if I take it at night my sleep is very light, and if I take it a couple of hours before dinner I can’t fall asleep at all. Hopefully, Wellbutrin will alleviate some of this. It’s especially annoying since I used to sleep like a dead rock. Yeah.
We’re in the final stages of our mission trip now. We leave a week from Saturday for Georgia. I’m also in the process of answering a bunch of questions for a church that might want to hire me. And right after we get back from Georgia, ‘s getting married. June is busy. Unfortunately, I’ll be gone for my birthday. That’s OK, though. It’s a big scary number, as far as I’m concerned, and I’d rather just ignore it. It’s not that I’m vain (although most would say I am), but more that I don’t feel OLD. Some would argue 26 is not old, but it sure seems it to me. I’m sure I’m supposed to be married and pregnant by now. Or own a home. Or at least be debt-free. None of this is true. I don’t even have a full-time job in the career of my choosing.
Undeveloped as of yet, that’s what I am. No jokes, , about my chest.
I leave you with fun pictures of .
 A and Matea playing with the feather toy
 Trying to get at the fish
 Standing on the fish tank
Rockin’ out to: sounds of the copier
Wisdom Source: Mansfield Park (only one or two more days left!)
Today’s Wisdom: Psalm 4:8, ” will lie down in peace and sleep, for you alone, O LORD, will keep me safe.”
 Most importantly, on the return trip from Boston, we saw this.  However, for those of you who don't call Minnesota home, there was this great sight. If you look closely, you’ll see in the middle of the shot, hanging on a rope off of the truck, is a RUBBER CHICKEN! That’s right, folks, a rubber chicken.
Rockin’ out to: Big & Rich, “Save A Horse” (even though I’m morally opposed to this song, it’s just so catchy….)
Wisdom Source: Mansfield Park (almost done!)
Today’s Wisdom: Revelation 4:7, “In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle.”
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