lifefastforward

it's that time of the year again. school has started up and the kids are back. they are squirmier than ever, trying to get used to sitting in their chairs and listening to teachers spout educational terms and information.

headaches and exhaustion end my day. this is what i feared. i hoped that they would be less this year. hopefully it'll get better as the year goes on... especially since my days usually end with the calmer group of kids, my homeroom 4th graders.

in lieu of all this, i'm preparing for a wedding and reception too. things are starting to pick up speed. it's nice to share responsibilities with my fabulous other half, although it feels like he's done more work than i have... which is fine by me i've never been one of those girls that have fantasized about my wedding day since i was a little girl. i never really thought about flowers, my dress, and all the million other details that go with the whole package of getting married.

i just know that i want my family to be there and to celebrate this joyous occasion... and what better way to do it than on a sandy beach !

wait, i'm wrong, should've done better than this, please i'll be strong, i'm finding it hard to resist, so show me what i'm looking for, save me, i'm yours, oh Lord i've been waiting for you...

currently listening she & him - volume two by she & him see related

setapartthisdream

it's funny how life works out... i guess that's the beautiful and mysterious part of it - watching it unfold and blossom into something magnificent, challenging, and at times, frightening because the unknown blocks your view of the future.

everyone around me is getting engaged or married. i'm happy for them, i really am. i'm not feeling left out, i assure you i'm not because i know my time will come, according to God. i have enjoyed my time as a single... maybe even a little too much.

i was talking to a friend recently and he was commenting on how everyone seems to be growing up and moving onto the next stage in their lives, but that in his life, he seems to be stagnant. after talking to him a little more, i find out that he doesn't seem to be ready for the long-term commitment which is perfectly natural.

if i look at my own life, i feel like i'm moving, but maybe at a slower pace compared to others and with this, i am comfortable.

and then this happens !

• http://www.middletownjournal.com/news/middletown-news/man-pops-the-question-during-skydive-685260.html (yes, we made it to the local news and as it turns out, we were on the radio too !)
• http://projects.middletownjournal.com/cache/galleries/Living/General%20Living/050310skydivepropose (paparazzi pictures of the big day
• http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2767750&id=12401120&l=47061379bd (pictures of the ring)
• http://moustachemay.com/staches/robfrenzy/768 (rob lansdale, lance's friend, is growing a mustache during may and he's supposed to take a creative picture every day, so lance and i helped him out with his latest one.)

lance said that we should take a mini-vacation since the end of school was nearing, just to get away from school for a couple of days, so we planned to take monday and tuesday off. he said he bought tickets to something, but wouldn't tell me for what; it was a surprise, he said. we were also in the process of putting together a scrapbook of things we had kept (cards, letters, pictures, ticket stubs, programs, etc.) while we were dating, so that monday morning, we went through all the little mementos we had kept before he handed me a card. tucked inside were two tickets to go skydiving that afternoon. i was very excited because that was one of the things on my "100 things to do" list.

on our way up to the skydiving place, he kept saying he was nervous/excited about skydiving and that his friend, rob, kept texting him, pumping him up, at least that's what he told me. (later lance said that rob was texting him about their progress on the painted proposal sign; it wasn't quite ready, so lance was instructed to stall.) our appointed time for skydiving was 3:30, but we stopped at a gas station to get gas and then we had passed a yard sale which he wanted to stop at too. his excuse was that we were a little late and he had called to let them know that we were running a little late, so we had to wait until 4pm to skydive.

so we finally got to the skydiving place; we watched the video and got suited up in our fancy blue outfits which thankfully smelled like laundry detergent and not of old sweat. then we waited for the team to get their gear on and the video equipment ready. we were the only ones jumping, aside from the experienced ones that wanted to go up with us. at that point, i was excited and not really the least bit scared because we're going tandem - we'd be strapped to someone who knew what they'd be doing - and i wouldn't really have to do anything, whereas lance still had to make sure to pull the cord for the parachute.

we boarded this tiny little airplane and it quickly started climbing 12,500 feet in the air. it was an incredible feeling. you're in this small aircraft and that's all that's keeping you from falling through the air, back down to earth. it was exhilarating looking out the window at the now-microscopic world below, watching everyone go about their business, unaware that you're quietly spying on them from above.

lance and i were quickly interviewed in the plane for the video before we exited and jumped. the 3 or 4 experienced jumpers left first, then lance, and then me. i was instructed to keep my head up and my arms and feet back, then to watch as the airplane nose-dived back to terra firma. and i did just that.

the air was cold, whipping up against my face. my back was arched, my arms out - one hand was stuck in a thumbs-up pose for the remainder of the free fall. my ears were ringing and the wind was loud, reminding me that humans were not meant to fly without wings... or parachutes. i couldn't quite breathe and focused on that, breathing in and out. i could feel my cheeks being sucked in and my lips flapping wildly, just as the videographer was circling us, catching it all on camera. such unflattering footage...

and then when we reached about 600 feet, the cord was pulled and the rainbow parachute was freed. suddenly the loudness was gone, the cold wind stopped barraging my face, and everything calmed and seemed to stand still, as we floated the rest of the way down, accompanied by the bright sun. the skydiving instructor let me steer the parachute and perform spirals in the air. and then he pointed and asked, "do you see that sign over there? what's it say?" at first, i didn't know where he was pointing, so it took me a while to figure out what he was talking about. when i finally spotted it, i exclaimed, "oh my gosh !" and he goes, "what does it say?" so those watching the video would know what i had just seen and i replied, "it says, kristen will you marry me?" and he goes, "so what's your response?" and i emphatically said, "yes !"

there were so many emotions going on inside me at that moment: incredulousness, excitement, happiness, and add adrenaline rush to that to make for a potent combination of feelings. to sum it up, i was speechless.

after i reached the ground, lance came over to me and hugged me. then he got to one knee and proposed. i said yes and then he pulled out the ring-that-didn't-fit, slipped it on my finger, and picked me up, giving me a great big hug. then i heard cheering on the sidelines. it turns out 6 of our friends (jenn, eric, matt, emily, jade, and vincent) had helped out with spray painting the proposal sign (with 12 feet high letters, 32 cans of spray paint) into the airport lawn.

that's when the paparazzi made their move. a reporter from the middletown journal interviewed us and then a radio personality from the rebel called in live and i was interviewed on the phone. i don't even remember half of what i said - my head was that much in a whirlwind. while we were waiting for our dvd to finish rendering, we made phone calls to family members to tell them the good news ! he called his sisters and brother and then i called my sister. then he seemed to forget that i had another sister and brother to call. what i didn't know was when i called alexandra, she was already at the restaurant with the rest of our friends, waiting for lance and i to arrive.

we finally got to olive garden where a whole bunch of friends were waiting to celebrate with us. all the girls asked to see my ring and everyone wanted to know what jumping out of a plane felt like. it was a wonderful day - one that i will never forget

the wedding has been set for january 1, 2011 (01/01/11) !

i'm plain like water or like rain, but i shouldn't complain cause it don't matter, there are more wishes than stars, more wishes than stars...

gettin' back on track with listening to music... it has definitely been too long.

iconos by marc anthony see related	pulse by toni braxton see related	the very best of mariah carey by mariah carey see related	memento mori by flyleaf see related	the fall by norah jones see related
the element of freedom by alicia keys see related	harper simon by harper simon see related	getting by by tim be told see related	i dreamed a dream by susan boyle see related

rollahcoastah

wow. what a year 2009 was...

at the start of last year, i was working as a substitute teacher and at a daycare center. in a way, i was starting to wonder if i'd ever find a teaching job. i had spent at least an entire year job-searching and was coming up empty. it wouldn't be until i was away on a cruise vacation that i'd get a phone call about a job offer at a cincinnati public school. who would've thought? me, on a ship in the middle of nowhere, getting a call about a open teaching position. surely this demonstrates God's sense of humor.

well, it's been a trying experience, to say the least. i started in one school and then was up-rooted and plopped into another 7 weeks into the school year. i've had to cling to God evermore so these past 6 months. my eyes and heart have been open to new and tough experiences. i've prayed like i've never prayed before and God has definitely been gracious

i also survived thanks to ellen degeneres and MOVIES ! my nights and weekends are usually filled with grading papers/lesson-planning and watching ellen/movies while doing so.

here's the annual movie list of 2009: [starred ones are highly recommended]

1. a raisin in the sun
2. ballet shoes
3. kung fu panda
4. marley and me
5. mamma mia
6. australia*
7. stardust
8. get smart
9. martian child
10. my blueberry nights
11. sicko
12. the nanny diaries
13. wanted
14. the outsiders
15. nights in rodanthe
16. stepbrothers
17. the happening
18. volver
19. the incredible hulk
20. into the wild* (makes me want to visit alaska)
21. psycho* (alfred hitchcock is twisted & brilliant)
22. rendition
23. the queen
24. the birds*
25. bride wars
26. american history x
27. high school musical 3: senior year
28. rv
29. chronicles of narnia: prince caspian
30. edward scissorhands*
31. gone baby gone*
32. princess mononoke*
33. burn after reading
34. monsters vs. aliens
35. coraline
36. milk*
37. no reservations
38. sweeney todd* (johnny depp is a stunning actor)
39. rachel getting married
40. fool's gold
41. 40-year-old virgin
42. vicky cristina barcelona
43. role models
44. fireproof* (cheesy acting, but a good message)
45. sisterhood of the traveling pants 2
46. taxi driver (robert de niro and jodie foster are younguns)
47. forgetting sarah marshall
48. prime
49. wendy and lucy
50. quantum of solace
51. chocolate
52. the hoax
53. the family that preys
54. frozen river (interesting movie)
55. the kite runner
56. the forbidden kingdom
57. the women
58. hancock
59. college roadtrip
60. twilight (HORRIBLE, TERRIBLE)
61. the virgin suicides
62. slumdog millionaire*
63. elegy
64. the way we were* (they don't make movies quite like they used to)
65. nick and nora's infinite playlist
66. the secret life of bees
67. blood work
68. the punisher
69. bedtime stories
70. the duchess
71. horton hears a who
72. boy in the striped pajamas
73. the reader
74. dirty rotten scoundrels
75. vera drake
76. he's just not that into you
77. transformers 2
78. gran torino
79. taken
80. up the yangtze
81. charlie bartlett
82. codename: the cleaner
83. boy a
84. doubt*
85. tsotsi
86. bicentennial man
87. white dog
88. last chance harvey* (not your typical love story movie)
89. seven pounds
90. yes man
91. front of the class*
92. traitor
93. paul blart: mall cop
94. madea goes to jail
95. alice upside down
96. defiance
97. the soloist
98. then she found me
99. watchmen
100. confessions of a shopaholic
101. cloudy with a chance of meatballs
102. happy-go-lucky
103. the grudge
104. failure to launch
105. nancy drew
106. the new world
107. ed wood
108. madagascar 2
109. the darjeeling limited
110. demetric martin's comedy special
111. dear frankie
112. 17 again
113. coco chanel
114. bolt
115. the prize winner in defiance, ohio
116. notes on a scandal
117. duplicity
118. amelia
119. kicking and screaming
120. 2012
121. catch and release
122. mad money
123. my kid could paint that (insightful documentary)
124. the blindside*
125. up*
126. speedracer
127. brothers bloom*
128. x-men origins: wolverine
129. ghost of girlfriends past
130. pelham 123
131. angels & demons
132. g.i. joe
133. some kind of wonderful
134. the last kiss
135. avatar 3d*
136. across the universe
137. julie and julia* (meryl streep IS the movie)

movies watched in 2007: 71
movies watched in 2008: 88
movies watched in 2009: 137

holy cow...that's a movie approximately every 3 days. pretty incredible, really i read the same number of books this year that i did last year - 11. go me ! i'm doing my best to stay cultured =]

everytime that we walk the streets, i try my best to keep up with the beat, you're everything that i never could keep, i hear the sound and it starts to repeat...

currently reading greatest hits (three books in one) by donald miller see related

we are the change we wish to see in the world. click the link/banner above to join my group, "we are." (then click on the beige banner in the middle of the page where it says, "join team, we are, supporting child mothers." you may begin/discontinue your membership at any time.) click here for more information about mocha club. if your heart so moves you, consider darfur. click here for more information on how to help.

kudos to my twin who signed up right away &is still a member. i understand that a lot of you are in school or aren't working &aren't able to donate monetarily. if you fit into this category, if you could, please remember &pray for those in africa.

thanks all <3

but i will sing of your strength, in the morning i will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble.  psalm 59:16

my favorite topic: muzak

i'm a person who usually prefers mixes to albums, but these are so good that i was bouncing up &down to let you know. that's just how good they are. these albums are played over &over again in my cd player &these are all in my possession too. lucky me lucky me.

most recent album purchased/discovered to be stuck on repeat

opaline by dishwalla see related

best album to unwind to

lovers rock by sade see related

best acoustic guitar albums

come home by ari hest see related

somedays by matt wertz see related

best cds purchased for $10 (both bought impulsively)

hopes and fears by keane see related

how to save a life by the fray see related

bachelor no. 2 by aimee mann see related

waiting for my rocket to come by jason mraz see related

whoa, nelly! by nelly furtado see related

details by frou frou see related

corrinne may by corrinne may see related

best soundtrack from a musical

the sound of music (1965 film soundtrack) by richard rodgers, oscar hammerstein ii, julie andrews see related

best at summing up a chapter of the bible

nothing is sound by switchfoot see related

best happy-go-lucky album

room noises by eisley see related

best albums to get angry with

meteora by linkin park see related

morning view by incubus see related

ever

singles 1969-1981 by the carpenters see related

others that are in a category of their own

plumb by plumb see related	born to do it by craig david see related
rooney by rooney see related	arriving by chris tomlin see related
restored by jeremy camp see related	parachutes by coldplay see related
jasmine orange by jay chou see related	(guilty pleasure of mine) let go by avril lavigne see related
jars of clay by jars of clay see related	jamie myerson by jamie myerson see related

just a few of my all-time favorite songs (in no particular order):

• of course, barely breathing by duncan sheik
  
• missing by everything but the girl
  
• everybody wants to rule the world by tears for fears
  
• runaway train by soul asylum
  
• love you down by inoj
  
• yellow by coldplay
  
• everybody plays a fool by aaron neville
  
• december 1963 (oh what a night) by four seasons
  
• superstar by the carpenters
  
• i could not ask for more by edwin mccain
  
• come undone; ordinary world by duran duran
  
• take a bow; this used to be my playground by madonna
  
• sweet surrender by sarah mclachlan
  
• we haven't turned around by gomez 
  
• leaving on a jetplane by chantal kreviazuk
  
• fields of gold by sting
  
• home by michael buble
  
• golly sandra by eisley
  
• human nature by michael jackson
  
• more than this by 10,000 maniacs
  
• torn by natalie imbruglia
  
• hazard by richard marx
  
• drive by the cars
  
• don't dream it's over by sixpence none the richer
  
• i miss you by aaliyah
  
• all i want by toad the wet sprocket
  
• lightning crash; the dolphin's cry by live
  
• fast car by tracy chapman
  
• nobody knows by tony rich project
  
• to be with you by mr. big
  
• i'm still in love with you by new edition
  
• when you're gone; linger by the cranberries
  
• wonderful world by sam cooke
  
• one fine day by carole king
  
• i can't make you love me by bonnie raitt
  
• send in the clowns by judy collins
  
• kokomo by the beach boys

there are a ton more, but i won't bore you to death...

p.s. japan restaurant was good. hanging out with the guys is always good. les miserables was GOOD. (heh funny story: a classmate of mine asks me what i'll be doing this week &i tell her i'm going to see les miserables since it's in town. she says, "ooooh. who're you going with?" i say, "heh 3 guys." she laughs &goes, "are they straight?!" so funny.)
p.p.s. yay ! my grandie's back ! apahm may 23rd. of course, i'll be there to support &maybe stay a coupla days to hang out with everyone so... who's gonna be so kind as to set me up ^_^
p.p.p.s. last call for anyone who wants to come see the fray with wes &me ! get in while the pickins are hot ! (ordering tics in a coupla days; click on link for concert details)

currently listening to 360 by josh hoge