Favorite Women

I want to talk about a couple of things before the madness begins tomorrow.

NieNie.

It's been a year since I first heard/read about Stephanie Nielsen's plane crash, and I have been challenged and broken-hearted by her courage (her entire family's, truly). Tonight, after I realized I had forgotten to eat dinner, I sat down with my bowl of cereal and thought I'd check in and see if Nie had posted anything new on her blog. Here's the thing, Stephanie was burned over 80% of her body. Not only is that an incredibly difficult recovery from medical standpoint, but from an emotional one as well. Up until now she had not posted a picture of her new self (a new outside at least) on her blog.

When her page came up tonight, I gasped. Not because what I saw was shocking, but because what I saw was this woman I'd come to know over the last year. New. Changed. Alive. And achingly beautiful in tranperancy and bravery.

It may seem silly to say, but after praying for her over this year, I consider her my friend, and seeing her face tonight really blessed my heart (there's a button on my right sidebar to her blog).

I also need to talk about Jessi. In forty five minutes (east coast time) it will be her birthday. I thought a lot today about what I could or would want to say about my friend. But I am going to wait until tomorrow to write her a proper post. Because I've erased and rewritten like six things.

For now though, Happy Birthday Jessi!!!

fourth, etc.

i do love the fourth of july.  last year at this time, i had just taken on the challenge that is beulah hogan.  i remember standing barefoot in front of our yellow house, after returning from the mariner's game, deafened by the fireworks all around our house, the way the sky lit up reminded me of d-day.  you know, minus the troops invading, etc.  

this year, i'm finding myself researching recipes from cuisinenie, just like always.  can you have a fourth of july without peach cobbler?  i think it's unavoidable.  looking for a new and better recipe for that.

also, doesn't it feel like you have to make homemade ice cream?  what do you usually have on the fourth of july?

i have some nap-refusing babies today.  and just now i was listening to music, and felt on-edge.  i think when they're "napping", i just need absolute silence.  no music, no tv, or it's just too much.  quiet.  that's what i need.

alright, leigh just tagged me for a little meme thing.  so here goes:

8 things to look forward to:

• fall
• growing my group of friends to include non-roommates and non-family members (not that i don't love ya, cause i do).
• getting settled in a new rental in a few months.
• taking a weekend trip somewhere very soon.
• oh, seeing the wedding pictures.
• weekends!!!
• nieces and nephews (yep, i said it)
• finding a man.

8 things i did yesterday:

• church
• made a roast beef/muenster cheese sandwich with my new favorite thing, wasabi mayo. really tasty.
• went shopping with ri
• chipotle for dinner.
• wii with our little sitcom fam (i do think that me, ally, emily, jared, maria and beulah would make for a terrific sitcom..)
• listened to 'turn my swag on' more times than i'd like to admit
• ohh, took a sweet nap.
• annnd?  started sweating trying to get my enormous power steering fluid lacking suv out of the target parking garage.  

8 things i wish i could do:

• travel easier (no financial/work/pet complications..just go)
• buy a new car
• dance really well.  like dancing with the stars, make people cry dance.
• meet benjamin.
• find a new roommate.
• spin class.
• grow my hair out extremely fast.
• have some land.

8 shows that i enjoy:

[we don't have tv in our house right now, like no channels, but i do have netflix/ally's wii, so we're not deprived.  but i'll list the last 8 movies from my netflix que.]

• revolutionary road
• twilight
• the wrestler
• spellbound
• grace is gone
• frost/nixon
• borat
• rachel getting married

and there you go, way more than you were interested in knowing.  

goodbye.

right now

right now, i am sitting in our tv room. we all have a tolerate/hate relationship with this room, as it proves to be a dumping ground for sloth-like behavior and week old food (not so lovingly referred to as 'the dungeon'). generally, the only thing that brings me in this room is the dvr. most fridays around lunch i can be found here watching grey's anatomy from the night before. i have a very small number of episodes left to watch while i still live in the same city where it fictitiously takes place. back when grey's anatomy used to be a good show, seattle seemed all coffee-filled and cozy, you know because of all the rain, and i thought people wore chunky sweaters and ate soup 365 days a year.

honestly, my perception of seattle isn't crazy far from that after living in the area for almost a year. though, i will say, puyallup is a long way from seattle. or maybe, more accurately, reality is a long way from primetime drama.

today:

• our new girl moves from room to room so that she is never sitting in the same room as me. i have to think of it as funny. 
• one of my favorite bloggers came back to her blog today, after several months of recovery after a plane crash. check NieNie out.
• i have not showered yet, and am still in my clothes from the run i went on last night.  
• i am drinking cold coffee.
• still looking intently for a job.
• found a cute little duplex in charlotte.  in my price range, in a great neighborhood, now i just need a way to pay for it:)

BAKED update:  jess and i tried out two new recipes from the baked cookbook, they were awesome.  the brownies were the best i've ever tasted.  email me if you want the recipe:  lehogan@gmail.com

nothing sweeter

i am continuing to follow nienie's journey through her sister's blog.  this weekend, three of their four children got to see their parents for the first time in over 2 months.  

this video was just posted.  this is nienie's two daughters singing at a benefit for their parents.  it was just hours after they saw both of their parents for the first time.  i think it is just about the sweetest thing i've ever seen.  

click here to see it.

the girls said they wanted to sing a lullaby for their mom (she sang them golden slumbers every night).  

praying for continued healing of stephanie and christian.

happenings

i have had a strange desire to listen to john denver lately.

i know.

i think it's because of the eTV special that my parents watched while they were in town. you know what i'm talking about, one of those documentary-ish things that involve lots of breaks to ask for your money. well, anyway, for some reason i keep thinking of him, and plus there's that new raisin bran commercial that has one of his songs on it. and obviously, when i think of john denver, i end up thinking of the crocodile hunter.

having trouble following my logic here? you probably should. but, the crocodile hunter always reminded me of john denver, and now with both of their untimely deaths, they are definitely filed in the same mental folder.

sunshine on my shoulders (let's not talk about the fact that this song makes me tear up, even in the raisin bran commercial..)

i joined this facebook group where you make a mixtape for someone every month. i'm pretty excited about it. there are about 500 or so members and we get paired up and send each other an old fashioned mixed tape. fun, huh?

also. i need to find friends. ugh.

[oh--p.s: here is the link to nienie's blog. it's a bit confusing because they are just reposting old entries because she is in critical condition in the hospital. and they sort of talk in code on her website, so just to give you an idea of what's what.

stephanie and christian are the parents. stephanie goes by 'nie', and she refers to her husband as 'mr. nielsen'.

she has four children, who are many times called by nicknames. but their real names are claire, jane, oliver, and nicholas. happy reading.]

God is my cigarette

it's been a while friends, hope you haven't forgotten about me out here. 

the parents have come and gone, and beulah and i are sitting here watching fashion police. we had the best week ever. it was restful. it was fun. and i was sad to see them go.  

they came all the way out here during their vacation time to do nothing but pamper me.  and beulah.  it was so sweet and selfless.  and i can't wait until christmas!

i have been all wrapped up in a blog lately. i actually posted a link to it (sort of) on my sidebar. an awesome couple from arizona was in a plane crash over a month ago, and survived, but are very badly injured/burned. the wife/mom is a blogger and over the last few days i have read all of her entries (about 3 years worth). i can't quit thinking about that family. the link on my sidebar is to this woman's sister's page who is updating for her while she's in the hospital.  

anyway, starting tomorrow they are having a benefit sale to help cover at least a portion of their hospital bills.  go here.  maybe go buy a little something for yourself, or someone else and you can feel good about where the money is going:)

as i was driving home with one of our girls last night, she was talking about how she has dealt with stress in the past, and how God has changed things, thus the "God is my cigarette" comment.  it's too good to pass up.  really.