Hi-Lo-Ha (last week!)

Hi

Last Thursday I went to the best concert ever. I know I'm bias but I love Michael W. Smith and Steven Curtis Chapman. It was so awesome! I really like both of those guys because they are so family oriented and they really love Jesus. Each of them had one of there sons playing in the band and that was really cool. Steven Curtis Chapman talked about the tradegic death of his little girl, Maria. It's a sad story, but he was so inspirational and honest all at the same time.

After innermission, Michael got up on stage and started singing Friends Forever. Right before he got to the chorus, Steven walked on stage and they sang together and it was the funniest thing ever. They pretended to cried and laughed and had fun together. After that they made fun of each others songs and sang them...so fun!

Lo

My previous Lo was about boarding Bailey while I was out of town. This week is even sadder! She got sick while she was there! I brought her home and 3 days later she started coughing and gagging. I called my vet and they said I couldn't bring her in because she was really contageous but that she had Kennel Cough! Poor baby, she has been on drugs all week! She's starting to feel better, but it's sad.

Ha

Last Friday, High School Musical 3 came out and I went to see it with 12 8-year-olds. It ws the craziest, funniest things ever. A bunch of little girls screaming over Troy...and the funny thing is that, I WAS TOO! Zac Efron is HOT! Enough said!

Hi-Lo-Ha (2 weeks ago!)

HI

I got to go to Corpus Christi to visit my parents for 5 days. It was so nice to get out and just sleep and relax and be. On Saturday my friends Mariko and Jamie came dowm from Austin. We took a coastline boat tour that was pretty relaxing. I also got to play with Buddy, our dog and my parents newcat, Bob Dylan....yes it's name it Bob Dylan. On Sunday, my parents and I went to South Padre Island to see the Annual Sand Sculpting competition. It was incredible stuff. Check out the pics!

LO

I boarded my dog Bailey for the very first time. I dropped her off at 5:30 a.m. and as I left she sat by the vet's door and didn't leave until I was completely gone! I cried like I was leaving my child at school for the very first time...it was ridiculous, but sincere. I love my dog! When I picked her up last night she didn't really care about me, she just wanted to be outside and free! I hate to leave her at the vet, but it really was the best thing. I have to do it again at Christmas time so maybe she'll like it better then. The vet is supposed to have pet cams, like webcams up then. I don't know if that's good or bad though. It would be cool to see her, but sad if she's just laying around in her crate. Poor puppy!

HA

On Friday, my mom and I went shopping. As we were leaving a department store, my mom said, "Oh Jaci, have you smelled these candles before?" I replied with a "no". She tried to open one so that I could smell it but it was sealed. She looked around for a tester candle but couldn't find one, so decided to pop the lid and stuck it up to my nose so I could smell it. I instantly thought it smelled wierd then some of the "candle" splooshed out on my face. It was HONEY MUSTARD! I laughed so hard, my mom is a dork but definitely funny.

Hi-Lo-Ha #4

Hi
I'm a big OU football fan. This season has been a little different because I don't have Jeremy around. He's a fanatic, which can be good or bad. This weekend was OU/Texas, the Red River Rilvary. It's a huge game, one of the biggest rivalries if not the biggest. They have to play at a neutral location and people still fight! It's craziness!

I decided to host an OU/Texas party and get some friends together. There were 12 people that showed up. Mainly OU fans but a few Texas fans as well. Even though OU lost, it was a great game. It was fun to be with fun people. No fights and not a whole lot of taunting either. :)

Lo
I got shot this week. I was walking Bailey and it was getting dark. I heard some guys yelling at each other. I looked over and decided to cross the street to get further away from them. Just as I crossed the street I heard the shot and then felt it. It put a hole in my jeans and barely grazed the side of my calf. One of the guys saw that I had been hit and they all stopped fighting. A couple of them ran over to me and called 911.

Ok sorry that's a joke, I couldn't think of a lo this week. I thought getting shot would really stink and be a good lo. Hopefully that never happens.

Ha
My Nana called last week to inform me that she had stopped by the Church of the Nazarene district office and got a list of all the Nazarene churches in Corpus Christi. Now you have to know my Nana. When she has a thought, she goes with it and nothing will stop her. She found out that one of the pastors actually lives down the street from my parents. So she decided to call him at his house. She told him about our family and asked him to call my parents and invite them to church. Then she got on their website to see what they had to offer and found that they have a single youth pastor. THEN SHE GOT EXCITED. You see my Nana has a goal to get me married. If I actually married a Nazarene pastor...she would probably pee her pants.

The pastor actually pulled up on a Harley to my dad's office. My dad is a Harley guy as well, so they talked for a bit and the pastor invited my parents to church. They went (which is another Hi of the week) and enjoyed it. I would love for my parents to get connected with some good Christian friends.

I called my Nana last night to tell her that my parents visited the church. She was very excited too. Then she proceeded to tell me that I should go visit next week while I'm in Corpus. She reminded me of the single youth pastor and told me to invite him to the beach! OH MY GOODNESS! I had to hold my breath for fear of laughing outloud at her. Can you imagine? "Um hi my name is Jaci and my Nana wants me to marry a Nazarene pastor. Would you like to go to the beach with me?"

Opie Doesn't Live Here Anymore

I just started reading, Opie Doesn't Live Here Anymore: Where Faith, Family, and Culture Collide by Walt Mueller. It's about what it means for God's people and the world to meet. I've read several book about our changing culture, but so far this is my favorite and I'm only on Chapter 2.

Walt (yes, we are on a first name basis) is one of my favorite authors and speakers when it comes to youth culture. He is connected to the world and has some great insight! I'm excited to hear him speak at National Youth Workers Convention this November!

Anyways, the introduction starts off with saying these 3 things:

1. Everything and everybody is pretty messed up. Sin has affected the very core of our world and our selves.

2. God hasn't thrown up his arms and stepped back, abandoning us to the consequences of our rebellion against him.

3. You and I aren't here in this time and place by accident. God has placed us as his particular people in this particular time and this particular place to live out his will and his way under his reign.

Chapter One begins with Barbie facts (I've heard these a few times, but each time it hits me...). It says, "Someone once did a little calculating and discovered that if Barbie was a real, live woman, she'd stand at 7'2'' tall and have measurements of 40-22-36." I laughed when Walt wrote "I've always felt sorry for her--Barbie was cursed with a foot problem so severe that whenever she kicked off her super-high-heeled shoes, she had to walk around on the balls of her feet." I honestly never wanted to look like my Barbies, even though I thought they were pretty. I love days when I don't put makeup on and I put my hair in a ponytail and I sit around in grubby clothes. As a female though, I could easily come up with a Top 5 Things I Want to Change About My Body list and that makes me sad. I hate that the world around me has made outward appearance such a big thing.

Here is a list of statistics I found disturbing:

-By the time girls reach the age of 13, 53% say they are unhappy with their bodies. By the time they're 17, 78% are dissatisfied.

-40-80% of 4th grade girls are dieting.

-Today at least 1/3 of 12 year-olds are actively trying to lose weight by dieting, vomiting, using laxatives, or taking diet pills.

-63% of high-school girls are on diets.

-In 1998, twenty-two thousand American teens had cosmetic surgery--an increase of 95% since 1992. (I'm sure it would be even a crazier percentage today.)

-Anorexia is the 3rd most common chronic illness in adolescent girls

-25% of all anorexics are boys.

-Bulimia has touched the lives of as many as 10% of the young women in America.

Chapter 1 could be a whole book by itself!

Why does the world take our outward appearance as the primary expression of who we are? How did this happen? Once again, the fallen world we live in hurts my heart.

Hi-Lo-Ha #3

Hi
My Hi this week was not to exciting, but it was really great! On Saturday, I slept until 11 a.m. then just sat in my pajamas until 2 p.m. It was wonderful. I love lazy days of watching movies and just relaxing. It was much needed!

Lo
My Lo this week would probably have to be going to the doctor on Friday. I wasn't sick, I just had a spot on my arm I wanted to get checked out. Skin cancer has made itself at home on many of my family members, so I thought I'd be safe and have it looked at. After waiting over an hour to actually see the doctor, she looked at it, pushed on it then proceeded to tell me that it was indeed, "just a spot". But that was not the end, oh no. She looked at my chart and reminded it me it was time for my last Gardasil shot ("I'm gonna be ONE LESS, ONE LESS!"). Then she walked back in and said, "Have you had your flu shot yet?" I replied, "No, I've never had one and I don't really think I need one." Her response, "Do you want to see someone with the flu? It's awful!" So I reluctantly gave in. I went in with a spot and I got 2 shots!

Ha
I'm not a professional match maker but I did decide to try it out. I got my friends, Bethany and Lee together this weekend. Over the past few weeks we have all hung out in groups, but Friday night was the big night. Bethany asked me to come over and help her get ready. She didn't want Lee to know that I was there, so I had to park my car in her garage. When the doorbell rang, Brittany and I had to hide in a closet that was not built for 2 people to hide in. We crammed in and had to hold our breath for fear of laughing. It was probably one of those moments where you had to be there, but it was definitely my Ha of the week.

Pedicures and Speeding Tickets

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens

A massage and a pedicure and all that it brings

These are a few of my favorite things.

I recently realized how important it is to do something for myself. I love doing stuff for other people, but I know I've been draining myself. On Thursday I got a pedicure with Stefanie and Holly. It was so good to relax in a huge, comfy massage chair and talk with friends. I'm really looking forward to intentionally treating myself to something nice more often!

The same day I got my pedicure, I also got one of my least favorite things....a speeding ticket! I haven't even been pulled over in more than 6 years! The police officer said I was going 10 mph over the speed limit BY SIGHT not by radar! Come on now! I looked at my speedometer as soon as I saw the officer on the side of the road and I was going 4 mph over the speed limit. I may go to court to fight it...but I don't know if it's really worth it or not...dumb dumb dumb!