Hi Lo Ha La!

Hi

I took my last final for the semester on Thursday. I'm still waiting on my grade but hoping I pulled of an A. I really enjoy parts of grad school and really disliked other parts. I'm very thankful for a summer break.

Lo

My Nana went into the hospital on Tuesday and had surgery to remove 2 feet of her colon on Thursday. She had this same surgery almost 3 years ago. It has been a week of ups and downs with her health but she is doing really well now. She could still use your prayers though!

Ha

Saturday night I got to see girlfriends from high school and college. We try to get together every few months and we always have a great time catching up and laughing together.

La

I'm looking forward to Life Hurts God Heals graduation next Tuesday night. We have 29 graduates and 7 others who were involved. Graduation is always a great night, students have a great opportunity to share what God has done and is doing in their lives. It's always a bitter-sweet for me. It's nice to have a break and to get refreshed but I miss the atmosphere and the just seeing all of them on a regular basis.

I'm back!

Welcome back!  I've been totally out of the blog world for at least a month now!  I was on death row.  Not the prison death row but the sickness death row.  About 3 weeks ago I started feeling a little under-the-weather.  I went to the doctor and was diagnosed with Bronchitis.  After 3 medications and a shot...I was still sick.  I went back to the doctor and the Bronchitis had progressed into Pneumonia.  I was pretty miserable.  I did nothing but watching tv and sit/sleep in my recliner for a solid 10 days.  After three visits to the doctors office and 6 medications later, I am finally feeling better.  I'm not 100% yet but I'm hoping to get there by next week.

American Idol - Top 7 (Week 2)

Disco Week

Lil - "I'm Every Woman"

I do feel sorry for Lil.  Her song was fun but nothing original. She hasn't proved herself on the stage in a while.  She just seems so sad after every performance.  I think that's caused her to lose her fan base.  She should be glad she's made it this far and that she's touring!

Kris - "She Works Hard For The Money"

I haven't typically been a Kris fan, but tonight I was all about it!  I loved the arrangement and loved the band around him.  I don't always like the instruments but it all went together so well. Props to Kris for pulling it off!

Danny - "September"

I love Earth, Wind, & Fire and I still love DANNY!!!  He looked good tonight with his scruffy face!  HOLLER!  His dancing skills have definitely improved since the beginning of the show. He has a great time every time he's on the stage.  He has definitely been a solid performer the whole time.

Allison - "Hot Stuff"

Ever since the judges mention that she reminded them of Kelly Clarkson, I see it all the time.  Allison did well.  I didn't know the song or I just didn't recognize it from the arrangement.  I don't know that Allison can win the whole thing but she is extremely talented!

Adam - "If I Can't Have You"

I'm still warming up to Adam.  He's a little weird but the boy is crazy talented.  I loved his performance tonight.  You never know what you're going to get, it'll either be an incredible ballad or a crazy screaming thing.  I'm still not sure which type of artist he really is because he is good at everything.

Matt - "Stayin' Alive"

I do like Matt!  He's fun and always has a great time on stage.  I think he was trying to pull off a Justin Timberlake tonight.  I don't think he had the best performance but he showed his range throughout the whole song.  I'm so glad they saved him last week!

Anoop - "Dim All The Lights"

I didn't know this song either.  Anoop did alright, it wasn't bad but it wasn't brilliant either.  The last note sounded strange to me too.  He can sing but Anoop will probably be headed home within the next week or two.  Anoop may be headed home this week.

My Top 2

Adam

Danny

My Middle 3

Allison

Kris

Matt

My Bottom 2

Anoop

Lil

American Idol - Top 7

Music From The Movies

Allison - "I Don't Want To Miss A Thing"

Probably my favorite "movie song" of all time!  Allison totally made the song her own and I enjoyed the arrangement for the most part.  It wasn't my favorite performance of hers but I think she did quite well.

Anoop - "Everything I Do, I Do For You"

Oh Mariko, did you feel like Anoop was singing just for you???   I think this was an awesome song choice for Anoop.  The arrangement wasn't much different from the original but I really enjoyed it.  He actually did great 2 weeks in a row!  WHAT WHAT, ANOOP!  

Adam - "Born To Be Wild"

As creepy as Adam can be sometimes, the boy is crazy talented.  It's complete entertainment when he comes on the stage.  He is definitely a rock star!  The last note was insane too...WOW! 

Matt - "Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman"

I love when Matt plays the piano!   The song was a little shaky at parts.  Matt has slowly moved up into my favs but tonight wasn't his night.  I agreed with Randy that he tried to go over the top with the lyrics and his range.  I hope he gets another chance next week.

Danny - "Endless Love"

I think I officially fell in love with Danny tonight.  I know I've been talking about how much I like him but tonight he just swept me off my feet! :)  It wasn't his best song tonight but I think he pulled it off by the end.  He looked so strange without his glasses tonight!

Kris - "Falling Slowly"

I was really impressed with Kris tonight!  I'm glad he decided to sing without the guitar, I think it would have taken away from the emotions coming through the song.  He did a great job tonight, definitely my favorite song of his by far.  

Lil - "The Rose"

Once again, Lil did alright but didn't impress me.  I have had high expectations for her from the beginning and I'm not sure why.  Lil is talented but I doubt she'll survive much long on AI.  She just stood in the same spot and sang.  I didn't get much emotion out of her either.

This was a really hard week to rank the contestants.  It's getting a lot tighter and there are a lot of people I think should stay around.  I do hope Lil goes home tomorrow night.  My guess is that if it's someone besides Lil, the judges will use the save tomorrow night!

Top 6

Adam

Anoop

Danny

Kris

Allison

Matt

Bottom 1 

Lil

American Idol - Top 8

Danny - "Stand By Me"

I kept waiting for Danny to break out into song and when he did I broke out into chair dancing.  I cannot wait to see him at the AI concert!  I will definitely be screaming like a crazy woman.  I did agree that the arrangement was a little strange but he pulled it out!

Kris - "All She Wants To Do I Dance"

I did not like that they put Kris is the middle of 100 girls.  That seems a little over the top to me.  I also think he was faking the guitar tonight.  Kris was okay but he didn't impress me tonight.  Dancing was not all I wanted to do...

Lil - "What's Love Got To Do With It"

I really liked the chorus but the verses were a little strung out for me.  Lil is talented but it seems that every week I hope for a little more than I actually get.  She didn't blow me away but she did alright.  I did feel sorry for her...I would cry if judges were disappointed in me too.

Anoop - "True Colors"

Anoop was definitely dressed for Easter Sunday, he even looked a bit like an Easter egg.  I really liked Anoop this week.  I just wish he could be consistent week after week.  I never know what I'm going to get.  Hopefully, he'll continue to go up from here.

Scott - "The Search Is Over"

Scott creeped me out a little tonight in his intro.  I'm really beginning to get tired of Scott.  He seems to be a wonderful person but just not my type of artist.  He was off tonight and has been off several weeks in a row.  His song 

was strange all together especially the high notes.

Allison - "I Can't Make You Love Me"

I think I've said this before but I'll say it again, I've never really liked the younger contestants on AI but I love Allison.  She has such an incredible stage presence for a 16-year-old.  Her voice is so distinct and can go from one extreme to the other with ease.  She really does remind me of Kelly Clarkson, so I was glad Randy said that tonight.

Matt - "Part-Time Lovers"

Matt rocked it tonight.  I really couldn't take my eyes of the screen.  I just wanted to watch his dancing skills.  He was really entertaining and fun.  At one point, they panned out and show Paula dancing "on" Simon and that was a little awkward for me but he was awesome.  I hope that he gets a bigger fan base.  I think Matt definitely deserves to stick around.  If he does get the lowest vote this week..."The Save" had better be used.

Adam-"????"

The show ran over the scheduled time so my DVR cut off before I even knew what Adam sang.  I tried to find it on YouTube but had no luck.  What are your thoughts?  Where does Adam belong this week?

Top 4

Matt

Danny 

Anoop

Allison

I couldn't decide between Anoop and Allison and without hearing Adam...I decided to go with a Top 4 this week.

Bottom 3

Kris

Lil

Scott

Hi-Lo-Ha-La

Hi
This week I was able to recharge on all different levels. I got some much needed rest and some much needed Jesus time. It's always good to be filled!

Lo
I'm in an Addiction class and my professor is pretty bad. He's never taught before and has very little organization skills. I was really looking forward to the class but feel like I'm wasting 3 1/2 hours of my life every Thursday night. We have our first test this week and I have no idea what to study.

Ha
One of the pastors on staff pulled an April Fools Day prank on his 3 daughter by sending out a newsletter saying that the Jonas Brothers were coming in concert to our church. To make it more real, he told them they needed to RSVP to me. Once his girls figured it out, they sent it on to their friends. Five days later, I still have students (& parents) calling asking if it's possible to get backstage. It has been really funny until I have to let them down.

La
I'm headed to Colorado and am looking forward to spending time with Jess and Erin. I was a little bummed when I realized it was Easter weekend because I love my church services but I'm hoping to experience a sunrise service in the mountains. We'll see!

Jaci's Favorite Things #1

I wish I were like Oprah and could give people all of my favorite things. I love when I find something that I love.

Favorite Thing #1
Tide-t0-Go is a miracle in itself. Approximately 95% percent of my shirts have stains on them because I drop food on myself 95% of the time. I keep one of these in my car, one in my desk drawer, and one in my purse. They come in really handy. It's like magic and who doesn't like a good disappearing act.

Favorite Thing #2

Another great invention for clothes is Downy Wrinkle Release. I first heard of this from my friend Stefanie. I'm addicted to the stuff. It's another incredible magic trick. You spray your clothes, tug them a little and BAM your wrinkles are gone. I had my mom buy some on my last trip to Corpus and I'm surprised she hasn't tried to use it on her skin yet.

Favorite Thing #3

I love the new Fiber One bars. I can't decide which is better, the chocolate or the peanut butter. They are SO delicious! 9 grams of fiber and only 2 weight watchers points. As Dora would say, "Muy Delicioso!"

These are all inexpensive Favorite Things! If you haven't tried them, do! Then you can thank me for making your life easier and yummier!