Ideas...

I watched the movie Julie & Julia and I was inspired. It's about a lady who decided to cook her way through Julia Child's entire recipe book in one year and each day she would blog about it. My birthday is coming up in one week and I will be 29. I decided, I want to do something special during my 29th year or as my friend calls it, my "year of becoming 30." I'm trying to think of what I should do to challenge myself and inspire my 3 blog readers.

My initial idea is this. I will think of 30 things I want to do before I turn 30 and I will attempt to complete them all. And I'll blog about it along the way. What do you all think? Have any better ideas?

Does This Sound Like Me?

ESFJ Personality Type

ESFJs focus on the outside world and assess their experiences subjectively. They largely base their judgments on their belief system and on the effects of actions on people. ESFJs are literal and concrete, trusting the specific, factual information gathered through their physiological senses.

ESFJs project warmth through a genuine interest in the well-being of others. They are often skilled at bringing out the best in people, and they want to understand other points of view. They are serious about their responsibilities, seeing what needs to be done and then doing it. Generally proficient at detailed tasks, they enjoy doing little things that make life easier for others. They value tradition and the security it offers.

Easily hurt, ESFJs seek approval. They take pleasure in other people's happiness. They give generously but expect appreciation in return. Sensitive to the physical needs of others, they respond by offering practical care. As expert people readers, ESFJs often adapt their manner to meet the expectations of others. However, they may have difficulty recognizing the shortcomings of loved ones.

ESFJs tend to be vocal in expressing their sense of right and wrong. Their value system derives from the external standards defined by their community, as opposed to a personal set of ethics. (This is one of the traits that distinguishes them from their ENFJ counterparts.) ESFJs raised in an environment of high ethical standards tend to display true generosity and kindness.

ESFJs seek structured, controlled environments, and tend to be good at creating a sense of order. They generally feel insecure in an atmosphere of uncertainty. They value the rule of law and expect the same of others. ESFJs may be less interested in understanding the concepts behind the rules, tending to shy away from the abstract and impersonal.

Old Friends, Vanilla Lattes, and Carmel Apples

In a snap, ten years passed, just like that. My friend, who I haven't seen in years has been through a lot of changes in a decade. She's been married, moved twice, and had five kids in the process. The other night I went over to her house to hang out. It was so much fun! She is such a sweet mom. She made her girls "vanilla lattes." I kind of wrinkled my nose at this...a 2-year-old drinking a latte? But then I saw what she meant by latte...she steams milk and puts vanilla syrup/flavoring in it. Then she tops it off with whip cream. And voila...a vanilla latte fit for a 2- year-old. :)

And I must share...last night I made carmel apples for the first time. It was so much fun. And it's so easy. I thought it would be so complicated, but it's not! But this could be dangerous. Now that I know how to do it and how easy it is, I might make them all the time. While that's good for the taste buds, it's not good for the waistline. HA! HA!

Verizon Nightmares!

My cell phone stopped working. Took it in to the Verizon store. They confirmed it was broken. Didn't think it was the battery. Sent me a refurbished replacement phone. Realized my phone was working just fine. It was just the charger that wasn't working. Got my bill from Verizon. They charged me $267.10 for the refurbished phone. Called Verizon in a rage, but acted as nice and calm as possible, I am a Christian, after all. :) They assure me they will take that charge off my bill when they receive the phone which I mailed back this morning. Couldn't I buy a brand new IPhone for $268.10? But a REFURBISHED chocolate? Give me a break!

Am I the only person who thinks FAMILY SHARE PLAN assumes you will have 2 phones (at least)? Then why is the second phone only given to you with a $10.00 monthly charge for an EXTRA line? HA! HA! HA!

O, they joys of having a cell phone! Life was much simpler before them.

Stuck

It was Sunday night. A warm, summer evening. And my friend Chuck had just been baptized at church. Several friends from Bible study joined Chuck at his apartment to celebrate the occasion. We talked, laughed, ate pizza and cake. And then we headed for home.

Ten of us were leaving at the same time. I declared that I was going to take the stairs while everyone else headed toward the elevator. Someone yelled out that there were stairs in their direction, so I joined them.

At that moment, the elevator arrived. Everyone piled into the tiny elevator and motioned for me to just join them. So I did. We piled 10 people into that elevator! It was squishy and hot, but we all made it.

As we waited for the ground floor, I joked. How crazy would it be if we got stuck in here? Then bam! We were stuck. Just like that. And it was hot. And we were cramped. We laughed, then realized this was no joke. The guys tried to pry the door open, but couldn't. We called the fire department. We sang "It Is Well With My Soul." And we prayed.

By then our rescuers arrived. They pried the door open with an ax. It took no time at all. We took a few pictures, thanked them for helping us, and laughed a lot more. We thanked God for protecting us. It was crazy...but fun. I didn't think being stuck in an elevator could actually be a somewhat pleasant experience!