Mad About...

TARGET!

Or as it is properly pronounced...Tar-djay. That's kinda hard to type out phonetically. I pretty much call it that without fail and a couple of years ago my mom told me that my Grandma Shaw also called it that without fail -- only she seriously thought that's how it was meant to be said. :)

Anyway folks...think about it. Necklaces, purses, wedding presents, birthday presents, baby shower presents, eggs, milk, chocolate, make-up, shampoo and conditioner, tents, sleeping bags, paper, sweaters, opaque stockings, umbrellas, sunglasses, pillows, blankets, mp3 players, novels, sudoku, Starbucks, pasta, candles, cd's, wrapping paper, gum, underwear, cereal, pots, pans, mulch, tennis shoes, scarves, wallets, greeting cards, puzzles, bathing suits, Pizza Hut, nail polish, photo albums, Sudafed, Hello Kitty diaries, cacti, Burt's Bees products, clocks, storage bins, strollers, dvd players, hair straighteners, dog food...

Name me one other place where you can find such a pletheora of items under one roof.

A few other reason why I love the Bullseye:

- It's favorite color is red.
- I can ALWAYS count on seeing a friendly face. Even when I've just left the checkout line and think I made it through without seeing anyone I know, there Summer Paige will be opening the door. (I seriously used to run into Summer everywhere!)
- (I have this thing where when I'm making a list, I have to have at least three bullets.) But the whole post is about how I can find almost whatever I need at Target, so there you go.

I LOVE Target! But I won't marry it. Although I could get married in it...or not.

Mad About...

I have always enjoyed blogs in which the writers have a little special somethin' that they post weekly. For example, Lisa Martin has her www.wednesday.what? Girltalk has Friday Funnies. I enjoy things I can count on. So, I have decided (in keeping with my thankfulness theme) to post things that I am "mad about" on Fridays. Probably not every Friday...but I would like to be optimistic about it. Without further ado, today I'm Mad About...

CINNAMON!



I have recently decided that cinnamon makes almost anything taste better. I think I actually heard that in a movie a couple weeks ago. Although, I think they were talking about butter. But in my book, it's cinnamon. Cinnamon is delish! This might be the very reason why Cinnamon Toast Crunch is my favorite cereal, and maybe just maybe why I eat it every morning.
After I saw the movie Ratatouille for the first time, I had this overwhelming desire to start cooking. I wanted to come up with my own recipes or add secret ingredients to favorite meals in our house. I made a salad one night and added...you guessed it...cinnamon, and it really made a difference!
A few nights ago I went to Coldstone's with a friend and thought, why not add some cinnamon to my cake batter ice cream? Let's just say, it was dangerously delectable.
Have you ever added cinnamon to your coffeemaker before you started brewing? If you haven't, go ahead and try it. I doubt you will ever turn back.
All this to say, I'm thankful that God created cinnamon. In my opinion, its the best spice out there!

Retraction

Wow, here I said a few posts back that I would, EVERY time I post, list three things that I am thankful for and in the last three posts, I failed to do so once. So, to make up for it, here are some things I have been thankful for recently:

~ A short, relaxing vacation in San Diego with my Mom, Emily, and Erin. I particularly enjoyed swimming in the ocean for the first time this year, watching the surfers and the gorgeous waves at San Clemente on the way home, and for just a fun time hanging out with three amazing people!

~ A fresh reminder of where my dad is and most importantly, WHOM he is with. Is that right? Whom? or Who? I never know. It made me long to be with Jesus more.

~ I am still enjoying those Kindergarteners. They bring so many smiles to my face. I enjoy going to work each day.

~ God reminding me of how much I need to depend on Him alone.

~ Sisters and Mothers. I mean, I only have one of each obviously, but sisters and mothers are wonderful in general.

~ Cooler weather.

~ Becky and Hannah. They are so fun to work with! And drive to San Diego with! And yes I am ending my sentences with prepositions! Is that not grammatically correct?

San Diego

This past weekend I went to San Diego with some people I love! Here is a smattering of pictures I took. I could't stop, it was so beautiful there. Lately I have been obsessed with Alicia Bock's photography. Her pictures have a vintage feel. From what I can tell she likes to use a polaroid. Or else she gives her photos a polaroid feel. Either way I love the light, pastel colors in her photos and I must admit they influenced my editing of these shots.
The weekend was so nice and relaxing! A perfect chance to get away, think on God's power by watching and swimming in His mighty waves and to look at His dazzingly beautiful creation! He is so awesome and I long to see the Creator face to face!

Surfer Em

I LOVE my cool sister!

Dany and Thomas

As I have said in the past, I am by no means a great photographer, but I have always loved photography and enjoy any opportunity to practice. So I was extremely excited when Thomas agreed to Dany's plan for me to take their engagement pictures.
Dany is from Germany and I first got to know her eight years ago when she came here to live with us my senior year of high school. Dany wanted to live with a Christian family with daughters that went to a public school. So, our family was a perfect fit. I was devastated when Dany went back home because I felt that she had become a sister to Emily and me. Thankfully, God provided for her to come to Master's two or three years later. She would stay with us over summer breaks and she has been living with us again since she started the teaching credential program. She now teaches German to Kindergarteners!
Dany and Thomas met at Master's and started dating over two years ago. Thomas is from Zimbabwe and they plan on going there after he finishes seminary at TMS. They are getting married in December, most likely in Germany. I'm still attempting to make it there, but we'll see.
Dany and Thomas are both very kind and humble people. I learn so much from their gentle spirits and I am SO GLAD that God has brought them together and has allowed them to get married!
Here are the pictures. I promise this is not becoming a photography blog. I feel ridiculously pretentious enough posting these. :)

Direction

I recently noticed that my frequency in blog posting has significantly decreased within the last few months. There are various reasons why this is the case, but one of them is the fact that there is not much direction or point to this ol' blog. Not that every blog has to have a main focus, but still, as I was reminded today at church, we are to do ALL to the glory of God, and this little blog is no exception.
So, I was doing some thinking. I don't think I ever explained the title of my blog. I guess it's pretty self explanatory, but for those of you who may not know, a "red letter day" is one to celebrate. As believers, every day is one of celebration because we have been saved! Christ has risen and is ALIVE and is preparing a place for us. No matter the trial, no matter the circumstance, we have much reason to celebrate.
So from here on out, I plan to have this blog be a reminder to myself and to you that we have much reason to rejoice. I'm going to start out with listing a minimum of three things I am thankful for each time I post. Whether it be major or minor. We have much to be thankful for.

Today in particular, I thank God that/for:

1) He has blessed Becky and me with a relatively obedient group of kids this year. These Kindergarteners seem excited about school, they are sweet and of course, funnny. The older brother of one of the boys in our class came up and tapped me at night church to say hi and I was reminded of how much I enjoy them.

2) A chance to encourage a high schooler with some verses and some ways that God has provided for my mom and my sister and me. 1 Corinthians talks about comforting others with the comfort that we have from God and that verse was made more clear to me today.

3) A wonderful lunch at Egg Plantation with Megan, Jessica and Ashleigh. Jessica and Ashleigh are sophomores in high school. They bring much joy to my life with their quirky, fun humor and desire to grow to be more like Jesus! And who doesn't like a delicious Strawberry Cream cheese stuffed french toast! MMm MMM...!

Lately

I miss my dad. It's strange how life goes on and in one sense things get easier because I'm "getting used to it" and yet at the same time things get more difficult because its been a longer time that my dad has been gone and so I miss him more. I don't have the panic feeling because I know God is loving and sovereign. I hope that last statement doesn't go ignored just because it's something many Christians say all the time and it's a known fact. It's not just a familiar truth...it's INCREDIBLY true! So, knowing that, there is GREAT hope in all of this. That said...it's sinking in.
But if you want to know how to pray for me and my family, well, for me, please pray that I would joyfully serve my mom and demonstrate not just a service kind of love to her, but an affectionate love. The kind of love that will comfort her. I fail at this a lot.
Today is just one of those "sad" days as Emily calls them. Tomorrow is Sunday...a time to be surrounded by our large family, the church, which inevitably results in a "happy" day.
...boy...I'm sure starting to use quotation marks a lot...