Month: April 2007

Let’s scream "Calgon, take me away!"

/ Gina Marie / 2 Comments

I am so happy right now, I want to jump! LOL, well, not that happy, but enough to write a blog I guess! You see, when I got home from work yesterday I checked out the mail. First of all I received a letter from Barstow College where I have completed three online classes. My GPA there is 4.0 so I’ve made the Dean’s list! Woohoo! I could even join their “Greek Letter” club, but it costs $15 so I said forget it. But, it’s good for the ego!

Then, I almost threw out a letter from Calgon, but I saw that it had my name and not “Current Resident”, so I opened it. I am fortunate that I did! I had applied for a scholarship several months ago and apparently I have made the initial cut! So now I have to submit additional information to see if I am one of three winners. Woohoo! I don’t know if I will make it, but I am stoked that I have this opportunity, especially since in about a year my student loans are gonna kick in and then I will be saying, “OUCH!”. So I am pretty happy.

Today I have been very productive – cleaned the house some, straightened my office, did homework, and worked on a video project. I feel as though I deserve a few minutes to eat sunflower seeds, sip some water, and write a blog post! Yes!

Now, my day is complete!

Okay, don’t worry TOO much!

/ Gina Marie / 2 Comments

For the 2.685 readers out there, I was able to figure out the overlap problem with my major class and speech class. I switched my major class to the Inglewood campus and will begin classes on 5/15 (my bro’s birthday!), finishing on 6/12. THEN, my speech class can start on 7/9 no problem.

While Inglewood is a drive for sure, at least I can get this class done and not have to push my graduation out to May 2008! There’s something about graduating and turning 40 that has the word PARTY around it, so December is much better for me! 😉

Please do pray for me though – my crazy schedule, while self-imposed for sure, is going to be tough on me through August!

Love to all (except maybe Deana, she was mean to Steph today so I have to pray about that).

S-C-H-O-O-L!

/ Gina Marie / 1 Comment

This is how I look today after juggling my new school schedule. You see, due to Russia I had to drop two classes; Speech and a major course. I had planned on making up the major course beginning in July, but realized I also needed to take my Speech class in summer so that I can still graduate in December. If you don’t know, summer classes are very condensed, so I will need to go to school for 3 hours a day, four days a week – that doesn’t leave room for my major course!

SO! Today, I switched my major course to take place in Laguna Hills from 6/11-7/9 and will enroll in my Speech class to run from 7/9-8/14. Except JUST NOW I see the overlap of the last and first day of these classes so I am freaking out again! So this post is short because I need to see about another speech class. Sigh.

While my GE classes will all be ending by June, I still have three Bible classes that also need to be done! I am currenly enrolled in Romans, but still need another plus ACTS, the latter of which must be taken at Biola.

I really thought things would be settling down after June, but that is surely not the case! Just gotta get my eyes fixed on December…….

My Beloved Dog

/ Gina Marie / 5 Comments

It is with sadness that I am posting that my beloved dog, Tex, is being given to Deana’s brother Manuel today. Because of my irrational, harrassing neighbors I have to choose between keeping Tex in the kennel all day or giving him away so he can be a dog. You see, my neighbor NEVER wants him to bark and apparently the 3 or 4 times he barks during DAYTIME hours is too much to handle for them. I also am tired of the neighbors yelling at my kids and scaring them.
So, today I no longer have a dog. I am happy that he will now have fun, be able to bark, and be loved. But I am going to miss him for sure.

Delayed update from the Gina

/ Gina Marie / Leave a comment

I tried to post yesterday, but due to technical difficulties, my beautifully written words were lost and the post is in blog heaven! So today, I will try again!

Let’s see, where to begin!

  • Drama – Deana sometimes asks me why I post some of my innermost feelings on a public venue. Well, I guess it’s therapeutic in a way. More so are the prayers that were lifted up in my behalf, which I have felt and appreciated! The “drama” of my heart being broken has been PARTIALLY resolved. I feel much better moving forward and the pain I experienced has diminished significantly.
  • Kenny – On Tuesday night I had an awesome time with my son. We were doing our devotions (called “devos” in my house) and he was getting all excited because he was looking forward to telling some of his friends at school what he had learned (we were finishing up Exodus and apparently the school had been covering some Jewish beliefs recently). Further, he randomly asked, “Hey Mom, if the devil ruled on the earth, you know how that is gonna happen, would you bow to him?” I told him no and said I might be scared of what would happen to me, but that even if I died I would rather die and be with the Lord then never see the Lord and live. He went on to say, “I wouldn’t be scared, because either Jesus would protect me and I wouldn’t be hurt, or I would die and be with Him. So I guess I win either way.” I was so happy at that moment and totally blessed. And, of course, the timing was perfect!
  • Josh – He is a real swimmer now, no jackets or floaties or anything! He even swam all the way across the pool without stopping! I am so proud of him. He even tried diving, which amounted to being more like belly flops, but for being a little hesitant to take chances he has really blossomed (and he STILL loves to read for fun like his MOM!)
  • Zack and Sophia – they are adjusting to their new lives amazingly well. Every day when I come home from work I hear Zack screaming, “Gina, spateneetzia!” (Gina, look!) and he shows me all the things he has done during the day (or flips into the pool, or dances before jumping in the pool or you name it!). Sophia follows me around, calling my name, and otherwise wrestling with me.
  • Deana – is doing well being a mom…..so well, she is even better at bossing ME around! LOL Just kidding. She is very happy.
  • Stephanie – she is a wonderful nanny and I love her.

Okay, that is it for now!

Yep, here’s another silly survey!

/ Gina Marie / 1 Comment

This helped me not to think about life.

200. My middle name is: Marie.

199. I was born on: December 5

198. I am a: lefty

197. My cell phone company: Cingular, the new AT&T

196. My eye color is: blue

195. My shoe size is: 8 1/2 to 9 depending on the shoe

194. My ring size is: 8 I think

193. My height is: 5’6″

192. I am allergic to: demerol, cats

191. I was born in: Torrance

190. I live in: a huge house

189. The last book I read: Russka

188. My bed is: very comfy

187. One thing I know for sure about the opposite sex: the are not girls

186. I am glad I’m my sex because: I don’t have to shave my face (okay, I was reprimanded for this one, so I will change it to “I can ask a guy to carry the heavy stuff”)

179. My favorite Holiday is: Thanksgiving

178. The perfect kiss is: long and passionate

177. The last three cd’s I bought are: no idea

176.. Last song that made me cry was: I am not sure

172. My most treasured possession(s) is(are): my family

170. What did you do last night: laid in bed wishing for a coma

167. My skin’s reaction to the sun is (tan/burn): I burn

:::::I Do(YES) Do Not (NO) Believe In::::

143. Santa? nope…never did

142. Love at first sight? yes

141. Luck? nope

140. Fate? yes

139. God? yes

138. Aliens? there are like over a million in our country! Oh wait, are you asking about extra terrestials?

137. Heaven? yes

136. Hell? yes

135. Ghosts? not really

134. Horoscope? no

135. Soul mates? definitely

:::::Which is Better?:::::

129. Hugs or Kisses? I must have both

128. Drunk or High: neither

127. Phone or Online: online

126. Red heads or Black hair: no preference

125. Blondes or Brunettes: no preference

124. Hot or cold: hot food, cold drinks

123. Summer or winter: summer

122. Coffee or tea: coffee

121. Chocolate or vanilla: chocolate

120. Night or Day: day

119. Oranges or Apples: apples

118. Curly or Straight hair: no preference

:::::Here’s What I Think About:::::

116. Abortion: I would never do it.

114. Parents: love them

113. Love: can cause you pain

112. Drugs: not for me

111. School: is fun. i know i’m a nerd

::::Last time I:::
103. Said I love you: today to my boys

102. Last time I hugged someone: today – Kenny, Josh, Zack and Sophia

101. Seen someone I haven’t seen in a while: My sister came into town yesterday

100. Drank: coffee this morning

99. Grew: a belly

::::MISC::::
90. Who’s the ditziest person I know: choose not to say

89. Who makes you laugh the most: Stephanie

87. One thing I’m mad about right now is: that I have believed in someone my whole life and the truth of the situation has proven I have believed in vain.

86. Even been used by a guy/girl?: yes, but I am stronger for it

83. The last movie I saw in the theater was: Um, let’s see, Premonition

82. The thing I don’t understand is: why we think we know someone’s heart

80. The most unsatisfactory answer I’ve ever received: “because I said so”

79. The one thing I love about the opposite sex is: they are God’s creation

76. This summer I am: going to love Hume Lake

75. Something I will really miss when I leave home is: um, that was like twenty years ago.

74. The thing that I’m looking forward to the most: seeing my kids grow in their love for God and serve Him

75. Tomorrow: back to work and school

72. Today: time with my beloved family – at least some of them

71. Next Summer: I will be 40

70. Next Week: is just another week

67. People call me: crazy

62. The person who knows the most about me is: Deana

61. The person that can read me the best is: Deana

60. The most difficult thing to do is: admit when my heart is broken

59. I have gotten a speeding ticket: two times in my life

53. The one person who can’t hide things from me: Kenny

51. Right now I am talking to: no one

48. I have/will get a job at: a Christian Credit Union

47. I have these pets: Lucky the Cat and Tex the Dog

45. The worst sound in the world: the sounds of crying

44. The person that makes me cry the most is: those I love the most

35. Florida or hawaii: no preference

33. My favorite piece of clothing is: jeans

32. My favorite sport is: too many to list

31. Last time I cried: today

28. The school I go to is: Biola University

27. Last person I got mad at: would rather not say

26. My worst drinking experience was: a long time ago

22. The all-time best movie is: Butterfly Effect

21. The all-time best thing in the world is?: Jesus, who will not let me down

19. The most annoying thing ever is: inconsiderate people

HOW YOU FEEL….
18. The most annoying person you know is: self-centered people (I will not name names)

17. I lose all respect for people who: are mean

16. The movies I have cried at are: too many to list

15. Closest friends Name: Deana, Stephanie, Wanda

14. TV show your watching: nothing right now

13. Favorite web site: yahoo.com

12. I want to be: far from pain

11. The worst pain I was ever in was: in my heart

10. My favorite phrase: “you rock”, “dun dun dun”

9. My room has: a very small TV

8. My favorite celebrity is: Jodie Foster

5. My weakness is: trusting loved ones

4. What turns me on is: honesty and caring

3. Who broke your heart: no comment

2. I filled out 200 questions because: it is a mindless activity and that’s something I need right now.

1. Something random: garlic is yummy

The bigger they are….

/ Gina Marie / Leave a comment

….the harder they fall. Or so the saying goes.

Today, my world has been shattered – completely. I am writing with a broken heart. Why? For years I have held fast to a truth on earth apart from my faith in Christ. A truth that has defined everything I measure my life by – how to act, how to think, how to love – how to be. These beliefs were solidified when I accepted Christ as my personal Savior, but have been a part of me for my entire life. And today, I found out they are all wrong.

For these beliefs were based on a person who I’ve defined in my heart and grown my heart to copy, someone who I have built on such a large pedestal that I forgot this person was human, with flaws. Further, today I found out how very flawed this person is…..so much like the kind of person I always said I wouldn’t be. And quite honestly, I am completely devasted.

I seriously don’t know how tomorrow can come when things are so wrong in the world. I am spinning and no longer have the heart I thought would never leave me. But for Christ, I would be lost in a great abyss, but the darkness is still very real.

Update on School and other boring things…..

/ Gina Marie / Leave a comment

I know, you’re just so excited to read this post! Deana is still hoarding the pics so I am not able to post Kenny’s baptism of other pics at present. BUT, I will duly threaten her today so hopefully pics will be posted later!

Okay, so about school – as you might remember, I had to drop one of my major classes in order to be able to go to Russia. No problem – I am scheduled to make it up in July with another cohort (group) at Biola. However, that kind of messed up my big plan of taking my Bible courses et all. So I was a little stressed and not looking forward to going to school several times a week again, which I thought was going to end this May.

So I was poking around the Biola web page and noticed that online Bible classes could be taken at Taylor University, which is located in Indiana. I researched some more and this is TRULY an online class in that there is not a group of people that meet during a set timeframe, which is what I am used to. Instead, you can sign up anytime and have 6 months to complete the course. There are not deadlines, for example, this homework is due one week, this homework the next. You have assignments that need to be turned in, that’s it! I was so excited! So I enrolled in the Romans class, ordered my books, and am back on track! I plan on taking another class once I’m done with Romans, which would leave me with the Acts class which must be taken at Biola. So I feel much better.

So the only other class I need to figure out is Speech, which must be taken in person. I will see what I can do!

Work is going well also. I am a little busy, which is exactly how I like it! I truly love my job and love to learn about ministries! I love talking to these churches – it’s very different from the secular world. While there ARE occassions where these Christians appear to be very human (and maybe even cranky!), overall it is more pleasant.

The kids are AWESOME! I love coming home to see them and see what they rush to show me for the day. Yesterday Zack put on the monkey mask he got at the zoo and then he excitedly showed me the 300 PIECE puzzle he and Auntie Stephanie were working on. (He is VERY good with puzzles!). Sophia showed me her Cabbage Patch Baby and then ended up feeding me from the baby’s bottle which created howls of laughter (especially when I burped!). Then Sophia had a blast beating me up and wrestling with me.

The FUNNIEST thing was at dinner (we went to a Mexican restaurant), Deana told Sophia no more chips. Then I accidentally was like “yum yum yum” because I didn’t know Deana had said no more. So, feeling bad, I snuck a chip to Sophia. Deana, rightly so, was not happy so I had to pretend to be in big trouble and gave Deana my hand to slap. Well, all of a sudden Sophia starts lecturing me and asks for my hand and slaps it! Keep in mind, she’s STILL EATING the chip I gave her! Oh, and she also asked for another! Sophie LOVES to pretend she’s the boss and lecture me and I love it (at least right now!)

I can also testify that Sophia DOES love Drew! You should see her face when they talk! She adores him.

Okay, it’s a Saturday morning and it just turned 5am – what am I doing up?!?!!?! Well, first of all I think I went to bed at 8:30 last night, which has been the latest this week (have been going to bed around 7:15……). More weird than that, STEPHANIE is up, too! She couldn’t sleep so she got up to do laundry! I enjoy the company but this is a weird morning for sure!

Must drink my coffee now – hope all is well with you!