Hey!

I hope everyone had a fantabulous Christmas! I had fun, but I had to work! It's actually been a little crazy at work for the past few weeks. It's amazing how quickly people loose their Christmas "spirit" when they have to stand in line for 75 minutes to ride Indiana Jones. Or after the fireworks when 30,000 people are trying to exit the park all at once! Even with angry guests and all, I'm still having a great time. The only problem is that January is coming, and with that comes the slower season. So that means a cut in hours for me. Boo Hoo! I had my first celebrity sighting at the park. I love the TV show Friday Night Lights, and I saw the actress who plays the coaches daughter Julie the other night...pretty cool!

The other day I watched a great documentary about the Valkyrie plot on The History Channel. Now I really want to go see the movie. I've heard some good and bad things about it, but I think I need to go and decide for myself!

Yuck!

I'm Sick!
(just wanted you to know I was still alive.)

Deal of the Week

I think I may be the only person in America who watched Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip when it was on TV a couple of seasons ago. I don't get how people didn't love that show! It was a favorite, and I was seriously bummed when it got the ax. Once they put the series on DVD I decided I needed to make it mine. Only one problem...Amazon was selling the DVD for $45 bucks! To me, that's a lot to ask for a show that didn't even get a full season. But I loved the show, so I put it on my wishlist hoping maybe I'd get it for Christmas. Imagine my surprise when I go on Amazon the other day and the price of the DVD set has plunged to $12.99! I ordered it immediately. Which was good, because no less than 24 hours later the price went back up to $45. So I got a great deal, and now I'm watching Danny and Matt exchange witty banter with the Studio 60 gang....I LOVE good TV!

Polarized America

It's amazing to me how people have had such different reactions to the election of Barack Obama. I have a really good friend who is seriously worried about where we're headed as a country. It's just amazing to me that I can be filled with so much optimism and hope about where we're headed, and my friend can be filled with the complete opposite...is our nation that polarized? I guess the answer is yes. I was in the car today, and I flipped past Rush Limbaugh on talk radio. I decided to stop and listen to what he was saying. I was a little perplexed. He was talking about the Democratic majority in congress, and how the Republicans won't be able to stop Barack Obama. As if that should be their only goal in life. Not to worry about working together to pass legislation that will have an effect on the country, but to make sure they can stop Obama from doing what he wants to do. It just made me sad.

I wonder, can bipartisanship really work anymore?

I really want to believe that it can.

History

Quick Update...

First of all I hope you VOTED today! It's a little after 3:00 California time, and the East coast polls will be closing soon. I'm an Obama supporter, and even though the polls say he's up, I'm still nervous! I won't be excited until it's official.

I had my first day of training at Disneyland, and I found out that I'll be working the Indiana Jones Adventure. YEAH! No Tiki room for me! I also found out something really cool. I live really close to the the Disneyland employee parking lot. They basically shuttle employees to and from the park. Since I live nearby I decided I would ride my bike to and from work. I found out yesterday that Disney is basically going to pay me to ride my bike to work! Can you believe that?! I'll get so many points each day I ride my bike to work, and those points translate into dollars. It equals out to $2.00 per day. It's like free gas money!

Negative Campaign Ads & Stuff...

I don't know if I've mentioned it before, but I'm a bit of a political junky. And there's nothing sweeter to me than a presidential election year. I LOVE it! I've been glued to the news, I've watched all of the debates, and both conventions. One thing that usually bothers me is when the campaigns decide to go negative. Most people I talk to say they don't like negative campaign ads. But for some reason, the politicians keep on doing it. You know why?...Because research shows it works! Some studies suggest that negative campaign ads are more easily remembered and, therefore, have a greater influence on voters' attitudes and voting decisions. Knowing that made me start to think about what that says about us as Americans. How many people hear some negative lie in a campaign ad, and remember that when they get into the voting booth? How many people make the effort to really get informed?

I'm a registered Independent, and my roommate is a registered Republican. Some of the mail we've gotten during this campaign season has been interesting. Now that we're just days away from voting, we each got voter information guides in the mail. You open it, and it basically tells you who and what to vote for when it comes to the propositions and the presidential election. Who needs to think?! It's already been done for you! I think as voters we've gotten a little lazy. If you don't want to put in the effort to get informed you don't have to. Someone else will do it for you.

So I've decided to issue a challenge. I'm challenging everyone to know WHY you're voting the way you vote. When you step into that booth, be proud that as an American you have the right to let your voice be heard.

Happy Voting!

Finally...

So I finally got a job! I'll be working at Disneyland in Attractions in Adventureland/Fronteirland. Disneyland usually has hiring cycles, and this one is almost over. I actually took the very last attractions position available. I have my Traditions Orientation next Saturday. Traditions is really cool. It's an all day orentation where they share a lot of the history and values of Disney. You spend some time in a classroom, and they also take you through the parks and backstage. On that day I'll also get my ID and nametag. That means I'll be able to get into the parks when I want! The most important thing about that day is that I'll find out which attraction I'll be working. I'm really hoping I get to do the Indiana Jones attraction. The worst would be if they put me in the Tiki room. I HATE that place! That would be my own personal Disney nightmare!

Google Horror!

I Googled myself today...and what's the number one website that comes up when I type in my name? A website for a submissive escort located in London who also happens to be named Poppy. Interesting...

Bummer...

Hello to anyone out there who's reading! So I didn't get the job in Guest Relations at Disneyland. BUMMER! I must admit I was surprised, because I had such a great interview experience. Oh well...they did ask me to come in on Saturday to look at other positions at the resort, so I may be getting a Disneyland job after all. I've really been praying that whatever is supposed to happen will happen. I'm thinking that I'm going to be starting school in January, so I obviously need a job that will work with my school schedule. I've worked for Disney before, and I know that they are not always willing to do that.

I haven't mentioned it before but I am leading a discipleship group at the church I go to, and tonight is our first official meeting. They did the launch for the groups on Sunday, so I did get to meet the girls who will be in my group. Just to give you a little background discipleship groups are small same sex bible study groups. They're same sex to really give everyone the chance to feel comfortable saying anything they want. And they're small to really promote intimacy among the members. I'm super excited to get the chance to lead a group, and it should be fun.

Paul Newman

They just don't make movie stars like they use to...

It was sad to hear about the death of Paul Newman recently. I'm a sucker for a good old Hollywood movie, and he was in some of my favorites. I'll never forget the first time I saw Cat on a Hot Tin Roof with him and Elizabeth Taylor...such a great movie, with so much emotion just bubbling under the surface. I also can't forget The Long Hot Summer with him and Joanne Woodward (his future wife). In his later years, I loved him in The Verdict. On a side note he grew up in the same city that I did...Shaker Heights, Ohio. I think I'm going to have a little Paul Newman movie festival this weekend, and re-watch all of my favorites. I encourage you to check them out!

I'm Back!

So I'm back...my month long writing experience is over. I didn't make it to 50,000 words, but I sure wrote a whole lot more than I would have if I hadn't done the challenge. Now I'm gonna gear up for NaNoWriMo coming in November.

A few new developments in my life. I may have a job! I've got my fingers crossed, and I'm just waiting for the call from...DISNEY! That's right, I had my second interview for a job with Disney Guest Relations. That means I'd get to work City Hall, Lost and Found, and eventually I'd get to be a tour guide! Or possibly even a VIP tour guide! My interview went really well. But I know that they only have 15 spots, and they're interviewing 60 people...we'll see.

I have been making an effort to watch less television...so I've just become a little more selective with what I'm viewing. A few shows I make sure not to miss:

Heroes - I'm so excited it's back...but why is the future Peter Petrelli an idiot?
The Mentalist- It's one of the new shows that I really like a lot!
Life - A show I started watching last season. I watched it's season premiere episode on Monday, and was reminded why I like this show so much. Lead actor Damien Lewis is GREAT!
The Office- What more do I need to say! It's the funniest show ever!
Fringe - I'm a sucker for anything J.J. Abrams. (Alias, Lost) Here's a little math equation to sum up how I feel: Joshua Jackson + Sci Fi = A Happy Me!

Awakened

My church did the coolest thing last week. It was called AWAKENED. We actually spent a week in intense prayer and fasting. They opened the church and had prayer sessions every day at 6 am, 12pm, and 7pm. They actually removed all of the chairs from the main sanctuary and people would come in, and find a spot on the floor. Or they had couches set up in every corner of the room with candles, and journals for people to write in. They encouraged you to fast during the week. For some people that meant food. I ended up fasting TV that week. It was pretty cool, because it definitely freed up a lot of time in my schedule, and I felt way more focused than normal...which tells me that maybe I'm spending a little too much time in front of the boob tube! The whole point of the week was for us to be awakened to what God is doing and saying in our lives. I really believe that God is ALWAYS ready to reveal himself to me. But what happens most of the time is that I let my junk get in the way of that. Sometimes the noise of my life can be overwhelming. How can I possibly hear him when he's battling with everything that I've got going on around me?! It was cool to just take a step back, and listen. Since I'm not working right now, I got to go to the noon session everyday. We spent the week reflecting on the Lord's prayer. There were lots of pockets of silence. Moments when we would just be still and reflect on a thought or a phrase from the Lord's prayer. It was a great experience for me, and I definitely feel more AWAKENED to God in so many areas of my life...

Classic Sesame Street - Grover at the Disco

Grover at the disco...need I say more?! Watch and laugh!

Writing Challenge

Day One -

Yesterday was the first day of my 30 day writing challenge. My goal is to write a 50,000 word novel during the month of September. That basically breaks down to an average of 1,667 words a day. Before I started I came up with a basic story outline, that I'm hoping will help me along the way. I added a Word Count tracker to the sidebar of the blog to keep everyone up to date on my progress.

Movies that make you think...

Okay, so I know this is late, but I finally got to see Batman today. It's hands down the best movie I've seen this summer. I think it speaks to the fact that we all have the ability choose between good or evil. Sometimes circumstances in our lives force us to make a choice between the two. I thought the scene with the people on the ferry's was really interesting. I just kept thinking what would I do in that circumstance?
I just love it when movies make me think! Here are some other gems that have kept my mind whirling for days...


Do the Right Thing - What an ending! It just made me reflect on race in America.

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy - These movies are so DEEP! some of the themes include Friendship, Loyalty, Perseverance, Honor, I could go on for days!

The Devil's Advocate - An interesting take on the devil's view of humanity. It's not a movie I really loved, but it did make me think.

Lady in the Water/Unbreakable/Signs - The first two made me reflect on the fact that I believe that each of us has a purpose, and that regular people can do extraordinary things. And the later reminded me that God is big enough for my doubts, and that even when we've given up on him, he's still there. (cue the strings)

Spice World - Just checking to see if you're still paying attention!

The Matrix - Mind boggling, and original. I thought there were lots of spiritual parallels and lessons found in this great flick.

I'm sure I've got more, but that's what I'm coming up with off the top of my head. What about you? What are some movies that have made you think?

history

finally...

I have been telling myself that I should write a book for many years. I'm an avid reader, and it's usually after I've read something crappy that I think to myself "I could write something better than that!" A couple of months ago I got a really good idea for a book. And it's been bugging me ever since. I keep thinking of different twists and turns for the story. I've been writing my ideas down, and a couple of days ago I sat down and read through them. My conclusion...it's a darn good idea! If I read that synopsis on the back cover of a book, I would totally buy it! But here's my problem...me! "Hello, my name is Poppy, and I am a procrastinator!" I really hate that about myself, but it's the truth. I don't want to look back, and regret not doing this. So I'm trying to do something about it. I heard about this really cool event that's held every November called NaNoWriMo or National Novel Writing Month. Basically thousands of people make the commitment to try and write a 50,000 word novel in one month. I think it's a great idea. November is a little ways off, so I started my own little challenge for September Here. I do plan to participate in NaNo in November, and I'm hoping to finish/edit the novel I start in September. I've had a few people take me up on the challenge, so it should be fun. If I'm not blogging as much in September just know that it's because I'm hacking away at my little novel. I'll try to keep you updated with my word count...wish me luck!

worship

My "Bucket" List...

Some how in all my blogging greatness, I managed to erase this post from my blog...so I'm gonna re-post it! Here's my "Bucket List" AKA a list of things I hope to accomplish before I go hang out with Jesus...

1. Take my trip to Europe.
2. Finish my book, and get it published.
3. Have a job I love.
4. Visit Club 33 (the secret members only club inside Disneyland)
5. Learn to play the guitar.
6. Visit the Oval Office.
7. Take a pilgrimage to the Taize Community in France.
8. Give away 1 million dollars.
9. Visit all 50 states.
10. Record another CD

What about you? What are some things you want to accomplish before you kick the bucket?

IKEA love...

Here's some stuff I saw at IKEA that made me salivate...

Breaking Dawn - my book review

So I finished the new Stephanie Meyer book "Breaking Dawn" on Sunday. I've read the first three books, and am a pretty big fan of the series. I must say that I was disappointed in the final book. I'm reminded of my feelings for the Matrix trilogy. Let me explain...I LOVE the first Matrix movie. It was groundbreaking, unique, creative, and just plain GREAT! Then the second movie (The Matrix Reloaded) came out, and although I thought it was good, it wasn't nearly as good as the first film. Then the final movie in the trilogy (The Matrix Revolutions) was released...and to put it lightly, it SUCKED. I felt like they got to the end, and had to wrap things up, and they just didn't know what to do. And that's pretty much how I felt about this book. Parts of it were good, but for the most part I was disappointed in how she chose to deal with a lot of the plot lines. The Edward, Bella, and Jacob love triangle for example. I just felt like she coped out. It's a love triangle, people get hurt, usually everyone involved. But not in Stephanie Meyers world...Things were a little too tidy by the end for me.

The series is really popular, so I'm sure she (the author) was being rushed to write the final book. A large part of me wishes that she'd just taken another year, and put out a better book....




I give it a 2.5 (out of 5 stars)
(and that's being generous!)

Do Not Disturb!

Wicked

My awesome roommate (and best friend) took me to see the musical Wicked for my birthday. It's playing in downtown L.A. at the Pantages theatre. A lot of people I know have seen it and raved about it, so I had pretty high expectations. The super cool thing is that I was not disappointed. It was FABULOUS. It leaves in September, and I'm hoping that I'll get to see it again before it's gone. If you ever get the chance to see it I highly recommend it!

Getting to know me...

I borrowed this from another blog that I read...Each photo represents something about me. (click on the image to view larger size)

Here's how to build your own mosaic...

1. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
2. Using only the first page, pick an image.
3. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into This Photo Mosaic Maker

The Questions:
1. What is your first name? Poppy
2. What is your favorite food? French Fries
3. What high school did you go to? Shaker Heights High School
4. What is your favorite color? Orange (for the moment!)
5. Who is your celebrity crush? Paul Newman
6. Favorite drink? Water
7. Dream vacation? Europe
8. Favorite dessert? Pumpkin Pie
9. What you want to be when you grow up? I'm Not Sure
10. What do you love most in life? My Relationship with God
11. One Word to describe you. Curious
12. Your favorite band. Coldplay

fork...

I feel like my life is headed toward a fork in the road. So many things about my life have changed, or are getting ready to change. And I must admit that I'm feeling a little lost. For the first time in a long time, I really have no idea what direction I should head in. Should I go back to school? Should I stay in California? Should I sell everything I own, and move to Europe? I feel like I did when I was 18 and trying to figure out what "God's Will" for my life was. For those of you who don't know, that's Christian talk for "What the heck does God want me to do?!" I thought I had that figured out, but here I am...wondering. I really believe that I have a purpose on this earth. And I don't want to screw it up! Part of me just wants to focus, and figure it out...another part of me is really at peace with the whole thing. I feel a little like Tony in "West Side Story"... Something's Coming!

Summer Camp 08

I spent last week up in the mountains with 100 teenagers...and YES I'm still alive! I had a great week at camp, and I got to see God do some amazing things in these young peoples lives. One night the camp speaker sent all of the kids out to go "Walk with God". They had to remain silent, and try to hear God's voice. Then everyone came back together, and a few of them shared what God had spoken to them. The cool thing was when he asked the kids to raise their hands if they'd gotten something from God. I was shocked when about 75% of them raised their hands! I just wasn't expecting that many kids to respond. It just makes me realize even more, that God is always ready to reveal himself to us.

Here are some photos from camp...

hee hee...

Hearst Castle...

A couple of weekends ago some friends and I traveled up north to go check out Hearst Castle. The castle was built by William Randolph Hearst between 1919 and 1947. To say that it's elaborate, is an understatement. At the time it was built, it cost about 10 million dollars. Translate that into today's currency, and you'd be talking about a 100 million dollars. While I was fascinated by the history and grandeur of the place, part of me kept wondering, would I build something like that if I had the money? My answer to that was no...I just don't think I could justify spending that kind of money when I know there are so many people in the world who are in need...I know that sounds super cliche, but really stop and think about that...how much good could you do with 100 million dollars?

Here are some photos...

This is what greets you as you come up the main stairs...

This is one of the guest houses...

This is the "Main" house...

Anyone for a swim?

The Dining Room...

"The Happening" - Movie Review (Spoiler Alert!)

A friend of mine wrote a great review of the new M. Night Shyamalan movie "The Happening" I agree with most all of it, so instead of writing my own review, I just borrowed his. (Thanks Stephen!) The only thing I disagree with is that I loved Lady in the Water. For all of you who didn't, you need to watch it again!

If you haven't seen the new movie and you don't want to know the plot, then don't read any further...



...Um yeah. Let me start of by saying this. M. Night Shyamalan has made some great movies. I even liked him all the way up to The Village. Yes, even The Village. Lady in the Water was...eh. Honestly. I felt like he slipped a bit. And now we come to this. The Happening.

I can't express how bad this movie was. It was horrible. I don't even know where to start on how horrible it was. Let's start simple. The acting was bad. Really bad. I don't even know how to say how bad it was. Now it's not entirely the actors/actresses fault. The script was bad too. Really bad. Horribly bad. It was cheezy when it needed to be and just plain stupid at other times. Trust me on that one.

Let's jump to the story though. It's not like its a secret anymore. It's about a bunch of people running around away from a toxin thats released from plants that makes people kill themselves. That's really the entire movie in a nutshell. But seriously...half the time it feels like Mr. Shyamalan took all the birds from The Birds and replaced them with wind blowing through trees. But what worked for Alfred Hitchcock is the downfall of M. Night.

I think that he decided to rewrite An Inconvenient Truth with his own twist on it. But I wish they would just title it: A 101 Unconventional Ways of Killing Yourself. It would be more accurate. But in the end the moral stands strong. At least give it that. The moral being: Be nice to nature....or else.

The Long Beach Project

The church I go to recently started an outreach project that focuses on serving the city of Long Beach. It's called The Long Beach Project. I've gotten involved and it's been really great. I've been going to help serve dinner at the rescue mission on Monday nights, and I LOVE it. I know you've all heard the saying "It's better to give, than to receive"...it's so true! I'm serving, but I feel like I'm cheating because I'm getting so much out of it. I love feeling like I'm finally reaching out and doing SOMETHING! It's not that I haven't served before, it's more about the fact that this takes me way out of my comfort zone. Click on the link if you want to learn more about the different opportunities to serve...

Dollhouse Trailer

I don't know if I've mentionied it...but I love ALL things Joss Whedon. He's the mastermind behind my some of the best shows ever seen on television...Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Firefly. This is a promo for his new show that's coming in 2009. I can't wait!

History

It's official...Barack Obama is the Democratic nominee for President...As an American, I am extremely proud of us. Not just because I like Obama, but because I didn't know if I would be alive to see this day come. It makes me stop and take a moment to reflect on the civil rights movement. I think about all of the people who struggled, and died so that something like this could happen. I'll vote for Barack Obama, not becaue he's black, but because I believe in what he's saying...

"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek." ~Barack Obama

One Wedding and a Sequal

Did two things today...I went to a wedding, and I finally saw Indian Jones and the Crystal Skull. The movie was Great! I was a little scared, because I'd read some not so great reviews...but once again the critics were wrong! Why do we even listen to them? I went with some friends, and I actually made them sit through all of the credits to make sure there were no surprises at the end. I made the mistake of leaving at the end of Iron Man, and I missed the cool Avengers tie in...Never again will I let that happen. From now on I'll stay after the credits no matter what the movie is!


The wedding was also Great. The now married couple are two great people I know from doing youth camps here in California. The wedding was outside, surrounded by mountains and trees, and it was beautiful. I will be honest and admit that the older I get, the more I'm tempted to get a little depressed when I go to weddings. Not that I'm not happy for my friends...or that I'm some psycho desperate single woman. But I do want to get married, and the more and more I see people getting married around me, the more I start to think that maybe I'll be single for the rest of my life. And that's a tough cookie to swallow! But I can honestly say that whatever God wants for me, is what I want. No matter how hard that may seem. I don't mean to make it sound like that's been an easy decision for me. It's definitely taken me some time to get to the point where I can say that, and REALLY mean it. Check out these great verses I found today...

Psalm 38:9-10, 15
All my longings lie open before you, O Lord; my sighing is not
hidden from you. My heart pounds, my strength fails me; even
the light has gone from my eyes. I wait for you, O LORD; you
will answer, O Lord my God.

So it really all comes down to trust...Do I trust God with my life? He knows my heart, my desires, my everything. If I've truly surrendered myself to him, then I know where he's leading me is the best place for me...wherever that may be!

Introductions...

Hello blogging world! My name is Poppy...I live in Southern California, and hopefully this blog will be my take on my life, and the world around me. Here's a little more about me...I'm originally from Cleveland Ohio (home of the Cleveland Browns!) I have two younger sisters, that are twins. Their names are Lovey and Dovey.

Both of my sisters are married, and I have lots of cute nieces, and one nephew (Yes he's SPOILED!) These are the oldest two, Tahani and Richelle



Then there's Ivy, Kaiya, and Robert (or Bobby Jr. as I call him)


Can you handle the CUTENESS?!! On a side note...my family is insane. Now I know you're probably thinking, "Hey, every ones family is a little crazy..." Let me assure you that my family beats you all! Things to know about me...I'm Loud, Funny, Creative, Sarcastic (I'm working on this one!) and all kinds of other crazy stuff. My number one goal in life is to Know Jesus. I want to live like him, look like him, and love the heck out of people like he did...Right now I'm going through an amazing time of growth in my relationship with God. I attribute that to the fact that within the past 6 months I've spent more time reading, studying, and meditating on the bible than I ever have before. I've been a youth leader for more years that I can count now, and I'm always tell teenagers that the word of God can change your life. Now I'm finally putting that into action in my own life. Imagine that!

Funny...

Once

I finally saw the movie Once, and I thought it was pretty darn great! It was touching, sad, creative, and joyful all at the same time. Without giving too much away, it's basically about two people who meet and get to know each other through music. And boy is the music fantastic! In fact, I can't wait to run out tomorrow and get the soundtrack. One of the best songs from the movie is called "Falling Slowly"...it's the song that won the Academy Award for best song this year. I really can't say enough good things about this movie...you just need to experience it for yourself.

Fading