H-A Double L-O-W Double E-N Spells Halloween!

The title comes from a song I sang for a play in elementary school. I was a pumpkin along with the rest of my 1st Grade classmates. The song has stuck with me since then and it always comes to mind around Halloween. I don't remember any other part of the song... just the chorus. Somewhere I have that play on VHS.

Also, in honor of this holiday, I changed my Facebook profile picture. The picture that you see below was taken during my first photography class in college (I think I'm 19). It was for a photo session assignment called Class Portrait. We spent a couple of hours taking photos of each other with different backgrounds and lighting. Towards the end, my teacher wanted to have some fun so he created one backdrop with "monster lighting." He called me over and wanted to use me because of my long hair and photogenic ability. One of my classmates took this picture and gave me a print once the assignment was over and graded. Another classmate took a picture where I had my head down but I was looking up and smiling at the camera. Oh man... talk about creepy! She also submitted the photo for the assignment, but I did not get a copy. Oh well, this one works.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!

Aston's Cool Pix

Have you seen those Nikon commercials with Ashton Kutcher? I love 'em! Not sure why... I guess because I think Ashton Kutcher is so funny! He's funnier now then he ever was in That 70's Show... maybe because he not always playing "dumb, funny" characters. Anyway, I uploaded some pictures at ashtonscoolpics.com and "told" Ashton what was in the pictures and he "responded." It's pretty funny... I laughed out loud when I he responded to Dan's birthday picture. Ha ha... oh, funny. Check it out for yourself: Ashton's Cool Pix.

Make one yourself... it's fun!

The Ups and Downs of My Weekend

Friday, October 24th the Young Adults were supposed to go to the Richardson Farm and do the Corn Maze, but the rain, thunder, and lightning forced us to cancle our plans. I'll admit that I was bummed, but I still managed to have a nice evening. Dan and I stayed in and baked cookies. Chris came over and we all watched Iron Man and then hung out until 1:00 a.m.

Saturday, October 25th Dan and I went to his school to watch four Saw movies on DVD with Myk. By the end we were pretty much desensitized to the gore and violence. The Saw movie marthon was in honor of Saw V... which we saw on the big screen as soon as we finished the first four. It was gross, of course, but I'm more into the plot and storyline. The mystery of who can really be trusted and where everything falls into place on the timeline. You have to see the movies to understand what I am getting at. The surprise endings and twists are the best part of the movie. Going to see these movies has become a Halloween tradition. Myk is wondering how we'll be able to pull it off next year when he is back in Colorado.

Sunday, October 26th I led the musical ministry for our worship service at church. June played the piano and I sang and led the congregation. It all came together at the last minute, but worked out nicely. I also ran AV with Dan that same Sunday. Thankfully, Anthony and Bill were present to fill in when I had to be on stage. Thanks guys!

Sunday, Dan and I also got to see his mother for a second time while she was visiting the Midwest. We met up with her in Long Grove and did some shopping. For dinner we ate at California Pizza Kitchen. CPK has sort of become a tradition for us. As usual, it was very nice to see her!

Monday, October 27th I spent most of the day editing. I got a lot of work done! I still have some work to do and I'm hoping that I can have more then one project done this week. That would be a bonus!

Teeth Issues

I'm a little tired of my teeth giving me problems. Really, I am doing a fine job at taking care of them... they just don't seem to be taking in all that I'm doing for them (how rude!). I brush with Sensodyne ProNamel at least twice a day (sometimes 3x), I use ACT Fluoride Mouthwash twice a day, and floss using my handy Reach Access Flosser every night! Plus, I always keep a bottle of fresh water close by so I can rinse my mouth after eating to foods, especially ones with acids.

I've been doing a lot of research to see where I may be going wrong and for the most part I am doing stuff right. Here are a couple of things that I found that could be helpful to anyone experiencing these same issues. Some of these suggestions I already knew and some are new to me. Here's the whole list:

1. Decrease the consumption of acidic foods and/or drinks, both in quantity and frequency. Try to have them only at mealtimes. Replace carbonated drinks with water, milk or un-sweetened coffee and tea, especially between meals.

2. Drink acidic drinks quickly and do not swish them round the mouth (to reduce the time that the teeth are exposed to acids).

3. Use a straw when drinking carbonated beverages or fruit juices, which are very acidic (at least to limit contact of acids with the front teeth).

4. After eating or drinking acidic foods or beverages, rinse your mouth with fresh water so that the acid is diluted and easier neutralized.

5. Because acids temporarily soften the tooth surface (de-mineralization), don't brush your teeth immediately after eating or drinking something acidic (or vomiting), as the softened enamel will be further damaged by the brushing and that will speed up the process of erosion. Wait at least an hour to allow calcium in saliva to repair tooth enamel after the acid exposure.

6. Chewing sugar-free gum can help reduce dry mouth and increase the saliva flow, allowing it to neutralise acids and help teeth to remineralize.

7. You should brush your teeth twice a day, with a soft toothbrush using fluoride toothpaste. Fluoride helps the remineralization of the tooth enamel and it is necessary for preventing tooth erosion.

8. Follow your dentist’s instructions in order to prevent further tooth enamel loss. Your dentist may also recommend the periodic application of fluoride gel or varnish in the dental office to restore tooth enamel and prevent dental erosion.

I never knew #5... so that may be a reason why I'm having some issues. However, the last time I went to the dentist he had a feeling that I had a cavity (where my tooth is a little achy), but looking at my x-rays he said it was hard to tell if it was through the enamel yet. Hmm... I'm scared to think that it already was and all of my care did nothing to help. Oh well, it's not like I have more cavities than the average person (I believe that I have less) and it has been years since I had a tiny filling, but still... I hate the whole process.

I do have moments, however, when I think that my teeth are just responding to the the area where my wisdom tooth was pulled in June 2008. Although, it is only achy on one side, not the other (where the other upper wisdom tooth was also pulled). I dunno. The next time I go to the dentist I'm anticipating the cavity but praying that it's nothing. Would a cavity ache everyday? Because my tooth doesn't bother me everyday.

"We're Still Having Fun and You're Still the One!"

Dan and I have officially been dating for 4+ years! On Friday, October 17, 2008 we celebrated our 4-year anniversary. I decided it was my turn to treat Dan for our anniversary so I booked us a reservation at Geja's Cafe in downtown Chicago. We had a wonderful night! We dined on wine, the Cheese & Chocolate Fondue Special which consisted of Geja's salad, cheese and flaming chocolate fondues, and coffee. When I made the reservation I made note that we were celebrating our anniversary, so our waiter surprised us with free Champagne! It was a beautiful evening!

Friday I also got a call from Nora. She got me some work filming a benefit for Sunday, October 19th. Saturday I spent the day getting all ready. My best camera started experiencing technical difficulties on Saturday as my dad filmed his cross country team, so I made a trip downtown to barrow a camera from Brian. Thank you, Brian!

Sunday, I filmed the Terry Horan Benefit on Chicago's north side. In the beginning I helped Nora and her co-workers get everything set up. Once things started to roll I pulled out the camera and filmed. I spent the day in dressy boots with heals... I still can't feel the bottom of two of my toes on my right foot.

Monday, October 20th I spent the whole day working on video stuff. I transferred the footage from the benefit onto DVD and captured footage for my dad's cross country DVD. Both computers got a good work out yesterday.

A Long and Busy Weekend

My weekend was so busy... I got about 4 hours of sleep within 48 hours of my weekend. I'll explain.

While at the mall on Friday I got my seasonal job back at William-Sonoma! I'm super excited... especially since they are not taking on as many people this year. I'm not surprised. Greg, the store manager, was very happy to hear that I wanted to come back. I'm looking forward to starting back next month.

Saturday morning Dan and I got up pretty early and made a quick stop at Dunkin' Donuts to get some coffee (for me) and two free donuts thanks to my awesome coupon. From there we made our way to Six Flags Great America for Fright Fest! We did some stuff around the park before we met up with his mom (who is in the Midwest area for 2 weeks) and his sister, Mandy. We ate lunch at Cracker Barrel (well, actually most of us had breakfast food) and then Carol and Mandy joined us in the park. We had a blast! It was a beautiful day! We didn't get on many rides, since it was so crowded, but we did have a wonderful time visiting with each other while we waited in 2-hour lines. Dan and I got home around 11:00 p.m. and went straight to bed.

I had trouble sleeping that night. I kept waking up, afraid that I was over sleeping and waking up late. I got about 2 hours of sleep before I had to get up at 3:00 a.m. for the Chicago Marathon. Blah! Dan, my dad, and myself left home and got to my dad's school (Lyons Township High School) just before 4:15 a.m. Once everyone was present (40 male students, 4 outsiders - me, Dan, Linda, and Michele - 3 coaches, and one bus driver) we made our way to the city. We got downtown around 5:15 a.m. and got right to work setting up the start hydration. Later, my cousin Jessica met up with us (yay!). Her boyfriend, Andrew, was running in the marathon for World Vision. Once the race started and we were done working we made an attempt to see Andrew running at the 12-mile mark. Sadly, we missed all him. Dan, Linda, Michele, and I did not have time to try and see him later since we had to get back to the bus. Lyon's Cross Country head coach, Mike Danner, ran and finished with a time of 3:16:49! That's amazing since he was sick, it was hot out, he had blisters, and he ran 10 miles the day before. He said he'd take it more seriously next year. Umm, wow. Andrew finished with a time of 4:22:51! Congratulations to Mike, Andrew, and all the runners who finished! As usual, volunteering at the marathon was a great time!

That afternoon I tried to nap. Got about 2 hours of sleep (again) before I had to get ready for the Youth Group all-nighter at Hidden Cove. I stopped at Dunkin' Donuts to pick up a large coffee with cream, sugar, and a shot of espresso. The guy at the window kinda chuckled at me. Not too many people have such an order at 9:30 p.m.

I stayed up all night with the youth group along with 140 other students and leaders. It was a good time. I just wish I wasn't so tired. No matter... I rode go karts, tried out the climbing wall, went through the bouncy obstacle course a couple of times, played some arcade games, rode the bumper cars, played Guitar Hero III, and played a random hand game with the our group. Whew! Oh... and I finished my book, Into the Wild. The event came to an end at 7:oo a.m. We took our students back to church and then I made my way home around 8:00 a.m.

I literally slept just about all day on Monday. Every time I woke up it was because someone was calling me. Well, my mom woke me up once for dinner. I stayed up after dinner. However, I still went to bed before my parents. I was tired!

Richardson Farm Corn Maze

For the past couple of years Dan and I have had the tradition of going to Spring Grove, Illinois to take on the challenge of the "World's Largest Corn Maze" at the Richardson Farm. We always go at night, so a warm jacket and a flashlight are a must (which makes it more fun). This year we're making it a Young Adults activity. On October 24th we'll be going out as a group to take on the 28 acres, 11.1 miles of corn!

Here is a bird's eye view of this year's maze!

Peach Prints

My good friend from high school, Peaches, recently launched her own web site! She creates custom invitations and thank you cards. Right now most of work has been created for children, but she has every intention of growing and expanding! Check out her web site at www.peachprints.net.

My cold finally seems to have come to an end. Took it lok enough! Two weeks... two weeks I was blowing my nose, coughing, and feeling achy. There seems to be a bug going around so be on alert!

Dan Gets Ready to Apply for Grad School

I wish that my cold would just go away! I feel like it's dragging out more then usual and it's leaving me feeling very groggy and blah. Lame.

Dan has started the process of applying for various grad schools. Most are local but he is also looking at schools in California and Minnesota. I keep praying for him and the school that will suit him best, all the while I feel rather content about any of the schools that he may choose. I mean, he has family in both California and in Minnesota... plus, if he stays in the Chicagoland area he'll have friends and family along with a great job! I just feel like no matter where he goes he'll be taken care of and that makes me happy.

If you think of it, please pray for Dan. Pray that he will feel God's light pointing him in the right direction. Pray that this process will be easy... well, as easy as it can be. Pray that God will make His plan for Dan clear and evident as he makes this important decision. Thank you!