the pure interest

all of my life
in every season
You are still God

i have a reason to sing
i have a reason to worship

*thanks kristin, via erica.

I would like to take a break from my regularly scheduled fitness update to talk about design and websites. Huh, remember when I used to do that? Talk about my profession instead of my personal life? Oh well.

Kristin informed me about the iheart revolution months ago and I downloaded half the songs, but I had, for some unknown reason, never actually visited and explored the site. I did it today and I was struck by how unique it was, and I really liked it. All of the main content is on the first page, and instead of switching pages when you click main navs (aside from the obvious myspace and facebook links), it smoothly slides you down to the next section using anchoring and bookmarks, where the same nav is present again so you don’t get lost. I thought this was so cool and although an old technique, used in a new and efficient way. Not to mention how the main “i heart” graphic is created, layered gifs over a really cool background, this being the first stop on the navigation journey - all the links are sort of hidden inside. The site loads quickly, smoothly and is all there - so no waiting for new pages to load.

I like how they’ve broken the typical “link-must-click-to-new-page” preset and done something easy and simply unique.

Thoughts?

Take some time to check out the site and read how the album was created. It is beautiful stuff! I praise God for people who can use these talents in music and media for Him.

Frutiger is one of my all-time favorite sans-serifs (as fore-mentioned). Now there is a newly released serif version, in honor of the creators birthday!! Too bad it’s thousands. I’d love to have it. Anyone want to gift it to me?

A few pics from Niagara on the Lake to come next week. It was really beautiful, although flipping freezing most of our trip. Mainly I took pictures of food and flowers, and mainly pastries, and mainly tulips. It’s a tulip-pa-looza there!! Also be on the lookout on Danielle’s blog for some soon-to-come beautiful photos!

I also just received this sad news about Steven Curtis Chapman, beloved and long-time Christian music artist. His 5-year-old daughter was struck and killed in a car accident. That is so sad. Please pray for the family.

With the country receiving their economic stimulus, it’s interesting for me to learn what people plan to do with theirs. Are they putting it right back into the economy? Paying off federal debt (loans, bills, etc.)? Giving to charity?  Well, this is where half of mine is going. A small 6′ x 3′ shed for our tiny backyard. This is an item that I’ve needed for two years but my hubby has been resistant to spending our household money on, because the outside of the house is sort of my domain - he just doesn’t really concern himself with it. We made a decision that we could each do with our check what we wanted. Some of mine will go on my student loan, and the rest spent on this shed and potentially a small used (cheap) lawnmower.

Interesting and Flashy? Not really.

Necessary? Very.

Brian is using his plus some to add a bunch of cool pedals to his new birthday present, a VOX AC30 Amp, purchased by my family and a friend for him in a SCREAMING good deal. Don’t worry, we’d never ever be able to spend the full retail price on this. When I say screaming deal, I mean 1/4 price. This amp is a beautiful, prized thing for guitarists of his style/genre, and I am so thrilled for him to have his first amp ever! Here are some pictures from when we surprised him with it!

So, where is your economic stimulus check going?

Tune in next week, I plan on doing a color week - one new spring picture of a different color everyday.

Now that the weather is getting nicer - except for this cold week we’ve had - I, along with a few of my friends on occasion have been really committing to walking as many times a week as possible. For the last 3 weeks, its probably been about 5x weekly, for usually at least 2 miles at a time. Last night I was able to walk 3.5 miles in 55 minutes, which I was really proud of. Doing it with my iPod is pretty much essential, although the one time I couldn’t bring it, I did have a really nice introspective walk. I’ve been using map my run to plan out some of my routes, although sometimes I just go and don’t think as well.

I try to go about 4 mph while walking (which I have an idea about from using the treadmills at SnapFitness). Speaking of Snap, I’ve cancelled my membership there. It is a great facility, but I couldn’t get up the motivation to go more than 2x a week (most of the time only once), and I can’t justify $34.95 a month for only 1x a week, you know? I might join again in winter when I can’t walk, but right now in my mind, when I think of exercising, all I want to do is walk and run outside… the thought of going to the gym is very unappealing. Who knows if when it gets hotter I’ll share the same view, but we’ll see how it goes.

I can feel an affect healthwise and weight loss wise, although I’m trying hard to only weigh once a week (MAX). I just am starting to feel more comfortable in my own skin, and my own clothes aren’t straining quite so much. My weight loss goal is small, only about 8 lbs, but as some of you know, that 8 lbs can be so hard to shake. It has required some eating changes, although I’m still not fabulous at this, but still using the daily plate (going on about 2 full years now), is such a helpful tool. It’s not always exact, but can give you a great idea of where you are at calorie wise. I’m doing about 1800 on days I work out, and 1500 on days I don’t (if I can find the willpower!) Probably one place I still need to watch is sodium intake and carbs!

In other news, I’m still not sick of the Jesus Culture or Kim Walker CDs. The songs are still moving me deeper in my relationship with God, almost on a daily basis. To find music that can have such a longterm affect on your life is rare, and welcome. I swear, if anyone is struggling with depth in their relationship with God or spirituality, get a hold of these albums and combine it with prayer and quiet time with God, and you will move to a new level.

Also, I’ve really been getting a kick out of the Fail Blog recently.

Have a great day everyone!

One of my first big freelance projects finally wrapped up last month, and I was so excited to have the real CD in my hands. I think the look of it really goes with David’s style. You can listen to him here, and pick up a copy of the cd.

I also completed some web order buttons and banners to go with the style.

Anyway - it’s been a really fun project, and I’m actually quite sad that it’s over. The good news is my husband and I are still working on our worship CD, and I’m pretty much ensured to be the chosen graphic designer on that job ;-), so I know there is another one on the horizon.

I’m sorry to my normal commenting-bloggy-friends that I haven’t been commenting lately, I’ve been really just scattered and haven’t gotten to many blogs. Also, it is so warm and sunny out I’m trying to be outside more than in!

I had a big long post on the Shout to the Lord song done on idol, not once, but twice… lol… but I just realized it doesn’t matter and I didn’t want to even share it because my thoughts are too confusing and bumping around in my head and I might risk making you guys never want to read again, cuz you’ll think I’ve gone crazy.

Just read Danielle’s post - I guess really, deep down, that summarizes some of the feelings that I was thinking, along with just one that I wanted to share - that Shout to the Lord is meant to be a worship song sung in a worshipful spirit, and it was written for that purpose, so used as a performance piece for the Idols to showcase their voice was what deep down bothered me about it.

But then again, if it was done excellently, was it worshipful to God anyway? Probably not, because God knows your heart and without love and a true spirit toward Him, it is a clanging gong. (scripture reference)… but:

Philippians 1:18 says, “But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.” So I guess scripture shot me down there

Regardless, Idol Gives Back was an amazing cause, and for sure, Jesus would be 100,000,000,000,000,000 % behind it. So, I hope if you were able, you did give.

See? Scatterbrained. This is why I deleted the other post.

A few other thoughts…

• Hmm.. why am I still awake at 12:15 am on a worknight? Because I had a Diet Pepsi with Lime after 5:00pm.
• I got pulled over on Grubb Road on my way to church tonight for going 51 in a 35. Oops - I seriously thought I was in a 45. Luckily my cop was nice. But not nice enough to not give me the ticket. $150 fine baby. But it’s pretty typical that something else crap-for-crap would happen to me in April. For some reason, April tends to be my worst month in the last two years.
• My full appetite is back and I’m hungry basically always. Hubby and I are back to ourselves now, and our house is in the process of been stripped, washed in hot water, and disinfected, so you can come back over soon
• The cat just jumped up and hit the mirror above our bed, it is swinging.
• Work is ridiculous right now, and I think I need to go in at 5am and stay until 10pm.

Anyway, HAPPY FRIDAY from kitties!

ah… to be that carefree

Danielle tagged me to do this. It’s been a long while since I’ve done any sort of survey, so here we go!!

4 Jobs You’ve Had

Graphic Designer/Art Director - Obviously this is my current and most important job, as well as longest held. It started with an internship my junior year of college that I got through a photographer I knew who worked with the agency. I stayed on part time until they had to lay me off the winter of 2003, but then I got hired back in May of 2004 right at graduation (which I still count my blessings for everyday). This is a great place to work, and of course every job has it’s non-perks, but some of those (the schedule) have been helped by my drop to part-time and on-the-side freelance designer career. I work in a big old house that is so amazing and I have my own office. There’s not too much I could ask for except maybe a few less last-minute projects

Campus Minister - This was my workstudy in college. Basically, I didn’t do anything but greet people coming into the Campus Ministry office, sort papers and envelopes occasionally, eat pretzels, clean the sink and drink hot chocolate. Oh and sometimes I would design a horrible little alumni newsletter on their tiny old and slow PC with I-don’t-even-remember-the-name-of-the-obscure-program I used. It was a great place and I met many friends there… it was cozy and comfortable and felt like home. I made $5.15 an hour, but hey, I mainly got to do my homework so it worked out ok

Communications Specialist at Erie Insurance - This was a good paying, good company but kill-me-now boring job. I sat at a desk in a cubicle with headphones on listening to depressing dictations of insurance claims, hearing about accidents, floods, robberies, damage and sickness. It was very hard for me, and made me miss the advertising agency a ton (this was the job I had in between internship and full time). The environment was very rigid and I felt like I was always being watched and clocked. I remember whenever I would come into the windowless area, my hands would swell up from the heat and stress and I would have to take all my rings off. The only redeeming factor is that one of my best friend’s Kristin worked there, and when she was there, it was a great place to be - but it was rare because we worked different shifts. Kristin still does this job and she does it amazingly, and I totally give her props for it.

Retail Salesperson at Plato’s Closet- Ever heard of Plato’s closet? Yeah, that place where you bring in gently used clothing and get paid for it? Well… the pros of this job were the people. I met some great girls there and developed pretty close relationships. The second pro was getting first pick of cute clothes. I had more clothes when I worked there then any other time in my life. But a lot of other things about the job sucked. Telling people their clothes didn’t fit the requirements was basically one of the hardest things ever. People would get so offended. sometimes clothes wouldn’t be clean and it was very very difficult to not cause offense in telling those people their clothes had an odor (we were required to). I didn’t like closing the store, but I didn’t mind running the register. I did this for about 2-3 years.

4 Places I’’ve Been

England (from Wales to Manchester to Liverpool) - My father is from Liverpool and he has family and friends scattered in all the above mentioned parts. My sister and I were actually born there so it has been good to go back when we can, but I really have no early childhood memories from it. I do love it there, but I have to say I’m glad my parents moved here, I am definitely more Americanized. Last time we went we met our friends there who flew down for a marriage proposal. That was awesome!

Toronto - I know this isn’t that cool, but when we went it was usually pretty cool. Mainly Niagra falls, and one time a worship conference.

Maryland - there to see Brian’s family a few times a year. I LOVE LOVE LOVE it in Maryland. We are usually around Baltimore to Bel Aire.

NYC and New Jersey - We took a trip there to see our good friends who were there due to Mike playing for the New Jersey Devils. It was a really cool trip and we enjoyed ourselves a lot.

Amy

Michelle

Katie