This week's featured Thrifty-ness came by happenstance...
I was at starbucks tonight trying to decide whether I felt like my normal Iced Tea or Iced Coffee, neither sounded that appealing and since it was late I didn't want anything too sugary or fattening. I glanced to my right and saw the arrangement of Naked Juices. I NEVER think to get those, but tonight I did... when I handed it to the barista he asked, "Would you like this blended?" ... What a great idea!!!! "YES!" So after paying him $2.30 he handed me a venti Naked Juice smoothie which was delicious!! That definitely beats the price of Jamba Juice and Juice it up and you get the atmosphere of Starbucks.
Thank you @KindaCreepyBarista!!!
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
All in a days work...
Quick funny story of something stupid I did today:
I was walking down the LONG hallway of my office building when I heard the elevator doors open and the man exiting them clear his throat. I could not see the elevators or the man exiting them. For some reason I was sure the man clearing his throat was Billy Phipps, so before checking to see who it was I immediately started to mimick the clearing of throat, of course with ridiculous exaggeration!! I did this for about 5 seconds until I rounded the hallway only to find a middle-aged business man standing there offended and puzzled at my "joke".
That moment would've been a great time to explain the misunderstanding, but between the intensity of his face and the laughter building up within me I walked straight past him and into the bathroom.
HAHA... Now I'm just waiting for the day when we awkwardly end up together in the elevator.
I will stare blank into the closed doors and as soon as they open I will clear my throat and run like hell!
I was walking down the LONG hallway of my office building when I heard the elevator doors open and the man exiting them clear his throat. I could not see the elevators or the man exiting them. For some reason I was sure the man clearing his throat was Billy Phipps, so before checking to see who it was I immediately started to mimick the clearing of throat, of course with ridiculous exaggeration!! I did this for about 5 seconds until I rounded the hallway only to find a middle-aged business man standing there offended and puzzled at my "joke".
That moment would've been a great time to explain the misunderstanding, but between the intensity of his face and the laughter building up within me I walked straight past him and into the bathroom.
HAHA... Now I'm just waiting for the day when we awkwardly end up together in the elevator.
I will stare blank into the closed doors and as soon as they open I will clear my throat and run like hell!
Saturday, May 23, 2009
'Thrifty'ness @ its finest
Ok, yesterday I walked into World Market (one of my favorite stores) and purchased about $120 worth of product, however, thanks to a few things I walked out of there only paying $40.44.
how?? Let me tell you...
1.) I usually keep my eye out for holiday sales, and thanks to Memorial Day weekend World Market was having a 50% off sale.
2.) on top of that, I have a good friend, Michael Bustillos who works there and he is able to get friends and family an ADDITIONAL 30% off the final purchase.
3.) finally, I had a coupon for, "Get $10 off any purchase more than $50" (I'm not condoning spending that much money, BUT if you need the items, may as well get them cheaper)
so... in summary... I basically had 80% off my final purchase and then an extra $10 off.
Loving it...
so your take-away:
how?? Let me tell you...
1.) I usually keep my eye out for holiday sales, and thanks to Memorial Day weekend World Market was having a 50% off sale.
2.) on top of that, I have a good friend, Michael Bustillos who works there and he is able to get friends and family an ADDITIONAL 30% off the final purchase.
3.) finally, I had a coupon for, "Get $10 off any purchase more than $50" (I'm not condoning spending that much money, BUT if you need the items, may as well get them cheaper)
so... in summary... I basically had 80% off my final purchase and then an extra $10 off.
Loving it...
so your take-away:
- wait to shop around holidays
- network with friends and family; its all who you know...
- keep your eye out for the little coupons that make a big difference
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
The dangerous minds of women:
Why is it that girls immediately size up every guy they meet to see if he's date worthy?
I honestly don't think its our intention, we just do it subconsciously.
"Hi, Im Susie"
"Hey, I'm Barney"
(Susie begins thinking...) "hmmm, he's a good looking guy, kinda weak hand shake though... that could mean he's a shy guy... confidence is really important, I don't know if I could date someone that is shy around my friends. Maybe once he meets my friends he'll be fine. and Barney?? Can I get over dating a guy named after a purple dinosaur? I wonder what his last name is... maybe Johnson, Barney Johnson... Susie Johnson... that works. I can't get over his put-togetherness, he is almost "overly-groomed"; I bet he takes longer than me to get ready, I can't be waiting around for him if I am ready to go eat and he is still gelling his hair. hmmm... but then again, it's nice to know that he cleans up well. And who were those 2 girls he walked over with? possibly ex-girlfriends? I don't do ex-girlfriend drama! wait... is that a ring on his finger? FRICK!"
*Disclaimer*
This example IS an exaggeration, but not far from the truth
I honestly don't think its our intention, we just do it subconsciously.
"Hi, Im Susie"
"Hey, I'm Barney"
(Susie begins thinking...) "hmmm, he's a good looking guy, kinda weak hand shake though... that could mean he's a shy guy... confidence is really important, I don't know if I could date someone that is shy around my friends. Maybe once he meets my friends he'll be fine. and Barney?? Can I get over dating a guy named after a purple dinosaur? I wonder what his last name is... maybe Johnson, Barney Johnson... Susie Johnson... that works. I can't get over his put-togetherness, he is almost "overly-groomed"; I bet he takes longer than me to get ready, I can't be waiting around for him if I am ready to go eat and he is still gelling his hair. hmmm... but then again, it's nice to know that he cleans up well. And who were those 2 girls he walked over with? possibly ex-girlfriends? I don't do ex-girlfriend drama! wait... is that a ring on his finger? FRICK!"
*Disclaimer*
This example IS an exaggeration, but not far from the truth
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Are you a Good Christ?
I needed to pass this one on...
Are You a Good Christ?
By Francis Chan
I think it's time we stop asking ourselves the question: "Am I a good Christian?" We live in a time when the term "Christian" has been so diluted that millions of immoral but nice people genuinely consider themselves "good Christians." We have reduced the idea of a good Christian to someone who believes in Jesus, loves his or her family, and attends church regularly. Others will label you a good Christian even though your life has no semblance to the way Christ spent His days on earth. Perhaps we should start asking the question: "Am I a good Christ?" In other words, do I look anything like Jesus? This question never even entered my mind until a friend of mine made a passing comment to me one day.
Dan is a long time friend of mine. In fact, he's the pastor who performed my wedding. He was talking to me about a pastor named Von. Von has been working with youth in the San Diego area for decades. Many of his students have gone on to become amazing missionaries and powerful servants of God. Dan described a trip to Tijuana, Mexico with Pastor Von. (Von has been ministering to the poor in the dumps of Tijuana for years). Dan didn't speak of the awful living conditions of those who made their homes amidst the rubbish. What impacted Dan the most was the relationship he saw between Von and the people of this community. He spoke of the compassion, sacrifice, and love that he witnessed in Von's words and actions as he held these malnourished and un-bathed children.
Then he made the statement that sent me reeling:
"The day I spent with Von was the closest thing I've ever experienced to walking with Jesus."
Dan explained that the whole experience was so eerie because he kept thinking to himself: "If Jesus were still walking on earth in the flesh, this is what it would feel like to walk alongside of Him!" After that discussion, I kept wondering if anyone had ever said that about me-"The day I spent with Francis was the closest thing I've ever experienced to walking with Jesus." The answer was an obvious "no." Would any honest person say that about you?
What bothered me was not that I hadn't "arrived," but that I wasn't even heading in the right direction. I hadn't made it my goal to resemble Christ. I wasn't striving to become the kind of person who could be mistaken for Jesus Christ. Isn't it ironic that a man can be known as a successful pastor, speaker, and CHRISTian even if his life doesn't resemble Christ's?1 John 2:6 "Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did."
When John made that statement, he wasn't speaking about how to be a church leader or even how to be a "good" Christian. He merely stated that anyone who calls himself Christian must live like Jesus did. So how did Jesus live? You could make a list of character traits to compare yourself to, but it would be far more beneficial to simply read through one of the Gospels. After you get a bird's-eye view of the life of Christ, do the same with your own. Are you comfortable with the similarities and differences?
It's easy to get caught up in the pursuit of "success" as American church-goers define it. The thought of being well-known and respected is alluring. There have been times when I've been caught up in the fun of popularity. I've even mistaken it for success. Biblically, however, success is when our lives parallel Christ's. Truth is, there are many good Christs that you'll never read about in a magazine. They are walking as Jesus walked, but they are too focused and humble to pursue their own recognition.
May we make it our goal to someday have someone say of us: "The day/hour/15 minutes I spent with ______ was the closest thing I've ever experienced to walking with Jesus."
As Christians in America, we often complain about how antagonistic people are toward Christ. Personally, I'm not sure that Americans are really rejecting Christ. Maybe they just haven't seen Him.
Try to be COMPLETELY honest with yourself right now. Is the following true of you?
You passionately love Jesus, but you don't really want to be like Him. You admire His humility, but you don't want to be THAT humble. You think it's beautiful that He washed the feet of the disciples, but that's not exactly the direction your life is headed. You're thankful He was spit upon and abused, but you would never let that happen to you. You praise Him for loving you enough to suffer during His whole time on earth, but you're going to do everything within your power to make sure you enjoy your time down here.
In short: You think He's a great Savior, but not a great role model.
The American church has abandoned the most simple and obvious truth of what it means to follow Jesus: You actually follow His pattern of life. I pray for those who read this article- that we don't become cynical or negative toward the church. Instead, let's make a personal decision to stop talking so much and begin living like Jesus. Then we can say as the apostle Paul, "Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ" (1 Corinthians 11:1). My guess is that you've never had someone say that to you, and you've never said it to anyone else. Why Not?
Are You a Good Christ?
By Francis Chan
I think it's time we stop asking ourselves the question: "Am I a good Christian?" We live in a time when the term "Christian" has been so diluted that millions of immoral but nice people genuinely consider themselves "good Christians." We have reduced the idea of a good Christian to someone who believes in Jesus, loves his or her family, and attends church regularly. Others will label you a good Christian even though your life has no semblance to the way Christ spent His days on earth. Perhaps we should start asking the question: "Am I a good Christ?" In other words, do I look anything like Jesus? This question never even entered my mind until a friend of mine made a passing comment to me one day.
Dan is a long time friend of mine. In fact, he's the pastor who performed my wedding. He was talking to me about a pastor named Von. Von has been working with youth in the San Diego area for decades. Many of his students have gone on to become amazing missionaries and powerful servants of God. Dan described a trip to Tijuana, Mexico with Pastor Von. (Von has been ministering to the poor in the dumps of Tijuana for years). Dan didn't speak of the awful living conditions of those who made their homes amidst the rubbish. What impacted Dan the most was the relationship he saw between Von and the people of this community. He spoke of the compassion, sacrifice, and love that he witnessed in Von's words and actions as he held these malnourished and un-bathed children.
Then he made the statement that sent me reeling:
"The day I spent with Von was the closest thing I've ever experienced to walking with Jesus."
Dan explained that the whole experience was so eerie because he kept thinking to himself: "If Jesus were still walking on earth in the flesh, this is what it would feel like to walk alongside of Him!" After that discussion, I kept wondering if anyone had ever said that about me-"The day I spent with Francis was the closest thing I've ever experienced to walking with Jesus." The answer was an obvious "no." Would any honest person say that about you?
What bothered me was not that I hadn't "arrived," but that I wasn't even heading in the right direction. I hadn't made it my goal to resemble Christ. I wasn't striving to become the kind of person who could be mistaken for Jesus Christ. Isn't it ironic that a man can be known as a successful pastor, speaker, and CHRISTian even if his life doesn't resemble Christ's?1 John 2:6 "Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did."
When John made that statement, he wasn't speaking about how to be a church leader or even how to be a "good" Christian. He merely stated that anyone who calls himself Christian must live like Jesus did. So how did Jesus live? You could make a list of character traits to compare yourself to, but it would be far more beneficial to simply read through one of the Gospels. After you get a bird's-eye view of the life of Christ, do the same with your own. Are you comfortable with the similarities and differences?
It's easy to get caught up in the pursuit of "success" as American church-goers define it. The thought of being well-known and respected is alluring. There have been times when I've been caught up in the fun of popularity. I've even mistaken it for success. Biblically, however, success is when our lives parallel Christ's. Truth is, there are many good Christs that you'll never read about in a magazine. They are walking as Jesus walked, but they are too focused and humble to pursue their own recognition.
May we make it our goal to someday have someone say of us: "The day/hour/15 minutes I spent with ______ was the closest thing I've ever experienced to walking with Jesus."
As Christians in America, we often complain about how antagonistic people are toward Christ. Personally, I'm not sure that Americans are really rejecting Christ. Maybe they just haven't seen Him.
Try to be COMPLETELY honest with yourself right now. Is the following true of you?
You passionately love Jesus, but you don't really want to be like Him. You admire His humility, but you don't want to be THAT humble. You think it's beautiful that He washed the feet of the disciples, but that's not exactly the direction your life is headed. You're thankful He was spit upon and abused, but you would never let that happen to you. You praise Him for loving you enough to suffer during His whole time on earth, but you're going to do everything within your power to make sure you enjoy your time down here.
In short: You think He's a great Savior, but not a great role model.
The American church has abandoned the most simple and obvious truth of what it means to follow Jesus: You actually follow His pattern of life. I pray for those who read this article- that we don't become cynical or negative toward the church. Instead, let's make a personal decision to stop talking so much and begin living like Jesus. Then we can say as the apostle Paul, "Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ" (1 Corinthians 11:1). My guess is that you've never had someone say that to you, and you've never said it to anyone else. Why Not?
Monday, May 18, 2009
Exhaustion
I am exhausted right now...
I am barely keeping my eyes open, but I wanted to blog real quick.
This past weekend was phenomenal! Friday nights babysitting fundraiser went well...
never doing it again, but it was a lesson learned haha
Late Friday night to Saturday afternoon was the rummage sale, now this is a fundraiser right up my alley! Where else can I wear my awesomely, huge golf hat and a fanny pack while practicing my Spanish to raise money?? It was definitely good times, it wouldn't have been as great if it was not for a few peeps:
Shout out to those who endured the sun and heat and brought me food... Tony, Corre and Candice!
To my partner in crime, Brenda... thank you for rounding up most of the donations and putting up with my craziness! :)
Jeremy Solis! The event would not have been the success it was without your hard work and promo.
The rest of the Catalyst crew... can't wait til Thailand!
Saturday night I watched Taken. Good frickin movie! Won't get into details here; ill save that for another day.
Today was a long, but amazing day! Church, mtg, best lunch in awhile, and then a next-gen service which was extremely edifying! (gracias p.chris) all topped off with the last fundraiser of the weekend... dinner at TGI Fridays with the best of the best!
Living and Loving life! God is good and I am grateful for everything and everyone he has blessed with!
I am barely keeping my eyes open, but I wanted to blog real quick.
This past weekend was phenomenal! Friday nights babysitting fundraiser went well...
never doing it again, but it was a lesson learned haha
Late Friday night to Saturday afternoon was the rummage sale, now this is a fundraiser right up my alley! Where else can I wear my awesomely, huge golf hat and a fanny pack while practicing my Spanish to raise money?? It was definitely good times, it wouldn't have been as great if it was not for a few peeps:
Shout out to those who endured the sun and heat and brought me food... Tony, Corre and Candice!
To my partner in crime, Brenda... thank you for rounding up most of the donations and putting up with my craziness! :)
Jeremy Solis! The event would not have been the success it was without your hard work and promo.
The rest of the Catalyst crew... can't wait til Thailand!
Saturday night I watched Taken. Good frickin movie! Won't get into details here; ill save that for another day.
Today was a long, but amazing day! Church, mtg, best lunch in awhile, and then a next-gen service which was extremely edifying! (gracias p.chris) all topped off with the last fundraiser of the weekend... dinner at TGI Fridays with the best of the best!
Living and Loving life! God is good and I am grateful for everything and everyone he has blessed with!
Thursday, May 14, 2009
AA Mtg
Tonight I went to an AA mtg.
I was excited when asked to sit through one; I am very interested in the whole process, the 12 steps, the transformation... all of it.
HOWEVER, tonight was not a regular AA mtg, there was a guest speaker, who to my luck was an AA historian of 16 years and an author of more than 13 books. He should have kept to writing because his speaking abilities were close to non-existent... Monotone for the whole 90 minutes!!!
I'm still very intrigued with the whole origin and process of Alcoholics anonymous, but this guy talked for over 30 minutes on how he found the original copy of the Big Book... literally how he tracked down the book step by step.
I wasn't the only one who wanted to poke their eyes out, people were consistently walking out about every 3 minutes. By the grace of God, at the break my brother leaned over and said, "let's get the heck out of here" I grabbed my purse immediately and headed towards the door...
On the bright side, I got a free book, God and Alcoholism. It sounds really interesting... I'll let you know.
Now I'm watching the Office... out!
I was excited when asked to sit through one; I am very interested in the whole process, the 12 steps, the transformation... all of it.
HOWEVER, tonight was not a regular AA mtg, there was a guest speaker, who to my luck was an AA historian of 16 years and an author of more than 13 books. He should have kept to writing because his speaking abilities were close to non-existent... Monotone for the whole 90 minutes!!!
I'm still very intrigued with the whole origin and process of Alcoholics anonymous, but this guy talked for over 30 minutes on how he found the original copy of the Big Book... literally how he tracked down the book step by step.
I wasn't the only one who wanted to poke their eyes out, people were consistently walking out about every 3 minutes. By the grace of God, at the break my brother leaned over and said, "let's get the heck out of here" I grabbed my purse immediately and headed towards the door...
On the bright side, I got a free book, God and Alcoholism. It sounds really interesting... I'll let you know.
Now I'm watching the Office... out!
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
I knew it!
I knew this was going to happen. I knew that if I got a blog I would feel like a failure if I didn't update every week, but I'm not going to feel guilty or ashamed... there are no blog standards right? to each his own? that's what I thought.
OK, I feel much better. After all, I stated when I first started Jo-Jo on the radio that the point of my blogs was to just keep people updated with the craziness that is my life. The most ridiculous crap happens to me all the time, for example... most of you got my twitter, but to explain my shirt ripping... I was hanging out at Vineyard Youth tonight, after an amazing night of discussion and revelation I got a little too excited and worked up which led to me flailing my arms about and then to a sudden stop when I realized my shirt had completely ripped in half right underneath my arm. Thanks to the inspiration of @Brendita the tear became quite the fashion statement... or to @Kretzu it became a rating system of intensity. It was pretty hilarious and a situation that you really had to be there or at Starbucks to see the aftermath walk in.
Good times!
Also... before I forget... here is my list of people that were particularly funny today: (inside joke)
OK, I feel much better. After all, I stated when I first started Jo-Jo on the radio that the point of my blogs was to just keep people updated with the craziness that is my life. The most ridiculous crap happens to me all the time, for example... most of you got my twitter, but to explain my shirt ripping... I was hanging out at Vineyard Youth tonight, after an amazing night of discussion and revelation I got a little too excited and worked up which led to me flailing my arms about and then to a sudden stop when I realized my shirt had completely ripped in half right underneath my arm. Thanks to the inspiration of @Brendita the tear became quite the fashion statement... or to @Kretzu it became a rating system of intensity. It was pretty hilarious and a situation that you really had to be there or at Starbucks to see the aftermath walk in.
Good times!
Also... before I forget... here is my list of people that were particularly funny today: (inside joke)
- Brenda
- Corre
- the Kretzus (urine climbing catfish!!)
Don't feel bad if you didn't make the list, better luck next time!
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Oops...
Totally missed Thrifty-Thursday this week! In my defense, I was pretty heavily drugged up on Thursday and it was really the last thing on my mind... Oh well, next Thursday I'll bring it!
So, I learned some things this week and I'm going to share...
Wisdom teeth are completely unnecessary; seriously if there is some biological reason as to why we need them please fill me in.
Insurance is a joke! especially dental.
The more coffee you drink, the more your pee smells like it. (too much? sorry)
I use the exclamation point and the smiley face too much in my emails, texts, blogs, etc! (this isn't going to change, but I just realized how bad it was)
Hugh Jackman is a stud.
Frozen tortillas make a wonderful ice pack.
There is a Crepe place in Victoria Gardens thanks @Corre
I need more sleep...
So, I learned some things this week and I'm going to share...
Wisdom teeth are completely unnecessary; seriously if there is some biological reason as to why we need them please fill me in.
Insurance is a joke! especially dental.
The more coffee you drink, the more your pee smells like it. (too much? sorry)
I use the exclamation point and the smiley face too much in my emails, texts, blogs, etc! (this isn't going to change, but I just realized how bad it was)
Hugh Jackman is a stud.
Frozen tortillas make a wonderful ice pack.
There is a Crepe place in Victoria Gardens thanks @Corre
I need more sleep...
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