I'm a blog award procrastinator!

Over the last couple of weeks, 3 different people have tagged me for the same blog task and I have not ignored their requests purposefully, I assure you! Casey, Leah-Maria and Shanny have all tagged me for the Honest Scrap Award! So without furthur adieu, I shall comply most honestly! :)
















The rules:
1) Choose a minimum of 7 blogs that you find brilliant in content or design.
2) Show the 7 winners names and links on your blog, and leave a comment informing them that they were prized with "Honest Scrap." Well, there's no prize, but they can keep the nifty icon.
3) List at least 10 honest things about yourself.


So, here goes my honest rant of honesty...

1. I am and have for most of my life been the epitome of a people pleaser. This is not something I entirely despise about myself, nor is it something I am proud to be. At times it can be a blessing but quite often it is a curse.

2. I am borderline obsessed with Disney movies and soundtracks. I am also obsessed with the movie "Enchanted" at the moment. I've just seen it for the first time not too long ago and I absolutely loved it. The soundtrack is also great! The song "So Close" on that soundtrack by Jon McLaughlin is enough to make my heart melt. I'm such a girl and fairytales unlock my inner child and lead me to believe that it CAN be reality. We shall see. ;)

3. I'm beyond gulty of over analyzation. I over analyze everything and it's extremely irritating.

4. A single compliment can put in an unbelievably great mood! For instance, this week has been so hectic and crazy and at one point today, I was almost going crazy...almost. A man and woman came in the office and I assisted them. They were the absolute sweetest little couple ever and before they left he flashed a huge smile at me and said "You are such a sweetheart and you also have excellent elocution." Of course at the moment i had not the slightest idea what "elocution" meant so I just smiled and thanked him profusely. I immediately searched webster.com for the definition. It means "The art of effective public speaking." I never thought of myself as a public speaker...I actually HATE public speaking. Whatever the case, the compliment made my day. Hey, I learned something new and it put me in a MUCH better mood! haha I'm contemplating becoming a news anchor now. Maybe the next Megyn Kelly? HA...I WISH!!

5. I'm utterly terrified of being abducted. So much so that I have nightmares about it all the time. It's really awful and a thought that haunts me continually. This could also be consequences for watching way too much News, CSI, Law and Order and Missing. Umm, I'd say so. Hey, you can never be too careful though, right?

6. I wish I looked like Rachel McAdams. I think she is one of the the most gorgeous and poised actresses and I'm a little obsessed with her.

7. I miss singing and playing piano...A LOT. I'm so disappointed in myself for not continuing to do something that I love and am so passionate about. I also really wish to enhance my musical abilities.

8. I honestly cannot stand "artificial" picture perfect people who appear to lead picture perfect lives. I prefer the raw and real, even when it isn't pretty.

9. I have never been "in love" before. ::sigh::

10. I'm addicted to cherry pull and peel twizzlers and cherry coke zero but I don't like cherries very much. hmmm?

I'm glad I only had to list ten things because I was totally at a loss near the end. it's been a long day!

So, I shall tag these lovely ladies...

Amber and Karen because they are great and everyone else in my blogger circle has already been tagged for this particular award. So, whoever wants to do this, be my guest! :)

Venting...

I need some encouragement.

Today has been dreadful so far. Bad news envelopes me and I can’t stand seeing people in turmoil over their current job situations. Things are getting pretty bad here.

As most all of you know, I work for a State Farm agent here in Florida. Seeing that this story has already made National news, I do not feel the need to keep it private. It’s been a game of “waiting” for some time now and we knew that things were bound to get crazy.

State Farm has made the difficult decision to file a plan to discontinue the State Farm Florida business, which includes homeowners, renters, condominium unit owners, personal liability, boats and personal watercraft, and several other lines. NOT including auto, life, health insurance and other financial services.

This, due in part to many reasons of which I cannot disclose at this time due to compliance. However, I will say that we are hopeful. Hopeful, that in this two year period something drastically changes. It could happen. Perhaps? To keep it short, sweet and simple- Government is trying to control the Insurance Industry, just like they they are trying to control health care, the banks, private sectors, etc. More strides toward socialism. People can cuss, yell, scream and pitch fits all day long and curse State Farm Florida but what they don't know is that the Government has initially caused this sort of decision to be made. Yes, the government. Why, you ask? Well, they seem to feel that they should pry into everyone's business because you know, they just do it better. Right? Wrong! It shall come back to bite them, I assure you.

So, guess who gets to be bombarded with calls all day by angry Homeowners who have had their insurance with us since forever? Yours truly.

So, as I brush up on talking points and work on my people skills in preparation for fiery customers to throw their darts at me in every way, shape and form I must keep a couple of things in mind.

I have NOTHING to do with this.
This is NOT my fault.
If I were them, how would I feel?
DON’T TAKE IT PERSONAL. DON’T TAKE IT PERSONAL. DON’T TAKE IT PERSONAL.

Cr*p.

On another down-trodden note, a man came in to the office today due to the fact that His insurance had canceled because of non-pay. Upon receiving such news, he immediately fell apart right in front of me. He started crying and telling us of his current job situation. Apparently he, along with many, many others were laid off recently. This certainly is not the first time I have heard that spiel. It breaks my heart. There are SO many people who are dealing with this and the work field is just so scarce right now. I am grasping my job as tightly as I can and trying to remember to fully “Trust in the Lord”.

The current economic crisis is certainly not attributing to people’s livelihood either. So many are scraping and fighting desperately to make ends meet. It’s just a bad situation and one that has indefinitely caused spasm and even tragic reactions.

For instance, today I read a story online of a man who killed his entire family and then turned the gun on himself due his current job/financial situation. I’m assuming he had been laid off or had to take a cut. Some people solely rely upon their income to make them happy. Some people have no other value in their lives besides their bank accounts.

One scripture keeps coming to mind...



"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light; but if your eye is unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth." Matthew 6:19-24



There where your treasure is, your heart shall be also.

Maybe if we stop placing our entire worth in our money we would be more blessed. I don't know. It makes sense. I mean, don't get me wrong. I know that losing a job when you have a family to support is life altering and devastating. But maybe if we didn't place our complete trust and livelihood into our paychecks and learned to lean on the most reliable provider then we would begin to see a major shift as far as finances go? Just a thought. I'm aware that I am not in this position but my family has been, many a times. And I can attest to the fact that we NEVER were without what we needed and as kids, we always had more than we needed. I've seen financial miracle after financial miracle throughout my lifetime. So why would I just all of a sudden freak out and panic when I KNOW that God has ALWAYS provided for my family? I must remember to keep my trust in Him and not in my bank account nor in this failing economy.

I find one thing to be ironic through all of this. One of the first things Obama did as president was lift the ban on tax funded abortions (of which I was severely disturbed, yet not surprised). In this depleting economy while many parents are having a difficult time feeding their children, our tax dollars are helping to fund abortions in the US AND overseas. Priorities? You may say "Well, if more children are born then that just means there will be more mouths to feed and possibly more poverty, so why not just stop it now before it gets worse?". What a selfish mindset. God will never bless such insanity and absurdity.

Where are our priorities? Where are my priorities? Where are your priorities?

And so the soul searching continues..

I'm here.

I've been a very bad blogger lately. I'm sorry.

There is really no excuse as to my being absent so much except for the fact that I just have not had much to write about lately. I wrote about my feelings toward the inauguration last week and well, I just don't feel like writing about politics as I'm finding myself increasingly annoyed by recent events.

I'm not feeling very inspired either.

So, I'll leave you with a beautiful quote that has recently become my heartcry as I've done some major soul searching lately.

"Deliver me, Jesus— from the desire to be praised, honored, glorified, preferred, consulted, or approved. Deliver me, Jesus, from the fear of being humiliated, criticized, forgotten, ridiculed, maltreated, and from the fear of what others will think. O Jesus, give me the grace to desire that others would be loved and esteemed ahead of me, that in the eyes of the world they would increase while I decrease, and praised while I pass by unnoticed, that others would be preferred in all situations, that others would become more than myself— in order that I would be as holy as You want me to be."

—Charles de Foucauld

I want to be that with everything inside of me. I truly do.

History.

While many are completely consumed with Barack Obama and are drooling over him and the fact that he is going to be sworn into office tomorrow, I am not as enamored with the man as many are but I am an American citizen who indefinitely realizes the gravity of the moment.

I am also reflecting on the past eight years. Despite what the media has convinced many to think, President Bush was, in my opinion, a great President. Did he make mistakes? Sure. As does every human being and leader. He came into office at a very unfortunate time in our country. He carried a weight and a burden that many who criticize and crucify him could probably never have done with the integrity and character that he did. I really do believe that history will show him as an honorable and respectable man and as a great president. All critics, naysayers, media pundits and bush-haters aside now. I can at least be relieved by the fact that the ridiculous comments made to and about him will hopefully come to a screeching halt (although I highly doubt that they will). Certainly, anything that goes wrong in Obama's first year as president can be attributed to Bush...right? (I hope you can sense my sarcasm.)

I thought he delivered His final speech the other night with much grace. I can't help but love the guy. I hate the fact that he has been spat upon so cruelly by corrupt and sordid media. It's really quite sad how many have spoke about him. I do not wish for Obama to be treated as though President Bush was by many.

His love for our country and for freedom is inevitable. He kept our country safe. Say what you want but it's true! I can't stand it when people can't even credit him for that, as if he was the reason 9/11 happened in the first place. It's downright ridiculous and completely insane.
I still support President Bush.

Tomorrow the 44th President of the United States of America is to be sworn into office. I can hardly imagine how grueling a job being the President of the most powerful Nation in the world must be. I'd never like to know.

While I am not a big Obama fan, nor am I apart of the multitudes who slobber over Him and would like nothing more than to kiss his feet and the ground he walks upon. I must say, though, that I have a decent respect for the man, in the fact that he will ultimately hold and steer the reigns of this country for the next four years. I've been watching some of the Inauguration coverage as of late and I do realize that this is a very historical moment for America.

I am afraid that many will come to realize soon that Barack Obama, as charming and polished as he may be is in fact, human. I honestly have never seen anything like this in my life. The way he is worshiped by the media is almost kind of creepy. I know that this is a very huge step for our Nation, the fact that a Black man is going to be President is a very big deal. I am not ignorant by the fact that this is a big moment for us. Last night, I was watching FoxNews (the ONLY news channel worth watching, of course that is my opinion ;) ) and there were many young, bright eyed african-american children being interviewed. Their excitement was beyond immediate realization. I want to share in their excitement, I really do. I'm trying, but it's quite difficult for me.

I am not going to be down trodden along with many who dislike Obama and his policies and politics, nor am I going to be enamored and out of my mind obsessed with the man either. He is our new President and I will respect him and wish him well.

I just hope that in the meantime true conservatism takes a stand and truly rises to the occasion. While I am a Reagan/Hannity/Palin conservative with morals, values and love for my country, I will not take part in bashing our Democratic President. We are the great United States. Now, more than ever is a time for us to unite, regardless of race, religion, sex and political party.

"United we stand, divided we fall."

I want to make one thing clear, I DO NOT hate Barack Obama. I know that during the election process my blog became an outlet for me as well as grounds for debate (which I actually somewhat enjoyed). I really got into the election race this year and chimed in with my two cents, for what they were worth and I learned A LOT by doing so.

I'm not changing my stand by any means. I'm still an old fashioned conservative girl from the south. I'm not saying that I agree 100% with the man by any means but I do not think that he is a pawn of Satan. I pray that he leads with character, dignity and conviction. I commit to pray for the Obama's and for the future of our nation.

Barack Obama has undoubtedly created momentum, excitement and caused a generation to get out and actually use their God given voices and rights. Passion and vigor drove his campaign. If only we could be as passionate about the things that we believe and stand up for. In light of everything, this is an opportunity for our Nation, a time where many are coming together to witness a very historic occasion and a time where we need not feel defeated. I'm praying that Obama will reach across party lines and embrace suggestions and ideas from not only conservatives but moderate and independants alike. I think that the greatness of our country is in our diversity. While I would never sacrifice my moral stance on many, if not all issues I can understand that we must learn to work together for the greater good. Otherwise, we're only alienating ourselves.

One thing remains certain. Despite the suggestions and speculation, only Obama can set the tone for his term. Though so much remains uncertain, one thing is clear: beginning Wednesday morning, January 21, 2009 the entire world will be watching.

Miracle.

I'm completely captivated by the NYC plane crash (landing) story. I first witnessed the coverage yesterday at around 2:30 pm when I turned on the news in the office. Of course, I was at work and was distracted by ringing phones and incoming customers, so all I was really able to see were the seemingly devastating headlines.

"US Airways, Flight 1549 crashes into Hudson River, NYC".

Of course, I immediately assumed that many deaths were soon to be reported. My heart sank as I thought of loved ones and friends who would possibly be lost forever yesterday. I thought of what it would feel like to be in the midst of such unfortunate circumstances and I thought of how many wives, husbands mothers, brothers, sisters, children and friends must have panicked as they knew that their husband, wife, child, sibling or friend was flying that exact path. How the terror would ensue. I never want to know what that feels like.

The minute that they began to show footage of survivors balancing on the wings of the plane, I was absolutely stunned! Not so much by the fact that there were survivors, but moreso by the amount of them! Of course as all of you mostly know, no one lost their life. The only injuries reported were two broken legs and some cuts and bruises.

Friend, I don't care who you are or what you believe but this was nothing short of a divine miracle!

I don't even want to imagine what all of the passengers, flight attendants, crew members and especially the pilot went through during impact and as they patiently awaited rescue from the icy waters. Incredibly, every single passenger and crew member was rescued from the frigid waters thanks to an absolutely extraordinary and perfectly executed emergency landing procedure by the pilots.

Wow. God is pretty much amazing. Not one single person lost their lives. Not one single person suffered a life threatening injury. Not one single person! Does this astound anyone else?

I commend the Pilot for his act of heroism as well as all of the other crew members and rescue workers. What a beautiful and compelling story of cooperation and selflessness.

It has been said that Sullenberger (the Pilot) walked the aisles twice after all passengers were rescued, even with water entering the plane, to make sure everyone was out. God bless him.

God bless all of the survivors and may they know and believe that He is merciful and gracious.

I imagine that life and vitality has taken on a whole new meaning to everyone involved. This life is so fragile and fleeting...

I am thankful today.

Random

"Absence makes the heart grow finder."

I suppose I can relate that to my being absent on this blog so much lately. I have SO much I want and wish to write about, yet cannot find the time to do so.

Work has been crazy lately, and I mean CRAZY! When I come home, the last thing i want to do is sit in front of a computer because my head hurts and eyes are strained from doing so all day.

I'm taking on more and more as we revamp the office this year and make goals that MUST be attained. I find myself stressing a lot by the fact that I need to be marketing our products and asking every single person I come in contact with every day. I feel as though my knowledge is limited, yet I know that simply asking is 9/10's of it. So, I ask a lot of questions and get rejected a lot. Not cool. It's extremely important to be selling in addition to all of the service things that must be done each day. Things are looking grim for State Farm Florida and there could very well be some tough times ahead for the company in our state. I'm keeping my fingers crossed and trying to do all that I can do to help. Not worrying about it now because I can't worry and stress at the same time...it's just too much!

Nothing exciting taking place in my life right now. I'm ready for some major rest and relaxation this weekend (for my brain, not body) and for time with fun people!

It's been ridiculously cold down here! This morning we're in the 20's! And tomorrow it is supposed to be in the teens! For us, that is frigid and not too common. I'll admit though, I kind of like it! It's a nice change. I mean last week it was 70 and humid, ick. No thanks. I'm very much looking forard to springtime though! I love springtime here. It's amazing and beach days will be back! I'm in desperate need of some skin color.

Not much else going on here. Things are good with the fam. We've had some really good family dinners the past two nights. That is always so nice.

Who else is as excited as I am about American Idol?? You know what I'll be doing every Tuesday and Wednesday night :) Without all of the parents who lied to their children and told them they could sing, i would not enjoy that show near as much. ;)

That's all I have to report as of now. More later.

<3 amber

I feel so good...

I cleaned the heck out of my room today and I am quite proud of myself! I got rid of 6 bags FULL of clothes/shoes/junk etc. I had wayyy too much stuff. It's amazing how great it feels to de-clutter and re-organize. I love having a clean room, it feels so great! I also bought a new picture and got a new bedspread...

I love it, if i do say so myself :)

Did that really just happen?

This is probably the worst encounter I've had since working at my current job (State Farm). I figured I would document.

My co-worker and I were both sitting at my desk in the front as she was training me to do a Homeowners quote. Amy (my co-worker) and I were the only ones in the office at the time of this occurance.

An elder lady walks in to pay her bill as she does faithfully every month. She has a bit of a hearing problem and so I must shout in order for her to understand me. She had an extremely displeasing look upon her face and immediately told us that she was "not in a good mood".

Upon entering her payment, I was notified that her insurance had lapsed due to non-payment. No big deal, it can be reinstated but I have to enter whether or not she has had any accidents or losses since the date of cancelation.

So, I proceed to ask her, "Ma'am, have you had any accidents or losses since the date of cancelation?"

She stares at me blankly for a moment and shouts "What?!"

I ask again and smile.

She then shouts "I don't know what you are saying, so put it on my record!"

At this point I didn't see any need in asking again and I just answered the question myself. I printed her receipt and handed it to her and smiled...I just smiled.

She then says "Why are you making fun of me? You're so rude? Do you think it's funny that I can't hear you? I can't help the way God made me!"

She began to cry.

Tears instantly surfaced and streamed from my eyes as I attempted to convey to her that i would NEVER ever make fun of someone and that I was simply smiling at her.

Amy vouched for me and told her, "Amber smiles at everyone, she would never make fun of you!"

The lady then glared back and said "You both laughed!" and walked out.

I just sat there crying. Not so much crying because she was mean to me, but the fact that she really thought I made fun of her because she had a hard time hearing. I never have and never would make fun of someone with a handicap. My mom has a vision problem and I am very sensitive to people who are handicapped. I would never ever do something so cruel and heartless.

Thank God Amy was there. It seemed as though this woman may have had a bit of a mental handicap as well or she was just extremely sensitive and would prefer that everyone give her displeasing looks as opposed to a simple smile. Because smiling at someone clearly means you're making fun of them.

I have never been accused of such a thing in all my life, until today that is.

What a day.

Oh is the holiday break already over?! It went by entirely too fast, am I right?

Today it's back to work, back to regular routine. I guess I'm a little settled knowing that I am going to be back on a regular schedule again. I just had way too much fun staying out late every night, sleeping in late and being able to see people whom I haven't seen in a long time!

My New Years was without a doubt the absolute best! We went downtown to hear
The GILLS play at Hopjacks and take part in Pensacola's new tradition..."The Pelican Drop". Strange, I know. The name and mascot of Pensacola's baseball team is "The Pelicans". So, this year they began a new tradition of dropping a light up Pelican to bring in the New Year. It was a little chessy but we had a blast downtown! They blocked off the main street downtown and there had to have been 20,000-25,000 people! It was absolutely insane! We were among the sober ones, which were few and far between. But i assure you, we had just as much, if not more fun than all the people who were completely wasted.

It was just good fun with people whom I love dearly, The Gills who are amazing and such great friends and my family as well! My parents and grandparents came down for a bit and enjoyed the music. It was great.

Now for a few pictures...
















Allison and I! I was so happy to be ale to spend time with her while she was home from Cali! I miss her already :(

(L to R) Myself, Allison, Jessica and Cary

Meagan, Annie and I




















Sweet Danya and I















The GILLS















We were kind of at a bar/pizza pub and Meagan got x'ed for being under 21.




















Meagan, Allison and I















Ali and I




















Allison and I getting ready for the Pelican Drop...while freezing our tails off! Yes, it was really cold.















The Mighty Pelican in all it's glory! (Pretty cheesy, huh?)















And we exit 2008 with a bang!

So, as you can see it was undoubtedly a ton of fun! And we didn't even have to get drunk to have a good time! Pretty awesome.

Hope you all had a wonderful New Years and I know I am late in posting this but better late than never, right?

=)