It's The Little Things.

Oregon is by mail voting state. This is the first year since I turned 18, that I have lived where I am voting. Meaning, that for the past ten years I have been a boring absentee voter. But not this year! I was stoked...until I found out that the entire state of Oregon votes by mail. No strange little old men showing you where to sign and directing you to a voting booth, no possibility of hanging chads, and especially no "I Voted" stickers. I've never had one of my own, only hand-me-downs from my Madre when I was little. Truth be told, I'm pretty bummed, I was looking forward to my very first sticker. Maybe they should include them in with the ballots next time. Maybe they should employ me to stuff the envelopes with stickers. I would no doubt do it proudly. Come on Oregon, people pump our gas, why not crate a few jobs for sticker stuffers! And that folks, is what I aspire to.

Happy election (or happy the election is finally almost over) to all of you!

P.S. To those of you still receiving stickers for your votes. Don't take them for grated, not all of us has the luxury of them, so wear them proudly! And if you get an extra...send it my way!

Cha-Cha-Changes

I love changes, really I do, but this one I'm not ready for. I shouldn't say that, I'm ready for a change but not all the work, worry and stress that seems to go along with this type of change. I admit that I haven't really paid much attention to all the hullabaloo going on with the economy, it hadn't affected me too directly until last night. I was laid off due to the fact that my boss can no longer pay my check. Seriously. I'm not taking it personally, I get it. And it wasn't my dream job but it was a job, one that was a long time coming.

So I'm not too sure what direction to go in...where to go from here. I know there is a plan, but I'm not too sure where to start.

Today I got a call from a friend who is finishing grad school and will be looking for a job soon. He called to ask if we could make a little deal between the two of us to hold one another accountable to look for 3 jobs this week that we would really love. What perfect timing! I hadn't told him about the job loss yet but he has been a big advocate the last few years that I am bigger than what I have been doing with my time and talent. So, here we are on the job hunt together.

I keep going back to what I would love, love to do, and the unknown of how it all would work, if I would make enough money to live on and the fear of failure. I'd love your prayers for clarity in the face of decision, provision and peace.

Oh paisley, you are my fav.

I don't have it yet but I'm already decorating it in my mind...surprise. Here's a few options from my esty friends!

Look at these two...they are so happy about her laptop decals, awe, so sweet.


How ever will I choose????

What wouldn't I do for the blog.

On Saturday I had a classic blog-worthy experience. It's funny how I now go through life aware of the blogging possibilities of my activities. I remember once a friend who was huge into scrap booking told me that she now takes specific pictures knowing that they would be good for a scrapbook layout. And,although I don't seek out crazy situations for you, my beloved blog audience, I don't shy aware from a potentially shady fiasco where a good story could be born.

This Saturday was classic. I'm on the hunt for a new computer...think I'm really ready to do the big switch-a-roo to Mac so I headed to the Mac store to do some research. I get to Bridgeport, my favorite mall in the area. It's an outdoor mall, with some pretty fantastically dangerous stores, which I mostly window shop. On the way there I caught a glimpse of my eyebrows in the rear view mirror. Wow, how long had I been living like this? Then I remembered that 3/4 of the little round bulbs in my bathroom above the mirror are burnt out. I wonder what else I've been missing...

So, I decide to stop in at the salon at Bridgeport to have my eyebrows waxed. I learned my lesson last time I went to the mall and has this done that the timing of the much needed wax is crucial. All shopping, looking, ordering of Jamba Juice and general walking around the mall must be finished prior to the wax. Shopping first, looking next, pick up a smoothie, get waxed and then make a beeline to the car. No stopping, no looking in the direction of others, no taking it personally when people take the long way around me. I have to keep in mind that my entire eyebrow area is fire red, a little swollen and maybe, just maybe I look like something that could be see on Star trek. You know, those unfortunate guys with the bumpy, protruding eyebrow bone.

I enter the Salon, a Barbie looking girl takes my name and tells me to return in an hour...perfect. When I get back to the salon for my appointment Barbie takes me back to meet the esthetician. Now, Barbie, other than being completely too tan and over bleached seems completely normal and treats the situation completely normal. I trust Barbie. Sure, she's a little overdone but really, she seems like someone I can trust when it comes to this sort of thing. She shows me where to sit and then she says it.

"Pierre will be with you in a minute...you are going to love him, he's the best."

"Great!" I'm thinking, Pierre, sounds so French, so official. Somehow when it comes to the salon situation being foreign gives him an edge in my mind. I trust a foreign guy with my eyebrows any day...he's the best (according to Barbie).

A moment later Pierre appears.

Not a lick over 5 feet he is shorter than me (which is hard to do), he has the most amazing faux-hawk, almost black with tiny blond (ok, they really look yellow) tips. Amazing. But that's not the best of it. The guy has...

...a unibrow.

Seriously, this is the guy who will be waxing my eyebrows? Does he not see his own? Is he going to make me look perma-surprised? What??? Oh, Pierre! For a split second I think about grabbing my bag and making a run for it. Really, I think I could do it...he couldn't catch me. 1. His legs are shorter 2. His is wearing three belts, that extra weight would slow him down and 3. He has a unibrow, not exactly the most aerodynamic facial hair choice.

But, then I thought of my blog, and the story that could be told. And that maybe, just maybe Pierre really is the best. I don't want to miss out on the best. And hey, I was prepared to go directly to my car, my shopping was done. So, I stayed. I sucked it up and Pierre did a great job. He told me that I have a fabulous natural arch to my brows and that my skin was a color he had always envied. HA! Pierre and I had a great talk. I asked about how he got into the business, etc. I even asked about the three belts, which he says is a European flair that he just comes by naturally (whatever). But I couldn't get up the courage to ask him about the unibrow. I don't know what got into me folks, I froze.

And that, that is what I wouldn't do for the blog. I wouldn't question a tiny male ethetician about his unibrow. I let that moment pass. And I am oh, so sorry.

Don't you just love it...

...when your birthday is extended with unexpected gifts. A good friend from college surprised me yesterday with some clean water for Charity:Water! Yea! I sent him a quick text to thank him and last night I got this response: "The economy may suck...but we are still f'n blessed." Amen to that! (Is it appropriate to say amen to a statement that includes an abbreviation of a curse word?)

Whatever the case we are blessed, more than most of us will ever understand. Sure, we can practice being selfless, we can give what we have, even give our time, our lifestyle, our comforts. But for us it is a choice, poverty for the sake of others that is. It isn't something that we were born into or stricken with. What an amazing, undeserved gift we have been given. I'm currently reading Melissa Faye Green's book There Is No Me Without You, talk about good stuff...I'm only part way in and I've had tears the entire time. I can't imagine the daily burdens that this amazing foster mother in Ethiopia deals with. I can't put it down. Check it out here. But, be aware, it's a serious call to action. The knowledge you will gain on the AIDS epidemic in Africa is startling. Dig in!

Simple Spiel Update: I'm taking this forced slow down time to decide exactly how this is all going to work. I had a great convo on Tuesday with a smarty-pants friend of mine who has agreed to get me started on the business portion of turning Simple Spiel into a outlet to help others. Yea for Smarty-McGoo-Sauce-business-minded friends! So, we are praying for connections to be made with the right people as I do research into where to send profits, and that the Lord will grow this dream of mine into what He desires for it. Thanks for the continued support!

Cheers!

So glad.

Elisabeth Elliot is one of my heroes, an amazing writer, understander of the woman's heart, lover of all, fearless in her mission, her words are of continual encouragement to me. Today I read her daily devotional titled "The Supremacy of Christ". It was so what I needed to hear today. Seems like I have heard it a million times before but I needed it again...

The first thing was to settle once and for all the supremacy of Christ in my life, I tell them. I put myself utterly and forever at His disposal, which means turning over all the rights: to myself, my body, my self-image, my notions of how I am to serve my Master. Oswald Chambers calls it "breaking the husk of my individual independence of God." Until that break comes, all the rest is "pious fraud." I tell these earnest kids that the will of God is always different from what they expect, always bigger, and, ultimately, infinitely more glorious than their wildest imaginings.

See, when it seems to me like everything is falling apart, or nothing adds up, and I can't imagine good...it's coming, I am promised good, and I am so glad!

To read Elisabeth's devo click here.

*!$@*%! is feels good to be a gangsta.

F.Y.I.:The title of this post comes from a song in my top ten worst songs ever...that somehow become your worst favorites, and is featured on the movie Office Space (and has been censored for my Madre).


This almost happened at my house last night. Sure, I don't have a bat, or three guys wearing ties to help me beat up my computer and printer but I have been known to throw down a pretty mean "copy machine kick" (a phrase coined from the scene pictured above) just ask Glaze. Next time you see me ask for a demonstration, I will gladly give you one. It's the sort of thing you have to see, believe me. The length of the legs has nothing to do with it.

It's semi-funny but not really. Simple Spiel is just chillin' till I can work through the technical difficulties. So, where to go from here? Truth be told, I'm pretty bummed, I was ready to roll with the new line. I was gaining direction about where the money was to be sent and how I should focus the profits from the new cards. But now it's on a standstill until this glitch gets figured out. I'm a firm believer that there is a plan, I'm just eager to see what it is! Would love your prayers...not only for the success of the new cards and those that will be reached from their profits but also that some miraculous will go down with the darn computer situation.

Happy Tuesday!

When there are no words.

I find that music works best...other people's words. Peeps more poetic than myself. Here's what I need to hear today. Yes, it's old school. Brings back memories of college but today it has new meaning. It's hopeful.

Yes, true M.Schenck blogging will be back soon, I promise.

Happy, happy birthday Bray, I sure do love you! This one's for you...wish I could be there!

Cheers!

Learning to walk again.

Today, to avoid this...

I switched to this...


It's like I have to learn how to walk all over again.

Here's a song for this wonderful, rainy Friday.

Gotta love Ben Folds!

Cheers!

So, what do ya think?

She's right.

A friend, who shall remain nameless, told me today that I need to update my blog a little. Turns out my polka dot default background is so 2007ish. I thought I was retro, but whatev. She speaks the truth in love. So, I'm working on it. I happen to be a bit of a perfectionist so stick with me as I switch, switch-a-roo!

Dear nameless friend,
You were right. I let my blog design slip, it's defaultedness did not reflect who I really am and what my blog is about. Thanks for being an honest friend and for calling me on my lack of motivation.
-Melis