Boo!

Oooooh...it's Halloween! There's a costume contest at my work. People will be decked out in their masks, face paint,etc. (well some, I will be in my normal attire). I hope I when I drive to work, I look over in the car to my right and see a vampire or princess heading into my work parking lot. I'm kind of looking forward to it--candy and treats all day, it will be great!
I have always loved dressing up. I think my favorite costume was this space woman costume I had with silver sequin belt and headband and silvery face make up...it was sweet! I was so mad when I had to wear a big winter coat over it because it was freezing outside.
This is the first Halloween I haven't dressed up in years. I stopped going trick or treating probably around 7th grade when it wasn't cool anymore, but once I hit college all of a sudden it was cool to spend like 50+ bucks on a costume to go to a wild party. This year, though I will be on candy duty at my house.
I think it's fun to dress up, to pretend for a night to be someone (or something) else. I never was a prom queen (we didn't actually have prom queens at my high school) but last year for Halloween I was! I'll for sure never be an OSU cheerleader, but a few years ago I got to pretend for a night. It's definitely fun to dress those parts sometimes, be things we never could be in real life.
Too bad it only lasts one night. (Though it's probably good...I'm sure being a prom queen or a super hero has its down side too at some point! )
So in the spirit of Halloween, what are you going to be this evening? What childhood (or for me teenage) dream will you be playing out tonight? And if you are like me and don't get to dress up, what's your all time BEST costume??

Happy Halloween everybody :)

Deep Thoughts by Liz Brashear

Ok so I had a deep post planned, but I'm still processing and I'm too tired at this point. So, here is a list of questions/deep thoughts I've had since I moved...enjoy :)
1. Why "who dey"? What does it mean? I mean i know the chant, but why is that cool?
2. Why do Bengals fans say "who dey" when the steelers (in a game not against cincy) miss passes or the other team scores against the Steelers?
3. Why am I a professional (an esquire even;) ) and I can't figure out how to set up my voice mail at work?
4. Why is my dog obsessed with dirty laundry? It's sick.
5. I don't get skyline. It's chili on spaghetti? I mean it tastes fine, but people around here are obsessed. I feel like chili goes in a bowl or on a hot dog...but apparently that's just me.
6. I get graeters. It's good. They are putting one in by my work and that is awesome.
7. Why is it so hilly down here? Katy mentioned something about glaciers. All I know is running 5 miles in Toledo went a LOT faster than running 5 miles here.
8. I love that when I lived in Toledo there was nothing worth driving 20 minutes for. Here I drive 35-40, 3-4 times per week and usually end up having a great time...i love that.
9. While Starbuck's has it's moments...Tim Horton's coffee has more caffeine than anything else. It is amazing and I really never liked plain coffee much. On another note, why do I think it's ok to spend 1.50 on a coffee every day instead of buying a coffee maker or drinking the coffee at work for free?
10.Today was wonderful. The sunshine was gorgeous. Spending the day with Annie was great. D'vine and post-d'vine was super. Delilah on the way home was awesome. I really loved today... (minus the Steelers losing to the worst team in the nfl)

YES!

I PASSED!!! :):)

check it out...
http://www.sconet.state.oh.us/Admissions/ASP/SearchResults.asp

come over tonight and celebrate!

eeeeek!

So I have to admit I'm nervous. I'm trying to have that "whatever happens it's no big deal" attitude, but I can't seem to convince myself. I won't lose my job or anything (though the raise would be nice), but that doesn't seem to provide me with any comfort. I don't even bite nails and I was biting my thumb nail all day. My stomach feels like I am waiting for the gun to go off at a big race...it's been turning over all day. I want to know my bar results but then again I don't. October 27 always seemed so far away...especially when the test was in July! I'm trying to stay busy--just finished switching out the summer clothes, so that's good.
Ok, I'm off to do some cleaning to keep busy...at least our house will be spic and span if nothing else :) thanks for the encouragement...i love it!

Goblin Gallop

Road races are awesome. Not only do you get to race with a TON of people, you always get gobs of free stuff--clothes, food, etc. I'll never forget one race when I was in high school where I finished and went over to the medic tent for a free massage. My parents thought I had injured myself somehow and rushed over only to find me face down getting a sweet massage! I ran in another that had an omlette bar and this awesome pizza. At the NYC marathon there was even some beer on site, but considering the way the Gatorade was making me feel, I didn't touch the free beer.
My sister and her friend Brian (who ended up 6th overall in 16:05 for a 5K) competed in the Goblin Gallop last night in downtown Dayton. I am so jealous I couldn't run (and actually I could have run, but chose not to because I couldn't race, and I am kicking myself for being so lame!). The race was really cool because it was dark outside and lit up. They had a DJ and everything. So here are some pics ...they aren't great because it was so dark, and I don't have any "action" shots because my niece and nephew were with me and my nephew doesn't enjoy walking (i.e. i couldn't carry him and take pics)...but you get the idea...lots of people ran in costumes too...all in all a VERY entertaining tuesday night in dayton:)

A Movie Review

So last Friday night Jana and I went to the movie theater to see Flags of our Fathers. We were going to see The Departed but we didn't want to leave out Katy or Annie, so we had to go with something else and there just isn't that much else out right now besides lame Halloween-type horror movies...and no thanks to that! My sister couldn't believe Jana would go see this movie and told me "you need to find a nerdy date who will go with you to see those history movies." Or something along those lines. So I was pumped Jana didn't mind going! :)
Ok, so on to the review. Flags of our Fathers tells the story of the men who were pictured raising the American flag on the island of Iwo Jima during World War II in Japan. Obviously this is a famous picture and the film delves into the mockery of the truth of the picture by the US government in an attempt to get more Americans to buy war bonds. (the men actually raised the flag twice--different men each time--and it was raised on day 5 of 35 days fighting at Iwo Jima)
The film completely captures the sounds and deplorable/disgusting sights of war. (think guts, entrails, decapitations) That is the part that is so unsettling about today's war movies. Modern technology has the ability to show us at least the director's version of the truth of an actual battle. We can experience some feeling of terror and anger that the real soldiers may have felt (hear bullets whizzing by, see a fellow soldier's arm get blown away). I left the theater thinking I couldn't believe that people really were there, that soldiers really deal/dealt with those kind of circumstances. It's INCREDIBLE what armies do, what soldiers witness. I don't know how they ever function normally again.
Opps, I started rambling. Back to the review...The movie describes the national mood of the 1940s--the government running out of funds for the war effort and trying to do anything possible to raise $$ quickly--including lying and distorting the truth behind a picture that grabbed the nation's hearts and attention. (hmm notice how timely? might as well have taken place in 2006!) Clint Eastwood, the director, I think tries to show war as propoganda and how the government exploits soldiers and their experiences for political gain and to make money.
All in all, I liked it. Flags of our Fathers made me think. I am willing to bet it will be a contender come awards season. I'm glad there wasn't a chick flick out right now, because I'm guessing Jana and I would have vetoed the historical war movie and we might have missed out on a great film:) So go see it already!

Surrendering

My sister sometimes thinks I'm nuts for driving down to West Chester or even Cincy to go to church or to hang out with people, and she might be right. But, i LOVE the drives. I love the 35/40minutes where I can think, crank up my radio really loud (of course i'm singing along), and plan out my schedule. Tonight i was driving back and doing just that, so here are my thoughts...
Recently the concept of surrendering myself in favor of serving/loving others has shown up in so many places--my small group, some reading i've been doing, and tonight at church. I feel like I'm supposed to be learning something because it's come up so much recently. I'm kind of going through some major changes (good changes) and am kind of moving away from an extremely selfish and self-absorbed few years. As I've mentioned, I've had an AMAZING 3 months since I've moved. I've found fellowship, churches I love, and friends I really connect with. I love all this...my problem is I still find it so darn hard to surrender EVERYTHING to God. I like to keep control over stuff even though I know 100% i will do a much worse job sorting my problems and life than God will. But it's like I have this issue giving things up and completely allowing myself to change, if that makes any sense at all. I want change, I want to love people more, I want to have healthy relationships, I want to let God have control, but it's like my actions don't reflect my prayers. How can God reveal his will/desires for me when I continue to follow my agenda in so many facets of my life? I want to know logistically what it means to completely surrender it all.

How does a neurotic, obsessive compulsive, over-scheduled, control freak really surrender everything? I think it's more than just asking for God's will to be done. God calls us to "forsake all" to follow him. This means giving up every aspect of our life to Him. This is hard for me. I can give Him some things, my career for instance, but not others. I mean what if I surrender my desire to have a wonderful husband to Him and then it doesn't turn out the way I envision it? I think surrender means completely believing and trusting that God's desires for my life are better than mine. Trusting that He WILL actually come through,and provide me with a life that is more abundant that I could have even dreamed. Understanding that no matter how much I do and plan, my actions alone will not create the results I think I want for my life. Proverbs 3:5-6--Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledgehim, and he will make your paths straight.--A simple few verses, probably one of the first chunks of scripture I memorized, but powerful, too. My understanding of things, of life, will not suffice and it won't provide the answers I'm looking for.

I just want to find a balance between caring about what happens to me and trying to control everything that happens to me so that a certain result occurs. I know we will never be perfect, and sadly enough that includes me :) But I want to be more proactive in surrendering that I have been. I'm not really sure how it's going to play out...but at least I'm looking for an answer. That's a start :)

And another sad day for the Steelers...

Sweetest Day

So I realize sweetest day is NOT a real holiday, but my sister surprised me with 6 roses this morning when she went to get us some bagels:) Maybe she felt sorry for me since it's been over a YEAR since I've gotten flowers from anyone but my parents! Either way, I have the BEST sister...i love you katy!!! So in honor of Katy's gesture, Happy Sweetest Day everyone!

T-7 Days

In honor of the fact that in one week I will find out whether I passed the Ohio Bar, this post is dedicated to lawyer humor...hopefully it will ease the nerves (and give everyone else some good material to make fun of me)... ENJOY!

These are real questions asked in court by attorneys to witnesses on the stand:

Now doctor, isn't it true that when a person dies in his sleep, in most cases he just passes quietly away and doesn't know anything about it until the next morning?

The youngest son, the 20-year-old, how old is he?

Were you alone or by yourself?

Were you present in court this morning when you were sworn in?

Q: You say that the stairs went down to the basement?
A: Yes.
Q: And these stairs, did they go up also?

Q: Do you know how far pregnant you are now?
A: I'll be three months on March 12th.
Q: Apparently then, the date of conception was around January 12th?
A: Yes.
Q: What were you doing at that time?

And some jokes:
Q: How does a pregnant woman know she is carrying a future lawyer?
A: She has an extreme craving for baloney.

Q: What do honest lawyers and UFO's have in common?
A: You always hear about them, but you never see them.

And God said, "Let there be Satan, so people don't blame everything on me. And let there be lawyers, so people don't blame everything on Satan."

Q: Why does a failing law student and an alcoholic have in common?
A: Neither of them can pass the bar.


one more week....one more week...

Running Woes

NOTICE: THIS BLOG IS VERY WHINY AND COMPLAIN-Y...FYI!

My foot has been killing me this week and it's depressing me. I hate being out of shape. I broke my foot the last weekend of July right after I finished the Bar Exam. What a lovely way to top off 3 months of grueling study. I was running out to the garage at my parent's house, racing my niece and nephew out to get popsicles in the garage freezer and in leaping down the garage step I slipped on a rug and somehow turned my foot in such a way as to break the 5th metatarsal. ( i really have no idea what that means )
All I know is I have realized in the past 2+ months how much i LOVE and miss running. There is nothing like being able to drop everything, lace up your shoes, and go on a long, mind-cleansing run. I've been running since I can remember and competitively all the way through college and finally a marathon in law school. When our family toured Europe, I loved that I took a long run in every city and it was a GREAT way to see the sights while the sun was rising or setting....incredible. Now, I grant you that I am also slightly obsessed with working out. In 7 years I haven't taken more than 2 days off a week...that is until the broken foot. (my sister thinks i'm a nutcase....maybe she's right :) ) I remember laying in my bed after going to the emergency room crying--not so much that i was in pain (though that was definitely part of it) but more so because I knew it would be months before I could run pain free again.
Finally in mid-Sep. I got the doctor's good word that I could start running again--YAY. The bad side is this: I can't run every day and I can't run very long. And it's just so darn frustrating.
I'm realizing it's going to take a lot of time and patience before I can be competitive again. I probably won't get an age group award in this year's turkey trot, and I'm just going to have to deal with that and be glad for small progress. It's hard when you're competitive though. I get this attitude like well if I can't run fast or hard then why even bother...kind of ridiculous i guess. I'm trying to use this experience to learn not to be so ocd about running...but ahhhh it's so frustrating:) and this wet weather is NOT HELPING. (i have always been skeptical about people who say their bones they have broken hurt when it's wet, but I'm here to tell you it's true!)
So yea, humility is a good thing learn, and a hard thing to experience...

and on a positive note..my doctor said the average person breaks two bones in his/her life....so I guess one down, right?!?!

Picasso Pumpkins

I got to spend last evening with my niece and nephew, Grace and Logan, painting pumpkins. (no we didn't carve--they are only 4 and 5 so I'm not sure they should be handling knives :) ) It was so fun. The pics speak for themselves. I love fall..I love my niece and nephew, they are hilarious and I really wish I could channel some of their energy! I can officially say that now that I no longer have summers off, FALL RULES!
(those are light up pumpkin ring pops in their mouths...where was this stuff when I was a kid?)

Spreading the Love

So last night I attended a Young Life banquet fundraiser deal. I love young life. I became a Christian at a young life camp in high school. I dabbled as a young life volunteer leader for a while in college. It is an AMAZING ministry. I love it because it centers on building relationships with young people and sharing with them a God who can be relied upon in their loneliness, insecurity, and all the special circumstances high school students face.
What really got me going at this banquet (which I expected to kind of sit back, enjoy people thinking I was actually Katy, and eat free food) was that Christianity really does spread...and those high school kids had passion and excitement that I haven't experienced in years. This senior high school guy told the story of how he started going to young life and eventually became a Christian because of his sister's influence. His sister had cystic fibrosis (sp?) and yet he related how happy the last 6 months of her life were, which she explained to him was because of this young life thing. So after his sister died and he got to high school, he started going too, mostly on a quest to find out why his sister died and why his sister was so excited about God when she was dying. Well long story short, he found his answers and found out why his sister was experiencing joy. So here's the good part, Jana who was sitting at my table, was his sister's young life leader. I just couldn't help thinking...wow...how random that Jana is at this banquet, is living in Ohio now after 3 years in Altoona, and she's here to hear this guy talk about his sister's experience with young life that kinda lead him to begin a relationship with Christ. Incredible.
I think I forget sometimes how a relationship with someone can not only change that person, but so many others. God's love has a way of spreading that we really can't always foresee or conceptualize.
Sometimes I focus so much on myself. It's all about me, my relationship with God, my failings, my disconnect, etc. What if I changed the focus? What if instead of trying to continually strengthen or fix my own relationship with God by focusing on myself, I tried strengthening my relationship with God by focusing on others? Haven't you ever had a conversation with a close friend about God and felt like you learned more about Him in that time than maybe you did reading chapters in the Bible? I mean I'm not saying reading, etc isn't important...I'm just saying that experiencing God by spending time loving others could potentionally teach us more about God than focusing so much on fixing our problems, failings, etc.
I'm sure there's some balance to be reached. I know you can't share and love others at some level if your own relationship with God is in shambles. But I want to take away the "me" focus all the time as a cure to my trouble understanding God and start learning more about God by loving others.
And I think the best way to do that is by building relationships instead of trying to be the Bible expert or whatever. In this book I'm reading Brian McLaren and Tony Campolo write about building relationships:
"When people ask questions about matters of ultimate concern, they are seldom looking for mere answers. They're looking for a mentor. So avoid slipping into Answer Man mode. Instead, let your friend's questions open the door for dialogue: you ask questions, listen to your friend's thoughts, share your own experiences, and demonstrate genuine love and concern. Jesus commonly turned a question into a conversation by answering questions with questions....Don't offer a cheap or easy answer for deep, complex question. "
I love it. And I love that last night I saw this in action because it's kind of what Young Life is all about. I remember feeling special at young life in high school. The leaders spent time with me, hung out with me and never even mentioned the Bible until I asked. I kept thinking why in the world are these people and why would they ever want to hang out with me. When I went to club or campaigners I wasn't just some anonymous high school girl who happened to be a runner, etc. I meant something and it intrigued me. Jana was able to be a mentor to this guy's sister because she genuinely cared for her and answered her questions with love and sincerety. Instead of focusing on converting her, she focused on LOVING her. And by being that girl's mentor, her brother was influenced to try Young Life, and the rest is history. Who knows how many other people he will touch and share his love for Jesus. Talk about spreading the love...it's awesome. I feel challenged, and I love it.

Change can be good

I have now been in southern ohio for two months. Prior to moving from Toledo, I was so unsure of leaving. I am one of those people who fears change. I like routine, it can be quite comforting. But 3 years living at home and going through law school left me feeling a extremely empty. Working in a competitive atmosphere continually and a social life that became out of control at times made me feel more disconnected from God than I ever really have been. I remember talking to a good friend and having her comment that some things I had told her "just seemed so out of character for you Liz." I realized I was more than unhappy, but I could't figure out how to get back a more positive outlook and a more faithful existence.
Recently the small group I'm in has been talking about hearing God's call in your life. The emphasis is on listening, cutting out noise in your life and listening for the whispers from God that indicate what we should be doing, where we should be,etc. While I definitely believe and wish I spent more time just listening and focusing on that, I think too sometimes God says enough is enough and shouts at us pretty loud/smacks us upside the head and kinda says um hello...you are so not hearing me! I love that He doesn't give up on us when we're out there making mistakes, doing destructive stuff and going farther and farther away from Him. For me, He made it obvious that I needed to move to Dayton, pretty much impossible not to move here financially. He pretty much shouted in my ear that continuing the way I was in Toledo was NOT going to cut it and I'm so glad He did. I love that God wanted to keep me from more hurt, more mistakes, and more bad decisions.
So yea, change can be great! Even if it is scary and your parents are no longer paying for your food ( i mean my mom gave me 5bucks a day for coffee and pop...that is hard to give up!) But since I've moved, life has really seemed incredible. And Annie and Jana, pictured above, are definitely a part of that! Along with my awesome sis Kate and my lovely dog :) Good times here and definitely a reconnection with God that my life was lacking. So maybe I'll be more likely to embrace change, rather than fear it....one can hope right?!?!

Holly and Wisdom Teeth

I just want to start by saying good luck to my sister Katy tomorrow who is getting her wisdom teeth out. Guess now it will be official that I am the wiser twin :) Seriously, though, get well soon katy and get ready for some chipmunk jokes :) I love you!!

Now, the rest of this post is dedicated to my friend Holly. She is one of my best friends from college and she is coming today to visit me all the way from Cleveland, Ohio! (and yes she is a Browns fan...crazy!) So the following are the top 10 reasons why I am SO EXCITED holly is coming tomorrow!!!

1. We get to chat about the one guy we both fell for hard in college (um i think his first name is Carlo, last name begins with Rossi??)
2. She let me be in her wedding and walk down the aisle even though I broke my foot the weekend before and had to wear a cast--can't wait to see the pics of that limp!
3.We will get to run together Saturday and Sunday!--she used to be my personal trainer...oh how I wish she still were!
4. She can help me decorate my cube and remind me that covering my cube with pics of my dog Fiona might not be the best way to make friends at work.
5. Finally she can take a break from law school--anbd she knows just how awful it really is :)
7. We will have more fun sitting around, eating and drinking wine than probably doing just about anything else.
8. Hopefully she can help me figure out what color to paint my room...i am clueless :)
9. I can make fun of the fact that she is a Browns fan
10. Duh--reminiscing is the best, and i'm sure there will be LOTS of that :):)


So Holly, hurry up and get here !!!!

My First Post

So I decided to start a blog because I get so bored at work but i LOVE reading other people's blogs. So now I am contributing to the blogging madness:) This entry is just a test. I want to make sure this actually works!! Then I will work on making my blog pretty ... oh and yes insightful and all that good stuff.