I'm loving Spotify. I recently started paying for the $5 monthly membership in order to get rid of ads and now I'm in love. It's what I use to listen to music all day at work, and I almost never open iTunes when I am at home because I'm always using Spotify instead. Maybe someday I'll take the plunge and import all my iTunes music into Spotify.
I'm loving that the U of A baseball team won the World Series!! Like my friend Matt said, we may not always go, but when we go, we win. The softball team on the other hand both goes often and wins often. ;)
I'm loving the craziness that is camp prep. There's always a few curve balls once we get this close to the real deal, but things are going relatively smoothly this year. Only 8 more days!
I'm loving Instagram. I always used to think it was just a way to make a simple picture look a hundred times cooler by adding a special effect to it. But in reality, it's like the picture version of Twitter mashed with Facebook, mashed with amazingness. If you have a smart phone, get the Instagram app! And make sure to follow me (mandymalmgren) so that I can follow you.
I'm loving that I'm only 55 days away from my trip to Philly! Having a vacation on the calendar (one that isn't just a 48-hour weekend trip) is the most amazing thing.
I'm loving how things are working out for the new Trek and Journey programs at Desert Sun Church. It's been a rough last few months for our group, and I'm pretty excited to see what God has in store for this new venture.
Friday, July 13, 2012
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Mandy & Renee's Relationship Guidelines
This past weekend my wonderful friend Renee came to Phoenix for a visit. When you get two twenty something girls together for a weekend of hanging out you always know that fun times will ensue.
During multiple late (very late) night chats we realized that we both have a lot of the same thoughts and feelings about relationships, our experiences with them, and what we think is flawed about the system. So what do two girls who have similar viewpoints about relationships do when they stay up way too late talking? They make a list of 20 relationship guidelines, of course!
We polished up the list the next day during lunch, so without further ado, I give you….
There you have it, the list that two twenty something girls come up with when they stay up talking until 3 in the morning. I hope you enjoyed it. Even though we mixed a lot of humor into the list, it really does represent what we're thinking and feeling about this topic at this point and time in our lives.
We figure we'll turn this list into a best selling book one day, but we'll wait until we've successfully made it down the aisle before we do so. Gotta build up our credibility and all that y'know. ;)
During multiple late (very late) night chats we realized that we both have a lot of the same thoughts and feelings about relationships, our experiences with them, and what we think is flawed about the system. So what do two girls who have similar viewpoints about relationships do when they stay up way too late talking? They make a list of 20 relationship guidelines, of course!
We polished up the list the next day during lunch, so without further ado, I give you….
Mandy & Renee’s Relationship Guidelines
- Don’t like someone forever before making a move.
- If you’re having trouble making a move, do what the Indians used to do and play a flute outside of a girl’s teepee to express your interest. We learned about this at the MIM this weekend, and it’s apparently a very successful method.
- You don’t need to be financially set for life before pursuing a relationship. You don’t need a house, a large savings account, or even a generous cash flow. You DO need to be able to afford to support yourself, but quit sweating it beyond that.
- Guys, if you make less money than a girl, that’s not a deal breaker for her. What really matters is whether or not you make enough to support yourself, not whether or not you as an individual can do it better than she can do as an individual. A wife just needs to be taken care of, not trumped.
- Don’t get caught up with levels and which level you think you’re on vs which level they’re on. This can go both ways. It can be a problem both with thinking you're above someone else and also a problem with being intimidated by people that you feel are above your level. Most levels only exist in your head.
- Guys, if you’re not asking a girl out because you know your friend likes her and you’re trying to be a good friend, after six months if he still hasn’t asked her out, she’s fair game. This situation isn’t good for your friend and is even worse for the girl because she’s not getting asked out by either of you.
- If your friend isn’t following rule #1, you should give him this list.
- You shouldn't lead someone on if you’re not planning to act. Flirting is a hard thing to define, so people’s interpretations of this point will vary greatly. You can only claim ignorance of your flirting abilities for so long before it’s no longer accidental flirting. And if you’re intentionally flirting, be ready to follow through!
- A guy asking a girl on a date does not mean he’s asking her to marry him. Without a doubt, relationships should have a focus and a purpose. But how are people ever going to end up in relationships if asking a girl on a date always seems to equate to something more than that? Let the simple act of asking a girl out on a date be just that, a simple act. And girls, don't start planning the wedding on the first date.
- Girls, unless there’s a serious reason not to, always be willing to go on a 1st date. If you’re sure you aren’t interested in him after that point, be completely honest with him. See rule #6. Being nice to the guy because you don’t want to hurt him will hurt him more in the long run.
- Girls, guys don’t care about your nail polish, how you did your hair, or what color shirt you’re wearing.
- We have been told that guys are suckers for a girl with the nice dash of perfume however.
- Some amount of awkwardness is OK. First dates are awkward. They just are! But a little bit of awkwardness is OK, plus it’s kind of cute. Even if you’re already friends, transitioning to a dating relationship can be a strange, so don’t let some initial awkward moments bring you down!
- After the 1st date, the guy should pick up the girl for the dates. Chivalry should not be dead!
- Always pray before meals. Chicks dig it!
- You should be able to date someone for a while, break up, and have things stay normal. We’re talking a short term dating relationship here, not a long term one. If you’re doing this dating business right, you should be able to go on a few dates, realize that it’s not going to work out, stop dating, and life should go on. No drama, no stress.
- If you don’t already know the other person’s stance on big issues, ask the tough questions within the first couple of months. While dating can be about having fun together, what’s the point of getting completely attached emotionally just to find out six months in that you completely ignored some deal breakers?
- The other person not being a solid Christian IS always a deal breaker.
- When red flags come up, make sure to address them immediately instead of holding onto a relationship because you’re afraid to be alone.
- You should be friends with each other’s friends. Your relationship should include hanging out with your main communities, not just with each other. And if your friends aren’t supportive of your relationship, something is wrong.
- For our younger readers…if you’re still claimed as a dependent on your parents’ tax forms, they need be aware of your relationship from day one.
- Texting should only be used for cutesy, flirtsy, non-serious conversations. All real conversations should happen over the phone or in person.
- Use those words of affirmation. Chances are if you’re dating someone you have positive thoughts about them. Make sure to verbalize them! Lots of worrying could be prevented if people just verbalized their positive thoughts more often.
- Your Facebook relationship status should not define your relationship. If you’re more excited to set your Facebook status to “in a relationship” than you were when you actually started the relationship, you might want to examine your motives. And sometimes holding off on being Facebook official has some nice benefits.
- Keep going on dates with each other regardless of how long you’ve been together. Dating, engaged, married, doesn’t matter. This one is more for the couples in well established relationships.
- The guy needs to make plans for dates, not just wing it and text her 5 minutes before. Spontaneity has its place, but so does initiative.
- It’s OK to be a loner! It’s the old cliché, “You need to be happy alone before you can be happy in a relationship.” But it’s true! Being content with the life God has for you is such a refreshing thing. Take a look at the big picture...if you're allowing God to work through you and your life, then your relationship status is irrelevant.
There you have it, the list that two twenty something girls come up with when they stay up talking until 3 in the morning. I hope you enjoyed it. Even though we mixed a lot of humor into the list, it really does represent what we're thinking and feeling about this topic at this point and time in our lives.
We figure we'll turn this list into a best selling book one day, but we'll wait until we've successfully made it down the aisle before we do so. Gotta build up our credibility and all that y'know. ;)
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
A Dozen (or so) of My Favorite Camp Pictures
Something that people always seem to start doing as the countdown to camp gets into days instead of months is look through old camp albums on Facebook. I know I enjoy doing that every year as camp rolls around again. And with the team color assignments arriving in mailboxes today, I think the excitement about camp just escalated. At least it would seem so given the number of excited texts I received today.
I've started using this blog as a way to preserve memories instead of trying to keep up with scrapbooking. Someday I'm going to have thousands of pictures in hundreds of albums and instead of trying to dig through those, I'll have these blog entries. And since I only ever seem to have my camera around for Awana events, that's mostly what I'll have to look back on. =P
I had some time tonight, and I decided to look through my albums all the way back to my first year as a counselor and pick some of my favorite memories.
So without further ado...
(These really aren't in any particular order, but I numbered them anyway)
12) Fun team color day pictures
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| 2008 |
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| 2009 |
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| 2011 |
11) Waking up in the mornings to find out that a mouse (or something) had been chewing on my flip flops
I loved the teepees. One of the saddest things about not being at Prescott Pines and camp being smaller is that the 6th graders don't get to experience Teepee Village.
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| 2006 |
10) My all Palmcroft cabin
I wouldn't want to have an all Palmcroft cabin every year, but it was a fun experience to have for one year.
8) Brianna and the trash can
You had to be there.
7) Getting the opportunity to soak the campers during Friday water events
It really is a bummer that we don't do those anymore.
6) The Lake
Definitely an adventure.
5) The counselors playing floor hockey
Floor hockey was quite possibly my favorite game as a camper. And getting to play it while eating ice cream as other people babysit our campers? Perfection.
4) Amazing fellow counselors
'Nuff said.
3) How long these guys have been around
Don't they look so young?
2) Getting to be a counselor with girls that I grew up going to camp with
Natalie and I met our 6th grade year in Teepee Village and went all the way through camp together. Sadly, the only year we were counselors together was in Teepee Village. Danielle was also in our grade.
There are many more memories than I could ever hope to condense into a dozen points, but these are the pictures that stuck out to me as I looked through my albums tonight. And it's crazy to think that after this year I'll have been a counselor for longer than I was a camper!
I wouldn't want to have an all Palmcroft cabin every year, but it was a fun experience to have for one year.
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| 2011 |
9) Counselors having fun after putting the campers to bed
We could stand on opposite sides of the chapel and toss Skittles into each others' mouths. Multiple times in a row.
We could stand on opposite sides of the chapel and toss Skittles into each others' mouths. Multiple times in a row.
 | |
| 2009 |
8) Brianna and the trash can
You had to be there.
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| 2010 |
7) Getting the opportunity to soak the campers during Friday water events
It really is a bummer that we don't do those anymore.
 |
| 2007 |
6) The Lake
Definitely an adventure.
 |
| 2011 |
5) The counselors playing floor hockey
Floor hockey was quite possibly my favorite game as a camper. And getting to play it while eating ice cream as other people babysit our campers? Perfection.
 |
| 2008 |
4) Amazing fellow counselors
'Nuff said.
 |
| 2011 |
3) How long these guys have been around
Don't they look so young?
 |
| 2007 |
2) Getting to be a counselor with girls that I grew up going to camp with
Natalie and I met our 6th grade year in Teepee Village and went all the way through camp together. Sadly, the only year we were counselors together was in Teepee Village. Danielle was also in our grade.
 |
| 2006 |
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| 2010 |
1) My first year having some of "my" girls in my cabin
Little did they know what lie ahead.
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| 2009 |
There are many more memories than I could ever hope to condense into a dozen points, but these are the pictures that stuck out to me as I looked through my albums tonight. And it's crazy to think that after this year I'll have been a counselor for longer than I was a camper!
Pinterest Challenge
As most of you already know, I love Pinterest. I stumbled across it one day because of two of my favorite blogs, Young House Love and Bower Power. I now check Pinterest almost as often as I check Facebook, and I definitely spend more time on it than on Facebook.
Problem is, I rarely find time to actually work on any of the projects that I get inspired to do. And that's exactly why the author of Bower Power does a Pinterest challenge every season. To get people to actually do a project that they pinned on Pinterest. So this summer, I'm finally going to make it happen. The last challenge started off with me trying to get something done and only halfway doing it. This time I'm actually going to finish a whole project. I am!
I'd prefer to do a home decor project, so I started looking at my board for inspiration:
Everyone is supposed to post about their project by next Tuesday, so I'll be back in less than a week with what I've done. Hopefully this time I'm more successful!
PS: I used PicMonkey to make the above collage, if anyone is wondering.
Problem is, I rarely find time to actually work on any of the projects that I get inspired to do. And that's exactly why the author of Bower Power does a Pinterest challenge every season. To get people to actually do a project that they pinned on Pinterest. So this summer, I'm finally going to make it happen. The last challenge started off with me trying to get something done and only halfway doing it. This time I'm actually going to finish a whole project. I am!
I'd prefer to do a home decor project, so I started looking at my board for inspiration:
Everyone is supposed to post about their project by next Tuesday, so I'll be back in less than a week with what I've done. Hopefully this time I'm more successful!
PS: I used PicMonkey to make the above collage, if anyone is wondering.
