ponder this

at my brother's graduation on sunday they had one speaker who was actually worth listening too (rare for a high school graduation). she asked the graduates this question: "what would you do if you knew you couldn't fail?" think about this for a while, what would you do if you couldn't fail? i came up with a long list of things! i would do soooo much! but then i thought, isn't knowing that i couldn't' t fail the same as trusting the Lord in all that i do? ponder that for a bit.

Big money

this is another picture from the house my dad just finished building (see blog entry below). this is a picture of some of their sports memorabilia that they have started to hang up. my dad told us that one of these pictures, hanging in the BASEMENT, was purchased for $55,000. yes, you read that correctly. fifty-five thousand dollars for a picture that is hanging in the basement.

that just made me wonder... how much did the picture hanging over the mantle cost? or the pictures hanging on either side of the dining room? surely the pictures hanging in more glorified places must cost more than the one placed among so many others in the basement?!?!?

do you know what i could do with that kind of money? after paying off all my debt i still would have plenty of money to do something like put a down payment on a town house! that is just crazy!

My Dad is the best builder

dining room sitting room off of kitchen

front of house

pool spiral stairs

back of house

back of house too yes...this is 4 grown adults inside of one of the guest bedroom showers!!!
i love these stairs!

Let me brag about my dad for a minute. For 30 + years he has been building custom homes on Long Island, New York. One of my favorite things to do is to go visit a house when my dad is done building it. I love to see all the architectural beauty, the quality construction, the design...and the elegance. My dad doesn't just build any old house, he builds gorgeous mansions and estates. I am so proud of him. So, here is the latest house that he completed. The family that built this house was out on their yacht in Sag Harbor, so we got a rare post move-in tour. Here are some pictures. My favorite has to be the shower picture. Enjoy! And way to go Dad!!!

"THE HAMPTONS"

so unless you live under a rock you've heard of "the hamptons". the home to A-list celebrities, the summer home to almost all celebrities, the home of some of the coolest, trendiest night clubs, and the world's nicest beaches. yes, that is all true.

i grew up in the hamptons. when people ask me where i am from i never say "the hamptons". i say long island, ny. if they say..."oh yeah? here abouts on long island? i then say "southampton". and 99.99% of the time i get something like this "oooohhhhhh, your from "the hamptons". wow, we have someone special among us..." this drives me CRAZY! when i was a teenager i thought it was cool, but not anymore.

i have been dubbed "the hamptons girl" in college, at work and along my travels. people say, "oh jennifer you're gonna think my home is like a trailer compaired to living in the hamptons" or when a fashion question arises i hear "go ask jennifer, she would know cause she is from the hamptons". and that is just the tip of the iceberg, i have been asked so many other ridiculous questions and been stereotyped as well. people always assume that i am rich, loaded, have more money than i know what to do with, etc.

well let me tell you about the hamptons that i grew up in...despite what everyone may think the hamptons is not ALL rich and famous. there is a middle class and there are also a few poverty stricken areas. yes..poverty in the hamptons. sorry if i am bursting anyones bubble! i grew up in a struggling middle class family in a struggling middle class community. as property prices went up and the hamptons became more and more famous...things also became more and more expensive. you might be thinking, why didn't they just move to a different area? well, its not that easy. both of my parents were born and raised here and all of us were born in the same hospital. my mom, dad, me, ryan and jason-all born in Southampton Hospital.

in fact, my distant relatives FOUNDED the town that i grew up in. there are at least 10 streets with the name halsey in them. halsey ave, halsey street, halsey neck lane..you get the point. there is even an original halsey house that was built back in the 1600s that is now a historal sight. you have to pay to go in it! you'd think that such a historial name would come with historial amounts of old family money, but it didn't. my parents always wanted to stay here and they truly love it here, so that is why we struggled to make it in the playground of the rich and famous. it was hard, we never had extra money and we often just had enough to make ends meet. some times were better than others. my dad is a builder and he builds gorgeous homes for people with unimaginable amount of money. when work was good we could all breathe a bit easier, but it wasn't always good.

despite what most people think about the hamptons, we did not drive a range rover, bmw or mercedes. we drove chevys. i can even remember my first day at a new catholic school in 6th grade. i was talking to some girls (who turned out to be the cool girls) and one of them said, "So what kind of car does your mom drive?" i remember feeling embarrassed to say a station wagon. her mom drove a jaguar, and i secretly was mad at my parents for not having a car like all the other families we were surrounded by.

my point is that although the hamptons are beautiful and the beaches are great, it is just like any other place you can live. there is a wide range of incomes, nationalities, religions, etc. the hamptons are overrated!!!

home is....

well, i'm "home". i don't really consider Southampton, NY home anymore. but because it is where i grew up and where my family lives-i call it home. however, when i am here and talking about chapel hill, nc...i call that home! how confusing right?!?!

my mom use to have a decorative plaque hanging in our house that said "home is where your heart is". i never thought about it, just saw it on a regular basis. 4 years ago when i moved to NC i don't think my heart was anywhere. it was unhappy and longing/searching for a place to call home. and now it is safe to say that my heart, my home is really in North Carolina.

i know this for many reasons.
1. i just love it there... the kind people, the beautiful weather, the great churches, my extended family, my brother, and soon to be brotherS (Jason is going to High Point University in the fall!!!).
2. i have complete peace in my heart when i am there. i don't have that feeling here anymore.
3. my church and church family are there
4. my great job is there
5. awesome friends
6. i believe my future is there

lots of people ask me if i would ever move back here. the answer is no. as much as i love the beach, my best friend, and the beauty, i just don't feel like its home anymore. my next blog will further address my dislike of "the hamptons".

so, my home is north carolina....and i miss it :(

The music of my life

This is fun! Got it from Joey and Jamie. Try it..

1. Put your music player on shuffle.
2. Press forward for each question.
3. Use the song title as the answer to the questions.
NO CHEATING...


What does next year have in store for me?
Mr. Brightside-The Killers
mr. brightside sounds a lot like mr. right doesn't it!?!?!

What does your love life look like?
Once Again-Matt Redman
haha

What do I say when life gets hard?
Night, Night-Seiom Accorgo
this is sooo true-when i'm upset i always go to sleep-that is how i deal when life gets hard. i guess i secretly hope to sleep through it all!

What do I think when I get up in the morning?
Zanzibar-Billy Joel
what does zanzibar mean???

What song will I dance to at my wedding?
Mission Pen Possible-Tunnelrats
so funny!

What do you want as a career?
Walk by Faith-Jeremy Camp

Your favorite saying?
Music of my heart-Nicole C. Mullen

Favorite place?
The One Thing-Paul Coleman

What do you think of your parents?
Black, White, Tan-Nicole C. Mullen
LOL!

Where would you go on a first date?
Hallelujah-Brenton Brown
See…just the thought of a first date makes me say hallelujah

Drug of choice?
Shooby –Nicole C. Mullen
sounds like a good drug!!

Describe yourself:
sleep, baby sleep-Nursery rhymes
i do like to sleep :)

What is the thing I like doing most?
Sing Alleluai-Jennifer Knapp
that's great!!!

The song that best describes the president?
Highway Blues-Marc Seales

What is my state of mind like at the moment?
Crucified-Christafari

How will I die?
Our Little Love-Nursery Rhymes

Jamie's custom question: What makes me smile?
New Mexico-Billy Joel

Joey's custom question: What captures your attention?
Mockingbird-Eminem

Jennifer’s custom question-What will my day be like?
Keeping the Faith-Billy Joel
this is the best one!!!

evil credit cards

okay, i got the bright idea to open up a target credit card account when school started this past year. i said i was doing it to "support my school", since a percentage of what i spend is given back to my school. but it was really just because i love target and like to spend more money than i make. yes i said it and it's true! however, since september i have been blessed to have been apart of a financial peace small group at my church. so i am in the process of eliminating debt and trying to SAVE money. interesting concept for someone like me!

i cut my target credit card and another visa card up about 3 months ago now. surprisingly i haven't died of starvation or from the lack of this summer's latest hand bag. i didn't cancel my credit cards yet because i am still paying them off. anyways, i got a letter from target national bank the other day. it stated that my wonderful payment history had earned me a large credit increase along with my target card being switched to a visa target card, so that i could use it anywhere in the whole wide world. i have to say it was tempting...i started to think of all the reasons why i should accept this reward for my great behavior (yeah right). but i came to my senses and decided to opt out of the upgrade. well, let me tell you they sure don't make it easy for you to opt out. you have to read through this brochure with negative 4 font and then you have to call an 800 number, enter your account number and press 2 about 6 times to confirm that you really do want to opt out. isn't that crazy??!?!? so much effort to do the right thing. if i had decided to take the new upgrade i would have had to do nothing...absolutely nothing, just go to my mailbox and get it when it arrives. so, beware of credit card companies. they will do anything to make YOU slave to the lender.

aqueduct

before i blog i just want to give a shout out to my wonderful cousin kim and the glorious joey...you two are the only people who read my blog. thanks for the support!

soooooooooooooooooooooo...i'm working at aqueduct right now. i am "night manager", which means that i am here to supervise the waitstaff during dinner, make sure that dinner goes smoothly, and handle any needs of our guests (extra towels, show them how to work the tv, etc.) i also answer the phone and make sure that everyone gets into their cottages safe and sound at night. i turn lights on and off, lock up the buildings, etc. it is a wonderful second job for me, because it is not stressful and it allows for me to get things done.

i have LOTS of down time here. so i always bring my laptop, lesson plans, bible, etc. i use my down time to pay bills, update my blog, check email, work on my budget...i could go on and on. before i worked here i'm not sure when i use to do all these things! i sometimes am working on personal things for hours at a time!

now that school is out and its summer time i don't have as much to do. i was looking forward to getting my work done tonight and then just watching some tv tonight and just vegging out. however the tv is not working and i am sad :( i have to admit that i really love tv. its at times like this-when my brain and body are just tired, but its still not time for bed, that i really love tv. i'm too tired to read without falling asleep, so tv is perfect. i have already searched every website that i know of and i just want to channel surf until its time to lock up (11pm). so, instead of watching tv i am writing a boring blog :) sorry guys. blame it on the tv.

new york

the top 10 reasons why i am excited to go home (in no particular order)

10. jason is graduating from high school...hooray!
9. if i want to go the beach i can be there in 5 minutes instead of 2 hours!
8. i get to eat REAL bagels, good chinese food, and amazing chicken salad
7. i get to see kelley, sine and reilly :)
6. i get to see my mom, dad, jason, grammie, pa, gay and mal
5. i will be reminded of how much i love living in n.c. (traffic, lack of a.c., rude people, etc.)
4. i get to see lisa and joe
3. i will spend most of my days there with my feet planted in the warm sand, while listening to the sound of the ocean waves crashing and feeling the cool sea breeze (none of this 100 degrees by noon crap)
2. doss is coming to visit!!!!
1. i will be "home"

Bathing suit shopping...

Today I decided it was time to go bathing suit shopping. YIKES! I absolutely hate bathing suit shopping. I hate it for several reasons...

1. my body (that's the obvious one)

2. the prices!

3. the tangles mess that bathing suits are when hanging on racks.

4. trying 400 + bathing suits on

5. wondering about the other people who have tried the same on on (yuck!)

I could go on and on. Anyways, I started in Sears and was surprised to find that most of the bathing suits were 50% off. That was cool. I find it funny that the bathing suits go on clearance/sale before summer even officially starts. Then I discovered that the new trend is buying tops and bottoms as separates, mix n' match. I am a big fan of the tankini, so we were off to a good start. I found a bottom that I liked on my first trip into the fitting room. That must be some kind of record!!! I couldn't find a good top so I purchased the bottom in faith that I would find a top at another store. So after a pit stop at Auntie Ann's pretzels I went to JC Penney's and found a top! Again on my first trip the fitting room. The suits were on sale at Penney's too. So I ended up spending about $50 dollars total. It was a wonderful bathing suit shopping experience! I NEVER thought that I would say wonderful and bathing suit in the same sentence!!!!!!! So, now I'm all set for my trip home to Long Island and for lots of summer days by the pool. Yeah!

weird?!?!

so after my last work day yesterday i came home to take a nice restful nap. sometimes i nap on the couch, but when i want a really good long nap i get in my bed. so as i was sleeping i had a bad dream, i don't remember what is was about. i just know it was scary and i felt tense. whatever was happening in my dream caused me to reach up and scratch my face. i now have 2, 3 inch scratches across my cheek! i look like i was attacked by a cougar!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! has something like this every happened to you? can you help me think of a cool story to tell everyone? the nap story is not very good!

summer, summer time!

i made it! another school year under my belt (so to speak). today is my first official day of summer (although summer does not truly officially start till next Thursday). i love it. my multi-tasking self tends to calm down and i start to get little things done that i normally can't do. so far today i woke up to my dog and NOT an alarm clock, went for a walk with Sister, checked my email, and now i am watching morning talk shows while blogging! how great is that?!?!

the rest of my day involves a manicure and pedicure, courtesy of a gift certificate from one of my student's parents. then i will run a few errands and probably get a nap in. i'm pretty happy right now!

down pour

i got home from work today and decided to take my dog for a longer than usual walk. the temperature was just right and i also needed to make a few phone calls. yes, i'm the one who walks her dog, talks on the phone, chews gum...and then gets almost hit by a car. i know some people get annoyed at people like me, but i'm a multi-tasker by nature. i always need to be doing more than one thing. thats a topic for a whole other blog though.

so, sister and i start walking and i notice the black clouds in the distance. but i decided they were too far away for me to worry. i was wrong! about 5 minutes into the walk it starts to rain and then POUR!!!! sister and i started running back to the apartment, but it was too late. we were soaked. so i stopped running and just admired the rain for a minute. i could immediately smell the rain on the hot asphalt and see the steam start to rise. it reminded me of being a kid, playing on the farm and getting caught in an afternoon thunderstorm. it was fun. sister didn't much appreciate getting so wet, but it was worth it.

i didn't sing in the rain, but i was tempted!

Christy

All of you who might read this already know what I'm about to say, but I'm gonna say it anyways. Christy Merrill is a great person!!! Yesterday we FINALLY got to celebrate Christy's upcoming big move to AFRICA!!!

I meet Christy 4 years ago as I started my teaching career at North Chatham School. She thought I was snotty at first because I turned down every offer she ever made to go to happy hour on Friday afternoon. I didn't turn her down because I am snotty, I was just struggling with my adjustment to teaching and moving to NC, etc. So when she couldn't get me to happy hour she invited me to church!! I finally said yes and that is how I found newhope!!! It is amazing how God works. It is really all because of Christy that 12 (yes twelve) of my family members now attend newhope and are experiencing God's love and grace in a whole new way. Cool, huh?

Well the story doesn't end there. Christy and I not only worked together, but now we went to church together. We eventually ended up in the same small group too! So to save gas money we just decided to become roommates!!!! (that isn't really why, but it makes sense, right?!?)

I lived with Christy for 2 years and God continued to bless me through her. And now she is moving to Africa! I'm gonna miss her...a lot. But I couldn't be more happy for her. She is the most obedient person I know when it comes to listening to God. And for that reason God is preparing to bless her in ways that she could never even imagine. There is talk of Christy returning with an African baby and lots of piercings...who knows!! The only one thing I know for sure is that thousands of people will be blessed by her in Africa.

If you don't already support Christy in prayer or with finances you need to get on the boat!!! This girl is going places...so lets help her get there. Leave me a comment if you want more info on supporting her.

I LOVE YOU CHRISTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!