i n • p u r s u i t

There was once a very busy farmer named Farmer Ben. Farmer Ben lived and worked on a big farm with rolling hills, a big red barn, and lots of animals. Every morning, Farmer Ben would wake up before the sun and get ready for his day. Farmer Ben’s wife, Mrs. Ben, would make him breakfast using fresh things from the farm that Farmer Ben had collected the day before--including fresh eggs and fresh milk. Everyday, Farmer Ben had very many chores to attend to. Farmer Ben had to feed all the farm animals, collect eggs, and milk the cows. He also had to clean all the farm animals’ roosts, pens, stalls, and other animal homes. After working in the hot sun all day caring for the animals as well as doing other chores around the farm, Farmer Ben was tired! Farmer Ben had a son, Joe, who was away at college studying philosophy; it was only his first semester. One night, while on the phone with Joe, Farmer Ben learned about what his son called a “Calculus of Felicity.” As Joe explained the t...

I am member of the Boy Scouts of America. If any one reading this is also a Boy Scout, you can tell by the arrow around my neck in the 2nd picture (pink ribbon and all!) that I am working hard to get It took me a long time to decide whether or not I really should get one. Would I be a flapper? Or would I be a true arrow(wo)man? Would I seriously uphold what WWW mean? Would I attend Spring & Fall Fellowships, Dixies, Winter Banquets, other AKK events? I missed Fall Fellowship because I was at a babyshower for a woman in my small group who I didn't really know, but I would now say is my friend. I am going to be missing the Winter Banquet because I will be going to a surprise party for friend. Someone once told me that people should be able to tell whether or not someone is in the Order by their actions, not by their sash. (Well, because I'm a girl, no one would guess me being in the Order!) I hope that, even though I'm unable to attend Lodge-wide events, that I t...

Poor Penelope Parrot! She fell into the drink and could never get back out. So we just ate her instead. It's a "Lady of the Sea" by the way and much yummier than it looks! So for our date on Friday night, Mike and I went to Cheeseburger in Paradise followed by ice skating at the Pavillion. There are no pictures of ice skating, but you can just imagine. Haha. It was an excellent and fun night! ♥Tiffany♥

♥Tiffany♥

An Irish daughter had not been to the house for over 5 years. Upon her return, her father cursed her; " Where have you been all this time, you ingrate! Why didn't you write us, not even a line to let us know how you were doing? Why didn't you call? You little tramp! Don't you know what you put your Mum through??!!" The girl, crying, replied, "Sniff, sniff... Dad... I became a prostitute..." "WHAT!!? Out of here, you shameless harlot! Sinner! You're a disgrace to this family - I don't ever want to see you again!" "OK, Dad - as you wish. I just came back to give Mom this luxury fur coat, title deeds to a ten bed-roomed mansion, plus a savings account certificate for 5 million. For my little brother, this gold Rolex, and for you Daddy the spanking New Mercedes limited edition convertible that's parked outside plus a Lifetime membership to the Country Club...(takes a breath)...an invitation for you all to spend New Years' Eve o...

1. What bill do you hate paying the most? cell phone (even though I use it the most!) 2. Where's the best place to eat a romantic dinner? at home. with the lights low, candles, and norah jones. 3. Last time you puked from drinking? ew, never! 4. When is the last time you got drunk and danced on a bar? in a past life, maybe. 5. Name of your first grade teacher? Miss Kramer 6. What do you really want to be doing right now? laying down on Mike's couch 7. What did you want to be when you were growing up? a dolphin trainer, a professional musician (clarinet), a cotton candy maker. 8. How many colleges did you attend? one, Greenville Tech 9. Why did you wear the shirt that you have on right now? because it's pink and comfortable 10. GAS PRICES! Actually, I hardly every pay attention to them! I kinda squint at the numbers as I'm filling my tank, but that's it. I know, I'm awful! 11. If you could move anywhere and take someone with you? I would stay exactly where I am. ...

Mary & Tiffany: retreat junkies National Catholic Youth Conference, 1999 @ St. Louis ♥Tiffany♥

I like Jennifer Anniston, but "Rumor Has It..." was a weird movie. Have you ever seen or read "The Graduate"? I haven't. But this movie is supposed to be about the family that "The Graduate" was based on. Sarah Huttinger [Jennifer Anniston] discovers this about her family and goes of to find if Beau Burroughs [Kevin Costner] is her biological father. Sarah : Maybe every girl in my family has to sleep with you. Beau Burroughs : I don't know if they have to, but they certainly have.

i bought an awesome new chair today from goodwill. it's matches my bedroom exactly. and made me realize that my room is smaller than i though and i have no furniture arranging talent i also hung up some cafe rods today...but they have yet to have curtians i was at the gym today. whenever i set the machine (elitical, bike, whatever) to a certain plan...like, say, a hill (my favorite, only Lord knows why!)...i always end up dropping the resistance level when it gets hard. i won't say that it is entirely because i am lazy, but i just don't have the energy to make it up that hill. i've never worked out before now. and all it makes me is hungry. pasta, sundried tomatoes, spinach, garlic, olives...yummy. here i come! ♥Tiffany♥

I have been living in my apartment for almost two months now and... I still have boxes in my bedroom. I still don't have curtains. I still don't own a vaccum cleaner. My baking sheets and pans are still M.I.A. My bedroom is still missing that je ne sais quoi . See, it's so big. And I'm finally realizing that I really need to do something about it. So here is the plan: turn it into two working spaces. Part-bedroom, part-lounge. I want to get some really cool parlour chairs or a chaise lounge or something to make the area near the faux-fireplace into more of a sitting area. It sounds like a fab idea. I also need to post a photo-blog of my new place. It's so cute. This is the view out side my kitchen window. I got that birdfeeder for Christmas (which seems FOREVER ago, doesn't it?) and I've already had to refill it. But I never ever see any birds! Okay, that's a lie. I've seen two birds. I guess they come between the hours of 7:30am and 6:30pm...'c...

Mike told me on our date last night that there were errors in my blog--such as using the wrong form of their/there/they're. WHAT? How incredibly embarassing! Perhaps though, more embarssing for Correct-o who has never caught a grammar error on my blog. Mike and I caught FIVE errors on the first page with about 1-2 spelling/gramatical errors per blog post. Our date, by the way, was super fabulous. We went to the Cazbah and shared a bottle of wine and a bunch of tapas followed by white chocolate/carmel fondu for desert. It was one of those great dates where you have fun the entire time talking, laughing, holding hands across the table and gazing lovingly into each other's eyes. Okay, I'll stop making you sick now. Mike is listening to "Intergalactic Planetary"...oh yeah. I'll stir-fry you in my wok! ♥Tiffany♥

I met an angel last night. She said that everyone called her "Miss Mary" and she needed kerosene. I was initially wary of the woman on the side of the road asking for help and even still wary after she got into the car. She mentioned "Shepherd's Gate" though, and so we would be happy to help her out. We ended up not taking her there (to see if she could get kerosene and food vouchers) and took her to the gas station ourselves after a detour to a side of town that, though I live very near, I had only passed, had never gone though. She told us to lock the doors and that she would be right back with the kerosene container. She talked to us the entire time and told us about her life. I'm pretty sure I was blessed just being able to meet her. She prayed with us before we parted ways. Sometimes, I forget how blessed I am and how awesomely God provides for His children. Sometimes, I forget that if we just give it all up to Jesus that He will watch over us and prote...

The purpose of this blog is for any pay-to-blog things I sign up for. You may see it as selling out, I see it as easy extra bucks. We'll have to wait awhile before this gets started up though. So, for right now, I'm going to do a plug of my own. There is an awesome small buisness in Greenville, SC: O-CHA Tea Bar . And it needs your help. Like the way of many downtown small businesses, O-cha may be closing due to high rent and low customer flow. Luckily, business has picked up since people have discovered the threat of one of the best businesses in downtown closing. By the end of this week, the decision of whether not O-Cha will stay open is going to be made. So, go to O-cha and spend lots of money!

Mike came over for dinner last night and I made a new dish. Spaghetti with olive oil and garlic. It's really easy but it's subtle and yummy--perfect for two tired people, especially when one has a cold sore (no red sauce). Dinner was complemented with a spinach salad and a tall glass of red wine (for me). After all was eaten, we sat on the love seat digesting and talking, but mostly basking in the warmth of each other's company. We've been spoiled, you know, with Mike being able to work from home. After school, days off, after work, etc...I could always just go to his place because he would always be there. We'd chat on the phone several times a day while I had a break between classes or the children were napping. Now, however, Mike works somewhere else! Which means those previous luxuries are gone. We see each other just a little less (maybe it's just how much normal dating couples see each other) so it's always nice to be able to spend a few minutes doing ...

Time: 5:30pm Place: a subdivision in Simpsonville Request: pre-dinner snack "Well, how about some cereal?" "Um...maybe. What kind of cereal?" ::rummages around in cabinet and produces a box:: "Uh, let me think. No. That's choc full of sugar." "Well, how about I just eat the marshmellows?" "Sweetie, marshmellows are sugar." "No there not!" "Yes, marshmellows are sugar." "Fine. I'll just eat the stars." ♥Tiffany♥

He's trying to get me to laugh. That girl in the front row keeps giggling at every little thing he says! But there is just one thing that makes her laughter annoying--he's just not that funny. Okay, so, occasionally he'll say something humorous (usually his paranoia) and keep the whole class at a moderate chuckle for a minute or so...even me, I must confess. But mostly, I won't laugh. He looks at me intently and babbles on about another 'ism' and his head seems to wobble on it's pedestal. He does this several times while saying something that makes the girl two seats down from me titter. I don't look away and I don't laugh. Once he goes on to intently staring down the next poor soul (who inevitably smiles to get him to look away) I look around desparately for some duct tape so that I can tape the girl who-- bless her heart --is giggling so much she cannot seem to stay in her chair. Though he is lecturing on things which I find very interesting, I fin...

The much anticipated game was last Friday, January 12. For Christmas, I bought Mike tickets to see the Detroit Pistons play the Atlanta Hawks. (A game that was sure to be a win for us!) I took a half day of work and picked up some Pita House for lunch. Yum yum! Soon after lunch, we hopped in the car and made the seemingly very long journey to Atlanta. (The trip only takes about two hours or so, but it seems so long!) We ate dinner at a sports bar called Jack & Jills that had about fifteen TVs on every wall as well as every sports flag you could imagine. (Yes, even the Detroit Lions.) Everywhere we looked, there were fellow Detroit Pistons fans--Wallace jerseys on big and small. Our seats for the game were at the front of the second deck; not the best seats, but they were still pretty good. The was a lively preshow with miniature steppers from a local school and well endowed women in skimpy clothing, but the real delight was when the players finally made their way to the court. Hawk...

bal·ly·hoo / n. ˈbæl iˌhu; v. ˈbæl iˌhu, ˌbæl iˈhu / Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation [ n. bal -ee-hoo; v. bal -ee-hoo, bal-ee- hoo ] – noun – plural -hoos, verb, -hooed, -hoo·ing 1. a clamorous and vigorous attempt to win customers or advance any cause; blatant advertising or publicity. 2. clamor or outcry. 3. a halfbeak, Hemiramphus brasiliensis, inhabiting both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. –verb (used with object), verb (used without object) 4. to advertise or push by ballyhoo. [Origin: 1830–40, Americanism ; of uncert. orig. ] —Synonyms 1 . buildup, hoopla, fanfare; hype.

The year is only one week and one day old, but it has been going well so far. The weather of late has been rather rainy and blustery, but it's not so bad. (Until Alex and Lauren want to play outside that is!) My relationship with God is only getting stronger and my relationships with my friends and family are all going well. I can't complain. A few things that I would like to accomplish this year: -Make more A's than C's in school. -Write on a regular basis (it keeps me sane!) -Use correspondence to make friends feel special. (Mary your first!) -Find a wise and godly woman to be my mentor. -Travel by train to a city for a mini-vacation by myself. -Take more photos -Write more poetry -Learn how to care for a newborn, a 2-year-old, and a 4-year-old...all at the same time.(This one isn't optional, haha!) -Continue to centralize my life and my relationship around God. -Be happy, successful, modest, cheerful, honest, confident, and patient! About #8...Janelle is having a...

Mike and I are such cool people, you know. We lead such fascinating lives. For example: for the past hour and a half or so, I've been mindlessly wandering around on Facebook and MySpace uploading new pictures to both our pages or commenting on other peoples pages. Mike has been playing Age of Empires. It doesn't get much cooler than that. ♥Tiffany♥ (But now he's quit because he lost and can't handle the agony of defeat.) so sexy

8am: Showers, 57°F 9am: Showers, 59°F 10am: Showers, 61°F 11am: Showers, 62°F 12am: Scattered T-Storms, 63°F 1pm: Scattered T-Storms, 64°F 2pm: Scattered T-Storms, 64°F 3pm: T-Storms, 64°F 4pm: T-Storms, 64°F 5pm: T-Storms, 64°F 6pm: T-Showers, 63°F so much for playing outside... ♥Tiffany♥

put me on a pedestal high above your heads just so you can spend your days dreaming all about me and trying and striving to reach me create me into something beautiful in this fantastic reality because you cannot know what is real when you cannot even open your eyes place me into a vision so perfect and divine and if you spend your days praying and hoping what you wish will come true in its own time take me down off this pedestal brush off your rose colored glasses wipe away the fog and you will see that everything is as it is meant to be

i know the last thing that you want to hear is "i know how you feel" but i do i've been you i've been the one that's torn in two between what i feel is right and what i feel is true

I'm wondering if I was just a little too mean. He was good all day. But I guess I did give him an ultimatum. "Sit here for three minutes--no fussing--or we're going home." He didn't get put in time-out for running up the stairs. No, he got put in time out for not listening to me. But he wouldn't sit in timeout. There was a movie going. So, I gave him the ultimatum. Maybe I was too harsh; maybe I wasn't. But at the very least, he is a little bit closer to knowing that I mean business. I feel awful about looking like the bad person in front of the other babysitters and the other kids. But I feel like if we don't nip it in the bud (that really has already blossomed!) then it will just get worse and worse. So, I don't tolerate. Alex is being good again. He ate a good lunch and cleared his plate and is playing nicely. My heart, however, is racing from the rush of carrying a screaming kid across the street while trying to get his sister to walk just a li...

T: "Let's make a toast." M: "To what?" T: "Oh, I don't know...you do it." M: "Here's to 2007. Another year of good times, love, happiness--" T: "That's a little too cliche." M: "Here's to 2007. Farting--" T: "clean apartments," M: "stuffed chicken," T: "reading the Bible together," M: "exhorting one another daily," T: "naps on the couch," M: "bacon and eggs," T: "Jeopardy," M: "good wine," T: "good books," M: "spending time with friends," T: "spending time with family," M: "healthy living," T: "healthy eating," M: "striving to do good." T: "Yeah...that's a good toast." ♥Tiffany♥