officially christmas!

well it’s officially Christmas time at AJ Grack Business Interiors…

 

i love Christmas because of all the decorations and the general holiday spirit. my boss’s wife goes through the first weekend of december and decorates the office.

and it’s officially winter today! it’s cold, it’s snowy, everyone’s driving incredibly slow, it took me 45 minutes to get to work, and there’s non-stop holiday music on Classy 100.

i’m planning on a “here are my favorite christmas gift ideas this year” post.  all of my favorite ideas so far have been very “office” oriented…and i’m searching for a good gift for a friend (the only one out of the five of us girls from high school not working in an office) still in college.  i know she wants something for her “newer” apartment.  hopefully i can find something good!  Christmas gifts are so fun to give to people.  i wish i could afford to get the cutest & coolest things for everyone!

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update!

we are supposed to find out exactly what my gramma’s cancer is today.
pray for my family if you get a chance. i’ll update when i know more.

ok here’s an update, but it isnt a good one, cause they still don’t freakin know anything.

here’s what we know:
shes got cancer
it’s not lymphoma

here’s what we don’t know, but that they think:
it’s ovarian cancer

here’s what they are doing:
chemo & radiation.  PET test to find out more.

that’s all.

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people chain

Sunday was an absolutely awesome event.  It was pretty sad, it being the last services in our old Grace as we know it, but it was so incredibly exciting.  We were given a few minutes at the end of the service to say “goodbye” to Grace on 38th, however we saw fit.  I went down to the front and reminisced on all the memories in that building.  Children’s church, remembering the construction of the narthex and nursery area, all the many services being in that sanctuary, all the times I’ve been on stage…singing, dancing, acting…all the powerpoints I’ve done and watched be up on that rolled out screen, all the youth group memories and times I’ve been down front on my knees for my own problems or my fellow brothers and sisters…I remember standing up on the stage during one Insight (Youth Group) in high school where I gave a short testimony about my life as a “Christian From Birth”.  All the weddings I’d seen taken place in that church…how I always dreamed that MY wedding would be in there someday…

but then it was on to the new building. It was just a little chaotic at first, to decided if I was to drive Rachel and Dave around while they video taped and snapped pictures, but instead they decided to walk the 2-mile-ish trek with our very own Pastor Al.  I drove up there myself and took some pictures and video of the lines of people waiting to be passed the Bible and Cross to symbolize our move.  It was pretty neat.  Being in the new building…not quite “home” just yet…but filled with excitement and tears of exhaustion and anticipation…it was just…awesome.  it’s not quite home yet, though the amount of times I’ve been there and the other volunteers and staff, I’m surprised it doesn’t feel like it already.  I’m glad I got to help work on the project, so I know about the building, where things are, and feel somewhat comfortable in there already.  And it was amazing to have an almost packed-out house for our first “service” and worship there.  Incredibly cool.  I can’t wait till this weekend.

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launch party

today, whoisgrace.com launches. whoisgrace.com is the brain child of some of my favorite people at our church. it’s a site to tell you about the amazing move we will be making to our new church facility in only a few short weeks. it’s a site connecting you to the ideas of grace, the events of grace, and most importantly, to the people of grace (hey, look i’m on there!).

sometimes the thought of Grace Church moving to a different location is sad and scary to me. i’ve gone to this church all of my life, accompanied by my close family and friends. the thought of maybe never going back there makes me sad. but then, i walk into the new building, and i’m overwhelmed and amazed by the future that is ahead of us with all the new opportunities awaiting us in this new space. the fact that this is something that i was able to be a part of, that my generation will start leading this church, that everything about the new building is catered to what we need and all the new people we hope to see join us there. i tell ya – the people of grace are doing exciting things!

take some time to check out the site, and definitely take some time to visit us when we move in!

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October Sun

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fridays!

fridays are great. i mean, who doesnt love fridays?

tonight i start my 5-day house/cat sitting for my aunt & uncle (well, aunt is really my mum’s cousin and uncle is really my dad’s best friend, but whatever). they have an absolutely amazing house that i hope to get some lovely fall pics of this weekend. it’s like staying in a hotel. sort of. anyway.

next week: back to a normal schedule as coaching volleyball ends on monday
next weekend: trip to pittsburgh & ikea! halloween party! seeing my bestest girls!

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favorite pen

ok, so this pen is amazing. i mean, its so good, you should probably all go buy yourself like, 5.

“Uniball Signo Pen”, .5 mm Micro sized point.

not like i need it for this, but has ink that is specially formulated to prevent document fraud. maybe that or its ink that becomes “trapped in paper fibers” makes it write so awesome. comes in light blue, pink, orange, blue, black, red, green, and purple. i think my friend danielle would love this pen. it makes me write awesome like her :).

—————-
Listening to: Ingrid Michaelson – Glass
via FoxyTunes

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apartment hunting & a fun site

my friend kristen and i have been discussing the possibility of moving out and getting an apartment. the thought excites me a LOT. i love living at home with my parents (hey, free food, mostly free lodging…i usually get away with them doing my laundry, and my parents are of course oh-so-fun!) but i feel that after 4 years of college and going on 2 years of full-time work, i could be ready for this. i’m dying to fully decorate, design, & furnish an entire “home”. i want to sit in a room other than my bedroom and be able to say “i did this”. i want to sit in a room free from clutter, but full of inspiration.

kristen and i took a trip around “downtown” erie to see if there were any cool looking old houses for rent. we also stumbled upon some renovated apartments that are supposedly pretty nice (and seem decently priced). next step: who knows. maybe call places, see how serious we are!

i’d love to furnish my house in stuff from this website. who new crate & barrel had a more modern, hip company? one of my favorite pieces that i see in a lot of magazines lately around people’s dining tables is this chair:  (Hippie Dining Chair)

ok, so that isnt the exact chair but it’s pretty similar. here are the chairs i first started loving from Met Home magazine: (chairs are by Hans Wegner from DennisMiller.com)

i hope someday i can furnish my home with all the designer pieces i’ve always dreamed about!

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Phase 1

Phase 1 began today, September 30, 2007. i have not yet gotten to make the dresser purchases, but i was able to take apart my other desk and put together the cubes. i can’t believe how much stuff i have, and how much i fit in the new “cubes”! the original plan i had for the room i didnt like at ALL when i first moved the furniture, so it ended up a little different.  i also moved a few other things around, which i wasn’t planning on doing at first. i’m happy with the way things are after phase 1. next steps: memo-samples bulletin board, shelves from ikea & magazine boxes, maybe some other “decorative” boxes for storage on shelves/in cubes, and dressers. oh and i couldnt find the mirror i was looking for today at WalMart, so that was pretty disappointing and annoying!

anyway, here’s some views of the “newer” room at the moment:

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Operation: Declutter

i was majorly inspired this weekend while reading through a new Real Simple (October Edition) purchased from Wegmans, and my new Domino magazine (subscription received as a gift from our very thankful intern! she also bought me Blueprint). Real Simple’s edition was all about de-clutter and organization. my desk area in my room is an absolute disaster. there is too much desk space and not enough storage space. so, what happens is papers all over the desktop but nowhere to work. i spent a lot of saturday pondering and drawing out the new plan. i browsed target, walmart, ikea, and pottery barn for good ideas in items that will help sort, organize, and hide. my goal is to combine my “vanity” area and my “office area”. when you look at the pictures below, one would think this is probably impossible. but once i looked at the items i have, and what i’m going to try to fit them in, i really think this could work, and could cut down furniture in my oddly shaped room. (plus i will be buying 2 new “dressers). my first plan was a new desk and many other new storage purchases, but after measuring my room and placing in the furniture, i realized the best solution is an existing desk & filing cabinet, and a new cube-bookshelf, wall shelves, and other wall organizers. i’m hoping to purchase most of the major stuff at target this weekend, and tackle it saturday afternoon!

here’s before pictures of the cluttered mess:

this is my “vanity” area (next to the newer cube bookcase that will be staying, but hopefully thinning out).

and here’s my existing “office” area:

here’s what the above is going to look like from when you walk in the door (opposite the desk):

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