Standing out as a Design Gangsta

As a graphic designer you have to do something to stand out above the rest. I still haven't figured out how to really do that, but this guy certainly did. I love how he uses all of the design terms and he goes past the wall of famous designers. Not to mention he is from my new state North Carolina. Pretty funny.

Mute Math

So this past Friday Wade, Eric Phillips, and myself made our way uptown Charlotte to see the band Mute Math. I had listened to their cd previously and really enjoyed them and I knew that they were super creative, but my face was completely rocked off and from here on out I will be at any show they have that is near me.

Here are some things that I saw that made me know this concert was going to be the jam:

1. I was basically on the front row. There was one girl in front of me so I had one of the best views ever.
2. The drummer came out on stage, took a roll of tape and wrapped it around his headphones so they wouldn't came off as he rocked out. He also had this look on his face like he was missing a few screws and on some medication.
3. The lead singer did these super awkward dance moves that ended up being somehow extremely cool.
4. The band members all rotated instruments. The bass player went to the drums, then the singer played keys/keytar and did some drum stuff, then the guitar player did some keys. It was crazy.
5. The drummer did this drum breakdown (video below) and just picked up his drums and set them on things and didn't care if anything got messed up.
6. During one song, the lead singer did some handstand kind of things on his keyboard and then flipped over it, then he jumped back over and pulled down a speaker.
7. When they played their last song, the stage ended up being in complete ruins. The drums had been knocked over, mics were on the ground, a guitar had been taken by the audience. Everyone knew that there wasn't going to be another song.

I guess you can tell from those things that these band members are just crazy. And wouldn't you know it they are all Christians and if you read their lyrics you will notice it. I love how these guys are Christians, but rock the boat on how the music has to be. They have come out with a sound that is so different from any other band and they are getting recognized. I think this is a perfect example of how being really creative is something that God is pleased with. He didn't make us to watch someone and do exactly what they do. He made us so that we would take risks and chances and even if you look stupid at least you tried it.



(This video is from the concert in Charlotte that we saw and seems to have the angle of exactly where I was standing. You can see the bass player has taken over the drummer's spot, the drummer is the one going to town on his sideways drum, and the singer moved from the keys to hitting the standing drum in the back.)

(This is them wrapping up the drum breakdown.)

The lone married one, until...

I got married two months before I turned 21, to Wade who is 8 years older than me, while I still had one year left of college. Needless to say my friends who I grew up with weren't anywhere close to making that decision and I have been the lone married one out of our high school clan for awhile now. But the other day one of my best friends Alyson called me to let me know she just got engaged! I loved hearing Alyson say that she got engaged and knowing by experience how much she is going to love marriage and that this is going to be such a wonderful time for her. So I had so much excitement inside for Alyson that I had to post a blog about it.


(Watch out Alyson, the roles are about to be reversed! What?!)

Chuck and Design

Wade and I have quite a few shows that we really enjoy watching. One of those shows is called "Chuck." It comes on NBC at 8 and is about this everyday type guy who saw top secret information and is now helping secret agents figure out national security issues. It is a humorous show with action and romance. You will love it. I actually told Wade last week that I wished Chuck could come on every night.

Although I love the show and I think you should watch it that isn't the reason for the post. The reason I posted about Chuck is because it wins the title in my opinion for best beginning credits for a tv show. One area of graphic design that you can specialize in is coming up with these opening credits (like the opening credits for the Spiderman movies). If I was better at animation I would love to come up with these. So when this show fully embraced the creative opening I was super excited.

Bless Back Project Rages On

I went to church this Sunday and found out that Elevation had an article written about it in the Charlotte Observer. The Observer heard about our Bless Back Project and put the story on its front page. I am so excited that all over Charlotte random people are being blessed by Elevation Church attendees. I think people have gotten so excited about it they don't want to stop with what the church gave them. Instead they are reaching into their own pockets to figure out how they can serve and help others with the money that God has provided them in their own wallets and checking accounts.


And you Mt. Horeb peeps, I have been looking on the website to see what you have done with your money, even though you live in Columbia you aren't exempt from sharing your Bless Back story online! Can't wait to hear them.

Survival Cookbook

I used to be a horrible wife. For the first two years of our marriage, I made Wade a Lean Cuisine every night. That was our big dinner...Lean Cuisine. I always wanted to cook and change things up, but I felt like cooking took too long and I wasn't organized enough to plan out what I was going to cook ahead of time and then I wouldn't have the right groceries. It wasn't fun. I even had a few times where I was so sick of eating Lean Cusines that I thought I would throw up when trying to eat one.

So when we moved to Charlotte I figured I had some more time on my hands and my husband was working hard at the office so I decided to try cooking. I had two criterias for any meal that I might prepare. 1. It had to be super easy. 2. It needed to be healthy. So I went on the hunt for cookbooks on Amazon.com and found two cookbooks that I thought might work well. I have used one A LOT and if you are in any situation like I was in I think you will like it too.

The book is called "The Weeknight Survival Cookbook" (subtitle "How to Make Healthy Meals in 10 Minutes") by Dena Irwin, R.D. She gives a shopping list for the week and then you use a lot of leftovers from previous meals later in the week and that makes my grocery bills even cheaper. For example, I made a turkey meatloaf on a Monday and then on Wednesday we had a spaghetti type meal that the leftover Turkloaf was chopped into. Then she also takes shortcuts in some places, but in other areas you are making a sauce or something from scratch so it feels like I can truly tell Wade I cooked something for him instead of popping something in the microwave or oven. And that makes me feel proud of my skills.

The first week I bought everything on her shopping list, but I realized Wade and I don't eat 6 big meals a week. So I decided to pick 4 of her meals and then only buy what I need for those, which makes my grocery bill like $70 for a week of meals. All the meals are 4 servings so I end up eating some of the leftovers for lunch the next day.

Hope this helps any of you struggling out there. I won't say I feel completely comfortable with cooking yet, but I am learning.

I am the Law Giver

This was just too funny not to post.

I love when big businesses (Toyota) use a humorous approach to selling their product. I don't know if it causes more people to buy it or not, but I think it is funny and then I end up watching it multiple times, so other people must do that too. Funny phrases makes this advertisement go to a whole new level of awesomeness. Did you see me lay down the law?

Weekend Recap

I have been doing a pretty bad job of blogging regularly. I just always put that as the last thing on my list and then of course I never get to it. So I apologize. I will do better, but I am not making a promise that you can hold me to.

Weekend Recap

1.So my small group girls (and my friend/co-leader Wendy and her daughter Lauren, and our friends Nick and Trevor, but for the sake of simple writing all of these people are included in the term "small group girls") came up and visited Saturday and Sunday. We ate at Firebirds (an awesome steakhouse) and they went to Elevation Sunday morning with me. It was so much fun. I loved being a host to them and loved getting to hear what is going on and just see them. They are all talking about college and what they want to do in their life and it seems so weird to think that when we first started hanging out they were tiny freshman. They want to come up like every month. I would absolutley love it!


(I have some sweet timer skills don't I? Too bad my eyes look like little slivers of black)


(Of course we had to do the traditional funny picture. Scooter looks a little depressed)

2.Elevation took crazy to a whole new level on Sunday when they passed out a total of $40,000 to the people who came. You can visit the Bless Back Project and see what people are doing with the money they received. This is the coolest thing I have ever seen a church do. I mean what church gives away its offering and then doesn't take up another one and asks it people to go crazy and do whatever they can to bless someone other than themselves and family members. I love it! They didn't care if you talked about Elevation or anything they just wanted to send out an attitude of generosity and catch on that we can do the same with our own money.

3.Then finally Wade was supposed to go out of town yesterday and today, but some plans fell through. Since he didn't have to go to Atlanta today I got to go to watch him play for an event last night in Columbia. Wade and the band did an amazing job and I was so happy I got to see it. We also went back to our old house since we know the people we sold it to. It felt so weird being in a house that we spent 2 years at (our first married years) and it is completely different. But even after visiting our old stopping grounds I am incredibly thankful that we live in Charlotte now and I have an awesome home.

3b.Also, Wade's friend Andrew brought him back a sword/big knife from Africa. Watch out if you sneak up on Wade too fast. He may cut you. Jk. Maybe.

Honey...can't you stop doing that?

So as I was running errands yesterday I overheard this conversation between an elderly couple:

(Both walk to car, woman is driving, woman pushes the unlock button on keychain, man goes for handle, man cannot open door)

Woman: (Irritated tone) You always do that. Everytime I try to unlock the door you grab it too early. You do it all the time.
Man: (silence)
Woman: Why do you do that all the time? You need to wait until until it unlocks and then open it.

At first I thought this was pretty humorous. You know seeing a little old couple not getting technology. But then I got kinda sad. I thought about how this woman was nagging her husband in public for anyone around them to hear.

I take it very seriously as a wife to uplift my husband. When we got married I transformed from being Ferris "everything is about me" Ivester to Ferris "I am now one in the eyes of God with my husband" Joye. I want to make sure that I am a loving and encouraging wife to Wade at home, in public, around friends, around strangers, or alone at our house. And I know that if I ever start to have a spirit of nagging or put him down in any way then the possibility of me turning into that elderly nagging wife increases.

So some application...Every once in awhile I ask Wade how I have made him feel. Have I lifted him up in public? Have I ever embarrassed him? And sometimes I get an awesome report and sometimes I may find out I said something that hurt his feelings, but I didn't realize it. I think it is so important and helpful to get this perspective from your husband.
Then there are those times that your husband will never hear what you say about him. I have seen groups of women get together that were Christians and they just talked about the things their husbands have done or do that irritates them. It is one thing to share situations to godly women to get encouragement and prayer, but to put down your husband for the fun of it is never good. So ask your friends to keep you accountable. Tell them to call you out if you begin to share something with a critical attitude. And ultimately pray that you will be sensitive to what you are saying about your husband. You will love seeing how courageous and strong your husband feels when he knows that his wife is always on his side.

Music and Lyrics

I don't know how many of you went to go see Music and Lyrics starring Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore. I saw it right when it came out with Wade and his parents and then watched it again the other night at Kelly's. It is a romantic comedy and goes through the typical romantic comedy plotline, but there is one jewel of goodness that it has that most other romantic comedies lack. I am talking about the awesome 80's video that starts out the movie. I think if this had been a real 80's song it would have made it on my 80's mix tape/cd. Here it is in all its splendor.

Poor Scooter

Yesterday Scooter went to the vet. As a puppy he was so good at the vet. The doctor would stick out their hand and Scooter would lick them and his tail would wag like crazy. They would give him a shot and then he would kiss them again. I was so proud of him. But yesterday was different. Yesterday was not fun.

It all started when we walked inside. He was instantly on the hunt. He went around the vet office sniffing like a crazy dog. Usually when Scooter sees people he gets really excited and runs up to them and kisses them, but this time anyone that came up to him he backed away from. Then there were other dogs in the office that wanted to play with Scooter, but of course Scooter did this, "I'm scared, don't come near me" low growl/groan under his breath. That reaction I actually did expect. He is kinda skittish around other dogs.

Then he had to go to the back and get the shots. Normally this is where Scooter outshines other dogs. So sweet and not moving when it is time for the shots, but not yesterday, he was acting up so much they took him to the back away from me. So weird!

In the end, Scooter got all the shots and some treats. The vet told us that Scooter needs to go on a weight loss program. Apparently he has a chunky back side and some love handles. I feel your pain Scooter. So we had to reduce the amount of dog food we give him and he has to up his exercise to get rid of the weight. I guess it helps now that he has his backyard to roam around in. Here is overweight Scooter in his new fenced-in backyard.

A specific prayer

I know it is Tuesday, but God has been rocking my world the past two days because of the sermon this Sunday. I used to be all about journaling my prayers. I have two journals that are about halfway full that have prayers to God in them. At some point I stopped actually journaling, but without them I feel like I have no way to measure how God is answering my prayers. So after we moved I pulled out the journal and began to write down my prayers again. Every few days I try to go back through the week or so and see what I have been praying for.

Well I don't know how many of you heard Pastor Furtick's sermon, but one key point was about being specific with your prayer life. We tend to say, "Be with my parents," but God is already with them. How can you pray specifically for them? We also say, "God if it is your will we ask that you allow us to get this new job." It is like we are giving God an escape clause if he doesn't want to give us the job. If it isn't God's will he won't give you what you are asking for. We have to say what is on our heart and trust that God knows how to answer us. But ultimately both phrases are limiting our vision of God. How will we ever know how God is answering our prayers if we ask for something, but then give the "out phrase" or if we aren't specific enough to have any measure of an answer.

So as I looked through my journals I saw all of these "Be with...." and "God I only ask this if it is according to your will" and it was hard to measure the answers of my prayer life because I was never very specific. I figured if they were gray then I would be happy with whatever outcome happened. So I am now trying to make an effort to pray specific prayers. So when I flip through my journal after a few weeks or months I will see exactly how God answered my prayers. I will then become sensitive to what prayers aren't part of His plan for me and what prayers I wasn't ready to have the answers as yes. It is a journey that I believe is going to make me a stronger child of God.

What a great Thursday

Today was an awesome day. My fence installers came today and started working even though the delivery truck had a flat tire this morning and were running late. Then at 12 I left my house to go see Meredith Brock, hair stylist extraordinaire, in order to get a new do. I stayed at her house until about 3:45. I must say I am totally digging my hair. It looked so bland and just blah before, but now I feel like some girl punk rocker. It is amazing what a fun haircut can do to a girl. A little color and few strategic snips makes you feel like a new person. Then when I got home the fence posts were up and all that is left is to fill in is the boards. So sometime tomorrow little Scooter will get to play outside and run around off a leash. He is going to love it.

Also, I found out today that some of my small group girls from Columbia are going to be coming up October 13th and they are going to come to church with me that Sunday. I am super pumped. These girls are now seniors and I miss them so much. We were together from their freshman year and I had to leave them right before their last year of school. So that Saturday is going to be wonderful as I get to hang out and hear what is happening in their lives.

Companies

Since moving into our house we have had to deal with several companies in order for our house to function. Some we bought things from, some we had to ask them to do a task for us, some gave us a certain service, you get the idea. Well in all of that I think something has gone wrong with 9 out of 10 of these "requests." Now I am guessing since we have had a lot of problems then I could totally be to blame, but I feel like I represent the average female. I don't have too much knowledge of handyman things or technical stuff, but if you explain to me what you are talking about then I am smart enough to know what is going on. So back to the story. With all these companies there have been two types of interactions. One attitude is negative. These people are either uncaring or sometimes rude about the problem I am having. They take the stance that the money is more important or their time is more important than my sastifaction and happiness with their product or service. The other attitude is positive. These companies tell me again and again that they are sorry for any confusion or problems and will do everything they can to fix it.

I had one company frustrate me so much that after the phone call I was so emotionally spent that I burst into tears. Poor Wade got a phone call of me barely being able to talk and all I could say was, "They were so mean!" I can't believe that any phone operator would ever treat a customer like that. I am not just one sale of a fridge or one fence installation. I could be an ongoing customer. I have friends and family members that purchase your products and I am more than willing to tell all of them to cancel their cards and head to your fiercest competitor. And the one major way to make that not happen is to tell your phone operators to treat the customer just like you would your best friend (or whoever they hold in high regards) and be apologetic for my problem. Break me a deal if it has taken me 5 phone calls to finally get this problem solved. I promise it will be worth it when it is time for me to purchase a dishwasher, add on to my cable, or refer a new customer to you.

So thankful

Wow...yesterday was incredible. We had our first Sunday at Butler High School and people showed up and I mean lots of people. Elevation Church had 162 people come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior yesterday! I am in awe of how God is using our church to reach so many people. Now that we are in Butler I feel like we are so perfectly placed for new visitors. I mean it can't get any easier trying to tell your friends how to get to the school because it is right off 485. So after a awesome Sunday morning we had a night of prayer and worship at Butler that night. It is beautiful being surrounded by believers who are truly thankful for all that Christ has done in their lives. They are excited to sing to Him and snatch up any opportunity that they can clap, shout, or holler about the absolutely astounding things this church has seen and is going to see. I love it!

After such a great Sunday it is hard to go back to trying to search for jobs. I am trying to completely hand this over to God, but with each day of finding nothing to even apply to it gets very discouraging. I think I have been to more company and random business websites this past week then I have ever been to in my life. My internet history is like 3 pages long. But I will stay on the hunt and if you know of any companies or businesses that employs a graphic designer then I would love to hear from you!

A Saturday Mash of Thoughts

I am chilling at my house right now while Wade is setting up for the first Sunday of our campus being at Butler High School. We are so excited to see how God is going to use this strategically placed high school to bring more lives to Him. Wade and I were talking about what to expect for this Sunday for both campuses and we have some pretty high expectations. I believe God is going to definitely show up and more than likely shatter anything our little minds have come up with.
We are starting a new series this week called "Sun Stand Still" that I think is going to be really amazing. The band is going to play an original song that is specific to this series. So don't miss it!

In other news, this week most of our fall shows are having their season premieres. There is one show that I absolutely love called Bones. It airs Tuesday at 8 on Fox. There are a couple of reasons why I love this show. 1...It has David Boreanaz the guy who played Angel on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel" and I liked both of those shows when I was a teenager. 2...David Boreanaz, called Booth on the show, is an FBI agent and for some reason in between high school and college I wanted to be an FBI agent. 3...The leading lady, called Bones on the show, is a forensic anthropologist. Now I never wanted to be that but I did want to be a forensic scientist in college which probably means that I would have looked at threads and hairs instead of bones. So as you can see I have a lot of random interests in the show and it makes me love it! Yes, I am a complete nerd and I am not ashamed. Make fun, throw your jeers, but I will embrace the dorkiness.

And finally, Monday someone is going to come install a backyard fence for us. You don't know how excited I am about this. Having to walk a beagle on a leash in your backyard multiple times a day is no fun. Scooter wants to smell everything in sight. He wants to go in everyone's yard in order to stay on the "trail" and he will wait forever to use the bathroom. Plus, being in our house all day makes him go kinda crazy and then he chews on random things which isn't good. So come Tuesday when that fence is finished I will be doing some kind of crazy dance maybe I'll even throw in some cartwheels or something. You never know what's up my sleeve.

Check Me Out (getting real sermon series)

I designed this series poster a few weeks ago for Mt. Horeb and forgot to put it on here. This series was called "Getting Real" and it was about having hard conversations with God and others. I went with a coffee cup since it is a good symbol for conversations. I took the coffee cup picture myself in my kitchen. The text at the bottom if you can't see it is the different sermon titles for each week that the pastors want on the poster. It is in a handwritten type font to continue a theme of conversation and being personal. I like the old feel almost coffee stained look. It feels warm like you have been sitting there with that cup often and someone is across the table listening.

Hello Fall

Well the weather has cooled off and it feels wonderful when you step outside. I was actually able to wear a 3/4 length shirt in the non-air conditioning Pathfinder yesterday afternoon and I was comfortable. Anyway, one of my favorite things about the nice weather is taking Scooter out in the mornings. The wind is blowing gracefully through the trees and there is this beautiful fall morning scent that I can smell. So as I was taking in this wonderful morning I looked down at Scooter. There he was standing, nose up in the air, ears flapping behind him because of the breeze, and enjoying this weather as much as I was. I think Scooter enjoys the fall morning scents more than I do.

A month in Charlotte

It has been a little over a month since we have moved to Charlotte. God has done some amazing things and has shown us to always trust him and have faith. Here are some things that God has just blown me away with:

1. Wade and I are part of Elevation. I go to a church that is passionately pursuing the people that haven't met Jesus. They are doing anything they can to share the Word of God, love on them, and serve them. And they expect everyone that is already at the church to do the same.

2. I am making friends. I was a little worried about not knowing anyone when we moved. But God has already been placing people in our lives to welcome us and to have fun together. And I know the longer we are at Elevation the more God will bring new friendships and new faces to us and also deepen the ones we already have.

3. Our house is amazing. The process to getting our house is kind of humorous, but I absolutley love it. I love how everything is set up and it will be perfect when some little kids are running around.

4. A job. I still don't have one, but God is showing me that everything is in His time. My faith is being strengthened and I know that God is going to show me the most amazing job for me when it is time.

5. Wade. Wade has a lot going on with his new job, but he is still so interested in how my day has been and what he can do to help me. I don't think explaining how amazing Wade is on a blog would do him justice, but he is my best friend and I cherish every moment with him. I am so thankful that God blessed me with such an amazing husband.

Shiny Toy Guns

I may be doing some stereotypes, but I believe that men will constantly switch between channels. Like If Wade and I are watching a show, then during a commercial he would want to switch just to see what other things are on. However, he always switches back before the show starts back again. I on the other hand can watch one channel all day without ever changing the channel. And there are probably three reasons for this:

1. I am a woman...we want to make sure we are ready for whenever our show begins again and we really want to be faithful to our show.
2. I am really weird...There are many sub reasons that can fall under this category, but I tend to get lost in the shows. I may be totally into a show, but if I do a channel switch my mind totally blanks out and not until way later do I realize that I haven't switched back in time and now I am engrossed into two different shows at the same time.
3. I LOVE commercials...I get so excited about seeing a really well made commercial. It has to have good music and actors and a good story. I want a mini show for my commercial.

So, there you go. My totally random stereotypes of men and women and tv. I am sure every single one of you fits into it perfectly. And just to let you know at all times I have a favorite commercial and usually it is because of the song that is playing. So right now my favorite commercial is for the Motorola Razr. Good music (Shiny Toy Guns), good looking actors, some sweet ninja moves, and some definite chemistry. Men, how could you flip to a different show and miss this?