The Cake

Whoa! Is this true:?

These are the results of a quiz I took tonight. I think it has something to do with how I am feeling right now at this moment. I wouldn't say I'm always this way, but I could be wrong.

Disorder	Rating
Paranoid Personality Disorder:	Moderate
Schizoid Personality Disorder:	Low
Schizotypal Personality Disorder:	Moderate
Antisocial Personality Disorder:	High
Borderline Personality Disorder:	Moderate
Histrionic Personality Disorder:	High
Narcissistic Personality Disorder:	High
Avoidant Personality Disorder:	Very High
Dependent Personality Disorder:	Very High
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder:	High
-- Take the Personality Disorder Test -- -- Personality Disorder Info --

OMG, U Got Mail!

Jessie Maynard, this one is for you.

Did someone say Punkin Pie?

In the begining....
there was a pumpkin...

then came the Texas Tech RUF Girl's Bible Study

and what happened next was a miracle!!!
A pie was born!!!And all was very good.

One of my bestest girlfriend's website! (click picture for link)

Nicole it looks amazing!!!!

Wreck What?

BEFORE THE GAME, WE HAD A GOOD TIME.

BOOMER!

Welcome to my crib...

(if you see anything that belongs to you, thank you for your generous contribution to Reformed University Fellowship)

Classic.

Thanks, Carole Miller, who I don't even know but I yoinked this picture off your facebook. I thought all of Doug's friends could get a good laugh out of this awkwardness. (I'm letting one of my new Lubbock friends borrow my copy.)

I just finished the last season of Arrested Development.

80's Sangers

80's Sangers, originally uploaded by dellasanger.

I've been missing this lately. When I was young and ignorant, and the only responsibilities I had were practicing the piano and feeding the dog. When I was rewarded with popcicles and TGIF was the most exciting part of my week. "Things were simpler then."

But we grow up. And we learn. And things change. Things might be more complex and responsibities might come with more serious consequences or results but with more complexity comes a more rewarding, more meaningful course of events. TGIF doesn't exist anymore and popcicles, while still a nice treat, just a fond memory.

Everything Is Illuminated

So, I am all moved into my new apartment here in Lubbock. Many, many thanks to my good friend Nicole for making the trip with me, and for her husband Clint sacraficing his married life for a few days. That really means a lot to me. My parents are coming for a visit this weekend. This is the first time that has ever happened. Should be interesting.

Life is busy these days, but I wanted to take a chance to tell you about the movie I watched last night with some of my new friends. Actually I'm not going to tell you anything other than you need to see it for yourself. I think it's my new favorite movie.

Everything is Illuminated.

PS I'm not posting again until someone posts the one random Lord of the Ring reference from this movie.

Baby Horse Moose and Me

Post #100

So here I am. In Lubbock, Texas. Posting my 100th entry on my blog. Life up to this point.....Well, it's different to say the least. So much has changed in the past year and a half. I know it's that time of life where things change drastically for all twentysomeones. But, holy cow has life changed.

I'm sure most of you that keep up with me, or keep up with my blog have seen those changes. You've seen me graduating from college, getting my first job (well, internship), selling my first house, moving away. Thanks for being there for all of that. I pray that you continue to check on me and support me. For those of you who are just meeting me for the first time, welcome. Come join in the fun that is Della's Life.

Here is what's going on now:

Like I said, I'm in Lubbock. I just got here a week ago, still haven't officially moved though. I hope to go back to Norman and get my stuff in the next couple of weeks after my apartment is ready. I have already been on a leadership retreat with RUF up in New Mexico, where I got to spend sometime at Cloudhaven Christian Retreat and Study Center. It's a lot like L'abri, so if you know any one that is looking to ask questions about the Christian faith or struggling with faith in general this is a great place to recommend. It's perfect for long or short time stays, and it's much cheaper than going to England.

These past few days has been spent getting to know the people and the streets of Lubbock. I attended Providence PCA on Sunday, where they just called a pastor from Philadelphia. Sunday was his first Sunday as well as mine. I think he is great. I of course was in fountains and fountains of tears of joy when he was finished. Marc Corbett, the RUF campus minister, wrapped things up by talking about our brokenness. He said something about how after the leadership retreat we couldn't really stand up and say "wow, isn't Texas Tech lucky to have us." We are all just people with problems helping to point other people with problems to Christ. It's not by my merit that I am here, but because God planned this perfectly for me. I was really moved by that.

So, here I am. Up in my cube, waiting for the ice cream social to start on campus. You can all be praying for the freshmen, grad students, and transfer students, not just here but all over the country. This is a scary and lonely time. I pray that the Body will be a comfort to the lost and lonely.

Here are some pictures of the past week:

Peace and Grace to you.

Dear Hope,

Where do I begin? Where do we begin? In the future I don't plan on making my blog an open forum to talk about everything that has happened in the past month, but there are a few things that I would like to share with you and the people that care about me most. (Heaven knows a lot has been shared on here already.)

A month ago when I first read the comment you wrote on my November post, I was obviously taken by complete surprise. As my friends that were in the room will attest, I was in complete shock that after twenty-four years the truth of my conception was sitting in front of my face. Let me assure you, I really had suspected my whole life that that was the most likely scenario, and in no way am I shocked or hurt or confused by the details. (I will say, not many people know the story of their conception.)

The days following were a whirlwind of events and emotions. I was in Amarillo for a wedding and headed to Atlanta for two weeks for staff training for my new job. With in minutes I knew who my biological mother was, that I have cousins and an aunt that I know in Norman already and I have a half brother and a half sister. WOW. I had no idea what to do with that information. I didn't know if I was scared, sad, mad, happy, excited, thrilled, jealous, or what. I was really confused. I kept looking at the picture of Kaleigh over and over.

After talking to my parents and my siblings and friends for the two weeks in Atlanta I was still confused but feeling a little more calm about the whole situation. The next step was trying to figure out what to do next. I knew that I couldn't move on pretending that nothing had happened, but I wasn't sure that I was ready to meet this new group of people that happens to be biologically related to me. (Still looking at Kaleigh's picture everyday, and showing it to everyone.) All of this while I'm trying to raise the rest of my support and move to Lubbock before school starts. So, I finally called Lori last week and met for iced Chai Lattes. She told me about every aunt and uncle, every cousin, grandma and grandpa, and Kaleigh and Bo. She was very helpful in making me feel more comfortable with jumping into this entirely new experience.

Lori arranged for us to go to Perkins yesterday, where I met Sunny, who was in the room when I was born, Jan, Marvin and Frances. It went really well. When I saw Sunny for the first time she gave me a huge hug and through tears she told me how much I look like Kaleigh. I took with me a letter that your mother wrote my parents two days after I was born. Because of her condition she didn't know who I was but she recognized her own handwriting. It was really neat to sit with them and visit. Marvin got up from the table several times to take pictures of me. Sunny sat and talked with my mom and they shared stories from their experiences 24 years ago. Little Ethan crawled into my lap several times and just started giggling. He called me Blondell in pictures. Rex, Lori and my sister sat and talked for most of the lunch. Rex was my sister's math teacher in high school and they had a lot of track stories share. I got to see a lot of pictures of you when you were little, and pictures of Bo and Kaleigh when they were little. I posted some pictures so that they could see how much we looked like each other. Overall I think it was a healing time together.

For me it helped deal with all the lingering uneasy feelings. The anxiousness has somewhat subsided. The emails from Bo and Kaleigh have also been helpful, but I want to do what's right for them too. I'm going to let them set the pace on how they want to know me.

For me, I want you to know how much I appreciate you. I know what you did was scary and sad. I know that you probably mourned the loss of a child. You did a very brave thing and I couldn't be more grateful. I want you to think about all the things you gave me. You gave me a mother and a father. You gave me an older brother and older sister and 7 nieces and nephews. You gave me a college education and a Christian heritage. I had all of these things because you made a brave decision that you knew would probably hurt you. I think that is unbelievable. I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I am loved and blessed. I have never felt pain from your decision. I hope that gives you peace and rest.

I don't know what comes next for you and for me. We will just have to figure that out as we go, but I didn't want you to go on without knowing the way I felt. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask me. But, let's go ahead and move the conversation away from the blog.

I pray all is well with your soul, it is well with mine,

Della Mercer Sanger

My younger, cuter days.

Wait! Which of these does not belong?

Della Dawn

All major credit cards excepted.

This is very important, so pay attention. It is August 11 and school starts in less than two weeks, and I'm still in Norman, NOT Lubbock. What does this mean? This means I haven't raised enough money to move to campus yet. So here is the deal. This blog is now acting as a make shift telethon, a blog-a-thon if you will.

Here's the deal. I need:

3 people to pledge $100 per month or 3 people to give a $1000 one time gift = $3000
4 people to pledge $50 per month or 4 people to give a $500 one time gift = $2000
5 people to pledge $40 per month or 5 people to give a $400 one time gift = $2000
6 people to pledge $30 per month or 6 people to give a $300 one time gift = $1800
8 people to pledge $25 per month or 8 people to give a $250 one time gift = $2000
10 people to pledge $10 per month or 10 people to give a $100 one time gift = $1000
36 people to pledge the support that I have left to raise, which is less than half, totaling $11,800.

Who are you willing to be? No one, you say? NOT AN OPTION!! If you love me, you will help me.
Email your pledge to Bonnie : bstandridge@ruf.org or you can mail it to the RUF office.

I'm spreading the gospel people.

No, in all seriousness, I really do need your help. Please pray that the necessary funds will be provided to get me to campus on time. Please pray that I can find affordable housing when I do move. Please pray that I have the endurance and humility to be able to ask people for help, my blog doesn't really count. I'm really scared of asking folks face to face. (IT'S SCARY)

So.... TELL YOUR FRIENDS, TELL YOUR FAMILY, TELL YOUR MOM!!!

Never too old for slip and slide

Never too old for slip and slide, originally uploaded by dellasanger.

OMG it's Brad Beesley!!!

IMG_4049.JPG,
originally uploaded by ukle.

I don't think I knew exactly what I was doing, all I know is that I was a little too excited to meet Brad Beesley.

Moondance

IMG_4070.JPG,
originally uploaded by ukle.

I was a little too excited to dance the night away.


http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_0uF9tz6uAwI/RmRKX6rf3ZI/AAAAAAAAAFY/LN7hWAqyzqQ/s1600-h/185828786_4e25ef6a2e.jpg

Della and the new Queen

Della and the new Queen,
originally uploaded by ukle.

I was a little too excited to meet the queen.

No hooks, no bait, no fear. Noodling.

Welcome to Oklahoma! For all you freshman, transfers or new grad students, I would just like to personally welcome you to Oklahoma. I am glad you are here, and I hope that you get a chance to enjoy all that Oklahoma has to offer. Take advantage of the locals. We all have something to share. My good buddy Clint Rule would love to take you to the Great Salt Plains, or to see the fabulous murals in Elk City. If you are in Norman, you might want to take a tour of the haunted slaughter house, but we would have to call in some of our experts from around the country to give you their deluxe package. In all seriousness, Christmas isn’t Christmas (in the secular sense) without a trip to Chickasha to see their amazing light display.

But what makes Oklahoma the Oklahoma I know and love, occurs every summer, is steeped in tradition, and takes place in my birthplace, oh yes, put on your muscle tee’s, your backwards John Deer hat, and your cut-off “jorts”*, because it is time to go to the Okie Noodling Festival!!!!!!

Now, I wouldn’t suggest that you participate in the actual noodling. It is far too dangerous. After all you are catching catfish with your bare hands. That's right; I said bare hands. No hooks. No lines. No rods. No reels. Just hands. "Caveman fishing," a buddy of mine calls it. In some areas, folks call it by other names, such as hogging, tickling, grabbling or dogging

A pro noodler explains, “The person doing the noodling wades into a body of water where catfish are known to lurk, then reaches underwater and starts feeling for holes in the bank, in logs, under rocks and so forth. Catfish get in holes like this when spawning. Female catfish lay their eggs, then a male cat moves in to guard the eggs. The noodler feels for these holes because he knows when he reaches in, if a cat is on guard, it'll bite him. Then he can grab the fish--maybe--and pull it out.”




You're starting to understand the "stupid" part of all this, right?
The deal is, the noodler never knows for sure what's in the hole he's probing. It might be a catfish. Then again, it might be a snapping turtle, a beaver or a snake. Mr. Noodler's down there holding his breath, getting all tingly with excitement, while he thrusts his hands in dark underwater hidey-holes to see if anybody's home. He loves this stuff. He thrives on the adrenaline rush it affords. Some guys get their thrills driving racecars, or skydiving, or mountain climbing. Others get their kicks noodling.

Passing the torch.

Are we having fun yet?

Are we having fun yet?,
originally uploaded by dellasanger.

Keepin' stats

Keepin' stats,
originally uploaded by dellasanger.

Loving all things Texas.

Loving all things Texas.,
originally uploaded by dellasanger.

My first Ranger game in Arlington, Texas, with a Lance shirt on (a Texan), with a Texas Tech hat, in the company of two Texans.

Happy Birthday Amy!

So today was my sister's birthday. I won't tell you her exact age, but I will say she is a little over ten years my senior. That being said, she and I, with her three children, were having lunch today when a woman asked if we were sisters. "Yes", we responded together while giggling. "Which one's older?" she replied. . . My sister is 36 people. ( sorry Amy, I had to tell.) DO I LOOK 36????
I will give it to my sister, she looks young. I wouldn't probably even guess her older than 30, but I wouldn't quess me as 30 either. Jeeze. Happy Birthday Amy.

I, myself, am 24 1/2. When I turned 24 I made a list of things to do before I turn 25. Let's see how I'm doing so far.

1. See David Wilcox in concert again. DONE
2. Run in a 5k or more. NOPE
3. Sell a couple bikes. I GAVE TWO AWAY.
4. Go through and completely clean out my basement. YES, ACTUALLY MY WHOLE HOUSE.
5. Write and memorize I really good poem. NOT YET
6. Read the Bible front to back. Then back to front. WORKING ON IT
7. Watch one of my best friends have a baby. Maybe a couple of friends. STILL A CHANCE FOR SEVERAL
8. Pay off all my debt. GETTING CLOSER
9. Write a children's book. NO, BUT I FOUND AN ILLUSTRATOR
10.Watch the Matrix without falling asleep. THIS IS NOT POSSIBLE
11. Take a Pilates class from Barbie Spates. TIME IS RUNNING OUT
12. Get down to my ideal body weight. GIVE ME A FEW MORE WEEKS
13. Put all my photos in an album. I THINK I LOCATED ALL MY PICTURES
14. Get rid of all the clothes in my closet that I haven't worn in 2 years. CHECK
15. Collect all the real addresses of all the people I have email addresses for. THANK GOODNESS FOR FUNDRAISING
16. Cancel all my email accounts accept one. I CANCELLED ONE, AND GAINED ONE
17. Recycle regularly. IT HAPPENED ONCE
18. Make a cake from scratch. I MADE A BOXED CAKE YESTERDAY
19. Jump out of a plane. TO EXPENSIVE
20. Return everything I have ever borrowed from anyone. IT'S ALL IN THE CAR

25% isn't bad. I need to focus. One thing at a time baby, one thing at a time.