The Dance

In Bible study on Wednesday, our leader suggested that repentence is like a dance. No he was not equating repentence to what you might see on Soul Train, but more of what you would see on Dancing with the Stars. Before you deem me a heretic, let me explain. I am no expert on ballroom dancing, but I have taken my share of beginner lessons. When you see the instructor demonstrate the steps in a fluid and eloquent manner, you think- "I've got this." However, from my experience, taking your partners hand for the first time can be awkward as he intends to lead in a certain direction, particularly when the steps are new and unfamiliar...it was always my natural tendency to try to take over. Once you begin to practice the steps with your partner, the point comes where you actually feel comfortable letting him lead as you waltz around the floor. But since we would only practice the steps at ballroom dance lessons once a week, each Monday we had to basically start from scratch until we got back in sync.

So this is where the analogy comes in, repentence is not meant to be steps that are learned once, but steps that are practiced continually throughout your days. I fall short of this a lot because I feel like it takes to much time or I just plain forget who I'm living for...but the truth is once the steps of conviction, confession, and walking in obedience are learnt and you allow the Holy Spirit to be your professional ball room dancing partner (who knows all the steps and is constantly counting for you so you stay on track)-- a life of repentance is attainable...may we continue to strive for perfection in all of our daily waltzes!

Ducks, Ducks, Ducks

So I played my first game of floor hockey tonight. I've decided one of the reasons I'm still in school is that I never got the glorious Intramural Championship t-shirt in undergrad. So I hope this year will put an end to this drought because I'm not going to stick around school for another year till I get one. A few weeks ago we decided to sign up for IM floor hockey. I could feel the rush of competition as I walked into the captains' meeting (yes, I- the Georgia girl went to the captains' meeting). Thus far my only experience with hockey is the movie Mighty Ducks. But I figured if it has a ball and you keep score- I'm in! So we showed up for the first game about 5 minutes before game time and our opponents are warming up with some drills. This was the point where I felt the first hesitation. It was all I could do to not pee in my pants (some of you will know that's more difficult for me than it sounds) as we "warmed up" because we were running all over the place chasing the ball. During the game, I found that my favorite thing about sports still applied- boxing out. There are no out-of-bounds, so if the ball goes against the wall all you do is try to box the other guy out and as you slide down the wall will the ball. It will definitely be a skill I will be working on this season. We did manage to get three goals, thanks to the Dainty Dutch. So at the end of our 3 periods it was 3 to 7, but we were all smiles and injury free. I ended each huddle with the chant... ducks ducks ducks. Noone really joined in, but I'm thinking by the end of the season everybody will be doing it.

MK says

Earlier today I was wandering what the keys to my heart are...then a friend showed me this quiz (I recommend it to kill a few seconds). Ok prince charming- I'm ready!! Here ya go:

The Keys to Your Heart

You are attracted to good manners and elegance. In love, you feel the most alive when your partner is patient and never willing to give up on you. You'd like to your lover to think you are loyal and faithful... that you'll never change. You would be forced to break up with someone who was ruthless, cold-blooded, and sarcastic. Your ideal relationship is comforting. You crave a relationship where you always feel warmth and love. Your risk of cheating is zero. You care about society and morality. You would never break a commitment. You think of marriage something you've always wanted... though you haven't really thought about it. In this moment, you think of love as something you thirst for. You'll do anything for love, but you won't fall for it easily.

What Are The Keys To Your Heart?

Single Sisters...

Ok- so I've been attending this church for about a year now. The teaching is great; I love the family/community there; they also have a great vision of missions. So I've continued to go- despite there's no so thriving singles ministry. I got excited because I saw that the Single Sisters group was getting together Friday night for an ice cream social and fellowship time. Of course, I've got nothing going on Friday nights so I planned on going and even asking a friend that I'd met at church. We rode to the meeting site together which should have been our first clue as to the age range of the group because it was held at the community center. When we pulled up we saw through the window a room filled with white-headed women...but we thought that's probably not the room we're going to. As we walked in and turned the corner in the direction of that same room, it started to dawn on me that this wouldn't be the young, hip single women's group that I had envisioned in my head. We got to the clear door and saw a multitude of women (all about the age of my grandmother) forming a line for ice cream and since their backs were turned towards us...we made a run for it. I mean I'm sure it would have been great fellowship, but we decided that we're not that desperate to have fun plans on a Friday night...at least not yet!
So we continued on our search for ice cream. We make it to the Harrisonburg original ice cream shop- Kline's. It wasn't too crowded- just a family of four and a couple in the mid-60s right in front of us. As I was looking at the flavors for the week, I must have stepped funny off the curb, because all of a sudden (it was if I was in slow motion) my keys and wallet go flying in the air along with my whole body. The next thing I know, I'm on the ground on all fours and it was complete silence. It was one of those moments when you just want your best friend there so they can laugh with you- instead I got up as quick as I could and reassured my friend that I was fine. The older man in front of me said something about me needing to get a smaller wallet and I agreed with a laugh. The older man's comment to me made me realize...maybe I should have just enjoyed the single sisters company- at the rate I'm going with clumsiness, I should just be thankful when I can get some ice cream with out falling on my face. Be an athlete, mk!!!

If I could turn back time...

Ok- let's be honest if I could turn back time I still would not have updated my blog any earlier!! My deepest apologies to my readers out there who have stuck with me through this dry spell. Summer break is over (see first posting on my feelings toward summer break) and I feel like it's taking a while to get my brained kicked back into gear. For instance, August 31st was a particularly slow day for me as I was getting back into the grind of school (I write funny stories in my day planner so I can look back and laugh). So that day I forgot my 8 AM meeting...the funny thing about this was that the night before I wrote my schedule for the next day on a sticky note and stuck it on the outside of my day planner, instead of looking in the planner to see that I was suppose to attend a class at 8AM. Thankfully, my partner in crime made it and took good notes for me that day. Later in the day, I was walking up the hill to my supervisors house (I've been painting his rec room for a little extra dough) and completely lost my footing on the freshly planted sod. I left several skid marks as I tried to scurry up the hill without falling on my face. Before I went to paint, I contemplated whether I should wear the shorts with the ridiculously stretch elastic, but I figured the t-shirt I was wearing would be big enough to cover up a slight sag in the shorts. While I was on the ladder painting the wall, my roommate, and fellow amateur painter, looked over and said something to the effect of "so do you like painting with your butt cheek hanging out?" Since the music was blaring and the fan was on, I thought she had made a comment about the paint that was already accumulating on my shorts and just aggreed with her, not even looking down to see what she was laughing at. Later on that day after Maddy had left, I was cleaning up and all of a sudden felt a draft. I looked down and all of a sudden the episode that had occurred earlier with Maddy was crystal clear....the t-shirt was not doing it's job of covering up the uncomfortably low sag I was sporting. All I could do at that point was laugh and be glad that my supervisor did not come home and see my umbro sag in his freshly painted rec room! I shared with Maddy the discovery and we had a good laugh.
That's all I got for now....I'm hoping to do better with at least keeping you up to date on my embarrassing stories!

Hi, I'm ....

I like to call it the curse of having a double name. Growing up, I didn't really like being called Mary Katherine, but it was better than being called Mary b/c then I'd be Mary Martin- which is the girl who played Peter Pan (in the version I used to watch)- and I didn't want to go by that. Well, by high school I had gotten used to the double name and had accumulated many nicknames: Mary Kay (which I no longer go by- I couldn't take the cosmetic jokes, Snoz (I broke my nose in a softball incident), Mortal Kombat (M.K.- get it?), and Superstar (SNL skit). In college I was glad I had a double name- b/c there were so many Marys and Katherines- and by the end of my 4 years I, for the most part, went by M.K. When I came up to Virginia, apparently the only people that had double names up here were Catholic nuns, because that's the question that most people asked me about my name. It's kind of funny because I'm 23 and I still don't know how to introduce myself...haha! If I say "Hi, I'm M.K" the "Mmmm" sound comes out funny sometimes and I have to repeat myself. The kicker from this last experience of the double name curse is that I introduced myself as Mary Katherine...then all of a sudden everyone at the camp was calling me Mary Kate! Did I ever say that??? I don't think so- but it's cool. I'll answer to almost anything.

Spontaneity : Deliberation

No, don't worry you didn't click on the wrong site. This isn't a dreaded GRE analogy prep-test. But I thought this game would be fun to describe my weekend. Play along and pick the correct answer to the question....come on, I'm making up the question...it'll be easy!


Spontaneity : Deliberation
a. dog : puppy
b. Birthday Cake Remix : Betty Crocker Yellow Cake Mix
c. Jessica Simpson : Paris Hilton
d. All night, unplanned roadtrip to NYC : forethought

Final answer.... Ding, ding, ding...yep, it's D. And it pretty much sums up my weekend. Although I had hoped this summer would include a trip to New York City, I had not put any forethought into planning such an event. So when the opportunity arose around 4 PM on Thursday, June 9th, 2005 to go with a dear friend and a friend of hers (whom I had never met)-- I took it...despite the other plans I had for the weekend. Anyways, I met Whitney and Beth (she had lived in NYC for a year and a half and was ready to go back- she just needed some fellow road warriors to go with her) around 2 AM at a DoubleTree Hotel on the outskirts of D.C. I lefted my car there and hopped in Tina (imagine a dark green/teal Altima with the darkest shade of tint on the windows and a speaker system that takes up half of the trunk).
DAY 1:
We made great time and entered the Big Apple around 6 AM Friday morning. We found Beth's old apt. off 163rd St. in upper, upper west Manhattan. We crashed for a few hours and then headed off to the city. Some highlights from my first day in the city:
*Sammy's Chinese Restaurant- After hiking around Union Square and taking in all the big buildings that enclosed "typical" strip mall stores (e.g. Home Depot -which had columns!!), the vegetable dumplings at Sammy's hit the spot.
*Met Peter and Susan at the French Roast- Two of Beth's friends who are both on staff with Navigators at NYU...I mean that university doesn't really even have a campus, where do they hold their campus meeting??...talk about having to believe God's promise that He "can do more than we ask or believe."
*FREE (yes, somethings are free in NYC) admission to MoMA (Museum of Modern Art)- An attempt to get me in touch with the artist inside of me, I'll let you know if it works. However, MoMa did have some fun pieces to soak in including a pencil sketch of the ocean (incredible), huge Monet painting, and a total elclipse of the "Lemon."
*Chatted on an apt. rooftop within view of the Empire State Building...and acted like it was something we did every night!
****Crispy Duck and Kenny- these two completed the trip. After the day, which seemed like a whole weekend, savoring Thai food and meeting Kenny (a.k.a.- Latin Boy) gave us the extra kick to get us back to the air mattress for some much needed sleep!
DAY 2:
I woke up around 9:00 and couldn't go back to sleep- so I hopped in the shower in full anticipation of the day. Not everyone had those same thoughts...but it's cool, this just gave me some time for reading. We left the apt around 1PM with one other road warrior added to the crew: Megan (friend and occupant of Beth's old room). Highlights from day 2:
*Stanton Island Ferry- What is Lady Liberty made of anyway?? Here we got some good pics. Hope to post them later...we'll see.
*Ground Zero- Left me speechless, and we moved on.
*Mamoun's for lunch around 3ish-here we enjoyed a $2 falafel. Hard to explain what it actually consists of, but they can get it to you before you say "falafel"- and it's yummy!
*1 dozen limit- P.S.- if you're going to Magnolia's Bakery in the West Village to get cupcakes for a party, remember that there is a limit per customer...why because these cupcakes are GREAT! The icing melts in your mouth and on the box but still very delicious. Go for one or two during your stay in NYC, but no more than 1 dozen.
*Mad skills in Central Park- demonstrated by a performer who juggled 2 knifes and an apple (and took a bite out of the apple) while standing on one leg on a handmade seesaw.
*Pizza in NYC- ahhhh, my selection of Buffalo chicken was probably not the best but Emily's (another friend of Beth- yes, we brought the cool kid, who had many cool friends) company was nice
****Flagging down my first taxi- I did it with perfect form, then found out perfect form does not make the lights come on (by the way for those of you like me who have never "caught a taxi," the numbers have to be lit up and the lights on the side must be lit up for you to know it is offering you service). Try number three to "catch a taxi" (I have a new appreciation for people that do this everyday...it's not as easy as it looks) worked the best (The 2nd try was denied by a group of girls that had obviously done this before.) So by that time we had walked half of the way to the theatre, and we payed $3.5o for our taxi ride. But it's all about the experience....right?
* We saw Christina Applegate in her Broadway debut of Sweet Charity...enough said.
*The lights of Times Square and the sugar rush of Birthday Cake Remix from Cold Stone...a great way to end the evening.
Day 3:
Our day of departure had drawn near. But we still had a couple stops to hit up before we left:
*The Journey- Beth's church in NYC. Krispie Kreme and coffee--now that church has found how to bring in the multitudes...jk...but it did work with me! Good service, nice people, if you'll be in NYC on a Sunday check out this place.
*Tom's Restaurant...a.k.a. the restaurant seen on Seinfield. Our server reminded me of my first boss at the bagel shop (who was from NY)..."keep those counters clean, if there's time to lean, there's time to clean."
Last stop for me in NYC was to the Backseat...got to love Tina's speakers from the backseat- rocking. Good contemplation time- got to love roadtrips...thanks God!

That's my spontaneous NYC trip...or at least what I felt compelled to post. No there wasn't much deliberation, forethought, or caution given to the trip ahead of time...but it was much better than I could have planned. Shout-out#1 to Beth, the 2nd best tour guide in the world (1st place is still held by the guide in St. Petersburg- yes, even though I didn't experience her first hand.) Beth did relieve me of having to put any thought into getting around on the subway system and from figuring out where to eat in NYC. Shout-out #2 to Whitney, thanks for calling me and reminding me "we're only in our twenties once."

By the way this will more than likely be my longest blog from here on out...so don't get accustomed to the wordiness.

Summer Vacation

So it's that time again...Can you believe it? After just a few weeks of not taking classes, changing locations several times, and not having to stick to any schedule- my days begin to run together and I don't know what I'm taking from these days filled of randomness. This makes me begin to wonder if I need something more stable. Or is it I always want what I don't have? When I'm going to school everyday I want something new and exciting and when I don't have a schedule...I want one. Didn't someone famous say "Make each day count"? So if that's the case even summer vacation can be used on this journey of mine to make me more into the person God wants me to be. Hmmmm....I bet this makes you wonder what I'm doing for my summer vacation, doesn't it??? Well, I'll keep ya posted...hahaha!