Pulling out the weeds

My latest hobby up here in Madison has been gardening. No I haven't skipped a decade or two of my life and entered the golden years!! I heard about these community gardens all around town and I got on the waiting list for a 1/2 plot in a garden which is right down the street from me. Well, I got in and have been working my 15 ft x 20 ft of land for a good month now. When my gardening partner and I first saw the plot we both thought..."this will take some work..." because it was covered with weeds. So we got the shovel and began pulling the weeds. Pat, the garden coordinator who is a very seasoned gardener probably in her 70s, pointed out the weeds that would need to be pulled out from their roots. She explained they will just continue to grow if they are not pulled out from the root. So we worked for about an hour and thought we had done a good job.



Well, life happenned and it was still too cold to plant anything so we didn't get back out to the garden for two weeks. I didn't recognize the plot when I had come back because a majority of the weeds had grown back. Imagine that, completely leave the garden for two weeks and you find you need to start over again!! So I got the shovel again and began to do the work of weeding.



So the garden has become the Spring/Summer 2008 metaphor for my life. Somehow, someway God has gotten me to this point in my life where I just want to grow. And that has become the theme for my garden. Through the weeding process God is teaching me that is where it starts. I really want to pull out the weeds in my life, but don't really know how.

The funny thing is...I really don't know anything about gardening...and I really don't have time to sit down and read any gardening books. So it's a learning process. Really all I know how to do is pull weeds. Not so true in my own life. There are weeds that have been hanging around for years. That I might pull from the stem every now and then, but the root is still there.

Hmmmm....I guess this one will have to be continued....

"So do you think that I can't take care of you?"

These words really hit me this weekend. In Numbers 11, Moses is standing in the middle of the desert with 600,000 men who are starting to get tired of manna. Moses is worn out. God promises them meat for a month and Moses wonders if God sees all these people, even if God killed all the livestock they had it would give them enough for food for maybe a day. So according to the words of the Message, God said "So do you think that I can't take care of you? You'll see soon enough whether what I say happens for you or not."
I see myself looking over Wisconsin, Madison, the hospital, the clinic, etc. desperately gripping them and trying to survive by my own means when God is looking at me saying, "So do you think that I can't take care of you?" Thankfully, He never leaves us. I cannot move too far away from Him. Even in a land where it snows on Easter, He is still here and working out ALL things. May it be all for Him.

American Birkebeiner 2008

The American Birkebeiner is a cross-country ski race that has been held in the North Woods of Wisconsin for thirty-five years. It is the largest cross-country ski race in North America. It attracts over 9,000 racers and 15,000 spectators each year. That is a pretty good number considering the town where the race finishes has a population of around 2000 people. The course spans 50 Km from Cable to Hayward Wisconsin through the woods and across a frozen lake.

After my first attempt at cross-country skiing in December, I thought it would be a good idea to sign up for the Birkie. Well, actually the shorter version which is a 12Km race still ending at the same finish line as the Birkie. So Dea and I signed up. She actually talked me in to it because she was planning to come up and visit some of her family in the North Woods of Wisconsin.

I started the leg endurance/strengthening exercises, tried skiing another time and then invested in some cc skis of my own. Lisa, a friend from my life group, joined the 12Km race as well. The Prince Haakon 12 Km race was name after the Norwegian prince who was rescued by his father. His father ended up skiing approximately 50 Km on wooden cross country skis with his son strapped to him. They actually re-enact this every year at the beginning of the race.

So the time crept up on us and before we knew it, it was race weekend. The forecast called for a beautiful weekend...with a high of 26 degrees F....that is warmer than we had seen in a while. However, the low for the morning was -1 degrees F. Thankfully, our race started at 1:30pm. Lisa and I found some other people from church who were planning on doing the race so we rode up together, approximately a 5 hour drive from Madison. This is the faithful crew of "Birkie '08".

We did encounter several bumps along the road. My friend was nice enough to offer us a bed in his cabin. However, once we opened the cabin we shortly realized that the pipes were frozen....so no running water!

Karl, Lisa, Jill and I set off the next morning to get Karl to his race, the 23Km race. Karl was the guy who had been training hard for three months, had taken several lessons, had his heartrate monitor and GPS system strapped on to track everything during the race. However, he did forget one crucial part, his ski boots. We still had time to make it back to the cabin before the race. So we set off. However, we were slowed down by a cop that decided we were following too close behind the car in front of us. We were beginning to push the limit of getting Karl back for the start of his race. Next, we're on the road to the cabin and the road is blocked due to the race. Karl thought maybe he could rent skis from the ski store; unfortunately, the ski store was closed on the biggest race of the year. So Karl's hopes for getting to the race were crushed.



Lisa and I met up with Dea and we loaded the bus to the drop off for our race. I was starting to get a little nervous at this point. I just didn't want to get in someone's way , since during my training I had taken some spills. Dea had no fear, even though her first time on cc skis was the day before.

We took off. There were people dressed as Vikings and in other costumes. It was a pleasant race. I did take a few splills on some of the downhills. One time I was going much faster than the guy in front of me and all I could think to yell was..."track!" To let him know that I was fast approaching him. He didn't budge. So I jumped off and fell to the side since my best attempts at slowing myself down included falling.

One technical difficulty involved me taking off my skis (because I thought that would be a better idea than falling all the way down, and it wasn't against the rules...I saw others doing it as well). I ran down the hill and started to put my skis back on, but they wouldn't clip in to the binding. Apparently, ice was stuck in the binding and it took me a good 15 minutes to dislodge the ice. Thankfully, Dea came to my rescue. She came up and asked the first person she saw to help us. Joe, my good Samaritan, stopped and helped me get the last bit of ice out of my binding. Dea went on her way as I finished up getting the skis on with Joe. I got on my way relieved I would not have to carry my skis across the finish line. I quickly came up on Dea as we were both going down a low-grade hill. I began to realize that I was going to hit Dea, so I shouted the first thing that came to my mind, "Dea, Track!" Dea fearful tried to jump out of the tracks but it was too late, my skis had already ran over her skis. We had a good laugh at our tumble.

So we made it the whole 12Km. We finished up the race at the warming tent with a fresh Wisconsin Ale and a brat..hey, that's a normal way too finish a race according to the Norwegians.



After we recovered, I said my "good-byes" and we loaded up in the car again. We took off to another friend's cabin. There we ate and danced the night away. Lisa and I had to see an official Wisconsin townie bar before we left. We hit the dance floor there for a bit, but we were all starting to hit the wall.

The next morning Karl got the water running so we cleaned the cabin and made our way back home. We were all on a "high" from the weekend. About an hour away from Madison I got a call from my mom letting me know my dad was in the hospital. It's crazy how quickly the rug can be pulled out from underneath your feet. Thankfully, he is ok. He has struggled with swallowing problems since his radiation treatment to his throat about 10 years ago. We're still taking it one day at a time. It's really hard being so far away.

"Great is Thy Faithfulness"

I was talking with a new friend last week about our "stories." As I started telling my story, my friend said "it's seems like you've displaced yourself a lot." I have been thinking about how "displacement" and "change" have been apart of my story for the last several years. The first 18 years of my life were characterized by relative stableness. The same house, same church, same community. I did change schools in the 7th grade; we got new pets; and the sport I was involved with always depended on what time of year it was, but other than these changes every thing else was fairly stable.

Now it seems like everything is new and different. Since my move to Wisconsin, I feel like I have been in a state of constant change. New job, new room, new friends, new clothes (particularly for the winter), new streets, new church, new boss, new weather, new roommates. I met someone on Thursday and as I was going through my spill, ("I'm from Georgia", "I moved here for a job", "No, I didn't really know anybody in Madison...") which I have memorized by now, he mentioned how he has always wanted "to move somewhere new and start all over again and be whoever I want to be." Yes, I think this is partly what entices me about moving. I seem to always have a list of things I want to do better once I move, like: read the newspaper more, pray more, organize better, eat healthier, lose 5 lbs...etc. It's funny how these new "goals" last for a short while and then I'm back to my old habits.

However, I think and want to believe that God is using these locational changes to change me. I don't exactly know how He is doing it, but I've got to believe He is working. Because one thing is true He doesn't change. This Truth is conveyed throughout the Bible.

http://psalm121.ca/versesfaithfulness.html

I was reminded of this Truth last Sunday at Church. The church I am currently attending has experienced huge growth over the last few years and are moving to a new location. Since last Sunday was the last Sunday in the current location, the pastor was talking about transition and God's faithfulness. We ended the service with the song "Great is Thy Faithfulness." So even though even this week I've been tempted to think..."I made a mistake," "I jumped in too soon and maybe even in to the wrong swimming hole," "Does God let you make decisions that are completely out of His will?" I think that at times it takes faith to believe that "The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps" (Proverbs 16:9) and to trust that "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father" (Matthew 10:29). I think Paul's words describe this struggle of belief during present circumstances best in Philippians when he describes staining toward the goal.

"Not that I have already^(AB) obtained this or^(AC) am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do:^(AD) forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14I press on toward the goal for^(AE) the prize of the upward^(AF) call of God in Christ Jesus. "

Thankfully, God has laid His hand on me; He's taken hold of me; He is faithful, even in my unfaithfulness. There is no move too big for God.

http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/g/i/gisthyf.htm

On, Wisconsin...

Well, it looks like I'm not in Kansas anymore. I took the giant leap to Wisconsin August 27th. Mom and I made the short trek over a 3 day span. I think the most exciting landmarks we passed were in Illinois and there wasn't that much to see in Illinois! The first was the city of Metropolis, where Superman resides. The second was the birthplace of Abraham Lincoln, but we didn't not have time to stop and see if we could find Superman or see any log cabins. We were on a mission: "On, Wisconsin!"

Mom stayed with me a couple of days as I got settled in to the Midwest. We made it to Milwaukee and saw my first Great Lake. Here we are on the shores of Lake Michigan with our feet in the water.



The best things about Madison so far...it seems like a pretty active town. I have really enjoyed getting on my bike and checking out some of the paths that go through town. I'm definitely not in the South any more. However, Midwesterners have a different niceness about themselves. For the most part, everyone is fairly laid back and real. It's been a huge blessing to find a church that I really like. Thankfully, I didn't have to search long...I felt like the first church I visited was a good fit.

Other fun facts about Madison. Madison is all about 'Going Green.' It has been interesting hearing about how they are making this transition. Also, Madison is very supportive of local produce and other forms of trade. Hence the name "America's Dairyland." Madison is also home to several local breweries. The Farmer's Market that they have on Saturdays around the Capital Square is a neat market that many local vendors come to. It is very fun to visit the square on a crisp fall day. Now I know where to go if I have an itching for any type of cheese. The Mendota Terrace is also really nice on fall evening.

We shall see...it has been a roller coaster of emotions so far, but I'm trying to believe that God is in the midst of my transition. He is faithful!

Pura Vida

While I was between jobs, I left the country for a 3 week Costa Rican adventure. Here are some of the highlights:

Day 1 and 2: "Too Much Drama up in 'da Club"

I met Dea (a friend from UGA and CO) and Lindzi ( a new friend from North GA) in San Jose.

From there we set off in a rental car...Economy rental car gave us a great rate for a week, but now we know why...the only instructions they gave us were "San Jose is that way" and "pull over in a gas station if you get a flat tire." So we set off.

It definitely took us 3 hours to find our hostel because we took a wrong turn somewhere along the way. Thankfully, a lady and her son were nice enough to get in their car and lead us to the exact street. We had a great night in the Tranquilo Backpackers Hostel ($7 per person for 1 night, clean rooms, free Internet and breakfast dinner...I would definitely recommend this hostel). There was "too much drama" in the club that first day, so we went to sleep that night thinking Day 2 would be better.

We set off bright and early for our first destination: Volcanoe Poas. We were having a blast listening to Sister Hazel as we drove around the Costa Rican roads. We suddenly heard a "thud,thud, thud." We pulled over and noticed that we had a flat tire. The country road that we found ourselves did not have a gas station in site. As we were looking for the jack, a Costa Rican man came walking down the street. He insisted on helping, and before we knew it our car was up on a wobbly jack. Our "friend" started walking away with apparently 3 small bags. So the rest of Day 2 was spent filling out a police report and canceling credit cards. Our wonderful Costa Rican parents (my 2nd cousins who live in Atenas) came to our rescue.

We hung out in Atenas for a couple of days. This small town just 45 minutes west of San Jose is a nice getaway from the hustle and bustle of the city. It has gorgeous hilltops and forests, but also some cute places to eat. The best part about the Atenas was our time with Jim and Lois. They were so helpful and great conversationalists!

Manuel Antonio: Our search of the White-faced Monkey

This national park is a must see in Costa Rica. It is located about 100 miles south of San Jose on the Pacific Coast. It's a tropical forest and white beaches all in one location. Here we stayed at the Costa Linda Hostel. The owners were super, but the actual facilities were probably my least favorite.
The first day we tackled the park after our public bus ride from San Jose. The best part of the park was the waterfall that we jumped in as a way to cool off due to the Costa humidity. The funniest/riskiest part happened while Dea was attempting to boulder up this rock to get a good picture. She ended up hitting her head "really hard." Her symptoms that followed resembled those of a minor concussion. She did get a scrape on her head too. As she jumped down from the rock she asked..."am I bleeding?" as blood gushed down her neck.
The next day we went whitewater rafting down the Naranjo River, a class III, IV rapid. It was a half-day trip. The path to get to the river led past an organic farm, so the guides showed us peppermint, cinnamon, vanilla, and other interesting plants, trees and insects. The river was very enjoyable. I never really feared for my life, but I did realize how much I love being on the water. It was so calming even in the middle of the rapids I was refreshed. We had a nice picnic halfway down the river.

Here I tasted my first manachino (not sure if that is the correct spelling, but check out the picture of this fruit...It was like a sour grape on the inside). We actually enjoyed this tropical fruit the whole trip. Bee really liked it...

Next, I took a surfing lessons. Note to self, make sure your instructor speaks fluent English. I did have fun with the little surfer dude that had dread locks all the way down his back, however. Some of my favorite lines of his "Get on the board" "Paddle, paddle, paddle....get up" and his encouraging scream when I did actually ride a few waves in to the shore.

Mission Trip in Puerto Viejo: Not everyone gets a chance to be in high school again

The three of us caught the bus from Quepos at 12 pm on Saturday, July 21st with our only goal being to make it to Puerto Viejo by 8pm. Once again we hopped on the public bus, no AC once again. I don't think I got my sunscreen off in the shower that morning, so it felt like the dirt just stuck to my skin. Three hours later we were in San Jose. Then we jumped a bus to Puerto Viejo and made it to the El Bamboo Hotel. The scenery was much like that of Atenas, beautiful jungles along the rolling hillsides.

The group of 70 high school students arrived after we got there. The kids were great. They brought Ken Weatherford to lead worship, check him out on Myspace...he's an up and coming Christian music singer and songwriter. So every night we sang worship songs under the stars and heard a short message from one of the leaders about the Bible verse for the day.

On Sunday we went to a Methodist church that looked a lot different from our churches in the US. There was a roof, but no walls. They did have a full band that led us in worship, but we were also able to look over the beautiful countryside throughout the service. We discussed a lot about the faith of the Costa Ricans. It seemed as though they relied on God. In contrast, we talked about how our faith mirrors a belief in God, but not a reliance.

We split up into 3 work site groups Monday through Thursday. My group did primarily maintenance and laid a big cement slab where the kids could play. It was my first experience mixing and wheelbarrowing cement. I really liked getting my hands dirty with the manual labor. The youth group's company was great and it was neat to work and see progress. The pastor was there by our sides the whole week. It was so neat to see his face after we finished little jobs. There was a group of kids that hung around the site the whole week. These faces established community at the site and gave us a sense of purpose.

Arenal Volcano: "The volcano is like our faith...it's there, we know it's there, but sometimes the clouds cover it up "

We loaded up the bus on Friday morning and headed to La Fortuna at the base of the Arenal Volcano. We shopped and had a picnic in the park and then headed over to the volcano for a guided tour . We stayed that night at Parisio Lodge. It was a great spot on the backside of crater D, which means at night against a black sky you can see the lava spitting out of the active crater...very cool.

Some favorite God moments: Owwww....ahhhh

So one of my favorite moments while we were at the Parisio Lodge was sitting on the hillside with the group and looking at the full moon and the stars....and a volcano...and watching little spurts of lava come out of the crater. It was amazing to experience all these different aspects of God's creation.

Once the girls got there we were looking for something fun to do and found this sign at Gringo Pete's Hostel. It said "Free swimming hole with rope swing. Don't bring anything valuable with you." So we set off with some Imperials and a few towels. As the rain clouds got closer and closer, we kept trudging along. We finally arrived at the swimming hole and suddenly no one wanted to jump in the water. I asked one of the Costa Rican kids to show us how it was done and then I decided that I would be the first one of the girls to jump. I stood there shaking while I grabbed the slippery rope. I knew I could not let go too soon or I would not make it to the water. After a few moments of self-preparation I jumped...and it was so fun! The other girls jumped in and those few moments together with some of my dearest friends amidst the beautiful forest river....I knew God was saying...this is life...you just got to jump in it...."I will never leave you," "I have laid my hand on you," "Hold unswervingly to the hope you profess."

Meeting in LaFortuna: Where my girls at???

Bronwen and I hung around the amazing lodge until we had to check out and then we headed to La Fortuna. We did more shopping to my dismay and waited for Marisa and Cherry to arrive. It was a little difficult to communicate while using cell phones sparingly, but we all were finally together and then the final week in Costa began.

Ziplining through the Rain Forest: Me, Jane....where is my Tarzan???

We woke up on B's birthday morn and caught a shuttle to the Sky Tram and Arenal ziplining adventure. The sky tram took us on a areal view of the rain forest. We did see a sleeping sloth in a tree, a tree that resembled a broccoli, and some beautiful views of the Arenal Lake. Once we were at the top we posed for some more pics and then were learned how we would be ziplining down. I definitely recommend a ziplining experience while you are in Costa. We loved this experience because it was the perfect way to wake up as you go flying through the rainforest. Then we found this awesome waterhole...see God moment #2.

Tamarindo: "Under my umbrella...ella...ella..."

We rented this adorable beach house from Monday to Saturday in Tamarindo. We took a shuttle from LaFortuna to the Pacific Coast. Tamarindo is in the Guanacasta region of Costa Rico. It is a very busy surfer town. It did have a lot of construction and growth occuring while we were there, but it was still small and quaint enough for us. We had private access to the beach, and we were walking distance to any restaurant in town. There was a pool right across the way that we visited frequently. It had a pool basketball goal, a monkey, an awesome view of the sunset and a swim up bar!

Activities at the beach: Never have I ever...

...rented surf boards or gone deep sea fishing off the Pacific coast. We did rent surf boards for the week, but we weren't as successful with our surfing endeavors at this beach. I probably road a total of 3 waves in to the shore and Sarah broke her nose on the board...woops. We also went on a deep sea fishing trip. The guy from the fishing company literally drove past us 3 times because he had never picked up a group of just girls. We had a good time. The captain and the first mate spoke little English, so the snorkeling trip that was suppose to be in the package got lost in translation. But we caught 8 Mahi Mahi. The water was a beautiful blue and when we couldn't bring in anymore fish, we just laid out on the boat and enjoyed the ride. We did take 4 fish home with us to cook that night...but somehow we forgot our catch on the shuttle...I just hope someone got to enjoy the fish! As the saying goes " You can teach a man to fish, but if he forgets the fish he will still go hungry," or it says something like that....

New friends: "Do y'all want to go deep sea fishing?"

Traveling with Sarah Cherry and Marisa you are guaranteed to meet some new people. You always meet interesting people while staying in hostels. We had some interesting convos with people from Israel, South Carolina, Arkansas, Canada, and England. We also met some fun people in Tamarindo. We were trying to find an extra two passengers for our deep sea fishing excursion when we met the New Jersey surfers. Since they were staying at the hotel with our favorite pool, we ran into them several more times throughout the week.

Dancing: "you keep your shoulders still and just move the hips..."

We made a pact at the beginning of the week at Tamarindo...we must dance every night. After all we had a lot to celebrate, it was B's 25th birthday week, JTodd's 24th bday and Cherry's bachelorette party. We found out that there were theme nights throughout Tamarindo. Tuesday was Latin Dance night. At La Barra, I asked the first cute Latin American I saw to show us a few salsa moves. He was ready and willing. So we stepped out on the floor. He shared his moves with all of us as he continued to remind us..."keep your shoulders still and move the hips." Thursday night was Reggae night and we ended the week on Friday night dancing to this great Latin band...so more salsa was required.

The company you keep: My friends made my time in Costa

As you can see, this trip was a huge blessing particularly because I was surrounded by great company for my entire 3 weeks. There were definitely moments I will never forget. In the real world we keep moving and just don't "have time" or take the time to get to know people. A lot of times, I'm too scared to let down my wall and let God shine through me into other people's lives. There were several moments in Costa Rica where I had to just take a moment and thank God and ask Him to help me not to forget His goodness because He is good, He is faithful and He has blessed me with such amazing friends and family. As I jump into this next phase of life, I hope that God will continue to bless me with good company and that when I am doubtful of his goodness I will look to Him, but also to my friends who He has given me as a constant reminder of His goodness.

When did google take over blogspot???

Well, I guess google could have taken over even a year ago since my last blog entry is from April of 2006. Hmmm...where did the time go? I hope to get back in to blogging it's just that some days there are only so many daylight hours to get everything done. I'll open up my first blog entry of 2007 with my latest most embarrassing moment. So I've started teaching indoor cycling at the gym that I go to in Atlanta. I've been teaching here for about 3 months...but last weeks class was an experience that most cycling instructors have probably not encountered. The gym has recently changed the cable from the speaker box on the microphone. So now it is too short for me to place the microphone's speaker box on the stereo beside me. I have been avoiding buying a pouch to put the box in...mainly because I'm cheap. So last week I naturally tucked the box into my pants. About half-way through the class I noticed that the box had begun to slide down my pants. I'm a pretty intense cyclist, so I didn't want to get off the bike. I just kept thinking surely it won't get any farther down. Well, I thought wrong. During the standing climb the box traveled down to the bottom of my capri's leg. Since the box was inhibiting my complete pedal rotation at this point I decided to get off the bike. When I was trying to adjust the mike I realized I could not just pull the cable out of the box and I also realized that I was in a room with mirrors showing my every move. I finished the class with the speaker box in my hand...which hampered my stretching at the end of the class....yikes...I just wanted a friend to be there to laugh with me....We'll see how it goes this week.

Short Rows

A farming term my dad shared with me the other day was "short rows." Supposedly, the farmer uses this term when he or she is near the end of the harvesting (because the shorter rows are typically at the end of the field). So that's where I sit...and continue to plow, admist the short rows. I'm getting near the end of my time at JMU, but I still have a few weeks of plowing to go. The growing cry in me wants to declare..."who cares"...just let me pass, so I can be done. But I know this is not the appropriate response, and who would want to eat the crops of a half-hearted farmer? So as I continue to plow through directed research, case studies and finals, may the rows grow shorter but still be performed accordingly in front of the auidence of One.

So once this farmer has gotten to the end of the last row, which field does he go to next?? Depending on the season, he might go to the wheat field or the cotton field...but what if for some reason he has no clue what the next season would be or would bring?? My favorite line of Tom Petty..."the waiting is the hardest part"...rings true right now because this waiting keeps my mind going back to future thoughts instead of these last few rows that I must finish (for some reason I can't get away from this analogy...Thanks, Tru!). I once again find myself not knowing what I want to do and seeming like the decision is in someone else's hands...mainly the employers'. Thankfully, God's given me some fairly memorable stones to look upon and remember His faithfulness. I remember thinking during those past uncertain/crazy/confused/freakishly chaotic times how I thought I'd never finish the row (haha, there I go again)...but it got done and it all worked out (Rom. 8:28). So somehow, some way, I want to trust that... not what the next step is, but the Maker and decion-maker of the next step.

Spring Break '06

Six of us made the trip down to Kill Devil Hills, NC for the weekend. I know from the name you wouldn't expect this place to be the hopping spring break '06 destination...and it wasn't hopping, but it was a great place to get away for the weekend. We stayed in a huge house that had a hot tub...this was definitely a requirement since it didn't get above 50 degrees the whole weekend. We were at the BEACH...but we were inside a lot and played many games of pool, catch phrase, battle of the sexes, and watched movies.

Roarrry and Maddy, the future Boseks, sporting their navy and yellow attire at Mako Mike's. Mako is a type of shark. This was my first experience with makos...I tried the blackened Mako...tasted like chicken, I probably should of stuck with tuna.

I don't know if any of you have seen Shark Tales...but this was not a vegetarian shark. It was a close call, Roarry might have some permanent damage...he's just glad to still be alive...good thing he's friends with me!

Getting prepared to go in for a "polar bear swim" at the Outer Banks...it was 45 degrees and there were some killa waves...but we successfully accomplished the mission.

(After the swim)...The rules of the swim include: sprinting from the sand till you are fully submerged in the ocean, after you have successfully completed the submersion you can go back to the sand...but if it's windy you might as well stay in the ocean.
I recommend everyone should experience this at least once in your life...but you might want to make sure there is a hot tub near by to prevent hypothermia...

"Where the streets have no name"

Unbeknownst to me...Bono, U2's lead singer, spoke at the national day of prayer breakfast at the White House on February 2nd. How cool!!! I wish him and Laura Bush would have broken out in song, but here is a copy of what he said.
http://www.data.org/archives/000774.php

"Setups"...love them or hate them??

It's one of the joys and woes of being single. Yep, you know what I'm talking about. One of your married friends who has completely forgotten what it's like out there in the dating world has this "perfect" friend that she wants you to meet. (This story is told from the woman's point of view...I'm not really familiar with the guy's side of all this).
So she talks to him and she talks to you and works out a "casual" meeting place. You know, a place like Barnes and Noble for coffee or Panera for lunch. The good thing about meeting somewhere is that you do have a way out (ahhh, I've got to go to the waterpark tonight- it was nice meeting you), and it saves you from the awkward do I wait for him to open the door/walk me to the door/make a mad dash for the door scenarios. However, the meeting can be potentially awkward, let's face it the expectations are high. In the back of your friend's mind she's picking out what color she wants the bridesmaid dresses to be (True story- my brother had a friend who was trying to set him up with one of her friends and on her friend's myspace page she literally put what color she wanted the dresses to be...crazy!). Meanwhile, your mind is floating from the extremes of..."maybe this will at least be a little hydration in the desert"...to..."he does sound great, maybe this could be IT."
So after the time and the meeting place are set, the day finally comes, which could potentially be many weeks after this whole idea was brought up...so expectations can be even higher. On "setup" day when you're getting ready you try to look the best you can but in a way that looks like you spent minimal effort doing it. You wear something casual, but straighten the hair, brush the teeth...twice...you know the little things.
The meeting is all about keeping the conversation flowing...if you find something in common stick with it...milk that for all it's worth...avoid awkward silences at all costs!!! Even if it requires talking about wrestling matches or big dogs.
Coming to a close...it's best if you do schedule something later on that you do have to get back for...like I'm meeting my roommate tonight for karaoke... A. it shows that you some personality, especially if you have something cool planned and B. it gives you something to bring the convo to a close with..."well, have fun singing 'Sweet Child of Mine' tonight" (what you have already alluded to as your "go to" karaoke song).
Lastly, as Tom Petty says "The waiting is the hardest part"...if it went well, you wonder what he thought, if it didn't go well, you wonder when you'll find that someone...so the cycle continues...

2006 Olympics

(my Olympic Crush)
I normally don't get consumed with the Olympics like I have for the past two days...maybe the snowstorm and the rather quiet weekend has had something to do with my fascination this year. I just can't get over the risks that these athletes take...whether it's going down the luge at 85 miles an hour and that's a minimum (not too mention the attempts of "grandma luge"- the sole Virgin Island athlete who is well over 50...unfortunately she had to withdraw due to a bad crash into the wall of the luge...ouch!) or going over mogules at 35 mph that leads you to a ramp in which you have the option to do a freestyle move while in the air. The obstacles these athletes overcome can also provide that extra motivation to get up and workout...the male for the Japanese pair figure skating team suffered an achilles tendon rupture last summer (and made a comeback in 6 months...that pretty impressive for this type of surgery) and a US skier has come back from not one but two broken ankles that caused her to pass out from the pain. These guys and gals will do anything to be on the podium. Even though NBC has a tendency to be over dramatic on some of their storytelling, I think hearing the stories and then seeing these athletes live their dream is the best part about the Olympics.
In the book The Call, Os Guinness says that "heroism has fallen on hard times in the modern world." One reason he gives to this crisis is the fact that there are fewer heroes--"because the role of the press and media in creating the modern celebrity and widening the gap between fame and greatness, heroism and accomplishmet." Fame can come instantly these days from winning a singing competition or falling in love with a Bachelor...but heroism is linked to the honor of accomplishment, of having geninuinely accomplished an achievement with sweat, cost, and dedication. I think some of these athletes hint on a truer definition of "heros" than what we normally see the media covering...over and over again.
The final reason Os Guiness gives for the "crisis of herosim" is the so-called death of God in Western society or what should be termed more accurately "the drowning out of the call of God in modern life." Ernest Becker recognized this problem as well and described being a great human being was to be "a knight of faith." He describes this type of man so well, I just have to include it:
"This figure is the man who lives in faith, who has given over the meaning of his life to his Creator...He accepts whatever happens in this visible dimension without complaint...no task is too frightening to be beyond his courage. He is fully in the world on its terms and wholly beyond the world in his trust in the invisible dimension."
Wow...these definitely are beautiful and challenging ideals, but thankfully "one cannont give the gifts of the knight of faith without first being dubbed by some Higher Majesty."
So back to the Olympics...I think my connection or the point of bringing these two thoughts together is that for two weeks we get to see people so caught up in their dream, passion and their eyes so fixed and focused on the goal of their life...that it inspires, drives and guides them to incredible feats. We'll get to see these athletes live out their dreams, and I hope these visible pictures of perseverance will be used to encourage me (and you) to walk out our faith...in the midst of whatever obstacle we may be facing.

" Mary J. is in the spot tonight..."

I had an unexpected blessing on Wednesday. It had been a pretty long day, and when I got home my roommate was watching Oprah (I'm not particularly an Oprah fan so my initial reaction was...why is that on the TV). Mary J. Blige was Oprah's guest and I immediately got glued to the TV as I listened to her story. I didn't know much of her story...but here's a brief outline.
She was raised by a single mother in a New York housing project. She was sexually and physically abused beginning at the age of five. Mary's description of the abuse in her family was that: "It's a vicious cycle. You look at the way your mother is being treated and you think this is the way you're supposed to be treated." Mary turned to drugs and alcohol at an early age. The music industry's partying lifestyle accelerated her downward spiral. "No one was telling me the truth," Mary says. "I had someone say to me, 'Girl, it's okay to drink and be promiscuous.' It was a lot of me just not loving or respecting myself and not thinking I deserved anything better."
But (praise God!) there was a "Breakthrough" (her new album title). Mary says her turning point came in 2001. After the loss of a close friend, her grief was compounded by the death of fellow hip-hop star Aaliyah on August 25 and the 9/11 tragedy. Of course Oprah tried to keep shifting the focus to "Mary J's self-discovery"...but Mary J. kept saying God opened my eyes to who I really was. Mary said from that point on she stopped blaming others for everything (the drug, addiction, etc) and saw herself as who she really was...a sinner. She described how painful that process was and how many of her "friends" left her and called her a "God-freak." But God was continually opening her eyes to the power of forgiveness. Referring to the abuse she endured as a child, Mary said, "I blame (my mother) for nothing, but I forgive her verything." Oprah selected this quote to go in her book of quotations (maybe one day Oprah will understand how Mary J. could make this bold statement...I think it's such a testimony to the power of Jesus' forgiveness in Mary's life).
Mary J. also shared how "grateful she is to God for bringing her husband into her life." The part about their story that really was surprising/encouraging to me was that at first she was disappointed that the marriage alone didn't heal the insecurities that she still battled. "I was looking to my husband to make me feel good about myself," she says. So not only was her husband a blessing because He is a fellow believer to walk with, but he also was used by God to show her that (and she didn't use these words on the show...but I'm hoping this is what she was thinking) Christ alone can meet her needs and defeat her insecurities.
Anyways- Her story was encouraging to me because it just reminded me how important it is to speak Truth into others' lives (even when you think they might not be listening). It made me realize how blessed I am because God has used so many people to speak Truth in my life. I was also thankful that God can use any instrument...even the Oprah show (let me know if you think that's blasphemy!) to speak beauty and Truth into our lives...may we continue to pray for open eyes so that we don't miss the blessings of those moments!!!

Now only a GA peach at heart

So Saturday night I went to watch the UConn basketball game with some other athletic trainers at a sports grille. I should have known something was wrong when the waiter continued to stare at my id. I had to ask myself..."I am legal, right??"... (haha...guess I don't get out much). Then the waiter told me that my license had expired. Not only did my 24th birthday bring a new year, but also the need for a new driver's license...woops! Who knows how long I would have been driving with an expired liscense if I had not ordered that drink!! Now it is official. I have a Virginia license, this is the last step of my Virginia citizenship (but in order to continue driving legally I had to take these desperate steps). No worries...I still claim Georgia, but I will be able to legally drive in Virginia for the next 6 years!

Note to self

Mk, always check your class schedule.
No matter how many times you've taught the lab or been going to school...Always double check your class schedule.
Having your lab assistant call you to tell you all the students are at lab, but there's no lab instructor is...humbling (but I definitely need moments like this). I know you thought the lab started at 7pm (like last semester), but it started at 6pm. It worked out fine; you only showed up 23 minutes late, and it was the first lab-so it was short. Woops! Learn from the mistakes and keep going...

Latest Intramural update

A group of us are still after the elusive IM championship t-shirt. An earlier posting was about our attempts at this prize through floor hockey. Those attempts were not reached...we lost in the first game of the playoffs, we never organized a flying V play, and I never got the whole team to chant "Quack, Quack, Quack."
Our failed pursuit at floor hockey has brought us to basketball- a sport that more of the members on our team are familiar with, so that's at least a better start. We had our first game on Sunday and we won (only by 5 points and the other team only had 4 players...but who's counting). I had forgotten the adrenaline that I get when I am in a real game. It's not the same feelings that I get when I'm playing a game of horse or just shooting around. When it came time to put the number on- I was out for blood. If we had a highlight video from the game, I'm sure I'd look pretty slow and missed more shots than I thought I did while I was out there. But while I was out there I felt great, had confidence, knew the foul shots were going in, and planted with boldness in such a way that drew the offensive charge.
I've been thinking about the emotions I had during the game on Sunday compared to the emotions I have during shoot around or HORSE. If God were the coach, I think He'd say something like..."play like every game was your last; life is not about just shooting around; it's a real game, a fight; your opponent is going to try to take the ball/your joy/peace/Truth/beauty away from you...so be ready; wake-up each day and prepare to be ready; have fun; encourage your teammates; be thankful for the opportunities you're given to play the game and remember who gave you the opportunities; go with your instincts/the Spirt I've given you; even though it feels awkward at times and you feel slower than you used to be or not quite on your A game...Trust Me; trust that this game will prepare you for the games ahead; Trust that I'm using these drills/plays/opponents to make you better/holy; Just do it/Trust Me."

Pics from my b-day

The Signature Sara Waz Funfetti Birthday cake...yum!

I was suppose to blow out my imaginary candles.

Me taking a big bite of the chunky chicken salad

Maddy's Queen of the mountain

24 Candles

In light of my 24th birthday, I've posted the lyrics of one of my favorite songs..."Twenty-four" by Switchfoot...let's all take a moment:

Twenty-four oceans Twenty-four skies Twenty-four failures And twenty-four tries Twenty-four finds me In twenty-fourth place With twenty-four drop outs At the end of the day Life is not what I thought it was Twenty-four hours ago Still I'm singing 'Spirit, take me up in arms with You' And I'm not who I thought I was Twenty-four hours ago Still I'm singing 'Spirit, take me up in arms with You' There's twenty-four reasons To admit that I'm wrong With all my excuses Still twenty-four strong See, I'm not copping out Not copping out Not copping out When you're raising the dead in me Oh, oh I am the second man Oh, oh I am the second man now Oh, I am the second man now And you're raising these... Twenty-four voices With twenty-four hearts All of my symphonies In twenty-four parts But I want to be one today Centered and true I'm singing 'Spirit take me up in arms with You' You're raising the dead in me Oh, oh I am the second man Oh, oh I am the second man now Oh I am the second man now And you're raising the dead in me Yeah I wanna see miracles To see the world change Wrestled the angel for more than a name For more than a feeling For more than a cause I'm singing 'Spirit, take me up in arms with You' And you're raising the dead in me Twenty-four oceans With twenty-four hearts All of my symphonies With twenty-four parts Life is not what I thought it was Twenty-four hours ago Still I'm singing 'Spirit, take me up in arms with You' I'm not copping out Not copping out

Thanks for hanging in there with the song- This song has powerful lyrics...they'd make good prayers for anyone, whether you are 24 or not!

Here's a brief overview of my day...I wasn't over excited about the big day, but God really blessed me several good memories/blessings:
- a random dream that involved me going for a run and ending up at my parent's house- they cooked me a chicken so I would not have to cook supper on my b-day
- a real b-day run in the morning- I suggest this for everybody on their b-day
- a helpful meeting with my supervisor about my VATA presentation
- productivity at work...I know it sounds crazy, but this doesn't always happen in our office
- a beautiful day- clear and a high of 63 degrees, which is abnormal for my b-day even when I'm in GA-
- a short hike with a few friends and a picnic at the top
- trail mix
- 11 friends that would play board games with me
- Apples to Apples
- Sara Waz's signature brownies and funfetti cake
- phone calls and messages on facebook
Here are some pics...ok, well I don't know if they all were uploaded or not! If they did not make it on this post, I'll just try it again...

Duplication picture

Me and Whit-Dawg manning our station at Passion '06

The Seed

I got the opportunity to volunteer at Passion '06 from January 1st to the 5th. It was a great way to start the new year not only because it involved serving but also because some close friends got to share the experience with me. Passion is all about a generation coming together for the glory of God's name. What I love about the heart behind Passion is that it's not about a particular denomination, speaker or band...but it's about real people seeking and responding to the greatness of God. A quote from the David Crowder Band describe their experience this way, "when our depravity meets His divinity it is a beautiful collision."

This picture is from the art gallery that was in the GoCenter...where we served all week. It always struck me as I passed by, but I didn't notice the words until I took the picture. I thought it was pretty cool- and wanted to share it with you for your viewing pleasure. My favorite hidden line in the picture says "spreading your love to those hopelessly separate from God."

Anyways...to the part about the seed. The one talk that I got to listen to completely was Beth Moore's. She was doing a bit on Galatians 6:7-9. She was centering in on the promise in Galatians 6:9 which says, "And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. " She used an amazing analogy which has been such a blessing to me. She and her husband were helping with some relief work in Africa, particularly distributing food to those in need. While she was there she was talking with one of the full-time workers in Africa, she learned about a problem that was going on with the people. They were so hungry that once they were given seed to plant, they ate the seed and did not take it back to plant it to enjoy the full benefit of the seed. This action struck her as similar to what we do as Christians...instead of planting the "seed" of the Word into the reality of our lives, we taste it and agree that it was good and then a month later we wonder why we're not full and where are harvest is. I think this idea is partially what keeps me from getting excited about conferences like Passion. Let me explain...in the past I have gone to events like this before where I'm moved by the Word but I come back to real life having tasted the seed- but life gets in the way and I lose track and before I know it I'm back to my comfortable sin pattern again. But thankfully God's Word is here to make us victors not scholar!! Beth encouraged us by saying that in order to reap a harvest we must get the Word into our experiences..."therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word inplanted, which ia able to save your soul . But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. " Jame 1:21-22- Beth says it better than I do- so chech out www.268generation.org and look under Louie's latest messages. It will be under Beth Moore Main Session 3.
So may we live as authentic victors in this new year!