Saturday, May 29, 2010

Like


I'm turning into my dad.

-I made my sandwich and prepared the coffee pot Thursday evening before I went to bed.
-I went running at 6:00am on Friday morning.
-I then proceeded to get ready for work while listening to Mozart.
-I listened to NPR on the way to work.
-I drank coffee on the way to work.
-I worked a half day on Friday.
-I rolled my eyes when the DJ company suggested slow jazz for background music during my reception.
-I can't just watch t.v.- I have to be doing SOMETHING.

Don't even let me get started with mom...

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Glove Compartment

I went to a couple of bridal shops last Saturday to try on bridesmaids dresses for Ginger's wedding. Thinking ahead (oohoo, I'm so slick), I put a strapless bra in my purse so I'd be prepared for strapless dresses.

After trying on all these dresses, I realized I was running late to meet my friends at the movies. So I threw on my clothes without changing back into my regular bra and hit the road.

Once I got to the theater, I didn't want to carry my BRA in my purse with me, HELLO. And I didn't want it sitting on the front seat of my car or something crazy like that. So like any normal person would, I stuck it in my glove compartment.

And promptly forgot about it.

A few days later, my grandparents did me a solid and took my car in to get my brakes checked for me.

But then.

Grandpa went looking in my glove compartment for any paperwork I might have about my brakes.

Fast forward to Grandma telling me that they were having a grand old time coming up with possible scenarios for how it got there. They were thoroughly entertained, and she couldn't stop laughing while on the phone with me.

I love my grandparents.

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Live Together

I’m processing a lot today. My seniors are graduating and moving on, my small groups are ending, and the future holds so many new doors… new family, new friends, new city, just about new everything.

I spent yesterday morning at work before heading home to change for a funeral. The woman whose life we were celebrating was a dear friend of my soon-to-be-in-laws. They had spent the last 20 or so Thanksgivings with her family. Sadly, we never had the chance to meet. I rode to the memorial service with my newly extended family and entered the church. The tears were prevalent. The photo slide show brought chuckles to those grieving. The music was comforting and the eulogy was beautiful. I’m not sure if I can describe to you all of the emotions I felt during this funeral for a woman I had never met. I found myself deeply moved. I hugged family and new friends as person after person told me they were so glad to meet me, but how sad they were at the circumstances surrounding our introduction.

D and I made our way to the home of the family and I stood speaking to my soon-to-be-father-in-law about mourning those we love. I told him that pleasant words are always spoken at funerals – but sometimes those words are a stretch. This funeral hadn’t required any stretching of the truth. It was apparent that her love for others had dominated every aspect of her life. The celebration at the house was open to everyone who had attended the service, and it was packed. I stood against a wall and just observed the way that this community had come together in their grief and out of genuine love and I teared up again. I wept for all of the good-byes that are yet to come, and I wept for the hurt of these lovely people. As D and I left, he made the comment that this was his least favorite experience of life. I concurred and said that I didn’t know anyone who enjoyed saying good-bye.

We drove straight to a LOST season finale party with 25-30 members of D’s church. We walked into a rowdy crowd of Suns fans who were cheering on their team as LOST was recording on the DVR. Everyone brought food and hugs to share. The kitchen was full of people helping themselves to the fridge, cutting the roasted pork, and marveling at the amazing cake creation. Again I stood against a wall and watched. I watched them laugh and connect. I witnessed community in action. We snagged appetizers and D and I found a spot in the packed living room to watch the two hour recap. Although I entered this group just in January, this collection of friends has been watching LOST since the very beginning. The faces have changed, but the standing appointment remains year after year… until now.

We gathered in the kitchen and held hands to pray over the feast that awaited us. Our host started off the prayer with the sentiment, “God, oddly enough… we thank you for a television show.” He wasn’t thanking our Father for entertainment or good writing. He was thanking God for community. That’s what it’s all about, and that’s what LOST has conveyed since the opening sequence of chaos and wreckage. Live together… die alone. I clasped D’s hand tightly through the end of the prayer and found that I had tears in my eyes. I looked at my new faces of community and I said a quick prayer of thanks for all the ways God was providing for me.

We watched the finale together. The floor was uncomfortable, the desserts were incredible, and the commercials were chaotic (I would not take the role of DVR fast-forwarder even if you PAID me)… but the experience of viewing those last 2 ½ hours were meaningful. I cry at Hallmark commercials – so I was impressed with myself for making it as far as I did. (WARNING – ending spoilers) As Jack lay down among the bamboo my thoughts traveled to the memorial service. I thought of the families that surrounded each other in the darkest time. I looked at this character on the screen that we had all grown to love and my wish for him was that he not die alone. And just like that, Vincent the dog ran into the scene. I’m not really an animal person, but as I witnessed the golden lab lay down gently beside the sacrificial hero, I began to weep.

Just over a year ago I discovered something unexpected about myself. I determined that I had a huge fear of being alone. This wasn’t the surprising fact – I’ve always known that despite my adventurous spirit and independent nature – I long to be connected to others. What surprised me was the realization that at some point I had come to believe that needing company or community showed spiritual weakness. I had skewed things to the extent that I thought God was holding out on giving me the love I desired in my life because I couldn’t be satisfied just in him. Obviously he desires that I would find fulfillment and ultimate satisfaction in Him alone – but he also didn’t place us here to fight the fight as a one-man team. I had twisted his best for me to be a self-made punishment. Because you can't get this right, you will always be alone and you should learn to suck it up.

When God created the world he declared it to be good, and that Adam was very good. That could have been it. God and Adam until the end of time. But God looked at Adam and decided it was NOT good for man to be alone. God gave Adam the companionship of Eve.

What I witnessed at the memorial service and at the party was beautiful. I was trying to put words to it today – and that’s as close as I can get. I witnessed the Body of Christ in action; weeping with those who weep, and rejoicing with those who rejoice.

Thank you Lord, for the gift of others, for the love of friends, and for the chance to live together. Thank you for life and thank you for a t.v. show. Thank you for your love and your grace.

I once was lost, but now I'm found... twas blind but now I see.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

The Lost Birthday

We (okay, mostly I) like to do birthdays big at our office, and Stacy's birthday this year was no exception. With the end of one of our favorite shows fast approaching, and also at the prospect of turning her office into its own private island, I leaped at the chance to Lost-ify our marketing suite! Here are a few pictures from the day:


Hehehe... One of my favorite touches:

The inside of her office:


Celebrating that afternoon:

Such a fun day! Can't wait for the next office birthday...

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Changes, changes everywhere...

1. I started P90X on Monday. Sometimes he's a snide little man... isn't he?

2. We are down to 158 days until the wedding. I wish it was sooner, truth be told. But I'm sure this will be just fine.
3. Dress - check. Venue - check. Date - check. Photographer - check. Not having a wedding cake - CHECK. Ooh... what's that tradition? I'm sorry, I can't hear you over the gelato bar.
4. I've led a small group of girls from a local high school for the past two years and this coming Monday will be the last meeting. I'm mourning the loss but excited for the new opportunities that will come with the fall.
5. My Wednesday night small group will end in two weeks. I leave that place every Wednesday night saying, "Why do they even come? But thank you, God. Thank you for the Ragamuffins. Thank you for entrusting them to me."
6. Lost is ending. 11 more days and then it is all over. Our group is trying to decide what to do with ourselves. Get together at 3:00 am to watch World Cup Games over the summer?
7. It has been in the glorious 80 degree temps this week. It all goes out the window next week. Hello triple digits... back so soon?
8. Mom came to visit this past weekend and do a fast and furious run-through of wedding events. I tried on the dress, she saw the place, we shopped for over-priced flowers and invitations. She met D's family... and Mom saw all that had been accomplished and it was good.
9. Dad and I are trying to pick out a string quartet and the music they will be playing. Any suggestions are welcome. The selections are strikingly boring. I'm steering clear of Baroque stuffy and I don't want anything that's been played in a romantic comedy. Ready? And.... BREAK.
10. The girl's conference... the one I planned for years and prayed for for months? It was wonderful. God moved. Girls connected. Walls came down. He was in it all. I want to do this full time... as in always. Anyone with connections please feel free to pass them my way. This is one of those hopes that has become so monstrous that I don't think I can hide it on the inside anymore. I want to write and speak to young women full time. The dreaming will now commence on overdrive.

I should be in bed. The dang P90X will be calling my name in just a few short hours.

Thursday, May 6, 2010

That Wimpy Deer?

Sitting in the stands at the Rangers game last week, my mind couldn’t help but wander to scenes from a few of my favorite baseball movies. What a great blog entry that would make!, I thought. (I probably said it out loud too.)

My thinking is that there’s just something about baseball that lends itself particularly well to film. The movies capture something magical about America’s game, and even though I don’t pay attention to it but at all in real life, I know that Hollywood has romanticizing baseball down to an art form.

Here are a few of my favorites.

The Sandlot


I love watching Scottie not only make friends during that fateful summer, but also develop some genuine baseball skills. When he first met those guys he had no idea where to stand, how to catch a ball, or absolutely anything else. By the time they play the bullies who “play ball like a girl,” he’s able to contribute to the team and actually get a hit in the game. I love that.

Fever Pitch


Fever Pitch is a fun little movie, and a lot of my affections for it are largely (and unsurprisingly) due to Jimmy Fallon. But I do love the baseball scenes, and part of me really would love to have a team I loved as much as Ben loves the Red Sox, and to have a stadium “family” like he does with his fellow season ticket holders.

Rookie of the Year

One of my favorite “excited” moments in any movie ever is when Henry’s mom surprises her son and his friends with tickets to a Cubs game. Their screams as they ride the escalator makes my heart smile. All the way through this movie you can tell just how much the Cubs and the entire game of baseball mean to these three friends.

Field of Dreams

In his original review of the film, Roger Ebert said, “There is a speech in this movie about baseball that is so simple and true that it is heartbreaking.”

Part of that speech: “And they'll watch the game, and it'll be as if they'd dipped themselves in magic waters. The memories will be so thick they'll have to brush them away from their faces. The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It's been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt, and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game, is a part of our past, Ray. It reminds us of all that once was good, and it could be again."

A League of Their Own


(If you read my little write-up on A League of Their Own from a while back, you know I hate the original trailer, so here's a clip of the montage that comes about mid-way through the film.)

This movie really does make me excited about baseball. The players take their sport so seriously, and I enjoy all the little moments that show how good they are at what they do. Evelyn’s home run, Kit rounding the bases at top speed, Betty Spaghetti striking a batter out and landing the Peaches in the playoffs… all of it. I love it when Tom Hanks as Jimmy Dugan tells Dottie: "Baseball is what gets inside you. It's what lights you up... you can't deny that."

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So... what did I miss?