Thanksgiving

I had a great Thanksgiving time with my family. We went to Brookgreen Gardens as usual. It is such a relaxing place to be. I got to see more animals than you could imagine, eat some really good oysters, and spend time with my wonderful family.

The USC/Clemson game was also quite awesome. It was quite cold at the game but the Tigers pulled it out of their hat, barely!

Red-Eye strikes again

I chose to fly a red-eye Thursday night back home because I kinda wanted to get back and take a long nap before festivities of the weekend started.  I have to admit that red-eyes are not my favorite anymore, well probably never were.  I had a particularly bad attitude for a few moments last night.  I had to choose an airline that I do NOT like to fly and one that I do NOT have frequent flyer status on, I will tell you that it sounds much like US SCARE :) 

They did not have enough room for my pack, so I had to stuff it under my seat.  This doesn't work when you are over 6' tall and especially doesn't work when you are in the middle seat.  I really didn't think I was going to be able to make it.  I get very claustrophobic and I felt like I wanted to crawl out my skin.  The guy beside me had the arm rest up and half his belly was hanging in my seat, not to mention his hand was chillin on my arm.  I slowly tried to push the arm rest down while he was sleeping.  Time-out, this woman beside me as I'm typing in the airport, just stood up right beside me, said to her 5 year-old son "mama's underwear is showing." She then goes to straighten herself out.  So back to the sleeping giant beside me.  I know people come in all different shapes and sizes and I probably shouldn't be complaining but it seriously about drove me nuts that he was all in my space and sleeping like a rock.  I kept telling myself that he probably had some medical condition that made him spill over into my seat and this is the only thing that made me feel better about being mad at him.  I sound like a 5 year-old.  I did eventually knock out for almost the entire flight so it worked out. 

On a happier and less-complaining note, it was a good few days in San Diego and the weather was quite awesome. 

Well I am sitting in Charlotte airport and they have a JAMBA JUICE now.  You should try it next time you see one, all natural, so GOOD. 

A week in Cali

This has been a good week in California. I flew out on Sunday morning which wasn't so fun. But, it has turned out to be a good trip. I spent a few days in Anaheim, Ca. Which, I might point out, is where Disney Land is. My hotel is right across the street from it, and no, I have not visited. I headed over to Hollywood last night and met up with a friend I haven't seen in years, an aspiring actress :) I actually took her to a Neutrogena audition. Hollywood is actually a dirty city, which is funny because it is portrayed as glamorous on tv. We did have a an awesome dinner at the Geisha House. It was a modern sushi/Japanese restaurant. It was very hip and cool.

We left dinner and went to a comedy improv show over at Upright Citizens Brigade. It was pretty funny.

I had one more meeting tonight in Anaheim and went well and head out tomorrow for two days in San Diego, then back home!

Seeker-Sensitive Movement

The Goodness of God

I'll just be honest. I think I take the goodness of God for granted on a regular basis. I'll be honest and confess a feminine thing I do, I SAVE EVERYTHING. If you have given me something, I save it. I have pretty much every note anyone has ever written to me. Back home, I have a green tub with stuff from high school. In my room now, I have a place where I put all my notes, letters, etc. I've gotten better over the years, but for the most part, I save everything, down to the notes that might have 5 words on them. What in the world? Am I the only one who does this? Occasionally, I'll go through them. It's important to not live in the past, but sometimes to really know where you are, you have to look back at the paths you've been. There is something about doing this that humbles me. I don't know what it is, but it's this weird feeling that usually ends up stirring my soul to love God more. I get the same feeling when I go visit my family after not seeing them for a while.

I think if you look back on your past, you have to see that God has always taken care of you. I don't care about the outcome, maybe you didn't get the job you wanted, maybe you didn't get the girl, it doesn't matter, I think you always realize that God has taken care of you. I can look at all the stupid things I have done in my past and I always can see that God's hand has always guided me back to where I needed to be. This I often take for granted.

I loved the line in The Chronicles of Narnia where they said of Aslan, "He's not a tame lion." Then the reply was, "No, but he's good." Man our God is a lion. Jesus is a lion. Man I sometimes don't want to see Jesus as a lion. It's a lot easier in America to see Him as a nice lil lamb that wouldn't hurt a soul.

Read this passage from Revelation. This should bring chills to your spine. He's good.

"I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns... He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. 'He will rule them with an iron scepter.' He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh, he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS." (Rev. 19:11-16, NIV).

Clean

I have cleaned so much this weekend. What in the world is wrong with me. I really think I have been taken over by someone else. Ed came and got his boat today and I thought, hmm, the garage is dirty. For hours, I took every single thing out of it, cleaned it, swept, used the blower, and now I can park the Rover in there and can actually see the floor. I even have room for my dirtbike to live beside the Rover. I finished staining the table I bought also. I went metro and painted the legs black and stained the top a maple brown. I think it turned out quite well.

Go pick up Josh Turner's new cd, it's COUNTRY. I like it. I sing background vocals on it, NOT.

I'm officially domesticating.

The Older I Get

I am a grown-up. There is a big part of me that just hasn't really accepted this idea.




I understand...
I have a job
I work hard
I have a house
I clean (naked)
I have a church, I love.

I just still feel like I still have so much growing up to do. I can't get over this idea that I'm waiting on the next thing and I struggle with settling down, but it is getting easier. I tend to take a long time to make decisions that really matter. I know everyone isn't like this, I hear about people dating for two months and getting engaged. I'm not downing that or saying negative things, but in my mind, I can't understand it. I need time, data, information, points of reference, situational experience. We always deal with decisions, but it seems like as we get older, the decisions and choices get tougher and deeper. They have bigger consequences. I struggle with this idea that maybe I don't trust God as much as I think or profess that I do. Maybe people that make quick decisions know more. I feel like I'm going to miss something somewhere in my process of trying to "figure." Man I love to figure. I love to open spreadsheets and figure costs, I love to watch planes get jacked up on the runway and figure out how they back them up so quickly. I like to figure out how these ladies on these planes are going to get their big honkin bags in the overhead bin. They always do.

I have been hanging out with people a lot lately and really talking about life. This has helped me a lot to discuss deep things with people around me and share struggles and success. I'm pretty good at masking sometimes and I hate it. A friend asked me today if I read my Bible today, I told him no. I thanked him for encouraging me.

It's about 11:30 and I have been flying all over the place today and I am beat, babbling, and probably not making sense at this point. I hope to start flying lessons as soon as I save up enough pennies, so be on the lookout :)

God has blessed me. Amen!