Wikipedia

says this: Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), also known as winter depression or winter blues, is a mood disorder in which people who have normal mental health throughout most of the year experience depressive symptoms in the winter or, less frequently, in the summer,[1] spring or autumn, repeatedly, year after year. In the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV), SAD is not a unique mood disorder, but is "a specifier of major depression".[2]

The US National Library of Medicine notes that "some people experience a serious mood change when the seasons change. They may sleep too much, have little energy, and crave sweets and starchy foods. They may also feel depressed. Though symptoms can be severe, they usually clear up."

I think I have it.  SO READY for the SUNSHINE, BEACH, and overall goodness that comes with SUMMER.  Anyone else feeling the way I do?

Weekend Update

I didn't really have any plans for this weekend. At first I was pretty bummed, but then I got really excited about not having to do anything. I got a good amount of sleep, which was nice. I ran errands with my mom, including picking up a bridesmaid dress, had lunch with my parents after church, etc. Laid back and nice.

I was also bribed (with free Mexican food and a margarita) into seeing Dear John. It was better than I thought it would be, but still not my favorite movie. From what I can tell, Nicolas Sparks' books are claimed to be the greatest love stories, yet there is always some interesting twist. I have to say that this twist irritated me a good bit.

The Giver is a book that most 5th or 6th graders read. Honestly, I assumed that I, too, read the book a long time ago. When my HLP decided to read it last month, I realized that I actually never read the book. Well, I read it this weekend. It was a good, quick read that made me think...I also decided that I enjoy reading books/stories that focus on interesting cultures.

(The Chosen and My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potak, Ayn Rand's Anthem, and Shirley Jackson's short story, The Lottery, come to mind.)

Anyway, The Giver left me wanting more...wanting an extended ending...needing more closure. The book begs you to ask yourself: if you've been living in the dark, and light is revealed to you, what do you do? Continue grasping in the dark or step out into the light -- even though it is foreign to you? As a Christian, I think that parallels with the gospel: we live our lives, and if/when we hear the gospel of Jesus Christ, a new world is opened up to you...so what do you do with it?

Sunday afternoon was gorgeous and I decided to walk the bridge. Once before, I walked it one-way and had someone drop me off and pick me up. This time, I thought I would go for the gold and walk it both ways. I was really enjoying the walk and even decide to run the last 1/2 of the bridge (downhill). For those of you that know me, you know I am NOT a runner...so this was a big personal achievement. And it felt good. I turned around and walked back up the other side and as I started to run downhill, my left knee felt like the cartilage vanished. It hurt, and it still does. I should have known better than to run!

Fun Discovery!

So my friend Sarah always had the best music in college...she knew people long before they were mainstream. There was one song in particular that she introduced me to that I loved. I haven't heard it since college and had no idea who sang it or the name of the song. Now, I'm not going to lie, it is perhaps one of the sexiest songs I have ever heard. The beat, the rythm, the words...it is pretty hot.

Something made me think of that song last night and so I started Googling to find it. After severl searches I found it -- with the lyrics -- to confirm that, yes, indeed, this was the song. AND I was super surprised to find out who sang it. It's a band (that no longer exists) called Soul Miner's Daughter. The lead female vocalist is none other than Jennifer Nettles -- of Sugarland! I was impressed with myself for this discovery and immediately shared with my HLP -- who knows tons more about country music than me.

For your listening pleasure:



And HLP found this version...quite entertaining:

The Messenger

I've been reading through the book of Malachi over the past few weeks and loved yesterday's passage.  Thought I'd share.

Malachi 3:1-2
Behold, I send my messenger and he will prepare the way for me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. But who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fuller’s soap.

Wow. These verses blow me away. I wasn’t expecting to find them here – in the gospels, yes. In Isaiah, yes. But not here. How foolish I am; what part of the Bible does not point to Jesus? None of it! All of the word of God is to reflect the Christ!

The priests, the ones that were chosen by the Lord – set apart to be the most holy and honored – were not honoring the Lord. They were questioning Him, degrading Him. And yet God has a plan so much bigger then them. He has Jesus. In His infinite wisdom, the father has planned for His son to save us. The veil would be torn with the cross, and the priests would no longer be needed to purify the people. Jesus was greater – the greatest.

Again, I find myself acting so much like the priests. I am the control freak that thinks she can fix everything and do things right enough. Yet God turns my ways on my head and reminds me that without Him, I am nothing. I need Jesus and that my life belongs to Him. He alone can save me and give me hope and a future. The foreshadowing of Jesus is beautiful in this passage. Jesus prepares the way for the Lord, God, the Father. He tells the priests that Jesus is coming. And again, I am reassured that Jesus is coming again!

Who can stand? Who is righteous in the eyes of a man that is like the refiner’s fire and the fuller’s soap. The refiner’s fire burns away all impurities, making the metal precious and pure. The fuller’s soap was an ancient process that was used to clean woolen cloth before it was made into garments, again, it cleaned and purified. So Jesus is the refiner and the cleaner – the one that is able to fully cleanse and purify. Only through the cross! I am reminded of my favorite passage in Isaiah 6 with Isaiah standing before the throne and knowing he is unworthy. As am I. I am only worthy to be with the Lord because of the death Jesus died on the cross for me.

The Wonders of Duck Tape

So I may have mentioned that my brother is getting married. And mom has started to think/worry about her outfits for the rehearsal dinner and wedding. Last week her best shopping buddy (other than me) went for an all day trip. She was so tired afterwards. Unfortunately, I produced little sympathy, seeing as how I was tired from my day, too. Of working. Not shopping. I digress...

I went over to see the dress she purchased (and will have to return) and she told me this story:

Dad and I were at Supper Club Friday night and I was talking about looking for dresses and how my stomach sticks out and so I have to get a bigger size. And how I don't want to wear a Spanx. And Randy and Randall were there and listening and talking about it with me.
[According to Randall, mom said, "I don't think I can boogie in Spanx!"]

So a little bit later, Randall found my mom and told her that he'd been thinking about her problem and he'd come up with a solution: suck in as much as she could and then wrap herself in Duck Tape!

The best part is: my mom actually thought it was a good idea! I then reminded her that Duck Tape is sticky and she'd probably have it on her stomach for weeks...

National Lampoon's Spring Break Trip: Part 5 - Where are we now?

I can't believe its been almost 7 years since this trip... After writing these posts, it is amazing to me that Aimee, Courtney, Krissie, and I are still friends.

A year after the trip, in March of 2004, Anette sent this update to Aimee, who forwarded it to us:

Hi!!
How are you doing? I'm fine.  I was online and started to think about PC and our trip to Florida last year so I wanted to see how you're all doing. Could you say Hi to Courtney, Krissie and Elizabeth Ann for me? I don't know their last names so I couldn't find their e-mail addresses.  Take care and I hope to hear from you!
Lots of love,
Anette

Today, I am not sure what Anette is up to. But I do know that:
Aimee is in Greenville, SC. Married and raising cute kids at home.
Courtney is in Spartanburg, SC. Taking care of business at The College
Krissie is in Raliegh, NC. Shaping the minds of youngsters as an art teacher.
And I'm Back in Charleston, SC. Attempting to figure life out.

All 5 of us are friends on Facebook.

National Lampoon's Spring Break Trip: Part 4 - The Activities Continue

Remember when I told you that entering the gates of Summit Greens and they didn't know who Jack and Jean were? Apparently when they moved to Summit Greens they started going by "Jack and Jill" which isn't confusing. Thus, we never really knew what to call them. We ended up mainly using "Grandpa Jack" and "Aunt Jean." No real ryhme or reason. Aimee and her family deemed her "Aunt Jean" when she married Grandpa Jack a long time ago. Anyway, Aunt Jean gave Aimee a birthday card that had "Love Aunt Jean. Just Jean" written on the inside. (Passive aggressive, much?!?!) Courtney and I had the card on our door for the rest of the year and to this day we all refer to her as "Just Jean."

Taking a break from the sun, we decided that one day would be devoted to shopping. Krissie needing a break from us and self-admittedly not up for an all day shopping trip, decided to stay home with Grandpa Jack and Just Jean. We, on the the other hand, headed out to the mall, outlet mall, and anything else that sold things. Courtney, Aimee, and I had a good time. But Anette was in love with all of the things she could stock up to take back to Finland. I remember her buying a purse that had "New York" written all over it. Because she wasn't going to make it to New York while she was in the states, she was excited to have a something representing the Big Apple. I was going to explain to her that the purse was probably made in China, but I restrained myself. When she spotted the Puma store at the outlets, I thought she might wet her pants. Yet that was nothing in comparison to her finding a store that sold JLo jeans and t-shirts. I guess you could say our styles were a bit different. When it was all said and done, we'd been gone from the house for 8 hours. That meant Krissie spent 8 hours by herself with someone else's grandparents.

After the shopping trip we returned home to snatch KB and head back out. I don't know where exactly we were planning to go, but we had somewhere in mind. Yet we stumbled upon the most interesting neighborhood in America. It's called Celebration and its owned by Disney. Did you ever see the movie Pleasantville? Yeah, me neither. But Celebration is exactly like it: all the houses were perfect, the yards were meticulously manicured, the cars were solemnly parked on the street, people were walking around, they had neighborhood parks and stores, and everyone was quaint and polite, and well perfect. And I guess Disney thought that should be celebrated? Frankly, I found it to be a bit disturbing, yet so intriguing.*

http://www.celebration.fl.us/

One night, and I can't remember which...maybe after the day at Disney, we thought a nice trip to the pool would be a nice way to end the day. Being that we didn't have any bathing suits with us, and being that we were fun and spontaneous, we did what every cool girl would do in that situation. We went skinny dipping. I should say most of us went skinny dipping. Anette and Courtney refused. (Also, I'm thinking that if Anette didn't think we were strange enough, this potentially put her over the edge into thinking we were lunatics.) It was fun and no one came by the pool that night. After a while we clothed up and headed home. The next day we decided to lay low and just hang out by the resort-like pool. All is going well: just us 5 young ladies and lots of elderly men and women. Have I mentioned how cool we were? But after a while some pool police dude comes over and gently kicks us out of the pool. What? He claimed that it was because we weren't escorted by the Summit Greens member, but we'd been at the pool un-escorted before and it was fine. Thus, we all think its because they must have had a video tape in the pool somewhere and saw us taking a dip the night before.  :)

* Celebration became all the more interesting when a few weeks after our trip Krissie found out that a guy in her class was actually from Celebration. She borrowed his driver's license and ran and found us studying in HP to show us. Crazy!