The Gospel

A friend sent me the link to a church she had visited and as I perused the site, I found this church's definition of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  I was struck by the words they choose to depict and explain Christ...so moving and powerful, yet so relatable and refreshing.  Thought I'd share:

Perhaps ironically, ‘the gospel’ can be a challenging thing to define in concise terms. It resists our categories, it can, in a sense, mold to fit any scenario, and has timeless, inexhaustible relevance. There is no era, conflict or triumph that it won’t speak powerfully into. It is the active ingredient.


The gospel is something that enables other things, drives other things––such as hope, community, the desire to gather together and laugh, serve, pray, celebrate, and enter into heartache. The gospel cultivates humility and wisdom; it promises healing and freedom; it meets us in the depths of sorrow and loss, and is the intrinsic meaning behind those things we find most true, most beautiful, most life-giving.

The gospel is the story of God coming to earth to redeem and renew, in a manner and through a means that could not have been––then or now––more unthinkable, counter-intuitive, or radical.

The gospel (literally, the ‘good news’) is that God entered history, walked among us, suffered, died, and rose again on behalf of people who are unable to perfect or satisfy themselves; for people who don’t deserve to be died for.

And in this gospel, all who transfer the weight of lordship from off of themselves and on to Jesus are promised a new identity, new life, and a new future.

In the gospel we are empowered to venture into our own hearts and lives and see them as they really are. The gospel enables us to find wholeness and refuge in our dependence on Jesus to be the sole means of our acceptance before God, and, remarkably, before ourselves.

Imagine what life would be like if we were able to enter into friendships far less motivated by being liked. What if criticism wasn’t so crushing? What if false accusation wasn’t so threatening? What if rejection wasn’t so condemning.

What if you were less self-aware, less fearful, less defensive, slower to anger, and freer to forgive? What if you were more generous, more patient, more hopeful, and more ‘other-focused’? What if your tattered edges were less embarrassing?

The gospel is the reality that we need a God who would die and live on our behalf, and that in Jesus we have one who has––not motivated by obligation, but by love.

Through the gospel, we are freely given a new identity––an identity based not on race, social class, gender, self-performance, worldview, a particular theological system, or a catalog of rules and regulations. Instead, it’s a new identity rooted solely in trusting Jesus that redefines every aspect of our lives.

Because of the gospel, we no longer have to hide from exposure and project that we have it all together, because God knows, loves, and enjoys us as we are, not as we pretend to be.

The story of the gospel is how and why we can be certain of and rely upon the love and faithfulness of a gracious God. And it’s capable of changing anyone, anywhere, at anytime.

http://www.allsoulsseattle.org

Blink

Thanks to Nathan and Jamie Lightcap, I've been on a Malcolm Gladwell kick this year: What The Dog Saw, The Tipping Point, and I just finished Blink yesterday. (I still have to read Outliers at some point.)

Yet again, Gladwell did not dissapoint. I learn about new things while I am effortlessly entertained by his writing. He makes you think and challenges you and I love it; would love to hear him speak sometime.

Here's part of a review that sums it up better than I can:

To over-generalize, there are two types of nonfiction books worth reading: those written by an eminent specialist summarizing the current state of his or her field, often focusing on the singular idea that defines the author's career; and those written by a journalist without special knowledge about the field, tracking a particular idea, crossing the boundaries of disciplines when required by the pursuit.Malcolm Gladwell's Blink is a bravura example of the latter sort of book: he ranges through art museums, emergency rooms, police cars, and psychology laboratories following a skill he terms 'rapid cognition.'

Rapid cognition is the sort of snap decision-making performed without thinking about how one is thinking, faster and often more correctly than the logical part of the brain can manage. Gladwell sets himself three tasks: to convince the reader that these snap judgments can be as good or better than reasoned conclusions, to discover where and when rapid cognition proves a poor strategy, and to examine how the rapid cognition's results can be improved. Achieving three tasks, Gladwell marshals anecdotes, statistics, and a little bit of theory to persuasively argue his case.

http://contemporarylit.about.com/od/socialsciences/fr/blink.htm

Thankful!

I was inspired by Courtney Molony to come up with a list of 100 (she's doing 1000!) things I'm thankful for.  I've worked on it for the past week and a half or so...some are silly and some are serious.  Yet regardless, "every good and perfect gift comes from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.." James 1:17.

1. My relationship with the Lord...that He saved me and calls me daughter.
2. My dad and the way he loves me and I am so similar to him.
3. My mom and the way she loves me and I am as equally similar to her.
4. Cheez-its.
5. Flat shoes (for the days you just don't want to wear heels).
6. Having a place to sleep every night.
7. Good sheets.
8. Hand sanitizer.
9. Diet Coke.
10. Having a job.
11. Music.
12. Scripture.
13. Prayer.
14. Nalgenes.
15. Ability to walk.
16. Bodies of water, especially the ocean, creeks, etc...
17. Sudafed.
18. Aleve and pain killers.
19. Ability to read.
20. Cell phones.
21. Cameron -- in my life and especially how she keeps me accountable to daily time in the Word.
22. My HLP, Courtney.
23. Fun shoes that make me feel sassy.
24. Having dreams that I want to accomplish.
25. G-chat.
26. The sunshine (especially when it makes my skin tan).
27. Laughter.
28. Trader Joe's.
29. Dark chocolate.
30. Cookie dough.
31. Fishing.
32. Chap stick.
33. That we are able to learn from one another.
34. Clean drinking water.
35. My glasses (so I can see!).
36. Dana Martin -- sharing and living the gospel of Jesus Christ in my life.
37. Wendi Aycock Combes -- sharing and living the gospel of Jesus Christ in my life.
38. Krissie -- especially how she loves me no matter what.
39. Thongs (I hate panty lines).
40. Cast iron frying pans.
41. MacBook.
42. Toni my bus driver -- always in a great mood (while I, on the other hand am often not in the mornings).
43. God's grace that abounds and abounds and abounds.
44. Blogs.
45. Memories (what if God made us so we didn't remember?!?).
46. My mom's generosity with food.
47. Living in the same town as my parents (at least for this season).
48. Books.
49. Owning a car.
50. GPS (saved me many headaches and hours of being lost).
51. Cards that my Dad gives me -- he always spends a lot of time picking out just the right Hallmark.
52. My mom surprising me with little treats.
53. $1.50 hot dog and mega drink at Sam's Club.
54. Scarves and gloves.
55. Knowing that someone enjoys the food you made them.
56. Friends that will tell you hard truth.
57. Friends that are grateful when you tell them hard truth.
58. Space heaters.
59. Push up bras.
60. The mornings I get time with the Lord in prayer and His Word.
61. Grace upon grace upon grace.
62. Cough drops.
63. Loco Pops.
64. Daily accountability with Cameron.
65. When friends encourage/push me to do something I don't think I can.
66. Pencils.
67. The feeling of being of included in something good.
68. Oyster roasts.
69. Tampons.
70. Red and black pepper.
71. Salt.
72. The Barefoot Contessa.
73. When people geniunely want to know what you think about something.
74. When a prayer is obviously answered.
75. Nathan -- he's always been the less selfish one.
76. Hair straightener.
77. Productive days.
78. Marshall Foster -- embodies wisdom, among many other wonderful qualities.
79. Being challenged in what I think/believe.
80. Cabernet.
81. Catching up with old friends.
82. Neti pot.
83. The Lightcaps.
84. Jenn -- especially her openness.
85. Proactive.
86. The Lord's ability to sustain me when I feel weak and empty.
87. Rain.
88. Patience -- a virtue a rarely exude, yet know is good.
89. Long walks.
90. When people respond quickly to something at work.
91. Grooveshark.
92. Arrested Development.
93. Having windows in my office.
94. Chirping birds.
95. Discipleship.
96. Sleep.
97. First Presbyterian Church, Columbia, SC.
98. Vintage 21.
99. That I enjoy cooking.
100. Surprising friendships.

 

Warmth!

You may remember that I am a summer-time girl.  I very much prefer the sun and warm and beaches over snow and cold and the mountains.  I'm sure it won't last and we'll have a few more cold days/weeks, the past few days have been GORGEOUS in Charleston.  Sure, we've had some rain, but once it goes away, the days have been BRIGHT and SUNNY and you can wear shorts and a t-shirt and it feel good.  So thankful for this change of weather and lifting of spirits!

I don't have a picture, but the drive home after work is splendid in the bright sunlight.  Once I get onto James Island, I am able to clearly see the downtown Charleston skyline, the bridges into Mt. Pleasant, Sullivan's Island...all at once.  It really is breath-taking.  Yesterday that drive home made me remember that I'm really glad to be in this city right now.

Malachi

Over the past several weeks, I've been reading through the book of Malachi.  It's the last book in the Old Testament, and I'd never spent much time there...so I thought I'd give it a shot.  While my heart may have been a bit hard over the past few weeks, there was a lot to be learned in this little book.  Mainly, I saw how much like the priests I am:  I doubt, I question, I try to be sneaky with the Lord.  Yet (because He is God and knows everything) I don't get away with too much.

And what would getting away with it mean anyway?  That I'd be further from my Lord -- the One that LOVES me most and KNOWS me completely.

There are only two kinds of people: those that know and love Jesus and have been saved by His grace and those that haven't.  I've done nothing to deserve His love, but He's given it to me anyway.  And since I have it, I hope I become the kind of person that knows and loves Jesus and has been saved by His grace AND walks TOWARDS Him...

Like the title of one of my new favorite songs, I got growing up to do.  

Home Remedies

My sinuses and allergies are always giving me trouble.  I usually get at least one sinus infection a year.  This year, praise the Lord, I have not.  Well based on my feelings this week, I'm pretty sure I do have one, but don't really want to go to the doctor...I feel good enough to go to work, but bad enough to not want to work...

You know the signs: stuffy head, pressure, congestion, fatigue, etc...

Yesterday I decided to do some online home remedy searching and found this:

Cayenne Snorting.

Reading the other posts I figured I'ld give it a try. My temperature was around 102 and my head and sinus areas killing me. Lots of yellow discharge. Lots of pain. I was not doing well. So, rather hastily and unscientifically I put a couple of shakes of organic Cayenne Pepper into about a Tablespoon of water in a teacup. I used a Q-tip to put it each nostril a couple times each and snorted it up. I then bent over and kept snorting. I followed with a Q-tip dipped in water to get more movement and snorted some more. My mixture may have been a bit intense. It burned alright, my eyes teared as if I was bawling like a baby and I had a few sneezing fits. I hung on for a few minutes and then blew my nose. Put some more water in there and snorted a bit more. Ten minutes later there was a definite change. My head still hurt and my nose was on fire! Then after about another 15-20 minutes most of the pressure in my head left and when I tried blowing my nose, no colored discharge! My temperature went down to 99 and I no longer had the chills. It worked! It worked! One of God's amazing wonders! Thank you everyone for sharing."

It sounded painful, yet I thought I'd give it a shot.  I added a DASH of cayenne to my neti pot (that I've been too lazy to use lately and could have potentially avoided this situation altogether) after work yesterday afternoon.  The burn!  The red face!  The inability to use the entire pot! 

However, it cleared me up for the rest of the night.  And as I'm stuffy again today, I MIGHT reconsider...

The Shred

also known to me as The Torture. 

Whilst in Raleigh last weekend, I tried Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred with one of Krissie's roommates.  It killed me.  It's supposed to be 23 minutes with warm up and cool down.  I lasted the first 15 before I collapsed on the floor.  Then I proceeded to feel sick and nauseous until I ate lunch. 

Yet, being a glutton for punishment I decided to buy my own copy.  I've decided to do The Shred every Tuesday and Thursday and walk the other days I choose to exercise. It was $9 at Wal-Mart and I got some 4 lb weights to go along with it.  $20 is so much cheaper than a gym membership! 

Tuesday, I made it about 19 of 23 minutes -- which I think is a vast improvement!  BUT I still felt sick and nauseous afterwards and had to lay down on the couch and devour 1/2 sleeve of Saltines in order to feel better.  I'm pretty sure Jillian wouldn't have been ok with this choice and I don't think one should eat before they do The Shred.  AND as it turns out my 4 lb weights are actually 2 lbs weights...thats 4 TOTAL pounds.  And they're still hard for me to use. 

I'm not trying to shred 50 pounds off my body (but I think it might do that if you used it daily), but would like to tone up.  And besides, this is what Courtney had to say about me doing this:

well i was going to tell you yest but didnt want you to fuss at me that it would be good for you to add something like that into your routine.  i think you would see differences and even if you dont you need to have some weight/resistance training. its good for your bones.

Me, fuss?!?!?!

Goal for today: make it through the entire 23 minutes and don't get sick (so I'm not eating before).

Raleigh Update

 In no particular order, we enjoyed the following this past weekend:

• Valentine's Day movie -- so fun!
• Mo Joe's burgers! Best in the world.
• Breakfast casserole.
• Trader Joe's.
• Homemade chicken curry. Yum.
• Mexican food.
• Erica Bethel -- Krissie's friend that rocks.
• Vintage 21 -- amazing church and amazing sermon and service.
• Hard and good and deep conversations.
• Shedding tears with friends that know and understand you.
• Mexican food.
• Returned bad lettuce for a new sandwich.
• Saw Shannon Innes.
• Fresh snow cream!
• Loco Pops (check it out: http://www.ilovelocopops.com/)

 

Fat Tuesday

Today is Fat Tuesday and I've eaten like a big girl all day long...

Hopefully this is my heart in the right place.  Hopefully this is me preparing for Lent (and not just eating to eat like I have a tendency to do).

So glad I had today off from work...

And here's why: the majority of this article

http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/02/15/presidents.day/index.html?hpt=C2

Washington (CNN) -- Retailers open their doors Monday and roll out big sales to entice customers. Government employees -- along with kids -- have the day off. But do you know why?

If you answered "Presidents Day," you're technically wrong.

The actual federal holiday is called "Washington's Birthday," after the nation's first president, George Washington.

According to the Gregorian calendar, adopted by England and its colonies after Washington was born, his birth date was February 22, 1732. (The Julian calendar has him born on February 11.) He is viewed as one of the greatest presidents in U.S. history and was also much adored during his lifetime.

"In the earlier years, when it was celebrated, it was more than celebrating his birth, it was celebrating what we liked about Washington: He walked away from power, a very poignant lesson for people," said presidential historian Doug Wead.

It wasn't until 1885, though, that February 22 became designated a federal holiday to honor Washington.

Abraham Lincoln, born on February 12, 1809, became a popular figure after freeing the slaves and ending the Civil War. But it wasn't until his assassination in April 1865 that Americans began to see Lincoln in a different light.

"Lincoln, because he was assassinated, he overnight became a beloved figure and suddenly a genius," Wead said.

Although he was considered "a buffoon and dumb during his time," after his death, everything he said was re-read and studied, Wead said.

In 1968, Congress debated whether to combine the two president's birthdays into one holiday, but decided against it. The legislative body passed the Monday Holidays Act that year, which said existing federal holidays would now be observed on Mondays to give government workers a long weekend.

The bill went into effect in 1971 and deemed that "Washington's Birthday" would be moved from February 22 to the third Monday in February.

But even today, Congress does not necessarily celebrate the day with the official title. While the House and Senate celebrate February 15 as "Washington's Birthday" this year, their weeklong recess is known as "President's Day District Work Period."

With the confusion over whose birthday it is and when it is celebrated, many Americans have simply lost interest in the day's true meaning, Wead said. The reason? Presidential nostalgia has been replaced by criticism and controversy.

TGIF

Not that this week has been terrible or really hard or anything, but still...TGIF! And its triple TGIF because (1) I'm leaving at 3:00pm today and (2) I have Monday off.

AND I'll be in Raleigh -- laughing, eating good food, and catching up with my best friends: HLP and KB. Doesn't get much better than that...

Little things...

...do make a big difference.

I'm currently reading The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell.  I think its quite fascinating.

I found this summary online and I think it does the book more justice than I would:

Gladwell’s central argument is that there are actually a number of patterns and factors that are at play in virtually every influential trend, ranging from the spread of communicable diseases to the unprecedented popularity of a particular children’s television show. If you analyze the evolution of any major phenomenon, the author suggests, you will find that the processes involved are strikingly similar.

The nature of modern culture is such that many new ideas are constantly being introduced from a wide variety of sources, ranging from trend-setting teens and twenty-somethings in the nation’s metropolitan centers to new product offerings from established corporations. Some of these achieve a measure of steady, consistent success, some fail, and some take off on an upward trajectory of exponential popularity and influence.

Based on his in-depth research spanning a number of different fields, industries, and scholarly disciplines, Gladwell identifies three key factors that each play in role in determining whether a particular trend will “tip” into wide-scale popularity. Gladwell’s discussion and illustration of the concepts of the Law of the Few, the Stickiness Factor, and the Power of Context comprise the majority of the book.

Experience

A good friend of mine sent this to me and asked me to write a blog post about it. Now, don't go getting ideas about post requests or anything, but I decided to make his dreams come true and hence this post.

Here's the quote:

Experience: that most brutal of teachers. But you learn, my God do you learn." ~C. S. Lewis

Here's my response:

First off, I love the quote and really agree with it. I'm not sure how much experience I have in my almost 27 years, but I do have some under my belt, and I hope I have learned from it. There certainly have been times that stick out in my mind and I know exactly what I learned from that experience. And I'm thankful for those times. Yet I think why experience is the most brutal of teachers is because it is relentless. I have found that if I don't learn something from my first experience, I will find the same lesson creeping back up in another experience.  While it is brutal, I also think it is the best teacher.  What better way is there to learn? 

From a Biblical view, a few things come to mind:

1 Chronicles 20:28
Then David said to Solomon his son, “Be strong and courageous and do it. Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed, for the Lord God, even my God, is with you. He will not leave you or forsake you, until all the work for the service of the house of the Lord is finished.

We are told throughout scripture, old and new testament, that God will not leave us or forsake us. I think a part of that includes teaching us...and teaching us over and over again until we have learned.

Psalm 66:10
For you, O God, have tested us; you have tried us as silver is tried.

God tests us over and over again, to make us pure and more like Jesus. He continuously gives us experiences to learn from and to help us mature into the God-fearing people we were created to be.

1 Corinthians 13:12
For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.

I think a really good teacher gives you something to go on, yet requries you to figure certain things out on your own. God is perfect in all things and so He is the perfect, the best, teacher. The Lord allows us to know certain things now, to keep us learning and grasping for more of Him; He teaches us along the way. And when we are able to see Him in heaven, He will fully be revealed and we'll know about Him in full.

That's what I've god. Friend, how'd I do?

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!