a lot has been going on in my life lately...and i'm really tired on just about every level...and in need of some real time with Jesus.

What the good life is made of...

hobos on the fire. cuddling with some of my favorite children. catching up with friends you haven't seen in awhile. lots of sweet tea. playing at rest stops. painting toe nails. finding at least 40 out of 50 license plates while driving. lots of laughing. trying to fit into little girl dress up clothes. being invisible. good conversation. sharing stories. lots of hugs. girl time. laughing at boys. knowing that some things just don't change that much.

and i got all of this from almost 20 hours in a car and a trip to Alabama :)

At the table

We have had a dining room table and chairs in our apartment for as long as I have lived here (with the exception of the month or so between Alison taking hers and my acquiring my grandparents' old set) and for a great part of that time the table has been used to collect junk and deposit mail. Occasionally we would clean it off to serve food when we had folks over, but more or less it served all the purposes of a junk drawer without the semblance of organization.

Tonight however, Jordan and I both got home about the same time and therefore were cooking dinner about the same time. Upon realizing that our cable had in fact been disconnected in our living room, thus ruining the plans to watch Two and a Half Men while eating at the coffee table, I suggested that we bust out the ol' boombox and have a family dinner, at the table.

It was nice. She ate her steak, I ate my chicken, and we listened to Delilah solve the world's problems via requests and dedications while we talked. God blesses friendships in the simplest things sometimes.

One thing I really value about the way I was raised, especially when we were young and before we all started working, we always ate dinner together as a family--at the dinner table with the television off. There is so much value to that and if the Lord blesses me with a family some day, I have every intention of carrying on the tradition.

I'm not entirely sure what to make out of this?!

Guessing my age is always a fun game to play with kids, mostly because they are horrible judges of age and have zero sense of my age in relation to theirs, so I get some pretty hilarious answers. Although, this one might take the cake:

Me: How old do you think I am?

various guesses from various children

Jamont: You're 50!

Me: Really? Do I look 50 to you?

Jamont: Well, you kind of look like Michael Jackson (who was 50 for those of you who somehow missed that)

Me: Well I don't know whether to take that as a compliment or an insult.

Jamont: Mmmm...compliment!

Me: Well, ok.

That's funny, I don't care who you are; although, I am not entirely sure how I feel about being compared to the MJ.

I laughed at this

I have been helping coach a t-ball team at the Y this spring and this is just a glimpse of why I love kindergartners:

While on first base during practice:

ME: "Eugene, are you ready for the ball?"

EUGENE: "I'm ready for my butt."

ME: (laughing hysterically) "I don't know what that means but let's not say that"

EUGENE: "OK"

"I'm on Birthday Crack"

...and that is a direct quote from me about 20 minutes ago.

I love birthdays, and not just my birthday, but birthdays in general. I think it is fun to be able to celebrate your friends for a whole day and it's just fun for folks to get their time to be the center of attention for a bit. But don't get me wrong, I do love my birthday too (mostly because I have wonderful people in my life who always make it special).

Over the years I have had a wide variety of birthday experiences.

As a young child I remember making my own birthday cakes (chocolate cake with chocolate icing and M&Ms on top, of course!).

On my 11th birthday I remember being pulled out of school early because my dad was getting his liver transplant, so we spent the day at Duke hospital. I also remember my mom taking me to the mall and getting this awesome pair of blue shoes with daisies all over them (I still have them at home).

On my 13th birthday I had my first "blow out" boy/girl party which was pretty fun, except the fact that I found out my "boyfriend" had been "cheating" on me. I would be lying if I said it didn't tear me up. I was also finally allowed to start wearing makeup.

On my 14th birthday I was in Washington, DC on my 8th grade graduation trip.

On my 16th birthday I got the first of 7 annual trips into the Rockfish lake. I also remember having one of the few bouts of homesickness I've had in my life. I got two of the BEST handmade birthday cards from some of my very first campers at Rockfish and my pearl earrings.

On my 18th birthday I was annoyed that graduation was the same day and that meant having to go back to Myrtle Beach High School (because who cared about my birthday when graduation was taking place!?) BUT I totally got TWO cakes....then I got thrown into the lake a few days later.

On my 19th birthday I spent my last few hours of being a teenager in the kitchen at Rockfish, making parflesnarf cake, listening to Stephen tell a totally BS story that made Jordan pee her pants, and riding down the ramp at the dining hall on a kitchen cart banging pots and pans...then quickly aborting the mission when I realized there was a group in the Bergland :)...and I got thrown in the lake.

On my 21st birthday Anissa had a surprise girls spa night for me during staff training. I got my pearl necklace from my grandparents and a diamond necklace from my mom...and I got thrown in the lake.

On my 22nd birthday I remember laying in my bed, all jacked up from exhaustion, and going on and on about this lightning bug that was in our room wishing me a happy birthday only to have my dear friend Petra point out the fact it was the light on the smoke detector...and we laughed for a l-o-n-g time....and I got thrown in the lake (for the last time).

And today, on my 23rd birthday I had my first non-camp birthday in awhile...but it was full of lots of smiles and cards and "Happy Birthdays" and funny phone calls. I got to eat lunch with friends from the Y, the afternoon off, and Jordan took me to the Melting Pot for dinner so I go to bed with an extremely full belly and a happy heart.

5 Things I am thankful for today:

1. The message from Charlotte that reminded me that today is the celebration of the day I came into the world and was no longer a fetus :)
2. Being on facebook and watching the little red notification flag pop up.
3. Getting to share birthday cake with so many people today.
4. That Katie S., Erica, and Brittany Brock are as funny as, if not funnier than, Hoops and YoYo
5. That it is finally warm enough to be outside when it rains! Nothing like walking through a light summer rain.
   

Day Thirty

Today officially marks the end of the Thirty Days of Thankfulness.

It's been a good exercise for me, but like with anything there have been ups and downs. I started out with so much excitement and enthusiasm, there were days when I observed and lived in anticipation of finding things to be thankful for. And then were there days when I didn't feel like being thankful at all or where I sat at my computer stumped, trying to come up with my five. I'm so human.

I've learned some important things though:

• I am not at a place where thankfulness necessarily comes naturally yet, I'd like to get there
  
• Sometimes the things that I am thankful for are just things that make me laugh...and I don't think that is a bad thing.
• I would like to be as excited about my walk with the Lord everday as I was when I started this 30 days ago...an excitement about what the Lord can and will do!
• I want to continue in this discipline, perhaps not posting it on here, but in my time with the Lord, being intentional about my thankfulness for what he has done and is doing daily.

So, here it is folks, that last thankfulness post. Enjoy!

Day Thirty:

1. Everyone who has been reading this blog and the little ways I have seen the Lord use it.
2. That there are some people who I know will just always be a part of my life.
3. Getting to talk to Brittany Brock today!!!
4. Awkward moments that make funny stories later
5. People who desire to make the Lord known in the world around them