The Challenge August 28, 2008

It seems that not a day goes by that someone around here doesn’t talk about their weight, needing to lose weight, needing to be healthier, clothes not fitting right, or something like that.  Sometimes I am that person.  I’ve had many conversations, too many to count, about actually doing something about it.  We’ll hold each other accountable, we’ll encourage each other, we’ll karate-chop each other’s hand off if we see you reaching for a cookie or french fry.  However, it doesn’t work.  By the end of the week, we’ve all cheated and we’re all getting an All-Star breakfast for lunch at Waffle House.  Accountability is not enough motivation anymore.  This time the stakes are higher.

Now there’s money on the line.  The competition starts on Monday.  The entrance fee is $50.  For the next three months (Sept. – Nov.), whoever decides to join in will compete to lose the greatest percentage of their original weight.  The winner will get all the money.  So if you want in, weigh yourself on Monday.  You keep track of your own weight, so be honest.  Are you in?

Stuff Christians Like August 19, 2008

You need to check this out.  I read it every day.  Most of the time it is super funny, but today it had some really thought-provoking words to say about accountability.  I won’t rehash it because I couldn’t say it any better.

Things that go “pop” in the night August 18, 2008

The tens of you that read this blog already know this, I’m sure. I’m not good at the inspirational, life-lesson type stuff. I like to share stories of really mundane things that happen to me. I try to put a fascinating spin on them so they are way more entertaining. It’s fun for me.

Last night I could not fall asleep until about 1am. (olympics) At 4am I woke up to something that sounded like a slow drip hitting my pillow. I turned the light on to check things out. I heard the sound again. There was nothing on my ceiling. Thirty seconds later I heard it again, still hitting the pillow. There is an electrical outlet behind my bed, so I got close to it to see if that was the source. I heard the pop again, but I didn’t see anything. I moved the pillow out of the way so I could get closer and waited. The next pop did not come from the same place. The pop was coming from my pillow!

I quickly threw the pillow onto the floor. I just knew there was a bug in there. You see, the deal with me and bugs is this. I DO NOT LIKE THEM. I started running scenarios in my head. If I removed the pillow and found a roach in my pillowcase, I would completely freak out from the thought of a roach crawling near my head while I was asleep. I would have to go to the emergency room, then come home and burn my sheets, my pillows, and possibly my hair. Then I would probably have to go to the emergency room again. I was tempted to just leave the pillow on the floor and go back to sleep hoping that the popping thing would go away.

Then I started thinking about the fact that if I left it there, the thing would still be alive. For a long time, I just watched the pillow for any sign of movement. I needed to get the specs on this creature. I still heard the popping, but I saw nothing. I grabbed my trusty can of Raid. There was only one thing left to do.

I grabbed the closed end of the pillowcase and started shaking. I like really thick, really firm pillows, so it took about ten minutes for the pillow to shimmy its way out of there. As soon as it flopped out, I dropped everything, ready to spray. I saw nothing. I bravely reached down and flung the pillowcase and pillow away from the scene.

I was very pleased to discover that the source of the popping was not a roach. It was one of those little beetle-type things. The kind that you grab with a tissue and crunch, but then they are still alive. My dad always called them “popping bugs.” Now I know why.

I hope “popping bugs” like Raid.

Passion for Fashion August 13, 2008

Lately I’ve noticed a change in myself. For years I had absolutely no interest in shopping for clothes or jewelry. For many reasons I just hated it. Now it’s like a switch has been flipped. I shop all the time. I dig through clearance racks and bins everywhere I go. I’ll leave work and head straight to Summerville or North Charleston in the middle of the week. It’s a little scary.

Wednesday I left work and decided to go for a drive and hit a few stores. I ended up at the Wal-Mart in Goose Creek. It is superior to the Wal-Mart in Moncks Corner. My mission was to find a cute/frilly short-sleeve shirt to wear under tank tops/camis so that summer weekend clothes could double as work clothes. I found it, I bought a white one, and it was only $8. I also found a cute tank top to add to my tank top collection. I bought a purple one, and it was only $5.

The next day I wore my new ensemble. I decided that I liked this combo very much, and the price was right. I went back to the Wal-Mart in Goose Creek and bought more. I came home with the short-sleeve shirt in black and brown and the tank top in pink, blue and brown. I was so excited. Now I could wear the blue with the black or the brown. I could wear the pink with the brown or the white. I could wear the brown with, well, the brown. The possibilities were endless-ish. I could wear essentially the same outfit every day of the week.

On Friday I pulled out all the new options and proceeded to put on the pink tank top. I was shocked to find that it was a little tight. When I compared it to the original purple one, I realized that I had purchased the wrong size. The stupid thing is that I was wearing the purple one when I was picking out the pink, blue and brown ones. So Friday night I made another trip to the Goose Creek Wal-Mart. I was able to exchange the pink and the blue ones for the right size, but they did not have the brown one. This did not rest easy in my spirit. I knew that my life would not be complete with out that shirt!

I tried the Moncks Corner Wal-Mart – they only had a small. Tuesday afternoon I made a mad dash to the Summerville Wal-Mart. They only had two of these shirts left in any color. I rushed back to Moncks Corner for a jewelry party, then left early to go to the North Charleston Wal-Mart. I didn’t have much hope as I moved from one clearance rack to another. Finally I caught a glimpse of the pink version of the shirt hanging on the end of one of the wall displays. I felt like I was moving in slow motion as I made my way to the rack. I saw the blue one. I saw the purple one. I even saw a red one. Finally I came across a brown one, but it was a small. (Why are there always so many smalls?! It just adds insult to injury.) Then as I came to the end of the rack, I saw one more brown shirt peeking out from behind everything else. My heart raced as my hands moved toward it. I dug it out from the jumble of cami straps and plastic hangers. I looked at the tag and lo and behold – it was my size! I thrust my fist into the air and whispered, “YES!!!”

I was so thrilled. Now I could go on living. My endurance and persistence had paid off. I accomplished my goal.

Although my search was for brown, it felt like I had won the gold.

The Chronicles of Narnia August 13, 2008

If you’ve been paying attention, you will know that I have been working my way through The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis. I finally read the last chapter while floating in the Kinard pool on Saturday. I used to keep a book journal where I would write a response to every book I read. I never intended for anyone but me to read it, so when I try to write a book review post, it’s a little bit difficult. You know what, I’m just going to write it just like I would in my book journal. Maybe it will give you some insight as to why I’m just a little bit off.

I like these books. They’re like yoga for the imagination. They are very descriptive, but the settings and actions are so unusual. It’s easy to imagine things that are totally not of our world. And of course I love the many comparisons that can be made between Jesus and Aslan. I think what really stuck out to me this time was that we aren’t always going to understand why God does things the way that He does them. There were so many times when the characters questioned Aslan’s decisions, but they never doubted that he knew what was best. They kept saying, “Well, he’s not a tame lion.” I think this is important to remember that God is not some sweet, nice, marshmallowy, wishy-washy god that only does nice things. He has to do things that seem mean at the moment in order to accomplish the greater good, or to make us stronger. This was the second time I read through this series, but it was the first time I read them in the order of the story, rather than the order in which they were published. It definitely made a lot more sense to me to read them in the order of the story. I should definitely read these books again.

The good thing is that I can’t remember books or movies. (See this post.) So in a few years, I’ll be able to enjoy the re-release of The Chronicles of Narnia.

Coming up on a milestone August 6, 2008

If you really pay attention to this little blog, you’ll notice that I am coming up on something big. Pretty soon I will have 10,000 hits. When I first started blogging, I had about 25 hits in the first few months. When I amped up the look, and the amount of posts per week, I started getting about 100 hits a day. Then I went on vacation and still haven’t gotten back to regular posting. Nevertheless, the hits are still trickling in. I really want to know who the 10,000th hit is. If there is a way for me to track this, I don’t know it. So as you all visit, pay attention to the Stats box on the right. Let me know if you are the 10,000th, and there will be a prize!!!

My Favorite Things August 5, 2008

I got tagged by Michelle to write about five things I love, and her post is very deep and poignant.  I’m choosing to go another route.  I saw a lot of people writing posts about their favorite things, like Oprah’s list, so I’m going to do that instead.  To make it a little more interesting, it’s going to be entirely composed of pictures.  Let’s see if I can come up with anything non-edible.

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Please know that these are in no particular order, and they are certainly not the only things that I love.  This task does make me realize that I have absolutely no pictures of my family on my computer.  So hopefully this list inspires a few more people to make a favorites list.  If so, leave the link in my comments!