Tuesday, November 29, 2005

Lonely Holiday

So it just now hit me that I'm going to be away from my family for most of the holiday season and that I didn't actually go home for Thanksgiving. I mean - I know I didn't go home for Thanksgiving, I'm not that dense...but it just hasn't really seemed like the holidays until now. It could be something to do with the fact that it's by 70 degrees here in KY up until today - but regardless. Rather than having ONE tradition taken away from me, all of a sudden most of the family traditions I've grown up on are suddenly different or even gone. I mean, as happy as I was to NOT run the Turkey Trot - I guess I sort of missed it. We haven't spent 4 hours in agony trying to get all of our smiles perfect while all at the same time entertaining the grandkids/nieces/nephews so that they at least have a half smile for the family Christmas photo. My mother hasn't sent me the family Christmas letter 29385 times to proofread and make sure that she doesn't make me sound like a complete idiot. The annual "girls baking Christmas cookies" has to be knixed this year. I don't get to have a flour fight with my sister and sister in law in the kitchen while my niece screams in laughter at watching her mommy act like a kid. What if I'm not ready to grow up around Christmas time? What if I start believing in Santa Claus again? Will that magivcally make everything the same again - but at the same time will Santa Claus magically go to work and class for me and pay all my bills that are due? I can't help but worrying that this year will seem a little lonely. On not as if relationships rule my life - but it's funny how quickly you forget what it's like to be single during Christmas after you've been taken for the last three years or so. Because I wasn't yet "in the Christmas spirit" I locked myself in my apartment tonight and while I cleaned a little I listened to a few hours of Christmas music. It worked - but I forgot about the other side effects..... "The only time we waste is the time we spend thinking we are alone." - Mitch Albom, The Five People You Meet in Heaven. I agree Mitch - but sometimes I think I can feel a little lonely while also knowing that I'm not alone....

Saturday, November 19, 2005

Wednesday, November 16, 2005

Four Dollar Bottle of Water

This past weekend I took some of my Junior High aged girls to a regional event in Bowling Green. First off - way to let Laura loose in KY - I've never driven anywhere in KY except Lexington and to the airport in Louisville and all of a sudden I'm responsible for two pre-teens on my first excursion outside of Lexington!?!? Whatever - it worked out.... but - we stayed at a hotel - Holiday Inn to be exact. In the 15 minutes I was in the bathroom showering, my girls thought that they just honestly couldn't wait to brush their teeth. So they opened the $4 "complimentary" bottle of water that the hotel leaves you, but charges you for in the end - and decided to brush their teeth with that. I think it was when they were spitting it into the hotel glasses that I started to hyperventilate - but I had to calm myself down... in the end I it wasn't a big deal. But you better believe when we checked out and that 3/4 full bottle of water was still sitting there I took it with me. I'm not paying $4 for your rinse water! :)

Monday, November 14, 2005

Student of Fate

I think fate is testing me and I might be failing - how do you study for and pass this test?

Sunday, November 13, 2005

Chi Rho XP Xperience

This weekend is finally at end! After a very long couple of weeks, I came and took the longest nap in history. On Friday I headed off to Bowling Green, KY with two Chi Rho (Junior High) aged girls from Woodland. The Kentucky Region was having its first every regional Chi Rho only event! There were about 200 Chi Rho-ers and their sponsors at the event and it seemed to go very well! After arriving on Friday night we gathered for ice breakers/getting to know you/keynoter and worship which made for a fairly late Friday night, but a good one. Saturday morning was met with even more worship and fellowship, including workshops for both adults and Chi Rho-ers. It was helpful to me because I attended a workshop on how to plan a successful mission trip. Hopefully it will help for this summer! My two girls attended the Faith on Film workshop. For the afternoon all 200+ participants helped around the Bowling Green community in many different places. Our group worked with Operation P.R.I.D.E - a beautification project for Bowling Green. We helped by placing door knockers on neighborhood doors to advertise the P.R.I.D.E. project and different services offered to help with the project. Because we got done early with our service project we joined another youth group and went to Lost River Cave & Valley, a local site full of history and beautiful natural habitats. Because I had to preach this morning, we unfortunately had to leave early from Bowling Green and return home late Saturday night, but it was still a successful weekend! It was a great weekend with the Chi Rho-ers, I'm so happy to get to know them better and learn about youth ministry in general - thanks for a fun weekend!

Saturday, November 12, 2005

Thanks for making me look like an ass...

After discussing relationships and such with my good friend Andrea I just had to put this thought down - not that it's necessarily in reference to anyone in particular, but just a general observation..... If people aren't honest in relationships, whether they be just starting out or years worth of love, then it ALWAYS ends up hurting the OTHER person and making them out to be the ass. Example... ok, so maybe this one is from experience..... What's going on with us? Are we interested in making this work? Is there anything "here" between us? Could there be? I felt as if I had been completely honest, exposing my desire to see where things may go, which I feel is only fair. However by the other person not being honest with themselves, or me, it makes me out to be the ass. Because I'm simply wondering what the heck is going on, trying to figure out whether or not they are interested, I appear to be needy, I appear to be smothering, I appear to be controlling... when in fact, it's just Laura taking an active role in figuring out what the heck these random flirtations mean. I admit, I may have my needy moments, all girls are allowed to want a man to be their comforter and to hold them safe from the big bad world.... but those are MOMENTS in Laura's life - I'm not needy, I'd like to think I'm not controlling in relationships and I know I shouldn't smother someone I'm interested in.... but because the other person isn't honest with themselves, or at least willing to take a risk on something and try to figure out what they want.... I appear to be the ass.... and it's Laura that gets the short end of the stick.... this dating thing is sweet :)

Sunday, November 06, 2005

High School Sunday School

Woodland has been without youth direction for so long that they actually no longer have a CYF/High School Sunday School class. I offered my services to try and start it over - and today was my first day. Things didn't go so hot, so I guess there's no room to go but up! I figured if I started with "The Gospel According to The Simpsons" that I might create some excitement, a reason for coming, but not so much. Only one youth showed up, and although I know one more that would have/will be there on a regular basis, I'm still nervous on whether or not two youth = success? I only have 4 high schoolers in the first place - so if two come, that's 50%....but that's also considered an F at school.....hmmm....

Friday, November 04, 2005

I'm a Guardian

Yeah for wasting time on internet quizzes... seriously folks - Thanks to Al Gore for inventing the internet and making Americans even more worthless and lazy than they were to begin with.... :)

Laura, you are a Guardian.
Guardians, are the cornerstone of society, for they are the temperament given to serving and preserving our most important social institutions. Guardians have natural talent in managing goods and services--from supervision to maintenance and supply--and they use all their skills to keep things running smoothly in their families, communities, schools, churches, hospitals, and businesses.
Guardians can have a lot of fun with their friends, but they are quite serious about their duties and responsibilities. Guardians take pride in being dependable and trustworthy; if there's a job to be done, they can be counted on to put their shoulder to the wheel. Guardians also believe in law and order, and sometimes worry that respect for authority, even a fundamental sense of right and wrong, is being lost. Perhaps this is why Guardians honor customs and traditions so strongly--they are familiar patterns that help bring stability to our modern, fast-paced world.
Practical and down-to-earth, Guardians believe in following the rules and cooperating with others. They are not very comfortable winging it or blazing new trails; working steadily within the system is the Guardian way, for in the long run loyalty, discipline, and teamwork get the job done right. Guardians are meticulous about schedules and have a sharp eye for proper procedures. They are cautious about change, even though they know that change can be healthy for an institution. Better to go slowly, they say, and look before you leap.

Tuesday, November 01, 2005

Dating in Seminary

I just want to say... it is very hard to even think about the dating scene here at LTS. For one.... LTS itself is soooo small that should you even think about being interested in someone at LTS, there's all sorts of extra drama and confusion that goes with everyone knowing everything, which just makes the thought of dating someone AT LTS entirely undesriable. Secondly, I guess I never really thought of what to say from now on when people ask, "so what do you do....", because trying to meet someone, making that first impression, often times when you answer anything remotely close to something about a minister or going to school to be a minister..... the conversation stops right there. Additionally, for me and anyone else that wasn't already close to Lexington to begin with, it's hard to meet people, friends or other, that aren't part of the seminary...so it's hard to "get away" if you need to. Aside from dating - I'm really just trying to "branch out" in general and meet people that have nothing to do with LTS - and its going pretty well....

At the same time - dating in general - I know, I know - we all suffer from the same excitement of the situation, but here are some of my thoughts on the subject. We all want and hope to find someone, to find that person with whom we can share our dreams and thoughts found only in the secret fissures of our hearts, and I am no different, but then somehow the situation always seems to be different. Something I’ve been struggling with lately is in the beginning stages of dating, or just getting to know someone in general. In order to get to know someone, I must make them, or our situation a priority in my life. However, I don’t feel it necessary to make them a priority yet, because I don't know that they are worth being a priority, and I know that this is mainly because I do not know them, who they are, etc. enough to desire to make them that important in my life. I know this makes me sound stuck up, to insinuate that someone is “not worthy of my time,” but that’s not my intention. It’s such a catch 22 – in order to make some a priority in my life I need to know who they are, what kind of person, that they are worth making them a priority in my life. BUT I must allow for them to be a priority in the first place in order to get to know them. In order for someone to be important in my life, they must ALREADY be important, so that I can discover whether or not they should be that important... ok...I’m done.... I'll just continue to be single and busy - maybe if I keep myself busy enough I won't notice being single... ya think?