Run-In w/ "the Law"

Okay, so after our altercation with a very rude police officer, I'm plum tuckered out by listening to the story over and over and over again. We're fighting the system...power to the people. If you want the full story, I'll send you a copy of my written statement. Ha. To make a long story short, the cop was rude, didn't follow procedure, acted very sneakily and I'm pretty sure he lied. Not cool dude, protect and serve...not harass. Although, that would be pretty funny if they wrote that on the side of his car..."To Annoy and To Exacerbate"...he's got it comin'.

So not much else is going on other than that. Going to Tennessee this weekend to a weddin'. Get to see Matt Wallace soon, that will be super cool. I'm really excited to hear about his experiences and about the exciting news he has for everyone, but he won't tell! Then we go to church camp for a week of laying it down. Well, that's the theme. I'm pretty excited. Alvin Summers will be there and I'm so pumped about that. The last time he was there was my first year of camp and he made it so great. I can't wait to hear him again, he really lights the place up.

Oh ya, I got my haircut and I dyed it too. I'll put a picture up later but most likely, you'll all see it before I get around to that. Well, ta ta...gotta go do laundry and bake in the sun. Adios.

So Mean...But So Funny..

Poor Guy

"Listen to your heart..."

AAAUUGGHH!! I've had that song stuck in my head for two days now..."listen to your heart." Adam came home singing it one day and you know how the songs that you sing over and over again are always the stupid ones...well there I was. I couldn't escape it, any time my mind was idle, there was that stupid song again. And then you catch yourself singing it out loud. Drove me nuts, to say the least. One time I had that Safety Dance song in my head...the one that goes..."we can dance if we want to, we can leave your friends behind...cuz your friends don't dance and if they don't dance then they're, no friends of mine." Ha!! That was an annoying 3 days!!

So anyways, I'm almost done with my summer classes and it's such a relief. One more year...and I still won't be done with school! It seems so crazy to think about how much emphasis people put on a degree when really college doesn't teach you everything. Even when you get out, you're constantly learning, whether it's in your occupation or just daily living. That's exciting. I love learning new things...I just wish I could tell EIU that I think I've learned enough and I want my diploma now. Maybe they'd go for that.

Ha, I was thinking the other day that after Adam and I got married, there seemed to be a spring up of other weddings. We have 2 more to go to just in the next few months. A lot of people are getting married now. I don't know what that means. I guess the generation has finally gotten to that point where they're ready. I hope God blesses each and every one. Marriage is a beautiful thing...but definitely not easy. It really does take committment and strong love to hold a marriage together which is why I totally respect the couples that have been together for decades. When you see a couple like that...you know that the love they feel for each other is the real stuff. That's what it takes to last that long. So good luck to all the newlyweds!!

Ha, I'll end my boring post now. Sorry nothing exciting is happening to me right now. Ha! Have a great day!

Blissfully Exhausted...

Well, VBS is over...and it was very rewarding for me. We had a lot of fun despite a few mishaps and some rowdy kids. It was great though. I love to see kids start to connect things in their minds about Jesus and understand when stories are related to them. The other night the kids listened to Heather and Annie talk to them about why Jesus died for us and what salvation mean. You learn really quickly just how difficult it is to explain when you're trying to relate to 1st through 3rd graders. It was great though...and I really think that all of the kids got a lot out of the week.

Hmm...so I just read an entry by Heather and she was talking about procrastination and about how Jesus started a "young people's movement." Very true. I've been thinking about how much I've been putting off lately and the reasons for why I do it and here's what I came up with...sloth. I can't help myself. Ha. Anyways...so when I feel like that I just have to take a good long look in the mirror and say..."What are you doing?...and..."Ya know, that John Keats guy started writing poetry when he was 18 and died when he was 26 and he also wrote more brilliant things that a lot of poets do in a lifetime...so what have you been doing for the past 4 years?" Ouch...I got me there. Ha. But God is pushing me...very gently.

I've been getting ideas lately...ideas for the book. Yes, me...dimwitted AG is going to attempt to write a book. As I've told many people...I really think that one of my callings is to be a writer...we'll see how fruitful I can be. But I think God has really been speaking to me. I'm getting some good stuff...but I need to put in the effort. No more procrastinating..thanks for the reminder Heather.

Poison Ivy and Crazy Clowns...

I thought last night went really well. The schedule got a little wacky but the kids had fun and I think they got some lessons too. Heather and Annie did a great job with the skit! It was awesome and the kids really liked it. Terry was pretty funny too. I know they all got excited when the big goofy clown showed up! I had fun too!!

Oh, about the poison ivy...my partner in Sr. Sem. got it and had to go to the doctor yesterday. I used to get poison ivy all the time as a kid. I swear I could just look at it and I would get it. Well, I haven't had it for years but last night I kept itching on my ankles and they're itchy today too and I have some little red bumps. Oh no. I'm pretty sure they're just bug bites. I hope so because I've been scratching!! So until the diagnosis is clear...no one come near my ankles! Ha! Not that you would anyway.

I'm so glad we got the rain. Normally I don't like rain. Ya know when people say, "I just love the way it smells after it rains"...? Well, I don't. I think it stinks. Ha. But I'm glad we got it now. The corn was gettin' curly and my garden was gettin' weepy.

Okay, boring post I know. But when I think of something that's jaw-droppingly profound...I'll let you know.

Woo Hoo!! Vacation Bible School!!

After class today I'm going to pick up my brother so he can partake in the Circus Spectacular that Heather has arranged at the CP church. Ha! It's VBS time again and Val and I are going to lead around the 1st through 3rd graders (a.k.a. Jugglers). It's gonna be a good time! Hopefully this will take my mind off of all the other stuff that's going on. I don't know why I let myself get stressed..but running around with a bunch of kids and teaching about Jesus will be a great reliever.

I ran across something funny...or scary in the Bible yesterday. I was thinking about dieting and looking at stuff and Proverbs 23:2 had a pretty ominous message for people that need to lose weight. It says, "And put a knife to our throat, If you are a man given to appetite." Yikes!! Maybe I can lose some weight and we can all pretend it never happened...ha! If that doesn't motivate me, I don't know what will. Haha!

Well, I have a test today and I have to meet with my partner today to talk about a presentation we have to give in Senior Seminar so I guess I should get to work. For some reason, thinking about that just doesn't get me excited...oh well, head down and trudge on!! Have a great day everyone!

Hot...Sweaty...(grumble)

So I started exercising yesterday...not the most enjoyable activity I could think of, but one of the most rewarding. I've been doing this aerobics thing that lasts like 45 minutes and it really tuckers me out. I've tried the running thing before but I've realized that I'm just not a runner. I hate running. I actually loathe it. So aerobics is okay. I've been trying to get Adam to buy me one of those Gazelles like his mom and dad have, but he won't budge. He says I have to make some progress before he gets me that because he thinks it'll just be another dead end money waster. He's probably right. But I have been exercising for the past two days now and that's progress.

I guess I sort of got inspired by my grandmother the other day. I went over to her house and she's been exercising and dieting and she's made real progress. I mean, you can tell just by looking at her that she's lost weight and she's really only been doing it for a few weeks. She also amazed me the other day too. My Grandma Hanners can touch her toes!!! How incredible is that?!? She's 75 and she also has terrible arthritis but she can still bend down with her legs straight and touch her toes easily. She beamed for the rest of the day when I told her how impressed I was. A lot of people my age can't do that, so I was impressed with her ability. She was also very happy and more motivated when I told her that I could really see a change in her apperance. She really does look a bit thinner. Encouragement is a powerful tool.

I don't ever feel like I get that much encouragement from my family because they're always filling my head up with the crap about how I don't need to lose weight and "You're just the right size, Amanda." Or the famous, "You're tall so you can hold more weight and still look good." Grrr. I don't like it. I won't list the exact amount here, but I have gained LOTS of weight since the wedding. But my grandma encouraged me to workout and watch what I eat just because she set a good example. So being an example can be one of the greatest motivators for someone. When they see how well you're doing, they naturally want a piece of the pie. So I'm gonna follow in granny's footsteps and see if I can shed some unnecessary weight. Here goes.

No Fireworks?...(quivering lip)

So, last night's fireworks got cancelled at good ole Casey, IL. No big deal (gulp). So the 4th passed and the only fireworks I saw were the ones at the family reunion and the few weaklings that the neighbors set off. Oh well, fireworks are overrated. They just make little kids cry and hold their ears.

Not a whole lot going on here. I'm trying to clean the house. I'm really lazy lately though. I don't know what's wrong with me. It's really annoying...my motto has become..."Why do today what you can put off till tomorrow?" So bad.

Anyways, I have to get prepared for my nightclass. One of our assignments for the class is to bring in some news article about the media. The last time I tried to do it I got rejected. I looked through two newspapers and then I found an article that I thought would be great about the Cards switching radio stations. So I very confidently walk up to the Prof. and the two girls in front of me get their articles approved...no problem! So I thought I was a dead set winner. But then I got the shock of a lifetime...a millisecond after he read the title of my article he says, "No...I don't think we can learn anything from this." My heart sank to my tummy and I felt defeated. I quietly mumbled my rebuttal and he still refused. So I sunkered down to my seat. Ah, memories. I was so mad after that I just decided not to say another word during the whole class...in fact, I had decided to not even make eye contact with the professor. But then I realized how stupid and prideful I was being. It was ridiculous. So I ended up talking a lot in that class and got extra credit for it.

But I really learned that night how much pride I was carrying around. And I think a lot of people do that. We can think that we're really humble and not good enough to do anything and when we stick our necks out we get angry when someone rejects us. I mean, I used to think that I was pretty good about not thinking to highly of myself. I was always unsure of whatever it was I tried to do. But after that incident and how I reacted to the Prof...I realized that my pride was what got hurt. Ouch. That stinks when you realize that you're not as good at being humble as you thought. So, I got over it. I wasn't mad anymore and I took it as a lesson. Just because you fail at something doesn't mean that you're dumb, which was what I thought at the time. So now I look at failure as a lesson in humility.

That's a good quote. I wonder if someone has said it before and I just think it's original. Well Amanda's quote of the day is "Failure is just a lesson in humility." I'm pretty sure someone has said that. So, sorry whoever you are. I'll correct myself if that's the case.

Fun Times w/ Water BBall

Ha! Last night was a blast. We got to play basketball in the pool with some friends at my mom and dad's. It was great, but I'm sore today. But I got to share something stupid and now I look like even more of a dork. It was awesome because we shut off all the lights and looked up at the stars and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. It was beautiful and being in the pool surrounded by all of the accent lights just made it better. But the stupid thing, oh ya. I was thinking about an idea I used to have about stars and the moles on our bodies. Ha. Just typing that first sentence makes me realize how stupid this sounds. But anyways, I have like the big dipper on my arm and I said that I think everyone has star constellations on their bodies and our moles are like the maps to the sky. Ha. Okay, I'm really deranged. But the theory works on me at least. So check out your moles...maybe you can find Orion on your back or something. Sweet.

I learned what a sun-dog was too. Matt Wallace's mom showed me one. It's like a tiny little rainbow and if you look at the other side of the sun, there are usually two. It was cool. Sun-dogs...awesome. You learn something new every day.

Ha, I guess I don't have anything riveting to say. I'm supposed to give a shout-out to Jimmy Gifford. You rock jgiff!!!!! Woo Hoo!!! (lots of screaming and clapping, whistles and cowbells) Alright! So that's about the extent of what I know. Great times with great people. Ha. Have a good one.

Messages from Iraq

So we just recently heard from our friend Daniel, who's in Iraq. It was great to hear from him. He says they get to stay in trailors with air conditioning. That's really good considering the heat got up to 120 he said. I hope things are going well over there, I know we're all worried. I hate thinking about war...sometimes it's hard to find the justification for it. But I won't go into that. I'm just happy that there are people like Daniel that are willing to give up so much to protect American freedoms and ideals. I hope they all make it back safely. It was horrible to hear about the 17 that died in the helicopter. I hope this all ends soon. Democracy can be beautiful, but the fight for it is long and ugly.

Aside from that, I got up at 6:30 this morning and mowed the lawn!! Whoa! Talk about being productive early in the morning! It feels good to have a sense of accomplishment. I only got smacked in the eye once by an unidentified object. It hurt, but I kept on truckin'. Ha! It was great.

It's a good thing it's Friday. I'm ready for a break. I hope everyone has a great 4th of July. I know I will. And I hope everyone stays safe!! God Bless!!