Fiction Prompts #4: Light

Hello, friends! Tanner's prompt for today is Light.

"You light up my life."

Daisy groaned. "Come on, enough with the puns already!"

"Did you hear the one about the party at the light bulb factory?"

"Don't..."

"It was pretty lit!"

"Andi!"

"What? I'm happy! In fact, I'm -"

"Delighted, yes, I've got it!"

"And we're installing light fixtures in my new place, which is close to yours and close to my new place of employment. Give me this moment, Daisy!"

Daisy put her screwdriver down and gave Andi a fixed look. "Have you thought about what color you're going to paint your bedroom?"

"Not yet, why?"

"What's blue and not very heavy?"

Andi thought for a second, then grinned. "Light blue!"

Fiction Prompts #1: Continue

Hello, friends! I've decided to do something a little different to start out the New Year. Instead of using Tanner Olsen's latest prompts to write reflective blog posts, I'm going to use them to write some short fiction stories. Enjoy!

Today's prompt is "Continue."

Andi was packing

- or, at least, she was going through stuff, which wasn't exactly the same as packing.

She was sitting on the floor of her bedroom, surrounded by piles: keep, toss, donate. So far, keep was winning by a wide margin. After all, how could she part with her third-grade self-portrait that portrayed her with shockingly large eyes and a tiny nose?

Maybe her mother had a point about her hoarding tendencies.

Shaking her head, she turned to the next box. Old crayons, toss. Although she could turn them into... no, don't tempt yourself with projects you'll never complete, she thought. Next she found a crushed mobile that once looked like falling snowflakes, which she attempted to reanimate before giving up and putting it into the toss pile too. 

Ten minutes later, she had added only two things to the keep pile, and she was at the bottom of the box. Andi was about to break it down when she noticed a wrinkled slip of paper stuck to the cardboard. "Hmm, what's this?" she wondered aloud, holding it up to the light. It read:

"My best friend's name is Andi,

And I think she's sweet as candy.

She's got dark brown hair and eyes to match.

In softball she's always down to catch.

She works hard and plays hard too.

She'll cheer you up if you feel blue.

No matter what, she'll always be there,

And she'll show you that she cares.

She loves her cats, her dogs, and me.

The best of friends we'll always be!"

It was signed,

"Love, your best friend forever, Erin Calloway."

"I remember this," she whispered. It had been an assignment in fifth grade. They had to pick a person and write a rhyming poem about them. She had picked her best friend Erin, and Erin had picked her. Andi had been so sure that Erin would pick someone else; her self-confidence was as low then as it was now. But Erin had picked her, and she’d been so excited about it.

Erin Calloway hadn't crossed Andi’s mind in ages. She moved away after fifth grade, and writing letters just wasn't the same as seeing each other every day. They fell out of touch pretty quickly.

She smoothed the paper in her lap and re-read the poem. "Ha, softball, " she muttered. "That didn't last long."

However, it was interesting to read that some of the things Andi held as important now, were important to her back then, too.

"She'll cheer you up if you feel blue.

No matter what, she'll always be there,

And she'll show you that she cares."

She wondered what she had written about Erin, and whether that still held true for her as well.

Andi was about to move to a new city and start her first "real" job after college. She vacillated between confidence and terror. How was she supposed to teach children when she was definitely not yet a competent adult? How was anyone trusting her with this?

But the answer was right there in the poem.

Cheer them up when they feel blue.

Be there, and show them that you care.

If she just continued doing those things, she would probably be okay.

Carefully, she added Erin's poem to the keep pile.

She could hang it up in her classroom, right next to her favorite quote about teaching: 

"What a teacher is, is more important than what he teaches." - Karl Menninger

Playlist Prompt #24: "Too Honest Lullaby"

Hello, friends! Today's prompt, courtesy of yours truly, is the song "Too Honest Lullaby" by Whitney Avalon.

When I moved to Oklahoma, I lived by myself in a house for the first time. I remember a time a few months in when I said to myself, "It's been awfully cold in here recently." It wasn't until a few days later that I realized I lived in this house by myself, and therefore, I controlled the thermostat. I could turn the heat up if I wanted to!

The reason I like Whitney's "Too Honest Lullaby" so much is that it makes me feel like I'm not alone in not quite feeling like an adult, even though I'm nearing thirty. Here are a few of my favorite lines:

"You'll never buy the right number of bananas / You'll run out or some will go brown / But that's okay"

"You'll remember the lyrics to hundreds of songs / And forget the name of the guy you just met / But that's okay"

"You'll cut one toenail weird which will get so ingrown / It becomes a major life regret / But that's okay"

"You'll have a junk drawer you always mean to clean out / But you'll never bother"

I listen to the song with these silly but relatable lyrics, and I think to myself, "See, I'm not the only one who feels this way. I'm not the only one who does these things. I'm not alone!"

And then Whitney hits me with these lines:

"And once in awhile you'll hit a wall / There will be a few times when things aren't okay at all / You'll curl up in bed, cry until your eyes are red / Wonder if you should just give up instead"

And I think to myself, huh. So I'm not the only one who feels that way, either.

She continues:

"But thanks to loved ones and their dedication / And sometimes astutely-prescribed medication / You'll find your way, back to okay"

 I am not the only one who needs my friends and family to function. I am not the only one who sometimes needs medication to function. And I am not the only one who needs to find my way back to okay.

I love this song because it's so real. It reminds me that the feelings I feel and the things I do are normal. I'm not always okay. And that's okay.

Playlist Prompt #18: "The Song That Never Ends"

Hello, friends! Today's prompt, courtesy of Melissa because who else, is the song fittingly called "The Song That Never Ends."

Do you ever feel like a broken record, repeating the same old song? Like you're stuck in a pattern and can't escape it? 

I feel that way a lot. And just like the song says,

"Some people started singing it, not knowing what it was / and they'll continue singing it forever, just because"

We never intend to adopt bad habits. We never wake up one morning and think to ourselves, "Today I'm going to start eating junk food all the time," or "Today I'm going to start worrying constantly about unreasonable things." No, bad habits start accidentally, and often with a healthy dose of self-deception. "I'll just do it this once," we say, although if we allowed ourselves to think about it, we would know that whatever "it" is will likely happen again, and again, and again.

The best example of a vicious cycle in the Bible is in the book of Judges. Each section of Judges starts out the same way - the Israelites fall into sin. Then God allows them to be oppressed. Then the Israelites repent. Then God delivers them from oppression. Then they fall into sin again, and the cycle starts anew. 

God is part of that cycle. He is omniscient - he knows that the Israelites will fall into sin again. So why does he keep delivering them, over and over and over? Wouldn't it be easier and more logical to abandon his faithless children?

Sometimes the best news is that God's love defies logic. Just like our fall into sin and our bad habits are endless cycles, so too is God's love for us.

"The steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him." (Psalm 103:17a)

No matter what, day after day, time after time, everlasting to everlasting, God's love will remain. His mercy will never fail. That is the true song that never ends, and it will go on and on, my friends.

Playlist Prompt #16: "What a Wonderful World"

Hello, friends! Today's prompt, courtesy of Rachel, is Phil Wickham's cover of "What a Wonderful World."

I always start my blog with "Hello, friends," but today I'm going to add an extra address, because it seems right. So...

Dear Rachel,

This is a good song. Really, it is! But did your Enneagram 7 self have to pick it for me? Because today, friend, the world doesn't seem all that wonderful to me. I know you're an Enthusiast, and you love to look on the bright side, but I'm a Helper, and today I feel like I helped no one. Where's the bright side in that?

When I look at the lyrics to "What a Wonderful World," I notice one thing: the singer isn't doing anything to make the world wonderful. The world is wonderful just as it is. All the singer is doing is taking the time to notice and enjoy it. He is obviously a 7, Rachel! How is this fair? You couldn't pick a song from a 2's perspective for me? What kind of advice is "stop and smell the roses" for a 2?

Okay, okay. As I take a minute to consider, I can see where this might be useful. I am much more likely to "stop and worry about the roses" than I am to admire them. And even in 2020, there are things to admire.

• Health care workers
• Teachers
• The resilience of children
• Fall leaves
• Good books
• Meatball skewers
• My neighbor's Corgi

There, Rachel, are you happy now? I found the bright side. And despite myself, I listed 7 things that I have no control over, that are wonderful all on their own, whether I'm at 100% on any given day or not. These things exist by the grace of God. We ought to take the time to notice and enjoy them more often.

Thanks for the reminder. Maybe you picking this song was okay after all.

Love,

Mary :)

Playlist Prompt #14: "Shut Up and Dance"

Hello, friends! Today's prompt, courtesy of Kelsey, is the song "Shut Up and Dance" by Walk the Moon.

You know what this song is about? Overthinking things. And you know what the message is? Don't do that. Relax, have fun, let loose... shut up and dance!

There's a second message, too: don't let things (or people) slip away because of your nerves. Sometimes, things that are meant to be happen just the way they're meant to, and it doesn't matter why. Just accept it! Again, just shut up and dance!

No need to overthink it, there's not much more to say. :)

Playlist Prompt #10: "Kiss The Girl"

Hello, friends! Today's prompt, courtesy of Kelsey, is the song "Kiss The Girl" from "The Little Mermaid."

Princess Ariel is one of two redheaded princesses that I've gotten to write about in the past week. And just like Merida's song, "Kiss The Girl" requires an understanding of the context of the movie for us to fully appreciate it.

In the scene when this song is played, Ariel is under a spell from the evil sea witch Ursula. Here it is in its entirety:

"Now, here's the deal. I will make you a potion that will turn you into a human for three days. Got that? Three days. Now listen, this is important. Before the sun sets on the third day, you've got to get dear ol' princey to fall in love with you. That is, he's got to kiss you. Not just any kiss, the kiss of true love. If he does kiss you before the sun sets on the third day, you'll remain human, permanently, but if he doesn't, you turn back into a mermaid, and you belong to me!"

Ariel made it to land and met her prince, but she's in dire straits. She needs him to fall in love with her and kiss her. If that doesn't happen, she'll lose her freedom, in more ways than one. Admittedly - she did this to herself. She made this choice. So you could look at her and say, well, too bad, hope you figure it out! Your decision, your responsibility!

The good news is that Ariel is not alone in this situation. She has friends! Sebastian the crab, Flounder the fish, and Scuttle the seagull all band together with her. They do everything they can to get Prince Eric to fall in love with Ariel and give her true love's kiss. This whole song is orchestrated (ha) by Sebastian as he desperately tries to help his friend.

The song may say it's about a kiss, but to me, this song is about what we do for our friends, even when they've made questionable decisions. And isn't that a beautiful thing?

(Also, icky. Kissing.)

Bedtime Puns

Hello, friends. Some bedtime puns for you:

What's the difference between a poorly-dressed man on a unicycle and a well-dressed man on a bicycle?
Attire.

What lies at the bottom of the ocean and twitches?
A nervous wreck.

What do you call a thieving alligator?
A crookodile.

What do you call a pig who does taekwondo?
A pork chop.

What do you call an ordinary potato?
A commentator.

What do you call an owl that does magic tricks?
Hoodini.

What do you get from a pampered cow?
Spoiled milk.

Where are average things manufactured?
The satisfactory.

What do you call a number that won't stand still?
A roamin' numeral.

And a compliment to see you off:
If you were a fruit, you'd be a fine-apple.

Some Sense (But Not Much)

Hello, friends!

Yesterday was nonsense day, so naturally today is "some sense" day.

I just googled "some sense" to see what would come up, and basically the results were variations on "talk some sense into you." So here is my attempt to talk some sense into all you people out there who clearly need it more than me.

Read books! Even the weird ones (like "The Real Mother Goose" ... yes, I'm still confused and will keep bringing it up) can bring you joy and entertainment and help you learn. I'm currently reading two books, because of who I am as a person, so I recommend "Trickster's Choice" by Tamora Pierce and "Redwoods and Whales" by Phil Collins.

Do your dishes! Normally I would not use an exclamation point in the same context as doing my dishes, one of my least favorite activities, but seriously, clean dishes are so helpful. Your kitchen is always cleaner if you don't have unwashed dishes around, you can then eat off of the clean dishes (and who doesn't love eating?), and it's a relatively quick way to feel productive. If you need a way to feel good about yourself, do your dishes.

Play games! I recently (and mostly accidentally) dominated a game of Life. It was amazing. Please share your most recent game experiences.

Watch basketball. It's awesome. True fact.

And last but not least, find some nice-smelling things and enjoy them. Candles, lotion, shampoo, body wash, bacon, your significant other... It's worth it!

Okay, there's your some sense for the day. Return tomorrow for the finale of the trilogy, "much sense."

A Message of Hope (And Elves) (And Bacon) (And Geese)

Hello, friends!

Today, I bring you a message of hope. Hope, of course, stands for Hopping Over Parisian Elves.

That's right, today is nonsense day at Iowa Girl Meets World headquarters. Maybe tomorrow I'll provide some sense, but let's face it, where would the fun be in that?

Have I ever told you about the time I fried bacon on the stove while video chatting with Melissa and managed to make it explode? Probably not, because that just happened. Don't worry, no one was harmed in the making of this story. Mostly.

Fun fact: did you know that, in 1916, certain words that are considered "bad" today were not considered "bad"? It's true. For reference, be sure to read the extremely bizarre rhymes in "The Real Mother Goose," given to fourth and fifth grade classrooms all across the Badger State. I won't give you the wildly inappropriate rhymes (though I will send pictures upon request), but here's a taste of the weirdness:

Goosey, goosey, gander,
Whither dost thou wander?
Upstairs and downstairs
And in my lady's chamber.

There I met an old man
Who would n't say his prayers.
I took him by the left leg
And threw him down the stairs.

I did not make this up. I wish I had made that up, because... what???

One more silly story before I go clean my kitchen, maybe. Behold, my favorite story from when my nephew was little(r). He strongly disapproved of people who did not wear shoes. If you dared to go shoeless in his presence, he would track down your shoes and present then to you so you could put them back on. Because what's the point of having shoes if you are not wearing them? Honestly, people, keep up.

That's all the nonsense I have time for this evening. I hope this made your smile, and I'll see you again tomorrow!

What I'm Looking For in a Man

Hello, friends.

I haven't tried any dating sites or apps lately, but when I did, I was always tripped up by the questions about what I'm looking for in a guy. I always listed things like kindness and faith and a good sense of humor, but in my head, here's what I'd like my significant other to be like:

• Gentle like Newt Scamander
• Smart like Cisco Ramon
• Fearless like Eliot Spencer
• Creative like Flynn Carsen
• Adventurous like Hiccup
• Selfless like Steve Trevor

I could go on, but I think we can glean two things from this. One, all of these people are, well, at least moderately fictional. Two, apparently I mostly like guys with long and/or casually messy hair? Take note, boys.

I want my love to be magical, you know? I want to have an epic arc that ends in an exhilarating kiss in the rain. But the fact is that those arcs are fictional, just like all of my ideal men are. None of my friends or family have met their significant others that way. I don't know anyone who regularly fights bad guys with their spouse (which possibly means your secret identities are working exceptionally well). Point is, what I'm looking for, I'm unlikely to ever find.

I want to ask, how have you married or engaged or dating people done it? How have you managed this seemingly impossible feat? But the fact is that everyone is different. There's no secret ingredient. There's no special formula. There are no perfect relationships.

So what do I do now? 

I wait.

I live my life - I don't put it on hold until I find someone.

I be my best self. 

My life is not defined by my relationship status, but that doesn't mean I can't think about it and desire a mate. I'm allowed to fantasize, as ridiculous as my fantasies might be. (My future husband will be a bow-and-arrow-wielding billionaire with amazing hair and doey eyes when he looks at me...) Ahem. What was I saying? Oh, yes. Ridiculous fantasies.

My life is not defined by my relationship status - but it is affected by it. My task right now is to live in hope, focus on the present, and remember that even when it feels like it, I am never really alone.

July Adventures

Hello, friends.

It's been a crazy fun month. My blog posts are usually serious, so instead, today I'm going to share with you some of my favorite stories from the month of July. I hope you enjoy. :)

I'll start off with a classic Mad Libs story entitled "Your Undead IQ," as written by my daughter and narrated by myself and Melissa.

Are you an undead expert? Take this powerful quiz to find out! 

1. Where do vampires sleep? a) with the fishes, b) on the beach, c) inside a cat, or d) in a striped coffin

2. What is a zombie's favorite snack? a) moon salad, b) chocolate-covered pillows, c) school bits, or d) brains

3. Where do ghouls go to meet ghoul friends? a) the grocery unicorn, b) the cookie park, c) a confused school, or d) the grave-trip

4. How do mummies become undead? a) they ask Lindsey nicely, b) they travel through time using a glove machine, c) they earn extra floppy grades in school, or d) they get cursed by a soft sorcerer 

If you answered mostly Ds, you're a real undead Kleenex! Your curly expertise will come in handy - in this life and beyond...

Good times, good times. Thanks to Melissa, Lindsey, and noun expert Bryan for your excellent contributions to my daughter's Mad Libs education.

Speaking of Bryan, he passed the "get continually harassed by Mary for two days" test, which is a good sign. Within an hour I was comparing him to my dog and he didn't even flinch. That's significant right there. Take note, Lindsey.

Let's be honest though - there was a very simple and obvious reason that I wanted to visit the cheese state. It was so delightful to show my daughter the campus of my alma mater Concordia Wisconsin. That's where I met Lindsey (when I came to her room to help her roommate with English and basically didn't leave for a year) and Melissa (when she stopped by my room at 8 AM on the dot to collect money for vegetable oil). CUW is where I joined Students for Life, the group that inspired me to become a foster parent in the first place. Without this incredible school, my daughter and I might never have met.

And have I mentioned the bluff?

We walked down the stairs to the beach, dragged ourselves back up the switchbacks, bought a Zoey the comfort dog plush in the bookstore, posed for a picture with Freddy the Falcon, and giggled at the summer hours for the Falcon's Nest.

Other Wisconsin-y highlights include: eating cookies while watching American Ninja Warrior with Melissa in her ANW hat, feeling very old at a trampoline park and a water park, the "men's ballet" at the water ski show, and naming dozens of badgers for Lindsey and Bryan to own.

I'm really quite astonished that I've gotten this far in my July blog post without mentioning my nephew. Have I ever mentioned my nephew on here before? I clearly need to make up for lost time. His name is Kylen and he's the cutest person on planet earth. Soon he'll have some cute competition, but for the moment, no one can make me smile quite like him.

Kylen's accomplishments include:

1. Being totally obsessed with my dad, AKA Opa. Which is, of course, very appropriate as my dad is awesome. Everyone coming to visit Kylen arrived before Opa, and this was extremely concerning. We're all small potatoes in comparison. 
2. Mowing the lawn (and the driveway) (and the sidewalk) with his bubble mower. It's a tough job, but someone's gotta do it, and Kylen's up to the task.
3. Making spaghetti with tomato sauce, thanks to the super-cool pasta play set his super-cool aunt and cousin gave him for his third birthday. 
4. Loving tractors a lot. I wasn't next to him at church, but I'm told that all he talked about the whole time was returning home to his new toy tractor from Oma and Opa.
5. Not appreciating Opa's very scary sneezes.
6. Naming his stuffed animals after letters of the alphabet. 
7. Pulling up his pants a lot. 
8. Playing frisbee with Oma.
9. Identifying the dogs (excuse me, puppies) in his neighbor's yards.
10. Have I mentioned he's cute? 

There were other people in Marion as well - Zach and Lindsey, my parents, my grandma - but none of us will deny that we were there for Kylen!

After saying goodbye to Kylen and his crew, we headed up to Minneapolis for my youth ministry conference with Melissa and my daughter's summer fun camp at the Mall of America with Lindsey. It was amazing to attend the conference. I learned so much and immensely enjoyed myself in the process. Meanwhile, my daughter and Lindsey rode roller coasters, met members of the Paw Patrol, climbed tall towers, made their own crayons, built a bear (technically a dog), and played arcade games. Lindsey also drew me this excellent map, which probably meant something at the time. 

My personal favorite activity, however, had to be the lumberjack show hosted by Concordia St. Paul (not THE Concordia, but still a good one). Oh goodness, it was hysterical. The lumberjacks were such hams and cracked us all up with their antics. I really hope we have that option for the National Youth Gathering next year. 

After Minneapolis, we spent a few days in this little place called Urbandale where I used to live. We went to the Botanical Center, where my dad and daughter ran around on a scavenger hunt while my grandma and I gave up and visited the gift shop after half an hour because it was very hot in there. My dad and I soundly defeated my mom and grandma in cards one night, only to lose just as soundly the next night, despite the fact that we were the sober ones. We also decided that we would like a turkey-shaped ice cream cake for Thanksgiving this year, please. 

Speaking of ice cream, I'll leave you with this list of all the places my daughter and I had ice cream on our fourteen-day six-state adventure. Thanks for a great trip that will hopefully be repeated soon, friends and family. :)

1. Dairy Queen
2. Culvers (twice) 
3. Kopps
4. Zach and Lindsey's house
5. Target/our Minneapolis hotel
6. ColdStone (twice) 
7. Baskin Robbins

Super DCE to the Rescue

Not all heroes wear capes. Some of us wear dress pants and nice shirts. Or sometimes jeans and nice shirts. Occasionally shorts and t-shirts. I don't have a uniform, okay? I just don't wear a cape. I'm Super DCE, and I can do anything! The acolyte hasn't shown up yet? It's Super DCE with the save, recruiting another likely young person. The sound system isn't working? Not a problem for Super DCE – I'll just shout my children's message. There's a dog loose in the parking lot? Don't worry, I'll... wait, that's my dog. That's embarrassing.

It's not all fun and games for Super DCE, despite what most people think. Just to clear the air: Super DCE does not play with kids all day long, although I would probably enjoy that. At least for a week or so. Yeah, actually, Vacation Bible School once a year is enough to play with kids all the time. Have you ever led a Vacation Bible School? Can you say exhausting?

Speaking of exhausting, have you ever been to a National Youth Gathering? Let me tell you, Super DCE rocked that last National Youth Gathering. And then, after I got home, I immediately crashed. All of that counting was a struggle. I'm not good at math, you see, and I had to count my students constantly. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve... where's Alex??

Vacation Bible Schools and National Youth Gatherings are in my call documents, but Super DCE is actually in charge of all kinds of things. I am the guardian of the basketballs, the locker of doors, the fixer of computers, the organizer of the pantry, and the maker of the Sacrament of Coffee. The Pre-K Sunday school teacher doesn't show? Super DCE steps in with a storybook and crayons. The storage closet is a mess? Super DCE takes a day to go through every. single. bottle. of paint. Why do we have 75 bottles of paint? That is beyond the grasp of even Super DCE.

It often seems like it's always Super DCE to the rescue. No matter what the problem is, I end up trying to address it. There's infighting among the leaders of the church? Super DCE to the rescue! A building project is trying to get off the ground? Super DCE to the rescue! Someone is trying to pass a flawed budget? Super DCE to the rescue!

At the end of the day, though, I know that I'm not really the rescuer. Super DCE is great, but even heroes need a hero, and not one that wears a cape. My hero wears a crown of thorns. When Super DCE loses her temper, Jesus is there. When Super DCE is tired, Jesus is there. When Super DCE is out of ideas, Jesus is there. No matter how hard I try, Super DCE can't save the whole world – and that's okay. Jesus already did.

Send Me Jokes

Hello, friends. I'm writing to you from my office at church. My head itches, despite my best efforts to the contrary. I'm tired. My back hurts. I had a lot on my plate at work today, but I accomplished almost none of it; the majority of my day was spent ridding my house, my hair, and my daughter's hair of lice.

To sum it up: I've had better days.

But my dog is curled up beside me. My daughter is at home, about to go to bed. I know that I will wake up tomorrow refreshed and ready for a new day.

Lice is a pain. But there are worse things.

I am reminded of a particular cross country practice during high school. We were out of breath, sweating profusely, complaining at every turn about the heat and the workout, when suddenly my friend Anna says, "What are you talking about? I feel quite cold. I think I need a parka."

It turns out, we didn't need a break; we didn't need to slow down or find some air conditioning. What we needed was a laugh and a better attitude. I think that's what I need today, too.

Anyone got any good jokes? ;)

Gathering Memories

Hello, friends! After sleeping from about 10 AM to 4 PM today, I am awake and somewhat recovered from the National Youth Gathering. I always like to write about my trips right after I return from them, so here you go - my favorite 2016 Gathering memories!

• Rediscovering New Orleans through the eyes of my teenagers - for example, riding the streetcar and hearing them talk about the beads stuck everywhere you look
• Getting caught in a rainstorm at the Audubon Zoo and laughing about how soaked we were
• Finding all of the elephant statues at the zoo (there were a lot for some reason)
• Introducing my group to beignets at Cafe du Monde
• My teenagers buying masks in the French Quarter
• Learning about a soldier named "Barney Old Coyote" at the WWII Museum
• One of my teenagers being so excited about the WWII Museum that we could have left him there the entire trip and he would have been perfectly happy
• Eating king cake at Mardi Gras World (one of our teenagers owes us a party)
• Going to Walgreens - you know you're becoming closer with your group of teenagers when they talk about feminine products with you :P
• Carrying seven backpacks back to my hotel like a boss
• Attempting to run over and hug Melissa while carrying seven backpacks
• One of my teenagers using physics to explain why a grandfather clock wasn't working at the Old Ursuline Convent
• Inventing a game called "Emergency Situation" with my teenagers
• Mass Events!!!! Singing, dancing, learning, laughing, and being inspired in Christ alone
• My adult leader guiding us through the crowd of 25,000 by holding up a duct taped silver, pink, and green sword (he became known as the "saber guy")
• (According to my teenagers) jumping 3 feet in the air and tackling Pastor Jay
• My teenagers taking lots of notes during Bible studies
• Seeing Young Adult Volunteers and having one of my teenagers high-five all of them
• Attending Pastor Jay's "Relax and be a Christian" session and feeling very relaxed afterwards
• My teenagers asking PJ if they could build a bonfire
• Melissa playing the "Emergency Situation" game with my teenagers
• My teenagers helping package food (total, the Gathering packed over 600,000 meals)
• All of my friends that I found at the Gathering: Jessica, Nicole, Keriann, Noelle, Bethany, Dr. Oberdeck, Stephanie, and probably lots of people I'm forgetting
• Talking to President Ferry from CUW
• Meeting a youth leader from Hungary 
• Watching the Skit Guys and learning what Goliath's wife would have sounded like
• Attending a fantastic "Tough Talks" session and learning how to apply coaching skills to youth ministry
• The final worship service - taking communion with 25,000 other people
• One of my youth, who is not confirmed yet, taking communion for the first time and making the most priceless face at the taste
• Receiving a pretty stellar Gathering banner
• Going to Hot Topic with some of my teenagers :P
• My teenagers explaining what they think New Orleans needs the most (help for the homeless and strong leadership)
• Reading Princess Bride on my Kindle on the bus
• Finally getting home and hugging all of my teenagers farewell
• Lastly... sleeping :P

So much happened, and no blog post could ever cover it all. But reliving the memories makes me smile and laugh and cry all at once. I learned so much about myself, my teenagers, and leadership. This experience was fantastic. I can't wait for Minneapolis in 2019!!

Conversations (Thanks, Mom)

Hello, friends! For your reading pleasure, I present to you some conversations I've had with my foster daughter today. I'm convinced that I am becoming my mother, and that is a very good thing.

(I find a chair suspiciously close to a high cupboard)
"Did you take anything from the cupboard?"
"No."
"Are you sure?"
"I'm sure."
"If I check the cupboard, I won't find anything missing?"
"No."
(I check the cupboard; shockingly enough, something is missing)

(My daughter is picking up the living room)
"That's as good as I'm going to get it."
"Really?"
"Yes."
(I look around at the paper plates and cups, books, DVDs, food, art projects, and trash on various surfaces all around the room)
"I disagree. Keep going."

(My daughter is filling up the bathtub)
"Mom, for some strange reason, the water is blue!"
"Really?"
"Yes, come look! I was filling it up and I looked and it was blue!"
(I check the water; it looks exactly the same as normal)
"Don't worry, I think it's fine."

Thanks, Mom, for teaching me how to be a mom in these and so many other scenarios. :P

The VBS Report

Hello, friends! I am grateful today for a quiet afternoon, after a long week of VBS. Don't get me wrong, it was delightful, but goodness, I'm exhausted! Let me list off some of my favorite moments for you.

• While we were setting up, two of my youth worked together to find the right way to move round tables. The tables almost fell on them several times, but they got it!
• On the first day, our fill-in pianist played some Pokemon tunes to pass the time, because why not?
• On the second day, our regular music leader taught songs to the kids for fifteen minutes, and then let them try out the organ for the last five minutes. Needless to say, hilarity ensued.
• On the third day, we learned about Easter. Our games leader intended to play hockey with an Easter egg, but somehow, this morphed into Quidditch.
• On the fourth day, I noticed a kid playing with wadded-up paper and not paying attention. I held out my hand for her to give me the paper. One of the kids next to her whispered, "Give it to her - she's the boss!"
• On the fifth and final day, we had a celebratory picnic, complete with water games. By the end we were having an all-out water war. One of the parents distracted me so that three youth could sneak up behind me and pour pitchers of water on my head. I proceeded to sic several of the kids on the parent, of course.
• The best part about the tear-down was trying to feel productive while completely soaked to the skin.

There were successes - helping a shy helper make a friend, watching the kids (even the youngest ones) learn about everything from Christmas to Pentecost, getting to know kids that I haven't interacted with much. There were failures - some of the music was above the kids' heads, the preschool helpers felt left out, we didn't have nearly as many kids as last year. But most of all, there was a whole lot of fun. I won't say I can't wait for next year, because God only knows how much I need a break. But I will say that all of the planning and stress and time was completely worth it. :)

Don't Cry Over Broken Windows

Hello, friends. Here's what I have learned today:

Storm windows are great at protecting your house against storms.

Storm windows are not so great as an anchor for your dog tether.

And, finally, the trustees at my church are wonderful.


...I'm sure some of you are wanting the whole story, so here you go. I have a fairly narrow backyard, and no matter where I put the stake for my dog's tether, my dog can still get under the fence. Today I noticed that there was a handle on the outside of the storm window in my kitchen. It seemed pretty sturdy, and it would prevent her from getting under the fence, so I attached her tether to that and went back inside. This was a poor decision. In fact, it was a terrible decision. About half an hour later, I heard an enormous crash from outside. I raced out my back door to find the storm window on the ground, completely smashed.

Thank God, Kensi wasn't underneath the window when it fell! She is completely unharmed, and the non-storm window is still intact, so my house isn't exposed or anything. I brought my dog inside and promptly called one of our church trustees, because I had absolutely no idea what to do about the situation. He came over within a few minutes, took a look at the problem, and not only helped me get rid of the smashed window, he also brought me something so that I can attach Kensi's tether to the house without breaking anything else. He said he'll probably get a new storm window and put it up on Monday. Thank God for trustees! I don't know what I would have done without him!

He also said something that made me feel a lot better: "It's all part of loving a dog." These things happen when you bring anyone else into your life, really, not just a pet. You open yourself up to more problems than you would have if you were alone -- but you also open yourself up to more joy. My dog may have brought my window crashing down, but she's also brought me a reason to look forward to coming home. Without her, I'd probably still have a window, but I wouldn't be having nearly as much fun.

Order in the Chaos

Hello, friends! I'm writing to you from my living room couch, and I'm surrounded by a variety of interesting objects: a hammer, my Bible, my work notebook, some white ribbon, a pincushion, my favorite baseball cap, a synopsis of the Gospels, an iron, a hot glue gun, a list of all the LCMS churches in Florida, and the back of a picture frame. Let me tell you how all of these things came to be in my living room!

The hammer, ribbon, pincushion, iron, hot glue gun, and back of a picture frame are all ingredients for my long weekend activity: crafting. I made a few items for all of the babies in my life, although from that list of things I bet you'll never guess what I made (and I can't tell you, or it would spoil the surprise for the babies). I also made a craft apron for myself, because when I start making crafts, cleanliness is not my priority. I bet you couldn't tell that from my description of my living room!

My Bible and my work notebook are normally seen together. As usual, this week I wrote four devotions. My favorite one was probably the devotion for Tuesday. It involved the Ezekiel story about prophesying to dry bones. When I searched for a picture of dry bones, it came up with this:

Naturally, I thought this was hilarious and used it as the illustration.

My favorite baseball cap, which is a Harry Potter cap from Universal, is in my living room for two reasons. One, I wear it during our delightful hours spent in the Union handing out football magnets. Two, I wear it when I go to the Frenchtown community garden. Today the five of us (Maddie, Burgen, Megan, Mark and I) weeded one of the beds. With all of us working, we were able to clean it out pretty much completely. We also hunted down caterpillars in the tomato plants and ate some cucumbers and green beans. I brought back a small pile of green beans for myself.

The highlight, however, was watching the kids play a game of basketball and several of the girls perform a steps routine during their halftime.

The synopsis of the Gospels is the topic for this summer's Bible study, which I get to help teach. I led our discussion for the first time this Sunday, and I think it went pretty well! Luke 1 and 2 were on the agenda. We tend to overlook those passages because we hear them so much, but it was nice to take the time and examine them more closely.

And lastly, the list of all the LCMS churches in Florida. Tomorrow, I get to (read: have to) continue to work my way down the list, calling churches to ask if they have students heading to college in the fall. Last Friday, I knocked out 48 churches. Hopefully I get through at least that many again tomorrow. 

There you are, a sum-up of my week based on my messy living room. Until next week, farewell!