:: Benadryl for your allergies ::
Sometimes I wonder how anyone can tolerate my insufferable creativity. It seems like every week I manage to devise some crazy scheme that inevitably causes either myself or someone else to look like a complete and total fool yet somehow everyone around me hops on board! This week, I've determined that Joe and I need to have a reprise of our previous development festivities and celebrate homecoming with the office. The plot for total staff humiliation this time, you ask? We've managed to convince all of the student workers to nominate staff members to run for "Duke and Duchess of Development." I don't know how Joe and I pulled that one off...maybe it's through our dual-childlike enthusiasm...but Faye and Shannon are in the running for Duchess and Shaun and Todd for Duke. Voting begins on Monday, and the whole office is being encouraged to participate in voting. What's going to make this extra special? The ballot sheets also contain a "write-in" option where students and staff can vote for someone who did not make the ballot. I must say, I am extra excited to see who manages to win this role.
I guess what makes this whole thing so super surprising to me, is how enthusiastic the rest of the students are about participating in what I consider to be one of my more ridiculous schemes yet. Jenny stopped at Burger King after work to pick up crowns she intends on decorating, Lisa offered to borrow her sorority's magic wand so that the Duchess can carry that around as she distributes the Friday afternoon candy, and Alyssa volunteered to make campaign signs for each of the nominees. Plus Meghan is baking a few dozen cookies, Linzi is bringing in salad, I'm supplying the beverages, and Joe's splurging on the Subway 6 foot sub. Have I somehow managed to keep so much of my childish innocence that my excitability seems genuine enough to convince people that even the most absurd ideas are sheer genius? Maybe it's just some sort of special gift that God's given me...the ability to have a heart so full of wonder and awe at life's simplest things. I used to feel like an outsider because of this, like no one possibly understood how a 21-year-old could genuinely squeal with joy at her first ornithological observation, but I'm glad to see it's becoming contagious.
I got two new CDs in the mail the other day. They were $5 each and there are some pretty amazing songs on them. I mostly got them because I had been listening to Matthew Thiessen and the Earthquakes' "Poison Ivy" quite consistently at work (at purvolume.com), so I figured it was time I just purchased the album it was on. So I purchased "Mono vs Stereo: The Revolution Will Begin in the Blink of an Eye," volumes 1 and 2. Other current favorites from these albums: "When Pianos Fall" by Airline, "Serial Sleepers" by House of Heroes, and "Nothing Gets Me Down" by John Davis.
On Friday I went bowling with Jake, Amanda, and Amber which was a totally rockin' time. We played four games, one where we deliberately tried to get gutter balls (they had to make it at least halfway down the lane before getting over or else you were forced to add three points to your score) and another where we just tried to impress each other with insanely ridiculous bowling maneuvers. I pulled off a somersault kick of the ball down the lane and also gave birth to one that barely made it down to the end. I think I bowled a 12 on that last game. All in all, it was an awesome experience, but we were haunted by the bowling monster which we determined to be a chupacabra based on the fact that it's telepathic powers predicted my score on several occasions by tampering with the electronic scoreboard before I bowled my frame. On Saturday I went to a cider mill with Jessie which proved to be pretty insane. Honestly, what kind of cider mill has elephant and camel rides? I'd say that it was all a big sham and disappointment due to these unorthodox bestial opportunities, but you could feed the llamas there and Jessie said, "It's the great chunkin patch Parlie Brown," so it was worth it all in the end. Plus we purchased our pumpkin for the season, which carved today after the fashion of Mike Wasowski from Monsters, Inc. It only took us about three hours to complete in all (after drafting him out on paper, almost forgetting that we needed to empty OUT the pumpkin before carving it, going to the store to purchase the proper carving equipment, and then actually carving the pumpkin, plus some degree of mental preparation).
Today I went to church which was totally awesome. Some people got healed today, Pastor Ron gave an awesome message, and I got to hug lots and lots of friends from Fusion. Plus I saw Ben, which inevitably always brings a grin to my face. :o) Even now it's there...so cheeseball. I met his brother Mark today who was visiting for the weekend from Chicago. His hair is even crazier than Ben's and he was wearing a brightly colored button with a butterfly on it. I told him that I really liked it...which I did. He seems like a really fun guy and I can totally see how he's Ben's brother.
This week is going to be totally amazing. After some long prayer and much debate, I finally decided to give up BSF and Home Acres. So Tuesday and Wednesday nights are now free for me to actually spend time with the Lord instead of just going through the motions of ministries that my hear isn't really involved in. It was really hard walking away from Home Acres, especially after Brenden put on a super-teeny, way-to-small for his muscles, sweatshirt and flexed for my camera phone. Plus those girls I teach are totally amazing. But I hope to keep up with them through e-mail and I'll probably visit every now and then on Wednesday nights. It will be nice to be a little less busy though, especially with my involvement in Fusion increasing over the next few months.
Poison Ivy
Better condition than I be
Hook me to an IV
As I whisper "why me?"
I guess what makes this whole thing so super surprising to me, is how enthusiastic the rest of the students are about participating in what I consider to be one of my more ridiculous schemes yet. Jenny stopped at Burger King after work to pick up crowns she intends on decorating, Lisa offered to borrow her sorority's magic wand so that the Duchess can carry that around as she distributes the Friday afternoon candy, and Alyssa volunteered to make campaign signs for each of the nominees. Plus Meghan is baking a few dozen cookies, Linzi is bringing in salad, I'm supplying the beverages, and Joe's splurging on the Subway 6 foot sub. Have I somehow managed to keep so much of my childish innocence that my excitability seems genuine enough to convince people that even the most absurd ideas are sheer genius? Maybe it's just some sort of special gift that God's given me...the ability to have a heart so full of wonder and awe at life's simplest things. I used to feel like an outsider because of this, like no one possibly understood how a 21-year-old could genuinely squeal with joy at her first ornithological observation, but I'm glad to see it's becoming contagious.
I got two new CDs in the mail the other day. They were $5 each and there are some pretty amazing songs on them. I mostly got them because I had been listening to Matthew Thiessen and the Earthquakes' "Poison Ivy" quite consistently at work (at purvolume.com), so I figured it was time I just purchased the album it was on. So I purchased "Mono vs Stereo: The Revolution Will Begin in the Blink of an Eye," volumes 1 and 2. Other current favorites from these albums: "When Pianos Fall" by Airline, "Serial Sleepers" by House of Heroes, and "Nothing Gets Me Down" by John Davis.
On Friday I went bowling with Jake, Amanda, and Amber which was a totally rockin' time. We played four games, one where we deliberately tried to get gutter balls (they had to make it at least halfway down the lane before getting over or else you were forced to add three points to your score) and another where we just tried to impress each other with insanely ridiculous bowling maneuvers. I pulled off a somersault kick of the ball down the lane and also gave birth to one that barely made it down to the end. I think I bowled a 12 on that last game. All in all, it was an awesome experience, but we were haunted by the bowling monster which we determined to be a chupacabra based on the fact that it's telepathic powers predicted my score on several occasions by tampering with the electronic scoreboard before I bowled my frame. On Saturday I went to a cider mill with Jessie which proved to be pretty insane. Honestly, what kind of cider mill has elephant and camel rides? I'd say that it was all a big sham and disappointment due to these unorthodox bestial opportunities, but you could feed the llamas there and Jessie said, "It's the great chunkin patch Parlie Brown," so it was worth it all in the end. Plus we purchased our pumpkin for the season, which carved today after the fashion of Mike Wasowski from Monsters, Inc. It only took us about three hours to complete in all (after drafting him out on paper, almost forgetting that we needed to empty OUT the pumpkin before carving it, going to the store to purchase the proper carving equipment, and then actually carving the pumpkin, plus some degree of mental preparation).
Today I went to church which was totally awesome. Some people got healed today, Pastor Ron gave an awesome message, and I got to hug lots and lots of friends from Fusion. Plus I saw Ben, which inevitably always brings a grin to my face. :o) Even now it's there...so cheeseball. I met his brother Mark today who was visiting for the weekend from Chicago. His hair is even crazier than Ben's and he was wearing a brightly colored button with a butterfly on it. I told him that I really liked it...which I did. He seems like a really fun guy and I can totally see how he's Ben's brother.
This week is going to be totally amazing. After some long prayer and much debate, I finally decided to give up BSF and Home Acres. So Tuesday and Wednesday nights are now free for me to actually spend time with the Lord instead of just going through the motions of ministries that my hear isn't really involved in. It was really hard walking away from Home Acres, especially after Brenden put on a super-teeny, way-to-small for his muscles, sweatshirt and flexed for my camera phone. Plus those girls I teach are totally amazing. But I hope to keep up with them through e-mail and I'll probably visit every now and then on Wednesday nights. It will be nice to be a little less busy though, especially with my involvement in Fusion increasing over the next few months.
Poison Ivy
Better condition than I be
Hook me to an IV
As I whisper "why me?"