Dark Wash Dream Come True

Just got the news that I can wear jeans to work all week!  Wahoo!  Now I don't have to wear my super fancy Old Navy corduroys!

lessons from church camp

I'm not too terrible at mountain biking, as long as the mountain is a meadow.

I'm a horrible shot with pistols and volleyballs.

Trampolines are therapeutic...and way fun.  Plus, these new net contraptions make them completely safe!  So double bounce to your heart's delight!

After 10:00 pm, Uno and Build-a-Story are incredibly difficult activities.  The daily allotment of creative juices has surely fermented by then, and nothing good can come of 12 tired minds, entranced by a bonfire, trying to match colors or create characters.

Falling asleep in a field is as fun as it looks on Dawson's Creek.  I almost hope you don't believe me just so you'll try it out!

Irregardlessly is not a word...irregardlessly of how many times you use it in a sentence.

East Texas stargazing should be on everyone's bucket list.

Homemade crepes are a brilliant way to start the morning...anything that tastes like a banana split and passes as breakfast is welcome to make an (incredibly short) appearance on my plate!

and...

My home group ROCKS!  Thanks for all the laughter and lessons at the not so little cabin in the woods!

unanswered prayers

My silent prayer to God this afternoon: Dear God, please let this be a low impact boot camp day...maybe a little ab work...anything that involves laying on a mat for a while would be nice.

My Boot Camp Instructor's not-so-silent greeting: Okay, good to see everyone.  Grab your water and head outside.  We're gonna to start out tonight with a timed mile.  Just run as fast as you can!

It wasn't my best time, but it wasn't my worst.  And, I got to eat an extra snack after dinner!

292.9

After doing some thorough investigations of totally reliable health websites, I have found the most common caffeine withdrawal symptoms to be...

Headaches - check
Shakes - chhhheeeecccck
Grouchiness - I said CHECK! 
Lethargy - che... 

The good news is, it usually lasts only three to four days.  The bad news is, people have to be around me during that time.  I'm sorry in advance!

decaf diaries

Well, today was my third day without coffee (not counting the one tiny little sip I had on Saturday morning), and much to my surprise, I made it through work and class without a hitch.  But just when I thought I was in the clear  - less than two blocks from home - I definitely broke down and cried to a super cheesy song by the Katinas.  I'm pretending that by keeping the title of the song a secret, I'll maintain at least some dignity.  But let's be honest, it's the Katinas.  The first measure of any of their songs is a polite warning and a gentle encourager for you to go ahead and see what else is coming across the ol' radio waves.  Unfortunately, due to a lack of my drug of choice, my reaction time was a little slow, and before I knew it, the chorus drifted out of my car speakers and into my very tired mind.  And then, well, you know the rest.  Lord, help me if any of Michael W. Smith's ballads cross my path tomorrow!

On another note, I super very much miss my delete key.  Making mistakes just isn't the same without it.

dinner and dessert

To offset the mass quantity of food that I consumed at home group tonight, I decided to make Layla's last walk of the day more like a jog.  Unfortunately, my stumbling feet decided I had actually not eaten my recommended dose of cement and decided to serve up a lovely slab of sidewalk.  It was quite an entertaining fall if I do say so myself.  I didn't exactly see it happen, but I think it was one of those rare, slow-motion, "is she doing that on purpose?" kind of falls because I had enough time to think to myself, Uh oh, I'm falling.  Wait.  Nope, I think I got it.  Oops.  Nope.  I'm definitely falling.

Pick a Team, It Needs You

Yesterday, when my friend Rachel asked if I wanted to go to a game night with some of her friends, I reluctantly joined in the so-called fun.  If I haven't mentioned it already, I kind of hate games.  I'm an only child, which means I'm not good at sharing or losing.  I am, however, good at staying in on Friday nights and watching romantic comedies with a bowl of popcorn and some peanut butter M&Ms.  I'm a little too good at it, actually, which is why I decided to live on the edge and play Pictionary with some strangers.  I may have also been swayed by the possibility that some of those strangers might be male and cute.

So, after work, I took Layla for a quick trot around the pond, spent about thirty minutes picking out which v-neck t-shirt I would wear with my rolled-up jeans and boat shoes (If anyone ever recorded my life, the beginning of each show would be very reminiscent of Mr. Rogers' wardrobe change from one cardigan to another), and headed to a little house in the big city.  After mingling with the group for a bit, we finally got down to business.  Two team captains were chosen, and then I relived the worst of my elementary school experiences as one by one, the rest of us were selected to teams.  Suddenly, I was back in third grade, standing in a gym that smelled like feet and had the constant sound of a buzzer ringing dimly in the background.  I was looking intensely at Matt Bruisee, praying that he would pick me for his kickball team.  I stood tall, trying to make myself look strong and coordinated and athletic...and maybe even confident enough to not care if I was chosen last.

When I finally reigned my thoughts back in, I tried to apply the same strategy to the Pictionary picking process.  But how exactly do you subtly convey to someone that you have what it takes to draw a decent sketch of "tiger by the tail" and to quickly and correctly guess that the messy scribble that your teammate has drawn is in fact "three blind mice"?  I apparently did not adopt whatever stance or facial expression that requires, because I was definitely chosen second to last.  And even then, it was because when the team captains said, "That's everyone, right?" the only two people to raise their hands in protest were me and a guy who had made numerous comments about smelling the markers.

I showed them though.  Who was the only one to have her team guess all five phrases in under a minute?  That would be Miss Second-to-Last!  And what is her prize?  A much deserved Saturday night in with her dog, her stellar movie collection, and her first two choices for any team - Ben and Jerry.

P.S. 23 cool points if the title sounds familiar!