I Did Not Kiss Dating Goodbye

This is a random post, but those who went to middle and high school with me, or another Christian school, will appreciate this.
While searching for Beth Moore on Amazon today, Josh Harris's book "I Kissed Dating Goodbye" popped up under "You May Also Like"-you know, the section that recommends books based on your search.
It reminded of when I was in 6th grade and the teachers at BL had the brillant idea that the entire middle school should be subjected to Josh Harris. The entire middle school filed into a church sanctuary and listened to Josh Harris explain why he believed Christians shouldn't date. Being in the 6th grade, I wasn't anywhere near actual dating, so I kinda tuned it out (Why date when you can't drive? Seriously, there is nothing cool about having your mom drop you off at Dutch Square Cinemas so that you can go to the movies with that really cute guy...and 8 of your friends, only to be picked up 3 hours later by your mom).
Then at the end, Josh took questions from the audience. Someone, I think it was Adam Neely, asked Josh, "So what age do you think we should start dating?" Josh got this exasperated look and exclaimed, "I kissed dating goodbye! Are you getting that?! There is no right age to start dating!"
Josh did admit he was dating someone at the time (I think he called it "courting" but I am sure there was food and conversation involved, therefore a date by all accounts). Apparently he married the same girl, so it all worked out in the end.

The 9th Step

I read an interesting article about Alcoholics Anonymous the other day. It's common knowledge that AA requires members to complete a Twelve Step Program during the road to recovery. Step Nine of the Program is particularly interesting to me: Make direct amends to people you've harmed wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.

As Christians, this is a useful step we should incorporate in our own lives. I am ashamed to think about the people I have harmed, with my words and actions. I had a friendship that I valued for 11 years, only to let a disagreement keep us from speaking for the past three years. Guys in my past treated me with more thoughtfulness than I deserved from them, only to have me behave callously careless in return. I can think of countless occasions when my untamed tongue has wounded others, and I have been too prideful to ask for forgiveness.

I realize I may never have the chance to actually apologize to every person I have wronged. But I am admitting that I have harmed people and I was wrong. And that's the first step.

Ready to Run

Do you have an escape? Meaning, no matter what's going on, what kind of mood you're in, is there something you can do that is just for you-selfish, but in a good way?

My escape is running. I lace up my sauconys, grab my ipod and take off. Whether I run for 20 minutes or over an hour, it always has the same effect for me. Whether I feel stressed, overwhelmed, upset or defeated, running is the one thing that makes everything seem right in the world. Even when I'm in a great mood, running makes me feel punch drunk happy.

Running is also my "Me Time." Sometimes I will take the dogs with me (few things are funnier than watching a 10 lb. schnoodle run, but Mia could run for days if I let her), but sometimes I just want it to be me and the pavement. There I can be alone with my thoughts. Plus running is great for my health, both physicially and mentally. As Reese Witherspoon explained in Legally Blonde, "Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don't shoot their husbands, they just don't. " So maybe it's healthy for Chad that I run too. :)

With Chad's new job giving him normal hours, I'm committed to getting up at 6am and running. Now that the weather is warming up, it's the perfect time to start this resolution. I encourage you to find an escape, if you don't already have one.

The Rollercoaster Explained

I can finally fully divulge the "24 hour rollercoaster" I blogged about a couple of weeks ago.

Chad has worked for Purity since October. He left his previous job because of an insanely terrible boss. This job at Purity has been great-great pay, great boss, great coworkers...except for the hours. Chad's job has required him to go into work at like 2 or 3am, which means he's finished mid morning. Which also means he goes to bed at like 7pm. I try to leave work right at 5 so that I can get home at 5:30 and have basically an hour and a half of quality time before he goes to bed.

But have you ever heard of that book, "The Five Love Languages" which details how we like to show affection and receive affection? One of the love languages is Quality Time-and that is definitely the Number One way I like to show and receive affection. So one and a half hours of QT during the week has not made me too happy these last few months. But we've sacrificed, hoping for the light at the end of the tunnel. Two weeks ago we got the light...after the 24 hour rollercoaster.

Chad's boss announced during a meeting several weeks ago that the division had been bought out by another company. There would only be like 3 or 4 slots for Purity workers to transfer. There would be several spots in other divisions at Purity for a few workers, but several of the employees would end up being SOL. When Chad told me the news, I was so upset. Here we thought things were going well and Chad had a job he really liked and that was all going to change. He wasn't optimistic about getting one of the positions with the new company or staying at Purity, since he'd been the last employee hired and had no seniority. I tried to assure him that everything would work out, that he would have a job, but I was having a hard time believing it myself.

That night Chad's boss, Brandon, called him at home. He was going to be a manager at the new company and wanted Chad to come work with him. "If you come for the interview, we'll get you in," Brandon promised. Chad felt a lot better about the situation and so did I.

So a couple of weeks later, Chad has a position with the new company. But the best part, my favorite part, is that his hours will be 7am-4pm. What started out as a stressful, unsettling situation, became a blessing.

I guess this means I will have to share the remote again.

You Don't Bring Me Flowers (instead you have them delivered)

Today was one of those days where I thought about quitting my job and maybe joining the circus, or becoming a waitress, or some other mindless job where words like "mockup," "pre-sort" and "editorial calendar" would never have to be uttered. There are times when I am sure that I would be quite content having conversations at work that mainly consisted of, "Did yall save room for dessert?"

And then at three o'clock, in between client calls and emails with my printer, the most beautiful vase of flowers was delivered to my office. Surprised, I opened the card to discover that Chad had sent me flowers "just because"-which is one of my most favorite things in the whole world, ranking right up there with a good run, hot bubble baths and puppies.

Chad had no idea how much I really needed those flowers today. He had no clue the immediate lift they gave me. And that is Reason #4,637 that I am The Luckiest Woman in the World.

24 Hour Rollercoaster

I can't really relay the details of my emotional rollercoaster ride yet, but the bottom line is this: When a situation seems hopeless and frustrating, God is still in control. I called my mom crying about the situation (seems I've been doing that a lot this past week...geez).
"Why did God let this happen?," I wailed. "It seems like we take one step forward and two steps back. It's just not fair!" "If God cares for sparrows, how much more does he care for you?" Mom responded. "Don't put God in a box. He has a plan and a purpose that we can't always understand. But trust that He didn't allow this to happen without having something else in store for you and Chad."
And darn it if Mom wasn't right. This evening we got a call that will allow us to sleep a lot better this weekend. And this new opportunity is even better situation than the one we've been in.
God is God and I am not. Profound, I know. For some reason, such a simple concept is hard for me to grasp and accept. I allow myself to be overcome with doubt and uncertainty and want to solve everything on my own, when the truth is, God can handle things just fine without my two cents.
I apologize for being so cryptic at this point. I promise to explain better once things are settled.

Ain't Nothin Like the Real Thing

Feeling a little homesick this week, I decided to bake my mom's amazing pound cake. I thought the combination of butter, sugar and vanilla would comfort me. I mixed all of the ingredients and poured them in the cake pan. Putting the cake in the oven, I turned on the oven light so I could watch my confectionary masterpiece rise as it baked. About an hour into baking, I noticed the pound cake looked, well, pounded. It wasn't rising up all golden brown and fluffy. I waited another 25 min. for the cake to finish baking to confirm the heartbreaking truth: my pound cake was a total disaster.

Disappointed and hungry, I called my mom to figure out what I'd done wrong. I tearfully rehashed my steps on the phone, how I'd beaten the eggs in one at a time, sifted the flour, and used Splenda to even make the pound cake somewhat healthy. "That's the problem right there," Mom stopped me. "You can't use Splenda, you gotta use the real thing-real sugar. It may give it more calories, but it's worth it."

How many times in our own lives do we try to substitute things for God? We put other priorities-family, money or our jobs, above Him, only to fall flat-like my poor pound cake. There's no substitute for the real thing-Jesus Christ and a relationship with Him. It may take effort on our part, but it's worth it.