113 Pages

Yep, I just added them up.  I wrote a total of 113 pages for my classes this semester, and that is NOT including bibliographies.  Now I realize that for any of you PhD people out there, this may seem like small potatoes, but let me just assure you that for me, it is not.  Those are 113 very large potatoes.

I share this information with you, honestly, to elicit a little sympathy.  Earlier in the week I was at 90-something, and when I told this to my mother her response was, “That’s it?  You are ALWAYS writing.  I thought you would have written 2000 pages.”  2000 pages!  My Bible is not even 2000 pages.  Obviously that was NOT the response I was looking for.

So I just submitted the last fifteen and a half of those 113 pages, and with that begins Christmas break.  I’m actually leaving for Oklahoma here in a little over five hours, so I should probably get to packing and then sleeping, perhaps.  Oh, my poor little neglected blog, how I’ve missed you.  I promise to do better by you.  I have lots to say. 

Goodnight friends!

This Run’s for Jack

Okay, Tracy, this update’s for you. 

So I have been blog-absent the past couple months, and for good reason.  You know you are crazy busy when you feel guilty sleeping/working out/taking showers/putting on makeup because by doing so you’re neglecting homework.  However just today I turned in the last of my three 3000 word papers to complete (along with 1000+ pages reading and 10 hours of Hebrew translation … yeah, came up a little short on those) my TWO HOUR A-quad class.  Yes, two hours.  Two hours of just as much work if not more than any four hour class I’ve taken in my program thus far.  But that is not what this blog’s about, so we’ll desist with the axe grinding.

Actually, as much as I felt overwhelmed with the workload in that class, I’d have to say it’s one of the best I’ve ever taken.  Probably the closest to my hermeneutics class in undergrad, it’s given me a lot to think about.  And write about.  So hopefully that will come soon.

But on to this blog.  This blog’s for Jack.  So for the past year I’ve worked part time as a test prep tutor, helping high school students improve their ACT and SAT scores.  This summer I was assigned to a wonderful family that I immediately clicked with over a mutual love for running.  It turned out that Sharon had lost her husband to Melanoma four years ago and had since started a running charity to raise money for Melanoma research and awareness.  Teams raise support and then run in marathons and half marathons all over the country, and in the fall, the charity sponsors a local 5K race called “This Run’s for Jack.”  One afternoon tutoring session, Sharon came up with a handful of old race shirts and a stack of brochures, encouraging me to run this year’s race and anyone else I could convince as well.

Over the summer I had trained for the Chicago Half Marathon in September.  Training went well, although it took up a lot of time.  However, race day was kinda sucky.  It was hot (for Chicago in September) and humid, and the course was really boring.  I’m not a fan of there-and-backs, and running one alone sans music is really not fun.  I didn’t meet my goal, although I did beat my first half marathon time from a few years back.  Anyway, I was glad to see the day come and go and was thankful for the added time in my schedule … remember the whole guilt trip for working out?    But the thought of a 5K was appealing; workout-wise, it’s good for me to have goals I’m working toward.

So I ran a couple miles here and there, just figuring the 5K would be a fun race.  I convinced my cousin to run with me, knowing that she’d push me come race day.  However, the week before I got a message on Facebook announcing the results of a 5K some friends of mine in Oklahoma did.  They did a great job, a couple of them placing in their age divisions.  And here’s where my competitive spirit raised its pretty head.    One of these people who happened to place, I happened to have dated, and suddenly I happened to want to beat him.  I told my cousin as much, so that was our goal for race day.

So fast forward to race morning.  My plan was to get up early and take a pre-race shower.  When I told my roommate this, she looked at me like I was completely ridiculous.  What is the point of showering right before you’re gonna get sweaty and gross, you might ask.  I’ll tell you the point, friends.  It’s hot water.  It’s a miracle waker-upper.  And it doesn’t hurt to look clean and put together at any gathering with potentially available physically fit males, either.    So the whole shower thing was the plan, but at 7:11 that morning I woke up to a text message from Jayme asking where I was.  The late night scary movie with the roommate the night before proved to be my undoing as evidently I had slept through my alarm.  Frantically I raced around, throwing on clothes and grabbing a piece of cinnamon raisin bread and some gatorade as I head out the door, however forgetting my super-fantastic GPS watch.

Anyway, we fortunately made it to the race site with time to spare, and Jayme was able to pick up her packet with no hassle.  And then we raced.

Glen Ellyn in the fall is incredibly beautiful.  The course meandered through neighborhoods with elegant old houses and trees with leaves of every fall color imaginable kissing in the middle of the street.  Without my watch to tell us how far we’d gone and how much time had passed, we were left guessing until we saw the clock at mile one.  I was a little worried because I thought we’d started too fast and didn’t think I’d be able to keep up that pace.  We ran up some difficult hills and made up some time on a fabulous long downhill just before rounding a lovely little lake.  We circled back to the park where the race began and strided in that last .1 of a mile.  And let me just tell you how thankful I am for my speedy little cousin, because we finished over two minutes under our goal.

And as if that wasn’t enough, it turns out that we placed!  Jayme got 3rd in the women’s 20-24 division, and I got 2nd in the women’s 25-29.  So it was a pretty good day for us; now if we can just convince our family to run in the Amarillo Turkey Trot with us on Thanksgiving Day …

Pre-Race

Post-Race

His Easter Basket’s Never Empty

It’s story time, y’all.

A few weeks ago my mom told me about a girl from our church, just a couple years older than my brother, who had recently given birth to a baby girl.  And while babies are incredible blessings and worthy of celebration no matter what, one can’t help but anticipate the obstacles facing this young single mom.  Remembering this brand new mommy as a little girl, my mom wanted to send her a letter, or rather send her baby a letter, in hopes that she would someday know just how special her mother is.  So rather than me retelling the story, I asked my mom if I could share her letter here:

Dear Kennedy,

I must tell you this story about your mother.  It is a memory I have treasured in my heart for many years.  Sixteen years ago I had a little boy named Daniel.  We were so excited when your Great Grandpa Dalton Stewart chose Daniel to play Baby Jesus in the Christmas program.  He seemed like the most perfect little boy, but after a few months we found out he had cerebral palsy.  He had a hard time walking, so he used a little walker to help him get around.

Even as a little boy he wanted to do what all the other kids were doing.  So when I read about the Broadview Baptist Church Easter Egg Hunt, I knew we would give it a try.  This was Daniel’s first egg hunt, so I carefully explained what would happen when we got to the playground at church.  He was ready and so excited about finding the hidden eggs.

The Easter Egg Hunt didn’t last long.  There were probably about 20 little children racing around the playground filling their baskets with all the eggs they could find.  Everyone was having a great time.  Did I say everyone?  Well, not everyone.  I was kind of sad watching Daniel.  By the time he spotted an egg, someone else would claim it, so his Easter basket remained empty.  It didn’t seem to bother him, though.  He kept trying.  I knew then what a special little guy he was.  He didn’t give up.  By the end of the hunt, Daniel had not found one single egg.

Now we get to the good part about your precious mother.  She, being the sweet, giving angel that she is, noticed the little boy who had trouble walking.  She saw that his Easter basket was empty.  This touched her precious heart, and do you know what she did?  She gave Daniel all the Easter eggs in her basket.

I will always remember the huge smile on Daniel’s face as he accepted your mom’s gift.  Daniel is 16 now and through the years people have shown him many acts of kindness.  It was this Easter egg gift that will mean the most.  Daniel has not had to go through life with an empty Easter basket, because of people like your sweet mother.  We will always remember her and thank God for the way she blessed our family.

We ask God to richly bless you and your precious mom.

Lynn Reed

It’s true; there are several stories of those who have reached out in kindness to my brother throughout the years.  I think this one is my favorite.  And I’m thankful it gets to live on another generation.

Where are all the snow cone stands?

I moved to Illinois toward the end of last summer, evidently too late to realize its total lack of what, to me, is quintessentially summer.  However, as the weather grew warmer this year (relatively speaking, that is) I began to notice a strange absence of the little booths gracing almost every street corner in Texas and Oklahoma.  Where were all the snow cone stands?  I thought surely I just wasn’t looking hard enough and if I was just more alert in my day to day commutes I would certainly stumble upon one.  Nope.  Nowhere.  Not a single stand was to be found.  I lamented this fact one night at small group, whiningly asking the same question, “Where are all the snow cone stands in Illinois???”  J.C., ever helpful with the advice, piped up to tell me that there was one at Oak Brook mall.  Not exactly around the corner, but I filed that tidbit away for a hot and humid Illinois day.

Well last week that day came, and coupled with the need for a Clinique run, I head out in search of whichever store was having “bonus week.”  Lord & Taylor it was, so with face-wash (and cute tote-bag) in tow, I set out for my highly anticipated snow cone … the first of the year.

Let’s just say I should have waited for Texas.  I paid $3 for the most pathetic excuse for a snow cone I have ever tasted.  I could have rustled up a better one myself with a block of ice, a knife and some grape kool-aid.  There are plenty of reasons that I absolutely love living in the Chicago area, but when it comes to snow cones, Chicagoland has a lot to learn from the south.

So here is my perhaps not-so-humble attempt to explain to my northern friends the supremacy of the southern snow cone … you don’t know what you’ve been missing.

1. An excellent snow cone needs excellent ice.  Not just any ice-shaving machine will do.  If it’s something you’re supposed to turn with your arm, it’s no good.  You need a machine that will produce something the consistency of actual snow, and usually this requires a motor.  Only then will you get the most even distribution of syrup throughout the cone, which brings me to #2.

2. An excellent snow cone needs excellent syrup.  Now this one can be a gamble, no matter where you are.  A good indicator of superior syrup is the number of options available.  Oddly enough, it seems that the more flavors offered, the better the syrup quality.  And don’t be put off by strange flavor names, either.  If you find yourself at a stand advertising “Pretty, Pretty Princess” or “Ninja Turtle,” you know you’re in the presence of true snow cone creativity.

In addition to these, I would add the necessity of a styrofoam cup (I know, I know … I’m a bad environmentalist) and a spoon straw.  A good top is a must; this can be accomplished using anything from a funnel to the end of a ladle.  Some stands in Oklahoma put in gummie bears which can be a delightful addition.  Really, it’s not that hard, guys.  And there’s a wide open market up north. 

(me & my brother at our favorite Abilene snow cone stand)

Looking forward to …

I LOVE having something to look forward to.  In fact, I often find that I enjoy the looking forward more than the actual event.  Strange, huh?  I think I get a little depressed when there aren’t fun things on the horizon.  The next six weeks or so are going to be pretty tough, school-wise.  However, I am comforted that interspersed throughout and beyond there are several things to be excited about.  So starting with today, I am looking forward to:

• A coffee shop concert tonight w/ Angie
• No work this week (lots of time for homework)
• Finishing up w/ my current ACT student next week.  (It hasn’t been a bad experience; I seriously can just use ANY extra time for school.)
• My DC road trip w/ Jayme.  We are both visiting high school friends.  Granted, high school was two years ago for her, so it’s not quite the reunion it will be for me and Tracy.
• Easter
• The sold out Death Cab show
• Sitting 2nd row at Neko Case
• My Hebrews Exegesis paper presentation.  This was supposed to come just before the Neko Case concert, but got pushed back one day.  So I’m sure I’ll be stressing the whole concert rather than enjoying the relief having finished something significant.  Regardless, I really am looking forward to writing and presenting my paper.  It’s over Hebrews 12:1-2, which is one of my very favorite passages.  I’m sure I would love it even more if I felt like I could give it the time it deserves.
• My paper presentation being over!
• The Franz Ferdinand show the week before finals … yeah, you can see where my priorities are!
• Finals being over! (Notice I am NOT looking forward to finals.)
• The Iron & Wine sold out show at Schubas
• A Stacey weekend including Ben Harper!  She’s been promising for awhile now, and signs are looking good for a Chicago visit.  Oooh … and Bahama Breeze!  They closed down the OKC restaurant before I got a chance to go, but supposedly there’s one up here.  I’ve been waiting on her to go since August!
• Having only one class this summer.  I am really looking forward to not having to pick which classes get my attention and which go back burner.  I’ll be in the last of my Hebrew pre-reqs, and let me tell you, it’s a good thing.  Unfortunately, as much it’s needed not to be so, Hebrew has suffered the back burner shame this semester, and honestly, it needs a little love.
• Having an actual summer.  From June 13th to August 25th, I am free, Free, FREE!  Granted, I will need to make as much money as possible in this time span so as to hopefully not work as much during the school year, but it will be a nice break from the tyranny of assigned reading, papers, and tests.
• The births of various children.  I am not an aunt, and my brother is 15, so I don’t anticipate becoming one anytime soon.  I do, however, have a few friends that are expecting babies #1, #2 and #3 ranging from any day now to mid-August.  I can’t wait to welcome Mystery Baby Kelley, Lily Grace Lucas, and Baby Boy Davidson into the world!
• A summer trip to Texas.  I haven’t been home since early January, so I am excited to visit family and friends and perhaps see a couple of those babies.
• U2 in September!  Yay for my friend Kristine getting in on the pre-sale.  Row G on the field … that has to be close, right?

Hmm … notice a theme, anyone?  You can’t blame me; I haven’t been to a concert since January, so I’m perhaps a little overexcited.  Not a lot of time for blogging these days, but this was a much needed break.  Hope all is well with all!

25 Things

I am cracking up at how this has taken over Facebook these days!  By now you all know what to do … tag me back if you do it!

1. I was once held at gunpoint while the gunman tried to steal my car.  He couldn’t get it to start, however, so he stole my friend’s car instead.
2. I was an only child for eleven years.  I used to refer to myself as a “lonely child.”  Even though technically I am now the eldest, I still maintain my only child personality in many respects.  As does my younger brother, despite technically being the youngest.
3. I don’t have a sister, but my cousin Jayme might as well be … we grew up fighting like sisters.  These days I never get tired of having her around.  I love her SO much, and I am so thankful that as of this year we get to live in the same town!
4. My best friend growing up was also named Sarah.  And we have the same middle name.  And it’s spelled in a semi-unusual way … Kaye.  And we’re both named after our aunts.  On our moms’ side.
5. When I was in middle school I had a fanatical crush on John Travolta.  I was obsessed.  I would record episodes of Welcome Back Kotter on Nick at Nite.  I still have my Saturday Night Fever t-shirt.
6. I am not a fan of root beer, but I absolutely love root beer Dum Dums.
7. If I had a bucket list, I would be able to cross off “Run a marathon” and “Jump out of a plane.”
8. I am a multiple sneezer.  I hardly ever sneeze less than five times in a row, and I believe my record is twelve.
9. My hair is an ever evolving entity.  My mom never let me color it growing up, so that has become my benign method of rebellion.  Over the past four years or so I’ve gone blonde to dark, dark brown and everywhere in between.  I also like to grow it out long and then cut it super short.  Drastic changes usually coincide with major life changes, i.e. breakups, graduations, etc.
10. I don’t consider myself to be especially feminine, although I am somewhat girly about certain things.  Like nail polish.  I love it.  I usually paint my nails once a week, and I have a huge tote with almost any shade of red and pink imaginable.  (I’m not usually a crazy color girl, although I do have teal!)  I also really like makeup.  I have amassed quite the collection of Clinique Bonus samples.
11. It is my goal to see every movie that ever won the Academy Award for Best Picture.  Out of 80, I’ve seen 48 … and a half.  I still haven’t made it all the way through Lawrence of Arabia. 
12. I have a couple prerequisites for my future last name.  1) I would like to move up in the alphabet.  2) I would like a name more unusual than Reed.  I would also like to still have double letters, but that may be getting too picky.
13. If I could choose for myself any giftedness, it would be to sing uniquely and well, to play an instrument with true talent, and to write music and lyrics with life changing potential.   Really, any of the three would be nice.  I suppose I’ll just have to settle for being an appreciator.
14. My three favorite instruments in no particular order are the harmonica, the mandolin, and the cello.  My cousin’s is the triangle.  I got her one for her birthday.
15. I am convinced that music is an incredible didactic tool.  As much as effort as I put into memorizing scripture, it somehow falls out of my head after awhile.  Scripture in song, however, is there forever.  How fitting that the Psalms were meant to be sung!  I always try to incorporate music into my teaching, and I plan to do it as a professor someday as well.  You know, I can’t name a single character from The Scarlet Letter, but thanks to my senior English teacher Mrs. Whitaker, I sure as heck know that Heathcliff and Cathy are the stars of Wuthering Heights.  For four plus minutes of ever increasing hilarity: 
16. I’m really good at “Don’t Forget the Lyrics.”  If it weren’t for my fear of singing in front of people, I would totally try out.  I would have won $200,000 if I had been on the show one of the nights I watched.
17. I did win a computer for college at Project Graduation.
18. My first car did not have reverse.  I had to get really creative with parking.
19. I am conflicted about having children.  Sometimes I want four – two boys and two girls – so that everyone can have a sister AND a brother.  Other times I think, “I hope I’ll love my OWN children.”  However, when my friend Stacey had her first child Molly, that fear was pretty much alleviated.  I love that kid so much!
20. If I could perfectly emulate anyone’s style & wit it would have to be Lorelai Gilmore’s.
21. I am a firm believer in the power of words.  Life and death, friends, life and death.  To this day I can remember very vividly words people have spoken to/about me, both for the good and the bad.
22. I really like to be right.  Sadly sometimes I prefer being right over being liked.
23. The first rated R movie I ever saw was Stand by Me.  My family was watching it and allowed me to stay with them in the living room if I covered my eyes during the throw up scene.  I peeked.
24. I thoroughly enjoy reading things aloud to others.  If you and I are at Blockbuster, you can be pretty sure I’ll try to read you the back cover of at least one movie.  One summer at volleyball camp, my friend Tracy was reading a John Grisham book that I had already read.  She had about fifty pages left, and I convinced her to let me read them to her so I could see her reaction to the twist at the end.
25. I love, love, love being on the roof.  I wanted to have my 13th birthday on the roof of the Grace Museum, but it was too expensive.  When I was a dorm director my building had a flat roof, and when the weather was nice I would go up there during the day to lay out (I lugged a lawn chair up there all by myself) and at night to pray.  I took my staff up there a couple times (shh … don’t tell) and got caught by the UCO police once when I took my cousins and aunt up there.  To commemorate my last week as a hall director, a friend of mine and I spent the night up there.  It was SO uncomfortable (read: sleeping on rocks, literally), but totally worth it.

2008: Another Illustrated Year in Review

Last year I started a new tradition.  Rather than sending out a Christmas card letter, I wrote a Christmas card letter blog … 2007: An Illustrated Year in Review.  It was a great way to reflect on the past year (good times and bad) and share my experiences with others, not to mention giving myself something to look back on and remember 2007.  So as 2008 has come and gone, I am attempting to answer Jonathan Larson’s melodic question, “How do you measure, measure a year?”

IN JOBS

2008 was my last year in residence life after three years as an RA and four as a Hall Director.  After deciding (finally) to go back to school in the fall, I closed down West Hall for the last time in May.  I have so many great memories from my years at UCO, and it was certainly hard to leave.  I especially miss all my RAs (my favorite part of the job was leading the staff) and fellow HDs.  Soon after moving to Wheaton, I began working at Bath & Bodyworks and then in the fall picked up a job watching a couple boys after school three days a week.  About midway through the semester I also started tutoring a girl for the ACT.  I didn’t necessarily plan to work that much, and it was definitely a hard balancing act with the demands of graduate school.  I hope to cut back or at least balance a little better this spring.

IN MILES

Hmm, I guess this applies in more ways than one!  If I hadn’t completely uprooted and driven over a thousand miles across the country to begin school this fall, I would certainly count running a marathon as the year’s highlight.  Back last fall my good friend Jamie volunteered to train and one my first marathon with me in April.  We logged many a mile over our five months of training, becoming quite1450 familiar with almost every street in Edmond and on a few long runs, Oklahoma City as well.  We had a good race and met my initial goal of breaking five hours with a time of 4:43:34.  I was a little disappointed that I didn’t beat Oprah, but there’s always next time … the Chicago marathon is calling my name!

IN GOODBYES

After graduating from OBU in 2004, I immediately moved to Edmond to start my job at UCO.  For four fun years I lived there, and deciding to move away brought a lot of sad goodbyes.  I had the best friends!  A few weeks before I left, my friend Melissa arranged a “slumber party card night” for a few of us that usually got together on Sunday nights.  When I got to her house, it turned out that it was actually a surprise Chicago themed going away party!  Sydnie (one of my very best friends who moved away at the beginning of the year) drove in from Tulsa, and a couple other friends were in from out of town as well.  We played cards (of course) and ate Old Chicago pizza while listening to Chicago (the band) and then watched Chicago (the movie).  The highlight of the night was when the doorbell rang and Candace and Melissa were nowhere to be found.  Everyone looked at me as if it was my responsibility to answer the door.  When I opened it, Candace and Melissa were standing beside a brand new bike with a bow on it!  My sweet friends had all gone in together to replace my bike that was stolen earlier in the summer.  Yeah, did I mention I have the best friends?  The young adult pastor at my church also threw a going away swim party, and I was incredibly blessed by the prayers and encouragement from my brothers and sisters I had so grown to love over the past few years (not to mention being blessed by the amazing bible software I got as a going away gift).  Several of these same friends also showed up to carry boxes and furniture down a pretty narrow stairwell come moving day.  I tried to cram in as much quality time as possible my last night there: dinner with Stacey, prayer time with Conversation Cafe friends, a Wal-Mart run with Rodney, one last game of cards with Melissa, Candace, AnaLeah, and Michelle, and then a goodbye to Todd, Jeanna and Caed (in utero).  I think I cried at each goodbye.

IN FAMILY

I love my family so much, so I’m pretty excited for any occasion that brings us together.  I can count on Thanksgiving and Christmas, but this year my cousin Ericka graduated from high school thus bringing us all together again.  I couldn’t wait to see my uncle Jay and give him the Tim Duncan jersey I got for $3 at a garage sale with Sydnie!  He wore it the next Spurs playoff game which unfortunately they lost.  This year also marked another momentous family occasion … Jayme & I getting to live in the same town!  Man, I love that girl; she’s the closest thing I have to a sister and I get to see her all the time now as we’re both at Wheaton.    My sweet, sweet parents and brother helped me get up there, and on the way we stopped in at my great aunt and uncle’s home in Iowa.  Of course we had to watch Field of Dreams.  The last time I’d visited there was about twenty years ago, so it was so interesting to see my grandfather’s home with grown up eyes.

IN CLASSES

The biggest change in my life over the past year was definitely my return to the classroom.  After tossing around the thought for several years, I finally decided on Wheaton and began their Biblical Exegesis program this fall.  This past semester I took Intermediate Greek, New Testament Theology, and Principles of Interpretation (the level of difficulty increasing respectively).  Principles was certainly baptism by fire.  I made it through my twelve page exegesis paper somewhat unscathed, however, and funfetti cupcakes have become my new celebratory indulgence.

IN VISITS

One of the best things about living in such close proximity to Chicago is people’s willingness to come and visit!  A couple weeks after I moved to Wheaton, a couple HHBC friends stopped in for a couple days on their way back to Oklahoma from Michigan.  I had such a blast with Rachel and Jenny and got my first chance to play tour guide … walking tour guide that is.  I bet we walked fifteen miles in one day.  In October my sweet friend and marathon partner Jamie came for a visit.  I gave her a jogging tour of Wheaton in addition to the soon to be trademarked “Sarah’s Walking Tour o’ Chicago.”  We entered our name into a drawing to win vouchers for discounted front row tickets to Wicked, and we won!  My aunt Kaye came up a few weeks later to bring my cousin her car, so the three of us put in the Chicago miles as well.  My last visit of the semester was from three of the card girls.  I was so happy to have AnaLeah, Michelle and Kelsey with me on their fall break.  They came to my NT Theo class Thursday night and then we spent the rest of the weekend in the city.  I won Wicked vouchers AGAIN, so Michelle got to sit front row on her birthday after having a hilarious birthday lunch at Ed Debevic’s.  We shopped the Mag Mile and did other touristy stuff having an incredible time.  Anyone else wanna come visit?  I’ve got the tour guide thing down.

IN FRIENDSHIPS

One of the hardest things about moving was leaving behind some incredible friendships.  From the card girls, to church friends, to the House Church/Coversation Cafe crowd, to coworkers, to Stacey (who defies any category), I was incredibly blessed in Oklahoma, and I knew those friendships couldn’t be replaced wherever I went.  Thankfully, there are great people in Illinois too!  I found a church I really loved relatively quickly after moving, and Susan and Marshall have been incredibly generous to host a 20-somethings small group in their home each week.  I became quick friends with Sharon, Jill and Kristi.  I also made a good friend my first week here after attending a random discussion group.  Kristine has since become my faithful concert buddy.  I’ve been nothing but impressed with my classmates and was thankful to have my co-exegesis friends Angie and Ashley each in one of my classes.  Emily’s a great roommate, and I couldn’t be more excited to have Jayme living just over a mile away.  She makes the family and the friendship category. 

IN CONCERTS

Yes, no end of year summation would be complete without a concert tribute.  I’ve already written about most of these, so we’ll just go with this year’s list:

• Derek Webb – University Baptist Church, Shawnee, OK
• Caedmon’s Call – The Door, Dallas
• Jenny Lewis – Epiphany, Chicago
• Rachel Unthank & The Winterset – Schuba’s, Chicago
• Don Chaffer – The Union, Naperville, IL
• Ray LaMontagne – Chicago Theatre, Chicago
• Andrew Peterson – Hickory Creek Community Church, Frankfort, IL
• Conor Oberst – The Vic, Chicago
• Over the Rhine – The Union, Naperville, IL
• Shawn McDonald – Willow Creek, South Barrington, IL
• Over the Rhine – Double Door, Chicago

Now that I have access to a plethora of great shows, I have reason to add a new list to this category … Shows I Wish I’d Been Able to See:

• Sam Phillips: No excuse!  I should have gone.  Looking back, I would have even taken a loss on a second ticket just to be there.
• Andrew Peterson’s Behold the Lamb of God tour: Who cares that it was nearly two hours away on a school night?  I’ve been wanting to see this Christmas show for years, and it was finally going to be within a feasible driving distance.  A plague upon the paper that kept me at home!
• Derek Webb:  Only one thing could keep me from a solo acoustic Derek Webb show, and that would be the afore-cursed paper.  Yeah, I couldn’t really justify going the day before it was due.  I had hoped; it just didn’t happen.
• Bon Iver: A friend introduced me to this beautiful band earlier in the semester, and I was so excited to see he was playing The Vic in December.  Then I noticed the date was the same as one of my finals.  Seriously, Wheaton, you are completely interfering with my true purpose in living here!

IN MISCELLANEOUS

These are my honorable mentions, I suppose.  I certainly don’t want to forget:

• Volleyball nights at HHBC & Parkview
• My “Tribute to the Twenties” Finer Things Club invitation … No paper.  No plastic.  No talking about work.
• Henderson’s 20 Something Date Auction & subsequent date … Jamie and I raised over $400 auctioning ourselves off for missions, and we got to see Derek Webb. 
• Thursday night LOST parties with Todd & Jeanna
• My last West Hall Academy Awards Gala
• My last Strangers in the Night … my girls got me a date this year!
• Three weddings in two weeks … Kelsey, Anna and then Dave & Teresa
• Last weekend in OK road trip to Dallas … Jamie and I visited Kelly and got to see Shane Claiborne on the Jesus for President book tour.

Well, that about sums it up.  Until next year, friends …

My Belated Thanksgiving Post

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.  It hasn’t always been so; growing up I was a big fan of Christmas, mostly because of the presents.   However, after I moved away to college, the under-appreciated and overlooked November holiday began nudge its way into my number one spot.  Time with family was suddenly a precious commodity, and Thanksgiving provided the perfect no-pressure (unlike Christmas) excuse for togetherness.  And while we never failed to offer a prayer of thanksgiving before our meal, I think that for many years the meaning of the holiday in some ways eluded us.  A few years ago we started doing the whole “thankfulness circle” thing.  We later added an additional component to the tradition in an effort to infuse humor into what inevitably evolved into a huge cry-fest.  Everyone now shares something serious AND silly that they’re thankful for.  Laughing through the tears makes things a little less awkward.

While I love the quality time with my family (not to mention the food), my favorite thing about Thanksgiving is its reminder to me to be thankful.  Thanking is not an intransitive verb; it requires an object to whom thanks is given.  I need to be reminded to give thanks to the Lord, and for that reason I’m thankful for Thanksgiving.

Over the past couple years, I think I’ve learned a little about this.  I’ve tried to put 1 Thessalonians 5:18 into practice which says to “give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”  It’s not just when things are going good.  IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES.  Hard.  I certainly have not experienced much suffering in my life, but in what little hardship I have faced (one instance in particular), I found thanksgiving to be transformational.

Anyway, this Thanksgiving was a little different because my grandmother was in the hospital.  It seemed like a lot of things went wrong, but in retrospect I had a lot to be thankful for.  So here is this year’s offering of Thanksgiving thanksgivings … serious AND silly.

• My sweet friend Sharon who got up at 5:00 in the morning to give me a ride to the airport.
• Having a great travel buddy.
• The ability to wear flip flops every day!
• Chick-fil-a.
• My uncle’s truck.  Because my grandmother was in the hospital, our Thanksgiving location changed.  After flying into Amarillo, I had to drive five hours to San Angelo.  I haven’t driven a long way by myself in several months, and I enjoyed the alone time to pray and listen to some albums all the way through.
• JJ Heller and Jill Phillips.  These girls kept me company on my trip.    Seriously, it’s like Jill reads my mind and then expresses my thoughts more beautifully than I ever could … “I can’t explain how weak my conviction is.  How I can make up my mind, but it won’t make a difference.  It’s like I am allergic to solutions that will make any sense.  Just a moth around the fire.  But you’re reaching out your arms of forgiveness.  It’s your usual response, I’m afraid.  After all the things I’ve done you love me anyway.”
• Wide open spaces (cue Dixie Chicks ).  I love my current residence, I really do.  This is the first year I feel like I’ve ever really experienced FALL.  However, there are moments driving across Texas that almost make me cry.    I always break out the Caedmon’s  … “Out on these Texas plains, you can see for a million miles …”
• Unexpected plane ticket assistance from the parents.
• My brother’s excitement about playing the violin, not to mention his noticeable improvement.
• Decent cafeteria food on Thanksgiving day … that’s right, we ate in the hospital cafeteria.  Hey, we didn’t have to prepare OR clean up, though.  And it really was pretty good.
• Getting to meet my cousin’s girlfriend and beating him and my uncle in Rook as her partner!
• The smell of West Texas rain.
• SLIDES!  Hilarity, I tell you, hilarity.  I think my favorite was the picture of my mom in her custom made orchid satin dress with matching chiffon sleeves.  Oh my.
• Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper from Sonic.
• The first Twilight book … read it in two and a half days.
• Jack and Kaye.  I am so thankful that my mom has siblings and that they support one another in taking care of my grandmother.
• Papa John’s stew w/ Texas cornbread (yes, the package specified that it was in fact TEXAS cornbread).
• The sweet nurses in the ICU.
• That Grandmommy made it out of the ICU before I left San Angelo (and is currently doing really well).
• Caring neighbors.  So many people called and stopped by to express their concern for my grandmother.  I met one of her neighbors while out walking, and she was quick to tell me that she and her husband were praying for my grandmother.  They’d never met, but the word was out in this little retirement community.
• Getting to see the ever increasing Lucas family on my way back to Amarillo.  When I asked Molly what she wanted to name her new baby sister or brother, she told me matter of fact,  “Pablo-Uniqua-Piper Lucas.”  I don’t know, something about the Backyardigans and John Piper, I’m told.
• Stacey taking care of me when I got sick at her house.
• Kaye picking me up in Lubbock so I didn’t have to drive back to Amarillo by myself when I was sick.
• My aunt’s huge bathtub.  I almost didn’t get out.  I did, however, finish several chapters of Twilight.
• Watching Dan in Real Life for the umpteenth time with Carlee and Jayme.  “You are a murderer of love!”
• Safe travel all around.  Our flight was delayed coming back, and after landing we spent about an hour just sitting in the plane, but we made it home eventually.  And pretty snow welcomed us back!

I may not have bested Oprah, but I beat the pants off Katie Holmes!

Well, my Facebook countdown has come to an end, and with it the culmination of nearly five months of training. And since my body is currently good for pretty much nothing else, I figure I’ll type up some of yesterday’s highlights.

Rain, Rain, Go Away
I woke up yesterday morning (at 3:50 AM) to cool weather, which is optimal for a marathon. Rain, however, not so much. According to the news, rain was supposed to pass through the metro but be gone by 4:00 AM. Well, nature was a little late, because it started raining at 5:15. I wouldn’t so much have minded running in the rain as much as waiting in it. We stayed in the car as long as possible to avoid a soggy start, barely leaving in enough time for a porta-potty visit before the gun went off. We had to sneak in through a barrier (following some cute boys) to take our starting point. Thankfully it didn’t rain that long or hard, and honestly I’d take cool, wet weather over heat any day.

The Mickey Mantle Bridge
As I was running yesterday, I had to keep reminding myself to take everything in. It’s so easy to get caught up in yourself or just stare at the person in front of you that you forget that you’re running by some of OKC’s most interesting and beautiful landmarks. One of my favorite visuals from yesterday was the run over the bridge on Mickey Mantle Drive. We were just a mile in, on our way through Bricktown, when a left turn put us face to face with our first huge hill. More than a sense of dread, however, I was overwhelmed with a sense of community as I saw the hundreds of runners all crowded in together, bouncing up and down as they scaled the daunting hill. It looked like every picture of a marathon I’ve ever seen, runners of all shapes and sizes, dressed in all colors, all working toward the same goal.

Mile Six Surprise
My parents and brother were in Baltimore this weekend at an awards banquet for my brother, so my aunt, uncle, and cousin decided to come and cheer me on. They drove in from Amarillo that morning (left at 1:00 AM) and got there just before the race began. However, we didn’t get to see each other before the start, and I was worried I wouldn’t see them until it was all over. However, right before the first relay exchange, I heard someone call out my name and saw my uncle wearing a bright orange Wheaton Thunder sweatshirt! Then I saw Carlee a little bit ahead dutifully documenting the day with her camera. Then I heard Kaye’s voice cheering from across the street and looked over to see a sign saying, “Run, Sarah, Run!” I can’t describe how much it means to have people you love come encourage you during a marathon. My sweet family was a huge blessing.

Under Construction
One of the best things about the marathon is the aid stations. Unlike on long run training days, you don’t have to worry about where to put your water/Powerade/pretzels/bananas; they’re right there for you about every couple of miles. Jamie and I made a point to at least drink a sip or two of water or Powerade at every stop. I was most looking forward to mile eight, because my friend Melissa was volunteering there at the Chesapeake aid station. Their theme was “Under Construction” (since Chesapeake is just that), and sure enough, there was Melissa in her cute little hard hat cheering me on as she handed me my Powerade.

When the Going Gets Tough …
If I could use one word to sum up running, that word would indeed be “fickle.” Some days are good, some are bad, and it’s difficult to predict what kind of day you’re going to have. Now while I wouldn’t say that yesterday was a bad running day, I will say that it got hard a lot earlier than expected. On our long run training days, I noticed the difficulty dramatically increase right at the point just past where we had not yet trained. I figured the last six miles would be particularly difficult since the longest we had run in our training was twenty. Imagine my surprise when I felt a sharp change in difficulty not at mile 20, but at mile 9. That’s when I noticed the blisters. I think my toes got a little wet as I accidentally hit some puddles early on, so by mile 9 my legs were fine, but my toes were screaming. I can’t say that I exactly forgot about the pain as much as I learned to deal with it. It was just a little disappointing; nothing like that had happened on any of our previous long runs.

Celebrating the Half … with a Hill
After the long flat stretch on Britton, Jamie and I were greeted by a honking Daniel just as we reached the halfway point. Just under a balloon arch hung a huge banner that said, “ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY, HALF WAY THERE!” It was a great encouragement, that is until we saw the huge hill just a few yards behind it. But up and over we went, and just beyond the hill was Lake Hefner. Now while Lake Hefner is beautiful, it is also synonymous with wind. Add to that the fact that we had to run north into it while watching everyone in front of us run south with the wind at their back, because they’d already passed the turn around point. That had to be the one of the most disheartening moments! But then we hit that far north point too and soon had the wind at our backs as well.

Daniel … My Sock Hero!
While we were on the Hefner trail, all of the sudden we hear Daniel yelling at us from the fence. Much to my delight, he is right by Jamie’s car which happened to have a bag of my stuff in it. Remembering the extra pair of fresh clean socks I had packed away, I asked Daniel to retrieve my pretty polka-dotted pack so I could make the switch. He graciously obliged and took arm-stretch self portraits with Jamie while I changed. I wish I could say they made all the difference, but I’m not really sure the new socks were worth the time we wasted. However, the break was beneficial considering we soon faced more wind as we rounded the other side of the lake near Stars and Stripes Park. We were encouraged yet again, though, as we saw Rich at the relay exchange point just before mile 17.

The Twizzler from Heaven
This might be for me the highlight of the marathon. On our longer training runs, Jamie and I would refuel on bananas and pretzels in addition to drinking Gatorade. Just after mile 17, I saw a woman standing holding a tray of Twizzlers, offering them to runners passing by. Now this wasn’t an aid station, and she didn’t look very official or anything, so I’m not sure what possessed me to take it. Something about the thought of a Twizzler at that very moment however, seemed absolutely perfect. It was the weirdest thing, but the combination of taste and texture made it the best marathon snack ever. It may seem ridiculous, but other than crossing the finish line, I think that Twizzler was the best part of the marathon.

Be Strong and Courageous
In addition to looking forward to aid stations, Jamie and I also looked forward to mile markers. Awhile back I got the idea from Kristin Armstrong’s blog to read a different verse at every mile of the marathon. Jamie took the odds, and I took the evens. Of course I waited until the night before to select and write mine out, putting me to bed about an hour later than I had intended. However, I figured that my lost sleep wouldn’t compare to the encouragement and strength that was to flow out to us the next day through those words. At mile 18, I read “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9″ I always tried to read mine as loud as possible so as to encourage those around us as well. Some middle aged guys said something about how neat it was that we were doing that, and another guy showed me his LiveStrong-esque bracelet imprinted with Joshua 1:9. Of course, I littered my little notecards after I was done with each of them, but as my friend Michelle noted, God’s word does not return void! (Seriously, though, I would not have littered except for the fact that with all the cups and all it is a totally acceptable practice on marathon day!)

Mile 20: Sweet Friends and a Drive-by Honking
I’ve always heard that a marathon really starts at mile 20. Well, if that’s true, I was incredibly blessed to have a whole slew of friends start me off! I was so excited to see EB, Angela, Meagan, and Shelly at the last relay exchange. There were a ton of people gathered around at that point, and it meant so hear voices above the crowd cheering specifically for me. Plus, I was looking for someone I could hand off my jacket to. EB saved the day! Then, not even a mile later, I heard honking as we crossed over I-44, and Stacey was driving by cheering and taking pictures. It was a great start to the last 6.2.

Mocha Says Run!
Right at mile 21, there was my family again, a much needed encouragement at an increasingly difficult point in the race. There is a distinct difference in the picture Carlee took at mile 6 in comparison to the one at mile 21. The race grew tedious, especially on that long Classen stretch. Our aid station walking grew from 10-15 seconds (just enough to swallow a few sips of water/Powerade) to a minute or more as we tried to psyche ourselves up for more running. (I saw we, although I don’t think Jamie needed quite as much psyching as me.) Thankfully, Stacey came out of nowhere again, this time with a sign, and proceeded to tell me what a soldier I was. Then my family drove by honking as my aunt held their Yorkie out the window yelling, “Sarah! Mocha says run!” That got some laughs from the runners around us.

Heritage Hills … Emphasis on the “Hills”
The last portion of the race runs through Mesta Park (Stacey’s ‘hood) and Heritage Hills. Now while the houses and landscaping are incredible, the hills are killer. Plus the fact that the course has you run from 18th all the way to 13th only to have you turn around and run all the way back to 18th before you can turn south one last time. While I think almost all of our walking was solely at aid stations, I broke down and told Jamie we needed to walk a little just before mile 25. And then once we did start running again, I felt one of the blisters on my toe pop. At this point my body was used to ignoring the pain, so after a few “ow, ow, ow, ows” I was able to press through. I think Jamie was a little concerned at my outcry, but probably relieved to hear it was just my blister and not some major muscle spasm.

No Holding Back
With the end almost in sight, we agreed to no more stops. Not even for a sip of water at the last aid station. It was so hard to believe that after over four and a half hours of running, we would soon be done. We made it out of Heritage Hills and finally hit the last stretch on Broadway with the end actually in sight. However, that sight could not have seemed any farther away. Jamie went ahead and picked up the pace, and I did my best to keep up. Watching that clock count up and knowing that on the other side a t-shirt, medal, massage and hamburger were waiting was plenty of motivation to give every ounce of energy I had left. We crossed the finish line with a gun time of 4:45:03 and a chip time of 4:43:34.

The Coveted Green Shirt
A little after mile 18, I saw someone holding a sign that said “GREEN SHIRTS 8 MILES FROM HERE” and I knew exactly what it was talking about. Three years ago when I first did the marathon relay, I saw several people wearing these forest green shirts that said “FINISHER” on the back of them. I soon found out that these were only for those who ran the entire marathon, not the relay or half marathon participants. While I had no aspirations of ever running a marathon at that point, I did have a spot in my heart for those shirts. So this year, I knew what lay behind the finish line just for me! Even more than my medal, I will treasure my green shirt.

My Once a Year Fling with Carl’s Jr.
I have eaten at Carl’s Jr. exactly four times in my life. I actually find their advertising kind of offensive which doesn’t exactly scream out “appetizing.” However, once a year, I cave in and eat a post-race burger. And let me tell you, it’s good stuff. Ooh, and this year they had El-Fudge cookies, too. After I had gotten my free massage and eaten my hamburger, my family was ready for Ted’s. I honestly think half of the reason they drove all the way from Amarillo was to eat at Ted’s. So we ate, and I drank my first Dr. Pepper in over a month, and it was the perfect end to an incredible day.

So those are the highlights. You can go here for pictures. When I first began training, it was so that I could say that I ran a marathon … a one time thing with no aspirations of becoming a “marathoner.” I really don’t know if I’ll ever run another one, but just the fact that I’m even considering it with as sore as I am today leads me to believe that I probably will. I do still have Oprah’s time looming out in front of me …

2T47

The stars at night are big and bright (clap, clap, clap, clap) …

… deep in the heart of Texas!

In addition to reading to me every night as a child, my dad would often sing to me as well, and I distinctly remember requesting the “perfume” song many a night … “The sage in bloom is like perfume (clap, clap, clap, clap) deep in the heart of Texas.”

I just got back on Friday from my whirlwind tour of Texas, visiting family and friends from Amarillo to San Angelo (with Lubbock and Abilene in between). Four different stops all on or around my birthday meant four different birthday celebrations and even four different birthday cakes! My mom went a little Texas crazy in regard to presents, giving me a Texas flag blanket, Texas salt and pepper shakers, a Texas notepad, etc. I guess she figures this way I won’t forget my home once I’m over 1000 miles away. I was most amused by a little book she gave me entitled “100 Great Things About Texas.” Here’s a fun sampling:

Great Thing #34: Sticky Situation – West Texas women know not to wear lip gloss during a dust storm.

Great Thing #43: Even the Kids Don’t Mind – Everybody ought to have a chance to get their picture taken in a field of bluebonnets. (Yep, my mom has the pics to prove it.)

Great Thing #48: Abilene, Abilene – Most Texas cities have at least one country song named for them. (Oh, if you don’t know, you should! Ask me sometime, and I’ll play it for you … “Abilene, Abilene, prettiest town I’ve ever seen. The women there don’t treat you mean in Abilene.”)

Great Thing #51: See Texas First – You can go to the mountains, the beach, the forest, the lake, or the desert without ever leaving the state.

Great Thing #67: Clap, Clap, Clap, Clap – The stars at night really are big and bright.

Great Thing #78: Drive Friendly – It’s a courtesy in Texas for drivers to pull over to the shoulder to let a faster driver pass. And to acknowledge the courteous act with a wave of the hand or a tap of the brake lights. (Again, yep. On this trip alone, I was both the pass-er and pass-ee, and both gave and received the courtesy wave.)

Great Thing #92: It Rubs off on You – If you’re from Texas, you’re always from Texas. (And I have the presents to prove it.)

Jack & Jill Breakfast Dates

On Friday mornings a friend and I meet at Panera for breakfast, and one thing I particularly enjoy about our time is the atmosphere.  Tall table sitting is a must, by the window, each on our own side of the table invariably.  Crowded and busy enough to offer a sense of privacy at your own table, yet not so loud as to hinder conversation, Panera has that Baby Bear “just right” feel.  It’s obvious we’re living in the Bible Belt as Bibles grace the tables and booths of maybe half of the patrons.  There are people praying one on one, youth ministers meeting with students and sometimes larger “breakfast club” type accountability groups.  This morning I noticed a young dad eating breakfast with his daughter who was maybe around nine or ten years old, and I had an immediate flashback to the occasional breakfast dates I had with my dad as a child.

When I was in elementary school my family only had one car.  Our morning routine consisted of my dad dropping my mom and me off at our respective schools before heading to work.  At lunch, he would take my mom the car and then she took him back to work so that she could use the car to pick me up in the afternoons after work.  Before dinner my mom and I would head up to the Newspaper to pick up my dad.  I remember being sent up to his desk to let him know we were there, and sometimes in the parking lot we would race back to the car.  On certain mornings when my mom had to be at work early, my dad would take me out to breakfast before it was time for me to be at school.  We always went to Jack & Jill Doughnuts on S. 14th, just around the corner from my mom’s school.  There was quite a little community there at Jack & Jill’s.  I remember sitting at the end of the counter with my dad eating my strawberry spinkled doughnut alongside a group of old men talking and drinking their coffee before heading off to work.  Something about that time was special.  It wasn’t an every day thing … it was a treat, and I always felt special to be there just me and my dad.

Now I’m sure all of this drop off/pick up/car exchange stuff was a headache for my parents.  My dad probably would have enjoyed getting thirty extra minutes of sleep those mornings.  But there’s something to be said about family car travel time and the inconveniences that afford opportunities like Jack & Jill breakfast dates.

2007: An Illustrated Year in Review

One of my favorite Christmas traditions is the Christmas card.  I couldn’t tell you the history or anything, but for as long as I can remember my family has sent and received them.  It’s exciting to get something other than bills or advertisements in the mail, even if it is just a simple card.  Growing up I always appreciated those who would send a picture with their card, even more those who sent a letter.  Ah, the Christmas card letter.  Granted, for most people this is usually a somewhat censored version of the previous year.  You never get a letter saying, “Well, Johnny got out on parole this past April,” or “Suzy fell off the wagon once again, and we’re still waiting to learn her whereabouts.”  The Christmas letter serves to maximize the year’s triumphs while minimizing or ignoring its pitfalls.  Anyway, all that to say that instead of sending out my own Christmas letter this year, I’ve decided to blog it.  So here for your reading pleasure is my own illustrated version of the year’s events including the highs and lows … with only a little bit of censorship.  J

 

Wheaton, Part 1

I began 2007 in a scramble to get my application in for a master’s program at Wheaton College.  I had finally decided that grad school was for me, and Wheaton was at the top of my list.  The scramble was due to a grad assistantship application deadline in February with one of the requirements being acceptance into the graduate school.  So began the process of essays, transcript requests, and recommendation letters.  I soon found out I was accepted into their Biblical Exegesis program, a definite cause for celebration.  However, after a long application process including essay questions, a test, a phone interview and an all day long campus visit with several mini interviews, come April I found out I did not get the grad assistantship I was seeking.  Disheartened and disappointed, I decided to defer my acceptance into the program for a year, then not completely sure if Wheaton was the place for me.

 

Concerts

2007 was perhaps my favorite year in regard to concerts.  I finally was able to cross Ben Harper off my list (twice J) and saw Derek Webb twice as well.  In addition to my two absolute favorites, I caught shows with Jeff Tweedy, Guster, Charlie Hall, Shawn McDonald, Indigo Girls, Anberlin, Switchfoot, Rilo Kiley, and the Decemberists.  Best acts were Ben Harper at Cain’s in Tulsa with Jayme (front row), Rilo Kiley at Palladium in Dallas with Erin (second row) and Decemberists at the Vic Theatre in Chicago with Jayme (second-ish row).   

 

Running

The on again off again relationship continues.  I ran again in the Redbud Classic, its 25^th annual, and my 3^rd.  I also progressed onto the half marathon in the OKC Memorial last April after two years of relay team participation.  However, I slacked a little in my training and didn’t run the whole thing as was my initial goal.  I did run further than I ever had before, though, and finished the race with a desire to complete the full marathon the following year.  So the end of 2007 began my training for April ’08.  26(.2) miles in my 26^th year.  Yep.

Ben-friend to Boyfriend

2007 also saw the coming and going of my first “grown up” relationship.  An ambiguous friendship progressed into a defined relationship bringing with it both excitement and frustration.  I am so thankful for the experience, definitely a learning one at that.  I was honored in his pursuit of me and challenged by his character.  And while breaking up was hard initially (He broke up with me … I said I’d share the lows as well J), I wouldn’t trade that experience or change anything with the perspective I have now. 

 

Haircut

On the heels of a break up, what better way to begin moving on than a drastic haircut?  I usually have a hair cut goal I’m working toward.  You know – cutting bangs, growing out the bangs, blonde, red, etc.  For awhile I’d been admiring the Victoria Beckham shorter in the back, longer in the front cut (a reverse mullet, if you will), and the break up was just the impetus I needed to follow through.  I’ll just say that it’s my favorite hair cut I’ve ever had and that I get compliments on it all the time.  Seriously, strangers come up to me asking me who cuts my hair.  Kudos to Kendra … and my inspiration, Posh Spice.

 

Daniel’s Surgery

This summer my brother finally had a surgery his doctors have speculated about since his cerebral palsy diagnosis at six months old.  With a decrease in mobility over the past few years, they decided to go in and cut tendons in his groin and hamstrings in order to lengthen the muscles.  The expected recovery was up to eight weeks in hip to toe casts, pretty much confined to the house the remainder of his summer.  To add to the stress, my mom got really sick a few days before the surgery was scheduled and couldn’t make it there.  Thankfully my sweet aunt flew down to take over the “mom” role that neither my dad nor myself were equipped to fill, not being moms ourselves.  On the morning of his surgery I was able to share with him the verses that happened to be listed in conjunction with the devotional my church put out over the summer.  “The LORD has said to me in the strongest terms: ‘Do not think like everyone else does.  Do not be afraid that some plan conceived behind closed doors will be the end of you.  Do not fear anything except the LORD Almighty.  He alone is the Holy One.  If you fear him, you need fear nothing else.”  Isaiah 8:11-13.  What sticks out to me the most from being there for that experience was the incredible courage I saw in my brother as well as his trust in the Lord.  Before the surgery and in the months to follow, he shared how he believed God brought him through the extreme difficulty (not an exaggeration in the slightest) and has made him stronger as a result.  Indeed He has.

 

Saturdate

 

What began as a vision in my friend Stacey’s mind nearly two years ago came to fruition this summer in a conference about love, sex, relationships, and truth.  When Stacey asked me to speak at Saturdate, I felt terror and thrill completely intertwined.  I don’t consider myself a public speaker, and my topic (singleness) was personal.  I would much rather have written an article or something.  However, from the moment she asked me I knew no matter how scared I was, it was something I was supposed to do.  And do well.  In the months and weeks leading up to the event, I learned to depend upon the Lord in a way that I hadn’t ever before, and He faithfully provided what became, “Singleness, Embracing the Season.”  The process of preparation was almost as precious as the event itself.  I was so privileged to meet and chat with Shawn and Kate McDonald, our headlining performer and speaker, as I served as their chauffeur for the weekend. Everyone’s talks were incredible and in addition to Shawn, we were all blessed by Charlie Hall leading us in worship Friday night.  I met incredible new people and saw friendships strengthened as only serving together affords.  Such a short space cannot do justice to the weekend, so I’ll just stop there. 

Ministry

 

With my best “hang out” friend moving to Tulsa in September, not to mention the breakup, I had a little more time on my hands this past fall.  Really wanting to redeem the time, I looked for opportunities to serve both at church and school.  Within my FLOCK, a new teaching team began this fall with the intent that members of our group would take turns teaching our class under the mentorship of our current teacher.  Considering that’s maybe what I want to do with my life, I thought it might be a good opportunity for me to gain some experience in that area.  Who knows what people gain from it, but I certainly have learned a lot through the process.  Also, as the Campus Crusade advisor I’ve made an effort to be more active this year by going to meetings and even getting to speak at one of them.  Perhaps my favorite ministry involvement this year has been my work with Conversation Café, a ministry to international students to help them work on their English and in turn build relationships.  I’ve gotten to know one girl in particular who is now truly my friend and often joins me at church.  The volunteers for this ministry are so genuine, and I am incredibly blessed to have met and now know them. 

Wheaton, Part 2

As the fall semester began, I felt more of a sense of urgency to figure out my plans for the following year.  If Wheaton wasn’t for me, then I had better soon figure out what was.  The more I thought about it and talked it over with family, friends, and even an old professor, the more my heart settled in on Wheaton again as my number one option.  I figured the ultimate test would be another visit – half business and half pleasure.  My cousin started there as a freshman this fall, and so I planned a trip to visit her, complete with fun restaurants, sight seeing, and even a concert (actually, a couple of concerts J).  On the business side, I arranged to sit in on several classes and meet with a couple of students in the program I was considering.   I left for the trip fairly confident in my plans to begin there next fall, but I left with certainty.  Barring any unforeseen circumstances, I should be joining Jayme fall of ’08 … for Christ and His Kingdom.

So there you have it, 2007 in a nutshell … perhaps a large one at that.   Thanks for taking the time to read my Christmas card letter, friends!

The Most Privileged Binder in the World

I would consider this morning pretty productive thus far, therefore I feel the need for a blogging break.

Yesterday I called my mom to ask how school was going for her and my brother.  It was her first day with kids back in the classroom, and my brother’s first week as a big dog 8th grader.  While updating me on the latest happenings in their lives, she shared something totally worth retelling here.

See, my brother is so funny.  We’re eleven years apart, so sometimes it’s a little hard to find things in common.  However, whenever we share a common interest or experience, he tends to latch on, which is so sweet.  He loves his big sister.  For example, I introduced him to LOST, and now he’s a fanatic.  It’s all he wants to talk about with me.  That, and Franklin Middle School.  We didn’t attend the same elementary, but going into middle school, he was so excited to be at the same school his sister was over a decade earlier.  We had long conversations about my best and worst experiences (my completely unwarranted detentions for example : )) and all my old teachers.  When he started 6th grade, he was in Mrs. Embry’s English class, and he couldn’t wait to tell her he was Sarah Reed’s little brother.  She ended up being his favorite teacher that year, probably having something to do with my own declaration of her as my favorite 6th grade teacher, I’m sure. 

Much to my brother’s dismay, they closed Franklin at the end of this last school year.  He was so frustrated … why couldn’t they keep it open one more year, just for him?  He would have to begin again at a brand new school with a new principal, of whom he had already heard rumors of his harshness with students.  The worst part came this summer when the dress code letter arrived at our house.  It turned out that at his new school, students were not allowed to wear athletic shorts.  All shirts had to be tucked in.  Belts must be worn.  Kids couldn’t carry backpacks into class; if brought at all, they must be kept in lockers during class.  All these “rules” proposed some significant problems for Daniel.  He has cerebral palsy which limits his dexterity, and athletic shorts are the easiest thing for him to wear and change in and out of for athletics. (Yes, my precious brother is a cross country runner; you can read about that here.)  He hates tucking in his shirt, and honestly it looks a little odd when he does.  However, the backpack thing was going to be the biggest challenge, wherein lies the best story I’ve heard in awhile.

Before school started, my mother assured my brother that she would talk with the principle and that they would be able to make exceptions to the dress code in his case.  That did not go over well.  My brother is intent on following the rules; he never wants special attention or consideration.  While I would be up at the school myself, demanding that they make modifications for me, Daniel just wants to find away to work within the guidelines.  For example, my mom told me that they found some cotton shorts, similar to athletic ones, that work for him, but according to my mom, don’t look as good.  But he’s content.  However, without a backpack, there was no way that Daniel could carry around his binder.  He walks with crutches, so without a handle (which his binder doesn’t have) carrying it is impossible.  My mom talked with the principal who gave him permission to use a backpack, but Daniel refused.  Instead, he puts his binder in his wheelchair (which he never uses to sit or ride in) and has a friend wheel it beside him from class to class as he walks on his own.  Just the image of that wheel chair toting around a binder, while a disabled person walks beside it … I laughed harder than I have in a long time. 

When I pointed out that he was drawing more attention to himself than if he just used a backpack, my mom reminded me that for him it was about the rules.  He didn’t want a privilege other students didn’t get just because of his disability.  I will say, however, that that is one privileged binder of his.

20 Questions for 2006

A friend passed this on to me as a great way to reflect on the past year, so I thought I’d share.

What was the best CD you got? (purchased or burned)

Hmm … probably the most difficult question on here!  I have really grown to love The Flaming Lips this year, so perhaps At War with the Mystics.  Although not my favorite upon first listen, I have grown to really appreciate Jill Phillips’ Nobody’s Got It All Together as well. 

 

What was the best book you read?

For Christmas I got my dad a book called 501 Must Read Books and after flipping through it, I am completely and utterly ashamed of my lack of reading.  I want to be a reader!  I started Anna Karenina this summer, but had to turn it back into the library before I finished it.  The best book that I read from start to finish within the past year would have to be Don Miller’s Blue Like Jazz.

 

What was the best movie you saw at the theater?

I’m cheap when it comes to movies, so I hardly ever go.  I check out movies from the library or from Randy’s on Thursdays.  I’m trying to even remember movies I saw in the theater … none worth mentioning.

 

Favorite quote you heard in 2006:

I might have heard this in late 2005, but “There are two great lies that I’ve heard:  ‘The day you eat of the fruit of that tree, you will not surely die.’ And that Jesus Christ was a white middle-class Republican, and if you wanna be saved you have to learn to be like Him.”  Derek Webb, from “A King & A Kingdom”

 

Friends you made this year?

Ben, Michelle, a few more church friends, new RAs, new boss, new residents

 

Friends you lost this year?

Hmm … I can really only think of two: Katrina and Robin.  Why does everyone have to graduate and get married?  These were two of my RA girlies I’d had from the beginning, and I shed a tear or two when they left.

 

Something you learned about yourself:

Haha.  Read this.

 

Favorite summer memory:

Taking Jayme to The Fray … her first concert ever.

 

Favorite Spring memory:

Watching Jayme catch Tony Parker’s shoe at the Spurs game we were at over spring break.

 

Favorite holiday memory:

Hmm … throwing up Christmas day?  No, it would have to be the vast amount of quality time spent with my family.

 

TV show you watched the most:

It would have to be a toss up between Gilmore Girls and LOST.  I never miss an episode of GG, and I usually put on old seasons while I’m cleaning my apartment or doing laundry.  However, over the course of 2006, I watched the first two full seasons of LOST as well as the six episode opener of season 3.

 

Something you learned about God:

To quote Jill Phillips, “But You’re always right on time.”  Seriously, I have never been surer of His perfect timing than over the course of the past year. 

 

Coolest clothing item you purchased:

Well, I did buy a pair of Ralph Lauren jeans for $5 at a thrift store in Abilene over the summer.  Although I just bought this last week, (technically not 2006) I did see it this past fall and really, really wanted it: 

Best toy, electronic device, etc you got this year:

Um, no question there.  My iPod, hands down.  (Actually, I think I got it at the end of last year, but it still reigns as best toy.)

 

What news event stuck out to you most this year?

Like reading, I have a similar guilt about not keeping up with current events.  However, I would have to say that the event that most impacted me the most this year was the murder of Jamie Bolin.  It felt like something from a movie.  I actually read a little of her murderer’s blog which made it even more bizarre.

 

What song would be your theme song for 2006?

Jill Phillips – “Daily Bread”  She sang it for me at her concert!

 

What books of the Bible (if any) did you read this year?

I read through the New Testament through the lens of prayer this year, noting every verse in which it’s mentioned, doing my best to gain a fresh perspective untainted by what I or anyone else had previously conceived.

 

Anything you wished you did this year?

Saved more money, managed time better … little things that make a huge difference. 

 

Biggest change in your life this year:

Well, that would probably be dating someone.  A close second would be Body for Life.  Yay for becoming healthy!  Oh, and I learned how to knit.

 

What are the big plans for 2007?

More Body for Life, running a HALF MARATHON come April, a possible NYC trip with Jayme this summer, hopefully lots of concerts and … grad school/seminary in the fall?  I also want to continue studying prayer … going back over my notes from the past year, reading some books and most importantly, praying. 

Santa … aka Sarah

When I was a kid, I have no idea what my mom got for Christmas.  That is, other than the precious-only-to-mothers handmade crafts I made at school or church.  The reason I say this is because over the years I have gradually taken on the responsibility of buying most of my mom’s Christmas presents with an understanding of reimbursal from my dad.  We’ll just say that gift giving is not my dad’s love language.  Quality time, acts of service, words of affirmation, physical touch … all there.  Gift giving?  No.  I think the only present that he ever picked out and purchased for me himself was a $5 wind it yourself alarm clock from the grocery store … and that’s only because he hates waking me up.  So it’s just understood in our house that if a Christmas present says “From Daddy” either I or my mother actually picked, purchased, and wrapped it.

This year, however, the word is out about my present picking abilities.  Not only am I buying for my mom, but now I have been commissioned to buy for my brother, my father, my four girl cousins, and funny enough, myself.  My brother requested any and all things “Lost,” which you can really only find online, and much like my parents like to avoid traffic in “big cities” so they also are averse to online shopping.  So my brother is getting a t-shirt he requested that says, “I’m a complicated guy, Sweetheart.  – Sawyer”  Does anyone else see the potential for middle school cruelty there?  I wanted to get him the shirt with a picture of Evangeline Lilly that said, “I’d get lost with Kate” but alas, there were none in his size.  I’ll refrain from mentioning any more gifts given the potential for spoiled surprises, that is except for the presents I ordered myself.

Now while I was online ordering my brother’s presents, I thought it might save my mom a little time and stress to just go ahead and order a couple books I’d been eyeing for Christmas and have them sent to my house.  At least this way, she gets them in the mail and can wrap them up for me.  So I ordered Gordon MacDonald’s “Ordering Your Private World” as well as Joel Kilpatrick’s “A Field Guide to Evangelicals and Their Habitat.”  The former was on the pastor recommended shelf at my church (kinda like the “staff picks” at a video rental store) and seemed apropos considering the new year and all, not to mention my desire to be a little more settled and organized before hopefully beginning a new phase in life next fall.  The latter was reviewed in Relevant awhile back, and I recently heard about in a Wired Parrish podcast.  Totally my new favorite website is LarkNews. 

So last night I went to get coffee with a friend, and surprise to me, there was a present in my car seat (wrapped in mossy oak wrapping paper I believe).  Unwrapping it, what did I find?  That’s right, “A Field Guide to Evangelicals and Their Natural Habitat.”  Now that’s the mark of a good present … already having bought it for yourself. 

In other Christmas news, I am thoroughly enjoying the Sufjan Stevens Christmas album.  Or is it albums?  I don’t know; there are like forty songs on it.  I had to get it off iTunes (which I hate to do because I love liner notes so much, and there’s just something about having the pretty CD in your hand) because Randy’s was sold out and Barnes & Noble, Best Buy, and Target don’t even carry it.  Anyway, I love, love, love his version of “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” which happens to be my favorite Christmas song of all time.  So I’m throwing it out there in a fiendish plea for comments … what’s your favorite Christmas song?

Merry Christmas to all and to all a goodnight!