Max Patch

Here are some pictures from last weekend. Thanks for the use of your memory card, Kate. Isn't Max Patch beautiful? I'll have more later, but here are some good ones.

Three things

Good evening.

1. I did not become bear bait in the wilderness. Praises. However, my camera DID become dam-building material for one lucky beaver in the babbling brook we traversed throughout and within on Saturday morning. Yes, folks, that's right, whilst climbing over one particularly slippery rock in the middle of the river/creek/flowing body of water, my camera slipped from my death-grip and was swept downstream in a dramatic exit from my life forever.

This is why you see no pictures. This is also why my knees are scraped up and so beautifully bruised. LT, you'd be proud. I will get some pictures, though, and when I do, I'll post them. Max Patch, NC is absolutely breathtaking.

2. I love downtown Birmingham. Really I have nothing else to say about that. Just that I love it. I went for a walk through a few blocks downtown today just to think about how much I love it. I love downtown Birmingham.

3. I'm so interested to see what kinds of music will be in heaven. I'm convinced that music is going to be a huge part of the beauty of heaven. And I think there will be more genres and beats than could be thought possible on earth. Go ahead, gag. I only say this because I think that there's just something happening when you hear a really, really good song that's just impossible to figure out.

In a really good song, there's just something going on there, and I think it's a big deal. Go ahead...gag again...it's been a little bit of a cheesy day. But since this has been on my brain, I'm going to list a few of my current favorites that I can't stop listening to. Good songs are meant to be shared, right? Here are my 12 favorites this week.

1. Trapeze - Patty Griffin

2. Sparks - Mo Leverett

3. All the Miles - Sandra McCracken

4. Life is Beautiful - Ryan Adams & The Cardinals

5. Up to the Mountain (written by Martin Luther King) - Patty Griffin

(In the running for favorite Patty song of all, and definitely in the top 5)

6. Hymn - Jars of Clay

7. Children of Desire - Mo Leverett

8. How Do You Keep Love Alive - Ryan Adams & The Cardinals

9. I Tried - Bone Thugs featuring Akon (you laugh...it's a good song)

10. Baby Grand - Billy Joel with Ray Charles

11. Songbird - Eva Cassidy

12. When it Don't Come Easy - Patty Griffin

Here's to Girl Scout Jamboree and mentors!

Good evening, worldwide readership.

A couple of things on this rainy eve.

1. I am heading out in the morning for a weekend camping trip in North Carolina. Fly fishing, sleeping under the stars, hiking, and cooking over a jetboil. Sweet bliss, lest we get eaten by bears or straight up abducted. Which, if you've watched the news recently, seems to be more and more likely these days. So, I'd be stretching the truth to say I'm not the least bit scurred. But I'm pumped nonetheless. 7 girls hanging out in the woods all weekend, no makeup, no fuss, just trees, mountains, crickets, and water. Sweet bliss. The picture you see to the right is a picture of the actual location which we'll be visiting.

On the off chance that I do get abducted, Mere, you inheret my journals. Ya, you can have my accessories, what few of them I own. Swart, my movie and music collections are yours. And family--you get all my pictures and books and everything else. Morbid, yes, but you can't be too prepared. Which is why I'm taking a world atlas and mase.

2. Not that anyone else really cares, but tonight I'm really, really excited about life. Earlier in the spring I decided to get a couple of my male students hooked up with a few of my good guy friends for some mentoring this summer and possibly beyond. Tonight they met, and we picked them up and had dinner at O'Charley's out close to the school.

It went so well--I loved seeing the boys, they LOVED Stuart, Will, and Benj, (and they will clearly love Gray when they meet him) and are already brainstorming stuff they can do together "just the guys" in the coming weeks. They're even picking out nicknames for the guys--Gray will be "Gramps," though he doesn't know it yet, and Benj will be "Benjaturtle" since he looks like (according to one of my students) a ninja turtle in his motorcycle helmet. Labeled for life, they say.

I am SO EXCITED about this. They absolutely light up at the prospect of older male company and guidance, and the guys who are going to be spending time with them will be such fun and solid influences. Not to mention they're great with them.

That wraps it up, guys. If I am consumed by bears this weekend, it was nice knowing you all.

Texas and world domination

I've found yet another stupid quiz Web site, thanks to one LT Tomlinson, and after perusing the quizzes, I selected two to share in honor of two of my favorite people in all the land.

First Quiz. In honor of Meredith "Manboots" Murphy Horn, I share with you this quiz. As we all know, there's a little Texas in all of us. Or is there? Here's to you, Murry, and to the skunks who'd chase me away from your lawn party.

You Are 40% Texas

You're as welcome in Texas as a skunk at a lawn party.

How Texas Are You?

Second quiz. In honor of my former lover, Dwight K. Schrute, I share with you the quiz of world domination. You will not be surprised to find that I am, in fact, destined to rule the world. What would you expect, given that everything I know I learned from Dwight?

You Are Destined to Rule the World

You have the makings of a very evil dictator... Which is both kind of cool and kind of scary! Will you rule the world? Maybe. Maybe not. But at least you know that you could.

Are You Destined For World Domination?

Art on wheels

I'm not even sure how to introduce what you see here to your left. I am in Starkville for a few days to visit one of my oldest and best friends on earth, and she brought a picture of what is, in my opinion, the best mode of transportation I've ever seen. It is nothing short of art on wheels.

If I had a way to get my hands on this car, the Volvo would be history--and I'm NOT kidding. The murals on the sides are a sight to behold, but it was the bull horns that ultimately won me over.

It's summer, but I'm not feeling it yet. I still feel like I've been at school all day. Guess it may take a few to fully recover. What better way to kick off the summer than stirring up trouble with Manboots Murphy (Horn) and Turtleneck Tomlinson??!! It's Mischief Summer...brace yourselves.

Sara says it best on the last day of school

I'm going to be cheesy today. Be warned. As many of you know, I'm a fan of Sara Groves. Her songs often articulate life in ways that I just can't, and below is one such song. It is the song that is currently playing on my life soundtrack, if you will.

Today marks the last day of a year that, quite honestly, I didn't think I'd survive. I'll spare you the drama, and instead just say it's been without a doubt the toughest, most trying and unyieldingly exasperating year of my almost 26 years on this earth, though the most intense love I've ever felt towards a people group has emerged in the middle of it.

I'm also adding a few verses from Isaiah 42, because I love that chapter and because I have felt more like the "bruised reed" and "smoldering wick" this year than ever, but have also seen how he's taken hold of my hand and will not falter or be discouraged until he accomplishes all that he promised.

I'm sure there will be tougher days ahead, but having come out on the other end of this in one piece is a refreshing reminder of the ultimate mercy and astounding faithfulness of our God to carry us through.

Less Like Scars

It's been a hard year
But I'm climbing out of the rubble
These lessons are hard
Healing changes are subtle
But every day it's
Less like tearing, more like building
Less like captive, more like willing
Less like breakdown, more like surrender
Less like haunting, more like remember
And I feel you here
And you're picking up the pieces
Forever faithful
It seemed out of my hands, a bad situation
But you are able
And in your hands the pain and hurt
Look less like scars and more like character
Less like a prison, more like my room
It's less like a casket, more like a womb
Less like dying, more like transcending
Less like fear, less like an ending
Just a little while ago I couldn't feel the power or the hope
I couldn't cope, I couldn't feel a thing
Just a little while back I was desperate, broken, laid out, hoping
You would come
And I need you and I want you here
And I feel you and I know you're here
And you're picking up the pieces
Forever faithful
It seemed out of my hands, a bad, bad situation
But you are able
And in your hands the pain and hurt
Look less like scars
And more like Character

A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; he will not falter or be discouraged 'till he establishes justice on earth. In his law the islands will put their hope.

I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness;
I will take hold of your hand.
I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people
and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind,
to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.
Isaiah 42:3-4, 6-7

If you love California Pizza Kitchen, be warned

I may never be able to eat at CPK again. This is a travesty. Since I've moved to Birmingham, it's pretty much been my favorite place to eat, hands down.

However, on Friday night, I picked up a Hawaiian pizza to go--pepperoni instead of Canadian bacon. I've never been one for bacon on pizza. Anyway, I digress. I eat the pizza, carry on with my night, and go to bed. Next thing I know, I'm hugging the toilet in my bathroom, trying to convince myself I'm not going to throw up. There are three things that freak me out more than anything in this world: very sharp knives, people aiming rubber bands at me, and throwing up. I sat on the cold tile, hugging my knees to my chest, hoping against all hope that my food would stay put.

It didn't.

I was hugging the toilet for the next half hour...it was a super night. I woke up the next morning and I was fine--so I guess I can chalk this up to msk(s)'s worst fear--food poisoning. Who knew you could get that sick from pizza? I didn't. Maybe I should have gone with the Canadian bacon after all. Or maybe someone forgot to wash their hands. Either way, I think I'm finished with CPK for the time being.