30 Day Challenge - Day 30

30 Day Challenge - Day 30

A picture of someone you miss.

 

 

I miss Tyler!

Tyler is currently living in the fine (well, I assume fine... I've never actually been there) town of Olive Branch, Mississippi. He's in grad school there, learning about how to be a super-fantastic youth minister. But goodness, i sure do miss having that kid around.

When I first met Tyler... I wasn't really a fan. He was my friend Erin's younger brother, and I thought he was (for lack of a better word), well... mean. Turns out Ty just has a super dry sense of humor and when combined with his awkward younger years... well, he just came off as a jerk. Great news though, Tyler isn't a jerk, he's actually pretty hilarious.

After basically hanging around us all the time, eventually he just became one of our friends. Weird how that happens. I've had many-a-memorable moment with Tyler, and miss him being around so that those happen more frequently.

The last time Ty was in town, we ended up sitting at Starbucks for like... 4-6 hours. (Where I knocked over a display... shattering glass, the whole nine.) and then still ended up going out to dinner and talking even more. It turns out when you get past the ironic tshirts, the glasses, the moustache and the hilarity... he also happens to be pretty passionate when he starts talking about youth ministry and middle schoolers.

 

I got pretty spoiled seeing Tyler every day for about a year when he worked for me at the Y, so not having him around when it seems like he's ALWAYS been there has had some rough patches. I feel like I speak for a lot of people when I have moments hanging out with folks and it seems odd he isn't around.  I mean, who else are we going to feed the garlic pancakes to?

30 Day Challenge - Day 29

30 Day Challenge - Day 29

A picture that can always make you smile.

 

 

Bert & Ernie!

This picture definitely makes me smile, i think it's pretty much perfect.

 

I loooove camp skits, and this one was pretty epic. Not only did I get to put together most of the Sesame Street costumes (including putting Ebruce in this AMAZING outfit everyday), but the skit was pretty funny as well.

Here's a full Sesame Street cast photo:

 

Zach (Big Bird), Chris, Michael (Cookie Monster), Sean (Elmo), Ben (Oscar), Meredith (Ernie), Elizabeth (Bert), Joel (Snuffalufagus), Jenna, Sara, Christine (Teletubbies)... and I think Matt was there as the emcee of the talent show that night. 

 

Second favorite skit: THE LUNCHBOTS.

 The Lunchbots... the camp transformers. Table-or, Garbatron, ..., Duvetga.
I can't remember 1)the Transformer name for the stoplight 2) why the stoplight was even relevant. Making these costumes was also fun, as was tipping Cameron over in the trashcan so he couldn't get up without help.

The Lunchbots in Picnic Formation:

Here's the thing about skits... Sometimes, they just make the counselors laugh because the jokes just go way over the kids heads. And while the comedic brilliance of skits is sometimes lost of the kids... we still laugh a lot.

30 Day Challenge - Day 28

30 Day Challenge - Day 28

A picture of something you're afraid of.

 I find scary movies absolutely terrifying. 

Watching them for me is almost sadistic, because of the repercussions that come afterward. Some of them, I swear, someone must have sold their soul to come up with things that sick and twisted. I just don't even understand the appeal, yet for a really long time I'd still watch them. I don't even watch previews anymore. 

And here is why: because my runaway imagination makes me think those things will actually happen to me. As well, I scare pretty easily. Like full on jump and scream, and once the flood of adrenaline subsides, I just get angry/tearful towards whatever caused it. Some people think this is funny (Tim) and often run the risk of getting hit.

Some defining moments:

Ernest Scared Stupid: I saw it at my neighbors house when I was like ten, and it gave me nightmares. The scene where a character rolls over and there is a troll in the bed, in particular. I remember not wanting to open my eyes if i woke up in the middle of the night for fear that a figure would be there.

Psycho: I bought a shower curtain that had clear vinyl holes at eye level. No one was going to sneak up and kill me while I was in the shower. Also happened to be good for staying on the lookout for gremlins.

Scream: Made me terrified to be at home alone in my house in high school. The entire backside of my house was essentially glass with all the sliding doors that faced the woods. Way to easy to be spied upon and stalked.

13 Ghosts: I only saw the first 15 minutes of this movie with Dan, who upon seeing me cower the entire time, walked us out and into Kate & Leopold instead. I remember feeling really thankful and impressed with his chivalry.

The Ring: Christie and I saw it at the dollar fifty theater... late at night... and were the only ones in the theater. I think that was really the one that put me over the edge. I still can't deal with it. Static on the TV is a thing to be avoided- and thankfully with DVR I can now do so. But just last week I had to turn off my TV manually, and I FREAKED MYSELF OUT thinking about someone crawling through the TV. No ma'am... worst thing ever.

My coping mechanism at this point when I'm forced into watching a scary movie with friends (ahem, Christie, James, Andrew... I'm looking at you) I simply close my eyes and go to sleep. I've successfully slept through The Exorcism of Emily Rose, The Amityville Horror, and Saw, among others. Any my life is way better just generally avoiding anything remotely scary.

(Note: I didn't put the picture in until the very last minute of this post, so I didn't have to look at it.)

30 Day Challenge - Day 27

30 Day Challenge - Day 27

A picture of yourself and a family member.

I love this picture. It's probably my favorite of the four of us.

(Again, I'm totally cheating... this is three family members.)

This is a lame blog post.

30 Day Challenge - Day 26

30 Day Challenge - Day 26

A picture of something that means a lot to you.

 My FRIENDS!

This was a birthday card I made for Christie.. gah... I don't even know. A while ago. I've made variations of this, but I think it's my favorite because we're kinda gangsta. (Left to Right: Cameron, Joel, me, Laura, Dom, James, Andrew, Tyler, Erin, Jeremy). This isn't necessarily the whole crew, but a decent number.

But goodness gracious, I have some awesome people in my life. Who knew that the Y would be SO integral in the circle of people I'm proud to call my best friends? It's ridiculous. I had no idea that I'd meet people at 17 that would still be my friends over a decade later.

It's awesome to know that I have SUCH an amazing support system, unlike so many people.


That and I think we're just pretty awesome.

30 Day Challenge - Day 25

30 Day Challenge - Day 25

A picture of your day.

Mountain of SHOES!

It meant staying at the Y until 11pm, but goodness, was it worth it! It started with a vision... Laura and I were trying to figure out a way to collect all the shoes lining the hallways of the branch and get them to a central location to load them onto the bus. We realized a mountain of shoes would do the trick AND show the members just how much they came through for us with their donations! When the rain thwarted our plan to build the mountain at the front of the building, we went and begged Tony, our branch director, to let us build it in the lobby. 

It took a LOT of man-power from the teens of Leaders Club, a lot of tying, a lot of rubber bands and a lot of laundry carts... but in a few hours we completely changed the landscape of the Finley lobby.

Sometimes, the charitableness of people can be completely overwhelming. And here's the thing... there really weren't a lot of stinky shoes... in fact, we found a LOT that were brand new. Members leaving the Y tonight were stopping and taking pictures of what we were doing. They had conversations about SHOES. 

I felt really thankful tonight for where I work... That I work for an organization that CARES about being socially responsible and wants to make a difference. And that I get to be a part of that every day with like minded people. It's pretty awesome.

30 Day Challenge - Day 24

30 Day Challenge - Day 24

A picture of something you wish you could change.

I think about money way more often that I'd like to. I think, in general, people think about money more than they should. It divides those that have it from those that don't. It causes guilt and tension and arguments and wars.  It brings out the worst in people- deception, theft, greed... It creates idols in our life when we lust after the things we can't have and envy what others possess.

I'd wash my hands of it if I could.

I find myself worrying constantly about bills and how to pay them. I pray that something bad doesn't happen because I won't have the savings to cover it. I work at a job that I love and find fulfilling but often find that my bank account argues otherwise.

But I am so lucky. I am so blessed. I have so much more than hundreds, thousands, millions of other people.

Call me a socialist, but I wish the scales didn't tip so drastically. That there weren't billionaires that couldn't spend all their fortune in a single lifetime, while others sit starving on dirt floors in third world countries. 

I'd choose to be provided for modestly. That my wants were more in line with my needs, and I didn't confuse the two. That myself, or anyone, wouldn't have to feel like "less than" by asking for help. That the playing field was a little more even. 

What would life be like then, if money or provisions were no longer an issue?
If we all had only what we needed, even if that's actually less than what we have now?
Would it be worth the change?