Turkey Lurkey Trip

Turkey Lurkey day this year prompted the eternal question: Where shall I go? My West Virginia family would have loved for me to make the trek across the country by air or by sea, but we've learned through the years that the pricey flights make it a fool hardy venture. Plus, with my aptitude to have major layovers, I'd probably spend the whole of Thanksgiving day at an airport Burger King eating my $20 burger instead of the traditional holiday fixings.

But getting back to the question at hand...The answer seemed simple enough this year, having already elbowed my way into many a family meal/celebration of my roommate's family. "Well, that's settled!" I thought. That complacency was challenged when Anne came home and announced that she and her mother were driving to Texas to see their extended family. Now a new question reared its not especially ugly head: To stay or not to stay? (I like to think that this was Shakespeare's first draft of the famous phrase...)

In the end, I made up my mind to join them in the 13 hour ride to the flatest state on the planet. If you have an affinity for said state, please avert your eyes for a few paragraphs...

I don't get why Texas is so proud of itself. Major props go out to the state department head who thought of such a brilliant marketing plan. I wish I had been a fly on THAT wall! There's just no reason I can think of for people to adore their state so much that they must make every conceivable item in its likelihood. Seriously, people...tortilla chips in the shape of TX?

On our way to our Thanksgiving, I saw so many flags painted on buildings, worked into brickwork, lights, etc that I lost count. If I didn't know my American history, I would have thought TEXAS was the state that seceded from the union! (Holly - it wasn't Texas. :))

I get that the state is big...almost as big as the belt buckles that inhabit it. Alaska, I should mention, is much bigger and its citizens seem to be more grounded. I understand that Texas is a part of the glorious south and its hospitality. I agree that they are kind and warm people. but what southern state ISN'T? I just don't comprehend why Texans set their state so high above the rest. Other than affordable housing (which, admittedly is something), I am befuddled and lost.

Okay, diatribe over. So - a road trip! I'm no novice to its charm, having taken many in my young lifetime. I set out to prepare myself in the usual McGuiver way. Bag of books? CHECK! Scarf project? CHECK! Real Simple magazines? CHECK! Snacks, caffeine and portable DVD player? CHECK, CHECKY, CHECK CHECK! And most importantly, CDs including the coveted Christmas albums. Then, I eyed my roommate's bag. One book in sight and no scarf peeking out of the flap. I decided at that point that this trip would be different than my predictable family excursions and vastly different than the caffeine induced college trips of yore. Uncertain, I decided to do what usually works best...stay flexible as Gumby (but not as green) and keep an open mind (even though I run the risk of things falling out).

The drive to Texas began at 1:45 PM on Wednesday afternoon and I began to realize the charm of traveling with Anne and her mom - they LIKE car games and their head doesn't explode when you ask for a bathroom break! (Sorry, Dad...)

Other than my friend Matt, who willingly played numerous games of 20 questions in Turkey, I've never found someone who would go rounds and rounds of the game without some sort of upper. BUT I had never traveled with these two, who single (double?) handedly taught me "I'm thinking of...", which they explained, when asked, as 20 questions without a LIMIT! Well, folks, I don't mind telling you that I was blown away. Who knew?!

All in all the trip to Dallas was really fun! Anne's family was uber welcoming and caring. We had lots of fun conversations with her family, laughter, food and blessed sleep. I was really thankful for such an awesome family to hang out with and they made the 3 days of vacation seem like weeks because of the restfulness. We met Anne's new little niece that was adopted from the Ukraine and watched Cars with her sister, brother-in-law, nephew and niece. I also got to hang out with my friend Megan and her gorgeous daughter, Bella. It was SO great to catch up and reconnect.

I'm glad to be home in the level-headed state of Coloradoans. But I suppose I should say that perhaps Texas wasn't so bad. But I think its the people more than anything else...

BRING ON THE CHRISTMAS MERRIMENT!

Prelude to the Giving of Thanks

When I was in High School, my sister Lindsay was in Junior High. This meant, of course, that we were a part of two different worlds, all encompassed under one roof. One such division was the name of our singing groups. Just a small preface: I have to say that there are a multitude of awesome choir names in the vast realm of musical terminology.

I tried out for Concert Choir (everyone with a genuine desire to be there was welcome), Encore (smaller ensemble...a little more difficult to be in) and A ccaprecio (it means "as you like it". And many people liked trying out for it as it was the elite 8 person singing group few made it into). All of that to say, my sister Lindsay tried out and made it into Prelude and sang her little heart out. All of this is neither here nor there, it's just that my title reminded me of it.

Ahem...but back to the original reason for this post. With all the helter skelter of the last week, I haven't really taken time to slow down. I actually think I have two speeds...fast and super fast. This is much like super bad, but without the bad part. My former roommate Holly, however, always puts me to shame in this department. Her speedometer of life tops out at turbo fast. But I digress.

My point is that it's hard to live life purposefully. I have no trouble walking to my car purposefully (except when I am in heels), but going through my daily routine with a bigger perspective and a "zoom out" lens over my day is not something that usually happens. Judge me if you will, but I have a feeling that I'm not alone.

I think, then, it is only appropriate to use the Thanksgiving Holiday as a pause button and to really take the time to think about what I am thankful for. First and foremost, I'm thankful for my salvation and the fact that God continues to stick with me throughout all my screw-ups. But here's a few other things that I'm grateful for...

1. No one can push my buttons like my family...but I know that no matter what comes up they have my back. I'm thankful for them.

2. I'm thankful that my sister Lindsay and I have such a good relationship now. There were some touch and go situations when we both lived at home, but growing up has matured us both and I love our friendship.

3. No way when I moved to Colorado did I imagine that I would get a fabulous roommate (not the freaky variety that tended to pop up in my other CA situations....you know, the kind that gypped me on rent, etc.) I'm thankful for Anne...if for no other reason than she laughs at my jokes and is a constant presence urging me to drink more water.

4. Going to work each day is fun! I don't deserve the job the Lord orchestrated for me, but I'm so incredibly thankful for it. What a picture of grace! AND it came built in with extra cool friends on the side. :)

5. Friendship is freaky. It's hard to navigate the choppy waters of a friendship and keep your bearings in a swirl of emotion. They can be the mark of the best of times or the curse of the worst of times...I have a handful of people in my life that I feel I can be myself with and there is that rare give and take that is sometimes lacking. I don't know what I would do without them...they are a lifeline. I'm thankful for them.

6. I heart my church. I love the feeling of family and learning from those around me. And let's just be honest about it...I DIG the floral arrangements at the front of the sanctuary. In all seriousness, though, I'm thankful for my church and the pastors that lead it.

7. Rejoining the world of books has been awesome and it made me appreciate those people that take the time to write from a different perspective than my life (not really that hard to do :)) and suck me in. All the midnight and one a.m. sessions to get through a book have been worth it. So has the coffee...

8. Last and least (at least for this time and place) I'm thankful for the seasons and the Yankee candles that maximize my enjoyment of them.

So that's my list for now...next week is going to be fast and furious with the forecast showing a strong likelihood for snow. Ah, well...the dry roads were bound to be gone eventually. Here's to a season of staying on all 4 wheels and AWAY from the evilness that is black ice. Drive safe out there, Coloradans! My life depends on it...

Falalalalalalalala

I tried to wait. I really did try. In deference to 98% of people in my life that like to start celebrating Christmas AFTER Thanksgiving (c'mon, people, it's a mere forecasting of what it is come! That's when there's something to be thankful about!) I attempted to hold my horses. But those pesky fillies got the best of me again. Darn non-equestrian that I am.

Here's the thing. I've already read 2...count 'em 2...blog posts on the Starbucks red cups signaling the start of Christmas joy and merriment. While I think that Starbucks kind of jumped the gun, that's a bit like the pot calling the kettle black seeing as how I had determined weeks before my strategy to maximize the holiday season.

I think you should join me in this...it's going to be a lot of fun. And it's not like I'm not giving you plenty of notice! Here's the plan for Christmas Plan 2007...there's only going to be one of these, so pay attention.

1. I resolve that the majority of my CD playing will be Christmas music from Thanksgiving to Christmas

2. I resolve that the majority of my reading will be Christmas books

3. I resolve to watch ELF at least 3 times during the season and introduce others to it's finer workings

4. I resolve to actually write a Christmas letter and send it out on my own like a big girl. No, this year will not be the year of the missing stamps, OR the year of 1/2 the list because I ran out of time. This year will be DIFFERENT. I'll bring people up-to-date if it KILLS me. (Now that's the spirit, eh?)

5. I resolve to burn my Yankee Christmas Cookie Candle at least halfway down. This takes considerable effort as I can no longer burn it at work. Something about a fire hazard...

6. I resolve to say Merry Christmas to check out people as much as possible. If they have no Christmas spirit, I'll just sing...*

5. I will maximize my use of the red Starbucks cup by drinking my seasonal peppermint mocha...but not TOO much so that it still stays special

*See ELF

So there you have it. Amy's Plan for Maximum Holiday Enjoyment. Please add to the list in your comment and I'll attempt to widen my Christmas horizons.

Also, because of the guilty feeling I have for publishing this post "out of season" (is there a LICENSE for that??!) I will post about Thanksgiving in one of my following posts. I'll be taking a crazy, college-type road trip and if I am alive at the end of it all, you will have details. I swear.

Until then, live like it's Christmas but don't breathe a word of it to anyone else lest the Christmas-after-Thanksgiving naysayers are in ears length. Trust me on this one...the repercussions are great and not to be messed with.

Brush with Fame...

So, up until this point in my life my brushes with famous people have been slim. The best one, perhaps, was that I saw Pierce Brosnan running on Malibu Beach. I've also seen Mark Paul Gosslar (Saved by the Bell), Simon from 7th Heaven, Ruthie from 7th Heaven and seen a few sitcoms shot in Santa Clarita, CA. Maybe more than your average gal, but still nothing overtly amazing.

Tonight, though, was a totally different story. Go back in time with me, if you will, to about a week ago. No...I think we have to go back further. About a month ago, my cubical-mate Liz sent out an email to all of us at work. Apparently, one of our authors Louie Giglio was going to be in the Denver area as a part of the "How Great is Our God" tour with Chris Tomlin. I decided that it would be fabulous to take part in such an outing and hastily secured my spot via email. (It's not like she could keep me out...after all, I know where she works! :)) Liz bought the tickets, I invited a few friends and 5 of us were locked in. (sounds like voting, doesn't it?!?)


Now, about a week ago I was sorting through the emails that come through our general email box. Mostly, I get the same 5 questions over and over and multiple requests for free books to weed through. I also appreciate the fact that some of these people clearly are not on the same plane with the rest of us Americans...and I readily admit that sometimes I have to laugh. C'mon, people! You really think we are going to give you MOVIE RIGHTS to one of our books? In general I enjoy this task because it provides light-hearted reprieve from my other responsibilities. Last week, I received some praise from a reader for one of Louie's books. I dutifully and joyfully forwarded the complimentary comments to the email we had on file for Louie and heard back from his assistant thanking me and assuring me that she would forward it on.


*sidebar: Now, I know that if you open someone else's snail mail it is a federal crime. But what about email? Who is protecting me from this??


Ahem. Going back to the story at hand...I emailed the assistant back and long story short (I know you don't have all night/morning) I obtained meet and greet passes for all 5 of us to go backstage after the show and meet Chris Tomlin and Louie Giglio! I was excited, for sure, but my co-workers were even more so, if you can believe that! I basked in the rays of everyone's gratitude that I was able to procure such an esteemed item and went back to work assuring a concerned emailer that yes there WAS a link for the book Chazown and that he should hold his horses and I would give it to him. Maybe I didn't say it in those terms EXACTLY, but I think we understand each other.


Tonight was the night. And can I just say that I've come a long way from the girl that plastered her closet walls with pictures of Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Jonathan Brandis and Rider Strong?? I really was excited to meet them and interact a bit with them, but was grounded in the fact that they were just men, just like everyone else and that the Lord just was using them in different ways than the opportunities he gave to me. Now, it's not like I didn't NOTICE that Chris was single and short and could sing...but, having learned from my previous crush on JTT (I went a few days being a vegetarian because he was CONVINCED that he would notice me...as you can imagine, I was crushed when he never called), I was pretty sure there was not going to be a lasting relationship over a signed copy of "Arriving".

I'm pretty sure the look on his face is just pure astonishment at my wit and beauty...don't you??


My co-workers Lindsey and Liz with Louie Giglio

A few things to note:

1. I enjoyed the worship concert much more than I had ever anticipated. It was an amazing night and I was able to worship with fewer inhabitions than I normally do...Besides the two male back-up type singers who couldn't dance and were a bit distracting, it was SUCH a well done event.


2. I appreciated Louie's sermon on the greatness of God and it made me feel like I was back at TMC listening to Francis Chan tell me that, "God has a plan and he is in control of the universe. Now, you may have a better plan...but you don't have a universe." It was a much needed reminder of how small I am and how great He is.


3. I'm happy to report that while at the meet and greet, all 5 of us acted with decorum and dignity while we interacted with Chris and Louie. Just so we're clear, though, we all dissolved into girlish giggles once we were safely in the car on the ride home.


All in all, though, it turns out that the night wasn't really about Chris Tomlin and Louie Giglio. It was more about worship and returning to that place of kneeling before the God of the universe. As I said...a light year away from my JTT days. :)


It's 12:10 PM...so I'm going to bed. Sorry I'm lame and haven't posted for just shy of a month...I'll get better, I promise. Also, don't be fooled. I'm writing this post tonight, but will wait until later to post it so that I can include pictures/documentation of the evening.


Goodnight ColoRADO SPRINGS!!