Good Times In Chucktown!

It's always a GOOD day when you get to go to the beach, but it's always a BLAST when you can go with great friends!  Thank you Ginny, Austin and Clint for a fabulous time in Charleston!!!

Remembering the Good Times:

Ginny and Kitty know how to use GPS when they get lost!

Snyder's Honey Mustard and onion pretzel pieces are the travel food of choice.

Austin learned how to eat vegetables (some.....okay, very little!)

I almost beat Austin in the kayaking contest....okay, he beat me, but only by an inch!

Clint "leaned right a little" so Austin couldn't win in their kayak showdown!

Kayaking at dawn and dusk is a must!

Never run on a knee that's hurting....it makes you walk crooked later, right Austin :)

Phase 10 ROCKS!

Staying up till 2am playing games and spreading infectious laughter happens naturally.

Austin loves Saved by the Bell and has a vernacular that revolves around movies!

Hump Day Humor!

Skipping rocks can lead to fleeing through a rain storm from some unknown danger.

Unlocked front doors and silent opening garage doors freak Clint out!

Catch Phrase of the trip: Precious Cargo!

If you want a smooth driving car, get a Pilot...ask Clint!

Austin's marrying a girl name Julie!

Eating steak and eggs for breakfast allows you to skip lunch.

Peach Snapple was a hit!

We crashed and burned when it came to setting up umbrellas at the beach.

Boiled peanuts are the perfect "wait for the storm to pass" snack, especially the Cajun ones!

Beach-time banter can last for hours and be very enlightening!

A gorgeous man can step into your photograph at just the right time, right Rob? :)

Ginny has a super power.  She can squash a whole nests of 20+ roaches in one fatal swoop!

Per Austin: Kitty has a set of lungs as displayed after an onset of Ginny's super power!

My super power is hearing 2am conversations through earplugs.

While Clint is mid sentence, Austin belts out, "Mike, mike, mike, mike, mike, mike, mike....."

Clint is very handy with a vacuum cleaner!

While Clint's choice of Hymans for dinner was fabulous, his directions to the waterfront fountain needed some refining (he was even using his iPhone app!)

Hurray for homemade frozen pudding pops, maybe not banana cream as much as chocolate?!?

Power quadruplets activated! Gingersnap, KitKat, Technomite & Surfer Boy

Siri says some crazy things at 1am in the morning!

Clint thinks he can make it to Charleston in 3 hours...Ginny knows she can :)

Blessed are the Merciful, Peace-Making Iron Sharpeners!

Struggle, awkwardness, pain, mental games, anguish, frustration, loathing of the process as it cycles repeatedly through your heart and mind. You pray. It won't go away. You do exactly what you didn't want to do. More guilt and frustration piles on. Silence. Isolation. Darkness. Defeat.

Someone notices your struggle.

They venture into the unknown to bridge a gap with you. They walk gently and tenderly. Grace and mercy are in their words.  They empathize. They affirm. They cautiously but firmly question. They persevere even in your silence.

"Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend." Proverbs 27:17

"Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy." Matthew 5:7

The clouds begin to break.  A glimmer of light shines into the foggy bog. The thaw of mental ice signals a feeling of life. Another force has stepped in to counteract the storm of feelings, thoughts and emotions.  You sense more than a glimmer of hope.  Someone cares. They stuck by you in the seeming ugliness of your struggle.

I can move forward.

New perspective.

Peace is restored. A thirst for life and vigor begins to develop. Baby steps. Unsureness. A sense of growing confidence. Firm steps.

Full out laughter and enjoyment of life surges through your once desolate being.

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God." Matthew 5:9

This changed perspective could never be accomplished without those God-sent, blessed, merciful, peace-making iron sharpeners. Thank you Jesus for these people in my life!

Get Nervous?

Tomorrow I have a wonderful opportunity to teach at the Upstate Technology Conference and it's been a great experience the last couple years.  Each time I prepare for the conference though, I get REALLY nervous!  In the past conferences, everything went great, so why do I get so unnerved?  Just because I'm a teacher and adult DOES NOT disqualify me from getting the butterflies...can you believe it?  Even your teacher gets nervous!  What helps me get over my nerves sometimes is exercise, organizing and cleaning something, singing, praying or talking to an encouraging friend. Crossing my fingers for a GREAT time tomorrow and Wednesday!

What makes you nervous?  What do you like to do to help you not be nervous or as nervous?