My Favorite Easter Bunnies

Exciting Start to the Day

Yesterday morning, I was rudely awakened at approximately 4am by dogs barking. I looked at the clock, rolled my eyes, and tried to go back to sleep for the 30 remaining minutes of my night. But the barking got worse, much worse, and it wasn't letting up at all. It sounded kind like a dog in another yard, but as the minutes went by I began to realize that this may in fact be my dog. Well, sure enough, it was the beloved Kelsey. She was barking as though our lives were in danger and looking very worrisomely behind a bush at the back fence (along the ditch). I very cautiously stepped out into the back yard to see what was on the other side of the fence bothering her. I couldn't see anything, but it was obvious by her insanity that something was there. She wouldn't even come inside when I called. So I went back in and grabbed a flashlight. I walked about halfway across the yard an shined it at the bush, and there it was, a wicked little scared-out-of-its-mind opossum. It's eyes were glaring out at me and it was making some sort of hissing sound at Kelsey. I finally got Kelsey inside, and I guess the opossum wisely found a way back out of the yard. I'm certain that particular rodent will not return. It looked about like the photo here, except under a bush instead of under a table. Gross!

The Exodus

Yesterday was the annual mass exodus from Augusta. This exodus has no biblical connotation whatsoever, unless you count the fact that many people worship the ground at the Augusta National. No, this exodus is the swift and powerful exit at the end of the Masters tournament. Never has there been a more audible sigh of relief from an entire community as our seams are relaxed and we can once again resume normal life. The fans, the rental cars, the limosines, the RVs, the news trucks, the white vans, the golf advertisements, the traffic, the golfers themselves.... they have all left. Here we are the next day, just plain old Augusta again. All the fanfare and excitement is gone, but we are happy. Next year the excitement will build again, "they" will come again, and another exodus will occur, and so on. I lived in Augusta for a few years before I really saw the full force of all the Masters hoopla. Then I moved into this neighborhood (right across the street from the Augusta National), and I finally realized just how much happens during the famous Masters week. I also experienced for the first time the longing for it to go away. I wanted the normal streets back, restuarants without the wait, life as we know it here, boring as it sometimes is. So that year I decided to sit out on Washington Road, right outside the gate, and wave goodbye to the fans as the exodus took place. My friend Sarah Mizelle joined me, and we had a blast. It was so much fun that we decided to make it an annual affair, but unfortunately one thing or another has prevented it for the last two years. This year, however, the tradition continued. Sarah, Jennifer, and I can be seen below wishing all the fans well. Our signs read, "Have a Safe Trip Home", "See Ya Next Year", and "Y'all Come Back!" As happy as we are to see the fans leave, we have tried to be as nice as possible to them. It's funny because most people don't really know what to think of us. Some try to walk by without making eye contact. Others laugh. Others stop and chat. For the most part, they are just surprised that we are actually sitting there on the side of the road and not trying to sell them anything. And we're just glad they are on their way out.

Uncreated Joys

I never cease to be amazed at the ability of Dr. Ortlund (Dr. Raymond C. Ortlund, Jr. to be exact) can convey truth in a profound way. Below is an excerpt from the sermon he preached last Sunday at his church in Nashville.

The goodness of God, better than every other desire, is the truth being advertised through the church. If God were to deed over to you his whole creation as your personal possession and you became unimaginably rich forever, with all the world at your command, your wealth would be real because everything God makes has worth. But you would also go on forever wondering why you felt so empty and frustrated and angry. God created us for uncreated joys. He created us for himself. The Bible says about a wealthy man, “Jesus looked on him and loved him” (Mark 10:21). His love is better than wealth, and that is the most underrated truth in America today. Moses prayed, “Show me your glory.” God answered, “I will make all my goodness pass before you” (Exodus 33:18-19). The Bible says, “Oh, how abundant is your goodness” (Psalm 31:19). “Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good” (Psalm 106:1; 107:1). “Oh taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8). “He gives good things to those who ask him” (Matthew 7:11). His will is good (Romans 12:2). In all things he works for the good of those who love him (Romans 8:28). “Surely goodness and mercy shall pursue me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever” (Psalm 23:6).

What really caught my attention the most was the statement that "God created us for uncreated joys." I don't think I realize how easily I am swayed to equate joy with something - anything - in this world. What a great reminder that while things in this world can and do bring joy, our ultimate joy can only be found in God himself. Even in some of the verses that Ortlund uses, it is my tendency to equate "good" with something I can see or touch, something created. If only I could remember every day that I am created for uncreated joys, life would be more simple.

Cooper River Memorial Workout

First of all, I would like to congratulate all my friends who took on the Cooper River Bridge Run yesterday and conquered it once again. Julie especially, after recovering from a vicious bout with mono a few months ago, completed without walking! Great job Jules!

Today, in loving memory of the race I did not run yesterday, I took to the streets to push myself in a similar way. Instead of running 6.2 miles, though, I threw in a kink to start early in preparing for the Mistletoe Triathlon, which I hope to race in June. I started by pulling my bike out of the shed, dusting it off, pumping up the tires, and locating all my gear, which has been stashed away for almost 2 years. I rode downtown, around, and back, about 16 miles. It wasn't an intense ride by any means, but not a bad workout at all. I then took about a 30 minute break, stretched, changed shoes, and set out for a 3.1 mile run. I have to say, I was struggling big time, probably in part due to the pre-run bikeride and in part due to the fact that the temp is about 80-85 today. Nonetheless, I finished with a few short walks in 30min45sec. (That included a short stop to give someone directions also.) All in all, I was happy with the workout and feel that I have now somewhat redeemed the lost challenge of the Cooper yesterday.

Oh, and I was also breaking in new running shoes. I had been waiting until after the race buy new shoes and start breaking them in, though I desperately needed some, so I bought some yesterday. So far, two thumbs up. As a woman, I have to admit that sadly it is more fun for me to have new running shoes than new sandals or boots or any other footwear. My family used to call me "Happy Feet" for a few weeks after I got new running shoes, because I walked as though on the tops of clouds. So if you see me sporting my new footwear, you may note the happy spring in my step... I just can't help it.

Unbelievable

I left work this morning at about 6:15 fully elated at the idea that I would not return until Monday morning. On the way home, I pleasanty planned out my day and how I would manage to sleep a little but still be able to sleep tonight in preps for the big race tomorrow morning in Charleston. All these hopes and plans were dashed at 7:30 when I begrudgingly answered the phone to find my boss on the other end, "We're gonna need you to work tonight." He didn't even say it with remorse. Warning to all other employees at the plant tonight: I will not be in a good mood!

What are they thinking?

These are actual opening words to house listings in my area. No phrases have been changed to protect anyone. Italic comments are obviously mine. I have been checking the realty site to see what comments will be chosen for my house. If any of these are used, I will call my realtor and request a re-do.

“Looking for Investors!!”
Looking for suckers!

“Enjoy life in the country…”
This place is secluded from all familiar life forms.

“Move in today!”
We are desperate.

“Owner is doing some painting…”
???

“Best price in neighborhood. Sold "AS IS" "AS SEEN" condition”
Worst house in neighborhood, and we aren’t going to fix anything up for you.

My Sentiments Exactly

This quote communicates something I have felt and yet struggled to put into words for a long time:

“I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something. And because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.”
-Edward Everett Hale, The Man Without a Country

I would also add that I am often disheartened at just how much there is to do compared with how little I can do and, furthermore, how much less I actually do. In the spirit of simple faith, I have desired lately to fight my urge to read every book worth reading, see every movie worth seeing, go every place worth going, and so on. I think without intentionally doing so, I place a lot of value in gathering up little accomplishments like this, checking little things off my list, and adding one more token to my list of been there and done that. The question that has inspired me to fight the urge to do it all is this: If I read, see, and visit so much, what will I have actually DONE with my life?

Vogtle Sunrise and Masters is Coming

Vogtle Sunrise

Wow! This is what I was fortunate enough to not only see but capture this morning as I left the parking lot at work. I guess that was worth the previous 12 hours spent in the darkness of the night inside plant. That little glimmer of light is actually just a parking lot light, but it adds a nice effect to the budding sunrise in the background.

And now for a few photos I took yesterday on my way home from work. Note that these are just a few things that I happened to notice on my way home. I did not go out of my way, and in a few did not even stop the car. This is how prevalent all around us the onset of the Masters is.

1. It may be hard to see around my car frame, but there is a little trailer in that open lot, and there is yellow rope strung up all around as well. This particular lot, which is really just a field in front of an apartment complex, becomes one of the primo parking locations each day during the Masters tournament.

2. This structure is somewhat of a mystery, but it is erected without fail every year the week before the Masters. It seems to be some sort of contraption for transmitting video images, but you might note the lack of television or radio insignia. I have a strong inclination that this particular device is used for feeding live video of the tournament to alien life forms.

3. The structure pictured here (where last week there was only a concrete slab) will soon be transformed into a temporary party headquarters. There will be very flashy and expensive SUVs out front every day and night, caterers will scurry to and fro, and only those with the right VIP credentials will be allowed to enter and enjoy the insta-building exculsive events.

4. And finally, it would not be Masters week in my neighborhood without mass advertisement to any tourist who will please fork over handfuls of cash to stay in our literally humble abodes. I have rented mine two separate years, but alas, this year I have conflicts (see photo #5).

5. Let the games begin!

We Have a Winner

Winner: Clever Article Title of the Week (if there were such an award)

"Who gives a @#$% about profanity?"
from CNN.com

Tunes, Training, Lawnmower, Etc.

I am stealing this list method from my friend Amy for tonight. Several random unrelated things to report:

1. Music

Today I have had several interesting encounters with music. Fist, early in the wee hours this morning, I was watching the movie The Weather Man (which is a pretty useless movie) and I noticed much to my delight that some of the background music sounded an awful lot like the Beastie Boys. I am a fairly big fan of the Beasties, so I was pretty certain of what my ears were hearing, the unique instrumental hip-hop sound of the Beasties jamming away. At the end of the movie, my suspicions were confirmed in the credits! I think it sounded like some of their tracks from either the "Hello Nasty" album or maybe "Ill Communication". Way to go Beastie Boys for the random musical appearance in this unfortunately stupid movie!

While I was running this afternoon (see report below) I was just at the beginning of mile 3 when a particular song on my MP3 player really kept me going. I seriously may have stopped otherwise due to some slight stomach cramping. The song was from the Big Daddy soundtrack, entitled "Ooh La La". I can't remember the artist, but it's a great song if you ever need something to keep you going OR get you going.

And finally, I must report that I heard the Fresh Prince's "Summertime" TWICE today. That's right, two times the inspriration of summer fun graced my tympanic membranes and my heart. I love summer. The weather was quite nice this afternoon, however, it has been entirely too cold lately. I think hearing "Summertime" twice today was a sign from the Lord that summer will be here very soon. I can't wait. I hate the cold.

2. Training

Thankfully the injuries have finally been resolved, and I had a record-breaking run today. If you saw my extensive post one day a few weeks back about running my 5-mile route in 45min37sec, you will appreciate that today I ran it in 45min07sec!!! I couldn't believe it. I was expecting that I may not even make it the full 5 miles, due to the recent training setbacks and the fact that I have been on nightshift so I'm all out of whack. But thanks to "Ooh La La" and other songs of inspiration, I was able to finish in record time!

3. Lawnmower

It strikes again. I finally got this beast started up after the long winter, and now it won't start again. It seems that the motor or the blade (or both) is bound. I spent some time yesterday and today taking the thing apart far enough to realize that the rope is fine but the rotor is locked for some reason. So now I need some advice on how to proceed. If the advice includes paying someone else to look at it, please do not offer your opinion.

4. Real Estate

Tomorrow I will be meeting with my realtor to officially finish up details for putting my house on the market. A sign should be in the yard before week's end!

5. Work/Race

I'm back at work tonight and planning to work through Thursday night. If all goes well, I will leave out of here Friday morning and have Friday and Saturday nights off. I'm not sure how well I will fare in the race with this schedule leading into it, but being there is the only real thing I am worried about at this point. I would rather be there and at least get to try to run, whatever weird half-awake state I am in, than have to miss it entirely.

Crawfish Time!

Baton Rouge - May 2002

Ahhh, I wish I could say the smell is in the air, but unfortunately here in Augusta the smell is strictly pollen right now. However, in a few short weeks, the Louisiana swamp delicacy (is that an oxymoron?) will once again make an appearance in Augusta. Announcing, to all my blog readers here in town, you are cordially invited to:

The 4th Annual Louisiana Crawfish Boil

Saturday, April 22

4pm until

$10 eat and drink

$3 keg only

Laissez les Bon Temps Roullez!!!

It's a Yes!

That's right... not a boy, or a girl, a yes! I received the news yesterday afternoon from Georgia Tech that they will in fact let me into the next class for the prosthetics and orthotics masters program. I'm still a little shell-shocked, not having been as confident as everyone else seemed to be that this would actually happen. I don't know why, I just had this underlying feeling that God was not going to open the door. But alas, it is open! So here I am with this newly born "yes", the ok to move forward, and I am not so sure what to think. I trust that it will come naturally with each consecutive step, but I'm also scared that I will somehow screw up, somehow thwart this opportunity for which I have prayed for over two years now. Nonetheless, I am about to jump into it with both feet forward. Thus begins a new (and no doubt exciting) adventure in this life. I pray that it will be one which is glorifying to God each step of the way.
Top photo from: http://www.opcareers.org/op_programs/

Countdown Update

Quarters: 29

Miles: 2,360

This, of course, assumes a positive outcome this week from Georgia Tech. Today is the big day that the program admissions committee will be meeting to make decisions.

In other news, I am still experiencing difficulties from the muscle soreness of last week. The pulled left hamstring is now reverberating to my knee as well as the groin muscle area. After my tennis match yesterday, the left gluteus has decided to join in the fun. If things continue to spread at this rate, by race day I will probably be having a stroke due to complications in the left cerebral hemisphere.

Great with Child

No, I'm not pregnant. Anyone in their right mind would know this, but just in case I threw you off, trust me I am not. Not physically at least. I am, however, pregnant with an idea, a dream, a plan, and a desire. And as the last week ticks away before I will know the fate of this creature, I am feeling very great with child. I am kind of stealing from Romans 8 here, but it's a very different scenario than all of creation experiencing the pains of childbirth. Despite this difference, the emotions remain the same. I have been thinking back over the last several years and how this child has been formed within my mind and my heart. I have come to God with the desires of my heart and begged Him for resolution, and this is the path that He has revealed before me. I prayed very much as Moses did in Exodus that God would not let me go from this place if He did not go before me to prepare the way. Over the last few years, God has been preparing this way, and I have been ever-so-cautiously following a dimly lit path towards a career change. The great news (as I realize that this entire journey can be obliterated by a committee of people on Monday) is that the path is not about a career change. It is not about moving from Augusta to Atlanta. It is not about whether I am an engineer or a baker or a candlestick maker. The great news is that the path is about knowing God more and about becoming more like Him, about living a life (wherever you are and whatever you do) that will glorify Him. I am great with child as I anticipate the next step on this path that I have been traversing. I know that there is a fork in the road, but I do not know which way it will lead me. I know that as this child has developed over the last few years, everything has seemed positive. Setbacks arose, but those have been overcome. Everything seems healthy and normal now as I wait for the delivery of the child. God may choose to do what He wishes at this point. All could go as expected, or the path could crumble before me. I wish I could say that I didn't care either way, but I do care. I have invested in this child. I have labored for it with my mind, with my body, with my finances, with my time, and with my heart. I have prepared myself for everything to come to fruition. If it all slips through my fingers, I will be crushed in many ways, yet I will have no choice but to remain confident in one thing. I have prayed for God's will (and many others have prayed for it alongside me), so I have no choice but to believe that whatever I find out next week will in fact be His will. Will that mean that my idea, my dream, my plan, and my desire could all be wasted? I have to believe not. God is bigger than where I am and what I do. His fulfillment of my desires is a promise, but I can't know how He will do it. Just as God showed Abraham how He could fulfill his promise to bless the nations through him, I trust that God can do the same in my life. I literally do not see another viable option right now to move towards what I believe God is calling me to, but I am only human! On the flip side, if this path that I feel confident in continues to unfold, it will not be in itself the ultimate destination. It will simply be a place to go and a thing to do as I continue on the same path of faith that I am on right here and now. Pray with me that I will believe these truths as I open the letter next week and experience the culmination of my pains of childbirth.

How am I Counting the Days?

Well, I am now down to a count of 35 workdays remaining (if I get into Tech).

So, how - you might ask - am I counting down the days?

(1) Quarters. I have stashed in my desk exactly enough quarters for one cup of coffee per day (I pay 25 cents a cup to mooch off another department). So after today, I have 34 quarters left in the stash. Actually, I only have 32 because I will not be here at the plant tomorrow or the next day, but you get the idea. Today I was asked if I wanted to join the coffee club for $10 and not have to pay a quarter a cup. I did the quick math and declined.

(2) Miles. If I include the drive home today, I should have 2,760 more miles of driving between my house and the plant. Due to previously mentioned trip that will prevent my driving here for the next two days, that brings it down to 2,600 miles. Over the years, I have come to utilize the 160 miles per day for praying, making cell phone calls, and thinking up solutions to such quagmires as world peace. Despite the usefulness of this time, I will NOT miss it!

Beautiful Weather!

Wow! The weather has been so ridiculously nice this weekend, I don't know where to begin in describing my joy. I will start by explaining that the photo above is not new. I took it in Toronto in May 2004 when I was there for a work conference. As you can see I got a lot of work done. I realized the other day that the "Photo of the Week" has basically disappeared, so I want to start at least posting a few here and there. Weekly may not happen. Anyway, the weather this weekend reminded me of this photo.

Yesterday started out kind of cloudy. I went on a planned 5-mile run and was not too optimistic about the rest of the day. I had planned to do yardwork which really needed to get done, but I was halfway hoping for rain because I don't like yardwork. So, it turned out to be a gorgeous day. I was able to rake out the bed in my front yard and replace the muck and mire with fresh pine straw. Somewhere in the middle of this job, I took a break, took my lawnmower apart to remove the gas tank and empty it, and refilled the tank with fresh gas. I read online that this was a fix for lawnmowers that had been sitting idle and would not start. Well, it still wouldn't start. I finished up with the pine straw (minus the beds under the bushes), and I was REALLY tired and ready to quit. Before getting in the shower, I thought I should put the lawnmower up, and before putting it up I decided to give it one last crank. Well wouldn't you know that blasted thing finally decided to start. So I went ahead and mowed the front yard, after which I was beyond really tired (not to mention sore). So I took a really quick cold shower and then started a very hot bubble bath. I enjoyed this very hot bubble bath immensely with the additional help of a very cold beer and some delightful music. Ahhh, the simple but refreshing rewards for hard work. The rest of the day was fairly boring, and I was so tired I didn't do much except for a few hours of studying. I woke up this morning to muscle soreness from the back of my neck down to the back of my knees. I rotated the heating pad to four different locations before I was ready to crawl out of bed. Thankfully, though, this was all muscle soreness and does not feel like any inflammation due to my neck problems.

Today I went to Waffle House for breakfast, then to early service at church and sunday school. I have a lot to share about that, but I will save it for another day - I'm still thinking through some of the verses that hit me this morning. I spent the afternoon outside in my backyard spending time looking over and praying through some of the aforementioned verses. I also threw in a little studying and a little light napping for good measure. All of this was outside so that I could enjoy the ridiculous nice weather. I even pulled out my beach lounge chair for some of the napping and reading. It was great.

I see that the weather report predicts cold weather starting again this week.
:-(

"Strong" Passwords

Holy freak of nature! These people are getting out of control! I found the following message this morning from our company IT department:

"Beginning April 5, strong passwords will be required by the network. If your existing password doesn’t expire until April 20, for example, you can continue to use that password until a new password is required.

Users should remember that strong passwords:
-Must be between six and eight characters long;
-Must contain a combination of uppercase letters, lowercase letters and numbers;
-Must begin with an alphabetic character;
-Cannot contain a username;
-Cannot mimic a user’s past 13 passwords; and
-Must be changed every 45 days. You will automatically be prompted for this."

I know this idea had to come from some conglomerate of meetings where people sat around and actually discussed the pros and cons of enforcing uppercase/lowercase requirements in addition to alpha-numeric requirements. If any member of a non-IT department had been present, they would have loudly protested this horrific act of torture. Don't these people have any mercy??!?!?!

Friday Already?

Wow, the week is almost over again. I'll try to keep this synopsis short though the week has been a full one...

Mom and Ben were here Saturday to Monday, and we had a full two days of chasing my favorite two-year old and enjoying the nice weather. Mom was kind of sick and didn't sleep too well, but she was a trooper anyway and put together a nice birthday party for me Sunday night. About 10 of my friends came over and we had dinner and cake. It's been a while since I've had a party with cake, even though Ben thought it was his cake, so it was fun.

Tuesday night has been blogged already.

My birthday was Wednesday, and it started off pretty well with a beautiful sunrise on the way to work. I may not have gotten any flowers from a man, but God brought me pink and purple clouds :-) For the most part, the rest of the day was pretty run-of-the-mill, except for all the nice phone calls and e-mails that I received. Then, that night at Bible study Erin surprised me with a cookie cake (thanks Erin!) and Julie surprised me at my house by being there when I got home to personally deliver her wonderful gifts (thanks Julie!).

Yesterday was run day for Julie and I, and we ran for about 50 minutes or so, probably about 4 miles or a little more. While we were running on the canal, we dodged a train (which was going VERY slow, but it still gave me a rush) and we saw a few people we knew out exercising as well. After the run, we started our little book study of The Journey of Desire, which I am very excited about.

I have a few more things to say, but I also have to do something about this wet hair in the next 15 minutes. More to come this weekend...

Missing the Mark

I had the best intentions as I drove home from work today... I was going to run 6.3 miles (3 times around Lake Olmstead) and then go to my favorite little coffee shop to study the material from last night's lecture AND look over tomorrow night's Bible study material. I was only about about two-thirds successful on all counts. The run was prematurely ended due to slight pains in my left hip and right knee - nothing to be alarmed about, but I didn't NEED to run 6.3 miles and decided to settle for 4.2. Then at the coffee shop I was diligently working on my studies when a co-worker walked in. Thankfully this is one of the few co-workers who already knows I am trying to leave, so he wasn't alarmed at the Anatomy/Physiology book. BUT he proceeded to chit-chat for about 15-20 minutes right then and ANOTHER 20 minutes before he left. I think the time he sat there and studied (ie. fooled around on the internet) was less than the total time he wasted talking to me. Due to these interruptions, I had to cut my studying down and only finished a little more than half the schoolwork. I finished the rest of the Bible study but only because I was almost done.

To add to the futility of the evening, I had the bright idea of saving some money on my coffee purchase, which is normally a small cafe au lait for $2.62 with tax ($2.45 without tax). I noticed on the menu a small machiatto for $2.00 and thought that might be a better deal. Was I ever mistaken! The cafe au lait comes in a "normal" sized coffee mug. The machiatto came in a miniature espresso cup, which - despite it's cuteness - could not have been more than about 2 ounces of drink! And to make matters worse, I tried to microwave the last half ounce (which got cold when previously mentioned co-worker walked in) and it bubbled over. So I probably only got to drink about two-thirds of my 2-ounce, $2.00 machiatto. I think I better go to bed before attempting anything else tonight. I will pat myself on the back as I fall asleep realizing that I did manage to write a whole blog entry, however useless it may be.