My Car

Something will always happen while on vacation. It's either a hurricane, thunderstorm, strangers, plane issues or something that just throws the vacation into a spiral. Today, it was my car.

Tomorrow I was supposed to head to my best friend's place so that we could go to New Hampshire to camp. After my 650 mile trip to MA, my car needed an oil change and tire rotation, so I went to get that done this morning. As the mechanic was backing up my vehicle, I noticed that one of my brakelights was out, so I asked if they could replace the bulb. Well...it wasn't the bulb that was the problem, it turns out there was no current going to the bulb. Now usually I wouldn't have freaked out, but for the fact that I've been doing so much driving this vacation, this could be something serious. After my oil change, I went to our mechanic that we had been going to forever to see if they looked at electrical problems - they did. He asked if I could bring it on Wednesday, and I asked if there was any way it could be done sooner. So he's squeezing me in tomorrow...which throws everything off course for the rest of my vacation. ::sigh:: I guess I'm not meant to take a real vacation...

Yippee, I'm on Vacation!!!

I want to apologize for such a long absence from my blog, it has been a very busy, interesting week.

First and foremost, let me tell you, you can officially walk into my apartment without tripping over anything. This, in itself, was a great task at hand, and I am glad that it is nearly done. It was supposed to be fully done before I want on vacation, but I just have my bedroom left, and even then that just needs a dusting. So, woo-hoo to me!!! I'm giving myself a huge pat on the back! And did I mention that I donated 3 boxes of items, 1 bag of clothing, and 1 bag of stuffed animals to Goodwill this week? YUP! I'm determined to get rid of my "pack rat" status! :D

Secondly, as I mentioned, I'm on vacation! Since I start my new state job on August 1st, and have to do the probationary period over again, I decided to use half of my vacation time and get paid for the other half. The best of both worlds! Yesterday, I drove 12 hours (would have been 11 hours) back east to Western Massachusetts to see the parents and some friends. The car journey was very interesting. In Michigan, I saw 5 cops on the stretch of road heading to Canada. Did they not have anything better to do? On my way into Canada, my car got searched (I think a warning light went on when I told them I had not been to Canada in 12 years, or could it have the the pocketknife I told them I had in the trunk of my car for camping? :D), and I had to go through immigration. At first I was stoked when I saw the speed limit sign "70" in Canada. I was like "ALL RIGHT, AWESOME, I can go 70!" A few miles down the road, found out it was 70 km/hr. Hmmmm...who was that genius making it km/hr? No wonder why I was passing EVERYBODY on the highway. Heeheehee In Canada, I saw an 18-wheeler full of pigs. It had layers and layers and layers of pigs (live ones thankfully). Of course I thought about my administrative assistant, she collects them.

I thought entering the United States again would have been harder than entering Canada, but it wasn't. He asked me "Why were you in Canada?" (Just passing through.) "Where are you heading?" (To Massachusetts to visit my parents.) The lines to get through were crazy long! I took a 20 minute break in Pembroke, NY. While driving on the Thruway, I finally realized that there were no cars going on I90 West. Strange. So I flipped through the stations, and eventually I located their traffic station. Turns out they needed to do emergency maintenance. I hope it's done by the time I go home on July 31st because they shut down at least 5 miles of the highway, and traffic was backed up nearly 20 miles with an estimated time of 2-3 hours!!! Ew.

The rest of my trip was pretty boring until I got to Massachusetts. While in MA, I noticed this convertible with one guy in it pulled over in the emergency breakdown lane. About 15-20 minutes later, the same car with the same guy, passes me, but he now has a girl in his car. Hmmmm...wonder where she was before?

In the end, Mapquest was wrong. The trip was only 650 miles instead of 700 miles. Tisk tisk.

I went for an hour and a half walk around town this morning, kind of just reminiscing of my youth...where people lived, what my friends and I did, and how things just looked so different. I miss those care-free days with no responsibility, and so anxious to grow up. Kind of ironic, I was eager to grow up then, but now I wish I could go back.

I will write more if I get the chance to. My best friend and I are supposed to go camping for a portion of this coming week. I'm so excited! :) :) We're supposed to canoe to our campsite. How many times do you think we're going to tip the canoe? Guesses anyone?

Intentional Sin

Does God still forgive those who sin intentionally? Or those who purposely sin? Or is He completely all forgiving if it is asked for? Hmmmm...

The What If Syndrome

What if I didn't go to college? What if my parents decided not to move? What if... What if... What if...

There is no point to "What If". It is a syndrome in my eyes because you can never have anything in your "what if" dreams. Granted sometimes it is easier to think about how things could be different when certain circumstances in your past may be hard to deal with, but the fact remains it didn't happen that way. Do not be disillusioned by these thoughts. Instead, focus on what did happen and learn from it.

Riverview Golf Outing

For those in the Lansing area, Riverview Church is holding a Golf Outing on September 24th! It'll $75 per player at Timber Ridge. $10-$15 will be donated to the Compassion Ministries for future projects. Previous projects Compassion Ministries has worked on:

Military Drive
Back to school backpacks
Shared Pregnancy Drive
Lansing Area AIDS Network (LAAN) Drive
Thanksgiving Day meals
Meals Team
Easter Chicks

For more information concerning the Compassion Ministries, click here.

We will soon be hitting the pavement to get hole sponsors and prizes, so if you're interested in helping out, please stop by our Compassion Ministries meeting at 9:30am on Sunday at Riverview Church out in the Module.

Church Military Drive

Some of you may know, some of you may not know, but I have been running a church military drive this month for our troops serving overseas. Many members of our church have expressed interest, and some have requested different ideas of what they could get for our troops. So here's a brief list for those that may need some ideas!

Personal hygiene items: toothbrushes, toothpaste, floss, shaving gel, razors, non-alc mouthwash, boot/foot powder, deodorant, sunscreen, soap

Snacks/Food: dried fruit, trail mix, flamin' hot cheetos (and the like), beef jerky (always a hit), crackers, tuna in a packet, microwavable meals (make sure the tops do not need a can opener), drink mixes, coffee items, little debbie snacks, spices, protein bars, nutri-grain bars

Fun items (stuff to preoccupy their time): board games, cards, poker, uno, hand held games, DVDs, water balloons, mags, books

Other items: plain spiral notebooks/paper, envelopes, pens (black ink only), cards for anniversaries/birthdays to send home (no stamps are needed, they get to send mail for free), fly paper, bug spray pump bottles

You can also write a thank you letter/note/card with a few words of encouragement. (If you have children, they can also draw pictures!) These are always welcome, and some soldiers appreciate these even more than any one item! I also have a card that I created by the drop off area for a soldier who attends our church, please feel free to sign it! He was just introduced to Riverview by his aunt and uncle when he was on his Rest & Relaxation leave in April, and since he's returned to Kuwait, he's been listening to the sermons online. I would love for him to know that we support him and are praying for him.

Thank you for all the support and May God Bless You!


What you do speaks so loud that I cannot hear what you say. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
"You must be the change you wish to see in the world" ~ Mahatma Gandhi

You don't know me...

...and don't think that you ever will. I'm tired of being judged whether it's good or bad judgement that is being passed. Why can't people just accept you for who you are and what you are doing in your life. In a split second people think they have you figured out. You don't know me. You may never know me. I don't want you to know me if this is the case. I don't judge people until I get to know them, please do me a favor and do the same. If I judged people, as people are judging me, all my close friends would not exist. I miss my close friends. I miss my family. It feels like those are the only people I can trust.

That person over there is nice to me because she thinks I'm cute. That one over there won't give me a chance because he doesn't think I'm pretty enough. That guy over there secretly hates my guts because he thinks I'm an arrogant snob, even though he had never attempted to talk to me. You don't think I notice these things? I do. And there's nothing I can do about it. I am what I am. I am who I am. Apparently that just isn't good enough.

Everything may look fine on the outside, but sometimes on the inside I am screaming.

Hmmmm...

I've been thinking lately. My cousins have enjoyed learning Japanese and about Japanese culture. One of them has gone to Japan twice, and another is saving to go as well. My cousins' family hosts Japanese students when they come through an exchange program and through this, they have learned that the history books in Japan depict what happened during World War II differently than the hard facts. Whether or not this is true, this has had me thinking about the world in general. How many countries are not teaching their young the truth of what has happened in the world's history? I have found this to be very disturbing. Everybody should have the freedom to know the truth, but unfortunately this is not the case. Words and facts can be manipulated, and eventually innocent people can get hurt. After all, a war is based on the "I'm right, you're wrong" mentality of at least two countries.

Event A happened between Country B and Country C. No matter who wins, Country B views Event A one way and Country C views Event A another way. Sometimes the facts coincide, but in many cases, probably not. Country B will always feel wronged because of x, y, and z, and Country C will always feel wronged because of a, b, and c. I guess sometimes you have to agree to disagree, but my worry is about what young children are being taught. In teaching them only one side of the story are they now going to be more likely to *hate* the other side? And in essense, is it not this hate that causes more friction in the world?

Hmmmmmm...so many thoughts to ponder.

God Bless England and America

I just want to take a moment and pray for England. May those who had been lost rest in peace in the arms of our Father and may God bring those who have survived comfort, strength, and courage to get them through what happened in England today. I have lit another candle in your honor; they will never be forgotten. As a friend (Karel Lea) wrote elsewhere "Divided by Seas, United in Strength." America is praying for you in these tough times.

It is because of these horrific acts, we continue to fight. America and England will not be knocked down, it will just make us stronger.

Happy 4th of July

Today, our great nation was born and we were set free. If it were not for our brave soldiers and great leaders back then, we may have never been able to have all our current freedoms that we have now. It is today, that we need to remember all those who sacrificed so much, and those who are currently serving our nation to keep us free. We BBQ and set off fireworks to celebrate our nation's birthday, but if it was not for our current heroes overseas, none of this could be possible. So take a brief moment in your celebrations to remember...

Journey to Midland, MI and Back

I just wanted to post pretty briefly since I have not posted in awhile. My friend's wedding was yesterday in Midland. Thankfully, she had an absolutely beautiful day! Since it was Saturday, on a long 4th of July weekend, and a gorgeous day, I left early enough to make sure I would get to the church in time. I jumped onto 127 (a road that goes straight up to the Upper Peninsula), and the road was packed with RVs, trucks, trucks pulling boats/jet skis/ATVs, and motorcycles. I was shocked! We were going a steady pace (at least 55 mph). I got to Midland fine, but got lost finding the church (it doesn't take much for me to get lost). Luckily, when I ran the red light by accident because I was reading a map, there were no cars (or cops) around. Whew! It only took me about an hour and a half to get there.

Of course when I arrived, I needed to use the restroom. I walked into the church and saw a sign saying "Restroom" so I opened the door. Ooops...I walked in on the bride getting ready. :o) :o) When she heard my voice, she came running out to say "hi." She looked absolutely amazing!!! You couldn't even tell she was ~4.5 months pregnant (with a baby boy! :o)). The wedding started late because the maid-of-honor hit traffic on the way to Midland and got lost getting to the church. :) :)

We also ended up going to the Dow Gardens for the couple's wedding pictures. I can't wait to get them developed!!!! At first I was hesitant in going to Dow, with a few of the environmental presentations I have seen at work.... At the wedding reception, I was joking with the bride that even if she had decided to throw the bouquet, she might as well just hand it to me since I was the only *single* person in the room, if you excluded the kids. A few of our coworkers are single, but engagements are on the horizon for all of them. That's kind of sad...being the only truly single person at a wedding...

The more adventurous portion of my trip was driving home. I got on this rinky dink route (46, for those of you that are locals), and I was going through these tiny, tiny, tiny little towns that seemed to have nothing but a grocery store. Now don't get me wrong, I love the country, I just don't know if I could live in the country...I wouldn't want to travel 20 miles to get to the grocery store. BUT it did remind me of camp, and of camp fires (noticed a few parties as well). I loved working at camp that one summer, it was the greatest time of my life, better than college, better than high school and middle school. It's hard to explain, but EVERYONE at camp accepted you for who you were and society did not dictate who you should be...something I have been thinking a lot about...

I Don't Want To Be

I Don't Want To Be by Gavin DeGraw

I don't need to be anything other
Than a prison guard's son
I don't need to be anything other
Than a specialist's son
I don't have to be anyone other
Than the birth of two souls in one
Part of where I'm going, is knowing where I'm coming from
I don't want to be
Anything other than what I've been trying to be lately
All I have to do
Is think of me and I have peace of mind
I'm tired of looking 'round rooms
Wondering what I've got to do
Or who I'm supposed to be
I don't want to be anything other than me
I'm surrounded by liars everywhere I turn
I'm surrounded by imposters everwhere I turn
I'm surrounded by identity crisis everywhere I turn
Am I the only one who noticed?
I can't be the only one who's learned
I don't want to be
Anything other than what I've been trying to be lately
All I have to do
Is think of me and I have peace of mind
I'm tired of looking 'round rooms
Wondering what I've got to do
Or who I'm supposed to be
I don't want to be anything other than me
Can I have everyone's attention please?
If you're not like this and that, you're gonna have to leave
I came from the mountain
The crust of creation
My whole situation - made from clay to stone
And now I'm telling everybody
I don't want to be
Anything other than what I've been trying to be lately
All I have to do
Is think of me and I have peace of mind
I'm tired of looking 'round rooms
Wondering what I've got to do
Or who I'm supposed to be
I don't want to be anything other than me
I don't want to be