#21

I was reading over my Bucket List from my birthday last year and realized I never posted this one!

In August Heather and I took Lauren to McMinimis Edgefield for her 21st Birthday. Edgefield is an old poor farm turned Winery. It was a glorious breezy day. We all looked cute. We choose to eat lunch in the main building. We were waiting for a table, when Lauren giggled and pointed at the bar and said "we could eat in there!" So we did.

Then we went down into a cellar for some wine tasting. It was like $5 for a couple different types, so we all got different ones and ended up trying like 12 different ones. I discovered that I do not like red wine. Heather does. I prefer a chilled white wine, even though I still only kinda liked a couple of them, it was really fun.

There was a wedding going on there that day too and it was great to see everybody walking around in their outfits. So many people, enjoying life and each other. I felt privileged that I got to spend that day with those two girls.

My Birthday!

So, Yesterday was my birthday. It was one of the greatest days ever.

My cousin Amanda come down and spend the night with me the night before. I was so happy to see her! At 5:30 am, Abbey texted me and I was so excited that I just kept texting her till good after 6. Then I fell back asleep. At 7:11 Heather and Lauren and my Mom came prancing into my room singing "its your birthday, your 20, its your perfect day outside, its raining, its your birthday!" And they were throwing balloons - at Amanda. I had to sit up so they would see which lump in the bed I was. So then we exited the room seeing that Amanda had covered her head with blankets.

Lauren brought me 2 coffees from Starbucks, see bought me 1 but brought me 2. I was happy for coffee seeing I had had less that 5 hours sleep. Then Sharell showed up late and complained that Heather and Lauren did not inform her well enough of the mornings events. HA! So I sat around with them until they had to go to school.

I took work off for the whole day and was pretty excited. My Dad wanted to take me to breakfast but I wasn't feeling much for food seeing I had had Applebees the night before, 2 coffees for breakfast and was in the middle of trying to make a cheesecake. You can still take me out to breakfast Daddy!

Amanda woke up and told me she "hated" my friends for waking her so loudly so early in the morning, ah its all good Amanda.

Her and I got in the car, went to Starbucks (she got me a breakfast sandwich I was not about to have anymore coffee) And we made our way to the beach. I am always amazed at how short a trip it is . So just over an hour later, we arrived and made our way all through the outlet mall, taking stupid videos the whole time. ( I am working on putting all those videos together to put on here. Then I had Mo's for lunch. Yum! Clam chowder and Mashed potatoes (and enchiladas for dinner!) We touched the beach, but it was really cold, then we drove home

At home I started to try and finish my cheesecake, but it ended up a total disaster, it didn't cook all the way and the oven got turned off at some point during the cooking and ya, it was bad... but I will make it again. The the girls came over, Kirsten was my present. :) I put a bow on her. Oh and Amanda made Aaron come too. Always the guy with all the girls, but I miss him. Then Sharells car got Saran wrapped and they started to do the van but someone went outside and they went away. We think they were guys from school who knew where Sharell was... obviously high school guys who still think I drive my moms mini-van. Which I don't. (See blog about car. Which by the way, I did buy... I will pay it off in a few weeks!)

I talked to my sister on the phone. And mommy potter left me a great message on my phone. And Hallie, Esther and Zoe called me through skype and Zoe sang me the happy birthday song and ABC's (mixed which Chinese things) like 3 times! And I talked to my Grammy for 41 seconds and it made me super happy!

Hmmm it was happy. My mom absolutely loved having people over, and giving Aaron food, and listening to us all laugh from the other room. I got a super amazing orange chair, I think I am going to take the cushion back and get a green one though, it is much more practical... but for today I will enjoy the orange.

Thank you Jesus for days where we feel blessed, for days when you shower us with your goodness. I was amazed by your glory yesterday, the rain, the sun, the rainbow, the friends, the food, the happy feeling inside. I know that every day can be like the when I am with you, but thank you for making yesterday especially great.

SYATP - part 3

Ok so after the day I went to coffee with my group of friends and it was jus really nice. We were sitting around sipping chai and hot chocolate and discusing the falling maturity of our generation. Things dont apply to us anymore because we are beyond them. We are further than the youth pastors expect us to be, we are at a deeper level then everybody else...

But we concluded that we are not necessarily stronger than the other students, we are merely where we should be and they are far behind eating from the hands of bottle feeding pastors. That sounds so terribly dis-respectful from my side, and I dont necessarily intend it to be, but we reached a sad reality that so few are where they should be with God. I mean, my group of 7, we are striving after God and are much deeper than so many others - but we have so far to go to be where we need to be.... how far away does that make everyone else?

I was really shown the importance of equal leveled fellowship, our souls thrive for it. Even though some of the party were ready to head home for the night... we stayed and talked of Gods goodness... because he is good. We shared of things he is teaching us and training us and of where we need to be. It was just nice because it doesnt happen as often as it should.

Dear Lavinia - SYATP part 2

I was thinking about you tonight, it was good stuff and so I thought I would share....

I know you are romanian and that some of the amazing american things I write on hear sound apealing, and if I described to you in outside words the service I was at tonight, you would want to come and attend it with me during the trip when you will come visit me. But after tonight... I hope I never have to take you to a christian service here.

I cant desribe to you the Christian social attitude that has been adapted by teenagers, by youth pastors. It all sounds good cause it is suppose to. It is meant to be appealing, but where is the meat? The preaching was sound... but simple, low. Students were disrespectful and disgraceful. I was embarrassed and shamed. I cant believe this is my society.

I hope you dont have to see the "christian crowd" of young people who look cute and have matching hair, tight jeans and skull t-shirts cause they are "hard core" for Jesus. The crowd that thinks it is cool to be part of a christian club or something. The crowd that takes the name I revere so intimatly and slauter it to my peers.

Mind you that not all christians are this way, not all services are bad, not all christians look alike. I have a negative biased opinion tonight and wanted to express it to you because I was thinking about you.

What we have is programs. What you have, what I loved so much about Romania, is life. There are pros and cons to each, tonight I saw a con.

SYATP

Today was See-You-At-The-Pole... it made me pretty angry. I always start these days excited, but end somewhat discouraged. Lauren Barker and I (both alumni) met with Sharell Zier and a random youth pastor at my past high schools flag pole this morning at 7 am. We had a good time of worship and fellowship.... I just wonder why no one else could come. I didnt need the support, but I know God sure would have loved the praise. For being a Christian school... I thought that more than one student would show.

Its not like the day was forgotten, students knew. Even as they began to arrive at school, they walked past, talking loudly.... none joining. I got really annoyed. "The Nerve!" I guess we, they take prayer for granted. We can do it all the time. They pray in classes, but I just wish it was stressed more. I wish students wanted the change they claim. I wish that I was not alone looking like the crazy alumni who cant get off her campus. I can! I just believe that God wants to move in and through that school... and I am not going to school so I needed a flag pole this morning. Is that ok?

Concerts

i normally hate concerts. i dont know what it is about them, but i just get non-interested once i show up. i dont like "getting into it" or whatever. i normally get sidetracked in my thoughts and think or something and am blammed for being a party pooper.

tonight i went to a Jars of Clay concert, cause it was free. i didnt really want to go just cause i know i hate concerts, but i tried to have a really optimistic attitude, besides i went with like my three best friends: Heather Potter, Kirsten Wicks and Lauren Barker.

i had fun tonight. i choose to sing the songs i know and not have a bad attitude. it is cool to hear music live, but i didnt really catch any of their lyrics. i really just like to people watch.

there is something about concerts that makes people want to dance. maybe that is there only time that they get their jiggles out, because some people sure do jig. an older couple there were line dancing, to a song that deffinatly had no line rythm. a hippish woman was dancing, twirling her arms and letting her feet sway back and forth. she was freen and beaming ear to ear. kids were spinning and jumping and shouting... it was like chains were breaking lose. i dont know if they were christians, or if they were dancing out of worship or entertainment... but i do know that music creates a natural, physical desire to dance.

so despite the badly dressed mid-aged dancers, and the high pitched screaming jr. high girls... despite all the things i hate about concerts, i loved that tonight it was just a big party, families dancing. to me, that was cool.