You Aren’t LOST – It’s Time for the Random Dozen

I knew I liked Linda for a reason…she’s a fellow Lostie!  For those of you who’ve been living on another planet for the last several years, what I mean is that we are devoted fans of the television series, Lost (only one of the best shows evah…said with a New York accent).

So, this week’s questions are geared toward the Lost theme.

You know the drill…answer the questions on your blog and link back up on Linda’s.  Simple as can be!

1. Have you ever been so lost that you were really afraid?

Oh baby, have I been lost?  Ha, Ha, Ha!

More times than I can count!

I lived in LA (Lower Alabama, not Los Angeles) where every dirt road looked the same!  I once got lost driving home from an away football game (while I was in high school).  I wound up in Montgomery, an hour and a half away from home.  That was one long night!

I’ve also gotten lost going home for lunch.  This was when the Mr. and I had just gotten married.  We were living in an apartment a stick’s throw away from Auburn University, and I only found my way home for lunch each day by chance.  One day, I got turned around and drove in circles until I finally found the library (where I worked)…just in time for my lunch time to be over.

Oh yeah, and I once got lost in Miami…wound up in Little Havana with two very little young-uns in the back seat.  The Mr. was not amused at the thought of my endangering the innocent (not me, but the babes).

2. Have you ever been to an island?

Having been on three cruises, I can answer this in the affirmative.  Islands are heavenly!!!!

3. Are you more of a thinker or feeler?

Ok, see, the thing about Linda’s meme is that if you read the questions ahead of time, you actually have time to THINK about the answers.  So, while I was never a thinker before I started participating in the Random Dozen, I think I should now qualify as one.  In fact, I believe I could do a very convincing imitation of Rodin’s The Thinker.

Work with me here (I don’t have time to PhotoShop).  Envision that man fully dressed, with long, naturally curly hair, and a chocolate bar in one hand and a Nintendo DSi in the other.

AuburnChick…the Thinker.

Seriously, I think I am becoming more of a thinker the older I get.  I’ve discovered that being a thinker is hard work!  That’s probably why I love my Excedrin Migraine.  Cures the thinking headaches I get.

4. Do you tend to see issues or situations in life as black and white or shades of gray?

Black and white totally.  It’s either wrong, or it’s not.  Nobody better try to get me to stand in the middle, cause I’m having none of that!

5. If you were stuck on an island, what book would you hope to have with you (Let’s pretend the Bible is already there, so you can’t say that.)

Ok…I thought too much on this.  My first instinct was to go with a favorite book, like The Hiding Place, by Corrie ten Boom (the second person I want to meet when I get to heaven).  This book would remind me that God always provides, even in the most impossible of situations.

But then, I started over-analyzing the question and thought the most practical thing would be to select a book on how to build a boat.  However, I quickly realized, when doing a search on Amazon, that I probably wouldn’t have such items as carbon, teflon, and other materials needed for a boat, so this type of book would do me no good!  So, I’ll stick with my first choice and leave the rescuing up to the rescuers.  I might as well relax while I’m on the island.

6. What are you most afraid of?

Tornadoes.  I don’t know where this fear came from, but I think it’s the unexpectedness of them that paralyzes me with fear.  Once, about six months after my dad died (and a couple of weeks after September 11th), we were having a volunteer breakfast at my children’s elementary school.  An announcement was made about a tornado warning, and I sat shock still at the table with tears running down my face…petrified.  Tornadoes also have the nerve to invade my dreams.  Good gravy!

Sheesh!  I need counseling worse than Kate Gosselin!

*Bad AuburnChick*

7. Would you rather lose all of your old memories or never be able to make new ones?

Oh gosh, Linda.  Why the tough questions this week?

If I lost my old memories, I wouldn’t remember the joy of being pregnant and being force-fed pizza and peas (the Mr. wanted to ensure I was eating a balanced meal).  I wouldn’t remember the thrill of my babies kicking while in the womb and the inexpressible rush of emotion the first time I held them after giving birth.  As they near adulthood, I would miss the memories of watching them grow and mature and become fine mini-grownups.

However, if I lost the ability to make new memories, then that would mean that I would miss becoming friends with a daughter who’s been pushing hard for independence against my desire to hold tight.  I would miss the moment of forgiveness that will surely come one day.  I would miss watching my babies grow, meet the loves of their lives, and have their own babies.

Nope.  I’m not gonna do it.  I can’t choose.

I have to run get a kleenex before answering the next question.

8. Pretend I’m looking at a scrapbook page about you. There are three spaces for you to drop in individual pictures. What are those pictures of, and why did you select them?

Whoa…I need a whole box of kleenex now!

Picture #1 – The picture I took of Chicky and Rooster on the first day of school this year (sorry I can’t show you but you know the rules…no pictures of my babes on the blog).  What strikes me about this photo is how tall Rooster is…towering several inches over Chicky.  I see her maturity and his laid-back attitude.  This picture is a glimpse into the most important things I feel have come from my life.

Picture #2 – My knitting

That is the table I decorated for last year’s women’s retreat at my church (I blogged about it here).  All of the tables were themed, and I picked knitting.  Knitting has become an important outlet through which I give to others.  It has also become the avenue through which I have made very close friends.  I always tell people that I don’t have real-life friends but internet knitting friends.

Picture #3 – Me and my sunflowers…

The teensy bit of gardening I am successful at is growing sunflowers.  I love them, and I think they know that (hmmm…kind of like the students I work with…must be a parallel).  Sunflowers are bright and cheery and make me feel like God is smiling back at me when I gaze upon them.  My kids are used to me planting them each year and look forward to how tall they get.

9. If you were re-doing your wedding, what would you do differently? (If you’re single, tell me one thing you would do if you were planning a wedding OR huge party.)

I would have picked out comfortable shoes…maybe even flip flops of some sort.  Things have loosened up a lot since the 80’s!

10. Tell me one thing you know/believe about forgiveness.

We are commanded to forgive just as Christ forgave us.  Forgiveness is an act of the will, not a reaction to something your heart tells you.

Forgiveness is hard…something I struggle with.

11. You’re waiting in a doctor’s office. What is your favorite way to pass that time?

Knit, of course!

12. If there were a clone of you in a parallel universe what is one way you hope she/he would be the same as you and one way you hope she/he would be better?

Oh, I discussed this with a friend, so I am prepared!  In a parallel universe, I would want the other “me” to be the same go-getter, no waiting on somebody else to do something kind of person.  As far as better, how about if the other me could be a better cook.  At least her family would eat decent meals each night!

It’s Not Just a Game

Chicky has a teammate on her travel team who is on the U.S. U17 Women’s National Team.

Yeah.  She’s a good player.

The U.S. National Team traveled to Costa Rica for World Cup Qualifiers.  Its first game was against the Haitian U17 National Team.

This team had recently lived through the horrendous earthquake that cost thousands of people their lives.

Tonight, ESPN aired a segment about the Haitian team.  I implore you to watch the video (click on the picture to view it from ESPN’s site).

It is one of the most poignant videos I have seen in a long time.

I am so proud of the U.S. girls for their maturity and sensitivity toward the plight of the other team’s players.

They showed that soccer is not just a game but a bridge that links hearts together.

I doubt that anyone will forget the experience.

The Chicklets are on Patrol

Last night was the BIG night.

No, I’m not talking about Dancing With the Stars and the first show without Kate.

*Bad AuburnChick*

What I am referring to is Chicky and Rooster’s final night of lifeguarding class – THE night when they had to take their final exams.

Rooster had been nervous for a few days, concerned about the emergency scenario he would be given.  He had not done well on the practice test last week.

I did not get to see the kids before they left because I had gone to teach a couponing class (more on that in another post).

But, I did take Rooster aside and pray with him.

The Mr. and I waited up for them.  We were actually surprised when class went the full length…until 10pm.

We waited anxiously.

Rooster texted me to let me know they were headed home (a safety rule in this house)…

“On our way home,” he said.

“And…” I asked.

“Chicky failed part of her test, but I passed,” he said.

“Please tell me you’re kidding,” I said, hollering to the Mr. that Chicky supposedly “failed.”  I was doubtful because we like to play jokes on one another.

“Yeah,” Rooster texted back.

Oy.  The boy can be cruel sometimes.

The kids walked in the house shortly after, laughing at the trick they pulled.

Yeah, yeah.  All was forgiven when they proudly displayed their lifeguarding and CPR certificates.

I am so proud of them for hanging in there.  I am proud of them for acting responsibly by looking and preparing for jobs rather than taking the lazy way out and whiling away the summer eating Doritos and playing Xbox.

I chuckled when a parent come up to me at church and ask if he could send his son to my house for training.