Sailing in Marion

I've been back in Marion, IN for over a week now. The past week was pretty busy and I think the next few weeks will be as well. I've been working a lot and playing a lot and trying to balance all of that with the rest and refresh time I need in order to be a happy camper.
I also have a new hobby.
Well actually, its a hobby I shareAAAA with Shara McClanahan. I gave her a ride downtown the other day and I told her I need more jewelry in my life. She said her favorite place to buy jewelry was Estate Sales. I was like, cool. Then after I dropped her off, I found one! so I went gardening for awhile then picked her up and we went SAILING in Marion!
Then on Sunday I saw that the Marion Flea Market was open (...you know, the yellow one with all the bikes) so I called up Shara and we went Flea Marketing (I guess I can't call this one "sailing," but still. it was great.)! Shara found a set of dishes in her favorite color and we both decided that instead of registering somewhere when we get married we're just going to ask for cash so we can find all our Domesticated goodies at estate sales and flea markets.
These are her dishes:

I've only spent $25 and i bought a typewriter, a pair of colorful shoes, 4 sets of earrings, a set of 4 yellow bowls, 2 old school paintings, a yellow tea pot, little score cards for Bridge (that i'll write notes to people on), and 2 decks of retro playing cards!
Also, I've been working at the Unorganized Bookstore in town and I got the book Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Laurence For Free! It's been fun to be back in Marion, but I do miss my family and friends in Greensboro and I'm excited to be back with them for another week before school starts up again.
If anyone wants to go Estate Sailing with Shara and I the next one is on August 6th. We're now on the Marion e-mail list for all the local sales. Don't even worry about it.

In other news:
For the past few months on the 25th day I've recognized that its __ many months til Christmas. Why? I do not know.

My garden has been getting big and I've been able to eat out of it.

Today I presented on the culture of Jamaica for Exit Downtown's Kids camp going on this week. This is a picture of our group (from when I went in High School) and the Jamaicans we played Soccer with.

And someone has a pet Parrot in Marion, IN. This is for real.

Parables and Potters

I read an article in the paper today about the Smurf movie coming out. It talked about the importance of story and the impact stories make on people. I agree, and I think Jesus agrees. He talked in parables right?
I went to see the last Harry Potter movie tonight. It was funny to see everyone dressed up, trying so hard to look like the characters in the movie. People sizing other people up and making sure they had the best costume. I couldn't help but think about this on the drive home. We all wanted to be part of that story. We all want to be Harry, Ron, or Hermione. But we're not. Leaving the theater all of my friends and I agreed that we were thankful we didn't dress up because it was over now and we would have felt like idiots walking out of the theater in capes. And maybe those people did feel that way walking out, but they sure didn't feel that way walking in. They were a part of something. They were (in their brains) part of the Harry Potter story. They were making every effort to be a student at Hogwarts. But what's really there? What story did they REALLY want to be a part of?
When I was a kid I wanted to be part of Star Wars. I seriously wanted to be Anikan Skywalker or Princess Leah. And if I couldn't do that, I at least thought it would be cool to be at the premier for the movies. I used to ask my parents if they went and if people dressed up and if it was cool (They were too cool for Star Wars, they didn't go). And tonight I found myself a little proud that I get to tell my kids I was there when the last Harry Potter movie came out. I wanted so bad to be part of the Star Wars story. It was weird. I know it now it was weird. I didn't know it then, but I do now.
But isn't that what we do? We watch movies, play games, do things that make us feel a part of something? But when we are honest with ourselves, when we leave the theater, we're really just us. We have a story. We live a story (I am sounding like Donald Miller right now). We always want to be a part of something, but what is that SOMETHING we want to be a part of?
I'm a big fan of the idea that all stories point to the ultimate story teller (God). I don't want to give the Harry Potter movie away, but there is a sacrifice made, a self-less sacrifice. Who DOESN'T want to be a part of a story of such noble character (Now I sound like my dad, making sermon illistrations out of a cupcakes)!?
If I remember correctly, we are invited to participate is such a story. Christ wants to live in us. He wants us to not only know His story of self-less death and resurrection, but also to partake in His story and be the church, the body of Christ. We want to be a part of something because we were made to be a part of something. But if we don't realize what that something is and take part in THAT story then the things we try to be a part of will never fulfill us. We will walk out of the theater feeling like idiots in capes.

It's the little things...

Like staying in your all-red PJ's the majority of the day.
Like cleaning your room while simultaniously your sister is cleaning hers and she brings you new-used clothes.
Like making a bouquet of flowers and finding dozens of freshly hatched baby lady bugs on one of the leaves.
Like scheduling your own doctor's appointments because "You are an adult now."
Like watching your grandparents sleep because they are old and they can sleep anytime, anywhere.
Like cooking with your mom and sister and burning the rice only to find that "I think its better without the rice!"
Like watching juice TV shows and getting angry when you can't solve the mystery in 30 minutes.
Like playing online games and communally sucking at spelling.
Like thinking the moon is too bright.
Like having your voice back and being able to sing on the drive home.
Like brushing your teeth because you now have a dentist appointment in August.
...you know, stuff like that.

Home Base

Thursday.
I babysat Kai Sprock (this is the 16 month boy I've been hanging out with every Tuesday Thursday). He sleeps forever and I read books. then we play and dance and drum and learn new words. He LOVES blueberries and anything in a ball shape. and mowing. It is very fun. I like babysitting.

Then I went back to my townhouse to pack. Didn't leave Marion until about 7:00pm. Ohio is the worst state to drive in. The speed limit on highway 70 fluctuates from 55-70 mph. Its super annoying for a girl who is working really hard not to get any more speeding tickets! I finally arrived in this girls loving embrace around 12:40am.

Why yes, she is a Registered Nurse, check the badge.

She fed me cobbler and icecream and gave me a warm bed and a shower. So lovely to be in the Horswell home. always laughs. always.
Friday.
I woke up early and left about the same time Brittany left for the hospital. Breakfast was delicious. The drive from Charleston, WV to Greensboro, NC is my favorite. The West Virginia turnpike, foggy (at least this time) HUGE mountains, 3 toll booths, the starbucks I usually stop at, 2 tunnels and my favorite look out where you can see into the state of North Carolina near the Blue Ridge park way. it's a sight. I truly do love my drive home. It's always fun to see the trees once I get into NC. The more I come back to my state, the more I fall in love with it. I drove through my neighborhood blaring Dog Days by Florence+the machines and as I drove up to my house, mom was out in her garden working and dancing to my music. It was a great welcome home. Her moves are boss. Then after running some errands around Greensboro, we met up with Hillary and Kyle and drove 4 hours to North Myrtle Beach, SC where my grandparents live. We got there around 10:00pm settled our things and snuggled in for bed. Mom and I slept in the same bed, apparently she can't fall asleep without playing on her iPod touch to settle down first, this cracked me up. I fell right to sleep, I was so tired.
Saturday.
We all woke up to the delivery man bringing a new refrigerator for my grandparents at 8:30am. Then we picked up Christa from her week with Blake's family at breakfast and headed to the beach. I am now very sun burnt because I somehow overlooked my chest area when applying sunscreen and fell asleep in a beach chair. After some beach and pool playtime, we all showered and headed to Olive Garden. Then we went shopping. I've had the same bathing suit since my Junior year of high school, so mom bought me 2 new ones (They were on sale!). Then we went to sleep. Christa slept on couch cushions.
Sunday.
We had church as a family, it was good to hear what God is doing in all of our lives. But it was also weird to process the future of what our family will look like this coming year. Hillary and Kyle are moving to Wilmington, NC- which is really exciting because they love their church and the community there and have been praying for this move for awhile. Christa will be starting her first year of college at Garder Webb in Boiling Springs, NC. Dad will continue working near Atlanta, GA as an army chaplain. And mom will continue working in the cafeteria of Wesleyan Academy in High Point, NC. Then of course I will be finishing my Senior year at IWU in Marion, IN. That was a lot of detail, but its just so weird to think of how we will literally be all over the map. God is at work. I can't wait to see what this year has in store for my family. After church we hit the beach more, i put on spf 50 for my burnt areas. Then we ate cake and icecream with my grandparents and headed back home.
Monday.
Today I woke up and took Christa to get her car at Blake's house, then picked up some boxes from the cafeteria for Hillary and Kyle, then got starbucks for mom and I. After eating some lunch, I got to skype Bethany while I cleaned my room. Then mom and I went to World Market because I wanted to shop for spices, but I needed her input. Mom liked world market. she's going to try the Daniel fast. I am excited for her. I bought spices, black lose leaf tea (for my China Town tea pot!), a mashed potato mix, Thai red curry, and 2 wooden spoons. I am continuing to learn adulthood. It was really fun to shop for homey stuff with mom and hear her wisdom on different kitchen stuff. Afterwards, I went to play ultimate frisbee with Hope Chapel. This is when I saw Jill and a surprise visit from Ashley! It was like 98 degrees today in Greensboro. My shins were sweating. Then we went to Stamey's BBQ for dinner. I got cobbler a la mode for dessert, it was wonderful. Now I am fully showered and ready for bed.
I don't know why I decided to document these days so formally and in such detail, but I did. I hope you enjoyed reading them. If you didn't then try to contact the people from X-Men and they can hopefully erase your memory. But I don't think you get your time back, so I am sorry for that.

Guilt to Grace? I don't know what to title this...

I've been thinking about the ways I spend my time lately.
I've been sick the past few days and I really hate getting sick. It makes me sit still and I get all angry inside because I can't get up and move about without feeling like my head will explode. I sleep a lot. I watch movies or read. I feel like i'm not being productive. But being sick also makes me think straight, I feel like I get back to the basics of what I actually think about myself and my life. Its weird, but I kind of like that feeling. I find myself more content in some ways.
I am such an American, I thrive on productivity! That's so nasty. You know what is also nasty? Guilt. The guilt monster lives on my back. He tells me I'm a failure a lot when I don't get something done that I set out to do. He's such a punk. If he were real I'd punch him in the gut.
I have this dream schedule of my life where I work out regularly, read my bible and other books, clean, write people, be creative... its impossible. If you know me, I'm not really a schedule person. I like having things in order, but I like the mess of life too. All those things get done, just not at the same time. I don't really mind interruptions. I could probably live up to that listy-schedule if I were a robot. But i'm not a robot. I'm human, I am a female human and I live a messy life. But things get done. I need to just accept that. It's not going to change. So I guess I need to just tell that guilt monster to suck it (Don't judge me that I just said suck it). I need to live in better things than guilt like- love and peace and grace... the fruits of the spirit!

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law" Galatians 5:22-23.

Bottom line: Law leads to guilt, grace leads to freedom through Christ.