Don't get me wrong, having your single and only job each day be to watch hours of television and sit in a recliner and eat snacks isn't a bad life. It's what most of us wish for as we sit at a desk or in an office, as we work with employees or customers. We dread the daily grind. The early mornings, the rules, the uniform, the late nights. But let me tell ya, the coach potato life isn't all it's cracked up to be. (Ya sure, maybe for a solid 48 hours or so, but then after that...it's just pathetic! Plus you start to smell and then no one wants to be around you!)
I got into Baton Rouge on November 6th...and I am still here! (and will be here til December 1st.) It has been so good to be in one place for longer than a minute; to do laundry, take a shower, have a bit of a routine, get familiar with the city. BUT, there are 12 hours in a day and let me tell you, 12 is a lot of hours to fill when you don't have a job or project. I can only read, write and run so much before..well before I can't anymore.
One of my favorite excerpts from Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers says this:
"We are not meant to be illuminated versions, but the common stuff of ordinary life exhibiting the marvel of the grace of God."
If you're a dreamer like I am, this is a hard notion for you. But I have to admit, I think he's got somethin here. And I can't help but think that a lot of how we accomplish this is through work. My dad and I have had a few conversations about this topic. I can't remember the context in which it first came up, but I know it was in a letter he had written me while I was away in Mississippi for school. He wrote something that will never escape me: "work is redeeming."
My dad is always challenging me with great questions (you know, the hard ones with no 'right' answer, that make you lay awake at night) A few months back he asked if I thought God cared about what we do (as in career or job) I said "NO" almost without thinking; not because I had thought about the questions before and felt I had a concrete or satisfactory answer, but because my spirit spoke for me. I worked to string together my thoughts...and those words flashed through my memory 'work is redeeming.' If this is true (which I happen to believe it is) then I don't think God cares what we do, but I think God cares that we care what we do... I think that if I felt passionate about flipping burgers for the rest of my life (not that there is anything wrong with flipping burgers) then he wouldn't care if that's what I did.
(This will sound a little christian-ese...but it's the filter through which I process, so bear with me) If work and toil and sweat is what God mandated after the fall of man, then I have to believe that's part of the equation. I believe that work..the doldrums, the exhaustion...it is our way of making things right. And it's not individualistic...it's not: I screwed up and the consequence is toil. It's: we're all really freakin messed up and by working we entertain the idea and spirit of something bigger.
Basically here's the conclusion I've come to: I'm not going crazy doing nothing because I'm simply bored, Although I believe that has something to do with it (when you're getting through seasons of shows in a matter of days, it's never a good sign). But I believe it's hard for me to not be working or devoting myself to a task because that is one of the ways we are able to work things out with God, it is the beginning of redemption. the small sparks of me saying, 'I'm not the center of the world.'
It always makes more sense in my head...but it's my theory and I'm stickin to it (for now).
The hard part will be to remind myself of this when I'm back home, sitting in a desk, ripping out my hair!
Here I come Amurrrica!!!
Saturday, November 30, 2013
Thursday, November 28, 2013
Thank Filled
Almost nothing about my day has screamed (or even quietly hollered) Thanksgiving. Slept in til about noon, have stayed in my pajamas (even for a short outing to the store to stock up on supplies for mimosas!) and haven't eaten "Thanksgiving-ish" food, not even a single cranberry. In fact for dinner we're making a sausage/cabbage extravaganza...pretty sure the pilgrims didn't use Cajun seasoning in their smorgasbord. At this point in the evening we've watched at least half a season of Sons of Anarchy (and while yes, it's not the most wholesome show, you'd be surprised at the lessons/ideals that have bubbled to the surface).
I got to skype my family this morning. Have yet to decide if it did my spirit more harm than good.So great to see them, got some great laughs in, but having them all in the same frame and then me bein here all by my lonesome just reminded me that..."hey, wait a minute, I'm not there."
The one tradition I will hold is this. Every year at the dinner table we go around and express what we're most thankful for and while I'm sitting in a recliner as opposed to the dinner table with family I thought a shout out on here would suffice.
The answer is and always has been easy. I am thankful for the people God has placed around me. Situations and circumstances change, but its the people around me that make the valleys bearable and the peaks meaningful. I would love to go through and write a snippet about each and every one of you...really truly [I have the time and capability (and desire)]. But there is one thing that sticks out to me. My first hosts, Mike and Janet. I see now why it was so appropriate that they were the people that started my trip...they have gifted me with the MOST important lesson I have learned thus far which is simply to remember which things in life are important. (and not important as in my bank account or image, my schedule or weight...important as in Kingdom important).
There have been fun places, scary places, not ideal situations, loneliness, annoyance, laughter, growth. But amidst everything and everyone; crazy feelings and even crazier realities, I am alive. I have people around me who love me. period. (Jan and Mike, your family leans into this better than anyone I've witnessed.) Your family stays heavy on my heart, you are tethered there by my deepest gratitude. It will never fall or fade away.
Thank You. THANKFUL.
I got to skype my family this morning. Have yet to decide if it did my spirit more harm than good.So great to see them, got some great laughs in, but having them all in the same frame and then me bein here all by my lonesome just reminded me that..."hey, wait a minute, I'm not there."
The one tradition I will hold is this. Every year at the dinner table we go around and express what we're most thankful for and while I'm sitting in a recliner as opposed to the dinner table with family I thought a shout out on here would suffice.
The answer is and always has been easy. I am thankful for the people God has placed around me. Situations and circumstances change, but its the people around me that make the valleys bearable and the peaks meaningful. I would love to go through and write a snippet about each and every one of you...really truly [I have the time and capability (and desire)]. But there is one thing that sticks out to me. My first hosts, Mike and Janet. I see now why it was so appropriate that they were the people that started my trip...they have gifted me with the MOST important lesson I have learned thus far which is simply to remember which things in life are important. (and not important as in my bank account or image, my schedule or weight...important as in Kingdom important).
There have been fun places, scary places, not ideal situations, loneliness, annoyance, laughter, growth. But amidst everything and everyone; crazy feelings and even crazier realities, I am alive. I have people around me who love me. period. (Jan and Mike, your family leans into this better than anyone I've witnessed.) Your family stays heavy on my heart, you are tethered there by my deepest gratitude. It will never fall or fade away.
Thank You. THANKFUL.
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Quick English Lesson
I remember a young life talk in high school about the way God intended us to be in communion with him. To illustrate, there were 2 glasses of water…one was God, the other, us. The glasses could pour back and forth. And then SIN (red dye) comes into the picture and our glass is tainted. We can no longer pour into Christ because he can have no part of imperfection. It makes the gap between us large and gaping. Not only can we not be apart of him, a piece of him; but now as a glass full of red, we can’t understand or comprehend what it would feel like to be a glass full of clear; purity. It makes reality hard but it also limits the intangibles… our thoughts, our feelings. Does that make sense? ( I feel like it was much clearer In my head!)
But then as I sat reading Anne Lammott’s new book, “Stitches”
my mind was blown. She writes:
“What a paradox: that we connect with God, with divinity, in
our flesh and blood and time and space.” (If I were a glass full of pure water this was no doubt make
sense, but since I’m red I had a hard time wrapping my mind around it.)
I read it...and then I read it again…and then again. The
more I read it, the less sense it made. The more I thought about it, the
less sense God made. If God is perfect, holy, divine…if he cannot be tainted or
tarnished, if our ugly, messy selves can’t even begin to comprehend or match
up…how are we able to even get glimpses of him?
The only revelation I could make was this: GOD is so
FREAKING big! His perfection meets us in our imperfection, his purity in our
absurdity. I guess that’s what a paradox is. It just feels like it holds so
much more weight than being a simple English term.
Anne’s quote makes me feel like my whole life then is a paradox.
But it’s not just God’s goodness comparing to my badness, it’s not just that he
contradicts me, which is how paradox’s are described and defined. Its that,when I commune
with God (the biggest contradiction in my life) I in fact live in accord and
harmony (which I’ll have you know are antonyms of contradiction). Man, this all gets so confusing, English 101 didn't prepare me for any of these questions. You know you
serve an amazing god when even his paradox’s are paradox’s.
Monday, November 18, 2013
Jack in the Crack
Last night Alicia and her boyfriend wanted some privacy to talk so I offered to get out of the house for a bit. I had been craving a milkshake all day so I thought I'd post up at a jack and the box, get a shake, and make some calls back home.
Well I pulled into jack in the crack (as we nicknamed it on the ave in seattle) at 10:30. The line didn't move for at least 10 minutes and even then there was still 4 cars in front of me. After 7 or 8 more minutes, 2 big trucks pulled out of line and I inched forward! By the time I reached the window to order (literally a half hour later) I asked for a small chocolate shake and the voice on the other side of the box said, "we're outta shakes!"
"you're outta shakes?" that doesn't seem like it should be possible.
It's like God (or the wasteline fairy) was screaming...DONT DO IT!!!
by the time I got out of jack and the box every other place near was closing.
I got desperate and decided to settle for just any old ice-cream, so I pulled into a CVS, luckily they had my favorite...Haggen Daz, Caramel cone...seriously, the shit!
I ate the whole thing in a single sitting as I sat stewing
It was the first time I kinda hated Baton Rouge.
who runs out of milkshakes!?!?
Well I pulled into jack in the crack (as we nicknamed it on the ave in seattle) at 10:30. The line didn't move for at least 10 minutes and even then there was still 4 cars in front of me. After 7 or 8 more minutes, 2 big trucks pulled out of line and I inched forward! By the time I reached the window to order (literally a half hour later) I asked for a small chocolate shake and the voice on the other side of the box said, "we're outta shakes!"
"you're outta shakes?" that doesn't seem like it should be possible.
It's like God (or the wasteline fairy) was screaming...DONT DO IT!!!
by the time I got out of jack and the box every other place near was closing.
I got desperate and decided to settle for just any old ice-cream, so I pulled into a CVS, luckily they had my favorite...Haggen Daz, Caramel cone...seriously, the shit!
I ate the whole thing in a single sitting as I sat stewing
It was the first time I kinda hated Baton Rouge.
who runs out of milkshakes!?!?
Sunday, November 17, 2013
Thibodaux
Yesterday Me, Alicia and her boyfriend drove to Thibodaux, one of those cute little southern college towns. Alicia's brother is the offensive line coach at Nicholls State University and they were playing Central Arkansas. (If you haven't been able to tell from some of my posts Alicia's life is surrounded by football; her 2 brothers, dad and boyfriend all coach in some capacity...so needless to say, football has been big during my time here!)
ANYWAYS, after the game we all went to dinner at this mexican joint. We were just chattin when Matt (Alicias brother) saw a friend of his. His friend (Walker) ended up sittin with us for the rest of the night. At one point Alicia, Matt and Chris got into a convo, which left me and Walker just sittin there! Once we got to talkin though, we quickly found common ground on (of course) the city of Jackson. He had been offered a job to coach baseball at JSU (for those of you who don't know, I attended JSU in Jackson Mississippi 3 years ago, it continues to be one of my most favorite (and challenging) times of life).
As we chatted my road trip came up..where have ya been? how long do you stay places? what cities next? He asked the usual questions...but then he said, "so whats the end goal?"
"of this trip?" I clarified
"no...for your life?"
MIND BLOWN! Seems like a question I would have asked myself once or twice before, but I'm not sure I've ever been asked in such a matter of fact way...I felt his question was accompanied by a clarifying clause: don't over complicate or over think it, just a short simple answer. Well, if you know me, you know I'm almost incapable of not over-analyzing things, so for the moment all I could think to say was....ummmm (and just kept on sayin that)!) As I gathered my thoughts I tried to condense almost all of what I've learned in the last 24 years of my life into 1 short sentence.
"end goal...to enjoy God."
Lord knows I couldn't possibly leave it at that so I added a whole bunch of stuff about what it might look like, that for me it has to do with relationships etc...I felt bad for him as I left my body and heard myself speak..he must have wanted to scream "SHUT UP!!!" but he was kind enough to engage and listen.
After I was done word vomiting all over him, I asked him right back..."how would you answer that question." His answer was simple...."happiness."
"I would like that too" I said..."although lately I've been convicted that maybe that shouldn't be the end goal." I'm surprised he didn't leave at this point, not only had I opened my mouth...AGAIN, but I had in a way shot his answer down. But while we dissected this thought, turns out we were on the same page...we decided that happiness might be better substituted with the phrase, full of meaning.
We talked about how happiness is only part of the spectrum. It made me reflect on God's desire for us to have life to the FULL...the full spectrum, 0-100 (which does in fact incorporate the 0) deep sorrow and pain. If we try to isolate the happiness, I think we miss out on what I dare to bet is the more important part of the spectrum. The parts that bring us to our knees, that humble us, that grow us, that force us to trust others with our inner-most selves, the require us to search and seek, that bring out the best and worst of ourselves, the parts that authenticate relationships.
It made me feel better about the parts of this trip (the parts of life) that have been difficult. It doesn't mean I have to like the 0's or even accept them with grace..in fact I've come to terms with the fact that I will probably still kick and scream and pout and bitch, but then, when all that fades and I'm able to just sit in the suckiness of certain situations, I'm simultaneously able to relish in the biggness of it all.
Thanks Walker...best question yet.
ANYWAYS, after the game we all went to dinner at this mexican joint. We were just chattin when Matt (Alicias brother) saw a friend of his. His friend (Walker) ended up sittin with us for the rest of the night. At one point Alicia, Matt and Chris got into a convo, which left me and Walker just sittin there! Once we got to talkin though, we quickly found common ground on (of course) the city of Jackson. He had been offered a job to coach baseball at JSU (for those of you who don't know, I attended JSU in Jackson Mississippi 3 years ago, it continues to be one of my most favorite (and challenging) times of life).
As we chatted my road trip came up..where have ya been? how long do you stay places? what cities next? He asked the usual questions...but then he said, "so whats the end goal?"
"of this trip?" I clarified
"no...for your life?"
MIND BLOWN! Seems like a question I would have asked myself once or twice before, but I'm not sure I've ever been asked in such a matter of fact way...I felt his question was accompanied by a clarifying clause: don't over complicate or over think it, just a short simple answer. Well, if you know me, you know I'm almost incapable of not over-analyzing things, so for the moment all I could think to say was....ummmm (and just kept on sayin that)!) As I gathered my thoughts I tried to condense almost all of what I've learned in the last 24 years of my life into 1 short sentence.
"end goal...to enjoy God."
Lord knows I couldn't possibly leave it at that so I added a whole bunch of stuff about what it might look like, that for me it has to do with relationships etc...I felt bad for him as I left my body and heard myself speak..he must have wanted to scream "SHUT UP!!!" but he was kind enough to engage and listen.
After I was done word vomiting all over him, I asked him right back..."how would you answer that question." His answer was simple...."happiness."
"I would like that too" I said..."although lately I've been convicted that maybe that shouldn't be the end goal." I'm surprised he didn't leave at this point, not only had I opened my mouth...AGAIN, but I had in a way shot his answer down. But while we dissected this thought, turns out we were on the same page...we decided that happiness might be better substituted with the phrase, full of meaning.
We talked about how happiness is only part of the spectrum. It made me reflect on God's desire for us to have life to the FULL...the full spectrum, 0-100 (which does in fact incorporate the 0) deep sorrow and pain. If we try to isolate the happiness, I think we miss out on what I dare to bet is the more important part of the spectrum. The parts that bring us to our knees, that humble us, that grow us, that force us to trust others with our inner-most selves, the require us to search and seek, that bring out the best and worst of ourselves, the parts that authenticate relationships.
It made me feel better about the parts of this trip (the parts of life) that have been difficult. It doesn't mean I have to like the 0's or even accept them with grace..in fact I've come to terms with the fact that I will probably still kick and scream and pout and bitch, but then, when all that fades and I'm able to just sit in the suckiness of certain situations, I'm simultaneously able to relish in the biggness of it all.
Thanks Walker...best question yet.
Friday, November 15, 2013
Fried Green Tomatoes
Yesterday I putzed around New Orleans (Nawlins for the experienced traveler) and I have to admit, it's a lot less fun to explore alone. But even still, you can't escape the 'whimsy' of the city. It's this magical place where adventure and light heartedness meets deep rooted pain and hurt...the combination creates this richness that's impossible to describe, you really truly have to walk the streets yourself to understand.
Actually, for the first few hours of the morning, I got to be with friends from Seattle (a much needed piece of home for me). They were there for a Young Life convention and with me bein only a little over an hour away I couldn't imagine not makin the trip. After they left I stayed to explore. I strolled around shops, stopped and listened to the small bands tryin to make a buck, sat and drank coffee as I watched passer-byers...some rather nice "me" time.
As I ventured to find Cafe Du Monde (Beignets to DIE for!) I was distracted by a huge group of people gathered around and watching a street performance. I stopped a few yards away and watched for a minute when a man grabbed me and said, "sit" and pointed at a seat in the very front.
"I'm really OK, I'll just watch from here"
but I was wasting my breathe, he was already dragging me across the audience to sit front and center. Then, as he stood and waited for his time to shine (he was apart of the performance) he started signaling to me and mouthing "where you from?" (I guess I looked more like a foreigner then I thought). We tried to communicate this way for awhile when finally he signaled to me like a cop stopping traffic..."Just stay there, I'll come find you after!" he disappeared behind the crowd and then for the finale came running at a line that had been formed of at least 8 of the audience members...he jumped over all them,cleared it like it was nothing.
When he came to find me after the performance it was the first time I noticed his thick accent. He was from the Caribbean, a small island called St. Kitts. His aura and vibe was contagious, one of the most genuinely and outwardly kind people I have met. Every single person that walked up to him after the performance was given his full attention and gratitude. He introduced me to some of his crew, not as warm, but real through to his core. Within minutes they had convinced me to have dinner with them.
"Even if you don't eat with us, we're not letting you walk to your car alone!"
We walked down the block and stopped into this seafood place, it wasn't very busy but then again it was only nearly 4:30 and the dinner rush hadn't hit yet. (plus we all know people go to the french quarter to drink, not eat). I got fried green tomatoes (because I had never tried em and was in an adventurous mood-considering I was at dinner with 2 complete strangers!)SO good!
Anyways, during dinner I got to pick their brains a bit. Turns out Alex, 'Rasta Man' as he insisted I call him, is in a group called the Calypso Tumblers that performed on America's Got Talent (here's a link to his story, it's seriously amazing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39RbRRPoAYM) and this other guy has an amazing story (but as I promised him, wouldn't post any piece of it so you'll have to take me at my word!) But hearing them was such a good reminder that EVERYONE has a story...it's just that we're all so busy lookin out for #1 that we don't stop to listen.
I'll be honest when I saw them performing on the street I assumed they were nobody's (I should know better by now!) While talking with these men I quickly realized neither had had any aspect of life handed to them. They both had to put in so much sweat equity to become experts of their craft. (another great reminder that nothing comes easy and its usually less romantic in reality than it is in your head...these guys are hustlin EVERY DAY on the street, it's no cake walk.) But they do it because they love it. They both have enough (more than enough) talent to be living in Hollywood and making serious money but they are dedicated to doing what brings them joy and making sure people were able to share in their passion.
At their performances they end with a plea... "kids, stay in school and don't do drugs, it's bad for your bodies! and remember, there is only 1 race, the human race!" I felt like God had plopped me in that audience to remind me that I'm not alone on this journey, that there are in fact kindred spirits all around me. Amidst all the warnings and people begging me to be careful (rightfully so), amidst the craziness and darkness of the streets I sit and share a meal with bearers of hope. No hurricane, no amount of alcohol, bars or drunkies walkin the street, no gangs or amount of violence is able to ward off Gods grace and mystery.
Alex and crew...blessings to you! Nothing but admiration and respect for your talent and vision. Thank you for sharing your time and your story with me.
Actually, for the first few hours of the morning, I got to be with friends from Seattle (a much needed piece of home for me). They were there for a Young Life convention and with me bein only a little over an hour away I couldn't imagine not makin the trip. After they left I stayed to explore. I strolled around shops, stopped and listened to the small bands tryin to make a buck, sat and drank coffee as I watched passer-byers...some rather nice "me" time.
As I ventured to find Cafe Du Monde (Beignets to DIE for!) I was distracted by a huge group of people gathered around and watching a street performance. I stopped a few yards away and watched for a minute when a man grabbed me and said, "sit" and pointed at a seat in the very front.
"I'm really OK, I'll just watch from here"
but I was wasting my breathe, he was already dragging me across the audience to sit front and center. Then, as he stood and waited for his time to shine (he was apart of the performance) he started signaling to me and mouthing "where you from?" (I guess I looked more like a foreigner then I thought). We tried to communicate this way for awhile when finally he signaled to me like a cop stopping traffic..."Just stay there, I'll come find you after!" he disappeared behind the crowd and then for the finale came running at a line that had been formed of at least 8 of the audience members...he jumped over all them,cleared it like it was nothing.
When he came to find me after the performance it was the first time I noticed his thick accent. He was from the Caribbean, a small island called St. Kitts. His aura and vibe was contagious, one of the most genuinely and outwardly kind people I have met. Every single person that walked up to him after the performance was given his full attention and gratitude. He introduced me to some of his crew, not as warm, but real through to his core. Within minutes they had convinced me to have dinner with them.
"Even if you don't eat with us, we're not letting you walk to your car alone!"
We walked down the block and stopped into this seafood place, it wasn't very busy but then again it was only nearly 4:30 and the dinner rush hadn't hit yet. (plus we all know people go to the french quarter to drink, not eat). I got fried green tomatoes (because I had never tried em and was in an adventurous mood-considering I was at dinner with 2 complete strangers!)SO good!
Anyways, during dinner I got to pick their brains a bit. Turns out Alex, 'Rasta Man' as he insisted I call him, is in a group called the Calypso Tumblers that performed on America's Got Talent (here's a link to his story, it's seriously amazing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39RbRRPoAYM) and this other guy has an amazing story (but as I promised him, wouldn't post any piece of it so you'll have to take me at my word!) But hearing them was such a good reminder that EVERYONE has a story...it's just that we're all so busy lookin out for #1 that we don't stop to listen.
I'll be honest when I saw them performing on the street I assumed they were nobody's (I should know better by now!) While talking with these men I quickly realized neither had had any aspect of life handed to them. They both had to put in so much sweat equity to become experts of their craft. (another great reminder that nothing comes easy and its usually less romantic in reality than it is in your head...these guys are hustlin EVERY DAY on the street, it's no cake walk.) But they do it because they love it. They both have enough (more than enough) talent to be living in Hollywood and making serious money but they are dedicated to doing what brings them joy and making sure people were able to share in their passion.
At their performances they end with a plea... "kids, stay in school and don't do drugs, it's bad for your bodies! and remember, there is only 1 race, the human race!" I felt like God had plopped me in that audience to remind me that I'm not alone on this journey, that there are in fact kindred spirits all around me. Amidst all the warnings and people begging me to be careful (rightfully so), amidst the craziness and darkness of the streets I sit and share a meal with bearers of hope. No hurricane, no amount of alcohol, bars or drunkies walkin the street, no gangs or amount of violence is able to ward off Gods grace and mystery.
Alex and crew...blessings to you! Nothing but admiration and respect for your talent and vision. Thank you for sharing your time and your story with me.
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
CUPCAKES!
So today me and Alicia went to Rotolo's tonight for dinner, a great little pizza place down the block. I was diggin the vibe; it was kinda dark, but not creepily so...music playin, but not too loud, had beer on tap so it brought in enough characters but also nice enough to bring your family (if your standards for a "family joint" are similar to my families).
Well Alicia's work had a ton of left over cupcakes so we brought them to Rotolo's to give to the workers. (really, it was a favor for us because if they wouldnt take them then lord knows we'd eat all of them ourselves!) But when we called one of the workers over to explain the huge box we carried in, she seemed so confused.
"wait, these are for us?"
yes!
"All of them?"
(no, just a half of one....YES all of them!)
We walked to our table and watched her hesitantly take the box to the bar, she seemed to whisper to the workers what had went down, there was stares and pointing towards us.
But despite their reluctance (I dunno, maybe they thought we poisoned em) each worker had snagged as many cupcakes as they could hold.
Their initial hesitancy had made us feel weird for having gifted them.
I sat and thought about that for a minute.
Isn't it sad that its so weird and rare to have someone do something kind?
NO...we don't want anything of you (I mean we wouldn't hate it if you gave us calzones for free) but we were just trying to be nice.
As the minutes past I grew more and more annoyed by this.
why is it so weird to recieve gifts, random acts of kindness, favors?!?
If we can't receive cupcakes with open arms how could we possibly receive divine gifts like grace and love.
I believe it takes practice...I bet if we brought cupcakes to Rotolo's more often, they would find it easier and easier to recieve them. Less reluctance, less questioning, less pointing and staring. I believe it's the same with God, I've never been more convicted or convinced of this.
I feel as though I got a TINY glimpse of what God must feel when trying to gift us...whether with a person He knows we need for a certain season, or the material resources we lack, or the affirmation and worth we so desire. I can hear him yelling, "ITS A FREAKING CUPCAKE...just take it!"
I plan on practicing the gifts of giving and receiving while I roam the country. Hell, if God's handin out cupcakes, I wanna be there!
Well Alicia's work had a ton of left over cupcakes so we brought them to Rotolo's to give to the workers. (really, it was a favor for us because if they wouldnt take them then lord knows we'd eat all of them ourselves!) But when we called one of the workers over to explain the huge box we carried in, she seemed so confused.
"wait, these are for us?"
yes!
"All of them?"
(no, just a half of one....YES all of them!)
We walked to our table and watched her hesitantly take the box to the bar, she seemed to whisper to the workers what had went down, there was stares and pointing towards us.
But despite their reluctance (I dunno, maybe they thought we poisoned em) each worker had snagged as many cupcakes as they could hold.
Their initial hesitancy had made us feel weird for having gifted them.
I sat and thought about that for a minute.
Isn't it sad that its so weird and rare to have someone do something kind?
NO...we don't want anything of you (I mean we wouldn't hate it if you gave us calzones for free) but we were just trying to be nice.
As the minutes past I grew more and more annoyed by this.
why is it so weird to recieve gifts, random acts of kindness, favors?!?
If we can't receive cupcakes with open arms how could we possibly receive divine gifts like grace and love.
I believe it takes practice...I bet if we brought cupcakes to Rotolo's more often, they would find it easier and easier to recieve them. Less reluctance, less questioning, less pointing and staring. I believe it's the same with God, I've never been more convicted or convinced of this.
I feel as though I got a TINY glimpse of what God must feel when trying to gift us...whether with a person He knows we need for a certain season, or the material resources we lack, or the affirmation and worth we so desire. I can hear him yelling, "ITS A FREAKING CUPCAKE...just take it!"
I plan on practicing the gifts of giving and receiving while I roam the country. Hell, if God's handin out cupcakes, I wanna be there!
Monday, November 11, 2013
Treasure Hunt
One of the first things I noticed about Louisiana, which is true for a lot of the southern states I've passed through is that it's not very welcoming to foot traffic.
In fact, it's to the point where if you're walking around the block, to the store...anywhere, people stop and ask if you're OK. (happened to me today).
yup....just walkin
why?
It almost makes you second guess yourself.."I dunno...why am I walking?!?" (the couch was so much comfier!)
But seriously, most of the roads around here don't even have sidewalks! whats that about?
If no ones out walkin (then yes, it explains the obesity rates) but it also helps explains the attitudes of people and vibe and feel of the city. How are we supposed to belong to eachother if we dont know each other? How am I supposed to care about someone I never see? How can I be kind to my neighbors if I can't get to em? (I'm being a bit dramatic, there are ways to get around...but you know what I mean!?)
For those of you that know me, you know I LOVE to walk. It is one of my favorite ways to exercise, but it's also a good way for me to get quality time to myself. But perhaps the best thing about walkin is that it's allowed me to see so much and has given me the opportunity to meet so many people; people I would otherwise not see, places I would otherwise pass up! So while I'm in Baton Rouge for awhile I figured I'd get to know the community I'm in. I will be walking everyday (well as often as I can) a new route, to engage with the people and space that I'm in.(YES, I'll be safe). But this no-sidewalk shit is ridiculous. Someone's gotta walk these streets. Bet there are hidden gems all around here.
In fact, it's to the point where if you're walking around the block, to the store...anywhere, people stop and ask if you're OK. (happened to me today).
yup....just walkin
why?
It almost makes you second guess yourself.."I dunno...why am I walking?!?" (the couch was so much comfier!)
But seriously, most of the roads around here don't even have sidewalks! whats that about?
If no ones out walkin (then yes, it explains the obesity rates) but it also helps explains the attitudes of people and vibe and feel of the city. How are we supposed to belong to eachother if we dont know each other? How am I supposed to care about someone I never see? How can I be kind to my neighbors if I can't get to em? (I'm being a bit dramatic, there are ways to get around...but you know what I mean!?)
For those of you that know me, you know I LOVE to walk. It is one of my favorite ways to exercise, but it's also a good way for me to get quality time to myself. But perhaps the best thing about walkin is that it's allowed me to see so much and has given me the opportunity to meet so many people; people I would otherwise not see, places I would otherwise pass up! So while I'm in Baton Rouge for awhile I figured I'd get to know the community I'm in. I will be walking everyday (well as often as I can) a new route, to engage with the people and space that I'm in.(YES, I'll be safe). But this no-sidewalk shit is ridiculous. Someone's gotta walk these streets. Bet there are hidden gems all around here.
GEAUX TIGERS!!!
Made it to Baton Rouge in one piece.
I'm staying with a friend from college who I got to live with for 2 years.
It wasn't all that long, but we got to engage in a way that bonded us for life.
So it was a no brainer when I was looking into a place to stay in Baton Rouge (although now I bet she wishes we were less close, having a guest for multiple weeks probably wasn't one of her Christmas wishes, haha!)
It's been 6 days and I've already had to much fun!
She works at "Cupcake Couture" so you can imagine how wonderfully awful it is to get free cupcakes all the time! I visit her at work and harass passer-byers to buy cupcakes, we make a wonderful team!
We had our first real adventure Saturday night after driving to Alabama for the LSU game. Alicia's dating a grad assistant for LSU so we got BALLER tickets. We sat 8 rows up from the field right behind 2 of the most hilarious fans I've ever met.
The scene was familiar. Alabama's fans sported crimson and grey, LSU supporters wore purple and gold. Made me think of UW and WSU, however this scene was like our Apple Cup on steroids. It was crazier than any sporting event I've ever been too.
However, the game was not the most exciting part of the night. After the game we met up with Alicia's boyfriend at the buses. She said her goodbyes, we got our hugs in and then we started towards the car. Well, what we failed to realize is that since we had went around the stadium to visit the buses, we weren't walking out the same way we had walked in. I'll be the first to admit that my sense of direction isn't as sharp as I'd hope. (I still make L's with both hands to figure out which way is left and right) BUT the street we walked out on looked identical to the street we walked in on. Vendors lined both sidewalks and there was a constant sea of people pushing and shoving their way through. We had parked behind a church on a street called "black bear" so we walked and walked but neither of us spotted the signs we were lookin for.
"feels like we should be there by now"
People had pittered out one by one and now we were the only ones walking. (never a good sign!)
We pulled out our phones to help us out. Oddly enough we couldn't find the street we were looking for. Most smart people would turn back and re-trace their steps, but nope, not us...we just kept walking. Finally it got to the point where A. we were exhausted (we had now been walking for 30 or so minutes) and B. we were starving! (it was midnight and we hadn't eaten dinner). Finally I saw a cop pull up to a light,
"excuse me officer...do you know where black bear street is?"
(he laughed as if to mock us...you guys are so far off!)
He gave us directions that took us another mile or 2 to our car. It felt so nice to sit!
We had to drive another hour or so to our hotel in Meridian Mississippi so we thought we'd hit the road and wait to grab somethin to eat til we got there. but we were BEYOND hungry...we were hangry (hungry/angry) and we had started to kinda nip at each other. The only thing that gave us hope was that we had decided Taco Bell was the destination once we got to Meridian. Well when we finally pulled into the city, around 1:30, the Taco Bell was literally just closing their doors. We were heart broken, but there was a Mcdonalds next door. Nope, they were closed too. We drove around for another 15 minutes...everything was closed. I thought Louisiana was like the most obese state in the country, or at least the second, you would think fast food would be a priority.
We were on the verge of giving up and going to bed with our stomaches gnawing at our gastrointestinal lining, but just as we were about to turn...lights! Burger King was open!
We got our food to go and got to our hotel room (which we were sharing with alicias boyfriends brothers girlfriend, haha) So we quietly (not so quietly) sat on the floor and laughed as we shoved fries and chicken down our face.
If this isn't what the trip is all about...then I'm not sure what is.
I'm staying with a friend from college who I got to live with for 2 years.
It wasn't all that long, but we got to engage in a way that bonded us for life.
So it was a no brainer when I was looking into a place to stay in Baton Rouge (although now I bet she wishes we were less close, having a guest for multiple weeks probably wasn't one of her Christmas wishes, haha!)
It's been 6 days and I've already had to much fun!
She works at "Cupcake Couture" so you can imagine how wonderfully awful it is to get free cupcakes all the time! I visit her at work and harass passer-byers to buy cupcakes, we make a wonderful team!
We had our first real adventure Saturday night after driving to Alabama for the LSU game. Alicia's dating a grad assistant for LSU so we got BALLER tickets. We sat 8 rows up from the field right behind 2 of the most hilarious fans I've ever met.
The scene was familiar. Alabama's fans sported crimson and grey, LSU supporters wore purple and gold. Made me think of UW and WSU, however this scene was like our Apple Cup on steroids. It was crazier than any sporting event I've ever been too.
However, the game was not the most exciting part of the night. After the game we met up with Alicia's boyfriend at the buses. She said her goodbyes, we got our hugs in and then we started towards the car. Well, what we failed to realize is that since we had went around the stadium to visit the buses, we weren't walking out the same way we had walked in. I'll be the first to admit that my sense of direction isn't as sharp as I'd hope. (I still make L's with both hands to figure out which way is left and right) BUT the street we walked out on looked identical to the street we walked in on. Vendors lined both sidewalks and there was a constant sea of people pushing and shoving their way through. We had parked behind a church on a street called "black bear" so we walked and walked but neither of us spotted the signs we were lookin for.
"feels like we should be there by now"
People had pittered out one by one and now we were the only ones walking. (never a good sign!)
We pulled out our phones to help us out. Oddly enough we couldn't find the street we were looking for. Most smart people would turn back and re-trace their steps, but nope, not us...we just kept walking. Finally it got to the point where A. we were exhausted (we had now been walking for 30 or so minutes) and B. we were starving! (it was midnight and we hadn't eaten dinner). Finally I saw a cop pull up to a light,
"excuse me officer...do you know where black bear street is?"
(he laughed as if to mock us...you guys are so far off!)
He gave us directions that took us another mile or 2 to our car. It felt so nice to sit!
We had to drive another hour or so to our hotel in Meridian Mississippi so we thought we'd hit the road and wait to grab somethin to eat til we got there. but we were BEYOND hungry...we were hangry (hungry/angry) and we had started to kinda nip at each other. The only thing that gave us hope was that we had decided Taco Bell was the destination once we got to Meridian. Well when we finally pulled into the city, around 1:30, the Taco Bell was literally just closing their doors. We were heart broken, but there was a Mcdonalds next door. Nope, they were closed too. We drove around for another 15 minutes...everything was closed. I thought Louisiana was like the most obese state in the country, or at least the second, you would think fast food would be a priority.
We were on the verge of giving up and going to bed with our stomaches gnawing at our gastrointestinal lining, but just as we were about to turn...lights! Burger King was open!
We got our food to go and got to our hotel room (which we were sharing with alicias boyfriends brothers girlfriend, haha) So we quietly (not so quietly) sat on the floor and laughed as we shoved fries and chicken down our face.
If this isn't what the trip is all about...then I'm not sure what is.
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Take the Lead
The 7 hour drive to Baton Rouge today gave me a chance to really sort through some of my thoughts (and allowed me to go through all 15 cd's in my car!) It was actually kinda perfect because I took a bit of a writing break in Austin and now instead of you guys getting a few scatter brained blogs throughout the week, hopefully this one will cover a lot of the thoughts I had.
The illustration for one of the major things God taught me while in Texas came to me while I was tipsy, dancing with Eddie (my 70yr old creepy dance partner). Some then might question the validity of this spirit work, however I only find that it only solidifies God's BIGGNESS, If he can work in a sauced girl while two-steppin, I know he's capable of it elsewhere.
Anyways, while Eddie was a tad bit inappropriate, maybe just a bit over confident, he was an AMAZING dancer and an even more amazing teacher! I had done the 2 step all of 3 songs when he grabbed me, but dancing with him made it feel SO easy. Not easy in the sense that I put in no work, in fact out of all the dancing I did that night, my time with Eddie required the most effort. But during our last dance together, at the very end, he dipped me so far back that my hair dusted the floor. I popped back up and I couldn't even begin to describe the joy I felt. I imagine its how people in 'Dancing with the Stars' must feel, Everyone's watching and clapping for your performance, which feels amazing, but the most amazing part is having the person who taught you; the master, the expert look at you with pride and affirmation...I felt like I could conquer the world.
There were 3 things that stuck out most clearly in why dancing with Eddie felt so good, and also explained why it required so much of me.
the first thing was that I had to LISTEN!
He would call out phrases and words (dance moves to people who knew the 2-step, but to me, just words). I quickly learned to decipher them. But that meant HEARING them. This task isn't easy in a bar full of rowdy cowboys. It meant focusing; listening and reading his lips.."what is he saying?"
Second, I had to FEEL.
This one's scary (especially when it means you're gettin up close and personal with a stranger) but I had to FEEL the wrong steps to understand why they were wrong and FEEL the right steps to understand why they were right. It would have been so nice if I could have read up on two-steppin, maybe watched a few YouTube videos and gone out and done it perfectly, but we all know thats not how life works. We're afraid to feel (cause well in this case, and in many like it, it means feeling like a complete idiot). But the lows; the embarrassment, the shame, the insecurity...that deep hole they dig also makes room to house great joy and wonder, contentment and love. That feeling I got at the end, the hair sweeping dip...SO worth me feeling embarrassed for the first few songs. But I had to let Eddie get all up in my grill (I know I know, it sounds gross, you know what I mean though!) The nearer I drew to him, the easier the steps were. Its as if I wasn't even the one taking steps, its like I was simply using his momentum, his energy, his lead...almost like when I was young and would dance on my dads feet....his steps became my steps, both different and the same simultaneously.
This leads to the 3rd aspect...TRUST!
(again, weird to do in the context of creepy old men and I would actually warn against it) but listening and feeling were only valuable if I trusted and had faith that Eddie was gonna lead me in the right direction. I have to let go completely to do that double spinny thingamajig, and it's scary and I get real dizzy...but I have to trust that by letting me go, he's letting me shine and that he's gonna grab me right back. I have to know that letting me go doesn't mean there's an absence of plan, but rather the fulfilling of a beautiful one.
You may have caught on...I'm no longer talking about Eddie. But do you see how I couldn't help but substitute and liken my time with Eddie to a dance with Jesus.
LISTEN. FEEL. TRUST.
The dance is easier if you're following someone who knows it, AND YET so much harder. (If you're dancing with an expert they are gonna ask for so much more of you).
But that's when the dip, the moments of complete surrender, the moments of utter joy make it all worth it.
It's been a good question to ask myself, "Kate, who's leading you today?"
The illustration for one of the major things God taught me while in Texas came to me while I was tipsy, dancing with Eddie (my 70yr old creepy dance partner). Some then might question the validity of this spirit work, however I only find that it only solidifies God's BIGGNESS, If he can work in a sauced girl while two-steppin, I know he's capable of it elsewhere.
Anyways, while Eddie was a tad bit inappropriate, maybe just a bit over confident, he was an AMAZING dancer and an even more amazing teacher! I had done the 2 step all of 3 songs when he grabbed me, but dancing with him made it feel SO easy. Not easy in the sense that I put in no work, in fact out of all the dancing I did that night, my time with Eddie required the most effort. But during our last dance together, at the very end, he dipped me so far back that my hair dusted the floor. I popped back up and I couldn't even begin to describe the joy I felt. I imagine its how people in 'Dancing with the Stars' must feel, Everyone's watching and clapping for your performance, which feels amazing, but the most amazing part is having the person who taught you; the master, the expert look at you with pride and affirmation...I felt like I could conquer the world.
There were 3 things that stuck out most clearly in why dancing with Eddie felt so good, and also explained why it required so much of me.
the first thing was that I had to LISTEN!
He would call out phrases and words (dance moves to people who knew the 2-step, but to me, just words). I quickly learned to decipher them. But that meant HEARING them. This task isn't easy in a bar full of rowdy cowboys. It meant focusing; listening and reading his lips.."what is he saying?"
Second, I had to FEEL.
This one's scary (especially when it means you're gettin up close and personal with a stranger) but I had to FEEL the wrong steps to understand why they were wrong and FEEL the right steps to understand why they were right. It would have been so nice if I could have read up on two-steppin, maybe watched a few YouTube videos and gone out and done it perfectly, but we all know thats not how life works. We're afraid to feel (cause well in this case, and in many like it, it means feeling like a complete idiot). But the lows; the embarrassment, the shame, the insecurity...that deep hole they dig also makes room to house great joy and wonder, contentment and love. That feeling I got at the end, the hair sweeping dip...SO worth me feeling embarrassed for the first few songs. But I had to let Eddie get all up in my grill (I know I know, it sounds gross, you know what I mean though!) The nearer I drew to him, the easier the steps were. Its as if I wasn't even the one taking steps, its like I was simply using his momentum, his energy, his lead...almost like when I was young and would dance on my dads feet....his steps became my steps, both different and the same simultaneously.
This leads to the 3rd aspect...TRUST!
(again, weird to do in the context of creepy old men and I would actually warn against it) but listening and feeling were only valuable if I trusted and had faith that Eddie was gonna lead me in the right direction. I have to let go completely to do that double spinny thingamajig, and it's scary and I get real dizzy...but I have to trust that by letting me go, he's letting me shine and that he's gonna grab me right back. I have to know that letting me go doesn't mean there's an absence of plan, but rather the fulfilling of a beautiful one.
You may have caught on...I'm no longer talking about Eddie. But do you see how I couldn't help but substitute and liken my time with Eddie to a dance with Jesus.
LISTEN. FEEL. TRUST.
The dance is easier if you're following someone who knows it, AND YET so much harder. (If you're dancing with an expert they are gonna ask for so much more of you).
But that's when the dip, the moments of complete surrender, the moments of utter joy make it all worth it.
It's been a good question to ask myself, "Kate, who's leading you today?"
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
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Put Up Curtains
I was right, Austin was hard to leave.
again, partly because the city is just so stinkin cool. But the reason I continue to do, or not do most things, is due to the relational aspect. That is what has stuck out to me during the trip thus far. Yes, I have a wild spirit. yes, I crave and yearn for adventure. yes, I love new experiences. But at the end of the day, I love havin people around me that really know me. Lanae and Katie, the girls I'm staying with in Austin have made it so easy to feel known and understood...thus have made it incredibly difficult to leave.
At first I criticized myself for wanting to stay here (or even go back home). "kate, you're weak" "what a weeny!" lol...but now I only see it as a testament of how relational God is and how he created us to be the same way. The fact that amidst the fun and new I don't forget the old and mundane is somewhat remarkable. It's almost frustrating. My biggest critic (myself) screams: "This is an experience of a lifetime and you wanna go home?!?
It kinda reminds me of a sermon I heard a few years back...I wish I could tell you with exact certainty who gave it or at what church [I'm pretty sure it was Richard Dahlstrom (is it bad to have a married man crush on your pastor?!?) from Bethany Community] but I'll admit I only remember this one message and image: The pastor talked about this idea of moving into a neighborhood and making it home. He implored: It's not EVER temporary. you are where you are while you are there....so BE THERE! the illustration given was of those people who move to a city and because they say its temporary they still, after months of being there, have stuff wrapped in boxes and they refuse to put money into the place because they wont be there long, and trimmings like curtains...you can forget about it!
So while I love that I have this haunting to explore and risk and adventure...I'm also going to embrace and love the aspects of myself that say "kate, put up some curtains." Not that I believe there is a right and wrong way of doing things, but I believe God gets great joy out of watching people put down roots and growing them deep.
again, partly because the city is just so stinkin cool. But the reason I continue to do, or not do most things, is due to the relational aspect. That is what has stuck out to me during the trip thus far. Yes, I have a wild spirit. yes, I crave and yearn for adventure. yes, I love new experiences. But at the end of the day, I love havin people around me that really know me. Lanae and Katie, the girls I'm staying with in Austin have made it so easy to feel known and understood...thus have made it incredibly difficult to leave.
At first I criticized myself for wanting to stay here (or even go back home). "kate, you're weak" "what a weeny!" lol...but now I only see it as a testament of how relational God is and how he created us to be the same way. The fact that amidst the fun and new I don't forget the old and mundane is somewhat remarkable. It's almost frustrating. My biggest critic (myself) screams: "This is an experience of a lifetime and you wanna go home?!?
It kinda reminds me of a sermon I heard a few years back...I wish I could tell you with exact certainty who gave it or at what church [I'm pretty sure it was Richard Dahlstrom (is it bad to have a married man crush on your pastor?!?) from Bethany Community] but I'll admit I only remember this one message and image: The pastor talked about this idea of moving into a neighborhood and making it home. He implored: It's not EVER temporary. you are where you are while you are there....so BE THERE! the illustration given was of those people who move to a city and because they say its temporary they still, after months of being there, have stuff wrapped in boxes and they refuse to put money into the place because they wont be there long, and trimmings like curtains...you can forget about it!
So while I love that I have this haunting to explore and risk and adventure...I'm also going to embrace and love the aspects of myself that say "kate, put up some curtains." Not that I believe there is a right and wrong way of doing things, but I believe God gets great joy out of watching people put down roots and growing them deep.
Monday, November 4, 2013
this aint no 2 step...
SO the funny thing about me and katie's night out two-steppin [other than the fact that we got to reconnect with Winston and Schmidt (see previous blogs)] is that I we got to have 2 extremely opposite cultural experiences for the price of one.
At one point during the night at Rebels (the country bar) Katie had a few dance partners that I seemed to lack and I got tired of people staring at me. It was if they were debating if they should ask me to dance, but if they considered it, it was only out of complete pity that I was standing there by myself...fake cowgirl wearin fake cowboy boots....they could smell it! So I stepped outside for some fresh air. Well, right next to this ridiculously country country bar was this other little club joint, but there was not a hint of twang in its doors. It had hip-hop written all over it. I peered in and the bouncer kinda snickered.
"what? I can't even look?"
"Is it cuz I'm white?!?"
I hadn't take me long to realize there were NO white folks in the club and I was not the normal customer for a place like this!
he laughed again.
"Its like reverse racism in there!"
I didn't want to seem insensitive, but his body language told me I could push the boundaries a little bit!
I asked if me and my friend could come in and bring some reconciliation to the place. He laughed and said that if we were brave enough to try he'd wave the cover. I went back into Rebels and told Katie the story, she's a kindred spirit so even before I could finish, she was up for the challenge.
We walked outside to find a HUGE line and people swarming everywhere. The cover was up to 20 dollars (ummm, no thank you!) But I saw my bouncer friend and sure enough he waved the fee and walked us past everyone in line.
Both Katie and I had the same idea: walk in strong..confident. So we walked directly into the center of room and started breakin it down! Neither of us are awful dancers, we both have basic rhythm...but that's also comparative to other white folks; in there we probably looked like little Steve Urkels or those airy flailing blow-up dolls beside the freeway. We also weren't even dressed the part...we were both wearing our country attire which made it feel that much more ironic. Anyways, we danced our little white behinds off for about 5 songs until we decided that everyone in there found us annoying (I could see how our lighthearted, 'lets just have fun' attitudes could have been misconstrued), so we thought it might be in our best interest to leave.
We held our laughter and regrets til we got to the parking garage. "we're idiots!"
but as we walked up the ramp to our car a guy rolled down his car window and chuckled,
"you guys did work in there tonight"
felt nice to leave with a little affirmation (even if he was laughing AT us when he rolled his window back up!).
At one point during the night at Rebels (the country bar) Katie had a few dance partners that I seemed to lack and I got tired of people staring at me. It was if they were debating if they should ask me to dance, but if they considered it, it was only out of complete pity that I was standing there by myself...fake cowgirl wearin fake cowboy boots....they could smell it! So I stepped outside for some fresh air. Well, right next to this ridiculously country country bar was this other little club joint, but there was not a hint of twang in its doors. It had hip-hop written all over it. I peered in and the bouncer kinda snickered.
"what? I can't even look?"
"Is it cuz I'm white?!?"
I hadn't take me long to realize there were NO white folks in the club and I was not the normal customer for a place like this!
he laughed again.
"Its like reverse racism in there!"
I didn't want to seem insensitive, but his body language told me I could push the boundaries a little bit!
I asked if me and my friend could come in and bring some reconciliation to the place. He laughed and said that if we were brave enough to try he'd wave the cover. I went back into Rebels and told Katie the story, she's a kindred spirit so even before I could finish, she was up for the challenge.
We walked outside to find a HUGE line and people swarming everywhere. The cover was up to 20 dollars (ummm, no thank you!) But I saw my bouncer friend and sure enough he waved the fee and walked us past everyone in line.
Both Katie and I had the same idea: walk in strong..confident. So we walked directly into the center of room and started breakin it down! Neither of us are awful dancers, we both have basic rhythm...but that's also comparative to other white folks; in there we probably looked like little Steve Urkels or those airy flailing blow-up dolls beside the freeway. We also weren't even dressed the part...we were both wearing our country attire which made it feel that much more ironic. Anyways, we danced our little white behinds off for about 5 songs until we decided that everyone in there found us annoying (I could see how our lighthearted, 'lets just have fun' attitudes could have been misconstrued), so we thought it might be in our best interest to leave.
We held our laughter and regrets til we got to the parking garage. "we're idiots!"
but as we walked up the ramp to our car a guy rolled down his car window and chuckled,
"you guys did work in there tonight"
felt nice to leave with a little affirmation (even if he was laughing AT us when he rolled his window back up!).
New Girl Hits Austin
well I didn't run into Tim Riggins (I wont lie to ya, I'm pretty sad about it) but I did meet half of the cast from new girl! Well this isn't true, but I swear we met their twins.
On Friday night me and Lanae went to a country two-steppin bar...there is no set of words that will accurately describe what I saw but jasmine got pretty close with "a whole new world!" The bar was called Mavericks. Initially it didn't seem very promising, it was tucked away behind a gas station in a strip mall type joint. But the second we walked in country twang beamed from every direction. The music was loud and seemed to call to you..."shake them hips!" Every person that passed me looked as if they had stepped out of a country western...like the kinda thing you wear to parties that are country themed...only it's real life here. tight jeans, cowboy boots, beer...everywhere.
After a few hours of dancin with creepy old men (and a little liquid courage...a lot of liquid courage) I asked someone my own age to teach me a thing or two. Gary, who would later come to be known as Schmidt, was the first to take me up on it! (In the show he's the ridiculously funny one!) If you've never seen the show new girl, I'm sorry, this story wont be nearly as funny! But after a dance (and constant laughter) with Schmidt his friend, AK,whom we now refer to as Winston, gave it a go with me. AK stuck out like a sore thumb (like he does in the show), he's from Nigeria but said he was "Americanized" when he joined a frat in Texas a few years before, which he explained is when he learned to two-step. (a little different from the dance moves you might learn from a frat in Washington!) And their friend,Brennan, now known as Nick, sat and watched us dance for most of the night. (appropriate because in the show Nick is stubborn and can be kinda an Eeyore). No matter how much we begged and prodded (or how many drinks we offered)...nope, he wasn't dancin.
Me and Lanae walked out with em at the end of the night,we chatted and laughed before we felt like we might fall asleep standing up thus decided it was time to call it a night! (we drove home kicking ourselves...why did we NOT give them our numbers?!?)
Well Me and Katie went out to a different country place the next night (Lanae couldn't join us). We got there before the rush, talked with some of her friends and took a few strangers up on their offer to dance. As I was walkin off the dance floor with George (a true cowboy about half my size but sweet as can be) my eyes were instantly caught by the only man in the club with skin as dark as the room. Schmidt and Winston!!! (apparently Nick wouldn't be bothered with nonsense like dancing that night!) we danced the night away...correction: they danced the night away, I did my best to keep up!
If I lived in Austin and got to choose, these guys would be my friends. They had a tendency to swoop in and save me from awkward situations. (like the characters in the show with Jess). It didn't make the situations any more normal, I still looked dumb (like Jess does 99% of the time in the show) and everything about me being in a country bar two-steppin felt unnatural, but when you got people laughin with ya, you barely got time to notice people are laughin at ya!
All that to say, ABC, if you need a country themed show, full of redneck jokes, cowboys and two-steppin, you're welcome to use my life as your inspiration for your next episode.
On Friday night me and Lanae went to a country two-steppin bar...there is no set of words that will accurately describe what I saw but jasmine got pretty close with "a whole new world!" The bar was called Mavericks. Initially it didn't seem very promising, it was tucked away behind a gas station in a strip mall type joint. But the second we walked in country twang beamed from every direction. The music was loud and seemed to call to you..."shake them hips!" Every person that passed me looked as if they had stepped out of a country western...like the kinda thing you wear to parties that are country themed...only it's real life here. tight jeans, cowboy boots, beer...everywhere.
After a few hours of dancin with creepy old men (and a little liquid courage...a lot of liquid courage) I asked someone my own age to teach me a thing or two. Gary, who would later come to be known as Schmidt, was the first to take me up on it! (In the show he's the ridiculously funny one!) If you've never seen the show new girl, I'm sorry, this story wont be nearly as funny! But after a dance (and constant laughter) with Schmidt his friend, AK,whom we now refer to as Winston, gave it a go with me. AK stuck out like a sore thumb (like he does in the show), he's from Nigeria but said he was "Americanized" when he joined a frat in Texas a few years before, which he explained is when he learned to two-step. (a little different from the dance moves you might learn from a frat in Washington!) And their friend,Brennan, now known as Nick, sat and watched us dance for most of the night. (appropriate because in the show Nick is stubborn and can be kinda an Eeyore). No matter how much we begged and prodded (or how many drinks we offered)...nope, he wasn't dancin.
Me and Lanae walked out with em at the end of the night,we chatted and laughed before we felt like we might fall asleep standing up thus decided it was time to call it a night! (we drove home kicking ourselves...why did we NOT give them our numbers?!?)
Well Me and Katie went out to a different country place the next night (Lanae couldn't join us). We got there before the rush, talked with some of her friends and took a few strangers up on their offer to dance. As I was walkin off the dance floor with George (a true cowboy about half my size but sweet as can be) my eyes were instantly caught by the only man in the club with skin as dark as the room. Schmidt and Winston!!! (apparently Nick wouldn't be bothered with nonsense like dancing that night!) we danced the night away...correction: they danced the night away, I did my best to keep up!
If I lived in Austin and got to choose, these guys would be my friends. They had a tendency to swoop in and save me from awkward situations. (like the characters in the show with Jess). It didn't make the situations any more normal, I still looked dumb (like Jess does 99% of the time in the show) and everything about me being in a country bar two-steppin felt unnatural, but when you got people laughin with ya, you barely got time to notice people are laughin at ya!
All that to say, ABC, if you need a country themed show, full of redneck jokes, cowboys and two-steppin, you're welcome to use my life as your inspiration for your next episode.
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