The President's Motorcade

When I went to D.C. last Saturday, I was really excited about what I might see. High on my list of things I wanted to see was the Presidential motorcade. I know you can't exactly order up "one Presidential motorcade with lots of Secret Service men and guns, please" so I didn't have my hopes very high. As my friends and I were exiting the Washington Monument information building, I started getting really excited when I noticed police officers jumping out of their cars and blocking off the road. What would they block the road off for other than a motorcade?! I excitedly ran to the edge of the road and whipped out my handy-dandy cell phone to record this cool event. First came two policemen on motorcycles who motioned the people to get back. Next came several several dark SUV's one with windows rolled down and SS guys hanging out the window with guns ready. It was so awesome! There were several police cars with sirens going as they all flashed past. I have no proof that it was the President's motorcade I saw, but it was definitely someone important or else those policemen and SS guys were just out joyriding. It totally made my day!

Speeding Tickets

I have gotten two speeding tickets in my life for reasons that are obvious to most people who ride with me for a significant distance. This summer I think I've started to analyze why I have this compulsion to speed. I came up with at least two reasons.
The first reason I came up with was that there is little that lifts my spirits as quickly as a drive through the country on a warm summer evening. For the conditions to be right the windows must be down and some good music playing on the radio. Country roads around my house are usually fairly empty and since I drive them often I know them like the back of my hand. I know where the 90 degree turns are and the little humps that make you feel like you left your stomach behind. I hit the turns just as fast as you can safely take them without even thinking. On the straightaways, I quickly give into the temptation to hit 60 mph to have that satisfying feeling of the wind rushing in and blocking all other noises out.
The second reason I came up with is that driving and thus speeding as well is in my blood. My dad has been a truck driver for over 30 years and is very good at his profession. He also has a heavy foot although he tries not to admit to us. I don't know how many tickets he's gotten over the years but I know its quite a few. I have inherited from him the love for driving and traveling. So my claim is that speeding is also genetic.
I'm really trying to work on this problem now that I've somewhat diagnosed my problem. I try to be more deliberate about my driving and not just kick myself onto autopilot which for me tends to set the speeds too high:)

The Wisdom of a 3 Year Old

My nephew Camron who is 3 years old is quite adventurous. One day as we were eating lunch on the front porch, he started climbing the wrought iron porch post. I told him he looked like a monkey. Touching him on his back just above his rear, I jokingly told him I thought I saw a tail growing.
He looked at me indignantly and said loudly for the neighborhood to hear, "Its not a tail- its a butt!"
I love kids!

Distinctly Summer

Strawberry shortcake
Uninterrupted time to read
Mown grass
Mosquito bites
Exciting amusement parks
Road trips

Diving boards
Air conditioning
Youth camp
Songs of the insects

Summer Life

Howdy! I have been home in good old PA for a few days now. So far nothing life-changing has occured. I have realized that I have way too much clothing and it is time for a closet purge. I also have contemplated the odds of getting a decent job just for the summer. They do not seem favorable. I will be working at former employer several days a week, but unfortunately the full-time position I was hoping for evaporated since mid-winter break. Bummer! Oh, well, I think God is opening up doors for me to do some things that I've been wanting to do for a long time, including working with my little sister Amy. She is 14 years old and deaf. She has other delays that making learning difficult for her as well. My mom has born the main brunt of taking care of her over the years and I want to enable her to take on some projects she's been wanting to complete. This will be a total switch for me after being a "working girl" for the past 5 summers. My mom is also insisting that learning how to cook better is imperative so this is probably the summer it will happen. I also plan on learning to master the grocery store since I am always amazed at how long it takes me to find all the stuff on a short shopping list. I mean, with all the practice I've had with shopping, I thought it would come naturally. Apparently it doesn't so I set forth to conquer the grocery store this summer.
I just wanted to give a quick update on what my summer is looking like at this point! Please return the favor:)

Sorry for Being so Self-absorbed

I often struggle with coming up with a fresh topic to blog about. We all know most people on campus are tired of school, had a great camp meeting, and think they have the best summer plans of anyone they know. It disturbs me that I can't think of anything else significant to talk about. Why do the subjects I write about have to be related to me? That caused me to realize how often I think of things only in relation to how they affect me. This bothers me because as a follower of Jesus, I want to make others my focus. I often think of this little song we used to sing in first grade that said, "J-O-Y This must surely be, Jesus first, yourself last, and others in between." Pretty much nails it if you ask me. (I can't believed I just used a fragment but I didn't want to tack that onto the previous sentence which seemed too long already) (Wait... is that a run-on???) Anyway, I'm not sure how I can change this aspect of my life, but I also realize I can't change on my own. God will continue having to work on me to help change my mindset.

So this summer I hope to further develop my mind by reading some more intellectual material. This was Missie's suggestion for a word so to clarify I simply mean not fluffy reading but more of the classics and things that will be helpful to me as a teacher. (Wow! I must say I sound like a dreadfully boring individual) Maybe then I will be able to latch onto the secrets of the universe and mankind and have something awfully exciting to blog about. I thought about politics but that is one baby I am just not ready to tackle. I also hope to get involved in a kid's ministry back home so that would give me other noteworthy items to blog about other than "my boring, meaningless existence" (Missie Lehman). I will endeavor, though, to keep you updated on the most important personal happenings that are of possible interest to my readers.

Happy summer wishes to all!

Why a Massage Would Be So Nice

1. Today was the first day of finals and my mind is starting to get fuzzzzzyyyy...
2. I can't remeber things anymore like how to spell simple wodrs.
3. After a 6 page exam for some reason my shoulders were a little tight.
4. I have to work tomorrow and I really, really, really don't want to.
5. Because like most people on campus right now, I could use a little "me" time.
6. I think it would be like hitting my inner refresh button.
All that to say this- I am so thankful to God for getting me through the past couple weeks. To be completely honest other than feeling like I've been run over by a Mack truck, life is looking pretty good. I'm going to hear the Pops tomorrow night, and I'm going to King's Island on Saturday. What fun!