Centerfold Pups

Allow me to make some introductions.  First, Peachtree Hills' finest defender, protector, lover, and cuddler...our very own, Sadie.  I don't know that I've formally introduced her to the bloggies yet, but here she is:

Next, Sadie's favorite playdate, Butterball, and her snuggle buddy and booking agent, Elizabeth.  Butterball is quite possibly the cutest, most lovable, and most energetic yellow lab walking our streets.  Together, she and Sadie are a dynamic duo.  These two have shared hours of fun hosting the neighborhood pool parties and terrorizing backyards.

 
And now the duo have hit it big.  The neighborhood calendar.  Soon you will see them all over restaurant walls, refrigerators, and cubicles everywhere.  They even sent out a real photographer to do the shoot.  In case you've never been part of a famous dog's photo shoot, let me tell you how it goes.  It starts with props, wardrobe and collar selection, and a hair stylist. 

Prop #1 - World's Largest Bone

Butterball's slimming Orvis designer fleece

This is followed by background selection and lighting.  Then, you bribe, wrestle, and beg the dogs to sit.  Once in place, you make high pitched noises and raise your hands to get the proper head angle.  It looks something like this:

Next, you pray, because it will be nothing short of a miracle if they stay there long enough for a pic.

The dogs were great though and very well behaved, so hopefully the photographer got some good shots!  I'll let you know when Peachtree Hills Pets 2011 hits newsstands!

Counseling Article

I recently found this article on counseling.  Obviously, counseling is something I'm passionate about, but I think it has something to offer everyone. Please, take the time to click over and read this article!  It is so honest and well-written and I'm really excited that counseling is getting some press, especially amongst Christians.

The article talks about the negative stigma associated with counseling, and this could not be more true. Why is it that people are scared to tell others that they're "seeking help"?  Most people just want to appear that they have it all together.  Who doesn't?  And in Christian circles, we are reluctant to tell our story until it has been "resolved." We want to share in our small groups about the time we overcame, or how God brought us through a situation, or what we learned from a tough time.  But while we're smack-dab in the middle of the issue, we are silent. I'm talking about things like marriage problems, depression, anxiety, addiction, or eating disorders, to name a few. I've noticed a trend:  the more the problem can be justified or "blamed" on an outside source, the more we're ok sharing about it. But if there's nothing we can blame for the issue, people may assume it's our fault or there is just something wrong with us.

But let me tell you, the second you admit that you don't have it all together, people feel released from the burden of appearing perfect. This has happened time and again for me.  When I tell people that I am seeing a counselor or even simply telling them about my grad school program, they instantly tell me their own (or their family's) stories and experiences with therapy.  It is neat to see how open people can be when you are open with them. Let's reach out to each other, help each other, and build each other up. At the end of the day, we're all screwed up.  We all have issues, we're all sinful, and we all need God's help desperately.

Counseling is not shameful. I think it shows great strength. 

Crankypants

In the name of keepin' it real, I'll go ahead and admit, I am having one of those days. The "wrong side of the bed" type of day. I'm edgy. Tricia appropriately called me "Crankypants." It's not that anything bad has happened...I've just been letting every little thing get under my skin.

Right now I'm hunkering down in the cubicle and not coming out until I have something nice to say. Should I post a "BEWARE of Crankypants" sign to keep innocent coworkers at bay?

This got me thinking...when I'm a counselor, I won't have the option of hiding out or tuning out. I can't tell a client "I've had a rough morning so excuse me if my angry eyes burn a hole through your forehead while you talk." What am I going to do when I'd rather be pouting but instead I have to instantly morph into "attending" mode? I have heard that listening to other peoples' problems actually takes your mind off of your own, and I'm sure hearing "big" problems will make a spilled-milk-type-of-day seem like a party.

For now I will try some of the relaxation techniques I've learned in class.  I'll try to put it all into perspective, examine any irrational thoughts, and try to take the tension down with some solitude (and maybe a scooter ride). And I'll try to remember how badly other people want to be heard and understood, and ask God to help me take the focus off myself.

Party People

This weekend was packed with birthday celebrations for two of my favorite people! Jessica's birthday was last Monday, and Melissa's is today! Saturday we had people over to watch the Alabama game (Melissa's team...no I haven't converted yet...considering it) and then we went to Shout to dance. Here's the two birthday girls Saturday night!

Friday night we had a group go to the North GA State Fair! Quite the experience. We started small with the farm animals, turkey legs, and ferris wheel. I worked up to the Cyclops. And the reason we have no pics of the Cyclops...I rode it alone. My group claimed they all have "weak stomachs"....an excuse for frightened souls if you ask me. But I had to get my adrenaline rush in, even if that meant a solo fair ride.

The classic fair pic. No idea about the faces. 

Melissa opens her eyes for the first time. 

Not afraid to admit they were scared on the ferris wheel! Definitely higher than I expected!

And doesn't Josh remind you of Noah in the ferris wheel scene from the Notebook? Except that he wasn't exactly hanging from the beams...

The highlight of the night was the gang fight that started right next to us and sent Carlyn spinning with her curly fries and coke in hand.  We saw some punches thrown but the group quickly started moving. Kinda reminded me of the high school fights in the parking lots after school. Memories.

I absolutely loved the fair! Ready to hit the big Perry fair next! And for all my new blogger accountability partners...no, I was not thinking about this blog post the whole time I was at the fair! I was soaking up the experience! And purposefully didn't take my good camera! Baby steps.

Technical Difficulties

Bad news...it seems the blog is experiencing some technical difficulties. I've heard from a few people that they left a comment on a post but it never showed up. This is tragic. I don't really know what to do to fix this, so yall help me out! I changed the comments from "embedded" to a pop-up window. Do me a favor and try to leave some test comments and lets see if it works! (but how will i know if it doesn't...hmmm...i guess that'd require an email?) I'll tinker around and see if I can get it working!

*UPDATE: Alright...i'm getting mixed responses. Some comments are posting, and other people have said they left a comment that didn't show up. I've changed a few other settings, so hopefully we're in the clear.  A couple things to remember: if you're selecting "google ID," make sure you're signed in. Make sure pop-up blocker is off. And if you leave a comment and look back later and it never showed up, let me know! Thanks for reading and commenting everyone! It's really encouraging!

Redemption

I have heard many stories of loss, heartache, and pain lately, and at the same time this question seems to be popping up everywhere in my classes, books, etc: How can God be good amongst suffering? If we experience suffering in our lives, will we blame ourselves, blame God, or trust that He is good even amongst the pain? I do not believe God has promised us anything in this life except that He will never leave us and that He has redeemed us and will continue to redeem our lives for His story.

I don't believe redemption in circumstances will always be evident in a clear, reciprocal kind of way. We often look for something good or positive to come out of a bad situation and then call that redemption. I think when bad things happen and we immediately start looking for the good thing so we can say, "ohhhh THAT's why that happened," we are trying to justify things in our simple minds. For example, when I lost my license, did I assume that I was supposed to be witnessing to the officer or the people in the courtroom, as if it was some divine appointment and I had to lose my license to be in that place at that time? Or even just thinking that God "made" it happen to teach me a lesson. We think that there had to be a reason for the bad things or that God caused it happened. Bad things happen because this is a fallen world, and I am a screwed up person. But God redeems these things to make them part of the story of our lives. There are themes in our lives and in our relationship with God...they are part of God's story, which is so much bigger than our lives. I often look at circumstances as isolated events...after I "learn my lesson" or see the good come out of a situation, I can move on and forget about it. But what about a bigger story?

Redemption comes in order to further God's story, and nothing in this life can happen that He cannot redeem to further His plan. The best thing in life will always be knowing God, and nothing can take that away. Life will be hard, pain will come, but like the song I quoted earlier, I trust that the heart of God is good. Many more thoughts on this to come while I'm trying to wrap my brain around it. What are your thoughts?

Eatin' Solo

Eating alone seems to be one of those activities people either love or despise. Until recently, I would have agreed with the latter. I usually assumed people who were eating alone had been unsuccessful in finding a lunch date, so they were forced to settle for the book or newspaper. Turns out, these people may have actually chosen the book, and I know this to be true because I am now one of those people. Call me an introvert. Whatever. Maybe it's just a phase.

Lately you can find me about 3 days a week at my new favorite lunch spot, Doc Greens...order at the counter, not too casual, not too fancy. They have my favorite salad and favorite fountain drink (coke zero topped off with cherry coke...delicious). Picture me on the patio reading my latest book. Actually, you dont have to...just see the pic below.

I love reading during lunch! Its hard to find time for all the reading for grad school and Bible study, much less my own personal reading. It's also good to have some solitude and be alone with your thoughts! I've heard a few people lately talk about the idea of going on "dates" with God...not sure that I'm there yet but it is pretty cool to picture Him sitting across the table from me. Do I spend more time talking or listening? How would conversation go? Am I as comfortable with Him as I am sitting across the table from my best friend? Definitely changes the feel of eating alone.

The Heart of God

I've been listening to John Mayer a lot recently, and the lyrics to the song "The Heart of Life" have been running through my head. The song is about how things don't always turn out the way we expected, but in the end we know the heart of life is good. Well I'm not so sure about the heart of life, but I do know that the heart of God is good. I've started singing along and changing out the word "life" for "God", and it's pretty powerful. (click the title if you want to hear the song)

The Heart of Life by John Mayer

I hate to see you cry lying there in that position
There's things you need to hear
So turn off your tears and listen
Pain throws your heart to the ground
Love turns the whole thing around
No it won't all go the way it should
But i know the heart of (God) is good

You know it's nothing new
Bad news never had good timing
Then the circle of your friends
Will defend the silver lining

Pain throws your heart to the ground
Love turns the whole thing around
No it won't all go the way it should
But i know the heart of (God) is good

Pain throws your heart to the ground
Love turns the whole thing around
Fear is a friend that you misunderstood
But i know the heart of (God) is good.
I know it's good.

Love/Hate Relationship

I'm beginning to wonder if the blog has taken over my mind. Sad? Yes. I had heard rumors that this may happen, but no one warned me of the health risks related to blogging. My thoughts are suddenly consumed with catchy post titles, topics, and the need to take a picture of everything I do. Not just a need...a compulsion.  I've read about this in text books. When I am jogging, the blog creativity runs wild and I want to turn around and run home and quickly jot down my ideas before they escape me. When I'm going somewhere, I am envisioning how I can write about the experience and what pictures to take. Example: this weekend, Melissa and I rode the scooter to the farmer's market. The whole time I was there, I was taking pictures. At some stands, I only saw the foods through the camera lens. I should have worn a sign that said, "I'm not here for your vegetables, just for my next blog post." This is not normal, people.

It's kind of a love/hate relationship: I'm obsessed, yet resentful. And some of you might be thinking, "but you're only averaging 1 post a week!" True, my friends, but there are thousands of posts going through my mind throughout the day. I get overwhelmed and figure its better not to post than for it to be only half-funny, half-deep, or half-interesting. The blog version of analysis paralysis. And then there is this overwhelming sense of relief after I hit "publish." It's close to the same feeling I get when I finish writing a paper, finish a big project at work, or do something really productive around the house. I feel like I've actually done something with my day...but no, I've just blogged.

Obviously I'm being somewhat facetious, but I am sure other bloggers can attest to these symptoms. Maybe I'll put myself on a 30 minute daily time limit or something. Kidding.

But in all honesty, I have been thinking about my post content. You have seen the funny side, heard my weekend details, and seen some awesome photos of me circa 1992. But what you haven't seen is the deeper side. There is more to me than scooters, believe it or not. And who really cares about the peppers and squash I saw this weekend? Yes, I do want to share my photography, but I don't want to obsess over blog entries. I would rather share with you guys what I've been learning about God, about counseling, or about life. And instead of feeling like I have to have a firm grasp on what I'm learning before I present it to the world wide web, I will hash it here and try to understand things as they come.

And in case you ARE one of those people who enjoys pictures of peppers....my efforts were not in vain.

 

 

Rock on

Concert season has officially ended! For now, at least. Gotta refill the "entertainment" piggy bank and eat some Ramen for a while before I do this again.  Last Friday was the Avett Bros at Chastain! Village Church got a row of seats so we all got to sit together! Have I mentioned I love this venue?!

And last night was Kings of Leon at Lakewood for Jessica's early birthday present! Lakewood was such a better experience this time around than for Jack Johnson. The lawn wasn't that crowded so we could stretch out and make as big of a scene as we wanted. And last night, it was a pretty big scene. We were in the silliest mood, but at least we fit right in with the people usin' some special substances. I'll just post our civilized pics. I got some videos but I'll have to upload them later.

And let me just say, in all this concert hoppin', I have found the perfect blanket for sitting in the grass! Check out that blue beauty in these pics. I got these blankets for my high schoolers for their graduation present, and loved it so much I got one for myself. It's waterproof on one side and soft fleece on the other. It folds up into itself, has a shoulder strap, zipper pouch, and even inflatable pillows built in! Come on now...have you seen a blanket with features like that?

In other news, I got the scooter back from the shop today! Didn't get the cosmetics fixed, but she is running smoooooooothly. They replaced the starter and cleaned something out so now it doesn't cut off every time you come to a stop. Who knew. I think I was grinning all the way home! And probably got some bugs in my teeth with all that speed.

Birthday Weekend

This weekend my mom and dad came up to Atlanta to celebrate my dad's birthday! He had been wanting to go to a Braves game, so we went to the Saturday afternoon game and had great seats!

We endured rain and extra innings, but it ended with a walk-off homerun in the 12th!! The crowd went crazy! After watching GA Tech and UGA lose Saturday, I was a little concerned about the birthday morale if the Braves didn't pull this one out!

Sunday we went to Horseradish Grill for a birthday brunch! This is by far my favorite restaurant in Atlanta, but I only get to enjoy it when family's in town! We also had caramel cake from Piece of Cake which will make you slap yo' mama. For real. And here's a picture of the proud, proud owner of a new iPad!

What a great weekend! There were so many of my favorite things, I thought for a minute that it was MY birthday! Glad I could share it with you, Dad!

Happy Birthday Dad!

Today is my dad's birthday! Happy birthday to my "Burger Buddy" who...

Took off the training wheels...

Spent every night after work throwing the softball with me, sponsored my teams for more years than I count, and drove me to softball practice and tournaments all over creation...

Took me camping and fly fishing and shared his many hobbies... (sorry model trains didn't catch)

Taught me to snow ski (even though I cried the first time up the lift) and shares my love for the sport...

Put up with me tipping him over in a canoe, wrecking my first car, and attending his arch rival college. He even "called the Dawgs" and helped me set up my dorm...

 And shares my sense of adventure!

Thanks for the memories Dad! Happy Birthday!! Love you!

Beachin' It

I enjoyed a long Labor Day weekend on St. Simons! It was glorious! Spent 3 straight days on the beach and had some good catch up time with friends and family. It was a little hazy the first couple of days, but I'll take that over the cubicle any day.

My college roommate, Anne, is working at Sea Island now! It was fun seeing her on the beach every day!

And Mom and Dad enjoyed the friends and family hook up...

Sunday night was Jazz in the Park down at the pier, and it happened to be Motown night! Anne came with us to hear the music and enjoy a picnic. I loved being outdoors by the water and listening to fun music! My idea of a perfect night!

Afterwards I met up with Carlyn and Jessica at the Lodge for a drink on the patio. It is such a perfect setting. We enjoyed relaxing and catching up and pretending like we're high class!

Today was the prettiest beach day, and of course I didn't have my camera. But just imagine sun, sand, and me holding one of these...

Perfect weekend! I love that visiting my parents is like going on vacation!