The burning question. . .

Why?

This question has plagued me since I started working at HBCS and, seeing as I had my camera with me one day, I thought I'd write a post about it and open the floor for anyone who may have some input as to why this soap dispenser is not for antibacterial soaps.


a close-up

What does the dispenser have against antibacterial soaps? What have antibacterial soaps done to it? How would an antibacterial soap molecule hurt this simple, non-assuming soap dispenser? What might the manufacturers of antibacterial soap have done to the manufacturers of this soap dispenser to cause them to ban antibacterial soaps from being distributed in their dispensers? ;)

My mom says that my favorite question ever since I could talk (which was quite early, I believe) was "Why?" so I just thought I'd show you something that piques my curiosity. I don' t know if there is an answer that will satisfy me short of a comment by the soap dispenser manufacturer--hey, it could happen--so I just thought I'd send this out into the never-ending cosmos for you all to ponder as I do. . ..

Ahhhh, the memories. . .

Earlier tonight, Chris and I were reminiscing about our time on the Centrifuge East Coast Traveling Team last summer and it made me a bit nostalgic, so I thought I would share a few pics.


One last group pic before we say goodbye. Please don't ask what the boys are doing!



Crystal, Nick, Jessica, and Aaron at a minor-league baseball game in Lynchburg, VA.


Jason, Jana, and Phil staying calm, cool, and connected as they wait for the game to start.


Beecher Joshua McCarty III


Devon, Coop, Charlie, Amy, and Chris at The Melting Pot. Charlie, what are you doing?


Charlie and Will


Me, Amy, Phil, and Abe on our day in DC.


Doug, King of Skycroft, and Grace, his loyal subject. Doug is the Director at Skycroft Conference Center, one of our camp locations. He is very much large and in charge! Grace is his assistant and an all-around wonderful gal!


Beecher is posing with Emily, Grace, and Sarah, some of the great workers at Skycroft.


Anyone up for a snowball fight? Just a taste of our "Christmas Week" festivities.


Halo, anyone? Phil, Jason, Will and Chris mesmerized by the violence and bloodshed.

This is what the boys did all summer. You can see that we are just getting settled at this location, but any break is time enough to pull out the ole' X-Box and get a game going. I even joined in on the festivities every once in a while, if only to give Chris the joy of knowing he could beat SOMEONE on the team! ;)

St. John's on a Sunday Afternoon

This is St. John Cathedral. I'm not Catholic, but I live a few blocks down from this church and I think it is absolutely beautiful. Sunday was a beautiful day, so I took advantage of the amazing weather to take a few shots. (Click on it to get a better view.)

This sign gives a little info on the history of the church

And if you don't speak French, here's the same info in English (don't worry, I don't either!)

The view from the yard of the Bishop's Mansion

The back of the church as seen from the cemetery

Detail from one of the columns

Detail from the archway above the front door

Just to the right of the church grows a massive live oak tree

A shot of the trunk--there is no way to describe how huge this tree is!

This is probably my favorite shot of the tree.

$16 Socks

I was getting dressed for church this morning and, as I’ve been going through a sock shortage recently, I decided to wear the socks my brother-in-law just gave me. He works for a high-end sporting goods store and they were clearing out some of their stock, so he brought home some goodies. He gave me a pair of Patagonia cotton sport socks that had a price-tag of $16. SIXTEEN DOLLARS! I’ve never paid $16 for a pair of socks in my life!! But I’ll sure wear them if they are free! Here is how the packaging reads on a pair of $16 socks: “The comfort of organic cotton enhances these versatile sport socks. Made of 97% organic cotton and 3% Lycra spandex, they absorb sweat and allow your feet to breathe while maintaining their shape and color. The one-inch ankle cuff keeps the socks from accordioning down your ankle; the low-profile toe seam is hand-constructed for a comfortable, non-abrasive fit.” And you know how they feel? Like SOCKS! But I’m sure that, if I were an avid hiker who needed high-quality socks, I would understand that the expense is an investment in something that will aid my journey and make my life a bit easier.

I do the same thing with God. I have a personal relationship with the God of the universe—the maker and creator of all things; the original master craftsman. But I reduce Him to the genie-in-the-lamp, only going to him when I need a wish granted or a problem solved. On a regular basis, I regard him as one of my options when he should be my default. His Word ceases to become a “lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path” and becomes simply a good idea or a positive thought for the day. And I hate that I do that, because in this whole comparison between socks and God, I am the once-avid hiker who has seen bountiful evidence that an investment in Him will aid my journey and make life a little bit easier, no matter what the circumstance.

But the spectacular becomes common-place. The grace too easy. My sins not “bad” enough to bring me to a place of repentance. And then I find that it’s because I’ve quit the hike. I’ve kicked back and become a spectator. And it’s much easier to criticize when you are spectating rather than participating, so I watch what everyone else does. I evaluate actions and question motives. I become the Pharisee that Jesus so often rebukes.

So it’s funny but, as I’ve worn my $16 socks that were given to me, I’ve been reminded of the priceless gift that was given to me on a cross all those years ago. Whodathought? All that from a pair of socks!

Gus the Hobo

Variety is the Spice of Life, Right?

I'm always looking for what could be the next step in the journey--or at least the next place to live! I just re-took the quiz at findyourspot.com and these are my results. You wouldn't catch me dead--well, maybe dead, but not living--in some of them, but for better or worse, here they are:

Charlotte, North Carolina
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
New Orleans, Louisiana
Norfolk, Virginia
Louisville, Kentucky
Nashville, Tennessee
Richmond, Virginia
Atlanta, Georgia
Chesapeake-Virginia Beach, Virginia
Memphis, Tennessee
Dallas, Texas
Fort Worth, Texas
Knoxville, Tennessee
El Paso, Texas
Charleston, South Carolina
Austin, Texas
Jacksonville, Florida
Tampa, Florida
Birmingham, Alabama
San Antonio, Texas
Houston, Texas
Orlando, Florida
Miami, Florida
Lexington, Kentucky
Bergen-Passaic, New Jersey

See what places FindYourSpot.com recommends for you! Take the FREE quiz and get your list at:http://www.FindYourSpot.com. Feel free to post a comment with your quiz results!

Cool Pants, Cap'n!

One of my favorite pictures of my dad

My Day

Alexander about sums it up. I think I'm moving to Australia!

A Day in the City

I love New Orleans--and I say that knowing that a lot of people hate the place. I don't know if it's just all of the wonderful memories of the time I lived there, or simply the beauty and uniqueness of the city itself, but I get excited every time I visit. My friend Jen and I spent some time in the city over our Christmas break and these are a few of the pics we took while we were there. This was before I got my camera, so Jen was kind enough to let me use her camera--or to tell her when to jump out of the car and take the pictures!


A row of trees in Audubon Park

I used to love to come to Audubon Park on beautiful Sunday afternoons with a cup of La Madeline French Roast Coffee and a flaky pastry and people-watch while I pretended to study.

A streetcar on St. Charles

This is one of my favorite houses on St. Charles. I think it looks like a wedding cake.

One of my favorite bed & breakfasts on St. Charles--I love the rockers on the porch.

The Roman Candy cart--a true New Orleans Icon

Preservation Hall is one of THE coolest places in New Orleans. It's hard to describe the experience. It's just a bunch of old men playing jazz, but it's so much more!

I aspire to own a Rodrigue one day--well, maybe just a print. He's famous for his blue dog paintings, but he also has a wonderful collection portraying the Acadiens. I really want one of his jazz fest posters--hint, hint.

Beignets and Coffee at Cafe du Monde--ah, that's New Orleans

David Kyle in first grade

This is a school picture of my daddy when he was about 6 years old. I am posting it for several reasons. First and foremost, I think it's cute. My daddy was a cutie! And second, I was playing with my new scanner and the software. It has fun "fuzzy" edges so I thought I'd try it. It was a success, so never fear--there's more to come! We have lots of fun old pics!

False Starts

false-start (fôlsstärt) A misguided or unsuccessful attempt to begin something; a wrong beginning. The term originated in racing, where it refers to beginning a race before the starting signal has been given. The expression was soon transferred to other kinds of failed beginning. [Early 1800s]

I feel like there have been so many false starts in my life lately. Jobs that sounded God-ordained only to fall through. Opportunities that glimmer with possibility but never materialize. Things that seem like "sure things" but just don't pan out. I am already a very skeptical person, and this recent series of events has done very little to improve that.

And today was another in the series. My sister Erica found out that she miscarried today. She was about 10 weeks pregnant. She's taking it wonderfully, although she's terribly disappointed. It was such an exciting beginning only to fall through--another false start. We have read all of the information available and my head knows that in the course of life, it's a very natural thing. But my heart is so sore. I go back to the question, "WHY?"

And I know all of the Sunday School answers to that question. The polite, sterile pat comments that people say without much thought; and I know the authentic truth behind those cliche comments. I know that God sees so much more than I ever will and that these experiences are helping to grow me and shape me into the woman that He wants me to be. And that the only way that faith grows is through testing. I KNOW all of that. You can't tell me anything that I haven't already told myself. But that still doesn't help me.

With every new hope that pops onto the horizon, I'm finding that I'm becoming more and more cynical. I look for what will go wrong, or how this exciting new 'yes' will turn into a heart-wrenching 'no.' And I don't want to be that way. I want to be hopeful and optimistic--I envy those who can be continually open-hearted in the face of such disappointment. My biggest fear is that I'll wind up some bitter old-maid English teacher who owns a hundred cats and goes to bed at 8pm and never has anything good to say to anyone.

Maybe I'm being a bit too honest here, but it's the "cry of my heart" at the moment. It's a starting place. And it kinda comes with this time of the year for me--but more about that later.

An Everyday Adventure

You see before you my friend Jen. I embarrass her on a regular basis. I do crazy things like tell store managers that they have old sales flyers out that are misleading customers and have casual conversations in which I reveal secrets that I didn't even know were secrets until she gives me THE LOOK! She looks nice enough, batting those baby blues at the camera. But put a laptop in her hand, and she is a woman possessed! I spent some time this afternoon with Jen and I felt it necessary to tell my readers about our experience.

We had a leisurely lunch at Chili's and then had about 45 minutes to kill before I had an appointment to look at an apartment that I am interested in renting. That's when the OTHER Jen took over--I'm tellin' ya folks, there's seriously a Jeckyl-and-Hyde kinda thing going on here! We drive directly to CC's Coffeehouse (I think her car can get there on it's own!) and that's when her eyes begin to take on a different sheen. We walk in and I immediately head for the counter because the normal thing to do when walking into a coffee shop is buy some coffee, right? Jen is already light-years beyond that. She's scanning the place, panic oozing out of every pore--the place was crowded and she can't lock onto a wall table with an outlet (she's wireless now--a whole nother story that I won't even begin to tell you now--but the battery on her laptop is dead, so she has to plug-in).

After we make our purchases, I proceed to follow her around like an embarrassed 13-year-old while she inspects every possible location for viable options. She thinks she's located a customer who's packing up, but much to her chagrin, he's only just setting up! So we are forced to sit at a table with NO outlets while she eyeballs the customers, hoping to make one uncomfortable enough to leave. She proceeds to (loudly) complain about the people who are sitting at tables near outlets without laptops and how their should be a rule about sitting there if they aren't gonna use the space adequately, all-the-while staring down the fella who "took" the table she thought she had found. He even had the nerve to set up and then leave his stuff there while he went to talk to someone at another table! Again, their should be rules about this sorta thing!!

As I was in mid-sentence, she declares: "Someone is leaving, get your stuff!" and scoots over to the newly vacant table, seat still warm from the poor sap who gave into the pressure of her laser-beam-like glare. She is able to plug-in and we achieve euphoria at last! God's in His heaven, all's right with the world. But now she only has 20 minutes in which to tap into the sweet nectar that is the free wireless internet access of CC's Coffeehouse. Life is SO cruel!

Puppy Love

Gus

This is Gus (and yes, I've been singing "get on the bus, Gus. . ." since they named him). He is the 7-week old daschund that my mom got for Christmas. We were playing in the yard today and I thought I'd post a few pics.

Gus in action

Run Gus Run!

Issy and Gus

This is Gus along with Issy who is about 2 1/2 years old and tolerates the new-comer as best she can.

What is she doing?

I seem to have caught Issy expressing a bit of passive-agressive frustration over the new arrival--or she's teasing me! Either way, it's a funny picture!

Dem Cra-zey Cajuns

The front door--how inviting!

Well, ladies and gentlemen, I am excited to tell you that crawfish season has begun! Tonight I went with a group of friends to Gator Cove to partake in our first serving of those delightfully tasty mud-dwelling crustaceans.

Well, I guess a place like Gator Cove should have at least one gator!

The plaque on the front reads:
September 2002
1100 lbs
13 ft, 7 in
est. 75 yrs
Henderson Swamp.

from l to r, Korie, Todd, Lauren (behind Todd's head), Kellie, Derek (looking afraid for some reason), Damon and Erica

This is the group! Todd is living in Memphis and wanted to have crawfish before he went back. We were more than happy to oblige!

A piping hot tray of crawfish! Yum, yum!!

No, folks, she's not trying to look sexy. Erica is showing what happens to your lips after eating crawfish.

Erica and Kellie huddling together for warmth

This one's for you, Jen!

Jen is a big fan of homemade signs, so I figured this would be right up her alley!

Whatchulookinat?

Ony

This here is my "niece" Ony--her real name is Onyx but she doesn't know that. She is a 21-month old black lab. She belongs to my sister and her husband, but she's special to me because I picked her out! She's hilarious! I love this picture because it is very typical of her demeanor. . .nosy!