The Lighter Side - EPI 2

If I were an animal...



I'd be a chameleon. There's no doubt in my mind.

I was so surprised, shocked, thrilled, ravenous (wait, wrong use of adjective...sorry), and inspired by all of the comments from the last Lighter Side post. I hope you'll all keep posting your quirks, as it brings so much joy to my little heart.

So, for this week, I thought we'd take it from a new angle. See, I've had many conversations this week in which I have referred to myself as "the chameleon". And I've been met with a few confused looks. So, let me explain why I am a chameleon:

• It's the only animal that gets to change its "clothes" as often as it wants.
• I'm really good at impressions, which is funny, but also a curse because people are constantly repeating a line and then begging, "You do it, Katie!" Which would be great...if it didn't make me look totally stupid.
• I tend to mimic people's style in song. This was evidenced when I discovered a tape of me singing My Heart Will Go On along with a recording of the song. And I probably thought I was singing normal, but I was totally mimicking Celine. I've never laughed harder! "Neahhh....Fahhhhh...whea - ehhhvahhh you ahhhh."
• I pick up accents really easy. I've tried not to, but it's inevitable. If you have an accent and I'm around you for 10 minutes, I will have an accent. It's terribly embarrassing

There are probably other reasons, but I think you would now agree - I am a chameleon. I don't try to be, it's just who I am! Which leaves me just one question...

Which animal are you and why?

It is so good

I have been at the Oregon Coast since yesterday, and it is marvelous. Sadly this is the only picture I have so far as my camera is totally dead (this is from my cell phone). So, since I have no pictures, I will simply use captivating and picturesque words that will allow you to see it all in your minds.

Wow.

Anyway, here's my day today:

• Get up and go for a run on the beach. (Wait I said I'd use picturesque words. Allow me to restate that: Awakened by the rising of the crisp, warm sunlight I sprang to my feet and pulled up the blinds to allow the sunlight to flood the room. You could see the waves crashing against the giant rock and smell the ocean. I put on my tennis shoes and ventured out to the beckoning sand and ran as far as my feet could take me.)
• The most decadent and wonderful breakfast imaginable at The Grateful Bread. Perfect blueberry pancakes delighted my senses.
• Many card games and much merriment
• A climbing adventure to the top of a cliff where we got soaked as the largest wave I've ever seen crashed against the rocks, giving me a new respect for the ocean, and a healthy fear for my life.
• Long walks on the beach - several, actually.
  
• More card games
• Dinner at The Pelican - beef medalians so tender and decadent, garlic mashed potatoes and crisp vegetables
• Now - blogging about my adventures, preparing to eat lots of oreos - thus making me start my day tomorrow just like this one.

Now that I have sent you on a great adventure in your minds and incited much jealousy, I leave you to your non-beach lives. Stay tuned for more picturesque words as I do not anticipate a camera recovery.

The Lighter Side - EPI 1

I've spent way too much time in the last few months crying over stupid things, or big things, or really big, important, life-altering things. Well, anyway, let's just say I've been quite dehydrated. With that being said, I thought I would start a series of posts called "The Lighter Side" because let's face it - we all need it!

The problem is I didn't really have a brilliant idea for today's post. So instead of brilliance, we'll settle for adequacy in a list I like to call "Weird things I do." Do you ever catch yourself doing something, well, weird? You're probably fortunate enough to think that you're 100% normal, so you can't relate. But on the off chance that you have 23% quirk or 45% freak in you, this could be a fun comment list.

So without further adieu...

• I say warm like farm, arm, charm. It is my nemesis.
• I blow in cups before I use them. This is probably due to the fact that I had a bad experience with dirt in a cup as a small child...but I'm not sure.
• I have to eat my food in sections. (All the peas, then all the mashed potatoes, then all the salmon...yummm salmon...)
• I'm really tall. What? That's not weird enough to make a weird list? Well, it's my list! I'll do what I want!
• I sleep with both my arms over my head - with one across my forehead. This is because when I was a little girl, I believed a prince would come find me in my sleep and I wanted to have the whole "damsel in distress" look down. And now I can't sleep any other way. It's terrible.
• I hate soap. Hate it. Hate the residue. Hate the word residue. Hate that it never gets cleaned up if some gets on the counter. (Don't worry - I don't smell bad. I use it. I smell like roses.)
• I create attack plans for rapists or robbers sometimes when I can't sleep. I could write a book, and I pity the fool who breaks into my house!
• I color code my closet.

Well, that's all for today. There are many more - OH - so many more! But now I leave it to you:

What's one weird thing about yourself?

You can't stop the flood...or the train

I took this picture back in September in the flood ravaged parts of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. We drove downtown (where we could) and saw all the buildings, businesses and homes that were completely destroyed. Glass was broken, buildings were crumbling, houses were abandoned. And then on the side of a jewelry store was this spraypainted sign, We Survive. A small glimmer of hope among destruction.

I've been reading in the book of Acts lately how the early church was formed, how Stephen was murdered and persecution scattered the believers, how the gospel was preached no matter what and how the church survived everything thrown at it. And then there's Job - the man who lost everything, but refused to curse God.

And you know, you can't stop a flood. I can't prevent suffering in my life, but I can respond to it. And I am determined, that where the enemy has come in like a flood, and wrecked and ravaged what I have built - I am not going down without a fight. I will break out my spray can and declare that I am going to survive. The walls will be re-framed and repainted. The cracks in the foundation will be repaired. And what the enemy meant for evil, my God will turn around for good. And I'm just crazy enough to believe that my declaration displayed on my brokenness will give others a reason to hope.

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P.S. Tomorrow look here for the lighter side of life. I'm back!