Let’s Get a Move on with This:

Number 11: Presents!

I’m glad we’re commanded to give, because giving and receiving presents are two of the world’s greatest phenomenon.

Interestingly enough, this leads to another one of the greatest things of the summer: my birthday! I kid.

Number 12 is irrational phobias.

Particularly those of my friends.

If I had a recent picture of Hillary that I had taken myself, I would insert a blog entry detailing why I love her. I don’t have one. Not even of her opening the above gift which delighted me so to find. (For being a genius, I’m not very good at thinking on my feet.) So for now, a picture of her phobia will do.

I suppose if I knew why she was afraid of whales, this fear wouldn’t be classified as irrational; however, living in the midwest isn’t safety enough, and a book like this gives her the willies. Still, she continually seems tickled, not ambushed, by soap dispensers and ice cream scoops and other paraphernalia that make her friends think of her.

In WIRED: Number 10

In WIRED, Dan jumps over people… And objects and walls and off of buildings.

We watch.

IN WIRED: Number 9

In WIRED, we do each other favors.

“Conner, will you be my sunglasses again?”

Without skipping a beat, Conner drops his chalk, takes his place, and with perfect form stands like this for minutes in effort to keep the sun out of Ashley’s eyes.

And Kaleah. I don’t think any of them knew that I was on a picture rampage until the damage was done.

Number 8 (Subseries: IN WIRED)

WIRED is the name of youth group at my church. We have great times together and never a dull moment. This subseries is dedicated to the brilliance that is WIRED.

In WIRED, we have fun.

Susan’s art is the prettiest art of all the art.

Tyler comes close with Bacon and Egg.

Here is an array of a few of the artist’s an their masterpieces.

Tyler with an effortless portrait

Chaz (typical expression when so absorbed in his passion)

Dani– someone get this girl a canvas!

And Bryan, expressing in vibrant hues the heart of why we meet

Number 7

Take a moment to think about the very first movie in the theater you went to as a child: the pure anticipation of seeing characters you love hearing about as you conjure up images in your little mind of what you think each one will look like, a building excitement for seeing it on a screen that’s as big as your parents say, and as loud and as dark as they rumor it will be. Their first theatrical movie often becomes their favorite. (Mine was actually Beauty and the Beast.)

But this blog is for recent experiences, not reminiscing!

Well, for 80 cents (a steal!), I happened upon this VHS at a Goodwill nearby several weeks ago.

We kids fondly remember this as one of our first cinematic experiences, but the first to include either movie popcorn or a visit to McDonald’s Happy Meals with orange pop beforehand.

However, I’d been talking about it recently–particularly how much I wanted to see it again since I loved it in the theater but hadn’t seen it since! So God, loving and attentive to those little things we say we want, dropped this out of the sky for me. I received it with much gratitude.

The two previews were fantastic with Honey, I Shrunk the Kids and another that looked like a cross between Pirates of the Caribbean and Little Orphan Annie.

 The first time I watched it, I was sitting by my dad in case I were to become afraid. Last night I watched it again for the second time. By myself. I especially enjoyed the eyebrows and early-90′s witticisms. It had a decent flow and the right amount of cheesiness unlike many movies of its time (personal opinion). What do you expect from the same director as the new Captain America movie? That’s right! It made me want to see The First Avenger all the more when I realized that tidbit of information.

From child- to adulthood, The Rocketeer remains a classic for anyone seeking adventure and an occasional Office cameo.

Number 6

Have you ever come across a street that looks familiar, not because you’ve driven down it many times, but because its name is, well, one you know so well? Since I was in high school, street names spelled identical to people I know simply made me happy.

My best friend at the time was named Elizabeth, and I always wanted to put on top of a care package or–no kidding– make a postcard of it and send to her house 20 minutes away from mine.

Then there is my cousin, who ever time my dad gave his family directions to our house from WI was charged with the responsibility to not forget what exit to take off of the interstate. He liked that sign (and his future wife) so much that he eventually would move down and live with us for a year and get his own “Guthrie Av” sign. A genuine article, to say the least.

During my year in CO Springs, I stumbled upon a part-time nanny position on Craigslist. That, as it turns out, was the only position I pursued (among nearly a hundred) that would even hire me. At my casual interview, Colby was wearing a WI sweater, and it delighted me to discover that she and her family were actually from God’s Country, and liked books. She and her boyfriend were so down to earth, and though most of our conversations happened as we were coming and going, it was still refreshing to talk to people outside of the internship I came to the Springs for and make their 2-year-old son laugh.

Number 5

This past weekend we went to CO Springs for my cousin’s wedding. It was gorgeous, of course, and so good to see my extended family from Texas who I don’t see as often as closer relatives. We had never met his bride before that night, but she was beautiful, humorous, and had the richest, deepest speaking voice I have ever heard. I wanted to find a copy of Jane Eyre in the library at their reception site –I’m telling you, my family is so cool!– and ask her read out loud to me.

L to R: Brad, Joanna, Erik, Brandon, Lillian and Me

Anxious to meet her, we finally pull her and Brandon in for a couple photo-ops. Joanna and I already had our cameras out for fun photos with Erik, so it was a pretty smooth transaction to add a few more people.

Hmmm…. we do need to work on our serious faces.

 

Number 4 (Caution: Some material may not be fit for children under 12)

I love animals.

And animals love me.

Much like your classic Cinderella or Aurora, I have a way of attracting shy and unlikely animals and earning their trust rather quickly. This is most commonly displayed among persnickety domestic mammals, but about a month ago, I went for a run around Copper Creek where caught in the net over newly planted grass was a small bird trying fruitlessly to fly out. After watching it for a few seconds in pure wonder how it landed himself in this predicament, I proceed to pull out my keys and tear open the net. While I bent down with my sharp object pointed at him and my other hand reaching toward the net, this little fledgeling bounces a little out of the way, much less frantic than its previous attempts to break loose. Needless to say he still flew out immediately. (I thought about trying to sing to get him to land on my finger, but that might have been overkill.)

This guy was not so fortunate.

One of the main sites to see in the Julesburg, CO rest stop consists of teepees and bronze buffalos that would make extremely good lawn statuary. But from my brother’s trip from the building to our dining teepee, he walks past this scene. I rush to catch a glimpse of his account.  Judging by the direction of the lane and its organs, he was most likely run over from back to front, thereby burping out his organs before being squashed in his entirety. I know, I could be a CSI agent. If I knew whether or not there were motives behind this monstrosity (such as aim), I would have been a little more concerned with finding justice (or at least a burial) for this poor amphibian.

Regardless, I still find it fascinating.