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| today's adventure was traffic court.... I was subpoenaed to be a witness! on december 13th, i was driving home from closing at Ham's restaurant. about a mile from my house, i see a huge SUV coming straight at me- speeding along in MY lane as if he had somewhere to go in it. the guardrail ended about two feet back from where I was- or else it would have not been pretty. i pulled off the road and SUV guy hits the guardrail so hard that he bent it into the road!!! his car spun in a circle and stopped- i put my four ways on and went to make sure he was okay. he told me that he had been drinking all night, but not to tell anyone because it had nothing to do with the accident. which was surprising to me, because i thought the fact that he almost killed me and the fact that he was trashed were related. the police came, he didn't do so hott at saying the alphabet or walking in a line ... and later, i got a piece of paper on my door telling me i had to go to court and serve as a witness!
i was nervous, but today it actually felt like an adventure.
First, there was finding the courthouse. This morning is misty and dark, and downtown lynchburg is made up of one way streets. The adorable old buildings kept distracting me, and I was almost late. I walked up to the wrong building on Court street because I saw an officer outside of it. He asked me if i needed something, honey. I smiled at him nervously, and handed him my subpoena. "I'm new... to court street, I mean. I don't know how to do this". He smiled at me... "two blocks down on your left, sweetie. and don't worry".
When I reached the right building, I had to go through a metal detector!! I gave the door guard security person my bag, and he took out my english book, bible, and notebook. "Are you a student, honey?" ... "yes... am I allowed to do homework until they call me?" i was.
So i walk in, fully prepared for my duties as a witness. I am wearing a long white skirt with adorable pink flowers and green leaves. it has little white eyelits and is the most innocent/adorable looking outfit i own. then i see him- the guy that ran me off the road. he looks scared TO DEATH! his hands are clenching and unclenching, his face is white, and he looks like he's about to be sick.
Then i started thinking about another courtroom... I went to just be moral support and pray for my friend that was being charged with a DUI. I sat there next to him, soooo scared for him that I was shaking, and praying like crazy. I kept begging God to just give him mercy and grace and let him learn whatever he needed to learn from the incident without having to have a suspended license or jail or anything. The officer in that court room seemed kind of mean from my perspective. All I thought about that time was "please, mercy ... " ... I wasn't even anywhere near him when he got the DUI, and I was practically apoligizing to God for him....
Now here I was ... looking at the guy that scared me to death by almost hitting me head on. He seemed to be about 27. His father was there with him. I wondered where his mother was... he called her right away after the accident. I wondered if anyone was praying for him the way I prayed for my friend. I wondered who thought that he was the most wonderful guy in the world. And if he knew it. I wondered if he was praying, or if he even had that kind of relationship with Jesus. was it a foxhole prayer to whatever God was out there that he knew from VBS back in the day? or was he maybe a Christian sitting there freaking out about messing up his testimony?
the judge came in... and i got sooo excited! he was one of my regulars that I always wait on!! then the deputy made eye contact with me- i knew her too! i always personally made her milkshakes when she came into the restaurant, no matter who her waitress was.
finally, our case came up. the defendant's name was called, and he started to go up.\ i started having my anxiety problem. did i go up to? did i wait to be called? should i raise my hand and ask? finally, the prosecutor said my name ... i think by this point, i was as nervous as the defendant.
we swore in, and the prosecutor called me to the stand. i stood between the officer and the defendant's lawyer.
"hello young lady" the judge said.
"hello. hi. how are you? how's your wife?" - i am such a dork when i'm nervous!
the prosecutor laughed. the defendant and his lawyer did not laugh.
"she's good... " he smiled.
i told the whole story of driving off the road... "i pulled off into grass where the beer factory is. i don't know what flavor or company... i don't drink beer. " ... I put my four ways on and put my car on the side of the road before the turn because i was afraid someone would come and drive into the guard rail that his SUV bent into the middle of the road" ... " i went to see if he was okay and or needed my cell phone or anything" ...
i got to the part of the story where the guy had told me how much he had been drinking and how i better not tell the police. i was kind of scared to tell that part. he didn't look like the intimidating drunk driver anymore. he looked more and more scared and pathetic the whole time i was talking. i was feeling worse and worse for him. i hesitated ... and then the judge started talking and i didn't have to say anything else!! it was a pretty big relief ... he got a suspended license and fines and classes on how to not be drunk and drive. he didn't get the jail time part, though. the prosecutor and defendant both seemed happy about the sentence. the deputy winked and gave me a thumbs up. the judge thanked me for coming and i told him to come visit me at work soon. the officer thanked me. i turned to leave but the defendant practically ran into me.. he left, then his father paused to let me go first, rolling his eyes at his son that apparently never got the hang of "ladies first".
i practically skipped through downtown lynchburg back to my car. i don't know what exactly i thought was going to happen, but i was so relieved that it was OVER! and so thankful that God let me know the deputy and judge so i wouldn't be freaking out so badly.
so what i'm thinking about today is .... what if every time someone i didn't know did something rude or inconsiderate or wrong, before judging them, i thought about how they probably have someone that loves them the way i love my family and friends. and how sweet they probably are to their girlfriend or daughter or best friend. | | |
| i applied for a job yesterday that asked for my personal blog website ...
... that's right. they didn't look me up on facebook or myspace. they asked for my blog. it almost made me nostalgic for the days before facebook. remember when instead of looking at countless pictures and determining who was friends with whom, what everyone was doing every second of the day, or seeing at what time a relationship status changed ... we just read people's words?
words are vital. i have been thinking about words lately. there is a common expression, "a picture is worth a thousand words". i think it depends on the picture. and the words. what about the words "Let there be light"? words from the mouth of God brought this whole thing we call life and history and the universe into existence. "Your sins are forgiven", "I love you", "I'm sorry", "It is finished", "you're right", "thank you", "amen" . How many pictures are those words worth?
what about "actions speak louder than words". this one is harder to defend ... but I think of a friend who did some things that hurt me very much. these actions took place over the course of a few months. the actions came to a head during a few hours one friday night. sometimes, the actions were "worst case scenario"- as in, if i could pick one thing for him NOT to do in a specific circumstance, he did it. in one three hour phone call, his words, "i'm sorry. i wish i hadn't done that. i care about you. i was wrong" made me feel the same way about him as if the actions had never occured.
my love language is verbal affirmation. i think i have always taken words very, very seriously. i have grown up with music in my blood (my parents professionally play and teach just about every instrument between the two of them)... but i have always connected with song lyrics more than I got lost in the beat. The songs that mean the most to me usually come into my life in the following manner: i hear a new song. a phrase within that song reminds me of a person or emotion i have experienced. i google the lyrics, then i google the song meaning and read message boards where fans of the artist debate what the song is actually saying. then, i research the artist. THEN i download the song or buy the CD. Despite all the instruments my parents could have taught me to play, I have only learned piano and guitar... singing always meant the most to me. I am currently taking singing lessons, and one of the activities that helps me sing a song powerfully is to write the lyrics down and circle the words that mean the most to me.
i guess i better make a point. i started without one, as I often do on xanga. online journals- they are such a catharsis for me, and i usually write in them at the end of a long day to release everything. however, this is public so... my point would be this ...
Watch your Words. Words brought this universe into existance. Words qualify, explain or cover actions. Words can build a person up or break them down.
compliment someone today. 
faith, hope, love | | |
| I seriously had the best birthday of my entire life. 
Starting Friday, when I had my party... okay, I could never give it justice in a xanga post. You just had to be there. Old friends, new friends, the pool, the decorations, the music... perfect. Mark drove me to Mae and Rocky's house, where I had never been, and it was this huge, spacious, old house in the middle of a huge lawn. Next to the house was a huge inground pool... I watched Rachel filling the pool with floating flowers, Mark and Chicken start making multiple trips to fill some picnic tables with food and drinks, and some guys I didn't even know hanging hawiaan decorations on the tall fence surrounding the pool area ... I almost cartwheeled with happiness!
Saturday- Mark bought me a white chocolate mocha at Barnes & Noble and I read Donald Miller's other book (not Blue like Jazz). He was talking about the garden of eden from God's perspective. How it must have felt to God to watch his beloved creation betray him to his worst enemy. He compaired it to his friend, who overheard his wife telling another man on the phone how much she loved his (the other man's) touch. His friend walked around in a daze for hours upon hours, practically catatonic with sickening hurt... I guess I never really really thought about it from God's perspective before. Like how that felt. And how amazing it is that he stayed committed to saving us.
still saturday- I got to leave work early! :)
Sunday- I played my first round of frisbee golf with Mark and Chicken... Since I had never played before, Mark told me that in order to progress, you had to use two frisbees and make one land on top of each other! Only when you did that, could you progress from the point in which they landed! He can actually do that- I, on the other hand, wanted to cry when I thought I had to do that... craziness  Thankfully the boys explained the real rules- it's like golf, but with a frisbee. You only have to land the frisbee on the hole. Work wasn't too bad, especially for a Sunday. :) I had regulars give me extra money cuz my b-day was coming.
Monday- mark and I both had no work, so we planed to kinda just go with the flow of life. I woke up late and he was already on his way over. we watched the food network for awhile, ran errands for awhile, went to visit mike at the sunday grill and got to see dan, went out to bedford to run more errands... took Zoey, mark's friend's little girl, out to chic fil a, went to Lowes, then we took zoey home. we hung out with her parents, sat by their pool, hung out with other people that showed up at the house- it was so nice and such a lazy whatever day... then we came home and mark literally made the best pizza i had ever tasted- completely home made. we almost didn't eat it cuz it was so pretty, but holy cow when we did it was perfection.
Tuesday- my birthday... I woke up and practically skipped into my living room... Mark was already here watching TV as if he owned my house, so I was like "it's my birthday! it's my birthday!" and he said "nope. it's not." boys. so I got ready, we ran some of his errands, went to the gym and did cardio for an hour- i almost fell off the treadmill at one point because i accidentally hit "stop" instead of the speed button... then we came home and got ready to go to devil's marble yard. i LOVE it there. i love going on my birthday- it's so high and beautiful and perfect and just nice to take a step back and see the scenery, especially on my birthday ... he slept on the way there and if it were anyone else i would be like "WAKE UP it is my birthday!" 'cept i didn't mind ...he was on my good side...
so then we come home, exhausted, devil's marble yard is hardcore- so i change into this cute brown dress and necklace and cute shoes, and i'm layin on my couch watchin Rachel Ray and all the sudden mark yells "BAM!!" and jumps up. "BAMBOO is going there!! Clock there! HUGE red candle there- new curtains- those have to go... HERE's where my couch is going! other couch- here!" etc, etc, etc- as he ran and frantically motioned around my living room. have a mentioned that he is martha stewart in a man's body? some girls couldn't handle a best friend like that- however i am secure enough in my girly girl femininity that i can take his domestic talents. he will never out-girl me. THEN- Mark tells me that most of the stuff he wants to use to decorate is already in his house- and he's just giving it to me! We went over to his house and he literally filled my car with shelves, pictures, a clock, bamboo, mirrors .... then we went to pier one and got bamboo to use as a curtain rod... i was pretty giddy with excitement!
then Amanda called and said she wanted to take me out for my birthday! i wanted to go to outback, but mark discovered i had never been to neighbors place .. so we switched to there and holy cow it was amazing!! the food was soo sooo good, especially since i hadn't eaten all day and had done four miles on the treadmill and five on the eliptical and hiked two miles and climbed a mountain of marble. Janelle even came! which was soo great! everyone cared it was my birthday! and our server was my friend mike that caters with us sometimes at work :) he's a huge sweetheart. amanda gave me alllll this amazing stuff from pier 1!!! it is sooo perfect and in my favorite colors!! :) i got a million IMs, almost thirty facebook messages, soo many phone calls including the kids calling to sing me happy birthday, everyoen in my family remembered, ohhh it was great.
came home and watched food network with mark till bedtime...
went to bed, woke up to a package at my door- nat's present! she got me this adorable purse, body lotion, body spray, lip gloss, sooooooooo much stuff!! i was so excited and there kept being more and more stuff!! when i eventually got to the bottom, i found the BEST flip flops EVER! pinkk abercrombie ones!! that i can wear with everything i own since they are pink.
i cried like three times out of happiness! my presents were so thoughtful from two of my room mates, my other room mate THREW ME A PARTY!, and my sister and parents sent things to me in time, AND mark said he got me something!! he didnt' give it to me yet because we've spent so much time together he didn't haev time to get it from his friends house..... sounds like a lie a boy would tell when he hasn't bought something yet, but i will go ahead and let it slide- it basically just means i get to celebrate again! | | |
| Top Ten Moments from My Miss Apple Dumpling Pageant:
10. Getting that text message that said "i miss you too"...
9. My mom convincing me to wear the shorter skirt of the two I was deciding between for casual wear- finding the PERFECT outfit with her- then practicing my walk while she practiced her harp and played songs like "i love rock and roll" on her harp
8. having more grace & poise than anyone walking and waving to "somewhere over the rainbow" in my white dress
7. everyone voting for me (i love you guys)
6. Staying in the hotel suite with my girls!! pool, code red (and stuff ;) ), putting everyone's mattress on the floor so we could all sleep in one big line instead of being seperated by beds, driving around on adventures when we were supposed to be in our hotel rooms, conversations, 'it's whatever', breakfast
5. LIMO RIDES with the other girls!!!!!! free drinks, sparkly ceiling, amazing music, paparazzi-ish camera flashes when we got out
4. my escort doing a karate demo five minutes before our walk, then running and reaching the stage literally two seconds before we walked out...
3. Peter Porsche coming to meet me and eating an apple dumpling with me and having one of the best conversations of my life
2. Peter Porsche bringing me a dozen roses and telling me I was the most beautiful girl ever
1. all ten of us going barefoot in our dresses for our final walk & to hear the judges decision... then dancing instead of walking while the DJ blared "girls just wanna have fun" and the MC went crazy and the directors cried cuz we were the most fun group ever and the judges died laughing and the audience was in shock... | | |
| google saves my life every day...
my friend called me and told me he was working for lumber 84 this summer, so i said "cool, you're moving lumber and stuff?" and he responded back with "seriously, dina??" .... at which point i realized i had no idea what lumber 84 was. HOWEVER, I was at my computer!!!
i started clicking away as i faked a laugh... "haha, no, i'm just kidding..."
within fifteen seconds i had googled lumber 84 and replied "and that's cool- i liked jason gore" (the guy that won Lumber 84 last year)
i love you google. | | |
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