Some beach

So I haven't been to the beach this summer. It's a little weird. Did I go last summer? Hm. I went last fall. And the previous spring break. :) But I have not gone this summer. It's actually really sad that I'm kind of ok with it. As much as I love the beach, I know if I were to go at this point, it would be for just a day, which would mean driving home all sandy, sticky, stiNky, and sunscreeny.

Anybody up for a day trip to Charleston, though? I just got paid. :) And sadly, shopping and eating sounds more fun than the above option. At least for now.

Kidding. Kind of.

cuz you got that Holy Spirit dwelling inside yo carcass

ok. so VBS on Broad Street is this week for our youth. we are all pumped about working with some street smart, but tender hearted kids from a few poorer areas in beautiful augusta. as matt papa says, "your name, your renown, all over town, all over this world, YOUR kingdom come".

one of our homework assignments, as participants, was to learn the song "represent (get crunk!)" by lacrae so we can do it up every day as our VBS theme song!! so tight! i love attempting to be culturally relevant. yes, it is possibly at most, an attempt. but still. i like it.

lucky for me, somebody somewhere knew that i would need to learn this song, so they made a youtube video of it, with all the words in the right spots. in case you want to represent, and get a little crunk yourself, check it out. you can't not do a little shoulder shake and finger snap- you know, when you dip your head down, then look up in one direction... you just can't. (can't not, that is)

because of gas prices...

i did something today i didn't think i would ever do.
first, let me explain.

i'm grocery shopping at the super walmart. definitely trying to be thrifty minded, knowing that i should try to stretch my money as much as i can these days. not only are gas prices high, but my funds are running low, and will soon run out, and i'm not sure what kind of salary will be replacing my current one. it's not easy for me, but i'm trying to keep my savings in my savings, and be careful with the rest.

ok. so walking up and down the aisle, i'm wondering which items i can "skimp" on. like, buy the offbrand, and be ok.

laundry detergent? i smelled a few. even the walmart brand, with daisies on the bottle. nope. not gonna work out. gain it is. tropical breeze this time instead of joyful expressions.

yogurt? no. i only like one kind. texture is a BIG deal. next.

juice? sure. i got tropicana fruit punch, light, for about $2. feeling good.

toilet paper? hmm. is it worth running the risk of having toilet paper issues? i wasn't sure, but when i skimmed the options, i found a 6-pack for $1.49. i mean, they weren't double rolled, they weren't ultra soft, and they definitely were not name brand. but the package had words like "2 ply soft" and "absorbant" written on it. i decided, yes. let's try it. $3 for 12 rolls is a steal. right?

so i feel dang good about my skimps today.

i've even thought about coupon clipping and making a whole hobby out of this.

maybe not.

inner circle

what are the people in your "inner circle" like? those closest to you, the ones you prefer and who know you deeply? not your acquaintances. not your friends' friends. but your good friends. the ones who stir up emotion in you and bring out your best.

i was emailing my friend alex this morning, reflecting on my college experience and why i was/am drawn to certain people and why i value certain relationships. by the way, i'm convinced that my experience at GCSU wasn't for my degree, but rather the relationships that were formed and still remain. :)

i came to the conclusion that i am most drawn to people who:

i can connect with. who i can find common ground with.
are complex emotionally.
don't always follow the rules.
own their faith and live it.
have life experiences and God encounters that give them foundation for their opinions and convictions.
love others.
listen well.
display emotion.
bring out the inner child in me.
cause me to want to live better and more purposefully.
remind me of my normalcy and beauty in who God made me.
verbalize their thoughts.
don't always agree with me.
are passionate about something, at least one thing.
smile a lot.
laugh a lot.
don't take themselves, or life, too seriously.
don't make quick assumptions about others.
analyze.
embrace change and new perspectives.
love the word of God and speak it into my life.

what kinds of things draw you to other people? some of my reasons are more about me and what people do for me or to me rather than the actual person. but it's because of who they are that they affect me in such ways. we need each other to thrive in who we are as individuals. God made us that way. the body.