Trends in Twenty Ten

I came across the year in review on Yahoo. Not saying that Yahoo is a legit source or anything, however I found it kinda interesting. I got a kick out of the top 10 burning questions of 2010. These are the questions that were typed into search bars across the world the most. Let’s share:

1. How to tie a tie. I actually contributed to this. The Harry Potter midnight showing required me to wear a tie and I couldn’t remember. Thanks Youtube.
2. How to lose weight.
3. How to kiss.
4. How to write a resume.
5. What’s the world’s only immortal animal? A type of Jellyfish
6. Which city has the best tap water? I don’t know why people searched this as much as they apparently did. But the answer is in Arlington, Texas. Just one more thing for Texas to be proud of.
7. Which natural disaster shortened earth’s days? The Earthquake in Chile on February 27 took 1.26 millionths of a second off each day. Dang.
8. What is love? I don’t know, but you can ask the 3 million of my friends who got married this year.
9. What causes lightning?
10. How to boil an egg. Just add water.

quote of the day

Laura: "Ok can we leave now? I have to go by and see my Grandma, the home closes at 9."

You make me feel so young

With all the Christmas funtivities and snow falling, it got me thinking about being a kid. I was a really cool kid I think. I was a bad kid, but that kind of made me cool. While going through the cabinets, Dad found a thermos from my old lunch box that has a skeleton on it and says "Boo Dude!" It was a Goosebumps lunch box and it was friggin awesome! I owned every Goosebumps book ever printed, I was a big reader back in that day. I read the Boxcar Children, Babysitters Club, Curious George, Nancy Drew, Animorphs. One time I stole money from Dad so I could buy a book at the bookfair (see, reading doesn't necessarily make you smart). When I wasn't reading a scary book, I was writing them. I had notebooks FULL of scary stories and I wish I still had them because I know my writing skills back then would make for a mortifying laugh. Apart from my journalism skills, hobbies included getting in fights at school over who took my swing, collecting baseball cards and monkey stuffed animals, and trying to be better than my brother at everything (I never got there). My fave birthday party was Curious George themed and I didn't leave the house without my Atlanta Braves hat on my head. I played baseball, soccer, and I clogged all at the same time and I'd like to think that's why I couldn't make anything higher than a C in school. Really I was just a slacker and didn't care. I spent my entire 5th grade year grounded because I couldn't pull those D's up. So that Master's Degree might feel really good in my hand soon. It's funny how you mature in some ways but on Christmas eve I woke up every hour through the night and my family would agree that I still hold the record for fastest paper unwrapping. I think the cool thing about beleiving in Santa is knowing that all these presents were about to show up no matter how good or bad you were that year. It's almost like you knew you didn't deserve all that great stuff but you could count on it being there. That was still my feeling on Christmas morning #24 and that's pretty cool.

We R Who We R

Luckily Christmas isn't about family, friends, traditions, or parties. It's not about snuggies either, even though I got one. It's a lot about how giving Jesus is. And in the case of my life He's blessed me with a bunch more than anyone deserves. It's always a good Christmas when Gaffney pals gather around the table at Waffle House to exchange presents and make fun of each other. Whenever these friends get together, there are too many quotes for one day and they constantly impress me with how funny they can be.
Erica: "What was going through your head when you picked out my Froot Loops shirt?"

Erin: "Erica likes cereal."

Laura: "Kesler, you take the picture."

Kesler: "I have to turn around in the booth?"

quote of the day

Grace: Everytime we want to try something new we should say, "We should test that out in the club."

I've got my love to keep me warm

I know with all of my heart that I was created for a purpose. That purpose is to be warm. It is to wear flip-flops and shorts and skirts and to be outside when the grass is a pretty green color. South Carolina ranks second in the nation (so I've read) in state pride next to Texas. And for good reason. We have seasons typically, we have the beach, we have a mountain or two, we have historically lots of sunshine, we have festivals. We barely do it, but California is hard to beat. I spent 10 weeks there, lovin' on Jesus, selling t-shirts and pirate toys, surfing, and eating good pizza. I said that after I graduate in May I'm going to take a trip. Italy is my first choice but I just got a job that doesn't really pay that great so that's not happening right now. So I'm planning on returning to Santa Cruz. You see I have some good pals going there this summer just like I did 4 years ago including a staffer who I love and will be bunking with at the Peter Pan Motel. Making this decision is right in the middle of this horrible winter weather where it has been 12 degrees every morning for the past 2 weeks. My soul needs sunshine (not to mention my skin) and I can feel myself getting more and more emo as the month goes on. Summer, please hurry. South Carolina, please get your identity back.

Tis the Season

I wish the Grinch would come and steal this cold weather away. I'm SO over it. Not that anyone cares that much, but I'm actually more into Christmas than I thought I'd be this year. It may be due to the fact that I will attend 6 Christmas parties in December, 4 of them were last week. Just another reason why I love my job because 3 of them are office-related. I came across a blurb on yahoo that shared the Do's and Don'ts of office holiday parties. First of all it said to actually go to your office's holiday party if you can. You don't want to look like a lame Friday night loser and be left out on Monday morning. Lots of employees get drunk at their office party and humiliate themselves by trying to dance with their boss. It's a good idea to not do that. Christmas parties are unlike any other type of bash. I've eaten pizza, olive garden, lots of good cheese dip, and killed about 5,000 mugs of hot chocolate. In addition to all the yummy foods, I got a new PRT shirt, a nifty PRT rain jacket, a $25 giftcard, and 7 oranges from Ed my boss. Christmas is mostly about getting, let's just be honest. But giving is cool too. I'm far from done with my shopping list but I just bought my Grandma the Blind Side on dvd. That's how cool she is.

The Youth Council had their Christmas party on Wednesday and since I'm in charge of them I got to participate. After swapping some gifts and fighting for others (there might have been injuries) I ended up with a Blockbuster gift card. And nothing says Christmas like a Jersey Shore poster.

quote of the day

Aaron: "Walked into Elevation church in Ballantyne, felt like I was about to play laser tag."

quote of the day

From Brittany as she noticed someone different was leading worship this morning:
"Is that a violin? Who are these people? Are they the Dixie Chicks?"

quote of the day

My co-worker, Latoya: "Ho is my favorite word in December. You don't know if i'm saying ho ho ho or calling you it."

The Office

So I ask myself a lot, “Self, is what you’re doing with your life worth something?” What do I want to do with the rest of these about 50ish years I have left? For only God knows (literally) what reason, Rock Hill is where I need to be. This week I got hired up by the Parks, Recreation and Tourism department, the future I've been wanting since I pulled my first prank up in there 2 and a half years ago. I'm way beyond blessed to first of all have a job. On top of that it's a job that not only do I LOVE and not only is it what I went to school for, but it's a job that effects people. The world of recreation and a job with city governement is the most personal job I could get. Luckily I get to work with humans of every background, race, education level, salary level. My main job is in Youth Programming but I get to work with children, senior citizens, mentally handicapped, I'll get to hang with the poorest person in York County and the City Manager of Rock Hill. What does this mean to me? It means God has given me a freaking awesome job. He's given me the opportunity to effect an entire city for His glory (in a microscopic way on my part). Christians always walk around talking about creating community and the importance of it and sure I'm on board with that. My job PAYS me to create community and work in the community. God calls some people to live in countries I can't pronounce and some to live in small towns and big cities and some to live in Rock Hill, South Carolina. All I know is that I'm so stoked to get to live here for now and get the opportunity to effect just a small part of a city for King Jesus! Game. On.
"If I had to, I could clean out my desk in five seconds and nobody would ever know I had ever been here. And I'd forget too." -Ryan, the Office