June 2007

Yesterday, I went to Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, VA. They have a new ride called the Griffon, which is amazing! People who love roller coasters HAVE to find a way to get on this ride, because…yeah…I’ll let the video speak for itself!
Griffon
I’d really like to know how to post the actual video on here. I know it’s possible, I’ve seen it done, I’m just at a loss as to how a person can do things like that. For now…you will have to do some extra clicking to see/experience the awesome-ness.

My favorite story in the Old Testament is from Exodus. In Chapter 13, after the Israelites leave Egypt, before they escape by way of the Red Sea, God decides to lead them through the wilderness to get to the Promised Land. In 13:17 and 18 it says:

“When Pharaoh finally let the people go, God did not lead them along the main road that runs through the Philistine territory, even though it was the shortest route to the Promised Land. God said, ‘If the people are faced with a battle, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.’ So God led them in a roundabout way through the wilderness toward the Red Sea. Thus the Israelites left Egypt like an army ready for battle.”

We face the same sort of things in our own lives. There have been plenty of times when I’ve cried out to God and asked Him, “Why can’t I just take the shortcut? Why are you taking SO MUCH time leading me to this place, when I can see it just beyond that hill (and that big Philistine army)?” But God knows the path He’s taking me on is the best for me, and the path He’s taking you on is the best for you. There are so many reasons why, but here in Exodus we see that God didn’t want the Israelites to face a battle they weren’t ready for. He knew that it would take years for the Israelites to be ready to face the Philistines, and not because He knew they needed to strengthen their armies. It says in 18:b that the Israelites “left Egypt like an army ready for battle.” I’m not going to pretend to know why God wanted them to wait, I can only speculate, but I’m sure one day He may answer my question.

Now, fast forward to Chapter 14, where the Egyptians decide to chase after the Israelites.

“As Pharaoh approached, the people of Israel looked up and panicked when they saw the Egyptians overtaking them. They cried out to the LORD, and they said to Moses, ‘Why did you bring us out here to die in the wilderness? Weren’t there enough graves for us in Egypt? What have you done to us? Why did you make us leave Egypt? Didn’t we tell you this would happen while we were still in Egypt? We said, ‘Leave us alone! Let us be slaves to the Egyptians. It’s better to be a slave in Egypt than a corpse in the wilderness!” But Moses told the people, ‘Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the LORD rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. The LORD himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.’” Exodus 14:10-14

I think this part is absolutely amazing! Right after this, God parted the Red Sea. Moses tried calming the Israelites down by reminding them that God is bigger than an Egyptian army, bigger than a body of water, and bigger than anything standing in the way of their Promised Land. And we don’t have to do anything but watch God rescue us from the battles in our lives. He may ask us to have faith, to fight along side of Him, and to pursue a relationship with Him more deeply, but through all of that, we will see Him victorious in our lives! “Just stay calm!”

So I was thinking about this when I was at Taco Bell today. I always get the same thing at Taco Bell, maybe a little deviation from the norm, but for the most part I always get a cheese quesadilla. Today, I added a bean burrito (work didn’t give me a lunch break…I was making up for lost…food…), but that’s not the point.

The point is that I’ve always wanted to go somewhere where they knew who I was. I don’t usually “mix things up,” so if they knew who I was, they’d know my usual order. Basically, I’d like to be a cast member on Cheers. I’ve never had that. I tried once in elementary school. We always had the same lunch ladies, so I tried telling her when she asked me what I wanted, “The usual, please.” She just looked at me and then asked me again. It was a sad experience.

I know my mom is well-known at a few different starbucks in the metro detroit area. Does anyone else have a place where they walk in and are greeted by smiles and familiar faces with good memories?

So, I’ve been working more regularly, which is great. Housekeeping is hard! I helped a woman clean 22 rooms, about half of those were full service cleanings, didn’t get a lunch break, and was at it for 7 hours straight. It hurt! That night, the only thing I could do was lie down. Even sitting wasn’t relaxing enough. Today, however, I worked at the Kid’s Cove, and for 3 hours I set up, organized, helped vacuum, watched the Lion King, and played “Where in the USA is Carmen Sandiego.” Oh, and no kids came. Oh, and I got paid to sit around and do nothing, basically. It’s the sweetest job ever!

I get to do more of the same for 8 hours tomorrow. Swweeettt!!!

Saw Ocean’s 13 tonight. Decided it wasn’t quite as good as the first one, but way better than the second. It had a lot of nostalgia to it, which I loved, and the acting was great, as always.

I’ve been getting to know the girls I’m living with really well. They are all awesome women! I think we’re all starting to let go a lot more, which is great. It means we’re getting comfortable with each other! I have to clean the bathroom before I go to work tomorrow, apparently we have an inspection. Inspection? Laaaame. Actually, it’s not. Cleaning is good to do, and if we are forced to do it every week, it’ll be a lot better when we need to move out at the end of July.

The talk on Thursday night was about prayer, and I always like learning more about prayer. I remember last summer when my prayers were completely revolutionized. I began to ask God for my desires instead of just leaving it at, “Your will, God.” Though there are times where saying that is appropriate, I wasn’t using it at the right time. Rather than using it as a sign of submission to God, I was just passively pursuing my dreams and my relationship with God. It was weird the first time I asked God for something that I wanted, but it is true that God wants us to ask Him! Even if He tells us “No,” it’s only because He has something better for us, but like any good Daddy, He just wants us to talk to Him about everything! I’m hoping that I can continue to become more of a prayer warrior and make it my first reaction to go to God in prayer.

Yay! Another thunderstorm! I’m glad it’s finally raining here!

I have been a fan of the Detroit Red Wings and of hockey in general since my family moved to the Detroit area when I was in elementary school (’95). The next few years were awesome, because they won back to back Stanley Cups. I hung onto those playoff games like there was no tomorrow, and when they went too late and I had to go to bed, I would turn on my radio as softly as I could and stay up listening to them.

What an awesome team!

My grandparents gave me an Yzerman jersey for my birthday one year, and I loved it (still do)! Steve Yzerman was a great captain for the Red Wings, and an amazing player during those years. He got older, though, and had a lot of problems that required surgeries, but he was the heart of the team until the day he retired. What a sad day….I’ve always said that he should have stayed on as their coach, that would have been awesome!

Then they had the shut out season a few years ago. That was really hard for me. Really hard. When it came time to watch hockey, I turned my attention to basketball. The Pistons were a really good team, too, so I didn’t mind so much, but I really don’t like basketball enough to really follow them. Back then, I was working for the Palace, so they basically forced me to follow them, but I was getting paid to do it.

Now hockey is back on, and the Red Wings were, once again, an amazing team that couldn’t pull it together in the semi-finals. That was sad. Extremely sad.

I have no clue what prompted this, but I was thinking about how the Pistons lost and why I started to care about the Pistons in the first place. It’s all because of hockey.