My weird creepy cool crazy bad awesome Valentine's Day.........And Hayley....

Well, another Valentine's Day has passed, and no big deal to me really. I'm not really sure that it even counts as a holiday. I mean, the post office doesn't even have off for it, a clear sign of celebration. Not to mention, I have no idea what we are celebrating. I mean, who was St. Valentine and why do we send "notes of love" or whatever to each other on this day? I have no idea.

Anyway, I sent out a few select Valentines, 4 in total. 3 to some girls in a "mob" of sorts (all though, how fearful can you be of a group from Minny though, right?). The best one was the one I sent to my mom. I don't care if you think it's corny or whatever, but I told my mom how much I love her and how thankfully I am for all she does for me and for putting up with all my junk on such a consistent basis.

The day itself sent me searching for something that I wasn't all that successful in finding. I was trying to find a Valentine for the day. I'm not even sure what that means or what I was doing. But every guy I saw on my floor that morning, I asked if they would be my Valentine (well, they also had to have a girlfriend too, so I was like stealing them away or whatever). That was fun until I got ditched later in the day for the girlfriends.

I went to work in the dining commons shortly thereafter chapel. I asked Jen Landis (whom I've known for a while now) to be my Valentine. She said she would, knowing of course how goofy I was being.

Well 2 minutes later she re-voked her "Valentine-ship." She said she didn't want to upset Dan (her boyfriend). I was cool, but I hammed it up to be all hurt and stuff. Then she dropped this little tidbit on me:

"But you can't be anyone Valentine's because your no one's Valentine."

That hurt. It was mean and horrible. As soon as she said it, I dropped the container of hot cheese I had just emptied out. She apologized, but I'm still going to hold it over her head for awhile. She didn't mean it the way it came out, but, it was still kind of bummering.

This ofcourse sent me into a more panicked frenzied to find my Valentine for the day. I asked Brittany and she obliged with "ofcourse I'll be your Valentine Slimmy." Yes, she calls me "Slimmy."

I said something to Steph Davis. It was kind of neat because I hadn't seen Steph in several days because she was at the conference thing last week, leaving me completely devastated and alone........Or something like that. Infact, I told her "Steph, its so good to see you! I've been desuetude and alone while you've been gone!" She did the Steph Davis laugh (which is just great). Then I told her what Jen had said and Steph offered to be my Valentine.......I think. I don't really remember to be honest.

The best part of my day had to be when Hayley came up to me. I was working the deli counter, like a good worker is supposed to, when Miss McGrail came up to ask me a favor. She strongly desired that there would be some sherbert out with the ice cream. I told her I would say something to Rick and see what I could do.

Then something happened and I'm not sure what exactly. But some how, my "offer" got brought up (see the previous post about her recital). I think she thought I was implying that she would need to complete that offer if she got sherbert. I don't really know what happened exactly, but we laughed and it was a good time.

Well I talked to Rick, and there will be sherbert put out with the ice cream here in the near future. I told Hayley that today as she was getting some food in the dining hall as I worked. She responded by having an extremely excited look on her face, she raced around the lunch counter thingamabob, and proceeded to come on the side of the employee's to give me a "Maranatha Hug," which is semi-difficult to explain, but fully checkable in the rules. Then there was the relentless "Thank you so much" thing too.

I had no idea that she was that into sherbert. All I know is that I need to find some wholesale place that will sell like a 32 gallon drum of sherbert. That way, we know the offer would be completed.

hhhhmmmmm............Maybe I had a Valentine all along..........

Pray what you mean

Have you ever prayed for something or some situation and prayed that "the Lord's will be done" even if that meant that you didn't get the response you wanted? How do you feel when the Lord's will is not your will?

In June, it will be 4 years since I have known Christ as my personal Savior. The last four years have been interesting spiritually. While I struggle with many things (too many I'm afraid) one of my biggest struggles is praying. To be honest, I'm not really sure how to. No one has ever really "taught" me. I try and listen intently to how they pray. I'm very nervous about praying in front of people because I'm horribly afraid I'm going to say something heritical. But yet, I know its something I need to do more of, and by not praying more (and in public), my prayer life simply won't grow.

One of those things I always seem to hear in a prayer is that "the Lord's will" be done in (insert the situation here). The Lord's will is always perfect, and he knows best. Even when that outcome means the absolute worst in our human minds, the Lord is in control. For example, last semester when I had a former friend and teacher pass away after fighting cancer for over a year, I was confused as to exactly how the Lord's will was that in all things God works for our good. When Mrs. Swisher did pass away, her funeral at church was JAM PACKED with people that she had come in contact with from church, school, workers at the hospital, unsaved friends from years past, and unsaved relatives. Her unsaved friends and family and the workers that came saw something different in Mrs. Swisher's life. 17 people got saved at her funeral. Indeed, God does work everything to our good, even in death.

The past few days and weeks or so, I've been praying for several things, but one thing in particular. Well, all seemed right in my mind that the opportunity was there and it was what God intended. I finally prayed that "Lord, if this is the situation you have for me, make it happen. If its not you will, close the door tomorrow." Guess what happened? The door got SLAMMED shut. I was really confused, disappointed, and kind of hurt by the whole thing. I mean, didn't God want what was good for my life? Didn't he want me to be happy? Did Jesus himself say "Ask and it shall be given you?"

The answers are all resounding yeses. But I read through the Lords prayer (could there really be a better "prayer handbook?").

Mat 6:7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.

Oh yeah. So I shouldn't pray for the Lords will unless I really mean it huh? I really do want God's will, on a daily bias, but also on my entire life, that he could say, "well done, thou good and faithfully servant." I want to be able to look back at my life (Lord willing), (as Paul in 2 Tim did) and say that I have been on God's path.

Moral of the story: If I really want God's will for my life, day to day or long term, than I need to pray for God's will and actually mean that I want God's will. Even if that means I do get the "need" that I desire.

The stupidest thing in the !NEW! MBBC Dining Commons.....

Want to know something that absolutely annoys the tar out of me? Good, because I'm going to tell you.

I'm sure you have all been in the dining commons at some point in time when a worker has dropped some object (i.e. stack of cups, plates, bowls, etc.). Then, a room full of idiots claps.

Now I know not everyone in the room claps. But the ones who do clap are complete and total morons (and yes, I realize I am making a reference to some of my friends---BUT I DO NOT CARE!) .

Here's my problem: put yourself in that person's shoes. You already feel like a total idiot because you've dropped something infront of like a billion people that you know and now they are all clapping reminding you just how much of a clumsy idiot you are for being human and making a mistake.

It happened this morning and I was enraged. I told all the guys at my table to stop clapping because it showed their maturity level. I can't stand this, it's so stupid. It what way does this possibly edify or encourage others?

I'm not saying that you can't have a good time or laugh at something you or a friend did. But that's not what this is. This is just mocking someone else because they made a mistake; this is putting ourselves on some sort of higher pedestal to make us feel good that we aren't that person.

So next time you see someone drop something in the dining commons, don't clap, help them pick it up (quick point: I know some of you do this already. I know Bobbi Shepp has done it on more than one occasion and that people thought they were clapping at her; in any case, she didn't care and just tried to help someone out. Way to be the bigger person Bobbi).