…and I’ll save you the corny joke!

It was quite an adventure. Minneapolis is quite an
interesting place…in my effort to notice things
more, you’ll see I took to documenting some of the
oddest with my camera phone. Check them out below –
you’ve got to see them to believe them!

Other things I took notice of:

A man who looked startlingly like Johnnie Cochran. So
much so, in fact, that I wondered if it was his son or
if perhaps the stories of his death were exaggerated
and he was really living under an assumed name in
Minneapolis.

A gentleman dressed from head to toe completely in
lilac. I’m talking hat, shirt, pants and shoes.
Completely!

That a corkscrew is not a confiscatible item at
security checkpoints but completely sealed manicure
kits are.

That our shuttle to the airport did not have seatbelts
for the passengers, but did for the driver.

And finally, the icing on the cake – that my streak of
being delayed EACH AND EVERY TIME I FLY remains
unbroken! Whoo hoo.

Well, I am glad to be home. Can’t wait to sleep in my
own bed tonight!!

__________________________________________________

So odd…in each upper corner in the elevators, they have hooks. Like the kind you would hang a coat on. But they are high up and close to the wall…so what in the world???????? 

The first evening, they had a martini bar for attendees. They put these flashing “ice” cubes into each glass. It was hard to focus on anything else, as we were stationed just across for the pyramid of martini glasses! 

I found it exceptionally odd that (a) there was a pool just in the middle of the hotel and (b) that they set up banquets right next to it.  

This one you had to SEE to believe! Cream puffs made into swans. It was kind of sad biting their heads off, though – but you can’t let a good cream puff go to waste! 

Ever since I read that article about living in the moment and really taking time to notice things…I’ve noticed that I don’t notice much on a daily basis. So I made a concerted effort yesterday to notice six things:
1. A fox with a really long tail crossing Yoder Road
2. That Vinnie’s Pizzarama is painted red (boy, I hope it wasn’t always red, because I’ll feel really silly for suddenly noticing that after driving by it 800 times)
3. An old guy on a bright yellow moped
4. That where I got gas at 9:30 AM had gone down 5 cents by 1:30

Still not six things, but it’s better than nothing…which is my list for today! I was trying to explain this to some people yesterday and they thought I was nuts – until I asked them to tell me six things they really and truly paid attention to and took notice of that day. Give it a try – and leave me a comment!

I’m still in the throes of irritability about my limbo-ness and all the drama of last week but I think I am on the upswing. I have to remind myself that what you do or deal with 9 to 5 doesn’t define you. No one is simply a job title. We all have other things in our lives that matter, that make us happy,that make a difference in some way, even small ones

Anyone know the song? Racegrrl, I know you do! : ) Gotta love Tobymac.

I recently read a series of books by Ray Blackston about some Christian singles trying to meet people. At the beginning, it starts with some quotes that tell something about each one. The main character’s love interest says, “My name is Allie, and I work for God.” I think about that a lot, especially in terms of what I’m doing with the children and youth at church. That’s what’s really important to me. Not this other stuff; that’s all just stuff. Gotta keep your focus, especially when those around you are losing theirs.

I spent a while last night crafting a really long post…only to have it tell me that it couldn’t find my blog to post it on. I tried a couple things and finally gave up, realizing it was all lost in cyberspace.

So let’s see if this works!

Limbo (lim’bo) n.: a dance, originated in the West Indies, in which the dancers bend from the waist as far back as possible to pass beneath a bar that is put lower and lower. n.: any intermediate, indeterminate state or condition

I am in limbo at the moment (the second definition, though sometimes I feel like it’s the first…but that’s a completely different entry!) and it is making me crazy.

Sigh.

For the past several years, I have taken part in the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Light the Night walk and will be doing so again at the beginning of October. Light The Night Walk is The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s nationwide evening Walk to build awareness of blood cancers and raise funds for cures. Walkers carry illuminated balloons-white for survivors and red for supporters-to celebrate and commemorate lives touched by cancer. My team, the Nite Lights, walk in honor of survivors we know and also those who have lost their battle. I personally walk on behalf of my mom’s best friend Rose, who is a survivor, and my friend Tracey’s nephew, Anthony, who lost his battle at just five years old. Many others on our team walk for friends and family members who have passed away. It is a very somber event, yet we know that by taking part, we are helping to raise money that can lead to a cure for these blood cancers.

I hate to use this as a platform to ask for donations…but frankly, I think it’s a good way to do it. If you are also on my email list, you might hear from me that way as well. If you would like to make a donation online, please visit my Light the Night website by clicking here. You can donate there with a debit or a credit card. If you would rather mail me your donation, please leave me a comment with your email address and I’ll send you my address. Please make checks out to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Thank you for your help! No donation is too small. Every dollar raised goes to research to end these terrible diseases.