Lessons from Irene

Just in case you were wondering... WE SURVIVED! Irene killed our electricity for a day and half, threw tree branches across our yard, and made us miss the summer finale of Leverage. But we're ok! And not only did we survive, but I also learned a few things.

#1 God answers prayers. The news had been reporting for days that this could be the storm of the century. Our local weathermen were predicting the storm to make landfall right over our heads as a Category 3. Instead, Irene began to break apart some before hitting us as a Category 1. What had the potential to be another hurricane Katrina turned out to be just a minor mess-maker for a majority of our area. And I am so crazy thankful to God for it.

#2 I should not spend all the celebrated hurricane day in my worn out pajamas. Because crazy people will unexpectedly show up to check on me in the middle of the storm. Like my boyfriend, Bob. So note to self for next time: Jeans and a comfy t-shirt.

#3 I am way too addicted to Facebook. It nearly killed me that our cell service was out and I couldn't check my news feed or post statuses about the hilarous thing my mom just said. I actually had to handwrite notes to remind me of what I needed to post when I had service again! Can you believe that?! Who handwrites anything anymore anyways?! Crazy, I know!

#4 We have the absolute best neighbors. The Wachs next door allowed us to plug in to their generator to power our fridge and some fans so we could sleep that night. I pray God blesses their socks off. If we ever end up moving out of this house, I will see to it that our new place has an open house next to it so the Wachs can follow us.

#5 LED flashlights are the bomb dot com. I stole acquired this teeny three-bulb LED flashlight from the church and used it when I had to walk around in my dark and scary house. Not only did it keep the vampires away (I've had too many nightmares about them lately to deny their presence just beyond my line of sight), but it was also super useful for temporarily blinding sisters. Everyone should have one.

#6 Storms are the perfect opportunities to mess with our cats. The hard rain and loud wind makes Patches skiddish. So when I sprinkled some water on the unsuspecting kitty at 3 am, she got crazy wide-eyed and jumped back about five or six times before running at full speed down the hallway. Dad and I nearly fell out of our chairs laughing.

#7 It doesn't take much to make me laugh a lot when I'm missing out on sleep. See #6.

Thank You

It was like a scene out of the newest action movie. The brave cop and hero of our film switched on his blue flashing lights and pressed the gas pedal to the floor. Chasing the speeding SUV down the crowded road, he swerved around the other drivers while requesting reinforcements. It was a dangerous game of cat and mouse as both the law-breaker and the cop waited until the other would make a mistake resulting in either the capture or escape of our villain. Finally in a flurry of broken car parts, the criminal lost control, slamming into another vehicle into a ditch and sending himself off the road and into a nearby parking lot.

This scene did not unfold on a screen in a packed theater, but rather just a few yards in front of me yesterday afternoon. After spending the day with family and friends, I was driving Grace and Bob home in my car when we witnessed the wreck. Our jaws dropped as I pulled to a stop on the busy road and we watched wide-eyed as the cop jumped out of his car, pulled his gun on the criminal, then tackled him to the ground. I would have got out to check on the person in the other car, but if they were severely hurt I would have been hysterical and only got in the way of the others who had already rushed to their aid. So when we had a chance, we left the scene and continued home another way.

Only Bob did the driving instead of me. I was so overcome with anger toward the idiot driver that I couldn't think straight. How could someone have such little respect for human life that he would endanger everyone sharing the road with him? Did he even care about the person he had just slammed into? If I had been the cop, I wouldn't have let the man surrender, I would have emptied my gun on him at my first chance. (Now that I know how to shoot one, Mwahahaha) As these thoughts and questions swirled in my mind, I grew steadily more angry and I tried my best to keep from cursing.

It wasn't until later that night when another thought consumed me. What if we had been just a few cars further ahead? What if we were the ones he hit? Would we have survived the wreck? If Grace and Bob had been hurt, I would have crossed the street and wrestled the gun from the cop so I could shoot the man myself. I know it sounds awful and very un-Mandy-like, but I really think I could have done it. When people I care about are hurt, I have the potential to get violent, and this would have been no exception.

As if whole ordeal was nerve-racking enough, thinking of all the what-if's and worst-case scenarios nearly cripples me. But I was skimming through of my Bible tonight when the book flopped open to Psalm 121. This is a Psalm of Ascents, from a collection of songs the Jews would sing on their way to Jerusalem as they crossed treacherous terrain. Verses 7 and 8 say "The Lord will protect you from all evil; He will keep your soul. The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forever." How comforting are those words!

I firmly believe God protected us yesterday. It could have easily been us in the other car, but God had His hand on us. He continues to amaze me with the ways He so obviously works in my life and my weak words of gratitude simply aren't enough. I want my life to be a "Thank You" to Him. I want to be pleasing to the God who loves me by living in absolute faith. (See Hebrews 11:5-6) He deserves nothing less.

I'm Sorry :(

For all my faithful readers out there, I owe you an apology. In the last couple months I've been super crazy busy and unable to type up a blog post. Therefore, you've been lacking some serious Mandy-induced gigglez and that's just not fair to you. So I am very sorry. I'll try to do better.

Instead of trying to explain in detail all the crazy things that have gone through my mind lately, I'll just give you a somewhat concise list of observations.

- Kissing someone while wearing a bathing suit will make you have triplets. That's what a pastor friend told me to discourage me from kissing my boyfriend Bob. I'm pretty sure he was joking. If he's not, I may be in a little bit of trouble. In fact, you might should start buying me diapers and such.

- I'm pretty fond of semi automatic handguns. Yes, you should be afraid.

- If anyone scares my momma with an idiotically loud car stereo, they will experience the wrath of Mandy. Don't laugh! I'm all cute and stuff, but apparently I can be quite terrifying when screaming at a bunch of hooligans in the Walmart parking lot.

- Thor, Green Lantern, and Kung Fu Panda 2 were all pretty awesome, I don't care what the critics say. I'm not really sure how good X-Men First Class was because I was kinda sleeping for some decidedly important parts.

- Owl City's new album "All Things Bright and Beautiful" is unbelievably happifying. Although it's kinda dangerous because it makes me dance while driving. You should all listen to the song "Plant Life". It's so strange but so dang adorable. If I were to pluck on your heart strings, would you strum on mine?

- I would kill for a slice of Oreo cheesecake.

- I should not watch silly Disney Channel shows before church on Sunday mornings. Because the laughter with my sisters will continue throughout the car ride, into the building, and then makes it difficult to walk up the stairs to our classroom. Although it's kinda fun being doubled over in gigglez on the stairs as weirded-out teenagers are staring at you.

If time and mental capacity allows, I'll post more often. And you may not even really care, but this appeases my narcissistic (Gosh do I love spell check) side. So do me a favor and pretend like you care, ok? Lovins!

My Deformity

Do you still have a webbed toe?

In a word - yes. I still have my cute little deformity. For those who don't know, two of the toes on my left foot are stuck together. I would include a picture in this post, but I don't want to alienate my readers who have weak stomachs and irrational fears of footsies. You can thank me later.

Occasionally I consider having it "fixed" but I'm horrified of needles, blood, and just the thought of surgery. If I listed all my fears, surgery would be close to (if not at) the top of that list, higher than death itself. But other than my aversion to surgery, there's few reasons that I'll make do with it.

Firstly, it made Mom sure she brought home the right baby. After going through 40 hours of labor and being three weeks late (which she reminds me about on a regular basis), she woulda hated to come home with the wrong kid. Although during the first six months of my upset tummy, she might have wished I got switched at birth...

My little deformity also makes an awesome conversation topic as some people are amazed and calling all their friends over to see it. Either that or their faces twist in disgust which can be quite hilarious.

When Dad does the piggies thing on my toes, he starts off with the big toe like normal saying "This little piggy went to market." But then he'll pinch the webbing between the special toes and say "And these two stayed home and had roast beef because they're joined at the hip." I normally don't get past that part because his rough old man fingers are tickley.

Even though it's so much fun, it does have its down side. If I were ever interested, I would probably be disqualified as a competitive swimmer. It's just not fair to the others than I'm part froggie. Oh, and I can't wear toe socks. And that's really annoying because some are ridiculously cute.

So I am still just one comment away from beating my comments record on my Ask Mandy post! Somebody puh-leaze ask me something interesting!

I Heart Chuck

What do you think makes Chuck such a wonderful spy, however awkward and initially ill-equipped he was?

I cannot tell you just how glad I am that someone asked this question. Many an evening has been spent analyzing this beloved TV show with my family. Sometimes I've considered simply dedicating my blog to Chuck so I can flesh out my theories and observations after every episode. But now since someone has asked, I can discuss Chuck without looking like an obsessed nerd with no life. Thank you, Amy!

The most obvious thing to me is the second edition of the computer in Chuck Bartowski's head that has helped tremendously. With the first intersect he had tons of knowledge at every flash, but not much in the way of courage and confidence. He was starting to gain some of that even before downloading the intersect 2.0 as he more frequently risked his life at his own choosing. But at the end of the second season, he got the upgraded computer in his noggin and followed an awesome fight scene with one my favorite Chuck lines: "Guys... I know Kung Fu." This new ability to defend himself with mad skills really boosted his confidence thus allowing him to become a better spy.

Another thing that makes Chuck such a great spy is the support of his friends. The former-assassin-ish and now-fiance Sarah keeps him emotionally stable which is super important considering effects of the unstable intersect as seen in season 3. Military machine Casey helped train him and continues to offer advice in both professional and (gasp!) romantic areas. And his little bearded friend Morgan gives him chances to relax and be his adorable nerdy self.

Speaking of which, his nerdiness is a huge help. He has disabled bombs with viciously malicious porn in the pilot episode and with apple juice three shows ago, so he's full of very unconventional knowledge that ends up helping more than Sarah and Casey would have ever expected. But more important than his nerdiness is his heart. Even when things are in turmoil around him, he perfectly balances government intelligence protocols with compassion. He gives almost everyone the benefit of the doubt and honestly wants to see others happy even if it means it's at his expense. *Sigh*

Yes, my friends. I am in love with Chuck Bartowski. And he'll never know it because he's a dang fictional character. Probably written by a bunch of women. Break out the ice cream, it's time to drown my sorrows in chocolatey goodness once again.

Now, I am one comment away from beating my comments record for an entry. Someone ask me a question under my post Ask Mandy so I can celebrate and break out the ice cream for something good rather than heart-wrenching!

Cuteness?

Fair Maiden, Why art thou so cute?

Although the question was submitted "anonymously" the writer gives it away in the first two words. It took me a while to come up with a satisfactory and not-too-egotistical answer, so you better appreciate it Sir Luther!

My first response is a question - When exactly did you last get your eyes checked? LOL and thank you for the compliment. I'll be sending your check in the mail within the week.

I guess my "cuteness" begins with my genes. My dad is ok, but luckily my mommy's adorableness completely eclipsed daddy's mediocrity. Unfortunately I do have my father's crooked teeth which I like to think adds to my charm. If anything, it just makes me undeniably my father's daughter which can be either a good or a bad thing depending on how he is behaving in public. (I love you, Daddy!) The only thing I'm really upset about concerning my genes is that my grandfather was selfish and refused to pass down the I-eat-all-the-time-and-still-don't-gain-an-ounce genes.

My still-developing fashion sense however comes from neither parent. Dad is hilariously color blind and mom is very simple when it comes to clothes. So I relied on my addiction to Disney Channel to give me some pointers on fashion. Don't laugh, it's a great resource! I was so giddy one day when the most fashion-conscious character on the channel had the same shirt I had, it made my week. I generally stick to jeans and wear Rainbow flip-flops ten months out of the year, but try to dress up the native beachcomber look with a cute top and some layering if I feel like it.

I'd also like to think it has something to do with my personality. Though I am so very far from perfect, I'm steadily working towards this type of beauty described in the Bible. 1 Peter 3:3-4 reads "Do not let your adornment be merely outward - arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel - rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God." Wow, I've got a looooooong way to go!

So there's my answer. If anyone wants to know my oh-so-awesome opinion on something, post your question as a comment on my Ask Mandy entry! To be honest, half the reason I wrote that request was to beat my record of comments which currently sits at six and two of which were my own. As of right now, I have three more to get! Now somebody ask me a question, dangit! Kthanxbai!

Most Profound

I am always looking for new Bible study books. I've got a couple shelves in my room, and a huge one in my closet, filled with books I've completed. There's a great one on the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7, and an excellent Beth Moore study entitled "Believing God", oh and several notebooks filled with handwritten copies of Psalms and my personal reflections. And I've got even more books that I'm dying to go through when I can find some time.

Along with countless other Christians, I am always on the search for some new profound discovery about God. Hungry to know Him more, we dig into the Bible and get help from some pretty brilliant scholars. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but I fear that in the process we forget already know the most profound thing...

"For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation." - Romans 5:6-11

This Easter weekend isn't about egg hunts, bunnies, new dress shopping, and awesomely delicious dinners with family. It's for remembering the most profound Biblical truth - that God loves us and sent Jesus to die for us, and then defeated sin and death itself by resurrecting Him.

Thank you Abba Father for loving me so much!