Eventful and Exciting

So it's been a while since I've been on here. For having no plans and no job this summer, I've had a very busy last few weeks. I went to Auburn and Lake Martin a couple of weekends ago where I had so much fun with John, Rosson, Blake, Merd and the Maidens. I think I busted my eardrum jumping off a high cliff thing so that has been my ailment of the week. Then Gnat, Beal, Mims and Gav came in town and we really enjoyed catching up. We picked out material for curtains for our apartment which I am pumped about. Then, I stayed busy last week with Granddaddy sitting, painting, and chores.

A couple of days ago, I read a verse--

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me." John 14:1

The verse really stuck with me for the next few days. I really considered what the verse meant in my life. There are plenty of times when I get so worked up and concerned that I literally feel sick to my stomach.

I went to White Water on Friday where I was scared of just about everything because most of the time I have the mentality that something bad is going to happen and it will most definitely involve me as the main character (kind of like the ear thing). But I remembered the verse that I had read the night before. I cannot think that bad things are always going to happen. Living with anxiety is simply not living. I have to trust that God's plan is perfect and that his commands are always best. To have fun with the Suddaths and my cousins at White Water, I had to stop worrying. 

We left the park late so we didn't get home till about 7 and we were having a party that night at my house at about 7:30. I still had to take a shower and cook. But I remembered on the 2 hour trip back- "Do not let your hearts be troubled." And hey, that was so much easier. It turned out fine because there was nothing worrying could do.

And yesterday, the Fourth. Well it was an eventful, exciting day. And honestly, eventful and exciting are not two of my favorite words. I just want normal for a while. But, God has other plans for my days. First off, I started making jello by boiling water on the stove top. Then I proceeded to go to the pool for a while then to my aunt's. Two hours later I remembered the boiling water on the stove and I ordered Mary to sprint down to my house as I pictured my kitchen in flames and the firefighters not being able to put out the fire. I borrowed my aunt's car and drove down here praying to get home to a house that was not on fire. I was so relieved to find my house with only a black pot on the stovetop.

I thanked God for sparing me the huge burden of having burned my house down (and also losing all of my favorite clothes).

The family Fourth of July picnic was in the evening. We were all eating and having a good time. There were about 150 people at my aunt's house next door from around the neighborhood. I was standing in the yard when a man came running up and said, "Big Bill just collapsed." That's my dad. 

I was standing next to Garren and he ran down the hill to find Dad but I just stood still and started to cry, not knowing what else to do. My mom came sprinting across the field with her shoes in her hands and then the doctors, first responders and policemen who were at the party ran down there. They wouldn't let us go down there, so pretty much I was just freaking out because I'm not calm in emergency situations. 

My cousins and I got in a circle and prayed. An ambulance came but Dad had woken up and refused to get in it. I was worried sick. Literally.

And then I remembered the verse. "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in me."

Troubled. That means disturbed, upset, worried. That was exactly what I was. I could barely carry on a conversation because I was so consumed with the circumstances, but really, God is so much more powerful than I. He could allow my dad to be fine or to be hurt. And God is all knowing. He knows what I can handle and He knows what will make me stronger. He wouldn't allow anything to happen that is not good for my character.

God loves my dad so much and he loves me and my family so much. He's not going to let anything happen that is not the best thing. I just have to trust Him. 

Trusting in Him means obeying his commands. He commands me not to let my heart be troubled. So that is what I will do. This command, for me, is one of the most liberating ones in the bible. I shouldn't be upset, uneasy, or distressed because Someone has it all under control and that's not me. 

And that is probably the best thing I have heard in a really long time.

My dad stayed at home last night after the  incident and he ended up being fine. I was no longer troubled and went right to sleep, forgetting that my windows and sunroof were down. I woke up this morning to some much needed rain for the garden and grass and some soaking wet leather seats in my car. But hey, it's just a car. I won't be troubled over that. 

Cheddar, Elephants, The Golf Channel and Almond Butter

This weekend at the lake, I have learned a few interesting facts, and I thought I should share some with you so that you can sound really smart one day.

Has anyone ever wondered what the difference between mild, sharp, and extra-sharp cheddar cheese is? Well, I have too and I learned the answer. Mild cheddar has aged less than 5 months, sharp is from 6-12 months, and extra sharp cheddar is over a year and sometimes up to 5 years. That sounds slightly disgusting, but hey, it tastes good.

Elephants are the only animals physically unable to jump because they weigh too much. I'm not a huge fan of elephants anyways, so that doesn't bother me. I don't really like any large animals, like cows or bigger.

My aunt who was at the beach with a friend of a friend who is high up in Comcast who told her that the Golf Channel is the most-watched channel on cable tv. Everyone thought the man who thought up the idea of making a channel for golf was crazy, but he ended up doing very well.

Speaking of golf, my uncle told me that Phil Mickelson makes twice as much money as Brad Pitt. And I didn't even know who Phil Mickelson was.

And that leads me to think of Rosson (he plays golf too). I am hoping that he will someday make twice as much money as Phil Mickelson so that one day I will really come watch him play golf, as he will really be able to bribe me. I would be very supportive then.

And lastly, I have something that you should try. It's really good. It's almond butter.

You know, like peanut butter, but with almonds instead of peanuts. And it's really good. Almonds are so good for us, and although they are high in calories, they have very good fat in them and many other beneficial things in them. Actually, many of the cultures around the world who on average live the longest have diets that consist of many, many nuts. Almond butter is found at most grocery stores I would say, or you can make your own by blending at high speed some almonds with a pinch of salt and maybe a small amount of oil, depending on how you're feeling that day. To make it extra good, add some honey or even dark chocolate.

How to put gas in a boat

I got a new comments box this morning and I want to see if I like it better, so I just had to post! You can comment from your facebok or twitter profile too now. And let me know if it doesn't work.

We're at the lake this weekend. It's my family, my Rapuano cousins, and my grandparents. My McGregor cousins are here too, as well as Granddaddy and a few of my Marsh cousins. We're staying at my cousins' houses who live on the lake, but they're not here. My aunt Kitty came over this afternoon and offered to take us on a ride on her boat. She was up for the day with her kids, without her husband.

She decided that for Father's Day she would put gas in the boat so her husband didn't have to worry about it. We went with her to get the gas, and she didn't tell us that she'd never gotten gas in her boat before. She sent me up to pay for it with her card and when I got up there, I heard over the intercom thing, Kitty said, "The gas came out all over me and it's going into the water. What is wrong with it?" So the man I was talking to at the register, slightly panicked, says back, "Don't move! I'll be there in a second."

He sprints out down to the dock to find that she is putting gas into where the water goes, like the place water goes for the sink and bathroom in the boat. She was drenched in gas. There was gas in her water thing. And she had to pay for the gas that she put in the water.

Plus, to make it worse, it is very easy to tell which one is gas and which one isn't. One plug says 'GAS GAS GAS' all around it, and the other says 'WATER' across it.

The man there came back up to where I was trying to pay after he got her settled and the gas going into the right place. He said, "I wonder how she normally gets gas in her boat?" I told him that I think her husband normally does it. That explained it.

So we got back onto the boat reeking of gas and headed home, hoping not to hit any docks or banks (last time, Lars was on the tube and Kitty accidently ran the tube onto the bank) and to just make it home safely. I did get scared a few times, but I knew that she was doing a better job than me.

If it were up to me to get us home, I'd be going about 9 mph at the most, thinking I was probably about to flip and possibly crying when I had to go over the wakes of other boats. I'm not a big fan of driving boats. But I do adore riding when my dad is driving.

Anyways, Kitty's husband, Jack got in town tonight and Dad said that he saw him busy getting the gas out of the water thing. Happy Father's Day to him.



One last thing, I am getting a free bloggy signature from April Showers that I am so excited about, so you should head over there before the weekend is over if you want to get one!