Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Why Its Better to Have Carson Home

Our fall has been an interesting rhythm of marriage as Carson has traveled weekly recruiting for Mercer.  We usually see each other at least once a week, and this weekend I even get to visit him in D.C.  And during our sometimes brief time together this fall, I am reminded how much better my life is when Carson is home.  My best friend and companion is there to talk with me, to laugh with me, and hang out with me.

Then there are the raw, practical moments where it is adamantly clear life would be better to have Carson home.  Case in point: last night sitting on the couch reading, as something caught my eye.  A large roach scurried into the middle of the living room.  For those of you who do not know, this has always been a point of vulnerability for me.  I think its their size, speed, and crunchiness.  And the antennas.

The first step was constructing a plan that did not involve me touching or having to hit the roach due to said crunchiness.  I had enough room to move around the roach and grab the vacuum cleaner. The noisy chase led the roach behind the kitchen trashcan.  Texted my friend Aimee who recommended Raid.  None in the house.  Googled solutions and was relieved that I am not the only person online searching "how to kill a roach without touching it."  Hairspray could work.  I uncovered the roach and doused him with Tresemme 24-Hour Body.  His shell looked great, but he quickly retreated under our dining room cabinet.  I never saw him again that night, but I went to bed with the door closed and a towel stuffed under the bottom.   I hoped not to see him again, and felt honorable by giving him the chance to live and never make his presence known in our home again.

7:30pm tonight: I'm reading in our bedroom when said roach crawls out from under our dryer just outside the bedroom door.  I'm still confident in the hairspray and begin the chase again.  He runs into the bedroom and slides behind a small bookcase.  Now he has taken it to the next level - I can't sleep knowing he is in the room.  For a brief moment, I consider sleeping on the couch.

I hairspray behind the bookcase hoping to fumigate him (as evidenced now by the stain on the wall).  After several minutes, the darn thing literally begins peeking out from behind the bookcase.  Now I know he's screwing with me.  As a go to grab a shoe, one of my last resorts, he goes back to hiding.  This time, I call my sister for a pep talk.  As we are trying to psych me up for this, he runs out into the bathroom.  Hairspray in one hand, shoe in the other.  I trap him in a corner and then he runs at me.  With Lindsay on speaker phone to hear my shrills and "creative" language, I smashed the roach with my shoe.   And then more hairspray for good measure.  I swept him into a dustpan and dropped him in the toilet.  Game Laura.

It's pretty ridiculous that a 27 year-old can't woman up and kill a roach, and that it takes her 24 hours, text messaging, googling, and a phone call to do so.  But I am pretty proud of myself nonetheless.  It would have been better to have Carson at home to take care of it immediately, but instead I have a pretty embarrassing and overly lengthy blogpost about it.

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Consumer Justice

Last July, I made one of the worst decisions of my life: I signed a two-year contract for DirecTV.  The low monthly price and over 200 channels lured me into a relationship that seemed right at the time.  Since being a customer, I have had to call over 10 times to have a service technician come out and fix my satellite for the same issue; 6 of those calls have happened between August 20 and today.  Each time I call, I'm assured the problem will be fixed, and that someone from customer service will call to address the recurring issue.  Until today, it had not happened.

There are always those occasional run-ins with the companies from which we choose to purchase products and services.  None are perfect (though I am beginning to believe Apple and Publix are), but none have tried my patience more than DirecTV.  In fact, it was not surprising that I recently discovered that they are not an accredited company of the Better Business Bureau.

Part of my frustration stems from the fact that I have a degree in Business Management.  I have been trained to know how a good business operates and why some companies fail, and I have always had a strong conviction to hold corporations responsible for their faulty products or incompetent service.  As consumers, we should have high expectations.  So, I have probably spent more time than most people caring about righting wrongs when it comes to the things I pay for and holding people accountable.  Consumer justice, if you will.

Then there is the pastoral side of me.  The one that tries to keep me in check when I'm on the phone raising my voice.  The one that makes me think "I wonder if I'm ruining this person's day" or "would this person fall out of her chair if I stop my rant and tell her I'm an ordained minister?"  Carson has even looked at me once, while on the phone with DirecTV, and motioned his hand down, as if to say "Take it down a notch."  I probably have not always done the best job walking the line of utter frustration and anger and a grace-filled concern for the respect of all involved.

It took me over an hour to fall asleep last night because I was preparing in my head my opening arguments for the DirecTV call I knew I had to make today.  I wanted justice, I wanted to be articulate, and I even wanted to preserve the dignity of the stranger on the other line.

After an online chat to try to secure a phone number for an "escalations representative" (yes, they call it escalations) and finally receiving a call from a customer service rep after 2 weeks, I was able to express the frustration of the last few weeks.  I wanted someone to affirm that our service was unacceptable, and I wanted something to be done.  By the end of the conversation, we were approved for 60 days of credit for non-service, and I thanked the rep for letting me air my frustrations to her.  All in all, I think it was tolerable for both parties, but I'm not holding my breath until I see the bill credits on an upcoming statement.

As I "watch" TV now with a pixelating picture and sound that goes in and out, I can't help but think that these are the standards our government should care about as they consider the state of the economy.  I think I could get behind corporate tax rates that are based on quality products, environmental responsibility, employee care, and outstanding customer service.  Let these companies that run us around take on our national debt.  I'd be ok with that.

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

The Roads of Georgia

One of the things that I have really enjoyed about my job is the fact that I travel roads in Georgia many people never do.  CBF/GA has churches in just about every corner of the state, which means I may not always travel interstates 75, 85 or 20 all the time (which after living in Atlanta for three years is refreshing to say the least!) Or, I may start there, but end up on roads that take me through the real Georgia.

I noticed this almost immediately last fall when I traveled south to Fitzgerald for the first time.  I was able to enjoy a two-lane state highway and the beautiful fields and pecan groves all around me.  Or in my many trips to Taliaferro County, while there is often little to look at besides trees, reminds you of the vastness of the state.  It has been at those points that my "Atlanta bubble" has been popped.  No, its true, Atlanta cannot be your only depiction of Georgia.

This past weekend, Carson and I traveled to St. Simons so I could meet with FBC about hosting March Mission Madness there this upcoming Spring.  After looking online at how to get there, I really was not quite sure what we would see once we exited I-16.  We went through towns with names like Lumber City, Hazelhurst, Baxley, and Jesup.  We saw old downtowns squares, beautiful old houses and literally slowed down as we approached each town every few miles.  Finally, after almost four hours, we arrived on St Simons.  We spent a good part of the day just driving and walking around the beautiful and pristine island, again, very different than other parts of the state.  We ate fantastic seafood, visited the local shops, drove through the round-abouts, and envied those on their bicycles riding around the island.

Being a proud North Carolina native and "city girl," I'm honestly becoming fascinated with Georgia the more of it that I see.  Every time I get the opportunity to travel, I hope that I take roads I haven't before, so that I can go to a new part of the state and experience the newness and uniqueness of each city or town, whether its just passing through or staying for awhile.  Wherever the roads take me, I'm just glad I'm branching out beyond 285 and that my experience has not just been Atlanta, even though I love it.  There is a lot more to see in Georgia, a lot to experience, many people to meet, and much to understand about the state where we now live and serve.  And I think I'm really going to like it.

Friday, August 5, 2011

Ordination & A New Job!

This week has been quite full of emotions and new titles. Last weekend I was ordained and today I just found out I have a new job!

Last weekend, Laura and I got to spend time with family and friends in North Carolina as I was ordained at First Baptist Church of Elon. My brother Jordan drove in from DC and my sister Sarah flew in from New Orleans to join the rest of the family in Statesville for some family time before the big events. This included a trip to Outback to use up some gift certificates Mom and Dad had won at a local Boys & Girls Club auction!

I knew going into the ordination that it would be an emotional day, but was still surprised by the overwhelming feelings of blessing and exhaustion that came as it played out. Laura's family along with my family and our friends Clark and Jessica joined FBC Elon for Sunday worship service to which Rev. Mark Mofield surprised me by calling me up to join him for the children's sermon and share how I came to the point of moving forward with ordination. I hear from family members that I did all right in answering, but I can safely say the challenge of explaining a lifetime's calling and spiritual movement to proceed with ordination to a group of elementary schoolers in front of a congregation of people may have been one of my more difficult in ministry thus far.

Following lunch with the Mofield family and our crew, I was able to take Laura's family around Elon and show them the ole' college stomping grounds. I have great memories of Elon and it was fun to get to share some of those with her family while walking and driving around campus.

The afternoon began to pick up when we headed back to the church. Folks arrived early as they came in from all over. FBC Elon friends came back for a second round of church in the building. Family came from Greensboro and Sanford. Statesville friends included friends from FBC Statesville, former ministers, my mother's prayer group, a few of my best friends growing up, Andrew and Brent, who came from Charleston, SC and Chapel Hill to be with their families and myself for the event. Anna, who took care of my siblings and me growing up, even made her way up from Wilmington to join her parents in celebrating the day!

I also was able to celebrate the event alongside fellow ministers who have mentored me in my path up to this point. Scott Hagaman, my former youth minister, came from Marion, NC to lead us in prayer. Tonya Stewart, whom I worked with for a summer at FBC Statesville, came to read scripture. Jack Causey, who pastored FBC Statesville when I was a child and teen, came to explain the meaning of the event. Laura led us in an ordination prayer. FBC Elon staff David Durham as well as Mark took part in welcoming the congregation and recognizing me. Phil Smith, my friend from Elon who serves as Associate Chaplain, gave me a charge. He based it off of a similar charge that I gave him at his installation to his position in 2006, the beginning of my senior year as a Phoenix. Each person spoke beautifully and humbled me greatly. Mark's wife Amy as well as the FBC choir did a wonderful job leading us in music as well in setting the tone of the call experience of ministry and acceptance to follow it.

The laying on of hands is where I finally became overwhelmed with emotion. It began when I heard Amy singing "Here I Am, Lord," a song that my youth choir would sing on choir tours in high school. I finally lost it when friends and family came to lay hands upon me with words of blessing and prayers for perseverance. The words shared are ones I will never forget.

The day was capped off by a visit to Twin Lakes Retirement Community in Burlington to visit Mary Ellen. Mary Ellen is Sarah's senior friend whom I have heard about ever since Sarah led the efforts for her sorority in spending time with individuals at the retirement community. Mary Ellen has become like another grandmother to Sarah and is someone who at 89 years of age, still has a great sense of humor and is lively during some natural health decline. I believe that this was the perfect experience to finish an afternoon of ministry because I got to see how Sarah has served Mary Ellen and Mary Ellen has served Sarah. Each has provided community to another and a comforting figure to rely upon. She already knew who Laura and I were from our introductions and congratulated us on the wedding. I was ministered to by Mary Ellen as well as I saw a wonderful example of a life-long Christ follower who shared joy with us for a simple visit.

I feel blessed to have been part of such a wonderful day and even more so to have friends and family that care so deeply for me in this ministry journey alongside Laura. I look forward to continue to share how that call develops as we move forward in life together!

In other news, I just got a call from Mercer University and I accepted a job as an Admissions Counselor! This has been a long time coming as the last few months I have looked for something that would not just utilize my skills, but be meaningful work. That all came together with this position and I'm excited! I'll start next week. I'm sure I"ll have plenty to post in my recruiting travels in the Southeast and into the Mid-Atlantic.

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Under Pressure


Laura and I had lunch yesterday at the Greek Corner Deli downtown with Hannah, the President of the Cooperative Student Fellowship at Mercer University. I have been given the great pleasure of serving the group as it’s campus minister this year. The opportunity to sit down and not only get to know more about Hannah, but also talk shop about CSF got me excited for the fall semester!

After returning home, I stepped into a slippery situation, Apparently the pressure washer guy who had been washing the breezeways around the apartment complex got a bit too happy with the sprayer. There was a thin layer of water in the entryway that then seeped into the carpet. At that point I was forgiving. I mean a thorough job is nothing to complain about and a little water doesn’t hurt anything.

I then proceeded to sit on the couch along the entryway wall, which turned out to be soaking wet. I looked up to find that there was a line of water that had come down from the ceiling and soaked everything on the wall. There was a small puddle of water sitting in my sandal that I dumped out and then a little later realized that our potpourri bowl had also been filled to the brim.



We immediately called the office and a few hours later had a man and his son who own a carpet cleaning company come to clean the affected areas as well as leave us a fan to run throughout the evening to continue to help in the drying process. The man was nice and helpful, but I had flashbacks to Seinfeld’s cult cleaning service as the man handed us a bag of information with how to be saved with a request card for a DVD on the process. What is it about cleaning services and religion?

The gentleman moved on to the many other apartments that had been graciously given the same water carpet and couch problems from our pressure-washing friend before we could engage further in that conversation, but I am wondering what the rest of the week may bring. Just two days ago we received a message in the mail that we had a “sealed prophecy” with an attached paper Jesus prayer rug, and we could only open the message if we promised to do what God told us to do. Opened it and still waiting for blessings and/or judgment. Yesterday may have been judgment. Will keep you updated.



Tuesday, July 26, 2011

The Ghettoburger.

A few weeks ago a CBF/GA staff retreat found us in Atlanta, so we decided to stay a few days longer to enjoy some time in the city.  Carson and I thought and thought about what we could do during a free Saturday in Atlanta - maybe something a little touristy that we had yet to do or see.  Finally, it occurred to Carson: we had not yet experienced The Ghettoburger.

For those unfamiliar of such cuisine, The Ghettoburger is found on Memorial Drive at a small diner named "Ann's Snack Bar."  But more notably, it has been named by the Wall Street Journal as the best burger in America. 




The restaurant itself only has 8 barstools at the counter, so the wait time can be long.  As we walked up, we heard Miss Ann yell from the kitchen for two men to get out of the restaurant who were waiting for seats.  The four of us sat outside on the patio until we were summoned.  After about 30 minutes, Miss Ann walked out, called us over to take our orders, went back inside, and called is in a few minutes later.  We waited another 30 minutes for the burgers to cook and watched the magic happen.

The Ghettoburger itself is two quarter pounder patties, cheese, chili, bacon, lettuce, tomato, grilled onions, ketchup, mayo, and mustard, all on a toasted bun.   We opted for the combo, which included a full plate of fries.  As I took a bite of the glorious burger, I felt as if I were on an episode of Man vs. Food.  The meat was cooked to perfection, and the cheese had melted its way through the patties.  That day, food won as we both decided to eat only half the burger and saved the rest for lunch the next day.  The leftovers were just as good, and I can attest that it is the best burger I've ever had.



A few days later, I went to the doctor for a physical and bloodwork.  As I got my results back this week, my cholesterol was higher than normal and my doctor wanted to put me on Lipitor.  Never thinking I would hear those words as a 27 year old woman, I talked the nurse out of the prescription and vowed to change my diet and increase my exercise.   We'll know at my checkup in 8-12 weeks whether the Ghettoburger may have been to blame, but if I ever have one again, it will not be before a doctor's appointment.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Trip to the Lowcountry

I got a call from Jordan, my brother who lives in DC, last Thursday checking to see if Laura and I wanted to come up to watch the Braves vs. Phillies series in Philly this past weekend. After checking on flights, we decided it wouldn't work. We decided instead to meet up in Charleston, SC where Andrew, one of my best friends from childhood and Jordan's roommate at Appalachian State lives and stay with him.

Jordan worked the overnight shift at his job in DC and got on a plane at 9 a.m. in Baltimore expecting after a stop in Philly to be in Charleston by 3 p.m.  All the while, Laura and I expected to come in hours after him and settle in for the night at Andrew's apartment around 8 p.m. We held up our end of the deal, but weather did not agree with Jordan's travel on Friday and had him grounded in Philly for over six hours. He didn't arrive til nearly 10 p.m. at Andrew's place. The trip was a bit frustrating, but nothing a late night trip to Waffle House couldn't cure!

Andrew lives in Mt. Pleasant, just a few short miles from Sullivan's Island where we spent the day lounging on the beach and soaking up sunshine, rain clouds, and enjoying some great boiled peanuts we picked up on the roadside! We were joined by Brian, another friend from Statesville and roommate of Jordan's from App, as well as his new bride Ashley. We of course did the wedding reviews throughout the day full of sitting, bocce ball, and floating in the tide pool. It was not until after the day out on the beach that I realized that I had actually forgotten to put sun tan lotion on my face, but hey the peeling will do me good...right?


After short naps and watching the Braves take the Phils in 11 innings (Go Bravos!), Andrew, Jordan, Laura, and I went out to dinner at Shem Creek Bar and Grill for some great seafood. Hushpuppies, crab cakes, jambalya, shrimp and grits, and steak were consumed among the group leaving us happy and tired. It was off to bed for Jordan soon after as he had an early wakeup for a 6:30 a.m. flight back to DC to get to work in the early afternoon.

On the way in from Macon, I realized that the section of Highway 17 that we travel on north from Savannah came across the turn to Kiawah Island south of Charleston that my family took for years to go to the beach! In an attempt to be adventurous, Laura and I set out some time on the island that was a big part of my youth. This of course was not without a stop in for breakfast at Bojangles!

I was able to show Laura a place that holds a great number of memories for my family and friends. We toured around on the short visit, but hope to get to visit together again soon (Christmas present anyone?!)! I was heartbroken to see the Kiawah Inn had been torn down. I knew it had been closed, but apparently for now the plan is to build a parking lot for the 2012 PGA Championship and then go from there so it was plowed over. The Inn pools and beach access had been our hang out spot. Hopefully they will put up something nice there for folks on the West side of the island once the tournament is done!

The journey took us through the villa neighborhoods my family used to frequent as well as Night Heron Park, and finally a visit to the new Sanctuary hotel on the island. We are hoping to get our families to visit together soon for some more memories!


The weekend was short, but it was great to spend time with friends and family. This week we head to Atlanta as Laura has a staff retreat and I am going to work for Student.Go out of the Atlanta office. We're hoping to spend some time with friends in the ATL and maybe even catch a much needed live Braves game!

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Waterfalls, Grilling, and the Big Screen

This Fourth of July weekend marked my one year anniversary living in Macon.  As my parents helped move me into our apartment this time last year, my mom will forever remember July 4, 2010 as one of her first Independence Days without fireworks.  That's right, the city of Macon, to my knowledge, does not provide fireworks, but instead leave it to some of their neighboring towns like Forsyth.  For the second year in row, there were no fireworks for me, but here are some snapshots of how we spent our weekend:

Saturday: Waterfalls

As TLC so prophetically and hauntingly taught us to not go chasing waterfalls, we decided to anyways.  About 30 minutes north of Macon is High Falls, a state park with a legitimate waterfall and hiking trails.  We enjoyed a nice hike and view of the falls.  And since our parking pass got us into every Georgia state park for the day, we hopped over to another park, Indian Springs, for some lake swimming.  We were only slightly deterred by the high capacity of folks within the small, roped off, contained swimming area and the "warmth" of the water, but we found ourselves happier along the edges and finding some cooler spots.



Sunday: Grilling

Thanks to some dear friends, we received the gift of grilling.  To celebrate the weekend, Carson diligently put together our grill and we invited Rusty Grace, a friend from McAfee who is a minister in a nearby town, over for a meal of steaks, baked potatoes, and grilled corn on the cob.  Even in the midst of a thunderstorm and hail that brought the grilling inside the apartment breezeway (don't tell the apartment management company), we enjoyed a wonderful meal together!



Monday: The Big Screen

So, we kinda love Disney movies, and we decided to check out the renovated movie theater in town to see Cars 2.  It's way cute, but the most interesting part was the advertisements before the movie.  As we watched various ads for local businesses, we watched an ad for "Refuge and Hope" - the same name as the non-profit organization run by Jade and Shelah Acker in Uganda, where Carson worked two summers ago.  And as we watched, there on the big screen were pictures of one of Carson's trips there, including a picture of Carson holding hands with one of the Ugandan children.  Better yet, the movie theater collects donations for Refuge and Hope.  Small, small world.

We hope your July Fourth weekend was as fun as ours!

Thursday, June 30, 2011

"I've Got to Go Make Some Phone Calls."

Laura and I had our first Michael Scott moment recently in Macon. We had spent an enjoyable evening at a local Southern eatery tasting such delicacies as meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and banana pudding when it was time to pay the bill. I noticed that the woman who seemed to be running the show around the place stepped out as we were paying. I thought nothing of it much at the time as I could see her through the front door enjoying a few restful moments before closing up shop for the evening. Then things got weird.

We walked out and were approached by the woman who said, "Are you newlyweds?" We looked at each other lovingly and both confirmed that we were. The woman said she could tell because we had spent so much time just sitting and talking at the table that evening. She then followed up with the statement, "My nephew has a business and is looking for young married couples to get involved." Lightbulbs immediately went of in our heads and we both thought...PYRAMID SCHEME! We were offered a free dinner at the restaurant by the woman just to meet with her nephew. My stomach was intrigued since I had just had an amazing meal and thus we gave her my number and moved on.

Just this past weekend, I received a call from this anonymous nephew who was looking to meet with us. His vagueness did not surprise us as he said he was in "marketing development." Part of me wanted to meet with the gentleman just to be able to pull a Jim from The Office and show this Michael character in Macon that what he was doing was adding us to a gigantic triangle of small business owners. We decided against the proposition and figured that it was better for us to stick with our current employers and go the traditional job hunting route for my future full-time employment.

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Three Weeks and a Day

It's been three weeks and a day and we are still married! Since June 4, we have enjoyed a wonderful time with family at the wedding, cruised the Southern Caribbean, moved Carson to Macon, and have been to and from Tampa, FL for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship's 2011 General Assembly. We figured that on the 22nd day of marriage there would be no better way to begin our life together than by starting a blog!

"Macon Life Together" will highlight the early years of our marriage in Macon, Georgia as we learn more about this city and state as well as our journeys beyond the state's borders. We hope you enjoy this adventure along with us as we move through our life of marriage and Macon life together!