open mic

Speak up! You can share (pretty much) anything...

confessions / what you're reading or listening to / soapbox rants / a cause you want to call attention to / plug your blog, band, business / random thoughts / favorite verse / strangest thing in view / interesting links / prayer requests / youtube video that makes you laugh your ace off / God's whispers to your heart / shout-outs to someone you love / funniest thing you've heard all day

This is your chance to express yourself. Go ahead. Open mic. You know you wanna.

four-minute friday: bread butts

Go. I can't stand banana butts. Or hot dog butts. And I really don't like bread butts.

But I used to feel like I needed to be a bread butt martyr. I'd eat them, even though I hate them. Simply so someone else didn't need to. I'm realizing that I do that with a lot of things. I'll choose what I don't like if I feel that decision will be better for others in some way.

But I had an epiphany about the butts: Some sacrifices just don't need to be made.

Bread butts simply do not need to be eaten. By anyone. So I stopped taking one for the team and started giving the butts to the birds.

Everybody wins.

Done.

Your turn! Leave a four-minute comment about bread butts...

keepin' it fresh

Tomorrow is four-minute Friday. That means I start with Go and end with Done, and everything in between is written in four minutes. I typically choose a topic based on whatever's happening at the moment, and then just start typing. I've four-minuted about time zones, nicknames, and cereal. Music, hope, Isaiah 53, and ostriches.

Thanks to an inspiring housewarming gift, I'm gonna mix things up this week. You get to decide the topic of tomorrow's post.

So. What do want me to ramble about for four minutes? Give me as many suggestions as you've got.

no i didn't give up blogging for lent...

Fifteen days blog-free and I just can't take it anymore. I think that's the longest I've gone without posting since I started blogging back in 2005! What initially began as a pause while my blog got her makeover, eventually grew into a much-needed hiatus. And while I still don't feel like I have much worth saying right now, I'm anxious to write, read, and connect again.

The Grit's facelift is the handiwork of Shauna at See My Designs. We're still working out a few wrinkles, but I'm loving having my own unique site. And Shauna's been a joy to work with. If you're ready to jump into the deep end of a custom design, check her out. Let her know I sent you! (Maybe I'll get some brownie points...)

Since my mojo's gone missing (anyone seen it?), I'm hoping you can give me some bloggerific ideas. Ask questions, tell me stories, shake up my creative juices... Let me know what you want to hear about at the Grit.

I've missed your voices! I wanna hear from you...

i am so not a morning person

Which one do you usually find yourself saying?

face time

Have you seen Dentyne's current ad campaign?

I think it's sheer creative genius. Mostly because it deeply resonates with people. And while it doesn't make me want to blow bubbles with Dentyne gum, it does make me want to put down my laptop and enjoy some face time.

Living in Africa for over a decade, the internet has been my life source for connections. Most of my friendships have never been sustained with phone calls, coffee dates, lunches, or visits. Instead, they've been cultivated with emails, instant messages, blogging, and video chats.

Lately I've heard a lot of dialogue about whether or not community can be found online. This much I know is true: It can. I'm grateful for the rich, genuine friendships that I've fostered over the internet.

But while I appreciate the value of "technologically advanced" friendships, I also recognize the significance of what I've missed in actual face time. A text message communicates far less than a long, tight hug. A phone call pales in comparison with the unspoken expressions of a glance or a touch. An online chat is merely a shadow of a chai-in-hand conversation on a coffee shop couch.

I'll always be grateful for whatever form of connection and affection I'm blessed to have. But whenever possible, please can I have some face time?

'Cause, seriously... What I wouldn't give for a hug like this today---

upside down

It's the weekend. And I'm feelin' a little lazy. So, I'm putting you in charge of my blog. Who?

You.

I'm gonna write a comment, and you're gonna write something that would've gotten that response outta me.

Got it?

Good.

Tell me something that would make me say---

"So glad you shared. I just threw up in my mouth a little bit."

meet dwayne

There's a certain Starbucks I visit fairly often, usually for hours on end with my laptop, journal, or Bible coming along for company. And there's a certain older gentleman who visits there just as regularly as I do. Dwayne's guaranteed to be found reading a newspaper, playing sudoku, or taking a nap in the middle of either. The other day I pit-stopped in a Starbucks on the complete other side of town. As I pulled into the parking lot, I spotted a familiar face enjoying a smoke outside. What was Dwayne doing here?!

"I feel like I've been caught cheating on my wife," he said when he saw me. He chuckled; I looked away and smiled.

In a strange city where I know practically no one, I was caught off guard by running into someone I "know". Made me realize just how long I've actually been here, and the fact that three months is a pretty long temporary.

I'm back in my usual Bux today after a bit of a hiatus. And Dwayne's not here. I wonder where he is, and if he's okay.

And I wonder if he's wondered the same about me.

meet gym

I've been hanging out with Gym a lot lately. Like five or six times a week. And let me tell you, he's been kicking my butt. Kick.Ing.It. With a name like Urban Active, how could I resist joining? I knew I needed to do something not only to get in shape but also to improve my mental/emotional health. So I hooked up with Gym.

To say I was intimidated on our first date would be a ridiculous understatement. My chest tightened with anxiety just looking at all the equipment that I had no clue how to use, and seeing all the people who very clearly knew what they were doing.

But I dove right in, expending more energy in one 20-minute session than I had in weeks. Months.

And I hobbled for days afterward. No lie. Hover-peeing was completely out of the question, and walking down a set of stairs nearly ended in catastrophe on more than one occasion.

But I kept seeing Gym.

And the I-can't-believe-it-hurts-this-much soreness gradually subsided---for the most part.

Now Gym and I spend an hour together just about every day. I work hard; I sweat a disgusting amount; I huff and puff all the way to the bitter end. Today I pushed myself really hard. And I've had jell-o legs ever since. [Note to self: Hold the handrail on the way downstairs.]

While I don't expect I'll ever say, I love working out!, I do walk away feeling exhausted proud of myself.

So for that reason, I can say I love Gym.

Even though he kicks my butt.

upside down

It's your turn to write for the Grit. WHA?!

Seriously.

I'm gonna leave a comment and you write something that would've gotten that response outta me.

You can say as much or as little as you want. It's entirely up to you.

Just give me something that would make me say---

"I just scooped my jaw off the floor---I can't believe you said that!"

coffee talk: sock etiquette

Here's the deal: I don't know sock etiquette. So help a sister out: What socks do you wear when?

Break it down nice and simple for me please.

everything's right

We went to a show downtown on Saturday. Having SweetFriend with me for my first concert in America in over twelve years was a gift. And, let me tell you, we had so much fun.

Apparently Mr. Man in front of us could tell we were having a blast. About 3/4 of the way through the night, he turned around and said---

"You guys definitely know how to have a good time. I think you're having more fun than anyone else in here."

Really!? We didn't think we were being loud or ostentatious at all.

Despite the fact that I can now say I've danced on a bar.

**ADDED** - Be sure you check out my disclaimer / confession.

housekeeping!

I've been on vacation for almost a week. Well, kind of. Being with my sweet friend Tracee felt like a vacation; the fact that we were in Ohio did not. (No offense, Ohioans. I'm guessing that even you'd prefer to vacate out of state!)

We talked about everything and nothing, and anything in between. And we set the bar high on doing absolutely nothing and enjoying every minute of it.

This much I know is true: Tracee is good for me.

And now I miss her. (Again.)

Vacation is over. Back to real life...

What's been the highlight of the past week for you?

four-minute friday: whatchawaitingfor?

Go. In the past six months...

• I haven't had a single sore throat. (I used to have one almost every day.)

• I haven't had a cold. (Despite sitting in a germ-infested airplane for 17 hours, traveling from hot summer to freezing winter.)

• I've been able to swallow pills much easier. (Although I still do my throw-my-head-back-and-swoosh maneuver, just to be safe.)

And that, my friends, is nothing short of a miracle as far as I'm concerned. So the question remains: Why did I wait so long to get my tonsils removed? Ugh.

What's something you know you should do something about? Why are you waiting?

Done.

superbowl monday

I've known the outcome of every Superbowl in recent history before I even watched the game. I don't have ESP or even a magic eight ball. I've just been forced to watch it the day after for as long as I can remember. And even when I try avoiding Facebook or news websites, I inevitably hear who won before I even get to watch. Good thing I can keep a secret.

With the time difference, the game airs in the middle of the night in Africa. So we record it and watch it the next day with our staff team. Superbowl Monday has become one of our family traditions.

(Sadly, all the commercials are replaced with ridiculously tacky ones. So I miss the best part of the game.)

This year I was thrilled that I'd get to watch the Superbowl here in America, commercials and all. But then I discovered that the stuff I had going on over the weekend meant I was going to miss it. Again.

So just like old times, I taped it and watched it tonight. Pizza, beer, game, Arizona losing, and millions wasted spent on thirty-second commercial time slots... What more could I want for my annual Superbowl Monday?

What was the funniest/craziest/weirdest/saddest part of your Superbowl?

my souvenir(s) from ohio

I've never been pulled over before. Until tonight. I've gotten tickets, but only because of those stupid ridiculous precious cameras posted along the highways in South Africa. And they've all been delivered by the unreliable postal service. I've never gotten a ticket in America. And never directly from a cop. Thankfully I can still say that. Even after tonight. Phew.

Thirty minutes before, I debated about whether or not I should hit the bathroom one more time. I'd been chugging water all night and had made frequent trips to the restroom. I kinda had to pee but figured I could easily handle the 20-minute drive home.

But as soon as I got into my freezing car, my bladder shrunk. Oh well, what's a girl to do? I just blared some tunes and hit the road. (Sidebar: In response to my recent post, a friend mailed me her iPod car adapter to borrow! Am I blessed or what?!)

Not five minutes away from my house, a cop car pulled out behind me. And when the red-and-blues started flashing in my rearview mirror, I groaned out loud. I was on this troublesome road that deceives you me with its four lanes. The speed limit is only 25; I was going closer to 35 40.

My heart was racing as I pulled to the side of the road. My only experiences with this sort of thing come from watching COPS. And we all know those encounters never end well.

I was in a borrowed car. With an out-of-state license. And I'm a resident of another country. The story was clearly way too complicated to explain to a policeman on the side of the road on a freezing night when my bladder was about to burst.

After way too long of an exchange, the cop decided just to give me a written warning. "After all," he said, "You need a souvenir from Ohio."

I smiled and squeezed my legs even tighter together. I wanted to tell him that my currently-developing urinary tract infection was more than enough of a souvenir. But I refrained.

All that to say: It's true what your mom used to tell you. You should always pee one last time.

fashionably late: my 100 things

Evidently it's tradition in the blogosphere to publish 100 things about yourself for your 100th post. That mile-marker came and went unnoticed here at the Grit. Quite a while ago in fact. So, in honor of my 600th post, I give you my 100 things.

(click on it to read it!)

make me laugh: winner

I so appreciate the many of you who sent videos to make me laugh. And laugh I did, I assure you. I'm also grateful that some of you sent a video hello. My face likes seeing your faces.

The winning video had me doubled-over in laughter. I've watched it over a dozen times, and it still makes me laugh. Every. Single. Time.

The Make Me Laugh award goes to...

:: insert drum roll here ::

... Tracee and Stephanie!

I hope their video makes the rest of you laugh even half as much as I did.Watching it is definitely worth the four+ minutes you'll never get back.

Tracee and Steph? Your StarBUCKS and iCASH will be heading your way soon. Oh, and you've got a week to submit your acceptance speech video, ok? Your fans will be waiting. I know you won't disappoint us.

::

A huge thanks to all of you who participated. You seriously made my day week month.

cherry on top

I spent a lot of time in the car yesterday. All the snow turned twenty-minute distances into hour-long ones. Living in Africa, I don't often get the chance to drive in a snowstorm. So I actually didn't mind it---honestly, I kind of enjoyed it. I decided I wanted some hot frothy goodness for my now-an-hour drive home. I fishtailed my way through the unplowed Starbucks drive-thru. And when I got to the pick-up window, I was greeted by this:

The mini-me snowman, accessorized with coffee bean eyes and buttons, was the cherry on top of the best day I've had in a while.

What was the cherry on top of your yesterday?

thought you'd wanna know...

I'm just sayin'!