So yesterday was the Fifth Annual Fish Paintball Battle, and I was basically forced to participate because, well, I helped plan it. This was my first paintball experience, and is likely to be my last. I've already promised that I will find something to conflict with next year's event. It's not that it was un-fun but it wasn't fun either... I actually found it kind of boring... and painful...
Call me a sissy if you must. (I think making multiple skydiving jumps disqualifies me for the title of "sissy," but whatever...) But my idea of fun is not crawling around in the middle of the woods, in the dirt, being eaten alive by mosquitos, pretending to care about disarming a make-believe nuclear weapon, while shooting and being shot at with marble size balls of sticky paint. Besides that, it seems so many of the players felt the need to aimlessly fire off multiple rounds of paintballs, hoping to hit something, instead of taking the time to actually aim. I didn't come close to using my initial 500 paintballs, yet "killed" 8 people.
While there were some good parts, like seeing some of my family that joined in, and getting to shoot my supervisor in the back, it doesn't make up for the dozens of bug bites I am left to scratch, and the several painful bruises covering my body... It was one of those things you feel the need to try once, just to say you've done it, and then it is out of your system...
On a side note, I will be leaving for a much needed vacation with my family tomorrow. We will be visiting with more family in Grand Rapids, MI... I am looking so forward to forgetting about work for a week and relaxing... I'm not looking as forward to going to the beach with several bruises to accessorize my swimming attire...
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
I think my dad is going to die...
My younger sister, Kara, recently had her yearly check-up, and the doctor told her she should have her cholesterol checked, now that she is 20. Kara is a super-trim, dancer, runner, toothpick, so we were all shocked to find out that the results showed her cholesterol at 262! That's higher than my step-dad's was before he started on Lipitor! When I had my cholesterol checked, it was 154, and Kara eats much healthier than I do... which means it has to be heredity...
While my maternal grandfather does have high cholesterol, I would peg my dad's side as being the more likely line of transport, seeing as all of my paternal grandfather's brothers died of first-time, massive heart attacks in their late forties! My grandfather lived to be in his late seventies, before passing away due to complications from Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, but he did have angioplasty...
So, considering my dad's unhealthy lifestyle, I approached the subject of cholesterol when he called this past Sunday. I asked him when he last had his cholesterol checked and he laughed that he didn't know because that would require going to a doctor. (He laughed because he is a surgical nurse who works with doctors every day and is even planning a mission trip to Kosovo with several of them at the end of the month.)
Then I told him to be serious because heart disease runs in his family, he doesn't eat regular meals, the meals he does eat are not healthy ones, he doesn't have a regular sleep schedule, works extremely long hours at a stressful job, doesn't floss regularly, and carries all his extra weight in his gut... all things that have been correlated with fatal heart complications... "You're asking for a heart attack!" I told him. "Well, you have to go some how!" he laughed... I told him, "Later is better than sooner..."
I'm not sure if he got the message, and I doubt he will make any lifestyle changes, which I find very disenheartening because there was a long time when I probably wouldn't have been overly upset to lose him because I was so angry with him for destroying our family... Now that we have actually been working on reconciling our relationship, and I am to the point where I actually like him (I've always loved him... liking was a bit more difficult...) I have concerns about him not being around... All this stress is going to give me a heart attack!...
While my maternal grandfather does have high cholesterol, I would peg my dad's side as being the more likely line of transport, seeing as all of my paternal grandfather's brothers died of first-time, massive heart attacks in their late forties! My grandfather lived to be in his late seventies, before passing away due to complications from Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, but he did have angioplasty...
So, considering my dad's unhealthy lifestyle, I approached the subject of cholesterol when he called this past Sunday. I asked him when he last had his cholesterol checked and he laughed that he didn't know because that would require going to a doctor. (He laughed because he is a surgical nurse who works with doctors every day and is even planning a mission trip to Kosovo with several of them at the end of the month.)
Then I told him to be serious because heart disease runs in his family, he doesn't eat regular meals, the meals he does eat are not healthy ones, he doesn't have a regular sleep schedule, works extremely long hours at a stressful job, doesn't floss regularly, and carries all his extra weight in his gut... all things that have been correlated with fatal heart complications... "You're asking for a heart attack!" I told him. "Well, you have to go some how!" he laughed... I told him, "Later is better than sooner..."
I'm not sure if he got the message, and I doubt he will make any lifestyle changes, which I find very disenheartening because there was a long time when I probably wouldn't have been overly upset to lose him because I was so angry with him for destroying our family... Now that we have actually been working on reconciling our relationship, and I am to the point where I actually like him (I've always loved him... liking was a bit more difficult...) I have concerns about him not being around... All this stress is going to give me a heart attack!...
Friday, May 25, 2007
Locks of Love...
For the first time in my 23.5 year life, I have kept a New Year's resolution... After growing my hair out since last June, I finally had enough hair to donate to Locks of Love...
Although my hair was much longer than I prefer (shoulder length-ish is optimal) I had some reservations about chopping my hair so short... some of you may remember the fiasco that was my hair freshman year of high school... I have no desire to be continually mistaken for a boy again... BUT my hair was too the point that it was getting hard to manage and I wasn't going to go through another long, hot, humid summer of blow-drying such long hair, so like ripping off a Band-Aid... I chopped my hair... Well, not me personally... I had it chopped by Kyla at Salon West (I highly recommend her.)
Kara helped straighten my hair and take the photographs for our station website... and gave me constant reassurances, so "Vielen dank, meine besten Schwester!"
I still feel a little like a page boy (where are my knickers and knee socks?) and I feel like my short hair makes me look even younger than I already get mistaken for, but nothing can top the feeling of actually keeping my New Year's resolution and representing the red headed minority!
...It's you're turn next, Alyssa...
Although my hair was much longer than I prefer (shoulder length-ish is optimal) I had some reservations about chopping my hair so short... some of you may remember the fiasco that was my hair freshman year of high school... I have no desire to be continually mistaken for a boy again... BUT my hair was too the point that it was getting hard to manage and I wasn't going to go through another long, hot, humid summer of blow-drying such long hair, so like ripping off a Band-Aid... I chopped my hair... Well, not me personally... I had it chopped by Kyla at Salon West (I highly recommend her.)
Kara helped straighten my hair and take the photographs for our station website... and gave me constant reassurances, so "Vielen dank, meine besten Schwester!"
I still feel a little like a page boy (where are my knickers and knee socks?) and I feel like my short hair makes me look even younger than I already get mistaken for, but nothing can top the feeling of actually keeping my New Year's resolution and representing the red headed minority!
...It's you're turn next, Alyssa...
Thursday, March 15, 2007
You Are Not an Accident...
I have just started re-reading (sort of) "The Purpose-Driven Life: What On Earth Am I Here For" by Rick Warren. We were supposed to read it for RA training back in 2004, but I think I only went through the first 5 mandatory chapters... I find it is hard for me to get into reading something I may ordinarily have enjoyed, just because I know I have to read it... Well, I am at a different place in my life now and I've decided to give the book another try... I am on my second day (there is one reading a day for 40 days) and the Point to Ponder was: "I am not an Accident." Part of the reading included this untitled poem that I want to share, written by Russell Kelfer:
"You are who you are for a reason.
You're part of an intricate plan.
You're a precious and perfect unique design,
Called God's special woman or man.
"You look like you look for a reason.
Our God made no mistake.
He knit you together within the womb,
You're just what he wanted to make.
"The parents you had were the ones he chose,
And no matter how you may feel,
They are custom-designed with God's plan in mind,
And they bear the Master's seal.
"No, that trauma you faced was not easy,
And God wept that it hurt you so;
But it was allowed to shape your heart
So that into his likeness you'd grow.
"You are who you are for a reason,
You've been formed by the Master's rod.
You are who you are, beloved,
Because there is a God!"
Anyone who knows about my broken and patched together family, or about the loss of my best friend, or about losing my aunt and uncle, will be able to see why this poem touched me, but I hope it will touch others too. It makes me think of the songs "Praise You In This Storm" by Casting Crowns, and "Bless The Broken Road" by Selah or Rascal Flatts (take your pick) and just how even tough stuff can be worked into something good. I may sometimes think that I would be better off if I hadn't had to go through some pretty rough times, but if I hadn't gone through those rough times, I wouldn't be who I am today, or where I am today, so I have to remember to be thankful, even when I am sad or upset...
"You are who you are for a reason.
You're part of an intricate plan.
You're a precious and perfect unique design,
Called God's special woman or man.
"You look like you look for a reason.
Our God made no mistake.
He knit you together within the womb,
You're just what he wanted to make.
"The parents you had were the ones he chose,
And no matter how you may feel,
They are custom-designed with God's plan in mind,
And they bear the Master's seal.
"No, that trauma you faced was not easy,
And God wept that it hurt you so;
But it was allowed to shape your heart
So that into his likeness you'd grow.
"You are who you are for a reason,
You've been formed by the Master's rod.
You are who you are, beloved,
Because there is a God!"
Anyone who knows about my broken and patched together family, or about the loss of my best friend, or about losing my aunt and uncle, will be able to see why this poem touched me, but I hope it will touch others too. It makes me think of the songs "Praise You In This Storm" by Casting Crowns, and "Bless The Broken Road" by Selah or Rascal Flatts (take your pick) and just how even tough stuff can be worked into something good. I may sometimes think that I would be better off if I hadn't had to go through some pretty rough times, but if I hadn't gone through those rough times, I wouldn't be who I am today, or where I am today, so I have to remember to be thankful, even when I am sad or upset...
Monday, January 1, 2007
New Year's Resolution...
So I don't really believe in making New Year's resolutions because I think if there is something you want to change about yourself you should just do it and not wait for the new year or make it a resolution so if you fail you will feel you've broken some kind of promise to yourself... BUT this year I decided to make one...
I have always wanted to donate hair to "Locks of Love" because, well, not to be vain, but I think I have really nice hair, color-wise. I have seen other natural redheads with some pretty funky shades. Only 4% of the world population even carries the recessive gene for red hair, and that's not to say they will pass it along to their offspring at the same moment the other parent, who must also carry the recessive gene, passes it along. So there are even less people who actually have red hair and even less of those who donate their hair to a cause like "Locks of Love." And, if I had cancer or another condition resulting in baldness, I cannot imagine having a wig any color other than red... plus, as I just mentioned, there are some funky shades of natural red floating around out there...
You need to have a minimum of 10 inches to donate to "Locks of Love" and I have about 7 inches past the length I will be eventually chopping my hair to. I have decided to continue growing my hair until I go home for Memorial Day weekend because I really trust Kyla, my stylist in Stevens Point, and if I am going to be making such a drastic length change, I want someone I trust to be operating the scissors!The reason for writing my resolution here is because I seriously lack patience (especially when blow drying my hair) and my hair is already getting longer than I care for. I figure that if I write my resolution somewhere other people will see it, I will be less likely to back out, so look for photos of my new, shorter hair after Memorial Day!
I have always wanted to donate hair to "Locks of Love" because, well, not to be vain, but I think I have really nice hair, color-wise. I have seen other natural redheads with some pretty funky shades. Only 4% of the world population even carries the recessive gene for red hair, and that's not to say they will pass it along to their offspring at the same moment the other parent, who must also carry the recessive gene, passes it along. So there are even less people who actually have red hair and even less of those who donate their hair to a cause like "Locks of Love." And, if I had cancer or another condition resulting in baldness, I cannot imagine having a wig any color other than red... plus, as I just mentioned, there are some funky shades of natural red floating around out there...
You need to have a minimum of 10 inches to donate to "Locks of Love" and I have about 7 inches past the length I will be eventually chopping my hair to. I have decided to continue growing my hair until I go home for Memorial Day weekend because I really trust Kyla, my stylist in Stevens Point, and if I am going to be making such a drastic length change, I want someone I trust to be operating the scissors!The reason for writing my resolution here is because I seriously lack patience (especially when blow drying my hair) and my hair is already getting longer than I care for. I figure that if I write my resolution somewhere other people will see it, I will be less likely to back out, so look for photos of my new, shorter hair after Memorial Day!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)