Bestest Friends Forever

When I first met my best friend, Kristie, I was alone and scared. I was just 11 years old.

It was a beautiful summer evening; Dad and Mom sat me and Allen down for a family discussion. They told us we were leaving Manassas - the town were I was born, the town were all of my friends lived - and we were moving to Richmond. Mixed emotions filled my heart; all of my family lived in Richmond, so I was excited to move closer to them. But, the kids with whom I started preschool would no longer be a part of my daily life.

Dad told us we would start the school year in Manassas and then move in January. So, I started my sixth grade year at Stonewall Jackson Middle School. I tried out for cheering - and made it. I ran for class representative - and was elected. My little sixth grade social life was starting off in grand fashion. I tried not to dwell on the fact that I would be moving in just a few short months.

Sure enough, January rolled around. My parents were building a house, but it was not yet complete so we lived with Grandma for three months. I clearly remember the day the moving truck pulled out of our driveway in Manassas. Tears streamed down my face....apprehension hid in my heart.

Believe it or not, the first day of school was delayed due to the weather. A fierce winter storm rolled in and kept me from starting my new school for another few days. The apprehension grew.

The fateful day finally arrived. I don't remember much of my schedule any more, in fact, I don't remember when I had gym. I just remember I had gym my first day at my new school. I didn't have a gym uniform yet, so I had to sit on the bleachers while the rest of the class changed. I was lonely and nervous; yes, even me, as outgoing as I am, I was nervous and lonely....but not for long.

I tried not to pay much attention to the class as they entered the gym. However, in the next moments, my life changed forever. This bundle of energy came bounding up the bleachers to sit next to me. She introduced herself and her friends to me. From that moment on, we were inseparable. Since we had a few classes together, I had someone to sit with and talk to. I had someone to look out for me. And I had someone I could look out for, too.

I will always be grateful for my bestest friend. When I needed someone the most, God knew the right person to place in my life. I am grateful for her love and friendship that has now spanned over 25 years. I love you, Kristie. :)

possible editorial for the RTD

She rushes furiously to finish her English assignment. The speech should have been so simple to complete, so why start on it when it was first assigned? Besides, she was overwhelmed with work for her other classes. Midterms start next week, and there are study guides that must be completed. That work was due before her speech, so she figured she would work on the assignments in the order in which each was due.


It turns out that plan of action was a mistake - a mistake that costs more than it first appears.

While the other assignments were due before her speech, none took the same amount of time that writing her speech required. Now she is in a panic as she tries to find the perfect topic, find her claim, and find her voice.

According to Psychology Today.com, twenty percent of people are “true procrastinators” – those who consistently avoid work and routinely put off unpleasant tasks. The web site continues by stating that procrastination is a learned behavior. If this behavior is learned, then how does it happen? For me, this behavior started when I was in high school. Though my homework and studying were not complicated, I preferred to hang out with my friends discussing the latest gossip or to talk on the phone with my boyfriend.

I could have easily been the girl in the above anecdote. I routinely put off unpleasant tasks. Now, as an adult, I often fall victim to procrastination. Recently, I have avoided grading my yearbook proofs. Because of the extreme amount of work these proofs require, I have found other activities to occupy my time.

But how does this avoidance make me feel? Stressed out and frustrated. And, the longer I wait, the more unpleasant the task becomes.

Facebook, Twitter, cable TV and other forms of entertainment continue to distract Americans and lower our productivity. How many yearbook pages could I have edited in the time that I read through my friends’ statuses on Facebook? But, let’s be truthful. We cannot place blame on social media or TV. We, the procrastinators, are the ones at fault.

Though several research documents state that procrastination comes from a lack of self-discipline, others would disagree. Many high school and college scholars state they work best under pressure and that they often submit their best work when they work under a deadline. I, too, used to believe that I worked best under pressure.

Unfortunately, the writing center at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill diagnosed procrastinators as people who are often self-critical perfectionists. These two traits, while not necessarily unhealthy, cause true procrastinators to further delay.

If you fall into this category, it is high time for you to tackle who you really are – it is high time to stop this behavior. We must set realistic deadlines and no longer delay the work we should be doing today. Turn off the TV, get off the couch, disable the internet, turn off our electronic devices and get to work. Doing so will make us feel better about ourselves, our work and our end result.

Snow Days

Last night as I was going to bed and was thinking of watching TV before falling asleep, I remembered Hannah emptied the trashcan beside my bed. And then I remembered that I knocked the remote into the trashcan sometime during the previous night. Guess where my remote was? Guess who comes tomorrow? Guess who tromped through the snow to get said remote? Guess how many inches of snow we have?

The above is my current Facebook status. Now, it might seem as if I am complaining about the midnight adventure in the snow. That simply is not true. Though I do not enjoy the snow for longer than a day or two, I certainly enjoy playing in it.

As a kid, I grew up in Manassas. One winter, I think when I was around 8 or 9 (maybe younger?), we received several feet of snow - or at least that's how it felt to me. It was one of those snows where the snow fell first followed by sleet. The next morning the snow was so hard I could not break through it. I was walking on top of it! I remember my beagle, Sam, did the same thing. My dad called that four-paw drive. Accumulating snowstorms seemed to be common when I was a kid. One of my favorite memories of snow involved Allen and I, along with our neighborhood friends, building an igloo and a snow fort. In our eyes, it was a grand creation. We buried deep into the snow and made a snow tunnel. We worked for hours digging deeper, repacking snow and smoothing it down.

Our other works of art where snow angels. We tried to figure out exactly how to form the perfect angel without any footprints destroying our design. We would plop down in the snow, form our angel and call for a friend to come pull us up....treading carefully around our beautiful design.

When we moved to Richmond, we discovered the art of tractor sledding. Dad would first hook a thick, heavy chain to the back of the tractor, then he would attach it to a sled, the kind with runners, and off we went. I can still recall my mom yelling, "Randall, slow down!" What a thrill!!

So, even though this beautiful wonderland will soon melt away, take time to go out and play this morning. Make a snowman, throw a few snowballs, drink some hot chocolate...and enjoy being a kid again, even if it is only for an hour or so.

College Basketball

Let's face it, the only things that are great about the month of March are my birthday and MARCH MADNESS! I love college basketball. I often wonder why I didn't attend a larger college. I would not have attended a D1 school for the football team. For me, it is all about the basketball. Yes, even now I think a lot of the players are cute, but I have less shallow reasons for liking the sport. I think basketball is truly a game of endurance and precision. I remember running suicides in soccer during the winter - we ran them on the basketball court. I relished in the sound of my squeaking tennis shoes on the hard, shiny gym floor. The sound spurred me on to be a quick as possible, beating my team mates with my time.

Since I no longer run sprints in the gym, I relish in the sound when I listen to a game with the surround sound filling the room.

In October I was treated by a dear friend to the Duke season opener. I met several of the players and watched them play in an exhibition game. In December I once again traveled to the university and stood with the Cameron Crazies on the sidelines. AWESOME! Because I have met over half of the team, I am even more addicted to the game.

So, as February reaches the half way mark and March Madness rolls closer, my fanaticism grows stronger. You'll find me cheering on the Blue Devils decked out in my Duke blue and harassing David for being a Carolina fan. Go Devils!

A day for love

When I was 19-year-old college student, before I met David, I fretted over Valentine's Day. After ending an unhealthy relationship a few months earlier, I was alone on Valentine's Day. I decided that day to adopt a motto - a mantra, if you will. "Don't look for a man, your Prince Charming is searching for you." Little did I know that I would met my Prince Charming less than a year later.

The day I met David, I was on my way to a sorority meeting. I lived off campus and had driven over for the meeting. My roommate, Julie, had gone to an InterVarsity Christian Fellowship picnic about an hour earlier. She encouraged me to attend, but I brushed off the idea for my sorority meeting. However, God had different plans for me that day....plans that would change my life forever. IV held their picnic on the grounds in front of Stubbs, the dorm where my meeting was held. On my way to the meeting, I saw Julie so I hurried over to say hi. That's when I met David. He was literally chasing Julie around a picnic table. She stopped to introduce me to him. I was smitten. Who was this cutie with the crystal blue eyes? Of course, I had to flirt. Though I had to leave for my meeting, I hatched a quick plan. As I walked away, I could tell he was watching me. I flipped my hair over my shoulder (casually, so I thought) and looked to see if he was watching me walk away...he was. My heart raced. I was hooked. I invited him to a party at my house later that night. Then, a week later, we met for lunch at Hampden-Sydney. I met his brothers. He met my sisters. And we were inseparable.

I don't really know how long it was before I fell in love...maybe two months or so...not long. I do remember the exact moment when it happened,when I fell in love. I thought I had been in love before - WRONG. This love was different. I was head over heels for him - hopelessly in love. And I still am.

We celebrated 15 years of marriage this year. I cannot believe that we've been married for 15 years! While I know it is cliche to say it, I often wonder where the time has gone. I guess that's what happens when you marry your best friend! While our life together has not always been easy, each loss, each tear, each struggle has been replaced with every laughter, every joy, every special moment we share together.

I love you, David! Happy Valentine's Day. I love you for being my knight in shining armor, my Prince Charming, the man I've dreamed about since I was a little girl.

A true role model

I am definitely disappointed and aggravated with our culture. Yes, in the 1980s and 1990s, Whitney Houston was my hero. I loved her voice, her fashion, her songs, her ability....you name it, I loved it. I would sing her songs as loudly as I could, especially when I was heartbroken over my latest crush. But, I moved on and I grew up. Though I can still sing every word of "I will always love you", I learned to appreciate talent but not idolize the one who holds the talent. Whitney was a woman with a sad life. She ruined her voice with drug and alcohol abuse. For me, that lifestyle is not admirable. I made a choice in high school that I would not have a celebrity as a role model. While most high schoolers around me wrote essays about pop singers, rap stars, and pro athletes, I chose to write about my grandmother.

Grandma is the kind of woman any person can admire. She loves her family unconditionally; she is a woman of fine moral character; she was a loving wife; she is a respected mom and a thoughtful teacher. She's the kind of woman I aspire to be...a Godly woman who loves her Lord more than anything else.

Proverbs 31:10 a wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.
25-30 she is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband, also, and he praises her; many women do noble things, but you surpass them all. Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.

I love you, Grandma. Thank you for being the example you are.