#16 - Check

So #16 on my list was to get a massage, which I did last weekend. Anything that requires me to strip down to my skivvies is obviously going to provide a funny story. I have never had a massage before, so I was rapid fire quizzing my friend, Lauren on our way there on how this whole thing works. We got to the place and filled out paperwork and then waited for our massage therapists to come get us. When my dude walked out all I could think was "Please be Lauren's, Please be Lauren's" seeing as I was a little uncomfortable with this total stranger dude greasing me up. Well, of course he walked up and mumbled my name (which makes me think he was probably thinking "Please don't be Meredith, Please don't be Meredith") He seemed about as excited about working on this big girl as I was to have him workin on this big girl. Oh well, let's get to this, Rob. He leads me into what appears to be a haunted house. It is a giant, dark room that is separated into little sections by hospital curtains. He pulls back the curtain to his table and tells me to get undressed and put my clothes in the (Saved By the Bell) locker. I am pretty sure I was out of my clothes and under the sheet in approximately 7 seconds. I didn't want to risk Rob coming back and seeing a little more than he bargained for. I know the whole reason you get a massage is to relax, but I was laying stiff as a board with the sheet practically over my head when he whispered at the door (curtain) "Meredith, you ready?" I wanted to tell him, "Um, the question is are you, Rob?", but I just mumbled "Mmmhmm". So he came in and got down to business. I figured it was dark enough that he was shielded from the blinding white of my skin. For the first 30 minutes I was anxiously anticipating "the flip". I wasn't quite sure how I was supposed to go from face-down to face-up without something flopping out, but it was successful and everything ended up just fine in the end. I am pretty sure I was in a mild catatonic stupor for at least an hour following my massage, so I guess I was able to relax after all. I would totally do it again.

The Mind of a 5th Grader

Here are two things that have made me laugh lately:
1. This past week I was doing a lesson with my class where we were reading about the Liberty Bell. If you are gearing this paragraph towards 10/11 year olds, please do not start off by saying "The Liberty Bell is known for its big crack." And also please do not continue to refer to "its big crack".
2. For our vocabulary test last week some very innocent or very perverted person included the following question: "Name a body part that protrudes and explain why." Pretty sure most of thsoe 10/11 year old boys were not thinking of their nose.

Happy Birthday, Church of the Highlands!

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday Church of the Highlands, Happy Birthday to You!

Ten years ago this amazing church was launched and I am so thankful for all of the ways God has poured out His blessings on this church. In celebration of Highlands 10th Birthday I will tell you the top then things I love most about my church.

1. My church is life-giving. Experiencing worship at Highlands is incredible because you can literally feel the presence of the Lord so strongly. When people ask me about my church I usually start out by telling them that it is "alive."

2. My church has strengthened and challenged my faith through the messages.

3. My church has inspired me to do great things for God's kingdom through service.

4. My church has introduced me to some amazing new friends through small groups.

5. My church is fun! This church makes God accessible to anyone and everyone.

6. My church is home. I was fortunate enough to be raised in some wonderful churches and youth groups. When I went to college I struggled to find that "connection", but I have found a home at Highlands.

7. My church is focused on serving and worshipping God, not on judging others or scaring them into following Jesus.

8. My church is full of smiling faces and encouraging people. I feel so excited and refreshed when I step foot in the door.

9. My church is real and transparent. Pastor Chris is honest and authentic in his messages. He talks about his own struggles, his family, and things he is seeking the Lord in prayer for.

10. My church makes sure to give God all the glory for everything He has blessed us with over the past 10 years. "To God be the glory, great things He has done."

I am so thankful to be a part of this incredible church and I look forward to seeing what God has in store for us over the next 10 years!

The Weight Update

Well, I am back on track with Weight Watchers and I am doing their new PointsPlus system. I joined online last week and have been religiously tracking my points. I have lost some, but I am not sure if it is really the best plan quite yet. The focus is now on low-carb choices. You no longer use calories in calculating points. The new system is based on fat, carbohydrates, protein, and fiber. My main issues thus far are the fact that I get 40 points a day. Yes, 40. On the old plan I got 26. Certain foods have increased in points, so I am sure it all evens out in the end, but it seems like way too many points to be losing weight. I am also mad that wine has gone from 2 points per serving (they say 4 oz., which is like a gulp) to 4 points per serving. Anyway, not sure if that makes me an alchy or not, but it seems a little excessive points-wise.

I will be starting Week 4 of the Couch to 5K plan tomorrow, and so far I LOVE it! I never ever thought I would say that, but I have really enjoyed it. The podcasts from www.runningintoshape.com make it fun and easy to follow. They are so fun I have actually had to fight the urge to sing out loud, clap, or smack my butt on certain songs. I also have found myself giggling when I realize that I have started strutting on the treadmill when Britney Spears "Gimme More" comes on the playlist. Within the first week or so my knees were really hurting, but they have gotten better. So all in all, things are going well.

God is in the details

I have heard people say this before.... that God is in all the details of our lives, no matter how small and seemingly insignificant. I feel like God has really opened my eyes to this lately by making these moments unexplainable other than the fact that He truly is in all the details.

I was reminded of this last Tuesday morning. Two weeks ago I decided to go ahead and take the day off on Tuesday because I knew I would be up late watching the BCS National Championship game Monday night, and my mom was going to be keeping my two nieces on Tuesday because my sister was still going to be in Arizona, so I wanted to spend time with them. We ended up being out of school on Monday because of snow and ice, so I considered cancelling my sub for Tuesday, but decided not to later Monday. Robert (my brother in law) had planned to keep the girls Tuesday after all, so I was going to hang out with them and mom was going to go into work. Well, early Tuesday my mom came in to wake me up and let me know that my dad had been in a car accident on his way to Atlanta.

The details:

• I was there, so all I had to do was throw on some jeans and a t-shirt and I was able to ride with mom to the hospital in Anniston where dad was. We left about 15 minutes after she woke me up.
• Robert was there to take care of the girls, so that wasn't an issue.
• The car dad hit had hit a retaining wall on the interstate and spun out. It was horizontally covering the middle lane. When dad hit the driver's side, the driver had just gotten out of the car to check on the damage. Had he been in his car he would have been critically injured. Both cars were totaled.
• Dad called mom complaining of chest pains, so we were expecting the worst. Thankfully we were able to leave about 15 minutes after we got to the hospital because he had only suffered some bruising. They were able to give him something for the pain and discharge him.

I have no doubt that my God was in the details that morning. He provided protection for what could have been a horrible situation and for that I am beyond thankful!

It's Great To Be A... National Champion

Well folks... we did it! We finished the season perfect, undefeated, and unbelievable. Here is the 2010 season of the Auburn Tigers by the numbers:

108 - The combined score of the Auburn vs. Arkansas game (highest combined score in SEC history)
72 - Number of times I told my sister I was bitter that she was going to Glendale, Arizona for the National Championship game without me
'57 - The last year Auburn won the National Championship
24 - The greatest point deficit we came back from (against Alabama no less)
22 - The number we started the season ranked as
16 - The number of pounds I gained during football season
14 - The number of games we won this season
4 - The number of games we won this season thanks to our field goal kicker, Wes Byrum
2 - The number of our CAMazing quarterback AND the number of years Gene Chizik has been head coach at Auburn University
1 - Our rank at the end of the year

War Eagle! It's great to be a National Championship Auburn Tiger!

Rivalry

I had someone tell me that my previous post towards Alabama fans was a bit intense. Here is a profile picture I saw on facebook earlier. Yes, that is the Alabama emblem... in Oregon's colors... who Auburn will play a week from today for the national championship. I also saw a kid at school today (that is a huge Alabama fan) wearing an Oregon sweatshirt, which his Bama fan parents obviously spent $45.50 on in order to make a statement of "We hate Auburn enough to search on Google for an Oregon sweatshirt." I didn't make comments about what tacky fans Bammers are (this time) because this time last year I was probably making status updates about "Hook 'em Horns" and looking for a Texas t-shirt myself. (For those of you that know nothing about SEC football it is quite possible that 97% of this post went right over your head.)