Happy Things

From Matt, Tiffany, Jessica C., and me . . .

• Tabitha telling me, "You are a major line of latitute and longitude -- you cover a lot of ground!"
• Thinking about receiving God's "well done" someday
• An uninhibited friend to throw her arms around me and comfort me when I break down and cry
• Waiting to see if P.R. would sing the line, "I've got a Yankee doodle sweetheart . . . " when we were singing, "I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy" at Symphony on the Prairie. (He didn't.) Later he told me, "Why lie? . . . She's not American!"
• Passing the phone around the bus so people could say hi to Ruthie
• Thinking about people who might be able to help me, and the wind on the bus plastering my hair and the tears to my face
• Cherries!
• Confusing myself with code names for the girl leaders on the meeting list
• Surprise slushies from Nina and Jessica!
• Jessica telling the girls in the van that her Patch the Pirate tape was rap (Rap-a-long with Patch . . .)
• Writing in BLUE pen!
• Patrick implying that the Happy Book intoxicates me
• Kirstin's thought on my comment that no one in Indiana is in the Coast Guard: "Yeah, they're all going to patrol the Great Lakes to keep out the Canadian invaders!"
• Years-old wisdom from Mrs. Jones' fridge to console me when everyone else can look forward to pancakes for breakfast, and I can look forward to salad: "Nothing tastes so good as being thin feels."
• Kendra saying that Matt's facial expressions and mannerisms remind her of Johnny Depp in "Pirates"
• Mrs. Norcross coming in to "unlock" something in my office -- and trying to figure out what she was doing (she was unlocking her vehicle via remote from my office window)
• Making a high score on my test!
• Matt is "LOCO"
• Jessica remembering that four years ago on July 3, her sister popped a firework in her brother's room. It was the 20 bullet; it took a long time to stop popping.
• Talking with Kendra
• When God comes and meets with you -- not because you followed a devotional plan, but just because you sat down in His presence and wanted to hear . . . and then He talks and shows you how verses apply to your experience -- or your experience applies to the verses
• Being oh-so glad for life's experiences when they bring God's Word to 3-D life and He draws you close
• Fireworks with the ITC staff in the parking lot, orchestrated by Matt
• Alison accidentally introducing her sister's husband as her husband
• Being Pastor Roschi, conducting with sparklers: Now lift that last verse!
• Meeting Alison's sister
• Two EQUIP applications in one day!
• When the dishes are clean
• Shooting off bottle rockets
• Ms. Campos -- Jessica
• Kids at the mission trying to figure out what rap songs I know
• Watching Kimberly S. be viciously attacked in the ball pit
• Khaila pushing the ITC girls on the swings
• Being whistled at through the intercom as I came through the front doors (front desk girls these days!)