September 2009 – Page 3 – The only certainty is bad grammar

Tuesday I get a little sideways

Published: September 15, 2009 / Updated: September 15, 2009 Crystal humor, im cool, journalism

Right now, I’m spending all my time working out, planning youth group and going to my real job.

All told, that equals about 27 hours a day.

I day dream about olive garden breadsticks while weighing myself everyday twice a day five times a day to stay on track. And then I walk at least 3 miles.

While not drooling over taco bell commercials, I go through things I need to do for church. Did I facebook stalk the students who didn’t come Sunday? Check. Did I figure out a game that adequately brings up spiritual gifts? Sort of. Did I nail down how many kids are coming to the November concert? Not even close.

In the middle of all that I check my work e-mail about 37 times. An hour. I also obsessively check news site to see if I missed anything I should have covered and to make sure none of the Bears’ players randomly injured themselves mid-week.

I know, I know. My life is so exciting that you totally wish you were me right now.

It’s cool. So does the dog.

My favorite kind of Sundays

Published: September 13, 2009 / Updated: September 13, 2009 Crystal Uncategorized

It took at least 20 hours of preparation, 4 large pizzas (most vegetarian) and a 12-pack of play-doh, but I’m going to go ahead and call today’s youth group a success.

My church pastor said it best- youth group leadership is very challenging, but very rewarding.

I get a bit of a high when things go well. A “this is what life is all about” kinda feeling. A “holy crap, I think I just inspired a kid to pray this week” feeling.

There’s not a lot of feelings that beat that.

My friend justin told me once that when he gets to heaven, he doesn’t want God to say “well. you did a nice job. glad you were on my side.”

he wants God to look at him in awe and say “Man. Now THAT was gangsta.”

Sometimes though, I think people (not just Christians, but anyone trying to be awesome) get ahead of themselves and want to go from lame to gangsta in 3 days flat.

But I know that’s now how anything works.

I’m taking it a week at a time. Hoping to just keep moving forward so that eventually I’ll be gangsta.

For right now, I know I’m a few steps further along than I was two weeks ago.

Thanks be to God.

For serious.

Now I just have to figure out what we’re going to do next week.

And then, on 9/12 everything was different

Published: September 12, 2009 / Updated: September 12, 2009 Crystal journalism, short

yesterday i got to do the kind of thing that reminds my why I keep sticking out this whole journalism thing.

A 9/11 survivor who started the day on the 105th floor of the World Trade Center that morning spoke at a local hospital for the 8th anniversary. Not only did I cover the speech, I also got to do a video interview with him before hand.

I had never met someone like that before and his story was very moving.

Go read my story here.

http://www.nwherald.com/articles/2009/09/11/r_8ptsejqmt9cznnaxenxqfg/index.xml

Go watch the video here.

http://ssm.nwherald.com/northwest-herald/video/20090911survivor/9-11-survivor/

As he says, “Always remember. Never forget.”