How to Toilet Paper a Car

How to Toilet Paper a Car:
1. Find toilet paper (or have it given to you)
2. Distract friend whose car you wish to decorate
3. String the equivalent of 4 rolls of toilet paper over, under, and through (if possible) their car
4. Act nonchalant when you re-enter the building
5. Watch reaction when your handiwork is discovered
*Wait three years before repeating for best results

In the summer of 2006, I met my best friend, Holly, on a crazy night filled with gelato, turtle races, playgrounds, getting pelted with rubber balls, toilet papering a car, and four-square. It was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

For three years we have encouraged, supported, prayed for, admonished, sharpened, amused, cried with (the crying would mostly be on my end), surprised, calmed, questioned and loved each other. Holly is my closest friend (followed by my Focus roommates)…and in two weeks, that will be forever altered.

On Monday, we had a going away party for her at our church (and yes, it involved toilet papering the same car). You see, Holly is going to be going on a 2 year trip to Southeast Asia. She leaves for 2 months of training in Virginia in less than 2 weeks. I’ll get to see her briefly in December when she’s home before leaving the country.

Yes, I am sad to see her go. But God has much bigger plans for Holly than I could ever imagine. :) I’m thrilled to participate in ministry with her as a prayer partner. I’m excited to see how God will use her in the months and years to come as she reaches out to people who need to hear about Jesus and the Gospel. Please pray for her as she prepares to follow God’s calling to the harvest field.

Soli Deo Gloria,
Meghan

Factual Friday: Moving!

Fact: I will be occupying my third desk at my company’s office, fourth desk total.

It’s moving day! I am going to be on a new contract at work so that requires relocating me from my desk at the navy base back to our company office in town. I will pack up my things today and truck them over to my new desk at the Willows office. The last time I was working at that office, I never actually had my own desk. I shared two other ladies’ desks at different times since we knew I would be coming on base. Maybe now I can actually get a name plate and business cards!

When you work in the world of government contractors, nothing is a guarantee. It’s kind of like life in general. James reminds us in the Bible that we do not know what tomorrow will bring and that our lives are short in the grand scheme of things, merely vapor (see James 4:13-15). I am not guaranteed my next breath, much less tomorrow. This should be a freeing thought! God has everything under control so I have nothing to worry about, right? Now if only living that belief were as simple as that. :)

So as I relocate and look forward to working on a new contract, I plan on embracing the uncertainty and newness of the whole experience. I like the company I work for and they have worked hard to make the transition as smooth as possible. With God in control, I truly have nothing to worry about. I’m looking forward to settling into my new space and learning the ropes. Now all I have to do is pack up my desk...

“Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end...”

Soli Deo Gloria,
Meghan

Recent Happenings

Much has been happening in life lately and I thank all of you for hanging in there with me on this ride. :) I’ve been busy but I’m glad that at least my weekly Friday posts have kept me posting and in contact with you. And I apologize in advance for the disjointedness in this update post.

This past weekend, I went to the Values Voter Summit in Washington, D.C. with my good friend and Focus roommate, Alisha! :) We had a blast! I went last year so you can look in the blog archives for my summaries from then but this year, I will not be as extensive in my detailing of every speaker as that was too much last year and I never actually finished. Instead, I’m hoping to provide captioned photos and selected quotes from the weekend. Hoping to accomplish that sometime next week so be on the lookout!

We had an absolutely wonderful time. I had not seen Alisha since we graduated almost two years ago! Despite some difficulties getting to D.C. (silly flat tire), we finally got the chance to hang out and catch up. We even got to talk to one of our other roommates while we were together. Saturday night, my boyfriend, Dan, joined us and we went out to dinner near the hotel and walked around before hanging out in the hotel lobby. On Sunday, we rode Metro up to Rockville and joined Dan for services at the church where he and I met. After a relaxing lunch and wonderful conversation, we dropped Alisha off at Metro so she could go home to take care of some homework.

Dan and I continued the day by driving into Washington, D.C. and walking around. Parking near the Jefferson Memorial, we walked down to the Capitol, exploring different spots along the way. I have experienced so many new, previously unseen gems in that city since we started dating and exploring it on our walks. Then we grabbed a quick dinner at Union Station before walking back and spending some time at the Jefferson Memorial watching the planes come in to land at Reagan.

I love getting mail and on Monday, a nice little package came for me from book publisher, Thomas Nelson. If you missed the badge on the right hand side of the page (on my blog site), I am now a book review blogger for them. It means that I can request a book, read it, write a review, and then post it here and one other website. And I get to keep the books! My first one is “Redefining Beautiful: adj. - What God Sees When God Sees You” by Jenna Lucado with Max Lucado. Look for the review soon...as soon as I finish the book that is! :P

The county fair is this weekend and yours truly is entering some items! Previously, the only thing I’ve entered in the county fair was the speech contest. This evening, I will be taking a few carrots that I’ve grown and a rug I made out of t-shirt scraps to be entered into the Garden and Home Arts categories respectively. I’m so excited! The rug scraps actually came from most of the t-shirts I acquired while at the University of Maryland. My mom’s friend is going to help me make the shirt fronts into a “quillow” (quilt that folds into a pocket to make a pillow) but I didn’t just want to throw out all the extra fabric. I found some really easy instructions online to make it that just required the scraps and scissors, no sewing! I finished it last night and can’t wait to see how it does at the fair. I’ll keep you posted!

So that’s a brief snapshot of what’s been going on the past week or so in life. I know it’s not much of a philosophical post or one that required much deep thought but I felt that I had neglected the personal aspect of my blog recently. I hope you enjoyed the update!

Soli Deo Gloria,
Meghan

Factual Friday: Fall

Fact: Fall officially starts on Tuesday!

At 5:18pm this coming Tuesday, September 22nd, the Autumnal Equinox will occur and with it the official ushering in of fall. :) My favorite seasons are fall and spring. My mom once pointed out to me that that’s half the year but what can I say? I love both of them!

One thing I like about fall (and spring, too!) is the color palette that God paints in during this season. Changing leaves, flowers and pumpkins bring rich burgundy, burnt oranges and vibrant yellows to the forefront. Piles of leaves in front yards are kaleidoscopes of color. The cool greens and warm temperatures of summer give way to the warmer colors and cooler temperatures of fall.

Fall also means getting to take out the sweaters and jackets. I love bundling up in a beautiful sweater and enjoying the cooler weather. I’m also looking forward to curling up in front of a fire in the fireplace and breaking out the apple cider. Yes, I know I could do this anytime of the year, but I think there’s something magical about apple cider and fall. What are some of your favorite things about this new season?

I hope you enjoy the beginning of fall! And as we enter a season of thanksgiving, remember to give thanks to God for who He is and all that He does, seen and unseen, in our lives.

Soli Deo Gloria,
Meghan

Rollercoaster

“We were made for something better
Something better than this inconsistency
So while you wait to respond to what’s really going on
Under shame, under doubt what the whole thing's all about
Sing to me

It's like a rollercoaster, 100 miles fast
Spins you round in circles till you want to collapse
Makes you so excited you can't wait for your second chance”

~“Rollercoaster” by Kendall Payne

Welcome to the second half of September! :) This year just seems to have flown by with all the ups and downs and adventures that have happened along the way! Speaking of ups and downs...

This past Sunday I got the chance to ride one of my favorite rollercoasters. It’s not the newest, doesn’t have the latest technology and isn’t very tall but I enjoy it. The Avalanche at King’s Dominion is bobsled-themed, with each car bearing the name and colors of different countries, and the ride down is entirely gravity-powered. It’s the first ride that my boyfriend and I rode at the park and at the end of the night we returned to ride it again...4 times! (Did I mention it wasn’t the most popular either?)

It’s pretty easy to see how life can be compared to a rollercoaster ride. With all its twists and turns, ups and downs, life is just plain unpredictable. Even when you think you can see the path (or track) ahead, it will often throw you for a loop and take you in an unexpected direction. And each person experiences it differently. Some throw their hands up over their head in wild abandon while others hold on for dear life, screaming at the top of their lungs. Not knowing what’s up ahead can be both exhilarating and frightening.

Someone (three guesses who) reminded me last night of a few verses from Matthew 6:

So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

I find myself very easily falling into the pattern of worrying about the days ahead and what I need to get done. I’m not saying that good planning isn’t wise and that to-do lists are evil, but it’s when I start to “plan” for what I cannot control that it becomes unnecessary worry. But God tells me not to worry! I am to seek His kingdom and righteousness and everything else will fall into place. Yet, as a fallen human being, I continue to fail and return to my bad habits. How often do we all focus on the unknown and worry about where the money or time or resources will come from, taking our eyes off of Christ and His providence? Praise the Lord for His marvelous and abundant grace!

So while I plan and pack for the Values Voters Summit this weekend with my good friend and one of my roommates from Focus, Alisha, I will try to put into practice the habit of relying on and trusting God for the things I can’t control. Because that’s the best rollercoaster ride I could ever be on.

Now...where did I put that to-do list? ;)


Soli Deo Gloria,
Meghan