celebration

We had a joyful celebration tonight. My "little" cousin, Em, turned 18 years old today. I have posted about my family before, and have mentioned how large it is. However, most live too far away to keep in touch. My mom's sister is the closest in proximity, and has been the closest family we have had growing up. I think everyone has one aunt that they are especially fond of, and Aunt Beth would be mine. She has been such a big part of my and my brother's lives. Because of this relationship, Emily is the closest cousin I have, though she is a great deal younger than I.

Em has always been great. For some reason being an only child did not have an adverse effect on her. She has, in fact, always been exceptionally mature for her age. When I was in college, my friends and I went on monthly "Girl's Night Outs". At that point, Em was about 12 or 13, and she would come along with my college friends and I out to dinner, movies, shopping... I only hope we were a positive influence!! When she was a child she used to come to visit and we would get out the box of all my old Barbie dolls with all the clothes and furniture and play with them for hours. It's been neat watching her grow up.

The past year has been very special. She has grown into such a beautiful and talented young lady, and has begun her senior year in high school. She also starting attending the church where I have been volunteering in student ministry. I have had the opportunity to watch her grow in Jesus the past few months, and just two weeks ago, got to watch her get baptized. I can't tell you how overwhelmed I felt seeing her take this step. God has blessed her with so many gifts, and I can see the potential of what is to come. I am thrilled at the prospect of how God is going to work in her life.

Today she turned 18, and it was emotional for her parents and for me. Wasn't it just last week that we were playing Barbies on the floor of my bedroom? Today she has her own car, is making plans for senior pictures and for going to college. It blows me away to see how time has passed. But Jesus has been in it, and I am so grateful for the relationship He has given us.

Here is a picture, isn't she beautiful?

punkin' mania

Well, I couldn't let this week go by without mentioning the famous Annual Pumpkin Show in Circleville. It's funny how something so "trivial" can become such major part of your life. Last year I was in Colorado the entire month of October, and missed the Show completely. I remember very well being extremely disappointed, because I know it was the first year I had missed since I was in grade school. I had Autumn buy me a stromboli from the Church of God booth and some pumpkin fudge and freeze them for me. But let me rewind a bit.

The Pumpkin Show is the 6th largest festival in the US, and in it's 99th year. Every year it is held the third week of October, and I am telling you, the entire town shuts town. Five city blocks are blocked in the very center of town and filled with booths selling pumpkin food, pumpkin crafts, and actual pumpkins of all sizes. I think this year's winning pumpkin weighed in around 951 lbs. Pumpkin growing is an art form in Pickaway county. You can eat everything from pumpkin pie to pumpkin pizza, and Lindsey's Bakery window proudly displays the 5-6 foot pumpkin pie. Last year's pumpkin pie weighed over 350 pounds and stretched 5 feet in diameter and took more than 80 pounds of cooked pumpkin, 36 pounds of sugar, 13 gallons of milk, 12 dozen eggs, three pounds of cornstarch, one pound pumpkin spice, 1 pound of salt and 30 pounds of pie dough. It's insane, but there's more.

Everyone is affected, and everyone reacts differently. Many people save vacation time, though for different reasons. Some people take vacation to get out of town, and some take vacation to be downtown every possible minute. Several women I work with took yesterday off so that they could enter their young daughters in the Little Miss Pumpkin Show contest. I have friends who spent the week in Myrtle Beach...

City kids are out of school Weds-Fri, and every local school takes a teacher in-service day on Friday, and even college Fall Breaks fall on the same weekend. The town swells to accommodate about 400,000 people before it's all said and done, which is quite a feat for a town of around 13,000 people.

So why all the hoopla about a street festival? Well, there are several reason why I love it so much. First of all, pumpkin is my favorite flavor, next to chocolate. Any festival that wants to sell me all kinds of pumpkin flavored foods is alright in my book. Second, it's about the time of year; Fall is my favorite season and October is the height of color and semi-cool weather. I say semi-cool because in Ohio, one day of the Show can be 80 degrees, and the next could be 40. You never know! I remember wearing shorts one year, and heavy coats and gloves the next.

But third, and most important, is the social aspect. Pumpkin Show is a time for everyone to "come home". I run into high school and college buddies I never see otherwise, because people come out of the woodwork for the Show. I get to see who has children, and who is home from college, etc. It's a great time. I have experienced the Show from many different aspects, from working food booths to parking cars, from living and working downtown to driving in from my parents...It's all been great times. It's a major part of my life every year. I'm thankful for such a fun tradition that enriches my life.

Time for some pumpkin fudge!

workin 9 to 5

I got a new job this month. I must EMPHASIZE the word NEW. It's new because I just got it, but it's also new because it's something I have never done before. I am working as holiday factory help for a company called Pharmart. Basically it boils down to picking, packing, and personalizing retail gift items. And it's not really 9-5, because the past week and a half I have been working 8-5 and next week I am not sure what my hours will be. I heard a rumor that eventually my shift will be 10-6, but who knows?

I really believe that God provided this job for me. When I applied for the job I was going for a temporary office position. It was neat to see how God orchestrated it; from how I heard about the opening, the interview, and the timing of when I started working. I didn't get the position I applied for because it had been filled by the time I got interviewed, so they offered me the position in the factory. (The temporary they had recently hired had broken her hand couldn't do the work.)

It has been a tough transition. I am not accustomed to working 40+ hours, nor am I used to being on my feet all day. I only get 30 minutes for lunch, and I am used to taking as much time as I want. There are tons of new people, a new organism (the "company") to get adjusted to. But the people are nice, and I am catching on to the policies and procedures. I have learned that I am great with an engraving computer. SO guess what everyone is getting for Christmas??

I am thankful for the job, no matter how tough the transition. God has proven His sovereign faithfulness once again.

pics

Here's a picture of Benner square dancing, as promised!

swing your partner

Last weekend I held a square dance as a fund-raiser. Let me just say, while it was fun, it was also a LOT of work. I guess you could consider it successful, but of course, it didn't go exactly how I envisioned it. There were, however, two major highlights that evening. 1) My brother and his wife, Mindy, surprised me by driving in from Indiana. I was so stressed out for the 72 hours before hand, that I was a bundle of emotions boiling beneath the surface. When I saw their faces, the tears just exploded. I just couldn't help it! But it was all good and I was happy to see the them.

2) The second highlight was my friend, Benner, came and brought his girlfriend. He made some noise about not dancing, but ended up dancing anyway. His girlfriend left him high and dry and refused, so he danced with the Caller's wife (cowgirl hat and all!). Now, while some of you will automatically see the humor in this and fall over laughing, some of you might not quite get it. (Some of you are probably still trying to figure out what a "Caller" is!) Benner is the lead singer in a heavy metal band, long hair and all, and not the type of person you'd expect to see square dancing with a woman in her 60's wearing a cowgirl outfit. It was hysterical. And I loved every minute of it!

Speaking of the Caller, he was a riot in and of himself. He was a very "high tech redneck" with all of his music downloaded on a laptop and hooked up to the sound equipment. He even had what I call a "Madonna microphone", which is a headset mic that we see the rockstars wear on stage. He really gets into his hobby. And that's not all. Often during the evening we were treated to his singing, as he would just start singing along with the soundtrack in the middle of a song. He never "performed" a song, but enjoyed singing a verse here and there. It made me laugh. My 17 year old cousin, however, thought it was extremely annoying. Kids today. No sense of humor! She'd probably think a genius like Danny Kaye was annoying, too...

PS: I will have to post more pictures later. My ISP is too slow!