I Think It All Started For Me...

I can't speak for my friends, but I've been having a time, lately. The time is best described as frustration with God, a waiting period that feels as though it's never-ending. I feel that I am unable to enjoy the present and I'm constantly looking ahead to find my purpose or fulfill some longing.
And I'm working on it.
But my relationship with God has definitely been affected (not necessarily in a bad way), but I have been working through a lot of things with my Savior, and not always feeling as though it's been a two-way conversation. But the thing is, there are some things that I know are true, based on past experiences and also “because the Bible tells me so”. So here are some words I hold steadfastly to:
God is good.
When I seek him, I'll find him.
And then Romans 8:26-28:

Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God's Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don't know how or what to pray, it doesn't matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That's why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.

Oh, that text has been really guiding me lately.
Also, I am all about Psalm 23, since we had an awesome sermon on it at church yesterday. It's chock full o'goodness. I could probably focus on a different word each day and get so much from that passage. (Right now, I'm all about "He restores my soul.")
Anyway, this all comes up because Mr. John Mark McMillan, master singer and songwriter, wrote this post on his blog, which is … well, just what I needed to hear.
So one day, I'll have the rest of my story: I think it all started for me ….

The Cool - & Fabricated - Lives of Others

First, I was going to write about the giant moth that has moved in with me and is sharing my living space. I finally got up the nerve to try to shoo it out, and it attacked me and is currently hiding somewhere in my house plotting its revenge (and adapting to the roach spray that I sprayed on it. I'm picturing fangs and a wing-span of a large bird the next time I see it). But the thing is, that story is basically all there it to it, and it's kind of typical of what goes on in my household, anyway.
So here's another story:
I once tweeted (twittered? twitted?): "be forewarned: if I follow you on twitter and have never met you in real life, I make up FANTASTIC details about your life."
It's true. But don't worry; it's all good stuff. Usually. I very much like making up what other people's lives are like. Isn't that second nature? Isn't that why we "people watch" and even have a such thing as Facebook?
I've often thought to myself, "hey Beautiful, we should just get rid of Facebook. It's dumb." (oh yes, yes, the royal "we" happens when I talk to myself.) And it is, but my next thought is "But Gorgeous! If we get rid of Facebook, then how will we know when that girl we weren't friends with in high school is going to her PTA meetings?" And I'm not even being sarcastic in that thought. It's kind of cool to see what other people are doing with their lives.
For example, I'm currently **friends** with a bunch of kids that I wasn't friends with in high school. One of them has some sort of job where he travels all over the world, and is based in Australia. So he's always posting stuff like, "Who is in Barcelona? Let's hang out tonight!" And there's this other **friend** who is in a cool indie band in Portland, Maine and is always writing about making his album and playing shows. These are things I never could have guessed about these guys when we were in high school! It's just super cool to see how everyone's life has turned out.
So, while I know these tidbits about them, there are so many blanks to fill in, and fill them in I do! (hey - I'm a writer. I have to use my imagination!)
What do you imagine about people?

We've won an award!

It is an HONOR to receive the "I love this Blog" award from Cyndi Clack.
Cyndi has a special place in both of our hearts. She is a very special lady with God-given, amazing talents. Cyndi is a great mother and friend. We are so privileged to have her in our lives. Thanks for the award Cyndi!

I, Jennie, will be writing on behalf of the both of us (Jennie and Christy). So here we go.
10 things we love:

1. We love friends. Friends are very important to us and we love spending time (and stories) with each one of them.
2. We love family. Family is very important to both of us as well. We have many stories, that we love to share, about each of our family...and their quirks.
3. We love missions. Christy and I both have a heart for missions. Spreading God's love to people across the world is something we both want to participate in.
4. We love reading. At any given time, we will both be reading SEVERAL books spanning from Classic literature to Young Adult to Self-help books. Reading is our passion.
5. We love to travel. Most of our travels happen inside of our minds, but we both have BIG expectations/plans for retirement. We try to plan mini-trips along the way :)
6. We love music. Luckily we have the same taste in music, so we can jam out together like Nobody's business. “RA-RA-RAMAMA, want your bad romance!” (that is for you Christy)
7. We love ice cream. Unfortunately due to my recent diet change, I haven't been able to partake in ice cream like I used to. I STILL love it though!
8. We love children. Christy has a BEAUTIFUL Niece and a VERY HANDSOME nephew. I am pretty sure I love them as much as she does, but SINCE she is their family.... Seriously though, We both love children and hope to have one or two...someday!
9. We love Sent by Ravens. They are a band (so they probably technically should be under music), but they deserve a specific shout out. Sent by Ravens is an amazing band, dedicated to sharing God's word with their fans. They are a group of fantastic men with amazing talent.
10. We love Chocolate. BUT then who doesn't.

10 blogs that we love:

1.NIE NIE Dialogues. A lovely lady and plane-crash survivor, Stephanie Nielson gives us insight into her daily struggles. She has 4 BEAUTIFUL children. It is a pleasure to see a glimpse into her love of life and family. She takes beautiful photographs, documents heart wrenching, as well as light-hearted moments in her daily life. She is an inspiration to both of us.
2.Jamie, the very worst missionary. God is an important part of our lives, so it is great to hear a realistic, refreshing look at the world we live in today. Jamie is so hilarious, we often find ourselves LOLing...in the office.
3.Baked Perfection. Risa has a passion for baking and I can definitely relate to that. I have made several of the recipes from her posts and they are delicious. Although only I read this blog, Christy has enjoyed several of the confections I have made from this site.
4.Stuff Christians Like. Jon Acuff, author and comedian, has a blog-turned-book called Stuff Christians Like. The blog is a rip off of the book “Stuff White people like” and Jon is all to quick to admit it! Jon tell hilarious stories about common Christianisms. Check it out, you'll laugh for days.
5.Oh! Sweet Pig!-Lori Ford, a loyal reader of I heart Banana Copenhagen, has started her own blog! She is a great story teller and has great insight on life.
6.The Beautiful Mess. I just recently found this blog. Candice is a photographer that lives in North Carolina. She posts highlights of her photographs for the month and also posts recent work in her albums. We have enjoyed looking at her BEAUTIFUL photographs!
7.Grit and Glory. Alece is an inspiring woman. I would love to be more like here. She has gone through a lot recently and still finds God in everything.
8.The Sphors are Multiplying. Heather shares intimate details of what it is like to lose a child and life afterwards. She breaks up the heaviness with lighthearted stories about her new baby, Annie, and her husband Mike.
9.Donald Miller IS-Donald Miller is an accomplished author. He is personally one of my favorites. He is working on a variety of projects in his spare time (although I doubt he has much). He documents all of it on his blog.
10.Brandon McDaniel. Brandon McDaniel was an amazing young man. He was ready and willing to serve the Lord in whatever ways possible. His life was short, but his memory will last for a long time. He touched many people and we are able to get a small insight into his thoughts, prayers and experiences.

Now recipients of the “I love your blog,” pass this on to your favorites:

1st--Thank the person who awarded you the “I love this blog”
2nd--Write 10 things you love.
3rd--Call out 10 blogs you love and why. Let them know so they can pass it on.

Competing Posts

So basically, my friend is a liar. Just kidding!
But my friend told her version of the story on her blog (which is awesome), and here's my version (aka Truth).
Picture this: Hollywood* and I are minding our own awesome business, walking on Main Street in our beautiful downtown. Now, I don't know what happened. What happened? I don't know.
There used to be a curfew so the punks and hooligans would be all snug as bugs in rugs, tucked in bed by 10 pm. Alas, last Saturday night, it was about 10:15 or so and there were children - children! - acting crazy on the streets of our downtown. And while I enjoy exaggerating and romanticizing (see: later in this post), this is Truth: the kids were as young as 11 years old. Packed. On. The. Sidewalks.
So the streets were electric. There was this whole antsy feeling in the air, like something was going to happen. And it did.
All of a sudden, a ruckus, a rumble, a rough and tumble-roughhousing (yes, I referred to it as all of those that night. And was disappointed when Hollywood kept calling it a fight.) broke out. Kids started running and shouting, then people were pulling youngsters out of the middle of the crowd and walking away. The police car that was right there? Empty. Finally, the police came running up, and two more followed on these sad bicycles with an even sadder siren, and the arrested like 2 people. Which - who knows how they decided who to arrest? Anyway, it was over in a matter of minutes, mostly before the police even showed up to the scene.
The news van was there, but they didn't want my story, which definitely figured more like this in my head:
I tried to bond with some guy about how kids today need boundaries and curfews and such, but then Hollywood pulled me away, because frankly, I was getting a little too excited about the rumble.
So. That's that. And I don't know maybe the police forgot there was a curfew, or if there's somehow not a curfew anymore, but I'm wondering exactly what they're waiting for before this "curfew" we have is enforced. Because it needs to be. I mean: those kids need their sleep, if nothing else!
Five points for each word that proves I'm an old lady in this post.
*Names have been changed to protect the liars.

Well, I have an idea!

Here's what happened. I read an article that said that there's going to be a Fraggle Rock movie. A. Fraggle. Rock. Movie. And you know what? Maybe everything that I write in this post from this moment on will be a moot point, and the movie will be fascinating. But, folks, it won't.
Why destroy another relic of childhood? Why can't people come up with new ideas? And, no, this isn't all about Fraggle Rock. I'm just really emotional on the subject since "they" are remaking or reformatting or whatever, the BEST MOVIE OF ALL TIME: The Karate Kid. And, sure, Jackie Chan is a wizard, and Jaden Smith is adorable, but .... The Karate Kid? They couldn't even just call it something different? Because... I know the Karate Kid. I've met the Karate Kid. And you, Jackie Chan, are no Mr. Miyagi (and adorable Jaden Smith: You're no Daniel-san).
So back to Fraggle Rock. Are there no new ideas for movies? I mean: there was the Hannah Montana movie, but even the premise of that show is a direct rip-off from that old Saved By The Bell episode where international rock star Stevie visits Miss Bliss and acts like a normal kid instead of a rock star and Zach kisses her but doesn't realize it's her .... ANYWAY.
So here's what I'm thinking. I'm going to write a movie, and it'll be this awesome flick about this girl who gets stuck baby-sitting these kids after her boyfriend cancels their date because he's "sick". But they end up having to go to NYC to pick up her friend, and they get stuck in all these ADVENTURES in the city WHILE BABYSITTING. Or, I'll write a movie about this funny and spirited but mess of an UNCLE, named BUCK, who has to watch his sister's kids while the parents are away. Mayhem ensues! Or how about these two nerds who create the perfect woman on their computer, using just their WEIRD knowledge and whatever SCIENCE they know.
Or, the classic that everyone has ripped off: five kids from all different walks of life (oh... I don't know... a brain, a jock, a princess, a basket-case and a criminal, let's just say), get stuck in detention on a Saturday. You know what happens.

Secret Obsession

Jennie is back from vacation! And all is right with the world again.
So, to celebrate, I'm going to reveal a secret obsession that both Jennie and I have (sorry Jennie!). She's definitely going to kill me for this, but it's true, so we might as well talk about it online:

Jennie and I are obsessed with having long hair.

Now, Jennie has thick, beautiful, wavy brown hair. I have limp, straight, thin blonde(ish) hair. So, for Jennie, this whole plan to grow out our hair will go just fine. She just needs to be patient.
But for me, the longer my hair gets, the thinner and sadder it becomes, until it's like 2 little tendrils hanging down my back. Sound pretty?
So we try to remind each other not to cut our hair off, because you know how it goes: every few months one of us is like "Let's get a cute, short haircut!" but then we'll remember why we need to just get a trim...... the looooong hair pact.

Okay. So full disclosure: we want long hair because of Hannah Montana. Seriously. We saw the movie, and there's this scene where Miley Cyrus is alone in a field and hears her horse running toward her. In slow motion, and with about 25 wind machines whirring, she whips around, her long locks following over her shoulder. No joke: in the movie theater, Jennie and I turned to each other and said, "I want long hair." (okay, no comments about seeing the Hannah Montana movie in the theater, please!)

Meanwhile, like I said, my hair is not so conducive to the whole "long hair" thing, so my hair, blowing in the wind, would probably look a lot more like this:



So, that's a No.

We'll see what happens. Jennie and I have both been really good about growing our hair and keeping to our pact. My hair is longer than it's been in years, and I'm relying on Jennie to let me know if it's starting to look unacceptable. She'll tell me if I need to just give up the pact and get a haircut.

Tricky English Language

We're, um, a little bit stressed at work today. It's been a long week for us. Like.... hours-wise, mental-wise, nerves-wise. So we took a great lunch break altogether and it really helped because our waitress was terrible. Isn't it funny the crazy things that help stress?
For example, it helps me when I walk from my cubicle to the printer. 16 steps. It really helps me.
So, just seconds ago, my boss (and friend), was proofing pages and exclaimed "Son of a Monkey!"
What could lead to such an exclamation? She thought the word dietitian was spelled wrong on like 20 pages. Is it dietitian? or dietician? Well, a quick look on dictionary.com tells us it's dietitian. Crisis averted. "Tricky English Language," she muttered, checking the rest of the pages.
But, there are other issues. Other mistakes. Other things not done. The week isn't over. But it will be... it will be.... soon... right?

The Big Debate

Look at that picture ....
How pristine! How relaxing! How empty and secluded!
How ... boring.

There's a big debate happening within my family, and it concerns our family vacation. Every year, my amazingly generous parents rent a beach house and invite, me, my sister (and her family), and my brother to spend a glorious week in the sun. It's calm and quiet. So, since my parents are so generous, what could I possibly have to complain about? Well, I'll tell you...
My brother and I are not beach people. When we plan our own vacations (often, we even vacation together), we are city explorers, or wilderness adventurers. If there's a beach involved, it's camping, or 4-wheeling, or sailing to an unknown beach. There's snorkeling in crazy places. And always, always, there's some awesome city next to the beach. So, like I told my parents, I can do the beach. But it's not the beach that we go to.
My sister and her family, as well as my father looooove the beach. They want to sit on the beach all day and read a book. Maybe get up and go in the ocean. Unfortunately for my fair-skinned brother and me, that's physically impossible. We tend to get sunburned on the first or second day at the beach, and spend the rest of the time miserable. And, I read. A lot. In my normal life. So... I don't need to go to the beach and read.
So my parents have given whiny me and my confrontational brother the opportunity to plan next year's family vacation. But it has to be something my father wants to do (that's the catch). Any ideas? Something family, something relaxing, something for old people and young people...something not super expensive.

Old Age

How awesome is that picture. Isn't that just the embodiment of retirement?? Anyway, I'm trying to figure out how my details caught the eye of AARP and they subsequently decided that I'm of retirement age and are pursuing me for membership.
hmmmm... I mean, in some ways, I'm a total tween (Team Jacob! High School Musical! Tom Cruise is crazy because he's old! and crazy!).
And in some ways, I am an old woman (I'm tired at 8:30 on a weeknight. Maybe 11 on a weekend. I choose clothes for comfort over fashion. etc. There's no need to continue this depressing list).
But, jeez! I'm only 30! That's thirty-zero! So, let's hold off on the AARP membership deals for another couple of decades, ok?

Sweet Lies

Have you ever said something, and then later found out that you told a lie? But then the result of your accidental lie turned out to be in your favor? This recently happened to me. I call it a sweet lie. I lost my badge for work, which was old and gross and was missing the clippy thing that makes it fun to twirl around your fingers. At my company, if you lose your badge, they print out a new one for free, but if you just want a new one for whatever reason, they make you pay $1. Well, since I lost mine, they printed me out a new one and it was clean and free and had the clippy thing so I can twirl and twirl and twirl (until clippy falls off again). And then... two days ago, I was moving a futon out of my room, and I found my badge. My old, gross badge. Sweet lies.
Another time this happened to me was when I was supposed to receive a promotional gift for signing up with my cable company: a free portable DVD player. Well, months went by and I finally called the company and reported to them that I never received the gift. About two weeks later, I got a portable DVD player in the mail. And then about two weeks after that, I got another one. Now, I choose to think of this as some error on their part, because really about 3 months passed before I reported to them that I never received the DVD player (although they really didn't believe me when I told them, but that's just their stellar customer service at work). So now I have two portable DVD players that I never use. Sweet lies.