Saturday, August 30, 2008

Real World Update

Ok, so I'm back from my road trip!

The rest of the trip was more of a whirlwind but still great. We drove all day and got to Charleston in time to check into the Not So Hostel (which I totally recommend) and then get dinner. We went to this great place called Jenine's Kitchen or something like that... it was good southern food, and we left very satisfied and with food babies of various sizes. Then we went back and played Scrabble because our glass end table had a Scrabble board built into it!

The next day we drove down to Vero Beach, Fl where we met up with Megan's friend Allison and her boyfriend Chris. We had dinner at a beachfront restaurant, which was lovely and then hung out. The next morning we got up and drove up to Gainesville to see my family. I always love seeing my cousins! We ended up going to my cousin's wife's parent's house, which was fun. I love how our families kind of blend into each other and it was totally natural for me to bring my two friends to a house that I'd never seen before. I got to catch up with some of my cousins and play with their adorable kids! I love hearing about all of the things my cousins are up to; going to law school, going into the family businesses, starting cooperatively owned grocery stores, etc... its all interesting. Seeing family makes me feel so much more grounded and connected.

So the next day we drove back. We got to Megan's house at like 2 am, and got to my house at 3 am. The next day I took Jonny to DC and hung out at Meredith's for awhile. Wednesday I went to work and then went down to Bmore for Bryna's birthday, and Thursday was my first day of classes (ok technically Monday was but I decided to skip so I could prolong my trip). I've done a lot of driving this week. Friday I went to camp to take care of some stuff and then hung out with Loretta, Ashleigh, Megan and Phil. Today I went to the UD vs. UMD game. Its been busy!

Tomorrow I am going to my church for the first time since before Camp! I'm back to the real world of school and work.

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Thursday, August 28, 2008

One Step Closer

I think someday I will tell my kids about tonight.

I grew up hearing about the civil rights movement of the 60's, about the fight for women's rights, and about the power of the people to change injustice. I grew up wanting to change the world, not so that I could say that I changed the world, but because there is so much injustice in this world that needs to be changed. I have been frustrated for years because I wanted to fight for justice and peace, and then when I started to find ways it didn't seem possible to make a difference. I was told that I could do anything, but still the leadership of this country and many other institutions (like the church) is white, male, and older. I became an adult during a time when I couldn't find any politicians who spoke for me (or to me).

But tonight, as I waited to hear Barack Obama speak, the weight this historic moment hit me. We might actually have a person of color become president. And he's a hapa (a half-white person)! This is a candidate who is reaching out to the young, and a democrat reaching out to progressive evangelicals. He is someone who says he wants a united and empowered American people. I'm not sure I can articulate what this means to me, but I do know that it is a very significant step toward real racial equality. This is the kind of progress that I have been yearning for. This doesn't mean that Barack Obama should be elected just because he's black, but it is cause for celebration.

I am grateful that I benefit from the strides made toward racial and gender equality, and tonight I am hopeful that I will see many more steps in the right direction.

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Friday, August 22, 2008

Today's Horoscope on FB

Virgo:

Friday, August 22

You can get everything done that you need to do if you are willing to re-prioritize. Plan a trip with friends but be flexible with your plans. There are many factors that cannot be accounted for. Advice from a friend could push you off the fence in either direction.

Road Trip 2.1

It is before 7 am and I am awake. That doesn't often happen but we are waiting for the Cedar Island Ferry and watching the sunrise.

So far the trip has been relaxing and a little bit surprising. Sunday we went to church in Hurlock, Md with Camp people, and afterwards we were invited to a fabulous church picnic complete with pot luck food and crabs! That afternoon we headed down to Williamsburg. We got there at 10 PM and were greeted by a 9 year old girl who chatted to us the whole time we were setting up our tent in the dark, despite our polite attempts to shoo her away. We worked at a camp all summer! Who let's their kid big random strangers in a campground at night? Oh right, the same people who let their kids run screaming through someone's campsite at 9:30 in the morning. These kids were close enough that we could hear them whispering.

Anyway, we spent a fabulous day at Colonial Williamsburg and did many educational and fun things. We ate dinner at this fabulous place called "Food for Thought" which not only had great food, but was themed around good conversation. We had question cards on the table and there were quotes everywhere. It was mostly American food but I had the Thai One On noodles which were amazing.

Tuesday morning we got up and drove down to Southern Shores where Sarah R was staying with her family. We got there in time to spend the afternoon at the beach and then go get dinner at the Rundown which was also pretty good.

While we were there we found out just how bad the Hurricane situation was down in Florida. I need to stop driving south during hurricane season. Our plan was to drive to Charleston on Wednesday, then on to Florida for the weekend (apparently Fay was planning to spend the weekend there too). So after some grumbling we drove to Ocracoke, stopping at the Wright Brothers Memorial and at Bubba's Too in Avon. Bubba's Too was really good although it wasn't as nice inside as the original Bubba's and apparently they do Mexican food as well as BBQ now. Why wouldn't they?

Ocracoke has been nice. We set the tent up in the dark again and then hit the beach for while. It was a beautiful night but the mosquitoes were awful. The bugs and the heat made it difficult to sleep but we managed to get up and spend some time in Ocracoke Village. I love it there! We stopped at Ocracoke Coffee Co, which offers free wifi. We also went to a bunch of cute shops and to Teach's Hole to see pirate crap. Blackbeard (Edward Teach) was killed near Ocracoke. We went into the shop but not the museum. We went back to the beach to catch up on sleep and then went to Howard's Pub for dinner. I had this amazing teriyaki tuna sandwich. It was heavenly.
So now we're headed to back to mainland NC and then south to Charleston and tomorrow we'll make another attempt at visiting Florida. I want to see gators!