The Hamptons - Take 1

To celebrate Memorial Day, a group of friends and I ventured out to a special place in the Hamptons called SeaCrest. It was fabulous to say the least and there are numerous stories that I could share but for now, just the one with the most bang - literally.

We got two rental cars from Budget Rental on the Upper East Side at 8 AM and hopped on FDR to escape the crazy pace of Manhattan. My car carried four lovely ladies. Everything is going great - we are driving in the HOV lane enjoying the radio and the wide open spaces of 495. We take the Hwy 27 with a feeling of ease due to the lack of traffic.

Around East Hampton, we hit it. The crawling traffic of five miles per hour going bumper to bumper. But no worries on the home front, we are out of the city and there is a super hot guy in a Range Rover behind us, shirtless with a great hair swoop. We are all swooning over here and toying with the idea of putting one of our phone numbers up in the window just like we did on junior high field trips. Life is good at this point.

But then we hear it. "What's that noise? The radio?"
"No, it can't be. Here turn it down."
"Ya'll that's the car."
"Riley, stick your head out and see if you see anything."
"OH MY GOSH! We have a FLAT!"
"WWHHAAATTT!?!?!"

We pull our tan Toyota Corolla rental to the side of the rode and find that we have not one, but two flat tires on the passenger side. LOVELY. Oh and Mr. Hottie with the great swoop well he drives by then pulls over on the other side of the road. "Ok, this might now turn out so bad after all," we say to each other. But just when it seems we might get to interact with the mysterious man in the Range Rover, he turns his car around and takes off. So much for being a knight in shining armor.

We have too much going on at this moment to be heartbroken, so we decided to leave the discussion of Mr. Lacking Southern Manners for another time (aka bedtime chat). We have a situation at hand that needs our attention PRONTO. Two flat tires and one spare - not going to work. We have the other rental LOOP us (oh the joys of an iPhone) because we had been separated at some point on the journey. At least this vehicle (a Pontiac that was nicknamed the GTO by the end of the trip) had three boys and surely one of them could change a tire.

Let me say this. Before the GTO arrived, we, as in the four girls, sat on the side of the road obviously needing help while NO ONE, no not a SINGLE car stopped to help us. Cars just idled on by gawking at us. This would NOT happen in Texas.

Finally the GTO arrives and we decide will use the spare from their car also. We run into a problem with the first five minutes of the tire change. The spare given to us in the Corolla will not fit. What kind of rental place is Budget? I mean seriously? There is no need in wasting time anymore. We go up to the closest house and find a sweet lady who was very helpful. She helped sort out everything with the tow trucks and let us leave the car there rather than make us wait from one to three hours for the Budget Roadside Assistance. In her graciousness, she redeemed her fellow Northeasterners from my opinion of being rude and unhelpful.

So here we are. There is a plan in place for the Corolla, but what about it's passengers. Well we weren't left with much of a choice. We all cram and I mean CRAM into the GTO. Did I mention I was claustrophobic? Nice, very nice.

We successfully make it to lovely SeaCrest about 45 minutes later. We head straight for the beach. Needless to say we need some space to stretch out!

Oh road trips...always an adventure in some form or fashion! :)

Enough

Lately, I have been overwhelmed with the feeling of not being enough - inadequacy actually. At work, the projects are stacked on my desk. It seems as soon as I start to see the light at the end of the tunnel, two more urgent and time consuming items need my attention. There are friends back in Texas that I have kept in touch with well enough. There are friendships here that I haven't given enough of my time and efforts. And in one recent relationship, I came up short in numerous areas.

Last week, the preacher at my church talked about receiving identity in Christ rather than striving to achieve identify as the world does. I know that I am striving to achieve my identity and hence, my enough problem. But how do you receive identity? Insert Sunday School answer here - "Well Riley through faith of course." Ok yes, but really how? On a day to day, hour by hour, minute by minute basis, what do I do differently?

I have had this question bouncing around my head and heart since Sunday. This morning in my quiet time, I came across this verse. "My grace is enough; it's all you need." 2 Corinthians 12:9 MSG.

There is nothing that I can do but trust in God and His amazing grace and that will be more than enough in any and all areas of my life.

To My Crazy Aunt Kathy On Her 51st Birthday

Today is a great day because 51 years ago on this day, my grandparents received their first bundle of joy - my aunt Kathy. I believe that everyone should experience the joy of having an aunt like Kathy. She is a full of surprises and there is NEVER a dull moment when she is around. There is always a good chance that she will go flying off the handle especially when her cell phone (which is set on the loudest volume option) receives a call from work. Although she loves her "peeps," there is always some sort of drama at the "home" (she works at an assisted living home).

Kathy is a passionate person, something that I have always envied about her. She loves our family especially her boys, Rue, Reece and Drew, but who could blame her; they are pretty spectacular. She loves baseball and often reminds me that there are few things more beautiful than a perfectly executed double play. She loves to read and due to this her daily vocabulary includes words like "impeccable" and "immaculate" just to name a few. She loves Baylor - "Bear Air" is good for the lungs but hard on the heart. She loves politics and will be a true Democrat until the day she dies. She loves animals and her home houses a zoo of "animales." She claims that dogs are life's purest source of joy and one of her life goals is for me to also embrace this truth. She loves old people because they are a great source of wisdom. She loves the 7 AM hour of the day and has passed that love on to me.

I love Kathy. It's a guaranteed good time whenever she is around. She is and always will be an important person in my life. I can't imagine my life without her. I'm not going to lie, our family get togethers would not be near as colorful without her stirring things up and voicing her opinion. I look forward to many more years of "laughing loud, laughing long and laughing often" with her.

So Kathy, Happy Birthday! And remember "earthly bodies" are overrated.

Saturday....

I desperately needed a relaxing Saturday and that is exactly what I got today (please remember that everyone views relaxing differently). I started out the morning with a bootcamp workout across the Brooklyn Bridge. It's a great way to get the day started and the blood moving. Next, I venture to Harlem with NY Cares for some basketball with kids and other volunteers. I love kids and basketball so it was the perfect mixture. After lunch, I met some friends in Central Park for an afternoon of quality conversation and good laughs. The afternoon also provided me the chance to catch up with two of my close friends back in Texas.

This day was just what I needed. It reassured me that even though I don't know what my future holds, that day by day God gives me exactly what I need. Not only that, he fills my life with amazing people and wonderful moments. I am BLESSED.

Surviving Jasper

For the past 2 months, I have shared my tiny Manhattan studio with a crazy German named Jasper. Jasper is a smart, funny, laid back guy who is always up for a good time. He was the foreign exchange student my senior year in high school and somehow, some way I fell for his charm and we dated for about 9 months (go ahead and laugh, Alyssa - I know you want to). Even after we broke up, we remained good friends exchanging emails every week and the occasional visits across the pond. He was interning at the German consulate to the United Nations and hence became my roommate.

Although I was on a roller coaster of emotions while he was here (which I'm not really ready to talk about), there were many great moments. With Jasper, I attended church in Harlem, visited Greenwood Cemetery in Brooklyn, walked the boardwalk and ate fried chicken at Coney Island, had brunch at 4:00 in the afternoon, attend a Broadway play, played basketball in Central Park on a random weeknight (he even ventured to the Bronx, but I was not that brave), attend my first "stummptist" which is basically a German party, met many new and interesting (and predominately foreign) people.....just to name a few. In a way, he helped me explore this wonderful city that I often take for granted.

Reflecting back on his stay, the best way for me to sum it up is that I survived. I survived his constant tardiness (I run 15 minutes ahead of schedule while he runs at least 30 minutes behind), I survived sharing a bathroom, I survived coming home to my flat being a wreck, I survived his loud music, I survived hearing German constantly, I survived our cultural differences (me from the Bible belt and him from post-Cold War Berlin), I survived our personality differences (me completely Type A and him completely Type B), and I even survived our differing views on politics and religion. With all this though, I did grow in many ways - I developed more patience, became more confident in my beliefs, learned that Trader Joe's is manageable, developed a deeper appreciation for my friends and family, and now have a amazing ability to quickly matched men's dress socks which all look the same.

I will miss Jasper, especially his uncanny ability to make me laugh and his laid back perspective on life when I am uptight. But overall, I'm relieved. Today was my first day without him. I had originally taken off work because he thought he was flying out today. In reality his flight was late last night. I have enjoyed this day so much. I slept in, had a great workout at the gym, cleaned my apt, went shopping, spent time at Barnes and Noble, read with a coffee, had a little dance party and took a nap. I'm looking forward to getting my life back in order - calling those many friends that I've neglected for the past 2 months, getting back in the swing of things at church, exploring the city with my NYC buddies, starting to read again, volunteering with Kate and Jennifer......basically just being me.

So I guess this post reflects my feelings right now - a messy mixture. Jasper is gone and I'm okay. And I guess the attitude I'm taking right now is that of my Nandy "Onward Ever!"

Aunt Bubba

Recently my great great aunt passed away. Crazy, I know that I even had a great great aunt and even crazier was the fact that I actually knew her and had a relationship with her. She was blessed with a sharp mind throughout her life. We called her Aunt Bubba and yes, there is a long story behind the name but that's not what this post is about.

My Aunt Bubba was one in a million. She never married but rather was the rock that kept our ever growing family connected. Growing up in Olney, we would always go "down home" to Aunt Bubba's house on Sunday mornings for a cup of the strongest coffee I have ever come across in my life and her views on the world. Forever a devote and strong Democrat, she would enlighten us on the faults of Republican party and especially the Bush Administration.

But when I reflect on Aunt Bubba's life, one theme continues to rise above the rest - LOVE. She loved each and every one of us that sat at her table; she loved her Lucky Strike cigarettes; she loved history; she loved the expression "Well Honey!"; she loved Christ, her Savior; she loved to really getting know someone. The list could go on and on, but it made me think, "What do I really love in this life?" Well here are just a few that make me realize how blessed I truly am. I love....

...my dad's cinnamon toast in the morning especially as he hums his cinnamon toast song.
...taking in a baseball game on a beautiful afternoon.
...the Friday night lights of Texas high school football.
...setting down for dinner with my family.
...rolling down the windows and going for drive with the wind in my hair and the radio blasting.
...a good old Baptist hymn.
...my many friends with whom I just laugh.
...a long run.
...my grandparents.
...a movie on a rainy day.
...that an Andes mint will forever remind me of my great-grandparents.
...the excitement of a well deserved vacation.
...people with passion.
...the smell of my parent's house.