Baby... Baby Ruth

Sitting at Red, Hot, and Blue last Sunday, beside Austin Felton, my favorite young person from our church youth group, I overheard a young girl say to her dad as they were walking past our booth...

"You could drop a couple of Baby Ruths in the lake today..."

Austin and I snapped our heads toward each other, eyes big, huge grins suppressing laughter until the father and daughter, were out of earshot...

One second, two seconds...

We sensed they were almost out the door and we nearly spewed food on each other as we burst into riotous laughs, which spawned tears, and hands smacking the table, and cramps in my side. Ohhhh my!

The little girl, looking up at her dad with inquiring eyes, couldn't have been more than eleven. Only your typical uncouth guy would use the phrase for it's metaphorical meaning, so she must have been wanting dad to pull the practical joke made famous by Bill Murray in the Caddyshack pool scene.

Nonetheless, the randomness of the statement during lunch in a crowded restaurant was hilarious on so many levels. And the mutual reaction Austin and I shared being on the same wavelength just added to the outrageousness. Another one of those priceless moments when so much is said...

without words.

Goldie's Last Day

Actually, it was my last day in Canada, but Sharayah's been house/dog sitting for a golden retriever by that name, which reminded me of the PFR song "Goldie's Last Day". It wasn't that I'd thought of the dog dying, but rather it was a combo of the dog's name and our discussion of the demise of a certain "Quest for the Holy Grail" killer rabbit that brought the song to mind.

I woke up Sunday morning for my last day in Canada. Josh and I got ready for church and he was sportin' the GQ style that makes me think of "Mr. Bailey's Daughter" by Bryan Duncan. Songs help define so much in our lives, huh?

I dropped off the rental car and we headed to the church. Bummer! The service time had changed from 11am to 10am, catching Josh unaware. We'd just missed it. Sadness. We went to Starbucks instead, and then stopped to pick up a movie.

I'd told Josh about "Elizabeth, the Golden Age" back when I'd first seen it and told him about how she was one of my heros. He was up for watching it with me. I love the scene where she's doing the Braveheart thing on her white horse in front of all her troops on the cliff. She's willing to die with them. I also love the way God intervenes to destroy the entire Spanish armada and blesses her with a reign of great peace.

After the movie we rounded up Chris and hit an asian buffet. They were just putting out dinner. Shrimp and crab legs ~ yum! Josh was off getting food at one point when Chris and I had this conversation that included a comment about his use of recreational drugs. He read the concern in my face, which mirrored the many discussions we've had in game on this subject. He said "I know" in his usual manner... low & slow... reflecting an understanding of the depth of my concern.

He knew what I meant. I knew what he meant. I love these conversations where so much is said without words. I love Chris very much. I hope his buried love for Jesus will resurface and light up his life in such a way that the AL celebration IRL someday will be more meaningful for him.

Back at the house, the three of us watched multiple episodes of "How I Met Your Mother", and Nate even joined us. I searched the web for a hotel by the airport b/c I didn't want to make Josh drive there at 4:30am, so I could catch my ridiculously early flight. Then we watched True Blood, a show that troubled my soul. I prayed alot, sensing a level of spiritual warfare I'd not felt in a long time, probably due mostly to my moving away from God in recent years. I wanted to talk to Josh about it as he drove me to the hotel, but couldn't find the words.

When we dropped Chris at home I gave him a big hug and told him I loved him. Same for Josh when we reached my hotel. I love him like a son? a brother? a very special friend... in Christ... forever... =)

the elusive fizzie

sat the 25th of july... shannon and i woke up in edmonton around 10am or so after that late night of talking. we met up with the guys at calith's house and we caravan'd to the other side of town to try to uncover the whereabouts of our most elusive guild member fizzie. he's never posted a pic on the website... he's a self proclaimed "loner" who's only friends are in the game of wow... and he's my raid leader.

he's a fantastic raid leader when he's not under the influence of some hardcore, rude, tactless jerk... when he's more focused on everyone having fun and progressing rather than just pure progression at the expensive of people's feelings. he's once again lost that focus recently, and so it is with mixed feelings that i write this post.

he'd said we could come to his house as long as we asked for him by his game name, and i was all set to do just that.

/knock... wait for it... no answer
/knock again... more waiting... silence
/ring doorbell... nothing... start to walk away

suddenly the door opens and it's his older brother justin. i ask "is FIZZIE here?!?!" to which justin replies without hesitation, "sure! just a minute" and recloses the door. everyone gathers near the porch. out comes fizzie and his twin brother tyranthius (adam v.).

what a moment! finally meeting the guy behind the voice. his mom came out and he introduced us "guildies" with "see mom, i have friends!" his mom couldn't believe that this bunch played an online game.

we convinced ty to come along as well and we all went to calith's for a bbq. calith cooked up some great burgers & dogs. we all sat around in the shade talking about the game and life and whatever else came up. good times!

melissa & sarah, the non-guildies, came over and got a water fight started... between the hose, a bucket, and a few waterguns, everyone got soaked. everyone but me that is. i think the "mom' image helped, though they didn't realize i really wouldn't have minded gettting all wet. shannon got me from like the waist down, but they were nice enough not to go after my white shirt.

after that we went to the movie theater where connor works and he got us all in for free to see... what? what? not again? oh yes, again... transformers 2. well, a few went off to see hangover, but i wasn't up for a repeat of that one. after that it was mid evening, so josh, shannon & i headed back to calgary.

josh slept on the backseat and shannon & i had an intense conversation about life and beliefs... and oh how i hope she finds that last little bit she needs to cement her faith in Jesus. =) i'm sure praying for her... and her mom.

Fury, Calith & Bambooooooooochu

Friday morning Josh and I headed to Edmonton. We rented an SUV since his car's clutch was going out, and picked up Shannon, in hopes that the trip would provide her a quick recovery from her... uhhh... sickness ;)

We drove along talking non-stop, such that the 3 hour drive was over in what seemed minutes. It was on the road that I got my favorite pic of Whitewolf. And I must set this up...

Whitewolf is this self-proclaimed "gangsta". He's a tough guy that people don't mess with, and it took alot of effort to craft this image (based on how he describes himself in his middle school years).

As a result, he doesn't smile much for pictures. He tends to have this serious look. But when I met Whitewolf in real life, I discovered something...

something many probably don't realize he possesses...

wait for it...

wait for it...

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ DIMPLES!

OH... MY... JOSH! He's got this gorgeous smile and dimples! No wonder the girls fall for him so quickly. He's got a grin that would melt butter.


And there I've gone and done it! Quite possibly ruined his image for life, if many of our guildies discover this blog post. All I can say is, "I'm sorry Josh! I couldn't resist!!!"


Anywho... we arrived in Edmonton and met up with Furyian (Dylan), Calith (Jordan), and Bamboochu (Connor). Guildies galore!



We all went to the biggest mall in Canada, where Dylan played tour guide, giving us all the fun facts. We went to dinner at Earl's in the mall, and enjoyed steak and seafood. Next we hit up the indoor amusement park and rode the rollercoaster. Shannon and I screamed and laughed as we looped upside down three times. It was a blast!

Next we went to a big carnival that was in town, called Cap X. Josh was walking along in top gangsta, body guard form. He'd gotten into a fight at the Stampede in Calgary a couple weekends ago, when some drunk guys just started picking on a nerdy guy. He took the bullies down before being taken down himself by a cop. This is why he's one of my heros... because he stands up for the little guy.

We met Melissa and Sarah, two other friends in the Edmonton circle. We hung out listening to some country & western band... why? i don't really know. Not like anyone in this group particularly likes C&W. We took pics of each other and watched the fireworks show.

As we walked back through the ghetto 'hood to where we'd parked our cars, Shannon told Connor (the young one in the group at only 16) that she sure hoped he had a gun. He was like "Nope! Only my wallet & cell phone." The sound of his prepubescent voice rang out down the vacant street lined by crackerbox houses all darkened at this post-bedtime hour. It must have struck him as alarming, because he suddenly spouted, "Wait! I don't have anything. No wallet, no cell phone, no clothes even." To which Shannon responded, "Are you naked?" "Nope," said Connor, "just walking along in my underwear... nothing to see here."

What a cute kid! And he always makes me laugh =D

Shannon and I went to our hotel for the night and the guys dispersed. We had a great "girls' night", solving all of the guild's problems and analyzing the drama surrounding such characters as Beatific and Eldonnia. Who knew two grown females could have so much to say about an mmorpg???

Moxie

It's something I would say Josh has alot of, but it also happens to be the name of the restaurant we attended my third night in Calgary. I've often drawn the parallel between Josh and Joshua of the Bible because of his moxie, and because the theme of Justice runs through his life.

Our Moxie's experience was made up of Josh, Mikey (spell check!), Chris, and yet a new guildie to add to my list: Kayleria (Shannon). We enjoyed dinner and conversation and especially that blueberry dessert thing we all shared at the end. It was amazing!

This followed a day of working hard in the yard. Yes, it seems Josh's parents took advantage of his planned days off and ordered a couple of pallets of sod that had to be put down right away. I helped do the weeding and the raking of the dirt. Josh's brother came over to lead the effort. And I had the pleasure of meeting yet another guildie when Garon (Grant) joined us. He's such a nice guy. We've always had fun in game together. I think the first time we met was while dancing on tables in Booty Bay, one of my all time favorite places, if only because of the name.

After Moxie's we went to the mall where I was to be introduced to 5-pin bowling. Alas, the lanes were closing. We went to the movies instead and saw Transformers 2. We worked on getting Talcan, Eagleam, and Kayleria to agree to join us on our excursion the next day to Edmonton.

Talcan already had the day off, but was finding excuses in something about taking apart an Audi. Eagleam was tempted. But it was Kayleria who went all in... devising a plan to call in sick in order to make the escape. Hmmm... I hope no one from her work ever reads this. At least I hope no one from her work who hasn't called in sick when not really sick ever reads this.

Hey Mikey!

Is it Mikie (Josh's spelling) or Mikey (my spelling)? This day would not yield the answer. Mostly because I forgot to ask.

We got up and hit the gym, and then I got a tour of Stewart and Stevenson, the place Josh works. I met Sugtor/Rotgus (Ryan), Mandrollen (Ibrahim), and Ooglie (forgot RL name). Next we went to see Eagleam (Mikey!!) He's one of my favorite Wow personalities. He joined us to go to the movies where we watched Hangover. Crazy!

After the movie we headed home and Josh got into a wow raid. I had a bad headache... maybe just the thought of a hangover? So I took a nap. Got online later and checked on how my raid group was doing. I couldn't really raid anyway b/c Nate's computer wasn't set up to my profile.

Speaking of Nate, I got to meet yet another guildie: NateDAWG!!!! He's Josh's co-houseowner. We hung out in the kitchen talking Wow and eatin' pizza. Then I had a "hunter" talk with Minesweeper in game.

Later we watched The Indescribable Tour video and talked about Amazing God and His Amazing Creation. It's the deepest desire of my heart for these friends of mine to come to love Him even far more than I do. <3!

Oh Canada!!

Wrapping up these guildie meeting adventures was a trip to Canada. Marty was off to Comicon in San Diego, so I headed to the Great White North, primarily to meet my all time favorite GM (guild master for you non-wow folks) and one of my best friends: Whitewolf (aka Josh A.)

Talcan (Chris R.) and WW came to pick me up at the airport. Chris was playing the TFK CD I'd sent him, and that was a nice welcome. I shared the experience I'd had when the girl at Immigration asked...

Are you here for business or pleasure? pleasure.
Are you meeting anyone here? Yes.
How do you know them? (hesitation) Umm... I play online video games with them?
(Raised eyebrow)
Have you ever met them before in real life? (at this point I lied) Yes

She gave me a look that said "I should put you on a plane back to the states right now!" LoL

But when it comes to knowing people, there aren't alot of people I know better than Josh. We've been playing Wow together for 2-1/2 years and we talk almost every day. He's a sweetheart and a hero of mine. I love how he stands up for people and befriends everyone. He has natural leadership ability, and he knows how to get people who are very different to work together for the common... fun! In WoW that is.

In real life he strikes me as a sharp guy who knows his job and does it well. Despite multiple layoffs of hundreds of people at his company, he's still there. They know the value of this young man who is wise beyond his years, despite not having the advantage of a college education... yet. (I'm still hopeful he'll go for it one of these days.)

He's also the type who is really good to his girlfriend, despite the lifestyle of the group he hangs around with which can be quite the opposite. It's just too bad none of these girls have yet realized the treasure they had enough to stick with him. I imagine that's okay though, because I bet God has someone in store for him who will rock his socks off... once he gets a firm grasp on the ultimate love himself.

I also know Chris pretty well, though I've not had as many "life" conversations with Chris as with Josh. Chris was more shy than I expected, but just as adorable as ever. I just wanted to hug him... again. And I had a good excuse for it, b/c Kalukhata (Donn) had specifically told me in game to give Talcan a hug from him. =)

We went to Josh's house and Chris had to go. Josh gave me the grand tour and his house is really nice. We sat out on the balcony enjoying the cool night breeze and chatting. We watched some "How I Met Your Mother" episodes from season 1, and then went to sleep. Josh graciously insisted I take his room and he slept on the couch.

I went to bed hardly believing I was actually in Canada. I'd been thinking about visiting this bunch for well over a year now.

Oh! I almost forgot. I also got to meet Jynx and Boo... Josh's kitties... a couple of truly cool kats!! ;-)

Ado & Osi: Diet Coke & Menthos

After the Freakin' Fabulous Forty-eight, I hit the road to St Louis. Well, actually a little town still in Illinois before you get to St Lou, and it was there that I met up with two more Wow buddies: Adomis (more recently known as Francais or "Frenchy") and Osideus (who's Osizzle character name I prefer because... well... I got to pick the name). IRL: Matt P. and Brennan S. Two of the craziest guys you could ever meet.

I picked up Matt at his house and we went to the GameStop where Brennan works. We talked "shop" <-- video games that is. We played games on the various kiosks. Actually, I watched them play as I'm primarily a Wow, Halo, and GhostRecon kindda gal. And then Matt and I went to the nearby Starbucks to hang out and chat... about serial killers... while Brennan had to work.

Once Brennan was off work, we followed him home to drop his car and then the three of us headed to Outback for a steak dinner and lots of laughs. I heard about college adventures and love life adventures... something about a girl who was liked first, but claimed by another, who didn't appreciate her, when dumped hooked up with the first though she'd been with a best friend, and now the radical decision to take a break in the whole love life scene. Who am I to judge? hehe

It's all so amusing as young people work through these things called relationships.

Next we went back by Brennan's and their friend Steve-O joined us. I found out he'd been in our guild as well for a short time, so here I was meeting guildie #10. Woohoo! We all piled in my car and decided we needed to do something 4th of July-ish, despite the rain.

We hit up a WalMart for Diet Coke & Menthos. Some guy walking through the store dropped bottle rockets, which we rescued for our own entertainment. Brennan later shot a couple of them off by sticking them in the zipper of his shorts. Talking about getting off. Okay, bad joke, but I couldn't resist. He burned a couple holes in his shirt. LoL!

We had to go to a couple stores to finally find both Diet Coke AND Menthos. Along the way, the guys hit the scratch off lottery machine... repeatedly... until they... umm... almost broke even. Then we found a vacant street in a new housing edition and created fireless fireworks.

Matt tried to put Menthos in the first bottle, but it spewed all over him before he could get the cap back on. It was a riot! Good thing it was raining so hard. Brennan demonstrated how it was done, by putting the Menthos in the cap and then slamming the cap on and shaking it up. Wait for it... wait for it...

It didn't explode. Matt picked it up and smashed it to the ground... still no explosion. Brennan picked it up and smashed it to the ground... still nothing. Steve-O & I stood laughing at both of them. Brennan tried again and successfully got covered in Diet Coke. Again... good thing for the pouring rain.

Back in my car they all sang for me, and I got some of it recorded on my iPhone. They fogged up all the windows with their heavy breathing and wet clothes. I took them all home, and after hugs & goodbyes, I once again hit the road. Good times!

Driving away... I missed them already.

Freakin' Fabulous Forty-Eight

The next morning, I awoke in the Galesburg Comfort Inn, and after getting ready, phoned the boys next door. And yes, I woke them up even though it was already 10am. I know! I know! All teenage guys sleep until afternoon as a rule. They started getting ready and Matt came over to my room soon after. We sat and talked more about the mysteries of God, and his plans, and the things Matt had learned at Bible Conference. It was so cool!

Then Tegan knocked on the door and said they were all finally ready to go. I treated them to breakfast at Perkins, cuz that's just what big sisters (I.C.) do, and at my insistence they ordered whatever they wanted. "Whatever?" Matt asked, "Can I have a chocolate milk?". I replied, "Of course!", to which he responded, "Can I have a LARGE chocolate milk????". I laughed. We both ordered a LARGE chocolate milk. Each of the guys then ordered this thing called the Tremendous Twelve ~ a breakfast consisting of 12 items across 3 plates each... eggs, pancakes, bacon, hash browns, sausage, and the list goes on.

I deemed it the "Freakin' Fabulous Forty-Eight!" and wondered if it would all get eaten.

What was I thinking? Of course it was all eaten... well, almost. With the exception of the pancakes, the food just disappeared. Then everyone added their pancakes to Brett's stack and challenged him with working his way through all that. He made the attempt, cutting through all those pancakes and stuffing a huge bite into his mouth. Dave on the other hand was taking dares to eat mouthfulls of whipped butter. Teenage boys... so weird, yet so adorable. Gotta love em.

I got this pic of Matt and Tegan, and of course Tegan told me I couldn't put it on Facebook or anything, but I'm gonna post it here where it will get limited viewership. I don't know why he's shy about it. They are both such cuties.



After breakfast we went outside and said our goodbyes. The visit had been tooooo short. Bummer! I gave/got hugs and kisses (on the cheek) and hit the road again. I'm so looking forward to spending eternity with that bunch. It will be fun, fun, fun!

Cornerstone Festival

The next group of guildies, I had the pleasure of meeting, required a road trip... a 13 hour road trip! I jumped in my little red eclipse Thursday evening, July 2nd, and headed north... and then north east. I arrived in the tiny town of Bushnell, Illinois the next day around 2pm. Bushnell is home to the yearly Cornerstone Festival, an all-week campout and multi-stage concert event featuring Christian artists from all over. And these guildies of mine had decided to make the trek south from Canada, so I trekked north to meet them.

I pulled into the campgrounds and texted Tegan. Standing near the entrance, I then spotted this handsome young man bounding across the dirt road in my direction. It was Praeclarus (known in real life as Matt "famous President last name" K.) He gave me a big hug, and introduced me to the stragglers who were walking up: Tegan (same character name in Wow: I love it!), Brett (Krogan), and Dave, who's only played Wow for like a day.

They were in between concerts and hungry, so they all piled into my car and I drove them to the nearby, only slightly bigger, town of Galesburg. They had been camping out all week, and had I known how nice the weather actually was this far north, I might have come earlier and camped out as well. Finding out Relient K and KJ-52 had performed on Wednesday night increased my realization that I should have been there.

Anyway, camping still has it's disadvantages, so I treated the boys to a hotel room, at my expense, where the 4 of them could get a nice hot shower (that didn't smell like water used to boil hotdogs) and a comfy bed for the night. I also bought them pizza for dinner. We sat around eating and talking. They told me about the festival adventures. Then I hit my own room for a nap and let them take one as well. I wondered how they would manage sharing double beds that looked too short for these tall Canadians. I would hear funny stories about it later.

We headed back to the festival in the evening, and despite being coaxed to hit 120mph, we were slightly late for the band Matt & Tegan had wanted most to see: youwithoutme. They bolted for the stage off in the distance, when we pulled in, and I went to buy a ticket. The guy at the entrance was really nice and let me buy a one day ticket, which was totally against policy.

I wandered through the campground, amazed at how large this event turned out to be... hundreds of tents in all directions. People of every size, shape, and color. And best of all, a place where you could feel totally safe knowing that most everyone here loves Jesus... lots! It was like a tiny slice of heaven.

I listened to a couple of bands and checked out the merch tent, and finally caught up to the guys after some mosh pit / dance party craziness. Then Matt and I went to see Anberlin in concert. It was a beautiful nite sitting out on the hillside of the natural ampitheater. Afterwards there was a fireworks show to which Matt responded "you crazy Americans". Lol! More to that story, but not enough space here.

We walked back talking about how good God is, and what He might possibly be wanting to do in Matt's life. He's had his struggles, but you can read more about that by just clicking on his blog which I follow, right here on this blog site.

We headed back to the hotel around midnight for some much needed sleep. As I was getting ready for bed in my room, the phone rang. It was the guys next door thanking me over and over again for the luxury of showers and soft beds, and Tegan and Matt saying "I love you. I love you." over and over again. I let them know I loved them as well... like the little brothers in Christ that they are to me. And I fell asleep praying for them... and all the many others who God and I talk about on a regular basis.

never knew a newfie

'Til now. Now I've met a Newfie in real life...
A Newfoundlander: Auggy.
Real life name: Chris T.

I had to go to Denver on a business trip in early June, and I'd heard in game (Wow) that Auggy was currently there, being mentored by an artist, as a part of his collegiate studies. So I got his phone number before I left, and when I arrived, I gave him a call and we arranged a meeting.

The company I was there to visit, Maverick, happened to be hosting dinner for all of the GameStop contingent at a very fancy restaurant, and they said I could invite Chris as well. My daughter was included in the dinner party too, and so we all got to hang out together on the company dime. I always love a good time where someone else picks up the tab... steak... seafood... and great conversation. The best part was just listening to Auggy's accent for the evening and hearing about his studies and future plans in life. Woohoo!

dynn does dallas

Not many weeks after my trip to florida, dynn came to visit me in texas... the first AfterLife guildie to come see me. His visit had a dual purpose; to hang out and to interview for a job at GameStop on my team. Dave C. has always impressed me with his knowledge of IT related nerdiness. He would fit right in to the Nerdvana that we've named our environment at work.

He stepped off the plane Friday morning and I picked him up and took him to work with me. We toured the warehouse and he interviewed with several on my team and the Vice President of our group. Everyone liked him, and had the economy not taken it's recent turn resulting in a freeze of all outstanding job requisitions, we'd be working together now, I'm sure.

The day before had been his birthday, so after work, we took him to his choice of restaurants: Pappadeaux. We enjoyed yummy cajun & creole seafood. Afterwards, we hung out at our place watching TV, enjoying Woodbridge Cabernet Sauvignon, Newcastle, and the Shiner Hefeweizen beer I'd bought just for Dave.

The next morning Dave & I went to Cracker Barrel for breakfast. We talked about life and love and the type of girl he's looking for. The thing I remember most is his comment about wanting a girl who would genuinely laugh at his jokes. Charming! =)

We went and checked out various apartments in the area, in the hopes that the job freeze will lift soon and he'll get to move to Texas. We even hit up one of the super ritzy places, outside of both of our price ranges, but got a bottle of Grapevine vinyard wine out of the deal. Unfortunately, it wasn't that good. =(

We got home around 3pm to find Marty cooking up his famous fajitas. After dinner, we headed to downtown Ft Worth where the Arts Festival was going on. It was tremendous. The streets were overflowing with booths full of art of every kind, and there were varous stages set up with jazz and blues filling the air. It was a beautiful evening. We'd intended to go to Hyena's Comedy club but got mixed up on the show times. Turned out it was more enjoyable out on the streets just wondering around and taking in the sights. We went to the Flying Saucer bar, but it was standing room only. We bought fresh squeezed lemonade and roasted corn on the cob from the street vendors and enjoyed several of the shows on stage.

It was really late when we left, but we made the trip all the way across the metroplex to let Dave get a look at the Dallas skyline at night and show him around the city a little.

The next morning at church, the message was about "Change" and it seemed to speak directly to Dave. Even if this change to come to GameStop doesn't go through, his life is definitely in motion. God is definitely at work, and it's awesome to watch. He went to youth group with us, and just as it was starting I got a call from Josh A. He was looking for a church to go to and wanted to know if Grace Lutheran would be a good place. It made me smile just to think he was going. I told him it sounded okay to me, and said a little prayer that God was in control of that situation. Told Dave about it and he smiled too.

After church we went to Pei Wei's with the teens and college students. Dave was impressed with our group of kids. Back at home, Mark, our son came over and we all watched "It's a Beautiful Life" together. Dave had never seen it. It's a powerful movie. Finally, we went to Speed Zone and hit up the Slick Track and Turbo Track. I love racing cars. Then I took Dave to the airport to catch his flight home. I sure hope we get to see each other again and hang out some more.

There's still a bottle of that Hefeweizen sittin' in my frig awaiting his return. Beer doesn't go bad does it?