Reflections of Sam

There's No Such Thing As A Free Lunch

2009-08-19T22:15:00.002-05:00

An economic principal that I often try to ignore- there's no such thing as a free lunch. No matter what it is, there is opportunity cost involved. Last night's adventure in "free food" was not what it seemed. All was fine, I was enjoying reading a little C.S. Lewis when two college aged gentlemen showed up to the parking lot. They explained that they had been to ten or twelve of these opening events for Chick-fil-a. I immediately felt the need to leave in order to associate myself with someone else. They explained that for the events 100 people are let into the event. Then those 100 people must spend the next 24 hours in the Chick-fil-a parking lot. After the 24 hours those 100 people receive the free chick-fil-a prize. No thank you. I did not hesitate in packing up and heading home for a lovely night of sleep in my bed.

My name is Samantha Lewis and the opportunity cost was higher than the reward was worth.

The Quest for Free Chick-fil-a

2009-08-19T00:28:00.002-05:00

Oxford is opening a new Chick-fil-a tomorrow morning and the first 100 customers get free Chick-fil-a for a year. So here I am, 12:30 a.m. on a Wednesday morning, hanging out in the Chick-fil-a parking lot. Is it worth it? Sure. Unless I don't actually get free Chick-fil-a. It turns out that if there are more than 100 people here tomorrow morning then it turns into a raffle. Which means there is truly no value to me being here right now, I could show up at 5:30 a.m. and have the same chances of winning Chick-fil-a. But then, you've got to ask yourself... why not? So I'm going with why not right now. I'm enjoying a nice evening breeze, some good music from my iTunes, the glory of free Internet from the coffee shop next door and the company of some strangers who I believe are just as creeped out by me as I am by them. Seriously, might as well. Plus, I didn't really have anything else going on anyway. I mean, sure, I could be sleeping in my bed right now, but where's the adventure in that? I have a feeling that it's going to be a really great story to share when I talk about the time that I camped out for free chick-fil-a and then didn't get it.
I don't see a power outlet anywhere near by, so I figure I have about an hour and a half to enjoy the Internet and then I will dive into the world of C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia. Not a bad night if you ask me. I'm glad I made the decision to go to camp in order to get a pillow and chair. Also, I'm pretty sure that I'm going to be good and hungry for some Chick-fil-a by the time 6:00 a.m. rolls around. I'm already a little hungry.
Also, I have a potential work study job for a group that has their own parking lot on campus that I would be able to park in... fo' free. Fingers crossed my friends, this would be a good deal.

That's about it for now.

My name is Samantha Lewis and I am sitting in the Chick-fil-a parking lot.

This one's for the blogosphere

2009-08-11T17:56:00.002-05:00

The August 25th orientation date is quickly approaching. After much waiting and anticipation it is almost time. I think Mr. Joe is ready for the move too. He hasn't said so outright but I can just tell. I am registered for classes, I'm geared up to go, I don't have a place to live but that seems like a minor detail. I'm planning on leaving the 24th and as excited as I am (and I am!) I am also a little bit sad for what I'm leaving behind.
-Camp- where there are so many friends and things to do. The lake, fishing, canoeing, zip line, the athletic field and the stars that seem to fill it at night, Russell, Kelli, Vesper hill, disc golf, silence
-The Blind Pig- where everybody knows your name and they're always glad you came, where I can see our troubles are all the same, the porch, the law firm's Internet, the deliciousness, Thursdays, Monday-Wednesday and Friday too.
-OU- hoho, the youth, Sunday night meals, complaining about prayer breakfast, community, listening to J or Claire preach, finding a church home
-J's house-J, Dana, Tyler, poker, West Wing, Arrested Development, Studio 60, education, big mac ceiling fans, the pool, "my door", PS3, great times

I am ready for the next step and I'm ready for the next episode, but there are many, many things that I'm going to miss. Mostly the people.

My name is Samantha Lewis and there are less than 2 weeks before the next episode.

About that time

2009-07-15T23:17:00.002-05:00

So I suppose it's a little past time for an update. I feel like I've been incredibly busy lately. Camp is going well. We only have 10 days left, before we know it it'll be time for the banquet. Today at Luau I added a couple of events, including a relay where you put on a shirt and hat and then swim across the pool to your teammate who then must put on the t-shirt and hat, etc. It was hilarious. I'm not sure that it rivals the mini camp "barrel roll relay", but it was pretty good never the less. I tried to get Mr. Joe to come to the pool today. I put his life jacket on him and he pranced around in it a little bit but once we got within sight of the pool he literally turned around and RAN back to the Ad Building. I called him and whistled at him, but nothing. He did not care. I'm pretty sure that he is done being thrown in the pool. I will have to try again tomorrow.

Tonight was cookout which was a lovely deviation from what the dining hall has been cooking up. Monday dinner was mediocre, Tuesday lunch was grilled cheese, dinner was spaghetti, this morning for breakfast was doughnuts, and then lunch today... oh lunch today. I walked in and said "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" It was sloppy joes. I kid you not. So tonight's Italian Chicken was a magical experience. Also, for the first time that I've seen at a cookout, somebody made fried Italian chicken. He used gram crackers and Italian dressing for the crust. It was delicious. Also, somebody made apple cobbler. Yum.

Other than Mr. Joe being ridiculous and a play by play of this week's meals, I don't have a lot to share. I am filthy from cookout and am heading to take a shower. Oh, as a side note, I've been re watching Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip and it is rocking my socks off. Aaron Sorkin is THE MAN. "You know what, rook? When you start making a contribution to the show, you can talk to me anyway you want. But you had two lines tonight and you stepped on one of them. So until you either accept Jesus Christ as your personal savior or make somebody laugh, why don't you talk to somebody else."

My name is Samantha Lewis and I'm going to go watch Episode 3 of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.

Don't blink, you might miss it

2009-06-17T12:51:00.002-05:00

So, some how, some way, it is Wednesday of Week 4 of camp. I can hardly believe it. It's been a really good summer so far. Staff training went well and then just like that it was week 4. Sr. High Mission camp is here this week which is a blessing indeed. Having another person on program staff makes everything so much better. I've got a better system of doing things this year, which is also helpful. Also, I've been trying to keep my attitude in check. Don't get me wrong, it's not always the attitude I should have, but it's definitely better. Haha, turns out the way I act influences those around me and that in return I am influenced by the way those around me act. Go figure. I am getting a little anxious for the fall, but not because I'm ready to be done with camp. I'm loving camp.

There's not really a lot left to talk about. Lots of camp stories but there's almost too many of those to pick just one to share. I will say that adding "Camp Lake Stephens Trivia Time" to store time has been pretty great and that the "anti-store" is fantastic. Which reminds me- it's an anti-store week! Last time we did anti-store we went through 4 cans of whipped cream in about 45 minutes so, we'll be prepared for it this week. Also, perhaps two tubs of sherbet are in order? Also, the sleeper item from anti-store was potion. Potion sold like CRAZY. Also- potion with a "wand" (pop-ice)- brilliant.

My name is Samantha Lewis and I am going to get back to work now.

525, 600

2009-05-09T23:01:00.002-05:00

A year come and gone. It seems like just a month or so ago I was getting ready to go work at Camp Lake Stephens for the summer with high expectations and ABSOLUTELY no idea what to expect. But here I am, a year later- getting ready to start staff training again on Tuesday. It's crazy how quickly a year goes by. I'm starting to get pretty excited about the summer. I think it's going to be a good one. I know a lot more what I'm doing and what's going on. Being at camp this past year has given me a pretty good perspective.

Mr. Joe will be here all summer this summer, so I suppose I'll have to find something else to bring a little mid-summer added joy. Maybe that mid-summer joy will be finding a house...? That would be great. And turns out that I've got a little furniture to go inside said house, which is more that I expected. Couch- check; recliner- check; queen size bed- maybe check; dining room table- check. I mean, that's a heck of a start. Not sure that I'm ready to graduate to a "big kid bed." Haha, at 24 years old I have never owned a bed bigger than a twin... awesome.

An aside, I believe that there are many things we take for granted or do not appreciate enough. For me, I take for granted the wonder that is iTunes. I mean, what did we do before this? Sure, we had CDs but that involved a CD player and blah blah blah. Right here on my computer I can have every bit of music I own. Phenomenal.

There's plenty to be done this week. I started moving out of cabin 24 and into the Ad. Building but got about as far as my sheets and called it good. Now I'm on a bit of a time constraint- it needs to be done TOMORROW. I know that many people procrastinate, but I am sometimes able to take it to the next level. "It's not that I'm lazy Bob, it's that I just don't care." That's not entirely true for me though- it actually is that I'm lazy.

Well, there's plenty more to say but I think I'll be a big kid and go to bed at a reasonable hour so as not to be worthless tomorrow (plus the Internet is in and out and it's about to drive me nuts).

My name is Samantha Lewis and it's been a year already.

Sleep Cycles

2009-05-03T02:53:00.000-05:00

So, I don't know when it happened but at some point this year I took a detour from the camp schedule and started staying up until ridiculous hours. The thing is, getting back on camp schedule is going to be difficult. It's also important to note that my new sleep schedule has not been to stay up to ridiculous hours and then sleep late. I'm talking about staying up until sometime between 2 and 4 a.m. and then waking up the next morning between 6 and 8 a.m. What the heck is wrong here? I mean, surely I will be doing this for study purposes next year but there is really no point in doing it now. I used to do it in undergrad because I liked to hang out with people as long as they were awake and then do my alone studying after everyone was asleep. Now though, I'm doing nothing productive. I have been on facebook, talked on AIM (which I had completely forgotten existed until recently), read a couple of blogs that interest me, read the New York Times online, watched YouTube videos. Seriously, I'm not sure that this is something I should be staying awake for. And yet times when I've tried to adapt back to a normal schedule I've been unsuccessful. I tried to do so last night. I put in a movie and laid in bed. At 10:00 I turned the movie off and snuggled into bed. I laid there, and laid there, and laid there. Nothing. No sleep. Then, having set my alarm for 11:00 a.m., I was awake at 7:00 a.m. I've got to start doing some sleep inducing drugs or something (um, actually, ignore that- bad idea). Anyway, I've now reached a sleeping hour window and I think that I will try to grasp it.

My name is Samantha Lewis and I am going to sleep...

...maybe

Happy Days

2009-04-29T07:55:00.000-05:00

To be quite honest I do not have time to blog right now, but, I'm going to anyway. Things have been pretty busy lately. I pretty much got back from Montgomery Tuesday night of April 14 and haven't really taken a breath since. I substituted and then we had the golf tournament that Friday. Regarding the golf tournament- it was great. I had a great time. PLUS, I won a t-shirt for being on the team with the highest score (for those of you who didn't get that just now, it means I got a prize for being on the worst team there).

Anyway, since then I have subbed a lot, including my birthday when I was supposed to sub for gym and showed up fully equipped with a lawn chair, a frisbee and a whiffle ball bat. I did that for 3 periods and then the journalism teacher had to leave so I went to her class the rest of the day. I was fine with that because being in there made my think of Mr. Forbus (old journalism professor) which meant I spent most of the day trying to get people to use words that actually describe what they mean. The rest of that day was pretty eventful. Got called back to camp to make a bed- a little bit infuriating but fine. Ran out of gas- I'm an idiot. Made it to The Pig- hooray. Then I went to Wilco, which was awesome. I do feel like I would be over glorifying the experience if I didn't try to convey how absolutely AWFUL the opening band was. A Hawk and a Hack Saw- look them up, they're terrible. And, in all honesty, I briefly fell asleep during Wilco (combination of exhaustion and other things). BUT, Wilco was pretty amazing.

Last weekend was Double Decker weekend in Oxford, which was pretty awesome. They close of the square and people set up tents and sell things and there are bands and it was great. The most important thing to note is that there was one of the best petting zoos of all time. I got to feed the llama.

Today is filled with getting camp ready for a group that will be coming in tomorrow. Plus church. Tomorrow, I think I may be off to the ATL (happy days).

My name is Samantha Lewis and I've been busy.

I'm going to school here... are you kidding me?

2009-04-09T10:39:00.001-05:00

There are many reasons that I am excited about the fall. These pictures represent one of those reasons:

Amazing.

Good Mornting

2009-04-09T04:49:00.000-05:00

So, I woke up at about 5:00 (eastern time) and tried to fight it for about 45 minutes but sadly lost the battle. I know that later today I am most certainly going to regret this. My greatest moment of regret will likely come during my drive from Atlanta ("Mom, don't you know I'm in the A-T-L?!) to Montgomery (FunGomery, if you will). I'm not sure if it's the excitement of school next year or if it's the excitement of looking at a house this morning, but something has me awake right now. And I'm not just talking about that morning awake where there is some groggyness involved; I'm talking eyes wide open, alert and awake. I think it's probably a combination of the two excitement factors that's doing me in. In any event, here I am.

It seems important to note that NO ONE is on facebook chat at 6:00 eastern time. I thought that maybe one of my friends who does honest work for a living... NOPE. Seriously, out of 976 people, not ONE is on right now. That's CRAZY. I suppose we should keep in mind that one of those friends is Hank The Hawk, whose facebook I still monitor. So, ok, 975 people. What the heck?

So this is an opportunity to get started on some of the work I need to get done. Unfortunately that will probably not happen. No, I'll facebookstalk some people, read the New York Times online, play a little websudoku.com and utterly waste away the next 2.5 hours. Hooray.

My name is Samantha Lewis and I am awake.

CloverJam Time

2009-04-05T12:58:00.001-05:00

This is a post from yesterday that wouldn't go up until now:
Huntingdon, in all of it's success and failure, at least recognizes that there were traditions here at one point in time. The theme for this year's reunion "Different, but Still the Same: 100 Great Years of May Day,Homecoming, Reunion, and CloverJam in Montgomery." Homecoming used to be in the spring and it was lovely. Girls dressed up on the stage on the green, a celebration of coming home, glorious. 3 or 4 years ago Huntingdon decided that since we now had a football team we needed to do homecoming in the fall. They now do the whole prance out on the football field in heels thing. It's fine, whatever. To subdue those who were angered about this (like me) Huntingdon decided to have a reunion weekend during the spring. It occurred to the powers that be that in order to get people to come there would have to be a significant event. Thus CloverJam was created. An opportunity for students, alumni, and the cloverdale community to crowd the streets of Fairview Avenue and participate in fellowship at its best.

All of that brings us to this year when it was decided that the event needed to be moved on campus to avoid debauchery and so that it would just be the Huntingdon community. Also, they decided to get a big band. What became of this? CloverJamXL. Yeah. They were like "throw an 'XL' on the end of there, nobody will know the difference." Haha... oh Huntingdon. My dear sweet Huntingdon. The big band- Sister Hazel. I will quote my friend JD here "Sam, who is Sister Hazel?" Student tickets-free, alumni tickets-$10, community tickets-$20. Keep in mind that part of the reason we moved the event was so that it would only be the Huntingdon Community and then we proceeded to sell tickets to the public... my dear, sweet Huntingdon. All proceeds go to benefit the MDA, which I'm ALL FOR. HOWEVER, I question the amount of proceeds we're going to bring in. But I hope for the best. ALSO, for an alumni event, shouldn't we charge the students before we charge the alumni? Just a thought. AND to add insult to serious injury, they've banned dogs from the event. Mr. Joe is crushed! He loves CloverJam.

My response to everything has been rather rational, something I'm not accustomed to. I organized a group of people to write letters to the college expressing out concern. I'm not sure if anyone else sent a letter, but I did. I got a response that was basically "thanks for your concern, we're doing this anyway." It was, however, kind of them to send a response. Then, I gave up. There was no fighting this one. I have purchased my ticket and will be attending the student acts from 6:00-8:00. These happen to include the Jennifer Moody Band which I'm STOKED about. I am not going to Sister Hazel. Not that I'm completely opposed to their music, more that I'm completely indifferent to it.

Some things I'm excited about this weekend:
-Seeing many good friends
-AOII gathering this afternoon
-Softball Game
-Return to Old Cloverdale, the real O.C. if you will
-Chris' Hot Dogs tonight

My name is Samantha Lewis and it's CloverJam weekend

Best day of my life

2009-03-30T09:44:00.000-05:00

So I'm ready to get back to having the best day of my life every day. I did this for about two years and then it kind of slipped away. Well, I'm trying to give "best day of my life" a come back tour. Mostly because, well, it's the right state of mind. I think my parents called this the Pollyanna point of view. She played "the glad game". But I always thought that was kind of lame. Mostly I thought it was lame because it was infuriating to be angry and then have your mother say "you should play the glad game." I didn't want to be glad, I wanted to be pissed. Well, the basis of "best day of my life" is pretty similar except that it's not from Pollyanna and it does not imply that I'm always happy. Instead, "best day of my life" simply is my personal reminder that I was not guaranteed another day. Life is uncertain, each day is my gift from God. I think it's about time I start treating it like that again.

My name is Samantha Lewis and I'm having the best day of my life.

Meditate on these things

2009-03-26T08:25:00.000-05:00

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.

I lose sight of these words so often. How does that happen? They're so important. I mean, there are so many passages in Phillipians that I have to read 17 times and then I'm still not sure if I understand, but this- this I get. So if i get it, I should go ahead and GET it, which may or may not make sense. It's not important. What's important is that I'm going to try to meditate on whatever is true, noble, just, pure, lovely, of good report- Happy Thursday

My name is Samantha Lewis and I'm going to have a Phillipians 4:6-9 day.

Lepers

2009-02-13T11:06:00.000-06:00

I remembered this recently. I couldn't find the comic that I first saw so I decided to make my own. It needs work but you get the idea.

Planning Period

2009-02-13T09:15:00.000-06:00

Teachers have a lot of work to do and in order to prepare for classes they have what is called planning period. Important, necessary, good. For the people who substitute for them from time to time it is called free time. I have nothing to plan. I could do some work but I am simply not motivated to do so. My favorite are teachers who have 1st or 7th period planning because it means that I get to show up late or leave early. Teaching one class and then having planning is absolutely worthless. Today I am just antsy. Seriously, I walked around the school for a while and stopped in the office to see if there was anything they needed done. I'm like a bored little kid.

In other news I feel that I should report on Mr. Joe. I know that full updates are available on his blog but I would like to note that I'm pretty sure he's jealous of the Xbox. It's funny because he's never shown jealousy for my computer which I spend hours on but there's something about the Xbox. Perhaps he senses how incredibly angry I can become while playing it, I honestly do not know. I do know that every time I play he suddenly becomes needy. Mr. Joe is not a very affectionate dog. He likes a good scratch but rarely begs for it. When I play Xbox he nuzzles his nose under my hands and gets as close to me as possible. It's funny to me.

Also, a couple of notable quotes before I leave:

Me: I don't believe in politics
D: I don't believe in politics either but it keeps happening

Jo: I would live in a communist country if Jesus was in charge
J: Then you're gonna love the Kingdom of God

My name is Samantha Lewis and I need an activity.

Good friends

2009-02-08T11:40:00.000-06:00

It's so good to be around friends. It really doesn't matter what's going on in my life, if I can be around friends, I'm good to go. To be honest, I'm probably too dependent on other people. I have a hard time being alone and I'm discovering that it has very little to do with boredom. I don't care that I'm bored because I'm alone, I care that I'm alone. I need some sort of community living situation.

I went to College Sunday School at First UMC Montgomery this morning and we discussed the economy and how that pertains to our lives and what we should be doing personally. I have decided that I can fix the economy. It's very simple. We will just declare a year of jubilee, releasing everyone from their debts. It'd be like wiping the slate clean. They used to do this several thousand years ago. I'm bringing it back. Unfortunately no one owes me anything so I can't really release any one's debt. Well, I guess the IRS owes me a return on my taxes. Somehow I don't think calling the IRS to tell them not to worry about it would do any good in helping get this year of jubilee idea off the ground. I am a little convicted about my stuff though. I should get rid of it. I just don't want to. This is the fundamental problem for many Christians. We're supposed to do something but we just don't want to let go.

Blah. I will deal with that soon. It keeps coming up and I can't avoid it.

Oh well. For now, I'm out. May I highly recommend checking out playlist.com. Make a play list, listen to music, but it doesn't download it so you're not stealing. Hooray!

My name is Samantha Lewis and I'm going to go eat an ice cream sandwich.

West Wing Love

2009-02-07T17:18:00.000-06:00

So using tvduck.com I can now view every episode of the West Wing anytime I want to. Seriously, all I need is the Internet and I have all the joy that is so easily had by viewing The West Wing. Toby having to talk about the panda, CJ and the turkeys, Josh in the fisherman overalls, not to mention all the more serious, life changing scenes. I was talking with a friend about taxes and she said something about how, even though poor people need help, it's not right for hard working people to have to spend more money on taxes. As a response I pulled up Will Bailey's tax explanation to the interns.

My name is Samantha Lewis and I think I'm falling in love with the Internet.

Movie Day

2009-02-06T15:29:00.000-06:00

So, substitute teaching is possibly one of the easiest gigs around. Sure you have to put up with the occasional kid who couldn't care less what you say, but all in all, it's awesome. Today I subbed for a teacher who has AP Calculus students and Statistics. Already these kids are generally pretty smart which, in my experience, means that they actually KINDA wanna be at school or at least see the purpose of it, and are generally really well behaved. I can usually get away with being pretty lenient with them because they wont take it and walk all over me.

So, not only was I in there with these awesome kids, it was also movie day! Are you kidding me? I got payed to sit around and watch a movie today. Seriously, that's ridiculous. It was a really good day and as a bonus I got to eat with a few of the youth which was a blessing indeed.

My name is Samantha Lewis and I am happy.

So, it's come to this...

2009-02-04T10:46:00.000-06:00

My life is in such a state that I have now started a blog for my dog. I'm not sure what it says about a person that 1) has enough time to write a blog on behalf of their dog and 2) is on a level where they feel they can write something similar to what their dog might be saying.

Mr. Joe's blog can be found at http://www.bababadoo.bogspot.com. The name of the blog is Bababablog, Blogbabadoo.

My name is Samantha Lewis and I have too much time on my hands.

"I Love Jesus But I Drink A Little"

2009-02-03T16:35:00.000-06:00

This is one of the funniest things I've seen in a while:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83JDXXKzOXg

"Uh, I'm not sure what my address is..."

2009-02-02T14:17:00.000-06:00

So I was filing my taxes today when I was prompted to give my adjusted gross income for 2007. I know that most people keep up with these things as they are important. I, however, do not. I had to call the IRS and ask them. I talked with a very nice lady, we'll call her K, who was happy to help, she just needed to confirm that I was Samantha Lewis. She asked me my social security number and I gladly told her that it was 123-45-6789. Then I gave her my middle initial and then my phone number. Then, she asked for my address. This is what happened"

Me: 117 Camp Lake Stephens Drive
K: Did you have a different one last year?
Me: Oh yeah! It must have been 1884 Hill Hedge
K: Um, no
Me: Oh, 1521 Wellman or 301 Briarcliff?
K: No
Me: OH! 939 W. Outer Drive
K: No
Me: 106 Panama
K: No, not that one either
Me: Can you at least tell me what state it was in?
K: No, I can't release that information.
Me: Yeah, ok. Um, gosh... OH! It must be 1500 East Fairview. I was there a really long time.
K: No, that's not it.
Me: I really just don't know what to tell you. I just named like 15 addresses.

Anyway, I never came up with the address so she had to ask me a bunch of other questions. Also, at the end after she had told me my 2007 AGI, I asked if she would tell me what the address was. She said no.

My name is Samantha Lewis and I've moved a lot recently.

The Office Let Down

2009-01-30T13:47:00.000-06:00

After Moroccan Christmas, The Duel, and last week's Shark episode I had high hopes for this weeks episode of the office. Sadly it was a rerun and now my Friday is suffering because of it. I should be cleverly quoting something Dwight said but instead I have nothing. I don't come up with original material, I count on the TV shows and movies I watch to provide the material for me. What the heck? Now I'm just trying to make it through the day quoteless. Anyone who knows me knows that this is pretty much impossible.

My name is Samantha Lewis and I need to watch something quotable.

The Rib

2009-01-29T11:34:00.000-06:00

So I was recently sharing the 2 biblical creation stories with the youth at OU UMC when I remembered one of the greatest stories I've ever heard. I feel that it is my responsibility to share this story with as many people as possible because, frankly, as I said before, it's a great story.

A friend of mine was on a first date with a guy several years ago. He is very serious about his relationship with God and someone committed to the Christian faith. Clearly a good idea for someone to date. So... he takes my friend on their first date to see "The Passion of the Christ". Obviously, it was a very romantic date... They watch the movie and I'm sure really enjoy each other's company during that time and truly get to know one another. On the car ride home they are talking and he gets very serious. He says the following, which will forever live as one of the greatest lines of all time:

"I believe the bible is true. And I believe that when God took the rib from Adam and gave it to Eve, he also did that for every man and every woman so that for every man out there, there is a woman with his rib. I need to tell you...

"You're just not my rib."

BOOM

My name is Samantha Lewis and I am not his rib either.

Winter Retreat and Romance Novels

2009-01-22T17:12:00.000-06:00

I went to First UMC Montgomery's Winter Retreat this past weekend. It was good to see all of the kids but the set up/clean up/events in between were exhausting as usual. The speaker, David Liggit, did a really good job. He certainly has a gift for relating to youth. All in all, it was a worth while weekend. I think the youth were able to grow a lot over the weekend.

One of the major bonus' for me over the weekend was that Kathryn and Caroline (former youth) were chaperons for the weekend. They may be intentionally inappropriate but they are certainly a lot of fun. One incident that was particularly amusing for me was when Kathryn, for one reason or another, ended up shouting out the word Herpes. I berated her and one of the moms gave her a "you're going to hell look." Kathryn's response was classic: "What? Herpes isn't a bad word, it's a venereal disease." Oh, Kathryn. This along with Caroline and her saying "That's what she said" whenever possible.

On a completely separate note, I've gotten back into reading romance novels. They make my heart flutter a little bit. It's pretty ridiculous.

Oh dear

2009-01-12T00:31:00.001-06:00

So, remember how in my last post I said that I get involved in TV series... WELL, Netflix does not have Season 2 of Weeds in Watch Instantly yet and the season 2 finale was pretty intense SO... I am hanging on the edge here.

My name is Samantha Lewis and I am upset.

Back in The Ford

2009-01-11T21:17:00.001-06:00

So, the places I've lived recently have had nicknames that were good. Like Montgomery was "The Gump", and Oak Ridge was "The Ridge" and my house on Hill Hedge was "The Hedge". These were all publicly accepted. Unfortunately Oxford doesn't have one of said nicknames and I therefore have nothing good to call it when I come back. I've started calling "The Ford". I have high hopes that it will stick. I'm not sure what the best way to spread this new and wonderful nickname for Oxford is. I'm pretty sure I'll just over use it like I do with all of my phrases (ie: "that's why we can't have nice things", "he's an idiot, it comes from upbringing", etc.)

In other news, I've taken to going to High Point Coffee and hanging out there for hours in order to scab their Internet. I am watching Season 2 of Weeds on Netflix. Not quite as great as it was when I discovered Heroes or The Office on "watch instantly" Netflix, but still an entertaining show that I'm pretty into. I tend to let shows that I'm interested in control my life. For that reason, I spend about 4-8 hours a day at the coffee shop. Not Good.

I went to watch bull riding yesterday. It was everything I thought it could be and so much more. Now I'm wearing my cowboy hat as often as possible. It's pretty much one of the best things that has happened to me. Hooray for western wear.

My name is Samantha Lewis and I am a big fan of cowboy hats.

It's like coming home...

2009-01-06T00:14:00.000-06:00

Every time that I come to Montgomery it's like coming home. Tonight I had dinner with a bunch of friends from HC and it was just lovely. We stayed at the restaurant until they asked us to leave because they were ready to go home, then we came and hung out at Mollie's house. Mollie, by the way, is not in town but, we hung out at her house anyway. She was dearly missed but her hospitality was still here with us. It's just nice to be with friends. We crossed the important lines and discussed both religion AND politics. Nobody was too offended although we unintentionally took shots at Will. First I made a comment about the football players and Will was like "yep, us dumb football players."... whoops. Then we were talking about how they're still finding ballots from 2000 in Florida and Will was like "yep, us dumb people from Florida"... whoops. At that point we figured it was fair game and took free shots at his Communications major.

I'm pretty sleepy so I'm gonna call it a night.

My name is Samantha Lewis and I am going to sleep.

Home again, home again, jiggity jog

2008-12-28T13:35:00.000-06:00

I am back in Oxford now and it's always a good feeling to be wherever you call home. There's just something comforting about it. It's a little weird to me that camp would feel like home but it most certainly does. I mean, for all practical purposes, it is my home. And in fact, I've been in cabin 24 for several months now.

Mr. Joe's home which is so much better for both of us. It was really sad every time I went to the cabin door and he wasn't there waiting for me. He is pretty much my wing man and, we all know, "you never, never leave your wing man." But, we're "reunited and it feels so good." It really is great to have him back.

There's a group here at camp this weekend which is always great for me because it means I don't have to worry about meals or anything. I get to show up to the dining hall and have 3 meals/day. This group will be here until Tuesday morning and then Tuesday evening registration for Overflow will be happening. I am fairly excited about the retreat, I think it's going to be a good one. Also, I'm particularly excited about the door prizes- they are always guaranteed to be a good time.

I suppose that's about all for now. The weather is LOVELY and disc golf is definitely in order for today. Also, I need to find out about the golf courses around here because it would be a great day for it.

My name is Samantha Lewis and I am enjoying the lovely weather.

Oh my

2008-12-26T13:58:00.000-06:00

Mr. Joe's eye has been looking pretty bad for several months now but I haven't taken him to the vet because I figure, if I can't go to the Dr., he can't go to the vet. Well, Mom took him while he was staying with her to get his vaccinations updated and to get his eye checked. Evidently he has a couple of ulsters in it... sorry buddy. I feel pretty bad but, at least now it's being treated.

Dad left today for Alabama; he will be sorely missed over the next 28.5 hours while I am in Fresno. I have had a great trip and am both anxious and sad for it to end. It's an odd combination of feelings but, they are what they are.

I am well and things are good. If I have to hear about Richard Nixon one more time I might hurt someone.

My name is Samantha Lewis and I am sorry I neglected Mr. Joe.

The Joy of Christmas

2008-12-25T21:13:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas to all! What a wonderful day today is. Family, friends, joy and little baby Jesus wrapped in swaddling cloth. It doesn't get much better. Uncle Paul came into town today. A blessing INDEED. Dad leaves tomorrow, which is unfortunate. Alex and I leave Saturday.

Evidently Mr. Joe has now eaten both a spool of wide ribbon and a Christmas tree skirt due to my absence and his separation anxiety. There's got to be something we can do about that... I don't know. In any event, Mom is going to meet us at the airport Saturday night, rather than waiting until after the new year to meet up so that I could get him back. Evidently him throwing up on her carpet once a day was not something she was planning on... At least she thinks of me daily.

Other than that, got to talk to Flynn today- A-Maz-Ing. Santa brought me international calling cards that I can use from my cell phone. It's one of the greatest things that has ever happened to me. Seriously.

Christmas in Fresno has been spectacular. We had a Christmas Eve party at my Aunt Evie's house last night. It was great to see everyone and to play games and be with friends and family. Today has been great as I said with Uncle Paul coming and everything. Also, we had plum pudding for dessert: NEW PERSONAL FAVORITE.

My name is Samantha Lewis and I say, "Merry Christmas!"

Home of the Raisin

2008-12-23T15:37:00.000-06:00

So here I am in Fresno, California. It's always nice to come back. Dad is here from Alaska, Alex flew with me, Uncle Micho is here with Cousin Amy, and of course Mam and Pap are here. Life is grand. We'll see Uncle Al and Aunt Evie tomorrow night along with their family.

Well, the flight here really enlightened me on air travel and the new policies therein:
Checked Baggage: $15/bag
Soda on the Plane: $2
Uncomfortably Small Seat(ticket): $500
In Flight Entertainment: Not Available
Knowing that US Airways is a step above RyanAir: Priceless

There are some things in this world money can't buy. For everything else, hope that Dad gives you the money.

My name is Samantha Lewis and I am sad that the day of complimentary pretzels and a drink are gone.

A conversation

2008-12-12T10:20:00.000-06:00

My friend J many times posts funny or interesting conversations he's been a part of on his blog. In the spirit of that, I recently was audience to a conversation that I found very funny.

J, Tyler and I were watching The Dark Knight and it was on the scene where Batman has rigged every one's cell phones to send a signal to the bat cave. This is what transpired:

J: I don't know why Morgan Freeman isn't down with this
T: Because it's censorship
J:Yeah, but he's trying to catch the Joker
T: But it's wrong for the same reason that George Bush shouldn't listen in on our cell phone conversations
J: But this is different. They're trying to catch a REAL psycho
T: Like terrorists? Actually, the difference is that this is pretend and the terrorists are real
J: Still...

My name is Samantha Lewis and The Dark Knight is an AMAZING movie

Advent Season!

2008-12-08T18:45:00.000-06:00

It's the season for waiting and expecting. Who doesn't love Advent and Christmas? I know I do. It's been pretty much all Christmas music, all the time for me since after Thanksgiving. I just got my holiday mixes from J and they are indeed a blessing. I am going to TN next week and then Fresno the week after. Oh the excitement!

I am going to Ireland in early March and I could not be more excited. Nothing says adventure like Sam and Flynn reunited. Mr. Joe is not too excited about being left behind on my various ventures. I wish there was a way for him to hide away in my carry on or something but I really don't think that that is a very good idea. He would probably end up getting a little bit stressed out about that and I may or may not get into trouble with the airlines.

In other news, I got a library card today. It was a big deal for me. I'm pretty sure I'm still at large with the Montgomery County Library so I'm glad that the Oxford Library didn't do a background check or anything. If they had, they might find that I effectively lost one of Montgomery's books and then failed to pay for it. I plan to have a better record with this library. We shall see.

I brought my golf clubs back with me after visiting Mom at Thanksgiving. What a joy they are. The CLS Golf Invitational is in April and I intend to play. It's going to be A-Maz-Ing. I just wish that I was a little better at golfing. I am fair at driving the ball but after that it is all downhill. I cannot chip to save my life. I either end up sending the ball SOARING or barely nicking it so that it goes a foot and a half and I look like a fool. There is much practice to be done before April.

I suppose that's all for now. An extremely random posting, I suppose it's been too long since the last posting for me to concentrate on a topic or two.

My name is Samantha Lewis and I am excited.

Weekend Update

2008-11-09T14:02:00.000-06:00

Unfortunately the SNL weekend updates will be slightly less exciting now that the election is decided. On the other hand... OBAMA WON! I am very excited but keeping in mind that real change, according to the gospel, is only possible through Jesus. So, while this will be surface level better for the American people and the world, it is ultimately not as important as I've made it out to be. Social reform without the realization of Christ, is merely social reform... great for people who don't believe that Jesus is God.

In any event, life here in Oxford has been excellent. Last week I substituted EVERY DAY. It was indescribably exciting for me. The students were great and I had a good time. Wednesday was difficult given the nature of Tuesday's. I was up until 3:30 and had to be at school by 7:30... it was rough. I made it through though. It was an week of Chaucer and parenthetical citation. Who thought I would ever be enthusiastic about teaching these things? I was, however, enthusiastic. Chaucer=hilarious as long as you're not reading it for Dr. Gray in the Middle English without a translation, having her correct your pronunciation. I had one student tell me that they "really didn't like that one book Charles Dickens wrote, Moby Dick." I was not rude to them but it took a lot of restraint. I also told them about my favorite literary character, Bartleby the Scrivener, who refused to do ANYTHING responding with only "I'd prefer not to."

That's all for now.

My name is Samantha Lewis and I could write more but "I'd prefer not to."

Perspective

2008-10-20T21:09:00.000-05:00

I received a letter today from a good friend who is serving in the Peace Corps in Ethiopia. Talk about putting things in perspective. She has electricity... most of the time and running water... about every four days, and a toilet she can flush... about every four days when the water is running. WOW. I was ready to complain about my rotten egg smelling water this morning until I read the letter and I though "hmm, I have water. Hooray." In middle and upper class America we've gotten so used to having things like water and electricity that I think we forget that there are those who don't. There is so much that I could live without and I am constantly ignoring that. It's time for me to quit ignoring the blessings in my life and start sharing them.

My name is Samantha Lewis and it's time for me to change.

Jesus, camp and Mr. Joe

2008-10-16T11:19:00.000-05:00

So, the title of this blog entry pretty much sums up everything going on in my life right now. I am reading the book Resident Aliens which is basically tackling the problem that we face as Christians living in a world where people have made Christianity into something it's not AND how we respond to the issue of both being American and being Christian. It has brought a lot of questions and challenges to everything that I think. Honestly, I think that this might be the most formative piece of literature that I've ever read. It's opened my eyes to the real call of Jesus who (I think) doesn't care as much about an individual and their "personal relationship with Jesus Christ" as he does about what the church as a body of believers is doing for the "least of these" in His name. I think that it's time the church (including me) stopped sitting around on Sundays and Wednesdays and talking about our faith and trying to make it as appealing to the world as possible, and we started going and doing what God has called us to do. Helping people, loving people. I don't really think that we can sit around anymore and ignore the problems of those around us.

Camp is extremely busy right now. Constantly going, lots to do. It's good for me to be busy. It's when I'm not that I get lonely and bored.

Mr. Joe is good. He had one of the festering wounds that he gets because of allergies but it is now all healed up. Unfortunately there is a bald spot where the sore was and it kind of looks like he has the mange.

That's about all that's going on in my life right now. Dare to lead is at camp this weekend. Should be a good time.

My name is Samantha Lewis and I am ready to put faith into action.

"...a roller coaster, baby baby"

2008-09-29T08:36:00.000-05:00

Yes, I am like a walking roller coaster. I can't seem to be able to stay at a constant. It's either up or down. Right now it's up and I'm ok with it coming down a little bit and leveling off. In fact, that would be great. I don't know what it is but I think I'm going to be able to level this out and just roll with it. I feel good today, refreshed, energized. Good.

Mr. Joe has the NASTIEST sore. Labs get these "hot spots" due to allergies and what have you. Mr. Joe's don't come up all that often, but when they do they are disgusting. It's OK though, just keeping Neosporin on it.

In other news, I am headed to Huntsville Thursday to build a fence with Dad. The one we have now is not high enough to contain our English Setter, Ben, who will pretty much jump anything he can. He's an idiot dog, but I suppose we want to keep him around.

That's all for now.

My name is Samantha Lewis and I'm leveling out.

Life Update

2008-09-27T21:18:00.000-05:00

So, I've recently decided that I'm not nearly as intelligent as I have often wanted to give myself credit for. I cannot think on the same level as many of the people who I hang out with. I do not retain information well, I can't even talk football on their level. In fact, I can't really participate in any of their conversations. This is a major blow to my social life since I'm referring to nearly all of my Oxford friends. I like to think that once I get a masters degree I will be able to play the game but I'm still not sure. This, however, brings me to doubt whether or not I can bring people the "word" every week if I don't REALLY know how to discuss it on the next level. I know that seminary is going to help me grow exponentially but I'm just not certain that it will be enough. I'm not sure that I'm capable of that. I haven't given up hope or anything but it has certainly brought up questions. I don't want to be a sudo-intellectual. I don't want to just fake it. Perhaps I need to just stick to watching TV and reading easy, insignificant novels.

My name is Samantha Lewis and I am not very intelligent.

One more and it's a streak, but let's not get ahead of ourselves

2008-09-19T07:07:00.000-05:00

I substitute taught yesterday! This is good considering my bank account does not yet have enough money in it to pay my minimum payment on my visa card for last month. Also, in exciting news, they called me to come in TODAY also. Folks, for someone who was ready to give it all up and be homeless the rest of her life, this is a big deal.

In other matters, I would like to add that reading the blogs of others (particularly Mr. Russler and Mr. Johnson's) improves my life greatly. A little pick me up, if you will.

My name is Samantha Lewis and I am going to work.

For every action...

2008-09-17T14:36:00.001-05:00

... there is an equal and opposite reaction. A truth for many things in life, not only a scientific concept. Great day yesterday, less than mediocre day today. Not sure what is really my problem, just having trouble pulling out of a funk tonight after youth. I wasn't really pleased with the way that it went and I don't feel good about it. I think that having such a great time with Caroline yesterday made me long for Montgomery more than I have in a while. I have to remember that it took me a long time to get to know them too. It's not overnight that people begin to trust you and to be your friend. It's funny though, because I like to think of myself as one who easily makes friends but living alone has really made me long for a close friendship.

My name is Samantha Lewis and I am ready to bounce back up tomorrow.

Playing Catch Up

2008-09-17T14:36:00.000-05:00

Last night I had the opportunity to have coffee with Caroline, a girl who was in the youth group at First UMC Montgomery while I was an intern there and is now a freshman at Ole' Miss. I expected that it would be nice to see her and that we would have an awkward chat about how my life, while not nearly a failure, is certainly not shaping up to be what everyone expected of me. After this, I anticipated we would overview the basics: what's your major? what classes are you taking? are you going to join a sorority?, etc. This was entirely off. Not that we didn't cover the basics and not that we didn't discuss my life, but there was a whole lot more than that. The awkwardness wasn't there and it was like getting to chat with an old friend. It's funny when people grow up and all of a sudden are young adults, rather than kids in the youth group. It was so good to talk about life and everything going on. It's not that I expected to dislike this, only that I expected it to be superficial while I pretended to be a role model whose life was going exactly as planned; not so at all. I got to have a real conversation with a friend. It was an excellent time.

ALSO, I had never realized that square books had a balcony outside. A-Maz-Ing. The weather here the last two days has been perfect. Not pretty good, not nice, PERFECT. On top of all that, I watched The Bourne Ultimatum which is possibly one of my favorite movies now.

My name is Samantha Lewis and I had an amazing day yesterday.

The Vision ReFUELED

2008-09-13T19:34:00.000-05:00

So, I earlier reported that I would no longer be attempting my "don't drive" adventure. My cause was refueled without gasoline, however, when I was speaking with someone this afternoon. They commented that "driving is a necessity." I disagree. Driving is only a necessity because, in America, we have allowed it to become a necessity. We don't have to drive, we don't have to use our own cars for everything. Let's carpool, let's implement more public transportation programs, let's walk or ride our bikes. There are families in Europe with only one car for the ENTIRE family. There are families in Europe WITHOUT a car. It's not completely ridiculous, it's a lifestyle change. Let's change our lifestyle!

My name is Samantha Lewis and I am ready for CHANGE.

3 Stages of Phlegm

2008-09-13T07:53:00.000-05:00

I had a high school teacher who once explained the stages of phlegm to us in class. They are as follows:

-Foamy
-Slimy
-Crunchy

Foamy is the one where there's not really a lot of substance to it, it's almost spit, but with some mucus mixed in. Slimy is all mucus but it's... well, slimy and stringy. Now crunchy, that's the stuff that comes up solid. If you want to swallow it back for lack of a chance to spit it out, you've got to chew it up a little bit before it goes back down.

My name is Samantha Lewis and I am currently experiencing both slimy and crunchy phlegm.

Just like that

2008-09-13T07:50:00.000-05:00

It's funny how things can be one way and then, "just like that", they're completely different. I was living comfortably in Montgomery, good money, great job, great friends. Then, just like that, here I am in Oxford. Still fantastic friends, but I'm far away from the Montgomery friends, money is non-existant, and job... yeah, that'd be really great. But, I'm looking for a turn around soon.

My name is Samantha Lewis and I am hoping for a turn around that happens "just like that".

Walk the line

2008-09-12T16:57:00.000-05:00

So, in an effort to save money and the world, I have been avoiding my vehicle this month. It's easier than one might imagine but I have found myself in several situation that I wish had not happened. The first of these was Wednesday morning when I decided to borrow Darrell's bike and ride to youth prayer breakfast. This was not a bad idea, except that it's an hour ride into town. Therefore, in order to be at prayer breakfast by 7:00 a.m., I left at 5:35 a.m. Again, no big deal, except that at 5:35 it's pretty good and dark outside still. Also, Hwy 334 does not really offer a lot in the way of road lighting. For this reason my ride down 334 was scary, to say the least. Due to the darkness, I very literally nearly hit a deer. Also, cars do not slow down for you if they can't see you. In any event, I made it safely to Phillip's Grocery for breakfast and then bummed a ride back to camp with Kelli, our office manager (this is not the only time she has stepped up to be a hero in my life).

Later that day, I returned to town via Kelli and went to youth group. All was good until I stubbornly passed up my ride home. This meant that I had three choices: walk back to camp, sleep on the street, or walk to J and Tyler's. (Option #4: call someone for a ride, never occurred to me). I felt as if J and Tyler's was the closest option, other than sleeping on the street which is pretty much a no go. So walk I did. From the square to that side of Ole Miss' campus was a piece of cake. But then I kept walking, and walking, and walking and... you get the point. Finally, after walking for about an hour I came upon a parking lot. I just knew I had to be close. As I continued to walk I found myself still far away from my intended destination. So, finally getting to Jackson Ave, I walked and walked and walked some more. One hour and forty-five minutes after I began my quest for the air mattress, I arrived. It was glorious.

I think that, perhaps, I slept more peacefully knowing that I had accomplished this great feat on my feet. (pun intended)

The no car thing is good. It's working. My knee, however, is not. I may have to break down and start burning fossil fuels again. It's sad. In the near as possible future, I will be investing in transportation that is not so harmful to God's world.

My name is Samantha Lewis and I may have to burn more fossil fuel.

A blog for a change?

2008-09-08T17:01:00.000-05:00

So, it's time to start blogging again. I worked at camp this summer and there was very little time for it, but now seems like as good a time as any to start back at it.
Things at camp are going well. I had a pretty bad spell of cabin fever a couple of weeks ago. This is the first time I've ever lived by myself and it''s been a little lonely for me. I am used to being around people and not having a roommate or someone there all the time has been quite a change.
I am working with the youth at OU-UMC in Oxford. They are very similar to the youth at First UMC Montgomery. It's interesting to see the differences though. I have officially obtained a substitute teaching position and will be going in for certain on September 14th. This is a huge relief.
Anyway, just a little update on my life. It's good. I plan to be blogging more often.

My name is Samantha Lewis and I have a job... kind of.

Home again, home again, jiggity jog

2008-04-17T01:36:00.000-05:00

So, after being across this great United States, it is always nice to come back to a place that feels like home. For me, that's Montgomery. As I drove in and caught sight of the sky line (not much by many people's standards) I was taken aback by how much I miss it here. It really is a place that I call my home. The people that I know here are so very dear to me, they are an important part of my life and I could not help but be excited about driving into the city that would lead me to them. Mr. Joe has been a faithful companion through my road trip, stopping only as often as I felt appropriate and never complaining about his seat. I think he was happy with right where he was. Anyway, it's late and, although I haven't updated in a month, I am going to have to call it a day.

My name is Samantha Lewis and I am glad to be home.

The Redcoats are coming!

2008-03-19T19:23:00.000-05:00

This past weekend I traveled to Boston, MA for a little fun. It was amazing, to say the least. Quincy market was filled with wonderful places to eat- if you wanted it, they had it. We made it to THE TOMB, which is like an Indiana Jones adventure for those who are brave enough to face the task. We had a serious test of wit, strength and bravery. We would not have made it through if it were not for the help of our new friend Galin (an excitable young gentleman who wore a "hip pack"). We got to see the big St. Paddy's day parade and that was spectacular. My favorite part- some kid who tried to pick up every sucker that was thrown into the street. He had to have about 60. Hunter and Cassie were gracious hosts and our experience would not have been quite as good if it were not for them. Fenway might have been my favorite part of Boston (next to the tomb, of course), I sat in the oldest seat in all of baseball.

The history of the city is wonderful while mixed with the exciting atmosphere of a place filled with fun people. I have heard all my life about how rude northerners are, that was not my experience. Everyone I came accross was more than willing to help me with whatever I needed.
It was a great trip.

My name is Samantha Lewis and I had a great time in Boston.

Swimming

2008-03-01T02:20:00.001-06:00

So, I went swimming today. In FEBRUARY! It was ridiculous, it was cold, but, like a lot of things in my life, I did it because it's a great story. I don't know what it is about me, maybe it's that I really enjoy being the center of attention, but I tend to do things that don't make sense, just because I know they'll be fun to talk about.
Talked to Shannon today, it's always good to talk to good friends. Also got in touch with Kristen and it sounds like she's doing as well as can be expected after surgery so, that's excellent news. Got to hang out with my Aunt and Uncle, went to dinner and then schooled them on the Wii (except bowling... they're exceptional). We're going to do real bowling tomorrow which is pretty exciting. They used to bowl in leagues and the whole 9 so I'm hoping I don't get slaughtered. (I'm very competitive and DO NOT like to lose).
Still waiting on recs for my application to Emory to be complete. I'm a slacker about following up but I really need those in.
Well, it's late. I watched some more of The Soprano's tonight. It really is as good as everyone has made it out to be. I don't know what I'm going to do without it this week... maybe I can borrow it...?

Anyway, that's all for now.

My name is Samantha Lewis and I do ridiculous things just for the story.

Far Far Away

2008-02-29T03:12:00.000-06:00

So I'm here in Fresno, CA visiting my grandparents and Aunt & Uncle for the weekend. Things are pretty good here but I'm starting to miss Montgomery terribly. I miss being able to just go over to a friends and hang out, I could say that I miss the stuff there is to do in Montgomery, but really I just miss the people. My AOII little sister is having surgery tomorrow and even though we've lost touch a little bit over the past couple of months I still feel like I ought to be there. Lea's wedding is in a couple of weeks and I'm not going to be able to make it to that either. It's just disappointing to miss things that are important.
On the upside, Mr. Joe, Sadie and I are now through 7 episodes of The Soprano's... almost half way through the first season. I realize that that changes the topic quickly but there's no point in dwelling on the negative, I got it out, enough said. The weather has been B-E-A-utiful! I am planning on swimming in my grandparent's pool tomorrow just so I can say that I went swimming in February. Don't worry, I will have my grandparents take pictures and I will post them on facebook... that way, it officially happened. (Unless it's on facebook, it never really happened.)

That's all for now.

My name is Samantha Lewis and though I'm where I grew up I feel far from home.

2008-02-26T12:49:00.000-06:00

It's been a while since I've updated. It's not really that things have been overly crazy, just that I've been distracted with other things. I got my application in for Camp Lake Stephens where I hope to work this summer, so that was a plus. I've been consumed lately with the U.S. version of "The Office" but now that I've watched every episode and there aren't new ones coming until April, I'm pretty much out of things to do.
I made a decision to start running durring the week and it's been really good. I feel better and I'm thinking that eventually I'll have to start losing weight. I'm trying to eat less and eat healthier in the less that I eat. Lent is going well and I've decided that after it's over I will remain a pescetarian (a person who only eats seafood meat, no other meat). It's good for me and I've recently read that cattle heards contribute greatly to global warming. I'd also like to get a hybrid car. That will have to be a ways off because a steady income will be important for that, although Dad mentioned that in the fall we may be able to think about it. It is rather funny, however, that I'm here talking about going green while in the meantime I'm driving a car that gets less that 20 mpg all over the United States. Oh well.
I'm very ready to get back in school and also be involved in some worship and study with people my age. It's completely different to visit a church than to go and be a part of worship in the church that you can call home.
That's all for now.
My name is Samantha Lewis and I am basking in the sun in California.

The Land of Milk and Honey

2008-02-13T20:22:00.000-06:00

So I didn't get any posting done toward the end of my stay in Oklahoma, but it was a good stay. I really enjoyed seeing my grandparents and spending time with them, although it was definitely time to head out Monday. Tuesday night I stayed with Morgan, a friend that used to go to HC. It was so good to see her and spend some time there. It was also nice to have a stopping point between TX and CA. She has a Tibetan Mastiff that is HUGE and the cutest St. Bernard puppy of all time.
Yesterday Mr. Joe and I got started about 7:00 Pacific Standard Time. We had a pretty good journey, stopped at Denny's for breakfast, always a plus. As we got close to Dad's in Lompoc, CA I lived out this analogy which I will someday use in a sermon:

Dad had been telling me that this place where he was living was the land of milk and honey. He said it was beautiful and the weather was wonderful and nothing compares. I, of course, took him at his word and assumed he was correct. The journey to Lompoc was fine, there were spots of clouds and spots where the clouds would break and there would be sunshine. There were flat lands, hills to climb and times I drove through valleys. Then, as I was within about 45 minutes of the "promised land" a giant cloud of gloom covered the sky as far as I could see. The grayness surrounded me and was overwhelmingly depressing. I began to think that Dad was wrong about this land of beauty and that maybe he hadn't been completely honest with me. After all of the talk I was beginning to think that my dad had failed me. Then, just as I thought the gloom would never lift I looked out onto the coast. I could see where the cloud ended and at that very spot the sun danced on the water with a brilliance that I cannot now, nor will I ever be able to describe. It was like receiving a glimpse of heaven. As I continued to drive I came to more and more sunshine. The beauty of it was amazing and I found that I had nothing to doubt, I just needed to drive through the gloom so that i could experience the brilliance of the sunshine.

My name is Samantha Lewis and I am trusting in the promise of my father.

Adventure Thursday

2008-02-07T22:25:00.000-06:00

Today Grandma, Grandpa, Mr. Joe and I set out for Grove, Oklahoma where my Great Uncle Charlie and Aunt Wilda live. It's normally about a four and a half hour trip but don't worry, I made it five and a half. I decided that this was a perfect opportunity to take pictures at every town we went into, as well as every "Historical Marker" we passed. There were PLENTY. I also got a picture of the McDonald's that goes over the freeway... WOOHOO.

It was a pretty big day for us and it has been great to see my aunt and uncle. We played Yhatzee and dominoes, both of which I won! (I know, great, I beat an 80 year old woman and a 70 year old developmentally disabled man, but seriously, they're good.) My grandmother and her sister talked to me for quite a while about making sure that I don't let doctors just go in and do surgery because they go in there and mess things up. Be that as it may, I still trust the medical experience of a doctor more than my "human instinct." I've grown up in this century, my human instinct hasn't gone to med. school.

All joking aside, it has been a great day. I hav eenjoyed this time and look forward to continuing the adventure tomorrow.

My name is Samantha Lewis and I am on an adventure.

Ash Wednesday

2008-02-06T22:38:00.000-06:00

I went to an Ash Wednesday service in Watonga, OK today. It was much smaller than the service at First UMC Montgomery but still a great service. A great time for reflection and repentance. I did, of course, get to come home to my cousins saying (in a VERY country accent) "What's on your head?" And the concept of it was too much for one of them.

Tomorrow it's off to see Great Aunt Wilda and Uncle Charlie. I'm pretty excited, although not as excited as Mr. Joe. I'm not sure if it's the fact that he gets to ride in the car or the fact that he gets to be with us ALL THE TIME, but Mr. Joe, even after a 14 hour car ride, still gets excited every time I get my keys out. It will be good to see both Aunt Wilda and Uncle Charlie. They are both, in a sense, medical miracles. Uncle Charlie is developmentally disabled and the doctor said he would not live to see 40... he's 70. Aunt Wilda was sent home from the hospital at the end of November with a death projection of no later than December 15th... tomorrow will be February 7. It's good to see that there are still miracles.

My name is Samantha Lewis and I am amazed.

Lent

2008-02-05T20:22:00.000-06:00

After a wonderful season of Advent, Christmas and Epiphany, Lent seems like it has snuck up on me this year. Although it is a season for prayer and repentance, it is also time for me to give something up in remembrance of what was given for me, as well as recognition of the time of fasting. This year I have decided to give up sweets and meat other that fish. The sweets are because I too often indulge in these things. The meat is because I think that it is something that I take for granted and it will remind me evertime I eat that I am in the Lenten season. I like this season because it gives me time to truly reflect and dig down deep. It seems like it's meant to be a hard time but I think that it is an exciting time. It's a time waiting for Christ's resurection.

My name is Samantha Lewis and I am waiting for Easter.

Welcome

2008-02-05T12:35:00.000-06:00

I feel like I should give an introduction before I start any real blog entries. The purpose of this blog, in addition to serving as a journal, is to keep those who are interested updated on my life and to have a space to discuss some things that are on my mind. I am 22 years old and am currently on a 2 month road trip visiting family. I hope to become a minister in the United Methodist Church and am currently pursuing the candidacy process in order to do so. I have a 10 year old Labrador Retriever named Mr. Joe who is my sidekick in all that I do. I hope to soon own a motorcycle with a side car for Mr. Joe. I graduated from Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Alabama this past May and it is, in my opinion, one of the greatest institutions for higher education available. I am blessed with many wonderful freinds and a supportive family.

My name is Samantha Lewis and this is my Blog.