Tennesee Snow VS Nebraska Snow; A Lesson in Progress

I'm a Midwest girl living in one of the most well known cities of the South and I've gotta tell you, there are some times that it's just a completely different world down here. Allow me to expand on one of the biggest differences between Tennessee and Nebraska---people's reaction to snow.

**Disclaimer! I'm not hating on TN residents/drivers and would also like to state for the record that  my own experience with snow is piddly compared to people from places like New York, Minnesota, and Michigan.**  Thanks! Feel free to read on, now. :-)

On Monday, November 25, 2013, the unthinkable happened. Little pieces of white goodness began to fall from the sky in Nashville, TN. Before I even registered what was happening, all the bread and milk was sold out in Krogers and Wal-Marts across the city, five ambulances passed me on their way to rescue wary drivers, and talk of school being cancelled filled every home across Davidson, Sumner, Wilson, and Williamson county. I am exaggerating just a bit (except about the ambulances), but I'm not the only one. You can read more about that fateful Monday storm here.

I could blame the issues associated with winter driving on TN drivers, but that just wouldn't be fair or accurate. I even have friends that have told me, "I know you can drive in the snow, but I can't. On days like today, I'm the problem!" Even though they proclaim their guilt, I think the problem of snow in TN is bigger and broader than just a few nervous drivers. If I had to guess, I'd say that the two main issues are:

1. Change
2. Lack of preparation.

Ok...Number 1-- CHANGE.  I did a little research and it appears that Omaha gets an average of 28 inches of snow per year. Nashville/TN, on the other hand, has gotten that much snow in the past FIVE YEARS (and that number is a little elevated due to a freakishly snowy year in 2010-11 when the entire state basically shut down, getting a whopping one foot of snow that winter). To be honest, people in the South just don't get snow very often, so it's not really fair to blame them for getting their panties all in a bunch when they do.

Number two---When it does happen to snow here, the state is generally just not prepared to deal with the consequences of such a winter wonderland. The city don't own enough snow plows, which quickly becomes a problem if the streets ever get more than a dusting. The people don't own snow shovels, and many don't even know the difference between a garden shovel and a snow shovel.  Generally they don't even have the kind of ice scrapers that have brushes on them because they just don't expect to need to brush snow off their cars. So, obviously not having the proper "tools" to deal with snowfall can be a significant problem in the South.

Out of all the things that irk me about snow in Nashville, driving in it is is BY FAR the worst! Take Monday, for example. I drove from Nashville up to Portland, TN. The drive took twice as long as it should have and was excruciatingly stop-and-go slow. Let the record state, this had nothing to do with actual snow that was falling from the sky. The flakes would fall, but it was only, like, 40 degrees and nothing was sticking on the road. As far as driving conditions go, it was the equivalent of driving in a light misting/rain.

Nashville's perception of the great snow of 11-25-2013:

REALITY:

As a crept along at the agonizing pace, I wondered to myself, "Really? Why is this so bad? Why is driving in the "snow" so hard for Southerns?"

I came up with this answer:

FEAR.

It's not the actual snow that is the problem. It's their fear of snow that paralyzes them. It's the fact that they have to face something that they're not familiar with. It's uncharted territory and it scares the mess out of them. And so they brake. Oh boy, do they ever brake! Up to five MPH for a minute there, whelp...no, there goes the brake again. Ok...now we're moving. Yup, just kidding. Putting on the brakes. Even if the road is clear, it's like they're afraid to make too much progress at once.

And so it is with the church. It's an age-old challenge, although it's recently received a lot of attention in the blogging world. They're saying it's young vs old, "millennials" vs the "traditionals," but I think it's deeper than that. There are people, both young and old, who yearn for a revolutionary change in the church. They want to see Christ's bride transformed, serving our communities and the world in such a way that ministers to the forgotten and friendless in life-altering and touching ways. There are also people, young and old, who cling to the solid tenants that they grew up with, hesitant to accept any change for fear that it's not biblical or not the right direction for the church to head in.

We need both. Visionaries and solid rocks. New ideas and founding beliefs. The issues come when we both try to move down the road at completely different paces. The Nebraska drivers/"visionaries" (in this case), zoom down the highway at the regular speed limit, and maybe a few miles over. The Southerns/solid rocks, other the other hand, are driving 5-10 MPH and braking frequently. You can see how this would cause some slow-going on the interstate to church change.

So, how should we deal with this constant issue? I believe we need to be patient with everyone (as the Bible says in 1 Thess. 5:14) and we need to try and keep our unity at all costs (Ephesians 4:3 and Romans 12:18). We need to realize that some issues are simply not worth arguing about, and to perhaps remind ourselves of that from time to time by reading Romans 14.

James Boice wrote an article about how to get along with other Christians. You can find the full article here. In it, he talks about Phil. 4:2-5. I particularly like his take on verse 5.

He writes, "...Paul says that Christians are to let their 'moderation to be known unto all men.' Moderation here is not the same thing as temperance, which is mentioned as a fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5. It is a different word from that. In fact, it is an unusual Greek word and one that does not even occur in the classical Greek before Paul's time. He may have coined it. Literally, it means "reasonableness" or "being reasonable." It conveys a warning not to be unduly rigorous about unimportant matters. That does not mean that Christians are to be compromising in their doctrinal beliefs. Paul is not talking about doctrine here...and he is not talking about compromise with the world's standards of conduct either...Actually, he is merely saying that those who profess the name of Christ should be a bit bending in their conduct, especially where other Christians are concerned. They should not be brittle. Neither you nor I are to have a personality so inflexible that people bounce off it like a tennis ball bouncing off a stone wall."

Are there any issues of low importance that you have been "stone wall-ish" about? On the other hand, maybe you've been like the "Midwestern" in the church who's speeding ahead with new ideas faster than the "Southerns" are ready to deal with.We could all use a little compromise. The last thing we want is a church full of Zaxes! (Watch the video...it's describes the church a little too accurately in less than four minutes).

Moral of the stories...
*The world is gonna move forward. Let's move with it as a dynamic, transformational church.
*As we move forward, let's be "moderate" with each other. There's a compromise somewhere between 5 and 80 MPH.
*And for goodness sake, Nashville! Be prepared for a light dusting every once in a while. :-)

Let the Book Fast Begin!

Hi. My name is Brittney and I am a bookworm. You might call me an avid reader, literature buff, page-flipper,bibliophile, or a fiction connoisseur. Or you could just call me what I am...addicted to reading.

I think I've loved reading since even before I could read. :-) Even as a little girl, I was a book nerd. Out of all the Disney princesses, I wanted to be Belle because she had a massive library. The temptation of having fins like Ariel or a pet tiger like Jasmine were nothing compared to the idea of floor to ceiling books.

In middle school the kids on the bus didn't know my name so they just called me "the-girl-who-sits-at-the-front-of-the-bus-and-reads." I was totally that kid with the highest Accelerated Reading points to reach and I would usually end up with triple the points I needed. My perfect day would involve getting lost in a book and those who know me best know not to interrupt me when I'm in reading mode. The odds are I won't even hear you if you attempt conversation with me anyways.

     So I've known for a long time that I'm addicted to reading, but I always kind of thought it was a worthy addition. It's free, (I get my books from the library 95% of the time), it improves my vocabulary and writing skills, and it's a hobby that can travel anywhere. The thing is, I'm not sure there's really any kind of addiction that's good, except perhaps if you are addicted to acting as Christ would have. All other addictions, reading included, tend to distract us from other important things around us.
    I read in the parking lot before I go into work when I could be praying. I read during my breaks and lunch at work, when I could be connecting with my co-workers instead of blocking them out. I read when I get home from work and on the weekends, when I could be spending quality time with my husband. Out of curiosity I looked up my library history and crunched some numbers. Since January 1st, 2012 I have read

*50 books
*Totaling 19,198 pages
*Stacked up, these books would be over 8 ft tall

Umm....Talk about some potential wasted time! Not all completely wasted, but when I read, I'm dead to the world. It's time to open my eyes and truly see things. Then I'll at least know what I'm missing. Soooo...I declare a BOOK FAST! I'm going to abstain from reading for pleasure for one month. Instead of devouring books, I'm going to have conversations, practice guitar (with my patient husband), try out some new recipes, work on my spiritual growth, and maybe blog some more! Wish me luck!

Let the Book Fast begin!

A Lesson from the Clouds

Clouds are SO beautiful. Sometimes I neglect that beautiful creation. I'm so concerned with what's right in front of me I forget to look up and notice the poof-balls. But when I finally do take some time to truly bask in their majesty, it's always a treat. God was so good to us to provide us with an environment that is not only safe, but gorgeous.

So anyways....About clouds... They kind of remind me of life in general. I remember the first time I ever flew in an airplane. I was SO excited for the whole endeavor. I was most excited to fly through a cloud, though. I guess I thought it would be like flying through cotton balls. But you know what I saw when I looked out that little oval-like window in the plane?

Fog. Ugh. A cloud is nothing more than dense, grey, NOTHING when you're in it! Talk about a bummer. But that's how life kind of is, isn't it? Say the cloud is your life. It's whatever you're going through right now. When you're in it, you can't see the beginning or end. You don't know what it looks like from afar and you definitely don't seemed "awed" by the inner workings or supposed beauty of the cloud.
But you know what people on the ground see?

THIS!!

Clouds were really meant to be seen as part of a bigger picture. As a person and a Christian, most of the time I feel like my life is seen by others as more of a fog than a beautiful cloud. I shouldn't though! Because if you're a Christian, you have the benefit of Christ being on your side, with you always, and (ideally) ever-present in your thoughts and actions. He is the Light and in Him there is no darkness. Clouds get DRASTICALLY more beautiful when the light is shining through them. So press on. Though some times it's seems like your life may not be the greatest testimony of the One you serve, maybe you're just too close up to see Christ shining beautifully through you. 


Matthew 5:14-16
 "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."

Suffocation via Fashion

It's been a while, but I'm drawn back to the blogging world for the same reason I wrote my last blog...to vent about getting rid of clothing. Lately I have been feeling suffocated. Suffocated by things in our apartment, by preoccupations in my mind, and by obligations. We, as a society, tend to feel like more is always better and I'm starting to yearn for the simplicity of having less. People in Bible times lived w/ less (WAY less) and had fulfilling lives. Maybe I would be closer to God if I got rid of the clutter (physical and mental) and regained my focus.

So anyways....I say all this to say that I stumbled across a "minimalist" blog called "Be More with Less." She talks about minimizing clutter in ALL aspects of life. But where to start? She wrote a blog about minimizing our wardrobe. Drastically. And I mean DRASTICALLY. Down to 33 pieces...and that includes clothing, accessories, outerwear, shoes, and jewelry. See the link below for more info on that. 

http://bemorewithless.com/2010/quick-start-guides-for-project-333/

I'm not even remotely insane enough to think that I could accomplish that, but I did want to see how many unnecessary pieces of clothes I could get rid of. So last night I purged. And it was painful! Why is it so difficult to get rid of clothes I hardly ever or NEVER wear?? Ugh. I found that there are a few different reasons why it's hard to let go of clothing. 

1.) The item represents how I would like to view myself.
      For example, thinner, taller, bustier....whatever.
2.) The item holds emotional value
      For example, I never wear it anymore, but I wore it as cover up on our honeymoon. It symbolizes great memories!

3.) The item has never been worn! You hate to admit that it was a TOTAL wrong decision...so you keep it in your closet for months and months till an appropriate amount of time has passed so that you can get rid of it without feeling like it was useless (even though it was).
     For example....this pink shirt that never ever fit correctly (purchased just a few months ago) and a pair of shorts...w/ the tag still on them!

4.) They're ancient.
     I have had this "Janna's school of Dance" t-shirt since 5th grade and the white youth rally shirt since 2000. These shirts are over a decade old. They're practically vintage! 

5.) They represent a part of who you were.
     I loved being in a social club in college. However, there are not a lot of places where I feel like it would be appropriate to wear a GTO jersey. Actually, I can't think of anywhere except Freed. But I love(d) my kelly green and royal blue apparel because it represented Warrior pride and some of the most fun times I had w/ my friends. Alas...there are no social clubs at work these days. Not officially, anyways.

6.) I think I'll need them eventually.
     Like my dress clothes. I dress up for church once a week. That leaves a lot of business-y dress clothes high and dry. I think, "I don't have a job where I have to dress up for work now, but I might someday!" Yeah...right. It's been 6 years of working without dressing up. And if I do happen to eventually get a "fancy" job, I doubt my style will be the same.

I wore this little skirt-suit thingy once. In three years. The odds are not in its favor.

And what about this little number? Only worn ONCE! Jk! I'm not getting rid of the w-dress!

I felt like I got rid of SO much stuff (65 items) but I couldn't even tell a difference by looking in my closet and drawers! My ultimate goal is to be able to get rid of my dresser (it's crappy anyways) and to fit all of my clothes in my closet (on only MY side, Rett would prefer). Not only that, but I'd like to be able to thumb through them with ease....not have to push and push on them to see what lies behind each hanger like you have to do at Goodwill. 

There's no telling how many items I have if getting rid of 65 didn't even make a dent. It's embarrassing, really. I haven't given up yet, though. Being more w/ less might take a while, but I'm determined to make some wiggle room in my life and in my closet...starting with one pair of jeans at a time.

My "ditch it" pile. Only the beginning, let's hope.

Retirement of the Traveling Pants

Have you ever had a favorite item of clothing that you just, like, DESTROYED because you wore it vigorously for so long? Well, I've had several, but the top three that come to mind are the three pairs of jeans I brought with me to Europe when I went abroad in college. Three months...three pairs of jeans. You do the math. That's a LOT of wear and tear (on pants that were already worn out because -duh- they were already my favorites). So, long story short, the first two ripped (butt cheek in one pair, crotch in the other.....lovely. Non-repairable, for sure). This past month my last pair of traveling jeans finally bit the dust. I'm telling you... I about cried. Oh these pants have been everywhere with me. So, to ease in the closure process, please join me on this trip down memory lane. I guess you can think of this as jean eulogy.

A tribute to the traveling jeans:

These jeans aided me in holding up the Leaning Tower of Pisa...

I was wearing them when I devoured my first authentic Belgian Waffle (though at that point in time they may have gotten a smidge tighter)

 I wore them when I met this drunk fellow at the real Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany.

These pants have been worn at the real Parthenon as well as the replica in Nashville.

And on Mars Hill, where Paul delivered one of his most famous lessons of the Bible.

I was wearing them when I met these guys in Italy and also when I was blessed by the Pope (in an intimate setting of only a couple hundred thousand) ;-)

In the Coliseum... 

And in good ol' Tennessee, catching fish with Rett.

It's been real, Silver jeans. And it has been fun. But it's time to say farewell. I found some AE jeans that look like they might be up for the challenge of traveling the world with me in all my many adventures for the next 5 years or so. Rest in pieces, jeans. Rest in pieces. 

Romance in a Carton

I have a wonderful husband whom I love very, very much.

Currently, he's away with his family camping. It's been different being in the apartment by myself....every night...for like 5 nights. Let's just say, I'm ready for him to be home again. Miss him. So, the timing of finding this odd, romantic guesture was just perfect. Making french toast for myself today, all alone, and I open up the eggs to find this:

"I love you, baby."

Sometimes, when you're married to someone with a sense of humor, you can find love in the strangest of places.

A Shower for Baby Ava

As I predicted, blogging is harder to keep up with than I figured. Time gets away from me, but oh well. I am home now and I shall blog! I went "home" (I know, it gets confusing having 2 homes) to Nebraska last week to visit my parents, brother, and sister-in-law. It was SO nice to be back and I got to enjoy some much-needed quality time w/ the fam. I also got to enjoy a lovely baby shower for my future niece, Ava Marie! Glad I could be there for that, since I haven't been around for any of the pregnancy and won't be there for the birth either. :-(


Here are a few of the pics from the shower. :-)

I made this diaper cake with my mom for Matteal. It was a lot easier than I thought it would be and I thought it turned out nice for a centerpiece-like thing. Wally, our cat, also enjoyed the making of the diaper cake. He looked particularly comfortable in the Huggies box.

 I also made this crayon craft for Ava's room. It was tedious, but I'm happy with how it turned out.

The cupcakes and cake were made by a small, new bakery in Auburn, NE and were SO cute! Teal decorated the nursery with purple ladybugs and butterflies and these sweets accented the party perfectly! I heard they were delicious, too! Some kind of complicated and sinfully good chocolate, I believe.

We played baby bingo...

And this super fun game "Who will the baby look like?" It was SO fun. We got to cut up printed out pictures of my brother and of Teal and try to mix and match their features to make up some kind of guess as to what Ava might look like. Needless to say, some of the pictures displayed some pretty creepy versions of Ava!

Teal picking out the winner...

Let's HOPE Ava doesn't end up looking like this!

Or this, for that matter!

There was one precious newborn baby in attendance at the shower. Here's a snapshot of Grandma Chapin practicing for the arrival of Ava. Even after 24 years, she's a natural!