Quarterlife Crisis

I've started a book called Conquering Your Quarterlife Crisis by Alexandra Robbins. She is my new favorite author and you can see more of her writings at www.alexandrarobbins.com.

So, the introduction states 6 indicators that one is going through a quarterlife crisis, defined as a response to the transition from young adulthood to adulthood where one is plagued by intense identity issues resulting in a range of reactions from self-doubt to serious bouts of depression, with the nagging question of "Is this all there is?"

The indicators of the quarterlife crisis are:
1. You don't know what you want.
2. Your 20s aren't what you expected.
3. You have a fear of failure.
4. You can't let go of childhood.
5. You waffle over decisions.
6. You constantly compare (yourself to peers and feel you come up short).

So, I'm guessing the fact that I struggle with all except #4 means that I'm in a quarterlife crisis. #5 & #6 are particularly evident in my life, and those who know me even halfway well aren't surprised to hear this.

Some questions the book tackles (the parentheses are my commentary):
--What if I don't know what I want? (The eternal question.)
--When do I let go of my dream? (After I answer question #1.)
--How do I know if I'm dating The One? (I love that she capitalizes it.)
--Why am I having trouble meeting people? (Seriously.)
--How do I weigh doing something I love vs. making money? (A girl's gotta eat.)
--What if I want to completely change direction in my career? (Oy, the time...the money...)
--Why is it so hard to live alone? (As great as Wilbert is, conversation tends to lag, and I'm getting more selfish by the hour.)
--How do I stop comparing myself to other people? (Another wedding, another baby shower, another housewarming...)
--When will I stop feeling afraid and start looking forward to growing older? (30 is approximately 1 year, 6 months, 1 week, and 23 hours away...approximately.)

I don't mean to make everyone wonder if I'm depressed. I'm not. I actually am quite okay with life right now, probably b/c I realize that my questions are normal. But I do ask these types of questions. So, I'm pretty excited about the rest of this book. I think God has some things to teach me. Anyone else in a quarterlife crisis?

Torrential Downpour...In My Car

It's been awhile since I've shared a good Wilbert story...well, this is only quasi-Wilbert, but he is in it, so...

I got back from Oklahoma last weekend at about 1:00 a.m. I unloaded my car in the drizzling rain and fell into bed. Torrential rain fell all night and the storms kept waking me up. The next morning a little before noon (11 hours later for you math geniuses), I went to my car so I could make the trip to Fort Worth to pick up Wilbert.

I walked toward my car and could not believe my eyes. My driver's side door was open. No, folks. Not the window. The DOOR.

I wondered if someone had tried to steal the car and had been unsuccessful. Since I have moved to Denton, I have received several notes from the apartment management about assaults and car theft (not to mention my laundry theft incident, which they did NOT report to the rest of the apartment community--I was miffed). So you can imagine my thoughts as I approached my car.

I'm not altogether sure, but I think this is what happened: 1) I went around to the passenger side to finish unloading the car. 2) I took the trash to the nearby dumpster. 3) I did NOT return to the driver's side to close the door.

Like I said, there were torrential downpours the entire night. My car was soaked. It now smells absolutely disgusting. I don't think Wilbert was very happy when I picked him up. He crinkled his nose and buried his face. Poor Wilbert. Here's my bone to pick: Little boys steal my laundry. But, when I leave my car door wide open, not one thing is missing from my car. Are you kidding me?

In other news...

Those of you who have known me for any amount of time know that I have had this awful nail biting habit since the womb.

I hope I'm not jinxing myself, but I think I have broken the 28 year old habit. I have had triumphant moments before where I thought I conquered this issue...only to find that "The Bourne Identity" or some nerve-wracking event destroyed me.

However, this time, I believe I have won. I have gorgeous nails that are all mine. This may be a little gross for those of you who have issues with touching your eyes, but the major sign of my victory is that my nails are long enough that I now have to slide my contacts out instead of simply pulling them. A strange way to measure success, granted...but it works!

The Greenwood-Miller Wedding

This weekend, I had the privilege of being a bridesmaid in Robin's wedding in Norman, OK. Here are some highlights:

For all you Project Runway fans out there, you will recognize Kayne in this picture. Kayne's business is in Norman, and he designed our bridemaid dresses (which you'll see in the pictures to follow).


This picture is a bit tangential from the wedding, but this is Sally, Heather's dog. Sally's tongue is too long to fit in her mouth so it constantly hangs out like this. Hands down, one of the funniest things I've ever seen.


Here's Kayne's dress...and me & Robin before the wedding.


For the 3rd time in a month, I've gotten to reunite with my West Africa friends. Here are Bill & Shirley Nolte, who served as the guesthouse coordinators on my team in Mali. (Yes, I borrowed a tux coat to stay warm in the below-strapless-dress weather we had.)


This is what the ladies do before the wedding!


I love this part...so classy!


Saying goodbye to Mr. & Mrs. Joel Miller...and when I say goodbye, I mean goodbye. Joel has a job out in California, so Robin is no longer a 2 hour drive away. :(


And for those who are curious about the bouquet toss, my least favorite part of the entire wedding process where it is tradition to make the single women feel very single and provoke a catfight, I will tell you that NONE of the women went for the bouquet. It landed squarely at my feet, so the consensus was that I "caught" the bouquet. I disagree. The photographer took a picture of the ladies' feet with the bouquet on the ground.

And finally, I could not have a post from Oklahoma without mocking the state in some way. Soooooo...what message is this combo automotive/liquor store in Chickasha, Oklahoma trying to convey? Drink & Drive?

Lately, I have been told that I am...

These aren't all exactly positive, but I thought it was interesting to mull over the impression I've left with various people lately:

fantastic
lovely
hilarious
too much (whatever that means)
punctual
a great friend
emotional
too romantic
a little wierd
talented
smart
quick (as in quick-witted...not so much with the running skills)
tall
not too tall (same person as "tall"...they were backpedaling)
a great conversationalist (I prefer the term "conversational wizard"; however, that wasn't the term used)
too organized
open
realistic
a little unrealistic
soft-hearted

So, what do you say?

I also found this pic of me and Aama from last Thanksgiving...it's my favorite pic of us ever. I love this woman.

the last couple of weeks...

West Africa Reunion--Tim & Kate visited DFW before going back to Senegal, so the Whipples (our neighbors in Senegal) and Jenn (another journeyman in Senegal) all had a reunion. Here we are...back row: Tim, Kate, Karley (littlest Whipple), Jenn, Denise; front row: Me, Dakotah (middle Whipple) & Noah (oldest Whipple); Not pictured: Seth, who is taking the picture


Me & Kate--3 years & 18 days after I left Africa, Kate and I were reunited. We were roommates and teammates in Senegal, working on the media team. Kate is about to go back to Senegal with her husband, Tim, to do discipleship ministry with Lebou believers.

The Dallas Mavericks, the 2006 NBA Western Division Champs, had their Pre-season Spring Training here at UNT last week. To thank the school, the Mavs had a scrimmage on Friday that was free for all current UNT faculty, staff, and students. Here are some pics:




Harris and one of the rookies, whose real name is JJ but he's from Puerto Rico so we started calling him "Rico"...when I say "we," I mean me & my friend, Jordan...10 minutes later, the other side of the crowd started cheering for Rico. So when he is called Rico next season, keep in mind that Jordan & I started that.


Diop, the Senegalese Maverick, taking a shot (really annoying--they pronounce it so it rhymes with "shop" when the correct Wolof should be pronounced to rhyme with "rope)


Dampier (25) & Terry (31)--Honestly, I have a crush on Jason Terry :)


Towards the end of the scrimmage, Terry tried to get the crowd going by running around with his shoe off, acting like he would throw it into the crowd. Obviously, this caused mayhem. At the end, Terry and Nowitski actually did throw their shoes into the crowd. I didn't get one. :(

I had a special treat today. :) Tiffany was a fellow journeyman in West Africa. She lived in a hut in Burkina Faso for 2 years, ministering to the Marense people. Tiff is one awesome girl. She's living in Mississippi now, but was in Dallas for a conference. I love living here--I'm seeing old friends I wouldn't have seen if I was still in Corpus. :)

Tiffany & Me