take me out to the ballpark

one of my goals in life is to attend a regular season game at every major league ball park in the country.

i have a book on how to do this all in one summer, the ultimate baseball road trip. it offers helpful tips and things to know about each park. after skimming my most recently visited stadium it has come to my attention that i may need to upgrade to the second edition.

what was my most recent visit you ask?

it was to rangers ballpark in arlington, tx.

sadly, i did not get many good pictures

 

the game started a bit slow and the rangers gave up 5 runs in the 3rd inning. (while i was waiting in line for the worst ballpark pretzel i have ever had)

they then started to come back and the crowd got a bit more excited.

it is a very big stadium with many people there and it was a sell out game.

it is a fairly new stadium, built in the 90's, but modeled to look like many of the classic stadiums like wrigley, tigers, yankee, and fenway.

the rangers almost pulled off a win. but alas, they did not. but i was ok with this because they are ranked 3rd in the nation right now, just under the reds.

some highlights (and lowlights):
- we did the wave, i appreciate the crowd unity in succeeding at the wave
- to me all the seats we tried out were good
- i always get a pretzel and a lemonade, the pretzel was terrible. the lemonade was really good
- there was a home town home run, which always brings more excitement to a game

just before the game started

 

so far i have attended games at riverfront stadium/cinergy field (reds), great american ballpark (reds, and yes i count them separately), old tigers stadium, wrigley field twice (cubs, my fave ballpark), jacob's field (indians), coors field (rockies), and now rangers ballpark in arlington. making a total of 7 of around 30 parks.

and next week i will bring the total to 8 as i plan to attend a game at turner field in atlanta. i have lived in the area for 4 years and have yet to attend a game there.

a book review: Blue Like Jazz

Blue Like Jazz:

Non-Religious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality

 

Donald Miller

 

I read Blue Like Jazz my senior year of college, with a group of girls that gathered in the 206 (also known as the APT) each week to hang out and talk about life. I remember liking the book a lot then. And liking the little community of ladies even more.

APT 206, how i fondly remember you.

 

Recently in my quest to read all the books with book marks in them on the my shelf I picked it up again.

 

* I have finished 5 of 13 of the bookmarked books so far, by the way.

 

Although I have read Blue Like Jazz previously, it was like reading a new book this time. With 7 years of life experience added since my first reading the perspective from which I read the memoir was a bit different.

 

More than my goal to read all the bookmarked books, i was inspired to re-read it because of the recent movie that was released based (loosely) on the book.

 

Both are good as individual pieces, but comparatively they had to walk away from the style of the book to have a storyline worthy of 90 minutes of entertainment. The movie carries the same ideals and presents a similar message, but i must say, I will always like the book better. But for me that is true of almost anything that goes from book to movie.

 

From a spiritual standpoint, i thoroughly enjoy a story of someone else's journey toward God. However, I feel it important to warn the reader to not take everything written as ultimate truth. Although reading someone else's journey may be useful, encouraging, and life changing, it is important to remember that our only source for ultimate truth, if we are believers, is the Word of God. We must remember that contemporary inspirational writing is not the Word of God, but a way through which to learn and be pushed toward a deeper desire to know and seek truth in out own lives and to find the answers that He has set before us.

 

I could write a full post on what I gleaned from each chapter, but I am going to try and limit myself to the 5 quotes that I took the most from. This post could get long, but here goes:

 

"Sometimes you have to watch somebody love something before you can love it yourself. It is as if they are showing you the way."

 

And the first quote is in the author's not. Ha. Since my first reading this has been my favorite quote. This is so very true of life. At contra, there are some mildly creepy men. Some of them are uncomfortable to dance with because of their smell and particular breed of creepiness. One day this quote popped into my head while observing one of them. He loves contra. Even if he is creepy and smelly, he loves it. And that day I realized how judgemental I was being. I still don't enjoy dancing with him because his scent really is that displeasing, but...I can now appreciate him as he is, just doing something that he loves.

 

If I am with someone who enjoys something that I am not fond of, watching them enjoy it makes it enjoyable to me. If I went to a basketball game by myself, I would not enjoy it. But if I went with an avid fan, I would, because they love it. (Unless they are one of those terribly angry obnoxious fans)

 

Watching someone else love something really does show you how to love it and how it could possible by lovable. And how to love them as well.

 

I hope that through my life people close to me can see how I love God by how I live and hopefully learn to love Him as well. (which I am sure I fail at daily)

 

"They talked about Noah and the ark because the story has animals in it. They failed to mention that this was when God massacred all of humanity." pg. 30

 

Another thing that stuck out to me in this reading that I also remember from the first reading was the above line on pg 30. Although I have known this story for as long as I can remember, this never hit me. The Bible is not a children's book. It is full of death, murder, adultery, war, deceit, adventure, love, redemption, etc. If many of the stories were made into movies they would not be G rated.

 

The story of God is scandalous and adventurous and the American church (myself included) has turned it into flannel graph and potluck dinners to support the purchase of new window treatments.

 

There is so much more to the story God is writing.

 

Imagine if we all did what we were capable of and what He is calling us to.

 

"Jesus, please let me be the good soil." pg 48

 

Along with the paragraph on page 47 where Don's friend Penny talks about how the Bible is best read while eating chocolate and smoking cigarettes, this quote rings true to me (minus the cigarette). I want to be the good soil (Mark 4.1-20). I want to soak in the teaching and grow and produce good fruit.

 

And then the line on pg 77 comes around and kicks me in the teeth. "Ultimately, we do what we want to. I like to think that I do things for the right reasons, but I don't, I do things because I do or do not love doing them." I want to love the right things. I want to be the good soil. But is seems many times, I want to be comfortable more. And I think that each day can be a step closer to loving the right things. But it can also be a step further. And I pray that God helps me to develop a love for Him that overtakes my love for self because I know I cannot change myself without Him.

 

"All that beauty happens right above the heads of more than a million people who never notice it." pg 203

 

I have a fascination with nature and all the beautiful things that are in it and how it all works together. From sunrise to spider webs, I think it is all magnificent.

 

Photo credit: maggieCphotography

 

Here he is talking about how People don't stop to take in the scenery. Even just looking up for a minute to catch the sun setting overhead.

 

I went to see sunrise at Pretty Place at least 4 times a week my last month as Camp Greenville. I stop to soak in the lake and clouds reflecting here regularly. A friend of mine was changing my oil a few weeks ago and I was hanging our while he did it and turned around to say something to him and lost all train of thought when I saw a rainbow in the distance and my most girly excited voice said, 'oooooo, a rainbow!' He just looked at me like I was crazy.

 

I am so very thankful that God blessed me with parents that placed in me an appreciation for His creation. It breaks my heart a little to think that not everyone can do this.

 

I never feel more full of God's spirit and grace than when I see a sunrise. Like Lamentations 3.22-23 says, He faithfully renews us every morning. No matter what we do, the sun will rise.

 

His creation sings His wonders and calls us to worship Him.

 

I'm glad I worship a God that can't be boiled down to something that makes complete sense.

 

"I loved the fact that it wasn't my responsibility to change somebody, that it was God's, that my part was just to communicate love and approval." pg 221

 

I think this is a very important thing to grasp. We can't make someone believe in God. Only His spirit can that. BUT. We can show someone how to love. We can plant a seed. We can lead the way.

 

We can love without condition.

 

OK. 5 quotes was the limit. there are more I could write on, but this has far exceeded my usual blog length.

 

Overall, it was a very good time for me to read this book again. It opened a path for many conversations with guests at work. I was reading it one breakfast and a guest stopped to talk to me about it. He has not read it, but recently watched the movie. I recommended it to him and he took my tray to the dish room for me. I never caught his name.

 

I think the most important thing I can take from it is the idea of love and that we are not here to judge one another. As John 13.34-35 says:

 

"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

 

We don't need programs and flashing lights. We need to love well and love much.

 

Thanks, Don, for sharing your story with the rest of us through a good read, film, and re-read.





friend art wall

in my house there are many rooms, which have many walls, which i like to cover with many things.

i do not care for a blank wall.

*there is actually one right in front of me right now that i have been thinking about how to decorate for a few weeks now.

my favorite wall is the one that i like to call 'the friend art wall'.

'the friend art wall' is the largest wall in my house. when i moved in i thought it would be a grand idea to use this large space to hang any art that has been gifted to me. there is art from my family. my mom, sister, niece, nephew, grandpa, pa, and aunt. there is art from a few of my favorite kids. there is art from staffers and from some of my dearest friends.

the style and media vary. and this is how i like it to be. acrylic paintings, a hand written quote, an embroidered owl.

there is still plenty of room for pieces to be added. style and media do not matter.

if you would like to contribute, you can send your art to:

hannaH wickline
100 Look Up Lodge Rd
Travelers Rest, SC 29690

happy creating!

Hey Staffers!

one of the best parts of my job is the summer staff. honestly, maybe THE best.

24 staffers (+1 video guy) show up in mid may. some of them are returners and know exactly what they are getting themselves into. some of them are 100% new to look up and the first time they ever stepped foot on the property was their interview.

summer staff 2K12

 

 

last year we had 18 new staffers and 6 returners. this was good for me, as I was also the new kid in town whose first look up experience was my interview.

 

this year we had 7 new staffers and 17 returners. this also proved good for me.

 

in April when all hiring was made final, we had only 1 short month to wait to be reunited. the staffers most excited about each other of course. but myself most excited to see their bright and shining faces and to have 24 (whether they knew it yet or not) of my favorite people back around for 3 months.

 

 

these students are beasts during the summer. i honestly don't know that i could function on the level that they function for those 3 months. they get up, go to breakfast with their kids around 8am, go to chapel, lead an activity, go to lunch, lead group rec, work free time, go to dinner, sing and act in funapolooza, go to chapel, lead group application time, hang out with their kids, probably had meal duty once that day, likely helped some kid with a minor injury, go home and have quality time with their roommates no earlier than 10pm and get up the next day and do it again. and again and again. and when each camp session is over they clean the entire camp.

 

there are many ups and downs during the summer.

 

some weeks we all want to not be here.

 

some weeks everyone gets along seamlessly.

 

some weeks there is that one thing that happens that can make the entire summer worth it.

 

and at the end of the summer, after the end of summer dinner, they all leave. (well, a few stick around a little longer and a few others don't stay gone for very long)

 

the relationship you form with someone in one summer at camp is just different than with any other people you meet in your day to day life. so much intense time in each other's lives. you know so much about someone in these short short months but looooong days.

 

and then in mid august you go back to your regular life.

 

being a former staffer at a few different camps, i know how they feel. as if you leave a part of you with each person you met this summer. as if a part of you leaves with them.

 

the staffers (for the most part) have been gone for almost 2 weeks.

 

being the introvert that i am, i have enjoyed the peace and quiet. BUT. i would have them all back in a heart beat to share the laughs and chats that were so good this summer. and i look forward to surprise visits and planned times that they will each show up because they just can't stay away.



Dear Rory Gilmore #2

i'm not the best reader.

but i LOVE books.

the smell of a new book. the smell of an old tattered used book. the notes in the margins. the dog-eared pages of a favorite book read many times. the first bend in the spine of a fresh new book soon to become an old fave. the characters that become friends. the note about the author and small glimpse into their life on the last page.

pictured below are most of the books i am currently reading:

there are a few more books scattered throughout my life right now that are not in this picture.

i started some of these very recently and will read them quickly. and some of them i started over a year ago and will finish them eventually.

in looking at this stack of books, i find it easy to pinpoint my favorite types of writing.

#1 being memoir.
i love a book that is written like a journal. as if someone is talking to me like an old friend. i enjoy the glimpse into someone else's life that allows me to learn a lesson or to see that maybe i'm not as crazy as a i think i am and that we are not alone in this world. or maybe we are all crazy, just each a different bread. one of my absolute favorites is tuesdays with morrie.

#2 being YA fiction
i love classic YA chapter books. many of which containing familiar stories that have been retold in various ways. my favorite YA books are peter pan and bridge to terrabithia. both are about imaginary places that are full of adventure and interesting characters. sometimes i feel a little silly being an adult (for the most part) and reading kids chapter books. but i love a simple story with some imagination required too much to feel silly enough not to read them.

most other books fall into the #3 all together in no preferred order.

my new goal is to finish all of the books pictured above by 10/1/12 before beginning any new ones.

this however will be a difficult task partly because of the time it takes me to read. but also because of my love of amazon.com and used book stores. i already found myself perusing amazon.com yesterday and adding potential new reads to my cart.

i have started to chip away. since setting the goal, 3 of the books in the pile have been finished. one of which it took me a year and a half to read the first 165 pages and i read that last 180 in 24 hours.

but of all the goals to set in life, i think finishing the pile of half read books that i have acquired will be one of the more enjoyable and rewarding this year.

book art

in recent artistic endeavors i have come to thoroughly enjoy art with words on it. i dont think i have made any art in the past 3 years that didnt have some word or quote on it actually.

for a while now i have been trying to decide how to turn my favorite peter pan quote (*see below) into something to hang on my walls.

*'it would be delightful to report that they reached the nursery in time...but then there would be no story.'

i probably saw this on pinterest and cannot claim this as my original idea...

but the idea that hit me last week or so was book art.

as in, you tear up a book and turn it into a piece of art to hang on the wall.

at first, being the daughter of a librarian and the niece of an english teacher (and a few other teachers and avid readers), i couldn't bring myself to tear up the book. i thought maybe i would just keep the used copies i acquired and start a peter pan collection and become a crazy book lady as opposed to a crazy cat lady.

but then i made the first tear.

and it was actually rather satisfying to destroy a book and turn it into something else.

i should have taken pictures of the step by step process, but i get too involved in my projects to be hindered by pausing to take a picture or each step.

here are the final products:

the quote is from the live action movie, but is very similar to a sentence at the end of chapter 3 in the book. this one will hang in my tv room, where many a story is watched and told.

this is actually a quote from the movie hook. tinkerbell is talking to grown peter pan. i am going to make this into a sort of head board.

this is a going away present for my pal and coworker landon.

this is also a gift. it is for my friend kendall.

if you aren't ok with tearing up a book, you can check out this website that has a different kind of book art:

http://postertext.com/
i have been debating on purchasing the peter pan one for about a year now, but can't bring myself to spend $32 on a poster.

i am pleased with the project and look forward to such a simple gift idea for the future. so if you have a fave book and a quote from it and a birthday, let me know and maybe you will receive one of these.


even though i kind of like tearing up the books, i still might become a crazy book lady with multiple copies and editions of my favorite books...

thank you for calling look up lodge...

another part of my job involves guest services.

i would not hesitate to say that parts of this are the least fitting to my skill set in this job. but other parts fit just right.

my guest service requirements during the summer are much narrower than the school year.

during the summer (minus the occasional filling in for others) my duties are carrying the guest service after hours phone, answering the phone when the front desk is on the other line, and setting up for the leaders meetings we have at the beginning and end of each camp session.

setting up for the leaders meeting includes setting up chairs, printing and laying out evaluations, baking cookies, and filling coolers. although by this time in the summer this part of my job has gotten a little tiresome (well all parts really) this side of guest services fits me perfectly. i like order and organization and baking. and that is what this needs. it is behind the scenes and often a small place of solace from the madness that is camp.

answering the office phone can come in many shades and colors. often i just transfer someone to a voicemail box. but sometimes, people think i have all the answers. and as i usually have to disappoint them after they explain their situation and tell them, 'im sorry but i really cant answer that or help you with that, can i transfer you to [name]'s voicemail' they still just want to tell me what they need. sometimes it's funny, sometimes it's frustrating, sometimes people walk through my office and make faces at me making it really hard to concentrate on what the person on the other line is saying.

carrying the guest service phone after hours is, well, difficult, but not hard. it is difficult because from 5pm-9am i have to answer it and be in a reasonable location to help a guest in a reasonable amount of time. this means i rarely leave camp in the evenings all summer. it is not hard because it often doesn't ring and when it does, the problem are usually pretty manageable.

so what is on the other side of the guest service phone when it rings.....who knows. i think the top 3 needs are: 1. problems with the HVAC system, 2. locked out of chinquapin b1 or b2, and 3. toilets needing plunged. however this summer injuries/illnesses are creeping up the list of frequent calls. at least one a camp it seems.


although i do not see this part of my job as quite my niche, i am learning from it. and one thing i have learned is that if i am not struggling, i am not learning. and although much of my job could be done with my eyes shut and one hand tied behind my back, i need the parts that arent my niche to help me grow. (more on that in Romans 5.3-5)


those are my summer guest service responsibilities. more to come on the school year, well, during the school year.