for me, it was a bathroom stall tonight.

obviously, i won’t explain too much about that part, as a sentence like that needs no explanation.

after drinking far too much diet coke and raspberry tea, i journey off to the ladies’ room. as i am in the previously mentioned stall, i hear the door open, and slam…then the open, and slam…in the stall next to me.

i am thinking…either someone is really drunk, or someone is really upset. i depart my stall and start to wash my hands. my new neighboring stall friend comes out of hers, after blowing her nose. i do a discreet once-over in the mirror to see what we’re dealing with.

both drunk and upset. hmmm….i ponder if i should say anything.

the thinking didn’t last very long. she leans into the mirror, wiping her eyes and lets out a long and heavy sigh. i slowly ask her if she’s okay while i dry my hands. she stops, takes a look at me and says,

“i can’t believe how wasted i look! this is just so (deep breath) sad!”

she really didn’t look too bad, and i tell her.

“seriously? i mean look, look at my eyes and my make up. it’s %#@* everywhere!”

really. you look fine. cute shirt.

(sniffs, wipes nose on arm)

“i just can’t believe i got wasted at an applebee’s…*&^@!..but thank (hiccup) you.”

i hold the door open for her, smile. she smiles back.

hopefully something in that interaction was helpful. it’s funny who crosses your path sometimes.

i’ll be honest. it’s been really hard for me to think of our upcoming vacation as such. most years, we go to california. at least once. last year, we went on a long mission trip to scotland, which, although wasn’t a vacation, was one of the most incredible experiences of my life.

this year, we save money. this year, is the year of paying down debt.

today, we leave for… kansas city.

yes, we have friends in kc. yes, we have family in kc. but it seems like my travel bug is not satisfied by staying on I-35 all year ’round. and quite honestly as a place, i really don’t like kc very much. there’s not much to do.

then again, maybe that’s what i need.

however, i am also trying to change my thinking…at least we can afford to drive to kc. we’ll be seeing friends on the way in oklahoma. we have a place to stay for free. i have no commitments while i’m there except a really fun concert & after party where we will see other friends. chris’ mom is an excellent cook. she often makes cookies while we’re there. and i hope she reads this before we arrive so she will make such cookies…

it’s not LA. it’s not San Diego. it’s not Edinburgh. but we have both of our iPods charged & ready for the trip. i get to spend hours alone with my husband (and that never happens) just talking or reading or listening to music while enjoying the cows and the horseshoeing schools and the never-ending kansas turnpike.

so…i am thankful.

where’s your favorite place to vacation?

I’ll be on Power Talk Live tonight discussing burnout at 9:00 pm CDT on 89.7 PowerFm here in Dallas.

Power Talk Live is a weekly show which addresses tough issues. You can listen live from anywhere by going to 897powerfm.com or if you live in the DFW area or South Oklahoma, you can pick it up on 89.7 FM.

Usually they do a call in segment so if you want to call in, you can call 214 (or 817) 787-1897 or if you are out of the DFW area, 1-866-787-1897.

I’ll also post the mp3 as soon as I get it back from them. Hope you can tune in! If not, I’d love your prayers!

I guess H.I.P.A.A. doesn’t work on presidents. :)

in the last couple of months, i have gotten to know that a local dallas pastor is currently unemployed and looking for a place to serve. he has a family to take care of, and a couple of pretty expensive medicines to keep in stock. they had only planned on being without work for around three months, and next month marks that goal, so i am assuming that the money they had set aside is starting to disappear, especially with the texas summer heat finally kicking in.

at work, we use a great t-shirt vendor, and i thought, “hmmm…who do i know that is better at BEING the church than anyone else?”

i instantly thought of you guys. you helped chris and i pay to get our car fixed (she is still running like a dream). you helped matt and 100 other people go to mexico on mission. you helped crystal go to south africa on mission. you helped us go to scotland on mission.

so, it is my honor to present to you the below t-shirt. it is simple. and so should being the church.

after the cost of printing/shipping, give or take, the profit from each shirt will be around $10. (*they’re $15 + s/h). i want to give every one of those dollars to this pastor and his family on august 5. i happen to know he is filling in and teaching for his pastor on this sunday and was planning on driving down to his neck of the woods and think it would be a huge blessing to him, his wife, and son. i know they’ve been hurt by so many people in the church before, that this would be literally a monumental moment of restoration.

here’s how it works. buy a shirt (or two, or however many it will let you) below. i will stop taking orders on august 3 and give the orders to our vendor on august 6. usually it takes about a week for him to print them, and then i’ll end up mailing them out to you guys around august 13. i’ll write a check to the pastor and drive it down to the church he will be preaching at on sunday, august 5. you can use paypal or any major credit/check card.

feel free to spread the word about this too. i really want to knock the socks off this pastor and his family. *BTW, some of you may know of whom I speak…please do not mention their names, suggest anything below, or talk to them about this. Thanks.

(Shirt orders are over - but if you would like to donate to this family please send your donation to my PayPal Account - girlnamedanne@gmail.com!)

especially books written by my friend eric bryant. i’ve known eric for the last few years - back in the xanga days of 2004 even - but have never met him in person.

anyway, this summer he released a phenomenal book titled, “peppermint-filled piñatas: breaking through tolerance and embracing love“ which if you have ever stepped one foot in mosaic LA, where he serves as a navigator, you are immediately embraced by such a sense of acceptance and love. then you get to know more and more people there, and see what they’re doing in the community, and in mexico, and in the world and you know this isn’t just some attempt to write a book - eric is living this.

fortunately, they are shipping eric all the way down to the lone star state on monday (as well as some other places) and i will be taking off as soon as i can from my little third-floor office to trek to fort worth to finally meet eric. check out the dates below and if he’s going to be near you (fort worth’s a couple hours away with traffic so no excuses! if i can drive a little, so can you), go meet him, support him, and bring him some chocolate chip cookies.

i don’t even know if he likes them, but it’d be a nice gesture. and if he didn’t, you could always eat them instead.

July 20 - Alburquerque, NM - City on a Hill Church - 7pm Discussion and Book Signing | http://CityOnAHillabq.org/

July 22 - Houston, TX - Ecclesia Church, 10:30am and 5:30pm - www.EcclesiaHouston.org

July 23 - Fort Worth, TX - Barnes & Noble Bookstore Discussion and Book Signing at 7pm (1612 S. University Dr. #401, Fort Worth, TX 76107)

July 25 - Waco, TX - Mardel’s Bookstore Discussion & Signing at 4pm (4324 West Waco Drive, Waco, TX 76710 PH: 254-399-9237)

July 26 - Austin, TX - Mosaic Austin, 7:30pm Discussion and Book Signing + Music from Rob Lowe of Balmorhea | http://www.MosaicAustin.org/

July 28 - San Antonio, TX - Wayside Chapel, 6pm | http://WaysideChapel.org/

July 29 - San Antonio, TX - Wayside Chapel, 9:15am and 11am | http://WaysideChapel.org/

July 31 - Phoenix, AZ - North Phoenix Baptist Church (event details & registration here)

August 2 - Cleveland, OH - Cuyahoga Valley Church, 7-8:30pm | www.CuyahogaValleyChurch.com | event sponsored by Church of the Hills