Random Thoughts of a Supersmock

Today is my birthday! And exactly Twenty years ago to this day, I packed up my life and moved from a small Pennsylvania town to Americus, Georgia.   Since College wasn’t something anyone thought I should consider right out of high school, I had signed up to be a Habitat*AmeriCorps volunteer.    I had a huge heart for Habitat and I wanted to give people a simple decent home.  But more Importantly I was set off to change the world.    I was a naive 18-year-old and God use that to shape and mold me.   So here I am 20 years later wondering what happened to that simple Yankee girl who… had big dreams and big ambitions to make the world a better place.     I have a pretty great life.  But I didn’t think I would end up here… a wife, a mom, an accountant… I am truly grateful for my life but sometimes I wonder what’s going on inside of me?  What’s my purpose and what’s Gods big plan because most days I am just...

A few nights ago, my huge Star Wars fan husband and I were talking about the upcoming Star Wars movie, The Last Jedi . Let's just say that, in our opinion, the movie was a huge letdown. We started discussing the various fan theories and characters from the franchise. During the conversation, I mentioned that I hoped Finn's character would have a smaller role in the next movie because, frankly, I find him annoying. Disclaimer: This is not about disliking any of the actors involved. I personally enjoyed characters such as Lando Calrissian and Mace Windu, and I believe John Boyega is a talented actor with a bright future ahead of him. My criticism is directed solely at the character of Finn (FN-2187) . In my view, Finn is the most irritating Star Wars character since Jar Jar Binks. In fact, there are several similarities between the two. It often feels as though the writers are working hard to make Finn's supporting character arc more compelling, but it hasn't real...

My daughter, currently a high school junior, is now convinced she should take a gap year. For a while, she's struggled with the pressure of making good grades and scoring high marks on college entrance exams. She was determined to earn a running scholarship and convinced herself that she needed to take a heavy load of AP and honors classes. Now, she just wants to travel. She's researched programs in Korea, Kenya, and Hawaii. To her, everything feels like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Last night, she told me she wanted to join Habitat for Humanity or AmeriCorps because her dad and I both did it. Maybe she doesn't fully understand what that experience truly entails. As I started to ponder the differences between my life and hers, it dawned on me just how quickly I grew up at her age. The circumstances were very different. Mine was a tough life. I never had the traditional college experience. When I left home on my 18th birthday, I never returned. Adulthood came fast, and ...