#5 Try kayaking, paddleboating, or canoeing

This summer, I went on a ladies retreat to Lake Tahoe with some ladies from my church. While we were there, we were given some free time. It was the perfect opportunity to complete one of the items on my list: kayaking! My friend Trin, my sister-in-law Jennifer, and I found a company (and by company I mean a free spirited young man with a bunch of kayaks and a picnic table on the beach) that rented kayaks.

It was a really windy day, and the water was really choppy. There were a lot of sailboats out on the Lake, taking advantage of the wind. I got the widest kayak I could, as I’d never been before and wanted to reduce the risk of tipping as much as I could! It turns out, it’s not that hard to balance, so I didn’t tip. Because of the choppiness, however, I did get soaked by the frigid lake water! We paddled hard, watching sailboats go by, admiring the beauty of God‘s creation...but just going in circles.

You see, unfortunately, we weren’t allowed to go beyond large buoys that were floating in a circle, keeping us corralled in a small part of Lake Tahoe. Although it gave me a good taste of kayaking, I wanted to break out and GO somewhere, instead of just moving in a circle.

It wasn’t until later that night while laying in bed and reflecting on the day that I related this circle to my life. Sometimes I feel as though I’m just moving in a big circle. My life hasn’t really gone anywhere in 5 years. Our bible study group just started a new study in Proverbs. We are using the same workbook that I used when I led a young women’s bible study at my house five years ago. Instead of buying a new book, I found my old workbook tucked away on my bookshelf. I looked through it and read the prayer requests I’d jotted down in the margins of the pages, and reflected on what was going on in the lives of the small group of friends who came to my house on Thursday nights. We prayed for current relationships, future marriages, and future children. In the five years since, one of those girls got married, another is getting married this year. Two girls (who were already married then) now each have two children. Me? I’m still teaching. Still single. No babies.

Sometimes I feel like that part of the movie “Notting Hill” where Hugh Grant is walking through his neighborhood, and as he’s walking, the seasons are changing. Time is passing, leaves are falling, then snow is falling, then flowers are blooming, but he’s still just walking by himself through town, not really getting anywhere new, but watching the lives of others around him change.  Every Christmas, I hope maybe the next one will be different, that I won‘t be alone. Each birthday, I do the same, each Valentine’s Day and each summer vacation. 

If you ask anyone close to me, they’ll tell you I don’t like change. This is true…if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it! But I feel broken. I’m ready for a change. But change at what cost, and on whose terms? I could have disregarded those buoys and paddled out into the lake, but there would have been consequences. Someone put those buoys out because they knew there were dangers in kayaking out into the open water. It was done for my own good. I try to remind myself of this when I get impatient with God’s plan in my life. He says he has plans for me…good ones.

“For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord.

  Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give

 you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

I could disregard God’s will for my life. He’s given me the freedom to make that choice. I ran into an acquaintance from high school and she asked if I had kids. I told her, “No, I haven’t found the right man yet.” To which, she replied, “So? You can have kids without a man.” Yes, I suppose I could, but I don’t think that’s God’s will for me, so why would I want to? One of the largest obstacles in finding a husband is finding one who meets my first requirement: that he have a personal relationship with God. This narrows the field considerably. Would it be easier to find someone if I disregarded this criteria? Absolutely. But would it be worth it? No, because I want what God wants… even if His timing isn’t my timing, and, as much as it breaks my heart to say it (I‘m crying as I type this), even if it means I’ll be single for the rest of my life. I want what God has for me, because it’s the best.

So, until God removes the buoys, I’ll be kayaking in a circle. But while I’m kayaking in a circle, I’m going to be thankful for what God has done in my life over the past five years.  Now that I just spent several paragraphs bemoaning what he hasn’t done (in a very Eeyore-esque manner), I will focus on what He has done. 


Family:   I have a wonderful family who loves and supports unconditionally... and am blessed to live close to most of them.  I have an extended family of brothers and sisters in Christ that I get to meet with every Sunday and worship with. 

Friends:  I have some lifelong friends from my childhood and from college that are blessings in my life.  Unfortunately, they don't live close to me!  When I graduated from college (10 years ago...eek!) and moved back home, I didn’t feel like I “belonged” here...I hadn’t found my niche. But, during the course of the bible study I spoke of five years ago, God answered my prayers and blessed me with some treasures for friends. 

Health: Recently, I was reminded how much we take our health for granted. I am thankful that my loved ones and I are healthy. 

Employment:  Although I would like nothing more to stay home and raise a brood of babies, I’m not there yet and I need to provide for myself.  God has kept me employed through a very difficult time in the education system. I was layed off four years ago and found a job the following school year, where I have been since. March 15^th just came and went without even a hint of a pink slip with my name on it!

Grace: God loves me and He’s forgiven me. I get to spend forever with Him!

Nutella:  One of God's most glorious creations. 

Give thanks in all circumstances, for this

is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:18

#2 Find out how many licks it takes to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop

I’m sure you remember this commercial for tootsie pops. A boy asks a wise owl how many licks it takes to get to the tootsie roll center of a tootsie pop, and the owl sets out to count, but bites the tootsie pop when he gets to three licks. I’ve always wondered how many licks it would take to get to the tootsie roll center of a tootsie pop.  However, like the owl, I was never patient enough to get to the center without biting into it. I decided that the year I was 30 was going to be the year I would overcome my impatience and lack of self control and answer this much pondered question for myself.

Many before me have tried to unlock the answer to this question as well. A study at Purdue University concluded that it took an average of 364 licks to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop using a "licking machine", while it took an average of 252 licks when tried by 20 volunteers. Yet another study by the University of Michigan concluded that it takes 411 licks to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop. A study by students at Swarthmore College concluded that it takes a median of 144 licks to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop. 

In my own personal study, I found that it takes approximately 620 licks to get to the center of a tootsie pop. Why are there so many different outcomes? Well, there are a lot of variables involved. What exactly qualifies as “getting to the center” of the tootsie pop. Does it just mean the tootsie roll center is visible? Does it mean the a large portion of it is uncovered? Another variable to consider is that the tootsie roll center can’t be in the very center of every tootsie pop….if the tootsie roll isn’t centered, there will be more candy to get through on one side than the other. It’s difficult to agree on a result if clear parameters are set, but I sought out to find an answer for myself anyway.

I started counting like the owl does in the commercial, “A-one, A-two-hoo, A-three…”. I quickly decided that was fun but would take too long. So, I counted the licks in groups of 20 and recorded them on a talley sheet. I licked until a good sized portion of the tootsie roll was exposed. The total was 620 licks. Question answered. Mystery unraveled. If only all of life’s questions were as easy, or as tasty, to answer…

Watch 5 classic movies I've never seen

One summer, several years ago, my cousin Jeni and I watched as many classic films as we could get our hands on. I say several years ago because several is an ambiguous word. I used an ambiguous word because I can’t remember exactly what summer it was. It was a summer when we were both living at home, and I’m pretty sure I was finished with college. That would make it, most likely, the summer of 2003. (I’m a little perturbed that I’m getting old enough for these things to have gotten so fuzzy in my memory).

Jeni and I would rent a video from a local video store that had a variety of old films. This was before Netflix or Redbox. Blockbusters were still open. A couple of times a week, we would meet at her parents’ house to watch together. We started with the most famous films like Casablanca, An Affair to Remember, Some Like It Hot, and Breakfast at Tiffany’s. We looked for films with Cary Grant (a favorite of ours), Marilyn Monroe, Humphrey Bogart, Audrey Hepburn, Katherine Hepburn, Deborah Kerr, and Paul Newman (swoon). 

I loved watching these movies and have seen many since that summer with Jeni. I decided this year to continue growing my repertoire of classic films. I searched my channels for movies to record on my DVR. The movies I found aren’t extraordinarily famous, but they were gems nonetheless.

1. Small Town Girl - 1936 A man and a woman, after drinking a little too much, accidentally become married. They agree to pretend to stay married for 6 months then get a quiet divorce. Over the course of the 6 months, however, they fall in love.

2. I Could Go on Singing -1963 Judy Garland plays a famous singer who had an illegitimate son when she was younger. The boy was raised by his father, but they come in contact with one another some 13 years later.

3. The Philadelphia story -1940 Katherine Hepburn is a socialite who is about to marry when her ex-husband comes to visit with a tabloid reporter.

4. Move Over, Darling -1963 Doris Day is a woman who is stranded on a desert island for 5 years. She returns to find her husband (James Garner…hubba hubba) is having her declared legally dead so he can remarry. She meets her daughter for the first time and fights for her husband.

5. Listen, Darling -1938 A much younger Judy Garland is a teenager whose widowed mother is planning to marry a man no one likes just to support their family. Judy, her boyfriend, and her little brother, kidnap their mother in their travel trailer and hit the road to keep her from marrying. Along the way, in a campground, they meet someone they believe would be a better fit for their mother.

After watching dozens of classic films over the past 10 years, I’ve compiled a list of my favorites. If you love romance, handsome, chivalrous men, beautiful clothes, and intelligent dialogue, you should watch them!

My All Time Favorites

1. An Affair to Remember (Cary Grant, Deborah Kerr)

2. Sabrina (Humphrey Bogart, Audrey Hepburn)

3. Desk Set (Katherine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy)

4. How to Marry a Millionaire (Marilyn Monroe)

5. The Long, Hot Summer (Paul Newman)

6. Breakfast at Tiffany’s (Audrey Hepburn)

7. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (Marilyn Monroe)

8. The Philadelphia Story (Katherine Hepburn, Jimmy Stewart, Cary Grant)

9. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Paul Newman, Elizabeth Taylor)

10. The Sound of Music (Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer)

Happy Watching!