"Ralph did it."

I came across this picture and couldn't pass up the opportunity to take you back to one of the most hysterical moments of college: November 2006 in the White House, not to be confused with George W.'s current residence. Although no first lady has ever darkened its doors, our White House was proud to be the home of Miss Auburn--same difference, right? For those of you who may not know, the White House is a huge, aging, terribly insulated, ten bedroom house where 9 of my friends and I lived junior and senior year of college. We not only shared the house with each other, but also with a host of rats, roaches, and even fleas (for a summer). The house forced us to sport flannel pj's in the winter and much of nothing in the summer. There was no happy medium-- we were either freezing or hot as blazes. Yet, despite its shortcomings, I thought the house had tremendous character. And although I did my share of complaining, I loved every minute of it.

Back to the picture. Well, one November Sunday morning we awoke to find an apple in the middle of the kitchen floor. It was not a whole apple. In fact, it had been bitten into several times. Maybe a rat took a bite? Maybe it just somehow mysteriously rolled out of the trash can onto the floor? We hadn't a clue. Shortly after that Julie, Mary Lindsey, and Lauren discovered what looked to be the business of a small dog. Yes, there was a mini stool sample lying on their bathroom floor. It was too large to belong to a rat and that sent us all into a whirlwind. Not only had this unwelcomed creature eaten our food, but it had also gained the nerve to use our bathroom and apparently spend the night. We left for church with an uneasy feeling and hoped we'd find this thing when we returned.

After lunch we called pest control and they agreed to come and check it out. We had all searched our rooms and were timid to turn a corner for fear of seeing something we wished we hadn't. In the meantime, Brittany came home from her weekend in Athens. As she unpacked her bags, she nonchalantly glanced over on her bookshelf and let out the loudest shriek I've ever heard. She bolted down the stairs, sobbing the entire way, and we immediately knew that the thing was in her room. In what seemed like a split second, Ben and John David came over with a sack and a golf club, caught the little fellow, and I'll leave you to figure out the rest.An opossum had been tucked away in our house for the entire weekend as if it were a bed and breakfast, and to this day we have no idea how he got there. Not sure if he was actually sleeping or just "playin' possum." If you look close enough in the dark bottom corner, you can see his tail. We were fearful for a while after this incident, but love to reminisce of Ralph, as he came to be called. From that day forward, "Ralph did it" was our answer to everything.

Swim, Bike, Run

Swim, Bike, Run: typical order of a triathlon. This afternoon we conquered the first two, except not in that order. It had been an unproductive day until Mary Lindsey and I decided to bike to the aquatics center, swim some laps and then bike home. I hopped on the mountain bike, Mary Lindsey hopped on the road bike and off we went. Picture this: ML's legs could barely reach the pedals and to top it off she was wearing her bright red L.L. Bean backpack with our towels in tow. We looked ridiculous at our absolute best. There is no bike lane until you reach Thach Avenue, so cars were dodging us left and right and we could barely pedal for laughing so hard.

We finally made it to the aquatics center, and yes we were out of breath.

James E. Martin Aquatics Center Rule #1: Must shower off before entering the water.

James E. Martin Aquatics Center Rule #2: No chewing gum.
James E. Martin Aquatics Center Rule #3: Pool closes at 4:45pm on Sundays.

Yep, you guessed it. We broke every rule. We arrived at 4:30pm and the lifeguards blountly reminded us that the pool would be closing in 15 minutes--they assumed this would keep us from swimming. To their dismay, we jumped in without ever showering off, and Mary Lindsey was chomping on her chewing gum.

After our swim we hopped back on our bikes, only this time I was wearing the bright red L.L. Bean backpack stuffed with our wet towels. We looked ridiculous, yet again, soaking wet as we made the trek back. We got home and collapsed on the floor. It was a mini adventure in itself, and a fun one at that. I'm still laughing. If you're wondering why we did this it's because Mary Lindsey is actually training for a triathlon. She's hardcore- goggles, one piece swimsuit, road bike and all.

Just call her gimp

Kristen Elizabeth Cofield: faithful friend, a real go-getter, Charlotte's most eligible bachelorette. She's the only girl I know who loves good music, peanut butter, and coffee more than me, and the only girl who would be brutally honest enough to tell you to rethink your Friday night attire. Did I mention she recently made the transition from college student to young professional? It has been a huge success thus far, thus far meaning until about 7am today.

It's astounding that we live miles away, yet I somehow know every detail of her life as if she still lived right across the hall--and she, too, knows mine. We have text messaging and email to thank for that, and it is nothing short of a blessing. This morning we exchanged the usual email and Kristen's reply was not so usual. She informed me that while coming down the stairs for work in her trendy little outfit, her high heel decided to pitch a fit. Needless to say, she was plunged down the entire flight of stairs, cereal bowl flying through the air and shattering into tiny little pieces, only to land at the bottom nearly knocked out with a sore ankle and knee.
A few hours and a couple of x-rays later, Kristen was sent home. With crutches. Now, Kristen Elizabeth Cofield: faithful friend, a real go-getter, Charlotte's most eligible bachelorette, gimp--you said it Kristen, not me. This post is not meant to poke fun at her morning catastrophe; I'd like to consider it a mere tribute. A tribute to a girl who stepped out in faith and moved to Charlotte, NC, on her very own, leaving behind comfort and familiarity. A tribute to a girl who would drop everything to do anything for you. A tribute to a girl who continuously strives to live a life that is pleasing to the Lord and encourages those around her to do the same.

Today, she reminded me of Psalm 84, the focus being on verse 11: "no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless." We all deserve a proverbial slap in the face sometimes, and Kristen is a champ at delivering that much needed slap in the face in the form of Scripture. I am challenged and inspired by her friendship and miss her dearly! I did not ask for permission to write this post and expose the fact that she is now a gimp, but I know she won't mind :)