A Jolly Time

Baggage cluttered my feet. Tossed by a grueling 4 hours of flight time, my friend Bekah and I sat side-by-side in the Philadelphia airport, waiting and glancing around in anticipation. Slowly, I rose. Was it? Could it really be?

"Look! There they are!" I shouted, waving one arm above my head.

We rushed forward, a torrent of joy bursting forth as we wrapped our arms around our friends Katie, Ellen, and Lauren Jolly once again. Our lips split into smiles. After nearly three months of separation and approximately four months of planning, we were finally here.

You see, after a year of laughs, midnight movie showings, sleepovers, pool hangouts, and good times the Jollys announced that they were being transferred to New Jersey, particularly heartbreaking for Bekah and me. However, we dreamed of meeting up again, and although at the time we knew the dreams might be far-fetched, it was these very dreams we clung to as they pulled out of our driveway on that dreadful last night.

And, from that little seed, that one tiny hope, sprang something we will remember for the rest of our lives- a whole six days in New Jersey, including one in New York City. And that wasn't all- Bekah and I were going alone.

So, there we were, jamming into the Jollys' van as we started our way to their house- and a whole a week of fun. As soon as we arrived, we piled our stuff into the RV standing in the driveway. For the occasion, Mrs. Jolly gave the RV into the 24/7 care of us girls. With the help of a TV, junk food, a refridgerator, bunk beds, a table, our own dishes, and many other ammenities of the home, we quickly fell into a joyous little life and it soon became the private hideaway we loved.

And through this we all discovered that we loved something else- Jane Austen movies. Doritos and Chocolate Chex Mix on hand, we all but consumed the hours with classic tales such as the old Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Emma, Persuasion, and Mansfield Park. We rooted for some couples and despised the matching of others. Just for fun, we took turns in the hair and make-up chair, trying hairstyles on each other that (we hoped) looked just like the ones on the TV.

Oh, and another thing about the Jollys- all three of 'em are completely boy-crazy. Literally, one night we spent almost thirty minutes filming ourselves screaming over Caspian (it was really interesting, especially when Bekah began fast-forwarding our favorite part and she lost her "remote privilege").

And when we got tired of boy-talk and movies, we had three options- a walk in the woods (which was quickly eliminated due to numerous ticks discovered on ourselves), a swim in their ten-foot deep pool (you could dive!), or a round of Liar, which became a favorite pastime of ours. We'd stay up into the late hours of the night, screeching that a person lied and shoving the deck of cards towards the accused. Quite a few times, Ellen ended up with 51 cards in her hand.

But the best part? A trip to New York! For a whole day, we roamed the streets of America's largest city, seeing the world-famous sights. Climbing to the top of an observation tower, we saw Central Park, the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, the spot where the Twin Towers would have stood, as well as the average structures of New York- all summarized into one sweeping view.

On the way up, the elevator roof was transformed into a screen, upon which abbreviated films of events welcomed us to the city. Colorful lights, which shone through the screen, lined the elevator shaft, forever illuminated our way, whether we went up or down.

After that, we perused the shops, not the least of which was the American Girl Place, where dolls, clothes, and toys abound. Although Lauren was the only one still young enough to fully appreciate this store, the scenes artistically depicting dolls interacting with items from different sets brought back nostalgic memories of childhood pastimes to Katie, Ellen, Bekah, and me.

The next stop? F-A-O Schwarz, a humongous toy store comprised of stuffed animals, statuettes, Barbie-doll-like versions of renowned movie characters such as Jack Sparrow and Scarlet O'Hara, and much, much more. It had two levels, and we spent about an hour exploring every nook and cranny. Bekah and I made small purchases- just a few gifts as well as the friendship animals that the four of us had decided to buy as a reminder of our comradship.

As the hours wore on, our feet tired of treading the bustling streets. So, after we exited the toy store, Mrs. Jolly asked, "Would ya'll like to go sit in Central Park for a while?"

Naturally (quite naturally), we said yes and our little group made its way across the street and walked into the thickets of trees surrounding this beautiful place.

For you who have never been to Central Park, let me tell you that it is every bit as lovely as it is written off to be. Carpets of green grass cover the ground, shaded to perfection by a canopy of leaves. Sunlight pokes its head in between the branches of the trees, and a path paves the way through the park. A few vendors line the entrance and elegant carriages trot by, carrying sightseers through the tourist attraction just as they might have done a hundred years ago.

After the brief respite, we boarded the subway and sped along to Times Square. As we stepped out, an immediate bustle was about us as all kinds of people went their ways. Lights and marquees surrounded us as entire theaters marketed their plays. Entire builidngs advertised shows, and nearly everywhere something was playing. My camera kept flashing pictures. As an actress, I could hardly believe my eyes. I was standing in the heart of Broadway!

Wow. So this was where it all came from. Shows with such prestige as The Lion King, The Phantom of the Opera- every Broadway show I had ever heard- came from here!

Although I could have explored New York for days longer, the sun was setting and the time nearing when we must go back to the little rv that stood awaiting our return. So, we boarded the train during rush-hour- which turned out to be another adventure all by itself.

Once we entered the station, we stopped by a wall to re-group. I stared up the stairs we had just come down. They were empty- but not for long. Literally a split second later they were swarming a tumultuous current of human beings, stampeding their way to the train which would take them home.

Minutes later, we stood in line, waiting for the gates to open so that we could go onto the platform. People crowded in around us, the size growing so rapidly that we decided to split off into pairs if we had to in order to board the train. Lauren would go with her parents and the baby, Bekah and Ellen were to stay together, and I had my arm firmly linked through Katie's to ensure we didn't get separated.

As soon as the gates opened, there was a mad rush. The people around us began to press in until our whole group was going single file and everyone all but elbowing their way through.

Although we were nearly running, we got on the train in time, and arrived safely back to the RV. Popping in a movie, we enjoyed our ordered-in Chinese (which Bekah had been craving).

The next day (sadly) was our very last. But, despite our reluctancy to end the trip, we decided to make the most of what precious little time our "fearsome foursome" had left. So, we took a trip out to Blockbuster, rented four movies (which I paid for), then went to the store and loaded up on snacks and soda (which Bekah paid for). Then, returning home, we waited for nightfall....

The wrappers of candy crinkled together as we dumped them into one big bowl. Inserting the first movie, we sat down at a table of Liar and let the fun begin.

If you could see us, you'd probably laugh at our version of "fun", which is mainly defined as- record ourselves dancing to the Cha-Cha-Slide (Mrs. Jolly said she heard a thud, thud, thud, and saw the camper was shaking), dance, discuss boys in both the movies we're watching and other guys (namely celebrities that aren't in that particular movie), play Liar, videotape each other doing stupidity, and, rule #1 of our parties- giggle, giggle, giggle.

However, 5:30 Wednesday morning came much too soon, and before long Bekah and I found ourselves loading our bags into the back of the Jolly's car. Over and over again, we said our good-byes, just as we had nearly 3 months before.

But this time it was a little different. Ever since May this visit had been a dream in our heads that the four of us managed to turn into a reality while being nearly half a country away. And in our minds, in our very hearts, we knew we could do it again.

And we are. Many times before, Katie and Ellen had voiced interest in coming back for the hoedown, a country dance event organized by our co-op. Well, not many weeks ago Katie texted me saying that her mom had booked tickets for the 18th-23rd of November- five whole days for our fearsome foursome to be complete again!

Got God?

Crammed into the the backseat of our dodge mini van, I stared out the window, watching as country and cities alike whizzed by. My eye came upon a church, large in stature and mighty in width, a red banner dangling from its side.

30-minute worship service! it read.

For a moment, I thought, Cool, a 30-minute worship service! but then held myself in check. 30 minutes, huh? And we can't give God more than that?

With the rush of today's society and the never-ending demands inflicted upon us by our ever-increasing responsibilities, the clamor created by our busy lives drowns out the quiet, calm voice of God. All too easily, our lives are consumed with the duties bestowed upon us and the insatiable (and unstoppable) demands of this world. With the incoming pressure to fulfill our tasks rising rapidly, our schedules soon become jammed. Soon enough, we find ourselves either looking for a place to fit God into humanity's mad dash or ignoring Him altogether.

Either way, we are fitting God into our schedules, not fitting our schedules into God.

"But how do I do that?" you might ask. "I barely have a moment to myself, let alone to God!"

The truth is, I don't know. I don't imagine any of us do. We want to live inside God's will, but can't stop the earth from turning. It's a hard problem, isn't it?

But, if we look hard enough- explore God's Word just a little deeper- we might find some tricks to help us along the way. The very best that I think of is pray. The Bible tells us we should always be praying- at work, at home, walking the dog, at school, anywhere and everywhere! I believe that if we just got in the habit of talking to God and listening for His voice regardless of whatever we might be doing, we would be so much closer to accomplishing our goal of keeping Him at the center of our lives.

The next idea is keeping the Ten Commandments- and whatever else God tells us to keep. Become familiar with the laws of right and wrong laid down by God, and try to break as few of them as possible. Let them linger in your mind as you go about your daily doings so that they will surface when the time is right for you to put them into practice. And if you mess up, don't worry. Just learn fromyour mistake, ask for forgiveness, and move on with your life.

Another way is to implement everything God says we should be as Christians. These include (but are not limited too) telling others of the Good News of Jesus Christ, being patient, squelching any quick-tempers, loving, kind, and always have a cheerful disposition. Some of these are harder than others, especially the first one. As humans, many of us tend to hesitate when it comes to sharing our faith. Excuses often pop up in our heads. But we must remember that all excuses for not obeying God in any one of the things He commands us to do are irrelevant. After all, what is more important (and rewarding!)- a saved soul or the guilty security we feel from assimilating ourselves into the world?

There is one way of leading people to Christ that is extremely effective. Now, it is understood by many Christians that no one should be forced into Christianity, and that preaching too much to people when they are nto interested often tends to turn them away. This isn't to say that you shouldn't tell people about Christ, just that you need to be able to sense when they are beginning to feel as if you were pushing your religion onto them. And what's really neat about Christianity is that the set of rules given by God, if properly emulated and exhibited to the world, will make some stop and wonder about the difference they see in you. If curiosity leads them far enough, they will ask you about it, and you will have a great opportunity to share your religion with them!

And the best part? You can do absolutely all of this while you work, while you eat, while you go about your errands, at school, etc.! So, you see that if you put God at the center of your life, He will be big enough to encompass everything else you have to do.

Cracking Codes and Catching Criminals- 4 years of Fun!

You know Brant and I are siblings, teens, and students. But did you know that we're also first-class detectives?

That's right. Gathering around the computer, we step into the role of world-renowned detective Nancy Drew and assimilate information, interpret clues, and interrogate suspects. Every few months, we get a new assignment...which we always manage to finish way sooner than we want to. But how can we wait, when there's a fresh criminal to capture?

Based on the books by Carolyn Keene, Herinteractive has been dishing out games featuring this famous teen detective (and sometimes her friends!) for quite a few years now. Originally created for adventurous girls, these interactive games with top-notch challenges galore have become favorites of boys and girls alike. In every game, Nancy goes to an exciting new location and, before long, has a mystery on her hands.

We got hooked on the games during the 2004 presidential elections, at which time our friend Caroline helped us beat our first case, Treasure in the Royal Tower. Now, four years and 17 games later, we still look forward to the days when the doorbell rings and there's a package on our porch.

Our present case, The Haunting of Castle Malloy, takes place in Ireland, where the mysterious vanishing of a groom-to-be is about to ruin the wedding, which is only a few days away! Some blame it on fairies, others on say it's a practical joke and he will show up at the last minute. Nancy, however, is not convinced. So, as we make wedding programs and seating arrangements, we must uncover the past of an old castle, and figure out not only who is interfering with the special day...but why.