Planes, Trains and Automobiles - United Kingdom style

Disclaimer: My blog will now begin to seem out of order. Think of it as a little game to figure out the story of my life. In all seriousness, sorry about that. I'm behind. Eventually, you may even get some Haiti posts.

How many modes of transport does it take to get from the downtown Liverpool Hilton to London-Heathrow airport for a flight to NYC? I figured this out and it's much more complicated than one would imagine. Why was I in Liverpool anyways? My good friend Caroline married a Liverpoolian(?), Philip, on May 29th. I was thrilled to attend the wedding and had an amazing time. While living in London, I became fascinated with the idea of an English wedding. I saw so many pictures and I felt for sure it was something I needed to participate in. What I found most exciting was the almost expectation that female guests should wear a hat / hairpiece. Picture Four Weddings and a Funeral, Three Men and a Little Lady, etc. It's a marvelous idea. For a while, I was hoping to find an English husband just so I could have an English wedding, with hats. I would even pop into House of Fraser or John Lewis (large UK department stores) on occasion to see the selection.

So, as you can imagine, I was very happy to attend this wedding to support and congratulate Caroline and Philip and to sport a very-stylish head ornament. Emma, one of my closest friends, came to the wedding as well. We had a good time, and I must say, if you are ever in need of a wedding DJ, Philip and Caroline Gilbertson are your team. The music was right up my alley. Back to the planes, trains and automobiles, I had a 5:15pm flight to NYC from London-Heathrow the day after the wedding. Since Liverpool and London are a short 176 miles apart, 9.5 hours seemed like plenty of time to make my flight. See trip details:

Beginning at 7:30 AM (the morning after an entertaining wedding, I might add)

1) Leave Hilton hotel for Liverpool Lime Street train station (by taxi)

2) Leave Liverpool Live Street station for a suburban train station as main train line was under repairs (Shuttle bus)

3) Leave suburban train station for Manchester airport station (train)

4) Leave Manchester Airport for London-Gatwick (Note BA strike into LHR) (plane)

5) Leave London-Gatwick station for London-Victoria station (train)

6) Leave London-Victoria station for Emma's flat - Borough to pick up bags (taxi)

7) Leave Emma's flat -Borough for Paddington train station to pick up LHR train (taxi)

8) Leave Paddington train station for London-Heathrow airport (train)

9) ARRIVE London-Heathrow for JFK flight at 4pm. Flight 5:15

To recap. Taxi-bus-train-plane-train-taxi-taxi-train-airport! What a day!?!

Caroline and I during the cocktail hour

Emma and I (note hairpiece!)

As usual, I got to do some other fun things while in London including seeing lots of friends, attending a hen-do (English bachelorette) for my friend Serena, birthday lunch for Annabel, a visit to the Tearfund office, high tea at Sketch, Enron the musical, Jon Mayer concert with Jennifer and Eunice and Sex and the City 2.

(Only in London can you order pink prosecco 'to-go' and walk down the street with plastic champagne glasses. Classy)

Happy Birthday (and Father's Day), Dad!

It's either fortunate or unfortunate if you're my Dad. He celebrates his birthday and Father's Day within days of one another, typically in the same weekend most years. Some would say he gets gipped, but the closeness of these two days make me appreciate him all the more - especially this year as he turns the big 6-0! On paper, my Dad looks pretty good, but it's his nature and personality that make him one of a kind.

His life on paper would look something like this:

• Vietnam Veteran
• University of Georgia graduate
• Manufacturing genius
• Mechanic and handyman extraordinaire
• Avid motorcyclist
• Cancer survivor
• Brother, Father, Son, Uncle, Friend

While these things amaze me and make me a proud daughter, it's the glimpses into his personality and day-to-day interactions with him that make him so amazing. One of my favorite Bible verses is Micah 6:8 which reads "He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." I constantly struggle with this verse - I struggle with living it. I see the commands as a tradeoff. I often ask God how can one act justly and love mercy? Although my Dad probably wouldn't call himself a religious person, God has worked in his heart and his actions personify this verse, daily. Dad is such a fair person - with everyone - his children, colleagues and employees but can also be the most merciful. I can't count the times I've been frustrated with someone's unfairness and my Dad always is completely merciful, finding the best in each person and recognizing that everyone has faults and giving people a break when they make mistakes. Dad is also the most humble person I know. He doesn't boast. He's not proud.

Most importantly, Dad makes us laugh. Sometimes, it's through a little joke or wit, but often times he just lets us laugh at his quirkiness. Some of my favorites include 1) his requests and sometimes demands to pack for a trip/vacation at least 1 week in advance 2) his inability to throw anything away and ability to think everything will somehow, someday be useful 3) his need for a political argument - he will play the antagonist even if in actuality, he agrees with you 4) his love for both Swarovski crystals and camping (a slight paradox?). The list could go on.

So, Dad, this one's for you! Thanks for all that you've taught and shown me and the life you've lived so far.

30 days until 30

I looked down at my planner today and was startled. Not only was I two letters away from 30 (JuNE 9 to JuLY 9), I was staring down the final 30 days of my 20s. Geesh! How did this happen? As the old saying goes, “you’re never older than you feel.” The thing is, until only last week, I never really felt old.

You see, my parents have told me and sometimes tell others that I was born 40 years old. For the most part, minus the occasional childish tantrum or adolescent angst, I was an adult walking around in a child’s body. This had two psychological things going for it: 1) I always looked younger than I felt and 2) I always wanted to be older – so people would take my adult-like thoughts seriously. Clearly, neither of these scenarios got me stressing about my aging process.

Because of my summer birthday, I’ve always been the youngest of my peers to hit all the exciting milestones. I was the last one to get my driver’s license, the last to turn 21, etc. This was compounded when I graduated from high school early to attend the University of Georgia and subsequently graduated from college early to join the “real” world. With each of these peer groups, I remained the youngest – and then, a couple of things happened or didn’t happen that changed the game….1) I didn’t do the typical “grown-up” things. I’m not yet married, nor do I have kids, so among my peers in my same season of life, I’m looking old. 2) I made a career change. After 5 years in public accounting, even as things were going well, I decided to pursue a career in public service. This choice resulted in me returning to graduate school, which, as you would guess, is a young demographic. For quite a long period of time, I never derived any anxiety from these factors.

While I think the ability to engage with people of all ages comfortably is hugely important and advantageous in life, when does this cross-generational fraternizing become self-deprecating? (Granted, because of this life skill, I can sing the lyrics to both Miley Cyrus and Bob Dylan songs). The answer to this question for me was "last week."

As part of my graduate program, I am required to intern during the summer between my program’s two academic years. I find myself in NYC, working for a former president’s amazing foundation – one that’s doing inspiring and helpful things around the world. Out of the 85 or so interns, approximately 70 are undergrads. While we have different jobs and responsibilities catered to our skills, I still found it very stressful when I learned that 45 of the interns are underage! From the communication of this statistic, I felt OLD. And the insecurity that goes with that is distressing. I keep asking myself how can wisdom and experience make one insecure?

Instead of analyzing the answer to this question or succumbing to societal expectations and pressure, I am trying to reflect on all that I’ve been able to accomplish and experience in my almost 30 years. In no way am I doing this as a competition with or comparison to others, but more of an appreciation of 30 amazing years. God has blessed me with a life I will never deserve, just because He’s merciful, gracious and loving. In writing this blog entry, I vow not to be anxious about the “looming” 3-0. Instead, I’ll be thankful for the last thirty years and hopeful for the next thirty years – that I’m able to experience and contribute to Christ’s kingdom in some small way.