Redeeming Creativity

I am not sure anyone still reads this blog. I am more than ok with that:)

Sometimes I DO actually think of things besides how to make my house cuter.

And for those times, I am going to document them on this blog.

Writing helps me organize my thoughts so they are not a jumbled mess. It helps me to sort out things I think about and also put down on paper (or screen?) encouragement that has helped me lately and new ways I see God move.

I have been thinking about creativity lately. I've been really into blogs for awhile now and I see women on there who are so creative. I love it.


I think as I get older I appreciate it more and also love to think about the relationship between God and creativity. I mean, Jesus was creative. So, isn't creativity a way to worship God and become more like him?

I defintely dont claim to be the most creative person on the planet. Not even close. But I am created in the image of God - and as a Christian I should be a mini-creator.


I so appreciate a beautiful picture, a nicely deocrated room and perhaps most of all - a super cute outfit.


When we were buying our home I remember thinking I would rather pay less for something to be able to make it our own than to pay more for something that already had all the nice things.

Now I am sure we can get into serious sin when we use our creativity for evil. We try to be the best only to show off, we want attention, we want to feed our pride. That doesn't mean we stop creating. It means our creativity must be REDEEMED and used for the glory of God.

There is something about transformation and personal touch that has always had a special place in my heart ... It's my way to express myself and also to challenge myself to be creative - like Jesus was creative.


If you think about the creativity of God - the sunsets, the millions of animals, the different skies, the weather - holy cow it just keeps going.

As Christians we should be the most creative, the most artisitc, the hardest workers. We should do our jobs well - to the best of our ability.

We should be agents of redemption.

We are little creators - just like Jesus was a big creator.

We can redeem the crappy things in our job/home/relationships/neighborhood and make them beautiful.

How can we be an agent of redemption in the things that the world might see as less than beautiful or drudgery? How can I take my passions and gifts and things I enjoy and not use them for gain or attention but for the glory of God?

Anyways - just some thoughts that I have been wrestling with and working thru. I am not a pastor or preacher or anything. These are seriously just areas the Lord is challenging me in and making me wrestle with.

I love blogs.

Today as I was doing my daily facebook stalking session - I came across a link to a blog about a pioneer woman. It was amazing. The lady had recipes, photography, homeschooling...basically everything about her life documented. She even had a link that told the story of how her and her husband fell in love. And I was in love. With her blog. I find myself falling in love with blogs way too easily. A blog ho if you will. If you have a blog and it is not long, too abstract for my simple mind ...I will probably read it. Blogs are cool cuz they are like your own personal magazine where you can write about whatever you want. Like in college I wanted to write for a magazine when I graduated - And now I do. Except the magazine is really this blog and I dont get paid and only my family and a few friends read it. And the magazine doesnt come out every month but only when I am feeling creative.

if its not broken...do I fix it?

Uh oh. I started another blog. But somehow I just miss this blog. Even though the background is significanly lamer on this blog it feels like home. I have not told but two or three people about my new blog - which I started in order to commemerate my new season of life as an engaged lady. Perhaps I should just fix the problem with this blog (lame design, I never updated it) and I will be good to go. Ok. Thank you blogoshere for listening to my thoughts.

Rawr.

So....I just needed a place to post a picture of this shirt. I was doing some research for a good costume for summer camp using the words "white tiger" and this shirt came up. I thought it was pretty amazing. So many elements of style have come together to form this hybrid of awesomeness:

1. tie dye

2. a picture of the front of a pair of faux overalls

3. a baby white tiger

Seriously. Somewhere out there is a person who thought this shirt was a good idea.

Engaged!

I am probably the world's least consistent blogger. This is sad. I blog...and then I feel self conscious because I find out people are actually reading my blog and then I stop. But - I am going to push through the awkwardness and divulge my innermost thoughts for all the see. Jk. Jk. I am gonna keep it light, but informative. And...lots to inform these days. First things first, I am engaged! Holy cow. I am currently the very lucky, future Mrs. Lindsey Stamm. Here are some ways you can also say Stamm.

* Stammtastic
* Stamm-a-rama
* Stamminator
* Stamm it (if you are the swearing type)
* Stammwhich

Anyways, while I am still a little shocked that I am marrying Josh - I am at the same time not that surprised since I can remember thinking the very first time I saw him - wow...that's the guy I am gonna marry. The road was kind of bumpy and awkward ...but it ended beautifully with lots of God moments to tell about:) He is totally my favorite person to hang out with.

Here are some awkward moments I had with Josh before we got together. I want to give girls hope that you dont have to have it all together or be super cool in order to find love.

* The "are you giving me a hug? A high five? Oh...you're just blocking the sun" moment. Yes, yes - there was a time (long before Josh awknowledged his undying love for me) when Josh would like to give me high fives. But since I pretty much was in love with him - I would always go in for the hug. I was really bad at deciphering his body language. One time Josh put his hand up to block the sun and I hugged him. He doesn't remember this. But I do. how can you forget awkwardness like that??

* The "oh shoot...he wanted me to hold his hand and I just gave him a high five" moment. Ladies. If you are watching a romantic movie and the guy next to you likes you and you like him - and he lays his hand next to yours and kinda grabs your hand a little....this is the wrong moment for a high five. But alas, I did not get that memo. Instead I gave him a high five. And in my head was like "your such an idiot..."

* The "I live you" mispelling moment. One time Josh and I were emailing and he said "I Live you" at the end of the email. This was confusing to me. Clearly it was a mispelling...but it could have gone either way - did he meant to say He LIKED me or he LOVED me? Ah. I just told him I lived him too.

Ok. Anyways. After 3 years of friendship and four months of dating Josh proposed at Disneyland:) Wahoo. November 13, 2009 is the big day! We can't wait.

February blog.

Well - thought it was time for another blog. My boyfriend has given himself a very early curfew leaving me with little to do at the end of the night but blog. I suppose I could do other things like take up knitting or pray or read some spiritual books...but I am a nerd and I am going to work on my blog.

This entry will be short and I will just bullet point the most interesting things from life. Or the things I feel comfortable blogging about....

* I found a new favorite snack. Wrapping pieces of string cheese around a pretzel. It's like a ghetto version of a mozzerella stick. In fact, that's what I am going to call it. Ghetto mozzerella sticks.

* I have a new job. I am the admin for the student ministries at our church. I likey. I of course feel the need to now use a super spiritual sign off on my emails. Here are ones I am considering...

- In his grip
- Saved by grace
- Loved deeply
- Resting with the redeemer
- I am probably sinning right now
- gotta go read my Bible

* Speaking of Godly things...I saw a kirk cameron movie this weekend. Don't mock. Fireproof. Fireproof was delightful and did not disapoint. Casting Crowns and Chick-fil-A made some cameo appearances, which made me laugh.

* Have discovered the joy of Target "Long and Lean" tank tops. I have bought four of them and have worn them 2 at a time in different combinations for about the last 17 days. And don't let the name fool you. In my experience, you do not have to be particularly long OR lean to wear them. Take it from me.

Well. That is my blog entry for the day. Shout out to my friend Caroline who inspired me to write again.

Root beer

Today at work I am drinking root beer…. from a bottle that looks like a beer bottle. So, I put the bottle in a brown bag I had at my desk so people wouldn’t see it. But now it really looks like I am drinking beer but concealing it like a homeless man. I think root beer people should put root beer in cans so that those of us who like root beer can enjoy it without looking like we are boozing it up in the work place. I am just saying.

cricket killer

So today Josh and I decided to go to a bookstore. We got this idea from another, clearly, more intellectual couple than us. So we went, but not really knowing what a couple does with themselves at a bookstore... we decided to just go for a walk around th nice area instead. So we're walking and suddenly I feel something wet in my sandal. I figure it was just some water from a nearby fountain...but it didn't go away. So I take off my shoe and what is there? A dead cricket. Yep. It crawled in my sandal, I killed it (unknowingly) and felt its guts on my feet for a good 5 steps before Josh, being the studly man he is - not afraid of a dead cricket - got the cricket corpse off the inside of my shoe. So, moral of the story? Be careful when you step on something wet. It could be the insides of a gross bug being spread on your bare skin.

Don't know why I am really blogging about this, but when I wait for the perfect blog entry - I don't end up writing for months on end:) Prepare yourselves for some less-than-thrilling, albeit hopefully more consistent blogging.

Ode to green bean casserole

In honor of thanksgiving, I am dedicating this post to one of the classic Thanksgiving dishes...green bean casserole.

So, pretty much every year at my house I am responsible for bringing the green bean casserole (GBC) to family thanksgiving. Now, I like green bean casserole, and I always just assumed that everyone liked it...what's not to like? Green beans, french fried onions, soup....all mixed together with love. It's a recipe for pure delight.

So, this year I am going over menu plans with my mom for thanksgivng and I say "so do you want me to bring the green bean casserole?" And she gets kind of quiet.

This is no good.

So, I ask "What - do you not like green bean casserole?" And she says in a very mother-y way "I like whatever you make Lindsey...you make what you want." Which is the equivalent of telling your kid "if you had fun, you won" after they just totally screwed up in a sports game or something.

So I probe my mother for more information and it turns out that all these years - no one in my family even likes green bean casserole. No one! They only gave me the green bean casserole responsibility because it had like 4 ingredients, and they doubted my domestic abilities. So, moral of the story? Don't eat green bean casserole out of pity and lead your daughter and sister to believe that her casserole is delicious when in fact, it struggles. I can take defeat. And this year I will wow you all with brown sugar carrots. Prepare to be impressed.

RIP

Oh no they didn't...

Well. This afternoon I had to take a trip to the Christian bookstore to pick up a gift for someone. And - I've decided that if ever my blog is running dry, I just need to take a trip to the Christian bookstore and I should have some new material.

So, anyone who has bought a greeting card in the last two years know that the trend is these $5 musical cards - that play like a full length song when you open them. I am guilty of purchasing several of these cards....one card had the chicken dance, and then one of the cards played "Unchained Melody" - which was my parents song - so I got them that for their anniversary. Nothing is more romantic than opening up a card and having a poorly recorded version of your song playing.

But now - Christians have gotten in on the musical card action and let me tell you - they did not dissapoint.

The classics are all available for purchase.

Here are some highlights:

* Friends by Michael W. Smith
(I was a MWS freak when I was little....and just when you think this song couldn't get any cheesier? They attach it to a greeting card....)
* Jesus Freak by DC Talk
(I would question your salvation if you didn't own the Jesus Freak CD...I am kidding. Sorta)
* Indescribable by Chris Tomlin
(I love me some Tomlin - but telling someone happy birthday with this song is weird)
* Shine by the Newsboys (Another mid-90s classic)

I am kind of waiting for some other Musical Christian greeting cards to come out....but instead of songs, they would be like snippets of really convicting John Piper sermons or maybe even a loud God -like voice saying "WWJD?" Maybe they could have one that on the outside said "Happy Birthday" but then when you opened it - it went into a full gospel presentation - and made a reference to your birthday gift being the free gift of salvation.

Just some ideas for you people in the audio Christian greeting card business.

Oh. And if you would like to further invesitigate and perhaps purchase:

http://www.dayspring.com/ecards/choice.asp?SubcatID=197

ps. In honor of a super spiritual blog entry - I have changed my profile picture to match. That's me just doing some reading.

Road Trips

I haven't blogged for like a week. And I fear that this week will be short on blogs too as I am leaving on Wednesday for my cousin's wedding in Nebraska. I am flying out Wednesday morning - but I am driving home with my parents, bro and sister in law. This should be kinda fun. I do like a good family road trip. And, I thought I would write a brief tribute to some classic moments in road trip history:

The Raptures:
Even as a small girl, I had a propensity to rap - and Godliness. So, naturally I listened to Christian rap, aka The Raptures. If Sandy Patti and Jay-Z had a baby - you would get the Raptures. They were a super cool Christian rap band...for kids. When I was 5, I was obsessed with them. Sadly, my older bro and sis were not as enthused at these musical geniuses and would complain everytime I insisted my parents played the tape for me. My brother once told me he threw it out the window and I started crying.

Pig Latin:
This is the "secret" language my brother and sister came up with so that they wouldn't have to talk to me on road trips. Even though I was really fun and had great Christian rap tapes to offer.

Crappy music tickets:
My brother, sister and I started this. At the start of the journey, everyone gets three gum wrappers, known as a "crappy music ticket" - and when a song comes on the radio that no one else wants to listen to and you do....you can cash in your "crappy music ticket" and listen to the song. But you only have three crappy music tickets...so you really have to evaluate.

Fun bags:
This is a bag my mom insisted we all pack that usually inlcuded cards, a babysitters club book and car bingo. But, even today when I am going on like a trip for work, my mom will ask me in a straight face what I am bringing in my fun bag. I am so old and mature, mom - why would I have a fun bag?

Chapstick:
This is a fun little game that my mom likes to play. She will stick her huge "fun bag" in a place that is hard to get to...like stuffed tightly under the very back seat, behind a cooler. Then she will say "Honey, can you get crawl into the back and get into my bag and get me my chapstick?" This is kind of like finding a needle in a haystack - except that the haystack is like really hard to get to - nearly impossible actually - and you have to get to it while traveling at high speeds. It drives me crazy.

Pillowman:
One time when my family and I were driving home from a trip my brother got really bored and put a pillowcase on his head and some sunglasses over the pillow. Then he started calling himself pillowman and waving to cars as they passed by. This joke will never get old for me.

The Mortician:
On a trip a few years ago, we were driving to my grandpa's funeral and there was definitely more than one conversation about how good of a couple me and my grandpa's mortician would make. I think there was even an awkward attempt at getting us alone together and my family kept telling me to flirt with him to see if I could get them discounts on future funerals.

Blog it like its hot

I don't know why I have been in such a blog updating mood lately. I guess my sister started up her blog again and I need to keep up!

Anyways, I have always wanted to title a post Blog it Like it's Hot. (mom, this is in reference to a rap song - where the original words are DROP it like it's hot - usually used to describe a person dancing in a provactive manner). And - now that I have a name - I need a topic. And today's topic?

Sandal boots.

That's right. I was reading the Fashion section of the AZ Republic and bam - there they were.

or an even more horrific specimen....
Now what are people thinking?

I am sorry for the horrible cliche - but I am a girl and I like shoes. I have even been known to take some fashion risks in this department. But, you will never catch me in a sandal boot.

I like sandals. I like boots. But sometimes you can't combine two good things and get a good thing.

Here are some other things I like - but you can't put together:

* I like my dad. I also like listening to scandalous ghetto rap - but am I really going to listen to "back that thing up" with him in the car? No. That's when you turn on k-love or Neil Diamond.

* Lycra has been a good friend to me. So has denim....but do i think stretch denim is a good idea? Not on most.

* I like words. I also like sweatpants. Should we put those words ON the sweatpants - esp. on the butt? No. (esp. words that say True Love Waits right on the booty? A thousand no's)

So, that's all. I hope none of you are sporting the sandal boots (or abstinence sweatpants) or I will feel really bad.

Bag dilemma.

I have found the perfect bag for my lunches at work. This excites me because a good bag is hard to find! It's sturdy, has nice handles, excellent dimensions - BUT - there is a problem... it's from Victoria's Secret.

This week I tried to tell myself it doesn't matter if I walk the office halls with a lingerie bag containing a lean cuisine and a snapple. No one will notice.

But what if they do?

Have you ever tried sticking a Victoria's Secret bag in the office fridge?? It looks pretty unprofessional and scandalous amidst a sea of boring black lunchboxes and paper bags. What will my coworkers think of me?

One time I had to bring some super spirtual people (that read this blog) a lot of mail and I ran into the same dilemma. It was the perfect sized bag - but do I really want to deliver anything to a pastor's family using it? Not really.

From now on I am going to focus on stocking up on bags from places only super Godly women shop at, like the Christian Bookstore or Micheal's.

In conclusion? The right bag at the wrong time is still the wrong bag.

Oh work.

Working in public relations - part of my job is to find magazines who want to write about our organization. So, I have to research various publications to see where our news would fit it. My boss sometimes tells me I am sort of like a media match maker. And...my last name means matchmaker so it makes sense (my last name also means fat, gossipy old woman...but that is no fun).


So, anyways - unfortunately, I don't get to research fun publications like Vogue or US Weekly - but I have to find things that purchasing people are reading. And let me tell you - they aren't reading anything cool.


But, I am leanring lots of new things. I mean, really - there is a magazine for practically everything out there! I know I have written about this before, but I do find new publications that must be shared.



* Door Dealer: This magazine is for people who sell doors. You didn't think people who sold doors needed their own magazine did you? Oh, but they do.

* Brick World: This is for people who deal with bricks. Either they make them or sell them or just generally like bricks. (this is my favorite)

* Parking Lots Weekly: You guessed it! People who are in the parking lot business need some reading too.

* Mini Storage Message: Apparently a lot goes on in the world of storage.

* Light Bulbs Today: Now, good lighting is soo essential. I love to blame bad lighting for both major and minor flaws in my appearance. Feeling ugly? Blame the lighting. Bad outfit? Oh, it just looks bad in this light...and so on and so forth. But, I think this publication is just so obscure. But, I actually have some friends who might like this kind of reading (yay Voss) so I am def. not going to question the legitimacy of such info.


So. Just thought I would share just how broad the print media can be. That is all.

Devotional FAIL

Ok. I really like devotionals. I do. I own several and I even read some of them sometimes...
But, somehow - I got on this e-mail listserv from Christianity Today - and it sends me "Devotions for Dieters."

If all the devotional books in the world got together and did mock elections like in high school...lets just say that Oswald Chambers would get "Most likely to inspire men to greatness" while Devotions for Dieters would get "Most likely to not inspire anyone to lose weight...ever. In fact, people may get fatter reading you."

Like, seriously. This stuff is bad. But, again – kinda the literary equivalent of a train wreck – I can’t look away.

Here is yesterday's entry.

Revelation 3:21 'To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.'

Gramps promised Kathy that if she would lose forty pounds by Christmas, he would take her to Bermuda with him. Kathy could hardly wait for Gramps to see her. She'd topped out at fifty-three pounds lost, and had a note from her doctor as documented proof. At first, she never thought she'd make it, but a lot of prayers, sweat, tears, and sacrifice had made it come true. She had never worked so hard for anything in her life. Even without the trip, she felt she'd received reward enough, but she planned to hold Gramps to his promise, anyway.

Today's thought: I'd rather be overjoyed than overweight!

Now, if I really wanted to turn this mocking into a legitimate concern for weak theology …I would say that if Gramps = God, than Kathy is using “Gramps” to get to Bermuda which is pretty lame. But – I am trying to not get too preachy here…

So now, no offense to gramps – but I hardly think a trip to Bermuda with my grandpa is motivation to slim down. I could see slimming down for a wedding or maybe to rid your closet of stetch denim…but a tropical vacay with Grandpa? Mmm…

Furthermore, are we really comparing the right hand of God to Bermuda? Oh geez.

I feel a little bit guilty for blogging about this. In fact, I one time blogged about these devotionals but later deleted it because I felt bad. So, until the Holy Spirit persuades me to take this down....enjoy NOT being inspired to lose any weight.

Mowing the lawn is not the worst thing in the world.

Um. I have discovered a new love. Lawn Mowing. I would just like to write a little blurb about this - mostly to impress my father - and try to secure my place as his current favorite. Sometimes I ask my dad who he loves the best and he claims to love us all "exactly the same" - but I suspect if I took up hunting and yardwork I would inch my way up to the top of his list. (It should be noted that my mom does not try to hide the fact that my brother is her favorite. Oh well.)

Anyways - back to my point. I mowed our lawn this weekend - and once I figured out how to start the mower (thank you Jen for the over-the-phone tutorial) I was in business. Mowing is JUST like vacuuming, except when you are done - you have worked out AND gotten a tan. What's not to love about that?

I never thought I would be one of those girls who mowed the lawn...but there I was on a Saturday afternoon trying to make neat little lines in the grass and shopping for weed killer. What has become of me?

Now, I am not like going to start going to Home Depot for fun or anything, but lawn mowing was not as painful as I expected. Yay.

On an unrelated note. This morning I put both of my contacts in the same eye. Has anyone ever done this? ....Anyone? I seriously could not figure out what was wrong. I thought I rubbed off the part of the contact that makes you see better. I kept taking out the one on top and cleaning it and putting it back in. Like for ten minutes. It was so sad. I can be so blonde.

Thank you amazon.com

I am a little hesitant to blog about the following, because it does make me sound really uncool. But, oh well.

I am having some mixed feelings about amazon.com.

I was looking for a book, and I saw a link that said "What Amazon recommends for Lindsey" Curious to see the girl that amazon.com imagined me to be...I clicked. In all ofmy pride, I kind of thought there would be some cool, hip books for single, fun, 25-year old girls – you know like Bridget Jones’ diary type things – about quirky, cool, career girls. Maybe some trendy books on how to dress or something. Oh no. Here is a sampling amazon.com's recommended reading list for me.

* Singled out for Him

* The Single Truth

* A collection of Puritan Prayers

* Revelations of a single woman: loving the life I didn't expect

And lastly, a Christian must-read

* I kissed dating goodbye

I think a girl's recommended amazon list says a lot about her. (Kind of like how you can tell a lot about what people are struggling with/struggled with by what verses they have underlined in their Bible....) So, that's why I am concerned that my list makes me look like the single cat lady.

Why can't they recommend cooler books for me like:

* The hot, Godly girls guide to staying relevant

* Fashion and Jesus - two worthy pursuits

Truly, the only other book I have ordered off of amazon was a John Piper book. So, how do the people at amazon know?! Is my mother working for them?

So, my friends - go ahead. Go ahead and check out what amazon recommends for you. It's kind of like googling your own name. It can be enlightening... or it might just confirm to you what you already know.

And – not to stray from my habit of mentioning Becky in every blog (I really don't do this on purpose - but, I like a blog with a picture) – here is a picture of Becky actually reading Revelations of a Single Woman. For us, one joke that never gets old is where we get a book about singleness and strategically place ourselves in the line of godly men (actually - we really just talk about this or do it for posed photo opportunities.). It is soo good for a laugh…although a little shameful/pathetic/embarrassing for a blog perhaps. But, I am pretty the sure the 6 people who read this blog are not surprised by my lameness and will continue to be my friends.

Gym time part deux

It's another gym blog. It seems the only two things I write about are Becky and the gym. But there is so much blog-worthy material in both of those categories.

So, lately I have been swimming laps instead of doing the elliptical.

I don't really have a good reason for this other than I am getting really tired of all the songs on my ipod and I don't know how to update it. I have kind of been working out to "Promiscuous girl" (please don't judge) since 2006. It's pathetic. I even have the techno version of the Hampster Dance song on there. One time I tried to update my ipod but I somehow ended up deleting every song on it except for "Dust in the Wind" by Kansas - and if you have ever tried to work out to "dust in the wind" it's kind of depressing.

So rather than getting new music - I have just chosen a cardio activity that will not allow for any.

But I have discovered that the pool area of the gym is where the most annoying people gather. And when you get perfect strangers, in nothing but a thin layer of spandex in the same body of water - awkwardness abounds. And when a land person (like myself) tries to be a pool person, it doesn't go well.

Yesterday there was a guy at the pool who kind of just stood on the deck and watched me do my laps. Actually, he walked up and down the deck following me as I swam - like we were at some type of swim meet. I think this guy probably spent three months as an assistant coach to his daughter's swim team back in like 1992 and somehow he got the impression that I needed/wanted swimming advice.

"Hey - what lap are you on? Be sure to cup your hands, keep your legs straight....try to do 15 laps..."

Um....excuse me? did I hire a personal trainer? What the heck? Now, I know my swimming technique is probably sub par. I kind of look like a like a frog. But I am not trying to make it to olympic trials - pretty much my only fitness goal would be to be able to fit into my jeans after I dry them.

So - American flag pants man, grunting man and selfish magazine hoarder - I miss you and I am coming back.

Iron sharpens iron - I guess

So, sometimes you have friends in your life that always out-do you spiritually. Take for instance my good friend Becky. Becky is the type of girl who casually quotes scripture from 2 Chronicles. I didn't know people read 2 Chronicles - let alone, commit parts of it to memory. But here is an actual conversation Becky and I had last night. In complete seriousness.

Becky: So - I have a like this weird three-hour gap in between when I do interviews and also working my shift at Starbucks...

Lindsey: Oooh fun - what are you going to do? Go to the mall?

Becky: No. I am going to listen to some sermons.

And she was completely serious. What she didn't know is that I meant she should go to the mall and pray for people and pass out tracts.

Whatever.

Here is a pic of Becky and I at the Resolved conference in which Becky later pointed out that I stand too close to people in pictures. At that conference Becky also told me I looked like I could be a model for Ross. Not a Guess model, not even J. Crew....but Ross. I am pretty sure that is not even a complement.

Every girl's dream - to be the look of discount fashion.

Why I suck as a human

Um - so does anyone else feel really bad when you are at a store, and as you are checking out - and they ask you to donate some money to a cause.
Now they don't just say "Hey - would you like to donate a dollar to charity?" No. They get very specific.
Like at Starbucks today..."Would you like to buy a bag of coffee for troops overseas serving our country?"
Um....how do I say "no" without sounding heartless? I don't think it's possible.
While I just say "no thanks" - I know that every other person in line and the cashier are thinking how selfish I am.
"Wow - that girl just spent 5$ on a cup of coffee for herself - and now she can't spend another $7 on those who risk their lives for her freedom?"
How do I live with myself?