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| Last weekend, i went to Asheville for the Heather Keyes Rogers EB Fun Run & 5K. I drove up Friday night and was planning to leave Sunday morning, so it would be a pretty quick trip. But i had the whole day to spend with my Mom. Dad was out of town, so it was just us girls. What would we do with ourselves? Shopping is a frequent mom/daughter activity, but Mom came up with a fabulous alternative – the Elaida Home Corn Maze. Elaida‘s missin is “helping children succeed” – they provide a number of services including foster care, therapy and treatment for high-risk kids. It’s a great cause, and the corn maze is one of their fundraisers. |
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| I’ve been to a corn maze once as a team-building activity for work. It was nothing like this, though – Elaida’s corn mazes were huge and elaborate. There were three different mazes – the long one, the short one and the haunted one. Mom and i planned to do all three. |
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| We first tackled the short maze (the red lines in the map above) – a total trail distance of 1 mile. There was a riddle to solve – a whodunit mystery where you had to find the checkpoints and thus eliminate various suspects, weapons and locations. There were 12 total checkpoints (6 in each maze), but only half of the checkpoints had pictures to help you eliminate suspects. Mom and i ended up doing the smaller maze twice, because we didn’t really “get” the game at first. But once we figured it out, we finished the first maze pretty quickly. |
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 The second maze (mapped out by the blue lines in the map above, trails totaling 2.7 miles) was much larger and more elaborate. It was much harder to navigate, too. We tried very hard not to cheat, which you could do by cutting through the corn. The maze was in pretty bad shape by this point in the season – the corn was totally dry and almost dead, and you could see where many impatient searchers had trampled between the paths. Not so for us, we insisted on finding ways around using the ‘real’ trails on the map. When we finally found all the checkpoints, we had two murderers with two murder weapons. We had to go back and find the checkpoint where we had messed up. It turns out that some of the clues had two sides, and someone had put the wrong side face-up at one checkpoint. Once we figured it out, we went to claim our prize (free popcorn) which neither of us wanted. We had a cold drink, though, and waited for sundown so we could complete the final maze – the haunted maze – which i was eagerly looking forward to. |
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| They let us into the haunted maze at 7:15 pm. It was entirely dark, but the main building had a huge spotlight which provided at least enough light to see the trail. They sent us in groups of 6 people, and Mom and i started in the front of our small group. We delightedly shrieked and screamed as various figures and shapes jumped out of the corn. The choreography was GREAT. Mom and i somehow ended up in the back of our small group, and once i turned turn to Mom and noticed another figure lurching along with a limping gait just behind us! Scream again! Run!
Near the end, I heard a chainsaw in the distance, so i knew Jason was up there awaiting me. Mom was next to me, and then suddenly another of those damn silent ghouls was right behind me, which startled me forward and to the side as i tried to run away. But i tripped on a corn stalk. At that same moment, Jason and his chainsaw were somehow right on top of me! And Jason is gunning his chainsaw next to my head. I grabbed Mom’s arm in a death grip, but my foot is still tangled in the corn and before i can do anything i’ve hit the dirt, simultaneously stabbing myself in the hands with dried corn stalks. I managed not to bring Mom down with me, but Jason is still standing there about to cut me up, and Mom is trying to drag me up, and somehow we scrambled away, giggling, out of the maze and into safety. It was SUCH fun! |
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Nov 04 2010
Halloween Corn Mazes
Nov 01 2010
1st Ever Heather Keyes Rogers EB Fun Run & 5K
| Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB) is a rare genetic skin disease that causes the skin to be so fragile that the slightest friction can cause severe blistering–inside and outside the body. Today there is no cure. Severe forms of EB cause patients to live with constant pain and scarring. The worst forms of EB lead to eventual disfigurement, disability, and often early death. (Source DEBra)
My SIL Heather has EB. As a surprise for her birthday last month, her friends Anna (pictured below) and Robert Licari organized a run in Heather’s honor, proceeds to benefit EB research. Robert gives Anna most of the credit, but i know they both worked ultra-hard in getting ready for it. When Nathan and Heather found a job opportunity in Alaska, the surprise had to be spilled several weeks early. Heather was deeply moved. Though they had to pack up and move that same month, they made plans for a quick trip back to Asheville to be there for the race. |
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| The day dawned crisp and cold, with temperatures near freezing. This is the type of weather that is very common for the NC mountains in the fall – cold at night, but beautiful days. This photo shows the frost covering some fallen leaves that morning. |
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| I planned to make a quick trip to Asheville to compete in the race. There were runners and walkers. I was one of the former, and i only brought shorts with me. Pre-race, i did what i could to keep warm, including turning myself into a ball on the ground. My mom and grandma were some of the walkers. They are bundled up, too! |
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| The course was at Carrier Park in Asheville. We started on a track, ran around once, then exited and completed two loops around the park. It was quite pretty. The course was also entirely flat, which is certainly nice. It took me until near the end of the second mile to completely warm up, but overall it was a pretty good race in the world of Audrey. I finished in 32:10, which was actually second in my age group! Ha! Nathan says i don’t have to admit that it was a small race, but i will anyway. They gave out medals, and Heather gave them out as the guest of honor. |
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| Grandma also placed in her age group. The two Audreys pose together showing off their medals. |
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| I’m so glad i made the trip. Sometimes it’s hard to justify going any distance to compete in a race, since there are so many of them held locally. But this was totally worth it. The group raised over $2600 for EB research, and i got to see Nathan and Heather once more before a long hiatus. (Note to Nathan and Heather: Twilight, Breaking Dawn 1 opens next November.) |
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| Nathan and Heather have had a full month. They have packed up their apartment, and driven across the country (seeing Mt Rushmore, Yellowstone, glaciers and countless animals who don’t realize that roads are for humans!). They arrived Friday afternoon to help with final race preparations, and caught a plane back to Alaska mere hours after the race ended. Now they’ll focus on getting settled into a new home and starting new jobs. Good luck to you both! |
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Jan 06 2009
What Do You Get an Atheist for Christmas?
That was the question my grandmother was faced with. And even though she told me she would no longer write letters to me about my salvation, she must have decided that christmas gifts were still fair game – she gave me a DVD called The Case for Christ.
Lance and i watched it over the winter break. I wasn’t sure what to expect. At the beginning, i thought it might actually be an attempt at a serious film. Lee Strobel is a former atheist and former journalist, who studied the issue independently and came to the conclusion that a) god exists, b) the bible is the word of said god and c) jesus is the son of said god.
However, it quickly became apparent that there wasn’t any real rigorous research here. Strobel presents people he calls “expert witnesses” to report the evidence. These expert witnesses were all, without exception, professors at biblical colleges and divinity schools, or leaders of religious organizations. There was not a single opinion or point of view that would challenge the conclusions Strobel is trying to make. This film will not do anything but reinforce your already-held beliefs, whatever they may be.
Aside from that glaring omission from what Strobel claims is journalistic-style reporting, there are also many problems with his logic. Much of the evidence he gives is merely circumstantial. This film pretends to be a scientific look at the evidence, but it is nothing of the kind.
It is extremely bizarre to me that in one hand we have Lee Strobel creating a 90 minute video proving that Jesus is the son of god. In the other hand we have a group of scientists working on the Jesus Project. Their current question is not whether Jesus is divine; they are researching whether there is evidence that Jesus existed at all. Quite a difference.
Nov 13 2008
Fourth Letter from Grandma
I heard from Grandma again this week. I have been anxious in the past weeks because my last letter was a bit more opinionated, and i wondered how it would be received. My first letter was basically just a diplomatic statement that we disagreed and i wanted to be left alone.
My last letter said:
- a lot of general news about life in Raleigh (fully half of my letter)
- i do not believe in miracles
- any god should be held accountable for the bad things that happen if he gets credit for the good things
- my not believing in her god is like her not believing in Zues
- i don’t believe in hell, b/c i don’t think a loving god would create a lot of people knowing that most of them would have to burn in hell forever
So, um – less diplomatic.
Grandma of course has not faltered in her faith, and that’s fine by me. Grandma’s response said:
- absolutely nothing regarding anything i’d said about my life
- god is in control of everything, but it’s ok for bad things to happen b/c god provided a way of escape through jesus
- those who’ve never heard of jesus will be judged by the 10 commandments and by their conscience
- i can’t escape the plan god has for me b/c he claimed me when i was a child
- she will not be writing to me anymore about my salvation
I have mixed reactions. I don’t want to be harrassed about my “salvation,” and i am hopeful that this means i won’t be harrassed further when i’m spending time with her in person over the holidays. But mostly i am sad. Why doesn’t she want to write anymore? I was happy at the chance to know my Grandma again. She seemed excited about it also, and said so in her third letter, so why the change of heart? Is it uncomfortable to face hard questions? She had answers for all of them, so that can’t be it. Maybe she doesn’t want to have relationships in her life with people who are sinners? I don’t know the answer, but it feels like i’m being rejected.
I thought we were getting somewhere, but i guess it wasn’t what she’d hoped for, so she’s quitting. I suppose now i’ll go back to smiling politely and ignoring the religion issue when possible, and we won’t have any more real conversations about it. When she wrote to me, she wasn’t trying to know me; she just wanted to evangelize me.
I’d hoped for more. I knew i was deluding myself, but i did – i hoped for more.
Oct 04 2008
Third Letter from Grandma
Grandma wrote me back!
Lance came in with the mail, and excitedly handed me the letter from another Audrey (i was named after my grandmother). I held it nervously, and was suddenly afraid. Physically, i was showing the symptoms of fear (like when i drive over a bridge). Why? It’s just a letter. But for some reason, i feared the judgment i felt sure lay within.
As i opened and read it, i realized i had nothing to fear. She’s just a grandma, and MY grandma at that. She loves me, and reassured me of that fact. She also said she really had no impression of me as being someone who only get her kicks at bars and nightclubs. She also expressed a delight in the fact that we were conversing at all, even if we were disagreeing, saying we haven’t talked this much in years. Which is basically true. There was a little more of the preaching, and quite a few bits of anecdotal “evidence” of how god has answered her prayers. But overall it was a pleasant letter.
I think this correspondence will continue. I certainly plan to write back, and perhaps, if she also continues to write to me, we can regain something of the bond we had when we were both younger. I am her oldest grandchild, her namesake, and we did have a special grandmother/granddaughter understanding. For a few years in elementary and middle school, i would ride the bus to her house after school. She would inevitably be napping, and i would sneak into her room and lie down next to her, and we would talk. Then we would get up and she would treat me to a slice of her splendid sourdough bread, topped with jelly. Eventually my brothers also started coming to Grandma’s after school, and i remember wishing they would go away and i could have her to myself again.
Grandma also took me to my piano lessons once a week. When i was ten, she got the notion that i should learn to drive. We would leave early for piano lessons, and on the back roads near the teacher’s home, she would let me drive her big banana-colored Cadillac. I could barely reach the pedals and couldn’t really see over the wheel of that huge car! Once instance, i remember fondly. “Now Audrey, pretend there is an egg underneath the brake. Press gently on the brake, you don’t want to break the egg. I said DON’T BREAK THE EGG!!!” After the car came to a very sudden halt, i said “Grandma, i think there’s egg on your floor.” And we both dissolved in laughter.
She loved horses, and wanted me to learn to ride. I had some experience with horseback riding from summer camp, but she wanted me to learn real riding. When she was young, Grandma had ridden a lot, and she has many stories about those days. To teach me, she had some friends who owned horses, and i learned how to ride and how to steer on my own – these horses would do what you told them, and weren’t just follow-the-leader horses. Once in a large pasture she said, “OK Audrey, now we’re going to gallop.” With terror in my voice, i replied, “But Grandma, i don’t WANT to gallop!!” Her response was to grab my reins and kick her horse. All i could do was hold on. When it was over, i agreed it was thrilling, but declined to do that again.
All these memories and more, i cherish. We can’t go back to that innocent time, but my hope now is that we can get to know one another again.
Sep 16 2008
Another Letter From Grandma
This time, it’s not my birthday or Christmas or Easter… i think she just sent me the letter without an occassion. I suppose the occassion might be The Saving of Audrey’s Soul.
It’s not quite as crazy as the last letter. It’s full of evalengelical stuff, sure, but it’s not signed from God or anything. She did include a helpful pamphlet titled “Running From God?”
Are you running from God? The reason i ask is because I ran from God for the first 22 years of my life. I grew up in a Christian home… I knew about Jesus Christ, but i did not have a personal relationship with him…
As i think back on those years of running from God, there were several excuses I had for not giving my life to Him. Perhaps you are using the same excuses i had. I thought being a Christian was boring. I wanted to have fun. Christians, in my mind, were people who had decided to live a life that was devoid of excitement. I thought real excitement was found in bars and nightclubs, and for a number of years I looked for my fun in those places…
Another excuse I used for running from God was that i was too young to give my life to Christ. I wanted to enjoy my youth and thought I might give my life to God when I was old.
So, this is what my grandmother thinks of me! I can understand a bit why she is trying so hard to save me:
- She thinks I hang out in bars and nightclubs. While i have nothing against bars or nightclubs, i can sympathize with my grandmother’s impression that the godless do nothing but drink and stay out late and generally lead hell-raising lives. I mean, what else do we have to do? Of course she would want to save me from that.
- She thinks i can be saved. If she thinks i am running from God, then it implies i think there is something to run from. I think if she really and truly understood that i don’t believe there is anything at all, she might stop trying.
So, i’m going to correct her misimpressions and write a response this time. I almost wrote to her after my initial birthday letter from God, but figured it might all go away if i ignored it. But this time i’m in the mood to stir things up. I will post again if i get a response from her.
Sep 02 2008
You’re At Work and I’m Not
Day 3 of the family beach trip. It is absolutely marvelous.
There are 11 of us: Seven Shulls and four significant others. It is a merry group, and there is absolutely no expectations put on anyone. You want to sleep all day? No problem – no one wants to know where you are or insist you participate in any particular event. There is just a general acceptance and respect for the fact that this is everyone’s vacation.
The house is awesome. It’s got plenty of room to sleep everyone, and a spacious, open common area where everyone tends to congregate. There is also an ample deck, which faces the ocean and is shaded in the afternoon. It is extremely pleasant to just sit and feel the ocean wind on your face and listen to the waves. As the day progresses toward evening, you may even need a sweatshirt.
The beach itself is of course beautiful. It is a quarter mile walk from the house, maybe a little less. It’s not crowded, as we are past the peak season. The water is warm still, and even though there have been red flags posted, we can still wade in and get splashed by waves. Walking on the beach, searching for pretty shells, and exclaiming over the interesting creatures we find on the sand – all of these are things i have loved doing.
Today is the first time i’ve bothered to get on the computer. I checked in with work, and it appears to be functioning okay without me. Which is good – i don’t have to feel guilty about not being there, and can continue to just enjoy the week.
I don’t think i can remember the last time i took a full week off from work for simple relaxation. I’ve done this beach trip with the Shull family two previous times, but both times i only took a day or two off to make it a long weekend. Usually i spend my vacation on bridge tournaments, again generally for long weekends. This just feels so extremely luxurious, and i love it.
This week is also different from my own family’s vacations. I mentioned the fact that there is no pressure to perform in any way (my family does have a fair amount of that, intended or not). The biggest difference, however, is the copious amounts of alcohol. Beer and wine are consumed with gusto, and by everyone. After the first day, and we didn’t arrive until 4 pm, there was an entire trash bag filled with empty bottles. It’s pretty awesome, actually.
And now i think i’ll go sit on the deck some more, in the afternoon shade, prop up my legs and read for awhile. I’m reading a beautiful book called The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. I’m sure i’ll be writing a review in the next couple of days.
Aug 24 2008
Ohio Road Trip
Time left Raleigh: 8/15, 7 pm
Time back in Raleigh: 8/18, 12 noon
Total hours away from home: 60
Total hours driving: 22
Total hours playing bridge: 6
Total hours golfing: 4
Number of states we spotted license plates from: 32
(See map: green are states we first spotted on the way there, blue is in and about Columbus, pink is on the way home)
For her husband’s 40th and 50th birthdays, Lance’s mom has thrown a surprise golf tournament birthday party. So of course, she planned another one for his 60th. We decided to make the trek up to Ohio to join in the festivities. However, the tournament was Sunday at 2, and not near an airport. Thus, there were no reasonable (or reasonably priced) flights home that would me to work the next morning. So we drove.
Since we could not spoil the surprise by letting our presence be known, we had to kill time, so naturally we looked for the local bridge games. We found two – one at 1 pm and one at 7 pm. We planned to play in both.
But first, we had to get there. We left late, in no big hurry. We figured we’d just stop at a motel whenever we got tired (which wasn’t until 2:30 am that first night). It was a very chatty drive – we make very good driving companions. We talked about anything and everything it seemed, interrupting each other occasionally whenever we spotted new license plates, “ooh, there’s Arizona!” and coloring in the map (see picture). We had one scary moment when we told the GPS bitch to find us a hotel and she led us into a cornfield. “Quick! Lock the doors!” You just never know when you’ll find a cornfield cult lurking.
A leisurely morning drive revealed a few new states to color in on our map, and took us the rest of the way to Columbus, were Lance showed me around where he used to live and the places he used to hang out. We at lunch at Skyline Chili, one of his old favorites. Then it was about time for the bridge game.
The first game was a pathetic 2-table game. It was fun and we won, but the most interesting thing about it was this amazing 94-year old woman. I believe her name was Faye. They had a special table for her with low, bright lights. And she had a funny sort of hat that she wore, that lowered a magnifying glass so she could see better. She had trouble forming her words; her speech was a little slurred. The motor skills were failing a bit, but her brain was ALL there. She played very intelligently and joked and laughed with us. I was just so impressed with her. I hope i’m like her if i live to be 94.
After the game, we went to J Alexander’s, the restaurant where Lance’s sister Frith works. We had some beers (my favorite, Yuengling, hasn’t made it to Columbus yet) and some good food, and visited with Frith. Then it was off to the 2nd bridge game.
The second game more than doubled the number of tables; now we were up to 4.5. They didn’t even want to let us play at first – we are rated too highly. But, it was an “open” game, so they let us play. We scored 2nd. They were pleasant for the most part, and made us feel welcome.
After that, we went back to Frith & Will’s place for the night. Slept in a bit, and then the four of us met one of Lance’s brothers, Kevin, for breakfast at this awesome diner. By then, it was time to head to the golf place, which was about 90 minutes away. The only notable thing about that little trip was coloring in a few more states on our map.
At the golf course, we were the first ones to arrive. We got several buckets of balls for driving while we waited for others. Soon the whole gang was there, nearly 40 people. Ken (Lance’s dad) was somehow surprised, despite this being the 3rd such event held in his honor.
We played a scramble format – everyone hits a ball, then you pick the best ball. Then everyone hit their 2nd shot from that location, and you pick the best ball again. Pretty fun. Our foursome was me, Lance, Kevin and Lance’s other sister, Emily. (He is the oldest of 3 boys and 2 girls.) We had 2 pars, 6 bogeys and 1 double-bogey. I thought we did pretty well, and we would have won if the goal was to have the highest score. I posted a few of the golf pictures on my Facebook page.
Next stop was the reception, at a small church in Hillsboro, Ohio. Good food, and good company. There were pictures from Ken’s 60 years of life scattered all over the tables (what a neat idea!). We mingled, i met some of the extended family. When it was time for the cake, 5 of us worked together to try to light all 60 candles. (Tip to anyone else who has to do this in the future: light the interior candles FIRST. 59 candles create a lot of heat.) Ken blew out the candles and after that, it was 8 pm and time for us to get back on the road.
We were both getting pretty tired after a weekend of lots of driving and nonstop action. We only made it 4.5 hours that night before we knew we needed to stop. And we didn’t short ourselves on sleep either. Didn’t get on the road until 9 am. So, i didn’t get to work until after noon. But, i have cool peeps at work and they understood. Somehow i made it through the day and when i got home, i gave myself permission to flop (ie, do nothing).
It was a damn fun weekend.
Update: Kerry also went on a road trip recently and has a similar map to keep track of license plates. I like her color-coding system better, allowing her to keep track of states seen on both legs of their trip.
Jul 27 2008
Love Forever, God
I received a birthday card from my grandmother. Inside the card was a letter. It was a piece of stationary with small writing on both sides – fairly lengthy. Here is the final paragraph.
I pray, before your next birthday – before your next breath – you will turn from your self-willed life to surrender to the Power of the Holy Spirit and run to Him. God will run to you, with arms wide open & say ‘Go, prepare a party, let’s all celebrate. My daughter who was dead is now alive. She once was lost & now she’s found, & I have received her back home safe & sound. She’s forever my child!
Love, Forever,
God
Several things disturb me about this letter.
1) Notice, the letter was signed as from GOD. Grandma had a postscript that said God used her hands and pen to write this letter. Isn’t this a little presumptuous? What is to stop anyone from writing whatever they want and saying “God wrote that.” Oh wait, people do it all the time and that’s a large reason why there is war in the world, because of people’s conflicting ideas about god.
2) In the paragraph above, it implies god thinks i am dead if i do not do what she suggests. For some reason that bothers me. Like, she thinks i am not a real person.
3) At one point in the letter she reminds me that when i was a child i believed in jesus. She (or i guess, god) implied i betrayed my child self by no longer believing. Children believe what they are told by the people that they trust. Of course i believed then.
I’m not sure how, or if, to respond. Part of me really wants to open a dialog about this, but the other part of me knows it’s not possible to have a real conversation. How can we? What i want is to be loved and respected by my family for who i am. What they want is for me to be something i’m not.
Jun 09 2008
I know what this dream means…
Last night i dreamed that me, lance & a chic whose blog i read (whom i don’t know personally and who has nothing to do with the people involved in the dream) were all hanging out one night. In the morning, we decided to go to breakfast with my family without wearing any clothes. My family was not pleased, and we had to go change before we could join them.
I have experienced the naked dream before in other situations about which i had anxiety. This one is obviously about my anxiety about my relationship with my parents. The tension between us on the religion issue has become even more heightened in the last week since an unfortunate accident and hospitalization of one of my cousins. Now every phone call has a lot of references to the lord and how it is a miracle she is alive. And by the way, your cousin belonged to the lord so if she had died she would have gone to heaven whereas if it had been you, and you died, you would go to hell .
I think the part of the dream where we decided to go naked is symbolic of my recent decision that i should get some talk therapy to help me figure out how to assert myself in this relationship. Every other time i’ve had this dream it’s because i’ve just forgotten my clothes.
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