Through the Roof

This was the summer going into my eighth grade year. For some reason, a lot of people in my class had pool parties that year, including myself. This recollection comes from the very first one. Leave it to me to go out with a bang right off the bat.

At this particular pool party, the girl hosting it had a barn next to her house. Once we were all done swimming, we gathered into the barn to hang out. Some people were shooting hoops at the basketball net inside of it, others were singing along to Rascal Flatts (I recall one kid using a canoe paddle as a microphone to "Life Is A Highway"... middle school), and others just talking on the side. Somewhere along the lines, someone requested a game of manhunt. And this, my friends, is where it really begins.

This barn had second-floor loft that looked over the bottom of it. A few people thought it would be a good place to start the game, so three or four of us went up the stairs to hide there. Once at the top, we spread out a bit. However, my friend and I began to goof around a bit. He found a pair of crutches and started hitting me with one of them. So, in my defense, I took a step back, which was naturally landed right on top of a loose piece of wooding in the floor.

And through it went my right leg.

I remember a girl on the first floor of the loft screaming as she saw my limb coming through the ceiling. My friend’s face looked as if he had hit me with a car. He instantly grabbed my hand and pulled me back so the entirety of my body was on the loft once again. However, my thigh looked as if it had gone through a wood chipper.

So I limped down the stairs, out of the barn, and into the house to show my leg to two of the moms who were chaperoning this rowdy middle school pool party. Somewhere between the loft and the house, someone started a rumor that my little fall occurred while I was making out with someone (who wasn't even on the loft by the way, so props to whoever set that one up). When I entered the kitchen, the two moms immediately began cleaning up my leg. When they asked how it happened, I simply stated "playing manhunt," two which one of the moms replied, "Well, that makes sense because I heard you hunted down your man."

GREAT. So now not only does it look like I fell victim to an army of cats, everyone there (including two MOMS... seriously, moms!) thinks I'm a big hussy. No one ever believed me when I said there was no smooching involved, and even through high school people brought it back up: "Hey, remember that time you fell through Andrea's loft makin’ out with TJ?" Eventually I stopped defending myself.

Oh, and I forgot to mention that I had to run in a state-wide track championship the next day. My wrecked thigh ran a 6:02 mile; one second behind the winner, two seconds from going to nationals in Pennsylvania. I probably would have claimed victory had that boy not been kissing me! Shucks (cue the sarcasm).

Truthfully, we all fall down sometimes, literally and figuratively. I've fallen down many times, and there are more blog posts that will be inspired from these tumbles. Luckily, those were hysterical and make hilarious stories. But sometimes it's not so funny when we fall. It's not so much a physical one, but a shortcoming that makes us feel hopeless and miserable, one that makes us wonder if we'll ever be able to lift ourselves off the ground. Bad news is we can't lift ourselves off the ground. Good news is, we have a God who can.

Isaiah 41:10 says, "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." God upholds us. Isn't it an awesome thought to picture the Creator of the universe keeping us upright with His very own hand? Next time you're feeling an all-time low, know that Someone wants to pull you up from the floor, whether or not your leg is descending from a ceiling. He won't walk away once He picks you up either. He will hold you until you are strong enough to stand up on your own, and even then He will continue to hold your hand through the good and the bad life brings.

Here's some love for your ears. I stumbled upon this hidden gem by Adele a few years ago and had forgotten how beautiful it was until (to my pleasant surprise) I heard a girl sing it at a bar last week. I've been listening to it constantly all over again ever since. Sit back, relax, and let "Daydreamer" ease your stresses for a few minutes. Enjoy!

Not So Good AIM

I've been trying so hard to think of the next awkward memory, and middle school is surprisingly an era in which I can't think of too much. Therefore, the next one is another jump, this time to seventh grade. I apologize for this, but I promise that as the timeline of my life gets closer to the present I'll remember more.

When I reflect back on being thirteen, one of the most prominent memories is a little thing we liked to call AIM - don't act like you don't remember AOL instant messenger. We all did it. We all had a cheesy screenname and a nicely decorated profile with stupid quotes about love (because when you're that age you definitely know what love is; you could tell by the profile sections dedicated to boyfriends. Example: "You and I collide... Ilysm Luke 4/28/06 forever and always <33333" which was of course posted a week after the romantic start of their "relationship"). You did it. You know it. Be embarrassed for your 13-year-old self. On a side note, anyone else have the "bloop" sound of receiving a message going through their head now too? Because I freaking do.

But I digress. One day, I was chatting via AIM with my friend Errin aka SincerelyxoMe (you know, the one I was sad wasn't next to me when I blew snots in 3rd grade? ps. Errin, what even did that screenname mean?) We were talking about my current crush of the week, whose name was... let's call him Billy. We sat next to each other in language arts class, where every super romantic relationship begins. And no, I didn't sneeze all over that desk too thank you very much.

Anyway, as Errin and I were discussing my undying love for him, who sends me an AIM message? You got it - Billy. I nearly fell off my chair and concussed as my heart pounded like a jackhammer. So what would any other girl do? Message the other friend about it in absolute freakout mode. And this is what it looked like.

mollayyyx22: omg errin. billy messaged me

mollayyyx22: hes so hot

mollayyyx22: im so nervous im sweating like a pig :x

mollayyyx22: he said hi. wut do I say?!

And guess what? Errin never responded. Why? Let me guess. You think I'm going to say I sent the whole thing to Billy himself.

Well good for you for guessing right because that's exactly what happened.

So of course, my word vomit was followed by

mollayyyx22: omg... Im sry. I sent this to the wrong person.

mollayyyx22: just forget that ever happnd

I really wanted to die, partly because I had just told homeboy I thought he was hot and that I was sweating profusely because of it, and partly because I couldn't even completely spell out "sorry". But you know what? It didn't turn out so bad because although it was super embarrassing in time period it took for him to respond, it was very relieving when he did. He ended up saying "lol its ok I think ur really cute too."

WELL BE STILL MY HEART IF THAT'S NOT THE SWEETEST THING ANYONE'S EVER SAID (MESSAGED) TO ME.

And that's when our very serious, romantic, kissless two-week-long relationship began. And no, I never got to the point of having his name and our anniversary with a sappy song lyric in my profile.

And yes, the last sentence was a complete lie.

My point for this one is, sometimes things don't go the way we expected them to - they end up being even better (not that the result of my story was of a pressing trial followed by a complete miracle from God, but you see my connection. Here's my first example of a teensy stretch I said I would make at times, but it's still relevant!). We freak out about our huge exam next week only to get an A. We get rejected from one job only to receive a better one. We send messages to our crush by accident only to find out he likes you too (alright, well not anymore. But sometimes he does end up liking you back and telling you IN PERSON). Things do go our way!

Romans 8:28 is one of the most reassuring verses in the Bible. It reads, "And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” Trials are inevitable. They're going to happen. But they happen for a bigger reason. Sometimes one thing goes wrong so that something better can go right. When it's hard to understand why things aren't going the way you planned, trust that God has something even better in store for you. The result will be beyond anything you'd ever expect!

Anyone who knows me well knows I'm quite the fan of EDM music. Today I bring you my most recent love from the genre. Hope it's a head banger for you: W&W's take on "U" by Gareth Emery featuring Bo Bruce.

Lights, Camera... Awkward.

It's a rainy Sunday, but I hope you're finding sunshine in other places today! Like faith, music or laughter ;) speaking of which... on to the next one, shall we?

So after I recovered from my boogery episode, it was quite some time before I had another incredibly embarrassing encounter. Actually I can't recall one from the rest of that year or even the next year, which means I either did a pretty good job avoiding similar situations, or I can't just can't remember it... in other words blocked it out of my memory. Probably that one.

Anyway, the next happening I can recall was two years later. I was in middle school at this point, which consists of the four most awkward years of your life (true for most people, however my life gets more awkward as I get older). My mom had taken my younger sister and I to a children's museum on this particular day, and we had a blast. There was a plethora of activities kids my age would find engaging, so my sister and I had a pretty good time. I just ALMOST made it through the day without embarrassing myself. Almost.

But before I get there, we need a little background. My favorite part of the museum was definitely the room with the mock news broadcasting station. You sat in a chair behind a desk, at which there were papers about the weather and such. As you pretended to be a news anchor, you could look at yourself in a little television screen in front of you. So naturally, always being on to love the camera, I ate this right up. I sat in the chair, telling my invisible audience what to expect in the forecast over the next few days. However, after a few minutes I cared less about the news and more about the fact that I could see myself in a television.

So I made things a little more interesting. I decided I was going to pretend to be the worst news anchor the world has ever seen. I made the ugliest faces possible, sticking my tongue out, pretending to pick my nose... you get the picture. I left my seat and got right up into the camera so it could get an inside look at my eyes, my nostrils, my mouth, and the rest of my purposefully unattractive face. It was a great way to entertain my 10-year-old self. After ten minutes or so, my sister and I decided it was time to move on. So we went from room to room, enjoying the rest of our day partaking in the various activities the museum had to offer.

Just before we were about to leave, my mom decided to take a look in the gift shop, which was located in the front lobby. As we were looking at all of the souvenirs, t-shirts, and stuffed animals, I heard someone laughing. I turned around to see a woman pointing up at a monitor attached to the wall in the corner of the room. On the monitor was a little boy doing the news. I thought to myself, "Oh how funny! They have a live view of the news room!"

Oh sweet mother of God. They have a live view of the news room.

Which means that as I was making a complete and utter fool of myself, I actually did have an audience in the gift shop of the museum. These people saw up my nostrils. They saw me pretending to pick them. They saw the inside of my mouth. My ugliest faces. And to think the only people who could see me were my sister and Mom. WHAT WAS THIS SOME SORT OF CRUEL TRICK. A children's museum ruining the self-esteem of children scarring their memories of 5th grade forever! Go figure. I wanted to crawl in a hole. If I ever had a dream of being an anchorwoman it was shot right there. I have never been so happy to leave somewhere that's supposed to be fun. 

I guess we never really know if and when people are watching us. That's why it's so important to be a witness to what we believe in. Matthew 5:16 says, "In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." We can glorify God in the simplest of ways, whether it's holding a door for someone with a friendly smile, doing the dishes for our roommates, or leaving a nice note for someone we care about. Even when we don't think people are watching, people notice when you do things differently. Our light can shine before others even when we don't think they're paying attention to our actions. Even when the camera is on you alone, consider who could be in the lobby.

I've noticed that the Youtube attachments for the song of the day have only been showing up on my computer and not my phone. I hope that I can fix this, and until then if you can't see the video I encourage you to look it up (otherwise you'll miss out on making your ears happy).

So here it is! I'm obsessed with this cover of "Red" by Tyler Ward (which in my opinion knocks the socks off the original). Perfect for a rainy day! Enjoy, wonderful people.

Let's Start at the Very Beginning, A Very Good Place to... Snot.

Happy Saturday beautiful people! It's time for the official first post. Are you ready?

Let us begin with the very first awkward moment of my memory. If I wanted to go really far back, I guess I could start with that time in kindergarten I knocked over the puppet show stand on top of this girl named Briana, sending her to the floor. But I think that was just straight out funny. I actually don't recall feeling embarrassed.

So, skip to third grade because that's the next one I can think of. It was my first day at a new school. My family had moved a town over, which is scary enough for an 8-year-old that has lived in the same place since the world was ever so blessed with her presence (I'm joking). I remember my mom walking me into my new class, with twenty new faces that were staring at me as if a giraffe had walked into the room (which could be taken literally... I was always tall for my age). In addition to this, my teacher was not the warmest and fuzziest teddy bear. Actually she scared me. She scared me a lot. Especially when she lowered her eyebrows. I don't even remember her smiling when she introduced me as I clung to my mom like a freaking koala bear. I instantly missed my teacher from the other school, who could be compared to Miss Honey from Matilda.

Once my mom peeled me off of her leg, she went off for work and I was left to fend for myself in a new world of foreign creatures. My teacher led me to my new desk, which I already hated because my best friend Errin was not in the seat next to me. She wasn't even in the same building. What was this life?

It was the beginning of an incredibly awkward one; I can tell you that much.

I was sitting in my desk, not making eye contact with anyone. No one had even said hello to me yet. As I looked at the clock, pondering what my other class was doing at the time and wishing I were with them, I felt something coming on. Oh no. Not a sneeze.

Yes, a sneeze. And not just a cute little "a-choo!" that would break the tension. This is the sneeze that rocked the world. I leaned back to brace it, so far as if the grossest 3rd-grade boy was trying to kiss me, and shot forward like a crash-test dummy as it came out. And it wasn't just a sneeze that erupted from my little self. It was every booger in my being as well. I'm not even kidding. This was the snottiest sneeze I've ever experienced, and it was all over my new desk. And the worst part is, I'd been in the room for about 2.5 minutes.

Do you think I knew where the tissues were?

So here I am, the new girl, attached to my desk by the line of snot protruding from my right nostril, scanning the room from left to right hoping to come across a Kleenex. It was probably a perfect freeze frame for one of those "wanna get away?" commercials. Unfortunately, Southwest Airlines wasn't there for me. Luckily, somebody was. Before I could find the tissues myself, the precious girl sitting next to me quickly ran up, grabbed the box of them, and returned them to my desk. I ever so quickly cleaned up the mess my sneeze had made, hoping that a minimum amount of my new classmates had witnessed the whole event. I thanked my new friend for saving me, and she asked if I wanted to eat lunch with her, a question I got from three more people before it was time to eat my sandwich. It could of been out of pity that all the girls wanted to eat lunch with Molly McSneezy-Sneeze, but at that point I didn't really care. If others are willing to brush off your embarrassing moment, you might as well do it too. And it actually ended up being a pretty good day for the new girl.

Isn't it nice when others help clean up your mess, not because they have to but because they don't want to see you do it alone? Proverbs 17:17 reads, "A friend loves at all times." All times meaning yes, even when you have boogers all over you. Even when you're falling apart and have no clue what to do with yourself. I know I'm blessed enough to have more than a handful friends who will always come running with the Kleenex, and if they're reading this, hey friends, thanks for the times you've provided the tissues, literally and figuratively. If you have friends like these, cherish them and don't let them go.

So there it is, lesson of the day: keep the friends that will always be there to help clean up your boogers. To my own, thank you very much for every time I've said "I'm getting snot on your shirt" only to hear "It's okay!"

And as promised, I bring you the very first song of the day from one of my favorite artists who I am lucky enough to have met. If you ask me, this is a really great song to listen to while cleaning or night driving. Take it away, sir.

"Signs of Life" - Andrew Belle

The First Post

Hi there, friends! Thanks for taking the time to even click the link to this, never mind reading any of it. You are awesome.

So you probably want to know what the heck you are reading. I'm kind of asking myself the same question. You see, I've tried this whole blog thing before, with the same concept as this blog will have. But there was one problem: I didn't post it anywhere. I was way too shy to, so only a true few knew about it. And even though everyone said it was hilarious, that still didn't give me the confidence boost I needed to make it public. But I decided that today was the day, because why not just suck it up and do it?

Whether this is your first time reading my blog, or if this happens to be one of the five people who knew about it before, I want to explain the basis of my new-and-improved blog. Since I'm now posting publicly, I wanted the title and url to be more catchy and memorable. This is why I am now calling my blog "FML". This is for two reasons:

1. This blog follows my incredibly awkward self and the frequent unbelievable situations I get myself into. And what does our culture usually say in times like these? You know it: "F My Life", usually abbreviated into "FML."

2. But we don't want to F our lives, because life is an absolutely beautiful thing. So coincidentally, I realized that the three things my old blog revolved around actually made another FML acronym: Faith, Music, Laughter. When I'm personally having one of those "FML" days, I tend to turn to the other FML to feel better. I think this stands true for a lot of people, or at least the ML. For me, all three are incredibly huge parts of my life. So, I wanted to be able to share that with others. I want the sharing of my faith to encourage you, the music I post to make you feel something, and the stories I write to make you laugh. I hope I am successful in at least one of these.

This is how my blog posts work:

I begin with the hilariously awkward story, which is usually the biggest chunk of the blog, because what is a good story without every single juicy detail? Then I connect the story to a bible verse, and elaborate a bit on what we can learn from that. I know what you're thinking: how does this girl think she can connect some awkward story from her childhood to a devotional that's supposed to encourage me? I'll admit, sometimes it's a stretch, but I do my absolute best. Bear with me! Whether it ends up relating pretty accurately or if it has nothing to do with the price of tea in China, I hope that whatever I say in that section will uplift you. If it helps, read it completely separately. Lastly, I post the "Song of the Day", which is simply a song that is so good I wouldn't want to hide it from anyone!

I also occasionally post what I like to call "awk-words", which are shorter stories that don't need much detail or simple little moments or thoughts that occur as I go throughout my day. This could be pertaining to the F, the M, or the L.

So whether you're here for the F, the M, the L, or all of the above, I hope you can apply whatever I say to your life. Maybe you're here because you, as well, are awkward and it makes you feel better to know it happens to other people. Perhaps you love music and just want to refresh your ears with something new. Or maybe you need some encouragement and cheering up on a rough day. Either way, I thank whoever you are for being here and embarking on my journey of life with me!

I'll be taking the blog posts I've already written from my old one and adding one each day, until we're all caught up and ready to continue where I left off. Also - I'm a fan of constructive criticism. If you aren't a fan of something I wrote, please don't hesitate to tell me!

I hope you learn, I hope you listen, I hope you laugh, and most of all, I hope you dance.
God Bless you all. Let's make "FML" a phrase that embraces life.

Molly