there are a precious few experiences that make me go "whoa, i need to take a mental snapshot right now and never forget this moment." and you might think it's the big occasions or ordeals that would motivate me to have these thoughts...but, interestingly enough, it usually happens at completely normal and unexpected times.

a snapshot of com·mu·ni·ty (sharing, participation, and fellowship)...

.this past saturday i slept until 11am. as soon as i had brushed the teeth and such, my cell phone rang. it was karl, informing me of a group outing to the infamous skin's (a local hotdog-making legend). i hate hotdogs. i just can't bring myself to eat them...but that is beside the point. we all met at skin's and enjoyed the redneckness together. (i ate a couple of buns with just chili, in case you were wondering.)

.after lunch, it was time to help shua move his new (and by "new," i mean "used-but-awesome-gift-from-a-friend") washer and dryer to the 220. it was great fun. when the boys were gone to drop off the dryer, we ladies amused ourselves by moving the washer as far as we could before they returned. we wanted to show them how strong and manly we are...or something. at any rate, we got things all done and dispersed briefly.

.one short nap (yes i said nap...so what if i had slept 11 hours the night before?) and a couple of phone calls later, we were at the pool. it was cold and cloudy, but we were determined to get our pool on. then we smelled the grill from the party next door...and dinner was at the forefront of our minds.

.so shua took the ladies (karl and i) to applebee's. we talked. karl danced the universal dance (not a table dance, though). i laughed. people stared. shua tried not to be so awesome. to complete the evening, we visited 31 flavors...where karl and i got to make faces at some adorable kid through the window. a fantastic day.

.nothing out of the ordinary...a day full of friends who have become my family. shared experiences. laughter. tears. genuine love and concern. i realized somewhere along the way that all these things are extraordinary...i am incredibly blessed. when the extraordinary becomes ordinary you know that life is good. no complaints. thank you, Lord.

(sorry about the hard-to-readness...i can't get blogger to indent or do anything else, really.)