A Very Large Poking Device

46 registered followers already?  Keep 'em coming please! "A Favored Life" was absolutely amazing!!!! The pro-life play that was put on by Good Hope Baptist Church was extremely representative of the emotions and struggles I faced when I found out I was pregnant 5 years ago.  I even got a little teary-eyed towards the end.  Great job to Rebecca and the entire cast!

Wow, 5 years ago.  Has it been that long?  I can remember Homecoming Week at Moon Area High School so vividly.  I remember that fateful Monday morning when I walked into my 1st period AP Government class wearing a black Native American wig complete with two pigtails secured by rainbow print cloth, a tan colored dress with a frayed hemline, moccasin shoes, and a feather necklace.  It was supposed to be "costume day" and I thought everyone at school would be participating.  Unfortunately, I was the only person in my entire 1st period class who actually dressed for the occasion.  I wanted to pull my large, messy wig over my entire face.  But everyone got a good laugh out of it...and I couldn't help but laugh at how ridiculous I looked.  Later that week, I had over 100 rushing yards and two touch downs during our powder puff football game, the girls swim team voted me Captain, and on Friday evening I was crowned homecoming queen.  With the exception of the costume debacle, what an amazing week!  I felt so good about myself, I was riding on an emotional high, and I felt like everything was absolutely perfect in my life.  When I found out two weeks later that I was pregnant, it was like a balloon deflating.  Watching the play on Saturday night reminded me of how I felt when I found out and how difficult the pregnancy was emotionally.  I'm glad that I had the chance to experience those emotions again because, for a long time, I tried to push those awful memories out of my mind.  While it was an extremely traumatic experience, I don't ever want to forget where I've been and what I've been through.  Remembering just how difficult those times were motivates me to push harder to help women in crisis pregnancy situations, to explain the consequences of teen sex, and to educate people about open adoption.  I'm thankful that the play was able to serve as a reminder for me to continue my pro-life advocacy. I think it helped me to renew my passion...: )

After the play, I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate than with my two of my best friends, Jacqueline and Julia Leonard (yes, Robbie's younger sisters).  I drove to Chapel Hill where Jacqueline is a senior at UNC, and the three of us reminisced about the good old days of Moon Township, and then we had a night on the town.  If you know anything about the Leonard family or myself, we love practical jokes and pranks.  As we sat at a table near the bar and sipped on a few casual drinks, we became antsy.  We took it upon ourselves to construct a very large poking device out of straws to tickle unsuspecting strangers' earlobes and necklines.  It was very similar to the giant poking device in the episode of Friends when they try to prod the big ugly naked guy to see if he's still alive.  This thing was easily 12 straws long!  The accuracy was amazing.  We quickly retracted the very large poking device before it could be detected by our victims.  No matter how I write it, I cannot describe how funny it was.  When more people became aware of our very large poking device, they began to point out victims for us to poke.  "It's like a facebook poke," Jacqueline informed everyone.

I think I might be slightly famous in Chapel Hill.  Apparently, many of Jacqueline's friends including some on the wrestling team have been following my blog.  When we saw them out on Saturday night, they greeted me with a nice warm, "Amstel!!!!!!"  I love it.  It's always good to know that girls and guys are enjoying reading the journey of a 23-year-old birthmom. 

Ever since little babe was born, I feel like I grew up way to fast.  Sometimes it's really hard to relate to people my age who haven't been through what I have, and I often feel like a 40-year-old trapped in a 23-year-old's body.  While it may seem a bit immature to be poking strangers' earlobes at the bar, I think it's times like these that I'm able to remember that I am only 23, and I should be able to relax and let loose every once in a while.  Even if that means constructing a very large poking device with two of my best friends...

"It is better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring."
-Marilyn Monroe