tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67686917095495073532024-02-06T20:15:48.505-06:00Every Day An AdventureThe story of a girl...Mary Clydehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05932172015022089136noreply@blogger.comBlogger151125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768691709549507353.post-85967316504215868782020-10-02T13:16:00.001-05:002020-10-02T16:10:41.636-05:00I'm Still OK<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSlEl-lGiGf0KvULDr4Sep9fVJAwW2wbPm3HM6vSYlBJExWgi7RK5NwuLdZ2cBiQMNSIrsbGVxyj4JiAYjare4kXTQ_7kqWdBS5GI4qp_-f-bCYJAPocIr0KMGZNEGsQmcM9rFxRHzdkd0/s1600/IMG_9473.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1348" data-original-width="932" height="323" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSlEl-lGiGf0KvULDr4Sep9fVJAwW2wbPm3HM6vSYlBJExWgi7RK5NwuLdZ2cBiQMNSIrsbGVxyj4JiAYjare4kXTQ_7kqWdBS5GI4qp_-f-bCYJAPocIr0KMGZNEGsQmcM9rFxRHzdkd0/w223-h323/IMG_9473.jpg" width="223" /></a></div>When I took this (blurry, 8 megapixel, digital camera- fancy!) picture in the middle of Times Square 13 years ago, I thought I could have you told exactly how my life would look in my 30s. I'd probably be coming up on close to a decade of being married. I'd be finished having my 2 or 3 kids, and I'd be married to someone that I'd met towards the end of college.<br />
Here I am, 5 years into my 30s, and none of those things have happened, nor are they even close to happening. You know what though... I'm totally fine with it. When I was 28 I wrote a post called "I'm single. It's ok." and 7 years later, it's still true.<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I spent about a year and a half during my twenties hanging out with (and probably in love with) this guy who was never going to reciprocate. Oh sure, we talked about how all that time spent together made me feel, and he said he didn't mean to lead me on, and it stopped... for about a month. Then, when it picked back up again, and he was calling, and I was going to see him, and we were showing up places together, I thought, "well, maybe....?" No. The answer was no. It was never going to happen, and I realized it one weekend when I went to his house and another girl's stuff was there. That was the breaking point. I stopped putting forth effort because I had a feeling that if I did, he would too, and I was right. It was hard though. Oohhhh I was mad at him. I was mad at him for "making me" feel all the things I felt, and for being so great, and so good looking, and such a turd all at the same time.</div><div>My feelings (and my pride) were so hurt. My girlfriends and I diagnosed him with "Peter Pan Syndrome" and talked a lot of trash, but 9 years later, I'm sitting here wondering if I might also have some of those very same Peter Pan tendencies. Am I afraid of growing up? Is that what's wrong with me? I thought it might be, but I don't think that's the case. And maybe it wasn't the case with homeboy either, I'll never know.</div><div>Sure, there are certain "grown up" things I have yet to do... I'm not married, I don't have kids, but I don't think it's out of an unwillingness, or lack of desire, to do those things. I just think I am still single, and it's still ok. Yeah, there are days that I would vehemently tell you that it is, in fact, NOT ok. I would love to be married and have a partner in life, but I also really enjoy my independence. Here's the thing though, that doesn't make me afraid to grow up or commit to someone else. It also doesn’t mean there is something wrong with me, and it CERTAINLY does not mean you should feel sorry for me. It just means I get to be a little selfish right now. I'll compromise with someone on how we decorate, and what music we listen to in the car when the time is right, but for now, I'm still single, and I'm still ok.</div>Mary Clydehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05932172015022089136noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768691709549507353.post-85218806934440095872020-09-03T10:28:00.009-05:002020-10-02T12:31:44.561-05:00What every teacher in 2020 wants you to know:<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>Dear Education Onlookers,</p><p>I'm a classroom teacher during 2020. I just started year 11, and it is unlike any school year I've ever had (and I've taught 5 different grade levels, in schools from one socioeconomic extreme to the other).<br />There are two scenarios that come to mind when I try to describe how each day feels. Scenario #1 - the circus performer with spinning plates. My school is on a 3 week rotation with kids, so at any given time, I've only got 1/3 of my kids with me in my classroom; the rest are joining class via livestream. So everyday I'm managing my classroom, running the livestream via my computer, filming a wide view of my classroom for the livestream with an iPad, and managing the livestream chat (on my phone) for those kids who don't have a mic on their device.<br />It might seem like a lot. It is.<br />It may even seem like overkill. It might be.<br />But it feels like the best way for my kids to feel the most connected to our classroom, and less like an outsider looking in.<br />Spinning plates.<br />Scenario #2 - The feeling of trying to explain how to "fix the tv" to someone over the phone. You all know what I'm talking about because you've been on the receiving end of, or you've made one of those phone calls. A button on the remote control gets pressed by accident and seemingly messes up everything on the tv, so someone else in the family (usually a child or grandchild) gets a phone call that goes something along the lines of, "Why won't my tv work?" So then, through the phone, the fixer tries to explain which button to press and make things go back to normal, but it's tricky without actually being there in person. "Did you push the button that says menu? What do you see now? Did that work?" and so on, and so forth.<br />That is what virtual teaching feels like.<br />I am constantly asking kids on my livestream if they can hear me, if they can see what I'm trying to show them, if my screen-share is working, etc.<br />To quote Jasmine and Aladdin, it's "a whole new world".<br />So please, dear Onlooker, be kind. Give your kid's teacher extra grace.<br />If they accidentally get marked as absent, send a kind email and just let the teacher know that you think that might have been a mistake. An absence can easily be changed in the attendance system.<br />If you don't think the work is rigorous enough, give it some time. We missed an entire 9-weeks of school at the end of last year, and we're all trying to figure out this new way of teaching. We're trying to review/reteach what was missed, all while we reinvent the wheel to stay on top of the curriculum for this year.<br />My school has an advantage because our students were used to working digitally even when we were in the classroom full time, but not every school is like that. There are some teachers who's students are logging into their school-issued email address for the first time ever. There are some teachers who's students are waiting for their parents to get off of work so that they can do their school work on the parent's smartphone because there is a backorder of Chromebooks, so the school won't be able to loan them one until they arrive in a month or two. Your child may be an iPad whiz, but the student who's supposed to be sitting next to them in class may have never touched one. Be kind.<br />And for the love, if you hear of a teacher / school who has requested that parents not be a part of the classroom digital meeting, please know that it is either out of respect for the privacy of your child's classmates, or simply out of respect for the teacher. Imagine how nerve-wracking it would be for a teacher (or other students) to have a parent sitting in their class, in person, during a lesson. The same applies to knowing a parent is sitting there listening to (and maybe analyzing) your every word during a livestream. It's not because we are being secretive, or we don't want parents to know what their child is being taught. It's just an attempt to preserve the feeling of being in class like normal.</p><p>All of that being said, and all things considered, this year is actually going really well so far! In fact, anytime someone has asked, "How's it going?!" I've responded with, "Honestly, really well!" The majority of my students have been so flexible, and dove in to this digital world head first right along with me! And honestly, the small groups setting isn't so bad. Yes, it's more work to have 2/3 of my class joining me digitally, but ask any teacher and they'll tell you, you can put the worst behaved kid in the school in a small group of 5 or 6, and their behavior will be dramatically improved! It's all about the ability to give more one-on-one attention.<br />Also, I am ALL caught up on my grading! This never happens. If you've ever lived with me, you know that I am a habitual 2-am-the-night-before-progress-reports grader. It's one of my worst flaws. Thanks to the digital teaching and learning platform we're all using this year, all of my things are auto-graded and synced to my online gradebook! It is amazing!! I'll be a Canvas devotee for the rest of my teaching days if that is the only perk I get out of it. </p>What I guess I want you to know, dear Education Onlooker, is that teachers are trying. Not just regular trying, but actually trying really hard. They chose this profession, not because they're lazy and want summer off, but because they enjoy it! So many teachers will tell you that their favorite part of the job is the relationships they have with their students. (Me! That's my favorite part!) We want to be "back to normal" but we also want to be safe. Yes, kids may be less susceptible to COVID-19, but their parents, grandparents, and neighbors aren't. So let's give some grace, have some understanding, and wear a dang mask. Over your nose.<br />And, Lord have mercy, stop posting your judgemental opinions and rants on Facebook unless you ACTUALLY know what you're talking about.<div><br /></div><div>Please and thank you,<br />Your friend, MC</div>Mary Clydehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05932172015022089136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768691709549507353.post-74795270668054809722017-09-27T12:19:00.000-05:002018-01-10T22:53:17.064-06:00The New Girl in Town (and other updates from Jax)Almost 2 months. I can't believe I've been in Jacksonville for almost 2 months already! You know what's funny? It's funny how quickly you forget what it looks like to be the new girl in town once you actually start making friends and having a social life. <br />
<a name='more'></a>It took a <i>while</i> in Nashville, and it was HARD, but once I made friends, I was good to go and I (almost) forgot about the loneliness of being new. I just need to keep reminding myself that the same thing will happen here. Y'all I have watched a LOT of Netflix. Apparently that's what you do when you don't have "everyday friends" yet. You know, everyday friends are the ones that you call and say, "I'm going to Target, wanna come?" or, "Let's go get a milkshake from Cookout," or "I need to clean out my closet, come sit on my bed and keep me company." I'm working on it, though. The other YoungLife peeps in the area have been my saving grace. They have been so good at inviting me to come over and watch football, or go to dinner, or... whatever. I am more thankful for them than they realize, and I'm trying to be just as good at saying "yes" to invites because sometimes laying in bed and watching your screensaver scroll through pictures and having a pity party sounds way better.<br />
Ok so how IS life, Mary Clyde? Well, it's actually been really good! Everything has been moving so fast! We had our first WyldLife (YL for middle school) club within 2 weeks of my moving here, and 84 kids showed up. I literally did nothing to contribute to that number, but it was pretty cool to see! It was also the first WyldLife club I'd <i>ever</i> been to and it was nuts, but in the best way. There are a bunch of high school kids that are already, or are interested in being WyldLife leaders and it's really exciting to get to build friendships with them while leading alongside them! We've also had our first 2 YoungLife clubs of the semester! They are so loud and so much fun!!<br />
Between moving here and now, I actually spent 2 consecutive weeks out of town. I know, leaving town for 2 weeks, 3 weeks after you move somewhere, isn't usually something that you would do. One of those weeks was technically a work trip. Every 10 years, the whole Florida Region goes to Trail West, one of YoungLife's camps in Colorado, for their fall staff time (usually they go to Southwind, the camp here in Florida). This was the 10th year, and we had a blast! It was really great to have the opportunity to travel with, and get to know, the rest of the people on YL staff here in Florida. The fact that Colorado is beautiful didn't hurt either. :) We stayed at Trail West, and had all of our meetings and stuff there, but we spent one of our days at Frontier Ranch since it's only about 20 minutes away. On the last day, we left Trail West in the morning and went to the YoungLife Service Center (HQ) for a tour and lunch. It was cool to get to meet the people behind tabs on the website or on the other side of a phone call!<br />
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Field trip to Frontier!</div>
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The first thing we did at Frontier was gather in Lookout to hear the story of Frontier and have some time to pray together as a staff.</div>
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Heading out for the hike at Frontier!</div>
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Florida YoungLife staff at the Service Center. I am so thankful to get to call this group of people my friends!!</div>
While we were in Colorado, Irma was swirling around in the Atlantic and making a beeline for Florida. We got home to lots of mandatory evacuations, so I repacked my suitcase the next day and headed home to NC. I was home for a week and was blown away at seeing, first hand, the flood and storm damage in Jacksonville. It's one thing to see it on the news, but it's totally different to see, and smell, it for yourself. I don't know if you know this, but flood damage smells really bad. Once the power came back, and life started back up again, we all just started playing catch-up. It finally feels like we've really got the ball rolling for the year and I'm thankful for all of the momentum we already have!<br />
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One thing I am STILL working on is fundraising. Part of my being on YL staff is a responsibility to fundraise $25,000 each year. In YoungLife we view donors as partners in ministry. Nothing that we do would be possible without them, and it's really cool for me to see the people from different aspects of my life that have already come alongside me in support of my ministry! Thanks to a handful of monthly donors, and several very generous one-time gifts, I have just passed the $12,000 mark in my fundraising!! I would love to add more monthly donors to my list, and right now I'm praying for 13 people to commit to $84 a month, which would make me hit my goal! (If you're interested in learning more about what I'm doing here in Jacksonville, <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BysGQGyHUpD-Mi1UVG8wQ1k3TFU/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">click here</a>. If you're interested in giving, <a href="https://giving.younglife.org/Views/dp/donate/controller.cfm?fundcodearea=Y342&ministry=area&isinhonordisplayed=1&honorfirstname=&honormemorialcode=&appealcode=&isrecurring=0&honorlastname=&fundcodeareadesc=MC%20Peacock&sponsoring=MaryClyde%20Peacock" target="_blank">click here</a>!)<br />
It really has been so cool to see how the Lord has already answered so many prayers since I've been here. I continue to find myself saying "It's been <i>too easy</i>!" which is just confirmation that I am exactly where I am called to be! Our YL team prayed for freshmen to come to club and be excited about YoungLife, and boy have the freshmen shown up! I prayed specifically for the opportunity to get to know girls from one school in particular, and all of a sudden I'm hanging out with 6 freshmen girls from that school pretty regularly. It's just fun to get to have a front row seat to watch the Lord work.<br />
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<br />Mary Clydehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05932172015022089136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768691709549507353.post-9443543990537887502017-09-04T06:00:00.000-05:002017-09-09T22:10:26.392-05:00Catching Up (part 2)The GRAND. OLE. OPRY.<br />
Y'all, my friend Terri is married to Todd, who is part of Lorrie Morgan's band. Every so often when Lorrie plays the Opry, Terri gets to go with Todd and hang out during the show. One night at the beginning of July, she texted me and said, "Hey! Want to go to the Opry with us this week?!" <br />
<a name='more'></a>Ummm, duh I want to go! Later that week, I saw a billboard that said the Oak Ridge Boys were playing the night we were going and I just about lost it. I grew up sitting at my Aunt Beverly's piano with her best friend, Joyce, singing "Elvira" (over and over again because we asked for it)! Our family's favorite Christmas album of all time is "Christmas" from the Oak Ridge Boys circa 1982. I was SO excited just at the chance to get to see them perform, but the possibility of meeting them was just nuts!<br />
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Terri said I should hold Todd's guitar and stand in front of the sign for the artists' entrance. I tried really hard NOT to feel like a poser!</div>
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In the center of the stage at the Opry is a circle that was part of the floor at the original Opry. It's where all of the performers stand while they sing. </div>
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Riders In The Sky - y'all they are <i>funny!</i> They are cowboy country to a tee and I loved getting to watch them perform and getting to meet them afterward! They're Terri's favorites.</div>
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Honestly, I don't watch Nashville. I <i>will</i> say that living in Nashville, you somehow keep up with the storyline of the show anyway - kind of like living in Wilmington when One Tree Hill was being filmed. I at least know enough to be excited about meeting Charles Esten (who everyone there referred to as "Chip"). He was extremely gracious with everyone that wanted to say hi and take a picture, even though he was being pulled in 10 different directions!</div>
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I totally have a crush on Jackie Lee. When he took the stage he said, "I'm Jackie Lee, and I'm not a girl," which is funny because I totally thought he was when I read the lineup for the night! He was SO nice. I mean, it doesn't hurt either that he is really cute. Also.... <b>listen to his music! </b>He is good.</div>
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Lorrie Morgan is one of those people that makes you feel like you've been best friends for years, 30 seconds after meeting her. She is down to earth, and kind, and welcoming, and everything else you would hope for! It was so fun getting to meet her and hang out backstage in her dressing room. I mean, who does that - just hangs out backstage at The Grand Ole Opry like it's an every day occurrence?! So cool.</div>
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The BEST hosts for the night!! Thanks, Terri and Todd!</div>
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Oh ya know, just casually standing side-stage with half of the OAK RIDGE BOYS watching whoever was on stage at the moment. No big deal.</div>
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I screamed and jumped up and down when they sang "Elvira". No kidding, not even a little bit. Just ask Terri.</div>
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This was the first time since moving to Nashville that I was in town for the 4th of July. Tyler and Amanda live downtown in an apartment overlooking the river, so I went to their place to watch the fireworks show!</div>
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The remaining members of the house on 20th Ave celebrating Lauren's birthday at Arrington Vineyards! Living with these girls was such an answer to prayer during my time in Nashville!!</div>
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At the end of July, I flew to Colorado to meet a group of high schoolers from Jacksonville and joined them on their trip to Wilderness Ranch! It was by far the hardest thing I've ever done physically, but we laughed SO MUCH during that week and I will forever be thankful for the friendships that were formed and the memories that were made on that trip!</div>
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At the peak of Mesa Mountain in the Rio Grande National Forest!</div>
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Almost 13,000 ft. above sea level!</div>
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Wilderness Ranch - Y'all, I think I fell in love with Colorado during this trip.</div>
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Our Nashville family, minus Stu and Amanda. After Wilderness, I went back to Nashville for a week before I moved. One night, we went to the LA Jackson for a belated birthday celebration + a second goodbye. I am so thankful for these people and what they meant to me during my time in Nashville, but also what they will mean to me forever. We truly became a family. I don't know what I would have done without them!</div>
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When people say, "What took you to Nashville?" my answer has always been, "Well, I wanted to do something different, and my best friend lived there so I figured, 'Why not?'" I still can't believe this friendship. I always wondered if I would have a "Julie" - my mom's best friend for the past 26 years, and the funniest thing is that "my Julie" is from Texas too! I don't know that I've ever clicked with someone so immediately, or that I would be able to live with anyone else in the world while we <i>shared a bed</i>! Actually, I don't know anyone else that, when they heard you were moving <b>tomorrow</b> and didn't have anywhere to live, would say, "Oh! Just stay with me until you figure it out!" We speak our own language, we show up to things either dressed alike or matching, and I'm convinced we can read each other's minds. I am so thankful that the Lord put Emily and me in each other's lives, but I am still trying to figure out why he now has us in cities that are 600 miles apart. How good is it, though, to have friends that make leaving somewhere so hard?! </div>
Mary Clydehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05932172015022089136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768691709549507353.post-929825086591942552017-08-31T14:17:00.001-05:002017-09-09T22:08:48.044-05:00Catching Up (part 1)Wow, a lot has happened since getting hired with YoungLife in Jacksonville and actually <i>arriving</i> in Florida! Here are the bullet points:<br />
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Some of my favorite people in Nashville, Stu and Taylor, got MARRIED! We all had so much fun celebrating and hanging out with their families (our adopted family) all weekend!</div>
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Matt Wertz visited my classroom and gave us a private concert - it was easily one of my favorite moments of my whole teaching career. (<a href="http://mcpeacock.blogspot.com/2017/05/classroom-concert.html" target="_blank">Read more about that here</a>.)</div>
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That night, I went with my friend Liz to Drew Holcomb's concert at the Ryman. Any show at the Ryman is incredible, but Drew (+ the Neighbors) knocked it out of the park! One of the best things about going to one of Drew's shows in Nashville is that Ellie almost always makes an appearance!</div>
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The NEXT DAY in Nashville was the Iroquois Steeplechase. I had been wanting to go ever since I moved to town, but it just hadn't happened. This year, my friends Lecia and Natalie were going and I ended up joining them at the last minute. I'm so glad I did! Check that one off the bucket list. :)</div>
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Needless to say, that weekend was a FULL one, but so much fun!!</div>
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For Memorial Day weekend, I flew to Washington D.C. so that I could join the bike trip crew for the first time in 3 years. Our very best friends from Texas came this year, along with the Wiggins, the Hughes, and the Johnsons. This was the first time in probably 15 years that all 7 of the Horvath/Peacock kids had been together at once, and we had so much fun laughing and catching up!</div>
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This is a recreation of the same pose that we did a couple of different times when the Horvath's came to Goldsboro to visit. I found the pictures in a box while I was home for Easter, and we decided that we <i>had</i> to do it again!</div>
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After the D.C. Bike Trip, I went back to North Carolina for about a week and a half, and got home to Nashville just in time for CMA fest and to see the Preds <i>almost</i> win the Stanley Cup!</div>
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CMA fest is so much fun, but it was SO HOT. OMG, I don't know how people go out there and stay all day. I was thankful I could take an Uber downtown for an hour and then go back home to the air-conditioning!</div>
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During the week after CMA Fest, Johnnyswim announced that they were doing a secret show in Nashville that coming Sunday. My friend, Jen, is married to their manager so I texted her and said, "Ok what do I need to do to get a ticket? Stand in line? Go to their website?" She said, "Actually, I'm going to try to get you a wristband, just come hang out with me!" I ended up spending most of that Sunday afternoon doing just that and I had such a great time. Johnnyswim always puts on a great show, but it was fun to get to spend some time with Jen outside of working together at school!</div>
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Some of Mallory's best friends were back in Nashville for the summer with the Sounds (the Triple A team for the Oakland A's) so it was fun getting to go to so many baseball games with Lindsey!</div>
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I am so glad that Haley was able to come visit at the end of June! I love being a tourist in my own town, and having Haley in town was such a fun excuse to do that! It was also a good excuse to do yoga (Haley) and handstands (me) in front of the Parthenon. :)</div>
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A couple of days after Haley went back to NC, Mary arrived! Having 2 of my best friends come to visit so close together was so much fun - it felt like I was on vacation too!! On Mary's first day in town, we went down to Broadway for lunch (which, in my opinion, is the <b>way to do it</b> because you avoid the insane crowds at night). We ended up sitting at the bar at Nudie's Honky Tonk for a couple of hours because the band was <i>that</i> good. They played everything and everyone there was having a blast!</div>
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<i>Stay tuned for part 2 of the summer coming later.</i></div>
Mary Clydehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05932172015022089136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768691709549507353.post-30470421390590360192017-05-17T05:00:00.001-05:002023-03-12T14:19:52.600-05:00Classroom ConcertI'm ending my teaching career with a BANG and officially going down as the best teacher ever, with an assist from Matt Wertz, that is.<br />
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Here's the thing... I've been listening to <a href="http://www.mattwertz.com/" target="_blank">Matt's music</a> since college, so I'm a fan, but living in Nashville, we've become friendly acquaintances. Emily and I ran into him and another friend one day at lunch after church, and in talking to them, I told Matt about<a href="http://mcpeacock.blogspot.com/2017/03/march-10-topfivefriday.html#more" target="_blank"> my class falling in love with his song "Slow Motion"</a> and becoming big fans of his. The whole time, everyone is going "Nuh uh!" "No way!" "That is so awesome!" and when I finished, Matt says, "Ok, so here's what I'm thinking: I should come out to your school and sing for your class. Could we do that??" "YES!" I said, "That would be so much fun!" We exchanged numbers and agreed to talk later and pick a date. That date finally arrived last Friday!<br />
I had been hinting at a big surprise all week, mostly to keep my kids' behavior in check, and by Friday I was about to burst from excitement. I knew that my kids were going to lose their minds, and I couldn't wait for that afternoon to hurry up and happen! <div style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Y'all, I can't say enough good things about this whole event. Matt was so kind and so gracious with my kids. He asked all of their names individually, and introduced himself to each of them. He let them ask questions for almost 30 minutes, <u>any</u> question, and answered all of them! He even let my silly boys talk him into singing "Row, Row, Row Your Boat". He was willing to sign an individual autograph for everyone (I said, "Hey, why don't you sign one to the class and I'll make copies.") and took pictures with everyone that asked. When we were getting ready to take a group picture, the kids were so excited to stand next to him that I'm pretty sure he got pushed up against the wall! It was <i>easily</i> the highlight of the year for my kids, and probably one of my favorite moments of my teaching career. I loved getting to see them so excited that he was there, and getting to see the awe on their faces when I told them that the whole thing had been Matt's idea. It was just so good, y'all. So, so good.</div>
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Mary Clydehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05932172015022089136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768691709549507353.post-16817132370937468052017-04-24T06:00:00.000-05:002017-04-24T10:31:25.011-05:00Here we go again... for the third time.<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Here we go again with the Talking Heads song, <i>Once In A Lifetime</i>. "And you may ask yourself, Well... how did I get here?"</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">After 2 years in Nashville with no involvement in Young Life, I started praying for the Lord to provide an opportunity for me to get back into the world of YL. Within the next 2 weeks, he answered that prayer in a big way!</span> (You can read about THAT, <a href="http://mcpeacock.blogspot.com/2016/03/neon-signs-and-flashing-lights.html" target="_blank">right here</a>.)</span><br />
One of the biggest things the Lord did, when he punted me back into Young Life, was putting me on a summer assignment, even though I'm not on staff! That happened something like this...<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">March 10, 2016</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> - Lindsay Hancock texts me and says, “When do you get out of school for the summer?” She proceeds to tell me that there are some work crew boss openings on their assignment at Southwind that summer, but she’ll check specifics and get back to me.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">March 16, 2016</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> - My friends Terri texts me and asks if I want to have an assignment at Southwind during session 1, my name was suggested by Bryan Hancock. I immediately say “YES!” and text Lindsay a screenshot of the conversation - “OMG this happened today!!”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">March 18, 2016</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> - I am officially on this assignment and I get a string of emails from our camp director.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">April 5-7, 2016</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> - Assigned Team training. Holy junk this is happening.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">May 20, 2016</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> - School is over, I have a teacher work day. I rush home from school, throw my bags in an <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Servers taking a much needed break from the dining hall!<br />
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UBER, and head to the airport. I’m headed to Florida for a month!</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">While I was at Southwind I said several times that I had felt more myself in the few weeks I was there, than I had in years. During the last few days, I made that comment during “chalk talk” one morning. Long story short, a guy on property staff had said something to me the night before that was along the lines of, “I think you need to quit teaching. You should be on Young Life staff, and it should be in Florida.” I laughed it off and teased him about being on the recruiting committee. The next afternoon, I was walking by and he stopped me and said, “Hey I heard what you said this morning.” I literally just looked at him and said, “Huh?!” He said, “You know, that stuff about feeling like your real self this summer. Here. In Florida. At Young Life camp. I’m just saying you need to think about going on staff here in the Florida region.” Fast forward to that night, I’m sitting in the empty dining hall with Debbie - our camp director - crying and recapping my conversation with Reid, and I don’t know <i>why</i> I’m crying. She says, “Mary Clyde, I think the Lord is speaking to you and he’s doing it through Reid.” </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">We left camp a couple of days later and I’m thinking, “Holy junk, do I need to pursue going on Young Life staff?”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Well, I really started praying about it. I had thought about it briefly from time to time since college, but had shrugged off the idea almost as quickly as I started thinking about it. This time felt different though. I knew I was coming off of a "mountain top" experience, and I didn't want to just jump into something just because I had a great time working at camp that summer. So I prayed about it, and didn't do much else. Toward the end of the summer, I realized that the desire to pursue going on Young Life staff wasn't going away. In the past, when I thought about going on staff, I always thought about it in terms of North Carolina. That never felt like the right thing, so I just brushed it off and kept going. This time, not only did the desire to be on staff stick around, but the idea of applying to the Florida region wouldn't go away either. I contacted my friend Eve who lives here in Nashville, just to get her opinion/advice on the idea. She told me that she is friends with Frank, the YL Florida Regional Director, and would introduce us via email. A few days later, she sent an email to both of us, and I responded just saying hi to Frank and that I would love to talk with him sometime about maybe going on staff in Florida.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">During the course of this school year, Frank and I talked a handful of times and, eventually, I filled out my application for staff. In March, he said that he would love for me to come down to Orlando and interview with the Florida Region. I ended up going down for a long weekend and got to hang out with Brittany and some Southwind friends. You can read about that <a href="http://mcpeacock.blogspot.com/2017/04/15-minutes-in-magic-kingdom.html" target="_blank">here</a>. That Monday, Brittany and I had breakfast and she dropped me off at my interview. (I felt like it was a <i>disaster</i>, but I'll tell you that story another time.) Later that week, I got a call from Frank and he said they'd affirmed me for YL staff in the Florida Region and that I'd hear back from him in a couple of weeks about where they wanted to place me! It didn't quite feel real yet because I didn't know where I was going, but I was one step closer to being on staff! As Lindsay said when I called her to tell her, "We've been dreaming of this for so long!"</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">At one point, Frank mentioned Jacksonville in our conversation and for some reason, I latched onto the idea of that city and really began to pray that the Lord would send me there. When I did hear back from Frank, he told me that they thought the Central Jacksonville area would be a great fit for me, and that I'd hear from someone in the area soon to set up a time for me to go down for an area interview. 2 weeks later, I found myself on an airplane on a Tuesday morning heading to Jacksonville, just liked I'd prayed! I was only there for about 36 hours, but I loved it. Everyone that I met was so friendly and made me feel so welcome! I knew I'd be visiting some of the high schools in the area and meeting with various committee members, and I fully expected to be totally overwhelmed, but it was just the opposite! It felt almost too easy - so natural and definitely like the right place for me! I got back from Jacksonville that Wednesday and on Thursday, the metro director, David, called to tell me that the board (committee) had voted that night and it was unanimous! They wanted me to move to Jacksonville!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Y'all! I can't believe it!! I'm setting off, AGAIN, for a new start, in a new city. (<a href="http://mcpeacock.blogspot.com/2010/07/mostly-about-coffee.html#more" target="_blank">City 1</a> and <a href="http://mcpeacock.blogspot.com/2014/08/carolina-you-will-have-to-forgive-me.html" target="_blank">City 2</a>) Only this time, I'm starting a new career as well. Starting in August, I'm going to be doing Young Life at 2 of the big private schools in the area and I am so excited!! </span></div>
Mary Clydehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05932172015022089136noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768691709549507353.post-49090845376522803592017-04-20T14:34:00.000-05:002017-04-24T10:27:50.098-05:0015 Minutes In The Magic KingdomHa! What a title! Let me tell you that story...<br />
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It's a well documented fact that I love a <a href="http://mcpeacock.blogspot.com/2010/03/march-in-nutshell.html" target="_blank">quick trip</a> to Florida in the spring. I used to go to Tampa to visit my grandparents at Spring Training for the Yankees <a href="http://mcpeacock.blogspot.com/2008/05/take-me-out-to-ball-game.html" target="_blank">every year</a> in college. This year, I went down to Florida for a long weekend, and even went to a spring training game, but it went a little differently than it ever had before.<br />
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In February, I took a long weekend and went down to Orlando to visit my friend Brittany and some of our friends who are on property staff at Southwind. Brittany and I shared a room last summer on assignment and had one of those, "Where have you been all my life?!" moments! She and I clicked instantly and have stayed great friends!! While I was in Orlando, she and I stayed with her good friend Lexi. Saturday night, we decided to go over to the Polynesian Village Resort because they've got a really cool bar/deck area, and we thought it would be fun to just go sit and hang out. Lexi's friend Elle came to hang out with us as well, and at one point we all started talking about the Magic Kingdom. The girls that live in the area all had passes, but I didn't and neither did our friend Kelly. Elle, who's something impressive with Disney Corporate says, "Well I've got passes for everyone, how much time do we have until the park closes?" It was 9:15 and the park closed at 10 that night! We left our credit cards with Lexi and Brittany (who were going to close our tabs for us) and Elle, Kelly, and I jumped on the monorail and took off for the Magic Kingdom! By the time we got there and got inside, it was 9:45. We had just enough time to walk down Main Street, take a bunch of silly pictures in front of Cinderella's Castle, and head back out! Let me just say, 15 minutes in the Magic Kingdom is still magical and definitely better than 15 minutes in almost any other place!! Once we left the Magic Kingdom, we decided that we'd rather walk across the street to The Contemporary Resort and catch the monorail there instead of waiting in the long lines. Well, when we got to The Contemporary, we decided to go up to the restaurant on the top floor (The California Grill) to have a drink and see the view of the park. As the elevator doors opened, we were met by a host who informed us that they were closed for the night. Bummer! We went <i>back</i> downstairs and found The Wave Lounge and hung out there for a little bit. Around 11:30 we were all tired and ready to go home, so we walked upstairs to where the monorail stop is, and THEY WERE CLOSED! The monorail wasn't running anymore for the night! So we headed back down to the front entrance and at one point I said, "Well, can't we just walk back to the Polynesian (where the car was)?" I got several "no's" and one, "Mary Clyde, you don't understand, the car is on the OTHER SIDE OF THE KINGDOM!" Hahaha #onlyatdisneyworld. We finally ended up getting an Uber for the 5 minute drive around the Magic Kingdom back to the Polynesian, just so we could get in the car and go home!<br />
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On Sunday, Brittany and I went to ESPN's Wide World of Sports complex to meet up with Beth and Sean and a couple of our other friends from Southwind. We went to a Brave's spring training game and had so much fun! It was honestly so great to hang out with friends from camp outside of camp. </div>
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My most recent quick-trip to the Sunshine State will definitely go down as one for the memory books. I loved getting to spend time with YL friends, and meet new friends along the way! And a little baseball thrown in the mix didn't hurt either!</div>
Mary Clydehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05932172015022089136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768691709549507353.post-41370971634541176902017-02-15T16:08:00.001-06:002017-04-20T14:35:20.832-05:003 Things We Can All Agree OnY'all know I'm a list maker, so today I came up with a mid-week list of things we can all agree on. With all of the <i>disagreement</i> that is filling up the news, and my Facebook feed, the first thing I think we can all agree on is that we have to find something we can all agree on. Let me offer a few suggestions...<br />
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<b>1) John Mayer.</b> Who doesn't like John Mayer? Even my dad, who listens to oldies and beach music almost exclusively, will get a John Mayer song stuck in his head every so often. Then we all listen to him walk around the house for 3 days singing, "Say what you need to say, say what you need to say..." over and over again.<br />
Let <i>me</i> just say that I am highly disappointed that Mr. Mayer is NOT making a Nashville stop on his upcoming tour, but I'll let it slide in hopes that there will be other tours and other opportunities to see him live. While I wait for that day, I'll be over here listening to my "John Mayer Faves" playlist. While I'm listening, I'll also be pretending I'm laying by the pool or on the beach with something cold in my cup. You can too if you want.<br />
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<b>2) Baseball season.</b> Spring training is officially underway y'all, and I could not be more excited! It's no secret that I love spring training more than the average person, but that isn't the point. Baseball season is just around the corner which also signals the start of warm weather, and eventually, SUMMER! I feel pretty positive we can ALL agree that this is exciting.<br />
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<span id="goog_1371646949"></span><span id="goog_1371646950"></span><b>3) Grown-ups should still go on a "spring break" every year.</b> By the time the end of winter rolls around everyone that I know is tired of the cold and the darkness and just ready for some sunshine. What better way to cure your winter dirge than by taking a trip to somewhere warm?? It doesn't even have to be anywhere super exciting or tropical, but I think if grown-ups had a getaway to look forward to while they're trudging through January, everyone would be in a much better mood! Personally, I've been <i>dying</i> to go to Hawaii lately. Granted, I've only spent a total of 9 hours touristing around Honolulu during a layover, but I've got a pretty good daydream going of what I'd like to do. I don't want to go do the whole resort thing. I want to rent a little cottage on Air BnB and go post up on the North Shore for about a month and just hang out.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dreams, y'all. {<a href="http://roverathome.com/vacation-rental-kauai-hawaii/" target="_blank">image via</a>}</td></tr>
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Are you noticing a pattern here? I'm clearly thinking a lot about sunshine and warm weather. So I guess the theme here is that if there is only <i>one</i> thing we can all agree on, it's SUMMER TIME! Happy Wednesday, y'all!!</div>
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What are some things <i>you</i> think we can all agree on? </div>
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<i>In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer.</i></div>
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<i>- Albert Camus</i></div>
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Mary Clydehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05932172015022089136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768691709549507353.post-76586741751530908352016-05-29T07:28:00.001-05:002017-04-20T14:36:23.735-05:00Southwind Week OneI'm one week in here on my first real assignment at Young Life camp and I am loving it. Everyone told me I would fall in love with Southwind, and I have to admit I was skeptical, but they were so right! This camp is so great and we are all having a friggin blast. The rest of the assigned team (and their families) have become like one big family already and it's been a long time since I've laughed as hard as I have this week. I think I've also been more of my <i>real</i> self during this past week than I have in years. I am truly in my natural habitat, guys.<br />
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I'm the dining hall boss, and I think we have the smallest group of servers in Young Life camping history — but they are killing it! We haven't had one late meal yet. (Excuse me while we brush the dirt off our shoulders.) The 10 girls that are in the dining hall are killing it and I already love them so much. I have said "teamwork makes the dream work" so many times in the last seven days that it has become the motto of the dining hall! (It started off as a joke.) I have encouraged them over and over to have grace with each other when they're tired, still working, and realize a table is missing a plate — and I have watched them do it! They absolutely nailed week one, and I couldn't be more proud. </div>
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I would love it if you would pray for continued grace and patience with each other (for me and the servers), for good communication between everyone here, and for friendships to continue to grow. We are having so much fun and my prayer is for that to continue and not fade away, for renewed energy each day because our bodies hurt all over and we are SO tired each night, and for all of us to not lose sight of why we are here and WHO we are serving. </div>
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The Work Crew and Summer Staff had a neon dance party last night to celebrate finishing week one. <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">We danced so hard, sweated a lot, and at some point I decided to go out into the hall and see if I could still do "the worm" (I could in high school). That was a bad decision. </span></div>
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Mary Clydehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05932172015022089136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768691709549507353.post-85242021192730778262016-03-29T06:42:00.000-05:002017-04-20T14:36:44.090-05:00Neon Signs and Flashing LightsYou can go ahead and add number 12 to the<a href="http://mcpeacock.blogspot.com/2016/02/the-people-you-meet-at-young-life-camp.html" target="_blank"> list of people</a> you meet at Young Life Camp because <i>I am</i> number 12: The girl who's not on staff but somehow still got herself onto this assigned-team anyway.<br />
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I AM GOING ON ASSIGNMENT!!! (Is that how you say it? Like, what do you say in that situation? Because every time I've said it I feel like I sound like a total tool. I mean, it's totally normal to say to a friend who is actually <b>on</b> Young Life staff, "Do y'all have an assignment this summer? Where is it?" I digress.)<br />
I'm freaking out in ALL KINDS of ways, y'all. I mean, holy junk. There seems to be a recurrence in my life of times I look around and hear that Talking Heads song in my head listing off all the places you may find yourself, "And you may ask yourself, well... how did I get here?" Let me fill you in...<br />
First of all, I apparently don't do well with the still-small-whispers from the Lord. Sometimes I think he probably wants to bop me on the forehead like the V8 commercials - I could probably write a whole 'nother post just about that. Anyway, I have a track record of needing a big neon sign to get my attention. (Remember that time I was so back and forth about staying in Australia or coming home? I'm pretty sure <i>that</i> sign had<a href="http://mcpeacock.blogspot.com/2010/12/is-anyone-even-still-interested-in-this_31.html" target="_blank"> blinking lights</a>.) Since I moved to Nashville, I think the Lord has been whispering to me that he wasn't finished using me in Young Life, but I basically ignored it. Honestly, I was intimidated/scared/convinced they wouldn't want me, all the things. When your entire experience in Young Life is in the same region, with the same people, for 14 years, it starts to feel really comfortable. Where the Tar Heel region feels like one big family, the Tennessee region felt like a state full of strangers. That was scary. Long story short, I ended up in a Bible study with some girls who are involved with/on staff with Young Life in various capacities. In hanging out with some of those friends recently, I ended up having a couple of "why aren't you involved with Young Life?" conversations, all at once, that I did not initiate. The Lord was starting to push me a little harder, but I still had so much fear holding me back. I knew I still wanted to be a Yong Life leader, and the fact that I had the same conversation with 3 different people over the span of 4 days was the neon sign I needed. I knew it wasn't by coincidence that it kept coming up, and I finally worked up the courage to do something about it. A couple of weeks ago I emailed one of the girls I'd met through Bible study, we had lunch, and holy junk now I'm a Young Life leader in Nashville. I went to my first club last night! (I also got yes ma'am'd by one of the leaders. Insert appropriate emoji.)<br />
In the midst of all of that, I got a text from Lindsay one morning that said, "Hey when is your school year over?" She explained that there were some openings on their summer assignment at Southwind and she needed to check into some things, but she would get back to me. Six days later I got a text from a Nashville-friend, Terri, that said, "Hey would you like to go to Southwind during session 1? You're name was suggested to be a part of that team." I'm not even kidding a little bit when I say that I have secretly hope something like this would happen for YEARS! I'm going to Southwind to be the Women's Work Crew Boss during session 1. WHAT?!?! I've gone from almost no YL in my life for almost 2 years, to all of this happening in the span of about 3 weeks. It's not a coincidence, and I am so glad the Lord sends me neon signs when I need them. Y'all, I'm so excited!!Mary Clydehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05932172015022089136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768691709549507353.post-68090628789443051542016-02-12T06:00:00.000-06:002017-04-20T14:37:09.731-05:00The Hot 29 Year Old, etc.This week there wasn't really a "Top 5" songs. It was more like a weekly "my iPod's on shuffle or I'm listening to the radio". Nevertheless, there are a handful of songs that I either keep coming back to while doing said iPod shuffling, or they just keep getting stuck in my head. Not complaining.<br />
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<b>1) Brand New - Ben Rector:</b> I dare you to not like this song. That is all.<br />
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<b>2) New Romantics - Taylor Swift:</b> Honestly, I don't know what's made this song be stuck in my head all week (specifically the "ahhahhhahhh-ah-ah-AHH!" part), but I don't hate it. Homegirl can straight write a hook. <i>And every day is like a battle, but every night with us is like a dream.</i> I feel you, Tay.<br />
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<b>3) Missing You - Tyler Hilton: </b>Yes, I know this isn't the original version. This version has sentimental value though - I'm looking at you Bekah Asselin. I don't remember what got us hooked on this song, but I'll never hear it and NOT think of driving around Wilmington singing it at the top of our lungs! Ahhhh.... memories. Sidenote: can someone get me a DeLorean STAT so I can go back and visit the glory days in Wilmington? Geez we had fun.<br />
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<b>4) Mexican Mavis - Boy & Bear:</b> I can't remember if I'd already fallen in love with Boy & Bear before I went to Sydney, or if it happened once I got there. Whenever it happened, I'm glad it did. This song (and their whole "With Emperor Antarctica" EP, really) is definitely a part of my "this song makes me think of Australia" playlist.<br />
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<b>5) The Adventure - Angels and Airwaves:</b> Speaking of good times in Wilmington... this is basically the theme song of the summer after my Senior year at UNCW. I had a burned CD with this song on it, and I don't think I ever made it to the other songs. I wore it and the Hillsong United: <i>United We Stand</i> album out that summer. I was taking 1st session summer school classes that summer because I needed more elective credits or something, and there was this really <i>really</i> cute guy that sat in front of me in Geography 101. I knew 3 things about him: his name was Brian, he was a Yankees fan, and he was 29. Naturally, he was referred to as "the hot 29 year old" all summer - dang that seemed so much older when I was 21. Anyway, I was crushing so hard and basically turned into a blubbering idiot anytime he tried to make small talk about the Yankees game the night before, or held the door for me on the way out of class. On the last day of class, I had finished my exam and had to drop something off across campus, which meant I left a different way than usual that day. I had this 5-speed VW Jetta and I thought I was suuuuuuch a bad-A because I could drive a stick. Well, I get to this intersection in the middle of campus and get ready to turn left when I SEE HIM! The hot-29-year-old is crossing the street on the other side of the intersection! I would probably never see him again in my life, so I decided to make a lasting impression - just not the one I'd hoped. I turned this song up as loud as it would go (because that was cool. Shut up.) and all of a sudden I CAN'T FIND THE GEAR! Oh my gosh. Talk about grind it 'till you find it. I basically rolled through the intersection at whatever speed first gear gets you up to, revving my engine and trying my very hardest to get my car in gear so that I can speed away because turning into a puddle like Alex Mack is not an option right now. Oh my Lord.<br />
The rest of the story is that later that night, my friend Andrea and I were having dinner with a bunch of friends, including our friend Brandon (also 29). I'm telling this story and he says, "Wait. His name is Brian? Brian <i>insert last name here</i>?"<br />
Me: "Ummmm.... I think?"<br />
Brandon: "Tall. Dark hair. Looks like a typical surfer?"<br />
Me: "Yeah."<br />
Brandon: "HAHAHA he's a good friend of mine! I cannot WAIT to tell him this." (Apparently all 29 year-olds in Wilmington are friends with each other.)<br />
Me: <i>Someone shoot me now, please. But also, give him my number!</i><br />
And again I say, Oh. My. Lord.Mary Clydehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05932172015022089136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768691709549507353.post-38643269380937754902016-02-01T06:00:00.000-06:002017-04-20T14:37:39.967-05:00The People You Meet At Young Life CampI've been involved with Young Life for the better part of 14 years, and have been to / worked at my fair share of camps. During all of the weekends/weeks/months spent at camp, I've realized that there are certain "characters" that show up every time, without fail. Let me introduce you to them... (this is not to be taken toooo seriously, but it is just true enough to be funny.)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">FRANNIE!!! #thelodgeonleslie</td></tr>
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1) <b>The Camp Musician</b> - The camp musician is the most sought-after person in camp. Yes, everyone comes to know and love the speaker and the program guys, but the person they really want to play frisbee-golf with is the musician. They could be a cool 26-year-old straight out of Nashville, or a 40-something dad of 3, it doesn't matter, they're the coolest guy in camp. (And for that week, a huge celeb.)<br />
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2) <b>The Work Crew boss who's barely hanging on</b> because it's week three and she hasn't left the laundry room in 4 days and she's <i>really trying to be all "OH BOY" and everything but someone please bring me a Cheerwine Slush!</i><br />
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3) <b>The Cute Program Guy</b> - There's always that one guy on program that all of the high-school girls fall in love with, and also try to set their single girl leader up with (especially if they've already tried and failed with the musician). And let's be honest, the single girl leaders have probably already had a conversation in a quiet corner of the leader lounge about both the cute musician and the cute program guy. I digress, the cute program guy is quite often playing the part of the villain for the week, which I think just adds to the allure because of the whole bad-boy thing. Also, the cute program guy usually seems to know that he's the cute program guy (reluctantly or not) which makes him avoid all contact with camper girls and single girl leaders at all costs.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Burnsville YL at Carolina Point - Summer 2015</td></tr>
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4) <b>The Camp Speaker</b> that learns almost every camper's name and a little bit about them every. single. week. HOW DOES HE DO THAT?!<br />
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5) <b>The program guy who's got a black-eye and a broken finger because he got a little too carried away with the Obstacle Course sell during week 2.</b> - I guarantee you all just thought of someone specific. I have a friend who was supposed to swing on a rope from the back of the stage and break through a giant paper screen at the end of the camp tour video, but something happened and he wound up flying face-first into the crowd. Instead of trying to catch him or break his fall, the sea of high schoolers parted and he landed on the floor. On his face. Whoops.<br />
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6) <b>The Good Looking Head-Leader and/or Good Looking Spouse</b> - These people get a separate category from the cute program guy because they're the ones that the campers spend all week trying to figure out who the heck they are. They might make an appearance in the dining hall for meals, in the back of the club room, or even at the pool, but since they aren't up front, they are a mystery to every high schooler that week.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Emily and Caroline Fontenot at SharpTop Cove this<br />
past summer (2015).</td></tr>
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7) <b><i>THAT </i>Girl Leader</b> - You know the one. She has all the appropriate YL Leader swag - Kavu cross-body bag (when I was in college, it was a MountainSmith fanny pack on steroids), chacos + chaco tan, 107 different colors of Nike running shorts, the cutest one-piece at the pool, a water bottle covered in YL stickers, a stainless steel coffee mug, an impressive stack of assorted bracelets, and a big giant DSLR camera with a neck strap she bought on Etsy. She's the first to volunteer for anything and you better believe she was in the "Example Group" during the square dance. All the other girl <br />
leaders kind of wish they were her, or at the very least wish they were her bestie because she's also probably friends with at least 3 people on the assigned team, which instantly makes her cool by association. You can most likely find her at the pool or the craft cart because she's just finished having some "really sweet time" with one of her girls over a milkshake from the snack bar or while browsing for earrings and t-shirts in the store. I've been that girl. I've also seen those girls and wished I was more like them. #ComparisonIsTheThiefOfJoy - or did you not see that written in her enviably incredible and pretty and cool and all the things handwriting on the front of her journal when she took it out to take notes during the leader meeting?<br />
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8) <b><i>THAT</i> Guy Leader</b> - He's basically the guy version of <i>that</i> girl. He's the effortlessly cool, chaco tanned, Kavu visor wearing guy doing backflips off the blob, encouraging any and everyone around him on the camp hike, and always talking his guys into wearing something ridiculous to meals. During the week his facial hair changes shape daily, at least one guy in his cabin goes home with a horrible mullet, and he somehow manages to get his arms around 5 high schools guys at once when they stand up at Say So. He's the first to volunteer to pray at leader meetings and all the single girl leaders have a crush on him too because "he's everything I've wanted in a guy - he's such a <i>spiritual leader</i>." He's done summer staff or been on assignment so many times he could run every ride single-handedly, while commandeering the pits, and leading music at club at the same time. All the other guy leaders either LOVE him, or roll their eyes when he walks by - either way, he's the star of entertainment night, goes harder than anyone during any all-camp game, and is probably best friends with everyone on program (even if they'd never met before that week).<br />
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9) <b>The Summer Staff guy who might as well be an intern.</b> You know. He's the one who's maybe a little bit older than the rest of the summer staff so he hangs mostly with the interns. OR he's the one who came for 1st session and you look at your watch and realize it's 3rd session and he never left. I did a summer staff double header once. I was that girl.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the girls from Summer Staff 2005 at Frontier!</td></tr>
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10) <b>The leader who didn't take away their high school friends' cell phones</b> and now the kids in your cabin are mad because they "saw someone on their phone by the smoke pit, so why can't we have ours?". Don't be that leader.<br />
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11) <b><i>THAT </i>Camper</b> - All you leaders know exactly who I'm talking about, and a kid's face might have even come to mind just now. <i>That</i> camper comes in many different forms. It could be the girl who spends the last 2 hours of free time every day primping for dinner, the guy that always has a posse of girls around him, the blob king, the kid who basically lives at the infirmary, the guy who's always got his guitar out on the porch of the dining hall, or the dance-off hero from club. There's always <i>that </i>kid, and while some of them may get on your everlasting nerves, at the end of the day you can't help but love them and cry the hardest when they stand-up at Say So because you're a Young Life leader and that's just what you do.<br />
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<b>Honorable Mentions:</b><br />
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- The Assigned-Team kids! Every girl in camp is on a first name basis with all 38 of them by the end of the week.<br />
- The kids that spend all week around the smoke pit. Blob? What blob?<br />
- The leader that spends all week napping in the leader lounge. Wait, I have to hang out with my high school friends? Nah... they're fine.<br />
- The leader who gets injured in the pool during their first 2 hours of even being at camp multiple years in a row. (I'm looking at you, Ben Johnson.)<br />
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There are so many other characters that show up to camp every summer, but these are some of the funniest (to me)! Did I leave anyone off the list? Do you know someone who is one of these characters, or have you been one yourself?? Tell me your thoughts in the comments!Mary Clydehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05932172015022089136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768691709549507353.post-71408834231340514622016-01-20T01:07:00.001-06:002017-04-20T14:39:40.202-05:00My FIRST Bachelor RecapThe other night I was giving my roommate's friends (who don't watch The Bachelor) a play-by-play of the episode from the previous night. One of them cut me off and said, "Oh my gosh, Mary Clyde! You should do video recaps or something!" They all agreed, so I took Lizzie McGuire's advice and thought, "Why not take a crazy chance?!"<br />
<a name='more'></a> It might be funny, but it really might not be. I'll tell you something I know for sure: I have NO video-making skills, I'm not NEARLY as technologically savvy as I thought I was, and it took me the better part of 4 hours to figure out how to trim THIRTY MINUTES of rambling down to 15 minutes, and then get it posted. Spoiler alert, I had to basically clear <u>everything</u> off my iPad. So here is my video recap of Ben's 3rd episode. Hopefully you like it! Let me know if you do because I'd hate to do another one when it's actually super annoying.<br />
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I should probably mention that I do NOT read any spoilers for any season of the show, and I don't really want you to try to be a smarty pants and tell me anyway because you think you're being funny. Please don't.</div>
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Mary Clydehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05932172015022089136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768691709549507353.post-21969258272941472452016-01-09T14:59:00.004-06:002017-04-20T14:40:01.339-05:003 Christmas Concerts & A Wedding<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguFPSnEBxuPkwYf7Modb8p4uttyfu7BZ0Yp9aqFuzaHxN8duX5Tuck31KSstfH84yBWpiekzOBLFz8G0-tQr3RQg7I7FE8_yCnIUdIkw_0LPc7xx_svHzZpod3as7iSXI0rZrN2fb-xyWb/s640/blogger-image-49834837.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguFPSnEBxuPkwYf7Modb8p4uttyfu7BZ0Yp9aqFuzaHxN8duX5Tuck31KSstfH84yBWpiekzOBLFz8G0-tQr3RQg7I7FE8_yCnIUdIkw_0LPc7xx_svHzZpod3as7iSXI0rZrN2fb-xyWb/s400/blogger-image-49834837.jpg" width="400" /></a>I have a confession. This year, I actually put off going home for Christmas. I wasn't in any hurry to leave town because Nashville at Christmas is FUN!</div>
First of all, there are Christmas concerts out the wazoo. I went to 3 of them.<br />
<a name='more'></a> I had really only intended to go to one, but then my friend Kaitlyn ended up with an extra ticket to Dave Barnes's Christmas show at the symphony. Here's the thing... it wasn't JUST a Dave Barnes show. He had a bunch of musician-friends come out and either sing a song on their own, or with him, but at one point Hillary Scott comes out on stage to sing and people like me try not to lose their chill. Like it was no big deal! I mean, I guess in this town everyone is connected to everybody else so that kind of thing is completely normal, but not to me. It was pretty freakin cool.<br />
Let me also say, Dave is hilarious (look him up on YouTube), so the concert felt more like 1/2 comedy show 1/2 concert. We laughed SO hard throughout the whole night.<br />
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Dave Barnes at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center<br />
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The second concert I went to was the very next Friday night. Last year I went to see Matt Wertz's Snow Globe Christmas concert. It was so much fun, so I decided I'd go again this year. My parents have his Christmas CD and can't get enough of it, so I called my mom to see if they'd want to come to town and go with me. She couldn't - she and Mal were in NYC for the weekend - but Dad could! My roommate, Natalie, went with us and we had so much fun! Matt's concerts are always fun, and when it was over Natalie said, "Ok, now I see why everyone wants to be his best friend." He makes the audience feel like they're all his best friends, and this concert was no different. Like Dave Barnes, Matt also brought out a couple of friends to sing - including Dave. At the end of the night, Matt, Dave, Brandon Heath, and Jon McLaughlin stood around a microphone and sang O Holy Night. It was incredible.</div>
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Matt Wertz at TPAC</div>
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Dad and me at the Governor's Mansion</div>
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Dad and I had so much fun doing all the touristy things while he was in town! He spent all day Friday in Franklin touring the Carnton Plantation and walking around downtown. On Saturday, we went to the Governor's mansion for the annual holiday open house. It was pretty cool to get to wander around there and see all of the decorations!</div>
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The third concert (third Friday night in a row) was a total gamble for me. It was one Natalie wanted to go to to celebrate her December birthday. A whole bunch of us went to the show that night, but apparently I was the only one that had no idea who were there to see. (Sorry Natalie! Haha!) Even while we waited for the show to start, I leaned over to Natalie's friend Matt and said, "Wait, what's this guy's name again? Is he good?" I shouldn't have doubted because it was one of the most fun concerts I've been to. I still have no idea who Mike Farris is, but he puts on a dang good show! Imagine the best party-band you've ever heard, multiply it by 100, and throw in some Christmas music. We sang, we danced, we had a blast!</div>
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Mike Farris at 3rd & Lindsley</div>
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The very next night (Saturday), our dear friends (and sweet neighbors) got married! Kathryn, the bride, lived on our side of the house and when she moved out to the other side, I moved in! I have loved getting to know her and Danny, and it was so fun to celebrate them at their wedding!</div>
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The girls of 20th Avenue<br />
MC, Sara, Kathryn, Lauren, Natalie<br />
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The NEXT night, the party continued. About a month ago, there was a discussion about starting a tradition of Christmas caroling with friends around 12 South. Emily organized it, and on Sunday night about 15 of us met at Mafioza's for dinner and then went caroling! It was fun and hilarious and I think we're all excited for this to become a yearly thing.<br />
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The remaining carolers at the end of the night.</div>
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The 12 South Christmas tree lot is one of my favorite things about this neighborhood at Christmas!</div>
<br />Mary Clydehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05932172015022089136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768691709549507353.post-30969610915679610692015-12-01T21:45:00.001-06:002017-04-20T14:40:10.912-05:00Who I'm Not, and Who I Am.I'm a storyteller. I've always heard that my stories are really great, but sometimes including <u>every</u> <u>single</u> <u>detail</u> isn't necessary. But I'm a storyteller. It's just who I am by nature, and it is what the focus of this blog used to be. Somewhere along the way I convinced myself that I needed to be more like the popular blogs that I love to read. I tried to be a lot of things that I'm not, and I basically just crashed an burned. Do I still get really excited about interior design/decor, accessories, and good recipes? Heck yeah! I might even throw some of that in the mix every so often, but I'm done trying to be "that" blogger because at the end of the day, I'm not a "blogger", I'm a storyteller. So let me tell you a story...<br />
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It took a little more than a year, but I FINALLY HAVE FRIENDS here in Nashville! Real friends. The kind that know your name (instead of re-meeting you eleventy million times), the kind that come up to you after church and say, "I knew you were sitting somewhere near me because I heard your laugh," (someone knows me well enough to recognize my laugh!), and the kind that just plain invite you to do things. I joined a Bible study a year ago and it has been the biggest blessing here in Nashville. It has definitely become a comfort zone for all of us that are a part of it. One thing I really prayed for when I moved was community, and this Bible study has really come through in providing that. I had such strong community in North Carolina, and it was a shock to my system to have only <u>one</u> person when I moved to Tennessee. Thank goodness Emily was that one person, and she has been so great at introducing me to, and sharing, her friends. Between her and Bible study I am finally starting to make some friends of my own! Who knew a lunch date, an invite to a party, or a text asking to join a birthday celebration would make me so giddy?! Y'all, you don't realize how much we take little things like that for-granted until you don't have them anymore. I sure am thankful.Mary Clydehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05932172015022089136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768691709549507353.post-61742966216336142762015-04-09T21:36:00.000-05:002017-04-20T14:40:28.948-05:00Chattanooga Easter<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Easter this year was the first time I've ever spent a major holiday not with my immediate family. I know what you're thinking: It's not like it was Christmas or anything. Yeah, ok, but Easter is still kind of a big one, and I've always lived close enough to home that I spent it with my parents. With the action happening on Sunday, and not having Monday off, traveling home just wasn't an option this year. Thank GOODNESS my cousin Jay, and his wife Emily, live in Chattanooga! I texted Emily about a month ago and invited myself to their house for the weekend, luckily we have that kind of relationship, and I have a standing invitation. :)</div>
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Jay and Emily have 3 girls (6 - <i>almost 7</i> - and under) and it is always so fun to be with them! They have been so great at being my home away from home since I've moved to Tennessee. One of the things I've heard about each time I've visited Chattanooga was Rock City Gardens. During the spring, Rock City does something called "Fairytale Nights" where everything is fairytale themed, and various fairytale characters are scattered throughout the gardens. Before the park opens for the theme night, they hold a tea party with Alice (in Wonderland) and the other princesses. Emily and I took the older girls and had such a fun time meeting the White Rabbit, Alice, the Fairy Godmother, and even Cinderella!</div>
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Elin has the most hilarious, and fiesty, personality! We laughed so hard when she told the Fairy Godmother, "I'm allergic to witches!"</div>
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The girls looked so cute in their new dresses on Easter Sunday! I am so thankful to have family here in Tennessee, and am even more thankful that our moms raised us to be close to our cousins - and not awkward strangers.<br />
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Mary Clydehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05932172015022089136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768691709549507353.post-15917363765398907672014-08-09T07:44:00.000-05:002017-04-20T14:40:37.296-05:00Language Barrier (of sorts) - part iiI made it through the week! It has been overwhelming, stressful, and super emotional - but I made it!<br />
While I was in Sydney, I was prepared for my southern accent and sayings to provide a bit of a language barrier, but I also learned quickly that <a href="http://mcpeacock.blogspot.com/2010/07/mostly-about-coffee.html" target="_blank">I don't speak coffee</a>. Who knew there would also be a language barrier here in Nashville?! Not me, that's for sure. There are 2 everyday things that I have said, that have garnered strange looks from Emily and friends. We'll call them "ENC-isms".<br />
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ENC-ism #1: I parked in the <b>parking deck</b>.<br />
Earlier this week, I met Emily and 2 of her girlfriends somewhere after school, and as we were leaving, Emily and I had a conversation that went a little something like this...<br />
E: <i>Mary Clyde, where did you park?</i><br />
MC: <i>I parked over there (pointing), in the parking deck.</i><br />
E: <i>Where?</i><br />
MC: <i>Right there (still pointing), in the parking deck.</i><br />
E: <i>Where?!</i><br />
MC: <i>The PARKING DECK.</i><br />
E: <i>I'm sorry what? I have know idea what you're saying right now.</i><br />
MC: <i>The PARKING DECK! You know, that building over there where you park your cars.</i><br />
E (and friends): <i>Oh my gosh! Are you talking about the parking GARAGE?! HAHAHAHA!!! What is a parking deck?! I have NEVER heard it called that before!</i><br />
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ENC-ism #2: I got <b>pulled</b> for speeding on the way over here.<br />
The next day, Emily and I were on our way to dinner, and I was commenting on the CRAZY drivers that live here in Nashville, when another language barrier interrupted our conversation. Here's how it went...<br />
MC: <i>I mean seriously, people here are crazy when they're driving! And NO ONE goes the speed limit!!</i><br />
E: <i>I know. It's insane.</i><br />
MC: <i>No really, I always struggle with 'Do I go the speed limit and get honked at for holding up traffic? Or do I go too fast, but keep up with traffic?'</i><br />
E: <i>I know.</i><br />
MC:<i> But then, if I keep up with traffic, I'm always nervous that I'm going to get pulled!</i><br />
E: <i>What?</i><br />
MC: <i>I'm scared I'm going to get pulled because I'm going too fast.</i><br />
E: <i>Like out of a hat? What does it mean when you get pulled?!</i><br />
MC: <i>PULLED OVER. By the Highway Patrol!</i><br />
E:<i> Ohhhhhhhhhhh HAHAHAHA!!!!!!! How do you KEEP saying these things that I've never even heard before?!</i><br />
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It's not even like it's just Emily either! When we got to dinner, she asked if they'd ever heard [insert ENC-ism] and they all burst out laughing when she explained! Seriously.<br />
Have you ever said something that you thought was completely normal, and gotten crazy looks for it?Mary Clydehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05932172015022089136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768691709549507353.post-84599873877466515672014-08-06T17:49:00.000-05:002017-04-20T14:40:49.463-05:00Now, this is the story...<i>all about how my life got flip-turned upside down, and I'd like to take a minute, just sit right there...</i><br />
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WHEW! What a whirlwind the past week has been!! This post is looooong, so I'll give you the abridged version FIRST, just in case you don't want to stick around for the rest: Apparently, I live in Nashville now.<br />
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If you've read this blog in the past 9 months, or had any sort of face-to-face interaction with me, you probably know that I have been hoping to move to Nashville for some time. I started applying for jobs & sending out resumes in the spring, and then had a long period of waiting and SILENCE. Then I got 2 "thanks, but no thanks" letters within a week, then more silence. Mid-July I decided that I should go to Nashville to try to meet some principals face-to-face, so I emailed a couple of principals who had recent (new) open position listings on their system's website. I got one very abrupt "the position is already filled" response, and more silence from the other. I decided I'd still come, but had resigned myself to the fact that it just wasn't going to happen. At midnight, the night before mom and I flew to Nashville, I emailed 7 more principals in a county nearby who all had open positions posted. Then, on Wednesday morning at 4:30, mom and I drove to RDU to catch our flight.<br />
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<i>Wednesday:</i><br />
Our flight to Nashville was broken into 2 parts, and when mom and I landed in Chicago, I turned on my phone to 2 voicemails from Emily saying (basically), "BJ just texted me. There is an open position at his new school. Apparently they're desperate," and, "Ok I just talked to BJ. They need a 5th grade Science and Social Studies teacher. He'll text me the info so you can email the principal ASAP." I called her back, she filled me in, and it was wheels-up to BNA.<br />
As soon as Mom and I got to our hotel in Nashville, I emailed the principal at BJ's school. Within an hour I got a response - she wanted to know if I could come in at 9:00 the next morning for an interview! THEN, I got a response from one of the principals I had emailed the night before - she wanted me to come in for an interview! I was going to both, but praying that the Lord would make my decision very CLEAR.<br />
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<i>Thursday:</i><br />
I went to the interview at BJ's school, had a great conversation with the principal and assistant principal, and was offered a job on the spot! They asked me if I had any other interviews, and I told them I did - I was actually heading there next. They said, "Oh darn! Well, they will probably like you just as much as we do, and will probably offer you a job too! Just let us know either way." I said I would, and was really hoping that I wouldn't like the other principal (or <i>something</i>) because I really thought this school was the one for me! I got to the other school, and after about 15 minutes of talking to the principal she said, "Well, I don't have an opening right now. I just wanted to meet you since you were in town this week." ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! Talk about a clear decision! Thank you Lord! I got back in the car, called the first school, and accepted the job! I then proceeded to cry for the <i>rest of the day</i> because HOLY JUNK I AM MOVING! Like RIGHT NOW! I was NOT mentally prepared for this. Or any other sort of prepared, for that matter.<br />
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<i>Friday:</i><br />
The principal at my new school reeaaaallllly wanted me to start work on Friday because "meet the teacher" was that night. Luckily, I had to be fingerprinted, background checked, and cleared by central office before I could go to work! Friday consisted of more tears because freaking out.<br />
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<i>Saturday:</i><br />
Mom and I flew back to RDU, and when we arrived in Goldsboro I immediately started packing. Ok that's a lie. Hadley and Bennett came over so I picked up Anna Bennett when they came through the door, and didn't put her down until it was time for them to go home. Then I started packing. Dad and I went to my storage unit and put all of my school stuff, and as many "teacher clothes" as I could put my hands on, in my car. I got most of my clothes packed in suitcases, and we headed over to MaMa's to spend the night. (Our house got struck my lightening and fried the AC units - that's a whole 'nother story.)<br />
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<i>Sunday</i>:<br />
We got my car packed the rest of the way, I cried a lot more, and Dad and I hit the road to drive to Nashville!<br />
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<i>Monday:</i><br />
I finally was able to get fingerprinted, go to the school, and get all of my school boxes out of my car and into my classroom. This didn't happen until about 2:30 though, so I really didn't even get that much done that day. I <i>did</i> get to meet some of the 5th grade team, and they were all SO nice!<br />
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<i>Tuesday / Wednesday:</i><br />
The past 2 days have been filled with meetings, with a little bit of time to work in my room. My head is SPINNING! Everyone keeps asking me if I'm OK, and all I can say is, "I will be for Friday. I'll figure the rest out later." Friday is the first day of school - a half day. OHMIGOSH. I'm freaking out.<br />
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Y'all. There are a few times in my life where I can see the Lord's hand SO clearly in a situation <i>while it's happening.</i> This is one of them. Of course there are tons of times where I see his hand hindsight, but it has been SO clear this past week! I mean, this job WASN'T EVEN POSTED ONLINE! I would never have known about it! It is so obvious that this is where the Lord has placed me, and I just have to have faith now that He will make the rest fall into place as well - because I'm currently homeless. (Thanks to Emily who is letting me be her temporary roommate!) My biggest prayers right now are for a living situation in which I'm not a gypsy, and that I would settle in to this school year smoothly. I am not a Science person. I'm not terrible at it, but it just isn't my strong suit like Social Studies is (and Reading was). I am praying for POSITIVE relationships with the parents of my students, and the ability to get things accomplished in a timely manner at school. (I know that expectations for teachers here are high, and I have heard that things can be a bit fast-paced.) Really though - I need a roommate, or roommates. I am praying for awesome girls who need someone to fill an empty spot!<br />
Thanks for sticking with me through this long post, and all of my talk about Nashville during the trying-to-get-here stage. And also, thanks to those of you who are praying for me, and alongside me!Mary Clydehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05932172015022089136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768691709549507353.post-79706209781008926062014-04-23T16:40:00.000-05:002017-04-20T14:41:37.277-05:00The Job HuntY'all, job searching outside your field of expertise is hard. I'm not 100% sure I want to stay in the classroom, so I've been searching for jobs in Nashville that <i>aren't</i> teaching jobs. Let me just tell ya, it's like taking not just one, but a whole bunch of shots in the dark.<br />
<a name='more'></a> I don't know how to look for non-teaching jobs. I don't even know what kind of non-teaching job I might want to do! I know that Vandy has a hospital school in the children's hospital, so that could be cool. I also would love to do something in social media. Or events. I love organizing events.<br />
I've Googled "best companies to work for in Nashville" and "jobs in Nashville", but that is SO overwhelming... so I'm trying to narrow it down. If you have any suggestions, send them my way! I felt like I was making really great strides, and then I just got stuck. I've sent in all of my paperwork for my Tennessee teaching license, but I'm still waiting to hear back. I applied for a job that I really wanted, (over confidently) thought it was mine to lose, and didn't even get an interview. What I did get was an email that said, "... after reviewing your information, we've decided to pursue other applicants." Ouch.<br />
Job hunt: 1 MC's ego: 0<br />
Ahhhh. Being stuck, with no idea how to get un-stuck, is not a fun place to be.<br />
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<br />Mary Clydehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05932172015022089136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768691709549507353.post-34568097271493027562014-02-03T21:55:00.000-06:002017-04-20T14:41:49.009-05:00My One Word: 2014"Do you trust me?"<br />
We've all said it. We've all heard someone else say it. Last week I heard "The Bachelor" say it to a girl who was FREAKING OUT as they stood on the edge of a bridge getting ready to bungee-jump off. How can her trust in<i> him </i>really insure her safety when she jumped? He wasn't the one that was going to catch her. He didn't connect the cords or fasten her harness. I'm willing to bet that date wasn't even his idea, but somehow her jumping off a bridge while she was strapped to him was going to illustrate trust in their relationship. I digress.<br />
<a href="http://myoneword.org/" target="_blank">My one word</a> for this year is<br />
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In the past I've had a tendency to try project something on my year with the words I've chosen. I've heard my friends say at the end of a year, "Man, I had no idea when I chose this word that God was going to REALLY do [such and such] in my life." This got me thinking. One year, my word was "love"<i>. </i>I said I chose it because I wanted to love others more, and love the Lord more, and love myself for who I was, and blah blah blah. What I secretly hoped was that by choosing the word love, God would make me fall in love WITH A BOY. I thought, "To be sure, if I choose the word love, God will bring love into my life. He has to!" Baaahahaha... Nope.<br />
Last year, I decided to skip the projections and just be real. I took a long hard look at myself and realized that what I really needed to focus on was SURRENDER. So many times my prayers sounded something like, "Lord, this is what <i>I</i> want to happen, so if you could just go along with my plan that would be great thanks." That needed to stop. During the course of 2013, I found myself in <b>constant</b> prayer. Not because the word <i>surrender</i> had made me more spiritual, or automatically closer to God - I just had to remind myself to surrender THAT often! It seemed like almost every thought that I had, I immediately had to say, "Lord, that's yours - I'm giving it to you," every thought, every desire, every situation, everyTHING. I'll tell you what, it made me realize how completely incapable I am of life without Him.<br />
As 2013 came to an end, and it was time to start praying about a new word for the new year, "trust" seemed like the obvious choice. Oh, but I fought it. I wanted to go back to the projection route. I wanted to pick "move" because I had a friend whose word was that last year, and she ended up actually moving to a new city. I thought, "I want to move, I should pick move as my word." I thought about trying "love" again. Really, MC? Really? Geez. The more I thought about words that would be more fun, the more I knew "trust" had to be my word. In all of the surrendering that I did last year, I found that I still had a really hard time <b>trusting</b>. You know how hindsight is always 20/20. I think I had to surrender the <u>same things</u> over and over again because I didn't really trust the Lord enough to fully surrender. I wanted the Lord to be in control, but I wanted it to be on my terms. I wanted to be a backseat driver. You know those license plates that say "If Jesus is your <i>co-pilot</i>, CHANGE SEATS"? I was just fine with the seating arrangement as it was thank you very much. I <b>wanted</b> to be able to fully surrender and trust God, but being the control-freak that I am, I just couldn't do it. I'm going to learn though.<br />
It's funny because now every time I read any verse in the Bible, I hear the Lord saying, "Trust me. Just do it. Look, I'm giving you <b>another</b> reason why you should!" You know what else is funny? Some of my very favorite verses, ones that I've loved for a long time, are <u>all of a sudden</u> SCREAMING at me with "TRUST ME!!" It's like God is smacking me on the forehead and saying, "DUH! I've been saying this all along! (Shoulda had a V8!)" Ok, ok Lord. I get it. My trust is a work in progress.<br />
But at least it's <b>in progress.</b>Mary Clydehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05932172015022089136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768691709549507353.post-73413267661949435512013-11-15T17:46:00.001-06:002017-04-20T14:44:47.146-05:00I'm single. It's ok.Where do I even begin with this one?? How about some facts:<br />
Fact #1 - I have never kissed a boy.<br />
Fact #2 - I am ok with fact #1.<br />
Fact #3 - I have never had a real boyfriend.<br />
Fact #4 - I've never been officially asked out on a date. (I've been on hangouts that turned out to be dates - in my book, at least - but no one's ever said, "Hey, let me take you out to dinner MC.")<br />
Fact #5 - I'm 28.<br />
Fact #6 - Facts 1 through 5 don't automatically put me in the <b>desperation</b> category.<br />
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2 stories:<br />
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There was a girl that we were all friends with in Wilmington that we categorized as being "on the hunt". Sweet, sweet girl, but desperate for a man in her life. Everything she did revolved around finding a husband, preparing for a husband, etc. She is now happily married (you go girl!) and no longer needs to be on the hunt. <i>(option 1)</i><br />
There was a girl that worked at the school I teach at before I moved there who was "older" (not really that much older than I am now) and single. People say that everyone thought she was a lesbian because she was single and older. She's also now happily married - to a man. <i>(option 2)</i><br />
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I tell you these stories because I sometimes wonder if people think one (or both) of these things about me. I would like to think that option 2 isn't discussed by people that know me well, because I <i>often</i> talk about guys that I think are good looking. I joke about multiple "so-and-so's" being my future husband. I HOPE that people don't think I'm option 2 just because I'm 28 and not dating anyone. If someone was interested, I might be as well! No one has shown any interest. That's not a plea for pity.<br />
That being said, let's talk about option 1. As I said, I'm 28 and not dating anyone. This statement does NOT make me on the hunt. I am not begging my friends to set me up with people, and I don't secretly try to envision a future together with every guy I meet. Yes, there are guys that I would totally date if they asked, and I have <i>sort of</i> jokingly said to mutual friends, "Hook a sista up!" but that's not quite the same. I feel like I don't have a whole lot of argument to back up my "I'm not on the hunt" statement than to just say it, and hope you believe me.<br />
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This post is not going quite how I had it planned out, but whatever. The point is that every time I meet, say hey to, or even look at a guy who's single, that doesn't mean I'm automatically interested. I am not the girl who's going to fall in love with every male that crosses my path. Let's go back to the facts at the top. Just because a boy has never kissed me doesn't mean you should feel sorry for me. Just because I've never had a real boyfriend doesn't make me a weirdo. These things used to really bother me, but they DON'T anymore. Honestly, it's kind of a blessing. Whoever I DO end up dating/marrying is going to seem (and be in real life) AWESOME because I won't have anything to compare him against. I don't have to worry about some other boy from the past "always having a piece of my heart" or "always having a special place in my heart". I don't want, and I'm sure my husband won't either, some other guy to have ANY place in my heart, much less a special one. I want the man I end up with to have my <b>whole</b> heart. And he will, thanks. Does it sometimes suck to be the token single girl in my hometown where just about everyone that I am friends with is married, engaged, or seriously dating? Yep. Does it mean I want you to feel sorry for me? Nope.<br />
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Fact #7 (just for fun) - I caught 4 bouquets in a row one wedding season. Obviously that myth just got debunked.Mary Clydehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05932172015022089136noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768691709549507353.post-79280560743309803952013-07-28T23:31:00.001-05:002017-04-20T14:45:20.633-05:00Denial is MORE than just a river in Egypt.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'm in denial.<br />
I'm currently experiencing the last 5 minutes of my mid-twenties. Yes. I count 27 as mid-twenties. And you would too if you were about to EXIT them!<br />
Ugh, 4 minutes left.<br />
Y'all. I cannot get older.<br />
3 minutes left.<br />
I'm freaking out. I feel like my life is slipping through my fingertips! I'm having a "like sands through the hourglass...." moment, and yes, I hear it in the deep voice from the beginning of Days Of Our Lives.<br />
2 minutes.<br />
WHY AM I WATCHING THE CLOCK?!?!?!?!<br />
1 minute.<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">OH MY GOSH</span> that minute went a lot quicker than the last one! 60. seconds. left.<br />
Midnight.<br />
28.<br />
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I feel like I just watched the ball drop on New Year's Eve. You know, where you watch and there's all this anticipation for a new year, and you went to some big party and drank champagne and blew noise makers and wore silly hats all night just WAITING for midnight. Then midnight hits and you realize nothing changed. The power didn't go out (unless you were at the McMillan's in Goldsboro when Y2k hit), you don't <i>feel</i> any different, and (bummer) the party's over.<br />
I'm 4 minutes into 28 and so far it's nothing different than 10 minutes ago when I was still 27. There is one thing though: I realize I've only got 2 years left of being in my twenties. I know, I know, "You're still young!" "You're just getting started in life!" "blah blah blah." I know all of that. And I know I'm being ridiculous. BUT I do think there is a stigma about getting old (thanks to pop-culture) just like there is about being "ugly" or "fat". I also think some of it is the Christian bubble that I (willingly and thankfully) live in. In the Christian bubble, all the girls are married by 24 and working on babies by 26 - for the most part. Outside of the Christian bubble I am at a perfectly "normal" place in my life for my age. I guess the question is "what is normal?" and the answer is (as far as I'm concerned) "there is no standard for normal." So THAT brings up the question of "how old is <i>old</i>?" I think the answer there is, "you're only as old as you act!" You thought I was gonna say "feel", didn't you? Nope. There are days that I feeeeeeel old, but it's only because I ran the day before and now I'm sore, or because one of my Young Life girls has no idea what I'm talking about when I make a Saved By The Bell reference, or when one of my students was born AFTER I'd already been in college for a year. So I don't think that someone is only as old as they feel because from my experience, how you feel is an ever-changing variable. I guess I'm playing counselor to myself and working out my own issues right now because in that perspective, I'm not old at ALL. I'm still a little freaked out at being 2 years from 30 (12 years from FORTY - AHHHH!!!), but I also know that I have (hopefully) a lot of life ahead of me.<br />
This is the part where I would normally do a re-cap of being 27, but nothing monumental happened during 27. If you think of anything, please leave a comment and remind me.<br />
Also boring? There are no fun facts about the number 28. There are lots of math facts, but since when have I thought math was fun?<br />
So there you are, 28 minutes of being 28. If you're only as old as you act, I'll never be old!<br />
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Did I just go through all 5 stages of grief in one post?!Mary Clydehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05932172015022089136noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768691709549507353.post-66986898395465843662013-07-24T21:27:00.002-05:002017-04-20T14:45:28.772-05:00#NASHVILLEbabyNASHVILLE<br />
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No more apologies for my slack blogging game over the last 3 years. THREE YEARS!?! I fell into the mindset that nothing blog-worthy was happening in my life, but I'm trying to get out of that. Slowly, but surely.<br />
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This past weekend I went to NASHVILLE! My friend Emily lives there, and for the past year has said, "When are you visiting?" or "You should just move here," repeatedly. Thanks to Egie and her Southwest companion pass, I finally got to go! I've really been praying a lot about my next steps in life, aka whether or not I am moving away from Goldsboro, and where. Nashville was on my radar, mostly because it is somewhere different (not North Carolina - that's a whole 'nother blog though), and I knew I could go into it already having a friend. Allow me to digress for just a second. When I was a junior in high school I reaaallllyy thought that I wanted to go to Appalachian State University after graduation. We've got a house in the mountains and I have always loved it there, so naturally, I thought it made so much sense for me to go to college in the mountains. One week while we were there the summer before my senior year, we were in Blowing Rock for the day and decided to drive through Appalachian's campus. My parents reminded me recently that during the entire ride I was silent (very unlike me) and when they asked what was wrong, all I said was, "I don't wanna go here," very matter-of-factly. I still can't put my finger on why. I love Boone and think App has a beautiful campus, but I just felt something inside me saying, "This is not where you are supposed to be." I know it was the Lord closing that door. Not slamming it shut, just gently closing it so that I could move forward in my college search. That is sort of how I approached this trip to Nashville. Before going I really prayed that if it wasn't the place for me, that the Lord would give me peace about it, but that he would let me know for sure. That is <u>not</u> what happened. If anything, he gave me a sense of peace about staying in Goldsboro for one more school year, then moving - which is what I had been thinking I would do all along. Gosh, it is so easy when the Lord "agrees" with the plans you make! I know people say "Make plans and God laughs," but I think if you are really seeking Him, the plans you "make" are guided by Him. It's hard to explain, and feel free to comment or disagree, but I feel like if I am faithfully pursuing a relationship with the Lord and really asking Him to guide my steps and "be a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path" He's going to. So I guess it's more like I'm just following Him rather than making plans for myself. Either way, I think Nashville is where he's leading me and I am so excited! There will be lots more posts about the logistics - housing, jobs, etc - and I will need any connections or suggestions you may have along with your prayers! For now, though, let me tell you about my weekend!<br />
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<i>**Everyone teases me about my stories being great, but taking FOR-EV-ER because I feel the need to share every. single. detail. I'll try to find a happy medium.</i><br />
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I fly standby. That being said, it is important to know that my travel plans can change multiple times before I actually arrive at my destination. This weekend was no exception. I was initially supposed to arrive in Nashville around 6:00 on Friday evening, which would give Emily time to get off work and get to the airport to pick me up. On Thursday night I talked to Egie and we realized the flights I was scheduled to be on were completely full. My better option was to get to Nashville at 1:30 in the afternoon. That was fine by me, but I knew Emily couldn't leave work early, so I texted her and told her I was totally fine hanging out in the airport until she got off of work. Remember, I spent 9 hours in BNA last summer so I am <i>well</i> acquainted with the place. She was with some friends when she got my message, and her friend Jake volunteered to come pick me up! See, this is what I love about Young Life. (Jake is a YL guy and is about to start a year-long internship at Sharptop. If you're there, tell him we're friends.) Another sidebar - once you are involved with Young Life you are immediately part of a family. Even if you've never met someone, once you figure out that you've got YL in common you've got an instant bond. So no, I didn't think it was weird at all that some guy I'd never even heard of was going to be waiting for me at the airport. Jake picked me up at the airport, we went to lunch with Emily, and he dropped me off at her house. That night we went to Edley's BBQ with some of Emily's friends, then Emily, Jake and I went to the Full Moon Pickin' Party with a friend of hers named Sarah, and a guy named Matt. Coincidentally, Matt and I did summer staff together, and spent the next school year weekend-wrangling together at Windy Gap. I hadn't seen him since college so that was such a fun surprise! The Pickin' Party is basically a huge blue-grass jam sesh that happens once a month at Percy Warner Park. If you bring a blue grass instrument you get in for $5, so obviously I carried a guitar - and promptly put it down. There is a stage with performances happening throughout the night, but there are also circles of 5-10 people just standing around jamming all around the party. It was so much fun.</div>
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<i>Pickin' Party</i></div>
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On Saturday morning, Emily and I had bagels with some of her girlfriends (they were so great) and then she drove me around Belle Meade. Belle Meade might be a town? Or just a section of Nashville? I don't know. This is what I do know: it is (one of the areas) where the fun-to-look-at mansions are. I mean, WOW! I love to drive around and look at houses anyway, but this was like nothing I've seen before. After that, we hung out at her house for a while and got ready for a birthday/going away party for some guys that she knows. One thing about this weekend that was so great was getting to meet so many of Emily's friends. I love going to visit places and getting the everyday I-live-here experience. We left the party and met up with friends for dinner and then went to Patterson House. I think Patterson House is kind of like a speakeasy in that it isn't marked so if you aren't looking for it, you probably wouldn't realize it was there. Also, they said it is a pretty good place for a celeb spotting. We had no luck in that department that night, but it was fun to just sit and hang out.</div>
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<i>MC and Emily at Patterson House</i></div>
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On Sunday, we went to church - and saw lots of friends again (I love that!). Afterward a big group of us went to lunch at a place called Taco Mamacita. Drake, one of Mallory's best friends from growing up (and one of my friends), lives in Nashville as well and we had been texting back and forth all weekend trying to make plans to get together. It finally worked out to have lunch on Sunday and I was so excited to see Drake and meet his NEW fiance Joanna. It was so good to catch up and hear their proposal story! Joanna is awesome (we all knew whoever ended up with Drake would be) and I am so excited to get to know her better and have another girlfriend in Nashville once I get there for good!</div>
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<i>Drake, Joanna, and MC - I'm so excited for the future Gurleys!</i></div>
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After lunch, it was time for me to get to the airport, but not before a drive down Music Row and Broadway. That was an experience! If Nashville had a Times Square area, it would be Broadway. Super touristy, but definitely cool to see! I was so sad to leave Nashville, and a little excited when I thought I might not get on my flight. I am so excited to begin the journey of trying to move my life there! I can't wait to keep y'all posted!!</div>
Mary Clydehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05932172015022089136noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768691709549507353.post-34234306174124995332013-01-23T19:59:00.004-06:002017-04-20T14:45:39.707-05:00Top 12 of 2012 (the final chapter)<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Old friends are new again.</b></span><br />
I had some pretty great girlfriends in high school. That being said, I have NOT been the greatest at keeping in touch over the past 10 years. We would facebook occasionally, and see each other randomly during holidays, but that was about it. Until THIS YEAR! There is a group of 5 of us that grew up in middle and high school together that now have a pretty regular group-text going and I am LOVING it! Some of them I have kept in better touch with than others, but I am so glad to have these girls back in my life! I am so glad that even after 10 years, I can still count them as some of close friends!! <br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Paddle Boarding</b></span><br />
In May, I was at Topsail Beach with Egie and Miranda and had the opportunity to learn how to paddle board! It was so much fun, and really is as easy as it looks!! (I've <a href="http://mcpeacock.blogspot.com/2012/06/sup-at-bbc.html" target="_blank">blogged</a> about this one already.)<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Tar Heel Football</b></span></div>
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I have a confession to make. I might like UNC football more than UNC basketball. I KNOW! Don't hate me. I still LOVE Tar Heel basketball SO MUCH, but I am just not an all-around basketball fan. I am, however, a BIG fan of college football.</div>
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I get the chance to go to a football game in Chapel Hill maybe once a year. We have never been season ticket holders, but we do have generous friends who are willing to share! This year was a little different though. I always <i>half</i> jokingly say, "If you ever have an extra ticket, or can't go, call me! I'll go!" I mean, if you don't put it out there, it will never happen. Right? Well, this year people actually took me up on that!! I got to go to several games, and they won each of them!! Maybe I'm a good luck charm and should be given a sideline pass?? Either way, this fall I had more college football fun than I've had since actually being <b>in</b> college!</div>
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This is at the whiteout game, and I laugh every time I see it because this is the ONLY time you will ever see this many people wearing white after labor day in the South.</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Christmas "Adam"</b></span><br />
Here in the DTG (Downtown Goldsboro) we refer to Christmas Eve Eve as Christmas Adam. This is the night when everyone we grew up with gets together to hang out. It's the <i>only</i> time of year that we are all in town at the same time. Usually, we end up hanging out at "The Pub" because it is literally the only hangout spot in town. The night before Thanksgiving we were doing just that, and everyone kept saying "Ahhhh it's so crowded!" "We are too old for this!" and "This would be so much more fun if we were just at someone's house!" I said, "Ok, I can fix that." So I invited everyone who heard about it to my house on Christmas Adam for a bonfire. I think literally everyone who heard about it came, and I loved it! We had such a good time hanging out and seeing people that we only see once a year!! I think it will have to become an annual event!<br />
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The <i>end</i> of the night - after almost everyone had already gone home.</div>
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That's it. My top 12 moments of 2012! Thanks for sticking with me!! I am so excited to finally be over my 2-year long case of blogger's-block, and can't wait to get back in the habit of keeping you all updated on my daily adventures! Whoop whoop, here we go! Buckle up.</div>
Mary Clydehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05932172015022089136noreply@blogger.com0