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I really couldn't resist.

Chapter 5, Part one

Short this time, I know.

When Bel woke it was dark. Not the city kind of dark she was used to, where there was still enough light to see some things. No, this was an all encompassing, blotting out all hope kind of dark.

The only light is coming from the moon, reflecting from the water. Bel drug herself from the deep darkness and into the moonlight. The ocean was relatively calm and the stillness was almost eerie. It’s a little better out here, she thinks, but a wave of hopelessness crashed over her as she recalled her predicament. Here she was, stuck in the middle of the ocean for all she knew on an island that might as well be deserted, and all she had with her was this stupid purple t-shirt (okay, and her bathing suit underneath, but that didn’t help any either).

As Bel walked alongside the ocean, she thought about what she could do. How could any one person be expected to cope with this? Her only experience with anything like this was watching that movie Castaway, and even Tom Hanks had more supplies than she did. Surely, she thought, when morning came, there would be boats that would pass by and see her. There would have to be. That’s it, she thought, If I just make it to morning, someone will be here to rescue me.

R!!

City of Ember

It's been so long since I've written about boring, everyday stuff! So, last weekend, I was off Friday, and I went flying!! With Jason's Dad. We had gotten him a gift certificate for a flight at the airport near our place. It was a tiny plane, the interior was smaller than my car. You guys know how small my car is. It was fun, and it had been sooooo long since I had been in a plane that size. You know, come to think of it, last time I was in one that size may have been in Jr High, and I got to fly it. Not take off or land, or do barrel rolls or anything like that, just keep it in a straight line in the air. Then we went to lunch, and I went home. We gave my Dad the same gift, and he needs to get up there too!

That night we went to see Margaret Cho!!! Jason had bought me surprise tickets, and we were in the front row. I mean, you could touch the stage. She was really fun, but not really up Jason's alley, so he's the most amazing man for taking me.

The next day, I worked, blah. Then on Sunday, we tried the scary church and went to see City of Ember. I had really liked the book, and I was excited to see the movie, but sadly, it didn't live up to what I expected. Do they ever? Bill Murray was very good, and I really liked the actors who played Lina and Doon. I'd read reviews that didn't like Doon, but he'd never been a really likable character at that point. I think the movie could have really done better if they' spent more time developing the atmosphere and less time wit giant bugs and moles. Overall a give it 7 out of ten cans of hoarded pineapple.

The Great Wallace Church Search continues

Okay, so at least we can cross one off the list. We went to the other church close to us (geographically) yesterday. Wow. It was unlike anything either of us had been to before. I was really convinced that the preacher might bring out a box of snakes. Not for us, to say the least.

A big message I got was to dislike several groups of people. Jason disagrees, he didn't get that, so it may just be me. BUT the scripture he chose to preach on was a strange and hard to swallow, heavily interpreted verse. I'm not going to get into it, but it really didn't come off as a good message. I really want the church I choose to believe as I do, that I have all the love in the world to give others, and there's no reason to leave anyone out of that. I don't have to approve, or like what they do, but I don't have to hate them. So, other than that, here's the lowdown:

The congregation was about the same size as the first.

The congregation was about the same age (overall) as the first.

The building was even approximately the same size as the first.

This church did have what seemed to be a more active church life, based on the bulletin.

4 people came up to us before the service, all associate pastors of some kind, and asked us for detialed contact information. All of these people seemed less interested in meeting us, and more interested in upping attendance numbers.



The strangest thing, was, during part of the service when we greeted those around us, one woman came up to me and said "please come back". But she didn't say it in the tone of a welcome. Honestly, she sounded desperate.

We were trying to give each church three chances, but the message there was so off-putting that I think we're done there. On to the next! We'll go back to the first one and give it another try. Thanks guys for all of your great suggestions, and we're open to trying anything! Okay, maybe not a voodoo church (they have those, right?)

R!

The Great Wallace Church Search

Jason and I are looking for a church. Both of us grew up in church and since my father retired, neither of us really had a place to go. Lucky for us, the denominations we are familiar with are pretty similar. So, we're looking churches in both, and possibly outside our familiarity entirely. What we are looking for is a church that has:


An active church life i.e. groups, get togethers, non-Sunday things happening

People our age

A minister we like (duh)

A congregation who is nice (double duh)


So far, we went to a church right down the street from us. The minister was really nice, although he kind of scarily reminded me of my Dad, and the congregation was welcoming and nice. BUT everyone there was over 50 or under 5. There were maybe 2 other people there around our age. And, I didn't see a lot going on during the week. DOUBLE BUT, we're giving each church 3 chances. Maybe there are more people our age on other Sundays, and maybe I just didn't see the right bulletin board. So, we've got a few other places that look interesting, and we're starting as close to home as possible, just for a shorter drive. Wish us luck!

Internal Struggle

I'm having one. Jason and I live in a lovely little ( little being the operative word) half double. It's a great little place, good location, good landlord, big backyard, but, it isn't ours. If you've read from the beginning, you'll know that I did have a house, and I don't anymore (if you haven't read that look at posts tagged evil, and the big b). This brings me to my struggle and stress. We would like to buy a house, someday. Someday meaning in the next few years. With the economy going in a swirly pattern, I'm really concerned that this will be a real problem. We're working to pay off other debts, but we really don't have many. Just the cars, and one big student loan with my name on it( I worry about that one too). I may have found a forgiveness program for part of that, but I don't know yet. I'm just really worried that we won't ever be able to buy a house. I'm worried that this will de-rail the rest of our lives. I worry about it all the time. But then, sometimes, I get that little feeling, that maybe, just maybe things will work out and we'll be fine. I'm not at all sure though. We don't want a mansion, just a house. Something not in a subdivision. Something that has potential to be our family's home. And I feel sometimes, that through student loans and bad economy, it won't happen.

Chapter Four

I must have fallen asleep on the basement floor again, Bel thought. The grainy scrap from her sculpture scratched her face and arms. Mom’s going be mad that I made such a mess on the floor. I must have left the lights on too, but I don’t remember them being so bright! Bel was shocked awake in a second. She was lying on soft, tan sand, not her dirty basement floor. And that was no light, it was the sun! Guessing from its height, it must be close to noon. It all came back to her in a flash. The party, Jonathan’s assumptions, Brianne’s treachery. She had fallen from the boat, but they had been nowhere near an island, so where was she now? She couldn’t have swum there, she had never been any good at it, no matter how many times her father threw her into a lake.

Bel sat up slowly. She had to admit, the beach was beautiful, and, unfortunately, deserted. The water was a perfect turquoise blue, and she could see to the bottom for a long way out. Colorful fish darted between rocks and brilliant coral fans waved in the distance. The sand was indeed soft. The softest she’d ever felt between her toes. The beach stretched a long way both to her right and left. Behind her, there were large palm trees that grew into a thickly forested area. She could see nothing past those trees into the forest. Still, the sun shone down warmly, the waves made a beautiful sound and, if she hadn’t been insulted, ridiculed, and then thrown from a boat, she might have been glad to be there.

If she’d been asked what she would want on a deserted island, it wouldn’t have been her swimsuit and this damn purple t-shirt. She looked to her right and discovered on the sand beside her, a large leaf. On the leaf was a pile of slimy looking seaweed. Bel stuck her tongue out and got up. She kicked it onto the water, careful not to let any of it touch her foot. This place might look deserted, she thought, but through those trees there might be a road.

Sand burrs stabbed her in the toes as she made her way to the tree line. She wished she had some shoes, at least sandals. When she made it into the trees, no doubt, the ground would be rougher. Hopefully that road was right ahead. She made it to the trees, parted some brush, and stepped into the cool shade.

The forest was dense. Unlike any forest she had seen in girl scouts, vines grew thick through the tops of trees. At her level, there was very little room to move. Plants covered every space. The sunlight that filtered through the trees dappled leaves of every size shape and shade of green imaginable. Ants marched in single file over fallen branches. Bel took a few steps in, but she couldn’t see where she was putting her feet. Scared that she might step on something sharp or poisonous, she returned to the beach.

The sand that had been so soft just a minute earlier now seemed like hot coals on her feet. She ran to the water as fast as she could and didn’t stop until she was ankle deep in the cool blue. When it didn’t feel quite so much like she was standing on the stove, she backed up and sat down on the sand. With one foot in the water she massaged the burnt sole of the other. She switched and rubbed the other one. She collapsed backward onto the sand and blew out a long breath.

I’m completely screwed, she thought. I can’t make it through the forest, and it’s too hot to stay on the beach. She glanced up at the sun. Its rays were becoming stronger as the afternoon went on. She knew she would be even worse off if she let herself get sunburned on top of everything else. She decided to retreat to the shade at the back of the beach and think over what she was going to do.

In the shade, the cool, soft sand greeted her like the Egyptian cotton sheets on her bed at home. Just thinking about it made her tired. She tried not to go to sleep but in less than a minute she was out like a light.