My Comfortor, My All in All

Two nights ago, I was driving on the highway, sobbing.  I almost had to pull over on the shoulder because I couldn't see though my tears.  I began calling out to God in the middle of my drive to school, quite literally.  

For some reason, this Easter evening, leaving home was as hard as it had ever been.  As I pulled away, house in my rear view mirror, I felt like a freshman, watching my parents walk out the door the first time.  I was broken.  So I started talking.  

Sometimes, when prayer gets real serious, I have to pray out loud.  I must've talked for thirty minutes.  About how I felt lost.  How I was scared I was graduating.  How I didn't know what the next steps held.  How I felt alone even though I knew I was surrounded by people.  How I didn't know if I wanted this life I feel God is calling me to.  

In the end, I realized I just wanted comfort.  I wanted to know without a doubt God was there for me, that He would love me and be with me forever.  I knew it in my head, but I couldn't feel it in my heart.  

"God," I said, tears finally coming to and end, "I just want to feel you here.  Physically.  Like, I just need you to find some way to let me feel your arms around you.  Because I know they're there, but I just need that physical comfort."  

Twenty four hours later was a completely different story.  I was driving home from a meeting, beaming and smiling.  My joy was endless.  Honestly, I couldn't believe the love I had for my brothers and sisters in Christ.  Though it was my last leadership meeting for our college ministry, I was hopeful.  I am fully confident those of us who are graduating are leaving the ministry  in fully capable hands.  I smiled even bigger as I thought about how they had prayed over us.  

Then my mouth fell open in shock.  

At the end of the meeting, our pastor of college students called the four of us who were there that were planning to graduate to stand in the middle.  The rest of the group surrounded us and laid hands on us.  I was covered and held in the arms of  the people I loved, my brothers and sisters.  

And now, twenty minutes later, I was realized that those arms were also the arms of my God.  My Father.  My Comforter.  

He loved me.  He created me.  He heard me.  And He comforted me.  

I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God lives, He is alive today, and He is constantly courting my rebellious heart.  And I am thankful for it every day.  



If you'd like to hear more about what God has done for me, feel free to contact me in the comments below or at my facebook/twitter if you know me.  What can I do after such a joyful, personal experience but talk about it, ya know?  

The One With The Disappearing Claps?

"The One Where Monica Gets A Roommate"

I already really like this show.  Although I can't take some of the styles.  I mean really, Monica's hair and khaki pant suspenders?  Joey's hair?  No, no, nope.  It's weird.  It's too much.

I feel like now is a perfect time to start watching this show.  I'm getting ready to graduate from school, which means I am about to step into the "real world".  These characters are struggling to make it financially, emotionally, and relationally, a feeling that is all too painfully real.  I'm about to embark on the same quest.

I am quite jealous of their cute little "Central Perk" coffee shop.  I have always wanted to have a coffee shop hangout for my friends.

So far I love all of the main characters.  I loved where Chandler was telling the rest of them his weird dreams.  I, too, have a plethora of odd dreams that seem to come out of nowhere which I tell to my friends.  Phoebe is a good mix of cluelessness and sass.  Joey tries to help in his own way, but is totally unrealistic.  Ross is my favorite, since I almost always root for the underdog, and what's more of an underdog than being left by his ex-wife for a woman?  Monica's helpfulness is adorable, and Rachel's spoiled life with a good heart is enough to make me like her.  I'm definitely already loving the show (and totally shipping Ross/Rachel)



"The One with the Sonogram at the End"

Quick question as I start watching this episode: Don't Monica and Ross feel the least bit uncomfortable talking about such... adult activities with each other?  I mean, they are brother and sister.  AI just feel like it would be awkward.  At least Monica's hair isn't as big in this one.  

I love Monica's obsessive cleaning.  I've always wished I could be a stress cleaner.  Another favorite part of mine was the juxtoposition of having Rachel's encounter with her ex-fiance broken up by Ross's experience at the ultrasound.  It was a very interesting and effective way to tell both stories.  

The moment when Ross sees his baby though?  Priceless.  And worth watching the entire episode for.  



"The One with the Thumb"

Ok, I'm really digging the openings of all these episodes, hanging out in the coffee shop and loosely setting up the episode.  

Also, I came to the startling realization that there was no clapping in the intro!  I was eating a cookie and had my hands full, and just realized that I hadn't been clapping ALONG with the intro, I had been clapping OVER the nonexistent intro, while the characters clapped... weird. 

 I have to say, this was the first episode to cause me to laugh out loud.  When Monica was telling the others she was breaking up with Alan, it was hilarious.  I laughed a lot.  And then when they were all around the table commiserating together. It was perfect.  



"The One with George Stephanopoulos"

I don't know what this show is trying to do to me, but THIS TIME THERE WAS CLAPPING.  What the heck, Friends, what the heck!  I don't understand this show one little bit!

This show has a lot more... shall we say... "adult content" than I was expecting.  I know it's such a beloved TV show, and I can definitely see why, but I didn't know there would be so much about (as Ross said) "consummated physical relationships".  

Hahaha Ross just gets all the bad breaks.  He would be the one of the three guys to get injured at the hockey game!  Those games are vicious.  But what makes everything great is Chandler's reactions at everything.  He is possible the front runner for my favorite.  Well, I suppose Ross and Chandler are tied.  

I loved the juxtaposition of the girl's night in and the boy's night out.  It was very cute.  




The Stats

Favorite Episode: "The One with the Sonogram at the End".  I can't help it, I'm a sucker for a cute, sentimental ending to a hilarious episode!  

Favorite Character: Right now it's a tie between Ross and Chandler.  I love Chandlers snarky one-liners and hilarious attitude, but I just wanna give Ross a huge hug and tell him I'll be there for him!  

Episodes Watched: 4

Episodes to Go: 231

The One Where Kailyn Watches Friends

I have never been very good at creating habits.  Good ones or bad ones, it is next to impossible for me to intentionally incorporate anything into my daily or weekly routine.  I really have to work at it.  I suppose that's why blogging has been quite sporadic for me.  

One habit that was easily and quite unintentionally created was my tendency to turn to netflix in times of stress and boredom.  Netflix is my go-to for boredom busters.  One of my favorite things to do is find a TV show and binge-watch the entire thing in quick bursts.  I have been known to finish a 6 season show in about three months, all while keeping up with my studies.  I don't mean to brag, but I find myself quite talented.  

F.R.E.I.N.D.S. is one of those TV shows everyone has seen.  There are quintessential jokes and references that have incorporated themselves into cultural knowledge.  People constantly compare their own lives to their favorite scene or relationships.  I have heard a lot about smelly cat, a turkey dance, Chandler's unknown job, and spudnik, but I honestly have little concept of what all these things actually refer to.  

Yes.  I, Kailyn, have never seen Friends.  

Well, I will admit that I have seen around 10 episodes because my Roomie loves the show and watched episodes on DVD before bed our sophomore year.  But I had to make her explain a lot and the character arcs never quite made sense.  

Now that Netflix has all of friends online, however, and my parents let me watch shows on their account, I have decided to embark on a large endeavor.  To blog my first official viewing of Friends.  To share my discovery of the TV show with the internet.  

Why?  Because I thought it might be fun.  And I know so many of my friends love the show, it is easier to keep them all up to date at once. 

I am going to try and include 2-3 episodes per post, starting with one post a week.  We will see how this goes.  

So without further ado, I present:

Kailyn Watches Friends! (A Semi-Regular Series)