Because really, for her, life was so much simpler before we had The Toddler:

I write this one with the disclaimer that I’m going to have to take a break from these “friend posts”…I still have four or five more people I want to write about eventually, but 1) I don’t want to burn y’all out with the “You shoulda been there” stuff and 2) I have a TiVo full of programming that’s begging for my attention (it takes me a long time to write these posts – which is pretty pitiful considering, you know, the results). David said just a second ago that I’m so far behind on all my shows that I just need to give up on TV and wait for next season, but I am NOT a quitter, oh no I’m not.

All that being said, here goes:

7) Emma Kate – Now EK would tell you that the fact that she’s #7 is significant what with it being a holy number and all. By the way, David and I have had many laughs about what practical jokes I could play on EK when I finally wrote about her, with my favorite being his suggestion to say, “EK – y’all already know how sweet she is, so I don’t need to say anything else,” and then we would count the minutes until my phone rang and I heard EK saying, “Now, Missy, I’m not sure exactly what you have up your sleeve, but I’m not particularly fond of this little joke you’ve cooked up on the blog, and I suggest that you just head right back to the computer and try again.”

Because EK, you see, is SASSY. OH, she may fool some of y’all who mainly see her sweet side (which is very real and genuine), but Miss Thing is increasingly confident not only in her opinions but in her willingness to share them. After she had the twins she went through a year where she basically had no opinions and I got a little frustrated because it was hard to have a conversation with her. However, one day in April of ’03, she called me and said, “I haven’t been myself for the last year or so, but I’m back, and I want everyone to know it.” And the opinions, well, they’ve been a-flowin’ ever since.

EK and I met when we were freshmen in college – I have a vague memory of being at JC Garcia’s with her and our Chi O big sisters, but we didn’t really get to know each other until we were sophomores and were sort of thrown together as roommates second semester. I loved her to death before we lived together, but I didn’t really know her…I just knew that she was a really strong Christian, had very deep faith, and had never touched even a drop of alcohol in her life. I hadn’t, um, either, um, of course (ahem. a-HEM).

Most of you know that I grew up very, very Methodist, and EK grew up very, very Baptist. So while I had all these touchy-feely notions of God being all about grace and hope and peace and mercy, EK had a foundation of Bible drills, altar calls, and All-Powerful God (side note: growing up, I never heard the devil mentioned in a single sermon that I can recall. There was no talk of him in my hometown church, so to me the devil was sort of “the devil” – you know, the bad guy with horns, a pitchfork, and tail – but no kind of threat, really, because didn’t you hear the part about all the grace and hope and peace and mercy?). Anyway, I’ll never forget that EK and I talked on the phone over Christmas break, right before we were going to be roommates in January, and she told me this long story about a high school friend of hers who had an experience with some spiritual warfare and whatnot, and when I hung up the phone, I thought, “Okay, so that’s a WHOLE different perspective than what I’m used to…this living situation is going to be an eye-opener for me.”

I can honestly say that since that rainy January day when we moved into the Chi O house, the main thing that has been “eye-opening” is that EK has loved me unconditionally and selflessly. It caught me off-guard how openly EK encouraged me and looked after me and pretty much thought I was the cat’s pajamas…she would laugh at every thing I said, compliment me for no reason at all, and basically tell me how wonderful I was just because I liked to change my sheets every Monday. I’m a tad sarcastic, as most of you know, so EK’s pure encouragement – with no motive behind it at all, no hint of cynicism or irony – was a revelation to me.

EK, as long as I’ve known her, has never waivered in her faith. The verse in the Bible about “hold[ing] unswervingly to the faith you profess”? That’s EK. She has never, ever compromised. When we were roommates, she had a verse on the bulletin board above her bed that said, “For me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain,” and I used to wrestle with that verse a lot in my head (keep in mind that I didn’t have a very strong theological background). I just didn’t get it – I thought that the sentence structure was confusing – I mean, couldn’t Paul have been a little more clear? How were the Philippians ever supposed to know what he meant?

About two years ago, the meaning of that verse finally clicked with me (yes, we’re talking about ten years later, but I’ve never professed to be a wizard, people). For Christ to be really evident in our lives, we have to die to our selfish needs (um, DUH, you’re thinking, but I am SLOW, I tell you – SLOW). And as I thought back on EK’s example during college and the years that followed, that’s exactly what she did. There must have been a thousand times when she watched me and thought, “YOU STUPID, STUPID GIRL” – but she never said a word. She died to her need to say her piece (I have a much harder time with that, as y’all know)…she died to her need to set me straight or tell me a thing or nine…she died to her need for being out with the girls and never compromised by experimenting with the “fire water” :-) …she died to herself over and over again so that God would be glorified through her actions. I did NOT have that kind of spiritual maturity in college – but I was so blessed to live with someone who did. EK took care of the praying and let God take care of the convicting – and I’m still experiencing the harvest of that, almost 15 years later.

EK and I have propped each other up on many occasions…you name it, we’ve covered it. If I’m dealing with something that I can’t really talk about because the details are too private or because sharing those details might betray someone’s confidence, EK never presses…she just says, “I know this is hard for you” and manages to find something uplifting in the situation. She typically relates the situation to something from the Bible – usually a person in the Old Testament whose name I couldn’t pronounce if I had to – and she always, always sees the things that I’m missing.

It’s surprisingly hard for me to write about EK, because so much of what she and I talk about is not exactly stuff I can discuss on the interweb. We’ve had our share of goofy moments, for sure, but mostly we talk about Serious Things. EK is my “iron sharpens iron” friend, so we don’t spend a lot of time on trivial stuff – we generally jump into the Issues Pool and try to wade out of it together. There have been circumstances in her life, health-wise and otherwise, that have created some difficult situations over the last couple of years. In true EK fashion, though, her faith has only gotten stronger. She praises God regardless – and she continues to encourage me every step of the way.

Bottom line: EK is a forever friend. She’s the person you want sitting beside you when life is shaky. She’s the person you want praying for you when you don’t know what to do. It’s not that she has some magical, direct line to God – it’s just that she’s faithful. SO faithful. I’ve said before that “everybody needs an Emma Kate” – somebody who will love you and encourage you (and above all else, she will have the very best shoes and purses, and she won’t share them with you, so don’t even ask, because while she’s generous beyond measure with her prayers, she’ll snap your head right off if you mess with the merchandise).

I can’t wait to tell her children about…the time at the end of our senior year at State, when EK came back from a weekend visit to Centrifuge, and she looked at me and said, “I met the man I’m going to marry.” Lo and behold, just a little over a year later, she did. And he is wonderful. Wonderful. Also, David wants me to include one other little detail: for the longest time, EK believed that the lyrics to the theme song from The Love Boat were, “I said of course for adventure, your mind on a new romance,” and that is classic EK.

An excerpt from an email I got from Merritt last night:

“Well, I’ll be watching Survivor tonight at 7. Now that’s MY kinda show. The kids and S. love it, too. I’ve also been watching Survivor All-Stars reruns marathon on the OLN. Oh, I’ve been enjoying that every night for several hours. That was the whole Amber/Rob love affair fantango [emphasis mine]. They did end up getting married. Of course they’ll divorce as soon as the money runs out. I wish I could be on that show, but you know I”m not much into camping or doing without plumbing and food.”

And that is why I love her.

Reprinted without permission – I guess she’ll just have to sue me. Oh well. The laugh was worth it.

The bags under my eyes are so big right now that I could pack them and head to Europe for a good two weeks. Huge black circles…ever-so-attractive. I tried to use concealer on them this morning, but the concealer, it laughed at me and said, “I can do a lot, sister, but I can’t cover THOSE.” I have my glasses on so that hopefully others will not shriek and then grasp their chests in fear when they see my monstrous visage. It’s borderline comical. And yet horrific. I’m so versatile!

Anyhoo, I’ll be out of pocket for the rest of the day…cooking this afternoon and then going to a concert tonight (we’re so young and hip. Aren’t we young and hip? I think if I have to ask the answer is probably no and no). Very excited nonetheless about a chance to relax with The Husband and listen to some good music.

Details tomorrow…

My two cents, with a little help from Bubba:

Patrick Hall – I can’t even remember what he sang because David and I were so puzzled when the camera showed his friends in the audience after his performance. We had to pause the TiVo for a very long time as we tried to determine if the friend on the right was a man or a woman, and we finally decided that it was a man, albeit a man in drag, and the sheer volume of Restalyne and collagen in his / her lips was staggering. So I really have no memory at all of Patrick’s performance except that it wasn’t offensive. Bubba says he is reminiscent of Clay Aiken and “boring.”
David Radford – For the record, I am SO OVER these “crooners” who basically seem to be doing nothing more than an imitation of what they think a Rat Pack singer would sound like. I just felt like he was acting more than he was singing. Bubba says that he was “jumpy” and “shaky” like Paris.
Bucky Covington – Lynrd Skynrd (don’t know or care if I spelled that correctly) is not my thing. But I could’ve gotten past the song choice if he had been, you know, good. Bubba says, “Please somebody wash and cut his hair!”
Will Makar – The judges (and Bubba) think that he looks like Peter Brady. I think he looks like Fred Savage. Regardless, I think he’ll go far. I love “I Want You Back,” and while his version wasn’t original, he was entertaining. Cute little suburban boy – teenage girls will vote for him by the millions.
Jose “Sway” Penala – First of all, I object to any performer who has a nickname in quotation marks on pure principle. Pick a name and stick with it. Anyway, David and I SO did not get him. But the judges, save Simon, loved him. I agreed with Simon’s assessment that he was too “pimpy.” Bubba says that the only reason Paula liked him is because she wanted his hat.
Chris Daughtry – David and I like him a LOT. I just appreciate that he’s different and distinctive and talented. When I heard that he was singing Bon Jovi’s “Wanted: Dead or Alive,” I thought, “OH NO – that’s really unfortunate.” But it was good, actually. Bubba says it was a “three note” song (picky, picky). :-)
Gedeon McKinney – I just don’t think “Shout” is the way to go if you’re trying to establish yourself as a Serious Vocalist…it’s been done to death, you know? David and I didn’t really get it. It was, well, eh. Bubba likes him because he’s a Memphis boy. We’re all entitled to root for the home team, I reckon.
Kevin Covais – I watched his version of “One Last Cry” again this morning because it is truly one of the more bizarre performances I have ever seen. He never moved, just stood there glued to the stage and sang in his oddly-strong-but-nasal voice. I loved seeing his parents – they seem so proud of him, as well they should be. But I don’t think he’ll make it much longer. Bubba’s assessment: “Bless his heart.”
Elliott Yamin – Last night David and I didn’t really get him, but this morning I thought that maybe I was just sidetracked by All The Bacon. I watched him again, and I got it. Totally got it. He’s talented. He’ll make the finals for sure.
Bobby Bennett – Oh, Bobby. Oh, Bobby Bobby Bobby. See, if you make it to the round of 24 in AI, you really, really shouldn’t sing “Copacabana.” And you really, really shouldn’t wear a cheesy tuxedo. All I could think of was, “Ladies and gentlemen, Carnival Cruise Lines is proud to present the vocal stylings of Bobby Bennett!” I felt a little bit sorry for him. T-Riels emailed me this morning and said, “Two words: BOBBY BENNETT. What the…?????” Bubba’s comment: “Copa-ca-go-away!” I think he will.
Ace Cannon – He is handsome almost to the point of distraction, in my humble opinion. I was wary of him covering George Michael’s “Father Figure,” but it wasn’t bad at all. Like I told David, I’m curious to see if he can do anything beyond “smoldering” – if he’ll be able to cut it when other musical genres come into the picture. He’s in it for the long haul, though.
Taylor Hicks – How much do I love him? How much do I think he’s probably one of the nicest people in the universe? I was so nervous for him that I really couldn’t appreciate his performance of “Levon” the first time around (and I’m not sure it was the best song for him), but I’ve watched it a couple of times since, and good grief he’s talented. The judges loved him, too. Bubba hit the nail on the head re: Taylor’s only negative: “every time they showed him moving around on stage, all I could think of was Elaine dancing on Seinfeld.”

Should go: David Radford and Bobby Bennett
Will go: Bucky Covington and Bobby Bennett
Tonight: We find out who makes it to the round of 20.

Okay, I had really high hopes for all the posting I was going to get done tonight, but Alex had a bit of a run-in with a chair as he was trying to escape a bit of a run-in with the dog, and his forehead is now sporting a lovely blue-ish goose egg with a bright red center. I am sure most of you heard All The Screaming, as I am certain that people in some parts of Canada wondered, “Why do I hear a young child yelling at the top of his lungs? Could that be Alex in Alabama?”

Let me put it this way: he was so upset that I let him have a blueberry PopTart, Cheetos, and Sprite for supper. Grief-stricken, that’s what he was.

The next step in his recovery process was for Mama to play trains. I haven’t talked about Alex’s deep and abiding love of trains, but he is what you might call obsessed. So we went upstairs, and apparently getting down at eye level with the track made him feel much, much better.

Then we had some fun.

And if you look closely on the left side of his forehead, you will see the Frankenstein-ish bump that completely altered my evening plans. God love him.

After he finally went to bed, I fried lots of bacon for tomorrow and watched “American Idol,” and I have LOTS to say about that (AI, not bacon).

Stay tuned. Another friends post coming up in the next couple of days, too. Oh, EK…. :-)