Don't idle

Today's go green tip is a big one for me. When I see people who start their cars on cold mornings and then go back in their house/apartment/etc, it drives me INSANE! Yes, I know it is cold, but we live in the SOUTH*! Unless you will be transporting an infant or a sick individual, there is just no need to do this. Your car will warm up soon enough, and you will be just fine. Trust me!

When I lived in my old apartment complex, I would marvel at one woman who would walk down three flights of stairs to start her car and would leave it running for a good 15 minutes or so. Really? It's just unnecessary people. While researching this subject, I came across this interesting bit of information. "Idling for long periods in cold weather can actually cause excessive engine wear," the EPA notes in a report. So, this practice is both bad for your car AND bad for the environment. And it wastes gas.

*If you are reading this and live in an extremely cold area of the world, then do what you want. For the Southerners out there who can't stomach the cold weather, TOO BAD! Be kind to Mother Earth and to your car and stop idling.

God's saving grace

Many of you know that I had the privilege of getting baptized on August 30th of this year. My friend and leader from my first globalX trip to Cape Town, Evan McLaughlin, baptized me, and it was one of the most memorable experiences of my life. The night was even more special because I know that my friends at Southpoint Church in Cape Town were watching as well despite the fact that was after midnight there. God's amazing grace has saved me and has changed my life forever.

Here is a link to watch my testimony and the video from my baptism. My prayer this holiday season is that you know that all things are possible in Christ (Philippians 4:13), and that the gift of Jesus is the only one that matters at the end of the day.

http://www.vimeo.com/6381394

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation;

the old has gone, the new has come!"

2 Corinthians 5:17

Hi, my name is...

"Hi. My name is..." At what age is it appropriate to start introducing yourself using both your first AND last name? Is this an age issue, or am I just weird? Wait, don't answer that. But really, when is it appropriate to use your first and last name when you are not in a professional setting? I've noticed that older adults always use both their full name regardless of where they are. I just feel strange using my full name at parties, bars, etc. It feels so formal and forced to add my last name. Why is this? Am I the only one who feels this way?

There's a scene in You've Got Mail where Meg Ryan addresses this issue. She ponders this stating something along the lines of a "whole generation of cocktail waitresses" who only use their first name. I mean, I don't think I'm Cher or Oprah or anything. I just don't always feel like throwing my last name onto my introduction. Besides, Elle has such a nice ring to it :)

For laughs :)

This basically sums up my life lately.

"It is more blessed to give than to receive."

Still struggling to figure out what to buy someone this year for Christmas? Why not go green and help a worthwhile cause at the same time? Consider making a donation to a charity in honor or in memory of someone. You will save time, gas, and gift wrapping supplies. If your loved one is an animal lover, you could make a donation to an animal shelter where they live. If they are passionate about the environment, you could make a donation to an organization such as the National Wildlife Federation (http://www.nwf.org/) or to the Sierra Club (http://www.sierraclub.org/). Has someone in your loved one's family suffered from cancer? Think about making a donation to the American Cancer Society (https://www.cancer.org/aspx/Donation/DON_1_Donate_Online_Now.aspx?from=hpglobal) in their honor. Or, you can pool your family's funds together and adopt a family. Trust me, all parties involved will benefit from doing so. You won't even miss the gifts. "It is more blessed to give than to receive." (Acts 20:35)

Let's all make a conscious effort to walk away from giving hordes of gifts this year just because it's what most people do at Christmas. Money is tight for all of us right now, so let's give a gift that matters and helps others. We are all blessed in different ways, so let's share our blessings with each other...I think that is what Christmas is all about. When it's all said and done, all we have is the eternal gift of God's amazing Grace and the love we have for each other.

That's a wrap!

As Christmas gets closer and closer, many of us are already starting to wrap gifts. Today's go green tip focuses on gift wrapping. Let's get creative this year! Wrap up a gift in your favorite magazine cover or a scarf that is part of the gift. If you prefer to use gift bags like I do, re-use them. It pains me when I see people throw away perfectly good gift bags. You can also re-use tissue paper and other wrapping materials. If all else fails, go classic and wrap your gifts in newspaper.

However, let's keep in mind that the best gift of all cannot be wrapped...love. Happy wrapping!

Is time ever really on our side?

Is time ever really on our side? I had to renew my driver's license on Friday, and the concept of time has been on my mind since then. My new license will not expire until December 31, 2014-on my 34th birthday. I pondered this thought the whole drive home...where will I be five years from now? Will I be married? Will I have any children? Where will I be working? Will I be living out my dream of residing in New York City? All of these thoughts and more have been forefront in my mind since my time at the DMV two days ago.

In life, it seems like time is never on our side. When we are little, we want to be older. Once we are older, we want to be (or at least look) younger. I remember being 15 and thinking that my 16th birthday would never come. The song "Long December" by Counting Crows epitomized my seemingly endless wait for my birthday to arrive, so I could finally get my driver's license. Now, the 31st of December seems to arrive at an increasingly quickening pace each year.

While I look forward to what the future brings, sometimes I wish that I could pause time and stay at 28 for the rest of my life. Or, at the very least, I wish that I could always have an extra five minutes, so that I wasn't perpetually running five minutes late. However, it seems that the young will always want to be older, and the older will wish they were younger. Little girls will want to cast their dolls aside for makeup and boys, and adult women will apply their eye cream, face tightening serum, and other anti-aging products in haste. I guess the secret is finding contentment regardless of what stage you are in life. For now, I relish the day when time will be on my side.