To Writers

I went and bought Shauna Niequist’s book, Bittersweet, yesterday on my way home from work and I knew that A) I was tired B) I did not feel like being social and C) Those close to me would appreciate me more if I was not social tonight. Life has been pretty jammed packed lately and I have had little to no time to just lie down. I like life crazy, but I do think everyone needs a night to be alone and be allowed to feel cranky. Being the kind person that I am, I figured I would allow myself to be cranky alone as opposed to making someone else annoyed and miserable (sorry :( hah). So, I bought the book that I have been waiting for. Shauna wrote the book Cold Tangerines which was given to me as a Christmas gift two years ago. I finished the book in two days.

As I began to read her new creation, in hopes of maybe falling into a deep, wonderful sleep, my mind just went bonkers. I am currently on page 18. I should be on page 52, but with each word I read, I somehow am able to transfer her situation to my life.

Plain and simple – I love to write. I don’t just love to write, I can’t stop writing. As crazy as it may seem, my mind just pieces words together all the time. In fact, some of my most beautiful work has been constructed either while I was in the shower or in the middle of the night. When I read good books, such as this one, I almost can’t stand the fact that the author’s words aren’t my words. That is why I am writing this thing here; my mind was not allowing itself to relax and enjoy someone else’s words. I think that is the beauty of language, though. The fact that one writer can inspire another, and then that writer will inspire another, and the cycle continues. I would say that the mark of a good writer is one who makes their reader think upon every word, and days after leaves them still lingering on their story. If I could give a one word definition for writing it would be to inspire. Inspire the reader to think, reflect, remember, look forward to, question, picture, and hope for something. And tonight as I was reading Shauna’s words, I felt that inspiration.

I am going to say point blank here that this post has no true meaning at first glance. This post is a product of my simple love of words.

You may not know that I write everyday. Some of it is good, some of it is amazing, and some of it is crap. I have a folder on my computer entitled “crap” for all of those paragraphs that are jumbled and pointless. However, I was taught from a young age that no writing is pointless and to save every draft you ever write. So, Mr. Tower, just so you know, I am saving every word. Some of what I write is just random thoughts, much like blog posts. Some of them are beginnings of stories. I can’t tell you how many beginnings I have here. Just the other day I was jogging in the park when I kept noticing something interesting. An idea of a great story popped into my head, and in between my shower and getting ready to go out for dinner I jotted down a new beginning to a story. The next day I was not feeling so passionate about it so it did not get very far. You may also not know that this next paragraph below, I actually wrote last winter:

You see, I have always wanted to be a writer. Ever since I was a child. In the winter I would dream up in my mind wonderful family stories about Christmas, and in the summer I would dream up romantic and beautiful love stories that would take place at a cottage. I had these ideas and inspirations of getting old enough when I could actually write about a couple kissing without it being too weird. I thought that when I turned 18 that would be the age when writing a great American novel about love, sacrifice, and friendship with the occasional kissing scene would be totally acceptable. Writing about falling in love would be fine. When I turned 18, however, I thought, “No, maybe when I am 22.” I am not exactly sure what I am afraid of. I guess I know that the stories within a novel are stories that in someway was lived out by the author. I only know this because any of the short stories I have ever written have been based off my life. Why on earth would I want my parents to be reading my novel and come to the romantic parts and have to think of me? We all know that great words are products of experience, right?

See, I told you I save everything, good or bad. What I wrote above is still true to me today. There is something scary about writing, and I can say this in 100% honesty: every writer has in some way experienced the events they wrote in their novels. Maybe they did not live it out, but their lives were in some way touched by the happenings in their words. For so long I wondered why Nicholas Sparks wrote such tragic stories. I finally looked it up and found that his sister had died. He actually wrote A Walk to Remember in honor of her. Read his novels and you will see that he always includes a tragedy with a bittersweet ending. An event from his life led to his works. That is also why writing is so beautiful; words are so raw and so personal. That is also why the sharing of the writing part can be so hard – it really is like giving someone a peak into your soul. Both beautiful and daunting.

In high school and in my college communication courses, we had to write several stories and articles. Always in them there is something I have pulled from my own life. I can probably even tell you where I was when I wrote some of my articles and what major event was going on in my life that caused me to write those particular words. That is how meaningful they are. And, between you and me, I hope that someday I will be able to write a great novel or a great book. Before that happens, though, I think I am going to keep taking note on some of the really great writers and keep writing about the everyday adventures that keep my life interesting. I encourage you to use words, or even just to read more of them. Books are powerful tools, and the writers behind the books even more so.

So in ode to those who have inspired me, I would like to share with you these great authors and their stories:

1. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith. If you are a girl, this is a must. An incredible story of growing up, change, tragedy, and love. Seriously amazing.
2. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. Beautiful story about family. I was forced to read this my senior year of high school, but it actually ended up impacting me greatly.
3. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. I remember reading this novel in a car during a family road trip. It brings back good memories but the author uses some of the best language I have ever heard.
4. Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares. The best series about true friendship, and some of the best beach reading material my friends and I have ever had.
5. The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. He is hands down one of the most talented writers I have ever read.
6. Cold Tangerines by Shauna Niequist. One of the most honest and thought provoking books, in which I read in 2 days.
7. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. I love how the author writes from the perspective of a small girl. Genius.
8. In A Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson. A book all about the author’s travels to Australia. I read this a month before I myself had my adventure in Australia. This book inspired me to write several articles on my trip, which to this day, I still consider some of my best work.
9. Suzanne’s Diary For Nicholas by James Patterson. I believe I cried the entire time I was reading this novel, but it is so precious.
10. Trade Wind by M.M. Kaye. The largest book I have ever read. You may not think it would be good, but this novel kept me up at night. It is an incredible adventure of living in Africa and is one that every girl who plans on traveling to a foreign country needs to read to get inspired.
11. The Winter of the Red Snow by Kristiana Gregory. I read this in fifth grade for a book report. I mean, how amazing is the title? It is all about the Revolutionary war, and the title describes how the soldiers’ feet bled so much during the winter because of little supply that their feet bled leaving red snow behind. I clearly learned a lot as a ten year old from this book. When I have kids someday I am forcing them to enjoy Dear America diaries.

So, to every author in the above list, and the authors I did not mention, thank you for the years and words of inspiration.

Be Bright. Be Brief. Be Gone.

I first saw these words when I was a little girl. In fact, I remember the moment so clearly. I was sitting in my aunt’s closet helping her fold laundry and a t-shirt that said “Be Bright. Be Brief. Be Gone.” on it appeared. I was in first grade so I was really into reading any word that came my way. As I sat there trying to read the t-shirt my aunt began to explain what it meant. It was all about presentations and how you present yourself as a speaker. Even though I was just six years old I remember that moment and her explanation of what made a speaker become a leader. There was something intriguing about giving a presentation and from that moment I decided that I wanted to do whatever it was my aunt was doing to get t-shirts like that. Speaking seemed like something fun. I remember as a little girl playing in my basement pretending to give these great speeches that everyone in the world applauded at. I thought that someday, I would speak professionally to a group of people.

Did I think it would actually happen? Of course. My family has always said that I can make anything happen that I want to. Did I think I would be 21 and giving a presentation to an entire Human Resources department? No, not exactly; I never thought that at such a young age I would have an experience like this. That is where I am, though, and I am very excited that tomorrow I do have an opportunity to give a presentation to the Human Resources department. Tomorrow 60 people will have their eyes focused on me and what I have to say. Scary? Yeah, it would be ridiculous to say that there aren’t nerves involved. Am I ready for my presentation? Yes, I have practiced to anyone who would listen I believe every great speaker is nervous. Nerves mean practice and practice leads to perfection. I do believe that the key to a presentation is not looking at it as a scary event, but rather an opportunity to show your strengths.

To this day, I still look to that t-shirt for wisdom. I even wrote a little note to myself so that I would be reminded tomorrow morning of the ultimate goal of my presentation: Be Bright. Be Brief. Be Gone. What does this mean?

Be Bright: I am young. True. I am a girl. True. To this day, I still believe that being a young woman even today is more of a challenge than being a male. Does this mean I am not smart or not talented? No. I want my presentation to show that I am bright. I want to be fresh, exciting, and show my personality. I want people tomorrow to know who Erica Abel is. I think of the great speakers I have watched and they truly are bright. You can see it in their eyes. They have personality and they have brains and it shows. Great speakers inspire me to be better and I want my speaking abilities to reach people on that level too.

Be Brief: No one likes a long presentation. Great speakers know when to cut it. They know what information to include and what not to include. They are brief. They give the facts that the audience cares about, and ignore irrelevant content.

Be Gone: Then they are gone. Simple as that. They end on a strong note that leaves the audience impacted and captivated.

True, I am giving a presentation to a group of 60 HR people, not a stadium full of people. But, this is a great opportunity and I am forever grateful to that t-shirt I folded back in first grade.

Be Bright. Be Brief. Be Gone.

Barefoot in the Rain

Never before has rain on my feet felt so good as it did Thursday afternoon. I had just got done with this huge presentation, dressed in my skirt suit, sweating because of being in a room filled with people with little air circulating, and this amazing feeling of relief came in the form of cool rain. As I walked out of the door at Amway, rain was pouring down. I had no choice but to walk the long distance to my car, lugging my laptop, purse, with my jacket flung over my shoulder. More importantly, however, was the fact that I was wearing my most expensive, most beautiful pair of heels I own.
I will not disclose the price of the shoes, or go into the fact that they are grey suede and explain the detriment that the rain could have on their rich color, but I will say that beauty is pain and those heels, beautiful as they are, kill my feet. They aren’t so bad when I don’t have to stand for long periods of time, but on that day, I did have to stand for 3 hours straight talking to people. Ouch. My feet were swollen with blisters all along the toes and heels. I will be the first to tell you that these shoes are totally worth the blisters because they match my skirt suit perfectly, but at 5:00 on Thursday, my feet were screaming to let them out, and the rain was the perfect excuse to do so. I took off my heels, covered them in my bag, and stepped out into the parking lot barefoot walking through puddles where my feet were finally cooled and the rain could wash my sweat away (disgusting, yes, sorry). It was perfect.

This week has been crazy exciting and busy. It all started last Saturday when all of the interns had an unofficial intern formal. I am so thankful for that night because it was kind of like the fun, have a good time night before the intense week began. The formal (and you can laugh at the fact that a bunch of 20 something year olds got dressed up to spend an evening together and dance, but it was very fun) was held at the third floor Pearl Room at McFadden’s. You probably would not at first think “classy place,” but it really was nice, and somehow we ended up getting a connection so we got the whole floor for a great deal. All of us did come dressed up, and it was great to be able to spend some quality time with these people outside of work.

[The only reason I included this photo was to show that Jill and I did participate in trying our hand at being DJs. We were no good.]

[The lovely Sam and I]

Then, the week began. Do you ever have it when you are not worrying about anything, and then suddenly during the strangest hour you begin to freak out about everything? That happened to me on Sunday right at the beginning of church. It was like I knew the week was about to begin and BAM it was time to get going again. I was literally sitting in church when I thought of every minuscule detail of my life that I needed to fix. I was almost ready to just get up and leave and go make a freaking check list and get to work. Seriously. My car has been filthy for the past 2 months, I needed to wash a shirt for Monday morning…oh wait, it is silk so I should have brought that to the dry cleaners on Friday, I need to type up this document for a meeting, my toe nail polish is smudging all over the place, I have to call so and so, my room needs to be vacuumed, I need to practice my presentation and organize all my college documents (yeah, why I got worried about that right then I will never know), and oh my gosh I never set up a sports physical. Yes, that is sadly where my mind was all during church. Guess what? I never cleaned out my car this week or organized my college documents, hah. I never had time.

From there, the week just flew by. It was just fantastic because I was being challenged and able to expand different skills. While it felt like I was running from one presentation to another and then after that having meetings or updating my resume, never before have I felt so stimulated at work. It was great. I like tight deadlines and busy schedules, strange, I know. That does not mean that I was not tired (because holy cow, I was, but a little thing called adrenaline kicked in) or a little stressed. I am just saying that this week was simply great, and I cannot totally explain why unless you had hours and hours to listen to all of the crazy happenings that occurred.

Thursday was sort of that ‘big day’ that we all were preparing for. After some hours of preparation, lunch meetings, and meeting the California interns who were flown in for the presentation, the day was basically over. So, as I was walking through the parking lot in the rain barefoot, you can imagine my relief. My eyes and body were telling me to go and sleep finally, but my mind could not stop…once again, that is adrenaline. I was thankful for it, however, because there was no time for sleeping. Instead, I drove home, cleaned myself up, changed into a cuter dress, grabbed my lip gloss and hit the road again. Destination: Bull’s Tavern to have dinner with the California interns. The night was unpredictably fun. I love meeting new people, but I had the mindset to go, mingle, eat and after about an hour and a half, leave. I ended up leaving three hours later. It was fun, the coffee was great, cheesecake even better, and the people I was with were delightfully fun. We swapped stories of living in different places, I was able to meet and talk with an executive, spend time with my intern friends, laugh a whole lot, and develop connections and new friendships. When we all finally did leave at 10 o’clock, this incredible storm was striking Grand Rapids. As we walked out, a huge bolt of lightning hit, and lit up the entire city of Grand Rapids.

If I remember any sight from this summer that will be it. It was like I could see every building, every car, and every parking meter for miles around, and for some strange reason, I felt completely content in that moment. We walked to the parking ramp getting soaking wet, laughing about how tired we were going to be when we had to get up for work in a few hours, and told each other how glad we were to have the opportunities we had that day, and this summer. I felt like the night belonged in some movie scene or something.

And guess what? The strap off my sandal broke so I had to walk barefoot through the rain puddles in downtown Grand Rapids; and it felt wonderful.

Good Times

Before I begin, I would just like to dedicate this post to Brynne. She told me today that I haven’t blogged in 14 days. Anyone who knows a fact like that deserves some recognition, haha.

It has been 14 days, and that is basically because my life has been crazy. Crazy in a good way, of course. There is a lot I could write about, but at this point I would prefer not to, and I would rather talk about what the last two weeks has been like.

Just to get things started on the right note, please enjoy the following photograph for no other reason other than a good laugh:

Anyway, back to it. Let’s start with the Fourth of July. Four day weekend was, no doubt, amazing. We were up at the cottage where I did a whole lot of nothing. Nothing necessarily productive that is. I ate a lot, layed out a lot, went on the sea doos more than should be allowed, and read a lot of trashy magazines. Sounds great, doesn’t it? But, during that weekend, some noteworthy events occurred:
1. The entire weekend was disgustingly hot. You know when you fall asleep on the beach or on a boat when it is 90 degrees out and then you wake up totally disoriented? That happened to me about 12 times just on Saturday. After we had enough of the sun, Jessie and I decided to go to town and check things out. Somehow along our trip, the heat must have really hit both of us. I literally felt like I was burning from the inside out; okay, probably not really, but I was really hot and nothing was cooling me off. When we got back to the cottage, I remember lying down on the carpet between the dining room and the kitchen. As soon as I lied down, I heard shouts coming from outside. I ran out only to find one of our sea doos making its way to the middle of the lake. I am proud to say that instead of panicking, Jessie and I took immediate action and (fully clothed no less), ran out into the lake, jumped onto the other sea doo and went to rescue the runaway. Of course, while we were out in the middle of the lake, Jessie decides that she can’t get me closer to the sea doo and I would have to simply jump in the water and get on it myself. So, I did, and let me tell you, it felt wonderful. My roasting body finally was at a stable temperature, and I was the hero of the family. Moral of that story: water fixes any ailment, and, if you think too much before taking action, you may run out of time. Below is a picture just moments before the sea doo issue.

2. A family friend had this outdoor concert that we went to. The guy is basically like a Michael Buble. I decided that I want a small band like that to play at my wedding. Major decision taken care of right there. Also that night, I introduced my family to Jones Soda. On our second round to the shop where this pop is sold, Jess and I went in, bought 2 bottles and walked out. And, can you guess what happened? I dropped one of the bottles. Not sure how it happened, but it literally just fell from my fingers and shattered right there on the cement. Well, that’s just fine. I mean, if you know me, you know that I am used to this crap happening. Not a big deal. To Jessie, this was basically earth shattering. She’s not a fan of anything that could be a little embarrassing. Not to mention that the passer Byers were not exactly kind about my mysterious pop accident. In fact, as soon as it happened, a dad goes to his daughter, “Stand away. Someone just dropped a bottle and there is glass all over.” Yeah. Thanks. I went in the store (leaving Jessie behind with the broken glass, hah) and bought another bottle. When I got back out, Jessie told me that some middle schoolers were laughing about the situation and she informed me that she gave them a dirty look for me. Well, she left out the part about doing it for me, but I still think it was a nice gesture of her to stick up for me. Moral of that story: stick up for your family when they do dumb things, keep a steady hold on anything made out of glass, and if you are ever thirsty this summer buy this exact kind of Jones Soda:

3. Sunday, Jess and I went out for our 13th sea doo ride of the day. The lake was choppy, and that is putting it lightly. Of course, choppy waters equals greater fun, but throughout the ride, Jess kept turning back to me (she was driving) and yelling for me to quit hanging on to her life jacket. Okay, no big deal, I will just hang on with my legs. This was difficult considering the waves were literally tossing our sea doo up in the air. When we got to a particular curve in the lake, it was like I could see my destiny ahead, and it looked dangerous. And, keep in mind that I was not allowed to hang on to her. The last thing I remember was her screaming in a purely innocent and fun manner, “Here we go!!” Then it came. It was like one minute I was there, and the next minute I wasn’t. I don’t even think I screamed. It was like a silent bam. I fell off the sea doo and was left behind in the waves that tossed me off. And, the best part of the whole things was that Jessie didn’t even know I was gone! Since I hadn’t even been hanging on to her, she hadn’t noticed a weight difference so she just kept on going. Let me just say that falling sideways (thank goodness not backwards by the motor) off a sea doo while it is still moving is probably one of the strangest sensations ever. After I fell off and got my head out of the water I seriously was not sure if I was alive or not. Luckily Jessie realized I was not on, and came back for me. I will leave some of the details out, but I did appreciate her deep concern of my fate, and I did probably have one of the best laughs of the summer while floating in that water. Moral of that story: hang on when you are out on a sea doo.

4. Kayaking. Greatest thing invented. I hate to brag, but I am a damn good kayaker if I do say so myself. Moral of that story: try kayaking. Try it early in the morning when the loons are still out. It will be worth getting up for.

On Monday, I was able to spend the day with my friends just hanging out. That night we went to the Grandville fireworks, like usual, where we had a good time, like usual. Fireworks weren’t exactly amazing, but not a big deal, I go for moments like these:

Also, as embarrassing as this is for me to say on here, I think I need to share it. I cried at the end of a movie. Yep, it happened. And what’s worse is that I was so emotionally entangled in this movie that I couldn’t sleep. Haha. The movie that got me so caught up you ask? Gone With the Wind. Embarrassing? Maybe, but I can’t deny that it happened. One of my friends, who happens to be from Atlanta would not shut up about this movie. I had seen it before when I was younger, but it didn’t ever really get to me. Probably because of my limited life experiences. Anyway, I watched the movie in segments throughout the week usually while I was waiting for someone to pick me up, or waiting for dinner, or unable to sleep. Then, on that particular night, I had about an hour and a half left and I just wanted to use the movie to fall asleep. That obviously did not happen. I was getting to the good stuff, and my emotions just let loose when Scarlett finally realizes that she does love Rhett but at that point Rhett is sick of her fickle attitude and leaves her crying on the stairs. Gah! Like, seriously?? How can a movie leave you like that? I sat there with tears wanting to go and get Rhett and make him feel better and tell him that she really does love you and then I wanted to run to Scarlett and tell her that she needs to get it together and chase after him. Dang. It was like I knew how both characters felt and then I sat there analyzing the movie until it was so late my mind started to get fuzzy. Anyway, I have given up movie watching by myself for that very reason. When I am with someone watching a movie, I am able to control myself. That’s enough of that.

Last weekend was great as well. Friday was just wonderful at work, and right after work, Kelly and I drove up to the cottage together where my mom and the rest of the family (as in the cousins too) were all up waiting with dinner. We ate outside, then made coffee and us children played with this shaggy dog you see below.

She is the newest addition to the family, 2 years old, and is probably the sweetest thing ever. She will let you do anything to her. I have even seen her French kissing (yes, I know, disgusting) my youngest cousin, and then hearing my cousin come back and say, “Chance and I love touching tongues.” Gotta love kids and curly haired dogs.

When it got dark, Amy, Rachel and I took the dogs for a walk. Somehow we got on the subject of scary stories, so I told them this “ghost story” about a cabin we always pass on our walks. Not going to lie, my story was so good it even freaked me out a little. None-the-less, a good time.

Saturday was spent with the usual; tubing, swimming, eating, boating, eating some more, and taking spooky walks. We did grill hamburgers on the boat, which is always more exciting than just grilling them on land.

At about 5 o’clock, everyone started going off on their own and working on their talent for our Family Talent Show. Yes, among the many other strange traits of my family we do have a talent show. It’s intense too. We aren’t talking just thrown together stuff just to entertain each other. I am talking about hidden secrets, spying on each other, coming up with the best type of talent, talent show. If you know my family at all, you will know that we are competitive. This evening was no different. We do it outside against the garage, and everyone participates. We had everything from cooking shows, dancing, athletic races, fishing lessons, to how to save someone’s life show. All were very good. I created a power point slideshow of all of the noteworthy pictures I have taken with select quotes and music. It was pretty good, I have to say. Here are some highlights from the night:

There have been some good stories that have happened since last weekend, and I promise this time I will actually update this week so I don't fall too far behind :) Until then, yay for another week!

The Real Independence Day

My mom got me started on the real Independence Day stuff. She would always (in true history teacher style) tell my sister and I tales from the Revolutionary War. If you know my mom at all, you know she is a good story teller. She, and I know this may be hard for some to understand, could make colonial times seem like the most fascinating thing. To this day, she still knows more historical facts and stories than anyone I have met. History always comes alive when she gets talking. It was probably for that reason that I became so enthralled with history and letting my imagination just go. Believe me, a lot goes on in my mind in such a short time, and when I was five I am pretty sure I conjured up some great dramas that could have made it to Hollywood. For example, every Fourth of July up here on Big Star, there is a firework show (yes, I have not missed one in 22 years). From the time I was a baby my mom and the rest of my family would practically give a history lesson on how America became an independent nation as we sat along our shore watching the fireworks light up the lake. Even tonight, as I sit on the porch watching the many boats travel back to their cottages, historical talk is going on. When I was little, I always thought the big boom the fireworks would give off sounded exactly (or what i thought sounded like) canons going off, like in a war. It made the feeling of celebrating our independence even more real. When I would go to bed, the booming would just get more intense throughout the night. So, and please don't judge me to hard when I tell you this because I was just a child, at night every Fourth of July I would pretend that I was living during the Revolution. Instead of those booms coming from a firework, my five year old self would pretend that some canons were being fired in my backyard and I wouldn't know if my house would make it through the night. Let me tell you, it made my childhood very exciting.

So, as tomorrow is the Fourth of July, I think I should pay tribute to some people long gone who I have always admired. And, in case you are wondering, I got all of this information as I was planning my very first fifth grade unit this past year, just like my mom. These leaders are people I wish I could sit down and chat with. Sometimes I wonder if they, when they were alive fighting for their cause, realized that two hundred some years later we would be devoting practically an entire weekend to what they were fighting for? None-the-less, these people are the kind I wish and hope I can someday be like.

First of all, you really can't begin celebrating America without paying tribute to George Washington; I mean, c'mon, the guy has had our capital named after him, not to mention the countless streets, s, cities, and state that bears the name. He had to have been a genius for being the military leader that ended up winning the Revolutionary War - a war we were not expected to even have a chance at winning.
He has a quote that says, "It is impossible to rightly govern a nation without God and the Bible." I think, as a Christian, that this is a powerful statement because I personally do want a Christian leading our nation.
This next guy is one that I remember learning about in my mom's fifth grade class. His name is John Adams. Obviously he was the second president of the US, but he also helped draft the Declaration of Independence. Not only that, he supported women having a voice in a time when men were doing most of the talking, and for that, I am greatly appreciative :)

John Hancock. I am sure we have all heard people say, "Give me your John Hancock," meaning, sign this. I learned, once again in my mom's class, that Hancock was the first signer of the Declaration. He must have been brave because he knew that the King would read this and see who signed the paper. Who knows what could have happened to those men who signed it. Then John Hancock goes and signs his name in large print. Gotta love a man who is not afraid of what he wants. And then he stated, "There. I guess King George will be able to read that."

Of course, I have to include a woman. Here is Abigail Adams. And, she holds a special place in my heart because I was Abigail in one of my elementary school plays. I have to believe that her husband, John, could not have been as successful as he was if she was not not standing beside him doing her part. I love how she didn't just stay along the sidelines but instead let her opinion be heard. She says it best here, "If particular care and attention is not paid to the ladies, we are determined to foment a rebellion, and will not hold ourselves bound by any laws in which we have no voice or representation." I have a feeling she would have been fun to hang out with.

Finally, my personal favorite, Abraham Lincoln. I know he wasn't alive during the Revolution, but in my mind he has got to be one of our country's greatest leaders. Anyone who can lead a country through a civil war and stay humble has got to be amazing. Recently I read a short little story about his life. First of all, many of the people in his life died at a young age; his mother when he was a child, his first love when they were dating, three out of his four sons died as children, and his wife died early as well. Beyond that, Lincoln lost almost every government position he ran for in his early days of politics. He was also labeled as not very attractive, and lanky. Despite all of his hardships, he never gave up. Thank goodness he didn't, either. He is the person I would most like to go back in time and meet. How did he live through all of that and still remain such a steady leader? He was quoted as saying, "Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other." That must have been the case for him, because he had everything in the world telling him he couldn't make it, and look at what he did for America.

With that, I am going to go to bed now. I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday and if only for a second remembers how lucky we are to be living in a nation that gives us our freedom.

P.S. I will write again Monday. This weekend has given me many good stories to share!