I've Been Tagged!

Recently I asked an old friend to "tag" me. That means I have to submit seven funny and/or embarrassing stories about myself and then ask seven different people to do the same. You should give it a try! Here goes:

1. Family Camp 2005 ~ This is the first embarrassing story that came to my mind, because of the vivid humiliation and disgust. Juicy, eh? Well, my cousins invited me to stay with them in their R.V. at Priest Lake, Idaho, on their church's annual summer weeklong Family Camp. The theme for 2005 was "Finding the Treasure in God's Word." The game day, Friday, had adventurous feats of teamwork inspired by treasure-hunting pirates and the show "Fear Factor." The last theme must have taken a lot of time and money on the pastor and his daughter the coordinator's part: two randomly chosen people from each team had to roll a die to see what part of the disgusting menu they would have to stomach to win. The items included live earthworms, really spicy tabasco-sauce covered anchovies, dog food (probably the least nauseating)... and mine: the oyster eggs. I held the squishy, slimy grey thing in my hand and started bawling. I was fourteen going on fifteen, and some twelve- or thirteen-year-olds were eating gross things. Even a grandpa had two or three live worms. You can imagine my distress when my teammate tried to encourage me, saying something along the lines of, "You can do it! I just did - you don't want that to be for a waste!" I almost did not come to dinner that night for shame at my weakness, forsaking even my beloved potato salad and fellowship with my new friends, choosing instead to lie moping in the R.V. under a blanket.
   
2. Celebrity Encounter ~ I was glad to be able to visit my older sister's church, City Calvary Chapel in Seattle, though I cannot remember what the occasion was. This was my second visit there, and my sister introduced me to many good people. She seemed especially happy to see the young married couple behind her. The church was so loud as people filed in, I couldn't hear what the husband nor wife's names were, so I just shook their hands and said it was a pleasure to meet them. I may have even asked the husband, who was right behind me allowing me to attempt to converse with him more than his wife, how long he had known Tenley. Imagine my surprise when he came up after the pastor introduced him as Jeremy Camp!
3. Singer Mix-Up ~ Now, this one is just horrible. I was elated to hear the many wonderful voices of teens devoted to Christ at the Northwest ACSI Choir Musicale. Along with our choir being judged on a few songs and sing with all the other choirs, we were able to watch the other choirs, ensembles, and soloists during our down-time. One soloist, a sweet blonde girl, sang "Think of Me" from Phantom of the Opera. I love the piano arrangement I have for that one, and I thought she did beautifully on her version! We also heard one girl with a nice tone sing Mandy Moore's song, I believe by the title "Prayer," from A Walk to Remember. Well, after hearing the soloists for the day we lined up at Northwest University's big cafeteria with half of the other choirs. I saw one of the girls sitting down with her friends, and somehow found the courage to run up to her and breathlessly gush, "I-just-wanted-to-say-I-l-lo-LOVED-the-way-you-sang-'Think-of-Me'-it's-one-of-my-favorites-okay-'bye!" She gave me a rather non-plussed look and smiled politely and thanked me. This cool reception didn't deter my giddiness walking back to my choir, but seeing the girl who actually sang "Think of Me" on the other side of the room did!
   
   I'm drawing a blank, but I hope these next four will be okay until I tap my trustworthy resources for silly LaShani moments (my mom, brother, oldest sister, and nephew).


4. Good for My Future Husband to Know ~ I would like to think that sensible sayings usually emit from my mouth. Such is not the case at all times, however. My cousins the Vandenbarks were staying the night at our house before or after some family event; ever since they moved from Lynnwood to Spokane when I was eleven, it was always a treat for our family to see them. We stayed up giggling and playing Nintendo into the wee hours of the morning. Our family's Siberian Husky waited patiently to be let outside to take care of his business, but he couldn't take our sleeping in any longer. He ran up to me, the one who usually lets him out, and tried to get my attention. Apparently my brother and cousin Heather were up to hear me murmur groggily, "Heather, why are you licking my face?"



5. On an otherwise-calm night I lifted the covers to go to sleep, and a daddy long-leg spider was trying to crawl out! I didn't sleep in my room for three days, hiding in my brother's lumpy toy box or dark closet from the possibility of one of my parents catching me and making me go in my room. I was twelve.


6. One sunny summer week circa 1996, my brother and I stayed with our cousins the Vandenbarks to attend their church's Vacation Bible School. We all loved V.B.S., and we loved the opportunity to spend so much time together. One day, Richie spent the night with some boy cousins from another family. The Vandenbark girls and I pretended we were mermaids in the kiddie pool in their big backyard as their older sister Corrie made lunch. In a moment of hyperactivity and apparent attention-craving, I shed my pink swimsuit and ran around the backyard stark naked, yelling "I'm FREE!" Corrie was horrified at what was happening under her supervision, and the obnoxious neighbor boy thought I was one of his neighbors, the youngest Vandenbark girl.


7. Strokes chin for a few seconds --Ah-HA! ...No... umm... Hmm. Oh, well, just recently I worried others and made a dork of myself on stage. I drank a little less than a gallon of water before our choir's spring concert. The junior high choir was up first, but I didn't know how many more songs they were going to sing before we would join them. Two songs after what I thought was the second-to-the-last song, I finally tapped Mr. Williams's shoulder and asked him if I could motor to the bathroom at the actual second-to-the-last song; of course, he shook his head "no" for the lack of time. I reassured myself that my "urge" may simply have been wiggly nerves about going up to sing, and that it wouldn't be too long before the concert was over. Unfortunately, during the middle of "To the Cross" I could hold myself no longer, and speed-walked off of the stage to the chapel bathroom. Mrs. Frisk whispered in a cutthroat tone, "Go quickly!" She must have had experience with that kind of thing with all of her Drama teaching. If I had been able to hold it two minutes longer, I would have been able to quietly exit and come back while only four people rather than our whole choir sang a song!