"i don't feel so short around you."

-rachel swift (to me)

and i know that today has a quote of the day, too, i just don't remember it right now.

I am about to go away to college. I don't want to grow up. What should I do?

Sincerely,

Miffed in Murfreesboro

----------------------------------------------------------------

Deuh Mift,

Ah puhsonally have nevuh set much stock by a fohmul educashun. Where you should reallay focus is ohn gettin yuhself mahrried. As many times and as quicklay as possible. Take that Brine King fo example, he's got himself a nice staht ohn things.

As fuh growin up, you should jus be thankful that you ahn't bein fohced to grow up by a ravagin, mangy ahmy of miscreant yankays burning yo house to ashus! Po Tara! When you ah makin yo dresses out uh cuhtains, theyun you kin come complainin to me about growin up, dahlin.

But don be afrayud. Aftuh all, tomorruh is anuthuh day.

Yo Freyund,

Ms. Katay Scahlett O'Hayra Hamltin Kenneday Butluh

sometimes in life things just go wrong.

fortunately, i'm generally able to look back on things, take a step back, and laugh.

take last night, for example.

*sudden silence in all conversation*

me: "i really wanna hit that . . ."

*everyone turns and stares*

good times . . .

and, uh, there are some things that no one wants to watch in public.

keep yourselves under control or i will have to break out the Flip-Flop of Morality.

and remember: the queen is always watching . . .

so i was driving home this afternoon and i remembered fireflies hovering over cotton fields at twilight as our car raced past, late night runs to walmart for kwanzaa supplies, and landing on a horse a little too hard.

i remembered singing along to the radio, almost dying on a sharp curve down betty ford road, and getting hopelessly lost (repeatedly).

and i decided that i don't want to grow up.

every road in murfreesboro means something to me . . . i can hardly drive anywhere without having to smile at a memory.

and i'm about to leave for a town where i can't say that. where nobody knows me. where roads are just slabs of asphalt.

i'm going to a place where i can be anyone i want to be.

and, well . . .

i'm just a little scared.

"do you remember . . . ?"

how many conversations start out like that? all it takes is getting a group of old friends together and it will never be long before someone starts off with "do you remember that time . . ." and the floodgates are opened and nastalgia hits you like a wave.

not all of the memories are good ones, of course--only shallow friendships don't have bad times to recall--but they all connect you deeply to those around you and hold them in your heart. "do you remember . . ." is the net that holds the entire human race together in a twisted knot of friendships and acquaintances.

get to your point, brian.

well, kids, it's august. and august means we don't have long before people start going off to college. memphis. knoxville. everywhere. but wherever you go, i don't want you to forget.

so i have decided to ask each of you if you remember. if you remember good times and bad times, surprises and disappointments, trips and movie nights. some of you will laugh out loud in remembrance, others will be sombered, some might even cry.

the important thing for you to know is that this is how i remember you: for your strength in the hard times or for your laughter in the easy times, this is how God has written you on my heart. these are the strongest memories to come into my mind when i thought of each of you.

memories are arranged in alphabetical order by last name, if that helps you to find yourself down there. if i don’t know your last name, remark it and i will add it in. i thought that would be the easiest way to organize.

i would also like to point out that i limited myself to only one memory for each person (very difficult in most cases), so if someone has a longer paragraph than you . . . that simply means that it took me longer to explain that memory than yours did.

so, without further ado, i ask you:

"do you remember . . . ?"

AMY AMONETT--do you remember that one time that it was just you and me at starbucks because you had to do that survey thing about coffee and we sat there and just talked for a while?

BECKY AMONETT--do you remember pretty much any day at work when we did crazy stuff?

CHRISTIE AMONETT--do you remember the time at work when i stole your clothes and jumped in the pool with them right before you had to be at volleyball?

ANNA BACON--do you remember when you wrote on the back of my neck with a

sharpie when i was trying to sleep in world geography one day?

SUSAN BAILEY--do you remember all of those hours you put in watching sarah and the rest of us in all those odyssey of the mind and destination imagination competitions?

LACEY BALLARD--do you remember that night after that concert when i couldn't get my car to work and it was raining very hard and you, jennifer, and ben waited out there with me while i fixed it?

ELISABETH BARBER--do you remember that birthday party reese had all those years ago . . . have i seen you since then?

JOHN BARRON--do you remember when evan, reese, and i were so mean to you when we were in the sixth grade (i'm sorry)?

SHANNON BARRON--do you remember house of prayer that one day when it was just the two of us and we vowed that in a year we would have it big again . . . and a year later, almost to date, there were 40 people in house of prayer?

JOSH BENNETT--do you remember when foote and i dragged you out into the hall while you were sleeping at model un?

JULIE BLOEBAUM--do you remember how we talked on phusebox a lot then my computer died and school happened and we quit talking to each other?

AMY BONIN--do you remember the day that bruce died and andrew and i came to your house to take you and rachel to the service and you came down the stairs bawling and we hugged for a long time without words, crying? (i will always remember your heart.)

RACHEL BONIN--do you remember the day that bruce died when andrew was giving us a ride and we had dropped your sister off at that one house to tell them that he was dead and we went on to andrew's house because he needed something and he went inside and we sat out in the car in the most total silence i can remember?

SARAH BOWERS--do you remember the trip to chicago when we took pictures and wrote all over the magazines on the plane?

JENNA BREWER--do you remember art 2 and how i fixed all of your artwork for you when mrs. z and mrs. morgan weren't looking?

COLE BROWN--do you remember when you were in the fourth grade and your parents were the fifth grade sunday school teachers and you came into our room and christened sarah moore with the nickname chicken-monkey?

ASHLEY BYARS--do you remember when you talked to me at paint the town, then i turned around and you said my name so i turned back around . . . but you were talking to someone else and didn't even know that that was my name?

COURTNEY CALDWELL--do you remember when i ran into you and mady and that other guy on christmas eve in the mall with all those crazy people all over the place and all that traffic?

NEMANJA CAVLOVIC--do you remember that time you came to tennessee?

RACHEL CHASE--do you remember, jaina, when we ruled the star wars club in third grade?

JASON COURTOY--do you remember when we called you beverly in the seventh grade?

AIMEE DAVIS--do you remember that game of truth or dare that went until 5 in the morning (through a blackout) and going to get breakfast after that?

ASHLEY DAVIS--do you remember when we worked on that prayer walk for the persecuted church together?

ALLISON DEBLOIS--do you remember when we used to call you big al and that one time when evan and i spent the night with reese and we had the little bell to call you whenever we needed something?

AMY DENT--do you remember that night when you were at that lock-in and ben and i kept calling you and you called us back at 2 in the morning and got us in pretty deep trouble with his dad?

AMI DRIVER--do you remember having french class first period and talking about belle aire stuff avec moi et xavier?

ELIZABETH DUNCAN--do you remember my pizza?

OLIVIA ELLIOT--do you remember when we called your room at the ghetto hotel in new jersey and used those voices and you got really mad at ben and me, but by the end of the week it was all better?

BETH FARRAR--do you remember working on the french project at malorie's house with all that construction paper?

MATT FISHER--do you remember those nights in new jersey (that's all that can really be said on here)?

LEXIE FRENSLEY--do you remember that time that you called me because you thought that i hated you?

BETH GARNER--do you remember that day in spectrum when we did the interview thing and got to be obnoxious?

MICHAEL GIBELYOU--do you remember that time in mexico when it was dark and you jumped in my bed?

JESSICA GOSS--do you remember that birthday party reese had all those ages ago when we first met, you had all that hair, and i thought that you were crazy?

KELLY HAMBY--do you remember in new jersey when i would jump out of the van, run around something random, and get back in?

STEPHEN HAMBY--do you remember that night at the leadership retreat when you were trying to sleep in the other room and bruce and i wrapped ourselves up in sheets and scared you out of your wits?

CARA HAWKINS--do you remember when you moved here in the third grade and i asked you if you wanted to join our star wars club on the playground?

LEAH HODGINS--do you remember that time at work when we were pulling/spraying for weeds and we talked about the future and how everything (and everyone) was changing?

JENNIFER HOOD--do you remember standing on that corner in new brunswick, new jersey, my sophomore year and passing stuff out when we first got to know each other? ("no man, i'm straight.")

CARI JENNINGS--do you remember that night in new jersey when madison was talking and there weren't enough chairs so we sat on the floor behind the back row cracking jokes and eating cookies?

GRACE LANGLAND--do you remember la video de l'hopital mental quand tu ne peux pas arrêter?

AJ KHANDAKER--do you remember when we had to sit next to each other for one of the pictures on picture day and we were bored because it was taking so long so we played the game where you have to name a place that starts with the last letter of the previous place named?

KATIE KIMBELL--do you remember in the sixth grade when i made fun of you all the time with that stupid broadside of a barn joke?

MARISSA KING--do you remember all those round stories (road beavers) with kelly and cameron on spectrum trips?

DANA LEA--do you remember that game of truth or dare at uthsmun and how you fell asleep with certain people in the bed?

STEPHANIE LEVINE--do you remember that time i kinda invited myself along on that trip to la siesta?

KELLY MALONE--do you remember when we had to watch birds one weekend for ms. swan and present our findings to the class and she tore me apart and gave me a 70, then you got up there with only a sheet of notebook paper for a visual aid and you made a 95?

AARON MASSEY--do you remember hating cameron because he was the only one at our table that was any good at anything in dusenberry's class?

ALICIA MAY--do you remember that time when we were coming back from something in sixth grade and you weren't buckled and you went flying to the front of the van when danielle hit the brakes?

ZACH MCCAIN--do you remember walking around the stadium during a football game one night when we discussed how no one ever really paid either of us much attention and we made the vow that even if the rest of the world forgot we were alive, we would remember each other?

MEGAN MCDONALD--do you remember that time at work when i was just starting and i soaked you with water?

RACHAEL MEYER--do you remember when we went on that adventure in the hotel in new jersey and ben filmed us pushing each other through the hallways in that rolling chair?

ANNA MILLER--do you remember prom (either one)?

REBEKAH MINOR--do you remember when you asked me to do that recital with you?

TYLER MINOR--do you remember that time at zaxby's when y'all dared me to eat whatever that stuff was?

BETHANY MOORE--do you remember when we were at paint the town and you painted me blue?

JONATHAN MOORE--do you remember that time you let me drive your car through the parking lot to starbucks?

NATHAN MOORE--do you remember that time we ran at a marathon then filmed me walking through hastings with toilet paper hanging out of my pants?

SARAH MOORE--do you remember the spring semester of our sophomore year?

BEN MOSER--do you remember that ride home i gave you after we had been somewhere (predictably starbucks) when we had the "push, pull, or drag sale" conversation (that's one of the best)?

LAUREN MOSER--do you remember that time you looked like a terrorist?

RHETT MOSER--do you remember that time that you kicked some serious butt at ddr while at michael's birthday party?

MICHAL MULANE--do you remember that time in french class when you hit me with a paper wad and i did that elaborate falling out of the chair/death thing and actually hurt myself (thanks)?

SHANNON MURPHY--do you remember that night at church when i gave you the nickname crotchflower and held that flower under the sink so that you would think that i flushed it?

CLINT NADEAU--do you remember that night at the lock-in when ben had you fall down the stairs 10 or more times and i finally had to do it to show you how he wanted it done?

DREW NICDAO--do you remember that video your group made for 3-for-the-son when you were saddam husein? (it was hilarious)

LAUREN NICDAO--do you remember that time at paint the town when you put the blue paint hand print on the butt of my shorts?

BRITTANY NICHOLS--do you remember when we all escaped up into the woods at the fall retreat then came back down and we sat by the campfire and talked about where all of us had been and where we all would go, and how everything would change forever after this year?

ASHLEY ORMAN--do you remember when in texas all those years ago we were exiting walmart and i hit you with a pillow and before we knew it my coke had spewed all over me and graham, and you spilled yours all over yourself while laughing at us . . . the coke incident?

KATIE PEAY--do you remember going to see the hot air balloons with our families when we were really little?

ALEX PILOTE--do you remember that time when we were eating in the oakland courtyard freshman year and you sat under the tree and got pooped on by a bird?

MALORIE PITMAN--do you remember working on our french project at your house?

PATRICK POPE--do you remember the valentine's banquet play when we made you say all those things in french and you butchered it?

AMY POWERS--do you remember that mtsu football game when we prank called your mother and she knew it was me even though she had never met me?

CARLA PRICE--do you remember that ski trip when you won the karaoke contest?

ALEX RADER--do you remember ms. swan's class?

MADY ROBERTSON--do you remember that one saturday when i gave you a ride to the church for drama with the music playing really loud and we all ended up coming back to your house to practice?

JESSICA SANDERS--do you remember sitting in art class junior year complaining about our extreme suffering at the hands of our respective opposite sexes with katie and sarah bowers occasionally chiming in to say how depressing we were (and, of course, generally not doing our work)?

SARA SHABAN--do you remember that time at starbucks when i stole your notebook and read it?

GARRETT SHAW--do you remember walking around the mall in new jersey your senior year talking about girls, patience, and waiting on God's timing?

KELSEY SHEARRON--do you remember when reese, evan, and i used to call you nancy just to get on your nerves?

JAMIE SMITH--do you remember bigstuf your senior year when you and your friends had all of that chinese food and you shared with michael and me?

ELAINE STEPHENS--do you remember that horribly boring constitution day thing at mtsu we went to?

KATIE SUGGS--do you remember the valentine's day banquet play and all those practices?

KELLY SULLIVAN--do you remember when we played the music really loud and danced in the car on the way back to your house after prom?

RACHEL SUMMAR--do you remember when we were in new jersey at the ghetto hotel and you and kelsey shearron threw chips off of the balcony into my mouth?

BEKA TALLMAN--do you remember the first time ben and i called you giggles?

MEREDITH TAYLOR--do you remember when you came to my grandfather's visitation (thanks)?

REBECCA TENPENNY--do you remember how we didn't care for each other at all until that new york trip when we finally talked about it?

JASON THACKER--do you remember at paint the town when i ran out of pants and i did NOT borrow a pair of yours to make it through the week (;))?

HEATHER THOE--do you remember running into each other at the library?

JUSTIN VANCE--do you remember that time at paint the town when you were being lazy and the rest of us were working very hard so i poured that nasty soapy water all over you?

RACHAEL VANCE--do you remember that night that you, me, nemanja, sarah, and brittany all played capture the flag in hastings?

SARAH VERMILLION--do you remember that day at work when we were the only people in the house and i introduced you to tuna fish sandwiches?

LAUREN WALKER--do you remember that game of truth or dare when i made you drink that weird concoction and you got me back with that other dare?

GRAHAM WELLS--do you remember that time in mexico when everyone else was outside playing softball but we stayed in our room laying on our beds talking about life and everything that was going on (hebrews 12:29)?

CAMERON WEST--do you remember when i gave you a ride to your birthday party and we were late?

ANDREW WILLIS--do you remember going to see the premier of star wars episode three with wicks at midnight?

CHRISTINA WITT--do you remember all those conversations we had through xanga comments on how i was going to take over the world before you would ever be able to?

JANE WOODARD--do you remember that you still owe me a box of whale crackers?

ANDREA YOHE--do you remember when we first met that time at cracker barrel and we gave you the nickname chico?

i get to peel it all out of the hall bathroom today . . . which needed to be done, but still.

i hate wallpaper.

i hereby swear that i will NEVER use wallpaper to decorate any house that i ever inhabit. unless it's a period home that requires period wallpaper. and even then . . . it's only a maybe.

and another thing . . .

why are there people in the 'friends don't let friends be friends with brian king' group that i don't know?!

while i'm at it . . .

and what's with all these sad songs on the radio all the time? it's freakin' depressing!

that's all for now. ciao.

who are you willing to die for?

who do you love?

the same people should be on both lists.

i don't think you can really love someone unless you are willing to sacrifice yourself for them.

can't think of anyone that you would die for?

then, in my opinion, you have never loved.

i would like to say that i would die for anyone (after all, what could brian king ever do for the world?), but . . .

i can say that i would die for many--even most--of you.

who would you die for?

who do you love?

so all the cool kids will be at

old fort park tonight

around 7

bring something (chips/cookies)

and/or

$2-3 for pizza

it's gonna rock out, hos.

so over the course of the week i spent tucked away in the middle of nowhere, tn, with a bunch of other memphis freshmen i have discovered a few very important things:

1. the word "hungry" does not exist in their dialect. if you are in need of food, you are "HON-gray." always.

2. if you see a group of black people running . . . you should probably run, too.

3. my grammar skills are worthless against their sheer numbers. after only one week i sound different. imagine a semester. o_O

i also mastered several dance moves, even progressing far enough in my skills to be allowed to join a group of dancing black people.

i am going to be sooooo ghetto . . .

I think that everyone has a little piece of God in them; everyone has some aspect of His character that they are meant to present to you in your life.

Some people are joy. When they enter the room you can’t help but to return their smiles.

Some people are peace. With their arms around you the world disappears and everything is at rest.

Some people are strength. They will lend you a shoulder or carry you for as long as you need.

Some people are love. There is nothing that you can do to make them stop loving you.

Everyone is different, but I think that sometimes you will find that their gifts are the same . . . and we often surround ourselves with those who emanate the qualities that we have the greatest need for.

We’re all hopelessly interconnected.

So while I am gone this week I want you to look for the pieces of God in the people around you. Who is wisdom? Forgiveness? Love?

Who am I?

Who are you?

i've been thinking about funerals a lot lately. particularly my own.

as morbid as it sounds, have you ever thought about that? if you got to watch your own funeral, what would it look like? who would be there? what would people say?

i have a t-shirt that says, "live your life so that the preacher won't have to lie at your funeral."

will the preacher have to lie at yours?

i wonder about mine.

i'm going to do better, though. i promise.

lastly, i have a few requests for my funeral. so just to put these out there:

#1. i want to be buried in white. i also want everyone who comes to wear white instead of black.

#2. i want the songs "i'll fly away" and "swing low, sweet chariot" sung. not some modernized or saddened version. i want them in all their gospel splendor.

#3. i want to be buried in tennessee. i don't care where i end up in life, tennessee is home and always will be. i'm proud of my state and her history and i want my body to end up where it began.

i hope this post wasn't too depressing for you. just some stuff that's been on my mind.

i love you.

do you have any specific funeral requests?

do you believe in fairy tales?

do you believe in knights on white horses, damsels in distress, prince charming, or maidens locked away in tall towers?

do you believe in dragons and fairies?

do you believe in happy endings?

do you believe in love at first sight?

do you believe in purity, virtue, and self-sacrifice?

do you believe in helping those who need it, putting others before yourself, and the power of love?

do you believe in love at all?

do you believe in angels, demons, or the devil?

do you believe in the bible and the saints?

do you believe in the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the dead, and one holy Church?

do you believe in God?

santa claus?

the tooth fairy?

maybe children aren't so innocent,

maybe the innocent aren't so naive,

and maybe the naive are the wisest of all.

shave it?

-or-

keep it?

ah, cheers at public universities in the city of memphis . . . there's nothing like them.

i love that city.

it's got more life, energy, and feeling than anywhere else that i have ever been in my life . . .

3 out of every 5 radio stations play only rap. with maybe a little bit of hip-hop.

and the best part?

as of right now, i have NO roommate. you know what that means . . .

there will (most likely) be a free bed for you when you come to visit me in my ghetto-fabulous city.

holla!

off to memphis for orientation.

i'll be back late tuesday, so i'll see you kids on wednesday.

don't have too much fun without me.

*edit*

on a side note, i hate stupid people and radicals (on either end of the spectrum).

brian: "look! the eiffel tower!"

cameron: "look! shanties!"

xavier: "no, cameron, it's france . . . they're shantés!"

---

xavier: "what? you don't play with wet napkins?"

---

movie: "someone was hiding in the closet . . . but why?"

kelly: "well, why are most people in the closet?"

*shaban and i turn and stare*

kelly: "yeah. i just went there."

---

*movie paused with shot of hula dancer's butt*

shaban: "no touchie!"

---

cameron: "we just toasted a nudist colony . . ."

---

*sparkling grape juice shoots out of my nose*

---

me: "cameron! stop going through my drawers!"

---

and that's really all that i can remember . . . anyone else got some?

so the only reason i used that title is because it meant that i could use a c with the cedilla on the bottom. woopt. but yeah . . .

HAPPY BASTILLE DAY!!!

what a great holiday . . . the french actually won a battle! of course, they were fighting themselves . . . but still. you have to give them some credit.

*waves a small french flag while humming "la marseillaise"*

*ahem*

VIVE LA FRANCE!!!

[go france!!!]

*EDIT*

okay, so we lost. i think i was the only person in the world who wanted france to win. oh well. we can always wait 4 years . . . maybe brazil will stay in it then.

zidane was a jerk . . . i was happy that the coach didn't let him out of the lockerroom to get his little medal.

italians we approve of: mauro camaronesi and gennaro gattuso.

i might start following soccer now . . .

every so often

who you are

has to fight with

who you were

to find out

who you will be

and usually

the blood must run

until you find out

that it's all really

your own.

it's coming.

pirates of the caribbean 2: dead man's chest.

and really bad eggs . . .

drink up, me hearties, yo ho!

yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for meeee . . .

savvy?