Live every week like it's shark week.

This is our favorite time of year. Shark week. It's the week when we huddle around the television in rapt attention, poring over every detail as the Discovery Channel unfolds the mysteries of the great white, the mako, the tiger shark, the hammerhead, and their more obscure cousins.

We have a collective obsession with these majestic and terrifying creatures. They frighten and fascinate us.

So, in honor of shark week, we had a shark party. And watched Jaws. And ate these cupcakes:

We call them "Blood in the Water" cupcakes because of the surprise strawberry jam centers. Blue vanilla cake, blue buttercream, fondant shark fins. Heh. Gruesome, yes. Artificially-colored, yes. But fun.

And in light of this week's festivities, a short public service announcement:

We have several guidelines for ocean safety--developed over a lifetime of beach-going, surfing, paddling, boating, swimming--which can help all you beach-goers avoid any unwanted marine life interactions.

• No bleeding in the water. Obviously. 
• No touching. Do not touch your friends while swimming in the water. Especially if you are trying to be conscious of sharks, your friends will react in an unsavory manner. Just don't do it, no matter how funny you think it will be.
• Camouflage.  Avoid wearing red, yellow, and anything shiny. These colors excite sharks. Instead, wear ocean colors to blend in with your marine surroundings. 
• Turn 360 degrees at regular intervals. And don't just turn: look. Being aware of your surroundings could give you more time to reach shore safely should an unfriendly beast appear. 
• Silhouettes are not your friends. If you see a dark silhouette in the distance under water, swim away from it. NOT toward it. 

Trust us... we are experts. Remember these things, and live longer. Sharks will show you no mercy.

Swim away,

Brandie and Chelsea

Things I don't have to do

I don't know about the rest of you out there, but I find myself often weighted down with obligations. My life is full of great pursuits and great people, and I am so grateful for those many blessings I have. But I am also frequently beset by the impression that I "have to" do certain things in order to be a good person/daughter/friend/Christian/employee/sister/student. Like I have to work to earn the blessings that -hmmm- have already been given to me.

I guess I feel like I have to conform to what everyone expects of me. The expectations that because I went to a good school and got my degree that I should be working a high-paying corporate job. The oh-my-she's-26-and-not-married-yet-will-she-ever-be attitude that I know is out there. Even the assumption that I should be conservative, or liberal, to be on the "proper" side. Some of these impressions come from outside sources, from my culture, from family or friends. But the desire to meet those expectations comes from my own sinful self. I see those "norms" and want to live up to the standard out of my own pride, or out of the fear of disappointing people.

This struggle to appease others and soothe my own ego leaves me feeling pulled in so many directions that my mind, body and spirit are exhausted.

But I'm realizing more and more that these pressures are destructive. I am learning the difference between striving after holiness because of love (which really leaves me free and full of joy) and striving to be good for selfishness (which imprisons me with my own failures). I need to not only stifle but thoroughly extinguish this second mindset if I want to live a life that brings God the MOST glory.

And I do want that. I want to radiate joy, to do what fulfills my ultimate purpose--to worship the Creator and point others to Him. He has already redeemed me, and my gratitude overwhelms me, pushing me to act, to serve, to love. The other things--these "expected things"--don't matter.

So I decided to make a list of things that I don't need to do. I appear to be in a list-y kind of mood lately. ;)  This one was a valuable little exercise for me, to admit to myself that these things are not critical.

(Disclaimer: I may in fact want to do some of the things on this list. Perhaps I will do them. The thing is, I don't HAVE to do them. And putting them in that perspective helps.)

I don't have to:

*work 9 to 5
*make more money than I need
*look perfect
*own things
*use my degree
*get married
*have children
*be stylish
*care about celebrity news
*go to grad school
*stay home
*strive to please everyone
*diet
*be calculating and planned-out
*have a plethora of friends
*compete with coworkers
*be outgoing
*be afraid

Now, this isn't just a way to excuse lackadaisical behavior. If you know me, you know that I work hard and will strive for excellence in all my pursuits. It's about my motives and the source of my direction, which I hope will continue to be more and more pure as the days go by.

Oh how happy are we,

Chelsea

Map by Amy R