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The Parsons, Ashley and Jeremy, that is, are friends, or at least people we know who are close friends of close friends, and they are people we admire, and they are photographers, and they are fun.
They recently made a trip to Africa and have blessed us by sharing part of their story and some of their photographs.
The images shake my foundation, stirring a craving for God and a desire to live in the constant light of such beautiful, yet harsh realites. Moreover, they make me want to live my days in the places, and with the lives, portrayed in the images they’ve captured; to live here with such places and lives as relentless influences on the way I live here.
Let me say, too, that though great sympathy is evoked for people living in such dire and seemingly intolerable conditions, I recognize more than just that in my emotional response. I recognize an appreciation, a sense of gratitude, and the challenge of incomprehensible hope among the responses in my soul.
Simply, the images, the lives expressed, evoke gratitude. I am grateful for their testimony, the desperation they make me feel for God, and most of all for beauty that no earthly circumstance can corrupt.
As melodramatic as it may seem, moments like this make me certain I’ve seen the face of God here among us.
Please get to know Ashley and Jeremy and their work: http://wearetheparsons.blogspot.com
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Two, cold and lonely french fries discovered lying on the front passenger seat of my car as I left for work at 6:33am were clear evidence of late-night revelry that a few hours of sleep could not erase.
Compelled by a need to get internet-based chores completed, and a strong desire to avoid the reality-TV nonsense Hannah and Renee were watching, I invited Will out for coffee at 9:30 on a Tuesday night and encouraged him to bring a book so I could avoid guilt while focusing on my tasks.
The wireless access at Starbuck’s was sketchy, though, and Will’s book wasn’t holding his interest, so all we accomplished was ordering the skateboarding DVD he had been coveting, watching a couple of skate videos, checking my email, and swallowing one tall americano with cream and one ice water, while struggling to ignore the conversations of a room full of boisterous college students.
When the cups were empty and the wireless access issues became overbearing, I gave up on internet chores, and we looked for something more inviting.
Conclusion: french fries (with kudos to Will for the recommendation).
Quality french fries are scarce in Greeley after 11pm, and we struggled to discern the best source to satisfy our cravings. So, we decided unanimously to do a world (that is, Greeley) tour of late night french fry purveyors in a self-sacrificing effort to determine the best of the best, and put to rest, once and for all, the question begged by many a generation of french fry consumers.
Although the guy in the McDonald’s drive-thru window suggested Weinherschnitzel, Good Times, and In-n-Out, as solid competitors, sadly, none of those are available in Greeley. In fact, our only choices for drive-thru satisfaction were McDonald’s, Wendy’s, and Burger King.
Culver’s, Dairy Queen, Sonic, Carl’s Jr., Del Taco, and Tacos Rapidos, our other Greeley options, have not made the late night purveyance of such vital victuals a priority, and as such, forfeited the competition to their worthy competitors.
So, dear Reader, you may finally rest your weary soul, assured that Will and I have taken the hit for you and relieved you of the need to expend effort to answer this nagging question.
Furthermore, you should know, we kept the competition pure by consuming naked, condiment-free french fries; we ate what we were served.
Without further ado, the results:
3. McDonald’s – the favorite in the polls was a disappointing late-night experience with too little salt and too much greasy sogginess. (However, the plain double cheeseburger we split for dessert was a tasty hit!)
2. Wendy’s – although favored for their robust size, these spuds require significant salt to withstand the competition, and the sodium was seriously lacking in the au natural form.
1. Burger King - the underdog came through to win the competition with the right balance of grease, salt and crispiness, not to mention, they were the first fries we tried.
There you have it. Next time you’re out for a late-night, gut-bomb snack, you’ll know where to spend your hard-earned cash and satisfy your cholesterol cravings, and you’ll have us to thank.
I think I’ll keep the french fries on the front seat as long as possible. They make a good souvenir, and of course, I never know when I’ll need an emergency snack.
Enjoy!
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