What is love? Baby, don't hurt me.

I was in love once.

It didn't work out.

It was for the best, though. I knew all along that he wasn't right for me.

I've never been in a relationship, so I've never actually "experienced" love, nor have I had someone fall in love with me. I've never been kissed, and I have never been on what I would constitute as a real date. This used to frustrate me, especially in high school and college, when all of my friends started getting boyfriends and then—when their fairy tales became realities—fiancés who became their dream-come-true husbands.

I'm content with it now, though. When I look back on all of the guys I liked in the past, I realize why none of those situations ended up as I originally wished, and I am perfectly OK with the way things worked out. Sure, I may have felt a bit heartbroken at the time, but I think I was spared even deeper heartbreak that would have ensued down the road. It's funny how God's plan always seems better after the fact.

Do I love cheesy romantic comedies with predictably happy endings? Yes. Do I still want to be kissed in a gazebo with sparks flying all around us? Absolutely. Have I dreamed of walking down the aisle toward a future full of happiness and someone who will always be willing to take me to get a snow cone? What girl hasn't?

But will I be OK if none of these things ever happen? Of course.

I honestly don't know if I will ever have that moment where I scream "I love you" to someone in the middle of the street when it's pouring down rain. I'm not sure if I will ever get in a fight with another woman at a recreational sporting event because she insults my man because he's on the opposing team of hers. I can't even say for certain that I will ever have anyone offer me his jacket because I get cold everywhere I go, and I am not always prepared.

Perhaps one reason this is on my mind is because I watched 27 Dresses recently. But I'm not going to sit around hoping my life will end up like Katherine Heigl's did and that I will end up with someone as good-looking and charming as James Marsden. That's not meant for everyone, and there is nothing wrong with that.

Whatever plan God has for me, I'm going to trust it. Hey, He's the one man who has never let me down, and He loved me before I even knew what love meant.

And His love is everlasting.

Fruitful revelations

Sometimes change is not just a good thing, but it's a necessary thing.

On Saturday morning, I dropped my phone, and all I could see was a white screen. This happened once before, and the guy at the Apple store fixed it in less than four minutes. Call me naive, but I was hopeful for a repeat, so I set up an appointment with the Genius Bar.

Like I said, call me naive.

It was not such an easy fix this time. The "genius" told me I could pay $99 for a new screen, or I could pay $199 for the iPhone 4. Easy decision.

My genius then sent me to a sales specialist who could get me my new phone and transfer all of my numbers over to it. I figured this would be an easy process, and I could be out of there quickly. After all, I had a million things to do that day.

I think we all know what happens when I jump to conclusions like that. I assume we all know the saying about what assuming does. (Yes, that was intentional word choice.)

Well, apparently, the genius had quoted me an incorrect price, because I was technically not due for an upgrade until December. So my new sales buddy told me it would actually be $431.92. Um, excuse me? No. There was no way I was paying that. I mean, it's late August, which is practically December, anyway. They could make an exception. Sales pal said that he couldn't make that call; it was up to AT&T. Out to the kiosk we went.

At first the AT&T guy at the kiosk told me there was nothing he could do. Really? We bantered for a few minutes—this guy has a future in comedy if the cell phone gig doesn't work out for him—and I was finally able to convince him that it was in everyone's best interest for him to give me the $199 price. Sounds simple enough, right?

Wrong.

I don't know how many trips Sales BFF and I made back and forth from the Apple store to the Kiosk Comedian. There was quite a bit of manipulation that had to be done to the account to make it look like I wasn't cheating on the upgrade, and it was quite obvious that Sales BFF had never anything like this before. I'm not sure if KC had, but he seemed like he had cheated on a lot of things in life, so he was the one punching all of the keys. What I thought was going to be a quick trip to the mall (during tax-free weekend, a.k.a Hades, mind you) turned into an adventure of more than two hours.

Skipper: "You mean you didn't get an Otter?"

The manager of the Apple store had noticed I had been in there for quite some time, so he came over to check on the situation a few times. When everything was FINALLY sorted out and BFF was transferring my numbers from one phone to the other, the manager pointed to a wall of phone cases and told me to pick out any case I wanted, and he would take care of it.

Holla!

I have never owned anything Kate Spade, but I know she's a pretty popular designer (my sister is kind of a fashion diva), and there were some pretty snazzy phone cases made by her on this new wall of opportunities. I figured I would never be able to afford anything with Kate Spade's name on it outside of this moment, so I went with the fun polka dots.

I started thinking about it, and I realized that I'm not just offered a wall of cell phone covers every day—I'm given so much more. In both good times and bad, Jesus is there with me, pointing to a wall of mercy, grace and love and telling me that I can have it all, and He will take care of it. The best part? He doesn't limit us to two-year contracts with fine print and painful stipulations. Instead, he offers us a life promise that has unlimited upgrades and blessings along the way, with the ultimate upgrade at the end: eternal life with Him.

So, yes, I am glad that everything at Apple worked out and that I was able to use a phone again. But, more importantly, I know that the best communication isn't going to come from calls, texts and e-mails that I can access wherever I receive service; rather, it comes talking to God and staying quiet when He's speaking His truths to me.

And we certainly don't have to be in Wi-Fi zones to do that.

Shooting stars galore

It's hard not to be drawn to shooting stars.

I saw a shooting star this morning on my drive out to run at the lake. It was pretty awesome, because I'm fairly certain that was the first shooting star I've ever seen in real life.

I don't really believe that whatever wish you make on shooting stars will come true, but I went ahead and made one, anyway—just for fun and because it's what Disney would tell me to do.

And I listen to Disney, of course.

As I continued to drive, I started to think (because what else are you going to do at 4-something in the morning?), and it occurred to me just how quickly that star came and went from my life. It seriously happened so fast. And, as crazy as it may sound, I think shooting stars are a lot like some people we encounter in our lives.

There are some individuals who come and go from our lives like shooting stars, yet they still manage to impact us somehow. They are mysterious. They are fleeting. They are breathtaking. They leave us wishing. They put smiles on our faces. They touch us and cause us to open our eyes just a little bit more, waiting with anticipation to see another shooting star blast across the sky.

I started thinking about some shooting stars who have impacted me lately. For starters, there was the old man in the Market Street parking lot who came up to me and told me he appreciated the fact that I was wearing a long skirt, because there are just "too many floozies out there nowadays." He made me feel a bit Amish with my skirt that went down to my ankles. But, at the same time, he caused me to think about the clothes I wear, and I will admit that his words pop into my head whenever I wear skirts now. He was a shooting star.

Then there was the little girl with her dad in front of me in the checkout line at Target. She looked up at him with her adorable big blue eyes and said, "Daddy, I love you forever. I'm so glad Jesus gave you to me." It was so innocent and so precious. It made me think about all the times when I wasn't so loving to my own dad—all those times when I wasn't quite thanking the Lord for good ol' Skipper. I called my dad on my way out of the store and pretended like I had something to ask him, but I was really just calling because I was thankful that Jesus gave him to me. That little girl was a shooting star.

I saw two little boys (I'm assuming they are brothers) sitting on a curb to cheer on their dad at a race recently. They were both eating muffins, and the smaller one dropped his on the ground. He got this terribly sad look on his face, and I thought we were about to have a crying toddler situation. Instead, after thinking about it for a second, the older child took one bite of his muffin, then handed the rest to his brother and said, "Here, Tucker, I'm not very hungry, anyway." (I love that he took a bite first, though—precious.) I thought about that the next day when I was in my grad class, and we were selecting topics for this in-class presentation we had to do at the end of the class that day. I already knew the topic I wanted, but there was another woman in my class who wanted the same thing. The teacher came to me first, and I was about to say that topic, but the image of the little boy with the blueberry muffin popped into my head, and I chose a different topic. That young child was a shooting star.

Last Sunday, some of the teenagers at my church led worship for us. It was incredible to see so many students passionately praising the Lord and throwing their hands up in the air to worship Him. I honestly think it made members of the congregation sing more loudly and more boldly. It made me smile to see those kids up there singing their hearts out for Jesus. The sky was full of shooting stars that morning.

Shooting stars are rare, and they fly through your life when you don't expect them. Sure, you can wish on stars all you want, and those wishes may or may not happen (though it doesn't have anything to do with the star), but those shooting stars are so special. They are beautiful. They are unique. They are exciting. They leave you eager for more.

What's even more exciting is that you may be someone's shooting star at any moment and not even know it.

Let it shine.

Love the triple digits

I think this weather is beautiful.

In fact, I will be thrilled if we break the record for most consecutive days with temperatures greater than 100 degrees.

Now, I can't say that I enjoy every second of this heat. I mean, I sort of started melting when I walked to the pool this afternoon. And literally burning your feet on the concrete isn't the most pleasant feeling in the world.

But, I have found that there are simply some absolutely wonderful things a person can do to combat the blast furnace in which we find ourselves in the greatest state in the nation.

For starters, you can get to know some grocery store patrons better. I took a trip to Tom Thumb today, and I didn't even need any groceries. I just wanted to walk up and down the frozen foods aisles. I don't use air conditioning, so this was a slight change in temperatures for me. Refreshing.

This weather is also great for saving on overheating your home by using the oven or stove. I heard of someone who baked cookies in a car, and my friend Kebbers fried an egg outside. Sure, these things will take a bit longer than normal, but at least you can talk about how cool you are (quite literally, too!).

Concerts with your mom make you forget the heat!

One of my personal faves is floating in the pool with a good book. Just buy a float from Target (you can get one for $2.99, but if you need a loan, let me know—totally worth it), and then relax as the sun and heat combine to make you feel hotter than those cookies made by the car baker. Your advantage: you are in water. It's fabulous.

Snow cones. Enough said.

Take your mom to an outdoor Brad Paisley concert with eighth-row seats. After the sun sets, your sweat might begin to dry a little. But, if not, Brad will make you forget all about it.

Yay for kayaking!

Take a nap. Naps are perfect for any type of weather. So, do the math.

Go kayaking. The heat seems to vanish when you are cruising in the beauty of the lake. As soon as you set foot on shore, you might start to sweat like a beast, but that's beside the point. The time on the water is wonderful. If you don't have a kayak and can't rent one, I do not recommend this.

Go running in the heat of the day. It might make you appreciate the little things in life. Like oxygen.

Fill a tub or bucket or children's pool full of ice, and sit in it.

Life is often what you make of it. It would be really easy to sit around and complain about how ridiculously hot it is, while people in other states are rubbing their cooler temps in our faces, but I say we should just embrace what we are given and look at this weather as being some kind of blessing.

After all, it makes snow cones taste even more delicious.