Jim's not the only one...

So this is a picture of Craig Robinson (Darryl from "The Office") and I near the shuk (market) in Jerusalem. Rhonda and I just happened to bump into him in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (supposedly built on the place where Christ was crucified). He was pretty much wandering the city aimlessly after ditching his traveling pals in the underground tunnels in the City of David. We walked him through the church and down the Via Dolorosa. We enjoyed some hummus and sodas and chatted for awhile.

Anyway, if you look closely at what Craig is wearing - you will immediately get the Jonathan reference. Um... yes... that is a FANNY PACK! Jim Randall, we have a friend for you! :) Ok so I am basically laughing inside the whole time we are walking around... and then when he gets out money to pay at the restaurant, Craig even says "I know. I know. A fanny pack. Please don't say anything." At which point I burst into laughter. And Rhonda is saying "Yes he did." I opted not to tell the whole story but did point out that I was glad he knew how lame it was.

Fanny packs are actually quite popular here in Israel - and not just for tourists. Men wear them around their waists and also sling them over their shoulder like a purse. Apparently somebody finally got smart and developed a man purse. I will take pictures to show you. JD would love it. And of course mercilessly tease any guy he knew who chose to wear one.

Throughout the years I knew Jonathan, I came to rely on him for things. When I needed a voice of reason and logic, he was the first person I called. When I wanted to procrastinate and not study, he always had something to do whether it was play games or just sit at the concrete tables on campus and tell stories for hours. When I needed to vent, he would listen then simply say he was sorry for whatever it was that had gotten me worked up. When I craved Haagen Daz, he rode all over Jackson with me looking in every grocery store, food mart, and gas station until I found it. When I needed somebody to laugh with me over whatever stupid mistake I'd made, he was always first in line to join in the laughter. These are the things that any great friend would do. The memories are specific to Jonathan for me, but the gestures are typical of best friends. However, there is one way in which I came to depend on Jonathan that will forever be Jonathan specific.

Today I found myself frustrated and asking God why Jonathan was in Heaven when I needed him in Jackson. My sister and I went to New Albany for the fourth. We got in last night around 11 pm, and I began to unpack the car. Knowing that she would be taking her car to work and I would be leaving for Atlanta, I went through her car thoroughly in order to get everything that was mine out. Once the car was empty I realized that my keys weren't where they were supposed to be (in my purse). I searched every crevice of her car and house. They were nowhere to be found. I called Jeff at 11:30 at night to tell him to look for my keys in New Albany. (in typical Jeff fashion, he said he was asleep and it could wait til morning). This morning I woke up and called New Albany; they had not found the keys. I again searched the house, every bag, nook and cranny. The keys were nowhere to be found. As I began looking up the numbers to locksmiths, I kept saying to myself: "The valet key is in the car. Seriously, it would take JD five minutes to open the car and solve this whole dilemma!" I can't tell you how many times Jonathan let me into my car. In fact, Jonathan and his little car entry thingy that he picked up on the side of the road on the way to Illinois became legendary at MC. He would get calls from friends of friends of friends asking if he would come let them into their car. He always did. I was with him once; he walked up to a fretful girl who he had never seen or heard of, said: "Hey. I'm Jonathan," and began to try to jimmy her door open. We laughed about it all night. The best was when the girl awkwardly tried to pay him.

After three hours of looking, I finally found my keys out on the driveway where I had dropped them accidently three days ago. In my head I could hear the sound of JD laughing with/at me as he always did when I had a Crewslike moment. I wonder if I'll ever have a morning like today and not think first of Jonathan. In a way, I hope not. After all was said and done, it felt good to hear Jonathan laugh again (even if it was just in my head).
-Elizabeth Crews

Biblical Sharpies

Today our TASP group took an end of the year field trip to Neot Kedumim, the Biblical Nature Reserve near Jerusalem. It was a wonderful adventure. We made our own zatar (oregano) and cooked our own pita and other fabulous dishes using Biblical ingredients and methods. We made a lovely smelling satchet out of myrtle. We saw remains of a 1st century olive press, wine press, and cistern. We drew water using a model of an ancient Egyptian water wheel. BUT my Jonathan moment occured when we learned about the tools the scribes use(d) to write the Torah scrolls. The preferred writing utensil is a turkey feather but those were not readily available in all places and not all birds are kosher, so they opted for the reed. I was really surprised at how smooth the ink went on the paper - it was just LIKE a sharpie. Mine even seemed like a slightly old, dried out sharpie! :)

Here Fishy Fishy Fishy

So today was a day when I really wanted to call Jonathan because he would have loved this story...
I went to HaYarkon Park today for a picnic and boating with other immigrant students from Tel Aviv University. (No I am not an immigrant but they include me because I am an international student.) After eating, we divided into two groups for boating. I chose the paddle boat (flashbacks to pre-teen camp at the State park!). Danielle and Max were in my group. Max and I paddled; Danielle navigated. It was a beautiful evening and we were having great fun. Suddenly something jumped out of the water and back in. We were all curious. Pretty soon we noticed fish jumping every few minutes. Cute little fish diving in and out of the water. I instantly remembered this clip from Sesame Street that Jonathan and I loved. I found it on youtube but I can't get it to post here. The link is http://youtube.com/watch?v=pFTjeaDlxDI to watch it. So I tell Danielle and Max wouldn't it be funny if a fish jumped in our boat. They laughed. About five minutes later, Danielle screamed. I turned around a THERE WAS A FISH FLOPPING AROUND IN THE BOAT! Seriously. It was the funniest thing. I was screaming and grabbing the camera. Danielle was frantically trying to shoo it back into the water. Poor Max was more worried about the two of us than the fish. :)
Here is the poor guy bouncing around... I guess Bert and Ernie aren't the only ones who can fish without a pole!

Making Movies

Today I was waiting at the bus stop near Rabin Square. It is a large plaza type place with fountains and bushes and stuff. Anyway, all of sudden I see two guys walking towards each other. One guy is wearing a dark brown leather jacket and I am thinking - it is WAY too hot for that jacket. The other guy is wearing a suit and carrying a large silver briefcase. To make it even stranger the two guys meet in the middle of the square exchange the briefcase and walk away. Strange, right? I am looking around thinking did I just see a drug deal in the middle of the morning... Then I see a guy with a camera - and I realize they are filming a scene for a movie. The guys swap the briefcase like 50 times and the camera guy gets dozens of different shots. He occasionally confers with the guys and they walk faster or slower or whatever. It was pretty cool - and I thought this is what JD did...

Space Camp

A friend left her case of dvds at my house while she is backpacking through Egypt. I had immediate flashbacks when I came across this movie.
I distinctly remember Jonathan and I watching it with my parents at the house on Mossline Drive. I am pretty sure we watched multiple times. It was definitely part of the inspiration for Jonathan and I going to Space Camp one spring. I think he was in the fourth grade and I was in the fifth grade. If I recall we got to miss a few days of school because it was an educational trip... or maybe that was something else. Anyway - as best as I can remember my parents or maybe it was my mom and Lydia drove us over and then they stayed at a hotel in Huntsville.
Jonathan and I had a blast. We were put on separate shuttle crews but saw each other at meals and such. We did a lot of math stuff, rode in the centrifugal spin around thing and ate dried ice cream. I remember a lot of stairs at the NASA building. And I think we may have watched Space Camp while at Space Camp. :) We got to wear these really cool space suits - which I still have. I may also still have the packages of freeze dried strawberry ice cream that I brought back. Maybe I will sell that on E-Bay. We did not learn anything about diapers... that must be a recent phenomen. :)
And here is the proof...
Ok I am off to enjoy the movie and relive all the great memories...

Whodunit?

So the semester that Jonathan was studying in France, he sent me a copy of this book in French for my birthday. The pictures were quite humorous and we had lots of fun trying to figure out the story. Fortunately my roommate, Jennifer, knew French and was able to translate the story for us. We laughed even harder. I have had lots of fun over the years showing the book around to various friends trying to get them to predict what the story is about. People rarely guess correctly on the first try. I was in a local bookstore this week and found a copy in HEBREW!! Of course I had to buy it. I have decided to start a collection. I am sure the German guys who wrote it had no idea that it would one day be translated into so many languages and be so popular around the world. :)

Thank you!

We have been watching some old home videos. As I watch Jonathan as a preteen - that awkard age - he shows times of just that - being an awkard preteen. How did he transition to the incredible young man that we all know and love? First and foremost is the fact that God grew him to be the young man He needed. Also, people invested in Jonathan. Each person that has written on this blog invested in Jonathan. So a little bit of each of you helped him grow. So the challenge for today is to continue investing in young people. And since several of you are young parents, begin now to pray for people to invest in the lives of your children.
Today is Mother's Day. I want to say thanks to each of you.
I needed a bit of Jonathan today, so each of you blessed me with the stories that you shared.
I love you all!
Dottie

Text Messaging

I carried on multiple conversations with multiple people over text messaging today. I even ordered a pizza and had it delivered to my house using a text message. Pretty impressive. I distinctly remember the first text message I ever received. It was November of 2001. I was student teaching a third grade class at Casey Elementary School. The students were taking a math test. The room was completely silent. It was impressive. Suddenly a series of beeps interrupted the quiet. It definitely came from the corner of the room where my bags were... but the storage closet was also in that corner so we didn't think anything of it. A few minutes later the beeps occured again. The kids were starting to get distracted. I went to the back of the room to explore. I couldn't find anything in the cabinet making a noise so we moved on. The kids finished the test. We went to lunch. No more noises. After the bell rang, I gathered my bags and headed for the car. I took my phone out and noticed a flashing envelope. I had no clue what it meant. I had never received a text message. I pushed a few buttons and found a note that read "HEY!!" Pushed a few more buttons and discovered the message was from Jonathan. A second text read "Have a great day!" Also from Jonathan. I think it took me several hours to figure out how to respond. :)

Phone Twins

I am sure that most of you remember this phone. Jonathan bought it shortly after moving to California. I inherited it when I came back from Tanzania. Apparently when Jonathan purchased this phone, it was the hot new thing and certain to be quite popular. Unfortunately I think people couldn't get used to the circular dialing thing. When I took it into the Cingular shop to get a new number, the guy was all "I have never seen this phone. It must be ancient." Ah well... I never saw another one like it until... LUXOR Egypt... Our tour guide, Ahmed, had a phone just like this... it was even blue... the same as Jonathan's. I couldn't believe it. Of course Ahmed's phone was all in Arabic... and he really didn't understand why I was so excited. But it was a fun little JD moment in Egypt. :)