ex(PR)essed

So…Jeff and I picked up our brand new, 2008 Honda Civic on Monday morning. It rained all day (salesman Andy said that’s good luck). It was “bye-bye” Explorer, and “hello” Civic for the Lorows. This automotive upgrade has been in the works for almost all two years that we’ve been married, but it finally all came together just a few weeks ago. We’ll spend some time getting acquainted with the newest member of our little family this weekend when we drive to South Carolina to spend some time with Jeff’s family.

The new car has created a dilema for me: THE KEY. I didn’t have an Explorer key on my key chain because I never drove Jeff’s car. (It took both hands for me to get that thing in and out of gear. It was all bad, so I totally avoided it.) Honda, thinking that they’re doing their car owners a favor, decided to forego the separate keyless entry/key style for a single key with the entry buttons directly on it. The key is about the size of Montana. It dominates my keychain. It has created havoc in what used to be a rather controlled key environment in my purse. I’m embarassed to hand over my Giant Bonus Card because I’m afraid the cashier will strain a muscle while trying to manage my bundle of keys. I must devote a minute (or two) tonight to sorting this key situation out. And, lest you think I’m exagerrating and making much ado about nothing, my dear husband has indicated he feels a similar angst about the new key situation.

So, in other news. I had a very enjoyable lunch today with one cute Erick and his lovely mom, Jen. See…Jen and Allyson are good friends. They met in playgroup and both moms and kids became great friends. I met Jen and Erick a few years ago. I immediately developed a ginormous crush on Erick. He’s irresistably cute. About equally as quickly, I developed a deep fondness for his mom. And now, instead of Jen just being Allyson’s friend, I’ve taken to thinking of her as my friend. We met for lunch today — a real treat for a girl who has spent far too much within the confines of her office of late.

I hate to harp…but back to that key situation for a minute. Let it be known that I love the Civic. And, I still very much love our Honda Element. Getting rid of keys by getting rid of cars is absolutely not an option.

Random other items for you to note: “Deadliest Catch” was outstanding last night: Johnathan fell into water while trying to board his boat; Sig and Edgar battled over who could stay awake the longest (48 plus hours); and Phil’s crew gave themselves mohawks and offered their hair to the crab-fishing gods. The church softball season kicked off last night, and Immanuel lost both games. I thought they looked pretty good though, and I fully expect their next games will noted in the win column. I am so stuffed up that I can hardly hear. So, please, if you’re talking to me…look directly at me so that I stand a chance of reading your lips. I feel like I’m trapped in a cave.

(Lastly, I’m not spell-checking this entry. Mostly because IT won’t build something so that we can all spell check on our blogs. Plus, I’m bored with this entry and don’t want to suffer through re-reading it. Sorry about that…)

Last Tuesday was blissful for me. Not only was The Compassion Forum successfully behind me, and I was enjoying my first evening at home with my husband, but it was premiere night for season four of “The Deadliest Catch,” the most gripping, fascinating show on television! Jeff and I have been fans of this show for years, and I always eagerly anticipate the start of a new season and the chance to reconnect with the “boys” — you know Sig, Edgar, Johnathan, Phil, and the others.

The season opener didn’t disappoint. Edgar gnawed the head off a herring for luck. Phil cursed up a blue streak as he expressed frustration about his challenging sons. Each boat engaged in any number of superstitious practices to ensure a successful season, including spending hours searching for an elusive Cup of Noodles carton for captain Keith to use as a spittoon.

Most people are surprised by how much I enjoy this show, and I must confess that I can’t completely explain it. Since I’m a girl who can’t cruise from southern California to Catalina Island without losing my breakfast (right, Dwayne?!), I think I’m just totally in awe of this world that is so foreign to me: A group of mean leave their families to fish in the Bering Sea, easily the most dangerous body of water on this planet. They smoke like chimmneys (I read that Edgar smokes two packs a day) and ingest caffeine like crazy (the Northwestern drinks a can every two days) and make tons of money. They battle pitching boats; terrible weather, including ice, wind, snow, and rain; extreme fatigue; and each other’s weaknesses, including often cranky captains, all to catch enough crab to make millions. It’s fascinating. I can’t, and wouldn’t want to, avert my eyes!

Now that a few days (and more importantly, a few nights of sleep) have passed, I feel a bit more equipped to talk about The Compassion Forum, and the incredible opportunities that have plastered a nearly permanent smile on this PR girl’s face. New York Times. Wall Street Journal. Washington Post. All talked about The Compassion Forum and Messiah College on Monday. What a thrill! And, when the cashier at Barnes & Noble asked me in a somewhat puzzled tone whether I could actually read all those newspapers in one sitting, I simply grinned and told her that I worked for Messiah College. She didn’t ask any more questions.

Interestingly, for me, the biggest media thrill of the week didn’t come from one of the big national newspapers that every college PR staff covets coverage from. It came from our local Harrisburg Patriot-News who said things like “President Kim Phipps and the entire Messiah College community proved they were more than up to the challenge;” “the program went off without a hitch;” “Faith in Public Life…had sought out Messiah College for the nationally televised forum. It would have had a difficult time finding a better choice;” “Dr. Phipps…is to be credited for leading the college to new heights in almost every aspect of academics and campus life.” Wow. What an awesome endorsement from a newspaper that we truly enjoy working with and respect greatly.

Many days, planning for The Compassion Forum was all-consuming. It was frustrating and exhilarating. Exhausting and invigorating. Unlike anything I have ever experienced. There were times when I questioned whether I had the physical, mental, or emotional strength to trudge on towards the goal, and, it was at those moments that the grace of God was clearly evident in the smiles and encouragement of this great Messiah College team.

Now, looking back, I wouldn’t trade one single stressful moment that got us to this point. The reward of seeing Messiah College and the faith community take the national stage for such a momentous and important event is unmatched.

And, now it’s back to life, back to reality. (80s song…anyone? maybe it was a 90s song. Hmmm…) I still have plenty to do at work, including Compassion Forum follow-up stuff. Home? Well, things are in a state of neglect, and I must spend some time this weekend cleaning. I might even contemplate making dinner…from scratch! I also hope to do some “War and Peace” reading. The book didn’t get totally neglected during Compassion Forum planning; last night I started section eight and passed into the 500s.

I want to write about The Compassion Forum, about the craziness that has been my life the past few days, but I don’t know how to begin to adequately capture the mix of relief, sadness, weariness, overwhelming joy, and fondness of this place called Messiah College that I feel right now. A stream of consciousness is the best this tired mind and body can do for now — more cohesive thoughts are sure to follow after I’ve had some time to sleep and ponder what an incredible opportunity The Compassion Forum really was for me.

I work with the best team of people ever. It’s a privilege.

The heels of my feet are literally bruised.

I have had a total of about six hours of sleep in the past two days. I spent more time at Messiah College than at home for the last four days.

I will never get tired of seeing Messiah College on television in relation to The Compassion Forum.

The PR geek in me loved meeting reporters from the NY Times, NPR, CNN radio (they interviewed me!), and all the local writers that I correspond with over e-mail but have never met face-to-face before.

Hillary looks lovely in yellow.

I did three television interviews in two days and still haven’t seen any of the footage. But, when a senior vice president from CNN tells you that she saw you on television and thought you did a nice job, that’s good, right?!

The CNN bus is a nice addition to Messiah’s campus.

Check out the photos.

And, we have an event! Obama is confirmed for The Compassion Forum so it’s full speed ahead! The subject line of this post, “here we go,” has been the subject of several e-mails both received and sent today. We’re excited, working hard, and, well to be honest, ready for the weekend!

The great philosopher Tom Petty has written the line that best seems to represent my spirit these days: “The waiting is the hardest part.”

We are waiting for confirmation from the Obama and McCain campaigns about their attendance at The Compassion Forum. It’s hard to sit idly and wait. This event has dominated my life the past five weeks. I even dream about it. I want to know what happens next. And, to take a page from Veruca Salt: I want to know NOW!