"However mundane a moment in life may appear, the miraculous awaits to be unwrapped within it!." -Erwin Raphael McManus
This is a story of two friends. Kindergarten classmates. School carpool buddies. Cheerleading stunting partners. Former college roomies. And now, like Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer, they are two wild spirits embracing opportunity where it lays! Uncertainty rests across the Atlantic waters before them, but Jaci and Jantina have their own adventure to write! Welcome to O'Donaldson & McSchaap's documented "Great Irish Adventure"!
Note: We, Jantina and Jaci, will both be contributing to this blog to keep you guys involved. In a perfect world, we would be able to bring all of you guys with us, but since we can't...we thought we would write about it so you can follow! For the remainder of the blog, each time you see a letter "JMcS", you know Jaci Mc Schaap is narrating. Each time you see a letter "TOD", you know it is Tina O'Donaldson. So put on your rain jackets and tune your bagpipes (that's not a metaphore) because we want to share this once in a life time opportunity with all of YOU in our trip to Ireland!
JMcS: Before we begin telling you about how this craziness started. The best way for you to really "grasp" the situation is to get to know our first character and how I know her. And the term "character" couldn't capture her personality any better. Let me tell you about our first hero, Jantina Donaldson... and that is not a name. It's an attitude.
Jantina or better known as Teenballz or Teener is a Scorpio. She has always shared her birthday weekend with Halloween and because of that, her birthday parties have been references to around the world. I knew going to Tina's parties would include bobbing for apples, orange frosting Oreos, and scarey movies. Let's get detailed, if Tina was on Saved By the Bell, she'd be Lisa Turtle. Not only because we always put Tina as the "diverse" one in these situations, but it is mostly because of her fun personality, one liner knock out jokes, and cute fashion. She doesn't have to always be front and center like that clown Zack, but when the spotlight is on her...no one leaves disappointed. I met Tina in Kindergarten. I watched as Tina went through her phases of dragonflies, perms, a Rob Lowe infatuation, karaoking to "unchained melody", wearing Pepe jeans, and eventually driving her red Grand Am (usually bassing out in the high school parking lot to Lil Bow Wow). Some might have said that I was the one always getting us into "harmless character building PG trouble" in high school, but if they really knew Tina...they would know it was her Wit and cleverness that lead me to have courage to do most things and in turn, would make her into my accomplice. While some children played with dolls, Tina never settled with the traditional childhood. Not only did she she find joy in eating off of McDonald's Happy Meal Character collectible plates, Tina loved the video camera. Who wouldn't when you can produce such quality films such as "Julie and Kelly's Halloween Dilemma" or an animated movie using barbies and clear fishing wire? For almost 10 years she lead me to believe that Matt Lauer and Abraham Lincoln were her relatives. I was in late high school when I found out this was not true. Although there are many things that make Tina who she is, the biggest ones are that she has always had a BIG heart, is one of the least judgemental people I've met, has an amazing memory, and she would stick up for any of her friends or family at the drop of a hat. I know she would kick anyone's butt if they were mean to me. I think it is the Irish blood in her and I intend to take advantage of that in Ireland if need be. ;)
Even after I worked the past 3 years in southern Africa, Tina doesn't let me forget my roots and retells embarrassing stories that keep me humble. We've experienced a lot of life together...21 years to be exact. That is a common law marriage 3 times over.
And with every marriage, comes a honeymoon. Ireland, we've been waiting.
TOD: Heroes get remembered but legends never die. Jaclyn Joy Schaap is neither. She is a way of life.
Have you ever had one friend who just knew you really well? Like really really well? Think about it. Got it? Great. Jaclyn Schaap is the Harry to my Lloyd Christmas, the Thelma to my Lousie, the Milli to my Vanilli, and yes, the guaranteed laugh I need after I tell a really bad joke. Actually . . . that’s not true. If I were to tell a bad joke she would be the very first person to make fun of me. Why? Because she wants to make me better! She also knows that a witty comment putting me in my place is more appreciated from her than it would be coming from someone else. It is a quality I respect about her.
Jaclyn, aka Jaci, or self-proclaimed “The Jackster,” is an Aquarius. However, she also reads the Capricorn horoscope because her birthday misses the cutoff by just one day (So confusing growing up not knowing who you truly are or what Saturn or candid Jupiter have in store for you each month). Celebrities Jaci would hang out with include Tina Fey and Vince Vaughn. Nemesis’s include Leelee Sobieski and Julia Stiles. If one were to hang out with Jaci they would find that dressing up as an ex-convict, prank calling/msn’ing fellow college students as professors, and lighting bags of poop on fire at people’s doorsteps, wasn’t odd it just meant it was Tuesday night.
I remember growing up she always had the coolest things. In first grade she had a Squiggle Wiggle pen. I'm not sure if a lot of you know what this is. Basically it is a large pen with batteries that squiggles/wiggles as you write with it (yeah, it's not rocket science folks). She also had an echo microphone that I was just enthralled with. Later, after Home Alone 2: Lost in New York came out, we each received a Talkboy recorder. This jump started our pranking career at a very young age. Let's just say there was never a dull moment. You see, one of Jaci’s greatest strengths is that she always knows how to make someone laugh even if it’s herself. I’ve always admired her gift to find humor in any situation. Everyone is always excited when they get a call from Jaci cause they know somethin’s a cookin’. What fun, crazy, completely messed up plan does Jaci have now? Along with having a great personality she is also a humanitarian, sacrificing 3 years of her life to do work in South Africa, going to school in the Dominican Republic, and several other projects and trips. She truly has a heart for people and has the ability to impact anyone she comes in contact with. I cannot wait to see what kind of shenanigans Jaci comes up with when we’re meeting leprechauns like she promised me we would.
No comments:
Post a Comment