Jon & Kate Plus 5 Billion

I admit to being among the masses who watch Jon & Kate Plus 8. The kids are so cute, with their distinct little personalities and different but similarly adorable little faces. (Leah and Aaden are my favorites.) I just started watching at the beginning of the year, and have since caught several of the old episodes. It's clear that the couple were in a different place then than they are now.

People criticize Jon and Kate constantly, accusing them of exploiting their kids and acting entitled. Jon is lazy, Kate's a maneater, Jon's giving up, Kate is more concerned about publicity than her family. You know what? WHO CARES?!? Really, it's none of our business. We may think it is because it's on TV, but this is a real family, and their decisions are none of our business.

I can't say that I never have these judgmental thoughts. I've found myself emotionally involved in their marriage, and after reading an article that the big announcement on Monday's show will be a divorce, I felt like crying. I have reactions like this to big changes in any show I watch: George and Izzy's cliffhanger on Grey's Anatomy; Mike leaving Susan on Desperate Housewives; Chloe watching Edgar die on 24; Chuck breaking B's heart on Gossip Girl. However, there is one monumental difference between all of those shows and J&K+8:

This show documents a real family, living a real life, going through real problems.

You know what I think that means? I think it means we should all just leave them alone. Stop speculating, stop following them around, stop spreading gossip. (Granted, it would probably help a good deal if they ditched the cameras and gave themselves some privacy to hash out their troubles.)

They may be on TV, but the Gosselins are just another family, like any of us. I hope for the kids' sake that they aren't announcing a divorce, but whatever they do, it's their decision. Theirs. It's not the world's place to weigh in and tell them what they should or should not do.

I strongly believe in the 2x4 gospel, removing the planks from our own eyes before pointing out the speck in someone else's (Matthew 7:5). This is a perfect time for all of us to put it into practice.

Scavenger Hunt

Oh, the nostalgia.

Last weekend, we participated in a photo scavenger hunt, designed by a friend in honor of her husband's birthday. Inhibition was in the wind as we approached perfect strangers, asking them to take pictures of us wearing hard hats in home depot, jumping off a step, climbing on each other to form a human pyramid.

The adventure took me back to the days of early high school and church youth group, when things like scavenger hunts and impromptu 80's parties found us on a regular basis.

Gone was all the pride and dignity of a group of friends in their mid-to-late twenties, replaced by the silliness and wacky confidence of adolescence. My team may not have won, but we sure had a great time losing.

Here are some of my favorite moments:

MISSION: Human pyramid. (I really thought the guy taking this picture was going to run off with my camera. I was prepared to jump off the pyramid and chase him.)


MISSION: Jumping. (Everyone's feet had to be off the ground.)


MISSION: Sliding down a slide. (Bonus points if it's twirly!)


MISSION: Group hug.


MISSION: Use selves to spell out a word. (Can you read us?)


MISSION: Record re-enactment of a scene from The Sound of Music.