The One Where She Comes Out Smelling Like a Rose.

Thursday night was THE night. You know, the one with all the delightful people who see it as a responsibility to keep OCU up and running, and have allowed for the university to avoid raising tuition like pretty much every other school on the planet during this recession.

It was also the night when the video was shown. You know, the video in which I wore a hat to cover up my awkward hair.


All night long, I was prepared to make a mad dash out the door in order to avoid severe embarassment causing weeping and gnashing of teeth. Or crawling under the table and sucking my thumb in the fetal position.

I'm not above that, as you may or may not know.

I got to the dinner and found some lovely people at my table. They talked with me about school and OCU and working with Jim (my boss) who just happens to be the interim pastor at First GB, where all of them attend. We began dinner and of course I sent the first fork back with my empty appetizer plate by accident when I needed it for my salad so other than being a fork behind and having to use a spoon to eat dessert (which I think is soooo appropriate for my beloved cheesecake anyway), it was going quite smoothly.

Well, except for the pulsating beats of my frightened heart as I sat there thinking about how I would be exposed for the disrespectful, unprepared Hat Wearer I was.

ACK.

There were some beautiful speeches that made me cry a little--our current president's wife and our former president both battled cancer and won this year-one of them was divinely healed--and just hearing about the University. I forgot about my potential embarrassment as I rejoiced for Beth and Dr. Murray.


Then the lights went down. Heart attacks are sooo underrated.

Jim looked at me and started laughing from a table over. I cringed and wondered if there was, indeed, a graceful way to descend underneath the table and ride out the storm. No dice.


As the movie began, I kept waiting for my part of the video. Waiting and cringing. Waiting and cringing.

20 minutes in and still no sign of That Girl on the big screen. Whew! I am home FREE!






or not.

Then I saw the infamous Vurt hat and That Girl underneath it. Cringing was now practically an Olympic sport for me.
eeek.

I peeked open one eye.

but wait, I wasn't looking that bad!

The Prez asked me what I say to those who invested in me at OCU and allowed me to continue my education there. I said something along the lines of:

"Dr. Barber, I would say that they are helping the image of Christ to be formed in me...." Which was STRAIGHT from the Throne of God (I know because I was praying that He would speak and not me...)
and by the time I answered the question, I realized that they had closed the video out with my answer.


Now that could go either way, folks.

So as the lights went up, I knew there was still time for table hunkering. Or I could make a mad dash out the back door. Or I could just sit there and be quiet, hoping no one made the connection.


a girl can dream.


But what happened next was better than anything I could have expected. Mrs. Knight, one of the ladies at my table, said in front of the group, "Lauren, that was such a good answer. And


YOU LOOKED SO CHIC IN YOUR LITTLE HAT! LIKE A REAL COLLEGE STUDENT!"

I could have kissed her feet.

Several of the others echoed and I secretly hoped the person who did the editing and teased me about it could hear that MY table LIKED that cute little hat and That Girl underneath it.


score one for the home team.