EDIT (6/22): I’ve added myself to the list. Check me out!
Best Buy is a technological
paradise for a World Racer. You probably should have spread a towel
to catch all our drooling over the pretty shiny tech gadgets. The
prettiest and shiniest? The Guitar Hero/Rock Band setup, clearly.
paradise for a World Racer. You probably should have spread a towel
to catch all our drooling over the pretty shiny tech gadgets. The
prettiest and shiniest? The Guitar Hero/Rock Band setup, clearly.
On Thursday afternoon, we
got our team assignments for the Race. These are the core people we
will lean on, cry with, scream at, and generally become family with
for the next thirteen months. Allow me to introduce to you: PETRA (meaning “rock” in Biblical Greek).
got our team assignments for the Race. These are the core people we
will lean on, cry with, scream at, and generally become family with
for the next thirteen months. Allow me to introduce to you: PETRA (meaning “rock” in Biblical Greek).
Tim Fizzell: Hailing from
Austin, TX, Tim is our team leader (and the baby of the team), and our communication link with
the higher-ups on the chain of command. I’ve witnessed him grow
immensely in wisdom, both intellectually and spiritually, in the ten days of training camp alone, and he has really stepped up
and taken on the responsibilities of a leader. We’re all excited to
see how the experience brings growth to him this year.
Austin, TX, Tim is our team leader (and the baby of the team), and our communication link with
the higher-ups on the chain of command. I’ve witnessed him grow
immensely in wisdom, both intellectually and spiritually, in the ten days of training camp alone, and he has really stepped up
and taken on the responsibilities of a leader. We’re all excited to
see how the experience brings growth to him this year.
Joel Williams: Our gentle
giant from Northern VA, Joel is about 18 feet tall with a sense of
deliberation to him. He speaks slowly, but with intentionality, and
has a heart that would put Buddy the Elf to shame. He’s
dedicated to watching out for the five females, and has the advantage
of size, so Mom and Dad, don’t worry. We’ve got a bodyguard.
giant from Northern VA, Joel is about 18 feet tall with a sense of
deliberation to him. He speaks slowly, but with intentionality, and
has a heart that would put Buddy the Elf to shame. He’s
dedicated to watching out for the five females, and has the advantage
of size, so Mom and Dad, don’t worry. We’ve got a bodyguard.
Lauren Maldonado: Every
engine needs a spark plug. Ours is a Puerto Rican Michigander with
enough energy to power a small island nation. Lauren is the person
on our team who isn’t afraid to start a conversation with anyone.
She made friends with four or five homeless men in downtown Atlanta
during our last few days in town, and I can’t wait to see the lives she touches over the next year.
engine needs a spark plug. Ours is a Puerto Rican Michigander with
enough energy to power a small island nation. Lauren is the person
on our team who isn’t afraid to start a conversation with anyone.
She made friends with four or five homeless men in downtown Atlanta
during our last few days in town, and I can’t wait to see the lives she touches over the next year.
Danielle Contarino: On the
first day of training camp, I made the idiotic realization that I had
completely forgotten to pack a pair of pants. Danielle came to my
rescue and produced a pair of jeans that kept my legs from getting
scratched up and/or covered in poison ivy. Our team nurse from
Chattanooga has the heart of a caretaker and a cheeriness and
sweetness that would give Little Orphan Annie cavities, and we
wouldn’t have it any other way.
first day of training camp, I made the idiotic realization that I had
completely forgotten to pack a pair of pants. Danielle came to my
rescue and produced a pair of jeans that kept my legs from getting
scratched up and/or covered in poison ivy. Our team nurse from
Chattanooga has the heart of a caretaker and a cheeriness and
sweetness that would give Little Orphan Annie cavities, and we
wouldn’t have it any other way.
Jennifer Mitchell: From just
outside Atlanta, Jennifer’s looks are deceiving. When you first meet
her, you are introduced to a friendly and bubbly Georgia peach of a
young woman, but she’s got a fiesty streak to her. When we were in
the CNN Center, and she was approached by one of the finer members of
the male sex (sarcasm alert), she told him off and chewed him out before Joel could get
to her. Make no mistake, this girl can take care of herself.
outside Atlanta, Jennifer’s looks are deceiving. When you first meet
her, you are introduced to a friendly and bubbly Georgia peach of a
young woman, but she’s got a fiesty streak to her. When we were in
the CNN Center, and she was approached by one of the finer members of
the male sex (sarcasm alert), she told him off and chewed him out before Joel could get
to her. Make no mistake, this girl can take care of herself.
Martha Lemke: With a
Midwestern disposition and a Minnesota accent to match, Martha is our
team finance guru. She’s also the most mellow and laid-back of all
of us. I’ve got a feeling that when our team of talkers is getting
frustrated with each other and the tension is ridiculous, Martha will
be the voice of reason to get us all to take a step back and
recognize how ridiculous we’re being. When the rest of us learned she was an addition to the team, I’m pretty sure we spent the rest of the day telling her how excited we were that she was joining us, and we meant every word of it.
Midwestern disposition and a Minnesota accent to match, Martha is our
team finance guru. She’s also the most mellow and laid-back of all
of us. I’ve got a feeling that when our team of talkers is getting
frustrated with each other and the tension is ridiculous, Martha will
be the voice of reason to get us all to take a step back and
recognize how ridiculous we’re being. When the rest of us learned she was an addition to the team, I’m pretty sure we spent the rest of the day telling her how excited we were that she was joining us, and we meant every word of it.
And then there’s yours truly. I’m not much for self-description, so I’ll let the copy/pasted comments from my teammates talk on my behalf:
Tim: Liz Bureman. A creative inspiration. An outside of the box thinker. An
encouraging prayer warrior. These are just a taste of what she brings
to team Petra. Liz lets you know what she thinks, which is invaluable,
and if it happens to be a little different from other team members, she
communicates it without any negativity to anyone or their ideas. It is
encouraging as a leader to have such strong people like Liz, leaders in
their own right, filling my entire team!
encouraging prayer warrior. These are just a taste of what she brings
to team Petra. Liz lets you know what she thinks, which is invaluable,
and if it happens to be a little different from other team members, she
communicates it without any negativity to anyone or their ideas. It is
encouraging as a leader to have such strong people like Liz, leaders in
their own right, filling my entire team!
Martha: She brings such life and optimism to our team; she is truly a light of sunshine on all of us!
Joel: Well, Liz is… what Tim said above.
Also, though, she is our own walking, talking, personal iTunes library and resource.
Armed with nothing but the
direction to make a memory on Thursday afternoon, team Petra went to
a shopping center in Gainesville and strolled into the Best Buy. We
found the Rock Band demo. We scrolled to Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a
Prayer.” I drummed, Joel strummed, the rest of the ladies belted,
and Tim filmed the whole glorious thing. A Best Buy employee may or
may not have come by and turned down the audio on our system. Oops.
direction to make a memory on Thursday afternoon, team Petra went to
a shopping center in Gainesville and strolled into the Best Buy. We
found the Rock Band demo. We scrolled to Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a
Prayer.” I drummed, Joel strummed, the rest of the ladies belted,
and Tim filmed the whole glorious thing. A Best Buy employee may or
may not have come by and turned down the audio on our system. Oops.
Moral of the story: Look
out, world. Team Petra is loud, proud, and a fan of 80’s hair metal.
out, world. Team Petra is loud, proud, and a fan of 80’s hair metal.
