Quiet Week in the Office...so you all get random thoughts.

Southeast is getting pretty close to "ghost town" status this week. Everyone is using up their vacation days and taking off the rest of the month, but those of us who get a hand full of those precious days are hanging out trying to fill our days with whatever projects we can get our hands on to make the day go a bit faster. Between projects though are emails and the devouring of Christmas yummy goodies that everyone has brought in for all of us devourees to gain 10 pounds before the holidays. Thank you. For all of you who want to know..."Puppy Chow" is the snack of choice for this afternoon.

Random thought for my lady readers...
Last night I was extremely thankful for self-checkout lanes at a 24 hour Wal-Mart. It was one of those moments where I didn't really feel like talking to anyone (plus it was a late night run) and I needed to get some "personals". Usually when women have to make one of these stops, we tend to buy a few other items to "mask" the fact that we are buying personals, but in all honesty a loaf of bread and a bag of M&Ms is not going to mask the big blue box your carrying. Seriously. So last night, I had no shame...I went in got my personals and went straight to the self checkout line where I quickly scanned the big blue box and safely trotted out the door not having made eye contact with any awkward young male employees. It was the one of the best moments ever...a sense of achievement really. Who would have thought that such a modern convenience would change the way women shop. It certainly is saving me $ in the long run!

Visitors from Afar...
Yesterday Dane and I were blessed to have some visitors from Q-town come and take us out to lunch. Dale and Brenda Hess were visiting Louisville and decided to look us up - and I'm thankful they did. It was SOO nice to see some faces from home and to catch up and hear stories. It made me miss some folks all the more, but then I realized that I would see them in a few days:) We chatted for a couple hours at Mark's Feed Store (delicious Kentucky BBQ wonderland) and then said our goodbyes. Nice afternoon spent. Now, I'm going to make a plea to all you Q-town readers...and all my other friends who live far away too.
COME VISIT ME!!! Louisville's a good time, good eatin, good sweet tea, good horse races, good baseball bats, good shoppin...
Mom and dad...you're due! John, Sha, Matt and Melissa...you're way over due! M&M - we have a "Howl at the Moon" here too ya know:) Ben Cuni is still at the top of the coolest friend list, cause he's been the only friend to come out and visit me since I moved here. Thank you Ben! So we'll see if anyone picks up on my subtly and follows through! I think it's finally time for me to go home. lata...

Jingle Blast Pictures...More To Follow...Someday!

Jingle Blast was a Blast and a Half!

So I figured 10 days between posts was long enough. Sorry to my two dedicated readers! :)

If you've been able to get ahold of me at all this past week it's been a miracle. Finally starting to return all the phone calls and emails. Our big Jingle Blast Family Christmas event took place Thursday and Friday of this past week at the church. It was a fun concert event featuring JUMP 5 - a Christian teen band often seen on the Disney Channel. The four kids in the group were pretty great if you ask me. They were fun and down to earth and they put on one heck of a show for our families!

Thursday we had a bit of a scare. They were predicting a HUGE Winter Storm to come through and so they cancelled all schools and everyone began going into seclusion - because they freak out over here in Kentucky over 5 inches of snow! Seriously - that's like dust in Illinois...come on now! So, we thought for sure that no one would show up that night for the event. Well, the storm lessened and we ended up having close to 2,000 people show!! Whew hew! First night of fun - success!

Friday...good weather...almost 5,000 in attendance! It's alot different being on stage in front of 5,000 than it is sitting amongst the many on Sunday mornings. The highlight of the evening though was when the 1-minute countdown began for the band to come out. We had given blue glowsticks to everyone that came and at the countdown we had everyone swing their glowsticks like crazy. We shut off the lights and all you could see was this b-e-a-utiful sea of blue lights...kids screaming...adrenaline pumping...it was awesome!

Another highlight was my friend (and good sport) Josh playing the part of our 9 ft. inflatable snowman. He looked like the Stay Puff Marshmallow Man from Ghostbusters! We had so much fun with that thing and after all the autographs were signed Friday night, Brandon from Jump5, tackled the snowman...talk about hilarious!

The event was a success in my book...why you ask?
- Families were able to spend a cheap evening out together having fun.
- Kids were dancing in every aisle throughout the entire night and having a blast.
- Hurricane victims were blessed with some incredible gifts and a night they won't forget anytime soon.
- Our team worked together to pull off an incredible event...and all did a fantastic job!
- I didn't wreck the rental van and kill Jump5 and all their band members.
- The message of Christ was spoken to about 7,000 people...some old, some young, and some who've never heard the Good News!

All glory goes to God for making it all come together...it was pretty evident He was there!!

Trolley Hopping

Not to be confused with Bar Hopping! For kicks and giggles, a bunch of us decided to go to Downtown Louisville tonight and go Trolley Hopping. My friend Amanda heard about this free adventure and we all thought it sounded like a fun thing to do on a Friday night. Basically, you head downtown and hop up on a trolley that takes you around to different stopping points, which could include a variety of art galleries, antique shops, and even a shop where they "blow the glass" to make cool sculptures, vases, etc. We got to see fancy-schmancy restaurants and found a new hot-spot called the Jazz Factory (where we will hopefully head back to someday soon). I had no idea these cool places even existed...but now we know thanks to the Trolley Hop!

Funny story. At one point on our Trolley adventure, a couple of us decided to hang out on the back of the trolley (freezing our behinds off - but it was still fun). We were saying "hey" to all the people on the sidewalks, waving at cars, basically just being obnoxious and having a good time. Well, some of the people inside the trolley made some comments about how they thought we were "drunk"! Little did they know that some of our friends were sitting next to them. They told us after we got off and we just laughed. If you can't have a good time on the back of a trolley, where can you have a good time?? (btw-you don't have to be drunk to have a good time!)

It's been good for me to venture out and try some new things...meet some new friends and hang out with people I've not gotten to know since I moved here. Tonight was a blast...it was a little cold, but nothing a Starbucks Caramel Macchiato couldn't fix! Love those things:)

Bitter Sweet Day

Ever have one of those days where even though it seems nothing is going right...God is still in control? I call them Bitter Sweet Days. Knowing that God is there and that His plan is being worked out is comforting, but knowing that you'll have to say goodbye to people or the way things were is so heartbreaking.

My heart is breaking right now. Withing a week, I've had to hear the words, "I'm leaving and I wanted to be the one to tell you" from 2 people on our team here at Southeast. Seriously! 2 of the coolest people you'll ever know in ministry...wise beyond their years and hearts full of passion for children's ministry. I've enjoyed working with them immensely and will miss them a whole bunch. They both are moving on to ministries where they will get to work closely with the kids and families of their churches, they will both be closer to their families and I think they are going to make a huge impact. I'm SO happy for their opportunities, but I'm REALLY sad for us.

Like I said...Bitter Sweet. Can't decide if I really like these kind of days or not. I'll have to give it some more thought.

Whirlwind

Been in 3 states in a day and a half.
Had an incredible visit with Doug.
Had lunch with Stan and Misty and their 2 adorably cute boys.
Drove home and almost ran out of gas...God does answer prayers!
Saw The Crossing Crew - John, Nathan and Neal.
Saw the MPCC Crew and had a wonderful talk with Keith.
Finally made it home to the good old 1500 block where the parentals and I are currently kicking back and waiting for the boys to come home for supper. Mmmm...spaghetti and cresent rolls...my favorite!!
Awaiting the 8:00 hour for the LOST party with the Quincy Crew.
All of this in 24 hours!! :)

Morning Bliss

So I'm sitting here this morning at my desk and thinking what a great day today is.

The weather is not perfect by any means, but the cool and cloudy drive to work this morning was pleasant.

Reading everyones' blogs this morning and it sounds like God has been good to my friends lately.

Getting to leave this afternoon for home.

(Well, first I'll be stopping in Springfield to spend the evening with my good friend Doug Welk...who I might add I haven't seen since May.)

Can't wait!

Then I'll be heading home Wednesday for the blessed town of Quincy. Oooo buddy:)

Pondering all of this while eating the perfect banana...talk about it!!

Home Awaits!

5 days remaining before I head home for Thanksgiving.
Things I'm thankful for this year...

1. My family who is expanding. My new sister-in-law, Melissa, who was added to our family in October. Shawna who is promised to be added in May:) My two brothers who are incredible guys that I wouldn't trade for the world and for my parents who continue to be the most dedicated and loving parents anyone could ask for.
2. My friends...old and the new. For friends, who over the years have become like family, and remain a constant source of joy and for the new ones I have met since I've moved to Kentucky. You all are my God winks!
3. For the opportunity to be working with this tremendous church. I'm learning so many valuable things from the people that work here and have been blessed by every one I've come in contact with.
4. For a place to live. The Allen family has been so gracious and wonderful.
5. For email and cell phones to keep in contact with everyone. :)
6. For growing churches back home in IL and for ministries being blessed.
7. For friends and loved ones to have found their nitch and seeing how God has used their struggles to produce glorious things for the Kingdom.
8. For an opportunity to daily fall in love with Jesus. To feel His presence, to see His provisions, to sense His love and to know He is God. To know that no matter where I live or what I do, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever".
9. For the opportunity and freedom to study His Word and to see how my faith has grown because of it. To see my spiritual heritage come to life in the pages of Genesis and to be thankful for the many who have gone before whose faith has been tested and strengthed and blessed.
10. For life, for love, for happiness, for all the things that bring smiles to our faces. God is good and I am thankful.

Hawaiian Christmas: Tacky or Just Plain Fun??

Southeast hosted their annual Women's Christmas Tea last night. The place is filled with gorgeously decorated tables with beautiful center pieces, Christmas China, creative themes, etc. It's basically a women's "fru-fru" event...something I've never really been into, but I've come to terms with my "anti-fru-fru-ness".

A bunch of staff girls got together and decided to decorate 2 tables. The theme chosen this year was Hawaiian Christmas. On the back of the chairs were grass skirts and flowers, we had plastic plates, bright colored everything, flamingo forks, funky paper cups, blow-up pink flamingo on the table and to top it off Santa and Mrs. Claus wearing grass skirts and lais!! It was SOOO TACKY...but SO INCREDIBLE FUN!!

Ladies showed up in nice Christmas dresses, gowns, sweaters...
Our table showed up in Jeans, Hawaiian shirts, grass skirts and lais...
We got tons of comments on our "fun" table. Everyone seemed to love it!
The night was a good time. :)

Cell Phones

Left my phone in Steve's car yesterday. Must have thought it made it into my purse...nope! Felt completely lost and out of touch with the world...disoriented...didn't know what to do for about 4 hours.

Seriously...what is our obsession with these little things anyways???
I'm way too attached to this little bugger. I take it with me everywhere. If I miss a call, it's like it's the end of the world. (Not that I get many anyways...but that's beside the point.)

Realizing this morning that I'm pathetic.

The Incident

Funny story today involving....

A. Shower
B. Shaving Legs
C. Slippery Tub
D. Savior of a Shower Curtain
E. Sore Bottom
F. Soaking Wet Floor

If you want to hear details LADIES...I'll be glad to laugh through it again with you!! :)

The King and I

Went to the Kentucky Center last night for what we thought would be an incredible performance of The King and I, paid a good chunk of change for our pretty spectacular seats in Row Z (serious about that one), got our programs and awaited for the curtains to open....

In one word we can describe the whole show. It was TERRIBLE! The whole lead cast was pitiful. It was a real shame. If any of you know who Stephanie Powers is - Hart to Hart lady - well, she is now maybe 50 or 60 years old. They casted her as Anna, the schoolteacher, who is written to be a 30 year old young lady. Talk about gross! The guy who was the King of Siam was actually younger than her in real life...it was just sad my friends...just sad. I brought back the word "grotee" into my vocabulary last night when I was describing the romantic scenes...it was the only thing I could think of that could do it justice.

Even though the casting was horrible, the set, the support casting, and the orchestra were great. Good times were had in Row Z by my friends Karla and Jeff. "Can't touch this!" :)

Weekend in NashVegas

Karla and I took a roadtrip to Nashville this weekend and had a Grand Ole Time!! Headed out Thursday after work to visit her friend Traci. Nashville is a great city! Didn't get to go downtown too much (which is my favorite part) - just drove through the outskirts and walked across the Pedestrian Bridge. So many cool restaurants and shops. It's all fun and full of history...especially the Ryman Auditorium - LOVE that place!

We did however make it to the Opry Mills Mall which is one of the coolest malls...big circle of fun! Got sucked into the vortex of Old Navy and spent more than I should, but I got 10% off:) Watched The Wedding Date with Debra Messing and Dermot Mulroney (sweet eye candy). Eehh-the movie was just okay, but the soundtrack was amazing. Lots of songs by Michael Buble (who is my new found favorite)!! If any of you like Harry Connick Jr., then you will love Michael - go by the CD...it's incredible! And his last name is fun to say too:)

Roadtrips are such a blast! And spending time with friends whom you can laugh with makes it ten times better. Karla and I learned so much about each other this weekend and I found out that I've become an influence on her in various and interesting ways:) Sorry bout that girl!! Thanks for the invite this weekend!

The Magical Post

The post below has a special secret...you have to highlight and scroll over the text to get it to appear. Don't understand why, but it has serious magical powers! Watch Out...it's weird:)

Big Night at SECC!

So REAL excited that Nichole Nordemann is here in concert tonight! Heard over the Events radio earlier that she was about 15 minutes away and after lunch we drove around the back of the Worship Center and saw her tour bus. I like her...I think she's great. Met her once before at the GMA week. I remember the conversation like it was yesterday. It was meaningful and really deep...

"Hi there! Would you like a bottle of water?" I said.
Nichole responded, "That would be so great! Thank You! Hey I have a spot open on my tour for a personal assistant...would you be interested? I think you have an incredible personality and would love to work with you!"
So I said..."Oh, that would be great, but I just got offered the internship position at Southeast CC...thanks for asking though!"

Okay, so that last part after thank you was a complete fib, but I thought it would be hilarious! Enjoy your day...:)

Birthday Fun Inspired by Erin

Your Birthdate: September 30

Your birthday on the 30th day of the month shows individual self-expression is necessary for your happiness. You tend to have a good way of expressing yourself with words, certainly in a manner that is clear and understandable. You have a good chance of success in fields requiring skill with words. You can be very dramatic in your presentation and you may be a good actor or a natural mimic. You have a vivid imagination that can assist you in becoming a good writer or story-teller. Strong in your opinions, you always tend to think you are on the right side of an issue. There may be a tendency to scatter your energies and have a lot of loose ends in your work. You may have significant artistic talent and be very creative.

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

Fun Is Bowling

Today was our farewell fun time with Robin, a lady on our elementary team. Her last day with us is Wednesday:( She decided we should all have a fun day together...so, we went to Logan's Steakhouse for lunch and then it was off to the Bowling Alley for some "fierce" competition:)

Logan's was fun and goody yum-yums. We threw peanuts on the floor, we threw peanuts at each other, we threw peanuts in each others glasses...they were everywhere! And we won't even talk about the onions:)

Bowling Alley was a blast. There were 11 of us, so to make it even with 4 on each lane...Jesus was added to our team. There was a crazy bouncy ball that happened to be thrown my yours truly in the 4th frame. I had the corner pin to pick up and about 2 feet before it hit the pin, it sank in the gutter...but then decided to have a spasm and busted out of the gutter and slammed the pin down for a spare!! Never in all my bowling days have I ever done something so cool!

The highlight of the afternoon was having Jesus on our team. We each took turns bowling for Him, but He was losing miserably. By the 7th frame He had a score of 42. Coming into the 8th, I decided it was time for Jesus to be resurrected again...I got a strike. Olivia steps up to the plate in the 9th and strikes Him one again. Karla (who...we'll just say hadn't gotten a strike yet!) :) (love ya Kar-Kar!) struts up in the 10th and blasts one home to give Jesus a Turkey. We went NUTS!! She steps up again and blasts another one away - Holy Cow! We seriously went NUTS this time! She steps up for the last time...we thought NO WAY...and we were right, but she did hit 9 pins down. Jesus went from a score of 42 to 131! Yep, He got the high score:) Just goes to prove that Jesus is better than us all...even at bowling!

Lynn and the Magic Pants

Once upon a time, in the land of Lu-a-vul, there lived two princesses named Karlita and Sarai. These two fair maidens decided to go on an adventure one Friday night in search for a magnificent feast. Karlita remembered that once or twice before she had stumbled upon a place called Lynn's Paradise Cafe and Sarai thought to herself that dining in a place such as this would bring happiness and joy to a melancholy day. So the two maidens set out in search for this so called place of paradise with no earthly idea of how to get there.

Already approaching dusk, the two maidens found themselves in a pickle (a.k.a. East Broadway) where they encountered many frightful creatures in the dark night staring at them from a distance. Karlita quickly sent word to her dear friend, Sir John O'Neal, and told him of the pickle they were in. He then pulled out his map and discovered that the two maidens were completely off course in their search for Paradise and directed them to take the Barret Pathway which would lead them directly to Paradise. The two maidens then suddenly found themselves on Barret and were delighted. After their hour long trek through the dark and scary hills of Lu-a-vul, they arrived at Lynn's Paradise Cafe....a place full of color, life, food and exquisite taste!

After a long awaited period, the two maidens received their feast...(it was a little dried up and hard because it had sat in the food prep window a little too long.) Karlita and Sarai still enjoyed their food with a smile, but knew that in a few moments they would receive the way-over priced ticket for their not-so-wonderful feast. Their servant ended up being a bitter college student who unfortunately had not been paid enough for her services from her last party, and the two maidens tried to feel sorry for her, but were too broke and cheap from their own bill that they couldn't help her out too much.

When the two maidens finished their dinner, they proceeded to the gift shop where they stumbled upon a treasure beyond explanation. There with a heavenly glow surrounding were what most would call "Magic Pants". Magic pants you ask? Yes, these pants were magical and there were many varieties and colors. There was a plaque (newspaper article) next to them stating why they were considered magical. It simply said that whoever wore these pants would look incredible in them! You could wear them to work out in and then out to dinner in them. They were amazing and Sarai was drawn into their vortex...she was ready to buy a pair...then, she turned the price tag and saw that these pants were priceless...excuse me, pricey!! $80 for one pair...the maiden quickly walked away and realized that she would not ever get the opportunity to look so incredible in this pair of magical pants.

A night of adventure...
A night of frightening encounters...
A night of weirdies...
A night of memories...
The End

Triumph!!

For those Fellow Weight Watcher Friends of mine...
Received my first bookmark today!!!
In laymen's terms...I've lost over 5 lbs. so far (close to 7 to be exact)
Whew hew!!! :)

Autumn Thoughts...

There's something about Fall that makes me light up inside. It has and will always be my absolute favorite season of the year. I can appreciate things about each season...Summer is delightfully warm with sunshine and trips to the pool, barbeques and roasting marshmallows at campfires, etc. Winter brings Christmas and holiday extravaganzas, families reunited and warm fuzzies. Spring brings a much needed break from the deadness and dullness of winter weather...it brings life and beauty back into creation. But there's something mysterious about Fall that I LOVE! The cooling of the weather, sweatshirts, jeans and jackets, football games, camping trips, beautiful scenery(can I get an Amen?), apple orchards, hayrides, cinnamon spice & pumpkiny smells permeating the room, and who can resist all the delicious chili and soups...(I sure haven't resisted the past couple days!)

I don't see the Fall season as a time when things are "dying", but just a mere season of change. I know the trees will come alive again and that no season lasts forever. Truthfully, I wish Fall would last a little longer, that the trees would keep that magnificent color a few weeks longer and that the temperatures would stay cool enough, but warm enough to keep the winter gloves and heavy jackets put away a little longer. This season is simply my favorite! I see God's Artistic Hand brushstroking the deep rich colors onto the trees and sending us perfect rainy days to slow us down a bit, maybe so we can take a nap or spend time at home. You see we can get so caught up in life that we forget to appreciate the little things. I, for one, am loving these chilly rainy days. Watching movies, cooking, taking up new hobbies...just slowing down - AHH! What are your thoughts? Do you love a certain season? Do tell...leave a comment!!! :)

Wedding Pictures

Me next to the two most wonderful guys in the world!
Our family, Sha & John, Grandma, Mom, Matt (Melissa-in brides room!), me, Dad, Michael & Santina, Kaylee and Mikey. It was really great to have them there all the way from California:)
The beautiful couple cutting their wedding cake.

Me and my niece Kaylee - crazy how cute she is!
The Parentals: They looked REAL good!!
The whole weekend was beautiful! These pictures don't do it justice. So many more memories that will stay with us forever. Melissa was a beautiful bride...wish I had more pics to show her off. They will be heading to Italy for their honeymoon sometime next week I think. Hope you enjoy the pictures! :)

Silencing the Astrodome!!

So Monday night's game was pretty incredible! Watched (completely annoyed) when Berkman hit his 3-run homer and stayed annoyed through the 20 replays they showed. Watched in awe as the Cards came back in the 9th with 2 outs...David Eckstein (aka "the man") got on base, Edmonds got walked, and good ole Albert stepped up and slammed a beautiful 3 run homerun! I screamed with no one around, called home, called Karla...and we all screamed together. It was a beautiful night...especially when the Astros fans had nothing left to shout about! :) hehe

Tonight brings another anticipate game...this time at Busch Stadium. Our home! Hoping we can see some good baseball tonight...and hoping for another Redbird Victory!

It's All Over

Matt and Melissa are finally married!! The weekend was absolutely beautiful and now we are all very tired. All the family was there, so a fun time was sure to be had by all:) Melissa's family was great and they put on a fabulous event! Still trying to recover, so attempting to blog about all the details is virtually impossible. Hope to get pictures up so you all can see soon. Now, we have 7 months til the next big event...John and Sha's wedding. Can't wait!!!

Two Things I Know as of Monday

1. That some of my dearest friends lost a loved one this weekend and their hearts are breaking. He was the sweetest man who was always looking to make someone else feel better by giving them a hug, a kiss, a cup of coffee, a smile, a piece of candy or a kind word. Many lives have been blessed by this man and this irresistable lovable man will forever be remembered by numerous of adults and children whom he loved. Well Pappa G...we love you too!!

2. My brother, Matt, is getting married in 5 days. He's marrying Melissa, a beautiful and incredible woman...she's pretty great I think! I'm thankful that both of my brothers have chosen some amazing women for me to have as sisters. Not that it's about me...just thankful that's all! The wedding will take place in Dixon IL (Home of the Tulip Festival I believe) and should prove to be the party of the century...or at least the year:)! We're just thankful that Matt's getting married - he always protested he never would. Good times ahead this weekend!

Need to Post

Feeling bad cause I haven't written in a few days. Can't expect people to keep commenting on old posts...so here's an update on what's been happening!

1. Turned 25 last Friday, the 30th. Went to see the movie "Just Like Heaven" (really sweet chic flic with cutie Mark Ruffalo - go check him...I mean it out!). Had a 6-hour event at the Cheesecake Factory for my birthday dinner. Tried to put in our names around 3:30ish...they told us to come back when we had 75% of our party there. Shopped, came back at 5:00ish and put our names in...2.5 hour wait!! Okay...shopped some more and got sat around 7:15. Great food, great cheesecake, terrible service, ended up getting all drinks, appetizers and cheesecake for free!! Happy Birthday to me and my party of 15:)

2. Got some great birthday gifts from friends! Phantom of the Opera DVD and CD Soundtrack - LOVE IT! Bracelets, calendar(we won't mention what's on it), Yummy Bath & Body Works stuff, big mega air gun popper thing - it'll be great once I get it assembled, a hand-knitted scarf...and some other great stuff.

3. Weight Watchers...stayin in the race and feeling like I'm starving. Working it hard though. Get past the 2-week mark and I know I'll be fine. Weighing-in in 3 days!

4. John started his new job today. Mom gave him crap for not being dressed up enough. Funny! I guess Tuesdays are their "dress up" days!

5. David Crowder is still #1 on my playlist lately...amazing!

6. My friend Ryan is flying to Boston tomorrow for a "fun day"...jealous!

7. My time of productiveness here has come to an end and I'm ready to call it quits for the day.
Lata...

Ya'll are Sweet!

To all my sweet commenters...
Thanks for the compliments and encouragement!
Two reasons for me to go to Weight Watchers.
1 - I stink at eating healthy and need to discipline myself with healthy portions and the right foods. Pizza, chicken strips, mac n cheese, and eating out ALL THE TIME can only make it so long before the spare tire starts showin up. I know I don't have a ton to lose, but I also know how much weight I've gained since I've moved to Kentucky (gross) andI just want to feel better about myself and know that I'm doing what I can to take care of my body.
2 - It's a support thing. I believe in my friends and know that they can reach their goals with a little encouragement. Two are always better than one when it comes to changing eating habits and exercise...okay, they are better in any facet of life!

So , there you have it friends. I'll keep you posted on the progress.

Weight Watchers

So I guess you can say that I'm jumping on the bandwagon. Tomorrow, Karla (weight watchers extraordinare), Nevan, Amanda and I will all be heading to the meeting to sign up. We figure that doing it together will be much more effective and fun bonding time:)

2 years ago I was poking fun at the WW's ladies down in the fellowship hall at Northside and tomorrow, I will be joining the clan. So many success stories and I love the challenge of seeing if I can do it. My goal is to be healthy and more fit...gotta a few pounds to shed, but with the accountability of friends, it should be no problem!! Our bandwagon still has room if anyone wants to join:)

David Crowder Band

What a night of worship! 9,500 people gathered to be led in song by the David Crowder Band last night here at Southeast. The place was packed (and probably a HUGE fire hazard), but it was incredible!! We were on the 2nd level and to be able to look down (and up) at a "sea of people" raising their hands in praise and jumping like crazy people...WOW! Seriously thought the floors were going to collapse, but we jumped like fools anyway:) Absolutely the most amazing moment (no pun intended) was when the entire room sand the melody and harmonies of Amazing Grace. Satan couldn't have touched a heart in the room at that moment...all praise was being raised to Our Sweet Jesus. One can begin to forget what it's like to completely give themselves to God in worship...but I was reminded once again to let go and be undignified.

The new CD was released last night and I have been listening to it constantly. Come Tuesday, you all better be in the stores buying this one out of stock. AMAZING!! 21 songs and each one will surprise you. Lots of variety - new worship, new rock, new rock opera (believe it baby)...David Crowder Band is simply one of God's best instruments. It's fun, it's catchy, it's heartfelt and will make you want to raise your face, close your eyes and smile. Go buy it now!!! (Or I guess whenever it comes out Tuesday). :)

Check out #15 - will definitely be the new favorite soon. And pretty sure John will love #10 (southern gospel always makes him smile and begin to do that air drum thing)!!

LOST

UNBELIEVEABLE!! Last night's episode of LOST was THE most incredible one so far...hands down! They revealed so much info, it was awesome! The hatch - who would have thunk it? Desmond??? Walt in the woods and why Shannon?? All very creepy, all very mysterious, and all way too exciting! I don't think I've ever been captivated by a show before like this. John, I will thank you personally, brother, for getting me hooked into it last season. And since we're far apart, you can count on me calling you every week to hear your thoughts. Glad you sucked in Neal and Shawna to our little LOST world! :) Great time at Steve's...see you all next week at 9:00!!

Cards VS. Reds

In 45 minutes, I am busting out of this joint to head to Cincinnati for the St. Louis Cardinals game!! Karla got tickets for her birthday, so she asked me to go (since she knew I LOVED the Cards) and then our friend Shelli from Lexington will be joining us as well. Since our Cards have now clinched the division title (whew-hew!!), we're not for sure if they will be playing the 2nd string guys tonight or if we will get to see our favorite players out on the field. Regardless, it should be a great game and we're really pumped about it!! We will have our Cardinals gear on and if you want to watch us on TV...mom said their games have been showing on FOX SPORTS NET - MIDWEST this week. Check it out and call my cell if you want to know where we're sitting. Have a great night...I know I will!! :)

Parties

Party that is approaching quickly...in 4 hours...SEASON PREMIERE OF LOST!!
Been waiting all summer for this day and the hatch is so close I can taste it.
The LOST clan will be meeting at Steve's house tonight to catch the first glimpse of the unforgettable season. So many mysteries yet to unfold...can't wait!! John, I'll be calling ya brother:)

Party that is approaching sooner than thought...in 9 days...MY BIRTHDAY BASH!!
25 is coming close and it is making me feel really old. I keep telling myself that I'm as young as I feel, but I'm starting to feel old, so that's not helping. My body is aching and I can't do the things I once could...real sad. The only thing that is making me look forward to next Friday is that we will end up celebrating at The Cheesecake Factory. MMMmmm....
One more thing that 25 will bring...lower car insurance (so I've been told)! Dad...work it out bud:)

Allergies

Never in my life have I suffered from allergies. I have now found one downfall to living in Kentucky(besides being away from family)...allergies! Lately my eyes have felt like they are going to explode. I used to enjoy the feeling of rubbing your eyes for a really long time after an itch, but I'm finding that to be not so much of a good thing anymore. It stinks to be quite honest...the itching, the burning...I want some relief. I'm beginning to sound like a commercial! Can't figure out if it's just the Ohio Valley thing or if it's because I'm living with pets now....who knows?? Heading to the store tonight to get some Visine though...that I know for sure!! :)

NFL Football Sundays

Good times have been had by all these past two weeks at the Shields' house here in Kentucky. These gracious and wonderful people from church have somehow 'adopted' the elementary team and they invite them over every Sunday to watch football and feed us enormous amounts of delicious food. This house has a total of 15 TVs, so no matter where you go in the house, you can watch your favorite game (except for the bathroom of course...but I wouldn't put it passed em to have something hooked up by the end of the season). They have NFL Ticket, so we get to watch all the games...all day long! Today we were there from about 1-8pm...7 hours of food, football, and fun. Today they even had a contest going. We all drew a team out of a bowl and which ever team got beat the worst, the lucky holder of that team won a $20 gas card!! How cool is that. Unfortunately, I got Denver and they won the stinkin game...not fair! Great day for the Chicago Bears though! I don't think they've won a game by that many points in years...Yippee!! Sorry Steve...I know you really wanted the Lions to pull through for ya! Anyways...callin it a night. Pretty pooped from sitting around all day and doing nothing:)

Missing Out

Melissa and Matt are having their pre-wedding parties tonight (aka. bachelorette/bachelor parties) and even though I'm not a big partier, I still wish I could be there with the girls. They were taking a limo out tonight and going to dinner and then of course having some "fun" after that. They called me from the limo and it was really great to hear from them, but it made me a little sad that I had to miss out on the fun.

Being here in Kentucky is great and I'm so thankful for the opportunity to learn and grow, but it's seriously the most difficult time to be away from home. I feel like I'm missing out on some wonderful things with my family. The wedding plans, the showers, the trips to the bridal stores, the sifting through bridal magazines with my future sisters...I'm missing it all. I hate that! I want to be there to experience it with them, to watch them plan for their big days, to celebrate with them, to watch them love on my brothers...just to be there to bond with them...ahh, I want it so badly!

But after teaching a lesson to the kiddies tonight about how God knows what's best for us, I trust there is a reasoning why I'm not there. Who knows why? Maybe in a few years, I'll look back and see the purpose behind it all, but until then...just gotta trust The Big Guy! Know I love ya girls...and I'd be there if I could. I'll be there for the weddings...you can bet your bottom $!!

The Patriarchs

Women's Bible Study began this morning...well, at least for me it did. A whole slew of women have been wandering through the church for bible studies since Tuesday. Our group met this morning in a large theater type room with a big screen (we'll just say lots of women were there - holy cow!). As soon as we found our facilitator's group, we sat down and I got serious..."down to business" as they say. I've been out of the bible study realm for a few months now and I was ready to study and learn.

It was chaos with all these women trying to fit in one room. They were herding them in and the noise reached the boistrous level...let me tell ya. I'm trying to fill out my registration card and listen to the poor women up at the microphone trying to silence everyone. They started the video...no one would be quiet!! It went through this whole intro and still "chat chat chat". I mean come on...seriously!! Reverting back to my "teacher mode", I caught myself shooshing the crowd. Karla who was sitting next to me just laughed! "Well", I said smiling, "this is ridiculous!" After about 15 minutes the ladies finally got the picture that we were starting. Then during the prayer, someone's cell phone starting ringing with "The Entertainer Tune". I just shook my head. This annoying ring continued for the next 15 seconds...seriously. There should be a "Be Courteous to Others" workshop when you purchase your cell phone, so you can be reminded to silence your phones when you are in a quiet atmosphere. Can I get an Amen?

All of this to lead up to the reason why I'm writing today. This Bible study that Beth Moore is leading us through is going to be incredible. After I went through her Believing God series, I gained a tremendous amount of respect for her and her insights. She is very challenging and pushes you to see things that you would have never known before if you hadn't taken the hour each day to study God's Word. The "homework" is a stretch for those of us who are limited in their daylight hours, but this time I'm really going to strive to stick to it everyday.

It's an entire study about "The Patriarchs - Abraham, Isaac and Jacob". I've studied these guys in the past, but I do believe I will be enlightened on so many more biblical truths and applications from their lives this time around. I was already learning more about my spiritual heritage today...incredible insights into the past!

Thank you God for allowing me the opportunity to learn more about You and for allowing me to gain access to so many wonderful hidden treasures in Your Word. You're Amazing...

Updates...

1. Loving my new Shawn McDonald: Live in Seattle CD - amazing! (listening to it now)
2. Starting the new Beth Moore Bible Study of The Patriarchs in 2 days - real excited!
3. Organizing a SchoolTool Kit Campaign with our kiddos to collect items for Katrina victims - kicking it off this weekend in worship services. Hoping to fill at least 700 kits!
4. Had a fun luncheon with the Volunteer Services and IT team for all their help with the new FRED data system. We had lots of yummy Mexican food and played me some SkeeBall!
5. Heading to Bob Russell's house Thursday night for a little intern fellowship - should be fun, although I'm feelin bad about letting my volleyball team down...sorry guys!
6. Getting to go to a Cards/Reds game next week with Karla's birthday gift of 3 tickets:) GO CARDS!!
7. 17 days until I turn 25...feelin old guys...feelin really old!

Seven updates are enough for today...I'm tired and think I'm gonna call it a day.

You're Still #1 In My Book

John, Sha and Neal...I still think you're great!! Points or no points, Dooley or no Dooley, Great sound or crappy sound...I think you ROCK!! You all sounded amazing when I heard you practice I think you should keep on truckin! You have an entire community behind ya - WE LOVE YA!!

Pay Day

Walking to the mailboxes today...looking forward to my check stub.
Get there and pull the envelope...open it with anticipation.
Get disappointed when it's about 15-20 hours short of what I normally work.
Get depressed for a sec...then realize it was worth it to go home for 5 days!!
It's been a week and I miss ya all at home already...I'm a sap:)

Free Time??

Last night I experienced the best feeling in the world (as I'm sure Nevan did as well). The finished product came back to us and Karla, Steve, Kari, Nevan and I watched some of the episodes on the big screen...we laughed, we cried and we cheered that it was completed!! Then we took all 70 bags downstairs for the facilitators to pick up. Sense of relief...you betcha!! Another great feeling came when some were talking how the "big guys" didn't have all their DVDs finished yet. WAY TO GO ELEMENTARY TEAM!!! It felt good to be on top of the ball:) I'm extremely proud of our team and the way we pulled together to finished this task...and I'm proud especially of Nevan for making it a pretty spectacular series that will hopefully bless tons of families in this community!

Lots of hours, lots of planning, lots of pulling our hair out, lots of laughter, lots of decisions, lots of GOD!!! It's done!! Now what do I do??? :)

So Close to Amen

The Building U DVD Project is almost finished....can I get an Amen? Nevan just left the office this morning around 9:00 after a long 22 hour stretch of editing and last minute touch ups. By 6:00 tonight this project will be out of our hands!!!
Promising to write more later...a whole week has practically gone by! My apologies...

Lunch at the Best Place in the World

Today is Jon Smith's birthday - he's on our team! When anyone on the team has a birthday, they get to choose wherever they want to go for lunch...he chose Chuck-e-Cheese!!! Let me tell you this place is amazing...I LOVE IT! First of all, they have awesome pizza (and dessert pizza for your sweet tooth). Secondly, EVERY GAME IS 25 CENTS!! Can it get any better than that? Oh yes it can....cause they have SKEE BALL there!! :) I had a blast! I highly recommend it for a fun date night...if you don't mind spending it with kiddos running everywhere.

FYI - I will be leaving in 24 hours for home...see some of you all real soon! THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME....There's No Place Like Home...there's no place like home....

Movies...

Some movies will just make you cry every time you watch them! I had another ridiculous girl moment today as I was watching one of my all time favorite chic-flicks...Beaches...you know the one with Bette Midler and Barbara Hershey?

It was a rainy day here in Louisville, so I relaxed a bit and soaked in a good movie. Being a girl and feeling the need to have a good cry, I went ahead and decided to stop the tv clicker on this heart-felt flick. I knew it would come...that rush of emotion...those stinkin tears...so I let em loose. I did, I cried at those key moments of sweet friendship and tragedy...and almost busted out in song like I always do when "The Wind Beneath My Wings" came on...I resisted this time though. But, I must admit that when "The Story of Love" song came on at the end...I hummed a little and have been singing that sweet song around the house tonight.

You must admit that it is a great story of friendship. Makes me think of all my best buds out there. There's nothing like a friend and nothing sweeter than a best friend. Couldn't live without all my special people, they are there through every joy and every pain...I love em!

Take a moment and call your best friend and tell how much you love and appreciate them...go ahead...do it...it'll feel good!! :)

Volleyball...The Game of Choice

The work week ended on a bright note last night. It was sand volleyball night at Southeast. I'm in a fall league and we're having a blast. We stepped it up a little bit last night and won 2 out of 3...we won't talk about the third game though:) I love our team...they are so fun! Kevin and Gina are volleyball extraorinares with their height and killer arms....and Steve, well, he's got hops and can do some amazing things when you tell him which way his hips need to face when he's hitting. He likes to do silly dances on the court - hilarious! Then you got Tracy and Sherry who are pretty awesome ladies. We also have John and Neal - who we don't see much of cause they play softball, but when they do play - they are all over the court! :)

Last night I also had the privilege of playing with Team #5 who were short some girl players. They are a ton of fun as well...most of them are from Student Ministries. Phil Heller, Josh Irwin, James Hauser...and some others. Found out that James Hauser is related to Bill Hauser from Keokuk and that James is also the Best Man in Jason & Whitney's wedding in December. Crazy small world!! Good times on the court and off:) Good way to end the week!!

Glad to hear incredible things are happening at Fuel...113...WOW!!! Yeah God! :)

By the way....6 more days!

Paranoia Issues

Isn't it funny how sometimes we go around thinking that everyone's talking about us? Maybe you happen to walk into a room and those in there look at you and stop talking...or their voices get softer as you approach...or it's obvious they just changed the subject cause you came near? Sound familiar to anyone?? Could it be that 99.9% of the time...the conversation really has nothing to do with us and yet we continue to allow ourselves to think that others are talking about us behind our backs? It's called "paranoia" folks and to be honest, I stuggle with it. And if other people were honest, I'm sure 9 out of 10 people would tell you they struggle with it too.

I hate being paranoid. I had an incident or two...or ten today alone! It never fails...Satan sees me in my weak moments and attacks. He tempts my mind to wander off to think these people are making fun of me, bad-mouthing me or critiquing me. It's ridiculous, I know...but this frustration is real and it's been haunting me for as long as I can remember. It would be nice to be free from this problem, but the chains stay attached....and even though I have the key in my hand, I struggle with the lock.

God is the key. His love and approval are exactly what I need to get past all this ridiculous paranoia. My worth and acceptance are found only in Christ Jesus and if I could just keep replaying that in my head through the day like a broken record, I would probably be a different person. But for some reason, I allow Satan to change the tune every so often and I revert back to finding acceptance from those around me....people...family, friends, co-workers, strangers even!!

Maybe this all sounds crazy to you, because you are the 1 out of the 10 who don't deal with this day in and day out...sorry you had to read this. Wait, no I'm not...it's probably good for you to hear about what other people deal with, so the next time you consider gossipping...you'll think twice. It's never fun being on the "talked about" end....I hope it never happens to you. I've seen too many friends' lives destroyed from gossip and senseless negative chatter. We'd do ourselves a world of good if we would have listened to our mamas in the first place when she told us, "If you don't have anything nice to say...don't say it at all!!"

This is a serious entry and probably one that will step on some toes...it's out of my usual realm...I know, but it's just on my heart today. Praying for deliverance in my life from this daily struggle. If you have any thoughts or comments or any helpful tips of encouragement...feel free to spill it!!

It's Wednesday

So are you feelin my creativity this morning?? As you can see by my title, my mind isn't working like the energizer bunny quite yet today. Went to bed by 9:00 last night and still don't feel rested. Just a truckin along at a turtle's pace...
I had website training this morning...they want me to learn the "trade" so I can help update when needed. Had it been about 5 hours later, I may have learned something!
No big happenings lately...just lettin you know it's now 8 days and counting... :)

Countdown

It's down to 10 days...that means...
10 more days and I get to go home!
10 more days til I get to see my family!
10 more days and I'll be hanging out with friends!
10 more days til I sleep in my own bed (or at least on my couch)!
10 more days til Tom & Whitney's wedding weekend!
10 more days til I get to see my bridesmaids dress for Matt & Melissa's wedding!
10 more days til I get to rest from hustle and bustle of Southeast life!
10 more days til Building U:Home becomes a word used alot less in my vocabulary:)
Looking forward to seeing everyone back in Q-town...miss you all!!
It'll be here before you know it!

Girly Day

So I took the day off yesterday...and it was wonderful!!! I got to spend it with two of my good buddies - Karla and Shelli. We completely made it a "girly day". Here's a little of what we did...
-Went out to eat
-Went and had manicures and pedicures done. It was Karla's first time for both, so it was fun to experience that with her. Her hands look awesome...have her flash em for ya! And I got to have little flowers painted on my toenails...they're so bee-u-ti-ful!
-Then of course, we had to go to the mall:) Shopped around at some of my favorite stores (Old Navy, Victoria Secret...real girly)!
-Headed to a Single Women's Event at church - which really wasn't the highlight of the evening, but we tried to make it fun. (We left early - shh!)
-Headed back to Karla's house, ordered pizza and ate ice cream while watching Little Women. We cried, we laughed, it was great!

Girly days are so much fun and so needed:) Be grateful for the girl friends you have in your life - cherish them...and definitely remember to make time for them...even when life gets crazy!

I GOT FLOWERS!

My best buddy Karla brought me this gorgeous bouquet of flowers this morning. I wish you could see and smell them...they are beautiful!! She is such a special friend...love her to pieces! What a God-send she is :)

Seriously...

I am so ready for a vacation! I have 16 more days til I head back to Quincy...the countdown has begun. Never in my life have I been more ready...that's probably an exaggeration, but today I'm feelin it. Haven't had a "full day off" in literally weeks. Some brought on by self, but mostly brought on by the nature of the job and the season of summer/fall kick off. Ready for this DVD project to be finished...that's for sure. Had a meltdown today...thankful for Karla's listening ear.

I got lost in the midst of this project today. I completely lost focus and got frustrated because I found myself wanting to please man with this...get man's approval. I was extremely negative and caught myself tearing down others on the team...I was ashamed. Then, I was reminded thru a song on the way home that..."it's all about You, Jesus". The realization set in that some things I did today probably were incredibly repulsive to Him.

Forgive my attitude Lord, forgive my tendancy to be self-sufficient, forgive my impatience, and help me to trust You...help us to rely on You to accomplish this project. We know that without You...all of this is in vain and impossible!

Happenings...

Seems like alot happening this week. Still filming for the Building U:Home Family Bible Study DVD, getting ready for Fall Kick-Off this weekend, saying goodbye to our most incredible volunteer and good friend, Brandon, this week before he heads off to college...it all seems to be happening at once!

With the fall kick-off comes change...change in age break-ups for worship, change in rooms, change in set-up. It seems like just when I finally started getting the hang of things around here, it changes...that's the theme around here! And you know what...I'm grateful it is the theme of this church. Always looking how to better reach out and equip those who come through our doors is an incredible mind-set to have. I'm thankful we're not stagnant and stuck in ideas from the 70s. Just my opinion. Just praying that with all the changes, everyone will get on board and realize we are looking out for the best interests of their children.

Personally, I will be switching up responsibilities on Saturday from previously leading the 2nd/3rd grade worship to leading the 3rd/4th/5th grade worship service. I'm pretty excited cause I love working with that age, but also a little nervous because it is such a large service and the kids are older. I'll have to get rid of some of the cheesiness I've been using and put on the "cool act" for the older kiddos. :) Please pray all goes well!

Otis, My New Friend

Our Team is in the process of producing an in-home DVD bible study for families coming this fall. Every day Nevan and I have been shooting scenes at various locations in Louisville and yesterday we began filming the lesson on fear. So you may be trying to figure out what kind of illustration we would film for a lesson on fear??? Well, let's just say my new friend Otis is a tarantula:)

We set up the scene at Brandon's house. Here's the situation...Brandon and his family welcomed home his best friend from Iraq. Austin, little brother, has new pet tarantula. Otis, gets loose in the night and crawls in bed with best friend Pedro. Otis wakes Pedro up in the morning by crawling on his chest and his face. Seriously, the guy who played Pedro (his name is really Gerado, but we called him Larlo cause we couldn't pronounce it right)...he is my new hero. He played with Otis, picked him up, let him crawl all over him...crazy ridiculous!!! I about wet myself a few times during the shooting...unbelieveable!!

Then came time for the funny "behind the scenes" shots, where we all had to touch/hold Otis...I refused for awhile, but then was succumbed by peer pressure. We all went upstairs and held out our hands for Otis to crawl across...please remember we are talking about a BIG, HAIRY TARANTULA!!! Otis begins to crawl...first Austin, then Krista, then me. Krista pulls her hand away too fast and starts screaming which meant that Otis clings on to me for dear life and is dangling from my wrist. OK...seriously...FREAK ME OUT!!! I started screaming like the girl that I am and jumping and shaking...of course, scaring poor Otis out of his mind. Larlo saved the day and rescued me:) The best part about the whole thing...Nevan got it all on tape. So you may see me make an appearance in the bloopers reel!! I'll let you see the finished product someday:)

Release...and Hope

These are two key words that describe my weekend at FACES of Christ. This retreat was the most intense 67 hours of my life...spiritually, emotionally and physically. Without giving away too much detail of the events, I can say it was a life-changing weekend. God poked and prodded at my heart and soul and helped me to "purge" so much junk from inside that had been harvesting itself there for years. I took many "trips to the basement" and God met me there. He revealed sins, shortcomings, horrible habits and behaviors, and issues I've never acknowledged. It was a time of Sweet Release ! I left my burdens and my sins at the feet of Jesus and He washed my spirit clean.
The Hope came Saturday night...
During a time of quiet personal devotion, I received a stack full of letters of love and encouragement from team members, friends, loved ones back home and from my sweet Savior. As I read these precious gifts, I had friends come to my room and surprise me (one after the other) and they prayed for me. I even had friends call me on the phone to pray for me. This was all a surprise to me - my team leader, Steve, orchestrated the entire thing - in kahoots with my mom...I was blessed beyond belief! Thank you to all who wrote those sweet letters of love and encouragement. These things I will cherish the rest of my life.
Through all of it, I realized the genuine love that Christ has for me...it is real and it is true. I've been ignoring this perfect love before me for so many years, and now I have been changed.
He is good...He is faithful...He is wonderful...He is all-sufficient!

Checking In For a Moment

So I've been home for a brief 21 hour period resting up from the long stretch of camp and now am headed back out to Country Lake for a weekend retreat called FACES of Christ. I will be staying at the lodge retreat center on the other side of the lake and hopefully will be experiencing an incredible weekend of spiritual renewal...a much needed thing!

Coming home from camp yesterday was bitter sweet - body was saying YES, but heart was saying NO! It was an awesome summer full of memories and new friendships. I will have to show you all the DVD collection of all the memories when I come home - it was incredible!

Came back to read in an email that a family back in Warrensburg suffered a terrible loss this past Saturday. Luke and Lori Ford became new members while I was there, a young family with 2 young children and Lori was one of my key volunteers in children's worship. Wonderful people - sweet and willing! I received the news that Luke, 31, died Saturday after collapsing at church a week or so before. He never recovered from his unconsciousness and was announced completely brain dead about a week ago. They took him off life support last Tuesday and he passed away this past Saturday. My heart goes out to Lori and the boys and to the church family for their loss. Please keep them in your prayers.

Got an email from my dear sweet sister, Erin Shaffer, when I got back from camp. She was just checking in, but it was great to hear from her. She's been in Africa the entire summer and just returned a couple weeks ago. I love her and miss her so much. Since she went to college...our "keeping in contact" skills have diminished, but hoping that will change here very soon! Hoping Sha and the girls had a lovely time in St. Louis today (and hoping a decision was made too!)

Random entry today, but trying to condense my life the past couple weeks into one entry. I promise to get back on a regular schedule once my life gets back to normal next week! Hoping this finds you all doing well:) Blessings on your life!

Another Great Week...

Most of you are probably sick of visiting my blog and seeing the same entry sitting there for way over a week now...so I thought I would quit slacking and take a moment to freshen up the blog! So hello to all of my faithful readers (the whole handful of you)! :)

Highlights of my week at camp...
-Weather Girl was resurrected and LOVED this time!
-Got to play keys in the worship band and sing a little!
-Got to be a team leaders for a good bunch of kids. They were crowned the "Most Out of Control Group" for the week, but we were still proud of our kiddies!
-Got to lead a group with JD Pavkovich (my new buddy) and had a blast! :)
-Went canoeing with JD and also went kayacking (sp?) for the first time ever!! (Had a splash war out on the lake and all the kids got soaked...including myself!)
-Got to decision counsel a young lady and 10 other kids made decisions to follow Christ!
-God had his hand in the entire week and I got to see His Handy Work in full swing!

Heading out for the last and final week starting Sunday and will be back on Wednesday night. Only to head out again Thursday night to be a part of an incredible spiritual retreat from Thursday-Sunday at Country Lake Lodge called FACES of Christ Retreat. All the interns are supposed to be there, including maybe 30 other men and women. Everyone I've talked to says it is a life changing experience...looking forward to the spiritual boost. Thanks for your prayers and I'll be planning to catch up with many of you when all this crazy camp business comes to an end! Love to all my family and friends...

Just Taking a Moment

Thought it best to stop by the church today and catch up on emails and phone messages. Took some time to read up on my buddies' blogs and I am just amazed at how God is working in their lives. To read about all the blessings and everything He is doing just gives me warm fuzzies. It reminds me once again that He is God and that He knows His stuff (even when we doubt or question). I love Him so much!

Another week at camp is finished - felt the exhaustion a little more this week than last. The rain stopped and the heat kicked in! Thankful for the sunshine...let me tell ya! Which meant I spent a ton of time at the lake playing with the little luv dumplins. With these kids weighing about 50-60 lbs. each...I could easily blob them to heights they've never seen. Still torn with what's better 1) being cool by sending these kids flying or 2) being a "Fatty McButter Pants". Mmmm...pizza is sounding good. Better gear up for next week!

No major injuries this week. Got to dress up like an egg (Karla and I were the "Extreme Game Girls". Get it? We talked with huge southern accents and led the games. We looked ridiculous...but it was a blast! I hosed kids down with a hose for 2 hours straight on Wednesday because our Slip and Slide busted...but it was fun and got a great tan while I was at it! Received about 100 "tally marks" with the life guards (too funny - ask me later!) Headed back Sunday for ROUND 3!! Good times:)

A Wet One...But a Good One!

I know it sounds like I am about to write an entry about a certain bodily function, but REALLY...I'd like to take a moment to tell you how incredible the first week of camp was!
First of all, it rained every single day. But through it all we were able to see some awesome God-Stops! The rain never hindered ANY of our plans for the week. When it was time for the kids to be outside, the rain would cease to a drizzle and when it was time for us to be inside, it would POUR! It was amazing!

There were 7 decisions made for Christ this week.
We got soaked filling thousands of water balloons.
We bobbed for Spam.
We did Extreme Makeovers with Wendi & Wendall (our hilarious German characters)
I went off the Zip Line
I got Blobbed...then Double Blobbed! (a huge air-filled tube in the middle of the lake where one person sits on the edge and another person - or 2 - jumps down on the other end and sends the poor soul on the edge flying in the air) IT WAS A BLAST!!
I got thrown off a golf cart.
...oh wait! You must hear the story...

Monday night the team were launching water balloons at targets in the field - we were the targets standing still and then there were 2 golf carts driving around as well. I got bored standing, so I hopped in the cart with Jon (the dean) and we took off dodging as many balloons as we could. At one point, we were too close to the teams and they were nailing us left and right. He said, "HOLD ON! WE GOTTA GET OUTTA HERE!!" And that's when it happened. I reached to the other side to grab the bar and suddenly he took a sharp turn (before I could get a grip)...and I flew out the other side and rolled like nobody's business! To an onlooker...the sight must have been shockingly hilarious (and now we laugh about it constantly), but at the time it was the scariest thing I have encountered...and extremely painful. (HOLY COW it hurt!) I rolled on my neck which brought on the most ginormous headache and then somehow, I don't know how, but I must have whacked my leg on something cause there is still a huge knot and a bruise on the front of my leg that extends the length from knee to below the calf. It's pretty let me tell ya! I try to cover it up when I go out in public, only because it looks as though I'm in an abusive relationship...and we don't need those kind of rumors to spread! :) Anyways...now we have lots of stories to tell and lots of good memories!

We leave again tomorrow for another week - this time with 2nd & 3rd graders! Should be a blast. Pray it will be a spiritually encouraging week for the campers...and for the staff!
Love to all!

signing off for a week

Getting packed up and ready to leave tomorrow afternoon for camp. It's what we've been working our behinds off for the past couple weeks and it'll be here before you know it. Still have a list of things to do, but somehow I'm finding the time to drop a quick entry to say farewell.

With the hurricane happening, we should be blessed with lots of moisture this week - yippee! Pray for it all...so many details, so many kids, not so many adults helping, and who knows what else! Trying to remain positive:) Really...it's gonna be great!!

BTW - got a surprise email from my good friend Doug who's in Africa right now. Didn't expect to hear from him until later this month or August. He's doing well, but it sounds like he's ready to be home. Just so good to hear from him:)

Lots going on...
Lots to be thankful for...
Blessings on your week...

Strange Girl in the Basement

This weekend Rob's parents are staying at the house taking care of the kids while the two of them are vacationing in Seattle. I come upstairs this morning and meet them and I was referred to as "the girl living in the basement" (sounds like a creepy horror movie if you think about it). Then as I was in the kitchen filling up my water bottle, I heard Sammy say, "Dat's ouw Miss Sawa" (translation..."That's our Miss Sara"). It was the cutest darn thing I'd ever heard! Hopefully I'll become more than just the "girl who lives in the basement" to these boys as the year progresses.
BTW - the boys both just had their birthdays. Spencer turned 5 and Sammy is now the big 3!

Surprise from Home

Yesterday was a long day - we'll just leave it at that. I finally got home and I saw that I had received a couple cards in the mail. One was from my best friend in Joplin and the other was a slightly larger card from the "We Miss Sara Clan"...had no idea who that was! I opened it up and it was covered with signatures and little notes from all my pals at Fuel!!! It was the most thoughtful thing:) As I was reading, I didn't know whether to cry or laugh...so I did both. I loved how someone signed "this is my first fuel, but I thought I'd sign anyway" - I'm excited for that young man...he's in for a treat! But the best was from Nathan Rector, "Move home now!" :) It all gave me warm fuzzies! So thanks to all my buddies back home...I miss ya!

Exhausting...BUT Wonderful!

This past weekend was great...it was long, but great! The parentals and my good buddy Ben came to visit Kentucky and we had a great time. They got to meet some of my friends and see what kind of work I'm doing here at Southeast. I took them to Mark's Feed Store (best BBQ place in town!), Louisville Slugger Museum (got us some free mini-bats), saw fireworks at Tom Sawyer Park, went shopping, went to the Vine, had numerous cookouts and delicious eating sessions...it was all fabulous! And who could forget the intense Catch Phrase game...the ladies won by the way! But unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. They hit the road again on Monday :(

Fireworks were beautiful...
Time spent with family and friends was incredible...
All around great weekend...
Good times had by all!

PS - Met a new friend, Matt Hodges, this weekend thru Ben. He saw him at the Vine and found out he just moved to Louisville to work with Team Expansion. He's from Keokuk and grew up with Nathan, Neal and all the guys from camp. What a small world!

Saving Some For Later...

Had some delicious chicken teriyaki stuff for lunch...really good leftovers from the other day. Broccoli, red peppers, peas, rice - the works! Mr. Broccoli decides he wants to make his new home between my front teeth. Didn't realize it though until about 30 minutes later...after 8 or so people had the opportunity to tell me about my new little friend and didn't! How embarrassing...LOL!

Busy Summer...Need Prayer

Just wanted to make a plea to anyone reading this silly thing...
Our elementary team needs a ton of your prayers in the next month. We are experiencing one of the most chaotic summers a ministry can handle (by the grace of God we will make it thru). Camp starts in a week and a half and well, we have loads of details to cover. If you don't mind, I'm just going to list some things you can briefly pray for:
1 - Pray God will provide the right volunteers. Some of our biggest weeks still are lacking 1/2 the amount of adults leaders needed...that's bad! Some groups don't even have leaders and we're talking 15 or so kids to a group. Yikes!
2 - Pray that the volunteers we do have will stay committed and show up tonight for the training!
3 - Pray for Karla (new events person on staff - 1st time heading up camp), that she would do a great job!
4 - Pray our staff will hang tight with each other and not be divided.
5 - Pray for a smoothe transition into our new security system (Fellowship One). The entire church is going to this new check-in system, but it effects everything in the children's departments. This transition takes place right in the middle of camp season!
6 - Pray that with all the changes happening in our program, that we will be able to avoid huge disasters and handle everything as it comes our way.
7 - Pray that in all of this we will not forget our main reason for doing what we do...and that's helping to raise spiritual champions for God!

I suppose that a few things to get ya started;) Thank you for praying and lifting up our team. If you want to pray for anyone by name, here ya go...
Steve, Jon, Nevan, Jan, Amanda, Robin, Jo, Cheryll, Karla, Donna...and me!

It Was A Nightmare...

My worst fears came true yesterday as they played the intern video during the all-staff meeting. I am now known to everyone as the "dumb blonde". Out of all the questions I answered...oh, maybe 10...they choose to use the ones I didn't so much answer. So the entire time I looked like an idiot saying,"Ummm...I don't know." Wouldn't have been so bad if everyone else on the video had dumb blonde moments too...nope, they all answered with funny, witty comments. Aren't first impressions great?

I know....GET OVER IT! I will, don't worry...

BIG Weekend in IL

It was a BIG weekend for some of my dear friends in IL! Huge monumental moments in their lives and I missed them because of my responsibilities here in Kentucky...huge bummer in my book! Hopefully, they will forgive me:)

*Jon and Jess FINALLY got married!!! Whew hew! This beautiful couple came out of a fairly tale it seems...met at camp, became high school sweethearts, stuck it out through college...been together forever it seems and love each other like they met yesterday! They make a powerful ministry team and are going to be incredible partners for the rest of their days. My biggest congrats and warmest wishes on their new life as Mr.& Mrs. Pittman. Can't wait to see pictures:)

*Mr. Brian Lowery was ordained last night at his new place of ministry up in the Chicago area. Loretta, John & Sha were headed up yesterday to help lead worship for the ceremony. Couldn't be happier for the guy - he's been through the trenches and come out stronger than ever! Thanks be to Jesus:) He's found a lady friend he can share his life with and it sounds like it's a match made in Heaven - congrats! Wish I could have been there for my friend. Looking for great things to come...

Worship with David Crowder

All I can say is WOW! Thank God for the David Crowder Band, their gifts, their talent, their hearts...incredible night of worship! Ended up being two levels of the auditorium packed (close to 6,000 people) and we were all singing, jumping, screaming...it was awesome! God had to be smiling:) (or at least laughing cause I know I looked retarded at moments!)

We rocked it out at times, but it was interspersed with beautiful melodies and a time of communion - it was all much needed for the soul. Favorite song of the night had to be "For You Are Good" ("I cry out - for Your hand of mercy to heal me"). The words of the song just spoke to my heart and I melted. I sang the sweet melody to my Savior and praised Him for being so good to me. I realized how blessed I am to have my family, my dear friends, to be where I am and to be doing what I'm doing...holy cow...I have nothing to ever complain about! When it got to the part of the song where we sang "I'm alive - I'm alive - I'm alive....", I gave it my all and released a long-time-coming "Thanks" to my God. He is good and He gives...

Fishin Wiz

Karla, John, Brandon and I went fishing today out at Country Lake Christian Retreat (aka "the camp"). Now I haven't been fishing since I was a kid and so needless to say, I was a little rusty with my "gill skills". John was Mr. Expert and caught like 4 or 5 fish. The rest of us...not so much...truthfully, none at all!

Things I discovered while fishing...
1-push the button, fling your pole...AND RELEASE THE BUTTON(otherwise the line goes nowhere!)
2-there's alot of ooey-gooey gunk in the lake...kept getting caught on my hook.
3-fish aren't as dumb as I thought...didn't take the bait.
4-big worm on a small hook doesn't work...your worms tend to fall off. went thru 5 before I figured that one out - i'm a genius!
5-when your tired and hot...convince others that your pole is better than theirs, offer to let them borrow yours and go take a nap on a hammock in the shade. much more fun:)

Intern Video

My first "All Staff" meeting is quickly approaching on Monday and at these wonderful meetings they like to introduce the new interns so everyone can meet them. In the past they have had the interns come up on stage and completely humiliate them in front of everyone...this year, they are making a video. PRAISE GOD FROM WHOM ALL BLESSINGS FLOW! There will still be a huge amount of humiliating factors in it for each of us, but at least it will be an edited version. I just did my interview with Tim and thankfully there was no one else in the room. He asked about 8 or so questions...to which I maybe answered 5 or 6 (the rest I just laughed and said "I got nothing"). He was laughing at me through alot of it...so chances are I could be quite embarassed when this whole video thing is shown. Praying I can just laugh at myself and have a blast (and that someone else might fit the "dumb blonde" category with me)!

Michigan...The Hidden Treasure State

So just got back from the Team Retreat at Lake Michigan last night about 1am and struggling to stay awake this afternoon. Good times were had on the beach and on Grand Haven's beachfront. Lake Michigan is absolutely gorgeous this time of year (who knew??). The weather was perfect - sunny/80s in the afternoon and a little cooler come morning or nightfall. We just sat out on the deck at the cottage and enjoyed God's beautiful creation. Every night we were there, I got to witness some incredible sunsets - two at the cottage and one on the pier. They were breathtaking.

Not only were there beautiful moments...there were some stinking hilarious moments too. Lots of team bonding and side-splitting laughter. Most of that kind of laughter occured late last night in the car ride home. Steve busted out his uncontrollable girlie laugh - and we all witnessed it (tears streaming and all)! Karla pulled some muscles in her side - her laugh is so contagious! We just had a great time.

Got to try lots of local food establishments...none of that food chain restaurant eating while on vacation. Some tasty and delicious food I might add! But the greatest discovery was a little thing called the Pronto Pup - it is similar to a corn dog, but the batter is sweeter and alot thinner. Deep fried and ketchup brushed on...mmmm! Good times:)

Wish at this moment I knew how to download pictures to put on this blog...I'm a retard. Some day...some day.

Heading North

Wanted to take a brief moment before I headed home tonight to say farewell for a couple days. I will be heading up to Michigan for our team retreat tomorrow afternoon. Staying at a beach house and relaxing (while planning and working of course) will be a nice way to spend the next couple of days. This week has been crazy busy and it will only look to get worse as camp approaches. So many things on the platter...whew!

Life has been good though...spending time with new friends and getting to experience life here in Louisville with all it has to offer. Got to go to an outdoor amphitheatre last night to watch an incredible production of Beauty and the Beast. A 15 year old girl played "Belle" - HOLY COW! Phenomenal! I was impressed by the whole cast.

Finally got to induldge myself in a HOT KRISPY KREME doughnut last night!! It has been months of deprivation and I was seriously needing a fix. It was perfect...and I have about a half dozen more waiting at home for me right now. They're calling my name.....I'm comin guys! Well, better sign off. No one should ever work more than 7 hours on a Saturday night:) Be back Thursday!

Some of my favorite people...

Ya know there's only so much communicating though email and blogging that you can take before you just have to call someone and talk to them. That happened to me last night. Had a great conversation with Loretta and Shawna - just catching up - it was wonderful! They are some of my favorite people in the whole world...love em to pieces. Going to be stuck with them for the rest of my life and I couldn't be happier:)

Evening at the Stone's

The interns had their first "night out" last night. We headed over to Dave & Beth Stone's house for dinner and for a fun-filled evening of games. I say that sarcastically...only because they were all those brain-teaser games that drive me batty - because I get so frustrated when I can't figure out the secret that everyone else is catching on to. (Games like "Chicken, Chicken, Little Red Chicken" "Fuzzy Wuzzy" "1-2-3 Silverware" "Sandwriting" etc) You can call it a blonde moment or whatever, but I get so irritated that I start sending out "hate looks" to the person running the game (which last night was Mr. Dave Stone himself)! Now, I didn't realize I was doing this throughout the night, but he brought it to my attention in front of everyone and humiliated me (it was so funny). He found it hilarious to watch my facial expressions all night long from the point of "utter frustration" to "AAHHH! I get it...how stupid am I for not catching that!" He just laughed and laughed. I felt like an idiot.

The best of "all time embarassing moments in front of famous preachers of mega churches" came later in the evening when Dave thought he would play a little joke on me. We played a game called "Sandwriting" where he would try to spell out words using hand motions, clapping, snapping, talking and we had to figure out the pattern and guess the word. The first round he made it obvious to me what he was spelling - I caught on quick to the pattern and felt quite like a know-it-all. When he asked if I knew, I said "Sure, I got this one!" He decided to test it out and sent me in the other room, while he and the others decided on the word to spell out.

His son, Sam and I played the round together - so we went in the bathroom for 10 seconds. We came out and Dave started his crazy hand motions and clapping etc. I watched the floor intently as I saw him CLEARLY spell out S...E...X! I thought to myself..."are you kidding me? This has got to be a joke! I'm not going to yell out SEX in a preacher's home!" Then, just when I was about to blurt out the answer I thought was correct, Sam yells out "CHAIR"! I looked at him like he was an idiot...but he was right. Dave spelled out CHAIR. He completely used his arm motions to distract me from the real pattern of the game. The real secret was to listen to his sentences while he was speaking to pick up the pattern...not to look at his hands. His wife Beth knew what was going on...so she had the camera there to take a picture of my face when the light finally clicked on upstairs! They were so sneaky...and I was ssssooooo embarassed!

No one else in the group knew what was happening at the time. But they knew we were laughing about something hilarious. So an even more embarassing time came later in the night when the truth came out and everyone was clued in on the joke. The room errupted and my face turned so RED...I laughed until I cried! It was a great night. Now I don't know if I'll ever take Dave serious from the pulpit again - just kidding! Their family is actually pretty amazing and I appreciated the way they made us feel so welcomed!

Video Debut

The entire afternoon was spent with Nevan (Mr. Video/Tech) shooting pictures for an upcoming video we are producing for the kids' worship services the first weekend in July. The lesson topic that weekend will be about Job and all his many sufferings, but how he ended up praising God through it all.

The video will be featuring "Miss Sara" going through her horrible day. So much bad stuff happens to her in one day...it's ridiculous! She wakes up late, gets in a car accident, gets yelled at by her boss for being late, gets hit in the face with a basketball, burns her mouth on coffee, the vending machine won't give her the Snickers, so she kicks it and hurts herself, uses the men's restroom by accident, gets stuck in an elevator, tries to by medicine for her headache, but the store doesn't take debit cards, she falls down a huge flight of stairs, gets embarrassed when she thinks someone is waving at her, but in actuality, they are waving to the person behind her, gets arrested by a cop for speeding and breaking the "click it or ticket" law....I mean it just goes on and on...

Now personally, I know I'm not that great at being funny or creative...so, the video may not be that great. But I tried and I'm doing things that are helping me come out of my shell. (After everyone sees this though...they may tell me to go back in my shell and never come out again!) :)

My Apologies

So sorry Kevin for leaving the 2-link thing up for so long. Ret said it was bugging you, but I've been in Lexington all weekend and didn't pay much attention to the blog. Seems as though we have it fixed now:) Thanks again for all your help!

Kevin Nobis is the Man!

If you are a frequent visitor of this site, then you may have noticed the change in background. Well, when I made this big change, I lost my links...STINK! So, I emailed the cool computer tech guy himself, Kevin Nobis, and begged for assistance in this matter. He saved the day by emailing me back everything I needed to copy into my settings page...and off I went! Kevin...you're the man!!:) Thanks!

Camp or Resort?

Steve, Nevan and I headed out to camp today - Country Lake Christian Retreat in southern Indiana. Holy Cow! This place was beautiful! I think Southeast is like a co-owner of this camp - unbelieveable! Of course there is this gorgeous lake with tall trees surrounding it and a beach on one side - this is the camp side or what they refer to as the "Ranch" side. It has your normal bunk houses, dining house, snack shack and field areas. Bonus - sand volleyball courts, hotel-like pool, hammocks tied to trees all over the wooded areas and huge, fun blow-up toys out on the lake (ie - the BLOB and the ICEBERG)...Miss Sara is going to have fun this summer:)

The other side is what made my mouth drop - The Retreat Side! This place must have cost millions, but it is this beautiful hunting lodge type retreat center. For those in Quincy...reminds me alot of Stoney Creek Inn - that atmosphere. Huge ceiling with this gargantuous fireplace, cozy leather couches in the lobby...this isn't a camp...this is a resort! Crazy ridiculous, but I'll live it up for the summer! This chic is not complaining one bit;)

Seriously though...I think back to my incredible summers at Lamoine and at West Central and miss them terribly. I loved those camps and nothing will ever compare! A bit jealous that a bunch of my friends are having a terrific time at Lamoine this week with the kiddies. Have fun guys! :)

Told Not to Pray

This is a funny story...and a first I might add! We were sitting at the dinner table last night (Amy, me & the boys), when Amy asked who wanted to pray. I asked Spencer and he shook his head no and then I asked Sammy if he wanted to...again, no. Then I asked them if they wanted Mommy to pray...no. "Do you want me to pray?" "NO! You can't pray!" shouted Sammy. I said,"Well, then, who's going to pray?" "No one, I don't want to pray...we're not going to pray!!" This went on for awhile. Amy then asked if I would just pray. Sure! I started praying...Sammy started SCREAMING!! "NNNOOOOO!!" I about busted out laughing, but held it in cause she was trying to discipline him. It was such a funny & memorable moment - never in my life had someone flat out screamed during my prayer and told me not to pray:) Giggling a bit, I thanked Jesus and said a quick Amen.

Random Tidbits

RT #1: Watched Phantom of the Opera last night (the video of course)...WOW! Trust me, if it was the Broadway show, it would get its own blog entry.

RT #2: I was introduced to a bagillion kids this weekend in the kids' services and remember 3 names. Two girls named Rachel and a boy named John. In telling them how I hope I will remember their names next week, one of the Rachel's says to me, "Just to let you know, I will be wearing a dress...or pants" (completely serious). I laughed and said "Oh, thanks! That'll narrow it down." :) Then she laughed and realized what she said.

RT #3: Finally watched "Meet the Fockers" on Friday night - hilarious! Yeah, I know...I'm watching alot of movies. It's pathetic!

RT #4: Cool restaurants I've eaten at so far...*W.W. Cousins *Bahama Breeze(recommended by John and the Nobis clan) *Q'doba ...and the list will continue to grow because Louisville has the most restaurants per capita (at least in KY)!

RT #5: Things I've appreciated this week...phone calls from my mom every day, text messages from Ret, phone messages from Becca and Dotty, a note from Laura (team member's wife), getting my computer and phone hooked up, going to The Vine last night and meeting some new folks and feeling a bit like I was at home because it was so much like Fuel. Those are a few things...

Mmmm...

It's the end of the day. About to call it quits and head "home". Have had this really annoying uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach all day. Don't know how to describe it...mixture of feeling like a stranger, knowing the road ahead won't be easy, feeling like Louisville is not home yet, getting used to the idea of this gigantic church and not knowing for sure if I'm going to like it, knowing all my friends will be meeting at FUEL tonight and that for the first time in 8 months, I won't be there with them, missing the chance to lead worship with John, Sha and Neal and also missing the hugs from all my sweet friends. There's been a lot of homesickness this week, but I put up my pictures to remind me of all you incredible people. So I'll shed a tear or two (or 100)...hoping it will make the uneasy feeling go away. Funny how you don't realize how much people mean to you until they're gone...mmmm.

Bright Moments Today

Today in the office was filled with more confusion and just utter "whatever you want me to do...I'll do it...simply give me something to do"! I finally cornered Steve in his office after lunch and asked him to touch base with me about the internship. Finally found out some basic info and felt a little better. Learning to ASK QUESTIONS - helping out a ton! Using the whole "I'm the new intern here" bit alot...it's great! So here were some bright moments in my day today:

1. Got a new chair (the one I snagged yesterday was broken:)
2. Got a call from Nathan Rector at lunch today. He forgot to catch me before I left Quincy to say goodbye...very thoughtful. Miss all the Quincy kids:)
3. Got me some new office supplies - YIPPEE! It's like the first day of school.
4. Finally finding a computer I could use in the office to check my email!
5. Getting my first phone call from the operator. It was Vicki from LabCorp - the lady I met earlier that day when I went in for blood testing. Random, but still cool!
6. Hanging in the office hall with new pals on staff...Nevan, Jon and Steve.
7. Got my new keys today from Dorleen G!

So, that was my day. Better head back to my little corner:)

Arrived

For my regular subscribers, I apologize for taking so long to write a new entry. Life's been hectic with packing and saying too many sad goodbyes. But I have "arrived" at my new home (at least for the next year Lord willing) in Louisville, Kentucky! Moved in last night with the Allen family (Rob and Amy and two kids Spencer-4 and Sammy-2). Met the other 10 interns at the Welcome Center this morning and had our initial orientation with Barbara and Sherry. Lots of paper work and confusion, door codes and policies...and I'm still alive. Had lunch with the elementary team (great sweet tea at McCallister's..mmm) and then back to orientation with computer tech lady, Leeta K, she was awesome! Got set up with email and my new voicemail - I sounded like a goof! Found my new desk area, not really an office, but hey it's mine...and I tracked down a chair to use! No computer, no phone, no nothing, but pens, tape, 2 staplers, 3 hole punch that belonged to a girl named Stephanie, and post-it notes. I trust my computer and phone will come later. Called it quits for the day and headed home. By the way - gas prices jumped like $.30 today....RIDICULOUS!! Hung out with Spencer and Sammy tonight - way cute! Read my New Staff Guidelines Novel and filled out more paperwork...caught up on my bloggin...and now heading to bed! Hope this finds you doing well...miss you!

Awkward Moment at Wal-Mart

There I am minding my own business, making my way to the "hair product" section, when I happened to look up at this "friendly" couple at the end of the aisle. They didn't seem to notice me and continued on with their groping session - incredibly disgusting! I've seen some PDA in my time, but this was ridiculous! And let me tell you...if anyone ever grabbed my behind like that in public, I would probably turn around and smack him upside the head! Seriously...get a room! End of story. And for those of you who care, I was brave enough to grab my hair spray and leave, hoping they wouldn't follow me to the razor aisle:)

Going to the Races!

I had my first experience of going to the Quincy Raceways last night. My friend's dad was racing and she invited a bunch of us to come and watch...so we went! My friend, Ben, decided he wanted to sit close "to be in the action"...okay, Ben, that sounds great! We sat in the fourth row from the track - great action spot! The cars start to come out of the pit and race around the track...a couple rounds into it, Ben started us in clapping for them (thought that's what you're supposed to do). Then my friend Jessie leans over and says "it's just their warm-up rounds". "Oh, oops"...so I look around and sure enough, no one else is clapping.

We had a good time - racing is a fun thing to watch, but next time I think I will sit up a bit higher in the stands. Oh, didn't I tell you...it was a dirt track...yeah, we were covered in dirt by the time the races finished. It was all over our faces, clothes, blankets, purses, hair...eww! And we won't mention the extreme headache and nausea part from the fumes and watching the cars go round...and round...and round. I think maybe the corn dog played a part in it to...I camped myself on the floor by the "white throne" last night. It was a glorious site!

Star Wars

For those of you who aren't Star Wars fans, May 19th means nothing to you. For the rest of us, it is a day that will forever remain in history as the day when Episode III was released in the theaters. For those of you who are intelligent, you went to bed at a decent time last night. For those of us who are idiots, we went to the midnight showing of Episode III and finally got to bed around 3 am!

My good buddy Neal hooked us up with tickets he won from a raffle and so John, Sha and I went to the 12:01 showing. We waited about an hour in the theater before the movie started and I about fell asleep. Smart one I am, I bought a HUGE Coke to keep me awake and drank the whole thing before the movie started. Now, for anyone who is a genius, one can figure out how long it took before I had this HUGE urge to use the restroom. I'm a retard...but there was no way I was missing a millisecond of that movie...so I held it for 2 hours:)

The 12:01 theater was the first one to sell out...extreme die hard fans...costumes and all! Which made the experience even funnier when the theater employees shouted "Turn off the Light Sabors!!" The movie was awesome...thanks Neal!

Future Dates

With so many things to do and so little time left, I look at my date book and sigh. My heart saddens when I think of how little time I do have remaining in Quincy with my friends and family, but still has some excitement when I ponder what the next year will bring.
Some things I'm looking forward to...
-2 more Thursday nights of Fuel and playing with the worship gang!
-Friday's my last day of substituting (hopefully forever!!)
-Our "Deck Party" on Saturday (praying it all gets finished in time)
-One more week of Monday night sand volleyball at the KofC (we may not win alot, but we have fun)
-Having a cookout at the Rector's house Sunday night and getting to hang with Cameryn - one of the cutest little girls ever!!
-My last Life Group outing with my girls next Wednesday (incredible group of girls whom I will miss dearly).
-The big Gus Macker weekend - who can forget that!
-Two more Sundays of worshipping with family and friends.
-Random and impromtu hang out times with friends and family.
-Lots of hugs:)
-The big move Sunday, May 29! (can't say I'm really looking forward to that right now)
-Meeting at the Welcome Center Monday morning, the 31st at 9:00am to start my internship.
(That's all that is "penciled" in right now...)

In sitting at the Bee last night talking with Ret and Pam, I spoke up about my recent fears and doubts of moving when everything is finally starting to click here in Quincy. Ret asked "so are you wanting people to talk you into staying or going?Cause I can try to talk you into either." Most weak moments I would have begged for justification and reasons to stay (heck, I've been trying to think of any reason), but there's that little voice again telling me "Go...I'm in control...trust me...this is where I've led you and want you for now". So, I shut off my thoughts and try to be still and know He is God.