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...