Brownies with a little surprise

Attempted to make goodies for my D-Group girls last night at home. First of all, must give props to my friend Karla for the recipe idea. She made these wonderful little delights Sunday for our football watching extravaganza. Thought I would attempt to make them myself because they changed my life.

Explanation: Brownies made in little muffin pans with a little bit of heaven in the middle. (i.e. Reese's Peanut Butter Cups)

First batch: Amazing taste...not so pretty. Overfilled the pan and they all looked like mushrooms. As I went to get them out of the pan, the tops popped off. Grrr!

Second batch: "Let's use baking cups and not fill them so full." Amazing taste again, but this time much better looking! Thank the Lord! :)

For those of you Weight Watcher People...this is not a recipe I would recommend. My apologies!

For Your Viewing Pleasure

This is a little chance to brag on my friends from Kentucky. This was taken yesterday at the Broncos vs. Steelers football watching bash...if you can't tell, most of them are Broncos fans...and then there's SteveO and I staying strong with our Steelers colors! These people are great!!
Front row: Amanda(from IL), Madonna (from IL) Middle row: John O, Karla(from IL), Steve, Tammy
Back row: Kevin, me(from IL) and Nate(from IL)
*Notice how 5 of the 9 are from IL and it took moving to Kentucky for all of us to meet. Funny!

First Snow

Woke up to 3 inches of snow on the ground this morning...incredible!
Didn't think I wanted it after the gorgeous spring weather we've been having, but I'll take it:)
Hopefully, all you snow lovers out there aren't jealous. It is b-e-a-utiful!! Come to Kentucky and see if you want!

PS - just found out that if you start your car to warm it up and leave it unattended in Louisville, you get a TICKET!! Even in your own driveway! What is this world coming to?

Drama, Drama, Drama...

Oh the dramas of the dating life...
Will it ever end?
Recently a book was recommended to me to read about a new approach to dating. It is a book by Dr. Henry Cloud (a reliable and intelligent source). He wrote all the "Boundaries" books for those who've never heard of him. How to Get a Date Worth Keeping - Be Dating in Six Months or Your Money Back. I know the title sounds cheesy, but hang with me. I've read a couple chapters in it so far...intriguing. Really nothing new. My mom has been telling me to do this for as long as I can remember, but I've stuck to my "I'm a lady in waiting" mentality. For instance, if God has the right man out there...He will bring him to me. Well, this knight in shining armor has yet to find me and lately I've found myself waiting at my front door hoping the FedEx man will be gorgeous. You get what I'm saying?? Cloud says, "I haven't been "out there" enough meeting new people." In his book, he offers himself as a dating coach, and has a program for you to follow. One of the first steps is to meet 5 new guys a week...that's right 5!! And not just say hi, but they 1) have to be new to you. 2)have to be interested in you. 3) you have to exchange phone #s. And let me just say it again. 5 guys! I'm lucky if I get 5 guys in 5 years, let alone 5 guys in one week. Talk about it! Supposedly, this program teaches you to find your real issues with dating and help you conquer them. Helping you to come out of your shell. We'll see about that! So, this past week I tried to branch out and meet some new people at Awake(our 23-30 yr. olds gathering)...not so much a success. I'm horrible at it! Still deciding if I'm going to finish this book.
For those of you who have found your special someone for life...what a blessing!
For those still waiting/hunting...bet you are wishing it were as easy as waiting for the FedEx man at this point in time....hang in there!! :)

The Cat's Out of the Bag

It was a monumental day in Southeast history...

We heard about it Thursday. The announcement was made to the staff, but our lips were sealed. It was exciting beyond words to have been a part of that staff meeting. I sat there as Bob Russell addressed all of us. And this weekend...the rest of the congregation heard. Bob handed over the reigns to Dave Stone in services this weekend. In a sense he "passed the baton...or the tie" for that matter. Bob's official retirement won't happen until July of this year, but from here on out, Dave Stone is now the "prime" minister of SECC. It was a bitter sweet moment. I watched as Bob made his announcement in 3rd service and as he walked down the steps to his seat...it was sad. The man has been God's vessel in building this church for the last 40 years. His fingerprints are all over this place. He will be missed.

But oh the excitement I felt as I watched my friend Dave walk up to the pulpit and address the congregation. I've never before been so 100% behind a leader like this before. I've heard his vision for the future and I believe it is definitely God-ordained and that it will connect thousands more to Jesus Christ in the near future. Oooo...gives me goosebumps.

The basic idea to his vision is...

• Subtraction
• Addition
• Division
• Multiplication

Subtraction - 1. From our Membership Roll. Finding out whose really committed to Jesus and to evangelizing the community. 2. From our Programming. Getting away from the Smorgesboard approach and focusing more on certain areas.

Addition - 1. Using intentional language. Connecting People to Jesus and to One Another. 2. Having an Intentional Pathway. Teaching us the Value of Focus.

Division - 1. Dividing into Regions for Bible Study and Service. Connecting with people in your area through home Bible Study groups and service opportunities. Teaching us the value of connecting.

Multiplication - 1. Regional Small Groups. 2. Neighborhood Community Centers with numerous outreach programs. 3. Multi-site Worship Settings. A branch off of the main campus using live via satellite communications, so we could experience worship together and the multi-site centers could still feel connected to the body.

I was pumped about his vision. I know it will be supported. A few standing ovations are an indication of that. Pray for Dave, pray for the leadership, pray for the staff, pray for the congregation. This place is used to change, but this is the biggest change this place has ever seen. We are having to say goodbye to a living legend, but what we are about to experience is the 2nd Movement of His Orchestral Masterpiece....and it's just beginning. Maybe a change of tempo, maybe a change in key, but amazing nevertheless. Taking a moment to sit back and listen...

Routine...What's That?

First day back to work in over a week. Took a Christmas vacation and went home to Quincy for the Holidays. Great trip, but WAY too quick! Here are some highlights...

1. Kazoo Caroling with the Nobis Clan.
2. Shopping with Mom for Christmas presents.
3. Spending Christmas Eve with the family that just keeps growing!
4. Enjoying 3 Christmas services (2 at MPCC and 1 at the Crossing).
5. The smile I had on my face as I watched some pretty special people lead a congregation in worship Sunday morning. Just made my heart bubble over with joy to see them in their element again...love them. The Christmas Carols rocked and "it's not about the box" (2 of the many things I took home from that service).
6. Having more presents than John to open up Christmas day :) (Only because he got a pretty expensive drill - not because mom and dad love me more...at least that's what we told him!!) hehe
7. Watching the "scarf receivers" open up their gifts and enjoy (or at least acting like they were thankful). A lot of work(probably the beginning of long road of arthritis)...alot of hours...alot of great scarves I wish I could have kept cause I liked em so much.
8. Listening to the countless times John made fun of my scarves and realizing that he was just jealous cause he didn't get one!
9. Spending almost every day of last week at John and Sha's new place painting their front room. Hearing their ideas about what they're going to do with the rest of it and experiencing the excitement of it all. Must admit I'm a little jealous that he was the first of the Mitchell kids to buy a house.
10. Meeting Bobo!
11. Spending an evening in Macomb watching high school basketball and then eating the most delicious pizza thingy afterwards...mmmm.
12. Taking a pit-stop on the way back to Kentucky to meet Karla's family in Centralia IL! They have an incredible Walgreens:)
13. Having funny conversations with my buddy Ben - who will always be the one I call for a quick cheering up session!
14. Seeing and spending some QT with buddy Neal and hearing about his upcoming adventures at The Crossing....so proud of him.
15. All the special moments spent at home around our 4 ft. Christmas tree this year:) Just kidding mom! It was all great and I love ya!
16. And last but not least...sleeping in my Heavenly Cloud of a Bed for an entire week!!!

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:)