a little piece of me

Help for Kiddos this Christmas

2011-11-02T14:45:00.003-04:00

Dear friends,

Hard to believe that the holidays are so quickly approaching! I know that I think this every year, but this year REALLY does seem to have flown by! I love this season, though, and can't wait for the holidays to come.

I am writing to ask for your help. As some of you know, my dad started a foundation - Christ's Starfish Foundation- several years ago. They work to help meet the needs of hospitalized children and families of children who are facing hardships due to their child's illness. They specifically work with families children with non-cancer related illnesses, as that is an area of great need with limited resources. At Christmastime, though, the foundation works to provide gifts for all of the children that are hospitalized on Christmas day. The foundation is based in Jacksonville, FL, and has been providing gifts for the children there for several years.

This year, the foundation has begun to partner with Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston (where I work) and at Scottish Rite. For Christmas, they have been asked to help provide gifts for about 145 children at Egleston on Christmas day.

And that is where you come in. The foundation relies on the help of the community at Christmastime to help provide gifts for the children. I am helping to coordinate gifts for the toddler age group. They have been asked to provide about 3-5 gifts for 30 toddler aged children, which means that we need about 150 gifts for this age group.

I would love for you to consider donating a gift, or perhaps sponsoring a child. If you are not available, perhaps your small group, neighborhood, or church might be interested in donating. We can use all the help we can get!

Please let me know if you are interested, or if you know of a person or group who may be interested. I can tell you firsthand as a nurse who has to work on Christmas, it is so fun to get to see our kids' faces when they realize that "Santa" comes to the hospital, too. Gifts can be brought to me, or I can arrange to have them picked up if you are interested in participating.

Thanks, friends!

Amy

Toddler gift ideas: g-rated DVDs, sound books, musical toys, light up toys, Duplo blocks, balls, cars and trucks, pop-up toys, See-N-Say toys, wooden puzzles, bubbles, coloring books, big dolls, stuffed animals

In the past 24 hours I have...

2011-07-14T08:55:00.006-04:00

...eaten ChickFilA chicken for three meals in a row.

...played human Bingo.

...sweated in the HOT Georgia summer sun.

...camped out in a parking lot.

...played quite a few hands of Nertz.

...played some Settlers, too.

...done some quality people-watching.

...wondered why in the world someone would bring a baby goat to a ChickFilA opening??

...tried to untie a frozen, knotted T-shirt.

...sweated a little more.

...had fun with some super great friends.

...become the proud owner of 30 free ChickFilA meals!

Our tent (we set up actual tents later to sleep in)

AJ and Lauren playing the oreo game. The goal was to get the oreo from the forehead into the mouth with no hands.

The morning after sleeping on the asphalt

The line of winners waiting to go get their prize

Lauren won the "alternates" raffle and was the last winner of the 52 free meals!

Our "official" ChickFilA First 100 winners. They split their winnings with us, though, so everyone took home about 30 free ChickFilA meals.

And now I need a nap!

Happy Father's Day!

2011-06-18T21:15:00.005-04:00

Happy Father's Day, Dad! You're the best! Hope you enjoy your day!

What's Wrong with this Picture??

2011-04-18T08:45:00.004-04:00

Any guesses???

Cinque Terre

2011-04-17T09:44:00.004-04:00

Monterosso (the northernmost town)

Vernazza (the town where we stayed)

Boats on the Vernazza harbor

Cornliglia (from the hiking trail between Vernazza and Corniglia)

Manarola

Riomaggiore (from Manarola)

Riomaggiore

European Lessons Learned: Part 1

2011-04-17T08:51:00.004-04:00

Thing #1) Good customer service is not a priority in Prague. Especially in restaurants. (Note: This does not, however, apply to the Mosaic House. That place is awesome and everyone was quite friendly.)

Thing #2) The paper $50 Czech note is obsolete. Do not try to use it in a restaurant. Even if it is your first day in the country and you didn't know better. Even if it only became obsolete a week ago. If you do, in fact, try to use it, you might find out more about Thing #1.

Thing #3) There are many, many beautiful places to see in Europe.

Thing #4) Milan is not one of them. Especially the part by the train station at night. Or during the day for that matter.

Thing #5) Be sure to arrive in Vienna, Austria with Euro in hand. If not, you will have be able to find your way to the city center to change money, as apparently this is the only location in the entire city to do so.

Thing #6) European banks are never actually open.

Thing #7) If you are female and you would like to fit in, you should bring spandex pants. Lots and lots of them.

Thing #8) You might also want to sport a mullet. Especially in Prague.

Thing #9) When they tell you that a certain Cinque Terre hiking trail is closed to due landslide, they weren't actually kidding. You will, in fact, find a large, impassable landslide along the way. (However, you will also find one stretch of amazingly beautiful trail that is completely open in the process, which will make your efforts worth it anyway.)

Thing #10) They take security very seriously in the Amsterdam airport. Like ridiculously, irritatingly, very slow and inefficiently seriously.

Thing #11) You will have to repeatedly dump out your water bottles as part of the security process on the journey from Prague to Atlanta. Thing #10 will have something to do with this.

(Disclaimer: The "Part 1" title of this post does not actually guarantee that subsequent posts on the subject will actually ever occur.)

Back Home

2011-04-17T08:46:00.002-04:00

I am back home in Loganville. Sorry that the blog posts did not continue - our internet opportunities were sparse for the rest of the trip. But, don't worry! I have lots more pictures to share! Approximately 818 in all, but since very few of you would actually be interested in every detail, I will stick to the highlights. Lots more posts to come!

European Birthday Extravaganza - Days 2 and 3

2011-04-09T17:02:00.006-04:00

We are having so much fun! Day 2 started with yummy breakfast at Mosaic House with AJ's friend David. From there, we headed out on a "free" walking tour of Prague. They make sure to tell you often that it is free, but they do appreciate tips in proportion to how good you feel the tour is. We hung in with our eclectic tour guide for about half of the tour before we decided to make a discrete exit in favor of finding some lunch. Lunch was a bit of an adventure…we'll just say that our waitress didn't exactly love us (we think it was because we ordered water and split a pizza). We paid our bill with a paper 50 Czech note, which had been given to us somewhere, but apparently became obsolete about a week ago. This added to her dislike for us. Fortunately, a friendly patron sitting nearby helped us out and we made a quick exit. From there, we continued our own tour up to the Prague Castle. This turned out to actually be a really beautiful old cathedral which looks down over much of the city. It was a beautiful afternoon, and the views were amazing. Prague is really a lovely city - you should come if you have the chance! We spent the evening with David and some of his family and friends at a party at his house. It was really fun to meet some really great people and find that the world really is small. The apartment had its own beautiful views of the city to enjoy from the roof as an added bonus.

This morning, on my 30th birthday, we got up early and ate breakfast before heading to the train station to catch a train to Vienna. After walking very quickly though the city with our packs and all of our things, we made it onto the train with about 3 minutes to spare. The train ride was super fun. It was my first ever train ride and the countryside was really pretty along the way. When we arrived in Vienna, though, we had our first we-are-American-girls-who-don't-know-the-language-and-don't-know-how-things-work-here moments. We got off the train and realized that we would need to find somewhere to exchange dollars into Euro in order to get a subway ticket (Czech Republic has their own currency, so we had only changed money into Czech at this point). We looked around and didn't find anywhere to change money, so we asked a couple of people and found out that there was, in fact, nowhere to do so without taking punblic transportation. Which, of course, we didn't have Euro to buy a ticket for... Luckily, I saw a Visa sign on the ticket machine, and we were able to use a credit card to buy the tickets. We thought that would be the end of our money problems, but we were wrong. Apparently, there is only one area of Vienna (the city center) where you can exchange money. Since we weren't near there and became tired of walking in circles with our heavy packs, we eventually opted for finding an ATM and paying the associated fees to draw money out in Euro. Whew... We checked into our hostel, which is a really cute, lively place called Hostel Ruthensteiner and then headed to the center to see some of the sites and find some food. As we walked around, it seemed as though we were walking in the middle of a bog American city like New York or Chicago. There were lots of big buildings and lots of fancy shopping. The only difference was the occasional castle or cathedral mixed in. I experienced schnitzel (the chicken variety) for lunch. I also had some very yummy Happy Birthday gelato! After my first day here in Vienna, I would say that I enjoyed Prague more, but we still have another day to explore Vienna yet, so we'll see!

overlooking Prague

in front of Prague Castle

on the train

Happy Birthday to me!

European Birthday Extravaganza - Day 1

2011-04-07T15:20:00.005-04:00

We're here! This morning my roommate AJ and I landed safely in Prague after an 8-ish hour overnight flight. We flew from Atlanta to NYC and then across the ocean directly to Prague. Our trip did get off to an interesting start though, when we were ready to leave from JFK and the pilot announced that the airport had been shut down to all flights. A little while later, he announced that we should all look to the right out of the plane windows to see why we had been delayed. I looked up to see Air Force One taxi by next to our plane. It seems that President Obama was also headed out of JFK at that time. Eventually, we did get to leave and our flight ended up being quicker than it was supposed to be, so we landed a little earlier than scheduled into Prague. We successfully navigated the public transit system to arrive at the hostel without incident. From there, we had lunch with AJ's friends who run the hostel where we are staying (which is amazing, by the way, and if you are ever in Prague you should check out the Mosaic House). Then we decided to walk down to one of the old cathedrals that has a park around it in a location where you can look down on much of the city. It is beautiful here! The buildings are amazing, and it is a really beautiful city. From there, we walked around a good bit more, found some yummy gelato, walked some more, saw the square, walked some more, and saw the Charles bridge before heading back to the hostel. We accidentally fell asleep for a little while before waking up to go find some dinner at a really cute place where we sat on the rooftop garden. And now we are back here to settle in for the night after a really great first day!

I wanted to share a couple of pictures, but discovered that I left the camera cord at home for the camera that we used today. So, you'll have to settle for a few that I stole from the internet of a couple of the sights from today:

What our room at Mosaic House looks like

Famous clock tower in Old Town Square

The Charles Bridge

T - 9 Days!

2011-03-28T10:58:00.002-04:00

9 days from now, I will be standing in the airport in Atlanta with bags packed and ready to head to Europe!!

How did this come about, you ask? Well... I was standing around one day lamenting the fact that I would soon be turning 30. While I have never been one to get worked up about age, for some reason I was feeling bad about the fact that I am turning 30 and things in my life do not exactly look the way I thought that they might at this age. I decided that it would be a good idea to counteract this with a plan to do something fun for my birthday. So, the ideas began rolling out...including the fact that my roommate has friends that run a hostel in Europe. From there, plane tickets were priced on a whim...discovered to be reasonably priced...purchased...plans made...and here we are - leaving for Prague next Wednesday! From there, we will head to Vienna, Austria and then to Cinque Terre in Italy before returning to Prague via Venice. Hopefully, I will have some amazing pictures to share when I return!

I Saw a Miracle...

2011-03-25T20:46:00.004-04:00

A few weeks ago at work, I watched a miracle happen. I didn't recognize it at first. It was a pretty ordinary day. Well, except for the line of visitors coming in and out of one patient's room. He was supposed to go home that day, and several people came by to celebrate. It isn't uncommon to see a patient get discharged - it happens every day. Some discharges are more exciting than others, though, especially if the patient has been in the hospital for a long time, or they have reached the end of their chemotherapy treatment. This particular discharge was special. It was a miracle. This patient wasn't supposed to have walked out those doors. He had been close to death so many times. And yet, God did a miracle in his body. As I watched him and his family walk out the doors, I realized that I was witnessing a miracle happen right in front of me. Though I may never understand God's ways - why this patient was healed while so many others are not on this Earth - I am thankful for this reminder of God's goodness and power. As I think about another patient tonight who is not doing so well, I can hold fast to my knowledge of God's faithfulness, even when circumstances make it difficult to see.

Prayer Letter

2011-02-15T22:58:00.001-05:00

My latest prayer letter is online here.

2011-01-23T20:33:00.004-05:00

Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines,

the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food,

the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls,

yet I will rejoice in the Lord;

I will take joy in the God of my salvation.

Habakkuk 3:17-18

This week has been a difficult one. I was reading this passage earlier this week, before I learned of the news that a precious lady on staff at my church had unexpectedly died. I have read it several more times since then. If I am honest, I will tell you that I have been having a difficult time with the message of these verses.

No matter what happens, Lord, I will trust You.

I have been asking myself whether I really believe that. I mean, sure...I want to say with an emphatic Yes! that I trust the Lord regardless of the circumstances. But if I am honest, if I look at my life over the past year, I must admit that it has been a struggle. I have struggled to trust the Lord in the face of the "no matter whats". It has been difficult to trust Him with the suffering and deaths of so many precious children that I have taken care of over the past year...Difficult to trust Him in the process of trying to sell my house and the long waiting season with regard to Peru...Difficult to trust in His Goodness in the midst of the deaths of so many around me in the past months.

Becka Mullennix is the name of the precious lady that died this week. She was the Hospitality coordinator at Grace, and I used to serve under her leadership as a volunteer on Sunday mornings. That is where I first met her. Since then, I have seen her week after week running around in the lobby of Grace on Sundays. She always had a smile and would usually greet me with a hug. She often asked me about how Peru plans were coming along. I will miss those smiles and hugs, and if her Facebook wall is any indication, she will be dearly missed by hundreds of people. Her memorial service on Saturday was a testimony to the way that she loved people so well. I am sad that she is gone.

Circumstances like this cause me to long for the Kingdom to come and for the Earth to be restored to the way that God intended it to be. Our pastors at Grace reminded us of that today - that while we can have hope in the knowledge that Becka is in the presence of the Creator, we can also grieve, knowing that death is not from the Lord. Death is not what God intended for us from the beginning. And one day, this Earth will be restored to the way that it was perfectly created to be, and death will be defeated for good.

In the meantime though, I am learning to be honest with myself and with God. I am being reminded that it is OK to cry out to Him as David did in the Psalms, with questions and raw emotion. I am trying to put my hope in the Truths that I know about the character of God and remember the ways that He has been faithful to me, knowing that He is unchanging. I am asking Him to show me Himself, to remind me of His character. I am thankful for the encouragement of His Word:

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. Psalm 91:1

But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 3: 21-23

Hilarious.

2011-01-17T12:36:00.001-05:00

(Thanks to Emily for sharing this link with me. Hilarious. Seriously.)

Addicted?

2011-01-16T20:56:00.003-05:00

This hasn't left my dining room table since Christmas. We might be a little addicted to the game around here. Maybe...

"Blizzard" of 2011

2011-01-15T21:34:00.009-05:00

This has been a crazy week here in Atlanta. Last Sunday night, we got more snow than this city has seen in a while. The entire city was shut down for a couple of days. School was cancelled for the entire week. When they finally did leave their homes, people crept down the still partially icy roads, making traffic a nightmare. I was ridiculously excited on Friday evening when I drove home from work on roads that were almost completely free from ice for the first time all week. Even as I type this on Saturday night, my yard outside is still mostly covered with snow and ice. Being a Southerner who hasn't seen all that much snow in my life, I get excited when snow comes. But even I am ready for all of it to be gone after this week. Here are some pictures from Monday afternoon before I headed in to work:

Christmas Pictures

2011-01-15T19:02:00.009-05:00

The Christmas tree - before opening gifts

Presents!

I got Photoshop Elements! I had an old version on my PC, but needed a new one for the Mac.

AJ opening a gift

Sam the dog came for Christmas. When he came through the door with his favorite toy in his mouth, Cali promptly stole it from him. We had to give her some rawhide to keep her occupied while Sam got acclimated to a new place. I found it hilarious that this is how she chose to sit to eat it.

Sam the dog with his Christmas toy.

Cali knew which stocking was hers!

She loved her big rawhide candy cane from Sam!

The beginnings of my first ever white Christmas!

Spinning in the snow, before it was sticking on the ground. I might have worn pajamas all day on Christmas... Good thing I got that rain jacket! It came in handy. Thanks, Dad!

AJ and Cali in the snow on Sunday morning

And we thought this was a decent amount of snow... We didn't know what was coming!

I find very few exceptions to my flip flop-wearing rule.

Some Things...

2011-01-12T13:45:00.002-05:00

Thing #1) It's been too long since my last post! Apologies to the few of you who read.

Thing #b) Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I am a little late, but I do hope that you had a great time celebrating the holidays with friends and family! I spent Christmas day here at my house with my parents, Carla, and my roommate AJ. It was super-fun to have my family (most of them) at my house for Christmas. Then I went to Florida for a couple of days after to spend time with Pam and Jeremy and see the extended family. Photos to come. Eventually...

Thing #next) In case you haven't heard, it snowed in Atlanta. The whole city has been shut down for three days now. Seriously. Roads have been described as a "death trap." I find this to be a bit overdramatic, though it is true that the roads are icy and dangerous. I should know. I drove on them on Monday night on my way to sleep at the hospital. Yep, I officially participated in my first Code White at the hospital. I slept on a parent bed in an empty patient room on Monday night so that I would be there to work on Tuesday morning. Though I was glad to be back in my own bed on Tuesday night, I guess I can't complain too much about free food and being paid to sleep. All in all, it wasn't too bad, and I was able to make it back home last night. I was even able to make it up the driveway into the garage, thanks to my lovely roommate who shoveled our driveway! It just so happened that we had a snow shovel laying around our house (Thanks, Avivah!), and it came in handy. Who would have thought that a snow shovel would ever get any use in Atlanta?? Snow pictures to come, too. Eventually...

Thing #after that) A confession: I have become addicted to playing the game The Settlers of Catan. Seriously, I can't stop. I taught my family over the holidays, and now they are addicted, too. It's probably a good thing that we don't live closer, or we'd never get anything done! My roommate might wish that I had someone else to play with, though, so I would stop making her play with me at every opportunity!

Thing #last) I have already started thinking about my 30th birthday, which is coming up in April. I have never been one to get worked up about birthdays or getting older, but for some reason, I am not looking forward to turning 30. Maybe it's because I thought my life would look a little different at 30? Whatever the reason, I have been thinking about it, and have decided that I want to do something exciting for the occasion. Maybe hike the Incan Trail in Peru? Maybe visit somewhere I haven't been before? Let me know if you have any exciting ideas!

A post with pictures to come, I promise! You know, eventually...

Happy Birthday, Hermanita Bonita!

2010-12-18T23:08:00.001-05:00

I love you! Hope that your day was great!

Want to help bring freedom to the world this Christmas?

2010-12-07T13:12:00.003-05:00

Well, you can! That may sound a little cheesy, but I am serious when I say that you can help bring freedom to the lives of women around the world. The Word Made Flesh fields in India and Bolivia serve among women who have been trafficked into the sex trade. WMF offers these women freedom, restoration of dignity, and a new way to make a living. You can support these women by purchasing some of the beautiful products they have made. Check them out here:

Sari Bari

Suti Sana bags

It started with some napkins...

2010-11-24T22:40:00.004-05:00

...and turned into Thanksgiving Feast 2010! Let me explain...

I was in Hobby Lobby with my roommate, and saw some really cute Thanksgiving napkins. I decided then and there that we would have to come up with a good excuse to buy the napkins. So, we decided that inviting our favorite people over for a pre-Thanksgiving meal would be a good plan. And it was! The food was amazing, and it was really fun to get everyone together to share a meal - especially since I will be working on Thanksgiving and won't get to spend it with my family and friends. It was my first time cooking a whole turkey, and I was pretty proud of how he turned out:

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!

Obsessed??

2010-10-29T07:56:00.001-04:00

It's possible... You be the judge.

Go Clemson!

2010-10-28T10:57:00.000-04:00

From inside the stadium this time! Thanks to AJ's brother, we managed to get tickets for the Clemson/Ga Tech game last weekend in advance. Sadly, though, Lauren wasn't available to come this time :-( I guess we'll have to make it up to her next season... AJ and I had tons of fun cheering on the Tigers to a victory!

Wordless Wednesday: Fall Fun

2010-10-27T13:05:00.001-04:00

Good Words

2010-10-26T14:01:00.002-04:00

I was reading in 1 Peter 1 this morning, and was using a commentary by Jon Courson for some extra insight. I usually find that Courson has lots of good nuggets of truth, like these for example:

"You cannot change your heart, but you can change your mind. God can change your heart. He won't change your mind, but if you choose to change your mind, God will change your heart."

"It's not how we're doing or how we're feeling that matters. Whether we feel high or dry is irrelevant. It's the power of the Word that works."

I have been in a "dry" season for a while now, and I know that I need more of the Word in my life. I was encouraged in 1 Peter this morning through the basic truths in the passage:

* We have a living hope - Jesus (v3)

* We have a promised inheritance (v4)

* Trials may come to test the genuineness of our faith (v6-7)

* Set your hope on the coming of Christ (v13)

* Be obedient (v14)

* Live lives of holiness (v15)

* Jesus made the way for us to God (v19-21)

* Love one another well (v22)

* The Word of the Lord is forever (v25)

My Newest Craft Obsession

2010-10-26T08:57:00.001-04:00

Coasters!

I totally stole this idea from a boutique in Athens. I saw some coasters there and thought they were really cute until I turned them over and saw the $39 price tag. That's when I decided that I could definitely make those for myself at home. Watch out family and friends - you may just find some in a Christmas package near you...

Furman Fall

2010-10-25T14:24:00.007-04:00

This past week, I headed out of the city to spend some time in the mountains. While I was driving through Greenville, I decided to make a visit to Furman. I walked around the campus for a while and enjoyed the beauty of the fall colors. I also stopped in the coffee shop to get a Tower Freeze before I headed out. I was pleasantly surprised to find the same lady still working there that used to make my drinks 8 years ago! She said that she recognized me, too, which is probably a statement about how much time I used to spend in there filling myself with caffeine...

While I was there, I also stopped into to the bookstore, where they were having a big 75% off sale. I decided to bring something home for my adopted puppy, Cali. She's really a Clemson girl, but she looks good in purple, too!

A Fall Recipe

2010-10-25T11:27:00.005-04:00

Picking some of these:

Playing in a patch of these:

A great fall Saturday!!

2010-10-21T10:53:00.004-04:00

Just because...

2010-10-07T07:54:00.000-04:00

Go Clemson!! (Well, almost...)

2010-10-06T15:00:00.000-04:00

This past weekend, I headed up to South Carolina with two of my favorite people, AJ and Lauren. We were doing a belated birthday celebration for Lauren, since she was out of town being a 72-mile-bike-riding-rockstar on her actual birthday. The plan was to head up to Greenville, spend the night, and then go to the Clemson game on Saturday afternoon. The plan hit a slight detour, though, when we weren't able to get tickets to the game. Turns out that a lot of people shared our plan to just buy tickets outside the stadium. Oops. A lesson learned. But that didn't stop us from having a fun day. Instead of heading into the stadium, we headed downtown to do a little shopping, then listened to the game on the radio while eating ice cream and driving with the windows down on a perfect fall day. When the game was over, we did a little bit of hiking to Issaqueena Falls, and finished the day with a quick stop at the outlet mall on our way back to Atlanta. Not what we had planned, but a fun trip nonetheless!

the sad "we need 3" fingers

"we're gonna have fun anyways" faces

underneath Issaqueena Falls

some sisterly love

a few of my favorite [fall] things

2010-10-05T14:08:00.010-04:00

1. colorful leaves

2. college football

3. cooler weather - yay for temps this week in the 50-70s!!!

4. hiking - it's the perfect time of the year to enjoy mountains and waterfalls!

5. pumpkin flavored things - like pumpkin spice lattes and pumpkin pie!

6. fall activities - like corn mazes and pumpkin carving

7. candy corn pumpkins

What are YOUR favorites??

Go Gators!!

2010-09-26T15:05:00.005-04:00

I am so excited that college football season is here! Ever since I went off to college myself, college football has been my favorite sport season. Because Furman football was never quite as exciting as the SEC, I decided that I would stick to my roots and continue to cheer most loudly for the Gators. I had never made my way down to the Swamp for a game though, until yesterday. A friend and I had put seeing a Gator game on the list of things to do this fall. My dad was able to get some tickets through a generous friend of his, so AJ and I headed down to Gainesville and met my dad and sister Carla for the game. It was so much fun! It was so exciting to be a part of the sea of orange and blue! (Especially since I am usually always surrounded by a mob of red and black.) The Gators didn't disappoint...they dominated Kentucky to a 48-14 victory! Go Gators!

(More pictures to come later when the internet decides to cooperate!)

CURE

2010-09-16T10:35:00.002-04:00

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness month. CURE is an amazing organization that supports our families of children with cancer and raises lots and lots of funds to help make sure that a cure is someday realized. Each day of September, they are honoring the life of a child who is battling or has battled childhood cancer. Today, you can meet and celebrate the life of one of my sweet little friends here.

Silly Cali

2010-08-31T08:56:00.000-04:00

Cali is my friend AJ's dog. She and I are friends, too, and she spends quite a bit of time hanging out at my house. A couple of weeks ago, I taught her how to roll over. I was very proud of myself for teaching her something new! Today I decided that she should learn another trick: how to shake hands. The only problem is that whenever I get out a treat and tell her to sit, she immediately sits, lays down, rolls over, and pops back up, all in one motion! Apparently I did a good job with the rolling over thing. Obviously, she thinks that she deserves the treat for that. I tried a number of times to get her to stop at the sitting juncture and shake before giving her the treat, but it was a lost cause. After a number of failed attempts, I gave in and gave it to her anyway. I mean, who could resist this face???

Why I Love...

2010-08-30T07:16:00.000-04:00

Sari Bari

It's been a while since I have written a "Why I Love..." post (and it may very well be a while before the next one comes), but I thought this was a good way to share with you about Sari Bari. Sari Bari is a ministry of the Word Made Flesh field in India. In Kolkata, the WMF staff serve women in the red light districts who have been exploited in the sex trade. Sari Bari offers their friends an opportunity for new life and employment in a way that seeks to restore dignity and promote freedom. The women are trained to bring new life to old saris by turning them into beautiful blankets, bags, and scarves. Each piece is marked with the name of a woman who now has the opportunity to choose freedom and new life for herself.

I love the Sari Bari products.

I love what they represent.

I love the name labels.

I love that name of Jesus is being proclaimed in the red light districts of Kolkata.

I love the staff that serve those precious women there.

I love my Sari Bari blanket and bag.

I think that you would too!

The Makings of a Good Saturday

2010-08-28T17:43:00.004-04:00

1. Wake up around noon. (In my defense, I did work 3pm-3am and go to bed around 5am...)

2. Have a yummy cup of coffee (courtesy of roommate) with peppermint mocha creamer. Mmmm...

3. Lounge around in bed for a while longer video chatting with friends. (I have a new love for video chat! One of the many reasons that I love my Mac!)

4. Go for a run. (Not my most favorite activity, but did leave me with a sense of accomplishment.)

5. Treat self to pink Gerber daisies. Favorite!

6. Enjoy late lunch, consisting of salad with feta, sliced almonds, and chicken with Greek seasoning. (I am mildly obsessed with Greek seasoning. I think it is good on everything. I have my mom to thank for that one.)

7. Get called off from working Saturday night shift! (A small miracle, since staffing on Saturday nights is always bad. It may only end up being for 4 hours, but I will enjoy it while it lasts!)

And, just think... Saturdays are only going to get better since college football starts next weekend! So excited! Go Gators!

Meet Aimee (and go buy her stuff!)

2010-08-27T12:17:00.004-04:00

This is my roommate, Aimee. You've met her before, remember? She's a great girl, and oh-so-talented! She is also quite thoughtful. She made me these welcome home decorations recently:

As I may have mentioned before, this girl has many talents. Many. Most of them of the crafty/creative genius variety. She has recently been working hard to get her business up and running. She has an Etsy site and another one, too. She is focusing on design layout (like for wedding invitations, save the dates, business cards, logos, etc), but also has some jewelry (mostly earrings), handmade journals, and crocheted masterpieces that are/will be available. You should go check them out!

Exhausted.

2010-08-18T21:31:00.000-04:00

That's how I am feeling tonight. How about you?

New Project

2010-08-16T15:18:00.004-04:00

I am working on a new project:

These are the chords that I have learned so far:

Too bad I don't know how to strum yet...

Here is my (very patient) teacher:

August Prayer Letter

2010-08-09T12:07:00.001-04:00

My August prayer letter can be read online here.

Goodbye...

2010-08-06T12:39:00.005-04:00

...black blob of death!

Hello...

...shiny new MacBook! So excited!

Just for you, Mom

2010-08-04T22:24:00.008-04:00

It seems that it's been a little while since I have updated. Apologies to the few of you who have been checking for new posts (especially you, Mom). And, since it's getting late and I am getting tired and have to wake up early in the morning, I should probably keep this short. So, I thought I would just give you a quick update on where I've been and what I have been up to...in picture form. (Please ignore the fact that the pictures aren't edited.) So, I guess I'll start where I left off...

Back in June (has it really been that long ago??), my friend AJ and I decided to head out west for a road trip. We had been planning to drive up to Niagara Falls, but at the last minute decided that flying out West and driving to the Grand Canyon sounded like even more fun. Then we decided to throw in Lake Tahoe and Yosemite, too. It was an amazing trip! I had very good intentions to post details about each part of the adventure, but, well...that hasn't happened yet. AJ, however, is a much more committed blogger and you can check out her posts about the Grand Canyon, Lake Tahoe, and Yosemite (and you can even read about the in-between here) if you'd like. Here are a few of the highlights:

I got back in town in time to work a few shifts before heading to Asheville to celebrate AJ's birthday! Then it was off to Nebraska for a 10-day Word Made Flesh staff gathering. It was great to get to meet and spend time hearing stories from the North American staff from fields all over the world. It was also super exciting to get to see my friends from Lima again! Overall, it was a really encouraging time. I was thankful to be able to get away, listen to the Lord, and get to hear awesome stories about how the Kingdom is coming to the ends of the Earth from some of these folks:

I managed to fit in a few more (really long) shifts at the hospital before spending this past weekend with my friends AJ and Lauren in Chicago. AJ ran her first half marathon there on Sunday. She did an amazing job, finished with an amazing time, and earned the title of running rockstar in my mind. Before and after the running, we managed to eat lots of good food and have lots of fun in the city:

And that, friends and family, is why I have not had much opportunity to blog lately. Well, that and a decrepit computer that only comes on when it wants to (which is when the power cord is held into the back at the exact proper angle). But, I am excited to report that my new MacBook came in the mail today!! I am super excited about it! So, maybe that will give me a little more motivation to keep you updated a little more often. I make no promises...

Hiking in the Grand Canyon Leads to...

2010-06-25T14:12:00.000-04:00

Dirty Feet.

So, I Slept in a Covered Wagon...

2010-06-25T12:17:00.004-04:00

This one, to be exact:

How does one end up sleeping in a covered wagon, you ask? Well, here's how it goes...

It's Friday afternoon of Roadtrip Extravaganza 2010. AJ and I had hiked in the Grand Canyon for the last time that morning, and then had set off toward Lake Tahoe. We had already passed over the Hoover Dam, and were trying to find something to eat in Las Vegas. After our long, hunger-filled search landed us in a Chili's for dinner, we decided that we should probably start trying to figure out where we were going to spend the night. AJ got her handy-dandy Iphone out of the car and started looking for a place. One of the places that came up was the Virginia Creek Settlement. On looking at the website, AJ immediately started laughing on seeing that there were covered wagons that you could sleep in. Seriously?? And at first it started as sort of a joke: we could go there and sleep in a covered wagon. But, the more we looked, the more it seemed that this place was actually pretty conveniently located on our route. That combined with the fact that it was cheap made it a pretty good option. So, AJ called to see if anything was available. Her side of the conversation was hilarious to listen to. On asking about availability, the guy told her that, yes, he did have some tentcabins available. To which she responded, "Umm...do you have any covered wagons available??" Hilarious. And, it turns out that he did, in fact, have one covered wagon available. "We'll take that." Even more hilarious. We were going to be arriving late, so the man said that he would leave the lights on and leave a map on the front door so that we would know where to go. Then he said that the wagon would not be locked...because there is no door...just a flap...

Hilarious.

Grand Canyon

2010-06-23T14:01:00.001-04:00

Doesn't it look grand??

June!?!?

2010-06-01T13:40:00.002-04:00

It's June. Seriously...when did that happen?? It's crazy to think that 2010 is nearly half over. It doesn't seem like that long ago that I finally started remembering to use 10 instead of 09 when I am writing the date. And now it's June. Crazy.

And as I sit here and think for a minute about the year so far, it definitely hasn't gone the way that I thought that it would. Or the way that I hoped that it would. If you know me well, you already know that the biggest part of that is that it is June and I am still here. Here: sitting in my living room in Loganville. Still in Georgia. Not yet in Lima. Still in the house that I own here. Not yet free to leave and start the life that God has called me to there.

This is a strange place. I have been struggling a lot lately. In some ways, I feel disconnected from both the life that I am living here and the life that I am moving towards. People here are always asking me when I will be going. People there ask when I will be coming. It is difficult not to know the answer to these questions. I feel myself pulling away from some parts of my life here. I still love taking care of the kiddos at the hospital, but I am having a hard time taking a vested interest in the other parts of my job. I am hesitant to make new commitments or invest myself in new things here, but here is where I am. I want to live in the present and to see the things that the Lord has for me here in this time, but it is difficult. I am finding it hard to look toward and prepare myself for life in Lima. I am frustrated with the process. I am tired of the "in between."

And yet, I know that the Lord has something for me in this time. There have definitely been circumstances and people in the midst of these months of waiting that have been a tremendous blessing. I am thankful for those things. I know that I need to trust the Lord in this place, and look to Him for guidance. But, if I am honest, I am even having a hard time doing that. I know that He is who I need. He is the One who knows each of my days before any of them come to be. I know that He is worthy to be trusted. And still, I struggle to trust Him.

So, Lord, would you help me to trust You. Help me to remember and call to mind the ways that You are and have been so completely faithful in my life. Draw me to Your Word and to Your Truth more often. Guide my steps and help me to trust in Your timing. Open the doors toward Your path for the coming days and months. Help me to look to You and trust in Your will for my life. Amen.

What Were They Thinking??

2010-05-14T17:44:00.009-04:00

Last night around midnight, a friend and I made a trip up to Walmart to grab a couple of things. As we walked past the women's clothing section, we just couldn't pass it by. I mean, there were so many things that were just begging for commentary - we just had to oblige! Regretfully, we did not have a camera to document the antics. Here are a couple of the items that we encountered (photos courtesy of walmart.com):

1. Fluorescent things. Lots of them. It seriously seemed as though we had just walked back into 1989. Ironically, though the actual store looked like cans of shockingly bright colors threw up everywhere, finding a suitable example of this is somewhat more difficult when looking online. Please visit your local Walmart store for full effect.

2. Ridiculous swimwear. Again, for full effect, please observe selections in person.

3. Shorts that would not fit my left thigh. Exhibit A:
Now, while the items above are certainly worthy of some amount of commentary, this is nothing compared to what is still to come. Here are a few of the items that I would put into the category of "Seriously...what WERE they thinking?!?"

1. The following T-shirts:

Ummm...seriously. No one needs bird eyes located there on their chest or a flower growing from there. No one.

2. The bodysuit:

A bad idea in the early 90's and a worse idea now...

3. (my personal favorite) The romper:

It is my personal (and strongly held) opinion that the term romper should only apply to pieces of clothing worn by babies and toddlers. No exceptions. For some particularly hilarious commentary on the subject of rompers, click here.

Seriously, friends...grab a friend and take a trip to your local Walmart. You will be glad that you did.

This Makes My Heart Happy

2010-05-10T12:14:00.002-04:00

Can't wait to be able to be back in Lima loving amazing, talented youth like these!

Creative Juices are Flowing...

2010-05-10T02:03:00.002-04:00

Can't you tell by the mess??

At least there is a new collection of Thank You cards to show for it:

(Thanks Aimee and AJ for your help!)

Mountain Extravaganzas 2 and 3

2010-05-09T12:03:00.011-04:00

It's hard to believe now, but there once was a day when I did not appreciate the beauty of the mountains. It's true. Starting back when I was in elementary school, my family started taking regular vacations to the mountains of North Carolina. For a little while, I thought it was fun. I mean, there were fun parts... Mostly the part where mom would drive us over to Franklin to go mining at a place that was seeded so that we were sure to find lots of treasures. And the part where we would drive down to Commerce and go shopping at the outlet mall. Not so much the part where we would go walk around in the woods or climb up things. I wasn't a big fan of that part. After several years, my sisters and I even started deciding that we would rather just stay home. These days, I LOVE being in the mountains. Being in the midst of beautiful Creation and being reminded of the glory and majesty of the Creator is one of my favorite things. In the past month or so, a friend and I have made several trips into the mountains to enjoy the beauty of Spring. Here are some pictures from Amicalola Falls and Caesar's Head State Park:

Amicalola:

There were stairs. Lots of them. Like 650-ish.

Cali did not like the metal-grated stairs. After watching her look pitiful for a while, AJ decided to help her out a little...

Caesar's Head:

I wish that I could better communicate how amazingly gorgeous this enormous wall of mountain rock was. This picture does it no justice. Standing in that place, I was reminded that God is an amazing Creator, and that I am so small!

Automatic timer attempt # 11. Cali decided to put her backside in several of the prior attempts. (Hence the reason she is being held captive here.)

Sitting on a suspension bridge directly over the waterfall. Amazing.

"Pretty Place" at Camp Greenville just past Caesar's Head

Strawberry Creations, Part 2

2010-05-07T14:05:00.001-04:00

Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream. Yummy.

Shout Out

2010-05-06T00:21:00.003-04:00

This is my friend Lauren. As I have mentioned before, I think that she is pretty great. Lauren was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes last year. This fall, she and her husband Trey are planning to fight back against her disease by riding in a 72 mile bike ride around Lake Tahoe to raise money for diabetes research. They have started a blog to document the journey toward their goal. You should check it out! They are also having a huge garage sale next weekend to help raise money. If you live in the Atlanta area and have ~~junk~~ treasures that you would like to contribute, just let me know!

Strawberries, anyone??

2010-05-03T07:11:00.000-04:00

One of the fun things about where I live (which is about 50 minutes east of the city and has been described by some as a bit "rural") is that there are strawberry fields right outside of my neighborhood. Prior to living here, I had never picked my own berries (of any kind, actually). It is super fun to go and pick your own, and they are quite yummy! I went with Aimee and AJ on Friday. We each picked our own bucket, which pretty much means that there are mass quantities of strawberries to be consumed around here! Which is going to require lots of strawberry creations in the coming days!

buckets o' strawberries!

Strawberry creation #1: Strawberry cake (quite delicious!)

Strawberry cake: Cali aftermath (she licked the icing off of this side)

Cali's sweet "but-Mommy-it-was-so-yummy-I-couldn't-resist" face

More strawberry creations to come!

Mission Accomplished

2010-05-02T10:38:00.004-04:00

A couple of months ago, a couple of good friends of mine decided to sign up to run a 10K. One of the girls decided that I should run it with them, too, and she printed out a training schedule for me (despite my vehement insistence that it would never happen). If you know me, you know that I am not particularly athletic, and that I am definitely not a runner. I mean, I have tried running for exercise at different intervals in the past, but I am always quickly reminded of how much I hate to run and of the ways that my body seems to reject the activity. So, I just don't run. Regardless, I put the training schedule up on the refrigerator...

...and then decided that maybe I would give it a shot. Maybe.

I was fairly certain that I would never be able to run 6.2 miles at one time. In the past, the farthest I can really ever remember running is 1.5...maybe 2 miles. And I pretty much hated it. This training schedule started at 2.5 miles. I was pretty sure I would need another entire schedule to get me to that starting point. But, I decided to give it a shot anyway. So, I did. And found that little-by-little, I was able to check off the boxes on that schedule. I mean, I was running those miles slowly (still am), but I was running them...

So, a few weeks ago, I decided that I would sign up for the race. I still wasn't sure that I would be able to run the whole thing, but I decided that I would give it a shot. I made sure to maintain a healthy level of non-commitment when discussing it with my friends - both because it was more fun that way, and because it left room to change my mind :-) But, I kept training with the only goal being to be able to finish the race.

And I did. Yesterday, I successfully finished my first 10K! I managed to run (albeit slowly) from start to finish. I was pretty proud of myself. Here are a couple of pictures from the day:

Before: smiling and wondering internally why I decided this was a good idea...

After: much sweatier, but proud of our accomplishments! And ready for some Flying Biscuit!

AJ and Lauren even placed in their age groups! They were totally surprised and found this pretty hilarious. I was proud of them!

Family Fun

2010-04-27T00:38:00.005-04:00

This past weekend, I was commissioned as staff with Word Made Flesh (more on that later). My parents drove up to Atlanta and flew with me to Omaha for the service. Pam and Jeremy (my sister and brother-in-law) drove down from Fargo. It has been super fun to have spend some time with my family! My parents and I (and a couple of fun friends) went to a Braves game on Thursday night before we left:

In Omaha, we wandered around downtown and hung out in one of the parks along the river:

On Sunday morning, we all piled into Pam and Jeremy's Jeep and headed up to Fargo. Let's just say that 5 adults in one car for 6 1/2 hours made for an interesting adventure. We did manage to laugh quite a lot along the way, though! Here are Mom and Pam (and my feet) in the back seat:

More family fun to come...

Birthday Extravaganza 2010

2010-04-19T12:25:00.012-04:00

I have been too busy being outside and having fun lately to do much blogging. So, I have some catching up to do! Starting with my amazing birthday extravaganza! Last weekend, two friends took me up to the mountains for my birthday, and it was fabulous! We went hiking at a couple of amazing places, enjoyed some glorious weather, ate lots of yummy things, and just enjoyed having fun together. Lauren and AJ went above and beyond planning a fun weekend for me, including researching restaurants in the area (where we had YUMMY pancakes for breakfast) and calling my mom to get the recipe for my favorite cake. I loved it! Thanks again girls for loving me so well!

Pretty waterfalls at Tallulah Gorge

The rule-breaker convincing the rule-follower to break the rules

AJ laughing on the "sit-there" (you might call it a bench)

Me on a rock (clearly)

A place called "Goats on the Roof" (for obvious reasons) that we saw along the road. AJ may have suddenly crossed multiple lanes of traffic in order to stop here. Maybe.

Ice cream. Yummy. Accompanied by an interesting way to eat it while driving... (Don't worry - we were actually still in the parking lot)

I love these girls!

Lauren the photographer

AJ and Lauren in front of the waterfall that we decided NOT to slide down (Don't you think that looks like it could be dangerous?!?)

The obligatory picture of a foot. I like the way that the water looks.

Rainbow Falls - Thanks, God, for creating such beautiful things for us to enjoy!

Looking down from the top of the falls

Where I told her she wasn't allowed to go any closer without breaking Rules #1, 2, and 3

AJ and Lauren enjoying the beauty of Creation

I love this girl!

(Still to come: pictures from Mountain Extravaganza #1 and Dogwood Festival fun!)

The Many Faces of My Friend AJ

2010-04-19T12:09:00.003-04:00

I love my friend AJ. And her many faces. I told her that recently, to which she responded that she actually only has one face. Which, I suppose is true. But, that one face has many, many expressions. Like the following (which were pretty much captured in the course of 2 days):

(Pictures posted with the express texted consent of AJ Jordan and will not be sold, reproduced, or otherwise used for exploitation or personal gain.)

I love you, AJ!

Feeling Blessed

2010-04-11T01:05:00.003-04:00

Blessed is exactly what I am feeling after this weekend. I spent the last couple of days celebrating my birthday with two of the most amazing friends ever. I am so blessed to have them in my life! They totally overwhelmed me with their love for me and thoughtfulness in planning one of the most fun birthdays ever! More pictures to come, but I just wanted to say Thanks AJ and Lauren! I love you both!

Easter Feast (in photos)

2010-04-05T23:29:00.004-04:00

last minute prep

deliciousness!

proof that the boys did join us

Rachel

Lovely ladies! (Shelley, Aimee, and AJ)

Lauren and I

the cake... (not exactly what it was supposed to look like, but still good!)

AJ's "Oops - what happened to the cake?" face

AJ and I (quite close up...)

Easter eggs!

Top Ten Reasons...

2010-04-01T09:01:00.004-04:00

...that April is going to be a better month than March:

1. Dare I say that it would be hard not to be??

2. Spring is here! Complete with blue skies, warm weather, and beautiful trees and flowers to enjoy!

3. I am only working a total of 8 shifts in the entire month of April! (Which includes 2 night shifts this weekend, 6 days the next 2 weeks, and then off from April 16-May 3rd!)

4. My birthday comes, along with my friend Lacey's birthday, my best friend Caroline and Mark's anniversary, and my sister Pam and Jeremy's anniversary. So many things to celebrate!

5. I will be commissioned as staff with Word Made Flesh at the end of the month. I am excited about this next step, and am anxious for all the details to come together to finally be able to move down to Peru. I still don't know exactly when that will be, and I welcome your prayers that my house would sell and that the day would come soon!

6. A roadtrip! My parents and I will be driving from here to Omaha for commissioning, and then likely up to Fargo to visit my sister and bro-in-law. I am so excited to get to see them again!

7. Have I mentioned that I have 2 weeks off from work?? Because I do!

8. The opportunity to celebrate Easter and the amazing gift that Jesus gave to us on the cross.

9. Easter dinner with some fun friends who are like family to me.

10. I declare it so!

Romans 8:18-25

2010-03-31T23:39:00.002-04:00

"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience."

Silly Bella

2010-03-31T08:14:00.000-04:00

Why I Love...

2010-03-30T08:00:00.001-04:00

Spring!

1. Pretty things like these are blooming:

2. Daylight savings time means that it is still light when I leave work. So nice!

3. Warmer days mean more time playing outside!

4. The strawberry fields are open! (Well, not yet, but they will be soon!)

5. My birthday comes!

6. Baseball season comes. (And, while this is not nearly as exciting as college football season, it is still fun to go watch the Braves play!)

What about you? What are your favorite Spring activities??

(Just to be clear, my favorite season of all is still fall. It's hard to beat the changing colors of leaves, pumpkin flavored things, and college football. But, spring is a close second!)

Sweet Blessing

2010-03-29T23:13:00.003-04:00

I got home today and found these on my front porch:

I love tulips! What a sweet blessing from my hermanita bonita (aka my sister Pam) and J-Rob (aka my bro-in-law Jeremy). Thanks, guys! I love you!

I love these guys, too.

2010-03-29T10:04:00.001-04:00

I love these girls.

2010-03-29T00:11:00.003-04:00

Funny Story

2010-03-27T14:00:00.000-04:00

(Well, not really a story, but something that I thought was funny nonetheless...)

So, yesterday after the funeral, a bunch of the nurses from my floor went out to lunch together at Cracker Barrel. I was looking at the menu and noticed that they have a new "Low Carb" section. It comes with this description:

"We know many folks are watching what they eat, so we’ve prepared some of our favorite dishes with less carbohydrates."

But, then I started looking at the options and realized that all that was listed were different kinds of meat and the associated number of carbs. For example, six grilled chicken tenderloins have six grams of carbs. That is just lovely, except for the next sentence on the menu: Served with your choice of three sides. Three sides which are conveniently not included in the carb total. And since the choice of sides at Cracker Barrel mostly include things like steak fries, hashbrown casserole, dumplins, and macaroni and cheese (just to name a few), it seems to me that there is nothing actually low in carbs about the "Low Carb" section of the menu.

And I found that a bit funny...

When it rains, it pours...

2010-03-26T00:14:00.006-04:00

And it sure is pouring...

This has been a hard month. Like, a really difficult month.

In the past month, I have received 9 patient death notices. Nine. That's way too many. Too many children that had to suffer. Too many parents that had to bury their child. Way too many...

I have already shared here that one of those nine was particularly special to me, and particularly difficult for me to say Goodbye to.

And then this week came, and brought with it another particularly difficult death. Only, this time, it is not a patient. This time, it is one of my fellow nurses. Matt - a 25-year-old nurse on my unit - died completely unexpectedly this week. And so my heart is sad. Again.

Again, I am telling the Lord that I don't understand, but I trust Him.

Again, I am asking the Lord to bind up the brokenhearted around me.

Again, I am longing for the day when mourning and suffering will be no more.

Come, Lord Jesus, Come.

The Lord is near to the brokenhearted... Psalm 34:18

34 Years

2010-03-20T23:42:00.002-04:00

Yesterday, my parents celebrated their 34th wedding anniversary. Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad!! So glad that God chose to give you each other (especially since I wouldn't be around if He hadn't...) I love you both so much!

Before and After

2010-03-17T22:26:00.006-04:00

After much anticipation (pretty much just from my mom and sister), here are a few before and after shots of my kitchen:

Before:

(These were actually taken a long time ago and I apparently didn't care about the stuff laying everywhere...)

After:

Thanks goes to my college roommate Emily for letting me steal her paint color (again) and my mom for helping me tile! And apologies that the lighting in my house is terrible...

And just for fun, here's the before and after of my bed today:

Before:

(It would seem as though my dryer shot the clothes out like a cannon and this is where they landed. Sadly, I am the responsible one. I actually slept on the left side of the bed last night with the laundry on the right...)

After:

Much better

And with that, I am off to bed...

Aimee's Blog

2010-03-17T13:50:00.002-04:00

My roommate Aimee has a new blog. I am excited that she has entered the blogging world, and want her to keep it up! So, go visit her site and tell her how amazing she is! She is a graphic designer/creative genius, and she does amazing work. You should check out her Etsy site, too. 'Cause like I said, she's a genius!

(P.S. Dear Aimee, Hope you don't mind that I wanted to alert the public to how amazing you are! You should get some more of your amazing work up on that site so that all the world can see! Love you!)

Glorious

2010-03-17T06:02:00.002-04:00

Yesterday was a glorious day. Like, seriously, a great day.

The sun was shining.

It was warm!

I saw signs of Spring, like day lilies and dogwoods blooming.

Glorious.

I had great time with friends and great time alone.

I shared life, laughs, and a meal with people that I love.

I sat in the warmth of the sun and was silent and listened.

Glorious.

It was a great day, indeed.

Why I Love...

2010-03-16T08:00:00.002-04:00

The Jordan sisters!

AJ and Lauren (who clearly look nothing alike)

These girls have quickly become two of my favorite people on Earth. Lauren (right) and I have been friends for a couple of years and are a part of the same community group. Our relationship has grown over the past several months, though, and I am so thankful to have her in my life! Her sister AJ (left) just moved here at the beginning of the year to come on staff at our church. I have loved getting to know her over the past few weeks. I seriously think that they are two of the coolest girls ever!

Here are some of the reasons why I love Lauren Boden:

Lauren and I in the snow

1. Lauren and her husband Trey have invited me into their lives in a way that makes me feel so special and loved. For a single girl living away from my family, this means so much!

Trey and Lauren

2. She watches So You Think You Can Dance with me.

3. She puts up with my whining at the gym.

4. She is an amazing teacher to high schoolers with special needs.

5. She shares my love for ice cream.

6. She takes me out for said ice cream when I have had a bad day.

7. She gives the best hugs ever.

8. She has approached health issues in her life with grace and strength, and has recently decided to do a ridiculously long bike race to fight back against her disease. I love it, and am so proud of her!

At an appt in December

And here are some reasons why I love my new friend AJ:

1. She is hilarious.

2. She shares my love for (and use of) the British accent. We are, however, trying to stop it from pervading our lives. (Because my patients and families are starting to look at me funny when I ask them a question in an accent that I didn't have 5 minutes before...)

3. She also shares my love for good ice cream, and is often willing to go get some with me.

4. She makes me yummy pizza. (Seen here with another sneak peak into my kitchen renovation. Before and after pictures to come soon, I promise!)

5. She sacrificed her own sleep to help me stay up all night to get ready for night shift last weekend.

6. She is lots of fun to hang out with, and has provided me with hours of entertainment in the past couple of weeks.

7. She posts comments on my blog. I love comments :-)

8. She also has a blog, where she often shares stories that make me laugh. Like ones about eating dog peanut butter or accidentally using someone's shawl as a blanket...

Lauren and AJ - I love you girls! So glad that God has blessed me with your presence in my life! Especially when you make faces like this:

Love from Lima

2010-03-15T12:24:00.002-04:00

This morning, I ran across this video of the ministry center in Lima, and it made my heart smile. I miss Lima and my friends there so much. I am anxious to get to join them in life and ministry there, and am praying that the Lord will provide the missing pieces to allow me to be able to move this summer. I thought I would re-post it here so that you, too, can have a little glimpse into life in Lima. And so that you can meet Monica - one of the coolest people EVER! (Hope you don't mind, Mona. I loved getting to see your face, if only in a video from afar!)

to beggar's society with love from lima from Word Made Flesh on Vimeo.

Happy Birthday, Dad!!

2010-03-13T09:13:00.004-05:00

I love you!! I hope that your day is great!

Happy Birthday!!

Recent small town sights:

2010-03-08T08:33:00.000-05:00

1. These cute lampposts, complete with signs that say: "Trails - it starts with tr." Why yes, yes it does. (Of course, they are referring to the TR that equals Traveler's Rest, SC. Umm - it's almost clever...)

2. The Old Time Cafe, home of the "Randy Burger." One can only wonder what exactly that is...

3. The F-Mart, which apparently sells famous hotdogs. Maybe that's what the friendly-looking gentleman in the overalls was going to get...

4. Random animal carvings being sold on the side of the road made out of tree trunks. While I seriously wonder what the heck people do with those, I am also somewhat impressed by the craftmanship.

5. This church sign:

(no comment.)

6. Little produce stands on the side of the road. I do seriously love these! I hardly ever take the time to stop, but I always think to myself that I should!

7. A place called Dumpies Repairs. Spelled just like that. Now isn't that special...

Family Dinner

2010-03-06T23:46:00.004-05:00

Tonight, I had dinner together with my Atlanta family.
I love these friends, and am so thankful to have them in my life.

We lit some candles, got out the nice china, and sat down around the table together.

The spinach and ricotta stuffed chicken was amazing.

Matt served AJ a lot of mashed potatoes.

Lauren took this picture of me making a face while cutting fruit.

Josh and Matt both wore blue stripes.

And Lauren took lots of self portraits on my camera.

We ended the night with some fondu for dessert.

And decided that we should do this again soon...

Personal Victory

2010-03-06T10:51:00.005-05:00

This morning, I went for a run. I ran perhaps farther than I have ever continuously run. Granted, it was not actually that far, but as someone who hates running, it was a small victory for me. I had a couple of sources of inspiration:

1. The girl that I mentioned in my last post is still not doing very well. Worse, actually. As I thought about her and about what a fighter she is, I was inspired to keep on running. I realized that any pain that I was experiencing was negligible when compared to the suffering that she is enduring right now. So, I ran.

2. A friend of mine from my childhood just ran a marathon in memory of her dad who died from lung cancer and in honor of her mom and many others who are cancer survivors (including my friend Sarah). She hates running, too, and she ran a stinkin' marathon. As I thought about that, I decided that surely I could make it a few miles.

3. A couple of songs came across my Ipod at just the right time. Like this one. Being in the midst of the beauty of Creation reminds me of the glory of the Creator. He is an amazing God, indeed, and today is a beautiful day! (And, just so you know that I can also be inspired by some less-than-holy artists, this Black Eyed Peas song also made my legs move a little faster.)

I definitely did not set any speed records today, and I am sure that my effort was not all that graceful to watch, but it was a victory for me nonetheless. What about you? Did you have any personal triumphs this week - either small or large? I would love to hear about them!

Some Days are Hard

2010-03-04T21:42:00.003-05:00

It's true. Some days are hard. Everyone has tough days. When you work with kids with cancer, though, hard days are especially...well, hard. Today was one of those days.

Today, I watched an child suffer more than she should ever have to. It was a struggle for her to sit up, to talk, to cough, to breathe, even to move. I wanted so badly to be able to make her feel better. I wanted so badly for all of this pain that she is walking through to go away so that she can go back to the life where she just gets to be a kid. I wanted to keep her well enough to be able to stay in her room on our floor instead of having to go back to the ICU, where all the faces are unfamiliar and she is scared.

But, sometimes we don't get what we want. I didn't get any of those things today. Instead, I shed some tears for this beautiful girl, and then pulled myself together and sent her to the ICU, praying that God will ease her suffering and heal her body on this Earth.

Like I said, some days are hard.

Channeling my Inner Plumber:

2010-03-03T23:13:00.003-05:00

Wait...you didn't know that I had an inner plumber?? Right... That's 'cause I don't. But, since there is also no man in my house to fix broken things for me, sometimes I have to channel some manly skills. Like fixing leaking sinks and tightening loose faucets...

I will confess, however, that while I did climb under the sink and make an attempt to fix something, this girl was responsible for most of the actual fixing.

(P.S. If you look really closely, you might find a hint of my new kitchen renovation. Real pictures to come when I get around to putting the finishing touches on painting and get that blue tape off the wall!)

You Never Know...

2010-03-03T15:48:00.001-05:00

...what might happen when you take a random picture of yourself and leave it on my camera. It might just end up here:

Along with that random picture you took of your sister:

Good thing you are both such lovely ladies that you look good even when you are making ridiculous faces...

(Of course, any random pictures that you took of me will remain hidden where they belong. Because it is my blog after all, and I do make the rules...)

A Gift

2010-03-02T20:42:00.006-05:00

I am so thankful for today. I woke up this morning with the intention of going to work. Well...honestly, I woke up hoping that I would get called off. But, when that didn't happen by 5:10, I pulled myself out of bed with the intention of going to work. And, I did go...

But, as I arrived the charge nurse was in the process of realizing that she forgotten to assign one of the nurses that was scheduled to work today. Oops. That meant that there was an extra nurse, and since I have overtime this week, I was the one that needed to go back home...

...Which was interesting, since:

1. That never happens.
2. On my way to work, I had been thinking about the fact that I really needed to plan a day to get away and be quiet. I have known for a while now that my soul really needed a day of solitude. I was thinking that I wanted to go up into the mountains somewhere for the day - probably to a place called "Pretty Place" just north of Furman. I was also thinking that it was likely that I could get called off one of my shifts this week (since I have overtime), but the fact that we only get called off for 4 hours at a time (first until 11a, then until 3p, etc...) would not allow me to leave town.
3. The fact that I had already actually driven to work today meant that I would definitely be off for the whole day (and get paid 2 hours of drive time.)

So, as I headed back out the door, it seemed pretty clear to me that God was giving me my day of solitude. Now, my only problem was the weather...

I decided while I was driving back home that I was definitely going to take the day and head out of town. I did look at the weather forecast for the mountains (100% chance of rain/snow with temperatures in the 30's), but I had already decided that this was what I needed to do today, so I started praying that God would change the weather as I drove...

...Which didn't exactly happen. As I drove in silence, I kept asking God what He wanted to say to me today. I also kept wondering how this was going to work out, since it was snowing and I was really wanting to spend time outside...

I was still wondering that as I drove through Greenville (snowing more now) and continued heading toward the mountains. The snow wasn't sticking to the road, so driving was fine, but the sky was definitely gray and yucky and I was pretty positive that I wouldn't actually be able to see anything up there.

As I got close to Camp Greenville, though, this is what I saw:

It totally felt as though God had given me my own little "Winter Wonderland" to enjoy. The trees and the mountain were so beautiful. I couldn't help but be awed by the Creator of all these beautiful things, and be blessed by such a tangible picture of His Glory.

I didn't stay too long, but I did get out and walk around a little bit (in flip-flops of course):

Even though I wasn't able to make it up to Pretty Place (I turned around as soon as snow started collecting on the road), the Lord totally blessed me with the beauty of His Creation where I was. And it was such a gift!

(Today's other gifts included strawberry cake, coffee, and time to read at Coffee Underground in Greenville and a yummy dinner and conversation with my roommate Aimee!)

Monday Afternoon Observations: Kitchen Renovation Edition

2010-03-01T15:57:00.002-05:00

1. Grouting tile is a lot harder than I thought.

2. Tiling, grouting, and painting are all messy activities. Put them together and you get something especially disastrous.

3. A kitchen sponge (i.e. the one I wash dishes with) is not an appropriate grouting sponge. (Quite ineffective, actually...)

4. Dried grout is extremely difficult to get off of ceramic tile.

5. When placed on Shuffle, my Ipod finds its way to a Christmas song approximately every third song. (Very annoying.)

6. When the thought crosses your head that you need to remember not to grout that space where the electric outlet screw needs to go, you should write that down. (Maybe even stick it to the outlet itself...)

7. The floor is wet.

8. The sink is leaking (which explains number 7, and was immediately followed by the thought that I wish that would've happened yesterday instead of today so that my mom could fix it for me!)

9. One should be sure about grout color before starting the grouting process. Because, once you are halfway done with one wall and realize that you may not like it, it really doesn't matter...

Distracted

2010-02-23T16:16:00.003-05:00

I am so easily distractible! I know that I have mentioned this before, but seriously, it's true. Like, I really think that I must have missed my ADD diagnosis as a child. Or maybe I have become this way over the years. Who knows? What I do know is that I have trouble focusing myself on the task at hand. Take the last hour, for example, which has looked something like this:

-Get up off the floor (where I was "wallowing" (as Erin would say) while contemplating taking a nap) and decide that I am going to be productive.

-Try to fix my washing machine, which wants to run water and drain it out simultaneously rather than filling and continuing on with its job...

-Fail at first attempt

-Call my mom to tell her that my washing machine isn't working ('cause she's a genius and very handy and can pretty much fix anything.)

-Mostly talk to her about plans for she and my dad to come up and visit me this weekend.

-Start sweeping the kitchen floor while talking to my mom.

-Stop sweeping the kitchen floor, leaving the pile of dirt in the middle of the floor and go back to trying to fix the washing machine.

-Fix the washing machine (Yay!)

-Send AJ a text to tell her about my washing machine triumph.

-Sweep the pile of dirt into the dustpan, discard, and start mopping the kitchen floor.

-Stop the mopping process when I get to the windows and decide that I should dust them.

-Dust the blinds on 2 windows (the ones in the kitchen).

-Stop dusting and go back to mopping.

-Decide that the plant in the corner is looking sad.

-Get the scissors and start trimming dead branches off of the plant. Leave the branches in a pile on the floor next to the plant.

-Open the refrigerator and eat some raw cookie dough (that I should probably stop eating and throw away already).

-Realize that I have not run the dishwasher from last night. Finish loading it and start it.

-Finish mopping the floor in the kitchen.

-Move the kitchen table back into the kitchen. (We move it when my small group is over so that everyone can eat in one place.)

-Start to put the dining room table back in place. Move two of the chairs under the table and then decide that I should vacuum under there first.

-Look at the pile of dead plant branches on the floor and think to myself that I should pick them up. Don't do it.

-Decide that I want to go get my Ipod and listen to music while I clean.

-Go check my email instead.

-Go back into the kitchen and realize that the washing machine is done. Move clothes into the dryer and reload the washer.

-Think about how ridiculously distractible I am and think that I should maybe blog about it. But, then, I shouldn't because I need to focus on the task at hand. What is that again? Oh yeah, cleaning the kitchen...

-Eat more cookie dough.

-Spray down the counters with cleaner.

-Wonder why the heck the lawn people are mowing grass that is dead and hasn't grown in months now.

-Notice how dirty the baseboards are. Get the sponge and clean a section of baseboard about 2 feet long.

-Stop cleaning the baseboard and start wiping down the cabinets instead.

-Again decide that I need some music. Walk to my computer instead and decide that I will blog about how ridiculous I am...

(Next on the list: Actually go get the music and focus on cleaning the kitchen/dining room until it's done! Wish me luck!)

Prayer Letter

2010-02-18T13:34:00.001-05:00

Just an FYI that my latest prayer letter is on the Word Made Flesh website and you can read it here.

A real post coming soon...

Ash Wednesday

2010-02-17T19:31:00.002-05:00

Just wanted to invite you to join the church in remembering Ash Wednesday. You can participate online here.

Love and blessings!

Why I Love...

2010-02-16T08:02:00.000-05:00

Mondays!

In a world where most people dread Mondays and live for Fridays, Monday may just be my favorite day of the week. Here are a few reasons why:

* I almost never work on Mondays. My schedule is on a fixed 6 week rotation, and I am only scheduled to work 1 Monday during each 6 week cycle. Sometimes I am even able to find someone to switch with me so that I don't even have to work that one!

* Because of the reason above, Mondays have become like my Sabbath day of the week. I typically take more time to be still, read my Bible, listen to sermons, think, pray, and/or listen than I do on other days of the week.

* I also tend to be more productive on Mondays than I am on other days of the week that I am off. Don't know why...

* I always get to enjoy an amazing dinner and great company on Monday nights thanks to these friends:

(plus Matt and Matt, who are missing from this photo)

Besides the food and company, they are also a great source of love, encouragement, accountability, and prayer, and I am thankful to have them in my life.

And that's why I love Mondays!

Not Me! Monday

2010-02-15T10:55:00.004-05:00

So, I sat down this morning and started to write a post entitled, "Confessions: Volume 2." Then, I realized that it was Monday and I might as well join MckMama this week and confess those things that I didn't actually do. You know, the things that I would never do....

...Like put some water in the tea kettle downstairs to boil and then run upstairs for a sec to do something on the computer. I certainly would never do that. And if I had, I definitely wouldn't forget about said pot of water and start watching last week's episode of Grey's Anatomy online (a show that I would never want to watch anyway) until I started smelling something burning. Since that wouldn't actually have ever happened, I would never have dropped my computer on the floor and run down the stairs to find the bottom of my tea kettle burned black. Nope, not me!

(And just for good measure, had that event ever actually happened, I would not have decided in that moment to just put the burnt kettle out on the back porch to get rid of the smell while I went back upstairs to finish watching Grey's. Nope, I would never do that...)

What about you? Anything that you need to get off of your chest this week?

King of Wonders

2010-02-14T20:48:00.007-05:00

As I drove home from church tonight, I was thinking about what I had just heard and the songs that I had just sung. (FYI - It was a great sermon tonight that you can watch here in the next day or two.) One of the songs that we sang was King of Wonders. As I sang, I couldn't help but think about the ways that the Lord is indeed the King of Wonders - the beauty of Creation, the incomprehensible vastness of the universe, the intricacy of how our bodies function, the miracle of new life...

One of the lines of the song is, "Your glory shines before our eyes, the more we see, the more we love You." The glory of the Lord certainly does shine before our eyes. All around us, Creation proclaims His glory. That was so evident this weekend through the beauty of the snow:

I love to experience His glory through sunrises and sunsets, which are also such a tangible reminder for me of His faithfulness:

The mountains speak of the majesty of the Lord:

His creativity is evident in the variety of flowers in the Spring, and the many colors of the Fall:

"King of Wonders, we stand amazed..."

Georgia Snow

2010-02-14T01:58:00.004-05:00

Roommate Aimee at the start of the snow

With Lauren

Pretty trees

Snow makes things prettier, don't you think?

Failed "sledding" attempt #1: the Rubbermaid lid

Failed "sledding" attempt #2: the random large piece of metal from the side of the road

AJ's snowmen

Our snowman (I made the head)

Maddie in the snow

Snowy feet = cold toes!

Doggies in the snow

My very first snow angel

Lauren making her snow angel

Icicles

Me in the snowy tree

Why I Love...

2010-02-09T06:00:00.003-05:00

My Sister Carla

In celebration of Carla's birthday (which was last Thursday, but I like to help her extend the celebration for as long as possible), here are some of the reasons that I think she is great!

-She is a middle school teacher, which I think is amazing! Middle school is such a difficult age, and I am thankful that there are people like her who are good at loving those kids!

-She does a great ghetto voice.

-She makes me laugh with her hilarious student stories. She knows that I love hearing about when her students say or do funny things, so she always calls me when she has a good story. Remember this one?

Student: "Ms. Lahey! Did you know they had beaches in the 1920's!?!

Carla: "You mean like sand and water? Yes, hunny - sand and water have been around for quite a while now.

-She has always been an inspiration for me to look up to. And compete with. She is probably the sole reason that I ended up valedictorian of my high school. She was near the top of her graduating class, so there wasn't much room for me to beat her!

-She sent me this YouTube video to enjoy. Isn't it so darn cute??

(I especially love the faces that he makes and the final "I'm Yours!")

-She loves Jesus and lives a life that honors Him. A great example!

-She can bust a move. Unfortunately for you, she usually only does that in the privacy of her own home.

-She has great hair. I wish mine were half as thick!

-She is a great story teller. She has a particular way of making things funny. I guess that's the drama queen in her.

-She sometimes leaves me comments here on the blog (which I love!) even though she refuses to blog herself. (Granted, I coerced her into having a blog in the first place...)

Happy Birthday, Carla! I love you!

The simple things...

2010-02-07T20:54:00.003-05:00

Sometimes the simple things in life bring us the most pleasure. Like tonight, when I saw this bottle in the grocery store:

Complete with this message on the bottle:

Seriously?? Peppermint mocha all year long!?!? What could be better??

Wait...I can think of something! The combination of peppermint mocha creamer with Starbucks Casi Cielo:

Mmmm...rich yummy goodness.

Now, if only Casi Cielo was available all the time, I'd be in business...

Who Are You??

2010-02-07T13:34:00.002-05:00

Sometimes I wonder who the heck is reading this blog?? I know about a handful - my Momma and sisters, the occasional visit from roommates past and present, Lima friends, and a couple old friends from college maybe. But, who are the rest of you?

For example...

Who are you in Ocean Springs, Mississippi and Reston, Virginia?

Which ones of you work friends connect to me through Melissa's family page?

Who is it in California that also reads my friend Sharon's blog?

Who are you in Gainesville that has this post bookmarked?

Which ones of you read me on your Google Reader? (from WV and Miami???)

It's funny to think about who may be reading. I would love to know who you are! Feel free to leave a comment here!

Confession

2010-02-03T10:00:00.000-05:00

I have a confession to make.

Are you ready?

I am addicted to using "..." at the end of a sentence. I do it ALL the time. I can't seem to help it. I don't know why...

See? It just happens! Just like that. I guess in my head there is more to be said, so I just leave a little extra room for the thought to continue. Or something like that...

So, I admit it. That's the first step, right??

And maybe, just maybe, I'll work on trying to change my ways. Maybe I'll replace the addiction with something else. Like italics. But then again, maybe not...

What about you? Do you have confessions you need to make?? Go ahead. It's a safe place here!

A New Thing

2010-02-02T13:23:00.002-05:00

"Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?" Isaiah 43:19

Last night in small group, someone read this verse. As soon as she read it, it resonated with my heart. "Behold, I am doing a new thing..." I think the Lord is doing a new thing in me. I am not sure yet what it is, but I am thankful. I need to be refreshed. I want to be renewed. I want to experience more of the Spirit and His power in my life. I want a fresh passion for the Word and for the Lord.

But, even beyond myself, as we were talking last night, it seemed as though the Lord may be preparing lots of new things...

... new vision for an internet campus of our church. To go beyond just the ability to watch online, but the ability to connect and find resources and support...

... new hope for redemption of lives that have been adamantly opposed to a relationship with Jesus...

... perhaps even new hope that Haiti might through this tragedy be redeemed and become known as a people who love and worship Jesus Christ...

Lord, I pray that you are doing a new thing - in my life, in the lives of my family and friends, in this country, and in the world. Lord, I pray for lives to be redeemed. I pray for diseases to be healed. I pray for Your kingdom to come on this Earth. I thank You for the hope that I have in You.

But now thus says the Lord,
he who created you, O Jacob,
he who formed you, O Israel;
Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name, you are mine.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through the fire you shall not be burned,
and the flame shall not consume you.
For I am the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
Isaiah 43: 1-3a

Anna's Getting Married!

2010-01-31T13:16:00.003-05:00

My friend Anna is getting married in just a couple of weeks! In celebration of her, we headed out for some fun last night. We ended our fun with dinner at Medieval Times. Here's the proof:

Even though our red and yellow knight was not the victor, we still managed to have a good time. It was good to get to hang out with Anna again (she lives in Alpharetta now) before she heads down the aisle!

Adding to the fun was the fact that our waiter was a guy with a love for Jesus and a heart for the world. He was in Haiti on a mission trip just 3 days before the earthquake. He is headed back in a couple of weeks, so you can send up some prayers for Steven as he goes!

Why I Love...

2010-01-26T06:06:00.000-05:00

I freely admit that I am not the most creative person. I often rely on other people's ideas to at least inspire me, if not guide me. This blog is exhibit A. I often sit down and think about posting, but I am not sure what to write about. I also often read other people's blogs and think to myself, "What a great idea. I should do that..." And then sometimes I do. I am quick, however, to give that other person the credit for the idea.

Take Julie, for example. Julie is the inspiration for this post. A few weeks ago, Julie began a weekly post entitled "Why I Love" where she talks about the reasons that she loves a certain thing in her life. I have enjoyed reading her posts about why she loves Weight Watchers Online, her daughter Lily, and couponing. She even inspired me to do a little investigating into couponing myself. So, I decided that I would steal her idea. (Hope that you don't mind, Julie!) So, here you go. Here are just a few of the reasons why I love:

iGoogle

A while back, I was visiting my friend Emily. We were checking our email and looking at a few blogs when I noticed her computer and asked her what iGoogle was. My life has not been the same since.

(OK, maybe that's a bit dramatic, but seriously, it's great!)

iGoogle is a personalized homepage that you can create with any number of different applications (or Gadgets). I have made iGoogle my homepage. My page contains my email, a Google reader that feeds any updates of the blogs that I regularly read, Twitter, a calendar, CNN.com headlines, the local weather, a ToDo list, a Scripture verse of the day, and a couple of other random things. (Including a "How to" for the day, just for fun. Today's "How to" includes tips for traveling in Patagonia and steps for publishing a children's book. Because you just never know...) Using iGoogle, I can quickly see if I have any new email, if there are any new blog posts that I want to read, or if anyone has tweeted anything particularly interesting - all at one glance. The Google Reader particularly saves me time. Since I have become quite the blogging junkie, it allows me to quickly see when someone has updated their blog, rather than actually loading the page to check to see if there is an update. I can then read the post right from the Reader without going to the actual website. I love it! The CNN headlines help me to know a little bit about what is happening in the world since I don't watch much TV. (And when I do, it's almost never the news...)

So, those are just a few reasons why I love iGoogle.

I'll do my best to make this a weekly thing. And I would love for you to comment about some of the random things that you love, too.

(Except you, Julie...I'll just keep reading yours on the blog :-)

Shout Outs

2010-01-24T15:51:00.003-05:00

I have some amazingly talented friends. One of them is my roommate, Aimee. Aimee has been living with me since October, and I am thankful to have her here! One of the things that I love is getting to watch her use her talents to create beautiful things. She has an Etsy site where she has a few of her pieces of jewelry listed for sale. You should definitely check it out HERE!

I also want to let you guys know about a project that another one of my friends is working on. Hannah is a college student that I met down at the Midtown campus of the church I attend. She is a beautiful girl with a beautiful heart to serve others and serve the Lord. She and her mom have recently started to sell homemade granola. All profits from their sales will go toward supporting the grandmothers (called GoGos) in Swaziland, Africa. These women are taking care of their grandchildren and other children, many of whom are orphans due to the devastation that AIDS has caused in their country. Hannah's mom has traveled to Swaziland and seen firsthand the need that exists there. You can help her help these precious women by going HERE and ordering some yummy granola. Trust me - it's good! Hannah brought me some this morning, and it was delicious!

2009 in Photos, Part 3 - Events

2010-01-14T06:55:00.001-05:00

In 2009...

...it snowed in March.

...I put my house back on the market.

...my college friend Amanda got married.

...I went to the Masters golf tournament in Augusta with my dad.

...I went to camp with some great kiddos. I flipped and climbed things and did karate. Who says the counselors can't have fun, too??

...I met MckMama at a picnic in Atlanta.

...I interviewed and decided to go on staff full-time with Word Made Flesh in Lima, Peru.

...I visited my friends in Lima. I took pictures of clothespins and vegetables while I was there.

...I got Ouidad hair courtesy of my college friend Emily.

...I cut off said hair and donated it to be made into wigs for kids with cancer. (At least it will be donated once I actually mail it...)

What events highlighted your 2009??