Christmas is for...being busy?

I have soooooo much to share with you.  I need to finish off thankful November and get started on wisdom December.  Not nearly as clever, but I love it just the same.  The book of Proverbs has 31 chapters and December has 31 days.  It's a great time to focus on wisdom as we get ready for the new year!
I've been keeping up with the reading so far and will catch you up on some of my insights soon!  Catch up with me and we can discuss!  Today is chapter 6!

I'm in Oregon for work on a rather spur of the moment trip!  I'm exhausted but it's beautiful here!  I'll give you all the details soon - I promise!  For now, he's a picture from our 3 hour drive from the airport yesterday!  I think this is Mt. Hood!

Family part 2

God knew what He was doing when He picked out my family (well, I guess that goes without saying, since He always knows what He's doing.) I shared my Georgia family with you last month, but you haven't met my Dad's side.  We are a bit smaller, but the fun, generosity, goofiness and love still abounds!
Here we are a couple of years ago....

I have no idea why we did this, but we did. (And to be honest, I loved every second of it.)

You can see Granny gets in on the fun too, although she wasn't too please about messing up her hair!  I am so thankful for my Granny.  She'll be celebrating her 94th birthday this New Years Eve and is still going strong.  She's always been such an important part of my life and some of my best memories from growing up are the times I spent with her and my Grandpop!  They had the best movies at their house, planned the best day trip adventures and we always had donuts for breakfast and cheese and crackers for snack (yeah, not so thankful for that part - still trying to lose that "baby fat"!)

Of course we threw her a big bash for the big 9-0!

I guess it's time to start planning what to do for 95!  She told me we're going to Vegas for 100!! :-)

For now, I'll just be thankful that we'll all be back in that dining room on Thursday.  My cousin will be back from her first year away at college and my uncle will hopefully be home from spending most of the year overseas!  I am sooo excited to see them.

There is really nothing like family!

Ketchup

Or Catch-up...I crack myself up.  Sorry if that wasn't so funny for you all!
So, if you think I fall off the grid from Friday-Sunday, you are correct.  I pretty much hibernate from the internet (except to check fantasy football scores) and it's fantastic!!!  So, back to Friday...
We've had our audit going on at work, which has kept me seriously busy.  Friday I was thankful for a break in the madness to go out to lunch with my co-workers AND to visit Starbucks for Buy One Get One Holiday Latte Happy Hour.  It's the little things people.  I was also very thankful for my friend Patrick, who's birthday we celebrated that night.  Patrick is an incredible friend and I'm so thankful I get to talk to him almost every day!
Saturday I was thankful for my two legs!  Our 20s and 30s group held our annual Turkey Bowl football game on Saturday morning and my friend Liz had the bright idea to run to the field from my house (about 4 miles).  Because I'm insane, I also thought it was a good idea.  I haven't run outside in a while, so it was definitely a challenge, but it felt great to do it!!  Then that night a group of us went country line dancing.  Amazingly my legs kept working - even though it may have looked like I had 2 left feet!
Sunday I was thankful for my bed!  I got to sleep in for the first time in a while (past 8 am).  I also finally got to take a fantastic Sunday afternoon nap - one of my simple pleasures.  At church it was baptism Sunday and my friend Kim got baptized.  I am so thankful for her friendship and I'm so proud of her!!
And today I'm thankful for short work weeks.  I love my job, but a few days off is REALLY nice!!
Happy Birthday to Cynthia today! I love our Jane Austen nights! :-)

Spin Class = Oww

Today I'm thankful for my friends who motivate me to go to the gym when I REALLY don't want to get on a bike at 6 am and sweat like crazy!!

I would have totally stayed in bed this morning if I didn't know Liz and Jessie would be expecting me!

(On a side note, I have to add that my bed was particularly comfortable this morning.  Funny story about last night.  I told you about the bite type things on my legs.   Well last night after I got home from work I thought I'd give my bed one more check for the bed bugs before I went to the gym.  We ALL know how I feel about bugs  and when I thought there was a possibility I could have bed bugs I started having almost an anxiety attack!  I was soooo freaked out.  As I was checking the bed for bugs and signs of bugs, my friend (who was away at the lake with me this weekend) texted me that she just found bites on her foot!  I didn't think it was possible for me to freak out more, but it was!  Then I found 2 bugs that I didn't think looked like bed bugs, but I couldn't really tell and no one else was home.  So I did what any rational person would do...I sat on my floor and cried.  One of my roommates came home about that time and assured me that the bug I found was not a bed bug.  That put me a little at ease, but didn't stop me from tearing my bed apart.  Like I moved the mattress and box spring off the bed frame and did a thorough inspection.  Then I cleaned under my bed and vacuumed.   

 Then i vacuumed my bed frame, box spring and mattress.  Then lysoled them and washed my sheets, pjs and mattress cover in HOT water (not to mention anything that went to Deep Creek or touched anything that went to Deep Creek.)  Coupled with the internet research (I am soooo thankful for google) and the frantic laundry washing, it was 10:30 before I slowed down.  In case you were worried, the bug I found in my room is a carpet beetle larva.  Like I said, I'm thankful for google!)

Needless to say I did not make it to the gym, which makes me extra thankful I had Liz and Jessie to motivate me this morning to get out of my extremely clean and warm sheets and newly flipped and fluffed mattress.  (Have I told you I have the most comfortable bed in the world?  I do...it's a proven fact.  Flipping it just makes it that much better.)  

So today I'm thankful for motivational friends, google and NO BEDBUGS (although I still have no idea what bit my legs).  :-)

I'm not sure I'll be thanking them when my legs and butt are sore and it hurts to sit down, but no pain no gain, right? 

I got up

It's as simple as that.  I'm thankful I got up today.  Wednesday's in general are hard.  My roommates don't have to get up early on Wednesday.  It's mid-way through a week of getting up early and busy days.
And today it was raining.
And I'm in a benadryl haze.  Yeah, I'm surprised I even heard the alarm.  Turns out these bugs bites are a bigger issue than I originally anticipated.  My sister's over-text-message diagnosis necessitated benadryl immediately.  I'm also extremely thankful that my roommate, mom and sister are all nurses with LOTS of patience to listen to my weekly complaints of strange ailments!
Somehow I heard the alarm and made it out of bed!  God's mercies are new every morning and I'm counting on them today!!

Hope

So I guess I need to catch you up on my thankful list.  Last Friday I was thankful for my health.  As of Thursday night I had lost over 10% of my weight in 8 weeks.  I'm eating so much better and feeling fantastic!!

Saturday I was in Deep Creek lake with some of my best friends.  We take a retreat every fall there and it is one of the highlights of my year!  The lake is gorgeous and we had beautiful weather for our hike on Saturday.  As we walked through the woods, laughing our way through the trails at Swallow Falls, I was struck by the beauty of God's creation.  (I forgot my camera, but the following pictures are all from my friend Andrea, who did a great job of documenting the weekend!)
How can you not be thankful for this?

On Sunday I was thankful for my amazing friends, who are part of what makes this weekend so great!

These are people I can totally be myself around.  They show me love, encourage me, make me laugh and inspire me!  It so great to see how much they love each other too.  I treasure their friendship and the time we get to spend together.  I think it's somewhat unusual to have such a close group of friends at our ages, so I'm thankful for every second I get with them.

Yesterday I was thankful for hydrocortisone!  I somehow managed to get eaten alive by some bug!

And today I'm thankful for hope...specifically hope in God's promises.  During my quiet time this morning, God brought to mind some verses on hope that really lifted my spirit.  Hebrews 6: 15, 17-19 "And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised...Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, He confirmed it with an oath.  God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged.  We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure."  There are so many things that I worry will never happen in my life.  There are even times when I feel like God has forgotten me.  But the key is patience and hoping.  I want that to be an anchor for my soul today.  I hope you all are encouraged as well.

Reading that chapter also brought to mind these versed.  2 Peter 3:9 "And the Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness.  Instead he is patient with you..."  Romans 5:5 "Hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out on our hearts."  Be very encouraged friends - we serve a faithful God!!

Psalm 66

I am thankful that prayer changes everything.

I fell asleep on the way home last night.  Yes, on the train.  With a random person sitting next to me.  I was exhausted.  I was stressed about our upcoming audit at work next week.  I didn't feel like praying.  I showed up at church anyway.  Every other Wed night a group meets to pray for our generation and the next generation.  Honestly, I didn't really feel like it, but I knew it's where I needed to be.

We read 2 Corinthians 1 and someone prayed for us.  We separated and I got on my knees and begged God to soften my heart.  I pleaded with Him to take a way the things in my heart that were keeping me so bitter and unhappy.

Here's the amazing thing.  He did!
He showed up.  My heart beat a little faster.  I spent some time confessing the junk in my life.  I asked God to speak to me about how He wants us to work in this generation.  I was struck at how often we are trying to fix things and people, leaving little room for God to do His work.  As I prayed, I heard Him reinforce to me that our job is to praise Him - to live fully in the joy He gives us and to show others that joy!  When we're doing this, He works through us to meet the needs of the people around us and draw them to Him.

So I praised Him, because that's all I could do.  I opened my Bible to the Psalms and came across Psalm 66.   I encourage you to read it!  For now, here are some of the verses that stuck out to me:
vs. 3-4 Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds! 
   So great is your power 
   that your enemies cringe before you. 
 All the earth bows down to you; 
   they sing praise to you, 
   they sing praise to your name.” 

vs. 5 Come and see what God has done, 
   how awesome his works in man’s behalf! 

vs. 10-12  For you, O God, tested us; 
   you refined us like silver. 
 You brought us into prison 
   and laid burdens on our backs. 
You let men ride over our heads; 
   we went through fire and water,    but you brought us to a place of abundance.

vs. 16-20 Come and listen, all you who fear God; 
   let me tell you what he has done for me. 
 I cried out to him with my mouth; 
   his praise was on my tongue. 
 If I had cherished sin in my heart, 
   the Lord would not have listened; 

 but God has surely listened 
   and heard my voice in prayer. 
 Praise be to God, 
   who has not rejected my prayer 
   or withheld his love from me!

And in Psalm 63:5 it says My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; 

   with singing lips my mouth will praise you.

In that moment I can honestly say I was fully satisfied with God.  In Him I have all that I need.  I pray that I can keep that attitude.  It's so tempting for me to think I won't be satisfied until this or that happens - to listen to the lie that I'm not complete unless I accomplish this, I'm not whole until I find "the one" (yeah, that's a toughie and a constant battle.)  But the truth is - I lack absolutely nothing!

I walked out of that room with a heart full of praise.  The bitterness, frustration and anxiety were gone.  Prayer changes everything and I am so glad that's the truth.

Sister

My sister posted this on Facebook the other day.  I'm the taller one, although she has since outgrown me. She's still the most adorable person I know though!!  Look at that hair!  Bright blonde ringlets!  The best part is that she knew she had something special.  She would ask our Grandma, "Don't I have pretty hair Granny?"  as the sun reflected off those curls.

She still has beautiful bright blonde hair.  She's still my best friend.

She gives me the best advice (always with brutal honesty!!)  She's more organized than anyone I know and is always up for helping me organize my crazy life!  She knows what's important and helps me put things in perspective.  She has fantastic taste and loves shopping (and I get her hand-me-downs!)  She is an incredible judge of character.  There are so many ways I would love to be more like her!

I don't get to spend nearly enough time with this amazing person.  Thankfully she works hard and plays hard, so she ends up with more vacation time than I knew was possible!   When I need to get away, she is the perfect travel companion.

Vegas, a cruise, the beach - we always have fun.

I'm so thankful for you Heather!!!

I complained yesterday

Sadly, in a moment of weakness, I threw my thankful attitude out the window and vented to my co-worker that I wanted to run away screaming!!
Why is it so easy to forget what we're thankful for?  When life overwhelms and you realize you just don't have any control - fear, anxiety and frustration start to take root.  If you let them, they grow and grow, because they are so easy to nourish.  Our friends even help us water them without even knowing it!  Pretty soon, they rule our hearts and our attitudes and complaining goes back to being our natural instinct.
Today, however, I'm not going to let them take root.  Instead I'm going to be thankful that I DON'T have the control and someone else does.  Rather than get frustrated when things aren't going my way, instead of letting anxiety flourish when I just don't know how it will all get done, I will BE THANKFUL that Some One else has an amazing plan, that I just need to let Him work out.


Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."


I'm thankful for hope.  I'm thankful that the One who created life lives in me and has amazing plans for this life.  I think I'll focus not this today.

Find a small group!

Yesterday I was sooooo thankful for the end of daylight savings time.  It is so much easier to get up in the morning now!  I feel like a new person!
This morning, as I was praying, God was bringing to mind the prayers requests of the people in my small group.      I was overcome with what a privilege it is to be a part of their lives and to know that they are praying for me as well!  I know today will be a good day because I have their support whenever I need it!!
I'll get to spend the weekend at the lake this weekend with them (and a few other friends!)  Here's a picture of some of our group from our house on the lake last year!!

So thankful for this group!!

Thankful for the weekend

Sleeping in.  A lazy day.  Time to rest. Time to cook.  The sun is shining.  I fit a workout in.  It's Saturday and it's a great day!!

I know I've said this before...

...but I am so thankful for coffee.  It couldn't be any more perfect on a cool fall morning when all I want to do is go back to bed.  It keeps me going, warms me up, AND has no calories (only a few when I add skim milk!)  I think my co-workers share my enthusiasm!  They are not a fan when grumpy Val comes to work!

Do You See What I See?

Do you see what I see?

To me this is more that the beginning of my morning commute.

Do you see the cross?

I love when random things remind me of something with a totally different meaning.  Something important to me.  Something meaningful deep in my soul.  There are examples all around us.  I saw this telephone poll this morning, with the beautiful pink and blue sky in it's background, and thought of the cross.

To say I'm thankful does not do this emotion, this truth, justice.  Forgiven, clean, free.   Full of life.  I only am because of Christ's sacrifice on a cross looking not all that different from this telephone pole.  His agony is my redemption.

"Thank You for the cross my Friend..." (Matt Redman, "Once Again")

What do you see today?

Added note: I would be remiss to not update you on David today.  David has started chemotherapy and is responding well.  He's joking with people and showing so much strength.  We are looking at a miracle.  His heart stopped and he stopped breathing two times last week.  Carlos had to fill out the papers for funeral arrangements.  The doctors who said there was no hope last week are now hopeful he will recover.  It's still a long road.  This form of cancer is apparently very aggressive.  Please keep praying that he continues to respond to treatment and the doctors continue to have wisdom on how to treat him.  Thankfully the Mexican government will most likely take care of the medical bills.  However, because Carlos cannot work and they have had to transplant their family to be close to the hospital, they are using the donations to help the family with food and housing.  If you're interested in donating, please go to the Cuirim Outreach facebook page.  Thanks!

A Messy Desk

Thankful for a messy desk today.

That I am able to work.



I have the tools I need.



Fantastic coworkers.



My Bible open on my desk is not something strange.
In fact, it's encouraged!


My messy desk means there's work to be done.



It's good work.



It's making a difference for the most vulnerable and empowering the church.



Yes, I'm thankful for my messy desk.


Even when the alarm goes off way too early.
Even when it's too cold to get out from under the covers.
Even when the train is late.
Even when the piles of papers overwhelm me.

I can definitely chose to be thankful.  And today, I do.


"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive and inheritance from the Lord as a reward.  It is the Lord Christ you are serving." Colossians 3:23-24

Thankful November

One year in college the girls in my small group decided to go on a complaining fast for the month of November.  What we found was that you don't realize how much you are complaining until you try to stop.  (Isn't that the case for so many things in life?) Philippians 2:14 says, "Do all things without complaining and grumbling".  All things being defined as ALL THINGS, like everything, even if it's something you don't like or really don't want to do.  Do you know how hard that is?

We quickly learned that in order to stay true to this fast, we needed to find something to replace the complaints.   With Thanksgiving just weeks away, the obvious choice was to replace complaining with its opposite - being thankful.

This morning on facebook I posted that I was looking for the blessing in today.  In response to that, my friend posted this quote - "Be on the lookout for mercies. The more we look for them, the more of them we will see. Blessings brighten when we count them." (M.D. Babcock).     I found this statement to so eloquently say what I was trying to express.  When you are looking for things to be thankful for, you will find them.  In the same way, when you are looking for things to complain about, you will find them.

I've heard some people call this month "no shave November."  I think I will try to go back to "no complain November."  Instead, I will attempt to share something I'm thankful for each day.  I've seen people do this as their facebook status in November and they are so great to read through.

So here goes (and this is in no particular order):

Halloween 2011

I couldn't find a good one of the 2 of us (this is Nicole with Audrey)
Today I'm thankful for having 2 amazing roommates (both named Nicole).  :-)  They are great friends and the best people to share life and my house with!  


An update on David - the little guy is still recovering.  Please keep praying!

David Update

David still needs our prayers.  From what I can gather on the Cuirim Outreach facebook page, it looked like they were expecting to lose him on Monday.  They prayed and were ready to say their goodbyes, but he woke up on Tuesday, somewhat revived.  He was eating a little bit and playing.  He says when he goes back to Nogales, he wants cakes, clowns, a parade and pinatas!  I think anyone who knows him would give all they could for him to get home and have all the treats he wants!!

(Carlos and David - from Cuirim Outreach on FB)

The truth is, if David can stabilize he still has a long road ahead of him.  The doctors are quite surprised that he keeps rallying and that he's still with us.  Thank you so much for praying.  He remains in the hospital 4 hours South of Nogales where he'll start chemo today.  The most immediate prayer concern right now is that they are able to find enough platelet donors.  They sent a group down from Nogales the other day, and there's a group leaving from Nogales on Saturday night at 5 pm.

One of my best friends and I were talking about it this week.  She has been to Mexico and knows David and his family and what truly special people they are.  She told me that she broke down in tears on her way to work the other day when she was thinking about David.  How unfair it is that his dad has done so much for their community and already overcome so many trials in his life and then this happens.  How helpless it feels to be so far away.  How much the world will be missing if this sweet boy goes home to Jesus now. We both agreed we'd drain our blood dry to give this boy what he needs.  A part of me wants to hop on the next plane so I can travel with them to give platelets.  Can you donate platelets and send them to another country?  I would do it.

Our talk made me reflect on Someone else who bled to save another.  Jesus literally drained himself dry for us.  He hung on a cross in agony and then they pierced His side, causing all of His blood to pour out and hit the ground.  He did it willingly.  He poured it ALL out.  Because of the sickness of sin that's killing us.  I am so humbled.  Blood saves lives.  Usually we can just give a little and not even notice it's gone to save another person.  It's not comfortable (I pass out when I give blood), but it's not a big deal.  To save us though it took everything.  Do you know how much love it takes to give EVERYTHING??  Jesus loves you and me this much.  It's amazing.

Thanks for your prayers.  I will try to keep you updated.

Have a safe and happy Halloween!

Prayer Request

This adorable little guy is David.  I met him in Nogales 2 summers ago when I went to Cuirim House for the first time and was lucky enough to see him again this summer.  My friend Becca took this picture of her boyfriend Rob (who, by the way, is currently touring with his band Ashes Remains - check them out on i-Tunes!) and his biggest fan!  Throughout the week we were at Cuirim house, if you were looking for David, you just had to find Rob.  It was pretty adorable.
David's dad, Carlos is one of the most inspirational men of faith I have ever met.  He manages the Cuirim House and is such a faithful man of God that he recently moved his family 4 hours south to a remote village in Mexico to start a new Cuirim House type ministry there.  He has been through more difficult times that I could ever imagine, but exudes such strength that his entire life just points to God.  Carlos is a friend to everyone he meets and not only can motivate you to give 110% in service to others and the Lord, but can also make you laugh harder than you knew you were able.
It's obvious that David looks up to his dad and is growing to become a man like him.  They are just people that you want to be around.
Sadly, I heard from Carlos last week that David is very very sick.  They think he might have leukemia and he's deteriorating very quickly.  In fact, he almost died on Friday night and the doctors are telling the family to prepare for the worst.  He was able to have a blood treatment that seemed to help him a little, but it is not a long term answer.  As you can imagine, the health care system where they are leaves a lot lacking.  The family has to round up their own blood donors for David.  The community in Nogales is coming together to give blood and ship it down to Herimosia (4 hours south of Nogales, where the family is.)  I'm fuzzy on the details, but if you would like to keep up with how you can be praying for David and his family, like "Cuirim Outreach" on Facebook.  They are posting updates on his condition pretty frequently.
I feel like God has such amazing plans for little David's life.  Please pray with me that he would be completely healed from whatever disease is making him so sick, that he would get the level of medical care that he needs and that the Doctors and Nurses would have wisdom and diligence, that they would find enough blood donors for him (he needs blood from 14 people), and that Carlos, Celia and their family would feel God's comfort, peace and strength.
Thanks in advance for your prayers!

They're not gonna put me on TV

Yesterday I had my chance.  It was after a birthday lunch for a co-worker and I was on a mission to pick up her cake.  Then I saw it.  The camera man and the newscaster.  I was walking right towards them!!  I wondered what they were doing out there in the nasty weather.  I looked around to see if there was something newsworthy going on around us.  Absolutely nothing.  As I got closer, I could tell that I recognized the newscaster in his Channel 11 jacket!  It was Rob Roblin...the guy who they stick out in the middle of hurricanes and snow storms...up close and personal.  What was I missing?  Something had to be going on!! As my co-worker and I walked past him a nervous energy started to build.  Would he interview me about whatever was going on?  Would this be my big chance?
Rob Roblin did not disappoint.  We were close to passing him on the sidewalk when he stopped us and asked if we'd mind answering a question.  I thought my co-worker was going to keep walking, but I firmlyl planted my feet and said "sure!"  Then the fear set in.  What if it was a hard question about politics?  What if it was about something I'm not familiar with!  I started praying I wouldn't look stupid.  I listened to the question intently..."Maryland is going to start using a new area code - 667.  How do you feel about that?"  Huh?  Am I supposed to care?  And is Rob Roblin sort of chuckling??  Hmm... I don't know.  It was my moment to shine.  Would I come up with something witty and charming?  Would I spout out wisdom and knowledge?  I suddenly found myself blurting out phrases that revealed that despite the intelligent persona I may sometimes pull off, my head is full of nothing but air!!  I can't remember my exact words, but it went something to the tune of "Oh, I think it's ok.  All my numbers are in my cell phone anyway, so...you know...you don't have to like umm memorize anything new or anything."  And I think I kept going.  I was on a roll.  But wait, was inclement weather reporter man actually chuckling for sure now?  Yep, although it was more of an uncomfortable laugh.  I shut up.  He asks my co-worker what he thinks.  Very flippantly he answers "I don't really care.  I think it's great I guess."  I was giggling.  Rob was still uncomfortably silently laughing and it was over just like that.  He thanked us and we walked away.  Immediately we began discussing our TV debut.  When would it air?  Would they actually use us?  At this point I had realized I sounded vapid and silly and I knew I didn't even look cute!!  Was it even a serious segment?  Are people supposed to care about this issue?
Do you want to know what happened?
http://www.wbaltv.com/video/29465035/detail.html
Here's the video!  It was actually on TV.  Surprisingly, they didn't use my clip.  Haha, ok, I guess it's not really a surprise.  But Dustin's clip did air.  And you can hear my laughter in the background.  Watch around the 1:25 minute mark.  I think Dustin is the last interview.
I guess this is an example of the no news is good news saying.  And in the scheme of things, I'm pretty glad my amazing display of intellect was not broadcast for all to see.
Bullet = dodged!
So what do you think about the new area code in MD?
The real question I'm asking myself today though is, did this plate ruin all my hard work I've been putting in?
We shall find out tonight!

Family

There's no getting away from them - and for the record, I would never want to!  Perhaps I'm biased, but I happen to have the best family in the world.  This past weekend I flew down to Georgia for my mom's family reunion.  Every 2 years the brothers, sisters, cousins, aunts, uncles, great aunts, great uncles, 2nd cousins...you get the point... unite in Georgia to celebrate family.  And what family celebration would be complete without fried chicken, peas and butterbeans, pulled pork, chicken & dumplin's, baked beans, banana pudding, sweet tea and of course, boiled peanuts!

(In case you're wondering, yes, it was a diet killer!  I don't think I gained any though, but I officially weigh in tomorrow!)
My family KNOWS how to celebrate with food and thankfully I'm learning more self control and portion control (sometimes you only need a bite!)  My family also knows how to document the celebrations.  There were flashes going off all over the place.  The end of the day always turns into family portrait time.  Here are a couple of my favorites.

 These are my cousins.  We are missing 3 who couldn't make it.

 My cute little family...

My mom and her brothers and sisters.

If it's not evident in these pictures, my family KNOWS love!  You know how God loves us unconditionally? I feel like unconditional love can be such a hard thing to fathom, but I think I caught some glimpses of what it looks like as I observed my family loving each other.  Thankfulness, joy, warmth, happiness...these emotions don't even begin to express how I feel.  And I can't even begin to explain how much I miss Georgia.

I've also been trying to figure out a time to visit my dad's sister and my cousin.  My uncle is currently overseas and my other cousin just went to college.  They only live about an hour away, but finding a weekend to visit seems impossible!  Life should never be too busy for family!

Work has remained busy like never before, but I still love it!  I'm turning into a regular Ms. Fix-it at home.  Last night I replaced the handle, fill valve and flapper on my toilet.  I flooded the bathroom, used every tool I could find and hit my head more times than I can count in the process, but I did it!!  My new roommate's dad has to dig up my front yard to fix a leak in the basement.  He's also installing a shower in the basement.  (I am so blessed to have such amazing people in my life!)   My house is sort of a wreck, with all of the projects going on, but it's nice to be getting things done that I've put off for so long!

So yeah, today I'm thankful for a lot of things.  What are you thankful for?

Oh and by the way, in case you're thinking, wow, those pictures are a lot better than the ones Val usually takes - that's because I didn't take them.  These are all courtesy of my sister!  Here's an example of what happened when I tried to take a picture...

I've missed you!

It has been crazy busy lately!  Here's the Reader's Digest version (I promise to fill in the details in coming posts!):
Work has been crazy, but fun!  We are programming an entire ERP system in house.  (not me personally, but actually some coworkers in Nicaragua)  The leader of the team has been up from Nicaragua trying to help us get our acts together to get him the information that he needs.  My personal opinion is that I would enjoy these meetings every day much more if they were actually in Nicaragua (probably one of my favorite places in the world!)
Exit started back up again for the fall and it's been great!  We're doing a series on discernment at church too and it's gone along with Exit.  I'm so encouraged and proud of a friend who's been starting to come to church with me as well.  I hope they're getting as much out of the messages as I have been!  God has really been opening my eyes to how much more I need to be listening for His voice.  I feel like I'm on an exciting journey of trying to listen and follow.  Can't wait to see where He leads!
I started doing Weight Watchers 2 weeks ago and it's going great!  I have some friends doing it as well, so it's been really encouraging to hold each other accountable.  My pants are feeling much looser, and the scale is looking better too :-)
2 weekends ago I went to the wedding of a girl I used to babysit!  She looked so beautiful and I'm so proud of her and happy for her.  At the same time I felt sooooo old!  Isn't she beautiful?

(Sorry, my phone didn't take the best pictures in this lighting.)  It was so great to see so many good friends from my mom's church and catch up with people I hadn't talked to in so long!!

MOVEMENT

You can't stand still... if you're not moving forward, then you're moving backwards.  Heard that one before?  Yeah, me too.  But until I started reading Sun Stand Still by Steven Furtick, I had never really thought about that statement in the context of my prayer life.  God is really using this book to wreck my world a little bit and shake up my life, my goals, what I'm praying for, how I pray...you get the point.  Don't you love it when He really hits the point home through your friends and church too!  Every sermon seems to call out the same areas in my life that need to change, and my friends who will not hesitate to hold me accountable validate it too (in fact, a good deal of this post comes from a conversation with a friend yesterday.)  I'm sorta at the stage where I'm saying, yes God, I've definitely been in a holding pattern, but what's next?  I'm reading Furtick's book to help me figure out the road to that answer.  You'll have to read the book to get ALL the great nuggets of wisdom, but the general heart of it is - God has such an amazing purpose for each of us, greater than we can imagine and He wants to do the impossible through us...in fact, Joshua asked that the sun would stand still to give the Israelites more time to win a battle and his prayer of faith was answered.  The reason we (or I) are not realizing and living in the awesome potential God has for us is because we aren't trusting Him to do what He's promised...and additionally, we (again, or I) are not even asking Him what that is!  We are content with the humdrum of our daily lives...or are we?  I think I mistake contentment for complacency, because when I think about these things, I am certainly not content.  Do I really want to just "get by"?  Do you?  I know I've shared the verse in John 10 before where Jesus tells us He came to earth so that we may have life and have it in abundance.  I'm realizing I need to surrender my day to God each and every morning and remind myself of this truth, or else I honestly will be just asking to get through another day.

Our sermon on Sunday night was on distractions.  We focused on the story of Adam and Eve in Genesis 3.  It's pretty familiar probably, even to those who aren't Christians, but I encourage you to read it.  Our pastor Khori spoke about how just a tiny distraction can completely throw our life off course and in some instances do major damage.  We are like Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, where God gives us free reign of more than we could ever want - there's a banquet table of amazing things he has set out for us.  But, we chose the one tiny apple that He said we can't have, and forgo the real gifts and true purpose He has for us.  For me, it was easy to pinpoint distractions in my life right away - competition, my need for acceptance and love, caring too much about what people think of me, pride...the list goes on.  What was more difficult to determine was - what am I actually missing because of these distractions?  What does God have on my banquet table that I'm choosing to forgo?  I think it's so important to determine this, or the distractions will surely overwhelm us.  It's a lot easier to walk forward if we know what we are walking toward.

So that's where my prayers are focused now.  What is it that you have for me God?  I have some ideas.  Furtick says that in our prayers, we have to "walk in faith, not stand in hope."  We are told to pray in faith and approach God's throne with boldness, but is it really a prayer of faith, if we don't moveforward?  Furtick also says "Every aspiration you have in prayer needs an accompanying action.  Otherwise, you're not really praying.  You're just pontificating.  You do the natural.  Trust God for the super."
So what are you waiting for?  Put your shoes on with me and start walking!

Things I learned this weekend

I had no idea when I agreed to go to our bank's office to watch the Baltimore Grand Prix and even invited friends to go with me that I would enjoy it so much!!  Racing?  Me?  I do have a thorough appreciation for driving fast, but this was truly amazing.  Here's my view:

I also was completely surprised that watching tennis is actually interesting and exciting.  My friends were watching the US Open in my basement last night and after they explained the scoring to me, I was hooked...so much so, that I stayed up way past my bedtime watching!

Finally, I learned this weekend how much I miss this place:

After having this view for a week, it was really hard to come to work on this rainy morning!!  If only I could figure out a way to work from the beach every day!!  More on my vacation later.

Have a great week!

Some days are really good days...

Not sure why, but today just feels like a good one.  I woke up early and just felt rested and ready for the day.  I'm also extremely happy and thankful for my parents today.  It's their 38th (corrected!) anniversary and I am so grateful and blessed to have grown up with such amazing parents.
Yesterday Hurricane Irene was really stressing me out, but today, even the fact that she could completely mess up my beach vacation won't get me down!  I didn't mention it yesterday, but Irene is not my friend!!
I had dinner with my sweet little "niece" C (a different C than my "niece" you met last week on the blog :-)) last night (and her parents).

In case you can't tell, someone is a ham :-)  This was while she was telling me it was my turn to make a funny face, I think.

Here, she's showing me her "belbows."  She then went around the table and made us all show our "belbows" too.

I know I've said this before but my "nieces and nephews" are the smartest and most adorable kids in the world.  They truly brighten my day.

After dinner I had a great time chatting with C's parents.  Her mom was my roommate for 4 years and I'm so thankful we've stayed close!  She was one of my first friends when I moved to Baltimore 9 years ago and we've had a lot of adventures in those 9 years.  She and her husband are really grounded and it is such a sweet time to sit on their couch and share life and not realize where the time has gone!  I went home thinking just how blessed I am with all the amazing friends God has put in my life.

It's amazing to me how great life is when you shape your attitude and not let the circumstances around you shape it.  I love the passage in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 that says "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."  I think this is key to living an abundantly life.  If we look for things to be thankful for, we'll find them, and our attitudes will follow (grumpy pants will come off.)  For example, today my attitude is - I am sooo thankful I have vacation next week and can take a break and relax...there is nothing I can do about this hurricane, so I'm not going to worry about it; rather than my attitude yesterday, which was - Hurricane Irene, I hate you as much as I hate bugs...if you ruin my vacation I am going to throw a temper tantrum and be a complete grouch.

There's sooooo much to be thankful for.  I encourage you to be looking for them today.  I'm thankful for my family (Congrats again to my parents on their many years of marriage) (an aside - my whole family will be at the beach next week and I'm so excited for you to see my strikingly beautiful sister!)  And I'm thankful for this little girl...

What are you thankful for?

Mid-week confessions

There aren't many things that I hate - injustice, suffering, hurting and neglected children would be counted among the main ones and I'm guessing a lot of you would probably agree that you hate those things too!  Another would be bugs!  And I'm not using the term "hate" lightly...for the most part, I despise them with all of my being.  I know you're probably saying, Val, that's pretty harsh.  Seriously though, it's not just that they are creepy and annoying.
Have you even had an up close look at a spider cricket?  I had one join me in the shower one morning and it almost gave me a heart attack.  Look at this thing.

(Image is copied from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhaphidophoridae)
Tell me - does this little demon not look like it just crawled up from the depths of hell?  It's no wonder they live in caves and basements!!  They embody the creepiness of spiders and the jumpiness of crickets, two of the things I dislike the most about bugs.  They scare me so much that when I find one I stand on the opposite side of the room and throw objects at it for fear that if I get close enough to swat it that it will jump on me!

I don't have the fortitude to squish bugs, and neither does my roommate.  Last fall we had quite the array of bug specimens trapped in upside down cups waiting for friends to come over and remove them.  As long as they don't appear to jump or fly, I can typically muster up the courage to turn a cup over them quickly.

You may or may not have realized what a drama queen I am up to this point.  Well now you know.  While I tend to avoid drama, bugs bring it out in me.  Last night, my neighbors got a taste of this.

I hate yard work, because it typically involves bugs touching me.  And because I have a black thumb.  I so envy my mom who plants pretty flowers and they live.  I, on the other hand, buy plants, put them on my deck to plant and promptly forget about them.  I try to remember to water them, and sometimes they live, but generally, it's not pretty.  Even full grown trees can't survive my yard - well the pretty trees at least.  The big nasty pine trees that get needles and sap all over my deck and back yard will live forever I'm sure.  Meanwhile, the beautiful tree in the front yard gets struck by lightning and is a goner.  Back to the bugs though...The other vegetation that seems to thrive are or course weeds, and the 4 annoying bushes in the front of my house.  They grow sooooooo stinking fast and also house a plethora of different species of the creepy crawlies!  Last night I came home from my run and couldn't stand it anymore - I mean, the overgrowth was starting to impede the entrance to my house.  I got out the shears and started cutting away.  The real problem is that you really have to get into plant to get to the back.  The funny part is when a bug touches me or buzzes by my ear, I fall out of the bushes and run into the yard freaking out.  Yep - I am that crazy!!!  I mean, there are all kinds of weird webs in there - so creepy!
And the result was - yes the front of my house is now presentable again AND I have no less than 15 massive bug bites on my legs.  Not cool!
The funny thing is that I love camping and hiking and being outdoors - maybe having the support of others helps me with the bugs in those situations, who knows.  Yes, I'm crazy.  It's fine. :-)
That's all the confessions I have actually - I hate bugs.  Oh, and I know I owe you an post on God's calling and fear to follow.  Still working on that.  I'm going to the beach for the week on Saturday, so hopefully I'll have time to reflect some more there!

Reconciliation

I have a whole lot of thoughts I need to write down.  Hopefully there's time in the next few days for writing and posting.  I went to the Willow Creek Global Leadership Summit on Thursday and Friday (there was a simulcast at my church and it was considered professional development for work :-)).  God was working on some things in my life before then and the Summit just continued to reinforce some of the things I've been thinking about praying about.  More about that later...

 

But first! I had a great visit with one of my best friends Wendy and her sweet daughter C.  C is a tiny little peanut, but is sooooo full of joy and light and personality, even when she's not feeling great.  I wish I would have snapped a picture of her in the car, she was quite the little entertainer!!  We went to Storyville and she loved watching and playing with the other kids there!

C loves rocking and talking on the phone.  I feel so so blessed to be a part of this family's lives!!  I have a couple of great friends with little ones and am really thankful I get to watch them grow up.








After the Summit, I am really contemplating and praying more than ever about how God wants to use me.  I want to see Him do things that only He can accomplish.  Watching Caitlin have complete faith in her parents reminds me of how my faith should be more like that of a child.  I know God has great things in store, but I'm so scared about what He might call me to do.  In fact, I have a post written about it, but I'm not ready to post it yet.  It just feels too real when you write it down for others to see.  Soon though, I promise!!

I was really fired up though, about something that happened at the Leadership Summit and wanted to process it with you all.  For those of you who aren't familiar, Willow Creek is a very large non-denominational church in the Chicago, IL area.  They held their first Summit in 1995 and now it is simulcast to over 185 sites in the US and to leaders in 200 cities across the World.  What's really amazing is that they don't ask only Christian leaders to speak.  They invite leaders from all over the business world to share their expertise.  This was my second year attending and I got soooo much out of it!  I have a lot to share about the speakers and what I learned, but today I wanted to share about one speaker in particular.  I was really looking forward to hearing from Howard Schultz, the CEO of Starbucks.  He seems to be an extremely bright, innovative and introspective leader and thought that a lot could be learned from him as he was going to speak on his new book Onward.  Unfortunately, Mr. Schultz backed out of his speaking engagement just days before the Summit began.   No one has said for certain his reasoning for backing out at the last minute, however, it's notable that a petition on change.org was started to encourage people to boycott Starbucks if he spoke, due to Willow Creek's supposed anti-gay practices.  The petition is now noted as a victory on the website.  Some 700 people signed petition, compared to over 150,000 people attending the event.  I want to say first, that I acknowledge that I can't fathom the discrimination and hate many in the gay community feel.  I don't claim to have experienced that or pretend that I know what it's like.  However, I was taught from a young age, and still believe, that two wrongs don't make a right.   I also thinks it's important to know all the facts before you make judgments, rather than act harshly based on assumptions.  I was saddened for so many reasons when Bill Hybels, the pastor at Willow, made this announcement.  The sadness was quickly replaced with great respect, however, at his response.  The first thing he clarified is that "Willow is not anti anybody." In fact, he explained that they had many regular attenders at their church who are gay.  He also explained that Willow let Mr. Schultz out of the contract with no penalty.  He went on to ask us to write an email to starbucks.com, but not to boycott, rather to share our disappointment and invite him back in the future with genuine Christian love. On top of that, the Pastor also encouraged us to go buy Starbucks to support them, rather than follow the trend of hate.  What most impressed me is that the leadership of the Summit is now trying to engage those who started to petition in a meeting with a spirit of reconciliation.  Friends, that is loving others.  Seeing actions based on hurt, and rather than attempting to hurt in retaliation, trying to understand the root with a heart of love and reconciliation.  Continuing to spread hate is not that answer and I hope that something great could actually come out of this unfortunate circumstance.  I've seen many other petitions like this and I know that we all aren't always going to agree, but I hope will all my heart that we will all work for reconciliation!

Finally Feeling Bloggy

Man, I have been in a funk.  And for no good reason!! Life is spectacular.  I am encouraged and hopeful about my church.  I had a great time speaking about Mexico at Exit.  Work has been busy and enjoyable.  My time with my friends has been fantastic!! (more on that later)  I switched gyms and am feeling much more motivated to work out, which in turn makes me feel great.  Yet, my mood has just been blah.  Although, as I recount these things to you all, my attitude is changing for the better.  Maybe it's just a matter of focusing my mind on the right things!!  Let's hope this is the beginning to the end of this funk!
Oh - in other good news, I remembered how to cut a mango!  Here's the proof!

Yum, right?!


I was thinking last night that I truly do have the most amazing friends ever.  Have I mentioned what good cooks so many of them/you are?! It may not seem like much, but just sharing a meal can be such an extravagant gift!
We also did a Sunday Dinner this week and I was overwhelmed with gratitude for the friends (old and new!) filling my house!  Cherish your relationships - they are irreplaceable!
On Sunday we also voted on a name for our Fantasy Football League and picked the draft order.  Apparently the big pong ball method is the proper way to do it, and my name was picked last - so that means I get the first draft pick.  I LOVE football, but I need to do some research!
Yeah - I realize this is all over the place.  It's one of those weeks!

I murdered a mango

It was ugly this morning.  I bought some fresh mango at the grocery store and was so excited to have it for breakfast this morning.  My brain apparently died when I went to the kitchen to cut it up though and had pretty much destroyed it by the time my memory came back.  No worries though - I did manage to salvage some pieces and enjoy a little bit with breakfast!  Yep - it's been a special morning so far!
I can't believe it's August.  I spent the end of July with a whirlwind of a weekend.

I visited my aunt and cousins and thoroughly enjoyed breakfast on the deck on Saturday morning.  We had a great time consignment store shopping and my aunt convinced me to buy some treasures for my house.  You can tell just from her patio that she has amazing taste, so I'll always take decorating advice :-)
I celebrated the birthday of a good friend on my way home and decided that funfetti icing is the best invention ever.  I usually like to make my own icing, but was feeling stressed and overwhelmed last week when I baked her cake, so I went for the less time consuming route.  Umm...delicious! Thank you Funfetti!
I had a friend join me for church on Sunday, which was a nice surprise Sunday morning.  The sermon was on James 3 - taming your tongue.  I've been working on applying that lesson A LOT today!  Isn't it funny how God brings to light that stuff right away that you need to work on?!
Sunday night I had the opportunity to give my testimony about how God worked in my life through the Nogales trip.  I was definitely nervous, but once I got up there it was great!  I so so so appreciate my amazing friends who prayed and came to support me!
Lots going on this week, but I'm going to stick to my commitment to one night a week to myself.  I also need to get back to my challenge of a photo a day.  Let's see if I can find some inspiration today!!

A new post

I didn't write yesterday.  You may have noticed.  Maybe you didn't.  I was using any inspiration I could muster to try to pray and figure out what to say at Exit on Sunday night.  (Exit 242 is the 20's and 30's group at my church.)  We are having Testimony night and I'm so excited that I get to share about my trip to Mexico and why I think mission trips are so amazing.  The only problem is...I like to talk...A LOT.  So I need to figure out a way to say things succinctly and clearly.  You can pray for me about that if you think of it! :-)

All that said - I am super excited about sharing and am just praying that God will use me to say what He wants to say. Another group is on a mission trip to Mississippi this week.  I'm sure they are having an incredible time and doing amazing things!  We'll get to hear about that trip on Sunday night too!

The past two mornings I have woken up feeling miserable.  I think it's allergies, but my whole head hurts until about the mid morning.  Blech!

I'm hoping I can get some cleaning done tonight.  My room looks a bit like a tornado hit since I've come home from Mexico.  I've managed to wash some clothes but that's about it.  I promised myself I would take at least one night a week to stay at home.  Tonight's the night this week, and I'm so thankful!

I love reminiscing about Mexico.  I've been looking through the pictures a lot, to remind myself of some of the great moments there and what is worth sharing.  Although it may not have been the most spiritual of moments, D's breakdancing - which then turned into Nogales' Got Talent, was somehow a fitting way to end the week.  We really loved and made the most of every moment in Mexico!

Mascara and Lip Gloss with Straight Hair

Alright, I admit it - I can be really lazy about my hair, especially when it's hot and humid.  Most mornings in the summer I leave it curly (because the humidity will curl it inevitably - ever seen that Friends with Monica's hair? yeah, that's me) and it's in a ponytail by the time I get to my office at work.  But this week I've been straightening it, only because I just got it cut.  I will never confess how much I pay to get my hair done, but I believe wholeheartedly that it's worth every penny and it inspires me to keep it straight for at least a few days!

So I walk into the office with my straight hair today and someone comments immediately on how different I look with straight hair and if I just add some mascara and lip gloss I'd have my weekend look ready (I'm wondering if this is a bit of a commentary on my single status)!  I was wearing lip gloss and mascara though!!!  Oh boy - I guess it's time to start wearing more makeup.  I didn't use to wear it to work, but then Mark Clayton from the Ravens showed up and I decided from then on it would be worth it to put a little more effort into my work look.  Apparently it's not been enough effort yet!

I could probably do a whole post of all the funny things people say to me at work.  Some of it I think is cultural differences, but they are still funny, nonetheless.  For example, in the past month alone I've received international e-mails where I've been called naughty, sweet and the devil!!  There is also a plethora of dating advice available from the people in my office.  My favorite was when a co-worker explained to me that my dating disasters all boil down to one fact - my picker's broke! When I stared at her blankly, she went on to explain that women's pickers don't work right, we always will pick the guys that are wrong for us, so we have to let the man pick us.  I think I see what she was getting at, but it still cracks me up every time I think about that conversation.  This is also the person who I overheard telling another co-worker a few years ago that "just cause Britney (Spears) aint wear no underwears, don't make her no bad mom." I'm not EXACTLY sure what that means, but again, can't stop laughing whenever I think of it - after my head stops spinning.  

I wish I had a good picture of my frizzy hair, but apparently it's always in a ponytail, or I somehow manage to have it straight for pictures.  Instead, I'll leave you with this.  I was delirious at 3 am when we took this picture of our mission team about to leave for Mexico.  I meant to blog that morning from the airport, but totally forgot!  I think we look pretty good for 3 am on a Sunday!

 I miss seeing these guys every day!!