Smart Kid

I am loving my summer. Can't believe it's time to start thinking about next year already!

I spend quite a bit of time with my sister these days. We both enjoy the company. :) I'm also spend a good deal of time with my nephews. I hope you're not tired of stories of sweet T, because I've got another one for you.

He's learning to use his imagination and it's a lot of fun. (He's made himself a new "home" in the living room using a chair he got for Christmas. It's very small, but apparently good for taking naps). It's time to give you a little context for this story... My family loves coffee. Specifically Starbucks. Seriously, I'm on a first name basis with the barista (not unusual for me. I always manage to become friends with the coffee guy. Hello free coffee!) Tyler has inherited a passion for Starbucks (one of the few things he gets from our side, so we all like to encourage this relationship with the good ol' Bucks). His great grandma recently sent him a gift card so he can buy himself some "hot tachy" (Hot chocolate).

Yesterday, we were all spending the day together, and T decides that he's thirsty and wants a drink, so he runs into the kitchen and "orders" a "hot tachy" from "Starbucks." This starts a whole game of "Mommy, do you want hot tachy from Starbucks? How about cake pops? Do you want some macamoee (guacamole)? " As everyone knows, Starbucks is not cheap... So Mommy asks if he needs money to pay for all this food and drink we've ordered... Of course he needs money, so he runs up to Mommy and waits. She sticks her hand in her pocket and pulls out money that's as real as all this food we've been "consuming." The kids response? "Mommy, there's no money there."

Apparently Starbucks has raised their prices again, because now they're charging for imaginary food!

A Little Soul Searching

I rarely bare my soul via this blog, but the Lord has really convicted me today, and I feel the need to share with my readers (all 2 of you).

I grew up in the church. My family has always been involved in some sort of ministry at every church we've gone to. I've never gone through a super rebellious phase in my life. I was on leadership teams throughout college at my Christian university. I know all the Sunday school answers. I read my Bible and pray regularly. I am a good Christian girl.

But here's the thing... All of those sentences begin with the word "I" (except for the one that starts with "my," but you get the idea). I know what's expected of me, so I do it. And I believe that Jesus died for my sins and that I will spend eternity with Him, but do my actions and thoughts convey this belief? Do I really live my life in a way that says "I am forgiven for everything I've done wrong... EVER?" Does my heart actually understand what that means? My mind gets it. I sin. Jesus died. I get to go to heaven because I've accepted His forgiveness. But have I let this knowledge saturate my heart? If so, my every thought and decision should be based on what would bring God glory, right? What does that even mean?

I'd hate to admit how little I actually know about my Savior. There's a song by Addison Roads that gives me goosebumps because it so accurately states my relationship with the Lord. It says "If You touched my face would I know You? Looked into my eyes could I behold You?"

I think it's time to make my relationship with Jesus about Him. He is Holy. He is Gracious. He is Good. And I can't even begin comprehending what this actually means.

Job 26 sums it up pretty well:
5 “The departed spirits tremble Under the waters and their inhabitants. 6 “Naked is Sheol before Him, And Abaddon has no covering. 7 “He stretches out the north over empty space And hangs the earth on nothing. 8 “He wraps up the waters in His clouds, And the cloud does not burst under them. 9 “He obscures the face of the full moon And spreads His cloud over it. 10 “He has inscribed a circle on the surface of the waters At the boundary of light and darkness. 11 “The pillars of heaven tremble And are amazed at His rebuke. 12 “He quieted the sea with His power, And by His understanding He shattered Rahab. 13 “By His breath the heavens are cleared; His hand has pierced the fleeing serpent. 14 “Behold, these are the fringes of His ways; And how faint a word we hear of Him! But His mighty thunder, who can understand?”

I often share something without knowing if I'm making sense. If not, I apologize. I hope this time I did make sense.

Coffee, Coffee, Coffee!

Remember my mother? I've got one more story about her this week.

She told me once, a long time ago, that she used to go to bed at night thinking about her coffee in the morning. I laughed and laughed. That woman loved her coffee!

Then I got my Keurig coffee maker and my life was changed. Every night, I go to sleep thinking about 2 things: 1) I'm one day closer to having my boyfriend home, and 2) I'm so excited about my coffee tomorrow morning.

Oh, dear... I am like my mother!

Ready for Action

There's a storm going on outside tonight, so I find it appropriate to share my favorite storm memory with you.
My dad used to travel quite a bit for work, so my mom and I would be home alone often. She would always get a little stressed when he left. It's also important to note that she's a little overprotective of me (I wasn't allowed to go to Target alone after 7 pm one time. That's a true story).
This particular incident was the day my dad left for a trip to South America. I think I was a Senior in high school. I got home from school when my mother found me to inform me that there was a tornado watch in our county. I called my best friend and started a conversation about something super important, I'm sure. As we talked, my mother informed me that it had changed into a warning and it was going to be disastrous. Time to get into Action mode. Your father is gone, and we are on our own. I am woman, hear me roar! Find and save: a flashlight, radio, snacks, and the dogs. Meet up in the laundry room ASAP to practice exactly what we're gonna do when we get hit by this monster (I'm not kidding. We practiced).
Meanwhile, my best friend was still on the phone with me... Sitting in the living room with her mom, right beside the bay window, watching jeopardy. If a tornado shows up, we'll sprint to the bathroom. Until then, we've got more important things to think about.
My question for you: who's crazier in this situation?

My Autobiography

I've been on summer break for a little over a month now. Let me tell you, I needed this break. I am still recovering from the past year. I may carry one or two emotional scars with me for the rest of my life.

My students came in to school one day in the last month, and started talking about making their autobiographies. They then decided that I should make my own autobiography and talk about them. I didn't have the heart to tell them about my blog... :) As we're discussing the topics that should be covered in my book, one of my students decided to give it a title... The title he chose? And You Thought You Had It Rough...

Those little rascals knew that they were giving me grey hair!

As crazy and chaotic as they were, I loved that class. They taught me a lot, whether they knew it or not.

Wild Thing...

My sister is one of my best friends. We haven't always been super close, but over the years, we've managed to overcome our differences (and there are many). If you're interested, here is her blog. She loves Jesus, her family, and making cakes (if you're throwing a party anytime soon, ask her to make the cake. She's good).

Today I found out about another love of hers, and I want to share it with you because it's funny.

We were talking on the phone today as she was driving home from lunch, when she interrupts the conversation with "oh, no! I just saw my favorite wild animal get killed!" I didn't know she had a favorite wild animal, so I decided to guess what it was. The most obvious thing I could think of was a deer (I think my favorite right now is a flamingo, but we don't really have those around here). Nope. She likes groundhogs. Of all of the wild animals in the world, my dear sister picks... Groundhogs. She informed me that they're like little friends to her.

So out of great respect for my sister's emotions, I'd like to request a moment of silence, please, for the loss of her dear friend...

More updates...

It has come to my attention that I haven't posted a blog in quite some time... So, I'm going to update you on my bucket list, and make an attempt to do better about blogging.

• Running the Susan G Komen Race for the Cure-- This did not go so well. My sister and I are not runners by nature. We grew up in dance classes and gymnastics. We could dance in circles around you, but give us a pair of running shoes, and expect disaster. However, after months of training, the fateful day had arrived. Amazingly enough, we were ready! Let me give you a rundown of the events of that morning. Wake up at 6:13 (on the first day of summer) get dressed, brush teeth, drive to sister's house, leave sister's house, drive to metro station... Sit on the metro for 45 minutes without moving an inch because of construction. Miss the race. Take the stop by the mall, get starbucks as consolation, and hop back on the metro to return home. Adventure: over. Right? Wrong! We, naturally, took the wrong train home. I'm fairly certain we got home around the same time we would have if we had actually run the race.




• Picnic/Farmer's Markets- 2 for 1 deal. My mom, sister (with kids), and I bought fruits and veggies from the farmer's market and ate them with sandwiches at the park! It was a good time.




• Parasailing- You're probably thinking: "wait... I didn't see that on the list!" Well, you're right. it wasn't on the list. Probably about half of the things I've managed to cross off my list were last minute additions. In the OBX, I convinced my sister and a good friend of mine to go parasailing with me. We got a 600 ft line and commented over and over again about "600 feet, guys! We're so brave!" It was a very fun experience, but not as intimidating as I thought it would be. Highly recommended for all.




• Sky diving- Parasailing was on Tuesday. On Friday, my brother-in-law convinced me to go sky diving with him (!!!). I jumped out of a plane from 9,000 ft strapped to a man name Sven and trusted him to get me safely to the ground... Hands down the coolest thing I've ever done! And I'd do it again in a heartbeat.




• Pier Jumping- Another last minute addition. I went to visit one of my best friends in MI (she just got engaged to the man of her dreams!). Her fiance' told me about pier jumping in passing and I (adrenaline junkie I've become) jumped on the idea! Caits (who was terribly afraid to do this) and I can talk each other into pretty much anything (that's a true story) so she reluctantly agreed to go. When we got there, she was the one doing the convincing, because I saw the jump and changed my mind. Again, so much fun!




• Mission trip- I'm buying my ticket today to spend 2 weeks serving with a church in Mexico during VBS!

I just realized how long this is, so I'll end it here and really try to do better about updating!