So Long Sweet Summer

Oh my. It has been too long since I posted last. Now, I am embarking on my final semester of school and coming to the realization that blogging could quite possibly take a backseat to my semester. Hopefully not though!!

First, I never updated about the book that I read during the month of July. I am sure you have heard lots of talk about this book and have probably heard the words, "wow", "challenging", "amazing", "so good", and "convicting." All true. I read the book Radical by David Platt.

It was truly one of the most challenging books I have ever read. David Platt is the pastor of The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama. He has taught all around the world and experienced so much from each place that he has been. This is so evident in his book. All I can say is that he basically talks about we, as believers, living our lives in a radical way. So often we...ahem...I, live my life on a day to day basis not being productive, not serving, or not loving the way that I should. I have found that my thinking is at times, "how does God and the gospel look and fit into my life" when it should be, "how does my life fit and look like Christ and the gospel." I would say that this is an unintentional way of thinking, but that would be me making an excuse. My life needs to be centered around the gospel and how I can better love others, serve others, and take the gospel to others. I can't even begin to pick just a few quotes from this book. All I can say is, if you are a follower of Christ, get this book, read it, and pass it on.

At the end of the book David Platt gives you a challenge. It includes five things to do over the next year.

1.) Pray for the entire world.

2.)Read through the entire Word.

3.) Sacrifice your money for a specific purpose.

4.) Spend your time in another context.

5.) Commit your life to a multiplying community.

You really should read it and hear David Platt explain things and hear the stories that he has of his visits to other places and also of people in his church. It will convict you but also encourage you at the same time. If I would recommend one book this would be it!

Anyways, finally I was able to update you on that. As I said, I am starting student teaching tomorrow officially. I am not really overwhelmed about school as much as just knowing that my life is really changing tomorrow. I mean, this is basically my job (although I am not getting paid). This is what my life will look like for a while. I am excited and anxious. It is nice to be starting a new chapter. Please pray for me as I start tomorrow. Pray that I will be a light in a dark place and that my time with the Lord is consistent and that I am constantly reminded that He is my strength!

Hope you all had a fun weekend! South folks, good luck with classes tomorrow!

This Weekend

After spending time with Eric, Linds, and Virginia it was time to head home to Mobile. I had so much fun with them but was happy to be getting back. I had a special guy follow me home on Saturday and it was so so good to see him. I swear....three weeks is a long time! We spent Saturday afternoon being lazy and playing in the pool.

Sunday was my 22nd birthday. Not feeling too much older although 22 sounds a bit old to me. I suppose it is because there will be lots of changes that this next year will bring. Anyways, I am thankful for another year and I hope and pray I will be able to look back this time next year and say that I am closer to the Lord than I was. With all that said, the birthday was a success. I received a new mac from my parents. I was shocked. Yes, I had been needing a new computer but totally wasn't expecting to get it yesterday! Thanks mom and dad! And......from the best boyfriend ever.....Carrie Underwood tickets! I was pretty much shocked about that too. How unexpected! He is too good to me! October 23rd cannot get here soon enough!! Thanks love! So I spent the day with family and it was so nice. Perfect day.

This post is short and sweet and without photos. My apologies. I will be back with my book for July which I can hopefully write about before Thursday. This week is busy. I go and meet my teacher I will be student teaching for on Wednesday and that night we are heading to Atlanta and then to CHICAGO on THURSDAY! I am so excited!

Happy Monday Everyone!

A Season For Everything

It has been a while since I updated. I'll make this one short and sweet. Currently, I am in LaGrange visiting Eric, Linds, and Virginia. Tonight, Linds got a night out on the town. She has traveled to Atlanta to go to the Cheesecake Factory with some friends leaving V with Eric and I. This brings me to the title of this post. First of all, I cannot wait to be a mom. It has truly been all I have wanted to do forever. I want to be a wife and mom so badly.....BUT the Lord is sweet to remind me that there is a time and season for everything.

Lindsey got dinner mostly ready while I played with Virginia this afternoon. Let me preface this by saying I am not retarded in the kitchen. I am by no means Paula Dean but I love to cook. Lindsey turned on some peas and said "Just watch out for them cause they are on high right now and you can turn them down in a few...." So, I am playing with V and the next thing you know....the peas are about boiling over. I run to turn them down..run back to take care of V. :) Then, Linds leaves. I got to experience mommyhood with a 1 year old. I don't know if I thought it was easy or what but.....it certainly is draining!

Virginia is on table food now. I get dinner all ready while playing with her and then get her ready to eat. Naturally, she is just not feeling the table food tonight. Even those foods she normally loves are just not doing it for her tonight. So...back to baby food for the night. No harm done. :) Then out for an errand with daddy....home for a bath....the last bottle for the day...and off to bed. Done right? Nope..time for dishes! :) It's crazy and fun and exhausting. I can't wait to be a mommy but I know that the Lord has my days planned out and He knows that right now......I am just not ready. :) I love that He knows His daughter so well!

All that said, I love this little peanut and we have had so much fun! She brings me so much joy and is worth any exhaustion I felt tonight! Now, I know how Linds feels. (kinda!!)

On a different note...I can't wait to see my boy on Saturday! It has been far too long! Oh, and I turn the big 22 on Sunday! Exciting. Hope your week has been fabulous!

Gallbladder-less Update

So my surgery was pushed back from last Wednesday to this past Monday. I checked-in at about 10 and my surgery started about 12:30. I don't remember much.....they gave me some good meds. Mom and Amy were there and Amy pretty much documented me on meds....what a sweet sister. Surgery went well and I am just recovering now. I am definitely still in some pain but it is nothing too terrible...I have caught up on some reading but mostly done a lot of sleeping. It has been pretty relaxing and I have had a pretty good nurse. Thanks Mom! Hopefully, recovery will not take too much longer. Thank you for all of your prayers! They are appreciated! Hopefully I will be back to normal in no time! Hope you all are having a good week!

Land of the Free and the Home of the..Sick

Hello to you and yours! I hope that your 4th has been more eventful than mine. That's right....it has been an unfortunate day at my house. I was so looking forward to a relaxing Fourth of July in the pool. I was in Brazil last summer so we really didn't celebrate :) I spent the day on the couch. I have developed a cold in the last 48 hours and let me say....I don't do well being sick. I absolutely hate it. I hate spending the day on the couch, I hate not being able to breathe, and I hate the constant headache. I did get to spend some quality time with the Lord this morning which was wonderful and I did get out briefly for a meal with the family.

I also had a front row seat to one of the best firework shows. Our neighbors put on a ballin' show every Fourth of July and every New Years Eve.

Woo Hoo!

Jeff and Mangs

My sweet parents...

Technically, we are celebrating the 4th tomorrow since everyone is off. I am hoping I will be better by then. I would covet your prayers that I would feel better because I am supposed to have surgery on Wednesday and do not know if they will let me go in if I am sick. I do not want to put it off! Well, I am off to bed shortly if I can sleep through the continued fireworks show going on outside....

Happy Fourth of July!

Where Has June Gone?

WARNING: This post might be long :)

I know it is not over yet but I feel like June has come and is going so quickly. The past two weeks have kept me so so busy! You just have no idea. I am learning that once I become a "real" teacher I will have zero time for blogging. This makes me sad but I tell you what....it has worn me out. I know people may think that teaching is the easiest job or that it is just babysitting but honestly, I feel like since I started teaching this summer and actually having a classroom that is my own, I have not stopped thinking about it. There is constantly lesson plans, activities, ideas, and students who are on my mind. With all that said......I HAVE LOVED IT!!! I cannot imagine going into student teaching in the fall without having had this experience. Seriously. I know that not everyone is passionate about teaching but those of you who are understand. (Lindsey :) haha)

So what have I learned? Teaching is a full time job. I am going to have to really force myself to keep my work life and home life separate because I can tell this will be a challenge for me. I have learned a lot about management in the classroom. I have gotten some great lesson ideas for when I actually start teaching and I really do feel like I have been able to make everything that I have done fun for the kids.

P.S. I have the greatest kids. Seriously...there are about 60 of them and they are great. If I could post pictures I would but.....ya know. Can't do it.

Oh, I also now know why teachers have a love/hate relationship with field trips. Can anyone say exhausting? Yeah. They wipe me out. Needless to say.....these last couple of weeks have been so much fun...so draining...and so worthwhile. This week and next week are all I have left. I am trying to soak it all up and make the most out of it!

Another new thing that has happened is I have been participating in a Bible study with about 10 other women. We are going through the study, Lies Women Believe. We have only met twice but already it has been so refreshing for me personally to be around these ladies. I am learning a lot and truly enjoying the fellowship. I honestly think it is because I am with 9 and 10 year olds all day long and it is just a breath of fresh air to talk about what we are learning and hear how the Lord is working in their hearts.

It is hard not blogging for so long cause I forget what has happened. Brett and I have gotten to spend a lot of time with friends. We went to a shower for two of my friends one weekend and then got to hang out with a few of our closest friends who we had not seen in a while... Not even sure if that makes sense. I guess if we were close we would have seen them but......life has been hectic for us all. We also got to "chaperone" the AJM prom. I wasn't a very good chaperone since I danced half the night....whoops. What can I say? I love to dance.

Oh....and we also celebrated a very special man yesterday. I hate that I didn't get to blog about this yesterday but......time just got away from me. Happy Father's Day to the most amazing father in the world. I know everyone says that but seriously....he wins.

I thought this was a sweet picture of dad holding Virginia. Anyways....he is seriously the most humble, caring, hardworking, forgiving, loving father. He works so hard to take care of our family. He gives FAR MORE than he takes. I have learned so much from him. He is an incredible encourager and is really one of the smartest people I know. I do not know what I would do without him. So...thank you dad for all that you are and all that you mean to our family! I love you!

Anyways....I am so looking forward to this weekend. I am FINALLY getting to see this adorable little girl... (and her parents!!) I cannot wait to squeeze her! Plus, it has been a while since her Aunt Amy and I have gotten to do a weekend photo shoot so I am pumped!

Crazy girl!

You will probably be hearing a lot about this precious thing over the next couple of weeks. Of course with this weekend and then someone also has a first birthday coming up that I am certain will be documented minute by minute!

Have a great week everyone!

A Weekend Blogger

Hello! Hello! So...this title is going to be extremely appropriate for the next few weeks. This is unfortunate but I am afraid it is the way it is. I have a few things to share with you. First of all, I hope your Memorial Day weekend was restful. We spent a lot of it by the pool. Brett's family came into town so I got to spend a good bit of time with them. Side note: I had something completely random happen Sunday night. We went to Macaroni Grill to eat and I had spaghetti like I always do! :) Afterwards, I started getting terrible stomach cramps at the top of my stomach. I figured something just didn't settle right after I ate but it didn't feel like an upset stomach. It just felt really like sharp cramps. As we headed back to Brett's the pain got worse and by the time I was in his house, I was in tears. This is so unlike me and I think I scared Brett and his parents. They called my mom and she came and got me. Keep in mind, I am bawling. I took some medicine, drove to the emergency room but decided not to go in, then came home and took some pain medicine. I was able to sleep that night and woke up fine the next morning. Bizarre. What's the verdict: I have gallstones and will have my gallbladder removed at the beginning of July. Happy summer. :) Just kidding...I don't think it will be too bad!

Gosh, what could top that? Oh, I know...an amazing cookie recipe that I tried on Memorial Day that my family LOVED! I got it from Amanda.

They are called Salted Caramel Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies

I am a huge fan of sweet and salty so it was perfect for me!

Here is what you need:

2 sticks softened butter 3/4 Cup granulated sugar 1 Cup packed light brown sugar 2 large eggs 1 1/2 Tablespoons pure vanilla 1/4 Cup burnt caramel sauce (you can use any caramel sauce here, like Smuckers) 3 3/4 Cup all purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda 12 oz bag mini chocolate chips 1 1/2 Cups chopped good quality chocolate

Here is what you do...

First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. In a stand or electric mixer, beat the butter and sugars until well combined. Beat in the eggs and vanilla, and swirl in the caramel sauce until well combined.

Secondly, place the flour, salt and baking soda into a large bowl and mix. Slowly add to wet ingredients then add the chocolate chips. Save chunks for later. I mixed the dry ingredients by hand and then added them to the wet ingredients.

Yum!

Third, place a 1/4 cup scoop of cookie dough into muffin top cups.

Fourth, sprinkle a little sea salt onto the cookies

Now it is time to place your chocolate chunks on top!

Then you are ready for the oven. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown on the edges. Also, if I forgot to mention, we baked them in muffin top pans which is what the recipe said but I'm sure you could do it another way.

The result?

The recipe says it makes about 18 cookies but I think we had a few more than that. They are huge and delicious and fairly simple to make! My family ate them all up!

So....what has been keeping me from blogging this week? Well, I mentioned sometime in May that I had applied for a summer enrichment program to get more experience teaching. I am so thankful that I did receive one of the positions and will be teaching 4th grade math. This past week was orientation type stuff, setting up classrooms, planning, and Friday, we had our first day with the kids. It has been such a whirlwind already. I am trying so hard to soak it all up and learn from the good things I do and the mistakes I make. Everything has really gone fairly smooth so far but it is busy busy busy. I felt like I didn't stop this week. My mind has been going 100 miles per hour planning and thinking of new ideas and ways to teach certain things. I feel like I am getting a great experience of what actual teaching will be like. I know it is only a snapshot and not nearly as stressful but it is painting a good picture for me. So, that is what has kept me away and probably will continue to keep me away during the next four weeks. I definitely will try and update on the weekends.

I will say, I would appreciate prayers over the next few weeks. You can pray for my health. I don't want to miss a day of this program and I have already had a couple of....what they call "attacks" with my gallbladder. Basically it is where my stomach hurts really bad and I am in tears. No fun.

Also, pray that I will do my best and remember that everything, including this program, is a privilege that has been given to me by God. I have struggled with thinking I am not prepared enough or good enough to teach this summer. I know that I need to just let go of thinking that I can contribute anything to this program without the help of my Father. I just need to trust Him. You can also pray for each of the precious children that are involved with this program. I know that they need prayers!

Lastly, I have had a struggle this past week with my priorities. I know how important my time with the Lord is and yet, with this work, planning, going to sleep early so that I can wake up early, etc. I have struggled to give the Lord the time that He deserves and that I know I need with Him. Pray that I will prioritize and remember again that I am nothing without Him and that my time with Him is the most precious and valuable time I will have all day.

Okay, I am done rambling. I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend! See you in a week, if not before! :)

Crazy Love

While in Africa I finished my book for May. I kept hearing about this book from several people and I had heart so many great things. I am so glad I read it. Francis Chan is one of the most straightforward and honest authors I have ever read. There is even a hint of sarcasm in his writing. Overall, he just spits it straight which I loved. I will give you a few quotes that I really liked but I pretty much underlined the whole book so I would highly recommend reading it.

"To say that God is holy is to say that He is set apart, distinct from us. And because of His set apart-ness, there is no way we can never fathom all of who He is."

"His perfect holiness, by definition, assures us that our words can't contain Him."

"He knows each of us deeply and specifically. He knows our thoughts before we think them, our actions before we commit them, whether we are lying down or sitting or walking around. He knows who we are and what we are about. We cannot escape Him, not even if we want to."

A scary, yet comforting truth.

"God never excuses sin. And He is always consistent with that ethic. Whenever we start to question whether God really hates sin, we have only to think of the cross, where His Son was tortured, mocked, and beaten because of sin. Our sin."

"The point of your life is to point to Him. Whatever you are doing, God wants to be glorified, because this whole thing is His. It is His movie, His world, His gift."

"....when we love God, we naturally run to Him--frequently and zealously.........Our motivation changes from guilt to love."

"The very fact that a holy, eternal, all-knowing, all-powerful, merciful, fair, and just God loves you and me is nothing short of astonishing........The greatest knowledge we can ever have is knowing God treasures us."

So true. We are so undeserving of this.

"God wants our best, deserves our best, and demands our best. From the beginning of time, He has been clear that some offerings are acceptable to Him and others are not."

"Following Christ isn't something that can be done halfheartedly or on the side. It is not a label we can display when it is useful. It must be central to everything we do and are."

"In the same way, you have to stop loving and pursuing Christ in order to sin. When you are pursuing love, running toward Christ, you do not have opportunity to wonder, 'Am I doing this right?' or 'Did I serve enough this week?' When you are running toward Christ, you are freed up to serve, love, and give thanks without guilt, worry, or fear. As long as you are running, you are safe."

As believers, we know we should run and run hard for towards Christ and yet I know I fail so often. We know what to do and we know what will satisfy...but still we choose other things.

"If we allow ourselves to live recklessly for Him, then we, too, will see His glory. We will see Him do the impossible."

I like the idea of living recklessly for Christ.

Anyways, like I said, you should probably just read this book! It is so good! Hope you all are having a happy weekend!

Two Unforgettable Weeks

Go ahead and prep yourself that this might be a long blog post. I know it has taken me a long time to finally compose it all! In fact, it has been days. I will come and write a little bit then leave it alone for a while. How do you sum up two extremely life-changing weeks in Africa? It is extremely challenging. I decided to go through and share some of the major experiences we had while we were there. This probably won't touch the surface of all that I learned but I'll give it a go.

We left Atlanta on May 8th and headed for Amsterdam. We ended up being delayed in Atlanta therefore missing our connection in Amsterdam. Day one and already a test of faith. Upon realizing there would not be another flight out of Amsterdam until 10:30 the next morning, I failed. The water works started. Poor Sam...he just didn't understand. I figured it was preparing him for his wife one day. We girls are pretty emotional. Oh, and Delta did not compensate us...at all. We got a little money for some food but that is about it. Sam and I set-up camp and prepared for a longgg 22 hours in the Amsterdam airport. Don't worry, I only had one melt down at the very beginning. It wasn't all bad though....we had some fun and because of a lack of sleep, took some delirious pictures. :)

Our pal Ronald....

After finally boarding our flight to Nairobi, Kenya the next day, we could not wait to be there! The next day at about 8 p.m. we were greeted by Michael and Lesley and lots of rain! We headed to their house, ate some dinner, chatted, showered and hit the hay.

The next day was pretty relaxed. By our third day there we were hitting the ground running. We only had two weeks and the Steven's were so sweet to make sure we got lots of Kenyan experiences in our short time there. Michael teaches at an American school so unfortunately, he wasn't with us all day everyday. We were, however, in great hands with our guide, Lesley. Lesley works in a slum called Kibera with an organization called D.I.G. She has helped some AIDS victims learn to plant their own vegetables so that they can nourish themselves properly.

We went to that slum several days and the first day we were greeted by the Steven's good friend Moses. After meeting Moses and talking with him a little bit the one word that I would use to describe him is, selfless. This man is so willing to serve. In fact he thrives on it. Everyone knows him and loves him. He loves to help people. Anyways, Moses showed us a school in Kibera that could really use our help. We went to visit the school and see the kids.

Overlooking Kibera....1.2 million people living on 600 acres.

We can NEVER complain....

They LOVE having their picture taken!

Beautiful Lesley showing us the garden in Kibera

The next day, Sam and I actually started teaching a little bit. They have all the same subjects except unlike public school in the states, they have CRE or Christian Religious Education. I was all about teaching that and it was what they loved to learn. I taught math, english, science, and reading as well. I was just excited that I actually got to share the gospel with many Kenyan kids at a school! Talk about an experience that is not likely to happen without serious consequences in the states. It was such an amazing experience.

Sam teaching...

Moses....These kids LOVED him!

Lunch time! Quite possibly the only meal they get all day....

Seriously....how cute is this face?

I love this picture!

Another fun opportunity was getting to help at a special education center called Heshima which means respect in Kiswahili. Children with disabilities are pretty much disowned in Africa. Parents, mostly fathers, are so ashamed of these children that they leave them locked up in houses or closets and do not care for them. We met Tracy, an American missionary who started this center for children with disabilities. What a blessing this was. They were precious and so smart!! I was so impressed by all that Tracy had done to make this center nice for these children.

FYI: If you want to make a donation to this ministry that is in great need or if you just want more information...their website is:

www.heshimachildrenscenterkenya.wordpress.com

We had the opportunity to shadow teachers at Michael's school as well. As I said, this is an American school so it was definitely different than the slums but still very different from the states as well. In case you didn't know, Sam is a secondary education/history major and I am an elementary education major so that is why we were set up with all of these experiences in schools!

The one full weekend that we were there, the Steven's took us on a weekend safari. First, we went to Lake Naivasha. We went on a walking safari at Crescent Island. It was so much fun and so cool!! Here are some pictures from that safari.

Great Rift Valley

Hello zebras...

Sam even killed one of the big 5....the cape buffalo. Stud.

So...to southerners this may not be a prize to kill.. It is called a Dik Dik and it is the smallest deer in the world. This is a full grown Dik Dik. How cute!

monkey

Beautiful! We got so close!

The next day we headed to Lake Nakuru. We went on a driving safari there. Again, so cool. Such fun experiences.

I like this picture...there were a million flamingos in the background

Beautiful African sunrise...

So...maybe we were really close to this zebra.. haha.

We also had the opportunity to FEED giraffes while we were there! Pretty sweet....

We also went to the market and learned to barter from Lesley. However, I have to say, no one can barter like this girl. She would fight and fight till she got the best prices! On our last day there we climbed the Ngong Hills. This was intense but there were some magnificent views.

After climbing the hills we headed home to finish packing and headed to the airport around 6:30. It was such a long trip back and we were so thankful to be greeted by some beautiful faces when we got home.

I took over 1,000 pictures so...I couldn't share them all. haha. We saw lots more animals and had more amazing views. Here are a couple of pictures from our last day at the school...

I'm in there somewhere!

I wanted to take sweet Cynthia home with me

So...that was my trip. I cannot explain the ins and outs of all the I experienced and learned while I was there. I can say that we, as Americans, are blessed beyond what we could ever imagine. We should never be allowed to complain. Those children that I had the privilege of meeting have NOTHING and still are thankful and content. It is a desperate land.

Also, the Lord has definitely been breaking my heart more and more for the world. I mean, if you would have asked me 3 years ago if I ever saw myself living overseas I would have said, "I hope that I would go where the Lord would lead me but I really just think I am supposed to serve in the states and maybe go on short-term trips." I still hope that I would say this. I do only want to be in the center of His perfect will. However, I think the Lord has definitely used these last two summers to break down some major walls. I am excited to see where God will allow me to serve one day. Whether it be in Mobile, Alabama forever or somewhere across the world. I am thankful that He allows me to have even a small part.

If you have made it to the end of this forever long post...Congrats! I hope you got just a small insight into what I experienced. Sorry it has taken me almost 5 days to officially post this. I will be back with more posts soon! I start my summer job/enrichment program next week and I finished my book for May while in Africa! So...lots to update!! I am still trying to catch up on sleep and get back in the swing of things.

Finally, I have to give a huge congratulations to two very special people and two amazing friends. Richard and Brynn are ENGAGED! It happened on Tuesday and I could not be more thrilled for these two! Congrats my friends!

Until later, Bwana asi fiwe! (Praise the Lord in Kiswahili)

Africa! Africa! Africa!

Well, school officially ended for me yesterday at about 8:45 am. Summer is here. Yes! The summer is starting out crazy and busy. Saturday is the day! Sam and I are leaving and heading across the world to Africa! We are so excited! Can't you tell?

I cannot wait to see what the Lord is going to do in both our lives. I'll be honest...flying across the world with just my brother is a little on the scary side but I am sure that it will fine. I am excited to see another part of the world. I know it will be such an amazing opportunity and I am so thankful!

So...obviously, this will be my last post for a couple of weeks.

Prayer requests? I have plenty!

You can pray for our safety. Pray for our safety as we travel and while in Africa

Pray that the Lord would allow Sam and I to be an encouragement to Michael and Lesley while we are there.

Pray that we might be an encouragement to those we meet in Africa.

Pray that the gospel would go out. (As it should every single day)

Pray that we would make the absolute most of every moment we have there!

I suppose you could pray that we enjoy ourselves...although I am pretty sure that is inevitable. :)

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you for the prayers! They are so appreciated!

I don't know if Africa is ready for us......... :)

See you in two weeks! Maybe I'll be able to post a picture or something while I am there!