December 2010

December was definitely a busy month for me. It was not as busy as I thought but I still found plenty of things to do with my time. In early December, I had my 3 photo shoots which were all learning experiences. It was fantastic to learn and get to actually take pictures of my friends!

Then the next weekend, I had my 26th birthday. I spent some time just relaxing and then on my birthday, my two good friends Jaimie and Katie took me out to dinner at Olive Garden. We were supposed to go to the one close to their houses but as Jaimie arrived to put in our name, it was surrounded by fire trucks and the power was out! So we thought about what we could do and because I had my heart set on Olive Garden, we trucked all the way back to the one in DG near my house. It was a wonderful evening of just talking and enjoying serious girl time. As if the OG being surrounded by fire trucks and not having power wasn't crazy enough, on our way home, the roads were covered in ICE! It was a very slick and tricky ride home to say the least. I'm so grateful for these two women and the impact they've made on my life.

The next week was filled with making Christmas gifts, thinking about Christmas gifts and keeping up with all the Christmas going-ons at work. Needless to say the week was a little crazy. We had our staff work party on the last day and it was lots of fun.

Finally, I had the last two weeks off of work. I did a lot of sleeping and just relaxing as I tried to recover from the craziness that is the 3-week sprint from Thanksgiving to Christmas break at work. I spent a lot of time with my college girls, high school girls and my good friends. On Christmas Eve, I ate dinner at my parents with my grandma and then my siblings and I went out to sled and slide on the ice near their house. We left the house at about 11pm and had so much fun. It was light outside from the lights bouncing off the snow. I will try to post some pictures soon. (Honestly, at the moment, I'm too lazy to get up and get the camera for the SD card.) It was a memorable night that I will never forget!

I spent Christmas at my parents. I slept over Christmas Eve, then Christmas night. I loved spending time in my pj's on Christmas. In the past, I had always gone over to my aunt's house to spend a little Christmas with my aunt and cousin (and all the other family that used to come together). It was the year to switch everything up now that life has changed. I loved spending time with the siblings even though we had a few moments where we got at each other because we were all sooo tired from staying up so late! Both nights, I was up til at least 1am!

During the last week of my break, I spent a lot of time with friends and relaxing once again. I loved sleeping in and just doing things to catch up on life.

All in all, break was truly an escape. I spent a lot of time thinking about life and spending time EXPERIENCING life as it came to me.

Hope you all had a MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Shoots for Christmas Cards

In early December, I had 3 photo shoots for close friends that wanted family Christmas card pictures. For 2 of them, I had the families at my home and I set up shop here. I don't know why I didn't take a picture of the set up but I moved the couch in our living room, and hung a thick black piece of material I had laying around up as a backdrop. I had some books, strings of beads, and blankets to use for the shoots. I had two little girls (my "nieces") over first. I seitched back and forth between the girls as mom changed their outfits and as they needed breaks in between shots. I came up with some really cute pictures of the girls which I will soon post here. I realized just how much of a workout a shoot can be. I was standing above the girls, laying down on the ground and just about everywhere in between. Then I had my friend Jaimie, her husband and sweet little girl, Brooke, here. I took pictures of the whole family, each of them with Brooke and some just of Brooke. They also turned out well especially the ones we ventured outdoors to get in the VERY first snow of the season...they were so neat! You will also see some of their pics up here very soon. Both of these shoots were back to back and I even got a couple shots of all 3 girls together. It was a very fun but also exhausting day to say the least. Then later in the week, I took pictures of a family I've known for a long time. They were fun to work with and I did it at their house which taught me a lot too!

I know that I have a lot to learn yet and am so grateful for my friends that have helped me to get to where I am today. You can check out Robb's work here and the Maas' here.  I definitely learned a lot and am excited to get some more shoots set up for the coming months! :)

Photography and so much more...

In the almost two months since I last posted, "The Journey" has continued. I have continued to work through the difficult situation that I have previously written about in my posts. God has been doing a lot of work in my heart and in my life. I continue to deal with the emotions and the changes that have occured because of everything but I have found some purpose in it already and am praying that I'll find more. God used a really neat opportunity the other day for me to share basically straight from His Word and point others towards Him and His Will rather than the desires of this world. I had prayed for this opportunity and God provided...in His Timing...not my own.

On to other things...

I have ventured out into a world unknown, well sorta, to me called photography. I have always loved the intrigue and mystery and simplistic beauty of photos. I took a class in high school but we developed in a dark room and the process seemed too daunting for me at that point in my life. With the innovations of DSLR's and so much more, I'm in a new world. I just got a new lense this week and am looking forward to using it in the coming weeks. I have had some friends ask me to do their Christmas photos, etc... I am so thankful for their patience and encouragement as I learn and grow as a "photographer". (I don't like labeling myself a ___________ until I feel confident or actually hold that position--like teacher-- but I've realized that I have to go ahead and say it!) I have a blog devoted solely to photography so you can check it out here if you would like.

Over the last week, I've witnessed some really great things. We had 8 planned and 2 "unplanned" baptisms at our new church. It was encouraging to see that what God has sent us to do is REALLY happening! Then yesterday, I got to witness two very good friends say "I do" to each other FOREVER! It was truly a special celebration of love and God's work in two people's lives. Today, a good friend had her baby shower. Her and her husband moved away this summer to follow a calling God had placed on his heart and its been hard to lose such good friends but God is using them where they are at.

I'm 'ready' to go back to work tomorrow after 9 days off....only for the routine though. I guess payday being Tuesday helps too!

Finding HOPE

I just finished reading a good friend's blog. The last year has been a very difficult and then exciting journey for her and her husband. Her latest post shares her hope in even her deepest time of sorrow for them. Its such an encouragement to see how God has worked in their lives over the past year and drawn them closer to Him. As many of you know, I've recently gone through a difficult situation where God left me completely dependent on Him to be my Healer and Strength. There has been a passage that has stuck out to me through the time I've been struggling and its Romans 12. Verse 12 says "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer". God has been using this as a wonderful reminder that even in the midst of something painful and watching those hurt me continue on, I need to love them and be praying for them and to have HOPE! This I must always remember: "God sent His Son to the cross to bear His wrath for sinners like you and me." - C.J. Mahaney in Living the Cross Centered Life

DA BEARS are 3-0!!!!!!

On Monday night, my BEARS went 3-0 much to the shagrin of my dearest friends who are Vikings and Giants fans! I spent it with Katie, Haley and Maddie and converted Haley to 50% Bears fan and the other half as a Giants fan! She didn't want to eat her dinner or go to bed because she was having "cozies" with Auntie D on the couch cheering on Da Bears....she didn't even like the commercials...she kept saying "come, come, come" (meaning come back on game!). It was a FUN night and Katie made us dinner!!!!!!!!!! :) YUMMY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rest and rexlaxation...

This last weekend, I jetted off after work on Friday to the DC area to visit my dad and stepmom! It was a good flight Friday evening and I was mesmerized by the sun setting with the moon in the sky and the way it hit the clouds being so far up in the air...you'd think I'd never been on a plane but it was truly a neat experience! I just wished my camera hadn't been buried in my bag! On Saturday, I was treated to a "spa morning" where I received a facial...always an interesting experience..and then a 30 minutes massage...always an AMAZING thing!!!!!!!!!! I walked out and probably looked drunk because I was soooo relaxed and could barely remember how to put one foot in front of the other!!!!!!!! Then we went to see the play Chess in a swanky little modern theater. Then we went to a fun restaurant for dinner! I had the coolest plate I think I've ever eaten out of. It was one of those deep bowl-plates and the "bowl" part was in the shape of a star! Sweet! Then we relaxed at home for the rest of the evening. The next day, we went for bagels, took a little walk in Old Town, ran to the pet store and then went home and watched a lot of FOOTBALL!!!!!! It was so nice to just relax...and dose off every now and then. We had dinner at one of my favorite restaurants in the world KING STREET BLUES!!!!!!! Finally, it was time to hop back on a plan to head home...although it was a turbulent flight...I made it home safe and then reality set in...the next day I had to go back to work! I got to bed and was well rested and felt really good at work the next day!

An Update

In some of my posts last week and weeks prior, I mentioned that I was really struggling to feel like anything was going my way. I am glad to say that God is providing restoration where it is needed and peace where it is needed. He is also teaching me a great deal of patience in dealing with life right now. There is a lot going on still but I know that God is with me every step of the way. I have grown closer to God through all of this and its where I intend to stay. I know that there will be times of great struggle but I also know that Christ will pick me up and there will only be one set of footprints in the sand...when I need it most! Thank you for your prayers and support!

Choose

My mom passed this on from a friend...thought you all might want to read it. What's your choice?

Read this


LET IT REALLY SINK IN......                 THEN CHOOSE...

John is the kind of guy you love to hate. He is always in a good mood and always has something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, 'If I were any better, I would be twins!'

He was a natural motivator.

If an employee was having a bad day, John was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation.

Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up and asked him, 'I don't get it!'

'You can't be a positive person all of the time.

How do you do it?'

He replied, 'Each morning I wake up and say to myself, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or... you can choose to be in a bad mood.

I choose to be in a good mood.'
Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or... I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it.

Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or... I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life.

'Yeah, right, it's not that easy,' I protested.

'Yes, it is,' he said. 'Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people affect your mood.

You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line: It's your choice how you live your life.'

I reflected on what he said. Soon hereafter, I left the Tower Industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it.

Several years later, I heard that he was involved in a serious accident, falling some 60 feet from a communications tower.

After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, he was released from the hospital with rods placed in his back.

I saw him about six months after the accident.

When I asked him how he was, he replied, 'If I were any better, I'd be twins...Wanna see my scars?'

I declined to see his wounds, but I did ask him what had gone through his mind as the accident took place.

'The first thing that went through my mind was the well-being of my soon-to-be born daughter,' he replied. 'Then, as I lay on the ground, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live or... I could choose to die. I chose to live.'

'Weren't you scared? Did you lose consciousness?' I asked.

He continued, '... the paramedics were great.

They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the ER and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read 'he's a dead man'. I knew I needed to take action.'

'What did you do?' I asked.

'Well, there was a big burly nurse shouting questions at me,' said John. 'She asked if I was allergic to anything 'Yes, I replied.' The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, 'Gravity''

Over their laughter, I told them, 'I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead.'
He lived, thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude....I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully.

Attitude, after all, is everything.

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.' Matthew 6:34.
After all today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday.

Settling in...

...I am finally, starting, to settle in for the new school year. As my schedule is 'finalized' (never really final for an instructional assistant), I am starting to see what might be challenges and what I can do to help improve the school environment. We are experiencing a lot of change as we have added new staff to the building and will be welcoming our new secretary tomorrow. I am enjoying working with the 1st graders since its the only grade I'm certified for that I haven't had much experience with in the actual school setting...plenty of first graders in my babysitting world! :) I am also supervising lunch for some fourth graders that I have had for the last two years in the classroom. Its definitely a challenge but I know their "shenanigans" and can easily detect any mischief! :)

...I am starting to somewhat, sorta, feel settled at FCCC! Its been a great journey but it has not been without its challenges. In late January, I officially left the church I had called HOME for 16 years! This was definitely a challenge because this is where I was fed spiritually and gained strength and support during difficult times in life as I grew to be who I am today. There are many people there that made a significant impact on my life and I'm grateful for EACH and EVERY single person! I think one of the most difficult parts was leaving the students of GEBC. They had taught me a lot about love, ministry and myself! I hadn't planned to dive into youth ministry...in fact, hadn't even really thought about it, when I moved back and asked Dave if he needed chaperones for a trip (that I knew would be fun but thought I might find a new passion--which I did!) and he needed one so I hopped in a van with a bunch of students I had never met....and I've never been the same. God used these students in my life to teach me more than I ever imagined they could. I know the impact leaders made in my life and I'm daily grateful for the opportunity to TRY and do the same for them. I have left, with much love shown to me by those students...and lots of sadness....to come a minister to the students at FCCC. I'm excited and nervous as we are "starting from scratch". God's going to use me in spite of my inadequacies and I'm excited to see what He does. I've been fortunate enough that Christina has had the faith and patience with me as I have learned to play guitar in front of the congregation. Before a friend of mine left, I would play with him but now that he's gone, I've been "thrown in the deep end" and have been swimming upstream as I attempt to learn and grow as a guitarist. It would have been so easy to say, "no" but I knew that God was opening a door I had never planned but had always dreamed about! The journey continues and I'm waiting to see what God has next!!!!!!!!!!!! :)

KICK-OFF Launch of FCCC

WOW! That's all I could say after kick-off launch Sunday at FCCC 2 weeks ago already! God brought a lot of new people to our church and we also had a lot of family and friends that joined us. It was a special day as we started a new part of the journey called "church planting". (I've also been able to explain what church planting is and about FCCC to many new families that have interviewed me for babysitting recently!) Each week we've had tons of new visitors..I barely recgonize half of the congregation. I'm fortunate enough to be on stage so I get to see everyone and how each week, there are fewer and fewer empty chairs. God is doing amazing things and I'm excited to see how the next couple of months go. I can't imagine all that God will be doing in the church! Tonight will be my first night with the youth of FCCC! I'm excited and nervous. I know that my SUMMIT family will always be in my heart and I'm grateful for them and the amazing love and support they have shown me as I have been led by God on this new journey.

A little about how I started this journey for those that don't know:
Three years ago, I had a decision to make as I finished college/my Masters program. I could either stay in Nashville and most likely have a job or move home to watch my brothers and sister grow up through the end of high school and have to find a job. I am very close to my siblings and really felt as though that is really where God was calling me. As I came home, I decided to join in with the youth at my home church GEBC. I found a new passion for high school students and ended up staying with the ministry for 2 years until just recently leaving to pursue the youth of FCCC. I remember hearing about the church plant when I would come home to visit and decided to check out one of the meetings. As the discussion grew and we finally had decided on a location, it was clear to me that God was calling me there...as it was going to be planted in the town I was living in at the time...and still am!!!!  I continued attending the meetings and just felt like it was part of God's plan for me. I can see part of why God has called me here but I know there is much more to be seen!