Vacation pictures

Chris and I went on vacation to New England last month, here are a couple of pictures. It was so beautiful and fun. :) You guys should all go sometime if you haven't.

New York (thats manhattan in the background)
Newport, RI
This is at Eastern Nazarene College (Chris's Alma Mater) where we first decided that we wanted to date. :)
At Plymouth Rock

"Safely Home"

My cousin Sarah recommended THIS book to me right before Chris and I went to NYC & Boston. I didn't know if I would have any time to read besides on the plane, but I love to read so I got the book and figured I would get to it at some point.
Well I ended up reading it pretty quickly because it is so amazing that I could hardly put it down.

I don't want to give away the story, but EVERYONE should read it. 

It has changed my worldview in so many ways, and opened my eyes to realities that I was blind to. 

I already know a few other people who have read it and they all agree with me so you need to read it! :) It will grow you, I promise. AND it will make you cry, but that's ok. 

Do it! ;)

This stirs my passion...

I read this quote below in a blog that I really like. I think it's excitingly true. Sometimes it seems like so much of what "the church" (in America) gives so much of it's time to is fluff....nice stuff I guess, but its not the core. So much entertaining and eye catching - but no depth. It sounds weird to say its exciting that some stuff is meaningless, but it is. Because if that were where the meaning was...it would be depressing, but ITS NOT. :)!! We have so much more! We have hope and truth and love! We don't need a flashy way to share it, we just need the real thing. I love that we are creative beings, but that doesn't change what people need - we all need one thing...

"There is a place for media, for creating atmospheres for conversation and growth, for writing and being creative, for sharing what God has taught us, and for sharing food within our congregations. However we must re-orient all of it so that it is subject to the cross. Everything we do as the Bride of Christ must be done in such a way as that the Good News of our Lord Jesus Christ takes prominence in all things. Unless it is telling the story of the Good News of the Kingdom of God, it is meaningless. Unless it is coming alongside people where they are at, it is meaningless. Unless it is reaching those that are not yet Christ's followers it is meaningless. Unless it is focused on maturing those who have become Christ's followers it is meaningless. But mostly if we are not cultivating mature Christian's that go out to where the hurt and lost are at it is meaningless. In other words it is all about becoming part of the ongoing Mission of God. And that is a mission too grand and wondrous to be packaged, marketed, and sold." - David Brush

I love that we can go to "where the hurt and lost are" with hope. We are all hurt at lost sometimes. And we all need the hope that Jesus gives us. And its free!! :) We don't have to trick people's eyes or minds into the real thing, it is what it is, and its good.

Lily!

Yay, we have a dog! :) Chris and I got a spaniel mix puppy named Lillian - we call her Lily. We adopted her from a pet resort that also takes in/finds homes for abandoned animals. Lily was found all alone. :( She is about 10 months old now and so cute! I have never seen a dog who wants to cuddle so much! She just wants to lay around on us or jump around on us when she is ready to play. There is only one problem....Lily dislikes pretty much EVERYONE but us.

Anytime other people are around...especially in our house...she stiffens up and keeps her distance. Sometimes she even growls at them. It makes me upset because she is so much fun and I want other people to see that too.

We think that she was abused in some way before she came to live with us. We took her to my brothers baseball game and we were sitting behind the batting box...when a player stood there and swung the bat...she flipped out. She was scared of the bat. She also cowers when I ge out the broom :( It makes me so sad.

We are hoping that she will get to the point where she is comfortable with others...so far she is only comfortable with us and my brothers girlfriend (haha, I don't know what it is, but she likes her). We need the dog whisperer or somethin'!

Regardless of her edgyness around other people we have a lot of fun with her and love her very much. She loves being squished between both of us more than anything. I guess she feels safe there. I just hope we can help her get used to others!

I Love Chuck-town...

Charleston is one of my most favorite places in the wide world! Growing up in S.C., I spent weekends there with my family. We rented bikes, went to the market, played in the fountains, and went to Folly Beach. It was always so much fun. In college I spent some time there visiting my friend Erin. THEN, I graduated and actually got to live there with her for a while. (She is such an amazing friend that she let me live with her rent free!!) This was an interesting time in my life. I was so excited to move and then boom - I was out of college for good and had to face the fact that it was time to start working to survive. Charleston was a transition place for me. It feels like home even though I only really lived there a few months.

Sometimes there are aspects of "ole' SC" that I don't want to embrace. Some things about the South aren't my most favorite...but Charleston does not fall into that category. Atleast a few times a week something reminds me of how much I wish I could be there.

Chris and I go as often as we can...who knows, maybe one day we will live there together. :) But whether we do or not...it's always going to feel like home.

Kids Are The Best!

I am a girl who LOVES being around kids. I believe that God gives all of us different passions to shape who we are and what we will do with our lives. I know that working with children is in his plan for me. I don't know many people who don't "like" kids, but I sometimes think that there are a lot of people who, though the like them, don't really understand them. I feel like I have insight in this area, and it's an amazing thing to try to figure out what is going on in those heads. I love giving them a little more freedom than most adults do - not in a dangerous way - but just to see what they do with it. It's usually very entertaining. :)
I do get lots of laughs and good stories from stuff like that, but I think the real reason I enjoy it so much has a deeper origin. As a toddler I lost my mom to cancer. I was barely 2, so I don't remember much about her from that time. What I do remember is knowing that all of the adults around me had no idea that I understood anything that was going on. I remember sitting in a room full of people and being fully aware of every conversation in the room...and knowing that to the people there - I was blissfully ignorant "as a child should be". They could not have been more wrong. From personal experience I know what it's like to not be taken seriously as a child, and it can be damaging. (I want to point out that while I am aware of these things, I hold no one responsible. My family did the best that they knew to do and they loved and cared for me through the hardest thing any of us could face.) I only point this out to say that it has shaped me. It has given me a heart that fights for the good of the children that I meet; a heart that gives them a fair chance to understand and to ask and to grow. A heart that will always seek to make sure that the children around me are never overlooked. Sometimes all they need is someone to listen, to treat them as though they have valuable thoughts and worthy minds....even if they are only 1 and 1/2 years old.
I have many opportunities to work with kids - through my husbands job, family members, and friends who already have their own (I still like when I can give them back after a few hours - not time for our own yet ;) ) and I am thankful for all of these things. I feel in my heart that God has given me this passion for more than just part time. I don't know how that will play out - especially since my college education did not focus in this area and I'm not sure I want to teach in a classroom - but I am constantly asking that He will show me how to use it. I want to know!! It excites me to think of the possibilities (what would it be like to LIKE my job?!?! Haha.) But whether it becomes a career or not, I am thankful for this gift. I am thankful that this is part of who I am.
I spent hours last night playing with our friends' son, Wesley. He is so smart and cute and makes me laugh so much. He recently learned how to say my name which comes out "Gee-gee"...at least he's got the correct # of syllables, right? :) He is going to be the worlds best drummer some day...and I think I will buy him his 1st drum set for his 2nd birthday next month. (His parents will love it!)

Oh, and the picture at the top is me...back when I could eat ice cream. I think I was pretty cool. :)

This is who I am

I'm still not sure about this blogging thing. I don't know yet if I will keep up with it, but we will see. I'm not sure what direction it's going to go, but I've been realizing some things that make me who I am lately...small things - but things none-the-less. :) I think if/when I start...I will start there....