Do.Justice

If you walk down the halls they are filled with scripture, career fair announcements, the sounds of babies crying and a feeling of accomplishment. If you enter a room, there are two beds that express comfort, pictures on the walls of people that they love and that they are trying desperately to improve for and if you look closer you can see touches that God all around the room. It's a center for hope! A chance to start over and be renewed. That's what I saw today at My Sister's House during our Do.justice project.†

It was an early morning but a morning full of service. We showed up around 8 AM, light blue shirts in hand and a little card with our destination in our pockets. We were to work until our time was up but I never knew I would learn so much more than how to pull weeds and rake leaves.

I learned about some amazing women who have overcome some tough trials and situations in their life. Women who decided to take back their life and become clean...not only clean from their worldly failures but clean in their walk with Jesus. They told us stories of drugs, living under bridges, being abused and abusing themselves by the way they were living. Stories that brought sadness to my heart. But then they told us the stories that brought happiness to my heart. Tales of them finding Jesus and rededicating their lives to the Lord. Becoming a new creation. It was incredible! One of the best service projects and learning experiences I've ever had!

Here are some photos from the day:

That's me and Mihir! Look at those muscles, haha

We were so happy to have a rake at this point :)

Smiles were consistent throughout the day.

Praise God for Do.Justice!

He has shown all you people what is good.
And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.
~ Micah 6:8

Click to hear Micah 6:8 by Charlie Hall

Gentlemen, start your engines...

On your mark. Get Set. RACE! GO GO GO

Those were the words that swirling in my head tonight as the guys pulled out on to the track... well that and GO GO Speed Racer!

Today was Chris Lynch's birthday and he wanted to celebrate getting older by heading to the tracks, the Andretti tracks that is. Ahhh the smell of burning rubber and exhaust fumes mixed with sweat and concrete. The excitement of several guys all implying that their car will be the fastest and that all the other drivers will be eating their dust...well fumes :)

Can't you picture it? If not maybe these will help:




Yep they all had flame retardant suits and helmets just in case things got a little out of hand. These guys made a statement in their suits though, far more than it being a safety requirement! I believe the statement was "I look good in my suit, I will drive fast in my car and everyone will want to wear my race number after tonight!" haha.

It was a fun time and the guys looked like they really enjoyed themselves! I can't say for sure but I think Chris had a fantastic time for his birthday.

Happy Birthday buddy!

Lesson for the day...

...never judge a book by it's cover!

Susan Boyle: Unemployed 47-year-old becomes overnight music superstar

When 47-year-old small town spinster Susan Boyle stepped on to the stage of Britain's Got Talent and announced she was unemployed, had never been married and "never been kissed, actually," few in the audience would have wondered why. With unkempt hair and Leonid Breshnev eyebrows, and mention of her ten-year-old cat "Pebbles," the Blackburn, Scotland lass resembled basically every other reality TV talent show timewaster who talks big and delivers nothing but personal humiliation on a national stage.

But then Susan Boyle opened her mouth and sang I Dreamed a Dream from Les Miserables, and her world changed forever.

The audience rose within seconds to applaud her incredible voice as the celebrity judges sat open-mouthed, and remained standing to the end, delivering a standing ovation that had even the most hardened reality TV snob tearing up.

Journalist and TV host Piers Morgan said, "Without a doubt that was the biggest surprise I have had in three years on the show. When you stood there with that cheeky grin and said, 'I wanna be like Elaine Paige', everyone was laughing at you. No one is laughing now. That was stunning, an incredible performance. Amazing. I'm reeling from shock."

Actress Amanda Holden followed, "I am so thrilled because I know that everybody was against you. I honestly think that we were all being very cynical and I think that's the biggest wake up call ever. And I just want to say that it was a complete privilege listening to that."

Even American Idol cynic Simon Cowell couldn't help but get on the Susan Boyle bandwagon, laughingly saying, "From the moment you walked on the stage, I knew..."

The internet duly exploded with Susan Boyle-mania, with her YouTube video bringing 5.6 million viewings in just three days. Her performance has been seen on CNN and been plastered on newspaper pages from Australia to New York.

Britain's Got Talent: Susan Boyle

Increased demand from music downloaders has sent the original cast recording of the song she performed up the iTunes singles chart, and to top it all off, Boyle has said she has already had a meeting with Sony BMG with a view to releasing an album. "I can't say much about it. It's early days and I'm taking baby steps."

All of this fuss must be difficult to comprehend for the youngest of nine children who had given up a potential singing career to look after her sick mother, but it's just beginning. Boyle will be back for the second round of the series, which she's currently rated at odds of 5/2 of winning by UK bookmakers.

cparry@vancouversun.com
© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun

If it ain't broke...

BLOG by Jen

Today my coworkers and I were in the mood for some high-society dining, so we decided to hit up the food court at the mall for lunch. We walked into the mall and found that the escalator was broken. There was an "out of order" sign posted along the barricades in front of the escalator and a cute little sign that pointed us to the stairs on the other side of the mall that we could use in lieu of the broken escalator. Though I appreciate the mall administrators for providing an alternate route, my question is simply: Can an escalator ever really be broken? I mean, they're still stairs. Why did I have to use the stairs on the other side of the mall when I could have used the stairs so conveniently provided by the brokenness of the escalator? Take home point: We should be more like escalators. They always live up to their potential even when broken.

I have posted a link that illustrates the absurdness of this situation. Enjoy.
Escalator Temporarily Stairs

Whistles, Bows, Chocolate and Friends!

Words will not do this weekend justice so I am going to use pictures :)

Emily and Alister III! Three years and running. Let me just tell you, he tasted yummy!

Girls and their Easter bags. We were on a mission to find the most eggs

Yep, that is an amazing cupcake!

Can you guess who won?

J-than looked a little sad about his bag full of rocks.

Oh and did I mention that I learned how to shoot a bow N arrow? Well I did!

The Cross

The cross. Can you turn any direction without seeing one? Perched atop a chapel. Carved into a graveyard headstone. Engraved in a ring or suspended on a chain. The cross is the universal symbol of Christianity. An odd choice, don’t you think? Strange that a tool of torture would come to embody a movement of hope. The symbols of other faiths are more upbeat: the six-pointed star of David, the crescent moon of Islam, a lotus blossom for Buddhism. Yet a cross for Christianity? An instrument of execution?

Would you wear a tiny electric chair around your neck? Suspend a gold-plated hangman’s noose on the wall? Would you print a picture of a firing squad on a business card? Yet we do so with the cross. Many even make the sign of the cross as they pray. Would we make the sign of, say, a guillotine? Instead of the triangular touch on the forehead and shoulders, how about a karate chop on the palm? Doesn’t quite have the same feel, does it?

Why is the cross the symbol of our faith? To find the answer look no farther than the cross itself. Its design couldn’t be simpler. One beam horizontal—the other vertical. One reaches out—like God’s love. The other reaches up—as does God’s holiness. One represents the width of his love; the other reflects the height of his holiness. The cross is the intersection. The cross is where God forgave his children without lowering his standards.

How could he do this? In a sentence: God put our sin on his Son and punished it there.

“God put on him the wrong who never did anything wrong, so we could be put right with God” (2 Cor. 5:21 MSG).

And we're off!

Nashville here I come!

He has finally arrived!

Look out world...


...here comes Luke Russell Hinton!

Is he not the most precious thing you've ever seen. Today Luke made his way into the world greeting his parents Aaron and Downey Hinton. He was born this afternoon weighing in at 8 pounds even and 20 inches long. He couldn't be more perfect or more precious!

This little boy has the most amazing parents. They are two of my very best friends and two people that I have learned so much from. Downey and Aaron have both taught me so much about faith, love and waiting on the Lord. Their friendship means the world to me and I am so excited for them as they embark on a new chapter of their life...PARENTING :)

But I must I do not envy all those sleepless nights you guys are about to embark upon, haha! Love you both! Oh and the countdown has begun... I must meet this amazing little boy ASAP! You better believe I will be Oak Island bound real soon :)

National Champions...

...need I say more?

Oh wait there is more. Not only did we celebrate the NCAA Championship with a lot of jumping around and yelling go Tar Heels, we also had a party! Yay for parties centered around Carolina Blue t-shirts and cupcakes!




It was a memorable evening! Assorted UNC apparel, powder blue frosted cupcakes, good friends and one intense game...oh wait it wasn't intense, we were always up by like 15 :)

Oh and one more thing, where was Duke?



Oh that's right, they dipped out early!

The Righteous Room

So much to tell you but I just can't figure out where to begin. I had a jam packed weekend and it's crazy but the past two days felt like two weeks! How is it that I can fit so much into so few hours. I will give you the run down....

Friday: worked(that's important), dinner(that's extra important) and a movie(the most important). Why was the movie so important? Well because it was 'The Fast and the Furious.' Now I'm not saying it's the greatest movie ever...I know the acting is bad...but come on, the action in that movie is ridiculous! I was exhausted after the first 5 minutes of the movie...in a good way! I give it two thumbs and a pinky up :)

Saturday: Oil Change, Apartment paperwork(to make Cambi legal), errands like no other, hair appointment(that's a whole blog in itself), bread making discussion with Nikki, dinner at Chow Baby, BRIAN REGAN...pause... I absolutely adore that man. He makes me laugh at things that shouldn't even be funny. Favorite Regan joke... definitely snow cones! Check it out...and no he didn't draw the cartoons for it, haha - SNOW CONES, after Regan, you guessed it, Final Four UNC vs. Villanova game! Go Heels.

Sunday: Slept in! Let me repeat that...I SLEPT IN! and it was glorious. I went to lunch with Walker and his buddies Phil, Jamie and Fish at The Righteous Room(best wings in Atlanta), Enjoyed the weather, went to the mall, went to the evening service at Buckhead(which was powerful), dinner with Jen and Brian then began the cupcakes for the NCAA party!

Side note - For all of you who don't have a clue about basketball, UNC has made it to the Final Championship game and we're having a party to celebrate this moment! Hence the Carolina cupcakes. We're also having homemade dip, finger foods and great tasting drinks! We're gonna make history...well not us but the Tar Heels! I just want to ride their coat tails, haha!

OK back to Sunday...I finished my awesome day off with an awesome 2 hour phone conversation! I love it when you finish a day with great conversation, with a great person!

So there it is, my weekend in a nut shell.

So now it's your turn, tell me about your weekend!

Go Heels!

And we advance to the Championship game!

UNC 83 ... VILLANOVA 69

I can't wait for tomorrow night at 9:21 PM!

Watch out Michigan State!

Examine

Examine yourselves to see if your faith is really genuine. Test yourselves. If you cannot tell that Jesus Christ is among you, it means you have failed the test.

~ 2 Corinthians 13:5, NLT

A test

Put me on trial, Lord, and cross-examine me.
Test my motives and my heart.

Psalm 26:2 (New Living Translation)

This is how I'm feeling today! Test my motives God and see where my heart truly is!

The Big -N- Nasty

I can't believe my eyes!

Did that really just happen?

The greatest game in bowling history...I think it did!

David is up to bowl, last among the other 7 bowlers and looking to take control of the game. How you ask? Simple...By taking a bite of the Big -N- Nasty and then hitting straight strikes for the rest of his game. I mean he went from like a score of 80 to a whopping 500(that might be an exaggeration but let's go with it shall we!). We shall call it the greatest game in bowling history :)

Now, I know what your next question is, "What in the world is this Big -N- Nasty that you speak of?" Well it is a mound of tater tots and chips topped with cheese, chili, jalapenos and love! It's a feast for anyone with desires of a heart attack or an all night pass to visit the porcelain throne. >HahAHaha I just said porcelain throne! You have to admit that's funny right there<

The Big -N- Nasty totally turned the game around not just for David but for everyone! It was strike heaven all around. There were turkeys and peacocks all over the place(not the birds but the strike names). Peacock is new term for six straight strikes...no arguments from the peanut gallery...that's the name!

It was an amazing night! Great bowling, new friends, deliciously disgusting food and a little bit of cuteness!

Next time there will be dancing!

Honesty

If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful
in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things,
you won't be honest with greater responsibilities.

Luke 16:10 (New Living Translation)

Chiquita is following me!

For some reason every time I turn around, there is a Chiquita sticker! Well not everywhere but in quite a few places. I'm starting to wonder if Chiquita has a new stalking plan to stalk people until they become addicted to their bananas. What a campaign that would be!

But seriously, Mal and I went to the grocery store about a week ago and discovered theses Chiquita stickers on the bananas. Every since that visit I keep finding them everywhere.

What is going on...

Chiquita sticker number 1

Chiquita sticker number 2

Chiquita stalker sticker number 3

Chiquita stalker creepy sticker number 4

Chiquita sticker number 5

I mean seriously, I think the campaign is totally working because I have been addicted to bananas for the past 8 days...banana with granola, banana sandwiches, banana creme cheesecake, banana and PB! I am going to turn into a banana(my Mom always said you are what you eat).

Does anyone know how to make them stop? I really don't want to turn into a slender yellow object that turns brown whenever it hits something. That just sounds miserable!

A birthday princess

Let me introduce you to my friend Kristi... she is a princess and she loves Jason's deli, haha! Today is her birthday and she is probably celebrating it with her husband-to-be somewhere in Alabama or maybe New York...you just never know what fun and crazy trip she has on her agenda.

Anyway on her birthday, I thought a song would be appropriate...

Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday dear Kristiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii
Happy Birthday to you!

Happy Birthday girl! Hope it was the best one yet!

Surprise!

Yep, we pulled it off! My Dad, brother and I managed to surprise my Mom with a special lunch in Raleigh for her birthday. Here's how it happened...

About a month ago, my brother and I were conversing about how we could see Mama on her birthday. Since I live about 7 hours away, we knew we would have to begin planning immediately to make it work. We let Daddy in on the surprise because he had to be the chauffeur that got her to the location. We decided we would take her to her favorite restaurant, The Cheesecake Factory in Raleigh. She would show, without knowing Brock and I would be there and be completely surprised. That was the plan!

So, everything was set...I drove up yesterday and stayed with Brock for the night so we would be in the same place and could drive up to Raleigh together. Always better to put us together then to trust us to be somewhere at the same time, on time :)

Anyway, we each called Mama to wish her Happy Birthday this morning and, of course asked her what she was doing for her special day. She told us all about how Daddy was taking her to Raleigh but he wouldn't tell her why. She said all he kept saying was 'It's a SURPRISE!' Brock and I giggled each time we got off the phone because we were so excited because we were the surprise!

Around 11:40 AM, Brock and I arrived at the restaurant, we snatched up a table and waiting anxiously staring at the door for Mama and Daddy's arrival. We finally saw them walk in so we both ducked down a bit and waited for the hostess to bring them over. When she did, we popped up and said 'Happy Birthday'... Not too loud though, I mean we were in public!

Mama was so surprised and confused all at the same time. SHe just kept saying "I thought you were working and did you fly in for this?" It was perfect!

We had some roses waiting for her on the table and a little gift to make her feel extra special :)


Here are some of the moments...


Mama and Brock showing off their yummy desserts!

This was the 30th Anniversary Cheesecake but Mama said it was to celebrate her 30th birthday, haha!

I was very excited about Daddy's Banana Creme Cheesecake! Delicious

It was an awesome day and I am so glad I got to see my Mama on her special day! Love you Mama!!!

I love this Doctor !

Q:Doctor, I've heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life; is this true?

A:Your heart is only good for so many beats, and that's it. don't waste them on exercise. Everything wears out eventually. Speeding up your heart will not make you live longer; that's like saying you can extend the life of your car by driving it faster. Want to live longer? Take a nap.


Q:Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables?

A:You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does a cow eat? Hay and corn. And what are these? Vegetables. So a steak is nothing more than an efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system. Need grain? Eat chicken. Beef is also a good source of field grass (green leafy vegetable). And a pork chop can give you 100% of your recommended daily allowance of vegetable products.


Q:Should I reduce my alcohol intake?

A:No, not at all. Wine is made from fruit. Brandy is distilled wine, that means they take the water out of the fruity bit so you get even more of the goodness that way. Beer is also made out of grain. Bottoms up!


Q:How can I calculate my body/fat ratio?

A:Well, if you have a body and you have fat, your ratio is one to one. If you have two bodies, your ratio is two to one, etc.


Q:What are some of the advantages of participating in a regular exercise program?

A:Can't think of a single one, sorry. My philosophy is: No Pain...Good!


Q:Aren't fried foods bad for you?

A:YOU'RE NOT LISTENING!!! ... Foods are fried these days in vegetable oil. In fact, they're permeated in it. How could getting more vegetables be bad for you?


Q:Will sit-ups help prevent me from getting a little soft around the middle?

A:Definitely not! When you exercise a muscle, it gets bigger. You should only be doing sit-ups if you want a bigger stomach.


Q:Is chocolate bad for me?

A:Are you crazy? HELLO Cocoa beans! Another vegetable!!! It's the best feel-good food around!


Q:Is swimming good for your figure?

A:If swimming is good for your figure, explain whales to me..


Q:Is getting in-shape important for my lifestyle?

A:Hey!'Round'is a shape!


Well, I hope this has cleared up any misconceptions you may have had about food and diets.

AND.....

For those of you who watch what you eat, here's the final word on nutrition and health. It's a relief to know the truth after all those conflicting nutritional studies.

1. The Japanese eat very little fat
and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

2. The Mexicans eat a lot of fat
and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

3. The Chinese drink very little red wine
and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

4. The Italians drink a lot of red wine
and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

5. The Germans drink a lot of beers and eat lots of sausages and fats and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

CONCLUSION

Eat and drink what you like.
Speaking English is apparently what kills you.

I am second

Have you ever wanted to heard some stories of how God changed a life? Well I've found a website for you!

www.iamsecond.com

This site tells the stories of real people touched by a real God! Stories of people who struggled, who hit a low, who had given up but by the grace of our Father were saved. Check out these stories and hear what it means to be second.

Brian Welch
Chris Plekenpol
Jason Castro

I'm not gonna lie, I cried a little :)

The practice field...

As you know if you read my Facebook status today, I have put a red shirt back on. Some you have commented on my decision and I think that I need to explain so that everyone is aware of my reasoning.

You see, back in January I decided that after a few months of not dating, I would jump back into the "market." I was optimistic about my decision and I thought that by taking off my red jersey I would be excited about my adventure in to the infamous dating land. Well, I have found that the adventure isn't as rewarding or exciting as I thought.

I'm not quite sure about the men that are being produced these days. I have met a few wonderful guys but I have also met a few not-so-wonderful guys. I think that somewhere between graduating college and stepping into the so called 'real world,' I must have also step into a world of immature and confused boys.

Here's my thing, I'm not trying to throw out any factual statements, I am strictly giving you my opinion. I don't ask much when it comes to someone I would like to start a relationship with. It's really simple actually! Here's my criteria:

1. A man who loves God and is actively seeking what God wants for his life.
2. A man with dedication towards his family, friends and career.
3. A man who can bring joy to my heart and a smile to my face.
4. A man who can protect but can also be sensitive in the appropriate times.

Those are the main four!

Now every girl has another list which includes things like 'he must tall, he must be athletic, he must be funny, he needs to be musical, etc.' These are all bonuses... honestly girls want someone who can be their best friend and someone who can lead them spiritual and emotionally! Girls aren't really looking for high school behavior or someone that has no idea what he wants to do or where he wants to go in life.

So with all that said, I have put my red shirt back on, but hear me out, this shirt is different. It's my practice jersey...I'm just warming up! I'm preparing for a big game one day. And when the day comes when some guy steps up and shows me a Godly protrait of how I should be treated, I'll take the red practice jersey off and run into the game giving 110 percent!

Besides practice makes perfect, right?!

Things I don't quite understand...

...and honestly don't want to understand:

* Wearing Ugg boots with skirts. I mean seriously!

* Facebook applications. Is there any way to make those things stop?

* Why people like Katie Perry's music.

* Having a garage but parking in the driveway.

* I-Phone applications. Who really needs to be able to play drums on their cell phone?

* Why we still owe money at the end of the year for taxes. Don't we pay enough?

* Guys...and I don't think I ever will understand them!

* Why the work day starts at 8am and not 11am.

* Why Google doesn't have a to-do list lab.

* Why people can't be on time. It's really not that hard!

There are plenty more but we'll go with these for now!

What are some things you don't quite understand?

Mixed up

Mixed motives twist life into tangles;
pure motives take you straight down the road.

Proverbs 21:8 (The Message)

What would we do without men...

I walked in to the laundry room Monday night, with my socks on(that is an important part of the story) and as I stepped on to the linoleum floor, my socks where no longer dry and comfortable. They, instead became wet and squishy, yuck!

You see, what had happened was the washing machine sprung a leak from the cold water PVC hose. What did that mean for Jen and I? Well it meant we couldn't do laundry, which is a girl's worst nightmare and it meant we had to fix the PVC hose. Now as most of you could imagine, Jen and I had never fixed a PVC hose. I mean, how many girls are put in the situation where the Washer breaks and their Dad or boyfriend isn't around to fix it? Well, for us that situation happened! We both are boyfriendless and our Dads live about 400 miles away so this task was ours for the taken.

So, last night we began to tackle the task. We did, however, recruit our friend Kris to come help with the process. We just thought that it would be beneficial to have a male around to help with things like moving the extra heavy machine or tightening the hose ends to the wall or just to explain how the whole process worked. Good thought right?

Well here's what actually happened...
Jen and I fixed the machine. We moved the heavy Washer ourselves to towel the water up from the floor. We removed and replaced the hose on the back of the Washer and tightened it ourselves. Jen managed to wash her face during the process as the water shot from the hose when it wasn't tightened enough...That was an 'America's Funniest Home Video' waiting to happen! We even had time for a photo moment...



What did Kris do during this whole process, you ask? Well he observed...

...with his drink in his hand!

Ahhh, What would we do without men?

Hmmmm....well we would get things done! haha

Outcome of the evening: Washer fixed! Load of clothes washed! Another female accomplishment checked off the list!

No words

I have writer's block, therefore I may have to take a blog sabbatical!

I got engaged

OK so not really but you have to hear this story!

Tonight me and Mallori met my brother and his friends down at the Hard Rock Cafe in the city. It was such a wonderful experience...fun is what I like to call it. Brock's friends make me laugh and I have really enjoyed getting to know them these past two days.

Anyway, as we were leaving from our dining experience, Luke, one of Brock's friends, asked me to take a picture of him and Brock...so I did. He asked to look at the photo and somehow in seriously less then a minute of me giving him the camera, I turned around and Luke was on one knee in marriage proposal mode and my brother was snapping shots.





I'm not sure how it's suppose to feel when someone proposes but I was completely shocked, freaked out and embarrassed all at the same time. At the moment when I think the girl is supposed to say YES, I was saying GET UP, GET UP I'm going to kill you. Haha! It was classic. Luke through his hands up and yelled to the restaurant "She said YES!" I can't remember if I did or didn't say yes but either the way the ring made it on my finger and several people gave their Congratulations!

Luke said if he was going to accomplish anything this weekend it was that I would never forget him, haha! And I think he accomplished his goal. I don't think I could ever forget my first proposal:)

Happy Birthday Brock

Today was my brother's 24th birthday...WOW is he getting old, haha!

He's down visiting ATL for the ACC tournament, cheering for the Heels and of course he made some time for me :) It's always fun when you get a visit from your family. There's this awesome feeling of being complete.

Brock couldn't have picked a better weekend to come. Hopefully I'll get to show him a little of the city, some really good food and if we're lucky he'll get to see a Tar Heel victory!

Happy Birthday bub!

Romans 8:28

And we know that God causes everything to work together for
the good of those who love God and are called according to
his purpose for them.

Romans 8:28 (New Living Translation)

The Rice Challenge

Fight Hunger with Compassion!

Take the rice challenge...live on 1 cup of rice for the entire day. The money you saved from not buying food can be put toward the food crisis fund. We can make a difference if we all just give our food money for 1 day!

See what it's like to live in poverty and learn how you can help!

Go to www.brockgill.com for more details! Or visit Compassion for ways to donate!

Cambi's road trip

I thought that everyone would love to see how Cambi took to our 8 hour drive back to Atlanta...


...oh and her first time through the car wash...


:)

Big Boy

Look how big baby Aiden is getting!

I swear next time I come home he'll be walking! Janis you must keep that boy from growing till I come home again!

Miss you two and Joey already!

I didn't fall...

...and it's amazing that I didn't!

My niece would pick a birthday activity that could cause me to break my leg or my face, haha!

Today was Summer's 7th Birthday party and we celebrated at Bladez on Ice in Greenville, NC. She had so much fun with her little friends slipping and sliding on the ice...I guess you could call it skating, ha. I will say that for 7 and 8 year olds, they were phenomenal!

They had this little thing that looked like a walker..like the ones older people use...they had that on the ice and the kids could use it to help keep them stay upright instead of horizontal on the freezing floor. Problem is, they don't make these for adults:( It sure would have come in handy for me to have one of them instead of getting that embarrassing feeling every time a 5 year old wheezed passed me with ease. Although if I had a walker on ice, it would have made me feel even older, ha!

But I didn't fall and that is something to celebrate, haha!

Here are some pictures from the fun event:


Aren't they adorable?


See, I was pretty good on skates:)



Summer had an awesome and from what I understand, we'll be back skating again next year!

Baby Hinton's Shower

Well, I spent the night in Shelby, NC with Downey, Aaron and the Washburns... who could ask for a better Friday night. I always enjoy visiting here because there's always funny stories and always good food. Yes, Mama Washburn can cook up a good ole' country meal, yum!

Today was Downey's baby shower. It's that time where we get to shower baby Hinton in gifts before he even arrives...and believe me, he got some great things. There were bottles and binkies, clothes and diapers, baby balm and cute little socks. He is going to be one pimped out little boy!

Here are some pictures from the shower.


Yummy cupcakes

Me and Downey! I am so thankful for her.

Downey is finally showing!

I was so glad Tiffany came by.

How cute is this...it's a diaper cake.

We had so much fun and the cupcakes definitely won me over :)

The only thing that would have made this day any better was Brett. I sure do wish Brett was there :(

Busy weekend

Headed to North Carolina for a weekend adventure! Lots to do in 4 days:)

While I'm home I will be visiting Downey and Aaron, attending their baby shower, visiting Janis and that beautiful baby boy Aiden, attending Summer's 7th birthday party at Bladez on Ice, eating at Parker's BBQ multiple times, playing with Cambi and Arley in the yard, visiting my high school to see Coach Cobbs and Ms Hedrick, stopping by the pre-school to sing a song and eating lunch with my dear friend Jenni.

Whew...that's a lot but I am ready! Bags are packed, let's hit the road!

I couldn't resist

This may be inappropriate but I couldn't resist! It's hilarious :)

CNN Anchor Can't Tell 'Nuts From ...

Wednesday, March 04, 2009

A U.S. airline is now selling "penis" on flights, an anchorwoman has declared.

The slip-up happened on CNN when anchorwoman Zain Verjee was reporting about Northwest Airlines now selling peanuts on flights.

Verjee mentioned the word "penis" three times instead of "peanuts."

"Northwest began serving penis this month as its merger partner Atlanta-based Delta airlines has done for years," Verjee said.

"Georgia is the top penis producing state in the country."

The footage has been uploaded to YouTube in many different versions and has become an internet sensation with more than 700,000 views today.

Perhaps the caption at the bottom of the screen distracted her – it declared "nuts on Northwest flights."

Click to watch the video on YouTube

Who wants a rap?

My friends, Group 1 Crew have an awesome new thing going on right now...and who wouldn't want to be involved with something that includes 3 of the most beautiful people ever :)

Watch Group 1 Crew's music video for "Movin'" and enter to win a personalized rap from Group 1 Crew! Click HERE for more info.

Just think Pablo, Manwell and Blanca could be singing you a song! How cool is that?

Eight sets, Whatever!

First off, let me start by saying 'What was Jason thinking tonight?' Breaking up with Melissa on National television and telling her that he was going to see if he had a shot with Molly. YOU"RE ENGAGED Jason! He totally just jumped into the jerk category. Why is so hard for some guys to be smart about how they treat girls. Is that to much to ask?

Note to all men: DON'T break up with a girl that you're engaged to on television EVER!!!!! And especially don't ask out another girl immediately after!

Anyway on the better and much smarter things...today was the day! The Stair Challenge at NAMB and I completed it. I did 8 sets of stairs which consisted of 5 floors (6 if you count ground as a floor) in 20.06 minutes. That's pretty good!! I mean I'm no ready to climb the Sears Tower but I think I did pretty well.

We have been "training" for this day for about 5 weeks now and it's exciting to look back at how far you've come since day one.

Eight sets, WHATEVER! I'm doing 10 tomorrow :) maybe...

Georgia's a Winter Wonderland!

I love it when you wake up, look out the window and see huge flakes falling from the sky. What a way to start a Sunday! LOVE IT:)

Magic in 3 layers!

I miss this!

Remember Jell-O 123? It seemed like magic, one uniform mixture separated into 3 distinct layers during refrigeration. It was introduced in 1969, then pulled off the shelves and then it was back until the mid '90s when it was discontinued again. In Jell-O, A Biography, Carolyn Wyman included this recipe to make your own at home.




Ingredients:


3/4 cup boiling water


1/2 cup cold water with enough ice cubes added to equal 1 1/4 cups


1/2 cup whipped cream


3 oz package any flavor Jell-O


Directions:
In a blender, mix together the gelatin and the boiling water. Add the ice cube/water mixture and mix until the ice cubes are melted. Mix in the whipped cream for 30 seconds. Pour into dessert glasses. Refrigerate 30 minutes. Serve.

Kooza

Yep it happened and it was amazing!

Last night Jen, Katie and I went to see the Cirque du Soleil show, KOOZA in Atlantic Station thanks to our good friend Michael Walker. There are not enough words to describe how awesome the show was.

KOOZA tells the story of The Innocent, a melancholy loner in search of his place in the world.

KOOZA is a return to the origins of Cirque du Soleil: It combines two circus traditions – acrobatic performance and the art of clowning. The show highlights the physical demands of human performance in all its splendor and fragility, presented in a colorful mélange that emphasizes bold slapstick humor.

The Innocent's journey brings him into contact with a panoply of comic characters such as the King, the Trickster, the Pickpocket, and the Obnoxious Tourist and his Bad Dog.

Between strength and fragility, laughter and smiles, turmoil and harmony, KOOZA explores themes of fear, identity, recognition and power. The show is set in an electrifying and exotic visual world full of surprises, thrills, chills, audacity and total involvement.

That about sums it up, ha.

Walker thank you for everything. We had an amazing time!

A message from Ed Young

…Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant … For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. Mark 10:43, 45

Selfishness vs. Servanthood… When the war is waged in our lives, we side with selfishness. We major in “me.” We have this me, my, mine attitude in our lives and forget about others. We want someone else to serve us, to give us the massage, the pedicure, or the shoulder rub. We don’t want to serve anyone else because we think of servants as weaker than, less than, or below us.

But Jesus Christ, God’s only son, came to this earth to blow the doors off of our pre-determined ideas of servanthood. He taught us that serving is the way to freedom, the way to God’s heart. And he modeled true servanthood by performing the ultimate act of service.

When we accept what he did for us, when we bow the knee to Christ, we become armed in the battle against selfishness. God instills in us the character quality that Jesus showed every day of his life - servanthood.

When Jesus walks into the doors of your life, he places the person of the Holy Spirit inside of your heart. And the Holy Spirit is the one who helps you battle against selfishness - he gives you the strategy, the way to win, the way to serve with an honest heart.

This week, when you feel the pull of selfish thinking in your life, remember the act of service that Christ performed on the cross. Remember that Jesus himself came, not to be served, but to serve. Then, reflect that teaching in what you do; reflect the servanthood that God has so passionately shown you.

by Ed Young

Hunting corn

Funniest thing I heard today was from Mr. Brandon Coker! Apparently while he was in Nebraska he was talking to man about corn...random, yes but a good conversation starter! The man told him that corn wasn't in season right now so Coker, being the quick witted guy that he is, asked the question "Exactly how do you hunt corn when it's in season?"

I'm telling you, I laughed so much as Jen, Coker and I thought of the best ways to hunt corn. We threw out the ideas of maybe using a bow and arrow or some sort of small rifle but my favorite thought was using a fishing rod. You just through that bad out and reel it back in, haha!

What do think? When corn is in season, what is the best to hunt it?

No greater compliment!

I want to tell you about a little project I did a little over a year ago. I was living in Nashville and was struggling a bit financially. I didn't have a lot of money for Christmas presents so I decided to make something that would mean far more than a new sweater or some new gadget meant to make life easier. I decided to make a little something that I had been wanting to do for years.

With the help of my good friend Daniel Heath, founder and producer at 210 Records, I created a little CD for my family and closest friends. It was one of those ideas that trickled in to my head one day while I was singing in my car. So I compiled a few songs that had touched my heart and my parents in some way. My parents have always loved to hear me sing. I grew up singing in church, at my school, for retreats and my favorite, at Caswell. I felt like every opportunity was one that lead me closer to the dream I had when I was a little girl. The dream to one day be a singer...I think it's every girl's dream.

Now, I'm not one for spotlights and glamour, I always had a different purpose for wanting to sing on stage. I wanted the people in the audience to be touched. To have that feeling you get when a specific song comes on the radio. That feeling of a memory triggered and emotion sparked. I had it all planned out in my head.

As time went on, my dream changed a bit but it's still there. Over the past week I've had a few moments that have rekindled that dream. A few encouraging words, an awesome opporutinty and a sweet story from my mom.

Apparently, my CD that was made in 2007 has made its way to a preschool room in North Carolina. The teacher, Mrs. Dixie Courtright, a friend of my family told my mom that her tiny students request that CD everyday before their nap time. How cute is that?!

Maybe it's soothing or maybe it's just boring but to me it doesn't matter their reason. It matters that for those few minutes before they fall asleep, they listen to me, singing about Jesus and singing about hope, love and joy. And to me, there could be no greater compliment.

What Love is This?

You must download this song by Justin McRoberts! I promise you'll love it.

How long? How long to wait when my heart’s ready to break?
How long? How long to stand when I don’t know who I am?

Would you be my lover if I had no love
And no beauty to speak of?
Would you still be faithful if I had no faith
And I questioned everything?
Amen

What then if I turned away and in darkness hid my face?
Would you leave me then?
Or would you draw me to yourself again?

Would you be my lover if I had no love
And no beauty to speak of?
Would you still be faithful if I had no faith
And I questioned everything?
Amen


What love is this? What love is this,
That will never change? That could never change?
What love is this? What love is this,
That remains the same? It remains the same.

Amen.

The Here and Now

Ziggy makes me happy!! I think it's because he's so cute and so very wise, haha :)

Holy Through You

I will show the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, the name you have profaned among them. Then the nations will know that I am the LORD, declares the Sovereign LORD, when I show myself holy through you before their eyes.
— Ezekiel 36:23 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...
God can and will use us even though we are not worthy vessels for him to use. Scripture gives us many examples of people God used when they did not measure up to his moral and holy requirements -- for example, think a little about Samson or most of the other Judges! God will be revealed as the holy, mighty, and awesome God that he is. So let's not be unwilling tools in his hands. Instead, let's offer ourselves to him for his service and his glory.


Holy Father, make me pure and holy, not just by your grace, but also in my actions, words, and thoughts. Create a clean heart in me and renew a righteous spirit in me by the power of your Holy Spirit. May my life be a holy sacrifice of praise to you. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

Addicted

I'm addicted!

Addicted to schedules. Addicted to planning. Addicted to checking my emails. Addicted to strawberry cheesecake yogurt. Addicted to being neat. Addicted to Facebook...among other things.

Why is it that we can get so addicted to work, friendships, internet phenomenons, etc but we can't get addicted to our relationship with God?

Good question, huh? Anyone have an answer?

Everyday I wake up, shower and dress, rush to work(unless it's the weekend), impulsively stare at emails, projects, meeting requests, etc then work out, head home, impulsively stare at emails, meeting requests and Facebook and eventually head to bed...always later then I want to, of course. Somewhere in that mix I do throw in some food and the occasional 100 phone conversations but if you look closely, something is missing. Can you see it? Of course you can't because it's missing. It's my time with God...that's what is missing.

Why is that? I can dedicate my entire day to planning other people's lives, answering everyone's questions and making sure that nothing goes unresolved but I can't even take 5 minutes to thank God for giving me that day to do all those things?! That's sad.

God blesses me everyday with new experiences, strength to do the things I have to get done, my health, friendships to make me smile and thousands of other things that would make this blog about 3 days long if I listed them all yet I have no time to thank Him. That has to change!! And it will, starting right now!

My days are going to be different, my time is going to be different, my life is going to be different! I am going to become addicted to God. Addicted to His word. Addicted to His provision. Addicted to saying thank you through prayer. Addicted to his updates instead of my Facebook updates. Just wait and see.

Oh and if you do see, I give you permission to call me out and scold me!! That's fair :)

Done!

I am done!

Done with the last minute change of plans, done with the let downs, done with acting like I am perfectly fine when someone tells me one thing but always does another. I have always been the girl that lets things roll off her shoulder when it comes to friendships and heartbreaks. I never speak up, I never lash out and I never confront but I think I've come to a point in my life where I've had it. I've had it with people who pretend to be your friend when they need something, come to you when they need to vent about someone or call you when they can't find anyone else to hang out with. I'm tired of being the back up plan and I refuse to do it any more!

For those of you who know me, truly know the real me, you know that I try really hard to be helpful and sincere. I offer my time and my ear to anyone who needs a friend. I try really hard to be there for everyone but I am finally wearing thin. I can't do it anymore.

So to those of you who are my true friends, thank you! Thank you for always being there! For those of you who need someone to vent to about your latest breakup or fight with a friend, if that's all I'm good for to you, don't bother! Find someone else to complain to. I'm sure there are plenty of people out there that will listen to your whining and not expect a friendship in return. I am no longer one of those people!!

Passion City Church

Passion City Church

Yep, it has begun...Louie Giglio, Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman, Christy Nockels and a vision that has been in the making for years...Passion City Church.

Tonight was the very first service and it made me super excited about what is to come. I am excited about going out into our city, our community, with our people to make a huge difference. This church is for God, for People, for the City and for the World. Louie's vision spoke to my heart and I am looking forward to diving head first into spreading the love of Jesus Christ with several hundred other passionate followers!

It's going to be amazing. Come join us if you can.