One Year Ago

Memorial Weekend 2011.

Packed Up and headed to Tuscaloosa.

Spent the days moving debris.

The green line is the path of the tornado.

On a lighter note: A epic night spent dancing the night away!

Even our McDonald worker joined the party!

Great night.

Lots of bernie moments on this trip...

Ahhh. The memories.

It is trips like this, that makes me truly believe the best way to get connected and build relationships with people is to serve with them. Work hard, play hard.

Sevenly.

Sevenly- For every purchase we give $7 to this week’s charity.
               One design. One week. One cause.


"This week, your $22 purchase gives a hungry family in Kenya a long-lasting food supply.

Problem
Thousands of farmers in Kenya struggle to make ends meet, going months without adequate food. Without access to farming seed and agricultural training, their families and children starve while they spend countless days looking for work and ways to provide for their families.     
Solution
This week your support will provide poor farmers in Kenya with farming seed and agricultural training. The seed and training not only helps these farmers provide food for their families, but offers a sustainable supply of crops that feeds hundreds and creates a long-term solution to hunger."

 

Keeping It Real

The past few weeks I have been in a slump. I have felt disconnected and unlike myself towards God. I haven't been reading my bible, I have been annoyed with Christian music, I haven't been praying very thoughtful prayers. I have just been in a funk. I don't know what is wrong. I have so many blessings in my life right now and all of them point directly to God. He is giving me the desires of my heart, and yet I feel so far away from Him right now.  It is one of those, it's not you, it's me type of relationships. I have no desire to study or connect with God right now. It really hurts me to type that, but just keeping it real.

This morning in church our pastor was giving a message to our seniors. He was talking about being a witness when you go off to new places. One of the points he made was about how you need to protect your heart and your head. I haven't done a good job of this. I have let myself get out of a routine and become overtaken with things of this world.

I'm just about positive that is part of the reason for this weird place I am in right now. You know how people say, "things can change in an instant?" (If not- you definitely don't watch Grey's Anatomy- Ugh that finale!) Well something wonderful happened recently that rocked my world.  From the moment I received this blessing, my outlook changed. I immediately became afraid of doing anything irrational or 'radical'. I wanted to blend in and do everything the "normal" way.  I feel like the hubz and I are no longer free to just float around and do whatever we want to do.  Suddenly, I am afraid of what God might be calling us to do.

As I am writing this, it is becoming very therapeutic. I'm starting to realize that maybe I have been avoiding God because I feel guilty. I cannot seem to get it through my head that God is GOOD and His plans are to PROSPER us, NOT to HARM us.  Our joy is found in HIM, not in things of this world.  I know these things, I have experienced these things, yet I am numb to them at the moment.

I don't really have a way to end this post. I have so many wonderful things going on in my life, yet feel so unsatisfied because I am missing my true relationship with Jesus. Please just pray that I will get back in the swing of things and I can get out of this weird place. I know this is a really downer post, I really am so thankful and grateful for my life and all the blessings. Just keeping it real over here!!

Lately...

You know what they say about when things go quite on  a blog.......

Lol. I don't really know if there is a saying about that, but I do know we have some crazy stuff going on in our household!! Most of which I cannot share YET, but hopefully will very very soon!

As I was listening to the sermon in church this morning, God like smacked me over the head with some clarity about some things and a blog topic! Yahh! So get ready for a long one, it's coming, just not this moment!

Mommy War...

I read this blog and thought it was perfect.

I hope you take a jump over to Rage Against the MiniVan and read it too...

"I don’t much care if you breastfed your kid until they started kindergarten, or if you fed them formula from day one. I don’t really care if you turned your infant car-seat forward-facing prior to age 2, or if you homeschool, or if you send your kids to daycare while you go to work. Do you cosleep? Did you circumcise your son? I DON’T CARE. Do you babywear? Push your kid around in a stroller? Use a leash for your kid at Disneyland? Whatever. Good for you.

When it comes to issues of motherhood, there is one issue I care about: some kids don’t have one. All of these petty wars about the choices of capable, loving mothers is just a lot of white noise to me, Quite honestly, I’m often astonished at the non-essential parenting issues I see moms getting their panties in a wad about. Particularly when there are so many kids in this world not being parented at all."

Rage Against the MiniVan

Brother's Friend-My Friend- Your Friend!

My brothers friend is taking a trip to AFRICA!! She is partnering with YoungLife and going to spread the g00d news!!! I am so excited for her to be doing this! They are selling super cute t-shirts for $20. Let me know if you would like to help her spre@d the news that our S@v!0r has died for our s!ns, and rose from the grave to give us etern@l l!fe with H*m!!!

Here is what she wrote about the trip...

"So, this June I get the super awesome chance to go to Tanzania with about 10 other Younglife leaders from Austin. We are going to do Work Crew at a Younglife camp on Zanzibar Island. We get to help with the camp and teach the kids of Tanzania about Je...sus!

To help raise money, we are selling t-shirts for only 20 dollars.

YALL A SWEET AFRICA T-SHIRT FOR ONLY 20 DOLLARS OMG."

Starting to feel like SUMMER :)

Welcome May! I am so excited for this month! Lots of big things are happening this month! One of which is, last day of May our school gets out for SUMMER!! WooHoo! I am pumped to be done with my third year of teaching! Wow, three years! I'm going to be a senior next year! Haha.  I seriously have one of the best jobs ever. I get to teach different sets of students every week and teach them computers! Who doesn't need to know how to use a computer? I recently had to get blood work done and was reminded how great my job is. However, teaching is definitely not for the faint of heart. We deal with serious issues and incredible kids. Around this time of year things start to get really crazy!! I never thought I would be one of "those teachers" that doesn't like to let students have fun and relaxed days, but they go BANANAS with relaxed rules! Seriously. Our state testing week was one of the toughest weeks I have had all year! Teachers can really get defeated these last few weeks because kids really start to lose control and push boundaries. I read this in a teacher's devotional this morning and thought it was perfect!!

"These last few weeks of the school year are tough, no doubt. The kids are over it and you're probably drained. I encourage you to lean into that fact instead of fighting against it. You are finite. You come to an end. But our God does not. Let go of the notion that you have to hold everything together, and keep your eyes focused on Him. It's the Lord that holds all things together. In Him we move and breathe and have our being.
And that is true freedom--not self reliance, not looking inward to meet your needs, but looking upwards at your Creator who is omniscient and full of never-ending love and patience. Hang in there my friends, through whatever you're facing. He's got this"- The Cornerstone Devotions for Teachers