Oh! The Places You'll Go!

After several refusals, my mother finally got me to agree to speak at Ladies Day.
How did she do it??
She had one of her best friends ask me, knowing I couldn't say no.
It worked, and so I've been working stressing the past couple of weeks to get my lessons together.
Ladies Day is an annual event at my home church that has been going on since the year I was born.

Ironically enough, I had never actually been to a Ladies Day.

Every year I lived at home, I was the child care,

and once I moved to college, I was never available to be there.

Needless to say, it was more than a little difficult to prepare for something I had never been to.

Lucky me though, I am married to a guy that has a gift for preaching and teaching.

There is no way I could have made it through these lessons without Michael.

I would create an outline of what I wanted to say, and he would 'sermonize' it for me.

And 3 days before the event when I decided to completely throw out one of my lessons, 

he helped me to re-write a newer better one.

^^Each and every detail of the day was so perfect.

The theme I chose was "Oh! The Places You'll Go!" based on Proverbs 3:5-6.

Everything was decorated with maps, and globes, and other travel objects.

The favors were Eiffel Tower keychains, which if you know me, you know it is perfect.

And the food, oh the food!

They had different recipes from all different countries...

and each one was amazing!!

^^This was less than half the room of ladies.

Yikes!

The last count I heard was that there were 94 women there.

This picture is during my 2nd lesson when I gave everyone time to share with each other.

It was a special moment.

^^In the words of Eminem, "on the surface I look calm and ready"

But really, I was sweating buckets.

^^Some incredibly important women in my life.

I really did feel unworthy to be teaching them, but am so thankful for their kindness and encouragement.

^^She was my flower girl in our wedding.

It meant so much that she was there, and listening to every word I said.

She even called me 'awesome'!

^^Just reading a little Dr Seuss to the ladies.

I had no intention of reading the book, or even referencing it, but then I read it.

And I loved it, and I just had to share it.

I used the book to share some practical applications in the second lesson,

while the first lesson was based entirely on my theme scriptures.

^^The best part of the day was having both my mom and my mother-in-law there to support me.

These are two women that have been such important influences in my life.

I have seen them go through many journeys, 

some good, some more difficult,

and I have witnessed the growth of their faith through these journeys.

I am so thankful to have two wonderful, strong, loving women to help guide me as a wife, and one days as a mother (though sooner would be better for them on this one)

I am so blessed to be their daughter.

All in all, the day turned out to be pretty wonderful!

Its amazing the ways that you are blessed, simply by trying to bless others.

I was so blessed by the women that were there: whether my old teachers, mentors, babysitters, or friends, they all mean so much to me, and my spiritual journey.

College Visit at OC

Another weekend, another trip.

This time it was a college visit with some teens to Oklahoma Christian.

This is the 4th time we have taken kids from the youth group to visit our alma mater.

We skipped last year and watched Spring Sing online,

and it just about killed us, so we knew we had to take the kids this year.

We left on Thursday and got to OC late that night.

We spent all of Friday on campus going to chapel, taking a tour, hanging out in the student center, and going to the academic fair to learn about the degrees there.

Well, the kids did all those things.

Michael and I took time with some of our best friends to go to lunch and catch up.

^^Just handing out in the rented church van.

It was so great to have time with them while we were in Oklahoma.

We always just wish it was more.

That night, we took the kids to the Spring Sing show. 

I'm not sure what happens to me when the lights go out and that first blurb comes on,

but something just takes over and I can't be held responsible for how excited I get,

and how much I scream (for Gamma)

Adding to my excitement was watching some of our old Memorial youth kids on stage.

 ^^These were some of the first kids we ever brought to OC,

and now they are students and have mastered the art of the Spring Sing face!

I couldn't be more proud!

Saturday was a day to be off campus, seeing what OKC has to offer.

Of course, we were in Oklahoma, so the weather had changed drastically from the day before.

It was freezing!

Our first stop was the Animal Sanctuary to play with cats.

For a group who really doesn't love cats (we were hoping to play with the pups)

we spent a good amount of time with them.

Next stop was CVS for a lint roll, and then Ted's for lunch!

The kids were shocked that each person got their own salsa, queso, and tortillas.

Plus, the food is just delicious.

Next we went to Bricktown, and made a super quick stop at the OKC Bombing Memorial.

It was so cold.

No matter how cold you are, you can't walk through this place and not be touched.

We spent some more time in Bricktown,

mostly because my family was there and I wanted to see them,

and then we ended the day with dinner at Hideaway Pizza.

The low point of the weekend came on Sunday, when only 1 of the 5 teens made it to church with us.

None of the others were up or ready or answering their phones when we came to pick them up,

so they got left.

It was sad. And I was disappointed.

I think that through it all, the kids were able to gain a better understanding of the importance of not only attending church, but partaking in communion each week.

I think it also helped them to see how much we care about them, and their spirituality,

while also teaching them that Michael and I are adults and to be respected.

We love these kids, and all the kids in the youth group so much, 

and we really do want them to succeed in all aspects of life, especially spiritually.

*Sidenote: The kids told us that we will be great parents because we are really good at making people feel bad. 

I'll call that a compliment, and a success.

All considered it was a great weekend at OC.

I'm so thankful to have called that place home for 4 years, and to be able to go back and connect with old friends so easily!

We Love Jesus, Yes We Do!

Today I was back to my work with the youth group.

Its been about 3 weeks since I have gotten to do much with the kids, and I have to say

I have missed them!

The activity today was the Luis Service Project - Random Acts of Kindness.

We started the day off making posters and writing encouragement cards,

then we were out in the community spreading Jesus.

Our first stop was Chic-fil-A, where we paid for people's meals.

Then, we went to Target and gave encouragement cards to the workers, and random customers.

You should've seen the smile on the Starbucks worker's face when she read the note from one of our 6th grade girls. 

It was priceless.

We had a quick break for lunch in the park, and I got to spend it with these kids.

 ^ Sweet new 6th Graders. I just love their hearts!

After a little bit of fun making videos in the park, it was time to hit the streets.

Literally, we stood on street corners.

^ My crew for the day

We held up signs, and waved, and got several people to honk at us.

I choose to believe that the honks meant they love Jesus too...

except for that one guy that flipped us off.

He may not love Jesus back.

^ Aren't they the sweetest

Since it was only 10,080 degrees outside, we made Sonic happy hour our next stop.

Unfortunately, Michael still made us clean out the buses when we got back to the church.

It was so lame.

And so hot.

All things considered though, it was a really great day.

I loved seeing these kids' hearts for God.

I hope they stay this way forever.

Radical Retreat

This past weekend was our annual JV Youth Spring Retreat.

It is for the entire youth group, and it is just the JV kids, unlike the Fall Retreat with several churches.

We went out to Livingston, TX to Camp Cho Yeh.

This was a new campsite to us, but the kids LOVED it, and are already asking to go back.

We left Friday evening, in the Houston traffic, and started the weekend off with a bang when the bus died, and we were stranded on the side of the highway.

Luckily, there were several other vehicles in our group, so we fit all but 1 kid and Michael in the cars to go on out to the campsite.

And elder from our church drove the other bus out to Michael, and he was just about an hour behind us getting to Cho Yeh.

The retreat was based off of the book Radical, and Michael was asking the kids to do something radical with their faith. 

Maybe that meant giving something up to better focus their lives on Christ, 

or maybe that meant adding something that was going to stretch you in your walk with God.

At the end of the retreat, each of the kids (and adults) wrote a resolution and presented it to the group about how they were going to make changes and be radical.

Then, they got a t-shirt that says "I'm a Christian" which is a pretty radical thing in itself. 

I am excited to see how the Lord works in our lives to make us more radical for Christ, and less dependent on the things of this world. 

When we weren't worshiping together, or doing lessons, the weekend was full of other fun activities.

We had a camp fire, and roasted marshmallows for smores.

The kids all got to do a high ropes course, and I am SO proud of the courage they showed.

And there was free time for games, jumping on the bouncy pillow, hunting lizzards, and jumping in the lake...

Okay, maybe they weren't supposed to be in the lake, but that's what happened.

It was an awesome weekend, with some amazing teenagers!

We only had 4 kids that were Juniors and Seniors, which tells me that the future is bright at JV!!

Chugging a Cherry Coke through someone else's sock

Easter by Target

I just love Easter Sunday!

It means Spring is here.

For at least one day my entire Facebook news feed is full of posts about Jesus.

Everyone is wearing bright colors and pastels.

Its a beautiful, wonderful day.

And today seemed to be brought to us by 2 places:

Target and Kohl's.

Everyone I talked to was wearing something from one of these 2 stores.

I even did an impromptu add for Target with some of the youth kids.

 I'm such a skilled model I can even make it look like I don't have fingers.

But alas, I have all five.

The Kohl's/Target trend was even true for me and Michael.

His is Kohl's. Mine is Target.

Unfortunately, this hipster pic is the only one I have of us from today.

I hope your Easter was blessed, and that you took time to focus on the real reason for the day.

Our Savior, Christ Jesus!

He is Risen!

Dress: Target
Cardigan : H&M
Purse: Target

Check out the Easter link-up at Grace's blog, and join the dress party!

Waiting Game

One of my good friends pointed out to me that waiting seems to happen to me often,

and that maybe it is my cross to bear.

I have to agree with her, and though I may not like it, I should accept it.

So after stewing last night, 

I am going to choose to have a better attitude today.

A more faithful attitude if you will. 

This song is heavy on my heart today.

I am going to choose to worship while I wait.

God has gotten me this far in my field, and I am faithful that He will get me through the finish line.

So I will wait.

Teach the Truth

This weekend Michael took the teens to the T3 youth conference in Lewisville.

This was our group's 3rd year to go, Michael's 2nd, and my 1st.

I have been to a few different weekends like this, but this is probably the best one.

It was so nice to be able to send our kids to the different classes, and not have to worry about what they were being taught.

With other weekends like this we find ourselves having to explain several aspects of the weekend:

Praise teams, women's roles, etc.

There was none of that this weekend.

It was a conference grounded in the Word, and following the principles laid out by God.

It was amazing. And our kids learned SO MUCH.

The highlight of my weekend was spending time these girls!!

We spent over 8 hours in a car with each other and it was a blast.

We sang to all the songs of Les Mis, played several car games, and spent LOTS of time talking about boys.

And the word "awkward" was used at least 1,000 times.

It's their favorite.

We also stopped at Braum's, which none of them had ever been to!!

It was perfect, as always.

The only challenge of the weekend was the girls' housing.

There were 15 of us, in one house, sharing one bathroom.

Talk about crazy!

I was definitely the bathroom police all weekend, no fun.

Our sweet host parents made it completely worth it though.

They were so kind and hospitable, filling us up with delicious food, and giving us free reigns over their house.

They were so wonderful, and we couldn't have asked for a better place to stay!

It was a great weekend, and our teens came home with more knowledge about how to evangelize, and share the truth with their friends. 

These kids make me so proud all the time!

I know they are going to do great things this year.

I'm so happy that I got to go to T3 this year.

I love spending time with the teens, but I love spending time with this guy even more!

Hope your weekend was as blessed as mine!!

Week in Review

This week has been a roller coaster.

To say the least.

On Monday, if I even thought about my test I wanted to (slash most times did) start crying.

It was scary.

That night I purchased some practice exams, and I felt a little better.

I took off of work the rest of the week so that I could focus on studying.

I had kept myself on a strict schedule:

Morning - study flash cards and sheets of each model.

Afternoon - take a 200 question practice exam.

Evening - Study the ones I missed on the practice exam.

Night - Take a 100 question practice exam.

Before bed - Read articles about the models.

*Of course, I left some time in there to watch the Bachelor too!

These were my friends for the week. 

Those are all the models of Family Therapy.

They equal about half of the sheets I had to study.

They took forever to make, but I really think they helped on the actual exam.

By Thursday, this helped to give me some confidence:

If they thought I was ready to take the exam, surely I was.

But then I got to the test.

And it was really hard.

And I said "What the heck is it talking about?" on almost every question.

Once I had actually answered them all, and was going back through checking them, I felt a little better.

In the end, I will be surprised if I pass.

But I will be more surprised if I fail.

So that's a good sign...right??

The highlight of my week was getting these beautiful flowers from my family.

Oh course, I was too scared to open the door when the florist came,

(I never answer the door when I'm home alone)

so I didn't get them until late on Tuesday,

they are so happy and comforting just the same. 

This verse was also a great comfort to me during the week:

These words, as well as many words from family friends gave me so much encouragement.

On Tuesday, Michael posted a status about me studying for my test, and I immediately felt the peace from so many peoples' prayers going up on my behalf.

Not only did people pray though, but I got so many texts, emails, facebook posts and messages, tweets, and calls of support and encouragement that I was on cloud nine.

I'm so thankful for all the wonderful people in my life that are there for me,

whether I pass or I fail.

God is so good, and it is all in His hands now.

And I leave you with this.

Stylish, classy Buster.

It was fun being a stay-at-home Mom to him this week!