My grandmother

This month has unquestionably been the most emotional, raw, heartbreaking month of my life.  My grandmother died on February 24, 2012 and then my father unexpectedly and suddenly died on February 29, 2012.  Words cannot express my sorrow and I am still not really ready to talk about my daddy on my blog, but I wanted to spend a few minutes remembering my grandmother.

My grandmother was a strong woman.  She lived through World War II and the great depression.  She was 97 years old when she died.  She worked at a flower shop well into her 80’s.  She could be stubborn, but she always loved well.  She was witty and funny.  Last Christmas, I remember her saying multiple things that had me laughing so hard my sides hurt.  She loved  the Lord and her faith was evident in her actions.  Fishing was one of her favorite things.  She met my grandfather on a fishing trip.  She was an amazing cook. Everything she made was delicious but in no way good for you.   Her rolls are still the best rolls I have ever eaten.  She always cooked for an army.  She would never sit down to eat until she was sure that everyone else was taken care of.  (My mother gets this from her.)  She loved her family more than anything. 

One of my cousins wrote her the following poem and read it at her funeral.  It is entitled The Woman who Saved a Nation:

As a kid without fail, you dragged me to church even if I gave you hell. I always thought it was boring and dull. Little did I know you were molding a soul. You gave me a foundation on the most firm land, that one day you knew my feet would firmly stand. You have made me into the man I am today. And every time I think, I get on two knees and pray. You see, you saved my life there is no doubt, without saying a word or even a shout. And now that you’re gone we all know for sure that you have the biggest heart that is so truly pure. The boy you saved is now grown into a man. I plan to lead others as you have to the promise land. I intend to coach many young men, spreading the word of the One without sin, who died on a cross over 2000 years ago. Looking in the future of your sparkling eyes that glow, to draw strength with every lash received. Looking at your face, He took another, then breathed… As He could have easily flown away, the pain was necessary for me and you to even be here today. You see, He did it for you, He did it for me, so that one day we will give up our life for His glory. As we were born a sinner, we are now a saint. We stand here weak, are you going to faint? The lamb’s book of life, grandma your name is surely in. Say hi to Jesus for me, the Man without sin.

We love you and will forever keep you in our hearts.

   

You can say it, I was a cute baby.

My grandmother was a great woman.  Her children and grandchildren are her legacy.  She will be greatly missed.  But I am comforted to know she is no longer in pain.  She is with Christ for eternity.

D-Town

I cannot believe how big my girls are getting!  They are Freshmen!  It is hard to believe they were all 11 or 12 when I met them.  Over the last four years, I have loved seeing them grow and mature in their faith.  I can’t wait to see the women they become as Seniors and beyond. 

Day 1: Club and snacks afterwards:

Club

I love serving in student ministries for so many reasons, but the programing is absolutely phenomenal.  The skits are hysterical and they actually engage the kids.  I cannot say enough about how amazing the staff is.  It is a great blessing to serve in a ministry that gets it.   

Snacks at the host home.

Day 2: Quiet times and chill time in the morning, pizza at the church, more chill time, playing with Cali’s baby sister (and an ipad), Torchy taco’s, club, after party with inflatables and concert.

The theme for the weekend was background, as in we play the background to Christ in our lives (or we should).  The two pictures below are our girls take on “background”  Luckily they had other ideas for application, since I think the pictures miss the point a little. 

It was such a great weekend.  I am always blessed to get time with my girls.  They are such a rewarding part of my life.  You should consider leading with me.  Just saying.

30 by 30/1 of 30/Go to a concert

Last Thursday night I went to see Ben Rector and Needtobreathe at House of Blues.  I love both bands but I need to confess that I have a bit of a crush on Needtobreathe after the concert.  They were SO GOOD live.  If you have never seen them, GO!  Dallas folks, if you were not there, I am sorry you missed it.  You could always get on a plane and go see them. For those of you that do not live in D-town, check them out when the tour hits your town because it was one of my favorite concerts to date! You will not regret it. 

Ben Rector

Needtobreathe

Thoughts of the Day

Has everyone seen this video?  It makes me wish I could SING.  Pretty wicked harmony. Who knew slap cup could sound so pretty?!


I am excited to start my 30 by 30.  I actually went to 2 concerts in January but did not take pictures so I am not crossing it off my list.  Is that weird?  I am going to Needtobreathe on February 16th.  I plan to take a picture and cross "Go to a concert" off then.  But then do I list all three concerts or just the one with photographic documentation?!  Dilemmas...

I have been cooking this year!  I have not been blogging about it because I do not want to spook myself. But in 2012 I learned how to boil chicken.  Sounds easy enough but a whole new world of recipes is now open to me.  Woohoo!

I am about to start Moneywise1 at my church.  I am excited about it but a little nervous that I am going to need to change my spending habits.  Which is what told me I HAD to take the class. 

I am thoroughly enjoying the Journey. I am praying I keep with it and read entire new testament this year!

I am having a hard time being productive at work today. Why is it when there is a large pile of work to do, I seem to freeze.  I need to WAKE up, stop blogging and start working. 

I am watching less TV this year and not really missing the shows I cut out.  Why didn't I think of cutting out shows I am not crazy about a long time ago?! So much time wasted!

30 by 30

I have only a year and three months before my 30th birthday.  And I do not intend to let 30 sneak up on me.  Being in my late 20’s and single is an interesting thing.  Truthfully, I feel no different than I felt at 21 or 25, except I have a few years more work and life experience under my belt.  Despite feeling like I am only a few years out of college, I am about to leave my 20’s forever.  Which kind of freaks me out if I am completely honest.  There is so much I want to do with my life; there are so many places I want to see.  In an attempt to savor life to the fullest, I made a list of 30 things I want to do before I turn 30.  Most of them I have never done before; some of them I have not done in a long time; but all of them will be accomplished before April 28, 2013. 

1. See a band live at Gruene Hall
2. See the Grand Canyon
3. Get SCUBA certified
4. Ride a motorcycle
5. Attain a positive net worth
6. Watch the Aggies play in Kyle Field
7. Go to a casino in Oklahoma (WinStar or Choctaw... any suggestions as to which?)
8. Read the Bible cover-to-cover
9. Kayak in White Rock Lake
10. Watch an Opera
11. Try Bikram Yoga
12. Sleep under the stars
13. Treasure hunt
14. Karaoke
15. Go rock climbing
16. Take a cooking class
17. Go on a date
18. Be a part of a flash mob
19. Paint
20. Go to a concert
21. Visit Chicago
22. Go on a picnic in the park
23. Join a gym...and use it
24. Go hiking
25. Visit the Dallas Farmers Market
26. Try a frozen mojito
27. Ride a mechanical bull
28. Go on a mission trip
29. Take a trip with good friends
30. Go skydiving

I am pretty excited about my list and can’t wait to start crossing things off.  I wanted to do something to document my 30 by 30 list.  I was not sure what exactly, but then I happened upon this on pinterest and knew I had to borrow shamelessly copy the idea.  Each butterfly below has one of my 30 by 30 goals on it.  When I complete the task, I will take the butterfly off the wall and put it in the empty jar on my bookcase.   

I love the way the wall turned out.  I am a little sad to start completing tasks because I don’t want to disturb the wall.  It is just so pretty!

New Years Resolutions

A year in review…
1. What did you do in 2011 that you’d never done before? Learned to water ski. Acted as first-chair attorney for the first time.  Settled said case.  White water rafting.  Trip to New Mexico with my Community Group. Swam out about a mile with my cousin Scott in knee deep water in the Dominican.  Tried Dr. Pepper Ten (where have you been all my life?!)
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? Last year’s resolutions:
Get SCUBA certified. – Nope. But it will happen!
Travel. – Yes.  See #3 below.
Kayak. - Yes. In Dominican Republic.
Take more pictures. – Fail. This year!
Work out. – Maybe 5 times in the year.  Does that count?
Cook/bake something new at least once a month (or 12 in the year). – Yep!  Posted each recipe!
Read a book a month (or 12 in the year).  - Close. I finished 9, but I am in the middle of 4 more.
Go to a drive-in movie. - Yes.  My birthday last year.
Finish reading my chronological Bible. – I made significant progress…  But I did not finish.
3. What places did you visit? Houston. Possum Kingdom. Gilmer. Dominican Republic. Lake Charles. New Mexico.  
4. What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011? Same as last year.  A boyfriend. 
5. What from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory? Late night talks with Sarah.  Zip lining with Mike, Jacki, John, and Scott in Dominican. Falling out of the raft with Alex and Katie while white water rafting. Walking through FREEZING water TWICE on a hike with Katie, Karla, and Sarah. Being terrified that an alligator was going to eat me in Lake Charles after Melissa's dad told me to "look at the alligator over there."
6. What TV programs did you watch? All FIVE seasons of Friday Night Lights(Loved it!), Firefly (why had I not seen it before?!), Parenthood, Bones, Chuck, How I Met Your Mother and Big Bang Theory.  Favorite new show is Once Upon a Time.
7. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? Drive-in movie.  I turned 28.
8. What are your goals for 2012?

• watch less TV
• read more
• drink less coke
• drink more water
• travel
• take more pictures
• work out more
• read the entire New Testament
• visit good friends
• try new foods
• eat out less
• cook more – plan meals
• stress less
• keep first things first

New Years Eve

For new years eve Sarah and I decided to have some friends over for a low key night complete with snacks and games.  Our friends are so chill and the evening could not have gone better.  I felt like everyone had fun.  I love it when that happens!

My contribution to the food table was baked brie with apple slices.  It turned out quite well for such an easy recipe.  I will be making it again! 

We placed a game called “celebrity” or “the bowl game” which I do not think I could explain effectively through typing, but there were three rounds and each round used the same words out of the bowl.  The rounds consisted of : catch phrase, charades, and then the person could only say one word to describe the clue.  I don’t know if that makes any sense but the game is, in a word, FUN!  Observe:  

I had such a great time ringing in the new year with people I deeply love.  I am so very blessed to have amazing and hysterical friends!  Happy 2012!!

** All photos were taken by our talented photographer friend Charlie Roch… Except for the photos that he is in, I have no clue who took those….**