Last Day

Today was my last day at North Way. It's funny how one can be so deliriously, sick happy and yet be sad at the same time. I wouldn't have thought it possible. It was very surreal packing up a box of my stuff and going through e-mails and files over the past six years. North Way has been such a special place for me to grow and I'm so thankful for the opportunity that I've had to do life there. It's really crazy for me to think that they hired a 22 year-old college graduate, but I am one grateful girl that they took the risk. I won't allow myself to say, "Good bye," because it sounds too final. "See you later" will work, right?

Vacation Pics

Here are a few pictures from the fun times in Florida. How happy to have Disney World and my whole family together?!? Samantha has a lot more that I didn't get yet, so I'll post more as I get them.

Time with my Grandma Dorothy at her house in Florida. Once we actually found it, we enjoyed a lovely dinner together. :-)

The five "kids" together on a safari ride in the Animal Kingdom. Brad got 10 different groups of people to sing "Happy Birthday" to Ashley throughout the day. She was delighted.

How much happier can you get than Mickey Ice Cream Pops at Disney World??? :-)

Happy Birthday Leewards!

I didn't get to write on the actual birthday of Leewards (November 24), but I guess a 1 year and 2 day celebration is close enough.

It's funny because I never actually intended to start a blog whenever I wrote my first post. It was a part of a school project, a hypothetical webpage that I created for a web design class. I started a blog with the intention of never telling anyone to see if I really liked it and maybe, some time in the distant future, I would actually write in it. Two days later, I was shocked to see that I was a feature blog post of The LaunchPad (Pastor Jeff Leake's blog) and I realized that like it or not, I was going to have to give this blogging thing a shot.

I liked it. I liked it a lot.

And in classic God form, He used that simple little instrument to introduce me to new friends (and new "more than friends") and to capture one of the most unbelievable years of my life thus far.

Last Thanksgiving, I wrote about my deep sadness as all my family left and I felt so alone. It was a really significant moment of me pressing past my feelings and the "reality" of my situation at the time and to choose to believe the Truth of God's promises and the hope He extends through them. This Thanksgiving, my fiance and I joined my family in Florida for an amazing family vacation. Ashley and Nate cooked and Brad's parents even traveled up from St. Pete's Beach to celebrate with us. If someone had told me last Thanksgiving what my next Thanksgiving would look like, I'm pretty sure I would have had the same reaction as Sarah in Genesis and just would have laughed my head off.

I am truly humbled and thankful beyond words for all that God has done, truly more than any one of us could have asked or imagined. My prayer is that God would continue to expand His Kingdom and plans, using my life and story as a testimony of hope of the incredible plans of our Father that He has in store for each one of us.

Little Tease

So, in the spirit of football analogies, I think it an appropriate time to explain my thoughts on the Cleveland Browns.

I don't hate the Browns. I think the Browns are like this little brother of Pittsburgh. The city loves to beat up them, but you kind of feel bad when someone else does. That's why I'm really kind of happy that they've been finding their own success.

That is, until today. Started to get a little nervous. But, again, with the little brother analogy . . . picture this little brother who wants to play with a ball that the big brother is holding just above his head. The little guy is jumping up and giving it everything he has to try and grab it and he thinks he almost has it until . . . the older brother pulls it just out of reach. And snickers with a sinister laugh.

Poor Browns. Great game. I don't hate you. Now the Ravens on the other hand . . .

Sleepytime

I've been reading through the Gospels again over these past few months and the Holy Spirit has so graciously opened my eyes so that I feel like I'm reading it for the first time. Perhaps it's due to my own slightly narcoleptic tendencies, but one of the things that's really stuck out to me this time through are the times that there is mention of sleeping.

The disciples are often sleepy at the times when Jesus asks them to pray. In Luke 9, it says that Jesus took Peter, James, and John to a mountain to pray. Shortly thereafter, the Transfiguration occurs and the disciples almost miss it because it says they were "very sleepy" (vs. 32). And then there's the time when Jesus is agonizing in the Garden of Gethsemane and tells the disciples to "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak" (Mark 14:38). I wonder if the disciples had spent more time in prayer during that night if it would have changed their response when the ensuing trial came?

The other stark contrast is to see when we have record of Jesus sleeping. When the disciples were panicked on a boat, doing everything in their power to not drown, Jesus was sleeping peacefully in the bottom of the boat (Mark 4.35-41). The reality of each of the situations was far different than it appeared. When it felt like all was lost, the Truth was that their salvation was as close as speaking a word. A quiet, late night in a garden was truly the greatest crisis they'd ever known.

I guess I'm trying to be more sensitive to listening to my Father's voice, letting me know when I need to fight against the weakness of my flesh and pursue the hunger of my Spirit, and when I need to set aside my anxieties and fears and truly rest in Peace. Almost time for bedtime . . . :-)

How 'Bout dem Lions?!?

So, it's about time that I addressed the phenomenon known as the 2007 Detroit Lions. With a 6-2 record, it's certainly creating a buzz even outside the Motor City. A few things to note . . .

• I feel as if I can safely add the Lions to my cheer list, as they are in an entirely different conference as my beloved Steelers. 95% of the time, I can cheer for both. The remaining 5% of the time, my blood still runs black and gold.
• I would like to take personal credit for this year. I think Kitna knew that if a Steelers fan was willing to add them to their repetoire, he needed to kick it up a notch. :-)
• My dad predicted that the Lions would win 10 games before the season ever began. He has a weird sense of knowing with these things . . .
• Brad was introducing me to Detroit sports radio on Monday. The best analogy that I can use to describe what I heard was that the city was like someone who's just come out of a bad relationship and they're afraid to trust anyone again. The callers refused to acknowledge the possibility of "the P-- word," hesitant to raise any hopes and "jinx" what is happening.

It's okay, dear Lions fans. It's a new year. A new season. Dream high.

Merci Beaucoup!

To all my new friends and family at Church of the King, Brad and I can't thank you enough for all the love and generosity that you extended to us this past Sunday. I was truly overwhelmed (in a good way). :-) I can't wait to start using it in T-minus 70 days (and counting). Here are a few pics of the beautiful event.

(Getting ready to play the infamous . . .)

(Why this didn't catch on, I'll never know.)

When asked "What is your husband/almost husband most likely to lose?" See this post for more information. :-)