Becky's Random Ramblings

It's been a long time.........

2012-01-03T12:49:00.000-08:00

I saw just the last time I posted was in March 2010-over a year and a half ago! I am a definite slacker! Several people have asked me about my blog but I guess I thought after leaving Mission Year and moving from Charlotte that I had nothing of interest to write about. I was just reading over the last few of my posts and they made me smile and feel like crying all at the same time. I miss Atlanta and Charlotte so much and at times, it hurts to think about my life then-especially when I was dealing with some depressing from being unemployed and having to move back to Indiana. But God had a plan for me and life has changed so much and it's crazy awesome to look back and see all the incredible things God has done since March 2010.

I'm going to take a few minutes to highlight and reflect on the journey and adventure 2011 brought to my life:

Jan-I began working part time (20 hrs a wk) as a waitress at Bob Evans. I was barely making enough to pay for gas and my cell phone. I was still relying on my parents for a place to live and them and Ryan for money for food, clothes and anything else I may have needed. I was not in a good place emotionally and was depressed and feeling down. I had been rejected from job after job and felt hopeless. I am so thankful for the support of my amazing parents and Ryan for the love and support they gave me through my 6 months (prior to Bob Evans) of unemployment. They never gave up on me and knew that God had something wonderful and perfect in His plan for me.

Feb-I began working at Wheeler Mission in the Women's Shelter. If you don't know much about Wheeler Mission, google it right now! It's a great ministry that shows Christ's love beautifully to everyone person that walks through our door. I am the Program Assistant in the Children's minsitry-so fun!

April-I got engaged!!! wooo! Ryan proposed to me one beautiful evening in front of amazing fountains ( I loooove fountains!) after taking me to a yummy and fancy pants restaurant called The Mesh. It was perfect! And my adorable niece, Alexis was born! Such a cutie! :)

May/June-We began the fun process of planning our wedding! Ryan was super involved and helpful the whole time! :)

July/Aug-More wedding planning/ bachelorette party, bridal showers etc. So much fun! I loved every minute of the planning!

Sept-I got hitched! I became Mrs. Ryan Langley!!!! It was more perfect than I could have ever imagined!

October/November- Getting used to being a wife, living with a boy and the transitions and perks that come along with being a newlywed. There was also our 1st Thanksgiving as marrieds, roadtrips to KY and ATL and trying to figure out what to do with all my stuff! One bedroom apartment is just too small! Oh-and I learned how to play Madden 2012-I was pretty proud of myself...Ryan was too! :)

Dec-I was so unbelievably excited for Christmas this year!! I went a lil crazy with the ornaments and the decorations but I was just so excited!! I also was asked to move into a new position at work that has more responsibility and would give me more experience in casemanagement (which is what I really want to do) I was a bit nervous at first to accept because I would be working with the 30 day emergency ladies as an Assistant Casemanager and right now I work with the mothers and children. I love my job but was definitely ready for more responsibilty. After much prayer and talking to Ryan and my momma, I decided to take the job. I start Jan 9. I was also asked to co-teach a Conflict Resolution class for the ladies. I'm a a lil nervous about that as well. It's been a while since I've taught a class to adults. Please pray for me as I transition into this new role. Also, Ryan got a promotion/ raise at his job last week! Such a wonderful blessing!

Life is full of unexpectedness! It has its moments of craziness, definite ups and downs but it has always been an adventure. I am looking foward to see what God has planned for mine and Ryan's future!! :)

I will blog again soon and definitely more often...promise.

conversations and revelations

2010-05-26T12:49:00.000-07:00

The past few weeks have been real tough for me. Well actually the past couple of months have been difficult and full of circustances that I just didn't know how to deal with. I have this reoccuring problem of thinking that I can do everything on my own and have been constantly reminded that I need to rely on God. He's got my back and knows what is best for me. I have been so blessed to have the amount of incredible people in my life that I do in Charlotte. When I first moved here 7 months I thought I'd never be apart of a close community of friends but God has this incredible way of placing people in your life at the time you need them.

I love having deep/ below the surface conversations with people and the past few weeks have been full of just that. I've been almost seeking out how to make these life changing chats happen because my life is absolutely insane and I am having to make decsisions and doing things that I never thought I'd be doing right now. Some of the conversations haven't been easy and a few were even a bit awkward but each have caused me to think about my life and the lives of the people that I love.

I've even had a few revelations come from these chats. One thing I learned is I am a hot mess and a bit crazy but guess what?? So is everyone else! No one has it together but we are all act like it because we are afraid to let down our guard and let others into the craziness of our life. I have to stop acting like I don't need anyone else and stop being afraid to let people love me.

That leads me to my second thing-I need to let people love me. It sounds simple but for some reason I am having a hard time grasping the concept. It's always been a re-occuring theme in my life. I don't love who I am so I can't even fathom how anyone else could love me. I'm not the only one who struggles with this, many girls I know deal with the same issue and it makes me so sad. God created each of us in His own image. We are all fearfully and wonderfully made.We are beautiful and fabulous creations of God and we shouldn't insult God by not loving what He created. I know all of these things but I have a hard time of finding my worth in life. I want to work on it but how do you tangibly work on loving yourself?

Revelation #3-Never settle and don't give up on dreams. I feel like people settle and give up too quickly in life. It saddens me to hear people talk about their dreams and goals that they used to have but they have given up on them because they didn't have the confidence to do it or life got in the way. I have so many things that I want to accomplish in my life and I know that some may not happen but I'm going to do my best to make sure that most of them do. I feel like most people don't reach their full potential. I am surrouned by folks everyday who could do amazing things but because society tells them that they have to have a certain type of job, car and house and they don't end up reaching their potential or doing things they feel the passion to do. Each of us are made for so much more that what we are doing right now in our lives.

Numero 4-life is too short. I know it's a bit cliche but it's so true. Life is entirely too short to be sad all the time. Or to get upset about the little things that don't really matter. Relationships, friendships, jobs and lives in general end too quickly and we need to spend time loving those around us and enjoying the life that God has given us. I'm done being sad or mad about things that I can't change. Life isn't always awesome but we still need to enjoy it and be thankful that God has blessed us with another day. If you are struggling to love life I reccomened coloring, going to the park to swing or randomly bust out in song and dance....these are things that help me :)

There are many more mini revelations I could share but I'll save that for another time.

Hugs Hugs Hugs!

2010-04-29T10:02:00.000-07:00

"Ms. Becky your hair feels like a bunny." Will you be my best friend?" "Can I come stay at your house?" "You wanna come over and play video games, my mom will cook us dinner?"

Oh how I love kids. Those quotes are from kids at the elementary school in our neighborhood Every Wednesday (and other days if possible) I go there to hang out/tutor a few kids. I am also a lunch buddy to a precious little 7 year old girl named Queen. She is quite possibly the cutest and funniest kid I know. I love spending time with her and the other kids in her class.

I went there today to have lunch with Queen and as I walked in the front doors as Queen and her class were lining up in the hall to go in the cafeteria and when they all saw me they started screaming, MS. BECKY!!!!!! and about 15 kids flocked to me hugging me and touching my hair and begging me to sit next to them. They all know that when I come there I sit next to Queen but they always fight over who is going to sit in the other seat next to me. I wore my hair straight today (which is a rare occasion) and this one lil girl kept touching it and she was the one who said it felt like a bunny. Such funny kids!

Life has been insane lately and I have been feeling pretty low and depressed but going to the school today really helped me a lot. I can't help but love all those kids and being around them and receiving all the 50+ hugs I get every time I'm there puts a smile on my face. Today we talked alot about mommy and daddys and they were asking me questions about my parents and if they had the same last name as I did and if I have more than one daddy and if I ever got hit if I did something wrong-it just broke my heart. I usually always end up having really good and sometimes intense converstations with them, especially with Queen. I walked her back to her classroom after lunch and she stopped in the middle of the hall and hugged me for a few minutes and then looked up at me and said, "I love you Becky. You are my best friend." I definitely started crying (Im an emotional mess lately) and just hugged her some more. Hugging is such a beautiful thing, I think that each person should give/recieve at least 5 hugs a day-it just makes you feel so loveable and fantastic so go hug someone right now!!! (ps that's Queen in the pic!)

again I say REJOICE!!

2010-03-15T12:38:00.000-07:00

Since I don't have an official office, I work from home, Elevation, local coffee shops and if I don't need my computer, the park. This afternoon I decided I didn't want to work from home anymore so I made my way to my favorite Starbucks. I enjoy all the noises of the coffee grinder, the chatter of friends catching up on life, the huge comfy chair I'm sitting in, the wonderful smell of coffee and the warmth of the sunshine streaming in on me through the window-all while listening to some Kirk Franklin. I do love me some gospel. Sigh.....life is good.

For the first time in a long time I feel content, at peace...a true sense of happiness. I know that happiness definitely can be determined by circumstance but I am happy and I am going to soak it in. I've been working on having joy no matter what craziness life may bring. It's been challenging but knowing that God is faithful really helps. Work is crazy right now and I try not to worry too much on the future of Mission Year in Charlotte. I know that it is in God's hands and I trust that He has plan that exceeds anything that I could dream up. I feel a peace about the future and life in Charlotte, it's something I can't really explain but I am very thankful for it. I am slowly learning how to let go of every aspect of my life and let God be in control.

life after love week

2010-03-01T22:13:00.000-08:00

It's been over a month since I've blogged-I'm such a slacker! There has been a lot going on lately, I'll try to give a quick overview. Love Week happened and it was a huge success!! I'm not sure if I have mentioned Love Week before but basically it was a week long volunteer event at Elevation. The idea was to have at least 5,000 people from Elevation volunteer 5,000 hours at various organizations around the city in one week-yes, it was as crazy as it sounds! I was one of the people that were running it/ in charge of everything....I pretty much got no sleep that week but it was worth it. All the several months of hard work and planning paid off. We exceeded our goal and had a total of 10,5581 volunteer hours served in Charlotte that week! We made over 12,000 sandwiches for the homeless, rebuilt playgrounds, cleaned up parks, painted, sorted clothes, scrubbed walls, picked up trash, served food, did extreme makeovers to offices, worked in schools and much more all in that week. Plus we were on the news and radio multiple times!

I wasn't sure what I thought of Love Week when I was first asked to help out. I'm not a fan of making sure everyone knows how many good things you are doing for others and I don't like when people think that volunteering for one hour every few months is all they need to do. My goals and ideas on success for Love Week were a bit different than most everyone's else's. I not only wanted to have my events run smoothly with a ton of people but also to open their eyes to the needs of the city. I wanted to make sure people understood who they were serving and how real homelessness and poverty is. I wanted people not to feel sorry for them but to see the face of God in them and allow God's pure and amazing love to shine through them. People began to ask questions about homelessness, injustices, poverty and how to love others who are different than us-it was so great! I absolutely love talking about those things! It's my hope that the people from Elevation will continue to volunteer and serve in Charlotte.

Even though Love Week was crazy, there were several fun things that helped me to stay sane and stress free: v-day package from my momma, swinging with Sam, coffee dates, playing in the snow, lunch with Queen, v-day package from my wonderful ATL friends, bowling, painting rocks, dance parties at Crisis, Lost, and of course many trips to Target. I've been helping plan Love Week since I moved here so life is weird without it. I was sick most of last week which I believe is a result of lack of sleep...no fun. My mom came to visit for a few days-it was sooooo great! That's all for now kids, I need to go to sleep! I promise it won't be a month before I write again....good night!

let it snow!

2010-01-30T20:05:00.000-08:00

The past few days have been wonderful! Let's begin with my friend Jason being here for a few days...yay! We worked at the Cafe together during my Mission Year. It's so fun to have him here! Yesterday was my day off so we just kinda hung out around the house for a while, went to Target(of course!) and then went to Urban Ministry to be in a video shoot for Elevation! Yes, a video shoot-I met one of my goals for the year! It was freeeeezing so we took random breaks in the middle of the shoot to go into the art gallery they have and warm up. They have a piano in the gallery and we all just hung out and sang songs....Samantha even played us some tunes! During the video shoot it started to snow!! Sam has never seen snow falling before-it was so fun! Later that night we went to game night that my small group was having and it was snowing like crazy! This morning when we woke up it looked like a winter wonderland! It was so beautiful! We played in it all morning! Kids came over for a while this afternoon and we played Uno! Earlier tonight, Sam and I went sledding and pretend ice skating! We would run and slide along the ice on the road....and I only fell once! Oh we had tacos tonight AND girl scout cookies that Jason brought us-basically life has been great!!I definitely needed a couple of days of fun....now if I could just have a couple of days without working! :) Off to bed I go, have to wake up early for church! Good night!

life........

2010-01-27T21:07:00.000-08:00

I just got in from swinging.....yes it's 30 degrees out and after midnight and I was swinging. I've written before that swinging helps me clear my mind and think about things and tonight I definitely needed time away to think. These past few weeks have been unbelievably crazy and at times I find myself feeling lost and uncertain what to do. I'm not a person who cries often but I've cried more in the past few weeks than I have in the past few years. I hate crying, especially in front of people. Tonight I cried three times, two of those times were almost in front of people so I had to get away quickly. Why do I think crying makes me look weak?

I know we aren't always supposed to understand why things happen they way they do but sometimes I just want answers. I did a lot of talking to God tonight while I was swinging. I was hoping for some sort of clarity or answer when I got done......that didn't happen. All I felt was the urge to continue on. I guess that's all I really can do. Life isn't in my control. I don't get to decide what happens when or who it happens to. I can't make people listen to me or do what I want them to just because I think my way is the right way. All I can do is trust that God is in control and He knows what is best for my life. So I'm going to trust. It's hard, so very very hard sometimes but I'm going to do it. After all, The Bible says all we need is faith the size of a mustard seed and we can move mountains.......

2010

2010-01-18T19:07:00.000-08:00

One of our neighbors, Darius, came over tonight and asked us what our goals were in 2010. I didn't really have an answer because I don't normally make new year resolutions. I began to think about it all evening and started creating a list of things I would like to accomplish this year. Some are more serious but most are funny and even a bit silly. Here's the list in no particular order:

1. Watch all the Star Wars movies. Yes, I realize I'm lame because I've never seen any of them.

2. Read the Twilight series. I just started the second one...and I love them!

3. Become better at speaking/reading Spanish

4. Take at least 1 vacation that isn't to Indiana.

5. Become a North Carolina resident. I have a hard time committing to a state(that's not IN) but it's time.

6. Learn to truly love myself so I am able to truly love others

7. Read my Bible and pray daily

8. Visit New York, go to a Broadway show and eat a hotdog from a street vendor...with friends!

9. Learn to play the guitar.

10. As well as the drums

11. And the piano

12. Visit Sam and Jaimee in Cali...after Mission Year of course!

13. Recognize my talents and use them to further glorify God

14. Show everyone I meet the love that Christ shows me daily. It's not always easy but I try.

15. Learn Korean. I decided tonight that I think that would be fun.

16. Get over my fear and insecurities of singing in front of people.

17. Learn to accept compliments.

18. Take dance lessons!

19. Give 150% in every relationship I have

20. Allow people to give 150% back to me and not feel bad about it.

21. Take cooking classes. I have taken some in the past and they were so fun!

22. Be in a video at Elevation

23. Spend a week in KY with the coolest mamaw and papaw ever!

That's all for now. More to come!

sabbath

2010-01-08T08:06:00.000-08:00

I am watching Sister Act 2 right now. It is one of my favorite movies...no lie! It's full of music, nuns, inner city kids and Whoopi-how much better can you get?

Today is my sabbath and it couldn't have come at a better time. This week has been CRAZY! Most Fridays end up being more work than a sabbath but I decided that I need to take advantage of my day off and spend it resting and doing things that I want to do....I deserve that. So this morning I slept in until 9am (that's late for me!), had breakfast in bed and am watching Sister Act 2. I feel it has been a great way to start the day!

I usually try to spend a portion of every day reading and journaling. On my days off I love going to Target and sitting in the lil cafe area, treating myself to Starbucks and reading. That may sound strange but it's a great place just to hang out and be by myself while still be around others. Today I may also stop by Trader Joe's and pick up my favorite kind of sushi. Yes, I said sushi. I still dislike seafood but I do like the spicy california roll at Trader Joe's-thanks to Christy! Tonight a friend and I are going to go out and about in the great city of Charlotte...I'm pretty excited! :)

Like I said, this week has been absolutely crazy! It's been one of those weeks where I question what I'm doing here and begin wandering if I'm capable of handling all that's been given to me. It's been full of emotional ups and downs- no electricity, an unexpected death,heating problems, team stuff, more responsibilities, boy craziness, money issues...and I've only been back in Charlotte for 6 days!

On the flip side, there has been some wonderful things that have happened this week. Examples: I've grown closer to a friend at Elevation. She was there for me when all the craziness began and has continued to be a great support. It has been some beautiful bonding time! We had a girl over for dinner who is in the process of applying for Mission Year. It was a good time of hanging out and seeing the excitement she has about doing Mission Year in the fall. It helped remind me why I do what I do.

I had lunch with Queen!! It was the first time I'd seen her since Christmas break and it was so much fun! I just love her! Last night we had a guy over for dinner that is interested in Mission Year. I was amazed at his love for the inner city and the desire and passion he had for the homeless population. It was a really good refreshing conversation about issues I am interested in..and with someone my age! That doesn't happen often.

God is working here in Charlotte. I see His beauty and His work daily. He is here in the midst of the good and the bad. He is there to give me confidence when I don't think I can do it. He gives me the courage to do the things that I don't want or am too scared to do. He loves me even when I feel unloved. He has placed incredible people here in my life...people I never thought I would find in Charlotte-and I'm so thankful for that. Happy Friday everyone!!!

We at the hotel, motel, Holiday Inn.....

2010-01-03T19:21:00.000-08:00

Currently I am sitting in a hotel room at Holiday Inn eating pizza(thanks Hubatka!), watching TV and hanging out with Sam and Jaimee. I came back to Charlotte last night and found that we had no electricity at our house-no good! Long story but there was a bit of miscommunication and all will be fixed tomorrow. I spent the night with a friend from Elevation and it was a fantastic time of chatting and hanging out! This morning I went to Elevation and it was so great to be back! I actually missed going to service there! Who would have ever thought I'd say that?!?! The sermon was really good and just what I needed to hear.

2010 has already proven to be crazy and full of unpredictable events.....and it's only January 3rd! I can't wait to see what all God has in store in the upcoming months! I had a wonderful time over Christmas break with all my family and friends. It was a much needed break and a time to think and reflect. There has been a lot going on lately and it was nice to have some time to talk through and think about some issues I have been dealing with.

I should probably go to sleep now.....back to work tomorrow! I'm excited! Good night!

This Chrismas

2009-12-25T20:16:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas everyone!! I can't believe another Christmas has come and gone! I was beyond excited to come to Indiana to hang out with my fam and celebrate Christmas and it's kinda sad to me that in 30 minutes it won't be Christmas for 365 more days! This Christmas has been a bit different for me than other one's on the past. Growing up causes somethings to change. I like change and adapt to it well, but there are things that I don't ever want to change and when they do, I have a hard time dealing. This Christmas was also very random for me. There were a few things that happened that were unexpected.

This was the first year we didn't see my grandma on Christmas Eve...she passed away earlier this year. We weren't that close but not seeing her, not getting another change purse (that I would never use) and not forcing myself to eat a piece of her(nasty) fruitcake was sad to me. We had Christmas with sister, Adam and Korbin three days before Christmas because of work and other family commitments. It was a lot of fun butI hated waking up this morning and not having Korbin here to open presents and to play with.

I sang O Holy Night last night at a Christmas Eve service at my parents church. Yes, I sang...by myself...in front of people! I hate singing in front of people so it was a huge deal for me. I got so nervous and scared-so silly of me! I may have volunteered myself (and my momma!) to be bell ringers for the Salvation Army! It was as awesome as it sounds! We got to wish people a Merry Christmas, ring bells and raise money for people in need....and wear cool aprons! I was getting bored with the same usual bell ringing so I jazzed it up a bit and decided to dance and sing-it worked! People actually gave money because of my dancing and singing! And no, the money wasn't for me to stop dancing-I was entertaining! :)

My poor lil Korbin has been sick the past couple of days and we've taken two trips to the ER. He had a 104.7 temp the first night and was just the most pathetic and saddest looking lil peanut you have ever since! We were actually at the ER til 4ish this morning because his temp wasn't staying down. After a couple chest xrays they determined he has pneumonia-so sad!

Fun news....I got a snuggie for Christmas!! Sooo excited! And yes, it is as comfy and practical as the cheesy commercials portray:) In fact, I'm wearing it right now and it's keeping me all warm and cozy!

Welp, off to bed I go. I hope everyone's Christmas was as wonderful, restful and fun as mine was! Sweet dreams!!

Emotional Mess

2009-12-13T18:23:00.000-08:00

I cried today. I've cried many times the past few weeks, and not just a few tears but multiple tears rolling down my cheeks and at times borderline sobbing. For those of you who know me at all you know that I don't cry....especially in front of people. I'm not really sure why. Maybe it's because I think it makes me look weak and vulnerable when I'm supposed to have it together, or maybe it's because I look a hot mess when it happens and who wants that?

Life has been crazy the past few weeks, not really bad, just busy and a lot going on. There have a been a few minor bumps in the road but nothing too major. So why the tears? Not really sure. Elevation sings a song that I absolutely love and it says, "I need you to soften my heart, to break me apart" and I think that is what God is doing. The past few years I have seen and been through a lot that has caused my heart to harden. I've become more cynical and judgmental about churches, the inner city, police, schools, and just people in general. I've built walls around my heart so I don't feel the hurt or the pain.There was so much sadness all around me that I forgot about hope, love, grace, God....all the good stuff.

Today at church Pastor Foo talked about money and tithing. Elevation is building a new campus and it is going to cost a ton of money to build and he is trying to get the congregation pumped up about giving...I'm sure I will talk about that another time. My heart is softening on that subject as well. Then he showed a video of Louie Gigilo reading a journal of a girls journey becoming a Christian. It was a beautiful story and I cried throughout the whole entire thing. I'm pretty sure 90% of the people in the room were also crying. I kinda forgot how beautiful it is to be a Christian. I no longer see God in the same way as a new Christian does. I take advantage of God's love and acceptance of me. At times I forget what Jesus went through when He died on the cross and because of His death and resurrection, I have been forgiven of all my ridiculousness and He loves me always not matter what.

I'm guessing this heart softening thing is going to continue and I'm excited about it! Hopefully I won't turn into an emotional hot mess, but I guess it's possible! On a fun note: Leroy comes tomorrow to visit, I'll be in Atlanta in 5 days and in Indiana in 6 days! Yay for friends and family! :)

Thoughts

2009-12-11T19:48:00.001-08:00

Christmas earrings? Check. Christmas socks? Check. Red shirt/green puffy vest combo? Check. Hair a curly fro-ish mess with a red ribbon in it? Check. As I look at myself in the mirror I'm reminded of the Full House episode where Kimmy Gibbler has on an ugly tacky Christmas sweater that lights up... or is that her prom dress? Hmm either way I kinda wish I had a piece of clothing that lit up!! I am dressed in this Christmas awesomeness because we( the team and I) are going to A Singing Christmas Tree! That's right, we are going to watch people hanging out in a huge Christmas tree sing Carols and other holiday tunes! I am super pumped!

As most of you know, I love Christmas. Everything about it is so wonderful: lights, ornaments, trees, carols, snow, ABC Family's 25 Days of Christmas, traditions, family, friends, parties, cookies...the list could go on and on. This Christmas will be a lil different for me than others have been in the past. My sister is married now and has her own family and they will not be spending Christmas morning with me and the parents. I understand she's all grown up now but not having her or Korbin (Adam too!) there to open presents with will be sad. This is the first year we won't hang out with my grandma on Christmas Eve, she passed away in April.

Like most people, money is a bit tight this year for me. Taking this new job meant making less money than I was and I am completely ok with, but I am starting to feel the effects of the change. I don't have the money to get my family and friends the things I would like to. Christmas presents are going to look a bit different this year than they have in years before. I will be making all of my gifts for the fam and I'm excited about them!

Sometimes I wish I could have more money, not a ton, just enough to have a lil cushion. Money is such an interesting thing to me. It defines many of us and causes us to say or do things that we wouldn't normally do. Not having a ton of money has caused me to rely on God a lot more than I was. I know that Charlotte is where I am supposed to be right now and I have to trust that God's got my back. He has been so faithful to me during this transition. Money also makes me somewhat judgmental and jealous....just being honest. I don't think it's bad to be successful and to have money , and I don't think you should feel bad if you have nice things-just want everyone to know that. I guess I just don't understand how some people can have everything they want and how others work just as hard and can't even make ends meat. I guess I'm not supposed to understand. God has a plan for everyone and some will have quite a bit of money and some will not. I just see so much hurt where I live and it breaks my heart. I

I encourage you to give this Christmas season. Give a coat, socks, toys, groceries, your time or donate to Mission Year! :) Every little bit you give helps someone in need. I'm sure most of you can think of a time when the cupboards were bare, the bills were piled high and you weren't sure how rent was going to get paid, and all you needed was a lil hope and a lil help to get you rolling again. You could be that hope for someone. You could show Christ's love through the act of giving.

Swinging

2009-12-07T12:00:00.000-08:00

I love to swing. Samantha loves to swing so pretty much every night Sam and I head up to the park to swing, even when it's freezing outside...like last night. We bundled up by wearing two pairs of pants, 2 shirts, a hoodie, scarf, gloves and winter coat-we looked like Eskimos! Normally I will wear my flip flops but I actually put on socks and real shoes last night, it was 35 degrees! That picture to the left is from a few weeks ago when it wasn't so cold at night. I look forward to this time every evening. Swinging is so freeing and helps clear my mind. It reminds me of God and how awesome he is. I pray a lot while I'm swinging. Sometimes Sam and I swing in silence and sometimes we are chatting the whole time. I really enjoy conversations with her. We talk about family, God, church, neighbors...just life in general. Last night we spent over 2 hours at the park! After our legs were numb from swinging we moved to the play ground and sat on the slides and chatted for a while. We usually see Spider and Darius while we are out there and I know they think we are crazy! We probably are crazy..who really goes to swing in 30 degree weather? We do! And Sam is just as crazy as I am...and that's one of the reasons why I love her! Swinging isn't just for kids or crazy adults who act like kids! I encourage you to find time to go to the park and swing and I you will see why I love it so much!

A lil recap

2009-12-04T09:01:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that it is already December 4th! These past few months since being in Charlotte have flown by so quickly! This week has been full of its usual craziness with a twist of being sick. I don't love being sick.... I don't know many people who do. I hate laying around doing nothing and that's what I did Monday. Tuesday I stayed in bed all day but did some emailing and Wednesday I had lunch with Queen and then I was off to Elevation. We had an Uptown Volunteer Event that night that I was helping out with. It was beautifully decorated with white linens, roses, marbles, tea lights and a sparkley (is that a word?) ribbon down the center of the table....and Elevation has these HUGE Christmas trees that are just absolutely gorgeous and went very nicely with our table decor. We had yummy food and a wonderful time of fellowship with other volunteers from Uptown. The band sang some of my favorite songs...it was a very much needed time of worship for me.

Thursday I went back to Elevation and worked on various projects for Chris and Errica. I was asked to be the liaison for Urban Ministries, which is a homeless shelter not far from my house. I have a meeting with them tomorrow afternoon and I'm very excited to start volunteering for them and begin to build relationships! Druid Hills (the elem school in my neighborhood) had their Christmas program last night and let me tell you....it was AWESOME!! Probably one of the cutest things I have ever seen!! Sam and Jaimee work there throughout the week and we all felt like proud parents watching our kids sing! Queen's class did a hip-hop rendition of Rudolph and it was HILARIOUS!!! I wish you all could have seen it. She was soo good in it too! Sister can move!

There were cookies and stuff after the program and Queen ran up and hugged me and I saw her dad and a few of her siblings. I just love that little girl. Her birthday is next Wednesday and I am bringing cupcakes for her class and we are going to have a lil party....so excited!

After the program we came home and ate some leftover pizza and pasta (thank you Elevation!) and then Sam and I rode the bus into Uptown (aka dowtown Charlotte) and roamed around for a bit and saw some of the most beautiful Christmas lights! Right as we got off the bus we heard a very loud voice singing from across the street so we went to check it out. It was an older gentleman singing gospel songs...he even played the saxophone! It was so fun to hang out and listen to him for a while.

I found it interesting that the only people (besides Sam and I) that were standing there were homeless guys. A few came over and talked to us for a lil bit and they didn't even ask us for money, which surprised me a bit. However we did get approached multiple times by people asking us for money while we were walking around. I always feel this combination of annoyance, sympathy and guilt when I'm asked for change and I say no. I never give anyone money, I will buy food but will never give money...just my rule for myself. If I know about a place nearby that is serving a meal I will try to direct them there. It's always hard though, especially on chilly nights like last night.

The next few weeks are going to be busy busy busy! Please keep myself, Sam, Jaimiee and Barak in your prayers for energy, endurance, love, patience and good attitudes as we go throughout these next couple weeks before Christmas break.

Turkey Day!!

2009-11-29T20:00:00.000-08:00

I know Thanksgiving was a few days ago but things have been so busy lately that I'm just now getting around to telling you all about it. Thanksgiving was soooo much fun! We had the opportunity to be in the parade with Right Moves for Youth which is an organization that my team works with. We had to meet them early so we had to get on the 6:42am bus and I overslept and woke up at 6:30...oops! We ran to the bus stop but we made it! The parade didn't start til 10am so there was a lot of chillin and wandering the behind the scenes of the parade. We took pictures with all kinds of fun characters and there were so many fun floats! We were holding/carrying the huge blow up turkey and it was having some issues so we weren't able to go when we were supposed to. After some tlc on the turkey it was up and ready to role...and off we went into the parade! I was pretty much having the time of my life....thousands of people lined the streets and we got to throw candy, wave and wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!! Did I mention that we followed The McDonald's float and were dancing down the street with the music from their float-it was soooo much fun!!

When we got home the dinner making begun! I was in charge of the turkey, mac and cheese and peanut butter pie and I did a pretty great job if I do say so myself! :) We decided to get all dressed up for dinner-so fun! I missed being in IN with my fam but I am really glad I was here in Charlotte with my team. Here are some pictures from the day:

Atlanta pics

2009-11-23T21:20:00.000-08:00

I wasn't able to add pics on my last blog because I wrote so much!!! oops!

The Best of Both Worlds

2009-11-19T20:59:00.000-08:00

Yes, my blog title is the Hannah Montana theme song but it's also how I'm feeling right now. Currently I am in Atlanta sitting on a comfy blue couch at Ashlee and Caleb's house. All other friends have left for the evening and I am sitting here eating key lime pie with Ashlee and soaking in the wonderfulness of being in Atlanta. Oh how I love Atlanta and the wonderful people that live here! But then there's Charlotte, my new home. I've come to love Charlotte and am beginning to feel connected there. I am enjoying life there and the adventures that each day brings.

Atlanta and Charlotte.....the best of both worlds.

I started writing this a few nights ago while in Atlanta. My time there was beyond amazing...it was a break that was definitely needed. I came back today feeling refreshed and recharged. I want to share some of the amazingness from my weekend so here are a few highlights and fun facts about my time in the A!

*Hannah Montana, Rascal Flatts and Christmas music kept me company on my trip

*I got to see all the Atlanta Mission Year teams at the Phone-A-thon Thursday night!

*went to FCS and hung out with all my old co-workers!! I miss them!

*Thai food with the ladies

*game night at the Starrs after Ashlee fixing my favorite meal :)

*watching Beauty and the Beast and cuddling with Ava Friday morning

*$10 puffy vest from Old Navy....everyone got one!!!

*Ava and I were bff all weekend long....i just love hearing her say my name :)

*I ate at Doc Greens for the 1st time-yum!

*Mike hugs!!!

*tree lighting at Atlantic Station

*playing with the girls in the fake snow at Atlantic Station...they had snow machines-it was awesome!

*walking around Atlantic Station looking at all the beautiful lights and singing Christmas songs

*if i could make a living out of dressing up and singing Christmas carols I totally would!

*dance parties in the van

*watching Home Alone while Ashlee does Anniiayah's hair...and it looks sooo good!

*going to Park Ave Sunday morning. I can't tell you how much i love that church and the people in it! They are doing great things and I'm excited to see what God does there.

*Anniiayah's bday party on Sunday.....yummy cake, fun friends and games

*Sunday was Deck the Starr Halls!! I LOVE to decorate for Christmas! It was a wonderful combination of decorating, listening to Mariah sing us some holiday favorites and football in the back ground :)

*hanging out at the coffee shop

*seeing old neighbors and roomies!

*All Christmas all the time radio station on the way home....magical!

*the Colts won!

*bed time stories and prayer time with Anniiayah and Makayla

*I realized this will probably be the last time I see the girls before they go to live with their mom. I don't like thinking about it...it makes me want to cry. I love them.

*lots of wonderful and encouraging conversations-i have great friends :)

There was much more about my weekend I could share. I am so blessed to have the friends and support system that I do. It was so nice to just "be" with them and not having to explain anything...they know me. There were moments when I felt like I had never left....wonderful. It's weird how I still feel so connected with my Atlanta world and yet I feel connected and at home in Charlotte. God is such a cool kid....can I call Him a kid? Anywho....He is totally in control and knows what is best for me. He knew that (after time) I would love Charlotte and I would do well here, I just had to trust Him. Crazy what can happen when you just let God take control.....

lunch buddy

2009-11-18T09:23:00.000-08:00

One of the organizations my team volunteers for is A Child's Place. They work to erase the impact of homelessness on children and their education. They provide snack bags, tutors, uniforms, hygiene and anything else that may help the child have more of a normal school experience. I volunteer with them throughout the week as a lunch buddy. My lil lunch buddys name is Queen and she is the sweetest lil 1st grader you will ever meet. She loves, pineapple, doritos, ice cream cake, reading, art and the class bunny. She doesn't like green beans, ants, white milk or math. She's very quiet and a bit shy but she is starting to get more chatty as each week goes by. I try to get there early so I can hang out in the classroom for a little while before lunch. She has an amazing teacher who is creative and really loves the kids. I wish I would have had him for a teacher! Last week we stayed in the classroom and had lunch while reading books and talking. I kinda liked that better than sitting in the cafeteria because there are always a million kids trying to compete for my attention and it's a bit more difficult to talk to Queen.

Today we had some really wonderful chats. She asked me if we were friends and I told her of course we were! She told me that we should promise each other that we will be friends so we shook on it and did this fun lil hand clap diddy to confirm our friendship-it was the cutest thing! I was wearing a necklace today that was made by kids in India and I bought it from a friend who is trying to raise money for an orphanage there and Queen kept talking about how much she liked it so before I left I gave her the necklace. She got the biggest smile on her cute lil face and then reached out and hugged me so tight. She told me that she would wear it all the time so she could remember me being her friend and eating lunch with her. I love this little girl.

Waffle House

2009-11-12T23:40:00.000-08:00

It's 1am we are hungry. What do we do? Go to Waffle House! It was Samantha's first Waffle House experience, Jaimee's favorite place, Barak's birthday and I was just really hungry-everyone was excited! It was sooooooo yummy! We are all now stuffed, full of energy and smell like a combination of smoke and batter....aren't you jealous? Here's a lil sneak peak of our experience.

randomness

2009-11-08T18:22:00.000-08:00

The past 48 hours have been extremely busy...actually this past week has been a crazy whirlwind of events. It's too much to write so I'm just going to focus on the past two days. Here are some highlights and random things that I want to share...

*we(Elevation and Mission Year) had an outreach event yesterday at the elementary school in our neighborhood. We did landscaping, coloring a mural, decorating classrooms and installing white boards.

*afterwards we had a cookout/festivalish thing at the park right by my house.

*we had popcorn and cotton candy machines!!!

*there's no outlets at the park so we had to make the stuff at my house and then bring it to the park

*we set out the smoke alarm in my house by making the cotton candy

*we had face painting-and the kids loved it!! (adults too!!!)

*I was reminded that being in charge of an event may mean not getting to do all the fun stuff that everyone else is doing...and I had to check my attitude a few times throughout the day

*we served 300 hot dogs to neighbors and friends!

*we gave away a 'Thanksgiving in a basket' and the family that won it were so excited!

*we made lots of new friends

*i wrote my lil lunch buddy's name on the mural...I can't wait to show her!

*after the party we went to a bday party at a neighbors house

*i helped make fried chicken at the party-i HATE fried chicken!

*we went to a fancy thank you dinner at a Country Club last night

*we did the electric slide

*we danced to Boon Boom Pow with a local Charlotte celebrity

*Jaimee, Samantha and myself danced in front of everyone....it was awesome!

*woke up at 6:30 this morning to help at church

*bus was late....and was standing room only....and stopped at EVERY stop from our house to the church which made us late-oops!

*had a bad attitude about going to church so early. I was so tired and annoyed that there was nowhere to sit on the bus. Then it hit me....the bus was full of homeless guys that just left the shelter by our house....i woke up in my own bed, took a shower and ate breakfast at my house. They woke up on a cot (or floor) in a huge room with hundreds of other guys, didn't shower and probably haven't for a few days and more than likely haven't had anything to eat since yesterday and have to roam around and find somewhere for food and to hang out until they can go back to the shelter tonight.

*I am on the VIP team at church. I am one of the first people that visitors see when they come to church-aren't they lucky?

*this old man fell up the stairs when I was showing him in the building....

*then the greeting crew cheered for him when he walked in and he asked me if they were clapping because he fell....

*people at Elevation cheer for you as you come in as a way to welcome you....i kinda think it's awkward and a bit weird

*i got to see my small group-they are wonderful!

*the sermon was wonderful

*there's no future in the past...I need to be reminded of that

*i had yummy leftovers from last night for lunch-i love free food!

*laundry day!!

*bought a new rug for my bathroom

*made mass amounts of cotton candy

*played frisbee at the park

* kids came over tonight and we made popcorn and cotton candy...lots of cotton candy

*we wanted to take an adventure to the post office but the bus we were going to take doesn't run on Sundays-lame

*we rode the bus into downtown and walked about 6 blocks to find a post office

*we were and still are on a sugar high from the ridiculous amount of cotton candy we consumed in the past 24 hours

*some man was mocking jaimee's laugh on the bus....it was HA-larious!

*as he was getting off he yelled some not nice words and directed them to sam and jaimee

*i decided he needed Jesus and cotton candy and that would make his life better

*the bus was early so we had to sit 21/2 minutes at a stop-random

*i got to talk to my momma tonight :)

*i just looked in our pantry and we have 6 bags of cotton candy

*I feel like Charlotte is becoming more and more like home everyday

Ugly Jar

2009-11-02T18:51:00.000-08:00

We are in the middle of a sermon series at Elevation called "The Joy Genome" and I am enjoying it a lot. Pastor Foo has said many things that have caused me to think about my attitude in my life and how to have true joy no matter what I'm going through. One of the statements he makes every week is 'My joy is not determined by what happens to me but what Christ is doing in me and through me'. Ponder it. Repeat it. It's good stuff.

Life is crazy and can throw us situations that are hard and painful. How do you have joy in the midst of sadness and tears? How do you find joy when you feel like everything around you is falling apart? How do I find joy when there are so many people that I love hurting? What if you were homeless and starving, how do you become joyful? What if your mom is dying of cancer, you lost your job or your 15 year old is pregnant...where's the joy? Isn't it awesome that because we have God in our lives that we can also have true joy? He loves each of us so much and we are all fearfully and wonderfully made in His image. He knows the plans for our lives so we have no reason not to be full of joy. God, the creator of everything, has our back and is there for us every step of the way. That's just so wonderful to me. I'm so glad that he knows the plans for my life because I would totally screw things up if I were in charge.

Philippians 2:14 says 'You should do everything without complaining or arguing' but what does that look like and how do I really live that out? They passed out these jars after service Saturday night and called them Ugly Jars. The idea is when you complain or argue about something you put a dollar in the ugly jar. Next week we are supposed to bring the jars back and the money in them is going to be given to a local ministry that we partner with. I think its a good way to make you stop and think about how much we complain about things. I have so much that I take for granted everyday and not only material things but relationships as well. I have a wonderful family who loves and supports me and a job that I absolutely love-not many people can say those things. In case you were wondering I haven't had to put in money in the jar yet, but it is only Monday. :)

There's much more I could say on the subject of joy but I'll save it for another time. Goodnight all!

halloween

2009-11-01T15:42:00.000-08:00

Halloween wasn't a holiday my family really celebrated, at least not in the traditional way.I don't really remember dressing up that often and going trick or treating. I do remember dressing up as a Bible character and going to church to attend a festival of some sort. There were usually about 25 Marys walking around holding their baby Jesus and about a handful of boys dressed like Moses. I also remember dressing up like Data from Star Trek-yes, I am THAT cool! I'm pretty sure sister dressed at Data one year as well....we are our father's children! When asking the kids in our neighborhood what they do for Halloween most of the said that they go to the rich neighborhoods and trick or treat. Such a smart idea! If I still went trick or treating I would totally go where the rich people live and get the good candy-they pass out king size candy bars!!!

Last night we went to the Matthews campus of Elevation and helped out at a fall/halloween festival they were having. It was so much fun seeing all the kids ( and some adults too!) dress up in cute lil outfits! After the service we passed out hot cider, popcorn and candy. It was a fun time to do something together as a team as well as meet other people from Elevation.

We had dinner before the service with all the volunteers at church and had this yummy bbq. There was a ton left over so Chris told us to take it all home. There was at least 15 pounds of meat left-no joke. As we were driving down our road we saw a few of the kids out walking in the rain. We invited them over to have some bbq and to hang out. Darius also came over and enjoyed the yumminess. It was wonderful having them all over hanging out and playing games.

Here are some pictures from church last night...enjoy!

Team Night!!!

2009-10-28T18:49:00.000-07:00

One night a week we have what is called Team Night and we decided Wednesdays were a fantastic night to all hang out together and bond! Last week we went to a coffee shop called Smelly Cat (yes like in Friends) and played games-it was fun! Sadly, I spilled my caramel apple cider all over the table and the floor-it was a sticky mess! This week we had planned on going to an old fashioned soda shop but after driving around and around it was nowhere to be found. So I called them and they said they moved locations-not cool at all. So we just went into uptown to the yummy Dunkin Donuts/Baskin Robins and hung out there and then drove around a bit before coming home. Sam and I weren't ready to call it at night so we went to the park and swung for a lil while and talked. Life just continues to get crazier and busier and it's nice to have team nights where we can just relax and hang out with each other. Here are some pictures from the past two team nights...enjoy!

swinging

2009-10-26T20:11:00.000-07:00

Today was long and I am exhausted. I was at the church all day and didn't get home until about 9:30pm. The Outreach Team had a meeting tonight with a taco bar from Qdoba and it was yuuuuummmy! The meeting went really well and I'm looking forward to working with the team and becoming more involved at Elevation. When we got home Samantha said that she wanted to go swing and so I told her I would go with her. So we all walked up to the park and started swinging and playing on the playground. I realized that swinging is kinda therapeutic for me and that I should do it more often. It was a good way to just relax and not think about the day or the 8 gazillion things that need to be done. I just enjoyed the cool crisp air and soaked in God's beauty in the darkness all while being serenaded by Barak playing his guitar and the sounds of voices and cars driving by. It was a beautiful way to end the day.

roadtrippin.....

2009-10-25T20:35:00.000-07:00

We went to the Atl this weekend to meet up with the Mission Year teams there for commissioning service. I was so excited to be back in in Atlanta and to show my team around my old hood! As we entered the city I became super giddy and couldn't stop smiling-being back gave me such a great feeling! We had a great time hanging out with the other teams and hearing some of their experiences from the past couple months.

I didn't get to see everyone I wanted to because most of my folks were at CCDA but I did get to see Mike, Carrie, Bo, old neighbors and many other wonderfully amazing friends! The Starrs were in Indiana for a wedding but graciously allowed me to stay at their house Friday night and my whole crew to stay there Saturday night-thanks! We all went to Park Ave (my old church) this morning and I can't even tell you how great it was to be there-I just love them all so much!!

There was a new sermon series at Elevation called Joy Genome and we didn't want to miss it so we left in time to go to the evening service. I was really tired from staying up too late with friends and driving all day and I really would have rather gone home and rested but I am really glad that I went to the service. Normally we watch Pastor Furtick (Pastor Foo is my nickname for him) on a screen that was recorded from Saturday night but tonight we got a lil treat-he preached live- it was so fun! I had met him before because of working at the church throughout the week but my team never has seen him in person and they were uber excited!

One of my favorite things he said tonight was, "My joy is not determined by what happens to me, but by what God is doing in me and through me!" Remember that-it's good stuff.

This roadtrip was full of junk food, pop, dancing, singing....and Miley-lots of Miley!! We had lots of energy from all the caffeine we consumed and just sitting in the car all day so we've been a bit silly since returning to Charlotte. We've had several mini dance parties and even baked a cake! I think this lil adventure to Atlanta was good for us...I feel closer to each of them than I did before we left. I am very blessed to have the team that I do.

Here are some pictures from the weekend. I kinda was lame and didn't take very many which is so unlike me!

ICE CREAM!!!!!

2009-10-20T21:35:00.000-07:00

It's 12:35am and I should be sleeping but instead I'm chatting on facebook with my cousin and my boss...and listening to the Elevation worship band-they are my new favorite! Life is just so random. Today was random. I had to get my car fixed and it took about 4 hours! Since I had tons of time I walked across the street to Bojangles and got lunch and HUGE sweet tea...yum! There were a couple of homeless guys hanging out there selling random things. The staff at Bojangles were really kind and respectful to them and even gave them biscuits and some chicken. One came over to me and asked if I would like to buy a picture and I told him that I had no cash and all my money was being spent across the street getting my car fixed. He just laughed and asked if he could sit down with me and I said yes and we talked for a few minutes. He saw the book I had been reading (Re-Storing at Risk Communities) and asked me about it. I told him a little about it and he began to ask question why I cared about the poor and wanted to help others. I talked to him about Jesus and how He came and loved everyone and I am striving to do the same. He patted me on the back and said, 'good luck darlin'. He left a few minutes later when someone was interested in a photo of his.

I walked back over to the car place and the guy said it was still going to be a couple more hours so I whipped out my book again and began to read when a single mom with three adorable girls came in. The mom looked worn out and her kids were not thrilled about being there and they were running around like kids do so I asked them if they would like to draw a picture for their mom and of course they said yes! I always keep paper and fun colored pens in my purse-who doesn't love to color? The mom thanked me and began telling me all about her life and how she's just tired and doesn't know how she is going to continue. I wanted to say so much but I'm working on my listening skills so I just sat there and listened to her talk and then randomly she asked about my pen. It was an Elevation pen. I told her about the church and how they have a fantastic kids program and small groups that she could plug into. She seemed very interested and I gave her the pen-it has the church info on it- and she said that she would try it out. Her girls colored me pictures and I have them hanging in my room. :)

I was very upset and stressed out about my car and how much it was going to cost to fix it and it kind of put me in a bad mood. That mood quickly changed after meeting the people that I did today. Sometimes I can get in these self pity moods and it can cause me to miss the beauty all around me. I almost missed talking with all those great people because of my attitude and feeling sorry for myself. Gotta work on that ( a lil note to self)

Tonight I decided that our house needed ice cream so Jaimee and I headed off to Harris Teeter (grocery store) to get some and we saw Spider and Darius just chillin outside their grandma's house and we stopped to talk to them. They wanted to come with us so they hopped in and went to the store. We picked out cookie dough and cake batter ice cream-sooo good! They came back and hung out with us while we ate ice cream-they don't eat sweets because it can ruin your teeth...silly kids! It was a great time of hanging out and getting to know each other better.

I am enjoying life. I enjoy not knowing what is going to happen. Everyday is a new adventure full of new people and opportunities to grow and love. It is not always easy and I may fail but knowing that God doesn't fail comforts me in the craziness of life. sweet dreams all!

Today...

2009-10-17T19:20:00.000-07:00

Today was such a great day! It's been a while since I've had an all around good day! I started out the morning with a bowl of marshmallow mateys and some good devo time with the team. Then I went to a small group Bible study with some wonderful ladies from Elevation. It was so nice to hang out with other girls my age and talk about God and what we are going through in our lives.

When I got home my team was just finishing up baking some cookies and were going to take them to neighbors. They were yummy too....much better than the first batch we made! Later a few kids, well teens I guess, came over to hang out. We taught them how to play spoons and we baked a cake! The three girls had to go home around dinner time but Darius stayed and hung out with us a lil longer....until about 10:00- it was so great! We made pasta for dinner and then colored and had craft time. Darius is such a sweet boy. He was very polite always saying please and thank you and didn't mind just sitting around hanging out with us.

Today was the first day since living here that I didn't wish I were still in Atlanta-that's a huge deal. I still miss Atlanta and all my friends sooooo much but I am slowly realizing that this is my home now and I need to be focused and connected here. Today was the first day that I felt like I could do this...that I could live here, lead my team, help out at Elevation, be in charge of Mission Year and all the craziness that can come with that.

Things have been just plain crazy lately and there are days that I just don't think I'm equipped for this and I just want to be back in Atlanta, working at FCS, being with my friends and everything that I love and am comfortable with. I am beginning to see that I was too comfortable in Atlanta...I wasn't challenging myself or stepping out of my comfort zone. I relied too much on my friends to get me through life and not enough on God. Here I didn't have my wonderful friends and I've had to learn to fully rely on God and learn what it means to trust Him in a whole new way. Oh growing up....not always a fan. Such a process to become the person God made me to be.

The night is ending on a good note too.....we listened and danced to Party in the USA by our friend Miley-if that song doesn't make you happy, well I just don't know what will. Sweet dreams everyone!!

Exhausted.....

2009-10-15T19:16:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a long day. A day full of meetings, phone calls, emails, more meetings, explaining Mission Year(for the 500th time), brainstorming, and more meetings. I work at Elevation (church we are partnering with) on Thursdays and I was given the task of helping head up this huge new project we are doing that involves a ton of people, planning and time. I had so much fun doing it!

I spent my day talking to people about Elevation and setting up times to meet with them and was able to give Mission Year a shout out each time! I love talking about Mission Year and even had a few people email me back telling me that they looked at the website and were going to tell their friends about it! The staff and volunteers at Elevation are so great and friendly! I think I am really going to enjoy working there a couple days a week.

I was beyond tired when I got home last night and tried to blog but just couldn't do it. It was a good kind of tired. Life has just been so crazy the past couple of weeks that I think it's gonna take a min to get adjusted to everything and learn how to balance the team, neighborhood, Elevation stuff and my responsibilities for Mission Year.

My team wasn't home when I got home so I was able to catch up with a few of my friends on the phone which is always wonderful! After they got home we all just sat around eating pizza (that they brought home for me!!) and talking. We had some good conversations on some injustices that they are seeing and things they are beginning to question. I am going to enjoy watching them grow and change throughout the year.

Friends....

2009-10-13T20:56:00.000-07:00

This past weekend some of my Atl friends came to visit and bring us the rest of the furniture we needed. I was sooooo excited to see them! Traffic was kinda crazy(it took them 6 hours!) so they didn't get here until almost 9 Sunday and poor Mike had to turn back around right away and go back to Atlanta-so sad! My team now has beds to sleep in and dressers for their clothes-yay! Caleb, Ashlee, Ava, Anniiyah, Makayla and Carrie all spent the night-it was sooo fun waking up with them here!

I have been having a really hard time being here without my friends. They are more than friends, they are family. They know me, the real me and I don't have to explain anything to them or feel like I have to be a certain way around them....I'm always myself. I've been feeling kinda lonely since being here and feeling like I will never make any friends or click with anyone as well as them. I know that I have only been here 3 weeks but I am not a patient person.I would like friends now. People who want to grab lunch, invite me over or just hang out. I've met some really great people in my time here and who knows, maybe my new bff is right in front of me I just have to be patient and let it happen.

Here are some fun pictures from when my friends were here.....I miss them already!

Tex-Mex....yum!

2009-10-10T19:39:00.000-07:00

Today was the first Saturday spent out in the neighborhood and to be honest I was a little worried how it would go. It's been a long time since I was the newbie in a place and had to introduce myself to complete strangers who may or may not like me. I kinda forgot what an intimidating situation it can be- it helped to remember what it was like during my mission year so I could better understand my team and what they must have been thinking and going through. We had a good time playing football, hanging out with kids and talking to spider and his crew.

Oh Spider..such a funny boy. He is either always sitting on a picnic table at the park or leaning on a car in front of his house. He has introduced us to so many people and he gives in all the 411 on each of them. I mentioned that my car is making this weird noise and he called this guy over who works on cars and he told me what was probably wrong with it. He has lived in our neighborhood all his life and knows everything that goes on. I feel like him and his brothers kinda rule the neighborhood, at least the few streets that surround us, and that we are definitely cool by association because they talk to us. I had an interesting conversation with him and his brothers about race and if I was offended by them calling someone black or saying that I was white. I explained to them that I was in fact white and it wasn't really a secret so they could call me that and I wouldn't be offended. The conversation continued and then one of them said, ' oh yeah, you from the Atl....you straight then.' Wasn't quite sure what that meant but I didn't ask because we started talking about something else.

I made Tex-Mex for dinner-it's a favorite of mine and the team loved it! This evening we looked at a ton of my pictures and they ran across some gross and rather embarrassing ones from when I was younger(my ugly years) and that gave them a good laugh! I am really thankful for my team. I am thankful for their eagerness to dig in and build relationships with neighbors as well as growing deeper in their walk with Christ.

Before I go to bed I wanna give a shout out to the coolest mamaw in the whole world-Happy Birthday Mamaw.....I love you!!!

furniture, grilled cheese, cookies, new friends and zebra gum...

2009-10-08T23:46:00.000-07:00

This evening we got furniture!!! Well just a couch, a coffee table, kitchen table and chairs.

No beds...my poor team. We made a new friend Jeremy(from the church) and he was kind

enough to pick up the furniture and bring it to us. We decided to make him cookies but realized

that we didn't have sugar so we walked next door and asked to borrow a cup of sugar. The

lady was super nice and we brought her a plateful of warm cookies to thank her.

Then the moment came when Jeremy and Barak arrived with our furniture-it was so wonderful!

We made the boys grilled cheese and tomato soup and we just all sat around and talked.

It was so much fun having a guest in our house AND having a couch for him to sit on!

p.s. Earlier we were at Family Dollar (our new fav place!) and I found Zebra Stripe Gum!!!!

I used to LOVE it when I was younger-yumm-o!

'Note to Self'

2009-10-05T23:10:00.000-07:00

I've had many 'note to self' moments the past few days. In case you don't know what a 'note to self' moment is let me explain...it's when something happens, good or bad, and you make a mental note to yourself for next time(at least that's my definition). At times it's kinda like an 'aha!' moment. Here are a few exaamples that I have experienced in one way or another the past week.

Note to self: when a tire looks low it probably is so you should check it so you aren't stuck in the rain with a flat tire. When writing directions to a new place make sure you put East or West because it can get confusing especially when you are directionally challenged. Just because google says its a grocery store doesn't mean it's an actual grocery store. Bojangles has the best sweet tea! Never paint a living pink or a kitchen orange. When walking 2 miles to downtown wear appropriate shoes that won't hurt your feet. Always tell people the correct area code in which you live and if unsure look it up. Always follow through with what you said you would do- if not people will begin to think you are untrustworthy. Listen to music-it will lift your spirits. Make sure to do one random song and dance outburst a day otherwise life is just boring. Tell your family and friends how much you love them. Learn to listen more and speak less. It's ok to mess up-you are human. Learn to love yourself. Jesus called you to love that person...yes that person. Just because something is different than what you are used to doesn't mean it's wrong and you can't learn from it. Realize you don't have all the answers and that's ok because God does.

And finally...staying up til 3 and waking up at 7 is not the best idea, so on that note I'm off to bed. Goodnight!!

Team Charlotte....

2009-10-03T19:30:00.001-07:00

ok our name isn't the coolest but we are working on it. We want something catchy to call ourselves...got any ideas? Meet Team Charlotte- Samantha, Jaimee , Barak and me (Becky). We may be few but we are mighty! We had an interesting start on Friday with getting lost, change of flights and no furniture which means no beds to sleep on but things are on the up and up now. We still have no furniture at the moment but they have been real troopers about it.

We started in on orientation and all is going well so far. They have great questions and many wonderful ideas on building relationships in the community. They are all very eager to get started on getting to know neighbors, going to church and volunteering at service sites.

We went on a neighborhood walk today and met a few people who were also out enjoying the beautiful weather. We have a park in the middle of our neighborhood( just right down the street) and we hung out there for a while. We went to the Family Dollar just down the road-always a good time! We go the the Uptown campus tomorrow for church- very exciting! Leroy comes tomorrow afternoon and I am very much looking forward to seeing him.

I know that this isn't the best picture but I will take/post more soon-I promise!

downtown in the QC

2009-10-01T18:03:00.000-07:00

I had a couple meetings with potential service sites for my team members downtown today. They were held in the Family and Children Services building and afterwards I decided to walk around the block and take a few pictures of the city. I will be posting more in the next few days....enjoy!

You know Bob Lupton?

2009-10-01T05:49:00.000-07:00

A few days ago I was meeting with some of the people from the church about how Elevation could plug in with the team and the neighborhood and just urban ministry in general. One guy said, " I just got done reading this book by this amazing guy who started a great ministry in Atlanta. Maybe you know of him Becky, I believe his name was Robert Lupton?" I started laughing and said, "Bob? I know Bob, he was my boss! I worked for that great ministry!" Then he said the famous line that everyone says when they found out where I work, " You know Bob Lupton? That's awesome! What's he like?"

This conversation just made me laugh. Bob is really great and I respect him a lot. But it's weird to me to think of him as a famous person...he's just Bob. I just thought this was a fun little story to share, especially for all my FCS peeps who more than likely have had a conversation similar to this with someone they meet.

Have a great day!

let the adventures begin...

2009-09-28T18:28:00.000-07:00

Well kids, I made it. I'm in Charlotte and pretty much moved in. Well...there's no furniture yet and my team hasn't arrived but my room is finished. (thanks to my friends mike and caleb!!) The house is nice, much larger than I expected. The neighborhood seems very busy. There are people out at most times of the day and cars continually driving up and down the roads. Right now I can hear kids talking and playing across the street.( shounldn't they be in bed?) Anywho...let me tell you a couple fun stories from my day:

As I was leaving this morning to get a new tire (had a a flat yesterday-no fun!) the two people who live next door to me come walking up and introduced themselves and asked if I could take them to get gas for their car. The guy had ran out of gas last night and walked almost six miles home! So I took them to get gas and to his car. I was so excited to get to meet them! They were really sweet people and were telling me a bit about the neighborhood. They invited me to a cookout they are having this weekend and told me to come over anytime I wanted.

I, being directionally challenged, got lost coming back from dropping them off at his car. I drove around for a long time and was able to see a bit more of Charlotte. It is such a pretty city. I finally ended up in a place that looked vaguely familiar and made my way to the tire place. Then I decided to head to Target. This Target is HUGE and has a four level parking garage...how crazy is that? I love Target and had a great time just wondering around for a while. It sounds kinda dumb, but it made me smile to walk around Target because it reminded me of Atlanta and my friends. ( we all LOVE Target!) I bought some random things for the house and some groceries for me and then headed back home. Guess what? I didn't get lost on the way home-I found my way all by myself and didn't even have to look at the directions!! I was so proud!

I got a bank account today for the team. The lady who helped me was so friendly and told me about an art/music festival that's happening this weekend. I waved at a couple of people that I saw sitting on the porch as I drove by and they just stared and didn't respond. It's been a while since I was that "white girl that moved in" or since I've gotten the "why are you living in this neighborhood?" In South Atlanta most people knew who all the white folk were and didn't really question it much. It's weird to be the new person again, to have to start all over forming relationships and gaining trust of neighbors.

I will be posting pictures soon of the house and team members and other fun Charlotte things. That picture of me is on my way here....can you tell I was excited?!?! :)

and the countdown begins.....

2009-09-03T09:40:00.000-07:00

A week ago today marked the 30 day point before moving to Charlotte and I decided that I was going to try to document each day with a picture and so far I have been able to do it. I now have 23 days til I leave....super crazy! I am beyond excited about this next chapter in my life but sad and not ready to leave my life in Atlanta. I have a lot to do in the 23 and my to-do list continues to grow. This past week has brought on many adventures: birthday parties, OTP(outside the perimeter) trips, dance parties, bowling, coffee shops, sack races, games, singing, getting lost and of course...lots of laughter! Here are a few pics...enjoy!

4 years ago....

2009-08-28T13:22:00.000-07:00

Last night was the welcome dinner and move in day for the new Atlanta Mission Year team members. Being there as an alum brought back many memories from my move in day four years ago. Four Years...wow, sometimes I can't believe it's been that long and then there are days that it feels like just yesterday that I was leaving my home, family, friends and church to move to Atlanta. I had no idea what to expect, no idea what my roomies were going to be like, no idea what life would look like for the next year. It's so crazy to me that four years later I am having many of those similar feelings about moving to Charlotte and starting a Mission Year city there. I really have no idea what life will look like for the next year. I know nothing about the neighborhood we will be working in, no idea what the team members will be like, no idea what the church partnership will look like but I do know that it will all be ok. God will be there in the midst of the craziness and the unkown. He was faithful during my time in Atlanta and he will continue to be during my time in Charlotte.

As I was sitting and talking to the new team members I found myself getting really giddy just thinking about the amazing journey that they are about to begin and I was reminded of what my year in Mission Year taught me and how different I am now than I was four years ago. I love Mission Year so much and I'm truly thankful for the experience and the things it taught me. I would tell anyone and EVERYONE I know to do Mission Year. Check it out http://www.missionyear.org/. I can't wait to start life in Charlotte and to venture out on an another crazy journey that God has for me. This is a picture of me and my team members with our favorite neighbor Ms. Winnie four years ago.....

Back to School

2009-08-13T13:43:00.000-07:00

Schools started back here in Atlanta on Aug.10, which I think is waaaay too early to start back to school. To the left is a picture of Anniiayah and Makayla on their first day of school...aren't they just the cutest things you've ever seen? Anniiyah is in 1st grade and was very excited about a new school, new teacher and making new friends. Makayla is in kindergarten and didn't share quite the same excitement as her sister did, but she's liking it more and more as the weeks gone on. We see them everyday after school and I asked Kayla what she did that day and she says, "play with my new friends and color." When I ask Anniiyah the same thing she gives me this long list of things that she did and learned. Christy and I took them (and Ava) to get a first day of school treat from Sonic...they loved it!!

I was also able to take my neighbors to Sonic that next day for a lil back to school treat. Kaetlyn (8th greade) and Michael (9th grade) already have had tons of homework and its only the fourth day back!

Here are a few pictures from fun times at Sonic....enjoy!

Post Office Drama

2009-08-12T07:19:00.000-07:00

East Atlanta Post Office: There is usually a line out the door, a line filled with rude and impatient people who think their time is more valueable than the person before them. Of course there is only one, maybe two if we are lucky, employees behind the counter and they are quite possibly the slowest people I have ever met. Customers are usually talking on their phones(which I can't stand) very loudly, yelling at each other from across the room or getting mouthy and rude with the employee behind the counter...oh and let's not forget the horrible elevator music playing in the background. I usually come back to work with some crazy story from my experience at the post office and yesterday was no different. As I'm walking in I notice a homeless man sitting outside right by the door and he is talking very loudly about needing money and food and how he got hit by a car...just talking hoping that someone will listen and give him money. I say hi to him on my way in and he asks me for $2 and I say sorry, but I can't. I never give money, I will buy food but I don't just hand out money. I go inside and stand in line (for 25 minutes) and the man outside is getting louder and louder and the other people in line are starting to complain and talk about this man. They were saying horrible things about him and saying that he needs to get a job and stop being lazy and other rude things that make me annoyed. One lady actually said that the governement should kill off all the homeless people because then our city would look a lot better....well, that was the last straw-I couldn't take anymore and for the next 5 minutes I rambled on and on about how I disagreed with what they were saying and just because people are homeless doesn't always mean they are lazy and dont want to work...it was quite intense. I can't stand how people are mean to the homeless. Just because a person is homeless doesn't mean they don't deserve dignity and respect. Anywho...when I walked out the door the man was still standing there and I went over and talked to him. I asked his name and I introduced myself and asked him if he wanted something to eat from Wendy's and he said yes so we walked over to Wendys and got his some food. I gave him a couple of places he could go to get dinner and a shower that night and I told him about my work and what we could help him with, I do hope he comes by but I'm not really counting on it. He didn't seem too thrilled on getting off the streets, but I did what I thought I should. I provided him with food and resources to help him and the rest is up to him. He did thank me several times and before I left he told me that he appreciated me just stopping by and saying hi to him because people walk past him all the time and not even acknowledge that he is there...so sad to me. Please remember to treat people with respect and a smile can really make a persons day.

Weekend Fun

2009-08-03T13:07:00.000-07:00

This weekend has been full of crazy events that have caused me to get little or no sleep. Friday was absolute craziness at work and I was really hoping and needing a good night with friends...and that's just what I got. I am very blessed to have such an incredible community of

friends who share the same passion and desire for the inner city as I do. We are with each other all the time eating/making dinner, letting loose by playing with kids, hanging with neighbors, making yummy treats, playing games (euchure!) or just watching movies. In between all those fun times there are moments, and sometimes hours, or debriefing and talking about what's going on in our lives and in the lives of those around us that we love. After work my friends and I went over to the Starrs (Ashlee and Caleb-coolest married couple EVER!) and had pizza, hung out with kids, played games and talked until 2am. It's so refreshing to talk with people who understand and who are living in the same place and doing the same thing as I am. We don't have all the answers but it's nice to know that we understand each other and that we are walking along side of one another in this crazy adventure we call life. Saturday morning I woke up about 8:30 to a knock on my door. It was my neighbor needing to borrow some milk so she could make breakfast. Then I walked to the coffee shop to meet Christy and the rest of the South Atlanta Civic League (neighborhood association) for Nieghborhood Clean Up Day. We picked up trash in our nieghborhood for about 31/2 and boy were we sweaty, smelly and tired! We split up into teams and my team went down Jonesboro (the main road) to pick up trash and we ran into a neighbor...let's call him Abe. He was in his 40's, missing most of his teeth and had been drinking a little too much but he stopped us and wanted to help so we told him to walk with us. He thought we were doing community service and just laughed when we told him that we were doing it because we lived here and we wanted our neighborhood to be clean and trash free. Every time we saw anyone he made it clear that we were serving community service and that he was protecting us. He stayed with us for about an hour and then walked on to Little Bear, which is a little store in my neighborhood. After we got done picking up trash, I came home and showered and we (christy and I) went to pick up Mike and we treated ourselves to Chick fil-a...we HEART Chick fil-a!! Then we went back to the Starrs and went with Ashlee and the three girls to Old Navy (50% off clearance woot woot!!) and to Target for school clothes and supplies. Any time we spend with the girls is always fun. They are six(Anniiyah), four(Makayla) and 19 months(Ava) and didn't seem particularly fond of listening that day, so there were lots of time outs issued. Afterwards we came back and showed everyone all the goods we got and Christy and I took the girls with us to get dinner and to hang out at my house so Ashlee and Caleb could rest and hang out together. We went to Sonic and then watched Cinderella...it was a perfect way to spend a Saturday evening. On the way to Sonic Anniiyah told me that when I had kids that I should name the girl Lola and the boy Lil Joe-she's such a funny girl. We took the girls home later that night just in time for bedtime and then I went home and hung out with my roomies. Did I mention I got a new roomie on Saturday? Her name is Monique and she just finished up Mission Year and she is great! We were all up talking until about 2am and I had to get up at 7:30 for praise band practice Sunday morning. Sooo needless to say I was uber tired during practice. Church was wonderful, as usual and afterwards there was a baby shower for a couple who are expecting at the end of the month. I went back over to the Starrs after the shower to borrow their van ( I don't have a car at the moment) and watched a lil Dr. Quinn with Ashlee. It brought back so many wonderful memories of watching it with my family on Saturday nights! :) One of my roomies from Mission Year, Nicole. had a five hour layover in Atlanta Sunday afternoon so I was able to pick her up from the airport and hang out with her for a while. it was great to connect again and catch up in person rather than on the phone. Then I went back over to the Starrs for some hang out time then came home and finally went to bed...whew-it was a busy weekend!! I added a picture of the girls eating Sonic and watching Cinderella at my house-enjoy!

to blog or not to blog.....

2009-07-28T09:12:00.000-07:00

Recently I've had a several people tell me that I need to do a blog online but I wasn't a huge fan of the idea....who really wants to or has time to read all my crazy ramblings that I may post? But I decided to try it out and see how I like it. I'm not sure how often I will blog or even what I will talk about. My life can be pretty random and throughout the day I find myself questioning different things that I've seen, heard or been apart of and so I may share some of those things with you all. So enjoy and feel free to comment on anything I say....I love a good discussion!