The 30 Day Challenge--Day 10

Day 10 - A picture of the person you do the silliest things with.

This is an ode to Casey--by bestie, my Little, the other half of my brain. 

Here is a picture of us when we 'bout done lost our minds at the Phi Mu Leadership Conference.

I love this girl so much and we have been through it ALL together. I am so looking forward to continuing our legacy with her little Legacy, Emma Grace, due this May :)

M.O.H.zilla and Bridezilla in the party bus for Bachelorette Party #2

CSU Graduation 

Right after Bob proposed!

One of the MANY, many, many meals we shared at El Vaquero

Bliss putting us in jail (and us showing how many times we may or may not have been sent to Discipline...)

Got along without you before I met you, but I can't live without you now :O)

I love you, Little! Thanks for being silly with me!!

the 30 Day Challenge--Day 9

Day 9 - A picture of the person who has gotten you through the most.

No long, drawn-out explanation. The person who has gotten me through the most is my Daddy. No contest!

the 30 Day Challenge--Day 8

Day 8 - A picture that makes you laugh.

Oh man! I totally couldn't pick just one...or two...or three...so here is a handful of pictures that make me laugh. Enjoy!

Here is a watermelon-0-lantern from Souled Out Summer 2010

Scott's awesome victory dance skills on croquet day in the park (Labor Day 2010)

 HANSON!! I got to meet Hanson! Me and Taylor!!!!

 My cat loved Nicholas! Whenever he would come to town, Button never left his side.

Ever.

A surprise birthday fiesta for my Little at El Vaquero. I'm pretty sure she hated me for this, but if you're having a birthday and you're in Columbus, the El Vaq hat is a MUST! 

Josue and Daniel, two of my second graders. These little boys kept me in stitches the entire year. I miss them, their antics, and especially their stories!

Two more of my second graders, Alejandro and Jennifer. I was convinced that they would get married!

Aaand, I saved the best for last. JoJo and me at the Rankin Halloween party back in '05. Yes, I'm pretending to fart on him. No, it's not ladylike. Yes, I still think it's funny.   ;)

the 30 Day Challenge--Day 7

Day 7 - A picture of your most treasured item.

I've thought about this post for days. I've looked probably at everything I own and asked myself "is THIS my most treasured item?" or "If my house was burning down, what would be the first thing I grab?" 

And I really don't have an answer.

There was definitely a point in my life where I had a list of things that I would have to get--my Bible, my viola, my wallet, my pictures, some of my favorite CDs. I actually had a box (when I was still living at home) that was like my "fire box" where I kept most of those things just in case.

I think God has really broken me of materialism since coming to seminary; Not because I feel like it's wasteful or because I'm sad about all of the poverty around the world or because of any "Mother Theresa"ish reason...My priorities have just been adjusted and I've come to realize that my stuff is just stuff and I don't think I would use the word "treasured" to describe any of it. Some of it is very valuable, a lot of it has strong emotions attached; I might not be able to afford to replace it all and I might miss a memory-touchstone, but at the end of the day...it's just stuff.

So what do I treasure (since that's the word in today's challenge)? 

The Truth of Christ Jesus--who He was/is, what He did/does, who I am today because of Him, and the hope of who I will be when I am physically in His presence. Just the thought of one day BEING in His presence the way the Bible tells us we will be is a treasured thought. I can't wait to stop thinking about bills and my schedule and my to-do list and everything else and just focus on worshipping Him. 

To be credited with His righteousness and to have the hope of Christ and to be reconciled to the Creator...THAT is what I treasure most.

The 30 Day Challenge--Day 6

Day 6 - A picture of a person you'd love to trade places with for a day.

I don't have a picture for this one because no picture exists. The person I'd like to trade places with is Future Me...as in...me in the future...me in 15ish years. I'd like to see the woman I'll become, I'd like to know the stuff I'm going to know, to see (hopefully!) my husband and kids, and to see what I'm doing with my time so that maybe Now Me could come up with some goals to work toward or some answers to give people when they ask "What do you plan to do after seminary?". I have a lot of questions and wonderings that only God (and Future Me...possibly) knows the answers to. 

Plus, I really don't envy anyone else's life to the point where I'd actually want to trade places with him/her for the day :) My journey is special and unique and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

(Dang...if 12 Year Old Me knew that Now Me would feel like this about our life...I would have been a much more content kid! HAHAHA)

the 30 Day Challenge--Day 5

Day 5 - A picture of your favorite memory.

Um...seriously?! Just one favorite memory? I don't have just one, but here is a picture of one of the coolest things I have experienced in my life!

This picture was taken in Mumbai, India last January. While I was teaching piano, the woman in the blue came into my room and sat on the floor in front of me. I asked if she was there for a lesson, and she said "no". After a few minutes of her just sitting there and staring at me, I asked again if she would like to learn to play and she said "no". I rephrased this question a few more times, and she kept saying "no", so I finally asked if she was there just to listen and she said...you guessed it..."no". 

Convinced that there was just some huge language barrier, I decided to keep teaching my student while I waited for the translator to return. While teaching, the woman just started speaking. She told me that her right arm had been paralyzed for years. I left the piano and sat on the floor in front of her. She told me how she had been to many doctors and even had exploratory surgery and they couldn't find a cause or a cure. She had met some people from my group the night before and she had heard them speaking about God. She asked if I thought my God could heal her. After talking a while about power and faith, the other students (who were in the room) and I gathered around her, laid hands on her, and prayed. 

For a while, nothing happened. I went back to teaching, the students went back to their assignments, and she continued to sit on the floor. A few minutes later, she LIFTED HER ARM IN THE AIR AND SHOUTED PRAISES TO THE LORD! He healed her! 

The room erupted in shouting and praises, so much so that the men who were in the next room came in, including the woman's husband. He looked at she and I with a very concerned look and I said "Tell him what happened! Tell him what happened!" but she was too overwhelmed to speak. She just lifted her arm in the air! He ran back out to get the other men and while he was gone, Kirk (the man in white) had come into our room and said "What happened? I saw this woman yesterday! She was paralyzed!" At that moment, I was able to snap this awesome picture of him high-fiving her no longer paralyzed arm :)

The 30 Day Challenge--Day 4

Day 4 - A picture of something you wish you could forget.

I wish I could forget the hurt that came when we lost him. This Founder's Day, it'll be 4 years, but I still cry whenever I see his picture, whenever my Dad speaks of him in the present tense (as if nothing happened), and whenever I'm at Grandma's house and she has his bedroom door closed as if he never existed. He was so respected in life, but some have disrespected him in so many ways since he passed. It's to the point where my Dad and I have to leave the room sometimes when we're with certain people because of how they speak about him (specifically, about his mental state as he deteriorated) and because of how they act in his house.

A decorated war hero, a devoted husband and father, and (most importantly) a very firm believer in Christ Jesus, Grandpa, you are sorely missed. I love you more than I ever realized while you were still with us. You are so lucky to be with Jesus right now. I am heartbroken without you, but I am full of peace knowing that God has restored and healed you and that you are free of pain and that your body is complete. 

I just wish it didn't hurt so bad to remember you...