The Weight of the World

U is for Un-Overwhelmable

It's heavy, isn't it? The weight of the world? Especially when it's resting right there on your shoulders. When it's sitting on someone else's shoulder it doesn't seem so big. We may even think that the weight has been a bit, I don't know, exaggerated maybe? But when it's ours to deal with, there is no hyperbole too big and no scale has numbers large enough to measure the weight. We walk slower, think harder, and speak less when we are supporting this mass. And we just pray that no one notices. It's funny how these are the moments when it becomes so clear how small I am and how big God is. Of course, it's not an instant realization. It often takes a while for the weight to take full effect. Days, weeks and even months may go by before we realize just how heavy this load has become, sitting right there on our shoulders. When this moment of realization arrives, we find ourselves...overwhelmed. I remember, a few years ago now, sitting on my parent's bed, crying more tears than I knew I had, using words like "I just can't do it anymore". I was overwhelmed. The weight finally got to be too much for my human shoulders.

"Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. " (Matthew 11:28) In the moments when we just can't shoulder the load anymore, we have a God who is able and willing to take the weight and carry it for us. He created the universe so why does it really surprise us that He is capable of supporting the weight of it? No sin, no situation we find ourselves in, no wrong decision surprises Him, overwhelms Him. He is un-overwhelmable. He knows that we are unable to shoulder this weight ourselves and doesn't think less of us for that. Instead, He loves us unconditionally and perfectly in those moments. And removes the weight. And gives us the grace to walk freely with Him.

The Best Little Preschool Year Ever

There's a movie I watched once, called the "The Best Little Christmas Pageant Ever". It's a cute movie about this church that always puts on a children's Christmas pageant. The women who are in charge of the play make sure that everything is perfect and just right. Except for this one year. This year a family of children that don't attend church come and want to be a part of the program. They are not the most well behaved of children and ruin just about every rehearsal. It is not looking good for opening night. The women are dreading the pageant and are just so upset about the pageant not being perfect. However, on opening night, while things are not perfect, the pageant is...well....the best little Christmas pageant ever. The women, as well as the rest of the church, discover that these children, the ones that they really didn't want in the pageant to begin with, have come to understand what Christmas is all about. And that this is the most important thing. Not the costumes, not the props or the music. But showing Jesus to those who don't know him. Loving those who are the least loveable and accepting them as they come. It really is a cute movie.

This last preschool year reminded me of "The Best Little Christmas Paegant Ever". However, instead of being a hour and half long movie, this was a nine month long epic mini series. Kind of like "Gettysburg". Lots of fighting, large amounts of blood, and an occasional surrender. My class consisted of 12 very different children, coming from very different home lives and situations. It was, by far, the most challenging class I have had so far. I remember sitting at Five Guys on the night of the second day of school. My friend, Jack, asked me how the day went and about my class. I remember my response was something about how there were some kids in my class that I kind of wished weren't. His response was something I couldn't get out of my mind all year. He said that maybe those were the kids who were supposed to be in my class. That thought kept coming back to me at the worst possible moments. Right after I got told "I hate you, you're stupid" for the 10th time in 10 minutes. Or right after I was kicked, hit, and/or bit. Or when I felt like I was just talking to myself during circle time. Maybe these were the kids who were supposed to be in my class.

Last Wednesday was the last day of school and I was looking forward to it. Of course, like every other week, to get to Wednesday, I had to get through Tuesday. Tuesday was our class Preschool Celebration. We had invited parents to come and watch our class perform some songs and poems. It was not something I was really looking forward to. When we would practice, it would usually end in some tears, some fighting, and and a lot of "I hate you's". Not really something I wanted parents to witness. But wouldn't you know, that day, with all of their parents watching, those 12 children sang every song and said every poem like you wouldn't believe it. It was by no means perfect and I shook the entire time but in that moment, I wouldn't have traded one of those kids. And I wouldn't have traded my class for any other class in the preschool. Because, as challenging as they were and as tired as I was at the end of each day, I loved them. Each one. And now, a week later, my hope and prayer is that they know that. I hope that they left preschool knowing that they are loved and are important. Not only by their parents or to their teachers, but more importantly, by God. If I taught them anything, I hope I taught them that. It was not a perfect school year. And I am glad that it's over but it just might have been, the best little preschool year ever.

Lessons from the Big House

Yesterday was a big day. It was a day long in coming, highly anticipated, and very much dreaded. Yesterday, I finished Prison Break. Yes, I know that this does not seem like it should warrant it's own blog post. However, if kidney stones can get a shout out on this thing, then Michael Scofield certainly can too. If you are unaware of the premise of the show, allow me to break it down for you. Scofield's in prison....and he breaks out. I know. Spoiler. Come on now, did you really think he didn't? So why am I blogging about a fictional character on a fictional show? Because, not only did the show solidify my belief that I am truly gangster, it also taught me some things that I feel necessary to share with all of you....

Lessons Learned From Michael Scofield and Everyone Else on the Show Prison Break

1. I'm pretty sure I would tattoo blueprints all over my body, commit a crime, be sent to prison, and break out if one of my siblings was wrongfully convicted. Yup. Pretty sure.

2. Oragami is not only pretty cool but can also be critical to any plan involving anything remotely against the law. I'm thinking of taking it up this summer. Just in case #1 actually happens.

3. Never trust anyone in a suit and dark glasses. It never ends well. For anybody.

4. Always, always have a back up plan for the back up plan. In fact, have no less than 6 back up plans. And one plan should always involve a gas mask. For coolness sake.

5. Real gangsters keep their phones on vibrate. No sweet ringtones for them. This is where gangsters and I differ slightly.

6. Breaking out of prison and being on the run is a dirty job. Literally. Be prepared and break out with at least a toothbrush.

7. Take a knife to a fist fi.....nah just take a glock to any fight.

8. It really helps to know people with access to boats, planes, and the ability to exonerate you. This will be on any friend questionaire I give out in the future.

9. If you say anything with an intense eye stare and whispery voice, people will take you seriously. Even seasoned assassins.

10. If I were to be on the other side and be a seasoned assassin, I would definitely wear 6 inch heels. And red lipstick. But I would keep my ringtone.

So now that it' s over, I guess I can move on with my life. I hear Sons of Anarchy is pretty good, though.....

And the Beat Goes On....

Number 21

I love music. When I am just hanging out, I would rather have music on than watch a movie or television. Road trips? Forget conversation, just turn up the music. And there are some mornings when I wish my drive to work were longer just so I could get more songs in. As it is, though, on my five minute drive, I can usually get through at least three songs :) When I was a little girl, I had a cassette tape of Dolly Parton's album, White Limozeen (that's not a spelling mistake, that's just how awesome Dolly is). I loved that tape. It's a big reason why yellow roses are still my favorite flower and why "cowboy boots and painted on jeans" make me smile.


I love all kinds of music, too. Although, country music remains at the top of my preference list, my Itunes is full of some not so country music. Basically if it has a good beat, it goes on the list. Right now, as I am typing this, I am listening to Gladys Knight and the Pips "Midnight Train to Georgia". Oh man, the stories Chrissy could tell about this song :) Oh and now Bruno Mars' "Grenade" is on. I love my music selections.

Music is something that I am so thankful for in my life. There are songs that, to this day, can take me back to ninth grade and songs that bring back emotions from my junior year in college. Faces, names, and smells return with just the first couple of notes.

I love music.

Crazy People

T is for Truth


I'm going to confess something in this blog. Prepare your hearts for this now. Here it is: I am a fearful person. There I said, or wrote it actually. I know, I know. Whoa. Brand new information. But seriously, I am a fearful person. Give me a great situation, any situation, and I can probably come up with no less than ten things that could potentially go wrong. I don't purposefully seek out new situations because of this and have, in the past, missed out on some great experiences. Maybe this is why snowboarding was so exciting for me. Something new and extremely frightening and I did it. If you haven't read those blog posts yet, don't. Just know that I am an amazing snowboarder :)


I never truly recognized how much fear played a role in my life until after college. Before then, I simply considered myself a worrier and just carried on. It wasn't until a series of events after college that I became aware of how big fear is in my world.


It was a rainy Monday afternoon in July. That morning, I had just allowed another opportunity to slip away because I was afraid. I was sitting in the living room, staring out the window at the rain when my mom came in and sat down with me. She never said a word and I just began to cry. I had no idea what was wrong with me, I just knew that I was afraid. Of what I didn't know. But the fear was BIG. She held my hand and told me that after discussing it, she and my dad felt that it was best if I went to see a counselor. Looking back on this now, I know that this had to have been a hard step for my parents. To acknowledge that one of their children was going through something that they couldn't fix could not have been easy. I was a little unsure of the prospect of going to counseling. I thought, then, that counseling was for crazy people and for people getting married (and I wasn't getting married, so.... :)) But, my mom made the phone call anyway, and that Friday I experienced my first counseling session.


My dad came with me and sat in the waiting room. I remember what I wore, what we talked about, and I remember walking out of the room feeling like a little bit of the world had been lifted off my shoulders. And we had just talked about the steps involved with counseling! Over the course of the next few months, I detailed certain events in my life and examined my thoughts. Fear was a constant thread in those thoughts and that fear led to a cycle of events that were easily identified in my life. I remember one particular session when Sara, my counselor, asked me a question that changed my life. I had just finished describing an event where I experienced almost debilitating fear. When I was finished, she asked "What's the truth?" I just sat there for a moment and then said I didn't understand the question. She then repeated herself "What's the truth?" She then explained that if I believe that God is in control, then He is in control in all situations. Even the ones that scare the life out of me. I had a choice to make. To live in the fear or accept that God has given me every place I step my foot. To believe in Truth.


There is a song that I have heard a lot recently, "Forever Reign". Some of the lines in it go,

You are peace, You are peace when my fear is crippling

You are true, You are true, even in my wandering

Singing these words the first time was one of the most peaceful moments of my life. Because, for the first time, in a long time, maybe even ever, I believe them. I believe that He is Truth and Peace. I believe this because I have experienced it. I might wake up some mornings afraid to face the day but I am quickly reminded that He is Truth, simply because I have woken up.

Fear is no longer at the forefront in my life. I have the snowboarding pictures to prove it :)

Do You See What I See?

I got my first pair of glasses in the fifth grade. Red, plastic-rimmed glasses from Lens Crafters. They were special :) Since then, I have come a long way in my glasses fashion sense. I now sport, when I am not wearing my all too expensive but all too needed contact lenses, a pair of half-rimless, black and white spectacles. Needless to say, I like these a bit better. But, regardless of the style, corrected vision has been part of my life since I was 10 years old. I'm not sure what it is like to wake up in the morning and not squint to see what time it is or how not to panic when someone moves my glasses after I've taken out my contacts (you know who you are). However much a frustration as this is, I have been blessed with my glasses and contacts because they have improved my sense of sight and have given me the ability to see, clearly, some incredible things. Things that I am so thankful for....

11. Welcome to Virginia Signs- I moved to Virginia when I was about seven years old. Virginia is home. When I was a student at WCU and missing my home, there was no better sight than the sign with the red cardinal on the Woodrow Wilson Bridge. On those long drives back from Beaufort, that red cardinal is there again. Virginia is for Lovers :)

12. Sunrises- I don't see a lot these :) But, seeing one means that I am probably doing something fun. Whether it is on 95 driving south or those ridiculously early morning two-a-days, I have seen some incredible sunrises.

13. Mountain View Road in the Fall- Reds, oranges, yellows, and purples. Fall is my favorite season and this road hardly ever disappoints with the colors. It makes driving the speed limit worth it...

14. Palm Springs Aerial Tram- Not to brag or anything, but this IS the world's largest aerial rotating tram and I have been on it. I might have been glued to the pole in the middle of the rotating death capsule we were stuck on but still. It took me up 8500 feet to one of the most beautiful views I have ever seen. We started in the desert and ended up in a snow filled forest. Incredible.

15. A Baseball Field- I love baseball fields. I'm not sure why but I think part of it is because of the infield. Clean, crisp white baselines. The infield grass. Or maybe it's the outfield with the criss-cross mowing. Don't know, don't care. I love baseball fields.

16. The Natural Bridge- I have actually been there twice and both times have been blown away. It's a bridge in the side of a mountain! I mean, wow :)

17. Blue Skies- I like rainy days, but I like blue sky days too. Those days where it seems like you can see forever and wish you could.

18. The Mediterranean- On a Monday in July, I stood on a boat that was actually on the Mediterranean Sea. Unbelievable. It was so blue and beautiful. I took some pictures but I really just stood on the side of the boat and just stared out at it. I think I was too afraid to take a lot of pictures because I didn't want to distract from the actual experience. It was something I will never forget.

19. The Ocean- Let me start by saying that I don't actually get into the ocean. But I do like looking at it. I like being on the beach, with a good book, a cold drink, and a nice big umbrella :) There is something calming and constant about watching the waves crash on the shore. I like that.

20. Snow- Snow and I have love-hate relationship. I love looking at it but hate going out in it. I love the winter wonderland feel of snow and I love the silence of it. I'm thankful that it gives me random days off in the winter, too.

Here Goes....

So yesterday, my sister-in-law had a birthday and blogged thirty things she is thankful for, leading up to the 1,000 things she is thankful for in her life. I was, then, inspired to come up with my own list of 1,000 things. SO.....we will see how this goes. I figure if I write 10 things on each blog then it will only take 100 blogs to finish. And they say pretty girls can't do math :).

1. Grace- I have been saved by grace and that has changed my life. Jesus Christ is my Savior and that alone could make up the whole list of 1,000 things.

2. My Mom and Dad- No two people have ever shown me the true definition of unconditional love like them. I have messed up a great deal throughout the last 27 years and yet, have never had to question being loved.

3. Jenn, Katy, Chris, and Allison- These are the people I have hung out with for most of my life. These are the people who have seen me cry, be ugly, and fall flat on my face and they still keep me around anyway. Sitting around the dinner table until late into the evening, telling stories is something I look forward to when we are all old. Or at least older :)

4. Jake and Cole- My life changed on a Monday morning in January 2008 when Jake was born. I'm sure I had an idea of what awesome was before that day but that baby boy redefined it and still does. Oh, and then there is Cole Baby. A perfect little package of sweetness. Love those boys.

5. My Small Group- Our small group exploded last fall and it has been just great. We have had so much fun studying God's word and doing life together. From passing out lunch in D.C., gingerbread house night, and countless dinners in Jenn's apartment, friends and lovers indeed :)

6. My Job- Teaching preschool was not what I imagined I would be doing with my life. But the best thing is, I love it. I have had the privilege of knowing some very special small people over the last few years. I have been challenged, hugged, and blessed by them all and I wouldn't trade that for any job in the world.

7. My Car- It's not fancy, the gas gauge doesn't move, and it makes a strange clicking sound when the A/C or heat is on but that Chevy has gotten me everywhere I have needed to go. From Friday night drive nights around West Chester to trips to Beaufort, it gets me around. I love my car.

8. West Chester University- I love the fact that I despised WCU my first semester but was in love with it by graduation. Church Street in the fall might be one of the prettiest memories I have. I learned so much during those four years and only some of it happened in a classroom.

9. Rain- It might be because it's raining right now but I'm thankful for rainy days. Mainly because it's a chance to slow down and write blogs but also because of sweatpants and ponytails.

10. Green Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream- Ice Cream might be my favorite dessert. I could eat ice cream in the middle of the coldest winter. One of my favorite memories is of eating green mint chocolate chip ice cream at a Baskin Robbins with my dad when I was like five or six. Maybe that's why green mint chocolate chip makes me happy. Or maybe it's just because it's green.

It's Kidney Stones!!!

S is for Savior


This weekend did not begin the way I imagined it would. On Thursday morning, I was woken up by the most excruciating back pain. Oh man, it was so bad. I just laid in bed, thinking that if I didn't move, it would go away. After about 15 minutes or so, it was still there, only worse, and I began to feel very nauseous and sweaty. "That's it" I thought. "I am going to die right here in my blue flannel pants and Navy Sailing shirt. Lord, couldn't it have at least been a Navy Baseball shirt?" The word appendicitis kept repeating over and over again in my head and I became quite certain that this was happening to me. I managed to shower and then walk downstairs to look up the symptoms of an appendicitis on Webmd (because that is what most people do when they are dying-research medical symptoms, right?). Once I read the symptoms of an appendicitis, I was 100% certain that I was experiencing a "rupture of the appendix". Because I am usually hardcore about pain, my parents didn't really need to be convinced that I had to go to the hospital. My mom and I just got in the car and left. We were only in the car about 15 minutes but, oh, it felt like an eternity. And to the man who made an U-turn on Courthouse Road, stopping traffic, THANK YOU. That was great :)



When we finally walked into the ER, I was relieved to see that the place was completely empty. No sweeter sight has ever graced my eyes. My mom filled out my paper work, mainly because she has great handwriting but also because I wasn't sure I could operate a pen. I was called back to see the doctor and about 15 minutes later I was diagnosed. No, it wasn't an appendicitis. Oh no. It was kidney stones. I think I was a little disappointed that my research yielded incorrect results (that brought me back to college :)) but I was more diasppointed that they were not going to operate and put me out of my misery.



After some bloodwork, I was hooked up to an IV and given a dose of morphine. Don't let the movies fool you. Morphine is not what it is cracked up to be. At least not in a pain-fighting way. In a narcotic way, yes. But for pain, no. By this time, my mom and Jenn had come back to my room and fortunately, my mom talked to the nurse and asked to her to give me some more morphine. Unfortunately, this new dose didn't work either and the pain seemed to get worse. The nurse checked in again and this time gave me a dose of something wonderful and finally, the pain lessoned and eventually went away completely. After a while, I couldn't even remember what the pain felt like exactly. I was discharged, and given prescriptions for some mighty good drugs, around noon and slept the rest of the day away in my own bed.

This might seem like a strange lead in for the letter "S" but I have a point. This weekend was also Elevation Weekend. While I did not lead a discussion group, I was able to sit in for the worship services. As I stood in the FLC and worshipped, along with 300 or so other believers, I began to think about Thursday. My physical body was in such agony. It was, quite honestly, the worst pain I can imagine. Almost indescribable. There were moments, in the middle of the worst of it, I wished to die simply to not be in any more pain. It was such a humbling experience. I could do nothing to remove this pain. As I stood there and listened to the band sing, "Oh, how He loves us" I couldn't help but think that not only is my physical body subject to pain, but my spiritual body was once sentenced to not only pain, but death. Because of the fall of man, I am a sinner and the "wages of sin is death". But I have a God who loves me enough to send Jesus to earth to die in my place. If the pain I experienced in that hospital bed is the worst pain imaginable, picture Jesus on that cross, bearing that pain for every human to walk this earth from its creation to the time He decides to return. "Oh, how He loves us." Pain and death are inevitable in this life. Our bodies will hurt and, one day, our hearts will no longer pump life into our bodies. But we have a Savior who left a throne in heaven to enter earth, to die in our place. Because of this, we will one day experience no pain, no death. What a day that will be.

"Oh, how He loves us".

Snowboarding Pictures....

A few pictures from the trip....



The group, minus Kevin and Will, at dinner Thursday night.

Action shot of bearded Jenner.

This is Kristi after getting off the lift.

Jenn looking awesome.

Will, Jenn, and Kevin on the lift.

Katie and Jenner waiting for the lift.

Kristi and me doing what we did best that day.

Me and my favorite at the end of the day.

What Goes Up...Must Come Down, Part 4

I believe there is a moment in every friendship when two people come to an understanding of each other. This moment can come quickly or it can be a long time in coming. Either way, once this moment arrives, the people involved have two choices. They can accept it and become better friends or they can ignore it and never really understand each other. Standing on the side of that mountain with four year olds on skis whizzing past us, Jenner and I arrived at this moment.

"So, Jenner, I think Kristi and I are going to call it a day."

" No, you are not."

"Oh, but we are. Can we walk down this mountain?"

"I don't want you to."

"I don't really care what you want, Jenner. Will Massanutten allow us to walk down this mountain?"

"Well, yes, but I don't want you to."

"Again, I don't really care what you want, Jenner. I want you to find the rest of the group and enjoy your day. We're not Marines. You are allowed to leave us behind."

"Will you go rent skis?"

"Have you lost your mind? No, I will not rent skis."

"Please, go get skis."

"If you leave me alone right now, I will walk down this mountain seriously considering renting skis." (Of course, I had no intention of renting skis, but anything that would make this man get away from me...)

"Ok. I'll go."

"Thank you. But first we have to go save Kristi."

And with that, we went up the hill to unstrap Kristi from her board of death. After a few more parting words and pleas for skis, Jenner snowboarded off to find the rest of our group and Kristi and I began our trek down this mountain. It was a good moment. Jenner and I parted still as friends, but with a better understanding of each other, and I was grateful to be able to part on my own two feet. In pants, no less.

The rest of the day was spent standing at the foot of the mountain with Kristi, watching and waiting for our friends to get to the bottom. Jenn is a great snowboarder. I was really proud of her and Katie, too. The guys are awesome snowboarders and it was a lot of fun to watch them. Later in the day, Kristi, Katie, and I went tubing. That was a lot of fun and the guys and Jenn even made their way over to the tube park to watch us for a bit. That was great :) After dinner at Chilis, we went back to the hotel to ring in the new year. Not surprisingly, only us girls made it all the way to midnight. Of course, our energy was buoyed by a performance by the New Kids on the Block and the Backstreet Boys. Oh, was that amazing :)


All in all, it was a great way to spend New Year's Eve. I did a lot of new things in 2010 and besides going to France, I think snowboarding was my favorite. It was something I never thought I would do and I actually did it. It might have just been for few seconds but I snowboarded. Not only that, but I snowboarded with some of the best people I have ever known. Friends who challenge me and make me laugh at the same time. We do meet no ordinary people in our lives. And I snowboarded with at least six of them :)

What Goes Up...Must Come Down, Part 3

"Yes, please." Two oh so simple words said oh so reluctantly. I really didn't want help but I also knew that I didn't want to stay attached to a wooden slat fence while standing in one sock for the rest of my life. There are so many other things on my list. Tour Italy. Write the great American novel. See 2011. So I said "yes, please" and waited for the eventual humilation of detaching myself from the fence. Or, I guess the eventual continued humilation would be more accurate.

As I wrote in the last post, Jenner was a little more than half-way down the hill while all of this was occurring and was about 20 or so yards away from me at this point. So that meant coming back up the hill on a snowboard to help. Not an easy task for anybody. But I didn't have just anybody coming to help. I had bearded Jenner. Now, I know clean shaven Jenner is an awesome person but I'm pretty sure he can't snowboard up hill. But bearded Jenner could and did. Let it be known that bearded Jenner defied gravity that day :)

So, after Jenner snowboarded over, we got to work unhooking me from this fence. About this time, my snowboard began to slide down the hill a little bit more and I don't think saying I began to panic is an overstatement so I asked Jenner to just unstrap my second boot from my board. Asked, begged, commanded, it's hard to say. Fortunately for me, Jenner is a Marine and has no problem following orders. He unstrapped my boot and I was finally standing on solid ground again. Without being connected to the board of death, I was able to work my pants off the fence and gain freedom once again. Once I was off of the fence, Jenner informed me he had solved my problem. Oh, yes, Jenner please tell me my problem. "Your boots are too loose" he said. Well, golly, Jenner. Let's just tighten them up and head off to the top of the mountain then. Honestly though, I don't think Jenner and I had reached the part in our friendship yet where I felt comfortable being that sarcastic with him so I said "oh...well...hmmm" and left it at that.

Once I was free of the fence, I was able to look around and really pay attention to where Kristi was during all of this. I'm not usually so self-absorbed but when one is hooked to a fence while attached to a snowboard, one does tend to turn their focus inward. Sorry. So, Kristi was sitting in the snow in the middle of the hill. With a look on her face I can only describe as....not really digging the snowboard. Being confident that Kristi was most likely over the snowboarding and knowing my own luck, I decided to let Jenner know that our snowboarding outing was probably over. Remember when I said that Jenner and my friendship hadn't yet reached the "comfortable with sarcasm" level? Let's just say, level reached.

*The picture is of me and bearded Jenner. Notice that I am free of the fence.

What Goes Up, Must Come Down...Part 2

So, once I realized that I probably wasn't meant for living in a shack on a mountain, I resigned myself to going down this hill on a snowboard. Just as a disclaimer, I have never been someone who has to be good at something or do something again and again to get good at it. I am definitely that person who tries an activity once and crosses it of my list, you know? So I really just wanted to get upright on the snowboard, slide around for a bit, fall gracefully down on the snow and walk off into the sunset. That was my vision. Unfortunately, my vision has never been exactly 20/20.

Once everyone had departed the lift (some more expertly than others....Kristi), we made our way over to the edge of this little "beginner" hill. We were instructed, by Jenner, to now sit down and strap in the second boot. Looking back on it now, I think this is THE moment I realized that I should have stayed in the lodge and read my book. Once you are strapped into a snowboard, there is no going back. Mainly because I really had no idea how to unstrap it but also because you are now locked into a flat surface on ice. Never a good thing, really. So, our next Jenner- inspired instruction was a simple, "Stand up". Two words have never made me want to hit anyone so badly. Sorry Jenner, but you became my most hated enemy at this moment. Just "stand up". Just "stand up". Just "shut up" was more like it :) I learned to stand up a long time ago and have been succeeding fairly well in this area but you couldn't tell on that day. I had a better chance of winning American Idol than standing up on a snowboard. Not surprisingly, Jenn and Katie stood up without too much trouble and they, plus Will and Kevin, took off down the hill. That left the brave, or just unlucky, Jenner with the not so brave Becky and Kristi.

While I am not one who desires to be excellent at everything I attempt, I do want to give most things a shot so I did try to stand up. A couple dozen times. And failed, I mean fell, a couple dozen times. Watching my struggle from a few yards down the hill, Jenner was very encouraging and finally suggested that I try to flip over onto my stomach and try to stand up on my toes. Hmmmm. Flipping in any direction while attached to a snowboard is not something I ever thought I would even consider, much less do. But I did. And this actually worked. Well, worked-ish. I did manage to get up off my knees at some point and I think I snowboarded for all of ten seconds but I SNOWBOARDED. During this moment of amazingness, I saw the fence.

I am a smart person. I read and do complex thinking. Because I do these things, I can't really explain my reasoning during the next moments. The fence I spied while SNOWBOARDING was this little four foot wooden slat thing that looked unbelievably unstable. But I was determined to reach it in order to gain some leverage, thinking that was the only thing I needed. Through a series of flips and flops, I managed to reach the fence. And leverage it provided- I was standing. Only until, my pants got stuck on one of the wooden slats.

Remember when I said I should have stayed at the bottom and read my book because a flat surface and ice are a bad combination? Yeah, well. I tried desperately to unhook the back of my pants from the fence but it wasn't happening. And then I felt the board slide. While the top half of my body remained still, the lower half was sliding downwards on the snowboard. "I am going to die without any pants on, strapped to a snowboard on the side of a mountain" were my thoughts. And as much as I knew how proud Jenn would be of me for this, I did not want to die this way. Not so much without pants but on a snowboard. I knew I had to somehow detach myself from the board of death so I yanked my right foot out of the boot. From down the hill, I hear Jenner yell, "do you need help?" No, I was good now that I had one sock in the non-moving snow. Now all I had to do was unhook my pants, get back in my boot and I was golden. The only problem being, I couldn't unhook my pants. I tried and tried and tried but these pants were not letting go of the fence. The pants might be the smartest thing I brought on this trip. "Do you need help now?" came from down the hill. "Yes, please."

What Goes Up, Must Come Down....Part 1

A couple of weeks ago, Jenner suggested a snowboarding trip over New Years (for those who don't know, Jenner is a Marine who has been part of our small group for the last few months). Snowboarding and Becky? Sounds like a great idea to me! So last Thursday, Jenn, Katie, Kristi, Jenner, and I loaded up our cars and headed off to Massanutten, a ski resort near Harrisonburg, Virginia. Our friend, Jack and his sister Muriel were going to meet us there for the day and Kevin and Will (more Marines from our small group) were going to arrive late Thursday night. The trip got off to a fantastic start what with Jenn backing into the front of Katie's car, Jenner falling into a ditch, and Katie leaving a plate off goodies on top of her car. Fortunately, these events were the most exciting things to happen on the drive and they all happened before we pulled off of my street.

We got to the hotel around 3 and arrived at the slopes shortly after. Jack and Muriel were already snowboarding so Jenner and Jenn, who were going to board and ski, got their lift tickets and off they went. Katie, Kristi, and I walked down to the tubing park to buy our tubing tickets for the next day. Once Jenn realized her ski boots were a tad too small, the four of us waited for the three snowboarders to finish up so we could go to dinner. After a fun meal at Applebees (Jack's pick, of course), we said goodbye to Jack and Muriel and headed back to the hotel. A few hours and some good games of Apples to Apples and The Game of Things (my new favorite) later, Kevin and Will finally arrived. We played a few more rounds of The Game of Things and called it a night.

The next morning we headed back to Massanutten for a full day of snowboarding and tubing. Or dying, whichever came first. Having never snowboarded before, I was a little, maybe a lot, nervous but I was brave and don't think I showed too much fear :) When the board rental girl asked me how long I wanted my board to be, I knew I was in trouble. But I figured if the three year old next to me could do it, so could I. Haha. That's a good one.

We got out on the snow and Jenner explained how to strap one boot onto the board and then drag-scoot the board to walk. This is not as easy as I make it sound and I decided then to make peace with this world and prepared myself to meet my Savior. But Jenner apparently had much more faith in me and we got in line to board the lift. Boarding the lift happened so fast I am not really sure what happened. So, looking back that might be my favorite part of the whole experience and the ride up was actually very relaxing and quite lovely. Mainly because I didn't have to move around on the board but also because the view was pretty. Unfortunately, the ride had to come to a stop sometime and we had to get off. Just so everyone knows...departing the lift was NOT A PLEASANT EXPERIENCE.

To get off a ski lift on a snowboard is to experience near death in a brand new way. As Jenner explained to me on the way up, "it's like riding a skateboard". Oh, ok. Now I'm good. My only goal was to not get hit in the head or break my leg. Actually, those are my goals for anything I attempt to do. I managed to get off and I think I only brought Jenner down with me. Have I mentioned what a great sport Jenner was during all this? BUT, I didn't hit my head or break my leg, so score one for me. I got up laughing which was really the only thing to do in that moment, I was strapped to a board after all. Now, though, came the hard part because unless I wanted to move into a shack at the top of this hill, I had to get down.....

By the way, the picture is of me stoked to be there and Kevin, who is also excited but not quite at the stoked level yet....

A Year in Months....

2010 was such a great year. I thought I would go back and sum up just how great it was...

It got off to a fantastic start in January with Cole Baby. Even though he was a few days late (which I am sure I will remind him of for many, many years), he is amazingly awesome and I can't believe he will be one year old later this week. February brought more snow in two weeks than I have ever seen in my life. I got to spend those two weeks, basically in my pajamas, watching the Olympics all day. 2010 could have stopped there :) I think I showered everyday but I can't be sure. March was March but I did get to experience Tent City. But we will move over into April. Oh, April. In April, we met Andrew and Jack and our lives have not been the same since then. May, we began seriously fundraising for the trip to France and I got an A in a class I wasn't expecting to get an A in so that was stellar. June brought a nice long trip to South Carolina and good news regarding Allison :) I spent July 4th getting my passport stamped in London (which I thought was pretty ironic) and got to experience an incredible week of camp in France. In August, I kayaked for the first time and ate waffle ice-cream sandwiches with Jake. I began teaching four year olds in September and I have never been so challenged at my job. But it's all good :) Molly also left in September but we are still not talking about that... October brought some bitter-sweetness when Jack and Andrew graduated from TBS but we are managing. In November, I shot a 22 for the first time and discovered that I am a crack shot every 5th round or so. December was awesome. I got flowers for my birthday, went bowling twice, and played Hungry, Hungry Hippos with Jake.

That pretty much sums up 2010. It's hard to believe that it's already gone and 2011 is here but I guess that's the way it goes. If there is anything that I am most thankful for that 2010 brought, besides precious Cole Baby, is all of the friends I made. I just spent the past couple of days with the most awesome people and besides my sisters, I didn't know any of them this time last year. And I am so grateful and feel so blessed to call them friends. I love the quote from C.S. Lewis, "We meet no ordinary people in our lives" because I know how very true that is. Now onto 2011 and all of the adventures it will bring!!!

2000 Feet UNDERGROUND

R is for Rescuer


So I'm sitting here watching the Chilean miners being rescued from 2000 feet UNDERGROUND. 2000 feet. That's about half a mile. Craziness. It's been pretty amazing watching these men reach the surface of the earth, after 70 days underneath it, and be greeted by their families (or mistresses). Can you imagine? 70 days in the darkness and then after a 25 minute ascent in a metal capsule, sunlight? While, I'm not sure if I can relate to being trapped in a mine, 2000 feet into the earth, I can definitely imagine what it is like to be in darkness with seemingly no hope. Fortunately, we have a God that sees us even through the blackness of a collapsed mine. We have a God who reaches out and pulls us from the pit of despair that we find ourselves in. We have a rescuer, and He is not a metal capsule.

These Guys....

Wow. Six months go by so fast.

This past spring, our "girls only" Bible study was infiltrated by Andrew and Jack. We had sort of made our Sunday night home group 'girls only" because, well, it was just girls that came until one night in April when Andrew showed up. We were kind of concerned we might scare him off, what with all of our "girliness" but he showed up the next week with Jack. It might have been the food but from then on, these two guys were just...there. From selling carnations for the France Team on Mother's Day (how much is your mom worth to you?) to six of us piling into Jenn's five passenger Terrain for trips to Fredericksburg (please keep your clothes on, Jack :)), this past summer was by far one of the best summers. They graduated from TBS this morning, 2nd and 5th in their company by the way, and are now moving onto their schools . Andrew HAS to move to North Carolina and Jack gets to stick around Quantico a little longer but will, apparently, disappear into the abyss that is IOC. It's so strange to think that in just six months, two people became such an important part of our lives but they did. I'm not sure we have too many stories from this summer that don't include Jack's scottish accent or Andrew's red polos. I would do a Top Ten Moments list but that would take a while, so maybe later. But I will end with a quote...it's only fitting....

"We meet no ordinary people in our lives." C.S. Lewis

You gotta move when the spirit says move....

So a couple weeks ago, Jake spent a few days at our house and we had a fantastic time. He really is the cutest little boy. Really. He is :) This video was taken the last night he was here. There is absolutely no music playing anywhere, except whatever was playing in his head. This kid is just too funny....

Five Guys...well one guy and four girls....

I know I know...two posts in two days. Crazy stuff. But really, I'm waiting for my Turtle cookies to cool so I can throw some icing on them. I'll resume my alphabet when I get back in the swing of thinking deeply. Although, my class this semester might have the corner on all my deep thoughts so don't get too excited. Day two of preschool went amazingly well and I think we're going to have a fun year! But there is always day three :) Tonight, I had dinner with my friends from small group. Well, two of them are my sisters but they also make for really stellar friends so we'll just say friends. We went to Five Guys which was perfect on this chilly-ish night. Oh, Five Guys....We had such a great time. Hearing Jack go from normal marine voice to high pitch woman voice to crazy British man while talking about rearranging the "focal" wall in my bedroom is really something else :) Molly and Andrew were missed though :(

Well, my cookies have been cooled and iced and I have exhausted myself by all this blogging :) Goodnight!

Last Day of Summer :(

We had such a wonderful time hanging out at the lake on Monday. Perfect weather, good food, and great company! The pictures are a little out of order but that's ok :) The second picture is Katy and Molly kayaking. Molly did great! I didn't get any pictures of Jack and Andrew kayaking but that's probably just as well :) I did get pictures of them adding a challenge to the game of "500" and that was interesting. "Surprisingly", I don't think anyone reached 500....

The first day of school was today and it went really well. Four year olds are pretty different from two's but not by much :) The good news is that I'm excited to go back tomorrow!

What he said.....

I'm really not one to write about political idealogy but this was a really interesting op-ed piece.

http://http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2010/02/04/se-cupp-obama-prayer-breakfast-faith-god-jesus/