Loving Dangerously

Well, I am officially the WORST blogger in history! We are in camp 9 of 11 right now and it is amazing how fast this summer has gone. Although it has been a great summer, I am more than ready for it to be over. 56 days until the wedding….YEAH!

This summer has been a time of challenges, that is for sure. I am doing the jobs that 4 people did last summer and although I have been able to handle it, I don’t know if I could ever do it again! I was looking in the mirror today after 10 whole hours of sleep last night and the skin under my eyes are literally BLACK….it’s scary! But we have less than 2 weeks left so I know my energy will make it to the end. The interns this summer are amazing and I have learned so much from serving with them and watching them serve others. Honestly, I have learned more this summer about serving and a LOT of other lessons this summer…it really has been great.

I am SO excited to go home and actually feel like I am engaged and excited for a wedding! Even though I am counting down the days, I feel like thinking about the wedding takes me away from being 100% here, so I try not to think about it too much so I can focus on what is going on here and what God is trying to teach me. 

Alright, I am done writing now…hopefully I will write again soon!

::Chris, I know I told you I was going to bed….but i needed to update!::

Alright, well, I am not sure if I told everyone this, but due to some oversights in the system, I became the lighting director at BigStuf for the summer! Usually I am in charge of ProPresenter and one of the graphics directors, but 2 weeks ago I learned how to operate a WholeHog2 and run a lighting show!! It’s pretty cool and fun, although it can be kind of overwhelming!! I started training interns this week which has helped me learn even more about the board. Here is a quick iPhone shot of our stage:

Cool, huh?

Camps are going well, we just finished #3 of 11…so…I am tired. It is 10:20 and I have been in bed for 2 hours. Honestly, I am not sure how our staff of 5 are going to make it through 8 more camps…it’s starting to wear on me!! I can’t wait to go home in less than 2 weeks!! woohooo! I made a hair appt one day, I need to make a doctors appointment, and hopefully my wedding dress will be in for the initial fitting…that would be INCREDIBLE!

Speaking of doctors appointments, there has been a new addition to my life and I like to call him Paulie and Parasite. He has been plaguing me for awhile and has caused serious discomfort and displeasure…if you think about he and I, please pray for a quick death…for him, not me. I would like to live through this if possible.

This week my brother-in-laws sister and her husband were here while he led worship. It was SO fun to have them here and have familiar faces around. We talked about family and the EGG (R.I.P) all week…this was pre-death of course. Michael (who was referred to as Molson Ice all week) told pretty much everyone about Jer’s artwork he creates every week.

Well, that is my update, and now I am going to bed!

and in case you don’t know…89 days!!!

Well, I have to admit, I woke up a bit sad today when I realized this was my 3rd Father’s Day in a row that I was missing. Such a bummer part of this job…I miss my niece’s birthday, Dad’s birthday, Father’s day and my sisters birthday while I am here…that’s kind of a lot! So I called dad this morning and wished him a happy father’s day and chatted about the plans for the day. Hangin’ around the house, going to the pool, and grilling out. And then I got an email that had this picture:

Now, to many of you this just looks like a broken grill, but to us, this is a critical injury to a family member. This, my friends, is the Big Green Egg that has provided many-a-Sunday dinner for the whole family every week, Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners…and what does this come to? A BROKEN EGG!!! NOOO!! So I got this e-mail with the picture and genuinely mourned the loss of the EGG. Not just a “oh sad, Dad’s grill broke.” But i said to the 18 people I was with “I don’t even know what Sunday dinners will look like for my family, or how my dad is even taking this…and on father’s day of ALL days.” I am not even joking.

So, here’s to you BigGreenEgg…we mourn your death…please revive yourself.

Love,

Your Beloved Sister

So, we just finished camp 2 and I am WORN OUT!! It has been really great so far, but it will definitely be nice to have a full day off in a few weeks. 2 down…9 to go! Oh yeah, and 94 days until our wedding….wooohooo!

Chris is here visiting for a few days and it is nice to actually see him and not just talk to him on the phone. I will be sad to see him go tomorrow. Tonight though, we are going to the Red Bar and seaside…2 of my favorite places.

I am realizing right now as I sit here that I got pretty burnt this week and I am kind of itchy….dang…I hate that.

Alright, I am tired of writing. bye!

we have been loading in for 6 days now and we are FINALLY done!! I will try and take some pics of the stage and post them, or…maybe I won’t and you will have to come down here and see for yourself.

But I just had to tell you guys some funny things from one of the interns this week. Christian, who is SERIOUSLY the quietest person I have ever met says to us at lunch yesterday, “so, when I take your credit cards on errands, what signature am I supposed to use? Because I have just been drawing a smiley face.” 

Fo real?? How hilarious is that? This was right before he told us he zip tied another interns foot to a chair while she was talking to people….I tell you, it comes from those you least expect!

Well, I am nearing the end of my third trip to Kenya and it has been an awesome trip so far. The interns have done amazing and have really blown me away this week. We have had a trip that is focusing a lot more on the joy and good things that are going on versus looking at the tragedy and sorrow. I mean, you can’t leave here not feeling sad and helpless about the severe level of poverty here, but we met people who are doing something to better their situation, and saw the incredible things that Compassion is doing over here. 

This year I met an amazing woman named Alice. She is the “mother” to 7 orphans who are living in an orphanage sponsored by Compassion. Man, talk about being a servant. She has 3 grown children of her own and one that is still in middle school, yet she has taken in 7 orphans and thinks of them as her own children. That is a perfect example of humble servanthood and being the hands and feet of Jesus. I learned a powerful lesson from her. 

Today we went to an orphanage that the kids live at who sing for the choir that will sing at camp this summer. I was expecting it to be such a sad and depressing day, but I think it was the most fun and joyful of our whole trip. The kids are so well cared for and they are provided for and really love each other. We served along side them and washed clothes, dishes, cooked, fed cows, and built a chicken coop…it was so neat. At one point in the day we were all working an the kids all went outside to sing and dance to “How Great is Our God,” I pretty much lost it at that point. I will try to load the video on here when I get home…it was such a beautiful moment. Their faces were so sweet worshipping Jesus…I loved it.

Tonight we have dinner with some college students sponsored in Compassion and then tomorrow we leave on safari. THis trip really flew by. Please pray for safety and energy these next few days! I will update again when I get home!

Well, the interns are here! We were camping Monday through Wednesday and it was great to watch them get to know each other and discover the strengths of their team…it’s going to be a great summer.

Tomorrow we leave for Kenya…yikes! So pray for safe travels and changed lives!!!

I will try to keep you updated…

I passed all my classes with all A’s and B’s!! YEAH!! I’m not gonna lie, I knew i did ok this semester, but I was still nervous until I saw my final grades!! phew!! Man that feels good.

On another note….I leave on Monday and although I am very excited and it is going to be a really great summer…I am still really sad to leave. It is always so hard to leave life here, but leaving a fiance behind is even harder. And to make it even worse, we have gotten involved in an INCREDIBLE church that we have really been building a community at and I am so sad to leave. Oh well, it’s a reality….and it will all be here when I get back! (just don’t forget about me!)

Alright, I have to go to bed….but I am writing to you on my graduation present to myself…a new macbook! Yay! But, I have to get up early so I can get stuff done before a big day of dance recitals and graduation parties!

And now some random pics for you…

SMMMOOOOOOCH!

Hello readers, if there are any left with my lame blogging lately!

I am OFFICIALLY done with school. My last presentation was on Tuesday, but it hasn’t really sunk in yet that I am completely done forever…unless I choose to go back someday. I think it will sink in in the fall when I don’t have to go back to school.

9 days until the interns come and 13 days until I leave for Kenya. I cannot believe how quickly this year is going, I just hope summer goes fast too! :) 

We had a conference Monday-Wednesday this week, the Orange Conference, it was a pretty slow conference which was good for us because it gave all of us the chance to catch up on some work while we were out of the office…I think if there hadn’t been any internet we would all be little balls of stress right now. 

I am sooooo ready for the weekend though. I hope today goes by fast! Tonight I am taking Chris to South City Kitchen on a hot date and I am really excited, and then tomorrow we are getting started on the remodel of our kitchen…woooohooo!

Ok, I am at work, but I just thought I would write a quick update. Hollllllla!

Wow, how do so many days go by without an update?! I just hate that. 

This is such a crazy season. I have finally finished all of my school work, which is an incredible feeling, but I don’t feel like I am done yet. I have a presentation on Tuesday night, so I am hoping when that is over I will feel the stress lifted. I so wish I could enjoy the fact that I don’t have to do homework at night, but I guess that will have to wait until the fall. 

This week is going to be nuts. We have the Orange Conference this week until Wednesday, so that means only 2 days in the office this week. Then next week is my last full week at home…SO SAD!! I have a ton to do before the interns come and I really hope I can knock it out and feel ready for the summer…because I am not right now!! It’s going to be an amazing summer, and so life changing for these interns and hopefully myself, but I am just not ready to leave. It is really hard…it gets harder every year. 

This past weekend Chris and I and two of our friends, Meagan and Eric, went to the Inman Park Festival in…Inman Park. It was really…eclectic! Lots of different kinds of people, but we saw some awesome artwork and a really…diverse…parade! It was really fun! Then later in the day, as part of my birthday present, Chris took me to a sushi restaurant (our fave!!) and then we went to see The Lion King (Broadway version). It was AMAZING. If you havent seen it yet, I really think you need to invest in some tickets next time it comes to your town…pretty awesome.

Alright, I am so tired…I stayed up reading a new book (For your Christy Miller fans, Katie Weldon has her own book series now!!!) and I read and finished it, but I was up til 3:30…oops! Hopefully I will update soon, but don’t hold your breath!

138 days in case you wanted an update.