Well hello there!
I know I haven't posted since May. It's been a busy summer. An absolutely amazing one!! But busy.
I spent the majority of my time at Aldersgate! (surprise, surprise) I was there four weeks again this summer. I went as a camper to Leisure Ministries again, my favorite camp of all time, then I counseled three other weeks. So many good, funny, happy memories, and many many stories. It was so great.
And now I'm at college!!! We moved in Thursday and had orientation all weekend. One day my orientation group went to the nursing home as our service project and played Bingo with the residents, and some of us girls painted the ladies nails and stuff. It was cute. Also one of the ladies there turned 100 yrs old that day!!! So we sang her happy birthday :)
The best part of orientation was the hypnotist. I was skeptical, but one of my friends who did it said it actually worked. It was hilarious, and they were doing some crazy things. But no worries, the hypnotist said he couldn't make them do anything that would be against their ethics.
Then we started classes yesterday and they went really well. And I've been meeting so many new people and making so many new friends!!! So I'm soooo super excited about this first wk of school, and this semester, and these four years, and my life!!! I'm just loving this!!!
Well, I may try to keep up, but you know how it is. I'll probably write in another three months.(Or five.)
I LOVE GEORGETOWN!!!!!!! :D
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Month of May
Well I believe it's about time for me to post again. So.....
Well spring is here and I just love it! The month of May is half over, and it's going exceptionally well. See, I decided since I had one month left of high school, I'd make every day productive and full of fun stuff, because when your days are full, they seem longer, and I want my days to seem long (if it's fun stuff), because life is pretty short.
Well, for one thing, these past couple weekends have been soo much fun. Since it's the month of graduation and all, and we have three graduates in our family (just on one side), and there's another on the other side, we've been getting to spend so much time with family and it's been wonderful!!
Last weekend on Mother's Day we all went over to Mimi and Papaw's and celebrated and had a great day, and today was my cousin Chelsey's graduation. Then after that we all went to Mimi and Papaw's again and had Papaw a birthday party. And next week is Chelsey's birthday party, and the next week is my cousin Leanndra's and my graduations, plus idk how many family parties we're havin that weekend. But it's all gonna be great, and I'm really really excited.
Also, I really should post about our Nashville trip like almost a month ago, but as usual, I haven't been able to get around to it. But hopefully I will eventually, because it was so much fun.
So right now Mom and I are in her room doing graduation stuff. Two weeks!!
So anyway, I'll try to get on here again sometime soon. Life's just busy
(but with fun stuff, so it's ok, remember).
I love my life :)
Well spring is here and I just love it! The month of May is half over, and it's going exceptionally well. See, I decided since I had one month left of high school, I'd make every day productive and full of fun stuff, because when your days are full, they seem longer, and I want my days to seem long (if it's fun stuff), because life is pretty short.
Well, for one thing, these past couple weekends have been soo much fun. Since it's the month of graduation and all, and we have three graduates in our family (just on one side), and there's another on the other side, we've been getting to spend so much time with family and it's been wonderful!!
Last weekend on Mother's Day we all went over to Mimi and Papaw's and celebrated and had a great day, and today was my cousin Chelsey's graduation. Then after that we all went to Mimi and Papaw's again and had Papaw a birthday party. And next week is Chelsey's birthday party, and the next week is my cousin Leanndra's and my graduations, plus idk how many family parties we're havin that weekend. But it's all gonna be great, and I'm really really excited.
Also, I really should post about our Nashville trip like almost a month ago, but as usual, I haven't been able to get around to it. But hopefully I will eventually, because it was so much fun.
So right now Mom and I are in her room doing graduation stuff. Two weeks!!
So anyway, I'll try to get on here again sometime soon. Life's just busy
(but with fun stuff, so it's ok, remember).
I love my life :)
Friday, April 16, 2010
Senior Trip!!!
Ok, so.....
Then we went in, had a continental breakfast then went out on the beach the rest of the morning. Some of Jim and Mrs. Fields' friends live down there, so that afternoon we went and ate at a seafood restaurant called Aunt Catfish's. I had bay scallops, I think, and they were really good! And we saw dolphins! While we were waiting on our food, Brandi and I went out on the dock and watched them. I don't think I've ever seen any before at the beach. It was so cool!
Another night walk on the beach, then bed (although I don't think we reached that point til about 3 or so, and we were getting up at 5. But it was ok, because even though the next morning came early, we slept the hr from Daytona to Orlando. And we went to Disney World!!
Neither Brandi or I had ever been to Disney before, and we had soo much fun! That first day we got there it was rainy, but then it cleared up by late morning and it acually turned out to be a pretty day! We went to Epcot and had a really great time. We visited all the little "countries" and saw the final show in the evening.
This is us at Epcot.....Us with the legendary trolls in Norway.....Us with our Chinese friend :)
....And this is us at Italy with Lady and the Tramp.
This is the final show at Epcot that evening. It's all about celebrating everyone all over the world. And in the last picture, Brandi and I were freezing, so Jim got us some hot chocolate.
Our last day we went to Magic Kingdom. It was soo cool too! We did rides and stuff and saw a parade, and while we were waiting for the parade to start (Mrs. Fields, Jim, and Brandi were on the sidewalk), I was in this book shop reading a book about Ronald Reagan. lol. Quick fact: Did you know he was a life guard when he was younger and saved 77 lives? Ok, anyway, the parade was so good, and we saw another one that night. It was the huge, big main fireworks one! But that evening before the final show we decided to go back to our resort (we stayed in Coronado Springs, btw. It was cool.) and Brandi and I were gonna swim a little, but we didn't really because it was cold. Well, we got in, but then I got out....Ok, that was a nice story, wasn't it? So anway, that evening we went back to see the final parade and the fireworks and it was beautiful! Just like on tv! lol But waayy cooler. Disney really is magical! :)
The parade that afternoon was really cool, and here's a picture of Pater Pan, because he was one of my favorites when I was little :).......And the fireworks! That was the final show at Magic Kingdom that evening.
Oh, and Mrs. Fields got Brandi and me both Mickey ears that said Class of 2010 with our names on the back!! :)
So it was an amazingly fun senior trip, we made such happy memories, the beach reminds me of our awesome, magnificent Creator, and Disney reminds me to always be a kid at heart :)
Well, technically my senior trip (or at least the fun of it, anyway) began the Friday evening before we left. Mom, Jacqui, and I were going to the mall to get some things before I left, and we met my friend Brandi (the other senior girl) and her mom. Then we all shopped together then ate at Fiesta Bravo in the mall. It was so much fun!
Then we had to go home and begin packing. Yeah, begin. I didn't get home til after midnight, I believe, and we had to leave at 5 Saturday morning. I'm pretty sure I got 1 hr of sleep that night.
Then yay! We're off! We met our teacher Mrs. Fields and her husband, Jim, and we were on our way. I slept. And slept. And slept. Besides the few times we stopped and got out of the car, I slept til we got to Georgia. But we stopped at a rest area in South Carolina and had a picnic. It was so fun! We sat at this picnic table under these trees with huge pink flowers on them and the petals would blow all around us and it was so pretty!
Then yay! We're off! We met our teacher Mrs. Fields and her husband, Jim, and we were on our way. I slept. And slept. And slept. Besides the few times we stopped and got out of the car, I slept til we got to Georgia. But we stopped at a rest area in South Carolina and had a picnic. It was so fun! We sat at this picnic table under these trees with huge pink flowers on them and the petals would blow all around us and it was so pretty!
Oh, and we're headed to Florida, btw. Just thought I'd put that out there :)
So we arrive at Daytona Beach (the first stop of our trip) at about 8 that evening. Oh my goodness, the ocean is beautiful! I've been a few times before, but not for a few years, and every time you see the ocean it's just....wow, I can't even put it into words. It's just breath-taking.
So we go putt-putting across the street from our hotel, then get back and go on the beach for about an hr, even though it's dark. But the beach is always amazing.
The next morning we got up to see the sunrise. I don't know if I've actually watched a sunrise before, but I know I never have at the beach. It was gorgeous too. Amazing.
Then we went in, had a continental breakfast then went out on the beach the rest of the morning. Some of Jim and Mrs. Fields' friends live down there, so that afternoon we went and ate at a seafood restaurant called Aunt Catfish's. I had bay scallops, I think, and they were really good! And we saw dolphins! While we were waiting on our food, Brandi and I went out on the dock and watched them. I don't think I've ever seen any before at the beach. It was so cool!
Another night walk on the beach, then bed (although I don't think we reached that point til about 3 or so, and we were getting up at 5. But it was ok, because even though the next morning came early, we slept the hr from Daytona to Orlando. And we went to Disney World!!
Neither Brandi or I had ever been to Disney before, and we had soo much fun! That first day we got there it was rainy, but then it cleared up by late morning and it acually turned out to be a pretty day! We went to Epcot and had a really great time. We visited all the little "countries" and saw the final show in the evening.
This is us at Epcot.....Us with the legendary trolls in Norway.....Us with our Chinese friend :)These were some kid acrobats in China and they were amazing!!
....And this is us at Italy with Lady and the Tramp.
This is the final show at Epcot that evening. It's all about celebrating everyone all over the world. And in the last picture, Brandi and I were freezing, so Jim got us some hot chocolate.
Our second day at Disney we went to Hollywood Studios. It was soo cool. We watched this Indiana Jones stunt show which was really cool and really funny. Later that day we also watched a car stunt show which was really really really cool. For lunch we went to Planet Hollywood and Downtown Disney which was soo yummy and soo cool, then went back to Hollywood Studios for the rest of the afternoon and evening. We did things like rides and stuff, and saw part of an outdoor drama of Beauty and the Beast. That night we saw the final show too, which was Mickey's Nightmare, or somethin like that. It was really good. All the 
ending shows are really good.
ending shows are really good.Us with Mary Poppins' umbrella!....And these are our feet next to Shaquille O'Neal's shoes at Planet Hollywood!
The next day we went to Downtown Disney for the first half, then to Animal Kingdom the second. At Downtown Disney we just walked around and looked in all the different shops and stuff. It was really cool. At Animal Kingdom we did some rides too....Oh, and I almost lost my phone on a roller coaster the day before at Hollywood Studios. We rode the Rockin' Roller Coaster, I think it was called, and apparently my phone came out of my pocket when I was in the seat. When we got out and were walking, I felt my pockets and realized it wasn't there. So I told the lady working the roller coaster, so she said we'd check the next time it came around. So Brandi kept callin my phone the whole time it was in there, hoping that someone would see it. And they did, because when the next people got off the ride, this guy was carrying a phone just lookin at it, and the guy workin there asked if it was his and the other guy was like, yeah, I think it's my phone. But it really was mine, and I was glad the worker got it for me and that it wasn't lost. It was an inside roller coaster and it was dark in there, and there were a couple loops and stuff so I'm really glad it didn't fall out of the seat. That was a huge relief. But anyway, back to Animal Kingdom....We did a safari ride which was cool. Then we ate at the Rainforest Cafe for dinner. It was soo yummy too. We got a volcano for dessert. It's this brownie, ice cream, whipped cream, very very chololatey dessert. I'd head it was big, but it was huge! It took all four of us to eat it, and we still didn't quite finish it. Brandi and I had to take the rest with us in a box.
This is at Downtown Disney. I'm not exactly sure who that man was, but he must've been someone pretty important to have a statue made of him. Then there's a picture of me next to my new corvette and my new Harley. Well.....yeah, ok. It's ok to pretend though, right?
hehehe :)
Our last day we went to Magic Kingdom. It was soo cool too! We did rides and stuff and saw a parade, and while we were waiting for the parade to start (Mrs. Fields, Jim, and Brandi were on the sidewalk), I was in this book shop reading a book about Ronald Reagan. lol. Quick fact: Did you know he was a life guard when he was younger and saved 77 lives? Ok, anyway, the parade was so good, and we saw another one that night. It was the huge, big main fireworks one! But that evening before the final show we decided to go back to our resort (we stayed in Coronado Springs, btw. It was cool.) and Brandi and I were gonna swim a little, but we didn't really because it was cold. Well, we got in, but then I got out....Ok, that was a nice story, wasn't it? So anway, that evening we went back to see the final parade and the fireworks and it was beautiful! Just like on tv! lol But waayy cooler. Disney really is magical! :)The parade that afternoon was really cool, and here's a picture of Pater Pan, because he was one of my favorites when I was little :).......And the fireworks! That was the final show at Magic Kingdom that evening.
Oh, and Mrs. Fields got Brandi and me both Mickey ears that said Class of 2010 with our names on the back!! :)
So we had a really great trip. Oh, but even though the wk was over didn't mean the adventure was. (That's what Jim called it anyway. He said he doesn't call things trips or vacations- he calls them adventures :) ) But it really was. On the way home our van shut down twice (yes, while we were driving. On the road.) Then we stopped at this little flea market (actually it was huge!) because Jim wanted to get some big Florida strawberries. So the van was ok, but then there was apparently an accident or somethin on the interstate in South Carolina because traffic was stopped, so we had to take like a three hour detour. (Oh, but something I just realized that I don't think the rest of them have is that Mrs. Fields and Jim gave Brandi and me the map on the way back so we could learn how to navigate. They told us to choose the route to go through South Carolina, so I just chose one....and apparently it happened to be the one with the accident, which was why our trip took 3 extra hours and we got back after midnight instead of 9. But anyway, they haven't picked up on it that it was my idea to take that way, so you don't have to remind them if you don't want.) So anyway, on our detour we got to this little town called Bamburg, and the speed limit was 30 and we were still going 41 so we got a ticket of like $250. Then we went to Arby's to grab lunch on the go and hit a pick-up truck while we were backing out...it was just one of those days. But we did make it home, so it was all good. And that just made it all the more fun. It turned out to be an adventure after all.
So it was an amazingly fun senior trip, we made such happy memories, the beach reminds me of our awesome, magnificent Creator, and Disney reminds me to always be a kid at heart :)
Spring!
Wow! So I got on here just now for the first time in over three months, and the first thing I saw was "Ho Ho Ho!" So yes, it's definitely been a waaayy long time, but I've been sooo super busy lately. But the good thing is, it's all been fun, wonderful stuff!
At the beginning of this semester Jacqui and I decided we wanted to start taking dance and karate classes. So...that's what we did! Well, we only got to do karate like less than two months then they changed the night of the wk to the night we have dance. But it's ok because we're busy with other fun things too. Here's a brief overview of my schedule each wk:
Sun: Church, family dinner and afternoon together (Jacqui and I decided to start goin hiking on Sun afternoons after we had a picnic at my uncle's old farm and took a walk there with Dad and Gabriel last wk), then choir practice (although I think it's about over for the summer now that the Easter cantata's done) and youth group.
Mon: We don't have school on Mondays! (except for the last one each month) So every other wk I work at my Mimi and Papaw's, then Mon evening Jacqui and I have dance. We go to jazz, then go eat during our free hr. bewteen classes, then have ballet. We love it! :)
Tues: (besides school, of course) I have my piano lesson, then we eat at our Mimi and Papaw's, and we try to jog or ride bikes or something over at their house those evenings.
Wed: I teach two piano lessons after school, then we have youth.
Thurs: After school I have archery, then I'm home for the evening! (the only night of the wk! lol)
Fri: Praise band practice after school, then basketball practice (during season, of course), but that just ended a few wks ago, so now we go home and do different stuff. Sometimes I teach a piano lesson to my little cousin. Last wk we went to a concert with our other cousins (I'll have to tell about that later because it was AMAZING! :) ) and tonight we had an open house/registration/dedication of the new playground at school (and let me tell ya, that playground is sooo much fun. Our high school class is reeaally enjoying it! lol)
Sat: !? Um, actually idk what we do on Saturdays lol. Clean? Usually some. A couple wks ago I was on my senior trip (which I am also going to tell about, but it will take a whole separate post!). Mom, Jacqui, and I went to the mall a couple Saturdays ago to shop for Easter, and last Saturday Jacqui and I went to the mall to look for a dress for our Nashville trip which is next wk, but we didn't find any so we're going again tomorrow......
See why I never have time to blog! lol :)
But things are definitely fun and wonderful, just busy and sometimes slightly crazy. But I love my life; it's wonderful. So are my family and my friends and my Jesus. So I'll be blogging again hopefully soon (actually I'm going to start working on it right now) about my senior trip. I'm going to try to keep it brief, but I have a feeling it's going to be a long one. lol :)
P.S. I'm absolutely LOVING this weather! It's gorgeous outside!!! :)
At the beginning of this semester Jacqui and I decided we wanted to start taking dance and karate classes. So...that's what we did! Well, we only got to do karate like less than two months then they changed the night of the wk to the night we have dance. But it's ok because we're busy with other fun things too. Here's a brief overview of my schedule each wk:
Sun: Church, family dinner and afternoon together (Jacqui and I decided to start goin hiking on Sun afternoons after we had a picnic at my uncle's old farm and took a walk there with Dad and Gabriel last wk), then choir practice (although I think it's about over for the summer now that the Easter cantata's done) and youth group.
Mon: We don't have school on Mondays! (except for the last one each month) So every other wk I work at my Mimi and Papaw's, then Mon evening Jacqui and I have dance. We go to jazz, then go eat during our free hr. bewteen classes, then have ballet. We love it! :)
Tues: (besides school, of course) I have my piano lesson, then we eat at our Mimi and Papaw's, and we try to jog or ride bikes or something over at their house those evenings.
Wed: I teach two piano lessons after school, then we have youth.
Thurs: After school I have archery, then I'm home for the evening! (the only night of the wk! lol)
Fri: Praise band practice after school, then basketball practice (during season, of course), but that just ended a few wks ago, so now we go home and do different stuff. Sometimes I teach a piano lesson to my little cousin. Last wk we went to a concert with our other cousins (I'll have to tell about that later because it was AMAZING! :) ) and tonight we had an open house/registration/dedication of the new playground at school (and let me tell ya, that playground is sooo much fun. Our high school class is reeaally enjoying it! lol)
Sat: !? Um, actually idk what we do on Saturdays lol. Clean? Usually some. A couple wks ago I was on my senior trip (which I am also going to tell about, but it will take a whole separate post!). Mom, Jacqui, and I went to the mall a couple Saturdays ago to shop for Easter, and last Saturday Jacqui and I went to the mall to look for a dress for our Nashville trip which is next wk, but we didn't find any so we're going again tomorrow......
See why I never have time to blog! lol :)
But things are definitely fun and wonderful, just busy and sometimes slightly crazy. But I love my life; it's wonderful. So are my family and my friends and my Jesus. So I'll be blogging again hopefully soon (actually I'm going to start working on it right now) about my senior trip. I'm going to try to keep it brief, but I have a feeling it's going to be a long one. lol :)
P.S. I'm absolutely LOVING this weather! It's gorgeous outside!!! :)
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Ho Ho Ho! (He He He) =)
Well, it's been over a month this time, but I am writing this blog for Macey because she wanted a new one. And I'll even put pictures on here to make up for some time too Macey lol. So....
Christmas was super! Christmas Eve we had a family get-together at our great-aunt's house and some extended family came and stuff and it was fun. Then that evening we went to our Papaw's house and had a really good time there too.
(Three generations: My Papaw, My Dad, My Brother =] )
Oh, and that night was fun because our Aunt Chris wanted a kitten but she didn't want the rest of her family to know, so she had Randee and Mark pick it out and they left it at our house. So on Christmas Eve night after everyone was asleep but Aunt Chris, we took over the kitten and they had a big surprise waiting on them Christmas morning. It was so fun playing Santa!! :)
And Christmas morning was so wonderful too! My Nanny had spent the night for a few nights that week, so she was there too and it was really fun. Our Aunt Sandy in NC always sends us Christmas packages and we open those in Christmas Eve. So that's what we were doin here.
And usually on Christmas Day after we have Christmas at our house, all the family goes to Mimi and Papaw's, but this year our family in England moved back to the US and they flew in on Christmas Day!!! So that day Dad made a really great Christmas dinner at our house which was really really good.
Daddy reading us the Christmas story after dinner.
Christmas evening we went to meet our family at the airport which was exciting. Then on Sunday we had the family celebration at Mimi and Papaw's. It was so fun too. There's not a picture of us that evening with Mimi and Papaw, but here's one with us cousins and our great aunt that comes to the party too. =)
So in the meantime, while our family in England is moving back to the United States, some of our family living here are moving to Winchester. So a couple days last week we drove up loads of stuff to their new house and that was really cool.
And then New Year's was also very wonderful! We were hoping to go to a Ravenna concert (the band Chelsey and Mark are in) in Winchester, but it was supposed to snow that evening so we didn't get to go =( But things turned out good. And our family watched the ball drop and made New Year's resolutions together and stuff like that, so it was a cool evening.
So that has been a super quick abbreviated summary of my break (no, not even of Christmas break, just of the holidays). Ok, so it's not super quick, but it's shorter than what I usually do. I think. But when I don't write in over a month, I've got to catch up, right Macey? =) (do you like how I keep referring to your name this time?) =] lol
So this has been a really fantastic Christmas break. We made special family memories like stringing popcorn for the tree, watching many Hallmark Christmas movies, painting the kitchen cabinets white on New Year's Eve (that was mainly Mom's idea lol), pulling up the carpet in our living room to reveal the pretty hardwood underneath (another one of mom's house projects. But it all looks good! lol), driving back and forth to Winchester a couple days in a row delivering loads of our family's belongings from one house to their other, and making New Year's resolutions together in the living room while we watched the ball drop. So it was really a super great break.
So this has been a really fantastic Christmas break. We made special family memories like stringing popcorn for the tree, watching many Hallmark Christmas movies, painting the kitchen cabinets white on New Year's Eve (that was mainly Mom's idea lol), pulling up the carpet in our living room to reveal the pretty hardwood underneath (another one of mom's house projects. But it all looks good! lol), driving back and forth to Winchester a couple days in a row delivering loads of our family's belongings from one house to their other, and making New Year's resolutions together in the living room while we watched the ball drop. So it was really a super great break.
And I know it's a little late, but...
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!! =)
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Happy Turkey Day!!!
Well, once again, I haven't posted for like a month. Actually, it really almost has been. But I have realized that I don't have a lot of spare time, but that's ok, because I love my life just the way it is. : )
So... this past month has been good. I've done things like go to a Ravenna concert, the band my cousins Chelsey and Mark and some of their friends are in; play in a piano competition at KCU; go to a Thanksgiving/ Christmas parade (which was last night actually and was really fun), and spend time with my whole family because it seems like we're always having parties (and if it's not someone's birthday, we're celebrating like Columbus Day or something. Just kidding, we don't go that far, but we get together and have fun as often as we can lol). Which is why I'm sooo super excited about tomorrow, because...
It's Thanksgiving!!! I absolutely love the holidays and spending time with my family. So tomorrow, we go up to Nanny's (my dad's mom) and have a wonderful delicious meal (yum yum!). Then we go to Mimi and Papaw's (my mom's parents) and all the family comes in, and we have another yummy yummy meal. And by the end of the day, I am sooo stuffed. But it's ok, because the food is delicious and family is wonderful, and I just can't wait.
So some things I'm thankful for- oh goodness, the list could go on and on. I'm so blessed. But some of the top things are my amazing family, my great school, my wonderful church, my super good friends, my health (although... I do have a sinus infection right now. How ironic. But typically we're all very healthy lol) and my epic God! (Zane, I told you I'd use that sometime =] )
So I'm so blessed and thankful for all that, plus our freedom. We have freedom to worship Jesus whenever, wherever we want, and that is so awesome!
So anyway, everyone have very happy holidays, don't forget to be thankful for allllllllllll God's blessed us with, and happy turkey day!!! : )
So... this past month has been good. I've done things like go to a Ravenna concert, the band my cousins Chelsey and Mark and some of their friends are in; play in a piano competition at KCU; go to a Thanksgiving/ Christmas parade (which was last night actually and was really fun), and spend time with my whole family because it seems like we're always having parties (and if it's not someone's birthday, we're celebrating like Columbus Day or something. Just kidding, we don't go that far, but we get together and have fun as often as we can lol). Which is why I'm sooo super excited about tomorrow, because...
It's Thanksgiving!!! I absolutely love the holidays and spending time with my family. So tomorrow, we go up to Nanny's (my dad's mom) and have a wonderful delicious meal (yum yum!). Then we go to Mimi and Papaw's (my mom's parents) and all the family comes in, and we have another yummy yummy meal. And by the end of the day, I am sooo stuffed. But it's ok, because the food is delicious and family is wonderful, and I just can't wait.
So some things I'm thankful for- oh goodness, the list could go on and on. I'm so blessed. But some of the top things are my amazing family, my great school, my wonderful church, my super good friends, my health (although... I do have a sinus infection right now. How ironic. But typically we're all very healthy lol) and my epic God! (Zane, I told you I'd use that sometime =] )
So I'm so blessed and thankful for all that, plus our freedom. We have freedom to worship Jesus whenever, wherever we want, and that is so awesome!
So anyway, everyone have very happy holidays, don't forget to be thankful for allllllllllll God's blessed us with, and happy turkey day!!! : )
Monday, October 26, 2009
Eighteen!!!
Today is my eighteenth birthday and it's been sooo great!!!
Well, for one thing, we don't have school on Mondays, so we got to be home today, and the school my mom teaches at is out for sickness, so she was home today with us too! So it was good bein with them today.
See, the day started out with us thinking we were going to get flu and pneumonia shots, but when we got to the health dept, the flu immunization things weren't even shots! They were just that mist stuff you spray in your nose, so that was no big deal. And then they told us they didn't give people our age pneumonia shots, even though we thought everything about that had been established on the phone earlier. But, I mean, hey, I was fine with not getting two shots today!
Then we went to Wal-Mart on the way home, and Mom bought some ingredients for quiche and other things for my bday. Then we came home and had a super fun day. It was gorgeous outside today, which made me sooo happy and surprised me since it's the end of October. So I spent time outside, and Jacqui, Gabriel (and even Mom for a while), jumped on the trampoline a lot, and we played football on it, which was really fun. Well, ok, football as in my brother had the ball, so I tried to tackle him and get it from him, but that didn't work so well. We just fell on the trampoline and were rolling all over the place, me trying to get the ball from him, and him keeping it from me, and then Jacqui tried to help too. We played that for a while, keeping the football away from the others, and the others like on top of you, trying to get it back. It was quite fun! lol :)
So now Mom's teaching her night class at the college, then when she gets home we're gonna have a little party. I was thinkin today that I'm sooo blessed. I'm surrounded by family and great friends who love me, and a God Who's crazy about each one of us, and He gave us this perfect weather and He made laughter which I love. I laugh a lot. I'm just so happy and thankful and, well, yeah, that's what I was gonna say. So anyway, I've had a super fun day. Oh, and my Nanny who has Alzeheimers just now called while I was typin this and she wished me a happy birthday, and it was so good talking to her. She still does pretty well right now. I mean, she's even still able to live by herself! But that's another reason that I'm so blessed: to still have my Nanny who's doin well, and for all of my wonderful grandparents; my Mimi just called too. :) So I'm just a very happy girl tonight. And I feel so blessed. :)
Well, for one thing, we don't have school on Mondays, so we got to be home today, and the school my mom teaches at is out for sickness, so she was home today with us too! So it was good bein with them today.
See, the day started out with us thinking we were going to get flu and pneumonia shots, but when we got to the health dept, the flu immunization things weren't even shots! They were just that mist stuff you spray in your nose, so that was no big deal. And then they told us they didn't give people our age pneumonia shots, even though we thought everything about that had been established on the phone earlier. But, I mean, hey, I was fine with not getting two shots today!
Then we went to Wal-Mart on the way home, and Mom bought some ingredients for quiche and other things for my bday. Then we came home and had a super fun day. It was gorgeous outside today, which made me sooo happy and surprised me since it's the end of October. So I spent time outside, and Jacqui, Gabriel (and even Mom for a while), jumped on the trampoline a lot, and we played football on it, which was really fun. Well, ok, football as in my brother had the ball, so I tried to tackle him and get it from him, but that didn't work so well. We just fell on the trampoline and were rolling all over the place, me trying to get the ball from him, and him keeping it from me, and then Jacqui tried to help too. We played that for a while, keeping the football away from the others, and the others like on top of you, trying to get it back. It was quite fun! lol :)
So now Mom's teaching her night class at the college, then when she gets home we're gonna have a little party. I was thinkin today that I'm sooo blessed. I'm surrounded by family and great friends who love me, and a God Who's crazy about each one of us, and He gave us this perfect weather and He made laughter which I love. I laugh a lot. I'm just so happy and thankful and, well, yeah, that's what I was gonna say. So anyway, I've had a super fun day. Oh, and my Nanny who has Alzeheimers just now called while I was typin this and she wished me a happy birthday, and it was so good talking to her. She still does pretty well right now. I mean, she's even still able to live by herself! But that's another reason that I'm so blessed: to still have my Nanny who's doin well, and for all of my wonderful grandparents; my Mimi just called too. :) So I'm just a very happy girl tonight. And I feel so blessed. :)
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Fall Break!
Hey everyone-- it's fall outside!!!
Last week was my fall break and it was soooo wonderful. Just wonderful. I have a great school and great friends, and thankfully not a hard work load at all this year-- but I was ready for a break. The week was fun, but it started before that first Monday we got to sleep in. It began Friday evening for our middle/ high school spirit week banquet, or as we affectionately call it, "Formal Hangout." And see, formal hangout is the end to our wonderful spirit week, but I'll have to post about that later. I know I say that all the time, that I'll post later, but when something exciting happens, I want to put that right then. lol. So, oh yes! Formal Hangout...
We were dismissed at 2 on Friday after our fun and very messy olympics. We all had to go home, shower all the chocolate, oatmeal, etc. off of us (don't worry, I really will try to explain later). Then we got all dressed up and met at the picture studio in Sears to, well, get our pictures taken! Then finally, finally we got to go to Melini's. It's this delicious Italian Restaurant, and we were all very hungry. So we ate there (I got a wonderful portion of fettuccini chicken alfredo which was super yummy but also too much to eat. But no worries- I took it home and ate it for lunch the next day=] ) Then we headed back to school where we all got changed from our "formal clothes" into jeans and hoodies and played Keep-Away with a little ball, boys against girls, on the parking lot in the dark and the cold... it was so much fun! lol. We also had a little bonfire and we stood around that some, and we hung out in the gym and ate snacks and talked. It was really fun. We left about midnight and slept in on Saturday. It was so wonderful. That day I did absolutely nothing, and it made me very excited because I knew I was about to have a whole week of relaxation like that. So I'll give a quick over-view of my week. The funny thing is, the weekends encompassing fall break were actually some of the best parts of it, but the week was wonderful too.
Sunday afternoon we had a birthday party for our cousin, but we only got to stay a few minutes because I had choir practice at church, then I led worship, then we had youth. So after church Jacqui, Gabriel, and I went back over to our cousins' house, and we watched Bride Wars with Chelsey and Aunt Chris. It was a fun evening.
Monday- relaxtion. Completely. It was cool but sunshiny out, and I laid on the trampoline in the warm sunshine and was super happy that we were on break.
Tuesday- I had a piano lesson that evening, then we went to Mimi and Papaw's house and ate dinner and visited with them for a while, which is always really fun.
Wednesday- I went with Chelsey and Aunt Chris to help show Chelsey the course for her driving test, then we picked up Jacqui and Gabriel and we went back to Aunt Chris and Uncle Mark's house where we helped them move furniture and such. As we were moving Jesse into Randee's old room, we had House of Heroes playing really loud and we were eating runts candy from like 3 Christmases ago, and it was a blast! Then we ate dinner with them (Aunt Chris made a super yummy meal), then went to youth with Randee and Mark.
Thursday- We went to Mimi and Papaw's again. Fun! :)
Then Friday was the beginning of our fun weekend! We went down to Lexington to stay the night with Aunt Debbie and Leanndra because we were going to the Cincinnati Zoo the next day. But that evening I got to go to one of my best friends' football games in Bourbon Co, and I had a such a good time!!! And since we live like 2 and a half hours or so from there, I hardly ever get to see my friend, so it was really good to see him. Oh, and they won. Hooray!
And Saturday, we went to the zoo! We had a really great time there too. I hadn't been to the zoo in a long time, but it was so much fun. I'm sorry I don't have any pics to post on here, because we saw some really cool animals, but I didn't take my camera in with me, and my brother did, but I don't have his pics on here. But anyway, we saw elephants and lions, rhinos and tigers, seals, bears, birds, gorillas, monkeys... so many pretty, cute animals (and some not so cute. But very entertaining.) I enjoy watching like all of the animals, but I think maybe the tigers were my favorite that day. There was a beautiful mommy tiger and four little cubs and they were sooo cute. But the cutest thing was that the momma was resting there, with her beautiful face and fur, and her big pretty paws crossed so delicately (if a huge tiger can be delicate), and one of her little cubs was behind her just kinda laying there too with its little paw on his momma, and it was so sweet!! They were really cute!!
Then Sunday was homecoming at the church where my Papaw pastors, so we went there and heard great music (from some of our family; 0ur second couins to be exact), heard my uncle (who's also a pastor at a different church) speak, and had a delicious meal. Church dinners are the best.
So my fall break was very, very wonderful. Everyone needs some down time and relaxation once in a while, and I think my week was just about perfect for that. :)
Last week was my fall break and it was soooo wonderful. Just wonderful. I have a great school and great friends, and thankfully not a hard work load at all this year-- but I was ready for a break. The week was fun, but it started before that first Monday we got to sleep in. It began Friday evening for our middle/ high school spirit week banquet, or as we affectionately call it, "Formal Hangout." And see, formal hangout is the end to our wonderful spirit week, but I'll have to post about that later. I know I say that all the time, that I'll post later, but when something exciting happens, I want to put that right then. lol. So, oh yes! Formal Hangout...
We were dismissed at 2 on Friday after our fun and very messy olympics. We all had to go home, shower all the chocolate, oatmeal, etc. off of us (don't worry, I really will try to explain later). Then we got all dressed up and met at the picture studio in Sears to, well, get our pictures taken! Then finally, finally we got to go to Melini's. It's this delicious Italian Restaurant, and we were all very hungry. So we ate there (I got a wonderful portion of fettuccini chicken alfredo which was super yummy but also too much to eat. But no worries- I took it home and ate it for lunch the next day=] ) Then we headed back to school where we all got changed from our "formal clothes" into jeans and hoodies and played Keep-Away with a little ball, boys against girls, on the parking lot in the dark and the cold... it was so much fun! lol. We also had a little bonfire and we stood around that some, and we hung out in the gym and ate snacks and talked. It was really fun. We left about midnight and slept in on Saturday. It was so wonderful. That day I did absolutely nothing, and it made me very excited because I knew I was about to have a whole week of relaxation like that. So I'll give a quick over-view of my week. The funny thing is, the weekends encompassing fall break were actually some of the best parts of it, but the week was wonderful too.
Sunday afternoon we had a birthday party for our cousin, but we only got to stay a few minutes because I had choir practice at church, then I led worship, then we had youth. So after church Jacqui, Gabriel, and I went back over to our cousins' house, and we watched Bride Wars with Chelsey and Aunt Chris. It was a fun evening.
Monday- relaxtion. Completely. It was cool but sunshiny out, and I laid on the trampoline in the warm sunshine and was super happy that we were on break.
Tuesday- I had a piano lesson that evening, then we went to Mimi and Papaw's house and ate dinner and visited with them for a while, which is always really fun.
Wednesday- I went with Chelsey and Aunt Chris to help show Chelsey the course for her driving test, then we picked up Jacqui and Gabriel and we went back to Aunt Chris and Uncle Mark's house where we helped them move furniture and such. As we were moving Jesse into Randee's old room, we had House of Heroes playing really loud and we were eating runts candy from like 3 Christmases ago, and it was a blast! Then we ate dinner with them (Aunt Chris made a super yummy meal), then went to youth with Randee and Mark.
Thursday- We went to Mimi and Papaw's again. Fun! :)
Then Friday was the beginning of our fun weekend! We went down to Lexington to stay the night with Aunt Debbie and Leanndra because we were going to the Cincinnati Zoo the next day. But that evening I got to go to one of my best friends' football games in Bourbon Co, and I had a such a good time!!! And since we live like 2 and a half hours or so from there, I hardly ever get to see my friend, so it was really good to see him. Oh, and they won. Hooray!
And Saturday, we went to the zoo! We had a really great time there too. I hadn't been to the zoo in a long time, but it was so much fun. I'm sorry I don't have any pics to post on here, because we saw some really cool animals, but I didn't take my camera in with me, and my brother did, but I don't have his pics on here. But anyway, we saw elephants and lions, rhinos and tigers, seals, bears, birds, gorillas, monkeys... so many pretty, cute animals (and some not so cute. But very entertaining.) I enjoy watching like all of the animals, but I think maybe the tigers were my favorite that day. There was a beautiful mommy tiger and four little cubs and they were sooo cute. But the cutest thing was that the momma was resting there, with her beautiful face and fur, and her big pretty paws crossed so delicately (if a huge tiger can be delicate), and one of her little cubs was behind her just kinda laying there too with its little paw on his momma, and it was so sweet!! They were really cute!!
Then Sunday was homecoming at the church where my Papaw pastors, so we went there and heard great music (from some of our family; 0ur second couins to be exact), heard my uncle (who's also a pastor at a different church) speak, and had a delicious meal. Church dinners are the best.
So my fall break was very, very wonderful. Everyone needs some down time and relaxation once in a while, and I think my week was just about perfect for that. :)
Saturday, September 26, 2009
My Beautiful Creator
Oh wow, I can't even begin to put into words my wonderful experience with God last night. It was just way too cool. But I'll try to explain it a little. :)
Well see, lately I've been having my quiet time outside under this huge oak tree on the hill behind our house, and it's such a beautiful, quiet spot. Yesterday it had rained, so I decided I would have my quiet time in bed before I go to sleep like I used to always do. But I really needed to pray, but I just wanted to do it outside where I was alone with God. It was still wet and it was gettin dusky outside, but it had stopped raining, so I went up on our hill and was about to sit down under that special oak tree when I saw and remembered some beautiful honeysuckle growing on a fallen tree just a few yards away. But the beautiful thing about them was that they were white and pink! They were so gorgeous! And I was even more amazed because it's the end of September, and there they are growing! And let me mention a side-note really quick: The other day, on like Sept 21, I was kinda sad because it was like the last day of summer (even though I really like the fall too). It's just that it's been such a wonderful summer, I didn't want to see it go. But after I told God about that, I saw those gorgeous honeysuckle (which typically are summer plants, right?), and I think He was giving me a little hug. Or maybe a big hug, just because He's God and He does that sometimes. So I walked over there and looked at them, and I could smell them- maybe because of the fresh rain- and it was just so pretty. I wanted to get a good picture of them, so I tried to take some, but I just couldn't capture the way they looked as I was seeing them- they were just so beautiful! But here are a few of the pics I got:
This is just some of the beauty I was surrounded by. And this was just the beginning of everything I saw yesterday.
(Ok, in the first pic in this row, do you see the little tiny cluster of white a little to the left above my head? Well, that was the honeysuckle! Just those few little ones! And yet they were growing so prettily. And, well in the other one of me you can't necessarily see the nature around me, but I just thought it'd be a fun pic. lol )
Well see, lately I've been having my quiet time outside under this huge oak tree on the hill behind our house, and it's such a beautiful, quiet spot. Yesterday it had rained, so I decided I would have my quiet time in bed before I go to sleep like I used to always do. But I really needed to pray, but I just wanted to do it outside where I was alone with God. It was still wet and it was gettin dusky outside, but it had stopped raining, so I went up on our hill and was about to sit down under that special oak tree when I saw and remembered some beautiful honeysuckle growing on a fallen tree just a few yards away. But the beautiful thing about them was that they were white and pink! They were so gorgeous! And I was even more amazed because it's the end of September, and there they are growing! And let me mention a side-note really quick: The other day, on like Sept 21, I was kinda sad because it was like the last day of summer (even though I really like the fall too). It's just that it's been such a wonderful summer, I didn't want to see it go. But after I told God about that, I saw those gorgeous honeysuckle (which typically are summer plants, right?), and I think He was giving me a little hug. Or maybe a big hug, just because He's God and He does that sometimes. So I walked over there and looked at them, and I could smell them- maybe because of the fresh rain- and it was just so pretty. I wanted to get a good picture of them, so I tried to take some, but I just couldn't capture the way they looked as I was seeing them- they were just so beautiful! But here are a few of the pics I got:
This is just some of the beauty I was surrounded by. And this was just the beginning of everything I saw yesterday.
(Ok, in the first pic in this row, do you see the little tiny cluster of white a little to the left above my head? Well, that was the honeysuckle! Just those few little ones! And yet they were growing so prettily. And, well in the other one of me you can't necessarily see the nature around me, but I just thought it'd be a fun pic. lol )Well, so after I saw these beautiful honeysuckle, I was already pretty much amazed with God and His beauty, so I decided I wanted to see more. So I just began walking. Now see, we don't live on a farm or anything, and we actually don't have many woods either, but there are some behind our house. So I just went walking, and I was praying and praising God for His beauty. That just kept popping into my mind (or it does now anyway). Beauty. God is a huge, mighty, powerful, awesome, star- breathing God (see Louie Giglio speak of this on the How Great is Our God tour), and yet He cares enough about the little things- like us- to make us happy. To excited us. To exhilarate us. We're so blessed to have a creative God. A God of beauty.
Next I went up a little ways to this tree that had fallen and been pulled up out of the ground, and it's roots and everything were so huge, it made a little crevice in the earth. Again, a camera obviously can't capture everything the way I was seeing it, but it helps. A lot. So here's this, well, root...
This might not seem very beautiful to you. Actually it didn't really strike me as beautiful either. But it was soo cool and I just really liked it.
I was in a very wonderful mood by now. Actually I was when I began with the honeysuckle. But I was getting more excited now. I decided to walk around some more. I mean, I had no idea where exactly our property line ended, but our neighbors are all so nice and wonderful, I'm sure they wouldn't mind me walking around in their woods too. I mean, after all, they're woods, right? And plus, who would I be bothering? It's not like most people go hiking around in the rainy woods behind their houses. Well, besides me maybe. So anyway, I walked on, more and more amazed at the beauty and creation around me. And Iwas thinking "Why haven't I done this before? Why don't I do this all the time?? I have an awesome God!" And I realized my problems were very, very small and insignificant compared to our huge amazing God. Yet He cares about them anyway! He cares about me! I was just swept off my feet, and I realized that God was saying "Everything will be ok" and I was just like "God, You are so amazing." He really is. I hope you know that. Because after I came inside, I knew I couldnt keep this to myself. We're supposed to share about what God does for us. We're supposed to tell of His mighty acts, even if that's just a little walk through the woods. So I hope I'm getting my point across. Our God is amazing. I want you to know that OUR GOD IS AMAZING!!!
So I was just thinking all this stuff, and I couldn't really stop smiling. I'm sure it probably was a sight- some 17 year old girl walking around in the woods on a rainy evening with my boots on, my camera in hand, and a smile I couldn't wipe off my face. The good thing is- no one saw me! haha. So anyway, I was seeing all this beautiful stuff, but I obviously couldn't get pictures of it all. But I saw pretty leaves and tiny lavendar flowers and just all kinds of stuff. But this next thing I'm about to show you actually made me smile so much. I don't remember, I may've even laughed or made some exclamation or a gasp or something. Again, a camera can't portray the amazing thing I was seeing. I mean, the whole tree looked like this! But here's a little portion of it:
I did these pics extra big because I wanted you to see how awesome they looked. Like, all this fungi stuff is growing from them and it's absolutely amazing!
Well, then I went on, amazed all the while, and then I saw a maple tree, and I was like "We have a maple tree?!"- I think I said that aloud. So then I got a picture of one of its pretty, wet leaves.
Then I also saw this really cool lookin stump that was pretty and had more of that cool fungi stuff growin on it, along with leaves and other green things. So here's a picture of that too. (Ok, here I was practically in a neighbor's back yard. Well, I guess you wouldn't call it yard, but you know what I mean. I'm sure he wouldn't mind, but after I took the pic, I scurried back into "our" woods for a little while.)
Well, so that is the last picture I took while I was on my little walk with God, although I still saw some cool stuff. But I was (and still am) just so wowed at His creation. At His majesty and His power. His compassion and His creativity. His beauty. I felt so in love with Him. When I came in, I was just so happy- like I still couldn't stop smiling. I took my Bible and went up on our hill to have a prayer time with God, but I didnt even open it up. He ended up not speaking to me throught His Word that day- but through His creation. Through His creativity. And through His beauty.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Hope for Africa Children's Choir
Well, it's been another good week of my senior year. I'll begin by explaining the fun things we did last weekend. Well, actually after I finished typing this, I realized all I wrote about was the African Children's Choir, so I'm gonna leave it at that and write more later, because it was such an amazing time, and I wrote more than I thought I would. :)
Well, first of all, I slept in very late on Saturday morning, and it felt so wonderful because I was very tired. Then that evening we went to Central Park where the Hope for Africa Children's Choir was performing. The spring before this last one, they had come to our church and we were a host family to three beautiful girls and one of their chaperones, and it was really amazing. But let me back up to that Saturday over a year ago.....
Well, when our church found out the children's choir was coming, they asked us (my brother, my sister, and myself) to come entertain the children a couple hours before the host families for our church would come pick them up. So we agreed, but when that Saturday came, I was very excited about hosting some little African girls in our home, but I was not too excited about entertaining thirty or so kids for two hours. Yet we went to church anyway, and my thoughts were immediately changed when we got there. We walked into the building, and a few little African children greeted us w/ "Hi, Auntie!" and w/ large hugs. I was shocked. These children had never met us before. Their smiling teachers told us they had just finished their schooling for the day, so they were free to go play w/ us. So we took them outside, and the first thing we did was sing. I had brought my guitar, and we stood outside on the breezy, spring evening and sang w/ the children. And let me tell you- those African kids can dance. We did the song "Cast Your Burdens," and they sang along, and even the kids who didn't know the song danced. It was so wonderful to see such young hearts dance, sing, and be joyful before Jesus. It was so great.
After we sang a couple songs, we played a game w/ them- elbow tag. That lasted for a while, the children being so thrilled and happy and smiley. I don't think I could wipe the smile off my own face the whole evening.
Then the children just played on the playground and laughed and talked. They talked so quickly, and even though they were speaking English, it was still hard to understand them. The children had been taken from the streets of Uganda not even a year before, and been brought to a refuge, and were schooled and taught English, and some got the opportunity to visit America w/ the traveling children's choir. They were so precious.
All the children had short, black hair- even the girls. So when the girls noticed that my sister and I had long, blonde hair, they rushed over and asked if they could play w/ it. So we sat down and they gathered around us and began to play w/ our hair, and tie it and braid it and do whatever they could w/ it, and they were chattering so quickly to each other as they worked that I had no idea what they were even saying. But they were happy, so we were happy.
Then the host families came to pick them up. After all the children got to the places they were supposed to go, we took home our three. And we had such a fun evening. We went home and w/ the girls in our front yard, we played catch w/ a ball, and played tag until it was time to go in and eat. My mom and dad had made spaghetti- the girls had never eaten it before.
After the meal, which the girls were so grateful to us- "Thank you Auntie; Thank you Uncle- they immediately began taking up our plates doing the dishes in the kitchen. We told them they were guests and they didn't have to, but they insisted and quietly and humbly cleaned up the kitchen.
They got their baths, but before they went to bed, they came in and said they would like to do devotion w/ us. They sang a beautiful song and prayed a beautiful, heart-felt prayer, w/ their arms lifted to our Father above, and I was in awe that children so young- our girls were 9, 11, and 13- could have hearts so pure and sincere.
The next morning we took them to church, and the service was to be the children's performance. It began w/ the praise team leading a worship song, and one or two of the African men w/ the children's group helped lead worhip too. It was so cool. And then, they dimmed the lights, the sanctuary got completely silent, and suddenly the entire front row of the little children in their matching African attire, rushed onto the stage in an excited whoop and constant yell, as the first four ran and banged on the bongos while the other children got to their places. And then they began their songs. Oh my goodness, it was incredible. Those children could dance and sing and they were so joyful the whole time they did it! And it was really cute, because in one of the first songs, the smallest little boy, Derek, who was only 5, lost his shoe while they were dancing, so he went off the stage and got it, but instead of going back up, he just stayed and sat in the back row. So my brother motioned for him to come over and sit with us, so little Derek came and sat on my brother's lap. A few minutes later I almost cried when I saw Derek's little brown hand in Gabriel's larger white one. This is the kind of thing Jesus intended- and I know God was happy.
I don't remember exactly what the last song was that they did, but when they finished, everyone was crying. It was an absolutely amazing service.
Afterward, the host families went over to the family life center where breakfast was served to the children. Here is a picture of us w/ our three girls:
And I realized that that's how we are supposed to be- so grateful and joyful and pure in heart, and overflowing with love for our Jesus- just like the African children.
Well, first of all, I slept in very late on Saturday morning, and it felt so wonderful because I was very tired. Then that evening we went to Central Park where the Hope for Africa Children's Choir was performing. The spring before this last one, they had come to our church and we were a host family to three beautiful girls and one of their chaperones, and it was really amazing. But let me back up to that Saturday over a year ago.....
Well, when our church found out the children's choir was coming, they asked us (my brother, my sister, and myself) to come entertain the children a couple hours before the host families for our church would come pick them up. So we agreed, but when that Saturday came, I was very excited about hosting some little African girls in our home, but I was not too excited about entertaining thirty or so kids for two hours. Yet we went to church anyway, and my thoughts were immediately changed when we got there. We walked into the building, and a few little African children greeted us w/ "Hi, Auntie!" and w/ large hugs. I was shocked. These children had never met us before. Their smiling teachers told us they had just finished their schooling for the day, so they were free to go play w/ us. So we took them outside, and the first thing we did was sing. I had brought my guitar, and we stood outside on the breezy, spring evening and sang w/ the children. And let me tell you- those African kids can dance. We did the song "Cast Your Burdens," and they sang along, and even the kids who didn't know the song danced. It was so wonderful to see such young hearts dance, sing, and be joyful before Jesus. It was so great.
After we sang a couple songs, we played a game w/ them- elbow tag. That lasted for a while, the children being so thrilled and happy and smiley. I don't think I could wipe the smile off my own face the whole evening.
Then the children just played on the playground and laughed and talked. They talked so quickly, and even though they were speaking English, it was still hard to understand them. The children had been taken from the streets of Uganda not even a year before, and been brought to a refuge, and were schooled and taught English, and some got the opportunity to visit America w/ the traveling children's choir. They were so precious.
All the children had short, black hair- even the girls. So when the girls noticed that my sister and I had long, blonde hair, they rushed over and asked if they could play w/ it. So we sat down and they gathered around us and began to play w/ our hair, and tie it and braid it and do whatever they could w/ it, and they were chattering so quickly to each other as they worked that I had no idea what they were even saying. But they were happy, so we were happy.
Then the host families came to pick them up. After all the children got to the places they were supposed to go, we took home our three. And we had such a fun evening. We went home and w/ the girls in our front yard, we played catch w/ a ball, and played tag until it was time to go in and eat. My mom and dad had made spaghetti- the girls had never eaten it before.
After the meal, which the girls were so grateful to us- "Thank you Auntie; Thank you Uncle- they immediately began taking up our plates doing the dishes in the kitchen. We told them they were guests and they didn't have to, but they insisted and quietly and humbly cleaned up the kitchen.
They got their baths, but before they went to bed, they came in and said they would like to do devotion w/ us. They sang a beautiful song and prayed a beautiful, heart-felt prayer, w/ their arms lifted to our Father above, and I was in awe that children so young- our girls were 9, 11, and 13- could have hearts so pure and sincere.
The next morning we took them to church, and the service was to be the children's performance. It began w/ the praise team leading a worship song, and one or two of the African men w/ the children's group helped lead worhip too. It was so cool. And then, they dimmed the lights, the sanctuary got completely silent, and suddenly the entire front row of the little children in their matching African attire, rushed onto the stage in an excited whoop and constant yell, as the first four ran and banged on the bongos while the other children got to their places. And then they began their songs. Oh my goodness, it was incredible. Those children could dance and sing and they were so joyful the whole time they did it! And it was really cute, because in one of the first songs, the smallest little boy, Derek, who was only 5, lost his shoe while they were dancing, so he went off the stage and got it, but instead of going back up, he just stayed and sat in the back row. So my brother motioned for him to come over and sit with us, so little Derek came and sat on my brother's lap. A few minutes later I almost cried when I saw Derek's little brown hand in Gabriel's larger white one. This is the kind of thing Jesus intended- and I know God was happy.
I don't remember exactly what the last song was that they did, but when they finished, everyone was crying. It was an absolutely amazing service.
Afterward, the host families went over to the family life center where breakfast was served to the children. Here is a picture of us w/ our three girls:
And before they left, they sang us another last song. It was so sweet. Here it is:
Then it was so sad because as the children were hugging us all good- bye, some of them started crying, and it made us cry, and when we walked them out to their bus we cried some more. But it was a wonderful experience, and we were soo blessed by it.
And I realized that that's how we are supposed to be- so grateful and joyful and pure in heart, and overflowing with love for our Jesus- just like the African children.
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