Hanging on a whim :)

Today was good, relaxing, and just fun :) I woke up and had pigs in a blanket for brunch with Hannah and my mom, which made me very happy! Hannah was dying for some Friendly's, so I took her there for lunch. (I didn't get anything though... I ate too many piggies! Haha.) Being very sleepy bears, Hannah and I got back in bed and watched I Am Number Four/took a nap. By the time we woke up, it was time for her departure. I spent a little time packing/internet browsing/memorizing my verses before Candice came over. We had a dinner date this evening for the first time in a while :) It was nice to be able to do that, because normally we're both just really busy. From there, it was off to the Kings of Swing concert with Kathryn and Kelly! I had never been to one before, and I wasn't really sure what to expect, but I had a lot of fun! And let me just say, the first person I saw there was one of my little loves from youth group, Sydney. I was so happy to see her! She literally wrapped her limbs around me and I was holding her like a child. Ahh! I love her :) I also got to see some other lovely individuals: Missy, Rachel, Rachel, Victoria, Whitney, Claire, Daniel, Jason, Brennan, Ethan, and Cameron. So great :) We were singing, dancing, laughing, conga-lining... all sorts of fun things :) While in line at Cookout afterwards, Kelly, Kathryn, and I noticed that Nathan and Devon were right in front of us! Ahhhh! So obviously we had to park our cars and talk in the parking lot :) That was fun. Oh how those boys do make me laugh, haha! We planned on calling it a night after that, but Kathryn, Kelly, and I ended up having a mini heart-to-heart in Kat's front yard, haha. It was good :) I'll just be a little tired in the morning, haha. Tomorrow is going to be long. Tomorrow, at 2 PM, I'm leaving for Kids Camp. I think it's going to be fun, but I am a tad bit nervous. What if I lose one of them? What if they don't like me? What if I start getting sick of them? (I don't want that to happen!) What if I'm so exhausted that I end up being no fun? It's things like that. Hopefully, though, everything will go off without a hitch, and everything will be simply splendid! I'll be praying, that's for sure! Oh! And my little sister is finally home from Guatemala! I'm so happy she's home and she's healthy. (She had been very sick for a few days while she was there.) Praise! Goodbye, all! See you Friday :)

Random facts that go along with my day's events:

1. Being able to sleep in makes me happy.
2. My disposable camera prints make me happy.
3. Kids camp makes me nervous.
4. I'm mediocre at packing.
5. I will never let my kids be sheltered.
6. I've been jammin' out to "Vanity"essentially all day.
7. I love sushi dates.
8. I love Elizabeth.
9. I love Hannah.
10. I love Sweet Frog.
11. Running errands with my mom is frustrating, because she gets frustrated so easily.
12. Learning someone's struggles really humbles my heart.
13. I love my rowdy group of friends.
14. I love how really anyone can hang out with us and it's not awkward.
15. I thoroughly enjoy deep heart-to-hearts.
16. I might be addicted to sweet tea.
17. I've been neglecting my memory verses.... Vanity.

Times Square. Anti-gewgaw. (One of my disposable prints!)

Memories from CT 2k11 that will live on forever:

• "Gewgaw!" and "Vanity!"
• "You neva knew dat!"
• Cuddle sessions/nap time with Juliana :)
• Dunkin-Robins.
• Late-night trips to the legit Amityville Horror house!
• Free hugs :)
• The Bernie and The Cat Daddy :)
• Bedtime funnies with Heather :)
• Kathryn and I belting out Taylor Swift during our freezing cold showers :D
• "I'm about to scuttlebutt!"
• "Like a boss!"
• "Amen"s..... lots of them.
• Crazy games of Mad Gab on Bus 2.
• Story time with John Kelly :)
• Playing with NY kids in parks/playgrounds :)
• Washing our hair/bathing in kitchen sinks.
• "Oh, you like him? You think he's fine?" Hahaha! "NOOO!"
• Praising and worshiping with every ounce of energy in you! 
• Even when it doesn't feel like you have much.
• Never letting that show :)
• The transformation from Sick Tour 2011 to Love Tour 2011 :)

I will rave about Choir Tour forever and ever :)

Choir Tour 2011

This past week was such an incredible blessing. Having the opportunity to spend seven days with 100  individuals who love and yearn for God enough to travel up the east coast to minister to others is something I never thought I would be able to do as a leader. Being able to watch them as they sang, danced, and made music in Jesus's name made my heart full of more joy than I may have ever experienced before. And I'm so glad that I was also able to worship alongside them, because they are so amazing and beautiful, all of them. They have each touched my heart in one way or another, whether by their infectious passion for the Lord, their giving nature, or their boldness in sharing the burdens of their heart. Many of them pushed through illness and emotional stresses, and they even encountered mockery, but it did not phase their ministry.  They poured out their hearts as they led others in worship, they reached out to people they were unacquainted with, they spent time with them, they prayed for them, and they helped lead others to Jesus Christ. Each and every person on this trip is an inspiration to me. I feel as though I have learned so much, and my heart has been truly humbled. I have so much love for my WEAG family, both old and new members :) You are forever molding me as a person, and I could never thank them enough for what they are teaching me. I love each and every one of them, and it is because of that family bond that I will be a youth leader until they force me out :) I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I love what I'm doing, and I love where I'm at. God is revealing Himself to me through these youth, and they are some of my most beloved treasures :) I am so blessed! Thank you, Father, for the spiritual growth and irreplaceable memories :) I thank you that our fellowship was meaningful, and that we could laugh and experience life together as a unit, all in Your name :)

And we're off!

Lezzdoittttt!

Stoked for CT 2k11!

Internship was productive, which was good. However, now I'm not sure if I can wear half my wardrobe on work days anymore.... Kind of a long-ish story that I'm not going to go into. But hey, it is what is. After a trip to the bank, I made my way over to Jade's graduation party/cookout. I got to see some lovely friends and enjoy some yummy food :) Fun stuff! I ran a few other errands before going home. I would say that I got some packing done, but that would be a lie. My mom and sister wanted me to go with them to Bed, Bath & Beyond (we actually ended up at Target). That trip was good, though. I was able to get some short that are appropriate for kids camp/choir tour, so that made me happy. Once we got home, I did get a chance to pack most of my stuff. I took a bit of a break to hang out with Elizabeth, Kim, and Rachel for a bit, which was fun. I cut it a little short, though, so that I could pull together some loose ends. I've been a bit distracted during the whole packing process, unfortunately. I won't lie, I've been watching Sailor Moon (and still am). Haha. No big :)

I'll tell you when I'm super excited for..... CHOIR TOUR!!!! This time tomorrow I will be sleeping in a hotel room in Delaware, the choir having already done a concert in Ocean City :) Ahhh! I loved choir tour so much last year, and I can't wait to see how awesome and different it will be being on the leader side of things! Also, I'm really excited to spend a week with some of my dearest loves! It will be cool to see how God works through everyone during this trip; I'm stoked! Just the fact that I have the opportunity to go makes me feel so blessed! This is going to be so great! Please be praying for the youth choir and leaders involved in choir tour, and the people that will be ministered to! It is much appreciated :)


Well blogging world, this is my last post until the 23rd! Goodbye 'til then!

"See what I just did there?"

Apparently, we have online forums to thank for that little phrase. Thanks for the insight, Adam! It appears we also have them to thank for "pwn" and "ftw" (which, by the way, means "for the win"). Yay fun facts! Haha.

Today was pretty productive! Jenn and I went shopping for travel supplies. I need them for choir tour, and she needs them because she leaves on Saturday for Guatemala! Prayers for her travels and time there, please! She's going to be teaching art classes while she's down there, and I think it will be an amazing experience for her! Be-tee-dubs, Guatemala is in Central America. My father didn't belive Jenn and I when we told him, but it is. Haha.

Proof!!! Ba-da-bing! Speaking of my padre, we came home after our shopping endeavors and ordered a little something to be delivered to his house on Father's Day (since Candice, Jenn, and I will all be gone):

We gave him an edible arrangement last year for his birthday, and he absolutely loved it! So we're hoping he'll enjoy this one too :) He deserves to get at least a little something on actual Father's Day. As for a celebration, the three of us daughters treated him to dinner tonight :) I'd say it was a success! I left from there to go to the kid's camp meeting at church. I will just say this, I am going to be exhausted. I know it'll be fun, but I'm going to need extreme prayer for some energy! Youth group followed that, and it was cool hearing Adam speak. I just wish I had gotten to hear the whole thing... (There were two boys whispering to each other and passing a cell phone back and forth and texting. Not only was it distracting, but it took me a while to quietly get their attention and tell them to put it away. ) Nonetheless, I loved what I got to hear! Kudos! There was some dancing afterwards, including this:

Oh yes, my song :) Twas great! I even got others to do it with me! Ahhhh. I loved it :D

Okay, so I went to this place after I left church:

Here's the thing about Cookout... The line is almost always long. And if it's not, then it still manages to take a while. Another thing, you can't get out of the line once you're in it. Kelly made a good point that this was a clever marketing technique, but still, haha. I may have had to wait for about 15 minutes or more, but I got my much desired sweet tea! Hoorah! I then met Elsbeth and Kelly at my house to watch a beloved show from our childhood years...

Oh yes, Sailor Moon! I own every episode and movie on DVD... I still love it, and I'm not ashamed :) It makes me happy that we watched that tonight. Bahhh :) Well, I need to sleep now. Hooray for another night where I get less than 5 hours of sleep! Lezzdoit! Goodnight :)