Thankful Thursday: May 17th

Thankful today for….

1. One year without headaches! Today is the anniversary of my eye surgery, and I am thankful that my implant is still intact (there is a 20% chance that your body will reject it and push it out…)! I am thankful too for the chance today to reflect and remember all that the Lord has done in the past 12 months. He has brought healing both spiritually and physically, and thinking about the painful things helps me realize what a joy my life is now!

2. The Monon Trail, and daylight lasting until 9pm so I could go for a long walk this evening.

3. Getting to spend a couple hours with my dear friend Jessica today, who is a medical missionary in a far off land. She is a treasure, and I love time spent with her! Thankful that we were both in Indy at the same time, and were able to connect for a delicious lunch.

Jessica and I at lunch today!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Huddles Frozen Yogurt. So. Delicious. Especially when eaten for dinner.

5. A spur-of-the-moment hangout with Miss Kayla Gray on Wednesday. Like Jessica, I love any time spent with her! Getting to do life with Kayla is so fun and life-giving to me, and I am thankful for the past 2 years of getting to know her and build into her life.

Hanging out at Butler in the beautiful sunshine! Love this girl!!

Thankful Thursday: May 10th

Another week come and gone, and as always there is still more for which to be thankful….

1. Beauty in my garden. This is the first bloom on my rosebush, and now the bush is so laden with beautiful blossoms that it is almost laying over on the ground. God’s creation constantly leaves me speechless.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Accountability. Thankful for my dear friends who encourage me to stay strong, finish well and press on to the finish!

3. Rocking chairs. My back patio holds two lovely ones, and now that the weather is getting nice I am enjoying evenings out back looking over the lake.

4. Outreach. On Monday we hosted a complex-wide BBQ for all our neighboring offices, and had over 30 people join us for hamburgers, hot dogs and all the trimmings! We had some great conversations, and enjoyed the chance to serve lunch and get to know some of the people who work right next to us.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. Time. We leave for Berlin a month from today, and I am thankful that after Friday I will be able to direct the majority of my focus to the planning and preparation needed to get everything done before we go.

Thankful Thursday: April 18th

It has been a crazy, exhausting, awesome week, and as I look back I am thankful for these 5 things:

1. Finishing up another conference season…today marks the end of our last conference until August! I am thankful for my team, for the way we have worked well together this year, and for being able to serve ‘behind the scenes’ making conferences and events run smoothly for our region. It’s been a great experience! I am looking forward to turning my attention fully towards Berlin Summer Project now, and finalizing all the many details that need to happen in just a few weeks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. For the new Franklin baby that will be joining our family this November!!! Let me just tell you, this is going to be one well-loved child. I am SO excited about being an aunt (you can call me Auntie Em) and getting to love on and spoil my niece/nephew!! The sonogram photo is the front screen on my phone, and it makes me smile every time I see it. Can’t wait to meet this baby!!!

3. Hearing our AIA students speak the gospel with boldness and clarity. I love hearing what God is doing and has done in the lives of the athletes at Butler, and getting to be a small part of their journey! We heard from our three graduating Seniors tonight, and they did a fabulous job giving encouragement, casting vision and challenging the younger students to stay strong and finish well. I am going to miss Erika, Ross and Mallory a lot!

4. Pumpkin cinnamon rolls with carmel frosting. How can something be so delicious?

5. My patio/garden area/flowers! I planted a new batch of wildflowers today in front of my A/C unit, and am praying they grow as well as they did last year. We shall see. I didn’t have my handy-dandy dad here this time to help, but I did call him for assistance. The rest of my garden is to the point where it doesn’t need much help, for which I am thankful. I can’t do high-maintenance plants. They will all end up dead.

Thankful Thursday: March 29th

Sunny day, spring weather….thankful for these 5 things!

1. Modern technology. In an all-day meeting to learn more about doing operations for the Berlin Summer Project. I. Love. Excel. Makes my job soooo much easier. I also love the guy who developed the spreadsheet to make it so simple. If I can understand what I am doing, anybody can do this job.

2. Sleep. Haven’t slept well in the last few months, but lately have been getting to bed at a reasonable time and sleeping all the way through the night, waking up to my alarm and well-rested.

3. Good weather. Loving being able to exercise outside again! God’s creation is awesome.

4. The reminder that things in this world are fleeting and not important. Lost something this week that I considered really important and was really anticipating using. The Lord has been reminding me this week that although it is sad, it ultimately doesn’t matter, as He is better and more important than anything I hold close here on earth.

5. Having fun during the radio show yesterday! Doug and I had a great time answering the questions, and I discovered that I love radio. Hmmm…new career maybe? Just Kidding. It was so encouraging to be able to share exactly who we are and what we do, and more importantly who Jesus is and why He is important for a radio show that will be heard by 20,000 ish people. Yes, not just 3 people. We found out after the recording (thank Jesus) that over 20,000 people listen to this show. At 5:30 Sunday mornings. Praise the Lord, and may His great name be glorified!!

The picture is a little blurry, but here are Doug and I at our Mics yesterday!

A Mid-Winter’s Night Tea

I survived a tea party wearing sweat pants.

You know me, I love all things tea. Tea parties? Totally my sweet spot. I love it all – the dainty cups, the pretty food, the tea, being 100% girly, wearing cute clothes, you name it.

Well, last Wednesday the Butler Cru girls did a tea party outreach, and each table was hosted by a different group. The Athletes in Action girls decided to host a table, which was awesomeeeee. They decided to make their table theme “athlete casual”, so all the table decor was paper/plastic, and the girls all wore sweats/comfy clothes. I was invited to join the fun, and had a delightful time. Even in my sweats. I love these women so much, and it was totally worth breaking out of my normal comfort zone to spend time with them!

For over half of the 95 ladies who attended, this was their first Cru event (including 4 ladies at our table!). The speaker did a great job sharing the gospel, and our prayer is that this will open many more conversations with the Cru women who invited them!

The AIA table...they did a great job color-coordinating!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A bit blurry, but I enjoyed hanging out with these girls for the evening!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Erika and Claire, two of the ladies involved in AIA!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chocolate covered Strawberries are essential to a tea party...and these were delicious!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Road Trip: The End.

Well, my time in the south is coming to a close, and tonight is my last night in Beaufort. Tomorrow morning I will be at CBC Savannah, enjoying all three services and hopefully getting to meet a ton of new people! After that I’m headed to Knoxville and then on back to Indy on Monday. The best part about these days in the south isn’t the great weather or good memories or beautiful places, although those were definitely highlights! No, the best part is the time spent deepening friendships, sharpening one another and catching up on life. The phone suffices when distance comes between friends, but it cannot capture or replace what happens when sitting face to face over a cup of coffee, sharing your heart and life with another person. So grateful for this time, and these faces that make up the fabric of this mosaic that God has given as my life.

The Chocolate Tree....one of my favorite spots in the world! My first grade teacher works here now and sometimes I get to see her. It's not a real visit to Beaufort without a stop at the chocolate tree.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of my dream homes in Beaufort. It's for sale....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beaufort Downtown Waterfront - with the bridge open!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ran into Alex and Irina at Common Ground coffee shop! What a delightful surprise and so great to catch up with them! Love them!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beautiful Huspa Plantation

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Had the joy and privilege of spending half a day with the lovely Mrs Marlit! Such a delightful friend - I love any time I get to spend with her!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hanging out downtown this afternoon with Chandra and her new puppy Charlie!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Road Trip: Catching Up

I’ve lost track of the days….not sure which one we are on anymore, so, oh well. This is my catch up post! After a few delightful days in Charleston, my college roommates and I got together for our annual reunion weekend out at Edisto Beach. Only 5 of us were able to make it (out of 8), and we had a fantastic time. The weather on Saturday was perfect for a lazy morning watching dolphins off the porch and then an afternoon walk on the beach. As always there was lots of talking, playing games, eating food and sleeping as little as possible to maximize our short time together. Love these women, and the deep friendship we share.

Now it’s a week in Beaufort with a few short trips down to Savannah, and then it will be time to head back up to Indiana. Cold, cold Indiana. I’ll embrace it once I get there, but for now, I am thoroughly enjoying these sunny 70′s days the Lord has given!

The view from our balcony

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the way to the beach!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Favorite. Album Cover, right there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The beautiful, beloved beach

Road Trip: Day 7 & Thankful Thursday!

Day 7 ended up being quite the adventure. Including, but not limited to, getting some work done in the morning, an attempt to hang out with a friend, thwarted quickly by Winston cutting off in the middle of the street 4 times in a few short minutes, getting towed to West Ashley and finding out that once again it is going to cost an arm and a leg to get it fixed (awesomesauce….very thankful for my savings account right now), it not being ready until tomorrow, missing a second hangout with a friend, and then it all culminating in a lovely walk through Charleston to meet a friend for dinner.

Amy is that friend – she was my discipler my sophomore-senior year at the College, and a great friendship grew out of that. We have stayed in touch over the years, and each time I come to Charleston one of the greatest highlights is my time spent with her. She is a constant encouragement, source of wisdom and so, so fun! I love getting to hang out with her and just do life together. We always go to great local restaurants, and tonight we enjoyed Basil, my all-time fave Thai spot (in C-town, at least). So refreshing after a crazy day, and I am very thankful for her friendship!

Hanging out with Amy at dinner!

Just remembered that today is Thursday too! Much to be thankful for….

1. No accidents when Winston kept shutting down in the middle of Meeting Street today, and that I was able to get it to the side of the road without any problems. Also thankful for AAA. We’ll put them in this one.

2. The internet – makes my job sooo much easier, especially when traveling

3. This opportunity to connect with so many friends and ministry partners!

4. Friends having timeshare condos that we can use for free on Edisto Beach. Yay Bull St. girls reunion this weekend!!!

5. The Valley of Vision book of Puritan Prayers. Such a rich addition to any time spent in the presence of Jesus!

Road Trip: Days 5&6

Back in the most beautiful place on earth, and enjoying not needing my coat for the week. Exploring downtown, finding the new amidst the old, wandering through the College of Charleston campus, eating at my favorite spots and even finding some new ones! It is impossible to capture Charleston in one photo, so here are 5 highlights from today’s meanderings…

Even in January there is green everywhere!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is a neighborhood in Charleston called Harleston Village....love this sign!! Guess too many freshmen were saying it was misspelled. Haha

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On campus....perfect shot as the sun was going down!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beauty. Love the College of Charleston! All hail the beloved Alma Mater!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunset over my favorite water retention pond down by the Sergeant Jasper apartments.

Road Trip: Day 4

Today was my last day with my new dear friends David and Beverly. Their hospitality, kindness and generosity over the past three days has been a source of joy and refreshment to my soul. They have literally lived the gospel, and through them I experienced the presence of Jesus. Rarely have I felt so comfortable so quickly in someone else’s home – from the moment I walked in, I felt like family, even though I had never met Beverly and had only met David once before. What a great joy it has been to have these few days together, and I so appreciate their love and friendship. I am already looking forward to the next time I get to see them!

But, for now, Charleston is calling. Onward and upward tomorrow to the city that captured my heart so many years ago…

David and Beverly