Ready or Not...

I bet you thought after almost 3 months of no posts that I was no longer writing. Truth be told, there have been lots of times over the past few months that I debated deleting the account and writing it off for this chapter of my life. Thankfully, I didn't...because days like today just have to be shared, and now that I'm going back to school, I feel like this blog may really start to get some attention. Procrastination at its finest. :)

Lots of things have happened over the past three months...maybe I'll do a post in the near future about that...but for now, I'll just pick up with today and ask for grace on everything that I've missed.

Today was a bid day for me. After months of anticipation, I found myself sitting in a chapel, surrounded by people I had never met as we became "oriented" to the Divinity School. The place we will be spending the next 3-4...or more....years. In many ways, it was like a dream come true, with a few nightmarish parts thrown in for good measure. The dream part was listening as Dr. George spoke on Hebrews 11. Often known as the "Faith Hall of Fame," I have read the verses that make up that chapter time and time again. The passage took on new meaning this morning, however, as we were instructed to move from certainty to trust, security to vulnerability and temporal to eternal. I felt like I couldn't write his encouragement down fast enough. Then came the words I wished I had never heard...you know, the phrases of "This is not summer camp. This degree will be every bit as hard to earn as a medical or law degree." Definitely not what I wanted to hear. Or how about "whatever grades you made in undergrad, expect to make a letter grade less" my over-achiever side about had a heart attack when that was said!

Thankfully, as I looked around the room, I saw so many faces that looked the same as mine. Fellow believers that have a desire to grow more in their own relationship with the Lord so that they can impact the Kingdom. I have no doubt that there will be tears shed between the time the first class begins tomorrow morning and the time that we receive our diplomas, but I also have no doubts that the support that I will receive from the students and faculty alike will be insurmountable.

After the end of a full day, I left still very excited about the future, but a little more apprehensive than I have been in the past. As I drove, I asked the Lord to calm those fears and to help me remember the reason that I was going to get this degree in the first place. It was not for me...it was for Him. Then, because God is in the details, tonight I got a message from my cousin asking me to come to her house for a small group Bible study that she and some of her friends were starting tonight. I'm not going to lie, it warmed my heart on so many levels...one, because they were meeting on their own accord to dig deeper into God's Word and two, because they wanted me there. As I sat and listened to them share their desire for authentic Christian community, it was all I could do not to cry. I mean, I teared up, but I don't think they even noticed. Really, it was just too much for my little heart to take today though. The way they encouraged one another and were honest about their struggles was encouraging. It's no secret that high school and college aged girls are my favorite group of people in the world. As I sat and listened, it was almost as if the Lord was right there, confirming and affirming that girls ministry and Divinity School specifically, is right where He wants me.

So now, instead of being nervous, I am choosing to be thankful. Thankful for the opportunity to grow closer to the Lord so that I can in turn minister to others in a way that will give them a desire to grow closer as well.

Copying is Flattery, right?!?!

What does one do when they have a blog that is currently on life support and continually finds themselves with nothing to write about? I don't really know the answer, but it's a question that I have been asking myself over and over again and I have decided that what I will do is take ideas from blogs belonging to my friends and hope and pray that they take the copying as a sincere form of flattery!

Up first...an idea from my roommate and newest addition to my blog reader, Martha. After years of reading blogs, she has decided to venture into the blog scene. Though she's just getting started, I'm sure her blog will be filled with lots of wonderful posts. In order to introduce the blog world to all of her friends, she has started a little series called Meet My Crew. I love the idea and realized that there are quite a few people that I have mentioned on my blog, but not really talked about. So it begins...my first installment of Meet My Crew.

Since I am taking the idea from Martha, I feel it's only best to start with her.

Martha and I first met right before I officially moved to Birmingham. I was visiting a Sunday School class and she introduced herself. Despite the fact that she was an Auburn grad, I knew, even then, that we would be friends.

A little less than a year later she found herself in need of a new place to live and I found myself getting blessed with one of the best roommates ever. I tell everyone that I'm going to live with her until one of us gets married...I sure hope she doesn't get sick of me before I walk down the aisle...or that she walks down the aisle and leaves me too soon!

As small town, southern baptist, SEC football loving, sewing machine owning girls, we have a lot of similarities. Yet even with all of the similarities, she has taught me so many new things...and helped me to love even more the things that we have in common.

Here's a small smattering of reasons why Martha is the absolute best...

• Parties, Parties, Parties...I've always wanted to have a warm and welcoming home. Now that I live with Martha, I no longer have to want it, I have it. She exudes southern hospitality and because of that our home is always filled with people, especially when she decides to throw one of her parties.
• Mad cooking skills...she may not cook every night, but whatever she cooks, or bakes, always turns out PERFECT.
• Words, words, words...She knows my love language is words of affirmation and she speaks it to me oh so well. It's one thing to speak words of encouragement and thanks when they are expected, but Martha has the "out of the blue" note down to an art. Walking into my room and seeing a little envelope with my name on it sitting on my dresser is sure to bring a smile...and more than likely a few tears as well.
• Old school music...Some of my absolute favorite times are when we are sitting around in the living room, both on our computers. When all of a sudden we start taking a walk down memory lane with our old school music...especially the old school church music. I don't know, but it delights me to no end.
• Tough love...she says that I'm the queen of giving it, but she's pretty durn good at giving it right back. I love how whenever we are talking I know that she is always looking out for my best interests. It's the part of friendship that you can't teach, and she has it.
• Curly hair...I literally have hours of my life back thanks to Martha. After years of trying, I thought it was hopeless, but in 10 minutes one night she had me feeling like a real, live, curly haired girl.
• Pictures...I love pictures, and have always done a good job at organizing them and getting them printed. Martha takes it one step further and keeps the frames updated. It's so nice to see updated photos of people we love all around the house.
• Thinker...It's not uncommon for us to listen to a sermon and then chat about it. I feel like my observations are pretty basic, but Martha always seems to dig deeper. I love that, and it helps me to dig deeper too.
• Embracing the moment...Martha truly knows how to enjoy the moment. I'm so glad that I'm getting to live my "single days" with her because it makes me love this stage of life even more. We don't spend hours wishing and planning a wedding. Instead, she has helped me to see the fun that can be found in the present.

The truth of the matter is, whether it's late night chat sessions, movies, walks to dinner, road trips, dance parties or pool days, life is definitely better with Martha! God has truly outdone Himself with this roommate. I pray that I will never take one minute of living with her for granted!!

The Joyful Reactions

Friends divide the pain and multiply the joy. I don't know if I have ever experienced the multiplicity of the joy part of that statement more than in the weeks following my acceptance to Beeson.

In the months prior to finding out, I had been secretly making a list of people that I wanted to call when I found out the news...whatever news it would be. It seemed a little crazy at the time, but I'm so glad I did it because I didn't have to think of who to call. I won't bore you with the reactions of every person on my list, but there are some that I don't want to forget...

Natalie...my best friend that has walked the journey of apply to school, get too scared, apply to school, get to scared, apply to school the entire time. She has faithfully prayed for me, asked me the tough questions and cheered me on every step of the way. Sending her the message with the word TOP in it brought tears to my eyes immediately. Truly a dream realized.

Mrs. Teresa...During my interview I was asked to name a person in my life that has done for me what I long to do for others. Without hesitation, I began to describe the relationship that I have with Mrs. Teresa, my mentor. I met her when I was in middle school, and despite only living in the same city for 3 of the past 15 years, she has given poured into me, encouraged me, listened to me and loved me unconditionally. If I can do for teenage girls even half of what she has done for me, I will feel like I have accomplished something. Her squeal of delight and affirming words were a blessing.

Sarah Beth...another dear friend that has walked the journey of applying for school with me. She was my daily encouragement to fill out the application, read the books and write the papers. Her accountability was just what I needed...and I sure hope it doesn't stop when the real school begins! She was one of the few I got to share the news with in person, and she immediately decided that a trip to Summer Snow was in order to celebrate.

Allison...my cousin in high school. She isn't one to show much emotion, but when she does...you know it's real. To see her excitement, and the subsequent excitement as she shared the news with her friends, was such affirmation for me. After all, I want to work with high school girls...and their smiles, hugs and cheers gave me reason to believe that they though I would actually do an okay job at it.

Sweet Moms...I love to fill my free time with baby-sitting. One of the greatest compliments in the world is when parents welcome you into their home and give you the chance to love their children. One of the neat things about baby-sitting as a twenty-something is that the parents are becoming more and more my friends. I loved getting to call so many moms to share the news with them...especially since I know they had prayed over the decision for so long.

Mark...my former boss at Chick-fil-A. I will never forget the conversation I had with my boss to tell him that I felt the Lord wanted me to work in ministry full-time and that in order to do that, I was going to need to leave the job I loved. That was more than 2 years ago. He was by far the best boss I have ever had, and leaving him was one of the hardest things I have done. Finally being able to call him and tell him that I was, in fact, going back to school, was so special.

Martha...my dear roommate. I know, I mentioned her in the earlier post, but she was such a large and important part in the whole process that she deserves at least one more mention. Her reaction was one of my favorites. She was the one, reading the letter...and doing a much better job of comprehending what it said. She was the first one to congratulate me. She was the one that sat there as I whipped out my list of people to call. She was the one who sat there as I began to go down the list, only to have NO ONE answer the calls. She was the one that I joked with and said "it looks like the rapture happened and the newly admitted divinity student was left behind." She cheered me on the whole way, and I know she'll be cheering me on the whole way through New Testament Greek, Spiritual Formation and Old Testament Theology this fall.

Okay...I think that's enough of the divinity school posts...at least until school starts this fall. Thanks so much for all of the encouraging words, cards, texts, emails and calls. My words of affirmation love tank is filled and overflowing!

March 26...When Dreams Came True

I'm obsessed with dates. Not the fruit, not the social kind, but the ones on the calendar. For that reason, I can remember the exact date that things have happened, and from now on, I will stop and smile whenever March 26 rolls around.

March 26, 2011. It started off as a normal Saturday. I was up early...typical because try as I might, I have inherited the "wake up early" gene from my Dad. My sweet roommate, Martha, doesn't have the "wake up early" gene, so by the time she was waking up around 10, I was contemplating a nap, but when she mentioned she was hungry, I realized I hadn't eaten so we decided to go out for breakfast. We picked a girly brunch place and enjoyed catching up on the events of the week. A true treat.

When we got home, I noticed that the mail had come. A little odd because the mail usually didn't run until late afternoon on Saturdays. As I pulled it out of the mailbox and took a glance I realized that, for once, something important had come in the Saturday mail. A letter I had been waiting on.

At this point, I should probably back up to say that a few months before, after much prayer and research, I had decided to pursue my dream to get my Masters of Divinity from Beeson..a dream that I have had since high school. I filled out the application, wrote the essays (it's a wonder I didn't die during that process), and went for the interview. I pretty much did it all with only a handful of people knowing. As much as I wanted to get in, I figured there was no chance that it would happen, so there was no sense in telling people about it only to have to tell them a few months later that I didn't get in.

As I held the letter I realized that things were about to get really interesting. I remember looking at my roommate and showing her the letter as I fumbled for my keys to unlock the door. She just laughed...probably because she had just asked at breakfast if I had heard anything. I held the letter in one hand and noticed that it was heavy...that must be good, right. Martha assured me that it was...more papers, and things to return. Still, I wouldn't let myself get too excited. There was always a chance that it would say "sorry...but here is a brochure for some other options."

After what seemed like 15 minutes, I finally got the door unlocked and we sat on the couch to open and read the letter. I found myself reading and rereading the first paragraph because I just couldn't believe what it was saying...I had been accepted. My roommate, on the other hand, had already gotten the chance to read further down and was noticing that there was more to the letter than just a congratulations, you're in. She asked if I knew what it meant and I said, "I think this means I'm going to school." She said yeah, but keep reading!! I got to the next paragraph and about fell off the couch when I saw that not only had I been accepted, but I was selected to receive a scholarship. Not only had God fulfilled my dream to go to Divinity school, he had totally exceed it!

I got teary then, and I still get teary now when I think about it. God is so so good.

Needless to say, finding out about school changed my weekend plans because now I knew I had to go home to see my parents. For those of you that know me, you know that I don't make it home too often. In order to make sure that I didn't scare them to death with a visit, I called my sister, told her about school, and got her to agree to come up to Brewton so I could tell my parents that I really wanted to see my niece, so I was going to drive down for the day and they were going to drive up. I wouldn't be able to go down until Sunday, so I spent the rest of the day in thankfulness and awe. It was actually kind of nice to be able to reflect on all that had happened to bring me to that point.

I got up early the next morning and called my parents to let them know I was on my way. My Dad went on and on about how this was a waste of time and money, but I just kept my mouth shut. I knew that I wanted to tell them in person, so a down and back trip was really the only possible solution. As long as I live, I will never forget that drive down to Brewton. What would they think? Especially since I hadn't even told them I had applied. How would they react? What would they say? Heck, I wondered how I was going to tell them. To say I spent my drive praying would be quite the understatement.

I made it into town just in time to go to meet them at church. I did my best to act normal and enjoyed chatting with lots of people I hadn't seen since Christmas. We went home to a little mini-feast my mom had whipped up and I finally decided that I would tell them over lunch. Well, I guess it was more of a show than a tell. You see, on the way down, I decided to just show them my acceptance letter and let them read it. I figured parents-to-be did that with ultrasound pictures, so why couldn't I do it with my letter?!

Like I said, I didn't really know what to expect, but their reactions were priceless. Mom's mouth dropped wide open, and after about 5 minutes, Dad asked me if I was going to actually go. Well, yes, Dad...I do believe I will. :) I did my best to answer all of their questions and apologized for not telling them about it sooner. After all the questions had been answered, both seemed eager to tell their friends, so I knew then that they were happy.

After we chatted, I didn't have much time before I knew I was going to need to get back on the road, but there was one other person that I had hoped to tell while I was there...my childhood Pastor, the one who prayed the sinner's prayer with me and baptized me, and one of my all-time favorite neighbors, Brother John. I walked across the street sat on the same couch that I had sat on almost 18 years ago to the day and given my heart to Jesus. Yes, I cried. It was such a blessing to be able to thank him for all he had done for me, and then to have him pray over me was more than I could take.

It's been a little over 6 weeks since I opened the mailbox to find a letter that would change my life. In that time I've gotten to share the news with so many, some that have prayed for this day for years, so it has been a delight to thank them for those prayers. I have been reminded yet again how blessed I am to have such a wonderful family and friends.

As for school, classes start in August...August 29 to be exact. More than likely, it will take me 4 years. I am incredibly nervous about having to write theological papers...I'm not a theological thinker in the least...but, I am super excited to learn, and I know that I will get through it, and be a much better person because of it. When I graduate, I will have a Masters of Divinity, and for now, I feel that the Lord is calling me to use what I learn to work for a church as a Girls Ministry Leader....sort of like a youth leader, just for the girls. I have always had a heart for high school and college aged women, and I can think of no greater joy than to be able to do life with them daily.

So there you have it. Pretty much the reason I've been so quiet on the blog has been because I have wanted to say all of this for the past 6 weeks, but couldn't because I haven't been able to tell my current boss. You see, I really wanted to tell my boss in person, and since I work from home, I wasn't able to make a trip to the office until now. But, as of today, the office knows so I can now shout it from the rooftops...or the blogtops as the case may be....I AM GOING TO BEESON DIVINITY SCHOOL!!!

A Ring for the Roomie

There are some moments in life that no matter how much time passes, you are still able to remember every single detail. One of those moments is the time a little over 8 years ago. I was a senior in high school, visiting The University of Alabama, and I met Lauren for the first time.

I'm actually going to skip over the details because that's not the purpose of this story...maybe another time...but the thing to know is that at the end of the day, we decided that we would be roommates the upcoming fall.

I can't tell you how many times I've thought back to my freshman year and said a prayer of thankfulness for the opportunity to live with Lauren. We weren't exactly alike by any means, but we respected each other and enjoyed spending time with each other...and all these years later, I can't think of a time that we ever fought.

While we were only roommates for one year, but our senior year, we were pretty much attached at the hip. We had all but one class together, and were always in each other's group for group projects. I pity her for having to put up with me, but there was no way that I was going to be in a group with anyone but her...a true marketing genius!

As it so often does, graduation forced us to part ways,. However, we've always managed to find a way to see each other at least a few times a year. This past visit was just a few weeks ago and I must say it was one of my favorites.

Lauren's parents have recently build a beautiful home in our old college town. She had planned to make a trip down to see them, and the trip only got better when she became engaged the weekend before. Once I found out that she was going to be in town for a few days, I knew I would have to make the drive down. There was just no way I was going to pass up seeing one of my favorite people, her new fiance, her precious family, and the RING!

It was the perfect time to get caught up on each other's current life as well as exchange stories from some of our more memorable college times...we definitely had some that we will never forget!!

As I drove home that night, I just kept thinking how grateful I was that it was the Lord's plan for Lauren to be my first roommate. She was the perfect match for me. One of the best people to go through college with.

Now, I'm thrilled beyond belief that she has found a perfect match in Griffin, and the perfect person to spend the rest of her life with.

Birthday and Belles

Apparently I am on the post every two weeks cycle...not intentional, but what can I say, I'm not the best at blogging.

Here's a little glimpse into what's been happening...

This precious girl had a birthday! I cannot believe that Little C is already a year old. She has grown so much these past few months and it has been a treat to see her personality really shine. I hate that she won't remember her first birthday, because her sweet Mom really did a wonderful job executing the ice cream theme. Truly a special day to celebrate a special girl!

There were a lot of things that my small town didn't have....mall, movie theater, starbucks...but I think the things I wish we had the most revolve around old Southern social events. When I think about it, I'm surprised that Brewton d0esn't have debutante balls and Belles to act as hosts for the city, but alas, we don't.

Thankfully, I am able to live my childhood dreams of those things through some sweet girls in Birmingham. My cousin and her friends were selected and presented as Birmingham Belles a few weeks ago, and to say it was one of the highlights of the year would be a dramatic understatement. I loved getting to see all of them all dressed up in their fancy hoop dresses.

Aren't they all so pretty?!?! These girls bless me beyond measure.

Most of the rest of the two weeks has involved packing, donating and cleaning. Martha and I are moving next week and to say we have amassed some junk in our twenty-something years of life would be quite the understatement. We have determined to only take the bare essentials, so as we've weeded out, we've made good friends with our neighborhood salvation army. While the house is not suitable for pictures now, I'll make sure to take some in a few weeks for a little tour. In fact, that will probably be about two weeks from now, so it will be the perfect thing to post about.

Yet Another Catch Up Post

I just hate it when someone says "sorry I haven't been around lately...I wish I could tell you why, but I just can't." Don't you hate that?

Well, as much as I don't like it, I'm going to have to take that line for myself. Things have been really busy lately. Change is most definitely in the air, but I just can't blog about it quite yet. Don't worry, it's killing me as much as it's killing all 3 of you that read this thing...maybe even more because I know what the changes are!

Since I'm not able to blog about the changes, I'll leave you with a few pictures. It's been almost 6 weeks since my last post. EMBARRASSING! Pretty much the theme of my life since then has been travel. Feels like I've been pretty much everywhere but home. Trips to Pensacola, Seaside, Spartanburg, Key West, Atlanta...and of course the typical work trips to Auburn and Tuscaloosa.

The Alabama basketball team provided Martha, Christen and I with a great mid-week activity. We all enjoyed cheering the Tide on to victory...even Martha!

I got to lead a group of sweet 9th grade girls at a Disciple Now in Pensacola. One of the best things about the weekend was having Courtney in my group. I used to baby-sit her when she was a toddler....so fun to see God working in her life!

Mrs. Teresa...AKA, the mom to Courtney and the world's best mentor. Can't imagine life without her. She's one of my biggest cheerleaders and to date, all of the advice I've gotten from her has been incredible.

The weekend after my trip to Pensacola, I packed my bags again and headed down to Seaside with some of my dearest friends for a little vacay AKA Adult Spring Break. To say we had a great time would be quite the understatement. We've already made plans to return next year!

Martha...my roommate...the runner.

The first night, we went out in our work clothes...and the nights after we went out in t-shirts and jeans. Getting dressed up is highly overrated. Oh, how times have changed.

The trip wouldn't have happened without Megan. Truly, it was her idea to get a group together for the Seaside 5K/half marathon.

The whole crew...runners and cheerleaders...after the big race!

While the travel has been tiring, the trips have helped to fill my 26th year with some wonderful memories, and for that I will be forever grateful. But...I am still really ready for things to slow down just a bit...is it summer yet?!?!?