Photo Shoot

Ok so four days of blogger not working for me, and four days on a cruise means lots of catching up to do for Tina!! Even though it says I posted this on the 29th, it finally made it up on the 7th.


Last Friday (the 29th) my mom convinced me to tag along while she and Matty went to take pictures of my dad's work equipment. Somehow I ended up taking all the pictures. It was quite the day riding all around town with them. Here are some of the lovely pictures we took.


















After the equipment event we decided to go shopping for Matty. He needed some shorts for the cruise. Well while I waited for him to get ready I decided to try and scrunch my hair. Good Times!!









Tina I hope these posts make you feel like the distance is smaller and like you are a part of my everyday. I miss you guys! More posts to come soon!!

Rainy Day

It took me 11 1/2 hours to make it yesterday but I'm here sitting in my room today. It rained on me almost the entire way home and then there were two accidents and I thought my car was going to run out of gas on me, but I made it. Now it's time to unpack, catch up with people, shop, repack, go to the pig show and then the cruise. Oh it's getting so close and I think it will be a blast.

Homeward Bound

And so the road trip home is about to start. The tears have been minimal up to this point but we shall see how it goes once I'm actually on the road. I know they are coming. After saying by to the Rouses last night I kept thinking, man I wish I could see them just once more. I can only imagine the tears that I will come once I'm fully awake and my see ya laters to the Burchards set in. I will greatly miss everyone in Charlotte but I'm sure I will be back soon, so that makes it a little better. Thanks Rusty and Tina for opening up your home and lives. I have enjoyed it. 

Stating My Case

Do you ever have those situations in which you pray about and kind of know the answer, ok you totally know the answer, yet you still keep stating your case. That's where I find myself today. Last night I got real honest with God and just broke down. I have a friend who I have learned so much from, don't go a day without thinking about them and whom I love so much and after my next statement you will probably doubt that and that's ok I don't doubt it at all. I find myself wanting to run as far away as I can from them. I keep stating all these reasons why its no big deal for me to stop fighting for the friendship, good ones you know, like distance, busyness all the ones that I know are ridiculous but make me feel better.  Because when I get down to it I'm telling God I don't want to fight because it makes me vulnerable and in the past it hasn't worked out so well. Stupid I know, but it is the battle I am dealing with today. I'm trying so hard not to let past relationships effect this one yet it's easier said then done. So please pray that I would keep fighting for it, besides I know that if I ran I would end up bringing more pain on myself then they could ever inflect. 

Whisper Mountain Slideshow

Peace Outside The Bath House

One of my favorite places to be is at camp in Robbinsville. As sketchy as the little town is, it has grown on me and it is a place I find myself longing to be at. Well yesterday my longing was over after a 4 hour drive I arrived at camp. It was so great to be there and see David, Marty and the Millers and to see the new office. After lunch I went up to the cabins to sit in the stillness and quietness.

I sat outside the bath house for a good hour just praying and thinking and clearing my head. The bath house porch has become one of my favorite places on camp. This summer I had some really good conversations sitting in the chairs either with the other staff members, Moma Thacker or with campers. I reflected on the past summer and all that happened and just thanked God for the millionth time. I can't begin to explain the community that Whisper Mountain created for me this past summer and still is to this day. Nor could I do justice to any of the people God brought into my life, their amazing or the lessons I learned. It was such a blessing to just sit there.
So I sat and prayed for this upcoming summer for the full time staff and their families, for the summer staff, for the campers and everything in between. I have such a peace about this summer and I am so excited to see what God has in store.
By the way you should all check out camps website for more information www.whispermountain.org

Dinner Rules

Well today and tomorrow I have the Burchard kids while Tina and Rusty are away in the mountains. Tonight I make Pizza's and ask the kids if they want green beans or corn to go with it. I know what a perfect meal, right!?! So Abby and Paige reply corn and Carter says green beans. I decide to solve the problem by making both and then proceed to tell Abby and Paige they have to eat at least three green beans and then telling Carter he has to have a bite of corn. Now the girls weren't happy with their green beans but they managed. Carter on the other hand looks at me like this is the worst thing ever. We finish eating and Carter still has his corn on his plate. So knowing that he likes to be a booger and work his way out of it I lay down my authority (this rarely happens) and tell him it's a bite of corn or straight to bed after his bath. The scene that unfolded was ridiculous I think he told me like 8 times that he didn't like corn or that he's tried it and then tells me he can't. Ten minutes after his sisters have cleaned their plates and left the table he finally eats a bite of the corn topped with a green bean drenched in ketchup. 

Now that little bit was funny in and of itself however the flash back in my head made it priceless. Growing up I'm sure you had rules at your dinner table. Rules like, waiting for everyone to be done, eating everything on your plate, asking to be excused and so on. In my house my mom had one major rule and this rule made my cousins dread eating at our house. You didn't have to eat everything you just had to try at least ONE BITE OF EVERYTHING. (That and you had to eat the crust on poptarts)  I remember many a dinners one of us trying to get around this rule or sitting at the table for what seems like forever hoping that she would change her mind. So as I sat there tonight waiting Carter out, and not just letting him of the hook, I couldn't help but to think my mom would be proud. That and then she'd laugh as my dad said "your acting just like your mother." 

Turning the Page

Oddly enough I'm ready for the move. I will greatly miss the people I have met however I know it is the right decision. About two weeks ago I had a conversation with a very good friend and in her great wisdom, she called me out. As I was questioning why God would move me back to Ft. Myers before camp she asked me a question that I just couldn't let go of. She asked me if I considered the fact that I go and go and pour and pour and maybe God just wanted me to slow down and regroup and be poured into so I would be ready for camp. Then she said we all have limits and had I considered the fact that I might be reaching mine. My first reaction was no way. However God kept her words in my mind and they definitely played into my decision. 

Then tonight in God's perfecting timing I know I reached my limit. It's hard for me to admit but I know I couldn't take one more sunday and to know that is so humbling. I'm exhausted physically and mentally. Please hear me out I have loved being here and wouldn't change being here. I'm just ready for the next chapter.  

Ridge Church

The last five months I have been living in Charlotte helping friends as they launch a new church. Ridge is a strategic partner of North Point Community Church in Georgia. The adventure started with a phone call from my friend Lauren who I had worked for in the children's department back at McGregor. Wait truth be told the adventure started with Tina tipping me off to my name being

thrown around, but that's another story in itself. So Lauren calls me and ask if I'd come up and help her with the children's department and with what they call the Leader's Room. To fully understand the Leader Room idea you have to know that Ridge is a load in loadout church that is renting a senior center to hold services on sunday nights. The Leader Room serves as a place for all the volunteer's kids to go while they help set up. It's a really sweet idea and provides sanity for everyone involved. I made my decision and moved in October.

The adventure I have had with Ridge has been an amazing one. I have met some of the nicest, funniest, and most servant hearted people I know through Ridge. I could go on forever about what exactly ridge is seeking to do and how they go about it but I don't think I could do it justice. However I will say this that the vision is to

make a place where unchurched people want to go, and for more information you can go to www.northpoint.org or www.ridgechurch.net or you can go to www.charlotteridge.blogspot.com.

As tomorrow will be my last regular

sunday with Ridge I must admit I am sad. As crazy and long (10am-10pm ish) as sundays are it is neat to see the impact people are having on others lives. It's all about helping, serving, encouraging and loving one another. It's all about community and isn't that really what the church is suppose to be about, a community. Ridge is on to a good thing and my prayers will always be with everyone involved.

3 Fun Kids, 3 Fun Adventures

Upon realizing on Sunday how little time I have left here in Charlotte I decided I wanted to spend some extra time with the Burchard Kids. So I decided to be intentional and spend an afternoon with each one.
On Monday I took Abby out on an adventure. We went to this pottery painting place here in Charlotte called Dish It Out. Abby is such a creative kid. She is always going around the house making things out of whatever she can find, so I knew this would be right up her alley. We got there and she was so excited she picked out a horse to paint (by far one of her favorite things) and then was looking at all the other stuff talking about how Carter would love that or how she wished she could paint that for Paige. Her heart is so sweet. I grabbed a tile to paint and we started to be creative. Abby was all about it and just ran with, I on the other hand had to think about it and think about it. That's when my creativity and my analness collide. However it was a great time. I listened to story after story from Abby. After that we went to dinner and then headed home.
Tuesday I met Tina to pick up Paige for our adventure. I had planned to take Paige to get a manicure however she opted against it. Which to be honest wasn't a bad thing. Instead we went to Dunkin Donuts and got hot chocolate and a donut. Then we headed to the house and locked ourselves in my room to watch one of the movies Miss. Lauren had given her for her birthday. Then while Tina and Rusty went to McDonald's Night for Carter and Abby's school, Paige and I went to Sonic for dinner. It's so crazy for me because I remember Paige being so little and now she's in Middle School and helping lead a Waumba (preschool) room. Man time flies. It was a nice day just relaxing and hanging out with her.
Ok so by tuesday night Carter was chomping at the bit. He kept going "tomorrow, tomorrow I get to hang out with you" "tomorrow is my day to do something." I must say it was nice that Carter's day was going to be wednesday because tuesday night while I had all the kids during small group he listened so well. Well I got Carter from school and we headed to Monkey Joe's (a place with tons of inflatables inside in one big room). He was so excited and we went in and got our wristbands so we could play. It was a blast we ran up and down them, raced through the obstacles, slid down all the slides and then even played some games so Carter could win tickets to get a toy. By far mine and Carters favorite part was this big round bounce house that had all these balls in it and the two football goals and two basketball hoops. Oh the afternoon was a blast. I love this kid even tough he is a booger half the time.
It's so sad to think that life will soon be so different. Oddly enough I have greatly enjoyed having three kids running around for the past five months. I think it might be a little boring with out the activities and the noise. I guess it's a good thing that there will be 9 kids I can run around with this summer at camp. However the Burchard kids will always be so special to me.

INSIDE MY HEAD

Tina is a huge blogger and has been trying to get me to start one for a while. She told me that she would be interested to see what is going on in my head. Well I'm giving in to Tina's request since I will be leaving Charlotte in about a week and because my life continues to lead me to one goodbye after another. I will do my best to keep up with this. Tina I'm not promising that my thoughts will be interesting however, I promise that this blog will be total randomness and lots of honesty to keep you (and anyone else interested) up to date on what's happening in my life, heart and mind.