2nd annual southwestern style chili-cook off christmas celebration

my favorite christmas song

It's so funny how I can hear a song over and over and never really pay attention to the words. Last year I remember singing this song at church and my eyes filled with tears. It felt like I was hearing the words for the first time.

More than great melodies or beats, I feel like I am in a season of life where I am more impacted by the truth found at the very core of art, music, etc... So I hope you too are able to read these words the truth in it will resonate with you as well.

O holy night! The stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of our dear Saviour's birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
'Til He appear'd and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.

Fall on your knees! O, hear the angels' voices!
O night divine, O night when Christ was born;
O night divine, O night, O night Divine.

Led by the light of Faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.
So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming,
Here come the wise men from Orient land.
The King of Kings lay thus in lowly manger;
In all our trials born to be our friend.

He knows our need, to our weakness is no stranger,
Behold your King! Before Him lowly bend!
Behold your King, Behold your King.

Truly He taught us to love one another;
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother;
And in His name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
Let all within us praise His holy name.

Christ is the Lord! O praise His Name forever,
His power and glory evermore proclaim.
His power and glory evermore proclaim.

Advent Conspiracy

watch this

google: the eavesdropper

since it's Naboplomo- I'm going to try and blog everyday for the rest of the month.. which means random thoughts and stories for sure....

I was talking to emily on g-chat a couple days ago and I think google was stalking us. We had been talking the day before about advisor stuff for tri delt.. (Yes we were both tri delts in college and yes we are now advisors... who would have thought!) But it's a fun way to be a part of girls lives whom we would not otherwise get to connect with. Anyhow, while we were talking on g-chat emily's name popped up as emily DDD... strange... google just decided to change her name on their own.. (p.s. If you know me at all, you would know the text I wrote in the box is not serious- but just in case.. i thought i should calrify :)

election night

my roomate made a map... i ate patriotic popsicles...this is what happened...

estes park

we went hiking during a thunderstorm... oops

I should have posted this last month but forgot... Michelle and I went to Estes Park (I bought a Rocky Mountain National Park pass if anyone wants to go) a few weekends ago to watch the elk fight..which I know may sound weird enough in itself.. but it ended up being more like watching elk at a single's bar.

the eligible bachelor...

sniffin'

Beam Africa

This morning at church I saw a table set up to sponsor children through Beam Africa, a community ministry we served with while in South Africa two summers ago! They had cards with different kid's photos and names on the front. I've always seen cards like these for compassion international and other organizations but I had never seen cards with pictures of kids I actually KNEW and recognized! It was crazy to look through the cards and recognize faces of the mischevious boy, the girl who always sang, the baby I held all afternoon one day, the kids we played duck duck goose with....

It's so neat to be able to still be a part of Beam Africa and the work they are doing in South Africa through sponsoring these kids! I'll find out if there is a way to sponsor a child for Beam online and write more when I find out!

This is Lerato, a sweet six year old girl who comes to Beam's development center every afternoon for food, a safe place to play, help with homework, care and encouragement.

"He lifts the poor from the dust and the needy from the garbage dump. He sets them among princes, placing them in seats of honor. For all the earth is the Lord's, and He has set the world in order." 1 Samuel 2:8

They die namelessly...

I'm reading this great and challenging book by Jeffrey Sachs called The End of Poverty. Sachs is a part of the Earth Institute at Columbia University and has an incredible economic mind, balanced outlook, and passion to see the end of extreme poverty.

With each page I turn, I learn more about how people are climbing out of poverty and the viscious cycle of extreme poverty in the world. Sachs also explores the role the rest of the world can play in meeting needs and in turn, I face my own greediness, ignorance, and love of things that, pathetically, I still don't even realize the depths of.



Here's a little blurb from the intro...



Every morning our newspapers could report, "More than 20,000 people perished yesterday of extreme poverty." The stories would put the stark numbers in context- up to 8,000 children dead of malaria, 5,000 mothers and father dead of tuberculosis. 7,500 young adults dead of AIDS, and thousands more dead of diarrhea, respiratory infection, and other killer diseases that prey on bodies weakened by chronic hunger. The poor die in hospital wards that lack drugs, in villages that lack antimalarial bed nets, in houses that lack safe drinking water. They die namelessly, without public comment. Sadly, such stories rarely get written...


Read it!

rain, bananas and fire

where's your bonnet?

This is the picture that pops up on my brother'si-phone when I call him.

a. Can we talk about the bonnet?

b. I look like I'm about to punch him!

human trafficking: modern day practice of slavery

I remember listening to the news when I was in highschool and hearing about a sex-trade ring that had been busted in a small town a few hours away from San Antonio. Men who smuggled illegal aliens from Mexico promised women they would take them safely across the border. Once arriving in the US, they told the women they needed more money to let them go and that they would have to "work off" the rest of their debt to the smugglers. These women were found locked in bedrooms in a house and no one new how long they had been held as prostitutes there. I can't even imagine sneaking across the border in hopes and excitement on a new life and second chance to only find myself locked up to be raped and abused by men at their whim with no glimmer of freedom on the other side. This was the first time I ever realized that human trafficking and modern day slavery was a huge problem right here in the U.S. and is the second largest criminal industry in the world.

My friend Jaya recently went to a human trafficking conference here in Denver and she was blown away by how widespread this problem is and how many people are entangled in it.

Here are two things to check out...

Polaris Project- for facts and info on that state of human trafficking in the U.S.- the facts on the first page are really eye-opening. They are also looking for volunteers to help hang posters and pass out info for their Slavery Still Exists awareness campaign on August 23 in Denver.

Street's Hope- a way to be involved right here in Denver. Streets Hope is a ministry that serves and provides an escape for women who have been involved in the sex for sale industry.

jazz in the park- denver

thanks remax

This is random but last night I had a huge hankering for bananas. It wasn't dark out yet so I decided to be earth friendly and ride my bike to the store. I ended up borrowing one of my roomates bikes since my tires were flat as usual :)
The trek to our grocery store is down hill the entire way from my house so I was looking forward to the quick trip. I started down the hill a little ways going pretty fast and needed to slow down a little. I gave my brakes a squeeze only to find out that my brakes didn't work! And of course I was wearing flip-flops and no helmut, so stopping with my feet was not an option. Luckily the Remax office by our house has a steep grass embankment so I turned to ride up the embankment and with a little wobbling and falling I finally came to a stop halfway through the parking lot. I finally figured out how to fix my brakes and was on my merry way.

I started thinking about it and realized this marks the second time the remax office has helped me out. Last year I locked myself out of our house without my cell phone and went to remax office to look up a phone number to call my friend Frank to get a hold of my roomates. I could tell the receptionist thought it was pretty weird but I was out of options by this point.

So this is my official muchas gracias to the Louisville Remax Office!

Where God Left His Shoes

Friday night I went and saw "Where God Left His Shoes" in City Park...(which, ps. watching a movie on a big screen in a park is the way to go). The movie won some awards and deals with the issues of family homelessness- which was especially good to see in light of Denver's Road Home- plan to end homelessness in Denver... http://www.denversroadhome.org/.

Sometimes when I think about helping people out of homelessness I think mainly about a roof over their heads, but this was a good reminder of the huge spectrum of hurdles homeless families face such as, employment, childcare, abuse etc... It also made me really thankful for the services set-up in Denver to help families on a holistic level move out of homelessness.

If they are showing this movie near you, you should go!

summer skills

Since it's been so long since I last wrote..here's my top ten list of skills and lessons needed to survive my life this summer...

1. When going to the neighborhood pool, you must master the skill of swimming while constantly surveying the lawn chairs to see if one opens up...if one does, you need to be close enough to a wall to jump out and claim the chair and signal to you friends to bring your stuff over before the moms who are speed walking toward you try to claim them as their own. Moms are really protective of those lawn chairs.

2. Suncscreen is good... I don't think I have been sunburned since I was in Junior High but i definitely happened while we were floating the medina river...painful.

3. Jobs are not gauranteed to work out even though somehow God works out the bigger picture.. I am no longer working for amali... so now I nanny, go to yoga, clean, write and try to figure out what's next.

4. Texas will always be home to me...spending time with family and friends, hearing a band at Gruene Hall, eating great mexican food and margaritas, and floating rivers, going to the ranch, slacklining with my brother and sister...there's just something that seems to always draw me home...

5. Vitamins are incredible and Naturopaths know their stuff...I take like 5o pills a day now but I feel great and I've learned how to strength test people and it kinda creeps them out.

6. Somehow hotdogs taste amazing when you're camping... even to a vegetarian.

7. You don't have to do everything RIGHT NOW... In one week decided I wanted to start my own company, go back on staff with Crusade, go to Naturopathic school and work at Anthropologie all at the same time...not happening.

8. Honey Nut Cheerios are delicious, especially with Vanilla Rice Milk, or maybe I just choose to beleive that cause it's my only option.

9. "Yous" means Y'all in Pennsylvania...When visiting Big Papa in Pennsylvania, be prepared for eating Potato Pancakes, Kielbasa and playing lots of Skip-bo. And coal mines stay between 48 and 52 degrees so bring a jacket when you go- random fact!

10. Toilet seats and countertops are great replacements for a ladder when painting a bathroom. It takes some acrobatic skills but is a peice of cake once you get the hang of it... Also painting goes way faster if you watch the dance scenes from Step Up 2 over and over again :)

mad bike skills

Well, maybe not "mad" bike skills, but I do pride myself on random things about bikes that I've accomplished. Like buying the cheapest bikes ever. This one below I bought in Long Beach from these guys who were having a garage sale. I originally bought this cool 80's bike from them for $5 but then I upgraded to this awesome cruiser for $10. They liked my southern accent to I milked it for all it was worth! :)


Then last year I bought this bike from a granny who was having a yard sale. She said it was her mom's bike. A granny's mom's bike- how old is that?! But I didn't have any bike tools and the seat was for someone who was like 8 inches shorter than me. Emily and I rode it to Kate's house last fall and I think I had shin splints by the time I got back from peddling on such a short base.

So saturday I went to University Bikes and finally bought the little tool to adjust the seat. One of my neighbors and I sat outside and cleaned and fixed our bikes while these 2 five-year-old twin girls kept getting their barbie jeep stuck on the tree out front. It was awesome :)

I rode my bike around the block to make sure everything was working right. The bike has these old gears in the middle and when I switched them the chain came off and I rammed my knee into the gear end... OWWW!!! Pain... I still have a huge knot and bruise on my knee.

But now everything is working, so call me if you want to ride bikes soon!

denver childrens home

today was a fun day at work. We went to Denver Children's Home...the oldest non-profit in Colorado and the recipient of some much needed help from Oprah's Big Give winner Steve Palleta. Both Steve and Eric, another contestant on the show, came back to Denver to celebrate and see what's been happening at the home. It was neat to talk with them about their experience on the show and what they are hoping to do next.

Although they did kind of burst my bubble about reality tv...it's all planned in advance....and totally scripted...bummer :(

My favorite part of the day was when a few of the kids performed their raps they had written about their lives. A local band, The FLobots, volunteers with these kids every friday. Talk about a perspective check! It was incredible to see what these kids have come from and the hope and perseverance they have now! It's neat how much their lives have changed because someone decided to step in and give them some time and love.

sunflower farmers market made my day

Today after sushi with Tifah and Sarah, we went to Sunflower Market and I felt like a little kid in a candy store. I got blackberries for $.88, kiwis and strawberries and watermelon and lots of other great stuff. They are able to keep their pricing down by buying direct in bulk from farmers. It's basically like the colorado version of Trader Joes. So, you should go too!

p.s. all of you need to throw away your plastic Nalgene's. They are pulling them from the shelves because of a harmful plastic in them.

soundtrack of my life

I think I've told you before how I feel like there is a soundtrack to my life. Like when people watch it there is probably music playing in the background that they aren't even aware of. Every once and a while I have a soundtrack moment where I'm listening to a song the totally would be on the soundtrack of my life at the moment and here are a couple of recent.
First is breakable girls and boys...not so much in the little kid sense but more in the fact that we are just breakable as people...


New Soul...I totally took this from Brooke's blog..but it's so good!

in-flight entertainment

After the flight cancellation saga of american airlines over the past few days I am now back in San Antonio visiting the fam before Kate's wedding. I was on the plane from Dallas to San Antonio and was thinking about how much time I have spent in airports in the past few years, realizing I end up flying somewhere at least once a month- that's alot of time sitting huh? So if you have ever wondered what I do on planes, here's the breakdown...

Normally I bring a book, which I swear to myself I will finish before I land, but that normally lasts about 30 minutes and then I'm ready for what's next. When the flight attendants begin their safety demonstrations I always feel a little weird because they look right at me, like I'm really the one who needs to hear what they are saying. But then I realize I am the only passenger actually looking at them and nodding as point to all my exit options on the plane.

Next comes people watching... on my way back from Denver I could not stop staring at the guy's ears in front of me. He kept pulling on them and rubbing the edges while he was reading his book and I just could not get over how big they were- which brings me to a flashback of my junior high days of being really self-conscious of my own big ears...so I empathized with him and wanted to give him a pat on the back.

Next comes the inevitable trip to the bathroom. Is it just me or does it seem like everyone stares at you when you are walking down that long aisle to the bathroom? On my way back I passed the family I remembered seeing at the gate eating McDonalds. Their 3 kids had long hair and I honestly could not tell if they were girls or boys. I tried to get a good look when I was walking by- but that one is still a mystery to me.

Then the drink cart! Who knew that a quarter cup of soda over tons of ice could be something we all look forward too? I debate the whole way down, dr. pepper, gingerale or water. dr. pepper, gingerale or water...normally i decide i don't need the caffeine and opt for gingerale or if I'm being really good I decide I don't need sugar at all and I go for water...but secretly I want a dr. pepper the whole time.

Finally the plane lands, which I always but both feet firmly on the floor to land cause I'm convinced landing with my legs crossed messes up my alignment...crazy.. I know. Then it's time to deboard, and I don't know if you feel this way, but it seems like people walking off planes always look like they are on a mission. But when I walk off the plane to the gate door, I have to try really hard not to look, smile, and wave at everyone who is waiting for their plane. I can't help it, I feel like I'm walking down the aisle as a bridesmaid at a wedding and just want to smile at everyone. But don't worry, I put on my busy face and I think people are totally convinced that I'm important.

Ok, I realize this is getting long so I will say my baggage claim experiences for tomorrow.

letter to supporters

Here's a letter I wrote to some of my old supporters catching them up on my life...I thought I'd post it just in case you wanted an update too... I tried to fit a million things into one letter so it might be a little confusing...so is life :)

new season

I know it has been a while since I last updated you on life, but you have been such an important part of my life for the last few years through your prayer and support and I wanted to share with you more of the journey God has me on. It’s been a season of transition and change but the Lord, as always, has been teaching me new things and showing me more of Himself in the process…

I am working at Amali Public Relations—a consulting firm that works exclusively with non-profit organizations and I am learning a ton. I almost feel like I am in grad school. Non-profits are a world of their own and I’m learning what makes non-profits effective, what is sustainable overseas, how they connect with people, and how they can collaborate with others to see their missions accomplished. My favorite part of my job is thinking through how to creatively and clearly communicate a non-profit’s vision to their community, supporters and the people they serve. I still love getting to connect people to the worlds needs and how they can play a part in change!

Starting with my trip to Africa this past summer, I have been learning a lot about what it looks like the view our world through a “lens of redemption”...ie.. What would it really look like if Jesus came and fully redeemed every part of our world... people, families, neighborhoods, cities, cultures, and environments... to be the way He intended it to be? In reading through scripture, we see over and over again how Jesus cares for people who are oppressed and marginalized and we cannot avoid the call on our lives to bring the holistic power of the gospel, in both word and action, to change and redeem lives.

With not being on campus anymore, I have definitely missed interacting with students and over the Christmas holidays, I started thinking more about how the Lord would use the things that I have learned to effect change in our world. In the midst of our ever changing culture and world, Campus Crusade has been in the process of figuring out how to connect people with the needs of the world in a tangible and sustainable way. After meeting with a few different staff and directors over the past few months, the Lord has provided a neat opportunity to collaborate with Crusade through connecting them with needs and organizations they can come alongside to see change happen around the world and in their students’ lives as well.

College students today are thinking through their role in the world and have a huge desire to make their life count.. Our generation is starting to ask the question “if God’s kingdom is here and coming...what are we doing?” For years there has been such a dichotomy between the way students view their every day lives and how serving plays into that. When I think about today’s students ten years down the road, I don’t want them looking back on the “glory” days of their time in college and how they “once” were involved in meeting the needs of the poor and advocating for the oppressed. Rather, my hope is that as they go on to be doctors, or businessmen, living in urban areas and rural towns, their experiences in college would be a spring board to lives that are passionate about meeting needs and investing in lives of the people within ten feet of their lives everyday and around the world. That they would be men and women who truly see the gospel play out in their lives both in word and in deed.

Some things never change, I still love community, miss Texas, love writing, love Africa, and have a list of 20 big projects I want to do at once! If nothing else, I am continuing to realize that life is messy and God is way more concerned with meeting peoples needs than I will ever be cause He is right there in the midst of them all the time. I’m just thankful to go with Him on the adventure! Would, you also pray with me, that the Lord would give me wisdom and clarity in what capacity to invest my time with Crusade and in students’ lives? Thanks again for being a part of my life and I’m excited to continue to share with you what God has in the future!

mary poppins?

Since my pr job isn't full time, neither are my pay checks. To remedy that problem, it looks like I am stepping into the wonderful world of child care :) I have started nannying for a family two mornings a week from 6:30am to 9:30am! Yes, that's 6:30 in the morning, which means I'm up at 5:45! The family is great and I just help their kids get ready in the morning and take them to school. So here are a few of the lessons I have re-learned so far...

1. nothing is worse than your sister playing with a toy that you want.
2. the things inside a refrigerator will always be fun to look at and take out and put back and take out and put back.
3. If you want a real hand/eye coordination test, try putting socks on a squirming one-year-old
4. everything tastes better cut up into small pieces.
5. the best way to choose a toy is to dump them all out on the floor, every single one.

i'm only 2 days into it, but I'll let you know how it goes!

doo doo bugs

We have these little bugs that live around our townhouses that we have officially named doodoo bugs... I don't remember exactly how they got that name but either way...we are not big fans of them. Now that the weather is warming up, they think that our front porches are their official tanning deck, how rude!

So a few days ago Emily saw our neighbor spray bug spray into a crack near his door and tons of doo doo bugs came crawling out! Sick! After trying to talk one of emily's friends into being our house bug boy...we took matters into our own hands. What's weird is when we went out on our porch to spray...all the doo doo bugs were hiding and i think we only killed like 5.

I'm afraid after posting these pictures we'll find out that the bugs are some endangered species or that the bug spray we used is horrible for the environment and I will feel like a jerk. But here you go anyway! :)

from emily

this is emily's blog that I thought was hilarious!

Monday, March 03, 2008

All Amys needs to know about life she learned from Canadian Geese.
Amy and I walk up to the lake almost everyday. And almost everyday Amy analyzes the behavior of the geese. If you could listen in on our conversations here are some of the things you might hear her say:

"The geese are in mourning today. They're mourning the loss of their friend. I think we just need to give them some time and space."

"That one is a mean one.""The geese are still kind of skiddish today.""He's friendly. Look how he's standing with toes pointed and his feet on top of each other."

"He's a teenager. Look, he's all wide-eyed! He just went through a growth spurt!"

Disclaimer: I shouldn't make Amy out to be the only crazy one. I too have been known to participate in these conversations. My best goose quote (after watching the geese slide around while trying to walk on the ice): "It's just like watching the Gospel."I know. We are ridiculous.

This Beautiful Mess

Zach pointed out that I say "life is messy" pretty much every time we talk. I totally do :) Cause it's true! That is one huge thing that I think has changed in the past few years....learning to be ok with and engage in the mess. If you knew me in highschool or freshman year of college, you would agree that was not always true of me!

I'm reading a book right now that I'd love for all of you to read! It, along with life, has helped me make sense of how the Gospel and the Kingdom of God is real and active in our totally flawed world and how God is still at work holistically redeeming our lives. He even addresses the confusion of what it means when Jesus says the "Kingdom of God is among you"... and " the Kingdom of God is near"

This Beautiful Mess by Rick MckinleyMy favorite quote so far in the book is...

“In the kingdom, the places we put our heart into and work at are places where we are collaborating with kingdom life. We don’t collaborate with programs or buildings or technologies, although God can use those for important ends. Rather we notice and invite and affirm the kingdom in people: In the nervous young mom next to us on the bus, in the migrant farm worker waiting in line ahead of us at the 7-eleven, in the man next door whose duking it out with old age and chemotherapy, in the child in our own household who’s crossing the threshold from from playground to pimple hell.”

My favorite quote from today is "...relevance is a consequence of Kingdom living, not a cause. We become relevant when we are committed to being that signpost of heaven in some part of our world. When we study Scripture, we find that relevance happens naturally when we choose to be real people caring for other real people..."

Ok that's all...just read it and let's talk :)