one.

One week left.
ONE.
Denial.
I’m so there right now.

My friend Ashley teaches 5th grade. We’ve devoted August to fun activities so that we can pretend, at least for a few hours each week, that school has not taken over our lives.

Summer has been grand…and will continue to be for the next week! Heck, for the month of August too!

Looking back, I realize that I never posted about one of my favorite events of the summer. I got to take four kids from a family in my school to Pine Cove week 6 on full scholarship. Hands down, I saw Jesus at work all through this.

• First, a series of small events the last few weeks of school led me to listen to the little voice in my heart telling me to pursue scholarships for these kids. I won’t go into tons of details, but it was affirmation that the Lord is persistent in planting ideas for furthering his kingdom.
• Second, they all 4 got FULL scholarships!! That’s about $3600 worth of donations to this family and there was availability for all 4 to during the same week.
• Third, before hearing from Pine Cove that full scholarships were granted, I asked 2 of my friends, Summer and Anne, to be praying that it would work out for them to go. With the help of these friends (and a few others) we were able to equip these kids with what they needed for camp. I wish you could have been there when they each saw their trunks, filled with clothes, costumes, toiletries, etc. We spent a few hours the day before leaving for camp trying on the clothes, packing, and trying to prepare them for what was coming…not sure that was at all possible!
• Fourth, my kids LOVED every second of their week at camp! I have never seen the youngest boy as happy as he was Sunday night during club, singing and dancing and thrown up in the air by his counselors. The older girl from the Ranch, who can be very quiet and shy, talked nonstop when I picked her up, sharing cheer after cheer, verse after verse, story after story about her week and her cabin mates. The oldest boy told me he prayed to receive Christ in his life with his counselor. It just so happened to be captured for a brief second on the camp highlight video (which he watched 3 times on my laptop during the car ride home.) The 3rd grade girl said she felt Jesus talking to her for the first time ever while she was on the blob in Puddleglum. According to her, He said ‘You and me – we need a fresh, clean start. You and me, we’ve been through a lot these last few years and I can make it all new. Trust me.’ And she said that she did.
• Fifth, it definitely helped build a relationship with their mom, because she could see how deeply I cared for her kids and people at Pine Cove would invest in her family.

Of course, there are way more details that would be fun to share, but I know I shouldn’t due to confidentiality. Suffice it to say, it was so worth it and God was most definitely magnified! I can’t wait to see those kiddos when school starts back…which is one reason I can actually get excited about summer ending…

reunited.

One major perk to summer down time:
FRIENDSHIPS rekindled.
I love all 4 of these women.
— Emily, Anne, Liz, Me and Summer —
AKA – Magic School Bus, SugarNSpice, Double Decker, Kenya Dig It? and Demolition Derby
back in the days of the Pine Cove Bluffs, that is.
It takes work to keep in touch, even when you live in the same city.
But it is so worth it!
So, 4 years from our summer together – filled with lifeguard training, mistaken identities, Cove Kids, Wild Woods, sitting in the swing til midnight working through salvation, delirious laughter, too much sugar, boat rides, laundry folding and so much more –
we reunited.
Sweet as ever.

blueberries.

Tuesday in the summer =
lots of sweet friends at Pine Cove who have their day off and let me stay at their house

so…

great friends with their day off
+ Ashley Boshell (sweet friend, who, like me, has lots of consecutive days off in the summer)
+ Ashley’s genius idea for a girls day
+ the Shed in Edom, Tx
+ the Blueberry farm just down the street in Edom
+ me
+about 8 dollars

= delicious breakfast and oh so fun blueberry picking and laughing and catching up and savoring these final weeks of summer

Sandwich that between two very fun nights of staff hang outs at Robby’s house,
and I am having one heck of a week!

priceless.

Warning: this post is sappy.

Today – July 20th, 2011 – marks 5 years from the day my precious Aunt Edie passed away. She seemed healthy, and oh so happy to be celebrating her son David’s wedding just a week earlier. After raising 4 boys, her son Tim and his wife Monica had a little one year old baby girl and Aunt Edie doted on baby Reagan every chance that she got. She was one of the sweetest, most loving, incredibly driven and inspirational women I’ve known. And in a whirlwind of sad surprises, her life ended.

Nearly a year ago my sweet friend, Brittany, lost her dad. Terribly unexpectedly. He was healthy. He was a runner. He was fun and full of life. And then one day, his life was lived.

I just got back from the lake. 2 days with just me and my mom. I don’t expect her to go anywhere, anytime soon. It’s not allowed. But I also realize the precious gift of having each memory with her, and I don’t ever want to risk forgetting. So while I have a little minute, I’m taking it to write down some memories from our quick, spontaneous lake get-away.

Like…

• Riding along on the jetski just me and my mom, no on else on the lake, and listening to her make tarzan noises.
• Or turning around moments later to find her looking at her reflection in the side mirror as the wind blew into her mouth…and then laughing so hard.
• Or having my mom say ‘now gun it! go fast! go fast!’ followed by ‘I didn’t mean it!’
• Or watching this 56 year old woman jump out into the lake without hesitation to push us into deeper water.
• Or curling up in blankets and watching Beth Moore speak on fear and insecurity and talking about Christ’s freedom in our lives.
• Or painting the little doghouse on the dock just to give it a fresh pop.
• Or watching my mom put those annoying neighbor dogs that followed us down the block in their place.
• Or convincing my mom it’s not socially appropriate to peer into the windows of the neighbors house even if you just want to look at the color of their cabinets.
• Or driving around the lake analyzing all our favorite houses, and coming back to the conclusion that ours is the best of them all
• Or sitting out on the porch swing drinking delicious mint tea talking about life and Jesus and friendships and boys and so much more
• Or pretending not to know my mom as she talked the McAlisters employee into a free meal because 2 weeks ago she got overcharged.
• Or listening to my mom talk about her first few years of marriage, and soaking up her advice.
• Or enjoying an incredible dinner with my mom, when I’m so used to making do with whatever I’ve got on hand.
• Or letting my mom treat me to a pedicure…when she refuses to spend money on herself.
• Or teaching my mom how to get on the internet on her phone, which she’s had for a year.
• Or the talks in the car on the way home.
• Or knowing that she’ll find such joy if I fold the tip of the toilet paper into a pretty ‘v’ shape before I leave…and then listening to her get excited about it 5 minutes later.

noah.

Noah Landry Staats
He’ll soon be 2 years old.
He has a direct key to my heart.
He doesn’t always love to cuddle, but I persistently try anyway.

He has the cutest little raspy voice that says precious things like ‘mummus…oh boy!’ as we drive to eat our hummus at eatzis.
He investigates everything he sees.
He sings and cheers to himself and proclaims things like ‘praise the Lord God!’ from the backseat.

He’s bound to love sports and so he’s learning early.
He’s often times shirtless, which nobody really minds cause they get to pat his little belly.
He is loved no doubt and he’s given us so much joy the last 2 year.
I love being an aunt and I love my lil Noah!

living.

I have been a bit stressed lately about where I’ll be living at the end of my lease on September 1st. For the last year and a half I’ve been driving 34 miles each way to and from work. I don’t regret it because being part of the Dallas community of friends has been worth it.

I moved in with Angie, Joanna, and shared a room with Chelsea starting in January 2010 to Northbridge. We loved it for a season! However, rent has gone up nearly $200 a month since we first moved in. Gas prices have skyrocketed. And my patience for the commute has gone down. All while my social workers income has remained the same.

We’ve been looking and looking. Angie and I knew we wanted to stay together and also live with our precious friend Susan. For an apartment with all girls, it needed to be safe. It needed to be in a good location. It needed to be somewhat central for all of us and goodness, could we please make it affordable! A frustratingly tall order!

After weeks of dead ends, I feel like the Lord took the reigns yesterday. There’s a complex I’ve driven by a thousand times in the last few years that would be ideal location wise. Still in Dallas, close to our church, close to our friends, but just on the fringe of the frustrating traffic to my job. That means, my commute will be 25 minutes instead of 45+ and about 10 miles closer than I’ve been driving.

I felt like it would be out of reach. And it totally would have. Except, the 3 bedroom has a fully equipped, large loft bedroom that allows for a 4th roommate…and conveniently lowers the expense by a ton! Angie and I found them yesterday and were excited briefly until we remembered we didn’t have a 4th roommate.

Oh wait. Round 2 of ‘the Lord is a provider.’ I went on a walk with my friend Ashley and talked through the whole living situation. She had just spoken with her friend from Kanakuk who seems so solid and is in need of a roommate!! WHAT?!? So, in less than 24 hours, our problem is solved. Great roommates, great price, great location…I’m AMAZED and really thankful!

haircut.

Sometimes I make mistakes.

This may or may not be one of them. I got nearly 3 inches chopped off today. The lady called it my summer-do.

I’m a bit undecided on how I feel about it. I think I’ll love it in about 3 weeks…

Nevertheless, my hair has been cut.

summerkate.

I had the best day yesterday with this girl – Summer Kate Duffie. (Pictures a few years old)

For those of you who know me, you probably her, or at least a little about her. I think the world of Summer!
She and I met on move-in day at Collins in August 2004…4th floor all the way.
I was nervous. So was she.
I was self-conscious. She probably was too.
I had a very talkative mother. So did she.
I needed to borrow an iron…she had one I could borrow.
And that was the start of our friendship.

I never could have predicted how the next 7 years would play out. I see God’s intricate handiwork tightly woven into it.

I’m thankful. So is she.

She married one of my longtime friends, Ryan Duffie, who I’ve known since kindergarten. They’re adorable. The can read me in an instant and between the 2 of them, have truly seen me through every phase of life. It’s a bit scary if I think about it.

They bought a house this weekend, and Summer delightedly took me to see it yesterday! Isn’t it wonderful?!? I can’t wait to see it will all of their things in it! We peered in each of the windows (since they don’t get a key til next month) and made plans for my guest room. Then we sat in her new driveway for more than an hour and talked. Accountability at its finest.

I’m thankful for this girl. For her devoted friendship. For new seasons in life. For her compassion and her laughter. For her patience and for some incredible memories along the way. I love her like another sister. That’s for sure.

And I LOVE her new house too!

summer.

I’m beginning to dread the question, “What did you do today?”, because my answer seems so pitiful sometimes. I wouldn’t trade my days this summer, don’t get me wrong, but on a productivity scale, I’d score relatively low.

Thankfully, I have other friends who have down time this summer. Christie had me laughing when I called last week and she said she’d been staring at the tv for 30 minutes, but it was off! I know I’m not alone in this, and again, I wouldn’t trade it for the world! I wake up some days with this sadness that the days of sleeping past 5:30 will soon be over.

Let me recount for you my day yesterday, so you have a glimpse what I’m talking about:
6:30 – my body naturally woke up. I made myself fall back asleep
7:30 – again, woke up, made myself go back to sleep
8:30 – woke up and got on my computer…while still in bed
9:30 – finished ‘John Rabe’ (interesting movie about WW2) while I folded laundry
10:30 – put on shorts/t-shirt and downloaded podcasts and had a quiet time
11 – 1:30 – called Maci and made plans, called Allison, caught up with her while starting my walk, walked to the grocery store to buy fruit, then to Micheal’s, then home nice and hot
1:30 – 3 – ate fruit salad and watched Friends and wrote notes to people
3 – 5:30 – walked to the post office and around the lakes and back to mail my notes, and listened to podcasts (actually LOVE this – Marc Driscoll podcasts from Marrs Hill)
5:30 – came home hot and jumped in the pool, met a new neighbor friend
7:15 – 7:45 – went to In-N-Out Burger for the first time in Texas
8 – 9:30 – watched the Bachelorette and looked for apartments online
9:30-11 – neighbors came over and talked over a glass of wine. I also hot glued about 5 cute little headbands
11:15 – read and went to bed

A day in the life…see what I’m talking about? So, be prepared, if you ask me what I’ve been up to lately, this is par for the course. Not too much. Not too much…

*also, if you have grand ideas for me to do (and acceptable definitions of ‘grand’ can be as simple as hanging out) let me know

*and finally, the picture is the fruit retrieved from the grocery store during my hectic day. FAVORITE summer snack – any frozen fruit, including frozen bananas. I march to my own beat. No shame.

repeat.

Sometimes I find myself a broken record. Like the time I ate a tuna sandwich everyday for 4 months…only to lose total interest in them for the last 4 years. Or the time I wore the same shoes everyday for 3 months…til they had to be thrown out due to a massive hole. I have watched entire series of shows in a matter of days, gone to ChickFilA more times than I could count in a week, read constantly til a book was complete, etc.

Most recently I’ve been listening to this song on repeat. By ‘on repeat’, I mean, I purchased it 3 days ago on itunes. My voice is now somewhat hoarse from singing my heart out to this song alone in my living room, car, shower… I went on an hour long walk yesterday and only listened to this song on repeat. I drove to Hurst and back and only listened to this song. I woke up and laid in bed for 30 minutes and only listened to this song.

Safe to say, I kind of love it right now! If you don’t know the song, listen and then you will get it. It’s by Natalie Grant and is called Your Great Name. I’m posting the lyrics here. Notice how much hope and freedom it proclaims! I love it! So much truth!

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Lost are saved, find their way

At the sound of Your great name

All condemned feel no shame

At the sound of Your great name

Every fear has no place

At the sound of Your great name

The enemy, he has to leave

At the sound of Your great name

Jesus, worthy is the Lamb

that was slain for us

Son of God and man

You are high and lifted up

And all the world will praise

Your great name

All the weak find their strength

At the sound of Your great name

Hungry souls receive grace

At the sound of Your great name

The fatherless find their place

At the sound of Your great name

The sick are healed, the dead are raised

At the sound of Your great name

Redeemer, My Healer, Lord Almighty

Sustainer, Defender, You are my king