i stand amazed...

This morning I stand in my room in a state of amazement all because of one word TORNADOES. I have to tell everybody that I am not a fan of thunderstorms to begin with, but add tornadoes into the mix and I am a huge ball of stress. I guess it is a good thing that I am also a super deep sleeper and did not wake up for the powerful storm that blew through Raleigh last night. However, other areas around us did not get just powerful storms.

My good friends and church buddies go to school in TN and they had pretty bad damage all around them. Many houses were destroyed and many families are now in a tough situation and they all need our prayers. Praise God though that the campus of ETSU (where my friends attend) did not get messed up and they are all safe and sound.

Also, I knew last night that Alabama was getting hit hard by tornadoes all day yesterday. I was scared and I live 8 hours away. But I was not prepared for the news story that came across my Yahoo page this morning. I did not realize just how severe the storms actually were and I am praying for all the families affected by this disaster. Yes I am calling it a disaster, because it simply is not "normal" weather. Reading all of the stories of the victims' families and survivors made my heart ache for them. If you would like to read the story check out this link, but I must warn you it is pretty deep: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_severe_weather . I have confidence though that this is all a part of God's plan. He knows what we can handle and He will get everybody though this. We just have to remember to praise Him in the good times and the bad. A side note of praise... all the PASSPORT staff who work out of Alabama are safe and sound. Thank you Lord!!!!

Please continue to pray for us here in NC (we are still under a tornado watch until 2pm) and all of the east coast as these storms move on out of here today. Pray that everybody effected by the storms are able to find shelter and comforting arms to guide them through the process of healing. I hope that everybody has a great Thursday and that today will be better than yesterday. Most of all I pray that your journey is blessed.

playing catch up again...

If you are my friend on Facebook then you have probably seen my pictures from Easter break and sort of got an idea of what the weekend was like, but I just felt like sharing in word form what all when down. Pictures do everything justice just fine but hearing some of the back stories are also pretty cool.

The day of the baseball game arrived and the weather was not too good. We kind of had the idea in the back of our minds that we might not be watching the Yankees after all. So early that morning we headed into DC. We took a train since traffic is a nightmare. I love trains and this was Chase's first train ride so the whole experience was a lot of fun. DC was wet and cold, but we still squeezed in a trip to one of the museums, the Washington monument, and the white house. As many times as I have been to DC, it never gets old!!!!!

We met some family friends in Baltimore before heading over to the stadium. They are from the area and we don't get to see them very often so it was a real treat. However, the night did not stay cheery very long. About 20 minutes after we arrived at the stadium, the game was postponed and we had to go back home. I was super bummed but I guess there was really nothing I could do. We got a good hot meal and then went to crash for the night.

The next day we were on our way back home. I was excited since I was going to get to see my long time best friend who moved to VA a while ago. Lunch was so much fun and I love being in her company. No wonder she is my best friend. I guess looking back on the entire mini-vacation, I had an amazing and blessed time. Although everything ended up not being what we planned, it turned out ever better than we planned. God really knows what and when we need it. He is so good.

Easter Sunday was also quite amazing. After annual Easter pics with the boyfriend and family we got to go to church and attend a wonderful service. I love being at my home church so much and it felt good to be back. It had been a while. I am so lucky to be able to attend church here and have a loving and supporting family. Wow I am blessed. Thank you Lord!!!!!!


Oh one more thing I must say before I go. I finished Matthew yesterday. It was neat how Easter was yesterday and my reading was the resurrection of Christ. I fit perfectly and I enjoyed taking it all in. I am not on to the book of Judges. It has been a while since I have looked at this book so I am anxious to learn what it is holding.


Finals are creeping ever so near so if my posts get a little sporadic don't worry, I will be back full steam ahead in about 2 weeks. School is the priority right now and I MUST pass my classes with excellent grades. Please be praying for us all here at school as the stress level rises more and more each day. Also please continue praying for me and my journey to the summer. Only 39 more days to go!!!!! I hope that your Monday was great and that the rest of your week flies by. Also, I pray that your journey is blessed!!!

The family at the train station

Us at the White House


Camden Yards...to bad we could not stay for long

Katie!!!!!!!

Easter Picture Time

a little change of plans...

So, like I said in my previous post, my parents and Chase and I were planning on going to Baltimore over Easter break to watch the Yankees play the Orioles. We headed out early this morning and we were planning on getting to the hotel around 4. Well about half way into our trip we decided to make a detour and visit a couple of places on our way to the hotel so we would not be bored all afternoon.

My family and I have been blessed multiple times to be able to visit Washington, D.C. however I have never had the chance to see Arlington National Cemetery. Baltimore is only 40 miles from Washington, D.C. and Chase had also never been so off we went. I must make a side note and say that this is very rare for us. We are normally super planned and like to stick to a schedule. But this change up was interestingly awesome and I am glad we stepped outside of the box. The cemetery was absolutely breath taking. It kind of takes your breath away looking and reading the tombstones. The people buried there are true heroes. We were also lucky enough to witness the changing of the guard at the tomb of the unknown soldier. It is simply amazing the dedication the honor guards have there.

After we finished at the cemetery we headed over to Georgetown to find some supper to eat. We found this really neat restaurant and I had a turkey burger that had apples and oats in it. Another side note: I am trying to step outside of the box when it comes to my food. I thought this trip would be the perfect place to start! Anyways the burger was scrumptious and I am glad that I decided to try it. The real reason we went to Georgetown was not just for dinner. We actually wanted to stop by and try some of the famous Georgetown Cupcakes. The shop was made famous by having their own show on TLC, and since I am a TLC fanatic I just had to stop by. The line was super long but boy was it worth it!!!!

I am soooooo glad we decided to take our detour today. I had so much fun with my family and I would not trade this day for anything. We actually had so much fun today that we are leaving a little early tomorrow to head back into DC and visit the American History and the Holocaust Museums before the baseball game tomorrow night. I am super pumped and can not wait. I will leave you guys with some pictures of our adventures. I will try to post again tomorrow with pictures of the game but I am not sure how late we will get in so you might have to wait!!!! Did I mention that I am excited?!?! God has blessed us so much recently and I thank Him everyday. He is the best :) I pray that everybody is having a great Easter break and that your journey is blessed.

The view at Arlington National Cemetery

The Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

The line at Georgetown Cupcakes

We finally got inside!!!!

The Treasure!!!!!!!

can you say BUSY?????

OH MY GOODNESS!!!!!!

That is all I have to say about this weekend. It was filled to the brim with action, work, and not that much sleep. But all in all I look back and realize that it was one of the most gratifying weekends I have had in a very long time.

I had the awesome opportunity to help manage the Deep South Classic this again this year. It is a girls AAU basketball tournament that brings in over 300 teams from all across the country to play in front of some of the biggest and greatest coaches in the country. I was privileged to help out last year because I was a manager for the women's basketball team, but I thought that since I was not taking part in that this year I would not have the chance to help. Fortunately I was wrong and was asked to help out again. It was super tiring (I was on my feet for over 35 hours this weekend) but it was worth it to get to hang out and work with the other managers and coaches again. I truly miss my position on the basketball team, but school takes priority and it was something I just had to give up.

One really cool part of the weekend was that I was able to stand next to Nolan Smith from Duke and Geno Auriemma who coaches at UCONN. It was pretty neat and I just had to take a moment to take it all in. On the flip side, one really bad part about the weekend was that we had really bad tornadoes go through Raleigh. On Saturday me and another manager were standing in the gym talking when the tornado sirens went off on campus. That was quite a scare and trying to get over 300 parents and kids and coaches who were in my gym downstairs was interesting. The gym staff did a great job directing traffic and getting us all downstairs into the basement locker rooms. We had to stay down there for about an hour until the tornadoes passed. It was not until that night when I got back to my room that I realized just how lucky we all were. The tornadoes passed within 3 miles of campus and the gym where we all were. The good Lord sure was looking down on us at that time. However many people were affected and I pray for them and what they must be going through.

Since I am now caught back up on all of my sleep and my last round of tests before finals are finally done I can relax a little bit. It feels good to just sit back and relax today. Easter break starts tomorrow and I am super excited. We are traveling to Baltimore to watch the Yankees play the Orioles. I will post pictures this weekend, along with Easter pictures of course!!!! Sunday is going to be such an awesome day. Easter is always such a special time for us Christians and I love it when I get to praise Jesus for all he has done for us. He is the best!!!!


In case you were wondering, I am still chugging along in Matthew. I am scheduled to finish it on Sunday, which is kind of cool. For some reason I just love the gospels. I think it is because all of the short parables they have in them. I sometimes have trouble concentrating on large passages to the short stories keep me entertained and I can learn something valuable also!!!!


I think that is all I have to say. I have sure rambled long enough for one post. But it felt good to get it all off my chest. Please pray for safe travels as everybody in Raleigh and Chapel Hill get off for Easter break tomorrow :) One more week of class and then finals when I get back and then it is summer time. 44 more days until camp training starts and I am super excited. Please pray as I begin to start learning bible study lessons and video programs. Did I mention that I was excited. WOOT WOOT!!!! hehe, sorry I just could not contain my joy. I hope everybody has enjoyed this beautiful weather and I pray that the rest of your week goes great. Oh and of course O pray that your journey is blessed!!!!!!!

on to Matthew, and a little dose of reality :)

Today was great for the fact that I finished Joshua. It was a good book and it provided great insight into how the Israelites made it into the promise land. I feel like the old testament could be made into a huge epic movie. It has probably been done somewhere already and I just don't know about it. I would love to see what it would look like though. I am now moving onto Matthew. The new testament just seems to renew my spirit. I love all of the little parables and verses. I get so much out of them so I am looking forward to sinking my teeth into Matthew. It is also kind of cool that I am starting Matthew now because this summer a good chunk of the Bible studies are in Matthew and I should be getting my staff packet soon so I can begin to "get in the know" of what is going to be going on. I am so excited and knowing that I will be working with PASSPORT this summer makes this Bible reading challenge that much more special. I am really just soaking up all of this biblical information like a sponge :) I also wanted to share with you guys a little glimpse into one of my great indulgences. I know this is not the best thing, but my friends and I LOVE it and I wanted to share. I am addicted to reality TV shows. Yes I admit it, but oh my goodness they are so fun to watch!!!! I guess why I like to watch them so much is that I love to see how other people live their lives, and see what is "normal" for them and their family. Oh and did I mention they are so fun to watch? My friends and I normally spend the entire time laughing to staring in amazement. Some of my personal favorites are: - 19 Kids and Counting: This show is on TLC and it follows the Duggar Family. They are a conservative christian family that have opened their home up to America. It is a really neat show to watch and you really can learn a ton from them. - Extreme Couponing: This show also comes on TLC and it is exactly what the title says...extreme. I agree that couponing can be a really good thing and you can save a ton of money. However when you go to the extreme of buying 77 bottles of mustard just because you have a coupon that makes them 39 cents, that is going a little overboard. I mean really, what are you going to do with 77 bottles of mustard? The Real Housewives Of...: This one comes on BRAVO and is so funny. There are like a million versions to this show and all of them are filled with ladies who have way to much money and way to much time on their hands. But it does make for some entertaining reality TV. Biggest Loser: This one is on NBC. It is currently one of my absolute favorites. Just watching the transformations these people go through and they are willing and brave enough to do it on national TV. I give them a big thumbs up for all they accomplish each season. And finally there is the all time biggest favorite reality TV show.... WIPEOUT!!!!!!!! Oh my goodness this is hilarious. It comes on abc and I sit for and hour each week and laugh until my abs (or lack of) hurt. I just had to add a video to show you what I am talking about. Sorry it is a link, my computer was not liking me today.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFzNKBZehSU Please laugh and enjoy :) Sorry if this post was super long. I am procrastinating studying for my organic 2 test coming up Friday and I found the video above and just had to share. I hope and pray that your week is going great and that the weekend gets here super quick. I am going to be super duper busy all weekend with a great opportunity, but that will have to wait until a later post. Until next time I hope that everybody stays safe and that your journey is blessed!!!!

defeating the enemy

The title of this post has to do with what I have been reading in my Bible plan. I am in the midst of the book of Joshua. If you don't know, Joshua is all about the Israelites defeating their enemies that are inhabiting the promise land and finally moving into the land the Lord set aside for them. With the help of God Joshua and the Israelites just crushed their foes with no problem at all. They only ran into trouble when they leaned on themselves and not on God. I thought this concept was pretty cool and it has been weighing on my heart these past couple of days. I can not defeat my enemies by myself, I need to rely on the Lord and everything will work out. Now when I say enemies I do not mean other people. My enemies are school (specifically tests), stress, and myself. Yes I know these things seem small and trivial. However, when your job is to be a student, those things are enormous. But I am learning a little by little that I need to just take a deep breath and let life just go on. I know I will be OK. I have begun to realize that the Lord really does know where he needs me to be and I am trusting in him more and more every day. He is awesome!!!!! This weekend has been amazing and a big stress reliever. Spending good solid quality time with your friends is always a blessing. My girls are such a Godly influence in my life and I love sharing time with them. We made a little road trip Friday which was a blast, and then yesterday we were able to spend time together at dinner. Like I said, it was so much fun. I am now ready to tackle this upcoming week head on. It will be stressful but oh so worth it in the end. Please pray that I stay focused and God conscious this week. The more I stay focused, the more I can get accomplished!!! Also please pray for me as my journey to this summer creeps ever closer. I should be receiving my staff packet this week and I am over joyed!!!! I pray that everybody has an amazing week and that you get tons of stuff done. Remember that God is always on your side...and of course i hope that your journey is blessed!!!!

be strong and courageous...

I figured out how to post videos :) I thought I would share one with you since I now do not have to post a bunch of links. This video is a song by Casting Crowns entitled Glorious Day. I love Casting Crowns so much. I was blessed to be able to see them in concert this past year and I loved every single minute of it. This song really touches my heart, and I am sure it will touch yours. It is an old hymn revamped into something more modern. Its words are so simple yet so amazing and true. Please enjoy!!! On another subject, I am currently reading Joshua and boy is it cool so far. The Israelites are FINALLY crossing the Jordan and going into the Holy Land. Today while I was reading a phrase kept popping up in the passage and it really stuck out to me. God kept telling people to be strong and courageous because He would be with them wherever they went. It is so neat how God can just speak to your heart sometimes. This week and next week are super hectic for me, but I have to keep reminding myself that it is only school and the stress and worry will soon pass. Please pray for all of us college students as finals loom in the near future. I pray that everybody has a Glorious Day and that your journey is blessed :)

two more down and fourtune cookies :)

Yep that's right people, two more Bible books down. I finished Deuteronomy on Saturday and I finished the book of James today. I was becoming a little discouraged with Deuteronomy just because it was so long and tedious, however James was the perfect pick me up!!! We are studying this book in my college class this semester and so getting to read it on my own was so neat. God really tugged at my heart while reading James and pointed out all some stuff I need to be working on. Just by reading over James these past two days I have realized that I need to be more positive when talking about people, especially when I am frustrated, and I need to praise God in faith. Praising in faith means to give it all up to God and praise him for anything and everything no matter what. He is so good to me and I am not thanking him enough!!!! Tomorrow I am back in the Old Testament with the book of Joshua. It is not nearly as long or as complicated at Deuteronomy so I am happy with that.

Another note about Bible reading. I am no longer going to give day by day captions of what books and verses I have read. I found it kind of boring typing it all out so it sure must have been boring to read. However, I encourage you to check out the website where I got my Bible reading plan from. It is called Discipleship Journal and it is pretty awesome ( check it out at http://www.navpress.com/dj/). It has multiple types of reading plans, from the 365 day plan like mine, to book by book reading plans. You can find the perfect one that fits into your lifestyle.

One more really cool thing to share. At least I thought it was really cool. I went home over the weekend and my parents and I went out to eat Chinese food. After we were done we received our fortune cookies and we all picked the one we wanted to open. Mom and dad surprisingly got the exact same fortune. It was actually kind of funny. However, mine was ironically awesome. Check out the picture below. I really hope this fortune is right and it will one day come true. I am saving this and getting it laminated next time I go home. HOW COOL!!!!!

I hope that everybody's Monday is going swell and it is not too hectic like Mondays normally are. Just 4 more days until the weekend and relaxation. Speaking of numbers...only 60 days, that's 2 months, until PASSPORT. I am super stoked and have a countdown on my calendar. This summer is going to be so much fun and so exciting and I can not wait to see what the Lord has in store for me. Please pray that all will go well and that I can be a strong Christly example to all the kids and young adults that will be attending the camp. I pray that everybody stays safe and enjoys this wonderful warm and DRY weather we are having today. Stop and spend some time with God today, he is the one who will make your journey blessed :)