Claira's Nursery

So I know all I ever talk about on social media these days is my baby... But I'm giving birth in a month to my first child and it's kind of consuming my every thought! So I apologize... I guess ;)

I knew I wanted Claira's room to be super soft and girly. The pinker the better! Her room is TINY, probably 150 square feet if I had to guess, so figuring out how to arrange the furniture so that I got everything I wanted in there proved to be a challenge. But with the help of my hubby and mom, I actually had a lot of fun and love how it turned out.

Here are some pics of her room! The only think missing is a diaper genie that I just ordered, and a few pictures of her once she gets here :)


The blue dresser was originally brown with some ugly gold handles. We bought it from Salvation Army for $40 using some of our baby shower Visa gift cards. Then we went to Home Depot, got some new handles and a $2.00 sample jar of blue paint, and completely made it over! The rocking chair in the corner has a pocket on the side with a very special book inside. The book is a bedtime story from my mom, and she recorded herself reading it so Claira will know her voice. I've already started holding it to my belly so Grammie can read to her. The blanket on the rocking chair was handmade by Grandma Candy, a close family friend. I looove handmade things!


Her crib was a gift from my mom, and the doilies on the wall were an idea from my best friend, Allie Gilmer. I was nervous about putting anything above her crib because the paranoid part of me was afraid it would fall somehow and land on her. The doilies were a great idea because they are light, pretty, and secured well enough that I know they won't fall on my sleeping baby's little self :)


The quilt hanging from her crib and the little bunny sitting inside were both handmade by Darlene Lindsey, a close family friend and extra Grandma for baby Claira ;) the white circles on the quilt, as well as the white tummy and feet of the bunny, are all made from pieces of my wedding dress. They are both INCREDIBLY special to me. Notice the feet say her name and the chest says 2015 in the heart :)


This is her bookshelf! On the top shelf are a few books, her first Bible, her piggy bank (an adorable decoration from my home church baby shower!), and a picture of us announcing my pregnancy. Second shelf is some cute cowgirl boots from Gigi (Jon's mom) and some decor from her baby shower that my sisters in law threw! And bottom shelf are her first toys which include a few stuffed animals and some comfort blankies.


Top of the bookshelf: a pink C on the wall which was also decor at her baby shower, a head band holder made by Rachael Terantino (friend from our church who is expecting her own baby boy about a week after me!), a Teapot Scentsy warmer from Jonna Reed (a friend from my home church in Oklahoma), and a lamp from target :)


She has about 30 headbands. I'm soooo excited to play dress up with my baby girl!


This is my attempt at organizing her closet, including clothes that don't fit just yet. On top are her pacifiers, some swaddling blankets, extra receiving blankets and her car seat cover and head supporter. Second and third shelf: clothes that don't fit yet and bath time things that she won't need for a while (toys, bubbles, etc). Bottom shelf: extra changing table covers and crib sheets... Because I've heard babies tend to be messy ;)


In her dresser, we have onsies and sleepers in the top drawers.





Second drawer is literally JUST accessories. Scarves, hats, cardigans, mittens, socks, shoes, sunglasses, leggings... You name it, she probably has it! Spoiled already ;)



Bottom drawer: outfits! Newborn-3 months. Hopefully she'll get to wear everything at least once before she grows out of them!


On the hanging rod in her closet, we put her swimsuits and dresses. Girlfriend has almost as many swimsuits as she does dresses... But hey, it's Florida!


And there you have it! A detailed, virtual tour of Claira Bren's room. Now all we need is Claira Bren!


Thanks for reading :)

Have a wonderful day.

Third Trimester Woes

Jon and I decided to go off birth control over Thanksgiving break last year. For whatever reason, I assumed that after being on birth control for so long, it would take us anywhere from 6 months to a year to get pregnant. I figured we still had plenty of time to prepare... So imagine my surprise when 3 weeks later, we were pregnant! I know some people have a little more of a gap between ending prevention and getting pregnant, and I know a few couples that have struggled or are currently struggling with fertility issues, and I've seen how heart breaking those struggles can be. So I don't take it lightly that we ended up conceiving so quickly. However, it didn't give me a whole lot of time to prepare for pregnancy.

When I first found out I was pregnant, I made a conscious decision to not complain about being pregnant. It had always sort of annoyed me when pregnant people complained because weren't the carrying life? Isn't that a beautiful thing? Aren't they proud of the miracle that God has given them? And also... Didn't they do this to themselves? I mean, you know what causes it... Right?

I decided I wouldn't be one of those women. I would always be aware of the beauty of pregnancy and always be thankful for this miracle inside of me.

So for the first trimester, even though I was exhausted and my breasts were sore and I was puking up grape juice in the bathroom at work, I would always just tell people I felt great, so excited etc.

















Second trimester, I didn't have to fib ;) I loved my growing belly, I loved wearing maternity clothes, I loved feeling her kick and twitch and wiggle inside me. I also hadn't really gotten any stretch marks so I thought "yay, I'm going to be one of the lucky ones" (HA!)

















Enter: Third Trimester. Whole different ball game. Now I understand why pregnant women complain. In fact, I'm sort of surprised they don't complain MORE. It's no joke. So, for my first time preggo mommy friends that haven't reached this stage yet, I've compiled a list for you. And for the veteran, alumni mommies, maybe you can relate.

1) You will have to pee all the time. Well no, that's not accurate. You'll FEEL like you have to pee all the time. For example, this morning at church I was up on stage ready to sing and all the sudden I thought "oh shoot, I need to go to the bathroom!" I had a few minutes before it was time to start, so I rushed to the bathroom, got situated and... Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Not even a little. I guess baby was just using my bladder as a pillow. Precious...








2) Little pleasures in life like breathing and walking become a thing of the past. Now walking through the grocery store causes your feet to swell up like an Oompa Loompa. I dropped my keys on the floor board of my car the other day. After a few seconds of bending down to get them, I could feel my face turning hot and red. I could also see the light of Jesus and I thought "This is it... This is the end. I'm going to suffocate right here in the car". Luckily, my husband was right there to pick the keys up for me, essentially saving the lives of myself and our unborn daughter, all while laughing at my untimely predicament. My hero.









3) Did you know some people sleep for like 7 hours straight? Sometimes more?? I forget it's even possible until I get up in the night for the 6th time to pee (or not to pee. It's really sort of a guessing game, remember?) and I realize my husband has been snoring for the last 7.5 hours... And maybe I try to drop the hand soap on the ground or shut the bathroom door a little too hard because the bitter side of me just wants him to stir in his sleep. Even just a little bit. But of course, he doesn't. It's actually pretty impressive.








4) Remember when I said I was one of the lucky ones that won't get any stretch marks because I didn't have any for a while? Well that was when my stomach didn't look like I was smuggling a water melon. At some point in the 3rd trimester, my skin got very angry at what was going on and decided to show it's true colors. And it's true colors turned out to be pink and squiggly. Despite putting oil and lotion on religiously twice a day, my skin decided it would show me who's boss. In conclusion, guess what I discovered? I'm not one of the lucky ones.








5) Get ready for some compliments. And by compliments, I mean get ready to say "thank you" to the oddest and most offensive things people have ever said to your face. For example, things like "you are MASSIVE" should be accepted with a smile, not a punch to the compliment giver's throat. Things that people would never say to someone in ordinary circumstances are completely ok when you're pregnant. Here are some more examples:

"Your feet are really starting to swell, you must be getting close!"

"Are you sure it's not twins in there? You are huge"

"You're not due for another six weeks?? But you're SO BIG"

"You look exhausted. Like REALLY exhausted. Are you not sleeping well?"

"Oh, I can tell it's a boy because you're carrying in your behind as well" (no actually it's a girl... But thanks)



















So anyway... Those are just a few things that come along with the third trimester of pregnancy. I could come up with a few more, but I decided at the beginning I wasn't going to complain... Remember? ;)


Thanks for reading :)

Have a wonderful day.

Third Trimester Woes

Jon and I decided to go off birth control over Thanksgiving break last year. For whatever reason, I assumed that after being on birth control for so long, it would take us anywhere from 6 months to a year to get pregnant. I figured we still had plenty of time to prepare... So imagine my surprise when 3 weeks later, we were pregnant! I know some people have a little more of a gap between ending prevention and getting pregnant, and I know a few couples that have struggled or are currently struggling with fertility issues, and I've seen how heart breaking those struggles can be. So I don't take it lightly that we ended up conceiving so quickly. However, it didn't give me a whole lot of time to prepare for pregnancy.

When I first found out I was pregnant, I made a conscious decision to not complain about being pregnant. It had always sort of annoyed me when pregnant people complained because weren't the carrying life? Isn't that a beautiful thing? Aren't they proud of the miracle that God has given them? And also... Didn't they do this to themselves? I mean, you know what causes it... Right?

I decided I wouldn't be one of those women. I would always be aware of the beauty of pregnancy and always be thankful for this miracle inside of me.

So for the first trimester, even though I was exhausted and my breasts were sore and I was puking up grape juice in the bathroom at work, I would always just tell people I felt great, so excited etc.





Second trimester, I didn't have to fib ;) I loved my growing belly, I loved wearing maternity clothes, I loved feeling her kick and twitch and wiggle inside me. I also hadn't really gotten any stretch marks so I thought "yay, I'm going to be one of the lucky ones" (HA!)





Enter: Third Trimester. Whole different ball game. Now I understand why pregnant women complain. In fact, I'm sort of surprised they don't complain MORE. It's no joke. So, for my first time preggo mommy friends that haven't reached this stage yet, I've compiled a list for you. And for the veteran, alumni mommies, maybe you can relate.

1) You will have to pee all the time. Well no, that's not accurate. You'll FEEL like you have to pee all the time. For example, this morning at church I was up on stage ready to sing and all the sudden I thought "oh shoot, I need to go to the bathroom!" I had a few minutes before it was time to start, so I rushed to the bathroom, got situated and... Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Not even a little. I guess baby was just using my bladder as a pillow. Precious...


2) Little pleasures in life like breathing and walking become a thing of the past. Now walking through the grocery store causes your feet to swell up like an Oompa Loompa. I dropped my keys on the floor board of my car the other day. After a few seconds of bending down to get them, I could feel my face turning hot and red. I could also see the light of Jesus and I thought "This is it... This is the end. I'm going to suffocate right here in the car". Luckily, my husband was right there to pick the keys up for me, essentially saving the lives of myself and our unborn daughter, all while laughing at my untimely predicament. My hero.



3) Did you know some people sleep for like 7 hours straight? Sometimes more?? I forget it's even possible until I get up in the night for the 6th time to pee (or not to pee. It's really sort of a guessing game, remember?) and I realize my husband has been snoring for the last 7.5 hours... And maybe I try to drop the hand soap on the ground or shut the bathroom door a little too hard because the bitter side of me just wants him to stir in his sleep. Even just a little bit. But of course, he doesn't. It's actually pretty impressive.


4) Remember when I said I was one of the lucky ones that won't get any stretch marks because I didn't have any for a while? Well that was when my stomach didn't look like I was smuggling a water melon. At some point in the 3rd trimester, my skin got very angry at what was going on and decided to show it's true colors. And it's true colors turned out to be pink and squiggly. Despite putting oil and lotion on religiously twice a day, my skin decided it would show me who's boss. In conclusion, guess what I discovered? I'm not one of the lucky ones.


5) Get ready for some compliments. And by compliments, I mean get ready to say "thank you" to the oddest and most offensive things people have ever said to your face. For example, things like "you are MASSIVE" should be accepted with a smile, not a punch to the compliment giver's throat. Things that people would never say to someone in ordinary circumstances are completely ok when you're pregnant. Here are some more examples:

"Your feet are really starting to swell, you must be getting close!"

"Are you sure it's not twins in there? You are huge"

"You're not due for another six weeks?? But you're SO BIG"

"You look exhausted. Like REALLY exhausted. Are you not sleeping well?"

"Oh, I can tell it's a boy because you're carrying in your behind as well" (no actually it's a girl... But thanks)







So anyway... Those are just a few things that come along with the third trimester of pregnancy. I could come up with a few more, but I decided at the beginning I wasn't going to complain... Remember? ;)


Thanks for reading :)

Have a wonderful day.

Only We Know

Wrote this right after I found out I was pregnant back in January. I decided to go ahead and share it, Im sure a lot of mommies have had the same thoughts.




Dear baby,

As I walked into target yesterday to pick up some dry erase markers for my classroom, a thought entered my mind: how can something be consuming all my thoughts, be the focus of my day dreams, be the most wonderful thing to ever happen to me... And no one around me has any idea. The people I pass in the store, the person ringing up my markers... They don't know. I have life inside me. They don't know that a miracle is happening as we speak. They don't know how much I love you already. Only we know, baby.

I walk into work and bid good morning to my fellow teachers, greet my students, welcome their hugs and think, "there's two of us you're hugging, sweet second grader". But only we know, baby.

At church, I sing from the stage during worship service. I look out in the congregation and see the people singing praises to The Lord and wonder... Do you hear them singing too, Little One? They don't know you're there yet. Only we know, baby.

I'm excited to share our news. I know my mom will cry with joy, our church family will be so happy for us, you'll have lots of people that will be praying for you and loving you. But for now, I kind of like having this secret between us.

This secret that only we know, baby.

Love, your Mommy




Thanks for reading :)

Have a wonderful day.

Katie

When we first moved to Florida, Jon had accepted the Youth Pastor position at Park Street, but the current youth pastor and his family weren't resigning until August. So for the summer, Jon worked as an intern at the church. We helped out in the children ministry as well as the youth group.

On one of our first Sundays in the youth group, Amie, the previous youth pastor's wife, was taking roll during Sunday school and introducing me to people. She came across two names: Beth Yale and Katie Yale. She said "they'll be here, they're just usually late" as she checked off their names. I thought it was funny that they notoriously struggled with punctuality, much like myself ;) but I also remember thinking it was cool that she knew they'd be there. So they were faithful. Sweet.

Sure enough, about ten minutes late, in walk two girls. They were obviously sisters: same petite build, same features, same long straight hair, both adorable. I concluded that these must be the Yale Girls. Right away, people began teasing and joking with them; "the Yales, ladies and gentlemen!" "About time" "Fashionably late". The girls laughed, and argued a little about whether their tardiness was Katie's fault or Beth's. It was quite entertaining.

After Sunday school, I introduced myself to the girls. Beth was sweet and soft spoken, and Katie was spunky and talked a million words a minute. I liked them both right away.


The first time I was able to hang out with Katie outside of church was at a girls sleepover. We all went over to Amie's house for movies, snacks, and games. I learned a little more about Katie. I learned that she could eat more than you'd expect. I learned that she was very friendly, which I liked. I also learned that she was competitive, which I liked even more ;) We played several card games and that girl was In. Tense. Love it.


(Far right in the blue shirt)

I really got to connect more with Katie at church camp. I loved how she got wholeheartedly involved in everything we did. Whether it was music, service, games, or even cleaning, Katie was all about it. She had a great attitude and it was infectious. She was also very independent. If she decided she wanted to go to the snack shop and no one else wanted to go, guess what. She'd still go. She wasn't afraid to do her own thing. She was a leader.





One night after church, when Jon and I had officially taken over the youth group, Katie and I sat and talked for quite a while. It was our first real heart to heart. She asked if I was excited to be a youth pastor's wife. I told her I was absolutely excited, but I was also nervous. Nervous about filling Amie's shoes, nervous about connecting with the girls, nervous about not coming off as a huge dork. She looked at me and said "Oh whatever! I already love you and I know everybody else does to. You'll be awesome."

That was so encouraging to me. Such a simple thing to say, but so sweet and uplifting, especially from a 15 year old girl. But, that's just how she was. She spoke her mind, and she wasn't afraid to give out compliments. She always saw good in people.

On Monday, September 2nd, everyone in our family had the day off work for Labor Day. We decided to get together and go bowling. Jon and I had just arrived at the bowling alley when we got a phone call. Katie had been in an accident. She was rushed to the hospital, but she wasn't responding.

My throat tightened and my heart dropped. Katie Yale? The girl I just saw yesterday at church? Impossible. She was fine yesterday. She was her normal, spunky self. She told me she had helped a freshman girl find her classes on Friday. She told me she was going to ask that girl to eat lunch with her on Tuesday. She told me she had a volleyball game coming up. And now she's in the hospital? Not responding? Is this happening?

Jon and I left right away to go to the hospital. When we got there, only her grandparents were in the lobby. Katie's mom was with the doctor, her dad was on his way, and no one else had arrived yet. That's when her grandma told us what had happened.

Katie's family went boating to celebrate Labor day. She and her friend, Aubrey, were on a tube that was connected to a rope and tied to the boat. As they were tubing, being dragged on the tube behind the boat, two people on a jet ski were driving in the opposite direction of the boat. The driver of the jet ski decided that when they passed each other, he'd drive around the back of the boat to go over its wake. He didn't realize the boat was carrying a tube, and that tube was carrying two teenage girls. He turned to go around behind the boat, and drove directly into the tube. Both girls were flown into the water. The jet ski had driven right into Katie. Both girls were rushed to the hospital.

Aubrey was fine, praise God. She was soon released from the hospital and came down to join the rest of us who we're waiting to hear about Katie. After a while, several more people had arrived and we were all waiting to hear what was going on. It seemed like forever, but finally the doctor came out. He told everyone that Katie's heart had stopped, but they were able to get her back and stabilize her a little, with the help of machines. However, she had a lot of internal bleeding and her situation was extremely critical.

The rest of the night was a blur. They lost her heart beat. They got her back. She coded again. They got her back. More internal bleeding, going to perform surgery to stop it. She coded again. They brought her back again. Finally the doctor stopped coming to update us, so all we could do was wait. There were no less than 30 people in the waiting room. We sang, we cried, prayed. And we waited.

Late in the night, the doctor came and asked Katie's mom and dad to come with him. They walked into a little room. We didn't hear what the doctor said, but then we heard her parents. They started sobbing, pleading, and begging God not to take her. My heart was physically hurting. We all sat in silence, with the exception of our weeping. We didn't know what they were told, but we knew it wasn't what we were hoping for. Her parents didn't come back to the waiting room.

A little while later, the doctor came through the doors. You could hear a pin drop as we anticipated whatever news he had for us. After what seemed like several minutes of intense, quiet waiting... the doctor finally spoke. He told us that Katie had no brain activity. They were going to take her off machines and she would be gone very soon. He asked us to prepare to say our goodbyes.

Everything moved in slow motion for the next several minutes. I looked at her grandparents, holding each other in the corner. I saw Katie's friends drop to their knees. I looked over at my husband. He was holding his head in his hands and I could see tears falling from his face. I felt my own hot tears rolling down my cheeks. What is happening? Why?

Several of our youth students were there, so we decided to go see her together and say good bye. When we walked in, Beth laid her head on her big sister's chest and cried. We all gathered around Katie, touched her hands, touched Beth's back, hugged each other, sobbed. But none of us said anything. What was there to say?

Jon and I went home a little while later. It was very quiet in our home that evening.

Katie passed away on Tuesday, September 3rd. That Wednesday in youth group, we didn't have a regular service. Instead we just took the night to remember Katie. We decided to make a scrapbook for the family. Each student got a strip of paper. They could write memories, notes to Katie, notes to her family, song lyrics, quotes. Pretty much anything they wanted.











Jon also took the opportunity that night to remind our youth group that anything can happen in the blink of an eye. He presented the gospel and told them that if they don't know where they're going when they die, the better settle it soon.

I honestly lost track of how many people gave their lives to God because of Katie's story. Kids in our children's ministry, students in our youth group, co workers, neighbors, even my nephew, Logan. One girl in the youth group called me one night and said she needed to be saved, so I was able to pray with her over the phone and she accepted Christ right then. Katie's testimony has led so many people to salvation.

That Saturday was Katie's funeral. Our auditorium seats about 480. We're estimating that there were over 700 there that day. People were sitting in classrooms, in the aisles, even in the hallway.


One of the songs we sand was a familiar one, but it holds a different meaning to me now. Every time I hear it, it takes me back to that day.

"You give and take away.
You give and take away.
My heart will choose to say,
Lord blessed be Your name".


At the end of the funeral, Katie's dad surprised everyone by asking to come on stage and say a few words. He told everyone that although this was unexpected and heartbreaking, there was nothing they could have done differently, it was just her time to go home to heaven. He also said that if Katie could choose between coming back, or going to heaven and having a part in all of those people trusting in Christ, you better believe she wouldn't change a thing. And I think he's absolutely right.

Last Thursday, February 6th, would have been Katie's 16th birthday. We decided to celebrate by inviting her family, schools friends, and the youth group to have a night of food, cake, and volleyball. We were nervous about the event because we didn't want it to be a "birthday party", we didn't want it to be a memorial, but we also didn't want to let her birthday go by without acknowledging her. There were about 50 or 60 of Katie's friends there to celebrate her, and we all had a lot of fun. I think that would have made Katie really happy. Although I think celebrating your sweet 16 in heaven with your creator is hard to beat ;)

I realize I didn't know Katie for a very long time. Only about about 3 months. But in that time, I was definitely able to see what a beautiful girl she was in so many ways. Losing her was devastating to so many people, but we have hope in knowing that we will see her again in heaven.


We love you, Katie. See you later.

Have a wonderful day, everyone.

Wifely Submission vs. Technology

I hate technology.

I like Instagram, and I like blogging. And I have a love/hate relationship with Facebook.

But I hate technology.

So yesterday, when my husband suggested that we have our tithe directly withdrawn every week, I wasn't happy. You see, I budget our money and make sure everything is getting paid on time. I have a handy little app on my phone that I update literally every day, and I can tell you right now how much we have and where it's going. Jon gets online and pays our tithe and cell phone once a month because those are both done on the computer, and I hate technology, remember?

So when he suggested the "directly withdrawn" thing for our tithe I thought "what?! That's just going to confuse me!" (You may be thinking "umm it's directly withdrawn. That LESS confusing." Well it's confusing to me, people!)

So I was ready to tell him that I'M in charge of budgeting and so I want to keep it the SAME!

But let's back track. Jon has had a rough week...

1) We were staying in a guest house, but it was only for the summer. So this week, we're moving to the church Missions apartment until we find a permanent place to live. A blessing! But oh how we loathe the packing and unpacking and repacking and not having a place to call our own.
2) Jon's car battery went ca-poot. His car wouldn't start, nor take a jump. So we had to deal with that.
3) I got a traffic ticket. I was giving some youth girls a ride home and none of us were wearing our seat belts. I'm ashamed and don't worry, my lesson has been learned.
4) Work is rough for him some days. Being a youth pastor means you're probably the youngest guy on staff, which means you do a good amount of physical work. Like putting up drywall and hanging projectors from 50 foot ceilings. Who'd uh thunk?
5) Once in a blue moon, there's a little issue where the church gets struck by lightening and it messes up the computers so you have no access to the lesson you had planned for the youth group, so you just gotta wing it. Yeah that happened to my hubby this week too.

So it got me thinking. I love my husband more than anything on this earth. I respect him, and I care about his feelings. Does he really need to face ALL THAT in his day and then come home to a wife that argues with him? Does he need a wife that doesn't trust that this "directly withdrawn" thing is a good idea? Wouldn't that make him feel like I don't trust HIM? And it's trusting someone part of respecting them? Is getting my way REALLY more important than just respecting him and adjusting the way I do things?

I decided that he's more important than that.

Now if you know me very well at all (ehem... Mom) you know that I'm pretty strong willed. I get set in my ways and form my opinions and when someone tries to change them, it's HARD for me to relinquish. I knew early on that I was not going to easily "submit" to the man that I'd someday marry. But you know what I'm learning?

Being submissive doesn't mean you don't have a voice. Notice that Jon SUGGESTED this idea. He didn't do it without telling me. He didn't say "this is what's happening, get over it". He wanted to discuss it. A good husband WANTS his wife's input. The submission part comes in when you realize that him feeling respected is more important than your stubborn, prideful ways.

And I'm learning :) I'm NOT perfect at it. I wouldn't even say I'm good at it, so don't get the wrong impression. I'm just saying this was a time when I thought about it and considered the big picture. And I think I'm becoming a bit wiser with each of these little experiences.

So I told Jon "Ok. I'll have to get used to it but I think that's a good idea". So he did it. And guess what, folks. That was good for us. I felt so much love for him, and from him.


Because we're a team. We're in this together. And when he's had a rough day or week or month, I'M his teammate. I'm his cheerleader. I'm always in his corner. I may not be able to change the big things or fix his problems, but I can love him, respect him, and yes... Submit to him... Yuck! ;)

Ephesians 5:21-22
"Submit yourselves to each other out of reverence for Christ. Wives, submit to your husband as you do to The Lord."

Submission...It's a good thing people. I never thought it would be! But it is.

And I still hate technology.

Thanks for reading :)

Have a wonderful day.

Camp!

So my husband and I have officially taken over the youth group at Park Street Baptist Church, and this last week we went to our first church camp with the group.

FUN!

It was a great week. We had 2 students from our group accept Jesus into their lives: Dylan and Shannon.

I had about a 20 minute conversation with Shannon before service on Thursday night. She was asking questions, and I was doing my best to answer them. Then it was time to go to service so our conversation was cut short.

The ENTIRE service, I was so anxious. I kept catching myself staring at the back of Shannon's head, pleading with God to soften her heart. My stomach hurt, my face was hot, I felt nauseous. It was like I was getting beat up by the Holy Spirit.

Finally, the speaker (Aaron Cavin) ended his message and asked everyone to stand. As soon as they did, Shannon turned around, made eye contact with me, and started walking towards me. My heart leaped.

Then I got the awesome opportunity to pray with her as she accepted Jesus. Amazing.


So that was definitely the highlight of my week, but the rest of our time at camp was a blast too! I really got to know the girls and I can honestly say I made some sort of connection with almost all of them. Look at these cuties.





We were split up into 4 teams. Our group was part of the green team... Aaannnndd we ended up in 3rd place out of 4. Haha. But it was fun playing all kinds of crazy games.


It's seriously a dream come true to be able to do ministry with my husband. I feel so blessed. God has put us in a great youth ministry, and in tropical, beautiful St Pete, Florida to boot!


Speaking of Florida, we live in an area that is almost completely surrounded by beaches, so we get a nice sea breeze all the time. But our camp was near the middle of Florida.

Florida heat + no ocean breeze = HUMID. And my hair and humidity are best buds. They love to get together and have wild and crazy parties. So... Here's a little gift, from me to you..


Thanks for reading :)

Have a wonderful day.