Archive for the ‘Random’ Category

So I didn’t get a chance to blog all week. It has been a crazy, busy, long week. So I decided to wrap up all the blog posts I would’ve written into one. Don’t worry, it won’t be too long. Some awesome things are happening, check it out!

Monday, June 7

Cody and I celebrated 10 months of marriage. (Yes, I know, counting months is very Jr. Highish of me, but until we reach one year, we count months. It’s just more fun that way!)

 

 I started working out with a trainer this week. We meet Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. She is kicking my booty, but I’ve already lost 2 pounds this week! My goal is 10-15. I’ll keep you posted.

Tuesday, June 8

I spent this whole day at the hospital, waiting for my new niece, Olivia Grace to arrive. My sister-in-law, (Cody’s sister) Madi labored all day. I was there from 9am-9pm and she finally arrived around 7:55pm. She is a beautiful baby girl, with lots of hair!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wednesday, June 9th

After another booty kicking workout, I spend the rest of the day at our Central campus learning about coaching. Biggest take-a-way:

“Mentoring is about what I can teach you, coaching is about what I can pull out of you that’s already there.”

Learned a lot and got to see some old co-workers from different campuses.

At SWITCH, we celebrated Tony’s last night at the N-Dub. He is moving on to be the youth pastor at the Edmond Campus. We’re still looking at possible new roles to fill, but it looks like I’ll step into the position of youth pastor in the next few weeks.

Thursday, June 10

I spent the morning shut up in an old office building, with other members of the SAG board. We listened to 15 different groups come and present their programs. We had $250,000 to award to the top 5 programs. We listened and discussed from 10am-2pm and finally came up with our top 5. Getting to work with the SAG has been an amazing opportunity, and I have learned a lot!

Friday, June 11

And today… I’m at the office, filling in for one of my co-workers. I have a four week series to write for the LOOP, called “I AM” it’s an identity message and we’re taking our scriptures from Ephesians chapter 1. Here is the rough outline of the four weeks.

• I AM Blessed (Eph. 1:3)
• I AM Forgiven (Eph. 1:7)
• I AM Included (Eph. 1:13)
• I AM Secure (Eph. 1:13-14)

The guys worked on the deck Sunday from 11:30am to 9:30pm. It started out looking like this:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And turned into this:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’ll show you how we did it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sonray Enterprises (a wielding and fabrication company) came out and wielded pipe from the gas line of our house.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He wielded pipe underneath the deck so that we could have a gas fire pit, instead of a wood burning fire pit. This cuts down on smoke, and always having to have fire wood on hand.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So this little gas pipe sticking up from out of the deck is all we needed to make this happen:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We added a few details:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Upgraded the aesthetics:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Used a little spray paint to fix up an old table and chairs:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lava rocks for even more eye catching fun:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And a little pop of color:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For an amazing outdoor oasis:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This Memorial Day, I’d like to take the opportunity to tell you about my hero.

Srgt. Cody Light

Or as I like to call him: Babe.

Cody joined the Marines after graduating high school. After graduating boot camp, he served four years as a United States Marine, taking two tours to Iraq including the Battle of Fallujah and the 20,000 Troop Surge.

The Marines’ core values are Honor, Courage and Commitment, and I can tell you, these core values have not left my Marine.

But perhaps the most inspiring thing about my hero is the USMC motto that he has modeled his life around.

Semper Fidelis which means “Always Faithful.”

These simple, yet powerful words are etched into my hero’s forearms, as a constant reminder to me, that the motto is more than a cool tattoo. It is his life’s purpose, his calling, not only to God and country, but to his wife, family, friends and anyone who might be in need, to lay down his own life and faithfully serve another.

That is why I fell in love with him. That is why I will love him till the day I die.

This is a tribute to my hero. Thank you for your service to our country. Thank you for loving me. I am truly blessed to call you mine.

We love doing home improvement projects around our house. This particular one started in mid April. If we’re lucky, I’ll have an updated post in a couples days with the completed project. A big thanks to Andrew and Jon for helping get it done!

With summer around the corner I feel the kid in me come out. Unfortunately many adults can lose sight of the kid inside. Sometimes I think adults can just be too adultish. Here are 10 things that we used to do as kids that we should never become too old to do as adults:

1. Laugh until our sides hurt

2. CANNON BALL!

3. Play a practical joke on someone.

4. Drink Koolaid.

5. Share your biggest secret with your best friend.

6. Build a fort!

7. Use your imagination.

8. Run. (For reasons other than exercise.)

9. Eat a pop-cycle

10. Always expect the best.

Want to add a few of your own?

You can’t miss something you never had.

My husband is out of town again. This happens more often than I would like. I was complaining about it to a friend of mine yesterday, admitting that I had teared up after talking to my husband on the phone. My friend looked at me like I was crazy.

“It can’t be that bad,” he said. “Life before Cody (my husband) went on, right?”

“Right.” But that was before life with Cody…. ”You don’t understand. When he’s gone, a piece of me is missing.” This response of course seemed dramatic and irrational to my male friend’s brain. But he just didn’t get it. Because you can’t miss something you never had.

I can’t say I ever missed Cody before I knew him. I didn’t know what I was missing. But now I do.

You probably don’t miss my husband, but I imagine if one of your loved ones was gone, you’d feel the same way I’m feeling right now.

When someone is away, there’s something missing. All is not right in the world when you’re apart, but then everything seems to find it’s perfect place when they return. I’m looking forward to Thursday night when he gets back because,

You can’t miss something you never had.

Yes, you read that right. I don’t want to write a blog. But here I am, sitting on my couch, writing a blog. Why? Because I have to. Because it’s what God wants me to do.

I’ve been pretty transparent with you, my readers, about my own self-sabotage–particularly pertaining to this blog. I’ve found myself again getting inconsistent in my posts. Why? Because I’m disobedient, a procrastinator, lazy. I’ll admit it. I know my weaknesses.

But I have hope. Because here I am, sitting here, writing a blog.

It’s hard to do things you don’t want to do. But usually it‘s in those things that you find the most satisfaction, the most reward.

What about you? What do you not want to do? Are you doing it, or are you letting it beat you? I promise to keep you accountable if you promise the same for me. What could be on the other side of our obedience? Only action will tell.

Check out our set up video for Big SWITCH 2010. It’s a Valentines Day theme! It all starts tomorrow at 7pm. Come on out and be a part!

Sorry for the delay in posts over the last couple days. I’ve been sick, sick! A snot factory has taken up residence in my nostrils and it’s producing more than my body knows what to do with! I have no voice, (which some might say is a blessing in disguise!) Our big event for SWITCH is this Wednesday, so I’m praying I feel better very soon! Thanks for your prayers!

In the mean time, since my brain is not working correctly instead of writing a post, I’d like to show you what my amazing husband (of six months, yesterday) got me for Valentines Day. He couldn’t wait until the actual day, since he’s just like a little kid when it comes to gifts! Check it out!

Check out our very first video:

One of my most treasured Valentines Day memories was a couple years ago when I was still single. Being single, and also a hopeless romantic, made every Valentines Day the most dreaded of holidays. Except for the year my dad purchased three roses for each of his daughters and wrote a simple note: “These roses represent the three ties that keep us together: You, Me and Jesus.” I’ll never forget that as long as I live.

Many of my siblings and friends often ask me for creative ideas for dates and memories. Always believing in collecting experiences over possessions I’ve come across some really fun things to do. Here is a brief list of things to do on Valentines Day whether you are single, dating or married.

Single:

• Get a group of single girl friends together. Dress up in evening gowns and treat yourself to an expensive restaurant. You’re worth it!
• Have a Champagne and Chocolate sleep over at your place. Make the center of discussion what your standards are in a man.
• Get a mixed group of single girls and guys together and play games: Poker, Guitar Hero “Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus.”

Dating:

• Go to Barnes&Noble and give each other 30 minutes to pick out the top three books that describe who you are. Meet back at the cafe, order a drink, and share with each other why you chose those books.
• Create for your man or woman a scavenger hunt, with clever clues that lead him/her to meaningful places that carry fond memories, until finally landing at the restaurant of your choice for a nice dinner.
• Ask an older, admired married couple to go to dinner with you. Have them share their love story, how they met, married and what they’ve experienced so far.
• Make a documentary video of your date, capturing all the important/funny aspects. Take the camera and computer to Star Bucks, upload the video and relive the entire night again. (With lots of laughs!)

Married:

• Cook a nice candle-lit steak dinner at home… in your nighty. (Make sure dinner is almost done cooking before your husband sees you… you won’t get very far after that–with dinner anyway!
• Make reservations to a local bed and breakfast. Pack an overnight bag, secure a babysitter, and surprise your husband/wife with a weekend away.
• Ladies, for a great gift idea: secure a photographer a couple weeks before Valentines Day to take Boudoir photos of you. Your husband will go crazy!
• Get a group of your married friends together and play Dirty Cupid--$10-$15 “date” gift played just like Dirty Santa!
• Try a Sample Platter Date: Get all dressed up, go to your four favorite restaurants, at the first one order an appetizer, second one a meal, third one, another meal, last place order your dessert. Take it all back to the house and have a pic-nick on the living room floor! Then, whatever else you’d like to do on the living room floor!
• Ditch the flannel nightgown. Surprise your husband with some new lingerie!
• After dinner, turn the lights down low, turn up the fire, put on some music and dance in your living room.

Have any other creative Valentines day ideas? What about Valentines Day memories? Share them in the comments.