GAME TIME!!!

Alright folks, beside the start of ski season, the start of College Football is my favorite time of the year. I have loved football since I was a little girl. It all started with my crush on Joe Montana when I was 5 and he played for the 49ers. Once he retired I gave up on NFL, I do watch it some but not have to be home for the kickoff kind of watch it, like I do with College Football.

As many of you know I am a HUGE Notre Dame fan, thanks to Joe Montana and I love me some Red Raiders here in Lubbock. (Side note I almost broke my ankle one time cheering for Notre Dame) Lucky for me Notre Dame is on TV about 75% of their season and Tech is in town so if I can sweet talk someone into getting me tickets I can go. So really best of both world here for my two college teams that I enjoy.

Zibby, my dog was named after a Notre Dame player, Tom Zbikowski who played for ND back in 2005-2007. He use to like to sport his Notre Dame Jersey but he got a little fat for it and I have not purchased him a new one yet. He also likes Tech, and loves to wear his Tech hoodie. Okay if you look close at the photos you can tell he really hates it when I dress him up, BUT he is so cute when I do it!

Anyway, Saturday morning Zibby and I will be getting up really early to get all our running around over with so we can be ready for the Notre Dame game at 1:30, GO IRISH. And just my luck the Tech game is on Sunday this weekend at 2:30 so I don't have to flip back between games. RAIDER POWER. Both teams have a new coach this year so I am excited to see the new flow of the game.

I AM JUST SO EXCITED!!!! Get out your favorite team shirts and jersey and support your teams this weekend it is GAME TIME!!!

Pop-Up to Reading!!!

I have never been much of a reader. I don't have trouble reading, it just has never excited me the way it does for some people. I have a crazy imagination, but I never could use it in reading. Some people say they can read a book and see it playing out in their mind. I on the other hand need pictures! Words on a paper don't mean much to me unless you have pictures.

Yes I do work in Marketing and enjoy the visual side of my job more then the grammatical side. Most the time if you see me in Barnes and Noble I am in the kids section. Usually sitting down looking at the Pop-Up books. Those are my favorite!!! It is like a surprise on every page you never know what is going to pop out at you. If my boss would let me I would figure out some way to make my marketing items pop-up brochures.

But lately, reading pop-up books and kids picture books has sparked a new strange interest in my life, reading regular non-picture books. I can not explain how this happened, but lately I have found myself not turning on the TV at night, but rather grabbing a book and reading. Now I know all you teachers out there are SO EXCITED so enjoy that statement. I still have not learned how to make the book come to life yet, but that is fine. I still enjoy it.

I have not put picture books away for good. You will still find me in the kids sections at B&N. And I am writing my own kids picture book. It will be a classic I can feel. It will be out within the next month I hope.

Now I must get back to reading after I am done watching some TV!!!!

We Can Learn A Lot From Teenagers!

This last post about our LA Mission Trip I really want to take the time to brag on our teens in the youth group. I have been volunteering with the Monterey Youth Group for over ten years now. Mainly because it really is fun, but also because the Monterey Teen Ministry made such an impact in my life I just wanted to give back. I always say that I don't know if I could be a teenager in this day and age. There was so much temptation when I was a teen in the 90s and I know it has doubled since my days. So I just hope that the few hours they get to spend with me each week really helps to keep them motivated for the Lord.

With that all said, this year on Mission Trip the Teens were AMAZING!!!! I am not kidding, they were go getters all the way. Ready and willing to work with anything that anyone came up with for them to do. They cleaned kitchens, got blisters on their hands from digging, mowed lawns, you name it the kids did it that week. They were especially ready and willing to sit and listen and get to know the homeless and less fortunate. The teens saw no color, no smell, no torn clothes on any person, all they saw was a child of God that needed love. And they gave the love with smiles and open arms with many hugs.

Our teens took the verse from 1 Timothy 4:12, Do not let anyone look down on you because you are young, but be an example for other believers in your speech, behavior, love, faithfulness and purity. They made that verse come to life that week. The teens were a true example to this believer and the many other sponsors on the trip. Their speech, behavior and love was seen by many eyes and felt by many hearts.

Monterey Teens I love you guys so much. You mean the world to me and the many other sponsors that help out with you. Thank you so much for being such a strong example for us, the church, and the many people we meet in LA and in Lubbock.

The Power of a Story

The lady in the middle is Carol. I met Carol on Monday our first full day of work in LA. I met her at this amazing place on Skid Row called Urban Connection. The best way to describe Urban Connection and what they do, well it is best to use their own words, "The Urban Connection decided to make a home on Skid Row with the intent of becoming a place where volunteers can create long-lasting relationships with the homeless, and more importantly, where the homeless can feel safe building a long-lasting relationship with Christ." They do some amazing work there and really allow the volunteers to connect with the homeless there on skid row and not just feed them and go on our way.

Carol is a disciple at Urban Connection. She lives there and well she made a big impact on me the afternoon I was able to spend with her. She has an amazing story, of struggle and heartbreak. Carol tells her story with pride, not because she wants to show off her triumph of being close to a year sober from drugs and alcohol. No she tells her story with pride because she wants to show off the triumph of our Lord. She wants all young and old to hear the wonderful ways the Lord has transformed her. Carol wants the young to know that the Lord is the way, and if you make mistakes it is not the end there is hope. She wants the older to not take the Lord's love for granted, but rather to praise him everyday for all we have been given. I can not tell Carol's story because I feel I could not give it justice. I hope that she will one day write it down for me to share with you all. Because her words are so powerful.

Carol is just one of many on Skid Row that are doing everything they can to turn their lives around, and Urban Connection is a big part of that. Urban Connection runs off of donations. So if you have been searching for an organization to support please do consider this one. They are doing amazing work.

You can go to their website to learn more: http://urbanconnection.com/

Worship on the Beach, there is NOTHING like it!

I wanted to start out with this story because this might have been one of times during the week that I felt so close to God. I knew He was right beside me during the whole week, walking with me and enjoying the time we were able to spend with the many people of LA. But on Wednesday of that week, well I really don't have words to express what I felt that day so I will try to just tell you.

Wednesday was my groups day at Venice Beach.We first started the morning out by stopping and getting some donuts and water and heading over to Echo Park, which is what the picture is above, and just handing those out to anyone there. Some people were homeless, some were out for a jog, it is just really fun to see the faces of people when you do random acts of kindness like that.

From there we went to Albertsons to buy our lunch for us and for the people on Hippie Hill. We made sure that we purchased food that we would like to eat, because it is probably what the people we would be sharing food with would want to eat as well. We made our way out to Venice and met our friends out there. Some of the people were new friends, some were friends that we had met in the years past. Eric our youth minister had been taking the groups out there all week so they knew who he was for sure. We sat and enjoyed lunch with them and had many laughs. We met Andre, was from Russia and was a joy to talk to. And Timothy who remembered one of our group members from when we were there last year.

We also met Abraham, and with him is when I had my moment with the Lord. Abraham has been at Venice for many years and I have met him before. On this day he had just returned to the beach and had a very hurt knee so he was just laying out on the beach. Two of our young ladies went over and were talking to him and then they came over to us and asked if would would go sing on the beach with them. That was AMAZING!!!!

This photo above just says it all. It is true that picture is worth a million words. We sat there and praised the Lord with Abraham for about 15 or 20 mins. It was one of the best times of Worship that I have ever had in my 31 years.

I thank the Lord everyday for this moment I was able to have with him, the teens and Abraham. The Lord was on the beach that day, and he is there everyday.

Praise the LORD.
How good it is to sing praises to our God,
how pleasant and fitting to praise him!

~Psalm 147:1