Honest Scrap

So, my sweet friend from seminary,Kerri tagged me to do this thing called Honest Scrap and since i haven't blogged in a while, i thought i would incorporate it into telling you what has been going on in my life this past month.

Here are the rules: you have to list 10 random things about yourself that are true and then tag 7 other people to do the same. So onto the game:

1. I am obsessed with YouTube and all the crazy videos on there...but not the random stuff people think is funny, but actually good stuff like this (T.I./Rihanna "Live your life"): (Thanks to my friend Taylor who put this on his blog...I'm stealing it from you!)



2.One of the things that makes me cry is seeing people get baptized...notice I said one of the things...I cry at just about anything...but for real, there is something amazing about watching someone get baptized. We are having a service for our middle school students at Emerge on Wednesday night where we are going to baptize students, leaders, and even our Middle School pastor Ryan Carson. It is going to be amazing...I am going to bring a box of kleenex for sure!

3. I hate going to the grocery store more than anything else! I would pay someone money to go to the store for me...well, not in this economy...but i wish i could!

4. Sometimes I watch ESPN....for fun! Most of the time though, I am watching something on Food Network, TLC or a DVRed show like 24 or the Office.

5. My celebrity crush is on Chris Tomlin.

6. I have to drink at least 1 Diet Coke a day or I get a splitting headache...I know, that is called addiction and i am working on it!

7. I don't like to fly any other airline than American Airlines...I am brand loyal to them! They still give a complimentary beverage...guess what mine is?...Diet Coke! :)

8. I run a red light every Sunday morning going to church. No one is around and the light is SO long! I am usually running late to our 7:30am meeting, so it is necessary...but i know it is wrong. I feel better having confessed that!

9. I have 2 cell phones that I carry around. 1 work phone and 1 personal (my I Phone)...long story, but it works for me!

10. I have read the book Sex God by Rob Bell 3 times! It is SO good! Read it!

Well, that didn't really tell you as much as I thought it would about what I have been up to. Maybe i will post pictures in my next post from our LockOut, Live Show, Emerge Baptism, etc! So, I am tagging:

Ryan Carson
Ali Wood
Karen Kimmons
Allison Wendler
Kalli Sterling
Brian and Aleisha Stephens
Cheyenne Schultz

Name Dropping...

Well since my last post, a couple of my close friends have joined the blog world and so it has inspired me to be better about keeping this up to date! One of these said bloggers (Ryan) has said that blogs should be updated at least 3 times a week...so that is what I am striving for...not sure if I have enough interesting stuff to say that often, but we can try it out! This has been on my mind lately...I am a name dropper and sometimes a celebrity stalker...not the big celebs, like Brad or Angelina or Britney...I wouldn't think it was that big of a deal to see them up close or have a conversation with them. No, the ones that I tend to drop that I am "friends" with...and by "friends", i usually mean I know someone who knows them or used to be in their circles, or someone I have met for all of 5 seconds and therefore think that I am their new best friend...here is a list of my most popular names dropped:

-Chris Tomlin - friends go to the church he used to lead worship for in Austin, Texas
-Shane Barnard - have met him multiple times and we are both Aggies :)
-Pat Green - met him also multiple times and his violin player went to college with me
-An unnamed bachelor from an unnamed reality show - I really am family friends with him...he was my first boyfriend :)
-The current American Gladiator winner - worked at Kanakuk with him and he is my cousin's best friend; so have spent some holidays together
-Jon Foreman (lead singer of Switchfoot) - met him at a conference this past year
-CJ Spiller (Clemson RB) - had dinner with him in Anderson, SC - apparently it was a big deal to those we were with!
-Multiple contestants on The Amazing Race, The Bachelor, Average Joe and Survivor have gone to high school or college with me.

So, I was thinking how cool it is that I have connected with all these "famous" people...but then it dawned on my how seldom I drop Jesus' name. Why is that? As my "friend" Chris Tomlin sings, the "famous one" is Christ. He is the biggest name I could drop anyway and I have a real relationship with Him and... He knows my name! So, I am going to work on name dropping His name for a while!

Tell Your Momma about these SHOES!

I stole this from another person's blog but I really want to plug this ministry/company. I bought a pair of TOMS shoes a couple months ago. Here are mine. I love these shoes and get compliments and questions about them all the time! Last month in EMERGE and THE HEIGHTS we talked about issues around the world and asked our students this question: ARE YOU OKAY WITH THIS? My topic was Human Trafficking and it was one of the most powerful messages I have ever given and our students jumped at the chance to do something about these issues around the world. TOMS shoes was one of the ways they could act now! We gave away two pairs of shoes to middle school students and then gave all the students the information to order them. Alot of our students will be opening a pair of Toms shoes under their tree this Christmas and the word will keep getting spread through SHOES!

So if you are looking for some tangible ways to make a difference in the way you give this Christmas...here are some links and a video about TOMS~!

Love 146
To Write Love on Her Arms
Support a Child
Buy a Goat

Turning 29, Elfing myself, and Pat Green...what could be better?

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Southbound 35...

PAT GREEN was in Charlotte and we went to see him! It was an awesome show and he is such an incredible entertainer! Here were some of the goodies he sang...
Oldies but Goodies:
-Here we go
-Southbound 35
-3 Days

Newer ones:
-Baby Doll
-Wave on Wave
-Cannonball
-Feels Just Like it Should
-Don't Break My Heart Again
-Dixie Lullaby

Brand New:
-Let me


PURE GREATNESS!!!

From High School Reunion to High School Musical...

Okay, I am admitting this because I am not ashamed...maybe I should be but in my line of work, I think it is absolutely imperative that I see the movie I watched last night....



Let me first say, I did not go alone. I did not go opening weekend. I did not go with students. I went on Monday night at 7:00pm with 2 of my middle school leaders, who have asked to remain nameless, but they are girls between the age of 21 and 35. We are all fans of the previous 2 movies and were dying to see this new one....So we could discuss it with our girls in our groups, naturally! :)

Here are some of my observations of HSM3:

1. You can be alot more obnoxious as an adult watching this movie when you are in the theater alone! Which we were...only the 3 of us.

2. Our favorite scenes of the movie had Zac Efron in them...1) Troy in the junk yard with Chad and 2) Troy's solo late night at the school in the gym with his Wildcat Jersey on.

3. This third one pushed alot of the limits that they haven't before...Zac Efron and several other guys shirtless multiple times in the movie. I did giggle a couple times...

4. I liked the music in this one much more than the other two...catchier songs and better dancing for sure!

5. Were there cheesy lines? Yes. Were there weird, unrealistic dance numbers in the middle of the cafeteria? Yes. Is 21 year old Efron a believable 18 year old Senior? Yes. Do I want all of Gabrielle's outfits? Yes. Did I shed any tears during the movie? Yes. Will I be seeing this movie again, on my very own DVD? Yes. Will I justify going to see this movie as research for the girls I work with? Absolutely YES!

Unpacking the Suitcase for a while...

I am back in Charlotte after being gone what seems like the entire month of October so far...it feels good knowing I can spend multiple nights in my own bed for change! Here are some fun highlights from my 10 year High School Reunion! It was a fun time and great to see everyone and what everyone is up to now....10 years later! Good times...most of all it made me grateful for the choices I have made by following God's call into ministry and then all the way out here to Charlotte! God has definitely blessed me with a great job, sweet and true friends and a great place to live (pics to come soon)! So, 10 years after graduating from high school, I gotta say I am pretty happy and grateful!

sweet Kennedy (Ali's baby girl)
My friend Bethany
my "oldest" friend Matt Brennan who I went to elementary school with before TCA
my friend from school and church Timmy Nutter

some of my favorite girls from high school
just a few of the '98 grads at the football game
my best friends from High School - the infamous Yayas!