Follow You Tour

Weekends like the one I just had are the reason I moved here!
-Quality time with my Grandparents
-Beautiful Fall weather
-Time with friends (old and new)
-Yummy Thai food (my favorite)
-Incredible concert (first time hearing these artists live)
-Great day at church that will have me pondering James 4 all week....

Back to the concert.... all of the musicians dressed up as the cast of The Goonies! Here is a picture that I pulled off of Twitter.

Francesca Batistelli's songs, Time In Between and Someday Soon were particularly special. Click on the song titles to read the lyrics and hear a short clip. Francesca has a beautiful and powerful voice.

Brandon Heath is such a gentleman. His heart for missions is so evident and his voice is very distinct. When Leeland and Brandon sang Follow You, I thought of my friends Jessica, Brandon &Tammy, Alicia & JP, and Preston & Courtney who have followed the Lord to an International field (check out links to their blogs on the left sidebar)

Oh Leeland.......

Thank you for making this such an incredible night of worship. I loved hearing all of your new songs. Pure Bride and Lift Your Eyes Up stopped me in my tracks!

Full Circle Moment

Tonight I spoke with a friend for the first time in 3 years.

Of course there is a long story that accompanies that statement, but here's the important information....

*3 years ago, our friendship ended with no hope for a future.

*We didn't speak to each other for 1 year.

*I heard THIS song and felt so convicted of this severed relationship. I even blogged about it!

*I emailed my long lost friend, not sure if I would even get a response.

*Not only did I get a response, but I was blown away that unbeknownst to each other, the Lord had been working in each of our hearts at the same time.

*We both decided that it was time to begin the restoration process!

*At first things started slowly. We emailed for a year, then eventually became Facebook friends.....

*And tonight, my phone rang almost 3 years to the day since the last time I heard her voice.

We've both missed out on incredible things in each other's lives. But the important thing is that He is restoring the wasted years.

I'm not sure our friendship will ever be the same. And in a way, I'm ok with that. We seem to have a newfound appreciation for each other and there seems to be such a sweet quality to our friendship now.

Thank you Lord for not forgetting this relationship. You are to be praised!

Completely Frivolous

My friend Skyler blogged about a conversation we had recently, so I felt like I needed to hold up my end of our non existent bargain. Recently I came across a picture and it screamed out to me from the computer screen! Do you want to know what it said?

It said, "YOU LIVE HERE!"

Ok, not really, but for the first time ever, I related with the interior design of a room like never before. Here's the picture....



Now I know this room won't float everyone's boat, but work with me. I love the colors, the map, distressed furniture and suitcases, that pop of red...and even the peak into the gray cabinets in the kitchen. As much as I love traveling and missions, I do feel that a map AND a globe are a little much for one room. But other than that, I just love everything about this space. I think if you know me well, you would agree.

Here are some other rooms that tickle my fancy....



I like the mismatched chairs and all of the color. Somehow the bold wall color choice fades as a neutral compared to the rest of the room.



I love the couch, rug, and the over all bohemian feel of this room.

Someday soon, I hope to have a place of my own to share pics of. I struggle with not wanting to be too focused on these types of things. The struggle comes when I find myself focusing too much on the wall colors instead of who I'm inviting over for fellowship. I want to have a place that is warm and inviting, but also a place that encourages conversation that goes beneath the surface level. I guess what I'm trying to say is that in the grand scheme of things, room decor seems surface level.... I know there can be a good balance and that's what I'm striving for. Any tips on that from those of you who have it all figured out?

Changing topics, guess who has a new album out today? Here's a hint....I've blogged about them before!

......Swell Season!

P.S. Don't miss the Encore at around the 30 minute mark

P.P.S. Please tell me I'm not the only one that thinks they are an adorable couple.....anyone? I know there is an 18 year age difference and all...but come on. Did you see the way they look at each other

Long Distance Friends

I'd been looking forward to that hug for 3 years. As I walked from my car into the crowded room, I felt weak in the knees with excitement.

Friendship has a way of taking you many places. For Alicia and I, it all started in Springfield, then Thailand, after that Nepal, then to India and back to Thailand again.

She lives in India now with her family.

As we hugged tightly, all of the long plane rides, late night talks about crushes, sweaty bus rides to World Wonders and nights spent asking the Lord to use us in His adventures came flooding back to my mind.



As we hugged tightly, I whispered into her ear, "You're a mother now!"

"I know! Can you believe it?" she whispered back.

Teary eyed hugs are the best aren't they Alicia? Thanks for introducing me to your son. He already has a special place in my heart. I can't wait to come to India and read to him from his Jesus Storybook Bible.

Happy Birthday Mom

I just love this picture of you.

You've always been so tiny and petite. Every time I look at this picture I wonder what you were like as a little girl. I love your crooked bangs and those beautiful almond eyes that are even more beautiful today. I bet you were so fun to play with, as long as everyone let you be the mommy when you played house.

I hope you have a great day today doing all the things that make you happy!

Happy Birthday Mom!

I love you.

Rainy Days

I love rainy days...as long as there are not too many of them in a row. Is it just me, or does it seem like we skipped Fall all together and went straight to Winter?




Here are some things that are brightening my cloudy days:



-This video. (those drum beats are so raw....they just make me want to move!)


-The AVB Salon. I highly recommend Tristie!


-Taylor Swift on Oprah today


-Beth Moore's Esther Bible Study. I know, I know, this is my second (and definitely not last) time through.


-Having family in town 2 weekends in a row! Meet Carter and Jack, my 2nd cousins!


-Nyquil and my Neti Pot! (because breathing is a good thing!)

-Rediscovering the back ways to get around this town. Sometimes it's like I never left!

- The Message translation of the Bible. Skeptical? Here's a great blog post about it.

-Looking forward to dinner with friends on Saturday night!

What is brightening your cloudy day?

Kumari

I've blogged about the Kumari (Living Goddess of Nepal) before, but today I wanted to tell you about the documentary I just finished watching. Here's a synopsis from the Living Goddess website:

"Living Goddess follows the lives of three young girls who are worshipped as living deities in the Himalayan Kingdom of Nepal. The film begins as a sublime elegy to a private world of ritual, devotion and childish mischief. However, the extraordinary lives of these girls soon collides irreversibly with the modern world: an out-of-touch King, who survived the notorious palace massacre of 2001, wrests power for himself as a Maoist led civil war rages. Defying the King, ordinary people take to the streets demanding freedom, only to be confronted by the might of the King's army.

Caught in this whirlwind struggle for power, the story unfolds through the eyes of the child goddesses. The violence in the street slowly imposes on this historic way of life as the filmmakers capture powerful footage made possible by their unprecedented access to the private rituals and daily life of an ancient tradition."
(This trailer is rated PG-13 for violence


I not only enjoyed the documentary, but I learned quite a bit! For example, I had no idea that there were 3 Living Goddesses. I thought there was only 1 and that she lived in Kathmandu. The documentary begins just a few months after I left Nepal, so it was very eye opening to see how quickly things escalated a few months later.

I have a very special place in my heart for Nepal and I often wonder and ask the Lord why that is. Am I supposed to live and minister there or am I supposed to be an advocate for them here? I've heard through the grapevine that there are many Nepalese and Bhutanese refugees that have moved to the USA.

Even though I know that maybe 1 or 2 of you will seek this film out and watch it, I highly recommend taking a quick trip to Nepal through the eyes of this documentary filmmaker.