Amos Is Home!

Last weekend AMOS came home!!!! YAY for Team Ivey! Finally together.
So thankful for this family and what they are teaching me about God's love for His children. Thankful for them in my life.
Follow their blogs and get more info and more amazing stories.
Jamie
Aaron
Here is a recent news story:

Here is another one:

God's love is HUGE. I'm seeing that more and more.

My Job Tonight...Pray

i forced myself to stay home tonight, instead of going to the benefit concert. I had my first full day back at work and i feel like I could pass out. Every part of me wanted to say "screw it...I'm going" but I knew that if I were to push myself...I would not get better.
So instead...I sent my roomie with my money and I sit back and read everyone's tweets about how amazing it is and how many people there are. My heart is overjoyed that in just 29 minutes into the benefit over $5,000 was raised and all of it is going to Real Hope for Haiti! YES!
Awesome!
I'm sad at the same time that I can't be a part of it...then I get mad at myself for being so selfish. Why do I really want to be there? To hear good music? To be around a lot of cool people? To say that I was part of something that is changing the world? So that I can tweet about it and say "look how cool it is?" or is it to see God be glorified through His people? To see a need and see it be fulfilled? To see the work of God's people coming together for an amazing cause? To know that thousands of lives will be blessed and even saved because of what is taking place tonight?

Oh that my heart would beat with Yours, God. Thank You that you are turning it to You and breaking it for what breaks Yours.

So i turned off the bachelor and I'm gonna pray. (yeah...you heard that right...the bachelor... I can't STAND that show...but somehow I get sucked in...) I'm gonna pray for tonight. Pray for Haiti and pray for God's NAME to be lifted up and glorified, pray for my brothers and sisters tonight who are speaking a good word.
It's gonna be a good good night!

Amos Story: Music Video

Aaron just released a music video to his song "Amos Story". If you've been on my blog before you probably know their story. I lead worship with Aaron at my church and I have grown to love this family so much! Aaron and Jamie have adopted two kids from Haiti, Story came home a few months ago and Amos is still there. They are fighting hard to get him home. Pray with me that he gets to come home soon. Pray for Haiti as they pick up pieces and try and make sense of what happened w/ the earthquake. Lots of people are hurting and broken right now.
Check out this video and spread the word:

A Little Perspective

As I was getting frustrated tonight thinking about this pressure in my head and how my ears are SO plugged up...I can't hear anything...I went to this blog.
I learned about Varney. He is a little boy who has Hydrocephalus. Which is a disease where you have an abnormal amount of fluid in your brain, causing pressure and your skull to expand. My heart broke. I can't imagine what this little guy is feeling. I can't imagine the pain that he is in. They say that it is the worst case they have ever seen.This puts things into perspective. wow.
God continue to humble me and break down self.

Strep Throat, Haiti and Being Fussy

I get fussy when I'm sick. Especially when I don't get better when I'm supposed to be feeling better.
I went to the Doc. on Tuesday and found out I had strep throat and he put me on Amoxcillian and he gave me some vicadin for the pain. YEAH! oh. sorry. I kinda like that stuff. Yes. I'm in recovery...
Anyway, he said that if I wasn't feeling any better in a few days to let him know...so with 2 full doses of the antibiotic I figured that I should be feeling better...but was not.
Now having 101 temperatures and still incredibly painful to swallow I go back to the doc on Thursday...same guy. He looks in my throat and says it doesn't look any better has the nurse give me an antibiotic shot in the booty...and changes my antibiotic...and gives me more vicadin (which I didn't ask for...I thought he was going to give me a cough syrup...but didn't).
Friday comes along and I'm forcing myself into thinking that I'm feeling better.
Friday night comes and I'm in tears. I'm not feeling better...my ears are now in pain and completely plugged up and I can hear nothing.
My roommate is back, THANKFULLY! She rubbed my back...got me water and hot packs. She's so sweet.
I slept horribly last night, woke up this morning and went to the doc. (3rd time has got to work)
I see a different doctor who wants the low down of the week, I tried re-telling everything I could and here was his response.
"Well, I don't want to bad mouth any of the other doctors...but he should never have switched your antibiotics and he doesn't know what he's doing, the antibiotic you are taking now isn't doing anything."
My throat still looked bad, I now have ear infections and my head is about to explode. ugh.
He put me on a whole new regimen of stuff...I don't even know what it all is...at this point my mind is not working clearly and I'm like, 'whatever'.I do have to say that it's pretty.
He said, in his own words, "You should absa-freaking-lutely be feeling better in 7-10 days."
7-10 days.
great.
I was hoping to feel better tomorrow. So I can sing. But that's not gonna happen. :(

It has not been a fun week.
Everything happening in Haiti has got my heart all a mess.
Everything happening in my body has got my whole self all a mess.
I sometimes think that it's not happening...that in my fever induced weird state of mind...the videos and pictures I'm seeing are just part of a hallucination or a dream.
I wrestle in bed under hot covers but my body is freezing and I turn away from the computer not wanting to think about it. But I realize the reality. There are thousands and thousands of people who can't turn away from this and forget about it. That there are thousands and thousands of people who don't have a bed and covers.
My heart aches. I feel completely helpless. I get even more fussy.
But I do realize that I can stop feeling sorry for myself. There is no reason. I cannot even begin to imagine what those beautiful people are feeling over there.
Keep the people of Haiti in your prayers and don't forget about them. God is doing HUGE things and you don't want to miss it.

Benefit Concert for Haiti

Austin musicians/artists are coming together Monday night to put on a benefit concert for Haiti.
Monday January 18 7pm
Parish downtown Austin
All proceeds will go to Real Hope for Haiti
For more information check out Music For the City

Haiti News Story Featuring the Ivey Family

My heart is breaking for what is happening in Haiti right now.
If you have watched the news you know. 7.0 earthquake hit and thousands and thousands of people are affected.
My good friends the Ivey's were featured on the news tonight talking about their adoption of Story and Amos.
Check it out.

The Hawkeyes Win!!!

I'm so proud of my Hawkeyes! If you didn't know already, they won the Orange Bowl on Tuesday night. YEAH! It was a great game!

Who am I kidding? I didn't watch the game...and because of that I am shunned from my family.
I mentioned something on facebook and got responses from my family that said things like:
"I feel like I don't even know you anymore"
"I thought I raised you better than that"
"You are shunned".
Can you feel the love?!?!
I'm ok with it. I know nothing about sports. I do enjoy watching them, but I am not overly excited about it...like some people I know.

A text conversation from my bro-in-law Joe:
Joe: Shun on.
Me: Oh Whatever!
Joe: Shun off. I mean it. Shun on.
Me: DORK! You can't shun me...it's impossible.
Joe: **silence**
Me: (this morning) Good morning sunshine! You can't stay mad at me forever!
Joe: **silence**

We'll see how long this lasts.

So here is a video that my sister put on her blog of my 2 year old nephew and my other bro-in-law, Damon. SO funny!! This just shows you a small glimpse into the intensity that is my family and sports. Apparently it starts young.

I would like to make a note that Jill DID NOT watch the game, but instead watched the Bachelor on her laptop with her earbuds in...hmmm...I don't see her getting shunned from the family thank you very much. I'm not bitter. Really.
I would also like to say that I really am proud to be an Iowan and a Hawkeye. I even have a hawkeye sticker on my car. Gotta represent down here!

A Few Things...

Oh good gracious. It's been awhile since I've posted.
Welcome to 2010! CRAZINESS!

Here are some bullet points:

--today I've been missing my dad like crazy. I thought about him at lunch today. A friend said something about how unique my eyes were and the thought came across my mind..."what would dad have to say about my eyes." totally random. Then it started a yearning to hear him say "you're beautiful", just to hear his voice again. How would he say it, what words would he say...would he say it? I miss him.

--I'm yearning for God's word. Praying God's word, speaking God's word, memorizing God's word, encouraging with His word...I can't get enough.

--I LOVE worship. I love that I can sit by myself in my room and worship. I love that I can go to the handicap stall at work and throw my hands up in the air when I feel like walking out the doors. I love that I can stand in front of thousands, close my eyes and feel alone with the Lord. I love standing next to some amazing worship leaders and musicians who live out worship not just on stage. I love getting to pray and read and listen and learn. Worship feeds my soul and I'm thankful for freedom.

--I'm trying to do some rough recordings of some of my songs to put on a myspace music page. It's scary. It's like I'm being laid bare right out in front of everyone. It's a little vulnerable. But God is in it and I trust that He will do what He wants with my songs. I'll let you know when I'm ready to "release" it.

--I somehow got talked into running a 5k race in March. There are several things funny about this. #1 I'm NOT a runner. In fact I'm technically on Day 4 of my training program and since...uh...DAY 1 my shins hurt REAL bad. Seriously it's real painful to run/walk. It's making me want to give up. #2 I'm SO out of shape. It's been over a year since I worked out. (some of you are probably thinking...wow. or Gross...or that's not good....or whatever) I blame my weird health issues over the last year...but I also blame laziness.
We'll see how this plays out.

Ok. I'm done for now.