Iowa Visit part 2

It was a GREAT time with my family. I love them SO much which makes me miss them SO much.
Here are a few of the events that happened during my time there...

I got the kids "Texas Sized" things...pencils and jelly beans!

Jack is giving a demonstration to show the difference between "Texas Sized" and "Regular" sized!Bocce Ball is always fun... So is swinging upside down...So is sliding down slides...And so is swinging on this swing when you are almost 26?!?!

My mom works at the church preschool doing the arts and crafts for the kids. One of the days I came in to be a substitute associate and then the other day I came in to just hang out at the craft table with my mom! That day we were working on train cars. The kids colored them and then they were supposed to draw something that the car was carrying.

Here is mom working away...

We decided to each make a car to show as examples...
Mom's is carrying bouncy balls, and mine is carrying flowers!

Precious...I know.

Another highlight of my time back was getting to see Meghan and Guillo! Meghan and I were roommates for a few years, she is one if my dearest friends and this is her little baby Guillermo! He is almost 8 months old! SO cute!!!

So Meghan and I were kind of known together for our laughing about EVERYTHING even when it wasn't really that funny to anyone else. We would laugh...we even played laughing games! I LOVE LOVE LOVE her!!!! This would be a typical picture of us...plus Guillermo!

Guillermo is not too sure about it...I don't think he's used to the intensity of our laughs combined!

Love you guys!!!!!

Iowa Visit part 1

Here was my view from my plane.

The clouds were really cool!

Gregorio!

Andrew "the drummer" Aker

Cooking pizzas in the church kitchen...HIGH FIVE!! Yesss!

I LOVE these women! These were a few of the girls I lead my last year in Iowa, they are all involved with the worship team for 24-7, the college ministry. I was able to come to their rehearsal/devo time and talk to them about trusting God for the future. It was awesome! There were also 4 new girls there that they are now leading! It was awesome to see how they have stepped up and are now leaving a legacy with them! They are beautiful!

Since it was the last 24-7 of the year they decided to get everyone that was involved with the worship team and have a mini choir sing. So that night they also made puffy paint t-shirts for everyone to wear! What better way to be girly!

This was Greg's t-shirt!We also had a cake...before...

After...

24-7The coolest "High Five" EVER! (sorry Greg...I had to post it!)

Sweet Amy and JenniAmy and the Lobb family!

Uncle Greg and Erin

It's a tradition...after 24-7 you go to Perkins, we had gotten to the point where the waiters knew what we wanted to drink and even knew what we were going to order! Andy is still carrying on the tradition even though most of the original crew is gone. He is now at the point where he has their phone number in his cell phone and he calls them up to let them know they are coming! I remember a few times we packed the entire Perkins restaurant with 24-7 students!
It was awesome! Although, I don't know how well the waiters liked it!

Oh Yeah!

Doesn't get much cuter than this! Sweet Lily...

I think my favorite part is where she laughs a little but then goes right into the "Oh Yeah!"

"Daddy Mac Will Make You...Jump Jump"

So I just got done with my jump roping.
Let me just say this...

#1. My ceiling was high enough for me to jump rope in the privacy of my room. (I'm glad Hilary wasn't home...she would have laughed...hard!)
#2. Wear shoes.
#2. 10 minutes is a REALLY long time.
#3. I have red welts all over my body from the rope.
#4. I'm out of shape

So I found myself laughing a lot, It's not like riding a bike...well maybe it is sort of. I honestly don't remember the last time I jump roped!
It took me a while to get the hang of it. Actually...even after the 10 minutes I don't know if I ever really got the hang of it! After the 3rd minute I pooped out and every time I would try to bring the rope around I would jump but would get caught in it, the rope would whip back and slap me on the arm...lots of little red welts. (sort of reminded me of the foot long lasso twizzlers!!!--inside joke with the fam.) My legs were tired so they just sort of flopped around trying to get over the rope, but again...I just kept getting caught. So then I decided I would slow it down a little and do the double jump thing instead of the single jump. Maybe my coordination is not that great. That seemed worse. Again, my legs and feet seemed to just get caught in the rope!
Once I got the swing of things...sort of...I decided I would try going backwards! Same deal. Just going in a different direction.
I decided that I will wait until next time to do the "cross-over".

Jump Rope for Heart

I have decided to take up jump roping.
Random, I know. But I just read an article about jump roping and it said that if you jump rope for 10 minutes its equivalent to 30 minutes of jogging. 10 minutes...that's not very long right?!!?
I'm going to try it tonight.
I've been thinking it through...I don't know if my ceiling is high enough for me to jump in the privacy of my own room...so then I thought about my back patio area...it's enclosed...private...but there is an overhang...that might trip me up.
I'm debating on the next location if that doesn't work...hmmmm.
I'll let you know how it goes.
Anyone remember "Jump Rope For Heart" in elementary school?! Maybe that was just me...
oooo...anyone remember any of the jump rope rhymes? Laura and I were trying to remember some of them...We came up with this one...
"Cinderella Dressed in Yella
Went upstairs to kiss a fella
Made a mistake and kissed a snake...
How many doctors did it take...
1..2..3...etc."
We actually had help from Noah on that one!
Can anyone do double dutch?!! I wasn't very good at that!
Random...I know!

********you will not be getting any pictures OR video on this one...sorry guys!*****

She's Gonna Be a Texas Girl Someday!

My brother-in-law, Joe, just sent me these pictures and I had to post them right away because I LOVE my sweet Lily!

Typical Austin

Last night I was driving through downtown Austin and saw a grown man walking down the sidewalk in a superman costume. I mean the full deal...tights, red undies, cape, boots. He was also carrying a superman pinata!
Maybe he was going to a birthday party!
I LOVE Austin!

Ashley's Story

I am a huge fan of the Passion Movement. It's a group, started by Louie Giglio, that puts on conferences for college students. LouGigs is an amazing man of God who has challeneged my walk with Jesus in many ways. I will forever remember the 'Main Event' conference that he spoke at. 'Beautiful Feet' (the band I was in) got to lead worship and it was amazing to be alongside of him and worship together.
Louie has a blog that I read and was moved after the Passion 07 conference at the beginning of January by this story that was posted. It's an email that Louie received from a college student, Ashley:

Hi, I feel kinda weird writing this email. And i doubt if it ever gets to Mr Louie Giglio. I am a Senior at University of Florida. I got a new roommate this semester and she is a Christian and I have never really been into the whole Christian thing because every pastor or speaker that I have ever listened to didn't speak in a language I could understand. I have believed in God and Jesus, but never really understood it because the preachers at the church that I have always been forced to go to every Sunday of my life. They speak all high and mighty and I never really felt connected, and I felt like God was only for the perfect people. Well my roommate went to this Passion Conference over winter break. And she came back and moved into my apt and she was real and genuine about all her Christian stuff, like I have never seen before in a person. She said that God changed her at this conference, so i was like what are you talking about. And she told me. She told me about how God was cool, and how God really wanted a deeper relationship with her, and she wanted to really love God the way he loved her, so of course I was like well huh? She then said you need to listen to Louie talk about God, so I asked who Louie was, and she put on the Indescribable talk, and then we watched tha Passport talk. And in the Passport talk you said that christians do not have to hope for the best at the end, that they do not have to do enough good stuff. You explained how to get to heaven in a simple way, in a way that I have never heard before. I actually got it, I got it that it is not about being so good, cause I am not a good person. I have screwed up a lot. But then you said grace, and talked about how is was different than other religions. Because God is a loving and a kind God who wants to forgive me. My roommate then explained that he wants to forgive me.Now for one of the reasons I am thanking you. One, I am now a Christian. And two, my roommate said that she had never really cared about telling others about how much God loved her before she went to this conference. So though I am not sure who will ever read this. Please tell Louie thanks from me, for talking about Christ in a way that a college kid can understand. I know that Jesus has changed my life and as I get ready to graduate college in May, I am gonna be a different person. I am sorry this is kinda rambling but I just had to tell you that I now know about the Grace of God, and I have life for the first time in my 22 years.
Ashley

SO amazing at how Jesus changes lives!! God's power and His goodness and His sovereignty are truly amazing.
I just read today another post regarding Ashley...I was shocked and saddened as I heard this news...

I will never forget the day her message came. And I'm not going to forget last Friday. Waking early for the last day of Thirsty, I happened to see this on my Blackberry and opened it.
Dear Mr. Giglio,
It is with a heavy heart that I send you this email. My daughter is Ashley, she wrote you an email that went on your blog and podcast Well, today May 3rd at 4pm we buried Ashley. She was killed in a car accident late on Sunday night. She lost control of her car and hit a light pole. She was the only car involved and had serious internal bleeding. She died in the arms of my husband at the hospital from unstoppable internal bleeding. But I have hope of seeing my daughter again. I have this hope because after years of praying for her, and watching her live a lifestyle in college that is known as the typical college experience. The last semester of her college career I saw a woman, not a college girl that I have never been more proud to call my daughter. I can point the thanks to you and Chris Tomlin, David Crowder, Matt Redman, and everyone else involved in your Passion Conferences. Ashley fell in love with our Savior over the last 5 months of her life. She was so excited about graduation this week and moving to California to work her first real job. She had a life ahead of her. I miss my beautiful princess more than anything in this world.But I just felt like you should know that she listened to as many of your talks as she could get her hands on and read your book I am not but I know I am and she was so excited about God and her new found faith. Words alone can not thank you enough. I may never meet you here on earth, but I know that someday I will be able to meet you and give you a hug in heaven, but only after Ash does. Thank you so much for praying for my girl, and your support of her as she was starting her new life. Also thanks for being a man of God who has a passion, and love for college students.Your vision to share the gospel and getting college students to do the same made all the difference at a funeral today. Instead of being sad and scared for her. We were able to sing praise and worship songs today. Though there will be tears and I am so very heartbroken and crying as I type this, it is only because I will not hold her for so many years. And I will miss her for the rest of my life. I know I have said thank you a lot in this email, but because of you and Christa (Ashley's roommate) and people at the Bible Study that she was going to she was happier than I have seen her in a very long time. In the email she originally sent you, it said she had life for the first time in her 22 years, and please know she meant every word of that. She lived the last few months serving and loving and learning more about Christ. She will now spend eternity in heaven with Him so one more time thanks. I know this was long and I debated for the last 4 days as to whether or not to write you. I know you are a very busy man, but I also figured you would want to know.
Ashley's Mom
Anna
By the third line tears were streaming down my face, blurring the words, but not the sudden reality of it all. I had just received an e-mail from Ashley a few days before saying how excited she was to finally be through with college and headed to a "real job" in the Bay Area of California. And now she was gone.I was crushed, but I found myself pumping my fist in the air, confident that Jesus Christ overwhelmed death and the grave. And just in the nick of time, He reached through the confusion and hopelessness and brought Ashley back to life again. Her mom was kind enough to allow me to share her e-mail and sent a photo of Ashley so we could all put a face with the name that has brought much rejoicing throughout the Passion world in recent months. Anna, please know that you and your husband will be in our hearts and prayers as you begin the process of living without the daughter you so deeply love. You will see her again. And with our prayers we are praising God for matchless mercy...mercy that saved the day and carried Ashley safely home.

It is truly amazing how God works. With tears He brings Himself glory. God is good even when we can't understand His goodness in hard things. His purposes are greater than we can understand. This story brings a bittersweet joy to my heart knowing that God's purpose for Ashley's life was and is SO great!
What an amazing story! You can check out the 268 blog to see her picture and the full story.

Some Pictures

So I didn't have as much time as I would have liked to do a big post tonight, so I'll just leave you with a few pictures of my precious niece and nephews. Man I LOVE them!!

Sweet Lily Margaret...My Lovely

Mr. Will Brown...Dude

Sweet Sam...Born 2 Ride!

Jack and I...SO handsome!

Noah Joseph...Stinker!!

Back to Real Life

Well, I'm back in Austin after a week back in Iowa to visit my family and friends. It was such a great trip back, and it was SO hard to come back to real life.
My flight came in at 11:00pm and I didn't get to sleep until around 12:30 and had to be up and at work by 8:00am. I don't know why I do this to myself. It would have been nice to have a day of just relaxing and getting organized after a full day of traveling, but instead, I'm spending my day yawning and thinking about all of the stuff I need to get done. One of them including updating my blog with all of the fun pictures from the week.
We'll see if I get to that tonight.
I've already called my mom and my sisters today. I can't stop thinking about them and those kids. I miss them already!
The flight home though, was enough to make me not want to fly for awhile!
My flight from Cedar Rapids to Minneapolis was on a small jet with propellers. I didn't even know they still did that! We had to walk outside and climb up the ladder to get into the plane and I basically hit my head on the top of the plane when I got in! It was SO loud and the vibrations from the propellers made me have a constant tingle. And it was REALLY hot in there and there was a kid that kept kicking the back of my chair the entire time. We flew through a bunch of clouds and so it was bumpy and we were constantly going up and down and turning it seemed like. I'm glad that this flight was only 51 minutes and not the 3 hour trip from Minneapolis to Austin.
I am so thankful for the time I had. I will try my hardest to post some pictures tonight!

New Bloggers.

I have roped the rest of my family into the blog-world! My mom has started a blog and also my other sister! Check it out...they are in my links.
I knew I could get them sucked in! Carrie...you are next!

Who's Your Craw-Daddy?

So...here it is...the Crawfish Boil Post.
Saturday Austin Stone had their "Family Reunion" Annual Crawfish Boil and Baptism.
The day was beautiful and sunny (I got fried!) Temp was about 85 I think.
George and Denise's son Conner was baptized! (the family we stayed with when we first moved to Austin)There were about 50 or so people who were baptized! It was such a beautiful picture to see the people coming down to the lake lined up ready to publicly declare that they love Jesus!
Here is a video of Conner getting baptized! George and Denise baptized him! It was really cool!

My job was to watch Holland and sort of keep an eye on Soren...although he took off and was playing with friends and finding dead crawfish. Here is a sweet picture of Miss Holland...
After the baptism came the crawfish...They ordered 800 lbs of crawfish! yuck!
They also had Gumbo, corn and potatoes. We were thankful for the corn...although it was spiced up. Everything has to be spicy here.
The crawfish really grossed me out. Even though they are dead, they still look alive.
Here is a demonstration from my friend Jeff, on how to eat a crawfish...

It was Hilary and I's first experience with crawfish.Here is Hilary...

Here is Me...

They had a "Louisiana Style" band play, it was fun! Here is a video...little did I know that Conner and Soren would come along dancing with their "Special Friends"
Here is the video...

This is little Micah and he had a "cowboy" outfit on! I had to get a picture...
Here are some friends!


The overall experience was GREAT!!! It was a fun day. I'm still not sure what I think about the crawfish. I heard lots of gross stories beforehand that tainted my experience a little. Mostly having to do with crawfish eating poop.

Video Problems.

UGH!! It's 3:00am and I can't sleep because of a stupid headache.
This is SO frustrating!
Another thing that is frustrating is that I took some fun videos today on my camera and I'm trying to download them onto Google video and for some reason it won't let me, and I figured out that it will only take videos that are no larger than 100MB. I guess mine are bigger. But they are only a minute or two long. I'm not quite sure what the deal is...
Would love anyone's input on what to do. Can I somehow resize it so that it's smaller, or is it a setting on my camera?
I downloaded a Google Video Uploader that is for videos larger than 100MB but it is taking FOREVER to download them.
Any suggestions??!

The Craziness of my Life!

Some things I'm looking forward to...
Wednesday night 4/25 -- MASSAGE!!! (I got a $100 gift certificate from work for Christmas!)
Thursday night 4/26-- Haircut...an evening with Brett, my hairstylist, is always interesting!
Friday night 4/27-- Prayer night, I'm leading worship!
Saturday 4/28-- "Family Reunion" with my church, The Austin Stone, there will be a baptism, bounce houses for kids AND adults, live music, and a crawfish boil! I've never had crawfish before...I don't really know what to do!
Sunday 4/29 -- Church...I always LOVE church!
Tuesday 5/1 -- I lead worship at my community group!
Wednesday 5/2-- I head back to IOWA!!! I get to see my family!!! That night, I will meet up with the 24-7 (college ministry) band and lead the girls that I lead last year, in a devo/bible study about trusting God with the future and having an eternal perspective.
Thursday 5/3-- Hang with the family. That night, 24-7
Friday 5/4-- At some point while I'm home I get to meet up with a high school friend!
Saturday-Sunday 5/5-5/6-- Lead worship with Greg at Parkview!
At some point while I'm back I will hang out with friends! I can't WAIT!!!!
Tuesday 5/8-- Head back to Austin.

Would love to see my Iowa peeps, let me know if you will be around! may 2- may 8.

I promise that I will get you updated with pictures once things calm down! Here's what you can look forward to hearing about...
Dara's Visit
Melody's Shower
Easter Weekend
Women's retreat
Rollerskating
Camping trip

He Came to My Rescue...

I have had some major "Blogger's Block". I am sorry for the lack of posts. I feel like blog-worthy stories are piling up and I don't have the time to post about them, but someday... I will get back on the train. I promise!

Today I have been singing this song...

Falling on my knees in worship
Giving all I am to seek Your face
Lord all I am is Yours

My whole life I place in Your hands
God of mercy humbled I bow down
In Your presence at Your throne

I called You answered
And You came to my rescue
And I want to be where You are

In my life
Be lifted high
In our world
Be lifted high
In our love
Be lifted high

Beautiful Melody!

Beautiful Melody!Here is an amazing article that my friend Melody wrote. It was put on our church website, please read it and be blessed! She is truly amazing!

"Might to Save"

Wanted to share this song with you that we sang at church on Sunday. I can't stop singing it!!

"Mighty To Save"

Everyone needs compassion
A love that's never failing
Let mercy fall on me
Everyone needs forgiveness
A kindness of a Savior
The hope of nations

Savior
He can move the mountains
My God is mighty to save
He is mighty to save
Forever
Author of salvation
He rose and conquered the grave
Jesus conquered the grave

So take me as you find me
All my fears and failures
Fill my life again
I give my life to follow
Everything I believe in
Now I surrender

Shine your light and let the whole world see
We're singing for the glory of the risen King...Jesus

Wow...it's Been Awhile

Sorry it's been so long! I'm surprised that I haven't gotten any emails from my faithful readers wondering what has happened to me!!
I hope to get back into it and give you all updates on the last couple of weeks.
I just wanted to say HAPPY EASTER!!
It's my first Easter away from home and it's a little sad. But the Lord has provided a lot of fun things this weekend and I'm excited to share them with you and will hopefully have lots of stories and pictures for you at the beginning of the week so look for that!
Hope you all have a great Easter!
Much Love to you!