Funny Story

So I'm in the OR this afternoon talking to my patient and trying to get her mind off the impending surgery. She's getting a cerclage placed (cerclage = stitch in cervix to hold it closed) and is less than 20 weeks pregnant.

So here's our small talk:

Me: So what are you having?

Patient: A girl!

Me: What have you got at home already?

Patient: 2 Boys.

Me: Oh Good!! Now you have your girl!

Patient: Yeah, I'm really excited!!!

(fast forward a few minutes... this is where it gets good.)

Patient: You said your name was Hollie, right?

Me: Yep.

Patient: I really love that name. I think I'm going to name my baby Hollie

Me: Well It's served me well for 26 years now! (at this point I'm totally stoked because I havent had a patient YET name their child Hollie/Holly/Holley/Holli)

(I go on to explain the origin of my name and the reason why it's spelled with an "IE)

Patient: Oh I've never thought about spelling it with an "IE"!!! I love that! I'm definitely going to name my baby Hollie and spell it with an "IE"!

Me: I think that's a great idea! What are your boy's names??

Patient: Romeo and Jordan.

Me: Jordan?

Patient: Yes, Jordan.

Me: That's a funny coincidence... my husband's name is Jordan... so you could have children named Hollie and Jordan....

Me: That's just creepy.

HLC: More Pics

So you thought I could sum up a week at Journey youth camp in 1 blog post???

Well let me prove you wrong... :)

I could write a whole other post praising our adult sponsors!!!

Nicole & Jessica were 2 of the 6 adult sponsors. Jordan and I qualified as adults somehow. Chris and Hope Dupnik rounded out our 6 sponsors. Everyone was fantastic. They spent a week serving a bunch of teenagers and ensuring these kids had a great time at camp. They went without sleep, ate camp food, showered in tiny stalls with rubber flip flops, and put their wants and desires away completely.

But more than all that, they LOVE these kids! They cheered them on and prayed for them. They encouraged them to look to Christ. I just cant say enough about our sponsors and how valued they are!!! Jordan and I are SO THANKFUL for you!!!!!!!!!!!!

And Here I am about to take off down the zip line. I would like to point out that this picture is majorly zoomed in. The platform itself is probably 75ft tall (give or take a few feet). So it's completely up to the zip-liner to jump off the platform and that is no small feat! I was definitely a little nervous!!!

But here I am, post zip, waiting for someone to come rescue me!

That harness hurt my tenders.

AHA! I found pictures of the power pole!!!!

Check that out!!! Pretty intense right?!?! I was so proud of the students that conquered their fear and took on the power pole challenge. The funny thing is that I never saw a guy on the power pole.... only girls. Surprising? I think not!

Highland Lakes Camp: A Recap... a LONG recap

Ok, so have I made it abundantly clear how awesome our week at Highland Lakes was?!

Because if not, then by the end of this long, picture-heavy post, hopefully those of you who didnt accompany us will have a small taste of the great time that was had by the adults and campers.

We took 36 campers and 6 adults (plus little Jackson, Grace & Delilah Dupnik!) and by the end of the week, 8 youth had accepted Christ and 5 had professed a calling in ministry (2 specifically to missions, 1 to evangelism, 1 to counseling and 1 undecided). What an awesome, fruitful outcome!!! It was such a blessing to see our students open up to each other and share their hearts. We saw first hand a few students be transformed; coming in on day 1 more interested in games & girls (or boys) and leaving with a heart for Christ. My prayer now is that these students will...

FAN THE FLAME!!!

We were the green team and although we had tons of color spirit, we sadly never won the treasured spirit stick (which just happened to be a broom named Sebastian)

Brandyn getting his craft on.

Each day, we had time specifically set aside for indoor activities (like crafts and board games), outdoor activities (like paintball, zipline, archery, biking, and tons of other things), and lakefront time. It was REALLY hot, but everyone participated and nobody really complained.

I wish I'd gotten some pictures of our girls on the power pole! One of the outdoor activity choices was the power pole and it's a 32ft telephone pole with a tiny platform at the top and a trapeze hanging out in front of the pole. After 2 students climb the pole and get in position on the platform, they jump out towards the trapeze!!! I was so proud of everyone who got up there and jumped off-- it was crazy high!!!

Being dweebs.

On camp day 3, during the evening worship service, 5 of us did The Redeemer. Mind you, there were about 600 campers there each night!!! Blaire, Bekah, Timmy, Jordan & Myself are all going to Connecticut next week and learned the skit to perform while we are there. If you've never seen The Redeemer performed, go to YouTube and watch it once or twice! It's a powerful picture of creation, man's sin and separation from God and then Christ saving us from our sins. Even though everyone was a little nervous to be performing the skit in front of so many other students, everything went really well.

The Green Machine.... these girls are gonna kill me!

At the camp's closing ceremonies, each camper who accepted Christ was brought to the tabernacle to ring the bell. It was such a special and memorable experience. At this point in the week, our group had come together to support each other and provide encouragement. It was so sweet to hear the youth cheering each other on as they went through ringing the bell.

Our Girls

The Boys

Just the beginning of the Journey

I cant wait to fill up a blog post about the incredible things that happened at Journey Youth Camp this past week. We had a great time. Highland Lakes Camp is located on Lake Travis right outside of Austin -- Talk about a gorgeous location!

But until then...

It's time to catch up on sleep. In my OWN bed. Without having to wear earplugs.

It's time to take a long hot shower. In my OWN bathroom. Without having to wear rubber flip flops.

It's time to give Mauve a good scratch. She's personally offended that we would leave her at a kennel and has spent the day sleeping under the table.

Stay tuned for pictures & a report - you wont want to miss it!

SUYL: First Timer

I've been a Kelly's Korner fan since Harper was born but never have participated in the "Show Us Your Life" link parties. Today the topic is favorite Bible verses and I have more than a few!

I often find that the verses I hold dear change as things in life also change. There are times where I feel weak and I cling to verses that hold God's promises for me. Promises of hope, a future, safety and love (Psalm 139). As I work my way through struggles with sin, I'll hide scripture in my heart to help combat trials or challenge myself to be a better Christian (Colossians 2:6-7, Romans 12:1-2) Then there are times where I feel my walk with God strengthening and I look to verses that describe His nature. One of my recent favorites comes out of Hebrews:

"He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature, and He upholds the world by the word of His power. After making purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to the angels as the name He has inherited is more excellent than theirs." Hebrews 1:3-4 (ESV)

What are some of your favorite verses?

Shock & Dismay (and maybe even a few tears!)

And anyone who knows me well- knows I NEVER cry.

Ever.

But check out my amazing/incredible/wonderfully sweet/gorgeous/awesome anniversary surprise!!!!

What is that sparkly thing sitting on the table next to the vase you say???

Lets zoom in, shall we?!?!!!

EEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My sweet husband of 4 wonderful years really REALLY did a good job.

Sweet memories

Five years ago today, my sweet & loving husband asked me to be his bride.

AND

Tomorrow is our four year anniversary!

In honor of all this mushy lovey stuff, I'd like to dedicate this blog post to someone very special to me...

(photo by Kevin Jiminez)

... my sweet anonymous friend!

Listen to this great story:

Shortly after getting engaged, Jordan and I went to eat dinner with friends Mitch & Debbie. This wasnt unusual, because at that time in our lives, we spent a great deal of time with the Verdells. I remember so much about that night. It had stormed that afternoon. We ate at a lake house the Verdells were staying at for the week. We had lasagna & salad. I remember all this because Debbie dropped a bomb on me that night! Someone wanted to pay for my wedding dress!!! I had planned on paying for my dress myself and had saved up my pennies from working 2 jobs (at one point)- and I was also working my way through nursing school. Then I get this unexpected anonymous gift! It was such a wonderful blessing! I am so grateful. Still to this day, I have no idea who purchased my gown for me- I dont know if they were even invited to the wedding!

Dear Friend,

I am still so very grateful for the way you have blessed me and Jordan, both on our "special day" and the many days since our wedding day when I think of our "special gift." I think of you often and hope you have been blessed just as I have. I want to sincerely thank you for such a sweet and personal gift.

Not a liar.

Several weeks ago I promised pictures from our Youth Appreciation Banquet. I also promised a new recipe. I havent forgotten.

I've been neglecting my Nikon recently. I've relied on other people to send me their photos because I'm too lazy to lug around our big heavy camera. This happened the night of the Youth Banquet and I bugged Brittany and bugged her and bugged her for pictures. She was awesome and got them to me like the next day or so... and here it is July and I havent posted them yet. Sorry Brittany.

Brittany's not the only poor soul I've been bugging.

But that's neither here nor there.

Jordan and I along with our Youth Student Council held a dinner to love on our Sunday School teachers. These ladies & gentlemen are a HUGE part of our ministry!!!! We LOVE our teachers! They work really hard and we wanted to say thank you!

The students helped out a ton. We cooked dinner, which consisted of salad, chicken spaghetti, bread and dessert. The students picked the menu and helped prepare everything. They also served food, filled glasses and took plates. Basically, once the guests of honor had arrived, the students took over and did an awesome job serving those who have served them this past year!

It was a night filled with fun, laughter and good food. The Barnes family was kind enough to let us crash their house. We definitely made a huge mess...

But once again, the students pitched in and made sure the dishes were clean and the house was back in order.

The dressing we had with the salad is a family recipe that I happen to LOVE. It was a huge hit at the dinner and I was even encouraged to sell it in jars at the farmer's market! If you're looking for a new oil & vinegar based dressing, try out this dressing. Those of you who live in Augusta may remember the Green Jacket Restaurant. It closed down when I was a child, but somehow my mom snagged the recipe for their house dressing. I was having a very hard time deciding whether or not to post about this. I bugged & bugged & bugged my mom for the recipe. She may write me out of the will for divulging her secret. Sorry Mama!

Green Jacket Dressing

1/2 cup Oil

1/2 cup Red Wine Vinegar

1/2 Tomato, cut up into chunks

1 tsp Celery Salt

1 tsp Accent seasoning

1/2 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Pepper.

Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor. Blend for 1 minute or until well incorporated. (There may still be very small pieces of tomato.) Yummmmmmmmmmm.