what a good night...

I got to meet Indigo...


and see my friends.

my weekend & my life

I had the BEST weekend! It might have had to do with the fact that it was ridiculously warm and sunny here all weekend. Or, that Stephen and I spent all day Saturday at the Inner Harbor/Fells Point walking around and just generally seeing the sights (see flaming fire juggler guy pic below). Or that I went pumpkin picking and hay-riding with Matt, Jenn, Mark Allen, Matt and Dana today and then had some yummy dinner after. Probably, it was all of it combined together...the trifecta of a great weekend.

I would like for there to be more weekends like this...although I'm not sure the weather will cooperate. I am fairly certain that I am 15% starting to adapt to life in Maryland. Haha...sounds like a really strong statement, huh? I think that number will jump considerably higher once I move into my new place in November. As much as I don't want to be attached to the "things" of this world, it will be refreshing to have my stuff around me...to set up my home. I have some really cool stuff and pictures from Kenya, Uganda, and Zanzibar that I am excited to decorate with!

Anyway, I was thinking tonight that this is the first place I have moved that I didn't have this overwhelming desire to move to before I decided to move. Hmmm...does that make sense? For instance, Nashville - wanted to move there (all 3 times!) VERY MUCH before I actually moved there. Same with Atlanta. But Maryland...never said, "I REALLY want to live in Maryland!", either before I was born (ha ha) or this past year. Here's the kicker, though: As much as I want to balk at being here sometimes, I've honestly never felt like I'm supposed to be somewhere in a time more than I do now. Obviously (because I say it a lot), I still have a hard time not being in Atlanta or Nashville (more so because I miss my friends), but I know this is part of the journey God has been taking me on. So, here I am in Maryland. Eventually I'll just get over it and stop talking about it. I'm thinking maybe December 12th-ish.

But what a great weekend!!! :O)

how do you start over?

I find myself a bit melancholic today. I'm guessing it has to do with the fact that I would normally be spending Saturday afternoons watching football with the roomies...and now I'm sitting in my room trying to figure out what to do today.

I'm anxious to start my new job on Monday...to get back into a "normal" pattern. Being jobless for the past 2 months (or 4, if you count the tour and Africa as "unemployment") has been a bit rough. Obviously, if you know me, you know that I'm someone who likes to be doing stuff, have control over things, know what's happening, etc. This has been a different and interesting season of learning to let go. Whether I have actually learned to do that...still figuring that out.

I'm also realizing that it's been a LONG time since I've had to kind of start over from scratch in building community. As much as I want it to happen, I know the process involved is not easy...especially here where finding a church is not like finding a church in Atlanta or Nashville. It's just going to take some time. And patience.

So, I'm just having one of those days. The kind where I miss my friends.

today is not my favorite day.

A very good friend of mine died a few moments ago.

She was such an amazing woman, such an inspiration, such a joy...always had the biggest hug waiting for me.

I am going to miss her tremendously.

My prayers are being lifted up for her family, friends, co-workers...all the people her incredible life touched.

back in the ATL

It's SO nice to be back in the Duke House. Sleeping in my own bed last night was potentially the best feeling ever...it made me realize that I hadn't had a good night's sleep in a while. I can't wait to get all of my stuff moved to Maryland so I can feel at "home" there. It's weird living somewhere, but not feeling like you actually live there. If that makes sense. :O)

Here is what is on the Biz schedule for the weekend:

Today:
- currently checking out game day on ESPN
- getting ready to go to the farmer's market with noellie and nic
- a long walk later this afternoon with aforementioned roomies
- watching the Gators at a TBD restaurant/bar (i will not be wearing jean shorts, but i cannot rule out the possibility that one of the others might...it IS Florida football)

Tomorrow:
- buckhead church for most of the morning
- probably another long walk with the roomies
- cooking out previously purchased food from the farmer's market
- massive rock band fest

So, as you can see...busy, fun weekend ahead...and I can't wait!!!!!!!!!!

reconnecting

I am getting the opportunity to reconnect and it is refreshing after being away for so long. Amazing conversations with amazing people. God is definitely stirring something in the hearts of several of my closest friends and I am excited to see where the movement leads...

That's about all I have at this point. I'm sure I'll have more to post once I leave Nashville and can reflect back on my time here. For the next few days, though, I am just going to enjoy being around old friends and listening to God's whisper.

shattered expectations and a shout out.

God is shattering my expectations. And I'm completely fine with that. In fact, I am ready for more.

I was riding around last night in northeastern Maryland and was thinking (well, said aloud) that I could never live here because I think I would go absolutely crazy not being connected to anything I was familiar with.

By the time I went to bed, though, I had realized that...hello...my entire family is here. What's not FAMILIAR about that. I'm not saying that I'm moving to Maryland. But, I'm just saying that I'm no longer saying I would NEVER move back to Maryland. I'm also saying I would still consider staying in Atlanta, as well as definitely consider moving back to Nashville.

So, you see where my mind is these days?

But, God is continuing to crack at the walls of the box I have put my life in. It's pretty interesting when expectations are shattered because you finally can breathe easily. At least I can. I no longer have to think about the "what ifs" or the "do you think it could happen" or "oh dear God, please don't ask me to do that". I just wait and listen. I'm not hearing much beyond the peace of stillness. That's cool. At least for now.

And, oh...the shout out. I promised. Good job on the parallel parking on the opposite side of the road, Weaver.

silly slow internet connection

Hi friends! I've been trying to upload some more pics on my other blog, but the internet here at the hotel is a little wacky. We have wireless and everything, but it isn't the fastest in the world! :O) Actually pretty surprising since it's the nicest hotel in Uganda. Oh well, c'est la vie!

Everyone arrived earlier today and this evening, so we have a full house! It's always fun when the whole team is together. There are some crazy people out with us (in a good way, of course!)!!! It's always good to be in like-company.

It's about 12:21 in the morning and I probably need to go to bed. I had a few things to wrap up with Kyiv tonight, so am trying to get that taken care of. Looks like that will need to be finished up tomorrow, though. Not that you care to know that, but I'm basically just documenting what I'm doing at this point. Ha ha.

I have to say...I look forward to the day after.

Not sure what that day is, but it will be here soon...

And it will be interesting. Uganda is an amazing place filled with amazing people. I have made some good friends already and look forward to the next few months with them!!!

Ok, off to bed!

birthday fun.

Some of the pictures from birthday fun...






For some reason, the picture loader is busted so I'll try and post more later.

what I see happening in my life.

Seems like a good day to reflect upon some things God is doing in my life...these are in no particular order and I can't guarantee they will make any sense to you or will have any depth whatsoever. That's my stipulation. :O)

(I am going to number them because I like lists. Lists make me feel like I am accomplishing things. I know, I'm ridiculous.) So, here goes:

1. When I finally realize that what is going on in my life and around me is not always about me...when I see things from a perspective beyond my own...THAT is the point when God tends to use me in the most perceptible of ways. It is in those moments when my brokenness is swept into the overwhelming mercy and grace of a Savior who is willing and waiting to redeem all people. It is like I become a channel for the work of God and I don't even realize that my hands are the ones doing the physical work because the work, itself, is not important inasmuch as what it is accomplishing and directing others towards. I don't mean to suggest, AT ALL, that I'm doing some great work or anything like that, but it's merely the idea that there are these slivers of moments when I actually get out of the way and stop trying to do things the way I think they should be done. That's when God uses me most efficiently and seemingly in my strengths.

2. I have always had a desire to explore something beyond the world I occupy. I think that's why I'm so comfortable with change and why I tend to seek it out (how many comments will I get about that?!). This past year, though, I decided to put my change bug to rest for a bit and truly seek first the kingdom of God. (After a few months, I decided that was not so easy to do. And then there came Kenya!!!) In all of this, though, I have come to realize that this change bug, this desire to explore...it's not a bad thing to seek as long as it's part of the "seek first HIS kingdom". When I truly lay down my desire to make things happen and figure out where my life is going, I see the most amazing adventure before me. God takes me places I would never have imagined going...territorial, spiritually, emotionally, relationally...

3. This past August, I managed to somehow start leading a small group through Buckhead Church. I wasn't planning on leading a group, only wanted to join one. But, obviously God had other plans in mind. Over the past 6 months, I have managed to walk alongside 5 incredibly wonderful and uniquely gifted women that I would never have met had I not said OK to leading a group. Somehow, beyond anything I could have ever done, we have managed to dig into each other's lives so quickly and so deeply that it amazes me every time we get together. Not only do we meet for our normal community group time, we also randomly just spend time together doing other things...I am incredibly blessed to have Lori, Christine, Katie, Rachelle, and Kristi in my life!

4. I really like toast for breakfast.

a tattoo story...

Carlos is doing a cool thing on his blog...having people post tat pictures and then share their stories. So, here's one of mine (that he put on his blog):

The funny story behind this tattoo is there is not much of a story. :O) I like stars, so one day during work, Phillip Z. and I decided to go get tats during lunch. This was the third of the four tattoos I have.

My favorite tattoo so far is this one:

It says "grace" in Tengwar, which is a language developed by Tolkien (elfish). Yeah, I'm a dork. Whatever...it's cool. :O) Kind of hard to see in this pic, but the picture itself is kind of cool because I was in church in Kenya. That rocked.

My other two tats are dumb. I'm planning on getting the one on my leg covered with a tattoo that will be Africa-themed in nature. Not sure where it's going yet, but have some ideas. It will probably be my biggest tattoo yet, so I'm kind of excited about it...

passion :: DC

These were just some of the images from an incredible weekend...



And this has to be one of my favs...

stupid tagging...

I feel like I'm in middle school again. So, Jerry tagged me on his blog and now I have to share 10 random facts about myself with the blogging world at large. I'm sure everyone is dying to know this information, so here goes...

1. I hate tagging and anything associated with forwards and the like. Ok, now that I've confessed my bitterness, I can have some fun. :O)

2. I love Africa. I love Kenya. I love the people of Africa...and want to go live there with them. But, that's probably not a random and unknown fact. Oh well.

3. Sometimes when it's dark outside and I'm driving, I get caught up listening to music and just keep driving. Or if no one is home, I'll just sit in my driveway for a while and keep listening. I prefer to drive, though.

4. I do not like talking on the phone. Unless I have something specific and personal to share with someone, I'd rather not be on the phone. That's what email, texting, and conversations are for.

...running out of things to share...

5. Oh, ok. I am not a fan of shopping. I don't like to shop for clothes, so if I absolutely need something, you'll probably find me picking it up at Target while I'm buying groceries, cards, or dog food. Or, if I'm really on a mission and have the time, thrift stores. I DO however have an affinity for bags and shoes. But, I've cut that out of the budget as of late.

6. I like to make cakes.

7. I have the world's best dog. This is her winter look...



8. I wish I could end at 8. 8's my favorite number. 8 is my birth date. March 8th, to be exact. Feel free to donate to any of my Africa trips should you feel the need to celebrate my birthday! ;O) (Just email me and I'll let you know how!!!) Or you can buy me a Stella...I'm good with either.

9. I grew up in Aberdeen, Maryland. Coincidentally, Aberdeen is the hometown of Cal Ripken, Jr. My dad is the Mayor of Aberdeen. It's kind of funny to me.

10. Finally! Ok, the 10th most random piece of information about me is...hmmm...I have moved over 30 times since high school. I will try and list them below (and dang if this isn't going to take forever):

- Stephenville, TX (Tarleton State University) - 2 different dorms in 1 semester
- Back to Parents House (Community College)
- Own apartment in Aberdeen, MD
- Back to parents house (got smart & realized it was free)
- Jackson, TN (Union University) - 6 different places (at least, I can't quite remember)
- Back to Maryland for 6 months
- Nashville, TN
- Back to Maryland for 6 months
- Glorieta, NM for 3 months (camp)
- Back to Maryland (Audio Engineering School)
- Bowie, MD
- Reston, VA
- Back to parents house (again, got smart & realized it was free)
- BACK to Nashville - with Roshare, for any of my Nashville friends who need some sort of timeline here (Wyndchase apartments)
- Back to Maryland for 5 months (see a pattern here?)
- Greenville, SC for 3 months (camp)
- BACK to Nashville (for good, until Atlanta) - 15th Ave. S.
SO...now we have Nashville moves....
- Kenner - fire pit glory
- West End apartment - heater hell
- Roycroft (what what) - with the boys & Roshare
- Wyndchase - by myself
- Nathan & Bethany's house
- Gulch loft
- Roycroft - with Nic
THEN...
- Atlanta, GA for 3 months
OK, BACK...
- Franklin, TN (Magnolia House apartment)
THEN BACK...
- Atlanta, GA - the DUKE HOUSE - currently residing!!! (almost a year!!!)

And, so...I feel like I've gotten some of these out of order. I actually think I've missed some, which is tragically sad. I need help in filling in holes, so if you read this and know my past lives, help me fill in the blanks. My OCD requires it.

And please do not ask why I move so much. I do not have answers to these types of questions.

amazing.

A few friends of mine (that didn't know each other before this) are doing some amazing things right now. Compassion International asked a handful of bloggers to travel to Uganda for a week and meet children and families and blog about their time there in hopes that they would be able to put a real face and story to the thousands of children that are in desperate need of sponsorship.

Carlos, one of the guys I work with at Buckhead Church, is one of those bloggers. Every day as I read his blog and see the videos he is uploading, it is like I am being taken back to Kenya all over again. It is all I can do to not fall apart, desperate to want to go back...

PLEASE...if you have a few minutes...or even a few minutes every day... visit his blog and see what is happening. My friend Keely is also on the trip and is blogging. Maybe you will walk away wanting to sponsor one of the faces you see, maybe you won't. That's ok. At least be willing to open yourself up to another world. There is so much joy there.

coffee and running

Sunday afternoons have been a good time for getting coffee at a new fav hang, Octane. Amy and I will meet there after our various church times, sometimes. They have DELIGHTFUL coffees and even more delightful lattes.


I highly recommend spending time here. We do a lot of work, a lot of chatting, a lot of work, and a lot of coffee drinking (Amy-regular, Me-decaf). They also have Belgian beer...did I mention that? A lot of different kinds of Belgian beer.

Ok, so that was Sunday. I'm behind on blogging. TODAY I actually got up before 6 am and WENT RUNNING!!! It has been SO LONG!!! I don't think I have consistently run since about 6 months after I ran the full in San Diego in '05. So, that's about 2.5 years. Wow. I tried running this past fall and the first day, had intense pain in my leg...only to discover I had something like sciatica. Sucked.

Anyway, I went running today and it was glorious! I decided that I am a city runner, for sure. Give me street lights, give me people, give me cars, give me stoplights, and most definitely give me construction workers walking to work at 6:30 in the dark. What a morning!!! I parked at the Kroger just south of the Brookhaven Marta Station on Peachtree and started running south. Past all the high-rises, past the shops, past Lenox mall...and ended up at the Buckhead Marta station. Here's a fun map...


40 minutes total. Not a ton of running, but I think I topped out at 3.2 miles today with a 3/2 interval. For the first day back in a long time, I'm beyond happy that there is no immediate pain and suffering...and there was actual enjoyment! My goal is to run a little farther every day before I head back, even if it's just another 30 seconds or a few more feet.

So, lookout tomorrow...hopefully I can have the same enthusiam!!!

VIOLATION

Jerry is violating the Birthday hat rules.

superbowl good times

The Duke House is having a Super Bowl party. 5:30 until we stop. If you are interested in coming, let me know so we can chat more details. I better know who you are, though. :O)

Manilow :: Cancelled

Are you kidding me? Are you KIDDING me?

We get .26 inches of snow and the city of Atlanta goes nutso. Church is canceled tomorrow, chaos ensues, Barry Manilow bugs out. What is going ON?????

That's it...we are playing Wii tonight. All night.

Oh snap!

Tonight I went and saw Cloverfield with Jerry, Kelli, Meredith, and Jared. The movie pretty much rocked early '08. With a director like JJ Abrams, how could it not? I think if I were going to stalk someone, it would be him. I mean, come on. Alias, Lost....those two shows alone right there would seal the deal for me.

"Why, yes, Mr. Abrams. I WILL marry you. Oh, and you want me to act in your kick-butt thriller where I will play a super cool spy who runs through the city of NY battling a monster that got trapped in a time machine in an island in the middle of the pacific and just now showed up for mankind to discover? Ok!"

Seriously. I love him.

Tomorrow night, I am going to see Barry Manilow.

Hello. Could this weekend BE any better?

"I know what you're thinking..."

Ok, so to take a mid-day break, we decided to play the 20 questions game (computer version). We are always amazed by its ability to figure out what we are thinking. Although...I played last night and it didn't guess "christmas tree", so I think I am actually smarter than the machine. But, we went for a group round today.

We thought the machine would guess our item in the following amount of questions:

Michele - 16 questions
Jerry - 10 questions
Kristie - 25 questions

I will give you the questions and our answers first. The computer's questions and words are in quotes, ours (and my commentary) aren't.

1. "Is it an animal, vegetable, mineral, or other?" yes, other
2. "Do you hold it when you use it?" no
3. "Does it make a sound?" sometimes
4. "Does it shine?" sometimes
5. "Is it outside?" sometimes
6. "Can you use it with your friends?" yes you can
7. "Is it used by the police?" no

"I know what you are thinking...almost."

8. "Is it made of metal?" no
9. "Is it used in a sport?" no
10. "Is it smaller than a loaf of bread?" yes
11. "Is it hard?" sometimes
12. "Does it have a hard outer shell?" sometimes
13. "Can you get information by using it?" no
14. "Was it used over 100 years ago?" yes
15. "Can it be painted?" no

"I think I got you."

16. "Can it be used more than once?" yes
17. "Do you clean it regularly?" yes
18. "Is it something you bring along?" yes
19. "Is it flexible?" yes
20. "Was it invented?" no

"I'm thinking...I've got it."

"Is it a womb?" no. (but kind of close...props for that)

21. "Is it something you can purchase?" no
22. "Does it move?" no
23. "Do you use it in public?" no
24. "Can it fit in an envelope?" no
25. "Can you smell it?" sometimes. gross.

"I'm thinking....I will guess again."

"It's a sphincter?" HAAAAAAAAAA HAAAAAAAAAA HAAAAAAAAAAAA. No.

"You got lucky this time." yes we did, computer, yes we did. But, word to you for 2 good guesses.

We actually went in with a doozy...STD. Yeah...that's what our brains came up with today for 20 questions. Go figure. We were even willing to let it give just "disease", but it didn't. Not sure how it came up with the last answer, but we were rolling on the floor laughing. Good 5 minute break. Thanks, 20 questions!