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Ah Ha! Moments

Very few people have the opportunity to have true Ah Ha! Moments. These are moments that you only dream of experiencing. I have been fortunate enough to have two real and true Ah Ha! Moments this year.

Of course everyone would expect that I had one while in Italy. Who couldn't have one when sitting in a piazza in Rome, surrounded by locals and eating a panini w/ two good friends? Or standing in the Colosseum, where thousands of ancient Romans fought to the death while crowds (royalty among them) cheered on?

My second moment was just this past Sunday. I was at the New Kids on the Block concert. During their last song "Hangin' Tough!" it all hit me….. When I was 10 years old and in love, no - obsessed with - the New Kids, this was my dream. I was always too young or it was too expensive or too far away to go to a concert…so I was never able to go. Now, 18 years later, I am singing their songs at the top of my lungs, dancing w/ my hands in the air, and truly happy for the 5 boys that were a big part of my childhood. It was definitely a dream come true and the 10 year old little girl inside me was crying w/ happiness!

I know, you may think this is very cheesy or corny, but whatever…. I had the time of my life on Sunday night. I could only hope for you to experience a true Ah Ha! Moment like I did on Sunday. Now, do you have to go to an NKOTB concert? Well, no - although, I think everyone should experience one great concert in their lives - it's not really about that. It's about dreams coming true. (Ok, now I will own the fact that this blog just took a bad turn down Cheesy Ln…but dream big people!) :-)

Step by Step, oooh Baby!
(You can hear the audience singing!)


I still love Donnie! What is it w/ me and the bad boys? Yes, even when I was 10 I had a thing for the bad boy!





I heart Joey McIntyre! I always had the biggest crush on him. I really thought - out of all of the boys - I had a chance w/ him because he was the youngest...and short, like me. :-)





Aw, and who doesn't love Jordan?! His high voice, his rat tail.... hahaha. Oh well, I guess it was cool then...plus, it didn't beat Donnie's mullet!


This is probably one of my favorite pics of the night. This is when they sang to me and Kelly - - "I'll be loving you Forever. Just as long as you want me to be. I'll be loving you Fooooreveeever. All this love's for you and me....yeah!"


I am so glad Kelly was there to share this moment w/ me. We had sooo much fun! If you look closely....you can see our inner 10 year old child! ha.

A time I will never forget

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Taken for Granted

I take a lot for granted. But 32,000 feet in the air, it's hard not to realize the magnitude of God's greatness. To see his creation & feel his peace (even through turbulence) is a blessing all in itself.

To see large, bubbly clouds all around....like you are sitting in a bag of cotton balls; How can you not be amazed?

To see the calm ocean below sporadic flat clouds; How can you not be in awe?

To see hills of rolling clouds -purple, pink, orange & yellow with the evening sun setting on them; You know you are sitting in the palm of God's hand.....so magnificent, beautiful & perfect......

"Be still & know that I am God." Ps 46:10

Amazing

We have prayed and anxiously awaited this day....and I can't believe it is here!! The team leaves for Italy this morning.

Words can not express how blessed I feel to be apart of this mission trip.

God has been doing great things in the lives of the team members and our supporters.

It's just AMAZING......Exhilarating!

I wish I had more to write, but really.......I'm just in AWE of Him.

Hey Jude

He steals my heart!

Give & Take Away

On one hand, it seems like just yesterday.....

I am so thankful that I can still hear his laugh.....

On the other, I miss him so much...

It seems like an eternity has passed.....


I know God puts certain people in our lives for a reason - and I am truly thankful for that. I just struggle with why He takes them away. Don't get me wrong..... There are some people I am glad are not in my life anymore - even though at the time, I didn't realize. I see now that they only brought pain & heartache, fortunately God allowed me to grow from that. But, what about the ones that bring us joy, teach us so much about life and ourselves, the ones we love....Why? I'm not angry by any means.....just sad. I know this was for a reason and a purpose......He always has a reason and a purpose....I just wish I knew what it was.....

Thinking Positive

Well, the dentist said there was 'little hope' for saving my tooth. Apparently, I broke it a while back and now not even a root canal will help - they have to extract it. I don't know when I broke it, but it has just recently started hurting - I'm talking major pain! Unfortunately, the dentist is sending me to an oral surgeon and now I can not even get in for a consult until June 5th.
Grrr....this is so frustrating!
I have tried everything I can to get in to earlier because I want the tooth pulled before I go to Italy....but no one sees this as an emergency and say that I will not be approved for surgery until after I get back.
Grrr.....!
I feel that I have to stay positive: Maybe my oral surgeon will be my future husband. Maybe I will loose weight because it hurts to eat.
Who knows....
Maybe God has some grand plan!

A Split Second

I got a glimpse of him and my heart stopped, I stopped breathing and time stood still. It was just a split second, but it seemed like an eternity. How could I feel so much emotion in such a short period of time? Hope, Excitement, Fear, Sadness, Despair.....all ran through my body.

I saw his profile - his hair, his eye, his ear.....and as my brain processed this, I felt a twinge. Was it hope? Was this really him? Or was it despair? Did I want to see him so bad that I imagined it? Am I going crazy? As the rest of his face came into focus, I felt as if my knees would buckle. I felt my feet hit the ground, the weight of the world came crashing down on me.....reality set in. How silly of me.... I know I won't see him again - not on this earth.

Everyone Has a Beginning

I was raised Catholic, mainly because my dad's family were practicing Catholics. Everything was so ritualistic, we did things because we had to. I grew up knowing that Jesus died on the cross, but the way I was taught...it was as if He had to, simply because he was the Son of God. I went through the motions because I had to, not because I wanted to. It's sad to say, that is the way I thought religion went. God was God and I had to go through my First Communion to make Him happy. I had to confess my sins to a priest and say my pennants for Him to forgive me.

In the summer after I turned 13, my parents were going through a divorce. My sister and I went to stay with my grandparents (on my mother's side). My Grandma was a Baptist - and I found myself in a completely different world! "Why do these people sing so much? Why is the preacher so excited? Why aren't they kneeling and crossing themselves? They all look so happy! Something is Definitely wrong here!" I couldn't have been more wrong...... :-)

My Grandmother sent me to church camp for a week. The second night at camp is what changed my life. I still remember it like it was yesterday..... I was crammed into a small worship center with about a 100 middle schoolers - It was probably 150 degrees. When the youth director started talking about salvation, I felt as if he was talking directly to me....suddenly, there was no one else around me and my mind was swimming with his words.

He explained that Jesus was sent to this earth to save ME. He suffered and died on the cross for ME....so that I can be forgiven.....and go to heaven....to be with Him. Not because he HAD to, but because He wanted to. He loved ME that much!

I know it sounds cheesy, but really, in that 150 degree weather, I felt a chill - and it felt like this cloud that had been fogging up my head was removed.... Believe it or not, in my 13 years of life, I had a LOT that needed to be forgiven (and that is a different post :-) )....but it was more than that....it was a certain comfort that I felt. I knew from that point on, I was safe.....I would be ok.....because with Son of God on my side....how can I not be?