Eight Years Ago...

I went to the olympics. As a child I dreamed of going to the olympics as a gymnast. Obviously that wasn't really in the plans for me since I wasn't 4 ft 10 in and 80 lbs. But still, the olympics always had a special place in my heart. I get excited when the time for the olympics comes around and I still get a little teary eyed when the torch is lit or someone receives a medal. So, when the opportunity came along for me to go to the Salt Lake City Olympics in 2002, I was more than ready and excited. As a junior in college, I hopped on a plane for the first time since I was little with 14 other random people to serve with a group called More than Gold. While we were there, we served as Olympic volunteers. As I look back, it was a turning point in my life. Before then, I had never really traveled much outside of South Carolina and didn't really desire to go anywhere else. One trip on a plane to Salt Lake City and all that changed when the travel bug bit me and bit me hard. I think that trip was the first time that I really had the courage to take a risk and go somewhere God was calling me to go. It was stepping into the unknown and being okay with that. It was the step that would ultimately lead me down the journey that God has me on now. A short trip to Salt Lake City turned into what will be 8 summers traveling on the road with camp and events in 18 states. It turned into trips to Uganda, the Philippines, Haiti and Kenya. It turned into vacations of driving from Seattle to San Diego. It took me to places where I met my husband and some of my best friends. That one step, that seemed like a brief trip to the olympics at the time, became the first step in a journey that has been more exciting than I could have ever imagined. So each time the olympics roll around again like they did tonight, I get that warm and fuzzy feeling all over again. It reminds me of how far God has taken me in the past 8 years and makes me excited about what He must have ahead. Enjoy the games! I'll post about Kenya and Compassion over this next week.

Well...

I'm going to admit tonight that I feel like Job has been saying the same thing for oh...the whole book. So, I'm afraid I don't have a whole lot to share on that front. I am looking forward to church tomorrow so hopefully I will have a bit more direction as I read the rest of the book. I do really like feeling like I have feedback after each week of reading. It has been a good time for me and I feel like God is challenging me.

Guess I will take this time to share some random things about life right now:

*On Friday, Brad & I interviewed a girl for camp this summer who had come to Crosspoint...when we were working. How weird. She had actually only been a Brad's camps, but how strange that someone who was a camper for us in 5th and 6th grade is now applying to work camp in the summer. Geez I feel ancient in the camp world.

*I have been frantically trying to get things done this weekend before we head to Kenya. Preparing to miss almost 2 weeks of school is not easy, but I am grateful that I have the opportunity to go.

*On Friday, Brad & I tried a couple of firsts for us in Birmingham. A place called Newks for lunch and Yogurt Mountain for dessert. Yogurt mountain is great. You go in, grab a bowl and then you have about a dozen flavors of frozen yogurt to choose from. Then you can put whatever toppings on it that you want and they weigh it to see how much it costs. My favorite flavor combo was peanut butter with rice krispie treat...yum. My idea for them...they need to create a membership club where you pay a monthly fee and can go as much as you want for one monthly cost!

*A little over a week ago I got my lab placement for this semester. This spring we are all going to schools in Bibb County which = the boonies. It will be about a 45 minute drive, but thankfully I have several friends I may be able to carpool with. I was assigned Kindergarten though, so I am really excited. I think eventually I would love to teach Kindergarten, so this will be a good test!

*It dawned on me the other day that this summer I will get to go to camp and focus totally on camp and I got really excited. I took 3 classes online last summer and it was craziness. I still don't know how I did it. It was literally by the grace of God. He provided us with a great staff and me with great office ladies who I literally could not have gotten through the summer without. I am really excited that this summer my focus will not be split and I am looking forward to all the travel. This is it...my last go round, unless God has some super crazy plans for me that I am not aware of yet. So I am going to make the most of it!

*My random thoughts lately...I'm ready to have a place to call home. Don't get me wrong, I love it here and I love our house. We are incredibly blessed. But ever since I graduated college I feel like I have been in a constant transition. Fortunately, we have stayed in one place for the last few years, but we still can't really put down roots as we aren't sure what we are going to do long term. So, whether it is here, or somewhere else, I am just ready to have a place to call home for a while. I know that God is already sorting out those details, and in the meantime I just need to be happy with all my blessings.

Well, that might be enough random updates for now. If I get any great insight on Job tomorrow at church I will try and share it. Guess that is all for now.

Today's Reading: Job 22-24

"Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The lord gave and the lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord." Job 1:21