cake, tattoos, groupies, and stuff

ok ok...

i fess up
as much of you know... yesterday was a HUGE event in my life
a marker..
once you hit.. never to return
to *this* young again..

*14*
its such an odd feeling..

and i am COMPLETELY spoiled
like nutso
like crazy nutso with extra whip and carmel drizzle..

did you know that the biggest box of jr mints has somewhere around 1500 calories???
and kasey made me an incredible chocolate cake..
which josh very politely shoveled into my face.. i did pretty good...??

i very well may go into a sugar coma..

Can you see it:
FOURTEEN year old midwest GIRL slips into coma after INSANE amounts of refined sugar.. the overdose was likely caused by the denial of her AGE..

Maja of course offered a delightful insight...
momma your going to look like Tobymac when your His age.. i know it! (josh wasn't too thrilled..)

But..
the best was the HUGE blemish that appeared on the right side of my face
it was like mount puberty

as if a gentle breeze erupting on my face
i could hear God's whisper..
fourteen fourteen fourteen

thank you Lord.
for only you would realize the significance of a Huge Ugly Zit
*it stole my heart*

(apparently one of those things you can't fully describe :)

SO anyhum..
it's been a month of change at our house..

we have a new addition to our crazy family!!
our beautiful, crazy, amazing, TEENAGE niece has been living with us. i feel like Shanda.. it's kinda weird having a niece a year OLDER than me..

and in ONE week and 2 days we will be flying to Uganda.. holy cow..

we went to see tobymac :)
and had vale parking
and i became an official groupie..
did i tell you how amazing my friends are???
i wish that i was smart enough to cross things out.. cause id replace friends with family... but since i have NO clue how to really do ANYTHING with blogger....

and i got a tattoo!!

not really...
did i have you wondering??

have a blessed weekend...

ps: it's jenni's 15th birthday to day :)
she's WAY older than me...
and mature and stuff...

insane amount of rambling..

one of the last times that i saw my big brother was when he was standing waiting for me and tara and the kids to get off the tilt-a-world... my mom's fav..
just standing there leaning against the fence...
a big soda in his hand wearing a huge Craig grin..
his jeans drippin wet sporting that pee-d in look wonderfully...

i have had such an amazing week
emotional
nutso
somewhere in the midst of it
i threw my arms in the air
and started hanging on for the ride
cause each and everytime i try to grab ahold
He brings it around
and reminds me

it could be tomorrow

i can't tell you how stinkin blessed i am
we talk about finding a church
one that fits like a glove
some how
some way
God gave me a family
really i don't fit it
but
He wove me into it
i don't know who and what i am apart from it and Him
i may very well be the ugly string in the midst of them
yet somehow comes together perfectly

i have fought really hard to control this ride
but it aint gona happen
i could continue with my expectations
with my agenda
with my mapped out plan, or lack thereof :)

and He's just standing there
waiting
watching in joy
His kiddos
on this ride
cause He's going to redeem it all

i trust that.

there is a difference between the first church in acts and me
they really really believed
they banked on Him
without a building
without the next step

and they celebrated every meal- together
good bad ugly
im ready to party.

so really there is no point to this post
and all the point

i am nothing without Him
i am everything with Him

i got nothing without Him
security in my country
my job
my life

and everything with Hum
even without anything

so how's that for ramblings???

fyi..

the difference in temp
today from Kampala
to HERE
is 100 degrees

hum..

all serious stuffs

forgive my immaturity.
it just it seems the serious stuff has consumed my life lately.

being that the bananas are now cleared from my head..
and have joined the other dancing fruit in yours..

lets get down to the nitty gritty:

in less than 4 weeks i am going to be trapped for 17 some hours in a huge metal bird with a gazillion strangers, one really cute husband, and potties that try sucking my hoodie strings into the heavens each time that i pull the lever.

meanwhile.. our children will be all nestled in at their second.. third.. fourth... homes.. with the true saints Christ refers to.

and the final destination? a country that plagues our thoughts... faces that we have yet to meet.

for half of the time we get to be part of a group that is going to encourage, train, and build up pastors. it seems that God is doing some amazing things in Africa.. too fast for leadership in the church to be trained. how awesome is that problem??

and the second part? we get to go hang out at an orphanage. no agenda, no schedule. for three days go love on and be with our little sisters and brothers in Christ. too bad i haven't been practing my soceer skill since bulgaria...

and do you think it coincidence that we return just hours before breakaway begins?? dance off: watch out. good-bye extra left foot... uncovering moves in the land where rhythm originated. well maybe hello to clapping AND singing at the same time!

after a few interesting holiday-time questions, just to clear things up:
1. Moving there? two weeks and we'll be back in the midwest of the USA.. no permanency here folks. only completely nutso people would consider moving their 5 children to a "foreign" land.
2. Safe? Uganda in God's will is safer than outside God's will in my living room. being that He kinda made me and well has control over my soul and stuff like that, i think i'll leave the fearing to Him alone.... :)
3. Pushing religion??? Nah. it's all about destroying religion in the resurrection. about the power of God actually being powerful and alive and real. it's all about Him. cause i'm just an idiot, who couldn't even sell something as appetizing as religion.

thanks to all of you who have prayed for us...
who have made our kids your own :)
who have walked with us day by day the past 6 months.
cause that includes the ugly and the painful as well as the milk out of your nose moments.
and continue to redefine the word family.

Bananas in Pajamas

it's a post. so there.
i needed this tonight.... :)

2009

Two guys were in a tent. One awoke to realize that their tent had been robbed. Freaking, he awoke his friend. Who didn't notice.. who was amazed, not by what he lost, by what he gained- in clear view of God's creation.

I stink at resolutions. But God seems to give me a song each year that ministers to me where I am. This is my prayer this year, that I might have His eyes, His Vision.
That God might rip my tent off and reveal His glory.
Happy New Year!