the trip

And, for the love of all things pure & holy please look at Amanda's Album at
http://s142.photobucket.com/albums/r109/agpate12/Fort%20Mountain/?albumview=slideshow

 A moment.  Do you ever just stop and have yourself a moment?  It happened to me yesterday.  I was at Chad & Lynse's wedding and it hit me:  a seriously heavy revy.  In just a split second I realized that she's standing there, looking at Chad, and he is THE BEST EVERYTHING.  There is no doubt in her mind that he will always be there for her, always have an answer, always love her, always guide her, and always provide for her.  He is the best for her.  He was created for her.  And, vice versa.  And, as I watched Lynse standing there, saying her vows and glowing, I realized that she has probably never been more confident of anything else in her life.  That is worth celebrating!
As Mark Pettus led the ceremony he mentioned how incredible they both were.  That Chad has a life of amazing ministry. That Lynse has a life marked for amazing ministry. And now, together, they will share in the fullness of the Lord leading them to incredible lives of ministry together.  There's the beginning of my moment: The Lord can join whatever he pleases.  The Lord can separate whatever he pleases.  And, in either situation, the confidence must remain the same -- unfailing -- because, ultimately, it is His plan to be completed.  
Growing up is cool ...

 Just returned from weekend in North Georgia with the girls -- and I will post pictures pronto -- I can't even tell you how hilarious this entire trip was, but will hit some pretty good highlights:

-Horseback riding with 5 stubborn horses up (AND DOWN) a very steep mountain does not make for a restful afternoon.  Felt like Woodrow F. Call in manner of Lonesome Dove. (If you don't know what that means, you're missing one of the best movies ever made )
-A fly, who we have affectionately named "Fred", traveled with us from Fort Mountain, Georgia all the way back to Birmingham.  And, he is still currently residing in my car.  I spotted him this morning while trying to drive to the fruit market.  Fred, the Bi-State traveler.
-Birmingham is a very wealthy area.  We don't always realize it, but when you travel to DALTON, GEORGIA'S premier shopping center and witness the hilarity that is everything Nascar and barefeet, you realize how blessed we truly are.  (**Pictures will express this much better, I promise.)


More to come ... who else had a fun weekend?

OK,  I'm so going to tattletale on our house right now .... I can't even stand it .... it's 8:57 pm on a Monday night.  And we are watching MATLOCK.  Yes, seersucker suit wearing, Atlanta crime detective/lawyer man Ben Matlock is all that we've been able to settle on.  Everything else seems to be a little much for us ... and Food Network is a re-run .... so, here we are!   Suddenly feel geriatric, in manner of Easy Spirits, plastic grocery bags to cover your hairdo in the rain, and Polydent Denturgrip.

Is this extremely sad or extremely hilarious?

Shope reminded me that the hilarity that is my 10 year reunion is rapidly approaching. I've been in touch with our class president, Kendra Crews, and our class Treasurer, Amanda Pate.  I, the lone Vice President, am all excited to join the 15 other graduates of Southern Academy, Class of 1998, for what will undoubtedly be the best weekend in history!  Cougar football, classmates' children playing on the monkey bars that I fell from numerous times as an elementary schooler, and an evening of possible near-death karaoke.  

Can anyone top that?  Hoover High, you've got nothing on this one. Dothan High, just try! 

Someone -- for the love of all things pure & holy -- check out my alma mater's website -- www.southernacademy.net/ and check out the "About Us" section -- describing all of the Field Trips offered to the students.  "Nursing Home", "Local Grocery Store", and "Local Banks".  This is why I love where I'm from.  Again, top that!

Well, the past few weeks have brought much reflection for me ... want to share a few of my FAVES with you ... and hopefully we can all share them with each other ...

+TABOULEH+
Recipe, compliments of Monique, over warm basmati rice.

+JEANS ON FRIDAY @ HIGHLANDS

( +ADAGIO TEAS+ )

( +ANYTHING DAVE RAMSEY+ )

( +THE BIGGEST LOSER+ )

What are your favorites?  

OK, so I'll be the first to admit that I've been the anti-Tebow for Heisman ringleader. Talent, leadership, sheer grit -- he's got it, no doubt. I just wasn't the biggest propenent of a Sophomore receiving the coveted 25 pound bronze statue. Until last night....
Can I just say, this boy has got it together! He thanked his "Lord and Savior JESUS CHRIST" first and foremost, and about 17 times following. He thanked the Lord for giving him the ability to play football -- and then said he was hopefully honoring Him with that. Wow. Tebow's parents, who were missionaries in the Philippines, almost aborted him. His mother, Pam, was told that she had an amoeba while she was pregnant with Tim. Doctors advised an abortion to prevent her illness. The Tebow's decided against abortion -- and their child will be a world-renowned quarterback until he begins his life in ministry. He has incredible influence. He is incredibly articulate, kind, respectful, intelligent, and vigilent. His priorities? In this order: 1. Serve the Lord; 2. Maintain relationships with his family; 3. Academics; 4. Football. (Knowing how hard he plays football, imagine how much he serves the Lord!)

Collegiate Football and the nation needs this type of leader! Praise the Lord for cute little quarterbacks. Sadly he wears Florida orange & blue instead of burnt orange and blue.....

**Rain. After a very long summer of cracked topsoil, it is such a wonderful sight. **Almonds. Seriously, could be my favorite. They are universally good...sweet or savory. **Rebirth. Being pulled out of a muddy pit & cleaned up. Being wanted and adored as a child of His. **Autumn. The leaves, the crisp air, the crystal blue sky, the possibilities. **God-appointed adoptive families. Those certain people that He put in my path in order to disciple, protect, encourage, love, and teach me....because He knew I wouldn't get that otherwise. **Jane Austen. **Friends. The real ones, who know what you look like at 3 a.m., who've seen you at your worst moment. **My Purple Peacoat. Because it's pretty & cool. Can't wait to bundle up in it tomorrow! **Music. (see Jean-Yves Thibaudet) **Opportunity. That the Lord has given me abilities & vision to serve Him and that can be anywhere!! **Color. In flowers, in freckles, in crayons, in sunsets. **Mom's cornbread dressing. With real butter. In small portions. Yowzah. **Photographs. Whoever first took a metal camera thingy & some plastic strips & stuck it in red water, wow, they're smart. Truly....pictures open a floodgate of memories and emotions... **The Office. One lone TV show that is funny and mostly clean and provides John Krasinski weekly. **Your faith in me. Even though I'm spastic and often befuzzled, you have faith in me that is beyond my comprehension. People to influence, jobs to be done, kingdom to be filled, fun to be had, you have more confidence in me than I can possibly fathom. I am reaching for it...grasping....in gratitude...

Do we all struggle with relationships being in different places, or is that just me? While experiencing the joy of friends having babies, getting married, becoming families in every sense of the word, I am still slightly spellbound about one minor detail: Why is it so bazarre that single girls are in fact single? Why do we get the raised eyebrow or squeezed eyebrow/pinched lips/concerned nod thingy? Why does the phrase "I can't believe someone hasn't snatched you up" neither enhance nor detract from the state of singlehood?
Am feeling slightly Bridge Jones-esque at this moment....ahhh....that the scales will fall.....

Also, watched an interview with my old flame Tom Brady from 2005, after winning 3 Super Bowls. He said that even after winning all of this fame and fortune, acclaim and notariety, he can't help but think there is something more out there....that there is something more to life than football and super bowls. Hmm....when asked what he thought that might be, his response, "I dunno...if I did I wouldn't have asked." Am drafting a letter to TBrady camp first thing in the morning. This boy needs some J_E_S_U_S!

This morning's RACE FOR THE CURE was so much fun! We did very well (for our first outing) and are getting geared up for our next 10K and then the 1/2 marathon in Memphis. Mostly, I was blown away by the amazing love & spirit of Carole Butterworth. She is a breast cancer survivor, a grandmother, a wife, and a darling friend. I am continually blown away by her strong faith and her zest for LIVING!
Being around people like Carole and her beautiful family make me realize how precious and fleeting life truly is. And that at the end of the day it doesn't matter what you were wearing or how "right" you were or what your grand ideas were about changing the world -- it only matters how you made others feel & showed the love of Christ.

Also, if you're interested in anything beautiful, check out http://www.treverhoehne.blogspot.com and view his pictures from Portland, Oregon. He's a worship leader & photographer in Southern California -- and I truly believe my husband!

http://treverhoehne.com/blog/2rt6.jpg

Catalyst Retreat last week in Atlanta. Christian leaders from all over the globe-- authors, pastors, gurus -- Dave Ramsey, John Maxwell, Andy Stanley, Rick Warren, tons of others.  Listening to them, watching those around me, being in that environment, has forced me to realize how sheltered I truly am.  There is a great big world out there -- a world full of lost/hurting people that need the Lord.  If I continue to look at them in judgment instead of with a helping hand, what Christian am I?  No longer will I practice the religion of Christianity for the purpose of saying it.  I will follow Jesus Christ -- wholeheartedly -- knowing that my life can make a huge impact -- if I will just step outside of the box.

Currently :




 

"As the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
and do not return to it without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it."
Isaiah 55:10-11

The Lord is really speaking to me about the power of his word.
That in situations with my family or just general life struggles,
speaking the word OUT LOUD over people & circumstances actually
forces a change. The power of the word.....remarkable....alive and
active....

OK, so I'm just going to out myself here -- am slightly frustrated -- all the network morning shows highlighted Brittney Spears "comeback" performance last night on the MTV awards. Brittney lip sang the entire performance, dressed in black underwear & boots, dancing alongside scary men & women with frightening costumes & facial expressions. The entire report by broadcasters was "her body didn't look that great" or "why can't she quit lip singing & sing for real?". OK, so here's my rant -- the bigger question is WHY DOES SHE THINK THAT HER BEHAVIOR IS ACCEPTABLE? WHY SHOULD A MOTHER OF 2 (OR ANYONE, FOR THAT MATTER) PUT ON HER UNDERWEAR & LIP SING IN FRONT OF MILLIONS OF PEOPLE? Why is this acceptable ever, much less for a mother of 2? Shouldn't her priorities be to protect her children from women just like herself? I can't even process all of this -- precisely why Barefoot Contessa, Tyler Florence, and Landscaper's Challenge are my friends -- they stay dressed while on television and have an actual talent that is worthy of being viewed by the public.
Anyone? Thoughts?

What a wonderful annual trip to Seaside. Could have stayed another week, but will have to survive with the great time spent there. Even though I removed all 10 of my fingernails while watching the Auburn/KState game, we had a blast catching SHARK in 3' of water & then returning it to the sea, cooking tons of fish & seafood, and riding our bikes all over the beautiful emerald coast. Our God is so good

We took a Backstage Tour of the Alabama Shakespeare Festival on Saturday.  What an incredibly exciting opportunity to see how the theatre world works -- sound doors and green rooms and trap doors and octagon theatres!  Get ready for Romeo & Juliet or the Count of Monte Cristo!

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.  Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond belief."

The line into sure adulthood, that is......
Am certain I have.  This week just sealed it.  As hundreds of teenagers poured into our church & office for Desperation Conference (which has been so awesome), I found myself in a position of saying hello & greeting them while they were eating lunch or in session breaks.  Convo was smooth....
"Hey there, how are you?"  "Good, how are you?"  "Great! Are you having fun?"  "Yes ma'am."
"Hey there, enjoying your hamburger?"  "Yes ma'am."
"How's that smoothie?"  "Oh, it's good!"  "Are you from Birmingham?"  "Yes ma'am."

New neighbors moving in across the street.  1 dad & 3 teenage boys.  While watering my plants out front I wave my hand & say "welcome to the neighborhood, guys! Glad you're here! If you need anything at all, just lemme know!"  
"Yes ma'am"

I don't correct them.  I don't want to.  I am a "ma'am" to them. Sadly, the realization hits.  Maybe I'd prefer Mademoiselle.

Yesterday while enjoying a break from office work, I decided to stroll outside to read my Bible & to defrost from the 62 degree refrigerator that I work in.  This is what I discovered......I am totally floored....didn't know they made these outside of Hale County.

OK, I am so disturbed right now.....let me please explain this afternoon's events......

Glorious Monday's!  My day off.  My poolside experience was delightful & I returned home for lunch & to watch a fun movie.  Well, I hear the roar of what I assume to be a lawn mower, and of course I get a little fired up.  "Why in the world would a crew be mowing at 2:00 in the afternoon in the middle of a high level drought?"  So, I wait a bit, but see no mower running by.  Then, I decide that my afternoon would be best spent in the back yard with a book...  and here the story begins.....
Over the large mountain in my back yard I see an ENORMOUS CLOUD OF BLACK SMOKE, BILLOWING UP IN THE WIND and a HELICOPTER circling over.  Panic.  All of the wildfire stories are swirling through my mind.....I am stunned....pick up my cell phone...immediately dial 911.  Gentleman answers immediately "911, is this an emergency?"
Hmm....I think for a split second....wondering if a ginormous cloud of smoke within 400 yards of my nose qualifies as an emergency....regain consciousness..."Umm, yes, I believe so.  There is a fire in my back yard.  I live in Inverness Cove & the golf course is right behind my house....there is a huge cloud of smoke behind me."
"Are you in Hoover ma'am?"
"Yes."
"Hold on, let me transfer you."
OK.  Pause.  When did a dispatcher gain the ability to "transfer" an emergency call?  What happened to that show Rescue 911---no one ever got transferred there---
Click. Am transferred.  Muffled voice.
"Ma'am, I can't hear you at all, but I live at Inverness Cove, right behind Inverness Country Club & there is a huge fire behind me....black smoke....a helicopter....."
"Ma'am, that fire has been reported over an hour ago."  Silence.
"Um, well, should I..............."
"Evacuate?" She says laughingly. "No ma'am, there is no need to evacuate."
With any form of intelligence & common sense completely shot down, I realize that the best vantage point of this fire is from the mountain itself.  Strap on my chaco's & put on more clothing than a swimsuit cover-up & plot the timing of my ascent as to not interfere with the circling of the helicopter.  (As much as I love some spotlight, lemme tell you how much I do not want to be on the late local news as area spazzoid who fell down a ginormous mountain while scoping out the breaking news at 10.)  So, I scoot myself up the hill in record time & see several gentlemen speeding by on the golf course, setting up their next shot at the next hole.  "That's weird," I think to myself.  There is a huge fire 100 yards from these men, who must be aware, but yet are having a wonderful afternoon on the green.  Trees blocking any further information, I slide back down the hill, grabbing for any living vegetation to break my fall, but to no avail...so skidding is the newest Olympic Sport, I presume!
Return to my house, where the power is completely gone.  Amazed, confused, frightened, I hop on my bike & ride across the street, in manner of Nancy Drew, in order to collect more information.  A cluster of teenagers has gathered across the street with very little else to do with their afternoon than cause a huge traffic jam on Inverness Parkway.  They say that the Club House has caught fire.  Settled with their answer & afraid to travel closer to the scene, as I do not look like the best candidate for an interview on said late local news, I return home.  Sweaty. Frazzled.  Slightly triumphant.
So, can anyone guess what happened?  Electrical fire in attic leads to smoke traveling through all air vents & quick evacuation of employees.  An old, wooden building burned up in a matter of minutes in the middle of a horrible drought in June.   Wowzahs.  A regular Ben Matlock!