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Summer, you've been good to me....


Today is the 1st day of September, and the temperature outside is 72 degrees right now. I love cooler weather. I love the fall and all of the changing colors of the leaves. But for the first time in a really long time, I'm kind of sad to see this summer go.
It's been so good to me this year.

First, I found out that my best friend is going to have a baby boy! He will be her first child and fortunately for me, he is due two days after my birthday this year, on December 24th. I'm secretly hoping that she will decide to take a couple laps around the block on the morning of the 22nd and give me an awesome birthday present! You see, I don't have any nieces or nephews yet, and my best friend is like a sister to me already, so this little boy will be my first favorite little man! They have waited a long time to finally get this blessing from God, so words really can't describe how happy I am for them. I have previously written about what a great mother she will be. You can find that post here.




Also this summer, I got to help thousands of people raise money in the fight against cancer. I have had so many wonderful experiences and made so many friendships through this job that I know will last a lifetime. (side note: An Update on Josh who I previously blogged about - He found out last month that he is cancer free!! )

Just in the 6 counties that I am assigned to, we raised a total of $485,700 for research, advocacy, and patient services. These people AMAZE me! The events that I attended this summer were not only loads of fun, but very moving on so many levels.

(this is a picture of some of our Survivors making their first lap in Navarro County)

Another positive thing that happened this summer was our much needed health kick! Adam and I decided that we were going to say Goodbye to processed foods and Hello to fresh fruit and vegetables and exercise on a regular basis. We also started getting plenty of rest at night and are drinking at least 64 ounces of water a day if not more. It has made us both feel better and stronger so I hope that we continue this into years to come. We have also been using our time a lot more wisely in the morning and afternoon when we are together. In the mornings, I have been waking up at 5:30am with him to make him a good hardy breakfast and to pack his lunch before he heads out to work. When we get home, we both have a chance to unwind and discuss our days over dinner and then do Bible study, blogging, praying, and anything else we might do to prepare for the following day. I'm telling you, I've always been one that liked to make goals for myself, but following through was the hard part. Now, I feel like our lifestyle changes are something that are not a challenge at all, but something we both look forward to.

We can't forget how great our vacation was this summer! We went to St.Louis to visit friends, Chicago, and back through Memphis, Tennessee. It was so nice to spend an entire week away and just have the chance to not think about work, not worry about expenses, and just have some fun together. I know that without a doubt, Adam's favorite part of the trip was getting to go to Wrigley field and watching the Cubs game. I really enjoyed it a lot too. The "spirit" of baseball was in that stadium and even though the home team didn't win, it was still fun to meet the fans that sat around us and see their love for the game. My favorite part of the trip was definitely meeting Peter, Jen, Eden, and Cana. They are such a great family! But a close second to that would be going through Shedd aquarium. There is something so fascinating to me about the creatures that live in the bottom of the ocean. Things that prove God's Majesty just by the way they look and move. That place had any kind of creature you could ever imagine.

So, you see...this summer has been filled with new positive changes, meeting new people that we LOVE, and a lot of cool adventures in which I got to become even closer with my wonderful husband. And even though I'm sad that it is coming to a close, I am also excited about what is to come! At the end of this month I am meeting 3 very old friends that I haven't seen in years, for dinner and to catch up on all of the time we lost. I'm really excited to see them! they are all such sweet girls and we will have so many fun memories to talk about because we used to be inseparable in elementary school. In fact, these three girls and I used to constantly have slumber parties at our houses that would eventually end up in gymnastic injuries, someone crying because of ghost stories, or sore abs the next day from laughing so hard.
Also coming up, I am getting the privilege of teaching the 4-6 yr old Bible Class on Sunday mornings at our congregation. I love teaching kids, and I haven't gotten back into it for a while, so this will be a great experience for me. The children at our congregation are so sweet, .. well, EVERYONE at our congregation is so sweet. I am so glad that we found this church home and have made so many friends. In fact, now that I think of it, here are my top 3 reasons why I love this congregation so much:
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3. They have humble hearts. Our services are never about how everyone else is doing it wrong and how we are doing it right, but about how we can always be better and love God more and love others more. They always acknowledge that we aren't perfect, and we don't have all the answers to how to approach certain things. And they aren't harder on others than they are on themselves. They have spirits of peace. They are never ones that like to subtly pick fights with others or get under their skin in order to get their point across, after all, 2 Timothy 2:23 says - "Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels." They have a spirit of love and not one that finds joy in bringing out everyone's faults. They never sit around and slander anyone and that is a true blessing!
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(our preacher Tye, Julie, Josiah, and Eowyn)

2. The people. They are just so genuine. They sincerely care about your well being and about the souls of others. They are people that are hurting for those that do not know Christ. With them, it isn't about knowledge over mercy, but an equal balance of both. They don't look down on those that are lost and are seeking the right path with pride, but have compassion on them and deal with them in understanding. I think that these qualities show in the way that they are able to draw so many people in and make actual differences out in the community. They don't just pretend to care about others for their own gain, they truly do. John 13:35 -"This is how everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." They are aware of the struggle of new Christians trying to do what is Glorifying to God in everything and they do not make their burdens heavier.
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(some other friends from our congregation, John and Rebecca)

1. They Love God with everything. They realize that there are two sides of how to be a Godly people. One of those is in keeping the commandments of Christ and living a lifestyle that would Glorify him in every way. If they convert someone, those new Christians will not see them speaking of spiritual things when they are gathered together and then leaving to watch inappropriate movies, to spend more time on sports and the internet than in the Word and in prayer, and to gossip and slander others, but actually living Holy lives outside of when they will be seen by men. They know that the other side of that obedience, is having a genuine love for people and wanting to help them no matter what. Not in a condescending, "I know it all and this is how you are wrong" way, but in a way that will build them up and not make them question what brotherly kindness looks like. They are willing to look in the mirror and see what their faults and struggles are, and admit them not just to seem humble before men, but because they truly want to change. They are far from being blind to the ways that some Christians may be pushing people away from Christ with their constant spirit of debate, but rather, they are always introspective to make sure that they are not those people.
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(Jarred, Jennifer, & Emily)

I just love them all so much!! They are such a great example and I have so many things that I need to work on in order to be more like them, and in that, more like Christ. I can only pray that their hearts and minds will rub off on me and I will be able to be seen in the same way that they are to the people out in our community.

So thanks again, summer! See you next year..
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2 comments :

  1. Sounds like you had a great summer! Congratulations to your friend having the baby! I have a friend from work who is due on the 22nd ;-)

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  2. What a wonderful, positive blog you have! So refreshing (and this is coming from a self-admitted cynic). =)

    I don't know what you do for a living, but it sounds like a wonderful gig, raising money for cancer and helping those amazing folks. My mom is going through it right now, and I can never get over the amazing testimonies I hear every time we're in the waiting room at the cancer center. Those people are incredible!

    Keep up God's great work, and many prayers to you and yours!

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