LA Day One

Travel to Wichita in the middle of the night then a direct flight to LAX went without a hitch.  We both slept hard on the plane.  Joel gave us giant hugs when he picked us up at the airport.  

We ate a big yummy breakfast at Jack and Joes. Blueberry and lemon Pancakes, eggs, 

bacon and coffee. 

We hung around Joel's room for awhile even though it was HOT!  The frat was super messy too!  

We walked to campus and ran errands, ATM machine, engineering building to pick up his Cole shirt (the game team he was on), 

the bookstore to pick up his cap and gown, then across campus to get headphones from his friend Haley.  Then we waited for Larry and Jo who rode the bus from their hotel.

Then: USC demo day!  

We watched presentations of all 7 video games from the advanced gaming class.  Super impressive!  One was to teach social skills to kids with autism!  Joel's team made a game called Cole. Fun sarcasm and dark humor. 

After demo day was a reception where we met Joel's friend Mike's parents then played another game Joel made.

We walked back to Joel's house then took Larry and Jo to their hotel and we are now hanging out in our hotel with Joel waiting for some food tobe delivered.

It feels surreal to be here in LA and to be with Joel.  I love him so much.

#100HappyDays. Thankful Thursday

I am having a problem with this 100 Happy Days challenge.  How do you possibly choose just one thing per day that makes you happy?  Every day I sleep in a bed that feels like a pillow.  I snuggle with Res as my iPad music alarm goes off every morning then soak in my giant tub.  I get ready in my wonderful closet choosing from tons of great clothes and shoes.  I am reading a book called Trash about a boy who lives in a trash dump.  He feels bad for a boy who only has one outfit because he has two.  I really am grateful every day for all I have been given.

This week alone I have so much to be happy about.  Our Trubilee egg hunt on Saturday was a huge success.  I got to hold Karlisha's baby for over an hour.  Then at our TRU kick off, we had over 200 people!  They were excited and hungry for God.  We reconnected with old friends and friends who live in the community we didn't know did!  And we've built amazing relationships with our TRU core group so it's a blast to worship and serve alongside them.  

That's Pastor Dave, btw, being chocolate slimed at Trubilee.

Every Monday I get to go to work with the most amazing people.  This is secretary appreciation week.  I love them so much, and Angela, and Marvin and Tracy, and this year, Alexis.  I love my sped staff and all the teachers.  

On Tuesday I got to share my Cambodia presentation with 5 social studies classes!  It was so awesome!

Tuesday nights I get to spend with our TRU Connect group.  I look forward to it each week.  We are so real with each other.  This week, I walked to Jeff and Carmen's.  She served us an amazing meal and peach sangrias.  We chatted and laughed then learned about God.  We wondered as ewe were chatting if any of the other groups were discussing times that their spouses had vomited on them!  Yep, we are real.  I asked Bryce if he would be my food accountability partner and he said yes.  He said, " you won't have to text me about Tuesday because I already know you cheat very Tuesday!"  It was hilarious.  Then he asked what he was supposed to say when I text him that I've cheated and people were throwing out suggestions to him like, "You fat B-----!"  We laughed so hard.  After group I got to ride on the back of Jeff's Harley!  

On Wednesdays I get to be a part of FCA, Fellowship of Christian Athletes.  We have such an amazing group of kids.  It encourages me every week.  The kids teach and we just give a little input.  

Then on Thursday after work, I get to be with my girls, the Homestead girls.  I look forward to this time each week, to,hear their struggles and how God is helping them and to see their growth.  It is truly amazing.  I will take a picture today.  

On Fridays we go to Chipotle and eat.  I usually go to bed early.  Scott is an amazing, understanding, supportive husband and I am truly grateful for him, too.  We laugh together a lot.  Last night we watched American Idol together on the back patio.

Then the weekends are for relaxing, getting things done(which I like to do), friends, Adelle, talking to the kids and rents on the phone, and TRU church.  This Sunday we get to go back to our Westview small group as we've truly missed them.  I can't wait to see them and catch up with all that's been going on in their lives.

I live a very blessed life.  This 100Happy Days challenge will continue to be a challenge, but only because I have to choose!

Life is What You Think

I truly believe in that, life is what you think, both from my Social work training and my faith, but also by experience.  I preach it all day long.  So I pay a lot of attention to my own thoughts.  I used to think a lot in to do lists, what do I need to do, what did I check off, what have I accomplished today.  It really is no way to live life.  It creates anxiety and an occasional feeling of satisfaction.  So as read the Word and live out my faith, I am now thinking more relationally.  Who can I serve or bless today?  What does God want me to do or think today?  It's awesome.

  There is just one small problem.  Don't judge me.  I find myself thinking in Facebook statuses.  Do you?  I've just started that 100 happy days challenge so each day I have to take a picture of something that makes me happy and post it.  That's cool, because it makes me think about happiness which fits with my faith and I share it, which also fits with my faith.  But I also just think in Facebook statuses.  Thank God I'm able to control that urge and only actually post these thoughts about once or twice a week, unlike some people on Facebook I know.  I realize people aren't interested in my day to day thoughts and daily life.  For example, I just had a thought, "first world problem, my fingernails are freshly polished and I have to go poop."  Aren't you glad I don't post these thoughts?  People probably don't really care about what makes me happy either.  I know my daily Bible verses annoy many of my Facebook friends and family but I don't really give a rats behind. :).   And then about weekly I feel these blog posts coming on.  Then I just have to do them.  At least people read these more voluntarily.   And today's included my random status thoughts also.  Oops.

Life

In Spanish, one says I have...51 years instead of I am 51 years old.  I like that better.  I have 51 years of experience under my belt.  I've learned a few things.  I can't possibly blog about everything I've learned so I will just put a few.

Change is inevitable.  It is rarely easy but not worth the time to spend energy trying to fight it.  I've learned just to go with it.  In my experience, it usually works out ok, sometimes even great.  Not easy.

People come into your life and move out of your life.  Scott and I used to be reluctant to let people close because it hurts to have people leave.  But truly, life is about relationships.  It's important to appreciate the people in our lives at the moment.  I've learned that I need to be intentional about relationships with those God has put into my life, even if it only turns out to be a season.

I ain't gonna lose any weight.  I can try to be healthy and fit but I have learned to accept this body and make the most of it.  There isn't any point in trying to stress out over it.  

Let go and let God.  I have always been a person who tries to control everything.  Maybe that helped me in parenting, who knows.  But I also felt quite a bit of anxiety when I couldn't control things.  With lots of work by the Holy Sprit, I now realize, there are not a whole lot of things worth getting my panties in a wad over.  

Not everyone is going to like you and though they may actually appreciate you, very few will take the time to say so.  I have learned that it really doesn't matter what people think!  I can get all the approval I need from my Savior and He is most happy to remind me of it anytime I ask.  

It's ok to say no.  Goes along with the previous one but in this to do busy crazy society, I know I need to slow down and just hang.  Oh, yeah, I can get to feeling guilty about that, but, so what.  No, I'm not signing up for that and that and that.  And I can't really talk right now, I'm hanging!  I'm a better person when I take time out.  And say no.

I have more wisdom in there, but can't think of it now.  

Today I noticed this awesome bird nest.  It belongs to some beautiful cardinals.  I'm gonna leave it.  Maybe there will be some babies to watch while I'm hanging.  Looking forward to doing quite a bit of hanging on this patio as the weather warms.

Home, Jet Lag and Busyness

It is good to be home but busyness has hit so hard, sometimes it seems unreal that we even went to Cambodia!  The first week home I felt like I was in a dream state during the day, I was grumpy in the evenings and I crashed early each night. It took a few nights to be able to sleep hard all through the night but then I did. I still feel tired, and am visiting the chiropractor two times, but overall I'm amazed at how well I've recovered from the trip and travel. I spent a lot of time last weekend making a keynote presentation of the trip and met with Deb and Ken after church to debrief. 

We are such a short time away from the TRU opening!  This weekend we set up and have a "soft opening" or practice run with Westview folks. My role at church will be front door greeter and I'm pretty excited about it!  Our small group for TRU is going well, too!  God is truly moving !

Leah is coming home this weekend to wedding plan!  There was an email waiting for me from Leah when I got home saying, "Let's get crackin!"  Leah's wedding dress has been hanging in my closet waiting for her to try on for three weeks!  Leah's ideas are so awesome!  We need to make a to do list and budget and get rolling!

Homestead is going well, too!  One of our gals who stepped away has returned and the other five gals are doing well. One got married this week!  We have a volunteer training this weekend that I'm speaking on tonight. It is a blessing to be able to be a part of this ministry. 

Adelle is doing well.  it's been hard to get enough time to see her lately and I had to have my friend Alexis fill in for me while in Cambodia. I will have a graduation party for Adelle in May. Her schedule is busy too with special Olympics and prom and her Interpersonal Skills class. 

Joel is crazy swamped trying to finish up. We go to LA for his graduation the 2nd week in May!  Hannah is doing well but broke!  She leaves for Lander for her artist in residence at the Art Museum May 1 and is anxiously awaiting details for that. She is hopeful about job possibilities there instead of grad school. 

So life is super busy but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel with school getting out. I hope once TRU starts life will slow down a bit, too!  I miss key people in my life, family, our Westview small group friends, my parents!  I don't even get to see enough of Scott!  

Home

The trip hard was difficult, I'm not going to lie.  I still felt God's grace but it was hard.

Friday afternoon we said goodbye to Angela outside her apartment and Bungtheon took us back to the hotel to shower, change and check out.  While waiting in the lobby to leave, Deb needed change for a hundred so I grabbed my passport for ID and went across the street and down a bit to the Brooklyn Bistro where we had eaten previously.  It was the first time I'd been on my own in Cambodia.  I walked in and there were two of Angela's friends, Pastor Deb from her church and Sherry who owns Tropical Oasis that we'd gone to earlier that day!  I said, "I've been here one week and I'm already running into people I know!"

We had Buntheon take us to eat at the Blue Pumpkin.  It felt strange being without Angela.  We sat on the couches with our fresh washcloths and ate Cambodian food.

We rode for our last Tuk Tuk ride in the dusk with dirty wind blowing in our faces.  Buntheon asked why we were so quiet and I said I felt sad to be leaving.  We prayed for Bungtheon before we went into the airport, that God will bless him, his family, and his business.  He gave us his business cards, so in case anyone needs a good Tuk Tuk driver, we can refer them!

We negotiated a place to sit then got in a crazy line then waited and boarded the plane at 11:45 pm.  We were both crowded next to people and the people next to me were coughing and snotting.  Neither Korean nor Cambodian people are big on hygienic nose care so I sat with my blanket around my nose and tried to sleep on and off, however, the lights and noise never went down and the stewardesses came by with drinks and snacks and a meal so no sleep was to be had.  

We arrived at Incheon International airport at 6 in the morning and discovered we had a 10 hour layover we hadn't noticed before.  Thank God the Korean airport is fabulous.  We found lounge chairs, mine in soft leather and slept a long time.  I even went to a counter where they checked out blankets, etc, and apparently I could have taken a shower, too!  We ate at Burger King in the airport then went on a long walk and metro ride then boarded the next flight at 10 pm Korea time.  Deb noted we traveled Friday, then two Saturdays.  This part of the trip was the hardest.  Deb was cramped into the aisle and I was cramped between two people with virtually zero leg room.  I climbed over Deb while she slept once and only got up one other time.  My back cramped and my leg muscles cramped and swelled and twitched.  They did feed us very well and even though my headphones weren't working, I watched a movie.  And they served three good meals and turned the lights down and people got quiet.  I slept quite a while, I think.

We got to Dallas at 3:30 Dallas time and between customs and immigration and baggage claim and security, lines and a skyline ride, we got to our plane just on time.  This was a super short, noisy flight filled with Spring Breakers.

It was so great to walk off the plane in Kansas City and be met by Pastor Dave and Melissa.  We gratefully climbed in their nice vehicle and excitedly shared about the trip much of the way home.  And as we pulled into Manhattan, snow!  Yep, it snowed!  A hundred degrees to 30 degrees!

It was so amazing to soak in my soaker tub then crawl into my soft, warm bed.  Rex was so happy to see me and he stuck close while I unpacked then cuddled up close.  Scott left the house nicely clean and put welcome home signs around since he wasn't able to meet us.  I woke up at 4:30 and cuddled him then slept til 7:30.  I am sitting in my beautiful kitchen, worshipping and feeling grateful and blessed. It is so good to be home!

Pampering Angela

God brought us to Cambodia for Angela. We have shared meals with her, fed her well, laughed with her and cried with her. We have encouraged her, counseled her, spoken truth over her, prayed with, for , and over her. She has shared her Cambodia with us, introduced us to her friends, shared her ministry with us. Last night we ate pizza together then went back to the room for Listening Prayer. It was emotional and needed. I hope it was healing. We have sensed a weariness in Angela and she shared some personal struggles with us. 

Today we prayed over every room in Angela's apartment. We prayed over her moto too:). 

Our lunch was at Daughters which is another agency helping women come out of the industry. 

It was an amazing place. Upstairs was a house of prayer that was beautiful. 

And then we pampered Angela with a neck rub and pedicure at Tropical Oasis, an organization run by Angela's friends who provide training and help for women.  We also were requested to anoint and pray for Deb Diane, one of the gals who runs the ministry. (That is really her name).

Please keep Angela, Bloom, World Hope,  and all of Cambodia in your prayers. I know I will.