Short Trip to Europe

It's Sunday and I'll be home tomorrow night but I wanted to post a quick recap of the past few days.

Wednesday - arrived in Paris at 6am and went to the hotel. Myrna and I took a 2hr nap since we got almost zero sleep on the plane! From there we went and bought metro tickets and headed into the city! Stopped in Montmartre, had lunch at "my" café and then went on a hunt for Moulin Rouge. I have zero sense of direction but we followed my instincts anyway and after asking a couple of people we actually found it! From there we went to the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower and ended at the Arc de Triomphe followed by dinner at a café on the Champs-Elysées.

Thursday - flew to Kiev, had a meeting with a guy about Upward and then flew to Odessa. Oh, on our way to Kiev, I sat next to a Ukrainian guy who is fluent in Russian, French and Polish. I had a French newspaper so he knew I spoke French and halfway through the 3hr flight, he began to talk to me. Now, I didn't understand everything he said b/c my brain started hurting after a bit. Plus, we were close to the engines so I couldn't hear him really well anyway. The gist of it is that he is 60yrs old, has a wife, 3 children and a granddaughter. He's been flying back and forth to Africa for the past 10yrs for work, which is how he knows French. At some point he started talking about the Iraq war and the fires in California and all kinds of stuff. Sadly I didn't ever fully know what he was talking about so I mainly just listened! I felt so bad but he was so nice!!

Friday - MY BIRTHDAY! :) We slept in a bit, headed downtown and met a friend for lunch. We wandered in and out of a few stores and then headed to a football match. This was my first pro soccer game to go to and it was exciting! It was two Ukrainian cities playing and so of course we were pulling for Odessa. Sasha and Regina even bought me an Odessa scarf so that I could be a real fan. Odessa won 4-0. There were 2 red cards given to the other team and at least 2 yellow cards to a couple of different players too! After we scored at one point, the cheering section got really crazy and lit a couple of red flares and while we were watching them we started seeing yellow and blue chairs flying in the air! We think a fight started in the midst of it all... it was nuts!

Saturday - a guy came to Odessa from Lubni (?) to see Sasha and Regina's Upward soccer games so we spent the morning with him and Sasha told him about Upward and his experience. That afternoon we headed to the gym for their last games of the season. It's been raining like crazy so they haven't been able to play on the fields for a few weeks. The games were a blast and the kids have had so much fun.

Sunday - we went to church this morning and after the typical 3 sermons came home for homemade pizza. A missionary that used to live here was in town so he and his daughter joined us for the afternoon. Now we're about to leave to fly to Kiev and we'll fly back to the states tomorrow.

Pictures will come when I get home! In the meantime, thanks for your prayers... for the churches and Upward leagues in Ukraine and our travelling safety!

Doombah Chickensquirt

Sometimes when you have a stressful day or week, you need some silliness to break up the day. If we are honest, we have a lot more stressful days than not. Here is your dose of humor...

A. Follow the instructions to find your new name.

B. Once you have your new name, leave me a comment with it and your “old” name. If you want to email this to people, put your new name in the subject box and forward it to friends and family and co-workers.

And don't go all adult - a senior manager is now known far and wide as Dorky Gizzardsniffer!

The following is excerpted from a children's book, Captain Underpants And the Perilous Plot Professor Poopypants, by Dave Pilkey, in which the evil Professor forces everyone to assume new names.

So…

1. Use the third letter of your first name to determine your new first name:
a = snickle
b = doombah
c = goober
d = cheesey
e = crusty
f = greasy
g = dumbo
h = farcus
i = dorky
j = doofus
k = funky
l = boobie
m = sleezy
n = sloopy
o = fluffy
p = stinky
q = slimy
r = dorfus
s = snooty
t = tootsie
u = dipsy
v = sneezy
w = liver
x = skippy
y = dinky
z = zippy

2. Use the second letter of your last name t o determine the first half of your new last name:
a = dippin
b = feather
c = batty
d = burger
e = chicken
f = barffy
g = lizard
h = waffle
i = farkle
j = monkey
k = flippin
l = fricken
m = bubble
n = rhino
o = potty
p = hamster
q = buckle
r = gizzard
s = lickin
t = snickle
u = chuckle
v = pickle
w = hubble
x = dingle
y = gorilla
z = girdle

3. Use the third letter of your last name to determine the second half of your new last name:
a = butt
b = boob
c = face
d = nose
e = hump
f = breath
g = pants
h = shorts
i = lips
j = honker
k = head
l = tush
m = chunks
n = dunkin
o = brains
p = biscuits
q = toes
r = doodle
s = fanny
t = sniffer
u = sprinkles
v = frack
w = squirt
x = humperdinck
y = hiney
z = juice

LET ME KNOW WHAT YOUR NEW NAME IS... and leave your real name too :) !!

Remember that children laugh an average of 146 times a day; adults laugh an average of 4 times a day. Put more laughter in your day.

It has been the longest week ever...

You know when you're waiting on something and each day you think that will be the day you receive it? But then the end of the day comes and you realize it didn't come that day either? Yeah, that's been this week. ugh. It's ok though... some things are just out of my control and I'm trying to exercize some Daring Dependence on God. Luckily He knows that I'm a work in progress!

One thing I DID get this week was a replacement for my phone! YAY! I had a scare though as I left the store... I had sat in the parking lot for a few minutes resetting as much as I could so that it was "my" phone again. I pulled out and onto the road and opened my phone to see a text I had just received. But the screen was blank. Ok, maybe I'm imagining things. So I close the phone, the outside display shows me the time and everything as usual and I open the phone again. Nothing. Are you kidding me?? I pull into a parking lot to see if I can figure it out before running back to the store. The only option I had was to pop out the battery and put it in again. Praise the Lord it worked! Good night, did I really need that minutes after I had picked it up and days after I had broken the first one?? Negative, ghost rider! But, all has been good since. Whew!

sad...

Now, I'm a responsible person. I don't lose things, I don't break things, I always return things that I've borrowed (even if I've had them for months on end... you WILL eventually get it back!). However, it seems that with age these traits that I've prided myself on are slowly deteriorating. Yeah, yeah, I'm not really that old but I'm getting close to 30, people!

Anyway, Sunday night, this responsible young lady that you all know and love dropped her cell phone. I never said I didn't drop things... Well, I dropped it on the carpet in my apartment and it broke. It wasn't a huge deal because it was just a little crack. One of the sides where the phone flips up cracked, which caused the top part of the phone to sit a little crooked when it was open. I was laughing so hard at my "new" ghetto phone!

Well, I really shouldn't have laughed too hard because yesterday, that piece that cracked fully came off. The ONLY thing holding both pieces of my phone together is the wiring that makes it work! LOL! Luckily, I was able to take it to the shop on Monday and they are ordering me a new one and said I should have it in 3 to 5 days. So, hopefully by the end of the week I won't be toting around my sad little phone!

oh la la...!

The past month has been a whirlwind! Mid-August I got back from Canada and thought I was going to be able to take a breath, but no sir-eee bob! I may not be travelling again until the end of October but I've been all over the place doing way too much lately! I moved and had friends over and small group started back and football season started and i started coaching a 5yr old soccer team (that's where the "oh la la" comes in) and Arica was in town last week and I have a meeting tonight to start helping with the Women's Ministry at church which starts next week. Oh and my former roommate is getting married in 44 days so there are a few things going on with those festivities! WHEW! It's so much fun though :)

When Arica was here we went to see the Greens and then we went down to Atlanta because she's never been. Woohoo! I love the ATL so I was more than happy to take her down to one of my former "hometowns." We hung out with my friend Erica from high school for dinner and ice cream, we went to the GA Aquarium (more pics), visited the gift shop at World of Coke, played in Centennial Park and toured CNN.

Statue in front of Coke Museum.

NOTE: Thanks to Arica and her mad photography skills, there are actually pictures of me from a trip. Yay! I have proof that I really went somewhere ;)

Murder in the Kitchen

Last night I got in from a friend's house and was making my lunch for today. It was a typical evening and I had the bread, mayo, turkey and cheese out on the counter. I'm in my shorts and t-shirt (we had said we were going to try and work out. ha!) and had taken my shoes off. All of a sudden I feel something on my foot and look down to see a ROACH crawling over my FOOT! AHHHH!!!!!

Yep, I screamed. Like a girl. Sadly I quickly realized that no one was there to come to my rescue! A couple of weeks ago Kelly was over and while we were sitting on the coach, minding our own business, she screams because there is a roach on the wall. Being the good hostess that I am, I sat on the coach freaking out while she attacked it. Oh yeah, I also called my friend Myrna to freak about it too. Kelly loved me for that!

Well, last night she was not there. My roommate wasn't there and my husband wasn't there. Oh wait... that's right, I live alone now and I'm not married. DANG IT!! So, I had to suck it up and kill the roach. LUCKILY, I had a handy can of Raid under my sink because there was no way I wasn't going to be prepared after last time. Now, I've used Raid before, but it was mainly on ants. This is some powerful stuff!! One spray and the roach tried to run but didn't make it more than a centimeter before I sprayed him again. It was a quick death so he didn't suffer long. It took me a little while longer to get up the courage to actually dispose of him. So, I called Myrna to tell her of my bravery. She laughed. Um, hello!! I just killed a ROACH! This coming from the same girl who slept in the guest room a couple of years ago b/c a cricket was hiding under my bed! Yes, I'm a wimp. And I'm ok with that.

Ugh. So gross! Hopefully the little roachie is communicating with his little friends from the sewage pipes and telling them to STAY AWAY!! I know it's unlikely, but I can hope :)

Isn't she lovely...?

Andrea with "Aunt" Sabrina

I got to have dinner with Brooke, Jill and Andrea last night and it was a blast watching Jill's daughter WALK and laugh and play with whatever she could find in my apartment. What made me laugh most, besides the fact that she is a curious 17 month old, was when she figured out there were chocolate chip cookies sitting on top of the stove, she did everything she could to get me out of my chair to let her have some! It wasn't your usual pulling of my hand to get me up or even crying... the girl slid her hand between my back and the back of the chair and would proceed to pry me up and out of the chair! I was laughing so hard. But, you gotta give the girl credit... she was doing all she could to get some of those chocolate chip cookies! She's a girl after my own heart :)

Jill and Andrea ready for football season!!!

Andrea playing with Brooke's Treo :)

He Gives and He Takes Away

Two weeks ago yesterday, I got word that the dad of some friends had tragically passed away that morning, August 13, 2007, while working in Rock Hill, SC. His twin sons, David and Andrew, were (and still are) good friends of mine from high school. After tragically losing my dad 13 years prior - almost to the day - to a heart attack, my heart broke into pieces when I heard the news. Losing a parent, no matter what your age but even more so when you are younger, is something I would not wish on my worst enemy.

The thing that I have learned in the past 13 years is that God always uses what He does for His glory. I had a friend in college who suddenly lost her dad just before finals of her freshman year and to be honest, when I heard what had happened, it felt like I was going through it myself all over again. But, God took me to her side and I was able to pray specifically for her that summer because I just knew. She told me later that of all the cards and letters she received from people, mine was the only one she remembered most. To be honest, I don't think I sent her more than just a verse.

When I went to see David and Andrew the day after their dad passed away, we walked into their house and I hugged both of them and their mom. All I said was what God gave me... "I'm sorry" and "I know" and "I'm praying for you." And they just hugged me tighter. While I don't fully know the pain they are going through, God has at least given me understanding so that I can pray more specifically for each of them, their mom, their wives, Andrew's "baby Scharff", their sister, her husband and their two children.

While it took me many years to see that God had to take my dad in order to glorify Himself (and I've only seen small pieces), it took me less than a week to see a part of why He called Wade Scharff home to Heaven. While I don't know that Wade Scharff could have picked me out of a crowd, I felt that I knew him by the end of that week. He was a godly man who loved his family and each person that he came into contact with. I realized that by the end of his memorial service that Friday that it turns out I did know him... because I know his sons. They love the Lord and live their lives for Him and the Son. They love their wives as Christ loves the church and as Wade loved Connie. They are great friends, amazing brothers and they are going to make wonderful fathers. I laughed as people told stories at the memorial service and I cried as we sang praises to the King. He truly does give AND take away. What blows me away is that I have NEVER been so encouraged and/or challenged in my Christian walk than I was by listening about the life of Wade Scharff a week and a half ago. I came out of that church a new person. Words on this screen will never be able to explain that.

David and Andrew were much closer to their dad than I was to mine and they had 13 more years with Wade than I had with my dad. But, each person is different and God's plans are different for each of us. I know that the Scharffs will make it through this because they are leaning on the only One who can give them the strength to go on. It took me years to get to that point - to realize that it's the one true God that deserves all the glory. Even though He takes away, He GIVES so much. And for that, I am thankful.

I'm on my way to catch up!!

There has been a lot going on the past couple of weeks and many many many thoughts going through my head. But for now, I will leave you with this quote and will be back to update in more detail later.

“The enjoyment of God is the only happiness with which our souls can be satisfied. To go to heaven, fully to enjoy God, is infinitely better than the most pleasant accommodations here.”
~Jonathan Edwards

Alberta, Canada

Lake Louise

So I have now made it to 3 Canadian Provinces and I must say, that I'm growing quite fond of the country. Not that I was ever NOT fond of it... I just hadn't been there and didn't know anyone up there. But, since Upward is finding a way into the churches and hearts up there, I've been able to go and see a bit and meet a ton of people. Hopefully I'll continue to be able to go and explore!

This past weekend we had a training conference in Calgary, Alberta, but went up a day earlier than usual (Thursday instead of Friday) and took the extra day to go up towards Banff, which is in the mountains. The only sad thing (other than temps being in the 50s during the day!) was that it was also overcast so we were only able to see pieces of the mountains. However, it was still amazing.

The words that kept coming to mind were "God's majesty" and these pictures don't do it enough justice!

A little bit of God's Country in God's creation :)