Savorings...401-450

401. Slip-n-Slide

402. Seeing deer on my run at Long Hunter State Park

403. New experiences with my youth

404. The youth and adults willing to try PULSE at a new location

405. Watching youth softball games

406. Meeting Emily & Becky on a 4- mile run

407. A running groups acceptance & care for individuals

408. Sandi's gift to REI - and my hammock!!

409. Getting to stand alongside Bev & Scott on their sweet day

410. Rain clouds that pass just in time for their picnic & ceremony

411. Lunch with Clint at Prince's Hot Chicken

412. The Wonder Women & their flexibility & willingness to serve as needed

413. Moving my furniture from Pensacola to Lebanon.

414. After my wallet was stolen - Susie's clarity about my drivers license 

415. Having everything I needed to replace my license in a couple hours

416. American Express overnighting a new card to me.

417. Susie helping me pay for my moving truck

418. Friends who I can just be with even when I'm hurting

419. Movies with Lisa & Tim

420. Watching Gene back the truck into his backyard

421. All of the youth & friends who came at the last minute to help me load up

422. Testosterones song at Sandie & Joe's wedding.

423. Sharing stories after the wedding

424. Susie's food that I get for my drive back

425.  Driving with the windows down in a 24 foot diesel truck because the air went out...but the air was cool enough that I actually enjoyed it

426. The youth and friends who helped me unload my furniture into storage in Lebanon

427. Free storage from a stranger

428. Breakfast at the pancake pantry with Karla, Helen, Lauren & Paige

429. Following the Pensacola FUMC youth & adults on their choir tour

430. My friend who let me stay at her house for sabbath when my home wasn't

431. Realizing that Lorene may not make it & then hearing that she might get new lungs

432. Staying up late on June 20 to wait for the results of Lorene's double lung transplant 

433. The relief & joy I felt (& still feel) when Steve let us know she came through surgery well

434. Reconnecting with high school friends because of sharing in Lorene's story

435. Celebrating her recovery processs

436.  Running on the greenway from Kohls

437. Teaching youth to put tents up

438. Camping in a state park for the week

439. Eating spaghetti in the rain win my youth after our first day doing home repair

440. Watching my youth take risk and succeed

441. Closing worship - speaking a kindness to the person on our right

442. Watching the fog lift during morning devotion at Devil's Pass, Big South Fork National Park

443. Getting to know our home owners

444. Watching every one of the youth & adults climb the tower

445. Getting to each one of these youth better

446. The loud, loud bird that kept every one up at night

447. The bear frog

448. Taking Annie to the ER and her bloodwork was ok

449. Learning how to back-up a trailer

450. Jake's humor and ability to speak truth

Prayer is sitting in the silence until it silences us, choosing gratitude until we are grateful, and praising God until we ourselves are an act of praise. –Richard Rohr.

This beautiful child is full of life!!  Spring 2013

Savorings...351-400

351. The feel of an actual book

352. A drink outside with a new friend

353. Partnering with new people in ministry

354. Uncertainty and eagerness of middle schoolers

355. When a teenager checks on her mom through text

356. So many people stopping me to make sure I know that they are glad that I am here

357. Parent meeting

358. Questions that invite teenagers to tell some of their story

359. Parents wanting to get involved in a new way with the youth meeting

360. Seeing parents experience hope

361. Homemade Ginger and lemon cookies - yum

362. Telling Pam that the teenagers like having her around & they want her to help more

363. The look on her face after I told her

364. That the Winfrees came to serve at Joseph's Storehouse on Saturday

365. Sunday afternoon naps

366. Fresh smell of clean laundry warming in the sun

367. Texts from Michelle, Shari and Gregg - checking on the parent meeting

368. Mom's hard recipes that taste so good

369. Family on Memorial Day

370. Warm blankets to curl up under

371. Cheering on runners with strangers

372. Watching my sister with her daughter

373. Hugs that fit just right

374. Friends who drive me back & forth to the airport

375. Birthday cards from youth and parents

376. Lulu lemon gift card

377. Grandpa's birthday bonds for the majority of my life

378. Hand written cards

379. Setting a personal record of 27:45 at the Memorial 5k!!! 

380. My dad taking care of my mom

381. Mom trying to help in the kitchen even though she's in a wheelchair for now.

382. Laughter with mom & dad in the kitchen

383. The way Grace's smile happens so quickly 

384. Holding Grace and breathing her in

385. When she nuzzles into my neck

386. Telling my aunt that I'm proud of her - 

387. That she's taking a risk by making some hard life decisions

388. Dad taking me to Rita's ice tonight

389. Spending the day with Grace and my mom

390. I love watching Grace see things

391. Birthday dinner of steak and crab legs

392. Grandpa brought Wendy's salads over for lunch cause that's his new routine with mom

393. Singing old Raffi songs with mom & Grace

394. All the birthday wishes from so many people that I've known over my life through calls, texts and facebook

395. Kissing my mom on the head

396. Homemade steak sauce

397. Talking to Sandi about Blue Like Jazz today

398. My mom's pantry always stocked for anything

399.  Mom's voice

400. Falling asleep as dad plays his classical guitar

"All we have to decide is what to do with the time that's given us." ~ JR Tolkien

Centennial Trail, South Dakota 2005

Savorings...251-300

251. Cooking with mom

252. Running with my dad in the Homerun for the Homeless - in a snow storm

253. Sitting on the back porch watching the sun slowly go down

254. My parents always have crab and lobster for me when I go home

255. Taking a bath at Grandma Carolyn's with her Calgon

256. Sleeping in my day's bed at grandma Helen's

257. Snow with honey

258. Cinnamon Certs at grandma Helen's

259. Latch hook at grandma Carolyn's

260. Grandpa Dean measuring how tall I was on his back porch

261. German Christkindl markt

262. Brat wurst

263. The smell of my mom's laundry - mine never smells as good

264. Real candles on real Christmas trees

265. Mumford and Sons last year with Susie, gene, Ingrid, Brenda, Abe & Cameron

266.  Getting home from wilderness trail after the big bus broke down

267. Moving every other year or so of my childhood

268. Honeysuckle

269. Pomegranate seeds and mud pies

270. Learning how to roller skate in plastic skates

271. My tree house in New Mexico

272. Having a sister

273. Building forts at the Wombles

274. Listening to Barbra Streisand with mom

275. Learning to crochet in 3rd grade

276. Laura Ingalls Wilder books

277. My aunt Daun's creative gifts 

278. Walking to school in the snow

279. My favorite pair of jeans

280. My too many pairs of chaco's

281. Osprey backpacks and their customer service

282. A good massage from a boyfriend

283. Cooking dinner with friends

284. Dad's pancake faces or words on Saturday mornings

285. That dad always forgets how Julia and I like our waffles and there is still a note over his stove to remind him

286. Running to explore north of Lebanon.

287. Driving up and down roads to find Don Fox Park  and other places that people talk about all the time.

288. Lectio Devina

289. Honest conversation with Pulse

290. Long days at work 

291. Middle school plays that are short and funny

292. A new friend willing to be spontaneous

293. Good coffee

294. Yummy grilled cheese

295. Lunch outside in sweet Roswell

296. A great deal for a hotel

297. Outdoor concerts

298. Running into Chris and Josh

299. Youth ministry interns who are now dear friends and peers

300. The gift of a free shirt

"We pray for the big things and forget to give thanks for the ordinary, small (and yet really not small) gifts.” ~ Dietrich Bonhoffer

Neuburg an der Donau, October 2011

Savorings... 201-250

201. A window seat to rest in before dinner

202. Tennessee farm houses

203. Dinner with the first family who invited me over

204. Watching Toly open his birthday presents

205. Having an off day

206. Tim checking on me today

207. Praying for my youth this morning

208. Small answered prayer for a hard situation

209. Watching my dad sing to mom & Grace on my iPad

210. Working with a team of people who seem to all love & honor each other

211. Signing up for as many free birthday meals that I can find :)

212. Mom's foot healing well

213. A raining morning off 

214. Time to read 

215. Officially moving to Lebanon

216. Time with Ingrid to catch up

217. Whole foods

218. Breakfast with Laura, Bev, Melissa and Vona

219. Walking around Franklin downtown 

220. Yummy Mexican food at Sopapillas new restaurant in Hendersonville

221. Hart of Dixie season two with Ingrid

222. Making jokes with 7th and 8th graders

223. Taking time to go to 3 different grocery stores for the best prices

224. Preparing meals for the week

225. Playing with chia seed 

226. Getting to a 5:15 am boot camp outside in 38 degrees

227. Loving the boot camp

228. That I speak German

229. The noise my mom's knee makes 

230. That I spent most of my childhood in Germany

231. Reading the Laura Ingalls Wilder collection at least 30 times

232. My mom singing to me when I went to bed

233. Tapes from Grandpa Dean on my childhood birthdays of songs that he wanted me to know about

234. I still have the tape from my 7th birthday

235. I interviewed my Grandma Carolyn when I was in 8th grade and still have the recording

236. My best friend, Bettina, from 2nd grade

237. Bettina's family - I loved spending time with them

238. Lemon and coffee ice in Europe

239. Schnitzel, spaetzel and spezi

240. Clean water to drink any time I want

241. The opportunity to go to Nigeria in 2008 and 2009

242. Listening to my dad play Bach when I was going to bed in high school

243. Making root beer with my grandpa 

244. Music therapy

245. Hiking the Appalachian trail with my sister

246. Recognizing the Hermit Thrush call - and I love it

247. Hiking in New Zealand 

248. Walking up to Mount Rushmore without paying because we were hiking the Centennial Trail

249. Borrowing a car to drive to Rhode Island while staying the night in Connecticut

250. Memories that are popping up through this process

"Pride slays thanksgiving, but a humble mind is the soil out of which thanks naturally grow. A proud man is seldom a grateful man, for he never thinks he gets as much as he deserves." ~ Henry Ward Beecher

Tongariro Crossing I New Zealand, 2009 

'99 Honda Civic for Sale - yikes!

I am going to sell my Honda Civic. It was the first car that I bought myself.

My parents bought me a brand new 1993 Plymouth Duster one month before my 17th birthday. It was one of the biggest surprises in my life - my family are not normally big gift givers so this one caught me completely off guard. That car was a standard, had 2 doors and a CD player. It died in the fall 0f 2001.
So I had it towed away and was given a HUGE van by a friend to drive until I bought a car.
Then I purchased my Honda in November 2001, used from Vince Whibbs and it has served me well for the past 6 years. I am hoping to get about $4500 - $5000 for it - it has about 116,000 miles and a couple of dents because of life and I will miss it.
The reason why I am writing this - is because I am actually scared of the selling process. I have NO idea how to do it or where to start! I replaced all the tires last month and have done some other work on it - and will have a tune up on the engine. I also hit a parked car with it 12 days ago and now it has a new hood, bumper and looks brand new from the front!
Sigh. I am going to miss this car.
I will have a car - I am buying my grandfather's 1997 Honda Accord with 56,000 miles...it's an honor to get his car. Sigh.
And...letting go...

coleslaw...from myspace

I only like the kind of coleslaw that has NO mayonaise in it. It has a vinegar base and the one that I make - has ramen noodles and toasted almonds and sesame seeds...YUM!

I say all of that just cause...I had a friend ask me for that recipe this weekend and I keep forgetting to email it to her - but I wrote "coleslaw" on my hand with a permanent marker. You would think I could remember. But I haven't yet.

When you talk to people about certain things they believe or don't believe it is amazing to me that so much of our beliefs come from other's peoples influence. So instead of saying - I believe or even I think I believe "this" - they say, "well, so and so says this and so maybe that is the way things should be". But if you go to so and so - they were probably influenced by someone as well. So if we can peel away all the people-is there ever someone with an original thought? And does that really matter?

I don't know if an original thought really matters, but it does matter that we at least think our beliefs, opinions, fears, truths, faith, hopes, and especially our hates through.

And I just started to fall asleep - which is pretty funny - so I am going to bed...but before I leave myspace for another week. Just want to share that my family is here for the week - mom, dad, and Julia(my sis) drove down from Ohio. And wow, what a blessing it is to be with people that just love me. I don't have to prove a darn thing to any of them. And it was pretty cool, Julia came to youth group with me tonight and sat in my hs girls community group. Moments that I relish. Mmmmm...but I like coleslaw better.