Day 5,6, and 7... Night out, workshop, and blog!

In high school they told me there was "no excuse" for tardiness. But now that I'm in the real world (so to speak) I have taken the liberty of taking a 2 day break and making a catch up entry today! If only my teachers knew about this... :)

Okie Dokie, onto the good stuff...

December 5 - Best Night Out. Did you have a night out with friends or a loved one that rocked your world? Who was there? What was the highlight of the night?
So this is weird - but in the process of writing several of these blogs, I thought about the topic and my mind immediately jumped to events which happened in 2007. That must have been a great year for me... I should have done this in 2007! But we're in 2009, not 2007, so I'll focus on the task at hand. One of my best nights out was recently - last week, actually. So I turned 26 on December 2 and my incredibly sweet boyfriend, Brian, managed to finagle his work schedule and get off early so that he could take me to dinner! I love date nights in the middle of the week! It was low key and wonderful - I put on one of my favorite dresses, he looked handsome as ever in his green button up shirt. We went to RA sushi (where I learned when NOT to try to share his food, ha!) and then he took me to one of my favorite Houston coffee shops, Agora on Westheimer. The best part - he didn't even want coffee! He just wanted me to have exactly what I wanted on my birthday :) How great is that?! I ended up having some de-lish hot cocoa and then we went to my apartment and joined the roomie and her BF for a riveting episode of So You Think You Can Dance! (Ladies - signs he's a keeper - he will watch your favorite dance competition show on TV with minimal snide remarks!) It was just one of those nights that started and ended well. We were both in remarkable moods, enjoyed each other without being too hard headed about random unnecessary things (if you know either of us, this is a feat, I assure you), and looked smashing whilst doing so :) What more can a girl ask for?!

December 6 - Best Workshop or Conference. Was there a conference or workshop you attended that was especially beneficial? Where was it? What did you learn?
Well, I was hoping to write this blog yesterday right after the close of the "Deeper Still" conference in Oklahoma City. I'm just sure it would have been my answer to this question :) Unfortunately, I didn't get to go (my flight was cancelled to due to snow) but I'm trying to reschedule and go to the June conference in Denver! That sounds like a more exciting destination anyways! Other than that, I can't say I necessarily attended a conference or workshop during 2009 other than annual work training, and I'm not about to rehash THAT on my blog! So I'm taking a rain check on the 2009 conference/workshop prompt. I will get back with you in June 2010 after I've finally gotten to go hear Beth Moore, Kay Arthur, and Priscilla Shearer speak in Denver!

December 7 - Blog Find of the Year. That gem of a blog you can't believe you didn't know about until this year.

I love when I discover blogs of ordinary people who have seemed to take their everyday lives and turn them into something exciting that people just keep coming back to over and over again! I think deep down, while we LOVE a good celebrity dish fest, what our hearts really love is seeing everyday people, who live ordinary lives, just loving their life. It gives us hope for our own futures and reminds us that we don't have to be famous, or glamorous, or have tons of money to truly love our lives deeply and fully! That's the "vibe" I get when I read the blog of Ree Drummond, the self proclaimed "pioneer woman".

Ree is an inner city girl who met, fell in love with, and married a rancher! Her blog chronicles everyday life on the ranch, her adorable family, and how she has learned to love a life 100% different from the one she'd always imagined for herself! And she's hilarious to boot - offering country recipes, tons of photo's, and her self authored Green acres-meets-harlequin romance love story (the story of how she met her husband - or as she calls him - her "Marlboro man"). Priceless! Check her out for yourself - you'll find hours of entertainment peeking into the life of this ordinary lady!

Her Blog: Confessions of a Pioneer Woman

Day 4 - Best Book

December 4 - What book - fiction or non - touched you? Where were you when you read it? Have you bought and given away multiple copies?

The book that has been most influential in my life during 2009 is a book I'm not quite finished with yet (it's been a long process with a few interruptions) - Breaking Free by Beth Moore.

I first heard about the book one Sunday night during church - a guest speaker encouraged everyone to read the book if they felt there was anything in their lives hindering them from finding complete freedom in their relationship with Christ. While I think that criteria pretty much encapsulates 99.9% of the general populous, I had a few specific areas of my life I felt I had not completely surrendered to God. These things were holding me back from finding true enjoyment and rest in my relationship with Christ.

Anyways, long story short, I bought the book and began memorizing the first verses which Beth Moore asks us to memorize - Isaiah 61:1-4. It was here that I discovered my favorite verse of 2009 (I wish that were a blog challenge topic)!

"They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor."

This verse hit so hard with me because it is such a beautiful picture of the role I want to play in the kingdom of God! I want to be an oak - tall (got that part down), outstretched, and magnificent - a reflection of God and his heart. I want my actions to be righteous and my life to be a display of just how good, and loving, and strong the God I serve is! I just love the idea that my purpose was to glorify God - a life he planted where he needed it FOR THE SOLE PURPOSE OF showing Himself to his children. An amazing concept - although the implications hit hard. That is a tall order for me and my constant ups and downs. Good thing God is glorified through my righteousness AND through his forgiveness of my many many sins!

Anyways - that was just one thing that I loved about the book. I'm sure I'll find more things as I work on finishing it!

On a slightly different - but still related - note... my flight to Oklahoma City was cancelled today due to (get this) SNOW in Houston! I was on my way to see Beth Moore (the author of this book), Kay Arthur, and Priscilla Shearer at the "Deeper Still" conference in OKC. Bummer! Luckily we were able to transfer our registration to the June concert in Denver :) But YAY for having an unexpected weekend to relax and get caught up of some things!

Oh, and no, I haven't given away multiple copies, but I've suggested others read it multiple times!

Day 3 - Best Article

December 3 - What's an article that you read that blew you away? One that you shared with all your friends...

I have to admit that I’m not much of an “article” reader. I do however LOVE to watch online news stories, documentaries, etc. which is where I found this story. I think it still falls under the journalism umbrella, so I’m calling it good.

I’ll throw out the disclaimer right off the bat – I can’t be for certain I saw this is 2009, but it definitely has had a huge impact on my 2009 – and an impact on countless friends who I’ve force fed the message too! At some point either in 2009, or shortly before, I was introduced to the following little research study:

The Lemon in your Drink Study

Just go ahead and watch it – you’ll never ever be able to drink a glass of iced tea with lemon without images of… well you’ll see…

For those far too important to be taking 1:38 of your day to watch the news segment above, I’ll give you the highlight reel:

• Researchers tested the lemons found on drinks in 21 different restaurants.
• 77%, or 2 out of 3 lemons tested were crawling with disease causing bacteria including the germs that cause Staph infections and my personal favorite… FECAL MATTER.
• All in all, researchers identified 25 different microorganisms living on the rind and flesh of these fruit wedges.

All I’m saying is – think twice before tossing your beloved lemon into your iced tea. Unless of course eating poo is your thing, in which case, please knock yourself out.

You think it won’t bother you – but just wait until next time you're out and staring at that little yellow cess pool of germies perched so festively on the side of your drink. Your heart will scream yes – but your mind isn’t going to let you do it. Just wait and see. Now if only I could get you all to stop eating veal… :)

Cheers!

Day 2 - Best Restaurant Experience

Day 2 - Share the best restaurant experience you had this year. Who was there? What made it amazing? What taste stands out in your mind?

My favorite restaurant experience of 2009 was in September when we celebrated my Dad's 60th birthday at Rudi Lechner's. I'm not normally a big fan of German food, but my dad sure is - so we wanted to go someplace he would really enjoy. If you are in the market for some really good German food, an authentic German atmosphere (down to the waitresses dresses), and live German polka music (every Wednesday through Saturday night) - this place is for you! We had such a blast!

Several things made this restaurant amazing - but the biggest thing was seeing how much my dad enjoyed my pick! It's always a great feeling when you do your research and try to find the perfect spot - and then the person you take there absolutely loves it! The taste that sticks out most in my mind was the cheesy spaetzle. It's like German Macaroni, but made with potatoes - I could have eaten that alone and been satisfied! But to add to it - the yummiest sauerkraut and red cabbage you've ever tried!

And finally, to top it all off, I got a blue balloon to match the uncontrollably cute blue dress I wore :) Need I say more??

Day 1 - Best Trip of 2009

So I saw this on Jessica's blog (see Coffee and Blue Jeans link to the right...) and absolutely loved the idea! An (I'm assuming) pretty popular blogger named Gwen Bell proposed that everyone do 30 days worth of blogs related to certain topics she outlines... I think it's a great way to make sure we end 2009 really appreciative of all the blessings is offered... so I am joining that bandwagon!

December 1 - What was your best trip in 2009?

In May of 2009 I traveled to India for 2 weeks with Raju Samuel and several other amazing Christian men and women from Galveston/Texas City. This trip was "the best of 2009" for so many reasons. For anyone who knows Raju, he is truly the most shining example of a servant of Christ. In addition to founding and directing Mission Galveston (the local homeless ministry in Galveston), Raju owns 3 orphanages and an adult Christian counselling center in his hometown of Kottayam, India. If you ever doubt the power of prayer, spend 1 day with Raju and see what kind of mountains God moves when Raju prays. It will absolutely take your breath away. Raju asked me to join him and several other adults on a two week trip to lead a children's Bible camp for his orphanages, as well as several other local orphanages in southern India. Not fully knowing what I was getting into - I signed up, bought my plane ticket, and sailed across the world. I had the opportunity to teach 13 year old girls all about the fruits of the spirit and God's love for them (with the help of a translator - so intimidating!!) I remember at one point in the trip I walked by myself to the backside of the campground meditation chapel and just sat - I looked out over the rolling hills, the palm trees, the little huts with their smoke stacks, and just prayed out loud to God. He was there. I'm not sure there are many times I've felt that physically close to God. God is doing amazing things in India - his people are hearing His name and believing the truth. Their hearts are so ready to trust and so thirsty for knowledge. It really changed my world. I want so badly to be where God is working! I know he is working here in America as well - but there was just something different about India. Something powerful and indescribable. For the first time in their lives, 51 children and teenagers believed that nothing they could do would ever be good enough to get them into Heaven... but they had joy and peace because they knew and believed that Jesus had come and paid the price for their sins, they were justified. God was glorified and lives were changed - kids found a deeper peace and joy than they ever knew could exist, and I received some strong assurance of my life purpose from God. It's God's world - and it is my job to share Him with them. Amen!