Get Busy Living.

Well, i figure i need to do one of those just an update with me blog. 

So, right now Im working in North Carolina at the Montreat Conference Center. I love working here. Even in those times when things get stressful i still love working here. I work in the blue ridge mountains in an amazing little valley. Who could complain? I wont. I work with amazing people and i know that ill have these people as friends for the rest of my life. Thats just how montreat works. you cant not make life long friends. 

This week and last has been fairly boring because its worship & music and all we do in the night shift is run whatever evening event they may have. Tonight was the chamber choir concert and then the youth open mic night. Open mic was interesting. There were guitarists/singers. Dancers. Energizers. and Mimes. O and a kid somehow got gum stuck in his hair and i provided the scissors that cut it out. Fun times... 

Tomorrow night, or i guess tonight, we have Miracle Marathon. Im not all that excited about it. But it has to be done and so i will not complain. This marathon is not your typical marathon. We get the opportunity to clean just about every space montreat owns. W&M ends and Christian Life comes in and we have about 6 hours to transform the conference center. We pull people from many places that normally dont do the work of the Aud Crew. Moving tables, cleaning bathrooms, sweeping and moping the auditorium, putting away handbells. Its just so much fun. The best part is i think we are going to be getting an Eclair cake made by my friend "(comma)Causey" or Emily. Im hoping she remembered. If not ill be sad, but ill move on and get her to make it some other time. 

Today is also the 21st birthday of Patrick, a guy on my production crew. So after our marathon of cleaning i know there will be some insane party somewhere. Im looking forward to that. Josh Richard and Patrick Harley with business juice. Im sure i too will not be sober.  A good time will be had by all. So, i may update again after that whole incident. may even post pictures or video if i can remeber to take one camera or the other. 

Ok, so im really just rambling now, but thats whats going on with me. I hope that all your lives are going well. And i love you all. 

attraction

rules of attraction. are there any? i mean, who's to say that age or race or any of that plays any effect on who we fall for? i dont think it should. i mean, why is a difference, be it 3 months or 5 years, a big deal? should that really matter? i dont think so. the race issue is becoming less and less of an issue today. but why was it an issue back then? i mean, we are all human beings and the people who couldnt/cant see that are blind to a lot more than just the color of one's skin. 

so, i guess i just wanted to write this to get people to think about what they see as taboo. is it really? maybe not. 

L.O.V.E.

Wannabe

I want to be a better person. 

a better friend.

a better boss. 

better with patience. 

more willing to accept change. big and small. 

a better daughter. 

a better sister. 

but most importantly, a better child of God.

if i can do the last one, the rest will come. Its all about love.

I pray for God to give me the opportunities to be better.

the deed is done.

I did it. I got my tattoo and it rocks! ok, so the question everyone has been asking. did it hurt?

yes it hurt. the pain kinda went  in and out and my skin arm was probably thinking, "what did i ever do to you?" but anyways, here is how i think i could best explain the pain. say you stay out in the sun way too long and get an awful sunburn. and then someone decides they are going to smack your sunburn over and over again really fast. and the stop for a second and then start doing it again. thats what it feels like. you feel it, then after a bit of the needle it kinda goes numb. then when the guy takes a break and your arm has a chance to figure out what's going on, you again feel that burning pain. and then it starts all over again. but, it was only about 10 min of actually tattooing so im ok with that. the sunburn feeling comes and goes now, but its not too bad. anyways, just wanted to update the tattoo saga. 

tattoo

so, im getting my first tattoo in about 13 hours. Im pretty excited about it. but also nervous. I believe that the anticipation will continue to grow as it gets closer. Ive been thinking about it for a long time and have come up with a great and meaningful design. well, there it is. Its the word "ahava" and translated says, "love." Im doing this as a reminder of the two greatest commandments given to us by Jesus Christ. Love God and love others. I believe we all need that constant reminder that we all need love God, even in the rough times in life. And we can always love others better than we do. So, I will see it when i wake up and when i go to bed. And Im ok with that. 

Not only am i doing this a reminder of the commandments, but also as a monument of sorts to those I have known to deal with S.I. Those people mean the world to me and if I can tell others their stories when asked about my tattoo, and maybe even give those people hope and a strength to break those chains of bondage and be free in Christ, then whatever pain i will feel tomorrow will be worth it tens times over. 

I love all of my friends that have told me their struggles and my heart burns for them. So, yeah. there it is. Ill update tomorrow after the whole process. 

The letter.

So, tonight I went to "The Loft" with Amy Grant. She is having the junior high and high school kids from church over ever sunday this month for a worship experience. Tonight there were multiple speakers, but the things that really stuck out were the things Amy said. 

The first story she told us was about a girl she met while doing the first "Loft" series. Her name was Korey. She was the 5th of five daughters and had been to one or two services out of the series already. On the third or fourth night of this series Amy noticed that Korey wasn't looking very happy so she decided to her what was going on in her life. Korey said a few things but the last thing she said was that she had been in a bad mood. Amy then proceeded to ask what had put her in such a horrible mood. Korey said that she had just had another fight with her dad and that all her conversations lately had been arguments that escalated into screaming matches. Korey's dad also traveled a lot for work so he never paid much attention to the things she did, like going to Korey's softball game, etc. and this made Korey feel even worse because she had seen her dad interact much more with her older sisters. 

After hearing Korey's story Amy decided she was going to give her a challenge. Amy told her to write her dad a letter telling him what she had been feeling, anything to let him know how she perceived what he was doing or not doing in her life, and to put it in his luggage right before he went on one of his business trips. Its not like he wouldn't read it. I know most people are curious when they find things like that and will defiantly open and read it. 

So, Amy didn't see Korey for a few weeks after, so when she did she made a point to ask if she had accepted the challenge. Korey had and here is the basics of what she wrote to her father. 

I am your daughter. Just because I am the youngest doesn't mean I need any less attention from you. I wish that you would come to my softball games. I love you. 

I would call that maybe a bit harsh but it most certainly opened up her fathers eyes to how she saw their relationship. 

After the Loft finished for that semester Amy didn't see Korey for about 6 months. then one night all of the sudden Amy heard continuous knocking and the door bell wouldn't stop. She went to the door and there in her doorway was Korey with one of her friends. What surprised Amy most is the fact that Korey had climbed over a gate and walked about 1 1/2 miles in the dark up a gravel path that lead to her house. Amy knew something was wrong from the moment she opened the door. Korey's face was not the same. She asked what happened and Korey said that her dad had died the night before from a heart attack and that the only reason she was had any strength to make it and find Amy's house was because of the challenge she had given Korey months ago. If it hadn't been for that letter, the relationship would have been much worse and she never would have told her dad how she really felt. 

So, from that story my goal is for you to get to thinking about the relationships that you have with others. Is there a person who needs a letter from you? Do you need to tell someone how you see it, because maybe, just maybe, they don't realize what their actions or lack there of are doing to your relationship with them. is there a mom or dad or grandparent or friend or roommate that you need to be upfront with? And my charge to you is to clear the air. write them a letter. there is always a place for love and grace within your relationships with others. 

so, leave your comments. do you agree or feel that relationships like this would be better off if you just let them play out the way they are going down into some black abyss to never be reconciled. 

now i know that i said "things" AMy talked about. but ill leave the second for another day. this is pretty long winded already. 

dreams...

so, on my mind lately(maybe just today) has been dreams. and not like 
what you wanna do in the future or where you see yourself, but the 
dreams you have while you are asleep. like say you have this great dream 
about something and it feels very real. then you wake up and realize it 
was just a dream... ok, you're bummed. but could that dream come true, 
or part of it? do you think dreams tell you something about what is in 
store for you later on in life, weather that is later today or in the years to 
come? 
at this moment, i want to believe that dreams show us some insight to 
what is going to happen in our futures, but i honestly don't know... 


deep? maybe not. thought provoking? yes. 
:)

-Heather-