Finally::Georgia...Part 2::

So, the call from my mom caused my little heart to flutter. It was the dreaded, "I don't think you are going to make it home," phone conversation that every traveler hates to hear when they just arrive at their destination. Immediately, I jump into action mode. Apparently, in my absence, the heavens were beginning to unleash what was thought to be the biggest snow storm of the winter (turns out it was!).

I got on the Delta web site to see good news, every traveler flying into Ohio was able to change their ticket one time with no fee! Wow! So, I tried a few things online to no avail. I decided to sleep on it and mess with it in the morning.

I woke up before Misty, and began the process to work things out with my ticket. I tried to change it online again, but I failed miserably. It was then that I decided I would do it the old fashioned way, I would call. So, after a two-hour hold, I finally spoke to someone who helped me get a later flight.

Here is the cool part of my adventure. Weeks before my trip, I had hoped to be in Georgia until Sunday night so that I could go to church with Misty and see her in action. Sadly, the tickets were $200 more to stay over a Sunday. Thus, I had purchased a ticket returning early on Saturday morning. However, now with the snow storm in Ohio, it looked like things were going to work out after all! I was able to change my ticket to a the last flight on Sunday night, giving me an extra two days with Misty and all kinds of adventures. I called my mom, who told me that Misty and I must be living right for things to be working themselves out so well.

After a long day of painting, Misty took me to a really nice sea food restaurant, and then we returned to her house to finish up our painting.

Saturday dawned bright and beautiful! Misty's new and dear friend Jenny offered to take Misty and I on a 4-wheeling adventure on her 2,000 acre plantation, Gray Moss. Of course we said yes. It turned out to be a brisk, beautiful day, even though it actually flurried in the morning. It was one of the only snows that some of the locals had ever seen, go figure. Anyway, Gray Moss was indescribably beautiful. There were times when it took my breath away. The entire time I thought to myself, "I might have missed this if not for the snow." God truly cares for His children!

Later that night, we went plant shopping to help Misty decorate her office and her house... you can see that we were successful!

Sunday was amazing. I said my good-byes, but with the hope of a return visit in the future in the back of my mind. At the Atlanta airport it became apparent how blessed I truly had been. I met several people who hadn't changed their flights earlier, and were now doing whatever they could to make it back to Ohio. Some had been sleeping in the airport. In fact, two people were asked to leave the plane because they had overbooked the flight. After some juggling with seats and luggage, I was off to Akron. We landed on the snow encompassed pavement, and I couldn't believe how perfectly everything turned out.

Looking back on the adventures of Georgia, I can see God's hand in all of it. He's just so cool like that.

Blizzard '08

Yesterday I just got back from spending the Easter weekend with our youth group. Our denomination's annual youth weekend happened—Blizzard. I am not new to this event at all. I started attending when I was 12 years old and continued to go until I was 19 years old. I missed the next year due to a missions program that I was involved in. I have since chaperoned a few times. Every Blizzard I recognize that God does really cool things.

This year started off with a bang, and I mean that realistically. The bang was my muffler. I offered to drive the overflow vehicle since not everyone could fit into the church van. On our way, I hear a "bang," and then I proceeded to pray that my muffler would not fall off on the way to the hotel! : ) Thankfully, we made it one piece. My parents, also my lifesavers, rescued us with a car and took mine to be fixed. The weekend continued to have all sorts of excitement from glasses breaking and having to be fixed, to air mattresses getting wholes in them...you name it, I think that myself, the other female chaperone, and our pastor dealt with it.

Despite the chaos that would normally send me packing, I really felt this odd peace about working with the youth group. I can't say that there weren't times when I was frustrated or annoyed, but I felt a renewed desire to do whatever I can to speak truth into the lives of the teens that are in this small group.

As I processed through what God did in me this past weekend, I recognized the following:

• I felt like God answered a prayer for me to build closer relationships with the teens.
• I was reminded constantly of the set of scriptures in Matthew 6, where Jesus speaks to the crowds about worrying. He takes care of birds and wildflowers, how much more does He love and care for His children. Through all of our struggles this past weekend, God continued to provide and work things out.
• I began to pray for our church body that God would increase in them a desire to step into the callings that He has on their lives. Everyone has a purpose in the body of Christ, and it is my fervent prayer that everyone would find their place in our church family. If someone had told me six months ago that I would be helping with the youth group, I probably would have laughed in their face, but I recognize that God has asked me to step up and out of my comfort zone. So, here's to being obedient and hanging on for dear life as God takes me into unexplored territories.

Survey Time

I promise that I will continue the Georgia yarn when I get a chance... however, I saw this survey on Melissa's blog (check out her blog on my blogroll) and thought it looked like fun:

1. WHO WERE YOU NAMED AFTER? My mom. My mom's middle name is Joan, but they thought Andrea Joan sounded less fluid than Andrea Jo. So that's how I have the classic 80's name. In elementary school, all of my best friends had the middle name Jo—Kara Jo, Amanda Jo, Jessica Jo... then there was me... how ironic is that?

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? At my desk on Monday, thinking about how God works everything out.

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? No.

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Flavored Turkey. I especially love peppercorn turkey and sun-dried tomato turkey.

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? No, and I doubt I ever will...seriously.

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? I think so.

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? Never : )

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS Yeppers. I'm all about keeping my body in one piece.

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Maybe if there was a lot of money at stake, but for kicks and giggles, NO WAY!

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? I love Oatmeal Squares, Oatmeal Raisin Crisp, and Cheerios with honey.

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? No

12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Physically, no. Mentally, sorta. Emotionally, yes. Spiritually, I'm a work in progress.

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Butter pecan

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? Height...since I am a shrimp.

15. RED OR PINK? No contest—RED! Pink is way too girly!

16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOU? I wish that I were more outgoing. I hate that I'm not a good conversationalist...the curse of being an introvert.

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? I miss a lot of people. All of my YWAM friends and Misty.

18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK? Yes, please . If you are reading this blog. Send me an email or post it on your blog! I'd love to read it!

19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Black dress pants and black loafers.

20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? A jelly bean

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? At the moment, I am not listening to anything, but most recently, the new Shawn McDonald CD Roots.

22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Brown

23. FAVORITE SMELLS Snuggle fabric softener, Heaven from the Gap, and new CD's...

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? I think one of the vice president's at work.

25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? Yes! Melissa is the best!

26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? I love to watch the olympics, but other than that, I could live without sports.

27. HAIR COLOR? Brown

28. EYE COLOR? Brown

29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? No...but I'm sure my time is coming.

31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS Happy. I figure that life is sometimes scary enough.

32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? I don't remember the title, but the last movie I watched in a theatre was P.S. I love you.

33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? It has several colors... it's black and magenta day at work, so I have those colors plus a blue color.

34. SUMMER OR WINTER? Normally I would say both, but man, this winter has been so long! I am ready for summer and all the joys it brings, namely, a break from school and croquet with the fam.

35. HUGS OR KISSES? Hugs

36. FAVORITE DESSERT? I love oatmeal raisin cookies and most things lemon! However, my all time fav dessert is my mom's strawberry shortcake! I get excited for my birthday just so I can get some!

37. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Well, like three people read this blog, so I won't get to overly concerned with this question.

38. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? **See above answer

39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? The Bible, My Utmost for His Highest, and textbooks which consist of American Literature and African American Religion.

40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? The logo for Bebo Norman's fan club, The Simpletons.

41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT? Survivor...then I had to do homework.

42. FAVORITE SOUND? Wow, so many. I love the sound of rain, and the sound that cars make when they go through a puddle. I also love live classical music. And also, most laid back acoustic music.

43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? The Beatles, hands down. Wow, I love them. American Idol was thrilling for me last week. Michael Johns singing Across the Universe brought joy to my heart—incredible!

44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? Probably Mexico.

45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? No. I have always been ok at several things. Never really good at one thing...that's why I have no idea what I want to do when I grow up. So frustrating!

46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Ohio...in a hospital in my hometown.

::Georgia...Part 1::

I have so many thoughts swimming in my head right now, it's not even funny. I started composing this blog in my head on the plane ride home Sunday night. "How can I put into words what happened to me?" I thought to myself as we waited to taxi down the runway at the Atlanta airport. It's not that I can't talk about it, but there are so many things to say.

I guess I'll start at the beginning with what seemed like the most ridiculous thing in the world—beans, sandals, peanut butter, vitamins, pillowcases, and mail. These were the items that were contained in a medium sized suitcase that just made the 50 lb. maximum weight limit for baggage. You see, I was going to visit one of my very best friends who just got a job in the deep south of Georgia. She has a fascination with a certain Mexican chili bean that she realized she can no longer get in Georgia. That's when I come into the picture. It started with a phone call, or maybe it was a facebook message. I can't remember. Anyway, Misty asked, "Could you please bring me some beans?" Me being the great friend that I am, I of course said yes. This was, after all, a trip to make up for me getting sick and not being able to help her move. I felt like I at least owed her this much. So, there I was Wednesday night, my small suitcase with enough clothes for my short, two-day trip, and what I now dubbed "Misty's suitcase," much bigger than mine, and filled with beans and all the worldly possessions she had managed to forget during the chaotic move to Georgia just over a month ago.

I got to the Akron/Canton airport with plenty of time to spare, and I tried to do the homework I was dreading. Finally, my boarding call came a little late due to some ice that the plane had encountered on the way to Akron. We had an uneventful flight to Atlanta, GA, followed by another uneventful flight to the Albany, GA, airport where Misty waited to greet me. I barely recognized her. She hadn't changed that much. I had seen her new haircut before she left for Georgia. It made me wonder what growing up did to a person to make them look different. I pondered this as we drove to the small town where Misty lives. She pointed out the important landmarks on the way, and we caught up on all the news.

When we got to the house, I immediately opened the bean filled suitcase (20 cans to be precise) to see if the dreaded white slip was in the case—it was. Yes, my suitcase had been inspected. I am sure that by now, the contents of my suitcase had been broadcasted throughout the entire greater Atlanta area. They are, no doubt, thinking that whoever carries a suitcase filled with cans of beans has to be a crazed loon ready to bomb the entire state. To make matters worse, I had borrowed my mom's suitcase which was covered in cat's—not real ones—no it looked like the suitcase had puked up cat tapestry and wrapped itself in the gaudy material. Misty and I had a good laugh over the stories that we imagined were spreading at the airport. We figure my suitcase set off every metal detector within a 50 mile radius. They most likely had brought in the bomb squad, SWAT team, and the FBI. We envisioned dogs sniffing this ridiculous suitcase and howling at the contents.


After our overactive imaginations had settled down, we got to work storing the beans in a hidden cabinet so that Misty's guests wouldn't think less of her and her bean obsession.

As I stowed my luggage in the guest room, (still seems strange that Misty has a guest room, two for that matter!), I turned my phone on to get a message from my mom that changed my plans entirely...

STAY TUNED FOR THE NEXT INSTALLMENT OF ::GEORGIA::

Change for the Better

Some of us don't like change. I confess that there are times when I really don't like change; however, there are times when I really do like change. Sometimes there are changes that hurt. Sometimes there are changes that require sacrifice.

This weekend, I realized that I was in the midst of one of those changes that require sacrifice. It all started with a prayer-a-thon that we put together for youth group. This consisted of 10 hours of pretty much non-stop prayer through the night (we did take caffeine breaks!). I confess that I am a pansy when it comes to missing sleep. I get cranky, sensitive, and basically an unpleasant person to be around. Anyway, it turned out to be one of the coolest things I have ever done. It felt so good to intercede for friends, family, the nation, and the Church.

This morning, I was reminded again about how important prayer is. And, it's also important to note, that sometimes prayer is difficult. I confess that I have a difficult time praying...my mind wanders, I think of everything I need to do... I hate it. It's something that I have consistently struggled with, but this weekend I realized that I need to change. Just because something is difficult doesn't mean that we give up on it. In fact, those things that we have to fight for are usually the things that come to mean the most to us and are the things that we most need in our lives.

So here's to change—change for the better! In honor of change, enjoy the new template for the blog. (I do like change every now and then)!

FYE—I think this is me trying to catch a few z's around 3 a.m. during a caffeine break at the prayer-a-thon... I know I look crazy, but I was tired!