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| this past week, jacob and i spent in North Carolina for Centrifuge '08.
Centrifuge is an annual Christian youth camp for high school and jr. high.
let me just say, it was AWESOME!!! i mean, camp is fun when you're a kid, but it's so much better when you're an adult, cuz you get to go to all the fun activities that the kids go to, but you are also allowed to skip out and take naps ; )
the kids in our youth group are awesome! they are FUNNY and smart and thoughtful and adventurous and loving and snuggly and confused and learning. they are so many things! i LOVE being a part of their lives and sharing my life with them. if i haven't made it clear already, these kids are a huge part of my life and my ministry for a time. they make me so happy, and with them i am able to teach and learn at the same time... it's awesome. plus, they are HILARIOUS and i've laughed harder this whole week than i have in a LONG time.
we got to know our executive pastor, mark a little better this week. he's great. he is a person that i believe will really be a great friend and help jacob and i grow continuously in our faith and our theology. on top of that, he really believes in us and our talents and ability to minister to people, and he really wants us to be involved in leadership in our church, which is what we want too.
as soon as we got back to nashville, jacob and i got in the car and headed to louisville, ky for american idol tryouts!!! that's right... you heard it here first. i'm FINALLY trying out for American Idol. i just think... the time is finally right : )
the hotel we're staying at was built in the 60's and it's really cool! it's filled with woodwork and has a very warm feel, and is totally different than other hotels. it has a courtyard with a pool and cabana/grill. there is also an indoor pool/health club. it's built on many different levels and has a lot of decorative details, so it has a ton of character. i'm so glad we're staying here because it's such an enjoyable environment! (we have a balcony looking over the courtyard!) but also because it's RIGHT across the street from the audition venue... now we don't have to pay for parking! PLUS, we found out that the hotel is to be torn down this year so it can be made into a parking lot. so sad, so i'm glad we get to enjoy it before it goes down.
also, six flags is literally right next to the venue, so we're hoping we get done early and get to go enjoy ourselves for a while!
this is only the preliminary round for idol, so no paula/simon/randy this time. for right now, my life depends on 15 seconds of singing for them to decide whether i move on to callbacks or not. wish me luck!!!!
i'll keep you guys updated!
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| well, as some of you may know, it was jacob and i's 2nd anniversary last week, so we went out and had a very fancy dinner at a restaurant in cool spring called Criallo's. we got all dressed up, looking our best and ate crab cakes and steak and lobster and creme brulee as we listened to live jazz.
last friday we went to see The Happening directed by M. Night Shyamalan. i'm a big fan of his, so that was something i was really looking forward to. then we went out for a late night dinner at p.f. changs. we came back home and enjoyed a bottle of bubbly and watched another movie.
two nights ago we were having a normal night at home... dinner and Friends. then we had to run to the grocery store and while we were out jacob said something about 'making the trip worthwhile', which meant he wanted to do more than go to the grocery store, but we didn't know what to do. so we got in the car and drove to smyrna where a new mall and some restaurants have opened up this year. we stopped at a chili's and ate desert and pretended to be two strangers that just met at a bar... it kept us laughing all the way home : ) then we headed over to taylor and seth's house to watch Vanilla Sky, which is an AMAZING movie.
last night we were having another normal night at home with dinner and Friends. i got bored, so i decided we should grab some reading material and walk to the local starbucks which is about 3-4 blocks away. we talked and laughed the whole way there, i got caught up on my Bazaar over a frappe and we talked and laughed the whole way back. and when we got home we watched Dan in Real Life, which is also a great movie.
jacob truly is my best friend and an incredible husband and even after 3 years of being together, i still love going on dates with him : )
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| life has been a time for learning lately (to say the least)
my computer is slowly dying
i'm STILL trying to find a job (it's been 3 months now)
i have bills galore that i can barely afford to pay off
our car broke down yesterday
i've been wearing the same few good outfits i have all the time because i have no good clothes
gas is RIDICULOUS as we all know
still dealing with minor health issues day to day
the music situation is evolving at a glacial pace
and i'm constantly having to forgive myself for mistakes that i make every now and then
as i was thinking about all these things yesterday and how they all affect each other, i got really upset. we were sitting in a Shell parking lot in the broke down car and i broke down in tears. i thought, 'it just keeps getting worse!'
jacob and i have worked to get out on our own and try to have a successful, independent young-adult life and things are just NOT happening in the way we thought it would. it's been somewhat of a struggle.
i got my crying out. we had to leave the car in the parking lot, but a friend helped us get home. after we got home, i was mulling all these things over in my head again except this time with a different attitude.
i realized that even though all this crap keeps popping up, we ARE doing what we wanted. we moved to nashville to pursue music, we found an EXCELLENT church where we LOVE to serve, and we're surrounded by friends who are willing to help us whenever we have rock-bottom moments like yesterday(thanks, seth). even though i get really upset about these incidents(and rightfully so), inside i am so content that God has led us to the things we REALLY need and want and i am happy.
even though i felt a bit like Job yesterday, i couldn't help but stop and sing a song to God with a smile in my heart.
no pity party here...
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| how come Jesus can save my soul, but can't find me a job???
chew on that for a while.
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| the title speaks for itself... and i'm somewhat exhausted, so i will be brief you all know we have a friend living with us this month. that really hasn't contributed to the busy-ness all that much, it's just always on my mind. well, he found a house and will be moving out at the beginning of next week, i believe. i'm sure we'll take the time to help if we can. another one of our friends is moving to nashville and moving in with him at about the same time. we did some house/babysitting for some people we met through people from church. they live in franklin (about 30-45 minutes away from our apartment). the kids are 12 and 13 and are pretty cool, but they have busy, complicated schedules that we have to keep up with. the first week we did this, we had 3 performances that week as well! so, it was definitely a busy one. we are staying with them again this week. luckily, my schedule is bare, so i can keep up with them better this time. about a week and a half ago we were in texas for the last Michael Peterson tour date that we were involved in. it was a 2 day drive there, a 13 hour day's work, a half day's drive to houston, a day and a half with family there, then a 2 day drive back. this past weekend we were in greenville for my college graduation!!! we stayed at an AMAZING bed and breakfast (www.chartreusebb.com), hung out with fun friends, then walked across stage to receive my degree... FINALLY!!! as far as what's next??? i'm not sure. we've got some big things coming up this summer(friends moving to town, church camp, family vacation, etc), but i still need to find a job. thank God i've found provision in babysitting and the tour job. it should keep my bills paid for another month maybe... but still. i'm getting a bit nervous. but at least after this week, i'll be able to go home, snuggle with my kitties and jacob on the couch, take a deep breath, and enjoy true relaxation(and some peace of mind if i'm lucky) after a busy month. | | |
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