Technology Free

My small group and I are about to embark on an adventure and bonding experience. We are going to the North Georgia Mountains for a small group retreat. I am really happy to be going on this girls weekend and even more thrilled about spending some one on one time with some amazing girls. No dogs, Kyle is watching Ruby and Lee, no boys, but also no technology. No cell phones, no PDA’s, no computer and no internet. This trip is all about spending time with one another and enjoying their company. It is really nice to get away and do this kind of thing at least once a year.

Last year my girl friend Chris had a camping trip; it is this weekend this year so unfortunately I’ll have to miss it. It was a little more rustic than what we will be doing this year, in a cushy cabin. Last year we were car camping. Meaning you set up tents right next to your car. You can use bathrooms nearby but still sleeping in tents, getting the experience of semi-roughing it. We did something I had never done before. We made pizza pies, peanut butter pies, blueberry pies, cherry pies, etc. You get the supplies you would for a regular one of these and use pie pans, and bread and butter then you put over the fire… and cook. That was probably my favorite part about the camping trip, besides spending time with some amazing girls.

This weekend we are going to do some hiking and tubing and cooking as well. We will hike in the morning and tub Saturday afternoon. I got my tub-top bikini as I done want bad tan lines for the wedding and bug spray and of course SUNSCREEN for the tubing adventure. Then when we get back for lunch, we’ll make sandwiches. I am eagerly awaiting the burgers and hot dogs for dinner. I was in charge of getting the meat! I got turkey hot-dogs and turkey meat and regular meat for the hamburgers. I hope we got some good chips; I really like some good chips! I’m bringing milk and stuff for snacks also, if I get hungry.

Well it’s almost that time, to Hit the Road Jack!

Our New House- Almost Married

In 59 days Kyle and I will be getting married. We also will be moving in together in a town-home in Northern Atlanta Suburbs. We haven't lived together and have a very pure Christian relationship, so we are both excited about living together. Going to sleep next to each other and waking up together. We are totally redoing the town-home. After his last renter, everything had to be thoroughly cleaned and the carpets had to be professionally cleaned. After my Bridal shower we had some amazing presents to bring up to the house and unpack. My mom and I went up there today and cleaned out the cabinets and cleaned the stove dishwasher. Then we unpacked the first set of gifts. We will have another couples shower and we have already received presents from people who cannot come to the wedding... August 21, 2010! Very exciting, I know. Kyle and I are on cloud nine. My maid of honor Amie is doing such an amazing job with everything and I am most grateful for her. Parisa and Andrea also were a big help! We are in the painting process. We are painting the bedrooms and halls a pretty tan, my office will be blue with white trim, Kyle's office will be tan maybe green trim. Our puppy Lee has a new bed and Ruby will not be allowed to sleep in the bed anymore.

Either way, I am really excited about moving to this area and starting a new life together as newly weds! I have a Bridal photo shoot next week at a fancy hotel in Atlanta, and am thrilled to get all dressed up. My mom is coming with me and that should be fun. We have been getting along really well lately, she really thinks highly of Kyle and that makes me really happy. She liked our new town-house today and kept saying how big it was! I can't wait to throw some awesome house parties. That is one thing I really liked about Kyle before I dated him, was how much fun his parties were. In a fun kind of way ;) Just think now, I'm marrying him, 2 1/2 years goes faster than you think, Don't Blink!

SKYDIVING!

What a rush. What a amazing high. What an exhilarating experience. It is dangerous... to the untrained. It is scary to the fearful, daring to those who dare.

Not being scared of jumping out of an airplane to go skydiving, might seem crazy to some. But, I was only concerned about the landing being smooth.

Once in Thomasville, GA at Skydive Atlanta DBA Uninsured Skydive Atlanta, reading the waiver it sets in how much you are risking. Once through the door, after they check every signature line, and paid money to risk our life for adventure, we learn via a trainer how to do this tandem jump skydive. We wait for our "assignment" who and when we will be jumping with. My group was the third group...

(Did I mention we woke up at 6 am to do this?)

We get in our suits, colored b y size. We get on our harness, we watch them professionally pack the parachute. They have hired people there, who get paid based on completed parachutes, packing the parachutes immediately after they are deployed.

I take lots of pictures, I am walking into the airplane and my Tandem Tom says, "Everything you can think of doing while Skydiving, I have already done."

That made me feel better. The video you are about to watch is the experience, some parts the video is covered but you can still hear the sound and feel the intensity of the adventure.

Then we jumped!

A Better World

What if we lived in a world where people were really happy for other people in their successes and really empathized in their failures?

What would that world look like… no jealously, but joy and rejoicing in our Lord? Where people loved people in an agape way and there were no more lustful thoughts.

No one ever even thought to kill themselves or others. People forgave people when they did things to wrong them, as the Lord forgives us… Always when we surrender and ask.

I like that world. I constantly try to do these things, but it’s tough. It’s tough because I’m a sinner. It’s even tougher because so are you, and everyone else.

Jesus was perfect but He is raised from the Dead and is now in Heaven with our Father.

This is my favorite part, Grace. Grace from God and for each other and for ourselves.

Step one: Ask Your Personal Lord and Savior to forgive you for all your many sins. Be honest, sin probably happens many times daily, so, continually accept Grace and forgiveness and, then later ask again…

Step two: Ask for forgiveness from people individually that you have wronged. This one is tough because you should do this in person or if that is not feasible on the phone… but not through email or text message. Be sober when this happens and during regular hours, so drunk is probably not an option. This requires you to realize your faults which can be difficult and humble yourself enough that you don’t make excuses or blame game it up or turn it around on the other person for whom you are asking forgiveness. Then you have to wait. They may not accept your apology or they may need time to fully understand and accept your apology. Don’t be discouraged if they do not accept your apology, they may eventually and God did when you asked him because He is truly Merciful and shows unconditional love to everyone and you are already good enough the way you are for His love.

Step three: Forgive Yourself. This is difficult because you may have made a mess of your life because of your actions. You can control your actions but you cannot control the response factor or others interpretations of your actions or the hurt you may have caused others. Don’t do it again and truly repent.
I hope 2010 brings everyone much Happiness and True Love and Joy.
Here’s to treating the people in this world with more respect and honor as we are all children of the Lord.

As the Lord says, “Whatever you do to least you do unto me.”

"This is Her Story" By Amethyst in Collaboration with Jen

The pages from her well - worn journals serve to symbolize the major stories of her life. Occasionally she shares these stories with others, but mainly they provide her with a place to process her thoughts and feelings. In high school she was told that she wasn’t a good writer and that she had too many comma splices. Yet, she refused to buy into that notion. She refused to be bogged down by endless grammar rules and she refused to let the dull process of writing five paragraph essays strip her of her passion for writing.
Instead, she began to realize that her journal was a place where she could simply write for herself and with that came a form of liberation. She knew that her journal was hers and hers alone. As a result, it needed to consist of nothing more than her thoughts and her feelings. Her writing also began to show her that every person has a story and that every person is unique. She also came to realize that one person can never quite know what another person is going through. She knows this to be true because one of her major stories includes a dramatic shift in her own life that sent her on a path she never saw coming.