Ballin' in Haiti

this is my friend, Melinda. (or MemGym87 if you went to high school with us)

Melinda is this:

there are lots of reasons why Melinda is a baller, shot caller-- but the one i'm talking about here is the fact that she is spending her summer in Haiti serving the people there. i am so excited to hear all of the stories and ways that God has used her to impact the people of Haiti. further, i am excited to hear all the ways God has used the people of Haiti to stretch and grow her. (i love how that works. we grow and learn the most from the people and ways that we are intentionally serving. )

she has such a huge heart and is so full of joy that you can read it in her emails.

what is also amazing is the way that God is using her not only in Haiti, but right here in lexington, kentucky!

here is what i mean..(i did not ask if i could use this! but i don't think she will mind!)

"It has been so amazing to see the love of Jesus in Haiti. I have realized how much they fully rely on God, and daily. They don't have video games, tv, computers, etc to distract them from thinking about him. When they have a bad day they don't go to distract themself with a movie, they pray. They rely on him and him alone. It has opened my eyes to the useless things we do in America and the time wasted away from God. At church they all pray outloud, so imagine 800 voices praising and praying to the God of the Universe at once; it was powerful! Many get on their knees--old and young."

not only does this almost bring me to tears to imagine such a sight, it also totally calls me out (but in a good, good way). i feel like i can easily get distracted by dumb, unnecessary things. i focus on the fleeting instead of the everlasting constantly.

and it isn't always the same things that distract me. i am the only one left at the 312 this week and we no longer have internet or tv at our house. you think that i would have way less distractions and more intentional time. no, no, my friend. instead i have focused on getting things checked off my to do list, dreaming about my new room, and trying to get a jump on the moving out cleaning.

further, i came home and felt tense and exhausted--so what did i do? go to God for a little tlc? no. i went and cleaned out the laundry room after eating some ice cream.

can we say...

band aid???

"come to me, all who are weary and burdened and i will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28)

i know we probably all know this scripture by heart, but my actions do not reveal that this is capital "T" truth when i run to rocky road ice cream and trying to get more cleaning done, than resting in the Truth of Jesus's words.

man. i still have soo many thoughts and things i am thinking through...

if you, too, are feeling convicted and encouraged/maybe a little sucky..i highly encourage going here:

http://justinemcknight.blogspot.com/2010/05/day-144-want-confidence-click-here.html

for a little encouragement! this is more Truth i need to cling to today!

"that's why, when I heard of the solid trust you have in the Master Jesus and your outpouring of love to all the followers of Jesus, I couldn't stop thanking God for you—every time I prayed, I'd think of you and give thanks. But I do more than thank. I ask—ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory—to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do [aka not distracted!! -my own addition and emphasis], grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for his followers, oh, the utter extravagance of his work in us who trust him—endless energy, boundless strength!" --from Ephesians 1 (message version)

---we are reading through ephesians with the girls i meet with at tates creek--how appropriate the timing. i can't wait to share with them from melinda's email! pray we have some solid discussion!!

RECAP! + Question!

Wow. It has been a week (plus a day..) since I have last posted on my blog. Last week was one big, sleepy blur. Friends, you should know (or you already do!) that I am a bit of an old man. I love going to bed early and I genuinely like getting up early. I don't know if I have ever really liked staying up late and sleeping in late. (I must have been a horrible middle schooler. And youth lock-ins were my favorite till about eleven..) Anyway, just know that last week I had the worst time falling asleep. A large part of my lack of zzz's might be linked to the late nights and the time difference from my time at home. Needless to say, I don't know if I ever fell asleep last week before one or two in the morning. Vomit. Also know that I wasn't up doing cool things either (except one night talking with Syerra and Katie). No, those late nights were spent laying in bed, fretting over the fact that I am going to feel miserable the next day.

Imagine how pumped I was when I felt tired last night around ten and was passed out by eleven! We are getting closer to my old routine!

Anyway, tired Randi is not equal to productive Randi. I, sadly, do not have much to report for days 91-85... and the things I do have to report...I am going to wait on because I left my cord I need to transfer pictures onto my computer with clinton.

I have lots of schemes and plans in the works! Don't fret! I refuse to waste this summer!!

Still taking suggestions for what I should put on my summer to do list! (hint, hint).

ALSO! QUESTION! note the fabric above... what are our thoughts?? I am trying to find fabric for one of my room redo projects and I found this. I usually go for something more simple with clean lines, but I wanted to try to spice it up a little. I also am not positive about the color. Seriously, the past two things I have bought online have come to me as a totally different color than what I thought I ordered! I have been searching JoAnn fabrics and Hancock fabrics online and found a few fabrics I LOVE but I do not feel okay about buying fabric that is $30 dollars a yard. I'm a balla on a budget, you know?

Want to help me in the fabric search? I would love to see what you all would suggest!

home again, home again...

Or not?

It's odd growing up when your old home feels less like home than your new home. You know?

Anyway, i am back. i am exhausted and back.

For those of you who were so curious about the things that got accomplished on day 97...that would be a whopping ZERO. i know. major disappointment. this is why i can't have to much spare time.

here is how the rest of my week went at home..

day 96: (wednesday) my mom, brother, and i cleaned our house like maniacs. not only was clinton coming, but so were my cousins from iowa and arkansas. so we cleaned. for hours. it was good but i was a nasty mess and almost finished when clinton came. needless to say, i gave him a quick hug (not too tight as to not transfer the smell) and hopped in the shower and we went and picked up ARRIS'S PIZZA!! treat!

day 95: (thursday) we made another stop at grandma and grandpa's for breakfast. then, clinton and i ran a lot of random errands. we went to good will. picked up some ice cream, ran to walgreens, and stopped at lowe's. then we got home in time to get ready for our sassy night on the town. it was date night, jeff city style. i took clinton to yen ching...best chinese restaurant i've ever been to. seriously. i have not found one i enjoy more. clinton admits that my snobbery in regards to other chinese restaurants is founded. we then went on a romantic trip to...west gate lanes...bowling alley. it was awesome. i also found out that i am horrible at bowling. we are talking i scored a whopping 56...after my warm up round... needless to say, i owe clinton an ice cream cake...

day 94: (friday) the day of yard work. clinton and i tackled all the tasks my mom can never do alone or doesn't have the equipment for. we cleaned the gutters. trimmed the hedges. chopped down limbs and trees. pulled up a shrub (okay, that was more him). swept the driveway. and hauled brush. it was really draining, but it felt good feel so productive and to do physical labor. it sounds weird, but its true. then, later that night my cousin nicki, and her hubby, scott came to visit! they are expecting a little bean, ava, in august. so fun and crazy to see her pregnant and to feel like ava getting fiesty in the womb. we went to chili's and played tick (my new favorite card game).

(nicki and scott)

day 93: (saturday) we got around and headed t to my grandparents house because my other cousin, blaine, and his precious family was coming into town. blaine and his wife amanda have the cutest little kids.

and their newest addition..

it was really good to see them. i love their precious family. after dinner, we spent the rest of the night at our house playing more tick. (seriously, i better have friends that want to play with me. i am not sure why i love it so much, but i do.)

day 92: (sunday) clinton and i spent practically the whole day in the car on the way back. we stopped in louisville to eat dinner with his family and drove the rest of the way to lexington.

it feels good to be home.

as of sunday, my 99 days of summer has begun!

here is a recap of how it has gone so far..

day 99: packed for home. went to cracker barrel to eat with my family before we hit the road. ate too much food and proceeded to feel on the verge of vomiting for the 8+ hours we were in the car. what a way to kick off the summer! :) things got much better after the road trip part was over.

day 98: mom and i went out to cecil and cleo's for breakfast. we were there for a long time just talking. i love to hear the stories they tell about their life. i found out that my grandma has only taken off her wedding ring once since she has been married (over 50 years!). my grandpa's response "she better not take it off. it cost me a whole dollar!" --no joke. prices sure have gone up lately...after breakfast and coffee, mom and i ventured in the pouring rain to tj maxx to check out their stock. we left with baby clothes for my cousins that are coming into town this weekend. we hit hyvee (the kroger of the midwest) and headed home soggy and ready to spend the rest of the day at home in sweats. we made cookies (no break and bakes! it has been soo long since i have made cookies that weren't prepackaged. it was a delight) and watched a ridiculous amount of gilmore girls all day. mom made parmesan cheese with a side of spaghetti with bread sticks for dinner. that woman sure knows the way to my heart. all in all, it was a really good, lazy, rainy day.

day 97: it is almost noon here and i haven't checked off even one thing on my to do list. here is my list:

-go to panera (check email, balance check book, write thank you notes)

-post office (more stamps, mail thank you notes)

-target (deodorant, razors, a couple of surprise things for mom...shh don't tell..)

-lowe's (check out a door knob for her, check out dresser knobs for me, dream)

-joann's fabrics (see if they have the headboard fabric i have had picked out for weeks)

-good will (see if i can stockup on t'shirts from my youth to make a sweatshirt blanket this summer)

i am close to marking one thing off...i am at panera. email checked, check book balanced, thank you notes not written, but blog post has become a new addition to my list.

as you can see, my summer is off to a rip-roaring start!

on a more serious note, friends, please pray for my time here. it can be really hard for me to be home sometimes. i think it is a bunch of things that can make it hard. some things have changed a lot, some things haven't changed at all. i am trying to have a more intentional servant's heart though. instead of going home and wanting to be served or lazy, i want to do the serving. i want to be more intentional about the time i spend with my family. i want to love my family better while i am here. i have some fun ideas so we will see how it goes. just pray for my time here. i have been praying for more specific vision for my time here and an intentional heart. also, pray that i would spend lots of time with the Lord (why is it so hard to stay in the rhythm when i am out of my day-to-day routine?)

friends, i miss you! and i will start taking guesses as to how many of the things on my to do list will actually get done!

---love from the midwest!

Just don't know what to do with myself...

it took me a couple of days to finish this guy.. so let's go back in time...back to may 6th...it was a thursday...

i just took my last final of my undergraduate career.

weird.

it does not feel like the semester is over, much less the end of college.

i came home this morning after my final to grab some snacks and my computer before i headed over to hang out with the sweetest boy in the world today and thought "okay, what homework do i need to work on??" ...... oh. yeah...

needless to say, i have been so focused on finishing up finals that i have not been very intentional about making my list of summer plans/goals/dreams. (i am still taking suggestions or ideas!!!)

i will officially start my 99 days of summer on sunday (after i have gone through the whole graduation ceremony and feel more confident that i won't get an email or call telling me there has been some sort of error and i am one class short or something...i am paranoid, but i have heard some terrifying stories about these kind of things!)

i am also driving back with my family on sunday and will be home for a full week. my mom took the week off of work so we are going to hang out and drive each other crazy day two of our being together. and little c is coming mid-week to hang out with my family, too!

here is my current list of things to do/places to go/people to see while im home...

-sub shop (best sandwhiches in the most ghetto old taco bell ever)

-el jimmy's (affectionate nick name of best mexican restaurant in jc-mo)

-central dairy (ice cream rivals greaters..i know..bold statement)

-arris's pizza (best pizza and greek salads!!)

-yen ching (this is why i am a snob about chinese food. i plan on taking clinton here. he needs

needs to understand.)

-breakfast with cecil and cleo allgood---aka my favorite people in the world..my sweet grandparents! its a tradition

-coffee (i hope!) with joyce and natalie--vera's (my bff from home) mom and sister. they are wonderful and i love being around them! i wish vera was going to be home...

-going shopping with my mom and grandma...three generations...watch out

-"investigating the mountain bike trails" --i wonder if you can guess whose suggestion this was?

-coffee zone!! favorite coffee place back home (i will get a coffee shake and a cheese bagel-if i

get there early enough!)

-go scour garage sales with my mom and possibly my aunt. baseball caps on, coffee in hand

-hang out all weekend with my cousins that are coming into town!! nicki and scott who are expecting a little one in august (cannot wait) and blaine and amanda that have two precious little ones. it will be a lot of fun. i am really excited!