Dinner and a Show

In the Heights

You take a van load of girls and send them off to see a broad-way play . . .
in the city of Hot-lanta and...

it might get a little crazy! Besides listening to the soundtrack and acting out the entire play before we even made it to the Fabulous Fox theater, we had a good chance to chat and get to know each other more. More like, a chance for me to get to know these incredible ladies that I work with better. I'm the newbie you see!


But I already admire these ladies and can tell I have a lot to learn from them.


Plus, on our first outing, they took me to a European cafe where I had tirimisu and a latte that came awfully close to the ones in my favorite spots in Prague (just check the foam spilling out of my cup!)

Yes, my sister counseling interns, I think we are going to get a long just fine!

Surprising Sunset

I was driving home from Chatt on I-75 a few days ago at sunset. It had been drizzling all day, with moments of sunshine breaking through the clouds. When I pulled over for gas at the first Cleveland ext, the sunset looked like this:

That's not so unusual or spectacular. But, the amazing thing was that even though it was so dusky that all the street lights were on, there still formed a bright and beautiful rainbow in the sky! I'd never seen a rainbow at sunset before!

But, of course, it is TN, so at the end of the rainbow was a giant Fireworks store! ;-)

I got to enjoy the sunset for the next 15 minutes until the sun actually set and it faded. Just beautiful!

"Falling" Again

This is my favorite time of year! In spite of that, the past 3 weeks have been really really busy (I mean, more so than usual). That's why I haven't really had time to write or document what's been going on.

One reason was mid-terms at the Seminary. I had several tests and papers to do. Thankfully, they are all turned in now!



I also started working more hours for my internship and had several church and school events going on. Of course, there were a few opportunities to enjoy all that is fall. Here is an example of a trip to the Corn-Maze!

We were armed with clues...but if we got hopelessly lost, there was an option to text "Lost" to a number that would tell us which way to turn! I'm proud to say that we did not use any technology to cheat out of the fun of finding our way!
But, there a few moments when we were divided as a group. Here is Beverly, doing her best "confused" look at the fork.

Also, I spent the past two weekends participating in conferences, the first was a Peace and Justice Conference, and the second was a Caring for Creation Conference.

They were extrmely informative, and served to be inspiring and convicting. I'm still processing and trying to decide what I want to do with/about what I learned.


Lastly, there was a sad reason that I've been unplugged. My uncle Lee, my dad's oldest brother, passed away last week. I took a trip to Ohio to attend the funeral and to be with my family. I've been really touched by how the community has caused us to feel so loved and supported through this. Thanks for all your prayers and kind words!





I hope to stay a little more up-to-date with this now. I can't believe this semester has slipped by so quickly! Hope you are enjoying the season...

U2sday was a Beautiful Day

I was already a fan of Bono, but let me say that after watching U2 live last night in Atlanta, my fanship has risen to an entirely new level!

Ah-Mazing.

(Gearing up the 360 stage beforehand)

Not only was the music and performance incredible, it was inspiring to see the compassion and purpose behind their talent. For a taste of what I mean, check out ONE.org

I keep playing parts of the concert over and over in my head all day. And, I have a couple of short clips to play on here. I wish they did it justice, but you know how that always goes. You really just need to experience it live one day if you ever have the chance! Really.

I also have to give a shout-out to Josiah A, who graciously made it possible for me to go by offering an extra ticket that their family wasn't going to be able to use! THANK YOU (100X over!)


Another fun moment was getting to see my friend Dot and her sister for a few minutes after the concert. We haven't seen each other since I was in Prague last January, and I guess that's the first time we've met up in the States! I put a couple more clips on the following posts.

Grace

75,000 people singing Amazing Grace with Bono, which later transitioned into Where the Streets Have No Name. This clip very inadequately captures what felt like one of the most emotional and powerful moments of the night!

Which is true?

A) Bono was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II
B) Bono was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize
C) Bono never takes off his sunglasses
D) All of the above!

Too obvious. I know.

Where's George?

Today, I ate breakfast with a couple of friends at a small diner in town. It was a real southern diner, not a chain, and it was filled with locals eating eggs, toast and drinking coffee.

When I got my change, one of the dollar bills was stamped with the website www.wheresgeorge.com.

I came home and checked it out. Turns out that it is a site to track where the dollar bill has traveled. This particular one came down through Pennsylvania and popped up somewhere in Murphy, NC before arriving in TN!

Great News!

Settling Down? . . .


My brother Troy has always been an adventurous person! I was thrilled when I heard that he asked Jessica to be his partner in the adventure of life and marriage!

They are officially engaged!

And, I couldn't be happier for them or for our family, Jessica is kind and lovely.

So, I wouldn't say they are settling down. But I would say that they are embarking on something wonderful together. Congrats! Congrats!


(BTW, I snatched the pics from their facebook pages)

Speaking of September Birthdays

Today is my dear friend Angie's Birthday (on the left)! That picture was taken a couple years ago at our high-school reunion, but we've been friends since middle-school. She is one of those people who knows me like few others. I'm so thankful for your friendship Ang and I wish you the best today!

Also, a couple of weeks ago, I drove to Atlanta to celebrate Eliana Siller's first birthday. As I've recently posted, her mommy Emily has been one of my closest friends since my first year at Lee College University.

It has been a pleasure to have all these ladies as part of my life!

Now, for a little comic relief to the post . . . but sticking to the birthday theme . . . another flashback photo!



This was a surprise birthday party for my cousin Melanie our sophomore year of college. Mel came to visit me in Tenn. The funny part is that I was the only person she knew at her surprise party - yet, everyone there (my friends) had a gift for her! Granted, we were poor and in college, thus the present she just opened was songs recorded onto cassette tapes (that's right, cassettes and not CDs) and wrapped in Christmas paper. (Mel's birthday is in February!)