"good morning, baltimore..."

i just want to take a second to give a shout out (do people say that anymore? have i regressed back to the 90's?!?! i hope not) for the movie, hairspray. i love it. i will admit, though, i LOVE almost any musical but i really did love hairspray. the soundtrack is being downloaded into my iPod as we speak :).

fun times

well, i have to admit that today was not as crazy as i thought it was going to be. you know, the monday back to work after a vacation could be pretty crazy, but it wasn't. i actually felt quite productive and got a lot accomplished (which, i guess, is the definition of productive ;).

we had such a good time at the beach...i didn't want to leave. it's so funny, though, i don't really like sand but i was kind of sad that i didn't get the chance to go out on the beach...mostly because i really like playing in the ocean. i spent time laying by the pool (my sis, nephews, and niece took turns splashing me with water), reading, taking naps on the balcony of our condo (seriously, it's the best), playing putt putt (and oh my goodnes...it made my week because i won...i beat my entire family!), shopping, and going to a couple movies.

i have to say, i think my family is a pretty fun family; i mean, i know they're my family so i should think they're fun but seriously, they're some pretty cool people. we all had a blast with each other and we generally have a lot of fun regardless of what we're doing. so, yay for vacation and for fun times with the fam.

i'm back...

back from the beach, that is. we had lots of fun and i am a little sad that vacation at the beach is over until next year. BUT, i have so much to do at work in the next month or so, i'm ready to get to it and just get it done.

i'll post more later and maybe even a picture or two but for now, i'm easing my way back into reality ;).

no more crutches!!

yay!! i'm happy to update that i am officially DONE with the crutches. i am effectively making good use of this new "walking boot." yay for me.

flip flop countdown: 27 more days!

toe update

well, i have not mentioned the big toe (at least, i don't think i have) in a few posts and i went back to the doctor today, so i thought i'd give you all an update.

first of all, i realized how queasy i really get when it comes to incisions, stitches, blood, and medical stuff. ewww. my toe is not pretty right now and the incision kind of freaked me out. my mom was pretty sure i was going to hit the floor (well, i wouldn't have fallen on the floor because i was on a bed thingy in the exam room but either way). i will spend 4 more weeks not driving and walking on my heel in a big, black boot.

the good news is that my x-rays looked good and it appears to be healing nicely. i am very thankful for that!

i'm starting the count down until i can wear flip flops again ;) 28 more days!

be near...

"but as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, that I may tell of all Your works." psalm 73:28

today at avalanche ranch, we talked about the fact that God is with us. i'm trying to be intentional as i think through the Bible points and Bible stories that we're teaching each day and asking the Lord to teach me and show me something new each day. i have to admit, sometimes some of these Truths about God become so ordinary and common place in my thinking that i miss how amazing they are. God, the God of the universe...almighty, holy God is with me. His nearness is my good...i don't walk through this life alone or with a God that watches from the sidelines. He is near and involved in my life. that, my friends, truly does make me want to shout, "WAH-HOO!!"

my prayer is that i will always stop and realize how amazing and incredible our God is...there is none like Him, no not one. :)

Wah-hoo!

well, the first day of avalanche ranch has come and gone...and boy, was it a day! the first day of any event (camp, vbs, etc.) is usually a little bumpy. today had a few bumps but for the most part, it was a great day. it is in the moments when things are not going according to plan (correction: my plan ;) that my "type a" qualities come to the surface. i am proud of myself, though, because i handled the bumps all in stride.



we learned that God is real (WAH-HOO...every time you hear the Bible point, you're supposed to shout, "Wah-hoo!"). i think it's a big lesson for the kiddos to learn but it's also something that we, as adults, can take in as well. i don't necessarily mean that we don't believe in the existence of God but sometimes i think that it's easy to forget just how REAL our God is and how BIG our God is. i want to live my life in such a way that the REALness and the BIGness of our God influences everything i do...not just a fun reason to shout, "Wah-hoo!"

well, on to tomorrow. we're learning that God is with us... Wah-hoo!

28 pieces of randomness about amy

i've been "tagged" by a friend to list 28 (one for each year of life) things about me in my blog, so here i go...

1. i'm not a big fan of email forwards and i'm ashamed to admit that most times, i delete them before reading them (unless they're from jordana, darrell, or someone who normally doesn't send forwards...if i know you usually send good stuff and don't send me a million, then i will read them).
2. i can't stand my sheets on the bed to be wrinkly or in a clump...my sheets have to be smooth and straight. (does that make sense? i can't sleep in a "messy" bed) bizarro...i know.
3. i don't like watching commercials. i either change the channel or mute it.
4. i love watching the food network but i never cook any of the recipes.
5. i'm an accessories nut...purses, shoes, jewelry. love it.
6. i used to sing all the time in high school, college, and grad school (like with auditioned groups and choirs and stuff). i don't sing anymore and i miss it.
7. i love football and college basketball. i like baseball and hockey. ;) there's a difference.
8. i can't work if my desk is a mess but if it is a mess, it's a good sign that i am completely stressed out.
9. my mom used to call me amy jane when i was a little girl but jane isn't my middle name or anywhere close to it.
10. one of my favorite toys when i was a little girl was my barbie big wheels. gotta love it.
11. i don't embarrass myself often but when i do, i often knock it out of the park...atlanta, a few years ago and the group casting crowns...if you haven't heard the story, i'll be happy to share it with you.
12. i tend to tell really long stories and give waay too many unimportant details. it's just who i am...i can tell when my stories get too long because i can tell by the glazed-over look in peoples' eyes :).
13. i have to have music on in order to be productive at work.
14. i met my college accountability partner and best friend, jordana, at a retreat freshman year of college. i met her because i hit her in the head (accidentally) with my luggage.
15. i absolutely love the mountains but i driving on curvy, mountainy roads makes me car sick.
16. when i was in grad school, i lived in a senior citizen apartment community with an 85 yr. old woman named myra.
17. when i lived in dallas, i was in the neimann marcus-adolphus christmas parade. no one saw my face, though, because i had to wear a stupid puppet head. that was not a good memory for me...it's funny now but not so much then.
18. my friend, cari, seriously cracks me up every time i talk to her. i love her.
19. i can be pretty competitive. i love playing games and competing. cards, spoons, dominoes, board games, flag football, softball, etc. btw...joie, i miss playing mexican train (aka chicken foot OR the j-train, ak trak for my texas friends ;) with you. we must play in september when you come to visit!
20. i love fresh cut flowers...roses, tulips, gerbera daisies. love them.
21. i keep a collection of hallmark cards in my desk drawer just in case i need to send someone a card on the spur of the moment. you know, when you care enough to send the very best...
22. i planted a tree with my grandpa (a maple whirly hurricane thingy...it was the seed) when i was a little girl and now that tree is as tall as our house.
23. my parents live in a house my grandpa built...in 1945. original hardwoods and everything. lots of remodeling has been done but the house has character and history...our family history.
24. i arrange my books on my bookshelves by height. apparently, to some people, this is a problem. i think it's more important for my shelves to LOOK good. :)
25. my birthday is exactly 4 months from today.
26. i had a very promising and successful career in retail that lasted for one month. astonishing, i know.
27. i have a foster cat named maude (my nickname for her...her real name is cali). she is a neighbor's cat but she comes over to our house for some lovin' and attention.
28. did i mention my birthday is 4 months from today? ;) i think birthdays are very important and i love celebrating the bdays of my friends and family.

whew. okay, so, it took me longer than i thought it would to complete that list. i hope you aren't bored because it's pretty long and for the most part, useless information about me.

psalm 86:11-12

"Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever."

wow. what a prayer...that is my prayer for today (and everyday, really). i want to have an undivided heart, walking in His truth and in doing so, praising and glorifying His name so that people don't see me...i want them to see Him.

this is, by far, my favorite travis cottrell song (well, one of them...you know me and all my "favorites" ;). it's good stuff for day.

daddy's girl

if you know me, you know that i am a daddy's girl (but i am also super close to my mom, too). anyway, in honor of the mlb home run derby tonight and the all star game tomorrow night, i'm thought i'd dedicate this post to my daddy.

i know that God blessed me with an amazing daddy who has taught me what it means to be loved unconditionally by my heavenly Father...a man who has never claimed to be perfect but he is a man who follows the Lord consistently and faithfully. my daddy has set the bar high for whomever my future husband will be...he has taken care of me, protected me, and loved me far better than i could have ever imagined.

i still love to hang out with my daddy...we have some fun and we looove us some sports :). in fact, that is one of my favorite things to do with my dad---watch sports. we've started a tradition where every year for father's day we go to a braves' game (my treat) and this year because of my surgery, we're going sept. 1 (fabulous game and fabulous seats, by the way :). one of my favorite memories of my dad involved me (8 yrs. old), my dad, and a basketball goal. i decided that i wanted to learn how to play basketball and so i remember talking my dad into putting a basketball goal in our backyard. we drove to service merchandise (does anyone remember that store?) and picked out the perfect goal. i "helped" him put it up in our backyard (which took all day, i believe). i have more memories than i can count of playing h-o-r-s-e in the backyard (or p-i-g if my dad had his way...it was a shorter version ;). unfortunately, my practice in the backyard didn't help my basketball career but it did help me capture some treasured memories of spending time with my daddy.

i am so thankful to you, daddy, for being a Godly man who was involved in our lives; you not only told us how to live justly, love mercy and walk humbly with our God but you lived it out. i love you!

i couldn't resist

it's amazing what boredom will cause you to do. laying here i decided to memorialize these weeks of recovery with a picture of my foot. so this is the toe, in all its glory, one week after surgery.

(can you see the flower the pedicure lady painted on my big toenail? yes, i did, indeed, get a pedicure the morning of my surgery AND i had my big toenail bedazzled ;)

my nephews

i'm going to take a second to NOT mention my annoying big toe :) and brag on my nephews. sometimes it's hard for me to comprehend that they are now 10 and 12. it's just crazy to look at them and think about how little they used to be. no worries, though, i'm not going to turn into the crazy, nostalgic aunt that just gushes about how precious they are (but they are precious ;).

seriously, though, i've been able to be more of an observer this last week since i've been out of commission and i have to say that my nephews have impressed me. it's so neat to see that they are growing up and they are becoming boys who have character. don't get me wrong...they are both ALL boy...sports, paintball, knives, if it's manly, then it's their "thing" but they also are incredibly caring and compassionate boys. i know it seems like i'm gushing and maybe i am but lately it has been on my mind that i am impressed with the job my sister and her husband are doing with these boys. i don't have kids but because of my job, i have some insight and i do know that kids don't just automatically start developing character and integrity AND i know that it's not an easy job even for the best parent. so, to my sister (i don't know if she even reads my blog ;) she should, though:), i know you don't hear it often enough but you are doing an incredible job with those boys; i am excited to watch them continuing to grow into young men and to see the ways God is going to use them.

as a side note, i just LOVE being an aunt :)! i love being the one who gets to spoil them and do the crazy fun stuff with them and then take them home and let mom and dad deal with the real life issues ;). God has blessed me with 2 amazing nephews and 1 incredible niece (i'll dedicate a post to her at a later date). here's to days at carowinds, nascar speedpark, laser tag, the movies, and all the other fun places we frequent.

kit kats, chick flicks, and pain medicine...

i have been in the bed and off my foot for 4 days now (not counting surgery day itself) and i have got to tell you...i am ready to get up! i talked with the doctor's office this morning and the prospect of being up and able to move around and go, go, go is not looking promising. i was advised except for quick trips to the kitchen and the restroom that i am to stay in the bed with my foot elevated (toes above my nose, as they say).

so, i am well equipped for my stay on the sofa bed (too many stairs to get to my bedroom) with my laptop, an ice pack, more chick flicks that you can count, some snack food (from baskets sent by friends...thank you!), and pain medicine.

i am off to watch a marathon of chick flicks and make the most of my stay in bed.

until next time...