I can dougie on water!

Sunday in church, our preacher, Danny, was talking about Peter and about how he walked (and then fell) on the water during the storm. I was sitting next to my friend Ashley who leaned over to me and said, "I can dougie on water!"

Yeah... as in "Teach me how to dougie."

See, Ashley and I are in a hip hop class together. Well, us and our friends Lauren and Allie. It's at 24 Hour Fitness and it is the most legit class EVER. Seriously, our teacher is a true dancer. He should totally be on So You Think You Can Dance.

He's delightful.

And we dougie in the class.

And I thought about it... are we called to dougie on the water?

Absolutely.

Honestly, I think Jesus would be thrilled to see us jerk, tootsie-roll, disco, and yes, even dougie on the water.

He just wants us to get out of the boat.

I fail...

So I didn't post anything the past two days. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know I said I'd post every day for an entire week, but when push comes to shove...

I don't really want to write in my blog on the weekends. I've got a slew of other things I'm interested in doing. Like sleep in, help Patrick plant some flowers and do some yard work, watch makeup tutorials on YouTube, etc.

Plus, Sunday was (and is) a work day for me, so I was pretty strapped for time in general yesterday.

So I'm giving myself a break. Cause it's MY blog, and MY weekly challenges. So there.

*insert tongue sticking out*

But I'm back today. And I don't really have a WHOLE lot of time to be blogging, so I'm making this short. Here are my weekly challenges for the next month:

4/21-4/ 28: Bake homemade bread and eat a sandwich on it at least once
4/28-5/5: Make homemade salsa (Cinco de Mayo!) and attempt to make tortillas
5/5-5/12: Begin the 30 days of 30 Items of Clothes challenge (with photos)
5/12-5/19: Soap making (like LEGIT soap making)

So there they are. And they're for all the blog world to see. Keep me honest, folks!

Allie and Lauren's To Do List

At the end of January I moved from my sweet little one bedroom apartment into a FABULOUS 2 bedroom apartment (I'll make sure and show pictures soon!). I acquired a roommate in that process! My friend Allie!

When we moved in together we knew that it would be very temporary- a year, year and a half, probably tops. With two boys (who also live together... how funny is that!) we figured that we wouldn't have too much time to live together. And sure enough, about a month and a half ago- Allie got engaged! Her wedding is next March 3rd!

We're both very crafty and like to cook and bake and while we were planning our move, we kept saying, "when we move in together, we should..." and so eventually, we made a list!

I've already crossed "learn to make tiramisu" off the list and last night we had a "crafty night" and made soap! I captured the process on video and Allie suggested that we video all of the items on our list! So look for those soon!

Weekly Challenges

When I was in 3rd grade I was in a class called Tier 4. It was one of my favorite (and continued to be one of my favorites) classes in elementary school. There were only 6 (yes 6!) of us in a class. 5 girls and one boy (poor Joel...). We had these assignments once a week called "Weekly Challenges" and they were the DEVIL as far as I was concerned. They were assignments that we were meant to work on through the entire week and then turned in on Friday morning.

And they were homework assignments- so no help from the teacher essentially. We were supposed to work on them on our own.

But they were impossibly hard. I can remember EVERY THURSDAY NIGHT sitting down with my mom and Bob and working on these assignments while we watched Mad About You and Seinfeld.

I had a love hate relationship with my teacher Mrs. Shoop- I loved her when we were reading or writing in class or when we would get special privileges because of our small class size, but on Thursday nights during Must See TV, I HATED her.

I've always thought about those assignments and how challenging they were even to my mom and Bob and how my poor little 3rd grade brain was having a hard time keeping up... but they were good. I learned. I problem solved and I struggled and I had to look in dictionaries and encyclopedias and in newspapers. I learned so much during those assignments.

And it's time for me to learn some more. I mean, I'm growing in ways every day and I'm about to be seriously challenged in terms of my job, but I want to grow in more ways than that.

So I'm going to start my own form of Weekly Challenges. I want to challenge myself with something new or foreign or hard every week. Starting with TODAY.

My first Weekly Challenge is to write on my blog every day in the next week. That's completely doable.

And in one of those posts, I have to outline the next month of Weekly Challenges.

They will probably differ each week and won't always be something I have to do EVERY DAY, but it will be fun and hopefully I'll learn something from these like I did from the ones in 3rd Grade. :)

*By the way, Mrs. Shoop- you rocked during 3rd grade and I have AWESOME memories of Tier 4 with you!

I have SINGING SOCKS!

The picture above is of my Grandpa Garcia- my mom's dad. He passed away on Saturday morning while I was in the middle of moving apartments. I got a call from my stepdad (that I missed) and a text from my mom (which I also missed) that said to call Bob- my stepdad. When I finally got around to checking my phone, I knew exactly what had happened.

Grandpa was on dialysis for 5 years. Cancer had taken both of his kidneys. The first one in the early nineties and then the second one in 2005- my junior year of college. He was able to pass on peacefully and for that I am immensely glad.

It's been a wild new year for me. Over the Christmas holiday, my mom called to tell me that there was a possibility that they would discontinue dialysis and put Grandpa in hospice. I was devastated and VERY emotional. His health had been poor for years, but the thought of losing him was painful. Since the beginning of the new year, his already poor health declined quickly until his passing on the 29th of January.

Of all my grandpas (and I have four!), I was easily closest to Grandpa Garcia. When I would go visit them in Beaumont, my Grandma would always send the Grandpa and I out and about. We would go bowling, see movies, eat fun and delicious foods, and always always ALWAYS talk about his travels.

He worked for the government and got to live and travel to all sorts of interesting places. And he always had a story to tell.

Some of my favorite things/stories/tales about Grandpa are:

-He once told my mom over dinner (when she asked about his government job), "If I told you, I would have to kill you." And he was completely serious!

-When my grandparents lived in Saudi Arabia, they had to buy their Christmas tree off the black market! And their Christmas tapes, too. They did so, willingly, because they would have a Christmas party, every year for the troops. This was during the gulf war.

-He always told me that if he could, he would love to take me to Europe. That of all the grandchildren, I would be the one that would love and appreciate it the most.

-The last time I saw him (about two weeks ago), he was laying in the hospital bed and wasn't very lucid. But at one point he looked up at me, recognized me, and then looked across the room at Patrick and (while pointing at Patrick) said, "He doesn't like you," with a silly/sarcastic grin on his face. Then he laughed at his little joke while I turned BRIGHT red.

-During that same visit as I was telling him goodbye, he said, "You look really happy."

-He's the one who taught me how to bowl.

-I could point at any picture and/or any artifact in his house and he could always tell me in detail what it was and where it was from and the story behind it.

-He loved COPS. Every time I hear the theme music from that show, I think of him.

-He was PURE Mexican. And would eat menudo whenever we would go out to eat authentic Mexican food. I have many memories of him sitting across from me and sucking on a pig's foot while I wrinkled my nose in disgust.

-Was SO photogenic- I mean look at that picture above! What a handsome man!

-Always nurtured my love of the arts and of theatre. He truly believed me to be a star and encouraged me to follow my passions. I loved to go to see plays with him at Beaumont's tiny little community theatre. It was always a pleasure.

-Because he retained so much of his hair (lucky guy never went bald!), I have always thought he looked a little like a Hispanic Dick Van Dyke.

-Speaking of Dick Van Dyke, I can remember watching countless episodes of The Dick Van Dyke show, I Love Lucy, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and All in the Family with him. It was because of my knowledge of All in the Family that I got (at least) one question right on my AP US History test in college.

-And one of my favorites (and the title of my post): when I was in high school, I woke up on Christmas morning to Grandpa- giddy as a school boy, dancing around in tall Christmas socks. He reached down to one of them, pushed a button and music started, "Lauren!" he said, laughing, "I have SINGING SOCKS!"

A Spark of Heaven's Guiding Light

I get on these musical kicks every now and again- where I will listen to the same musical over and over and OVER again.

It's usually when things are a little haywire in my life, I'm going through some serious change or rediscovering something that I'd forgotten. When I first moved to Fort Worth it was "I Love You Because" almost a year ago it was, "Les Mis" and "Avenue Q." For about a year after I graduated college, it was Seussical (and then I was cast as Gerturde!).

And lately, things have been pretty crazy. As in, "I just kind of want to sleep for the next couple of weeks" kind of crazy. My life isn't in shambles or anything like that, but I've got a lot going on and my stress level is kind of through the roof.

So I've been listening to the same musical over and over and OVER again. Jane Eyre.

I was in Jane Eyre in college. I still love the music in it. It's romantic and dark and inspiring. And the lyrics of the songs are sometimes straight from the book. Which I love.

And I love the story and character of Jane Eyre. I pretty much love any character that is a strong and independent woman.

Lately my favorite lyrics have been, "As I lie down to sleep tonight, I pray I might be granted strength to see the spark of Heaven's guiding light."

As someone who is watching her grandfather pass away, that lyric in particular has spoken so much to me. We are not of this world. We have a home in Heaven that we should desire to see and LIVE to see. Christ guides us home to him- may we have the strength to do everything THROUGH Him and FOR Him. We should live every day greatly anticipating Heaven and Home. I pray that my Grandpa Garcia will see the Spark of Heaven and go Home to be with the Maker.

May we live each day to desire to be with our Maker. May we live each day to have the strength to see the spark of Heaven's guiding light.

Hi my name is Lauren and I watch YouTube Beauty Gurus (Part 1)...

Hi Lauren...

When I was little, one of my favorite things to do was to watch my mom put on her makeup. I would sit on the large chest at the end of her bed as she sat at her antique vanity and carefully and efficiently applied "her face."

I loved makeup.

Even at an early age.

I used to sit in church on my Mimi's lap and look through the makeup bag in her purse. I would even put some of it on. I can still remember the smell and taste (like sugar!) of her Mary Kay lipgloss. In fact, I bought some a few years ago from a friend and it STILL SMELLS THE SAME.

As I grew older, I began to enjoy makeup even more. I was only allowed to wear a TINY bit in junior high. In fact, in sixth grade I was allowed to wear (very pale) lipstick. Seventh grade, (very pale) lipstick and (skin toned) blush. Eighth grade, (very pale) lipstick, (skin toned) blush, and Cover Girl powder (in the green compact!). Once I got into high school, my mom let me wear pretty much whatever I wanted as long as it was deemed appropriate (and believe me, she ALWAYS had veto power...).

Now that I'm a grown up (sorta...) and on my own, I love to fiddle around with makeup. And about a year ago, I stumbled upon Blaire Fowler, a 17 year old YouTube Beauty Guru. She was young, entertaining, and (get this) she applied makeup on camera. Like tutorials! Instantly I was intrigued. I started to watch her, and then her sister, Elle, and eventually became a subscriber to like 7 different makeup "Gurus."

Because I'm a dork...

Really I just enjoy the art of it. I'm in NO WAY close to their expertise. Which to be honest isn't so much expertise as in that they are well educated and trained, but that they are self-taught and have become incredibly proficient... And I don't even use what I learn from them, for the most part. It's soothing to me.

I am instantly taken back to a time when I was (not that much) smaller and one of the things that made me content was the ability to watch my mom put on "her face."

Prayers for the Conce Team

This is me and the BFF.

It was taken last night. The scarf I'm wearing? She made it for me! She's been knitting it for two years- I absolutely LOVE it. And the bracelet? I made it for her! I've been making knitted wire bracelets lately- so much fun and SO simple to make (Shannon M., if you're reading this- you TOTALLY need to learn how to make them! You would be a natural!).

Today the BFF leaves for Chile. She and her team (the Conce Team) are going to be missionaries in Concepcion, Chile for a minimum of five years.

They have been planning for this move for about five years now. After spending a summer doing an internship in Buenos Aires with her friend Wes, they decided they wanted to be full-time missionaries in South America. They weren't quite sure WHERE in South America, but they felt like God was calling them there.

A few years (and a few team members) later, they took a survey trip and were absolutely certain that Concepcion was where God needed them.

And today at 2pm, they fly out of DFW to Santiago. They will spend 6 months in Santiago doing Language School (they speak Spanish in Chile).

I've known the BFF for 13 years. We've been best friends for probably 12 of those 13. We were roommates all through college, have survived countless changes in our lives and the lives of those around us. We've been through a lot of really wonderful changes and and some pretty rough changes.

She is an absolute blessing to everyone that she meets and I have no doubt that she will be a light to God's glory to all that she encounters in Chile.

Pray for her team. Pray for safety and perseverance. The next year is going to be hard for them. And above all, pray that God uses them for HIS service and that they continue to keep him at the forefront of their minds.

Love you, Dee- I'm praying hard!

West Texas Girl's Conference: Part 1

So a few weeks ago, I took a group of girls (4 teens and 1 adult sponsor) to Abilene for the West Texas Girl's Conference. We had a WONDERFUL (and I mean WONDERFUL) time together and I was completely humbled by what I learned there.

Saturday night, I got a text from my fellow Altamesa youth minister asking how things were going. Below is a picture of our conversation:


Aren't I hilarious? And isn't Clint's reaction priceless?

So I told the girls about our conversation and they decided to take picture of them acting it out. Enjoy!

Thankfulness

I am blessed.

And here are some of the blessings in my life that I am thankful for:

-My Lord and my Jesus. I struggle and churn with doubt and flesh, but never turn away. I can't tell you how much joy and comfort I find in my relationship with Christ. Sometimes I just sit in awe at the grace that has been given to me because let me tell you, I DON'T DESERVE IT. Praise God for sending His One and Only for us.

-Relationships and Fellowship. Where would we be without the people who lead us and challenge us? I am so thankful for the people in my life that encourage me to "give it to God", to look beyond my comfort zones, to see people the way God sees them, and to love beyond what I am able to (but can because of Him).

-Worship. There is great joy in praising our God and Savior. Sunday night we had a Thanksgiving Community Worship with many MANY other churches in our area. It was incredible to see so many congregations (I work for a Church of Christ and there were Baptist, Presbyterian, Assembly of God, Christian churches all there... and many more!) come together to worship. We have our differences, but the One thing we have in common is the MOST important thing. Worship is one of my absolute favorite things to take part in. I've said before that I would be perfectly content to sing on a praise team as my job for the rest of my life. I'm pretty sure that's my dream job.

-Gathering. I am praising God for the ability to gather with my family this week. And to see friends (MAGS!!!!) and just spend time with the people I love.

I pray that your Thanksgiving is blessed and you find joy in much this holiday weekend!