Tuesday, June 30, 2009

I’m an Aunt (again)!

Yesterday morning my brother and sister-in-law welcomed a new baby boy to their family.


Jacob Matthew
born 6-29-09
7lbs 3oz

Jacob, his parents, and two big sisters are all healthy and happy. Can’t wait to meet him!!

Saturday, June 27, 2009

It's a great night to fight

Guess where we're going tonight.....
(here's where we pretend like I gave you eight guesses, shaking my head every time and acting more and more exasperated because NO...you're not even close. And trust me...you're not even close- unless you got the BIG clue in the post title.)

Dustin and I are going to see an MMA fight! A UCFC fight to be exact (which is just a fancy rip-off acronym for a local event- just kidding...thanks for the tickets Jay!). They're calling it Rumble on the Rivers though, which is pretty awesome. You can see the full card here...but tonight's "main event" is between WEC champ Jamie Varner, and Rich "No Love" Clementi, which I think is a fantastic threatening-yet-obvious nickname. Aren't all fighters "no love"? Or do some of them apologize after and offer to dress the others' wounds? Maybe they give tiny warnings before throwing an elbow? Careful- I'm about to wreck you...just a friendly little heads up! :)

I do love the nicknames though....there are a gagillion fighters, so anything to keep them straight is helpful. For some reason I always remember Sergio "The Latin Snake" Mora from the boxing show The Contender. Check out the sweet list of nicknames from his season. Why don't we all have tags like that in everyday life? I could be Courtney "The Snappy Dresser" Bowden married to Dustin "The Math Manace" Bowden. Fierce right?

Anyway- I wasn't super excited, BUT then I found out Tito Ortiz is going to be there making a special guest appearance. He's totally my favorite- and by favorite, I mean one of the three guys I've heard of! (Truthfully Dana White is my favorite, but he's the president, not a fighter, so that doesn't count....and my other favorite is B.J. Penn who is kind of a big baby sometimes so I can't really pick him...and Rich Franklin should probably be my favorite because he's a Christian...BUT-Tito is the only one coming to Pittsburgh, so he is hereby my favorite!)

So all that said, I'm pretty pumped to hear some loud Latin Rap music, see some guys get beaten to a bloody pulp, and maybe eat some popcorn? But my main concern is what to wear(surprised?). I mean what does one wear to a fight? Other than brass knuckles of course....I actually google image searched "Mandy Moore UFC" because she's about the girliest regular attender the MMA has. Turns out camo or black t-shirts are the way to go. I know at best, I'll still be a least mildly out of place...but hopefully dressing the part can help. Rachel is going too, but she has dark hair, a nose ring and a couple of tatt's, so she is infinately more qualified than I am.

So, wish me luck on my violent adventure. If you're curious- you can read more about the event here (not sure that you'd want to....but maybe some of Dustin's readers are still lurking around?) Oh, and don't bother supporting Dustin...he'll be like a kid in an octagonal candy store. Only replace candy with loose teeth.

Friday, June 26, 2009

Summer of Love

Things that are great about summer weekends:
1: An SUV full of planting projects (and cement for a new hammock post!)
2: Custom made hanging baskets.
3: Steak branded with your initials.

And of course- spending time with friends, freezie pops, softball games,
the weekly farmer's market, and naps under the ceiling fan.
These are just a few of my favorite things....care to share yours?
Enjoy your weekend!

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Back

Well, we made it back safely and we had an absolutely amazing time at YL camp. Thanks to everyone who was praying for us. It was a truly great week, filled with laughter, adventures, deep conversations and some very real encounters with God. I could go on for days with stories, thoughts, feelings and of course- pictures- but it is already way past my bedtime. After all, tomorrow it's back to the working world.

While I gather my thoughts (and catch up on some sleep), stop over at Rachel's for this week's SYTYCD recap. For those of you who haven't gotten into the show yet- tonight's episode had a Butt Dance....I'm just saying, you might not want to miss it...

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Rockbridge 2009: Day 6

Daily Prayer Requests:

Safe travel home, enthusiasm to start the next step of the journey,

bold leaders- to risk tough conversations and follow up with kids,

real lasting commitments and relationships

Monday, June 22, 2009

Rockbridge 2009: Day 5


Daily Prayer Request:
Kids would be open, honest and vulnerable to the message of the cross,
and be humble and bold enough to accept Christ's gift.

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Rockbridge 2009: Day 4

Daily Prayer Requests:
Personal connection with the Club talk
and an honest struggle with the reality of sin.

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Rockbridge 2009: Day 3


Daily Prayer Requests:

Real, open and honest conversations, growing deeper in our friendships

Friday, June 19, 2009

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Rockbridge 2009: Day 1


Daily Prayer Requests:
Safe travel, strong start to the week,
that kids would be wow'ed by the first impression of camp.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Rockbridge-bound

Please note: I am currently writing this from Jay and Rachel's house because our power is out. Oh- and our basement is a bit flooded....but we press on!!

We leave for YL camp tomorrow morning (reason #1-191 that the power outage is especially annoying). It's a surreal feeling....It seems like we've been preparing forever, so it's hard for me to believe that the week we've all been waiting for has finally arrived. Summer camp is a huge part of the Young Life ministry that both Dustin and I have been a part of numerous times. But- it's been years since either of us have been (our last YL camp trip was in 2003- when we met at Summer Staff!) And though I've been to camp many times as a camper or volunteer staff, I've never gone as a leader. This will be my first time taking a group of girls, and leading a cabin. I'm really excited, but also a little scared (which is probably not such a bad place to be.) I have an awesome group of ten girls going (and Dustin's bringing nine guys!) so I'm looking forward to hanging out with them, and building deeper relationships. Beyond that though, I can't wait for them to experience God's love in one of the most clear, fun environments I've ever known. The joy of Young Life camp can't truly be explained, you just have to go, and I'm beyond blessed to share that with a group of high school students.

While we're gone, I've set up photo posts for each day to share some fun memories from the past year with you. With each photo, you'll also see a prayer request for that particular day of the camp trip. Please check back in....we'd love to have your support and prayer throughout the week.

Week long prayers:
Safety- when driving and protection through all the activities.
Minimal distractions from the true message and purpose of camp.
Good weather- to enjoy the week to the fullest.
Health and energy for leaders and other camp staff.

Thank you! I can't wait to come back and share the amazing things God does throughout this week.

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Don't fruit the beer

In honor of Dustin's birthday (ok...mostly just because I wanted them...) we tried out the new Michelobe Ultra Fruit Flavored Beer.
Anheuser-Busch's press package states that drinks "leave adults longing for more". A few of us beg to differ:


Epic fail.
But despite the rotten fruit setback, we all had a great time. Happy 29th Dustin!!

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Time for more dancing!

Someday I'll have something else to talk about besides a TV show...but not today! Stop over to Renee's- she's already got a great recap up from last night's show, and I'm sure she's got more up her sleeve for the results show. If you haven't gotten into this whole thing yet...now's the time- it just keeps getting better!

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Vegas Baby!

Did you watch tonight? Hope so...because I fear tomorrow's episode is going to be 1 part clip show, 1 part results show and 100 parts overly extended suspense (...after the break! gets me every time!) I kid....sort of...but tonight was packed with action, and I'm already getting fired up about the judges decisions. I can't wait to hear what you guys think.

Megan's got the recap this week- go on over and give your two cents!