Another day, another city, same show.

Hey guys!  

So it's ben a few days once again since I've sat down to write.  The days are flying by and I can hardly believe that something I've looked forward to every second of every day practically since August when I found out I was going for sure is already halfway over.  

We've had a good run other than Ronnie catching a cold on our day off a few days ago.  He's sniffly, but thanks to some heavy drugs and some quality time in "the cave" (his name for the bus) he's feeling much much better.

Jen and I are loving being on tour, as evidenced by the accompanying photo.  Our recent obsession is the Twilight book series....she's working on number two and I finished the first one last night, and am forced to admit, although slightly ashamedly, that I might have a ginormous crush on Edward Cullen like the majority of teenage girls across the country.  I'm thinking I might have to break down and buy the second one today since Jen isn't done with her copy....and I'm depressed at the thought of going a whole day or two without Bella and her clan of  bloodthirsty vampire friends.  Ronnie just called for a runner to the mall, and while I am resolved not to spend money on this tour, I'm thinking I'm going to have to make a small exception.  

The shows are going well.....I'll admit that the first few were more like dress rehearsals than shows, but now I feel like I'm part of a well-oiled machine that knows when to go where, what to play when, and has even kicked her music book to the curb, and for the most part is singing her BGV parts by memory.  No small feat.  :)

The highlight of the week by far was the Lexington show where my friends Jill and McKenzie, along with the Burandt parents came to hear us (even bearing chocolates!).  There's just nothing like being with people who have seen you at your best, and worst, and love you anyway.  

Well....It's about time for me to get my stuff off the bus and go find the dressing room.  

Many blessings....

Lamb of God

While we're in the Christian Christmas Music Extravaganza mode here at Notes On Life, etc. Here's a video to enjoy. You can kind of tell I'm NOT really a great cellist, but I'm excited to see it anyway. :)

Winter Wonderland....

Cheesy, I know, since that's the name of Point of Grace's tour...but I had no choice!  We truly walk through a winter wonderland just going from the bus into the venue! I just snapped these pictures a few minutes ago looking out my hotel room window!  On the way from the venue to the hotel to take showers this morning, the guy driving us literally spun the minivan around in the middle of the street on the ice.  He called it a u-turn.  Jen and Ronnie and I called it "one of those moments when your heart goes into your throat and your stomach does a backflip."  :)

We're doing two shows today...a matinee and then a night show.  Jen and I are really excited to have a real shower instead of one in a church gym (although the one yesterday really wasn't that bad) and excited that although it's very cold here and snowing, it's not windy.  So that's a plus.  

The tour is going so well....I can't believe that the first leg is almost over! Crazy!  However, I'm super excited to see everyone in Birmingham tomorrow (pray that we don't get snowed in!) and looking forward to a day of chilling in Nashville on Monday! ;)

OK...it's my turn in the shower, so I'll write more later!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

We just rolled out of Port Huron, Michigan....on our way to Midland, Michigan where we play two shows before heading back to Nashville.  

The excitement of the day today was that it snowed!  While it was cool to see the snow come down, I was not a fan of how stinkin cold it was.  Not sure that Michigan is really on my list of places I'd like to live.  In fact, I'm pretty sure it's not.  :)  

So this morning, Ronnie needed a "runner" to drive him to the store.  This really nice 60-something year old man was kind enough to drive Ronnie on his errand and on the way there they made light conversation about the differences in Tennessee and Michigan.  Ronnie mentioned "Port Huron" and the man kindly informed him that the locals pronounce it Port "yer-in"  which, yes, sounds exactly like Port....well, you know.  Fast forward to lunch.  Ronnie leans over and said, hey....psst.  guess how the locals pronounce the name of their town?  he told me.  i couldn't keep my laughter in.  However, one of the men from the church overheard us and started to laugh too.  hard.  apparently that's NOT how the locals say it...they say Huron just like we do...and the guy was totally pulling Ronnie's leg hoping that he'd say "Port Urine" from onstage thinking it would be a funny joke.  Which really made it funnier.  Fortunately, we all got a good laugh and no one embarrassed themselves over the mic.  well....not too badly anyway.  :)

Gotta love showbiz. 

Guess that's all until tomorrow.  My eyes are burning.  I'm ready to hit the sack!  :)  Night night!

Greetings from New Holland

Greetings from small town Pennsylvania! Down the road is a llama farm and an Amish community. We've just loaded back up on the bus from our FIRST show on the Point of Grace Winter Wonderland 2008 tour.

I'm not gonna lie. Tonight was pretty high on the list of greatest nights ever. I positively love getting to be apart of something like this. I get to sing, to play violin.....I just felt swept up by it all. I am amazed that He thought it would be Good to allow me to be a part of this. He is such a sweet Daddy to His little girl.


The past few days have been a whirlwind of rehearsals and packing and traveling. Below is a photo of our beloved bus....there are 12 bunks and 12 of us on here plus a driver! Crazy!



Jen is the other bgv on the tour and she has been such a fun surprise! We've had a blast on the bus and in rehearsals and the show last night! We're both nerds....and the picture below was captured of us the first night on the bus. : )



Here's a more normal picture of us. :)


OK.....I'M about to sign off.....I've actually got a list of stuff to do. :) More later! I promise!

It's been a while...

I know. And I hate that. It's been a whirlwind of finishing yet two more classes of grad school (well, almost finishing...even as I write this I'm scurrying to finish up my final paper of both a class, and the semester as i took my other final exam yesterday!). I just wanted to let you all know (all you know, one of you who still follows my blog) that I'm about to head out on the road on Christmas tour...which means.....the old blog cranks back up again due to HOURS of free time on the bus. :)

Be excited....and stay tuned. :)

In the mean time check out all the other cool blogs I've made available to you....blogs written by people who update them more than once a month. haha.

15 Minutes of Shame

Hey guys!  CMT released a new video at noon today for Kristy Lee Cook's single "15 minutes of shame."  I'm playing the fiddle at the outdoor concert scenes....so go check it out!  

not for the faint of heart

ok guys.  

so I'm out on the road again...and as usually happens on the road...we got a little crazy today.  David Daily ordered a chicken fingers basket which came with coleslaw which Ronnie and I can't stand.  Naturally, we dared each other to take a big bite....and while we followed through...we certainly both lost at the game.  

Enjoy....but I don't recommend watching this before dinner...

How to solve a problem.

Greetings!  I've been a terrible blogger lately and am resolved to fix that today.  Life has been wonderful, unfortunately, wonderful in my world tends to mean busy with not enough time to sit down and record my thoughts.  

Last Thursday night I came across a book called "Practical Theology for Women: How Knowing God Makes a Difference in our Daily Lives" (no...men....this is NOT  license for you to skip the rest of this post.  God is equally important in your daily lives, and none of what I'm about to say includes clever anecdotes about shopping, husbands or any colour of nail polish.)  Although I find lots of merit in the text's notes on the importance of the Word, and on Faith especially...part of what I read in chapter 4 today really leapt out at me and I thought it was worth recounting.

"Have you been dealing with an issue that has sent you into an emotional tailspin?  If you are like me, you have allowed your mind to speed through scenarios of how bad the situation might get and what options you have for fixing it on your own.  In these situations, the first thing we need to do is stop.  We do not have to obey fear and anxiety as if they were our masters.  Change your perspective and refocus. 

Instead of envisioning the problem at hand, we envision for a moment our God, beautiful in heaven, well aware of our needs, and powerfully able to provide for them.  Instead of thinking through our options to fix our problem on our own, we meditate on God's supernatural ability to work out our problems in ways we can not begin to imagine.

The Old Testament saints...understood their lives were about something much bigger than themselves.  It's not that their daily problems were inconsequential.  Rather, they had learned to look at their daily struggles from an eternal perspective that provided the context they needed to appropriately deal with those issues.  We too must train ourselves to take our thoughts captive and make them submit to what we know to be true about God.  We don't ignore the details of this earthly life, but we must always read them in context of our eternal reality.

Once we get off the emotional roller coaster that's directing our responses and refocus our spiritual lens to a God-honoring perspective, then we start anew in light of eternity."

May you all stop and consider Christ, no matter how stormy or high the waves of life may be.

[If you enjoyed this, you can read the author's blog or order the book.]

The road to the White House....

...goes through Nashville.

This coming Tuesday night is the second of three big Presidential debates. This one will be a town-hall style forum of questions from a pool of 100 undecided, pre-screened Middle Tennessee voters. Tom Brokaw will be moderating. It will be held at Belmont University, a mere 3 miles from my house. Keith and I got the opportunity this morning to attend their "open house" event where the public could walk through campus and see the media staging area and the arena where the debate will be held (although the set isn't in place yet.) No, sadly, I don't have tickets. They are nearly impossible to get....and I don't know anyone actually going. However, they are having a "block party" this weekend with lots of special events around town and I plan on attending some of those. Keith took the following pictures this morning on Belmont's campus. I fully expected us to be cuffed by the Secret Service at any moment..but no one seemed to care that we were snapping away.

The front facade of Belmont...decorated for the debate!

              

I'm a Regan baby! (taken in C-Spans "Hall of Presidents" in the rotunda outside the debate hall)

the arena where the debate will take place....sans the set and carpet which clearly aren't up yet.

The building that will house the press.  Every press seat has a phone and internet connection!  It was crazy!  The building is temporary and is built on top of the soccer field!

bleacher type stands for the media to stand on and film the entrance to the rotunda.

beefing up on my "Debate o8" trivia outside the rotunda entrance.

Keith in front of the Belmont Belltower.

and me in front of the belltower.

the downstairs of the rotunda all decked out in banners!

Redecorating.

As you have probably noticed, the blog got a little facelift tonight.  Just thought I'd jazz it up a bit.  Thoughts?

Rollover, Fido!

I absolutely love the type of weather where you can wear a light sweater and jeans and be comfortable outside....breezy in the 70's...where you want to take lazy strolls along brick sidewalks windowshopping with friends while the leaves flutter past your face and you casually swat at them with your hands, pretending to be annoyed, but secretly thrilled that it's fall again and life is simple.  Tonight was simple...simply wonderful.  Dinner at PM with 3 friends...and coffee at Fido with the besty and her little sister.  Mmmmm....may all our days be as peaceful as today.

Amanda and I hanging out at Fido drinking "Rollovers" (the menu description reads: "Double latte, our rich chocolate sauce, and caramel sauce with chocolate shavings")...our drink of choice.

The Surf

Last night's show with Emma Mae at the Surf Ballroom was SO much fun! The energy level of the band onstage is one of, if not, the highest I've ever played with and it was so much fun to rock out onstage with them. The Surf is a really cool, old, historic theater in Clear Lake, Iowa and was the last venue that Richie Vallens, the Big Bopper and Buddy Holly played before the plane crash that killed them all. (Their plane went down 7 miles west of the theater in a field). They also have a room in the back where the walls have been signed by everyone who has played there. I thought you might enjoy some pictures from last night.

I'm in my bunk on the bus back home to Nashville....having had a great weekend, and looking forward to getting back home.

Me and Emma Mae after the show.

The Historic Surf Ballroom.

One out of 4 walls of the room of signatures!  Crazy!

Point of Grace has played the Surf!  I loved that I found this signature!  I'll be out with Point of Grace this December for their 17 date "Winter Wonderland Tour."

So......catering brought us Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner...and the wet naps say "Not recommended for underarm use" on the packaging. Which of course, prompted me to take this picture......

Where I am

I got a phone message yesterday from my friend Mike who queried, "Where on God's green earth are you today?"  Good question.

At this moment I'm on a tour bus watching VH1's metal morning on a flatscreen TV while surfing the internet:

...while passing scenes such as this:

As for where in the country I am......I not quite sure where I am actually.  I know that I just passed a sign advertising "Bob's Your Uncle Pizza Cafe."  I know that I'm eventually going to end up in Clear Lake Iowa to play a show for singer Emma Mae Jacob at the Surf Ballroom.  (The cool part about the Surf is that it is the last place that Richie Vallens, the Big Bopper and Buddy Holly played before the plane crash that killed them all.  We are all glad that we are riding the bus back and not flying.)

I got on the bus on Music Row last night at midnight (after rocking out to Justin Gordon and the Avett Brothers at War Memorial Auditorium  and catching part of the presidential debate on TiVo with Keith,) climbed in my bunk to sleep at about 1:30 am....got out of bed about 9:15 this morning and am chilling in the front lounge with the few band folk that are actually awake by now.....listening to all the songs we're playing tonight that I should know better than I actually do. Bill, Emma's hairdresser, just made me flaxseed waffles (Yummy!) and coffee with organic soymilk for breakfast.  

We've got about another 2 hours on the road before we hit Clear Lake.  I love the road.  :)

P.S......
We saw these along the way today out the bus window. I don't know that I've ever really seen wind turbines before. Thought you might enjoy seeing them too.

how to play the cello

The other day I was hired to play violin in a music video for Nicole C Mullen.  However, as I talked with the producer, I discovered that there was a disconnect as they thought that the 4 bars of cello solo at the beginning of the song were a violin and hadn't hired a cello.  What to do?  Enter my friend Dabney's cello and my acting skills.

One of my biggest flaws is that I don't like to fail and I don't like to not be good at what I do, so to walk into a video shoot knowing that I was about to be called upon to do something I wasn't really good at, was a difficult thing for me.  

My cello playing sounded like a dying cat....a large dying cat.  Fortunately, the recording of the song was blaring loud enough that no one heard how awful I was, and the director said I "looked fabulous." which made me feel better.  I accomplished what they needed for the shoot.  However, it was about the 14th time through the song (we must have run it about 30 times.  We played it for 3 hours straight.  literally.) that the Lord spoke into my heart.  Even my best playing that I think sounds amazing is still a "filthy rag" to Him.  The music He makes is finer than anything I could imagine and therefore, my good playing doesn't really sound any better in His ears than my skwaking  on the cello did to me.  But yet He thinks it's beautiful because I play it for Him.  Just like a Daddy loves the mass of cotton balls and glue and crayons and glitter on craft paper that his toddler brings home from daycare.  He tells her it's beautiful and fusses over her and the picture and hangs it on the fridge.  

I felt my entire body relax and I decided that I was going to turn my cello honking over to the Lord.  "Daddy?  Listen to this!  I'm playing it for you!"  I smiled and praised imperfectly as He calls us to do, and I noticed by the end of the shoot, I'd even learned the entire song....He had allowed me to conquer that foreign territory.....because I'd decided to make it worship.  Our Daddy is sweet and wonderful.

doin' what i came here to do....and then some.

When I moved here in August of 2006, I dreamed of a day when I would play music...and not have a desk job.  I hoped....and was almost too scared to hope...that some day I could tell people that I was a violinist, a fiddle player, a musician.  That when people asked what else I did, I could say, "nothing. just music."  

Last November the Lord brought me to a place where He asked me to step out on obedience.  You've probably heard the phrase, "don't quit your day job"...well I did.  I quit my desk job at Vanderbilt University and headed out into the mean world of full time music industry.

And I love it.

I am thankful to say that since last November I have done just that.  Played music.  Recently I've done a few acting gigs (a commercial for a lawyer in Georgia that my friend Courtney actually saw on TV in Georgia today), an extra in Billy Graham: The Early Years (out in theaters October 10, 2008), was an extra in Hannah Montana: The Movie (out in theaters May 1, 2009)  But mostly played music.

This week...the two will meet.  On Thursday I'm shooting a Christmas music video for Nicole C Mullen...and next Monday I'm shooting a video for Kristy Lee Cook (American Idol Season 7) for her song "15 minutes of shame."  I'll be the fiddle player in both of these videos.  (type-casting? haha.)  

I don't think that this is typical of Nashville at all...I'm not sure why I've been blessed with these opportunities...but I'm so thankful for them.  I'm just thanking the Lord, living it up and working hard while it lasts.  

i can see three corners from this corner

the Lord obviously rocked my life this summer in many ways, but one of the things He saw it good to bestow in my life was the friendship of three women with whom He sent a sweet bond and has continued to compel us to share life together.  One sister is in Alabama, one is being obedient and moving in faith to our nation's capitol, one has followed the Lord across the ocean to Spain.  I am in Nashville.  Despite being scattered to the four corners of the earth so to speak, He is using the threads He knit together in a brief period of time as a conduit through which we are continuing to be fed and experience life.  This week as He poured into me through them, I heard what He does for us described as the ridiculous favor of the Lord.  She continued that, "To Him, love is not an emotion that waxes and wanes - come what may, HE is love and will love no matter what."  Amen and amen.

Planet of the Apes.....ahem....Grapes.

Trenton, Ronnie, and Me with our Grape faces on.

Ronnie the Grape...I mean Great....I mean Ape...

Vogue  
It always cracks me up when I talk to kids and teenagers at events that seem to think that musicians are "so cool."  I frequently want to say, kid...if you knew how nerdy we are....you probably wouldn't be buying that record.  But of course I never say that.  My job is to sell records. (Today a ten year old girl came up to the merch table after the show and said, "You guys were WAY better than the Jonas brothers.  No...I'm being serious...you were!"  Aaahhh.  I've hit the big time.) Anyway.....this weekend was no exception to the "we do weird things on the road" rule except Glen happened to be there to document it all on his iPhone.  Thanks Glen. :)

These little gems were taken by hiding grapes in our lips.  The boys think I look sort of like "DW" from the "Arthur" books and cartoon show.  I think they look like Planet of the Apes creatures.  Suffice to say, we all look super weird.  It's good to know that a host of teenagers still think we're cool even though no one else will after this.  Fortunately, I don't think that many people actually read my blog.  ;)

spinners, running and Carmen Sandiego

I found a terrific piece of Facebook flair the other day that read, “Chuck Norris knows where in the world Carmen Sandiego is.” Fantastic. Chuck Norris jokes will never ever get old and Carmen SanDiego is one of my most favorite characters ever. I had the computer game as a kid and desperately wanted to be a contestant on the PBS game show of the same name just so I could “run” the map of a continent. Carmen inspired me to participate in the 7th grade home-school geography bee. Don’t make fun.
Anyway. As I’m never home these days, I’m seriously considering re-naming the blog, “Where on the road is Bethany Daniel?” Sadly, Rockapella wouldn't be there to follow me around with catchy lyrics, but maybe Ronnie would write me a little ditty to chant...I'll have to ask him about it. (p.s. i put the Carmen Sandiego theme song lyrics at the end of this post in case you don't have the patience to check out the YouTube video.)

Today’s answer: Montgomery, Alabama.
Home of lots of vanity license plates (spotted today “IGETIT” and a few other gems I won’t repeat here), a “tricked out chopper” with cross-shaped spinning rear-view mirrors, and a teenage girl who drives a standard clutch jeep with a silver hand grenade on top of her stick-shift. I kid you not. I can’t make this stuff up.
Also home to Ronnie Freeman’s parents and the church he grew up in…hence why I’m here. Ronnie, Trenton, Ben Phillips and Glen Kimberlin and I are playing the “homecoming” service at First Assembly of God, Montgomery this weekend.

Tonight we’re at the Freeman’s house for a cookout and while the guys sacked out on the couches to watch the Alabama/Tulane game on pay-per-view ($30 ladies and gentlemen…), I got the workout bug. For those of you who know me well, you know that I’ve been a self-declared “novice runner” for about 2 and a half years now and even though I’d decided to run the Nashville half-marathon last Spring (which didn’t happen, p.s.), however over the past 2 months, I haven’t run one bit. Not a bit. Tonight however, fueled by a random burst of energy I plugged into the old iPod and set off down the dirt road.

Dirt road?

Who am I kidding? Sand road. With every step I took I sunk about an inch and a half into the loose dirt working out my calves more in a mile that I normally do in a month. Once down the road and back with 7 of the neighborhood dogs padding happily along behind me (yes….7….just call me the Pied Piper) and I was dripping with late summer afternoon Alabama humidity; my “muffin top” shifting uncomfortably from side to side as I ran reminding me that I need to get back into a regular exercise routine that includes toning the abs. Crunches, thou art my friend. Much to the dismay of the local canines, I headed to the air conditioned weight room to finish my workout. ahem.....death sentence. (I am actually posting this a day after I wrote it since this is the first time in 24 hours that I'm sitting down to an internet connection....and my calves and abs are KILLINGme!)  I then made sure to pig out on Mrs. Freeman's yummy yummy food and undid everything I did in the gym.  Nice.  gotta love it when that happens.



Carmen Sandiego Theme Lyrics

Well she sneaks around the world from Kiev to Carolina,
She's a sticky-fingered filcher from Berlin down to Belize,
She'll take you for a ride on a slow boat to China,
Tell me where in the world is Carmen Sandiego?

Steal their Seoul in South Korea, make Antarctica cry Uncle,
From the Red Sea to Greenland they'll be singing the blues,
Well they never Arkansas her steal the Mekong from the jungle,
Tell me where in the world is Carmen Sandiego?

She go from Nashville to Norway, Bonaire to Zimbabwe,
Chicago to Czechoslovakia and back!

Well she'll ransack Pakistan and run a scam in Scandinavia,
Then she'll stick 'em up Down Under and go pick-pocket Perth,
She put the Miss in misdemeanor when she stole the beans from Lima,
Tell me where in the world is Carmen Sandiego?
Oh tell me where in the world is... Oh tell me where can she be?

Ooh, Botswana to Thailand, Milan via Amsterdam,
Mali to Bali, Ohio, Oahu...!

Well she glides around the globe and she'll flimflam every nation,
She's a double-dealing diva with a taste for thievery,
Her itinerary's loaded up with moving violations,
Tell me where in the world is Carmen Sandiego?

JJ Heller

 I apologize that I haven't written in a while and now as I sit down to finally update the old blog, all you are getting is a commercial.  BUT.....It's a commercial for something free, so that's always cool......

A friend emailed me about this artist the other day and I downloaded the album but tonight is the first opportunity I've had to sit down and listen to it (as I slave away on a grad school project that's due tomorrow...I needed a pick-me-up!)

so....go visit this link....in the graphic below.......and download the album. it's fantastic. fantastic I tell you.




More Bethany-related-clever bloggyness coming soon. I promise. As soon as my grad school project is done tomorrow.

A brief history of God.....

I'm curled up at a study desk in the Columbus, Mississippi Public Library at the moment toiling away on a grad school project when my eyes wandered from my screen to the shelves of books that stretch all the way from the floor to the ceiling and apparently I'm in the religion section. Amid all the volumes one title leapt out at me; "God: A Brief History."  It was about an inch and a half thick and undoubtedly about as comprehensive and thorough as a play I once saw in London entitled, "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare: Abridged."

I serve a God who is infinite, Who cannot be bound by size or time limitations and Whose own infallible Word only begins to record all that He has done through history.

I serve a God who cannot be summarized in a mere 399 pages....and for that I rejoice!

the best cross-country road trips are the ones where you don't end up driving home......

Left to Right: Me, Julie Ann, Heather, Kim posing on top of "Fergie" the car.  We dubbed her Fergie after the singer because she is so "G-L-A-M-O-R-O-U-S, Glamorous, Glamorous....."'

Last Sunday when I began this little jaunt cross-country, the point was to fly there, play at the beach for 3 days, and drive home for 3 more days.  While I had already flown home for the summer and had to fly BACK to California to participate in this adventure, Kimmy and Heather were still there.  The plan was for them to drive (with Julie Ann Burandt) from the Ranch in Northern California to San Diego in SoCal where I would meet them.  We were going to then (After 3 days of beach time) drop Julie Ann at the air port for the beginning of her trip back to Spain, and then depart straight from there to get "on the road" The road trip itself had a bit of an evolution as facts kept revealing themselves as time progressed.  Let me elaborate.

Kim and Heather were originally supposed to drive a camp vehicle home.  While this could have involved any one of several vehicles, the known factor here is that they all are in working order.  Which brings us to.....

Road Trip Evolution Point #1.......

Eric asks us to drive HIS car home instead of a Ranch vehicle.

Our answer?  Sure...E.....we don't mind driving your car home.  In theory, what did it matter whether we drove a camp car or E's personal vehicle?  AND...this way we were helping out a friend.  

(let me insert here that E's car is a car that someone gave him.  (FREE car).  It's little, it gets great gas mileage, it was free....sounded like a good deal to him.)

Road Trip Evolution Point #2.......

We find out that the car is a stick shift.

Ok....still.....not TOO scary....Kim is a proficient stick shift driver and Heather and I at least know how to drive one and felt that we could swing it with a little refresher course in a parking lot.  No big deal.

Road Trip Evolution Point #3......

We find out that the free, stick-shift car is an '87 Honda Accord.

So it's not roomy.....we've lived in community housing all summer.  We're used to lots of girls in a small space.  So it's an '87.....that just makes it a "classic car".....right? right?

Road Trip Evolution Point #4.....

We find out the car doesn't have a working air conditioner.

Um....ok.  This is where the road trip started losing it's appeal.  Kim, Julie Ann and Heather actually DROVE the thing all the way from the Ranch to San Diego...an 11 hour drive...with no air conditioning.  I have no idea how they survived. (Well, actually...I DO have an idea...but I'm not supposed to share any of that. haha.) Keith heard about this and purchased me a handheld, battery-powered fan with neck lanyard to help on the trip home.  Perhaps one of the most thoughtful gifts I've been given...but I fear that the 108 degree heat in Yuma might not have been much of a match for the little fan.  

Road Trip Evolution Point #5.....

We take the car in for an air conditioning checkup and find out that......

It needs a new compressor.  This will run about $950.  The car's value?  About $500.  Yeah.....

Road Trip Evolution Point #6.....

We take the car in for an air conditioning checkup and find out that......

The clutch is dying.  Awesome.  The mechanic shows us a picture of his 22 year old daughter and tells us that as a mechanic he wouldn't suggest driving the car to Alabama, however as a father, there is NO WAY he'd let his daughter and two friends drive it Alabama.  No way.  Heather's father had a phone conversation with the mechanic (who had an icthus on his business card) and said he didn't want us driving the thing to Alabama.  Mr. Francis cornered me when we got home and asked me to tell him "truthfully and completely" the mechanic's recommendations (he had recommended the mechanic).  I told him.  He tells us he doesn't want us driving the car to Alabama either.  This all happened on Wednesday afternoon.  We are slated to start our cross-country trek Thursday morning by taking Julie Ann to catch her 8:45 am flight home at the San Diego airport...and then continue on across the desert towards Alabama.

Road Trip Evolution Point #7.....

Mr. Francis talks to God.  And God answers.

Thursday morning Mr. Francis began his day with the Lord praying for our safety, and if he could really let three girls get in "that car" and drive across the country.  He also was praying for his son Jack, who was getting home Thursday afternoon and had nothing to do until he moves to Bolivia in September for four months.  Jack wanted to go to Birmingham, Alabama to visit some friends he'd worked with at the Ranch this summer.  And then the Lord spoke.  It was obvious....let us girls fly home and let Jack drive Fergie.  While he'd worry about three girls driving across the desert in a questionably safe car...a 21 year old boy would think it was great fun and adventure.  And it was a way to get to Birmingham to see friends, and see friends along the way.  At this point it was about 6:45 am on Thursday morning.  I was moving all my luggage out to the front steps and the other girls were on their way to pick me up in the fully loaded Fergie.  Mr. Francis presented his case to me.  I hesitated....it sounded wonderful...but it was alot to take in.  I told him he'd have to ask Kim and Heather.  The minute Fergie rolled into the driveway, he ordered them out of the car and spelled it all out.  We decide that we need some time to think.  He hands us the keys to Sarah's Volvo and tells us to take JA to the airport in the Volvo and think about it.  He'd be waiting at home.

Road Trip Evolution Point #8.....

We discuss. We think.  We ponder.  We think it's an AWESOME idea.  We accept.

This, is obviously pretty self-explanatory.  By the time we'd said a tearful goodbye to JA and rolled back into the Francis' driveway, we were already excited about more beach time.

Road Trip Evolution Point #9.....

www.southwest.com  

We opened the front door of the Francis homestead and before we'd even finished telling them that we'd take him up on his offer, we'd been ushered to the computer to type our names in for the flight he'd found to Birmingham for Sunday, August 24th.  This meant we had all day Thursday, Friday AND Saturday to play in Del Mar.  So as soon as flights were purchased and parents were called and airport pickups were organized we headed to the coffee shop to hang out and read (and squeal about how gracious the Lord and Mr. F are!) and then to the beach.  And then to get pedicures to get rid of our river rot/Chaco rot from the summer. (The bottom of our feet look awful!)

Road Trip Evolution Point #10.....

Day 2 of our "drive home" is spent at the San Diego Zoo.

Monkeys, Giraffes, Elephants, Flamingos, etc.  Much better than the 108 degree heat that Yuma Arizona was rumoured to be having.....we wandered about talking to the animals, riding the sky tram, watching Jack eat inhuman amounts of snack food...(more on that with pictures and video footage later)

Road Trip Evolution Point #11.....

Jack finds out what he's been signed up for.

So.....the only thing we'd neglected to do Thursday before we bought our tickets was consult Jack on whether he was cool with the new setup.  Apparently his Dad broke the news to him when he picked him up from the airport on Thursday afternoon and Jack was excited about it when we saw him.....BUT.....it was at the zoo on Friday as we were leaving that he found out that the car didn't have air.  We pointed to these little souvenir fan/misting bottles and suggested he grab one for his road trip.....he put two and two together and I WISH I had his facial expression on camera.   "Awwww man.....that car doesn't have air?........" WE LOVE YOU, JACK!

Road Trip Evolution Point #12.......

Day 3 of our "drive home" is spent learning how to surf at the Del Mar Beach.

Pretty much an awesome day. More pictures and video to come in a later post!

Road Trip Evolution Point #13......

The flight home.  It was glorious.  :)

As we boarded our Southwest flights home Sunday morning, we kept marveling at how great it was to be flying, to have air conditioning...to have the desert far below us as we zipped through the clouds, etc. etc.  To grab Starbucks in the airport as we shuffled along to our next flight...

As we boarded the flight to Birmingham we had to laugh about how we saw the "home crowd." We could even pick out who was going to Birmingham and who would be "continuing on" to Florida from there.  The Birmingham crowd were the folks with sorority t-shirts, pearl earrings, Vera Bradley luggage and tote bags, cute young couples with their cute little children, and best of all, middle aged women wearing jackets obviously purchased at Chico's.  (Heather mused that their Birmingham store must bring in the most business in the entire chain).  Our road trip ended in the baggage claim of the Birmingham air port where we casually collected our luggage and hopped into the cars of waiting friends and family members.  Love it.

Girls...I'll take a road trip with you anytime!

If Grace is an ocean, we're all sinking......

The past three days have revolved solely around the beach.  Our daily routine has basically been, wake up, eat breakfast, head to the beach.  We lather up with sunscreen and lay on our towels until it gets so hot that we can't stand it.  And then we go running to the edge of the water, make a huge girly deal about how "cold the water is" and then jump and push our way through the water until we get the the "breaker" where we take deep breaths and dive in.

There is no better feeling than having your body tossed about the waves, salt water rushing through your hair and over your face and the sound of the pounding surf in your ears.

Today as Joy, Heather, Julie Ann and I were alternately floating and dodging the waves that seemed to be bent on stealing our bathing suits, Julie Ann commented that the ocean was like the power of the Lord. How it is so strong and powerful. How the power is great enough to kill, to obliterate a person, or even an entire town, but how it is also beautiful and perfect.   

As the water continued to roll past us, so did the analogy.  We talked about how like the Grace of the Lord, all who swim in the water are moved by it no matter if they want to be or not.  If a wave is coming at me, I don't have the option of having my body tossed to and fro by it or not.  I WILL be moved by the power of the water.  The only choice I have is how I will handle it.  I can either dive under it, jump over it, or do nothing and be pummeled to the ocean floor by it.  We also discovered that if your kept your body in a long sleek line, you could zoom right through the waves and come out unscathed.  However, if your flailed about and fought the water, you tended to get tossed and turned, dragged on the ocean floor, water in your nose, etc.  

Sometimes we would narrowly miss getting nailed by wave, would dive in time, and would come back up only to get nailed by a second, bigger wave that had come up while we were under water escaping the first one.  The first thing I did after coming back above the surface was wipe the water out of my eyes and feel around with my feet for solid ground.  Usually if I got caught by a second wave it was because I was so focused on getting my feet back under me that I just didn't see it coming.  I do this with the Lord as well...I worry and fuss about "Getting back on track" before I can relax and let the Lord carry me when all He wants from me is not to be "ready" or "prepared" or "right before Him" but to just be willing to let Him carry me.  To know that I am just floating in Him, willing to go where He carries me.

...right back where I started from.....

View of the Del Mar beach from the "Train station" where Sarah's dad has his office.  This is the beach we have been hanging out on all week!

Heather Henderson and I hanging out at the beach.....post an hour of wave jumping....and lots of sun!

So....the question of the day is......

"Wait....you missed your flight TO California? I thought you were home!"

Yeah.....so......about that. :)

This summer was an amazing summer of making friends and allowing the Lord to turn my world up-side down. So much so infact, that I came back. Back to California. Back to the girls that I just spent 6 weeks with. We have been having an amazing time here in Cali. We've gone to the beach, gone to the beach, gotten in the pool, and then gone to the beach. :) I'm obsessed with riding the waves in the ocean and the casual, breezy way of life. It's been so nice to not have any sort of agenda whatsoever and to just continue the community that we began at the Ranch this summer. We have stayed with the Francis and O'Bryan families...two families involved with the Ranch and they have been so gracious and open with their homes and hearts. The Lord is truly spoiling us this week.

We said a sad goodbye to Sarah Francis this morning as she headed off to USC for college for to start her freshman year. Then we headed to breakfast to meet Michelle Anderson and Nicole, sweet Ranch friends, and then this afternoon, we spent at the beach with Joy Dailey and Scott LeDuc, more Ranch friends. Julie Ann flies out to Kentucky to see her parents before heading back to Spain tomorrow and then Kim and Heather and I will begin our journey cross the country. Yes....we're driving back. Crazy times. More on that situation later. :)

California, here I come…..

I have never, ever, in all my years of flying, missed a flight. Ever. Sure, there have been occasions when my first flight was delayed or cancelled and I wasn’t able to make my connecting flight and had to be rebooked. Those instances however were the fault of the airline or the weather. Not mine. I, have never missed a flight…until today. Today, I missed a flight.

Before I expound on my stupidity, let me give a brief “week in review” of what’s been going on for those of you who find my schedule as confusing and difficult to keep up with as I do. I finished up my 6 weeks at the JH Ranch last Sunday and got back to Nashville at 12:30 in the morning on Monday, August 11th. I spent last week catching up with friends, doing laundry, getting paid to sit in the audience of a new Christian marriage talk show that TBN is picking up, etc. You know…normal stuff like that.
Friday night I repacked the suitcase that was lying still partially full on the floor from my previous journey. Saturday morning at the crack of dawn I drove to Spring Hill, Tennessee, met Ronnie, Kevin and Wes, drove to Mountainbrook, Alabama where I parked my car in a friend’s driveway and hopped in the car with the band for the trek to Bowdon, Georgia where we played a show last night. This morning I rode back to Birmingham and the gang dropped me off at the airport where I hopped a (miserable) flight to Atlanta…where I would stay longer than I had intended…

[Random interjection: I’m watching the in-flight tracker map on the flat screen in the back of the seat in front of me and it has struck me how curiously the United States is divided up. The Northeastern states where the 13 original colonies were are so small and then the rest of the Eastern seaboard and really anything directly South of the Great Lakes are sort of the same size and then the further West you go, the bigger the states get and you have places like Arizona and Alaska and Idaho and Montana. It’s like the further along in history we progress, the lazier we get. Our founding fathers divvied things up into nice manageable parcels of land and recently we’ve seemed to say, eh…“just lump it all in together and call it California or Texas. We’ve got better things to do than make cute, tiny states.”]

I seriously have no idea what in the world happened. I got to my new gate 45 minutes ahead of departure time. I stood with the flock of waiting passengers in line for the 6:30 pm Delta airlines flight from Atlanta, GA to San Diego, CA. I heard the gate attendant call for some flight to Buffalo, NY. I returned a phone call. I thought it was funny that the electronic standby list now had my seat number listed beside a standby passenger’s name. I watched them board the plane. I made it a specific point NOT to board the “flight to Buffalo.” I watched them lock the jet-way door. I watched the “San Diego 6:30” notation disappear from the electronic schedule. I wandered to the window to watch the flight pull away and take off. I commented to the person on the other end of the phone that “my flight is running awfully late.” I waited 10 minutes. I approached the gate agent and asked if my flight was running late. She looked at my boarding pass, gave me a blank look and informed me that the flight had taken off “about 15 minutes ago.” I protested that I thought that had been the flight to Buffalo. She looked confused. She didn’t know about any flight to Buffalo. I SWEAR they said Buffalo. I SWEAR. I HEARD them say Buffalo.

The large, bored man at customer service was NOT compassionate and did NOT think I was cute at all. I told him my story. The only words he uttered to me were “So you stood there and just watched it fly off?” Um….yeah……… He rolled his eyes. He didn’t utter any more words. He DID however, rebook me on a later flight at no extra charge. Which is where I am now…the 8:40 pm flight to San Diego seat 20B. Studying the flight tracker, blogging, and doing grad school homework. Bemoaning the fact that had I not missed my flight, I’d already be in San Diego, not still flying over random tiny towns in “Nuevo Mexico” and wondering why the “English” function on my flight tracker actually means “en Espanol.”

Buenos Noches, Amigos.

twenty-six

so i feel compelled to do some sort of "Year in review" post as it's my birthday today, but i don't even know really where to start.  Twenty five wasn't a bad year, exactly, but it brought with it this weird stress of figuring out the state of the union of my life and as I move past that "quarter-life crisis" (so to speak) and into my "late twenties" I'm looking forward to continuing the decade with my feet on the ground and a better grasp of who the heck I am.

In fact, I think I will be so bold as to say that I think I actually know who I am now.  And I think she's pretty cool. Which scares me a little.... Hopefully I've not peaked at 26.

The Israelis are coming....

The JH Ranch has, over the past ten years or so, developed an incredible relationship with the nation of Israel.  They have made many trips to the city of Ariel and have hosted many Israeli students at the JH Ranch in California.

The last week that I was at the Ranch, we had the opportunity to host a delegation of 10 Israelis from the Ministry of Education in Israel.  All of these delegates work with the school system in a variety of capacities, and the Director of the Ministry of Education was also able to attend.  It was truly an amazing week with this group of people.  We shared with them the curriculum used at the ranch, which has all been translated into Hebrew. They are using some of this curriculum at the Ariel National Youth Center, a place in the city of Ariel designed to teach leadership skills to Israeli youth using the high and low ropes course elements built exactly like the structures at the JH Ranch.  We also had the privilege of learning worship songs in Hebrew and even some of the accompanying dances such as the Hora (Hava Nagila).  You really haven't lived until you've seen Eric Nicolai dancing to Ronnie Freeman singing in Hebrew....but, I digress.

One of the most amazing parts of the week however was that it rained.  Two days before they were scheduled to leave, the Lord opened the floodgates of Heaven and let it rain.  Pour.  Mallory, Sarah and I were out on our adventure when it started and we danced around like crazy people and laughed as the drops pelted us the entire ride back to the ranch.  

I love that the Lord waited until His flock came to the ranch to let it rain.  It felt as if He was saying to us as a staff, "because you have been faithful to tend my sheep, my chosen nation, I will bless you as well.  Because you have come before me with petitions for rain and have shown compassion on my children, I am pouring forth favor on you."

Showers of Blessings.

Sugar Creek Adventuring

Me, Mallory and Sarah's self portrait....

Me and Mallory on the waterfall

Sarah and I wading in the freezing cold water...

Mallory and Sarah and I decided to take our afternoon off on Friday and head out on an "adventure."  We took the four wheeler about twenty minutes from "campus" to the Sugar Creek waterfall (pictured).  We climbed about twenty minutes up the waterfall (Sarah and I following behind Mallory who is apparently part mountain goat) sometimes up the very center of the water, sometimes from rock to rock on the side... wherever we could find good (or suitable) footholds.  The water was freezing cold but crystal clear and one could see to the bottom of every pool.  

Having apparently rebounded from my fears of getting hurt after the blobbing incident, I was very proud to say that I held my own, even in the trickier passes, and loved every moment of the climb.

(afterall, it is the "climb" that counts, right?)

"Back" at the Ranch: a tale of pain and double blobbing...

Photos of the infamous blob.....

My back....4 hours post injury.  It got worse....then better....

This past Monday, Sarah Francis and I got off work "early" and had an entire glorious hour to go play at the lake.  We did the "screamer," a double zip line that sends you from the treetops straight into freezing cold water (and pulls off your swim trunks if you aren't careful as one man after us found out!).  It was exhilarating.  We loved it!  And then we got daring (and peer pressured) and decided to try the "blob."

This summer, as those of you faithful readers are well aware, has been one where I have constantly been challenged to get out of my comfort zone.  I've lived in a tiny space with lots of girls, I've cliff jumped, I've done a disproportionate ratio of manual labor versus the worship leading/ "reason I'm here."  (If you're lost, read the "Security Blanket" entry.) That being said, I'm WAY too cautious to attempt the blob had I been in my own mind.  However...under the influence of those around me, I was easily swayed.  Especially when someone played the "Bible card" and proclaimed that "the Lord says to be 'strong and courageous.'"  Right. 

My final words before climbing on that floating pillow of death were "I'm not so sure about this...I'm not very 'gymnastical!'"  A few seconds later My body was hurtling through the air ninety to nothin' like I'd been shot out of a cannon (propelled by the toned physiques of Ronnie Freeman and Tyler Kempf...whose collective body weight is 3 times mine).  My "not so gymnastical" body executed one beautiful front tuck with ease and precision.  Then I looked down, saw the 10 foot platform that my blobbers had jumped off of zooming past me, freaked out, opened up to try to "gain control" of my soaring figure, and hit the water.  On my back.

I remember coming to the surface and being unable to breathe.  I felt as if someone had thrust a large blunt object into my chest and out my back.  My lower back felt as if someone was holding a thousand hot curling irons on it.  I realized that I looked as bad as I felt when I saw the lifeguard jump in with her float.  Still stubborn despite the imobilzing pain,  I managed to doggie paddle to shore , stumbled up the ladder, and stood, unable to stand, but equally unable to sit down....and forget breathing.  That just wasn't an option.  

My back has turned all shades of black, red, purple and now (Friday afternoon) yellow ("Your back looks jaundiced!" proclaimed my sweet friend Julie Anne....).  

At first I was frustrated because I felt that the Lord had used this experience as an object lesson of something that I was afraid of, and then I stepped out in courage and did it anyway, and I got hurt.  I didn't understand why I had been hurt, when then the Lord impressed on my heart that just because He calls us to obedience doesn't mean that He promises to protect us from everything that might hurt.  Almost all of His disciples became martyrs for the faith.  Paul was imprisoned.  Peter was crucified upside down.  Daniel was thrown in the Lion's Den.  Joseph was kidnapped, sold into slavery, framed, thrown in prison.  He just asks us to follow and trust that whatever we have to endure is still minor compared to the glory of living with Him eternally.  

Wen He calls us to obedience even if we are called out of our comfort zone to do something we are afraid of, and even if it might hurt or not seem like a "good thing".  We still are called to obey and to trust in Him no matter how painful the outcome.  And then the healing that occurs afterwards is beautiful.  He allows us to cling to Him as he restores us and makes us whole again.  

While unfortunately MY blobbing experience wasn't caught on tape, I swiped this video from the video guys at camp for your viewing pleasure.  This is what happened to me....except minus the second and third flip, and add a big back flop at the end.....

Courson McNuggets

The Lord gave me Psalm 25 on my solo (see previous post about my solo time in the river) and I've read it almost every day that I've been here at the ranch. The following are excerpts from the Courson commentary (See post about Applegate church). I LOVE his perspective on Psalm 25. Wish I could post the entire thing...but for now...excerpts are in order. Figured I'd give you a serving of Courson McNuggets before we ate any more Piper McNuggets....you know...to keep the flavours fresh and new.
You might want to start by reading Psalm 25 (if you aren't near a Bible, visit this link http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2025;&version=47; )...as I've posted the corresponding verses that the following comments were made on.

*(v1-3) Looking back, I can see that whenever I have been ashamed, it's always been the result of a lack of hope. Romans 5:3-5 states "And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing hat tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope: and hope maketh not ashamed....."
When you're in the middle of a trial, you often have no choice but just to wait it out as patiently as you can. As you do, you gain experience, seeing that the Lord will never leave you. This experience gives you the hope that God will be with you in whatever lies ahead. Knowing this, you don't have to embarrass yourself by attempting to manipulate situations. Instead you can be at absolute peace knowing God is in absolute control.
*(v3b-5) What does it mean to wait on the Lord?...We are to say, "I'm here to serve You, Lord, with the sacrifice of praise. I'm here to spend time with You. I'm here to love You." Waiting on the Lord doesn't mean sitting idly, wondering when He's going to show up. It means waiting on Him to no less degree than a devoted waiter [in a restaurant] would do.
*(v12-14a) So often we ask the Lord what His heart is and then think we have the option of deciding whether or not we want ot go His way. God is not obligated to share His secrets with us if we are not committed to obeying the directions He gives. The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him, with those who are in awe of Him, with those who are determined to obey. It is the man who says, "Lord, You are my God. You are my King. And what You tell me to do, by Your grace and with Your help, I am determined to do," who will know His will. Sometimes people say they're not being directed by the Lord, that they don't know what His will is for them. And sometimes we need to say, "Have you obeyed the last think He told you to do?" You see, I have found that He won't allow my spiritual "in-box" to pile up. He only gives me one assignment at a time. And when I do that, He gives me the next thing to do. When we do the last thing God told us to do is when we'll be told the next thing we need to do.

Retreat to Applegate

After our jetboating experience last weekend, the staff continued our time together by camping at a campground in Oregon (which ant beds and interstate noise aside, was amazing) and rose early the next morning to board the buses to Applegate Church. Applegate is an amazing gathering of the Bride of Christ. Founded by Jon Courson, this body meets outside in God's creation (see above pictures snapped on my trusty blackberry) and is such a sweet place for people, no matter where in their journey they are, to approach the throne in worship and to learn through the teaching of the Word.  Courson's son, Ben, preached the morning we were there and brought a simple, yet beautiful presentation of the gospel by focusing on how we are not to store up treasures on Earth, but in Heaven.  In light of the journey the Lord has me on with regard to finding my security only in Him, it was so encouraging to hear again that there is no merit to storing up earthly things, but that I should be concerned with Heavenly matters.  We also had the opportunity to witness the baptism of many, including several staff members who had never participated in this outward expression of relationship in Christ.  It was a beautiful service all in all.

And...there was a bookstore.  Books are my crack.  I love them.  I stocked up on three texts I'd been wanting to read and also bought Jon Courson's three volume, hardcover commentary on the Bible.  Courson's writing has such a draw...its deep, but so conversational.  I don't need a commentary to understand the commentary, but it's not "baby food" either.  I highly recommend it.  

Heaven on “repeat play”

One of the complaints I most frequently hear about “contemporary worship music” is that it’s simple and repetitive, and I agree that some songs frustrate me for their lack of depth. For example, the chorus to one popular tune proclaims:
“I am a friend of God,
I am a friend of God,
I am a friend of God,
He calls me friend!”
Generally on about chorus two, I have the great urge to yell, “We get it! You’re friends with God! Move on!”

As He typically does, He spoke volumes to my heart yesterday through my sweet friend Sara Catherine. In conversation, she mentioned Revelation 4:8 which reads, “And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, ‘Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!’” and I was blown away. These creatures were created to only proclaim this one statement for eternity. It never gets boring, they never get tired, they never feel that they need to “change it up a little.” They simply praise the Lord over and over and over and take full delight in it.

The Lord calls us to be like little children….and little children repeat things…how many times have I watched the sweet ranch children giggle and squeal “Again Daddy! Again!” and Ronnie or Jonathan have to toss the child back in the pool for the umpteenth time…or bounce on the trampoline, or push the child on the swing. It doesn’t matter the action…the little child just delights in repeating over and over the action with their beloved daddy. When along the way does our “Do it again!” become “aww man…not again!” How sad that we can’t appreciate repetition! I think it’s a simple worshipful act that is impressed in us as little children that we loose somewhere along the way with the ability to have a simple childlike faith, hope and joy.

There is a reason that CD players have a “repeat play” option. It’s ingrained in our spirits as humans, we just need to tap into the simplicity of driving a point home by declaring it over and over. Jesus often reiterated His points…because they were important! They were things that He wanted us to “get!” To comprehend. Repetition shouldn’t make us weary, it should instill in us a sense of joy in the importance of what we are doing or saying.

So…Holy, Holy, HOLY is our Lord God, Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come!