all you need is...
so, this is one of the tiles in a wall of many tiles. the wall was providence's response to 9.11. i spent about 4 days in rhode island a couple of weeks ago. well, i guess it was more like 3 after you subtract all of that flying time. anyway, this wall intrigued me and i took a picture of one of the tiles...i thought it was a message we could all use.
our trip was really nice. vanessa and i went and of course...i loathe flying so i was glad to get that over with. so, i should say...other than the plane it was great. and the flight actually wasn't that bad, so i really shouldn't complain about that.
we stayed in a really nice hotel. the fact that the hotel was connected to a 4-story mall by a skybridge didn't hurt anything, either. AND the mall had a forever21 store in it. how much better could things get?
we got to see part of brown university, although i was really looking forward to touring their art museum and we didn't have time. we saw the first baptist church of america. yeah, i know. i laughed, too. but it was really for real. my favorite part of the trip (other than shopping ~ haha) was taking a ferry out to newport. the ferry ride was nearly 2 hours long and it was freezing, but it was so worth it. there were tons of little shops all along cobblestone walks, but the best part were the mansions. MANSIONS. mansions that were built many, many years ago for people like the astors and the kennedys and the vanderbilts to use as summer homes. SUMMER HOMES, people! these things were like castles. they looked just like the ones you see on the movies. as a matter of fact, one of them was on the great gatsby. just let me say that cribs ain't got nothin on these houses. we didn't have time to tour any of them, but i would love to go back one day. the ships in the bay and the rocks on the cliff made for some breath taking scenery. i can see why people love it in new england...but it's no substitute for home. haha.
by the way...i checked the weather as i was packing the night before we left and they had been having the same weather as us...upper 80's lower 90's. when we stepped off the plane, guess what? it was 55 degrees. they had a 40 degree drop overnight...unexpectedly. it made for a great excuse to buy new winter clothes that we'll get no use out of here for another good 5 or 6 months....but it was fun shopping for them!
go see new england, people!
don't blame yourself...it was everyone around that made you act this way.
save yourself. because the only thing that matters is that you get away from the pain and the thought of losing your mind.
6.10.05 ~ cafe xa
so, i'm behind on my blogging & i guess i will slowly catch up. we went to lafayette a couple of weeks ago to see mae. i was excited just to be there, but when i saw how close my boyfriend was able to get us up through the crowd...i was even MORE excited. the show was great. dusty didn't get to go with us because he was at the wedding rehearsal for monkey lips. he was really upset that he missed mae, until jacob the drummer gave him a call. yep...that's right. mae's drummer actually called dusty from my cell phone! it was really cool. i guess it worked out okay that he didn't get to make the trip after all. it was a great night. if you don't know these guys...check them out.
...about a lucky man who made the grade.
things like this make me smile.
but don't slow down, and don't let go...
so, my brother's roommate and lifelong friend just got drafted today. he's going to play major league baseball. mlb.com said he had a "big league arm". wow. he was the first pick in the 2nd round...and he's going to the arizona diamondbacks. he had a great season this year, even though his team didn't do as well as he would've liked. congratulations, little matty...i'm so proud of you & i wish you all the best.
matt green
"big league arm"
scarring the beautiful ones...
i've always had a special place in my heart for the kids at st. jude's. they are struggling with such serious illnesses and yet are so full of life. here recently, there have been several families from this area with children at st. jude's and i've been wanting to write something about them...but i just don't have the words. they all have websites and i'm moved to tears every day when i read how strong and faithful the mothers and fathers and children are. i don't even know most of the ones i read...i've just stumbled upon them by reading others' pages, but they have been a huge inspiration to me. one of the precious babies that i've been following just earned her angel's wings yesterday. she battled cancer most of her life & was such a brave little girl. i don't understand why they have to go so soon, but i know it's part of His plan. and i know God blesses them with special parents...and blesses those parents with such special little angels. i encourage you, if you have a minute...check out these sites and read how strong and faithful these familes are. i hope you are as inspired as i am.
allen ~ they go to my church
corbin ~ his pappaw is my mom's preacher
hallie ~ she is from winnsboro
jake ~ his family goes to our church
matthew ~ they are from monroe
sebastian ~ the kids from here have become good friends with him
emmagrace ~ sweet baby that just became an angel
this is a song by copeland that i think about a lot when i think of these babies. for some reason, it just seems to fit. ~ "testing the strong ones"
there's an angel by your hospital bed, desperate to hear his name on your breath
as he looks down, you're not making a sound. open your eyes look at me...i'll bring to you whatever you need. and i'll tell you i'm sorry that i can't take this pain away from you.
and i'd put it on my own body if i knew how to...can't you see? i've gotta bust you outta here somehow. i've never seen your heart this tired, i've never seen your spirit held down. i know that you say this is what you get for being a bad child, but i know this will be your reward in just a little while. (in just a little while) its testing the strong ones, scarring the beautiful ones...it's holding the loved ones, one last time. its testing the strong ones (testing the strong ones) its scarring the beautiful ones (scarring the beautiful ones) its holding the loved ones, one last time. its testing the strong ones (testing the strong ones) its scarring the beautiful ones (scarring the beautiful ones) its holding the loved ones, one last time...
if i could write one letter to the world as we know it, i would list these lines that mean everything to me.
so, it's been a while. it seems like it takes me longer and longer to post on here. it's not that i don't have anything to say...i just can't think of a good way to say it.
i had to go take some kids to camp last week. i say it like that because it wasn't something i had planned to do. i found out about it the day before we had to leave. i enjoyed it to an extent, but there were certain kids that were determined to make everyone else's time there miserable.
sometimes, as i was frantically searching for kids who had wandered off...i found myself angry at the kids and wondering why they couldn't act more mature. then, i realized that they were 12-15 years old...they aren't supposed to act mature. they were supposed to act exactly like they did.
the kids were there to learn about drugs & alcohol & how to be leaders in their schools. some of these kids had never been to camp before...some had never been outside of their parish. my heart goes out to these children. they were all so wide-eyed and beautiful. no matter what they did to aggrivate us leaders, and no matter how much we fussed...they knew we were there because we loved them...and they loved us right back.
as the days wore on, and we got more comfortable with each other...a strange thing happend. we all became friends. i wasn't the adult anymore. i was the friend that they wanted to share things with. they told me about their families and their friends...they told me about their relationships with their parents and how they're handling the new divorce...and how they're nervous about the new school next year. they told me lots of things that i'm sure their parents would love to know. and i encouraged them to tell their parents those things, too. it's a beautiful thing when you see a child's mind at work for good. these kids are our future. i'm glad i had a part (however minute) in helping guide them in their journey.
if you live in this area and want to be part of teen institute next year, get in touch with me and i can tell you how. i promise there's not a dull moment.
