Community, What IF It's Here?

Today (meaning several weeks ago as this blog has been long in the planning) the sermon was on community...like it's supposed to be.  I was so thankful for that sermon because I feel like so many people need to hear it.  Myself included. 

I feel like I've really struggled to find community here...but really the problem is that I haven't been looking at it through the eyes of God.

Let me back up a bit.  In 2004 I graduated from high school and a few months later was a freshman at UNC-Chapel Hill.  AT ORIENTATION over the summer, I met Holly.  Out of an incoming freshman class of approximately 4,000...Holly was in my group.  We were the only Teaching Fellows in the group, and Holly was the only one with drop-dead-gorgeous red hair.  Needless to say, it was easy to remember her name and face:)

Then, shortly thereafter, I met other awesome people too like Kristen, Lauren, Shannon, and Kristin.  Through other Divine Interventions, these lovely gals became friends of mine.  And some of them even pledged temporary insanity and lived with me!  We shared things like classes, extra-curricular activities, Spring Break trips, Bible Studies, church going, meals, apartments, even the same job location...the list is practically endless.  I was blessed enough to do life with these women.  I am overwhelmingly blessed to still consider myself very close with each of them. 

What am I trying to say?  Well, we've got 9 years of friendship under our belts.  And why is this relevant?

I think I moved to Knoxville expecting to make friends (like my 9 years and counting friends) in just a few months.  Oops.  Now, could this have happened....made an instant connection with someone and felt amazingly close to them after a short time?  Sure, of course it could happen.  But it's not that likely.  It WILL happen in Heaven though and I can't wait for that!

So, here I am.  I've lived in Knoxville for about 15 months and I'm finally realizing that I've been throwing myself a pity party about "not having any super close friends here".  Maybe this is a season God wants me to go through, to teach me that I rely WAY too much on other people for my happiness.  Because I do that.  If you didn't know. 

Well, sometime this past Spring/Summer, I saw something pop up on one of my weekly blog checks.  I saw it on Jen Hatmaker's blog.  If you've never heard of Jen Hatmaker, that is okay...I hadn't heard of her either until pretty recently.  She's the bomb.com though.  She is so cool I wish I lived in Austin, TX just so I could accidentally run into her and then invite myself to have coffee with her.  But I've gone down a rabbit trail here.

What did I find on Jen's blog?  Something grand.  Something so God, in His perfect timing.  Knowing that community...deep, authentic, life-changing community is something that I crave and desire.  I desire to cultivate it and to be a part of it.  I desire to be nourished and refreshed as well as to mentor and guide in community like this.  Many of you have probably heard of it by now. 

The IF Gathering.  It is going to blow my mind.  I just know it.  I so badly wanted to ask for plane money for my bday so I could fly to Austin and participate...and maybe even get that coffee with Jen H.  A twofer!  Well, then the conference cost was going to be too much, then they cut the cost completely and I had hope that maybe, just maybe I could swing it.  Then the government started shutting down and hubby's job became filled with uncertainty.  Right around the time that registration opened for IF.  And then there is the fact that the 1,200 seats got swallowed up in 42 minutes.  I basically didn't have a shot in H of going to Austin.  Not when we are in house-saving mode...a $370 plane ticket just doesn't help with that. 

But wait, don't despair...God has opened the doors for IF, opened the hearts of those who are the brain-children of this little outfit...and here is where I say IF:LOCAL BABY!  They are doing live webcasts of the conference:)  All the awesome parts, except the part where they go out and get coffee and dinner together and talk at awesome Austin restaurants.  They're not webcasting that.  Probably a good plan.  Even though it means I can't have coffee with Jen, even through the internet.  Life will go on.

IF:Local, IF:Knoxville!  Hubby has given me the green light.  I don't think he fully understands what he's just agreed to.  I don't think I have either.  All I know is that I'm all in.  Even if my community is about to change for the second time in two years...due to another pending move to a currently unknown town.  Even IF my community is going to change soon, that doesn't mean I can't soak up the community that is here...and become more equipped to cultivate new community wherever we land next. 

With all that said, I'm inviting you to my table.  I'm inviting you to be all in with me.  I have no idea where we will meet...my apartment is only so big and I'm praying that more than will actually fit want to come (this keeps me from having to clean you see - I'm lazy about cleaning sometimes).  I hope women in Knoxville want to bust wide open for some authentic community.  I know I do.  Will you join me.  Will you come?  Will you invite a friend? 

If you feel that stirring from deep within...that's God....He's nudging you.  He wants to see you at His table.  He's already pulled out your chair for you.  Won't you come and dine with Him and some other women in Knoxville?  I'd love to meet you and share coffee...even if you aren't Jen Hatmaker :)

IF:Knoxville is happening...contact mrsb0605@gmail.com if you're all in!

August Happy

I've been wanting to blog for a long time.  I've learned a lot this summer and I feel like I've grown a lot too.  I'm hoping to get all of my thoughts sorted out into my personal journal before sharing it here.  In the meantime...I stumbled upon this great idea from A Holy Experience. 








So I'm really several days behind already.  But that doesn't mean I can't be thankful.  So I'm going to try and catch up in some form or fashion.

3 Gifts White

My wedding dress was a huge gift from God.  It was perfect and under budget.  :) 

Ringo, our white cat, was a part of my birthday present this year.  I love that kitty so much! (Thanks hubbs!)

Sand-dollar - When I was in Clearwater, FL for Summer Project, I was having a hard time feeling like that was where God wanted me and as I was walking along the beach and praying...I asked God for a sign.  Which I know there are mixed perspectives out there on doing such...but regardless, I still asked.  I asked to find a perfectly formed sand dollar.  I'd never found one before.  About fifty feet before my walk was finished and I had returned to the group, as I was singing Jars of Clay, The Eleventh Hour to myself, I saw it.  Blemish free, my sand dollar.   Thanks be to God for answered prayers.

3 Gifts Eaten

Mango - When I was in Uganda the summer of 2009, I ate the best mango I've ever had.  You'd use your teeth to scrape the fruit off the skin and it would get all stuck in between your teeth.  Saving some for later ya know?  The juice dripping down your chin with each bite.  Deliciousness, and I truly think that mango in Heaven will taste just like that.  If not better. :)  I can't wait.

My Maw Maw's pineapple dessert.  I can't describe how wonderful this was.  I can't describe how wonderful she was either.  Just believe me.

Grammy's home-made rolls.  Y'all.  I mean come on.  Home-made, from scratch rolls.  Like take-all-day-to-make rolls and about 3 seconds to devour them kinda rolls.  Grammy would make them for every Thanksgiving.  We'd beg her to every year.  You wanna talk about dedication...making bread from scratch requires dedication.  And it was my Grammy's dedication to her grandchildren that led her to make the rolls each year.  At least I like to think so anyway.

Busiest. Summer. Ever.

Where have I been?  This summer season has passed by way too fast.  And clearly I've been way too busy to blog about it.  So sorry!


June 1 - We attended a wedding for my dear friend Becca who I know from CBSP '07 and I was reunited with some of my CBSP loves!  It was a wonderful wedding and I'm so blessed to have witnessed it. 

June 5-12 We spent this week in North Carolina!  Hubby had to do some collaborative work at Duke and I tagged along to see old friends:)  It was amazing.  We stayed with his gma and got to visit his parents and sisters.  We saw friends from Church of the Good Shepherd and I saw a lot of my HVE friends!  My heart was so full after getting to visit with them.  We planned the trip so that I could go to my old students' 5th Grade Graduation Ceremony too.  I taught that group of kiddos when they were in 2nd grade and again for their 4th grade year so it was very special that I could witness them graduating from elementary school.  It made me miss HVE so much, the kids and my friends/co-workers.  I was thankful that I could help some of them on the teacher workdays after the last day of school.  Anything just to be around them again.  Like a true breath of fresh air.  Oh and did I mention that we ate a celebratory dinner at the Angus Barn for our 3rd anniversary??  Free pound cake anyone? 

 The rest of June was a whirlwind of hubby traveling to CA for a conference, Amachi hangouts with our mentees, and me settling into my new job as the Executive Assistant at Hope Resource Center!

July 3-6 We traveled to Charlottesville, VA to visit Chris and Louisa!  They are such wonderful hosts and planned an amazing weekend.  We went to Monticello on the 4th and then to a park to watch fireworks, ate at delicious restaurants, went to see Monsters U, consignment shopping with Louisa, peach picking, cave diving (not really, just a tour), putt putting, OMG we were busy.  But I LOVE spending time with them.  Pictures for you, all out of order...I have NO IDEA how to get pictures to do what I want them to do on this blog...if anyone is more seasoned at blogging, please help me!

A Vivid Memory - Finishing May's Challenge

This is a hard one.  I don't know why.  I have a lot of vivid memories...some good and others not so awesome.  I recently shared a positive memory from my childhood about our first go-cart :)  That memory is still quite vivid.

My seventh grade memory that I shared was a not so happy memory.  So let's see...a vivid memory, perhaps from later in my life than when I was 13...

I remember when I found my wedding dress.  That was a wonderful memory.  I went shopping with my sister, grandmother, and mom in Winston-Salem, NC and hadn't found anything...but at least I did get a better idea of what I was looking for.  For some reason the pics below are posted in backwards order - sorry! 

On Dec. 5, 2009 - my daddy's bday...I went shopping for a second time.  I had Shannon, Holly, Kristin, and my mom with me.  Sissy couldn't come :(  I had gone to at least 5 places and didn't find anything I loved yet.  So we all traveled to a really small store in Raleigh, NC.  I tried on a few dresses until I tried on THE dress.  I spent over an hour in this dress.  It had everything I loved.  I felt so elegant.  They dressed me all up in a veil and I just knew.  I started tearing up when I told my mom, "I think this is it."  I loved looking at myself in this dress.  My friends all loved it too.  Plus, the price was right...future hubby and I were trying to pull off a wedding on a budget.  This dress fit within that budget so that helped for sure.

Here are some of the duds (which aren't really duds at all, they just weren't MY dress) I tried on before getting to the real deal:

 Strapless dresses weren't for me. 

 I was looking for more beading on the train too.

 I liked this dress except for the stuff at the V...I didn't like that.  Plus you could tell that this wasn't a well made gown...and it was way too expensive.

 I don't know if that stuff was removable or not but this looks like the same dress without it...I don't remember, all I remember is how badly I wanted to get out of David's Bridal.  (If you got your dress there - I'm not judging you...I just didn't have a great experience.)

 However, I loved these flowers and knew I wanted them. 

 Ew, halters on me...but the train :)

 Loved the deep V in the back and the beading :)

 Gorgeous but it was plain on the bottom so I felt like it cut me off.

 Yes, my mom tried on dresses to help me see what they looked like side by side...we are almost the same size so I could get a pretty good idea :) 

 I wasn't loving the 2-layered veil.

 This dress was too plain.

 This is about how I felt at this point - and this was on day 1!

You probably can't tell how happy I am in this "illegal photo" Kristin took for me, but this was right after I announced that I had found my dress!  It had been quite a long day for everyone so I'm sure Holly (in the background) is thinking "Thank goodness...!"  Thanks Kristin for snagging this pic for me:)

Here was the finished look:

Photo Credit goes to Dajuan Jones from In His Image Photography and Carl Johnson of Carl Johnson Photography