So...kamp is an utter blast and even though I'm still not sure who exactly was in charge of putting children under my supervision, I'm so thrilled they did! I have 11 little pieces of sunshine in cabin 4: aubrey, libby, megan, emily, jane, rachel, laura, carter, haley, caroline, and shea :)

I rode up to good ol' Lampe, MO on July 17 with Ms. Courtney Corbeille, a stud OU cheerleader alum...and just stud in general. Here's a snap shot of the two of us in front of the Missouri rest stop sign. Even though we're the classiest pair you've ever seen, we couldn't resist commemorating our road trip with photo documentation taken by a balding, obese, fellow rest-stopper with jorts. Take a minute to commemorate our documentation for yourself below...

That's right folks...Missouri...the "Show-Me" state. Whatever that means exactly, we're not sure, but this is what we are sure of...Branson, MO is, hands down, the most BIZARRE city in America. Courtney and I are on a night off tonight (have to be back at k2 by 1 am) and on our way to Panera (on Branson's busiest street that also happens to have only one lane, making getting anywhere quickly impossible) we spotted a figurine store with an actual size Elephant head mounted on the wall outside the building with a sign underneath reading, "Elephant for sale"...as if it wasn't blatantly obvious that the object for sale was an elephant. My only question was concerning the rest of the faux, life-sized Elephant head's body. Did it exist? If it did...was it, too, for sale? Anyway, we ended up at a Starbucks of all places, and I can guarentee that this caffeine fix will leave me doomed with insomnia tonight, but I'd say it was worth it. But that's not the point...the point is that this Starbucks is in the same building as a hair salon and Branson live show theatre. I guess I had never considered the convenience of getting a haircut before the big show, while sipping on coffee? Oh the crazy Branson combos.....bizarre.

Anyway, leaving kamp was kind of hard for me because I feel like every moment with my girls is so precious, and the thought of missing out on a big occurance with them was hard to accept. Literally, I felt like a mom not wanting to miss her child's first words. *Sigh*...I'm so lame. Anyway, the second thing we did (Courtney and I) was go to Wal-Mart. I really wanted to get something for my girls to come back with...because they deserve it for being as cool as they are.  I had picked out little headbands and such to bring back, but dropped them all on the ground when I spotted my destiny gift...Justin. Bieber. Poster. Yes, I do plan on signing it as so..."To Cabin 4, Love, Bieber". In addition, I also plan on telling them that I got so lucky to receive such an autograph because the young pop sensation was conveniently performing in Branson...with Dolly Parton. (I think that she's the star of every Branson show.) I think this will earn me lots of "cool counselor points". Afterall...I'm not above buying their affection.

I can't wait to post more pictures, but my computer doesn't have one of those camera card slotty things so I can't load them yet. But, mark my word, they will make their way to "Like a Virgin" in due time. We just got kicked out of the crazy-combo Starbucks showtime salon theatre, so we'll be heading back to kamp soon-ish. In a few hours I'll be back to the 100+ acre oven, that is k2, to spend more time with some of the coolest, and in some cases, most socially unaware tweens and teens in America (and beyond! seriously, we have foreigners) I'll be back to teaching dance class after dance class to girls who, as far as I'm concerned, are mute...they don't speak. But it's okay, because I do. I certainly do speak. I'll be back to the "muts" (Cabin's 1-4 outdoor bathrooms where bugs are free to fly in and out of showers and the water temperatures are as follows: freezing degrees and scorching degrees), where I don't stop sweating even when I shower. But all these things are made okay, and even worth it, when I have a belly laugh with a 15 year old, or get to have an open and honest conversation with a girl who is able to look past my flaws, inadequacies, and short-comings, and see me as a role model, who needs to do nothing more than be a college "watch-wearer" who loves Jesus, to gain their trust.

Please continue praying for me and my time here at kamp! The Lord is so good, and is so faithful to His people when we simply ask for it! I can't wait to update you with more cool stories about my kiddos- can't say enough good things about them! Dear readers, it's been real...until next time, keep the prayers comin! (And read the book of Matthew. All of it. And after you do that, read it again. You won't regret it!)

Who's responsible for letting me be in charge of children?

Well, readers, it's official...I've strapped on my stylish, but sporty, white/gold addidas watch because tomorrow morning (this morning) ((in a few hours)) I'm headed to kamp!

I wanted to make sure I had a farewell blog, just so everyone was well-informed that I am only taking a temporary break (because computers aren't allowed at kamp), and that I'm not just abandoning you avid blog-junkies.

I have decided to bring pictures of me as a kid to show my kampers. 1- because awkward stages are the worst, and if they are anything like me, they might think they will never escape the chubbyness, bad haircut, braces, acne, and social unawareness, and 2- because I was hilarious looking, and everyone deserves to laugh at Bethany Stutsman in her "tweens".

I don't have any of the TERRIBLE pictures on my computer for obvious reasons (some people I know enjoy making facebook albums of just me on my own account and those pictures would be way too easy to take advantage of) BUT..here are a few pictures from my days as a kamper...enjoy :)


Ok, I lied, this is pretty terrible...

So young...so free...so trying to get attention

Me and Kelly ended up being roommates our Freshman year!

Kamp Crush. Taylor Horneman, ladies and gentlemen. We were both so gosh darn good lookin' I'm not sure how we managed to keep it to just 3 second side hugs (as is the rule for boy-girl physical interaction at kamp) Still friends with this boy today!

 

"Fab 5" (above and to the right). Some of the best friends I have, I found at kamp! Michelle Tull (Kitchie at k2!) Katie Bailey, Grace Olson (k2 counselor), and Kelly Fant :)









Staff training 2010 with Avery and Abbie...

 Taylor Beth, Abbie, me, and Brittany on the last day of staff training while welcoming 1st term kids to kamp at the doc! Can't wait to be at this place again tomorrow :)

Well that's a little sneak peak into kamper life and a little bit of the counselor life I vaguely know. I can't wait to be used as a tiny part of what God's got planned for His huge, perfectly created and thought out picture! I hope you'll joining me in praying for patience, energy, and a continuous passion for a good work to be done in kids' lives while they're at kamp. Please pray that I have the right things to say with words not my own, but from no where else but the Lord. AHH I know I can NOT do it on my own, so it's a good thing I'm not trying to! Can't wait to update you hooligans on kamp life, and lots of funny stories!! Oh I forgot, one more thing....please pray for these girls about to be in my cabin...they have no idea what they are getting themselves into. They are about to be under the supervision of this hot mess right here...yours truly :) Oh bless their poor, poor normal person souls....Until next time!.......I'm off to kamp, dear readers.

Ok so last night I went out to Frisco to take a contemporary dance class at the new Power House in Frisco (yes, the studio has a location in Dallas, and having one in Frisco as well officially makes the studio FRANCHISE...isn't that odd and so cool at the same time?!)

So back in my company days, I danced for the Centre for Dance, a studio that broke off from Power House. For as long as they competed against each other, the two studios were huge rivals. Now, I came in not knowing any of this, but of course I took to the rivalry and had a bitter taste in my mouth over it along with a BIG something against Power House!... for no good reason- c'mon I was a team player, ok? Anyway, since my days in company, starting last December I believe, the studios joined forces again as the Centre girls humbly stepped out of their CFD sweats and waltzed on over to the Frisco location to compete as a new, combined team...a force to be reckoned with, I have no doubt. (where I'm confident there were some red, black, and white, top of the line sweats to jump back into in exchange for the CFD ones they previously stepped out of...sorry for leaving them pant-less for a while)

So I took a class there last night, like I said, because a girl who I used to dance with at CFD (she was a few years older) sent out a text to the masses about the class. Now I have never had a problem trying a new studio, and I didn't even have a problem trying a class at Power House, of all places, but for the first time in a long time, I got kinda nervous about class. I decided to suck it up and go though....I'll explain the weird feelers.....

So when I started at the Centre in 9th grade, I swear to you that it was by the grace of God alone that I made that team. I was a hot MESS and the most special of special treats! The worst one- like....bad, y'all. (The first thing you need to know is that the dance environment can be REALLY catty, as I'm sure you can imagine, and it's highly competitive in lots of ways- ability, strength, flexibility, style, body image, technique...it goes on.) We danced 6-7 days a week so I was there a LOT. We used to do combinations (short dances we learned in an hour) in class, and break up in groups and dance in front of each other at the end. We didn't count off into our groups though....no...we were chosen by how well we were dancing. The first group was the best dancers, and then down from there. Every week, without fail, I was in the very last group. I left dance crying on multiple occassions. Don't feel bad for me though! I remember my break through class where I was, yet again, called to the last group, but after I went, she had me do it by myself, but made me take my hair down to do it...I thought it was because of how bad it was, but after I did it, she told me it was the best I had ever danced. I cried. It was like music to my ears.  Anyway, I'm so thankful for how hard I was pushed and the opportunities I got as a young dancer to be in class and taught from some of the best dancers I have ever seen! By my junior year, I was an "older girl" and I had definitely earned my place on the team.

So getting back into a class that was SO similar to the ones I used to be accustomed to going to and being the very worst in was SCARY! We were stretching and conditioning before we started dancing and I seriously felt like a 9th grader about to pee my pants because I couldn't hold my leg up any longer ("you hit the ground before you drop your leg") or I one point I was about to slip on my own puddle of sweat. But anyway we got to dancing, and it felt just right again....at the end we did groups (remember from way back when) and I was called to be in the first group and then asked to stay after class to video the choreography. I honestly felt like, I was in that class again from 5 years ago, and was sitting on top of the world because she thought I was good.......Oh jeez......it was a weird, weird feeling haha.

If I figure out how to get the video on here I will.....but it's good to be back to being almost 20 again after having spent last night as a 14 year old...well, ironically enough, I'm off to teach some other little hot messes who remind me of myself. *sigh*...oh life..................I'll be nice to them though, maybe :) Bye for now, dear readers

Sarah Stimson's shout AT

What Sarah wants, Sarah gets. She asked me via facebook for a "real talkin' to", so here I go

What's up, Sarah?
How are things going?
Anthropologie?- still lovin' it?! still lettin it keep you from antique-ing with me?

Ok, I'm really just joking with all this conversational nonsense to appease Ms. Stimson. BUT I will give her an official feature by posting some of the cool/artsy pictures and things that she does that I check out when I frequent her facebook page to admire her artzy ways. (if you read that out loud, I would imagine you're panting, because that's a run-on sentence if I ever saw one)

This is a shirt pocket Sarah stitched that I commented on once it was on facebook. I say it's an aTm shirt done right

What? Sarah, you're insane. Do you know that people pay $100 for this where you work?? thisissocoolllllll.










She puts 3rd graders to shame with her sidewalk-chalk drawings

Y'all this girl even makes lady Gaga proud

I was under the impression that face-painting wasn't cool anymore until I saw this album with her and Lauren Barry......attention bloggers- face painting is cool...but only if Sarah Stimson is painting your face.














Well, I've officially proved myself an avid stalker of Sarah, but she deserves the publicity because one day she will be a famous creator of all things artzy. Maybe Anthropologie will wake up and smell the coffee. Mmmmmkayyyyy, do something creative that I can drool over soon!

People who needed or requested to be featured, in no particular order

Don't worry, if I think of something to blog about tomorrow, I'll just hit you with a double- whammy

1) Audrey- she was/is the temporary owner of the "devilish young pup" from a few blogs ago. Pshyco...I'm sure you recall. She's very beautiful and the loyalest of loyal friends. We make a good team :)

2) Blerina- She texted me and told me that she had read all my entries. I love Blevina. She's exotic because she was born in Europe. Doesn't that make her intriguing? Doesn't that make me cool for having exotic friends? I creepily picked this picture for Rina because I've always secretly loved it of her

3) Maribeth, Whitley, and Carley- Campbell's sisters, but more importantly just really cool people. I like Maribeth for putting me in her profile picture. I like Whitley for wanting me to teach her dance moves. And I like Carley for being a younglife counselor at Frontier. Those aren't the only reasons I like them, of course, but probably the most recent reasons.

4) Campbell- He's marrying my sister and belongs to those 3 above. I've talked a lot about him, so here's some photo documentation. Ya know...put a face with a name...Oh, wait sorry this one won't help because he's not 2 anymore. But I do especially like this picture. It was my phone's background for quite some time.

4) Allie- We go way back. We used to go home after elementary school and write down ways for our friends to be cooler. I think we told them the things they could do to be cooler. I also think we genuinely thought we were helping them out. I'm judging myself...we've grown out of that, I promise.

5) Heidi- "Shardtz", the girl I'm meant for. She also texted me to tell me that she's been reading. Whatta pal! Shardtz is currently vacationing in Jersey Shore with the family...she swears it's not trashy...(this picture was the first time I was honored to be in her facebook profile picture. Aren't I a vision?)

6) Caroline- "Carrie", "Eppy", "Floddr Toddr". Caroline is one of my weirdest friends, which is why we get along so well, and for sure the reason we hit it off from the beginning. She is an official "follower". This picture is framed in her room :)

7) Carlie- She wrote this on my facebook wall, "you blogging is an all around good idea. seeing this today made me happy!" I've always loved the way Carlie phrases things. She makes me laugh with her wording. Carlie's a stud soccer player, and she thanks I'm really sassy.

8) Marshall- I am much more comfortable calling him "Mardsh", but I've called him Marshall before. He's been talked about in the blog's past as well. He's the one from Houston's forest, better known as "Kingwood". His mother is a professional puzzle-er, and he is bringing "lol" back.

 9) Kelly- My beloved roommate, whom I miss very much :( She is probably one of the nicest girls you'll meet. I love laughing with her

9) Cheryl- My cousin who lives in RUSSIA! She's not officially exotic because she was born in regular ol' America, but she's officially COOL because she's a missionary there! Cheryl sent me a facebook message telling me she thought I was a good writer. That kind of thing DEFINITELY deserves a feature!...that, and the fact that she's just neato. (picture from way back when...way back when she resided in America and I had a chili bowl with bangs)

So, seriously, I'm sure I missed someone epically important . Don't be shy- request a feature! I'm sure I have great things to say about you. But really- no sarcasm intended. This was kinda fun writing about everyone :) It's late...go to bed!

As much as this uncomfortable situation was well, uncomfortable, I couldn't help to think, in the midst of it all, "Uncomfortable? yes. Bloggable? Indubitably."

This morning I had a doctor's appt at 9:00. (Waking up before noon was the first uncomfortable thing) Anyway, I roll out of bed, throw on shoes and a head band, and head to the office. Everyone in that office thinks I'm this little rat-looking hoodlum because I never have an appt there at a reasonable hour, forcing me to look the way I do every time without fail.

I woke up at 8:45 (my alarm had been going off since 8:10...whoops) and I couldn't leave without eating some cheerios. I scarfed them down this time because last time I spilt them all over myself in the car. (I'm worthless without breakfast) Haha speaking of last time...that reminds me of last time...So I had just gotten back from staff training so I had ALL my kamp stuff in the car. I mean I was sitting in the driver's seat and had to lean closer than normal to my window because my temprapetic bed topper was sitting in the passenger seat, but touching my ear. When I got into the office that day...looking nasty as always, they needed me to get my insurance card- I knew right where it was!....in the glove compartment underneath my massive bed topper and all the miscellaneous crap from kamp that I threw in last minute...you know what I'm talking about. So I marched out to the car to get that card. I think I started sweating. (Mixture of the labor it took to maneuver that situation, and the stressfulness of it all...like...what if after all that it wasn't there?) Anyway, I got it out and tried to shut the door, but it wouldn't shut. How the heck had it been shut in the first place?? (Mind you I'm not that strong) It was like a movie scene....all that that I did before, and then there is this little weakling girl just slamming her car door over and over and over and over hoping for it to just latch...I think it did, because I went inside eventually (looking a little rattier than when I entered).

All that doesn't have much to do with today's office visit. So first of all the 2 reasons for my visit were pathetic in the first place. 1) my mom keeps reminding me that I need to get into the dermatologist. The pathetic part of that is that I KNOW the reason she keeps remembering to remind me is the current zitty status of my face. 2) I'm going to kamp on Saturday and I will have run out of my adderall prescription in the middle of the term. (Have I mentioned that I'm REALLY ADD?) I'm aware that this could sound very druggy of me, but I'm trusting that my readers know me better than that. I'll be a counselor, as you know, so my doctor wants me on it while I'm there, but the funny thing is that if I run out of it there and didn't get a fill, I would like go narcoleptic. Seriously, when it's out of your system you can't stay awake. I've fallen asleep in really random places. Anyway, I got my fill of both my "smart pills" as I like to refer to them, and my "zitty face pills", as I decided to refer to them for the first time just now.

That's not all. As the doctor was leaving the room and I was preparing to leave myself, she mentioned that the nurse would be back in shortly to give me an EKG test to make sure my heart hasn't been effected by any of my medication...I said, "Ok, will I feel it?" She said no, so I was compliant (unlike every time she tries to force a flu shot on me! I KNOW those hurt and I'll have none of that) So the nurse comes in and tells me to take off my shirt and bra...(have I said too much? am I crossing a line? do you think differently of me? please don't.) I chuckled to myself as if to say "ha...silly nurse...it's 9 in the morning and you think I'm wearing a sports bra under this tall T"...anyway she left the room for me to take off my shirt and "bra" and cover myself with an oversized paper towel-vest that I was instructed to put on "open to the front".  She came back in and stuck these sticky things all over me that she then connected to these cords that were plugged into a laptop. When she was maneuvering the stickers on me I tried to ease the awkward tension she might have been feeling by pointing out the fact that I was peeling. I peeled a little piece and she laughed as if to say, "this girl has a body of a 12 year old little boy and she just peeled part of it off" Haha I wonder if she was scared to take the stickers off after because with one wrong move and she might have completely removed a layer of my skin! Ok, probably not, but Gray's Anatomy would have eaten that potential scenario up!

It would probably be crossing a line to post a picture, huh? Haha, don't worry I didn't take any (that would be weird, and you would have all freedom to judge me at that point) But I hope you respect my vulnerability for the sake of a bloggy laugh at my expense...I don't mind, laugh away. So, dear readers, I'm off to get things done for kamp like laundry. Sorry if you ever have to run into me at the doctor's office...and I'm even more sorry if you ever find yourself as a nurse having to give me an EKG test...I default to awkward jokes for nervous laughter. Happy Tuesday....the most average day of the week as far as I'm concerned...Cheers!

Birthday Blog: Lindsy Young addition

Here you go, Lindsy Young...this one's for you

So even though the title and highlight of this evening's blog is in honor of Lindsy and her birthday, (which will be discussed in great detail) you needn't worry- I'll still fill you in on the rest of the weekend/Monday that took place after the wedding and my last entry. 

Lindsy (Hot blonde above)...*sigh*...what to say about Lindsy. Well I guess I'll start with when she came into my life. She came into my life one dancy night spent at Harry's with a massive group of cool people. Heidi (more commonly referred to as "Shardtz") told me that I needed to be friends with Lindsy because she is "just like us", said Heidi. [side note- speaking of that, it took me and Heidi entirely too long to be friends because we are the same and we were meant for each other] Anywho, Heidi can stop STEALING the spotlight...after all this is about Lindsy....jeez, Heidi. 

For her birthday, we all (Me, Heidi, Marshall, Jadams, Cole, and LINDSY) went to eat at Abuelo's, a nice Mexican restaurant in College Station. (I don't much like Mexican food, but I enjoyed my quesadillas...and so did Marshall. He also enjoyed every bite of what he got, probably three bowls of chips, and cake ((also, I think he stuffed Heidi's leftovers in his pocket on his way out, but I'm not sure))- what a champ!] Lindsy talked a lot about her fish camp and her boyfriends and the boys she loves. Haha she was kidding. of course...but she is in love. Everyone should ask her about it. She had a very long and, what sounded like, a stretching birthday weekend! She had lots of late nights and early mornings with some of her not-so-favorite activities mixed in between, but Lindsy's awesome and gets it done. 

Here's a picture of Lindsy, me, Heidi, and the cake that Heidi surprised everyone but Lindsy with (she saw it in the car)...surprise!

Lindsy had to get back to Dallas that night because she had VBS at 8 in the morning! (If yall thought for a second that Lindsy was attending VBS I would laugh at you- she's teaching special needs 3rd graders......at 8 in the morning....haha good luck, Lindsy!) Shardtz left because she has a rare disease that has to do with packing. It's called "longpackziphobia". It simply means that when she goes out of town, it takes her about ten times longer to pack than it would for a normal person. She's getting help, but would appreciate your prayers. So she had to go back to Katy and pack...I, however was a champ and stayed. The boys attempted to teach me how to play "42". I really did try for a while to understand it, but I just couldn't concentrate with the combination of all the illegal "table talk" mixed with Jadam's trash talking. I retreated to the computer where I studied, and was very impressed by, Jadams' iTunes. 

I headed home this morning and went straight to the studio to teach day 1 of week 2 of the summer intensive. This week I just have advanced girls and they were great today, so I'm really excited to see how the week unfolds! AFter I taught, I went straight to a 2 hour technique class...yeish! I'm exhausted! It was great though, and I love dancing with Lauren Turnbull again :) and dancing in general. I think I love it more every day. Anyway- I'm gonna get goin, dear readers...Everyone tell Lindsy Happy Birthday, even though it's late...But don't ask Marshall when her actual birthday is, because he never gets it right 

Love is in the air....well at least the air that Mark and Katie are breathing

It's been a good weekend so far! Yesterday a bunch of my favorite people came in town to visit the Dallas kids! I didn't think I would make it to dinner because I had just finished my dance intensive parent's show case...but I made it! (Only because I'm a firm believer that showering is highly overrated in certain situations) But anyway, Caroline (who I have promised to devote a blog written completely in our accent to) spent the night at my house and we stayed up talking until 6 in the morning...Because we're idiots. I had to teach a dance class at 10 this morning...and waking up at 10 seems more like waking up at 4 am when you go to sleep at 6am. (That sentence was mainly confusing, and only slightly insightful). I went to the mall with Allie and Zami (window shopping- check!...crap, it's not window shopping when you cave and buy nude patten leather Steve Madden pumps that aren't on sale because you want them and the sales lady convinces you that they make you look skinny and tan and beautiful and swears that when you put them on the pimple on your cheek suddenly disappears). Ok she didn't say all those things... because I know I still have a zit on my face and I bought the shoes full price anyway.

But anywho...I Just got home from one of my top 5 favorite things ever. A WEDDING!!! I love, love, LOVE weddings for a lot of reasons...1) you get to get dressed up in "nicer than church" clothes for an event other than a high school dance. 2) You get to watch, not only the bride, but the groom as she walks down. That's the real deal as far as I'm concerned- (But when it's me, I won't mind if people are watching) 3) Live bands that play a collaboration of all the best music- there is no genre of music more happy than "wedding music" 4) Dancing with my dad. I'm not being mushy and sentimental here, y'all- I like dancing like an idiot with him. We look so dumb, but never fail to get an audience :)

The wedding was absolutely beautiful! Katie was stunning, and Mark just wanted to kiss her. Mark's dad got to do the last part of the ceremony. We could all tell that he was wrapping it up...well I guess we didn't just pick up on it- he pronounced them married, it wasn't hard. However, instead of saying "I now pronounce you husband and wife, you may kiss the bride", he stopped, turned around, and when we saw him again he had sunglasses on and was reciting a rap about kissing...ON THE ALTER. It was hysterical! The best part is that NO ONE knew he was going to do that.

The worst part is though, that MY dad now, not only feels entitled to do something along the same lines, but probably feels like it is expected of him to do something of the sort at Sarah's wedding. I probably had 6 people come up to me at the reception and say that the first thing they thought of during the kissing rap was that we were in trouble haha.

I danced my little heart out at the reception. I danced some with Sarah, but mainly with my dad- the parents were egging me on, I couldn't help myself. I felt slightly uncomfortable dancing with the fam to "Yeah" by Usher...and even more uncomfortable when I realized I was singing along with it, word-for-every raunchy-word...but I got over it and just kept being inappropriate.

 My parents, of course, told the famous "Bethany wedding story" that comes up at EVERY wedding we go to, without fail...Here's the summary: when I was 3 I had a 104 degree temperature at my uncle's wedding, but I would not leave the dance floor for anything. I vividly remember being dragged off (probably mid hip thrust) to take medicine. I hate syrup medicine, so it usually ended up on my mom. My mom wasn't having any of that on her wedding attire, so they would put it in and then cover my mouth and blow in my face. Blow in my face? I'm confused...apparently it worked though- I swallowed it, and my mom didn't leave the event with a red spew, syrup stain/dank medicine stinch on her. I assure you, I got back to dancing in no time.

Great wedding, great people...this means Sarah's wedding is right around the corner- yikes! I can't stinkin wait for it! Watch out, party people- me and steve are gonna bust a move. Good bye for now, dear readers...if you haven't had the pleasure of being invited to a wedding, make it a point to attend one anyway. Just don't make it the Stutsman-Gillis wedding, becuase Steve won't to pay for wedding crasher's finger food

7-6-10

Matthew 12:28-30 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." 

[No, there's no reason for this picture, I just feel like pictures make a blog less boring, but I did get to go to dinner with these girls last week, and it was so great to spend time with them! I miss my Highlandette friends!]

[Anyway, sorry for being scatter-brained] I absolutely loved starting my day with this divine promise from the Lord! Lately, I have found such rest, peace, and a calmness of heart that comes ONLY from God's Spirit working in me. I need no proof that there is a God. I have been praying a lot for a peace of mind and heart with little things I wrestle with in my day-to-day, and in just these couple weeks that I have had that heavy on my heart and in my prayers, God has absolutely shown Himself! I haven't seen a burning bush, been in the presence of an angel, or heard God's voice in my ear, but to simply be able to recognize the unnecessary burden I had be lifted from my shoulders has been so freeing! 

I think people can tend to shy away from praying for God to reveal himself in a different way, and I think I used to feel silly, myself, asking for that. But, with the encouragement from a few people to add that into the way I pray, I decided to... and I'm glad I finally did. On the other hand, praying about that reminds me that God is ALWAYS working in my life by putting me where I need to be and placing different people and opportunities in my life. However, sometimes it is up to us to look for God's hand in our lives. Looking back on several things this past year is a million little examples of His work on me, all of them added together to create a bigger picture of his creative craftsmanship that is my life. 

Seriously, we're God's puppets/dolls (whatever you prefer) in this bubble that we think we have control over. I know that I will surely enough find myself thinking that I can handle things on my own, or try to turn God's will for my life into Bethany's will for my life, but as soon as I realize that I have no more than a blink of an eye here on earth in the grand scheme of things (and the scheme IS grand) I am put back in my place, forced to swallow my pride and continue chasing my Savior who has been waiting for me the WHOLE time with his arms open...and that is something I can cling to. 

It's time to start wrapping up and head to my second day of dance intensive! Haha maybe tomorrow I'll tell y'all about them. They were funny yesterday. Thanks for listening, dear readers...until next time, I bid you adieu 

Celebrate on the 4th, Share on the 5th

C'mon y'all, did you really expect me to bring my computer to the lake? You know it's nothing but a skinny white box right now as it waits for life to be plugged into it....Plugged in, it is, by the way. I had to borrow Audrey's cord today because I desperately needed to burn a cd for the dance intensive I'm teaching today.

Anyway, yesterday, the Stutsman's and Campbell loaded up and headed to our friend's (the Alspaw's) lake house on Cedar Creek. Having not spent enough time in the sun this summer on account of the relentless rain and my lack of comrades to join me at the pool, I'm sure you can imagine how excited I was to get to the lake on the beautiful, sunny day we had yesterday! I got there, met everyone, and then grabbed my towel and headed to the second level of the dock. The higher you are the close you are to the Sun. Anyway, the two love birds, Sarah and Campbell went down to the lake and floated a while on a tube. I began to get excessively hot and slightly light-headed. It was time to get in the water.

I grabbed the same tube they had been using and hopped in all by myself. I didn't care that no one was out there. I was HOT! So there was a little girl down there (friend of one of the Alspaw's cousins) Her name was Paige, she is 8, she likes to dance- Naturally we became instant buddies and when I turned around, there were her two other 9 and 10 year old friends who also like to dance. Turns out I like to dance too so that made me cool. Anyway, as we were floating there (mind you, there's one tube with me in it and 3 little people hanging off the sides) I was sure that I would end up with tan lines shaped like the little arm that was stretched across my stomach holding on to my side for dear life, and maybe half a pale face because of the 10 year old who had herself perched on top of the tube, casting a shadow across my face...and possibly yet another two tan lines on my shins shaped like little hands holding on so as not to float away.  At that point I didn't really care- they were fun :)

But much to my surprise, as the day went on, my body became increasingly sore as my skin became increasingly red. (Don't you love it when you have a sunburn and everyone around you is under the impression that you have NO idea what you're skin looks like, so they make that face [that's when you know it's coming] and they say something like "oooo, hunny, you're RED!"- Interesting enough, I've found that no matter how many times someone tries to save the day by telling you that, it doesn't make it any less red or feel any better) Apparently what did it was when I lost track of time while playing "human jungle-gym" with my little dancy friends in the water. Oh well....after the soreness goes away, having a skin tone will be nice.

I wish I had pictures of our day at the lake : / Campbell does. Maybe he'll upload them and I can steal one to post...

Well, I'm off to teach the lyrical/contemporary portion of a dance intensive at a studio near by...Dancing doesn't feel as good when you have charred skin, but don't worry- I can do it. (By the way, I hope I haven't over-exaggerated...I can only imagine the tomato-like image you have of me in your head right now. It's not that severe....I still look decently normal.) Ok, dear readers, it's time to go. Put some sunscreen on for me today if you plan on losing track of time with little ones under the sun. Until next time...later, grease balls :)

R.I.P. sweet cord, you will be missed

So from the morbid ring of my title today, you can probably tell that I am mourning the loss of former possession that has passed on. Early this morning, July 3rd, exact time unknown, a certain mac book power cord's young life was taken by a devilish young pup, who will remain nameless (only because she doesn't officially have a name. I have made a habit of referring to her as "Psycho" and encourage anyone who asks to join me). Psycho is a dog I am babysitting for the weekend. She has a face like an angel, but a heart of ice, and a satanic look in her eye. I'm hesitant to post a picture of her because of just how deceivingly and disgustingly cute she is...but I know you readers of mine won't be fooled.

There she is. Plotting her next scar on my face. Last night she was nuts...I guess I'll take some of the blame because I should have known better to enjoy her lazy afternoon she spent napping after she had tired from biting my poor dog, Moe's ears. (Literally she would have litlle curly, white, fuzzies hanging out of her mouth from jumping up and grabbing his ear and just dropping....and repeating.) Anyway, because of that, she wasn't ready to go to sleep and kept me up until about 4 in the morning, which isn't terribly abnormal for me, except for the fact that she woke me up at 6 this morning with a bark/yelp that is comparable to nails on a chalkboard (I just shivered).

My dad ended up letting her out and I was too out of it to notice...yes he was trying to do me a favor, but the rest of the house is like candy land to her if she's unsupervised. She wants it ALL, but she especially likes expensive things that help keep me connected to the world by charging what has become one of my best friends this Summer- my computer. So as I watch my computer's battery life fade, I am reminded of something a little bigger than the loss of my computer cord...this is a stretch, so bear with me...

Lately I have been reminded that above everything, and even every person, I love on this world, I should hold nothing higher than my God. It is so easy to make it or them a priority above Him, and even though it's hard to admit, it's easy for me to make things and people idols in my life. [SIDE NOTE: Please rest assured that there are things in my life I am currently dealing more with than electronic accessories] It's funny though how God chooses to remind us of these things though when we seek his guidance.

Today, I have to admit that after a little less than 4 hours of mediocre sleep, and being woken up at 8 to my mom busting in my room and tossing a chewed up cord on my bed...(please don't think less of me OR assume that this is like me to do)- but while considering the cost burden I now faced on my way out of my room, while still waking up, and picking up the dog poop that the same demon dog left in the entry way, while she bit my ankles with her needle teeth, and then proceeded to dart out the front door to have me chase her around outside withOUT shoes but still WITH the paper towel-wrapped poop in my hand...I cried just a little bit.

Thankfully the Lord took both THAT, and the same sort of thing that's been on my mind (but on a slightly bigger scale) and gave me a peace when I spent time with Him this morning. I love God's sense of humor. I really believe that (in a loving way, of course) we're kind of like His little dolls in His world that I'll compare to say, a Barbie dream house, who He plays with. Yes, sometimes, whether it's out of His boredom or a real need for one of our lives to be rocked, He'll put us in different situations that challenge us. But at the end of the day we're still just His plastic dolls, and no matter how hard we fight it, we will inevitably end up where He intended.

In Matthew chapter 10 (of course I'm convicted in the chapter that I didn't intend on reading today and just decided, for no good reason, to read a little further on) I laughed with God at myself. Matthew 10:37-39 says "Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me, and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." So, while I still miss my cord, and am dreading the loss of my computer's battery life, replacing it is only money. On a bigger scale, the people in my life who I count on, think are cool, the people I love, trust, or even enjoy attention from are still worthy of my trust and adoration as long as I also wake up each morning to die to myself. When I do that, the people I trust most will still let me down, but I'll have a peace about it knowing that there is someone bigger who sees me fall before it happens.  And he'll catch me every time.

So if you read today, thanks for letting me unload that :) We can end on two different notes here: 1) God is funny. I love that I get to serve and learn form a God who has one of my favorite character qualities. 2) if you want to have your patience tested, as well as play the "how much do you like your stuff" game- find a puppy to babysit today! You might cry, but just make sure you have as many reasons, scratches, and chewed valuables as I do to justify your tears...And if you don't, just don't blog about it. That's all I've got today, assuming I don't pull another double whammy (but let's face it, my computer won't last that long)  Sorry for comparing you to Barbie dolls earlier....I hope you accept my apology, but the comparison still stands. Enjoy your Satruday, dear readers :)

AHH Saddah's ENGAGED!!!

Can I be excessive?

Excuse my double whammy today, but I have a sister who needs to be discussed.

Sarah is my older sister. She is 23 years old as of yesterday (hence the inspiration for my Sarah post).

I count myself lucky to have a sister...but I count myself blessed to have Sarah for a sister. I find myself typing up a storm and then erasing it all, over and over, because it's proving to be impossible to give an explanation of Sarah justice. First of all, she is beautiful. Now that we have THAT out of the way (not that the pictures of her don't make that obvious), Sarah is grace. She is compassionate, patient, sensitive, joyful, generous, loving, and always exciting!

Sarah, humbly, gives me the very best advice and is never too busy when I need her. She pours truth into me when I seek her for wise council and she is SUCH a good encourager.

Sarah works as a receptionist at a law firm in downtown Dallas. (haha I laugh every time she tells someone what she does and then they ask her if she has aspirations of being a lawyer). I went to work with Sarah one day this Summer because i was THAT bored. While I was there, I was reminded of just how special she is. Sarah is by far the youngest in her office, but there was not one person I met that day who didn't go on an on about how much they love her and how wise she is beyond her years. Just like she listens to me, she listens to the people in her office in whatever phase or walk of life they may be. She meets them where they are and shares her thoughts if advice is in order, or simply listens to someone who needs to vent. It was so cool for me to see that, and be reminded of how well she loves.

On October 23, 2010, Sarah will be married to Campbell Gillis. Even though she's exchanging "Stutsman" for "Gillis", I think "Sarah Gillis" is a really cute name, don't you? Campbell and his family love Sarah a lot, so I don't have trouble sharing her. I have loved being home this Summer to get to be part of the wedding process! I have what feels like, a big job, being the maid of honor, and might I add, i haven't a CLUE what I'm doing! But at the end of the day, it isn't about (nor does it matter) how well I pulled off my job, as it is Sarah and Campbell everyone is there for...BUT I am ever thankful for Campbell's 3 sweet sisters Maribeth, Whitley, and Carley who are not only so much fun to be around, but so willing to help this lost and confused little maid of honor. This wedding, the people there, and the couple celebrated, is going to be SO much fun! Everyone check out campbellandsarah.com (maybe this will put some pressure on them to BLOG!)

Anyway, I could go on forever, but I'm not sure even Sarah would be able to read for forever. If you have the privilege of knowing Sarah well, I know you would agree with everything I had to brag about from your own personal experiences with her. Love you BIG, sister, and I'm so thankful for you today, tomorrow, and the rest of the days after that :) [insert cheesy quote about sisters here]

sista-sista!

I got Zami fever

Y'all, I miss my best friend. Amy Lynn Bradley is my very best friend. I remember meeting little Zami (as i like to refer to her) as a wee little tot in kindergarden roundup at Moss Haven Elementary. Before starting kindergarden, all the soon to be "students" would gather in the library for some story time as we got to know the new children who would soon be our classmates.

I didn't know a lot of things back then. Like obviously I didn't know simple things because I wasn't even in kindergarden yet and I was just kind of dumb, but I also didn't know that I would be in the Hillin-Mathis class for the next 3 years (no I didn't repeat kindergargen 3 times, Moss Haven does combined classes with K-2nd grade- apparently that's not normal). I didn't know I would only be at Moss Haven for 5 years before switching to private school (and then back to public), and I also didn't know that Amy Bradley, who turned out to graduate number THREE in our huge class!, would be my best friend every one of those years :)

Amy is a smart, smart girl, with a good head on her shoulders. She is super chill and soft-spoken, but knows what to speak up about. When she talks I listen, and I tend to do most anything she tells me to do- Amy would never steer me wrong! She is pretty pretty pretty, and pretty much enjoys the same things that I do (besides math...ew) and to the same extent. We make a great team (besides when we are trying to navigate in a car- bad news)

Summer is usually marked with me and Amy laying out at Royal Oaks, watching So You Think You Can Dance, taking excessive trips to Northpark Mall to window shop (Amy and I are both very cheap),  sleepovers, and any other missions that need to be taken care of- we'd rather not do anything by ourself. She's my go-to for everything.

However this summer, Amy is at Kanakuk serving the little children of k-west in the kitchen. I get to talk to her whenever she has a night or day off, and it honestly makes my day to see "Amy Cell" lighting up on my phone. We talk about her exciting stories at kamp, and I fill her in on my exciting life of blogging and dancing. It is so clear that the Lord is using Amy at Kanakuk in the lives of jr. high girls there and the people she has met. Every time I talk to her on the phone I remind her that even though her new "friends" sound cool and all, that she already has a best friend, and is definitely not in the market for a new one or even a co-bff.

Amy comes home to me next week, and I can NOT wait to have her! We have a lot of our "summer activities" as listed above, to take care of before I leave for kamp myself. Hopefully I'll have time to fill you all in on the Amy-Bethany things we do, but I might not have time because we have a lot of lost time to make up for...but let's be honest, I'll fill you in. Take some time to enjoy the pictures posted above and below of some great BFF moments captured on film.

So long for now, dear readers. I'll leave you with this quote I read in the Bible today- "Having a best friend is overrated. Amy is not." (I didn't really read that today-it's not in the Bible...but don't worry, since it was a joke and not a lie God isn't angry with me). Everyone make it your life goal to meet Amy. But don't plan on making a best friend out of it- she's taken.