A Tour Through The Hills

For Spring Break, my family (minus dad who had to work) drove to the hill country. My mom calls this her happy place and I can definitely see why. It is so beautiful. We had so much fun spending time with one another and enjoying the beautiful scenery. First we stopped at Mt. Bonnell near Austin and headed to Marble Falls. The next morning we drove to Enchanted Rock for a tough climb well worth the effort. Jill and I had some quality sister time as we explored and took pictures in a mini-cave. What a great little vacation!

Retreat in Retrospect

Retreat was so wonderful.
A bit crazy at times amidst the preparations, but it was so cool getting see God work throughout the whole thing! My computer crashed the week before Retreat and I know it was God proving how in control he is. Without my precious computer, Retreat still happened and it was awesome. The weather was perfect, Raquel and Amanda did beautifully as worship leaders, and all of the girls were such troopers with their tents... or lack there of! haha

My hope for retreat was to create (and I use that term very loosely since we were literally out in God's creation haha) an environment where girls could feel relaxed enough to have a great time yet be a bit uncomfortable so they'd be stretched and challenged. And I'm pretty sure that happened.

Random funny story; around 2am, a group of boys road through our campsite on their bikes! They were whoopin' and hollerin and in their boxers! ... all I could do was laugh.

The girls loved Liz and her honesty, she talked about the different fires of life and how you see God in them; she used the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abendego as an illustration. When we donated the rest of our retreat budget to AIDS Foundation Houston, (an organization Liz supports b/c her neighbor died from it) she asked me to talk on the radio and talk about it. I was pretty nervous, but it was so much fun. My family and friends got to hear me share the heart of ASC and our passion for Jesus Christ and his children. (It was so weird and cool to hear my voice on the radio, I can't imagine doing that for a living!)

For Liz's thoughts about Retreat, read her blog post :)

http://lizjordanksbj.blogspot.com/2009/03/my-aggie-sisters.html

It has been such a blessing to serve as Retreat Chair for ASC. Planning an event for two hundred girls has stretched me in ways I never thought possible, and I thank God for the challenge.

Celebrating 72 Years of Life

My grandmother turned 72 yesterday and we celebrated her birthday in an intimate family gathering. She has been such an important figure throughout my entire entire life, but I can't help realize how little I know about her. She's poured out so much love over me and yet this wonderful woman is a mystery to me.

I know she married her high school sweetheart. She has three kids and six grand kids. She has a love for Texas that surpasses any cowboy you'd meet out on the open range. She loves to sew, bowl, and play cards with her closes friends on a weekly basis.

Yet when I think of all the minute details and life experiences I've had in my twenty years of existence, I can't fathom what all she's dealt with (good and bad) throughout her seventy two years. What were her hopes and dreams? Did she see any come to fruition? When did she battle with her innermost struggles, and when was she the happiest and most joyful? In hardships, where did she find the courage to press on? How has she seen God work in her life and in her family's?

Though I hope to learn some of these things, I think that's part of the beautiful mystique of us women. In Titanic, the old Rose says "a woman's heart is an ocean of secrets." Indeed.

Regardless, Norma Jean Baker represents the word lady in the finest sense. And I'm so blessed to have her as a grandmother. Happy Birthday Nana!

My Tribute to the Bobby Boys

I worked with these guys this summer with the youth group at First Baptist Church in Conroe and (it's not hard to tell why) we became great friends.  Nathan and Jaymes always make me laugh and are great spiritual encouragers.  When I learned how to upload videos onto my blog, I immediately thought to share with y'all my friends and their creative sense of humor.  This video along with others always puts a smile on my face and I hope it makes you laugh.

The first one is pretty self explanatory, made last year; the second one was made for a Wednesday night service for the youth just recently.  These guys have an amazing ministry going and are such a blessing to the kids at FBC.  Enjoy!

So I Have a Favorite Music Artist

Currently I'm obsessed with Missy Higgins and must limit our time together to the ten minute trips in my car or when she happens to pop up on pandora.com. I've come to the conclusion that while I don't need an Ipod, it wouldn't hurt to start saving up for one.

Until then, I'll remain content and thankful for the two Missy cd's Raquel burned for me. Never have I been so excited to get in the car and go to work or campus or run errands!

If you haven't heard of Missy, (more than likely you have and I'm so just behind the times haha) I highly recommend the sultry sound of the albums Sound of White (2005) and On a Clear Night (2008.) My favorite songs are Where I Stood, Night Minds, and The Special Two. Goodness I don't claim to be a music expert or connoisseur but her voice and piano combination helps me stay relaxed while I'm studying or driving in traffic. So yes I love her and you should too!

Thank you Blaire for teaching me how to post videos on my blog.  My life is now complete! haha :)

ASC Retreat Will Be IN TENTS... (pun)

Retreat!
Retreat!

It's almost time for Retreat!

No time to say hello goodbye,

Retreat!

Retreat!

Retreat!

I've been planning the Aggie Sisters for Christ Retreat the past few months, and everything is coming together all at once and I feel like an exhausted crazy person. I'll blog more about it later, but God is teaching me and stretching me in so many ways, it's been awesome.

Usually we stay at hotels for the Spring Retreat... but not this year. We're doing something completely different and taking our girls to Lake Bryan for a camp out retreat! It is going to be...interesting to say the least.

Liz Jordan from KSBJ radio is coming to speak, and I couldn't be more excited! She's been keeping me company in my car for years and I can't wait to finally meet her in person!

Read her blog here:

http://lizjordanksbj.blogspot.com/

So if you're reading this, please be praying:

For all of ASC

For my Retreat Committee

For Liz

For the ASC Chaplain and worship team

For God's will and His presence this weekend

...and for me.

Thanks and Gig 'em

Jessie

A Note of Thanks

I'd hoped my next post after "What am I Thinking?!" would be titled, "What WAS I Thinking?!" However I woke up this morning with a fever and couldn't even manage to get myself out of the apartment. I've never felt so alone and insecure than today. Considering I never got sick my freshman year of college, this was the first time I didn't have my mom or dad or anyone for that matter take care of me while I was sick. No one to rub my back, no one to put a cold a cold rag on my forehead, no one to cover me with a warm blanket. It totally sucked, though I guess it's just part of growing up.

I am filled with a sense of gratitude for a certain group of fictional individuals who kept me company today and would like to recognize them.

Thank you Sydney Bristow for being totally awesome and kicking butt in every mission you are assigned. Thank you for always doing what you feel is right, never making moral compromises for your own selfish ambitions.

Thank you Michael Vaughn for being strikingly handsome and the good guy I rooted for all day.

Thank you Jack Bristow for being the dad who always looks out for Sydney and does whatever it takes to protect her.

Thank you Marshall Flinkman and Eric Weiss for your perfect comedic relief.

And thank you Arvin Sloane and Julian Sark for being the perfect villains.

Today, in my inability to focus my eyes long enough on my books to study or get outside and enjoy the weather, Alias Season 3 kept me occupied. And though I hate that nothing, I mean nothing, got accomplished, I am extremely grateful that Lacey bought the entire dvd collection, because it was the only thing that kept me sane during my period of lethargy.
I won't being going on my bike ride tomorrow, but I'd like to think that I had lots of little adventures with the good guys of the CIA as they tried to save the world from the evil grasp of the Covenant.

Eh, there will be other rides.