falling behind

oh goodness..I have fallen off the blogging bandwagon. there goes my goal. oh well. I'll blog when I have something to say and when I can. I can't expect myself to be all pro blogger...yet. for now, I'll shoot for once a week.

the past week has consisted of four of my favorite things.
crafting, LOFT sales, time with friends, and zumba. LOTS of zumba.

I will be leaving for the beach in 2 DAYS! I cannot wait to be there. typically, I'm not much of a beach person. I'm more of a pool/sit in the condo kind of person. but for some reason, I am really excited for this trip. maybe it's because it's my last family vacay before I go to college. maybe it's because I'm ready to get out of Hoover for a bit. I don't know what it is. but yay for the beach!

out of nowhere I am so ready for college..what? remember that little newly graduated girl a few posts back? the one who was scared to go to college? yep. same girl. it's so weird! I guess the Lord is just preparing my heart and mind for a new season. and I cannot wait to experience it. my mom and I started getting stuff together for the dorm last night.

it's such a weird feeling. I don't even know what to leave here and what to bring to Auburn. but I have a whole month to figure that out.

I don't really have anything else to say..and it's almost time for zumba!
yay for fun ways to burn calories!

OH! question : does anyone know an easy/free/not super time consuming way to transfer my iTunes from my PC to my Mac? help please.

OH HEY! check out this video.
Justin Beiber is just my favorite person. and Relient K is probably my favorite band.
and now..two of my favorite things have been combined.

the purpose of the Lord WILL stand!

let's take a poll..what is Lacey going to major in?

because she sure as heck doesn't know.

right now it's between elementary education and graphic design..

quite the opposite ends of the spectrum, huh?

I picked up Better Homes and Gardens DIY magazine at Publix the other day..and this little article got my attention.

it's about a woman in California who gave up her job to start her own design studio for stationary, custom invitations, etc. etc and how it's doing really well...her leap of faith just so happens to be my dream.

Lacey's Master Plan (before last Sunday) :

1. go to Auburn and major in Elementary Education

2. get married

3. teach kiddos until I have my own

4. stay home with my kiddos

5. when the husband and I have enough money, open my store selling my very own custom invitations and stationary..blah blah blah.

6. live happily ever after

well..this woman majored in graphic design. and after reading the article, elementary education started looking less and less glamorous by the minute. hence my confusion and poll.

as you know already, I'm the world's biggest planner. and if you didn't, you know now that you've seen my master plan. these plans get me into trouble sometimes. because like anything that takes our attention, it turns our eyes from the Lord. I constantly remind myself that the Lord's ways and plans are far greater than I can imagine. and that He will reveal to me what I am to do with my life in His time. although this promise is kind of hard to trust in sometimes, I know that whatever I end up majoring in or doing with my life, it will be to glorify Him because of the gifts I have received through Him. 

please join me in praying the thoughts that occupy your mind instead of Jesus. when worry or stress comes from worldly plans or other forms of distraction, seek Jesus' face and word. no plan is, has been, or ever will be as great as our Father's promises. prayers for the Lord's guidance in my life are greatly appreciated as well.

"Many of the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand!"

Psalm 19:21

Crazy Love

the green and blue shirts of Chi Alpha took over DC this week. what a wonderful week of fellowshipping, serving, and sharing the love of Christ it was! I am so thankful for the friendships grown and memories made on this trip!

Saturday morning we gathered at the student building at 6 A.M. 

we set our suitcases on the sidewalk and marked our seats with backpacks and pillows. Smokey prayed for us and then we were off. our 15 hour drive had begun.. 15 HOURS.

pardon our early-morning look..yikes. 

we started our ride by watching Never Say Never..I'm fairly certain the boys/chaperones opposed to watching it are now beliebers..that's probably not true. after 6 more movies, a few rest stops, and dinner at the Old Country Buffett (pardon me while I puke), we made it to DC! wahoo! and then we crashed for the night.

Sunday morning we headed to the National Cathedral..it was interesting to say the least. much different from the Southern Baptist Sundays we're used to. however, it was BEAUTIFUL!

 

that was the bulletin for the morning..front and back..alllll of that.

after that, we changed into our good ole' khaki bermuda shorts and headed to our first concert/block party. some of the communities we served in were so broken..it was heartbreaking. all I can do is pray that our message planted seeds in those peoples' hearts and that the Lord will continue to work in their lives. minutes after we wrapped up our concert, the bottom fell out of the sky. the girls ran to the buses to stay dry while the boys broke down all of our equipment. that night my friends and I enjoyed some Qdoba and Cold Stone Creamery. YUM! then back to the hotel to rest once again.

Monday we toured the capital and began working at our mission sites.

yay for best friends!

my mission group worked with children in an apartment complex/after school program. it was so sweet to make be crafty with those kiddos and to hear what they know about Jesus. I am so thankful for the time I got to spend with them!

that night we had worship at the hotel as a choir. this year they did something different than a tradition we're used to. they had all 9 seniors line up at the front of the room and the underclassmen came around us and prayed over us. it was such an encouraging and sweet time for me to listen to my sweet friends pray around me. my heart is so full! there wasn't a dry eye in the room-except for Chelsey-but I had enough tears for the both of us.

Tuesday we did a concert at the Lincoln Memorial! OH MY GOSH! it was so much fun and a wonderful experience. 

it was so cool to see people stopping to listen to us sing and then they stuck around for the whole time. doing motions with us and learning our songs. some may have been mocking, but the Lord touched their heart in some way. 

that night was senior night. all nine of us got into a van and went to Alexandria, VA to get on a boat for a dinner cruise. it was such a cool surprise and a wonderful time with friends. and the food was DELICIOUS!

XA roomie love :)

LOVE this mommy-to-be..cannot wait to meet little baby boy Dedge!

afterwards we stopped by the White House to take a picture..and then my camera died. so I do not have one. while we were there we got into an interesting discussion with a protestor who basically lives across the street from the White House in a tent. he was part of a protest group against nuclear warfare. he had crosses tattooed on his forehead and a cross necklace, so we asked him if he was a Christian..his response was that he adored Jesus way too much to call himself a Christian..wow. he pointed out the hypocrisy of those who call themselves Christians. it was disturbing to hear this from this man who had most of his facts incorrect..but what a call to live out our Christianity even more and let our light shine to the world! 

Wednesday we performed at two veterans' homes. this was such a sweet experience! we went to encourage them, and we ended up being encouraged even more. the people at these homes were so thankful and precious. you could see clearly the love of Christ overflowing from their hearts. it was by far my favorite concert. so thankful the the imprint these people left on my heart.

that night, we had the honor of singing the National Anthem at the National's baseball game. you can watch it here. it was SO cool! and the game was fun, too! nothing like a ball park hot dog.

(my camera was dead this day so I have no pictures)

Thursday we performed at a maximum security youth detention center. I cannot even begin to imagine being in those boys' places. there are no words. it just reminds me of how blessed I am to have a wonderful family and to live in a wonderful community. after that, we went to a local church for lunch. we had the best homemade pizza ever. SO good! and we played lots of bump. I love any chance I get to show off my basketball coach's daughter skills. HAHAH. if you know me well enough to have seen me do anything relatively close to playing sports, you know that the athletic gene didn't quite make it to me.

that night was our annual Tacky Prom. so.much.fun.

Caroline won Retro Princess last year. she's determined to go all out from now on.

if only they had done awards this year..

meet my baby freshman buddies. they were SO cute! they're always cute. but yeah. I love me some Macy and Catherine (Caroline's sister - also worthy of a retro princess title..must be a Rush thing..see below)

Friday was free day! we hopped on the metro bright and early and headed to Georgetown (LOVE this place!) and why did we go all the way to Georgetown you ask? YOU KNOW WHY!

BEST CUPCAKES EVER. if only the sisters had been there..

I love any show that comes on TLC. especially ones about cupcakes and weddings :)

after lunch and a little shopping in Georgetown, we came back to the main area of DC to look around some of the museums.

I was obsessed with Wizard of Oz as a child. this girl was real happy :)

yay for chacs!

after a quick dinner at the Air and Space Museum's McDonalds, we loaded the buses and drove 15 hours through the night. talk about awful sleeping arrangements..

we pulled into the church parking lot around 7:15

I am so thankful for the past week! what a way to end my student ministry experience with Hunter Street. I'm going to miss my little baby underclassmen and all that is Hunter Street Student Ministry. so thankful for the way the Lord has grown and used me through this stage of my life.

SIDE NOTE: if you are interested, there are videos on youtube documenting our days on tour. 

http://www.youtube.com/user/hsbcmedia#p/u

they should be on the side under uploads..they're not all up yet, but will be soon!

SECOND SIDE NOTE: our homecoming concert will be tomorrow at 6 P.M. at Hunter Street! please come be a part of our last concert! you won't regret it :)

short and sweet

hello friends! it seems that I've fallen off the face of the blog world.
it's been a busy week of choir practices, birthday celebrations, wrangling children, and being with friends.

I'm afraid that this post is going to be short and uninteresting.
you see, I am leaving for Washington, D.C. in about 8 hours. have I packed? no. am I going to sleep? probably not. am I still playing on my new MacBook when I should be packing and/or sleeping? yes.

yes. after three years of using Yearbook Macs and dreaming and longing to have my very own Mac, I finally got one! it's about time Donnie came around :) when we left the store all he said was "yeah..well..happy graduation and birthday..and probably Christmas too." Thanks, Dad.

I will most likely not be blogging for a week..unless I want to blog from my iPhone..no thanks. that wouldn't be good for anyone.

so, when I return next Saturday, I will blog about birthday festivities and, of course, what the Lord did through our choir in D.C.!  I cannot wait to share!

please pray for us as we travel and serve.

"How beautiful are the feet of those who bring the good news!"
Romans 10:15

quite an eventful Monday

yesterday was the first day of SummerQuest (our version of VBS). today is the second day. and I am home because I'm sick. I always get sick at the most inconvenient times. sinus infections, strep throat, and stomach bugs like to take turns taking over my body every few months. thankfully, I am not home with one of those today. just one of those "I can't get out of bed because I feel so stinkin' horrible" mornings. needless to say, I am sad that I won't be with my sweet sixth graders today :( but we still have 3 more days together!

I meant to blog yesterday, but then I realized that it was 12:30 and I had to be up at 6:30..so yeah. therefore, I will blog about yesterday :)

Day 1 of SummerQuest was a success! our 6th grade kiddos learned about how God and Jesus are our "sponsors" and how we can gain riches or popularity or fame but Jesus is the all that will satisfy! I am continually being reminded of the satisfaction that comes with knowing the Lord. nothing in this world will satisfy me! He is so much better! I hope that our sweet kids took this message to heart and realize that being "cool" isn't all it's cracked up to be.

best frands foreva :)

Reagan's class calls her "The Demon"...can't imagine why with a face like that..jokes, Rea :) forreal though, I can't imagine why considering she is the most precious person ever.

meet 6B :)

after a full day of recreation, Bible study, and silly motions to songs, I'm helping out with Oasis (activities for kids who leave later). this means lots of playing basketball and running around. yesterday, we played lots of bump, did some zumba for kids, played on inflatables, and watched A Bug's Life.

someone stole my camera...Chelsey.

not sure if I've talked about Mickey, I think I did in the frisbee post..but this is Mickey :) I've been his babysitter for a little over a year now. isn't he precious?

after all of this, I went to eat with Katelyn and Chelsey.

MAJOR side note - I was reunited with my best friend, Chelsey, yesterday! 9 days is way too long. it's the longest we've been apart and the longest we've gone without talking (stupid cruise). I wish I had a picture of our epic reuniting yesterday morning. but sadly, I don't. we've got lots of catching up to do :) so thankful for her and can't wait to live a bathroom away from her TWO MONTHS FROM TODAY! whaaat? I move to Auburn in exactly two months. crazy...I apologize for that other side note.

back to dinner..except for the fact that the dinner part isn't that interesting compared to what happened after..

Shelly (Katelyn's car) decided to go crazy and leave us stranded on the side of 150 in front of Zaxby's..our cars must have made a pact to die on us this week..watch out Chels, Alyx, and Caroline (and almost Reagz! two more days until you're 16!)..you guys are next.

so, we're caught up :) hopefully I'll start feeling better today so I can get some of the million things I have to do done.

have a wonderful Tuesday, friends!

insert brilliant blog title here - blogger's block

I will be drinking more diet coke than ever this summer. why? this is why.

the kangaroo gas stations have these awesome cups for $7 and then you get free refills for the rest of the summer. we got one yesterday afternoon..we've been 6 times..I can't decide if this is a good thing or a bad thing..but diet coke just tastes so much better when it's free and from a "kanga" (what the cups have come to be known as among my friends and family) LOVE THIS.

anywho..I have spent the last 4 days with my girls, katelyn and caroline (and reagz for 3). like I said yesterday, I don't think I've ever laughed this much. so thankful for them. when we went our seperate ways today, it was kinda sad. I cannot imagine what it's going to be like 2 months and 3 days from now when we're going to be seperated for more than a night. don't like that at all..

my bloggin' brain is kinda down today..so I apologize for that. we may have to change this goal to at least 3 times a week..I don't think that would be a problem for anyone, huh? hope not :)

please continue to be in prayer for our choir..we have our second-to-last rehearsal tomorrow! I turned my ankle during the first song at the last one! oops! let's pray for now more injuries and for focused and prepared hearts! join me?

good morning!

I'm trying to figure out why my friends and I keep planning to do stuff at 9 AM...wednesday we went to breakfast at 9, yesterday we worked out at 9, today we met at panera at 9, tomorrow we're going to ZUMBA at 9 (but I am SO excited!)

waking up early always pays off though..after another yummy breakfast at panera, we headed to the thrift store to look for thrift store prom dresses (a chi alpha choir tour tradition) and couldn't find anything tacky enough for the occasion. the search continues!

we ran around the church a little bit and went to watch the last day of my dad's basketball camp. little kindergarteners in a free throw contest = the joy of my life. they so PRECIOUS and excited when they win!

watched some funny SNL videos..they're my favorites.
christmas surprise
football taping

and concluded the first half of our day with the best lunch ever.
spliting a pan of sister schubert's sausage rolls 4 ways may need to happen more often because those things are from HEAVEN. favorite food of all time.

we're coming back together shortly to watch the justin beiber movie and then finishing off our day with a dollar movie.

my days are full. my heart is beyond full. I love these precious girls! what will I do without them in Auburn? I think I'm going to take them with me..I have never laughed as much as I have the past week. so thankful for these best days ever.

do something fun with your friends today. be active, watch funny videos, eat a pan of sister schubert's , whatever suits your fancy :)

too many parking lot dance parties

another fun day with friends! imagine that..

working out (then rewarding ourselves with cinnamon crunch bagels), choir rehearsals (where I twisted my ankle..on the first song and was out for the remainder of rehearsal. AWESOME. sarcasm.), then to yomo and parking lot dance parties.

however, the frequency of our parking lot dance parties this summer has taken a toll on my little sentra's battery. after woppin' and dancing to some beiber, we started to go our separate ways. only to find that our constant source of insanely loud music was dead..we had jumper cables..did we know how to use them? nah.

donnie to the rescue!

caroline's a mechanic now in case you were wondering..

I am so thankful for the funny and wonderful memories we have already made this summer. dead car batteries, dancing in yogurt mountain, so many inside jokes, etc. etc.

these girls bless my heart every day. they are a source of encouragement and love when I am discouraged and need it most. feelings get hurt and discouraging things are said by others..but why does it matter when we know that we have each other and even more importantly, that we have a King in heaven who loves us unconditionally? no matter what this world thinks of what we wear or how we act! I am so very thankful for sweet times with such encouraging friends tonight and the lessons we've learned..even from discouraging people.

"Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work; If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!"

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

friends, fellowship, and frisbee

my absolute favortie days of summer are the ones where I wake up early, have a full never-stop-going day, and think that this morning was yesterday. today was one of those days.

I woke up early and has breakfast with sweet friends. we may have been too loud for some of the ladies in Edgar's, but so what? it's summer, and we're having fun.

after that we went to play frisbee..for reagan. it was..fun. but SUPER hot.

here are some of my favorite pictures from the day:

we were inspired by Stick It

we stopped playing..sorry 'bout it, reagz.

side note- can you tell I'm enjoying my new camera? :) LOVE IT

after lots of fun with my girls, we got to spend a night fellowshipping and worshipping. it hit me today that I am not going to be part of Hunter Street Student Ministry next year..while they plan all these new great changes and trips and retreats and what not, I'm sitting there getting excited until I realize I won't be there. I love this ministry with my whole heart..I don't know what I'm going to do without it. I never want to leave. HOWEVER, I am so confident in the work that the Lord is doing in our midst, and though I might not be there to reap the harvest of the work we're beginning this summer, I cannot wait to see hearts and lives changed and awakened to our Lord and His desire for us to come together as a body of believers! He is doing wonderous things through the staff and students of Hunter Street. I'm so thrilled and excited to pray for and see this ministry come back to life! we started a 4-part series on courage tonight by Francis Chan. we discussed having to sometimes stand alone in our walk with the Lord because it's not necessarily the "cool thing to do"..I am so thankful for a ministry and group of sisters in Christ whose desires are to win brothers and sisters for His kingdom so that they will also believe in God's unfailing and unconditional love for us..even if they don't think it's "cool" right now. will you join me in praying for our student ministry and the growth it is experiencing?

speaking of prayer, I have a request :) please pray every day for our student choir, Chi Alpha. in a little over a week, we will be loading up buses for Washington, D.C. to be the hands and feet of Jesus. please pray for:

- the students' and leaders' hearts - that they will be prepared and ready to share the gospel and that they will also see their own need for a savior and continue to grow in their walk with the Lord through this tour. I pray that the people we are serving will see the overflow of Christ's love in us, that we may love on them in the same way.

- the people of washington's hearts - we know that the Lord, even now, is stirring in their hearts and minds. they may not know what's going on yet, but I pray that they will be receptive to our message, that their hearts will be open to the good news we are bringing to them, and that whatever they see in us will lead them to a God who loves them more and wants to give them more than we ever could.

- the choir aspect of our trip - again that the love of Christ will overflow from the words and choreography in our songs. that the people of washington will not only think "oh cool dance moves" but they will see a light in us that tells them there's something and someone out there that's bigger than us and our songs. pray that in the next week, and in the THREE PRACTICES we have left, that our moves and songs will become sharp and that everyone will be ready to perform. we still have a long way to go, but the Lord is faithful, and He will make sure that we are ready to further His kingdom and glorify Him through our ministry.

our theme is "Crazy Love". His love for us really is crazy. it is only by grace that we are loved by Him and able to spend eternity with Him if we believe in His son's work on the cross. Thank you Lord for loving us and saving us!

thank you for hanging in there with me through these days of blogging :) even if I post very close to midnight..oops!

please continue in prayer for our student ministry and student choir. we leave for tour on the 11th and return on the 18th.

^"14For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; ¹⁵and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised."

2 Corinthians 5:14-15