"I'm that star up in the sky, I'm that mountain peak up high... hey I made it"

I climed a mountain today! That's right... a mountain, huge mound of dirt and rock and vegitation and I conquered it! I didnt think i would make it a few times. I was tempted to just sit and rest my tired bones and say I tried but nope, I actually made it up to about 800ft altitude in about 45 minutes. Wow! What a rush it was to actually make it to the top and see the amazing view! What a high... literally!

Stranded in Mexico

May 29, 2008

Today we left Playa del Carmen. It was a sad day… it is the last time we will see the beautiful Caribbean Sea.
The bus was of course about an hour late so we were behind schedule… no big deal though. So we head out, in route to Chichen-itza. About two hours or so into our trip, we are all pretty much asleep, being lulled by the moving bus, we hear a loud beeping noise coming from the front of the bus. We realize it is coming from the dashboard. It is some sort of alarm telling us that the bus is overheating or that there is some sort of malfunction and we need to stop. So about 15 minutes of driving with the loud annoying beeping sound we stop on the side of the narrow Mexican road to check out the problem. We are stopped for probably about 30 minutes or so and then its “on the road again.”
No less than 30 minutes on the road the delightful beeping noise comes back.
So we eventually stop at a small gas station in the middle of nowhere to check the problem again. This time we were stopped for over an hour. We entertained ourselves by way of games, a short jog to the end of the street and back and anything else we could think of to make the time go by. Luckily the weather was cloudy and pretty cool because it had just rained. It was a perfect day to be stranded at a gas station in the middle of nowhere with only $1 bag of chips that the Mexican gas attendant sold us, that really should have been like $0.25, and water. Haha
After the bus driver worked long and hard on the radiator we head out, yet again. We barely make it to the town we were suppose to stay the night in, Valladolid, before the beeping, yet again, filled our ears. So with our plans already really messed up we just stopped at our hotel and checked in.
This town is a good picture of a Mexican town. There are very few, pretty much none besides us, milling around the streets and staying in the hotel.
The hotel entrance is just a large double door in the side of the building front, just like any other store entrance on the small crowded street. When you enter the hotel you go right into the dinning area of the restaurant. It is all open air, so the heat and humidity just follow you wherever you go. As I said before, it is cloudy so that makes it nice. The décor is what I consider authentic Hispanic décor. Diego Rivera paintings on the wall, fountain in the middle of a courtyard, high arcs, plants everywhere.
I really feel like I’m in Mexico now. But it is a good thing. I like it.
Across from the hotel is a little park. It is beautiful with trees all around and a fountain in the middle. There are vendors lining the sidewalk selling all sorts of Mexican trinkets. I was a tourist today… I bought a Mexican dress from one of the ladies. It is beautiful. The dress part is white with beautiful big colorful flowers embroidered around the top around the collar and around the bottom. The underskirt or slip is hand sewn embroidery and is only white. Many of the women walking the streets are wearing this type of –vestida- dress. I’m so excited about my authentic Mexican moo moo! Haha
We made our way round to a beautiful old Catholic church that was filling with people as it was about to hold mass.
We found lots of Mexican stores, like the ones we learn about in the Spanish books like la Panaderia- bread store, la Zopateria- shoe store, la joyeria- jewelry store, la paleteria y halederia- ice cream store, even a pet store selling baby chicks.
We tried some amazing strawberry sherbet type ice cream.
It was a pretty uneventful day as far as going and doing things but it was still an exciting day!

"Everything's better, down where it's wetter, under the sea"

May 28, 2008
Talum- Mayan ruins : The first sight seeing excursion of our trip.
Well it was a hot one today! Whew! We walked a little less than a mile to the site of the ruins from where our bus let us off.
We didn’t get to stay very long but while we were there we listened to the guide tell us the history of the Mayan ruins. We learned about the different gods, specifically the main god – the honey bee god, which is an upside down figure representing fertility.
The Mayans built their temples at the top of a cliff to be closer to the gods. We got to look off the cliff into the Caribbean Sea. It was beautiful! The view from on top was amazing. The blue water as far out as you could see and the waves crashing against the cliff on the edges of the little inlet and there were people swimming in the area directly below us.
When we got back from our exciting ruin sightseeing a group of us went snorkeling. That was another exciting adventure. We got on the boat and rode for about 10 minutes along the shore out to a spot on the reef. We were only about 200 ft off the shore. We put our equipment on which was quite an interesting feat. I had never worn flippers before so I was having a really tough time working them. When I got in the water it took me a little while to get use to them as well as the snorkel mask. I had never been snorkeling before so it was all so new to me. Its rather exhausting! It was really neat though just staying on top of the water and being able to see everything in the reef so clearly. We had to be really careful because it was pretty shallow, only about 6 ft, less in some places. We saw all sorts of different fish. Tan fish with black stripes- I named them zebra fish. Fish that looked like the rainbow fish from the book. There were rainbow fish with bright blues and green colors, some with light neutral colors, and others with reds and browns. It was really fun to see them all swimming around in their natural habitat, to be able to swim with them and follow them around. I enjoyed finding schools of fish and trying to follow them. I felt like Ariel from The Little Mermaid as I flipped my fins and swam around. It was great! Several times I saw schools of a certain type of fish, like the zebra fish and then there would be one random pretty rainbow fish that stuck our amongst them. I also saw a Dori fish that looked like Dori from Finding Nemo swimming with a school of zebra fish. The reef was pretty too and all different shapes and heights.

After about 30 minutes of swimming with the fish we made it to the boat which had moved down to the other side of the reef and we ended our underwater adventure. I was pretty exhausted!

We ate a really fancy dinner at one of the restaurants you have to make reservations for. Everyone looked so nice all dressed up. We were learning propper ediqate as we enjoyed our fancy meal. It was really fun. White wine, soup, salad, fish and steamed vegetables and flan for dessert. It was very good and very fun! This country girl is breaking out of her shell more and more every day! haha
It was a fun day full of new and exciting things. I just love getting to do things I dont normally get to do!

Vivo Mexico! And so it begins...

This summer is going to be one like never before...

5 weeks in another country... Woo hoo!! How exciting is that! Not only do I get to experience something new, learn about a culture first hand, improve my Spanish skills and get credit for doing it... I get to serve the Lord in a whole new place! Did I mention I am excited?! I dont know what the Lord has in store for me down in Cuernavaca, Mexico but I am puttiong my complete trust in Him that He is in control and He is worthy. I cant wait to see how the days unfold and where the Lord calls me to meet Him in his work. I am truly blessed at the opportunity to do this! So... with my bags packed, my passport pages longing to be stamped and my camera ready to capture every moment... voy a Mexico!!

May 25, 2008

We arrived in Cancun today. When we drove up to the resort I had to push my jaw closed because I was in such disbelief at where we were staying. The beautiful Cancun Palace. Never before in my life have I felt so ritzy and luxurious. As we were checking in they had yummy and pretty refreshing drinks already waiting for us at the counter. There were even wet towels to cool us off from the heat outside. I pretty much walked around in shock the whole time we were there. Not really of course but I felt like such a country girl because every time I would find something else that was cool or fancy that I had never seen before I got very excited, and that was a lot!

(i didnt write a lot after this for a while so I will have to go back and fill in the gaps...)

May 27, 2008

Today we went to the Centro Mercado near our resort in Playa del Carmen. We walked about 15 minutes into town. It was really hot. My friend Kelly and I found some really neat shawl/wraps for only $7.00. They are really neat and made of very soft material. They work good as a swimsuit coverup, skirt, dress... it has many uses. We came across a Starbucks which was really exciting! They had free internet access and we took advantage of that for a while. I bought some freshwater pearls from a pearl shop that had all kinds of different pearls. I was so excited! I could have bought them all, but I limited myself to one strand and a pair of earrings to match. They are a pretty grayish blue color.
As we made our way farther in we came across the typical Mexican vendors that stood outside their stores trying to lure you in to buy all their “very pretty things… quality made… you come look!” We made it through without too much difficulty. Surprisingly we saw a live statue as we were going to the shops. He was painted sliver with glitter from head to toe. Bling Bling!! He was definitely blingin. It was really cool and unexpected. I tried to get him to move by saying things to him but he never did. He made a good statue.
At dinner we were serenaded by a Mariachi band. They did a great job. I was glad to finally see a real Mariachi band.

The show of the evening was a professional Mexican dance group. They performed the Baile foclorico. It was amazing! They did so good. Their colorful dress and perfectly in step routines to go with the various songs was quite a show. It makes me want to be one... mostly just because their dresses are so stinkin cool! I want one of those multicolored, multilayered dresses that look so pretty when you twirl them and dance with them. haha

"I, always believed in futures"

When I started college, graduation was something I couldn't even grasp. Fightin' Aggie Class of 2009 - WHOOP!! That was a long time away and of course I never really thought fully about what would happen after I took my last test, got my final grades, and received that little paper that said Bachelor of Arts in Sociology... It was all way too far off!

I never thought that I would get to the point I am at now, look into my future and be absolutely scared, not knowing what the heck I was going to do next! I especially never considered the idea of graduating a semester early!! Earyl? Why would anyone ever choose to graduate early? Why choose to grow up faster? They must be crazy! Well, I guess I have officially tipped my rocker because I have now become one of those people. Of course nothing is set in stone yet, and it won't be until I actually do... take my last test, get my final grades and receive my diploma... but that is the way my life is starting to point.

So as I have been contemplating this new twist in my life the Lord has so clearly put on my heart, I have started really thinking about those foreign things people older than me talk about sometimes that I just sort of zone out thinking, 'Man, I've got plenty of time before I have to deal with that.'

Things like jobs- those things you sort of have been planning to do the whole time you've been in college and changed your major several times because you couldnt decide which job you would like best...

Those real things that people like my parents have and are essential for other little things like, paying bills, which are essential for having the three absolute essentials in life that everyone knows about- food, clothing and shelter!!

I mean, that is deep! In my young, so close to 21 I can almost taste it, literally, mind I am not to the point where independence is really tangible yet. I thought I had reached that milestone when I came to college... soon to figure out that was just a small bump on the road of dependant-on-my-parents highway! Sure I have to pay some of my own bills and I have a job and my own bank account now, but being grown up, not going to school, having a full time job, not getting to go for days without showering (j/k)... say what?? Hold the phone! Did I fall asleep in class and dream all this up or am I really going to have to be a grown up soon?? HA!

Now my story so far sounds pretty comical, but in reality, the unfolding of events were quite scary! As I started thinking about my future I started having all these questions come to mind:

What about getting married? When is that going to come?


What do I really want to do for a job?


Where will I live, will I stay here, will I move home (HAAA, yeah right!)?


Where is my husband?


What about doing an internship for a while, could I do that?


Am I ready for any of this?


Does God want me to get married?


What about Grad school?


Do I want to go to school 4 more years to study social work and theology?


What about money?


Where is the amazing man the Lord is preparing for me??


So that was sort of a glimps at my freak out. And the same question just happened to keep coming up... hmm... big shocker!


But in the midst of all this, I really was trying to evaluate my life in the Lord and see what would He have me do. What does the Lord really have planned for me? I was trying to read God's mind... where do we get the idea that will work?


I kept thinking about it and trying to come up with the answers or at least eliminate the things I knew couldn't be right.

All the while I was reading the chapter in Her Hands- Wise Women Life Purposefully. In this chapter, Heather points out our main purpose as women, to be man's helpers. So of course as I am reading about this, that little question that won't go away is blaring even louder in my head!

While I am reading, I realize I am missing the big picture! Yes it points out specificly what woman's role is to her husband and family, but it also clearly says that GOD HAS A PLAN!!

Plain and simple, He's got a plan! There is nothing you can do to add to it, change it or mess it up (Priase the Lord!). Why wouldn't I trust him with my future? Do I think he is too weak for the details, as Heather asks? Man, I just need to STOP IT!!


I should be practicing in my life now at this very moment, for my future. I am in training...I should be living to fulfill God's plan for me today, right now! If I am obedient to his word in these things... He of course will show me where I need to be obedient in the big things.


I should be trading my anxiety in for peace, through prayer. I should be putting my TRUST in HIM! I should have FAITH in the Lord's plan for my life and know that in HIS time, he will reveal the next step to me! Obedience is the key!

Jeremiah 29:11- For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you HOPE and a FUTURE!

"I, always believed in futures...I hoped for a better November... say hello to good times...I always could count on futures" ~ "Futures" by: Jimmy Eat World

God's Little Miracles

Tonight I had the privilege of holding the smallest person I have ever held, the youngest, purest, most precious little miracle! It was amazing!

The amazing bundle of joy was Gracyn Lynn Amy! 7.3lb, 19" and oh so beautiful. He belongs to the Amazing Amy's- Wade and Liz, the brother of the smaller Amazing Amy's- Grady and Will. I have had the honor of getting to know this family over the past few months and as I spend more time with them, the Lord continues to bless me and I grow to love them even more! They are truly a God sent and some of the greatest people I have ever met!!

I have never had the opportunity to really be around a pregnant woman before for a long period of time. I have never watched the process of pregnancy or really been a part of it. Sure I have seen my share of movies and T.V. shows and heard many a story but never actually known a pregnant woman close enough to walk with her through the pregnancy. I was pretty much clueless when it came to the reality of having a baby...

I forever will praise the Lord for placing me in the Amy's life at the exact time that He did to be able to experience such an amazing process. God is so big and mighty yet his plans are so intricate and perfect and I am constantly seeing the evidence of this resound through my life! It is breathtaking how AWEsome our God really is!

I only got to be a part of the last few months of the pregnancy but even in those few short months... the Lord has taught me so much. I have such a different perspective now than I did before. So of course, when it gets down to the end and momma is really ready to pop that baby out,I was there, waiting in anticipation with her. We even enjoyed a nice walk around the mall to try and walk the baby out! Haha, I guess it sort of worked because the next day... January 15, 2008, Gracyn arrived into the world at 6:02pm.

So this evening... anxious to see this beautiful creation from our Lord, I make it to the hospital. As I am waiting at the elevator one of the nurses is standing there waiting as well. She asks me where I am going and I say the 3rd floor. She asks who I am going to see, so I tell her The Amy's. Grinning she says, ah you're here to see the Amy's. What a sweet girl! And I agree and we talk for a few minutes about how they are such a great family and that I am very excited to see the new little one. I thought it was so cool how she knew exactly who Liz was and even though she didnt know her well, she could tell what kind of person she was. Even in birth, or i guess- especially in birth, God's light is shinning through us to those around us. We both go our separate ways, she is off to help deliver another baby and I am off to witness my first, as close to birth experience, I've ever had, besides my own birth of course.

I walk into the little room and see a girl- Chelsea at the foot of the hospital bed holding the baby, Liz sitting up in bed fully clothed, looking as beautiful as ever, Megan sitting next to her and Wade standing by the bed. Tears well up in my eyes as I am overwhelmed with the amazing sight, the baby, so quiet and tiny and there was such a sense of peacefulness throughout! I almost felt as if I should be looking onto this scene from a window or something so as to not contaminate it or mess it up with all the hustle and bustle I had just been a part of not 3 minutes ago outside the hospital. But immediately as I sit down on the foot of the bed next to Chelsea and Gracyn I feel calm, and warm, and happy all over! It was like everything else melted away. It didn't matter that I was meeting people at 8, it didn't matter that I had not eaten dinner, all that mattered was this tiny baby lying before me!

Again, God continues to bless me!! I feel so honored to have been able to be a part!
Liz, wonderwoman, who looked as beautiful and happy as ever, her normal self, you would have never known that 24 hours ago she was giving birth!! I pray that when the time comes for me, I will have amazing recovery like her and just bounce right back!!! WOW!
And then Wade, so gentle, so loving, again I had tears well up in my eyes just watching him interact with his newborn son! What a sight!
Then, so nervous and unsure, I was able to hold him! With a little coaching from everyone and some adjustments I got to hold little one day old Gracyn Lynn Amy in my arms and watch him sleep, and flutter his eyelids as he dreamed and scrunch his nose and yawn and purse his lips together... and experience God's creation on a dynamic like never before!
Wow! Amazing! It makes you warm and happy all over, but at the same time it makes me cry because it is just so beautiful! Life is so precious!

We are so blessed! Praise YOU Lord! YOU alone are worthy!

Will You Write Me A Love Song?

"I'm not going to write you a love song,
cuz you ask for it, cuz you need it,
I'm not gonna write you a love song,
cuz you tell me it's make or break in this
or you're on your way,
I'm not going to write you a love song, today."

That is the chorus to my latest life song
My obsession has taken new form... now in the words of "Love Song" by Sara Bareilles.

The really intriguing thing about the lyrics to this song is that when you really read them and think about them, they have such depth! They are empowering words for a woman... she is standing up for herself. No more letting yet another guy walk all over her, demanding her to do things, or leaving her hurt...

Head under water and you tell me, to breath easy for a while,
but breathing gets harder, even I know that.
Made room for me, but its too soon to see,
If i'm happy in your hands, I'm unusually hard to hold on to.
Blank stares at blank pages, no easy way to say this
You mean well, but you make this hard on me...

(chorus)

I learned the hard way, that they all say things you want to hear,
My heavy heart says deep down under your twisted words,
your help just hurts. You are not what I thought you were.
Hello to high and dry.
Convinced me to please you,made me think I need this too,
I'm trying to let you hear me as I am...

(chorus)

Promise me you'll leave the light on
to help me see with daylight, my guide, gone
cuz I believe there's a way you can love me because I say...

(chorus)
Babe I'll walk the seven seas when I believe there's a reason
for me to write you a love song, today.

Very interesting...
As I ponder these words and search for the meaning, I wonder why someone would write this? What inspired Sara to write this... what happened in her past to where she finally had enough and took a stand?
I can not help but hurt thinking of how easily girls fall under that spell guys cast. They become so attached, so obsessed, so unhealthily involved that they will do just about anything they ask. They are so intertwined and they feed off the attention, whether it is actually good or not becomes irrelevant because as long as it is attention, even for just a fleeting moment, they can feel special.
The truth is, I've been there... maybe not to that extreme, but close enough... I've had those thoughts, I've longed for the attention of guys and I've tried to please... and I've also felt the pain that comes right along with all of that when... the attention span snaps and they are on to something new, when you don't seem good enough, when they have had enough of this game and are on to the next... when you are left wondering?? Left crying... racking your brain for what you could have possibly changed to make it better, going over the situation over and over again, thinking of how to fix it next time... but never, ever getting there. So you move on to someone new thinking maybe this time it will be different. Maybe he really means what he says. Maybe i will be satisfied if I just have him. The games begin, back and forth, maybe even trying new things to make you win a little faster or grab their attention even more, all the while degrading yourself and the very masterpiece God created. The longer it goes on the more you compromise yourself and your morals and the harder the sting in the end. It never fails... thirst for that kind of attention always leaves you even more thirsty than before, never satisfied.

But... ah ha... there is hope! There is a way to stand up and say NO! To stop playing the games, to heal the wounds, to stop new ones from forming, to quench your thirst and to be satisfied...

That, comes in the truly amazing mercy and love of our Heavenly Father!! HE gives you attention when no one else will, HE loves you when it seems like no one else does, HE makes you feel special, HE thinks you are perfect the way you are, HE does not require you to do anything to gain His love because nothing you can do is good enough, HE will quench your thirst and HE will truly satisfy when no one else will and because no one else can. There is nothing you can do to make that go away once you have honestly found it and there is nothing anyone else could offer that would ever be as good as what you find in HIM!

And that... is sort of what this song represents... on a very small, tiny and distorted scale... and that is what I think of when I look deep into the words and see where it moves me. I might have gotten a little carried away... but you got the point I hope.

Don't read my thoughts and be saddened... rejoice with me in who God is! Give HIM the praise!

So bounce your shoulders, sing the words, twirl around and be confident in who you are in HIM!! You are free, God has set you free!!!

Write HIM a love song.... today...

Feliz Nuevo Ano

3-2-1 Happy New Year!! The ball drops, you kiss (if you're lucky) or hug the special person close to you and go on celebrating yet another year to come. Laughter, cheering, toasting, remenicing... all happening on this one night when we get to watch time roll over, ending one year and bringing in the next.



This year, New Year looked a whole lot different. No big party, no fancy cloths or even any make-up at all, no big dinners, no music, no New Years Eve shows to watch on t.v., not even a t.v. at all... I say all that like it was a bad thing that I didn't have any of that, but really, it was not bad at all. I played games with some of the younger people on our trip who chose to stay up unlike most of the others. We laughed and had fun and at 10:55 Mexico Time, 11:55 Texas time, we played Ring-Around-the-Rosies as quietly as we could so as to not wake everyone sleeping until the clock turned 11, (12 Texas) and we all jumped up and down and hugged and wished each other a Happy New Year! We didn't even stay up to bring in the New Year for the Time Zone we were in. But even though it was a little different than many New Years Eve's in the past, it was still great.