Amazed Doesn't Even Cover It

 Yesterday (Sunday) marked day one of, what I can already tell, is going to be one of the best vacations of my life.

After laying on the beach all day long, the family and I headed to Oma’s on Anna Maria Island for pizza, as we do every year. After stuffing ourselves with delicious authentic Italian food, I marveled at the colorful buildings and the quaintness of Anna Maria as we walked in and out of some shops before heading to get ice cream.

           

Enjoying a scoop of brownie batter ice cream while watching the sunset was, what I thought, the ending to a perfect day. How wrong I was.

As we drove home, I stared out the window into the night, suddenly overcome when I realized that the crystal clear sky would be showcasing a gorgeous display of stars once darkness completely descended. I knew that once we arrived back at the condo I would be taking one last trip to the beach before calling it a day.

I don’t know how, but sitting on the sand, hearing the waves crash against the beach, and seeing the astronomical heavens collide with the water into one giant, black canvas stirs my heart every time I see it. The second I sat down I was immediately aware of the contrast my smallness against the universe, and amazed at how in light of this, all the finicky problems of everyday life seem to just melt away. In those moments, all I wanted to do was talk to my Father. I felt God’s presence as the stars flickered over my head, and now, my greatest desire is to be back on the beach under the entire galaxy, just Him and me, praising Him for AWESOME He is.

Tonight I know where I will be.

What I Miss About Being a Kid

Some days I wish I was Agnes.


1. Frozen Go-Gurts

I saw a kid with one at the pool and wanted to take it and run away

2. Feeling protected by the life-guards

I sure hope I never drown because someone would have to go in after me AND the scrawny 14 year old guard trying to save my life

3. The thrills of candy sneaking

Seriously, hiding candy in your room and eating it whenever you wanted was so exhilarating

4. Playing in the street

Ok, this one sounds sketch, but our cul-de-sac is closed off so we have a big loop of road that my dad and I used to play on with a giant rubber ball 

5.  McDonald's Happy Meals

Pure joy in a convenient, oddly shaped cardboard box

6. Beanie Babies

My most prized possessions at one point

7. Tire swings

In kindergarten, it was a sport.

8. Last Day of School Hoopla

Remember when the last day of the year used to be fun?!

9. Fads

Beanie Babies, tomagotchis, Pokemon cards, yo-yos, gel pens, and ANYTHING that came from the vending machines at Skateworld.

10. Catching lightning bugs/sparklers on the 4th of July

Both SO enthralling at the time.

You Wish, You Wish, You Wish You were a Starfish.

"Hey campers, my name is Coco! What's my name? (COCO!) I live in O-HI-O and go to Indiana Wesleyan University, Gooo Cats!"

This was the first of many introductions to be made at cheerleading camps across the nation.

Last week marked Week 1 of FCC Summer Camps. The week was busy, busy, busy, but also incredible, as I grew closer to my fellow staff members, had some fun, and watched God at work.

The week really began 2 Saturdays ago when we bade goodbye to the Texas staff who had a 2 day drive ahead of them. I was sad to see our staff now split in half, but happy that I would get a nice break before starting camp.

After we received our summer schedules from Cary Coleman, we went to the Rice's house to hang out, do, laundry, and EAT! The Rice family consists of the nicest people on the planet, who lovingly open their home to FCC staff and treat us like we are their own children. After being at a hotel or a sticky college campus for a week, going "home" and eating incredible food is such a blessing.

On Sunday, the staff hit the hotel pool. Unfortunately we didn't last long there, though, as the sweltering Georgia heat made being in the sun for any extended amount of time unbearable. We gathered to go to church that evening, and I was very excited about the church which we planned to attend. I had heard people talking about Passion City Church all week, and had taken note of the fact that Chris Tomlin was the worship leader there. The church building itself was incredible, not like any other traditional church I had ever seen. The worship was high energy and exciting, and, though Chris Tomlin was overseas doing missions, it was lead by Kristian Stanfill, a fantastic singer and extremely attractive individual. 

The message spoke by head pastor Louie Giglio was my favorite part of the experience, however. He talked about forgiveness, and how when we are forgiven by God we are set free, and don't need to carry around the guilt from our sins any longer. The sermon was just what I needed to hear before beginning a summer of ministry, and praised God with everything I had for setting me free.

On Monday, the staff prepared to make the hour long journey to Emmanuel College in Franklin Springs, Georgia. We practiced our Varsity All-Music Demo at the FCC main office in the morning before grabbing lunch and driving in the staff van to the college. Once we arrived, we practiced some more and began setting up for camp, as the campers were due to arrive the next morning.

Tuesday marked the day all of us had been eagerly anticipating, the beginning of camp!

I loved performing in front of the campers, and easily fell into the routine of the first day. I fell asleep happy that night, knowing that I was right where I was supposed to be.


The rest of camp seemed to pass quickly although we worked extremely long days. Even though cheerleading is obviously a huge part of the job of an FCC instructor, I found that my favorite aspects of camp were glorifying God through cheerleading and building relationships with the campers. One squad that really captured my heart was a varsity team of 18 who were assigned to be my "Faithful Buddies" for the week. These girls from the Atlanta area always had a smile on their faces, and even though they were extremely talented, never walked around with a cocky attitude. By the end of the week, I wished that I had more time to get to know each of them on a deeper level.


Throughout the week, I also bonded with my fellow staff members as well. On Wednesday night, we sat in a circle and prayed together long after the campers had left for the night, and  the very next day God showed himself faithful by answering some of the very prayers that had been lifted up the night before. Thursday night marked the final evening of camp, and, after some rigorous condition, the staff celebrated by getting food at a cute local diner. After  getting filled up on a blueberry waffle and some sweet potato fries, we all ended up sitting in the hall and sharing our "Highs and Lows" for the day and the week, which basically turned into a laughing-so-hard-you-can't-breathe session at some of the ridiculous stories shared.


Friday, after camp championships, we packed up the vans and headed back to headquarters, and the next morning at 8:45, I was on a plane bound for home, still in cheerleading mode, making up routines in my head. I couldn't believe that Week 1 of FCC Summer 2011 was over, and even though I had vacation to look forward to this coming Friday, I was slightly bummed that I didn't get to stick around for one of the Week 2 camps. 


Even though I was only away for two weeks total, I can already tell that God is doing major construction work on my heart. I've learned that comfort zones are over-rated, and that if God calls you to something, He will give you all the tools you need to complete it. I already love FCC and my staff family, and am so excited to see what the rest of the summer brings.


"So let us fix our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." 
2 Corinthians 4:18

I miss these people.

5, 4, 3, 2, 1....BOOOOM!

It is amazing to me how much my life has drastically changed in the short span of the last five days. Over the course of this week I have learned so many lessons spiritually, in cheerleading, and teaching, and have met the people who will become like family to me as we travel together this summer. 

I am now a part of an organization called FCC which stands for the Fellowship of Christian Cheerleaders, which travels the country and teaches cheerleading camps for middle and high school squads across the country. This week all the staff members came together for what we call "work week" to learn how to run a camp effectively and also get to know each other.

Addi and I left for Georgia Monday morning and I grilled her on what the atmosphere was going to be like when we arrived. I have never been a big fan of new things and change, so I was nervous about what I would encounter upon our arrival. I was (and still am!) so thankful that I  had her to help talk me through each step of the process and lovingly answer any questions that I asked.

Work week officially began on Tuesday evening, and the directors wasted no time in getting us sweating. We started out with tumbling, and quickly moved to stunting, where I was placed as a base. I hadn't based anything more than a prep before in my life, so my stomach cringed with nerves as I began putting up different stunts. Some stunts I performed well for not having much experience, but others didn't come as easily. I was really beginning to feel discouraged when disaster struck.

I was basing a girl doing a full-down, and when she twisted around, her elbow drilled me in the cace. It hurt, but I was prepared to just walk it off before jumping right back in, that is, until I saw the way people were looking at me. I felt my upper lip and drew my fingers back, covered in blood. I ran to the bathroom and placed myself in front of the mirror to assess the damage. I had a X about a quarter of an inch long on my top lip, and, after noticing my top teeth covered in blood as well, a wound on the inside of my mouth too.  When I had made contact with the elbow, it had pushed my lip under my teeth, so I had essentially bitten right through my upper lip. 

Three hours later I was sitting on a bed in the emergency room, wincing as the physicians assistant slathered up my wound with super glue, discouraged, and desperately wanting to be somewhere else.

Over the following days I was not allowed to do much stunting for fear that I would bump my lip and cause it to split open again. On Day 2 of work week I assumed the nickname "Scarface," which, by the end of the week, I responded faster to than my own name. 

Work week was run like the camps that we will be putting on in the weeks to come, with opportunities for hands on experience as well as some note-taking sessions. The only spare moments to be had were at mealtimes, and getting more than 6 or 7 hours of sleep a night was a major accomplishment. FCC staff stunted, tumbled, laughed, and ached together constantly, and at the end of every evening, worshipped together at the hotel.

The week proved to be a very challenging experience at many times. I often battled feelings of inadequacy and insecurity, wondering why I had been chosen for staff when it seemed that I was one of the the least talented people present. I was also very overwhelmed and scared about all the responsibilities I would have once camps began, and fought tears often. I was so thankful for every encouraging word that was spoken to me during the long days, whether it was about my facials, or how tight my motions were, because each kind word lifted me up more than anyone could have known.

The very last night of work week, Cary Coleman, the president of FCC spoke to us and asked us to surrender any junk that we might have in our lives that would hold us back from reaching campers for Christ this summer. He listed off several areas of life that may need to be reconciled before God, and when the words "fear and insecurity" came out of his mouth, I felt my heart knocking around in my chest. I had been battling fear and insecurity for days. So, last night I surrendered my negative feelings, and prayed and talked with my dear friend Addi.

I really hope that over this summer, God will use me. I'm not the most talented cheerleader ever, but in the Bible, the ordinary people God used for extraordinary purposes were not always the best of the best in their arenas either. Gideon was called into battle despite his weaknesses, Moses was called to speak Pharaoh despite his speech problem, and David was called to kill Goliath despite his age. Therefore, I am choosing to trust that I will be equipped with everything I need to make a difference in the lives of cheerleaders where ever I end up, form lasting relationships, and have a lot of fun with my staff members along the way. 

My family for the summer. I'm on the right hand side in bunny ears, making a funny face because the glue on my lip made smiling with teeth impossible. Stay tuned for many pictures of me making stupid faces on Facebook, folks.

We Will Still Be Friends Forever

How is it possible that a full year has already passed since my last day of high school? Since  my anti-climatic homecoming from college, many nostalgic feelings have arisen concerning my days spent with the Dayton Christian class of 2010.

Especially these people. 

Those lovely ladies are Emily, Addi, Morgan, Lauren, and I. Five of the coolest people you could ever meet, and the five best friends that anybody could have. I love them so much and am extremely thankful that even though we've been apart from each other for the duration of our first year of college (well, besides Lauren, Addi, and I), we have been able to pick up right where we left off and continue operating as a unified front. 

I hope and pray that we truly do stay friends forever.  

Love you, Em, Add, Mo and Lo. 

A Day with My Beautiful Middle Sister (A Successful Weekend Part 2)

Last Saturday after driving back from Columbus, I had the opportunity to spend the day with Marissa while my parents took Bethany to her soccer tournament (which her team won, go CUSA!). I haven't a day with the feisty middle schooler all to myself in ages, and I was excited to do some fun things just the two of us. 

We watched movies, made salsa (from scratch!), cooked ourselves a dinner of quesidilla's, went to Yogurt Mountain, then finished the night by making bracelets from beads and hemp. It was a a blast to say the VERY least.

Making the salsa!

Look at that girl in the middle. She is growing up right before my eyes! As a sixth grader she's beginning to have insecurities about her looks which makes me sad. Look at her! She is stunningly beautiful. I'm going to be running lovesick boys off our property left and right in a few years. I love Marissa Abigail so much, and am in awe of the amazing person she is becoming.

The Grand Columbus Adventure. (A Successful Weekend Part 1)

After a week of laying in the sunshine and devouring several good books, I was beyond excited to take a mini road trip to hit the town with my beloved friend Liz! Liz and I, along with our buddy Hannah (who we miss very much!) pride ourselves on discovering hidden gems in the form of quirky shops that sell quirky things, consuming exceptional food, and finding an adventure to be had no matter where we go. 

(Read all about one of our previous excursions here!)

After a drive in which I encountered giant farm machinery, frustrating construction workers, and a dispute with my GPS, I finally arrived at Liz's front door, eager to begin a day packed with excitement!

The first item on our agenda was a stroll through downtown Columbus. We found a goldmine of cute little stores to peek into between enjoying the sunshine of the day.

Among these shops was a wedding dress boutique called Big Rock Little Rooster. The couture gowns took Liz and my's breath away! I'm not planning on getting hitched for a loooong time, but when I do find myself with a ring on my finger, Big Rock will be the first place I go in searching for "the" dress.

As we continued to walk, the heat and the scent of summer in the city began making both of us hungry. Stomachs growling, Liz and I headed for the North Market. I had no idea what to expect when we pulled up, but once we walked inside I was instantly in awe! The North Market in Columbus is basically a giant building filled with every kind of delicious food known to mankind. Literally! The market consists of dozens of vendors selling dishes from all over the world, along with produce and other groceries. 

Liz and I had a feast of a lunch. We couldn't decide on just one dish, for there were simply too many options to chose from! Therefore we decided to munch on a slice of pizza, pad thai, sushi for the midday meal, and topped it off with scoops of Jeni's ice-cream for dessert.

Delicious. 

After lunch, we headed to Easton. Unfortunately, I still fall into the category of "poor college student" since my summer job has not yet begun, so most of the afternoon I spent looking at beautiful things and wishing with all my might that money wasn't such a hard thing to come by.

By the time we headed out of Easton, Liz and I were both exhausted from shopping for hours  on end, so we drove back to her house to formulate our game-plan for the rest of the day and eat dinner with her family. 

After eating dinner, we headed to the other end of town to check out a cool organic grocery store (Liz and I obviously share a love for food) and play with cute animals at Petland! Unfortunately, the puppy we chose seemed to have some kind of anxiety issue and wouldn't play with us no matter how hard we tried. 

One last photo to top off the great day.

This is us excited about our future lives as next door neighbors in cute apartments in the city, shopping everyday and frequently eating sushi on our lunch breaks together before going back to our super high paying jobs. ;)