I'm going to start a revolution from my bed...

I have recently been thinking how great it would be if I could pause at age 23 and stay there for the rest of my life.





Life has been so fun and so enjoyable this summer. It has been adventure after adventure this summer with my friends and I can't get over how fun I think life is.





We've been learning what it means to live out the gospel in out own ways and together. We may have a different way of doing it, we may have different defintions of community, church, and communion... but that is why life has been so enjoyable. Living out the gospel with your friends and with the least of these has me so thankful that my life is what it is. I am so thankful that my life includes the people it does...





Friday night we went down to Shakesphere in the park... emily and I rode our bikes down... picked up some wine at the local Kroger... and met up with Jonny, Jonathan, Kelly, Greg and the others for the play. We didn't get very far before a storm hit, really bad, so we took cover under a tree. We played around for a bit... attempting to build shelter. We lost a few members here and there and before I knew it, Kelly, Jonny, Jonathan and I were playing in the pouring rain. We had a dance party... a cartwheel contest... we ran... we spun... we got up on the stage and performed... and felt extreme joy in laughter.





We finally decided to take shelter in a nearby building where we considered spending the night at...

Once the storms settled down we decided to head back... thankfully the boys rode emily and i's bikes back to f-ton.

The only logical thing to do after a night like that was to head back to the boys and have a dance party... wet... and that we did. It may have been one of the best dance parties of all times. We eventaully all ended up on the floor (after our circle/ hand holding dance) where we then laid for a hour or two talking.

The safeness of love, acceptance, laughter, and fun in these friendships is refreshing. It's great to have friends who can be weird with you...

Triathlete in completion...

The much awaited triathlon finally arrived... and I did it! It was extremely hard... but I am thankful for the wonderful team that I had to do it with...

Us swimmers just before the race...My partner in crime... and my strength the entire day

My wonderful team of friends! It was 90 degrees by the time we started the 14 mile bike... which made it pretty miserable but we finsished it and that was the goal!

I took a week off... but now its back on for more training for our tri in October!

woot woot.

Triathletesforlife.

Reminders...

I remembered last Wednesday night why I love my life so much at times...

Hearing the honest and passionate words of my homeless friends brings laughter to my soul and tears from the love I have for them...

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only 'forgotten' son..."

"I took myself to the hospital because I couldn't breathe and they incubated (meaning intubated) me!"

"Dear God, I pray that you all in this circle survive forever."

They say these prayers/ words with such sincerity, confidence, and love and I am reminded to give thanks that this has become part of my life... and an even bigger part of my prayers.

Some nights are really heavy and others are light and our laughter brings freedom and while both are good feelings in one sense or another, the nights of laughter provoking freedom and equality are spiritual cleansing for me.

Laughter, true and genuine laughter, shows no differences. When you get to laugh with people it doesn't matter if you are homeless, dirty, and belligerent sitting on railroad tracks or if you rich, oppressive, and clinging to your life. Laughter knocks down all predisposed identities and puts everyone on the same level.

Laughter put me sitting on railroad tracks in the dark... homeless, dirty, and belligerent ... loving life, God, and my brothers... and experiencing fullness like I never have before. There was not another thought in my mind except for being perfectly content and perfectly purposeful.

A stunningly holy moment...

From my dear friend Kelly...

Last Monday I had a "Monday" and I was blessed to have spent that night with my beautiful Jezreel friends and Kelly put into perfect words how the night went...

Mondays
August 12, 2008, 9:02 am
As long as there exist depressing Mondays, here’s to hoping there always also exists spontaneous after-parties (in pursuit of sanity and laughter) with cheap wine, baked-zucchini with Parmesan, debates on absolute truth, Jane Austen action figures, and interviews with wives on behalf of the women terrified of marriage (facetiously considering polygamy…)

Cheap wine, laughter, truth, and awesome friends ARE all you need to turn a Monday right around...

more summer fun...

Kesia and I at the Clippers game for Mike's birthday!

Mohican camping trip 2008... in the mud.

Half of my triathlon team... the northern T.I.T.'s (triathletes in training)
\ Julie and Caleb got married!

By beloved bike... from my beloved Laura and Adam

No Planet... No Party

Life has been fun lately... different. Yet fun.

I started my new job as a Critical Care Nurse for Ohio Health this past Monday and that has been an adventure. It is going to make me really smart and really awesome and I am excited for that. Lot's of work to do before I can start saving lives... just when I thought the learning was done... its back.

I guess that is one of the many good things about being a nurse... you never stop learning. There is always more to learn and more to learn and more to learn...

This is going to be so good.

I am also training for a triathlon on August 24th with seven really fun friends... we started a blog about our journey... http://tittriathletesintraining.blogspot.com/

Check it out and leave us some encouragement!