On the Road

Aubrey Scout Carter

2010-07-29T13:10:00.003-05:00

This has been a great week. You know what makes it great? Is it the problems that I have run into on the job? No. Is it the sadness that I have felt over hearing about friend's struggles? No. Is it everyday reminders that life is fleeting? No. Is it the fact that Scout got to spend the night with me on Monday night? ABSOLUTELY!!!! That kid can brighten any kind of week! Scout is my four year old niece and I happen to think that she is the greatest kid on earth! She can make me laugh harder than anyone else. She can make me do things that I would never do for anyone else. She can make me feel special and loved and appreciated like no one else. If you don't know her, you are really missing out! Here's the little mantra that I recite to her over and over when she's with me, "Do you know that I think you are the smartest girl in the world? Do you know that I think you are the sweetest girl in the whole world? Do you know that I think that you are the prettiest girl in the whole world?" And then I always say, "Do you know what's better than being pretty? Being kind...and the great thing is that you are both!" I really and truely mean all of that! I hope that when she is 35 she will look back and remember that that is what I think of her. I am sure that Matt and Carla get frustrated with the way that I spoil her, but I just want her to know how incredibly grateful I am to have her in my life. Man, God has just been too good to us!!!!

Creative Outlets

2010-03-10T15:33:00.005-05:00

Do you have one? They are so important...at least to me. There are days when I sit in front of a computer all day. Other days, I am leading trips or counseling students, and while that is extremely rewarding, there is always a little restlessness in not being able to create something. I think that we were made to create, because we are made in God's image, and He is the Great Creator. I can remember in college having projects to do and praying that God would give me an idea because nothing has been created that He didn't create in the first place; no thing or concept exists outside of Him. So, for me anyway, I get a

little restless when I don't get to express myself outside of the norm. I have never felt this more than in the last year. Some of you know that I have taken up the hobby of cake decorating. I'm certainly no cake boss, but I love being able to imagine what something should look like and then begin to create it. Sometimes you can tell what it is supposed to be and sometimes you can't. Haha. Cakes are pretty expensive, so I usually have to be asked to make one, but when I am, I get so excited. It really is fun to me. And it makes me proud to show off what God enabled me to create.

During 40 Days of Community, I have had the opportunity to help create the videos for the Sunday services. It has been a blast to sit and brainstorm about what would illustrate a point or idea and make people laugh. I have pushed my abilities and found that I could do a little more than I originally thought possible. We have also been creating Better Together video clips. So a lot of my free time has been spent trying to think of different things that are better together. So here is what I have found...most everything is better together. Decorating cakes is better together. Ideas are always strengthened when more than one person develops them. It is always more fun to share stories, laughter, and even frustration with someone else.

This past weekend I was working on my latest cake, a camping cake for my friend Amy's 30th birthday. My friend David offered

(or was begged) to help. At one point, the pop tarts that I was using to make the tent collapsed. Had I been alone, I may have crumbled with it, but because I had a comrade by my side, I laughed and together we brainstormed about how to make the next one stronger. Things really are better together. And if you don't have a creative outlet...find one. You just may find out that you have a talent that you never knew existed!

Two Best "As Seen On TV" Discoveries of 2009

2009-12-31T09:55:00.004-05:00

Okay, if you have not had the pleasure of using these two inventions, you are getting ready to get so excited. Well, that may be a little too much build up. Haha. But here we go....

The first is the Neti Pot.

This is a strange little pot that you fill with warm salt water and pour into your nose. You pour the water in one nostril and watch it flow out of the other nostril. Nasty right?! Well, its not the most fun activity, but after a little while you feel so much better! It really clears your sinuses! And here's a little hint, CVS has their own version that they are selling at buy one get one half off right now. You can get the refills at half off instead, if you want to. So you end up getting the pot and lots and lots of solution packets for less than $20. Woo hoo!

I saved the best for last. This little gem is called the turbo snake.

You can get this for $10 in the check out line at Wal Mart. If you have long or loose hair (I have both), you need this item!!!!! I have gone through countless bottles of draino. Well, no more! Again, this is a little gross, but it works so well. You run this little mascara wand looking tube down the sink drain and then twist. When you pull it out, you have a wig on the end of it and water will begin to flow down the drain again. There is also one for the tub. This one allows you to pull out two wigs. Haha

Well, I hope that this post will enhance your 2010! Happy New Year! :)

Just call me Martha

2009-11-07T09:42:00.008-05:00

I know that this is really silly, but I am in a slight time of mourning over my Halloween/Fall decorations. This year I made a wreath and decorated a table on my front porch. I also tried my hand at chiseling a pumpkin instead of carving. I was so proud of myself and the total Martha Stewart look of my house. Well, now the wreath is rotting and the chiseled pumpkin is black instead of orange in the chiseled areas. Thursday was trash day, but I just couldn't put them in that big green bin. I may need help letting go. Anyone want to come and load my decorations in the trash can on Wed? Pathetic

Bananagrams....and creation

2009-08-28T18:23:00.003-05:00

If you have hung out with any of the Carters in the last few months, you have no doubt been told about the greatest game to come out since Monopoly...okay its actually a LOT better than that! Bananagrams! Carla discovered this great game and we have been playing non stop ever since. Mom is really addicted and can be found playing alone. Dad tries to use up all of the pieces late at night when he can't sleep. I have had dreams about words that could help you win. You really need to check out this game if you haven't played yet. You can even play it on Facebook, if that is more your speed.

For the last few weeks, Scout has been asking more questions about God. It is exciting to hear her talk about God and ask questions. Her latest thing is to talk about how God made different things. The other day she was asking Matt about how God made the trees. She said, "Did God make the trees?" "Yes, He did." "Well, how'd He do that?" "Well, He just said, 'Tree'...and it appeared. He is just that powerful. It's kind of hard to understand." Long pause. "That is hard to understand. Bananagrams is hard to understand too." Bwahahahaha. How fun to watch her learn and grow! And poor kid, with a family like ours this is just one of many confusing things that she will have to understand.

The Marks of a True Friend

2009-04-13T14:27:00.003-05:00

Thursday was such a beautiful day. We made it through the whole day with no rain and beautiful sunshine. So, I pulled out the spring wear! I put on some white capris and a baby blue sweater and then I pulled out the sequin covered, pastel, ballet slippers. Let me just say, these shoes are TOO CUTE! But, they hurt my feet! They have always been about one size too small and so I always wear them once and then put them back into the closet until next year, when I pull them out having forgotten how much they hurt my feet. Well, the day before, Colette had been telling me about how her mom used to wear tight shoes around with big socks for a day and how they would stretch. So that morning when I put them on and thought they were probably a little too tight, I put big socks on with them while I was getting ready. Let me tell you....that was a sight. But definitely not the funniest thing I would see all day! Well, I took the socks off and they seemed to help a little. By lunchtime, the shoes were starting to hurt pretty good. I ran into David Kay out in the parking lot on my way to lunch. Half joking, I asked David if he would be willing to walk around in my shoes for a minute to stretch them out. Before I knew it, he had his shoes off and was waiting for me to hand them over. So I did. Haha! He put them on and walked around a bit. His only comment being, "Your toes are prettier than mine." Well, it worked. My shoes felt WAY better after that. And I now know that I can go to MY FRIEND, David Kay, with anything! What a guy!!!

The Wonder of it All!

2009-04-09T08:49:00.003-05:00

Have you heard the Easter story lately? I mean I know its Easter and you have thought about it, but have you REALLY listened to or read it lately? Have you pondered it? It is a story full of wonder and mystery. Why would God come and live among us and then die in our place? Why would perfection take on imperfection? Why would people rather have a murderer loose in their town as opposed to a guy they didn't like because they thought He was a heretic? How did Jesus resurrect from the dead? Why didn't Jesus use pyrotechnics to draw attention to the power He had...why use women? Why did Jesus let Thomas touch Him instead of getting angry at his unbelief? Why did Jesus forgive Peter and allow him to lead His church? Do questions make you nervous? Have you already started asking why in the world I would post this? Does it make you a little uncomfortable that you don't have answers to all of them? I mean we know basic answers, but do you really, completely understand how Jesus resurrected? Yeah, I don't either. Isn't that great!

I am reading a book right now by Ed Gungor called religiously transmitted diseases. So far, I am loving it. One of the chapters is called unreligion: recapturing the romance. In it Gungor, after relaying a story about killing a frog as a kid to see what made it tick, says, "It is as though I am uncomfortable with wonder. I find something full of life and , instead of enjoying the mystery of it, I want to dissect it, to figure out the how and why. But dissecting life results in death. And once death comes, the mystery disappears." He goes on to talk about Romans 11:33 which says, "Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!" See, its good to study God's word and to learn more and more about Him. We should all be doing that daily. But don't think for one minute that you are ever going to completely get it. When we "get it", we have missed God! "How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!" That's the wonder of God! And I love it! That is why we are called people of faith. It takes faith to believe what we don't completely understand.

I fly a lot for mission trips. I don't understand how huge airplanes can float through the sky. I don't even understand what goes on in the cockpit. I couldn't even tell you how the engine works. But, I do know that I have been in lots of airplanes and they have all flown. So, with a little fear, I board my plane, and know that odds are pretty good that my airplane will fly. I don't understand all of the things of God. I don't know why He chose me. I don't know why He loves me, other than the fact that He is love. But even that, I can't fully get my head around. But I know that EVERY time I have ever trusted Him in the past, He has been true and faithful. EVERY TIME! And so with no fear, I can put my faith and trust in Him, because He has NEVER failed! Oh the Wonder of it All!

My favorite sport (besides Clemson football)...go figure!

2009-03-21T19:32:00.006-05:00

Do you ever really enjoy something and you have no idea why? Well, I am coming out with a passion that has been hidden up until now. Some of you have heard bits and pieces, but never before have I released all of the information. I don't understand it myself and really it is something that has been coming to me in weird fragments of information for years. So....here goes (in chronological order!) When I was in college I started collecting Santas. My grandfather was the Santa in Seneca for years, so I thought it would be neat to collect them to keep the memory alive. So one day, sometime between 2002 and 2003, I heard about a place where they set up a real live Santa workshop in Sweden. I thought it sounded interesting, but didn't really look into it until 2004, when I celebrated my 30th birthday. See my birthday is in December and so i started thinking that it would be a lot of fun to celebrate my 40th birthday at Santa's workshop (I am a bit of a planner). So I looked this place up and it was way more than I had imagined. It is in Jukkasjarvi, Sweden. There is a hotel there called the ICEHOTEL. Oh my word, I get excited just typing it. This is a hotel that is completely built of ice. The beds are ice, the walls are ice, the restaurant and chapel are ice. Anywhere you might want to sit or lay down is covered with reindeer skins. You can also take camping trips out to places where you can see the Northern Lights. There are sleigh rides in the snow pulled by reindeer and snow mobile trips. And here is the part that I have always been the most excited about.... a dog sled team will come and pick you up from the airport. How cool is that????? So for the last 5 years, I have tried to find companions willing to trek to Sweden with me (so far I am 0 for about 5,429) and I have spent countless hours figuring out when I could go, how much it would cost, and how I can fit all of the activities into the few days I could afford to be there. Ok, so I know you are wondering where the sport title of this blog comes in...well, here it is. Since I have gotten so excited about the possibility of a dog sled team picking me up from the airport in Sweden, I have come to love mushers and sled dogs. Well, in case you didn't know, the 2009 Iditarod is currently underway. It has already been won by three time champ Lance Mackey, but there are still teams out in the tough terrain making their way to Nome, Alaska. If you haven't watched any of the coverage on VS, you should check it out. It is amazing to think about these athletes and what they go through on the race from Anchorage to Nome. It is really cool to see all of the different mushers. There are men and women, young and old. The youngest musher this year is 18 and the oldest is 63. How many sports have such a diverse population of participants? I love it! So...now you all know...I have a weird love for sled dog racing. Go figure!

Life at the Lake

2009-03-08T19:55:00.007-05:00

Today, after church, the Carter family tromped down to Lake Hartwell for a picnic and to see if the snow and rain had helped the sad water situation. Scout and I got out our favorite family quilt, which I was informed Matt had already claimed in the will...haha, and we set out for the sunny part of the yard for our picnic. As we were laying on the quilt, basking in the sun, and telling funny stories about grasshoppers with red toenail polish the two neighbor kids came driving across the yard on a four wheeler. They were having the time of their life and I was a little envious of the fun ride. Their names are Zoey and Bobby and they have got to be two of the coolest kids on the planet. They are getting some life experience that most kids only dream of. They spend a lot of time at their grandma's place at the lake and the rest of the time in the country with 12 goats. Zoey is the oldest, 8, and in the 2nd grade. She was the one navigating the four wheeler. They both know how to fish, clean fish, ride seadoos, and all kinds of other things kids in the country get to do. So today, after the four wheeler ride, Bobby decided that he was going to go turkey hunting. We spent the rest of the afternoon shooting bb guns and watching Bobby turkey hunt. Oh, did I mention that he was turkey hunting with a rake. It was awesome! He had a whole bag of tricks and when he would see a bird, he would sneak toward it with his bag and rake. He had a whistle to attract them and a toy helicopter so that they would think there was another bird in the air. His plan was to attract the turkeys (which later turned to ducks) and then swat them down with the rake. Don't you wish you had that kind of imagination? I do! I miss the days when I could tell the story of a grasshopper with red toenail polish or hunt turkeys with a rake all while thinking it was perfectly logical to do so. When did I get so logical? It's not nearly as much fun!

50 Degrees!

2009-01-21T22:22:00.004-05:00

There is only one thing to say when you are sitting in front of the fire in your flannel pjs and the thermostat is registering 50.

Burrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

What a sense of humor!

2009-01-21T17:04:00.003-05:00

Well the last thing that I wrote yesterday was "looking forward to some good sleep this week ." Last night, when I got home, my upstairs was a little on the toasty side...about 80 degrees. So I turned the thermostat way down thinking that maybe it the heater had just gone on a mad run and was getting ready to go back off. I went downstairs and watched a movie and worked on the computer for a bit and then headed off to bed. Well now the upstairs was about 82 degrees. So I turned off the thermostat and went to bed. It was so hot!!!! I tossed and turned from about 10 pm to about 12:30 am and finally drifted off (or passed out from heat exhaustion...not sure :) ). At 3 am, my dog leaped from the bed acting like he was dying of thirst and headed downstairs. When I followed him into the hall, the thermostat was registering 90 degrees. Oh baby! Talk about a sauna! I headed downstairs and gave Cop some water and let him out in the cold to cool off and I got online to figure out how to fix the thermostat (as if...haha). When I got on the company's website, one of the only directions that I actually understood was "turn off the breaker." Wow! Why didn't I think of that? So that's what I did. By 9:30 am, we were still registering 65 degrees and Copper and I both looked like we had been through it! So here's the good part. After writing that blog yesterday, I laid in bed at 3:30 am this morning thinking. God, you got this! You can fix it! You can make it affordable! You can provide the funds! You can help me think of ways to cut back in other places! Whatever the solution, I'm just going to wait and not worry, because you are in control. You've got this! And pretty soon, I was fast to sleep. Granted the alarm went off 2 and a half hours later, but it was 2 and a half more hours than I would have gotten worrying. I would love to tell you the end of the story, but I don't know it yet. A heating guy came for a little over an hour today and said that he couldn't fix it because it was a mechanical problem and he is sending someone else tomorrow. So we'll see, but I know that no matter what 1. God is in control and 2. I am not going to make this wait about the wait. I am going to hear from God about what He is teaching me about trusting Him. And since the breaker is still shut off, it may be a little easier, because I won't have to listen over the sound of heat roaring through the house. :) Haha

Perfect Peace of Mind

2009-01-20T16:04:00.004-05:00

Wow! Doesn't that sound incredible! A day with no worries, a night full of restful, sound sleep.... mmmmm! Isaiah 26:3 says, "You will keep in perfect peace the mind that is dependent on You for it is trusting in You." Between Greenhouse and the Truth Project I am being bombarded with this thought, "If I really believe that God is who He says He is, then why don't I trust Him with it all?" Maybe I don't believe as much as I say I do. Maybe if I really believed then I wouldn't worry so much. Maybe if I really believed I would not only accept the waits in life, but I would cherish them. And on top of all that, worrying doesn't help at all. In fact, it hinders the process, because it keeps our minds so cluttered that we can't hear clearly from God. So, what's the next step? Well, last week I started using my cellphone less. This week, I am going to stop and give God control every time that I begin to worry. That will probably be something that I have to do over and over and over, but this week, that is my goal. I am going to earnestly try living like God really is who He says that He is, because I know that that is truth! And I am not going to let the wait be about the wait. This week, anyway, I am going to listen harder than ever before and hear what God is saying during the wait. And boy oh boy am I looking forward to some good sleep this week!

Journaling

2009-01-14T14:16:00.003-05:00

Everyone (don't you love that clear as mud indefinite pronoun) says that journaling is one of the greatest things that you can do for your spiritual walk. They (hee hee) are probably right. Journaling, however, is one of the hardest things for me to do! I always start well and then three or four days later fall short of my original goal. I either put it off, quit, or completely quit being honest and start writing as if my journal is going to be the next Diary of Anne Frank. Well, this session in Greenhouse I am teaching a class called What To Do With Your Wait. It is the best class that I have ever taught. I am really loving the material!!!! Except....the author of the study wants us to journal. So here we are a week into it and I, as the teacher, am still trying to figure out how to journal. And then it hit me. I should kill two birds with one stone. So for the next six weeks, my blog is going to become my journal...and I have all of you to keep me accountable. I am going to blog about what God is teaching me through this Greenhouse class. So here goes.....

This week I have really been thinking a lot about how God wants to use the "waiting room" of life to teach us things. There are things in life that I have been waiting for for a little while and things that I have been waiting for a lifetime and I am struggling to learn much in the process. I think I used to be better at it than I am now and I think I may know why.... TECHNOLOGY. I know that sounds really strange, but I think it is true. My cell phone allows me to check my email, text and call my friends, surf the internet (including my facebook page), play games, etc.... My DVR allows me to record all kinds of tv shows that I would normally miss due to work or sleep or life. My IPOD and XM radio allow me to hear the music or comedian or talk show or ball game that I want when I want it. So anytime that I have a spare minute to think or listen or hear, I can quickly find something in life to make noise and fill that space up. And unfortunately, that is what I find myself doing more often than not. When I get lonely, instead of asking God what He is trying to teach me in this "Single" stage in life, I catch myself checking my facebook and email a thousand times a day to see if anyone is planning anything fun. When I begin to think about my finances or my health or a habitual sin that God is convicting me of, I turn on the radio or the tv and drown out the hard lessons that God is trying to teach me. So I am working on not being a technology junkie and on taking time to just listen and hear. I was talking to Marshall about this this week and he reminded me of Psalm 46:10 where it says "Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."

You know, now that I am doing it, I realize even journaling can be a way to think and hear what God is saying. I guess they really are right.

My new hobby

2008-12-27T13:28:00.004-05:00

This year I got one of the best Christmas presents ever.... a KitchenAid Mixer! Yay! I love it!!!! I have taken up a new hobby in the past month. I really enjoy decorating cakes. I'm not that good at it, but it is fun to try and be a little creative. Matt seems to have gotten all of the creative juices in our family, so I like being able to do something a little artistic. Haha. I guess as long as they are as good as what you get by stopping by Bloom on the way to the party, my family will keep letting me make them. Haha! Maybe one day I will get good enough to sell them...but probably not...haha. Anyway, I want to thank Mom and Dad and Ma and Papa for one of the greatest gifts ever!

Did you know that Willy Wonka lived in Detroit?

2008-11-12T16:17:00.004-05:00

In September, several of us on staff went to Granger, IN for the Innovate Conference. On the way, we had a layover in Detroit. Of course, the gate where we landed and the gate where we needed to be for our next flight were on opposite sides of the airport. But this time....that was a great thing! Because had it not been for our trek across Michigan...I mean the Detroit airport...we would have never gotten to take the magical ride through the Willy Wonka factory. Did you ever see that movie? The original? That wondrous magical boat ride was pretty creepy stuff when you were a kid wasn't it? Well, if you are walking through a normal airport in the US and happen upon a tunnel, much like that in Wonka's factory, it can be kind of creepy as an adult. And then you just stand on the moving sidewalk and take it all in and it becomes kind of fun! Kudos to Marshall for going back and trying to capture it on tape...but really...you just have to be there. I'm pretty sure someone tried to lick the wallpaper on the way out!

PS-The video gets really good at 51 seconds!

Willy Wonka's Wonderous Boat Ride

2008-11-12T16:15:00.000-05:00

In case you never saw the original

For the lastest information on the Tigers....

2008-09-13T20:08:00.001-05:00

Ange's Top Ten List

2008-09-10T22:46:00.006-05:00

Oprah does it.... Dave does it..... So why not.....

Angela's Top Ten Lists:

My top ten books of all time.....

10. The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis (7 books)
9. The Newpointe 911 Series by Terri Blackstock (5 books)
8. Uncommon Heroes Series by Dee Henderson (3 books)
7. The List by Robert Whitlow
6. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
5. Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
4. The O'Malley Family Series by Dee Henderson (7 books)
3. Safely Home by Randy Alcorn
2. Deadline by Randy Alcorn
1. The Bible (how can you possibly find anything better....it was written by God)

My top ten songs of all time.....

10. For Every Mountain by Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir
9. Out of the Woods by Nickel Creek
8. Taking My Time by Susan Ashton
7. There is a Line by Susan Ashton
6. Dancin', Shaggin' on the Boulevard by Alabama
5. Sunshine by Billy Miles
4. Fast Car by Tracy Chapman
3. Won't That Be Fine by Ginny Owens
2. Stay (I Missed You) by Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories
1. Gotta Get Back by Shelby Lynne

My top ten coffee shops in Greenville.... see if you can find the pattern

10. Starbucks at Greenville Memorial
9. Starbucks in Targetl
8. Coffee Underground
7. Starbucks on East North Street
6. Starbucks on Woodruff
5. Starbucks Downtown
4. Starbucks on Fairview Road
3. Starbucks on Wade Hampton
2. Starbucks on Pelham
1. Starbucks on Haywood

My top ten favorite clothing stores in town....

10. Gap
9. Dress Barn
8. Mr. Knickerbocker
7. Banana Republic (only during a BIG sale)
6. Macy's
5. Kohl's
4. Steve & Barry's
3. Old Navy
2. Target
1. Belk

My top ten favorite restaurants in town....

10. Little Pigs
9. Red Lobster
8. Red Robin
7. Zaxby's
6. Arizona Steak House
5. Coffee Underground....mmm...the Turkey/Granny Smith Apple Sandwich
4. Thaicoon
3. P.F. Chang's
2. Carrabba's Italian Rastaurant
1. Molina's Mexican Restaurant

My top ten favorite shops in town....
10. This N' That
9. Ten Thousand Villages
8. TWIGS
7. Tuesday Morning
6. Hallmark
5. Pink Azalea
4. Handpicked
3. The Shops at Provence etc.
2. Kendall's
1. Swoozie's

It's A Tough Life!

2008-08-25T13:25:00.003-05:00

I came to work this morning a little nervous about the comments that I would get about the newest addition to my closet. Before I got out of the car, I knew that Robbie would make some kind of joke about my choices hurting his eyes and that dad would probably just shake his head and say nothing, but I never expected such disdain for one simple outfit. It started with Cindy. She was nice enough, but I think the word she used was "interesting" and then she threw in something about fitting in with college students to make me feel better. Next was Ben, followed by Robbie, and even David Nabors got in on the action. I believe it was Taylor Swift that he compared me to (and it wasn't a compliment...haha.) But the final blow came from the depths of the Sr. pastor's office, when he said, "That is THE ugliest outfit you have EVER worn." Now you may think that at this point in the day I am depressed, but there is one thing that you are forgeting.... I'm not working with the most fashion forward group of men to ever live. I work with Ralph Carter, not Ralph Lauren. So I am holding my head high and assuming (regardless of how erroneously it may be) that I am at the top of my fashion game.
By the way, here is what the editor of Style~Heart or Hate had to say about this pic of Jordan Sparks...
"I will admit that I HATED this trend back around 2001 when it first popped up. But now I can't get enough of it. Babydoll dresses, tight dresses, mini-dresses all look GREAT over jeans. The key is in the length of the dress. The dress shouldn't be longer then your knees and the jeans can be cropped or full length, it depends on the look you're going for."

All I have to say is... "2001!!!!"

Oh, and for those of you who don't know the staff well, we all really love each other and have fun giving each other a hard time. If my clothes are all they make fun of...I'm getting off pretty easy!

The Mount Rushmore of China

2008-06-11T09:26:00.005-05:00

When I went to China in 2002 I was so bummed that I flew that far and didn't get to see the Great Wall of China. Isn't it supposed to be one of the 7 wonders of the world? So I was really excited when I heard that my next trip to China would include a visit to the Great Wall. Two weeks ago I began a bus ride from my hotel just outside of Tiananmen Square up to the Great Wall. It was a longer bus ride than I expected. We finally got there and I was so sad to see all of the t-shirt vendors and people yelling "Hey Lady, do you want some chopsticks?" Like everything else in the world, they have turned this into a money making deal. It is hard to enjoy the beauty when there is a monorail going up the side of the thing. Oh well, we bought our tickets and jumped on the monorail. When we got up there it was pretty. We walked up to the top of the wall and took a few steps and a few pictures and then it hit me....yep that's what I thought it would look like. The anticipation was so much greater than the actual experience. I immediately thought of the summer after my junior year of college when my family drove for hours across South Dakota to see Mount Rushmore. We finally got there and stood at the observation deck for about 30 seconds and then looked at each other and got back in the car. It looked like the postcards we had all seen. It was quite the disappointment. I don't know what we were expecting then. I don't know what I was expecting at the Great Wall. Wouldn't it be so much cooler if you had never seen pictures of these places and then stumbled upon them. Even if you had always heard about them, but had never seen them. That would be so cool. Well one thing that I had never heard about did happen that day. You can take the monorail back down or you can luge down. I was a little terrified, but I determined that something about this experience was going to be exciting and memorable. So I got on the little sled and down the Great Wall I luged. How awesome is that!

My mom...

2008-05-07T08:57:00.005-05:00

She is the only one in my family who:
1. can hit a baseball farther than my dad
2. is smart enough to stay out of a lightweight truck in a snow storm
3. sees a spiritual truth in snow
4. can REALLY frown
5. pays you to run a comb down her back
6. thinks dad and Matt are ALWAYS funny
7. makes her taco salad recipe based on whose special day it is
8. thinks I am an expert at anything
9. rents a movie she has been dying to see,
only to fall asleep during the opening sequence
10. can make a tummy ache better just by being there
11. makes the best Sunday dinners
12. lets Matt hit her with an electric flyswatter
13. could be the mom. What a tough job! And she does it like a champ!

I love you mom. You are the greatest! Thanks for all you do!
Happy Mother's Day!

My Tree

2008-04-29T15:27:00.004-05:00

Chris Rice wrote a song titled "My Tree".
On a hill far away stands a tall mighty tree
Where a boy and girl used to take
turns pushing the tire swing
I remember the pocketknife in hand
And her name in my heart
And thinkin' there ain't no way for a boy to contain
The love that he feels inside
So I carved her name into my tree
Then I carved a heart around her name
Then I carved an arrow through the heart
Just to say "I love you"
Now on a hill far away stood an old rugged cross
The emblem of suffering and shame
I remember the nails through my hands
And your name in my heart
And how in their wordless way the nails explain
The love that I feel inside
As they carved your name into my tree
Where I wrapped my heart around your name
Then I took your arrow through my heart
Just to say, "I love you"
Just to say, "I love you"
Now I can never forget how much you mean to me
'Cause I will always remember whenever I see
Where I carved your name into my tree
Where I wrapped my heart around your name
Then I took your arrow through my heart
Just to say, "I love you"
Just to say, "I love you"

Yesterday I had the privilege of taking Scout to see "my tree" in Statesville, NC. When I was about 4 years old, dad and I were walking a little trail at Lakewood Park and he stopped and carved a big heart with the initials AC+RC in it. What a great dad I have been blessed with. He didn't just teach me about God's love...he showed me God's love in the way he loved me! Scout, you have quite a legacy kid!

Running with it....

2008-04-15T14:55:00.005-05:00

One of my favorite things in the whole world is "running with it." For those of you who have no clue what I am talking about, "running with it" is when someone says something (usually not on purpose) and it becomes a phrase that everyone laughs at...over and over and over. I began my love for "running with it" early on. Growing up in the family I did, someone was always doing it. "Catalytic converter" and "God bless you, Christine" are two of my all-time favorites from my childhood. If you are telling me a story about your car and say "catalytic converter," there is a good chance I am going to bust out laughing. Just the other day I went on a prayer walk with a group of people. At the end of it, the guy in charge said, "Can someone tell me what they saw?" I had an immediate internal response. No one there would have gotten it. I told this story to my family and they all said together, "I saw a deer. Well, God bless you Christine." And then we all busted out laughing. No one else (including Carla who was sitting there) would have had a clue what we were talking about. My friends from college can hear something and simultaniously respond, "take luck," "say 8," "I've been struck," etc, etc, etc... My college students know when the proper response is "swing it around Roger." Isn't it fun to know what people are thinking? That is the sign of an intimate, personal relationship. We all need relationships like that! If you don't have one, make one! Sometimes, we have to step out and make that initial move towards a new friendship. You never know when you will meet someone who will become a lifelong friend. Just this weekend, I was with Heather Bedsole who has become a dear friend to me over the years. Thursday night we were playing a game and she looked at me and said, "I had too!" We both busted out laughing. So, shut down your computer, go find a close friend and "run with it!"
Take Luck,
Angela

Born To Be Pampered....part 2

2008-03-24T14:58:00.006-05:00

Well, the poor guy looked like he wanted the earth to swallow him up. He asked us to step back outside and said that he was going to call his boss (the sketchy looking character I had left my keys with). A few minutes later he came back out and said that his boss had left for another job and had three sets of keys in his pocket. So we waited, and waited, and waited...remember we are in Atlanta... Well, while the poor guy working is apologizing for the 5,873rd time, the boss comes screeching into the place where we are waiting. He tosses the keys to the guy working and jumps back in his car...never looking at us. Again, it is amazing how a little pampering can temper your attitude. We tipped the valet (because it wasn't his fault...and we felt sorry for him having to work for the other guy), jumped in the car, and laughed about it the whole way to the hotel. Oh the hotel! My cousin, who lives in Atlanta, had told me about how some of her friends had gotten really good last minute deals on 4-star hotels in Buckhead on Priceline. So we tried it....and it worked! So here we are laid out on the big cushy pillowtop mattresses of the Buckhead Hyatt, talking about old times until it is time to get ready to go out for dinner. This may have been the best part of the whole day. We went to Two Urban Licks. This is now my favorite restaurant in Atlanta. There is free, mandatory valet parking and the best calamari you have ever tasted. Haha! We had a blast!

The tables are super close to each other and so we even shared our appetizer with our neighbors..haha. When the bill came, instead of mints, they gave us suckers. I thought that was a cute touch...get it...licks. Well, we went back and went and laid in the sauna and then went back to the room and talked and watched tv. The next day we slept late and then went shopping. Could this weekend be any better? I submit that it could not! Haha! Always fun to hang out with life long friends!

I think I was born to be pampered! Haha!

2008-02-19T15:39:00.004-05:00

I know that reality is that we all have to work for a living...well maybe not everybody, but the people I hang out with all have to work for a living. I know that we shouldn't be lazy and that we should pull our own weight. I completely understand and agree with all of this. However, every once in a while, a woman should be treated to day of pampering!!!!!!!! Why? Because man o'man does it make a WORLD of difference! My friend Mindy, who lives in Atlanta, called last week and with desperation in her voice said, "I need a night away!" Now, for you men who read this blog, what she was really saying was "I need to be pampered!" So, being the understanding friend that I am, I said, "Do you still have that coupon for the Three-13 Salon and Spa?" And the next day, I was off to Atlanta. When I got to Georgia, we spent that night with her family at their home in Canton. I had a great time seeing her husband, Jason, and their three precious kids, Abigail, Olivia, and Josiah. We ate yummy Italian food, brownies, and watched Celebrity Apprentice. And all of that was a lot of fun.....However, the next morning Mindy and I (in our most comfortable attire) loaded up the car and hit the road....and that is when the fun really started! Our first stop was the Three-13 Salon and Spa. This is a great spa in Marietta, GA where Mindy and I had gone to get facials for her 32nd birthday two years back. So we were back for a second round of facials.For those of you who are thinking that this has to be the most miserable hour of your life....you are SO wrong. It is awesome! When the facials were over they did a make up touch up on us and we were off for lunch. We decided to stop by Chick-fil-A for lunch. There were three major reasons for this decision. 1. We had more coupons...haha. 2. It is Atlanta...there is a Chick-fil-A on every corner. 3. We had big plans for dinner and didn't want to eat too much or spend too much money. After a fun chat over lunch,we set out for our next destination. We drove down to Buckhead and pulled into a Valet lot. A distracted looking character took our keys and nervously we headed into Sugarcoat for "the sweetest mani/pedi in Atlanta." Haha! Actually we opted to skip the mani and just take in the pedi. Now this was a really cool place. As you can see, you don't have the big spa chairs, but you sit on this big bench with pillows all over it. It took a minute to get used to, but once you did it was very comfortable. We had a blast! The two girls who did our pedis were hilarious and very talkative. We talked about the latest fashions and who wore what to the latest awards show and just had a good, girly time. And then the day turned exciting. We went out to get our car and there was a new valet guy there. I gave him my ticket and he went inside. Then he came out...looking a little shaken...and asked what kind of car I was driving. I told him that I had a Honda and he went back inside. A few minutes later he came back out looking very frazzled and asked if I could come and look at his board and spot my keys. Now I am beginning to look a little shaken. I went in and my keys weren't there. He didn't have the keys to my car on his board. Now....do you see how much this previous pampering was helping...I didn't cry or break down and didn't plead with him for information or to call the police...I just stood there and looked at him...
TO BE CONTINUED!

For Such A Time As This

2008-01-21T14:23:00.000-05:00

The college class just finished a study of Esther. Most of you know that the most popular verse in Esther is when Mordecai says that Esther may have been placed in the kings palace "for such a time as this." There are so many times in life, when things happen and I think "God, why are you letting me go through this?". More times than in my own life, I look at the lives of other people I care about and ask that question. More and more I am being reminded that God sometimes allows things in our lives, so that in the future He can place us in places "for such a time as this." Where do you find yourself today? Are you in the middle of something that you don't understand? Maybe it will help someone else in the future. Look around. Is there someone hurting or questioning that could be helped, answered, spurred, or encouraged by your experience. Act now...maybe you are there for this precise reason! God, even though it hurts, thank You for putting me here...for such a time as this.

I always hated Art and Architectural History!

2008-01-21T12:57:00.000-05:00

At Clemson, one of my least favorite classes was Art and Architectural History. This was a required class that took lots of study time and still brought down my GPA. But this morning, I think I have finally figured out a piece of the puzzle. Do you remember "The Scream", an expressionist painting by Norwegian artist Edvard Munch? Ever wonder why he painted it? What must have twisted the mind and feelings of the poor guy who is depicted in the painting? I am pretty sure that this is a painting of a guy named Mikey as he is walking out of a staff meeting where someone said, "Let Mikey do it, he'll do anything." Haha!
Love,
Mikey...I mean Angela

Micah Bradford Griffin

2008-01-07T00:33:00.001-05:00

This has been one of the hardest weekends I remember. Thursday morning, my oldest friend, Mindy Griffin, gave birth to a beautiful 7 pound, 11 ounce little baby boy named Micah. Sometime between 6 and 7 pm Thursday night, he passed away. Friday through Sunday I was blessed with being able to be with Mindy and her husband, Jason, and their other three children. My heart breaks for them and for Micah's grandparents and aunts and uncles. It was amazing to see the strength of Mindy and Jason. I know that they are hurting, but they are drawing strength from Christ. I was reminded again this weekend (and especially today) of how much comfort, encouragement, and strength we draw from our Christian family. I can't imagine going through the difficult times in life without the love of my church family.

Today at the funeral, Heather sang a beautiful song by Watermark called Glory Baby. Some of the lyrics are "I can’t imagine heaven’s lullabies and what they must sound like, but I will rest in knowing, heaven is your home and it’s all you’ll ever know." While extremely sad, this is a very encouraging song. I was encouraged to think about little Micah in the arms of Jesus, never knowing pain or hurt, but only heaven. It also made me long for heaven, . . . again. Every time this world gets hard, isn't it great to think about our future? Things may get better here, but we are promised a perfect eternity if we trust in the blood of Christ and ask him to save us. I hope that you can rest in this hope when tragedy hits. If you can't, please call and let me help you find hope!

Happy Anniversary!

2007-12-15T22:26:00.000-05:00

Happy 6th Anniversary Carlotta and Matteo!
What in the world did we do before you joined this family Carla? We love you!

Scout's Big Surgery

2007-12-15T20:31:00.000-05:00

Yesterday Scout finally had her surgery to remove the tumor from the tip of her nose. She did awesome! They were in the OR for a little over an hour. When we were called back to the recovery room she was awake and very cuddly! Her nose looks incredible. We are so glad that God allowed this day to go so well! She is quite the trooper. She never cried and actually played all day. Yay Scout!

Skating on Ice...Ho, Ho, Ho or No, No, No

2007-12-10T10:55:00.000-05:00

Last night the college kids headed down to Fountain Inn for a night of Ice Skating and carriage rides. I was so excited. I had visions of us all in hats, mittins, scarves, and coats skating around being jolly. Well, that didn't happen! Haha! The "ice" was actually greasy plastic. Now that is some hard stuff to skate on. We were aloud to be on the "ice" for 55 minutes. Three times around the rink and I was out! Haha...and I wasn't the first one to take my skates off! So after we all got the plastic shavings off of our tank tops (because it was a balmy 70 degrees outside), we took a carriage ride. Now that was a lot of fun. The students saved a front row seat for me....right behind the horse...how sweet! Seriously, I had no idea how pretty the houses on Main Street in Fountain Inn are decorated for Christmas. Its worth a drive down 385 just to see the houses. Afterwards we headed to Mauldin to see the best decorated house in Greenville county. This place gives Hollywild a run for its money...and its free. All in all we had a really good time, which I think is a reminder to us all that its not what you do, but who you do it with!

Why?

2007-11-19T09:55:00.001-05:00

Sometimes this job is frustrating and lonely. That's how I was feeling this morning. And then Colette sent me this video to watch. Wow! What a reminder of one of the reasons I do what I do! You can't see the world and not love the world. You can't see someone come to Christ and not long to see it again and again. You can't see someone grow and not want others to "get it" as well. You can't truly experience God's peace that surpasses all understanding and not long to be in the center of His will. Thank you God for choosing to use me even when I don't deserve it and even sometimes when I don't feel like doing it. Forgive me for taking my opportunities for service for granted.

I think I got it!

2007-11-10T08:47:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I told you that I would share my deep spiritual lesson as soon as I figured it out. So here goes. God can do anything. He can take care of any problem. He can take away your deepest fears. These are all lessons that I have learned before, and yet still, when things started to spin out of control, I worried. Why is it that we worry when things are out of our control? That is usually when the good stuff happens! Haha! So here is what happened. On Thursday, David Nabors came out to look at my hot water heater. We saw that the thermocouple was out of alignment with the pilot light and in minutes we were back in business. Sweet! So then I asked him to check out the fireplace while he was there. He relit the pilot light and the fireplace came on. He thinks there was just some dust over the line. Awesome! So on Saturday, I go to Lowe's again to see about the mailbox. As I am looking at one of them, I realize that I can take it apart and use the parts to fix what is broken on mine. So I pick up the cheapest one they have ($6) and head home. Yay! Finally, I shipped my computer off to Apple (at their expense). They sent me a new one for free. So all in all....all problems solved for $6. God is so good!

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

2007-11-01T08:57:00.000-05:00

Have you ever seen this book? It's a great little book. I always enjoyed reading it to my 1st graders when I taught school. However, yesterday I really felt sorry for poor ole Alexander, because Angela had a Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day! It wasn't a day like say "Wednesday". It was day, as in 24 hours of misery. It all started Tuesday evening when I got home from work. My foot was killing me, because I had tripped over a rock and bumped it up pretty good. I limped out to the mailbox to find that it had no door. The mailman, who apparently was also having a Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, had riped it off the hinges and busted the latch all in one fell swoop. So off to Lowe's I limp. But Lowe's doesn't sell green mailboxes...which my neighborhood says you have to have. So anyway, Wednesday morning I get up and....no hot water. So being the brave, single girl that I am, I go downstairs in my bathrobe and check out the hot water heater. No pilot light. I go back inside, find a flash light and a lighter and I am off to fix the problem. I read the directions and poof, there is a pilot light, but as soon as I let go of the button, no pilot light. I do this 5 times...just in case there is air in the line...I really read the directions! So I start calling around...mom, dad, David Nabors, Marshall...no one knows what to do. Marshall and David have some ideas, but nothing I can do. So I go back inside. I look and the pilot light for the fireplace is on. I think that's a good sign, so I go over to turn on the fireplace....nothing...except for the smell of gas. This is not good. I call the gas company and she says they can come and take a look for $70. I politely decline, hoping that I will not have to call her back. So off to work I go, I spend all day getting my computer presentation together for the Greenhouse. I have it all set up and ready to go and I go downstairs for dinner. I am only gone about an hour. I go back up to teach and .... my computer is completely dead! Dead as in, it is currently being shipped back to the "mother station" or wherever it is that you ship those sorts of things off to. Now, I am sure that there is a spiritual lesson in all of this for me, but I just haven't found it yet. I'll let you know when I do. What I did learn was that if you see this on your Mac screen...you are in big trouble!As for now, I am just trying not to touch anything too valuable!

Scout and Poppa get'in down

2007-10-25T23:08:00.001-05:00

Star in Your Own JibJab! It's Free!Who knew Poppa had so much rhythm...hahaha!

Almost there!

2007-10-23T10:49:00.000-05:00

As of today we have given $120,520 towards our missions offering! Yay! Our goal is $165,000 and I just know that we are going to surpass it next Sunday! Thanks for your generosity and for the love you have for people around our world! May many come to Christ because of your sacrifice!

MySpace and YouTube

2007-10-22T22:09:00.000-05:00

Well, as most of you know we are gearing up for Session 2 of The Greenhouse. This session I am going to be teaching a class for parents about MySpace and internet safety. So I have been reading several books and polishing up my MySpace skills. Well, I am more of a Facebook girl myself, so I had to figure out how to make my MySpace page look a little "cooler." Haha! One of the things you can do on MySpace is add videos from YouTube onto your page. So I started looking for a video and came across some footage of my favorite comedian, Brian Regan. This guy is hilarious. Two years ago some friends and I made a trip down to Orlando to see him and laughed ourselves silly! So I came across one of his acts and it cracked me up! Hope you enjoy it as much as I did! It kind of reminds me of my dad's dream of having "3rd Man to Walk on the Moon" carved into his gravestone. Haha! Check it out below!

Brian Regan - I Walked on the Moon!

2007-10-22T22:04:00.001-05:00

Innovate 2007

2007-10-09T22:30:00.000-05:00

Last week Colette, Carla, and I had the incredible opportunity of attending the Innovate conference at Granger Community Church. It was by far the greatest conference that I have ever been to! It was so refreshing! All of the speakers left me with something that I needed to hear, for our church and for myself personally! It was also great to hang out with the girls...(wmb...hahaha!) You can hear (and see) all of the things that happened at the conference at www.wiredchurches.com/site/Innovate07_summary.html. Scroll down about halfway to wear it says "Watch Innovate Sessions." My favorite speaker was Guy Kawasaki. He was phenomenal! If you click on his talk and just want to hear his presentation, fast forward to 26 minutes into the session. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! Whatever it is that you do....be innovative!

Just for laughs!

2007-08-14T22:13:00.000-05:00

Well, actually it is just for Staci, because she has been complaining about my lack of blogging...haha! But, as those of you who know me know, I can almost always come up with a funny story about something that has happened in my life. So here goes... This past Saturday I went shopping for a pair of red shoes to wear with a black and white dress that I have had for a while. I wear this dress about every other Sunday and just wanted to add a little color to the outfit...haha! So anyway, I am at Off Broadway trying to pick out a pair of shoes. It is, by the way, really hard to find red shoes that don't look, how should I say it, a little well....ummm...inappropriate. Haha! So I am in the clearance section and I see a pair of red wedges.

I have always wanted to try a pair of wedges, because I think they look so cute. So here I am in the middle of the aisle and I take one shoe off and put one of the wedges on. Left foot...several inches off of the ground in a wedge. Right foot....very close to the ground in a flip flop. Suddenly, entire body sprawled out on the floor. I completely lost my balance and twisted my ankle, my wrist, and hit my back on the floor...hard! There was absolutely nothing dainty or graceful about it!

There was a man stocking the shelves and he was going crazy asking if I was okay...I think he was probably just trying not to laugh. Haha! Needless to say, I did not, nor will I ever, buy the wedges! So how was that Staci?

The Verdict Is In!!!!

2007-07-17T16:41:00.000-05:00

Well, as many of you know, there has been a text message war going on between many of the friends over a VERY important topic. My hair....bwahahaha. Well, the final vote came down like this:
4 votes pixie
5 votes bob
2 votes....what in the world is a pixie
1 vote....don't do anything (come on...you guys know me...as if that was an option)

So..... since it was soooo close....I decided on a compromise...a mullet!

Bwahahaha! Just kidding! I did decide on something...well different. Since you guys couldn't decide, I decided to let Sunshine, the girl who cut my hair, help me decide. This is what we came up with:

This is my favorite picture....hahaha...it totally looks staged and yet it was just me taking a picture and then hearing something that caught my attention on the tv right before the picture took! Haha!

Formal Nite Out 2007

2007-07-16T22:51:00.000-05:00

Well, we did it again... completely humiliated ourselves in public! But we sure had fun doing it. I think this was our 6th Formal Nite Out.... and may have been the most fun! First, Cindy (my secretary) and I spent all day Thursday turning our church bus into a party van. Haha! Trust me, you can do all kinds of fun stuff with faux leather, feather boas, and Christmas lights. Haha! So the first big surprise of the night was that we were all riding together (a first for FNO) and then second...that it was in a party van...haha!

Our first stop, another first for FNO, a first class dinner at Candleberry Inn, a local B&B.

And then the karaoke machine came out....and Jason and Staci weren't even there...what's up with that?

Even I couldn't resist belting out a little James Brown, awwww...hit me!

Next stop, Frankie's Fun Park!

And for the grand finale...well since we went classy for dinner did you really think that we would end up at the Melting Pot again...I hope not..

.
That's right...SONIC!

Not sure what I am being accused of, but I am pretty sure I didn't do it! Haha!

Don't miss out next year! It was incredible!

New Orleans

2007-07-15T16:16:00.000-05:00

A week after we returned from Uganda, I headed to New Orleans with another team. We had a great time and a great team. It was my first time to see the city since Katrina. It is unbelievable how much there still is to do. I don't think you can truly understand what it is like until you see it in person.

I loved meeting the people there. We worked with several families, but I worked most closely with the Bartholomew family. What a lovely couple and an incredibly close family! We painted their house (and yes, I spent most of the week on a ladder...a personal fear feat! Haha!)

The guys spent most of their time with two other families. They installed windows and I think they "tried" to install some doors...just kidding guys. They did a great job!

Our first day on the job, we worked with the City Park and a great lady named Lisa. Zack, one of our partner church's members, came and worked with us. He is hilarious and made the work go so much faster. We helped organize Christmas lights for a city production, kind of like Roper Mountain. Then we did some yard work around the park.

Zack (on the mound)

That afternoon we went to Friendship House, a NAMB women and children's home. We helped sort clothes and some of the guys did a little electrical work. I was excited about this part of the week, because my friends Kay and Karina run Friendship House.

Karina, my seminary roommate, and I. Can you tell who has been shoveling mulch? Haha!

Our second day, we started the work on the houses.

The house on the right, behind the FEMA trailer, was the house that we painted.

This house is one of the ones that the guys worked on.

Okay, so I wasn't on a ladder the WHOLE time...haha!

We partnered with a new church plant called Sojourn and worked through NAMB's Operation NOAH. We spent most of the week working with Travis, one of the teaching pastors at Sojourn, and Jenny, an intern with Sojourn. We fell in love with both of them and were so impressed with their hearts for the people.

Travis

Jenny

Our last night, when Travis and Jenny took us out on the town....and we missed curfew...oh my! Bwahahaha!

We ended this trip in classic BCBC fashion...flat tire...haha...but God protected us and we got home safe and sound.

Pretty good blog for a kid who never got her camera out, huh?

Uganda

2007-07-06T12:37:00.000-05:00

After Kenya, BJ and I got to go to Uganda for 3 days. It was an incredible experience. There we met with Kennedy, the pastor of a University church there in Kampala. We also met with the men who run Bible Way, an incredible ministry to guards and others in Kampala. Joseph and Douglas, the lead guys at Bible Way, are hilarious. They were so much fun to be around. BJ and her family lived in Kampala for two years. So we met with these guys and lots of other people who they ministered to while they were there. It was so inspiring to be around these young men and women who are so dedicated and take such lead roles in these ministries.

These are the pictures of the students that we sponsor to go to school. They were so sweet. They called me mama when I walked in the room. Pray for their mom. She is near death right now and there are 5 children.

This is Lake Victoria.

Safari

2007-07-05T23:59:00.000-05:00

Being on Safari in Africa was a total dream come true. We went to Lake Nakuru National Park. They have pretty much all of the animals except elephants. And we got to see most of them. It was awesome!

The pink is a sea of flamingos!

Hippo

The Masai man who beat baboons off of the deck...crazy!

Can you spot the leopard?

Giraffe Kisses

2007-07-05T23:46:00.000-05:00

These are pictures from the Giraffe Center. You could take food and stick it anywhere on your face and the giraffes would lick it off of your face. Apparently, giraffe saliva is an antiseptic...go figure. I still decided it was wise to just take pictures...haha!

Kenya

2007-07-05T21:47:00.000-05:00

It is so hard to even know where to start! This was the greatest trip ever! I took 11 recent high school grads (recent as in they graduated the day before we left), three of their dads, one of their grandmas, my dad, and my friend BJ. I was so proud of our entire team. They were such troopers! We flew through London to Nairobi, Kenya.

When we landed, we jumped into a couple of vans and hoped they knew where they were going. We finally arrived at Brackenhurst in Limuru, Kenya at around 12:30 am. Even at night it was beautiful. Brackenhurst is definitely one of the most beautiful places on earth. The flower gardens are phenomenal. the hydrangea were bigger than my head. Crazy! The staff there had held our dinner and there we sat at 1 am eating. The next morning we got up and headed into Nairobi to find out what our assignment would be. We were all shocked and a little frightened when we found out that we would be spending the week in the slums of Nairobi. We were also shocked to hear that this is what the people of Nairobi, even the ones who live in these areas, call this area. It was absolutely the worst poverty I have ever seen! We worked with a church called Huruma Baptist Church. The pastor there is a man by the name of Pastor John. He is a kind and excitable man.

My interpreter was a girl by the name of Lorraine. She is a great girl. She is 18 years old and loves the Lord with all of her heart. She lives with her mom, a hairdresser, and her 4 siblings. One of these pictures was taken at her house. It is me, Lorraine, and her oldest brother. She sleeps on that loveseat every night. There was a coffee table touching our knees. That is where her mom sleeps. The curtain behind us hides the bed. Her four siblings share the bed. Their entire house was about 8 x 12. She told me that when her mom comes home from a day of work where the shop has been slow with few customers, they put the kids to bed early so that they don't think about the fact that they have no food. It was a heartbreaking situation! This was the only place I have ever been where I felt a sense of helplessness. It will take nothing less than a miracle of God for this country to ever florish. This is a picture of the courtyard outside of Lorraine's house. Each house has one of these courtyards with 4 to 8 houses coming off of it. It is a shared area where they cook, wash clothes, socialize, etc... As for our assignment... we were to go, with our individual interpreters, and share the gospel door-to-door. It was kind of scary at first, but by day two, most of us were getting into the swing of things. After three days, almost 50 people had prayed to receive Christ. Almost everyone on our team had the opporunity to pray with someone to receive Christ. Lorraine was a little spitfire. I have no idea what all she said, but she was going and going like a little Energizer Bunny. I would say a sentence or two and then she would talk for 10-15 minutes...haha!

Getting to know our interpreters

Out on the streets, going door-to-door

Woshiping at Huruma Baptist Church

At the church where we were meeting, they have a daycare that meets everyday. These kids are so cute. They are between the ages of 3 and 4 and they are so well behaved. Every morning they would greet us with a loud, excited, "How are you?" They all wanted to shake our hands. They were so cute. They sat in on some of our meetings, where some of the preachers would speak for an hour, and they would sit quietly without moving a bit. When we would sing, they would dance and clap. I think we all wanted to bring them home with us!

These pictures are from a school where one of our greatest experiences took place. Kirk Shockley, one of our team members, set up an appointment for several of us to go to a school and share with the individual classrooms. Five students and three adults went and shared with grades K5-8. I got to share with the 8th graders. They were quite impressive. It is amazing how much effort they put into education when most of them have so little to look forward to. After each class was finished, they invited the eight of us to come and share with the high school. There were about 60 students in what they call Form 1-4 (the same as our grades 9-12). Two of the students shared their testimonies. Then I shared my testimony and Kirk and Howard followed me. I have never heard a clearer presentation of the gospel than what Kirk shared that day. On our way out, one of the teachers, a University student who volunteers his time, stopped Kirk and told him that he wasn't a Christian, but that he was touched by what Kirk had shared. They talked for a minute longer and then exchanged email addresses. The next day, the young man, Bernard, emailed Kirk and told him that that evening he had prayed to receive Christ. It didn't stop there! He had contacted his University and requested a two week absence, which they granted. He was on his way back to his village, to share the good news of Christ among his people. We can't wait to see what God is going to do through Bernard. Please keep him in your prayers!

These are pictures from one of the other schools that we visited in Nairobi.

Ralphie bust'n a move for the kiddos!

Training...Week Four

2007-05-10T22:02:00.000-05:00

Well, 16 miles was hard to fit into my schedule, but we did it! It was a rough week for my teammates, so I had to walk most of my miles alone. :( sad! I got to be pretty good friends with my IPOD though. Haha! I also took my first 5 mile walk this week. Yeah!! This is getting harder...not the walking as much as the scheduling...haha!

Mother's Day is coming up soon...get in shape...take a walk...SHOP!!!! Haha

Training...Weeks 2 and 3

2007-04-30T20:12:00.000-05:00

Okay, so week 2 was a little rough....two words...STOMACH VIRUS! Ugh! I only got in three miles. So sad! BUT...week 3 was awesome. We got in 15 miles. Yeah! One funny side note: yesterday, Sunday, I still had 4 miles to get in because I spent the weekend hanging out with Mike and the rest of the gang that still live in town. So I parked 2 miles away from the church last night and walked to church. Well, halfway through the service the emergency line rings (I was on call this past week.) So anyway, it is a family needing me to bring something to them. So I have to take off and book it 2 miles back to my car. Of all times! Haha! The lady called to see where I was and I was huffing and puffing and had to tell her that I was walking to my car. Haha! Well, pray for us...we are going to go for 16 miles this week. As of today...2 down.

As if a cure for breast cancer weren't reason enough, here is one more reason to sign up for the 3-Day. As Mattie would say, "Don't be the guy!"

Training...Week One

2007-04-15T22:42:00.000-05:00

Well since so many of you are donating to the cause, I thought I would make myself accountable to you for my training. So here goes...On Monday we worked out at the gym. Tuesday we walked 3 miles. Wednesday we worked out. Thursday we walked 3 miles. Friday we worked out and walked 3 miles. Saturday I walked 2 miles. Sunday I walked 1.7 miles (it started raining...boo). So the grand total for miles walked this week was 12.7. Yeah! As of tonight, I have been given $580 in donations!!! Yeah!!!!

My new venture... the 3-day

2007-04-13T19:35:00.000-05:00

Well, I must be crazy, because I let Grubbs talk me into taking part in the Breast Cancer 3-Day. It is actually a pretty cool thing that I am really excited about. We will go to Atlanta on Oct. 12th and walk 20 miles and then camp that night. We will wake up and do the same thing on the 13th and then on the 14th we will walk 20 miles and have a closing ceremony. So in 3 days we will walk 60 miles. We started out training this week by walking 3 miles every other day. We are actually having a lot of fun doing it. We have to raise $2200 a piece to be able to participate. I hate asking for money, but this is for a really good cause. All of the money goes to Susan G. Komen for the Cure, to fund breast cancer research and community outreach, as well as the National Philanthropic Trust Breast Cancer Fund, to provide an endowment for breast cancer initiatives.

So now for my shameless, flagrant, blatant, barefaced, overt, brazen, brash, audacious, outrageous, undisguised, unconcealed, transparent; immodest, indecorous; unabashed, unashamed, unblushing, and unrepentant appeal for money. PLEASE donate to this wonderful cause! How about a dollar for every mile? That's only $60. Haha! Okay, how about $10. It would only take 220 people giving $10. For you college kiddos, how about $5. That's about the same as one Starbucks....just think of it as Coffee Talk for Breast Cancer...haha! If you want to donate you can either mail me a check written to Breast Cancer 3-Day or you can go to www.the3day.org/atlanta07/angelacarter and make an online donation. Okay, well I will be keeping you updated on our training and on our fundraising efforts. Oh, and if you have any ideas for fundraisers or companies who might donate or match gifts, drop me a line!

I almost forgot...

2007-03-28T23:38:00.000-05:00

Remember the Greater Greenville Shrinkdown? Well good ole BCBC came in 2nd place! Yeah! We got a plaque and everything! Go team, go! A special thanks to Jeremiah, Steve A. and Ralpho!!! They really came through! Haha!

Here we go....

2007-03-28T22:12:00.000-05:00

Well, I am getting ready for the first trip of the season. Mission season that is...haha. Life is always crazy between March and September. And the last few weeks have been a whirlwind. Yesterday, I had to have 3 shots for my trip to Africa coming up in June. FYI...the Yellow Fever vaccine makes you feel like death on a cracker! Haha.

Saturday, we are loading 20 people into vans and heading to Nashville, TN. Most of the people going are Middle and High School kids. It should be fun. I am also excited about getting to spend a little time with Todd, Erin, and the boys.

We will be helping Todd and the church plant (Friendship Community Church) he is pastoring. We will be doing lots of service projects and helping promote and pull off a community wide Easter celebration. I will try to upload pics soon!

Opps...I take that back

2007-02-04T12:05:00.000-05:00

Okay...first of all let me just say that the fact that I am blogging about this means that I am really, REALLY bored! Haha! So here goes. I was reading back over my last blog where I said that this was the worst I remember feeling in a long time. Apparently those are the kinds of things that we say when we are in the depths of feeling bad. I have to recall this statement because back in October I thought I was going to die in Slovakia. Haha!
Beautiful places right? But do you see my face? Haha! I really thought my family was going to have to fly overseas to bury me. Now that is definitely the sickest I have ever been! And don't even get me started on the "rare but serious side effect" of the medicine I was put on. Haha! That may, subconciously, be why I haven't ventured to see the doc this time. I think I am still shell shocked. Haha! We have a team going back to Slovakia this summer and they have asked me if I am going to go with them. I can't imagine going back. Isn't that sad? It is kind of like when I was 5 or 6 and got sick at Denny's. I think I was a Sr. in high school before I could make myself go back there. I think that may also be when I decided that I didn't like eggs. Slovakia was nice and Prague was the most gorgeous city I have ever seen. I sure hope that I can get over that someday because I would love to visit these places again. But, it probably won't be anytime soon!

Sick as a Dog!

2007-02-02T19:15:00.000-05:00

Well visiting Matt, Carla, and Scout was an absolute blast....BUT since then I have been sicker than I remember being in quite some time. As much as I hate being sick, it was SO worth it! Anyway, it has been three days since I have been out of this house and I am so incredibly bored!!! Poor Mattie had to go to the doctor today and they said that he has a viral infection, whatever that is. So that is probably what I have to. You know those Mucinex commercials that are so gross? Well, I have spent the last few days picturing those little boogers (pun intended) setting up shop in my head. Oh for the days of easy breathing. Haha!

The Scoutster Rocks!!!!

2007-01-28T16:36:00.000-05:00

I got to spend several days with Matt, Carla, and Scout over the last week. It was so much fun!!! I love them so much and can't wait till the day we all live closer!

I went to Richmond to the International Mission Board for conferences this last week. I got to spend the weekend before in Williamsburg and then Friday night I stopped back in for the night before heading to Ridgecrest.

Carla, Scout, and I did lots of shopping. We also took Scout down to Colonial Williamsburg and got some shots with local statues and trees and stuff...haha.

Scout is way too good a girl to actually be put in shackles! Haha!

This poor guy...he toured Williamsburg by horse carriage all alone for at least 30 minutes. We kept wondering if we should ask if we could join him, but we decided he might need some time alone. Haha!

One night we all went to Christiana Campbell's Tavern. That was a blast. All of the staff wore colonial garb and there was no electricity. It was a little pricey, but one of those things you should definitely do if you visit Williamsburg. One man came by playing some kind of guitar and Scout was mesmerized. He sang a song called, well, actually I can't remember, but I have a call out to Carla about that. Haha! We had so much fun with that song. Carla even looked it up on iTunes so that we could have more fun with it at home. But the two greatest things that happened at Christiana's were from other guests. There was this woman who was totally into the whole colonial experience. She wrapped the napkin around her like they used to do, which was hilarious. But then she started talking. She was talking to the man that she was with about the speech that she heard Thomas Jefferson give that afternoon. I think she really thought that she had been transported in time. Matt and I had a really hard time not laughing about that. Then the customer who had been at our table before us came back because she lost her wallet. You have to understand how tightly they have these tables crammed into this room. We hardly had any room and we were trying to keep Scout happy until the food came, when this woman came to our table and asked if we could get up so that she could crawl under our table and look for her wallet. Remember there is no electricity in this place. The waiter had already asked to look one time. Now this could have either been very frustrating or absolutely, positively hilarious. I was with Matt and Carla...so...it was ABSOLUTELY hilarious! We were cracking up, even while the woman was on the floor under our table. Even funnier, the wallet was not there. We were guessing that her son had something to do with the missing wallet. Haha!

Now at Christmas Scout had her "cheese" smile on every time the camera flashed. Now she is doing this look of shock or surprise. It is so funny. She raises her eyebrows, rounds her mouth and sucks in air. She does it anytime the camera goes off or anytime something new is introduced. Now I don't mean new as in something she has never seen before, I mean new as in if you walk in holding a glass of water, or the remote, or a pair of socks. Haha. I love it.

She has this uncanny way of making you feel like you are her favorite person in the world. It is so wonderful! I could just eat her up. I hate being so far from her.

I really had a good time with Carla too. What a great sister! I am so blessed to have her. Matt...well, that goes without saying. I have loved him since the day that bright eyed baby was born. Man, I miss them! And pistachio pudding and the President's Parade! Haha

The Greater Greenville Shrinkdown

2007-01-24T14:34:00.000-05:00

Sounds like fun, huh? Haha. Well, that is what the staff of Brushy Creek Baptist Church is up to. The YMCA and a couple of other sponsors are heading up this 8 week event. Offices all over Greenville are competing to see who can lose the most weight. Last week we were ranked 3rd. Yeah! This week we are a little further down the list. Haha!

This is the before picture that was in the newspaper. I took a day of vacation that day. Haha! Sorry Colette, you had to do it without me. Haha! I can't wait to show you the after picture!

Merry Christmas!

2006-12-27T18:22:00.000-05:00

Well, this was one of the best Christmases ever! Watching Scout play and laugh was incredible. Matt, Carla, Scout, and Marcio (an 18 year old boy from Brazil who works for Matt) arrived late Saturday night. On Sunday morning, in our Christmas eve service, Scout was dedicated to the Lord. It was such a sweet service.

I was so excited that Luke, Erin, and Kate were home for Christmas and were able to come to Scout's dedication.

Sunday night we all spent the night with mom and dad. With all of us and Copper and Maggie, it was quite the full house. We woke up early and had a big breakfast. Then we gathered around the den to see what Santa brought. It was my favorite part of the weekend. Just hanging out in our pj's and enjoying each other.

After opening our gifts and cleaning up, we headed over to Ma and Papa's house. It was the first time in several years that we have all been together. It was a lot of fun. In this picture of Scout with Daniel and Danielle, you can see her new trick. Every time the red light on the camera blinks, she gets this hilarious grin where she closes her eyes and juts out her chin. Apparently she has had her picture taken so much that she knows when it is coming and she is into posing now. Haha!

Maggie and Scout are quickly becoming big buddies. They spent a lot of time chasing each other around.

We ended Christmas Day by taking Marcio to Clemson to see the campus and especially the stadium. He has definately be converted! Haha! Stephen, Holly, Sonny, and Jo gave him a Clemson football for Christmas and I gave him a Clemson t-shirt. He was so excited when he saw the stadium. It is always a good day when you end it in Clemson!

O Christmas Tree, part 2

2006-12-20T22:43:00.000-05:00

Yeah! We pulled it off! We had a blast tonight! Several hundred people showed up and we had the most incredible night. It was so much fun to watch the people's faces that we sang to. We sang to several older ladies who cried. It was so touching to know that in some way you showed people that they were loved. We also gave out books called "Why A Manger?" It is a pretty good little book. I hope that through it many people will come to truly understand the gift of Christ! After that, we headed back to the church and drank some cocoa and ate some cookies. Then we sang carols around the tree while the kids put decorations up. So maybe the tree wasn't such a bad idea. :)

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree

2006-12-16T14:05:00.000-05:00

I don't know why in the world I don't learn to keep my big mouth shut during staff meetings. But...here we go again! I came up with an idea to have a caroling night where the whole church family will come together for caroling and then trim a tree on the front lawn. Now a tree on the front lawn has to be a pretty big tree. So I started asking around and Mr. Roy Jones graciously cut one down at his farm and hauled it over to the church yesterday. He hauled all 27 feet of it. Holey Moley! That is one big tree! And now, we have to decorate it. So Marshall, Steve Bielby, Carson, Chris Garrick, and myself got to work decorating the tree this morning. Three hours later, we had about 1/8 of the lights hung with a crooked star on top. Haha! (By the way, thanks for the star Tommy) We were using a lift that reaches about 20 feet in the air. Chris and I got to the top and I kind of freaked out. It was swaying with the wind and there isn't a rail around half of it. I didn't say that I needed down, but I think Chris could read my face, because all of a sudden we were heading back down. Haha! It was really scary...but I didn't scream or cry...haha! So anyway, we took a lunch break (which I am currently on) and Marshall ordered a bucket lift. He and David Nabors are getting ready to start back up with the lights and I am going back in a little while to help with the ornaments. I can't wait for this part to be over, but I know that it is going to turn out great! I am really looking forward to Wednesday night too. We are going to meet and go caroling and then come back to the church to finish decorating the bottom 8 feet of the tree and snack on Christmas goodies and hot cocoa! I will upload some pics of the tree and the event next week!

Formal Nite Out

2006-12-15T23:09:00.000-05:00

Twice a year, I take the college students on an outing called Formal Nite Out. This has become one of their absolute favorite things to do. The premise is that we all get dressed in formal wear and then go do things like bowling, putt putt, etc... So last weekend was our Winter Formal Nite Out. We had a blast. We went to Skin's hotdog's for dinner (for those of you not from here...the best hotdogs anywhere). Then we drove up to the Flatrock Playhouse to see "The Best Christmas Pagent Ever." It was great. The kids did a really good job! So after I cried at the end, when Imogene holds baby Jesus (like I do every year), we headed back down the mountain for dessert at City Range. Now that was good! Can you believe they found a way to make a Krispy Kreme doughnut even less healthy?

The Famous Skin's Hotdogs

Welcome to my life!

2006-12-15T22:20:00.001-05:00

HAHA!!!! I know what you are thinking...like we care! Well, I will try to make this as entertaining and enlightening as possible. Haha! I actually thought that this would be a great way to keep up with my friends. See for my job, I do a lot of traveling. For example, this summer I was in Vancouver, Mexico, and Slovakia...not to mention my fun trips to Savannah and Williamsburg. Anyway, most of you guys are constantly ragging me about not knowing where I am, so now all you have to do is log on and find out. Haha!

For instance, I know many of you are thinking...what is Ange doing right this minute...well....

Being stupid...what did you expect...haha!

Don't you love this t-shirt? Haha! Props to Brandon for the sweet tee he gave me for my birthday! Thanks Bran! Haha!

Okay...I'll be back when I have more to say that actually means something! Oh, by the way, Happy Anniversary Mattie and Carlotta! I love having a sister...and I couldn't have hand-picked a better one...oh wait, I did hand-pick you! Haha!

Mattie, Carlotta, and the Scoutster!