16 Days and Counting

Hey everyone!

I hope this post finds you after celebrating a great and filling Thanksgiving with your friends and family. I definitely did! Just to update you from the past blogging hiatus here's a summation of what's been going on around here.

I went to the David Crowder Concert in Atlanta a week ago and let me tell you - that's how life should be. During the concert Crowder kept saying "If we live like we sing this world would be a better place". We were on the floor of the Tabernacle meaning I could see the sweat on Crowder's face. Man. He even played a song with the controller from Guitar Hero. He had us bouncing up and down all over the place. I apologize if this steps on anyone's toes but I felt like that is how worship was meant to be! Just all out all over the place worshiping God. Love it.

After the concert Rachael and I embarked on a journey the next morning to meet my parents in Gatlinburg, TN. Thankfully we had a GPS which we fondly named Weatherbee that guided us to the cabin. Along the way the traffic came to a stop on the mountain and we were extremely confused as to why. Eventually I ask Ray "What is that big black mass in that tree?" "Um, Megan," she replied "that's a bear". So yes, I was in the Smokey Mountains and I saw a bear.

We stayed in Gatlinburg until Monday just relaxing, eating and sleeping. Well those were my main activities!

We arrived back in Auburn on Monday. I spent most of the week sleeping, spending time with friends and family. My dad's mom, Grannie as we like to call her, came down for Thanksgiving and we ate lunch at my mom's mom aka Mama Anne. DELICIOUS. Every time she cooks it's amazing. I'm STILL full if you can believe that.

The rest of our break I was yes doing more sleeping, (I figure I should get it while I could) and working on my pdf portfolio, updating my resume, and painting. I think I'm finally getting the hang of oil paints with a combination of mineral spirits. I'll have to post my results when it is finished!

Speaking of school here is a rundown of Megan's Tuesday:

1.) Couldn't sleep last night and received a grand total of 4 hours of unconsciousness.
2.) Late to class because I was exhausted from lack of sleep.
3.) The studio was so hot this morning we managed to sweat through 2 hours of sketching.
4.) I was verbally slaughtered in Art History by my professor as I feebly attempted to comment on Jeff Koon's flaunting his art in the Thanksgiving Macy's Day parade which made me feel like the squished roach killed during class in the row behind me.
5.) I scraped my leg in the process of biking like the wind to be on time for Biology since said professor lectured into my next class.

Also I would like to ad that going up to the storage room in J&M is a dangerous. Stanley who owns the art department of the store managed to create a waterfall of canvases to rain down upon me. As a souvenir the top of my right foot is turning a nice blue shade.

Well I'm going to continue taking notes in Biology and stop my leg from bleeding.

I guess you could say school is beating me up. Literally. Haa haha well at least my humor is intact!

As always, thanks for stopping by.

The Change

To be perfectly honest with you folks I'm plum tuckered out!

I was up till 2am last night working on my paper for art history which I spent most of my weekend pouring over.

With lack of sleep I found it hard to concentrate during my 20th Century Art History class so I started up my latest hobby: scouring the internet for design internships.

Through my ramblings and clicking on every link for every non-profit imaginable, I stumbled upon the Glue Network. Basically they are an organization that unites non-profit organizations under one umbrella. Via their website I started searching through each of their partners hoping to find something that would match up.

I found it. My dream design internship.

Yes, Invisible Children has always been filed under this category but it has recently been relocated to the job search instead of the internship quest. There is a company with 2 offices (the larger in North Carolina and the smaller in California) called The Change Strategy.

Stop what you're doing. Click the following link:
www.thechangestrategy.com

What they stand for is everything that I want to work for in a design firm. Essentially the purpose of design is to sell a product from toothpaste, to underpants, or crispier celery it's all about feeding the consumerist society in which we live. After my experiences during the past two summers of Brasil, Memphis, and Africa persuading people to buy things with the money they don't have to impress people who honestly don't care just isn't how I want to spend my life. The tricky thing about such an ideology is that your rate of living in a cardboard box accelerates from 5% to 95%. (I could deal with a hut in Tongo not a cardboard box in Atlanta).

Finding people, especially designers, who share such a philosophy with it's core based in Christ is like a needle in a haystack. I e-mailed their head designer with my basic "Hey I'm so and so, this is what I'm all about - can I intern with you pretty please a cherry on top?" BOOM! He e-mailed me back in 2 hours saying this:

I love where you are coming from. And I understand everything you're seeing.

One of the best things about the Change is that it puts us in the same circle with people like you.

I do expect to seek a design intern by the summer. It would be a pleasure to consider you.

Two things.

1. Can you send me samples of work (pdf's or a web link are fine).

2. Can you put together a list of designs that you love, respect, admire or wish you did with a little write-up explaining why. This can be anything. Product packaging, cd covers, web sites, train tickets. match boxes, clothing labels -- whatever turns you on.

I am honored that you contacted us, Megan.

Yes. My jaw dropped - seriously? Which was quickly followed by a joyful happy dance. I've got my work cut out for me but I think it would be worth it. At least NC is a lot closer than California or Tongo for that matter.

Well more on this later. My laptop battery is about to go kaput! Thanks for stopping by!

And the Results Are In...

Drum roll please....

95 BABY! EAT THAT MITOSIS!!!!

Waaaahhooooo!

Excuse me, while I go do a happy dance in the middle of this auditorium class....

Update

Hey there!

Presently I'm sitting in biology class awaiting for my test grade. Once again everyone in front of me who went into the test cold turkey are making 100's. We'll see in about 45 minutes because he calls out each person individually to come get the test. Oh and one of the aforementioned individuals found ten dollars on the way to get her exam results. Seriously?

I did get my art history test back and made an A! YES! I don't remember the last time I'd made an A in an non-design class. Sweetness. Also our paper got pushed back to Tuesday so I have all weekend to work on that. It's shaping up to be a good weekend too. I'm going to the play with Zach on Friday night - A Midsummer Night's Dream which is one of my favorite Shakespeare plays. Saturday night I'm eating dinner with his family for his birthday which was this week and on Sunday I'm going to the Fox Theater in ATL with my mom to see A White Christmas. YAY!

In other news I did find someone to go to the mountains so that's super exciting. I'm ready for the David Crowder concert because he's just incredible. Also everyone that comes are bringing towels and socks to give the homeless in ATL just like we did at Passion. The thing about his concerts are they don't really seem like concerts - just a big worship session. If you haven't heard of him definitely check out his music, especially Remedy which is his latest cd.

I'm still in the hunt for summer intern options. I've e-mailed a few more people but have yet to hear back from anyone. The only lead I have is the one on Memphis so, if you have any ideas or suggestions I'm open.

Also if you want to know more about the design program here at Auburn and check out all of my cool classmates we have a new website up at: http://cadc.auburn.edu/graphicdesign

I should have my profile and work up there as soon as my professor enables my account. I'm slowly working on a pdf portfolio that I can e-mail to organizations that I'm interested in. It's just a long process of setting up the files.

Well that's about all I have for now, and still no Biology test. He's in the M's...hopefully it'll be alright. As always, thanks for stopping by!

Happy 50th Post!

Hey everyone!

Happy 50th post on this here blog! Yes I've written 50 and on top of that Happy November! I'm really starting to believe that Thanksgiving gets the shaft in comparison to all other holidays. I was studying in Panera today and they were playing instrumental Christmas carols. Seriously? The leaves have just begun to change color and the Wal-Mart isles are lined with Christmas greeting cards and fake trees.

Poor Thanksgiving.

I don't have too much to report at the moment besides that my brother is standing behind me scrubbing his keyboard with antibacterial wipes in his boxers. Yep....that's my room mate. I'm creative, you can't expect me to be neat too.

I've taken a break from school work this past weekend. We have a mid project critique coming up but I just needed to chill before diving into another one. My last project and photographs of the first one are up on my Flickr page if you feel inclined to check those out.

Last week wasn't a walk in the park to say the least. I had my huge art history test and it ate my brain then spit it out all over my essay. It was a sticky mess. Then I finally heard back on the Invisible Children internship and that's a no-go. I was glad for Will's honesty but it's still a disappointment in my book. Apparently there's always Birmingham...

I'm ready for our week break so I can catch up. I'm going to the David Crowder Concert in ATL then to Gatlinburg mountains for some time with the fam jam! I just hope I can find someone to tag along with me since I'll drive from ATL to TN. I guess we'll see what happens but I'm starting to learn that there is little in this world you can count on. The phrase "death and taxes" is starting to make more sense the older I get. Wow I'm talking about TAXES? And DEATH? I'm 22! What's getting into me!? Gees...I need to go hang out with some little kids again. Africa please? (yeah you think I could go one post without mentioning it - guess again!)

I have a biology test tomorrow and I've been studying since 10 for that. I also have a HUGE paper due on Thursday for art history. I think it shouldn't be too bad since, after all, I do enjoy writing. Obviously.

Well I'm going to head up to the ACSC and get some more studying done. Sorry this was quite a dull post but if you want a more excitable update just give me a call. Thanks for stopping by!

I'm alive.

Yes I have fallen off the face of the planet into the abyss known as design.

I haven't updated in quite a while so this might take some time!

Academia is like a continual punch in the throat - excruciatingly painful yet survivable. I turned in my second project for Design I this morning. Currently, I am operating on less than 2 hours of sleep and I have been trying to get my lost zzz's in today but evidently my body has a new "I will not sleep in the daylight policy". Trust me - it's brand new development.

I think the project went well. The final result will be up on my Flickr page within the week.

Art history is presently a lost cause. My professor is.... oh I think I've just run out of a proper adjective for this one. I have a test on Thursday and she wants to move the final exam to a Sunday. Yes a Sunday. (for those of you unfamiliar with Auburn University policy this is completely unacceptable) On top of that she wants to have a comprehensive ESSAY over the entire SEMESTER. "Summarize all of 20th century art. Ready? Go." Hah. Look I have my essay ready it is as follows: "The defense of certifiable insanity. That is modern art."

Painting and Biology are at par. I still ache to know how to paint but alas every time I say to my professor, and I quote, "I do NOT know what I am doing. Please, TEACH ME." They laugh and walk away. I speak nothing but the truth dear reader. During our last critique my professor questioned some of the techniques and methods I was using to paint. I said "I didn't do this. God did. It only makes sense that way because everything you see on that canvas is complete intuition. No one has ever taught me anything about painting - good or bad." Response: laughter.

Apparently my lack of knowledge and desire to learn is quite comical.

In other news: Last weekend I got the amazing pleasure to attend the WSYG Girl's Retreat. Talk about pure, glorious fun! Man I wish every weekend could be like that. As of late my posse here in Auburn has been struck with the "we're getting old" syndrome so laughing hard in a hammock so much so that you fall out hasn't been common. We had a great time grasping where we find our worth and to see what God sees in us. So many times we seek our worth in other things - people, relationships, school, popularity, looks, performance - instead of in the One who sings over us. Our perfect Father. Incredible stuff.

On Friday night I attended the Invisible Children's Halloween Party. We had an impressive turn out with a lot of good costumes. I went as Zorro with my two key essentials to any Halloween costume: a cool hat and a billowing cape. I haven't heard how much we raised for Schools4Schools through the event but it was a entertaining evening.

The rest of the weekend I spent glued to my computer managing to complete my entire project in less than 36 hours. I think I said that at least 10 times during our critique today. Ha.

Encounter has been rocking my face off - par usual. This week Matt talked about God's kingdom being revealed in the Nations and I always get so antsy when he talks about this particular topic. I think about Ghana every day. I'm serious. Every. Single. Day. Sometimes I get annoyed that God put this in my heart because it bugs me constantly then I remember it's there for a reason. What that means exactly I have no idea - but at least He knows.

Random side note(s): My fingers get numb when I type sometimes...that's weird. My goldfish, Peanut, had a burial at sea this week. And then, there were two. Presently the 2 fish have become EXTREMELY aggressive. It's one of the following: 1.) Courting 2.) Re-establishing territorial dominance (yes goldfish do this) 3.) Competition for food (reverting to cannibalism) or 4.) Temperature balance. The last two are good but the other I'm not so sure on.

Only time will tell...

For now I'm going to go run some errands then hopefully my ability to sleep will return.

As always, thanks for stopping by!

Rain Rain Go Away

If it was possible I wish I could push rain clouds to other parts of the world like Ghana. They need a stronger wet season in order to produce enough electricity to keep the power on and trust me in the warm months you want power. Granted there isn't air conditioning but fans are more influential than you think. It also plays into the purification of their drinking water which is vital.

I know that was random but I just thought about that as I was walking to my car today.

I'm leaving tomorrow to go on the WSYG Girl's Retreat at the Double Head Resort in North Alabama. I'm excited and eager to see all of the girl's that I've been missing these past 2 months.

The past week I have been researching all of my options for the summer. Basically that means I've e-mailed every non-profit organization I can find inquiring about the need for a graphic design intern. I would equate this process as the same that one encounters when "searching for a needle in a haystack" - frustrating and quite exhaustive.

I'm still not sold on if I even want to do a design internship. I feel like I "should" but I'm not closing any doors especially when so few are open.

I have found only one design option that is very appealing to me (besides Invisible Children). It's a firm in Memphis called Disciple Design. They're a Christian based firm (needle) that does non-profit design (haystack) and a few corporate things here and there. The entire staff are designers so I would be right in the middle of a professional firm without suffocating from corporate mentalities. I e-mailed them yesterday and they responded in less than 8 hours! Incredible. They sounded interested in me and wanted me to send on a pdf of my work as soon as I could.

If you want to check them out their website is as follows: www.discipledesign.com

In a perfect world I would like to combine all of my passions: Africa, ministry, and design. That's a lot harder than you think it would be but who knows, maybe something will work out.

Well I'm going to take a power nap before my 3 hours of painting class. Thanks for stopping by!

Pancakes and Love

Do you ever have one of those experiences that just take you by surprise?

Tonight was one of them.

Jessica (whom I always fondly refer to as Jess) and I were sitting around my apartment. We just finished up a movie and decided to do something.

Earlier in the day I had coffee with Kelly and she mentioned a thing that one of our fellow Encounter buds, Chris Locke, had started up. He and a group meet to eat dinner at 8pm on Fridays, pray, then hit the griddles. That's right I said griddles. He and some other friends from different campus ministries made over 1,000 pancakes one night. With said pancakes they took them around downtown Auburn on Friday night to give to anyone who wanted to share in some of the warm fluffy goodness. The purpose: to show Auburn that we love them.

That's it and that's all.

So, Jess and I decided to check it out. We drove to Toomer's and spotted a small group from the ACSC. There was a mass of people standing around tables with pancakes, syrup, juice and milk. Every 10 minutes or so some people would grab a tray and start to walk around the streets of downtown offering anyone a free pancake.

After milling about Jess grins at me and says "Let's take a tray and walk around". I admit I was slightly hesitant. I'd had quite a few run-ins with drunk people and they always made me uncomfortable. Regardless of my inhibitions, we started to walk around with a buddy we made named Aaron.

The first group we came upon were a bunch of girls dressed to the nines and a guy tagging along. Aaron simply said "Want some pancakes? They're free!" as Jess added "Yeah! They're warm too!" The entire cluster stopped and said "Seriously? SURE! I LOVE pancakes!" They all grabbed some and began to ask "Why are you doing this? For free?" We replied "because we love you." They couldn't get over our reasoning behind standing in the chilly weather passing out free pancakes to drunk college students.

We walked around the sidewalks and we got some pretty interesting responses like: "Where's the syrup?" "Over under the Toomer's tree, we have tables set up." "SERIOUSLY!? That's incredible! What about milk!?" "Yep, and juice" "DUDE! I'm all over that! LET'S GO!" or a guy that kept running back to our tray saying "I LOVE PANCAKES!!!!"

Some called us hippies, others asked what church we were with, and some said they were too full of beer. The thing that stuck out to me most was their surprise. First off they couldn't grasp that it was free. They kept asking "Is it laced with something?" or "Are you going to give me a Bible?" Secondly they couldn't believe our reason of "We just love you. We love people and we want to share pancakes." There wasn't "Oh we're with such and such church" since we were all from different places. That's all we really could say and honestly I thought that's all that I wanted to tell them.

I've never felt that way about college students. I've always been condescending about the people I see wasted on the sidewalk next to Skybar when I walked by with my backpack from studio late at night. Part of that is my pride and lack of compassion but tonight really surprised me.

Jim always said that Auburn was our mission field. Sure I nodded in agreement thinking "Well I should talk to that girl in my class or that guy on the transit" but until tonight I really didn't believe him. I saw a need that Auburn tries to hide every day. A need to be loved without any labels, gimmicks, or insincerity. What they truely ache for is someone to show them what love is.

I sing this song all the time from the 80's "I wanna know what love is, I want you to show me". Granted the writer of that song probably wasn't singing about agape love, but I really do believe that is what humanity wants more than anything else we try to offer.

I saw that in the dirt huts of Senya, in the smiles of orphans in Ghana, in the streets of Atlanta, on the park benches of downtown Memphis, in the DTC on the faces of 7 year olds, and for the first time in the faces of my peers in Auburn.

That's what I want to do with my life. Love people.

Biscuit shared a lesson at Encounter this week and it just rocked me. He focused on what it means to love people like Jesus calls us to do. I sat there in the pew and begged God to open my eyes.

Well, He did. With pancakes and love.

It's not just me

I got an e-mail this morning from one of my friends in studio and Memphian - Katie Rhea. She found an artist who went to Africa and her interview is on YouTube.

Click this link to watch both parts of the interview:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=84RVRy0jFT4

To listen to the song she discusses about Albertine follow this link:

http://www.myspace.com/brookefraser

It's just something about Africa that gets in your skin and runs in your blood. Apparently it isn't just me.

What's with all the Boxes?

Box. Box. Boxity. Box.

If any of you have been looking at my Flickr page and have inquired to the appearance of so many random photos. Well it's visual inspiration for my new project in my DesignI class. We had to create a company and I have envisioned one entitled "VoiceBox".

Here's what it's all about: “VoiceBox” is an organization based on the principle of helping individuals with communication disorders by providing therapy, counseling and a community of people with a comforting atmosphere on college campuses. This organization is focused on providing individuals with communication disorders a place where they can simply be who they are around others that understand. “VoiceBox” will provide one-on-one counseling and therapy sessions but more importantly focus on orienting new students to the college campus as they deal with their disorder. College can be a challenging time full of new experiences, adjustments, and a wide variety of social obligations as well as academic requirements that enforce verbal communication. “VoiceBox” will be there to aid students by teaming them up with their peers who can relate in their experiences and provide a sense of belonging within the University community.

The organization will be located in a house, apartment or loft close to campus that will generate a welcoming, hip, and comforting place for people to hang out, grab coffee, or study on a daily basis. “VoiceBox” will also implement a “MentorMe” program that teams senior and junior students to help orient, advise and form relationships with freshmen. Weekly “Family Meetings” will take place where students can gather over a cup of coffee to discuss their struggles, concerns, and victories with each other as they work through their communication disorder on a daily basis within their college experience. “VoiceBox” will also be able to sponsor a lecture series to educate other students on communication disorders as well as anxieties about public speaking that any college student can relate to. The lecture series and other events held by “VoiceBox” will be publicized in local publications such as the campus newspaper entitled “The Plainsmen” in addition to “The Circle”. Fliers and posters can be used to inform students of the mission of “VoiceBox” as well as its events and presence on campus. "

Okay so that might sound a little boring, but I think it has a lot of potential visually speaking. That's why I have all of the boxes and random photographs on my Flickr page. Basically I'm grabbing at any loose straws to conjure up this logo. I should have some of my sketchbook pages up soon so you can see what I do during my other classes. Yes I sketch in class. C'mon I'm a design major, what do you expect?

In other news: I got my grade for the last design project and man...I'm slightly nervous. I mean I did AMAZING on the first one now I'm just worried if I can keep up such an insane (almost to the degree of inhuman) level of expectation. I don't think I've ever rocked out a project this good. Granted it's not my favorite one I've ever done but I guess those "Dunlopian" days of the perfect cube have paid off in the craft department. It's weird after the past 3 years of being kicked to the curb about your design work and then a compliment comes along from your professor you just find yourself unable to handle or even believe it. Thanks Auburn.

I have a big biology test coming up tomorrow. I'm not too concerned but I know it's going to be rough. Eh...it'll work out.

Well this class is almost over and now I'm going to dig myself a hole in some coffee shop to study through the day. Wish me luck!

A Little Bit o' This and That

Hey everyone!

Life sure is hectic isn't it? Things have been chaotic around here for the past few weeks. I just got through my first HUGE project of the semester for Design I. We haven't gotten any grades back but I was pleased with my end product. I should have some photos coming soon of the identity system that I created called "By a Thread".

Update: My Flickr page is about to have an extreme makeover. My professor has decided to follow the new wave of technology and require us to put all of our work on Flickr. By "all" I mean EVERYTHING. Sketches, visual inspiration, business proposal, logo board, and final project. In summary you will now be able to see what I do on a daily basis from 8am to 2 in the morning via Flickr. The link will be at the bottom of this post and on the left of this blog. The only thing you will be missing out on is my continual caffeine buzz and sleep deprivation.

In other news: I went to my new CADC (College of Architecture and Design Construction - since they switched colleges on us) adviser and she informed me that it was "technically possible" to graduate in May. Unfortunately with that work load required of me before graduation I believe I would cease to exist. I'm thinking not such a good idea. No matter how you slice it I believe I have a year and 79 days to go until I enter the *dun dun duuuunnn* "real world".

I have been researching options for my future/career/life *gag* on the internet. I just want to say that every non-profit organization (excluding Invisible Children) are in agonizing need of websites. I mean it's just atrocious. Seriously, I feel like I should have an organization to help organizations organize themselves in a way that people can actually READ their sites. The saddest thing is that they claim to "have designers" and all I can do is shake my head in disbelief. Have no worries dear friends, I will always be able to use my degree that is if I ever get that beautiful diploma in my hands.

Also if you are an avid reader of this here blog and you know me well enough - what do you think I should pursue after graduation? I'm doing my best to "seek wisdom" (Psalms) in order to make the best decision possible. So, if you've got some wisdom laying around how about you toss it into the comment section, aye? Sounds good to me.

That's all I have for now. Thanks for stopping by!

Here is the Flickr link and expect changes within the next day or so: http://www.flickr.com/photos/meforrester

It's always something...

There's so much on my mind lately
I can't make out my own thoughts anymore
I don't know where one begins and the other one ends

I wish I could push a button and turn it all off
For just a little while
Long enough to take a breath and then I'll know

It'll be okay, it'll be alright

There's so much that needs to be done lately
I can't make out what's important anymore
I don't know where my needs begin and someone else's ends
I don't wanna let anyone down
Because I feel like I'm falling down when I do
But for now would someone please volunteer and say

It'll be okay, it'll be alright

Life is so hard for everyone
So let's just blow it all off
Just for a little while
It'll still be there when we get back

I always try to solve all our problems by working real hard
Going just another mile
But every now and then I think we should let it go and say

It'll be okay, it'll be alright

Ahhh...

Statement:

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhrgguuugh uh

Response:

"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."
- Matthew 11:28-30 from The Message

Roadies

Last night I got to ride in an van. From California. With 3 Roadies. Invisible Children Roadies.

The Deep South Tour for Invisible Children came through Auburn last night. We had an event on the concourse yesterday where we told people about the situation in Uganda. Once they were made aware, we inflated red balloons tied to bags of sand that we placed all over Cater Lawn. It was so cool to see about 100 balloons on the concourse.

Later that night we had a showing of the documentary about Emmy an HIV/AIDS orphan. I'm not going to lie, it was really hard to watch. All I could think about was the kids I knew in Africa and they are so much like Emmy.

Once the film was over we updated everyone there about the program Schools4Schools and simply chatted with people who wanted to get involved with our Chapter at Auburn. I got to hang out with the Roadies for a good while and they were amazing people.

I asked the girls about internships and they said that if you had a specific skill (like a film major or design) you were more likely to get the internship. They only take 4-8 for a summer so it's a slim chance. The recommended that I call the office in San Diego just to inquire about interning under their designers. Who knows...maybe it will happen.

Regardless, it was cool to meet each of them and hear their story about Invisible Children. They're on the road for 6 weeks and today they are in Atlanta. One of the roadies will be back in the spring. At that point she will have been on the road for a year. Wow.

As for me there isn't much to report here. School is still beating me into the ground but I'm taking the hits pretty well. I'm going to the ACSC Fall Retreat this weekend and I can't tell you how badly I need this. It's going to be so much fun even though not all of my posse will be there. Sadness.

Ah that's enough procrastinating. Also I would like to point out the question that has been asked to me over 103 times this week: "What are you going to do with your life?" Here let me: "I have absolutely no idea. What do you think I should do?"

That's all I've got. As always, thanks for stopping by!

Annoying Academia

Hey friends and family!

I know it's been what might seem like an eternity to you since I last updated. I have, as my painting professor put it "chained myself to an easel" but replace easel with a laptop. My face has been glued to this screen for the past week. Zach came over tonight as I was working and said "You're not going to stop looking at that logo are you?" as he tried to get me to take a break.

Yeah, it's gotten that intense. Over the past year I had become more lack in my design work but I was in for a rude awakening during my Design I class last Thursday. My professor, as they say, "ate me, chewed me up, spit me out, and stuck me in his hair". Honestly I have no idea what that means but it doesn't sound pleasant which equals my sentiments toward this class.

I have exactly 7 days in which to design a business card, letter head, envelope, and folder. Now to you that may not sound like something strenuous but please trust me when I say that it will take over 30 hours to complete what I mentioned above. Yeah, gotta love design...

On top of that I have an art history exam on Thursday. She kindly, if you choose such a word, sent us a study guide which is more vague than Bush's strategy in Iraq. (Sorry I just couldn't resist and please don't e-mail me with political commentary because my time is limited). I haven't the foggiest idea how to study for the exam.

I do believe the highlight of my week was receiving my exam grade in Biology. My professor decides to call out each person (all 400+) of us to come get their test. During this time everyone was allowed to, in his words, "Do whatever you want". As I sat working on sketches I listened in on my fellow classmates. There was a circle of girls chatting away in front of me when I heard the following deceleration: "Ohhh my goooood! I was so !@$% wasted from going out on the night before that I was too !@#$ hung over to study for the !@#$ test. Ooooh yay! I got a !@#$ 92.5!"

I. Kid. You. Not. I had studied for four days and through the weekend only to make below the class average. Awesome.

Regardless of how annoying academia can be, I realize that I only have to hang on for a year and 93 days until I get that glorious golden ticket....er, diploma. I mean, who's counting? Haa.

Hopefully this week will be smoother than the last!

As always, thanks for stopping by.

Red Bull is False Advertisement

"Red Bull gives you wings"

More like a drug enduced COMA!

Last night I decided after SPEAK (that's our drama group at the ACSC) rehersal I decided I would gulp down at least a gallon of caffiene to work through the evening. The phrase "mountains of work" doesn't adequately convey the magnitude of my to-do list. I went to the grocery store to grab some milk as well as a beverage to quince my addiction to caffiene. Yes I have an addiction to caffiene and they say that the first step to recovery is admittance...

As I was walking down the isles with George-Welty-esque ADD kicking in, I recalled a conversation I had with Daniel. He, like myself, is addicted to the energy enhancement of caffiene and recommended consuming a Red Bull when one is in dire need of an all-nighter. I grabbed a can at the counter and decided to try it while wondering if wings would sprout off my back like the commerical.

First off the thing tastes like coughed up cough syrup or as Jessica put it in a nicer tone "liquid lollipops" yet I believe my testimony to be more acurate. After drinking the fowl concotion I waited for the "enhanced energy and ability to concentrate increase as soon as beverage is consumed" promise written on the back of the can to come to true.

Slowly I started to become drowsy. I got up and moved around to get my blood going again. After about 30 minutes of studying I face plant into my biology notes. I mean we're talking drool and everything. The next thing I know it's midnight, I'm in my bed fully clothed and feeling like someone stuck a tranquilizer dart into my bum.

I remember throwing my hands up in frustration, without leaving the bed of course, and resolved that I was too incoherent to study more or less drive to studio in order to finish my paintings for class the next day. I ended up sleeping like a log for seven hours.

Thanks Red Bull enducing me to try your beverage of LIES. Next time I'm just going to go for the double espresso.

Are you in?

Hey everyone!

Well it's been a while since I've updated. This week has been beyond the simple word of business. It's more like school is eating my face right off but I'm surviving with or without sleep. For example last night I flipped out because I realized how much I had to accomplish this weekend. I stayed up until 4am doing laundry, cleaning up the house and working on a tshirt design. I just woke up around 12! Ridiculous.

While I was moving clothes into my messy room I realized something. Whenever I have been stressed out to the maximum or simply feeling like my work in Auburn was pointless He brought up Africa again.

Take this for example: it was late one night and I was hungry. There wasn't much open besides fast food so I decided to hop in my car and go to Bruno's for something green to satisfy my pallet. I had had a rough day and as I walked through the grocery store I just felt so overwhelmed. When I went to check out I was signing the receipt in the deserted Bruno's when the cashier asked me "What's your ring?" She pointed to the ginyame symbol and I explained that it meant "Without God, we are nothing". The lady smiled and replied "Well I like frogs." Yes, that's exactly what she said. I stammered back "Oh...yeah, frogs are cool too." I proceeded to laugh uncontrollably as I drove home. I love when God appeals to my sense of humor.

This morning I checked on Facebook and George sent me a beautiful message with his prayer for me. A prayer. On Facebook. From Africa. It doesn't get much better than that.

On Thursday I had class all day long. I was exhausted and frustrated from my week of running around. I went to Encounter and, as usual, God showed up. I sat there in the pew as Matt explained what it would be like if we committed to helping orphans in Uganda. He showed pictures of kids outside of a brand new house with a house mom. I started sobbing. All I could think of was Ghana and knowing that those kids in Uganda needed the hope I saw at the VoH. I want to be a part of that. I wanted to jump up in the middle of his talk and shout "I WANT TO HELP MATT! SEND MEEEEEE!"

He challenged us that with $20 a month we could build that house in Uganda. We could help orphans in China with cleft pallets and provide health care when they were abandoned. We could print A MILLION BIBLES a MONTH to send to underground churches in China. The man who owns the printing company said that they had so many requests for Bibles that they simply didn't have the funds to print at their maximum capacity. We could do that. We could give someone in Vietnam a Bible in their OWN language that they haven't had access to in over 40 years since the Communist party banned the Word. On top of that we could send people there! Graduates who can go to Uganda or China or Vietnam because when Matt asked them they were floored and mumbled "You want to send more than money? You want to come!?" Oh yes, yes we do.

I know that some people start to fidget when it comes to finances. There's always the question "Will my money really go there?" Honestly think about this. Is it even our money to begin with? Isn't God the one who blesses us with what we have? Shouldn't we, as stewards of our billions of blessing, trust that God will take what we give to the right place?

Perhaps in my youth I'm naive but to be perfectly honest I'd rather take that risk that horde what I have all to myself. If you read in the New Testament through the parables of Jesus in Luke, it doesn't work out so well.

So I'm here to tell you that I'm in. As Matt asked this same question I ask of you: "Are you in?"

If you are, and want some more information just let me know. Thanks for stopping by!

- Check out the Podcast: Grace Campus Ministry for a full update

Announcement

I am to the point of deciding that design is indeed a curse instead of a blessing in disguise.

I am not a machine.

I am a human being.

That is all.

Clutter and Sushi

Presently I'm sitting in my study with a pile of text books, library books, a backpack, colored pencils, CDs, random pens and pencils scattered everywhere, tape, highlighters, a digital camera, envelopes, letters, pencil sharpener, and not to mention a heavy downpour of papers strewn throughout the 12ft vicinity.

I glanced over to my room and the same could be said about its condition with clothes in mind instead of school supplies.

It is in these moments, however rare they occur, that I think to myself "Hello my name is Megan and I have too much clutter."

A true statement. Now, let me tell you something. My parents are professional experts when it comes to anti-clutter-ism. Believe you me, Windex runs in the Forrester veins excluding myself of course. I do enjoy a good mound of clutter being that it appeals to my artistic nature as well as a small form of inner-rebellion against my cleaning heritage. Hey, we've all got to get our kicks some way. Even so, I think it's become an entire mountain range in comparison to a mound and I keep tripping over the peaks. I have the bruises to prove it. That or I'm just extremely clumsy. Probably a combination of the two aforementioned reasons.

Maybe I can take a pick ax to them on Wednesday.

On a very random note I ate some incredible sushi this weekend. I know that it's not for everyone but if you happen to be one of those types I highly recommend Juliana Tokyo downtown or the new place on College St called Fiji. Fiji is cheaper with extremely slow service when they get busy yet the sushi is still amazing. Juliana Tokyo has the best Tuna Crunch Roll I've ever put in my mouth. I mean - manna from heaven.

In more generic terms I had a good weekend. I got to see my grandmother from TN and chat about Africa which always makes my afternoon. It was good to see here since it has been since Christmas. Wow it's insane how fast time flies it makes me want to nail a clock to the wall in prevention of that happening. I'm not sure it would work, but I think it would be a neat concept for an instillation piece. Argh art on the brain. See what school does to me?

Auburn won their first home game. Barely. It was a shabby game but the band looked good. I also got to hang out with the posse which is always hysterical. We decided that if someone made our lives into a reality show it would mimic the antics of Friends. Excellent.

This week is rather hectic for me. I have a HUGE pdf presentation for Design I about our first project. To be honest I'm quite terrified but hopefully I'll pull through on heavy amounts of caffeine, brute determination and my limited artistic intuition. Oh to be taught design...that would be something now wouldn't it?

Enough procrastinating. I need to gather my things for my marathon of classes tomorrow. As always, thanks for stopping by.

Finding a Niche

So. I'm sitting here in the studio which I have justly entitled "The Armpit of Auburn University". Seriously that's where they put us. In a basement. With no windows. In a small, confined space. Yes, that's exactly where we shall put the creative people. In a concrete box.

Regardless of our glum location, classes are going well. I just finished passing off my corporate identity to my professor. I think he liked the concept but he kept up the mantra stating "It needs to find a niche". And you're sitting there with the same thought that ran through my mind "What does that even mean?"

The longer that I'm in this major the more that question makes itself known. I was telling one of my friends the other day that "Art is not about art. It's about the defense of art." If you can defend your idea the basic concept of "It's art because I say so" is a reality instead of a clever bumper sticker. With my major there is no consistency or predictability. You never know what your project will be, what your professor expects of you, what makes your project good enough or creative enough, what your final grade will be (that's always a game of Yahtzee), or if even though the professor loved it through the entire production he could conjure the deepest hate and disgust for the work during the final critique. You never know.

When I was a freshmen I remember my mom asking me "So, it's mid semester, what are your grades so far?" I recall staring at her blankly with a honest reply "I have no idea. I could be failing or passing with straight A's. They don't tell us a thing."

Well it makes for an interesting educational experience in the major of flexibility.

Man I'm exhausted. I want you to know that I ran a 1.5 miles yesterday. I'm training with Rachael for a 10k in October (that's 6 miles). I can sit here and tell you that the farthest I've ever gone in my entire life is 2.5 miles. I actually had a really great run last night. I found my rhythm even though I ran a 14 minute mile. C'mon...I'm a designer. I sit in a chair with my face glued to a laptop. I'd say it's an accomplishment.

I've got to get back to work. I have another presentation tomorrow. Oh how I miss sleep - we're running on 4 hours at the moment. Wish me luck.

Another Day in the Neighborhood

It's raining.

For some odd reason it always rains when I have to go to the library and inevitably walk in through torrential downpours in order to get there leaving me wet down to the bone.

The past few days have been busy yet uneventful all at the same time. School is becoming routine and "personally annoying" as one of my classmates told the professor in lecture last week. Hilarious.

Biology is slow and has the possibility in the briefest of moments to be amusing. My professor likes to make the over-used Alabama football joke to break up his lectures about the composition of atoms. One of such tangent he started discussing shark attacks followed by rapid fire slide show of various "dangerous" animals. My favorite moment was after he showed a photo of Bambi: "What animal is responsible for the most human fatalities in the United States?" A girl behind me said "Is it because deer hit the cars?" One of my classmates sarcastically replied "No it's because they EAT people." Seriously, I laughed for a good 5 minutes through the lecture.

Everything else that I'm taking (Design I, 20th Century Art History, and Painting II) are tons of work with their own frustrations. I enjoy my professors I just can't seem to get back into the creative swing. I've got to find it again because the goal is "Graduation. Graduation. Graduation."

We had our first small group meeting yesterday. I think it went well. Erik and I work great together plus is was just fun to hang out with everyone. We had 7 people (including Erik and myself). Hopefully we will grow as the weeks pass.

Encounter rocked my face RIGHT off last Thursday. Man, it is like spiritual manna from heaven whenever I go. Matt discussed being impressed with God. If you want to listen to it, which I highly recommend, go to iTunes then type in "Grace Campus Ministry" for a podcast.

Well I'm headed back to studio to gesso some boards then read Art History until my eyeballs fall directly out of my head. I wonder if that's even physically possible and if it were could I get a University approved class excuse for it....

Haha, well once again friendly readers - thanks for stopping by.

Back to the Grind

Hey there friends!

I hope this post finds you doing well in the hustle and bustle of another school year. I'm still trying to wrap my mind around the fact that I have only 2 more semesters left of college. In reality I have to repeat the refrain "2 more semesters 2 more semesters" when I wake up at 6:30am for my classes.

I was sitting in class yesterday morning and my professor inquired why I was so early every day. First off (although I did not mention this to him) I wanted to prove to him that I could be on time. I had him for Illustration last year and was perpetually late. I continued to inform him that I have an strenuous, yet effective, alarm clock system which operates as follows:

Step 1: The alarm clock next to my bed is set but sometimes unreliable.
Step 2: Another alarm clock across the room set 5 minutes later than step 1 even though its buzz is slightly pathetic.
Step 3: My cellphone is set 10 minutes after step 1 and rests on my dresser diagonally from my bed. I usually never hear this alarm. Occasionally I set more than one alarm on my cell phone just for precautionary reasons.
Step 4: I have my iHome set with my iPod to go off in melody with step 1. I crank the volume and every morning David Crowder wakes me up screaming at the top of his lungs.
Step 5: A second alarm clock located next to step 1 that goes off 15 minutes from step 1. This is to ensure that in the process of turning off all of these alarms that I haven't simply hit snooze on all of them and proceed to sleep through my classes.

This might seem extreme but I think this system has been 3 years in the making. It takes an act of Congress or the tornado siren to wake me up from a deep sleep. Sad, but so very true. I am happy to report that I have yet to miss any of my classes.

Speaking of classes they're going well. Granted we have yet to hit the harder stride of assignments but I will suffer through.

I must confess to you that over the summer I had forgotten how insufferably busy college life is for me. I don't know how to express the hectic nature of my life in Auburn but I do believe it has the potential to drive any sane person to the state of utter madness in which I reside daily.

Now, the average individual would make the assumption that college students have "tons of free time". Jim, our campus minister, would make us plot out our schedules as freshmen to see how much time we really had on our hands. I did this and as soon as my "calendar" was completed I laughed. It was full. Of what, you might ask and it was the following: church.

"Oh splendid Megan! You're doing what you need to do!" replied those sitting around me.

Really? Am I REALLY doing what is best? One thing I learned this summer while I was in Africa was that I had forgotten how to breath; not literally of course but spiritually speaking. I had forgotten how to soak in the simple presence of God. As I sat in the middle of the Village of Hope listening to the kids laughing and the birds in the trees it hit me like a brick in the face. Life at Auburn was complex. I saw myself running from one church session to another, from small group to prayer group to devo to church on Sunday to Speak rehearsal to making tshirts for the ACSC or the AUCoC or Encounter or Invisible Children meetings...I mean the list goes on and on.

Don't misread me - these things are wonderful and I enjoy each of them. At the same time I need you to understand what that is like. On top of having the voice of school screeching in my head: "You have a paper due in Art History, a lab to finish in Biology, 3 paintings due by Thursday, a logo proposal in a week" on top of my physical body shouting: "I'm hungry! When was the last time you showered? Are you ever going to see more than 4 hours of sleep!? What about exercise? Stop eating so much cheese and drinking gallons of caffeine!" In chorus is the domestic voice: "You haven't washed clothes in 2 weeks. Your room is a disaster zone. Have you seen the study? There's art supplies every where. Your car hasn't seen a good washing in 4 months. Is something growing under the seat cushion? Have you deposited that check?" Let's not forget the design mantra: "Where is the tshirt design for the ER crew? Why haven't you done an ACSC tshirt yet? Why haven't you emailed me those jpegs for the website? Where is that logo? What about the tshirt design for fill-in-the-blank?" Oh there's more, the relationship voice: "Where have you been Megan we haven't hung out in ages!? Have you been spending enough time with ACSC people? People from studio? Friends in your new classes? Freshmen? Your family?"

I'm not complaining. I know everyone has those kind of voices in their head. It doesn't change when you graduate, or move, or get married, or have a family. In all of that, the resounding question is "Where is Jesus?" I think I ask that question every single day. That was always an easy question to answer this summer. He was right there in my face and in the center of all that I did. I can't help but feel that I've suffocated him with my schedule.

God doesn't need a grand performance to prove that we love Him. All of my life I thought on some level I had to perform for God. I knew that my works were not enough but through the church I some how dug up the idea that if I wasn't filling my time then people would whisper "She's falling from the way."

In all actuality I want to learn how to truthfully and honestly "Be still" to know that "He is God". I want to fall into the way - the way of Christ. So that's what I'm doing this semester.

As always, thanks for stopping by!

ps: Read Colossians. It rocked my face right off tonight, as a matter of fact I'm still looking for it...

And they're all back....

You know those scenes from Lord of the Rings where the armies of Mordor surge into Helms Deep?*

Okay take that magnitude, but instead of terrifying creatures of the underworld replace them with blond 115lb girls in bright pink shirts scurrying around downtown Auburn and you've got the picture.

Man this town is PACKED! I fear it will only get worse as school approaches. Incase you've never had the pleasure of visiting the loveliest village on the planes this place simply isn't meant for traffic especially girls in over-proportioned SUVs.

Regardless of the automobile congestion, Auburn hasn't changed. Granted they have begun more road construction right before the first day of class on key streets like College and Gay, but for the most part Auburn is just how I left it.

I've been spending my days sleeping in and hanging out late with the posse. Everyone is back in town and I can't tell you how much fun we've had playing Wii while laughing into the wee hours of the morning. Man it's good to be back in the JAR house! (Oh yes let me clarify - JAR stands for Jessica, Amber, and Rachael it's easier to abbreviate)

I'm about to venture out into the heat wave to seek my Biology Lab book and planning a quick route via bicycle across campus to make it to my classes on time. Pray that I don't get hit by a car because the likelihood of that happening is startlingly high. As a matter of fact, one of my classmates got hit by a car on her bike last semester. It was quite a nasty tumble, but she healed up rather nicely.

This week is our first devotional at the Auburn Christian Student Center. It's been quite an adjustment to get into the ACSC routine but I'm getting there. I hope to lead a small group this semester. Be praying about who they place me with! I have no idea what I just signed myself up for but it felt like it was time to take what I've learned this summer into ACTION. (For some reason I envisioned SuperMan music playing through that last sentence...)

Okay out into the lava-esque climate I go! As always, thanks for stopping by.

*Yes I made an LoT reference. I'm a dork with NO shame!

Stuff.

I've been putting off my unpacking process for at least four days.

For the average person, unpacking would be the tip top priority on their list of things-to-do but for some reason I couldn't get it done. I do believe that part of my hesitation to unpack is a manifestation of denial to the obvious truth that I now live in Auburn. In this apartment. In this room.

With all of this stuff.

When I walked upstairs on Tuesday into my room I was overwhelmed. My closet was full and as soon as I opened the door my stomach turned sour. I have so much stuff. Clothes that I never wear or have grown out of just sitting there staring blankly back at me. More than 15 pairs of shoes. Jeans. Shirts. Sweatshirts. Skirts. It's disgusting really.

All I could think about was Senya. I know that guilt isn't what God wants me to be burdened with over the blessings that He has provided, but at the same time didn't Jesus say "Sell all of your possessions and follow me?" Sometimes I feel like we don't take that seriously. We just skip it over as "Oh this can be interpreted in reference to the culture." I mean, what if we DID what Jesus ACTUALLY said to do? Literally. No interpretation - just take it like it is and act on it.

My automatic thought was to take everything out of my closet, drive to the GoodWill, and leave it. I certainly don't need it. I don't even want any of it. All I can see as I look into my closet is one of the Senya kids pulling at my skirt asking if they could have my shoes as I looked at their bare and calloused feet. I feel responsible for that. Responsible for my brothers and sisters who NEED to be blessed and we are overly capable of delivering that blessing.

I want to be a delivery-girl of God's blessings. I know they aren't mine to give because everything is the Father's. That makes it even better thought, doesn't it? We have the honor, not the obligation, to be the hands and feet of Jesus right here. Right now.

I'm speaking to myself more than anyone else at the moment. Jess and I are cooking up something to act through what we've been discussing about responsibility with our blessings.

Well I should keep going. Thanks for stopping by!

Walking in Auburn

I'm back. Well, in Auburn that is.

I just wanted to let all of you know that I'm alive and well back in the good ole 'Burn. The drive was uneventful and smooth. I have to say that it has been overwhelming to be in my apartment again. It's so quite here and there's no one to play Wii bowling with or laugh about Nick or have a late night prank or.....I mean, uh... I've been educated on arming our new alarm so it feels like the triple wide whenever the beep goes off as the door opens. Maybe I should get some flamingos...

I do miss Memphis and everyone at WhiteStation. Even so, my parents were highly relieved to have me back with a 10 mile radius.

I want to keep this blog up so that my TN buds know how life is treating me here. Granted these posts probably won't be as exciting as the summer edition, but I'll do my best to make it worth your while to stop by every now and then.

I'll be getting my things in order to start school next week. I'm headed to the doctor tomorrow for a check-up just to make sure everything is alright from Ghana. Don't panic. I feel GREAT (besides the fact that I miss WSYG) they just want to be doubly sure. It's "The-Forrester-Way".

Other than that I plan to be catching up with friends, scoping out my new studio, or chatting anyone's ear off who will listen about my summer and what God has done because man, it's a lot.

Thanks again for all of your love, support, and encouragement. Don't be a stranger and once again, thanks for stopping by!

Back to the 'Burn

Well ladies and gentlemen, tonight was my last night as intern for White Station.

I can't tell you how many times I've tried to start this post but have ended up too blurry eyed to finish it.

To say that this summer was amazing is quite an understatement. I have seen the face, hands and feet of Christ through this entire experience and I wish I could truly convey what God has done in my heart. Unfortunately, words fail me once again.

Before I came to Memphis I starting to loose hope in "Christianity". I wondered if anyone had actually read the gospel to fully understand what Christ was calling us to be. Radical. Passionate. Joyful. Risky. Dangerous. Exciting. Alive. I felt like "the church" was in a deep self induced coma and didn't even realize it. I begged God to show me that the diagnosis wasn't accurate - that there was something more, something alive, something real. A real Christianity.

I was frustrated and exhausted but more than any of that I was overwhelmed with sadness. I craved to see uninhibited joy in my Christian family but saw the barriers that kept us locked in fear. Satan began to sow a lie in my heart that the fight we were fighting was useless. He whispered that people had messed up "Christianity" so much we'd lost the gospel that countless others had died to save. I prayed for God to show me that Satan was wrong.

Our God is a good God.

He did just that. He showed me passion, sacrifice, humanity, laughter, service, humility, and love through normal every day people who just happened to be in the family of the WhiteStationCoC. I couldn't get over it. I came here and I felt LOVE manifest itself not out of duty but out of a desire from blessings they had received from their Father. I saw it in the teens, in their parents, in the elders, their pulpit minister, secretary, even the janitor. I saw it in Ghana as well as downtown Memphis.

It is so hard to leave a good thing once you find it. God has taught me so much through this church family that the two words "thank you" seem inadequate. My heart is heavy to leave my new family but at the exact same time I know what lies ahead.

God has big things in store for Auburn. I mean, we're talking BIG. One of the things that Duncan said at camp was "Don't suffer from small God syndrome". I want you to know that the power and grace and love of God isn't small. It isn't just in Ghana. It isn't just in Memphis.

It's in Auburn and I plan to join Him on His mission there. What that looks like I have absolutely no idea but I do know that I'm ready and excited to get started.

I can't wait to see each of you. I will be back in Auburn in the afternoon on Tuesday. I want to hear your stories and what God has done for you and with you this summer.

As always, thanks for stopping by. *


* If you were curious, this blog will continue to be up regardless of my residence. I want my Memphis peeps to know how things are going in Auburn so have no fear - more updates will be here!

America. The home of....

the depressed?

Man, I've got to be honest with you - it's hard coming home. I mean once you see the face of love through the hands and feet of fellow Christians serving each other amidst the simplicity of life everything else just seems to fade.

I went to Target yesterday and not a single person smiled at me. I was just walking through the store and I'd catch people's eye so I returned it with a warm smile. Nothing. If you go anywhere in Ghana and don't receive a smile plus a wave, hug, or hand shake then something isn't right. No matter where we were or what we were doing people were happy.

Before I left, some were confused as to why anyone would even bother to go to Africa. They said things like "That place is hopeless. Why bother?" Well, that's exactly where Jesus would be- with the hopeless. Even so, that is not what I found in Ghana. I saw more passion, love, sacrifice, service, and life than I have anywhere else including America.

Don't misread me here. Our country is an amazing place and God has blessed us more than we are able to understand. The missionary at the Village of Hope talked to us on the last night and said "I don't want you to go home and be ridden with guilt and shame for living in America. What I want you to know, and God wants you to know, that He's blessed you with a purpose. You know what you have because it all came from the Father and with that blessing comes responsibility. Use what you have been given to bless those around you as much as you can."

I sat there in mud huts with people who had nothing but the shirt on their back and say "God is good." I heard children who said "I am so lucky. Both of my parents died but they passed peacefully. I have food. I have water. I have a bed and a place to sleep. I am with people who love me. I am so lucky." From the mouth of an 8 year old. Doesn't that just floor you? Doesn't that make you wonder how much we take things for granted? Doesn't it simply grab your heart with the question of - have we missed what life is supposed to be? What is it really all about?

I walked out into the parking lot of Target and wanted to scream at the top of my lungs "America this isn't working!" We have everything at our finger tips yet so many of us have yet to find true happiness. All of the clothes, big houses - not it. All of the money - not working. All the food, cellphones, and to do lists, - nope. All of the cars, TVs, iWhatevers - not even close. Being obsessed with if we are successful enough, pretty enough, smart enough, rich enough, or simply believing the lie that we aren't enough for anything or anyone. This can't be the way things are supposed to be. There has to be something else.

Ghana showed me something. That thing is Jesus. He IS love. Living, walking, talking, breathing, serving, teaching, dying, resurrecting love. Through love comes true happiness. That is what I saw in Ghana. That is what I see in the hearts and eyes of the children at the Village of Hope - what we all need is the love of God. Regardless of race, gender, or geography the common thing that we hold is the need to be loved by our Creator and His creation.

And that, my dear friends, that is what I learned from Africa.

Well...that's just the beginning...

I say all of that to myself as a challenge to do something with my blessings instead of just "Thanks God that's nice of you". Hopefully it has made you think or at least encouraged you by the work that is being done for God's kingdom in Ghana.

Once again, thanks for stopping by.

Hello America - Land of the Obruni's!

Hey everyone!

We made it back home safe and sound yesterday. I sure hope you have enjoyed the Ghanaian blog we set up while I was away. I have a million things to share but first let's get some house keeping issues out of the way.

1.) Many of you are wondering why the WsygInGhana blog is down well here is why. Some pesky spammer posted a comment/link to inappropriate sites. Essentially when this happens, the friendly folks at Blogger will shut it down until otherwise notified. I am e-mailing them to assure the techies that isn't what we're about and the blog is for the Village of Hope in Ghana...I mean c'mon people. I will have that up and running soon to give you guys some feedback on the end of our trip.

2.) Some of you believed that I had malaria while in Ghana. Well kids I wasn't one of the lucky souls to contract said disease although I do have a bacterial infection. I'm headed to the doctor this afternoon to get some stronger antibiotics but don't fret your little hearts about me because I'll have you know I'm doing quite well.

3.) I'm assuming all of you will want to see pictures of Africa and I trust me I will come find you when I get home, drag you to a coffee shop or well anywhere you will sit down to show you and share my stories....but in the meanwhile I plan to set up a Flickr site so you can feast your eyes on what we saw in Ghana. I will let you know when I get that up and running.

4.) I am leaving for the OCOEE (rafting) trip on Sunday...so I will be out for a few days and will return to Memphis on Wednesday.

5.) I realize that perhaps some of you are ready to drag me back home so I figure I'd put that down in my calendar for you. I plan to leave Memphis either the 6th or 7th of August. Yes plan your party in accordance to that. Oh there will be a party.

That's all I have for announcements, please remember to take your family matters home with you, stack your chairs, and ENJOY!

Haha sorry I just couldn't help but do that. I want to take a quick moment and thank everyone of for their prayers and support while I was in Africa. Thank you to the ones who actually allowed me to go through finacial support or permission *cough cough parents cough* It changed my life forever and I do not say that as a cliche or without complete sincerity. I will never be the same because my heart is in Ghana. I guess I'll need that back eventually...

For the record I am extremely jetlagged hence the post at 7am in the morning which is the time of day I usually never see in America. To me it feels like noon which it is in Ghana.

Well I'm going to go grab some coffee since I'm up. Once again and as always, thanks for stopping by.

ps: Obruni is the Ghanian word for "White Person" yes I just saved you a Google search and for that you owe me a glass of sweet tea. Pay up.

And we're off!

Hey everyone!

Well I'm departing for Ghana, Africa tomorrow around 7pm out of the Memphis airport. It's pretty crazy to think that I'll be on another continent within 36 hours.

I've been sick the past 2 days but thankfully I've pumped myself full of antibiotics and other medications to keep me up 'n running. I should be able to shake it before we arrive in Ghana but some prayer would be appreciated!

I want to be able to be fully functional for the WSYGers and the Ghana kids. It's hard to anticipate such a journey because I know there's nothing else that I can compare it to. Granted I did go to Brasil last summer, but this is a completely different culture and economic background. Even so, the kids at the Village of Hope have already captured my heart and as Courtney has stated "Megan you're going to get Africa in your blood and fall in love with it". I guess we'll see soon enough!

If you were wondering, I have created a separate blog for the trip to Ghana. Everyone on the team will be able to post from there so I'm sure it will be a good thing to keep up with. I will be responsible for the blog so you can expect to hear from me as well - along with photos! Get excited! Just see the link below:

http://www.wsygINghana.blogspot.com

Electricity might be unstable in Ghana but I will do my best to keep you updated. Don't hesitate to shoot an e-mail because we will have easy access to the internet (forreml@auburn.edu). Thank you so much for your support and prayers!

Until we meet again....

God Has Filled Me Up.

Wow. Man I just feel slightly overwhelmed by this post. I don't know how to convey the week God just blessed me with. I know that words will never really be able to capture what I saw, heard and soaked in. I know that you, my friendly reader, can only nod in agreement, laugh, or simply pass through what I type but I will try my best to share what God has done this week.

First off- the camp was filled with people. The total count was 185 when the camp ground capacity was 100. We almost doubled it...shhh don't tell the Ranger or Smokey the Bear for that matter. It took place in the state park of Fall Creek Falls in Tennessee. An absolutely gorgeous display of God's creation in nature complete with lakes, creeks, swimming holes, and water falls.

There were 8 ladies from the church who were cooks, tech people, Rodney (the pulpit minister), both youth ministers George and Courtney, our speaker Duncan Cambell, 2 nurses, 90 campers, older high school kids who were considered counselors or CORP (they served and did the grunt work like moving tables, setting up, etc), FIVE oh let me just say that again....FIVE elders who were there actively engaging with the kids, and the list just goes on and on. All of these people pulled together to make a week and a camp that changed the lives of over 100 young people.

Whew....well I think the best way to go about this is to tell you my "Camp Highlights". Ready...go! Now if you know anything about me, you are aware that nature and I are two unacquainted individuals. I know little about nature nor have I spent much time in it. Unfortunately trees don't have outlets for my laptop. During class, Mrs. Rubio taught the first day and said "I want you to let it rip this week. Jump off that rock. Go down that creek. Soak up His word. Sink into his glory. GO FOR IT!" Well I took that to heart and did exactly as Mrs. Rubio suggested.

I jumped off that rock. I saw teenagers moved by the Spirit of God in BIG ways. I leaped off that bridge. I went under that waterfall. I played ultimate frisbee until my tshirt was soaked with sweat. I read the Word every day and God showed me things I never knew about Himself. I dove into that frigid water. I played four square until I made it to the 4th square. I saw elders and ministers alike hold and laugh and cry with teenagers. I killed that freakishly huge bug that made my campers scream in terror. I laughed, and danced, and raised my hands in worship to the glory of my God. I rode that log across the gorge in the lake. I held hands and cried with my teens after worship just because we knew we needed our Father. I ran through the rain. I climbed over those rocks. I hiked down that cable trail. I took several handfulls of shaving cream in my face. I joined hands with my campers in the creek as we received 4 new sisters and a brother in Christ. I slid down a tarp of chocolate syrup and baby oil. I got muddy and dirty and disgusting and sore and never for one second did I regret it.

I saw God this week. In nature, in laughter, in smiles and most of all in the people. For one of those rare moments I witnessed teenagers decide to pick up their cross and follow. I felt the presence of God because these people, these TEENagers, forgot about themselves and truly LOVED one another.

What moved me the most was the fact that this church has shown me what it looks like to really love people. I mean a honest and pure and true passion for people. I want you to see that more than any picture of a waterfall or me covered in shaving cream.

If this post just isn't enough to wet your palette about my week, don't hesitate to give me a call or shoot me an e-mail. I'd love to hear from you! It's my prayer that God will FILL your heart this week and that you will continue to seek Him.

"Draw close to God and God will draw close to you" -James 4:8

For the record...

I'm sitting here, 11:30pm staring at my bed with the covers on the floor searching for movement. This isn't a normal occurance.

I was pleasantly reading Vanity Fair (it's a special edition all about AFRICA with Bono as co-editor) when I spotted something out of the corner of my eye. "What is that moving over there? Am I just getting sleepy?" Unfortunately not. A nicely sized black spider goes racing across my covers. I leaped out of bed and walked, calmly, into the living room. I asked Will where Billy was and he said upstairs. I then, unable to hold it in, squeal "THERE'S A SPIDER IN MY BED!! AGAIN!!" Will and I proceed to find a container in which to catch the spider (I mean, who wants spider guts in their bed). He, being the brave 10 year old boy that he is, catches the spider and releases him into the backyard. Had the spider been on the ground I would've squish that filthy thing just for interrupting my reading of Bono. As Will is catching the spider he yelped "THERE'S ANOTHER ONE!" By this point we're both squealing like sissy little girls and the rest of the Jones family comes downstairs to check it out. Much to my dismay we couldn't locate the 2nd spider even though we stripped the bed of all the covers and shook them vigorously.

For the record that would be the 3rd spider in my bed (4 if you count the one MIA) plus 2 more that I've squished that had been milling about the room. I know there are lots of spiders in Africa...but I'm expecting them. It's the unexpected ones that get me. The exterminator is coming again tomorrow and hopefully that will solve the problem.

Once again I am highly blessed that I have NEVER found a spider in my bed in Auburn.

Oh and here's the update of Memphis life that you've been eagerly awaiting: Nothing too grand to report. We're gearing up for camp that begins on Sunday so I've been glued to my computer designing materials for that event. I got to see my mom and Mama Anne yesterday- which was the HIGHLIGHT of the month. We got to spend some time together and it was wonderful to see two familiar faces. They also left lima beans and chicken casserole which I have been devouring ever since. I still have yet to understand why Memphis, located in the heart of the south, has no interest in southern food yet is determined to be fixated on Mexican cuisine. I have had more tacos in the past 30 days that I have in my entire existence. Lima beans are like mannah from heaven around here.

Everything is going great and camp is going to be amazing! I won't have computer access for a week so you'll just have to bite your fingernails in suspense until I return next Saturday. Thanks again for checking in! Sleep tight and I hope the bed bugs...er spiders....won't bite!

Africa and Inner City Memphis

Today was one of those days. I have to admit that God has definitely been saying something about Africa in the past couple of months. If you know me, I've picked up the megaphone for Uganda. That's all I would talk about. One day I got a phone call from Courtney asking me if I wanted to go to Africa. My jaw dropped. Me? Africa? Are you serious!? I'm pretty sure I squealed out a "YESSSSSS" as soon as she finished the question. Today I've gotten more emails and messages about Africa than I have, well.... ever.

One from Jessica, my best bud, telling me to pick up a Vanity Fair because it was all about Africa. (Which I did, and plan to read shortly) One from Sarah about interning with Invisible Children next summer. *Insert high pitched squeal of glee here* Having a conversation with one of the youth group guys about GOING to Ghana. Courtney saying "Megan you're going to get Africa in your blood once you go there. You're just going to love it!" Receiving an e-mail from Moe about Invisible Children being on THE NEWS! MSNBC! A message from Will who works at Invisible Children saying that he LOVED my Facebook status about Uganda. To Lance coming into our office recommending a book about Child Soldiers in Africa (which I also plan to purchase and read). Then Courtney raving about a book I have called "Hope In the Dark" with photography from Africa.

Wow. All of that was today. Africa. I mean it's just - everywhere. I'm leaving for Ghana in just a few weeks and all of it still seems surreal. I have no idea what God is going to reveal to me in Ghana. My game plan: to be open to God's will for me and hug on as many children as I can.

Speaking of children we had PowerHour on Monday. We showed up at the DownTown Church and it was in "da ghetto" for sure. I have never seen a true "ghetto" before. I mean, Auburn has its rough side of the tracks but it's not like this. I haven't seen this kind of REAL poverty before. We came into the church which was basically like an empty warehouse. There were kids sitting in a circle playing duck-duck-goose while their laughter echoed throughout the room. I jumped right in and immediately I could see that these kids were STARVING for love.

There was one little boy who came in named LD. He was about 3 years old and refused to smile. After lunch we had a little VBS worship time. One of the guys who works at the DTC was dancing around with LD in his arms. As I looked over at LD slowly he started to smile. Instantly that smile turned into laughter and he continued giggled for a solid five minutes. He didn't stop smiling for the rest of the afternoon and I can't tell you how many times I've thought about that little kid with his bright smile.

I saw Jesus in the DTC. I saw people who LOVED these kids who really needed it. I didn't want to leave. I wanted to stay and hug and play and laugh with all of those kids who have a home life that I can't even begin to imagine. There are a lot of things that I do in life that just don't resonate with my heart. Serving these kids did and I simply didn't want to stop. Nick agreed when I said "Couldn't you just do that every day for the rest of your life?" Sign me up.

When I was driving home I couldn't help but think about Auburn. I know there are kids at home who need love. What I began to realize is that Memphis isn't the only place with kids who need love. Africa isn't the only place where kids need love. Auburn is that place too. Even in our churches and schools and homes there are kids who need love. Perhaps I'm stepping on some toes here, but just think about it. Pray about it. I will be too.

Well friends, thanks for checking in. I'm headed to bed because we're going to go feed the homeless tomorrow. Man that sounds surreal doesn't it? I'm sure it'll rock my world. I'll do my best to keep you updated! Pray continually!

Design+Ministry=A Happy Megan

To the right here is some of my handy work for the
youth group. The theme of our summer is "CLOSER".
What we hope to accomplish is to dive deeply and drink in what it truly means to be close to our Father. The scripture we're really going to be focusing on is from James and it reads: "Come close to God and God will come close to you" 4:8.

This is the shirt design and I think it turned out pretty well. I think it's my favorite one I've done. I also designed another tshirt for their spring retreat entitled "The Good Life". I just finished the tshirt for camp, but I can't show you guys that yet because it's tip top secret! (Okay if you're that curious e-mail me).

I'm also working on revamping the booklet for camp. I did a calendar for the summer which you can view in all of its glory on www.wsyg.org It's just too big to publish on the blog.

I'm so excited about tomorrow! We're having this event called "POWERHOUR". I mean, just the name is awesome. When ever I say it I do a little pump fist action - awesome. Anyway, what we do is go to a poorer part of downtown. We orchestrate with the DowntownCoC of Memphis to have our own mini VBS with the kids in the apartment complexes. It's rather simplistic but I love me some VBSin' so I think it'll be a ton of fun. We're going to be teaching the story of David and Goliath which is a personal favorite. It has a great song too!

I'll be doing my best to keep you guys updated but things are going to get CRAZY busy with camp coming up in 14 days. Please keep me, Nick, George and Courtney in your prayers as we try our best to get everything accomplished! Thanks for checking in

Violence Isn't the Answer

Hey everyone!

Memphis WorkCamp came to a close yesterday and it was a great week. Our team of 14 did an AMAZING job repairing, scraping, cleaning, landscaping and painting our house in OrangeMound of Memphis. Here are a few of the week's highlights I'd like to share with all of you.

One thing I've learned this week is that God is always ready to teach me a lesson. The most reoccurring lesson is one of patience. Just when I think I've got it under my belt there's always a new level that I need to grasp. Remember the kid that I told you about, you know, Tyler? Well God used him in a BIG way to teach me patience. For the rest of the week Tyler decided to have a vendetta against me. I want you to understand that he's a CHILD and I resolved that he simply didn't know what he was doing (or that he was off his ADHD meds). Regardless, he continued through the week to attempt more injuries. I'm of the persuasion that generally I have a plethora of patience. For some odd reason this kid just got the best of me. On the last day he kicked my leg where it was cut and attempted to strangle me (again) and I want to be honest here - I had to have a conversation with Jesus about it. I was so frustrated! I didn't understand his behavior and I'm pretty sure that violence isn't one of the usual five love languages. There was another college student on the crew with us and his name is Jake. He goes to Memphis University and he made a good point. Jake saw what was happening and said "Megan...Tyler needs just as much love as the kids in Uganda do." As soon as he said it I knew he was right. At that point I realized that God was trying to show me that every teen needs love in a different way and if you are going to be a disciple to them you have to find out what it is. Rodney did a GREAT lesson on Sunday about Genuine Love. The most memorable thing he said was "The hardest thing God ever asked us to do is LOVE. I can't think of anything harder than that." It was so true for me this week. It was hard for me to look at Tyler and think of love instead of kicking him in the shins. Even so, God used him to teach me so much and for that I'm thankful.

Another awesome thing that happened was getting to know one of the girls on my crew. Her name was Haley and she's a sophomore in high school. We were at the back of the house painting alone while everyone was working on the front. She looked over at me and said "Okay, this might sound really weird to you, but I've really felt God this week." Amazed I replied "No! That's not weird at all! That's AWESOME! So...when did that happen?" She explained to me that on Wednesday she just wasn't feeling it. She was tired of being hot and scraping the house, to which I nodded in agreement. Haley continued by saying that she glanced up when she was scraping and she saw the trees blowing in the wind. She said "Trees are just so beautiful to me and then the wind blew across my face and I just felt God's presence with all of us." I mean, wow. That was so cool to hear her say that. Sometimes I feel like we forget that God is in the simple things and it's incredible to be reminded by a 15 year old.

Those were the best moments of the week for me. Oh you might find this slightly humorous too. On the last night night Tyler found me and asked me to sign his shirt. I agreed as he handed me the sharpie and I decided to write him a little message. I put in quotations "Violence isn't the answer - love is." He said "I can't believe you wrote that on my shirt!" and I smiled with the reply "I can't believe you injured me but what I wrote is true." He grinned and jogged off.

Well I'm going to get back to writing my lesson on the Good Samaritan! Thanks for checking in

Rule Number One of Memphis WorkCamp

Hey everyone!

I hope this post finds each of you doing well. Things are going great here in Memphis. I just want to tell you that the longer I'm here the more I'm falling in love with these kids! It's just amazing how God is letting me see His work in their hearts.

I taught my first class (EVER) on Sunday. I'd done a few smaller "classes" before but not with this many kids. I taught a lesson on the Prodigal Son or SonS as I like to call it. I enjoyed digging through the scripture and I tried to be as Brinkerhoffian as possible. All of the kids said they enjoyed class (which is rare to come from the mouth of a middle schooler). One of the boys in the class, who doesn't believe, said "I liked it. She was really enthusiastic." I was so happy when George told me that because I want them to get EXCITED about the Word, to be EXCITED about their faith, and most importantly, EXCITED about their God. For the record, I love teaching classes. That's right, sign me up.

Monday was our first night session of Memphis WorkCamp. I was overjoyed to see the Auburn group there as well as Jacob and Mr. Dale. It was good to see some familiar faces and chat with everyone. It appeared that they were having a good time and I was able to check in with the kids every once in a while.

Man, after Monday night I realized why I loved going on youth trips so much in highschool. It's the worship. You won't find a more energetic and passionate group of worshipers. If you haven't had the experience of going with a youth group on a trip (yes it can be tiring and stressful...), you should go just to be a part of the fellowship and worship. I promise God will really bless you for it! We had a great speaker that night as well.

Today was our first day of working. We arrived at the house and met the homeowner. She was an elderly lady named Mrs.Reeds. She was exceptionally sweet and grateful for our desire to clean up the yard and paint her house. We spent all of today scraping the peeling sections of paint off of the siding. We also did some major weed-a-wackin' around the yard and gathering of trash. I think it's going to look amazing when we're through. We have a mix of kids from all different churches and they're a lot of fun.

Here is a story from our experience today. Ronnie (my co-team leader) was up on the roof scraping part of siding. He yelled down to one of the kids "Hey Tyler, can you toss me that hammer?" Well, Tyler being the fella that he is picked up the hammer and literally tossed the hammer onto the roof. Well apparently the hammer had other plans in mind and decided to bounce off the roof, hit a gutter, and come hurtling back only to take a nice section of my leg with it. Don't panic. It wasn only a scrape. We got it cleaned up and bandaged well. Now we just have a lesson learned: Rule #1 of WorkCcamp is- don't throw a hammer because they are fond of obeying the laws of gravity.

Well I'm plum tuckered out as my Mama Anne likes to say, so it's bed time for me. Thanks for reading and keep Memphis in your prayers!

Catching Up

Hey everyone!

I am happy to report that the KickOff went smashingly! Everyone enjoyed the video that we created and it got a few good laughs from the crowd. We had a great meal and enjoyed our fellowship together. I think everyone is very excited about what we have going on this summer. After the KickOff on Wednesday, we had the 6th grade Kidnap.

For this event we gathered the youth group early Thursday morning and went to the 6th grader's houses to grab them from their beds. We had a total of six 6th graders that were kidnapped. We brought them back to the church and had a big pancake breakfast waiting for them. It was a good time and I think the 6th graders felt welcomed into the WSYG. Once everyone was full from pancakes we played a few mixer games like Fruit Basket TurnOver and Red Rover (which is quite a dangerous game, we had a kid got hurt but he's doing better).

I had Friday off so I spent most of that day sleeping and recovering from the week. I passed out on my bed Thursday afternoon around 5pm and woke up late that night. Needless to say I got a lot of well needed rest! On Friday I met up with one of the 9th grade girls named Jesse who I've already made a quick connection with. She's an artsy kid so we have a lot in common. We went to a great Chinese food place and to Wal-Mart which isn't far from my house.

That night Nick, the Pettie's (Hunter, his sister Taylor, and their parents) went to see one of the guy's basketball games. His name is Marlyn and he's a basketball MACHINE. He's a lot of fun and it was good to see him play. When the game ended we went back to the Pettie's and had a delicious dinner. I mean...wow, she can cook! Nick and I ended up staying for a while and talking with the family. They're so much fun and just a sweet group to be around. Taylor is their daughter and she's in 8th grade. I really had a good time getting to know her. We watched some of the camp DVD from last year and it got me really pumped about Jr. High Camp. Apparently camp is the end all be all of the summer activities so I'm overly excited to experience that.

Today I slept till about 9am. I woke up and went to the Atlanta Bread Co. to work on my lesson for Sunday school. I am eager to teach the class because I haven't had that opportunity at home. I just get so hyper about talking in front of the kids. I hope that they understand that it's more than a story that we read out of the Bible from long ago but it applies to US; it's God's story for US and to US in hopes to draw us closer to Him and in turn He craves to be closer to US. Love it. See I'm already excited.

Excuse the digression....I met Nick up at the church as well as Hunter and Taylor. We went to Harding High School and watched several of the girls play basketball (Lindsey, Alley, and Chelsea). Sadly they lost, but the girls played hard and had some good hussle throughout the game. We got to say hi afterwards and I think they were glad to see us there. We ate lunch at Bennigans (like an AppleBee's). It was soooo good!

I came back home and worked through the rest of the afternoon preparing my lesson and writing some thank-you notes. We ate dinner and I've been doing laundry for the past few hours. Hooray for clean clothes! Well I'm going to try to finish up that chore and work on the camp tshirt. Hopefully I can finish that soon. Thanks for reading and keep up the prayers!

Busy busy busy

Hey everyone!

So it's been a couple of days since my last update but let me tell you, we've been working NON-STOP! Of course that's how I like things even though I am a little tired today. On Sunday Nick and I taught our first class. I think it went well and I had a lot of fun teaching. Basically we just talked about ourselves, told a few funny stories, while wanting the kids to warm up to us and see what we're really about.

I got to spend some time with AJ on Sunday. We ate lunch together and it was really good. We had some great conversations and it was really good to spend some one-on-one time with her. After lunch I worked on a few things at home while Kim got ready for a pool party they were having that night. I went back to the church for worship and class. I'll be teaching the Senior High girls every week that I'm in town. They had a great teacher named Mrs.Bop and it will be hard to take over her role. We'll see how it goes!

After church we ate at CiCi's (yum...I'm so pizza-ed out). I had a good chance to hang out with everyone. These kids are hysterical! Once we were done eating a big group of us went to play LaserTag. It was SO MUCH FUN! George kept saying "I love my job." as he continued to beat everyone in the game. I came in 21st place out of 23rd. Good thing I'm not a sniper for the army...

On Monday we came into work to wrap up filming for the KickOff video. Once we were done working we went to George's parent's house in Holiday, TN. It was GREAT. Mr. Welty cooked pork stakes and Mrs. Welty made green beans (which I devoured 3 helpings of), mashed potatoes, crescent roles, and an amazing chesspie. Yum!! Courtney, George and Nick rode the 4-wheeler too. It was a great evening overall.

Yesterday I came into work around 8:20am to start editing the video. I edited all day long. I did take a break for lunch and to go hand out IcePops to the middle school right down the street from the church. That was fun and I wonder the AuburnCoC could do that for the schools in our community...or something like that. I spent the rest of the afternoon editing and well into the night. Courtney and I worked until 1:30am and I went to bed around 2am.

I'm sitting in the office right now waiting for George to come back so we can proof the video. The KickOff starts tonight at 7pm so say a little prayer that everything goes smoothly (and that I can take a nap sometime today). I'm so sleepy...well thanks for reading! Take care