Louisville (part 1)

“If you live to be a hundred, I want 
to live to be a hundred minus one day, 
so I never have to live without you.” 
[A.A. Milne - Winnie the Pooh]

Well. My best friend had fallen in love with the man of her dreams and recently got engaged to that man. They made us wait 5 long months before we could celebrate with them at their wedding. The wedding weekend finally came, and it was slightly more than amazing. The last time I went to Louisville I travelled by myself, but this time around I was able to share the weekend with my parents. 

Our weekend adventure began by us travelling in extremely tiny planes that didn't even have real wings which made us feel like we were in an episode of Wings, and seeing a sea of cotton ball type clouds. During any trip we go on we make it a point to go to places and restaurants that we don't have back home. While in Louisville for the weekend we learned a few important lessons.

Plan your day around food

It has become evident that I am like a new born child and need to eat every 3 to 4 hours. Good thing Louisville knows how to do food. When I came to Louisville back in November DJ took me to a breakfast place called Wild Eggs. The food was fabulous and ever since my introduction I dreamt about the next time I would eat there. So I knew that this was somewhere I needed to take my parents. And again, it was far from disappointing.

Next on the food agenda was The Comfy Cow. Otherwise known as the "comfy utter", this was probably the best ice cream place I have been too. They have the traditional flavors - Chocolate, Vanilla, Strawberry, Mint Chocolate Chip, Coffee, Chocolate Chip - but they also have crazy, untraditional flavors like: Cow Tracks, Bourbon Ball, Candy Cane Lane, Coo Coo for Coconut, Dulce De Leche De Salte (Salty Caramel), and Vermont Maple Walnut.

The two times that we went there - within 24 hours - I travelled from the North Pole with a Candy Cane Lane milkshake to the Caribbean with a small scoop of Coo Coo for Coconut ice cream.

candy cane milkshake: christmas in a cup

new life motto

Another food gem we found on one of the day's adventure was a little diner called One Nineteen West Main located a little north of Louisville in a town called La Grange. The menu was cleverly written with humor and the food was simple, southern and satisfying. And I can even say that I tried a deep fried pickle. Despite how horrible that sounds, it actually was quite good - speaking from someone who absolutely hates pickles.

We heard from friends that in this town there were train tracks that literally came through the middle of town. While driving around before dinner we saw the train tracks but never thought we would have dinner AND a show.

The train literally came several feet away from the cars parallel parked next to the sidewalk. According to our waiter, these tracks are one of few main lines that run through the middle of a town and sometimes they can experience 40 trains coming through a day!!

Enjoy the Scenery

I don't know how to describe the scenery, except for the fact that Louisville has the most amazing clouds, storms and sunsets.

la grange

breathtaking, right?

Make Memories, Laugh Often, Repeat

No adventure is complete if memories aren't made and you don't laugh until your stomach hurts. This weekend there were many "memory made" opportunities and there was certainly an abundance of laughs. We explored the downtown parts of Louisville and helped to support a local coffee shop called Quills.

We visited the so called "boat people" at a restaurant called Captain's Quarter's and enjoyed sitting next to the Ohio River with dear friends while we saw cargo boats travel down river and delighted in the picture perfect clouds above in the sky.

Other adventures along the way included ice cream scoops accidentally falling off cones [names will be withheld for the protection of the guilty], galavanting through historical parks and coming across a group of actors rehearsing Pride and Prejudice - only in Kentucky, right? - and one of our airline stewards not doing his job and sitting behind us looking out the window and taking pictures with his iPhone.

Lastly, no trip could end without an exciting trip to a mall. But not just any mall. A mall that had a 2-story Forever 21. I had experienced the beauty of this store back in November and I raved to my parents about how huge this store actually was and strongly emphasized that we needed to visit it again. I knew they were doing this just for me because my mother hates shopping "for fun" and my dad isn't really a shopper, but he actually enjoyed himself and had fun.

These 5 days in Louisville were some of the best days in the past few months. The food was fabulous, the company was grand, the sky was incredible and was a reminder of our awesome Creator, and the laughter was abundant. But the best was yet to come, because this weekend was the first time I was a bridesmaid, and it just happened to be for the wedding of my best friend.

bachelorette party prep

(to be continued...)

Jesus + Nothing = Everything

"Through the fire and storm,
Lord my heart is yours.
I will trust with hands held high."
[annie.lawrence]

During our lives we tend to remember exactly where we were when certain "big" events happen. For example, we can probably all remember where we were when we first heard about the September 11th terrorist attacks. Or, for the 'older' folks, remembering where you were with JFK was assassinated. Well, it's been exactly a little over a year now since I had one of those big moments that I will never forget.

It was June 6, 2012. This was the second day during that week I took my hour long trip up to Baltimore. Except this trip would be a little different. This trip I was doing my 3 month scans which only consisted of a PET scan, to check for active cancer cells. I couldn't eat anything 6 hours or so before my test. This meant that around 5am that day, my mom came in my room with a pop tart which I ate as I was half asleep.

We got to Hopkins, found a wheelchair for me, and commenced on our journey to find where we were suppose to go. We went into the basement depths of Hopkins and all the walls were a nasty shade of yellow. I filled out all my patient information forms, and then the fun really began. I had the great privilege of drinking some nasty liquid, George - my PICC line - was flushed out and radiation sugar was injected. And then I sat. and sat. AND sat. for an hour and a half, with the lights turned off, no music or phone, blankets covered over me, and a stomach that was growling like a lion.

The point of sitting for an hour and a half was to let the radiation sugar do its work. Once injected in my body it would gravitate toward any active cancer cells in my body. When I was done sitting I was taken over to the large tunnel shaped machine, where I laid flat on my back for another hour or so as they did the two different scan parts. Then everything was magically finished, I was free to go, returned to my parents and swiftly went to Potbelly's down in the Baltimore Harbor to get food.

The next day I woke up, the sun was shining, and new mercies awaited. Although I do not remember the exact details of that day there is one moment I will remember forever. Mom and I were upstairs watching tv or something, and then her phone rang. It was my doctor, with the results of my PET scan. She said that everything looked good, the tumor had shrunk, and there was no sign of cancer activity.

I was healed.

Even though I knew God had healed me I still knew many other people who were going through difficult trials and don't have answers to their trials. So how do you hope in God, or trust in God when you don't have the answers. In the past few weeks I have been thinking about this concept. How do we hope in someone we have never seen?

We can hope because we have a living hope. Why does knowing this make a difference? His hope - God's living hope - will not fail and lasts eternally. For me, getting to rock bottom was getting to the point where all I could do is trust in God. There were times I thought that God didn't see the pain I was going through, times I thought God didn't love me because after all, who would want to love a sick girl. God sees, God knows, God loves us so much that he sent His one and only son to die for us. How can we not hope in him.

"But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ - by grace you have been saved - and raised us up with him and seated with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness towards us in Christ Jesus." _Ephesians 2:4-7

Hoping in God is trusting in the sovereignty of God. Hoping in God is making Him your foundation. Some of us might be in a waiting period - waiting for answers, waiting for changes - but God has a reason for the specific waiting season that we are in. Take time to learn during this waiting period.

Last year wasn't something that I would ever want to go through again and I am thankful that God has healed me. But God taught me so much during that time, and is still teaching me things today. I can be weak, I can face daily disappointments, not because of anything I can do for myself, but because Jesus is strong. Our ability is anchored on what Jesus has already done. Since our security is in Christ we can live our lives for Him. And because of Jesus' finished work for me, everything I longed for in Christ, I already had.

June 7, 2013

There Were Never Such Devoted Sisters

"I was thinking just today,
About how we used to play,
Barbie dolls and make-up,
Tea parties dress up.
Wish we were kids again.
My sister, my friend."
[Reba.McEntire]

When my mom was four years old, she met this girl named Kay.
They went to each other's weddings.
They were there for the births of children.
They comforted each other and laughed.
They have never lived more than 2 1/2 hours away from each other.
They enjoyed many adventures together.
Fifty plus years later, they have remained best friends.
This is where our story begins.

As far back as I can remember, the Mills family has been an important part of my life. Affectionately known as "Momma" Kay and "Daddy" Ron, they are not only dear friends, but they are family. And being part of the family comes countless stories and many memories from over the years.

my 18th birthday party

My brother and I always considered their three kids - Hope, Joseph, and Karri - the older siblings we never had. We became experts as we tried to beat Joseph in James Bond: Golden Eye on the Nintendo 64. We played in the secret play room behind my dad's closet in our old house. We made up funny stories. We took beach trips together. Our families both had pop-up trailers, so camping was a tradition - where we made a secret fort in the woods, which I'm sure we could still find to this day.

Karri and I are only five years apart, and when I was younger I always thought of her as being "so much older than me." One thing that I appreciate about her is that even when she was in high school she never thought of herself as being "too cool" to hang out with me. She had her close friends, but it meant so much to know that I had someone who would play PacMan or Sonic on the Sega [yes folks, we are going real old school] with me, who would spend time talking with me about life, or who would even sing at the top of our lungs Destiny's Child and K-Ci and Jojo together.

somewhere in Charlottesville with red-eye

my 18th birthday party

girls weekend to Lancaster

bridal shower

Two years ago I took a trip down to Roanoke to attend two friends graduation from Virginia Tech. Well, it just so happened that Karri's special someone was also graduating from Tech. This was the first time that I met Brandon. I met them in a parking lot on campus anticipating meeting this guy who was dating my sister. The song lyrics of the popular song from White Christmas ran through my head... "Lord help the mister, who comes between me and my sister..."

After being introduced he politely shook my hand and said that Karri had told him so much about me. What he didn't know was that he was about to under-go some serious sister interrogation. We traveled downtown and ate lunch at little place called Cabo's where we enjoyed each other's conversation and the best lemon shrimp tacos I have ever tasted. If you all are ever in Blacksburg, you will regret not going there.

Our short visit came to an end and we had to part our separate ways. Already saying my goodbyes to Karri and giving her one of those long sister hugs, I said goodbye to Brandon and told him it was nice to meet him. Being the good ol' country boy that he is, just saying goodbye wasn't enough. He came over and gave me a hug. Maybe he was making sure that he made a good impression on the little sister that he had heard so much about, or maybe he was just being a friendly, southern boy. Either way I knew this guy was a keeper in the family.

they make pretty faces...

Well, on a cold October morning during a sunrise hike, Brandon asked Karri those four simple words: "will you marry me?" Enthusiastically she said yes. And I could not be happier for her. My big sister who I always looked up to, who made me laugh, who makes the best duck noise, was finally engaged. Now I have the awesome opportunity to watch as she falls in love with her best friend. 

Karri Marie - I will forever be grateful for that day our moms met and became life-long friends. I can't imagine my childhood/life without you. I am thrilled that the day you have dreamt of since you were a kid has finally come. And I am honored to share your special day with you not only as your sister, but as one of your bridesmaids.

Mr. Brandon - Take care of her. Treat her well. And if you don't, prepare for the wrath of all three of her siblings.

Back to the Beginning

"He feels our weakness, knows our need
And for our good He intercedes.
All is well because of God's great love.
Through every failure, every fear
The Lord of comfort draws us near.
And all is well because of God's great love."
[sovgrace.music]

One year ago...
It was just a normal day.
I had a nutritious breakfast of cereal,
Then headed across the street to the ghetto Giant to drop of medicine.
Gatorade on sale? Sweet. I'll take three.
Grabbed some Cliff Bars, picked up my medicine, then headed off to class.
After a not so thrilling class I headed to my cousin's house for lunch.
Then, everything changed.

Dad had been doing some remodeling at my cousins house less than 10 minutes from school. So whenever I had a break from classes and RA duty I would go over and spend quality time sleeping on their comfy couch.

When I got to my cousin's house I was affectionately greeted by both my dad and my cousin (who was working from home). We sat in the living room, ate pizza for lunch [we are really big on nutrition] and just talked about life. My cousin asked me how school was, my students, etc. During our lunch time my uncle called me. I answered unsure why he was calling me...

"hello?"
"andrea. why are you answering your dad's phone."
"um, this is my phone."
"oh..."

[this is what happens when your name and your dad's name is different by only 1 letter]

I gave the phone to my dad and he went out front to talk to him, while my cousin and I continued to enjoy our pizza and conversation. He came back inside and sat down next to me on the couch and said something that I will never forget.

"andi. the doctor called back this morning. you are really sick. you have cancer."

Nothing could have prepared me for this moment. But yet here I was, in the middle of my cousin's living room, eating pizza. We said goodbye to my cousin and dad took me back home to maryland. It was the longest 40 minute drive I have ever experienced. But, it was full of texting RA co-workers to let them know what was going on and phone calls with good friends who shared scripture with me and prayed for me.

I expected to come home to just my mom and brother, but got so much more. Two of our very good friends were there waiting for us. They were there to comfort my mom and brother. They were there to pray with us and for me. Later my pastor and my parent's pastor came by to also pray for me. Later on that day my best friend came by to visit and make me laugh. This my friends, is the body of Christ at work.

After that day, I guess you could say the rest is history. We didn't know what was in store for us. We didn't know where I would go for treatment. We didn't even know what kind of cancer I had. But we knew that we serve a powerful God.

That weekend I came home was the last weekend of the current Youth Drama Production at our church. They were performing "Acts" - an original play written by the talented Cathy Mays [which I also happened to be apart of when I was in high school]. If you have been to any of these youth drama plays you know that they are nothing more than moving. And if you know the story of Acts, you know that the story of Paul's journey and suffering is inspiring.

After God revealed himself to Paul on the road to Damascus, nothing could keep him from sharing the gospel of Christ. Even through suffering, Paul knew that God had him there for a reason. And he trusted that God knew what He was doing, even if Paul didn't.

The next few days after coming home were uncertain. We didn't know where the road before us was leading. My parents spent countless hours driving to different offices trying to figure out the legal aspects of what was going on. I would be lying if I told you that everything was peachy in those few days. We trusted God even when we didn't know what was before us.

I remember leaving the youth drama production that night and seeing one of my dear friends, Brittany. We were talking about everything that was going on and in the middle of the conversation she gasped and said that she would be right back. She went downstairs to her office and grabbed the newest CD that was published by Sovereign Grace Music. That CD became one of our family's favorite albums to listen to during this time. The title of the album was "From Age to Age" and each song talked about how through all the ages God remains the same and He remains faithful.

Looking back on this past year, there is nothing I can do but to be grateful for what God has done. There were times where the road was uncertain and there were many times where the road was painful and difficult. During this time not only did my family grow closer together as we trusted and depended on God to get us through, but I truly understood the meaning of the body of Christ.

One year ago, everything changed. Within that year God tested me, I experienced suffering like I had never experienced before, but I also experienced more grace than I have ever experienced before. I can tell you many funny stories about doctor's visits, or hospitals, or how delusional I was on meds. But more importantly, I can tell you that our God is faithful and continues to be faithful even in the darkest of trials. If there is anything that I have learned from this whole experience, it has been that our God is unchanging and that the same God who was faithful to Paul so many years ago continues to be faithful to each and every one of us today.

Youthlings with a Passion

"Not to us, but to your name alone,
Be all the glory, the glory forever.
For your faithfulness and steadfast love,
Receive the glory, the glory belongs to you."
[sovgrace.music]

I remember during my first year in high school, after my family had moved, many of my friends were involved in a youth drama production at our church. You could say that these plays were one of the highlights of the school year. They were full of fantastic youth using the gifts of theater and song to glorify God and advance His kingdom. Of course productions would not happen if there was not a highly trained director guiding us. Cathy Mays has not only been doing productions for many years now, but enjoys doing it. I don't know why should would want to spend her time with 50+ youthlings or even how she manages to deal with each and every aspect of putting together a show, but every year she steps up to the plate.

During my sophomore and senior years of high school I was blessed to participate in shows. Many of my friends were in the shows each year so I was excited to spend time with them in a non-school setting. Well, from October to March/April we sure did spend a LOT of time together. Sometimes maybe even too much time. We spent countless hours together singing, dancing, acting, laughing, etc. You could always look back on these times and remember the special memories you had together.

Last summer when I realized that I was not going back to George Mason I knew that I would have a lot of extra time and wanted to serve in some way. I was already serving on the youth admin team, and after emailing Mrs. Mays, I was now administratively involved in helping out with this year's play: "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat" - which just happend to be the same play that I was in my senior year of high school. Talk about having memories flooding back.

These high school students never cease to amaze me. Not only are they all super talented, but they are super humble. Their passion and love for Jesus is evident in the way that they desire to use their talent not to bring glory to themselves, but to bring glory to God and advance His gospel through acting.

But it is also no surprise that when you spend countless hours with each other close friendships begin to develop. We have become one big happy family. They have not only cared for each other as a cast, but have also cared for those individuals who are helping this production come to live. The guys even surprised all the girls one night by singing a heart felt Jason Mraz song during dinner and giving each girl in the cast a rose and all the female staff a small bouquet of flowers for Valentine's Day.

There have also been many times where I have been stressed with school, or not feeling well and the thought of going to a rehearsal is not the thing I want to do. But once you get there, everything changes. They constantly prayed for me when I was sick. They rejoiced with me and my family after my positive 3 month check up at Hopkins. They prayed for me when I was studying for and taking my Praxis exam. They celebrated with me when I passed the Praxis exam. They sang happy birthday to me 4 times during rehearsal. And even some girls brought me a cake for my birthday.

And of course, no production would be complete without the cast and crew having an uncanny ability to make you laugh multiple times at rehearsals.

team Jacob + sons > team Edward and team Jacob

These last few months I have realized that being administratively involved in the production is a lot different than actually being in the play. It involves thinking about and planning for each rehearsal. It involves teaching and re-teaching parts. It involves constantly telling high schoolers to be quiet and listen to instruction.

But it is also quiet rewarding. I mean, who wouldn't want to have play songs stuck in your head every single day? Or have nightmares about things going wrong during the productions? Or wake up in the middle of the night doing the hand motions to different songs?

In the last 5 months I think that I have listened to and watched run throughs at least 50 times [hence why I am singing these songs to myself as I am going to sleep]. The cast, and those helping, are very very familiar with the story of Joseph. But each and every time I am overwhelmed at the love and mercy of God. Despite our sin, despite our selfishness, God still graciously opens His arms for us to run back to Him.

We may go through trials and wonder if God even cares, or if God is even with us during our trials. Friends, even if we don't feel like God is with us, He is interceding for us. He loves us, and He has a plan for each of our lives, even if we don't understand what that plan is.

"I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted." [Job 42:2]

If you are in the Maryland/Virginia/DC area, please consider coming to see these passionate youth re-tell the amazing story of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat. For more information please visit our church's website.