Inspiration through song...

I've always been amazed at how a song can stir up certain emotions...it can call forth a memory, it can speak to you in ways a close friend can't, it can make you hurt, smile, and even bring a tear to your eye...

As I sit here, a song by Ginny Owens is playing and is speaking to me in such a personal way, I felt the need to share her story and the lyrics with you. I first heard about this woman from Miss Cindy Buell. She told me how Ginny had been invited to perform at her church in Buckhead, GA and Cindy was touched by her story and the song and passed it along to me. There is so to her story that I had to attach her bio, so please read it! In short, she became blind at the age of 3, but has had much success as a recording artist. She's sold over a million records, and continues to tour, and share her story with people all over the country. I find her story encouraging, and her faith inspiring. As much as I take for granted on a daily basis, hearing stories like this makes me appreciate what I have and the life that God is laying out around me. He embraces us and clinging to him and loving him is what Ginny's message is all about.


This song is about what lies ahead, and although there is suffering, we grow, and we grow through God's love!

"If You Want Me To"

The pathway is broken, and the signs are unclear
And I don't know the reason why You brought me here
But just because You love me, the way that You do
I'm gonna walk through the valley
If You want me to

Cause I'm not who I was When I took my first step
And I'm clinging to the promise You're not through with me yet
So if all of these trials bring me closer to you
Then I will walk through the fire If You want me to
It may not be the way I would have chosen
When you lead me through a world that's not my home
But You never said it would be easy You only said I'd never go alone

So when the whole world turns against me
And I'm all by myself, And I can't hear
You answer my cries for help
I'll remember the suffering Your love put You through
And I will go through the valley If You want me to

Shakespeare's & My Loves

"Friendship is like a violin; the music may stop now and then, but the strings will last forever."

Friday night was fabulous! Zachary, Nicole, and Jenn we love you:) Can't wait to see you again soon....

The only day I'll be glad my brother isn't at Ft. Hood...

Gunmen in military uniforms started shooting at Fort Hood, Texas, today around 1:30pm, taking the lives of 12 soldiers, and injuring 31.

This is the most updated information that I've seen in the last hour, as I am mesmerized by the LIVE footage I'm watching online. I first heard about this from Natalee Harp-Blakely...(Jenn Monroe's sister) as she had posted a message on Facebook...her husband is safe, thank goodness, but the base is on lockdown for now. Out of the 12 killed, one of them has been identified as a shooter and they have two other suspects in custody!

This is absolutely shocking! It's one thing for American families to worry about their sons and daughters serving in general...another to have sons and daughters fall while serving overseas...it's horrifying for this to have happened on U.S. soil!

My thoughts and prayers are with the families, and friends of the fallen.

UPDATED 11/6/2009

http://www.usatoday.com/news/military/2009-11-05-Fort-Hood_N.htm

A Fine Frenzy

Last night some girlfriends and I went to Park West and saw A Fine Frenzy perform! It was a great concert! The venue was very intimate and cozy, and live music is always a treat. I think one of the best parts of the night was what we anticipated her saying between sets...it was a little awkward, but very entertaining nonetheless. "I like birds....it seems random, but I do" then she started playing another song...it was quite hilarious and I'm sure the girls that were with me will agree! I also never liked that song "Almost Lover" but when she sang it last night, it was so raw and full of emotion...what a great performance! In conclusion, I'd highly recommend going to see them if you ever have the chance!

He's doing well...

I talked to my dad today, and he said that he heard from my brother yesterday and that he's doing well! He said that he's dealing with outcome of his first intense day of patrols, and that he's in a good place right now. He's glad that there was action right upfront so that he'll know more of what to expect in the days to come. He's been going on missions everyday and gettin' the job done! My dad said he sounded like he was in good spirits, so I hope and pray that he remains safe, and that the days pass quickly so that he can come home to us all! I'm so very proud of my little brother!!!!!

17 days...and counting...

So...call me obsessed, but I cannot WAIT to see the second movie in the Twilight saga! It's out in theaters on November 20, and I just wish the days would go by faster! I will admit that the second book was my least favorite of the series, but the previews that I've seen look pretty darn good! (Jason even said he'd want to see it....we'll see how that one goes!) To anyone who is laughing at this post right now....you have no idea what you're missing, and to those other loyal fans out there (most of my friends whom I've gotten addicted to this...) I know you'll agree with me when I say I can't wait to see Edward and Jacob again:)

Oh baby!

Lodge-O-Ween 09' was fabulous! Great friends, good eats, fun games, GIRLS RULE, and yes, I brought the baby! I thought it best to list some of the highlights of the evening...and enjoy the pictures!

*Jason "Baby Boy" Kingma

*Dynamic Duo Brett and Brielle....she brought back the Ketchup bottle that so many hoped for!

*Loofa #1 and Loofa #2 Keepin' it clean all night long

*Toto the dog chasing his tail

*Brielle showing me how Zoomey Zoomey (Sorry if I spelled that wrong) was played...

*Dancin' in the basement...Journey...and Party in the U.S.A...Lord help me! haha

*Girls RULE at flip cup!

*Megan making us use hand sanitizer between games (Thanks girl!)

*Wario showed up...amazing!

*Oh and for those of you who don't remember...the baby was dancing with the dummy for a good portion of the evening...he hasn't learned the word "No" yet:)

What a great night!

Happy Almost Halloween!

We're headed to St. Joe, MI tomorrow afternoon to enjoy some Lodge-O-Ween festivities! I'll be dessing up as the classic "black cat" and Jason will be going as...a baby! It'll be interesting I'm sure...stay tuned for the pictures! Have a fun and safe holiday!

Prayer Requests

"Give us the strength to see beyond this “here” and “now”. Open our eyes, so that we can see your love in everything. Open our ears, so that we can hear your voice in everything. Teach us to be strong in times of weakness. To carry forward the message of faith, hope and love."

Hi friends! This post is simply to ask for your prayers and strength...last night was a rough night... Jason found out that he has to have surgery on his knee, it's a simple ACL repair surgery, but stressful nonetheless. He's gathering more information, and we're trying to get things in order! Later in the evening, I spoke to my dad, and found out that my little brother, Davey, found himself in a very intense and trying situation on his first day of patrols. He's safe, and that is what matters most! I just ask for prayer so that he remains confident, strong, and comforted by the fact that he has so many people pulling for him back home! Thank you all so much!

The Starfish Story

Once a man was walking along a beach. The sun was shining and it was a beautiful day. Off in the distance he could see a person going back and forth between the surf's edge and and the beach. Back and forth this person went. As the man approached he could see that there were hundreds of starfish stranded on the sand as the result of the natural action of the tide.

The man was stuck by the the apparent futility of the task. There were far too many starfish. Many of them were sure to perish. As he approached the person continued the task of picking up starfish one by one and throwing them into the surf.

As he came up to the person he said, "You must be crazy. There are thousands of miles of beach covered with starfish. You can't possibly make a difference." The person looked at the man. He then stooped down and pick up one more starfish and threw it back into the ocean. He turned back to the man and said, "It sure made a difference to that one!"

Congrats Erin & Neil!!!

"All because a boy loved a girl..." 

Erin and Neil are engaged! He got down on one knee during a horseback riding trip through the mountains in Colorado! We're so happy for Jason's little sister and excited for them to start their life together! We love you guys!!!

ForOneChicago

"And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all..." 1 Thessalonians 3:12

This past Saturday we had an amazing time volunteering through our church during ForOneChicago! Churches from the area get together and help volunteer at 35 different sites in and around the Chicagoland area. We signed up to help the nonprofit organization called NEW MOMS. They moved into a new main office so we helped paint, clean, winterize, sanitize the children's toys, clean, etc. We made new friends both within the church and at NEW MOMS, and it was great to feel that we helped out in our own community! I hope to volunteer more in the upcoming months!

Who they serve:
Most often, participants arrive at New Moms with nothing more than a baby in their arms and a trash bag full of their belongings. 97% are either Latino or African-American, between the ages of 13 and 21, with children 5 years old or younger. When these young women come to us, approximately 80% have dropped out of school, and are operating at an average 4th grade educational level. Almost all are multi-generational welfare recipients, or have no income at all. 100% are living in extreme poverty (200% or more below the poverty threshold). Over 75% do not live with immediate family members. Most have no permanent home, and report “couch surfing” from one potentially dangerous, transient living situation to another, children in tow. Many are officially homeless, living on the streets with their children. Most are survivors—or continuing victims—of abuse, neglect, abandonment, sexual exploitation, and domestic violence.

http://www.newmomsinc.org/

http://www.parkcommunitychurch.org/

ARMY STRONG

Tomorrow, is the day...Davey is being deployed to Iraq. He'll leave bright and early in the to fly on a 747 to the east coast, spend the night and be on another early flight to Germany. From there he'll fly to Iraq. He'll be stationed just out side Baghdad and as far as he knows he will be doing patrols down the highways to make sure there is safe passage (while searching for and getting rid of roadside bombs with his crew), and from there...whatever they ask of him. He said he isn't nervous just yet, but he's ready, willing, and I could not be more proud.

We won't have contact with him for about a week, as he'll be moving around quite a bit. He will have a satellite phone with him (courtesy of Jenn Harp's little sister Natalee, and her husband Steven, who is also a soldier stationed at Fort Hood, TX.) He promised he'd send an address...and I plan on sending him lots of packages, especially around Christmas time!

So, please say a prayer, or two, or ten for him while he's gone!

We love you Davey, and we're so proud of you!

Parents meet the Parents

This past Saturday we had our first round of parents meet the parents! The Kingma's met my mom, Keith, Jason, and I at the Terrace Grille in Shelbyville, MI. I had never been to Gun Lake before, but Jason mentioned he'd been there many times growing up when his parents had Jetskis! The view from the restaurant was gorgeous, and the brunch we had was fantastic! After we were finished eating we went outside to take some pictures (my mom, and Jason's mom match, that was so funny) and as you can see Jason humored me by taking the chair picture, but it turned out so cute! We walked through the attached hotel and then made our way back to Kalamazoo. It was the perfect afternoon! Now we just need to find the time for Round 2, my dad and Kathy are next! :)

B is for Bachelorette!

Kate's bachelorette party was a fun one! While thinking back on that wonderful Saturday evening Grand Rapids, MI, I am reminded of the top 10 moments of the night:

1. Blueberry Martini's

2. Incriminating pictures of Kate plastered all over every inch of Andrea's house

3. The mother of the bride taking a pull out of the RATED X liquor bottle

4. The underwear game...

5. "Never have I ever..." oh my some of things we Western Girls did...

6. Of course I forgot my ID at the hotel...so I made friends with Joe, the Rickshaw guy, who kindly took me to the hotel in back in 15 min flat!

7. Getting Amanda's Boa back from some snotty lil'Grand Rapids girl...

8. BEST PART OF THE NIGHT: All 7 of us taking the rickshaw to Mojo's, and Kristie and I standing on the back holding on for dear life, while Kristie yelled to all passing by "Vote for me, Miss America 2010"

9. Kate dancing on stage at Mojo's and flicking off the piano player...he deserved it!

10. Listening to Kate talk like a Chipmunk after sucking helium out of the balloons in the hotel...and of course her waking up on the floor in the morning!!! Oh Kate!

November 7th, here she comes!

Welcome to the world Reese!!!

"Every child born into the world is a new thought of God, an ever-fresh and radiant possibility."

The lil'beaner is here!! We're all so excited and so happy for Catie & Scott! She has lots of aunts waiting to meet her!!!! We love you all, and can't wait to hear stories as the lil'one grows!

xoxo

Good for a laugh!

Oh, how I love baseball games....good friends, good hotdogs, good beer, TIGERS WIN, and of course...cotton candy!

I think we must have watched this 20 times...and could not stop laughing!!!

Happy Birthday Jason!

What a great day we had! The lucky birthday boy got to take the day off and I met him about half way through. I let him open his presents (he got a Flip Mini, and I surprised him tickets to the Tigers vs. White Sox game with 12 of his closest friends and family included that will be in town) and then we headed to Whole Foods. We ate chinese, and then made our way over to do some wine tasting! We each got our very own flight (I did not know what this was, but now I LOVE IT) and Jason chose Red, while I stuck with White. The wines were excellent, and I am starting to really like Red wine, finally! Jason even made a little video with his new gift! After the wine tasting we shopped a little and made our way out of there before we could buy everything in sight. The rest of the night involved a movie with coffee and cuddling, flag football with a huge Win (with Jason as our QB and my recieving skills we were unstoppable!) It was a great day! Now we're looking forward to Saturday for our visitors to arrive and the fun festivities to begin!

Home Sweet Home!

"Where we love is home, home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts."--Oliver Wendell Holmes

From Chicago, Atlanta, Columbus, and Detroit...we all came together last weekend to see each other and our families and what a great time we had! Cindy's birthday is right around the corner and Kyle and Jason's are in September as well so getting together was a great idea. We all faked Cindy out and surprised her at Fandango's! It was a great dinner filled with happy conversation, and the familiarity of just being together! It's so comforting to know that even though we're all in different places and have numerous things going on, that we can all pick up right where we left off!

Art & Love

"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart."--Helen Keller

I took this picture over Labor Day weekend while visiting with some friends at Lake Michigan.

I know it's a picture like many others you've probably seen, but I tried to make it my own. As I was taking it, I thanked God for all the love he's blessed me with in my life. I have a wonderful, and very supportive family, amazing life long friends, and the love of my life by my side!

I love you all!!!

What a "Beautiful Day" indeed!

This past Saturday I attended the U2 concert at Soldier Field with my girl Rachel, and can confidently say that it was the most AMAZING concert I have ever experienced! Everything about it was over the top. This was my first time visiting the stadium, so that was overwhelming to begin with, and once we were inside and climbed the many steps to our seat, I turned around and was even more amazed by the stage! As you can see it was massive and sort of looked like a cross between an octopus and a space ship! Snow Patrol opened and they were fantastic, and after the sun went down...the members of U2 made their way on to the stage! The stadium was packed full and it was so loud! The third song they played was "Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" and at the beginning of the first chorus Bono stopped singing and the crowd took over...it was an awesome moment! They played alot of new songs off their new album (which I will be purchasing asap) and alot of old favorites of course. The stage continued to change throughout the entire concert never looking the same for a second, the special effects were incredible!

As the concert went on...I was waiting and waiting for Jasons and my favorite song to play, and after what we thought were 2 encores they played "With or Without You" I was so excited!!! They changed the arrangment and I wasn't quite sure how I felt about it, but it was great live nonetheless! The concert came to an end and then all hell broke loose! Getting out of Soldier Field was like a herd of cattle being led into a wall. It was AWFUL....Rachel and kept saying how fun it would be to go to a Bears game...well, by the end of the night we decided that we'd rethink that one! So, if you are ever planning on going there...just be warned:) Regardless of the chaose post concert, I had a wonderful time! Thank you Rachel, I'll never forget it!!!!!

Happy Anniversary Chicago!

It's official, as of tomorrow, September 3, 2009, I will have lived in Chicago, IL for one whole year! I have to say I'm quite proud of myself! For the past 4 years I have moved around so much and have done so many things that I have not stayed in one place for more than 11 months or so...as much as moving is a pain, I'm not sad I did it as many times as I did. I have met a lot of great people, have lived in fantastic places, and most importantly made memories that will last me a lifetime! I did sign my lease and will be here for another year! I have mastered public transportation, learned that you can only go as far East as the lake shore allows, where the drink deals are in the Redeye every morning, accepted that it's impossible for people not to invade my personal space while walking, or riding, and people are crazy and that's just the way it is! I love the city because of the culture it provides, the people I've met, and that I wake up every morning and never know what to expect! The nostalgia hasn't worn off and I think that's the best part!

Everyone, this is Wilbur...

This is our neighbor Wilbur, he has been building his massive web outside of our apartment for at least 2 weeks now. I hate spiders, they creep me out, but he's doing such a good job of keep the bugs away! I made the choice to let him stay! (Well Jason advised it!) I'm a little sad now...it's been non-stop raining and I saw yesterday morning that the web was destroyed...so I hope Wilbur found somewhere to hang out, and will be back to keep those pesky mosquitoes away!

"Drops Like Stars"

On Wednesday night, Jason and I went to see Rob Bell speak at the Congress theater and he was amazing! He lives in Grand Rapids, MI and I had heard that he was a brilliant speaker. So, we got tickets and went to check it out. He is a great story teller and paints great pictures for whatever he's trying to convey to his audience. The main objective was to help us see that in the midst of suffering in life be it a loss, broken relationship, finanical downfall, family issues etc. that we are not alone. He asked how many of the most significant moments in our life came not because it all went right, but because it all fell apart? It’s strange how there can be art in the agony… 

The question isn't why...but how can we respond? It was such a great presentation and really opened my eyes to alot of things in my life that I've not payed enough attention to and things that I just need to let go. He closed with a story about his 3 year old nephew and how one night he was standing by the window watching the rain fall. His nephew just stood at the window and said over and over "stars, stars, stars...." and Rob asked his sister in law why he was saying that, and she said that he thinks that when the rain drops hit the surface that they look like stars. So, in life, we should try to see the drops like stars...or in other words...see the the pain and suffering as opportunities to learn and grow! "Sometimes we cry so much we are standing in our tears. The tears allow something new to grow in the soil."

"Life is art, live it. You can't create art without pain."

So ready for football!!!!

It's empty now and waiting for September 5th, to be filled with 107,000 + fans to kick off the 2009 football season! I am SO excited! I'm bored with baseball..although the Tiger's are hanging in there! Michigan is going to have another interesting year I'm sure, but I'm still Maize and Blue all the way! Jason and I were all smiles last night when his dad asked us if we'd like to join him and his mom to the Michigan vs. Ohio State game at the Big House in November! Neither of us have ever been to that game, and it should a great experience! GO BLUE!!!!!

Love is patient...love is kind...

I took this while I was playing around with my camera in the car on our ride home to Chicago. I then discovered photo shop and am officially obsessed!

I have the best boyfriend any girl could hope for.

I Love you Jay!

So proud!

My brother Davey just graduated from the Military Police division of the ARMY, and I am so proud of him! It was a very exciting, emotional, and amazing experience that I would not trade for anything! He is home resting and hanging out with friends and family right now, and come August 18, he'll be flying down to Texas to join his unit...from there he'll most likely be sent abroad, possible to Afghanistan, so please keep him and his unit in your prayers!

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