Full Heart

The end of this week and weekend were packed. Packed in a good way! All of the craziness left me exhausted, but left my heart so full.

TPCC Downtown: I have been waiting for this moment for a long time. When we moved to Indy, we started attending Trader's Point-which I liked for many reasons...but not for the size. I hated that you very rarely saw the same people every week. Some would argue that the more you got involved, the more people you know- but even then, it never felt very personal. I missed seeing the same people every week, getting hugs, knowing what was going on in peoples lives. Whenever they introduced the idea of smaller campuses that were closer to home, I was thrilled. We've been preparing for the transition for several months, and this weekend we finally started at the actual campus.

On Thursday, we met at the building and were able to tour before Sunday morning. We had specific training to the kid's area and had worship and a short teaching from Petie afterwards. The tears started to flow pretty immediately. To see how great the building looked was amazing, but mainly it was emotional to be surrounded by people we have come to know and love-to know that this will be our church for a long time-to think that the next years of our lives with this church. It felt like coming home.

Sunday was amazing (minus the fact that Jordan had to work.) Over 1,600 people came downtown, and over 42 were baptized. I ended up sitting next to a volunteer that we have met through the library and Brittany. It was so nice to be surrounded by people I knew and loved. Yay for an amazing first service. Can't wait to see what God will do!



Jaclyn's Last Day/Jim's Birthday: Jacyln's last day was Friday....nooooooooooooooo. She will be so missed. I've really enjoyed getting to know, work with, and be nerdy with Jaclyn. She is so caring and will be missed greatly at our office.

On Friday we also celebrated Jim's birthday-he turned 90 on Monday. Jim is the quietest, kindest, most gentle man I have ever met. Even though he can't hear a thing, it always warms my heart to see him twice a week. In some weird way, it makes me feel like I get a second chance to be kind, gentle and patient with my grandparents.

Friday Date: Jordan worked like a crazy person last week. On top of a job interview, he had 3 clinical days, one class day, and worked the weekend. He is amazing, and needed a night to relax. At the last minute, we decided to go to the Fuel game and get a drink before at KSR. It was a fun adventure. We ended up sitting with the crew from CRCC-S for the 2nd part of the game which was fun. So grateful for a husband to date, and the fact that we have the time and means to go at and have a good time.

Ughhhh: On Saturday, after the looooongest trip to Kroger, I was getting ready to pull out of my space, when a 16 year-old who was trying to park scraped my bumper. She was extremely apologetic and embarrassed, but I was just tired and frustrated. #firstworldproblems

Catching Up



     Every year, without fail, the end of January through February is rough for me. All of the excitement of the holidays is over, resolutions start to feel less exciting, the cold continues to drag on...and I inevitably feel drained. I won't say that I have seasonal depression, but I certainly feel less energetic. More recently, I've discovered that I specifically feel less creative-it's harder to write. With that being said, the weather has turned unseasonably warm (like the warmest February on record, warm) and my urge to write has returned. Thank you, sunshine!

Special Olympics Basketball: Andrew and Jill asked for help from the small group in February to keep the books and work the scoreboard at a Special Olympics basketball tournament in Shelbyville. Jordan worked the books while I did the scoreboard-I love spending time with him working side by side. We carpooled with Corey and Brittany and ate lunch afterwards with Andrew, Jill, Mike, and the Kime's. The whole day was a blast and left my heart feeling so thankful for the group we are a part of.

Uncle Paul's Treat: We. Are. Spoiled. We are so spoiled by our families, that take us out to dinners that we couldn't afford....all the time. In particular, Uncle Paul has now taken us to St. Elmo's 4 years in a row. He reserves the wine cellar room in the basement and treats us to a limitless meal. Paul and Lynn were there, along with their kids Ross and Lindsey. Lindsey brought her two roommates. It was fun to get to know them and hear about their life. They are 4 years younger than me, and it was funny to hear what their life is like, and the struggles they were having with "finding their purpose." I felt empowered to tell them that it was going to be ok-I so appreciated those people in my life at that age.This was the first year that Jordan could go for the entire time. Jordan got the "Elmo Cola" and I tried a fun lemon martini. So delicious. Per the usual, we left full and exhausted.

Training: This is how Jaclyn interpreted my training plan for the week. I don't want to forget how my friends and co-workers bring joy and laughter to my life.

Random Acts of Flowers: This charity!!!! Random Acts of Flowers improves the emotional health and well-being of individuals in health care facilities by delivering recycled flowers, encouragement and personal moments of kindness. The volunteers visited us for the first time this month, and it was so fun to see the patient's faces light up and feel so special. Later on, one of our patient's told us the she volunteers for the organization-it made me feel so blessed to work with such amazing patients.

 

Jordan: My heart bursts with how much I love this guy. This card captures how I feel about him. When I think about him, I am filled with joy. I'm so thankful for this man, and so excited for what the next few years of our life is going to hold.

He faithfully fixes my breakfast almost every single day. Love language=met.

Church At The Library: At first, I was bummed that the permanent building for the downtown church wouldn't be available at the start of the year, but it's been such a fun experience going to library every Sunday. Not only is the architecture beautiful, but the experience itself has been unique and I'm thankful for a change in pace.

 

America: At the suggestion of the CLJ podcast, I ordered the board game America on a whim. We were having Jaclyn and Katie over for dinner, and decided that would be a fun after dinner activity. The game itself was a lot of fun. The night was great-we ate and drank a lot. Thankful for the friendship that we've found in Jaclyn and now Katie!

 

Weekends: We have had a lot of fun weekends at that Bushnell compound lately. Ellie and Katie are both growing like weeds and never cease to make us laugh.

This face. I love it.

Happy 63rd Birthday, Terry!

Hanging out on Mass Ave after dinner with all of the men...none of the ladies wanted to go.

Our Small Group: This past week we had our training to start as a "Care Community." O am so excited to start serving in this capacity with the group. Not only to serve the family, but to become closer as a group! Love these guys!