power animals. :)

you might remember that I've written in the past about them here.
and for something that is as big a part of my life, I don't write about them as often as I should.
when I asked them what their gifts were a couple months ago, amber reminded me that they like to hear what I think of them. :)

so.  along with our random tradition of giving each other power animals
(I know, strange.  but it's kinda cool....what kind of animal would you be if you could be?
c'mon, you're not that cool...you know you've thought about it.) :)
we also started a new tradition this year at summer camp double uno...
instead of just the gross ice cream head, fish eating, flour blowing pictures,
I wanted to make an effort to take "pretty pictures" of them.
so we did. :)

and the thing I love about them, is that not only are all of them gorgeous and unique;
but their insides?  the insides that typically are kept on lock down...
their insides are becoming more and more transparent and more and more beautiful as they learn to love each other
and try to encourage each other to look & act more and more like Jesus.

I love each of them.  really, I do.
I genuinely missed being with them last night and hearing about their lives.
they are treasures to me...just the same as the girls that have moved on.
it is an absolute joy and blessing to get to be a part of their lives.

since it's her birthday today (happy birthday AGAIN!) I'll start with her...
did you know she has a power animal?  no?  well, she does.  we gave it to her.  and it fits.  perfectly.
she's a labrador.  ha, I know...you just snort laughed.  but it's true. :)
I've known her since she was a teeny tiny smacky seventh grader...and you know what?
she still is a smacky girl, but she has also turned into one of the most fun loving, faithful to a fault people I know.
I'm fairly certain that I have never had a boring time hanging out with her...good or bad.
which is a good thing. :)
and the things I pray for her?
that she would "be still and know that HE is God."
and to love Him someday with all her heart, mind and strength...which she has a lot of.
she will...I know in my heart that she will.  someday.  I just want to be there when it happens.  :)
and another little know fact?
she LOVES when I use smiley faces.  which is practically like never...
good thing I keep my creepy smiles to a minimum.
:)

then there's this girl.  you might remember her from here...she's gorgeous and hard to forget. :)
she literally is sunshine.
her smile in infectious and she has an unbelievable gift for finding good in the things and people around her.
her power animal of squirrel cracks me up...it fits somehow, but I'm not exactly sure why.  :)
the thing I love about her lately is not only her dry-fly-under-the-radar-mostly-directed-at-amber wit ;)
but her ability to see truth and crave genuine faith....it's beautiful to get to witness.
I pray often that her faith will continue to grow and that the strength God has given her will allow her to not be moved.

this is my flower. :)
no really, that's her power animal...flower from bambi.

she is someone I genuinely admire.
she never ceases to amaze me at her ability to call things as they are and also see through things at warp speed.
I always tell her I love the fact that she's black and white about life (thus the skunk correlation).
and she is, when she's being honest with herself.
I pray most often for her...don't know why, but I do...maybe cause I've loved her the longest out of all the girls.
but I pray that she would let Him love her and find freedom in that.and she's pretty kind & thoughtful too...
I love that my own maddie has always loved her and admired her and even prayed for her...it's a cool relationship for my mad to have.  and she still loves the hello kitty earrings "flower" got her for her birthday. :)
yes, she really is one cool chick. :) 

this girl is a newbie this year to my group...but I like her heart already.
she is our brown bear...and it most definitely fits.
she cares tremendously about the girls around her and genuinely tries to bless them with the wisdom He has given her...a rare beautiful attribute.  I pray God would keep pride far from her and that she would never "grow weary of doing good". :)

then there is this lovely lady.
and lady she is.  she will forever be close to my heart.  really. :)
and the power animal dolphin fits...just don't ask her to try and talk like a dolphin...unless you want to spend the next half hour laughing until your sides hurt...it's painfully hilarious!
I've done staff for student ministries since I was seventeen and honestly I have never got to witness God's refinement in such a soft beautiful way as He has done with this girl.
her softness and teachableness only make her more stunning...which He has already made the outside this!
she is one of the unique ones who seeks me out...not only for advice, but for friendship and I absolutely treasure this in her...I love her.  plain and simple. :)  I pray she would continue to trust in the path that He's given her, even when she's not certain in the next step.  and that the beauty that radiates from the inside will only grow.

ah, Bambi.
yup, that's her power animal. :)
she also is a newbie to the group and quite honestly?  she surprised me.
surprised me with her honesty and depth.  so not only could she be a look alike for Selena Gomez...but I seriously can't wait to get to know even more pieces of her as she fits into our group...

then there's this girl.  she is an absolute treasure.
and our sugar glider. :)  click here if you've never heard of one...they're pretty cool and it fits her. :)
I love that she has no fear of being absolutely transparent...even though I'm pretty sure that that is SUPER hard for her.  she's hilariously ocd in the most adorable way, a serious hard worker and honestly is an absolute treasure to be around!

she might be a newbie to the group...but I think I already really dig her.
not only does she look and talk like my ruckus niece but her power animal is awesome.
a mole.
yup, pure awesomeness.  she SO doesn't look like one, so let me explain...
and I'm SO laughing all by myself imagining her cringing at this! :)
but I think I know her, she'll own it by the time she's a senior! ;)
the main reason behind her power animal is because she had these wicked cool sunglasses and she wasn't too excited about the sun...thus, the mole. :)  but already I like this girl...she's happy, pretty perceptive and just enjoyable to be around.  I pray that God would grow her and make His character the most important to her. :)

this girl has overcome a ton in her life and I love that about her...
she funny and sassy and loves to laugh and if she would let God, I'm sure he will do MUCH with her!
plus, I got to see her power animal in action...koala bears can hang on TIGHT to things and she had to hang on tight when amber was pushing her around the. entire. track. at sc11...super hilarious. :)

the last girl I have a "pretty picture"...only because I couldn't find all the other girls...
yes, she is near and dear to my heart.
she's quirky, sweet, crazy, funny, able to laugh at herself, and has sassy eyeballs.  yes, I said eyeballs. :)
so the power animal of flamingo fits.  tremendously fits.  and yes, I'm laughing again.  by myself. :)
but more importantly, she loves Jesus a ton.
I know.  I KNOW God is going to use her in a big way and I pray often that she would let "to whom much has been given, much is expected" resonate in her heart.  I love her.  a ton, in fact. :)

yup.  these are my girls...and their power animals...I'll write about our lioness, cheetarah, leopard, marie from aristocats, the chipmunk from over the hedge, and all the other crazy cool animal girls in my group another day...but for now?

now, I smile and feel blessed. :)

life is pretty amazing

bubbles.
swimming.
vbs.
wii mario cart smack downs.
crafts.
summer is pretty amazing so far. :)

 

so much more.

one week.
that's all its been...and its feels like years have been lived in it.

cancer.
new life.
broken airplanes.
truth declared boldly.
changed hearts.
broken hearts.
death.
hospitals.
tears.
pain.
uncontrollable laughter.

and through it all?
faith.  hope. and love.
I saw it first hand this week and want to remember it.

a few seasons ago fix you by coldplay was the soundtrack of my life.
this season?
my heart resonates with this song...its beautiful and makes my heart sing.

"...I know that I am nothing new //  there's so much more than me and you.
                    but brother, how we must atone before we turn to stone..."

twitter + measure of achievement

I've been learning a lot about business lately.
and thinking about the direction and vision I have for kreatid...
there's a quote that I read that is sticking with me...

"I know that for me to be 'successful'
              I have to redefine that term for myself and
set a very clear vision for the way
                                        that I would measure my achievement."

success is going to be different for each person.
which got me thinking onto twitter and the people I've met on there...you might have heard of it?
it's this social networking site.  :)
it's a place where you hear of others achievements, journeys, thoughts and even advertisements...church, art, fitness, app development, thoughts...it's all there on this one site.
kinda like facebook but in 140 characters or less.

but often I wonder what the point of this social networking site is?
and the thought that I am struck with more and more,
is that "social networking" is really nothing more than a more
sophisticated replica of high school relationships...

let me digress a little...and not in a bad way...
simply in kind of in an observant, somehwhat :) unbiased kind of a way.
here are some of the "typical" groups you would find in most high schools nowadays...

the "jocks".
guys and girls with a bit more God given testosterone.
sports or athleticism comes a bit more easy for them than most.
good genes = good looks
typically more on the extroverted side of life with a fast moving social life on the weekends.
makes them particularly charismatic and good at being a professional...a certain sense of swagger comes with this group and not necessarily in a bad way.  and they don't typically tweet a whole lot.  mostly because they are out living the life that most of us simply talk about doing, but also because they're not quite sure that something called twitter where you tweet about your life is really all that cool of thing to be doing.  therefore it's usually done in moderation but done more often when they travel when they see a milder importance to tweets.
in my twitter feed these people would most likely be (but definitely not boxed in):
@jillianmichaels, @JDMcLelland, @Ricc_Stewart,

the "indie" group.
this group has mophed over the years...it is now more kosher to say "hipster" if you're not of the indie persuasion.  and if you are in fact indie...you typically don't want to labeled as hipster...its offensive.
but it doesn't change the fact that you are indeed indie AND most likely a hipster. :)
multiple piercings can be associated with this group...as is colorful permanent ink in all sorts of places.
independent coffee and gelato shops are a must to frequent.  also, being green is important.  and you must have a cause or charity that you care about...typically a far off african cause.
you very much enjoy the arts and can often be seen with a camera...but you don't necessarily like the term "photographer" - you just like to make art.  listening to the latest underground bands is a must...and some sort of bicycle or scooter is the mode of transportation preferred by this group.
in my twitter feed these people would most likely be (but definitely not boxed in):
@bobrox, @promisetangeman, @ModCloth, @maventheavenger, @thejakers, @getnickeled,

the "nerds".
these people are quickly becoming cooler and cooler thanks to technology.  they're the ones creating your latest and greatest apps for the ever present iphone.  geek chic - pronounced sheek, if you will.  finally all those a+'s in math class are paying off in coding for cutting edge applications and programs.  and because of this pay off, your 80's tshirts are now seriously cool.  your style geek chic is being copied by some of the other groups allowing your cool status to be elevated even further.  and thanks to the "indie" group, your love of 10-speed bicycles have become socially applauded green...to be a part of a bike gang is not something that will cause the back alley beat down anymore, but rather allow you to be a part of a gang without fear of bodily harm in an eco positive way.
in my twitter feed these people would most likely be (but definitely not boxed in):
@ruhanirabin, @Mashable, @MayhemStudios

the "cheerleaders".
these are the ultimate mommies and/or businesswomen now.  the still gorgeous cheery women of this group more than likely grew up to be uber-soccer mom's or are online blog moguls.  if they have kids, they can whip a baby Bjorn around themselves with a perfectly french manicured hand in two seconds flat.  managing a household, maintaining a fit figure, creating new recipes, saavily (it's not a word yet, but I totally just made it a verb.) blogging are some of the prerequisites to being a grown up version of this group.  and if you're head cheerleader?  you run your own company ranging from etsy stores filled with adorable headbands to adorn your sweet kids heads to a company that is simply one of Oprah's favorites.
in my twitter feed these people would most likely be (but definitely not boxed in):
@CarterandCook,  @BeckyHigginsLLC, @WhippyCake, @PlumPrettySugar

then there are the people who I think are just cool...my imaginary twitter friends if you will.
I've never met these people, but the pieces of themselves that they share in twitterland make me think I know them better than I do...therefore an imaginary friend. :)  I follow them because more than likely they live life out loud and are living a life that I admire.
in my twitter feed some of these people are:
@JasmineStar,  @simplybloom, @AngieArthur and numerous others :)

so where does that leave me with social networking?
happily learning from the success' of others and figuring out what my "measure of achievement" is...

because you said yes...

he is not known to others for being a softy.
rather the opposite...but he loves me and knows me like no other.
he came home specifically to give me flowers, smiled and said:
                "...because you said yes twenty years ago..."

I never dreamed that twenty years ago I would be married to the boy who asked:

                        "jenny, will you go out with me?"

I was thirteen.  in a jean skirt and keds.
He was fourteen.  he couldn't even drive yet... :)
and we wouldn't go on an actual date until October of 1991.

but today, twenty years ago, is the day our story began...all because "you said yes." :)

this is from a scrapbook (yes, an ACTUAL scrapbook with cut out letters from magazines...yes, that is how old I am.) I gave him our junior year of high school...he's my best friend...always has been, always will be. :)

and a rare drawing from the talented dawn covill ;)  yes dawn, I STILL have it. :)