CCP Youth Rock My World

CCP youth and leaders, you are awesome! We received your envelope of sunshine last Monday, but I have just neglected to blog properly about it. This post has been in the "to finish" pile for too long. I'm sorry for the delay!

Thanks, guys, for your extremely timely notes of encouragement. At first, we discussed the possibility of just reading one a day to drag out the fun, but neither of us could manage more than 30 seconds of that idea. Let's just say that Nathan and I both laughed and cried reading through them. We loved all of the quotes from the quote board, the inside jokes, the pictures you drew, the encouraging words, the retelling of special memories, the prayers, everything. Thank you, thank you, thank you! 

Nathan may or may not sleep with these notes under his pillow every night. Okay, they're next to his pillow every night. Okay, there in his nightstand, which is next to his pillow every night.

David O., here's your "sweet and pungent chicken" shout out! Woot woot!

Another Contest

Well, the commenting out there has been a little slow lately (only three comments about my fabulous Jackie O. jacket?!), and in order to boost my self-esteem yet again, I need to bribe my faithful non-commenting readers as well as continuous blogstalkers (South Carolina? Chicago? Maryland? AUSTRALIA?!) with a prize .

This time the mystery prize will be from Scotland!

Cue Braveheart music.

Nathan and I are going to Edinburgh for Thanksgiving next Thursday through Sunday, and we are so excited. Neither of us have ever been to Scotland, and we get to take a gorgeous two hour train journey to get there. We'd been invited to join Dr. Kelly and his wife, Caroline, for the holiday in February when he came to preach during missions emphasis week at Christ Church in Atlanta. Dr. Kelly is on writing leave from RTS Charlotte and is in Scotland for the year working on... something theologically important. I can't remember what the book is about right now, but Nathan would know.

Anyway, when the Kellys extended the invitation, we didn't even know we were moving to Durham for sure, but after we moved here, we tenuously checked to see if we could still come, and they were still ever so graciously open to the idea. Huzzah!

So, in order to qualify for a little prize from Scotland, all you have to do is leave a comment on any post I write between now and Thanksgiving morning before we leave. I'll choose a winner and then do a little shoppy-shoppy for him/her in Edinburgh.

Freeeedooooom!

A Visit to the North Sea

As far as beaches go, I'm told that these are not the best in England.  And by "not the best," the English mean "the mist covers a multitude of ex-coal mining village sins."  Apparently, they used to push all the waste from the coal mines into the ocean with bulldozers.  It looks like God has redeemed the place quite a bit in the last 20 years, eh?

We were invited to church in Peterlee, lunch, and a walk on the coast by the headmistress at Durham High School for Girls, Mrs. Templeman, and her husband.  Nathan and I met her when we came in March.  Mrs. Templeman visited my last school, Whitefield, a couple of years ago when she was doing some research on private schools in the States.  She also was connected to us through some friends from Christ Church in Atlanta.  It was a lovely service, a lovelier lunch, and the loveliest walk.  Lovely, lovely, lovely.
  

 Also with us was Paul, Mrs. Templeman, and Naomi, all who work at the school in Durham.

This is Mr. (Dr.?) Templeman and his 87 year-old mother-in-law, Mrs. I-didn't-quite-catch-her-name.  She and I talked for probably two of the three miles we walked, and she was so interesting.  She told me a sad/touching story about a black American GI who asked to walk her home from her job in London at the Royal Mail in 1943.  It was the first time she'd actually met a black person, and she was scared to death about what her mother might think, but he said, "I don't mean any harm, but it's just that it's illegal to walk down the street with a white girl where I come from."  She agreed ("I think he liked my red hair," she winked.), and she never saw him again after that.  


What an amazing day...  Thank you, Templemans, for your hospitality!


If you want to win a prize, leave a comment.  You have until Friday morning (in England) whenever I decide to wake up. :)

Just in Case You Missed Our Church's Talent Show

This was just a miserable performance on our part, partly due to the fact that we look miserable.  Cut us some slack!  It was late a night, the lighting was bad, I hadn't done my hair or makeup, Nathan just fried the hair clippers due to lack of a voltage converter, etc.


This video was 100% spontaneous.  My efforts at planning were literally snatched from my hands -twice.  You'll see...

England Update

1) We have a verbal commitment from some renters for our house!  They have the lease, and we are waiting to get it back with their signatures on it.  I'll write more about it when it's 100%.

2) We still don't have a place to live there, but we have a lead. 

3) I still don't have a job there, and we have no leads.  Lots of e-mails and CVs (that's Brit-speak for resumes) have been sent out, but communication has been slow and frustrating.

4) Nathan preached at Christ Church on Sunday.  It was quite interesting because Peachtree Road was closed for the 10K that morning, and very few people actually made it in to church.  We had to park on the opposite side of Peachtree and just walk a couple of blocks in.  Anyway, the sermon is online now at www.christchurchatlanta.org.  It's titled, "Godly Wisdome Versus Worldy Wisdom."  Give it a listen!

5) I'm waiting for pictures to load on this computer (Nathan's) to post to Craigslist.  We're gearing up to pare down.  We're looking to sell a bed, a few bookshelves, a stuffed armchair, a chainsaw, a ball machine, a guitar, a dresser, a wicker vanity, a dining room light fixture, etc.  Let us know if you are in the Atlanta area and are interested!

Prayer for Anne

Nearly a week ago a mother from our church and her three kids were in a serious car accident near our house. Kathryn (mother), Canon (oldest son), and Kate (youngest daughter) have been released from the hospital, but Anne (middle child) is still in the hospital in critical condition. It has been amazing to see how our church family has come together to pray and support their family! If you would like to follow their story, you can go here.

Josh and Taylor, church members and missionaries now in Bosnia, sent their love through song. I want them to play and sing at my funeral. :) Check their message out here.

Please pray.

Not Really Important News

Hey everyone!

Since it's been longer than a long while, I'll just post a little about what's been happening with the Parkers lately.

1) Shortly after the blog was temporarily blocked, our digital camera went missing. It was used by our church's youth group for the annual video scavenger hunt, and it was never seen again. A new camera SHOULD be in my stocking this year, provided by the Christ Church youth pastor, namely my husband. Sadly, this means I have ZERO pictures of the last month and a half of life. Luckily, Nathan made a CD of all of the pictures on the camera before loaning it out, so the year's worth of pictures taken prior to the day it went MIA are safely archived.

2) In diabetes land, JDRF just e-mailed to say that the highlight video from the walk in October is finished. You can watch it here. We're not in it (there were THOUSANDS of people there), but it'll give you a little flavor for the day.

3) Life has just kept on! Weddings, new babies, and funerals have been a part of our lives the last few weeks. We feel privileged to be witnesses and participants in other people's joy and sorrow. Congratulations, especially, to my dear friends Kelee and Pat, who welcomed Parker Kjack into the world last week. I can't wait to see you guys!

4) Two Saturdays ago, Nathan and I and a bunch of friends traveled to Griffin, Georgia to hang out with Will Brown and his parents. They smoked a bunch of meat and spoiled us way too much. Afterward, we went to the Brown Family Christmas Tree farm and helped some friends get trees. I'd give anything to have a video of Will sawing down a seven-foot Carolina Sapphire tree in seven seconds. It was so, so fun!

5) We weren't planning on having a tree because we'll be in California for so long, but our friend Mary Lou wouldn't hear of it. She surprised us with a live two-foot tree, fully lit and decorated. We have it on our bedroom dresser, and I love falling asleep and waking up to its cheery smell.

6) We'll be celebrating Christmas with the Parkers this Friday, and then we're heading out to California for Christmas! I can't wait to celebrate June's first Christmas with her and to see lots of friends and family.

Thanks for hanging in there with the update. Sorry for the lack of pictures!

West Virginia Mountain Mama

Nathan and I recently returned from a missions trip to West Virginia with our church. We spent a week painting two houses, on on the inside and one on the outside. Unfortunately, I wasn't the best photographer, and I only got a few pictures. The one above is of Emma, Amelia, and Sarah petting Mr. Haught's dog, Max.

On a half day off, we went to Clarksburg, WV, which was the birthplace of Stonewall Jackson. This memorial is to all the immigrants in the area.

There he is, Stonewall Jackson. It's quite a small statue, and he had a piece of gum between his eyes, but I guess that's what happens when you're a Civil War hero in the South and your birthplace is in the North.



Here's most of our group, plus Mrs. Haught, whose house we painted, and Kenny, who was the visionary for the camp and ministry with which we worked.

Here are the girls listening to our worship guy, John, playing some songs.

On our way out, we stopped at Starbucks, hence the drinks in the table in the foreground.

And, really, what's a group shot without Nathan's self portrait in the foreground too?



Here's John playing "Sunshine on My Shoulder." Good times!

Nathan's Sermon

Nathan's sermon is up and online!

It's called "My Favorite Verse: Keep Your Heart."

Enjoy!

News, News, and News

News #1: Nathan is preaching two services on Father's Day, June 21st, at Christ Church. First service is at 9:15, and second service is at 11:00. He'd love to see your smiling face in the congregation if you're available to come. And me too... with him up front, I don't have anyone to sit with now.

News #2: Our Europe trip has been postponed until Spring Break 2010. The original date and time we were to leave was Father's Day, June 21st, right after second service. Yikes! However, we had minimal details planned, and throwing the rest of the trip together at the last minute seemed rushed and forced. We just didn't feel like it was the right time. Luckily, our buddy passes are good for a full year, so we have lots of time to plan with purpose.

News #3: My mom, sister, and niece are coming to visit in two more days! Lots and LOTS of pictures to come. We are going to make oodles of memories.

Happy Easter Everyone!

I just can't get over this cute little June Bug.

And... if you're in the Atlanta area and don't have Easter plans, come to Christ Church Presbyterian! Our services will be at 9:00 and 11:15. I'm singing in the choir. :)

Youth Ski Trip

Here are some pictures of our youth group ski trip to North Carolina a bit ago.

I Won!

I won second place at our church's chili cook-off out of eleven entries. Booyah! I got some of my Grandma Lavelle's culinary blood. My friend Kristin captured my best impersonation of my mother winning all of her game shows. I seriously love second place. You get all the prizes without the pressure to perform the next year. :)

Look Who Came to Surprise Me?

This is my dear friend, mentor, college mom, and spiritual godmother, Kathy Blume. She also introduced me to Nathan. She is AWESOME! I'm so glad she came to the Christmas program last night. It didn't hurt that her son, daughter-in-law, and one of ther grandchildren were a part of the program as well. I chased after her in the parking lot and got a quick picture before she left to go home to Indiana this morning.

Christ Church Christmas Program

If you're in the Atlanta area, come check out our church's Christmas program this Sunday night, the 14th, at 5 and/or 7:30. It's going to be a very worshipful service.

http://christchurchatlanta.org/www/index.php

Why are Sundays Hard?

Saturday was a fabulous day. I slept in until 9, did some laundry and cleaned the kitchen, brought Nathan some lunch at seminary, I went to Target, did some grocery shopping, hung out with friends in the evening, etc. It was a very close to normal day, and to boot, the weather was lovely.

Sunday started out the same way, but, unfortunately, it didn't end up that way. Before church, I checked my sugar (82) and Nathan asked if I wanted some cereal. I said, "Yes, please." I neglected to tell him that half a cup of granola is close to my maximum carb count for the meal. I ate a big bowl of the stuff - probably about a cup and a half - and then when we got to church, I had a few (okay, maybe more than a few) bits of bagel pieces. Carbs, carbs, carbs.

During Sunday school, I just could not keep my eyes open. I totally fell asleep when Nathan was teaching! Afterwards, I went into the bathroom with a pounding headache to check my sugar, and it was at 326! No wonder! I was kicking myself for not being careful with my food intake. I was also really discouraged, because after my good day yesterday, I was thinking that I was closer to having this thing under control. I haven't had a reading that high since before I started taking the shots.

Anyway, today my sugars are a little high, but they dipped kind of low in the last hour. I hate feeling so unpredictably inbalanced. Please pray that this six-month-long balancing period will be shorter. I don't like feeling this way, and it really affects everything: my work, my home life, my spirit, my marriage, etc. However, while it lasts, I would like to learn how to turn these setbacks into opportunities to grow closer to the Lord and to depend on Him with every step.

Once again, Jesus Calling had encouragement for me yesterday:

Grow strong in the Light of My Presence. Your weakness does not repel Me. On the contrary, it attracts My Power, which is always available to flow into a yielded heart. Do not condemn yourself for your constant need of help. Instead, come to Me with your gaping neediness; let the Light of My Love fill you.

A yielded heart does not whine or rebel when the going gets rough. It musters the courage to thank Me even during hard times. Yielding yourself to My will is ultimately an act of trust. In quietness and trust is your strength.

Youth Retreat Pictures

The gang

We have a movie director-to-be in our youth group. He baited this 7th grader into playing a dead body, complete with ketchup and hotdog leftovers as intestines.

Special effects this amazing were due to a huge group effort, as you can see.

Do you recognize our flower girl, all grown up?

Some girls chilling out.

I'm Good Today

To quote a dear friend and elder from Christ Church, Ken Culpepper, "I'm good today."

Today has been the best start to my day in two weeks! Thank you for your prayers. Thursday-Sunday was ROUGH, ROUGH, ROUGH. My blood sugar levels were unpredictably swinging this way and that, and I felt exhausted, hungry, grouchy, and emotional. I was pretty worthless as a leader on the youth trip this weekend, but the kids had fun, and Nathan's talks were encouraging. There are some great pictures of the retreat, and I brought the camera to school today, but I forgot the cords that plug into the computer. Geez.

Sunday afternoon, on a walk around our neighborhood, I had a complete meltdown on my poor husband. It was one of those rare out of body experiences. It felt like I was watching myself being hysterical and making absolutely no sense, but there was nothing I could do to stop it! Nathan was trying to reason with me at first (I usually respond very well to reason), but he finally just gave up, wrapped me in his arms, sat me down on the side of the road, and cried with me.

Today is actually the first day I've worn mascara since this whole diabetes diagnosis (I figure, why wear it when it'll be cried off later?), but I just ruined it again remembering that little story and writing it out. Thank you Jesus for my husband!

Please continue to pray for us as we, along with my doctors, seek the best path to balancing my body. I've been getting lots of advice from friends, and we're just trying to sort it all out and seek God's will as to which direction to go. How should I eat? What should I eat? When should I eat? How much should I eat? How much insulin? When? The questions go on and on. Yesterday's excerpt from Jesus Calling says this:

"As you become increasingly aware of My Presence, you find it easier to discern the way you should go. This is one of the practical benefits of living close to Me. Instead of wondering about what is on the road ahead or worrying about what you should do if... or when..., you can concentrate on staying in communication with Me. When you actually arrive at a choice-point, I will show you which direction to go."

After reading passages like that one, my faith is increased that God sees me and cares about what is happening in my life.

Youth Retreat This Weekend

Pray for Nathan and me as we go on a youth retreat this weekend up at Lake Lanier. I am still struggling with my health (my blood sugar swings up and down hundreds of points during the day leaving me feeling really loopy) and I feel behind with... life. Here's a bit more from Jesus Calling.

"I have called you to walk with Me down paths of Peace. I want you to blaze a trail for others who desire to live in My peaceful Presence. I have chosen you less for your strengths than for your weaknesses, which amplify your need for Me. Depend on Me more and more, and I will shower Peace on all your paths."

Christ Church Retreat

The last weekend of September Nathan and I went on a church-wide retreat. There were more than 350 people there, and it was just wonderful. The coolest part about it was that there were outside speakers for adults, youth, and children, so the pastoral staff had a break. I got to hang out with Nathan for the WHOLE weekend! The retreat center was in the North Georgia mountains, and it was just heavenly.

Here's Nathan on our balcony the first morning.


Our room.

We had a lazy afternoon to relax on Saturday. I braided my friend Ruth's hair to help her relax. That's her new baby, Keona, on her back. Keona and I have the same birthday. :)

On our drive home, we stopped and took a picture at the top of the ridge. Nathan has his Gaston look going again.

The pastoral staff played "Are You Smarter Than Your Congregation?" on Saturday night. It was a huge hit. Nathan was horrible, but he and Pete still managed to pull off a win against Greg and Paul.