This is the way we paint the house, paint the house,

paint the house.

Or, in our case, landing.

#22 paint upstairs landing


Painted.


Six years worth of little girl scribbles with pencils, markers, crayons, and yes, even sharpies, are all covered.


I'm sure a certain little boy will add his own scribbles one day. 


But for now, bliss.

the before

the after

It's all beige and beautiful like. 

As for me, I'm tired.

and covered in paint,

and my knees hurt.

and I'm only 29.

for now.

#8 complete reading through the Bible

Now that's a read people.


In case you're interested, the husband and I, followed the reading plan found here.


I'm not going to lie. There were some books we found more difficult to navigate then others (Numbers anyone?) and I thought I loved Psalms...until I read them consecutively. What I'm saying here is, don't get discouraged. Take a break and catch up if you need to (I did!), but this book will change your life (okay, so the author has a lot to do with that part...). 


And reading it with your spouse? Fabulousness.


#8, totally done.

#16- check

#16 serve in a ministry opportunity outside my comfort zone

done-done-done-done-done!

Now that we're clear on that, here's a re-cap.

August 2011- I prayed for God to show me how to meet this need.

September 2011- Women's ministry leader approaches me about trying out writing dialog for our annual women's Christmas event.

And then...God just rocked my world (He's got a real knack for that sort of thing).

Let me just go all bullet-style on you here for a minute to convey how this all went down:

• wrote dialog based on someone else's vision
•  participated in a team effort re-vision
• trusted someone else to add to the script when life events (hello bi-polar teenage daughter) kept me from giving 100% to the project
• volunteered to decorate a table (Sooooo outside my element it's not even funny) for the event
• invited my closest friends (and subsequently hurt feelings left and right...not part of the plan, but certainly part of the outside my comfort zone)
• sat up front so that I couldn't read any one's response during the performance (and thought I might die for fear everyone hated the play)
• walked on stage to acknowledge my role in the event

THAT is how you serve outside your comfort zone my friends (okay, so it's how *I* served outside my comfort zone, whatever). And this is what it looks like:

The table...a group effort (china from my sister, glasses from a friend, candles from another friend, shopping trips with another friend, and well, you get the idea).

table crafts inspired by Better Homes and Gardens... don't laugh

Look, friends and prayer warriors united!

Play in action...I wrote those lines! Holy crap!

and what's a performance without a little flare of the dramatic...which is what happened when my sister noticed a napkin (okay, so it was a bandanna, you caught me) on fire, literally.

Funniest thing ever. My sister flapping around a flaming napkin.

Post-fire relief...that's me in the middle! 

The play went live on Tuesday, with a repeat performance on Thursday and three more shows this weekend!!

I am humbled beyond measure to see how God can take my small prayer and use it for His glory. The words I wrote were just words, nothing fancy, nothing fantastic. But when you add those words to God's plan of a gifted producer and director, talented, willing actors...you get something inspirational and I am forever changed by my role in this experience.

Thank you to everyone who prayed me through this.

#16 may be crossed from my list, but my heart will continue to be obedient to God's calling to serve outside my comfort zone.

May the praise, honor and glory be His!

Progress Report

get current on "currently reading" books...figured out which ones exactly they are (I might have a slight problem with an overabundance of books by my bedside)...please note the array of various bookmarks as evidence of my "currently reading" progress...

chronicle THE List via blogging...duh, this one is obvious ;)...10th anniversary trip...so stoked about this one. We have a destination and an agenda...Charleston, SC and Need To Breathe concert...yes, please...complete reading through the Bible...got all excited when I did the math on the Kindle (love that percentage of the book remaining feature)...just one more month and a few days and I'll mark this one off my list (to be repeated of course!)...get within 15 lbs of ideal weight...mission started...currently down 12 lbs (of a whopping 45 I need to lose to achieve my goal)...counting calories and adding at least 10 minutes of exercise to my day most days, slowly, steadily, surely...tackle old photos...I'm so there...sorted, stacked and waiting for bits and pieces of my time to reach completion...

serve in a ministry opportunity outside my comfort zone* IN PROGRESS* ...and I raised the stakes by adding 'host and decorate a table' for the big event to my list...check out our efforts...think sans the canned vegetables (and glitter duck) for the centerpiece...

  
define my style...learn how to create (and execute) a polished look...okay, so technically all I've decided is that my trademark flip-flops can be replaced by flats...but hey, that's progress ;)

In Progress

#16 serve in a ministry opportunity outside my comfort zone
It all began with a little prayer.
That should have been my first clue how big this little number was going to get. That's right, one little prayer, and Jesus blew the whole thing out of the water ;)

Then came the question:

"Hey Katie, did you see that thing on Facebook about writing dialog?" said a member of our congregation's women's ministry team.

Followed by, "Do you think you could give us a sample of your writing?"

Sure.

So I did. I wrote a little psydeo- witty bit based on the Gospel of Luke's interpretation of Boy Jesus in the Temple.

Up next came a "we love it" style email and an invitation to write the script for our mega-church's women's ministry Christmas event.

I was intimidated, but stoked to try my hand at something new (I'm a write what you know kind of girl, so paraphrasing the Gospel and creating a fictional character or two was a tad overwhelming).

After that, came the big kicker. The play would now be for the entire church (as in several thousand in attendance) for a 5 performances Christmas program.

But really, no pressure.

Insert outside of my comfort zone right about here.

But wait.

Then came the revelation that I wasn't writing my own ideas at all. It was a group-inspired effort with all the dialog and niffty transition stuff on my shoulders.

Oh my.

More meetings.

Two revisions.

Tweaking.

And then came,

APPROVAL.

and

the request that I attend the first few rehearsals to help fill any gaps in the script or rewrites as needed...on the fly.

Be careful what you pray for. God is mighty and he will rock your socks off given the opportunity ;)
With the play 2.5 months away, I won't consider this 100% done until I squirm through the performances, so...


#16, consider yourself IN-PROGRESS

#28 done and over it

#28 donate blood (do BEFORE #23)

1st chair on the left, that's me!

Looks oh-so-typical right?


Wrong.


I mean, it is me we're talking about here. This experience could not have been more absurd if I had scripted the darn thing!


For starters, I was on a schedule. My appointment was at 2:15 pm. When I signed up, I explained that I needed to be out of there by 3 o'clock. She assured me that was no problem (the event didn't even start until 2pm), I just needed to arrive about 10 minutes to 2 and I would be the first one there.


I was #6.


But that was okay-ish.


Then they did all the registration & medical evaluation business.


heart rate: 100 (acceptable)
hemoglobin: 15.x (outstanding)
blood pressure: 122/92 (YIKES, but allowed)


Off the record, the lab guy said, "Go see your doctor."


Well, at least I could donate.


Then the lovely lady in the white coat who totally smelled of cigarettes leads me to my stylish recliner and examines my veins. This careful look-over is followed by, "So, do they usually have to do the blood pressure cuff on you?"


Um, excuse me?


I don't even know what we're talking about at this point.


She elaborates by saying, "Hmm, I think I see a vein."


No lie, it took LONGER to find a vein and stick me successfully, then it did to give the actual blood donation.


After chasing my vein (her words, not mine) three times, the lady in white went for help. Wouldn't you know it, right about then they found the vein. I suspect it was my body saying, "I give in, I give in!"


Honestly, it was comical. I'll have a bruise from out of this world tomorrow, but I know my veins and expected as much.


All that vein-chasing drama delayed us so much that I left the room a mere 5 minutes before 3pm (bypassing the canteen all together, but you know, sometimes it's just like that okay?).


Now here's where the story really gets interesting.


My rock star older sister had kept my three littlest ones busy while I was assaulted assisted by the  lady in white. I couldn't find her when everything was said and done, so I checked the bathroom.


Oh, how I wish I hadn't.


My not quite two and a half year old had gotten a wee bit zealous during her trip to the potty and  well....


folks,


there was POO everywhere.


We're talking potty seat, floor, her dress, etc.


That was ridiculous and set us back time wise.


But we made it the van in record time...and it was at this point that I realized I didn't have my cell phone (you know, that device that keeps me reachable in case something unexpected happens, like I'm running late...).


Naturally, I dumped my purse contents into the passenger seat, stripped the infant carrier and practically violated my stroller looking for the phone only to find it back inside, on the bathroom counter.


Now, I was late.


Trying not to hyperventilate or vomit on the drive home, I greeted my first and third grader coming off the bus on the opposite side of the neighborhood...safely staying with a neighbor after they discovered I had abandoned them.


And now, well, now, my list is a little shorter and my headache, a lot bigger.


Note to self: Giving back to the community is sometimes harder than it looks.

Coming Soon

#28 donate blood (do BEFORE #23)


I'm all signed up and scheduled for this Thursday!


Just an FYI, any nursing mother can donate blood as long as she meets the Red Cross donation requirements and the nursling is over 6 weeks of age. Good news, yes?


Expect an update and a crossed off #28 by the end of the week. Take that 30, take that.