HBD to Me!

For those of you who do not know me outside of the blogesphere, today is my birthday!  I'm twenty-four years old young today.  I would consider my birthday to be as significant as any major holiday, and I celebrate it as if it is.  Birthday's are my favorite, in general.  I will celebrate anyone's birthday, and my heart truly breaks when I forget someone's birthday.  I never want to be so busy that I forget to wish someone a proper "Happy Birthday."  "Happy Birthday" on your facebook isn't enough.  I will pull up share worthy pictures of us... good and bad... and tell the world how marvelous you are!  Birthdays are the best.



Well, I may have gotten a little off track there.  I just really love birthdays.  The real reason for this post is to say thank you.  I woke up this morning with a thankful heart.  I have so much to be thankful for this season.  But, what I am most thankful for today is my parents. 

I am thankful for the gift of life.  I am thankful to have an amazing mother who chose to give me life at sixteen.  I am thankful to have a strong mother who always provided for me, no matter how hard.  I am thankful to have a father that chose to be in my life.  I am thankful to have parents who always push me to give my best.  I am thankful to have parents who grounded me.  (What a lesson it was to learn to be thankful for my parents grounding me!  I wish I would have learned it a little sooner.)  I am thankful to have parents who believe in me.  I am thankful to have parents who want nothing more than for me to have a happy life.

I am truly blessed to have such amazing parents.  Though, they think my love for birthdays at age 24 is outlandish, they still love me unconditionally.  I am so incredibly thankful for the gift of life that my mom gave me twenty-four years ago! 

Thankful Thursday

It's that time of year!  That time of year when we are more thankful than usual, posting daily about what we are thankful for on social media and when we forget a few days, we play catch up on one post.  That time of year when it's acceptable to eat until we can't keep our pants buttoned anymore.  That time of year when we tolerate family we wouldn't normally tolerate.  It's Thanksgiving!

I have so much to be thankful for.  I will not scratch the surface at all that I am thankful for in one post.


I am thankful for...

... my God.  I would not have applied to SWBTS if it weren't for God.  I wouldn't have moved to Texas upon acceptance to SWBTS.  I would not have believed that I would be provided for upon moving to Texas.  Nothing over the past year would have looked the same if God were not in my life.  I am so thankful for a God who never gives up on me, never stops forgiving and has plans for me greater than I could ever imagine.  I am thankful for a God who would choose me to do such great things.

... my wonderful family.  They have supported me moving to Texas in every way I needed support.  They support every decision I make.  When I come home after being away for four months, they welcome me with open arms and eyes filled with tears.  Being away for four months changes nothing, we still laugh with each other, laugh at each other, and have fun doing whatever we are doing.  They encourage me.  They believe in me.  They love me.  My family is fabulous!

... my Elevation Church family.  When moving to Texas, I left behind an amazing support system of elevators.  One of my biggest fears was losing friendships that meant the world to me.  But, over the last four months, I've had the opportunity to learn that 1,000 miles can't separate the friendships I've made at Elevation.  They encourage me when I'm struggling, they call me to catch up, and they send me snail mail! 

... my LifeChurch family.  When moving to Texas, I was terrified of how hard it would be to find a church, how hard it would be to make friends, and what getting involved in church would look like at a new church.  LifeChurch.TV at Fort Worth welcomed me with open arms from day one.  They made making LifeChurch my home one of the easiest decisions I've ever made.  I'm so thankful for the fabulous group of friends I've made through LifeKids and my LifeGroup.

... my SWBTS family.  When moving to Texas, I had no idea what to expect.  I was leaving behind wonderful friendships, and fairly sure that I would never find as great of friends.  Things haven't always been easy at SWBTS, but I am incredibly thankful for the group of friends that I have made at school.

... new opportunities.  In the past year, I applied for a school over 1,000 miles away from my family, was accepted into seminary, stepped down after over three years of serving at Elevation Church, quit my job without knowing what was next, was blessed by my family offering me a job that is flexible and allows me to focus on school, moved halfway across the country, graduated college, began my first semester at seminary, found LifeChurch.TV, made an amazing group of friends at school, was able to fly home just when I was getting unbearably homesick, and so so much more.  There have been more new opportunities in the past twelve months than I've had in my entire life.  I've been stretched mentally, emotionally and spiritually.  I've had to step outside of my comfort zone.  But, it's been an incredible year. 




... what is to come.  There is no way for me to know what will come of the week to come, months to come and years to come.  I am certain that the weeks and months and years to come will be fabulous.  They will have moments of great struggles and great triumphs.  I will eagerly await those moments, both enjoyable and not so enjoyable.

Thankful Tuesday: #NCtoTX Edition

I have so much to be thankful for in this season.  I have to stop and thank those who played a key part in #NCtoTX.  So, I present to you... #NCtoTX Edition of Thankful Tuesday!

 

 

... Moving in and unpacking would not have gone as smoothly as it did with out the help of my amazing family.  I am so incredibly thankful that my parents and brother took the trek from North Carolina to Texas with me.  I know how much of a sacrifice it was for them... taking off of work, paying for food and hotels, and purchasing plane tickets home for three.  I can not adequately express my gratitude toward them for making the sacrifice and being such a vital part of this journey.  I could not have done it without them.  Everything happened so smoothly... the truck was unloaded in record time, within three days all of my boxes were unpacked and before the week was over, all my pictures were hung on the wall and it felt like home!

 

 

... The countless people who knew just when I needed a dose of encouragement.  The perfectly timed phone calls, cards, texts, emails, facebook messages, tweets and snapchats were so important to this journey.  I would not have had the fuel that I had in low places to press forward without those who encouraged me along the way.  Deciding to make this journey was a daily decision and I have some amazing people on my side believing in me to do great things.

... The incredible people who helped me in a time of need.  Not working for over a month, but still having to pay to rent a truck, hotels for three nights, food and gas could have been a huge struggle.  Thanks to the amazing people who heard my unspoken need, finances were the least of my worries on this journey.  I had some really generous graduation gifts which went into savings for a cushion post move.  I picked up babysitting and dog/house sitting jobs when and wherever possible.  After moving out of my apartment, I never went without a place to sleep!  I picked up babysitting jobs here and there.

... To everyone who prayed for me, thought of me, put good energy out, and sent good thoughts my way, thank you.  To everyone who sent me off with love and well wishes, thank you!  To everyone who believed in me even when I didn't believe in myself, thank you!  To everyone who knew that Texas was a done deal before it was a consideration in my mind, thank you.  To everyone who helped me along the way, thank you.  To everyone who has been a part of this journey, thank you.  Thank you, everyone!  I am the most blessed a woman can be!

Blessings

This past weekend was absolutely amazing.  It was a weekend that I hope to never forget.  There wasn't a moment of it that wasn't amazing.  I am going to honor God in this moment by thanking Him for all that He has done, is doing and will do in my life.


On Friday, I left work to meet two friends at Starbucks.  We were going to drive together to pick up another friend to bring to Rock Hill for the weekend.  The evening was full of catching up and bonding together.  We had an amazing time together talking about boys, current struggles and our summers.  Chandler, the girl we picked up in Greenville to bring to Rock Hill, spent the night with me.

On Saturday, Chandler and I woke up and got to preparing for an amazing day with my middle school girls.  We made cupcakes, a cake and fruit kabobs.  We went to Chick-Fil-A and headed to Rock Hill for an amazing afternoon.

In the spring, I got this amazing idea to have some sort of summer Olympics between the eGroup that I lead and the eGroup that I am in.  Saturday was the day and it was amazing!  We had six different water relay races and ended the event at the pool.  There was a ton of food and lots of fun to be had.  After months of planning, I can say that the event far exceeded my expectations.  We all had an amazing time!

After the Olympics, I went home, showered and got ready for a family dinner to celebrate my Grandma's birthday and Father's Day.  We went to Amor de Brazil in Matthews, NC.  The food was impeccable.  I do not eat meat, so I just had the salad bar.  That was amazing!  You must check it out!!

Sunday morning was spent at my favorite place to be on Sunday - Elevation Church.  I would say it was a successful morning at Uptown.  I got one commit as a small group leader for Quest in eKidz and a shadow for Safari.  Commits and shadows make my day.  I heard an amazing message on our Heavenly Father from Larry Hubatka, the Creative Pastor at Elevation.  I came home after church to clean my room, do some laundry and send a few emails.  My roommate and I went to dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant, 1900 Mexican Grill.

I am truly blessed.  I could not have asked for a better weekend.  I had fun every moment.  Every moment I was making memories, laughing and enjoying life.  I have to thank the Lord for all of this.  Without Him, this weekend would not have happened. 

What do you have to be thankful for?

Thankful Tuesday

Thankful Tuesday

... the opportunity to be a part of Elevation Church



... the one family in my eGroup who got out of bed at a ridiculous hour on Saturday to serve for Love Week 2012. 

... to have checked everything off of my to do list on Sunday.

... to have had yesterday off

... to have my tax refund, so I can go shopping for new clothes!

What are you thankful for today?

Thankful Tuesday

I think it is pivitol to take a moment every day to thank God for everything that He has given me.  I would not be where I am if it weren't for His involvement in my life.  I am so thankful.  Before I ask God for anything, I thank Him for everything.  You should try it!

Thankful Tuesday...

1. My mother!  She does my taxes for me every year.  They seem to get harder and harder every year and she does them each year with minimal complaint.  She doesn't charge me.  She is amazing.
 
2. My job!  My boss is amazing.  She bought me a pair of Toms last Friday, just because.  I would do all that I do for them without the random gifts.  They just make me want to do more and be better.
 
3. My roommate!  I have so much fun with her.  We can talk openly about what we are stuggling with.  We randomly go out to the nearest mexican resturant in our most bum outfit and get chips, queso and margaritas.  She is awesome.
 
4. Skype!  My best friend is in South Africa!  She is over 8,000 miles away!  I was able to Skype with her this weekend.  I loved being able to see her and talk to her.  I am praying for her daily!
 
5. Time!  I took two semesters off from school.  It has been amazing to have this time.  I have been able to focus on other things.  I have been able to get my relationship with God in check, lose weight, focus on my position with Elevation Church.  These are all amazing things.  I am so thankful for the time that I have had to regroup.

 

Thankful Tuesday

Happy Tuesday!  I bet you thought I was bailing on you this Tuesday.  Honestly, I almost did!  But, Thankful Tuesday provides a nice dose of perspective for me.  I am truly blessed, and so are you!

1. Monday Off - I love my job!  I think you have gathered that by now.  But, by having the day off... I was able to spend it with my eGroup girls.  We had lunch at McAlisters and then went to Target.  We went to Target to go shopping for our January outreach project.  How can you not love those faces! Ha!! I know I love them!  We had a bit of trouble finding something girl clothes that weren't outrageous.  But, the girls did a great job searching and staying on budget!  We had a blast!


2. My amazing mother - Don't think I am repeating here.  She is amazing!  She braved lunch and Target with four teenagers and myself for three hours.  She found us some pretty sweet deals for our outreach project.  It was the first time my mom and I had done the baskets on a budget, and we rocked it!  I love her!  I am so thankful to have the relationship that I have with her.

3. Pastor Perry Noble - Dang! He brought a powerful message tonight to Elevation Church at Code Orange Revival.  Elevators, if you didn't catch it!  Please watch at 3:12 am or 12:12pm tomorrow.  It was so fitting for our church.  He preached an amazing message to Elevation about how blessed we are to be where we are.  It was a great reminder.  He is a great cousin to have at Elevation!

4. Marlene - Marlene is basically our eGroup mom.  She is an amazing women.  Every week, when I arrive, her family room is spotless, there are candles lit, the lighting is perfect, an Elevation Worship CD is playing and there is a delicious treat for us.  I never asked her to do any of those things.  She goes above and beyond for our eGroup and I love her for that.  eGroup wouldn't be the same without her.

5. My grandma - She is pretty great.  My grandma pays my car payment every month.  I wouldn't have my sweet ride that I have if it weren't for the help of my grandma. 

6.  Victoria - I feel like I should be saving this one for next week, but I will use it now.  I've know this girl since she was four years old.  I came home after our first play date and said, "I can't be friends with a four year old," I was cool and six years old!  She should have hated me for the majority of our childhood.  I made her play school with me.  I was always the teacher and she was a student in a room full of stuffed animals.  But, some how or another, we are still best friends.  Next week, she is going to study abroad.  I am going to miss her like crazy.  Thankfully, I get to see her this weekend.  PS.  Don't you love that picture of us?  Throw back to 2008!

7.  Change - I have feared change for the majority of my life.  Change means there is unknown ahead.  I don't like the thought of not knowing what is next.  Because of change, I have an epic job.  Because of change, I learned a lot about myself at Elevation Rock Hill.  Because of change, I am at Elevation Uptown.  Change has brought me far.

8.  Technology - I will be able to communicate with Victoria in another country.  How cool is that?  If it weren't for Skype, I would be an emotional wreck thinking about her going away.  I am coping well!

9.  Christmas 2011 - I am thankful that I survived Christmas of 2011.  I honestly didn't think I was going to make it.  I did!  I took my Christmas tree down yesterday.  Christmas 2011 is officially over in my house.  It was a huge hurdle to get over. 

10. Ability to worship - Ya know this is something we need to be thankful for in the United States.  There are countries who have never heard the name Jesus. There are countries who have never seen a Bible.  I can worship freely.  Whenever I want.  Wherever I want.  As loud as I want.  I can tell anyone I want about Jesus.  I can say Jesus freely.  What a blessing, that we take for granted.



11. The eight pounds I have lost in 2012 - Yeah!  Let's just talk about that.  I am super excited!! None of my pants fit.  Hello healthier Keirstin!



Okay, I am pooped.  I can't come up with six other things I am thankful for.  The last one was a stretch.  Forgive me

What are you thankful for?

Thankful Tuesday

Happy Tuesday!  I hope that your week has gotten off to a great start.  I know mine is.

Onto Thankful Tuesday.  Ten things that I am thankful for...

1. My eGroup - Dang those girls are amazing!  Last week I blogged about them.  Find the post about how the eGroup came to be here, and the post about what we did last week here.  I have grown so much since I began leading them, and know that I will continue to grow as we spend more time together!! I am thankful to have each of them in my life.  They remind me to go back to the little things.

2.  My mom - She is pretty amazing.  This month, my eGroup will be making baskets for pregnant moms.  My mom spent all day on Saturday with me shopping for the baskets.  She is pretty amazing.  I know she had better things to do, but she spent her time with me.  I am thankful for her because I would not have had the patience to do all the baby shopping that we did.

3.  My church - Now, I know I wrote about this last week, but I have something different to say about it this week.  Will you allow me to use it twice? I hope so, because I am going to do it anyway.  I started volunteering at the Uptown campus this weekend.  Wow, the volunteers and staff there are amazing.  They were all so kind to me, and welcoming.  I can't wait to spend more time there.  I am thankful for my church, because it is a second home and a second family for me.

4.  My bosses - They both appreciate everything I do so much.  I have never had a job where I have been so appreciated.  It is such a good feeling.  It makes me want to go to work.  It makes me desire to be a better person and work as hard as I can.  I am thankful for my job because they bring out the best in me.

5.  My toilet - Ha!  That's a funny one!! Well, last week my toilet was out of order for three days!  That was quite interesting.  It forced me to be grateful for the luxury of a toilet.  I bet you don't often think of your toilet as a luxury.  There are people in this world who poop in a whole in the ground.  Your toilet is a luxury!

6.  My God - I make mistakes every day.  I do things I shouldn't do on a regular basis.  My God forgives me every day.  If I don't remember to be thankful for my God's forgiveness, I don't deserve it.

7.  Today - God granted me another day to live.  Another day to share His word.  Another day to get it right.  I am thankful for the opportunity to be around for one more day.

8.  My friends - I have some pretty epic friends.  My friends stretch me.  My friends are there for me when I need them.  My friends push me to be better.  I couldn't ask for a better group of friends.  I am thankful for my friends always being around when I need them.

9.  My blog readers - You!!! I am thankful for you coming to my blog and commenting.  Sometimes I don't want to write anything.  Sometimes, I think there isn't anyone out there who cares about what I have to say.  Thank you for making me feel like someone wants to read what I have to say!

10.  Code Orange Revival -  Dang! This thing is going to be great.  12 nights at Elevation church with 12 of the greatest speakers and pastors in the WORLD.  I believe that there will be hundreds of people who don't have the opportunity to attend Elevation Church on the weekends, and will be able to because we will have having church for twelve nights!!!  I can't wait!  Oh, and you can watch it online at 6:12 and 10:12 every night here.

What are you thankful for today?

Thankful Tuesday

This is the first installment of Thankful Tuesday.  As it is January 3rd, I will tell you about three things that I am thankful for.

1. My job!  For starters, the economy sucks.  I should be thankful to just have a job.  I am grateful to not only have a job in these hard times, but to have a job that I love.  I love my job!  I nanny the two most precious children in the world.  They have the biggest hearts, think of others first and make me laugh constantly.  I couldn't ask for a better job.  Their parents are great parents and wonderful bosses.  They truly care about me and appreciate all that I do for them.  I am thankful for my job!

2. My church!  I am blessed to be a part of Elevation Church.  Being a part of this church has opened countless doors for me and allowed me to grow immeasurably over the last two and a half years in every area of my life.  This weekend I start a new chapter of my life at Elevation Church.  I will be a volunteer at the Uptown campus.  I can't wait to start something new, build new relationships and just be a part of the Uptown campus.  I hear it is the coolest campus...

3. My roommate!  My roommate is pretty rad!  She bought me a pretty awesome book for Christmas that I cracked open at Panera yesterday.  We sat down at dinner yesterday and caught up on the last two weeks of our lives, being that we have both been in and out of town.  I am so thankful to have her as a roommate.  It is nice to come home and be able to share my days struggles and triumphs with her, bounce ideas off of her, and grow in my walk with Christ with her! 

What are you thankful for today?