God Loves You...And So Do I

God Loves You, And So Do I.  (GLYASDI)....


Eleven years ago this coming Labor Day Weekend, I was whisked away to a 3-day spiritual retreat for teens. A three day weekend where you get to hear other youth your age talk about their faith journey. Where you draw posters, have small group discussion, and come up with a ridiculously annoying and long table name to make the Youth Director absolutely crazy. Share The Word, Teens Encounter Christ has been a movement in Eastern NC for 25 years. Okay, so TEC is really hard to explain in writing, or in words in a conversation, but I'm going to try my hardest to get the gist of it across to you. (Although you'll never fully understand it unless you go, so... )

So, eleven years ago I was 14. I was practically forced onto my church's van with a bunch of my friends and told I was going to TEC. All I knew about TEC was that my cousins Jane and Amanda had gone and loved it. AND, that God would become more important to me and I would learn more about my faith and God's plan for me.  As I watched my mom wave good-bye I thought to myself "I don't care about God's plan." Flash forward to day 2 of the retreat and I did care about God's plan. The people (youth mainly) on this retreat were amazing. The "talks" that they gave related to me as a freshman in high school. I didn't feel like I was separate from everyone else while I was there. I felt included for the first time. I wasn't an outcast. God loved me. God needed to be a part of my life, and I realized that I needed Him in my life too. And, more importantly, I wanted Him there.

Eleven years later, I'm 25 years old and still involved in this amazing retreat. I don't want this to sound the wrong way... but no matter how hard I've resisted or tried to get TEC out of my life, somehow God slaps it back in my face. Almost like He's saying, "Look dear, this saved your life, the least you could do is serve."
Now, don't get me wrong. TEC is amazing. But there have been a few times that calls from TEC to serve in different positions didn't fit into my life at that point....But God's always found a way to send TEC to me when I've needed it the most. For example... Last Labor Day, I decided to go up to the camp where the retreat is held for the "surprise" on the weekend. (I'm not saying anything else, because I'm not sure who all reads this, and some kid from my church may see it and I can't spoil it if they're coming to a future TEC...). I arrived and realized that there was NO ONE there that I knew...that I could see at that moment anyway. As if on cue, Barbara Oates came around the corner. I've known Barbara since I made my first TEC (#21, eleven years ago!). She's now in charge of the board with her husband Tommy. As Barbara and I got caught up with each other, she mentioned that they were in need of adults for the MLK Jr. weekend in January... I knew where this was going. So I politely told her that I would think about it. I talked to my mom and to Cameron and got their opinions...which were basically the same.... both said that maybe this was a good thing... I was in a new place... going through a different part of my journey in life... maybe it would be a good thing....

Needless to say, I accepted the call. I went to the meetings, but I was never really sure if I was supposed to be there. I wasn't sure if I would ever feel connected. Sure, there were people on team that I knew and had been friends with forever ago. And the youth that I was put with was more than amazing. (Brandon is like a little angel that God sent to me)... But there was just something missing... and I couldn't put my finger on it.

I showed up for the weekend in January ready to serve and with a slightly opened heart. But my eyes were closed. Saturday night, when the guests were participating in a highly emotional part of the weekend, the "hidden team" that I was a part of was also having some time with God through devotions and what we called Holy Conversation with a friend or small group. My friend Paul and I reconnected during this time, and I was truly moved by the Holy Spirit. I got to tell Paul about shortcomings that I had, grief that I was still holding onto about my Dad... Long story short, I had been called to this weekend for a reason: To find myself...again.

One thing that still amazes me after 11 years, is that every time I go on a TEC weekend, no matter what position I am serving in, I always think that it will be the same. (After 11 years, you would think I would know better..) BUT... God somehow finds a way to make me see just how amazing His love truly is. And I have been super blessed to have met the people in this retreat. They are some of my best friends, and I can call them at any time, day or night and they will be there for me. No. Matter. What.

So, in a nutshell. TEC is amazing. And it has changed my life.

One of the "sayings" from TEC is the title of this Blog Entry... God Loves You and So Do I. It's written on the little special gifts you are given, we all say it constantly, and that is what the speakers close their wonderful talks with.

Two weeks ago tomorrow, Martha Bailey, a member of my church and member of Via de Cristo (adult version of TEC...who also uses God loves you and so do I...) and one of my dear friends... passed away suddenly. Martha was a woman of Faith and was able to share her faith in so many ways at our church and through VdC. I'm blessed to have known such a great woman, and to have been a part of the women's retreat we did last January. August 6 was her memorial service at our church and at the end of the service, Pastor John announced that the family would receive the congregation in the fellowship hall during the reception. Jim, Martha's husband then stood up and said, "Martha said to tell you, God loves you, and so do I."

Wow. That's all I could think. Actually, that's a lie. What I was really thinking was, "OMG Jim! How could you say that? Now I'm really going to be crying hysterically."

But later, as I was looking at the "God is Love" talk that I was assigned for this TEC weekend on Labor Day, all I could think of was Martha. And of Jim saying "Martha said to tell you, God loves you, and so do I." So I went for it. I typed up Martha's story. And I realized that TEC has made me see that God does love me. And so do all of those people that I have been blessed to meet over the years. Nothing in the world will ever replace what I have in my heart for this retreat. I have learned so much from these high school and college aged youth... and I'm sure they'll never be able to see how awesome they truly are. But I do hope that whoever reads this might be able to understand how much TEC means to me. And not to mention how much it has benefited my life.

And, just maybe, you've realized why us TECites use those words so often...

God Loves You, And So Do I.

One Year Later... An Update, of sorts!

July 22 marked exactly one year since moving back from Los Angeles. And that day in itself was pretty uneventful, I think. I can't really remember what I did, but it was far less emotional than last year. So, let's re cap the last year, shall we?

Since moving back from Hollywood:
-Got accepted to UNC-Pembroke!
-Moved to Lumberton (actually, I did this before I even got accepted... whatever.)
-Met awesome, AWESOME new friends at school
-Passed the praxis!!!!!
-Accepted to Elementary Education Program!!!
-TURNED 25!!! (boo!!! hahaha)
-Became an aunt, again, to two beautiful little boy/girl twins!!!
-Watched my nephew Keller turn 3!!! (not right at all! he shouldn't be that old!)
-Got a summer job
-Successfully completed summer school
-Studied and worked my arse off while in school in order to get on the CHANCELLOR'S LIST!!!!!

And, last but probably THE most important:
-I managed to survive ONE YEAR in Lumberton, NC.

So, now what? Well....

I'm getting a mini-vacay FINALLY!! Mom and I are too poor to go anywhere exciting, so I'm packing up and heading west to visit some of my favorite people for a few days!

Tomorrow (Wednesday) is my last day at FIFI's for the summer... it was a great summer job. Very laid back and no real problems! (Who knew a job could be like that...) After I get off at 3, I'll be spending some time packing up and then heading to Lumberton for the night. I've got to check my mail and pay rent before my little adventure!

Thursday: Thursday I'll be leaving Lumberton and heading to Asheboro to stay with Cameron's mom Dora for the night. Which is VERY exciting. We haven't seen each other in a few months, and we always, ALWAYS have a great time! I absolutely love that even though Cameron and I are just friends, his mom is still a big part of my life! Because she is quite possibly one of the best people I know! And we just have so much in common... and I know she can hardly wait for me to get there and be able to get a "TO-GO" cup of sweet tea, extra ice, and not have someone look at her like she's crazy! :)

Friday: Friday morning I'll leave Asheboro and head for the Goss Planation... Ok, that's not really what is it called, but I like the ring to it. The "Goss Plantation" is in Pilot Mountain, NC and is where my bestest friend in the whole world parents live. I'll be there through either Sunday or Monday... I can't really remember when I said I would be leaving. Either way, I'm excited. Mainly because I haven't been to PM in over 2 years... but also because Keri and I have only gotten to see each other for one sleep over at her place in Greenville, and one lunch date with us and our lovely mothers since CHRISTMAS! Yes, that's right. Crazy isn't it?

So, to celebrate being back in the lovely state of North Carolina for a year, this is what I'm doing! :)

Once I get back I've got a jammed packed schedule! Jack, Cameron's old room mate and one of my dear friends is marrying Allison, who I've come to know and love as well on August 6th! Which means not only do I get to witness the marriage of this super awesome couple, but I get to see Cameron face to face for the first time in over a year!!! Which I think we're both excited about. We talk constantly on the phone, texting and on facebook, but I'm ready for a "Cameron hug" and to hear his lovely sarcastic tone and remarks in person. And his wonderful mom is coming for that weekend... AND I'll hopefully get to see his awesome sister Courtney and SUPER PRECIOUS niece (still mine, partly, in my opinion) Morgan!! Who I haven't seen since this past October!

After the wedding festivities I'll have a couple of days to recover then I'll be dragging my mom to Lumberton where we're going to lock ourselves into my house and clean, re-arrange, clean some more, buy some food and new stuff for the house, and get ready for classes to start on August 15!

So, I'm off to bed, but I'll be sure to update after my trip! :)

An Aunt... to 3 beautiful blessings!

In just a few short weeks, my precious nephew Keller (or Bean, as he's more commonly known) will turn 3 years old.... Keller is an amazing child. And super sweet and special, especially to me. He's the first child that's ever called me "Aunt" anything... And the way he says (or screams, when he's excited) "Aunt Kawa" when he sees me melts my heart every time. God blessed my cousin Amanda and her husband Nic with an amazing gift for sure... I can't believe he's going to be THREE!! Those three years have gone by so quickly! For instance in a few weeks, on July 18 three years ago I was doing this....

Meeting my new little nephew, Keller Allan Dane Nichols!

This past Tuesday, Amanda and Nic were blessed with not one, but TWO precious bundles of joy! Tucker Landon Rette and Iris Esther Klare were born at 9:11 and 9:12pm June 21st! 

Wednesday night I was able to go and see them for the first time! 

Meeting little man Tucker! 

And of course, here is Miss Iris (below) 

Testing out the car seat... 

God gave our family two new blessings! I can't tell you how excited and thankful I am that they are finally here and HEALTHY! Tucker and Iris are sooo tiny! But they are healthy and eating like champs! (They're going home sometime Tuesday hopefully!) I've spent the past 8 months telling Amanda how excited I was about the twins, and I loved them from the day I found out that she was pregnant again....And that was back when we thought there was only ONE baby! 

It just amazes me how much I love those two precious little babies! I can't get enough of them! 

I was actually stuck in Lumberton because of summer school when they made their grand appearance into this world... not that I would have been at the hospital, but I could have seen them sooner! haha. But Amanda put a picture up on Facebook of both babies that was taken right after they were born... and I sat here and cried! Turning 25 has made me an emotional basket case. And yes, I'm blaming my birthday and in some way my mother for birthing me 25 years ago. (Just kidding Mama...kind of).

Okay. I'll stop going on and on about the newest editions to the family. But come on, those are precious babies!


....I'm not proud or anything.... Promise! :)

The TWINS are HERE!!!!!!!!

This is ONE HAPPY AUNT!!!!!!!!!!

Iris, 5lbs 13 oz, 19 inches long and
Tucker, 5lbs 4oz, 18 inches long!

Amanda's in recovery in the room at the hospital and the twins are in the NICU but doing fine.... she'll be able to go see them in a few more hours!

And I am counting down the hours and minutes until I get back to Wilmington and can get my hands on these precious little babies!!!!!!!

Pictures to come!!!

Don't worry, I haven't been taken prisoner...

For those that were worried... I'm alive and well. And I just have two words to sum up why I haven't been blogging recently....

Summer. School.

The end....
Just kidding! I'm not letting you people get off that easy!
Okay, so for updates:
I love my job! FIFI is doing great! And the ladies I work with are awesome! I'm not working that many hours, because of school, and there's two full time employees that get most of the hours.... and I'm only part time, so that's okay. It's very tempting to be downtown right across the street from one of my favorite places ever though. Port City Java has been a part of my life ever since my cousin Jane starting working at one when she was like 17 or something. (She's now 28, so, you do the math... a long time). And there's just something about that Mocha Shake of theirs (personally, I think it's crack, why else would it be that good?) that draws me over there...

BUT... this summer I am trying my hardest to eat better and work out. Which, hasn't really amounted to anything yet... I figure once summer school is over I can go 100% full out in this attempt. Because between work and school I don't really have the time. Yeah, yeah yeah, I know, I could make the time. However, I'm living in Lumberton half the week and in Wilmington the other half, so it's hard to transport my Wii back and forth each time I go somewhere different. So, we'll see. Maybe I just need some motivation... Perhaps I should put on my bikini that I wore last summer in Los Angeles and that might help. :)

School is going great! It's very time consuming and hard, but I'm liking both of my classes. I have one that's completely online and one that's face to face (on campus). There's a ton of reading and work. Mainly because 16 or 17 weeks of material is nicely crammed into 6 weeks (or 5 in the case of one of my classes). I haven't done summer school since I decided to go back to Cape Fear Community College before moving to Cali. So I had forgotten how much faster paced the classes were. And UNCP has 2 day a week classes for 4 hour periods. CFCC did classes M-F for 2 hours. So that was a big change as well. I'm used to the 4 hour classes... all of the elementary education classes are 4 credit hours. At least I didn't have to get used to that.

That's about it really. I've got a crazy out of control tomato plant growing at my mom's, named Wilson. (Don't judge me). Wilson currently has 4 (or 5?) little tomatoes growing! And I personally can't wait to cut into one and make a tomato sammich. (That's a sandwich to those who don't speak southern).
I'm also growing cilantro and basil. The cilantro was touch and go there for a while... but he's turned the corner and is growing very nicely now. The basil is out of control, just like Wilson. Mom cut it back a little. It was getting a little out of hand.

My friend Stacey is coming in 2 weeks! Which I'm VERY excited about! She lives in Atlanta... we met when I started working at Gap Kids back in 2008. (Holy crap!) She was one of the managers with me! We're the same person, essentially. And, we complete each other. It's a great bond, really. Same tastes in everything. And she is one of the only people that I can quote or sing lines from High school musical to and she'll sing back. Most people frown upon this trick, but not Stacey. She embraces it. Just as I do.

So I have that to look forward to... and right now that's about it. Summer school ends June 29. Then I'll be working more hopefully. And trying to work out more, and hopefully work on my tan.
I was so spoiled in LA. That pool at our apartment got more use from me than anyone that lived there. I spent at least 2 hours out there reading every week day. (Cameron usually had me hiking up some mountain or new trail he'd googled on the weekends). And I miss that.
I may have to get a kiddy pool to put my feet in. :)

Hope you are having a fantastic start to the summer!

Remember those mastercard commericials?

Remember? They went something like this...

New black heels: $79.00
Fabulous haircut: $49.00
Martini: $9.00
Seeing your ex at a bar while wearing your new black dress? Priceless.

Nothing like that ever happens. But... That's how I'm going to recap.


5 days of working to open the new store: Awesome paycheck tomorrow.
5 hours in a car to and from Raleigh with 3 youth: An awesome TEC meeting/Lock-in
3 days at the elementary school: Kara will be very tired after proctoring for EOG testing
Closing every night this week after proctoring: another great paycheck
Spring semester at UNCP... 3.8 GPA....: PRICELESS! :)

In other words, I did fantastic with school... and I'm actually looking forward to summer school starting because of the classes that I'm taking...
The store is OPEN!!! FIFI downtown is fabulous and I'm loving the girls I'm working with and loving the fact that I actually have a JOB!
I'm proctoring for the EOG (End Of Grade tests) this week for my wonderful 3rd graders at Wrightsboro Elementary... Not thrilled about standing around for that long of a time period... but I'll manage. (although something tells me I should be in bed at this moment and not typing this... good thing I have a late shift at work tomorrow...)

First TEC meeting for TEC #42 was this past Friday/Saturday... Lock-in style... Got to drive up to Raleigh with three of my amazing youth that I taught Sunday school to when they were in 7th grade.
Now one is a Junior in high school, the other two are sophomores. When did I get old?????
These youth for this team are so amazing. I just know that God is going to guide them in the right direction for serving.  And it makes me so, SO proud to have seen them grow into such awesome people. (And to think that perhaps my awesome skills as their Sunday school teacher had some kind of affect on them......maybe?) I'm VERY excited to be in the conference room for this TEC! Back at "home" in a way... although I had an AMAZING wheat room last go around....and the youth wheat director was perfect. (Brandon will shoot me if I don't say something...)
Conference is where I am most comfortable. :)

Anyway, I'm off to bed. :) A very early morning for Kara is coming shortly.

A Strange Feeling

Let me start by saying that on August 18th, 2010 I went to UNCP for my first classes without knowing a soul. While I was very happy that everything had worked out and I was actually IN school, I was a little lonely. I live by myself and didn't know anyone. Luckily, a few weeks later, I met Mary Watson.
Mary and I had all of our EPC (educational professional courses... aka ridiculousness) together and soon became great friends. We got lunch, did homework, complained and share stories together all the time and I finally felt like I was getting here. I even sent Cameron a text message that said "I made a friend at school today! Her name is Mary!" To which he replied, "I'm proud of you! Congratulations!"

Like a two year old. :) But I was proud of myself, because anyone that knows me, knows that I'm super comfortable with the circle of friends that I already have. I've been friends with these people for years, and they know me, my history and have been there through the good, bad and extremely bad. So adding to this circle has always been hard for me. Not to mention having to tell my story over and over, it gets old and I don't like it. BUT, Mary and I just had so much in common... despite our 5 year age difference. I just felt comfortable with her.

In January, spring semester started and I was in all new classes, 5 out of 6 were with Mary and I only had to battle one without her. I had made a few other friends within my class in the fall, so there were a few familiar faces in the crowd.

What was about to happen, would change me, and my life. Forever.
I made more friends than I had in high school. And not just the friends that you say hey to in the hallway and talk about crazy assignments and who actually had their paper done in class.
I mean that I met people that actually cared about me, and wanted to get to know me. Thanks to Literacy and Language I, Differentiated Instruction, and Math and Science I, I was able to meet people that I hope to be friends with for the rest of my life.

Kelsey, Whitney, Bridget, Lauren, Mary, Reilley, Aaron, Shruti, and Amanda have all come to be people that I consider friends. And I can't thank God enough for putting them into my life.

The fact that everyone's status on Facebook is a complaint about not seeing everybody in the curriculum lab since classes are over ... and sending messages back and forth wanting to know when we can get together again is a sign of how much fun we all had through out this semester.

So, I'm thankful that classes are over until May 25th when summer school begins...
But I'm more thankful for those people that have come into my life this semester. And I can not WAIT until I get to see them again!!! :-D