2010 woot!

 

I know that it is 2011, but technically it isn't even the first week  I mean month, so I can get away with this right? 2010 has been a great year.  What better way to do that then with pictures.

Over the last 3 years, Kyle and I have been able to bring in the New Year together along with some of our good friends Luke and Lauren Lowe. This is us at Baileys Chocolate Bar in St. Louis. It is quite the delicious place to eat/drink and a great atmosphere.  I would recommend it for those of you near the great area of St. Louis.

This was a exciting one for me. I bought a new camera finally. My old one had seen its day, so I saved up and got this little number. It suites me for now, maybe I will upgrade later after some practice.

February is a busy time for Kyle and I. We celebrated our 3rd year together as well as Valentines day. I tried to get a little creative/save money this past year. This is what I came up with. A candy bouquet  full of his favorite candy and a last name picture frame, taken with my new camera!

Dakota and I rocking it out in Times Square. 

New York City. The college I attended offers a church planting class in NYC. I would absolutely recommend it for all you students still attending OCC. We were able to meet men and women doing amazing ministry in the big city. It was incredible to learn and gain wisdom from them.
These are my good friends Dakota and Charlie (not pictured Greg Hull). What a weekend. I don't know if I have ever laughed so hard. 

For those of you who don't know, I love John Mayer. And yes, I went to his concert. A-MA-ZING! Some of my best friends and I went to Kansas City for his concert. We ate at a Dives, Diners and Drive In called Grinders. So delicious. What is with me a food?

In March I ventured to the Northwest for the first time. I visited the great area of Tacoma/Seattle Washington. What a beautiful place. A group from Indiana came to serve alongside a awesome ministry called Network Tacoma. This is the group on one of the missionaries houseboat. Yeah, he lives on a boat in Washington. Pretty cool. This week we worked on several low income apartment units, fixing them up so that new tenants could move in.

My dear friend Julie was awesome enough to drive up and see me in Seattle after the group left. Spent a few days there and then venture down to Portland. It was pretty much the best time ever. We ate a lot, relaxed a lot and talked a ton. The doughnut picture is in Portland at a swell place call Voo-doo doughnut. Yum. Yum. Yum.  

I am so proud of Kyle. He is a great youth minister, and it has been awesome to see him work with our students. This is one of our girls Twyla being baptized by Kyle. We are so proud of her! 

  I graduated. Still weird. We have gone over this...moving on. 

This summer I had to the privilege of leading a team to Cambodia, a place that is very dear and near to my heart. These two girls mean so much to me. They are both doing tremendous ministry for Christ. Man, I have some great friends.

Ankor Wat entrance. I really like this little artsy picture...I promise, its not me. Just a lucky shot. 

For those of you who don’t already know, I love our youth group.  Kyle and I feel truly blessed to share life with these students of Afton, Oklahoma. God placed us there almost 3 years ago, and we thank God all the time that he opened the doors for us to be there. I love youth ministry more than I ever thought I would. We have learned a lot over the years here. What it is like to serve at a small rural church. How we work in ministry together. How to love these kids and guide them through life. It has been a journey, one that I cherish every day. This past June we took our students to Michigan MOVE. Here we are enjoying our free day on the beach…yeah, in Michigan! Fantastic. I spent most of the day sleeping on the beach do to my little parasite friend I picked up in Cambodia days previously that resided in my stomach. Don’t worry I got rid of him, with time.

Seattle/Tacoma has become one of my favorite trips. I have had the privilege to build a relationship with people here and to serve alongside them. The team over the summer was from Georgetown Ohio (insert shout out!). Man they kicked butt. It was truly a blessing to work with them. Look at all the cool stuff they did.

I was able to travel down to Oregon after Seattle with my good friend Levi. We road tripped down to see Julie and Jared in Medford! God is good and has provided me several times to see Julie, considering we live many hours and many miles apart. While I was there we saw The Swell Season, which was so good. You may know this band from the movie “Once”. Both of which I recommend. Also while I was there, Levi got a tattoo and me, well I re-pierced my nose. Yeah, were pretty tough. Pssh.

For my graduation gift, Kyle bought us Cubs vs. CARDINALS tickets. Even though we are on opposing sides, don’t we look cute? We had a blast!

Roommate date night, always a good time! The three of us lived together for 21/2 years. So many memories at Club Norman. We know how to go out in style!

This is my brother Bobby. Yes, I look short compared to him, that’s because I am. He is 7 ft. Impressive. Well, he got married! I am extremely proud of him. He has been through a lot, but perseveres through it all. I couldn’t be more proud of the man he has become. He and his adorable wifey were married in September. I had the privilege of being a sister and a bridesmaid. I wish them the best in life!

Road trips are something that I love. Especially when it’s with some of my best friends. Lauren, Liss and I headed out to Kentucky to see some incredible people who I admire very much, the Walker family.

This year Afton did really well. We are proud of our boys! You can't tell, but we are freezing in this picture! Yeah for Friday nights! 

Woot! Woot! MJ got married. Doesn't she look ravishing? Her wedding was a blast,  it was so Melissa. 

My sweet, sweet Theara. A beautiful girl inside and out. She is one of the most amazing, faithful women I have ever met. She came to the USA for the first time. It was so fun to spend time with her. I miss this girl so, so much. 

Oh Christmas. I love the holidays. Seriously…Birthdays, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Easter and Christmas bring it on! I am a sucker for traditions. Maybe I will blog about some of my favorite traditions, because that could be a whole blog in itself. I love making a big deal about holidays…ask Kyle he probably hates how much I love them, but he is a good sport nonetheless. Christmas is a crazy time, especially on my mother’s side. Try cramming 40 people into a small house. We do this every year. Here in this picture my brothers and his sweet girlfriend Anna are taking a break from the chaos happening downstairs. What a funny looking word...chaos. Anyways. I love my family. As CRAZY as they are…and I mean nuts. I love them, and I am proud to claim them!

Thus the last picture of 2010. Ending 2010 and starting 2011 on a fantabulous road-trip with some of my best friends.I will try and make a post of its own about our adventure to Utah. Because it was epic, and it deserves its own post. I would say 2010 was a win.