my roommate knows thomas jefferson

...ok, so that is not totally true, perhaps a little fabrication, and a little false advertising! But, I hope it drew you in because I have big news!

So, my "roommate" Virginia, doesn't really know Thomas Jefferson, but yesterday was awarded  the ever-so prestigious Jefferson Scholarship and the already prestigious University of Virginia! A few months ago she was chosen as the nominee from her high school, then earlier this year she was chosen as the one nominee from the whole city of Dallas. She spent weekend up at UVA with 100+ other finalists for a grueling few days of seminars, debates, interview, and cocktail parties (minus the cocktails of course).  After a selection process that rivals sorority rush (please sense the sarcasm here...it's just the most intense thing I have experienced that I have to compare it to), my sweet friend, Virginia was one of 25 students to receive the University's most prestigious award.

Today, she told me not to buy her a cookie cake or something (seriously? I wanted some!), so instead I thought I would give her a shout out on my blog! Who wouldn't want that more than cookie cake right?!?! (don't answer that!)

Virginia started out several years ago as one of "my girls"...we would ride our bikes to Wild About Harry's and she would vent to me the woes of being in the 7th grade while doting a rather large chocolate mustache from her double scoop cone. About two years ago, her amazing family invited me to live with them thus causing Virginia to become my roomie, my pseudo-sister, and most of all one of my dearest friends. 

Unfortunately, the scholarship committee did not ever call or consult me about why Virginia should be the recipient of such an award. (Probably because I wouldn't understand one word of the 50 page theses they sent Virginia to read before this weekend). But believe you me, I was ready if they did, with this....

My Top Ten Reasons Why Virginia Deserved the Jefferson Scholarship:

10. She is ridiculously responsible. (I have been staying with her for the past 5 years when her parents go out of town..I'm supposed to be the responsible adult, but more often than not, she is taking care of me. If you know us, this assuredly does  not come as a shock to you). 

9. She is motivating. She got me to run 8 miles this year...I feat never accomplished by anyone before and will not be accomplished by anyone in the future.

8. She has incredible taste in music. (The only person who thinks the ridiculously random mix of music on my iPod is worth steaking :) ).

7. She is super intelligent....about all sorts of things that are happening the world- including how you buying a fake Gucci bag on Canal Streets feeds the chinese mafia and world terrorism. Bottom Line...DON'T DO IT!

6. She has the ability to make really simple and normal things exceedingly interesting and fun... like regularly hosting pancake parties for 50 of her closet friends

5. She is a leader, and the kind that is worthy of following.

4. She lives every part of life with utmost passion and zeal.

3. She is constantly wanting to push beyond what is comfortable and "normal". She loves to take on things that she know will humble, grow, shape, and change her. Thanks for challenging me like this, Virginia...I need it!

2. She really loves people and desires to see them know and walk with Jesus!

1. She loves Jesus Christ with all her heart, and is constantly hungering for more of him!

I LOVE YOU, VJ! I am so proud of you!

Dear Diary

If you know me at all, you probably know this...I save absolutely everything! Boxes currently fill my closets, the closets at my parents house, the shelves in their garage, and all of the space under my bed- full of every picture ever taken, every year book I'd ever been given, every paper ever written, every note ever received. 

If you know me at all, you also know that I am extremely sentimental. And this sentimentality sends me rummaging through all of these closets and boxes to get a little taste, a little reminder of the good old days:) 

Sometimes however, upon discovering a picture or a note or my jr. high yearbook, I realize that the good old days were not quite as good as I thought. Or at least that I was not exactly how remembered myself to be. 

Nothing was more enlightening than the jewel I found in my closet a few years back- my diary! 

What a treasure this thing has been- with every word on every page, I have had to ask the question, "was I really serious?". Shamefully, I WAS- extremely serious! A truth which seriously makes me want to cry or at least cringe a little. 

But more than anything, it has provided hours on endless entertainment and laughter- not just for me, but also for many of you. My sister Lindsay and I nearly wet our pants the night we found it. 

Then I took it home to my roommates at the time Karen and Lucy, for another round of laughs. Karen has been my friend since we were 12 and is mentioned quite often, unfortunately in often in this context "Karen is driving me crazy." Sorry, Karen!

My shameful rantings and ravings in the diary also provided great entertainment for our youth group a few years back as we made it into a video! My friend Johnny, read each entry aloud in a bath robe..pretty funny. No more pretending in front of "my girls" that I was more mature than they are at their age!

My good freinds Frank and Susan kept it at their house for a few months. Sus, would bring it out and read it if she'd had a bad day. She said it would always do the trick to cheer her up!

Anyways, it is funny, sad, and extremely shameful all at the same time. But many of you have requested that I put a few entries up on the blog. I figure I can't be anymore humiliated, and everyone likes a few laughs. So, your request has been granted. I will put some up from time to time.

 But on one condition...please don't judge me.

Here you go...This one is crowd favorite:

Dear Diary,  Oct. 11, 1995 (8th Grade)

I am so pissed at my parents. Oh my gosh! Okay, so Jill is having her bday party on Saturday. She's one of my best friends right? Well, I can't go. John is joining the church on Sunday. But that is not even the main reason I can't go. His stupid best friend is getting baptized by my dad. Whoopee!! Th is what my mom said, "We've been praying for him for years." So what, I haven't! So they can all go! Go for it! I have to go to something for one of John's best friends instead of one of mine? I'm so sure! They make me so pissed off (this was underlined in the diary!). I always miss parties for crappy family stuff. I missed Kim's party for Jackie and Pop's house. Everyone said that was the BEST party, even as good as Gigi's! I also missed Amanda's for the same reason. Everyone came to the gym with all these inside jokes. I felt so out of it. Why can't I have my life and and my family have theirs. Gosh. Life Sucks!

School was fine, I went on a mission trip. Gym was fine. Nothing big happened. I stuck a series. 

In Christ-

Caroline

Philippians 2:5*

* Phil. 2:5 says your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus! 

Again, please don't judge me. 

Another entry coming soon. Unfortunately, I just get older from here...

Until then, 

Caroline...Phil. 2:5

All Fancy Schmancy

Well, as you can see my blog has a brand new look... thanks to my sweet friend, Marina. I entered her "blog makeover" give-away contest a few weeks ago, and by some amazing stroke of luck, I WON! And here is the result!

Marina and I met at A&M where we were both Theta's together. Our friendship was really bonded one year during rush (strangely enough, my very favorite time of sorority life!), and has continued throughout all these years. She and her husband Chris are expecting their first baby this summer. Marina is so genuine, creative, loyal, and has the kindest heart. And not to mention EXTREMELY creative and talented. She designs all sorts of stuff, so please head on over Penny Lane Designs and check out all of her stuff for all your blogging, invitation, and other design needs!

Thank you so much, sweet friend! Love you!

On My Mind

I read this the other day. Haven't been able to stop thinking about it. Praying this means that God will use these words to really change me. 

Isn't it interesting that in Acts 11, at the end of verse 26, it says, "The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch." What I find interesting is the simple thought that Christians didn't name themselves. But rather they were called (or named) "Christians" by those watching their lives. I wonder if it would be the same today. Could someone look at your life or look at my life and name me a Christian? A humbling question for sure.

- Chris Tomlin, from Intro to Crazy Love by Francis Chan

Death by Yoga

I do not consider myself to be a particularly paranoid person, but today I became acutely aware of something: my yoga teacher is trying to kill me. 

I just had this hunch from the beginning of class today that death was looming in the room. It was confirmed when we did not even get to start in child's pose, and from the fact that I am convinced she was giving me the evil "stink-eye" as she peered back at me through the mirror. 

And then it started, her attempt to take my life. 

Her weapon: the endless series of hover-plank-hover-up dog:

HOVER...

PLANK...

HOVER...

UP DOG...

Seriously? I mean does she not know that it was spring break this week, and that most of us had been lazily laying on the beach sipping pinas all day? 

Ok, well I hadn't. But didn't she know everyone else had?

I guess i just wanted to write this post to let all my faithful readers (I guess this just really means mom...but whatever), that I narrowly escaped death this morning around 11:55 am. But I did escape nonetheless. 

However, if you do not hear from me after next Saturday around noon, here is a clue:

It was Kari...In the Yoga Room...

With the Chair...

Namaste-

Caroline

Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places

For years one of my best friends and I have talked about staring a blog about our dating lives. And honestly, I really hope we will one day. Our friends tell us it will be pretty funny. (Not exactly sure what that means:)). But for now, that project has been postponed... maybe because we are too busy, possibly because we are not ready to put such self-deprecating information on the world wide web, but probably because there might be an appalling lack of content. 

But anyways, if we were to start this blog, my experience this past weekend would for sure be on it. And thus, I share it with you:

Dating in your twenties can be a really fun, but more often than not a really funny experience. And for all of you that got married right out of college you are definitely missing out on something:) 

Dating is also something I am personally not really good at. I tend to get extremely awkward around the boys who I have a crush on... you know, saying stupid things, constantly putting my hair back behind my ears, and not looking them in the eye. But the ones who I don't have a crush on, I have nooo problem being myself. Thus it tends to be the latter who give you the offer of a date. I mean who wants to ask out the weird fidgety girl who keeps looking at the ceiling. 

And this past weekend, I got the offer of a life time. 

I was with our high school and middle school kids on our mission trip to Austin. On Sunday we worshipped at Church Under the Bridge- a congregation of primarily homeless men and women that literally meets under 1-35 in downtown Austin. Its pretty amazing! Our primary goal while we are there is to get to know these men and women and their stories, worship alongside them, and pray with them. And most of the time this is what happens. 

But not for me....

I see this one man (we'll call him Bob:)) from across the parking lot. He smiles at me so I figure he is up for a chat. After a brief introduction, I realize an evangelistic chat was not really what he had in mind. He asks me how long we are in town. I respond saying we are here till Tuesday. He then responds by asking me what I was doing Monday around 5? And would I like to meet up to go for a ride on his motorcycle? 

Seriously? I have never been on a motorcycle date. It could be pretty fun to be a biker babe. I think I'd wear a leather jacked and helmet quite nicely.

But seriously? I told him that unfortunately I had some responsibilities with our kids that I just didn't think  I could get out of.

Bob said that was fine. But that he'd love to keep in touch. And that if I ever came back to Austin, that motorcycle invite was still valid.  For sure!!

He then handed me his card, which read:

Bob

How can I help?

Fast Problem Solving!

And 4 Relaxing Excitement:

Free Motor Cycle Rides (Ladies)

Call Twentyfour/Seven

and on the back:

Good Times with No Drama

Finally!!! What I have been looking for this whole time!

**I left out his actual contact info, but if YOU in fact are looking for Good Times with No Drama, I've got the card handy!!

On the Road Again

Well in just a few short hours I will be on the road with 40 middle school and high school students on our way to the capital city of the Lone Start State! The Austin Trip, as we have so creatively called it these past few years, is one of my very favorite trips that we take. We will spend the next few days exposing our kids and really ourselves to various types of ministry- in the inner city, to the homeless, to ex-convicts, and behind the scenes in a food bank. 

Please pray for us! Please pray that the Lord would really transform our hearts! Our focus for the trip is out of James 1 when he writes that we must be "doers of the word, not hearers only, thus deceiving ourselves." In a Christian culture like ours, we can be soo saturated with the Word of God and yet our lives are tragically unaffected. I see this so much in my kids, but I really see it so much in myself. And I hate it. The Lord has been stirring up so much in my heart lately (I'll write more on this later), but please pray that this trip would really change me. It's pretty easy for me to lead a trip and hope it changes the kids. But this time it is me who really needs a heart change.

Also, please, please, please pray for the trip down. If you look out your window it is currently raining. The forecast for the next few days is nothing but rain rain rain. Imagine driving down 1-35, 5-oclock traffic, the pouring rain, and a bunch of high school girls screaming out the insightful lyrics of the Jo-Bros  at the top of their lungs for 4 straight hours. (Jonas Brothers for those of you who are not quite as hip as myself). Quite the perilous journey, if I do say so myself. Especially since I just went to Enterprise Rent-a Car and picked up the keys to THIS...

...The 15 passenger van- not quite the ideal mode of transportation for the girl who gets honked and receives other signs of "affection" from unhappy motorists at least once a day! And that's in my little 4-door Sedan. Would soo love your prayers for myself, my kids, and for all the other unfortunate drivers on I-35!

Will update you when I get back...

Until then,

Caroline...van driver extraordinaire!