Ten things I miss about home

10- Fresh, cold milk
9- Arby's curly fries
8- Watching ALIAS or Futurama with the housemates
7- Sharing a room with someone
6- Chili's boneless buffalo wings
5- My family/cousins
4- The city of Chicago
3- Being mentored

2- Hugs (esspecially Celeste's)
1- The twins, Michael and Nicholas

Questionnaire

Here is a questionnaire I created for The MOLE. I thought I would fill out my answers and put it up on my blog.
If you want to copy it and send me your answers too that would be cool, I would love to read them!


1-How old where you when you had your first kiss? My first real kiss… 18.
2-What do you think is your best feature? Physical- my eyes. Personality- my compassion for the less fortunate.
3-What is your favorite breed of dog? Hrm… I like most breeds... I guess labs
4-If you could attend only one Olympic event, which would it be? gymnastics
5-If you could invite any movie star to your home for dinner, who would it be? Morgan freeman
6-If you were a car what kind would you be? Jetta - don't know why. I just think it's a fun name for a car.
7-What is your favorite number? 5
8-Which Disney character are you most like? Rafiki from Lion King
9-If a movie was made about you, who would play you? Jennifer Garner
10-Have you ever been out of the country and, if yes, where? (list all places) Canada, England, and Spain (more to come in three weeks!)
11-How many times have you flown in an airplane in the last twelve (12) months? five
12-If you were in a car sinking in a lake, what would you do first? Roll down the windows
13-If you where stuck at one age for the rest of your life, what age would you want it to be? 22
14-What is the weirdest thing that has ever happened to you? Are you kidding? Tons of weird things happen to me. I wouldn’t even know where to begin!
15-What is the “coolest” (or most unique) thing you have ever done? Jumped off a 50ft cliff
16-What is the scariest thing that has ever happened to you? Hitting that deer…
17-Have you ever gone skinny-dipping? Nope
18-What is your favorite restaurant to eat at? Chili’s... mmmm boneless buffalo wings...
19-What is your favorite alcoholic drink? Sangria or Tequila sunrise
20-What is your biggest pet peeve? Ignorance
21-What is the weirdest thing you have ever eaten? Pig’s skin
22-If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life, what song would you want it to be? Poughkeepsie by Over the Rhine
23-If you had to change your name, what would you change it to? I love my name… if I HAD to change it I guess I would just change it to Lamonaca.
24-What is the best book you have ever read? Brother’s K
25-What is the first thing you notice about the opposite sex? The way they present themselves (it’s the first thing I notice about the same sex too).
26-What is the one thing you want to do before you die? Travel
27-What is the most outrageous thing you would love to do? Become a secret agent for the CIA
28-What is your favorite board game? Guess Who or PayDay
29-If you could have any job, what would it be? I would write music for a popular singer.
30-What, in your opinion, is the worst way to die? Drowning
31-If a genie granted you three wishes, what would you wish for? That everyone would know and love Jesus, that there would be no more poverty, and that there would a cure for cancer.
32-If you could go anywhere in the world where would you go? Kenya
33-What is one thing you could not go more than a week without? love
34-If you could change one thing about yourself, what would you change? My temper
35-In the last three years, what is one thing you would have done differently? I would have treated my parents better.

top ten

I came up with this list when I was still at Calvin but a friend mentioned something about it to me the other day, so I felt I needed to post it.

Top ten reasons why I should have been a boy:
10 - There is always dirt under the little fingernails I have
9 - I love camping
8 - I like rap
7 - I hate barbies
6 - My favorite form of "exercise" is boxing/hitting my punching bag
5 - I don't cry (not in front of people at least)
4 - Just because I don't cry does not mean I don't have feelings
3 - My way of playing with kids is rough-housing and beating them up
2 - The only person who can beat me in a belching contest is my big brother
and finally
1 - My idea of a great Sunday would be ordering a pizza, drinking beer, and watching football.

So there you have it, folks. Mom and dad- you should appreciate that one! :)

For those who are wondering - Spain is still great. This morning Heather and I exercised, then I played basketball for an hour, then I brought Meg to the pool and started to teach her how to swim and then Nic joined us and then I took a nap. It has been a good day off! Still not ready to go home (which is a good thing since I still have three weeks).

Ode to the Diggle

I dedicate this poem to Carrie Groen.
(Sorry it took me so long to write it... but everything happens in due time, right?)

The other day I felt it
Uncomfortable and new
I knew I shouldn't pick
But what else could I do?
I know I shouldn't have done it
I turned red in the face
But my underpants were bunching
In an unmentioned place
So I stuck my hand right there
And prepared for a dig
But nothing seemed to happen
So I added a little jig
I dug a little
Then added a wiggle
A dig and a wiggle
I call it - a diggle

Yay for wedgie picking! Anyway, there's a long story behing that poem... but for all you Calvin NV-Dubbers... know that I was thinking about the guy from BV during the Chaos Day video. haha! Memories!!

For everyone else who was subjected to that without understanding... my deepest apologies.

Here are some good Lyrics of the day... :)
And I'll be awful sometimes
Weakened to my knees
But I'll learn to get by
On little victories
-Matt Nathanson
**Here's to the little things in life

JUNE 25

Here is a shotout to my big brother! Today is his birthday! The old fart is now 27 years old!!! (and he is a father... so weird!) Happy birthday Mike! I love you.

Also, congratulations to Sara Knox and Michael Hunter! They are getting married today! I am sorry I cannot be at your wedding, but I am thinking about you both!

Who am I?

Here are five things GOD is teaching me about who I am as a daughter of CHRIST ...

1- But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, decieving yourselves. - James 1:22
Being in Madrid and seeing missionaries "in action" has taught be a lot about what this verse really means. It is so easy to call myself a Christian and read my Bible every day and get so caught up in myself that I forget what being a follower of Christ is really all about. I am supposed to be a doer. We have all heard the question "you can talk the talk but can you walk the walk?" The next thing I have to ask is what does it mean to walk the walk? The answer I feel God is giving me is simply this: instead of letting others know I am a Christian by my telling them they should know that I am a Christian simply by my actions. It should be evident in all that I do and the way I live my life. It kind of reminds me of that old cheesy hymn that I've learned to enjoy "they will know we are Christians by our love"

2- For am I now seeking the approval of man or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ. - Galatians 1:10
I have always considered myself to be someone who did not care what others thought of me. And I honestly believed that I truly did not care, however recently I have been learning a lot about myself. Although I have never cared about what people thought of my physical attributes, I have always cared about what people think of my personality. I am what we call a "people-pleaser" always trying to be who people want me to be just to make everyone happy. What God is teaching me is that I need not seek the approval of "man" because if I just seek after Christ and strive to be more and more like Him and serve Him, everything else will fall into place. Besides, I do not have to be loved by everyone... Jesus wasn't, right?

3- And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. - Galatians 6:9
This verse has particularly meant a lot to me as far as missions goes. I know God is calling me to be a missionary and witnessing the Cady family's life out here (and others) I have had a glimpse of how hard it is actually going to be. There are so many times when I get down on myself because I feel like what I am doing is not worth anything, it was all a waste. But God is teaching me that just because I do not see the results right away (and may not even see them until I am in Heaven) He is still using me for His glory. This again is simply another reminder that none of my actions are for me but for our Lord and Him alone.

4- Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. - Ephesians 6:11
This one has been particularly ringing throughout my mind. It was only this year that this verse became so real to me and I found myself finally asking, "what does it mean to put on the 'whole armor' of God?" I am learning more and more that spirtual warefare is a very real thing. Satan is so unhappy with me right now for serving my Lord and he is trying to attack. But God is a faithful God. He is a God that will not let me fall. His strength overpowers Satan beyond my imagination.

5- If I must boast I will boast of the things that show my weakness. - 2Corinthians 11:30
I always thought thatI needed to be strong. No one could ever see me cry. In fact, off the top of my head I can only think of four people who have ever seen me cry. In the hardest times of my life I vowed to myself to not show any signs of weakness, emotionaly, physically, and spiritually. I have learned more than ever that we were never meant to carry our burdens alone. I have learned that yearning for strength is an act of pride. Pride... one of the seven deadly sins. If I must boast, what do I have to boast in? Surely I cannot bost in my strengths for I am the worst of all sinners. I am no better than the woman who aborted her baby or the man who killed his wife just as I am no worse than the child who lied to his mother. So what do I have to boast in? My weakness, for in my weakness, Jesus remains strong.

Lyrics of the Day:
*Fetter: A chain or shackle for the ankles or feet.

O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.
- Robert Robinson (Come Thou Fount)
Written in 1758 and still impacting the hearts of man.

I want to be my own person

It has gotten to the point in my friendship with Heather where we needed to start pointing out differences between us instead of similarities because we are way too much alike. So, I created my blog and as I was adding Heather's blog as a link I noticed that we have the exact same template. Scary. Let me be my own person!

Anyway, things in Spain are going well. This week has been going very slowly, which makes me happy because I cannot believe how shortly I will be leaving. My trip is almost half over. Here is a little overview of what has been happening this week.

Monday was my day off but Heather put me to work anyway! She's crazy like that! Haha, no I'm just kidding. I did help out around the house and running errands and stuff, but that was totally by choice. Then that night I went to community group. I enjoy going to community group for many reasons. One, it is just good to get together with a community of believers. Jesus says where two or three are gathered in my name I will be there. How amazing is that to just know that He is so present? Two, I love getting to know the people in the group, learning more about where they come from. I enjoy hearing their views on what we are talking about. It is incredible how different everyone is. When the question "Which verse really sticks out to you from this chapter" EVERYONE has a different answer. It is great! I learn so much from other people! Three, I love the train ride into the city with Troy. It is a great opportunity to just learn more about him, who he is, where he comes from, what his story is (because we all have a story). Plus Troy always has a joke for me... even when I don't see them coming, although I should always see them coming by now. He is good at keeping me on my toes. It's fun.

Tuesday was a very non-stop day, which was fine. In the morning, Heather and I woke up to exercise, cause we do that daily now for some unknown reason. (I miss my sizzlin' fo' shizzlin' X-rcize Mix!!) Then I had to babysit while they had their Mountainview staff meeting. Then I went grocery shopping with Heather and then we had our "meeting" (since she is my internship "supervisor") which really just means we went to McDonalds for some cafe con helado.

For those of you who are wondering I actually do work, although it doesn't seem like it when I talk about it. It is just that people expect that being on a missions trip means big things have to be happening. But that's not what my summer is all about. My summer here is completely about the little things; making meetings run smoother and more efficiently by providing childcare, making Troy's job easier for him by doing research that he simply does not have time to do (which is what I am spending all day today doing), growing in my relationship with CHRIST and learning about myself, and so on.

Lyrics of the Day:
You took away the pen writing out my every sin
And You burn the book of my rebellion
You tear the pages holding everything that I regret
How You forgive me, Jesus
-Enter the worship circle

**I can just imagine God taking my journal that I write my every sin in and tearing it all up just saying "this, that you are holding onto, it's gone. I don't care. You are forgiven." You tear the pages holding everything that I regret... So amazing.

First Entry

Okay I am a new blogger. For a long time now I have been avoiding this crazy thing called blogging... but I have succumbed to the temptations. Mainly because people keep asking me if I have a blog because they want to stay updated on my life for some unknown reason. Needless to say, welcome to my blog.

So I guess I will start with updating you on my life while I am in Madrid. I have been here for three weeks as of tomorrow. It is hard to put into words my experiences so far. I love it here. It is tempting to just stay here forever. Alas, I must come home and go to a crazy thing we call college and get a crazy thing called my degree... maybe I should learn a little more spanish while I'm at it too. Nonetheless, I will be back. What do I love about this place, you ask. Well, here is a short list.
1- The church: I love mountainview; what it stands for, what they are doing, and how they are serving our Lord.
2- The people: I absolutely love the Cady family and other friends I am making in the church
3- The security: I feel a lot safer in Spain then I ever felt in the states. Crime simply does not happen as often.
4- The culture: I have always loved Spanish culture. Minus the ridiculous driving (which I better be used to now after growing up in Chicago and then living in Michigan for two years... no one really knows how to drive. right?)
and the list could go on, but I'll spare you.

So here is my first entry. Whatchya think? I will try to be good about posting regularly... or semi-regularly.