Ice Breakers-Ice Cubes

I have fallen in love with these yummy little sugar free lumps of joy. They are cold when you first start chewing and they just have the best flavor. They are somewhat expensive and I hate spending a lot of money on gum since I chew so much of it. But I cannot resist these delicious little treats.

Caroline

On December 14th, 1989, Caroline Elizabeth Garcia was born and 19 month-old, Theresa Naomi, was not happy about this turn of events. This little munchkin was taking over my territory. However, after almost 19 years of having her in my life, I can say that I am truly grateful for her presence in my life.

For lunch today, I met Caroline and our best friend, Liz, at Moe's. Time with these two ladies makes my heart sing and is always uplifting. After playing catch up with each other's lives, we settled into the detailed questions we were dying to ask. Caroline did most of the talking today, as her life details are weighing the heaviest on all our hearts. I am continuously amazed by Caroline and her maturity, her faith, and the peace that flows through her.

I am not going to go into detail about our conversation today, as that would betray Caroline and Liz's confidence, but I do want to share some things about Caroline and what makes her so very special to her big sister.

Caroline balances me out. Whereas I am very much ruled by my emotions, Caroline is more logical and able to think clearly about most issues, putting her emotions aside. Caroline has faith that could move mountains. Even in moments where it would be completely understandable if she fell somewhat apart or doubted the master plan, she appears calm, cool, and collected. As her big sister, I should be setting the example for her, but she sets one for me. I look up to and admire Caroline in every way. She is beautiful, inside and out. She is positive, always looking for the good to come out of any given situation, lovely because she is loved by the One who matters, stronger than almost anyone I have ever met, selfless beyond what most people would consider, obedient to her Heavenly Father, steadfast in what she knows to be right, pure in heart and mind, disciplined, loyal, faithful, joyful, silly, sweet, and my best friend. Caroline is one of those people that makes a room light up with her presence. She is truly a woman of God's own heart and someone that I want to liken myself to.

If you know Caroline, I would encourage you to try and get to know her better. If you don't know Caroline and ever get the chance to meet her, don't miss out on that opportunity. I truly believe in my heart of hearts that your heart would be blessed because of hers. Mine has been.

My Day "Off"

Yesterday was supposed to be my day off. And technically, it was. I didn't have to be at the theatre all day, which was nice, but I did get up and run a 5k, campaign for my Uncle Terry, go to my sister's birthday party, and babysit three of the sweetest boys that I know.

The 5k was held by the Historic Preservation Society. It was downtown and the course provided a lovely view of one of oldest parts of Columbus. I ran the race in about thirty minutes, which I am pretty OK with. I shaved five minutes off of my last 5k time.

Campaigning was next on the list and I teamed up with Andy and Doug for that. We covered a pretty good piece of ground for it just being the three of us.

Afterwards, I headed out to Mom and Dad's for Katie's birthday party. She turned ten yesterday. Her big birthday present was that she got to go to dinner with Caroline and Eathan and then the Taylor Swift concert. She didn't give us quite the reaction that we thought we were going to get, but Ben was kind enough to act out what he thought she should have done.


Mom, Caroline, and I headed up to Upatoi United Methodist Church to get BBQ plates from the fall festival they were having. We got to visit with old friends and neighbors. It was a nice time. Afterwards, Mom took Mary Lou to get her drivers license. Scary, right?

A nap was in order after all the festivities and then off to babysit the Alford boys, William, Henry, and Andrew. This was the most hilarious part of my day. We watched "Frosty the Snowman" twice, "The return of Frosty the Snowman", "Boz, the green bear", and "Scooby Doo." William made a HUGE pallet on the floor and we all snuggled up to watch T.V.. Popcorn, graham crackers, and water were the snacks of the night.


Baths were an adventure, as was bedtime. I am going to confess a lot here in the next paragraph or so. Parents who were thinking about asking me to babysit, please do not let this deter you from asking me. Kids love me. Seriously. So, I got confused as to where everyone was supposed to sleep. William tried to tell me and I thought that he was trying to trick me (since I did that to a babysitter once). I had to apologize to him when I realized that he was right.

William and Andrew went to sleep almost immediately. Henry, on the other hand, did not. He kept getting up and "sneaking" out. I finally went back and laid down with him. After about twenty minutes with no success, I asked him if he wanted some ice cream. Of course, his answer was yes and I told him to sneak down the hallway. I really just did this for my own amusement. He would tiptoe down the hallway with his hands up in the air like he was about to pounce on something. Hilarious. We got into the kitchen, got settled, and started eating our ice cream. All of the sudden, Henry looked at me, grinned, and said "We are going to be in big trouble." I about died laughing.

We finished up and went back to bed, where Henry proceeded to pretend to sleep and snore. Again, bouts of giggles filled his room. We both ended up falling asleep. I confessed everything to Brian and Stephenie and we all had a good laugh. I can't wait to babysit the boys again.

Overall, a great day. I just need a nap now.

Hope

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly trust in Jesus’ Name.

On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

When darkness seems to hide His face,
I rest on His unchanging grace.
In every high and stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the veil.

On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

His oath, His covenant, His blood,
Support me in the whelming flood.
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my Hope and Stay.

On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

When He shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh may I then in Him be found.
Dressed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne.

On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

At Thy Feet I Fall

**Note** This is not exactly the way that I have sung it, but the words are the same and it is one of my favorites.

At Thy Feet I Fall

words: William Cowper (1779)

God of my life to thee I call
Afflicted at thy feet I fall
And though the water floods prevail
Leave not my trembling heart to fail
Friend to the friendless and the faint
Where should I lodge my deep complaint?
Where but with thee, whose open door invites the helpless and the poor?

God of my life to thee I call
Afflicted at thy feet I fall

Does every mourner plead with thee
And thou refuse the mourner's plea?
Does not thy word still fixed remain
That none should seek thy face in vain?
It were a grief I could not bear
Does thou not hear and answer prayer?
A prayer hearing answering God supports me under every load...

God of my life to thee I call
Afflicted at thy feet I fall

Fair is the lot that's cast for me
I have an advocate with thee
They whom the world caresses most
Have no such privilege to boast
Poor though I am despised, forgot
Yet God, my God, forgets me not
And He is safe and must succeed for whom the Lord vow safe to plead..

From the mind of Theresa

The past couple of days have been thought provoking. There have been situations that have come up that have caused me to step back and reevaluate my priorities. Allow me to elaborate on these priorities.

• My relationship with God. Me and God are tight. I think I have talked about my mom's mom (my Grammy) before. She was a praying woman and taught me to be the same. I feel like a lot of my day is spent in conversation with Jesus. I think he is pretty awesome, so I am ok with that. However, I have become more aware of my need to "write His word on my heart." I need to spend more time in scripture, memorizing His word. I was telling my friend, Matt, the other day about some of my favorite scripture and although I still need to ask my mom what the reference is to this verse, one that I say over and over is "What time I am afraid I will trust in Him." What a comfort to be able to recite His promises to myself when I need them. Being able to preach the gospel to myself is a blessing.
  

• My siblings. The more time I spend with my brothers and sisters, the more I love them and want to be with them. My sisters are my best friends and my brothers are my brave protectors.

They pretty much rock and I will take all the time I can get with them.

• Relationships. I have very close inner circle and I treasure those friendships immensely. In the past week, I have seen the need to challenge myself to be more reliable in these relationships. I have a lot on my plate, but I need to focus more on the people I love more.

• Young Life. I am extremely committed to my Young Life friends. Young Life is one of the best things that ever happened to me. It is the best part of my week and I truly treasure the relationships that I have with my teammates and my high school friends.
  

• Me. I am starting to realize that I need to learn to take a little more time for Theresa. I have a lot on my plate right now, but I need to take time to slow down and smell the roses. Or take a nap. Or go get a pedicure. I can think of lots of actions that I could do in "me" time. I think what I really mean is that I need to focus some more time into becoming the woman of God that I long to be. This means learning how to say "No." This means choosing things to do well and not over committing myself. I tend to spread myself too thin and end up stressing out and not really doing anything very well.
  

These are just some of the many thoughts that are going through my head at the moment. More to come soon, I am sure.

Early Morning

I haven't been up this early in awhile. It's 6: 39am and I am sitting on my couch. I've already had a shower, people. Last night, I was so tired that I spent the night at my parents house and just got up and came home this morning. The silly student in me waited until the night before to work on an abstract for my World Lit. class that is due this morning. Oops. The point is that I finished it. Who cares when, right?

After church yesterday, I had a six hour "Pooh" rehearsal and then headed out to the 'rents to visit, get a free meal, and see my sweet Surls. The visit was great, the food was yummy, and Surls was acting like a dog on crack because my parents dog, Cricket, is a bad example. I worked on the abstract for a long time and was getting close to the end when Caroline walked into the room and started talking. I was REALLY good at focusing on her and the paper at the same time. But when Richard called because he needed someone to help keep him awake, there was no way I could focus on all three. I chose Caroline and Richard over the paper. Needless to say, I was up for awhile. I slept on the couch, which was fine. Sleeping on the couch at Mom and Dad's and sleeping on the couch at my apartment are two different things. With one you wake up and you hurt all over because your sofa won the World's Worst Sofa award back in 1978 and the with the other you feel like you are sleeping amongst the clouds because you have slept on the 1978 WWS winner and can easily tell the difference.

My OCD self went back over this post and if this is what I write like at 6 something in the morning, I don't think I should do it very often...

Georgia Tech Game

Yesterday, I was one lucky girl. A friend of mine got me a ticket to the GT vs Mississippi game in Atlanta. The weather was perfect, traffic was light, and the company was wonderful. As if all of this were not enough, the Yellow Jackets beat the MS Bulldogs 38-7. What a day!

The Varsity was the first stop made on this particular excursion, followed by the "Jackets for McCain" table, and then we made our way into the stadium. We had upper level seats on the 30 yard line. They were awesome seats! You could see everything perfectly. The first half of the game was exciting with Jonathan Dwyer's 88-yard touchdown run, a school record. The second half proved less interesting as the Bulldogs had yet to make the scoreboard and it seemed unlikely that they would. However, they proved us wrong and made one touchdown and field goal, much to the chagrin of Tech fans. The day ended well with a win on our end and we left happy with our Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.

The next stop was the bookstore here I had to get a t-shirt. It was busy and the line was long, but it was well worth it. I got semi-lost on my way out of Atlanta, but made good time back to LaGrange to have dinner with some friends. Mmm...pizza.

All in all, a good day. The Jackets won, I spent good time with friends, and had a break from my busy-ness.

Piglet

I need your help. In rehearsal yesterday, Lisa told us to ask friends and relations what their favorite thing about our character is. Pretty simple, right? What is your favorite thing about Piglet?

My Aunt Sandy sent me an email last night telling me that Piglet is her favorite "Pooh" character. She even collects Piglet stuff! Kinda cool. I need to call her this afternoon and get a reason behind the Piglet-mania.



So, leave a comment and tell me why you l-o-v-e Piglet!

"Once more with feeling, please!"

Rehearsal for "Winnie the Pooh" has begun and we are over halfway through the play as far as blocking goes. Blocking, for those who have no clue what I am talking about, is when the director tells you were to go when you say a line. Lisa, the director, has asked us to be off book (completely memorized as far as script goes) by Friday. I think we are all getting there.

The set is adorable and if you want to see a picture click here. My friend, Jeff Holbrook, has pictures up on his blog. Yay for linking! Jeff is playing "Owl" and you will just love him.

More to come on "Winnie the Pooh" coming soon.

9/11

"I hate math." Ah, the typical Theresa phrase even in 2001. A sunny, cool morning in September, the Garcia house was relatively calm as school work was under way. Mom had gone to take a shower and I was laying on her bed bemoaning the fact that I had to do math again today. The phone rang and I jumped up to answer it. Anything to take me away from the task at hand was more than welcome. My grandmother was on the other end, frantically telling me to turn the television on. "A plane just flew into the World Trade Center! They think it is a terrorist attack!" she cried. I ran into the bathroom and my words were all jumbled as I tried to tell Mama the news. She told me to run and turn the T.V. on.

As we sat watching FOX News, the second plane hit the other tower. We all cried out in horror as it began to sink in the atrocities that were occurring before our very eyes. It was only a little while later that the pentagon was hit and it was then that Mom began getting us ready to go into town. My parents live one mile from the back entrance to Ft. Benning, the largest military training facility in the world. I understood my mother's concern as we loaded up and headed to my grandparents house. It was on the way there that we heard on the radio the fate of Flight 93 in that Pennsylvania field. Tears streamed down my mothers face as the death toll rose that day.

We stopped at a gas station on our way to Grammy and Granddaddy's house. The Ledger Enquirer, our local newspaper, had put out the first extra in years and Mom grabbed a few copies. We were dropped off at Grammy and Granddaddy's and were none to happy about being left. Something about the intensity of the day, even as a thirteen year old, made me want to cling closely to my mother.

I don't remember a lot of the afternoon details. The news was on all day. Grammy tried to get us to watch something else, but we were adamant, as was Granddaddy, that FOX stay on all day. After calling my mother, she came and got me and we spent the rest of the day together. Dinner was eaten as a family and we watched together as George W. Bush addressed our nation. I couldn't watch the whole speech and went to my room, tears streaming down my face as I thought about all the people whose loved ones would not be coming home that night.

The next few weeks were spent volunteering for the Red Cross and other organizations. I wanted to do something more and when I heard about a need that the firefighters had, I knew what I wanted to do. Reports were coming in that firefighters were battling foot fungus and were having to change their socks every couple of hours. So, we started collecting socks. Hundreds of donations poured in from around the city. A truck driver from church was headed to New York in the next week or so and offered to put the box in the cab with him and hand deliver our gift. It was with much excitement and gratitude that we loaded the boxes onto the truck and sent Mr. Henson on his way. The next week at church, I received pictures and iron on patch from a NYC fire department. I was completely thrilled to see the firemen who benefited from Columbus' gift.

September 11, 2001 is one of those days that you never forget. As a citizen of the United States of America, it affected each of us. My mom can tell you where she was when The Challenger blew up. My dad can tell you what he was doing when Kennedy was assassinated. My grandparents could tell you where they were when Pearl Harbor was bombed, on V Day, and the day troops came home from Vietnam. I can tell you where I was on September 11th, 2001.

It was a normal, cool September morning...

O Love that wilt not let me go

O Love that wilt not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in thee,
I give thee back the life I owe,
That in thine ocean depths its flow
May richer, fuller be.

O light that followest all my way,
I yield my flickering torch to thee,
My heart restores its borrowed ray,
That in thy sunshine’s blaze its day
May brighter, fairer be.

O Joy that seekest me through pain,
I cannot close my heart to thee,
I trace the rainbow through the rain,
And feel the promise is not vain,
That morn shall tearless be.

O Cross that liftest up my head,
I dare not ask to fly from thee,
I lay in dust life’s glory dead,
And from the ground there blossoms red
Life that shall endless be.

Words - George Matheson

The Vander Baker Nuptials

What a night! There was music and dancing, food and wine, old friends and new friends. The sad part is I have nothing to countdown anymore. The Vander Baker Nuptials have been nup-chew-ated and Brad and Sally are Mr. and Mrs. Baker. Yay!

The day started out sunny, got a little cloudy, got really cloudy, rained cats and dogs, and then sunnied up again. Supposedly, it is good luck if it rains on your wedding day. Look it up.

The ceremony was gorgeous with lots of music (typical of a Vander Gheynst), flowers, sweet words, and beautiful people. The reception was fun with great food, terrific music, and good friends. Even little Ben told my dad on the way home "Daddy, I didn't think I was going to like that wedding, but it was actually a lot of fun!" Oh, how funny little boys can be.

Big boys can be funny too. I think the biggest treat of the night, other than being able to celebrate with Brad and Sally, was being able to spend time with Micah and Tricia Carver. This couple has become very dear to me. I appreciate their humor, compassion, and spiritual gifts in all capacities. More the Carvers later.

Micah and I agree. We need to convince Sally and Brad to renew their vows next month so we can all get together again.

Brilliant Weblog Award

I was checking my email this afternoon and saw that I had received an email from one of my favorite people, Amy Johnson. She was writing to tell me that she had been awarded the Brilliant Weblog Award. Part of this award is that you have to give the award to eight other people. Well, she couldn't think of eight other blogs that she liked and, frankly, neither can I. But she gave one to me. So, now I have to share the love. Not as easy as you think. But here goes.

The Adventures of a Georgia Girl. I have to give kuddos back to Amy. I love reading about her life and her dream girl. Amy and her husband have four children, the youngest having just arrived...from China. Read all about the adoption highs and lows from Amy's witty and hilarious point of view.

Katy Streams Her Consciousness. This is one of my daily checks. Everything you have ever wondered about, thought about, or has never crossed your mind comes up on this blog. I love everything about it.

Capture Photography. Another favorite. Jessica and Grant Flynn are exceptional photographers and I love their work. Great site!

The Lauren Bell. This friend doesn't update often enough for me. Her witty rants and lovely view on life are both humorous and enlightening. A must read!

Rehearsal Dinner

After much anticipation, the big weekend is finally here. Tonight's dinner rehearsal for Brad and Sally was lovely. It was at Lake Pines in Midland, Georgia. I threw a party for my parents there a few years ago and so I was familiar with the set up. Sally asked me to go early and help Mark Montgomery, another family friend, get everything ready. Mark arrived before I did and put me to work immediately. We had to set up all the tables and chairs. My lovely friends, Taffy Patterson and Karen Estrada, arrived just a little while later and set to arranging the flowers and beautifying the room. I'll post pictures later. The computer is being difficult.

Dinner was catered by Country's (yummy to my tummy) and there was soft jazz playing all evening. Toasts were given and thank yous were said. There was laughter and tears. Again, pictures of it all will be posted later.

Tomorrow is going to be lots of fun!

Wedding Woes

OK...not really woes. More like Wedding Whoo-Hoos!!! I am super excited about my dear friends, Brad and Sally, getting married this weekend. We have been in wedding mode since Saturday night and it is just getting more and more exciting. Monday night was final dress fitting and first dance session, Tuesday was going away party for Brad, tonight is the Bachelorette Party for Salpal, Friday night is the rehearsal dinner, and Saturday night is the big day!

Monday was when everything kinda hit me. Sally asked me to help with her final dress fitting, which I felt honored to be a part of, and afterwards we just had some Sally and T time. We were chatting and reminiscing and I got a little teary eyed. Sally has become so dear to me and I am very happy for her and Brad. I'm glad that I get to be the honorary little sister and that Sally keeps giving me jobs to do.

Saturday night is going to be beautiful and we are going to party like nobody's business. Sally keeps saying that the part she is most looking forward to is seeing all the faces of the people that she and Brad love the most all sitting in the same room together. I, for one, am excited about seeing Micah and Tricia, Karen, Taffy, and all of the other out of towners that will be making their way to Columbus for the Vander-Baker nuptials.

So, here's to Brad and Sally and a very exciting weekend!