This week I learned...

• I love organization (although the back seat of my car does not accurately portray that).
• Golden Girls is a must see before I go to bed.
• God's plan is beyond me and my job is to live it out the way He intended me to.
• Next semester is going to rock.
• This Half Marathon is going to be challenging.
• Massive amounts of fat are justifiable after Looooooonnnnngggg runs.
• Young Life in D.C. just might be my calling.
• I l-o-v-e being southern. (Not really something I learned this week...just a thought)
• I have now memorized the theme song to Golden Girls.
• Legal pads are the key to my sanity.

On Running a Half Marathon.

So, I am super crazy and I am planning on running the Augusta Half Marathon. In all actuality, it's not so crazy. I love to run and I have lots of friends running it. I am excited about girl time and the fact that we are doing this together. Yesterday's run was pretty awesome, but short. Four miles and I needed to do eight. We'll try again today.

1 Corinthians 9:24
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.

On not being perfect.

I am not perfect. Not by any stretch of the imagination. I struggle with sin on a daily basis. I struggle with big sin. I struggle with discontentment, even though I have the world's coolest job, a fabulous school schedule, a family who is awesome, incredible friends, and all the other niceities. I struggle with lust, lack of temperance or moderation, doubt, and selfishness. I complain, whine, and speak without thinking. I struggle with consistency in the word and time in prayer.

So, again, I am not perfect. I find it hard to say which one I am struggling with the most right now, but the one I am feeling the most (which I am sure can be contributed to the lack of consistency in the word and in prayer) is discontentment. Not discontentment with being in Columbus or my job or my general situation. Mostly it is with my lack of a significant other. This might sound like the most ridiculous thing ever, but it is oh so very true. I find that it doesn't so much help when three of your friends get in engaged in the span of two weeks, all of your past serious relationships (with the exception of one) are all in committed relationships (if not already married), and seven couples in your small group are preggers. Not that I want a kid right now and not that I want to get married right now, but I want/desire someone to talk to and go to dinner with and be a couple with. It sounds so silly when I start writing it out. But, I know that God has placed these desires in me for a reason. They are good in moderation and in perspective of God's sovereignty, but out of context and dealt with the way that I have been dealing with it, it is not healthy and sinful.

After a minor meltdown and some tears this afternoon, my mom reminded me of one of my absolute favorite passages in the bible and I want to share them.

Trust in the LORD and do good; Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, and He will do it. -Psalm 37:3-5

I love every part of that passage, but my favorites are "dwelling in the land and cultivating faithfulness" AND "Trust also in Him and HE WILL DO IT." I l-o-v-e that! Trust in Him and He will do it. Do what? Make my righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of my cause like the noonday sun. He will use me to glorify Himself.

The next part of the passage says to "be still and wait patiently on Him" and to "not fret when men succeed in their ways." So difficult, but with His help, we (I) am able to succeed in both. He is so faithful!

I am all about short term goals, so this week I am committing all my to Him. I am committing this week to the idea of dwelling in the land and cultivating faithfulness. This week I will trust in Him, knowing that He will DO IT. I will find moments to be still and wait and know that He is God. I will commit this week to Him, knowing that His plan for me is great, that His love endures forever, and that He loves me beyond anything that I can begin to comprehend. I am His and He is mine. What joy belongs to me!

Happy Birthday!

My sweet baby sister is turning 11 years old today! I can vividly remember the night she was born and the days leading up to it. Mom went to the hospital on Saturday afternoon and was sent home because she wasn't far enough along. After six babies, she thought she knew that it was time, but Katie (and God) had other plans. Over 24 hours later, Katherine Suzanne Garcia was born and cuter, sweeter, funnier little girl has never existed. I may be a bit biased, but I am telling you, this chick is awesome.


Happy Birthday, lovie!

Love,
Deedah

Also-Happy Birthday to Sally VGB! Love you so much!

Life to the max!

Psalm 139:1-6

God, investigate my life; get all the facts firsthand.
I'm an open book to you;
even from a distance, you know what I'm thinking.
You know when I leave and when I get back;
I'm never out of your sight.
You know everything I'm going to say
before I start the first sentence.
I look behind me and you're there,
then up ahead and you're there, too—
your reassuring presence, coming and going.
This is too much, too wonderful—
I can't take it all in!

You asked for it...

Per request of readers, I have done some research and found clinics and individual healthcare professionals that provide affordable healthcare in the state of Georgia.

1. Georgia Free Clinic Network
2. St. Francis Hospital
3. Columbus Regional
   

There appear to be four clinics (see numero uno) in our area (Greater Columbus) that provide free healthcare or care on a sliding scale based on your income.

There are also various institutions that provide thousands of dollars of free healthcare through out the year. Keep an eye on your local news for events like the ones below.

1. United Concordia
2. Flagler County Free Health Clinic

Also, in addition to the fact that there are affordable healthcare options available if you look, there are also groups that work together to help each other pay for medical costs. My family has been apart of one of these groups for years. It is not insurance because no one is assuming financial liability. Instead, it sharing the gifts that God has given us. It's called Samaritan Ministries.

If you need more, just let me know and I will work on researching it some more.

**As a side note, in regards to the President's remark about car insurance, let me just point out that while it is the law to have car insurance, everyone has to provide it for themselves and the government has nothing to do with it. Just pointing that out...

Quote of the day.

So the writer who breeds more words than he needs, is making a chore for the reader who reads.

Dr. Seuss

This week I learned...

1. The definition of "Tax Increase."
   
2. Driving for six hours by yourself can be lonely.
3. Sharing Young Life with my sister, Mary Lou, is a sweet, sweet thing.
4. I hate homework. (again...something I knew before...just throwing it out there.)
5. I L-O-V-E my job.
6. Relationships only go as deep as you want them to go.
7. Good old fashioned manual labor is a good feeling.
8. Home is where the heart is.
9. Sometimes, Anthony wakes up super smart.
10. Meghan Doll is a super good friend.

**Small Shout Out**Happy Birthday, Pops! Love and miss you!!!

Barack and George-101

I can't make this stuff up...still don't believe me?

You can watch it here:

BFFS (Best Friends Forever Sometimes)

After about five and a half hours on the road today, I am home from spending the weekend at Windy Gap. I thought my heart was going to stop working from going so fast as I drove up Coles Cove Road on Friday night. I was thrilled to back "home."

My reason for going up was to train to wrangle for weekend camps. I worked with the horses and spent all day Saturday outside; riding, mucking stalls, brushing horses, and learning the ropes of the barn. It was fabulous.

It always amazes me how quickly you become friends (or enemies) with folks that you are literally living on top of, even just for the weekend. I felt that way this summer after just a few days at Windy Gap doing summer staff. I felt that way again this weekend as I met folks who were also training. I met some great folks this weekend and had some great adventures.

Friday night was spent catching up with friends from Summer Staff. It was good to see "old" friends. Saturday was spent in the barn and Saturday night was spent exploring downtown Asheville with my new friends, Hannah and Doonie. We had dinner at camp, but ventured out on the town afterwards. We heard all sorts of music, varying from Regge, blues, jazz, and an old-timey Russian vibe. Pretty cool. We stopped at a local Cuban restaurant for some chips, dip, and RC Cola and then drove back to camp. What a night! Lots of laughter, good music, and yummy food.

Overall, it wasn't easy leaving this morning in the pouring rain to drive back to Columbus, but it's comforting to know that I will be back sooner, rather than later.

One of those days.

Today has been one of those days. You know the days. There are ups and downs and seems like there are more downs. It all seems to pile on at once. And then you find this:

John 14:27
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

John 16:33
"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Philippians 4:6-8

⁶Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

⁸Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him – that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding [the wonders of His Person] more strongly and more clearly, and that I may in that same way come to know the power out- flowing from His resurrection [which it exerts over believers]; and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed [in spirit into His likeness even] to His death.

Philippians 3:10 AMP

Hehehe.

(404): i hope kanye doesn't show up to patrick swayze's funeral. " i'll let you get back to your funeral in a minute...but michael jackson had the best death of the year. just sayinnn ".

Procrastination is the name of the game...

Or maybe the name of the game is "Theresa-has-her-hands-in-too-many-pots." Yeah...that is probably more like it.

As it now stands, I am sitting in Chick-fil-A working on a five page paper on Utilitarianism. Woot Woot. Lunch at noon, more on the paper, study for a test, meeting at five, grocery store, small group.

"Work is man's most natural form of relaxation."
Dagobert D. Runes

The Most Best-est Mother in the World Award goes to...

My Mom. Why my mother above all the other mothers in the world? Well, that is simple. She's MY mom. But you probably want other, more (in your mind) logical answers and reasons. I have them, no worries.

Reason #1- She knows what my favorite magazine is and pulls it aside in the mail to give to me.
Reason #2- She is constantly available for lunch.
Reason #3- She doesn't mind late night chats.
Reason #4- She is in on the phone right now with Caroline's doctor fixing something for Caroline.
Reason #5- She rarely does anything that is just because she wants to. The motivation usually has something to do with something dealing with my or my siblings.
Reason #6- She bought me a dress for this wedding that I was in this weekend and told me to just pick it out and she would go pick it up for me.
Reason #7- She manages my dad's office, homeschools 4 kids, and runs our house. She is basically superwoman.
Reason #8- If she cooks a dinner that one of us loves and won't be able to be at, she always puts aside a plate for us to eat later.
Reason #9- She is the most snuggly mom I know.
Reason #10- She knows I am just like her and helps me work on the things she thinks aren't her best qualities.

What would Emily Post do?

I feel like I have a conversation about manners at least once a week. And if not manners, then we are talking about the proper protocol for a situation. I have always loved reading about manners and have worn thin the copy of Amy Vanderbilt's "The Guide to Gracious Living" which is sitting with me right now, but has a rather permanent home next to my bed (read=loveseat) at my parent's house. Needless to say, I know my manners. So, whenever there is a question of etiquette, the guys on the campaign usually come to me.

My mother made my morning when she handed me the newest edition of "Real Simple", my favorite, favorite, favorite magazine. Ever. I was thrilled to pieces when I saw that there was an article on manners and was doubly thrilled to see that it was written by the great-great-granddaughter of Emily Post. Her name is Anna and she has a blog! The excitement triples at this point. You can click here to get to it!

Oh the joy that will be mine today as I sip a cup of tea on this overcast day and read my copy of "Real Simple." Good Morning, simple joys!

Happiness is...

I love being a mom. Oops...maybe I should rephrase that. I love playing a mom. My friends, Brooks and Jennifer are off at the Georgia Tech/Clemson game (Goooooo Jackets!!!!) and I am staying with their five little girls; Josie, Gigi, Emma, Stella, and Maggie.

Today consisted of a birthday party, soccer practice, bath time, story time, a song or two, bedtime, and tomorrow will consist of breakfast, speech practice, hair clothes, a spelling test review, and getting to school on time. I am so excited.

I love these girls so much and I love playing mom with them. Their sweet hugs and kisses fill me with a love that is overwhelming. "My cup is overflowing."

Healthcare, Obama, and the Constitution...oh my!

As the tension mounts across the country and the plot thickens in Washington, I find myself, once again, in the midst of the controversy. I am talking about the health care debate and my stance on the issue. I am standing on conservative ground and my left-wing friends don't like it. Shocking, I am sure. I faced criticism back in late winter/early spring when I began to seriously doubt the current administration. I was, admittedly, on the fence in the beginning of the 2008 election cycle. I wanted so badly to be able to have faith in the future of our country under the leadership of Barack Obama, but I was quickly slapped in the face with the harsh reality that that was not to be the case. So, once more, I am critical, and this time, adamantly opposed to another one of Obama's plans and my fearlessness to be vocal on the issue is causing a stir.

Obama is proposing a health care plan that will socialize medicine in this country and allow the government more, unfettered, access into our lives. Government controlled healthcare is the last thing this country needs. It is unconstitutional. No where in our constitution does it say anything about our government providing anything for the citizens of our country other than protection from those who seek to harm us and the basic rights given to all men and women by the God who created us. Note that healthcare is not one of those items. Our founding fathers never meant for our country to be ruled by anything other than a democracy. There is a chain of command in this country. It starts with God, then the individual, then the states, and then the federal government. Note that the federal government is at the bottom of the list. Small government and personal responsibility was the foundation in the making of this country. I refuse to let that go. The government has no business telling me how to go about getting healthcare. It is my responsibility to take care of that and I have no intention of giving up that job.

There are a million arguments for socialized health care. And there are some that I might be able to halfway agree on. But don't tell me that people shouldn't have to work for healthcare. Don't tell me that the government should hand it out on a silver platter. I work to be able to pay for my healthcare and so does the vast majority of America's everyday Joe Shmoe. There may be times when it is hard to pay for it and there may be times when folks go on a payment plan to get the health care that they need, but if it comes down to dying or incurring some debt to keep from dying, I am going to choose the debt.

Now, while I am one hundred and ten percent against Obamacare, hear me say this. I do not think that our healthcare system is perfect. I do believe that we have the best system in the world, but it is by no means perfect. And there is certainly room for reform. However, I do not in any way, shape, or form, believe that the solution to our problems are in socialized healthcare. "Free" healthcare is not free, my friends. It will come out of your pocket and mine. Not only will it come out of our pockets, but it will come out of our checking accounts and Big Brother will know our account numbers. It will be up to a committee of folks out of Washington telling you if you can or cannot have the treatment that you need and your personal physician, the one that you have known for years, the one that is your neighbor, friend, and former school chum, will be forced to look you in the eye and tell you that there is nothing that he can do. Not for lack of available treatments and not for lack of his not knowing what to do, but because the government may or may not think that you are worth it. I'm sorry, but I thought this was America? What America is it that we live in where the government is deciding who gets healthcare and who doesn't. The truth is, we all have the option to have healthcare and there are ways to go about getting it at little to no cost due to the generosity of doctors, dentists, nurses, P.A.'s, etc, who give of their own personal time and resources and volunteer them to communities all over the country. My own father is a part of a program here in my home town that provides free dentistry to those who cannot afford it at the regular price. So, don't tell me that you can't get healthcare at affordable prices in America.

My friends, this is no small thing. This is serious. There are other options, there is another way. If we continue down this road, the America that we know and love will cease to exist. She will fade into a memory and one day our children will look at us and ask us why we didn't fight to keep our country from going to the pits. I for one am not willing to let it go that easily. I want to be able to look my children in the eye and tell them I fought for the constitution, that I fought for them and their children.

I will continue to be vocal about my opposition to the proposed healthcare bill. I will continue to fight this issue. I will not let my America, my father's America, and my Grandfather's America go down the drain. We fought too hard for the freedoms we currently enjoy to allow this to go any further.

Best way to start the day...

I got up this morning and ran. As I ran back up the driveway afterwards, my little brother Ben came to meet me. He asked me how far I had run and I replied I had run to the end of our road and back up (a little over two miles). Ben's eyes became wide with admiration and a "Wow" came from his lips. It may not have been the farthest or best run of my life, but to my little brother, I had just run a marathon.

On being a Georgia Tech Fan

For the past three days, my life has been full of sporting events. Thursday night, I went to the last pre-season game for the Atlanta Falcons. Friday night, I went to the Braves game with my family. And then yesterday, I went to the Auburn game. All three games were a lot of fun and I enjoyed myself thoroughly every time. However, at the Auburn game in particular, I just couldn't get into it to the full extent that everyone else did. And thus, the following thought process was born.

I love being a Georgia Tech fan. No, I did not go there (although, future prospects are possible), but Ben Beck does go there and while we were dating, we enjoyed Tech and it's sports to the fullest. There is just something about the spirit of Georgia Tech that I cannot explain. I love everything about Tech. Football, baseball, basketball, tennis. You name it, I try and keep up with it. I love our little football field. Although it may not house as many folks as other stadiums, the atmosphere and intimacy is unbeatable. I love our cheers and chants. I love the white and gold. I love our fans and players alike.

I realized just how much I loved Georgia Tech when I attended the first Auburn game of the season yesterday afternoon. Here were my clues:

• I wanted to wear White and Gold soooo bad.
  
• I wanted to jump up and down while the band was playing "ooohhh. ooooh." (I can't remember the name...ehhh)
• Every time someone said "War Eagle", I wanted to respond with "Goooo Jackets!"
• The sea of orange and blue just wasn't as appealing to me as my own white and gold.
  
• As much as I love college football, it just wasn't as good.

Overall, my three games were awesome and I had a blast. But, I missed watching or even getting to hear my Yellow Jackets on the radio. Our next game will be no different. I have Young Life All City Club. At least this time, I can catch snippets on the radio.

Gooooo Jackets!

Amen and Amen

No one should die because they do not have access to a chick-fil-a, and no one should go broke because they have to drive hours to get to a chick-fil-a.

Just a little spoof of the Facebook status on ObamaCare that is going around today...

This week I learned...

1. Sometimes, waiting it out is the only thing to do.
2. A quarter can buy a whole lot.
3. George Foreman is one crazy son of a gun.
4. Volunteers are fantastic and necessary when running a good campaign.
   
5. God is always faithful, even when I am not.
6. Sleep is something I should work on getting more of.
7. Down weeks are good things.
8. I missed my ipod.
9. Some days you have to choose to be happy.
10. The next few weeks are going to be a lot of fun.
    

On Resting

I am not good at resting. A friend remarked the other night they wanted to know when I slept because it seemed like never to them. I can most definitely get by on just a few hours of sleep and function well the next day. Eventually, this fails me and I have to sleep for a long time, but I can do five to six hours of sleep (or less) a night for several months before the crash comes. Probably not the most healthy sleep habits to exist, but hey, it's working for now.

This is, more oft than not, what my spiritual life look like. I go for months on end with the bare minimum and then comes the crash. The crash varies. I will become depressed, feel empty and void, begin to fall back into my habits that existed before I knew Jesus, and become a cranky, crabby person. It's not a healthy way to live my Christian life.

The cure for both problems is to become more diligent about taking care of myself. I need to go to bed earlier, set aside more time to spend time with Jesus, be better at time management, etc. While the physical crash is not a fun one, I am pretty sure that the spiritual crash is a bit more horrifying.