My Dad: Hero, Mentor, Best Friend

My dad is THE greatest dad in the world. I often refer to him as Mr. Mom. Growing up, my dad took the “morning shift” and mom took the “night shift” (as my mother refers to it now and then). Dad would wake my sisters and I up to get ready for school, get our breakfast ready, and my favorite, CURL OUR HAIR! Only a few burns in the beginning, but in a matter of time he was a pro!! There are so many more things I could tell you about my dad, but the one thing that sticks out to me the most is what a spiritual leader he has become.

You see, my dad grew up in a Catholic household, later gave his life over to Christ, but never had that example of a spiritual leader. I feel so blessed to be in a home where I could see my dad grow into the spiritual leader he is now. Throughout jr. high and high school I saw my dad attend men’s Bible studies, become an active leader in our church, lead our family to seek God everyday and trust him in the hard times, aid in leading his parents to Christ (HUGE BLESSING), and teach us girls what it means to have a growing relationship with the Lord.

The most visible change I’ve seen in my dad over the years has been the change after going on mission trips. Remember my dad grew up Catholic and never had the chance to do anything like a mission trip, but watched us girls go on mission trip with our youth group and could see a change in us and desired that as well. Three years ago my dad was blessed with the opportunity to lead a group of people from our church on a mission trip to Africa. I remember how his entire attitude and outlook on life changed after that. Looking through pictures, shedding tears, and sharing his stories was a moment in life I will never forget. My dad was totally and completely sold out to Christ! He had been in the past, but it was SO evident to me then. The next year, he led another group of people from our church to Brazil, and was blessed to return there again this year. Last week my dad and others from our church met up with people from California, Alabama, and Florida to help build another church in Limoeiro do Norte, Brazil. They built a church in record time, finishing up about a half a day early! Thus, they were able to spend lots of time in the community telling people about Christ, handing out soccer balls, playing with the kids, and enjoying fellowship with one another. If you would like to read more about this trip, visit their blog!

Here are a few pictures from their trip.





I can’t tell you how proud of my dad I am. I boast about how wonderful of a man he is and how blessed I am to see him grow in the Lord over the years! He’s an inspiration and a hero to me….he’s one of my best friends! I love you so much dad and I thank God everyday for blessing me with a dad who loves you as much as he does!

TAKE THAT SHELLEY!! hehehe

89 words

Speed test

When I Begin To Feel Lonely...

I'm a nanny.

But am I nannying yet?

No. Sad day.

I moved to Louisville expecting to start my nanny position at the end of May, but they decided what they have now will work for the rest of the summer and I'll start in August. :-(

So, what have I been up to besides looking for a job?

Hmm...laying out by the pool when it's not raining (which it has been A LOT), constantly cleaning the apartment (crazy I know), missing Josh terribly...I mean HORRIBLY, trying to get to know the area, find a church family to serve with, and sleeping in. That's right...sleeping in everyday makes me feel SOOOO LAZY! Granted, I stay up late talking with Josh on the phone every night, so sleeping in is very natural and not forced at all.

Still though, I'm praying God opens up some doors for a summer job soon. Graduation money is gone after I pay rent tomorrow...sad day again...and I feel like I'm not getting out enough and have yet to really feel like a Louisville resident. I have a lead on a job as a receptionist at a high end hair salon in a really nice part of town that I hope God works out...plus I'll get my hair done for free!! OH YA! A friend I've made since being here use to work there, put in a great word for me, and tells me it's a GREAT ministry opportunity with the kind of girls that work there. How cool would that be...go to work everyday knowing God can use me to further His kingdom?!? AWESOME! That's what being part of the ministry is all about...no matter where your place of business may be. God can use you anywhere and I encourage you too look for every opportunity God places in front of you to show His love!

To my family and dear friends (my Branson mommy-friends who stay connected through my blog included!!!), I miss you all and think about you everyday. When I feel lonely I reminisce a lot and pray you are all doing well! Love you tons and I look forward to seeing many of you soon...hopefully!

The Greatest Time In My Life!

There once was a girl named Lane,

and once was a boy named Josh.
They met one day when Joshua was working on a car
and Lane was visiting her friend, Steve.
Steve introduced them, and they began to hang out.
They enjoyed a few episodes of The Office together....
and Desperate Housewives!
After their first date, which she didn't really know if it was
a date or not, to the movies to see What Happens
In Vegas, they made ice cream sundaes and laughed all the while.

Soon, he began to send her sweet
messages and taking her out on more dates.


But then, the day came when she moved to a far
away land called Louisville. They talked on
the phone for hours upon hours every night where he
swept her off her feet! She couldn't wait until her
friend Steve got married so she could go back
to the land of Bolivar to see her man!

The day came for her to see him and she was
SOOOO excited! She packed up her bags, boarded the
plane with an excited heart, and flew off to the
big town of Springfield.

The first thing they did was meet his family!
Josh has two great parents; David and Dana,
and 3 hilarious brothers; Ryan, David, and Landon.
Lane and all the brothers played baseball in the front yard,
Josh and Lane went on a bike ride in the park, and then
headed off to the movies to see The Strangers.


During her stay in Bolivar, she and Josh were in their
friend Steve's wedding! Lane sang and Josh was the
most handsome groomsman there...
actually, THE most handsome man there!

With only a few days left of her week in Bolivar, Lane
came down with a stomach bug and Josh had to
take care of her. Josh was so sweet to pull over on
the side of the road when things got really bad. (hehe)
After Lane got better, she and Josh did things
like mini-golf, hanging out with his family,
house-hunting with Lane's mom in Springfield, playing
board games, snuggling up on the couch and watching movies,
and talked about their forever together!!

To be continued.....

My New Home in Kentucky!

I'M HERE!! Finally, I'm graduated and off to the new city of Louisville! I must say, my apartment is coming together quite nicely (pictures below....although it's not all done yet). My parents and grandma helped us move everything in and helped get lots of things decorated! It was SOOOO nice to have them here to see where I'll be for a while and to help out with the move. Lauren and I would have been out of luck if it weren't for my dad! That's for sure!

My roommate, Lauren Hodson, and I attended at MEGA church this morning that has close to 16,000 in attendance every Sunday!!!! Ya I know...that's big time! They have elevators and escalators to take you to the balcony, a very large coffee shop, and stadium seating! CRAZY BIG! The pastor preached on divorce and what the Bible says about it...it was very good! Lauren and I plan on visiting again next week and also going to a Bible study on Tuesday night that's offered for people around our age. We're planning on visiting other churches as well, but we definitely want to give each one two weeks!

So far Lauren and I have been shopping at a great mall (one of 4 or 5 I think), searching for a karaoke bar (no luck there...maybe soon there will be a funny post about that), putting our apartment together, tanning out by our pool, and exercising at a really pretty park! We have yet to get super lost and are picking up the area pretty fast!

As for meeting people so far, we have yet to do that! haha Hopefully Tuesday night we'll be able to meet some people our age to hang out with. I surprisingly met a wonderful guy, Josh, a month before I left Bolivar and am missing him pretty bad.... :-( Looks like I'll be making a visit home in about a week for some fun dates with him...so get ready...here I come!

A Picture says it all...I LOVE YOU FOR BEING YOU MOM!

Thanks for always holding me close, even though we're miles apart.  

I love you mom!  Happy Mother's Day!

The Passing of a Loved One

As most of you know my Step-Grandpa, Dave Lewis, was diagnosed February 1^st with ALS, and his disease progressed rapidly, affecting his breathing the most. He passed away Friday morning, May 2, very peacefully. He went into a deep sleep and his heart quietly failed. Thank you from the depth of my heart for the prayers for our family.

I want you to see how God answered our prayers so PERFECTLY! We had prayed and prayed that when Dave didn’t have any quality of life left that he could enjoy that God would “take him fast”! Many of you had been praying the same type of prayers as all of us, and that is exactly what has happened. God took him home fast!

Even though the past few weeks have been difficult for him, he could still walk pretty well, he could talk to us…that is amazing to me! Grandma is doing well, she of course has her moments, but she is a very strong woman. Please keep her in your prayers as time goes on, I would appreciate that so much.

Grandma’s address, if you would like to send a card is:

Ellie Lewis

808 Hickory Court

Nixa, MO 65714

My WAY FUN Branson Weekend!

This last weekend my friend Angie and I had a girls weekend in Branson! It was time to get away from Bolivar (and Springfield) for two days and just relax! We went to the Branson Landing for some shopping and ice cream....

After the Landing Angie and I headed to this cousin's house to take advantage of their surround sound and watch some scary movies!! We saw this movie...and this movie! AMAZING..I HIGHLY RECOMMEND BOTH!!!

This cousin and I took some fun pictures...I know you'll REALLY love me after this!

We then went to THE coolest church in Branson with my family and captured a few of these pictures afterwards...

After church, Angie and I decided to go to this restaurant for some lunch!

*Insert creepy story* We are one of the first to be seated for the lunch hour and got put in the tiny little cove of five booths way in the corner. Little did we know we would also have the creepiest waiter in the world.

Now I'm not talking kinda weird, I'm talking THE creepiest waiter you could ever imagine. He had slicked back hair with a little poof to it, walked like he should be wearing a penguin tailed tuxedo jacket about to sit down at a piano, and a smug look on his face. He talked softly and always leaned in close.

I know, creepo huh?

Well, he made quite a few sexual innuendos while trying to give us the best possible service in the whole place, which just ended up making him even more creepy. Let's just say, he grated our cheese very slowly while staring us in the eye, made suggestive comments when bringing out breadsticks, and when laying down our Andy's Mints he left us with this: Well, I had to leave you with a little something. *Wink*

So, to all my Branson friends out there, be VERY careful when going to Olive Garden...you just might get THE creepy waiter. And if you catch yourself wondering if you have him as your waiter, it's not him. There will be NO wondering in that decision..you'll just know!

A Time For Change!

Change.

verb: to make or become different.

Many times we look back in life and there are lots of milestone changes we go through. A new school, shaving for the first time, a big move, loosing your first tooth, or even a special date!

Right now, you're probably thinking of something just like that!

So, why do I bring this up?

Well, you probably are thinking that I'm referring to a change that will come my way in May with graduation and a move. And yes, that is true, but that's not what this blog is about.

Have you ever changed something physically that has made you feel like a new person?

Well, that's exactly how I feel RIGHT NOW! Yesterday, I ventured into my friends place of business and the change began! I encourage you to do the same...it sure does give you a boost of confidence!

Check it out!

Before....

After...

AHHHH!!!