Lindsay Project

Have I ever told you about my Youth Group?



I am so blessed to get to lead a group of High School students who are striving to find out life's purpose for them. We call it "Lindsay Project" because of where it all started - on Lindsay Road. If you ever wanna keep up with us, join our facebook page www.facebook.com/GilbertLP. Pics from camp are there!

Off to the Mountains

120 students, 26 adults, 12 vans, band, speaker, and a Glowfest Dance Party.

We're off to Pine Summit Camp in Prescott to hang with our High School students this weekend! I'm hoping some of them will meet God and leave with changed lives and life-long friendships. This has been the funnest experience planning a camp and I feel grateful to my counterpart Jared and all of our volunteer leaders who are giving up time and SLEEP to hang with our crazy teens this weekend. There's just no substitute for the camp experience and we try to do it BIG. I look back on times I went to camp as a student and find deeply treasured memories and friendships I value more than ever today.

Our theme this year is X. Like a math equation: 2+2 = X

Find the value of X.
We want the kids to understand that our lives (X) are unknown variables until we find our purpose in God. I think we're all gonna learn alot.

Let's also not forget that we're having a HUGE glow-in-the-dark neon dance party called Glowfest. We're bound to create some pretty fun memories.

Wish me luck! I'm bringing 2 cases of Red Bull for me and my leaders. haha
Pictures to come next week.

Books I'm Reading

In 2011, I wanna read more. I wanna turn off the boob-tube and actually enjoy some silence in my home. So, below is my start for books this year.

Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
I rarely ever read for "fun". I mean, I love learning and growing through new concepts and ideas - like my boss says, "leaders are readers" - but I often neglect some creative reading and opt for the self-help, leadership, and ministry books. So, the beginning of this year with my fancy new iPad I bought "Eat, Pray, Love". I LOVE this book. Reading about Elizabeth Gilbert's search for God, inner peace, and true love is entertaining and humorous. I can at times get annoyed by how self-centered and inconsiderate her life choices seem to be, but she is real and I have really warmed up to her. What I love most about this book is how it has caused me to fall in love with my own heritage - being Italian. I have become obsessed with little factoids about Italy and phrases in Italian that just roll off the tongue. It takes me back to when I went with my Mom and friends to Florence and Rome. Can't wait to go back and Eat, Pray, Love.

The One-Life Solution by Dr. Henry Cloud
Yep, I'm a girl with issues. Dr. Cloud helped me immensely when I went through my first round of counseling for sexual abuse back in 2001 and read his book "Boundaries". Since then, I've always valued the growing process of self evaluation. The One-Life Solution is basically about finding true balance in life - balancing work, relationships, and personal power. I wanna live for those things that I value most. A great quote from this book: "Your time is your life. Period. How you spend it ends up being what your life is." After reading this I spent an entire afternoon journaling about the things that mean most to me, making sure that all of my choices reflected those values.

Back to the Blog

It's 2011!
Time for new adventures to share here on the B-L-O-G.

Friends Who Feel Like Home

So many of my teen years and my early 20's I spent worrying about whether people liked me. It was a long, painful struggle that I often felt tortured over - obsessing over whether I was "ok" with friends and loved by others. Ugh, approval addiction.

Now, into my adult life, I feel more at peace with myself. I don't know if it's that I love myself better or that I've learned to let things go. Yay for growing up and growing into my own skin!

Luckily, along with growing up, I have found a treasure in friends who make me feel like home. These are people in life whose hearts I've connected almost instantly with. They are people I've known for years, and they're also people I've met recently along life's path. They may live a million miles away, or just down the street. What all of these friends share in common, they are like family. Nothing stops. Nothing changes. They are like home every time I see them.

I'm blessed that I get to visit a couple of friends just like this tomorrow. Jake and I are off to Austin, Texas for the Memorial Weekend to see our sweet friends Jon and Cassandra Moton. Today I'm blogging to celebrate friends like them. Thank you sweet friends for loving me for me and for always making me feel like home.

My New Baby

Meet Moo.

Jake's boss has been pressing him to adopt her last kitten and we caved. He's the cutest little button... white with black patches, just like a cow. We started talking about "adopting cow kitty" and when we brought him home we named him Moo. Moo is a rambunctious little guy, getting into everything, including under Spike's skin. My 1st born is having some "issues". :) The hissing match is on.

I've actually had some introspection by adding Moo to this family. I've watched Spike be intensely focused on Moo - keeping him from enjoying his own life - as if Moo took it from him. Spike is angry, paranoid, and jealous. I've gotta say, I can relate. I've become paralyzed in life at times by focussing on negative things and negative people. I've allowed others (people who have hurt me, purposely or inadvertantly) to become my only focus. I've allowed my fears and pain to keep me from enjoying life today. I'm watching Spike hide and not get along with Moo and can see from the outside what a waste it is - if only Spike could shift his focus. Poor kitty.

Who knew I could learn a life lesson by watching cat drama. :)

Aloha!

Jake and I are off to Waikiki tomorrow for a much needed week-long vacation in paradise. There are no plans yet except to sleep in, eat well, shop, and hang out on the beach. Well... If you know my husband, he's been "researching" some things - visiting North Shore, surfing (I've never done this before), snorkeling at Hanauma Bay, Pearl Harbor, getting some "shave ice", hiking, Dole Pineapple Plantation, etc. We'll see what we get to. :)

Here's a pic of our hotel on the beach.