Girl Behind the Blog Vlog, Part V: Begin, Accomplish, or Change

It's time for another vlog!

I am pretty excited about the prompt this month. It's all about the dreams and goals that you have that may get pushed aside because of practicality. I'm sharing a little bit about where my journey will take me in the next month and how I hope to respond!

Check out the others here and send some love and encouragement to all of the goals and dreams!

Prompt:

Introduce yourself and your blog

What is one thing you are hoping to Begin, Accomplish, or Change?

Why is this goal important to you?

What are your plans to achieve this goal?

I would complain about the thumbnail but aren't everyone's awful? 

* sorry about all of the umms, lost thoughts and repetition! definitely not a speaker ;) *

A Roller Coaster Day

I took the youth group to Six Flags yesterday

(specifically Fiesta Texas)

And this was pretty much my face all day

It was actually one of those perfect theme park days. We arrived pretty close to the park opening. While we were waiting in the van in line to pay for parking, my students played rock, paper, scissors with people in neighboring vehicles. I seriously have the funniest kids.

My group spent all morning riding roller coasters. Since we got there early, there were literally no lines. We sped right through The Poltergeist (twice), The Scream, The Superman,  The Gully Washer and The Rattler in two hours. Wheeeew!

Note to self- stop thinking that wooden roller coasters have sentimental value because they are originals of the park. They're awful and you always regret riding them.

Another note to self- You are too old to ride six coasters in two hours.

Then we piled into the van and indulged on turkey sandwiches, fruit, and crack cookies. Seriously, sandwiches never seem so satisfying as they do on a day at Six Flags. 

After lunch we meandered over to the water park side and lounged in the lazy river and the wave pool. We did wait in a couple of long lines to ride water slides.... both of which seated four people and both of which I was sure we were going to flip over the tube or fall off the slide completely. They were seriously so much fun though and the water was crazy refreshing.

At about five o' clock, my day changed. Our group decided to leave the water park and make use of our remaining hour there. I was planning to find somewhere to charge my phone and the others were going to squeeze in one more roller coaster. We stopped at the restrooms to change and freshen up.

I had just gotten my bag out of our locker and was scanning Twitter while in the stall. (Everyone does that, right?) Well, I set my beautiful semi-new iPhone on the toilet paper rest and left it there. I realized I didn't have it as soon as I exited the restroom but at that point, it was too late. I check the stall and asked around. Nobody knew where it was. 

I talked to security.

I reported it to the lost and found. 

(at which point I lost all hope because I sat there and listened to everyone's stories of "lost" phone)

I sent a nice text (from my pastor's phone) saying that I'd be happy to pay a reward if they would turn the phone in. 

Now, I was upset. But I was also leading a group of students and they were watching me. Maybe they wouldn't say that my reaction would be an example to them, but I know that my actions are to be representative of Christ at all times. Even when someone steals my iPhone. 

So after I had taken all the necessary measures, I sat by the Lost and Found and prayed for the thief. And the time of prayer gave me some perspective. I did explain to my students what had happened but I made an intentional decision to maintain a positive attitude despite it. I couldn't control whether or not someone decided to turn in my phone, but I could control how I responded to it.

If my phone being stolen was the worst thing that happened, then we were okay. Nobody got hurt or sick. Nobody got lost. Some visiting students got to see what it looks like to have fun and still honor Jesus. 

And yes of course it is inconvenient to go without a phone. And it's irritating to have to buy a new one out of my hard earned money when someone else just picked mine up for free. However, the phone is just a material possession, as much as I love my social media apps. I can be stressed out about my finances as I'm in the process of moving and setting up new utility accounts and paying deposits. But, my Lord provides all of our needs. 

I can honestly say that in the past I might not have reacted this way. However, I have found such freedom when I realized that I cannot control circumstances. Stress, anger, worry- those things solve nothing. Trusting the Lord and obeying His commands- that's how I want my actions to be defined. 

Matthew 6:31-34

³¹ Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ ³² For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. ³³ But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. ³⁴ “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Colossians 3:17

^17 (Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.

Matthew 5:43-48

⁴³ “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, ⁴⁵ so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. ⁴⁶ For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? ⁴⁷ If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? ⁴⁸ Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Chipotle Chicken Tacos

Hey y'all!

Life has pulled me away from blogging a little bit- nothing too big or exciting, just a lot of little things. I should be back to regularly scheduled posting soon :) Hope you won't miss my absence too much! 

This is a super simple meal to throw together that is simple to customize for any palate. 

What You'll Need:

(serves 1)

1 cup shredded chicken 

1/2 cup salsa 

1/2 cup water

1 chipotle bullion cube (or other chipotle seasoning of your choice)

salt and pepper to taste

for serving:

flour tortillas

diced onion

diced mango

sliced avocado

What To Do:

Toss ingredients together in a saucepan over medium heat. Simmer for ten minutes or until chicken is hot. Serve chicken in warm tortillas with onion, avocado and mango! 

Instant Soft Serve

This is a perfect little sinless treat. It's great for anyone who is lactose intolerant, vegan or cutting out processed sugars (just cut the Nutella)! You don't even need the added chocolate flavors because it's delicious with just the banana. 

Consider adding in peanut butter, your favorite jam/jelly, or other fruit to create a variety of flavors!

Here's how easy it is.

What You'll Need:

(serves 1)

1 frozen banana

1 tbsp cocoa

1 tbsp Nutella

splash of milk (optional)

sprinkles

What To Do:

Break frozen banana into smaller pieces and place in food processor. Process banana until you have a smooth, creamy texture. Note that, at first, the banana will just break into tiny frozen pieces but as it melts it will whip up into a soft-serve-esque consistency. If your banana isn't melting/blending, add your splash of milk. Add the cocoa and Nutella (or whatever flavors you'd like) and process until blended. Scoop out into a cute ice cream dish and top with sprinkles! 

adapted from ideas seen at Use Real Butter and Freelance Food

The Last Thing I...

Hey y'all!

It's my first ever Last Things Thursday! I'm linkin up with Jenna at the Life of the Wife. She has an adorable blog and a super snazzy jewelry shop! So here goes...

The Last Thing... 

That Scared Me To Death

(photo from here)

It has been storming the past few days in Austin. Well on Monday night, we ducked in from the rain into a little Chinese restaurant. As we were finishing up and getting ready to leave, I took the trash over to the trash can. I was looking out of the front windows when lightning struck an electric pole VERY close to where we were.  It caused a huge and bright explosion. All of the electricity went down. It was like a scene from a movie! Everyone gathered around the window in awe. It was then that we realized the lightning struck the electric pole with transformer boxes. Because there was a second explosion. So we decide to get out of the area as quick as we could! As we were driving away, the last transformer box blew up and the pole caught on fire. It was crazy!! Thankfully, the fire department responded before we were even out of the area and electricity was restored quickly. I'm just so grateful that nobody was hurt!

I Cooked for myself

Breakfast Pizza for a late dinner last night! Quick pizza crust brushed with olive oil, and topped with shredded white cheddar and mozzarella cheese, Canadian bacon and a couple of eggs cracked over the top. Bake til crust is crisp and eggs are over medium. Delish!

I Lost at

After we (the youth group and I) had some tacos and enchiladas at Get LOW (lunch on Wednesday) at the church, we played Taboo. I LOVE Taboo. David and I get really competitive because we're both pretty dang good (not bragging but we can each get 7 cards per turn). So we each captained a team of students and it came down to me on the last round. I needed three to tie or four to win, and our team got stuck on the word "PC"! PC?! So we got three, tied it and had to go into sudden death. 

David rocked his sudden death round. He got six. I epically failed my sudden death round. I think we got two. But it was all in good fun, my team rocked, and everyone enjoyed the game! And then we moved on to floor pong!

Got Stuck in my Head

Brady Davis led worship for my college ministry and has been at our youth camp leading worship the past two years. He has just released a secular, solo EP called Life and Death. I love the country, folksy sound and the thoughtful lyrics. I've had The City on my Spotify for weeks and I cannot get it out of my head.  Check out his whole EP and free downloads here. 

Got Excited About

My dad is turning fifty this weekend (!) and to celebrate our entire extended family is coming to New Braunfels, Texas for a weekend of good food, Schlitterbahn and lazy river afternoons on the Guadalupe and the Comal. I love Schlitterbaun- the use of the river water and it's so shaded and they let you bring your own food! It's just a great waterpark.

 I am attempting this cake so stay tuned for photos and my adaption of the recipe!

Hope y'all have a great weekend, because I know I will!

Ultimate Stuffed French Toast

I love breakfast for dinner or as a late night snack. Even better is a dessert disguised as breakfast, for a late night snack. And that, my friends, is how the ultimate stuffed french toast was born. I knew that I had bread, eggs and Nutella. I remembered this post for Nutella Stuffed French Toast that I had pinned a while back. But then I wanted more than Nutella. So I added sliced bananas, peanut butter and chocolate chips. Pretty much anything good in the pantry went into this concoction!

The recipe calls for a thick bread, but all I had was regular ol' whole wheat sandwich bread. So instead of actually stuffing the bread, I made it sandwich-style. It's probably a lot easier this way anyway!

The filling was phenomenal, but what really makes this stand out is the "batter". You see, in the past I'd just dunk the bread in some egg wash and go with it. The addition of flour really makes an evident difference! The interior of the bread is soft and gooey like any good french toast is, but the outside is crisped and perfectly browned. This was all around a winner in my book! In fact, my mother and I will be whipping this up this weekend for my dad's 50th birthday! I'm looking forward to subbing in other filling options- like strawberries and cream cheese; banana, peanut butter and honey; or apple and brie!

What You'll Need:

2 tbsp Nutella

2 tbsp peanut butter

1/2 banana, thinly sliced

1/4 cup chocolate chips

2 sliced of bread (I used whole wheat)
1 large egg
3/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
Unsalted butter
Powdered sugar for serving

What To Do:

Spread one piece of bread with peanut butter and the other with Nutella. Top with banana slices and chocolate chips, and press together like a sandwich. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. In a shallow dish or pie plate, whisk together the egg and milk. Whisk in the melted butter and vanilla. Add the flour, cinnamon and salt and whisk until smooth. Place the sandwich into the egg mixture. Soak for 30 to 40 seconds per side, allow excess to drip off and transfer to a plate. 

Add 1 tablespoon of butter to the heated skillet and swirl to coat. Add the slices in a single layer, taking care not to crowd the skillet. Cook for 1-2 minutes, until light golden brown. Flip and continue cooking an additional 1-2 minutes. Add more butter as needed and repeat with remaining slices. Transfer to a plate, dust with powdered sugar, then top with macerated strawberries. Serve immediately.

Recipe adapted from Cook Like a Champion,

originally adapted from Annie's Eats

Summer Tuna Salad

If you're looking for something light, simple, healthy and delicious, this is a great salad to throw together! I was improvising with what I had on hand, but was surprised at how much I loved this dish. The flavors work really well together- with sweet, savory, and creamy. It's also great because it fits into pescetarian, paleo and gluten free diets!

I'll admit that I didn't use exact measurements, so be sure to adjust to your specific taste preferences!

What You'll Need:

(1 large portion or 2 small portions)

1 can white albacore chunk tuna 

1/2 small mango, diced

1/4 cup diced onion

1/2 avocado, diced

1/4 cup corn (I used canned but fresh or frozen would work as well!)

sea salt

fresh cracked black pepper

salad greens (I used baby spinach, but romaine or mixed greens would make great subsitutions)

*optional* chipotle dressing 

What To Do:

Combine all of the ingredients together and serve over greens. Drizzle with chipotle dressing if desired.

   

reflections on youth camp

Youth Camp is always good. There is something powerful about getting away from technology, from routine, from outside influences- even family and friends- to focus on God. 

Of course it's overwhelmingly hot and the food isn't the best and there's never enough sleep.

(supplies we took)

But God continually uses this time to teach us, convict us, encourage us and reveal Himself to us! 

This was my third year going to Youth Week at Alto Frio with my youth group. It was also my second year operating not only as the leader of my group, but also on the team putting on camp.  I knew what to expect, and this year I was smart and got another girls sponsor to go so that I wouldn't feel responsible to stay with them at all times. Instead of staying in the cabins, I got a motel room at the conference center (holla!), which also served as a storage place for all of the extra snacks and drinks we brought. (I had to rethink that choice when someone came by after lights-out looking for Pop-Tarts)

(on my hotel bed, with a Toms tan, and our snacks in the background)

So, as a sponsor and member of the camp team I kinda had to remove myself from the emotional side of camp to supervise. I had to be aware of what was going on with my students, the schedule and my responsibilities for the services. I had to be sure to capture through pictures the activities we had, so that parents would understand why youth camp is such a big deal. I was checking that all campers adhered to the dress code. I had to be available to counsel during invitation time, to remember worship song lyrics off the top of my head when the tech guy needed to input a new song last minute, and to give announcements to the campers at a moments' notice. And so, honestly, I was looking forward to seeing God speak into the lives of my students... but not expecting for Him to speak to me. 


And God DID speak to each and every students. Of the ten who attended with me, every one of them came away changed. Saved. Convicted and forgiven. Recommitted to their purpose. Called to something great. 

Natalia accepted Christ for the first time. 

(in the center)

Betsaida and Jadzia felt God's call to be missionaries. 

and Yalani felt called to student ministry in the future!

(on the right)

To be part of this journey with each of them is humbling and encouraging.

What I didn't expect was for God to speak to me- the leader- at youth camp. On Wednesday night, our speaker spoke especially to the sponsors during a closing prayer time. He asked for any sponsors that needed prayer for anything in their life to go to one side of the room and for the other sponsors to pray over them. So I prayed over sponsors. And then I prayed over students. And then I started preparing what we would do in our church time that immediately followed the service. As we exited the tabernacle and headed to my motel room, I started thinking about what I would have asked for prayer for if I had gone up. A heavy burden weighed upon my shoulders, like carrying boulder on my back. Then, it just hit me how emotionally and even mentally that I had separated myself from what God was speaking that week. 

So, when my group got to the room, I asked if they would pray for me. Because I'm terrified to move away, even though I know it's what God has for me. I'm scared that I won't make friends or have enough money ever or maintain my current relationships or do well in school. I'm scared that nobody will be able to reach my Austin students like I have and their spiritual lives will suffer. But even worse, I'm scared that they'll find someone so much better to fill this position that they'll wonder why they've had me hired all this time. 

(I totally understand that I sound completely overdramatic. I agree.) 

And so, one by one my students and sponsors lifted me up before the Lord. And there I sat in a puddle of my tears (and snot), and felt the hand of God over all of us. I felt His presence burden me with my purpose for leaving and promising to be with this group when I leave. 

God spoke to me right in the middle of youth camp. It was awesome. 

You see, this step in my life is a lot like the zipline we did.

When I give in to fear, all I'm doing is looking down. 

Seeing how far I can fall.

but if I trust God 

and do what He's called me to do

I can just take that step of faith and enjoy the ride 

And I think I'd rather let go, than just stand on this ledge and be anxious. 

I'd rather have faith than fear.

Camp through Photos {Photo Overload}

because sometimes words can't explain it.

 (morning devotional time)

rec time 

girls Bible study

cheer off

wet and wild games

zipline

7th Day Slumber 

Mike Keahbone

brady davis band 

talent show 

my students

they have my heart.