I'd love to see your new car.

So, last week, my friend Roman and I were been meeting at 6 am.  Crazy, right? Well, maybe not.

A couple of weeks ago we had talked about starting a small group for college students.  The week before the first night of the study we (mostly Roman, I just agreed) decided that we should meet in the morning, every morning leading up to Friday.  Well after the 2nd day, it stopped seeming so crazy and was becoming a great thing.  The days were proving to be better because of the great start we were getting.


We started getting a better idea of what God wanted from the group, and on Wendesday, we were talking a lot about community.  What it looks like, what it SHOULD look like and how do you create it?


Well while we were sitting there we noticed things about the Starbucks we were in.  This was a community, a strong one.


The famous Barista.  There is one woman there, and I wish I knew her name, but she loves her job.  She knows almost every person that walks through the door by name.  She knows the drink the get, the car they drive and something about their life.  Most of the time she wasn't creating small talk, she was asking them how something went the night before or how they're day looked.  She was having real conversations with the people in that small, 5 minute window that she got each day with them.  Then, we noticed her walk out the door and was takling to a customer by his car.  When she came back in, she was telling the other baristas about this guy's new car.  The guy had bought a new car, and she stopped everything she was doing to go see it.


The customers.  I'm not sure if this Starbucks got lucky and collected all the nice, friendly, life-enjoying customers or if its a product of the enviornment the employees have created.  My money's on the second one.  I've hung around a lot of different Starbucks, and I've never seen one that only has friendly customers.  There was a lady throwing away her trash and noticed the guy who was sitting at a table had some trash  People were holding doors for each other, and left and right others were complimenting each other.  It really was a sight. 

So, what did I learn?  Well, one big thing I learned is that a part of community is in the small things.  I hope that I can remember that the next time I see someone with a lot of trash on their table or hearing someone mention that they just bought something.  If you're there for the small things, then people will know that you're there for the big things.  Being there is the key.

fire and rain

I heard you were back in town

I heard you were coming 'round

Trying to get off the ground

From every road you went down

I walked down to your street

Could still feel the old heat

If you're burning on empty

I'll be holding a golden ring

'Cause hey hey, they don't know you like I do

I'd wait, for the whole world to show you

Maybe we're not, not that gone

Do you ever think about me?

Do you ever call my name?

Ask me now I'll give you the reasons

My love will not fade

Through the fire and rain

The fire and rain

I'll meet you half-way

If you're coming the long way

Don't care what the people say

Of the prodigal runaway

'Cause hey hey, they don't know you like I do

I'd wait, for the whole world to show you

Maybe we're not, not that gone

Do you ever think about me?

Do you ever call my name?

Ask me now I'll give you the reasons

My love will not fade

Through the fire and rain

The fire and rain

I love this song.  Love love love love it.

a little "kick" if you will

So, there's this blog called "Stuff Christian's Like".  In my opinion, this guy (Jon Acuff) is hilarious.  He's always writing about things in Christianity or the church and they always crack me up.  If you have never read his blog, take a minute or two to read a few, especialllly if you work/have worked at a church.  Sometimes, I'll be sitting by myself at Starbuck, laughing so hard I'm crying because of some of the stuff he says. On Wednesdays he calls it "Serious Wednesday" which just means that he cutsback on being funny and (some) the sracastic comments and writes about something about God that gets him.

I stumbled acoss this particular "serious wednesday" post and this is what I got.

It hit me, in a good way.  I wouldn't say it's exactly how I feel at this very moment about everything in my life, but seeing how it hit me hard enough to post a blog about it, than I'm guessing it took a toll somewhere in my heart.

welcome baby judah

judah landon siegers was born on august 24. i got to stop by the hospital on the 25th and hang with him and the rest ofthe siegers crew. at a whopping 10 lbs 2 oz. he was a "pretty big deal" can't wait to see more of this little guy!








what a good big sister!



i'm sure she was learning to not touch his face, or at least not grab it with her whole hand




those hospital beds are just too cool.

hello autumn.

With the start of school came the cooler fall weather. That's okay. I love when the change in weather is noticeable from day to day.

I haven't updated this thing in the longest time, and for some reason, I was inspired today to do something with it. Tell you what I've done/been up to since I've been home, can you believe its already been three months? There are some days that I feel like I just got home, and others, I almost forget I even went to China because of the way things feel so natural here.

Since I've been home I've:

-caught up with a million people.
-gotten a job. full time, benefits and all of that big girl stuff.
-lived in three different houses
-found a permanent place to live, which I will move into in october
-started class...yikes!
-ate at every place that I missed while I was away
-drove a car
-totaled a car
-visited some friends in tennessee
-went to countless concerts(at LEAST 10), some local, some not, man, its hard to believe i went 6 months with no live music
-sang really really loud in my car
-sat at loch raven
-watched clouds
-sat on a porch and watched a storm roll in, then back out again
-witnessed a tornado (a baby one, maybe, but still scary)
-went to granny's;
-andy nelsons
-learned more about baltimore. i'm a better tour guide in shanghai than i am in baltimore.
-found old friends
-made new friends
-watched my girls graduate, and go to college (double yikes!)



There way more other things I've done since being home. These are just some that I made a effort to make sure they happened as soon as I got home. And there are some things in the list that would have been nice had they NOT happened (totaled a car ring a bell?).

There are some times that I miss China. Somedays, I even miss Carrefour (get out!). But, at the end of it all, I know that this is where I'm supposed to be. I can feel it when I walk into work or school or church. And it's not because it's "easier" here, because now, sometimes it's not.

As Suz always said, speak soon.