Angel Taylor - Chai Tea Latte

*Today I am thankful for Sunday afternoon naps.

Zoey's Cafe...

Last night my roomate Mandy and friends John, Justin and Jimmy all headed down to Ventura to see Angel Taylor in concert. She's a girl John and I have gotten to know through the college. She is super cool and has a sweet sound. We've been wanting to go to a show for awhile and finally made it. Her first release is coming out in January and then her album will come a few months later. (i'll post her music in a bit)

She was great. After her another artist from Austraila performed. He sounded good too. Zoey's was a cute little place. They have a lot of singer song writers who perform there. It was a good night with a lot of laughs.

*Today I am thankful for a LONG Holiday weekend.

My New Roomate...

I like my new roommate. Her name is Mandy Spring. I got to know her through her brother, John, (who is one of my favorite people in the world)! She moved out here over a year ago and we've hung out a couple times over the past year. We have a lot in common: our love for the Lord, reality television, music, the beach and she likes to laugh too!
It's only a temporary thing as she will eventually be moving back to the East Coast but I'm glad that I have someone to kick it with for a time. Yeah for Mandy!

*Today I am thankful for God's Soverign timing in all event's of my life.

Would You Rather Wednesday?!?!

Would you rather have to sleep each night on a box spring with no mattress or be allowed to listen to only one musical piece for the rest of your life "Funkytown" by Lipps, Inc.? Things to consider: you never will get a great night's sleep or your wedding day.

*Today I am thankful for some very convicting and moving words from my boss on loving others.

A Favorite....Charlie

I think this video is so funny. It makes me laugh everytime I see it. I know I have been really bad about blogging lately.
If you know me there is a lot to say but I haven't had time. Saturday was work then time with friends and Sunday was church and a FAB afternoon with Lynn.
I had a great day today and was really productive. I love those days...I even made it to the gym. My new roommate moves in tommorow. More on that later. Need to get back to being productive.

*Today I am thankful for air conditioning that works in my car!

The Master's College

I love this little promo we did on The Master's College. J Mac is by far our best recruiter. Today was a fun day! It was a day when all of our new students came to check in for the new school year. It was a conclusion for the Admissions staff of a hard year of work. We are already thinking of Fall 09....the circle is complete and we are off to the next season!

*Today I am thankful for new friends and faces.

A Little Reminiscing...

I was just given these pictures from the Passion conference that I went to in Kampala, Uganda back in June. It took me back to that moment when there were over 20,000 people who were singing to the Lord. It was such an awesome experience that is hard to put into words. I hope you dig the pictures. Just picture me a few rows back to the right of the stage. It rocked.

* Today I am thankful for God's grace...it's bigger than I know or can comprehend!

Would You Rather Wednesday?!?!?!

In honor of the Olympics (and a huge shout out to NATE!)

Would you rather be almost good enough to make the US team but never quite qualify for the Olympics or go represent another country in the Olympics that grants you citizenship and be considered a sell out? Death is not an option.

* Today I am thankful for Lynn...thanks for my Starbucks drink and suprise visit to TMC!

For You Kelli....

Two of my sisters favorites...our pastor John MacArthur and Kirk Cameron.

*Today I am thankful for a quiet night at home last night.

I Heart Admissions...

I love my job for many reasons. The biggest reason would be the people I have the pleasure of working with. They love me, encourage me, are trustworthy, work hard and are loyal. I consider it such a blessing to be able to lead the office and to work hard in all ways to honor the Lord. There have been so many sweet times over the last four years. God has always blessed our office with the people he has placed there and this year in no different.
It's been a trying past three months interviewing and hoping to find the best person for the open positions but it's complete. The last two days I took my staff away for some TEAM development and meetings to set the stage for next year. It was a great time to get away and just be together.
We went to Anaheim. We had meetings during the day on Wednesday and then for dinner we went to downtown Disney to ESPN Zone. This was probably the highlight for me as we had great conversation during dinner so we could get to know one another better. We had a air hockey tournament (Great Job Meg for taking the gold!). On Thursday we had a time of prayer and John Melcon brought us a devotional and then we headed to the beach for a couple hours to relax and play some games. Luke brought his guitar and led us in some singing too.
There are so many things that I love and appreicate about each person and I look forward to see what the Lord is going to do in our office this year. I LOVE YOU GUYS and am so thankful for you all.

*Today I'm thankful that it's Friday!

Would you Rather Wednesday?!?!?

Would you rather have a digitally blurred face like criminals they show on TV or have your range of bodily movement reduced to that of a GI Joe figure? Death would not be an option.

*Today I'm excited to go kick it with my office peeps!

Sarah has been in my office the last three years. She moved down to Hollywood with her husband Rob over a year ago. It has been such an encouragement for me to see their love for the lost and the church. Sarah recently left TMC to live and work in her community in order to build relationships to reach the lost.

She will be missed (and is missed already). Sarah, I love you and appreciate your friendship, loyalty and your Spirit in this office. I can't wait to have our thrift shop and breakfast at the Griddle day! The picture is part of our office staff at Sarah's last luncheon!

*Today I'm thankful for the smooth tunes of Harry Conick Jr.

The Least of These...

James 1:27 “Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.”

I have always had a heart for the child who was the underdog. That's one reason why I studied social work in college and was a practicing social worker for over 5 years. I always wanted to help those children grow up in a safe and nurturing environment. Of course, the gospel is not something that could be spoken of when you work for the state but as I have grown and stepped away from the field of social work I see the need more than ever. Not just to place these children in a safe and nurturing environment but to show them the Love of God. Imagine how delighted I was when Kelli and Matt decided to adopt. Ivy came through a private adoption and now they are doing foster care to adoption. Just to see Ivy grow up in a home that desires to honor the Lord is such a blessing to watch. The Lord choose her to be a part of our family. What about all the other children who need homes?

Foster care is something that I think the church needs to take a more active role in. If God commands us to care for the widows and orphans then why aren't we? It's great to adopt them and provide a loving home for them but what about just caring for them and or spend time with them in order for them to see the love of Jesus even if it's for a few months? The following verse has come to mind:

1 John 3: 17-18 "But whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and truth."

* Today I am thankful that the Lord has placed a desire in Matt and Kelli to care for the orphans and bring them into a loving environment. Love is not sentiment but deeds.

Would You Rather Wednesday?!?!?

Would you rather turn into Roseann Barr every forty-five minutes (it lasts for another 5 minutes) or have nose hair that is 12 inches longer than it needs to be (it grows a half inch every hour)? Death is not an option. Things to consider...with the nose hair you are CONSTANTLY trimming and with Roseann your voice and antics will drive people crazy!

*Today I am thankful for all the new peeps in my office....it will be a fun year!

Hebrews 13:5 "Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He himself has said "I will never leave you nor forsake you."
This encouraged me today. I am so thankful for the Lord's soverignty over all events in my life. With Him, nothing is accidental, nothing is incidential and NO experience is wasted. My destiny is in Christ and Him alone. There is something so powerful in that. There is a peace to be found in that when I do experience trials and tonight I am grateful that the Lord has his hand in ALL things. A big shout out to the Lord for that one....HOLLA!

*Tonight I am thankful that Ivy is finally sleeping so I can get some work done....LOVE HER!

Beach Day...

On Thursday we had a get together with all the other G SAC schools (Westmont, Azusa, Biola, Cal Baptist....). The purpose was to bring the Admissions Counselors together so they could get to know one another before they all go out on the road for travel season. Needless to say the guys in my office weren't too excited about it. There were two main things we were asked to do: come dressed representing your school and there would be a sand castle contest.

Most of the talk before going was "Hollie, it's going to be awkward" and "do we have too?" The guys started to get into it when I told them to come up with something for us to wear. They purchased white t-shirts and designed them with the saying "Got Curfew?" and on the back it said "We do." This was quite hilarious as there is a perception out there that we are really rigid in our rules so they thought why not make fun of ourselves and have a little fun wth it. It got quite a few laughs and was a huge hit. Then during the sand castle contest as everyone was making sand castles the guys wanted to make a little TMC person. As everyone was making their CASTLES we got a little creative.

We ended up winning the competition and were the hit of the day! Holla! It wa fun and we had a lot of laughs (except for the 2.5 hour drive home.) They were great sports and it was nice to have time with them away from the office. I was reminded once again how blessed I am to work with such great people.

The group photo is everyone together in front of our winning castle!

*Today I am thankful for my time with Tricia last night!

Happy Birthday Lynn....

I am so thankful for my friend Lynn. She was my first friend when I moved out to California and she remains a dear friend to me now. There are so many great things about her but i will share the two most impactful things to me regarding her.

She is so strong. Despite any trials the Lord allows her to go through Lynn is always thinking of others and remaining faithful to the Lord and those around her. She is an amazing mom and she is always thinking of me, calling or stopping by to see how I am doing. She is one of the most selfless people I know. She has really impacted my life in this way.

Secondly, she is giving. Lynn will randomly stop by my work to give me a Starbucks or a Jamba Juice and tell me she loves me. Dealing with all these allergies and not feeling good she's done a lot of research and always looking for ways to make me feel better. once again...selfless.

Lynn, I love you! i am so thankful for you in my life and your Godly example. You are selfless and have persevered through different trials the Lord has brought your way. I am so honored to call you friend. I hope you have a great day and feel loved!