... to the ball game!

Just a little baseball game coming up this weekend, no big deal... We are so excited about Strike Out Slavery! This is likely to be Mercy Project's second largest fundraiser of the year (next to the marathon), and we are closing in on the opening pitch. Here are a few of the articles that are circulating this week regarding the event:

TexAgs

Business of College Sports

Bomber's Ballpark in Bryan from noon Friday until 1pm Sunday. Going to be a great weekend!

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Ghana trip pics and thoughts coming next week; check back in!

A few random things I've come across this week...


• Guest post by Bob Goff on Donald Miller's blog here. I'm anxious to read his book, Love Does. If you read Miller's A Million Miles (if you haven't, you should), then you'll remember reading about Bob.


• Speaking of Donald Miller, I've somewhat been following the release of Blue Like Jazz. Got this in my inbox today and found it pretty insightful.


• These are fantastic and so, so true. Check the rest out here.

• And finally, I have to brag on Mom's latest cake masterpiece (Emme's B-day). Unfortunately, I can only vouch for the appearance, but judging from those fingers caught licking the icing, I'd say it passed the taste test as well. Still trying to convince her to start a cake business... 

Well, sports fans, life is sorta busy right now. We are heading into the last two weeks before our Guinness World Record baseball game: Mercy Project's Strike Out Slavery. Over 50 players are coming in for the weekend of March 30-April 1, and we could not be more excited about the event! Everyone is busy fundraising and spreading awareness of the event, and we are busy wrapping up all the details and ground work. Looking forward to this "little game" of baseball. Check it out:

Well, the fearless 4 have returned – with all our bags, which I assure you was a feat in and of itself this time around. We had a fabulous trip including (but not limited to) mango trees, goats, village meetings, tro-tro (bus-type transport), plane, and boat adventures, chiefs, lots of laughter, cultural and economic learning, and many sweet, sweet children.

This morning I find myself a bit overwhelmed. There are phone calls to make, laundry to put up, emails to write and return, notes to type up, mail to sort, donations to track, pictures to upload, pictures to edit, journaling to complete, family and friends to catch up with, Guinness baseball prep to do, and countless other tasks. Where to start?! I can't even make a proper to-do list, which you all know is a daily requirement for me. And that's all before any attempts are made to account for missing 8 days of ice cream, coffee, and running.

But I woke up incredibly content this morning and am trying to just embrace and rest in the overwhelming. What a great place to be in. I was warned that this would happen, but I can 100% say without the slightest hesitation, "I can't believe I get paid to do this!" I never thought that I could have a "voice" to speak for something so important to the Kingdom, that I would one day be using my gifts in this manner (expanded post on that to come). I am humbled. I've said before, but I have much to learn; I constantly desire to do more and be more than I am. I continue to be in awe of God's graciousness. But for now, in this moment, I want to simply acknowledge the ways He is moving.

And now, there is a chocolate chip apricot bar recipe to try, lists to make, errands to run, and one incredibly dirty camera bag to clean.

Stay tuned for trip photos and recap. And thanks for your thoughts and prayers this last week. They were felt and appreciated.

Today is owed a post. I may technically be across the ocean somewhere in the bush, but today is a special day. 30 (count 'em!) years ago, I got a big brother. Eh, I guess I wasn't yet around for that, but I made an appearance soon after. To be sure, I can't be too harsh; after all, this occasion means that I, too, am getting... dare I say, "old"? Still, today is worth celebrating. So I have compiled a list of 30 memories/shenanigans/events/etc. that DM and I have gotten into shared. In no certain order:

• Prank calling 911. That happened once, and only once.

• Running the Cowtown marathon

• "Duck hunting" in the living room

• Oakland A's and Dallas Burn games

• Climbing on top of the monkey bars at the yellow house to escape the scary dogs next door.

• Graduation trips. Some of my favorite excursions ever.

• Cheese and cracker competition on the Teton hike (above mentioned graduation trip)

• Playing on the snowmobiles in M's backyard.

• Squirrel hunting with Wyatt out the playroom window. Clarification: I was an innocent encourager bystander.

• Four-wheeler snow sledding in the ditches

• Moped in the Lorenzo parade. You were a celebrity; I rode in the golf cart and shyly waved to the 30 roadside standers.

• Riding bikes through mud puddles in the parking lot down the street from the yellow house

• Birthday pie. Yes, that's PIE, not cake.

• Creek-wading and camping trips

• Micro-machines. Need I say more?

• You packing a soccer ball into the Pecos. (It was the Pecos trip, right?)

• Bear Lake with M while Mom and Dad hiked Flattop

• Perch fishing at LBJ with Granny & Papa

• That time you knocked out (chipped?) my tooth jumping on the bed. I believe there was also a broken tooth/swimming pool incident. My teeth have never been the same.

• Ski lessons at Wolf Creek. I always wanted to be as good as you were. Sometimes I still snowplow.

• White River Youth Camp, Year 1: I got sick, Mom was mean and wouldn't let me come home, and you were nice to me and made sure I was ok. I remember that.

• Christmas morning pictures. And Easter pictures. And first day of school pictures.

• Saved By the Bell. And Dr. Quinn. And Walker Tx Ranger. I'm lumping those together under the 80's TV umbrella.

• Riding with you in the Mustang to school before I got my license. You made me late for band almost every day, and I got so mad at you. Every. Day.

• Watching you announce Wyatt and Emme's arrivals and seeing what a good Dad you are

• Making up our own rules to monopoly. Score the middle stash. Win.

• Robin Hood. Over and over and over and over. (Skip the witch part.)

• Suicide ski trip to Taos

• Rollerblade obstacle course races in the driveway on Taylor. I don't know why we timed them; you always won.

• Surprise at the Art Auction. Seriously still awesome to me.

Happy Birthday, DM, and many more. I'm so very grateful that we get to be friends and siblings. There's no one else I'd rather have my back. Or eat chocolate chess pie with.

Alright, let's hope this will get me caught up... before the next hiatus. Warning: long post, no pictures.

I'm loving Bryan/College Station, seriously loving it. It's hard to imagine how I ever truly loved Dallas. Except for friends, there's not much about the big city that I miss. I love the fact that I can go from my house in Bryan to south CS in 10-15 minutes. I'm actually early (or at least on time) to most places – which is a huge step up for me! I've finally settled in to a new norm here. The roomies are great, and it's been a blessing to be out of an apartment and in an actual neighborhood. Less stress, less noise, less corporate work = win.

That said, life has not slowed down in the least. But then, I don't think it's in me to really slow down much. Here's what been going on:

Dallas trip: Made a quick weekend trip back to Big D last month. Needed to take the Mac in for a battery replacement and figured I'd stick around and spend time with my pals up there. As soon as I drove in to town, and subsequently hit rush hour traffic, I thought – nope, don't miss anything about this place. I did eat at Panera twice and revamped that statement slightly (although I have since discovered that CS is getting a Panera soon!). But, it was a great time to celebrate birthdays, run at White Rock, worship, stay up late talking, hang out over pizza and American Idol, and share conversation over coffee. One of the neatest things about friendship with all different kinds of people is the unique perspectives you get on life. I've found that I am just as blessed and challenged by those very different from me as by those whom I have much in common with. It's refreshing to be able to share life with people from various backgrounds, cultures, and beliefs.

Gearing up for Guinness: Mercy Project's epic 49-hour baseball adventure is upon us. I'm hopeful that the 50+ players will not be so sick of my weekly emails that they fail to accommodate my lack of skill on the field, but one way or another, it's about to all go down (March 30-April 1). This is another one of those things that I am excited to see come to fruition. There will be countless innings and unfathomable scores along with great food, one huge campout, and (hopefully) lots of enthusiastic community support. (Beer Fest at the same location that weekend – score!) There will certainly be A LOT of money raised that will be a huge win for the kids in Ghana. We are excited!

Also upcoming: BCS Marathon Registration Opens – May 15, Art Auction – June 16, and Summer Group Trip – early July. Great stuff happening for the Kingdom.

Ghana Bound: It's that time again. 3 hours to DC, then a "short" 10 hour hop to Accra. 4 of us leave tomorrow (!) for an 8-day excursion – visiting villages, meeting kids on the lake, and whatever else we can get into. Please pray for our journey, that God would use us to further His work, wherever and whatever that may mean. I am pumped about being back. Honestly, this trip has completely snuck up on me. I'm not sure how that happens, but it just has. Testament to everything else going on, I guess. It's sometimes easy for me to lose sight of the big picture stuff when I'm focused on t-shirts, planning, emails, and day-to-day tasks here. Thankfully, I'm often reminded that this work is not about my schedule or to-do list. God is doing so much through Mercy Project; He continues to show up in ways beyond what we can imagine or hope for. "Hanging on for the ride" is right where I want to be: learning to surrender control and just be grateful for the journey. I have much to learn; thankfully we serve a gracious God.

Happy 3rd Birthday, sweet Emmerson! What a blessing you are to so many people. Your love for all of God's creatures reminds me so much of myself. Perhaps one day I can get you that pet giraffe. Much love from Aunt Gretchen!

Courtesy of Julianna; I just had to share. Enjoy the Saturday.