Farrar, the last "r" is silent like Farrah

Sunday April 3rd
I did the normal Sunday morning activities and getting ready for church. Except for this weekend I was dog sitting Bo, Matt and Kristen Hanvey's beautiful Golden Retriever. I just love dog sitting for them. So I got up early to feed and play with him before church, but as always I was still late to church

Surprised that I was late?

After church, all of us went to Jimmy John's for lunch, Jenny's favorite, which was great and a lot of friends from out of town went to eat with us too so we definitely had a party (little did I know the out of towners people were really here for the engagement!)

Afterward Blake and I went to my house and had a lazy Sunday afternoon. Blake had to leave at 3pm that afternoon to "go to back to Dallas for a Community Group event there," so we wanted to soak up every last minute from that weekend. (See my last post) He brought his hammock and hung it up in the front yard and spent the last few hours just talking.

Blake left and meanwhile I get a text from my roommate Jenn that said she was having a hard day and wanted all of us roommates to make a run to sonic around 4:45-5pm and of course I would go, but I needed to be back by 5:30pm because I had my 10th graders for community group at 6pm. Yet, Hannah also had all her Base Camp stuff and needed to drop off the trailer at a "trailer repair place," before we could go to Sonic. So I had little time, but it was worth it for the roommates.

So around 5:00pm all us roommates pile into a Base Camp vehicle and start trying to find this "trailer place" before sonic, because "this guy only works on trailers." I mean this isn't weird, because we've been on some random Base Camp equipment retrieval excursions before.  

So this place is off the beaten path, but pull onto this beautiful piece of property and drive towards the house. I am on a time limit because I need to be back for Community Groups and yet I don't notice anyone around to greet us as we pulled up. As we pull closer I do see someone on a swing but its behind a tree so you can't really make out who it was so I said, "look he (thinking the trailer guy) is creepily waiting for us on that swing." No one says anything and we pull forward and I take a closer look and it was Blake!

First thought: Yeah, it's Blake I get to see him again.
Second thought: OH MY, ITS BLAKE is this it? Am I getting engaged?!?

I jump out of the Excursion and and run to Blake so excited and he hugs me and gives me a cup of sweet tea.

Sweat Tea speaks right to my heart.

Then my roommates drive away, smiling of course, because they knew all along! Jenn wasn't having a hard day and Hannah's Base Camp trailer was fine. Man they were good, they didn't even crack, not even once. They were even helping me plan my Community Group time, pulling me waaaay of course.

Blake takes my hand and we walk down a path and he says that community groups is taken care of. We completely have small talk and walk through a gate and into a BEAUTIFUL OPEN FIELD!

Then there in the middle of this field is a giant oak tree and a cute porch swing hanging from it and a blanket on the back of it. (My mind is racing!) We walk towards it and sit down. Blake then states that he has so much to say, but he would read it instead.

I love when Blake reads to me.

He read different excerpts from his prayer journal to me starting in June when we first started dating, and man it was amazing to hear! His last journal entry was thanking the Lord for giving him the chance to talk to my parents and to share in their excitement.

Then he gets off the swing and bends down on one knee and asks me to marry him!

I SAID YES (I may have had my mouth covered in awe, but I said it)

He puts the most beautiful ring on my finger and we stand up and I kiss him.

My fiance!

I LOVE BLAKE FARRAR

Then he looks at the porch swing and moves the blanket that was on the back of the swing and engraved it says, "The Farrar's"

That was OUR swing! With OUR name on it! It blew me away. I just love porch swings and we talk about them all the time and this one was ours!

So we sat back down on our new swing being newly engaged and laughed and smiled, I mean we were souring on cloud 9. Then speaking of souring I hear a helicopter off into the distance and thought nothing of it, until it circled around us. I looked at Blake and asked in complete amazement, "is that for us?!" and he said "I dont know." Sure enough this helicopter lands 100 yards from us. So we get up and walk towards this helicopter. Inside is Blake's best friend Joey with a video camera smiling so big! I couldn't believe it. So we hop into a helicopter.

Yep, a helicopter...can you believe it! I was so excited I don't think my voice has ever reached that high of a register with shrills of joy!

So we lift off and then I see two of Blake's other friends in full camouflage and gilly suits come out from behind a tree and a brush pile with cameras...they were there the whole time. And I want to give a shout out to Michael Wilson and Jesse Bellington because they did an AMAZING job!

In this helicopter we flew all around Tyler and went downtown and really all over the city, it was so neat to see! Then we flew over Pine Cove and I could see the Bluffs and all the camps from above and it was a really neat perspective, then we start descending and I had no idea where we were going and come over the tops of the trees and there is the Wood's field with TONS of friends that were there waiting for us. Cheering and hands waving with signs! I mean I felt like a celebrity, now my voice was even higher then before! I couldn't stop smiling!

We land and my friends, Jenn, Jenny, Hannah, and Adrianne run towards this helicopter with its moving blades and all and help me out of the helicopter.

I practically fell out because I had spaghetti legs, I mean I was literally paralyzed. Then we all walk over to the big crowd of people waiting and Blake and I hug them all, I mean this is an incredible proof of love and I couldn't believe it was me they were waiting for! Kyndell drove up from Austin and Laura drove over from Dallas, I mean it was AMAZING!

Then we walk over to the picnic tables at the Woods Pavilion and Katelyn and the Forge girls decorated everything so pretty and put pictures of Blake and I together.

Then Blake proceeds to tell me that he ordered my favorite sandwich from Stanley's BBQ for everyone! AMAZING, I literally assumed the position with my face in my hands in pure disbelief. The sandwich is called the brother-in-law, you'll know what I mean when you try it.

So Blake and I spent the rest of the time talking with people and I shared this wonderful story Blake gave me with everyone.

Blake gave me a party and about 70 of our closets friends were there! He gave me a party!! 

The only time I cried was when I called my Mom and Greg and told them I was engaged and these were tears of pure Joy and when I found out that my best friend Megan was supposed to come but she got her tickets booked on the wrong day! She has terrible plane trouble.

So she sent me a video and called! Yet, instead she is coming in May to help me plan for a wedding! Man I am blessed!

So my new last name starting Oct. 16th, 2011 will now be Farrar and Blake has already instructed me on how to tell everyone how to say it. The last "r" is silent and sounds like Farrah, like the 70's actress Farrah Facet. Minus the Facet part.


Thanks everyone, and Blake, the Lord used you to make my Dreams Come True!

A Weekend of Fun

I had the best Weekend before the best day of my Life (getting engaged...that story in a post to come)

Friday April 1st
It was an awesome day to work, my coworkers, TJ, Andrew, and I, decided to prank all the people coming into the Dining Hall because the Bluffs were hosting this weeks Staff Chapel. We put signs up on the front doors saying use the side doors and signs up on the side doors saying use the front doors! Classic and I loved watching our friends laugh.

Then that evening Blake and I picked up a few bikes and met five other friends to bike around the Azalea District in Tyler Texas to look at all the pretty flowers. We had great fun and spent the evening with the people we love.

Saturday April 2nd
Blake came over and he made breakfast consisting of pancakes with peanut butter and blackberries, one of my favorite and he tried to make a heart pancake. He's a great cook, but we will leave the artistry to the professionals on the Food Network. He said he had the whole day planned and yes he did!
We went to sonic and grabbed an ocean water slush and went to the Villages Dock to wait for his Uncle and Cousins to arrive with their really cool fan boat. His cousins were here for a bow fishing tournament and allowed us to take a ride while they scouted the area. The boat was as cool as his family.

After this we traveled to the main location of the Tyler Transit public transport system and waited for a bus to ride. I have always wanted to ride the Tyler Transit to meet new people and see the sites of Tyler that you normally don't go to. So we decided to wait for the bus Red North.

We waited.....and waited.

So instead we paid our 75 cents and jumped on blue east which sadly went to areas we have been before, but one of the stops was near a Bingo place we have never seen before! Lets go! When you pay for one bus ride you are given a free transfer to another bus so we thought why not and jumped onto Green West.

It was such a fun time to spend with Blake and see Tyler in a new light and we traveled many miles for only .75. Now that's what I call a deal! It was a great experience and I know a lot of people ride the public transport daily, but it was a new experience for me (growing up in small towns) and I came out of it with a lot to learn and reflect (later post about this...hopefully)

After our daily excursions Blake drove us to our Dinner location which was an hour away, but he wouldn't tell me what it was until we were pulling in. He took us to Tara Vineyards. It was a beautiful winery with fine dining. I mean this place was BEAUTIFUL! It has the most beautiful scenery and we chose to eat outside on the patio.

Blake and I both wanted the hamburger and asked the waitress to add cheese, but not shortly after ordering the chef came over to our table and in the kindest way possible said, "umm...we don't put cheese on the hamburger," and once we took our first bite we understood why.

It was THE BEST, most delicious hamburger I have ever eaten in my life! Honestly...the best! I can't explain it but you must try it! The chef came to our table again and we praise him for his cooking and Blake apologized for our ignorance.

We had such a wonderful evening and it was a perfect end to a perfect day. (little did I know I was getting engaged the next day!!)

Our Best picture Ever at Tara Vineyards.

I'll Take What I Can Get

Unlike the Dashboard Confessional song. 

Here are just a few examples of when I have heard my boyfriend, Blake, say this phrase in regards to spending time with each other.

#1. It was leadership weekend I was pretty busy, and Blake drives in from Dallas to be in Tyler for the weekend, and makes it to the Pine Cove area around 8pm. Yet, he says "I know you're busy, but I'll take what I can to see you." So he finds friends to hangout with and then waits all the way till 12:00pm when I am free just to see me for 15 minutes. He waited three hours to see me for 15 minutes!

He's so great!

#2. Blake works in Dallas and we don't get to see each other very often. But I got the chance to drive to Dallas when I volunteered to pick up the Forge group at DFW airport after their trip from Israel. I wanted to pick them up because I went last year! Since I would be in Dallas for just a few short minutes Blake and I tried to work it out that we could see each other maybe at lunch or something, but it didn't seem to work. Yet, as I am pulling up at the arrival gate with a 15 passenger van to pick up the the Forge group. There is Blake at the gate waiting with them. We hugged and he said "even if I get to see you for 30 seconds it's worth it, I'll take what I can get." He took time from work to drive to DFW (his office is close to the office) to pay the $2.00 for parking just to see the Forge and I.

I have tons of other examples of Blake doing whatever he can when time was short to spend time with me. Whether that be for a couple hours or a few seconds.

"I'll take what I can get."

When Blake says that phrase, it gives me value and speaks volume of his care for me. When I do have those 10 minutes with Blake I will do WHATEVER I can to stretch out that time and soak up every minute I can.

I love my quiet times in the morning and spending that time to simply sit and enjoy the word. On good days my goal is to spend 30 minutes to an hour with the Lord. Yet, I have those mornings when I hit snooze too many times or other distractions happen to cut my time short in getting ready in the morning. Sometimes I am so late that "by the grace of God" I was able to make it to work in time! Sadly, this often causes my time with the Lord to be the first to go. Even if I have 10 minutes to spare, I think its not enough time to sit down and read, so unfortunately I will use that time to either add one extra curl to my hair or pick a different shirt to wear!

"I'll take what I can get"

The Lord speaks this to me just the same.

If I can soak up 30 seconds to 15 minutes with Blake, why wouldn't I be able to do the same with the Lord! God wants to spend time with us, he desires that we sit in his presence and share our concerns and open our hearts to him. God knows no time. Who am I to think that the Lord wouldn't be able to speak to me or wouldn't appreciate 10 minutes of my time. He can create life and take it away in seconds. He says that we are but a blade of grass that grow and whither away. What is time to him?

I know the hours that I spend with the Lord are still precious and deep, but Blake has taught me that even the little moments I have are just as sweet.

"I'll take what I can get."

Painting Pottery

I tried my hand in pottery a couple weeks ago with a few of my wonderful friends.

  

Adrianne was on spring break from teaching and Ally, Brett, I were off from Leadership Weekend. It was a perfect day for coffee so we met up at Downtown Coffee Shop for a nice morning and a cup of joe. This place is so good and cheap, but it is only open from 8-5pm. So if you're in the Tyler area you may want to hit that up early in the day. Then, Adrianne had a wonderful idea to hit up pottery cafe and take a jab at painting. So Ally, Brett, and I grabbed a coffee mug and Adrianne grabbed some super cute salt and pepper shakers, and away we went.

 

I have never painted pottery in a cool place like this before, and the lady was so helpful. She practically picked out my colors for me! There was so much to choose from I just couldn't pick. Thank you Lady! 

Adrianne was a veteran, Brett did this as Father/Daughter dates when she was younger and she so artsy, and Ally is creative! So needless to say I had a lot to learn. 

I learned I am not an artist.

 Brett took an artsy picture with my mug. Brett is so artsy. My mug is not.

Here we are with our painted pottery before the kiln.

Then a week later and ta-da we have our finished products. 

I am happy with my mug, but I am still not an artist. I was hoping the kiln or the nice lady would have worked their special magic on it, but they didn't.

I guess I should have slipped a Washington to her.

Yet, the mug holds a very special purpose, and that is to keep my early morning coffee nice and warm.
 No complaints here!

(I did fail to mention that the date on the bottom of my mug says 20011. I guess I will be saving it for my grandchildren's grandchildren's...oops)

Followership Weekend

I work at a Christian Summer Camp in Tyler, Texas called Pine Cove. There are eight camps total with 6 in Tyler and 2 in Columbus, TX. College students from all over the country are hired to work at each camp and then at each camp there is a leadership team of former summer staffers that stay for the whole summer. So one weekend before summer camp starts rolling into gear all the leaders from each camp get together and learn what it means to lead and make plans for the summer.

It is a huge responsibility and I couldn't think of a better team to have this year at the Bluffs!

Top, Left to Right: Jimmy "Blotter", Heidi "Whirl Sup Champ", Laura "Choc Foe", Kallie, John "Take Out", Matt "Pi Ramma", and David "Props".

Middle, Left to Right: TJ "Schmee", Me, Emily "Silly Sing", Melissa "Half Asleep"

                                   Bottom, Left to Right: Chris "Hip Shot", Raychel "Smacks", Meredith "Scuba Snacks"

Phew, that was a lot to type, because we have the biggest Bluffs Leadership team in history! We have added a new position to the team called the S.W.A.T. (sounds cool right?) and I know that Take Out will be the man for the Job! Plus since I have been on staff its the first time we have the Media Production Manager, thanks Props for coming back!

Leadership weekend is an incredible weekend to reconnect with the staff and come together in unity as a Bluffs Leadership Team and I had a blast. We talked about our Highs and Lows from the year and of course played games like Fish Bowl. Plus the resident staff introduced them to SPIKEBALL!! (Probably one of the best new games out there! Thanks Andrew for bringing it west!)

Yet, more importantly we spent the weekend hearing wonderful wisdom in leadership from Kevin "Opee" East our Executive Director of Ministries. PLEASE read his blog here.

Pine Cove has INCREDIBLE leaders and working here I have learned a lot from them about myself in Leadership, so weekends like this are sweet reminder of how much I need Jesus. Matt Lantz the director of the Forge said that leadership is followership inspiring followership.

Leadership can be a scary thing and often the question is where am I leading our staff? Am I leading them to myself  or am I leading them first and foremost to Christ. So Kevin's first question in his blog and for the weekend was, Why are we here?

The Gospel

That's the answer nothing more and nothing less. We are all broken leaders but Christ has died for our sins so that we are no longer separated from God and can walk freely under his leadership. Through his death we are able to follow a perfect example as we lead those around us to his presence.

What a refreshment if you ask me. Alone I would lead our summer staff to me, my sin, and to too many trips to Salsaritas. Yet, my prayer is that because I am following Christ the staff will join me and follow close after his heels.

More pictures from the weekend and the classic, "my lip is stuck" routine

The Lovely Ladies and the Mighty Men

Man, I can't even WAIT to spend the summer with this Team! 8 weeks and counting!

In Reponse to the Fruit in Season

My roommate Jenn Crouse is a very wise women and I have received encouragement from her for three years now. One of her blog posts last month still resonates in my heart so I wanted to share what I have learned.

http://www.jenncrouse.com/2011/02/embracing-whats-in-season.html

When a fruit is in season there are TONS of it. It is in abundance and filling the shelves with its color. This is the same way with the season of our lives. There are seasons that our hearts of full of encouragement and love and seasons in drought and our thirst for the Lord is unquenchable. We are constantly going through certain seasons that bear different types of fruit. Not that one fruit is better than the other, just different kinds of fruit. Like Jenn's Blog  the nectarines still taste good they are just different then apples. They look different, feel different, and one tastes better with peanut butter then the other.

The Lord has definitely blessed me with a year of bountiful harvest, the fruit that has been sweet. My fruit comes in the form of a fun job, amazing roommates, and an incredible boyfriend. Yet, as time goes on its hard not to look in the future. What kind of job will I have in the fall? Where will I live? What will my community look like? And I so easily get caught up in the future looking forward to a different season, looking forward to change. Now planning and preparing is not all bad, but when it causes me to worry and forget this season is where I struggle. 

How many times have I been unsatisfied in a season of life, no fruit is popping up, not even a small little bud, and to add the results have been bitter.

Jenn's blog was an amazing reminder to continue in the harvest I am now. The Lord has me working and toiling in a specific field that he has created for me and this field will bear specific fruit by his hand. All the toiling and hard work will bear fruit that is sown only from him anyway. Even if I try to toil in a different field my work will be in vain, because that fruit is not mine. For the field I glean in now is specific to my needs and only from him can I enjoy the harvest.

Ecclesiastes 2:24-25 says, "There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God, for apart from him who can eat or who can have enjoyment?"

So while I am toiling in the field set before me the question is how could I be a better roommate? How could I be better co-worker? How could I be a better girlfriend?

The seasons will change. They will change from a season of battle to a season in a desert wasteland. They will change from a season of comfort to a season of uncertainty. So instead of worrying about what other fruit is out there I will take a big giant bite out of the fruit in front of me!

Thanks to Jenn and her sensitivity to the spirit and thanks to Ecclesiastes:
"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, an a time to die; a time to plant, an a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill an a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace." (Ecc. 3:1-8).

Budgeting

Budgeting is evil.

I could be calling it evil only because it's hard, but I still think it's evil.

I have been trying to budget my money for the past three years and so far I have a gained an okay grasp on what it should look like. I mean I divide the money into specific allowances for specific categories and haven't spent outside my means. Yet, the reality of me sticking to the budget is as real as Big Brother 15.

Every time my card swipes thoughts of excuses flows through my head:
"I think I had $20.00 left in my eating out budget last week when I looked, I should be fine" "Eating out is a social thing and I definitely can't miss out on that." "If I eat out this time I'll 'transfer' that money over from groceries. I rarely buy groceries anyway."

So over the past few months I have paid closer attention to my budget and found out that my previous method of budgeting has proven to be unsuccessful, to say the least. I would tease my savings and sometimes put money in that account, but not if it competed with a group night out! So I have decided to put my foot down for casual spending and raise my fist to disciplined savings and a maybe little less spending.

Hopefully just a little less.

I have sought advice from many people here at Pine Cove, who are financially wise, as to what is the best method in taking care my money. Each one has stated, that first and foremost this money is given to me from the Lord and the focus should not be on me and my work, but how I can steward this money in God's design. So, after many chats with my fellow budgeters I came to the conclusion to use the popular envelope system from Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover. http://www.daveramsey.com/article/dave-ramseys-envelope-system/lifeandmoney_budgeting/.

After reading the process and working this new budget into my life I have now coupled the budget system to all things evil like the Grinch and Cruella Deville 

Here is my log of recent battles with this budget

March 1: Dear Diary, after spending the day in town I am tired and hungry and want to pull into Taco Bueno to eat their dip combo, but instead the budget crept in on me and made me eat food at home!
Budget: 1 Fun: 0

March 3: Dear Diary, it's me again today was a better day with Mr. Budget. Its Thursday and everyone, really everyone goes to Chic-fil-a for lunch and I love Chic-fil-a. The decision came to go our not and this budget tried to keep me stuck at home so instead  I jumped into the vehicle with my co-workers and hit the road for lunch. I decided that today I am going to use this money and budget well for this meal. Instead of fighting with the budget I will work with it. Yet, before we headed into town we stopped in to check the mail and there I find a St. Patrick's Day package from my grandma with $20.00 inside! Thank you Grandma, that came at perfect timing I will use this for Lunch! So not only did I receive an amazing gift of cash I was blessed with eating at Salsarita's with my co-workers too! We passed on Chic-fil-a only this time to enjoy some white queso.

I will eat white queso any day. I could have a problem.

Already I have learned a lot from this system and I know I still far to go. But maybe budgeting is not all THAT evil and if I use it well I can still eat out AND have white queso.  I also learned that I should slow down on eating at the fast food Mexican restaurants.