Well, I think we all know by now that typically, a Siesta ticket giveaway post is followed by the recap video. They’re just too fun not to share! Don’t you agree?

(Also, I’ll have you know that just before I pressed “Publish” I realized I spelled Phoenix with the e before the o in the title. Pheonix. How embarrassing would that have been? Bless my heart.)

Our friend and amazing photographer, Rich, burned the midnight oil to get this done for us by today. We are so grateful. And y’all, it’s rockin’. He has a gift not only for taking amazing pictures, but capturing the weekend so well in the recap videos. You get a tiny glimpse of what it may have been like if you could have been there. At this point, I think I might offer to pay him to help me perfect my craft in the small videos we make here. Grin.

Without further ado, here is the video, friends.

Oh, and while I’m here, would you pray wellness on our Beth? She came home from the event with an upper respiratory thing and we all can understand that’s no fun and has the potential to stick around longer than we want. Thanks so much, y’all!

Living Proof Live | Phoenix from LifeWay Women on Vimeo.

Happy Thursday, y’all!

I write to you with great joy today as Beth and then entire Living Proof Live team make their way to Phoenix, Arizona for the first LPL of 2013. Woohoo! How many of you are getting the chance to attend this SOLD OUT event? We prayed each of you up on Monday and not just on Monday, but all week long it’s been our mind, and certainly at the forefront of our dear Siesta Mama’s mind! It’s been nearly four months since the last LPL, so it’ll be fun to have the recaps and the stories back as well.

With that said, even with the event sold out, we have SEVEN, I repeat, only SEVEN Siesta Scholarship tickets to give away to those of you that would love to attend, but financially, just don’t have the means to do so right now.

IF that is is you, please call the office and ask for Kimberly. You can call 281-257-3344 or call toll free at 888.700.1999. She will get you squared and away and good to go! If you happen to call during the lunch hour, please leave a message and we’ll get back to you ASAP.

I think it goes without saying, but would you please pray that God would do what only HE can do this weekend? The Lord has allowed the team to do this for 15 years, and they’re not taking it any lighter this year! In fact, they’re pressing in all the more. Press in with us, will you? And, if by chance you happened to miss the video earlier, you might get a kick out of Travis and Beth here. So fun!

We love y’all!

A last minute dentist appointment. That is exactly what kept this post from going up yesterday morning. And really, I said last minute, but it was more like an emergency. That sounds so serious, and really all is well. I just had a tooth that was giving me more pain than I could bear, so to the doctor I went.

The saddest part is I didn’t learn anything new. I was simply told to do what I’ve put off for a year now. What is that, you ask? Oh, just to have my wisdom teeth removed. (Can someome please explain to me why we have wisdom teeth anyway? If we just have to get them removed? It makes zero sense to me.) I know it’s not that big of a deal to most of you, but if you knew how much I loathed the dentist you would understand. It’s an honest fear of mine that I don’t know how to explain. If you’re a dentist, I have nothing against you personally, I just don’t enjoy like my mouth is feeling violated. And the gagging? Well, that’s the absolute worst.

That is all just really TMI and has no connection to this post in any way, shape or form. I am so sorry. How did we get here anyway? My bad.

Moving on.

Last week most of Houston was on spring break. And while I didn’t get an actual break since I’m not a teacher, a student, a mom of young children or any other breakers you can think of, I did enjoy some of the perks.

In all honesty, last week was the calmest and slowest week I’ve had in a long time. It was both nice and weird at the same time. Nice, because I had been going ninety to nothing, but annoying, because it came to a complete hault, and I had a lot of downtime. I don’t do well with a lot of downtime. I like to be on the go! But that’s just me. Let’s just say I had a lot of quality time with my roommate.

In no particular order, here are the top three moments of my non-spring break 2013. (Don’t get your hopes up. It wasn’t that riveting!)

(Also, I spent the first half of the week recovering from my couch. I know you have spring break envy now.)

1) Family dinner

My little brother who is finishing his last year at Texas A&M was home for the week, so we got to have dinner one night. As a whole family. Whoa! We had none other than some fabulous tex-mex, and then took the party to my parent’s house where we watched countless hilarious YouTube videos. We laughed until we cried! And then we took this awkward family photo with my mom’s iPad. We’re fancy like that.

2) The Houston Rodeo

Y’all. The Rodeo is a BIG deal here. And rightfully so! It always lands during spring break and they are brilliant for doing that. So, I took full advantage of that Houston entertainment and took a few of my Bible study girls down there for the day. A few highlights from our day were getting to walk through the livestock show and seeing a mama sheep give birth to a baby lamb (you may be grossed out by this, but I thought it was fascinating and really neat!), eating rodeo food – YUM, watching mutton bustin’, and the pig races. None of us really had much interest in the carnival. Not to mention, the weather was fantastic! It was chilly in the morning, then got a little too warm as we were leaving that afternoon. Thank you, Lord!

A few of us before heading out that morning!

Among other things, I at this cinnamon roll. Yes, it is as big as my hand. Yes, I ate the entire thing. No shame. So delicious.

This is what you would call hanging on for dear life! In other words, a little mutton bustin’. It is by far my favorite thing about the rodeo. How could you not love a little four or five year old riding a sheep? Or, a mutton? Grin.

Our clan for the day. It was a smaller group since spring break is so give and take, but we loved it!

A girl and her cowboy boots. Yes.

3) Coloring and Swinging

I spent Saturday watching a few of my favorite kiddos on earth. Jen and I were on babysitting duty and we had a blast! Do you realize how cathartic coloring is? And swinging? Spending the day with a four year old, a kindergartener and a baby will make you so happy you could bust. And so tired you fall asleep at 9:00 PM. I know those of you with young kids are laughing!

Mr. Dean and I created this lovely art together. Are you impressed with our coloring skills?

Life is good upside-down on a swing set. The sign of a good day.

Oh, and how could I forget to add our friend pollen?

This is the sidewalk of our office. That’s pollen. Not yellow chalk. And we wonder why we can’t breathe? Mercy.

What was one highlight for you over spring break? That is, if you had one. Or, you can make up spring break like me. It works like a charm!

Listen, y’all. I know it’s now the middle of the week, but who said you can’t blog about your weekend on a Wednesday morning? Better late than never, right?

We’ll start with Friday:

I had the great joy of meeting my coworkers at Luby’s for lunch to start out my day. After a full day at the office on Thursday because of Girl’s Bible study that evening, I had a slow morning at home on Friday. Little did I know, it was just a snapshot of what my weekend would hold because low and behold, Friday morning (well, it really all started Thursday moring) I woke up feeling about 50% like myself.

That was a low.

But, that meant I got to drink out of my favorite coffee cup. I’m here to testify that there’s not a cup on earth that makes me happier than this one.

That was was a high.

(For those that are curious, the mug is from Anthropologie. They make great gifts! In fact, I’ve been given two. Double the pleasure!)

Once I made it to the office I diagnosed myself with a head cold, a sinus infection and a bad case of allergies. You know I wasn’t’ feeling great when I turned down a free ticket to the Houston Rodeo to see Tim McGraw. Can you say bummer? Mentally I was dying to go, and had one foot in the door, but physically, my body was begging me not to give in. I ended up not going afterall. Although it was wise, that was a low.

However, after administering drugs to myself in the form of Tylenol Sinus and Congestion I was able to attend a party hosted by my friend where she was selling cute jewelry and fun things where the proceeds went towards an adoption fund. That turned into a hilarious, tear-inducing, stomach hurting laughter girls night. Is there anything better? That was a high.

Saturday.

I slept in. That was obviously a high.

Then, in quite the foggy state, I was able to get myself somewhat presentable to meet my BFF for an early lunch at a local Chinese restaurant. Our favorite. The fogginess was lifted by Ellie. Also known as Jen’s baby, and my current obsession.

How could you not be in love with this eight-month-old bundle of love? Sigh.

That was an obvious high.

Right after that I went to a one year old birthday party for another friend. I joked at lunch that I need to borrow a baby for the party! I was right. I may have been the only one without a child. Except I’m totally kidding. Kind of.

Can you even stand this smash cake cuteness? Too much. Happy birthday, Moses!

By now you may realize that my life has no lack of cute children in it, and for that I am very grateful.

Straight from the party, I headed to the Woodlands to attend the Chris Tomlin Burning Lights tour. It was the perfect evening to sit on the lawn. Beautiful weather. Beautiful music. The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavillion is an outdoor concert venue that is really neat when Houston decides to have pretty weather. When Chris Tomlin and Kari Jobe sang Crown Him I was done. And I mean that in the most endearing way. What is it about that song, y’all? If you’ve not heard their rendition, I feel sorry for you. It is incredible.

The entire concert was a high. (If the tour is coming to a city near you, I’d encourage you to do all you can to get a ticket and GO). The minute I left I felt myself crashing, and quickly. On top of that, I officially sounded like a man. It was lovely.

That was a low.

I was supposed to sing the next morning at church, but decided right then that it would not be a sweet sound to the Lord, nor to anybody else. So feeling terrible, I bowed out gracefully.

I skipped church the next morning, got a really good night of sleep and nursed my wounds, both emotionally and physically. I hate missing church! My sweet mom brought me chicken noodle soup, and by 5:00 I was feeling good enough to go to the evening service. And I am so glad I did. It was so good! Pastor Curtis brought a strong word on unity in the church, and worship was just sweet.

That was a high.

Although I was on the mend, I woke up Monday morning still sounding very manly (an obvious low), decided I didn’t need an entire sick day, just half of one, but when Sabrina told me to stay home and rest, I didn’t argue. It was best for all involved. You never know how great you don’t feel until you sleep the day away. Apparently I needed the rest.

So, here I am, back and work, grateful to be here and feeling 85% like myself. Praise God!

And now I’m not sure how to end this post. And I’m laughing. Maybe I should just ask you to share a high and low from your week should you care to share it! You know, since it’s Wednesday and all.

Oh, wait! You want to know another high from my weekend? The Passion 2013 “Let the Future Begin” CD was released. I don’t think I need to explain to you that it’s been on repeat since I retrieved it from my mailbox on Sunday. You have to get it!

(You can get it practically anywhere. Target, Walmart, iTunes, and so on. Just don’t miss out on the blessing it is!)

Okay, that was a much better way to end this post. At the very least, it was a takeaway for you, my friends.

Happy Wednesday!

Good Tuesday morning, friends! It’s a sunny, crisp, beautiful morning here in Houston which is fitting since today is the last night of Bible study. I cannot believe it! These eight weeks might have been the fastest eight weeks of my life. Which is funny since I’m not the one doing any teaching. Grin. But really, we love Bible study season so it’s very bittersweet to see it go. Of course, it’s no shocker that just as I was getting the flow of Tuesdays down, it was just in time to see it leave us. Funny how things work that way!

It feels risky to be posting on a Tuesday since I don’t want to be delayed on anything for Bible study tonight, but as I was deleting a few pictures on my phone a couple of days ago, I decided it might be time to do another iPhone dump.

This edition, as you have already read, is the random edition. Meaning, none of these exhilerating iPhone pictures go together like “rama lama lama ke ding a de dinga a dong, remembered for ever like shoo bop shoo wadda wadda yipitty boom de boom.” Grease, anyone? Because really, that’s the way it should be.

Anyway, I’m running out of minutes. Pictures it is, folks.

This is my view every Tuesday evening. And a little glimpse into Bible study. I thought it was only appropriate to share this with you.

Meet Jenn. Only one of my favorite people on earth and a serious joy to serve with! She is our Tuesday night Bible study coordinator extraoirdanaire. We love her dearly. (Okay, so the first two pictures go together. But the rest, I promise, are so random. Grin.)

Believing God, anyone? I’m knee deep in the study and these truths never leave my mind. Maybe you need these reminders today, too?!

The other morning I was boiling some eggs, and low and behold, I cracked one as I was setting it in the pot. That’s so me. It made for quite the artsy egg.

Only when living with a nurse (or maybe a doctor, but in this case my roommate happens to be a nurse) do you happen to walk into a stethoscope hanging where our keys would typically hang. Normal? Not really.

A few weeks ago, this is what my drive to church looked like. We’ll call it the Great Fog of 2013. It was quite the intimidating, and very s.l.o.w drive that early morning.

A dramatic sun flare. This picture was actually taken a few months back at a retreat I was at, but I ran across it again and it made me terribly happy. Absolutely beautiful.

I bought myself tulips the day before Valentine’s day. They may or may not have been a little gift to myself. Anyway, only a few days later did they look like this. Do you see how pitiful they are, y’all? Oh my word. I’m a flower killer. The greatest thing about social media is that after posting this picture on both Instagram and Twitter, I had enough information to open a flower shop. Keeping these babies alive was no biggie! I was told to cut them, change the water, throw a penny in (yes, a penny), change vases, and a multitude of other things. Unfortunately, none of that worked. I think I just picked a bad batch. Awesome.

When my friends let me love on their little ones, it brings me endless happiness. Sweetness.

Can you say pure joy? I get a glimpse of this smile and dimple nearly every Tuesday before Bible study. This is Jenn’s (pictured above) sweet daughter.

I just have to show y’all both pictures. I mean, y’all. She was beyond tickled and laughing until her stomach hurt. Isn’t that the best kind of laugh? I love it.

These are my roommates. Every now and then when all of our random, crazy schedules allow, we get little date nights. This particular evening, we were celebrating Bethany’s birthday. On those nights, we like to take what we call our “obligatory roommate car picture.” You should try it sometime. It’s fun. This might have been our 15th take as we can never get each of us in the picture.

Just last weekend I got to serve at a conference for college girls called Masterpiece up in College Station. I loved every minute of it. But my favorite part may have been watching these girls go for it in worship. So pure. So sweet. Thank you, Lord.

Lastly, my sweet family. Getting the five of us together is a rarity, but this particular night we were celebrating my parents 34th wedding anniversary! It was a sweet night.

Well, folks. There you have it. The most random, and maybe the most boring post to date.

Happy Tuesday to you!

*Update: Comments are now closed! And I’ve decided that y’all have some of the best hypothetical books around. You had me laughing out loud! Check back soon for our ten winners!

The weekend before last (I know, take a minute to figure that one out. It is Monday after all.), I drove myself to Katy, Texas. (While that may sound like I actually ventured out on a road trip, it really just means I drove 30 minutes across town.) (Also, I’m really into the parenthesis today.)

(I’m currently humoring myself and no one else. I know. Forgive me.)

The reason for my 30-minute road trip was because a sweet lady named Big Mama, I mean, Melanie Shankle, was doing a book signing at the Books-A-Million for her new book, Sparkly Green Earrings. You may have heard of her? Grin.

(By the way, if you’re curious as to why she refers to herself as Big Mama, you’ll be relieved to know she explains her alias in the first chapter of her book. But I’ll leave that story for her to tell. A little suspense is a good thing.)

Melanie has been blogging since before blogging became the thing to do, and her blog was one of the very first blogs I read. (How many times can I use the word blog in one sentence?) It was really love at first sight, or read. A few reasons I’ve loved Melanie’s blog are because she’s hilarious, real, a good writer, sarcastic and she loves Jesus. Need I say more?

Also, she does a really fun post every Friday called Fashion Friday, and I don’t know about you, but my materialistic side is really into fashion, and there is always something she’s finding online that’s adorable that I then put into my mental wish list.

Anyway, last Saturday I got lucky and both she and her equally hilarious daughter, Caroline, signed my copy of the book.

Truth be told, I love to read, but for the past week the book has sat on my bedside table. That is until I picked it up yesterday and devoured the first five chapters before I realized I would be late to church and miss prayer time unless I left right then.

(Y’all. I didn’t set my alarm yesterday morning, slept in, and went to our evening service. I don’t know, but I feel like a new woman. It was heavenly. But that has nothing to do with Sparkly Green Earrings. But I did feel sparkly. Whatever that means.)

You know those books that you pick up and they’re just easy to read, charming and you want to keep going because you’ve entered into their world without even knowing it? That’s how I feel about Sparkly Green Earrings. I realize I’m only five chapters in, but I can guarantee you it won’t take me longer than a week to finish it. Honestly, I was a little skeptical at first, not because I don’t love Melanie or her writing, but because it’s a book about motherhood, and, well, to state the obvious, I’ve not ventured into the land of motherhood, nor am I close, so I wasn’t sure if it would apply to me. But alas, it is so much more than motherhood, it is her story of motherhood and it is a sweet one. In fact, she talks about her best friend from the start, and I really resonated with that as I thought about my best friend, and our friendship, especially since she just walked through pregnancy and has her first baby girl that is my current obsession.

I say all of that to say this, our friend Melanie, and her whimsical book, made it on the NY Times Best Seller list this week. Listen, I’m no author, nor have I published a book, but I say that’s a pretty big stinkin’ deal and deserves a celebration.

Need proof? Here’s a picture.

So, to celebrate, I thought it would be really fun to give away ten signed copies of Sparkly Green Earrings! Through a series of unplanned, or planned, events, we have those copies in our possession and they make me incredibly happy. Thank you, Amanda and Melanie, for making the signed books a reality. I know y’all had nothing better to do this weekend. Grin.

Here’s a look in the book.

How about this cover? I’ve tried endless times to get my ponytail looking like that.

Signed, sealed and (almost) delivered. Grin.

Someone else we all know and love also loves this book and the author!

And here is a picture of Nancy and me at the book signing with Melanie. The only thing I’m regretting right now is the fact that Caroline isn’t in the picture with us. Watching Caroline sign the books brought me pure delight.

(Notice the leg pop both Melanie and I are doing. That makes us cool.)

To win your own copy of Sparkly Green Earrings, simply leave a comment with your first and last name. (Side note: I know some of you don’t like your last name on the internet for the world to see, so if that’s you, your last initial would be so helpful. I don’t know if you realized there are A LOT of names on this blog, and not shockingly, A LOT of duplicates.)

For fun, if you’re feeling super creative, you can also tell us hypothetically what the name of your book would be called if indeed, you were to publish a book.

And I’m not even going to pretend like I know what my book would be titled. I’ll just start with “Lindsee Lou”.

How’s that for original? Catchy?

Okay, enough about my non-book.

I’ll leave comments open until mid-Wednesday morning!

Ready, set, go win a book!

Long before I darkened the door to type one word on this blog, I tapped the keys and typed many-a-word on my own personal blog. It would be perfectly legal for me to say it was a thing of the past because I haven’t actually seen the blank screen of my own blog in a mere six months.

Do you see the single tear falling down my cheek?

I miss my blog.

You see, there was something so easy about blogging in my own little corner. I know that blogging is a form of publishing, so while I was careful about the topics I approached, I was also carefree. I could write about the egg I demolished, my lack of cooking skills, being single, a weekend update, my family, my friends and post pictures galore. For the most part, I knew my reader audience and I came to love them. In fact, a handful of them were some of you.

No one asked me to give up my personal blog, I was actually encouraged to keep it, but when the day came that I was asked to write on this blog, as a part of my job mind you, I just wasn’t sure how to keep up with two blogs. I tried, but failed miserably. I can feel my stomach turning again as I remember the first time I ever hit “publish” on my first post here. I stepped into very uncharted waters, and although I’d read the LPM blog for many years and even participated by commenting, I think we can all agree that commenting and publishing are two different things.

Mentally I had to ask myself what was so different about blogging in my own little corner as opposed to blogging here, and I came to the conclusion that I felt very exposed here.

Not only did I feel exposed, but I also realized the weight of whom I was representing. In my little corner I represented my ideas, my thoughts, and me. Here, I represent my boss, this ministry and most importantly, Jesus Christ.

And let’s just get real, my reader audience not only changed, but it grew exponentially. I was comfortable with my mom, dad and best friends reading what I wrote on Lindsee Lou. Since they knew me so well, my blogs never came as a surprise or shock to them.

I’ll never forget the first time I read a negative comment directed right at me over something I had said. It hurt. But that’s the sacrifice you make in sharing your life, not everyone will agree with everything you say, nor do I expect them too, but it was still very personal. I then received another, and another. At some point, you start to develop thick skin and not let it get to you in the flesh like you’d think it would, but I finally had to stop and give myself a little self-talk. Was I representing this ministry well? Was I speaking truth? Was I representing Christ well? If the answer to all of that was yes, then I had to keep writing.

In my effort to protect my heart and guard my identity, I wanted to stop writing because it wasn’t perfect. How disgusting is that? But that’s just the perfectionist coming out in me along with a mountain of pride. Truth be told, I did the same thing with singing. I grew up singing in choir, but squirmed at the thought of singing a solo. Why? Because what if I messed up? What if I didn’t do it perfect? What in the world would people think of me?

Again, being exposed rose up in me. Leading worship and writing, two very intimate things to me. That was until the Lord pushed me out there without my begging or asking. In fact, I even said no to singing at first.

But then I had to come to the conclusion that playing it safe, to protect my identity and what you may or may not think of me, was to actually play it really boring, and quite the opposite of living by faith.

I’m into genuine, sincere writing. And I feel like sharing my life is the most genuine way to go. The good, the bad and the ugly. And you too. Have you seen the encouragement and life-giving words that have been breathed onto this blog? We have the chance here to clothe people with dignity, love them where they are, and cast no judgment.

God is searching for hearts that are devoted to Him. If my heart is devoted to Him, I have no doubt He will return the dignity to me and support me. His word doesn’t return void, and it will accomplish its purpose.

I read this quote yesterday and it stuck out to me like a sore thumb, “The more intimate I am with God, the less intimidating people are to me.” Ouch and amen.

Truth be told, this community has become more and more dear to me everyday.

As I sat in Bible study a few weeks ago, I about had the wind knocked out of me when Beth shared a scripture with us that I have not, nor do I ever want to forget.

“We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us.” 1 Thessalonians 2:8

In the middle of my throwing a fit about feeling exposed, the Lord gently reminded me why He’s called me, for such a time as this, to share my life with you. Or, as The Message puts it, we wanted to give you our hearts. And we did. Because you have become so dear to me. To us.

So, here’s my heart, my life, for you.

At the risk of feeling exposed, yet delighted to share my life with you, even if the gospel isn’t proclaimed word for word in each blog post, I pray you get a taste of Jesus Himself here.

Thank you, sweet friends, for letting me take a risk with you. The good, the bad, the ugly, the funny, the serious, and even the mundane.

I sure love you.

Update: Good Wednesday morning, ladies! I closed comments about an hour ago, which hopefully gave each of you the chance to secure your comment to be entered in the drawing. Now I get the joy of announcing to you our 15 winners that were picked completely at random, thanks to a website literally called Random.org. That website comes in really handy when all we want to do is give each of you two tickets, but that’s just not realistic. Grin.

So, in no particular order, our winners of two tickets each to any Living Proof Live event of your choice are:

1. Dana Nuber
2. Susan Wilson
3. Lori Lutz
4. Sherry F.
5. Cindy Cochran
6. Kelley Mansfield
7. Claudia Clark
8. Connie Capps
9. Kasey Hanson
10. Lisa Potter
11. Judy Heindl
12. Sheila Bragg
13. Beth Petrashek
14. Emily Babb
15. Wendy Whitley

Congratulations, ladies! We’re so excited for you! Please contact me (Lindsee) at [email protected] so we can get you squared away. Have a wonderful afternoon!

I’m not sure what you were up to fifteen years ago, but fifteen years ago I was a little 12 year old girl quickly approaching my awkward teenage years. To me, that’s a pretty humorous thought.

Why am I telling you this?

Because fifteen years ago, my dear boss, her good buddy, Travis Cottrell along with LifeWay set out on a new journey that we all know as Living Proof Live.  Many of you have been blessed to attend these conferences.  They were designed to “teach women to love and live on God’s Word.”  This year they celebrate 15 years of God’s faithfulness through Living Proof Live conferences. Exciting? Without a doubt!

I don’t know about you, but all of us think that calls for a celebration! And we here around LPM LOVE a reason to celebrate!

So, how does one celebrate around here? Through a giveaway, my friends. Because what says “We’re so pumped!” more than giving away something with zero cost to you? Aren’t you thrilled now?

First off, if you’ve not already seen it floating around facebook and twitter, you might be blessed by this little treasure that Beth and Travis filmed a few weeks ago. (You also might be thrilled to know that Beth prefers to entitle and subtitle this video: “What’s Up With My Hair? Cowlicks For Christ.”) Y’all, I’m dying!

Living Proof Live Celebrates 15 Years from LifeWay Women on Vimeo.

Secondly, because I know you’re on the edge of your seat now, go ahead and take a look at the list of locations that LPL will be traveling to this year. I’ve decided to make it super easy on all of us and list them out right here in this post. Grin.

*Phoenix, AZ – March 22-23
*Greensboro, NC – April 12-13
*Eugene, OR – April 26-27
*Atlanta/Duluth, GA – May 31 – June 1
*Providence, RI – July 12-13
*Sioux Falls, SD – August 2-3
*Bossier City, LA – August 23-24
*Charleston, WV – September 14th (Simulcast)
*Tulsa, OK – September 27 – 28
*Springfield, IL – October 25-26
*Daytona Beach, FL – November 8-9

Now, take a really good look at the cities and dates, do you see any that are within reasonable distance from your hometown? If so, how about you say we send you and a friend to a conference?

So, here’s the plan! We would LOVE to send 15 of you to a Living Proof Live of your choice. Those of you who win will not only win a ticket for yourself, but also a ticket to take someone with you, whether it be your sister, mom, aunt, cousin, BFF or whomever you can think of!

Just a few details you might be interested in knowing is that this is just your ticket to the conference, travel and lodging are details we’re asking you to work out.

To enter the drawing, all you need to do is look at the event schedule listed and in your comment add your first and last name, your email address in the box where it asks for it when you comment (one that is working so we can get a hold of you), and what conference you’d most likely be attending. Does that make sense? Fairly easy I’m hoping!

Lastly, and this doesn’t qualify you or disqualify you for the drawing, but because we’ve recently been asked about it, I wanted to bring your attention back to the Siesta Scholarship Fund. If you’ve read this blog for any length of time, you’ll see us post before each conference with an amount of tickets we’re giving away thanks to the generosity of you, our loving siestas. That fund is still very much open, and you have zero obligation and absolutely no pressure to give to it, but if you desire to bless someone in that way, you can do so by going here. Again, we’re only making mention of it as it is often brought to our attention!

Living Proof Live is actually a LifeWay-driven event, so for all the details and for any questions you have, or are interested in attending and need to purchase a ticket, you can click here. That link will be of much help to you!

We love you ladies! I’ll leave comments open until Wednesday morning so everyone who desires to enter gets a chance!

Now let’s celebrate some good times!

I don’t know about you, but I’m a list maker. A lot of days I miss actually putting pen to paper and writing out a list, but with technology these days, that just isn’t necessary. With that said, it will come as no shock to you that the “Notes” app on my iPhone might be my favorite app ever. The lists are endless. And they’re not going anywhere.

Sometimes when I’m at a loss for what to write, a list helps me organize my thoughts, so today I’m bringing you a list. Because yes, today I’m at a loss for what to write.

A list of what, you might be wondering? A list of things you may not know about me. If I knew how long the list was going to be, I’d tell you, but alas, this is all off the top of my head, so by the end of this post, we’ll both know how long the list is. I don’t know whether to apologize or say you’re welcome, but humor me today, will you? I’m laughing. I really do love y’all so much.

1. I have not gone to bed once without washing my face since about the 6^th grade. Should I also mention that my morning routine is the exact same every morning? This may or may not label me OCD. And I admit, I have a few OCD tendencies. But don’t we all?

2. I am an inappropriate laugher. It’s very unfortunate. For instance, a couple years ago at our Christmas Eve service, my pastor had us place all of our lit candles into a sandbox. You know where this is going, the sandbox caught fire. I could hardly pull myself together. And there are plenty more where that came from!

3. Contrary to popular belief because of my tall stature, I didn’t play one sport growing up. However, I was asked by both the basketball coach and volleyball coach every year in high school to join the team. I graciously declined. I had more fear of the ball than I cared to admit. Also, I’m just physically challenged.

4. You know how folks like to say they’re having a good hair day vs. a bad hair day? Well, I like to say I’m having a good eyelash day vs. a bad eyelash day. Because of my naturally long eyelashes (I’m not complaining), they have a mind of their own. Some days they are one with the mascara, other days we battle clumpiness.

5. My hair is naturally wavy/curly.

6. I have a 36 inch inseam for my pants. Yes, I am all legs.

7. I was the first of my family born in Texas to a California dad, and a Colorado mom. 
I am so proud. Yes, you could say I love Texas.

8. My claim to fame was singing at the Super Bowl with Josh Groban along with some other alumni from Houston Children’s Chorus when it was in Houston, back in 2004. We sang the ever so popular, “You Raise Me Up.” One of my very favorite memories by far. And indeed, a huge privilege.

9. Although I don’t travel near enough, I do love to travel. Italy is one of my favorite places I’ve visited. I’d love to go back! I think Florence was my favorite.

10. To put myself to sleep, or when I am really tired, I rub my feet together unintentionally. 
I remind myself of a cricket.

11. Colorado is one of my favorite places to be. (Because of the people and the gorgeous scenery!)

12. I majored in Early Childhood Education when I was in college and graduated a certified teacher in the state of Texas. However, I haven’t taught school a day in my life, unless you label student teaching as such.

13. I was the kid that grew up in church, but didn’t make my faith my own until my Senior year of high school. Praise God for His faithfulness and graciousness towards us.

14. I’m not a collector of many items, but I’ve collected and own a ridiculous amount of scarves. I’m not sure if I should be proud or embarrassed since I live in one of the hottest cities in America.

15. My favorite food? Well, it’s a toss up between Mexican and Chinese. Leaning more towards the Mexican. I’m very hungry right now.

16. This is a new fact, but to help me memorize my scriptures, I’ve been putting my scripture as my wallpaper on my phone home screen. Just an idea for any of you visual learners as well! (See visual below. Grin.)

Your turn! What’s one thing we may not know about you? See, these things are fun. Everyday we get to learn more and more about each other. I love it.