tracekase

A few months ago we came up with some five year goals for Oak Leaf Church. I’ve never been a big goal-setter but I enjoyed the conversations about where we’re heading as a church. As we made our goals we knew that in order to accomplish them we’d have to get healthy first. So, our theme this year is HEALTH. Beginning in August we started making strides toward getting healthy. This goes from our Volunteer Teams to the database to our finances and everything in between. Some of it’s not so fun but it’s so necessary if we’re going to move forward.

We’ve announced that next year on our 4th anniversary we’re going to launch a second campus. Our efforts to get healthy now will pay off when we go to duplicate Oak Leaf Church in another town. Every detail matters and every bit of our hard work will pay off. People are meeting Jesus. Lives are being changed. And that makes every second worth it.

The past two weeks have been pretty crazy. Two weeks ago I went on a cruise to Mexico and last week I was in Chicago! Both trips were a ton of fun. Here are some highlights.

Brian and I went on the cruise with Michael and Jennie. We had a great time. Our first stop was Cozumel and we enjoyed an all-inclusive beach that day. We all got 30-minute massages which were amazing. Lots of fun and very relaxing! Then we stopped in Calica which is right down the road from Playa del Carmen. We rented a car and went to some Mayan ruins. Very cool. Then we walked around Playa del Carmen and visited some shops and stuff. The ship was pretty rocky the whole trip so that was interesting but the food was good and I got to get some sun

I went to the Story Conference in Chicago last week with Michael, Jake and Suzy. The conference was at the Paramount Theater which was awesome. The highlight of the conference for me was hearing Donald Miller speak. And apparently he had the flu. I never would’ve known. Michael posted a recap of the conference so you can check that out here. While there we drove into the city and ate dinner at Texas de Brazil, which was really good. I’m so thankful I got to spend a few days with Suzy… she brings so much joy and laughter to everything! Love her so much!

Now I’m back in GA for a little while. I’m not used to all this traveling I’ve done this year…. I’m definitely a fan! Back to reality, though. Lots of work to do and the holidays are just around the corner! Before we know it we’ll be celebrating a new year! Time is flying by!

1. this cold weather is blowing my mind. i love it but i’m not sure i’m ready for it. but i do love hoodies and i am wearing them a lot right now!

2. the good news is that i’m going to warm cozumel, mexico next week so i have that to look forward to!

3. but then i go to chicago so i’ll have to be ready for cold weather by then. looking forward to the Story conference!

4. we’ve got a new roof on our house! woohoo! i really never thought i’d be so excited about a roof. but i am. the paying for it part is not so fun though.

5. i love, love, love football season! i could sit around and watch football all day long. hoping this season doesn’t go by as fast as last year. oh, and brian and i are doing pretty good in our fantasy league too

6. i can’t wait for my foot surgery in january. sometimes i get nervous about it because the healing process is going to be intense, but then i remember that all the pain i feel now will be over after it heals and i get so excited! i can’t wait to be able to run again!

these are words that describe me and things i love.

Here are five quick updates:

1. Week two of Storybook Sex is this weekend at Oak Leaf Church. Join us for any of our FOUR services. Saturday night at 5:00 and 6:30 and Sunday morning at 10:00 and 11:30.

2. We’re going on a marriage retreat to Buckhead November 13-14. We’re calling it Sex in the City. We’ll go down there on Friday evening and be done around 11 a.m. on Saturday morning. There will be two sessions with special guests Brian and Amy Bloye from West Ridge Church. It’s a great opportunity to get away for a night and we’re doing all the planning for you. The cost is $149 and you can go here to register.

3. Brian and I are going on a cruise with Michael and Jennie in about a week. I have a whole lot to do before then. But I can’t wait to go on vacation!!

4. After the cruise I’m going to the Story Conference in Chicago. I’m excited about the opportunity… I’ve never really been to a conference like this. Should be a lot of fun!

5. I have to clean my house today. Booooo.

We have a very exciting weekend ahead of us at Oak Leaf Church! Not only are we kicking off the series Storybook Sex, but we’re also adding a fourth service to the mix! There will now be FOUR opportunities for you to invite your friends, family and co-workers to Oak Leaf Church.

The Series:

The sexiest love story of all time won’t be found in a Shakespeare play or a Nicholas Sparks novel.  Believe it or not, it’s found in the Bible.  Join us as we walk through the book of Song of Solomon and learn about what God says about sex, dating, marriage and relationships.  It’s a series called Storybook Sex.  Here’s the lineup:

• October 3/4:  The Smell of Attraction
• October 10/11:  You’re Getting Warmer
• October 17/18:  The Wedding Day
• October 24/25:  Trouble in Paradise
• October 31/November 1:  Making Love Last

The New Service Times:

We’re not just adding a fourth service, but we’re also changing service times for EVERYONE. The new times are:

• Saturday night at 5:00 and 6:30 (with Date Night Plus after, so you can go on a hot date with your spouse!)
• Sunday morning at 10:00 and 11:30

Here are some graphics  for the series…. you won’t want to miss it, I promise!

i truly could not love my alma mater more. i am so thankful for the four years i spent there and would not trade the experience for anything. i could write for hours about all the memories i have from those years but  only Bek, Amanda and Loo would really care to read that

…but I will take a minute to talk about MOUNTAIN DAY. this weekend is one of my favorites every year. Mountain Day is a tradition that has been around for a long, long time at Berry College. Martha Berry lives on everywhere you go on that campus, and this silly tradition is one of the biggest things that happens on campus every year. my favorite part is the picnic… and i must say, we have the BEST picnic every year.

one of the silliest things ever happens during the picnic… the tradition of marching up and down the hill. you can make fun of it all you want but i find it so interesting that this tradition has lived on all these years. students march up and down the hill holding hands and finish up by singing our alma mater. the soccer team always does this silly chant together before they go to the fields for their annual game on that day, the cheerleaders do a little routine and the President and Dean of Students always have a few remarks. it’s a wonderful time to celebrate Martha Berry and the history of such an amazing place!

so make fun of us all you want, but i will forever love this annual tradition at Berry. here’s some of my favorite pictures from last year!

This weekend we’re beginning a new series called Break Free. During this series we’ll take lessons from the Exodus in the Old Testament  and use them to help you break free from habits, bondage and hangups, and live in freedom.

I’m really pumped about this series, and am confident that the Lord is going to teach us so much throughout it. During the Contagious series in the month of August, we talked about inviting and wrote down the names of the people we’re committed to praying for and inviting to church. Now we’re going to have three weeks in a row that are filled with the Good News of Jesus Christ! So, if you’ve been waiting on the perfect series to invite someone, then this is it. I promise you won’t regret it!

And if you randomly stumbled upon my blog and you live in the Cartersville area… come to Oak Leaf Church this weekend! Saturday night at 6 p.m. or Sunday morning at 9:30 and 11:15. See you there!

so, yesterday was my birthday. i am finally the big 2-3. by the time my birthday rolls around most of the people around my age have already turned 23 so i just feel behind. but i love to celebrate anyway

i’m the type of person that believes that when it’s your birthday you can do whatever you want! i love celebrating everyone’s birthday because it’s your chance to celebrate that person’s life! i know that’s so corny and ridiculous but i just think birthdays are the best!

this year i had a great birthday. nothing amazing or out of the ordinary happened… but i truly felt loved and appreciated by everyone around me.

here are some highlights:

matt’s birthday was the day before mine… i wrote him some notes on post-its and he returned them to me for my birthday.

The staff took me to lunch and I got to pick the place… so, I chose Las Palmas. Yum! Thanks to everyone who took me out! I love serving with each of you!

I got a sweet card from the staff and a 12 pack of Dr. Pepper. LOVE IT!

when I got home there was a package on my front porch. in it? yep, MOTHER’S COOKIES! my cousin Ash knows the way to my heart. these cookies used to be sold in GA but several years ago they just stopped showing up in stores. saddest thing ever. soooo, my family keeps me stocked up

after opening my package my wonderful husband took me to dinner at Outback!

gotta love the bread!!

the celebrating didn’t end there… Bekah and I went to an Italian restaurant in Charlotte (well, technically Pineville) for dinner tonight and they brought me cake and sang the funniest version of the Happy Birthday song i’ve ever heard. i think they said my name about 74 times throughout the song!

i was also overwhelmed with birthday wishes on Facebook and Twitter, as well as in text messages and phone calls. thanks SO much to everyone who made my birthday so special… y’all are awesome! except for you people who said i was turning 13… i don’t like y’all very much.

This is why I love my doggie. We got him this Chick-fil-a cow several months ago and it’s lasted forever. It’s his only toy and he LOVES it. Watch this video of Toby chasing the cow around… and if you get bored, skip to the end.

*Disclaimer: i’m iMovie-handicapped. so don’t judge me. and i’m also sorry i didn’t mute my television. enjoy!