Available…for His glory.

If you follow or stalk me you probably have noticed #village in my updates and tweets.  If you don’t know I tweet I do-eugena8410  I rarely update Facebook, usually its my tweets.  Anyway.  A girl at work a few weeks ago asked what was “the village”?  And did I “live on a commune or something?”  I laughed and explained that the village is my circle of friends.  I think it was the week that I hit the deer with my car I realized just  how functional and wide my circle is and how thankful I am for it.  And “My Circle” sounds like some sort of Cell service advertisement. 

And I am partial to the movie “The Village.”  It contains one of my favorite love story scenes.  One that I could see me having with a boy.  For enquiring minds it’s the scene when Ivey (Bryce Dallas Howard) and Lucius (Joaquin Phoenix) are sitting on the porch.  She asks him why he never says what he is thinking and He asks her why must she always say what she is thinking.  And it continues as he says he will say what he wants to say and do what he wants to do and yes he will dance with her at their wedding.  (that totally fails to do the scene justice…so please watch it).  And I love that in the movie Ivey’s father says “We are thankful for the time that we are given”  Yes. 

 

So.  The Village.  Let me introduce you to some of the core members.  And I have not gotten permission from any of them to share the following photos (just of their kids).  I tried to pick good ones.  But they should know that because they are village members they are fodder for the blog.  So, in no particular order:

 

Torie White aka my favorite white person-

I met Torie the summer of 2001.  My second summer on staff with Centrifuge Camps and we were at Carson Newman College.  I had heard how great she was from a staff friend.  And for almost the first week I thought she didn’t like me.  Turns out we both don’t do well with getting to know new folks and small talk.  That summer she was an extreme blessing to me.  She has married a guy she met that summer (and pretty much couldn’t stand after their first date but fell in love with him on a mission trip…again fail to do justice to that story).  She’s from California, lived in NYC with her hubs and now is in New Iberia, LA.  Yep bout as big as it sounds. 

I love her for her laugh and her ability to put up with me hassling her.  Mainly on Mondays because that tends to be the day I always call her. I love how I can show up at her house on a weekend and pretty much just do whatever is going on.  From homemade greek food at a friends for new years to being broken down 20 miles from her house on 4th of July and staying an extra 3 days.  And oh the lessons I have learned in her sunday school class.  That's a complete other blog post for some random day.  I have learned much through watching her single life transistion to dating, engaged, married and now married with kids.  Its been a blessing to laugh and share some of those moments with her.  California wedding to hot days in NYC watching broadway shoes to holding sweet Adeline who was 4 days old. 

She has 2 fun kids- Adeline Grace and Jonah aka J-Dub.  They are not dramatic at all…

 

Jamie Sue Waugh aka Jamie Sue-

I met Jamie Sue back in 1999 when I moved to Ft Worth.  She worked at the church I attended.  At the time she had 2 kids.  She has since had 3.  I spent my first birthday in Texas with her- eating Mexican and trying to teach her how to fork someone's yard.  Didn't happen…those people stay up late… Her 3^rd child- Faith Elizabeth is known as “my child”  I’m kinda like the grandma who spoils her.  But I’m not that old.  But she is my favorite. Dramatic child that she is and all.  (I mean the kid plays softball…).  Many things did Jamie Sue teach me.  Many a movie did we see in downtown Ft. Worth.  Many a mile did we travel.  Lots of laughter watching her kids grow up.  Caleb just turned 17!! That's craziness. 

Jamie Sue finally decided that she wants to be a Nurse Practioner when she grows up and currently deals with groddy wounds on folks in the hospital in Ft. Worth.  Her crazy husband is a football and softball coach at a High School.  She loves music and Oklahoma. 
Specifically Oklahoma State.  Since they are orange I can roll with that.  Hence the OSU sticker in my windshield.  My love for Eskimo Joes wear came from her.  They rival Hard Rock in tshirts sales…just fyi. 

 

Jennifer Spencer aka Sista Girl

Jennifer is sort of an anomaly (I’ll borrow that term from a terrible ER doctor I recently met).  I am not really sure when the first time I met her or had a conversation with her was.  I can say that one of the first things I remember was her volunteering to help me with the NYC spring break mission trip that she and her dtr. Kaitlyn were going on.  And my second memory was sending her, Kaitlyn and another team member off on a subway after convincing them that yes indeed it WAS  the right train and Yes it WAS going into Manhattan where they wanted to go.  For the record- it WAS the right train.  But it WAS headed deeper into Brooklyn.  I appreciated their trust in my leadership however flawed it was at the moment. 

Sista Girl got her nickname at her daughter Kayla’s skate party.  Random.  But you gotta have a nickname.  And her family is like mine.  Or maybe other way around.  She has 4 kids which makes it feel like home. 
Sometimes loud, laughter, randomness, good food, and in football season- dip nation.  And I cannot believe her oldest will be a senior this year.  Man I feel old.  She is one of the only people I know that I have had a pretty good disagreement with and we walked through it and came out better on the other side.  It’s been a blessing to watch her kids get older and walk with her down this road a bit.  And she FINALLY might start twittering.  If she can just twitter some of her youngest kids quotes you guys would love to follow her.  Oh and her husband ain’t such a bad guy either.  (Shout out Spence!)

 

Jamie Shelton aka-yet to be determined…I am doing my best to try to come up with a nickname for this one.  (and please note…this pic is old.  Like four years old.  And both of us dont look too fab after working in NOLA and Jamie being pregnant and all..but you get a point of reference. 

My first memory of Jamie is one of my top 5 mission moments.  You can read her side of the story here.  I just remember her sitting in the van looking out at all of us waiting on her to get out.  And one of the first days quizzing me about our itinerary for the next morning (before we even got back to the dorm before dinner).  Thankfully she accepted my answer that we would go over the am before I sent them off to bed.  We were learning how to be "Fluid"

She is a newer member to the core of the village.  She decided to invite me to serve at Emmaus back in April and that sort of revolutionized my current situation.  She has 3 children 2^nd grade down to 2.  And her house is busy.  Like full tilt busy.  Watching her littles made me remember back when I nannied for littles.  Mannnn I forgot how on your toes you gotta be and how tired you end up!  Prayers for you mommas with littles.  I tell Jamie and Torie that their sons are cut from the same cute full tilt cloth.  Maybe one day they can meet and hang out. 

I appreciate her for her type A OCD tendencies.  Sista Girl, Jamie and I are much the same in that aspect.  She loves to run.  Like run alot.  I like the idea of running, and what my legs could look like if I DID run.  But not so much the running.  Props to her on that point. She challenges me in ways she doesn't know she does.  But its so good for my soul. 

 

Tammy Fetner- aka Sweetpeep

I met Tammy in March of 2009.  She is the Director of Nursing at Arbor Springs aka “The Arbor”  I don’t remember a first convo or how we got to be such friends but I do remember her getting her car spray painted by an ex employee, going to Waffle House at some late/early time of day, sitting in the front drive at EAMC utilizing their internet because it was close to midnight, we had to send an email from work and our work internet was down (of course).  I do remember her cute short self bouncing into the office, sticking out her hand and shaking mine.  She introduced me to “God’ s country” aka Randolph County and Woodland Bobcat Football (and baseball, and basketball). I have seen her run (literally) down the halls to go check on a resident in heels.   She has 2 chillins- Her son was a redshirt freshman quarterback at University of South Alabama last year (Go Jags…cant wait to see him getting some action this year- much to his mom’s dismay) and her daughter is a nurse and is in school for her Masters.  Ironically Samantha is an ER nurse and when I had my episode 2 wks ago I was wishing she was working and Coosa Valley was a heck of a lot closer than EAMC.  Tammy loves on the elderly like no one I have ever met, is concerned for their well being, doesn’t take no for an answer when it comes to her residents and has compassion on them like nobody’s business.  It was a joy to work and serve with her at The Arbor.  And she is one of the reasons I hated to quit that job.  And sobbed repeatedly over that decision.  I am grateful that I still get to bug her often and eat dinner with her at random points in time at random dining establishments.  And we always have on at least shorts when we eat.  (you gotta have shorts for waffle house!)

 

Honorary Village members by way of being my actual family-

Terry- aka Daddy

Daddy’s wife Barbara- aka Bobbie to the grandkids

 

 

 

 

 

 

Older brother Barry- his wife Karen and 5 kids

Younger (by 5 years) Sister Laura- Her hubs Scott and her 2 chillins Brynn and Ansley (my stone mountain camping buds)

Youngest sister (by 10 years) Christina- aka Boogerhead  no clue where that nickname came from.  One of the funniest and fun people I know.

 

 

Stepbro Jay and his wife Angie and 2 chillins (I dont have a good picture of them together)

Step sis Braley and her hubs Matthew and 2 chillins (I dont have a good picture of them together)

 

Other village members close to the core:

Lynn Blount- Queenie

Sarah Chandler- SaPoCha

Ashley Belcher- Sketchybelch

Howard Porter and Katherine- Hopo and Kat

Christie and Wayne Hall- nicknames TBA

The Biblises  (I just like trying to say Biblis plural) 

And lest you feel left out, if you are reading this, odds are high that you are indeed part of my village.  I regard all my peeps out there as MY Village.  Some just live on the outskirts. 

 

I am currently looking for a village idiot.  But I have yet to find one.  Perhaps its because I am it.  Cuz I for sho know my village members aren’t idiots.  Haha