White Christmas

I didn't have to dream about a white Christmas, because we had one this year! It was so beautiful and made me miss Wisconsin! I had such a wonderful Christmas celebrating with my family and am thankful for the long vacation from work - I don't have to go back until Sunday! Here are some pictures from the last week so you can see all the fun that has been had by the Lowrie family.

SNOW! We actually played football in the snow on Christmas Day, it was so much fun!

Me and Jamie, I didn't realize the camera was on zoom, but it's still fun!

Sisters at the Christmas Eve service
The Newlyweds by the roaring fireMom and her new Emeril saucepan, she was WAY excited!

On Christmas day we went to my grandparent's house in Lubbock. There are so many of us that my cousin Rachel had to sleep in the bathtub, haha. Our newest addition to the Lowrie family, Ben Brooks (he's my cousin Sarah's baby boy and he is adorable, as you can see!)
Sisters and our grandmother - she has been researching our family history and gave us cookbooks with old family recipes. We have a very rich heritage!

Perfect Day

It's official - my dad is over the hill! Yesterday he turned 50 years old and so to celebrate, my family and I planned his "perfect day." The whole day involved all of us getting together to do his favorite things.

1. Run with the fam - Dad loves to run, so we all joined him for his "cool down" around the block. We were quite the site!

2. Golf - Mom gave Dad a year membership at the Canyon Country Club, so we all went and played a scramble round together.

The Jean Team

The Girls in Black (and Mom)

3. Steak and Potatoes - for dinner we made a delicious dinner including red velvet cake!

4. Presents - We gave Dad a new leather briefcase for all his traveling. He liked it! :)

5. Movie - we ended the day with Dad's choice of a movie. He picked Top Gun, which I think was a good choice! All in all it was a wonderful day! I am so thankful for my daddy and I hope he is blessed with another 50 years!

NYC: Merry Christmas to me!

I just got my first Christmas present! My mom booked plane tickets for us to go to NYC the first weekend in January and I'm so excited! I love the city that never sleeps and will jump at any opportunity to go there! I get to pick the musical I want to see, so I'm thinking "The Lion King." I have wanted to see it for a really long time and have heard wonderful reviews, so I figure I better see it while I have the chance! Mom wants us to go see a play by Arthur Miller starring Scarlett Johansen and Liev Schreiber. Sounds good to me! I love famous people! :) We'll be taking a tour of the New York Times, per my mom's request. I'm not sure what else is on our agenda yet - maybe Ellis Island or the Statue of Liberty (I've never been to either!), there's no telling - which is really exciting. In case you can't tell, I'm thrilled! Yay for traveling! Yay for New York! Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Lessons and Carols

This evening I had the pleasure of being part of a beautiful Christmas service at St. John's Episcopal Church in Brownwood. It was called "Lessons and Carols," and it was modeled after The Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols which was first held at King's College, Cambridge, on Christmas Eve in 1918.

Tonight, HPU's Heritage Singers performed the same service and it was amazing! I have heard them perform several times, and in my opinion this was their best! The songs they sang were so beautiful, presenting a great representation of the birth of Jesus. During the service, faculty and staff members read nine lessons, chronicling the Christmas story from Adam to Jesus. I was asked to read the Fifth Lesson about the angel Gabriel coming to Mary.

It is not often that I attend more traditional services like this one, but I always enjoy it! There is beauty in the "thees and thous!" It was such a joy be a part of this beautiful night and I will definitely plan on attending this service next year! What a wonderful way to start preparing my heart for the celebration of Christmas this year!!

Twas the Night Before Finals

My Dad was the guest speaker in chapel at HPU yesterday. The last time he spoke, I was a sophomore in college. It was great to have him back again and of course, in my unbiased opinion, I think he was wonderful! My mom got to come too, so it was a special treat!

I warned Dad that he wasn't allowed to embarass me like he did last time. (I think he used every embarassing story he had on me from college to share with all of my classmates, causing quite a red face!) So instead, he focused his jokes more on his longtime friend, Dr. Gary Gramling -one of my favorite professors at HPU! I'm going to "re-blog" what my Dad wrote today, so that you can read his great parody on "The Night before Christmas."

From Dad's blog: Love and Lead

Brownwood: This week I had the opportunity to speak in chapel at Howard Payne University in Brownwood. My daughter Kalie is the Media Director for the university and I have the honor of being on the board of trustees. At this last chapel of the year before finals, historically Dr. Newbury has been the key note speaker. Unfortunately he was not able to be there, so I had the honor of stepping into his big shoes. Dr. Newbury has a way of making you laugh and teaching you at the same time, so I attempted to follow in his steps. Below is my attempt a college humor. This poem is like most sermons, it is some of mine and some of others I uncovered on the internet. I want to give credit to fellow bloggers Andrew Hund, Comedy Bytes, and a young coed named Shannon.

Twas the night before finals
When all through the college
All the students were praying
For last minute knowledge

Note: there is no use in praying for divine intervention
If in class you paid no attention!

Most freshmen were quite sleepy,
But none went to bed
Because of the nightmares of finals
Dancing in their heads

There was a study party at Skillets for the Greeks
And a study group with Tristan Summers for the Geeks
The sophomores were in their dorm rooms studying like mad
While the juniors came up with creative excuses for mom and dad

Meanwhile the seniors were out on the town
They knew better than to let a little exam get them down
Besides armed with coffee and twelve hour energy drinks
All things were possible with graduation on the brink

At last it was “dead” day
So what can I say
My future depends on the grades I make
Please Buzzsaw, oh I mean, Dr. Ellis pass the pancakes

At the last minute I stared blankly at my notes
My thoughts were quite blurry and confused
My only memory from Dr. Gramling were his lame jokes
And neither then nor now was I amused

I had nearly given up when to my surprise
I began to hear strange noises outside
When my door flung open wide
And the Patron Saint of Procrastination ambled inside

(Speaking of poor jokes let me take a test: What would you call our nation if everyone drove a red car! —A Red Car Nation. Please note it rhymes with procrastination!)

His spirit was careless
His manner quite mellow
When all of a sudden he started to bellow
“On Cliff notes, On Crib notes! On Last year’s exams.
On wingit, and slingit, and last minute crams!”

His message delivered, he vanished from sight
But I heard him laughing outside in the night.
“Your professors are out to get you, so just do your best.
Merry Christmas to all, and to all good luck on the test!

Patience, waiting and enjoying the delays

For the past few days the Lord has been constantly reminding me about patience. I have always struggled with being patient and waiting for things to happen - birthday parties, giving presents, graduation - I could hardly wait! I have said before that if I could just KNOW that what I was waiting on was eventually going to happen, it would make the waiting so much easier. You know, if God gave me a flashing sign that said "Kalie, here it is, just wait a little bit and you will get it!" Wouldn't that be great?

Well, it seems like everywhere I turn lately, God has been reminding me about the importance of being patient and waiting on Him. I know that He has great things in store for me - things beyond my comprehension. But for now, I just need to wait. The good news about waiting on the Lord, is that there is joy in the waiting. Just because He hasn't revealed all of His plans to me, doesn't mean that there aren't good things happening right now!

So, I'm going to keep waiting for God's plan to be revealed, and I'm going to try to find joy in the waiting.

Psalm 27:14 "Wait for the Lord, be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord."

Holiday Mail for Heroes

As you address Christmas cards to friends and family this year, I would like to encourage you to write a few to our U.S. soliders. I started doing this last year, and I hope to continue it as a tradition from now on. It's such a small way to express my thanks to our service men and women who sacrifice so much to protect our freedoms. They display so much bravery and courage everyday and I am truly grateful.

The Red Cross has a program called "Holiday Mail for Heroes" and you can send up to 15 Christmas cards that they will pass onto soliders. Cards need to be postmarked by next Monday, December 7 - that gives you 6 days to spread the joy and hope of Jesus Christ to our soliders this Christmas.

You can mail them to:
Holiday Mail for Heroes
P.O. Box 5456
Capitol Heights, MD 20791-5456

A place to take refuge

This weekend I was a sponsor on a BSM trip to Fort Worth. Shane and Katy Blackshear and I took 11 students to work with refugees through a non-profit organization called Catholic Charities. Over the past few months I had been praying about mission opportunities that the Lord might have me be involved in, and I was so excited when Katy asked me to join this trip - it was definitely an eye-opener!

Amazingly, I only had to travel 2 hours away from my home to meet people from Burma, Bhutan and Kenya. Honestly, while I have heard of all of these countries and could probably locate Kenya on a map, I definitely had no idea about where Burma or Bhutan were located or anything about the struggle of the people there and why they would be refugees.

The families we encountered have come to America for refuge and safety. They fled their homes for many reasons and some have lived in refugee camps for ten years or more. Many that we met spoke very broken English, so I didn't hear all of these stories, but I know that they are survivors! Each family was so welcoming and kind. Several invited us into their homes and gave us the only chairs that they had in their apartments to sit on, while they took the floor. We were collecting "Christmas Wish List" information for their children, so we asked them each what they would they might like. It was so humbling when they would simply ask for a jacket to keep warm or pencils for school. None of them asked for an X-box 360 or Wii, the latest Hannah Montana cd or an ipod. Their faces lit up when we suggested a gift like a soccerball or baby doll.

It really made me aware of how much I have and how I take it for granted. There are so many in need around the world, people who don't know when they will be able to eat again or if they will have a roof over their head tonight. I am so thankful that I do not have these worries, and I hope that this holiday season I can find opportunities to share with those less fortunate.

I was also struck this weekend by the fact that we live in a country where people can feel safe enough to come here for refuge. It is wonderful to know that our government is helping those who cannot help themselves. But, at the same time, it is important to remember that God is our ultimate refuge! As the psalmist said in Psalm 46:1, "God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble." It is my prayer that as these refugee settle into their new homes and new lives that they will meet Jesus Christ. That they will find the ultimate hope that comes from a relationship with him and experience hope and peace like they've never known.

This morning we had the opportunity to worship with several Bhutanese people at the Altamesa Christ of Christ. This church has been a wonderful example of God's love to these hurting people. We talked with some of the church members that work with the Bhutanese ministry and they shared that through meeting the immediate physical needs of the refugees, they were able to meet their spiritual needs. The chuch was not looking to start a Bhutanese ministry, but God lead the people to their door, and so they embraced them and started finding ways to minister to them. I pray that I would be an ever-ready servant like that!

Second box of candles and the BGCT

Did you know that birthday candles only come in boxes of 24? I learned that the hard way when Lorin had to buy two boxes of candles for my birthday cake on Friday. haha, it's so funny getting older! I had such a wonderful birthday! I drove down to Galveston and took Lorin's guided tour of the Moody mansion, then Lor, Phil and I drove into Houston to meet Mom, Dad, Jamie and Madison at Outback Steakhouse to celebrate! I don't think I could have asked for a better present than to have all of my family together! (I did get a GPS, Sleeping Beauty, the new Carrie Underwood CD and a beautiful mirror as well!)

The rest of the weekend we spent together (in the executive suite at the Hilton - which was definitely a sweet suite!) at the Baptist General Convention of Texas Annual Meeting. Since Dad is president, he presided over the entire meeting and did such a wonderful job! People kept telling me how much they appreciated his leadership, his kind and gentle spirit and the way that he has brought about so much peace to the convention over the past year. The Lord has truly gifted Dad is so many ways and I was beaming with pride for him these past few days. Dad was re-elected to serve as president for another year through a vote of acclimation. It served as a great affirmation to his great leadership this past year. Here's a story about it!

It was also a mini family reunion - my grandparents were there along with my uncles John and Steve, aunt Debbie, and to our great surprise, my great aunt Debbie and uncle David! Monday night was really special because my mom sang in the praise team, my sisters and I read scripture on stage right before Dad preached a sermon on compassion, and then my Papa closed the session in prayer. Three generations of Lowrie's were present, representing a wonderful heritage of faith.

In addition to being the first daughter of the convention, I also had several other jobs. I worked at the HPU booth, helped with our alumni dinner (where my college roommate Meredith got to come and lead the prayer!) and wrote an article for about one of the general sessions. You can read it if you click here. It was a great convention and such a blessing to be a part of! So far, being 25 has been pretty wonderful! I look forward to all adventures to come!

All grown up

A couple of weekends ago, Jamie and I went home to Canyon to see little Madie in her high school musical The Music Man. While we were watching her, Jamie and I both looked at each other and realized that our baby sister was all grown up! She looked so beautiful and was a wonderful dancer and chorus girl! Here's a few pics from her standing ovation producing performance!

H-town

While my family and I were in Houston for the BGCT annual meeting, we took part in several VERY different cultural events!


On Saturday night, my sisters and I went to the sold out Chris Brown concert at the House of Blues. It was quite an experience! I don't think I would've gone with anyone else, and we were definitely out of our element, but we had a lot of fun. While we do not agree with his personal choices in life, Chris is really a great dancer, singer and overall entertainer. We had alot of fun!


On Sunday night, Lorin, Phil and I went with my mom to see the auther A. J. Jacobs speak at the Jewish Community Center. Jacobs is the author of several books including Know it All and The Year of Living Biblically. He has just written a new book, which he was promoting. I haven't read any of his books, but I think that they are probably really funny. I did buy the biblical book to read, and of course get autographed. That book is the most intriguing to me because he is a Jew that decided to live an entire year of life following every law and rule he could find in the Bible. He said that it was a really life changing year and he implemented several things into his life afterwards, but sadly, he missed the point of the Bible. He was so wrapped up in the legalism that he missed out on the Savior! He missed the reason for following God's laws - love that pours out of our lives after we have accepted Jesus in our hearts and received redemption from sin. I'm looking forward to reading the book, and it was neat to hear him speak, nonetheless.


Then on Sunday night, we were able to see Robbie Seay perform a concert at the convention. I really loved his voice and he has a great new song called "Miracle" that I'm going to buy on iTunes! It was definitely a change from the other two nights, but I really enjoyed it!!!

25

This Friday I will be turning 25 years old. It is so hard to believe that I'm that old already! For some reason I have been dwelling on this birthday for a long time, or should I say dreading it? ha ha. Growing up, I think that I always imagined 25 as this magical age where everything that I had dreamed about would become a reality. My mom was married and had me by the time she was 25, so logically, I would be married and already be a mom as well. But, you know, life doesn't always (OK it rarely ever) turns out the way you imagine, and I'm finding that it's really okay, and actually better that way. God has plans for my life that I would never have thought of, and His plans are SO much better than mine! While I may not be married yet or have any kids, I do have so much to be thankful for! And so, in honor of my 25th birthday, I decided I would share 25 things that I am thankful for.

1. My Savior Jesus Christ - he gave his life for me and he loves me more than I deserve or can comprehend. I would be nothing without him!
2. Dad - an amazing father and incredible man of God! I am so honored to call him my dad! He has taught me so much and I am so proud of all that he has done!
3. Mom - my mom has invested so much into my life. I am so amazed how resilient she is and how amazing she is! Her thirst for knowledge is unquenchable and I am always learning something new from her! She is so much fun to be around and I know that she prays for me every single day!
4. Lorin - my sister, my friend! Lorin knows me better than anyone! She is such a blessing in my life and I am so proud of the woman that she has become! She has such a tender, compassionate heart and loves with everything inside of her!
5. Jamie - also my sister and my friend! She is so much fun to be around and has so much to add to my life! I love hanging out with her and am so proud of the woman she is becoming!
6. Madison - my baby sister that is all grown up! Sometimes I think she is so much like me, and other times we are so different. I love her so much and can't wait to see all that she will do!
7. Phillip - my brother-in-law. He loves my sister so much and it has been so wonderful to add him to our family! He is truly the man God designed for Lorin and I am blessed to know him!
8. HPU - I don't think I can put into words how much this school has changed my life! I never dreamed I would've gone to college at this small Baptist school in central Texas, but God sure had other plans in mind. The people at HPU have forever made an impact on my life!
9. My job - I never knew I would be working as an "alumni and media relations assistant," but I am able to use the talents God has given me to share the good news about a school that I love. I am especially thankful for a job in our economy right now! Praise God for a secure paycheck!
10. The Herd - you know who you are! I was starving for friendship when I met each of you amazing girls and you are so much more amazing than I could have imagined! I know that you will always be part of my life and I can't wait for our reunion in January! Bran, Jess, Cass, Mere, Becca, Kate, Steph, April, Katie, Maria, Hannah, Sarah - I love you all!
11. Wauwatosa, Wisconsin - really, the people in this suburb! Again, I never dreamed that the Lowrie pilgrimage way up north would change my life, but it sure did. I learned so much during my time living there and I will forever treasure my memories! Katie, Erie, Jen McT, Jenny P, Erin, Courtney, Sarah, Erin- you bless my life!
12. Shelley and Amanda - we have been friends since we were 3 years old! We were all baptized on the same day, and I was blessed to stand up in both of your weddings. You will always be part of my life!
13. Family - I have come from such a rich heritage and I am so thankful for each of my grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. I was thinking about my Papa Crane today - on Veteran's Day. He served in the Navy during WWII and I am so proud of his service! I really miss him so much!
14. Travel - God has blessed me with the ability to travel around the world, and I am so thankful for each of the opportunities! I love travelling so much and can't wait for my next adventure.
15. Books - I absolutely LOVE to read and I am so thankful for books! I just don't know what I would do without them.
16. Great co-workers - God has blessed me with great co-workers and student workers that are wonderful to work with! I never dread going to work in the morning, because I get to see great people everyday!
17. America - I know, of course I would say this as a political science nerd - but truthfully I am very thankful for this country I live in.
18. Surprise friendships - (Danielle and Candice) God has provided me with surprise friendships exactly when I needed them!
19. Education - I am so thankful for the education that I have received! I wouldn't be where I am without it!
20. My apartment - this has been such a wonderful arrangement since I graduated! It is so close to everything and living here rent free has been incredible! Thank you God for my little home!
21. The Mitchell Family - Jeff, Kristy and Tyler - I am thankful for the blessing they are in my life! They are great friends that I know I can always rely on! I don't know what I would do without them in Brownwood!
22. Facebook - haha, I know it's kind of a frivilous thing to be thankful for, but I really am grateful for it because I am able to stay connected with so many people in my life!
23. My good old cellphone - another great communication tool that allows me to stay connected with everyone I love while they are spread out all over the place!
24. Musical nights - with Lorin, Cristal and Brittany! Definitely a wonderful addition to my life. I love you girls and am so thankful for you!
25. Twenty-five wonderful years of life - for the good times, the bad times and the inbetween. God has remained constant everyday and I am so extremely blessed! Thank you, sweet Jesus for all of these blessings!!!

What difference do it make? by Ron Hall, Denver Moore and Lynn Vincent

Ron Hall and Denver Moore join together for a sequel to their New York Times bestseller Same Kind of Different as Me. A wonderful continuation of a truly life-changing story, this book shares more stories of the unlikely friendship between a millionaire art dealer (Hall) and an illiterate homeless man (Moore). Throughout the book are stories about people who read the first book and were inspired in different ways. What difference do it make? also provides the reader with motivational thoughts on how to make a difference in the world around you.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it to others! I think it is important to read Same Kind of Different as Me first, so that you understand the history and background. This is like a "bonus features" section, providing more detail on many stories that had already been shared. I absolutely loved the small stories from readers - sharing how the book had impacted them and inspired them to make a difference. It was definitely very convicting, making me aware of my own prejudices and uninformed views of homelessness.

This is my first book review for Thomas Nelson, and I am looking forward to my next book!

More pictures from DC

Here are a few more pictures from my trip to DC last week. I had such a great time! One of the highlights was actually seeing A Streetcar Named Desire at the Kennedy Center Starring Academy Award winner Cate Blanchett! She was awesome and it was so neat to see her perform live. It was definitely worth the $25 and standing for 3 hours straight (it was sold out and the only tickets they had available were standing room only!). Other highlights included my first trip to Mount Vernon - which was beautiful! - and a visit to the top of the Washington Monument to see DC from up above.

Living My Dreams

My life lately has been very busy, but I've been having a lot of fun! Last weekend was Homecoming - my fourth that I have planned, which is crazy! Our theme this year was "Living Your Dreams" and it was such a good weekend. I think it was probably the best that I've planned yet. Everything went really smoothly and it was great! It was fun to see old, and new friends and reminisce about my time at HPU. Sometimes its easy to forget about actually being a student here, since I've worked at the school all this time.

Now, I'm sitting in a hotel room in Washington, D.C. (my favorite US city!) on a trip with students from the Model UN team at HPU. We left Austin yesterday morning at 7:00 a.m. and have already had a full schedule of events! I took some of the students around the National Mall last night, which I can just NEVER get enough of! My American pride is just always bursting at the seems as soon as the Washington Monument comes into view. We went to the Smithsonian for a bit before it closed, then walked to the White House and saw the monuments at night. It was really beautiful! This is amazingly my fifth time in DC (my 2nd this year!) but my 1st time to see the city in the fall and it is so beautiful! I love all of the trees changing colors - we don't get as much of that in Texas!

Today we got a tour of the Capitol building, which was really great. An intern from Congressman Mike Conaway's office did a great job (I must admit, it was a lot more thorough than the tours I gave as an intern for Sen. Hutchison several years ago, haha) spending over 2 hours with us and taking us all over the building. It's always fun to go there and I think the students enjoyed it too. Tonight they started their conference so I am going to the Kennedy Center to see City Dance Ensemble: Latitude. I'm not sure what to expect, but I love dancing, so I'm sure it will be great!

Deep in the Heart of Texas

This weekend I went to Dallas with my friend Candice and we had so much fun! On Saturday we met my mom and sister Jamie and headed to the State Fair! It has been years since I've been the fair and it was fun to be back. It just happened to be the Texas v. OU game, and can I just say, I have never seen so much burnt orange in my life! There were 90,000 people at the game, and I think I saw everyone of them! Whew it was crazy! That night we stayed for the Miranda Lambert concert, which was really good! I've never actually heard her music before, but she was a good entertainer, and she's a Texan, so obviously she was awesome!

On Sunday, we pick up Jamie and two of her new college friends - Allison and Erin - and headed back to downtown Dallas for the grand opening of the new AT&T Performing Arts Center. The entire arts district was free for the day and there were constant performances, so needless to say, we were very entertained. We saw dancers, acrobats, a jazz band and a Grammy award winning flutist. Here's some pictures from the weekend.

Me, Mom, Jamie and Big Tex

Mom and her new ride

Me and J before the concert

Miranda Lambert

J and her friend Allison


These crazy guys from "Anti-Gravity" - an acrobatic team that did amazing stunts!

Candice and I outside the Performing Arts Center

Books, books, books

So, as many of you already know - I LOVE books! Recently I have signed up for two new books programs that are both really unique and exciting to me, so I thought I'd share them with you.

Thomas Nelson Book Review Blogger

Probably about a month ago now I heard about this program with Thomas Nelson publishers through my friend Katie and immediately I signed up! Basically here's how it works: Thomas Nelson ( a Christian publishing company) sends me a free copy of one of their recently released books, and I will review it for them on my blog (so, readers of my blog - be aware that book reviews will be forthcoming on here!). It doesn't matter whether I like the book or not, they just want me to share my opinion and post it on an additional book review website as well. As soon as I complete the review, I'm eligible for another FREE book.

I'm so excited about this and I already have my first book - it's called What Difference Do It Make? and it's written by the same authors who wrote Same Kind of Different As Me. I won't tell you anything about the book yet, so that you can look forward to that soon (probably after Homecoming, the way my life is going right now). This makes me feel important, because someone actually wants to hear my opinion on books! I read all of the time, so why not tell others about it and get free books in the process?

Paperback Swap

The other book website that I have signed up for is called Paperback Swap and it is exactly what it says it is. I have registered on the site and posted some of my old paperbacks that I don't want any more. Once I posted 10 (which suprising wasn't that difficult to find on my overflowing bookshelf), I was eligible for 2 credits - meaning that I was eligible to request two books from other members. The only payment that is involved is when someone requests one of my books, I am responsible for the shipping costs. But, as soon as the other person receives it, I get a credit for another book of my choice. I have already had someone request one of my books and I plan on mailing it off in the morning. It's kind of like an internet library - but the cool thing is that if I really love a book, I can just keep it! If it's not that great - I'll just post it back on the site and get another one.

I thought my fellow book lovers would be interested in these two neat websites! Here are the links if you want to sign up for yourself! Happy reading!

http://brb.thomasnelson.com/

http://www.paperbackswap.com/

Saying Goodbye

Today I said goodbye to my sweet friend Danielle, who is headed to East Asia to serve as a missionary. She will be gone for the next two years, following the call that the Lord has placed upon her life to serve people in a country thousands of miles away that she has never been to. I didn't think that I would get to see her again before she left, and so today was a great surprise!

I am so thankful for Danielle and for her precious friendship. We became friends about a year and a half ago, at a time when I really needed a friend. We had gone to school together for three years, but never knew each other, and it wasn't until we had both graduated that we bonded over One Tree Hill and became lifelong friends! I know that the Lord brought us together as friends at exactly the right time! Danielle was my travel buddy last summer to Europe where we went to five cities in three countries in nine days. It was an awesome trip! Now, she is embarking on a new journey and I am so proud of her and look forward to seeing the amazing things that God is going to do in and through her over the next two years!

Hopefully our goodbye today was only for about six months, because my plan is to go see her in her new home over Spring break in March. I am so thankful for modern technology that will allow us to stay connected while being far away. Knowing that we can skype, email, facebook and more made the goodbye much more bareable today. All the same, it was still hard to say goodbye.

Empty Bowls

It has been a while since I have blogged - mainly because life has been pretty busy lately and at the same time, I haven't really known what would be interesting enough to blog about. But here's something that's really neat that I am involved with right now.

Empty Bowls

I am on a leadership team that is planning an event in Brownwood on November 6 to raise money and awareness for hunger needs in our community. It's called Empty Bowls and all of the money raised is going to feed hungry people. My responsibility is publicity - so basically getting the word out. It is so neat to be a part of an event like this, outside of work, where I am able to use talents that God has given me to help others.

One thing I know that I am good at is talking - and anyone that knows me well can testify to that. I love talking with people and sharing with them things that I know. Whether that is the crazy story I saw on the Today show that morning ( I always tend to catch the 7:30 - 8:00 a.m. segment with the "you'll never believe this" human interest stories rather than the actual certifiable news), something I read in a book, a story I heard from a friend, etc. Meredith (my college roommate) used to ask me if I had a word limit that I had to get in each day because it just never seemed like I could run out of things to say.

Well, God has given me the awesome opportunity to use that gift for His glory. My job everyday is to tell others about the great things at HPU - and I love it! I actually get paid to write stories about things that are happening, update people on facebook and twitter and find new ways to tell stories - and it's so much fun!

Now, I am being blessed by being able to help with this new Empty Bowls project and get the word out about this awesome day devoted to helping feed hungry people in my community. 90 % of the profits on Nov. 6 are going to local hunger needs and the tithe of 10% is going to an organization called Heifer International which helps hungry people around the world. My biggest prayer right now is that people will come the day of the event, so if you are in town, please stop by from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. at the Depot. We are praying and planning for 500 people. The suggested donation is $10, so we could potentially raise $5,000 for hunger in one day. We are also having a silent auction, which could raise our profits even more. You can click here to read the story I wrote about the Empty Bowls project. We are also looking for lots of volunteers to serve all day that day, so if you are interested, let me know!

It's neat to be a part of this planning committe, (headed up by Dr. Gramling, Katy Blackshear and about 10 students) and see the amazing things that Lord can do through people that come together for His glory. I pray that God will be glorified through this event and that people will truly be impacted.

I'll end this post with some scripture that Dr. Gramling shared tonight from Isaiah 56:6-10:

"Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter-- when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. "If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday."

Oh, I thought it was from last season

Last weekend was a Lowrie family reunion in Dallas. My sister Jamie is a freshman at DBU and so we planned to all meet up for family weekend. Lorin even got to come but Phil had to stay in Galveston for work. On Friday night my sisters and I went to see the new movie "Love Happens" which was a really good movie! Not what we were expecting, but it was a really sweet story.

On Saturday we walked around DBU - which I've never been to before. It's a beautiful campus up on a hill that over looks a lake. It truly is a gorgeous campus! Jamie is getting settled in and making friends and seems really happy there, which is so great! I know that God has had a plan all along in sending her there and I am so thankful that she is seeing that plan fulfilled. That afternoon Jamie and Mom and Dad went to the Dallas Art Museum (Jamie had to go for her art class) and so Lor, and Madie and I hit the mall.

I have to share this crazy little story - we spent quite a while in Forever 21 and I bought these two gold necklaces and then immediately put them on as soon as I left the store. Well, about a minute later we were walking down the middle of the mall and I broke the cardinal rule of mall shopping -I made eye contact with one of the kiosk workers. She immediately came towards me and said "I really like your necklace." Well, of course I was flattered, being as I had just purchased it minutes before. She then asked if it was one necklace or two and began reaching for it around my neck. I told her it was two that I had put together and at that point, she reaches down and takes one of the necklaces off of my neck and puts in on herself. I was so confused as to what she was doing. She said she wanted to see what it looked like on her. Then she asked me where I got it and how much I paid for it. I told her it was $5 or $6 and she said "I'll give you $4" (keep in mind she still has my necklace on at this point.) I said, "Well, I actually JUST bought this necklace and so I don't think I am going to sell it to you." She said "oh, I thought this was last season." (how rude! haha) So, then I asked for it back and she took it off and then tried to tell me about the mineral powder she was trying to sell. All in all that was one of the craziest things that has ever happened to me while shopping!

That night we went to a Ranger's Game and a MercyMe concert that was being held at the stadium. I love MercyMe! So, obviously the concert was wonderful! And we had a lot of fun at the game too. The Rangers actually beat the Angels (which I think are in first place right now) so that was great! It has probably been 10 or more years since I've been to a Rangers game and it was great to be back at the ballpark. Plus, being with my family is always great and we had a blast! Madie had the camera this weekend, and so hopefully I get some from her and can post them soon.

Then Sunday morning we went to church at FBC Dallas, which was my mom's church in high school when she became a Christian and was baptized. It is also special for her to go back and neat for us to get to go with her. After lunch we all headed separate ways - Mom, Lor and Madie went to Canyon, Dad headed to Marshal (he was speaking at ETBU yesterday), Jamie stayed in Dallas and I went back to Brownwood. This has definitely been a hard adjustment for all of us to be spread out, but we're making it. Thank goodness for cellphones! I think the next time we'll all get together will be for the BGCT convention in November (right after my 25th birthday - aahhh!).

Before I went back to Bwood, I got to see three of my HPU friends. Brandi and I went to Trader's Village for a couple of hours, which was quite the experience and it's always fun to see her! Then I met up with the Hayes sisters (Ashley and Lindsay Badgeley) for dinner at Panera and we had fun catching up! It was a really great weekend!

Travel update: I found out last week that my next trip will be to DC at the end of October. I'm going as a sponsor on a Model UN trip, and I'm really excited to get to go to my favorite city in the US for the second time this year!

Biggest Loser

So, I've never really watched the Biggest Loser before, but I am tuning in this season because I know one of the contestants. Her name is Abby and she is from Mabank! Abby's parents are good friends of my family's from our time in Mabank many years ago now. I think that Abby was in college while we lived there, so I never really got to know her, but I know her story. Almost three years ago Abby lost her husband, her 5 year-old-daughter and 2 week-old-son in a tragic car accident. Abby wasn't in the car because she was at home recovering from having the baby. My parents traveled to Mabank for the funeral to help support Abby and her family. This is truly one of the saddest stories I've ever heard, and Abby has shown great courage and strength just getting up everyday! Hearing her recount the story tonight made me cry - just like I did when I first heard about it. She mentioned on the show that she is there for a reason - and I really think it is to encourage others. I know Abby is a Christian and being on this show is an amazing opportunity for her to share her testimony with millions of Americans. I look forward to cheering her on!

On a side note, I didn't actually watch the whole show tonight because it was two hours long and the second hour I went to the Wellness Center to work out (having been motivated by the first hour of the show - if they can run a mile, so can I!!). I think it is kind of ironic to have a show motivating people to work out that lasts for so long. Yay for other people losing weight - let's sit on our couch for two hours as we watch them work hard. Haha.

Heroine of the Battle of Cowpens

Tonight my grandmother and I spent several hours researching our family tree. I have always been proud of my heritage - but it is so neat to go back further than I have ever seen and find out even more about my ancestry.

Apparently my great-great-great-great-great grandmother, Kate Barry, was the Heroine of the Battle of Cowpens. Crazy, right? haha. This was during the Revolutionary War, and Kate - who was 15 at the time - helped warn her husband (yep, husband) that the Tories were coming, subsequently helping win the Battle of Cowpens. The history that we read about on the Walnut Grove Plantation in Spartenburg, SC describes her as a very brave woman. "Courageous Kate" was torchered at one point to give up the location of her husband and his regiment and she refused. I think some of that bravery may have been lost through the generations, but either way - I have a certifiable claim as a Daughter of the American Revolution. Which is pretty cool to me, considering how much I love this country of ours! (i.e. I almost cried the first time I saw the Constitution in DC)

Beyond my rich American history, I am proud of my amazing Christian lineage. While hanging out with my grandparents tonight, I was able to talk to my Great Grandmother Lowrie (my Papa's mom). She is 92 years old and lives in the mountains of Tennessee. I have not had many opportunities to see Grandmother Lowrie in my lifetime, but I am so proud to call her my great grandmother. She is a strong woman of faith that is the matriarch of an incredible family, in my humble opinion.

My Grandmother (Dad's mom, in case you are having trouble following) also showed me letters tonight testifying to the strong faith of my great grandfather (her dad) and great-great-grandfather (her mom's dad). Both men were known for their prayer life. The words used to describe them were truly humbling - I should strive to ever have anyone say such things about me. It is so neat to know that the love of the Lord runs deep in my veins and my heart. On both the Lowrie and Reynolds sides I have a strong rich hertiage in my heavenly Father. And not just that, but I am a child of the King! Whew - I am truly blessed beyond measure!!!

Same Kind of Different as Me

On my trip to Milwaukee, I read an amazing New York Times best-seller called "Same Kind of Different as Me." My friend Kristy had been telling me about it for a really long time and I have had several other friends recommend it, but I kept putting it off - mainly because it is non-fiction and I'm more of a fiction girl.

Since I had heard so many great things about it, I decided to take it on my trip and read it on the plane. Now, this wasn't the wisest idea I ever had, because I cried through the whole book. The people sitting next to me on the plane both there and back had to sit next me as I sopped up tears, but I had no idea that was going to happen.

The book is written by two men, Ron Hall and Denver Moore, about their lives and friendship. It is set in Fort Worth around 1998. Ron is a millionaire art dealer and Denver is a homeless man. They became friends because of Ron's wife, Debbie, and her heart for the homeless people in Fort Worth. It is truly an amazing story about the shocking things that they both lived through (it's hard to believe it really happened) and about the beautiful heart of Debbie Hall. She is truly one of the most inspirational people I have ever read about. Debbie felt the Lord calling her to minister to the homeless, and that is what she did - with her whole heart. Mid-way through the book I was ready to quit my job, sell everything I have and go minister to homeless people. God did amazing things through all three of these people and it is definitely worth reading! Seriously - it's one of the best books I've ever read - go get it today!

Don't Forget the Frozen Custard!

I spent my Labor Day weekend in wonderful Wisconsin. It was so much fun to be back in the cheese state with the friends that I love so much! I got in around 9 on Friday night and had a very grown-up experience as I rented a car for the first time. For some reason, it made me feel like such an adult to fly into Millwaukee, rent a car and drive around. I spent Friday night with my "church" friend Erin Soderburg. When I lived up there I had my "school" friends and my "church" friends -both groups were amazing and had profound impacts on my life. Erin lives near the UWM campus and we had spent the night catching up on each other and everyone we know. Saturday morning we walked to a Brugger's bagels a few blocks from her apt - which was wonderful! This was my mom's request for my trip - to eat at Bruggers - and it was just as good as I remembered.

Then, I headed to Jen McT's house for a bit before we went downtown to meet Courtney. Jen and I didn't stop talking from the minute I got to her house to the minute we met Courtney - which was really funny because we didn't even really discuss plans, I just followed Jen around figuring it out as we went. :) Court lives in this really neat apartment complex that was built in the 1930s. My favorite part of her apt was her toilet, because, if you look closely, you can see "Erie" on it. She said as soon as she saw that, she knew this was the place for her. Haha. So random, but so fun! The three of us took off on a walking tour of downtown - which amazingly I have never done before! Court and Jen were great tour guides - telling me all about the statues, Cathedrals, City Hall, and pretty much everything we saw. We just happened to see JP II (Pope John Paul II) which was just perfect since I decided in high school that I was going to be the first woman, Southern Baptist, American, English speaking Pope. We also ran into the bronze Fonz, don't ask me why the city decided they needed a bronze statue of the Fonz.

Then we walked along Lake Michigan in this really neat wildflower reserve that they have built behind the SummerFest grounds. It was so beautiful and just the perfect day! Katie met up with us and we headed to the Grand Avenue Mall. That night all of us met up with Chuck and Erin for dinner at Maxie's, a new cajun restaurant in Tosa, which was soo good! We all took a trip down memory lane as we reminised about our days at Tosa East. Of course we then had to get frozen custard - what's a trip to Wisco without that? Then we headed to Chuck and Erin's house where we sat around for hours telling stories and laughing until we almost cried. Jenny P (Erin's twin) was able to come too after she got off of work.

Sunday morning I went to Northwest Baptist Church (the church my dad used to pastor) for the first time in probably 6 or 7 years. They have a new building now and so I had my friend Mandy take me on a tour - which was fun! I felt like I aged 8 years over night as I saw the kids that used to be in the nursery with Madison tower over me, play in the orchestra and drive! Being back there definitely brought tears to my eyes, with memories of the wonderful times I had there, and seeing how far the Lord has taken me since then. That afternoon I met up with Ron and Lynne Crump, my friend Amanda's parents, who I have known since I was three. It was so good to see them, and to see that Ms. Lynne's arm had healed since she broke it at Lorin's wedding. Then I went over to Melanie Strenk's house for a fun party! Here's the guest list: Sherry, George and their kids Shelby and Chase, Scott, Tawny and their kids Sam and Emma, Mel's dad Bill, Scott's mom and brother and then a couple of others. We sat around and talked while the kids played and even celebrated Scott's 30th bday! Sherry, Scott and I were in the youth group together and Mel and Tawny were sweet enough to be friends with me even though I was in high school while they were cool college chicks. It was great seeing them and their kids!

That night I met back up with the Tosa East crew at Katie's house. We sat around her fire pit because amazingly enough it was cool outside! (kind of a shock to my Texas system) I got to meet Katie's boyfriend Filo. Even though we stayed up late, we decided to meet at George Webbs for breakfast on Monday so we could all be together one more time before Jenny had to work. The rest of the morning we spent watching great movie including Anastasia and Enchanted. It was a perfect end to a perfect weekend!

Being back up north brought back lots of memories. Living up there was so different than anything I had known before (or since probably). It was a hard adjustment my first year, as a freshman, but I made amazing friends (all listed above, plus many who are living other places now). The weather was a major adjustment! (who knew snot could freeze in your nose?) I was also challenged spiritually, emotionally and politically. I really had to figure out what I believed and why I believed it, because sometimes, okay A LOT of times, it was different than the majority of the people around me. I know that God had a great thing planned when He brought the Lowrie family up to that cold tundra, and I am a better person for having lived there and met all of the people I know. PS - look on my facebook page for more pics from the weekend.