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.

Scrub-a-dub-dub

Scrub-a-dub-dub - I finally have a new tub! Haha, what I thought was only going to take 2 or 3 days to install, turned into a week and a half. Thankfully, Kristy, Jeff and precious little Tyler were sweet enough to let me shower at their house while I impatiently awaited the completion of my bathroom. While it wasn't fun getting up 30 minutes earlier than usual for all of that time, it was fun to see the Mitchells more often. We ate chocolate chip pancakes, played swords and cars, ran in circles around the living room and had dinner together. Kristy mentioned one day that it was like I was part of the family - which was really sweet! I don't mind being an honorary Mitchell, not one bit!

I am so excited because tomorrow I'm boarding a Midwest flight with the destination of MILWAUKEE! (looking forward to the chocolate chip cookies on board!) I have been on the phone all week making plans with everyone I can think of that is still around. I'm renting a car for the first time in my life, and it's kind of like another sign I'm an adult - as if there aren't enough already. Hopefully I'll be able to find my way around town. Even though this is the place where I learned how to drive, and you would think I would remember everything, we moved pretty soon after I got my license and it's been 8 years now, so we'll see how it goes. I think I have every hour of my 2 1/2 day trip planned out, and I just can't wait! My next blog will be full of pictures and stories of my favorite city in the North. My friends are so precious to me, and I can't wait to see Lake Michigan, Tosa East High School, the village, my old house on Gridley Avenue and visit Northwest Baptist Church for the first time in forever!