So Much to Share...

Now that my daytime tv career is over, I thought I would update on other parts of my life. By the way, here are my thoughts on my Rachel Ray segment: It is funny how much time you spend filming when they edit SO much out. It was weird to see myself on tv. If you watched the online version, they did not show the video of me shopping and the interview. I did not realize how nervous I was when I was sitting in that chair in the studio. It is so nerve-wracking to know the camera is up close and personal on you as well as Rachel Ray. It also does not help when right before you go out there they tell you "make your sure you look at this camera, don't look to much to the left, don't move your hand when Rachel talks, smile but don't smile to big, and on and on, and on" Anyways, I had fun having a very small tv moment! And speaking about daytime tv, the Children's Ministry staff team had the opportunity to be in the audience of The View this past Wednesday

I know you guys think that I all I do is go to talk shows, but I really do have a full time job. This was actually a staff outing(and if it makes you feel better we did have a staff meeting afterwards) This was fun show to be in the audience of and if you happened to be watching, it was my roommate Joanna who did the mid-break announcement. I guess we are just a talk show appearing staff team:-)

So moving on to my real life, I spent this past Tuesday in the suburbs with one of my co-workers, buying 6 loaded down buggys of toys. I think most of you know that I am the "Nursery and Paid Childcare Coordinator" for Redeemer. Basically this means I am over all the children at Redeemer who are 3 and under. Redeemer is 20 years old and I think most of our toys are that old too(well maybe not that old, but pretty old). So one of my projects this fall has been to clean out our 4 sites and replace toys. Can I just say that it was so fun to go down the toy aisles of Target and buy lots and lots of toys and not spend a dime of my own money. It was quite the ordeal to check out, get these toys loaded into a small Toyota Camery, and get them back to the city but we did get the royal treatment from Target. I think they were just so thankful that we were spending so much money. As I have started unpacking these toys I realize why parents do not like Christmas afternoon. You buy one small toy car and they attach it to a huge box with 5 wires. I mean getting these toys out of their boxes must be as hard as breaking into a house.

One of my favorite nights of the week is Tuesday nights. On this night about 8 girls gather at my apt for fellowship group. This is what Redeemer calls our community groups. I co-lead this group with another girl, Amy, and it has been such a joy. This fall we have been going through the vision campaign sermons. It is a great way to go deeper into the sermon texts and thanks to Redeemer we have amazing study notes and resources. As much as I love the study that we do together, more than that I just love the fellowship and community that this group has become to me. We started meeting September of last year. We have lost a few girls and gained some new ones, but it has been so cool to see how our relationships have deepened. We are learning a lot about what it means to hold one another accountable and to pray for one another. Just this past Tuesday was one of my favorite groups yet. There were only 6 of us there, but we spent over an hour sharing what is going on in our lives and praying for one another. I see the depth of our time growing deeper and layers of ourselves before each other being pulled away. I am so thankful for these girls and the friendships that have come out of this Tuesday night group.

Pictured below is our group from a few weeks ago. Once a month we cook dinner together and this was one of those nights!

back row: Catherine, Caroline, Lauren, Daniela

couch: Bethany, Maggie, Joanna

floor: Amy, Leah, Krista

One new thing I have started this fall is mentoring teenage girls. I have joined a program called "The Leadership Academy". It is a very well established Christian program that seeks to draw kids from the inner city of New York and develop them into leaders in their community. I meet every other Saturday with other mentors and about 40 teenagers. I have 3 girls who I have been matched with who I will invest in this next year. One thing about NYC is there are so many opportunities for ministry. There are needs everywhere you turn. As I prayed about where I wanted to invest I felt like this was the right fit for me. I am part of a team of young professionals in the city who have the same desire as me to spend their Saturdays with these teenagers, share Christ with them, and hopefully impact them during these very tough and critical years of their lives. Last weekend we went on a retreat to rural Pennsylvania with these kids. It was quite the experience to take very city kids to a very rural camp. I could tell you some funny stories, but won't take the time for that now.

In other news, my parents are coming on Tuesday for Thanksgiving! We will be spending the week hanging my curtains. (Yay! I will post pictures when they are up), going to a broadway show, shopping at the Christmas markets, going to the Macy's parade, and eating Thanksgiving dinner with a bunch of my friends! For as long as I can remember my mom has had the dream of going to the Macy's Day Parade. I am so excited that she will finally have the opportunity to see the magnificent parade from a few feet away.

I know this was a long post, but I had a lot to share!

HaPpY ThAnKsGiViNg