It was life changing for me even though I stayed on American soil & watched it all unfold from my computer.

Sure, I wanted to support my friends who I knew were both a little apprehensive about international travel. I wanted them to know that I was behind them 100% and praying for them. So, I sat, and glued my blogger butt to my office chair for 9 days, tracking their Twitter updates and Instagram feeds. I was a little obsessive. I was supporting them the best way I knew how with the technology that we have. It was a big deal.

It was a big deal because they said “yes” to something that they first said “no” to – saying “yes” like that, and trusting that God knows what He’s doing, giving Him the steering wheel of your life – is a big deal.

Honestly, it’s something that we should do on a daily basis, isn’t it? To truly trust Him can be scary, but when you do, amazing things can happen.

Amazing things did happen because their big deal of saying “yes” to going on this trip changed me.

My purpose in life was, in Gussy’s words, being “STITCHED” and “MENDED” by Him.

I saw a new meaning of HOPE through Kelli’s words.

Each day the images and the words from all of the bloggers were stirring my heart, when Amy met her sponsored child, when Jolanthe was serenaded and when Scott encouraged us to be a part of the Compassion vision.

Then, Nester wrote about a giraffe gift & blue nail polish – both cut right into my heart.

Finally, the real kicker for a mom with 3 boys just like Nester, when she met her sponsored child, Topiwo.

I could go on and on. Grab a box of tissues, get comfortable and read all of them. After you read them, come back here and let me introduce you to a newest member of our family:

This is Elizabeth.

I couldn’t sit on my blogger butt and just read about what was going on in Tanzania and shed some tears. All of my excuses of becoming a Compassion sponsor flew out the window and I knew the stirrings in my heart could not go unnoticed anymore. I had to take action.

This was my comment on Nester’s Nail Polish, Bubbles and $38 post:

I chose her because of three reasons:
1) her name is Elizabeth {it is a family name & my first name – I’m one of those oddballs out there that goes by their middle name};
2) she is the same age as my son, Stone;
3) she had been on the sponsor list for 200+ days.

Thank you Nester & Gussy for saying “yes”.

Our family will have an opportunity to bless because we have been blessed. Elizabeth is a part of our family now through Compassion.

Last Friday I had the experience of a lifetime. Greg gave me a Groupon certificate as an anniversary present to fly a helicopter! Ever since I was a little kid, I have dreamed of being a helicopter pilot for the President. Well, that dream will not come true, but flying around in one for an hour did!

Leading up to my flight time, I was nervous. The entire day it was on my mind and leading me to take a few trips to the bathroom – um, I think Nester coined the term “bossy intestines” and I’m gonna stick with that. {also on Friday I was trying to keep track of Nester & Gussy’s travels to Tanzania – please make sure you read their blog posts this week – inspiring!}

We arrived at Schaumburg Regional Airport and we met Ryan, the pilot. I signed a consent form and then waved goodbye to my family and followed him out to the tarmac. {Greg and the kids were hoping to watch, but the helicopter was in a spot where you couldn’t see it from the terminal.}

I finally got a glimpse of the helicopter.

It’s tiny.

While Erma {I named her – clearly this helicopter is a she, right? Dainty, but powerful. Like my grandmother, Erma} was getting fueled up, Ryan showed me how to buckle the shoulder/lap harness and the proper way to get in. As soon as I was buckled in, the nerves stopped. I was excited and thrilled for this opportunity.

Look closely, you’ll see there are no doors attached. It was a lovely 70 degree day, so Ryan said that’s why the doors were off. I was wearing a t-shirt & jeans, secretly wishing I had brought my jacket that I had inconveniently left in the car. Oh well.

Ryan gave me a headset and he started her up. It took about 5 minutes for her to warm up before he turned on the rotor blades. The tower announced we were clear for takeoff and we slowly lifted off the pad.

I was immediately awestruck and that lasted the entire time we were in flight.

Ryan told me we were going to be flying with some wind turbulence and to let him know if it bothered me. I completely expected to be bothered by the turbulence because when I fly in airplanes, I hate it! To my surprise, the turbulence didn’t make my tummy turn. I mentioned that to Ryan and he told me a very scientific reason for that – something like the rotor blades are flexible and airplane wings are not and turbulence still impacts a helicopter but it’s not as harsh. Like that scientific explanation? I tried to remember word for word what he said, but my brain was focused on the scenery and not technical stuff.

I had to be careful taking pictures – there weren’t doors attached, remember? I kept my elbows at my side but if I put my right elbow out 2 inches, it was out the window.

Ryan asked if I was ready to fly Erma? {Ok, he didn’t call her Erma, but I should have told him that’s what I named her in my head}. Yes! Please!

He told me to put my right hand on the cyclic a.k.a. joystick. Push it forward, the nose of Erma points down & her speed increases. Pull it back, the nose points up & her speed slows down. Gentle movements to the left & right and you go in that direction. All very subtle movements. Ryan said you are constantly making adjustments, especially on a windy day like today. He told me to follow the straight road that was 1,200 feet below us. Simple enough, right?

Maybe on a day with 0 mph wind, I could have stayed straight. Maybe. He kept encouraging me that I was doing a good job but it was very difficult to keep her in line with the road & with the wind pushing us this way and that. He said, “as long as the blades are on top, you’re doing good.” I sorta laughed.

I “flew” her for about 5 minutes. His hand was always on the cyclic on his side correcting my mistakes but I was flying her. Crazy pants!

I learned that it’s hard for me to control my verbal responses to the mistakes I was making. I’m sure I annoyed Ryan with my “Oh…” & “Dah!” & “Oh My!” responses as I tried to keep her in line with the road and making adjustments due to the wind resistance. One big wind gust came and we were way off the mark and I told Ryan to take over and get us back on the original flight plan! I also needed to catch my breath! It wasn’t until I let go of the controls that I realized my arms were covered in goose bumps! I looked at the temperature gauge of the outside air and it said 59 degrees.

He flew us back to the airport and safely landed Erma back on her 10 x 8 foot platform.

It will be a while before I forget how I felt that day. It was so much fun. I could fly around for hours in a helicopter. Well, I know this is only my 2nd time (1st time on our honeymoon in Arizona) and I know it may be naive of me to say this, but flying in a helicopter is so much fun. I have always said that my nervousness about flying in an airplane would be significantly less if I could be in the cockpit and see where I was going and watch the controls. I think that’s why I wasn’t nervous in the helicopter. I could see in every direction except behind me. I could watch Ryan move the cyclic and see the direction we were going. Such an amazing experience for me.

Greg could see the excitement on my face when I was done and out of curiosity, he asked Ryan how much it costs & how many hours do you need to get your helicopter license. Oh, only about 40-50 hours of flight time at $300/hr. Hmmmm. That’s not going to happen any time soon, but I am extremely thankful to Greg for giving me the opportunity to check this off my bucket list.

Let’s face it, I probably would fail the course because of all of the science involved & the technical elements that go into flying a helicopter, but I would never turn down an opportunity to be a passenger. Know any pilots looking for passengers, send them my way. I’ll bring Nanney & maybe we can start a business? You fly while I take pictures. Deal?

Now, for your viewing pleasure, a short video:

p.s. it is a little difficult for me to take an iPhone video when I’m excited & when I’m trying to keep my iPhone from flying out of the cockpit!

Gussy, CT, Nester, Ellen & Tracy {Nester's photo}

Two of my dear friends, known in the blogging world as Gussy & Nester, are leaving on a jet plane {or two or three} today and traveling to Tanzania with Compassion. A group of them are going and they will have an opportunity to witness, firsthand the work that Compassion is doing in Tanzania. Once they are in Tanzania, they will write about their travels, their visits to the child development centers, the children & families.

I know their words and photographs will take me to Tanzania with them. As I’m sitting in my desk chair or in the carpool lane, I will be holding Nester’s hand during takeoff. I will be saying words of encouragement to Gussy as she sits down to write about her day. I will be moved to tears because of the compassion that they are feeling in their hearts as they interact with a child, not really noticing a language barrier but embracing the love that breaks down those barriers.

Will you come along side them? Show your support by following them on Twitter. Subscribe to their blogs: Gussy | Nester. Or check all of the bloggers entries each day by clicking this button:

I have been catching up with my family and our daily schedule and homework and exercising and grocery shopping and bill paying and letter writing and house cleaning…It just takes a while for me to get back into a groove.

Until I get back into my blog writing groove, here’s the video of my HUGE surprise for your viewing pleasure, guaranteed to make you smile.

{If you’re reading this via RSS or email, click over to see the video}

A dream that started a year ago.

To gather my closest friends to celebrate my 40th birthday. {22 came!}

A dream to rent a house, on a beach and invite my sisters – friends who have inspired, challenged, laughed, cried, endured, loved & supported me through the years.

A time to relax and enjoy each other’s company.

A time to dig our toes into the sand. A time to let the salt water soak into our hair. A time to ride the waves. A time to search for seashells.

{Greta’s photo}

A time to let the sun kiss our skin. A time to eat plenty of dark chocolate.

A time to rest like an adult and play like a child.

{Kara’s photo}
A time for some of you to reconnect with each other.

A time for some of you to meet for the first time.

It was a dream come true.

Actually it was better than a dream come true. The friendships that started as a result of our time together and the spiritual connection of spending time together and the conversations and the laughter and the tears – above and beyond anything I could have dreamed.

This dream could not have happened without Greg and all of the spouses and families and co-workers who covered our responsibilities for our time away. THANK YOU!

Here are a few posts written by friends that were there: Courtney: 1 & 2, Maria, Reeve & Nester.

In I Blame Eve, Susanna shares personal stories full of wit & steaming with grace. Her stories made me laugh out loud and nod my head in silent agreement. She digs deeper into our soul by uncovering the “Eden gene”. The gene in all of us that causes feelings of hopelessness, perfectionism, discouragement, control issues, impatience, bitterness, selfishness, etc…But she doesn’t leave us dwelling in that pit. With each chapter she encourages and challenges us to let go of that gene, to stop listening to the talking snake and grasp the freedom only Jesus can give us.

As someone who has had a strong faith base for many years, I Blame Eve was refreshing. She honestly and willingly shares the good, bad & ugly with me. Any book that does that, along with allowing me to laugh at things like cellulite, arm flab & childbirth, is a book that I would recommend to my friends.

Pick up your copy of I Blame Eve: Freedom from Perfection, Control Issues and the Tendency to Listen to Talking Snakes which is currently available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and CBD.

{I started following Susanna’s blog, Confessions of a Tired Super Girl years ago. I was in a wedding with her sister Jenny in 2003 and out of that friendship I was “introduced” to Susanna & her witty stories of doing life as a pastor’s wife & mom of three. Her blog is one of the first blogs I started to read way back in the beginning of blog-dom. This is Susanna’s third book, friends! Her first two: All I Need is Jesus & a Good Pair of Jeans: The Tired Supergirl’s Search for Grace and My Bangs Look Good & Other Lies I Tell Myself: The Tired Supergirl’s Search for Truth are both great reads!}

~ Sausage Breakfast Strata {pictured above}
~ Chicken & Broccoli Noodle Casserole Recipe {everyone in our family LOVED it!}
~ Taco Meat
~ Chili
~ Hamburger patties (bought 2lbs of ground beef, shaped them into patties & put them in individual sandwich ziploc bags)
~ Meatballs (so, I didn’t make these – just bought a bag at the store)

I stocked the pantry and fridge with side dish options like pasta, tortillas, taco fixings, chili fixings, vegetables, bread, etc. He will only need to make a grocery run for fresh fruit, produce & milk.

1. I love to take out a piece of pasta & eat it a few minutes after you dump it into the boiling water, it’s soft & crunchy.
2. I cannot fall asleep with my feet uncovered.
3. I’m a side-sleeper.
4. When I was a kid my dream was to be a helicopter pilot when I grew up.
5. I got my first job when I was 14 with the White House Historical Association.
6. I love Tar Heel basketball.
7. I have been coloring my hair since college to hide the grays.
8. I changed my major in college 3 times {Pre-Pharmacy to Elementary Education to Criminal Justice}.
9. Sometimes I miss eating cheese. A lot of times, really.
10. I do not like talking on the phone.
11. I twirl my hair when I’m thinking.
12. I pluck my eyebrows daily.
13. I have not had any body hair waxed.
14. Passion Tea Lemonade is my Starbucks beverage of choice.
15. DoubleMint gum is a necessity after a meal.
16. I love Bath & Body Works mentha lip tint gloss.
17. I read Pride & Prejudice once a year.
18. A day without coffee is a day with a headache.
19. I love Jesus.
20. I’m very particular about pens & pencils.
21. I have pencil lead stuck in my left wrist by accident from a kid named Jay Brian Brewer in the 2nd grade.
22. I have pencil lead stuck in my left leg from another kid who was walking up the stairs with their pencil sticking out & jammed it into my leg, thru my jeans as I was walking down the stairs in the 5th grade.
23. I remember random moments like pencil stabbings.
24. I ran away from home when I was 16.
25. My parents are the most loving & patient people I know.
26. My brother taught me how to play softball.
26. I am mesmerized by winter trees.
27. I love the taste of the ocean.
28. Certain shades of yellow give me a headache.
29. Red Delicious apples give me a headache.
30. My comfort food is roast beef, mashed potatoes & green beans.
31. Two years ago I limited my intake of dairy products. My tummy is grateful. My taste buds are sad. See #9.
32. I stole a car from my parents when I didn’t have a driver’s license. See #24.
33. Because of #3, I cannot fall asleep unless my ear is covered with my hair or a blanket.
34. Movies I can watch any time: Princess Bride, Pride & Prejudice and Forrest Gump.
35. Greg is my hero.
36. My favorite books growing up: Watership Down and Where the Sidewalk Ends.
37. I have always been a cat person.
38. Pom-poms on pillows remind me of my grandmother.
39. In August, I’m taking a motorcycle training class.
40. A Dove dark chocolate a day keeps my blues away.

Your turn – share a random fun fact about you in the comments below.