Dandy Lions

WOW

2010-10-04T23:07:00.002-04:00

it has been sooooo long since I've last posted a real post. over a year in fact. well, as always, much has changed. I completed my third full year in school and am yet again taking time off to work for Invisible Children. I am currently the team leader for the Deep South fall tour. I am currently writing from Miami Beach, FL. We're staying at a beautiful home which runs along a canal, has an awesome pool, and a hot tub. The house has a tree house in the backyard, a compost, a roof that is one big garden, etc. etc. etc. I feel like I'm in another country. It is gorgeous.

Tonight was one of the first nights I have been able to be myself and cut loose and have fun since going on tour about a month ago. It was so fun to hang out with my team (minus Irene who went to bed earrrrlllyyyy), swim in the canal, and laugh together. Speaking of my team, meet them!!

welp, i was going to post a picture but blogspot said i've exceeded my upload limit! hmmm maybe that's why i took a break in the first place??

From left to right:
Dan (PA), Elise(VA) Me, Monica (northern Uganda), Shane (Indiana), Irene (northern Uganda).
We have been on the road for almost 4 weeks- it is crazy how time has flown.

lonelyyyyy i'm so lonelyyyyyy

2010-05-19T20:13:00.002-04:00

"annie get your guns blog is feeling a little lonely" -Jonathan Andrews.

I'll write soon :)

MJ

2009-09-03T12:18:00.003-04:00

My housemate, MJ, is in the hospital right now until Sunday. The doctors are trying to find out what is wrong with her. They originally thought it was Mersa, but the tests came back negative. Last night Casey and Lisa took her to the hospital at UVA instead of the one in Harrisonburg. Apparently they are better and will do a better job of treating her. Please be praying for the doctors to know what is wrong and for them to give her effective treatments.

It all started with flea bites, which led to an infection on her feet. It has since spread and is now hurting her legs. It doesn't seem to be getting better right now, but we all have faith that it will. So please if you're reading this, please send one up for MJ.

We want her to get better so she can get back to riding her motorcycle.

We love you, MJ!!

2009-09-03T12:13:00.003-04:00

do we as humans feel a need to be known so badly and is that the reason for blogs, twitter, facebook, etc.?

the other day i was walking to class and i thought "I love fall" and then I thought "I'm going to tweet that" and then stopped myself and thought "why?"

Why?

The Girls' House

2009-08-23T23:12:00.003-04:00

Meet 6/8 of my house this year. MJ (sleeping on the floor), Lisa, Lauren, Casey, Jeanne, and Lydia. (Katie and I not pictured) I already love these girls.

Conan, Blow Up Elaine's Car!

2009-08-21T23:32:00.001-04:00

We made this video but missed the deadline by TWO HOURS. We're laughing about it though. But still... it hurts just a little :)

I want to create.

2009-08-15T23:53:00.000-04:00

I want to create. But I feel stunted sometimes.

Story Time

2009-08-13T22:19:00.004-04:00

We were finishing up a team meeting in a parking lot of Ross. (Cory needed new shoes) This lady starts approaching us and I just think that it's another person asking about what Invisible Children is or that they knew about us already. Well, this woman FLIPS out saying how she saw us on Oprah. I started filming, but didn't get the good stuff. She said she recognized all of us (even though Cory and Mandy weren't even in Chicago when that happened). It was really comical. She was so interested in everything we told her, though. Here's a little bit of her reaction.

Birthdays

2009-08-13T22:16:00.003-04:00

My birthday came at a perfect time this year. It was right after tour ended which meant I could be with all my friends and get a drink. A group of us went out to Fred's and got Margaritas and Mexican food.

We roll deep.

My team at Pete's.

Ocean Beach

2009-08-13T21:59:00.004-04:00

Back in San Diego it was back to work, but we did have a whole day to spend at the beach. Here are some pictures from beach day. And yes, I am aware that the last 3 look like engagement photos.

This is Mandy, my summer teammate. We had many conversations on tour, but the most meaningful one for me was the one we had on these rocks.

Jump rope. I love it. This is Ivory showing us all up.

Sunsets were such a good idea, God.

Best Friend Brandon Palma.

Gabe!!!

Jonathan

The road trip back to San Diego

2009-08-13T21:23:00.004-04:00

We met up with NorthEastNorthAmerica and East Coast in Oklahoma where we caravaned across the country back to San Diego.

most of the group

Keepin' it real with Jonathan and Brian.

Signs.

All in all it was a great trip back. Oh and Austin filled up 5 bottles of his urine.. I know, gross. But braggable on his end.

RISK

2009-08-13T21:21:00.001-04:00

We played Risk with Adam Litchfield one night for FOUR HOURS. Adam beat us all, but I enjoyed playing a lot. The only other time I had played before was with my dad when I was probably 8. It was a lot of fun. I love board games.

Some Odds and Ends of Summer Tour

2009-08-13T20:51:00.003-04:00

Awesome T-shirt at Camp McDowell

Wonderful, Wonderful Camp McDowell

Korean BBQ thanks to Korean United Methodist church.

Doe River Gorge in Elizabethton, TN

Playing guitar/harmonica with Will's brother, Jim (Will was Mandy's friend from Alabama who she met in Dublin who we kayaked with). Jim gave me a harmonica holder which I have been putting to good use.

Wonderful People

2009-08-13T20:32:00.002-04:00

We stayed/got together/hung out with some wonderful people this summer. Here are a few pictures of my team with them.

FAITH RILEY! We stayed at her house (in Georgia) for 2 nights. We had a screening at Kennesaw State University and had an awesome response. She is one of the most generous people I know, and she's so fun to be around. Mandy especially loved her because they got to sing Disney songs :) Faith is now a roadie on the Mid-Atlantic team, which means I'll get to see her when she comes through to my school.

We love Aveda!!! They make us look presentable.

Lunch near Collegedale, TN with Andre, Litchfield & Company

After watching the fireworks in Chattanooga, we crammed into Adam's van. Laura Kigweba is a former roadie and we got to see her a LOT on summer tour. Lucky us.

With Trigg at Doe River Gorge. We were there almost every week and we stayed at his house and his parents house. I love the Trigg family.

Summer Recap

2009-08-13T18:02:00.002-04:00

Gosh, so much has happened over the past 2 months. I'm having a hard time organizing the events to put into simple blog posts. In a nutshell, summer tour was a blast. My region was awesome,, my team was great, and the response we got from our screenings was so encouraging. Our tour was dubbed “Summer of Love Tour” as a joke, but really, that's what it was. We were able to meet up with a lot of former roadies, we got to meet each other's families, and we got along really well.

We were able to do a lot of neat stuff over the summer, and for free! Here are some pictures from our adventures.

Cliff jumping in Tennessee with Trigg. 60 foot blind jump. Looking back, probably not the safest thing, but it was awesome. I jumped twice.

Kayaking with Will in Mobile, Alabama. Mandy met Will in Dublin, Ireland last year. They only spent one day together but kept in touch. We ended up staying in his barn in Mobile, hearing crazy stories of his trip across the Atlantic to Ireland, and got to go kayaking.

Caving in Tennessee with Trigg. Trigg worked at a camp for a few years and told us about this cave that was nearby. So we went in at night and romped around the cave. It was sweet!

A tour of Braum's in Tuttle, Oklahoma. Brian is from here and we got a tour of the Braum's ice cream factory. We got to see how ice cream is made and all that jazz. And yes, we got free ice cream!

White water rafting with the Litchfield's (fall roadie, assistant in the spring). We went down with Adam's brother, Ryan, who had only guided people down the river once before. We flipped over completely during “Hell's Hole” Scary but awesome.

Tubing in North Carolina!

..

2009-07-30T03:55:00.003-04:00

A little less overwhelmed now, but still uncertain about what the fall is going to look like. I've been spending my last days here with people who have become so dear to my heart, and it's becoming hard to think of living my life without them directly in it. But, I guess this is something that everyone goes through every now and then.

I really am going to miss all of you.

.

2009-07-27T23:38:00.001-04:00

I've all of a sudden become very overwhelmed with the thought of leaving.

Summer Tour Wrap Up

2009-07-18T16:06:00.005-04:00

Hey everyone. I am currently en route to Dallas, Texas for my last screening as an Invisible Children Roadie. Summer Tour has flown by, but in some ways it feels like it has been so long. Three words: Tour Time Warp!

I'll do my best to recap the past 5 weeks. First, meet my team:Me, Brian, Cory, and Mandy.

Brian's from Oklahoma, Cory's from right outside New Orleans, and Mandy's from LA, California.
Once again, we my teammates are from all over the US. We work really well together and have a lot of fun wherever we go.

We have been driving like crazy and are in a different state almost every day. We're meeting so many great people and I'm seeing a part of the country I've never really explored before.

Summer Tour

2009-07-05T14:06:00.002-04:00

Summer Tour is awesome! I will post later. I am sorry. I've also been doing other blogs here and there so my online journals are all over the place.

Baby Bunny

2009-06-13T01:21:00.001-04:00

The Hamby's found some baby bunnies. This one's name is Jean. They're all named after X-men.
I love bunnies.
Toby does too.

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Posted via email from Annie's posterous

Awkwardness and IC reminders

2009-06-13T01:11:00.002-04:00

I get off the plane in DC and walk outside to hear some elevator music playing. No matter where you are, that just makes everything awkward!
Then I saw a big van that reminded me of IC. The end.

Scary.

2009-06-12T13:17:00.000-04:00

jedidiah: about three-to-five times a day, i catch a glimpse of your paper cut out face and it frightens me that someone has snuck up on me. and I laugh. I love it.

Today.

2009-05-19T19:46:00.003-04:00

It just now hit me what we did on tour and what it means. I was sitting on my computer and it just hit me, like a smack in the face. I was hit with emotion of the past 4 months. Wow.

Meet my friend Natalie!!!

2009-05-18T14:08:00.004-04:00

Hey everyone. My friend from Invisible Children, Nelly, is going to Rwanda. You might have seen her on the Oprah clip I posted. (See picture above). She's 18 (19 tomorrow. happy birthday early!!!) and has done so much for Invisible Children. She was a roadie like me during the fall semester and was an assistant in the office during my tour. She sat at the desk next to mine during the first month of training. She's 18 and basically ran the show for the Great Lakes region. Incredible. She needs $6500 for her trip to Rwanda. She's raised only $1063, which means she needs $5437 more. You all came through for me and if you are able to and feel led, please consider supporting Nelly. She'll be there for 3 months working as a productions assistant for an organization in Kigali, Rwanda called KEZA. She'll be helping a film team document movements there, people, and overall stories of that area. To read more about Nelly and what she'll be doing, go to her blog at http://nataliewarne.blogspot.com/

Thanks so much!!!!

http://nataliewarne.blogspot.com/

Just some stuff.

2009-05-17T18:11:00.003-04:00

Ashley and I goofing off "practicing" our speaking parts for the road.

Spider Solitaire. Julia and I have become obsessed with keeping our winning percentage high. This can consume your life... stay away!

Tacos and Milk?

2009-05-16T19:53:00.005-04:00

Milk is gooood with tacos. Just thought you all should know.

Saw this at VMI today. True statement. One week from today and I'll be on the road back out.

I almost used Raid on my quesadilla maker.. I thought it was Pam spray!

Harrisonburg and VMI- the longest blog post you'll ever see.

2009-05-16T02:41:00.032-04:00

I went to Harrisonburg for the night on my way to pick up Keith from VMI. Heather Stinson and I drove to North Fork to pick up a cello and it was SO good to see her. Heather, I don't know if you read my blog but I loved that drive and I am excited to hear about your summer in MONTANA.

Jess and I biked to Dave's and ate there with Matt, Lauren, and Tim. I've never seen so many adults there in my life. It's like all the grownups came out of hiding once the college students went home. For real.

Sidd invited me to The Sweet Tea Home's BBQ- so I went and played volleyball with Sidd, Mike Hudson, Andrew Pham, and some other music majors. I lost both times BUT the second game we had a sweet comeback (team raw power!) It was nice to see everyone after being away for so long. It was weird that it didn't feel weird. That's a feeling I'll elaborate on in a different post. Sidd's going to Kazakhstan for 2 and a half years with the Peace Corps and since I'm going back on tour with IC, yesterday's probably the last time I'll see him before he goes. It was nice to sit on the porch with him again and catch up. I told Sidd about Oprah and his response was the greatest one I've gotten so far. Most people think it's cool and exciting and whatnot, but Sidd really understood how great of an accomplishment that was for IC and for what we are trying to do. He stood up and gave me a hug. Sidd, if you read my blog, thanks for hanging out. You will be missed when you're away. p.s. next time we'll win the volleyball game.

Note: A bunch of people said they saw the IC van when the Mid-Atlantic team was there. I thought that was cool.

After BBQ, it was back to The Girls' House for the traditional game of Shitaco. I have a confession, Jess... I COMPLETELY FORGOT ABOUT SHITACO while on tour. I'll have to bring it back for summer. Oh and Catch Phrase was good too, which resulted in Tim making a latenight run to Walmart for some brownie mix that we made with the Magik Maker.

I got a call last night from somebody who had dialed the wrong number. Of course when I hang out in Harrisonburg, pranks just happen, and so Matt decided to call them back pretending to be "Jackie" the person they were looking for. Here's a portion of that whole event: (see video)

After stuffing our faces with Magik Maker brownies, Jess and I slept outside on the porch. The last 2 nights in San Diego, I slept outside on the balcony. I loved it so much and I've decided I want to do that more often. I had my sleeping bag too so it felt like I was still a roadie :)

Alright so after Harrisonburg, I was off to VMI to pick up Keith from school. On the left here is Keith hanging out his dorm window. I helped him bring all his stuff down from his dorm and got to see the inside of his barracks. It reminded me of Prison Break. Keith thought it was funny to see all his friends in normal clothes instead of their military uniforms.

We were on our way home and stopped back in Harrisonburg to get some TACO TRUCK!!!! It was pouring rain when we got there and the guys in the truck probably were so surprised they were even getting business. It was the tastiest burrito I've ever had from the taco truck. It looks like they've upped their game. Thank youuuuu Taco Truck!

Jess- I love you and know you will love North Carolina... or Europe... or Hawaii... or... wherever life takes you. I will miss you SO much and you better come back and visit The Girls' House or else. And we still need to bike across the country... don't forget!

Phew! If you made it through this entire post, you are a true friend...or a stalker. Regardless, thank you for having an interest in my life.

Baseball.

2009-05-15T00:59:00.002-04:00

I've come to the conclusion that I do enjoy watching baseball. Maybe I don't like it so much at professional games because I'm not close enough to see what's going on. I went to Reece's game tonight and really enjoyed it. It was his last game as a high schooler and I'm glad I was there to see it.

Oh and there's an awesome thunderstorm happening right now. As Rima's dad would say, "What a nature!"

Ms. Long is Long.

2009-05-14T05:01:00.001-04:00

I went to Julia's concert tonight and this is what her students wrote on the board.
Kids are funny.

Jump Rope

2009-05-12T22:26:00.002-04:00

The start of my video making is now.

Oh family.

2009-05-12T14:31:00.006-04:00

My brother.

Reece: "Annie, did you make a lot of new friends?"

Me: "Yes"
Reece: "Do you have a boyfriend?"
Me: "No"
Reece: "Slacker"

ha!
Good luck at your track meet, Reece. It's good to see you too.

Oh by the way, I think I forgot to mention this: I'm going back on the road for Summer Tour. I'll be in the Southeast region of the US visiting mainly summer camps. Here is my first week of tour mapped out.Each letter is where we'll need to be the next day. Let's get those playlists ready!

These pictures turned out kind of cool.

2009-05-12T13:48:00.001-04:00

Color swap on my camera did this. P.S. Matt, this should be your revo profile picture. haha

Eggshakers.

2009-05-12T13:47:00.002-04:00

Spreading the love.

Beach Day.

2009-05-12T13:06:00.005-04:00

We spent an entire day at the beach when we got back to San Diego. This is Rima being cute.

Beautiful.

It was also Deric's birthday, so we had some cake, he had a cigar, and he got some balloons. Birthday Brass. Here's the video I made for him with Rima and Matt:

Padres

2009-05-12T12:03:00.005-04:00

Back in San Diego, they got us tickets to see a Padres game.

Those of you reading this know: I do not follow sports. I actually watched the last 5 minutes of the game because the Padres were making a comeback, but it was too little too late. So for me this game meant $5 for 5 food items, lawn seats, sitting with people I care for, and of course tattoos. Oh and watching a man do Simon Says which consisted of jumping jacks, math problems, and "shaking it". See the video below.

P.S. I'm missing that black IC hoodie- if anyone finds it or comes up with an extra one, let me know.

Last day in the office.

2009-05-12T11:44:00.003-04:00

Rima got her stipend check AND her computer charger... and her glasses.

Jay going to the bank with wads and wads of cash. Brave man.

Home.

2009-05-09T20:31:00.001-04:00

Back in Virginia for a short while. Goodnight for now.

Wall Drug.

2009-05-09T20:17:00.002-04:00

If you are ever in South Dakota, stop by Wall Drug. It's the weirdest place I've ever been.

Thanks, Oprah

2009-05-09T15:47:00.004-04:00

All of the Rescue Riders ended up in Chicago and we were waiting for Oprah to be our final "rescuer" We did a song and dance for her on Thursday. Here's the youtube video:

It may seem silly, but it was so beautiful to me to see so many people singing and dancing for this. The first time we started rehearsing it, I actually got a little teary-eyed, thinking "this is helping end a war"... singing and dancing. Well, Oprah didn't come out. We basically just had a few people from balconies look at us and enjoy the show. SO that night around midnight, Jason, Bobby, Laren, and Jedidiah told us that we were going to surround her studios early early morning so we could make sure she saw us when she arrived to her office. They said, "this means we need to wake up in 2 hours" ... and everyone started cheering. So we all took a power nap until 2 and then were on our way loading up the vans to be transported over to Harpo Studios.

We made it there and surrounded Harpo Studios. Everyone held up peace signs in silence (for the most part). Walking with 500 people with hands in the air and in silence was very moving to me. We stood there for a good 2 hours. Oprah's best friend Gale rolls up and says "what are you doing?" and some people go to talk to her and tell her what we were trying to do. We had signs that said something like "Oprah, we've met before. Do you have 5 minutes?" She sees the signs, and invites the filmmakers inside. They tell her what they're trying to do and she ends up giving us a spot on her live show. HERE IT IS!!!

Celebrating.

Here is a little extra sum'n sum'n.

Rescue Riding.

2009-05-09T13:34:00.005-04:00

The Watoto children's choir from Uganda performed at the Portland event. They were incredible. Until I saw them, I was very much just concerned with the logistics of the event, but when I heard them singing, I got a little emotional. It's kids like these who are being affected by this war. It's kids like these we are rebuilding schools for. And now kids like these in the Congo are being abducted (I just read that 8 people were just abducted from Congo). To see the kids I'm advocating for was very powerful and probably the most significant part of my evening on April 25th. The man in charge of the choir pulled me and Matt aside to thank us. He thanked us and we said "oh, no thank you." and he got a little emotional and said "THANK you. I never thought I would see people doing this. It's amazing work what you are doing." To hear those words from him really touched me and brought me back to what it is we are striving for and how important it is to keep going.

Rescue Riding in Boise... We were sent there after Portland was rescued, but it turns out they were already rescued. So from there we were on our way to Albuquerque, New Mexico!

Lack of Sleep + Sydney Deal + a bathroom in Oregon = this picture.

This was so weird to see on no sleep... Sydney and Heidi, "Who would've thought that there would be a giraffe in THIS park?"

Portland.

2009-05-08T16:05:00.004-04:00

Matt and I were at the Portland Rescue event. Over 700 people turned out.

We were "rescued" by Amy Roloff from TLC's Little People Big World. Not only did she show up to the event, she brought her production crew with her. Stay tuned, maybe we'll be on their show! It was so nice meeting her. One of the high schoolers who set up an all school assembly just called their family farm and threw the idea out to them. She was interested and on Saturday morning (the day of The Rescue), she told us she would be there. She gave an awesome speech and read The Rescue Anthem as well.

All the volunteers with Amy Roloff and two of her kids. Notice Matt haha.

Portland was probably my favorite place on tour and I was so glad I was at their Rescue event. Their street team was incredible. (Thanks, Belmont Home and friends!) It was certainly different being on the other side of things, wheras in the past I've just been a participant. It is a miracle that over 100 cities worldwide did the same event and were all successful. Looking back, it's obvious to me that God's hand was there. I am excited to see what comes of this momentum that was created that night.

Mount Rushmore

2009-05-06T20:40:00.003-04:00

On our way back to San Diego from Chicago, we stopped at Mount Rushmore. We met up with the Mid-Atlantic team. Mom, I watched the videos on how it was made, thought you would be proud :)

and of course Claire and I got Mt. Rushmore t-shirts at the one and only place of WALL DRUG!! more pictures to come.

Seeing family while Rescue Riding

2009-05-06T20:31:00.002-04:00

Who would've thought I would see family members while on this trip??? Well, rescue riding brought me to Wichita, KS. I was able to see Aunt Chris, Cassie, Carly, and Aunt Janice. If you're reading this, thank you for taking time out of your day to see me. It was so refreshing... and weird because I've never seen you outside of the usual family trips to Kansas.

P.S. Carly and Cassie, how is that airplane doing?

I love you all!

Portland.

2009-05-06T20:27:00.001-04:00

Some of the Portland street team. I love you all.

Silverton

2009-04-05T03:28:00.004-04:00

Welcome to Silverton! We had a screening at the Palace Theatre. It was an awesome one room theatre owned by the mayor. We had some problems with the tech stuff and weren't actually able to make it through the whole movie. It was a major bummer but we worked through it. People were still interested in getting involved even without seeing the rest of the movie. Then, the Beutler family was so kind to have us over for dinner. It's always nice to see the family of such huge Invisible Children supporters, and this family was just a lot of fun to be around. Thank you Beutlers!!!

P.S. Jason, don't forget to apply to be a roadie!

Nimita

2009-04-05T03:23:00.004-04:00

This is Nimita, Suni Piper's cousin. She lives in Eugene and came out to the screening at the University of Oregon. Suni put us in contact and it was so nice to meet her. It felt like a piece of home was there to visit me even though I had never met her before. She brought some of her family with her and I got to talk to them for a while after the screening. They were so nice! Suni, you have a beautiful family!!

Sharon Brown

2009-04-05T03:15:00.003-04:00

We stayed at Sharon Brown's house (Kelly Riechers' mom and Bethany Bylsma's second mom) in Eugene, Oregon. This is Sharon and her dad Paul (on St. Patty's day!). Sharon made us dinner and breakfast, told a story of how she killed a cougar with a .22, let us play with her baby goats, and on and on and on. We had such a good stay with her and were excited to be heading to her daughter's house in Portland!The baby goats were so cute. Julia, you would LOVE it in Eugene, Oregon.

Jason and Monica, Nevada will miss you.

2009-03-14T02:52:00.001-04:00

Teachers from Sierra Crest Academy. We had so much fun hanging out with them! Jelly Bellys, Gummy Worms, fat cats, cute kids, Six Degrees of Separation, Pasta dinner, Ice cream sandwiches, books. Great stay to say the least.

Enjoy your day.

2009-03-14T02:30:00.001-04:00

Julie (Former PNW roadie) and her housemates made us dinner after the screening at their school. I've never seen bread like this. I'm afraid I ripped off his right arm. Yum, yum, yum.

RENO: The biggest little city in the world. Also the biggest little letdown in the world. Joe's diner anyone?

Outside Sierra Crest Academy. GORGEOUS mountains. Enjoy your day.

Lots and Lots.

2009-03-14T01:47:00.004-04:00

Road Warrior.

Whitney High School. This school has done so much for Invisible Children and we got to present them with a thank you banner. 2 of these students are going to Uganda because they won 2 parts of the Schools For Schools competition. It was definitely awesome to work with these people and meet those who are doing big things for IC.

We were at a gas station and this woman comes up and says "Tamale? One dollar" and so of course I had to have one.
On our first night off, we went to Chuck-E-Cheese. I'll tell you what: Chuck-E-Cheese is stuck in the '90s... and I love it.

After Chuck-E-Cheese, Rima and I went line-dancing with Julie (a former PNW roadie!) It was hysterical!!! Maybe I'll post a video later just for Rima. We got told several times to get off the dance floor because we weren't doing the typical line dancing. A few people told us that they were glad we were there because we were having fun and everyone else was just doing the same old routine. Oh, line dancing, how I love thee. They played an hour of country, then 30 minutes of hip hop, then an hour of country, etc. Weird. Good times all around.

Deric

2009-03-06T04:16:00.003-05:00

Egg shaker

2009-03-06T04:05:00.000-05:00

Enough said.

Through the woods.

2009-03-02T00:28:00.002-05:00

Alright: from right to left:
Me: "We're in the woods!" (excited)
Rima: We're in the woods?"
Matt: "HUH!"

Another massive update

2009-03-01T23:41:00.006-05:00

PNW is busy! I am truly sorry I haven't been blogging as much as usual. Here's the week in pictures.

Deric and I at Independence High School. We had 5 screenings throughout the school day. The IC club advisor hooked us up with some IHS hoodies!

Our first bank deposit. Count dat cash!

At Archbishop Mitty. Solid screening!

Deric and I being tourists at Bad Ass Coffee in Santa Cruz.

Santa Cruz ICers.

Last night we went to Santa Cruz to do some work and hang out with some people we met at the screening earlier in the week. We ended up walking through the forest to this clearing with a bunch of empty oil tanks that were used for drums. I'm telling you, Santa Cruz is a different world.

Tree benches? Yes, please.

Massive Update.

2009-02-24T01:38:00.006-05:00

Well, our first week of tour has passed. We were in Fresno and got to meet so many great people. By the end of the week we were seeing familiar faces, remembering names, and forming new friendships. We all said almost every night: Fresno? FresYES! It might be overstated, but in this situation, it is so true! I've been blown away by the generosity of so many people.

Last day with Team Buffalo (PNW, Texas, and SoCal) We ended up eating breakfast which racked up a $100 bill. A family saw our van, saw us, and then took care of our bill. It was so generous and that was just the start of people's generosity towards us.

I love seeing everyone's homemade signs promoting our screenings. This was at Clovis West. Great job, guys!

The Gonzalez family. Such wonderful people. They put us up for three days and were so hospitable! Such a blessing to stay with this family. Angelica helped us out so much with screenings and making sure we were well taken care of. Michael is a natural leader at his school with Invisible Children and I'm so excited to see how that translates on April 25th! (The Rescue event!) I can't say enough good things about the Gonzalez family.

Selling merch at North Pointe church. They pretty much wiped us out!

Northside put on an awesome benefit concert. These people made it happen and are huge IC supporters. Thanks to Hunter, Eric, and Justin for putting us up in their apartment and for putting up with us in their apartment. The homemade pizza was delicious- just a solid group of guys.
Northside did so much for us while we were in Fresno. They put on a screening on Wednesday night, held a yard sale Saturday morning, and then had an awesome benefit concert Saturday night. It was so encouraging to be around this group of people who are living out their faith in their daily lives... definitely key players in Fresno.

Robopop? Yes, please.

Chanelle! Hooked us up with a place to count all our merchandise. She was so encouraging to talk with and is really down to earth. She left us with a sweet polaroid pic, too. Fres-yes!

Some North Pointe friends. I'm telling you, Fresno set the bar high. These people are going to make The Rescue event happen. We had a screening on Friday night and Kevin asked us if we'd like to come back on Sunday- so we did and showed "The Rescue" to the junior and senior high services. There was such a great response from this church and I can already see the momentum building.

I like this paraphrasing.

Thank you Fresno! You did such an amazing job. We will miss you.

You know I'm busy when I haven't posted in over 10 days...

2009-02-21T08:09:00.002-05:00

It's 5:10 California time and my team's still truckin along getting our work done. Life has been so busy with screenings, driving around and the sort. I promise I'll get back to you with details and some pictures later. For the time being, know that I am alive and well and in good spirits. Good morning to you, goodnight to me.

Homemade Gloves

2009-02-10T15:11:00.005-05:00

Jess King, thank you! You are such a great friend and a talented knitter (Is that the right word?) It's always great getting packages, and when I got this one, it seriously made my day.

(Jess, that is you on the phone)

All in a day's work

2009-02-08T03:54:00.007-05:00

Hmmm that's weird. I was wondering the same thing. I finally got some antibiotics today (Saturday). The doctor thinks it's Bronchitis. Thank you CVS Minute Clinic. And thanks Domonique for driving me even though you were freaked out by the storm clouds :)

We rolled all over our black IC logo shirts today. There were lots and lots and lots. While we were rolling in the garage, a bunch of people were rocking out in the basement making noises with whatever they had and feeling the music. It reminded me of making beats in the Testosterhome kitchen, except for this was less messy. Since tonight (technically last night) was our last Saturday night before tour, a bunch of us went out to Fred's to get food and drinks. It resulted in taking pictures of the ugliest face, talking about Chipotle sponsoring Nathan's funeral, eating a ton of free chips and salsa, and being with people I enjoy. I will miss these people while on the road.
Note: whenever we take group pictures, I look at them later and realize how huge of a pack we travel in! And I love it.

Practice makes perfect?

2009-02-08T03:43:00.002-05:00

Each roadie team does a practice screening before we actually head out. It's just to give us an idea of what's to be expected and to give constructive criticism, etc. Well, we didn't do a screening; we went to a benefit concert. I pictured 50 people sitting on couches at TDU, but it was an auditorium packed with people. The band was Rockola. They do covers of a lot of older songs. They were pretty good. I just wasn't expecting such a huge audience. I spoke during intermission; it wasn't too bad. We sold about $300 worth of merchandise and I met a few great high schoolers. I'm really looking forward to tour because I'm going to be meeting so many people whose hearts are so big and who want to see this war end as much as I do.

Bad picture, but shows that it's a big stage.

Selling merch.

Launch Week

2009-02-08T03:28:00.005-05:00

We're now in launch week, the final week before we hit the road. Great Lakes, PNW, Mountain West and Texas (because they didn't get out in time) stayed after work to decorate the office. The goal was to make it look like Bozo the clown barfed all over the office. Good job, everyone.

The final result.

Some of the decorating team.

Kenneth and I rocked those streamers!

Jess, does this look familiar? (I shout out to you a lot in my blog, don't I?) You can't have a massive decorating party without a head-cut-out-thing. So I told Sabrina and she drew a person ringing a gong. Fun photo op.

We leave Thursday for the road. I still have a lot to do before then.

Margie's house

2009-02-08T03:16:00.005-05:00

A while back we did a picture scavenger hunt. Well, my team won for the best pictures (although there were some others I would argue should have won) and the prize was a homemade dinner at Margie's house (Margie is the director of the movement department). Her house has everything I want in my house: a typewriter, a record player, finger puppets on the coffee table, lights on a tree in the backyard (with fruit), a front and back patio, and a real "home" feeling. Jess, can I get an amen?
Margie made a really nice dinner for us, we sat around and talked some, laughed a lot, and then drove home. I missed karaoke that night and was bummed, but this was a real treat. Thanks, Margie.

Photo Shoot

2009-02-08T03:11:00.003-05:00

Needless to say, we are cool.

All Peoples

2009-02-01T21:09:00.004-05:00

(fooling around with my webcam. This is Joleah.)

Joleah asked me if I wanted to go to church this morning. I had just rolled out of bed, they were about leave in 15 minutes, so I said no. Then I said yes (common theme in my life, eh?) Is the only reason I'm not going because I haven't showered? Silly. So I threw on the only clean shirt I had (which happened to be nice, who whoulda thought?), and attempted to cover up my greasy hair with a headband.

We loaded up the van and drove to All Peoples Church. It was so refreshing. I had been examining my motives for going to church and the past weeks I found that the real reason I would be going would be to be seen amongst my peers as a "good Christian". But today I went out of the pure desire to be with Jesus. It was nice to be in a room full of friends who love God and it was about time for me to be still and just be.

Now, granted, I had to leave twice because I had a coughing fit (don't worry mom, I went to the doctor) but it was a great encouragement for me to be in the Word daily and to pray more. I keep telling myself that, but my flesh can be stubborn sometimes.

All in all, it was a good weekend and God is good.

(This is Brynne)

BonFIYA

2009-02-01T03:12:00.004-05:00

It's the weekend and we loaded up the van for the whopping price of $1 and headed to some beach that I didn't get the name of. We burned some pallets, sang some songs, jumped over the fire, shook some egg-shakers, and enjoyed the evening.

"Model poses" (Shannon, Zarina, Me, Kelly)

P.S. Kelly couldn't see the water and so she just walked right into it. It was funnier at the time. You had to be there.

So, this is what happens when I verbalize an idea (shoutout to Jess... I hope you know what I'm talking about) I told Jonathan to jump over the fire (they had just put up more pallets) and he did, but before the fire got too high. Well, other people saw and thought to actually do it. Here you go. Good job, Jonathan. And well done, fire-jumpers.

I love Julia.

2009-01-31T00:08:00.003-05:00

I talked to Julia today during lunch, and it was so nice. Soooo here's a shout out. I'm glad you're my sister! Tell mom she can sleep in my bed anytime. I love you. P.S. Even I find it strange that I'm posting this... Am I just being emotional? Probably. And this picture is from last Christmas... and I can't find about 4 of my t-shirts. What's up with that?

P.P.S. Other siblings, I love you too.

My first screening booked.

2009-01-30T01:27:00.002-05:00

Every time we book a screening, we get to ring the gong. This was a few days ago. I got 3 more today. My PNW team got 10 total. Heck yes. That was 1/5 of the total screenings for the day.

2nd in command of LRA surrenders

2009-01-28T22:07:00.001-05:00

Check out this link:
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-01/29/content_10731553.htm

Praise God.

Jump First, Fear Later.

2009-01-27T23:37:00.005-05:00

Meet some of my new friends.
Watch this:

Excited? I think so.

Portland and Seattle

2009-01-26T17:27:00.000-05:00

We are in desperate need of contacts in Seattle and Portland. If you have friends in these areas or nearby who might want to host a screening of Invisible Children, please let me know!

Help a sista out!

2009-01-26T15:31:00.003-05:00

Meet Paige (I look like death in that picture, but Paige is cute and my webcam was acting weird). She's one of my loftmates, she's my desk-neighbor in the office, and she's ready to kick some butt on the road touring the Mountain West region. She was called last minute to be a Roadie and didn't have much time to raise her support. Sooooooooo I know all of you lovely people reading this might have a buck or two to spare. If you feel like you could give, you can send direct support to Paige at:

Invisible Children
Direct Support Paige Smith
1620 5th Ave. #400
San Diego, CA 92101

Thank you all for your support and I hope some of you can help my new friend, Paige!

Balboa Park

2009-01-25T01:18:00.003-05:00

Today was our day off and a few of us wanted to get out of the house. So we took the trolley to Balboa Park. We busted out the jump ropes and bam! Double dutch mania. A few people joined us and it was a great time. As always, double dutch brings people together. Old South High would be proud. We walked down to the harbor, saw a bunch of modern art along the way, and saw a sweet pirate ship. It cost $14 to get on... seriously? Who wants to pay $14 to get on a pirate ship? Rip off if you ask me. All in all it was a great outing with some new friends.

And I've always wanted to have a soundtrack to my life, and Joleah had her Blackberry that had some tunes on it, so we had music while we were walking. I also bought some egg shakers at a music store today. They're treating me right.

(Note: these pictures are from Kelly and Shannon)

Big things ahead.

2009-01-24T02:02:00.003-05:00

Today the filmmakers Jason, Bobby, and Laren introduced the Big Event that we're promoting this tour. Everyone was freaking out about it, but I always knew they'd pull something great off. And they did. I am so thrilled to be on this tour and am thankful that I was denied in the fall. The spirit here is great and everyone is so ready for this war to freaking end. More details to come later.

Meanwhile, since I'm blogging about my time here, I suppose I could also tell you about my feelings and not just what I'm doing. Well, I'm still sick, yesterday I actually had a bad fever and was passed out on a couch at the end of the hall at work. Embarrassing to tell you the truth. I'm so ready to feel 100% again. Also, I think there's a dance party tomorrow night, and I just can't stand the thought of missing that!

What I wanted to say, though, is that I don't know exactly how I'm feeling. It's really hard to just be still and examine how I'm feeling when I'm living in a house full of so many people and there's always something to do. And I'm also an emotional girl who doesn't know how to express my emotions. With that said, I do need to make a point to set aside time each day to be still, to pray, to read, and to listen. Please pray for me to be disciplined in that way.

P.S. Jess King, I'm listening to your mix you made me and it makes my heart so glad. Thank you.

Also, happy 30th birthday, Matt Bruce. Visit www.every365.blogspot.com for more details.

Health

2009-01-22T02:45:00.002-05:00

Hey friends, family and stalkers, quick prayer request. I've been sick for about a week now and although it's on the way out, I am in need of prayers for good health. In the past I've had the tendency to go, go, go, and never rest which has led to some stupid sicknesses. We are running on little sleep, full days at the office, and a living environment of 50 people in one house. Sickness is almost certain, so please just pray against that.

Oh and also, swollen lymph nodes = a fat Annie-neck :)

Coffee Soup

2009-01-22T00:40:00.002-05:00

I ordered a White Mocha today thinking it would come in a nice coffee cup. My new homegirl, Heidi brought it to me and I thought it was soup! Anyways, it was too big of a mug not to document. Besides, I never drink coffee, so that's documentable also. I hate drinking coffee... but this was delicious.

Birthday, Obama, Gong

2009-01-21T02:57:00.007-05:00

Number 1. Happy 21st birthday, Domonique. The full video of the actual performance wouldn't upload, so here is the practice.

Number 2. Happy inauguration day, Mr. Obama. We all thought the poem following Obama's speech was a little.... humorous.

Number 3. Today Rima booked her first screening, which meant... ringing the gong!! Way to go, Rima!! PNW, baby! (For those of you who don't know, whenever we book a screening, we get to ring the gong)

Get to work

2009-01-20T00:01:00.002-05:00

Today we actually got to call our contacts and start booking our own screenings. It was a lot of fun and I can't wait to meet in person the people I've met on the phone. Everyone seems so excited and eager to help. It is so great to see. Our region was divided into four and I am in charge of booking Portland and Seattle. So if you know anyone in that region who would be interested in having a screening, please let me know!!!

Good job, God.

2009-01-19T02:35:00.002-05:00

What a great canvas. This is from the back of our deck.

Thrifty Friends

2009-01-18T04:02:00.005-05:00

I walked to the thrift store today. When I was done looking around I asked a man if he knew where a hardware store was (I wanted to buy ropes for double dutch). I told him I was walking and he said it was too far to walk so he offered to drive. His wife was shopping so we talked for 30 or 45 minutes while she finished. They drove me to Home Depot, I bought my rope and duct tape (I know, I was just asking for them to kidnap me), and theeeennn... they took me out to lunch!! We went to this Chinese food buffet and they paid for me. They were so nice. Now mom, dad, and concerned friends, I know I shouldn't get in a car with strangers, but just look at them! They drove me home and Matt and Rima and her friend Megan were hanging outside. They saw them and thought they were my grandparents. Then Sheila said, "It was so nice to meet your friend!" and they got confused.

Week one done

2009-01-17T04:17:00.006-05:00

What a week.
They let us off work early today to do a photo scavenger hunt with our team combined with 1 or 2 others.

We had to take: most epic, most IC, most awkward, most San Diego, etc. Here are just a few. I'm too tired to post. I'm off to bed. We get to sleep in tomorrow. Goodnight, friends.

ABCD

2009-01-16T01:04:00.007-05:00

Meet Matt and Rima. Matt brought these hilarious glasses. The funny thing is that they looked alright on Rima. Ha! Today was my favorite day of training so far. Jason Russell talked to us at the end of the day for 2 hours talking of the ABCDs of life.

A-realize you're ALIVE. So many people are just existing and don't know what it means to live.
B- Become yourself. There will never be another you, and why would you ever want to be someone other than you? I am Annie Long, and that's awesome.
C- Create. We all have something to contribute to the world. Create it. Make something.
D- Die. Yes, die. I was so glad he brought this up. You must die to yourself to truly live. Again, this is not about me. And it's not about you. That goes back to Phillipians 1:21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

The above is just a vague idea of what he talked about. Jason put it much better than I could. The more I learn about what we're doing, the more I love this organization. All in all, I can already see that I am going to come out of this a different person. And I can't wait.

P.S. Jason was having trouble with his computer and Matt went up to help him out. He wore those glasses but Jason didn't notice for a good few minutes. Way to go Matt Bruce.

Final push!

2009-01-15T00:44:00.003-05:00

I am so close to reaching my $1500 goal for the tour. Really, really close. So here's a friendly reminder to those of you who are like me and forget to do something 194 times. $194 is all I need, so no matter how small your donation will be, it will be a huge help to reaching my final amount. Again, thank you thank you thank you to all of you who have supported me financially.

(P.S. You know I don't like asking for money and am so grateful for any amount)

Sunrise to Sunset

2009-01-15T00:39:00.003-05:00

We spent over 12 hours in the office today. There is simply so much to cover. And right now I really don't have too much time to blog, so I won't. At first I was a little whiny in my head about being there all day, thinking "I'm so tired." and wah wah stuff like that. Then I had to shut myself up because that's what it takes. The kids we are advocating for deserve 100%. Who am I to complain about spending a whole day in the office? Puh-lease Annie, check yo seff! Wish I could post more but I gotta study. Much love.

Smile, it's good.

2009-01-15T00:33:00.003-05:00

Meet Richard. On my lunch break today I saw him in the middle of the road holding this sign. I walked over, introduced myself, and we got to talking. I asked him why he was holding the sign, assuming it was to spread cheer (as you all know, I can be very naive) and he said "because it's illegal to ask for money." I was actually surprised because I didn't know that. Anyways, him and a few of his buddies were hanging out holding up these signs that said Have a Nice day and Smile, it's good for you. I'd never seen that before.

Also, Zarina, Shannon and I went into this antique shop with a TON of furniture. Mom, you would love walking around in there.

On Time

2009-01-14T03:08:00.001-05:00

Don't be late... seriously.

Stay tuned...

2009-01-14T03:02:00.002-05:00

Jason and Bobby gave us the history of the war today. It was jam packed full of information. To say the least I felt so inadequate because, as you all know, history is my worst subject. However, it is so important to know. So I studied a bit with Ashley W. tonight to get the facts straight. I have a ways to go, that's for sure.

This has been a long time realization coming to me: This movement is HUGE. I am one small grain of sand attempting to change the patterns of the ocean. And to be honest, IC does not need me. It is such a privilege, and I say that sincerely, to be here during this time.

I don't know exactly what, but big things are going to happen. Stay tuned...

Achi Nancy

2009-01-13T00:57:00.004-05:00

In La Jolla, we met at the contempary museum of modern art in san diego with all the roadies, interns, and staff. Bobby and Jason (2 of the filmmakers) talked to us and introduced Achi Nancy. She is from Uganda and is now going to college in America. She's one of the first people studying under the Invisible Children scholarship program. She is an orphan who never even dreamed about going to school. So when she got the scholarship, she said she fell on the floor. It was so humbling to hear her speak and it really put a face the work we are doing here. With every day passing and with everyone telling their stories of how they became involved with IC, it makes me that more ready and thrilled to dive in... which is what we will be doing from now on. Tomorrow starts our official training in the office. Please pray for the entire Invisible Children team. There are so many branches to this organization and we have a TON to do in a short amount of time.
We also watched a documentary called "Man on Wire" If you haven't seen it, go get it now and watch it. Jason and Bobby related that to Invisible Children and how we are attempting to do the impossible. So great.

Vons

2009-01-13T00:52:00.002-05:00

We took a trip to Von's this morning. It's a grocery store I've never heard of. We all bought way too much to carry so we pushed three carts back to our house.

Also, today was Brynne's first time eating a burrito.

Pacific Ocean

2009-01-13T00:41:00.004-05:00

My first time seeing the Pacific. This was before we had a meeting in La Jolla. Jess, you are definitely a California person. WHAT are you still doing in Virginia!? Anyways, Kenneth's burrito from Chipotle was stolen by a seagull so that was pretty funny.

Plane People

2009-01-12T00:31:00.009-05:00

You can meet the most interesting people on planes! On the first part of my flight, I sat next to this guy who was heading to Vegas for a salon expo. He told me I should arch my eyebrows and we danced to Rhianna together. There was a 34 minute gap between my landing and the boarding of my connecting flight, but that turned into a 4 hour delay. SO I bought a deck of cards and started playing Solitaire. I didn't win once! I was sitting next to this guy who asked me about an announcement the airlines had made. We got to talking and I mentioned Invisible Children. WELL, he knew all about it and even knows/knew Jason (one of the filmmakers). He told me about his niece who lives in Canada who is so interested in Africa and gave me her contact information. Coincidence? I think not. It just so happens that Canada is part of my tour. God, you are great. He used a delayed flight and gave me a new friend, a new contact for Invisible Children, and a free meal at the airport! I showed Juan my card tricks, and we traded riddles. We got $10 meal vouchers from the airlines and went and got some food together. It was a really fun time. We took a picture at the slots that are in the airport to make it look more Vegas-like. At the baggage claim, Lauren (return Roadie) and Rima (my teammate) welcomed me and I hopped in the van and we were off! I met a bunch of the girls and they are all fantastic. California is BEAUTIFUL, our house is great (I'm living in the loft with 5 other girls) and our Roadie family is forming.

A bunch of us went to target and they have escalators for your cart!!!! (Meet Lauren) All in all, I am happy here. The IC team has been so welcoming and all of the roadies seem so nice. I am now even more excited to dive right in and start working! Take care!
Sending you love from Sandy Eggo.
Annie

Heading out

2009-01-11T02:46:00.009-05:00

Here I go. I am so proud of myself because I was able to actually pack LIGHT. My checked luggage weighs 25 pounds and all I have is my backpack for a carryon. I was able to fit my sleeping bag along with all my clothes in a 24 inch suitcase. Is that a round of applause I hear? Thank you, thank you (Annie bows)

Side note: Thank you all so much for supporting my financially! I would love for you all to keep up to date with my adventures as you all were a part of making it happen.

Also, I need prayer just as much as money if not more. Please pray for safety, for my team (their names are Rima, Deric, and Matt), for the schools we'll be visiting and the work we'll be doing there, and for progress to be made towards peace in Uganda.

I am ready to go but, to be honest, it still hasn't hit me that I'm leaving. Maybe when I'm on the plane that will change. Well, here's my last post from Virginia. Stay along for the ride!

What will Annie be doing???

2009-01-11T02:32:00.005-05:00

I've talked a bit about Invisible Children on here, but for those of you just now reading my blog I want to give an overview of what I'll be before I actually start doing it so you'll know what's happening when I do do it. Did that sentence make any sense? I made you say "doodoo" didn't I?

I am a Roadie which means I'm a rep of Invisible Children. I'll be scheduling screenings (showings) of the documentary at high schools and colleges. I'll be traveling around the Pacific Northwest visiting these schools while encouraging the students to be involved. I'll be raising money with my three teammates and we'll be advertising, selling merchandise, and all-in-all promoting Invisible Children. We are advocates of the Acholi people in Northern Uganda and our hope is to inspire our peers to inspire their peers and so on, for the movement of peace in Uganda.

LLbeanies

2009-01-11T02:04:00.009-05:00

These are from a few weeks ago- my last few days at LLBean. These pictures are from Tenzin's camera. Thanks, Tenzin! And thanks to all you Kids Sales Reps who made my time at LLBean a good one. Take care of footwear backstock for me, keep the clothing sized, and go after all those OAPS! ;) Hopefully I'll be back in the summer to see you all (and work there...duh)

The perfect gift

2009-01-11T01:38:00.020-05:00

God has seriously blessed me with a great friend by the name of Jess King. She is the perfect going away present, although she can't come with me to California and beyond. She drove up from Harrisonburg to take me out to dinner and say goodbye. So Jess, Julia and I went to Sweetwater Tavern, learned that we're losing our hearing, and smoked a farewell cigar (now parents, don't freak out) She also gave me an awesome care package consisting of things she found around the Girls House. How thoughtful! :) It was perfect, really. (see pictures). Jess, I love you! I love laughing with you (mainly because other people start to stare... you laugh kind of loud...) Your friendship to me is precious and I'm SO glad I got to see you before I left! Now go to Hawaii already!

T minus 8 days!

2009-01-03T22:11:00.004-05:00

T minus 8 days!!! I leave for California to be a Roadie for Invisible Children on the 11th. I've been able to raise almost half my goal so far, but time is running out and I need your help. Check this out first. I need to raise between $1500 and $2000 total for my 5 month internship to pay for my basic needs. Every little bit helps... and it's tax deductible :) You can send donations to:

Invisible Children, Inc.
Direct Support Annie Long
1620 5th Avenue Suite #400
San Diego, CA 92101

If you're sending a check, put my name in the memo line. And feel free to tell friends and family. Thanks for any and all support!!
Visit www.invisiblechildren.com for more information.

The Beast

2008-12-29T00:27:00.004-05:00

For those of you who know the beast, she can be goofy too! :)
(P.S. for those of you who fear my life, The Beast approved this post)

Animal activists, turn away.

2008-12-28T23:55:00.010-05:00

My (2nd) cousin Derek is the man! The other day he went out, sat in the cold for 3 hours, and got a doe with a bow and arrow! That's hardcore if you ask me. I don't want to get on his bad side :)

Needless to say, I love being in Kansas. You just don't see this everyday in good ol' Virginny.

Sweaters.

2008-12-28T23:43:00.004-05:00

Haven't blogged in a while, and while I could do this in chronological order, I don't feel like it. Last night Julia and I went to my cousin Ryan's Christmas sweater party. We went to it 2 years ago and this was the 3rd annual party. Way to go, Ryan. See you next year. On second thought, come visit your cousins in Virginia!

Julia, Ryan, and Ryan's friend Aaron.
Julia and Luke armwrestling... in the air?

Plan B?

2008-12-23T22:01:00.009-05:00

So the plan was to surprise Becky in Kansas for Christmas. We left Tuesday around 2:00pm and here we are at a Super 8 Motel somewhere in Ohio. Our car battery was acting funny, the lights weren't consistent and the windshield wipers weren't working. So, 7 hours from home and 18 miles away from Kansas. The roads are a sheet of ice and so even if our car was fine, we wouldn't be able to drive. Merry Christmas Eve from Super 8!

The only outlet was in the bathroom. No shame, no shame.

Happy Birthday, Matt!

2008-12-22T18:59:00.003-05:00

Happy 23rd, Matt.

www.every365.blogspot.com

Lovely.

2008-12-18T00:00:00.003-05:00

Today was my last meeting with these incredible women of 2008. Don't mind the kiddos running around behind us :) We had a Christmas party, sang some songs with the kids (meaning Julie and I sang to the kids) and ate some grub. Merry Christmas.