Happy Halloween

“Clothes make a statement. Costumes tell a story.”

Mason Cooley


(Not sure if sparkly pumpkin Target shirts from moms fall under "clothing" or "costume," but B and I are clearly making a statement and telling a story. A really riveting, childlike story involving Harry Potter, Theta Mix, awkwardness, WeeMees, blogs and pumpkin spice lattes.)

Update

I am moving home to Atlanta.

(Just had to come right out and say it.)

I've talked to many of you, and if I haven't... well, I think my thinly-veiled blogs might have tipped you off. But as of today, it is official public knowledge.

I feel confident that you could never meet a person who loves New York City more than I do. But all mixed in my heart with love for this city and the people here is love for my family, love for for the South, love for the friends I left behind and love for Chick-fil-A.

Speaking of Chick-fil-A...

That's where I'll be working, in their Advertising & Campaigns group! It truly is my dream job, and I can't believe I get to work there. I feel so unbelievably blessed.

There's a lot more to say, a lot more Ebenezers to reflect upon, and certainly a lot left to do. But I'm a bit overwhelmed with a hodgepodge of emotions, so this will have to suffice for today...

Quote of the day

“If guys don’t want me to write songs about them, they shouldn’t do bad things! And if they’re afraid, going into the relationship, that they’re going to end up having a bad song written about them… Well, then they don’t have the best of intentions, do they? It’s a nice weeding-out process.”

Taylor Swift

Grown-up Christmas List

As sad as I am to report to Amy Grant, my Christmas list does not explicitly include no more lives torn apart, or that wars would never start, or that time would heal all hearts.

It does, however, include an ESV Study Bible and cowboy boots. I'm also mulling over a combo Christmas/birthday request for a new MacBook since my baby's dying.

What's on your Christmas list?
:)


p.s. According to the countdown widget I have installed on the blog, Christmas is 60 days away! Woohoo!

Ebenezer #2: A friend

In August 2005, Erin, Jessica and I started attending Buckhead Church in Atlanta. We all wanted to get plugged into a small group there, so we made plans to attend GroupLink, a Buckhead Church event designed to do just that. Unfortunately, Erin and Jessica ended up not being able to make it, so I ventured out on my own and went.

The scene at GroupLink, as with all North Point events, is kind of overwhelming. It's in the auditorium - which is ginormous - and it's set up as a sea of round tables. On each table, there's a sign for the type of group that will be convening there, e.g., "30's, Men, Dunwoody." Given the fact that my group - "20's, Women, Buckhead" - was by far the most representative slice of the Buckhead Church community, there were a million tables to choose from. So I just sat down at one.

And that table became my small group.

I have to be perfectly honest. I don't keep up with most girls that were in this group. However, they were exactly who I needed to be with during that year in Atlanta. They walked me through each step of my decision process in deciding to move to New York. They cried with me when it wasn't working. And they rejoiced with me when the pieces started falling into place. It was a sweet season.

In this group - this random, Buckhead Church assigned small group - was a girl named Angie. We were merely acquaintances during that small group year in Atlanta, although looking back, I'm not sure why or how that was possible. But a week after I moved to New York, I got a call from her. She had decided to move to New York, too.

(click to enlarge)

Things didn't necessarily plan out the way Angie planned, but either way, she did move up in August. We started hanging out more, and, as Angie once put it, "we made it past the peripheral friend phase pretty much immediately." She joined me at Gallery Church. We started another small group, which truly anchored me during that first year in New York and got me through one of the hardest, saddest seasons of my life.

Angie and I, along with Lauren, have had some of the most random, strangest, bizarre, wonderful adventures in this city. We got stranded in Hoboken together. We went to Atlantic City. We went on a free cruise together. One time, we did herkeys at a party just to see if we still had it. (We did.) We also do normal things like go to movies, eat Chilaquiles at El Centro, sing karaoke and watch terrible movies like "The Women" On Demand at Angie's apartment.

Looking back, it's amazing to see God's providence. He knew I would need friends in New York, especially that first year, so he encouraged me to go to GroupLink alone. He directed me right to that random round "20's, Women, Buckhead" table (which I now know was not random at all). And he used Angie and I in each other's lives to get us to the city exactly when he wanted us here.

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, "I didn't find my friends; the good Lord gave them to me." Thank you, Lord, for giving me my friends.

Ebenezer #1: A roommate

I could start the story in a number of places. I could tell you how I first visited New York when I was 12 years old and immediately told my parents that I was going to live here. I could tell you about how I interned here the summer after my junior year and got bit with the bug. I could tell you about how, the year I lived in Atlanta, I visited Cal once a month trying to decide if I wanted to move.

However, I would prefer to start the story on January 10, 2006.

I was living with Erin and Jessica. We had all gotten involved with Fusion at Buckhead Church, and Erin was coordinating a morning of volunteering at St. Francis' Table, a soup kitchen in Atlanta. So, at 7am on January 10, we met at Buckhead Church and ventured downtown to serve the homeless.

I could have not gone. I'm sure when I woke up that morning, it was really cold, and I probably considered bailing. I think it was raining. Nevertheless, for whatever reason (noble or not) I did go.

While there, I struck up a conversation with another volunteer, Christina. We had never met before, but we hit it off from the beginning. Somehow, in the midst of serving lunch, we determined that we both had a heart for New York City and had always thought about moving there. I remember thinking how amazing it was to meet someone who was in the exact same place as me... loving Atlanta, living a good life, but noticing an itch deep inside for an adventure in New York.

Christina and I started getting together almost every week, most of the time at the Starbucks on West Paces Ferry. We talked about the trips we were taking up to New York, the friends we had there, the churches we'd visited, the boys we both had on the radar at the time. And eventually, over numerous Vanilla Skim Lattes, we talked each other in to a move in June. It was all settled. We were going to move up at the same time, and we were going to live together. I could not believe how blessed I was that God had provided me with this friend and roommate.

However, on May 7, at Fusion, Christina shared with me an update: she had had a dream job opportunity come up in Atlanta, and she would not be moving after all. For someone who had been making a lot of choices based on what I thought were signs from God, this was a huge blow to my plan. I remember getting in the car with Erin and having a mini-freak-out, mostly panicking, "Does this mean I'm not supposed to move?! Is it a sign?"

If anyone had motivation to talk me out of the move, it was Erin. We were roommates, and I was moving out of the apartment. We did almost everything together in Atlanta. But Erin, who is one of the wisest friends I have, did not try to talk me out of it. She could have, and I wouldn't have blamed her. But she did the opposite. She affirmed me. She encouraged me. She told me to not let this setback stop me, but to trust that God had something and someone else in store.

So I stayed the course. That Thursday, Christina emailed me the contact information of a friend of a friend of hers, a girl named Leslie who was looking for a new roommate. Leslie and I emailed back and forth, talked on the phone, met once and decided to live together. We lived together in a shoebox on the Upper East Side for two years. She was an amazing roommate, and she is to this day a dear friend. She helped make my move to New York so easy, and we had a blast sharing little 1FW. (We even went to Mexico together in March.)

And that's how God turned a trip to an Atlanta soup kitchen into my first New York roommate.

Leslie, me and Christina (who ended up moving to New York 6 months after I did :))

Here I raise mine Ebenezer

If you are familiar with the church hymn "Come Thou Fount," you might recognize the line, "Here I raise mine Ebenezer, hither by Thy help I'm come." The term Ebenezer comes from I Samuel 7:12: "Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, 'Thus far has the LORD helped us.'"

Ebenezer literally means "stone of help." Samuel set up his Ebenezer to commemorate the victory that the Lord had given Israel over the Philistines. It was a tangible way to remind himself of what the Lord had done for him and his people, an altar thanking God for remembering and blessing his people.

In my Bible study homework this week, Priscilla Shirer suggested a similar exercise. The assignment was to think back to four major life events and reflect on the ways God was faithful. To set up mental Ebenezers, if you will.

As I reflect on the last 3 1/2 years that I have lived in New York, there are an infinite number of victories that the Lord provided, miracles he worked, doors he opened, blessings he showered. Over the next few weeks, I will be reflecting on these, erecting these New York Ebenezers in my mind. Because I can think of no better way to prepare to move forward than to attribute every step that got me here to my gracious, sovereign heavenly father.

It's not my story.

(It never has been.)

But it is God's story, and in his abounding love, he penned a chapter entitled, "Jamie Goes to NYC." For that, I will be eternally grateful.

Dear John

Oh. Yes.

The melody is the hope

NY Mag's Christianna Ablahad interviewed John Mayer about his new album. An excerpt...

Any particular theme or inspiration behind [your new album] that makes it different from previous albums?
Yeah, it's going to be quite melodically bright, but the themes are all about heartbreak.

How is that different? Haven't you written a lot about heartbreak?
I think most artists do, but this is really breaking into the theme of it as a concept.

Is there hope behind the heartbreak?
The melody is the hope. The lyrics are the heartbreak, the melody is the hope.

Southern Caviar

Last night, our ladies' Bible study started up again! We were together all summer studying Esther (under the tutelage of our beloved Beth Moore), and now we're studying David for the fall. Throughout our Esther study, it was so encouraging to see how God brought 13 women together at just the right time... we were all in different places with different backgrounds, but somehow, the book of Esther was the perfect study for each of us. I am excited to see how the fall comes together, too!

While the study of God's Word is my favorite thing about our group, the fellowship is right behind. And by "fellowship," I mean a) watching reality TV afterwards (seriously? Jake as the next Bachelor?!) and b) eating. We've had Haman cookies - Danielle's unfortunately included Viactiv chews, but we're trying to forget that ;) - and normal fare like brownies, guacamole and hummus. Last night, though, I made a recipe from friend Leslie Davis, and it was quite a hit! Seeing as I only have 4-5 edible recipes to my name, I figure I should share the love when I make a good one:

"Southern Caviar"

1 (16 oz.) can black eyed peas, drained
1 (small) can shoepeg corn, drained
1 Onion, finely chopped
1 Bell pepper, finely chopped (JLM: I leave this out, but only because I hate bell peppers)
1 Jar red pepper relish
1 Small bottle zesty Italian dressing

1. Rinse peas and corn after draining.
2. Mix all ingredients together.
3. Serve with corn chips.

Bon appetit!

It will not be long enough

I read this tonight. I didn't write it, but oh how I wish I had. Sometimes other people know how to capture the words that are deep inside you - the feelings and emotions that are bubbling in that inner place, just aching to be eloquently and accurately expressed - better than you ever could.

Here is my heart.

"Letter to Manhattan," by Tara Leigh Cobble in Crowded Skies

(page breaks mine)

"Sometimes you seem so alive to me, so much like a moving, breathing organism, that I almost feel like I should have your phone number on speed dial. I've been known to take long walks or go out to dinner alone, under the premise of spending time with you. I say goodbye to you when I leave, and I always feel like you greet me when I return (especially because the Chrysler Building leaves its lights on for me). That's why it doesn't seem so odd that I am writing a letter to you. It's almost as if you are sitting here with me right now, throwing back a cup of coffee on this autumn night...

Before I moved, everyone told me that you would change me. Some of them said it like a warning: "Don't let New York ruin you!" "Don't turn into a Yankee!" It almost seems absurd now when I think about it, mainly because I hope I will always be changing, growing, learning. How terrible life would be if we never evolved into better versions of ourselves. And that's what I believe you've done for me. Or rather, God has done it for me, but you've been His instrument.

You have taught me not to be so afraid, so bitter, so judgmental. And there is an urgency about being around you, a sense that no matter how long I am allowed to stay,

it

will

not

be

long

enough.

Even if I live here for five more years, that seems like such a short amount of time to cover so much ground, to see all your places, visit your museums, eat at your restaurants, learn to love so many strangers. And I do love every bit of it...

The diversity of age, race, language - this, I know, is a piece of what heaven will be like: every tribe and tongue and people and nation. And it is nearly

every

dream

I

have

come

true.

The culmination of so much more than I ever knew to expect.

I may never understand how much you are a blessing to me from God, but what I do know overwhelms me. And no matter where life takes me, you and your people will always have a place in my heart."

Have a great weekend!

spreadthelove.etsy.com

Forever

Last night, my favorite couple on my favorite TV show got married. I must say, I wasn't the biggest fan of the episode, but by the last 10 minutes they had me... I was simultaneously bawling and beaming.

(click thru for video)

"The boat was actually Plan C. The church was Plan B, and Plan A was marrying her a long time ago. Pretty much the day I met her."

l-o-v-e

Uno, dos, tres, catorce

This week, I had a chance to cross something off the life bucket list. Unfortunately, I don't have an actual bucket list to post (probably a good project for me to take on!), but attending a U2 concert is certainly on the one that floats around in my head.

When U2's New York show sold out before I could get my hands on a ticket - which turned out to be a blessing, because we went to SYTYCD that night! - I bought tickets for the Atlanta show instead. I wound up being in town for something else, so it worked out like a dream!

Jessica and I went with Jen and Kevin, and we were giddy the entire night. U2, and, in particular, Bono, put on a show like I have never seen before. When I think through my top concert list of all time (Billy Joel with Paul McCartney at Shea Stadium, Madonna at Madison Square Garden, Coldplay at the Meadowlands, George Strait at Turner Field, Sting and the Police at the Garden, John Mayer at the 40 Watt... that's off the top of my head!), Tuesday's show will absolutely hold rank for all time.

Their stage looked like a spaceship, and it was unreal:

They sang all of the old songs we hoped to hear - With or Without You, Where the Streets Have No Name, I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, Mysterious Ways - while some of their newer hits like Vertigo rocked the whole Dome.

I had a few favorite moments. The band sang With or Without You (note: Does everyone else think of Ross and Rachel's break-up when they hear this? If not, you probably think of one of your own break-ups!) during the second encore, and it was magical:

Bono also opened up Where the Streets Have No Name with an acoustic Amazing Grace. I am being completely serious when I say - it felt like heaven.

But my favorite moment was I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For. Bono backed away and let the crowd sing the verse... over 75,000 people singing the lyrics that proclaim the gospel so boldly, it felt like a worship service...

I believe in the Kingdom Come
Then all the colors will bleed into one
Bleed into one
But yes I'm still running

You broke the bonds
You loosed the chains
Carried the cross
Of my shame
Oh my shame
You know I believe it

What a memory! I'm so glad I could share my U2 experience with good friends, and experience a taste of what my feeble, earthly mind imagines heaven to be like.

p.s. Bono is a ROCKSTAR. As is The Edge.

Hook 'em Horns

Last weekend I went to Texas with Lauren. We had an amazing Texas time! We stayed with her parents in Dallas Friday night and then drove to Austin (Southbound I-35, of course) early Saturday morning. While in Austin we:

• Tailgated with her friend Kayla's family - this included Stubb's BBQ, beanbags (Mr Bigham and I won!) and an adorable little niece dressed as a Longhorn cheerleader.
  

• Toured the UT campus and visited the Co-op, their bookstore that is larger than a Macy's. I made my first burnt orange purchase...ever.
• Ate authentic, delicious Mexican at Guero's

• Strolled downtown Austin and Sixth Street
• Ate at Shady Grove Cafe, my favorite Austin spot, just down the street from where they were setting up for ACL
  

Drove around the hill country - stunning!
Did some major damage at a Nine West outlet

Other than a trip to Chili's with the Johnson family, my Dallas days were not quite as exciting...they were spent in a Sheraton Hotel. That's OK - just means another trip to Dallas will be in order!

Happy Birthday

A few weeks ago, I went home to Marietta to celebrate my grandparents' birthdays. My grandma had turned 78 the week prior, and my granddad was turning 80. 80!! What a special birthday! The best part of the trip? He didn't know I was coming.



So we had a lovely little birthday party at our house to celebrate the big 8-0. My aunt (Granddad's sister) came over, too, and we ate chicken salad and cake and ice cream. We tied balloons on the mailbox and on the kitchen table. Mom and I got a bunch of 80th birthday cards, too!

As a gift for them, mom and I worked on a Snapfish photo album. We included pictures from the last 25 years... family beach photos, pictures of us on holidays and birthdays, school pictures, and more. It was so fun to look through all the photos and remember such happy childhood family memories!

It was such a special day. I was so blessed to be able to be home and celebrate my wonderful grandparents!

October!

Today is October 1. Yay October!

October is my favorite month of the year. And the next three months - October, November, December - are my favorite three months of the year! (My favorite quarter, if you will.)

October: crisp, fall, pumpkins and pumpkin spice lattes, scarves, Halloween, 30Rock.

November: cool, more fall, more pumpkins, Thanksgiving and Thanksgiving Day Parade, boots.

December: chilly, snow, Christmas decorations, lights, parties, shopping, birthday, New Year's.

I'm happy today because three happy months are coming!


p.s. I recognize that I used the word "October" five six times in this short post. I'm okay with it.