A Very Smelly Weekend

This weekend was filled with extra smelliness because Smelly Senior and Mama K- the original Smellys- were visiting. This was their first time seeing our place and in 5 weeks they will be helping us pack it up, but at least they got to see it once while it was all pretty and put together.

They arrived Friday night and we went to The Mongolian Grill.

A restaurant where you make your own stir-fry. It's fun and tasty, you put all your ingredients in a bowl and then you take it to these guys and they cook it up for you. This may be the one time, I thought it was nice to only be allowed to eat gluten free food- Mama K didn't have to wait in the long line and got a personal cook.

Saturday was a b-e-a-u-tiful day, 80s and sunny. The perfect way to kick off the spring season. I hope it lasts! Mr. B had to take a test in the morning, so Smelly Sr., Mama K and I went out for breakfast at Mimi's Cafe. Then we walked through the shops and Mama K surprised me and let me pick out a shirt, she brought me to Loft- a store that for some reason had never been into and now I am in love with. Mr. B returned and he and Smelly Sr. went to a few stores while Mama K and I talked and soaked up some rays.

Mr. B had to go to a tennis match- a requirement for his Tennis Class, yes, that really is a class he is taking...and paying for, since the weather was so gorgeous we all went and watched. After that we had a late lunch at Sonny's BBQ before we headed to see the Jeremy Camp concert. I forgot to take pictures at the restaurants we went to, but you'll have to trust that we went, we looked good and it was delicious.

Ready for the concert with my totally-adorable-perfect-size-matches-with-everything-faux-Prada purse they bought me while vacationing in the Bahamas. (Awesome pick, Mama K!)

Waiting for the concert to start.

Jeremy Camp's wife, Adie, opened up for him. She has an amazing voice and she is from South Africa and has an accent that makes you jealous.

There he is- Jeremy Camp, woot woot. He is so talented and sounds exactly like he does on his CDs. His life is living proof of God's faithfulness, he has such an amazing testimony.

He brought his adorable little girls on stage to dance to one of his songs. It was so precious.

I have seen Jeremy in concert a few times before, but never with his wife. They are the Christian version of Tim McGraw and Faith Hill (I've been to their concert too), you feel like you could watch them sing together all night. Although Tim and Faith's concert are completely opposite of this one, it was such a blessing to see the two of them worshiping Jesus together. Talk about a testimony these two share- wow! This is clip of their version of Jesus Loves Me, so fun!

After the concert, we had a late dinner at 10:30- way past all of our bedtimes which may explain why the pigment in my eyes are no longer there. Of course we ate at no other place, but the one and only GrillSmith and ordered the best filet ever.

Today we went to a church in Tampa that Mr. B and his family used to go to many years ago. This church is HUGE.

This is the foyer that was pretty much like the entrance to a really nice resort.

They even have a special room where you line up and..you won't even believe this...YOU get to meet, if you're lucky maybe even get to talk, with the Pastor!! How thoughtful is that?! We found it quite comical, I felt like you might even be able to get your picture taken, sit on his lap and tell him your prayer request.

They also had a fountain in there, Mr. B was embarrassed to be taking a picture in front of it, but hey it's there, it's pretty and might as well be used for something, right?

This is the sanctuary. Our home church is the size of the left side with the blue seats for the choir. Not kidding. (Shout out to BCC peeps- we miss you!) Notice the additional advertising for the opportunity to actually meet the pastor.

This did seem like a great church though.... just a few thousand too many people for my liking.

Today's weather is not nearly as nice as yesterdays.

We took our flip flops off and ran to the car, Mr. B was going to drive around and pick us up...along with the other thousand serving, Christian, wonderful husbands, so we ran and met him halfway instead.

Take 1. Wet hair stuck across face

Take 2. Wet hair stuck in mouth

Take 3. Mama K and I (sporting the new Loft shirt btw) wet with our barefeet. A picture that was totally worth 3 shots for the sole purpose of being on this blog. Mission complete. I am feeling pretty confident you are appreciative of us for capturing this moment so you could find as much excitement in this adventure as we did.

The weekend went by so fast. so. so. fast. It was certainly a quick trip, but it was a pleasure. Mr. B and I are so blessed to have such awesome parents and we love having them visit.

Thanks Smelly Sr. and Mama K for a great weekend!! We miss you and love you!

I think it's pretty obvious, a 35 day Shred is what I will be needing in order to work off all of the tasty food I consumed this weekend. Awesome.

That explains a lot...

When it's time to use these babies, I always find myself thinking, "Yup, sounds about right. That explains a lot." Justification, if you will.

Happy Spring!!

Show Us Your Life- Missions

Over at Kelly's Korner it's Show Us Your Life- Missions. I went to a Christian high school and we were blessed with the opportunity to go on mission trips during our spring breaks. I am excited to give you a glimpse of these awesome experiences.

My sophomore year we went to Mexico and we teamed up with a Christian organization. This was a unique missions trip because the focus wasn't so much on serving the poor on the streets, but rather about coming along side these people, supporting them and praying for them. The Lord used us to refresh and rejuvenate this organization.

This is where they slept. A giant circus tent with a bunch of twin beds. There was a tent for women and a tent for men. Married couples had little trailers for them and their families. Our team also slept in here. I had to sleep on the complete opposite side of my friends {I may have been a little scared}.

These were the bathrooms. A challenge to see how long you can hold your breath.

The shower. The.coldest.shower.of.my.entire.life.

We played with some of the children whose parents are part of the outreach team.

And held their cute little babes.

We ate real Mexican food....just a little different than Moe's or Taco Bell.

This includes rice for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

We went on a "Jesus March" through town. They have a microphone and speakers they bring with them, they sing worship songs through the street and then they stop at a corner and preach.

This was a great experience. It wasn't exactly life-changing, but it was amazing to see God's people so devoted to preaching the gospel. And as always it puts your own life into perspective. Why did I complain about something silly like the lack of water pressure in the shower at my house, a big, clean, bathroom with hot water and soap? What am I doing for God's Kingdom? Would I devote my whole life like these people?

My junior year, I went to Romania. On this trip we all had host families. The team was separated all through out the town and we lived with different families from the church we were working with. This was Mr. B's first year at the school and he joined this trip as well.

The very beginning of "Ms. J & Mr. B"

We went to a children's home where we sang and made some crafts with them. These children really touched my heart. Many of them were left on the street. Many of them had mothers in prostitution. So many precious, innocent, happy faces.

We gagged enjoyed all the Romanian delicacies. Lots of soup made with God only knows what. Wedge of warm mushy cheese, little hot dog type thing and yogurt for breakfast every morning. I need to stop talking about it because it makes me sick thinking about it.

Some beautiful Romanian children on the streets.

Some of us from the team went to a little church, we led worship, prayed and preached.

These are the children from their Sunday School.

There's cute babies all over the world. I'll find them wherever I go!

This trip was my first trip where I really got to interact with the poor, with the "outcast". I got to love on children that are not loved by their parents, we got to show them the love of Jesus and see their faces light up with the littlest things. So touching.

I also got to connect with the most awesome man who 5 years later became my husband. That's a plus.

My senior year we went to the Ukraine. We stayed at a really nice place called the "Nehemiah House". This is a building that host many conferences and pastors around the world and on this trip they hosted us. They have nice rooms, nice bathrooms, kitchen, a little store, a computer etc. it's an awesome place.

This was a Big Brother/Big Sister trip. We were paired up and each assigned an orphan that was "ours" for a few days. So fun. This is me and my friend Rachel with our orphan, Maria.

We had a field day for our orphans filled with face painting, games, balloons and candy.

Mr. B with this adorable little orphan and Maria.

So cute.

Towards the end of the week we went into a gypsy village and had a bbq outreach. We played with the children while the leaders shared the gospel with their parents.

I told you, I find cute babies anywhere.

One of my favorite days. We were given the opportunity to go to a children's hospital. These newborns were found on the street and many of them were very sick. So sad.

We had another field day at a school. These are some of the students.

Then we said good-bye. We dropped them back off at their orphanage and drove away...

with many tears.

My freshman year of college, I went to the community college. They were having a spring break trip to Biloxi Mississipi where they teamed up with Salvation Army and Habitat for Humanity to build new houses for Katrina victims. I went. This trip was so out of my comfort zone, to this day I can't even believe I went. I knew no.one.zero.nada.nobody. I am a girly girl, I went on a trip to work with tools and build houses. It's quite comical, really.

It costs me like $50 or something because it was sponsored by the school. My spring break was different than all my friends', I figured I might as well go. I prayed about, applied, got interviewed, got accepted and there I was building houses.

I slept here with 20 other girls from different colleges. Not that it mattered because I didn't even know the girls from my own college.

But it didn't take long for them to become my friends. This was by far the scariest moment of my life. If you ever need to make friends, I suggest doing something you have in common, like being on a wet slippery roof sweeping off the water so you can begin nailing in shingles and you are both shaking out of fear you'll slip right off and die. It is sure to bring you together.

It's a lot easier to pose with a hammer than to actually use one.

FYI: I'm a Red Sox fan, but the Chief hat was on sale for $3.

Nothing new...just nailing in some shingles. No big deal.

Cutting some siding for the house. I still don't believe it either. Me + Table Saw....Ha.

The siding is finished.

Each one of these trips has allowed me to grow and strengthen me into the woman that I am today. I am so thankful and blessed for these amazing opportunities that have opened my eyes to so much more than my normal everyday life.

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James 1:27 (NIV)

Happy Friday!!

Congrats and thanks if you made it all the way to here!