Happy Father's Day

Father’s Day has recently passed us by and before it gets too far away to make sense, I wanted to write a tribute to my father!

Recently I have had a lot of people ask me about my relationship with my family, namely my father. While I am close to my mother, I am a “daddy’s girl” to the core. My daddy knows me better than anyone else on this earth. He has seen the good, the bad and the ugly and he still loves me for exactly who I am. Yes, he wants me to improve myself, but he has always accepted me for who I am.

 My friend Jason and I had a long conversation about how my close relationship with my daddy helped with relationships and life. So here are some lessons I learned…

1. I learned from my daddy what it means to have a generous heart. He has always been generous with his love, time and money. Even when we didn’t have much to give. He has always been willing to invite people into our lives and to share with them. When I was on a project one summer, we had a family weekend. I asked if I could invite some friends whose parents weren’t able to come. He said of course and paid for their dinner. He also loves wholeheartedly, claiming many new “daughters.” He loves to hug and show people that they are loved.
2. He also taught me how to give good gifts. Dad has never believed in giving practical gifts. One year, my backpack broke. I was going to ask for another one for Christmas, but when he found out my backpack was broken, he took me right then to Office Depot and let me pick out any backpack I wanted. He reminded me that a backpack was something I really needed and that I shouldn’t have to ask for a new one for a present. I still have that backpack…
3. He taught me to have a love for reading… however this lesson didn’t stick with my younger brother. But for me, it did. He gently pushed me to read more difficult books and then quizzed me on them to make sure I really read them. Because of him, I achieved a high school reading level while still in elementary school and a college reading level in middle school. To this day, I still love reading anything and everything.
4. He taught me how to have a good work ethic. While my other friends were watching TV and sleeping late every Saturday, my brother and I were working in the yard alongside my mother and father. While I hated it (I still hate yardwork), it taught me how to work and how to work hard.
5. He taught me useful skills… Along with a work ethic, Dad taught me how to do so many things that young girls aren’t taught. I was taught how to properly use tools and care for the house. Not many girls can say that they have helped lay a floor, planed lumber, put up sheetrock… etc. When I went to college and had to take a theatre class that required us to build something and use tools, I was the only one who wasn’t afraid of the skill saw… Not only that, but I never needed help in putting up pictures or curtain rods or shelves, thanks to the man who made sure I was handy with a screwdriver. Thank you!
6. Dad taught me to be independent and to take care of myself… although this lesson took a while to learn… When something happened… he would always help me to calm down and then help me get through it. Now that I can no longer call him with every emergency (Taiwan is far away, not to mention on a completely different time zone) I used the lessons he taught me to take care of myself. Through his lessons, I am fairly level headed and can at least figure out who I need to call to help me.
7. Dad taught me to believe in myself. He has always had more confidence in me than I have had in myself. Every time I attempted something and succeeded, he would tell me “I knew you could do it.” He never told me I couldn’t do something. Instead, he encouraged me and if there was something I failed at, he offered suggestions at how I could do something else different next time.
8. He taught me that distance doesn’t mean that you are forgotten. While I was growing up, he had to travel a lot for his job. I missed him a lot during those times. However, he ALWAYS called at night if he could. Although his travels caused him to miss a lot of important moments, I never felt unimportant. I received flowers and balloons on my birthdays and important days. If possible, he always made time to talk with me when I called. Even now, if I call with a problem, he will take time just to talk to me even if he is with his boss at dinner.
9. And finally, I feel like my daddy taught me that I deserve a Godly man who loves me. When Jason and I talked he asked me if my close relationship with my daddy helped me not to settle for just any guy and to have high standards. My answer was absolutely. Growing up, I watched my parents have an incredible marriage. My dad adores my mom. I never made a conscious choice, but just knew that I wanted a man who was as good as my daddy and who loved me like my daddy loves my mom.

Now… don’t get me wrong. He is not perfect. We fought some when I was growing up. He will admit to you that he wishes he could change a lot of things about the past. He traveled a lot and missed many important things. But one thing he did right: I always knew I was loved!

I love you, Joe Meherg!

Bee Stings and Life

Got a haircut!

Since Penghu, things have been up and down. God has really been dealing with a lot of things in my life.

The time I spent teaching in the US really was harmful to me and my relationship with God. I feel like a lot of poison was put into my life through negative people and situations. When I made the decision to come to Taiwan, Alicia Conn told me that God was going to do great things in my life. I expected it to be difficult. What I didn’t expect was for God to completely knock me on my butt and begin to break down my walls.

Vanessa, Zoe, and I

When I came here, I was very unsure of myself and what my purpose was. I knew God had a purpose for me, but I wasn’t sure what it was. I was unsure about my strengths and very conscious of my weaknesses.

 

Just for example, some things that God is working on me… Jealousy, Selfishness, Trust, Low Self Esteem.

The past few weeks have seemed to be the best and worst that I have experienced while in Taiwan. I feel a bit like everything has come to a head at the same time.

Me and Abby at her
graduation celebration!

I likened it to when I was a small girl and got stung by a bee. It hurt really bad, right? The stinger was still in my arm and my grandfather had to dig it out! I was afraid for him to do it because it hurt. After he pulled it out, he applied some chewing tobacco (yuck) to the sting. It was smelly and gross, but it pulled the poison out of my sting. If I hadn’t allowed him to pull the stinger out and apply the chewing tobacco, it would not have gotten better. I feel like this is what God is doing. He has pulled out the stinger, but is now applying all these difficult and frustrating circumstances to my life to pull all the poison out. It hurts and is unpleasant, but once it is finished, it will be great!

So the moral of this blog is… I still don’t know everything and everything is not happy and great, but one day I will look back on this and realize that although it was difficult, God was using it to draw poison out of my life!

This pretty much sums it up!

The Good Girls and Real Men

Cory Copeland's Blog Mad to Love is amazing! I love his posts. So when I stumbled across these today, I had to share.

http://corycopeland.net/

The Good Girls

They’re out there…somewhere, wrapped in lovely smiles and beautiful laughter. They’re the reason we walk the streets with hope-filled eyes and longing hearts. They’re the reason we maintain faith in our story’s happy ending. They’re what we ache for and who we strive to impress. They are the good girls and though they grow scarce as the days fall past, they are the hidden treasures worth a thousand Sparrow’s journey.

They are those who pull you close with their goodness while melting you with their shimmering, wonderful light. They’re the ones who hold their beliefs tightly, clinging to them because they realize where their salvation lies. They are those that possess a once broken heart, never trusting readily but when they do, they give you all they have. They’re the mighty ones, small in their rarities yet feverish in their reaches for greatness. They are the humble givers who put us all before themselves while never letting those saintly smiles fall from their softened lips. They’re the goodly ones with hearts of gold and the presence of respected royalty.

They are those who not only deserve our respect, but expect it. They are those that become the best of wives, and mothers, and friends. They are the loyal loving who praise us with their voice while supporting us with their actions, lifting us in reverence and warming us in beautiful grace. They are the Godly ones, blanketed in favor and blessed with a thankful heart. They’re the feistiness that will pepper our days with quick-witted banter and winking slights of flirtation. They are the heart-bursting few, holy in their walk and nurturing in their disposition.

There’s a parade of them to be found and they truly are the home we seek. They hold the key to the happiness we promise ourselves and the satisfaction we crave. They’re waiting patiently for those of us who are worthy to meet their calling, for they are the revered, the wanted. They are the goodly reward bestowed upon the strong in heart and mighty of courage. They’re the good girls, and they are to be sought, loved and respected. They are the good girls and they’re out there, simply waiting to be discovered.

The Real Men

We are the real men. We are the men you’re looking for.

Much like The Good Guys, we are the kind of men who will ask a woman to be our girlfriend when that time comes, unafraid of commitment. We are the men who drop to one knee and pop the question because we are not frightened by forever. We are the type of men who stick up for our partner and our love, even to the detriment of our own wellbeing. We provide and cherish because that’s the way we choose to be. We are the real men you’ve searched for.

We are the men who are unafraid of standing in the tampon aisle with or without our woman, all in search for the right product for our love. We are the kind of men who come home with flowers and your favorite candy because we want to see you smile. We’re the men who want to pay for dinner and then offer you our jacket when you find yourself chilly.
We may be stubborn and we may passionate in our pursuits, but it’s only because we are the kind of men who will do whatever it takes to give our family what they require.

We are cunning yet respectful in our movements. We refuse to take advantage of a lady due because we are well mannered and dedicated to an honorable way of life. And those who do take advantage are not men, but rather little boys in a man’s body.
We put the needs of others before our own because that’s what a real man is supposed to do. Our families know that we can be relied upon because we have proven ourselves time and time again. We are the men who love with all we have because we don’t know of any other way. We are committed and fervent, wanting to give you all you’ve ever wanted.
We are the real men you’ve heard so much about, and whether you realize it or not, we’re out here, ready to be the man you want and need in your life.

We are the real men.

Glee Project 2

People can call me shallow and possibly geeky, but I am excited as a little kid in a candy store for Glee Project 2 to begin! I loved Glee Project 1 and can't wait for 2 to begin!

Shanna is my personal favorite, mainly because she is from Alabama, but she has this incredible voice!! Maybe soon, if I'm bored, I'll make up a top favorite list and stuff like that!

Penghu - Fun in the Sun... or Rain

At the Blowhold in the rain!

 This weekend, I had the opportunity to go to Penghu islands with my roommate, Amanda and my friends, Robyn and Vanessa.  We left very very early on Saturday morning, taking a taxi to Chiayi. At Chiayi, we took a 90 minute ferry to Penghu. The ferry ride was not fun because so many people got seasick. I did not get seasick, I got reaction sick… I don’t deal well with people throwing up all around me. I went outside to the back of the boat and had a great time!

Random beautiful water we found!

We arrived at our hostel (which was amazing) and rented scooters and took off! We drove around the islands, seeing tons of pretty places and cool sights. That night, we went to a cute little restaurant because it was raining and stayed there all night. The food was delicious and they must have been playing “The Cheesiest Hits of the 90’s” because all of the songs were crazy.

Whale Cave...

We are very excited to wear these helmets!

At the Twin Hearts Weir

Sunday morning we were up very early and went to the island of Chimei to see the Twin Hearts. They were really pretty but we felt a bit ripped off as the ferry ride took 90 minutes and we were only on the island for about and hour and a half. When we got back, we found out that Amanda (who had stayed behind) had had an accident and ripped her toenail off! Ouch!! We rented scooters again and took off for some more fun! However, it was raining. But we just rode in the rain. We rode to a blowhole that was really cool. We were so soaked, it was hilarious. After that, we talked to a nice man who showed us the way to a fun beach! It was raining, but we were wet anyway so we got in! and had some fun! Then we went and got some food and drinks and went back to the hotel room! We played cards and a drinking game. Every time we said one of our names, Penghu, rain or sunshine, we all had to take a sip of our drink. Needless to say, we used the bathroom a lot that night. Then we played Truth. It was a lot of fun!

Monday, we caught another early ferry to Jibei where we go to play a lot of water sports! We got to jetski and tube and snorkel! It was so much fun! It was overcast, but it didn’t rain, so that was good. Around 2 we headed back and got ready to leave. The sea was a lot choppier on the way back, but no one got sick! Robyn and I stayed on the back on the deck and got to see the most beautiful sunset!

Hanging on the back of the ship!

Oops... Been a While!

Wow. It has just hit me that I have not blogged in a while. So here are a few things that are going on.

1. I moved into an apartment that is much closer to Tainan. It is farther away from school but I am really enjoying being close to civilization! I have a Taiwanese roommate, Amanda. She's cool and I'm looking forward to getting to know her more.

2. I finally recieved confirmation that I am staying at my school... at least until December. Praying that the city government will supply the rest of the year's salary. Also praying to sign a contract before I leave.

I had cookies and the cute monkey sent
to Judson!

3. God has been dealing with me on a lot of issues: mainly trust and some sin that has crept into my life recently. I am very thankful for all of my family and friends who have listened to me cry and spoken Truth into my life. So thanks!

Family - L-to-R- Daddy, Anna (Judson's gf),
 Judson, Mom, Cassie!

4. I have also been very homesick recently mainly due to the fact that Mother's Day, my daddy's birthday and Judson's graduation all happened in the same weekend. Thankfully Joy was here to distract me!


5. That same weekend, my computer broke and I had to get it fixed... therefore I no longer have any e-mail addresses :(

6. I am leading my own small group and it is going very well! We are VERY small but praying for growth!

So  yeah... lots is going on. Hopefully I will be able to post more and keep up. Here's some fun pictures!

Fun dinner in Taipei!

Dinner at Willy's with Rachelle and Abby (taking the photo)

Playing Rummy at Bus-7

My favorite of the Avengers - Captain America!

Lighting a cannon at the Eternal Golden Fort!