So I am behind with updates...so far my trip has included a stop in Indy to see my friend Sus and her husband and little girl...then on to Tennessee to hang out with Bekah & Eric (and his brother and dad!)...fun times all around thus far...as you can see!

Sus and Jim took A and I to the zoo...the lemurs make me laugh. :)

The petting zoo is her favorite part of the whole zoo...and for good reason!

A really liked the goats!

Mom and A washing hands after playing with goats

This is one of my favorite parts of this zoo...the gardens and butterflies!

After the zoo, Sus and I went to Cheesecake Factory and caught a movie...fun times. :)

I got to Tennesse on Tuesday afternoon to visit my friends Bekah & Eric. Bekah informed me that she wanted to do some canning - for the veggies they have pulled from their garden thus far...it was a new experience for the both of us as you can see below. Eric's brother, Mark, and their dad joined us today...and were we ever glad they were here!

This is a pretty good picture of our afternoon...snapping beans, cutting/freezing veggies, grating zucchini, etc. These are the sweet times of life...when it all slows down and the company of friends is simply enjoyed.

Eric and Mark, storing the grated zucchini.

The four of us sat around snapping beans and finally finished them all up.

Getting the green beans ready for the pressure cooker...

Me and Bekah...with our jars ready for the next step!

The pressure cooker was the one part of the process that made us all a little uneasy. We were all new to canning and the directions weren't really clear on this thing. Thankfully, between the five of us (Eric & Mark's dad arrived just in time - he knew what he was doing), we got it figured out...

But as you can see...everything turned out all right! And in the morning we'll see if the jars sealed or not. :)

After finishing the beans, the boys went to the store to stock up for their hiking/camping trip over the weekend. Bekah and I went outside and got some fresh air of our own...and I admired the view from her porch - the Smokey Mountains!

So after our little break outside, we came back in and did 9 jars of pickles to end our day!
Tomorrow I'm off to Georgia to see my cousin and her family!

...in matter of hours I will be walking out my parent's front door again to begin my journey out east. I can't believe it is actually here. Time has gone so fast and there are so many things that didn't happen that I had hoped for - primarily because of the flood...some are:

• Going shooting with my dad and brother one last time
• Going canoe-ing and fishing with my dad
• Saying goodbye to a number of friends complete with hugs
• Eating at Mickey's

Regardless of the things I didn't get to do, I find myself thankful. I have an amazing family who has really stepped up and made this move possible. I have a brother who, though I make him crazy mad, still cools down enough to give me a sweet goodbye. I have friends who hugged me tightly and love me enough to know that we won't lose touch. I have a mom and dad who stick with me through the chaos of the last minute and don't show their frustration. I have a new car that gets good gas mileage and I can actually (hopefully) afford. I have friends that I look forward to seeing in the next week and a half. I have a new adventure awaiting me on the other end of this trip. Father God, thank You for all these things...even though it is hard to leave (again), I am overwhelmed with the love I have felt recently...thank You.

Anyhow, I'll hopefully be updating from the road when I can...here is about how my journey is broken up: Indiana, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, North Carolina, and then PA.

Today our pastor called for volunteers to come and help gut the church. First priority-pull up the carpet that is holding the water to hopefully avoid mold setting in as fast. I think they had a bigger turn out than anyone would have hoped for...hundreds of people came out to lend a hand. It was amazing to work shoulder to shoulder with people I had seen but never met - and some I had never even seen before. God is good...our church is healthier than ever, even if the building is all but destroyed.

Looking out the music room window. There is still a lot of water out there.

Pulling up the carpet. Hard work as you can see. Pulling this way...

...And then that way. These boys are using every ounce of muscle they have.

Waterlogged items lay scattered on every floor.

The couch didn't fare well either.

Our sanctuary...gutted and drying.

The old chapel - being torn apart and the carpet up.

The building will be a skeleton before its over.

The insides of the Parkview Church building.

And the carpet from the building.

More insides.

I looked over my blog from the last week and realized that I did not post anything on Father's Day. So, my philosophy is - better late than never. I have (I think) the best dad in the world...so I couldn't let the day go without acknowledging that.

In honor of Late Father's Day, I have to tell a little story. Tonight I asked my dad if he wanted to go fishing with me out back. He agreed and I told him, "I'm going to catch more fish than you." This never happens. I think he took pity on me by using the old rod and reel, catching only 3 fish. While I used the fly rod and caught a personal record of 7.

So, because my dad rocks, I had to share some pics through the years...

Always a daddy's girl. I have no idea what the thing on his face is...other than a little scary.
Mom just told me that she gave him an ultimatum over that - either shave it or sleep on the couch. He shaved it shortly thereafter. :)

Deep sea fishing in Florida after a red tide. No contest here, neither of us caught any fish!

Drop off at the airport before he and Mom left for Alaska.

Last year in the Smokey Mountains.
Happy Father's Day a bit late...but heartfelt nonetheless.
I love you, Dad! :)

The river has crested and they are saying the water will start receding hopefully by tomorrow. Though we should have several days of sunshine this week, the end of the week through the weekend is looking rainy again which could bring things right back up. Please keep praying!

Just as an aside, God has really used this flood for good. My senior pastor has been interviewed by both CNN World News and FOX News. Seeing people pull together as they have has been amazing. :)

Today was supposed to be a sunshine day. My dad and I went to look at a new car for me because Jack was having troubles. I ended up buying a new (to me) car. It's just a little white Chevy Malibu, but it gets great gas mileage and rides smoothly. So I brought it over to my folks while I worked on some other stuff. Then came the storm. And then the hail. And all I could think was:
What a day to buy a new car.

We are wondering if the rain will ever stop. The sun was a welcome friend today. The river is still on the rise. More roads have been closed. Keep praying. Thanks!

Just saw that two of the pastors at church got an inside look at our church, CHECK THIS OUT.


Dad gets the credit for catching the lightning in our storm today.

A good promise to remember right about now.

I heard on the news tonight that we are to prepare for the worst as the river isn't supposed to crest until Wednesday. This what they believe will be "the worst", locally known as the "500-year Flood Plain" - anyone who lives in the pink area is to be prepared to evacuate on a moment's notice.
I put circles around key spots in my world - the red one being my folk's house, blue is where I live, green is my church (already under water), and orange is my job. As you can see, if this happens, there will be no getting from one place to the other. Like I said before, I've got it good since my place and my folk's will not be directly hit, many others are not that well off.
Please pray.

If you want to see other pics/videos, check these out:
Press Citizen
The Gazette
KCRG
Parkview Church

Oh, and my road to work today was closed...so I had to go way out and around to get to work. That might also get closed next week.

Thanks to those of you who have given me a call or dropped me an email in the last few days to see if I am still afloat. The good news, my family and I are just fine. The bad news, most of Iowa City and surrounding areas are not just fine. I read in the news today that 55 of the 99 counties of Iowa have been declared disaster areas - due to tornadoes and flooding.

This evening we got the news that my church has officially been evacuated and will most likely be lost to the flood.

I still am not sure if I will be able to get to work via my usual route tomorrow...but if that is worst of my problems, I'm well off. Many have lost their homes already. Please pray for these who have lost much and ask God to stop the rains - maybe He could send them down south where they need it!

In other news - my house has also officially been declared a disaster area by yours truly. :) There is only one clear path through my house right now, and it is not one to travel in the dark! But the packing is coming along and I think I will be ready for the rapidly approaching moving day.

1. In the past few weeks, it has FINALLY felt like summer! People here are complaining left and right about the heat and humidity. Deep inside, I feel like singing the "Hallelujah Chorus"...I love this weather!
2. Packing takes a lot longer than I think it will...every time!
3. Today my pastor said, "We will worship come Hell or high water!" and he meant it. They just sandbagged the church today as I saw ducks swimming in the parking lot.
4. Getting to work tomorrow could be interesting - it is possible that the main road I take will be under water.
5. I grilled this weekend for Dad and myself...thanks to my friend Karin's marinade suggestions, it was delicious! Glad I kept that little grill I won at the After Prom Party all those years ago!
   
6. I am signing a lease this week for a place in PA.
   
7. Today I had an experience that every parent dreads...and I'm not a parent! My niece threw up IN the church service. I've never been so thankful for my tendency to run a little behind and therefore sitting in the very back. She's feeling better now, though.
   
8. I introduced my niece to "Goonies" this weekend when we were hanging out. My mom claims to have never seen it, regardless of the fact I watched it often growing up. She told me that if she had seen it then, I never would have. It still makes me laugh, Data is my favorite little guy.
9. I have about 20 days left in Iowa.
10. I made crepes today and they made me think of Senegal. Then I started craving poulet yassa and yummy mangoes, if only I could hop a plane just for a few days of good eats, great friends, and crazy taxi rides to the beach.
    

So most of my friends who have gotten married have had the awful wedding dreams where everything goes wrong. I've heard about many of them...and they are always far from reality. I'm hoping the dream I had last night about moving follows suit.

I woke up completely disoriented this morning thanks to my dream where I was in Warrington, the town I am moving to. It went about like this: On move in day, I had no electricity and no water...and the worst of it, my stuff had not been delivered and no one knew where it was! My teammate had gone to pick up my key and they grilled him about it because I had not sent the note I am supposed to send that will allow him to pick it up. All in all, it wasn't pretty. And now that I reflect on it, my best friend wasn't with me as she will be in real life...what a nightmare.

Waking up with the stress of that dream did serve to light a fire under me, however. Today was dedicated to packing anyhow, but now I am even more anxious to get to it! Enjoy your Saturday...and if you are really bored, come on over and give me a hand...or at least keep me company! :)