Weblog
Saturday, 02 May 2009
-
continuation of pictures
Well since my last post was incredibly long, with lots of words and very few...actually no pictures....I decided I'd reverse it this time. Partially because there's tons of pics to share, and partially because I lack the inspiration to write. So we'll begin in PA, since that's where all good stories start..P.S. Leaving comments about how much you missed us would make me feel very special :)
We really should go Amish...who votes for that? (Dad, put your hand down...)
LOTSA laundry....what, only 12 loads this time? We're doing good
An, now for a coffee break...
Yes, Gianna...we'll get a soft pretzel for you too
Then we went to the PA auction, which is an amazing place to be.
Except that until it actually starts, it's....boring. Hence these fine young men sitting here on a bench in the middle of nowhere doing absolutely....nothing.
So Gianna decided it was time to take pictures--of me. Being a very shy, humble person myself, I naturally declined the offer.
But who am I to fight public demand? Gianna was having fun with color filters
I have the bestest sister in the world!! :) <3
Another common pasttime at the PA auction....eating. FAT, FAT, FAT....
My brother's such a stud
After the auction, we headed for 2 services (one was acappella...and me and Gianna signed more cds that night than our entire career combined) :D But bestest of all, we found our dear friend MARTY and got to hang out with her for like 3 days straight!!!!
WE LOVE YOU!!!!!
This is Jevan being super excited that he's going with me to play walleyball!
Our Walleyball team(s). Daddy was a beast...he never lost a game, much to everyone's dismay :P
Our bus was in the shop and didn't get done in time....so we got to go to a softball game! Yay! Boy did that make me wanna go home....
Daddy took us and he had an amazing all black outfit with a bright white jacket....only my dad. lol
And of course our tootsie-pop-at-softball-games tradition!
No, Gianna, I do not want to sniff the sharpie
NO
GO TEAM!!!!
Us and the star player, Nate.
Who took us out for ice cream afterwards...ok, we may have told him to. But he agreed :P
We were demonstrating how to take girly pictures...
They were pretty good at it
Then, freshly pumped up on sugar we went...cart racing!!
Now we're on the other side of Pennsylvania at a prison crusade. Lastnight was the first service in like...ever that i had to sing without Gianna....wow. It was solo after solo after solo. But God gave me special grace for that night. And the guys went out of their way to let me know they appriciated that we were there. Very rewarding. And now I'm off to our second service. Tomorrow we have a Sunday afternoon service...then we come HOME!!! For three whole weeks, can ya'll believe that? So, can't wait to see ya'll. I appreciate you all so much more after being gone so much. :)
Loves <3
-Mimi
Monday, 13 April 2009
-
finally...again
So here I am posting on Xanga for the first time in ... I try not to think about it. The guilt is too much. :) A girlz only got so much time online in a day and unless I'm feeling spontaneous and creative, I just don't exert the effort. Enough exuses. Time to vent. hehe, and no one reading knows what they're in for....
So we went out on Easter tour. That was 3 weeks long and tons of fun...all the teams traveling together. Doesn't happen often. The one down side being that so many people were sick...Gianna and Dad both got it bad enough that they were woozy on stage and puking during intermission. Not fun. Sore throats and stomach issues kept others out of the services a few nights. Not good. But it was only God's grace that with all the traveling and different people we were in contact with that we didn't get more sick.... We made it through the tour and I think that God used it to blessed alot of people. Even us. Each night as we shared and prayed before the service, people would open up about what God was showing them and working on in their lives. It was a blessed time and, especially this tour, it seemed God was smiling on us and giving us extra grace..... There were hard nights. There was sickness. And boy were there some times when we (I in particular) were SOOO tired of people everywhere, every night. Ugh. But in the middle of the trying times, God showed Himself strong everynight by ministering to my own needs first, so that I could in turn minister what He had given me. One thing for sure, you don't have anything to give except what you've been given...I've become convinced of that. Also that you're never given something for yourself only...freely you have recieved, freely give. What we are given, we are supposed to give to others. But that's another story.
Singing with Megs was prob one of the best parts of the trip. Nelson let us (Me, Gianna, n Megs) arrange one of the songs and we rocked it...sorta. Megan did. Me and Gianna put in our feeble attempts at "soul" singing. She did better than me. Then, the last night we sang at our home church and impromptu (in middle of the service while we were in the back), we decided to put motions to it too.Which woulda worked great except when we did it, GIANNA burst out laughing during her solo cuz... I don't know why. Guess it struck her funny. We were being a bit over-dramatic. lol.
So from NC to Iowa > Illinois > Indiana > Ohio > Canada > New York > Pennsylvania back to NC. 3 weeks, 15 services, thousands of miles, and hundreds of songs later...whew. As fun as the tour is, boy were we glad to get home and rest.....or not rest
We got home on a Tuesday and slept...alot. Then Wednesday we unpacked some stuff, cleaned the bus and house, slept some more, and vainly attempted at the same time to wack this stupid sickness that just doesn't wanna let go. Thursday we tried to begin oozing back into a life that resembled normality (lol, yeah right). Friday I worked up a sweat viciously cleaning the house and simotaneously packing for me and Gianna's road trip. We had to be at our home church by 1:30 for sound check/practice before the final Easter Tour service that night, and me and Gianna were gonna leave right after the service and drive all night to make it for a friends wedding in Iowa the next day.... In typical Stutzman fashion, we were late and made everybody wait 1/2 for sound check and practice. But it wasn't our fault. Honest. Ok, maybe it was. But we had had to drop the car off at the mechanic for a minor repair before we left that night.Then the awful news came......The mechanic said the tie rod (whatever that is) was in such bad shape we couldn't use it to drive to Iowa. All our plans...up in smoke. All the friends we were gonna see....miss Shelley's wedding?! :( I will admit I had to have a talk with God about how that made me feel... to be honest, a little bitter at Him that He'd let me get my hopes up and then tear it away so cruelly. But He understood, and He wasn't mad at me for feeling that way. I've learned that He likes it better when you're just honest with Him...then He can help you deal with the emotions...if you hide them, He can't help you cuz you're not even being honest with yourself. So anyways, even though I was afraid if I surrendered the situation to Him, He'd take my fun away, I decided to trust Him. In my head I knew that whatever He would choose would ultimately be best for me...and He's been teaching me lately to live now for the future. To give up what may feel good now, so that He can give me something FABULOUS in the future. So I thought I'd give it a try. Mom went home right away to try to buy tickets. Yeah right. But she found some! Right time, right price...no way! And we called someone who was willing to drive the 1 1/2 hours to the airport to pick us up in Iowa. I was getting excited again! But then the ticket transaction wouldn't go through. She tried again and again. When she called, I felt again like it was being ripped away from me. But I had a choice of how I could respond. And suddenly God's faith came to me. I told her I'd pray and if God wanted us to go, she'd figure it out. But not to stress. I just knew that this wasn't about tickets...it was about my heart. God was testing me. And I was gonna give it all to him, win or lose. He could have it. So I found a dark corner and prayed. OH did that feel good. Once and for all I decided to give it to God and BOY DID THAT FEEL GOOD! Oh, guys, let me tell you. I walked away from that corner convinced God had taken away our weekend in Iowa but I was HAPPY and FREE because I knew He loved me and guess what...I knew I loved Him too!!! I had just proven to us both that I did. And sacrificing something for Him only made me realize more how much I loved Him. My heart was full. But it was about to get fuller cuz Mom came to the church and said the transaction went through right after she hung up... Let me tell you, if God woulda been there in person I woulda kissed him. He was only delighted to let us go. But look at what He accomplished in my heart....worth far more than anything this world could offer. And now I could go to Iowa with a peace in my heart.
So after the service we hugged all our friends and went home to re-pack for plane travel. Then dad took us to the airport the next morning and after 2 flights, we skated into the wedding 5 minutes after it started. :) Close call. Oh my goodness, that was the most beautiful, romantic wedding I've been to in my entire life and I wanna get married! LOL :) jk....not that any girl my age doesn't start to feel that pull, but I've got 2 perfectly good years ahead of me before I turn 20 and I might as well use them to do all those things I can't after I'm hitched. :) Bible school....dad wants me to go to Bible school somewhere. Who knows...we've got tons of traveling lined up this year too. But one thing I know for sure. God has it all mapped out and I'd like to give it all to Him so He can make these years the best they can be...I'm excited to live them. I think they'll be alot of fun...least I hope so. You're only young once!
Have I posted since I turned 18? Guess what everybody? I'm 18! I know...legal adult, signing contracts. Who can stop me now? Bwaahahahaha
So that's about it for now. I got a new Husky too....now I have two beautiful obnoxious dogs, sadly neglected lately due to my travels. They ate their water dish....yah, you'd probably get that bored too if you were trapped in a pen for weeks on end. Big thanks to Dwayne and Steph for taking care of our animals while we're gone! :) Love you guys!
And no pics...cuz I'm using my friend Rolanda's computer in Iowa and um....we think we may have lost the camera. Course, it could be on the floor in her room...but who can tell? We could search for weeks under all the wash, sleeping bags, suitcases, carryons, and phone cords strewn about. We're messy houseguests. :)
We'll fly home tomorrow (Tues night) then we'll be home for 2 WHOLE DAYS before we leave on another 3 week trip. Yay...blah. Ugh. Waaaaaah. Ok, don't even know how I feel about that. So rather than stress about it, I'll just give it to God. He planned it and He'll give grace. I certainly wouldn't want to stay home if that wasn't His perfect will... and He knows best...
Something I realized recently while I was having a conversation with an imaginary person in the girls restroom at church... she was asking if I liked it in NC (don't be weirded out people, you all do it too....and I have to plan these answers cuz my opinion is constantly changing and people keep asking that question). And I replied that I didn't know...then I paused to wonder why. And I realized somethng...I've never developed a firm opinion because I've never had to commit myself to NC as home. We leave too much. Me and Gianna aren't even living in the house yet for goodness sakes cuz our room isn't finished. We live in the bus. Whether we're home or gone. And if things get tough with friends or daily life, hey, it's ok. Hang on another week and you'll be gone. Maybe I'm just afraid to call it home. I dunno. But I have some good friends there and that makes it at least partly home in my heart <3 And time goes on.
I wanna play volleyball. Would somebody please set up a game for Thursday night before we leave again...
Thanks for listening to me vent and I love you all....MUAH MUAH MUAH
-Mimi muffin
Monday, 23 February 2009
-
I just wanna say....
Soooo, what's been going on? I'll try to sum it up, through my incredibly eventful life may leave you in a bit of a daze. :)
Prison Crusade was about a week ago, and that was a blast. Yah, I know....it's not supposed to be about the fun. But it still is....fun, that is. :) We met up with the Hitch family the first night and found kindred spirits in them.....who knew there was another singing, traveling family out there with the same twisted sense of humor as us? lol, and here I always thought they were stuckup....and they're alot like us. Hmmm....who knows how many people there are out there that think "The Stutzman girls" are stuck up too. :) Oh well, come to a prison crusade and get to know us and maybe you'll change your mind. :) The prison services went very well too--God's annointing was on that weekend-- and my sister's throat too. Every night we'd pray especially for her to be able to sing, cuz some days she could hardly talk. Not good. But He came through every night...it's amazing to be able to watch that. There were some quirky characters there that weekend too....Gianna, so I had this dream about you the other night..... and can you believe someone being so rude and thoughtless to arouse the singers at late hours by rocks tapping on the windows? Good times. :) Anyways.
Gianna, Roxy, and Bristol
The Hitches....yay!
Me and Havalah....she's such a sweety
And now I know famous people......
Valentines day was especially romantic...we were in prison. :) Not to complain. Plenty of entertainment-- I got to watch my brother propose to Megan (she accepted) and my dad gave me a rose that provided plenty of picture-taking fun with me and my sister. Now as long as no one takes her away from me.......AHEM. :)
When we got back, Codi (who was visiting the area) and Kris were going snowboarding so me and Gianna tagged along. This would be my third attempt at this blessed sport and definitely the most fun I've ever had doing it. This little kid convinced me that if I could handle the blue trail I'd just gone down, I could make it down any of the trails on the mountain (except the park. he said "you'll probably kill yourself if you try that one."). Comforting. Anyways, I'd watch the sweet skills of the boarders as I went up the lift and tried to copy their technique. Don't know if it worked, but I did go down some black trails and had a glorious wipeout that was actually more fun than making down the hill without falling. I was so pumped after falling I seriously couldn't wait to try again. lol....go figure.
You hafta understand, I was getting bored before--just going down the one hill over and over. So when I starting watching more advanced boarders, I noticed how much they "commited" themselves to the board. They actually trusted the thing to do what they asked it to and they leaned WAY into it at HIGH rates of speed. I wanted to be able to do that. Cuz it looked cool. :) So I practiced stopping first (a good idea) then started down the black trails and was SO PROUD of myself when I put myself out there far enough to wipe out. It hadn't done that in so long and it was GREAT! lol. Especially when I'd get to the bottom of the hill and realized I was standing up, my heart was pounding, and that the whole ride down the only thing I'd been thinking out was the thrill of the ride and how I was gonna handle that next curve or bump. I'd never had that before cuz I'd stick to slow, safe speeds on the blue hill where I never had to commit myself to what I was doing and halfway down, I'm thinking...man, wonder who I'm gonna be sitting beside on the way up again? And does the ski lift guy recognize me, or do all the faces begin to look the same after awhile? :) So it was a fun day for me. Plus we stayed late for the night session so there were lots of college guys milling about. :) Boarding at night so beats boarding in the light. lol. And I was pretty proud of myself. "pride goeth before the fall." Perhaps that's a good thing to take to heart, especially in this sport.
And then there was the dramatic turn-of-events that afternoon when Codi tried a jump he, in quote, "always landed in Colorado" but....um, didn't land...except when his heel edge caught and slammed him down. Kris described it as him hitting the ground and sliding down the hill like a rag doll. He was out for about a minute and had a seizure during that time. Me and Gianna had just come from the blazer (which we borrowed...see, Helmuths, you're with us even when you're not!!) and didn't have a clue what was going on until we saw Codi boarding slowly down the hill (strange in itself) then talking with a guy that had a big red + on his jacket. He couldn't remember where he was, what he had eaten that day, what had happened, or who the president was. The medic said he tries to forget that too. :) lol. But in a few minutes he could remember alot more and answer questions cognatively. He was still really shook up though. We took him to the emergency room not knowing if there was serious damage or only a minor concussion. Thankfully, it was the latter. So he slept in the Blazer while we boarded the rest of the day. Poor guy. The phone woke him up most every 1/2 hour, which was good as he wasn't supposed to sleep for too long at a time. But that whole scene coulda been alot worse. He later found two cracks in his helmet. If he hadn't been wearing it.... If there's anything I learned from it, it'd be that taking that little kid's advice about the park, might be the best idea for now....
Well, Codi looks chipper.....
At this point the lack of sleep from the previous night hadn't hit us....
Yup....there it is. Apparently we shoulda got Gianna a frosty
The amazing two story Wendy's --part of the Appalachian boarding experience
And why am I up near midnight on a Monday posting? Well, mom and dad just got back from a weekend being gone. So I was "mom" for the past four days and now I just feel like being "stupid" just because I'm young and can be. :) lol, guess that won't last forever. I love being young, and sometimes I wonder if I'll miss it terribly when I'm older. But I'm excited to live my life, to see what will unfold before me. Most of all, I want to learn to know and see Jesus more and more through whatever comes my way. That's really what this life is all about, isn't it? Preparation for eternity. And I want to live with a perspective of eternity looking back.....so I live in a way I won't regret once I reach eternity. I figure if I'm following Jesus Christ with all my heart, I'll live with the fewest regrets. Anything sown in His faith is reaped in joy.
Me being "mommy" to a very tired little girl
The last night mom and dad were gone, they were in a meeting that had some pretty intense spiritual dynamics. Us kids could feel the attack at home, especially Gianna who was getting hit hard physically right over the time of the meeting. She was literally wreathing on ground in pain. Couldn't swallow cuz it hurt too much and she ached so much all over her skin was sensitive to the touch. Poor dear. Sickness is one thing. The attack my spirit sensed as I watched her was another. Mom and dad prayed over her by phone and dear Rhonda came over to do the same. It definitely was a spiritual battle but at a specific time, God gave me the boldness and the faith to declare that whatever spirit was attacking us had no right to any of us or even access to our property. As I was rebuking it, Gianna started hacking loudly from the other room, but then it left and the atmosphere, at least for me, was completely different. I wasn't afraid anymore. The fear I'd had before was gone and in it's place complete peace that God was in control and the words that came out of my mouth were from His authority, not mine. It was a huge relief for me, being in charge and feeling somewhat responsible in the situation. Gianna was still sick, but things were calmed down. I was glad mom and dad decided to drive through the night and come home to us. I'm a little girl again. :) And most content to stay that way for now.
So thanks for listenin.....and I look forward to jolly good times with all you in the future.
AND THE HELMUTHS ARE COMING BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Tuesday, 27 January 2009
-
My puppy
having nothing else to post about, i decided to put up some pictures of my adorable puppy, Kanye. From puppyhood to adulthood. Well...he's still a puppy. But i think he's big.
The first day. We were going through Iowa for one day...and I saw an ad for Husky puppies so i checked it out. And fell in love. Note: if you don't know for sure if you want a puppy, don't go look at it! :)
look at that belly!
poor little guy! vvv
Snuggling with all of us
Kanye defied all records by becoming a bus dog for 3 days. My mom NEVER would let a dog on the bus, but we had three days left on our trip, and when she looked into his eyes..... of course, it was fun until I had to get up twice a night to clean the poop. *mutter
BACK HOME!
Mushing dog-gone-country
A few pics I have of Corrie and Kanye together
Regal puppy
the toy he tore the stuffing out of...
Whoa...he looks kinda freaky in this one. And big
And, finally, an ode to former Husky, Corrie. Most of you probably know what happened to her. She was hit on the road and killed a few weeks ago. Just so everyone knows--there are no hard feelings in the matter. it was nobody's fault, but I've felt very loved by everyone's concern and just plain caring. It means alot when people just care. So thanks everyone. :) Here are a few pictures (out of the hundreds I have).
The first day I put her in this temperary pen in our new NC home, the first thing she did was reach through the fence, pull in a trash bag full of insulation, and tear it to shreds. She looks quite pleased with herself. Or maybe that's because I'm holding a piece of sausage.... :)
Corrie was my first Husky, my 11 year birthday present. She's been with me through the last 7 years and 3 other dogs I've had. She was the constant...the one thing that never changed. North Carolina was one step closer to home when we finally got her down here. Sometimes she was stubborn and hard headed. I guess pets do take after their owners. :) But she was gentle, loyal, and her eyes seemed to speak of her desire to please me. Blue and never empty. I don't think any dog I get could fill the place Corrie had. She was God's gift to me. And she fulfulled her purpose well, if it was to make my life full and happy.
Corrie
I'll miss you!
Monday, 12 January 2009
-
Sun, fun.....and more sun!
Kay, ya'll, don't be jealous. We're in Hawaii!! I know, it shocked me too. I'm on a bit of a "vacation high" and have not yet returned to planet earth where reality reigns...so exuse my somewhat lofty post. My life currently consists of tanning, shopping, sleeping, eating....then again, is there really anything else? :) Ok, there is. You know how vacation has a way of making you feel very lacadasical, even in your relationship towards God? I don't know if that's only me...it starts feeling like the time is about ME and the sometimes burdensome thought of spending time in the Bible and praying feels like it's robbing me of what's supposed to be my fun, carefree, relaxing time. But this vacation has been different...there hasn't been a day gone by that I haven't at some point been drawn out to the sound of the waves and the setting or rising of the sun to just sit, talk with God, and let Him show me things as I read anywhere in the bible. It's been amazing, and a calming answer to what had been bothering me before we left...why does vacation have to be such an empty time of pursuing ME? I end up feeling like I went expecting something....and come away feeling empty and deprived and ungratful when I should have been thankful for the free time. Self-pursuit has a way of doing that--make us unhappy and feeling like we deserve more, but the desire towards self is never satisfied. I wondered... Is there anyway to allow God full reign of my life, and still, quite frankly, have fun? And He's proven it...I'm not sure I've ever had a better vacation. It's not about me and my expectations of what's supposed to happen...it's about God blessing me and me accepting the gift with gratefulness and just enjoying it. I'm free to do that when I'm focusing on God. And it's amazing!!!
Ok...so how is Hawaii? Well...I keep forgetting that it's part of the US. Except that everything is in English, which is nice. There aren't many children here...mostly adults vacation here (maybe because there's a few nude beaches? They're illegal here too...but no on stops the streakers). LOTS of shopping...we spent a day walking the streets of old LaHaina and didn't even finish all the shops in that section of town. After awhile all the tourist shops look the same anyways. :) But i got some jolly gifts....and learned the Hawaiin names of some of you all too. Yeah! It seems 95% of the words in Hawaiin start with "K" "L" "H" or "M." Same with the names.
There's not as much beach here as I imagined...more rocks line the shore, volcanic sharp rocks that slice their way through the calouses on your foot.....ok, yah, i sustained an injury from our first day here. But soaking it and cleaning the sand out from under the flap of skin gives me certain maturnal instincts toward my feet. And the water (with the other islands of Hawaii visible in the foggy distance) is just breathtaking. Beautiful and dangerous--reminds me of some people I know, lol!
It's 5 hours different here from our home in NC. So 3:30 am was my waking hour the first day. Hey, it was 8:30...but dark...and I was hungry. There's only 3 more days of vacation and I'm only just catching up on sleep and adjusting. Because of time change, although we started for Hawaii at 6:00 a.m NC time and arrived at 9:30 p.m in Hawaii, by the time we got to bed it had been 24 hours. So we were beat. And we just happened to have a condo room above a persnickity lady that complains about our "elephant feet" or "noisy washer" when she can. Poor lady...she doesn't understand why people don't want to be around her. But time change is part of what's making this all so fun. I'm tired half the time so sleeping, lazing in front of a movie, or tanning all seem wonderful ways to laze the day away.
And the food! FAT...waaaaaah *smack* stop eating, Tanisha! :)
Lei's....feel the love
Remember....24 hours of flying and airports....be kind
Really, now what Hawaiin vacation would be complete without...A CONVERTABLE!!
Maybe I'm secretly attracted.....
Shopping! Bags, hats, keychains, and postcards.
A flower behind the left ear means you're taken or married. A flower behind the right ear means you're available. It's my favorite accesory here. :) Whoa...I just realized I look kinda seductive. Sorry about that.
Me with my studly pop...and his amazing shirt! Pssh, did I have that flower behind my right ear?? I'm taken by my dad! :P
And our whale watching tour (NO, I am not the whale)
I'm flying, Jack...I'm flying!!
I could post hundreds of pictures from Florida....cuz that was amazing too. But these pretty much sum it up. Love those trikes. Can't wait to go back next year if the Lord permits!
super crowded beach...but the sand was amazing!
I'm off to more suffering for the Lord here in Maui...maybe I should start a beach ministry, clothing optional. :) What do you think?
Love you all and miss you terribly!!!
Muah, muah
M<3m<3
Xxgirlz_got_grillzxX
-
- Name: Tanisha
- Member Since: 8/23/2006
Connect
Weblog Archives
Don't worry - your calendar is here… to see it in action just click "Save"
above and refresh the page.
About Me
-
I tend to be a very mind-oriented person (but I'm working on it), and under this quiet demeanor lies a not-so-quiet-and-docile-as-most-may-think personality. :) I love the Lord and want my life to reflect Him. I want to know Him inside me, even though that means I need to "die" that He might live in me. Hard to do sometimes. But so worth it!
Subscriptions
Pulse
-
I just had to put something here because it looked so empty..and becase it said I had no pulse. But I checked. I have one.
Chatboard (3)