My new obsession...

Ladies and gentlemen, the Cupid Shuffle...

"To the right. To the right. To the right. To the right...To the left. To the left. To the left. To the left. Now kick. Now kick. Now kick. Now kick. Now walk it by yourself...walk it by yourself..."

Go ahead...Rock it like you own it!!!

The Kashubas

I am blessed to have two dear friends, the Kashubas. Michael and Amanda have supported, encouraged, and prayed for me in sooooo many ways, through so many things. I am truly blessed to have them, and I'm eternally grateful God brought them into my life. Amanda is so much more than a friend. I know not everyone is as fortunate to have the kind of friendship Amanda and I have, and I make sure to thank God daily for her.

Just recently, Michael and Amanda have grown their family by two. They now have 2 amazing sons...Jesse who is 20 months, and Connor who is 2 1/2 months. The boys are the cutest things ever, and definitely light up a room!! This last Sunday there was a shower to celebrate the arrival of these two sweet kids. I couldn't help but sit and be in awe of the way God has moved and worked in their lives the last few years. That we were sitting there opening gifts for their two kids!!! God is soooooo amazing!!! It honestly brings tears to my eyes whenever I think about it.

Amanda and Michael....you both are amazing. God has grown, strengthened, and equipped you for such a time as this. Aunt Heather loves you both....and your two little boys!!!

Katie and Jeremy's wedding

This last week brought the final days of waiting...Katie's wedding was finally here!!!! Katie is a close, dear friend that I have known since 7th grade. It seems that our relationship has grown the strongest in college and after when there were hundreds of miles separating us. Isn't it weird how that happens? I would go visit her at Clemson and when she moved to Charleston, and she came to see me in Prague. Her friendship throughout the years has been a great blessing, and I'm honored to be apart of her and Jeremy's day.

The wedding took place at an amazing ranch outside Waco, Texas. Moon River Ranch was everything Texas...I loved it! Katie's 2 sisters and I were the only true Texans, so we had the honor of showing the other 5 bridesmaids our wonderful state. Thursday night we had the bachelorette night in downtown Ft Worth.

Friday we headed to Waco for the bridal luncheon, and from there headed to the ranch for some much needed pool time. That night was the "Nacho Average" rehearsal dinner. Nothing better than Mexican food and margaritas!!!! Mmmmm mmmm!

Saturday was the wedding, and everything went pretty smoothly. The wedding wasn't until 7:00 that night, so we all took advantage of a little more relaxin by the pool. The hair lady started at 1:30, and from there time flew by!!! We were all a bit scared about the wedding....only because it was outside in June in Texas!!! Blazin hot!!! BUT, thankfully it was overcast, so the sweat was kept to a minimum. A few highlights from the wedding: ginormous bumble bees attacking our heads, bugs landing on our heads and getting stuck on the hairspray that was melting in the heat, and the owners dog that attempted to run out in the middle of the ceremony. It was pretty difficult keeping a straight face most the time...OH, and one of the groomsmen definitely ripped one during the ceremony...his face after was hilarious! All the guys were laughing, and all the bridesmaids were wondering who did what.

Here are some pics from the week. The reception was beautiful, and we danced til the wee hours of the night...thanks Katie and Jeremy for letting me be apart of your honored day!!!

Progress

Alright, so I'm officially home...what a wonderful feeling!!! My time in Philly was really great. Met TONS of amazing people, and am excited to see what the Lord has in store. For those who may not know, let me give a brief recap on why I was there. I was in Philly going through something called A&O week (assessment and orientation). Basically, as the end of my time with Athletes in Action was nearing, I began seeking God on what He wanted me to do next. A few options were thrown out, but what I decided to do was look into staying in Prague but switching organizations. As you may recall, I was working for Athletes in Action in Prague, but now I'll be going back with World Harvest. I was fortunate enough to be apart of the beginnings of our great church in Prague, Faith Community. The World Harvest team in Prague became and are some of my closest friends, and it is exciting to now be able to "officially" work beside each of them.

For now I'm in Texas support raising, and enjoying the time with my family and friends. Of course, if you would like to hear more about this next part of the journey in my life please feel free to email me. I would LOVE to talk with you about how you can be apart of what God is doing in Prague!!! hnisaqt@hotmail.com



And on a smaller note, I just completed my first ever 80 minute run...without stopping!!! Or dying for that matter. Feels pretty good...well, my body doesn't feel to great right now, but you know what I mean...next up is my 90 minute!

Made it...barely

One word can describe my flights back to the States...BRUTAL! The only redeeming qualities about my trip was getting to fly to London with my new friend Schanell, and the fact all my luggage made it safely. The 3 hour layover in London went by fairly quickly, but the 6 in Chicago...not so much. And I really don't love the Chicago airport. Let's just say I started traveling at 7:00am Prague time, and didn't lay my head down until 8:00am Prague time. The loooooongest traveling experience e-v-e-r. Next time I'm definitely paying the extra $200 for one connection with little to no layover. Oh, and did I mention that out of my 3 pieces of luggage, the lightest came in at 27 kilos? I really hated those things by the end of the trip...

Typically I find my way to Target on my first day back, but this time CVS had to do. Don't you just love that feeling of walking into an American store knowing you can get pretty much anything you want? I love it...unfortunately, we didn't have a lot of time, so I just had to pop in and get the essentials. It was sooooo hard not to throw a million things into my basket!!! And I forget how friendly everyone is...asking me how I was doing, if I needed anything else, and did all that with a smile!! Oh glorious day...One question that threw me off is when they asked if I had a card...."A card?" I thought to myself. What kind of card? The customer behind me kindly stepped in and said, "A CVS card." Ohhhhhh, yeah, I probably don't have that with me.

I'll update with more happenings. Oh yeah, and for those who don't know I'm in Philly right now. After a week here in Philly I'll be heading home to Dallas. Pray you are doing well!!

Oh Crap!

An email I received from my good friend Amanda...it made me smile

To The Powerful Women in my Life:

Live your life in such a way that when your feet hit the floor in the

morning, Satan shudders & says...

"Oh Crap....She's Awake!!"

AHHHHHH!!!

Just make it stop!! I feel as if the days are passing by at an unusually fast pace. Life is pretty insane in more ways than one right now. On top of the insanity, I'm not sleeping. No, not on purpose, I literally just can't sleep. I took drugs (Nyquil) a couple nights ago, but opted out lastnight, which was big fat mistake. It's like I have jetlag, but for no reason. I don't fall asleep til like 2:00 and sleep until like 10:00...stinks. Just can't turn the brain off...

Here's how I've been passing the time:

"I don't care what Jim says. That is not the real Ben Franklin. I am 99% sure."


Jim Halpert: [dressed as Dwight Schrute] Question: What kind of bear is best?
Dwight Schrute: That's a ridiculous question.
Jim Halpert: False. Black bear.
Dwight Schrute: That's debatable. There are basically two schools of thought...
Jim Halpert: Fact: Bears eat beets. Bears. Beets. Battlestar Galactica.
Dwight Schrute: Bears do not...what is going on? What are you doing? Well, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, so I thank you.
(Jim pulls a bobblehead on his desk)
Dwight Schrute: Identity theft is not a joke, Jim! Thousands of families suffer every year!
Jim Halpert: Michael!
Dwight Schrute: Oh, that's funny. Michael!

Mi Madre

This has taken waaaaaay too long, but wanted to send a special "Happy Mother's Day!!!" to an amazing mom...I'm sad I wasn't able to be with her on that special day to celebrate her, but she knows she is loved and cherished more than words can say! Thanks Mom for your support, encouragement, for drying my tears even millions of miles away, for the endless amount of prayers you've lifted up on my behalf, and most of all, for loving me with an unconditional, never ending love. You are BEAUTIFUL inside and out, and I am so very proud to call you Mom!!! LOVE YOU!!!

Mrs. Farnsworth

I received some sad news today...My most favorite teacher of all times, and the reason I became a teacher, passed away last Wednesday. Mrs. Farnsworth was an AMAZING woman to say the least. She impacted her community, friends, and every little wide-eyed 1st grader that walked through her doors in ways that are too numerous to list.

I can still remember the excitement I had walking in her class each morning. What made me feel even more special is that she let me come early so many mornings to help set up the classroom for the day...whether that meant putting up new decorations, setting up for theme days like dinosaur day or underwater day, or just reading a book, I LOVED being around her. She grew within me (and so many others) such a strong desire to learn, be challenged, and do all things with love and integrity. My senior year volleyball season they did video tributes to each of the seniors. All parents of seniors were asked to pick someone that impacted their daughter the most to say a few words on the video...my parents picked Mrs. Farnsworth.

The following link is an article written about her life. The thing is, even after you read through all the outreaches, woman of the year awards, teacher of the year awards, and endless number of community events she participated in, you still can't get the full scope of the impact this woman had on people...on individual men, woman, and thousands of boys and girls. She was a great woman...

Budapest...It Hurts Sooooo Good!!!

Alright, so here's a few pics(I'll post more later) from Jacqueline and my trip to Budapest. I was delightfully surprised by how much I loved this city. Maybe my expectations were just really low, but I really did enjoy it, and would definitely suggest it to anyone who had the time. Jacqueline and I decided not to take advantage of public transportation, and instead took a wonderful stroll along the Danube each day. We seriously walked more in 3 days than I typically do in a week (which is saying a lot). I think we must have walked around 40 miles. BUT the scenery totally made it worth it.

Jacqueline, you are by far my favorite traveling buddy, and I look forward to our next adventure!!! (i.e. you coming to Tejas!!!)

I promise to have more details on the trip soon!!!