[ make a wish loves the Vikings ]

Helping people is one of my biggest passions. I fully believe that all people deserve the best out of life. I want everyone to experience life to the fullest & enjoy every second of their own, unique journey!

By volunteering for the Make A Wish Foundation, I'm also fulfilling one of my heart's deepest desires: loving on children, especially sick ones.

Throughout my time at The University of Oklahoma, I've dedicated countless hours to my Make A Wish kids. I would definitely say this experience has been a highlight of my college experience! One of my MAW kids that I met last December got his wish granted THIS weekend!!

His wish was to 'coach the Minnesota Vikings for a day & meet Adrian Peterson / Brett Favre!!' When I found out this was his wish, I knew he was the perfect wish kid for me. Since Adrian Peterson is from OU, I've been a fan for many years! I also absolutely adore Brett Favre & his family. His wife, Deanna Favre, battled breast cancer and wrote a beautiful book about their journey together as a couple, called 'Don't Bet Against Me!'

Knowing that Jerod's deepest desire is to coach football. His wish experience has been full of enhancements! What a lucky boy! :)

During finals week before Christmas last year, Katie & I took some OU football players to meet Jerod. Luckily, OU has the most selfless, kind-hearted football players on the face of the earth! :) Landry Jones, Gerald McCoy (now plays for Tampa Bay), & Matt Moreland came with us to visit Jerod while he was in rehab from his back surgery.

Then, about 2 weeks ago, Jerod was able to get VIP treatment at the Union vs. Jenks rivalry game in Tulsa. He was recognized on the field between 1st & 2nd quarter. He received a football signed by the Redskins.

Now, his actual wish has been granted in the most spectacular way possible! Throughout their time in Minnesota, Jerod's mom has been texting me absolutely freaking out about how flawless the weekend was. She said it was beyond words, a once in a lifetime experience! This foundation makes my heart smile.

Click on this link. Read the tiny excerpt & watch the videos!

wishin' you a life full of joy,

Callyn

do not be fearful of what's to come.

“do not be fearful of what’s to come” those words have been Stephanie & her husband’s key phrase throughout the past 8 months. They fully believe the Lord knows the desires of their hearts and as humans; we cannot fully worship Him when we live in fear. Fear robs us of the joy the Lord has for us.

[[ Recap from earlier post…. In February of this year, one of my 3 DAY partners, Stephanie, found out her breast cancer had returned for the third time. She’s a wife, mother, sister, aunt, cousin, & warrior for Jesus Christ who is an inspiration to all who know her. ]]

UPDATES:

February: routine PET scan showed cancerous spot on her chest wall. Surgeon removed it all but was nervous other spots would appear. Soon after, another spot was found just below the one just biopsied.

March: PET scan showed cancer spread to the right side of her chest, lymph node activity is double normal, indicating cancer was there as well & there was small spot on her liver.

“Since the result of my PETscan, we have been on our knees, as always, begging God for His wisdom and discernment and most of all, believing Him for a total healing. We’re not just praying for one, but BELIEVING in His mighty healing power. He is still in the miracle business” – Steph

April: saw an oncologist that supports holistic approach. She decided to take a holistic approach since chemo and radiation certainly haven’t been the answer in the past. She chose to seriously invest in repairing her severely suppressed immune system.

May: She was in & out of the hospital for pain and other issues.

June: chemo.

September 13: PETscan

September 22, 2010: She went to review PETscan with her doctor & SHE’S IN REMISSION!!! The Lord has miraculously healed His faithful daughter, Stephanie!!! She will continue chemo and make some serious transitions in her diet for a long-term healthy living strategy.

“My doctor said I was a walking miracle. I know God has such great plans before me and I can’t wait to see how it all plays out. God’s consistent pursuit of me, mercy, grace, and love is just mind blowing! I’m so grateful to be one of His chosen and I can’t imagine life not living for Him!” – Stephanie

Praise the Lord He cares about His children enough to listen to our prayers, heal people emotionally & physically, & perform miracles. God is mighty, sovereign, & is never to be underestimated. I'm thankful that by His grace & love Stephanie is now a 3 TIME BREAST CANCER SURVIVOR! I pray protection & restoration over her body for many years to come. I could not be more proud to wear the color pink along side Steph! November can't get here fast enough!!!!!!

passing quickly.

21 just happens to be my favorite number so I figured it was about time I updated my blog! :) It’s almost been a complete month since my senior year of college started!! I am absolutely in shock of how quickly time is flying by. The hours, days, weeks, & months just seem to vanish into thin air. Everyone has always told me that time only passes quicker the older you get and I've never wanted to believe that... now I'm being forced to accept that.

Within the past few weeks, a lot has happened. ‘A lot’ might even be an understatement. I feel as though I’m desperately trying to treasure every moment of my senior year, but it’s just all flying through my fingers too quickly. With class, work, Make A Wish, birthday parties, kkg events, OU football games, raising money for the 3DAY, & countless other things -- my days are exhausting, long, & full of trying to be places on time.

One thing that fills up my time during the week is my job. I quite possibly have the most amazing job for a college student in the ENTIRE world – truly. I home school / tutor two girls in the Norman area and they bring so much joy to my life. Their house is located about 20 minutes away from campus and is set on multiple acres of land full of horses! They have an absolutely gorgeous backyard with the prettiest country western house. Sometimes when I’m over there, I have the opportunity to pretend to be a cowgirl & immediately I’m filled with this unexplainable happiness. I am able to help feed the horses, walk them, watch the horses teeth be filed down, wear boots with spurs on them, watch the vet clean out a nasty cut on the horses leg and stitch it up, && numerous other ‘cowgirl’ things. I am constantly asking questions about the horses and how they manage all their land. I am continually humbled when I ask silly questions that a 12-year-old answers for me :) it is never a dull moment at their house and the entire family would all admit that!

Another thing about this family is that they LOVE the Lord. I have had multiple conversations with the parents about my relationship with Christ & they continually encourage me in my walk. Through their love for the Lord, they’ve shown immense love to me. A few weeks ago, during a crazy wind / rainstorm in Norman, they had me put my car in the garage to protect it from the unpredictable Oklahoma weather. If I’m ever at their house during dinnertime, the momma always offers to make me dinner, even if I want something different than what she is cooking. I am continually shocked at how well the parents have done at raising their girls. The girls are very, very hard working and will do most anything their parents ask of them without complaining. I always find myself praying that my kids behave like them. Since the first time I met the girls last August, they’ve offered me anything and everything I could ever want. The always make a point to offer me medicine when I don’t feel well, a bite of their food, sip of their drink, or piece of dessert (they make the best sweets!!). I could not feel more at home in their house & am blessed to the core every time I’m over there. There’s something so pure and innocent about those girls and their outlook on life. They love me deeply, love life for what it’s worth, and constantly remind me of God’s greatness. They are still at the age where everything is an ‘awe factor’ and have not become immune to the simple joys of life. Most of the time, I find myself never wanting to leave because there is something very beautiful and refreshing about being tucked away at their gorgeous home separated from the busyness of campus.

note: i don't have any pictures with Braxton (the older girl), those will be coming soon!

[this is what i'm greeted with every time i walk up to their front door! :) ]

[Mayson & Barkley (dog) about to go find the horses! ]

[ their baby horse ]

[ Blue Jean & Sugar ]

[ Emmy ]

[mays & the cattle.]

Thank you, Jesus, for allowing this family to empower me, do life with me, take care of me, & ultimately teach me new things about Your Kingdom.

boomer sooner!

"IT'S FOOTBALL TIME IN OKLAHOMA!!!!!!!!!!!" were the most popular words on campus last week. Everyone was super pumped that GAME DAY was finally here. I absolutely love OU football & the immense excitement it brings. There is nothing like seeing crimson & creme covering the town of Norman on Saturday's in the fall.

After selling parking at our house for over three hours, we headed to campus corner to visit Toni's parents and see some friends. Might possibly have been the highlight of the day! They were hysterical... haven't laughed that hard in a very long time!! I hope I still love game day as much as them in 30 years.

After our adventures at 747, we headed to the stadium. Even though the game started at 6 o'clock - it was still super roasty outside.

our precious little pi phi friends :)

beautiful girls.

love you both very much.

luckily we've had labor day weekend to relax and give us a short week before the next game! boomer sooner!

21.

I’M FINALLY LEGAL!!!!! Yippee!!!! I finally turned 21 years old on August 1^st and was lucky enough to celebrate my birthday for about two weeks!! I had five birthday dinners, two birthday lunches, 3 birthday cakes, && an absolutely amazing swim birthday party at Dakotah’s house!! I started off my celebrations on July 18^th in Walt Disney World & the party continued until August 2^nd! Phew! I truly could not have asked for a better birthday party or more thoughtful friends to celebrate it with. One of the best parts about my birthday being at the beginning of August gives everyone a great excuse to get together before we departed ways and headed back to school. It made my heart so happy being able to spend time with some of my favorite people in the whole entire universe.

Laura & I at Fuzzy's with my gift (yay italian vino). blessed by a wonderful summer with you!

Dakotah created the most magical, delicious candy bar - ever! I even had personalized m&m's that read 'happy 21st callyn' !!! how stinkin' cute!

Jesus shines brightly through these girl's lives.

this was basically what i looked like my entire party; a happy girl who appears to have not showered in years!!! luckily my friends love me despite my looks.

my trueeee friend: holly ann penn! best friends for 7 years & counting.

Toni Tone, thank you for stopping your life in Oklahoma to celebrate mine in Texas! :) You are the greatest best friend I could ask for. I'm ashamed that this is the ONLY picture we took in our 5 day weekend together, but at least we've got the memories of a lifetime! couldn't have celebrated without you.

ahhh! this pictures makes me so happy. these girls made high school a trillion times better & continue to brighten my life! Thank You Jesus for their lives!

I really, honestly cannot tell you how EXCITED I am to be 21!!!! It’s kind of been a tease the past two months because I spent 4 months in Europe being legal, only to come home and be left out of everything all over again! I continually ruined plans this summer because of my age & I hate that feeling of being a burden - although all my friends were SO great about it! :) I do not care about the drinking aspect of being 21 -- The best part is the fact that I’m able to step foot inside of places I haven’t been able to!!!!

I just want to thank everyone for making my birthday so special. I felt overwhelmingly loved & treasured. My birthday would not be near as amazing if I didn’t have absolutely precious friends to share it with. Thank you all for doing life with me, speaking truth into my life, & loving me purely. I can’t wait to see where the Lord takes us over the next 21 years. Thank you for investing in me & making my life better. I love that birthdays are a celebration of life & I'm thankful that through Jesus we are able to live life to the fullest!

love&blessings.

oh. p.s. i did celebrate at midnight! :)

pre-21.

post-21.

Celebrate.

I absolutely love everything about being home for the summer in Texas. Texas summers hold some of my very fondest memories && it always seems to be a time of celebration! Typically, summer means celebrating no school, extra free time, sunshine, longer days, weekends at the lake, vacations, the 4^th of July, and lots of birthdays & weddings!!

• On May 27^th, Holly turned the big 2-1!!!
• May 31^st was Memorial Day honoring United States military men who have died for our freedom.
• On June 1^st I was finally able to celebrate Megan & Melissa’s birthday with them. The past two summers I’ve been in Africa, so it was a joy to celebrate their 21^st together.
• June 4^th marked the day my very best friend, Holly Penn, got engaged to Jon!!! Ekkk J
• On June 12^th, Sarah & Evan got hitched.
• June 20^th was dedicated to celebrating my remarkable, selfless daddy.
• In a few days, on June 26^th, Amanda Collins will no longer be a bachelorette! YAY!

and those are just the major celebrations thus far! I fully believe the rest of the summer has lots of exciting, fabulous adventures in store for us all.

This past month or so I’ve just been caught in a whirlwind of excitement -- about everything! I’ve felt like a little kid in a candy store about returning back to everything that the States have to offer – which has allowed me to celebrate the most simple of things. It’s been refreshing & I’ve experienced a deep joy with my normal/’boring’ life that I hope never fades.

My favorite thing to celebrate while being home has been the friendships I’ve been blessed with. I’ve loved being surrounded by people who passionately seek a relationship with the Lord. People who are authentic, vulnerable & can admit their flaws because they know they are washed clean by the blood of Christ. Matt Chandler always talks about how important it is to be surrounded by a community of believers – but it truly is the best experience ever ! Nothing makes my heart happier than spending time with friends who speak truth into my life & keep me focused on what’s most important. My friends who challenge me, encourage my ambitions, and stay by my side through the ups and downs bless my life immensely. Godly friendships call for a celebration of God’s goodness to His children.

Hope that your days are full of excitement & celebration!!!

“As irons sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” – Proverbs 27:17

fearless.

HOLY SMOKES. I truly am in disbelief when I think about the amount of time I’ve been back in gli Stati Uniti – today is the 3-week mark!! These past three weeks have seriously been a roller coaster of emotions, nothing less than what I expected. I’ve had my moments where my heart has ached deeply to be back in Italia with Rat&Jone. Contacting them through the phone truly isn't the same or near as fun! :( The fairytale life we lived over there was truly unexplainable. I miss the simplicity of our European lives, our biggest concern each week was “do we have the boarding passes / train tickets / passports?” J With each passing day, my appreciation for that opportunity increases. Thank you, Jesus for opening my eyes to the beauty and uniqueness of Your creation.

The overwhelming calls, text messages, hugs, & screams I received upon returning home truly made my heart SO happy. After being gone for an extended amount of time, there was a small amount of fear telling me “everyone will have forgotten me & moved on with their lives”, but my friends definitely proved that little thought wrong. I have never felt so loved, cherished, & cared for in my entire life. So, to all my friends & family who diligently followed my life while I was gone & anxiously awaited my arrival back in the USA – THANK YOU, from the very bottom of my heart!!! There’s nothing better than being welcomed home with surprise visitors at the airport, tons of phone calls, & some delicious Mexican food!! I have thoroughly enjoyed driving my car, full access of my phone, Texas sunshine, family dinners, laying out by the pool, embracing loved ones, & celebrating 21^st birthdays with some of my most precious friends.

The reality of being back home has fully hit! I have been slightly frazzled trying to deal with my phone… within 5 days last week I had received / dialed over 70 phone calls!! I wish it were a joke, but it’s not. So, needless to say, the past few weeks have been jam-packed. If I haven’t been working on school for my May intercession class, running errands, or planning my best friend’s engagement party – I’ve been chit chatting on the phone. But of course – I’ve secretly loved every second of it. This is the type of lifestyle I’m used to and am most comfortable with. Don’t get me wrong though, I think the Lord has definitely taught me the value of “siesta” and the slower paced lifestyle in Italy. I am going to make a serious effort to try & incorporate that into my daily lifestyle – if not, life will absolutely pass me by. It’s easy for me to get consumed with thinking about all the things I must check off my ‘to-do’ list. Unfortunately, I don’t think that’s the way the Lord has called me to live. Sometimes I make myself sick trying to get everything done – when ultimately I know that in ALL things God works for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28).

Life is good. The life I am blessed with in the United States is a beautiful one.

My precious grandma is probably one of my biggest fans and encouragers. She is quite the hilarious woman too, she faithfully wrote me a letter every week while I was in Italy. It was truly the highlight of checking the mail -- all 3 of us anxiously awaited the spirit filled & joyful letters from my Nannie. She truly is an inspiration to me in every way possible. She will be the first to admit she is in desperate need of a Savior, a mighty Savior. She fully understands her role as God's child and lives her life boldly. She jumps at the chance to tell anyone and everyone about His love, grace, & mercy. I can only pray I live my life boldly with an urgency for the lost as she does.

Anyway, today at lunch she was talking about how people probably think she's crazy because she never seems to panic or freak out. My senior year of high school when I called her distraught / panicked about my dad's motorcycle accident, she told me "no problem. i'll be at the hospital as soon as I can." no problem?? WHAT! are you serious - no problem? who the heck says "no problem" to finding out their son was in a serious motorcycle accident??! Well, my precious, trusting Nannie does. She said she just knew that the Lord was watching over my daddy, that His angels had protected him, and that the Lord's plan is greater than hers could ever be. So, of course - whatever circumstance or trail we may face will be "no problem."

Thank you, Jesus for creating my Nannie with a beautiful heart that longs to see Your face. You have blessed her with the ability to teach, minister, and love Your people unlike anyone else I know. Her selfless, fearless, and trusting lifestyle is an inspiration to many. I can only hope that one day people will think I'm crazy for my bold, fearless trust in Your sovereignty. I'm lucky to know her and know You more through Her.

"He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting the Lord" - Psalm 112:7