hanging out with a good friend... in a very unusual way

a good friend of mine is currently serving as a journeyman in senegal.  while it is sometimes hard having her so far away, modern technology helps make the distance not quite so distant.  between email and online chatting via skype (if you haven't heard of this and you need to keep in touch with someone in another country, check it out), we are able to catch up at least once a week.  

while living in africa provides many fun and interesting experiences for her, watching the olympics is a hard one to come by... so we created a way for her to get to watch michael phelps swim for his 8th gold medal together using 2 laptops, my TV and a camcorder.  while we were using video chat, she wasn't able to get the full effect of the race so i posted the video online so that she could see the full race.  here's the video complete with commentary provide by us as we enjoyed each others company and the race.

you are invited to singalong.. for free.

i wanted to inform the few readers who actually look at this about an opportunity to get some good free music.  phil wickham is offering his live cd as a free download, if the link doesn't work for you go to: www.philwickham.com/blog/.  check it out.  pass the word.  enjoy.

funny video

here's a video of a college friend of mine.  made me laugh and i thought i'd share it.  check her out at www.sarabethsongs.com.  

my next few months...

as i sit here procrastinating from completing the last few tasks needed to have a clean house... i figured i'd update everyone with what is going on in my life at the moment. along with the BSM responsibilities (planning for fall, contacting churches, recruiting freshmen, etc), i'm still leading worship on the weekends, through june, and getting ready for a little traveling.

here's my upcoming schedule:
6/14-20 - abilene, tx: leading worship for super summer
6/22 - cleburne, tx: leading worship for crossroads church
6/29 - cleburne, tx: leading worship for crossroads again
6/30-7/3 - mexico city, mexico: BGCT mexico vision trip
7/4-6 - tulsa, ok: to watch my little brother sing in 4 productions
7/13 - justin, tx: leading worship at lakeside fellowship
7/13-18: corpus christi, tx - VACATION with the fam. finally get to see my parent's new house.
7/18-20: houston, tx - visiting my great friends melanie and richard

then back to denton to get to work for the fall. lots of stuff going on, but that's the only way i know how to live my life.

i recently joined a gym and have been going about 5-6 days a week in efforts to get in better shape. it's been a great addition to my day and i've really enjoyed going. i also purchased wii fit which has proved to be a fun addition to my time at the gym. all i can say is that i've learned that yoga is hard, even when you have a touch of athlete in your genes.

if you want to keep up with me as i jump into the rest of my summer adventures, check me out on twitter (and if you have no idea what that is, read this: old blog entry).

the car.

here are pictures of the new car. it's been an interesting past few days as i worked through the car-buying process, but i've been amazed watching how God has orchestrated each event and abundantly provided.

wowwed by wickham.

phil wickham's version of the jeff buckley's song "hallelujah." watch and be amazed.

adios acura... hello honda.

well, after 9 good years together... i finally decided to get rid of my 1999 acura integra. this past wednesday, the check engine light came on and the repairs were going to cost me way more than i was willing to spend, so the hunt for a new car ensued. i got a good deal on a 2008 honda cr-v and a decent trade-in offer on my integra, so i am now the owner of this car:

i think we will have a long and happy relationship together. i'll add "real" pictures soon.

exactly what does 'twittering' mean?

i've had many people ask me lately, "why does it say 'twittering' on your facebook status?" so i've decided to answer that question this way. the best way to describe twitter is to call it a 'micro blog,' in which you update others with what you are up to in a very concise way. here is a video to explain twittering. once you watch, go and join and follow me (www.twitter.com/stephaniegates). let's be twitter friends. if you are reading this on facebook and want to watch the video, go to www.stephaniegates.blogspot.com.

so not natural.

it seems like each week my students have new you tube videos to show me, and a student showed me these two today. this is not natural... and yet you can't stop watching. this is a guy named nick pitera singing disney songs.

sold.

just wanted to let everyone know that my parents house in cleburne has sold. the packing has begun, the loading starts on wednesday, and mom heads to corpus on friday. my house is completely filled to the brim with boxes and stuff that i had left in cleburne, so the sorting has begun. my plan is to de-clutterize my life, or at least get as close to that as i can.

please pray for my parents as they search for their next house and get settled.