TEC

A few weekends ago I went on a retreat known as TEC or Teens Encountering Christ. Juliana Alvey invited me to go after repeatedly telling me just how awesome it was. It didn't take much convincing. The cost was $90 in advance and $100 if you didn't turn the paperwork in early. It wasn't a bad price for a three day retreat. I must admit I was kind of nervous. I only knew a few people and I had no idea what would happen let alone I had to drive 2.5 hours to get there. I've never driven that long in one trip and I would be alone, the possibility for getting lost couldn't get much higher. I was excited though. I waited until the very last possible second to pack (it was that morning) and took off.

Tec was exactly where I needed to be that weekend. I needed the community of love and support, the reconnection with my faith, I needed Tec. The week before Tec was.....difficult to say the least. To be honest it was down right awful. I felt sick every morning and it took all the energy I had to get out of bed, not to mention my eating habits. I never went without food but I would have to tell myself to eat since I wasn't hungry most of the day. I started to drown and Tec was my life vest.

I learned two major things: friendship and awkwardness. That is what Tec was about for me. My table name was the Awkward Dancers and boy were we awkward. Everything about us screamed awkward including our table discussion or lack there of. Our group was pretty stellar though. We were able to enjoy each other even in the silence. The other members of our awkwardness were Kristi, Bobby, and Peter. Kristi lived in Seneca and she always offered stories about her family. She didn't ever really complain about anything and she always seemed to be enjoying the life she had. Bobby likes to fish. He lives in Overland Park or near there. He had actually been to Raymore and throughout the weekend told me we had some good ponds. Most of his answers for discussion included his parents which I must admit is pretty cool. I've never met them but I know they are amazing if they provide all those things for him. Peter was from Nebraska. His sister works for the diocese and was our music coordinator. She invited him to go and play his guitar. Peter didn't have an opinion except he loved Nebraska and the color Green (awesome right?). Megan D. decided his favorite animal was a lion (I think). We probably had the most diverse group and the most awkward. We embarrassed it though. They helped teach me to be proud of my awkwardness and stay true to myself. It provides many laughs and much joy.

Friendship was the biggest lesson I took from that weekend. Father Mike taught us or at least me a lot about it. Your friends should challenge you and the ones that challenge you most will be your best friends. I am blessed with a good amount of friends that do challenge me. Brooke, Kristen, Andrew, Krissy, and Megan probably challenged me the most.(Another post later on will be dedicated to the people that challenge me) Fr. Mike was amazing. He gave me the extra push I needed and showed me how to cope when things seem impossible. He said I should buy a crucifix (having something visual helps more) and when I don't think I can get through the day I just hold in my hands and remember what Jesus did, how he bore his cross. This is my cross right now and I'm not alone. He is helping me carry it just like he was helped. I haven't bought one yet but it's on my lists of things to do. Fr. Mike helped restore the faith that I was starting to lose.

I regained a friendship that weekend as well as obtained many new ones. I reconnected with someone who I used to be pretty close too. I'm....ecstatic that she was there. It gave us a deeper connection and brought us closer together in our faith journey. It wouldn't have been nearly as great without her. My new friendships are also amazing. As of late I've been hanging out with my resource Shannon. We have the same sense of humor and we help each other be insanely awkward. I love her. Another super awesome person is Mary. I've known her for awhile but we hadn't ever really been friends. Now we have our own special greeting which is extremely childish, loud, slighly embarrassing, but mainly extremely fun. I also met a guy I kinda went to Catholic School with. His brother ended up being in my grade and we know many of the same people since he is only a year younger than me. I love all the TEC people and I can't wait til our reunion to see them.

TEC defenitly is no Search but it is still amazing in its own way. I look forward to the many TEC teams I'll participate in and highly encourage everyone to attend TEC. The next two are in August and November. The cost is 90 if you sign up 2 weeks prior and it goes up to 100 if you wait til the last minute.

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I tried to change how my blog looked. It was an epic fail.

Hey Batta, Batta

Currently, my dad and brother are practicing his baseball swing. Cole tends to get scared and tenses up at the plate. He hasn't mastered loosening up yet. I must say I'm pretty impressed with my dad right now. He is coaching he pretty well right now. Normally, he gets frustrated and just starts yelling. So far he is just loud which isn't exactly out of the ordinary. They are all pretty loud. They were practicing without a bat and then my dad decided to get the bat out..... First of all my father, who happens to be a good size guy, looks hilarious with swinging a bat that is only as tall as his knee. Secondly, I'm rather shocked he is letting Cole practice in the living room. Thankfully, our t.v. hasn't suffered. At the moment, they are using transformers to show where you throw the ball when it comes his way. He is playing left field.

Mason is going to be a great player or at least he has the potential to be. He is the second fastest kid on his team and his coaches think he can pass the other kid. Mason's problem is that he gets bored fast. He does well playing the "pitcher" position (he is in tball so he can't pitch yet). Every time the ball was hit he ran after it. He has a good arm and can hit it decently. I love watching my brothers play. I try to encourage Cole and let him know it's okay and it's just a game, that I'll love him no matter how the game turns out and that he can do this.

In other news, I just recently went on TEC for the first time. I will blog about it later. Krissy Sellmeyer and I were discussing about staying at Nazareth Farm after we get our bachelors in social work. It would be very rewarding spiritually. It is one of our favorite places to be.

The Fish Tank

The Fishtank introduces a new series for singer/songwriters showcasing their original music and the stories behind them.
Hosted by series curator, Daniel Quin Shay and featuring his original music as well as Kyle Hatley and Michael Hilboldt.

Doors open at 8:30, show starts at 9.
Donations accepted $5-15
Sponsored by Pabst Blue Ribbon

I went to this event last night and it was simply amazing. I'm all about being local. I love local coffee shops, local stores, and I love local music. I only knew one of these three artists and that was Michael. He is practically my brother in law ;) and I love the guy to death. I'm going to write about each of these guys and their music. I'll start with my least favorite and end with the best. (If you think an asteroid might crash into your house before you can read about the best then I suggest you scroll down to him first)

Kyle Hatley was second in the line up. He was a very good looking guy and he was probably in his early to mid twenties. His music wasn't bad. It was interesting. One song was pretty explicit.... yeah. What exactly can you say to that? It wasn't exactly what I was expecting. Some of his other songs were really good though. He had one and it was just random people and what they were going through. I think that one was my favorite from him. He had one of his friends sing with him and she had an amazing voice. I hope that I will get to hear her again.

Daniel was last in the line up. He was also the one in charge of the show. His songs were about his love. He never mentioned her name, he only referred to her as this: his love. He moved to Kansas City to be with her. His song were full of love and passion. He was 30. I really liked his voice. One song he played reminded me of Relient K and I just happen to adore them. He played the guitar and the harmonica. It was pretty impressive.

Michael was first in the line up and he also was able to play again after. I've always been a fan of his music and enjoyed listening to him. He has grown so much in the last few years and his voice has only gotten better. I'm kinda in love with his music. I can tell which songs were about Brooke and what was going on during that time. He dedicated one song to her, the song he wrote for her. It was called You Got Me. It was of course beautiful. I started to cry while he was playing. I wasn't the only one. His music is very moving and the love he posses is clearly visible while he plays. When he was singing I knew how true his love was and is for Brooke. It is pure and true. It was beautiful. He played a few new songs that I had never heard before, including one that he had only written a few hours before the show and yes it was pretty good. I wish all of them were on his music page. I'm hoping he makes an EP soon. :)

you got me by Michael Hilboldt

Each one of these gentlemen has a story and a journey they are on. There music reflects their life. Kyle's was bachelor, very stereotypical male. He seems to just be enjoying his life and having fun. Daniel is well seasoned. He has lived a lot but also has a lot more life to live. You can see the wisdom in his songs. And Michael, well I think you'll just have to listen to him yourself to find out what his music says. He said he would play at my birthday party and I'm really excited. I love listening to him sing. The link to his myspace page is post but those recordings don't give him justice. If you get the chance be sure to listen to him live. His music is very moving and his passion is noticeable. Thank you Michael. Thank you for sharing your gift with us. I'm very proud to call you my friend and I hope to be able to see you as well as your music change and grow.

I am hoping to spend more time down in Westport watching the local talent. First Fridays at the Fish Tank is an event worth visiting.

Michael's music page:http://www.myspace.com/sittingincolor#