Gina the Warrior

I got this from big sis the other day, when I asked for a baby picture for the senior video this year.  I didn't want to pull a Leann Tuohy and find a cute little "Blasian" baby on the internet, so I took a chance and got this adorable little gem.

When I moved on the ranch last January, I took a huge risk.   I moved my kids away from their friends, their security, my mom, our lives as they knew it with me, and moved them to a new school, new community, new friends.

While Peppers Ranch was and is a HUGE blessing, and we have SO MANY FRIENDS here, the school that Gina was going to as a Junior, was a struggle.  She is a very ardent Christian girl and has zero filter so she didn't fit in at the very party school.

The only heartburn I had about everything, was how unhappy and miserably sad my Gina was.  It was very very hard on my heart.

Then I did the interview with OCS.   (oklahoma christian school for those of you that don't read my blog on the regular).  And heard how much it cost.   And prayed and prayed.   And then Bill Junk through the Methodist Foundation paid their tuition.... and something huge and significant happened in our family.

People, I never stop being amazed on the daily by the blessings that come your way by being obedient to God's calling.

For the first couple of weeks at OCS, it was pretty standard issue for my Gina.  Couldn't really find a group, as a Senior it is grueling to try to find a niche.  And at a private school, it can be even harder.  I prayed so hard for her every day.  Praying over her for peace and acceptance.   It is very hard to parent a different kid.  You want to FIX everything and sometimes if you just let go of the wheel and hand them over to God....He handles all the details.

Teachers friended the new kid, sitting by herself eating her lunch.  She had lunch and shared her story with several of her teachers and by week 6 of school, they had asked her to share her story.   You guys know this.  Check out my blog in September if you want to remember that story.  It was just the most anointed moment of my life.

And guys, Transparency here.   I didn't want her to do it.   I was too scared of what the outcome might be.  I was afraid she might say the wrong thing, go "rogue" if you will.  She would never practice her talk with me.  Because she talked about me in it, I think.

But what she did in that room of her peers, and the impact she  made on everyone that day....her life shifted.  She had friends in every face.  Everyone smiled at her.  Most everyone included her.  She found friends on the basketball team.....again, something I wasn't sure I wanted her to try.  She showed me.   Over and Over.

I haven't been thinking seriously about college for Gina, because I know how she struggles with school, and how hard college is going to be.   But she has been adamant about wanting to go, so I swallowed my worries again, and researched colleges and remedial programs and scholarship potential, and landed on Rose State.  I got my associates from Rose State and I really loved it.  I was much older when I went back but I liked the teachers, the classroom size, everything.   So we went for it, and took a tour and in a blog I wrote, one of my oldest friend's daughter is going to Rose and we found a roommate, because that's just how good my God is.

We applied for the President's Leadership Scholarship because it was a full ride of tuition and books, and I knew it would be a long shot because private school ain't playing when it comes to grades and expectations and whereas public school always gave her A's and B's and passed this social butterfly on her merry way, she has really had to work and dig to make the grades this year.

And she has.  I've watched my girl blossom this year.  She has come into her own, and when she won Homecoming Queen, she was greeted with honest and from the heart cheers and yells.  There was no pity, no token "Blasian" winner, she won because she won their hearts.

When I sent her senior pictures in the other day, I apologized for the grainyness of the photo and asked her to please just use it.  She replied,  "We could have a gray screen with her name on it, and everyone would scream their faces off for her, because she has everyone's heart.  " 

Remember that speech she gave, and I was so on the fence for??  The president of Rose State College's daughter just happens to go to OCS and was present for Gina's talk.  Told her mom.  What are the odds?    Again,   WHAT  are  THE odds??  God knew the ODDS, because HE Orchestrated EVERYTHING.

ALL  The Things.

Peppers Ranch

Oklahoma Christian School

Bill Junk

Precious teachers

Gina's willing heartfelt testimony

All the student's response

Sharing her story at home with parents and the right parent hearing that story, so that when that kid applied for a scholarship, she knew her name and her story and knew that she was more than her grades.  That Gina is one for the kingdom, and a world changer, and IQ's and grades will never define her, because her power comes from something that is limitless.

Her power comes from her love and overabundant grace that only comes from a special close walk with the Father.

When I see all the pieces of this beautiful tapestry taking shape before my eyes, it still has the power to bring me to my knees.

So, of course, she was awarded the scholarship.   A full stinking ride to Rose State. 

So when people ask me  "How do you do it?"  or "Are you kind of crazy?"  I have to say,  "Yes, I am crazy, and how can I not do it?"

Because, friends,  Every  Single  Day  I see the hand of God at work.

And what can top that? 

Look out World, this Warrior is coming for you.   

Ciao, Italy!

Sping break was so amazing this year.  I left all the children on the ranch and flew to New York (barely!) to meet Hallie and the volleyball team and headed to ITALY!

It didn't seem real the whole time.  I felt like I was seriously in a movie.  Just amazing, amazing, amazing.   Everyone in the world should put this on their bucket list of things to do.  I wish I had had two more days to explore the Amalfi Coast, so I could have seen ALL of high points of Italy while we were there, but mercy.....we saw a Lot.

We flew into Amsterdam, and tried our best to sleep on the ground or on a bench, but it was not to be done.  I even had upgraded to "Comfort Level" seats, which is one tiny step above the "steerage" section in the back and even teased the girls during the flight on how "The cheap seats" were doing.  It was NOT my top 5 fun most favorite things I ever done.   For one.. I can't sleep on a plane.  Even in "Comfort plus" it was brutal.   I watched movies and tv shows for the 9 hours going over, getting up to go pee and walk around 2 or three times just because it was miserable.

It even occurred to me as I looked around and everyone else appeared to be asleep on the flight, and that made me even madder.   HOW DO THEY DO THAT?

Everyone advised me to stay AWAKE once we got there, so my BODY CLOCK would set. 

Sure.

My body clock is iffy at best, and it wasn't having it.

I finally gave in and took a tiny nap at the hotel, while the girls were practicing, and then jumped in the thermal pool when they got home and it was seriously heaven on earth.   It felt like the best bathtub on the planet, and I LOVED IT. 

Italy doesn't have ice cubes.   You need to not ask either, or they look at you like you insulted their mother.  They charge for Water.  They all smoke like cancer isn't real.  They are skinny.  Very Very Skinny.   I didn't see one overweight person the entire time I was there.  It's crazy.

The architecture is to die for.  I'm sure Kip went there and walked around in massive glory all the time because there is far too much to take in.

We started in Venice, in our sight seeing, and it was just too much.  The narrow streets (paths, if you will) the ancient feel, the water, the shops, the magnificence of the place just consumed me.

I couldn't ever understand the concept of a city "on water" until I got there.  It is just something.   Yes, some people would think it's "Dirty" and "Old" but it charmed me.  Through and through.  Just an amazing place.  And the food?  Shut  Up.   So delicious.  Best food I had on the entire trip.

It was so cool how they had a public thoroughfare by water, or tiny streets behind the buildings.

Tiny Streets.

I'm guessing homes through here. Yellow street signs helped us find our way (sure)

Yes, we had to duck to get through many of them.  

"Hey this seems like a great place for a "portrait opp"!"

Both of them took turns taking pics of each other.  

Just gorgeous.  The view and the girl. 

Sydney Morris (A junior (cow, if you will) from San Antonio) and Hallie

The GONDOLA

SO COOL

The boat was a bit tawdry, but when in Venice.......

Yum, gelato.  We could have MANY of these pics. 

Delicious food, gorgeous view, perfect weather.  We LOVED Venice. 

Next stop was the Base in Vincenza.  The girls listened to a briefing about the base and asked questions.  There were several West Point alums stationed there so that was a fun time.

 A few of the girls played around in their gym.  

 Team Pic

Gorgeous view.  Hallie's thinking this wouldn't be a bad place to be based!

After the tour, we  jumped on the bus (where we almost suffocated it was so hot!) 4 hours north to Milan.  Hallie got sick on this trip and ended up with a fever and chills and all the fun of a 24 hour bug.   We took the street car  into Milan to take a picture of the church and just walk around, but she only made it about an hour or so before we had to head back to the hotel.

 The birds greeted us outside the cathedral.  Faces were priceless

 Cathedral Duomo di Milano

 Kara, Syd and Hallie

 Hallie and the birds

 the gorgeous mall

The streetcars were really neat. 

 Though I would have loved to have explored it some more, I'm not going to lie that it was pretty nice to let her sleep and I enjoyed catching up on Bewitched and Texas Walker Ranger on the telly.   I snuck to a mcdonalds that evening and got us some "good american food" and all it did was make her stomach hurt worse.  We were at the tail end (no pun intended) of the sickness at this point though, and after about an 18 hour of sleep day for Cadet Hembree, she was ready to jump on the bus and head to Pisa.

Pisa has a leaning tower, and a church.   And turns out, some pretty stellar gelato, but that's about it.  So we all stood around and took 100's of pictures of us holding the tower, kicking the tower, licking the tower, poking the tower, then hit the bus for Lucca. 

 This might be my fav.

 Not too great of lighting on this one

 Cracked me up....the trainer and one of the staff

 Syd and Hal  "Portrait"

 It took me ONE time.  (Pro)

 Angle is everything.

I didn't mind eating the gelato out of the cone for the picture.  :)

Lucca is one of the remaining cities in Italy that is completely walled in.  Hallie decided when the world hits the zombie apocalypse, we should all move there.  Sounds like a solid plan to me.  The trees were blooming, and the little shops so charming, BUT NO RESTAURANTS open after 2 pm.  Totally punked us.  I was ready for a big ole bowl of spaghetti after using all that energy to poke that tower, and every one was closed for "Siesta".   Oh, Ok.  Grrrrrr.   We took 100 "portraits" and headed back to the bus.

 You can see the wall behind the fountain.  It ran all the way around the town

 I don't know why I thought it would be a good idea to look homeless.

Gorgeous little town.  Streets much wider

LUCCA

Everything is BIGGER in Italy.

We arrived at a quaint little B n B in Tuscany  and this was the place that I decided I was so tired of my hair looking like a homeless person, I was going to use my own hair dryer.  I brought my own converter so I could use my curling iron and charge my phone...why shouldn't my blow dryer work???   Plugged it in, turned it on, and I'm not lying here, fire shot out the end of it.   That's one way to get it dry in a hurry.   SMELLED up the whole room.  Clearly too powerful for the Italian outlets rigged with converters.  For.  the.  love. 

Headed my homeless self to the bus to make our way to Rome, and 5 hours later, we were there.  The bus was ALMOST as fun as the airplane ride.   ALMOST.   And this bus driver thought that since we had complained about the HEAT BEING on the day before, he would SHOW US, and blasted air conditioning so cold, everything in our bags was used to wear.  HE SHOWED US, HE DID.

But ROME!   The Colosseum, the Trevi fountain, Vatican City, Spanish steps.  The shops, the streets, the gelato, the pigeons.  The cobble streets.

Trevi Fountain (throw a coin over your shoulder for good luck)

You are just walking along a street and BOOM, there's the pantheon.   WHAT?

You know.  I've been to Vegas.   I LOVE the forum in Caesar's Palace.  First thing I thought (I swear it) was   DANG, these guys copied Vegas.  And then I rolled my eyes at myself and remembered it was THOUSANDS of YEARS OLD and chuckled and went on.

 The lighting was just extraordinary the first night we were there.  Just gorgeous

The next day we visited the Pope.  Vatican City was crammed.   It would have behooved us to grab a map so we could know what we were doing IN THE CITY. You know, I'm a NON DENOMINATIONAL CHRISTIAN FELLOW.  I'm not privvy to all things Catholic.  So I was under the impression it was a museum, and St Peter's Basilica was outside somewhere.   We rolled through the Sistine Chapel like we were from Oklahoma or something   (DANG ALL THESE PEOPLE and Hallie's  "This room creeps me out").  Everyone else talking in hushed whispers how amazing it was and we were like,  "OH THE SISTINE CHAPEL, YEAH".   One of the girls mistakenly called it the "sixteenth chapel" and honestly it kind of felt like that to me too.   Oh Michelangelo drew all over the walls, and it's like one of the seven wonders of the world, and one of the most magnificent masterpieces of ALL TIME?  We rolled through it, seeking gelato.   Hi, we're from Oklahoma, ya'll.  Those guys in that painting needs pants.

 Absolutely astounding architecture

 This ruins me for the rest of my life admiring buildings and artwork. Nothing will ever compare

Ana, Hal, Hannah and Courtney in the Hall (WOW)

There were just massive amounts of these weird little objects and a baby hugging a duck and why are they all naked?  So many questions....

 They had hundreds of chairs set up for the next morning for the Pope (or whoever) to deliver the  message.  I heard someone say that people start lining up outside the walls at 4 am to get a seat.  That is massive dedication.

Gorgeous girls, gorgeous view

Hal's illegal picture of the Sixteenth Chapel.  I still don't get it.  ?

I thought this was more beautiful than the above.  What is wrong with me?

I feel you Shaking your heads.   Hi, We are Okies!

Then just like that, the vacation I have been looking forward to for 6 months was OVER.

The flight back seemed better.  I prefer a 21 hour day that stays light all day.   I didn't sleep a lick on that plane either, and watched practically every show on the screen.  I'm seriously a first class world traveler as you can tell.  It's 4 days back and I'm still asleep by 8 pm and up at 4.   Hopefully by the time I travel again I will get it lined out.   My daughter and her friends are dolls, and I seriously had the best time laughing at them and walking 7 miles a day  (Yeah, that really happened).

A trip of a lifetime.

Oh I forgot about going to Verona and seeing the balcony that Romeo professed his love for Juliet.  Folklore has it that if you touch the right boob of the statue of Juliet it will bring you luck.  I didn't feel anything except extreme discomfort that I was feeling up a statue.  We'll see.  I felt pretty lucky just being there so that may be the luck that I got.

Save up your money and swing yourselves over to Italy.   It's worth every penny.