NEXT 2011 part 1

Yesterday afternoon I finally arrived back home after being gone six days! It was such a wonderful time, spent with two of my favorite people, worshiping and learning about God!:)

Instead of driving down with people from our church, we decided to fly.
(Instead of a 10 hour drive, it only took 1 hr and 45min!:) This was my 1st time flying and I was SO nervous that we weren't going to make it! I'm really positive, I know. ;) Even thought I would never want to fly again, you have a beautiful view of God's creation!!

 In the air! :)

Once we arrived in Orlando, we tracked down out logdge, found our driver and headed to the Shingle Creek!

 The front view of Shingle Creek

 The view from our hotel room!

 I'm really excited about NEXT!:)

After we arrived we checked in at NEXT and then decided since we had 3 hours to go swimming. After changing into our swim suits and walking outside to the pool area, we found out that they had 3 pools! 1 family pool, 1 old peoples pool and 1 quite pool (which really should have been named the LOUD pool!;)  We ended up in the quite pool, where Joshua Harris and his son where swimming.

The quite pool:)

At around 6:15 we headed down to wait for the doors to open. The doors always open 30min from starting time and people line up a whole hour before it's scheduled to start. When they open the doors open go crazy and run for the front seats! The 1st night I got squashed by some guy when the doors opened. ;(

(Just a side note, there were between 2,000-3,000 people at NEXT.)

Rebekah and I caught Joshua Harris walking by while we were waiting and decided to get a picture!:)

 People waiting for the doors to open!:) 

More people waiting for the doors to open!:)

Rebekah and I waiting

After they opened the doors, people finding their seats.

 Worship!:)

After an hour of worship they have an hour of preaching. We had a wonderful group of preachers:
Jeff Purswell, Scott Oliphint, D.A. Carson, R.C. Sproul, and Kevin DeYoung. After the preaching which would end around 10:00, we would have a concert. We heard from, Reilly, Shane & Shane, and Generation Letters. I really enjoyed Shane&Shane and Generation Letters. Reilly was a little too loud and  crazy for me, but they had an amazing violinist!;)
When we got to our hotel room to finally get some sleep, I pulled back the sheets to get in bed and there were black sticky stains! GROSS! We called the front desk and soon I had clean sheets and could finally get some sleep.:) 

Abigail and I on Sunday morning!:)

Eating breakfast outside in the wonderful sunshine!

Once again waiting inline and waiting for the doors to open.

Sunday afternoon Abigail and I went swimming once again. I did not have a lot of fun this time. People just sat in the pool and worked on there tan and I wanted to swim!

After we went swimming we got dressed and once again waited for the doors to open!:)

One of the concerts from NEXT

It's getting late, so I will post part two tomorrow. :)

favorite pictures

 I've taken this year.

NEXT - Part 1

Like I said in my last post, NEXT was amazing!! I really can't put into words what it meant to me and everything that I've learned, but I will try. :) I will be doing more then one post about NEXT, I am waiting for pictures from my brother right now. (I used his camera.) I have decided in this post, so share what I thought of everything; what I loved about the conference, what I did not like so much, the people, the city,  and also a few pictures that I am steeling from other people.;)

1. Worship was amazing! One night they have a whole string section and other night a chore! There is something amazing and wonderful about being able to worship God with 2,500+  people!!

2. It was so great to have four days to just focus on worshiping and learning about God. It made me realize, that I should be doing that everyday. Of course I read my Bible everyday, but I need to start really reading my Bible, praying more, and reading books about God and the Christian life. It should not just be something we do on Sundays or at Christian conferences, but all the time.

3. One night, during worship a lady sang the song below, this song really struck me and is probably my favorite song from NEXT. Here is the Link for it.

4. Bob Kauflin and I are best friends!=) I talked to him one night, about getting string music for the songs and he gave me his email and is going to try and get them for me! Then he and his wife happened to be walking to the conference center when I was too, so I started talking to him again about music! :)

5. I got some great Christian books while at NEXT. On the way home I started reading one called, Worldliness: Resisting the Seduction of a Fallen World! Even though I've not finished the book, it's already so amazing and so worth reading!I think I have underlined everything said in the book!;)

6. The conference has married couples called Ninjas who's jobs are to go around and bless people at NEXT. THEY WERE SO COOL!=) I had one Ninja come up to me and bought the book I was going to buy from the bookstore!!:)

Here are a few pics. that I've stolen from other people!

 Two of the super cool Ninjas and Emma with a real Ninja star thingy!;) 

Abigail, Abby and I

Rebekah and Abby with the food they brought/made. :)

What I've been up too...

Last weekend, I spent the night with Abigail. We watched Sarah Plain and Tall, since Abigail has banned me from watching them without her. ;) I liked the movie, but I will have to read the book again to see if it was like the movie. I can't remember. While I was at the Taylor's, I helped their volunteer fire department sell hot dogs and drinks. I just really sat on the coolers and talked to people! ;) Anyway, this man came up to the table, and looked at me and said,"Woman get me a hot dog!" I just sat their for a few seconds with a very shocked look on my face! ;) It sounded like something my brother would say as a joke! ;) 

On Monday I had to go to the Orthodontist. I don't like going to them...I always have the most horrible headache after I go and then when I take something for my headache it makes me really sleepy! Anyway, my appointment was at 9:20am, and I got there early at 9:15! ;)

I brushed my teeth and sat in the chair. The dental assistant came over and took off my bands so that I could go brush again. It felt SO good to brush!:) Once I was back in my chair, the Doctor came and looked in my mouth and told me, that I would get rubber bands today!=) I was very excited!:) The assistant told me how to put them on and gave me two bags. Well, once I left the orthodontist, I took some Advil for my mouth. It hurt like crazy!! The rubber bands were pulling down my top teeth!;) On Tuesday night, my mouth started burning and it kept on burning till Wednesday when I stopped wearing the rubber bands to see if my mouth would stop burning. Well, it did stop burning and felt a lot better, so I called the orthodontist and they said to stop wearing them and that I might be allergic to Latex! They are mailing me latex free rubber bands!;)

Our family LOVES surprise muffins, so when I found a recipe for surprise muffins with a herseys kiss inside, I got really excited! Needless to say, they looked really look, but I did not like how the outside tasted...very disappointing. :(

Here is a picture of what they looked like inside:

Aren't they cool looking!

I am going to try to just make my own muffin recipe up and then put a kiss inside!;)

This Saturday I have the competition DMTA! 

I have had lots of practices for that this week.

I feel so ready and will be glad to have it behind me!:)

PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST!

Johanna over at An old-Fashioned girl is having a photography contest! You can enter up to 5 pictures of flowers, here are mine:

I only have 3 enter, cause I'm waiting to get on one of our other computers to find two pictures of a red rose I took last week. =)

I found out this week, that I have been add to the staff of Cadia Magazine as a photographer!=)

What's been going on, and why I havn't posted!;)

We have been crazy busy, but with nothing of the busyness is interesting enough to post!;)

I am working on the Beethoven Romance in F and a Mozart duet for a competition in May. So I am crazy busy trying to memorize the Romance and learn the Mozart! On top of those to songs, I am also trying to get the Mozart Violin concerto no. 4, ready for a recital. And our orchestra concert is two weeks away!!!:)

The week after the violin competition, I will be going to NEXT in Baltimore!!:) I am SO excited about this!!:)  

Well, I need to go make sure the house is clean. 

I hope everyone has a great Thursday!:)

Wordless Wednesday

Summer is near!!!:)

Answers!:)

What's your favorite color? Black and blue cause I am always banging into things :)

What's your favorite Bible verse? Matthew 19:26 "Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

What did I miss at church last Sunday? Mr. Garner preaching and seeing everyone. 

What is the meaning of life? To glorify God

What is your favorite animal? I love bears, black bears, panda bears, polar bears, any kind of bear, even Koala bear...and that's not really a bear!:)

What instruments do you play? My first instrument was piano. When I was 11 I started violin. I stopped piano at age 14, to focus on violin. I did not feel like I could play both instruments, because I was getting over a wrist injury and had to watch how long I practiced. I also...did not really like piano, and was not very accomplished.

If you could name yourself, what name would you pick?I I would probably just keep the one  I have now since I  like it:  Anna Beth Leigh Henderson. But if I had to choose another name I really like Darby. 

Do you eat grapes? Yes, Grapes are my favorite fruit!! I could eat them all the time. I like the green seedless ones.

What is your favorite season and why?I love spring cause it's when everything is starting to get green again and the birds are coming out and it's not hot yet.:)

Favorite sport to watch? Duke Basketball!!:)

Cooking or cleaning and why? Cleaning. I love to organize, and that is categorized under cleaning. I CAN cook *glares at Abigail* but just prefer cleaning.

Where would you like to go that you haven't been, and why do you want to go there? Ireland!! I have family living there and it would be cool to see them. There is also a castle in Ireland that if your last name is Henderson you can stay a night for free. We had a orchestra visit our orchestra a couple years ago, and had two Irish girls staying with us. It would be cool to go and see their school and hear their orchestra. 

What is the most important quality/aspect that you want your future husband to have, besides being a Christian? A Hard worker, willing to serve others, loves kids and loves to laugh.

What is your favorite Bible story? The birth of Christ.

What is your favorite thing to grow in the garden? Blackberries

What is you favorite meal? Chinese Food!! Are you sure you did not know this?:)

Have you ever been yelled at for trying to poor out lemonade? Why yes, how could you have ever guessed. Here is how it happened:  One day after dinner I was cleaning up the kitchen and talking to a guy who was on my left side.  There was a  pitched of lemon aid that only had a tablespoon to two left. Since I was trying to get the kitchen all clean I decided to poor out the last few drops. So I walked out to the sink and was about to poor out the last few drops, when the guy on my left, decided to lunge at me screaming to save the lemon aid!! I jumped a foot and screamed, it's a wonder I did not throw the pitcher at him.:)  I do declare I have never been so scared in my life and think I jump a foot! If I had been a cat I think I would have lost all 9 lives!:) 

If you were given one million dollars, how would you spend it? I would make sure family was taken care of. Then I would buy violins, stands, and music books and go teach kids who could not afford violin lessons.

Do you consider yourself ambitious? Yes, defiantly with violin and teaching violin.

Do you ever think of something funny to say and are laughing so hard at yourself that you can't get it out to tell the other person? YES!  All the time!:)

If you live in the country, are you ever scared to take a walk because of any redneck hunters that might want to kidnap a bride? :) We do live in the country on 40 acres and we are surround by people that hunt, but I have never been worried about this. I think it's probably because everyone who lives near us, does not really like to be bothered and we don't see our neighbors very often. :)

Have you ever been locked out of your house? Yes....lots of times. 

Do you have a favorite chair? Yes.. the big brown one in our den. We call it the sleeping chair.

What's one of your favorite bugs? Butterfly... that's a bug right?

Do you have a strong or sensitive personality? Sensitive

Do you like cheese covered English muffins? Well I like English muffins and if they happen to have cheese on them....then well I got lucky!:)

have you ever petted a crocodile? Yes...I have also fed a giraffe:)

do you like blue grass music ? No I hate blue grass music, I don't like the style, and I don't like how the instruments are more the center of the song, then the words.  I do love country music, and there are certain blue grass songs I like. For instance I love this song.

do you know how to fish ? No...but one of these days I am going to learn!

Are you really going to answer all these crazy questions? Well looks like I have:)

98 Days

98 days ago we married off my Sister Sarah....

....now 98 day later we married off my brother William!

I got a new brother and new sister this year!
Yeah!:)

Jenn's Bridal Shower! :)

Jenn and her Mom

The food!:)

This picture is kinda blurry...but I thought it was so funny
how Rebekah and Sarah have there legs the same way!:)

Molly giving Jenn a Cherry

the tea!!

My Mom, Jenn and Jenn's Mom

We played a game with Jenn. We gave her a suit case filled with things that we packed for her honeymoon. hen we told her that the power was out and it was her Honeymoon and that she would have to put everything in the suit case on over her clothes!:)

So Rebekah blindfolded her..

And she started!:)

Opening Gifts!

This is the bouquet Jenn is using for her Rehearsal

Anna, Jenn, and Sarah