Harbucks Go To Haiti!

 Having my new family come to Haiti to meet my family meant the world to me! Here's a peak into our week!

Carolina Basketball Museum

Logo signed by UNC Basketball Alumni present at the opening of the Carolina Basketball Museum.

Thanksgiving of the Day: Time with Dad 

Of the many great memories of my life, time with my dad ranks high on the list. We have incredible adventures, from nighttime road trips to Tahoe & Reno, to sunset watching in CA, to meeting up for baseball games and basketball games all over the country.

The weekend before Christmas, we met in Chapel Hill for a bit of bonding time...as it just so happened UNC was playing Appalachian State. Either way, I knew I'd be happy with the outcome!

On Saturday, we went to the "new" Carolina Basketball Museum. The museum was built to honor the 100 year anniversary of North Carolina Basketball success. It's been open now for over a year, maybe two, but neither of us had had the opportunity to explore the halls of greatness.

Those of you who know me well know that I could not care less about museums. I race through them, barely taking notice of a word written nor pausing long enough to see the cases. However, this was different. It lived up to every expectation possible with displays cases, videos, signed memorabilia, championship trophies and rings, special displays for Dean Smith, Michael Jordan, and Tyler Hansbrough. In a word, it was heavenly.

The floor was the former basketball court, as seen below. Spots on the floor marked famous shots in UNC basketball history - a three-pointer drained for a buzzer beater versus Duke, etc. Jerseys lined the cases, along with sneakers, MVP trophies, a letter to Michael Jordan from Duke's Coach K. I couldn't get enough of it! AND following our museum tour, there was still a basketball game to attend. This will go down as one of the best days in 2011, if not life in general, and what made it even better was to spend it with my dad. I am so thankful for these opportunities and our mutual love of the Tar Heels!

This room at the end holds the national championship trophies and rings. 

A Day of Thanks

Today is a big day! It's a HUGE day!

First, I am leaving for Haiti tomorrow. It's my fourth trip there this year, and I seem to have packing down to a science! I'm so excited... It'll be a HUGE trip. Four installations in one week! Prayer partners, you have a big task ahead of you! Ah, I'm so thankful. I am so thankful for the opportunity to go to the country I love, serve alongside the people I love, and to be held in prayer by a great group of friends.  Really, how lucky and blessed am I?

Second, since I will be in Haiti next week and will be consequentially missing my seventh wedding anniversary, we are celebrating tonight! It's wonderful! Seven years! I had a theme night planned out, but poor husband is on call this weekend. Knowing that he'd be crushed if he had to leave right in the middle of our fun festivities, we decided to keep it low-key. I am so thankful for an amazing husband!

Third, and quite possibly the biggest news of the YEAR... I am going to be a grandmother!!! Yes, it's true! Clint & Arlene are expecting! I never imagined I'd be so excited, and John is simply beside himself with joy. The Broadhurst Family will be growing into a new generation, and we are so excited. Have I mentioned lately how thankful I am to be a part of this family?

It's a big day! A HUGE day! Thank you all for joining me on this journey! I am so very thankful!

Happy Birthday, Dad!

With my dad on my 30th Birthday!

Today is my wonderful father's 60th birthday! As he said earlier today, he doesn't look 60 and sure doesn't act 60! Always the joker, my dad. He is full of puns and quick wit. He gives great advice and words of wisdom. His heart is overflowing with love, and simply put, he is just a great dad.

We have so many wonderful memories together, just the two of us. Between spending Holy Week '08 with the UNC Tarheels to Myrtle Beach motorcycle burns and midnight drives to Reno, our trips together always turn into adventures. I am very lucky and very thankful that he is MY dad.

Happy Birthday, Dad! Wish I could be with you. I love you!

Anticipation

It was truly a great weekend with the boys. I had forgotten how much fun it was to have them both in the same house together! There was rowdiness and excitement, and the chicken pot pie was eaten in ONE sitting! Our final night with Clint & Arlene was spent at the MGM. We had never been there before, and it was so exciting to watch Clint win at blackjack, and Arlene jump up and down at "Deal or No Deal!" Truly wonderful memories were made, and I can hardly wait for the next time we're all together.

My "Boys"

With the boys gone it is uber-quiet in our house! Yesterday, I was able to knock out the final paper for this session of classes....all 3092 words! It feels like quite the accomplishment to have finished my first seminary classes, and I'm really looking forward to the next session starting when I return from Haiti.  On another front...still awaiting word from the Navy. Apparently my packet did not go in front of the board on Wednesday, and it's scheduled now for the first Wednesday in April. Hurry up and wait... Goodness.

Now that the boys have left, the final paper is turned in for school, and the packing is complete, I am left with great anticipation! Sunday will begin the adventure to Haiti! For the first time in awhile, I am wee bit nervous about the trip! Perhaps it is because I am not "in charge!" Perhaps it is because I am traveling with a couple of guys that I have never traveled with before. Perhaps I am unsure of spending a month in Haiti. Whatever the case, I know that God is with me, and I have a HUGE amount of Prayer Partners engulfing me with love and care. I am so thankful to each one who will be joining me on this mission trip, and I can already feel your prayers. 

Two days and counting...

The Lion King & Family Time

There is one thing that's for sure.... This last week has been filled with unlimited family time. There have been cooking lessons and all-you-can-eat sushi! From late nights and Rock Band marathons to numerous walks through casinos and deathly SPOON matches, we have been together. All five of us.

Yesterday came the highlight for me! Of course, UNC won a great game against Maryland. BUT there was even more! We went to see the Lion King yesterday afternoon. I've wanted to see this show ever since it hit the scene in New York, and now it is showing daily in Vegas at Mandalay Bay. It was fantastic. The music! The costumes! The giraffes and the elephants! And, of course, the story! Pumbaa & Timon were a hoot, and Simba & Nala were precious! I felt like a little kid seeing the Disney movie for the first time. It was certainly I treat I had not expected.

Today, one of our five will be going back home. While it's a little melancholy, I have set my sights toward the next adventure! By this time next week, I will be back in my second home... Haiti. I can hardly wait. This year has been full of overwhelming excitement and joy! How is it even possible? One thing is for certain...I am blessed. Blessed to have a wonderful family. Blessed to have amazing opportunities. I am so very thankful.

Pure Bliss

The last few days have been filled with complete, utter bliss. Clint & Arlene arrived on Tuesday night, and I feel like my feet have not hit the ground since! Whether it is watching UNC play basketball, or playing Yahtzee, or sitting in an ice bar at 23 degrees, our time together has been magnificent. Yesterday, the family was complete with the arrival of Michael, and now I am looking forward to a weekend of happiness and bonding. Moments like these are truly precious, especially now that the boys are older and they're going their own ways. I am so thankful for these few days, and what a great time it has come, right before a big trip to Haiti. What great memories I will have to keep me company each night as I listen to the roosters and generators! Ah, yes, I am so thankful for the Broadhurst Boys!

Mama Jan

Proverbs 23:25

May your father and mother rejoice; may she who gave you birth be joyful!

When I need to get the word out about a Living Waters project in Haiti, Mama Jan is my publicist. If I ever decide to run for public office, Mama Jan would be my campaign manager. She is the official fundraiser for all of my projects. According to my mom, I can do anything, anywhere, anytime. Everyone needs a Mama Jan in their life...someone who is a constant cheerleader and thinks the world of you. 


Yesterday, when I called Mama Jan to tell her of my spectacular day in San Diego, she was jumping off the wall with excitement. She was singing Navy songs, calling me "Ensign", and already online buying a "Navy Mom" sweatshirt! (Not really, but I know she will!) I can't tell you how great that makes me feel! To share of something great in your life is one thing. To have someone so excited for you that they're doing backflips, too, is pure joy. Just like birthdays and Christmas, she turns the smallest of accomplishments into a national holiday. 


I am thankful that no matter what, I have a great cheerleader on my side to support me through thick and thin. Everybody needs a Mama Jan in their life!  She is the rejoicer and the giver of joy, and for her I am thankful.

Sunsets

My dad & I share a love of sunsets. In fact, when we're together, we make it a personal mission to select a perfect spot for watching sunsets. When Dad was living out in California in the summer of 2000, I went out for a few weeks to spend time with them. As always, we searched and searched until finding the right spot. It was at a top of a hill, in a neighborhood...in the Wong's driveway. Now, we didn't know the Wong's, and they didn't know us... But every evening we drove to their house to watch the sunset over San Jose. It was gorgeous, and we always speak fondly of the Wong's.

I have a collage of sunset pictures that hangs in our house. One is from Honduras, two from Key West, a few from South Padre Island, one of NYC with the Statue of Liberty in the background. My favorite is from Haiti...a country with so much poverty, but so rich in sunsets!

No matter where we are, God is there to remind us that He is the beginning and the end, and at the end of each day, he paints us a beautiful picture. Tonight was no exception. Living in Las Vegas, surrounded by mountains and desert, the sun seems bigger. As it set this evening, the sky bled pinks and purples for miles. It was stunning, and the picture did not do it justice. I was nevertheless reminded that with this beauty, God is looking down on us and reminding us that He is to be praised. I am thankful that this reminder comes in the form of a beautiful sunset.

Psalm 113:3

From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the LORD is to be praised.

Clint & Arlene

Today was filled with excitement. The first week of school has passed, even though I felt behind for most of it. For the moment, I have several items checked off the to-do list, especially where LWW is concerned! To top it all off, there is a Tim Tebow special on ESPN, which has me feeling much gratitude.

However, what I am most thankful for today is an hour long Skype chat with Clint & Arlene. It was wonderful to catch up, to hear their voices, and to see their smiling faces. We talked about any and everything, something we hadn't been able to do in awhile due to all of our schedules. I am absolutely elated that they will be in Las Vegas soon for a good long visit. It's been over two years since we have hugged them, and rest assured that we will be hugging for a long time!

I love these two so much. Clint and I have been lucky to have had a special relationship since we met. I am so thankful for his friendship, for the long talks, for the openness we share. In a way, I think of him more as a brother than a stepson, and I am so thankful for our connection. How lucky he was to have found Arlene, and how lucky we are to have her in our family. I thank God every day for them!

Three F's - Faith, Friends & Family

On the airplane to northern Virginia today, I finished reading a book named "How Lucky Can You Be?!" It was a beautiful book about Coach Don Meyer. When he accepted the Jimmy V award for excellence at the Espys, he said the three most important things in his life were the three F's -- Faith, Family & Friends.

I am so thankful for these three things, but tonight I will focus on just one of the three... Friends.

Beginning with stepping into baggage claim, I knew how lucky I was. I am so thankful for my friend Carrie Delisio. She and I became friends and then family after I moved to Virginia! We have spoken everyday since I left, whether by twitter, email, skype, or other forms of communication. She and Anne Block, another wonderful friend, met me at the airport, and the joyful screams began!

Tonight my dear friends, Sally & Harry Block, threw a party to welcome me back to Herndon. Beginning at six, the door continued to open and friend after friend arrived. I have never felt so loved and thankful for a group of people. To say I am lucky is an understatement. What an amazing day!!

There is so much more to say, but my eyelids are heavy and my heart is full. Thank God for friends who are family!