It Must Be Love.

Folks, today was a rather special day.

Today, yes today, was the first day of the U.S. Open.

Yes, I know you are all excited, as am I.

Oh I can't wait to watch all the drama unfold.

The U.S. Open is BY FAR my favorite sporting event of the year.

Let me tell you why. 

(note: I'm talking tennis here people...don't get it twisted.)

The Open is just special.

It's the last Grand Slam of the year.

(Grand Slam = the 4 largest tournaments in tennis, Australian, French, Wimbledon and US)

It's the largest tennis stage in the world. 

And it has a few other unique qualities.

The U.S. Open is the only Slam that plays night sessions.

At most tournaments matches start around 11 a.m. and end around 5 or 6 p.m. 

But at the U.S. they have one set of matches that will start around 11 a.m. and another that starts at 5 or 6 p.m.

So instead of finishing up and going home before dinner, some matches might not even start until after midnight. 

And those night matches are ELECTRIC, especially if an American is playing. 

They truly are incredible, the crowd there is unlike any other. 

The amount of support shown for American players at the U.S. Open is almost unreal.

Yeah I know, it's the home court advantage and all.

But it's something entirely different.

It's hard to describe but it's just like a whole other level of patriotism. 

It's incredible. 

Currently the Open is played on hard courts (concrete), but it has also been played on grass and clay.

Talk about versatile. 

Jimmy Connors (an American) is the only player to have won the tournament on all three surfaces. 

There has been some for real drama go down in Arthur Ashe stadium.

(interesting fact: Arthur Ashe is the only African American to ever win at the U.S. Open, Wimbledon and the Australian Open. He was from Virginia.)

The level of play goes to unheard of levels to be able to compete on this stage. 

Only the best and the most impressive survive. 

It's more than just having the strokes, you have to be able to handle the stage.

I can't wait to see what this year has in store.

Sand Never Fails.

So I've been here relaxing at the beach for approximately 2 glorious days now. 

And I would just like to declare that they have in fact been GLORIOUS.

The sun. 

The moon.

The water.

The waves.

The company.

The atmosphere.

The sand...

oh the sand.

Sand never ever fails to annoy the mess out of whoever it touches.

Once you touch it...

YOU'RE DONE FOR.

You can FORGET about ever getting it off.

It gets on absolutely everything.

It's in my hair.

It's on my skin.

It's in my books.

It's on my ipod.

IT IS EVERYWHERE.

But you know I guess that's the beauty of sand...there's so dandgum much of it.

Let's just try to sit and think about how many grains of sand there are on any given beach.

Bored yet?

I am. 

 

Isn't it just so cool that we have a God who can think up something as annoying as sand. 

Okay, sand is uber obnoxious, but it is also pretty helpful at times.

 

1. Sand stops the ocean.  

BOOM.

 

2. Sandy soil is best for certain crops, such as watermelons, peaches and peanuts. 

(all you folks out there with a love for the peanut butter...show some love to the sand.)

 

3. Sand is used to make bricks, mortar, concrete, glass and paint. 

That's a lot of home improvements y'all. 

4. Sandbags. 

Keep you safe from the floods and the guns. 

Multipurpose. 

5. Sand Castles. 

Nuf said. 

 

6. Exfoliate. 

Keep them feet soft and supple.

So I just wanted to give props to my man God for making something totally annoying but completely useful.

That was real clever. 

P.S. I have the final results of my crafting. 

The placemats.

I know you have all been waiting in anticipation.

 

Many many thanks go out to Mrs. Becky Mitchell (my second mother and embroiderer extraordinaire). 

She is the wonderful lady who crafted these bad boys.

I can hardly wait to serve up family dinner on these suckers.

Look out y'all the swank is coming to town.

P.S.S. yes I did copy 85% of those sand things off of wikipedia.

Don't judge.

Craft Results.

Alright.

A few days ago I posted about my many crafting endeavors.

If you even care (I know you do...why else would you be reading this??)

here are the results of those endeavors:

1. Something pretty for my living room in Ruston 

2. A few lovelies for some friends 

3. Okay so I haven't quite finished the place-mats.

I do have them though!

They are going to be sooooooo cute! 

Don't fret I'll show them to you eventually.

4. Some "lovely" paper flowers 

I can't decide if I like them.

I don't think I did them right.

They look all funky.

What do you think?

Just thought I would keep you all informed. 

Enjoy.

Cutest Baby Alive.

I would like to dedicate this post to my incredibly handsome nephew Aubrey.

That's him. 

Isn't he just precious?

Oh yeah, he is.

He's here, with us in Lake Charles for the week.

YIPPEE!

It's been oh so nice having him here.

He's just really fun.

He's 15 months old.

And has recently begun walking...and now he never stops.

If he didn't sleep in a crib I'm 97% sure he would be walking all about this house during the wee hours of the night.

And ya know what?

I think he's picked well.

Tennis. 

Yup Yup!

I just want to say he's precious and I love him so.

He's been such a blessing in my life.

It's been incredible seeing the Lord in this little guy. 

It's been so neat to watch him grow up...well grow for a year and 3 months. 

I feel like he's no longer a baby anymore, and now he's just like a tiny little person.

A precious and adorable little man. 

An adorable little man that likes to eat his feet. 

Okay, so he's still pretty baby like...but you know what...

I DON'T CARE.

I love that little foot sucker! 

And I always will.

Aubs...when you are able to read...in like 5 years...just know Aunt Pheebs loves ya. 

LOTS.

What a Ball.

Tonight in the lovely city of Lake Charles was the 11th annual Father Daughter Ball.

So tonight, we got all prettied up and went to the ball.

The Thomas family has been attending the LCCC FDB for many years now...probably 11 or so.

In our younger days, we would trade off.

So one year Polly and Dad would go.

And the next he and I would go.

It was always one of the highlights of the year.

I looked forward to it all year long, and still do.

In the days of my youth there were 3 main things to worry about for this ball:

1. Is my dress as fluffy as possible?

2. Did I get myself drawn by the caricature lady?

3. Am I staying out as late as possible?

As you can see I was a very deep and complex child.

Now it's far more relaxed and it's not nearly the big ordeal that it used to be.

BUT, it is still a party. 

The past few years we've done away with the alternating years business and Dad's just gotten to take all of us at once.

Lucky fella.

So tonight this was our lovely party group.

As you can see that is me, my lovely sister Polly, my handsome Dad, and my precious pseudo sister Halley.

Aren't we cute?

And yes I would like to note that we are all wearing some sneakers.

(except for Dad...he likes to keep it original) 

Last year we set the trend by all wearing some fresh Nikes.

(courtesy of yours truly) 

And this year we thought...hey why not some keds!

And we didn't have enough fancy shoes to go around.

And these are better for dancing anyway. 

BAM.

So needless to say we had a blast. 

We got to spend some good ole QT with the fam.

We got to eat some delicious foods.

We got an eiffel tower made out of chocolate.

And we danced the night away.

So thanks Dad for taking your ladies on a date!

(right before the tower fell...it was sad to see France go)

Few Words.

Okay so, I'm in the midst of a dilemma. 

I find myself having this overwhelming urge to blog.

And yet, when I get to the computer....

...I can't find anything to say.

It's a very frustrating place to be.

Especially for one who enjoys blogging as much as I do.

(which is A LOT)

So maybe I'll just try and bore you with the meaningless details of my lazy life.

Well I'm not super lazy.

I would say I've only been mediocrely lazy this past week. 

I haven't had a day where I just sit in front of the TV all day.

(mostly because 1. the sun is outside and I'll just get pastier inside and 2. there's never anything good on during the day and 3. I already watched everything that was recorded.) 

So I've been fairly productive.

I've already informed you of my crafting...which is going quite well if you care to know. 

(although I don't know how I feel about the paper flowers...I'll have to get you opinion)

I've done some exercising. 

Gotta stay fit.

Rather get fit after becoming unfit over the summer. 

(curse you K-West and your many desserts!)

I've gotten to spend some quality time with the fam! 

(which will continue tomorrow with the arrival of my lovely sister, brother-in-law and precious nephew)

I've done a good bit of cleaning and sorting.

(for those of you that are familiar with my room at home...ALL my wall notes are GONE)

(yep they're gone...it looks weird in here all right)

(SIDENOTE: I'll be selling some items on Ebay pretty soon...so if anyone is in the market for some I Love Lucy memorabilia...I'M YOUR GAL)

It's a strange feeling not really having anything to do yet also having a ton of stuff to do.

Yeah, I know that "doesn't make sense" but everyone of ya know exactly what I'm talking about!

So don't get smart with me!

(just kidding...you can be smart if you want.)

But it is nice to be able to rest. 

I needed to rest after this summer. 

The key is to "rest" but not "sleep."

My body, mind and spirit need to rest. 

But that doesn't mean I stop learning. 

I don't go to sleep. 

I still need to be active in pursuing the Lord.

I actually need to be more active and diligent in my pursuit of Him.

Now is when I really have to work for it.

Before, yes there was work involved, but it came a lot easier over all.

In Wales, it wasn't even a choice, it was survival.

At kamp, it's such a desire because it's what you're surrounded by, there's no escaping it.

But now is when I am truly put to the test.

Can summer last all year long?

Craft Time.

So here at home I've had the pleasure of relaxing. 

Television watching. 

Book reading.

Leisure walking.

Mommy and Daddy chatting. 

Lay outing. 

Crafting.

I've been in a rather crafty mood...

...which I have found exciting seeing as I now have a home to fill with cute little crafty things.

 I've got quite a few projects in ma noggin. 

(we'll see how many become reality...)

On my to do list:

1. something pretty for our living room

2. pretty place mats for our dining room

(possibly tech themed) 

3. something pretty for a few friends

4. some lovely paper flowers 

(courtesy of the pioneer woman)

Those are just a few things I've got planned for now.

But we'll see what else comes to mind...

...we all know what happens when I get bored...

...well at least those that live with me do...

I'll keep y'all posted on all the crafty details. 

Unpacking.

So today began the daunting task of unpacking.

Unpacking my stanky clothes.

Unpacking all my sweet letters.

Unpacking all my clean clothes.

(and of course I washed them anyway because they smelled like kamp....yuck.)

Unpacking my mind.

Unpacking my summer.

What a summer this has been.

I would just like to share a few things I've learned of the past few months:

1. I learned how to introduce myself. 

What's Up Im outgoing! 

BOOM.

2. I learned how to depend on the Lord for all my needs...even small stuff.

In Wales, He was all I could depend on.

3. I learned my need to continually make myself uncomfortable for the sake of the Lord.

I was pushed so far outside my comfort zone this summer, I didn't even remember what comfort was.

That was the most difficult thing, but the absolute BEST.

I need it. 

Gotta stay uncomfy.

4. I learned how to play basketball.

Yes, I am now a BALLER.

5. I learned the difference between loving the Lord with my words and loving Him with my life.

I can't just say I love Him and expect that to be enough.

I have to prove it by EVERYTHING I do.

6. I learned how to write a mean letter!

Letters are fun y'all.

Give em a try.

7. I learned how important it is to be real with people.

Let the Lord handle your "reputation" or how people perceive you and just be honest with people. 

It works out better than you would expect. 

8. I learned that I am thought of as "an encouraging person."

Honestly, I don't know if I believed I could be that. 

My past doesn't boast of my ability to uplift and encourage. 

But I praise the Lord because He has changed me.

9. I learned how to wakeskate. 

WHAT UP.

10. I learned that I am not who I was. 

I am made new. 

He has taken this heart of stone and He's given me a heart of flesh.

(shout out to Miss. Kyle Bisese)

Praise the Lord because He has made me new. 

So these are just a few of the things I've learned this summer.

Trust me there's plenty more...

but I like to keep the posts on the "shorter" side...

give the people what they want!

However, if you want to hear more just holla atcha girl.

We can get an Icee. 

A coke Icee. 

Duh. 

A New Phase Begins.

So Kamp is officially over. 

I have been sitting in AC for over 14 hours now...

....I don't know what to do with myself. 

We finished everything up around 2 p.m. yesterday and hit da road. 

And when I say my car was packed down tight...

...I mean TIGHT. 

We had that sucker loaded to the max. 

Including but not limited to the luggage of myself, Sutton and Layne. 

We even had to ditch a few items such as, my rubbermaid drawers and all of Sutton's bedding.

But we ended up with a random pillow.

Irony. 

Thinking back over my summer is so difficult.

It's hard to compact it all into single thoughts. 

Like it's hard to think that I was in Wales just over a month ago.

I sometimes forget that that even happened.

But now it's also hard to think that I was at Kamp less than 24 hours ago.

So strange.

It's such a surreal feeling being "done" with summer.

(but I'm not really done, thank you Tech for giving me 3 more weeks!)

(Holla!)

I've learned so much this summer. 

It's been absolutely incredible.

I'm not the same person, and that's a good thing. 

This past year I got WAY too comfortable and WAY too selfish.

I was only concerned with myself, my friends, my family, my feelings, my wants, my needs, my money, my clothes, my car, my appearance, my my my. 

I was so dumb. 

Really, really dumb.

But thanks to the Good Lord, that's not who I am anymore. 

I am His. 

I am not my own. 

I never want to live for myself again. 

Because it's useless and empty.

I was miserable the last few months of school because all I focused on was me.

And so I could never look past what was going on in my life to see what the Lord was doing.

He's so much bigger than me. 

He's so much smarter than me.

He can take so much better care of me than I can.

He is just BETTER.

I would be a fool to live for anything other than Him.

Today, right now, this very moment is for Him.

Not next month, 

or next week, 

or in a few years,

or once I get married,

or once I get things figured out,

 but RIGHT NOW.

Every day is His. 

Every thought is His.

Every word is His.

Every dollar is His.

Every relationship is His.

Every class is His. 

Every step is His.

Every breath is His.

I am His. 

He has become my life.

And everyone will know it. 

Lecraezy.

Well guys, another week down. 

Only 3 days to go. 

CRAZY.

I can't even believe that Kamp is almost over. 

I don't even know what to think. 

So...let me just tell you about what's been going down. 

The Lord has been doing SO MUCH. 

I'm not even sure if I can describe it all.

But I'm still going to try. 

I have made so many wonderful friendships here. 

The amount of Godly men and women that I am surrounded by is just unbelievable. 

The Lord has placed so much encouragement and joy in my life from the people I've met here.

It's been so cool to see how we all come from different places, backgrounds, schools, families, etc yet we all worship the same Glorious God. 

We are all bonded together by this common love for this all-powerful, all-knowing, all-glorious Lord. 

It's been so cool to watch Him bring specific people into my life at specific times with very specific purposes. 

The Lord is SO good. 

I have loved to watch Him do His thang!

In other news,
Sutton and I got a lovely surprise yesterday.
I was just sitting in the chuck wagon, eating my ice cream sandwich.
And I look out onto the porch and whose face do I see?
None other than Sir William Stagg.
And only seconds later....who walks in??
Miss Hannah Lane!
What????
She and I shared a lovely, lengthy, slightly painful embrace.
Twas glorious.
She, Will and Caleb Smith are at KAA for the week with some kids from MLK.
So they came and surprised us!!
Wahoo!!!

Continuing on the topic of surprises,

tonight K-West, K-7 and K-2 were surprised with a visit from...

....LECRAE. 

Oh yes, that's right...

Lecrae...

in concert...

spittin rhymes...

spittin truth! 

IT WAS SO TIGHT. 

I have such a respect for that man. 

His love and desire for the Lord is so genuine and deep. 

He reps the Lord in all he does and Says.
If you don't know who he is or what he represents...
...get on that Wikipedia and figure it out.
It's worth it. 

Lord, Keep me focused these last 3 days.
Keep me intentional.
Keep me serving you.
Keep me focused on the needs of others.
Keep me loving you first and others second.
Keep using me. 

Writing Sweet Letters.

So guys, I'm about to head back to kamp for the home stretch. 

A week and a half. 

Kraziness. 

The Lord is using so many different people and events to teach me so many things.

It's been so great! 

I can't wait to see what He has in store for me this week. 

If anyone wants to write me a letter I wouldn't be opposed...
...I would say that I LOVE writing letters...
...and I'm pretty good at it.

Phoebe Thomas

793 K-West Dr. 

Lampe, MO 65681

Only 10 days left. 

Lord, use me. 

Focus my mind on Your glory. 

Keep me serving.

Rounding the Final Turn.

We are on to our FINAL term at kamp.

The last set of sweet little dearies. 

So Strange. 

Even though this is only my second term at kamp it's still SUPER weird to know that this is the LAST term of the summer at K-West.

When the kampers leave on the 13th kamp closes up shop for the year. 

And that's just kinda weird to think about. 

Antyways...

This past week has been SO FUN.

I think I've finally gotten to a point where I'm comfortable enough with the people I work with and am around all the time that I am able to truly be myself with them.

I can let that last guard down and just be goofy or weird and not care. 

Let me tell you....it's been SUPA FUN.

I am LOVING the office. 

It can get a little crazy at times...

...like when the mail gets there the same time as UPS and then you have like forty 12 year olds asking for their mail or where their lost towel is and then you have counselors not turning in paperwork on time or correctly and then the phones are ringing and people are asking you a question you don't know the answer to, and it all seems to happen within like the same 30 minutes. 

Don't get me wrong...it's GREAT.

It just gets a bit stressful at times.

But the Lord is GOOD. 

And He is doing so much cool stuff!

It's been so neat to see Him working in my life.

But the best thing has been seeing how He's been working in the lives of the people around me.

The counselors, the leadership, the kampers, and everyone at home and scattered about for the summer. 

It's just so cool to know that the same God who was with me in Wales is still with me now, 

and He's with Krista in LA, 

and He's with Hannah Lane, Jade, Beck, Zach, Callie and Mark, Amy, and everyone in Ruston, 

and He's in Alaska with Polly, Andy, Scott, Kyle and Josh, 

and He's at home with Mom and Dad and Halley, 

and He's in Shreveport with Seth and Kristen and Aubs, 

and He's in New Orleans with Anna, 

and He was in Ireland with Kelsea and Molly, 

and He's with Kyle, Amber and Kayton at K-West,

and He's with all the sweet little kampers from all over the country/world 

(we've got some internationals this term)

God is God. 

He's the same. 

Always. 

Forever.

He NEVER changes. 

What?

I feel like I can be a completely different person with each passing day. 

But I would assume that is why HE is God and I am NOT.

And ya know what?

I am perfectly okay with that! 

(too much pressure)

(but He can handle it)

So, that's just a little bit I've been learning lately. 

Thought I would share. 

I mean it is a blog. 

If you bother enough to read it...you probably want to know anyway.

It's just an assumption. 

I could be wrong.

But that's rare. 

(Juuuuuuuust kidding)

P.S. Brian, unfortunately I have NOT had the chance to show em my impressive defense skillz. But hopefully I'll get the chance real soon!!