so we all know how i used to dress like a boy...

I met up with Liz, Megan V., Katye and Courtney last night and shared a bazillion laughs over a dessert called the magic 8 (I mean magic 7...or was it 15) and as I sat there I was taken back to my 2nd year. That year me and the other 360 babies (Chelse and Andrea) were never quite sure what our scandelous 4th year roommates were up to or laughing about and we were always just enough out of the loop that we were never able to actually acuse them of anything...even though we KNEW they were up to something...the real story however was that we were always just a little bit jealous that we couldn't be scandelous with them and when you came right down to it we just really wanted to be LIKE them. They had so much freedom, they cuddled, they cused, they loved Jesus and drove people towards him, they wore adorble clothes and tall girl shoes. I think when I came into college I had a very narrow, maybe even close minded, view of what a Christian woman was, and the view that I had didn't jive very well into the person I knew I was becoming. As I watched those girls I remember taking note how they embraced who they were, who God had made them as an individual, and used that to draw other people to Him. It was such an encouragement to me, the more time I spent with them the more I realized that I was not the baggy pants and old tee shirt wearing, boring hair girl I came into 360 as. That may sound incredibly superficial, like the only thing 360 did for me was give me fashion sense, but that outward aspect I think was a reflection of who I thought I was supposed to be on the inside. The time I spent in 360 my 2nd year peeled away the old layers of my personality, it helped me see my relationship with the Lord in an entirely different light to see the freedom in it and helped me to finally expose the dynamic, passionate and confident person the Lord intended me to be (and realize that it was possible to love the Lord AND be able hold your liquor). Watching the 4th year girls that year I learned what it was to use all of who God made you to show the world all of who He is. My 2nd year in 360 may have been the most changing year of my life, inside and out. As support for my claims I would like to offer into evidence the above picture from my wedding, lounging in a big poofy chair, in big poofy dress, slippers, cute hair and a beer - a 360 girl through and through.

From Meghann Peer

Hello ladies -

At first glance, I have to comment that I think I
might be nearly the only one on this email list who
has not yet changed her last name - aka - gotten
hitched.  Congrats to all of you...

I so much appreciate the email and would have loved to
be there - but I am living out here on the Left Coast
- specifically San Diego and due to several trips back
for weddings this fall - I'm not going to be able to
add another. 

I've actually spent the past five years bouncing all
over the place...living in D.C., Baltimore, back to
D.C., North Carolina and now San Diego.  I am working
in sales during the day, taking classes at night to
satisfy my prerequisites and will be seeking my
masters in nutritional sciences and exercise
physiology in the fall of 2007.  I will graduate in
just under two years and become certified as a
nutritionist with plans to work with women with eating
disorders.  So, no hubby and no kids yet - but I'm
terrifyingly close to getting myself in order...:)

I hope that all is well with you and yours.  Have a
fantastic weekend at good ole UVA and take care of
yourselves.

Much love!
Meg

Howdy ye Easterners!

So, in typical Elizabeth fashion...I'm getting around to posting an entry in my own time. LATE IN THE GAME. I do want you all to know that I have read every word on this thing that you ladies have written, so though I may be distant I am not removed or disinterested.
Let's get to the down and dirty: Graduated UVA 2001; Young Life Staff in Va. Beach for 2 years (think 360 life extended for another 2 years with Court and MgGovern but with an income and more purpose...sort of); then moved to Montana for Young Life Staff for another two years in Bigfork,MT; met a boy, fell in love, got married July 2005; quit YL when I got married and started working at Rocky Mountain Outfitter which I have been doing for a year and change. It's a small, backcountry ski/climb/paddle/hike/etc. shop. I am the softgoods buyer, so I do the buying for all the clothes.
Filling in the gaps: YL in the beach was incredibly formative for me. I got ripped down the first year and then rebuilt the second in beautiful ways. Themes being intimacy with Jesus in a super powerful way, softening of the harder portions of my persona, and just fabulous fruit of the spirit in kids and myself. I was flying high and mighty by the end of it. Then I got the hair brained (I mean God ordained) idea to move to Montana to do ministry in a place more condusive to outdoor experiential learning like I was introduced to at Beyind Malibu. Well, God paved the way out there, overcoming obstacles left and right, and then let me walk into the bed of lions which is Bigfork, MT (in my book deemed "Bigfuck." Pardon me.) So I got ripped apart spiritually, physically, and emotionally for the next 2 years. Montana is a wild and untamed place on many levels, and Bigfork felt about like a cesspool of demons to me at the time. God is certainly on the move there, but there is a lot of spiritual opposition that I didn't really know how to handle. That was hard. A big light in all of it was that I met this really great redhead named Ben, and he embodied Joy more than any Christian I'd ever met in my life. Funny thing is, he wasn't a Christian. We met in a bar on Halloween, yeah, that's right "Satan's holiday." Well, I like to laugh in the face of that because God clearly isn't hindered one bit by any of those humanly foolish ideas. Ben was my own personal unsaved embodiment of joy and life in a way that challenged my spiritual understanding. He was also my future husband. We became friends and he became a Christian somewhere along the way and also a volunteer with Young Life on my team. It was pretty amazing to sit back and watch God do all the work in that, and to see the speed with which God began growing him up spiritually. Anyhow, we eventually got engaged and then married 2 years after we met. I left staff the month I got married. You could say that God very clearly led me out of what had sufficiently battered me to the point of bitterness and uselessness. I was pretty unfit for fruitful ministry by the time I left staff and God told me He was leading me into a time of rest, healing, and rebuilding again. Also of learning how to be a wife- no easy matter. I will say that in those 2 years God DID accomplish amazing things in my heart as well as in Bigfork. He is undoubtedly vitorious there, lest there be any doubt from my negativity. In the past year I have been trying to get the hang of this whole "married" gig. In all honesty I have to say that the first 5 months were "hard." For anyone who is not married at this point, let me clear the record. People told me the first year of marraige was "hard," but also good. I was prepared for hard. I was not however, prepared for complete and utter meltdown at times. That was a shock. Moments of thinking "God, what have I DONE?! I'm trapped! I picked the wrong one!" Yeah, I didn't know that would happen, and it was terrifying. Maybe the rest of you women were better at this thing than I am, but in those first 5 months I experienced a lot of what felt like dying. And it is...dying to self. I know intimately what that feels like in this area. In particular one of my favorite parts of myself has been getting murdered by God: my independence, which you all know is rather fierce. It hurts! Dying is no fun. I am sure you ALL are aquainted with the feeling in different areas of your life. Mothers, your sense of self gets killed every day. Losing loved ones, that murders your dreams and hopes for a start. Well, marraige first off started hacking away at my independence (MY goals, MY dreams, MY desires). However, God showed up. He had never actually left. Ben and I started getting the hang of things after about 5 months, and since then it has been up and up all the time. I highly reccommend marraige! It's good holy fun, and the pain has a purpose. My theme in the past year has been rest and healing, hence the brainless job at Rocky Mtn. Outfitter (RMO). When I leave work, I don't think about it anymore. THAT IS WONDERFUL!!!! Ben and I both worked there together, and this year he got his first job teaching junior high at a rural school (think little house on the prairie). We bought a house. We have 2 perfect kitties. We play a lot. We're enjoying our resting time. God's agenda with me this past year has also been freedom. Yeah, the east isn't so good at instilling freedom into people. God has surrounded me with some very free believers here, my husband being one of them. It is an interesting and revealing raod to walk when married to someone who has not grown up in the church. I can honestly say that Ben experiences Christlike freedom in ways that will take me years to get to because God is trying to undo in me a lot of what the church has instilled. I am not a heretic, I promise, but more on that another day.
So anyhooo, believe it or not, that's the short version. I am actully in VIRGINIA right now Friday the 15th, until the 24th. I am going to Charlottesville today through Sunday. Anyone have Martha's email address? Or Lashelle's? I'd LOVE to at least bring somebody a coffee and a hug. As for the rest of you NOVA'ers I want to find you, so perhaps a mass event like drinks or coffee in a central location could happen. CJ. you are good at this sort of organizing. Any ideas on where would be a good spot for an open-housey kind of check in point? My info is lizmwhite@yahoo.com or 540-347-7940. hope to find some of you guys this week!

Stephen Hawking's Universe

Just thought i'd share how much i appreciate this blog...i've taught every period today (in cute shoes i might add) but my 7th period is (thankfully) watching a movie called stephen hawking's Universe which from the title alone you can just fathom how exciting it is and this would be the 8th time i've seen it all the way through, i don't think i've seen some my favorite movies 8 times all the way through! But instead of having to listen to the development of the Big Bang Theory in the 20th century for the 8th time i can sit here and read all about some of my favorite girls that i never get to see! So fun! PS - Shelley Reese is MARRIED?

Plans for the Reunion

360 Reunion

October 27th-29th

I want everyone to know about it and as many who can to come. Naturally, I'd especially love it if people that I know where there. :) It seems like this blog so far is mainly those that lived there 1999-2001ish.
A number of girls haven't posted, but I want them to be invited.

From 1998-1999
Krystal Boxeth
Abby Butts
Mary Breed
Catherine Tankovich Breed

From 1999-2000
Liz White Parsons
Meghann Peer
Erin McDaniel
Julia Leibson
Katie Weber
Shelley Reese (can't remember her married name)

I emailed Krystal and Liz. Martha, will you get in touch with Shelley, Mary, and Abby? Leah, will you tell Catherine? That leaves Meghann, Julia, Erin, and Katie. Will someone who has their emails or knows their phone numbers let me know that they'll get in touch with them?

For 2000-2001, I don't know everyone that lived there. Someone who lived there that year, post a reply with who isn't on the blog yet and assign people to split up to get in touch with them.

Also, would everyone email me at hallieholland@alumni.virginia.edu with your email address? I want to get a master 360 email list going by year. So, include in your email what years you lived there. I know I should remember, but I'm running on little sleep, so give me some grace!!

Also, Megan, I have done a little with html coding and so if you would want to make me an administrator on the blog, I could put up a side box with the email link list. Or I could email it to you and you could do it. Let me know what you think.

Be thinking about what you want to do that weekend! Yay! I'm already excited!

Joe

Pray for us, please. We got home last night after Joe being in the hospital with a severe headache, chills, fever, and body aches. The doctor's don't know what it is, but let us come home with some good pain medicine. He had a rough night, but I am so thankful to be at home where I can let him rest (hospitals are so UNrestful) and where we can be together as a family. I'll update you as we know more.

Reunion Part Deux

So I think if we never set a date, we'll never get any kind of reunion together. Am I right? I think I'm right. How about Oct. 14 or Oct. 28? I can be game for either of those. It might be fun to go to the game, but I could go for not going too....and I just checked the website and they don't have any available for either of those dates, so we'd have to scalp them. Just a thought. Let's do this thing people!