Overflow 2012: Saturday Night

Taking some pictures with friends while stuck in traffic!

Saturday night sure enough rolled along, and this is normally the night where the craziest things happen and the most tears are shed. Everyone just knows 'Saturday night' as being the best and most life-changing. Overflow weekend is awesome, but Saturday night is unreal. Anyways, here are the notes from that sermon:

An Anointed Generation - Matt Tapley

If you remain in me, my promises will remain in you.

God doesn't just want to save you, he wants to be the Lord of your life.

Stop focusing on what your giving up and focus on what you're gaining.

God is our anchor, and whatever we go through, we can feel secure.

You words don't bring you closer to God, your actions do.

Just having a great technique but no relationship with God is a recipe for failure.

God promises a life of abundance - that doesn't sound like a to do list...it sounds like an adventure!

~amy

Overflow 2012 - Saturday Morning

Here's the To Tell concert that took place Friday night!

Mike Miller spoke about crazy love Saturday morning. Here are the notes from that morning:

God is bigger than statistics.

Normal is so over rated. Walt Disney had a crazy idea to make a cartoon and create Disney World, but now watching cartoons, and going to Walt Disney World is the norm. Everyone has done it and has been.

This crazy love changes your dreams and actions.

If God was small enough for your mind, he wouldn't be big enough for your needs.

It was a great message to start the day off. Mike is a great speaker. I loved all the talk about being different from everyone else and how normal is over-rated. I know that I'm different from my friends. I like being different and standing out from the crowd. I like it when people wear different clothes to show their personality. I love it when people voice their opinions and stick with it. Being different will become the new norm.

~amy

Overflow 2012: Friday Night

                                This is a portion line up waiting for the doors to open Friday night.



Remember when I went to Overflow 2011? It's a youth convention in Waterloo where about 2,500 teens join from all over for one purpose - to worship God. It's such an awesome weekend, and I'm so glad that I could go and soccer didn't interfere.

Friday night was really exciting. Robert Madu spoke that night. Here are a few points from the notes I took:

Whatever you go through, even if it's for 400 years like Moses' people were slaves for; if you cry out, God will meet you.

When you read the old testament, it is a shadow of what God is going to do in the New Testament. For example, the Passover is a shadow of Jesus dieing on the cross and sprinkling his blood over everyone.

Christianity is our status, but our behaviour needs to match up with our status.

It is easier to go back to the stuff that we are familiar with then to remain faithful.

Your destiny is greater than your history.



*Stay tuned to see how the rest of  the week went!

~amy

First Game of the Year!

Tonight is our first game of the year! Am I ever excited?! I wish I could say I was 100% healthy though. There is always something wrong with me it seems. Today - ankle injury. I hurt it in a school soccer game Tuesday night and was limping all day Wednesday. Soccer practice (which was all shooting), was pretty tough last night, but I'm walking fine today and just have get my head around the fact that pain is going to be there, I just have to cope with it. It's not the injury that can get any worse, so go all out right? No pain no game!

I kind of feel like Hope Solo in this video...but  a little less intense.

So tonight, as we have an 8:30pm game time, under the lights, an hour away, against the team that we do not get a long with, I'm looking forward to starting the season off with a bang. Can't wait to put on that Sarnia FC jersey, with the number 13 on the back, and remember my favourite soccer player, Alex Morgan, and show this team who's boss.


Now, it's time to get the soccer videos rolling and pump myself up. Mental game is everything!!

~amy

Thought for the Day!

The next time you feel like complaining remember:

Your garbage disposal probably eats better than thirty percent of the people in this world.



~amy

Star Quote

"Only in failure do you reach success. You can only get the good stuff when you've done the hard stuff."

-Kate Hudson

I love this saying! It is so true! You can't just go to the Olympics or the World Cup without practicing and working out and playing soccer games at a young age. But the work pays off...that's the good stuff!

~amy

Nike Shirt

I found this Nike shirt in Winners a while back. I didn't buy it, so I took a picture instead. I love it! It's totally one of my goals to become stronger, faster, and better so...just do it. Nothing is stopping you!

~amy

It's not just another day

It's not just another day...It's another day to excel!

-Bruce Jenner

I love this saying because it is so true. We should all wake up every day and feel good about ourselves, have goals that we want to get done, and feel accomplishment. We should all have this perspective in our daily agenda.

~amy

do you buy motivation?

Check out this awesome blog that Lady Bow Tie, a fashion blog that I follow, posted! It's awesome and so true!

~amy

my schedule this week

Take a look at my schedule for this week:

Monday: School soccer practice, tutoring, scrimmage with travel soccer team

Tuesday: Soccer game with school, Project Kenya

Wednesday: Soccer practice with school, tutoring

Thursday: Soccer game with school, soccer practice with travel team, youth

Friday: Nothing!

And let's not forget that I have fitness and gym everyday! And in gym right now we are in our fitness week (we change what we do every 8 days).

I am super busy and today I am sore and tired...but...I wouldn't have it any other way. I love how busy I am. I love all the activity I'm doing. I love how much I'm in shape. And I love how healthy I have to eat because of all this working out. I couldn't image anything differently!

~amy

give my life to you

I love this song. We sang it at youth a few weeks back and I have listened to it ever since. Its long...but it's worth it. It has reminded me to give my life, my dreams, and any problems that come my way, to God. By simply giving it over to him leaves me worry-free and is one of the best choices out there right? This song has helped me through this thing I call 'my soccer journey'.

~amy

beautiful things

Thanks Dad!

I don't know about you, but I'm looking forward to what God has in store for me. All the struggles and situations going on right now will all make sense and are only for my good as I grow up.
And I am so exciting to grow up and discover what God's amazing plan for my life is. It's going to be...beautiful.

~amy

my 'pump up' video

I now leave enough time before games and practices to watch this video - whether I feel like it or not. Alex Morgan is my favourite player, and this 2 minute and 24 seconds video gets my head in the game and ready to practice or play a game. It gets me focused and prepared. That's how it got the name 'my pump up video'...because it does just that! Call me crazy. It's ok. Whatever works right?!

~amy

names for 2012

I am a big fan of kids names. Don't know why, but it always interests me what people name their kids. The names I like have changed a lot over the years, and although I think I got the names I like set - I'm sure they will be changing, especially because I just found a new one I like today!

Don't get any ideas, don't think differently about me - I just like names! ;)

Boys:
Hudson Carter
Mason
Collin
Nolan

Girls:
Morgan
Alexis
Leah
Kendall

~amy

Sunday nights

So Sunday night soccer is officially over. As sad as I am because I loved it, it means that outdoor is starting. Our team is made. Uniforms are ordered. And the weather has been great for outdoor practices. Things are looking bright. Sunday night soccer was great to keep me in shape and have extra touches on the ball that other girls maybe have lacked. I love how competitive it was, no matter how many games we actually won. And I loved playing against older women with lots of experience, and the opportunity to play on two different teams in the same night. I am looking forward to what this season is going to bring.

Stay tuned fore more soccer bliss coming soon!

~amy

never know who's watching...

I LOVE this video. The first time I watched it through I thought about how lucky these girls are to not only meet Mia Hamm but have her watch one of their soccer games, comment on the game, and hang out with you for a bit. Then I watched it again, and realized how much these girls game changed when they knew a ledged was watching them. I thought about how I, personally, should play like this every game. No matter who's watching, or if no one is watching, I should play like Mia Hamm is watching me. I think that I should visualize it from now on and see how much my game changes. All in all, I learned a lesson from this little video...no matter who’s watching, always play your best. Play your heart out - Mia Hamm or no Mia Hamm.

~amy

define yourself

"Accept no one's definition on your life. Define yourself."

Don't let anyone tell you you're not good enough, you aren't worth anything, you can't achieve your dreams, you’re too small, your to weak. You can. No if's, and's, but’s, maybe's, possibilities, exceptions, or hesitations. Prove them wrong. Period.

Because hey, the saying "never be afraid to try something new, remember, amateurs built the Ark and professionals built the Titanic" is pretty true.

~amy

i'll love you today and all of your tomorrows

I love my friends. L.O.V.E. A four letter word is so powerful and means so much in my relationships. Who can't love life when they have such amazing friends to brighten their day? Simply through a text, a smile in the hallway, encouragement, or when they just make you laugh. I have a smile on my face 24/7 because of my friends; because of what they mean to me and what they teach me. They inspire me to be me, because hey, they love amy bennett, not someone else who looks like amy bennett. They inpsire me to cherish life, to live my life to fullest and take every opportunity. They inspire me to love in my other relationships.
As the movie Soul Surfer says: "Who knew that teaching a kid to surf would teach me that surfing isn't the most important thing in the world, but something more important is. Love. Bigger than any title wave. Greater than any fear" - Bethany Hamilton.(I just typed that from memorization by the way! ;) ).

So hears a shout out to all my friends out there, and you know who you are, who mean the world to me. Thank-you for being in my life, teaching me lessons that you might not even know you taught, encouraging me, and straight out being there for me on this journey called life. I love you today and all of your tomorrows!

~amy

blog #2

As you all know, I am proud team member of Project Kenya. The meetings have been going great, and I'm learning lots in really cool and creative ways - thanks to the project leaders.
The website is now up and rolling and so are the blogs from each member! The blog is used to tell people in the community and possible donors of what we are learning, how we like it, activities, fundraising, and more. My first blog is up there and is entitled "Opportunities come and go...”  My name is also on the blog (if you are having trouble finding it). And you might have to press 'older blogs' to find it...but it's there! I promise!
I guess my blogging has come in handy!

http://ymcaprojectkenya.ca/

Enjoy!


~amy

Dan

The other night I was at a youth summit event with Project Kenya. There were number of speakers and we were introduced on stage to show our community the team that will be going to Kenya next year.
All of the speakers were great. They all talked about following your dreams and learning from your failures. And they all told us about their stories and how maybe some people didn't believe in them. But they kept going.
A guy named Dan, who goes to my church sometimes, was speaking. I knew his situation but I never heard him share his story. Let's just throw it out there...I was inspired.
Dan was wrestling with a friend one night, just horsing around like guys do, and some how he flipped over his friend and landed on his back breaking his neck. He was paralyzed from the neck down, however the doctor fixed his neck, but he still can't walk, and is in a driving wheelchair. His life was all about sports. That's all he did, and explained that he probably going to go to college to play more sports. He explained that he was never the best one on the team, but he was always the hardest working. His team could always count on him to never give up. Period.  
But now he is stuck, and may never walk again. But he doesn't call his story a sad story. He has stayed positive through it all. He told us this is because of his supportive family, his awesome friends who while he was in the hospital raised 30,000 for him, and people who inspire him.
He told us a story that one Saturday he was having a bad day because he was stuck in the hospital with nothing to do, and his friends, who were going to come visit, cancelled on him. He went cruising around to try to entertain himself and met a guy outside that inspired him and changed his perspective completely. The guy he met had no parents or siblings because they died, and he has 4 kids who have never visited him since he was omitted to the hospital - 7 years ago. He changed his perspective on the situation he thought he was in and became positive.

He encouraged us youngsters to keep pushing forward. He said that bad stuff happens but there is someone out there who is in a way bigger situation then you are in so stay positive.

His favorite saying: “If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.” - Martin Luther King Jr.

~amy

it doesn't matter

I just finished reading Apolo Ohno's book 'Zero Regrets' for the third time. You think by now I would be bored of the book...but I'm not. And I promise you this won't be the last time it was read. I read for hours upon hours on the train ride to and from Chicago I had nothing else to do, and was enjoying what I read twice already. However, the great thing about this book is that you don't get sick of it, and you learn something new every time.
This time through something unique caught my eye. It's not where you start. It's where you finish. Apolo explained that he wasn't born into speed skating; he was born in a somewhat broken home - hanging out with the wrong crowd, getting himself into trouble and not having a care in the world. It is ok to fail. "It took that failure for me to realize what my potential was and to dedicate myself to something I truly believed in, to understand that it was going to take a whole lot more than going through motions, no matter how talented I might be." - Apolo Ohno (from the book). Apolo learned a lot throughout his journey, and his finish was worth all the struggles and trials he went through. His finish was meaningful and full of potential. And what a finish it was - 8 Olympic medals. Oh ya! Who cares where you were. Finish strong and regret free should be the goal. It's mine!

~amy

the challenge

With my new year's resolution to eat healthier comes with it a lot of cravings I tend to see. So it's time to teach myself self-control. As you can see in the pictures below, I have made myself a challenge. I put my favourite candies in a bowl and decorated the outside with sayings, pictures, and questions like, "Do you really need this? How will this affect your body?".

Now let me tell you, the mixture of smells between chocolate and sour candy sure smells delicious, and gets me thinking sometimes...but to live with no regrets is worth it. This challenge just sits on my dresser, staring at me, but I'm not going to touch it.

~amy

I'm in

It all started with a maybe, that turned into a 'let's do it'.....that turned into a video and an application form.....that turned into a phone call being invited to a group interview....that turned into another phone call with an invitation to a on-on-one interview....which led to the final call..."are you still interested, because we would love to have you on the team".
Figured it out yet? Remember this blog post? Well, the waiting is over with exciting news. I am sure you figured it out from above, but I am on the Project Kenya team. I have been accepted to be a part of this program for the next year and let's not forget the highlight - I'll be in Kenya in 1 year. The dream of going to Africa before I die will be achieved and not only one, but four things will be checked off my 'before I die' bucket list.
To be honest, my reaction when I got off the phone with Jaci was not all that exciting. I was relaxed and all calm, cool, and collected. My mom on the other hand, was chasing me around the house just to get a hug from me (and lets not forget the squealing).
Tonight was the first meeting, and on the way home, I was all smiles. Hearing about the trip unfold is pretty exciting. Thinking about climbing a 17,000 ft. mountain makes me have goose bumps. Hearing the man say "you will want to buy your clothes from Value Village because you will give them all away in the village anyways" makes me have tears in my eyes. And imagining myself playing soccer with kids is just joyful.
I am pretty excited. Not to mention about the program itself and watching myself grow with potential and see what I will do with my life after this journey is up.
Official program starts next week (I will only be able to attend the first hour because I will be heading off to Vermont to go skiing - off to a great start eh?). Final words...I am stoked!

~amy

poor Ali Krieger

My favorite defender, Ali Krieger, on the USA's women's national team, tore her MLC and ACL in the qualifying game for the 2012 Olympics against the Dominican Republic. Ali will now not be playing in this year's Olympics. So sad for a girl who has worked so hard in training! 

"I feel so unfortunate and I wouldn't wish this on anyone, especially to have it happen in a match where we were in control," said Krieger. "Soccer is a funny dame and this is part of being an athlete. It's unfortunate that the timing is really bad, but this team about way more than one player and I know that with all the support from my teammates, my family and friends from U.S. Soccer, I will come back stronger than ever. It's going to be a fun year and I'll be with the team in spirit the whole way, even if I have to be a vocal leader, just sitting and watching."

As I was watching some soccer videos the other day, some girls on the team shared their new year's resolutions. Ali's was being determined going into the Olympics. Who knew? Now she will have to be determined off the field as a support group and to get better soon. She played a great role in the 2011 World Cup - scoring the game winning goal in shoot outs against Brazil. Ali sure inspires me to take obstacles and look at them with a good perspective, stay determined and strong, because the situation is out of her control. I'll miss watching her this summer in the Olympics, but just like I did, she'll learn a lot during her time off and come back stronger than ever!

Stay strong Ali! <3

~amy

Heather O'Reilly

Does this video remind you of the wanna be blogs (part #1-#3) that I posted?

Heather O'Reilly reminded me to not be anyone else but yourself! And I love the saying in the video:

To give anything less than your best, is sacrificing the gift.

- Steve Prefontaine

Side note - Congragulations on just reading the 100th blog post! We've come a long way, and we have a long way to go! Thank you all you blog readers out there for the support!

~amy

in the desert

One of my favorite songs from Hillsong United is the desert song. I loved the words and it's purpose. But...then I found a video of the women who sang it one night at their concert, which changed my perspective completely.

As much as Jill questioned singing the song that night for the concert, despite feeling broken, and sad, and maybe even rejected, she did it, and meant every word. It makes the song so much more powerful knowing that in your circumstances, like Jill's, you can declare 'in every season of life you can be thankful and bring praise because God is still God, despite the situations, challenges, and scenario.' Jill is inspiring because of her courage, love, trust, and how strong she was through it all.
Thanks Jill, for making this song full of meaning, even more then before!

~amy

what a day!

Wednesday my soccer team had an indoor soccer tournament in London. We had two teams because you only need 9 or 10 players for indoor, so basically my travel soccer team was split in half and a couple players from another Sarnia team came to join us.
Besides how 'sick' the building and turf fields were, it was a long and very hard day. My team played a total of 6 games. We were guaranteed 4 and kept moving on, even after going through our whole team to do shootouts. We ended up finishing 5th out of 15 teams. Not to shabby! The games were only 25 minutes with no breaks or halftime. To sub in a player we just called a player off and then the next one came on with the clock still running. We played every other game enabling us only to get a 25 minute break; disenabling us to eat a good meal and taking off our socks and shin pads was pointless. There wasn't a team that stood out the most. The game could have gone either way, and either team deserved the win. Including how fast the game was because the fields were a lot shorter and it was turf, and not to mention just enough time to have a couple sips of water and catch your breath for a bit, left me sore the next day. Very sore. Everything hurt. Climbing up the stairs felt like I was climbing up a mountain and coughing and sneezing was the worst pain in the world.
Although, besides the pain and soreness I was going through, especially after a hard workout this morning, Wednesday was a good day. By the end of the day, physical strength was close to impossible to find, but mental strength sure kicked in and that's what kept us going through every minute. What I learned that day - to never give up, to leave everything on the field, and the experience itself was all worth the soreness I experienced the next day! Now I am ready for the women's league beginning now happening every Sunday night. How fortunate am I to be able to play on two different teams?! Even though I'll be playing two games back to back, I'll remember Wednesday's tournament and remind myself of the lessons learned.

~amy

new year with new goals

It feels like just yesterday I was writing this blog post; looking back on the year 2010, and remembering what was accomplished. Now, it’s time to look back on 2011. What a year it was! I graduated from my first year of high school and am still living. I went to Vermont for the first time for my school ski trip (actually, I'm more surprised I'm living after that, then high school itself!). I got a job. I reunited with old friends. I got a blackberry. I started working out more. We had a family reunion enabling me to see my cousins from BC who I haven't seen in years, and visited with my grandparents once again! The Women's World Cup! Meeting a new best friend. Travelling to NYC, which has always been a dream of mine. And, of course my favorite part of the year, my injury - and what came along with that challenge.

My motto for 2012 is 'holding nothing back'.  I am looking forward to starting a new year more then most years. As I counted down the 10 second countdown while watching the ball drop and then sprayed some sparkling juice on my friends patio...I wasn't sad at all that 2011 was over. I am so excited to start a new chapter in my life. I don't know what this year will bring - what challenges, situations, opportunities, or joys may come, but I'm ready. This year I am going to hold nothing back. I am going to live the year to it's fullest. Beginning with my new workout goals and healthy eating styles. Travelling to Chicago with just my mom for my birthday. Speaking of birthdays - only 23 days away and I'll be able to drive. (At this moment I would like to give you an opportunity to read the last sentence again...just in case it didn't sink it quite yet.) I am looking forward to the indoor soccer league I am competing in, but mostly excited about outdoor in the spring, and showing this hip flexor whose boss! I am looking forward to hopefully hearing back from Project Kenya. I hoping that by next Christmas we can go out to BC to visit my family. But most of all, I am looking forward to living everyday of this 2012 year with joy, and excitement, full of opportunities and blessings. So, 2012, bring it on! I'm ready for the journey! I'm ready, and looking forward to holding nothing back this year! I am ready to accomplish these new goals and dreams of mine. I'm ready to take on life in 2012!

Happy New Year!
~amy