christmas thoughts

I hope everyone had as nice a Christmas as I did. It was so special to have everyone home again and enjoy spending time together and following the normal traditions we have.

I was thinking the other day as I was reading the Bible, about the star that 'shone so bright'. It is easy after 23 years of hearing the story to become somewhat callous to it, or it becomes in my mind just that, a story. But this year, God is helping me to make it come more alive in my mind. Every little detail was true and took place. And the result of the Christmas story was Jesus' death and resurrection.. our Salvation! It is overwhelming when you think about it!
Well, back to the star. I was thinking that it would be really awesome if we could still see it today. Perhaps if it shone on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day only. You know, God could do that! In some ways I think it would enhance our understanding of why we are celebrating.
But as soon as I was considering that, I also thought, God provided the promise of the rainbow and we can still see it every time it rains. How often do people look at the rainbow and think of His promise? I try to. But it has become unappreciated, overlooked and just an expected occasion. Sadly, it has even become somewhat of an icon for a sick, unbiblical act! This triggered my mind to realize, the Star of Bethlehem would mean nothing to people of the world and could easily fall down the same path of the rainbow. It would receive it's own made-up, passed-on, story and perhaps even some tag as repulsive as homosexuality not unlike the rainbow God gave to us as a promise!
Well, these are just a few ramblings that have been in my thoughts over the last week. Please share your response. Anyone else ever follow this train of thought?

*disclaimer: I am not prejudice against homosexuals. I do realize they are people with souls and try to love them as God does. But their lifestyle is not one I want to follow as I believe it is against God's plan in His written Word.

Catching up

Well, so many days have passed and so many things have taken place since my last post. I sorta survived finals. I actually have three incompletes on my grade card because I was too sick to take my last few final exams. So I have that to look forward to as soon as I get back. I really should study!
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After I got home I slept for like forever for a few days; finally got over the worst of my sickness. Then I worked this week making rocking chairs again. It is so incredibly handy to have a job available anytime I am home or want it. I am thankful for friends with good businesses.
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At the moment I am listening to my little brother singing 100 Bottles of 'Pop' on the Wall. He is competing with the Christmas music on the radio, and the dogs barking at whoever is at the door. Craziness, I love having a big family, and life certainly gets entertaining at times! My parents are on their way to St. Louis to pick up my brother, Ben, from the airport! Everyone is so excited to see him! The rest of us are home cleaning the house and decorating (well as soon I get off of here!).
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Well, I guess the person at the door was delivering pizza that some good fairy ordered and paid for in advance. Whoo hoo... I'm gonna go eat!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!! and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

life such as it is

Well, we got snow that lasted for about a day and a half, then received buckets and buckets of rain. Today it is in the 60's! The weather is so insane! Well, it feels good anyhow, I am sitting here at work with my window open.
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It is still really busy with finals and homework. I stayed up all night last night studying and doing back-reading in T's room. Then we had some fun early this morning together and went to get some breakfast and coffee, which I desperately needed. The little trip was full of crazy moments and lots of laughs! I think we both vowed not to go anywhere with me when I have not had any sleep. I think we turned around four times (can't believe I am admitting this) because I was a little loopy and missed my turn. Well, overall it was a wonderful time of memory making, and what we both needed! My stomach still hurts from laughing so much!
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I took my second exam this morning and have four left to go. It will all be over soon, and I'll be home for a nice break! I cannot wait!
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A little update on the associations/restless thoughts. I believe I have 'solved' the basic issue and am very relieved! Turns out that I am not the only odd person in this respect; so I guess the next general assumption would be that I am somewhat normal?! Hmm... surely that is not completely possible! Anyhoo, I am glad for the peace of mind!
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The Christmas program is here and gone. I really enjoyed it and God really helped us! I was especially happy to see so many of my friends that came. It made everything more special and fun. I am so grateful that Jesus is our Remedy for anything and everything!
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Well, this afternoon has been especially quiet at work, a huge turn-around from the craziness yesterday. So I took advantage of the time to update. But this post has developed into great lengths, so I believe it is time to stop.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!!! Much love to everyone!

weather or not, whether or not

seems it can't make up its mind! yesterday it was 60 and raining, today it is freezing cold at 29 degrees!! Where is the snow? It is December, so in my mind, it is time for snow. Then it can melt in January ;)

It is odd how seeing/hearing/smelling certain things can invoke particular thoughts, emotions, and memories. While at times it is positive, these thoughts can be very unexpected and somewhat unwanted. Needless to say, I cannot imagine where some things originate! Since they appear, the desire to solve them arises, but not knowing where they are from and why they come makes it difficult. It is easier to shove them away for another day. Hopefully a day much further away from today.

For now, must focus on the current task... mountains and mountains of reading, writing, and projects. I am so thankful the semester is almost over! I am ready for a break!

adjectives, adverbs, nouns & more

tired
melancholy
exhausted
stressed
introspective
sad

hurting people
odd photos
scattered thoughts
mental confusion
dead fish

hope
Jesus
gratefulness
friends
music
children
gifts

LIFE

Thanksgiving

It is late and I am lazy and tired but wanted to post a little while I have the chance. I am home and enjoying it!! Today we had an awesome meal and have just relaxed and spent quality time together. There are so many things that I am thankful for and would like to list just a few.

Jesus Christ and the relationship I have with Him
All the blessings God provides
Family
Friends
Good food
and sooo much more!!
and sleep! I am ready to hit the sack! :)

tomorrow I am gonna try to hit a few sales at Wally World :) need my shopping rest

fun times in the city

I am so thankful for friends, relaxation, finery, and city attractions! I am also thankful for friends' homework assignments. Let me explain. My friend had to analyze a building/structure/business and write a paper about it for English Class. So as part of that process we went to the Riverview Revolving Restaurant that rests atop the Radisson Hotel in Covington, KY.


Since neither of us had ever tasted such a creation before, we chose the Creme Brulee to share. It was really good. We also drank (what they claimed to be) coffee. Unlike the dessert, it was not worthy of its price, but drinkable.

This was a long, relaxing time (the complete revolving takes some time) with many interesting quirks. But you really should wait until T finishes her review of the evening, it will provide so much more quality of reading!!

We decided to go to Newport on the Levee after and spent enjoyable time browsing through Barnes.


I can never get over the beauty of the city skyline at night!

All of the photography was taken by LadyAnne

Except for this picture of my dear friend, who will definitely shoot me!
(what is it with photographers not liking their own pic taken??)


I really enjoyed putting homework aside for a night and claiming a bit of 'high class' while experiencing a few attractions the city has to offer, and still only spending about $7. Now it is back to the books. The semester is nearly over! Yahoo!

music & babies

That is pretty much what my week has been full of! I have been either attending recitals/symphonies or babysitting every night this week! Both have went well, I especially enjoyed Mahler's 7th Symphony on Thursday night! The music is so amazing, the percussion was simply overwhelming and so... cool! We had really great seats on the side balcony right above the percussion!

As far as babysitting, my kids are not all babies, but somehow the title gets tagged on 2 year olds as well as 9 year olds! It has been fun, I enjoy getting to interact with the younger ones. It helps to fill the gap of missing my younger siblings and friends at home!

It has been interesting trying to fit in all the homework but I am slowly succeeding. I did not do as much today as last Saturday and will pay for it next week, but it will get done eventually! Tomorrow our symphonic wind & string ensemble is traveling and performing two services. So it's time to drag the toys around and play a bit. I do like the Gospel pieces we are playing but I am really looking forward to the Christmas program. It is always really fun, and there is a little more variety on the instruments that I play. Although I need a lot more practice before we actually perform!

I just realized that I am randomly jumping around the calendar. Well, going on to this coming week... I am sooo excited to go home for a few days. I miss my family and am looking forward to spending Thanksgiving at home. It will be odd not having Ben with us. Sadness! But Christmas will be here soon and we will see him then hopefully!

Well, enough for now! Happy Thanksgiving!

baby steps

Though I don't want my blog to become a rundown minute by minute commentary of everyday, I would like to hit a few highlights of life happenings lately. Like everyone else I have been extremely busy and somewhat overwhelmed. The title tells how I feel about accomplishing these things. But thankfully, even short baby steps add up to create distance and accomplishment.

This weekend I had some fun and worked hard too... babysat, chilled, did homework, dog sat, more homework, babysat again, missed Kids Klub because of migraine, napped, napped, and napped some more, played some games at a friends house after church, then took Ny-quil and went to bed :P (ok, what did i say about commentaries?! lol)

I am looking forward to this week, there are a lot of things going on almost every evening, but it provides variety to life. Tonight, I am planning to go to Northern Kentucky University for a 'concert' of sorts. It will provide the necessary off-campus recital and also an observation I need for class. It is always nice when something fun is 'required' :D

Well, I have struggled through this to the end and am tempted not to post it, but since I have already spent the time, I might as well share the blah with the world lol!
do enjoy! and leave me comments! I miss everyone at home so much! Can't wait to see you at Thanksgiving time!

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Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD His God. Psalms 146:5

Clay

Quote for today:

"You are on the potter's wheel right now! Stay on it!" ~Carlson Benjamin

Time for everything

I registered for next semesters classes last week. I am already excited about it. I enjoy the 'new' and variety. Now if we could just jump ahead and drop all the craziness and busy assignments due over the next couple of weeks and start new classes with a fresh slate that would be nice. But jumping the clock would not only leave out unwanted assignments but also the good things in life as well.
~time with family over the holidays
~beautiful creation including Fall colors, leaves, snow
~Christmas music
~scarfs, sweaters, and hoodies
and so much more!!!
So I suppose I will stick it out and enjoy the busyness as I write papers and take tests!

**random fact: i really enjoy crunching leaves, it is so fun to walk down the sidewalk purposely stepping on dry leaves. i am sure it looks odd to ppl looking on as i zig-zag my way around :D

_________________________________________________
To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under Heaven. Eccles. 3:1

busy times

I have a friend... wow, what a concept! lol! Yes, actually I have many friends, but particularly one has been after me to update my blog again. "It has been a WHOLE week!" I proceeded to show her several of my other friends blogs who haven't posted in two weeks and some others like a month or more! Anyhow, here ya go, B :P

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I survived YC and was happy to spend some time with my 'long-lost' friends and my cool sisters! I also enjoyed a Birthday party on Saturday for two of my friends (minus the sheep guts visual! lol) This week is equally busy because we are hosting Leadership Conference here at GBS. Dr. H.B. London from Focus on the Family is the main plenary speaker. Classes are canceled for two days so we can sleep in a little, (well, if you're not exercising) then go to sessions. Last night I had to miss the service in order to babysit, but heard it was a great message with good prayer time.

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This morning I was particularly excited.... I decided to stay up after exercising and do homework instead of napping until service. I headed down to eat a continental breakfast that is typical of M/W/F and was so excited to actually get real food! Eggs, biscuits and gravy, etc. Needless to say, it doesn't take much to boost my morning! I have had a better day because of the small change of 'norm'.

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Do everything without complaining or arguing. (Phil. 2:14)
Rejoice in the Lord always, and AGAIN I say rejoice! (Phil. 4:4)
Enjoy life! Laugh! Love! And have a great day!! :D

Good morning!....

...How are you? I am living well!

Today has been a Friday all day long, and I am not sure why! I guess this week has just been long. Once it started raining Monday afternoon, it seems it hasn't stopped! I like rainy days, but these have been three, long, cold rainy days! That is a little different! Anyhow. Before we know it, there will be snow on the ground! (confession... I've already been listening to a little Christmas music)

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Tonight we had another d-group meeting. I really enjoyed it. Mr. Miles prepared a short talk about the 'most important thing in life' having good relationships with God and with others; loving God and loving others as we love ourselves. After some good discussion and prayer, we ate a delicious snack!

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I have been doing some interesting collateral reading for class. One class in particular we are required so many points but can choose the books we want to read (within certain topics of course). I have really enjoyed this assignment. My most recent reading has been Too Close, Too Soon by Jim Talley, and Bobbie Reed. It is a relationship book that interestingly has been one of the closest to my own expectations and ideals of dating. Possibly one of the closest, of course, it is difficult to agree with any author completely on all topics.
Anyhow, one particular section stood out to me that affects not just dating but all of life . They discussed three sources of self-esteem: opinion of others, one's own opinions, and God's opinion. Already understanding the importance of God's opinion and trusting Him with my life, it wasn't completely new material, but there were a few things that sorta *popped* out to me! They gave four reasons why the opinions of others are unstable:
1. the perspective of others is not always correct
2. people are not always honest with you about their opinions
3. peoples' opinions are constantly changing to fit the societal norm
4. people do not always know the inner you, and so they are responding only to the public image you portray (page 80-81)

Anyhow, I thought I would share. It was a refreshing perspective in reinforcing my stand to not lean on people's opinion.

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I am looking forward to the end of this week! Although, I am not necessarily a 'youth' planning to register and stay at Youth Challenge, I will be going to a few services. I am especially excited to be seeing a few friends there (and my 'lil' sis) that I haven't seen in a really long time! Also, two of my classes were canceled for Friday! :D
--That will require a little extra discipline to get up early and still exercise! (Oh, by the way, this is week number 6 for me! So, I suppose it could be considered an actual habit! yeah!!)

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Well, there are many other things scattered in my head that may show themselves later, but I think this is long enough for tonight. I have a test tomorrow and would like to get some sleep :P Sweet dreams!

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no, this post did not take an entire day.... the beginning quote was from Dr. Pete Botha this morning in chapel, although I do not know the language he first stated it... so you have the english version :) it made me smile so i am passing it on!

People...

sure can't rely on them sometimes.
Communication can be challenging.
Something said invokes expectation and a smile.
Change brings disappointment and a sigh.
But even the change was falsehood, the original 'said' was wrong.
Communication on previous end was skewed.
Could have avoided disappointment by not sharing wrong information.
Oh well, that is people for you.
So glad I don't rely on them for daily support and strength.
...meanwhile, still dealing with the disappointment.

Thank you, Lord for your constant faithfulness, and for your comforting friendship!

Cheeriness

Just a quickie to exclaim my great joy in the recent change of weather! Since it is October the 90+ degree weather was not particularly enjoyable. Fall is supposed to be chilly, right?! Well, I'm excited because today I can wear my comfy hoodie :) I am sitting at work with the window cracked open a bit enjoying the weather and craving a Peppermint Mocha from Starbucks!

Since the afternoon isn't too busy I should take advantage and study a little (yes, on the clock, but with permission lol) I have two tests tomorrow and a paper to finish and some other small assignments, but somehow they all add up quickly!

This evening will be our first official d-group meeting. I am looking forward to it! Our group this year has nine people including myself. Not too many, not too few, should be cool. It is my first time in a mixed d-group as opposed to all girls, we'll see!

Well, this has been very scattered! (Wait, is that anything new?? lol) I do wish my school papers were as simple to write as my silly blogs. Oh well, practice makes perfect or permanent... hmm. Ya'll have a good week and enjoy Fall! You know where my office is, if you happen to want to drop off a Starbucks coffee!!! LOL

Why wait...

for the weekend to blog? I have so many happy thoughts running through my mind I just wanna share a few real quickly!
(my happy cheesy self tonight lol)


1. I have had a very happy day, although nothing super exciting really happened! I actually took two tests, went to work and did homework and laundry! (praise the Lord for providing laundry quarters from a friend!)
2. I have attempted a life-changing habit! Wow, for those who know me well be prepared to be proud and pat me on the back! LOL okay not that pathetic, but anyhow... I have become somewhat of a morning person after much discipline and have been spending wee hours of the morning exercising with a faithful few friends. Today was the 14th day I think, (doesn't 20 times make a habit?) So I am excited about getting in shape and establishing new habits!
3. I received very cheery flowers from a very kind friend today! They brightened my evening so I decided to share.
(camera still broken, relying on my grainy cellphone shots)


4. Well, excuse the random ramblings, I think I should go study for my test now! Yes, another tomorrow, then another next week.... Mid-terms I think would be an appropriate title for this time period.

Have a great evening and comment, call, or email me! I love hearing from ya'll!!

Thanksgiving

"Yes, it is September. Yes, I do realize that Thanksgiving is in November."
That was my response to more than one person when telling them why I was leaving campus this past Friday.

This weekend was our Thanksgiving Retreat/Get-Together held out our campgrounds in Mode, IL. We have it this time of the year because of the weather and scheduling. It was such an enjoyable time! I was glad to relax, visit with friends, and sit around the fire. The food was amazing and the 'wacked' radio and Bible trivia was so much fun!

I also did a little homework and even managed to do some pleasure reading! I am now ready for book 3 in Ted Dekker's Circle series. I am not too sure how soon that will happen now that I am back to the grind of school and homework!

Red, the book I finished last night really gripped me. The allegorical implications refreshed in my mind the Crucifixion and what Christ did for us. He was innocent and yet accepted so much pain and betrayal even to death, just because He loved us! Wow! That is just another reason for Thanksgiving!

Well that wraps up my weekend. I am still sad about the state of my camera and the fact I don't have pictures to share. Hopefully, someone else took plenty this weekend and will share! (HINT, HINT!! lol)

Family

I am so thankful for my family! It was so good to see Ben for a short time a few weeks ago. Here is one of the pictures we had taken. (Thanks, Lora, they're awesome!)

last weekend

Well, since an entire week has passed, I have finally taken time to post some pix! Rhoda and I took a bunch of our friends home with us for the weekend. We had a blast! It was so relaxing and fun and we made lots of memories!

My mom (with everyone's help) made Indian Tacos! They were sooooo delicious! And very long over-due lol! We also played softball, sang around campfire, roasted marshmallows, went to church, had an amazing Sunday Dinner with all our church friends, and lots of other nice relaxing things.

I am thankful for our new house where we had room to entertain, thankful for my family letting us share all the space with so many friends, and thankful to all my Salem friends who welcomed more GBSers, everyone was so gracious and friendly!

the whole group of us :)




Megan and Chris are a lil too happy about their frybread! LOL



Wow! soooo yummy! (i couldn't finish it!)


Well, it is very late, tomorrow is our all-school picnic (oh yeah!), homework catch-up day, and 'do all the other things that got put off this week' day :) So tata for now!

Thoughts

Sometimes I get distracted. Push God down my list. Others take first place. Easy to lean on. They are tangible. One problem. Tangible things fade. They fall and break. They let me down. Why is it so hard to put God first?

Dear God, why am I so stupid? Thank You for reminding me. You created me with relationship in mind. You love me! You DIED for me. No one else has done that.

And You speak. I just have to listen. I can see results of Your work. Praise God! You are the center of my joy! I am excited to see the future You have planned for me! My life is in Your hands!


Reading over this and past blogs I realize I could be seen as wishy-washy. I hope not! I do tend to blog when I am 'dry'. I need to practice blogging my many happy thoughts.
But this morning I was thinking in my devotions, "Why is it hard to focus thoughts on Jesus? It seems I can sit and think and dream and wish life away." Then I started adding up things God has done for me and I got blessed! I will start directing those wandering thoughts to His character.
Wow, thoughts are powerful, they get me in trouble sometimes! :D

Cincinnati Pops Orchestra

this picture is not great quality i actually took it on my cell phone from clear up in the balcony
(yes, my camera is still broken, sniff sniff)

Tonight was the first in a long time that I have been to the Music Hall downtown. A group of us went and heard the pops. It was a lot of fun! I enjoyed most of the music. There were three tenors singing selections from different musicals and some of them... well we will leave it at that! The arrangement of the Overture to Phantom of the Opera that they played was AMAZING!!!

It was also a 'strange' experience in some ways. Let me explain... other times of going to the symphony I have often observed people who would go and sit by themself. I tried to figure out their background, personality, and what would inspire them to do such a thing. I have thought of doing it myself just for the experience, but hadn't. Well, tonight, since we hadn't ordered the tickets ahead of time, we were all spread out. So, I finally got my chance to sit alone. I'm still not completely sure how I liked it. Interesting for sure, watching all the old couples sitting nearby, how cute lol!

Anyhow, so much for the randomness. After all the fun tonight, I need to do homework tomorrow!!! Everything is sooo busy already!

Oh, yeah, I can't tell you about the Pops without telling you about my ticket! Myself and this freshmen girl were standing in line to buy our tickets when this lady walked up and asked if we were waiting to buy tickets.... I figured she wanted to get in line too... we said yes, then she handed me this envelope and said, "Well, here are a couple free tickets, they are really good seats!" then she rushed off! Crazy! We were sooo happy though! We traded them in for ones nearer our friends.

well, it is getting late, and i am getting 'rambly' lol! leave me comments!

~until later :P

quote for the day

"We are either making spiritual progress, or we are drifting. There is no standing still!"
~Dr. Alan Brown

Labor Day weekend

lots of fun activities and memories happened this weekend! I didn't take very many pictures but here are a few.

my best friend, Amanda, surprised me and came to visit!


I also had several other friends come for the weekend including my sister, Anna. We all had a lot of fun.


the main attraction all weekend was the famous cincinnati fireworks.




my camera worked fine all weekend until monday morning when I wanted to take some more pictures......

very sad, hopefully it can be fixed but i am doubtful. thus, here is a very funky picture of Anna, Jo, and Brad, sorry guys!

i was just surfing the blog world and was realizing how much i have missed getting updates from some friends, acquaintances, and other random people i don't even know.

i just about cried when i in vain looked at one dear soul's page and still no update after three long months. i once looked to this person for encouragement and advice and stability. poor viola really must have died! some terribly weird person must have loved her plastic flower blog so much that they went out with bow and arrow...... so that they would have a grave to purchase them for.... oh surely not!

okay happy thoughts! happy thoughts!!!

scattered thoughts

back at school.
smack in the middle of school revival.
so many things going through my little brain.
awesome sermons provoking thought.
not much time to sit and blog.
class in the morning.
work in the afternoons.
here are a few of those thoughts.

busyness causes automatic pilot.
then serious decisions happen automatically.
life flows by subconsciously.
wait, what did i just do?
must stop.
think.
analyze.
yet over-analyzing to a fault is just that.
a fault.

then today's sermon.
what about self?
who/what defines me?
this brings music to thought.
awesome lyrics.....

Mirror
~Barlow Girl~

Mirror, Mirror on the wall, Have I got it?
'Cause Mirror you've always told me who I am
I'm finding it's not easy to be perfect
So sorry you won't define me
Sorry you don't own me

Who are you to tell me
That I'm less than what I should be?
Who are you? Who are you?
I don't need to listen
To the list of things I should do
I won't try, I won't try

Mirror I am seeing a new reflection
I'm looking into the eyes of He who made me
And to Him I have beauty beyond compare
I know He defines me
You don't define me, you don't define me.

well.
time has passed.
more sharing later.

Ecstatic!!!

I am so excited! Today Rhoda and I are traveling home and tomorrow my family is going to St. Louis to pick up Ben from the airport! Wow it seems like an eternity since we dropped him off for boot camp in January!

yeahoooooo!!!!! k k, calming myself now :P

Well, I gotta go pack now, just wanted to share the good news! laterz

Holiday World

I want to post a few pictures from our trip to Holiday World this past Saturday. There were 21 of us that went. I had soooo much fun! All day I was screaming and laughing on all the rides. Such good memories to make with friends right before going back to school.

(I'm still not on my own computer, so the promised pictures from NM will just be shoved once again to a later date. I might eventually just upload them all to photobucket or something)

Back to school

ready or not!

I just arrived in Cincy about half an hour ago. Tomorrow I head to campus, I am excited but totally not ready to start either. It is crazy starting new classes and meeting new Freshmen and all.

I will try to keep you all updated. :D

feelings

life is not based on our feelings. but they are a part of our lives.

YESTERDAY
disappointment. hurt. misunderstanding. why do friends have to be human? why do they have to hurt us? the same reason i am human and sometimes hurt them. "we always hurt those closest to us". plans fail, dreams fall to ground, shatter, then get stepped on and make our feet bleed. where do we turn? what will make me happy? what is happiness?? life is complicated, makes me cry. tears soak the pillow, puffy eyes when i wake up. i don't understand.
Thank you, God for being the one rock that won't move. i'm going to trust You.


TODAY
smoother waters. deep peace. joy. somewhat healed relations. tired. grateful. life could be so much worse. i have it great. thank you God for strength

(thanks for letting me vent)

back for a sec II

well, since i am such a sweet person and convinced the library clerk to allow me an online extension, and since i finished checking all email and such, i decided to attempt a short rundown of my trip happenings. I still sadly cannot give any pictures at this time :(

thursday: started trip off happily, after eating Arby's in great city of Effingham. also freaked myself out reading my first Ted Dekker book (not so badly though because i now have finished my second!)

friday:sometime about 4 am. got stuck in amarillo texas with fuel pump/battery problems on one of the vehicles finally left walmart parking lot after 6pm (yeah, do the math ..... around 14 hours!)
few hours down the road vincent burned himself with radiator spray (that makes it sound like it was on purpose..hmm) and we spent quality time at the ER in Santa Rosa, NM.

saturday: arrived at the macs house 2am and slept fora few hours. i went grocery shopping for camp with a few of the others and we learned every street in Bernillio and Alberquerque and discovered two abrupt road endings. quite funny!

sunday: we all helped with services, i was thrown on the piano and developed some quick 'skills' :P playing by ear.

monday: we all headed up to camp and in the evening i spent about 2 hours in cuba with another leader sitting without a key until we found another ride back up to camp.

tuesday: first 'official' day following keep camp schedule. climbed up the keep mountain (barely, wow, no one told me NM doesn't have any oxygen! lol)

wednesday: i got to drive the cool rez jeep over bumps and through puddles and managed to bust loose a radiator, which dripped (rather poured) everywhere. but i was kindly convinced that it woulda happened to whoever drove it next. so i guess it wasn't my fault. lol

thursday: we all climbed in suvs vans and trucks to head to the lake. after spending 20 minutes wading we started toward the 12 mile trip back to camp that took us a grand 7 hours! covered in mud, freezing, pushing, pulling others and ourselves out of mud, etc. etc.

friday: i rode obstinate horse, and survived :D but another girl did not come through as great. she went later on another more obstinate horse that began running, bucking, and eventually stepped on her after she fell off. this was followed by a long trip to Alberquerque 150 miles away to ER.

saturday: we all headedback down the mountain, returned kids to their homes, and went out to eat steak yum yum

sunday: another good day of services and spending time w/ kids who cam back to church. we left then @ 10:40pm. at 11:53pm we became first responders to a fatality and harm to 7 others. (i say 'we' lightly, i did nothing considering my great strength around blood!)

monday:finally left scene of wreck at 2:30 am.... and continued our travels home. read another ted Dekker slept a lil.....

and finally returned home Tuesday morning (home actually being mode camp) so now i'm at camp and will hopefully write again soon. my time is up again on this puter!

sorry for all grammar mistakes :) i'm a queen of writing NOT! LOL

monday: kept

back for a sec :D

hey! i survived NM and came back alive. soooooooo many crazy things happened though!! I think one of the main lessons learned in that week and a half was PATIENCE PATIENCE PATIENCE lol!
i wish i had time to tell all and post pictures, :( :( but i am online in the library w/ a time limit. (and of course no pix)
so bear with me, this week I am in camp and possibly another road trip next week. soooo, yeah, sometime i will uncover all LOL

love ya all!

It has been awhile since I've been online and I don't think there is any way to totally catch-up except to say that, like everyone else, i have been really busy!
I don't know if i mentioned moving or not, but my family just recently did that! Our new house is so beautiful and in the middle of 35 acres of woods in the country! It is really nice, but like everything in life, nothing is perfect. One huge problem there for me is the absence of internet capabilities. It has been very patience-trying.
oh well. I have a few minutes online now, so i thought i would let everyone know I am alive and well. i'm working making rocking chairs, and in the evenings helping to unpack. I also am trying to finish up an Independent Study that I received an extension to finish in the summer. aaahhhh!! it is definitely NOT fun doing homework on summer break. but you know 'breaks' are never what they have been layed out to be.
well, i should go, i need to take some online quizzes. :-( take care! and leave me comments. I might get to check them eventually :D

summer BREAK??!!!

wow it has been awhile. but with good reason. here are just a few of the things going on with me lately,

#1. i do not have my own computer hooked up and seems the family computer is always in use! (notice the timestamp...i got fortunate! lol)

#2. my family is in the process of moving to a new home. very exciting. very busy.

#3. i traveled to Cincy today to get more of my junk, and to dump off my sis. well, u know help her get settled in her apt. and all

#4. i have been sick for what seems like months... wait it has been, anyhow, i finally caved and allowed myself to be dragged to the doctors. and they couldn't even give me some cool sounding sickness. i simply have a bad sinus infection, so i am on an antibiotic and am healing.... did indeed sadly find out that with this particular med i am not supposed to drive! yeah right! well now i understand why.......



just kidding, i only got one ticket for 'drugged' driving lol

since this has turned out to be more of an list of excuses for lack of communication.... allow me to add one more,

#5. i have been too busy/too lazy to cut my fingernails and typing is a reminder to go clip them because they slow me down. maybe i will go and do that right now

#6. ooohh k, one more.... for anyone who is interested, i bought a Caramel Frapp from Starbucks today! that was probably the most exciting thing all day because it had been absolutely FOREVER, since there are no Starbucks in Salem! Big sigh!!!

I am struggling more with this birthday than I think I ever have before! Anyone else have one that stands out in your mind most? I am certain that in a few years I will wish I were only 23 years old. But today it is very saddening. Being 22 was okay because I was even 'cooler' than a 21-year old adult! (big LOL!!!) Now it is just plain scary being this 'old'! aaahhhh! Well, after a few good cries, I shall go on with life smiling. maybe! :-P I did enjoy the surprise dinner outing my sis and friends planned. Oh, how I love Chipotle!!!


Another sad thing today was saying goodbye to 'my lil girl', Isabella. I have babysat her now for two years and today was my last day! She kept asking me, "After you leave and I get a new babysitter, will you still be my friend??" Talk about a heart-breaker. I will get the chance to see her again occasionally though since they live near the school.

(Here's a goofy pic of us I took a few weeks ago)



Well, getting the teary things out of the way...... This week has been great! It is good to be out of classes! We are in Campmeeting now, and God has really helped in all the services. I am helping out in the Children's services in the morning, and that has been very enjoyable! It is a huge difference working with 'church' kids compared to downtown ministries where the kids are CRAZY and soooo LOUD :D I enjoy working with both groups though! And the staff kids aren't all perfect that is for sure! Many (okay, most) of them are still in need of sanctification hehe

Thanks for listening :D I am going to run off for now. Have a great weekend! Summer is pretty much here!!!!! Yeah!

Blame God?

Can we assume that EVERYTHING happens because God purposely caused it? I recently heard a preacher speaking about things happening for a specific reason. He thought we should take every situation as a chance to witness, or to look and see why God allowed it so we could learn from it. I believe that many things happen for a reason and God does direct the big AND the little things in our life. And often we can use the unexpected 'down-time' as ways to help others. But do we blame our flat tire on God's plan? God could have avoided the flat tire. Perhaps it is because we drove over a nail or because we need new tires? Another example was given of missing a plane or bus. I'm sure that we could take those times as opportunities to witness or minister to others. But did God purposely cause us to miss the plane, or did we not plan properly or perhaps not allow time for traffic or red lights?

I believe God is in control of our lives as we let Him take control. But I also believe He gives us common sense and expects us to use it to make wise choices and 'control' some areas of our life. We are not robots, and our vehicles are not remote-controlled by God or His angels. It seems this area of life could easily become a stumbling block or something that could be over-analyzed!
Any thoughts about this?

more pix

i know i already blogged today, but i want to post a few more of my favorite pix from the last couple days (i finally found a picture-sharing friend lol)


here's an awesome view of cincy 'Manda took



















yep, my roommate sprained her ankle, which of course, necessitated my strong carrying abilities LOL



















we're having fun! too much fun!

Bittersweet

was the emotion I was feeling today as we ended our Vine St. ministries for this school year. I enjoy running Kids Klub especially and will miss the kids this summer. Hopefully they will get involved in the other kids ministry that continues through the summer. Our 'sister chapel' meets a few streets away.

Here is a picture of our group that was present today.
There are a few workers missing but this is most of the core team.

Now I need to start preparing for next fall! This school year we did "King's Kids" with stories about children in the Bible and characteristics of God as our Father. We also did "Hospital" theme that my sister made! It is an awesome and fun series! We just finished up "Growing in the Son" learning the Fruits of the Spirit. Any ideas?!

blessed with friends and fun memories!

What a change from the busy homework and tests! But it is over and it is great being able to just spend time with friends and relax. Today was a special activity day at school. We were able to organize our own group and choose one of three activities to go do and then the school will reimburse us 20 bucks for our fun. It is money we actually paid at one point to student council in fees and what not and it was great getting it back! From Kings Island, Cincy Zoo, and the Park we chose the park and went boating then we went out for dinner! It was so good. It is late so I'm going to leave it at that and tell the rest of the story with pictures :D

here i am.... my feet should be soft and wrinkly
they were in the water for about two hours or more!















here's part of our group















two of my best friends















how cute :D

















well, I need to do some picture sharing and then I will have more of our dinner, etc. (i left my camera in the car) Since it is late and I am happily exhausted, I think I will fall into bed!

until later ;)

Refocused

Although I've always had better than perfect vision, I decided to take up a free offer and get my eyes checked again last week. I hadn't been to the eye doctor for many years, but was happy to find out that my vision is still good. I have 20/15 vision! Wow, better than 20/20, but with a hint of stigmitism (sp?), so the doctor said I will probably need glasses when I'm 40. But since that is a long way off, I'm good for now :D

I've been trying to stay on top of everything at the same time, but everyone gets busy and things get set aside. I am one of these busy humans ;) and have laid something aside that should be on top of my 'list' of things. That is a special time of devotion with God. I tend to talk to Him throughout the day, as I am doing things, but the times of sitting down and setting other things aside have been few! I realize this is a constant struggle for me and have been working to correct that! I am thankful for God's faithfulness and that He is always there though!! His mercy overwhelms and amazes me!

I have been slowly reading through the book Lady in Waiting and tonight read the chapter on devotion. It was another wake-up call for me! I am so thankful for the time of refreshment and refocusing. This song Jesus, Lover of My Soul by Glad is my testimony. Here is my favorite part:

It's all about You, Jesus, and all this is for You, for Your glory and Your fame.
It's not about me, as if You should do things my way.
You alone are God and I surrender to Your way
Jesus, Lover of my soul! I want You to know, I will follow You all my days!
IT'S ALL ABOUT YOU

A Thankful Heart!!!

Yes, the time stamp is correct. It is after 3am. I just had to take a few moments to type a few thoughts. I am so thankful tonight for many things! It seems there is so much going on with school lately, and I have become sooooo overwhelmed! But God is definitely giving me daily strength and mercy to get things accomplished.

He touched my voice and helped me through my recital! He also helped me to relax, I was really able to enjoy performing. It was so nice to see my family and a few friends who drove a LONG way to come! Thanks, guys!!

I am taking an Independent Study this semester because of a schedule conflict. It has been challenging to keep up with it because it takes extra discipline. Because of all the homework due in other classes the last couple weeks, Economics has been shoved to the back. All that was due by this Friday was so overwhelming. I am SO thankful though because my kind teacher has given me an extension to finish this class after the semester is over when I am home.

God helped me finish a project tonight sooner than I expected to have it done. We had to compose our own choral arrangement of "My Jesus, I Love Thee" with many specific requirements, and I was able to finish it by 2:15 this morning instead of 6 or 7am! There were several of us from that class, who got permission to stay over in the piano lab after hours. Fun stuff!

Those are only a few of the things that I am thankful for! God has just used these to give me an encouraging boost to make it through the rest of the semester. Well, I am off to bed!

Sleep, Sunday, Sickness, Singing,

When I last posted on Friday, that night was to be the school lock-in. My volleyball team was going to play their championship game that night. (I play in an intramural team every Tuesday night here at school) I was sorta excited about going but extremely tired and exhausted. I decided to lie down at 8pm and sleep for awhile (and was still debating whether to go, or let my team play w/o me), surprisingly I woke up 14 hours later, Saturday morning!! Wow! I can't remember the last time I've slept that long! It felt really good! (oh and by the way... our team won!! whoohoo!)

Since then many things have taken place including Vine St. Kids Klub on Sunday afternoon. I am the leader for this ministry and have really enjoyed doing it all year. It was exciting this week to have a few new kids who just moved into the apartment building next to us. I was so happy to have about 20 kids this Sunday (about....because there were some that came and went!) We have experienced a growth over the last few weeks and it is so awesome to be able to establish relationships with children and hopefully lead them to God. I was even more thankful for my great team of workers who helped considerably! It is hard to keep that many city kids attention for any length of time!

Tomorrow is something that every Music Major looks forward to as a big part of their musical schooling! There will be four music recitals! It is going to be a busy day for everyone! But one of those is mine. I will be performing the first half hour of the evening recital, singing 11 songs. Two Italian, two German, one French, and five English songs. They are pieces I got to choose myself, and so I've enjoyed preparing them! I think I am ready! aahhh!! I am just a little nervous, I have had a cough/sinus cold for a week and a half. Hopefully my throat will not be hurting tomorrow and I can do my best. Pray for me if you think of it! Thanks!

Wow, I was thinking originally that I didn't have the time to sit down and type anything and now realized what a huge monologue this has become! Hope it is not too boring or overwhelming. I should wrap it up for now! Have a great week! Remember to smile, Summer break is almost here :-P

Here are a few pics Amanda and me at Jr./Sr. Banquet Rachel and me in front of Cincy's skyline

Shaquel and me (girl from Kids Klub)

first step

Here's my first blog :-P I am thinking of too much at the moment, and have no time to record these thoughts....but soon! Here's a promise to try to keep this updated as much as possible!

until then! hold on to your shoe strings but don't fall over! hehe