Caffeinated Ramblings

Clouds are good

2010-10-26T12:13:00.001-04:00

I have always been obsessed with the sky, whether a sunny day with fun-shaped clouds, a beautiful sunrise and sunset, or the night sky with a gorgeous moon and millions of stars (my favorite). It often has a calming quality. Some days the sky is gray and full of dreary clouds. Such that it is hard to see past to the blue, like tonight.
This evening after work I sat outside on my back porch and stared upward. It was so gray and so dreary. But then there was another element that got involved. It was amazing how quickly the wind carried the clouds along. There were always more gray clouds, but there wasn't a complete lack of blue sky. Little peeks came and went, here and there, large and small. No matter how full the night sky was of dark clouds the picture was still there in bits and pieces; though I could never see it all at once.
Hmmm! Are you thinking what I'm thinking? :) it's life, puzzle pieces, foggy glasses, and... clouds!

I am thankful for God's amazing creation and especially the sky. It encouraged me tonight!! It means so much to me and God still speaks so clearly even on a dark stormy night!

- Posted from my iTouch

new and exciting

2010-08-25T15:51:00.003-04:00

My last post was quite the downer and I am sad to have left it up that long without posting again. I was reading through a handful of old posts last night and started missing blogging. I don't know where I got all my time before. I guess when I was in college I would just stay up late every night practically posting blogs. Well it is different now that I don't have a computer and even internet access at home. It takes time and energy to go to the library when I'm not working and get on a public computer and post. Then it seems like suddenly my mind is drained dry of thoughts to type.

Well, today I am on my lunch hour and I have something to share :) I have very happy news about my life. Now I am suddenly blank on what perfect words I should use to tell you. Here I will show you a picture.... I stole this off Mike's facebook :) He is a very nice gentleman who I am getting to know. Some would say he is my boyfriend and I am not going to say they are wrong. lol. Needless to say, I'm pretty much on cloud 9 at the moment :D

So this is my new exciting news. I need to run off now and get something to eat while I'm still on break.

Wishful thinking

2010-08-09T21:43:00.000-04:00

Sometimes I still long to be back in school, whether it's college or high school or whatever. The end of the craziness of summer with its scorching hot weather. Having endured whatever summer job you were dealt. Shopping for school supplies. A regular schedule. A certain assumed normalcy. The freshness of the first week with new classes. New textbooks.

Adulthood. What is this concept they talk about? I'm not sure I like it. As much as I dislike change, I long for it now. Take me away, fly me to some new place.

Alas, here I am. Tears falling into my jones soda.

- Posted from my iTouch

Some have asked me to blog more... sorry for the downer post as I return cautiously. I make no promises but I will try to come around more often.

hi. i'm alive. kinda.

2010-05-19T18:08:00.002-04:00

Wow I cannot believe I haven't been on here since January! Life seems insane and it isn't stopping! I think insanely crazy is the new 'normal'! Wow. I'm trying to keep up. Here are a few things about my life over the last couple of months...

The beginning of February marked a year working here at the library! Cha-ching! One year down in the 'real' world after college!

February also brought along birthdays of two dear friends and a necessary trip to Florida!! I had a blast! I think I shall become a bird, one that goes down south in the winter and then back this way for summer. (I am certain I could not handle the FL heat in the summer!!!) The very next weekend I made a road trip to Cinci to visit some other dear friends. It was a nice time. I like the city!

March was another busy month. It was also a very sad one because my dear boss/friend/mentor/office-sharer moved away. I loved working next to Shirley for a year and am privileged to call her my friend!! I still miss her but I get to see her occasionally. (As a matter of fact, she dropped in last night at my apt. for a lovely little visit!)

April was lovely. It was nice to start having a little warmer weather. The rain is always nice too. I like rain. We have had tons of it!!! I am also enjoying working with Brandy, my new 'boss' :) April was full of Summer Read.

Actually most all of my life through March, April, and May has been completely consumed with preparations for Summer Read!

I started working a 40-hour week at beginning of May (I was formerly working 30 hours). It has been nice to have more time (and money) but it is amazing how quickly that time is filled!!!

So this is my life... Summer Read, Summer Read, Summer Read. ... don't get me wrong, it is fun! I think it is going to be a great summer! I'm looking forward to all we have planned.

Oh and other things are happening too... I love having "Girls' Nights Out" with some of my favorite teens. ... and I am enjoying making new friends... and establishing new connections in this lovely hometown of mine.... and... and...

It is fun! Life is good! God has blessed me!

Staples so to speak

2010-01-15T00:31:00.002-05:00

Here are a few things that I use on a daily basis and am very thankful for!

They are in no certain order here....

Bible
Peanut Butter (good right out of the jar!)
WIBI radio
My little spot on the couch... I do everything there
Nail beside the door for my keys (in hopes of never losing them lol)
My cell... self explanatory
Calendar with lots of notes and lists
My Utmost for His Highest (my well loved devotional)
Skillet=eggs, sandwiches, hamburgers, pancakes... you can cook anything in a skillet!
Carmex! of course!!
Milk love it with my peanut butter
Notebook and fine point pen

What are some things you "can't live without"?

wandering about wondering

2009-12-17T01:08:00.003-05:00

Just found this in my drafts... thought I would go ahead and post it, rough draftish as it is.

~~~~

Sitting here overwhelmed with topics that have been put on the back burner to blog about....then suddenly forget them all at once! This happens more often than I can count. Possibly one of the reasons I don't blog as often as some of you think I should. Although I hold to the fact that I blog way more often than a lot of you!

Here is some random oddness...

I often wonder:

1. does everyone in Effingham smoke?

2. why am I addicted to carmex?

3. as I wander

4. if there are hidden cameras watching my every move

5. why is (almost all) Christmas music so sad

6. why they raised the price of an added shot of espresso at starbucks

7. what you are thinking

Christmastime is here

2009-12-07T13:00:00.005-05:00

I looked out my front window this morning and saw this

a very light snow. It has long ago melted. But was a happy surprise!

Here is a 'not that great.. but hey' recent pic of me in front of my tree.

So many things have been going on. It's hard to keep up. I'm at work right now so here is a short list of a few recent happenings.

Got to see a few friends in Cinci and watched them perform Christmas program. This was my first time to observe and not be in it.

Performed with the Effingham community orchestra yesterday playing Christmas music on various percussion instruments.

My first 'solo gig' is this evening. I think it will be a fun half hour of singing. It is for a friend's church's Christmas Deacons Meeting. I am a teensy bit nervous though.

Tomorrow I have crazy schedule... working 9-11am. off (gonna meet a friend for lunch!). working 1:30-3:30pm. off. working 5-8pm. That's what happens when I plan multiple programs in the same day, and yet don't want to rack up a bunch of hours staying at work the whole day!

Next week I am going to be involved with a small portion of my church's Christmas Program. Should be fun! I am looking forward to watching all my young friends perform in the drama!!

Well, there is so much more. But I have to stop here with one last picture. This was taken at Thanksgiving time. It was so nice to have everyone home together for a few fun days packed with lots of happy memories!!!

Until next time :D

Closure

2009-11-04T17:49:00.002-05:00

clo·sure (klō'zhər) n.
1. The act of closing or the state of being closed.
A bringing to an end; a conclusion: finally brought the project to closure.
A feeling of finality or resolution, especially after a traumatic experience.

~~

No need to hold on to the past. False hope isn't hope at all.

It's in the bag. Tied in a knot. And tossed in the dumpster.

Time to move on. Hope for new things. A healthy hope.

Poetry Shuffle

2009-10-20T20:27:00.004-04:00

It's out with the old and in with the new,
Another night slips away,
Don't go changing to try and please me.
What is the meaning of life?
What am I gonna be when I grow up?
You are my Father,
Your heart will always be my home.

Hello Mr. Dark Cloud,
Trying to pretend that you're okay
Tears are falling, hearts are breaking.
Can we get back to where we started?
Everything that could go wrong has gone wrong.

It's so important to make someone happy,
Then try and face this mountain.
I've been thinking lately about you;
It's a world of difference when faith is in her heart.

~~~~~

Don't try to read anything into it. This poem was created by putting all the music on my Mp3 on shuffle and writing down the first line as I skipped through the first 16 songs. Pretty cool, how it kinda flows, at least part of the time.
This was an activity I did with my teens this afternoon for Teen Read Week. It was fun :D

Whoosh!!!

2009-10-16T16:57:00.007-04:00

I feel like I say it often, but the days really do seem to be flying by so much faster than normal! It truly feels like it was yesterday was the first of October and I was shocked. Now the month is half over! Wow!

Anyhow. I'm busy busy at work. Today has been a little slower and a nice breather. Here is a link to see some of the stuff I have been working on recently. (Teen Read Week is next week)

Well, I must rush off... I must make sure the clock isn't skipping time or the calendar skipping days. They have a tendency to do that!

It's one of those...

2009-10-13T13:36:00.002-04:00

...lazy feeling days. It was a struggle to get out of bed! I feel as though I need a weekend to catch up on sleep from my weekend. On my lunch break I headed to Starbucks.

In the drive through:
Me: "I would like a double venti caramel latte, please."
Barista: "Okay... that drink already has 2 shots of espresso."
Me: "Yes"
Barista: "You want more added?"
Me: "Yes"
Barista: (hesitantly) "Okay... how many?"
Me: "Two" (the reason I said 'double' in the first place! lol)
Barista: "Wow! Alright. Pull around."

It sure tastes good :D And I will either be perkier or shaky(er) soon!! Maybe both. :)

newness

2009-09-30T19:52:00.004-04:00

Here are a handful of new things I have recently tried:

Cooking and eating fried green tomatoes ~ fairly yummy, planning to give them a second shot tonight.
Cutting the pad of my index finger open with scissors ~ ouch! no, I didn't do it on purpose!
Enjoyed an unscheduled informal tour through the rear offices of the Post Office
Bent over on the street corner and dug through the mail box looking for something I no longer wanted mailed ~ long story

By request... for Mrs. B

2009-08-31T21:59:00.003-04:00

Oh, Hallelujah!!! :D Got it :) Currently going to Word to finish. Be back soonish.

So so many things! I'm not sure where to start, what to include, what to brush over, what to forget. I make no promises on the flow or 'understandability' of this post :) But here is something for what few readers are left out there.

Why do people lie about their age? Have you ever lied about your age? When? On what? I have stretched the truth when it came to my weight but age? Hey it's possible as I keep getting older I will be hesitant to share but I don't think I would lie about it.
You may wonder why I even bring this up. At work one of the many things I do is keep up a MySpace page and Facebook for the teens. It has information about our library, pictures, a search link for our online catalog, posts about upcoming teen events, etc.I have recently been requesting more friends based on a pile of surveys taken in the schools. I searched their emails they gave to us and added them.
Anyhow, the majority of these 14 and 15 year old kids had put their age on their MySpace profile as 19, 20, and 21. A few of them even claimed to be 26 and 32. Why? What is attractive about being 'so old'? I can understand a 13 year old thinking it would be cooler to be 17 or 18, but 22? 26? Hmm. I don't know. If you have insight do share. You know what is even odder... some of these had 19 on their profile but then over in the "about me" section they told that they were 14 or they gave their full birthdate. I think someone is confused! I know I am.

I never dreamed I would be so busy at this point in my life. College life is over, right, no more papers to write. I'm working a 30-hour job. Not so difficult. I was so afraid I would be so sad and alone (those moments do come at times) all the time; instead I feel like I'm running crazy. It is a good crazy though I think. Every weekend for the last while and several coming up there is something going on. Here's a semi-quick overview...

I got back from NM on the 2nd right.

Aug 8 I was home at my family's in Salem and at friends spending time.
Aug 15 Stayed over again, and spent all day Saturday canoeing on the Meramec River. So fun!Aug 22 My brothers stayed with me and went to Hunter's Ed we had a lot of fun Friday night... Saturday I took them home and we all (my whole family) went to the Hot Air Balloon Fest in Centralia and celebrated the twins b'day
Aug 29 Celebrating my Mom's b'day with a bunch of ladies who came and stayed at my apt Friday night and we did fun things together. Sunday was full too with an extra service thrown in the afternoon. I got to see some people I hadn't seen in a long time. Very nice time. Very nice music. Oh ... and remind me.. I have more comments about this experience a bit later.
Sept 5 Planning to spend the whole long weekend in Cincinnati visiting long lost friends, going to the Rennaisance Festival (remember, I went last year), watching fireworks, and enjoying the road trip there and back with my bro, Tim. I'm really looking forward to this. I will do my best to take my camera and actually remember to use it :)

(( btw … this is where I thought I lost it and am carrying on now where I left off, in case you were curious ))

Sept 12 not sure yet, seems there is something I’m forgetting, we’ll see.

So about my Sunday afternoon…. I don’t think I have ever had déjàvu as much as I had then. We were driving along and some in the group were talking about when they had been to this camp before and what year it was, etc. I said I had never been there before. End of story. Until, WHAM! We drive onto the campground. “Oh I have definitely been here before!!!” It was so odd, and cool and weird and yeah!I have a really good memory. I have very clear memories of specific events that happened when I was very very young. I think one of my first memories is when I was 2½ years old. But I remember more things around the time I turned 5. Anyhow. I’m not sure how old I was when I went to the Cresthaven campground (whatever it was called 20-odd years ago). But I remember being a brat! lol. I remember being in the dorms and was being babysat during a meeting or something the adults were busy with and I gave the girls watching me such a hard time! I remembered being in the tabernacle. I remember swinging on that very swing-set and drinking at that same water-fountain station. Anyhow. Crazy!

Wow, this is getting insanely long. I apologize. But hey, you don’t have to be insane enough to read the whole thing unless you really want to! :P
Well, there is more. But I should stop eventually. I think I have uncovered things in my life that are trivial to most and should have been left unsaid. But, I tend to be an open-book most of the time. Especially if you are there to listen or read. Or if I have been alone long enough and am tired of being quiet… like right now. I will just ramble on.
Gonna go before it gets worse, or is that even possible? ;)

~Esther

:(

2009-08-31T21:34:00.002-04:00

Oh grrr grrrrr grrrrrr! When will I learn. I spent 45 minutes typing a post and just accidentally lost it all! There is no way I wanna take the time to retype and try to remember what I even said. SIGH I need to type posts in Word first. Jo, I should learn from you. I'm bummed. Okay. Getting over it. I hope you all love this nice post I just typed in 3 minutes. I will let you try to think up the possible topics that were in the post I typed earlier.

I will try to get something better soon.

:-/

busy night at the library!

2009-08-25T20:42:00.003-04:00

"Excuse me, Ma'am, your son is tearing the signs off our bookshelves!" (!!!!! ahem... that's Greek for 'Please watch him!')

Oh the lovely things (and lil creatures!) that come along at work!

Hi

2009-08-19T01:12:00.002-04:00

It’s been awhile, I know! So here is an attempt to catch up on a few things.

I was in New Mexico for a week again this summer. It was my third time to go down there and help with the Keep Youth Camp. I am getting more and more attached to those kids. God really helped us this year and we survived without too many major issues.

Now that I’m back I’m starting to get settled in my new apartment. (Oh yeah, didn’t I tell you… roomies are gone… I’m in a single apt now.) It is different living alone. I have always either been in a huge, loud, family or a huge, loud, dorm! And living with Jo and Rach was... hehe!!

I still have decorating and rearranging to do, but I’m getting used to ‘my home.’ The whole alone part of it is slowly getting better too. God is really helping me! I want to use this time in my life to deepen my relationship with Jesus. It has also been nice that my family and many friends live within an hour away. I have spent time in Salem on the weekends doing a lot of fun things.

My job is going good. It has finally slowed down a little since the Summer Reading Program is over. There is still a lot to do. I am already starting to do a little planning for next summer. Sounds like the SRP will be my responsibility next year! Scary! But exciting.

Well, I think I will close for now. I borrowed a library laptop and am at home borrowing internet connection. ;) It has been iffy at best so this is getting typed on Word. Let’s see if I can get it posted.

Here I am in my kitchen with my new work shirt :D I took it just now on my cell.
It's definitely late! tada

My Thoughts, Cares, and Prayers....

2009-08-10T20:42:00.001-04:00

are with many people in many places....

Illinois
Nebraska
New Mexico
Nevada
Ohio

for many reasons.

talent??

2009-08-07T17:38:00.002-04:00

Few pieces of art I created in a matter of minutes. Never knew Paint could be so fun, huh?!

wow

2009-07-15T22:03:00.002-04:00

it is amazing to me how God has provided! strength. peace. comfort. and more strength.

There is bittersweet change. God gives peace. There is large empty space. God gives smaller, less-expensive dwelling. There are alone moments. God gives new friends. He is so Amazing and Awesome!!

Then... WHAM!!! there is another burden. God, please give me wisdom!

Pain is deep. Doubly so when carrying others' burdens. I am glad that others can trust me. I want to be there for friends, even at 4a.m. And at the same time I feel so far removed; I'm not sure how to get close so that I can make a difference.

Sorry for the ramblings. Please pray for me when you think of it and for my friend(s) as well!

(More to come later about the new apartment! Happiness!)

Change...

2009-07-03T11:36:00.006-04:00

... is painful. exciting. sad. exhausting. interesting. and all around life-changing. Funny how that works.

I've been thinking a lot lately about how that everything I do, everything that anyone does, will always affect others too. No one is a lone non-affecting soul. There is someone who will experience side-effects along with you. Sometimes it can be a very special, happy time and sometimes it is bittersweet and very tough!

Changes take place every day and are just a part of life. Every once in awhile there is a really big change that will take place that isn't a daily expected event.

I'm on the receiving end of one of those big changes this summer.

'the' Wall

2009-06-22T20:41:00.005-04:00

Here are some pictures of the wall in our library's meeting room. A year or two ago (before I worked here) a group of teens had painted the wall like this:

Please excuse the random body-less people :P lol

We were all ready for a new view with less chaos and so with the help of a few teens I 'primed' it and managed to finally cover all the colors. The black was tough!!

For one of my teen programs this summer I had kids come in and paint their own spot.

Now it looks like this! :D

There are real frames hanging on the wall around where they painted on the wall. I like how it adds a 3-d effect. I think it is a great improvement from the original look.

The summer reading program has been super busy but a lot of fun! It is starting to slow down a bit now. I need to do another blog about life in general.

2009-06-11T18:50:00.003-04:00

I know my blogging has been lackingly sporadic :) I am here. (Wherever that may be lol) and I am doing well. Work has been extra busy with a lot of Summer Read Program stuff going on! I still like my job. It is just sad that I rarely get internet time aside from work. Right now I am on my lunch break and have about 5 minutes left.

So in that short time, I wanted to share a bit exciting piece of news. I have my own wheels! And cute ones at that! It is amazing how God provides our needs and occasionally our wants as well! I feel very fortunate and blessed and will probably have lots of other mixed feelings when I get the payment book in the mail. LOL But it is exciting. I am having fun driving and still can't believe I finally have my own car. This pic I took with my cell phone before it was officially mine. Maybe I will take some more of the front and inside and post them. (big maybe, I get tired of making promises on my blog then getting too busy and forgetting! haha) I am still mulling over names, so if you have a suggestion let me know ;)

Well, I must go back to work. :D

oh, for the few interested in details about cars.... it is a 2001 VW new beetle turbo automatic, hmm, etc etc. I don't even know! haha

Here comes the Bride

2009-05-27T11:10:00.002-04:00

I was in Cincinnati 3 times this month. Once for Grad and the other two times for this dear friend of mine, Megan.

I drove over for her bridal shower and bachelorette party at the beginning of the month. Then this past weekend was her wedding. Since I was in the wedding (and my camera batteries are dead) I did not get any pictures. It was beautiful though! Here is a pic of Megan, her bridesmaids, and some other girls (relatives of the groom) who came to the party.

Graduation

2009-05-27T10:48:00.004-04:00

Wow after ... a really long time ... I finally finished. Such a happy feeling!! It was fun to travel back to cincy and see friends and march with them down the aisle. I took tons of pictures; here are a few. (I'm putting more on facebook)

I'm so glad these special people came to see me!

This has got to be my most favorite picture!! Anna caught it on camera just at the right second. It was very windy all day and my hat finally gave up!

Graduation is nigh!

2009-05-14T13:47:00.004-04:00

Wow time just keeps passing on! I want to do a long blog post about my 5+ years of college but I don't have all the pix I wanna use. I plan to work on it next week. Here are a couple oldies. Funny stuff!

Pre-K. Graduate ~ Class of 1989

H.S. Graduate ~ Class of 2002

College Graduate ~ Class of 2009
(well I will graduate on Saturday! whoo hoo!! just took this pic with my cell last night for the fun of it)

numbers

2009-04-29T18:13:00.003-04:00

do you ever think about numbers? do they ever drive you crazy?

I do. They do.

It is fairly easy for me to memorize numbers. I can remember phone numbers from when I was much younger and addresses too. I'm not sure why I need to have speed dials on my cell when they are all already memorized anyway. (well yeah it is faster than typing it out but still.) If I stop to think about all the different numbers I know and what they are for it is a little overwhelming. Talk about driving me crazy! lol

I notice numbers on boards along the road, on ads, and other signs. Businesses choose the wackiest words to make their phone numbers stick in people's heads. I am more likely to know the number though than the word.

Sometimes it bugs me that my birthdate is 05/25/84. Wouldn't it look better if it were 05/25/85. I like my age fine and have accepted the dear number 4, but still.

Well, I have 7 precious minutes until my lunch break is over. Gonna end this random post before it...

~~~~~~~~~

oh yeah. you can ignore this just more numbers driving me crazy:

90 to 0 in 4 weeks

take a few

2009-04-20T18:07:00.002-04:00

I have just a few minutes left till my 'lunch' break is over.

So here are a few random things of late:

butterfly on my face.... Culver's fundraiser

kids holding my hand.... St. Louis Zoo outing

nomination for motherhood.... God's Bible School next Dean of Women
(someone want to fill in the details there for me??)

contentment in life.... even through foggy days

wistful thoughts.... I can't have it all

glitch communication

2009-04-17T15:08:00.002-04:00

close i quickly draw.

much i expect often.

too much apparently.

disappointment results.

survey

2009-03-25T13:41:00.002-04:00

Here is a random 'survey' I did on facebook and thought I would post it. Guess I'm catching up for the last month and a half by posting twice in the same day :)

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? yes. My grandma, Faye Gilley
2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? this morning
3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? not particularly. I rush so it is sloppy
4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? turkey
5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? No
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? probably
7. DO YOU USE SARCASM? only occasionally when the situation demands it
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? yes
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? definitely not! i'm a scaredy cat
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Smacks
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? generally, who wants to fight with the tie later when you are putting them back on?
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? double chocolate chunk
14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? eyes and mouth
15. RED OR PINK? Pink
16. WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? not sure I wanna answer that here
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? hard to choose. i have many close friends who are far away
18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO COMPLETE THIS LIST? nah
20. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? the grown woman beside me clicking away on her webkinz page
21. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? blue
22. FAVORITE SMELLS? wood smoke
23. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? Sarah W.
25. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? not into sports but I guess maybe basketball
26. HAIR COLOR? light brown
27. EYE COLOR? hazel
28. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? nope. 20/10 vision
29. FAVORITE FOOD? cheese lol
30. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Happy endings
31. LAST BOOK YOU READ? Boy Meets Girl
32. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? black
33. SUMMER OR WINTER? summer
34. HUGS OR KISSES? hugs
35. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? not expecting anyone to
36. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? just doing this for fun
37. WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING RIGHT NOW? Kiss by Ted Dekker
38. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT? nothing
39. FAVORITE SOUND(S)? not trains! lol. I'd say thunderstorms
40. WHAT'S THE FARTHEST YOU'VE BEEN FROM HOME? Cincy from Montana (when we used to live there)
41. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? hmm. probably think of something
42 WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Valentine, NE
43. WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK? no one really
44. HOW DID YOU MEET YOUR SPOUSE/LOVER? nada thus far
44. SHOES - HIGH HEELS OR FLATS? high heels!! :D

Well, now you know 44 more things about me whether you wanted to or not. lol

catching up a bit

2009-03-24T18:23:00.007-04:00

I am nearing two months without a post and have heard about it from several people! I'm sorry. I will try to catch you up quickly. I have 10 minutes left on supper break.

Yes, I'm at work. The only time I have online is when I am at work. When you spend 30 hours a week in the library, who wants to go back to the library again off the clock to blog? Don't get me wrong, I like my job! It is perfect for me, at least at this point in my life.

Here are some ideas of things I do at work: (someone requested that I give more details)

I sit at my computer (yeah, I have my own desk and computer!) while I :

create posters/flyers for various programs we have... such as... Funky Physics, Llama Fiber Craft Day, Lapsit, Family Movie Night, Teen Advisory Group activities, Teen Technology Celebration, etc. (those are a few examples from the month of March)

brainstorm, plan, and schedule said programs

prepare everything for our Summer Reading Program... such as... make solicitation phonecalls, send emails, order prizes, PR, decorations, programming for summer, etc.

plan everything for Teen Advisory Group, better known as TAG. I am the director of this group whoohoo! So I plan meetings, agendas, activities, send emails to members, make phonecalls, help lead book discussions (they do it mostly on their own), and so much more! I really like the chance to interact with the teens. A lot of them stop by the office to say hey when they are in the library aside from scheduled meetings.

to name a few.

..................

Well, the previous part took longer than 10 minutes so I saved it. Surprise surprise, I actually came to work today early just so I could spend some time online and blog. It is kinda hard to concentrate and type though when there are people all around and sitting on either side of me. I feel like they are watching me lol. Not likely, I know. But I know that the lady on my left has been playing webkinz the whole time I've been here. (I thought that was for kids! lol) And the lady on my right just got here and is checking her banking account and emails. No, I'm not nosy. I can't help but notice. And no, I didn't read her emails or account information lol.

So where was I? Who knows!

Life is good. I enjoy living with my two roommates. We help each other grow, encourage each other, sometimes 'discuss' ;) things, and mostly just have a good time. I am making a lot of memories.

Aside from work and apartment life I do have other friends that I spend time with. Some more than others ;) I feel truly blessed.

I'm excited that Spring is here! I am enjoying the warmer weather, and also the rain.

I honestly cannot think of anything else to share. So I'm going to stop rambling now. I still have almost an hour until I work so maybe I will read a book.

happily adjusting

2009-02-03T00:20:00.016-05:00

Well, guess what?! I got a job! The one I was really hoping for at the Helen Matthes Library in Effingham. I am their new teen assistant. I had my first day today. It went well. I am going to be busy helping to prepare and be responsible for the Summer Reading Program (last summer they had 900 readers!) and many other programs and functions involving teens, children, and their families. I think I am going to enjoy it. I really like my boss and the people I am going to be working with too! They are really friendly and kind. This job was a Godsend! (I know there's always the potential bad day lurking around. But I'll make it through)

I am very content with life. God has blessed me with this job. He has provided great friendships; I have enjoyed reconnecting with people in my 'home' area. I am slowly adjusting to the change. Honestly, it was super hard at first and some days are still sad. But I am so happy because I know I am in the right place.

Well, here are some pictures of the not too distant past. I have not forgotten you, dear friends! I wish I had access to all of my pix from my computer but these are a few of the ones that made it to IL on my camera. anyhow.

Peace... the result of Trust

2009-01-29T11:56:00.002-05:00

God has been blessing me with overwhelming peace this week. Oswald Chambers was helpful this week as well and pointed my attention to Matthew 6:25-34. I do trust Jesus and I am waiting on Him.

I trusted Him in one situation and received results that very night! This job situation is in his hands but is taking longer. It is good to know that I have done my part and can 'chill' until I get the answer.

Meanwhile, I have been enjoying the snow days. (But why couldn't we have it for Christmas?) I actually got out and shoveled for awhile yesterday. Then soon after Jo and I went back inside our landlord finally came and used a snow blower. Oh well, we gave him a good start. Fun stuff. I did take some pictures but I forgot my sd card drive at home and can't get them on here right now.

25For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?
26Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?
27And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?
28And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin,
29yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these.
30But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith!
31Do not worry then, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear for clothing?'
32For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
33But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
34So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

a resolute resolution

2009-01-20T21:14:00.003-05:00

resolute ~ firm or determined; unwavering
resolution ~ a formal expression of opinion or intention made

My one and only resolute resolution this year involves my character. I did not make a list of things to accomplish that would be forgotten about a month or less later. Instead I am trying my best to work daily on one aspect of my life. I know something that I need to change or at least improve in is my self-discipline.

Unfortunately, even having only one goal to work on doesn't make it any easier. Self-discipline is something that touches EVERY part of life! I'm working to improve discipline in the area of time management which involves sleeping habits, devotional/spiritual habits, social habits, etc. you see how it just keeps going on and on! I am also being more aware of my health and using more discipline in eating. But, no, I did not promise to lose any certain number of poundage :)

That's all I have for now.

pix

2009-01-19T20:39:00.001-05:00

Am I the only one who fights with blogger about posting pictures? It does NOT like me for some reason!!! Any tips?

2009-01-19T19:59:00.004-05:00

My life has not been very complicated lately. I have enjoyed some extra rest. Most of my time has been filled with a few random errands, reading books, and hanging at the public library on the computer. I am enjoying this time very much, realizing that it will probably not last too much longer. I am sure I will wish for days like these very shortly!

I do have a job interview on Wednesday morning and I am very hopeful about that! Well, with that said, here are a few pictures. I will keep you updated on the job status. And I apologize for the sparse blogging habits. You would think that having more time on my hands would increase the blogging, but I have been uninspired or something like that. (I guess when I am not doing much there isn't much to blog about)

Christmas party

ice skating

yummy Christmas pies

catching up

2009-01-13T14:45:00.002-05:00

It has been a super long time since I have blogged! I have either been too busy or not "in the bloggin' mood". I will try to do a quick catch-up :)

I got home December 16 and that night was the Christmas program at my home church. My siblings were involved and did a tremendous job! (did I already post about that? I forget)

I worked for awhile making rocking chairs.

Christmas was a very nice time! Our whole family was able to be together! And even the recently adopted family-- my new brother-in-law.

I stayed up extremely late (well actually early!) New Years' Eve playing games with a good friend and lots of new friends! And spent time with these nice people again later in the week at a Christmas gift auction. It was definitely lots of fun!

There was also a night of ice skating at some point, not sure if that has hit the blog already or not. If not, well now it has :) I would also like to say that I am improving! I was on my own two feet skating around in the middle and didn't fall! Fun times!!

I have moved into an apt. with two of my good friends and am working on getting a job. I will update on that subject as I can.

Also had a fun belated Christmas party this past weekend! I do actually have some pictures from it... we'll see if I can get them on here at some point.

I feel as though this entire post is so very annoying, long, confusing, and broken up... I am considering not posting. But since I just spent the time typing it out maybe I will. Bless you, if you are still reading at this point!

I am in the library and have less than 10 minutes left on my computer time... so here is a promise to blog more! If you want any details about the aforementioned topics leave me a comment.

I also have a separate post in my head that I would like to write about in the near future... regarding my New Year's Resolution :)

But goodbye for now!

making memories.. one at a time :D

2008-12-22T21:37:00.004-05:00

it's been awhile since I've posted any random adventures... well here,

Saturday afternoon Dorinda called me....

and asked if I wanted to spontaneously take a roadtrip to St. Louis to pick up a friend from the airiport. Sure. Can't say no to fun like that :) On the way we got coffee and shopped in Target (well I just looked).

We got to the airport early and walked around and around and around some more! I took goofy pictures to document the excursion.

You can't take these things on the airplane!

The chainsaw thing says, 'used gas engine cannot fly'

This chair was just asking us to take its picture. It was very musical but feeling a little insecure because it was sitting next to the baby grand piano. (turns out he was apparently more important seeing as how I did not take a pic of the piano)

We also visited the chapel, took pictures, and sang.

in route. city lights. and maggie :)

Well, I need to go for now. Many more exciting times ahead this week!

Merry Christmas!!!

alive... kinda

2008-12-17T20:47:00.002-05:00

I'm sitting here with a box of kleenex, cup of hot chamomile tea, and my version of chicken noodle soup (chicken flavored Ramen).

I'm sick :(

So I'm blogging while I wait for the Nyquil to kick in, with hopes that it wears off by the time I have to wake up and go to work.

I'm home and spending a few days at the rocking chair 'factory' making some much needed buckaroos.

..... well now you know :)

Today

2008-12-15T14:15:00.002-05:00

A lurker revealed themself to me last night and told me I needed to blog more often because I was slacking off. I had no idea they got on my blog. So this is for you, Mrs. B :) Hope you are not disappointed because it will be a short one.

Just wanted to let you all know that I am still alive. I am finished with all school related things (aside from Graduation in May) and will be leaving to go home tomorrow morning sometime. You may be curious about my current state of mind.

ECSTATIC!!! I survived 5 1/2 years!

Heartbroken that I will see many of my close friends... who knows when.

Excited about the future.

Scared of the unknown.

Seeking God's peace continually and trusting Him with everything.

Grateful for His presence and security and provision.

Relieved that I am leaving college with zero debt!

Looking forward to seeing the stars.

Going to miss seeing the city lights at night.

Everything is so happy/sad.

It makes me laugh and cry at the same time.

Well I need to finish packing the last odds and ends. I will be around updating you with all the new changes... eventually :)

catching up... the highlights

2008-12-09T23:57:00.009-05:00

Once again it has been awhile since I have blogged. Life has been insane.... insanely busy, but insanely great if that is possible :D

I did have a lovely weekend, thx for asking. I did many things. I will share some of them.

I have a bruise on my arm from 'hugging' the bass drum. It is somewhat larger than myself... the bass drum that is, not the bruise. I did enjoy banging it at the appropriate times and making my friends laugh at how I looked playing it.

Here are a few pictures of the program, thx to a great friend who took them from the crowd while I performed. Oh, and a pic of us noise makers :) We like to make people jump with unexpected crashes, etc.

I had a lot of fun at the Creation Museum, but forgot to take my camera. I hope to steal pictures from a fellow museum-er soon. lol

I also really enjoyed ice skating at Fountain Square. It is so beautiful down there with all the Christmas lights and the tall buildings. (but it's true, you can't see the stars. I still wanna pond skate someday) I did not take many pictures of skating because my hands were too cold to take my gloves off and they were too bulky for pictures... but here are a couple of the ones I have.

I also discovered that there is more than one address for 700 Walnut St. in Cincinnati. Actually Maggie pointed it out to us. She insisted we go to her favorite Walnut Street.... TWICE! Unfortunately neither time did we find breakfast. But we finally made it up a few mountains and ate a lovely brunch at Korin's.

Well, there were other fun times of late nights, hot cocoa, and True Blue Christmases, but now I have to work on my to-do list so I can go home for Christmas and begin the next chapter of life.

Oh yeah, and I need to quit the caffeine it has started keeping me up at night.... yeah, now you notice the time stamp. Anyhow. Gonna try to go to sleep, hopefully this time I will be successful. Until next time :)

btw... I'm tired of fighting with blogger... I know that some of the text is next to pictures that don't go together, but you will figure it out, and I will ignore how much it annoys me.

Life

2008-11-23T21:23:00.002-05:00

I have been busy this weekend but mostly with fun things!

We just got back from band services in Indiana. It was the earliest 'get back' time I ever remember! We left this morning at 7:45. It was a nice day. It was a little sad because it was my last service to play with the GBS SWSE. (aside from the Christmas program)

Last night I went to hear the Planets by Holst in the Music Hall downtown. It was so amazing and beautiful!

Before that I spent the day at COSI and North Market in Columbus. Super fun times! Making more memories with friends before I leave them all.

I went skating with the school Friday night (student council activity) from midnight until 2am!! Insanity but tons of fun. (yeah that means i had about 4 hours of sleep before going to COSI) Oh yeah, and Sarah left me standing in the middle a lil scared while people raced past! I'm still not so great with my balance on those tiny blades!

Right before skating I went to Walmart with T. I am going to miss these spontaneous little 'non-shopping' trips with her!

Before going to Walmart, I spent the morning babysitting some of my favorite little kiddos. They just keep growing! They are so adorable! I will miss them very much when I leave =/

The day before that, I conducted a piece for Intermediate band for a special Thanksgiving service for Elementary Chapel. It was a new experience that I survived and also enjoyed. (I worked with them on that song throughout my student teaching.)

The night previous to conducting I attended my last D-group at the Miles house! I so enjoyed being in their group this year and last year and I will really miss it! I enjoy the discussion and Bible studies we have and also the yummy snacks and crazy fellowship.

Before that... okay.... I should leave the rest lie. :)

btw..... next semester I am headed back to IL. Finished with schooling for now. I'm sure there will be many new exciting things and experiences. Right now I am enjoying the few days I have left in Cincinnati and with my dear friends here.

Well, now you have it. And I should take advantage of this early hour and go to bed soon! Although I slept quite a bit on the bus today.

Surprise!

2008-11-17T11:10:00.008-05:00

I had a fantabulous weekend! Would you like to know the story? Let me start at the beginning....

It all began Thursday at Kimberly's mini Birthday party at Steak & Shake at...

well really late at night :D

she says... "Hey, Esther, you wanna go to Salem this weekend?"

I quickly agreed and we spent the next half hour calling all our friends (you know there are sooo many lol) trying to see if anyone else wants to go along and share the gas expense. But no. Some willing but no able souls. We decided it was worth it to still go anyway and trek out on our own with the help of Ms. Morris (Kim's Taurus)

Our first stop was to Rach and Jo's humble abode in Effingham.

(disclaimer this pic is not their humble abode, but indeed the nice home of my friends where we ate Sunday dinner...

I forgot to take pix at Jo and Rach apt.)

We had such a lovely time and chatted till late. Slept comfortably....

and in the morning I drove Morris to Salem to surprise my family.

They were all surprised and it was fun seeing everyone's response. The way it worked out I saw each of them at a different time instead of all at once. Here are some pictures of my dear family and our new very lovely home :)

(I was so sad when I realized that I did not get a picture of my dad. He was getting ready for work when I took most of these and ... yeah I forgot. So sorry, Dad.)

I am the very shortest person in my whole family!

And they all enjoy reminding me of that fact.

I cannot believe how much taller the boys are!

WAIT!!

That's not fair.... they made me stand down in the step.

They are truly 'only' this much taller! Sigh still a lot!

The weekend ended by surprising Kim's parents as well and showing up at her church then her house on Sunday evening. [No pictures :( ] We spent the night then headed out early (with a Starbucks drive-through) and went back to school.

~The End~

I had such a delightful time and it was a super nice way to end my week and end my student teaching. Now I have a list full of 'other random things' to do before Christmas break comes.

ta-ta for now

Student teaching is...

2008-11-14T17:35:00.004-05:00

...over and I can hardly believe it! Here are some pictures with more to come! I loved all the little notes from some of the classes. Well, I am overwhelmed with too much to say so I am going to leave it for later or never. I need to rush off, I have really cool plans to party and relax this weekend and celebrate! I will take pictures and try to post them next week :D

teaching 5th & 6th

2008-11-06T16:43:00.004-05:00

Pictures of flashcard warm-ups.

I love all these kids! Gonna miss it!

One more week to go!

Elections

2008-11-02T17:09:00.004-05:00

... are here. I generally avoid all political discussion on my blog just because, but I have had this on my mind for many days and finally decided to post. You can take it or leave it or walk on it. But here are just a few of my thoughts.

I have heard so many people emphasize and re-emphasize the need to pray about the elections and that God's Will would be done. I do believe it is important to pray for every person involved and that God would intercede as He sees fit. But when it all comes right down to it, is God going to mystically change the vote on the ballot cards? Is He going to take control and have the results go 'His way'?

I would say no! We as American citizens are not God's robots. We as Christian people are not God's robots. He has given every individual their own free-will to do as they want. We, in America, live in a Republic. We are privileged to have the 'people's rights'. God is not going to force feed us any new leader, whether that leader be the worst, better, or decently acceptable.

I would say that as Christians we do have responsibility to help our country. It involves being well-informed, spreading the word to others, encouraging people to vote wisely, and even praying for voters in general that God would influence their heart and change their attitude.

I had already had this churning about in my head, when I went downtown to Vine St Kids Club today. Across the street from our mission is a little restaurant with signs in the windows. Several were the 'official' support banners for the democratic party, but there was one homemade sign that stood out to me. It was plain white paper and had black stenciling that said.. "Jesus Loves Obama". How true this is! God loves Obama, God loves McCain, and God loves everyone of us! Let's not hurt Him or turn away by making bad choices and rejecting Him. A life lived loving Jesus and serving Him is lived with more joy than we could ever imagine. There is no true joy while seeking to please self.

turnabout is fair play

2008-11-02T17:02:00.002-05:00

Only because she expected me to post this and so cruelly made jokes of my dear Zippy. And no, this was not Halloween, well actually it was Halloween, but we did not dress up. Just the result of photoshop and two tired crazy people.

pix

2008-10-31T17:20:00.010-04:00

Too early and trying to keep our eyes open

Studying...

and eating yummy food...

and.... well nevermind!

yay! teaching first grade!

At retreat... and with my dear friend

very late and very cold!

These guys are so adorable!

That's it for now... need to take more classroom pix. Oh yeah. If you wanna see 'Senior' pictures you can click and go to my photographer 's blog :D

p.s. ~ here is the photographer and myself... looking somewhat awake and smiley (just to prove we are not always insane and goofy... well okay whatever)

2008-10-25T21:23:00.001-04:00

wow that last one did have bullet thingy's but i don't know what happened to them... everything is squished together and long and messy! blessings if you actually take time to read it :D

another long blog

2008-10-25T20:55:00.002-04:00

There have been sooo many things I have wanted to blog. But I seriously have not had any time! Craziness! When I do finally stop and have a few free minutes I am much to tired to think about writing a blog. I am tired right now too, so consider yourself warned :)

Here are a few random things about life:

My room at school is so insanely quiet now that they have taken out our AC. I miss it so much! I stole my friends fan, just so we would have a little noise. Of course, there is almost always music playing too.
I finally smell good again. (well I guess that fact should be left for debate) but at least I am happy with the new scents. I recently ran out of all perfume I ever owned. okay it was only two bottles but they both seemed to empty the same week! I'm super thankful for the friend who gave me some 'gift' money. I went shopping last night! Super fun times! It is the first I have bought anything exciting in awhile.
I had so much fun at our Mode Fall Retreat last weekend! I do have pictures but not with me. I am babysitting. Is it bad to use other people's computer after the kids are in bed? Hmm... I hope not, it sure beats watching TV! lol
I am already excited for Christmas! I just started listening to Christmas music last week. It is earlier than I normally do. But I think I will blame it on Student Teaching... We have been listening to and working on their Christmas program so I am 'in the spirit' :) I am trying not to listen to it too often because I don't want to be tired of it before Thanksgiving is even here!
Speaking of Thanksgiving and thankfulness... One of the many things I'm super thankful for is my family's house! Yes, haven't I told you? lol. We have our own home now. At this very moment my family is busy packing and unpacking. I wish I were there to help. The kitchen is always 'my baby' but I'm at school. :( oh well. When I go home for Thanksgiving all the work will be done! hehehe
Today I was the 'guinea pig' for my great photographer friend :) She wanted to try different shots, lighting, etc. It was actually a lot of fun. We spent about an hour at the park and 3 clothes changes later... who knows how many pictures she has. I have not seen them yet, cuz I came straight to work after. Maybe, just maybe I will put a few on here. It was kind of odd in some ways for me. I haven't done anything like that in 6 years since I graduated from HS! I felt like I was on display lol. Well, if anything, it was fun to feel younger again :D
Student Teaching is going really good. Although I should wait and make that statement AFTER this coming week! I am going solo! Ahh! It will be busy. Hopefully I will survive. I would like to say that I have enjoyed teaching more than I thought I would. I have documented many hysterical moments/quotes from cute little kids. I still need to do a whole separate blog post with them and maybe some pictures. (I still have not taken any of student teaching).
I will be done with all my requirements in December. I am trying to make decisions about second semester... I will not graduate until May, so 'what to do until then?' I have some 'stuff' in my head... but nope! Not gonna tell you yet! lol Just pray for me if you think about it, that I will make the very best choice!

Well, this is super long and if you have endured to the end... KUDOS!! I will go for now. Leave me comments if you have a moment. I like hearing from all my friends :) tata!

Sewing sewing sewing

2008-10-11T10:55:00.006-04:00

I spent many hours sewing this week. (I think it was approximately 14 hours) The uniforms for choir and band came in the mail on Tuesday and all of them had to be hemmed before Homecoming concert last night! I hemmed 24 skirts (including mine) and one pair of pants. Even the tallest girls had to have at least 3-4 inches cut off their dresses! I don't know why the company made them so long! I think I cut 10 inches off of mine! It was super super busy because I still had to teach and be in school every day too! I finished the last one at 6pm and the concert started at 7pm :D It was nice to earn some money for my school bill and things I need.

My parents couldn't have chosen a better gift for my 18th Birthday!! I have used it soo much over the last 6 years!

This is the pile of scrap material from all the skirts! There is so much.... I want to try making a skirt out of them if I can find time. I have a picture in my head, so we'll see :) I could probably make more than one!!

Well, I need to go spend time writing lesson plans for this coming week! I cannot believe I am almost half-way done with student teaching! I will eventually blog more about teaching and hopefully post some pictures :)

Valley

2008-10-01T22:35:00.006-04:00

The true nature of spiritual maturity shows itself when a Christian is facing the valley. Here is a quote from Oswald Chambers that helped me today.

"...God wants us to be at the drab everyday level,

where we live in the valley according to our personal relationship with Him."

I thank God for His faithfulness in every area of my life!!

Fall is here :D

2008-10-01T21:04:00.001-04:00

"Summer is already better, but the best is autumn. It is mature, reasonable and serious, it glows moderately and not frivolously ... It cools down, clears up, makes you reasonable ..." - Valentin

a... musing

2008-09-29T20:52:00.002-04:00

availability. do you snatch it up while it is there?
adoration. do you return it just because it is there?
appeal. what if you don't receive it?
advantage. should you take it?
attraction. do you seek it out, knowing it may not be returned?

apprehension. there is plenty lying around.

wordle of my current life

2008-09-29T16:44:00.001-04:00

Girls' Day Out

2008-09-26T15:05:00.004-04:00

I very much enjoyed having a break from teaching today and spent time with my little friend at the Children's Museum.

I love this pic! So cute. She was so captivated by the water!

the verdict is out...

2008-09-16T12:36:00.002-04:00

until 3pm.

Hurricane Ike was rather mean to Cincinnati. He pulled down trees, ripped siding off of houses, knocked down signs, burned buildings, took away phones, internet, and electricity, etc., etc., etc., and killed at least three people.

Where there is no power, there is less food, less security, and less to do. So they sent me home along with the rest of the students.

I will have to say it was fun, although dangerous, being almost knocked over with 78mph wind gusts while chasing shingles and pieces of siding. (scarier when I was looking at pictures of destruction later, though, GBS could have been much worse!)

But I am really happy to be home! Here's hoping the school's power stays off just a few more hours. I would really like to stay a few more days!

3pm.... must I return to Cincy? or stay home till Monday??

Labor Day

2008-09-02T13:26:00.004-04:00

Renaissance Festival...

2008-08-31T14:51:00.007-04:00

... was held on a 30-acre permanent village that has been authentically and historically re-created in the flavor of 16th Century England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. There was a full day of entertainment including full-armored Jousting the way it was done over 400 years ago by real Knights in shining armor, dozens of Renaissance musicians, dancers, comedians, jugglers, sword-fighters, storytellers and hundreds of costumed performers.

(I found my knight in shining armor!)

This was one of the best side attractions. Donal Hinely uses fluted glasses of differing sizes and water to create the musical scale. It is very pretty music and an amazing talent that he has perfected.

I almost had to pinch myself at the joust; it felt like I had stepped into a time machine. Very very cool sport!

Yeah, fancy camera. Her pictures are way cooler than mine. Sigh! :D

I had so much fun all day. It was relaxing and enjoyable. And affordable since it was 'buy one get one free tickets'. Thanks guys for taking me!! (now you need to find your skirt so I can actually work for my ticket lol)

catching up

2008-08-22T11:29:00.010-04:00

I know right now that this will be a long post. So if you have the patience for it.... here goes :)

=================

Two weeks ago my lil sis decided to leave me for married life. Sigh.

She looked soo beautiful!

And she is definitely VERY happy!

My dad did an incredible job on her wedding cake!

Congratulations, dear! I love you! And I am glad I can still spend time with you since you are close :D

=======================

The next pictures are 3 out of 60+ that I took of my other lil sis. I was goofing with the lighting on my camera and was in her face just for the fun of it. She just kept right on doing whatever it was on the computer while I was snapping away. She's so cool!

=======================

The summer seemed to fly by and ended with a happy bang! My family enjoyed a very nice meal and good time of fellowship with our friends the night before I had to come back to school. Many thanks to the BranchRanch! :D

The dessert not only looked good but was delicious!! (that's yummy blackberry pie hiding under there!)

I like this pic :) his shirt cracks me up. It says "I do all my own stunts" but he is wearing a brace for a recently cracked collarbone. (oh and look at Steph... that will be me someday... short and looking up at my husband hehehe)

last night before school....

=========================

So, yes I am back at school now and all settled into my room, but not without help! I think this year my mom and youngest sis did more work than I did and had my room unpacked faster than it ever has been before. I'm kicking myself (ouch!) for not taking some pictures of the process and of the dears working so hard! (wow I just really love all my sisters!!!!!)

This morning I spent a good deal of time on the phone. I made 41 calls and have 4 observations scheduled. Not a wonderful ratio but I do expect to hear back from the many voicemails I left. (There were also numbers that had been disconnected and some schools that have closed.) So for the next two weeks I am going to be driving all over Cincy with google map directions, and hopefully not getting lost!! After that I will start my student teaching here on campus in our Aldersgate Academy and HighSchool. fun fun.

I'm also looking forward to babysitting again. I am sure all 'my kids' have grown up and I can't wait to see them. I also could use some gas money for all these traveling adventures!

So there it is... what I've been doing, what I'm doing now, and what I'm gonna do in the near future :D

grrr

2008-08-19T00:34:00.003-04:00

it's late and i am tired

wanted to blog

but pix refuse to work tonight

so here is my blog...

i go back to school tomorrow

so take luck, good care and have a great life.

wait school isn't death

so i'll be around

probably with even more insane posts than this one

if that is possible.

+++
why do you insist on stressing me out?!
is this just teenage drama?
is your situation as bad as you think?
choose what you want
this is your life
but i'm here... praying and worrying and hoping for the best
i love you
i'm sure your parents do too
they just don't know how to show it
try obeying them
life may turn around
but if you choose the streets, call me
i'll be here... praying and worrying and hoping for the best
i really do love you

In the Waiting

2008-08-14T00:00:00.003-04:00

Pain
The gift nobody longs for, still it comes
And somehow leaves us stronger
When it's gone away

Pray
I try and pray for Your will to be done
But I confess it's never fast enough for me

It seems
the hardest part is waiting on You
When what I really want
Is just to see Your hand move

I want a peace beyond my understanding
I want to feel it fall like rain
In the middle of my hurting
I want to feel Your arms as they surround me
And let me know that it's okay
To be here in this place
Resting in the peace that only comes
In the waiting

Time
Time to let it go and just believe
Trusting in what no one else but You can see

Free
Freedom from the fears that close me in
When I can't get beyond where I have been, but then

Again
The silence doesn't mean that I'm alone
As long as I can hear
That I am still Your own

~Greg Long

This has been my song for the last couple weeks and I wanted to share it. I have tried to get the music on here for it... but none of my options have worked so far. Oh, well. Enjoy the lyrics

Pix

2008-08-13T19:58:00.002-04:00

I am too lazy to upload pix on here... so here is a link to the whole album. With very random annoying captions :P lol. Well, at least you can experience a small taste of NewMexico through my eyes.

New Mexico 2008

I went for a walk...

2008-08-10T15:58:00.004-04:00

...alone last night. My senses were at peak. Many memories and random thoughts flooded my mind.

nose at work...

woodsmoke ~ camping in NM mountains

smelling mildew from the outside of someone's house ~ I can only imagine my allergies if I were to step inside their house!

freshly cut grass ~ my first time mowing lawn as a kid

lilacs ~ Susan's bushes that we played under everyday of the summer growing up

swampy water ~ an outing my HS Senior class took to a river

cigarette smoke ~ attending hundreds of wakes on Rosebud Rez

eyes at work...

moon ~ wherever you are you see the moon and it makes me feel closer to you

aquarium through a window ~ wiped a dry tear in memory of dear Zippy

swingset ~ 4 years old and playing with Kimberly and Emily in SC

padiddle ~ fun memories of my friend Clarissa ;)

cracked sidewalk ~ my ocd tendencies... i suddenly was very aware of my steps

I am very blessed. I have a good life. Thank you, God.

"Trials they come and friends they may go. All that matters is you, my Lord." ~ Rebecca St. James

brief reminiscence

2008-08-04T16:52:00.005-04:00

These crosses are on the mesa by the Rock Springs Church. I love the sunset behind them and got this pic with my cell phone.

I made it home yesterday exhausted physically AND mentally/emotionally. I crashed into my bed and was shocked to wake up 18 hours later! I knew I was tired, but wow! I didn't realize I was THAT tired haha.

It is really hard to summarize everything that happened in two weeks into one semi-bearably-long post :) There will probably be multiple posts with more random bits as I have time and my memory recalls events. I managed to forget my photo card from my camera in NM so I will not have any pictures to post for awhile. But hopefully I will get it back soon.

There were times of goofy fun, hard work, and powerful ministry. I was overwhelmed with sadness to find out that two of 'our girls' from camp last year both have a baby now. One of them is 17 now and the other girl is just getting ready to turn 15! This gave me even more determination to make a difference in the lives that I could this year. It is so sad what hurting, lost people will do to try to make themselves happy, or to get money. If you think of it, please help me pray for these people. The teens all really need consistentancy in their life and they need someone to truly love them and be there for them. I am hoping to be part of that consistency by keeping contact and writing throughout the year.

Aside from the people, one of the biggest things I already miss is the weather and sky!!! It is amazing! Out there the altitude is higher, the sky is cleaner, the weather is drier! The stars at night are awesome. Almost every night I saw at least 2 shooting stars and a satellite. As soon as I stepped out of the airport yesterday I sighed and longed for some dry air. lol. It is going to take awhile to get used to the muggy humidity again!

Well, I need to close for now. There are a lot of things to be done. My lil sis is getting married in 4 days! I'll be around here somewhere and hopefully posting pix soon :)

work, camp, and working at camp

2008-07-17T17:46:00.004-04:00

Yesterday was my last day at work, and I can't help but smile about it! I was thankful to have a job, don't get me wrong. But these smelly piles are not what I want to spend the rest of my life with. lol

There are some parts of the job I will miss though!! Like talking to my friends that I made there. Here is my bud, Ed, and me :)

...on my way home... last time to wear the scrubs :)

+++

Packing today for my trip to New Mexico! I think I am almost done with everything. Blogging was on my list of things to do today. I am sad that Keep Youth Camp and Mode Camp overlap each other. I've been to Mode every single year of my life but one :-/ I'm hoping to make it back in time for at least the last service.

Last night we were up at camp working and cleaning. Since I will miss camp I wore my (very dirty from working) Mode shirt last night to show 'team spirit' :)

I love these girls!!

the adults weren't the only ones working ;)

oh the the guys were working too :P

well, I should get back to packing... actually I should probably stop soon or I won't be able to fit things in my bag! :-/ I am leaving tomorrow afternoon and will be out in the boondocks with no blogger, facebook, email, texting, etc. (oh and I will be totally fine btw.. for those of you who worry about my well being lol) So long for now. Please pray for me as you think of it.

feelings

2008-07-07T12:05:00.003-04:00

so happy i finally finished my independent study homework last week and put it in the mail this morning :)
+++
ecstatic that i turned in my two weeks notice at work... which means i will soon be on my way to NM for two weeks!!
+++
bittersweet that when i get back from my trip that my lil sis is getting married.
+++
and i don't want to think about life after that....

scary student teaching and the end of life as i know it.

kinda excited that i will be finally finished with college... but not knowing the next step... yeah i need to think about something else for awhile. lol
+++
overwhelmed because between now and July 18 i have 6 bolero jackets to sew, t-shirts to alter, and skirts to make/fix
+++
glad i have the day off today and i'm gonna go start on all this :D

summer life

2008-06-18T18:20:00.004-04:00

I have had many different things happen recently that I thought... "I should blog that." But days later, I cannot remember what it is that I should have blogged. Here are a few that stand out fresher in my memory.
~~~
I have been reading Oswald Chambers. Last week this particular quote stood out to me and the idea has been fresh on my mind every day since.

"The routine of life is actually God's way of saving us between our times of great inspiration which come from Him. Don't always expect God to give you His thrilling moments, but learn to live in those common times of the drudgery of life by the power of God."

This goes along with my next ramble... Twice yesterday I was told to "make it a great day". And I actually had a really good day. My job has been a rough adjustment for me. The work is overwhelming and I feel pressured to constantly rush. This tends to make me grumpy and I get a bad attitude.

Throughout the day, when something would go wrong, "make it a great day" would come to mind; it was helpful to me :)

Slowly but surely I am becoming faster (almost sounds like an oxy-moron) with my work. I can now fold a 40lb. load of sheets in 15 minutes, and a 45lb. load of bed pads in about 8 minutes. And today I managed to do one more load than I had the day before... 15!

Needless to say, when I come home the LAST thing I want to do is laundry!! :P

~~~

I got a summons for jury duty the other day. I always thought that would be a cool experience, but was never summoned before. Well, I got it in the mail. They want me to serve on jury duty for a year! .... in Montana!! What in the world?! I have not lived there in 4 years!! LOL It made me laugh, now I have to still fill out the paper work and send it in with my new address and information, thus proving I have a reasonable excuse for requesting exemption.

~~~

I just got off of the phone a few minutes ago with the library. I just renewed a book for the second time. I don't know when it has taken me this long to read a novel! I am the type of reader who picks up a book and 4-5 hours later it is complete. Well, this one is a little longer... but still!!

I have stepped out of my box of familiar genre so to speak. A friend encouraged me to read one of her favorite books, Eragon. I did, and really enjoyed it. I am now reading the sequel, Eldest. It is the first time I have read any fantasy type books. I think these would be comparable in style to the Lord of the Rings or Chronicles. Hopefully, I will find the time to complete it soon. I think a third is now being written and will soon be printed, maybe I will finish it by then lol.

~~~

My brother, Ben, who is in the Air Force, surprised everyone and came home for a visit. He will be here for a week :D It is such a happy thing!! I am glad I have at least 2 days off work while he is home.

~~~

I am surprised (probably shouldn't be lol) this post has ended up being this long. I must stop now and get ready for church, among other things.

Happy Fathers' Day!

2008-06-15T22:26:00.003-04:00

I have been very privileged to have such an awesome Dad. My Dad has always been there for me! And I have so many great memories!

Thank you, Dad, for being the best possible father to me!! I love you so soo much!
~punkin

I am sad that I do not have my own computer with all my pictures, but I did find this one to post.

work

2008-06-07T21:56:00.003-04:00

I got a job. Whoohoo! Well, before you get too excited for me... it is one of those bearable ones that bring in some money :) definitely not my first pick. I survived two days of training and will be on my own starting Monday. I think once I get used to the smell and build some muscles in my arms I might possibly actually maybe enjoy it ;) we'll see. Here are a few pictures I took on my cell phone.

The worst part is sorting the dirty laundry

and loading it into the washers

after it is clean, it is just a lot of physical labor

Wet clothes can be very heavy!!! And hot sheets really burn your hands!

All of this takes place at Doctor's Nursing Home :D (My sis, Rhoda, is a CNA here and was able to let me know about the opening and put in a good word for me.) Aside from sorting, washing, drying, and folding I also get to pick up dirty laundry from each of four halls 4+ times a day and then deliver each of the loads to their clean linen closets. Hopefully I will be able to complete the expected 17 or 18 loads. It was easy to do that many with two of us working together... but we'll see :)

Well, I must share the computer, I have been informed that I have been online a LONG time, and I have a sibling waiting for a turn ;)

tons of pix!!

2008-05-30T23:39:00.011-04:00

Hello! Since it has been so long, I thought I had better remind you of who I am and what I look like. Do you like the nice bright white forehead? yeah, me too! Well, I am still alive and am enjoying my summer.

My sis, Anna, let me use her camera... so here are a ton of scary, odd, fun, and whatever adjective you want to insert here... pictures. I did not feel like dragging them around and yelling at the computer and messing stuff up, so they are in very scattered order. Yes, I am relaxing from my ocdness that I often get tagged with, it must come with the summer thing. :)

Tab just had surgery on her foot, and is incapacitated for the next several weeks :( poor thing. She is definitely getting a lot of attention! Although I am sure the pain overrides that feeling of joy.

my mom also had to go for surgery this week... our living room is a hospital with beds, pillows, meds, and anything imaginable, laying everywhere!! my dad is giving meds to mom before leaving for work

Rhoda working on wedding invitations (you rarely see her without her scrubs... she works constantly!)

one of those lighter non-working moments with Josh umm... not sure if it's a race or what?!!

Wallace and Winona... they only look cute.. well maybe they are okay, but are sometimes annoying!

Anna and me... here we are with our beautiful white foreheads. What's with the goofy flash?!

and with Tim... notice how he towers over me. i am sadly the shortest in the family. even Josh is taller now and he is only 11 years old! *sigh

my dear friend, amanda, it is so great having her near all summer!

we had a fun volleyball night ... here Dorinda and I are cheesing it and enjoying life

and with Carma... k definitely laughing about something!

Amanda and Kim discussing the answers to all of life's problems... 'hey just relax and play ball!' lol they did lots of that :)

here is my little corner for the summer. i like having my friends near sight and mind. :) i love, miss, and pray for ya all!! the sticky tack is working so far to hold you up LOL

my bed not too exciting but fairly comfy

poor Teddy spends all day up there alone

Anna took this one of me while i was blogging all the others... so i decided to tag it to the end.

I hope everybody is having a great summer! Leave me comments :) I am around here somewhere until the next time. :D oh and btw... yes, i am wearing the same outfit in all the pix... that is because most of them were taken today. but if you choose not to believe that and think i have not changed or showered since i have been home... well believe what you want lol :P

well it is bedtime... but you probably already had that figured out judging by my writing style. yes, i am tired but a lil wound up. :) laterz

dumb

2008-05-24T03:03:00.002-04:00

You don't even have to read this unless you are extremely bored; I wanted to update but was too tired to write, so here are some....

Completely Random Questions:

What's your favorite sports drink? Don't really like gatorade type drinks... so I guess water

Do you wear sunglasses while driving? yes

Look to your left. Name the first thing you see. freezer (boring)

What ink cartridge does your printer take? i don't have a printer

Last magazine you read. Can't remember

Last phone call: mom... 15 seconds... got bacon out of freezer for her :)

Favorite kind of potato chips? Sun Chips

At around 3:00 PM yesterday you were doing what: sewing :)

How many burned CDs do you have? not many... a couple that someone gave me

Cereal you couldn't live without? cinnamon life, lucky charms

What's the one thing you couldn't afford to leave behind? cell phone

Ever gone bungee jumping? nope

How about jumping on a trampoline? of course

Do you still live with your parents? when i'm not in college

Temperature outside? 59 degrees

Ever read a motivational book? yes

What kind of toothpaste do you use? aquafresh or anything good i can get my hands on

Best pizza place in town? hmmm dominoes is okay

How many friends on your Facebook list? too many lol 254

How many of those do you know personally? hmm... idk probably 200+

Ever stomped on an ant and felt like godzilla? not really

Best computer game is? solitaire

If you had 24 hours to live, what would you do? spend time with my favorite friends and family.

Last book you read? Eragon

Was it any good or was it terrible? stepping out of my box... but i liked it

Coke or Pepsi? neither... Dr. Pepper

How bad are your allergies? not too bad

How many pairs of socks do you own? umm no idea... maybe 23?

How does this survey compare to others that you've taken? haven't taken many cuz they are all goofy... this one is no exception

I am going to bed now.

home sweet home

2008-05-20T16:51:00.003-04:00

I made it home last night, and have had a relaxing day so far today. I wanted to just get on here real quickly and say hello. The family computer is a busy one... so we'll see how often I will get a chance to blog.

It is hard to concentrate and collect my thoughts when the house is full of chatter boxes... still getting used to having more than one roommate again ;) But in the mean time, hope this is at least somewhat 'legible' lol and not too insane!
(Laura, I know for sure that no matter what time of day, how many people are around, or where I am blogging, my posts will never be as English correct as yours. lol I know what the rules are... but my blog is one place I do not follow them!) :)

Well, much excitement to my friends who I am looking forward to seeing... and many wonderful memories of my friends that I already miss from school. Have a great summer!

Happy Mothers Day!!

2008-05-11T16:05:00.000-04:00

To the greatest Mom in the world!!

here she is with her favorite dog, Sir Wallace

musical memories :)

yes, she had us all!

and still does :)

this is my favorite pic of me and my mom
(i debated not posting it... but hey, I was just a lil kid, right?! lol)

Thank you, Mom, for everything! You are the best! I am sorry I could not be there to celebrate with you! I will be home soon! I hope today was very special!
I LOVE YOU!!!
~Esther Faye

my day as of 3:30pm

2008-05-08T14:22:00.003-04:00

I'm sitting at work and it is really quiet... nothing to do right now. Then the moment I open this page to blog, the phone rings, someone pops up on the instant messenger and another person walks up to desk talking to me. Isn't life just insanely odd sometimes?! lol

Anyhow, I am going to attempt a post, and hopefully the flow and readability will not be too greatly hindered :)

I am in a very cheery mood today. I am actually wearing orange, which is a color I do not wear often at all (I am not even certain I own any orange clothes). I borrowed my roommates shirt this morning. So there is an odd piece of news for you. I am not certain if it has subconsciously lent itself to my perky outlook or if this would have been a happy day all on its own, orange or not.

I started the day with Starbucks at 6am and studied for my Math final. I headed back to school then and was prepared to go to my class at 8am. The crazy exam schedule still has not seared itself in my brain very well, even after 5 years of GBS! I soon realized that indeed my test was not until 9:35. So I got another hour and half of studying and a bagel w/ cream cheese.

Both final exams, Math Concepts & Applications and Principles of the Christian Life II, went smoothly, and were even a little easier than I expected. I got my good passing grade already for Principles and am fairly confident about Math as well.

Even happier than that is the fact that these two finals were/are my ONLY final tests!! I have to finish my Independent Study for OT and finish some other projects for another class, but my tests are done for this semester. It is such a relief!

+++
one more random fact then I am wrapping this up :)

Some day when I am married and have kids (yeah, I say it like I assume it will be in the future somewhere) I have decided that I will do all my grocery shopping at 5am. The kids will still be sleeping, the roads are mostly empty, and the grocery store is mostly empty, except for the shelf-stockers. Which only means that you will be purchasing fresh, or at least fresher food.

Well, it is a good thought anyhow, we'll see if it takes form millions of years down the road ;)

Broken yet defined

2008-05-06T14:49:00.002-04:00

I cannot live life as an island. But I am thankful that I have a Savior and He is what defines me!

Broken

I'm just a well dressed wreck
I'm just a made up mess
Working hard trying to keep everybody impressed
All the while I'm falling apart on the inside

I look around to see
Is anyone like me?
First glance tells me I'm all alone in the sea
Then I look again a little deeper

And we're all in the same boat
We all just need to know

We're all broken
We're all broken
And we all need a Savior
Broken
We're all broken
And we all need a Savior

'Cause we're all broken

This is a fool's parade
The way we masquerade
Trying to make everybody think it's all okay
When the truth is we're all living a story

What if we all got brave?
Enough to take away
All we're hiding behind even just for a day
And let the scars show even a little

But I know the honesty
Will show us all to be

Broken
We're all broken
And we all need a Savior
Broken
We're all broken
And we all need a Savior

We don't have to pretend about it
We don't have to keep acting like we're all okay
If we lift our eyes to the cross
We'll see the reality

That we're all... broken
And we all have a Savior
Broken
We're all broken
And we all need a Savior
Broken
We're all broken
And we all need a Savior
We all have a Savior
We all need Jesus

~Steven Curtis Chapman

and here is the chorus for another:

Definition of Me
It is Your love that defines me
And Your love that reminds me
It's not what I do
This life I live You have given
And in You I am hidden
This is what I know is true
That the, definition of me is You

year #1

2008-05-04T22:47:00.000-04:00

wow! i just realized it has officially been a year since i started blogging. I am not even certain i can really call it that, seeing that this is only post #69!! LOL But I guess maybe 'blog' is one of those words relative to each person... you make it what you want.. you make it you.
Well, this is me, whether it interests you or not :)There have actually been a TON of things going on lately and other ideas and thoughts i have considered posting, but the time does not seem right. I am sleepy and when I'm sleepy the ramblings are multiplied by 8 with an added dose of un-clarity lol.
I hope you have a great night, and a good start to another week! I'm around here somewhere. :D

Freedom

2008-05-01T20:55:00.000-04:00

Today GBS participated in activities for National Day of Prayer downtown in front of the courthouse. There was a mass exodus of black and blue suits filing off our bus and mingling with the people on the street and steps of courthouse. I played with the band, and the choir also sang. It was a fun experience, but more than that it really gave me something to think about and be thankful for.

I was thrilled when we first pulled up next to the courthouse to realize that inscribed in the stone structure on each side was a quote about justice and included God. They (whoever "they" are) have not been able to take everything away! We also pledged allegiance to the flag, and many people prayed for various leaders, our government, schools and more.

One of our guys sang the solo for the song That's Him. The music was so beautiful and the lyrics almost made me cry! It is so amazing and wonderful that we could stand outside on the steps of the courthouse and proclaim and sing about Jesus and what He has done for us. He is Sharon's rose, He's Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End!

I am so thankful to live in a free country where we don't have to hide our relationship with God and can pray and praise Him in public!

Mondays can be rough!

2008-04-28T20:53:00.007-04:00

Garfield makes me laugh!! I want to post a few I found today that are very appropriate!

Here's to Monday...

and what seems to be a constant reminder to be healthy and get in shape while hopefully shedding a few inches/pounds! After all, Sunday is always the day to enjoy the special extras, like dessert, right?!

Here I am looking for energy to do homework :)

No comment... if you know me well enough this will make you smile.

This is how I felt this morning, trying to get out of bed.
Somehow the coffee a lil later really helped to brighten the day!

I will have to keep looking I am sure I have seen a whole bunch of other Monday comics that I really loved. But I should probably go do homework, or head to bed so that I can get up in the morning!

photo update... hopefully more to come!

2008-04-21T11:13:00.004-04:00

Sisters next time, Tab :)

good friends

a lil blurry but too good to pass up!

fun times :)

all dressed up for concert

too much fun in the mall

on the way back from church

taking snack attack orders hehehe you know you love me!

making memories, enjoying life

2008-04-14T22:05:00.005-04:00

just wanna say hi...

yes i'm still alive,

been kinda sick, but getting better,

school is crazy with homework piling and IHC and VIP day etc. etc.

have had many fun times recently....

bridal shower
DonPablos for only $4.04 (oh yeah! couldn't make it happen again if we tried!!!)
mall window shopping
alien crashes (don't ask)
Kroger experiences
books and coffee

I have been more consciously thankful for my friends lately, I have some very wonderful ones! laughing, crying, talking, texting, smiling, sharing, being extremely retarded, going odd places at odd hours of the day, the list could go on! You know who you are... I love you guys!!! Thanks for being there and sharing life :) You mean so much!!

I am so excited...

2008-04-06T18:12:00.004-04:00

...to be going back again this summer!!!

Through a bus window...

2008-04-02T13:39:00.003-04:00

millions of trees.... some naked, some full of green, some budding fresh life

trash on the side of the road

farmhouses and cows

construction and orange trucks

beautiful sky, clouds, and plane tails

fellow travelers

rugged train tracks winding through the hills

toll booths and turnpikes

amazing fog

mile long tunnels

red dirt and red fields

rumble strips

rushing rivers and winding streams

speed limit signs

thick mysterious forests

A Get to Know You Game

2008-04-02T12:32:00.005-04:00

Let's see...rules first.

Each player answers the questions about herself.
At the end of the post, the player then tags 5 people and posts their names, then goes to each blog to leave a comment, saying "you've been tagged, come to my blog to read the details."

What I was doing 10 years ago: Wow I was nearing 14 years old and enjoying life. My family still lived in South Dakota; this time of the year I would have been busy being home schooled and doing many other 'normal' things that filled our time on the mission field.

Five things on my to-do list today:
1. sleep in! was up until 3am (completed lol)
2. unpack from band tour :(
3. homework
4. blog (besides this one)
5. enjoy the awesome warm weather

Snacks that I enjoy:
Well, at the moment I am eating my lunch of beef jerky :) Popcorn is my all-time favorite snack, also some occasional chocolate!!

Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
1. Travel around the world
2. Put some of my native friends through a Christian school
3. Buy a car, so I can quit bumming everyone else's

Three of my bad habits:
1. Hitting the snooze
2. Spending too much time online
3. Not calling home often enough

Five Places I have Lived:
1. Both Carolinas
2. Alabama
3. South Dakota
4. Montana
5. Ohio (college)

Five jobs that I have had:
1. Sewing at BJM
2. Making rocking chairs at S&S
3. GBS Facilities Receptionist
4. Babysitting
5. Cleaning

Five people I want to know more about (A nice way to say TAG!)....
1. Sarah
2. LadyAnne
3. Elisabeth
4. Kim
5. Rhoda

random goodbye

2008-03-28T12:05:00.003-04:00

Ha! I found one!

Well I am leaving for Band tour this afternoon, just saying hey real quick and I'll be back sometime, maybe. ;D Come see/hear us if you're close!

SWSE Spring Tour

March 28 - Friday - 7:00 PM
Southcentral Ohio GBS Rally
Peebles Church of Christ in Christian Union
480 Portsmouth Rd.
Peebles, OH 45660
Rev. Dave Hopkins, Pastor
937-587-5758

March 29 - Saturday - 7:00 PM
Fort Mill Church of the Nazarene
Harris St. and South Hwy. 21 Bus.
Ft. Mill, SC
Rev. Aubrey Smith
803-548-4633

March 30 - Sunday - 10:30 AM
Faith Community Chapel
345 Faith Chapel Rd.
Thomasville, NC
Rev. Michael Wetherald
336-472-6881

March 30 - Sunday - 6:00 PM
Parkway House of Prayer
3230 King Street
Roanoke, VA 24012
Rev. Jeff Keaton, Pastor
540-982-0115

March 31 - Monday - 7:00 PM
Archdale Pilgrim Holiness Church
431 Aldridge Rd.
Archdale, NC 27263
Rev. Benjamin Crawford, Pastor
336-431-6151

April 1 - Tuesday - 7:00 PM
Grace Church of the Nazarene
499 Second Ave.
South Charleston, WV 25303
304-744-2838 or 304-395-2838
Pastor Chuck Goddard

Well after this very random post (if it is even worthy of the title) I must go :)

catching up

2008-03-26T13:26:00.011-04:00

Okay so I have avoided blogging because there is so much I want to write, and I am behind. Now, I just keep getting further and further behind. *sigh* So here is something and a little of everything :)

A few weeks ago I went to possibly my favorite concert ever!
thanks for pix ladyanne

Magnificent Obsession
Lord, You know how much
I want to know so much
In the way of answers and explanations
I have cried and prayed
And still I seem to stay
In the middle of life’s complications
All this pursuing leaves me feeling
like I’m chasing down the wind
But now it’s brought me back to You
And I can see again

This is everything I want
This is everything I need
I want this to be my one consuming passion
Everything my heart desires
Lord, I want it all to be for You, Jesus
Be my magnificent obsession

So capture my heart again
Take me to depths I’ve never been
Into the riches of Your grace and Your mercy
Return me to the cross
And let me be completely lost
In the wonder of the love
That You’ve shown me
Cut through these chains that tie
me down to so many lesser things
Let all my dreams fall to the ground
Until this one remains

You are everything I want
And You are everything I need
Lord, You are all my heart desires
You are everything to me

You are everything I want
You are everything I need
I want You to be my one consuming passion
Everything my heart desires
Lord, I want it all to be for You
I want it all to be for You

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Some funky things have been done to my hair lately! I helped out with an alumni banquet here at school and modeled an antiquated hairstyle. I did not want to post pic of myself only, because it is so goofy and embarrassing but some unnamed person lost pix of the other girls. Maybe they will still show up eventually:) this one is grainy from my cell phone

I also got either brave or stupid and am trying something new:)

Well, there is more more more in my head, but enough for now!

Banquet

2008-03-12T23:50:00.009-04:00

I am tired and it is late, but it seems often that is when my blogging takes place. Here is a quick update that has the potential to be a long update. :)

Tonight was our Jr./Sr. banquet combined with Winter banquet. It was a lot of fun. I wanted to go since it is my last one. (who knows where i will be next spring). So I dragged my awesome roommate to go with me. It was kinda cool that our dresses matched so well, and we did not plan it!

Going back many hours and even a few days before this evenings activities..... I was very busy sewing, sewing and sewing in preparation. I made 3 bolero jackets, made a dress at least two sizes smaller, hemmed a pair of pants, made a matching purse for one of the jackets, hemmed my own dress, and sewed several other small alterations. I was extremely overwhelmed at times, but enjoyed it as well. And I was able to make some extra money, which is always helpful! Today I fixed my hair along with 5 other girls. It was a lot of fun, we used lots of curlers and gel! Here are a few heads ;)

Well, I have to keep reminding myself that today is not Friday, and I cannot sleep in tomorrow :( It seems like Friday! It really seems like Friday! AAHH! But I DO have class in the morning. Well, now that the excitement of dressing up and going out is over, tomorrow I have to start back to the long neglected homework. In the meantime, here are a few more pix of my friends and me.

Goodnight, my friends!

Signature

2008-03-11T14:44:00.003-04:00

So excited, finally got one that I like and works. Thanks for the idea, Laura, I had never thought of getting one or knew it was possible on blogspot. I think it is kinda big though. grr I've messed with it enough already.

Happy Mothers Day!!

2008-03-11T14:33:00.001-04:00

To the greatest Mom in the world!!

here is the dear with her favorite dog, Sir Wallace

great musical memories :)

yes she had every one of us!

and still does :)

and this is one of my favorite pix of me and my mom
(i debated posting it... but hey, i was just a lil kid, right?! lol)

Thank you so much, Momma, for everything! You are the best! Sorry I could not be there to celebrate with you today! I hope your day has been special!
I LOVE YOU!!!

back to the grind... of fun stuff

2008-03-04T00:46:00.003-05:00

well, i am back to school. today was the perfect day. i woke feeling rested but didn't sleep the entire day away! ran some errands, spent time with a long-lost friend (well lost for 10 days during break lol) including time at FirstWatch~so yummy, and the Observatory, well at least that is what i said at least 6 times today, it was actually the Conservatory, and the weather was so wonderful, warm with a breeze, and my roommates convertible to top it all off!! :)

then i actually did work and some homework. it is back to school for me for awhile.

oh, by the way... in case you read my friend's blog with similar but very differing so called facts don't believe it all! the PO is a chain right? and FW too? ;) ;)

life is constantly changing...

2008-02-26T20:44:00.003-05:00

It is amazing how quickly time flies! Wait, isn't that what old people say? I am scaring myself! AAHHH!! I seriously cannot believe that it is February 2008! As a child, I was certain that I would never see HS Graduation, because Jesus would come back before then. (I graduated 2002) Well, here I am. :)

I have been home for almost a week now. Our 'new' home. It is crazy the changes our family has had over the last couple of weeks, wait, no, over the last couple of years. Our current residence is back in town and is a smaller house that helps with the bills. Everyone is very close. Literally.

Although, I was surprised to find that there are a few hiding spots in this little house. Earlier this evening I snuck into my siblings bedroom to escape for a few moments and was tickled to hear my younger brother asking repeatedly where I was. I decided to play along and kept very still. He came and left the room several times, once to put on his coat and shoes, without ever seeing me. He was looking outside, checking the front porch, laundry baskets, etc, etc, I laughed so hard when he finally found me, tight up against the wall on the top bunk hiding beneath his stuffed animals.

Well, back to the closeness. I am incredibly thankful for a close family. The reason we are close to one another probably has a lot to do with the literal closeness we have always had living in small homes. It makes it all the harder when change comes and pulls us apart. First the military pulled Ben miles away. Now, Rhoda is changing her name, which changes some of the family connections but by adding rather than taking away. My parents are glad that the almost-new couple will be living nearby.

+++

While home for 'break' I am relaxing AND working! It is nice to have a job anytime I am home. It helps so much! I am surprised to have typed this much.... I have a bandaid on three of my fingertips. Today I was sanding smaller seat slats and, of course, gloves TOTALLY get in the way ;) So when one of them flipped out of my hand and went flying, (this happens occasionally) my hand responded to gravity and bumped the sander. Only a tiny bit of blood, a few bandaids, and I continued working until time to leave.

Anyhow, there is a little excitement for today. Until next time.... :)

Congratulations!

2008-02-21T13:10:00.003-05:00

to my beautiful sister and Josh

I met up with them after he popped the question and took these pictures. LadyAnne did such a wonderful job of putting them together in this collage! Oh my goodness, it is so exciting! This is the first wedding for our family and it is going to be so much fun planning. I am happy for ya, Rhoda! I love you both!

MENC experiences

2008-02-15T09:18:00.004-05:00

consider yourself warned.... I feel another long one coming on! :) I thought you all needed something (someone, rather) to laugh at!

Last week Music Educators National Convention was taking place downtown. I paid last semester to become a member and needed to pay a registration fee this semester, but was scraping the bottom of the bucket. Up until just a few days before, I was still uncertain if I would get to go. I am thankful that God worked it out; He provided a few sewing projects and some babysitting opportunities so that I had just enough money to go.

It was an enjoyable time of learning new things. I went to several sessions that were very helpful and I also experienced a variety concerts. There was a steel drum band that played a couple songs for one lecture; it was so cool! I had never seen any but in pictures, so it was awesome to watch and listen to them. The group of home-school kids really seemed to enjoy themselves as they played!

I also had my first experience of live jazz music. I have never listened to that style much and enjoyed the little taste of Brazilian Jazz that they performed. A few of the other things I attended include an a Capella ensemble, All-Star brass band, Cincinnati children's preparatory choir and H.S. percussion ensemble.

Among all the happy experiences at MENC, I also had some excitement. I was supposed to ride with a different group back to school, because my ride there had to leave early. Well, that would have been fine and dandy IF my phone battery had not died. I wandered around hoping to bump into someone I knew, unsure of when they were leaving or where they were meeting. Out of the hundreds of people there and the three separate buildings everyone was scattered between, I was not successful and felt it necessary to make a phone call to try to connect with someone. I did not want to spend the night in the hallways of the Convention Center and did not have the money to stay in the Millennium OR the Hyatt Hotel.

I found a pay phone, then realized I had no change and no calling card. I did have my debit card (which at the time I had $1.05 in my account because I had not deposited the rest of my babysitting money) and among the many numbers and advertisements on the face of the phone there was one stating you could purchase 3 minutes of long-distance calling for $1 with credit/debit card. So I breathed a sigh of relief and punched in the numbers to call LadyAnne.

Since the day of cell phones and speed dial it is not often that I have occasion to memorize phone numbers. But thankfully because of texting so often, I had hers in my head.

We spoke quickly for about a minute and a half, and I got off the phone relieved because she was going to contact 'my group' to tell them where to meet me and remind them not to leave me.

Well, unfortunately that is not the end of the story. When I got back to the dorm that night, I got online to check my 5/3 account. I was hoping there were not a lot of taxes that would go over a dollar. I was very shocked to see a debit was taken out for $15! After breathing deeply and counting to ten ;) I got a deposit slip ready for the bank. Since I was going to be at MENC again the next day, I found a friend to go to the bank for me.

Okay, so sigh of relief right? Well, not exactly! Who wants to pay 15 bucks for a 2 minute call? The next evening I got online again to be sure my deposit went through and everything was clear, and saw ANOTHER debit taken out for $23.73 from the same company! Fifteen was starting to look good at this point. Forty was not! I called the bank and put a block on my card then made another trip to the bank with a deposit. Aahh! Who are these people? And why are they doing this to me?

Once the transactions went through it turned out that only (I say that lightly) the $23.73 went through and the $15 disappeared. I am currently waiting for my 'dispute' to clear and will hopefully get some money back. I guess we all live and learn, huh?! I will NOT be using my debit card for any more phone calls or the like! Next time I will sleep in the hallway! (or just be certain my phone is completely charged ahead of time)

Vine Street

2008-02-03T17:04:00.000-05:00

That street name probably means many things, to many different people. I am sure Cincinnati is not the only city with such a title. Even in Cincy, I am sure people have varying expectations, feelings, or memories associated with it. With a few of GBS college students there is no exception.

I am the leader of the Sunday afternoon Kids Klub on Vine Street. I love teaching the kids about God and planting seeds from the Bible in their hearts and minds. I have a good crew of fellow college students who help out tremendously. As with any mission-type ministry, there is often a big turn-over of congregation. Many families are in and out of that area and it is hard to establish long-term relationships with the children. We have taught anywhere from 2 children on one Sunday to 18 children another Sunday.

The last several weeks have been on the low end, and I began sensing a bit of discouragement from some of the workers. It is difficult to feel needed and helpful in a ministry when there is a 4:12 ratio of children to workers!

Although I must say, I am of the belief that in the long run it is better to have truly helped 1 or 2 really find God and grow, than to have had fun trying to corral and teach 20. And it is encouraging that the same 4 have been coming steadily for the last month! But today before we left to pick up kids, we asked God to allow us more children to minister to. I was so happy when we had 9 today! Thank God for answered prayer! I believe it was the boost we all needed to want to keep going. They may not all return next Sunday, but we will continue knocking on their doors each week.

There are other things that take place on Vine Street which cause equal passion in our hearts, but are of a completely opposite nature! Vine Street is known as part of the roughest area in Cincinnati and many drugs are dealt, alcoholism is strong and the living standards are low. These are the people that we want to reach for Christ.

Today when we arrived, directly across the street an all-to-familiar scene was taking place. The cops were there and were handling some issues. After kids klub was over and the workers were cleaning up, we had the door open because the weather was nice. I turned around just in time to see two or three men exchanging small bags for large amounts of money. I had witnessed this before but never with such closeness. If they would have taken one step they would have entered our chapel! I slowly closed the door, not wanting to draw attention or appear rude. We did not want any trouble!

It is heartbreaking to see the sin that has these people so messed up! I came away today with a new determination to keep on! We must do our part to bring people to God. I love those kids and hope to make a difference in their lives. Hopefully they will not be in the same state of life as their parents, aunts, and uncles when they reach adulthood and even their teens.

I should mention one more thing involving Vine Street. Yes, it is dirty, drug-infested, and dangerous. But God has protected us and put a hedge around our chapel. The sin is all-around but they see us every Sunday coming back faithfully; we have a level of respect with these people. Of course, you must be aware of the possibilities and assume common sense. Being cautious by staying in groups and keeping strong guys nearby is one sure method :)

I am thankful for this opportunity to serve God and others! And I definitely look forward to more eventful Sunday afternoons on Vine Street!

*Sigh

2008-02-02T17:39:00.000-05:00

Fighting:
blue, dejected, despondent, dismal, doleful, droopy, glum, moody, pensive

Reality:
brotherhood, friendship, joy, love, neutrality, pacification, peace, unity

When will reality show itself in complete view?
The edges are faintly seen,
only from a distance.

Balance

2008-01-29T13:44:00.000-05:00

This weekend I stayed at my sisters apartment and dog-sat for her boss while she worked for her other boss. It was a nice relaxing time. I dragged a friend along and we vegged out.

We went to a concert Saturday night. I went knowing ahead of time who would be singing, who I liked, and who would annoy me (greatly!). My expectations were fulfilled and enjoying only about a 1/3 of the concert I probably will not plan to go again next year. I did not leave the building feeling I had completely wasted those hours though and enjoyed the time spent with friends.

++

I have so many thoughts running through my head right now... I am just sitting here staring at the computer screen, not knowing where to begin. So I believe I will stop before I start. I will consider sharing at another time in another day.

One last thing... does everything in life require analyzing, balance, and best effort??

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Worlds' millionaire kissed Carla King in a magic congenial galaxy.
Happiest war one summer never miss hitchhiker Connie .

The Church's One Foundation

2008-01-21T14:07:00.000-05:00

Today was the first time I have ever conducted band. And I am still alive! I was very nervous beforehand, but was very surprised to find myself enjoying the experience once I began. There was a big difference in sound, standing in front of all the instruments as opposed to being in the very back with percussion. Having a measure of control over the dynamics and tempo was a cool feeling. I probably took it too fast because of being nervous.

Anyhow, more conducting experiences will soon be following, next Monday I have to conduct Bach's Jesu, meine Freude #1 in choir.

beautiful?

2008-01-17T15:39:00.000-05:00

I came across this clip today and had to laugh. This is our standard? Our competition for what the world calls beautiful?? I doubt that every star is given this exact treatment, and there are physically beautiful people in this world, but the principle is still the same. True beauty is not based on outward appearance nor is it based on Hollywood's criterion.

more... excitement...

2008-01-14T16:09:00.000-05:00

You can be the judge of that. Here is a little more from the very caffeinated life of a very average college student.

Statistics final ~ taken, grade yet to be received
Homework ~ not much assigned yet
Sleep ~ in decent doses
Exercise ~ little to none still getting back in the swing
Food ~ typical cafeteria meals (did eat out really good Mexican this weekend!)

The last one requires a little more discussion:
Foot/ankle ~ still swollen
After the drama on Friday I was so busy with class and work and hanging out (busy?? yeah go figure!) I never really had the chance to clean out my sores, assuming a band-aid and a little anti-biotic cream would be good enough. Saturday was actually pretty busy too. So on Sunday afternoon my explanation, "I don't have any peroxide" was not good enough, and I was soon in great pain in the hands of my,... ahem.. friend who loves me enough to cause curative pain (I only assume that's what it was).
Anyhow, the drama only heightens as I soak my foot in Epsom salt water, bandages, and tape and am forced to wear 'open' shoes for a few more days! Here are a couple of pix taken by LadyAnne with my cell phone.

gross! I cannot believe I am posting this...
but if I am gonna get babied I might as well enjoy it and share all the drama :P

glad all the damage is on top of my foot so that I can still walk somewhat normally

Well, that's it for now! :)

this is the title

2008-01-11T14:13:00.000-05:00

Since I have been back at school it seems like there are so many things going on! Some of it is great and happy and some is just mundane and even painful. Here are a few recent excitements:

This morning I was in a 'dressy' mood and wore my higher heels. I headed out the door and down the ramp for Band. Well instead of walking, I gracefully slid/fell to the ramp. That blacktop can be slippery! Ouch! It was sorta weird because it was almost like slow motion; sliding, then BANG I hit the ground.
I promptly stood up as several people walked past and headed back up to my room to change my ripped nylons. That's when I discovered the blood. I have two, perfectly round, red, swollen, spots on my foot. Quite the start to my day! I then went back to band (wearing a different pair of shoes!!), five minutes late!
++
A few hours later I received a message that I needed to go to the Business Office. For some reason, I had an immediate feeling of anxiety. "What in the world? Thought I paid my registration payment... actually, I know i did!!" I very happily discovered that my bill is paid for the entire semester and they just wanted my signature. I was expecting a small monthly payment, and was slightly worried about where the money would come from. I am so happy and so thankful that it is all taken care of!
++
I finally took my Methodist final and think I did alright. I have Statistics left to do and am slightly apprehensive of the results. I think I am prepared, but then again I have heard it is a 'bear'!! I plan to spend a couple hours in the library tomorrow doing it.

Well, there is more but this has been long enough for now! :)

few of many

2008-01-07T21:15:00.000-05:00

Just a few details about life:

got back to school today
still have two (maybe three) finals
new classes start in morning
school revival is next week
i am tired!
...not necessarily the best way to start semester, but it will all fly by. I am looking forward to new schedule and classes. Variety is good.