Walking on Sunshine

Skirt Giveaway!

2011-09-12T22:33:00.000-07:00

My favorite skirt site is having a giveaway hosted by Life in a Shoe.

New Creation Apparel is the best site for long and modest skirts. I own many skirts from this wonderful company and am more than happy with all of them.

If I win this giveaway, I would love to pick out this skirt:

7 Month Hiatus

2011-08-22T23:01:00.001-07:00

Well folks, it has been 7 months since I've last posted. Yes, I know that's an awfully long time. What can I say? Life has been BUSY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, I know most people are busy. Despite only holding 2 jobs for most of the 7 months, and not going to school anymore, I still have managed to be extremely busy. At a different point I'll have to expound, possibly share some pictures, possibly do neither.

Biggest, most important news is probably that I have a career change. At least for the moment. As my faithful readers know, I've been uncertain as to what exactly the Lord has for me to do in my future. Since you all know me quite well, marriage isn't in my near future, so what's a single lady to do? Obviously I have to pay the bills somehow, and I'd rather do it with a job I enjoy. So, since 8th grade I've been going towards the path of Occupational Therapist. I've prayed and prayed and sought advice, and nothing stopped me, so I kept at it. I graduated almost exactly a year ago in August 2010 with my Bachelor's degree with all my medical prerequisites done for Occupational Therapy. I had already applied to Grad school to start my Master of OT and found out I was on the waiting list. Well, the 2010/2011 school year came and went and no spot was made for me. In November 2010, I had to reapply for this coming Fall entry into the same school. I did everything and waited and waited to hear back. I prayed that God would give me a clear answer as to what to do next. Well, sometime in the spring I found out I did not get into Grad school. I was pretty sad, but somewhat relieved as it would have meant me moving to Tacoma for 2.5 years, which I knew would have a big impact on me spiritually.

I started volunteering at BCA in September 2010 on my one free day because one of the teachers is a friend and always asked me to come and help. I loved it! The kids were a lot of fun and it was nice to do volunteering for believers. I have volunteered a lot at the hospital and other local places, but volunteering for the Lord is always more rewarding. Then I started helping with the building of the new school building for BCA. That took up most of my free time, which is mostly why I've been so busy. It's super rewarding though. I have loved it all.

Anyways, the Learning Assistant for BCA was not going to be coming back this Fall, and the principal asked me if I would consider working at the school. I have never wanted to be a teacher, despite many people telling me it would be perfect for me. I prayed about it and still didn't see myself as a teacher, however, the Learning Assistant position is different. It is one-on-one rather than teaching a whole class. I prayed about it and talked with Brother Byskal. I accepted the position and am starting on September 6!

I'm very excited for the job. I took some training this summer for it, and did quite well. :) I've had confirmation after confirmation about the job, and for the first time in my life, I actually feel like I'm exactly where God wants me at this point in my life. Yes, it's going to be a time-consuming job and will be a bit of a challenge, but I love challenges, and I'm exited to be working with kids I have a personal connection with.

If you had asked me a year ago if I saw myself here, I would have laughed. God really started a work in November and has continued it. I have been learning to trust Him, and His people. It's a big step for me. I have been finding out how little I trusted before. God sure knows what He's doing, which I'm glad about because I'm clueless most of the time.

Despite disappointments and confusion sometimes, I keep telling myself this, "One day, I'm going to look back on this all and laugh."

Winter Camp Already?

2011-02-03T00:16:00.000-08:00

Yes, I'm still alive. :) No, this isn't the promised continued update. Yes, I'll try to do that sometime, however it's been a crazy January! How on earth does life get so busy? I don't understand it...

Well, it's that time again, yes, Winter camp!!!!! Bro. Kidri Diggs is going to be our minister again this year, and we are all in great anticipation of the amazing things God is going to do for us this weekend. We'd appreciate your prayers! God bless you! Hope your weekend is as good as mine is going to be! :)

Out With the Old Year, In With the New

2011-01-01T17:35:00.000-08:00

Every year I say this, and every year it's true, this past year, 2010, has flown by! It's funny too, because I can distinctly remember things from a year ago, and it feels like they happened just a few moments ago. It's totally crazy. Before I get into a little recap of last year though, I'd like to share this Scripture:

II Corinthians 5:17

"Therefore if any man [be] in Christ, [he is] a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. (KJV)

Therefore if any person is [ingrafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come! (Amplified)

This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! (NLT)

This Scripture means a lot to me this year. I already posted about some life-changing services in November, and I'm still holding on, or rather, God's still holding onto me. It's amazing. All things really have become new for me. I really liked those 3 translations and wanted to share them. The Bible really is powerful, especially when you look a little deeper at the words.

Looking back at 2010, I see how much I've changed, and all for the better. Actually, a little of 2009 too has shown some drastic changes in my life. The end of 2009 held some horrific, life-changing events for me that really shook me. It was traumatic, but it made me take a deeper look at my spiritual walk and realize how much I was depending on man instead of on God. It's not right to lean too much on man, even if they are spiritually stable, man will fail you, but God never will. I'm so thankful for all God did through that tough time, and how He used the ministry at my church to keep pressing on. They never gave in or took defeat, they have been amazingly encouraging and strong. I know it's God in them, and for that I'm so thankful.

Here's my post from last year on New Year's Eve. Onto my recap of 2010:

In January 2010, I had a breakthrough in some of my ways of thinking, and that's when a lot of other things started falling into place. I still struggled spiritually, but God was so faithful. I had to apply to grad schools and that was crazy! I was volunteering at the hospital, working at the SO, working at the library, volunteering at the Camp, and going to school full time. I'm not really sure how I survived it all. I know I was crazy. :) A friend got married, and that is about all I can remember from then. Nothing much to speak of in the way of pictures.

February 2010 was also busy. I wrote a little bit about it here. My cousin's 16th birthday happened, and that was a lot of fun. That's all I can remember from then also.

March 2010 was Winter camp! Also, the end of Winter Quarter. It was also the month I finally got rid of my Facebook! I decided in December to do it, but was too busy to actually do so. The first day before going up to camp, I deleted it and haven't looked back. :) I do miss seeing pics and keeping up with people, but overall, it's been a blessing. Less to worry about and less to take up my time. I don't know how I had the time to even check it.I was averaging about 3.5 hours of sleep a night for a while. I honestly don't know how I survived Winter Quarter. Spring Break was much needed for me! Also, Winter camp is when God really started to move on me. I gave up some things and was filled with the Holy Ghost. I had such a peace about it, and God was continuing the work.

April was beautiful, awesome weather! Actually, we had a very mild winter last year, and a very early spring. I got beautiful pics of the Tulip Festival and fun with friends. Spring quarter was much better than Winter quarter. I was almost also done with school! I had heard back from the grad schools I applied to, and was on the waiting list for one of them. I remember praying a lot and fully expecting to be going to school in the fall for OT. Funny, I'm in the same place this year. Some things haven't quite changed, although I'm ready for them to!

May was busy! My "little" brother was getting ready to graduate from high school. He had his last concert and some other lasts. I was wrapping up classes and getting ready for sunshine!

June was busy. Am I repeating myself? Probably. Life is busy! My brother graduated, I finished my last Spring Quarter at WWU, and started my final quarter there. I have pictures from all these events, but we shall see if I post them. I did post a few throughout the year, so you can go back and look if you feel led. I also wrapped up my first year of helping with Sunday school. That was a lot of fun! I love the kids and I had a great time getting to know them and help out in an area that needed it. I had a further spiritual breakthrough that I posted about here. That was kind of a theme last year for me, the year of spiritual breakthroughs. It was definitely the most memorable part. I had one class in June-July and volunteered at the camp and at the hospital. I also had my last day working at the SO. That was a bit sad. I wrote a bit of an update here.

July was my last month of volunteering at the hospital, and most importantly the last day of school!!!! I had a lot of fun last summer. I was busy, but still had time for fun. It was much needed! I posted some good pics here from last summer. July led right into August, which was...

August 2010!!!! Summer camp!!!! One of the best parts of the whole year, at least for me. :) I thoroughly enjoyed camp! I got to be a camper again and helped out at Junior camp. Great times with friends, family and fellow believers. God moved amazingly during the services, did a lot for our whole congregation. We also had a witnessing booth at the local county fair, which was an amazing thing for me and all who got to participate. I graduated too!!! That was fun. :) My grandma passed away then too. It was tough. :( I really miss her. She used to call every day and I so miss talking to her.

By September, I had found out I was not going to be starting grad school. I was highly disappointed and not sure what to do. I needed money and a job. I was praying about it, and not really sure what to do. I started helping out at church with the witnessing projects, Message hub projects, and volunteering at the church school. I was so busy I didn't take a single photo! Plus, I had lost my camera in August. :( I still haven't gotten it back, but I did get one for my birthday in November. Anyways, I had been talking to a friend one day about what to do about my life at that moment. As I was walking away from her, I got a phone call with a job offer. I prayed about it and felt it was totally the Lord answering my prayer. It might not be a permanent job, but definitely an answer to prayer! I posted about it here. I started school with my buddy in September and continued through December. Lord willing, I'll be starting again in a few days. I've really enjoyed it, and feel I'm where God wants me at the moment. I've so enjoyed volunteering at the school too. I love the kids and love helping out. One of my friends is a teacher there, and I help mostly in her classroom. It's a highlight of my week each week.

October 2010 was yet again, extremely busy! I went to baseball game, volunteered, our refrigerator broke and we got a new one, and went on a very fun trip with a bunch of girls in Seattle. We had a fun time on Halloween after service at a lovely couple's house. I didn't get pics or anything, but it was a great time together. :)

November was eventful. :) Some friends got married, I had my birthday, went witnessing in downtown Vancouver, experienced bitterly cold weather, had a lovely Thanksgiving with friends and family, and enjoyed a rebirth. Oh, we had a concert fundraiser with the LaFontaines too. Super fun month! It's hard to believe it's over. I feel like it's still November! I updated about November in December, so here's that post.

December was crazy! I didn't have as much work, but every day was nearly jam-packed with fun and craziness. :) Some of it I talked about here too. The rest I supposed I'll post about in a separate post, as this one is way too long already!

Looking at 2010, it was an awesome year! The best parts were the amazing spiritual happenings. What was also awesome about last year was that our YP really got close. Starting around March, after Winter camp, we really connected and starting hanging out, and watching out for each other. I have so loved that about this past year. Actually, our whole congregation has grown closer. It's been amazing. Everything has worked out for the good. I've fallen in love with God all over again and have so enjoyed how fresh life is. :)

I don't make resolutions, but I do make goals.

Some goals for 2011:

Read through the entire Bible this year, following the Daily Devotion book Bro. Tim Dodd put together.
Find out what to do with my life!
Keep working on my knitting. :)
Others I'll remember later. :P

Well, I hope this post was interesting. If not for you, it was for me. I wish you all the best in 2011! May God richly bless you and keep you!

Quick Update

2010-12-26T23:24:00.000-08:00

Yet another pictureless update, but this one's not my fault! My camera card somehow got corrupted so I had to recover the photos. They are still enroute to my computer. But, I wanted to give a quick update, mostly a request for prayer for my dad and my family. He's going for his surgery on Wednesday, and we are all going down about 6 hours away, for 2 days, for the surgery. Please pray that all goes well. It's a potentially dangerous surgery, and we are praying for God's will to be done. We all appreciate your prayers! Thank you and God bless!

December

2010-12-11T21:37:00.000-08:00

I thought November was busy...December is about twice as bad! It's been nice though, no time to think about the weather, which hasn't been all that bad.

Updates since last time:

Went Black Friday shopping. Got great deals, not quite sure if it was worth the lack of sleep though.
Had 4 days of training over 2 weekends. Wasn't the funnest, but at least I got it done.
Taught myself how to knit! And successfully finished one scarf. I will try to post pictures sometime soon. I've been too busy to take and upload pictures. It's been something I've wanted to do for about 10 years, so I finally sat down and taught myself how to do it.

For the most part, I've been enjoying getting together with friends, working, enjoying amazing services, and getting deeper in the Word, which has been amazing for me. Bro. Tim Dodds spoke some services a few weekends ago, I think I mentioned them, but maybe not. The series was called "The Man Within the Man, Within the Man." I've been struggling with some things for a few years, and since winter camp, the devil's been questioning my walk with the Lord. During these meetings, God met me in such a real way that I know I've been changed, and filled with the Holy Ghost, and the things that bound me for so many years are almost a distant memory. I've said words to that effect before, after some powerful meetings, but every time, satan comes back stronger, and I've given in. But this time, I've been feeding myself and I came to the realization that God loves me. That realization, during the after-service in one of the meetings was such a powerful revelation that I cannot, no matter how low I get, go back to where I was before. It's amazing. My life has been changed. :) Everything's different, and this Christmas means more to me than ever. It's almost like becoming a Christian for the first time. I guess it kind of is. Really amazing. :)

My family's been going through some tough times. My dad has a semi-serious health problem that we've all been dealing with, and it's been troubling. My brother was in a car accident a few weeks ago, totaled my dad's car (which didn't make him very happy), but thankfully was not injured. So, on top of his health troubles, he's been looking for a new car. Also, my brother's car died around the same time, after he foolishly went through a giant pool of water. This week could have been traumatic for me, but thankfully was not. I was driving home from the church, during rush hour, and decided to take a shortcut by taking a side road and cutting over to another street. It was dusk, and rainy, and while driving down this 2-lane road, there was a van turning right, into the lane going the opposite direction as I was. There would be no reason for me to really notice or care, because they were signaling to turn right, not crossing any lanes. However, I could see as they were pulling out, that their wheels were not turning. I was going about 45 mph, and kept watching. The van kept pulling out, straight towards my vehicle. I could see they were going to hit me, so I swerved a bit, towards the ditch, and hit my brakes. I think I honked my horn as well, I'm not sure. But I braced myself for the impact I knew was going to happen, but it never came. I looked in my rear-view mirror and saw the van stop on the road behind me. What I didn't realize was that the van hit the car behind me instead. I don't even really know how it happened, but I was so thankful it wasn't me. I could hardly believe it, I knew the van was going to at least smash into the back of my car, especially because I braked, but due to God's guiding hand, it missed me. I stayed as a witness for the other lady, and thankfully it wasn't terrible damage. God knows how to keep us.

I think that's about it for now. Maybe I'll get some pictures posted later. Hope you are having a great Christmas season!

November Weather

2010-11-22T22:06:00.000-08:00

(Photo courtesy of www.kgmi.com)

The typical NW November weather has hit. We had snow this weekend and are now experiencing ghastly NE winds that have caused power outages and below freezing temperatures! Thankfully, we still have power where I live, but in the nearby town, many residents are without power. The current temperature is 22 degrees Fahrenheit, but with the wind chill, it's about 1 degree Fahrenheit. Scary, eh? I took a few pics of the snow, but not too many. I froze today walking around campus. Time to get out all my wool clothes!

Weddings and Birthdays

2010-11-17T19:52:00.000-08:00

November has been a very busy month as well! Two of my friends got married, to each other. :) And I turned the ghastly 23! :( I am getting old, nearly dying... Ok, ok, I'm really not that old but I've been kind of dissatisfied with what I'm doing. I didn't get into Grad school and it's been really bugging me what to do. I'm re-applying right now, but I don't know if I want to follow through with it. If not, I have nothing else I'd really like to be doing, but I don't want to keep doing what I'm doing now forever. I need an answer, Lord! :S It's really driving me crazy. I don't want to re-apply and get rejected again, but if I do, then I have absolutely no idea what else I want to do. I've looked at nursing and parts of it sound fun, but the majority of it doesn't really, although I don't honestly know. Teaching is pretty much for sure out, although I love working with kids, it's not for me. What I'm doing now as an aide is fun, but I'd want a more permanent position with a more set schedule, and I don't know if I want to do administration, I want to do more hands on, with the medical field.

Agh...sorry, this turned into a "Help me, I can't figure out my life" post.

Back to November... Here are some pics of the lovely couple and some special people who helped me celebrate my birth! I got a new camera! I'm still waiting for my old one to turn up...

We also celebrated my uncle's birthday. His is a few days before mine.

My dad and my uncle, oh and the dog.

Some of my lovely family

One of my gorgeous friends and one of her lovely daughters.

My adopted sister and my lovely little friend B. :)

Oh, I almost forgot! We went witnessing in Vancouver, BC on the 6th, which is also the day of my family birthday, and the day before my actual birthday. It has been a very eventful November! It was an awesome time! My friend D and I walked around together, handing out books and talking to people about Bro. Branham and Jesus. It was amazing. Funny stories and not so funny stories. I got my second proposal and got my car broken into, all in a day's work!

My friend D :)

Some of the group as we were getting ready to go home. (These photos were from my cell, which is why they aren't so great.)

Fun With Photos

2010-11-03T16:03:00.000-07:00

I've been playing around with some photos I've taken and thought I'd post them for your viewing pleasure. :) I did have quite a few more I was nearly done with, but my computer crashed and I lost the changes I made to them. I'll just have to redo them some other time.

Hope you enjoy!

Weekend In Seattle

2010-11-01T22:08:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I went to Seattle with some friends to help celebrate a birthday! It was a fun-filled weekend! I was able to borrow my brother's camera, only to discover it had a tiny memory card which only held 90 photos. So, I had to take some pics on my cell phone, which you all know is pretty terrible quality and to beg some photos off the other girls who went. I still have yet to do the latter.

We stayed Friday night in a lovely hotel and then headed down to Pioneer Square Saturday morning to visit the Underground. Sounds scary, I know, but don't worry, we didn't see any ghosts or get kidnapped. We did see lots of junk and learn lots about Seattle's history. I was going to link to their website, but unfortunately, the website and the brochures made it sound somewhat sketchy, although the tour actually wasn't. So, if you happen to visit their website and see sketchy stuff, believe me, it wasn't on the tour, and excuse their poor taste.

(the above photos are all from the tour)

After the amazing Underground tour, we headed to the Cheesecake Factory! I've never been there before as the line has always been out the door, but was very pleased with my lunch and delicious Dulce de Leche Caramel cheesecake.

After gorging ourselves on a late lunch and delicious cheesecake, we headed down to our beloved Pike St. Market. The birthday girl had heard about the infamous gum wall and wanted to find it. After looking around on the top level at all the amazing sights and stands, we decided to venture down below. I arbitrarily pointed to a slope and suggested taking it. When we got to the bottom, lo and behold...

That's right! The gum wall! Why my fascination, you may ask? Well, for those of you who don't know me well, I had a gum collection on my headboard when I was little. I know, I know, disgusting and unsanitary and so unlike the new and improved me you all know and love, but what can I say, I was 12! :P And yes, I did add my gum to the wall that day. I need to get the picture so you can see it.

We did eventually find our way to the real lower level and met a hilarious bookstore owner. He read love poems to our birthday girl.

We were accosted by a poor homeless man who "just wanted a sandwich" on our way back to the car, but he left us alone pretty quickly.

A very eventful weekend indeed! We shall say nothing of Tom or the 1-way street incident. Some things are best left unsaid...

The 1800s Have Come to an End!!!

2010-10-25T21:33:00.000-07:00

Saturday, we were blessed with our new fridge! It's not the model we wanted, but it's pretty good and it works! I'm quite excited. :) I will never take a fridge for granted again!

This weekend was a blast! I had a wonderful time, took not too many pics (the memory card in the camera I was using was tiny!), and was sooo blessed at church. It was awesome. Totally amazing day on Sunday. :) I have some pics coming, so I'll do a Seattle trip weekend post sometime this week. Hope you have a blessed week!

The 1800s Continue

2010-10-21T18:58:00.000-07:00

Apparently there was some mix-up with the people at Sears...they weren't going to deliver our new refrigerator until November 11th! Which is a holiday, of course, so you can bet it wouldn't be until November 12th. My mom called them and is apparently a bit of a wimp because she let them give her a smaller, cheaper one and they aren't delivering until Saturday. We'll have gone a week without a fridge! Totally ridiculous. And yes, I'm telling everyone to never shop at Sears. They have terrible customer service and rip you off. Don't go there!

On a better note, I'm going on a weekend birthday celebration with some friends this weekend! I'm very excited about it! :) I'll try to take some photos to share. Should be fun! :)

Living Like the 1800s

2010-10-18T21:50:00.000-07:00

Sadly, our refrigerator decided to go the way of the dinosaurs and become extinct. We are left with it's shell as a reminder of our former way of life. From Saturday until this coming Thursday, we are without a working refrigerator. Apparently Sears does not care that we are living like the 1800s with some coolers on the back porch stuffed with ice and perishables. They aren't delivering our new one until Thursday. Thank goodness we still have electricity! Oh, and wonder of wonder, miracle of miracles....my dad turned on the heat last week! Last year, it wasn't until November. And last October was colder than this one too. I guess it helps that he's getting older? :P

The newest model, soon to be a new member of my family.

Busy October

2010-10-12T22:01:00.000-07:00

I think October ranks as one of the busiest months of the year, so far. I don't remember other October's being quite so busy, other than with school and work. Work is still going great. My buddy had his first test on Monday and did fabulous, so I'm assuming, since he seemed to know all the answers. The weather has definitely cooled down, much to my chagrin. I miss those hot, sweaty days. :( But, the sun has been out and the work on the school has been going great!

Last week I made some yummy cupcakes! I got the idea out of What's New Cupcake? It's an awesome cupcake book.

Saw these sweet looking cars at school. Sorry for the poor quality. My cell isn't the greatest.

That's all for now. But, stay tuned for more fabulously interesting posts about my life. Ok, just kidding. But I will likely be posting again soon. Hope you're all enjoying your fall!

Sadness

2010-10-06T15:30:00.000-07:00

I doubt anyone who reads this has been following my local news but there has been a student missing since Sept. 26. It's a crazy story, but they just found his body in the water today. It's a very strange case, and it just makes me sick. I can't fathom how someone could kill him, or how he could just end up down in the water. A woman's body was found in the same area on Monday. And another woman is missing in the county just south of here. What's with all this killing/missing people? It just makes me so sick. I'm so sorry for the families. I am so thankful for knowing God and having confidence in Him. It makes me want to give the Message to everyone I come in contact with. I can't imagine being killed or dying, not knowing God. :( What a horrid thing.

Please remember his family and loved ones in prayer. I know they need it.

October

2010-10-04T21:21:00.000-07:00

Where has time gone? Can you believe it's October already? I can't believe how quickly the past year has gone. And September has gone by in a flash. I hardly know what happened and it's already October. October is looking to be a very busy month! I do like being busy without school though, it's such a blessing not to have to be worried about studying and doing homework every waking moment!

Last week was a beautiful week! I went to my first Mariner's game in a couple of years. Sadly, my beloved team is terrible, and has hardly won any games. They lost 8-2, but it was fun being there. My camera is still missing, so I only got a couple of photos on my cell phone. But, fun was had by all. Some entertaining fans kept us laughing the entire time, along with the antics of some of our group.

I hope you have a very blessed fall and lovely October!

Fall

2010-09-27T22:13:00.001-07:00

I'm officially embracing fall on my blog now. My title doesn't always seem to fit, but I chose it because I love the sun and I try really hard to stay on the positive. It's not always possible, of course, but I do try. After Summer and Spring, Fall is my next favorite season. I love the beautiful colors and the warm, cozy drinks, sweaters, activities, etc. that come with the season. I hate to see Summer go, especially when we never get much of one here, but rather than hoping for it to come back, I decided it was time to embrace it and enjoy it, because all too soon, it will be winter and dark and dreary. :( Today was in the 70's, and is still in the 70's outside, despite the fact that it is raining. Even the breeze was warm. I think we're having what's called a Pineapple Express. The major problem I have with Fall around here is that is usually rains like crazy and is windy. I hate wind. But, it does make pretty pictures with leaves. :) So, welcome Fall!

I heard this great quote of Bro. Branham's that has become one of my favorites. It helps me, especially on those cloudy days:

"The sun is always shining. The only thing that keeps it from shining on you is clouds. If you get rid of the clouds, the sun will be shining." - If God Be With Us, Then Where Is All the Miracles?

Be Free Little Bird Giveaway

2010-09-24T19:35:00.000-07:00

I just started reading this website and am loving it! I love the photos and interesting links. I just ordered a sweet coffee mug from a link from her website. Lauren, the author of the blog, is having a give-away this week! Visit here to find out more.

Sweet necklace, eh? :)

*The picture is taken from her giveaway blog and is not mine.

First Day Back To School

2010-09-23T15:09:00.000-07:00

I had my first day back to college on Wednesday. It's sweet, I get to go to school, and get paid to do it, and don't have to study or take tests or do homework. All went well with my new buddy* except one thing...I lost him. Yes, on the very first day I lost my buddy. He was going up the elevator, so I took the stairs and told him I'd meet him at the top. I got up there and walked across the skybridge to the other elevator and waited and waited. I thought it was very odd that he wasn't coming up yet. I walked around a little, waiting, then finally it dawned on me...The elevator goes up! Not up and over! I walked back across the skybridge and there he was, on his phone telling his mom, "I think I lost her." I was laughing and so was he. I felt so stupid. All was well after that, but I couldn't help laughing the rest of the day when he'd go up the ramps and I'd take the stairs. I had to make sure to tell him I really would meet him at the top. :)

*That's what I'm going to call my friend's brother from now on.

September Update

2010-09-20T21:34:00.000-07:00

Although most of my very few readers are already aware of most events in my life, for you others, I bring you an update! Yes, you are welcome. :)

Well, just about 2 weeks ago, I was not exactly sure what to do with myself for this quarter, or even this year, not going to school at the moment. I'm still on the waiting list and we'll see what happens next year. So, I was talking with a friend about figuring out my life and jokingly told her, "I'm off to figure out my life." I got to my car and got a phone call about a job offer. It was completely unexpected and has been an answer to prayer. A friend of mine from high school has a brother with a disability. He's very smart and is taking classes at WWU, my former school, and needed an aide for his classes. It's a dream schedule, everything has worked out quite well so far, and I am still able to keep my job at the library and volunteer at the church school and camp, and I get weekends off! For now, it's a great job! I am very thankful that God always provides just in time. :)

Well, that's my big news. Nothing much else new. My younger cousin, who's in 11th grade, is starting Running Start tomorrow! Very weird! She's excited about it.

Oh, my dad is going to be able to have surgery pretty close to here, rather than going half-way across the country. They think it'll be a successful surgery. Please keep him in prayer!

Nothing else I can think of. I still haven't gotten my camera or USB drive back. Please keep those in prayer, especially my USB drive. I need it! Thank you all, you very few readers and even fewer commenters. :) May the rest of your September be very blessed!

"When one door closes another door opens; but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us."

~ Alexander Graham Bell

We Shall All Be Changed

2010-09-15T23:25:00.000-07:00

I just read a post about the passing of a loved one on one of the blogs I read. It's crazy that no matter how long it's been since their death, it still hurts. And the oddest things remind you of it, and some not so odd, like that post. Before my friend Miriam passed away, death didn't hit me so hard. It made me sad, but I didn't have much of a concept of losing a loved one. Since then, it's my immediate thought if anything out of the ordinary happens. Especially calls that start: "I just wanted you to know you don't have to worry..."

Death isn't such a scary thing when you're a Christian, and I'm so thankful for that. But, it's still just as tough. Nothing prepares you for it, even when you expect it. My Grandma passed away a few weeks ago. I still keep expecting her to call and whenever my mom answers the phone I immediately wonder if it's her.

I realized, after reading the above mentioned post, that I didn't post about Miriam on here. She passed away on Monday, July 10, 2006. That date is etched in my memory, just as where I was when I got the text and call about it. I will never forget that horrible, sleepless night and having to go to work the next day and barely making it. I remember the gathering at a friend's house the next night and the heavy sadness in the air. I remember being ok with it for a few moments during service the next day, and then questioning God for months, maybe even years after. I think that's normal. I didn't think I was questioning Him, but I was. It really shook me. Nothing since then has shook me as hard.

It's been 4 years since she left us and I still cry about it. I'm like that though. I can't wait to see her. And my Grandma. I imagine they're enjoying themselves together. They'll know each other because my dog is there too. They both loved my dog. Ok, ok, Miriam hated my dog, but there's only perfect love in Heaven so now she has to love him. :)

I don't have a real purpose in this post. I don't have profound words of wisdom or comfort. My only words are to cling closely to Jesus and treasure your loved ones as much as possible while you still have them. You never know when it'll be the last time you say good-bye. Try to tell them you love them as much as possible. I so wish I could call my Granny one more time and tell her that. And I wish I had texted Miriam a hello that day.

"Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. " I Corinthians 15:51-52

Small Town Service

2010-09-11T16:11:00.000-07:00

Anyone who's never had the experience of working in a small-town library has missed out on a lot. I've been working at my local library for 4 years now and it has been a great learning experience. I have gained a lot of confidence in my people skills and have changed my outlook on people since working there. I have gotten to know all of the locals and have gotten close to a lot of them. Even a few of the newer patrons enjoy talking to me and having me help them. When I first started working there I thought it was just to earn money for gas, but now I realized I've become more of a part of the community and have learned so much.

It's funny to me how comfortable people are around me, because I don't think much of it, but this one really nice lady had been looking at some magazines and as she was walking past me, commented on how much junk is in magazines now. She said they were such a waste of money because of all the terrible advertisements and other things. It makes me feel really good about my job that people feel comfortable enough to chat and share their thoughts.

Today, I helped with a good deed for a lady who comes in quite frequently and sometimes is annoying because she always wants us to look up famous people's birthdays for her. She'll bring in a huge list and it gets a little much. Today, a young guy came in and said a lady was having trouble with her oxygen tank. I didn't know what to expect, and when I got outside, it was this lady and she couldn't figure out how to hook it up and turn it on or off. Between the two of us, we got it figured out for her and I showed her how to use it. She came in a little later and told me she was very impressed with how I was able to help her and thanked me. Then she told me I looked like Chelsea Clinton. :P I thought that was funny and asked her if she meant it as a compliment and she said, "Oh, I think she's just beautiful." It was funny. But I was thinking about her after she left, and I realized how much she and other people depend on their library, not just for books and resources, but for companionship and someone who will listen and care about them.

In a day in which there is such a lack of customer service and care for others, it's nice to know you can depend on your local library. And now I realize I've become a part of that and it makes me smile. :)

Children Are a Gift From the Lord

2010-08-28T23:14:00.000-07:00

This past week I had the honor of nannying for a family from church. I love kids but it has been a while since I've babysat, although I don't really have a problem babysitting because it's only for the evening or one day. This however, was from Monday-Friday. I got to go "home" at nights, which was great. I stayed up at the camp all week and had my own house. It was nice.

The kids? They were precious. I loved them. I think they liked me. It was so sweet getting wrapped in hugs at random times and playing games with them. It amazed me how sweet kids are in the morning. I'm so used to adults being pretty crabby in the morning, I forgot how adorable and happy and sweet they are.

What I learned from this week? I never, ever, ever, want to have kids. At least not for many, many years. I know it's all different when they are your own and you have them one at a time (typically), and no, the kids weren't bad, but I was again made aware of how I am quite content being without children. :) Just the week before, I saw this adorable baby boy in the store and had the thought of stealing him because he was so cute. But, thankfully, the good Lord showed me how I need to wait a while (a loooooooooooooooooooooooooong while) before having my own kids (especially since I'm not married).

But, I did have lots of fun with them. I lost my camera so had to use my cell phone, which is having technical difficulties leading to major poor quality of the pics. However, every post needs some pics, so here you go:

Holding one of her many crabs

Not too sure about the water

Another of about 10 tiny crabs they caught

The 3 little munchkins. :)

Cool rock I saw. You can't quite tell, but the orange rock looks like it has 2 eyes.

Playing dress-up...One of the princesses

Another princess. :P It was his idea!

The other princess was "indecently clad" so I told her I'd not put her pic online, although she's pictured at the very top of this post.

All in all, a good, but very tiring and very enlightening week. :)

Graduation!

2010-08-21T14:38:00.001-07:00

I'm now an official graduate of WWU! :)

It was a great time, short and sweet. I got a few pics from my parents so I decided to post them.

Click here to see the photo album

I'm sooo happy to be graduated!!!!

A collage of my grad party last night. :) It was really nice. My co-workers decided to put it on for me and hosted it. My family and a couple of friends were able to make it too. I'm overwhelmed at their love and care for me. :)

I am not a faithful blogger

2010-08-19T10:27:00.000-07:00

Since I'm not a very faithful blogger, it seems all I do is update. Oh well.

Last week was camp and boy was it amazing! The services were better than I could have imagined and the time spend with one another was such a blessing. I had a wonderful week.

This week is the fair and we have a witnessing booth there again. I've gotten the chance to work there for 3 days and it's been such a blessing too. It's been great getting to know the other believers and hear their testimonies and see them at work for the Gospel. Totally amazing. :)

My granny passed away yesterday. :( I miss her a lot. My dad has now lost both his parents. He was also in a car accident last week and is very blessed to be alive. So pray for us. We need it.

I graduate on Saturday!!!!! Very exciting. :) Pray for direction for me though, I need God's leading.

I lost my camera somewhere at camp. I'm still looking for my usb. Pray I find them! I really need them! :(

Well, a boring update, but at least you know what's going on. Hope you all are having warmer weather than we are!

July Update

2010-08-03T14:16:00.000-07:00

Well, the time has come. Four years have come and gone. I'm finally graduating from college this August! I can't believe it. No, I still don't have much of an idea what I'm going to do with my life, but I'm excited to be done. A little scared too because I've been in school nearly my entire life. Now I have to get a job or go for more school, in what, I don't really know. Life sure is different from what you expect. Four years ago, I didn't think I'd be here, still not knowing what to do with my life. I thought I would have had it together by now, and would be on the road to being rich and famous. :D Ok, not really, but I did think I'd have my life together by now.

Oh well, I suppose I have a lot left to learn. I keep hearing that I'm still so young, and I know at 22, I am still pretty young, but I don't like to be one of those people who have that mentality that I'm still young and don't have to make any crucial decisions. I want to have my life together and have an idea what I should be doing. It's frustrating not knowing or even having any idea. I could sure use a billboard spelling out what to do. I've been praying and trusting, and making some small steps, but I don't feel sure about anything. Keep praying for me, will ya? Thank you!

In other news....I took a total of 10 pictures and 1 short video in the month of July. This may not seem newsworthy, but about 3-4 years ago, I was taking around a few hundred pictures a month, if not more. I guess that's what happens when your friends get married and move and you're left with a few single friends, all of whom have busy lives and you rarely get together. Part of growing up, I suppose. Funny, I don't feel grown up. :)
Camp is next week! I'm very, very excited for it! I get to be a camper again this year, which I am very thankful for. I'm helping in the kitchen during Junior camp. I am so looking forward to a week of being around believers and being totally blessed by the Word and atmosphere. If you'd like to stream any of the services, the list of the dates and times are on our website. Click here for more information.

I found this pic of myself while looking through my photos. It's from last year, I think. I'm not one to post pics of myself, but I really like the lighting and the editing. I thought this post could use a pic. :)

Have a great rest of the summer!!!!

Only in WC...

2010-07-24T19:10:00.001-07:00

Only in WC (the initials of my county) will you encounter a man roller-blading down the highway wearing nothing but a helmet, shorts, roller-blades, and ski poles.

Only in a rural library in that same county will a patron say she's in a hurry because her goat's in the car and it's hot out.

Gotta love small counties. :)

Those Bible Names...They're All The Same...

2010-07-15T20:41:00.000-07:00

I had to share this. Last week, while walking across campus, I walked past one of my old Chem profs. I knew he recognized me, since I had spent a lot of time getting help from him when taking his class, but I didn't feel the need to say hi. Anyways, as he walked past, he said, "Hi Rachel!" I knew he was talking to me but I chose to ignore him, after all, that's not my name. Was I wrong in doing that? I still feel kind of bad, but I hate responding to a name that is not mine! It would have required a long explanation about my real name and too much interaction for my liking.

What bugs me the most is that it was not the first time I've been called another Bible name. When people don't remember my name, they call me Sarah, Rachel, or Hannah. Always! It doesn't make me angry, just a little annoyed, but also curious. Is my name that hard to remember? I have a whole book named after me, for goodness sake! :D I know, I know, overreacting. But seriously...

More Random Updates

2010-07-06T19:15:00.000-07:00

It's time for pictures! :)

Delicious peanut butter bars! I stole the recipe from Miss America and have made them many times to the delight of my co-workers. They are a hit!

D and I at their last band concert!

We went to B-Bay for a Memorial Day picnic with the family. We tried our hand at grilling clams.

It was a beautiful day! We prayed for sun and got it! :)

D & I at high school graduation!!!!

My baby bro....(Sob)
Freedom!!!!

Two of my cousins on a picnic. Aren't they precious?

Church grad 2010! YES!!!!!!

D & I showing off their skills. :)

My crazy uncle. :D

:) I love this pic.

I love this one too. :)

Last day of Sunday School!!! They wanted to do a play of Jesus' death on the cross and His resurrection. Quite adorable. I enjoyed these kids a lot!

Puzzles! Mine is the one with all the doors. It was relatively easy.

This was M's. It took us about 5 hours....Including lots of breaks. It was a toughie! 350 pieces that all looked a lot alike!

What a night! :)

How did you like the photo update? I'd love the feedback.

Random Updates

2010-06-28T23:15:00.000-07:00

Life has sure been busy this year! I don't think I've had a dull day go by yet. It's summer but I'm still in school. I started last week. I am finishing up my last quarter at WWU (the Lord willing of course). I will be done July 30 and graduation is August 21st. I'm not sure if I'll do the graduation. It's a little bit of money and I'm thinking I should do it but I don't know anyone else graduating in Summer quarter. I don't know a lot of people at WWU and the ones I do know are either graduated or aren't graduating until Fall or Winter quarter of 2010/2011. Unfortunately, summer quarter is way more expensive than I thought it would be. Because of 1 extra credit I need to graduate, it's nearly double the price of 5 credits. I don't exactly know where the money is going to come from. I am praying about it and am trusting God to provide. I still don't know about grad school. If I go, I'd have to move about 2.5 hours south of where I am, around Seattle area for over 2 years. I can see a lot of good that could come out of it and I can also see that maybe God wants me to do something else. I am praying a LOT! :) I have no answers right now but God's really been dealing with me on trusting Him. I've had a lot of victories lately! Its been awesome. :) God is totally awesome. God is good, ALL the time!

So, school is about over, my life is about to change big time, I think, maybe. :) Camp is coming up soon! I'm quite excited about that! Bro. Ron Spencer is the special speaker. I'm expecting amazing things. Our services lately have been amazing as well. God's been proving over and over how much He cares about us and how much He provides for us.

I've been going to the Rec center at school in the morning before my afternoon class and even though I'm tired and don't exactly enjoy getting up so early, I always feel a lot better the rest of the day. I've been listening to Messages during that time and I love it. If only I could have afternoon classes every quarter! I'm starting volunteering at the hospital again for 1 credit and will be a bit busier at least 1 or 2 days a week. I am in need of more $$. I applied for a part-time position at my current work, another position, but didn't get it. It probably would have been more than I could have handled though. I have another one I'm looking into so we'll see how it goes. I'm not really sure what I'd do if I don't go to school in the fall. I could possibly take some classes at the community college and reapply to go next year but I don't know if I should. I've prayed that God would give me a very obvious sign whether or not I should go to grad school and finish up with OT or do something else. So far, there are too many loopholes in everything for me to tell for sure. I love helping people, especially children, and I love health care, but not necessarily nursing. Teaching is not for me, although I've considered it. So, I'm at a loss. Very dependent on God right now. It's nice but scary for me because I like being in control. I like to know exactly what's going to happen and I like to plan everything out. My summer class I'm taking is Intro to Abnormal Psychology. It's interesting. We took a test today in class to see how anal we are. I scored pretty high; 85% of the population of people my age scored much lower than I did. But, this is how God teaches us patience and trust.

That was long. Not a lot of info but it was time for an update. I have a test Thursday and need to read and study. Also, I need sleep! I was up at camp from Thursday-Sunday helping out with a camp and I'm quite tired. So much for the long, lazy days of summer...

Call Me Gone

2010-06-08T19:10:00.000-07:00

I really enjoy Southern Gospel music and I've been listening to a lot of old groups singing old songs. I love those the best. One song I've had stuck in my head a lot lately is this one, Call Me Gone. I've linked to the song on youtube. Ignore the awful hair and clothes, it is quite dated. :) Hope you enjoy as much as I have been!

Call Me Gone

Call me a dreamer
Call I call it mine
Heaven, but I don't care
And call me crazy
Cause I'm homesick for it
Yet I have never been there
Call me a stranger
Cause that's all I am, I know I don't belong
Call me anything but when He calls me
Call me gone

(chorus)
Call me gone, I'll be leavin'
Call me gone, you'll be grievin'
If you're left here without Jesus to call on
Call me gone, no more heartache
Call me gone, and all that it takes
As for me to hear Him call me then call me gone

(This verse is to be spoken)
You know I've been called an awful lot of things in my lifetime
And to be honest smart wasn't always one of them
But thank God I was smart enough one day to call Jesus Christ the Lord of my life
And it was then I called it quits to a whole lot of sinnin'
But it's because of that commitment that a lot of people laugh at me and call me foolish
Aw.. but let em go ahead and laugh...
That don't bother me at all, cause any fool can see,
but the shape she's in that this ole worlds gonna fall,
But just as long as I know Jesus, I've got nothing to fear
And when the role is called up yonder,
Don't you call on me cause I ain't gonna be here!

(repeat chorus)

Wounded Soldier

2010-06-06T01:12:00.000-07:00

I don't know if you've ever heard this song before but it's been a huge blessing to me.

Wounded Soldier

You went out to the front lines

Committed to the cause

You fought the fight of faith

You truly gave your all

But now you lie there wounded

With a bleeding heart

You cry for help but help just seems so far

And you wonder where the other soldiers are

I am coming for you, Wounded Soldier,

And I will gently carry you upon my shoulder

I will give you time to mend,

Until you can fight again

There’s no need to fear

I am right here, Wounded Soldier

Sometimes our greatest battles

Are fought within our soul

No one sees your struggles

‘Cause you wont let it show

But you’re the walking wounded

Pretending to be strong

When deep inside you’re barely hanging on

And it’s hard to find the courage to go on

I've always really liked it and always thought of so many other people it applied to until this week, I realized it applied to me.

Somewhere along the road, a few months ago, I got wounded and have been laying on the battlefield, so to speak, dazed and confused.

I've been looking around, wondering where everyone is, struggling to get up and every time, get knocked back down. I felt like giving up. I know I'm Christian, but it's so hard and I'm so busy...

I was confused, scared, but I don't think it ever showed. I do a great job of hiding it. I didn't even really realize I was wounded, or at least, I didn't admit it.

But this week, especially during Wed. night service, it hit me and I realized what was wrong this whole time. This song came to my mind and I've been thinking about it ever since.

It's not easy being a Christian. What makes it even harder is realizing you can't and should not rely on other people for your experience, it has to be a personal walk with God. No friend or family or church member can make you a Christian, it has to be personal to you.

Being confused is not of God. He is not the author of confusion. I am believing that and keeping that in my thoughts.

This last quote I love so much: "It's ok folks, we're Christians!"

May you be blessed and wrapped in His love.

In Which I Rediscover I Am So Not Ready for Kids

2010-05-27T22:26:00.000-07:00

I had the opportunity to babysit for a family at church today. They are great kids and I enjoyed it. I had just been thinking last week about how long it has been since I've babysat. Being in college full time and working 2 jobs does not usually leave time, but it worked out today. I went and picked up the kids from the church school and dropped off another on our way home. This kid forgot where he lived but luckily I asked the principle before leaving, if he could tell me. He only knew the general area. Without too much difficulty, although thinking we were slightly lost, we found it. Then on to the border, back into the US. All fine and dandy, except they have these barriers around the exit, and normally when I go through, it's late and it's closed off, but this time it was a zig-zag. I went the wrong way and had to turn around to exit. Slightly embarrassing, but oh well. Then off to piano...

The directions I was given was fine except for one road, which was a crucial one. Thanks to my keen sense of direction and knowledge of county roads, I realized we were going the wrong way and had to turn around. We were about 15 min late for their lesson, but the teacher was late too so it worked out fine. Then I had to figure out where to take the oldest child to her cousin's house to go to her volleyball game. I had no idea where this cousin lived, but due to my handy dandy phone book, I found a county map and figured it out.

We got her there in time and headed on our way home. I was using my trusty map, and drove towards the road that was supposed to connect to the road the kids lived on. Unfortunatley, I have a mini phone book, so the map is shrunk, making the roads look like they connect, when there is about a mile where they do not connect. Lo and behold, it was that mile I was trying to find. So, we had to go way out of our way to get home, but we did make it.

As many of you know, I am not a cook, and decided on mac and cheese with chicken nuggets for dinner. They of course, were thrilled. After some recreation, I convinced them to brush their teeth and we read some books. They were supposed to be in bed by 8, but when their dad came home at 8:45, they were still up. They begged me to stay longer and read more stories, so I did.

All in all, it was fun, and I remember how much fun babysitting can be, but what I loved the most was leaving them with their capable parents and coming home to mine. And I realized, once again, why I am so not ready to be a mom. It's tough!

**What's the photo of, you ask? Why some kind of interesting creature we found lurking in the grass during the piano lessons. The youngest built a home for it in a mole hill, but the ungrateful little creature did not appreciate it.

Some Encouragement

2010-05-12T23:30:00.000-07:00

I realized tonight that I've become pretty negative in my thinking lately. Not so much concerning God, but just in everyday life. I'd love to be a lot more positive. Bro. Tom preached an awesome service about encouragement and I remember on my old blog I used to post quotes that I found that were encouraging. So, I thought I'd do that tonight. In case one person reads this and finds some encouragement from it, this is for you!

Catch Up

2010-05-10T22:30:00.000-07:00

I have lots of little posts I've been meaning to post the past little bit but most are forgotten. A little recap:

I did go to the Tulip Festival again this year and it was beautiful! I got lots of pretty pictures.

I've been busy working, doing school, homework, and volunteering. I am graduating in Summer!!!! Only 6 credits away from graduating! I can't believe it. I am still debating on whether or not I should walk. It's $40! I think they should be paying me!
Hm...not much else is new, except my bro is graduating from high school in about a month. Totally weird. He's going to be attending my school in the fall. Kinda neat. :)
Oh, I've been enjoying my two Anthro classes. One is boring and so pointless, but we've been having some hilarious (to me) discussions about evolution and creationism and these people who are supposed to be open-minded all gasp when someone mentions that kids at Whatcom actually believe in creationism. It was quite the entertaining day today. :P

Work is as crazy as ever. It must be a full moon soon or something...
That's about it for now. Enjoy some of my tulip photos!

Are You an Adult Yet?

2010-04-14T02:41:00.000-07:00

I overheard this conversation between a mom and her son in the library the other day. She was telling her son that adults deal with difficult situations by either laughing or crying. She kept saying to him, "You either laugh or you cry. Adults either laugh or cry."

I thought she was a little odd and did not really agree with her at the time. It was stuck in the back of my head and today I was thinking about a situation and that saying popped into my head: "You either laugh or you cry." I don't know what was wrong with me before, but that is totally true.

The son could not understand his mom's reasoning, and at the time, I wasn't cluing in. She was saying he'd understand when he was an adult. I wanted to tell her I was an adult and didn't understand. But, now I realize I do.

I'm not saying I'm wise and mature, neither am I saying I've experienced a lot of sorrow, but in 2 majorly sad times in my life this saying is completely true.

Sometimes the laughter might seem uncouth or inappropriate, but it's the only way to stop yourself from crying.

Prayer for Our President

2010-04-13T18:28:00.000-07:00

Bumper sticker:
"Pray for Obama. Psalm 109:8."

In case you actually look it up and read the following verse(s), I am strictly referring to verse 8. Totally cracked me up. :P

Disclaimer: I mean no disrespect or ill-will. I do pray for our President, and I do not wish him any harm. I only am looking at verse 8. :)
**Update**
After posting the above, I looked on Google and found another funny one.

Superfeet

2010-04-08T21:51:00.000-07:00

http://www.superfeet.com/

I was told by my Physical therapist I needed insoles in my shoes because none of my shoes have an arch support. I have fallen arches and have a lot of back problems and my knee is a bit messed up. After a year of her telling me that, I finally went and bought them. I know, I know...

Anyways, they are super cool and I can already feel a big difference. I put them in my shoes and wore them around the house and I could feel my back moving. If you've ever been to the chiropractor you'll know what I mean. I'll keep you posted on how they work. Have you ever tried insoles?

Life Lessons

2010-04-05T23:24:00.000-07:00

Note to self: If the face mask burned red marks all over your face the first time you used it, it will no doubt do the exact same thing the second and third times you use it.

Lesson learned? Hopefully! And hopefully the red marks will disappear by tomorrow!

Easter Weekend

2010-04-05T00:39:00.000-07:00

What a fabulous weekend...............................:D

Spring Quarter

2010-04-01T22:01:00.000-07:00

My last Spring quarter at WWU has officially begun. I can't believe it's going to be my last one! I've been here 4 years. It's gone by in a flash! Last quarter, as I've already said, was horribly busy. I was taking 20 credits, working two jobs, and juggling homework and projects coming out of my ears. This quarter I'm only taking 16 credits and have only 3 classes! :D It's a fabulous break so far. Yes, it's still busy and I have homework and papers, but not nearly as bad as 5 classes last quarter.

I know I keep saying I'll post pictures of things and never do, but I don't have a lot of time for blogging lately and no one seems to mind anyways, so unless it's something spectacular and I have the time, it probably won't happen anytime soon, just to warn you.

Also, my lovely little dog keeps taking my camera off the coffee table by the string and carrying it around the house. I almost feel like selling him sometimes. But he's grown lots and is very cute. Someday, I'll post a pic of him. :)

Spring Break

2010-03-28T00:11:00.000-07:00

This past week was my spring break and it was a pretty good week. I got to sleep a pretty decent amount and got a few things accomplished. I took a day trip to Seattle with a friend and helped up at the camp on Saturday. I wish I could extend it by about 2 more weeks to continue to catch up on sleep though. Since January, I've averaged 3-5 hours of sleep per night. Not so good on the immune system nor the brain. I should be sleeping now, but I'm trying to find my textbooks, update my Zune, and get ready for tomorrow. Hope you all had a fabulous week! May you have a bright sunshiny day! :)

Today in History

2010-03-23T23:57:00.000-07:00

Interesting events in history today, March 23, 2010:

Patrick Henry said in 1775: "Give me liberty or give me death."
1919: Mussolini founded his Fascist political movement.
1933: Adolf Hitler granted dictatorial powers.
2010: Obama signs historic health care bill taking away freedom from Americans.

Where are we at?

"Not Me" Monday

2010-03-15T23:58:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's been a loooooong time since I've posted one of these. I don't have much to say this week, but I did remember a few things from last week that I most certainly did not do.

It was definitely not me who had just buttered her bun, and went to smell it, shoving the freshly spread butter up her nose. Nope, not me!

It was also not me who used her pocket knife as a utensil when eating a cinnamon bun. Not me! I have way more manners than that!

I would never also use that knife to open a butter packet the next day. How rude!

What about you? Anything you didn't do this week?

More Americans Say Global Warming Exaggerated

2010-03-15T23:47:00.000-07:00

More Americans Say Global Warming Exaggerated

Any thoughts or opinions?

I can't say for certain, but based on the past few winters in the US, I'm sure doubting it. Especially this winter....

They say you can't base your belief in global warming off of a few cold winters. Funny, they were doing that with the past few warm summers...as proof that it exists.

For an interesting debrief of Al Gore's global warming summit, click here.

It's Camp Time, Winter Camp Time

2010-03-12T00:33:00.000-08:00

It's off to winter camp I go! :) Almost...tonight was the first service and it was fabulous. I look forward to spending the rest of the weekend up at camp as soon as class is over and work is done tomorrow night! Please pray for God to move. There are many needs we are believing for. As well, I have 2 finals Monday and can use the prayers. I'm soooooooo excited to be a camper again! See you all next week!

ZZZZZZZZZZZZ

2010-03-09T04:35:00.000-08:00

(Crash) ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.............................

Never, ever, ever, do another group project again.

CROSSING THE LINE - THE INTIFADA COMES TO CAMPUS

2010-03-05T22:00:00.000-08:00

CROSSING THE LINE - THE INTIFADA COMES TO CAMPUS

I got this video emailed to me today and it's really shocking. I've grown up in a small town, small county, but despite the "small-town" feel, I've heard anti-Semitic statements since high school. It was from kids who didn't have a clue what they were talking about, but they picked up the statements somewhere. When someone acted weird or out of the ordinary, they were called "acting Jewish." I heard statements like, "That's so Jewish." They didn't make sense, so I'd call kids on it and they'd ask me if I liked Jews. I said I had no reason not to and they'd be quiet for a while. In college, I haven't heard a lot, although I don't live on campus so I don't hear the conversations all the time. However, I have seen one of those demonstrations they talk about in the video, where kids act like they are being shot by Jews or by US soldiers. I go to a pretty liberal college and they are anti war of any kind. However, I was shocked when seeing that. Just recently, when reading an article about a study done when Israel took in refugees after Chernobyl, we were talking about something to do with land and refugees, and this grad student said, "Yeah, Israel's always taking over people's land and kicking them out." I could hardly believe my ears. Here's a grad student, gone to college for around 5-6 years, and he's just as confused as those high school students. Shocking really. Anyways, watch this video, it's eye-opening.

Fun at the Library

2010-03-03T23:32:00.000-08:00

As you may or may not know, I work at my local library and enjoy it very much. I have so many hilarious little things that happen but I usually forget them by the time I get home. Sadly, my memory loss is earlier than most. While I don't have a funny story, I do have a funny/pet peeve story.

Without fail, no matter what day or time of day it is, how busy or how dead the library is, when I go over to the DVDs with a cart of new ones to shelve, within a minute, I am surrounded by at least 1 anxious patron. The DVD section will be empty, no one in sight, no one looking at it, but without fail, as soon as I walk over there to shelve DVDs, it's like a feeding frenzy, the sharks smell the fresh blood and attack. It makes me laugh, and they always pretend I'm not in their way, although I know I am, so I usually politely leave the cart there and walk away while they attack. It's quite hilarious. I'm sure there's a phenomenon for that.

Thank you for reading yet another random story from my life. Tune in next time to hear...Ok, I won't tell you because I don't know yet, but when I do, I'll let you know. Deal?

Interesting Article I Read

2010-03-02T22:16:00.000-08:00

Since I'm not using Facebook, this is my main way of posting anything of interest to me. I read
this article today and found it extremely interesting for reasons you will see once you read it. :)

Feel free to post any comments about it. :)

Where Have I Been?

2010-02-14T22:41:00.000-08:00

I know it's been a very long time since I last posted and the promised pictures never came, but no one really reads this so it doesn't really matter much anyways. I have been busy with school and work. I am taking 20 credits this quarter, have 3 research projects plus a bunch of other papers and projects due. I am swamped in writing. Work is basically the same old. Still fun though. Nothing much new except the Olympics are in full swing now. Not so surprisingly for me, the borders have been completely empty. Everyone was all worked up about it, but it's been totally fine and I expect it to stay that way. I think there's a possibility of it being a bit more backed up in the days after the Olympics, but not much. I'm not a huge fan of the Olympics, but I would like to say that the USA is once again in the lead for overall medals. (cough cough) :P

Life is going on, God's answering prayers, I'm falling more and more in love with Him. I've made a few drastic realizations but things are still going the same, no major changes yet.

Oh, I totally forgot.....it's practically Spring time here! You wouldn't believe it unless you were here. While the rest of the country and a good portion of the world is suffering under feet of snow (all thanks to that Global Warming I'm told), we here in the Pacific Northwest are enjoying surprisingly Springtime weather. Temperatures up to about 60 have already been had. The sun has been very present. These two have caused flowers and vegetation to grow. Trees are blooming already. Flowers are sprouted and starting to bloom. It's totally crazy, but fabulous. I've been praying for nice weather since last year and I think God is granting us a gorgeous year because of our horrid summer last year (it was nearly non-existent). Unfortunately, that means there is no snow for the Olympics and the mountains have had to make some adjustments. Kind of funny, both times Canada has hosted the winter Olympics, the weather has been terrible. Makes me think they are not meant to have them.

Ok, enough rambling. If anyone reads this, I hope you have a fabulous rest of your February!

Color Career Counselor

2010-02-14T22:31:00.000-08:00

I found this on MSN the other day and decided to take the test, not thinking much of it. I was shocked to see how accurate the results were.

The Dewey Color System® is now the world's most accurate career testing instrument.
This report based on your personality traits indicates your two most enjoyable day-day-day occupation skills. It’s a summary of the full report, the Color Leadership Evaluation 5.0.

“Studies indicate workplace enjoyment is the key to success. So as you read, consider only “Was I mostly having fun at work?” Disregard your present and past employer’s environment.

Best Occupational Category

You're an ORGANIZER (Oh so true. :P)

Keywords

Self-Control, Practical, Self-Contained, Orderly, Systematic, Precise, and Accurate

These conservative appearing, plotting-types enjoy organizing, data systems, accounting, detail, and accuracy. They often enjoy mathematics and data management activities such as accounting and investment management. Persistence and patience allows them to do detailed paperwork, operate office machines, write business reports, and make charts and graphs. (I do things like this a lot.)

ORGANIZER CAREERS
Suggested careers are Administrator, Secretary (I do this at the SO), Printer, Paralegal, Building Inspector, Bank Cashier, Private Secretary, Statistician, Operations Manager, Financial Analyst, Bookkeeper, Medical Records Technician, Developer of Business or Computer Systems, Clerical Worker, Proofreader (Love doing this), Accountant, Administrative Assistant, Banker, Certified Public Accountant, Credit Manager, Store Salesperson, Actuary, Dental Assistant, Business Education Teacher, Food Service Manager, IRS Agent, Budget Analyst, and Underwriter.

ORGANIZER WORKPLACES
Your very careful, conscientious, conservative nature gives others the confidence to trust you with handling money and material possessions. Structured organizations that have well-ordered chains of command work best for you. (Yes to these.)

Suggested Organizer workplaces are large corporations, business offices (Currently work in one of these), financial lending institutions, banks, insurance companies, accounting firms, and quality control and inspection departments.

2nd Best Occupational Category

You're a DOER (Not bragging, but someone told me I was this the other day. I like to do things, not wait.)

Keywords:

Emotionally Stable, Reliable, High Energy, Practical, Thrifty, and Persistent (Mostly all true.)

These adventurous types prefer action-oriented, concrete problems rather than dealing with thought-provoking, ambiguous, abstract dilemmas. Fields of interest include mechanical, construction, and outdoor careers. They might also enjoy working with machines, tools, and equipment to repair or build something. (These fit too. I'm a good mix of this plus the first one.)

Happy New Year!

2009-12-31T14:50:00.001-08:00

This month has flown by! It's rather crazy. I have no idea how time can fly by so fast. I have so much to do still, and I'm applying to schools for grad school. That is scary. I could use lots of prayer!

A little update from this month:

I have had some lovely days of vacation. I've spent a lot of time with my lovely family and some dear friends. I took the GRE and I believe I did well. I volunteered a bit at the hospital. I have not worked at the SO for a couple of weeks because my financial aid was reduced for some unknown reason. I'm still confused about it. I have lots of prayer requests in this post. Pray that I somehow get the money back. I really need it. Hm...not much else new. I have some pictures to post but don't have them right now so I'll do a photo update my next post.

Nothing else exciting in my life lately except I am deleting my Facebook.

Ok, are you done fainting now? I know, it seems crazy but it has been taking too much of my time. I love it because it's a great way to see people's pictures, keep in touch with friends and family from all over. Nothing is really wrong with it, but I spend too much time on it and I really need to focus on more important things. So, it looks like I'll probably be updating this more often. I'd like to keep things on here as anonymous as possible. I like to post pics but is there a more secure way? I guess I could change my blog to more private. Any ideas? Feedback? Anyone read this? :)

Hope you have a very Happy New Year! May God bless you richly in 2010!

Guess What Kind of Monday It Is...

2009-12-07T21:32:00.000-08:00

You got it! It's a "Not me" Monday!

It is not me who hasn't posted in 6 weeks.

It is not me who has had ear problems for 5 weeks.

It is also not me who hasn't been able to hear out of her right ear for a week and who got up late because she couldn't hear her alarm because her good ear was in the pillow.

It wasn't me who almost missed the bus this morning. I'm not irresponsible enough to almost be late for my final, even if it was a PE final.

I am not behind on my studying, despite the fact that finals are this week.

I am not pretending to be done and wasting time blogging and fiddling around with my blog background. I have much more important things to do, like study!

It is not me who has nothing interesting to blog about because I haven't done anything besides work, study, and go to church for the past 6 weeks.

Have you not done anything this past week?

Not Me Monday

2009-10-26T19:07:00.000-07:00

The weeks just keep getting faster and faster with more to do. What have I not done this past week?

I most certainly did not miss the bus and arrive to lab 15 min. late, and leave an hour early. Consequently, I did not stay at school until nearly 10 pm at school to finish that lab.

I did not nearly miss the bus every single day last week, having to park at a different parking lot in order to catch the bus at the last possible stop before campus.

I did not pay $6 to park for 3 hours one day last week to avoid being late for PE. I would never waste money like that, and I would never be so irresponsible as to allow that to happen.

I did not get 12 hours of sleep over 3 nights put together and still drive to and from school.

I did not fall asleep in class almost every day last week. I love anatomy and could never fall asleep in class.

I did not make gak last week....wait, yes I did! I had a lot of fun doing it too. :P

Let's get some participation on this post...:D

Where Joy and Sorrow Meet

2009-10-25T00:10:00.000-07:00

It was a crazy week this week. Maybe I'll post about it later, but I was listening to this song and it's been going through my head all week. It's really pretty. I have it by Avalon and I just love it. I couldn't really find any good versions of it online, but if you visit your favorite listening site, I'm sure you'll find it. Here are the lyrics. They are just beautiful.

Where Joy and Sorrow Meet

There's a place of quiet stillness 'tween the light and shadows reach
Where the hurting and the hopeless seek everlasting peace
Words of men and songs of angels whisper comfort bittersweet
Mending grief and life eternal where joy and sorrow meet

There is a place where hope remains
In crowns of thorns and crimson stains
And tears that fall on Jesus' feet
Where joy and sorrow meet

There's a place the lost surrender and the weary will retreat
Full of grace and mercy tender in times of unbelief
For the wounded there is healing, strength is given to the weak
Broken hearts find love redeeming where joy and sorrow meet

There's a place of thirst and hunger where the roots of faith grow deep
And there is rain and rolling thunder when the road is rough and steep
There is hope in desperation there is victory in defeat
At the cross of restoration where joy and sorrow meet

I especially like that last part. :) Hope you are encouraged by this beautiful song.

Not Me Monday

2009-10-19T21:53:00.000-07:00

Where has this week gone? What a busy week it has been.

It was not me who spend time on FB rather than studying for her 5 tests this week, and two tests last week.

It was also not me who had a few "out of body experiences" and wrote about it for all to see. I would not admit to being crazy, never.

It was not me who fell asleep on the bus today, looking not unlike a homeless person.

It was not me who slept past 4 alarms, waking up at the same time I was supposed to be leaving for school. I did not get ready in 8 minutes and walk out the door with extremely poofy hair. (If I did do this, I would have grabbed a pony-tail holder.)

I did not tell the deputy at work that I would take his adorable American boxer and bring it home to my mother without asking her first.

What about you? Anything you didn't do this week?

Hope you have a fabulous week!

You Know You're Tired (or Crazy) When...

2009-10-16T19:29:00.000-07:00

You're driving down the road to school, fully awake, paying attention, staying in your lane when suddenly, you think, "What am I doing?" And look around in a slight state of shock for a second, and then you're back to normal.

Or...you're walking to your car from the bus, holding your keys, like always, and suddenly you think to yourself, "What am I doing? I can't drive." And you look down at your keys in surprise, then just as quickly, you're back to normal. Except not quite, because you can't believe you just had that thought.

Death and Life

2009-10-14T23:48:00.001-07:00

I just got an email telling me one of the professors at my school passed away today. I've had him for multiple classes and he is (I guess it's was now) my adviser. I'm in such shock. He's pretty young, just had a new little baby last summer, has a couple other kids, and a wife. He's always so helpful and nice and always in his office. I saw him over the summer and need to go in and talk to him about graduating this spring and now he's gone. I'm just in utter shock. I know everyone has people in their life that pass away, but I feel like I've had more than my fair share. I was not close to him, but I knew him pretty well and always got help from him. I feel for his family. I know how hard it is to lose a friend, and they have the loss of a father and husband. I think he was some kind of a Christian. He was an awesome guy and I can't believe he's gone.

It's hard to concentrate on studying with something like this. Life is so short, it's so hard to wrap your head around that. Please remember his family in your prayers. I know they can use it.

One life has just been snuffed out. It's a horrible cycle, life and death. I am so thankful for that promise in I Corinthians 15: 51-55:

51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

Yet another "Not me" Monday

2009-10-12T20:07:00.000-07:00

Another Monday has come and gone. It was quite the busy week. Not too much happening in the way of the "not me" posts, but here goes:

It was not me who stayed up much later than I wanted to, talking with a friend, and trying to study at the same time. No, I know better than to multi-talk like that. I know studying is far more important, as well as sleep so I don't get sick.

It was not me who pinched my little cousin with a toy shark just because he did it to me.

It was not me who ate some Halloween candy today. I don't really like candy and would never be tempted to eat it, especially since I'm not trying to get cavities.

It was not me who took down someone's license plate number out of curiosity's sake, just to see who they are.

It was not me who totally blanked on the Station Deputy's number, even though I've punched it in tons of times, and nearly hung up on a caller because of my forgetfulness. Nope, not me!

It was not me who was wondering why on Earth everyone kept talking about Christopher Columbus, until I realized it was in fact, Columbus day.

Anything you've not done this past week? Let me know by replying with a comment! :D I know, I know, shameless plug, but I know you're reading!

Exercising the Second Amendment

2009-10-11T00:24:00.000-07:00

Amendment II

A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.

A sticker I got at work the other day. :D

"Not me" Monday

2009-10-05T21:39:00.000-07:00

It was not me who got on the wrong bus today, riding it from one end of campus to the other, then getting off and waiting for the next bus.

It was not me who wore a jean skirt to work at the SO today. Nope, I would never do something like that.

It was not me who had to spend about 10 minutes trying to decide whether or not something I remembered happening to me last week was a dream or not. Nope, I never confuse the dreamworld with the real world. :P

It is not me who still has a pile of clothes that never goes away. It does not just "appear" every day after I clean it up.

It is not me who still hasn't cashed her check. I need money and would never keep forgetting.

It is not me who is working two jobs and is volunteering at another place, and is going to school full time and still expects to get enough sleep at night.

What about you? Anything you "haven't" done this week?

**Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

What a beautiful day!

2009-10-03T23:03:00.000-07:00

It was very beautiful today, and I stayed inside for most of it because it was freezing! But the sun was gorgeous, and the sunset was just as pretty. I got a photo of part of it.

Almost a full moon!

I read this article about taking care of your teeth and I thought it was very interesting. It mentioned that dried fruits are bad for your teeth because of the sugar and because they can get stuck in-between your teeth. It makes sense, but I never thought about it. I eat a lot of dried fruit because we buy the mix from Costco, and it constitutes as a major part of my diet each day. For lunch pretty much every day, I have yogurt, dried fruit/nut mix, and string cheese. Guess I'm going to have to cut out the dried fruit. :( Sad, cause I like it because it's easy to grab. But I do love fresh fruit and if it'll help my teeth, I'm up for it. :)

What are your favorites ways to spend a sunny fall* day?
Are you concerned about your teeth? Any drastic things you'd cut out of your diet if you found out they were bad for your teeth?

*Fall is officially here, and I'm not super excited for it, but I guess there's nothing I can do about it.

What a day!

2009-10-01T19:44:00.000-07:00

What a full day! School's been in session for a week yesterday, and I already have tons to do. A quiz Monday, more stuff coming up, it's crazy! In A&P lab, we are memorizing all the bones and features of the bones. It's more than you think! For a small taste of what I have to memorize, visit this site.

I've already done this before in BioAnth in the Osteology section, so I wasn't as worried, but it's still a lot to learn. We had to know the Appendicular skeleton by today. So, last night I crammed, and it all came back. Then today in lab, my partner and I crammed together and we got 100%! :) Go us!

My PE class....Was totally awkward the first day, which was Tuesday. Everyone staring at me and of course I have no idea what I'm doing because I've never done serious weigh-lifting before. Today, I made a friend and PE partner, a nice girl. :) My CS lab worked out, and I knew more about the lab today than the lab TA! Went to work at the hospital, learned lots, met a hilarious patient. :) Tried to give plasma, the girl was not experienced enough and messed it up. This is twice now! Two times in a row the girls messed up and I got my $$, but didn't get to give plasma. It's lame. I like the $$ but I don't only do it for that, I want to help out. Oh well...

My SO job called and they approved my rehiring! :) More $$. Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That about sums it up. Yesterday things were looking crazy. Today, things are looking much better. I'm soooo ready for bed!

Life...

2009-10-01T19:30:00.000-07:00

Life is so fleeting. Working at the hospital gives you a taste of that, but usually it's the grave illnesses or serious injuries that you're treating, avoiding death at all costs. I never see the other side, the side where life is no more. OT's** usually help you get home or get further help you need to get back home eventually. The thought of those patients dying before getting home usually isn't an issue. I have seen some pretty ill patients, but I never think of them dying, it's always about getting better. Patients discharge and go on with life, and so do you.

My first real taste of death was with Miriam. I didn't know how life could go on. I never thought death would come that close. Other than her, I haven't been that close to death. I know how it feels to lose someone though. It's like your whole world stops. I had such a hard time thinking that life kept going on, despite the fact that my world had stopped.

At the hospital, life goes on. You see a patient, do your best, and move on. You know some patients are seriously ill, but you don't think of them dying.

Then you see a gray, zipped body bag being wheeled down the hallway. Life just stopped for that person. You watch as the transporter slowly walks away and you want to yell, "Wait! There's a person in there!" But you don't, cause there's not really. The person is gone now. It's just a shell.

Your mind flashes to who it might be. That lady from yesterday? That man from two days ago? We tried so hard with them...Did someone hold their hand? Did someone get to push back their hair from their face as they took that last breath? Did they feel it? Did they know it was their last breath? Did the family know? Did they get to say goodbye one last time?

Their world has stopped now. But life....it's still going on.

A new patient is wheeled down the hall. The chimes go off...a new baby has just been born. One life is just beginning, and one has just ended.

It sounds so nice and logical, but what about life for the family who just lost a loved one? When does life begin again for them?

Whoops...time for the next patient.

**Occupational therapists-I'm shadowing, getting experience for grad school.

Just Another Day

2009-09-26T22:57:00.000-07:00

Am I blogging too much? Probably. But since I went through major withdrawals from not blogging for nearly 8 months I think I'm past due for some more *boring posts.

But, I had a couple funny things happen today at work that cracked me up and I just had to share.

Only at the library will you see a **grown lady sitting on the computer for her allotted 30 minutes of internet use, on Facebook, playing Farmville, no less...I heard her swearing and immediately looked over because I thought it was one of the kids. I saw it was this grown lady, playing Farmville, on Facebook. Apparently things weren't going so well. :P Then, after a while, she swore again, and said, "I don't have time for this!" I nearly laughed out loud. :D

And then, she came back again and did the same thing! Sometimes I wonder if it was a smart idea to have them allow people other than college students on Facebook. :P

Then, this older man came in to read the paper. He comes in every Saturday and is usually there right when we open. Today he was late, and he walked back to the newspapers and then came back, wondering where today's papers were at. I told him they were back there, or should be, so he left to look again. He came back in a big huff, still unable to find them. So, I went back there to look. Sure enough, they weren't there. So, I told him someone else had likely moved them. He got all mad and said, "I want to read the paper." So, I looked around and someone else was reading them. I politely told him and waited to see what he was going to do. Sure enough, he stalked over to the other man to see why he was reading "his" paper. :P I walked away laughing to myself. Some people are so self-centered. :D

*If you think reading long, not so well-written blogs is boring.
**Grown meaning over 40 and looking like someone's mom and/or young grandma.

2009-09-25T09:41:00.001-07:00

I'm trying out this phone blogging. Any thoughts on it? Have you ever tried it? Is it 2 much like FB? Does it even work? Ttfn!

Change

2009-09-25T00:01:00.000-07:00

I was going through some of my posts on my old blog site and I see a big change in the way I write, what I write, and how I write. When did I get so calloused and cynical? What happened to my usually positive posts and encouraging words? I feel like this year was a big change, although nothing specifically caused that. I'm not looking to the Word like I was, not saturating myself with it like I was, not talking about it like I was. It's sad.

To remedy that, I'll just give a brief testimony of last night's service. It was amazing, totally amazing. I have felt so dry and out of sorts for the past few months. I come to church not expecting like I used to, not as prepared as I used to be. I am always blessed by what is said, but then after, I don't feel the same freedom and devotion like I used to have. I've been praying and asking God to break me out of that.

At camp this year, after one of the services, I was looking through my notes from church this year. We have had some powerful services and everything that was spoken is totally applicable to now. All the services were almost like a table of contents being spread out in front of us, telling us, "this is what you're going to go through this year." God totally prepared us for what has been going on lately, and I feel like we've missed it, at least myself anyways.

The whole atmosphere of the service last night was different. Normally I am tired and not always feeling like worshiping, but last night I was so excited to be at church and to be able to praise God. The service was amazing, exactly what we needed, and then the after service was totally wonderful. God knew we needed it, and He brought a victory for us last night. Prayers were going up, praise, love, adoration, surrender, etc. It was just amazing. God is restoring us back and I'm so thankful. I don't want any physical rain right now, but you know when the rain is pouring down and it just feels refreshing? Well, that's how it was last night. It was like God was raining down His presence and love on us and we just soaked it in, like dry, parched ground. I'm praying that we keep on watering and allow our fruit to start coming up.

We go through dry times as Christians, and it has been one for me, but God has brought refreshing rain down for us and I believe it's time to move on and have a time of revival and sprouting.

A quote Bro. John said last night that I loved: "God does a miracle to bring an understanding."

Last night was a miracle. :)

Day 2

2009-09-24T23:56:00.000-07:00

I successfully finished Day 2 of Fall quarter without killing anyone, including myself. :P So far, my SO job has not started, which while I need the money asap, it's kind of nice not having to worry about it this week. Hopefully I can start next week. My PE class went by without any problems, mostly because we didn't do anything besides sign a waiver and read about the class. I felt so like a freshman because I was unfamiliar with the building and didn't know anyone. There are quite a few girls in the class so that will be nice, plus, the instructor is a girl! I'm so happy! Just about everyone looked at me when we talked about appropriate attire, but the only thing she said was no jean and to have proper shoes. :P So won't they all get a surprise on Tuesday AM.

Still no word back on switching my labs. I've emailed and talked to instructors and I'm still waiting on the official yes or no. Please continue to keep that in your prayers. Thank you!

I only have a few more hours left before I have 100 hours of volunteer at the hospital! I only started in August too. :)

Only 1 more day before the weekend. I think I'm gonna make it! Yay!

Back to School

2009-09-23T23:44:00.000-07:00

I had my first day of school for Fall quarter today. Boy was it a crazy day. I'm taking my last (hopefully) quarter of Chem! Also, Anatomy & Physiology with lab, a somewhat lame, somewhat fun Internet class, and a weight lifting class. Funny, I know, but I needed 1 more credit to be considered full time. So, ask me in December if I'm buff. Haha....

I was running a couple minutes slow this morning but not bad considering I had to leave at 7 am. But, upon getting to my car, I had to get my shoes out of the trunk. I have a hatchback, so the trunk door is quite heavy. Normally it stays open if you push it up all the way and hold it for a second. I did that, but today it decided to close on me, as I was leaning all the way in, so it got a lot of momentum going down and promptly slammed me in the back of the head.

That wasn't the most pleasant thing in the morning and it caused much frustration. Then, slow drivers...Don't even get me started. So, I made it to the bus with my head slightly damaged. I barely made it to class on time because some brilliant planners decided to have construction on the road going up to campus and had closed down 1 lane, leaving only 1 lane for 2 lane traffic. It's not the smartest thing they've ever done, let me tell you.

So, my class was ok. Then, I had to try to find my PE classroom for tomorrow. I went into the office there thinking that the office staff would surely know where things were in there. I waited 5 minutes while they laughed and talked while I politely stood there waiting for someone to help me. Finally, one of the ladies asked me, "Are you here for the entertainment or do you need something?" I thought she was quite rude. I had walked in while they were in conversation so I politely waited. They saw me and ignored me until then. Anyways, they couldn't even help me in the end. I tell you...what's up with staff @ WWU?

Then a 3 hour break...It'll be appreciated next week but was kind of long today. My phone died so I went back to my car via the bus to charge it while eating. The only reason I mention this is because the construction was indeed still going on, but this time, most of the workers had put on T-shirts and stood at either end of the blocked-off part holding signs, protesting something. So they stopped traffic for about 10 for no reason. Same thing happened going back up to campus. Sure was annoying.

Then, A&P and my CS class. My CS prof is originally French and is quite entertaining and so far has not sworn! I'm so impressed! There were plenty of opportunities for him to do so and he refrained. He even mentioned God twice in a sentence without taking His name in vain. I'm floored. :P

Overall, not a bad first day. A little crazy with so many kids on campus, though that'll die down after next week. But, getting smacked in the back of the head caused me to get this weird pain, and I felt dizzy & kind of funny. Probably not a concussion, but it sure was a hard hit.

As for tomorrow, I have my PE class and while I'm excited for it, I'm a little nervous about finding things in that building. Plus, I realized today that I'm the first believer to ever go to WWU and more than likely the first girl there to ever wear a skirt while doing any type of physical activity, with the exception of the cheerleaders. So, pray for me if you think of it. I'll sure need it. Oh, also, I need to switch 2 lab times so pray for some kind people to trade with me.

Sorry this is so long, but I'm sure you know me well enough by now to know I write lots. Hope you're not too bored. Thanks for reading! :)

Starting Anew

2009-09-20T21:15:00.000-07:00

I love blogging but I've rarely found the time. I was on Xanga but no one uses it anymore so I decided to move on over here. So, we'll see how it all works out. :)

Hm...good inspiration for a first post is hard to find at this time of the day. I had a lovely weekend. A friend got married and then I spent the rest of the weekend with a good friend. :)

If any of you more experienced Bloggers have any suggestions or tips or nice comments to make, please do. :)

I think that's about all for now. I know, I know, not the most exciting post but at least it breaks the ice. :) TTFN!