one day...

I will be able to actually write something on here. But for now every time I go to write on it I realize HOW tired I am and decide to get to sleep.

The trend continues tonight

What's coming up.

Looking forward to:

DISNEY ON ICE! (one week)
Maybe Shreveport
Trip to LA
and duh...

CAMP!

a little of this... a little of that...

I am volunteering at a children's home for a class and today was my first day. Due to all the confidentiality commitments I have to keep, I can't really share details. But I will say these children are precious! God has really created beautiful beings with all different, yet wonderful personalities. I think I am going to ask if I can mentor one of the 8th grade girls. She is just really on my heart!

So that started off my day, and next came a midterm. Lucky me right? It was pretty easy... very easy compared to the one I bombed on Wednesday! I was nervous because I had to write a persuasive essay about either abortion, euthanasia, or quotas. I am just not a persuasive person, I don't like to argue my points especially in writing. I enjoy discussing them but persuasion is so intimidating to me! I feel like growing up I didn't have one bit of an issue with it though! What is happening to me!?!?

Well... I can say officially I am sooo excited about camp this summer! Not that I haven't been but I have just not had time to realize how excited I am. Which brings me to this...

This year has been the fastest year of my life! Well... I realize every year is the exact same amount [other then leap year] of time in it. But man this year has come and gone SO fast!

Today I have been looking at pictures of the team that just returned from South Africa! It was FOUR years ago that I went! FOUR YEARS! That's a long time. I am praying for the day the Lord sends me back and anxiously yet patiently awaiting it! ( Makes a lot of sense right...) Let me explain. I say anxiously because my heart desires to spend time there again, learn more of the people and the culture and be a part of the work that is going on there! Yet, I know right now is not the season for that. My goal is the first semester Rolling Hills goes that I am NOT in school, to go! But I know the Lord will be faithful to direct those steps. Until then... pray pray pray for the country and the beautiful people! That is what I am called to do! :)






Well... that's it.

school, work, packing....SLACKING!

Well... it has officially been the busiest week of the semester!

I feel like this week has actually been going on FOREVER. I have worked 5 days, gone to school 3, babysat 1, started and finished a paper, created a community resource directory, taken multiple quizzes and now I have until Monday to prepare TWO group project to be presented in class. Just a busy, long week! Plus I will be moving in the morning. And [BTW] I refuse to move again the rest of my entire life!

So I think to myself 'SELF, why are you wasting time blogging instead of homework?' Well honestly I couldn't look at home work again if I wanted to... which I don't! And sometimes blogging is really just for me. Talking, ranting, venting...

Next week I begin volunteering at the Children's home and continue observing Blane for class. I am so greatly excited about both of these beginning. Yes it adds a ton of hours in my week but man a Children's Home. I am so excited and feel greatly blessed the Lord has just set that all up for me. I can't wait to meet these children and teenagers!

my schedule during the week:

Monday/Wednesday: class 8-3/Work 4-10
Tuesday/Thursday: work 8-4/ observing 4-6/ children's home 6-8:30(ish)
Friday:class 2-3/work 4-12

(Jamey... this is why I'm not here to talk to you!)

Thankfully each day the Lord gives me a good nights rest, physically and spiritually. He is so stinkin' faithful to meet my every need. It's kinda of mind blowing really. He has allowed my mind to be so very present where my life is now, yet so much to look forward to the future happenings. Just good good good.


It is almost that time. CAMP! ah... so soon. I feel like it is sneaking up so quickly! Here's some favorites from camp

Planes, Trains and Automobiles (minus the Trains)

Okay so last weekend I was lucky enough to get the chance to visit Nashville and Louisville! These are two cities that have great importance to me: Nashville was the beginning of so many things for me! Louisville hold many people that I dearly love!

I flew into Nashville at 1pm on Friday and hung out with the Dentons (who are like family to me!) At 5pm I was packed and ready [sort of] to begin a DNOW with the students I cherish so greatly! It had been 6 months since my last visit and it was long over due. So I stayed at the high school girls house, which was wonderful as always, and up early in the AM to do Saturday Serve. Well lucky for me, it was that time for the Father Son Bowl. I love this ministry! It was started just four years ago and this year there were 395 families signed up to play. I'm pretty sure despite the sleeting and snow falling fast freezing our whole bodies, most people still showed. HOW GREAT!!!

So... the DNOW ended at 10pm on Saturday, Bing picked me up, we went to chili's and I got back around 11:30. Church came soon but not soon enough! I had yet to see the Warehouse. This is the new building for Rolling Hills. It is lovely. What a blessing from God. Even with the simplicity of church in a WAREHOUSE, it is beautiful! The sad part of this short visit is it is much like SPEED DATING. I felt like I could have talked with people from RHCC for hours and yet I had a few minutes before services. It was wonderful to see familiar faces and catch up quickly, but I could definitely use a two week visit.

After church Lunch with the Dentons and Allen's. Lillie Cate and Nora Blake are beautiful and so smart already. Good luck Nic and Susan! ;) Lillie Cate can WRITE her NAME! She is THREE! Brilliant... and she loves me so that is a smart move too! :)

2:30pm: Seraph text me and tells to let me know that she and Zack are in the driveway waiting for me! YAY! Of course, because I'm late EVERYWHERE, I'm not there yet!

[Lets pause this and talk about great friends! They drove three hours each way to pick me up and take me back to Louisville!!!! WHATTTTTT!!!!]

So we get back just in time for a super bowl party and Under cove Boss. After that... thirty minutes in the drive way deciding what is next. Finally, the girls make the call... Steak N Shake. There is nothing else opened. We wrote poems to each other, made Napkin Brittany (even though she wasn't needed because this time I was ACTUALLY there) and talked life <---[i THINK]! We left around 3:30AM and went for a girl sleep over. Monday help much fun too, the coming of a snow storm, observing Mr. Doyle and the trip returning back to Texas. What a sweet 23 hours I had with my beautiful friends. Erin.Girl even hugged me... TWICE! :)



So to answer the your questions: Yes it was way to short, Yes I was exhausted come Monday, Yes I'm still catching up on my missed sleep. And therefore... done blogging!

Happy sleeps.

p.s. I'm attempting a new schedule called getting up at 6AM! Wish me luck! :)

Soon...

So let me begin by taking you to past thoughts of mine.

After I became a follower of Christ (about 7Th grade) I would spend a great deal of time pondering this thought of "the end." Not just pondering but being completely terrified by it! I knew I was supposed to eagerly await for that day, but I don't think I really understood why. After all, my dream was to finish school, get married and have children! Yes, go figure, I was a typical girl! And in my head I always tried to justify that that was supposed to happen first because these were great desires of mine, nothing else really mattered. I wasn't really a girl that spent time worrying about boys or dating them, but one day I wanted to get married! Because I had this great desire for love and marriage and all of that, I thought there is no way that wasn't happening. I know this sounds like such a girly girly thing to say... but really... I am one! :)With that, please know there were other things that went into the axiety of thinking about the coming of the Lord, partly just not being able to grasp it.

Now let me explain the past year.

The last year or so I have struggled a lot, with where I am now, why I am here and when I can leave. With that I mean my actual physical location. I have wrestled a great deal with why I ever left Nashville, a place I loved to come back to Texas the place I spent the first 18 or so years of my life. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE LOVE LOVE my family BUT I love Nashville too.

Now let me bring you to current thoughts of mine.

I started praying that the Lord would change my desires to match His, because His plans really are always much sweeter than my own! So here I am in the place I don't want to be(Texas) Yet, it has been such a sweet time with the Lord. Growing up I never really questioned things, I didn't have the desire to rebel authority or any of the such. But I just could not see what the point was in me being here. I started praying for this, realizing that I was here for a purpose I just didn't want it to be so hard. One night when I was reading in Psalm 16, I came across verse 11. The middle part of it says, " in your presence there is fullness of joy." Talk about something that is so clear at that moment! It really was like... okay Lord you are here, I am in your presence, even here in Texas. It really was like a sudden moment of "I will find Joy here because I am right in the middle of your presence!"

okay... so back to the first paragraph...

In this whole God changing my desires to match His, I began to see this sweet picture of eternity with Jesus. Not that the desire to be a wife and mother have been Xed out of my life, not even close! But that eternity with Him is the ultimate desire, the most precious thought.

A song that I greatly love is called Soon, by Brooke Fraser! If you haven't heard it you should probably stop reading this and download it! Here are the words...

Soon and very soon
My King is coming
Robed in righteousness
And crowned with love
When I see Him, I shall be made like Him
Soon and very soon

Soon and very soon
I'll be going to the place He has prepared for me
Then my sin erased, my shameful garden
Soon and very soon

I will be with the One I love
With unveiled face I'll see Him
There my soul with be satisfied
Soon and very soon

Soon and very soon
See the procession
The angels and the elders round the thrown
At His feet I lay
My grant, my wishing
Soon and very soon

I will be with the One I love
With unveiled face I'll see Him
There my soul with be satisfied
Soon and very soon

Though I have not seen Him
My heart knows Him well
Jesus Christ the Lamb, the Lord of heaven

I will be with the One I love
With unveiled face I'll see Him
There my soul with be satisfied

what a lovely lovely thought! I haven't figured it all out... obviously... or I wouldn't just be blogging about it.

love love love

been a while...

So I realized It has sure been a while on here. I guess with school starting back I don't have as much free time! Speaking of school... I REALLY REALLY like my classes! Now it's only week 2 so please don't hold me to that! But so far they are really great. Here's my schedule...

Adolescent Development (One in which I refuse to buy the book for!)
Guidance for Children/Youth
Families, communities and resources
Contemporary Moral Issues
Transition in family and work

Doesn't that sound like such a good time! It really is :) In one of my classes I have to observe one child for 15 hours. And then I have to write a case study over that child. No pressure, right!?

In another class I have to volunteer with a social service for 15 hours. I am so excited about this! Actually I have an appointment to meet with the volunteer coordinator at a children's home on Monday! I'm praying that will be the place. I am excited about this because it gives me the chance to see the field I want to go into first hand!

Anyways... I wanted to share a little about school stuff... since it will be about 80% of my time! AHHHH I get to go to Nashville and Louisville this week and I can NOT wait!!!!! I am so glad the the Lord has allowed this weekend to happen. I haven't been to Nashville in so Long! (since August!) But it has definitely allowed me to get used to and enjoy where I am in life at the moment! It's just been a sweet time, these last two months!

Also in the past few weeks I have joined a small group at church, and I am hoping to do the membership class soon. I mean, look at me go, making all these decisions. You know I don't like to! But man the Lord has been SO stinkin' good to me. He has really helped me see my purpose in being here and even helped me find great joy in it! I'm a luckky girl for sure. Saved because of grace and a God that loves me!

well... this is long and random... but that's what happens when I haven't blogged in a few weeks!

got hit in the face...

Okay so the next part of this journey was Nashville!

About 3 1/2 weeks before I was going back to OC for a second year I was told "When God opens the door he's going to hit you in the face." And goodness He surely did! He hit me right in the face... maybe even gave me a black eye and busted lip! The very next day I was asked to moved to Nashvhille to Intern at Rolling Hills Community Church! For starters... I wasn't actually old enough for the position, I had never thought of doing youth ministry and I had never been to Nashville nor had the desire to go there!

So 28 minutes later I said YES, the next weekend I went and dropped out of college and three weeks later packed everything in my car and drove that way! Boy did the Lord know what He was doing here! The following two years taught me so much and has formed and shaped the things I am most passionate about! Even as I rememeber this time I realize just how evident His plan was during this time. He needed me there but mainly because I needed the people there! I developed friendships in Nashville that I couldn't imagine living with out. Families took me in, made me dinner and all together really took care of me! The love of Christ was very much seen through each of them! I was surrounded with such a wonderful group of friends! It wouldn't be possible to write all this and not mention the students! Those students are amazing! I can't wait to get back and see them... even though some are even getting ready to graduate! (INSANE!) I know it seems super girly, and really it IS to reminisce about this. But I wish I could explain the importance of this time in my life via a blog. It's just not possible! But since I'm already doing it... I'm going to go ahead and list top 3 favorite things about nashville...

1) Catch phrase nights!


2) Sudent retreats and camp with Kristy :)


3) The city of Nashville, downtown and the parks!

Such a girl...

Okay Okay. I have come to realize I am SUCH a girl about things!! One of those things being the past. I was looking back through my old photos and remembering some really good times. I couldn't even express how much I have changed since I first went off to college at OC. The oppertunities I have had since then! WOW... PTL! I mean I lived in Nashville! (and will again one day!) I was able to work with students, work camp, went to Africa and New Zealand!! I have truly been blessed by the Lord to have done the things I have in my short 23 years!! SO I have decided over the next few days I'm going to blog about major happenings in my life over the past few years!

So here Goes...

Starting with my freshman year at OC (what a WONDERFUL year!)I met some really amazing friends... not to mention it was the beginning of me moving away from home and everything I was familiar with! God can really teach you a lot through that you know! I was only there a year... but really GREAT ONE!!!

This was the year my faith was greatly challenged, not just by people but the school and different beliefs. This is also the place I really learned to be independent from my family but realized I was never left alone by God!



(still to this day... my favorite birthday!)


This is good OC... Nashville will be next...

Psalm 16:11

"You make known to me the path of life;
In your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore."

I have quickly fallen in love with the words of this psalm, but with that comes a huge challenge! In the beginning it says You make known the plans of life! WOW... because so often I'm pretty sure I already know the plans! I absolutely have been put to shame by the second part and it has began to be a daily thought. To find fullness of JOY in His presence!!!!!! If you could see my face every time I think that! What a huge task! Fullness of JOY in only Him! It's tough yet sweet. It only day by day, minute by minute I could only find Joy in Him!



Of all the things in the world... may my joy be completely wrapped up because of who He is!

In Christ Alone?

I have been super stuck on the song In Christ Alone. I just kind of become in awe when I listen to it! I put a question mark because I wonder how often do I actually depend only on Christ. I mean it's so easy for me to think I can do it alone. Not in Christ alone but just ALONE. And then I quickly think of how often I FAIL when that happens. In fact it's like one big epic fail! I mean if Christ came and took on flesh and died and rose again to become my strength WHY do I constantly try to do it on my own.

I just feel like this song is such a beautiful explanation of Salvation. There are so many parts to this song that I want to talk about and probably will soon but for now I leave it just at that. Mainly because I am meeting a friend for lunch and I'm ALWAYS late! So I better begin to get ready. But be prepared for more words... maybe even today. WHo knows?

In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand

In Christ alone, who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save
‘Til on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ

No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life’s first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
‘til He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand

I will stand, I will stand
All other ground is sinking sand
All other ground (x2)
Is sinking sand (x2)

I plan to actually use this...

Well... for starters I have NEVER been a blogger! But recently I have thought that I have many things I'd love to hash out in writing. Therefore... I made a blog! We'll see how long it last and if I ever actually write on it! Because I have moved so much and met so many wonderful people I would start this so it would be a place I could share with you all what is going on this my world!

Recently my world has been rocked by the Lord, through very tough times and now becoming sweetly wonderful moments in life.

Well it took me forever to figure out how to do this and it is now 1:51AM and I'm much like an old lady! All this to say... It's gooodnight for me!

p.s. expect these words to be just like the ones that come from my mouth... random and sometimes not to make sense! :)