Dancing in the rain!!

Waiting

2010-04-29T10:37:00.002-05:00

God in my hoping

There in my dreaming

God in my watching

God in my waiting

(lyrics from Tim Hughes' Everything)

I have had a first in my life recently. I am waiting with an unsure direction or terminus. Always in life, I have waited with a specific view or goal on the other end. I waited for a school year to end for the summer, I waitied for high school to end and college to begin. I waited for college math to end so I wouldn't ever have to take math again. The list is endless.

Two weeks ago, I thought I was waiting to finish school so that I could move to Boston. Now I'm not so sure. I don't know what I am waiting on now. I only know that I am waiting. This verse above perfectly describes my location. God is there; He knows my hopes, what I'm dreaming of, he sees me watching and knows I am waiting.

Even more amazing to me, is that throught the Lord's grace, I'm not concerned that I don't know what is on the other end of this time of waiting, where I will be or what that will look like. That is so not from me. It is the exact opposite of what I do instinctively. Praising the Lord for that. I know that His plans are good, and I am enjoying this sweet time of waiting with Him.

Snow in College Station!!!

2008-12-14T18:01:00.008-06:00

Something unbelievable and amazing happen in College Station on Wednesday. It snowed. Two beautiful inches of perfect, beautiful, fluffy, made for snowball fights snow. I was beyond deliriously happy. Below are a FEW of the many many pictures I took
.

To my Becca, or to me, Becka...

2008-10-14T21:27:00.003-05:00

Oh my Becka!!! I love you so much. We talked for 2 HOURS AND 37 MINUTES the other day!!! That for sure was the longest phone conversation we have ever had. Way to go us. I loved our "date". It was by far the best ever. (Say it: "Go Sox!!")

You are such a special person to me. I love that we have been friends so long that I can't remember us not being friends. I love that no matter what is going on in my life, no matter when the last time we talked was, I can always pick up the phone and find you. I am so thankful that I can always count on you and know that you will point me back to the Lord and the Word.

I love looking back and seeing how our friendship has grown and changed over so many years. I have so many memories - happy and not so happy - and so many things that I am thankful to have experienced with you.

I don't know why I like to misspell your name, but it just looks right to me. I don't know why you never say anything, but you don't, and I kind of love that. It is like my special name for you. Weird huh?

I am so thankful that you are the one that has walked through SO many things with me...some that I am sure you thought would never end. (I wondered the same thing too.) I am thankful that I get to watch you and Mike do married life. I love watching you (from afar) be a Mommy. You are a blessing and an encouragement to me. I want you to know that again. I love that now we get to share blogging too.

You have been such a sweet blessing to me since Saturday. I want you to know that. I love you!! Kiss your boys for me!! (Except Mike...just tell him HI when he gets back on Monday!!!)

"There's Only ONE October!!"

2008-10-07T20:04:00.002-05:00

So I have a little secret...kind of.

Unless you really know me, or you spend A LOT of time with me, you would probably never guess that I adore baseball...Especially if the Red Sox are playing. Recently, one of my co-workers said to me, " I never would have guessed that you were interested in baseball the first time I met you." It was funny that she said that, but didn't really surprise me. Apparently, I don't have the "I love baseball" girl kind of air. Not sure exactly how I come off the first time people meet me, but apparently it doesn't scream baseball...

All of that to say, the Red Sox are rocking post-season baseball. Their last four games have been great, even the one they lost. There have been extra innings and runs made on 3-2 counts galore. It has been beautiful. I can't wait to see the American League Championship Series and then the World Series start. I can't wait to see the Red Sox running onto the field with the 2008 World Series trophy in hand. I am excited about the games ahead and the wins ahead. So fun!!

There are other things I love about October too...Like the fact that it is finally 95 degrees and not 105 degrees here in Texas. I like that I know at somepoint in the future, I will be able to wear long sleeves and dream about wearing scarves. I like that Christmas is closer. I like that soon it will be cool enought to turn off the ac...which means smaller electric bills. Which is always beautiful.

There is only one downside to this fall, and all the GREAT things in contains. I have to get a flu shot this year. I have NEVER gotten a flu shot....I have had the flu once, a million (or ten) years ago...Not in high school, not in college did I ever get the flu, but this year, I have to. I hate shots!!! So, we will see how it goes...I better not get sick after getting the shot.

Happy Fall

Grownup.

2008-08-09T13:30:00.003-05:00

This week I started my first real, official "grown-up" job. Wow that sounds weird. Hmm. So, in the last two days being a grown up has been everything I expected and nothing like what I expected. Make sense?

I love the wonderful people I work with. They are fabulous. I enjoy working in a Doctor's office. It fits my personality I think. I love that there are things to file and paperwork. (I have an odd adoration for paperwork...) There are things I can organize. I get to use a highlighter sometimes. I answer phones. I get to multitask a lot, which is something I love to do. :) All good things. If I had picked from any job, this is the job I would pick for me. This and maybe producer (or something) for Gilmore Girls. I would rock at that too.

At the same time though, I actually miss having too much to do. Crazy huh? Don't get me wrong, I love knowing that when I leave work, I can do whatever I choose with my time and not feel guilty about putting off studying. That is wonderful. I can really enjoy how I use my time without the ever present cloud of school-guilt. So nice. Yet, at the same time, I miss having a directed purpose/goal. I have plenty to do at work, but free time is different. I thought I would have so much free time in the evenings that I would be bored. I have yet to have a free evening. Not complaining. I have LOVED every minute with the wonderful people I have spent my evenings with. It has been a blast so far. But when I do go home there isn't a mile long list of school things to accomplish with an equally long list of personal things to accomplish. I don't think I know what to do with myself. I miss being overly busy. I like having a lot to do. I don't know if that is good. Maybe it is because I want to avoid sitting and being still. I should pray about that.

So, in answer to Shannan's recent question, My goals for this time away from school are:
1. To learn to be quiet and still. Maybe I will learn to truly WAIT on the Lord.
2. To be thankful for the freedom to do things I enjoy and be a wise steward of my time and other resources.
3. I want to learn not to give into the urge to do something solely for the purpose of being busy, or having something else to put on a to-do list.
4. I especially want to use this time to build relationships. I want to be a blessing to others.

So, that it's it....my thoughts so far on growing up.

Funny things!!

2008-07-25T22:27:00.005-05:00

I spent much of my day with the Bacaks today. It was lovely. But, today Emma said two things that I thought were great.

1. She "rememberized" the songs she plays on the piano.

Awesome huh?

2. The phrase "In this stage of life" came out of her mouth.

I wanted to laugh so hard that I could have cried. Instead, I tried very hard to NOT laugh, and made a pathetic attempt at following the rest of the conversation, because, let's face it, in my head I was out of breath from laughing so hard.

I love that everyday with the Bacak children is an interesting day. So great!!

That would be nice...

2008-07-24T13:33:00.003-05:00

I think I need a pensieve. I don't know how you feel about Harry Potter, but for the moment that is irrelevant. I have read and enjoyed all seven of the books.

I think maybe the coolest thing mentioned in any of the books is a pensieve. A pensieve is a place to store thoughts and memories. There are times when I have nine hundred thoughts running around my brain and I don't know what to do with all of them. If I could just pull a couple out and save them for later that would be wonderful.

Or, if something happened, and you wanted to retain the memory without forgetting the details, if you could pull it out and save it, so that you would never forget and could always "relive" it, that would be nice.

It would be nice if you could have, at your disposal a video display of your memories and thoughts. It would be wonderful. Especially when there is so much jumbled up in your thoughts you don't know what to process first, much less how to stay focused on one thing at a time....

So, if you ever stumble across one of these, get one for me!! Or if someone figures out how to do this, maybe digitally, I think I might be their biggest fan...

That's mostly it for now, except -

It is supposed to be raining right now, so where is the rain??!!

**My roommates hounded me yesterday about updating my blog. So you have them to thank for this post!!**

Car Shopping...

2008-07-10T12:55:00.002-05:00

When I went home for the 4th, my parents told me that I need to get ready to buy a new car. So, I am looking for tips, etc.

I will most likely, unless struck my lightening, or being given another car, will buy a Honda! I love mine!! Getting a new one will be nice. But, what questions do I need to ask? Etc...I want you advice!!

Thankful list revision

2008-05-04T12:34:00.003-05:00

I was recently made aware of a major oversight in my last posting. I need to fix that!!

So one of my favorite things this year has been having lunch or coffee dates with some of the lovely LH ladies. Probably my most steady lunch companion this semester has been Jenn Harrist. I love this lady!! Okay, I love the whole Harrist family. In the last few months we have started going to dinner after church on Saturday night every couple of weeks! I love that. It is nice to have dinner as part of a family every one in a while. Okay, not that I don't have dinner as part of a super amazing, most wonderful awesome family at least twice a week, but it is nice to be part of other families from LH too. Yay!! I love this community thing!! So, to the Harrists, I apologise for my gross oversight, and I want you to know that i am ABUNDANTLY thankful for you!! I love you all!!

By the way, if you are going to blog stock me, I DEMAND THAT you comment....Jenn Harrist!!!

Thankful...List, Game, etc.

2008-04-28T23:06:00.002-05:00

This time of the semester is sometimes really difficult for me. The last few days I have really had to put off some things, like frustration and bad attitudes...so, I have had to work specifically on putting on good things...Things like THANKSGIVING!! (And no, I do not mean the food focused holiday.)
One of my favorite "activities" for the last year and a half or so has been what is affectionately known in our apartment as "the Thankful Game". When we are having unedifying conversation, when we are grumpy or moody, or ANYTHING less than thankful, we play this game. It is wonderful!! We take turns saying things we are thankful for. (What a simple game!!) It doesn't have to be super spiritual, just encouraging. Some of our favorite things to be thankful for around here are (in no particular order):

Living Hope
Sonic drinks
chocolate (for the other girls)
BASEBALL
the RED SOX rocking their games (not in the last week...)
Wise counsel
Community

This game is so much fun, and it is much harder to sin while you are so focused on being thankful. You should all play the thankful game sometime too...

My other favorite, and the "travel companion" to the thankful game, is the individual version, the Thankful List. It's like the thankful game for one. Amazing!! So, here is my thankful list for today...

1. The Bacaks - they bless me abundantly...and they have the cutest kids EVER. Seriously, if God said stay in College Station forever, I would be totally happy as long as I have the Bacak family to hang out with. Wise counsel, love, encouragement and fun...what else could I want?

2. My roommates. I have grown so much these last nine months, so I am thankful for the experiences I have had with these girls.

3. My current/soon to be roomies - Not confusing at all. I will be retaining one current roommate and gaining one new roommate. I am excited to see what the next year will bring!

4. Summer will be here soon - By summer, I mean a short break from school before summer school and sadly, the hot weather too...

5. My super cute bedroom...Tiffany Blue, Black and White Damask...enough said!

6. Living Hope

7. My future job, working for the wonderful Dr. Bacak...

8. Clean Laundry

9. Flip-Flops and the pedicures they necessitate

10. Pretty Dishes

Yay for thankfulness!! Now to bed!!

Spring has arrived!!!

2008-03-20T15:31:00.003-05:00

IT'S HERE! IT'S HERE! IT'S FINALLY HERE!!!

Today, I saw the one thing that lets me know Spring has found it's way to Texas!! Oh the joy that welled up in my heart! These things make me want to dance. I love Bluebonnets. There are few things in life as fabulous as an extremely long drive on a sunny (but not hot!!) day with bluebonnets on the roadside and your sunroof open! (It is my firm belief that every car should have a sunroof. It should be the law!!) So yay for bluebonnets!! I love bluebonnets as much as I love snow and cold and fireworks and homemade ice-cream!! I know these things all seem to contradict, but I love them all!!

This picture is what it looks like ALL around my parent's house in the spring. It is absolutely lovely!! Happy Spring!

The beautiful body!

2008-03-14T14:04:00.004-05:00

One of my favorite things to see in the body is the Lord doing the same thing in the hearts of people many many miles apart, who more often than not, have never met. This is always so beautiful and such a powerful display of who the Lord is. Not to mention proving that no one is beyond his reach!! Always great!

The case in point here is a body of believers almost 2000 miles away from our body here is CS. Granted, I have never actually been to Church at the Gate, but the time I have spent on their website and reading their pastor's church blog, has blown me away. It is so wonderful to see that the Lord is doing in Boston what he is doing here in College Station. Not only that, but people are responding!!

So often, people think that LH is nuts for some of the things we do as a body, and the way in which we cling to the Word. If this die to yourself, learn to love community and live on the Word way of life is crazy here, in ultra-conservative, hard-core republican Texas, how much more nuts must it seem in the middle of Boston? I can't imagine!!

The Lord is doing amazing things in this body many many miles away from us. We see A&M as a huge mission field, and don't get me wrong, it certainly is, but how much more of a mission field there must be with 60 colleges and universities within 60 square miles!! I am so excited about the opportunities this body has, and the way I see the Lord teaching them the same exact things he is teaching LH. This body in Boston is one of my favorite things to pray for right now! (That and praying that the Red Sox will win the '08 World Series!!)

1If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. 3Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Philippians 2:1-4 NIV

Where I want to be today...

2008-03-14T13:35:00.002-05:00

...On a side note, today is the 265th anniversary of the very first TOWN MEETING held in Boston!! (I bet it was gilmore-esk, except with every one in puritanical clothing...and probably not so many laughs...Sad.)

Spring Break and catch up posting...

2008-03-13T20:26:00.002-05:00

It is finally spring break people!!! How wonderful is that? I know it is closer to over than beginning, but still it is spring break!! That is something to rejoice about!! So yay for spring break!!

In the most exciting news I have had recently, I made a GOOD grade on my latest accounting test!! That is totally a miracle from the Lord. I went up three whole letter grades from my first test. Totally amazing!!

Summer is coming up!! Aside from the impending massive amounts of summer school, I am really looking forward to that...except for the incredibly high Texas temperatures. And it's looking like I'm gonna be around CS for quite a bit longer...so get excited...

I am getting sleepy now, so I will (once again) put of posting what I have been meaning to post for months. Happy Spring Break!!

Aggie Baseball...

2008-02-20T15:15:00.002-06:00

If you haven't read the title for this post, can you guess what happens on Friday at 6:30pm CST??

The Aggie Baseball Team will be playing their first home game of the year!! So exciting, and such cheap tickets...seriously, NO ONE should pass this up. I think I am going to try and convince my roomies and neighbors that going would have great health benefits....namely me not lamenting about how I wish I was there all evening...in the hopes that we could go as a group! We'll see how that approach goes I guess. :)

Who knows?

2008-02-05T16:39:00.000-06:00

Right about now, I should be studying, or doing my living by the book homework. So, of course I am finding it the perfect time to update the blog.

I just saw the pic of me and Treston. It's a good one (you have BEAUTIFUL kids Jenn!!), but it has been there for a while, so I should find a new one to put up. So for those of you who manage to sneak in pics of me when I don't realize it, let me know, so I can use one of those for the blog and for one of my classes too.

I was reading today in Deut. about how the Lord carried Isreal out of Egypt and through the desert like a father. Such a beautiful picture. I love all that I have been learning about what a biblical father/daughter relationship should look like. I Deut. 1:29:37, it talks about how the Lord was with Isreal, went before them, fought for them, and carried them through. How incredible! I love the imagery now that I have seen this acted out between a father and his children. (Thanks Rusty!)

What is scary is what comes afterward though. Isreal forgot all the things the Lord had done for them. The became ungreatful and uncontent. How often do I do that? How often do I forget all the Lord has done in my life, and begin to grumble and be discontent? (My roommates would probably say more than I would like to admit to.) I hate that. I want to work on having a thankful heart that remembers what the Lord has done for me, and that he has already provided all I need.

You could use some Baseball...

2008-01-27T12:21:00.000-06:00

I can not wait for Baseball to start up again. Last night after church, we went out with a group of fun people from living hope. So much fun. Bekah and I got to meet Darby, who plays Aggie baseball!! How fun!! Their season starts Feb. 22nd and I can't wait!!!!

I do have some super sad news though. I just checked the Red Sox schedule to see if tickets were available for the games with the Rangers...they are but, the series has been moved to Boston. So sad. So not only do I not get to watch Baseball when I go home for the wedding, I will totatlly be wishing I was in Boston. So sad.

Let's go Sox!!

2008-01-23T20:44:00.000-06:00

First, I must say, that it's finally acting like it might be winter. Amazing!!

So a new semester has commenced. I have an amazing class schedule, and am getting to pull out some new school supplies. (Gotta love sharpies and "fun" pens!) Today I got two new "supplies"...

...you should have seen the happy dance I did when the FedEx guy knocked on my door. (I know he was freaked out by my random display of excitement.) For those of you who don't know about Sam Moon, or sammoon.com, go check it out!! This is the greatest place for super cute, super cheap accessories etc. I got these bags for $25.00 total I think. That is a great deal!!

The other exciting thing that I have to announce is that the RED SOX!!! will be playing the Rangers the weekend of my brother's wedding. Not only are my two favorite teams playing one another - which is great because I am happy no matter who wins (even though I love the Sox a little more) - but they are playing in Arlington. Which means that I could totally make at least one game if not two. (Three if I skipped the wedding, but that might be frowned upon. Then again, I might not even be missed...) How great is that? I am so excited!! Let's go Sox!!

In the midst of the storm...

2008-01-16T12:51:00.000-06:00

So apparently, I have become one of those people who has a blog, and intends to post stuff, but never does. Probably because I am blog-stocking all of you. Great. But I am posting now, so Yay! (Jenn, you won't have to take my link off, because I am no longer an idle blogger...)

The last six weeks has been hard for me, and the Lord seems to just keep turning up the heat. (Not fun, but bring it Lord, teach me what you want me to learn and refine what needs to be refined.)

Last semester was so crazy busy for me, that I was desperately hoping to find rest and respite at home over the break. Instead, I had to grow up in an unexpected way. My grandmother, whom I love so much, was super sick for so long. It was a blessing to be able to walk through that hard time with her, and spend some time with her, but it was hard to see her hurting and to have our roles reversed.

With my time at home finally over, I came back to College Station looking to escape yet again. I keep looking for an escape and the Lord just keeps throwing things in my lap. So, while I can't give details, there are three very specific issues that I am in the midst of. I desperately need each of your prayers. Pray that the Lord would first and foremost, glorify himself in these things, and that His will would be accomplished. Please pray that I would have patience, love, no fear, gentleness, wisdom and clarity.

The Lord has reminded me time and again, that the circumstances themselves are insignificant. I just need to wait on him. He is ALL I need, my plentiful portion. Psalms has been such a comfort to me through this. I am clinging to the fact that he has ordained each of my days and the HE is hemming me in. What a beautiful thought in the midst of such a storm...

Where are you?

2007-12-05T14:52:00.000-06:00

I have wanted to do this for ages. I am sure you will all think I am goofy, but I want to know who YOU are. I randomly go check my sitemeter, and everytime I wonder who all these people are who are reading my blog? Where do you come from? I can't imagine that anything I have to say is interesting. It always catches me off guard when someone says "Oh yeah, I read that on your blog." Everytime I say "You read my blog??!!" It is fun to hear that, but I see a list on site meter and don't have a face to connect to it. So, I want to know who you are. If you have a blog too, let me know so I can visit you back!!
Merry Christmas!!

Christmas is coming, Christmas is coming!!!

2007-11-28T12:22:00.000-06:00

Okay, it has been forever since I posted. The sad thing is, that time went by so quickly, it all just seems like a blur. If I am this busy now, I can not imagine how much busier I will be in 10 years, or even 15. Yah. Scary thought. It's a good thing I have Jesus, or I could NEVER do it. College is wonderful for making you realize how insufficient you are and how completely sufficient Christ is. For that I am thankful.

In case you didn't know, CHRISTMAS IS COMING!! I am so excited. Last night I drove up to the home of the amazing Bacaks, and behold, I saw some lovely Christmas lights!! It was a joyful occasion. A few nights ago, some of my roomies and neighbors and I went to eat and after eating, we randomly ended up at Central Park's Christmas light display. It was so beautiful. There was cold weather and Christmas lights!! (Two of my most favorite things!) I was a genius and tried to carry a cup of well iced Dr.Pepper, which lead to FREEZING fingers, but that aside, it was a wonderful outing.

I have so many Christmas-related thoughts I want to relay, so I am just going to pour out whatever comes to mind, because who knows when I will be able to post again...I mean it is finals season too you know!

Number one. Everyone should read the book One Wintry Night by Ruth Bell Graham. It is wonderful!!! If there was only book I read to my children, aside from the Bible, this would be it. I really mean that!! If you know me, you know what a big deal that is. I love books. But this one is spectacularly in a class all it's own. In the book, a lady takes in a boy lost in the woods and cares for him during a blizzard. (more snow!! great!) While caring for him, she tells him a story he has never heard before - the Christmas Story. Only this isn't your "traditional" Christmas story. This story starts before the world was formed. It is a beautiful tale of the Lord's love for and pursuit of us. It is the story of how greatly we needed a Savior, and how fully that need was met through Jesus. Go get on amazon today and buy this book!! (Except for the Bacaks b/c I want to give this to your kids for Christmas.)

Number two. My favorite Christmas tradition is something that I have learned the value of more and more over the years. Every Christmas morning, before gifts are opened, before breakfast is served, before people get dressed, everyone sits around in their pajamas, wrapped in something warm, and my Dad reads Luke 1 and 2. I love this!! It is such a beautiful reminder that this day isn't about boxes or bags, or paper or bows or how much money was spent. It is about the birth of the Savior we needed so badly. After reading Luke, we pray as a family and take time to sing a few hymns about Jesus' birth. I am so thankful that I have never had a Christmas Day where I haven't been confronted with the gospel and my need for a Savior. That there was never a day where it was all about what I got. That in taking this time to step back from the commerical ideas of Christmas,and look at what the Word says Christmas is about, the Lord speaks to my heart and I can worship him and express thanks for all the wonderful things he has done in my life.

I have run out of time, but I know I will have more Christmas related thoughts soon!! I want to know what your favorite Christmas traditions are in the meantime.

Thankful List

2007-11-11T15:34:00.000-06:00

Today I need to practice being thankful, so here's a list:

1. Jesus died for me. Best gift ever. By far.

2. Last night's Operation Christmas Child party was AMAZING!! I loved having so many wonderful ladies over! :)

3. Thanksgiving is just around the corner. A break is in sight!! Praise the Lord.

4. I have great roomies

5. There is a wonderful family by the name of Bacak that I know!!!

6. My room is Tiffany blue. Excitement.

7. There is a Christmas tree up in my living room!

8. I am going to get to see two of my most favorite people in the whole world over the upcoming break!!

9. I got to sleep in today.

10. I am still wearing pajamas.

11. Gilmore girls are great.

12. What I like about you is really funny. And reminds me of Heather. (Double bonus - so many laughs)

13. I love red toe nails.

14. School will end someday. And I have the priviledge of going to school. So many don't get that.

15. It will be snowing in Boston soon. I will definately be dreaming about that A LOT.

Better late than never

2007-10-29T16:00:00.000-05:00

I haven't posted anything in about three weeks. There are multiple reasons for this. I wanted to make sure everyone knew about the OCC party that is next weekend (the 10th). Also, the World Series ended last night!! So, for the last three weeks, I have been avidly seeking out opportunities to watch the wonderful Red Sox. To be honest, I really pretty much rearranged almost all of my schedule, and sadly, missed some school stuff...Also, in that time, my Great-Grandmother died, so I made a last minute decision to go home to be with the fam for a bit.

Because I haven't posted, you have missed out on some fun stuff. We (Julie Faye and I) decorated/carved our pumpkins. I have pics and will post them soon. You will probably laugh. Friday, is a big day as we will be putting up the Christmas tree (so it will be up for the party, and because I really want to put it up anyway). I know you probably are saying it is a month too early (I have heard this 50 times from my neighbor.), but I disagree, and my roommates aren't complaining, so up it goes!! Yay!! I will also be posting pics of Friday's festivities ASAP.

Okay, now that the trivial stuff has been taken care of, I will get to the good stuff.

Today was Treston's Adoption!!!
This was such a beautiful thing to get to see!! I loved it. This beautiful boy ABSOLUTELY melts my heart, and I know what I was feeling was only a millionth of what Jenn and Rusty were feeling, but it was amazing. Such a good thing that God has done!! Now we have a Treston Jeremiah Bacak!! What more could you want??

Happy Fall!! I will have details about the party at HG tomorrow or I can email you directions etc if you need them!!

Operation Christmas Child Party

2007-10-08T12:33:00.000-05:00

I love Operation Christmas Child!! I have a long history with this ministry. I did this every every year with a group of friends from the time I was12 until I graduated HS. Some really great memories. I have even gotten letters and pictures from kids who have recieved my boxes in the past. So sweet!!

So LHers, I am proposing that we have girls night on Saturday the 10th of November (after Saturday church)!! Let's get together, hang out, eat some yummy food, watch some great Christmas flicks and fill and wrap our boxes!! This will be great fellowship, I promise!! Just go the week before and get your stuff and bring a box. I will try and provide enough wrapping paper and tape for everyone, but if you have extra bring it!! You can leave your wrapped
box(es) & the $7.00 per box for shipping here, and I will take them all up to LH at once.

I will post more details later, but go ahead and spread the word. Everyone is welcome. RSVP here or email me so that I can make sure we have enough stuff and room for everyone.

Let's Go Sox!!!

2007-10-06T00:05:00.000-05:00

I must say I LOVE THE RED SOX. My roommates can testify to this. I just almost went into a seizure trying to contain my excitement over tonight's win. I mean really, does baseball get any better than this??? (Except winning the world series of course!) I wanted to jump up and down and scream and dance and have all the excitement that I know the streets of Boston are experiencing right now. What a way to build relationships! Yay! Let's go Sox!!

Where HAS the time gone??

2007-09-27T12:30:00.000-05:00

Okay, I have been saying for at least a month I need to do some posts about all the things that happened in August. It still hasn't happened....so, instead of doing several, I am going to smoosh them all into one quick post.

Okay, here we go. Topic number one. I had a wonderful girls weekend. Jess came down to spend the night and we had a great time. There was a scavenger hunt, a mysterious vanishing sign, cookies and not much sleep! It was great. I had a wonderful time hanging out with Jess and those of my roommates who can make it past 11:30 awake. (love you Julie!!) Here are some pics from the weekend. (Justus' party was that Saturday also!)

Picture of the the LH Cross from the scavenger hunt (great job Jess!!)

Picture of Sul Ross from the Scavenger hungPicture of the Century Tree at night!Sign Thieves!!Party Pics!!Item #2. I had a birthday!! Whoop!! It was great. My wonderful roomies made me a special supper, bought me my FAVORITE flowers, and my favorite dessert. It was wonderful!!! My best friend from home came down for a visit which was amazing. And I got to hang out with the amazing Bacaks on my birthday after the watermelon fellowship. How great!!! It was a wonderful birthday. Thank you so much to everyone that helped make it so special. I know LOTS of work went into it.

Item #3. We had a parasite party for Julie!! She finally got better after getting rid of the parasite thing she picked up in Nica. We had a GREAT party to celebrate!! See pics below.

Item #4. I changed my major. This was a huge ordeal for me. But things are good now!! I was a Pre-K through 4 education major. Now my major is Educational Human Resource Development. I love it!! I am taking business classes which are GREAT and I don't have to take calculus again, which is a huge provision from the Lord. I am horrible at calculus. I had honestly taken it FIVE times and still couldn't get the C Elem. Edu. majors are required to have. With my new major the 5 D's I had earned were more than sufficient. I wish I had known this was an option YEARS ago, because if I had, I would have started out in this major, and I would still have the 3.75 GPR I had before I starting taking calculus so many times. If anyone has questions about this I would love to answer them. Now, instead of doing what would be basically two semesters of student teaching, I will do a ONE semester internship. I can do this internship ANYWHERE. Crazy huh? So now I am praying about where I need to be next fall to do the internship. We'll see what happens!!

So that is a recap of my August. I hope I didn't overwhelm you!!

Birdseed Fiasco

2007-09-23T21:32:00.000-05:00

Okay, so good things come out of community, right? Of course, sometimes the good is just not what you expected.

Saturday night after church, me and the two roomies who were in town went out to dinner with four other LH girls. Shortly after beginning the meal, we decided that this was the perfect group of girls to start a prank war with. (We just didn't know how right we were!)

This is what we found outside today....it mysteriously appeared during the night.

Gross huh? In case you're not clear on what you are seeing, there is a kiddy pool with blue raspberry jello and bird seed, along with copious amounts of syrup topped with even more bird seed. Let's just say it was a mess. But this mess was a good thing!

This yuckiness created an opportunity for us to meet our next door neighbors (who so graciously helped us clean it up!!) and tell them about LH!! So great!!

And of course, now we have the opportunity to "return the favor"!!! What will we think up next??!!

Things you probably won't see in TX...

2007-09-23T14:16:00.000-05:00

I think I am going to start a series of post on things that I haven't experienced in TX but will in Boston. I may do some things that happen here in TX that don't happen in Boston...we'll see!!

Anyway, You won't find a sign like this in Texas ever, unless maybe you are living in Amarillo. Even then, I doubt it....A snow EMERGENCY doesn't that sound interesting? Think of all the snowmen waiting to be made. All the hot chocolate to drink. All the laundry you have to dry over and over again because walking through snow makes your pants and shoes wet....

Okay, so maybe a snow emergency isn't all glorious, but it definately has potential!

The sweetest thing I've heard lately....

2007-09-19T10:23:00.000-05:00

This morning, as I was walking to class, I was pleading with God. I have felt so restless and unsettled over the internship decision. I have prayed and sought an answer with all that I am, and only the silence answered me back. I was so discouraged last night that I almost lost it on my way to HOPE group. My heart has been hurting over this so badly. So I was walking and pleading this morning, and I heard the sweetest thing. Wait. Just hearing that voice after searching so long in the silence was incredible. It really is like water in a barren land. It does give life. I still don't have the kind of answer I was looking for, but I have a "for now" answer, and that is good!! Isn't our God good?! I love that HE sustains us in everything. Even waiting.

Oh so funny!!

2007-09-19T08:31:00.000-05:00

So I was sitting in the SCC yesterday, waiting for my test to begin, and I ran across this website!!!

So funny!!

Please go visit!! I promise you will laugh!! It was so great to read right before my test. Talk about stress relief!! I laughed so much the people around me thought I was nuts!!

Afterwards, I want to hear which one was your favorite!!

It's Emma's Birthday!!

2007-09-18T21:47:00.000-05:00

Happy 7th Birthday Emma!!

Sweet Girl, You are a joy to me!

I love that you are crazy about animals.

I love when we watch a movie and you want to be next to me.

I love that you are not afraid of creepy crawly things that freak me out.

I love your fearless heart. Oh that I could be more like that.

I love that I have practically no pictures of you because

you are NEVER still!! You have so much energy!!

Watching you grow is such a blessing!

You are so beautiful.

Happy Birthday!

Significant September Ski-doodles

2007-09-09T22:59:00.000-05:00

Okay, I haven't written about August yet, but I already have to tell you about September. There have been several significant happens in the last 9 days...

1. I got out the Christmas music!!! (About 2-3 wks. earlier than normal...) On Wednesday I was craving Christmas music, so I got it out of the closet!! It was amazing. So beautiful. Bekah had a Christmas themed dance party and I sat and laughed at her and told her about some of the songs I love and why. We bonded over Christmas music. It was great fun.

2. After listening to music on Wednesday, I couldn't resist pulling out my Charlie Brown collection and watching A Charlie Brown Christmas on Thursday night. I love that Linus just lays out the Word. I love that this is one movie that is correct in saying that Christmas isn't about the lights, or the gifts (contrary to popular belief), or the food; although those things are good. It is about Jesus!! What a great thing to be reminded of, especially by sweet Linus and his blue blanket. 3. After some extremely stressful moments, I found and "broke out" the much valued, highly treasured homemade hot chocolate mix tonight. It was great. I sat there holding the steaming mug and could just picture myself sitting on a couch (my couch!!) in Boston, wrapped in a blanket and watching the snow fall outside while drinking this incredible drink. Amazing (Such a Kodak moment in my brain)...the first "hot chocolate moment" of the season. Until....
4. I swallowed a fly. Every read the children's book "There was an old lady who swallowed a fly"? That's how I felt. It was SO GROSS. I took a drink of my greatly beloved hot chocolate and felt something crunchy in my mouth. Something was wrong!! It was without a doubt the grossest thing that has ever happened to me. It was nasty, but at least my roomies got a laugh out of it. 5. I have restarted Gilmore Girls...I started with Season One, Episode One tonight while doing work stuff...So great!!

Not so much a question of if, as a question of when...

2007-09-04T22:09:00.000-05:00

Okay, first I should say that LOTS of awesome stuff happened in August that I have yet to blog about. I have a lovely post it here sitting next to me reminding me what to write about....I promise I will fill you in on all of that great stuff soon.

Tonight, I just wanted to say that I am at a cross roads right now. I have to make a decision in the near future about exactly when to move to Boston. I am praying for explicity clarity and affirmation right now. I think I know which way this is going but I want to be sure. I would appreciate your prayers in this too. Thanks so much!!

It's Justus' Birthday!!

2007-08-29T22:01:00.000-05:00

Something wonderful happened today!! A sweet boy that I love SO MUCH turned 3!!! I can not believe that this sign doing, pop eating,firetruck loving genius is three!!

Isn't he beautiful?? I have loved getting to see Justus grow exponentially in so many ways in the last 9 months. The first time he said Amanda to me, I was so excited I almost cried. It was so beautiful.

I love that when I see Justus away from home, he wants me to go home with him. I love that he thinks I should live with him. How precious is that. I love that when asked who was coming to his party I was one of the people he wanted to invite. I love that he looks at me and asks "where going?" and then the mandatory "why?". I love that the word(s?) whoo-whoo-whoo come out of his mouth at least 300 times a day.

I can't wait to see how this precious boy keeps growing. It is so much fun to watch. I am so thankful that for a season of my life this precious gift is an everyday part of my life.

Happy 3rd Birthday Justus!! I love you! Whoo-Whoo-Whoo!!

The end of summer, the beginning of school and 10 reasons you wished you lived in the super cute apartment!!

2007-08-27T11:20:00.000-05:00

School started today, so of course there must be a post about it. I thought I would make a list of all the great things about our apartment, to start the year off right. I hope your first day went well, or goes well when it gets here. So here's a list of some wonderful things about our apartment:
1. I live with three sweet ladies
2.We have actually "argued" over who got to do the dishes....
3. EVERY night is movie night
4. You never know what craziness will happen next
5. We throw awesome parties, and everyone wants to come
6. We get to use our apartment to bless other people
7. Today, for the first time ever, I thought, "hmm, I going to be home alone for a while tonight...how weird." I was sad that one not a one of my wonderful roomies will be here.
8. We are know as the "facts of life girls" by the wonderful family named Bacak
9. We pray for each other every day
10. We write fun little notes on all the mirrors!!
Bonus: We get to have REAL community every day (this is greater than I could have imagined)

Lighting and I-45

2007-08-16T10:56:00.000-05:00

Last night I drove to Houston to come see my brother. I love to drive, so the drive was nice, but the BEST part was that right after i got onto 45 it started lighting!! That made my favorite part of the drive just amazing (as well as something else). (Yes, I do like to drive on 45 and pretty much any other interstate, under all conditions) I absolutely loved it. It was really pretty. I enjoyed the pink and blue flashes that lit up the sky. I think I am a bit of a weather freak...I love when things fall from the sky (ie - rain, snow, hail) or when there is lighting...especially pretty lighting like last night's. I just hate hot weather and humidity....

So now I am off to hang out with my brother and probably get a bit wet...fun fun...maybe I will convince him how desperately I need to go to Sephora to get some make up...or at least to take me out for my birthday!!

Super Cute Apartment Pt 3

2007-08-01T12:40:00.000-05:00

After the paint dried, I was finally able to start moving my stuff in. This was the first time I have ever moved and not had everything moved in and COMPLETELY unpacked in one day. This time it took four days. FOUR DAYS. Insanity. I was completely out of my element. I felt like I had lost my mind. HERE ARE SOME OF THE MOVE IN STAGES.

I have been waiting for my new comforter to be delievered and to hang pictures!!! I will have pics of the finished product soon!!! I will have pics of our cute Bathroom and the rest of the house too when it is done!!

Super Cute Apartment Pt 2

2007-08-01T12:06:00.000-05:00

(Continuation of The Super Cute Apartment Story) ...So before I could start painting, and while waiting for utilities. I moved all my stuff into the dining room so that Bekah could bring her stuff into the living room. That was a lot of work. After that was done, it was time to get ready to paint!! My sweet friend came over at the last minute to help!! I was so thankful!!

These (above) are some "before" pics. Notice the plastic drop cloth and blue paint tape in the last picture. Unfortunately we didn't tape the ceiling. I had bought this really cool edger that was supposed to eliminate the need for tape...it didn't. I will be going back with white paint around the random mess ups on my ceiling. Then we painted!!

There are no words to describe how excited I was about this...I was literally giddy. Why painting was so exciting to me I have no idea, but I was so excited that I went a little crazy. There were squeals of delight and joy coming from me. I am sure it was a funny thing to behold. It was great!!

So this is the beginning stages of my "rock star" room....

I must say that these pictures don't really do justice to the color of my walls. You have to see it. It is incredibly beautiful. To see the an example click here.

Super Cute Apartment Part 1

2007-08-01T11:42:00.000-05:00

In case you haven't heard I moved recently (the roomies are coming)!! It has been interesting in many ways so far. I thought I would share the process of moving in with these sweet girls. Last Thursday I moved my stuff in the rain. All of it. I was wet and scary looking. My sweet brother came to help me move the big stuff. I was so thankful for his help!! The electricity and water were supposed to be on when I got there. Guess what??!! They weren't! So we dumped my stuff in the living and dining rooms (where ended up completely full of my stuff) so that I could paint before moving my stuff to my room.

Seriously there was stuff EVERYWHERE. It was craziness. My well organized, order centered mind did not know how to handle the chaos that was this mess of stuff. When we got done moving things inside (and out of the rain) I realised that there was going to be no utilities that night. Which meant Jenn and Rusty so graciously housed me one more night. (Thanks so much Jenn!!) Friday I came ready to paint!! But alas, there was still no electricity or water...After some mess trying to resolve the issues, I had electricity at about 10:30 and water at about 2. So nice. I was so happy that I could go potty at my own house!! And wash my hands too of course!!

Okay, I will save the rest for now, but the next post is about PAINTING!!! (and getting stuff actually INSIDE my room...)

Happy Birthday Treston!!!

2007-07-31T19:37:00.000-05:00

I know it is late, but...

Happy Birthday Treston!!!

Precious Boy I have loved every minute that I have gotten to spend with you these last 8 months. I can't believe how much you have grown. I am so excited that I get to watch you continue to grow and become a little man. You are such a joy.

Your smile lights up the room and you are the best dancer I have seen in ages. I am thankful that even before you were born God had a plan to "give you hope and a future" by giving you such a special place in a wonderful family where you are loved immensely and will learn about His greatness. I can't wait to watch you grow over the months and years to come. I love you T-bear!!

Elem Ed. Major? Creative? Like to paint? Call me!!!

2007-07-19T15:00:00.000-05:00

If any of you love to paint, I have an opportunity you don't want to miss!! I have a bedroom and a bathroom that need to be painted. I would love some help next Thurs/Fri (the 26th and/or the 27th). If you come help I promise to feed you something yummy!!

Summer time!!

2007-07-18T13:52:00.000-05:00

It is summer!! I love summer. At least most parts of summer. I don't so much care for the heat. I have really been loving that it hasn't felt like a Texas summer this year. (If you don't live in TX, trust me they are like sitting in an oven...really not pleasant...) I went to a baseball game last night, and not only did I not get even the least bit warm, I didn't even see any mosquitoes!! It was glorious. I have been loving the rain too. I can't get enough of it!!!

My summer checklist is almost completed:

eat homemade ice cream
explode LOTS of fire works...I LOVE THIS!!!!
eat a snowcone
go swimming
eat a homemade (by my dad) hamburger
move at least once (or three times.... )
take lots of summer school
have a birthday
sleep late
lots of reading for pleasure
Watch some great movies
Have a Gilmore Girls marathon!!

I have done 1-7...5 more to go!! Much fun!!

I think the highlight of my summer is that I have gotten to spend lots of time with the Bacaks and it has been amazing!! What was my life like before these amazing people?? I don't remember, but I know it wasn't nearly as great. I mean you gotta love those Bacaks!!

How cute are they??!! I hope you have had a great summer too!!

Woohoo! (Just typing that makes me want to laugh...)

2007-07-10T15:43:00.000-05:00

Okay, so most of you know that I am getting ready to move twice in the next few weeks. I have been trying to get everything together for the the apartment I will be living in this fall....My compulsive planning is coming out...I am trying not to let it control me or my checking account. I have already bought a beautiful new set for my bathroom. My next move was to buy this...I have wanted this for quite a while. I have been waiting until I won't have to store it before use to buy it. That time is here. So I made my merry way to Target.com. Care to guess what happened??

NOTHING!!! That's right, nothing. I didn't click add to cart and then type in my card number. I didn't get all excited just thinking about what was on the way and how much I would love cuddling with my new comforter...nope. I didn't do anything because they were sold out. I was sad. I had this perfect room in mind and the rock star in my mental picture was this set. I can't tell you how crazy I have been about this. I decided the only logical thing to do was search the internet. I looked EVERYWHERE. Surely, someone else sold this same comforter. WRONG!!! No one else sold it. I decided I must settle for something not quite as great, something I didn't like as much...So I looked everywhere again. I found nothing I liked. I was about to give up after searching online at every department store, high end retail chain, every random internet site. I decided to make one last ditch effort.

I would check walmart.com....I don't like Wal-Mart, I am thoroughly a Target kind of girl. So I checked and I found this....

I like this. And it is alot cheaper than the other one. I love that God had a plan here. Because of this, kids are going to get new backpacks for the fall!! I love that God is so much bigger than me and my small, selfish plans. How awesome is that!! I love that I am reminded once more that the money in the bank isn't mine. Something I need to be a bit more aware of all the time.

Fireworks!!!

2007-06-27T16:32:00.000-05:00

The 4th of July is getting closer and closer. I keep thinking about the things that define summer for me...fireworks, homemade ice cream, sun, swimming (without getting burnt!!!), sunglasses, braided hair, and grilling (this means my Dad stands out side in the heat doing the grilling...I just enjoy the results), and of course, Texas heat. I love these things (except the EXTREME heat...hello Boston). As July gets closer and closer I am getting more and more excited. I am going home for the first time in a while. I get to watch fireworks and eat yummy food and hopefully not meet any mosquitoes. (at least I don't have to worry about west nile at home...) For those of you staying in CS though, you should go check out the fireworks at the GB Pres. Library!! It is free, and they are BEAUTIFUL. And of course you must make the mandatory homemade ice cream!!

Happy Birthday Pirate Jax!!

2007-06-18T22:22:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday to the most awesome pirate I know!

Jax, you are so much fun! Watching you grow up is such a blessing and a gift from God. I love seeing your enthuisasm and love of adventure. Watching you have fun is so much fun for me. I love that you and Emma are always excited when I watch a movie with you.

I love that you do crazy random fun things like playing with the waterhose on the trampoline...right after it rained...

(This a picture of Jax holding a random frozen corn dog from off the garage floor...who knows?)

And I really love hearing you say "Arrgh...matey"

Happy Birthday Sweet Boy!!!

Father's Day

2007-06-17T12:33:00.000-05:00

Today is Father's Day. Happy Father's Day to my Dad. Last night I sat in church and listened to Butch talk about what a Godly man is. I am so thankful for LH and that everyday the men at LH are striving to bring up more Godly men. I am thankful for all the men who I get to see seeking God's will on how to be better husbands and fathers. I am thankful that because of their example, I know that such men do exist. I am thankful that because of their examples I know what standards to have for a future husband.
I am thankful for their wives who are willing to invest in me, to teach me what it is to be a Godly wife. I am thankful that their husbands allow them to take time to invest in college students like me. What a blessing!!
So happy Father's Day!!

Gotta love it!!

2007-06-15T14:05:00.000-05:00

I can't say it enough, I love rain. It is amazing. It reminds me of God's goodness and His forgiveness. Rain makes everything clean. And it is so great to listen to. I can't imagine how excited Noah must have been about the first rain. I am sure he felt remorse over the fact the everyone was going to die b/c of their sin, but he was probably pretty excited about the rain. Think about it. He had a great boat, and he had never seen rain before. I bet after he got his family and his animals into the ark and shut the door, they just laid by an open window and listened to the rain beating against the boat and reveled in it.

Anyway, all this rain has made me think about the things that I love so much that bring out the inner child in me, so I thought I would make a list.

Rain
The Christmas Season, especially the lights
School Supplies and the beginning of school in the fall
Fireworks
Snow
Snuggling up in bed with warm blankets and comfy pillows

On the other side of things, I had one of those moments the other day when I thought "I can't possibly be old enough to be grown up." I still feel like I should be in high school, thank goodness I am not. So this is a list of things that make me feel "grown up".

Looking at my wallet and seeing things like my drivers license that says I am no longer a minor, my checkbook, credit/debit cards and having a legitimate reason for these things.
Having more than 1 key on my key ring...(do you remember the days when you carried a key chain that only held the key to your parent's house?)
going to the mail box and finding, among other things, bills.
Never having enough time to get everything done...according to Jenn and Heather, this will never get better....
Watching things like the Little Mermaid that I was addicted to when I was little and realizing that they are 20 yrs. old.

Now you've read my lists I want to know what yours are!

Rain!!!

2007-06-14T23:49:00.000-05:00

I love rain!!! It is one of those things I can't get enough of (unless I have to walk across campus). Today my love of rain is threefold.

It's rain!!! So fun and relaxing. (too bad I didn't get a nap...rainy day naps are the ABSOLUTE BEST!!!)
Today, I left work and it was raining!! Normally a walk across campus in the POURING rain without an umbrella would not be on my list of fun things to do. But, today, I didn't have class at the end of my walk, I was going home!! So getting wet was okay!! It was so fun to walk in the rain and goof off. It was magnificent!! Something I highly recommend if you aren't on your way to class.
Due to the rain there was a severe thunderstorm warning and I got to stay home!!! (just kidding Jenn!! I love you!!)

I hope you got some rain today to enjoy!!

It happened...

2007-06-09T11:53:00.000-05:00

I just got the call I have been dreading for four years. The fact that I dread it now for different reasons than I did then, doesn't change the fact that I have hoped that it would't happen - yet. I guess I will explain. I just got a call from my brother. The call from my brother where he says...hey are you planning on going home on this certain specified date? The call where I say "no" and he says, "oh, cause I'm going to do it then." It took me about 2.5 seconds to figure out what the "it" was and that my travel plans were about to change. The it was something I had made clear to my brother I wanted to be there for. My brother was calling to tell me that he had set a date for the proposal. I can't tell you how my heart is breaking for my unsaved brother. My heart is breaking because I want God's best for him and I know he can't have that unsaved. My heart breaks even more when I know that on top of that he is going to try to build a marriage. A marriage in which I know he won't be the man he was created to be. A marriage that won't be God's best until they are both saved. I ache for all the greatness of God's plan that they are missing out on. I want my brother to have a great marriage full of all God's blessings. A marriage with joyful submission, a marriage where the husband is the biblical authority. A marriage where he is a man seeking God with his whole heart, above all else.

I know what my brother needs, above all else, is to be saved. Please pray with me for that regardless. Please pray that I can be joyful with my brother and family through this. Pray that I can love them and be Christ to them.

Flat Tires...

2007-06-03T22:59:00.000-05:00

I had a flat tire recently. It wasn't fun. But, since then, I have been thinking about it. I have been thinking about how when a nail punctures a tire, the becomes unable to perform its job. I have been thinking about the things in life that keep us from doing what God has asked us to do. What things do we allow to come into our lives and divert us from focusing fully on Christ? As a college student, I am sure many people around me would say school. Maybe I would even say that at times. Some people might say work, or a social life. I don't know what things make your list, but I have been praying that God would show me these things in my own life so that I can get them fixed.

The World's Greatest Mentor's Birthday!!!

2007-05-30T10:44:00.000-05:00

Today is Jenn's birthday!!! Happy Birthday Jenn!! I am so excited that I get to be here and spend time with you on your birthday. I value you and you wisdom and friendship so so very much. I am so thankful that you have taken me into your home, your family, and your life. Out of all my experience and memories of College Station so far, this is by far the thing I treasure most. I am thankful that you let me love on your kids and learn by watching you. You are truly invaluable to me. I can't imagine having to live without seeing you practically everyday, ever again. I that will be the hardest part of moving to Boston...I know it will break my heart. So for now, I am just going to be glad that I am here, that I get to be part of the Bacak world. Jenn I love you so much, and am so thankful for you!! Happy Birthday!!

mayish

2007-05-23T08:50:00.000-05:00

I can't believe May is almost over!! That is insane. The end of May means that most of my friends are out doing something fun!! I am so excited for those of you who are doing fun things right now!! I hope you are having a wonderful time and I can't wait to see you after you get back, or next time I go home, whichever applies. My maymester class will be over soon and then I will start normal summer school. woohoo! I am looking forward to seeing my Mom and brother this weekend when I go down to Houston. That will be nice. I have never seen my brother's apartment, but he has seen all four (so far!!) of mine. I am glad I will get to go and hang out with him. I hope you have a great end of May wherever you are!!

connecting to community...

2007-05-15T15:23:00.000-05:00

At the end of her hands, Heather talked about leaving CS and LH and going somewhere without being sure there is a good church with strong community where you can be connected. I have been searching for churches in Boston. I know I still have a while before the move, but I decided I might as well start looking. I found a church in Boston called Church at the Gate. I have looked at their site a bit and it seems to be promising. I would appreciate it if you would look at their site too, http://www.thechurchatthegate.com/index.html at let me know what you think. If those of you whose opinions and wisdom I value think this is worth looking into further, I may email them to get some more information. I would like to go and visit the city again soon, and so I may visit this church then. I want your thoughts and wise counsel.

Thankfulness!!

2007-05-13T17:29:00.000-05:00

I love that I can now check my email at home once again. I don't have to find someone whose Internet I can use or go to some random place solely because they have wireless. This is great. This is especially great since I am taking a class online this may-mester. Not to mention the fact that I am doing my stuff for work at home on my computer. I am so thankful that God has pulled this all together. I spent all day Thursday and Friday telling him how thankful I am for how I have seen him pull things together in the last week. All of the things that have come together were totally from him. I could never have done all this. If you have been around me much lately, you know that the last two weeks of school were...um, well, just really stinky. I was beginning to wonder if I could make it through the summer. I am finally out of my old apartment and that situation and I am at my new job!! I have loved seeing him provide when I was sure that things would not work out. I hate that I have so little faith sometimes. At the beginning of the semester in Her Hands, Heather talked about Matthew 8:23-27. Why are we so quick to forget what we learn? I knew in my heart, that "God was in my boat" RESTING because he is so in control of the situation. Hello!!! Why don't I cling to this more often? Why do I choose to pick up the sinful mantle of worry? It is such a waste. It is so good to see him come through, even when I am the one with "little faith".
Jeremiah 29 is probably one of my most favorite chapters in the whole Bible. The whole chapter is a beautiful picture of a loving Father making plans to provide for his children. To meet their needs even though they had repeatedly fallen short. When they had messed up so badly that they had to be EXILED, He still had a plan for them. I am sure you all know verse 11, but I love what comes after that.

"Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me,and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you" , declares the Lord, "and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,"declares the Lord,"and will bring you back into the place from which I carried you into exile."

My number one goal is to be seeking Him with all my heart. I want to look more and more like Him everyday. I love that even though I am faulty and sinful and will always fall short, He continues to refine me and mold me into what he created me to be. I love that as long as I am seeking Him with my whole heart, he will keep showing me himself. I am so thankful. What a great God we have!

I also want to take a minute to say thank you to the Proverbs 31 women in my life. You will never know how many times DAILY I thank God for you. You are a blessing. I am so glad I get to learn from you.

IT IS FINISHED!!! ( or it will be soon!!!)

2007-05-08T09:11:00.000-05:00

In the words of Jesus, "IT IS FINISHED"!!!! So exciting!! The spring semester is over!! I am so super excited about this. I just can't tell you how thankful I am. I wondered if I would ever make it. This has been a LONG semester. There were a LOT of great things in this semester (LH of course and her hands and then the Bacaks, and Jenn and the Bacaks...oh yeah, did I mention the Bacaks?, and I have some great girls to live with next year!) But, school almost "done me in" (Audrey Hepburn reference) this year. I think I had senioritis early and I suck at math people!!! But it is over now!! I want to celebrate!! If you want to help, or join the celebration, let me know!! We will hang out and celebrate a short release from the dullness of college!! If you are already done with college, then just be happy for me! Let's celebrate!!!

I'm back!!

2007-04-30T11:20:00.000-05:00

I can not believe it has been so long since I have blogged!! I have missed it so much!! Only one more week until I have internet at home again!! So exciting! Tomorrow is relationship week and we are going to the park!!! I can't wait. It should be great. Outside, at a park!! To play, with kids and fun people!! So great. We can swing!! Okay, I have to pay attention to class now...Have a good day.

I think I'll go to Boston...

2007-04-16T23:32:00.000-05:00

Today, I have talked to 5 people who are either going to Boston soon, or are very close to people who are. This makes me a bit sad. Sad because I am not going to Boston. Sad because I am not living in Boston yet. Sad that I have to take summer classes...

This happens to me every so often. Well, I have never had so many people say "I'm going to Boston!!" to me, but you know. I am happy for them. Boston is an incredible place. Such a beautiful city. So many wonderful things. At least for me. But, that could just be because I feel led to go there. When I get sad because I am not there now, I have to remember that right now I am called to be in COLLEGE STATION. (not Boston, yet). Right now God is teaching me things here. I can not tell you how many times he has said to me that this is a time of preparation...for whatever he has for me down the road...

So, when I get the Boston blues, I play the thankfulness game...
I am thankful for (in no particular order, and this is NOT an all inclusive list)

Sunshine
Bluebonnets
Flip-Flops
Friends
Getting to sit and hold sweet children in your lap
My new laptop which enabled me to write this!!!
Living Hope of course!!
Blue Coconut snow cones
Fun colored pens
Okay, just ANY SCHOOL SUPPLIES
Christmas
Easter
music
books
the semester will be over soon
this summer won't last forever
I did not go to school today and get killed by some random man
watching baseball
MOVIES!!!
being an Aggie
candles
Bubble Wrap
Strawberry with Lime Trident Splash
Watermelon
Strawberries
Barnes and Noble
Netflix
Amazon.com
blogging
that I have the world's GREATEST mentor!!! :)
Welch's makes Light grape juice...so nice
I have a God who loves me enough to refine me
My God has plans for me!!
Pajama parties
Someday I will be able to say that I will never have to take Calculus again!! (and, yes Jenn, I should be studying..)
I have a really cute pink cell phone
Gilmore Girls
great underwear
the incredible hair dryer!!
comfy pajamas
homemade hot chocolate mix
bottled water
that gas is not $5.00 a gallon
that there is a beautiful city called Boston that I will hopefully be living in about a year!!!

Okay so this is a small part of my list! What's on yours?

Gotta Love Those Weekends!!

2007-04-13T23:21:00.000-05:00

I wish you could see me now. I am doing my "I am sooo happy I can sleep late tomorrow" dance!! I am sure this is a sight that would inspire much laughter...You know, I don't even mind that I have to spend my whole weekend and all my time until next Wednesday studying for a calculus test. I am just excited about not having an alarm clock...(aka my cell phone)...waking me up! I never fail to get ecstatic about this. It ALWAYS makes my day!! (Which is esp. great tonight b/c I had VERY little sleep last night.) Yay for weekends and sleeping late and then laying in bed!! Gotta love it!

Anyway, I wanted to tell you something I love about being an Aggie. I love that every weekend during football season and some other important weekends through out the year, a magical event occurs. These events are lovingly referred to as a "tent sale". I know, for non-aggies, it sounds like a hick event. But, it isn't so much. I am so thankful that C.C. Creations does this. I love getting great Aggie shirts for SO cheap. This is especially great for someone who is trying to stock up on long sleeve Aggie t-shirts and sweatshirts before moving to a cold city far away from College Station. It is exciting. I am pretty sure I will have enough Aggie apparel to last for quite a while. So nice.

My last note of the day is this:
Hot off the Press!!! BOTH of my teams won tonight!! The Rangers beat Seattle 5-2 and the Red Sox beat the Angels 10-1. So exciting. I love my baseball!! Especially when we win. :) If you ever come visit me in Boston, I will take you to a Sox game (if they are playing and you care to go..) So to end this, good night and Go Sox!! Let's Go Rangers!!

Snow in April!!!

2007-04-05T21:15:00.000-05:00

My phone rang this morning. At work. My voice mail answered. I get off work and see I have a voicemail. I call, and low and behold, it is from my Mom. You won't believe what she had to say. She was calling to tell me to bring home winter clothes. Not to store. To WEAR!!! Yes my friends, it is supposed to SNOW this weekend!! I am filled with JOY DOWN IN MY HEART, DEEP, DEEP DOWN IN MY HEART!!! The Aggie in me says "Whoop!!". I am so excited. I love this. It will be magnificent. Yay for real winter weather. What a foretaste of glory divine!!! Just wanted to share the joy. Maybe the excitement will help those of you who have been sick feel better too.

It's Here!!

2007-04-03T11:06:00.000-05:00

It it finally here!! It came last night! I have my new laptop!! It works great and it is so much bigger than I envisioned it being!! I love it. I even love the Vista stuff now that I got the wireless stuff on campus worked out. This is so fun! I am sitting here in the Annex listening to Rascal Flatts and blogging. So fun. It makes studying a little more interesting. I just wanted to tell everyone how excited I was! Hope you are having an amazing day!!

Meet the Robinsons

2007-04-01T10:22:00.000-05:00

Friday I went to go see Meet the Robinsons with Emma and Jax. It was great fun. The movie was in 3-D. We got goofy looking 3-D glasses to wear. It was great fun. Emma and Jax were amazed at how the glasses made things "come to me" according to Emma. I had to laugh at them repeatedly putting on and taking off their glasses to see the difference. As we were walking into the theatre Jax kept asking for his bugglegum. Too cute. Then afterwards, Jax told Jenn "the movie was wrong" (refering to the bluriness without the glasses!) I love these kids, they are so great!! The movie was great and of course, my favorite part was the dinosaur saying "I have a big head and little arms" So great!! I laughed and laughed. I highly recommend this movie! I will definately be buying it when it comes out on DVD.

Roommates!!!

2007-03-25T12:44:00.000-05:00

God is soo good! I have been praying about where to live next year and who I should live with. I have been asking for great roommates. Jenn has been praying too! Guess what happened Friday night??!! I was laying down with Jax and Emma watching cartoons when my phone rang....and it was Julie. We love Julie. Julie was calling to ask me if I wanted to live with her and the other Julie and Bekah next year!! Yay! I was so excited. I love these girls!! It will be great to have good roommates who love the Lord and are seeking His will in their lives. I am so excited about this! What a huge blessing. What a huge answer to prayer!!

Termination of Spring Break and day 54...You have got to be joking...

2007-03-19T18:13:00.000-05:00

As of today, spring break is just a memory...sad day. I was taking a nap this afternoon when my roommate and her live-in-whatever-he-is walked in. Normally this is enough to make me frown. Today I wanted to cry. I wake up to the sounds of them talking about buying a dog. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against dogs. Keeping Disney last week was delightful. It was great companionship....You must understand though, that my roommate already has a cat. A sadistic, evil, horribly behaved cat. I think this cat has a good heart but b/c my roommate ignores it, the cat has resorted to evil ploys for attention. And now they are going to get a dog?!! Please tell me they are just kidding. But no. They set there talking about the $600.00 they are going to spend on this dog and all the things they need to buy for it. My roommate isn't responsible enough with her money to pay her bills...much less pay them on time. Where are they getting this dog money from? Secondly, who is going to be taking care of this dog? Let me assure you that if it yeps in the middle of the night I will be really peeved. So now I am just praying that God will bring me out of this lease with my sanity intact and all in one piece. 54 more days to go and I already feel like I am about to fall apart. Please pray that I make it through this.

Also, please pray that I will have a more Godly attitude!!

Spring Break!!!!

2007-03-14T17:16:00.000-05:00

It is Spring Break!!! Whoop for that! I cannot tell you the joy this brings to my heart. A whole week away from the craziness of textbooks, tests, mean professors, pointless assignments....the whole educational experience. I must admit that I do miss having a routine, but it was OH SO NICE to lay in bed (almost) all morning. Not having to get up and go to work and then class means that tomorrow I can sleep late and then go visit Target and other fun errands! What a nice change. I am so thankful for this break. I got to go to the library yesterday!!! I was so excited. Reading is my passion, but I can't allow myself the luxury during semesters because I will put off doing important things to read for pleasure. I can not tell you how nice it was to walk into the library and know that I really did have time to read books, and that I didn't have to walk in feeling guilty or drive by dreaming about all the lovely books inside that I am not reading. This is so much better! On top of all this greatness, I have gotten to spend some time with the fabulous Bacaks, which has been great. Oh yeah, I got to go home and see the parents and one of my brothers too. Spring Break is the greatest!!!

P.S. I hope your break was good too!

Intimacy/Isolation

2007-03-08T20:45:00.000-06:00

I have had this on my mind all week. I am not good at this. I struggle with this. I am not accustomed to being intimate with people. I have maybe three friends that I know intimately. I dislike this. I know this is wrong and doesn't make God happy. I want to change this, but since I am so bad at it, I don't know how to be intimate. I hate feeling transparent and exposed. So, I am inviting you into my life. Please, get to know me. I need you to. If you make an effort to do this and I look like I ate a worm or I have something slimy climbing around inside me, it is my intense discomfort which means you are doing a great job! For so long I have been okay with being alone. God says no more!! It is so easy for me to shut myself off literally and figuratively. I live mostly alone and have mastered putting up a facade. Help me tear these down!! I want my life to glorify God and I can't do that in isolation.

And, NO, that is not me in the picture...last time I checked, I was not a boy...

Last Night's Gilmore

2007-03-07T07:29:00.000-06:00

I don't know if you watch Gilmore Girls, but I must tell you I love that show. It is so much fun. My favorite episode is in season 5. I think that is my favorite season by far. I don't know though, six was really great too... Anyway, if you watch Gilmore girls, you are probably aware that this season has been some what of a let down...I am sad that Amy Sherman Pallidino (sp?) left. In Rory terms...Sad. However, last nights episode was DELIGHTFUL!! Now, this could be because I came home and watched it after a long, grueling test. It could be because I just really wanted to see some new Gilmore...(Whatever will we do when the show ends and there is no new Gilmore to be found??!!) But, I don't think this was the case. I was very pleasantly surprised by how good this episode was. And things went really well. There was some tension, if you watched, you know what I am talking about, (I don't' want to spoil it for Jenn, even though she won't see it for at least another year probably...) Anyway, I was suprised that they didn't save the resolution until next week's episode. I know Amy would have. But I liked the way it ended. However, I was sad that they used a new person for Mia. That made me sad.

I have to say though, that I wish Rory and Logan knew Jesus. I think they are a great couple and I really love their characters, but I would love them so much more if they loved Jesus. (I have to give Lorelai points for arguing for the Bible in last weeks episode, although she could have easily argued anyother religion with the same stance....) I wonder what Gilmore Girls with Jesus would look like....I think it would be funnier. It would be more applicable to me for one thing. And then people would see how much fun people who love Jesus really have. Rory and Lorelai would probably have more fun too, since they couldn't worry about anything since it is a sin...I hope there is a Gilmore Girls showing in heaven.....Basically, I just love Gilmore girls!

Spring Break!!

2007-03-04T22:14:00.000-06:00

Spring Break is coming up!! Praise the Lord!! I was wondering what everyone's plans for the week are... I want to know what kind of fun things y'all are doing on your week off.

100th Post!!! and Supermoms :)

2007-02-24T21:19:00.000-06:00

YEA!!!! This is my 100th post. That has got to warrant some kind of celebration, I am just not sure what...How exciting that you have been blessed with the ability to read 100 entries worth of my thoughts. You should jump up and down and do the happy dance! I am excited!! I love blogging. It is so much fun, especially since so many of the wonderful people I love are blogging too. This is just too cool.

Anyway, on to my real purpose for writing. Halei, I told you this WOULD be posted on the blog. Here it is....I wish I had a tape recorder of this conversation, because if I did, I would just type up the transcript for you to read. You would probably picture Halei and I sitting at our little table in the restarant (is that misspelled?) talking about this and laugh. I am pretty sure if anyone else had been in the room, they would have thought we were insane...

So tonight, after church Halei and I decided to go and have dinner. So we talked about A LOT of things. Work (we are cowokers!), school, discipline problems at work, uninvolved parents, how much we love Living Hope, etc, etc. Then we got to the important (at least for this post) part of the conversation.

We started talking about how much we LOVE our mentors and how great they are. We talked about how getting to be involved with their families is such a HUGE BLESSING. We decided that BOTH OUR MENTORS ARE SUPERMOMS. They are amazing. (Jenn, I love getting to learn from you, you amaze me.) We talked about how cool it is to see their families seeking God's will above all else, and that because of this, everything seems to fall into place. Halei and I decided that we are supermoms-in-training, or at least that is our desire.

So, Jenn, thank you for holding the Bacak School of Supermom Training! Thank you for letting me come into your home and your life and learn from you. I know you are impacting the future of my marriage and my role as a (super)mom. Thanks!!

Apartment Shopping...

2007-02-22T19:54:00.000-06:00

This weekend I am apartment shopping! I am so excited. I can not tell you how excessively lovely it will be to have my own stuff back. This year I am living with someone who already had apartment stuff...or at least that is what I was lead to believe...I mean she has furniture...but our kitchen stuff is sorely lacking (at least I have my own bed and bath stuff...). I can not wait to have my own kitchen stuff back!! I have more kitchen stuff than some people who have been married for 10 years do. I have a lot of stuff...I can't wait to have it back!! It will be nice to come home, and feel like I am at home, not like I am in someone else's home. It will be so nice to not feel like I can only occupy my bedroom. It will be nice to have a bedroom that won't fit under a microscope...I am excited. This will probably be my last move in College Station...how exciting!! Although, I realized today, for the first time, that I will miss College Station. It has been such a great place to go to school. I am thankful for the time I have been given here and the amazing people I have been blessed to know here. :)

P.S. If you have any suggestions at where to look for housing for next year, let me know, I am defianately interested in suggestions!!

Saturday!!

2007-02-17T10:29:00.001-06:00

It is Saturday!! You know what that means!! NO alarm clock! Oh the Joy!! I just want to comment on what a beautiful day it is out today. And it is so much warmer than it has been. You can actually go outside in just long sleeves and be comfortable.So the Newsboys are coming to College Station on April 11th. I am thinking about getting tickets...Does anyone else want to go? It might be fun to go to a concert in College Station...plus we get a student discount (if you are a student....)So now I am going to go do some homework...Have a magnificent day!!

Happy Valentines Day!!

2007-02-14T13:32:00.000-06:00

Happy Valentines Day!!!
I love Valentines Day, even single. I think it is fun to see everyone wear red. I like to wear red too. I think that it is nice that there is a day that you get gifts just for being you. Who does not love that?

I love holidays in general. They are so great. Think about it...Christmas, New Year, Valentines, Easter, 4th of July, MY BIRTHDAY!!, and then Thanksgiving...what is not to love?!

So today, I have a Valentines day first. I have a test today. A calculus test. In exactly 30 minutes. I am blogging to calm myself. I struggle with test anxiety, especially in math. So hopefully prayer and blogging right before will prevent stress. We'll see.

After my test though, I get to go hang out with Jenn! This is probably the best test recovery method I have ever heard of. It will be great...there will be the making of chocolate covered strawberries. And then, lots of wonderful girls will come over and we will hang out and appreciate not being alone on Valentines Day, because Jenn is wonderful enough to have us over. Thanks Jenn!! :)

Valentines!!

2007-02-12T16:04:00.000-06:00

Yea!! Valentines is two days away. :) My Valentines came early though.

This morning I got these beautiful pictures of Cami and Gage whom I love SO much. The best gift they have ever given me, and they have given me some REALLY GREAT gifts!

But, the best came this afternoon. If you know me very well, you know that my Dad and I haven't always had the best of relationships. It has gotten some better since I moved to College Station, praise the Lord!

Every year since I moved to College Station, my dad has sent me beautiful flowers for Valentines. I can not tell you how much I value these flowers. To me, these flowers really do say, or affirm "I love you." They say what so often I haven't heard. Yes, I am getting teary. I love that my dad does take the time to pick out such beautiful flowers for me. The picture doesn't do them justice! I love that my dad picked these out with me in mind. I love that my dad loves me enought to buy me beautiful flowers, to have my mom call and find out my schedule, so that these beautiful flowers can be delivered while I am at home. These flowers aren't normal; these flowers are special. They say "No matter what is going on, I love you enough to send you flowers and I want to let you know that. " Yea!

grapes....

2007-02-11T11:12:00.001-06:00

So on Friday I bought some yummy seedless grapes at HEB. I just got around to washing them this morning...When I picked up the bag, guess what I found? I had gotten SUPER SPECIAL grapes!! Normally, when you buy grapes, you get several pieces of different bunches in a bag. Not this bag!! I got one whole entire bunch. It was amazing! It is HUGE. I took them out of the bag and washed them and only two small grapes fell off the entire time I was washing them. It is so cool to see how much stronger they are when they are in the setting they were made for. I like what this says about us too....

So true...

2007-02-10T20:52:00.000-06:00

"For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body."
2 Corinthians 4:11

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day."
2 Corinthians 4:16

"If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ."
Galatians 1:10

Obedience. God has been training me in this. In the past, when I heard this word, I conjured a very narrow definition of the word in my mind. God has shown me that it is not enought to obey, I must obey with a joyful heart. I must continually die to the sin in my life, so that I may be renewed.I think now I am supposed to learn about living in obedience by faith...

"Who can discern his errors? Forgive my hidden faults. Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then I will be BLAMELESS, innocent of great transgression. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight,O Lord, my Rock and Redeemer."
Psalms 19:12-14

"Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my inquity, I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the Lord' - and you forgave the guilty of my sin."
Psalm 32:5

"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you."
Psalm 32:8

"Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and MY HOPE IS IN YOU All DAY LONG."
Psalm 25:4&5
"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is -his good,pleasing and perfect will."
Romans 12:2

I have been amazed at what God has been teaching me. I am thankful that when I am hurting or struggling, I can go to His word and find my foundation. I love that I can always go to the stronghold of my life and find comfort and strength. What a blessing.

Weekend!!!!

2007-02-09T19:08:00.000-06:00

So it is finally Friday!!! Yea!! Tonight Julie and i went grocery shopping and got the stuff to make "homemade (from a kit)" chili!! And we are now watching Pride and Prejudice!! Gotta love the girly movies. So we are going to do this and then the Pride and Prejudice series tonight and finish them tomorrow. How fun. I love chili. I am so excited. This is the first time I have made it on my own. My mom always makes it for me. It is certainly one of my comfort foods. Tomorrow should be great too. I am keeping the lovely Bacaks! And then I am going home to take and nap before Julie and I hang out and finish the P&P series and head to church. On Sunday I get to sleep late!!! Praise the Lord!! Then of course there is Her Hands that evening and I am sure that I will fit some homework and studying in there somewhere. I am soo incredibly thankful that the weekend is finally here. I hope that yours is wonderful!! :)

Oh the JOY!!!

2007-02-06T19:50:00.000-06:00

Yea!! I am done with both of my tests!!! Two tests in one day can be rough...Just a second it sounds like my roommate is grinding up silverware in the disposal. Grr...Oh my...I just realized that Gilmore Girls just ended, and I forgot to record it!! HELP!!!!!!!! If you or ANYONE you know recorded it and would be kind enough to share I would appreciate it immensely. Especially since this was a HUGE episode apparently. I hope you had a good day!!

productivity

2007-02-04T14:31:00.000-06:00

Praise the Lord for weekends!! I am thankful that we have a God who considers that sometimes we need "just a bit more time" to get things accomplished and to rest. I am thankful that, when he created the earth, he built in weekends. What a blessing. My most favorite part of weekends is getting to lay in bed for a bit. I love that twice a week, I don't have to jump out of bed at 7 a.m. Twice a week, I can wake up whenever I wake up, and when I do wake up, I have the luxury of just laying in bed for a bit. I can lay there and think about how much I love laying in my comfy bed with all my pillows and my great snuggly sheets and blankets. I can lay there and just enjoy beginning the day; my mind doesn't immediately have to rush to the 100 million things on the "to-do" list for the day. I can lay in bed and praise God for the beautiful day and for who he is and for the fact that for a bit, I can stay in bed!! I cannot tell you how much I value this time. There is very little that I value enough to miss this time for. I hope that when I get married my husband will understand this. Sometimes I just need to lay in bed, you know. Not that I am depressed, or that I am totally exhausted (although sometimes this is the case), it is just my time. I can read, pray, watch tv, sleep, or just think, or even lay there and do nothing but stare at the ceiling. I love the freedom, that all pressure is off, that it is just me and my comfy covers.

I say all of this, because I have been thinking about the whole "be quiet and know that I am God" thing. I have been trying to work on this. My bed is the place where I try most frequently to accomplish this. So, after lounging this morning, I have had a truly productive day. I think that the time I took to rest increased my productivity so much. There is no way I could have gotten all this done, or at least done this well, with such great results without the time to be quiet, to recharge before beginning the day. I hope that you get a chance to do this sometime this week. Have a great day!!

The disease has spread!!

2007-02-03T16:16:00.000-06:00

So I have now got Julie blogging!! Go to her website http://juliecaroline.blogspot.com and see what she is up to! I love blogging. I am so excited that I get to share this with a friend!! Hopefully she will enjoy it as much as I do. It has been fun watching and helping her set up her new blog!! We have a new blogger!!

New Scientific Discovery!!

2007-02-03T14:25:00.000-06:00

Just in, you are surely going to want to know what I read in my Biology book this afternoon!! According to the 'highly intelligent' people who put this book together, "crocodiles seem to be more closely related to birds than to other reptiles." Yes, I have seen MANY crocodiles floating around covered in feathers. Wait, crocodiles have teeth, right? (Most) Birds don't. Birds have wings, and what? That's right, crocodiles DON'T!

Even better, "fungi seem to be more closely related to animals than plants." That, my friend, seems to be like saying, yes, this is a tree, but no it is not related to any other plant life, because, don't you know, it is related to the non-existent space aliens. Yes, it is one of their long lost children.

Seriously, why am I paying $750.00 to be fed crap like this?? Are these people just trying to think of something to start some conversation? I just want to go ask them what hit them upon the head today, or when the last time they feel and broke their brain was.

Jenn, if you happen to read this, please promise not to teach these ridiculous things to Emma and Jax. I would hate to see them confused. Especially since Emma love animals so much.

Snow, oh the Snow!!!!

2007-02-01T21:03:00.000-06:00

I talked to my Mom today. As I was walking across campus in the 50 degree weather. She delighted in telling me that it is snowing at home. Is it snowing in College Station? No, of course not!! She told me about how she got to sit and watch the beautiful snow fall last night. It made me a bit sad. Then, she calls me tonight, to say, "I am driving home in the snow"....it is so nice. All I have to say to THAT is why call just to flaunt that you get snow and I don't?

Now, I realize that in less than two years, I will probably have more snow on my hands than I know what to do with, but, nevertheless, it isn't fair. I want snow. Yes, I am coveting my Mom's snow.

Here's hoping you get some snow...or at least your equivalent of snow....

...

2007-01-31T22:40:00.000-06:00

So, this week God has been reminding me that my life cannot be about me. It has to be ALL about HIM. I am called to be his obedient child. I am to obey with a joyful heart. He has reminded me that DELAYED OBEDIENCE is still DISOBEDIENCE. I am thankful that He has been using his word to "judge the thoughts and attitudes of the (my) heart. " I pray that he will continue to "uncover and lay bare" the things in my life that don't bring Him glory, that I do for my edification, to honor and please myself. I am praying that this semester, I will be prepared and transformed for God's call on my life. I am so thankful that we have a merciful God who intercedes for us, and wants to transform us. That he does not leave us to our own devices to find the way in life. I am thankful that his word is living and active and that his spirit is alive within me.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverence the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
Hebrews 12:1-3

Ode to the awe-inspiring dryer

2007-01-30T11:37:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was an amazing day. I had work, school, hung out with the Bacaks :), and then went to Target. I believe at Target, a miracle of sorts happened.

Now, you must know that I have had the same blow dryer since I was in 5th grade. It still works great, but I was randomly pondering an upgrade. I had heard about this unbelievable hair dryer, so I thought I would see if it was as great as I had heard. So, I shelled out the $60.00 for the new hair dryer. I got home and tried it out. Let me tell you, there was some divine intervention going on with my hair. Not only does this dryer dry, it detangles, straightens and makes my hair shiny. I got 5 compliments the first two mintues I was at work today. Even with the dreary humid weather. This is something.

I must admit, for someone who loves to shop, I skeptical about spending 60 bucks on a dryer when I had a functional one at home. It is COMPLETELY worth it. This is such a good investment, I could see my mom paying me for it, just because I will be wearing my hair down more frequently. I mean this thing just had my name all over it.

So, basically I have been praising God for my new dryer ever since then.

Oh yeah, did I mention that it's pink??!!!

Beauty and the Beast on DVD

2007-01-29T14:22:00.000-06:00

I have really been wanting to find Beauty and the Beast on DVD. Unfortunately, Disney is not currently selling it. The only place you can find it is online at Amazon or like sites. The problem with this option is that I would be spending more than twice what I the going rate for disney DVDs is ($20.00). Meaning that I would be spending close to $50.00 for this movie. Not gonna fly. Does anyone have any other suggestions on where to find this, one of my most favorite, Disney movies?

Also, I am looking for new ideas for my hair. If you have any suggestions, let me know!! I want something cute but easy. Thanks!!

Have a great day!!

Reality sets in...

2007-01-26T09:16:00.000-06:00

So for the last eighteen months I have been over eager to graduate. I have been so ready to be done with college, and move on (probably to Boston). In the last months, God has been saying "slow down, this is your time of preparation for what I have for you. If you rush through this, you will miss so many blessings. Trust me. I am preparing you for something special. Rushing through this time will cause you to miss so much of what I am wanting to give you." I am starting to take the time to enjoy this season of my life. I am trying to not be so focused on the future that I neglect the present, or that I don't recieve it's full blessing. This morning, reality really began to set in. I know that I will not be here forever. College is temporary. I have known I was on the down hill slope. And I was so excited. Now I am excited, but I am becoming a little bit more aware that such a great chapter in my life will be coming to a close in less than two years.

If you know me very well, you know that I keep a little girl and a little boy named Cameron (Cami) and Gage A LOT. If you know anything about me, you know that I love kids. But these kids are so special to me. They are like my own children. I love them more than I could have ever dreamed of loving someone else's children. I have so much of my heart wrapped up in them. In the last two years I have learned so much about loving unconditional from them. I have learned about a parent's love. (Don't get me wrong, they are amazing kids, but they aren't perfect.) When you are around kids, as much as I am around them, it changes you. I laughing refer to my self as Steve and Wendy's "stand-in parent" because I spend almost as much time with their kids as they do. I take Cami to gymnastics, I can make things "okay" when they are hurt. I love it, but at the same time it breaks my heart that their parents don't spend more time with them. But, I love these kids. I would give anything for them.

In the midst of a conversation this morning, Wendy briefly mentioned that when I move she will have to find someone else to keep the kids. I felt my heart break. I can not imagine not being a part of Cami's and Gage's life. I have said for so long that the hardest part of me graduating and leaving College Station, would be having to leave Cami and Gage. How little I realized this would affect me. My heart is breaking.

I am thankful that God is teaching me to savor this time instead of just rushing through it and viewing it as something in the way of moving on...I don't want to love these kids less, but I certainly don't want my heart to break when I get on that plane to Boston. 'But he gives us more grace.' I know that wherever God calls me, eventually I will have to let go. And I will be blessed for my obedience. It still isn't easy. But, for now, I am thankful for the chance to be in College Station, involved with so many great people.

Productivity!!

2007-01-24T19:12:00.000-06:00

Today has been really productive! Of course I had work and school, but afterwards I go so much done. I made a return, I made an exchange, I bought two new pairs of jeans, I bought some lip gloss at Bath & Body Works. I book a book, actually two books (two different places, one was a textbook). And to top it all off, I went and had four brand new tires put on my car!! Yea!! I came home, had supper, balanced the checkbook, washed and put away two loads of laundry, and now I am going to go do homework. (Not as much fun, but still productive!) I hope you had an amazing day.

New Semester Whirlwind

2007-01-23T11:35:00.000-06:00

The Semester has officially started. It has been good so far. Yea!! I got off work a little early today, which was nice. I can get some stuff done! This afternoon will be really busy, so this is the perfect time. I am way excited about the pedicure I am getting this afternoon. For those of you who don't know me, this is one of my MOST favorite things!

Speaking of favorite things, I got home last night, and guess what was waiting for me? A big box from Sephora!!!! Yea with a HUGE smile!! I am loving my new makeup!! So fun. I was so glad to see the note saying it was waiting next door. I was afraid I would have to wait several days to get it...Anyway, I have to go run errands! Have a good day!!

Winter Weather

2007-01-20T20:51:00.000-06:00

I am really loving this winter weather. It is so great. It has been so good to have a winter season this year. I am thankful. I love to see the way God works things out, the way he consistently provides. It is a blessing. I have loved seeing this at living hope in the last few months. I am so thankful for the wonderful relationships that I have made through living hope. I think this semester will be crazy, but I know God will see me through. I must admit I am not crazy about many of my classes, but I am going to choose to persevere. I can do all things, (even math), through him who strengthens me! Random thought: my toes are cold. I think I am going to put on some socks; but, not just any socks, my fuzzy pink socks!! :) Get excited! Okay, so I am going to go and take the two pretests I need to take for my math classes. Yay homework. (not so much...)
Night!!

Snowdays pictures....

2007-01-17T14:56:00.000-06:00

So beautiful!!!

And this was the result!!

Snow!!

2007-01-16T20:15:00.000-06:00

I am so thankful for this weather. It is amazing. I am loving that tomorrow is another 1/2 day off!! Yea!! How great!!

A REAL SNOW DAY!!

2007-01-15T21:00:00.000-06:00

It is finally here! A "snow" day for me. We have real winter weather!! YEA!!! I am loving this. I have BIG plans for tomorrow!! Sleep in and have a pajama day!! Read the two books I bought this morning, and lounge in bed all day with my flannel sheets. I can not express my excitement in this matter. This is big. Big like bubble wrap, rain, shopping, pedicures, sleeping late, and school supply time. You should get excited too. I am going to get some homemade hot chocolate...let me know if you want the recipe. It is amazing... Night!!

Weather, School and Wonderings....

2007-01-14T13:50:00.000-06:00

This is the final weekend before reality kicks back in....hmm. The weather is finally wintery (there is currently only nine degrees difference in the temp here and in Boston :) ) which is great. It is supposed to become more intense until sometime on Wednesday...which leads me to ponder the possiblilty (or honestly, the hope) that school will be closed on Tuesday...I guess we will just have to see what happens.

So this week has been good for me. I am finally having a sense of accomplishment. I feel like the effort I have put into school is starting to come together, and that I am getting close to the end. Praise the Lord. I have been studying Ester again recently, and I can't escape the knowledge that I am being prepared for something. I am called to be used "for such a time as this". It has been a blessing to see that things that I never thought I would care for become important and valuable to me. I always assumed that I would teach in suburbia for two, maybe three years, get married to an extremely successful man, and spend the rest of my life being the best wife and mother possible. Now, I have a growing passion for inner-city education. I still want the other things, the marriage, the family, but now, for this time, I am being prepared to teach. I look forward to it. But, I have also learned to enjoy this time of preparation. "Preparation and transformation lead to elevation and a passage to purpose." For that I am thankful.

Lost Puppy Story...

2007-01-10T15:11:00.000-06:00

Okay, so today has been random... but AMAZING!! I got up early and went to go see my advisor, and PRAISE THE LORD, finally got all my stuff for this semester worked out!! Yea!! Then I went to get my oil changed, which only took about thirty minutes. Yea again. So the guy that helped me at the dealership was apparently really new. I felt sympathy for him. He so had the "lost puppy dog" feel about him. It was kind of cute, but I felt kind of bad for him too. He was soo eager to please and make a good impression and show that he really knew his stuff. I felt bad because he was working so hard. I mean he was practically bending over backwards to do everything right. I am so thankful that we do not have to be perfect. None of us could ever attain that standard. I just hope things go well for Matt in his new job. He has done a great job so far. I went to go get a snow cone and then went to the park to swing and eat it (simultneously!!) and it was great. Afterwards, I sat at a picnic table and enjoyed the beautiful day. It was so amazing just to be quiet before God. Today has been a complete blessing and I am so thankful. On that note, GIG EM!!

whew...

2007-01-07T19:54:00.000-06:00

I can't believe we are already a week into January...crazy. It has been a bit crazy, but mostly a lot of fun. Today I went to the park for a bit to play with my new camera! Fun!! :) I enjoyed watching the ducks for a minute. It reminded me of the book 'Make Way for Ducklings'. Segway into the fact that I think I am going to postpone the spring break trip until this summer. I think the timing will be better then. I am going to keep praying about it though. We will see what happens.

One of the things I got for Christmas was The Little Mermaid on DVD. (VERY EXCITING :) ) Tonight I finally got to watch it, which was nice. It is by far my favorite disney movie of ALL time. I love it. The song part of your world is my favorite part. It describes so much of my life. It is the cry of my heart in so many ways. I am thankful that I am not home yet. I can't wait to see what it will be like though.

Do you ever have those nights when there are things or a thing bouncing around in your head, and quite probably your heart too, that keep you awake, or from getting a good sleep? They don't always have to be "bad" things, or stressful things, sometimes it is just "stuff". Last night was one of those nights for me. I was completely restless. There was no profound thoughts in my head, I just kept roving.

Hey, I have to go, but I hope you have a great week!!

Happy New Year!!

2007-01-02T22:35:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year!! It has been a great year so far. I haven't worked, I have seen my babies (which technically was work, but didn't seem like it), my Dad finally caved and got his own cell phone (YEA!!!), i have had lots of fun with my new camera, i have had several days of gilmore girl marathons (i got seasons 1 through 5 for Christmas), and tomorrow I am having lunch with a friend! Life is good. Tomorrow after lunch I think I will go and take pictures around campus and maybe other parts of town...Exciting. I am so excited about Boston. I am hoping to go over Spring Break with a friend. Can't wait. I will definately start scrapbooking after that...since I have put it off for about 5 years....This semester will be interesting. Hopefully it will end well. That is all I ask. That and that the summer end well also. After that it will all be down hill! Last night I was watching Gilmore Girls (gg) and it was thought provoking. I think one of the reason I love gg so much is that it lines up with my life a lot. Rory and I are the same age and some what on the same track. It is like seeing myself, my life, my world on the tv screen. I was watching the season three finale last night and thinking back to the night when I first watched that episode. The night that it premiered...It was weeks before my own graduation. I remember thinking "we're done" "it's over" and "Thank God that I finally finished" and I did thank God. Reliving that was nice. I thought for so long that high school would never end. But, it did. I have been feeling for so long that college will never end, but it will. Thank goodness. And I finished high school. In my world that is not a big deal (I mean I don't think I have even ever looked at my diploma)...it is like finishing kindergarten. Everyone does it and everyone expects it of you. Not doing it is not a possibility. It is simply a small stepping stone to what is coming next. But last night I realized how many people never get the chance to achieve that. And how many people are given the chance but just choose not to. So I am thankful for that small accomplishment. At least I have achieved something in my life. You know, so many people told me I would wish to be back in high school when I told them I couldn't wait for it to be over. I never have. I doubt that I ever will. And now, as so many people are telling me the same things about college, I wonder, will I miss this? What will I miss? I wouldn't want to skip high school, but I don't want to repeat it, and I think there is little, if any that I would change. It all brought me to where I am today. Looking back at my three and a half years of college thus far, I don't see anything I would really change either...Each of those experiences, even the painful ones, are shaping me, forming me. And, the light at the end of the tunnel is getting closer. All that I can say about that is WHOOP!!

Snow day!!

2006-12-19T14:41:00.000-06:00

I love snow days!! Okay, so there isn't really a snow day in TX today, but I kinda got one by windfall today. I have absolutely loved it!! Sleeping, resting, tv watching, it has been amazing!! Tonight I am going to a basketball game with friends. It will be AMAZING!! Yea!! Have a great day!

mmmhhhmmm....

2006-12-16T19:36:00.000-06:00

So the few days since Wednesday have been AMAZING!!! i LOVE being done with finals. There has been much shopping, girl time, reading (for pleasure) and even a pedicure (they are the best!!) This evening I baked cookies and that was fun. The funny thing is I don't want to eat the cookies, I just wanted to bake. I think in a bit I will take a bubble bath!! :)

Okay, so I did not realize that it was possible to exist as a female without ever getting a pedicure. In the last three days, I have had at least four friends tell me that they have NEVER, I repeat never, had a pedicure. I was amazed. I know other women will agree. For the men out there, let me fill you in. Getting a good pedicure is practically a transcedental experience. Pedicures, manicures, massages and bubble baths are essential life experiences, things that keep us sane in the middle of utter insanity...for thirty minutes, you get to drop everything and the world revolves completely around you. I do not for the life of me understand how you could make it to 21 or older without having ever gotten a pedicure. At the very least, didn't you go to a prom or something?! I just wanted to tell my friends to pick up the phone and schedule an appointment ASAP. Oh well.

Christmas will be here soon and I am so excited!! I love Christmas! I just wish it would snow...In a few years I will live somewhere snowy though, so it is okay. It's a Wonderful Life is on tv...I baked today and I am relaxed. It is good. I am going to wrap the last of my Christmas gifts...Have a great night.

Yea!!

2006-12-13T17:35:00.000-06:00

Yea!! It is over! I am done!! I have finally finished for the semester!! Whoop! I was so sure it would never arrive. Now I can breath. I just don't know where to begin. There are so many options... Fun is like a new concept...I love it.

thoughts...

2006-11-29T10:40:00.000-06:00

So here are the random things floating around in my mind over the past few days....

If you don't already know, I love Christmas. Not a little, but a lot. It was starting to rain two days ago on my way to class. When I pulled into the parking garage, my windshield had the "perfect" sprinkling of little drops. Everytime I drove under a light it was amazing. It was like a million tiny twinkle lights were lighting up just for me...incredible.

Mmm...I love Oreos for sentimental reasons. My grandfather got me started on them. So I have recently changed my method of eating oreos. (if you love oreos, you know everyone has a method) I have started opening my oreo, eating half of the stuffing, eating the blank side, then eating the side with the left over stuffing. I don't know why, but this works great for me. How do you eat your oreos? And no, I don't mean with milk...(I don't like milk).

Ahh, the end of semester yuck is here. Looking forward to it ending. Really, Really looking forward to Christmas.

Today, I was driving with my sunroof open, because it is 70ish here today (sad), and all of the sudden there was this breeze that blew a bunch of leaves off the trees and of course some of them decided to visit my car...it was exciting.

Last, and most repetitively, I can not wait to move to Boston. I really really want to be there. I can't wait to live there. It will be nice to say I am done with college....

Merry Christmas!!! (I am sending out Christmas cards today!!)
P.S. I am so glad that we BEAT THE HELL OUTTA t.u. on Friday!! Whoop!

adoption...

2006-11-19T21:51:00.000-06:00

Adoption...I have known for a long time that I want to adopt. Tonight I realized that on a much more serious level. I am not at an appropriate place in my life to do that now, but I am committing to adoption in the future. It is beyond my comprehension that there is a child out there, or there will be, that was created for me to parent. I don't know how you feel about God, but as a Christian, I believe that God has a very special plan for my life. To know that he created someone for me to love, to raise, to teach is incredible. It is such a huge responsibility, such a huge blessing. I can't wait to hold the one that He made for me to love. I can't wait to be a Mommy. I know it isn't the most glamorous job, but it is truly an invaluable opportunity. There is a song called "All I Really Want" by Steven Curtis Chapman. I can't imagine that first Christmas with my child. I know there will be no way to fully express my love. I can't wait.

Mmmm life is good!

2006-11-19T17:11:00.000-06:00

I must say right now I am loving life. On that note, here are a list of things I love (listed randomly):
1. Snow
2. Having freshly painted fingers and toes
3. Bubble baths
4. Pedicures
5. Sunny days
6. Reading for pleasure
7. Traveling
8. Shopping
9. Teaching
10. Cameron and Gage ("my" kids that I keep frequently)
11. Love Songs (even though I don't have anyone to play them for)
12. Sleeping Late
13. Boston
14. Cuddling
15. Waking up in the morning and not having to rush off and having time to lay in bed for a bit
16. Decorating
17. My friends
18. Cooking
19. Christmas
20. My family
21. Gilmore Girls (or at least seasons 1-6 of GG)
22. Pink
23. Getting gifts
24. Hot chocolate
25. Long drives on beautiful Texas roads
26. Candles
27. Children's books
28. Being Loved
29. Saying 'I love you'...especially when it is returned
30. Bubblewrap
31. Coloring
32. Being creative
33. Aggie Football
34. Dr.Pepper
35. Baseball (Rangers and the Red Sox)
36. Texas A&M University!! Whoop!!
37. Movies
38. Being HOME
39. Sudoku
40. Being taken care of
41. "Mothering"
42. School Supplies
43. Classic Art
44. Going to the park to swing
45. Watching Stars at night...
46. Flip Flops
47. Rain
48. Pillows
49. Flowers (especially getting them!)
50. Dreaming
51. Dressing up
52. Naps
53. Coming home to a clean house
54. Pajamas
55. Purses
56. Shoes
57. Twinkle Lights
58. The way Cami's face looks when she says "I Love You"

That is all I have time for now, but maybe I will add more later! Have a great night :)