She's alive!

Yes! I do still exist! Don't feel neglected or slighted though! My friends here think I have fallen off the face of the earth too! I have an incredibly busy schedule this semester! I spend most of my time behind a computer typing and working on projects.

Well, lets see... Work has been going extremely well this semester, I am assistant crew chief and I love all the girls I work with. If it weren't for the whole "they don't pay me enough money to pay for school" issue I would be excited to work there next semester! So on that note I'm going to throw out a prayer request! Pray that I find a good job off campus! I know God has the perfect one out there waiting for me that includes good hours and fantastic pay.

School has been very good. I think I have been challenged more this semester all around than ever before. Time management has been key. 3 of the 6 classes I am taking my advisor told me should be taken in separate semesters because of the amount of lab and home work, but because of how things have ended up in my schedule, if I want to graduate on time I have to take them all together. When she first told me I was thinking "Well, these 18 year olds might not be able to handle it, but I can! I have experience in time management!" Ha! God is teaching me just how far I can stretch myself this semester! it has been crazy! Prime example: Last week for keyboarding class I spent 7 hours outside of class just typing. Not even counting the studying time! Phew! But God is a God of grace and mercy and I am making decent grades. I may even have a sliver of hope to hold onto the 4.0! Yay! I was worried, but Midterms (which I am knee deep in right now) are going VERY well!

Best thing of the semester so far? We have had some awesome messages in church and even better ones in chapel! God has blessed us with some amazing speakers with exactly the messages I at least needed to hear!

Well what has happened since I got on here last...

My parents came! Yay! It was great having them here and getting to introduce them to my friends! (even if they didn't meet half of them and didn't get to meet hardly any of my summer gang.)

I went to Foley and Lamberts for the first time ever! (I know! It's about time right??)

I went to my sister and brother-in-laws house finally! (and I just invited myself over for lunch tomorrow...)

Not much else happened. Like I said, I spend all my time typing! :) Miss ya'll and will post pictures once I get batteries for the thing. It died and I can't load them until I get the new ones. :)  

New Beginings

Hello! I know, I know! I have been AWOL for about a month now. Well, if you had the month that I have had then you would be laying low too! :) But thru the good and the bad it has been a fantastic journey. So let me give you a quick rundown.

Since I last blogged I got to see my friend Jillian twice!!! She came to The Bubble to see her sister at camp and since I live in the bubble.... I also got to go to her house and hang out with her for a morning. Much fun! :) She has had some ups and downs with the new chemo, but every time I see her she encourages me so much! Love ya Jill! (One of the pictures I posted is her and I at the concert at camp where her sister performed)

Next I found out one of my best friends is pregnant!!!!!! :) Yay!!! I actually got to see ultrasound pictures today. *sigh* I am so happy for Amber and Dallas! Now I just have to figure out how I am going to finagle a way out of the bubble for when my nephew/niece is born.....

And now for the BIG happenings..... My sister eloped! Yep, you read that right. As in the she got married kind of eloped. BIG shock. But hey! They moved to the city of The Bubble, so eventually (when they finally get into the house that they bought, yes, they also bought a house!) I will have a place to go cook, watch movies, redesign my blog site and do other assorted things that they frown upon in the bubble.

After that all the people started coming back to the bubble. A trickle at first, Masters students, then the singing groups, reps, drama teams, and then the sports teams. All that led to this week where the trickle has turned into a steady stream of people. Floorleaders, then those who are class/collegian officers, student workers, and finally in the next few days the rest of them. It has been weird seeing the bubble populated again. Even with the camps we didn't have this many people, and it take readjusting to actually interact with people! :) On the bright side, many friends are coming back. Another one shows up every day and it is so nice to catch up!

The last few weeks have been crazy around here. Work has been full of getting ready for semester to start, and adjusting to a new schedule. I will miss my work buddies and supervisors so much! Today was the last day of 8 hour workdays. Monday starts a new job with about 9 hours a week. It was so sad saying goodbye to all the people whose offices that I clean today. So many of them have been such a huge blessing and encouragement to me! I will miss seeing them everyday. I did find out though, that one of the girls who was on my crew is moving to the new job with me. :)

We also have finished up our summer sports! Unfortunately, I did not play as much as I should have, but I did play when it counted! The last competition is "Wacky Olympics." If it sounds odd, try participating! I competed in every event that allowed girls (and one that was just boys). Tire rolls, tire flips, tug of war, sponge relay, 60 ft slip n slide, mini marathon. I know! You're thinking "cute games, not too challenging, can't be that crazy" Well The Bubble adds some interesting ingredients to all of the above. The "Wacky Olympics" did not start until 10:30 pm on a Friday after a full day of work. So we were all already zombies. Then add water to every event, dodging water balloons, and getting hosed by a fire hose during tug o war and you get to understanding why they call it "wacky"! :) (There is a picture of the aftermath with me and Lisa and Miriam, 2 of the girls I work with who were also on my team. Go Roadrunners!) The next week we had an awards banquet for the sports. This year they did something special! They planned a theme night and allowed us to dress up instead of wearing formal Sunday dress. The theme of the summer was Classic Muscle Cars, our teams were all named after them. So we all got to dress up in 50's and 60's styles. I honestly didn't expect EVERYONE to dress up! But I think I only saw 1 or 2 who didn't out of 500 give or take. It was a blast to see what people came up with without spending any money! (after all we stayed in The Bubble all summer because we have no money....) They even gave us themed food which was amazing! (There is a picture of me and my roomie at the banquet. Kassandra was a Hippie and I was Audrey Hepburn from Roman Holiday. :) )

Well, now we come to this week. This week has been moving week. It is a happy and sad time all at once. Happy because work is finishing and you get to move to your new room. Sad because you have to say goodbye to summer roommates and friends who you have spent every waking minute that you are not working with. School schedules tend to dictate who you get to see during the week. I only get to see some of my friends on church nights. I helped my roommate move to her new room in another building on Wednesday, and Thursday she helped me move to my room down the hall from where we had stayed all summer. Kassandra was such a HUGE blessing to me this summer! Wow, I miss not having her in my room already. On a happy note, I found out that I did get my roommate request for the semester though, so I will know 1 person in my room! :)

So now here I sit in my new room all alone. None of my new roomies have arrived yet, and so I am trying to get unpacked before they get here. It is going ok at this point. I still have to tackle laundry and the closet though. :P Well I need to wrap this up. I am soooo tired! :) Register tomorrow! yay!

Who I Am

Well, I’m sure you all are excited about this one. I’ve been nagged a lot by ya’ll about posting something about who I am and how I ended up where I am today. Well today is your lucky day! J It’s just a snapshot of me, and I know everyone wants the engagement story, but that has to wait a while. It will be long and I don’t know if I’m really comfortable posting it online yet. But in the meantime enjoy what you get! Hehehe!

Who I Am

I am a military brat. I will always be defined as one. J The military shaped my childhood. They sent my family to far off places and taught me to sleep anywhere anytime. They instilled a bit of the nomad into me. I moved 6 times before I was 15. That averages out to once every 3 years. To this day if I live somewhere longer than 3 years I get a little (ok, a lot) antsy.

My parents were both saved when I was very young. My dad was called to preach when I was pretty young as well. I still remember the first time he preached. I think we still have that goofy helmet! J Add preacher’s kid to my definition of me. I have been one so long I don’t think I really remember how not to be one! I might not always like it, but it defines me.

I was saved at the age of 6. A missionary came to our junior church and actually preached and gave an invitation. He talked all about what it was like being a missionary, and telling other people about Jesus. I decided then and there that I wanted to tell people about Jesus too. As he gave the invitation, I realized that I needed to be saved before I could tell other people how to get saved. I was so disappointed that I couldn’t raise my hand when the missionary asked how many kids were saved. I think it was the first time I realized that I wasn’t saved. I started crying. One of my teachers saw me crying and asked me if I needed to be saved. I said yes and she led me to the Lord. Add sinner saved by grace to that definition!

I got engaged at 18. He was the first and only boy I dated. I was engaged for 7 months. I struggled for a long time with God about what HIS will was in the relationship was. I know for a fact that it was His will to say yes to the proposal, but I knew after a time that it was not His will to get married. When I broke the engagement, it was not a pretty break-up. The break-up and some subsequent experiences with men in the next year left a bad taste in my mouth in regards to men. It took a while for the wounds to heal, but they have and now I am waiting for God to send me a husband.  Add single to the definition of me.

At 19 I entered the workforce. After 4 and a half years on the career track in banking, I lost my job. I looked for a new job, but had no success. All the while I was once again struggling with God. I knew He wanted me to go to college, but I didn’t know how I was going to afford it, and anyways I wanted to take correspondence so I could work while I took classes. I finally gave in to God though and just started the process of applying to PCC. I was terrified about school. I have always been a good student, but I had never had a schoolroom experience. I was home schooled K-12. And I am older than several of the teachers. I didn’t know how that would work out. Fortunately though, God was just waiting for me to hand all of my concerns over to Him. He has been a HUGE comfort, my steady rock, the only one who I can depend on to always come thru. I have been living by faith for the last year. Every bill that comes, I don’t know where the money is going to come from, but God has always provided right on time. Finish the description of me with broke, old college student. J

So there you have me in a nutshell. A military brat, PK, sinner saved by grace, single, broke, old college student. J

THINK

Joe Shakour preached on Sunday PM and he gave this acronym during the message. He couldn't remember where he got it, but I LOVED it!!! It is already made a difference for me.

 

Before you speak ask yourself....

 

Is it:

T rue

H elpful

I nspiring

N ecessary

K ind

 

Think before you speak!!!!! Ephesians 4:29

This week has been incredible. I could have gone home, and probably made more money for school and been closer to family, but I knew God wanted me here. If this week is the only reason that God wanted me to stay the summer, it has been worth it.

Kenny Baldwin was here for Teen Extreme, which means that every night there are chapel services. I went every night, and every night God has given me something amazing. Tonight he preached on dreams. Joseph had some pretty incredible dreams, and no one believed that they would come true. He never stopped believing that God had had given him those dreams though, and eventually they all came true.

Tonight I realized that I have been doubting God. He gave me this dream of getting married and having a family when I was 3 years old. When people ask me what God has for my life, my answer has always been raising a family for Him. In the last several years though the answer has turned into "I don't know," because I have gotten discouraged. I still had the dream, but I wondered if it was truly what God wanted for my life. As of Sunday I became the last in my youth group of almost 40 to be single, and I was one of the older ones. Yes, even my little sister is off the market! She said "yes" to the big question on Sunday. :)

Anyways, I had started wondering if God wanted me to be single for the rest of my life. I had been praying all week for God to show me something special, and to help me to be comfortable in the decision if that's what He wanted for my life. Tonight though, God gave me something I wasn't expecting. A crystal clear answer. A message on dreams coming true, and never giving up if that's what God has given you. Every time I have prayed and asked God what His will for my life is, the answer has always come back the same. I am confident that God has given me this dream, and I am never going to doubt it again. One day God will answer if I stay in HIS will for my life.

So now it's back to the waiting game. Only it's going to be a little different this time. I'm going to dream bigger, because my God is the God of the impossible and one day in the near future I'll be able to post one of my favorite verses as the title to an entry.

 

Psalm 118:23 This is the Lord's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.

 

How to be a Dreamer Whose Dreams Come True

by Kenny Baldwin

Genesis 37

1. Have a relationship with the Almighty

2. Be right with your authority

3. Be remarkable in your attitude

4. Be respected by your associates

5. Receive your authentication

 

Wait

Yet another wonderful message tonight that was just what I needed. Tim Hall hit a lot on patience tonight. Wow I needed it! I have been having a bad day in that area. He read this poem during the message. so much of it could be me speaking. It is going to become a favorite of mine I can already tell! :) I hope it's as much a blessing to you as it was to me!

Me!

Wait
by Russell Kelfer

Desperately, helplessly, longingly, I cried;
Quietly, patiently, lovingly, God replied.
I pled and I wept for a clue to my fate . . .
And the Master so gently said, "Wait."

"Wait? you say wait?" my indignant reply.
"Lord, I need answers, I need to know why!
Is your hand shortened? Or have you not heard?
By faith I have asked, and I'm claiming your Word.

"My future and all to which I relate
Hangs in the balance, and you tell me to wait?
I'm needing a 'yes', a go-ahead sign,
Or even a 'no' to which I can resign.

"You promised, dear Lord, that if we believe,
We need but to ask, and we shall receive.
And Lord I've been asking, and this is my cry:
I'm weary of asking! I need a reply."

Then quietly, softly, I learned of my fate,
As my Master replied again, "Wait."
So I slumped in my chair, defeated and taut,
And grumbled to God, "So, I'm waiting for what?"

He seemed then to kneel, and His eyes met with mine . . .
and He tenderly said, "I could give you a sign.
I could shake the heavens and darken the sun.
I could raise the dead and cause mountains to run.

"I could give all you seek and pleased you would be.
You'd have what you want, but you wouldn't know Me.
You'd not know the depth of my love for each saint.
You'd not know the power that I give to the faint.

"You'd not learn to see through clouds of despair;
You'd not learn to trust just by knowing I'm there.
You'd not know the joy of resting in Me
When darkness and silence are all you can see.

"You'd never experience the fullness of love
When the peace of My spirit descends like a dove.
You would know that I give, and I save, for a start,
But you'd not know the depth of the beat of My heart.

"The glow of my comfort late into the night,
The faith that I give when you walk without sight.
The depth that's beyond getting just what you ask
From an infinite God who makes what you have last.

"You'd never know, should your pain quickly flee,
What it means that My grace is sufficient for thee.
Yes, your dearest dreams overnight would come true,
But, oh, the loss, if you missed what I'm doing in you.

"So, be silent, my child, and in time you will see
That the greatest of gifts is to truly know me.
And though oft My answers seem terribly late,
My most precious answer of all is still . . . Wait."

Quote of the Week!

I believe every girl deserves a knight in shining armor. However, some days I feel like mine's gotten lost because he didn't want to stop and ask directions. Other days it seems he's fallen completely off the horse and been eaten by the dragon!

 

 

Thanks LauraBeth! That has made my week!

4th of July!!!!

Well, our marvelous 3 day weekend has ended. Have you ever had one of those days that you wished would just last forever? I had a whole weekend full of them! Want to know the best part? They were all those days that never seem to end. We had our weekly party on Friday night. They are usually themed and full of craziness in celebration of making it thru another week. Oh yeah, they don't start until 10:45pm. You can imagine the stuff that happens with very tired, caffeinated, sugar-high girls! On Saturday we had a birthday party for Kassandra that included a vegan cafe (she's vegetarian) a stop at Taco Bell for us carnivores, a Penguin themed cake that was to die for, and then we topped the night off with bowling. I almost broke 100 which is a BIG deal for me! :) Sunday was an amazing day in church with a special service. After church we went downtown to see the fireworks. 8 girls, a picnic that included fried chicken, watermelon, and all the sides, and fireworks for 3 hours was the perfect recipe for an amazing night! Monday we all just took off to sleep! :)

 

I just want to leave you with the outline from tonight's service. I had a very rough day. I was moved from cleaning the Library (which I really enjoy) to another building. I was really disappointed. I am in charge now, but it's just a status quo thing. No pay raise, just more responsibility. Add that to a rough week last week dealing with some personal contentment issues and financial stuff, I was just plain discouraged. I even got an amazing answer to prayer regarding said finances, but I was just a little blah. So, tonight I prayed before church that God would just make the message personal to me tonight. Boy did He answer! :) God is so awesome like that! So without further ado, her it is!

 

Dealing With Discouragement

2 Kings 19

1. Focus on His sufficiency

2. Find His solution (not your solution)

3. Fulfill His service (by realizing and responding)

Pastor Joe Shakour

 

P.S. For those of you wondering about how I like my new roomie... Kassandra is my roomie! I was able to pick my roommate and having someone you not only know, but have lived with before is such a blessing!

A Trip to New York City

We went to the City while I was home. It was so amazing! Everything that you hear is true, it really is a marvelous place and it really is that big and magical! We had a blast, and I got  to see everything that I wanted to see other than Central Park. I was overwhelmed by that time and I want to really be able to take the time to see it and have a picnic and do all the cool stuff! :) We rode the subway into and around town. This picture is the first thing that I saw of NYC! I had literally just stepped up the last step of the subway stairs and Mom yells turn around, takes my picture and then I realized where I was! :) So amazing! I did get to go to Tiffany's and Co. It was just a little disappointing though. It wasn't anywhere near as big as they make it look in the movies, and they didn't have my dream ring. (probably a good thing there....)

I am now back in "The Bubble" Readjusting to work has been super difficult this week. I am so happy that Monday is a day off for us this week! On the bright side though we have had Dr. Johnny Pope in for Teen Extreme and I got to go to services every night. So nice! Just what I needed and some VERY good preaching!

Well, I hope that ya'll have a wonderful 4th of July! Thank a Veteran and pray for our Troops! They make this Holiday possible.

Me!

Manhattan from the ferry to Ellis Island

 

Me and Dad at the Statue of Liberty

Me and Mom at Ellis Island

Great Hall, Ellis Island

A Trip to New York City

Me in Times Square

Friends and the Preacher's Kid

I had written this shortly after I went to school. I never could figure out a way to post it until now and every time I was on the internet during the school year I didn't have the flash drive that I had saved this on. So here it is now! :)

 

 

Friends

 

This is for you Pk’s out there.

Never underestimate the power of friends. They can share a load just by listening, they can raise your spirits with just a few words, and they can make everything go away even if just for a few hours.

I think as Pk’s we end up secluding ourselves unintentionally. Instead of sharing burdens, we look for other ways to deal with the stress. Some act out, some have breakdowns, some just don’t care, some take it to the extreme of leaving it all behind. I dealt by internalizing it all. It’s hard to have friends, especially in your Dad’s church. We know too much and you always feel like you have to be on guard, or a perfect shining example of the Christian life.

I lived about 4 years without anyone. Big mistake! I ended up feeling so secluded and trapped. I will never let that happen again. The difference this last year since I have had a friend nearby, and then moving back to where so many old friends live has been eye-opening to what I had become. By internalizing everything that had happened, I had become almost unfeeling. Feeling hurt too much. However, by closing myself off, I also missed the joy of sharing the good things with people. You know what they say, “life is better shared”. It’s true! Even the bad things get better and easier to deal with when someone else helps carry the load.

So, reach out. Find someone to share with. Renew old friendships, and then do everything in your power to maintain them. You never know when they might just save your sanity!

 

Can I also add a bit about finding other Pk’s to befriend? NO ONE will understand you better. (Other than God, of course) Friends and parents will try to, but unless they have been there, they won’t. Find one that’s been a Pk longer than you. They have walked in your shoes; they alone know the exact thing you need in a trial. And when you are on the listening end of the relationship, listen, and then don’t pass it on. Agree right up front that what you say stays between the two of you. It has always been the unwritten, unspoken agreement, but I fear people are forgetting that these days. Don’t judge right away, sometimes we just need to vent. Admit it! You’ve needed to before!

I recently got to spend time with another Pk. I came away so refreshed, so encouraged, and not feeling so alone anymore! Someone else had gone thru what I was going thru! I was not crazy!

Finally, pray for your friends! When they share a burden, pick it up and pray for them. Don’t expect them to pray for you when you aren’t returning the favor. Can I say especially, PRAY FOR YOUR PK FRIENDS! You know better than anyone what to pray for. Even if it’s just a stress-free day. Send a note or a small gift unexpectedly, you have no idea how much that can change a day, week, or month. Just to know someone cares, and is praying.

 

 

God, thank you for my friends. Thank you for their listening ears and for their prayers on my behalf. Thank you for the encouragement they bring every time I see or talk to them. Help me to remember to keep them in my prayers every day, and to do my part to be a good friend. I pray for my Pk friends especially that you will give them wisdom as they tackle this life you have laid out for them. Guard their mouths, and give them patience. Send someone to encourage them when I can’t. Thank you for the gift of friendships!

Amen

Success!!!

Yay! It worked! So the picture is some of my gang from school at Fine Arts. From left to right: Heather, Julia, my roommate Gem, Me! Kassandra, and Ashley.

Hello!

I'm trying a new way to blog. Thanks to John for telling me how to do this! If it works I can blog from my email!!! Hopefully I can get the pics to send from here too... :)

Contentment

So, everyone keeps asking me what is the most memorable/important/valuable lesson that I have learned this year in school. Well, I have learned so much it could have had the potential to turn into a very long process of introspection, but God has been hammering this one lesson into my life all year. So my answer to the question is: Contentment! Now it is still a work in process, I think it is something I will always struggle with, but God has taught me a lot in this area this year. I did my devotional for speech class on contentment and it was such a wonderful time of learning for me. It was a wonderful study and God taught me so much thru that assignment. My room at school is now covered with quotes on contentment. My favorite is:
"Contentment is not the fulfillment of what you want, but the realization of what you already have." Unknown Author
It is a daily struggle for me, but I have learned that it's a decision that I have to make daily. All I have to remember is that I am "complete in HIM!" Colossians 2:10

Another Semester Already????

I can't believe that it has already been another semester! Wow! I have had a busy year so far! I had a full course load and I also worked. I was in 3 choirs. One of them was a graduate recital. It was a requirement for one of my friends to graduate with her Master's. I will post videos of it soon! :) School was amazing this semester! I learned a whole bunch and........ 4.0 continues!!! Praise God! He alone got me thru this semester! It was a rough one! I am staying in the bubble for the summer. I am home for a week on vacation and am going to try to blog as much as possible before I leave! Must set up a way to blog while in the bubble.... :) 'Til later!

Me!~

4 Months in Pictures!

I am not dead!! I promise! I was woefully neglectful of ya'll though, and I apologize! I will try to be better this year! If I am not you can always visit my sister's blog because she actually gets internet at school.
We are going to work backwards because I can't figure an easy way to reverse them.... :)


New Years Day my sis suprised me with a trip to Daytona!!!!!!!

Can you tell I'm excited???

Christmas Day with the Senn Family! (and Mickey....)

Yes, we were at Disney World for Christmas week, my birthday and New Years! This is a glimpse of the AWESOME fireworks display on Christmas day.

Christmas Dinner! Can you say Yummy????

Happy Birthday to me!!!!

Awwww!!! 23 years later!!!! (must find that original pic...)

Becci, Mom and Me!

The Fab Four at Christmas Lights! One of the highlights of the Christmas season at PCC. They have an outdoor concert and light all the Christmas lights on campus at the end. I waited 4 1/2 hours in the bitter cold to save our awesome seats! I'm still cold guys.....

John Andrews, Me, Josh Bankston, Becci

Fine Arts and 3 of the Fab Four in their natural state.... Yes... John has that look quite often! ;)

Becci, John Andrews, Josh Bankston

Fine Arts again! Becci and Me! (apparently no one recognizes us in this pic....)

My answered prayer!!!!

Dawn's Senior recital!!! She did an awesome job!

Me, Dawn Watson, Becci

Greek Rush..... A rite of passage I had missed before and have now experienced. Thank God that's over!!! LOL

Me and a VERY short Cougar..... (John Andrews, the little brother)

Thanks for all the prayers ya'll! I had a wonderful first semester and made some awesome friends. More about that later! Love to all!!!

Me!

PS..... I GOT STRAIGHT A'S!!!! 4.0 and the President's List!!!! Whooo Hoooo!!!