Stronger by Mandisa (From the Upcoming Album "What If We Were Real")

I'm back.... :)

I apologize for the absence y'all. But paying your way through college, packing all of your possessions, moving 1200 miles, starting a new job and then meeting your new roommate and getting settled into your new place takes a little time. :)

God has been soooo good! He has provided in ways that I never could have imagined. I have learned so much from this experience. I have learned a whole lot about trust. I never thought that I had an issue with trusting God, but boy have I been tested with that! :) I have lived since December without knowing where I would get the money to do my laundry, not to mention paying a school bill, car payment, gas, health insurance or in more recent months... groceries! lol God has always provided though. Usually at the very last minute, but always on time.

I had no idea where I was going work when I graduated. In November though, I received a job offer in the mail. I said no way and actually tossed the offer in the trash. :) I received a phone call about 2 weeks later to come interview for the job. I ignored the phone call and went on with my school. (Hey I had finals!) God really started working on me to at least listen to what they had to say so I went in and heard them out, I told them that I wasn't interested but that I would pray about it over the Christmas break. Over the break God really gave me a change of heart, I told God that if they offered me a certain amount of money that I would take the job. I got back to school to have a contract waiting for my signature for $100 more a month than I had prayed for.

I have now been at my new job for 2 months. I am actually really enjoying it! It uses more of my previous work experience than my college degree, but I really don't mind. :) I am working at a school, running the Business Office. (It's actually a lot less important than it sounds... I'm the only one who works in the Business Office! hehe)

My apartment mate is another totally amazing story that only God could have coordinated, but that is a story for another day.... :) Let's just say that I think there are going to be a whole lot more recipes and crazy fun times ahead... :) So until next time, I am going to leave you with two songs that God has used to encourage me these last few months. :) Enjoy!

Bacon Cheeseburger Soup

This is for Tammy.... :) Here's the recipe! I got it from a Paula Deen magazine.

Bacon Cheeseburger Soup
Makes 6 to 8 servings

10 slices bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 lbs ground chuck
1 onion, chopped
2 teaspoons minced garlic
32 oz chicken broth
1 can petite diced tomatoes
1 can of Cheddar cheese soup
1/4 cup dill pickle relish
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
Garnish: french-fried onions

Cook bacon until crisp, drain. Cook ground chuck, onion, and garlic until brown and crumbly. Drain well. Add chicken broth, tomatoes, soup, relish, and Worcestershire sauce. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes, or until heated through. Garnish with french-fried onions.

I used a little cornstarch to thicken it up a little. :)

It is very good with these hamburger bun toasts...

3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tablespoon mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
4 hamburger buns, split
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic salt with parsley

Combine melted butter, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce. Spread on cut side of buns. Top with cheese. Sprinkle with garlic salt. Put under broiler until cheese is melted and buns are toasted.

Graduation!

Ta Da! I am officially graduated! I have just gotten home after a 20 hour car drive, but I wanted to get on and let everyone know that I have internet again I will be blogging again!
Also, big news on future plans! I have a job! I start in June and will be moving many miles away from my parents. I am currently packing all my belongings to head to my new place! Details to follow!

Graduation!!!!!

I am a horrible blogger friend. :(  I have not updated you, my blogging friends on any of the happenings in my life in ages. In my defense.... I have been working crazy hours and do not have access to the blog, but I still could have found a way!

Anyways.... I got my graduation announcements the other day and had a terrible time trying to stretch 20 of them out to cover all of my friends, and then I realized I could send one to everyone on my blog! :) So here is my announcement with accompanying graduation picture! Details on plans after school to follow shortly!

Love and miss you all!!!

 

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!