I have a J-O-B!!!!

Sooooo...big news!! I now have a job for the upcoming school year :0) And I couldn't be more excited! Let me tell you the neat story of how God provided this amazing opportunity....it's a good one!

So rewind to last week. I had interviewed with a school in this same district a few weeks ago. Well, they called last Thursday to offer me that job and gave me only 24 hours to decide (given that I still had several interviews and a job fair scheduled, that wasn't a lot of time to give me to weigh my options). I just didn't feel a peace about accepting it and it wasn't really the type of Special Ed job that I wanted (it was a Resource/Inclusion type job). The principal advised me that the district can be hard to get into (true) and that the job I wanted (LIFE Skills) was usually given to more experienced teachers (also true). However, I just couldn't escape the feeling that God was really calling me to teaching something like LIFE Skills. Plus, the Resource/Inclusion jobs are plentiful so if I didn't take this one, I knew there would be more because of the dire need for them. So, I turned it down, knowing full well God would provide.

Saturday morning, I went to the job fair for this same district. In one word, it was overwhelming. Thousands of people vying for a job in the district all milling around this huge (but not huge enough) arena. Since I was looking for a very specific job, there were only a few with openings so I just went to those tables. However, some did not have a job opening for a LIFE Skills teacher (I had been sent by HR there - I guess HR was misinformed) and some had already filled their opening. However, at this one table, I waited in line to talk to the people manning the table and told them what I wanted. The lady sent me right on up to interview (they do on-site interviews in the bleachers of this arena). The interview itself went fairly well and I really like the teachers I was interviewing with. But, I kinda knew, realistically speaking, they would probably hire someone else with more experience under their belt. So, after milling around for a while longer, I left the fair, feeling somewhat discouraged and wondering why I even came. I also was frustrated that I had stayed up late working on something like 30 portfolios to hand out and was returning home with about 25 of them. Anyways, I went on my merry way and drove to Austin to meet up with people from church there for our Extremely Short Term Missions Trip (another post).

We were eating dinner at Kerbey Lane (SO YUMMY!) that night. I heard my phone ring but didn't get to it in time. It wasn't a number I knew, so I just decided to let the person leave a message. Well, I listened to the message and almost fell out of my chair! He said his teachers really liked me and that he was recommending me for the position! I had also been told to expect to hear something either way in about a week or so so the fact that he called that night shocked me too. What the recommending bit means is that he tells HR that he wants to hire me and then they check all my paperwork and background check and other stuff and then they have to call and officially extend me the offer (hence the reason I waited until today to tell you this story). I did accept this morning with a full peace that this is where I need to be (despite upcoming job interviews that I will now have to turn down/cancel). I had been told by many many people that if I could get in to the district, especially in Special Ed, I needed to take it.

But I have more to tell you about the ways God has provided this perfect job for me. I had several criteria that I really wanted met, but knew realistically that I might not be able to find the perfect school to meet all my criteria. Well, God answered every single prayer about those things! The first is the actual position of LIFE Skills teacher - I wanted it and felt called to it but knew it might be out of my reach until I had more experience, especially for this district. I'm not sure what prompted them to take a chance on me, but I am glad they are! The second is the demographic makeup of the school. It is a Title 1 (which means low income - a certain percentage of the school is on free/reduced lunch) school. Now in other parts of Houston, that is not uncommon. But in this district, it is the exception rather than the rule. The rest of the district is fairly affluent. I worked at a Title 1 school last year as an aide and really liked it. Also, if I work at a Title 1 campus for 5 years, I get loan forgiveness. Yep, you read that right! That means loans I have from my last year at Baylor and all of my grad school (mostly in loans) would be paid for. So yay for that! Next, the location is perfect. I wanted to be able to live in a good part of town that would place me equally distant from church and work and neither would be a chore to drive to. This school, where it is located is perfect and I will probably be able to live in the middle of the two and only drive 10-15 minutes to each! And against the flow of traffic!!! So cool. Another neat thing about this school is that my mom's best friend (who now lives in Kuwait) was a first grade teacher there for a few years and loved the school, so I know the school has a good reputation. Lastly, many of the elementary schools in this district have 900-1000 students and are overcrowded. Yuck. This school only has 450 students! So great.

So that is my wonderful story of how God provided a job for me - not just the minimum - but did immeasurably more than I could ask for (He said He would, so I don't know why I had any question about it). Anyways, I couldn't pass on sharing this info with you and the marvelous way God has provided for me in this. AMEN!

God bless!

10 Things

So, lately a lot of people have been making lists of things that people may not know about them. So I'm going to jump on that bandwagon and do the same. So here goes...

1. I hate tomatoes, fish and bell peppers. Those are probably the three things in this world that I refuse to eat (I have tried them though...). There are other foods I don't particularly care for but will eat if I don't have a choice. Those three though, I refuse! Like if they bring me a sandwich with tomato on it and I asked for no tomato, I will return it and ask for a new one because simply removing the offending tomato leaves tomato juice on the sandwich and I can still taste it. Normally I'm not that ridiculous of a customer... Funny thing though, I think all three of these foods are beautiful and look tasty and wish I liked them. Weird, I know.
2. I can read for hours on end. Literally, hours. And I've done this since I was really little.
3. I will jump at any chance to travel. Like even if it is just a weekend trip to San Antonio. I just love going out and doing and seeing things. Something about traveling just makes me feel excited and alive.
4. Along with the travel, I absolutely love to fly! Just going to the airport excites me. Some people are airplane phobics, but not me!
5. The two things I am most passionate about in life are children with special needs and ministry to women and girls. There is just something that tugs at my heart about both of those things.
6. There are three things in life that I feel like I can never have enough of and will always find a way to justify the purchase of a new one: bags (purses, travel bags, totes, etc.), blankets/quilts and jackets. I've gotten a lot better but whenever I walk by these things, I get excited and have to talk myself out of it.
7. I love to start crafty projects but have difficulty finishing them. If only you knew how many half completed craft projects I have sitting around.
8. I love to sing at the top of my lungs but pity the person who is around when I do so. I wish I could belt things out and people would enjoy it, but that is not my gift in life, so far now, my life as a diva will be limited to my car and my shower.
9. I am a list maker. Post it notes are my best friend. If I have several things to be done or several things I need to purchase, a list will be made. When I was in college, everday I would make a list in my first class of the day of what needed to be done that day. Lists calm me down and help me to prioritize. If I don't make them, I get very overwhelmed.
10. Wherever I go, I must have a sweater/sweatshirt/jacket with me. I get cold often and am miserable when I am cold. So even if it is the middle of summer in Houston and 100 degrees, I will carry one of those things with me in case I am somewhere cold.

Is Something Wrong? Maybe...

I'm just gonna be brutally honest for a sec here. Pardon my dust...

So, since there is a significant amount of mental illness (bipolar, depression and the like) in my family, I always feel like I'm living under this threat that I may too have something wrong. I mostly just take that with a grain of salt but then sometimes I start thinking about and really wondering if something truly is wrong. Since I'm fairly familiar with some of the manifestations of these illnesses, I know what to look for. But I need a second opinion (I know some of you out there know a bit about this topic...). I'm thinking it may or may not be a mild form of depression, but am not sure if it is permanent or temporary and if it is a true mental illness or a misaligned spiritual attitude. Here's what I am seeing...

1. Excessive sleeping and not feeling like I can ever get enough - I've never been like this up until this point.
2. Apathy in some areas of my life - like working especially - I will find any excuse not to substitute and don't even care that I am losing what little money I earn (but need!) over the deal.
3. Some degree of anxiety.
4. Bouts of extreme frustration over small things - example: tonight I was making dinner and could not find the right seasoning that I had just purchased last week - I nearly had a melt down but talked myself out of it before I started crying.
5. Sensitivity - like emotional sensitivity - this is to some degree part of how I am wired but than there are times when I know I am being hypersensitive and all around ridiculous.

Now here's the thing too. These aren't constants. They kind of ebb and flow and I never know when they are coming.

So what are your thoughts? Is there something truly wrong that I need to seek professional help for? Or am I afflicted with a sinful attitude and need to break the cycle of sin I am in? I really am baffled so any advice/experience you might have would be helpful.

So enough about that junk. In exciting news, I have an interview this week with a really neat charter school! I am going to Austin this weekend on an Extremely Short Term Mission Trip that I helped to plan (one of my favorite pastimes - planning things!) so I am pumped about that. I have a job fair on Saturday with a really good district. My dog is really cute.

That is all for now! God bless!

Konichiwa!

So big news! In an unexecpected turn of events, I will be going to Japan for 5 days in May! How very exciting is that!??! My dad is going there on a business trip and I am accompanying him there. Every time he goes on a business trip, we jokingly talk about how I should come with him because he knows I love to fly and to travel and always jump at the chance to do so. Well this time, instead of remaining a joke, it became serious and now I am going. I will digitizing (is that even a word??) all of the photos from our whole life (like we are talking before I was born up until the time my dad discovered a digital camera) and organizing them all into albums and such, so Japan is my payment for doing this. They were going to pay me for doing the photos but I suggested that Japan be my payment instead (maybe not the wisest financial decision, but I figure travel now while I can and worry about earning money later). So yay! That is my super exciting news for the day!
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In other news, I have a great book for all you dog lovers out there (and even those who aren't so fond of man's best friend). The name of the book is Marley and Me. It is by John Grogan. So I've never cried at reading a book before. I bawled in this book. It was soooo good and really captures the spirit of why we love our furry friends so very much. Just read it. Trust me, you won't regret it.

Learning to Like Wine

So up to this point, I really haven't been much of a drinker. Not because I'm opposed to it (in moderation of course) but mainly because aside from really expensive fruity drinks, I don't really like the taste of alcohol.

However, I have recently stumbled upon not 1, but 2 different wines that I actually like. The first, Chelsea shared with me. It's called a Spatlese (sp?)...it's a sweet German wine that is very tasty.

The second, which I didn't think I would like but my brother convinced me to give it a try, is White Zinfandel (another sweet wine of course...). I had it at my cousin's wedding this past weekend and it was very good!

So now I can order more than just diet coke and water when out with friends! I feel kinda like I'm getting older and less like I'm 8 years old. Not completely, but this is a step up! Haha... anyways just wanted to share, especially for those of you who share in my former disdain for wine. Give it a try friends!

Beantown!

I think it is hilarious that they call Boston "Beantown". I'm not sure why. Maybe it is because I think the word "bean" is a funny word. Just say it. It just kinda makes you chuckle. And then to call this huge, cultural, socially aware city by it. Anyways...on to my fabulous week there! Sorry this post has been so delayed. I love to blog. I really do. But for whatever reason, even though I have a million ideas to write about currently, I can't seem to make myself do it. Go figure. Anyways.

I left very early Tuesday morning with my new pink traveling backpack (I am going on several trips in the somewhat near future so decided it was necessary - and it was pink) and my majorly overpacked suitcase (never doing that again...I thought I was getting over my overpacking disease!) I'm not kidding you...for a four day visit, I think I packed enough for 2 weeks! Chelsea found me at baggage claim and off we were on our grand adventure! It started off with a bang trying to get all my excuse my french, crap, loaded off and on the three buses/subways that it takes to get to their apartment, walk with it all the way to the apartment (which was a lengthy walking distance from the T stop - especially w/a heavy suitcase) and then up 4 flights of very narrow stairs. Chels was a great pal and never complained and helped me lug that baby up. Oy. After a light lunch, she took me over to see some of the shops at Coolidge Corner and to Trader Joe's - a really cool supermarket that is like Whole Foods but way more affordable. Then we came home and rested a little and waited for Jeremy to come home. We made hot dogs for dinner. After that, we went to their pastor's house for a baby dedication and party. They have some really sweet people at their church. I really enjoyed putting some faces with names I had been hearing since they moved here.

On Wednesday, we woke up and even though it was cold and rainy, we wanted to make the best of our time and headed out. We went down to Government Center and saw some of the sights on the Freedom Trail. Chelsea, having been on it several times, knew all the cool facts, even the little ones that not a lot of people know, was a great tour guide despite the yucky weather. After walking around some and seeing the inside of Quincy Market (this really cool famous hall that has been turned into a food court, but a really nice one with some neat restaurants), we decided to trek over to Little Italy (the Italian neighborhood in Boston) for some lunch and some real Italian food - not Olive Garden. We went to this restaurant that Chelsea had been to before. SO YUMMY! I had this yummy saffron risotto with shrimp in it. Boston has this thing called restaurant week and we so happened to be there during it. Basically what that means is that the fancy restaurants around town pick their best meals and put it on a set menu for like $20-$30. You get like four courses too. So Chelsea, for $20 got four courses. She got a salad (I think it was bruschetta maybe?), an appetizer (don't remember), a pasta (some really good pasta in a tomato based sauce) and some very yummy stuffed chicken breast (I know it was all yummy b/c she let me try it - don't worry, I let her try mine too!). After that, we walked around a bit more and then decided that the weather was too much for us (well me, mainly) and headed back to the apartment where we rested and watched Rachael Ray. I don't remember what we did for dinner that night but after dinner, Chelsea had a special treat for me. There is the fabulous dessert place called Finale near her apartment. For my Christmas present (better late than never...and I'm always in the mood for Christmas!) she took me there. I got this rich and gooey molten chocolate cake (think Chili's but better!) and she had Creme Brulee. Soooo yummy.

The next day, the weather was a little more pleasant. So we headed out to see Fenway! So cool. I'm not the biggest baseball fan, but I do like the sport and have a pretty good appreciation for it's history. We actually had the opportunity to walk right on the field through a construction entrance but figured that if we got in trouble for it, Jeremy wouldn't be too pleased about bailing his wife and her friend out of jail. After that, we walked to Government Center and went to this shopping center. We browsed through Barnes and Noble (I could spend hours in that store!) and then ate at the food court where I got some deeeee-licious clam chowder complete with a bread bowl and everything. After that, we walked around some more seeing the Boston Marathon finish line and took a picture pretending to run across it (like anyone would ever believe that I could run that sucker...haha), saw the library (which is more like a museum) and then she took me to this fantastic gem of a store called H&M. Too bad the funds are low b/c I could have gone wild in a store like that! We then headed over to meet some of her friends to go to Bible study. They are doing a Beth Moore study (isn't she fantastic??). It was really neat to get to meet these women and know more about the people Chels is always telling me about. Really neat ladies with some amazing, authentic faith. After that, we went home and ordered Thai food for dinner. You can't go wrong with Thai food! If I had to eat one type of food for the rest of my life, I think it would be Thai food.

On Friday, we went back down to Government Center and saw some of the sights we had missed on our previous bad weather day (such as the Boston Massacre sight, where the Declaration of Independence was first read and the like...) We ate lunch at Quincy Market (sooo good...even Rachael Ray at there for one of her shows!) We also went to the fruit and vegetable market which is so neat. I would love to live in a place that had that. Chelsea got some stuff for her and Jeremy and I got two things called pluots (a cross between a plum and an apricot). They were so sweet and delicious! I have tried to find them here in Houston, but have yet to discover where they are hiding. We also went over and walked through the Holocaust Memorial. It was very neat, moving and sobering. I'm a big history nut and especially am intrigued with WWII and Holocaust history. Sometime during this day we also went and saw Harvard, which was pretty cool. We also found a really neat bookstore there and browsed through there for a good long time. After our fun day out, we headed back to her apartment so I could pack up and sadly leave me sweet friends and fly back to Texas.

So all in all, it was a fabulous trip not just because I was getting to travel but because I got to see two of my very favorite people! Below is just some of the pictures of my trip...enjoy! And so sorry for the month delay in the post! I'm horrible! And that's also the reason some of the details/days are mixed up because I have now forgotten what order they happened in.

Stewart Star of the Rub-Al-Khali (aka Ruby)

A piece of my childhood died today.

Yeah, it was my precious cat. I've had her since I was 6. I mean she would have been 18 in a few weeks and that is extremely old for a kitty. And I knew when my mom took her to the vet this morning that that was probably what was going to happen. She was sick. She has been for a year. And the last few weeks, she has just really slowed down and obviously deteriorated. But yeah, sweet Ruby will be missed. I think even Ella senses that something sad is happening. Ella loved Ruby. Ruby despised Ella, but that did not stop Ella from constantly trying to gain the affections of this aging and crazy cat!

Anyways, I know it is kind of silly, but could you pray for my family in this? She has been a big part of our lives and so it is like saying good bye to a huge portion of our lives. My mom is especially sensitive to this kind of stuff so pray for her too because a lot of her life revolved around taking care of the cat and meeting the cat's needs. So yeah. I know people are dealing with bigger things than their cat dying, but many of you have been there - losing a pet hurts! My family has suffered this several times over the past 18 months with my first dog, Maya, dying 3 weeks after I got her (she was sick to begin with and I didn't know), Zeke, our 13 year old dog died last year of cancer and now Ruby. Kinda funny how the oldest pet lasted the longest!

Anyways, Ruby is in kitty heaven now (no, I'm not looking for a theological/philosophical debate on the existence of pet heaven). She will be missed!

In her honor, here's a list of things that we will miss about her:

• The way she yelled/meowed at you when she was hungry


• The way she whipped all the dogs in her life into shape into doing exactly what she wanted


• The way she would jump on your lap the minute you sat down as if you were her personal pillow


• The way she would jump around all the counters in our old house


• The way she loved my dad's BBQ chicken - I kid not


• The way she thought my Barbie Dreamhouse was her personal house


• The way she cried/meowed in her crate on every single trip to the vet


• The way she would eat Ella's dog food


• And many many more that I just can't think of right now - I mean really, how do you sum up 18 years?!?!

Coming up next is the promised Boston post! I've already started it but have yet to finish it or upload my pictures. Get excited!

*And yes, the title in my post is her full name. My brother and I were 3 and 6. My parents were trying to appease us. I wanted to name the cat Star really badly so they put it in there. She was the Stewart's cat so obviously. And the Rub-Al-Khali is a desert in Saudi Arabia that has reddish sand - Ruby's fur was kind of a similar color to it. So yeah there's the explanation in case you were wondering.

Thriller...

Since I didn't watch the commercials doing Superbowl this year, I stumbled upon this beauty just last night. Because I have a fairly strong affinity for Michael Jackson music (notice I say "music", not an affinity for the actual person...oi vey!), you will understand why I like this commercial so much!! Just click HERE to see it on YouTube :0)

Coming up next is a post about my FABULOUS trip to Beantown!

*If anyone knows how to post videos from YouTube on here, please share with me how! I know Ashley and Chelsea do so tell me how! Thanks guys!

Post #100!!! (and Rascal Flatts!!!!)

It is my 100th post!! How exciting is that!?!?! Break out the champagne and the "100" sunglasses (the kind they wear to celebrate the 100th day of school!). That's all...hahaha

Now that that excitement is finished, let's move on to the real excitement - RASCAL FLATTS CONCERT!!! Can we say AMAZING!?!?! I'll give you the run down of what we did and then post some pictures of all the fun.

When we got there, we decided to eat first. A bunch of good restaurants set up booths there and we decided on Pappasito's. I know it isn't BBQ, but my taco was good so whatever. Then we walked up 5 levels of Reliant Arena (hey, I'm not complaining - those tickets were free!) and found our seats. For the next 2 hours, we watched all the rodeo events. Very cool. It got a little old after 2 hours of it, but it was still interesting (and there were some rather attractive cowboys...). Then, they had a calf scramble where high school students chase calves that have been let loose and get like money or a scholarship or something for catching the calves. Talk about a rough game! Those calves stomped all over those poor kids. Not a sport I'm wanting to get into any time soon. Finally, the stage came out and started rotating and the sweet music of Rascal Flatt's filled my ears :0) Since I know many of their songs and so does Jenny, we sang along. So great. I even got some illegal videos (they said no videotaping but my camera has a video function so I got a few clips of some my favorite songs - shhhh, don't tell!). However, I'm somewhat technologically impaired and cannot figure out how to post videos on here so I can't share those with you. Pictures will have to suffice...

Jenny & me excited for Rascal Flatts!

Calf Scramble!!!

Excitement!

I am so excited about several things this week and the weeks to come that I feel like I'm going to burst! Since I am home alone this week (the rest of the fam is in New Orleans enjoying free food and fun on my dad's company's tab - they are at a conference) I decided my blog would be the best choice for an outlet for some of my excitement. So here are the exciting things!

Job Interview!
Tomorrow morning, I will have my first interview for a teaching position with Katy ISD. It is just really a screening interview, but it's a start! Plus, Katy is a great school district and is supposed to have a fantastic special ed program (people relocate there just so their kids can participate in their programs), so if I could get a job there, that would be fabulous! I've had positive interactions with the district so far, so hopefully this will be another positive interaction.

Rodeo!
So, I've never really been to the Houston Rodeo before (sad, I know, since I have lived here for 8.5 years and all). I have been to the BBQ cookoff briefly but we didn't really do anything but that - like concert-wise and stuff. Well, that is all changing tomorrow evening! Jenny called me this morning and said she had two free tickets to get this, THE RASCAL FLATTS CONCERT!! Not only am I excited about the rodeo, but I also get to see one of my favorites in concert! And for free!! I about peed my pants I was so excited when she asked me (FYI - I didn't really pee on myself - that would have been funny though). Anyways, I'll post pictures from the event! Be jealous!

Paul's Engagement!
Well, this actually happened last week, but still! My good friend Paul (yes, Tall Paul) proposed to his sweet girlfriend on Friday night! I couldn't be more excited for him. I have known him since our senior year in high school and it has been amazing to watch what God has done in his life in the past few years and I am so excited to see where God is taking him as he steps into this next phase of his life. Truly amazing! I haven't met his fiancee yet, but I am sure she is just precious and I am soooo excited for them two!

Boston!
We are now down to 8 days until I get to see Jeremy and Chelsea in Boston! Two months ago when I bought my plane tickets I thought this day would never come but now it is here and I just cannot wait! And she is already being a wonderful tour guide to me by telling me fun things we can do. So far we've talked about the Freedom Trail (a three mile walk around Boston to see all the historical things there), Fenway Park (how could you go to Boston and not see this, really?), outdoor ice skating, and many other fun things. It is going to be so great not just to see those cool things but to spend time with some of my favorite people in the world! Again, pictures will be posted of this exciting thing!


Okay, so that's what I've got for now! Hope exciting things are happening to you! God bless!

Beautiful

Oh Lord, You are beautiful

Your face is all I see

And when Your eyes are on this child

Your grace abounds to me

Brought To You By The Letter 'R'

The past week...

Rolands
I attended the visitation and funeral/memorial service for Mr. Roland (Audrey's dad). Both were nice (can you say that about those...they aren't really nice things to go to....I guess maybe well done or something like that is more appropriate) but heart-breaking. Just please keep praying for Audrey and her mom and brother.

Radiating
At the funeral, the pastor talked about Mr. Roland's radiating faith. It radiated through all that he did, in the good times and the bad. I want faith like that. In the good times and the bad. One thing I thought about as the pastor was talking was the irony of the radiating faith of a cancer patient like Mr. Roland. Many cancer patients go through some type of radiation treatment (I don't know if Mr. Roland did - all I know is several treatments were tried on him). It makes them ill and has other unpleasant side effects. But for Mr. Roland, the more of this "radiation treatment" (using that as a general term for any cancer treatment in this case) went in, it caused his faith to increase and radiate even more to those around him. Just an interesting juxtaposition to me...

Regurgitation
Yeah, that's gross. It came on very quickly, I threw up for 2 hours and couldn't move but then it stopped and life returned to normal (sort of...I was still a little queasy). Very weird. Glad it's done. I haven't thrown up since my 2 horrible stomach viruses when I worked at the elementary school last year.

Retreat
HFBC's Singles Ministry (Summit) had a retreat this weekend at Trinity Pines near Livingston, TX. AMAZING. I did everything there but sleep (I can't sleep through many noises, so I don't expect to on weekends like this). We left Houston at about 8:45 on Saturday morning. When we got there we listened to a speaker, had some worship and then ate lunch (if you can call it that...) and then played all afternoon. There were several options for activities and I chose to play softball all afternoon. How glorious! Not only was it a beautiful day, but I just love playing softball so it was perfect! I am fairly sore now because I haven't used my softball muscles in a while but it was so worth it! After that, we ate "dinner" and had another session of good preaching and good worship. We then worked on our skits for Oscar Night. My class is a hoot! We wait til the last minute on a lot of things and this skit was no different. Other classes had been preparing for a while but we waited. Too much fun! And we pulled it off pretty well too! The audience laughed a lot. Although we didn't win any awards, I think we did pretty well. I wish I had a video of our performance to show you. Anyways, after that we had a great late night dance party with some not so great music (it was like popular songs made into Christian ones...Mambo #5, Eminem, etc...some of that stuff just shouldn't and doesn't translate well into Christian ones). We then went to bed very late. The next morning, I woke up early (I told you, I don't sleep at these things!) and had a very deep and eye-opening quiet time (more on that later in the post) out on a rocking chair in the beautiful morning sunshine. We then had a little breakfast, another great session and worship and then split up into our classes and had wonderful discussion and prayer time. I really love the people in my class. I have never been involved in such an authentic community of believers and am so blessed and excited to get to know them more and to be more involved in the class. After that, the last session occurred and ended with an altar time (again, more on that later in the post). We then ate burgers made by the Summit leadership for lunch (good burgers although I am not a huge fan of burgers...weird, I know) and ate out in the beautiful sunshine. Then we packed up. Of course, our class can never get moving very fast anywhere so we were the last to leave and ended up helping leadership pack up everything. We did not get back to Houston until 6:30! We were supposed to have been back by like 3:30 or 4. Haha...oh well. I just came home, showered, ate dinner, finished some nagging homework and crashed for 11 hours. What a weekend...so AMAZING! I was hesitant about going but am so very glad that I did.

Renewal/Refreshment/Reminders/Reignition
My heart and spirit were very renewed this past weekend. I've really been struggling with feelings of dryness and apathy. I needed to hear what I did this weekend. It was about roots in our lives (check out Jeremiah 17:7-8). It was as if the Lord created this whole weekend and used the speakers just to speak to my heart (I know that's not the case...but it sure did feel like that!). It was like a flame was reigniting in my heart that had just been kinda smoldering for a while.

Refinement
Okay, now the tough topic. The Lord surfaced several things in my life that I need to be working on. Specifically, the idols I have placed on my heart that I have tried to replace Him with. I just hate that I am allowing these ugly and awful things to control me and replace a God that is so beautiful, loving, perfect and merciful. Why am I trading something so wonderful and beautiful for some things so hideous and ugly??? I have spent much of the last two days in tears over the status of my heart. It started with the quiet time I had. One of the speakers had posed the question about idols to us so I was thinking about it during my quiet time and God just revealed to me these things that I have been grasping for rather than grasping for Him. Such a painful thing but I am so thankful that they are being revealed to me and I am being refined by His fire. During the aforementioned altar time, I just got on my knees and was just so crushed by what I have been allowing in my heart and the sin in my life. Approaching the altar during these altar times is something I rarely do but I knew that's where I needed to be at this time. I know the road ahead is long. It is like as soon as I brought those things before the Lord, Satan immediately stepped in and is attacking me from all sides on these idols. Satan doesn't want me to give them up. He wants me to remain distant from the God that I love and so desire intimacy with. I can physically feel this battle going on inside me. It's so weird. I can't even describe it. I want to be so free of these things that have been holding me back from the life abundant that has been freely given to me. Just pray as this process of intense refinement of my heart occurs. It is going to be rough. It already is. Thanks...

Anyways, I know it was a long post, but when I tried to omit any of the above topics, I just couldn't. Hope you are doing well. God bless!

Interesting Article

I came across this article about a girl with autism. There are lots out there but I found this one particularly interesting. She's an unusual case but very interesting anyways.

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=4311223&page=1

If you are interested in autism, this is definitely worth your time to read!

Excitement and Boredom/Depression

Exciting things lately:
I PASSED my teacher certification exam!! Major step out of the way...
My hair cut turned out well today
I got 3 inexpensive cute shirts at Target the other day :0)
I get to go to Boston in 1 month!
HFBC singles ministry retreat this weekend :0)
Intramural softball for my church starts soon

Boredom/Depression lately:
Unemployment sucks :0(
No structure to my life b/c I have no job and only some stuff for my classes to do
Lots of rain and mud
Attending Audrey's dad's visitation and funeral tomorrow and Friday - my heart hurts so much for her
Unemployment sucks... its boring and depressing so it needed to be said twice...

Audrey

So, remember how I've been asking you to pray for Audrey and her family?

Her dad's battle with cancer ended last night and he passed away.

I mean I really don't have much to say about it. I love her and her family so much and my heart just breaks for them and hates that they have to suffer through this.

So pray for them in this tough week ahead as they go through funeral services and things like that and for them in the days, weeks and months ahead as they deal with this devastating loss.

Thats all. Just pray.

Singles Awareness Day (SAD)

Haha... no, I'm not sad because I'm single but I do think whoever came up with the acronym in my title was fairly clever. It gives me a good chuckle every year. In my mind, Valentine's Day is just another good excuse to wear lots of pink and eat some chocolate (although oddly enough, I am wearing a purple shirt today and ate very little chocolate... go figure). However, I certainly wouldn't mind if a cute boy wanted to spend this day with me! Haha..

One thing I've been thinking about a lot lately is generational sin and its role in my life. Its a tough thing to look at and something that is very scary to me. I can see myself falling into patterns that my mother, her mother and my mother's mother's mother have laid out. I want to break the chain. I don't want to be like that. I love them all very very much but to be honest, some of the sins they are or have been entangled in are nothing I want to be part of. However, they are very difficult to escape. I want to flee from them. I want to break that chain. I want to set a new precedent for my daughter(s) if I have any. One sin that has bound all of us (myself included) is food and our attitudes towards it. We all struggle with our weight just genetically speaking but add food issues along with that and its a pretty scary ball game. My grandmother smokes so she won't eat so much and gain weight. My mom has issues with food too. I'm starting to realize I might have some as well. No, I'm not obese but I'm certainly not at a healthy weight for my height and age. Another issue we all struggle with is the desire for control over others in our lives. It can get pretty bad. I have several stories about my family and this issue. No bueno. I want to be free of these sins. I don't want to be the next generation that falls captive to those holds. So yeah... pretty scary stuff.

If I could just ask for prayer for myself (I feel awkward asking this, but feel like I need to). I am really struggling with a lot of self-image and self-concept issues and consequently, some depression issues as well. Really having a hard time there. I know in my head that I am His beloved and His child, but my heart is beating to a different tune and I can't seem to get it back on track. I hate how I view myself which further perpetuates the problem of trying to be okay with myself. Anyways, its a vicious cycle that I desparately want out of but am finding little relief from.

In other prayer requests, please please please pray for my friend Audrey and her family. I spoke with her for a few minutes this evening and have been following her emails and journal. The doctor has basically given her dad just a few days to live. She is doing as well as possible given the circumstances. Please just keep praying. I hate to see such a sweet precious friend going through such a nightmare as this.

In good news, my teacher certification exam went well and my unofficial score report that I got indicates that I passed and scored fairly well. This means I can now be hired as a teacher because I am considered "highly qualified". Haha...but yeah. So glad it's out of the way. Thank you to those of you who prayed for me and wished me well. It worked!

Hope your Valentine's Day was good, couple or not. God bless!

"Oh What A Night!"

Last night, I got to go see Jersey Boys at the Hobby Center here in Houston. What a treat that was! If you don't know anything about this Broadway musical, its based on the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. They wrote songs hits like "Oh What A Night", "Big Girls Don't Cry", "Walk Like a Man" and many, many more, all of which were featured in this musical. It was fantastic! At first I didn't want to spend the money on a ticket, but I'm glad I did. It was funny though because the people I was with and I were probably some of the youngest people there. Most of the audience was people our parent's age and on up. Guess that music isn't really my generation, but it still is wonderful! Anyways, if you get the chance to see it, I highly recommend it (be forewarned though, there is some language and some rather risque content). And if you ever need a buddy to see a musical with, I am your gal!

Hope you are doing well! God bless!

You Break, HE Buys!

Last Sunday in church, Pastor Gregg, who is doing a great series on milestones in our lives, talked about salvation. Because I like to think in images and allusions, his preaching resonates well with me. He was talking about going into a store with little kids and there are always those signs that say "You Break, You Buy". But the marvelous thing about salvation is that we can change that sign to "You Break, HE Buys!". Such simple words yet such a beautiful concept. He knows we are broken. He knows we are going to break. Yet, still, we were bought at a ransom by Him and through Him. Sometimes I struggle with feeling the joy of my salvation (Psalms 51:12) but that phrase has been running through my head all week because the picture it paints in my head and on my heart. Just wanted to share...

In less happy news, I want to ask you to pray for my sweet, long-time friend, Audrey. Her father has cancer and after a doctors appointment on Wednesday has been given weeks, maybe a month or two more. Oh how my heart breaks. I know you may not know her, but please just pray. Her family and my family have been friends for a while, so its a difficult thing to watch. Its also sobering to watch this happen to someone my age because it could be me and I can't even imagine losing my father (or anyone in my family). In her words, "This sucks. It just sucks." So yeah. Please pray.

Hope you are doing well. I will post some love quotes from my planner on here soon. There's some good ones that are worth posting.

God bless!

Metacognition

"...take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."
~2 Corinthians 10:5b~

I've been thinking a lot about my thoughts lately, or in other words, spending a lot of time doing some metacognition. I feel like my thoughts have been running away with me. I need to be focusing on things that are holy and pleasing to Him and avoid thinking about things that are not. But the more I try to refocus myself, the harder and harder it seems to get. Oy! Does anyone have any ideas for how to get out of this quagmire? I can't just stop thinking - thats silly! But how do I keep my self focused on things that I should be thinking about and flee from things I should not? Anyways...

In some sad news, I have been following through blogs a couple of families that have have given birth to or are about to give birth to babies afflicted with T18 syndrome. Its basically a syndrome that is mostly incompatible with life and there are like 2 people alive today that have survived it. Its pretty serious and most babies die before they are born or shortly after birth. However, one family, the Hostetters (its linked - click on their name), had little Tristan and he survived an amazing 56 days and seemed to be doing very well and hanging in there. So much so, that they were preparing for his medical care in the future (therapy, surgery, etc.). However, yesterday, he suddenly went down hill very fast and died. How sad for this sweet family. If you think about it, even though you don't know them (heck, I don't know them!), keep them in your prayers. They are a sweet Christian family that has been through a lot.

I was reading a friend's blog today and came across this very intersting article (its linked - just click on "very interesting article") about an Iranian man who made a movie about how Muslims view Jesus and his life. I previously thought that they thought he was just a good man in history. But apparently I was wrong. You'd think I would know this stuff having lived in a primarily Muslim nation for as long as I did! Anyways, just read it. I think you will find it interesting.

Hope you are doing well! God bless!

Don't Swallow Your Gum

So for years, we have discussed the health problems with swallowing your gum and what could happen if you did (not digesting it for several years and the like). Well my brother sent me a good picture the other day of one very good reason not to swallow your gum. Haha..