It is week 5 :)

I am sitting in class and what he is saying is going right over my head.  :P  And then in the workshop that we are having the second half of class, I know what they are talking about.  Today feels kinda like a waste in class.  Oh wells.
Alright! This is week five of the Fall quarter 2008 which means that I am halfway through the quarter.  Yessss! So, I have about 33 weeks left until school is over for me.  The countdown is on!  Graduation is on June 12th, but I have to finish up 8 credits in the Summer.  I am really ready to be done.  It has been hard for me to get into the routine and flow of school as well as working part time. So this quarter has been stressful in that way. 

Well I gotta get to researching! :D

What I did this summer...

Well I am finally getting around to writing about my trip this summer. It is hard to describe and put into words all the thoughts, feelings, emotions, sights, and sounds, but I will attempt to just for you all. A lot of the pictures are posted, but when you take over 1500 pictures in a month it is hard to post them all. :)

China July 25-August 9:
A team from the small town of Bonney Lake ventured into new territory this summer as we met up with some friends from China to teach at an English training for teachers. We met at Middle School #2 in Huangyuan, Qinghai, China for two weeks encouraging these English teachers to speak and practice their English with us. In the morning they had structured classes that inclueded The Building Blocks of Engish, Including Media and Literature in Teaching, and Teaching Methodology. In the afternoons they attended a small conversation group and a Culture Class. I was a Conversation group leader. So pretty much I had two groups each day for an hour and 2 minutes and my "job" was to get them to speak... in English. We had a book of activities and games that helped out a lot! We had fun! Obviously we couldn't say much about our beliefs, but you hoped and prayed that an opportunity would present itself in your conversations. My first class there were 4 students and in my second I had 6, but one of the Education Department heads joined my class so I ended up with 7 people. Their Enlish levels ranged from very low to pretty well. In the evenings, after dinner, we had activites that they could come and experience if they wanted. We taught them frisbee and baseball, had a sing-along, remarried Amy and Jesse in a mock wedding, watched "Amazing Grace," and had a basketball competition. As usual the food was amazing! :) I love Chinese food the bestest!!! Tried some new dishes, but all in all I still love it! I gotta learn how to make some things.



Bejing August 9-10:
Mom and I spent the night in Bejing before going on to Romania cause Mom didn't want to spend the night in the airport. Now drop a small town girl into a HUGE city and a five star hotel and she goes crazy! :) Mom was a little embarassed. Hehe.. First the guy who picked us up from the airport came in a shiny, black car. We pull up to the hotel and it is like brand spanking new. They come out and get our luggage for us, open the door, and the attendents stand up when you walk in. They were very helpful and showed us to our room. Wow! Our room was soo cool! Open and airy and sweet! Comfy beds, flat screen tv, nice carpet... it was just sweet! You'll have to check out the pics just to see how sweet. So we chilled for a bit after getting to the hotel then took a walk. We found a mall and looked for something to eat. I wanted Western food, so we went to KFC. We headed to the supermarket to get some water, walked around the mall for a bit, then headed back to the hotel for a rest. This was the only time I ever saw the Olympic Games in English. There was one channel that was showing them in English. Mom read a bit and took a nap. Then we headed out for a longer walk trying to find a park that we passed on the way in and we found it. We walked around that, looked at stuff, and found the Starbucks!!! :) We drank our first Starbucks made drink in two weeks. Aaah. Then we headed back to the supermarket to get some dinner and ice cream. We ate, watched some more Olympics, then went to bed. Got up early for breakfast of eggs, bacon, toast and fruit. Yum! Then it was time to head back to the airport and get back to real life.




Romania August 10-25:
Mom and I got there a day and a half before the other team arrived so we spent it with Andreea who is one of the interpreters that goes with us. We walked around Bucharest, but mainly we spent time with her. We met part of the team at the train station on the 12th and made the 5 hour ride to Sighisoara to mee the rest of the team at Project House. The next morning we started the whole medical side of things by sorting and counting pills! Doc unpacked his medical supplies and got organized. To read about the trip visit http://2008romania.spaces.live.com/ The main reason I went this year was for the relationships that have already with the missionaries and interpreters. I love working with the people and helping fill thier needs don't get me wrong. Andreea has had a hard time this year... no her whole life pretty much has been hard. I mainly went to see her and encourage her.

The building blocks of a busy life

Hmm, so like, life is crazy right now. That is the best way to describe it. I have felt so stressed and tired lately. Crazy I tell ya. Mom flew out last Monday for Florida cause her Gramma isn't doing to well. School is getting piled on as our Community Fair gets closer and I feel like I have to read a bajillion things and write a bajillion papers, so the random blogs I have rolling around in my brain aren't getting written cause papers are more important right now. :P There is a job application and resume sitting on the table that I have been meaning to take with me since Friday and it has gotten left on the table every morning I have been to school. I have been having a hard time focusing during our church's time of fasting, cause I am so tired and can't focus on any one thing for very long. (Google Daniel Fast to find more info) And because of the fast, I can't give into the pms cravings that are totally hitting my right now (and salad does not take the place of sugar or chocolate!). Every weekend has had something scheduled on it, so I really haven't really had much breathing room.

Having said that... Crazy thought I had the other day: It has been a year since I broke up with JP. I had a dream, and he was in it, the other night... creeped me out actually.... and I got to thinking about the relationship and the timing of things, and yeah, one year this last weekned (if I remember right). Before anyone asks me.... I am doing great! It was a God thing cause we just weren't right for eachother, so really, I am good. :) That is just part of the random, crazy things that are going through my head as I think about this paper I have to write for tomorrow. :P
Let's just say, I am soo looking forward to the end of the quarter! :) But before that, the King side fam are meeting at the beach in a couple of weekends! yesh! haha.. it was at a King side thing that my default pic was taken. :) Dad's rendition of my picture. My family is so funny. :P haha... I love them.



Okay, so beofere I keep rambling on, I will end this post. Please don't take it as a depressing post.... it really wasn't written as that. It should have the feel of: haha, life is crazy! Here is why mine is crazy! LOL!!
"We all got a little junk in the trunk
And when you're feelin' good as sunk
Remember, everything will be just fine
If I laugh at yours then you'll laugh at mine" (Shedaisy)

The hunt is kind of on

I need to get a job, but dunno where to start. *sigh* My resume needs a bit of tweaking, but I am not good at selling myself or talking about myself. Looking at child care in the Tacoma area, near my school which is at 6th and Martin Luther King Jr Way (ish). So yeah...

DUDE!

I actually posted this March 26th, but forgot to put it here. (Sorry Gramma)

HOLY CRAP!!!

IT'S SNOWING!!!!!! In Washington!! In March!! That is pretty much insane! My brain is having a hard time grasping this.

A Beautiful Day

The warm sunshine. The smell of green grass and wild flowers. The feeling of Spring. My heart is full of joy as I run into the field laughing. Today is special. I cam feel it. The scene around me begins to spin as I twirl around and around, still laughing. When the dizziness over takes me, I fall onto a bed of wild flowers out of breath but happy. The sun is shining just for me today. As I catch my breath, I come to my knees and begin to pick a few colorful flowers from beside me. They seem to reflect the joyous feeling that is in my heart. There is a stirring at the edge of the field. As I look up, my heart leaps. There stands my Lover, the one who has cause my heart so much joy. How long he has been there, I do not know. His smile is as big and bright as the sunshine. I jump up to run and greet him. With eyes shining he laughs as he runs along the outskirts of the field. We begin in a game of chase. Sometimes I am chasing but then we switch and I become the chased. Eventually he catches me. His strong arms wrap around me, swinging me around in the air. We sit in the grass watching the clouds float by. He takes my small, soft hand in his strong, scarred one and we walk away from the field with the sun setting behind us. Neither one of us saying anything because we don’t need to. Because I am my Lover’s and He is mine.

I am Warrior Princess...

... hear me cry.

Caution: This is a ventilation post. Please do not be alarmed by the content or thoughts expressed.

I don't even know how to start this out. I am so sick and tired of feeling sick and tired. It doesn't seem to matter how much or how little sleep I get, I am still tired. I don't want the doctor to give me a pill or whatever. I hate waking up and feeling crappy all the time. There is nothing wrong with me. The doctor already checked me out. I just feel bad when I get up. Tis morning sickness without the pregnancy, cause there is no way that could happen. I am in survival mode is what it feels like. Just do what you have to do to survive. Read this for school, write that, go here, go there. I am tired of working hard for stuff! I guess I am most tired of being emotional. Up and down, up and down. I want to be even keeled.
There are so many thoughts and feelings racing around. People tell me what a good thing I am doing, going to school and heading towards my goals at a young age. It doesn't always feel good. I don't like school. I don't. I am enjoying somethings about the school I am going to, but there are somethings that I just don't get. And that bugs me! I know that not everyone understands and gets everything they are ever taught in their life, but that doesn't help. I want to help people! I want to be out there playing and teaching children.
Then there are things I am dealing with internally. The battlefield they call the mind. Always going, always thinking. Yes the Bible says to take every thought captive, but how? There are so many! Thinking about the what if this happens, the I want this, the how would it look if... all day, every day constantly going.
And there is the I'm single and it sucks. Now I know that it isn't the right time for a relationship, but I want it so bad.
There is the friends thing. I don't have that one person that I am super close to. I have friends that care about me and that I hang out with every once in a while. But we run in different circles now.
Church... I love my church! The closeness and the family. They are my second family. But there are like three of us who are singles. Me and two guys. I really like my sisters church. There are lots of young people who are on fire for God! There are college groups and people my age that I can connect with. But I would have to build those relationships and that takes time and energy.
I am just having an emotional time right now. I think a lot of this is spiritual and I am not feeling very strong right now. But I know in my heart of hearts that my God is big enough to handle it. He says to stand firm and He will fight for me. So I am just going to keep plugging along. Waking up everyday saying, "Today is Your day, Abba. I trust You to take care of me and the people around me."

My musings about V-day

This time of year is always kind of depressing for me as a single female. Even when I had a bf it was a down day. I don't know what it is about V-day, it just depresses me. Maybe it is because I have never known the clique phrase "true love" from a guy. My parents love me, my siblings love me, my friends love me but that is different then having the love of a husband. On Sunday, I heard two songs that shed a new light on my V-day blues.

Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone) by Chris Tomlin
Amazing grace
How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost, but now I'm found
Was blind, but now I see

'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear
And grace my fears relieved
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed

My chains are gone
I've been set free
My God, my Savior has ransomed me
And like a flood His mercy reigns
Unending love, Amazing grace

The Lord has promised good to me
His word my hope secures
He will my shield and portion be
As long as life endures

My chains are gone
I've been set free
My God, my Savior has ransomed me
And like a flood His mercy reigns
Unending love, Amazing grace

My chains are gone
I've been set free
My God, my Savior has ransomed me
And like a flood His mercy reigns
Unending love, Amazing grace


The earth shall soon dissolve like snow
The sun forbear to shine
But God, Who called me here below
Will be forever mine
Will be forever mine

You are forever mine

The More I Seek You by Kari Jobe
The more I seek you,
the more I find you
The more I find you, the more I love you

I wanna sit at your feet
Drink from the cup in your hand.
Lay back against you and breathe, hear your heart beat
This love is so deep, it's more than I can stand.
I melt in your peace, it's overwhelming

The phrase that started this whole thought process on V-day was "You are forever mine." That hit me! Not like a train crashing, but like running into a big hug from someone who loves you. It was so amazing! I felt the love of Jesus washing over me. I don't know the words to describe the feeling. It was better than anything I have ever felt before. He loves me so much!! That phrase can go both ways... Us telling God "You are forever mine" and God telling us "You are forever mine." Either way, it's amazing! Then the very next song we sang was "The More I Seek You." That overwhelming feeling of wanting to sit at His feet, lean against Him, and feel His heartbeat. And that His love for me is deeper then any guy could ever love me. As I thought about this during the rest of worship and during the announcements a couple of verses from Song of Songs came to mind: (I am putting them here out of The Message)

4:7 - You're beautiful from head to toe, my dear love, beautiful beyond compare, absolutely flawless.
4:9 - You've captured my heart, dear friend. You looked at me, and I fell in love. One look my way and I was hopelessly in love!
6:3 - I am my lover's and my lover is mine. (A better known version is: I am my beloveds and my beloved is mine.)

When you think about how God is the Lover of you soul and this is what he thinks of me! Wow! I am speechless and amazed! My V-day blues are no more! I know who my Valentine is this year! Is He yours?

Life Explained

On the first day, God created the dog and said:

'Sit all day by the door of your house and bark at anyone who comes in or walks past. For this, I will give you a life span of twenty years.'

The dog said: 'That's a long time to be barking. How about only ten years and I'll give you back the other ten?'

So God agreed.

On the second day, God created the monkey and said:

'Entertain people, do tricks, and make them laugh. For this, I'll give you a twenty-year life span.'

The monkey said: 'Monkey tricks for twenty years? That's a pretty long time to perform. How about I give you back ten like the Dog did?'

And God agreed.

On the third day, God created the cow and said:

'You must go into the field with the farmer all day long and suffer under the sun, have calves and give milk to support the farmer's family. For this, I will give you a life span of sixty years.'

The cow said: 'That's kind of a tough life you want me to live for sixty years. How about twenty and I'll give back the other forty?'

And God agreed again.

On the fourth day, God created man and said:

'Eat, sleep, play, marry and enjoy your life. For this, I'll give you twenty years.'

But man said: 'Only twenty years? Could you possibly give me my twenty, the forty the cow gave back, the ten the monkey gave back, and the ten
the dog gave back; that makes eighty, okay?'

'Okay,' said God, 'You asked for it.'

So that is why for our first twenty years we eat, sleep, play and enjoy ourselves. For the next forty years we slave in the sun to support our family. For the next ten years we do monkey tricks to entertain the grandchildren. And for the last ten years we sit on the front porch and bark at everyone.

Life has now been explained to you.

The Adventures of Little Bear

I posted this on MySpace, but forgot to post it here. Sorry!!

So there is an AT&T commercial where a little girl puts her monkey into dad's briefcase and he finds it and takes picutures of the monkey at various locations on his business trip (with the at&t bars in the background of course). Well coming from the lovely and weird family that I do... Mom went to Arizona with Dad couple of weeks ago and she sent me these:

Apparently these line the streets and buildings are built arond them

Texas Roadhouse Grill

Cute barista (Mom didn't tell him the pic was for her 20 year-old daughter)

CHIPOTLE!!!!

Saguaro cacti

On my way to Radiator Springs!

Even our bears love coffee!! (There were Mesa Police inside and Mom almost got a pic with a couple of them. :P She said they were cute.)

Wow... that's Grand! (Canyon that is)

Tell everybody I'm on my way!

And another Calvin comic:



I have been building character for days now!! When can I stop and turn up the heat!?!? (I thought you would like this one Gram!)

I'm nervous....

So yeah, haven't updated this in a while... sorry! :)

So I start school on Tuesday and I am really super nervous about it. It is a new place, new people, and a new atmosphere... and on top of that I don't know anyone there! At all! Oh and it is a liberal school, so I am definitely going to be stretched in many ways. I am nervous and scared and... I dunno. I want to go, but I don't. School isn't my strong area. But I need to get this degree if I am going to go where I want to go.

So all this to say... if you think about it could you say a quick prayer for me, please? That God would give me peace and that I can meet at least one like-minded person while I am there.

That's all, I guess. Thanks a bunch.

Currently Listening The Flame in All of Us By Thousand Foot Krutch see related