1/30/2007

The writings of a single girl: The plain, don't feel sorry for me, truth.

The past few weeks have been another one of those weeks. For me, one of those weeks is the kind where you are just longing for some real companionship. Being single, I automatically pin this on the fact that I'm without a boyfriend. I have friends here that are true treasures in my life, but sometimes it just doesn't fill that hole.

Thinking about this (as I write), I think of a good section of Blue Like Jazz that I read last year. Despite the controversy or the popularity of that book, I read something in there that brought a smile to my heart. Donald Miller was talking to his newlywed friend, when he asked him how new married life was. His friend responded with quite the surprising answer, and replied with something along these lines: "It's wonderful, but it's not complete fulfillment. I love my wife, but I will never truly know her like she desires to be known, and she will never truly know me the way I desire to be known.... The only one that can truly know us is God." I don't know about you, but that is amazing to me.

I know people in my life care about me. I can't say that I don't sometimes wonder how different life would be if I had a boyfriend, a fiancee, or a husband. I can take joy in the fact that I have my Lord and that He is always accessible for me to talk to, to pour my heart out to, to cry with, to laugh with, to love.

It is when I am in these moments of longing for a(nother) companion that I realize I need to spend more time with my Lord. It is in these times when I say "I miss him," and I realize that that him is Him, my Father in Heaven. It is times like these that draw me back to Him.

1/27/2007

smells good.

My perfume, that is.

That's really not what this post is about though ;)

I went out to eat with my good friend, Paige, this morning. I know her from church and she's pretty stinkin' cool (and by stinkin' I mean awesome)! We wanted to go to this small place called "Oldies Diner", but they are closed until April! That stinks, especially since their breakfast is only $2.99. We got over it real fast though and decided to go to I-HOP instead. I had the "Passport". 'Twas good. We talked about our lives and what's going on, and also about what God has been showing us lately. Then, Paige surprised me with a gift card to Goody's and LifeWay. She's too sweet. So, I endedup getting a sweater and some socks from Goody's. I'm waiting until the 31st to go to LifeWay because the book I want won't be here until then.

I'm going to babysit tonight, and tomorrow I will probably be in the library all afternoon catching up on my class work! :)

1/24/2007

Back in the Routine

I am definitely one of those people that thrive off of a routine.... well, a spontaneous routine. A routine within a routine? I don't know... but I love having classes, and everything that works around them.

This morning I took my written screening test, well.. half of it at least. It wasn't as hard as my mind usually works that type of thing to be. Then, in Diverse Populations, we made groups of 4 for our multicultural breakfast. Our group ended up choosing Germany for our country. This should be exciting since I lived there for part of my childhood, and I worked at a German restaurant for a few months. I'm pretty sure I like most German food... even the Reuben sandwich.

After class, I was so hungry because I had been thinking about food, so I stopped by Burger King to pick up a Croissant, and left to go babysit. I hadn't seen the kids in 6 weeks, which is FOREVER to me. It's amazing what changes can occur in that time span. Anna is talking even more than before, and has mastered the art of jumping. It's quite amusing. Nathan is taller, still growing like a weed. I love those kids so much. The thought of them moving makes me want to cry. :( I still have a few more months with them.

Afterwards, I rushed back to the apartment to get whatever I needed to do done for room check. I have an amazing roommate. She cooked dinner and everything. :) Then I rushed off to my Linguistics class, which is proving to be even more interesting than I thought. I have a lot of vocabulary to learn though... my study skills are going to be tested even more this semester.

So, anyways- today was a much better day than the previous ones. God has been hinting to me that He has it under control, and I really need to trust Him, even in the practical things, like a car. He clearly revealed to me that He has me in His hands.

Oh, and on a totally different note:
Please pray for me as I work up the courage to tell my dad that I want to go to Guatemala next Spring Break. There's a great opportunity for me next year, and I really want to go. I'd be working in the orphanages with the Guatemalan children, sharing the love of Christ to kids that don't feel like they matter to anyone.

1/23/2007

$800.00

I think I'm beginning to learn the reality of becoming an adult. I'm only paying half... but wow, I guess I underestimated the price of car repairs. The good news is-I'm okay.

Tomorrow morning I have a written screening test. I'm not too worried about it, but it is one of the requirements to be accepted into the school of education.

I'm really trying to not let the beginning of this week take over my mood. I think a nice warm shower is in store, as well as some good sleep.

An Eventful Day

Well, yesterday morning I drove home to get my braces off. Anyone who has had braces knows the importance of this day. My day was extremely important, and turned out to be more eventful than I expected.

In my previous posts about my car, I ended on a good note. I thought my car was fine, but the possibility of still having a problem with it was in the back of my head. As I was driving home, my speedometer stopped working and my air bag light started flashing. Every time I tried to signal, the lights would barely dim. This is all in addition to a flickering brake and battery light that then seemed to dim away as well. Then I noticed that my speedometer began to work again at a speed of 40 and below. I called my 'adopted dad', Jason, explained the problem, and was advised to keep driving because the car sounded fine. Once I hit SA, I called my mom, who told my to go straight to the dealer. I arrived safely, went inside, and explained the problems to the first mechanic I saw. He said it sounded electrical, and since I had school, he asked if I felt comfortable coming back on the weekend to have it fixed. I accepted, and went out to start my car. Only, here lies the problem.... it didn't start. So now, my car is at the shop, and will hopefully be fixed by lunch, because I have important meetings to go to tonight. If I don't go... that will be bad. One of the meetings is for a class, and it's the only meeting of this week. If you can't tell.... I'm a little panicky.

Incase you're wondering about the diagnosis... it's what I thought it was all along, plus some.

-Alternator gone bad
-Alternator belt gone bad
-Top right boot leaking (???)

I don't know the exact amount, but I know it's expensive. This is so sad :(

The good thing is, God got me to SA safely, and of all places to have a car not start- the dealership. So praise God. And hopefully this solves this series of car problems.

Oh, and I'm extremely excited about my new smile. Pctures to come up soon, hopefully! ;)

1/19/2007

Congratulations Green Family!

I would just like to say congratulations to the lovely Green family. They have been such wonderful people in my life, and they have been blessed by the birth of their third child, Elizabeth Noelle, today. Their link is on the right of my page, listed as 'The Greenhouse'. I love that family. :)

I also think this is way cool because she was born on the same day as one of my best friends, Lauren Grace.

I would just love to say Happy Birthday to both of these girls!!

1/17/2007

Wow!

I have only been to class ONCE this week!! They cancelled school all day today, which is so exciting because I was supposed to have my night class tonight.

It has been NICE! :)

I can say that I am excited for warmer weather today... While I've enjoyed the no class part, I've missed the option of getting in my car to go somewhere with friends! :)

I'll be staying warm. Are you?

1/13/2007

Life Back at UMHB

In case any of you are wondering how my first week of school has been, you should probably read on. :) Besides all of the car business, things have been going wonderful. I moved into my new apartment on Monday, and my roommate Jenn and I have been getting things organized and decorated since. I made a cute little vanity area after buying a cute little mirror and hung it up above my dresser. It's perfect since Jenn and I get ready at about the same time every morning and our bathroom isn't really big enough to share the mirror. We've been doing a lot of bargain shopping at places like Ross, Marshalls, and of course- the Dollar Tree. It has been wonderful since I'm trying to save money, and I like bargains. While I know that I will only be living here for a semester, I believe that I do better academically when I have a cozy little home. It's so important because then I feel like I have some where to relax!

Classes have been going good, also. I'm taking 2 of my Education classes, which have been very enlightening so far. I am learning a lot about how a teacher makes a difference in students' lives and how to be a good teacher. I have to take a written screening test in a few weeks, and I'm just a little worried about it. I'm sure it will be fine, though. I'm also taking two of my upper level English classes- American Literature (which I won't go to until Monday the 29th!) and General Linguistics. Linguistics was pretty interesting. I'm just a little worried about being the only person in there that is younger than 40. I'm only a little intimidated. (Okay, a LOT ntimidated!) Overall, I think classes will be a treat.

Oh, and "the weathero utside is frightful"! Rumor has it that the churches all around Belton and Temple will be closed tomorrow because roads are supposed to start icing over soon! I hope everyone is not too chilly!

Oh, and I thought I would treat everyone with a picture that the school put up on our "MyCampus" web site of me and my family group from my Freshman Year! I feel like we all look so much younger!

1/11/2007

Updates on the Car :)

So yesterday I tok my car to the place where I get my oil changes done, and he recommended a different mechanic that he said I could trust, so I took my car there this morning. I will find out later what is the problem, and I will be sure to post about it. :) Hopefully it is something minor, because yesterday, they when they did a free alternator test, they said it didn't seem problematic. I really hope this is true (and that it is nothing major)!! Thank you for your prayers, and I will continue to update it throughout the day! :)

*edit*

I called the mechanic and they think it is the Cluster. I asked how much it would cost to replace, and he said $600 or so... yeah, I don't have that kind of money to throw away.

Is a cluster even important? He said it's what tracks your speed....

I don't know.... I'll know more in an hour or so.

*edit 2*
I went to the mechanic and he told me that the car will be fine if I don't replace the cluster. He said that it only controlls your speedomoeter, and that my speedometer is working fine. Praise God! I don't think I will ever want to replace a $600 part that isn't all that important! This mechanic didn't even charge me for checking it out. That part totally shocked me in a pleasant way, and so I will be writing them a Thank-You card and giving them a tip- I can't not pay them anything! Thank you all for your concerns, help, and prayers. I truly believe that God had this in His hands, because all signs pointed to the alternator, and it was almost nothing! I love Him!!

1/10/2007

Car TROUBLE!

I drove here to Belton on Monday. Right when I hit the Schertz area I almost panicked because I saw warning lights on in my car- warning lights never come on in my car. There was something weird though, because they were only flickering. These lights were my emergency brake light as well as my battery light. I stopped at a gas station and called some friends, but I still had no idea what was going on. All of them told me to get back on the highway since the car sounded fine and they were only flickering. Well, I noticed that the lights only began to flicker when I got to the speed of 70.

Luckily, I arrived to Belton safely. Praise God for that!

I've googled it, and found out that these are the symptoms of a bad alternator. :( I told my mom and she says we've already replaced the alternator.... I called a mechanic yesterday, and he said it sounded liek the alternator but he couldn't know ofr sure until he looked at it. Well, as soon as my dad calls and talks with me about it, I'll take it in to the mechanic. If it is the alternator, I pay 200-300 dollars :(. Let's hope it's just a fuse!!!

Please pray for me because I don't exactly have a ton of money. I am still saving up for summer school as well as a new car. So, please pray!! Thanks.

1/04/2007

Hair-cuts, Dolls from Peru, Greek Food, Family, Lazy Pugs........

I could try to describe my days in the title of my post, but I figured I'd stick to the normal and write it out in the actual post... :)

Yesterday I got a hair cut, and don't worry my friends, I only got a trim. :) I always think I can be courageous and get that cute little short hair-cut I see in a picture, but *sigh* I am not. That is probably a good thing, too.

Yesterday I hung out with my way awesome friend, Cricket! She gave me this cute little doll that she got from Peru, and I'm really excited about putting it on my desk whenever I get around to unpacking things in my new apartment. I dread the thought of putting so much time into setting things up, but I know once I start doing it that it will be fun. Silly me! :) We also ate some Greek food in one of those restaurants that you can say no one knows about. I like those type of places because you feel like you've discovered something that is yet to be a huge hit! :) I'm supposed to be taking my mom there soon- she looked impressed as she looked at the menu! :)

Now, I am here this morning, typing on my blog. I always consider it fun to do. I woke up my pugs this morning, and my crazy pug Khaki just could not get up from bed. He has this really comfy pillow, and so he didn't want to budge. I actually had to carry him, and he's no small dog! :) I love him though. He is defintely not a morning doggie! :)

Oh, and I also want to share a few verses with you:
"Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul! I will praise the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being." -Psalm 146:1-2, emphasis mine :)

"Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, but wine and milk without any money and without price." -Isaiah 55:1

"Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him." -Ephesians 3:12

I just thought these verses kind of flowed together- we are children of God! He provides to us access to Him with confidence, we don't have to pay any price! Praise His name.

1/01/2007

Oh, 2007!

So every time I get to the end and beginning of a year, I tend to think about things. Things like what changes will occur, who I am/want to become, things I KNOW will happen (or at least am 98% sure of) and things I want to happen.

Here's what's made the list:

Changes that will occur/things I KNOW will happen...

1. New roommate and new apartment- I am excited about this because it's always fun to get to know another person and share those special times that only roomies usually share, such as cooking, laughing late in the night after late night talks, a drive off campus just cause you need it, etc. The new apartment will be fun because it's always fun to decorate somethings in a unique way! :)

2. Upper level English Classes- I'm going to read... a LOT! I'm excited. I know this won't always be the case when I'm up until 3 studying, but hey- it's the experience that is always fun to look back on. I get to learn, and what a privilege that is!

3. Taking summer school in SA- Wow.... I'm not too sure about this one but it has to happen. I'm nervous and excited all at the same time!

4. Finding a summer job in SA- I'm looking at things from retail all the way to working at a church again. We shall see what happens!

5. My dad coming home!! - He'll be on his 2 week leave in March, and home for good near the beginning of September. I am absolutely excited about this!!!

6. I'm sure there are other things I can't think of at the moment....

Who I am/Want to become...
Right now I am at a point in my life where I am realizing a lot of things about myself. I am a Christian that desires a deeper relationship with the Lord. I want to become so strong in my walk with Him, I want to memorize scripture more, I want to love Him and others more. I want to be a woman of God that, God willing, a godly man will be glad to call his wife one day. I want to shine more for my King. I want to be confident in the woman that He has created me to be.


This I want to happen...

I want to make better grades. I've been falling into the "more B's than A's" category lately... I want Children's Ministry to really be a place where the kids can learn about the Lord and have fun. I want the playground project for Children's Ministry to be successful. I want to develop deeper friendships.

I want a lot, right? I pray that the Lord's hand will be over all of these areas in my life. I pray that I will turn to Him during the good and hard times of this year. I pray that I will be a brighter light for Him. I pray that 2007 presents a time of growth for you as well!

Oh, and good for you for reading through all of this. Love y'all!