.pruned for my own good.

So I'm sure you know the common metaphor that is found in John 15. It has been a verse that has just stuck with me over the years, and it's funny because I forget its deep truth quite often.

It'll be a month since I graduated and I've yet to find a job. This has been very hard on me. I first began struggling with my feelings of inadequacy during my last month of college. The though of moving home was soon to be a reality, and I was forced to deal with it. For about the last year or so I have been carrying everything in my life on my own, without feeling like I needed God for much at all. That may very well be a harsh sentence, but it's the truth. I have simply been going through the motions without Him.

This last month has been very enlightening for me, and again I am learning the lesson that God teaches us so much through our trials. I had a very hard interview experience a few weeks ago that I took quite personally. Long story short, I had basically been offered a job, prepared for it (going so far as booking a place to live!), and then at the last minute been rejected. This really tore me up inside, and while it may sound like such a small thing, I had nights where I would cry about it. It wasn't just that I had been rejected, but that I had seriously gotten my hopes up so high, and then felt like I had been brought back to square one completely. I mean, living with your parents? What a loser, right? Especially with no job.... Well, it took a few people (my dad, Russell) to wake me up out of my melancholy stage. More than enough people have been reminding me that I needed to have faith that God was going to do something and that I needed to trust Him.

So it's true. It's completely true. Trusting in God is what I need to do, and I have finally given Him the reigns. While I haven't landed my dream job yet, I do have a small PT job at my church's nursery here in SA. It's every Wed. and Sun. and I have the rest of the week to keep looking for jobs. Plus, once I do get a job, they have been gracious enough to let me work less hours if I need to. It may not sound like much, but it has already proven to be a big help with my self-esteem. Today was my first day, and I was reminded of my love for children as I got to take care of them. They were all so amazing, and it reminded me that God has a plan for me that fits my desires, too.

Graduation Update :)

I graduated!!! I am now a UMHB alumna! :)

Nice ;)

Exciting events...

So I have one more final exam tomorrow and then I am finished with my BA degree!!! Woo-hoo!!!! So far I have two As, and am hoping for a 3rd :)

I also have a JOB INTERVIEW (again) on Wednesday! This one is going to be a little different though- I'm interviewing for a technical writing position in San Antonio. I really want it! I would love to say, "Oh, I'm a writer" when asked what I do for a living. I mean, really. How AWESOME would that be???? :) I'll keep you posted!

On Saturday I receive my diploma and then go home to SA! Russell and I are spending Christmas with my folks and I'm super pumped about that. We'll be there for about a week and then we are driving to Tennessee for New Years to spend it with his mom. So it will be a fun month!! Then, I come back to the REAL world. Eeeeek. Maybe I'll stay in Tennessee a little longer... ;)

breaks = happiness

This weekend was sooooo good :) Here's a pic of us on the way back from SA- we had stopped in Georgetown on the way, so that portion of the pic that caused you to ask, "Where are they?"... well, it's Georgetown. (sheesh, you were dying to know right??)

My parents were so sweet and did so much for us. They cooked fajitas for us on Sunday, and then last night they took us out to Outback. We had some pretty good laughs- I'm glad because they're all getting to know one another some more, which is why I really like bringing Russell home.

Today we went to Texas State so Russell could talk to the Rhet & Comp department chair. It was sooooo awesome!! She said it was a competitive program, but I know he'll get in. And I loved San Marcos and the surrounding area. It would be wonderful to find a job right in town. Here's a pic of us at Texas State. Isn't the background pretty? There was this huge park-type area (with ducks and cranes!) right next to our parking lot, so we decided to take a few pics. I really liked the scenery!

Well, that's how good fall break was! Now I'm back at school, kind of dreading school, but at least there are only 3 more days of this week!! Woo-hoo!! Thanks to everyone for wishing me a great fall break :)

Vacation!

I think that time is so weird sometimes... Somehow it makes sense when I think about it, but when I say it... "This break feels like it's going by so fast, but it's taking forever!!" I mean, come on, how weird is that?? How can a period of time be slow and fast??

I have no idea. :)

Since finals, I have worked at my new job in Temple at a place called "Paperdoodles". This place is exciting- I get to sell paper (and other knick-knacks, too)! I get to look at pretty invitations and help brides pick out the best ones... (By the way, did you know how expensive invitations are? It's absolutely crazy!) After a couple weeks at Paperdoodles, and enjoyable, peaceful days in Belton, I drove back to San Antonio. The very next day, my family and I drove to Fredericksburg to seem my mom's side to celebrate Christmas. We had a wonderful time, and it's always fun to see family and catch up. Since Christmas I've been working at the retirement home serving food too all of the residents. It's fun to see them again- their smiles make me happy :) Tomorrow I fly out to Louisiana! I'm visiting the family I used to babysit for. I can't wait to see Nathan and Anna!! They are the cutest kids ever... I have some proof:

I wish I had a recent picture of her big brother, but I will after I get back from my trip! I'll be there until New Years day, when I fly back. I'm very excited! I'll be taking a ton of pictures because I got a camera for Christmas, which is very exciting!! So, I guess all I can tell you is, "Stay tuned!!" :)

Home! :) and a little randomness!

So I'm home now. I can smell the lovely scent of my mom's Apple Cake. How will I survive until tomorrow without biting into it?! :)

It's nice to be home. I'm just sitting in "my" room and relaxing. I'm acknowledging this because I do not want to take for granted the time I have now to rest... next semester won't be too bad... I don't think. I'm taking Advanced Grammar, which is supposedly the hardest class for English majors. I am still excited about it because I know there is so much about grammar that I don't know, but I've always wanted to. I'm also taking Advanced Rhetoric, Curriculum Methods, Classroom Management, and an easy one- General Psychology. I also find out where I will be student teaching. I'm not sure if I want Salado or Belton yet... so I will probably be observing in both districts to get a better idea. I think next semester's going to be fun, also! :)

Guatemala notes: I start fundraising next semester!! My Guatemala trip will be set for sometime June or July this summer... I get to choose the dates. It will be a prayer/relational ministry and I am very excited!! More updates to come... I will probably make a Guatemala blog, too. My adopted mom, Shanon, will be teaching Spanish classes at church for the Mexico mission trip, and I'm going to go to learn more for Guatemala :) It's very exciting!

Well, I guess I'll leave you with a quote that I read a couple days back:
"May your presence fill the nonanswers, empty glances, and lonely times of my life. Amen." - Robert Wood

*whew!!*

So, I haven't posted in a while, right? Wow, sorry about that!

I'd be surprised if anyone still checks this! ;)

Well, let me update you on a few things:

After about 2 months of long practices throughout the week, pageant finally came and went! Our theme was "De'Masque," which means "Unmasked". It was an awesome experience! Here it is through some pics (there's a lot!):

This is at our banquet the night before pageant. We ate yummy food and each of our sponsoring organizations had a beautiful place setting waiting for us at our seat!

The first night was talent night and I performed a pantomime skit about true beauty. It turned out to be a huge hit! ;)

Julie and me before we went on stage to perform our dance on the second night!

Beautiful girls!

This was during evening gown walk- I wasn't nervous at all!

Stroll!

I made top 10!!

Then I made top 5, which is crazy! I answered my questions without an ounce of anxiety in me! God answered my prayer!

My proud, proud parents with me at the reception afterwards. It was so much fun and I wouldn't trade the experience for anything else. By the way, I made 4th runner up!! :)

Life after pageant has been pretty busy, surprisingly. I thought I would be bored without having practices to go to, but I got a new job (my third one!) and I'm still keeping up with classes- mainly writing and reading a LOT. More than the average student, I'm sure! haha :) I hope you enjoyed this post! It was due!

Very glad, with a smile spread across my face... :)

Wow. That is all I have to say. By changing my major to teach high school instead of middle school, I have made a great decision. My classes are so in depth and I am loving every minute of them. My favorite class of the moment is Advanced Composition. We have been reading nonfictional stories lately, and then submitting our response journals online. At first, I felt as if everyone else besides me was somehow above me in their writing, analytical and reflective skills. Today was a major turning point for me. In our class, we are randomly chosen to "teach and take over" the class by our professor. Wouldn't you know it, I was called on today. :) I was nervous, but I came prepared with a list of questions for our reading Independence Day, by Lisa Chavez. At first I was discouraged because I felt as if I didn't clarify my question enough... as if people were just staring at me and blinking. Then, my teacher interrupted and pointed out that the metaphor I had thought of was one he had never heard of and wanted to research more. He told me that I needed to speak up more in class and be more assertive. How's the for a boost of confidence?! I was so excited because I felt as if the only person in the room that I really needed to approve of my question actually really loved it! I'm also thinking that his method of teaching, in allowing us to teach, is the best preparation I could have for student teaching, which is where I will be in one year.

My other classes are interesting, too. In Creative Writing, we are reading Catch-22 and writing poetry. In Shakespeare, we are reading Richard II, and giving oral presentations, as well as writing a very big research paper. In World Literature, we are teaching a lesson geared towards the grade we want to teach that deals with a piece of world literature and current events. In British Literature, we are reading the classics, like Beowulf. Can you sense the excitement I have as I write this? I know that I get overwhelmed with the busyness of it all sometimes, but I do enjoy it. I enjoy reading about peoples' lives and learning their stories. I'm also becoming so much more confident in my own writing, because I do have good experience in that. I had some of the best English teachers you could ask for back in high school. (Those classes kept me going in a way at Judson.)

Needless to say, I am very content. I am enjoying where life is at right now and I couldn't ask for it to be any other way. My parents (yes, plural- my dad is included!!)are coming on Saturday to move in some furniture to the house. I am so excited about our house! It is the cutest little house you will ever see! :)

Life Back at UMHB

Hello everyone!

I'm sorry I have been neglecting this blog for quite sometime now... I will try to get back into it! :)

Well... I'm back at UMHB and it's been great so far. I haven't mentioned that Lauren and I are STILL not in our house because they had to rid it of fleas and do a few minor repairs... but we should be moving in sometime this wee. This is completely okay because this has given us time to find a dining table, and a free one at that!

I also have some news that is even better than that... my dad is now in El Paso going through all of the debriefing classes and he should be home in San Antonio by the end of this week! This is very, very good news! My parents have waited so patiently for this time in his career- retirement! He will retire very soon and we will never have to worry about "war" again!! There is a lot of rejoicing in the Quinn family right now!

This week is our first full week of classes and I'm actually more nervous that I thought I would be! :) I've already been reciting Shakespeare with all of my fellow English majors, and this week I will be reading Japanese literature, and writing- a lot! I'm very excited about all of this, but I'm also quite nervous about staying on top of things.

Well, that's my update! :) I know it's not a lot, but I don't have too much to say.

MY DAD'S ALMOST "HOME, HOME"!

Well, I've started my 2nd class for the summer! It's State and Federal Government, and so far, it's pretty good. I enjoyed the class in high school, too. :) We've already had 2 tests- we have 2 each week! Surprisingly enough, I kind of like it that way. Even though tests are back to back, that means they're is less information to cover each time.

I just looked at my phone countdown. There are 26 days until I go back to UMHB, 34 until my dad comes home, and 101 until my 21st birthday! I'm pretty excited about all 3 of those. :)

I got another haircut today... I've finally gotten over the fear of cutting my hair short, and did what I've always wanted to do. I cut my hair short in the back and long in the front. I guess it's an "angled layer" look, and I LOVE it! I wish I had pictures, but I don't... :(

So yes... there's not a whole lot going on right now. I'm excited for school to start back up so I can see all of my friends, and then my dad comes home!!!

Days With Mom

So this week has been pretty great :)

To be quite honest with you, I wasn't really ready to come home this summer. I may have alluded to that in past posts, but I'm just saying the plain truth :) I'm sure it exists with every mother-daughter relationship, but I wasn't ready to come home to less independence, more chores, and being told whether or not my hair looks good that day. :{ So, I prayed before the summer that I would somehow find the strength and wisdom that comes in being a good daughter, and resisting my fleshly wants.

We've had our moments. But this week has been great. We've had wonderful conversations, funny moments, talks about our soldier (dad) whom we miss and can't wait to have back, and just an all around good time. God is definitely giving me strength, and a deeper love for my mom. (Don't get me wrong, I've always loved her, but we are becoming much closer.) I'm excited about this. God is amazing. He is such a faithful Father, and I am so thankful.

Tomorrow, my mom and I will be spending the day out as we look for dresses. I'm very excited about this!! We are also going to look for videos or books that I need to help me out. It will be a lot of fun!! :)

Life lately...

So, I have completed my first week of summer school and I have my first test on Monday! I hope that I do well on it... I'm beginning to realize how much quicker summer school is than a normal class!

Other than that I've been working lately and staying with mom. We got to talk to my dad last night on his web cam and on yahoo messenger phone calling. It was the neatest thing ever and his friends in theb ackground couldn't believe we were talking on a computer! I'm very thankful for technology right now!!

Today I will be studying and cleaning. This is a very uneventful post, but that's okay ;)

All Good Things

With my dad being gone in Kuwait/Iraq, life is always different when I come back to SA. These past couple weeks have been weeks of transition. I moved out of my apartment in Belton and came back to San Antonio. I've been back for breaks, but I haven't lived here in 3 years. So it's definitely a change for me.

I started my job at the retirement home. The average age of the people dining is 82. It's very fun to see them every day and get to know them some more. They are extremely nice and understanding, and even tell me that I am beautiful. I love that, because who gets to go to work to be told they're beautiful? My biggest task to overcome was lifting and balancing trays of food on my shoulder. It's definitely an art I am still trying to master, but I have become more confident that I won't drop anyone's meal... that's actually my biggest fear. ;) This job has proven to me that I can do anything I set my mind to, because I was not expecting to be waitressing this summer! God provided a wonderful working environment and I am so thankful.

Life at home has been interesting. My pugs have been a little high maintenance lately. We still give Edith daily eye-drops, and both her and Khaki have recently been attacked by fleas. I bathed them twice, but we eneded up taking them to the vet. My pugs are seriously like my children, because I worry about them when they stay at the vet all day, and I get so excited to pick them up. I have always been very protective of them, so it should be interesting to see how I am when I have kids one day!

Summer school starts in about a week 1/2. I'm a little nervous. Nothing is like UMHB, but it should be fun to meet some fellow San Antonio students. Although I must say that I really hope I have a good teacher... I'm taking a History class, and I NEED a good teacher to stay awake!

My dad comes back to the states in 91 days, as of right now. He is definitely retiring once he gets back, and I am so excited that my family can be "civilian normal" for the first time in my life!

Guatemala plans are happening! My adopted mom, Shanon, and I are looking at different venues and talking to our missions team at our church. I am so excited about this. We have a chance of leaving in December, but we are leaning towards next summer. Yay!

Oh, and if you read all of this, good job! ;)

Yay!!!

I have an interview at the nursing home tomorrow!! I'm very excited about it because it seems like such a great environment and an opportunity to make some friends. Not only will I get to listen to the wisdom that so often pours out of senior adults, but the staff they hire is all college age. Wouldn't that just be neat? It sounds like a fun job opportunity and I hope it all works out! My interview is tomorrow, so please pray for me around 2:30!

Other than that, everything has been going good. Except I accidentally tore a page in my Bible. I don't know why I feel like sharing that but it really upset me when it happened. *sigh* But it's okay.

I was looking around our local Family Christian Store yesterday, and it brought back my memory of when I was in the store with my mom because she was about to buy me my first Bible. Aside from my children's bible growing up, I had never owned one before then. I was about 14, and I can still remember how excited I was, and how I was so particular when choosing it. I ended up getting a black, thinline NIV Bible. I used it all throughout High School and my Freshman year of college. I love those memories. :)

I hope you're having a fantabulous day! :)

Great week!

Lauren and I got accepted to live in a house that we have been calling "our house" ever since we applied for it! :)It includes a loft and a breakfast nook!! I can't tell you how excited I am to be sharing a cute, cottage-like house with one of my best friends!! :) This is by far one of the greatest things that happened this week! I am so excited about having dinners and movie nights, and inviting all of our friends over all the time. A part of me is very sad that I won't be living in Huckins because my dear friend Allie was going to be in there as our RA, but I promised her she will be at our house as often as possible. I'm so excited!! So, if you have any furniture (maybe an old kitchen table?) that you want to get rid of, please let me know!! :)

Another great thing was the time I've gotten to spend with all my kids out at Children's Ministry. A few of them got to participate in the Easter Pageant again this year (which was amazing!), and I enjoyed every moment. For some reason, when I'm around them, I feel like everything's great. They bring something out in me, and I'm sure many of our volunteers that come out each week, that just makes you feel closer to God. I love that. I don't know if it makes sense, but I love it. Plus, what's cooler than being in a play about the life of Jesus with kids that you love?

God has brought me to a place that I've been praying for. That place where I don't worry about the future and what will happen in any area of my life because I'm in His hands. Now if only my stupid human flesh would stop wondering about it all... I promise it's just as bad as worrying!!

I'm leaving tomorrow for home. My mom has some awesome plans for us. We are going to try to get free trees at this huge plant/tree celebration. I don't know too much about it, but I'm all for getting free trees! I'd get to plant it in our yard, which is always way fun! :)

5 months

In 5 months my dad will be home for good. This makes me so happy :) I just finished saying goodbye to him and my mom, and it was hard :( We hugged and just kept saying "The sooner you leave, the sooner you'll be back." I love my parents so much. They are wonderful to me.

Spring Break is SO Unpredictable..

I almost bought a car today! That's so crazy and spontaneous of me. I guess it would've been even more spontatneous if I did buy it...

My parents have been very worried about my car because of the trouble it has been giving me lately.. It has about 133,000 miles on it.. it's getting up there. So, we went to the dealership and found this awesome Ford Fusion. Yeah- me, a Ford Fusion? Who knew I would like it so much? But, we ended up not going with it. I figured $328 a month was quite a lot on my college job pay. We ended up deciding that I should save until the end of the year, when I am only a year away from graduation to purchase a car. Oh, and if you are interested in a nice, affordable car.. I'd say look at the Fusion. They drive wonderfully!! :)

Other than that randomness, my parents and I have just been enjoying the time together. My dad got home last night, and so we have a little bit of time before he goes back. Tomorrow, my dad and I are going to all the missions around SA and flying kites. I'm excited!! :) Pictures for sure.

I haven't done any school work. Maybe I should do that so I don't make a fool of myself on Monday night... I give my presentation over Flannery O'Connor that night!! Crazy. This semester is flying by...

Airports

Oh man, today was quite the eventful day.
To spare you the lengthliness of my story, I'll give you the summarized version:
- Wake up
-Doctor's office w/ Aunt and Cousins
-Drive to Airport
-Dad calls, flight delayed for an hour due to storms all over TX.
-Go home
-Go to Airport
-Stand in long lines to receive our military pass
-Mean people work at the airport
-Dad calls- flight cancelled
-WHAT??!
-Dad calls again, rents a car with another soldier
-After waiting for about 5 hours, I was finally able to pick up my dad!!

Today seemed like it would never end. I think it was definitely a lesson on patience. But he's here, and he's asleep! Our family feels complete with him.

Tomorrow will bring many joyful moments and I am so excited!!! :)

"I'll do it later...."

I have a really bad habit of procrastinating. I blame it on college, but I think I've had it since before college. I've been given a list of chores to do (and it's not even that big of a list- vacuuming is not that hard), and yet I still haven't done it since I woke up at 7. (I know, 7 am is quite early for a Spring Break- I think my mom is trying to convince herself that her daughter is a morning person) Hopefully, after I finish posting this, I will vacuum, because we all know that the sole purpose of this post is procrastination. :)

My dad called today and told me that he should be getting in around noon tomorrow. I'm excited! It seems as if the day keeps dragging on!

I haven't done much else today. I really should clean. :( Hopefully once this summer arrives, I won't have too much cleaning to do... it's going to be my last summer living at home. That's kind of strange to think about! I'm excited about it, too, though. :)

:) Spring Break

Sometimes I forget why I have this blog at all- to keep in touch with friends, to remember random events in my life, and of course, for fun.

I always associate my Spring Break with my first steps of becoming a Christian. This week, 6 years ago, I was seeking anything I could find that would tell me more about God. It's pretty cool. :) I finally became a Christian a few weeks after that. It's always fun to think about.

Aside from that Spring Break, I think that this Spring Break is probably going to be one of the best for me. My dad is coming home for his 2 week leave, and I plan on enjoying every second of my time with home. We only have 1 more day!

He says he already has a list of meals he wants us to make, and that includes some that I have learned after having my own oven! :) I'm pretty excited about that.

Other than that, my mom and I have just been busy preparing the little things for him. We're making sure that his plants look good, and of course, his truck.

I'm also trying to get some homework done. I have a presentation to give on Flannery O'Connor the Monday night I get back. I'm not excited about that at all! :( It's okay though, I'm pretty good at working under pressure.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Spring Break!!