Louisiana, Grad School, and Friends :)

So I'm back! Actually, I've been back for a few days... I've just been lazy with my blogging lately. :) Due to uploading time... I think I will only upload a couple pictures of my trip. But, if you want to see more, just go to: http://umhb.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2017895&l=af10b&id=183000054 :)

We went to an alligator ranch!! We touched alligators, and even fed them MARSHAMLLOWS!! It was pretty neat! The kids seemed to enjoy it, too :)

We also did other fun things, like bowling :) I love these kids! Now, aren't they just the cutest? :)
I had a great time in Louisiana. I learned that states are different in very funny ways- Lousisiana has a lot of TREES and WATER. I saw my first Pine Tree (I know, I know) and about a million others!! It was neat :)

During my trip, I talked to my friend Rachel (the mom in the family) about my future plans. We talked about how time flies (I'm graduating in a year!), about guys, and about careers. I told her that I had become interested in Speech Pathology for the past semester, and wouldn't you know- her best friend is a Speech Pathologist. Isn't that wild? I got to meet her (Amy) and she was so encouraging. So, now that I'm home, I've been doing my research, and I am seriously thinking of moving on towards gradaute school. As of right now, I'm looking at Texas State, Abilene Christian University, and Our Lady of the Lake University. They all require a few prerequisites that I don't have.. but I'm not going to let small obstacles stand in my way. I've already had 2 of those schools call and e-mail me to help me out! So I guess I'll keep you posted on that ;) The reason I'm even interested in Speech Pathology is because I really have a heart for children that have a hard time speaking for various reasons. My two younger cousins have difficulties with this- and I would love to be able to help in some sort of way. Anyways, in all, I would be in school for 3 more years, but that's just one year longer than most students who go to grad school. So if you can, just keep me in your prayers as I seek the Lord's will for this.

Anyhoo... I feel like my time in SA has been short, probably because it has. I haven't had much time to do anything because the few days that I've been here, I've been working! But I did have time to hang out with my friend from school, Analy. We did the typical San Antonio things: browsed the mall, walked the river walk, and ate Taco Cabana! :) Now that's a fun day :)

I head back to Belton on Sunday, and I'm sure that there will be many fun times (and picture posts!) :)

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!!" :)

Back to School (and other ramblings...)

So can you find the grammatical error in my last post? :) I must have been very tired when I wrote that one!

Well, lets see.... I have not felt like blogging in a long time! It's not like me at all, but it's true. :( I will try to catch you up, just in case you'd like to know!

I'm still working at the retirement/nursing home, and it has been going well. While I've grown to really enjoy the old folks, I'm ready to go back to school. Sometimes being a waitress can be really tough work, and I don't know if I could do it for a consistent amount of time. Luckily, I go back to UMHB on Wednesday!

I'm very excited about it because this year holds so many opportunities. I'm looking forward to moving into the house and the many get togethers that will take place there. I'm also looking forward to pageant. I'm still nervous about it... but I know God has it all under control. I've never ever performed anything in front of a large group (much less the whole school!) so this will be a stretch for me. I'm feeling very comfortable with my talent, and while it needs a lot more practice, it's something that I know has a message and is still very cute and funny. If you haven't heard, I will be miming for my talent, and no, I'm not kidding! :) I think it will be a ton of fun to get to know all the other girls participating, and to be a part of UMHB's history. Not every girl gets the chance to do this, so it will be a ton of fun (and hard work)!

I'm also taking quite a few classes that will demand much of my attention! In no particular order, they are: Shakespeare, Advanced Composition, World Literature, British Literature, and Creative Writing. I am looking forward to all of these, but I also know that if I don't have a strict study schedule, this could be very, very bad! But it'll be fun, I know it. I'm really interested in Creative Writing (it may produce many blog posts!) and World Literature.

I'm currently applying for a tutoring job at a high school near UMHB, so that will be fun to get to know what it feels like to "teach" at the high school level. It will probably be very different from my other job on campus as a tutor for college students, but I'm up for it. It may sound crazy that I'll be working 2 jobs (3 if you count babysitting on Saturdays!), participating in pageant, and taking a full load of upper level English courses, but I know it will be great. I know that I thrive off of this type of schedule, but I also need to find times to rest. Maybe you can pray for me as I start this semester.. please? :)

On another note, my dad comes home by the end of the month! We are very excited to finally have him home and safe. I can't wait to give him a huge hug and tell him to never ever leave again! ;)

My last day of work is on Monday, and then I go back to Belton on Wednesday! I'm very excited about getting back into the groove of things! I can't believe it's my SENIOR YEAR. Seize the day! :)

Hawaii, Pageant, House, and High School! :)

Well I'm awake at 11:28 at night and I'm writing on my blog. For some reason, I haven't had any desire to blog lately, so this post may be a little random.

Tonight we had Hawaii night at work, and I got to dress in something besides my uniform :) I wore a purple Orchid in my hair, and it was very fun! We even had Hawaiian dancers perform for all the old people. Some of the old people even got up with them and learned a little dance. It was very cute and fun to see them in a different setting! However, the Hawaiian theme really made me want to get away and have a vacation. I'm not even that busy! I have a feeling that adjusting to college life will be a little hard for me when I go back...

I'm still excited about going to MHB. Lauren and I got into our house that we wanted, and we are very excited! My mom gave me a couch that is quite comfy if I do say so myself. We have everything we need for the house except for a dining table, which is especially important because we have a nook, and every nook needs a dining table. Well, I need a dining table, too, but a nook is all the more reason to have a dining table. :) Here are some sneak peeks of our house that is just waiting for us to move in:



Now how cool is that? We have a loft and a fireplace. I'm just so excited!

About next year, I have a wonderful feeling about it. I know this is probably natural since I have so many things to look forward to (like my dad being back!), but I really do have a good feeling. I know God has big plans and that a lot of growth is in store. I'm very excited!

Lets see.. what else? Pageant planning is making me a little nervous. My mom and I are supposed to go look for dresses soon.. I have one in mind, but I want to look at all of them. I'm also still trying to find the perfect skit for my talent. Who knew that I'd ever be a part of this? I'm excited, but very, very NERVOUS! :)

This probably should have been one post in itself, but I am definitely teaching high school English now! How exciting! Everything fit perfectly on my schedule, which is very important since I'm trying to fit in my last year. I always hear that it's hard to do. In a year from now I will be preparing to student teach, which is just a tad bit crazy! This upcoming semester I will be taking:
-World Literature
-Shakespeare
-Advanced Composition
-American Literature to 1890
-Students and Learning

It is going to be quite the busy semester, but after that, I only have to take 12 hours in the Spring! I'm excited about that break! I will have to be diligent with my schedule this fall. I will have to say no to things when I need to, and stay on top of my studies. I mean, look at those classes! As intriguing as they sound, they will require a lot of time and studying. I think I am most excited about World Literature. :) We shall see!

Not much else is on my mind :) I've just been doing summer school and work lately! :) I hope you're all doing well. If you read through all of this, you are awesome!!

Wisdom...

Tonight I met the cutest old couple ever. Mr. and Mrs. Haney were so cute. They came in 10 minutes before we closed, and tonight was our buffet night, where everyone serves themselves. But the Haneys have some health issues. One is legally blind, and the other cannot walk too well. I introduced myself and took their orders so I could go get their food. They were so happy and so cheerful, even though one could hardly see and the other could hardly walk. I love that they have chosen to not let certain limitations control the way they view life. They were 96 years old. They made me smile the moment they started talking. :) They immediately asked what I was studying, where I went to school, etc. We had a nice conversation, and I was so thankful that they came in late so I didn't have to leave them.

Don't you love those people you meet that have so much to offer, and they don't even have to say all that much? It's just about the way they carry themselves, and the way the overcome obstacles. I hope I get to serve them again! :)

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! ;)

Day 1 - The Life of a Waitress in a Formal Dining Room

I must say that I absolutely loved every bit of tonight. I was honestly overwhelmed by everyone's kindness. Not only were my fellow employees nice, but the wonderful people I served tonight as well! They completely blew me away with their consistent curiosity as to whom their new waitress was. They truly care, ever for their waiters! Now I know that not every single person I serve will be as nice as they all were tonight, but I think I can handle it when the time arises. This is (aside from my jobs with children) byfar the best part time job I've ever had. God knows what He's doing!

The co-workers are a blast so far :) Luckily, I was not the only new girl tonight, as a girl named Morgan was starting tonight as well. Her brother, Cameron, who is another waiter, got her in. We shadowed him for part of the night, which was quite hilarious when we went to take the single men's order. One of the guys told Cameron, "You have these 2 girls following you, aren't you just lucky?" to which Cameron replied, "I know, they won't stop following me." It made me laugh. Senior adults always manage to say a joke that makes me laugh. :)

I'm looking forward to the summer. While I am still a little bit scared, and "a lot a bit" rusty in my skills still, God has provided graceful management who want to give us a week long training. Hopefully by then, I will have it down ;)