I'm Still Connected...

YaY!!!  I can still get on my blog...
The only part I don't like about school is the whole three days of orientations and registrations!! It makes for a long first weekend!! But, I've payed all my fees, gotten all my classes registered, registered for my ministry,  and had financial and academic orientation... I unpacked all my stuff in like... record time! haha!!  It's so nice to catch up with everyone that I haven't seen over the summer...  One of my friends is in the Ensamble this year, and she asked me to play the piano for her while she practicing... both of the songs are amazing, but one of them is really bouncy!  Lol, my wrist was aching by the time we were done...    I'm also super excited because I wanted to be on a bus route with my friend Sarah B, and I was able to get on it!!  He said they'd put me on until after fall push and then see if they have too many workers from there... so I'm hoping they'll let me stay on!!

Anyway, I'll probably be posting more as things start happening!

In Genesis...

In the Old Testament . . .

• In Genesis, He is the Creator God
• In Exodus, He is the Redeemer
• In Leviticus, He is your sanctification
• In Numbers, He is your guide
• In Deuteronomy, He is your teacher
• In Joshua, He is the mighty conqueror
• In Judges, He gives victory over enemies
• In Ruth, He is your kinsman, your lover, your redeemer
• In I Samuel, he is the root of Jesse
• In 2 Samuel, He is the Son of David
• In 1 Kings and 2 Kings, He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords
• In 1st and 2nd Chronicles, He is your intercessor and High Priest
• In Ezra, He is your temple, your house of worship
• In Nehemiah, He is your mighty wall, protecting you from your enemies
• In Esther, He stands in the gap to deliver you from your enemies
• In Job, He is the arbitrator who not only understands your struggles, but has the power to do something about them
• In Psalms, He is your song--and your reason to sing
• In Proverbs, He is your wisdom, helping you make sense of life and live it successfully
• In Ecclesiastes, He is your purpose, delivering you from vanity.
• In the Song of Solomon, He is your lover, your Rose of Sharon.
• In Isaiah, He is the mighty counselor, the prince of peace, the everlasting father, and more. He's everything you need
• In Jeremiah, He is your balm of Gilead, the soothing salve for your sin-sick soul
• In Lamentations, He is the ever-faithful one upon whom you can depend
• In Ezekiel, He is your wheel in the middle of a wheel--the one who assures that dry, dead bones will come alive again
• In Daniel, He is the ancient of days, the ever- lasting God who never runs out of time
• In Hosea, He is your faithful lover, always beckoning you to come back--even when you have abandoned Him
• In Joel, He is your refuge, keeping you safe in times of trouble
• In Amos, He is the husbandman, the one you can depend on to stay by your side
• In Obadiah, He is Lord of the Kingdom
• In Jonah, He is your salvation, bringing you back within His will
• In Micah, He is judge of the nation
• In Nahum, He is the jealous God.
• In Habakkuk, He is the Holy One
• In Zephaniah, He is the witness
• In Haggai, He overthrows the enemies
• In Zechariah, He is Lord of Hosts

Moving to the New Testament . . .

• In Matthew, He is king of the Jews
• In Mark, He is the servant
• In Luke, He is the Son of Man, feeling what you feel
• In John, He is the Son of God
• In Acts, He is Savior of the world
• In Romans, He is the righteousness of God
• In I Corinthians, He is the rock that followed Israel
• In II Corinthians, He the triumphant one, giving victory
• In Galatians, He is your liberty; He sets you free
• In Ephesians, He is head of the Church
• In Philippians, He is your joy
• In Colossians, He is your completeness
• In I Thessalonians, He is your hope
• In II Thessalonians, He is your glory
• In I Timothy, He is your faith
• In II Timothy, He is your stability
• In Philemon, He is your benefactor
• In Hebrews, He is your perfection
• In James, He is the power behind your faith
• In I Peter, He is your example
• In II Peter, He is your purity
• In I John, He is your life
• In II John, He is your pattern
• In III John, He is your motivation
• In Jude, He is the foundation of your faith
• In the Revelation, He is your coming King

Lol

I know, I said goodbye... but I saw these and just HAD to post them!!  I've made some amazing friends last year at college, a few of them I wish I had gotten to know sooner... My friends that read this... you know who you are, hehe!!!

This is so true of my best friends, they know what I'm going through, even though I try to put on a strong front.  They're the kind of friend I can always count on, no matter what time it is... One of them once said "A friend doesn't just work 8-5" it's so true of that friend!!!

Can't wait to see ya'll tomorrow, and spend another great year with ya'll!!! :)

Moving On...

Today is the last day.. Going back tomorrow!!!   I worked all morning but I got off at 1, which was super nice!  We spent all morning trying to get our 'demon-possessed' printer to print envelopes right, but it never worked... then around 11:30 my coworker Elaina and I went out to lunch together at JoJo's Pretzels... YUM!!  Her and I have a lot in common, but we're different enough to were we can't hang out all the time, so this time to spend together was fun!  We did manage to get a lot of envelopes done despite the problems we had... And I tried on, one last time, lol, the pair of shoes that I've wanted ever since I've seen them on the shelf... they're super super cute!!!  I keep telling my brother that he should buy them for my birthday ;) I also found some super neat tennis shoes in the Brooks catalogue.  When I left, it was sort of bittersweet... I'll never work there again.  Walking on Air was definitely my favorite job so far... Please be praying, as I'm gonna try getting a job at a bakery near school, so I don't have to work midnights at McDonalds anymore.  I came back and actually napped for a few hours!! AHHH... it was nice.  When I got up I texted my friend and told her I was overwhelmed with the lack of things I have to do at the moment, but knowing that they will all overtake me before the time I leave tomorrow...
After my wonderful nap... I packed up my music (the last thing I had to pack), wrote some letters, and now I'm relaxing and giving myself a pedicure...  Lol, I decided since I'm going back to school, and I have to give up my flip-flops, I would try something new, so I did a tie-dye look... I can't decide if I like it or not, but I think it's growing on me, lol!!!

Anyway, until I know whether or not I'll be able to blog at school, it's ta-ta for now!!!  I'm gonna miss blogging.  Either I'll be posting regular updates, or I'll updated ya'll when I can!!

Whoa Now....

Ok, so ya'll remember my post a while back about my brother coming home from Afghanistan, and how I wasn't sure if I would see him before I went to school??  Well... SURPRISE... he's coming down on Tuesday to help move all my stuff... so totally did NOT see that one coming...   It will be quite interesting to see what he thinks of Fairhaven :-P It will be a culture shock for him these days!! LOL!!   Oh yeah, and btw... rumor has it, that the internet filtering system at school has blocked all the blogs, so if I go to school and disappear off the face of the blog, its not because I'm ignoring it... I just can't get on it... I'm kind of bummed about that, but I'll still be able to keep up with all my personal friends...

Today....

Ahh... I was so ready for Saturday!! I slept in a little bit... lol, just a little... 

Then we went into town so I could get the last stuff I needed before taking off on Tuesday.  We're leaving here around noon, and then meeting my grandparents there, they're gonna take some stuff to help make moving easier for my mom, and leave me with one of their cars... wooohoooo!!  But only for the wedding a few weeks later, then they get it back.  Oh well... But, then my grandparents are gonna take the boys and my mom is gonna stay the afternoon and help me get settled until later that evening.  

I finally, sort of, finished packing today!  I have everything in tubs and boxes, but they're not closed up yet because I still need a lot of stuff :-P 

I spent a lot of time today working on some new music... sigh... I'm scheduled to sing in church tomorrow... sigh again... I'm so totally not ready... sigh once more... oh well... lol! 

I love this music, it's a book of songs off an Assurance CD from Heartland Baptist Bible College.  It's got a lot of my favorite songs like Grace for Grace, I Can Go In, and I Could Never Thank Him Enough. They are all lots of fun to play :) 

Do ya'll like my new look?? I was bored with the old one, so I was looking at some new backgrounds, and fell in love with this one... the color scheme is awesome!! Orange and green?? Gotta love it!  and then I found this awesome header and edited it to match... Ah... I've actually spent all summer trying to find a new background that I liked, but the way I usually did it wasn't working anymore, so I had to find a new way... as some of my friends like to remind me... 'girls and computers'.  But I like this one a lot!  

Anyway, hope everyone has a great day at church! I get to work in the nursery during Sunday School, that means one last time with Alayna!! I love her soooo much :D

Things I Love!

A phone call from my pastor's wife...  She's always been such an encouragement to me, but especially these past weeks... I just got of the phone with her, updating her on how things were going getting ready to go back to school.  Words that you can always count on Mrs Shuster saying is "I'll be praying for..."  such an encouragement... I had actually called her to tell her about an answer to prayer...  Gotta love a godly encouraging pastor's wife... 

OH... MY... GOODNESS!!!

Nine Hours...

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600-700 letters...

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Two college aged girls...

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Tired....

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Sore...

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Stiff...

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and...

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SLAP-HAPPY!!!

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Yup... that's my day... still working on those letters... I'm doing it with a coworker, a girl that also goes to our church.  There are times when we sit there half asleep folding and stuffing letters... there are times when our boss wonders what is wrong with us because we can't stop laughing... there are times when we come in with our faces puffy from a rough week... we are quite a team!  We do lunch together, we share gum, chocolate and buy each other drinks... yup... But...  these letters... oh... these letters... 

Anyway... last night I got a lot of packing done... PTL!!! We're leaving Tuesday, probably around noon... I'm so excited to be back!  

Oh and btw... 

Work and School

Well, life has been a whirl...  We're still 'stuffing letters' at work... we've had quite a mess up these past couple days, first my boss thought he had figured out a quicker way to print the labels, and then they only printed every other doctor.  Then we got the labels figured out just in time for my coworker to find a typo in the letter we were sending... we had done about 100-200 letters already.  So... because he had printed out all the letters before time, I had to run into Goshen to buy some more printing supplies and labels, and such.  So, now we're redoing them all... 

I also found out tonight who my roommates are gonna be this year!! One girl is a new student, so I don't know who she is... the other one is Hannah Lichtman, a girl from Canada... we were in a prayer group together last year.  I'm super excited to have Hannah as my roommate :) It will be a fun year with her!

Here's a song they sang last week at camp that I really liked :)

A Crucified Heart

In my own strength I am so weak, nothing I do will last. But with power from you Lord everything that I do, will be here when time is passed.

Lord give me a crucified heart. Broken in two, be made exactly like you. Lord may I be willing to die. Daily take up my cross, with a crucified heart.

You are the key to what I can be. I have you in my heart. So cleanse every part, make in me a new start. With you I am crucified.

Lord give me a crucified heart. Broken in two, be made exactly like you. Lord may I be willing to die. Daily take up my cross, with a crucified heart.

 

The Choice is Mine

 

I can be strong, I can be brave,
I can be free, or be a slave.
I can forgive as He forgave
The choice is mine.

I can go through in storm or gale,
I can be true, or I can fail;
I can desert or set my sail.
The choice is mine.

If I would live then I must die
And bid this fleeting world goodbye
It’s treasures dear, I must deny
The choice is mine.

I’ll walk by faith where I am led,
It matters not what lies ahead,
And if the path be crimson red,
The choice is mine.

I can have faith.  I can have fear.
I can believe that God is near,
Or I can doubt the things I hear.
The choice is mine.

I can draw close, or I can strain.
I can submit, or go my way.
Within my heart, I hear him say,
‘The choice is mine.’

If I, the King of Heaven, choose
If I, the things of Earth, refuse
The best I’d gain, the worst I’d lose.
The choice is mine.

Because He gave His life for me,
Because of love at Calvary
I take Him for eternity.
The choice is mine.

Let the Packing Begin

Yup... I am OfIcIaLlY packing now.... not un-officially.... ;)  Right now I'm just trying to sort through stuff that I want at school, and stuff that needs to be packed for the move.  Lol, I am a total packrat... I have so much junk that I need to clear out!  Here are some pictures from camp... my camera broke early into the week... story of my life... camera's and I don't usually get along.  And of course, just in time to go back to school :(  My dear brother is trying to fix it as we speak, we'll see what happens!!!   Only 3 1/2 more days of work, and at this time next week, I'll be back at Fairhaven....

This week of camp was amazing... Bro Jon Jenkins from Grace Baptist Church in Gaylord, MI was the guest speaker, and the sermons were amazing!!! The camp director's daughter in law gave devotionals every afternoon for the girls, and they were amazing for me at this point in my life.  It was also such a blessing to be able to talk to my Pastor's wife about things that have been going on this year.  She was such a blessing to me!! 

Off To Camp

Well, we're heading up to Michigan this afternoon.... ~gasp~ I won't be online again until next Tuesday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Lol, will I survive??  I hope so... and then only one week after that, I'll be off to college!  WOOHOO... I'm super excited and nervous and such about what this year is going to be like! It will definitely have a lot of new adventures and happenings and such! Well... I hope everyone has a great week, and I'll see you, well... talk to you, next week!

I Can Go In

He stood beside the gate of Heaven, waiting to go in,
And he wondered how this Holy Place could take a man like him.
With shouts of great rejoicing and with music then they came,
Of the angels standing by him he asked what could be their name?

"These are the company of prophets.  The goodly fellowship of souls,"
"Who spake God's Word with faith and boldness; who blessed the poor,
    and made the wounded whole."

"Oh," he fell upon his knees, and cried, "I am not one of these."

He waited 'til another band of shining ones drew nigh,
They entered into Heaven with a "Hallelujah" cry.
He asked again, "Who are these?  Can you tell me whence they came?"
He seemed to see the answer in a burning tongue of flame.

"These are the company of martyrs, the mighty fellowship of Saints."
"Who knew our Lord and walked beside Him."
"Who ran the holy race and did not faint."

"Oh," he fell upon his knees, and cried, "I am not one of these."

Then suddenly, a multitude was heard from far away.
Their voices rang with songs of joy like children at their play.
He saw Rahab, he saw David, Mary Magdalene and Paul,
And the thief who died by Jesus was the one who led them all.

"Who are these?!" he almost shouted at the angels.
"These are the sinners saved by grace!"
"The host of them who called upon the Savior;"
"Washed in Blood and justified by faith!"

And, Oh...he leaped up from his knees!
"Oh, I can go in with these!!!!"

"And I can go in, for my heart is free from sin."
"I've been washed in the Blood, everlasting life to win."
"I can rejoice, I can lift up my voice...I can sing...and I can go in."

Oh, he thought there could be no hallelujahs and no cries,
For this lowly band of people by the world despised,
But as the scenes of heaven opened up before his eyes,
He saw the martyrs and the prophets, and the host of heaven rise,
And they sang, "I can go in.  For my heart is free from sin."
I've been washed in the blood, everlasting life to win,"
"I can rejoice, I can lift up my voice...I can sing...and I can go in."
"I can go in."
"I can rejoice, I can lift up my voice...I can sing...and I can go in."
"I can go in."

Rainy Day Syndrome....

Well... actually rainy days syndrome.... it's been pretty much a continuous shower since yesterday morning.... At work, one definitely feels the rainy day all the way through... for the past two days it's been crazy slow! I think we made like 5 sales today!  And on top of that everyone just feels dreary and tired... Since everyone's been slow, I've recruited plenty of help for my letter-stuffing which is a blessing.  I think I'm gonna go in for a few hours in the afternoon and see if I can get a whole bunch down (And get a few more hours on the clock, lol).
Last night I took Dakota out on his 'date' night... We were gonna go bowling, but... we couldn't find a bowling alley :(  So, we just went to Bob Evans, and then shopping... he helped me get a whole bunch of stuff that I need for school! He's a really good shopping partner, lol.  We only got a few pictures and all of them were of bad quality, so... No pics for ya'll :(

But, I was looking at the friends post I did the other night, and realized I needed to add a few more!

Lauren is my... ummm.... partner in crime! LOL, jk ;)  We became good friends near the end of

the year, after being 'just friends' all year...  We had lots of fun together on the last college activity at Turkey Run... 

Then there's Sarah B...  We didn't hang out much while I was at school... she was good friends with both of my roommates so I knew her well, but we never really hung out on our own accord, until the night before I left!  My roommates were already gone, so were her's, so I spent the night in her room.  Ever since then we've been good email/text friends!  I don't have a good picture to post for her though :( 

Finally, there's these three guys...

and this guy...  My real brothers... the ones I've been stuck with for the rest of my life... and the one's God's blessed me with!  I may hate them often, wishing to strangle them or something (ha, some people don't think I can be vicious, lol, I'm not really), but down deep I love them! 

Moving on... my rainy day continues... someone said it even snowed this afternoon... I'm not totally sure that I believe it! I do know that I'm comfortably snuggled in a long sleeve/ long john material shirt... and last night I grabbed my comforter half-way through the night and wrapped up in it... which was a nice change after throwing my sheet off night after night in the scorching heat! lol.... Well, hope everyone has a good night!  Sunday we're heading up north, and Monday it's off to camp.  I thought I was going as a counselor this year, but my pastor decided that I should still go as a camper because even though I'm in college, I'm still the same age as most of the campers... ahhh.... the pros and cons of graduating early, a class all of my own!! College experienced campers... bring it! 

Friends!!!

Tonight, I was playing through some of my sheet music, and found an arrangement that a dear friend of mine had given me when she used it to compete at Empowered Youth last year.  I got thinking about all the many great friends that God has blessed me with over my short 18 years....  I truly have been blessed.... beyond measure... Lol, it's totally fitting that the song was "Count Your Blessings"! 

First... my dear friends Grace and Rachel... 13 years and counting... two five year olds who spend their time fighting continuously, yet still holding out a great friendship after so long.... And we can't forget the three year old sister! I've always been able to have such a great time with these girls... Love 'em like crazy!

Then there's Colleen... my 26-year old twin...  (Sorry... some of these pictures are bad... or as Grace would say: atrocious)  She knows all my secrets... I think... We clicked from the get-go... good friends all through my high school years... 

On to my College friends... Crystal (L) was my BEST friend my first semester... we met at Preaching Conference the spring before we both started college, and we quickly became fast friends.... always together... People would pick on us because they would rarely see one of us without the other... if they couldn't find Crystal, they would come ask me, and vice verse... Even though we've gone our separate ways for now, I'm so thankful for the friendship I had with Crystal.

And of course I can't forget my roommates... My Room Captain, Jordyn (C) was a great help to me... sometimes people would laugh at us and call her 'mommy' Jordyn, because Jordyn took her role very seriously.  At the time it wasn't very appreciated, but looking back, I am thankful for her loving advice and concern...   Karina... (R) my Belarussian roomie... such fun to learn about her and her culture... she was always fun to be around and even though we had our fights, she could usually make me laugh

Jorge, Karina and I had such a great time rooming together... I don't think I'll ever have as great as roommates as them! 

Then there's 'the guys'... Yeah, this picture is AWFUL!! They might kill me when they see this, oh well... They weren't cooperating with me at the lighting was bad, and it's the only picture I have of them... Caleb(L) is like a brother to me... and John... well... he's John... We've had great times this past year!

Some newer friends are Elizabeth(L) and Christina(C).  We hung out together when we went to a Cub's game in April.  Elizabeth is kind of like a sister to me, and Christina's always fun to be around!  

Finally my 'high school' friends....  Morgan (LC) is the one that gave me the arrangement, her and her sister Bethlie (L) are like the little sister's I never had.  Actually, Bethlie and I are ALMOST, the same age.  I love these girls... they're so much fun to be around.  

So... all in all... amazing friends... amazing life... Blessed beyond measure.

♫It's A Small World After All...♫

So, tonight at church, we had a family come to church that sorta, kinda, maybe, looked familiar.... Well, after church when one of the daughters came up to me and asked my name... when I told her, she reminded me that we had met at Preaching Conference this April.  She goes to church with my friend Suzy from school... and had commented on my blog before I even went to Fairhaven asking me if I knew Suzy, and then 'lo and behold' I ended up going to Nursing Home with Suzy!

YEEHAW!!!!!!!!!!!!!

MY BROTHER'S COMING HOME!!!!!!!  

He should be back before I leave for school! :) Now... whether I get to see him before I leave for school... that's the great mystery yet to be uncovered... but.... he'll be safe in the states!!!!!!!  PTL!  

Monotony....

Monotony: [muh-not-n-ee] noun 1. wearisome uniformity or lack of variety, as in occupation or scenery.

That's probably a word that pops into your head as you read my blog! LOL!  But, today at work, it was the word that kept popping into my head.  Some synonyms are: boredom, dreariness, and dullness.  Yup, sounds just right. Let's see... write out address onto letter, fold letter around pamphlet, insert into envelope, seal envelope, affix address label and stamp, throw into letter box, repeat.... like... 100 times...Fun, I know, right?  Anyway, yup, that was my day... my boss wants 'marketing' letters to be sent to all the doctors that we work with for our diabetic shoe patients... all of them... that's like over 500!  AND THEN... on top of that, when I'm done I get to do all the power chair doctors... the problem is... we can't figure out how to separate the doctors, so... all the local ones get diabetic shoe letters, and then ALL of them... that's right... ALL of them, get a power chair letter.... I'm pretty sure there's over 1,000.... Well, I definitely have something to do at work until I leave for school!  One of my friends from church just got hired there to help once we move, so it's been fun working with her, although, for the time being she's been sent to the dungeon (aka: lower level) to learn insurance happenings.... that's one thing I haven't learned yet. Well... hope everyone's week is going GREAT!  

This is a little something I found on a blog, and thought it was absolutely hilarious!!!!!! So... for anyone that needs to smile more, there ya go ;)  LOL

AMEN!

"Never give up on a dream just because of the length of time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway."

Now then...

Well, now that my trip and all it's pictures are posted... what's been going on at the homefront?  Well... my mom has OFFICIALLY turned in a 2 month's notice... they will be moving in October... So, what does that do for me? Well... I get to get a head start on packing for school! I want to have my room packed and ready for the move before I leave, so yesterday I started going through my clothes and school stuff... I'm shocked with the pile of clothes that I'm getting rid of, and more shocked with how many clothes I still have, lol! My mom has been cleaning out the garage and going through the boys clothes.  

Tonight we're having a birthday part at church for one of the girls who just turned 21.  Then I spend the rest of the week working, packing and all that fun stuff.  Sunday after morning service, we're going to drive up to NBC for the evening service, and then Monday morning the boys and I head off to a week at camp.... After camp we're going to meet my mom, Hunter, and another family from the church at my grandparents cottage for a final vacation before I head back to school.  We'll come back probably on Monday, and then one more week of work and packing. I go back to school on the 28th... Three weeks and Two days... I ca't believe how fast this summer has flown by.  Anyway, hope every one is doing well :)  Here is a little video for ya'll to enjoy ;)