Oh my Goodness!!!

A lot has happened in the last couple of weeks...the bulk of it being tied into: I'M MOVING TO NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE!!! God has again worked in a mysterious way, in His own timing. Who knew I had to go to Phoenix, AZ to get a job in Nashville? I have to keep pinching myself to reassure myself that it's real. It has happened SO quickly and unexpectedly that my head is still whirling in orbit. I am excited, anxious, nervous, scared out of my wits...you name it, I've probably felt it! My last day at the church is three weeks from today and I will be moving only a couple days after that. I have not found a place to live yet, but I'm working on it. I have started packing, but I'm not very far. I've moved before and I know it takes a lot of work, but I am quickly learning that it's 10x worse moving to a different state. I will be working for a travel agency- travel will no longer be optional! And I'll be where I've always wanted to be.
But there are a lot of questions and concerns, more than my mind has been able to handle. One comfort through all of this has been that it is without a doubt from God. Only God could have opened these doors. Only God could have given me the faith and courage to walk through them. So, God is not going to desert me in the details of the move. If only this thought could shut my head up so I could get some sleep!
Though I am very excited about this new direction and adventure, there is definitely some sadness to be dealt with, especially with saying goodbye:

• My Survivor Family- I can't even begin to describe how much I will miss all of you. Every time I even begin to entertain the thought of that goodbye I start to cry. Thursday nights have meant more to me than anyone could have imagined. It is a great comfort to know that we will be in each other's thoughts and prayers every Thursday night. For Travis, you know more about our girly stuff than is right for any guy and yet you still laugh with us... For Jennifer, your friendship has meant a lot, your fashion advice will be sorely missed, and for Brandon's sake I'm going to leave you some of my dessert recipes! For Eric & Jayla, I will miss the rock-n-roll stories and watching hide-n-seek. For Brandon & Karla, Grace & Seth, I've never felt more a part of someone's family (other than my own) than with you; you have shown me what real ministry should look like and you've put up with a lot of my babbling.
  
• My Pledge Girls- Though you have all graduated and gone on to college, our opportunities to see each other will even more greatly decrease. Thank God for the internet, (I NEVER thought I would ever hear myself say that) MySpace and Facebook. We never have to lose touch. For Colleen, I will never have a perfect Triple Grande Caramel Macchiato, but don't you worry I'll still come back to celebrate that very special birthday! For Catherine, you always share encouragement and a warm hug, even if you might not feel up to it- I will miss visiting you at ISU. For Brittany, you always made me laugh or want to roll my eyes at your sarcastic comments. For Lisa, you always have such wonderful (and funny) stories to tell, and your movie advice was always treasured. For all of you, I will greatly miss Dr. Seuss!
  
• Ladies in the Office- We have laughed, we have yelled, we have cried. We've been through a lot in only a couple of years; some memories we'll all be happy to lose, others we will treasure for a long time to come. I will be praying for the person to come (I don't want you guys stuck with my work), I hope they will be a great support in the office, but also a great friend. For Sherry, I hope they won't interrupt you as much, but can still go shopping with you. For Ashley, I hope they can hold their own with publications and not bug you like I did, but can laugh and share as much as we have. For Sara, hopefully you'll get a lot more work done, but will have someone that is as much an encouragement to you as you will be to them and to swap books and ideas with. For Jenise & Kelli, though I haven't been able to come to breakfast for awhile, I hope there is someone who will be able to share this fun tradition with you. For Katie, I hope they admire your style (and won't catch on to the hair pattern). For Angelina, our JOY times will be missed more than I know you (or I) will admit, your friendship and willingness to listen are completely irreplacable.
• Student Ministries- I will miss all the students. You have shared parts of your lives with me and ministered to me in many ways. For Jon- ('cause I don't have another place to mention you) I will miss our banter for it has perked up many a blah day. Keep going with your ministry, God will bless it!
• My Roommate- Kalee, we've lived together for 2 1/2 years. We finish each other's sentences, cook dinner for each other, but never clean up after each other! I hope I have not tainted your idea of sharing a residence. I will miss our roommate nights with pizza, Smirnoff's, and TV. I will think of you every time I watch Los Wages or empty the dishwasher. You better visit me!
• Many other people in Des Moines- y'all know who you are. I will miss you without a doubt.
• My family- I know it is not actually goodbye, that we will see each other only a couple of months after I move, but it's still hard. I'm still only a day away or a phone call. Lord willing, I will still be there for everything important. I love you all more than words can say.

Well, now that I've turned this into a somewhat depressing blog... I will miss you all, and will be sad to say goodbye. But I know without a shadow of a doubt that God has big things in store for all of us and someday we will be able to swap amazing stories. I look forward to that day!

Reflections & Resolutions

I started this blog a couple of weeks ago, got pulled away and was unable to finish it. I decided to post it as is and start new with new info...

I was catching up on several friends' blogs today and many of them were reflecting on 2006. I thought I would add a few of my own to cyberspace and some thoughts for the new year also.

Books: I read quite a few...here's just a couple

• Added to my Xanth series by Piers Anthony including Geis of the Gargoyle, Roc and a Hard Place and Yon Ill Wind
• Read Kissing Adrien by Siri L. Mitchell 8 or 9 times over the summer
• Been working on Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller for quite some time and still going
  

Movies: Saw lots of films, some good, some not so good, but only one was worth going to a midnight showing of...

• X-Men 3

Concert schedule was all dried up for me this year.

Major Highlight:

• GUESSING THE CORRECT WINNER OF SURVIVOR TWO SEASONS IN A ROW!!!

(And for you skeptics, I did not hear Survivor King's predictions before making my own. But I did do my research homework!)

Holidays=Stress?

It's that time of year again- the Holiday Season. It is supposed to be the season of perpetual peace and joy. Why then are we driven into a frenzy that would rival Walmart on Black Friday? Why have we allowed this season to become the most difficult time of the year?

I am dealing with many personal stresses this year. Some I have put upon myself, some I have chosen, and some I feel are not within my power to say no. I chose to bake 6 different kinds of cookies. I chose to go above and beyond in my Christmas shopping. And it is my decision to accept each of the invitations I have received for different holiday events. But I also have strained relationships between family members that I got caught in the middle of and am trying to keep good connections with. Certain events I am committed to have overlapped in scheduling, bringing out the nascar driver within me (both in the car and out). And what can you do about work and other normal events that are still occurring?

I long for a simpler time when everyone gathered together for one day. Each person brought something so preparations didn't fall to one person. Decorations were created as part of the day's activities. Gifts were shared around the circle equally. It was a time of love and community. A time to enjoy the company of others in a relaxed, inviting, unhurried environment. These were holidays of days gone by, when perpetual love and peace seemed to truly exist.

All that aside, I still look forward to Christmas every year: Of course the food is the best of the year and the warmth of hot cocoa fills me with cheer; Christmas music-oh how it makes me smile; who can argue that presents aren't wonderful; the twinkling lights tickle my fancy; and friends and family gathering near is the best gift of all!

Happy Turkey Day!

Happy Thanksgiving!
I hope everyone is enjoying the feast-ive holiday. I am excitedly anticipating the delicious meal we will shortly be partaking as the heavenly aroma of turkey and other fixin's drift down the hallway to my family's den. I will soon be fighting my brother and sister for rights to a turkey leg and investing my time in eating the best meal of the year. I can't wait!
Yesterday was also a wonderful day as I was able to spend some time with my small group girls home for the holiday. I cannot express enough how much I have missed them this fall (as stated many times) and it brought over-flowing joy to my heart to see them and share in their ever-changing lives.
Tomorrow is also a very special day for me and my mom. It is Black Friday. Every year (even when we don't see anything of interest in the ads) we awake long before dawn to rush to the stores, fight the maddening crowds, and purchase things that we really could live without. Thanksgiving day is spent cooking and perusing the newspaper ads. We've also looked online in preparation. We want to be fully prepared for what the day has to offer. Usually our first stop is JCPenney, if only to receive a Disney snowglobe. We have been receiving them every year since they began to give them out and I proudly display my consecutive collection every year at Christmas. Then we head to Younkers, Walmart and Target; ads in hand, battle plan ready, and a strict list of everything we want. We attack the store without mercy, quickly finding each item on our list, throwing them into the cart and rushing to the next item. Then, when we have everything we originally came for, we casually stroll through the store to see if we missed anything and to evaluate whether we are truly going to purchase everything we've picked up. Once final decisions have been made, we head to the checkout and on to the next store for the same melee. Though absolutely crazy, it's one of my favorite days of the year and one of my favorite traditions. We've even begun to train my sister in the art of Black Friday shopping!
The dinner bell has rung; I'm rushing off to our Thanksgiving meal! Happy Thanksgiving & Happy Turkey Day! And for those of you who are as crazy as my family- Happy Black Friday!

Update?

I haven't had much time to write recently. Usually I do my writing at work during the down times, but there haven't been any lately. I've also struggled with what to write. There has been a lot of not so good things going on in my life and around me, yet I don't want my blog to turn into a whine-fest or a complaint board. I want it to remain as positive as possible. But for those of you who get the privilege (if you can call it that) of listening to my vents or verbal processing you'll understand that at times like the recent, it's very difficult for me to find or focus upon anything positive. I just now caught up on several friends' blogs and it's great to hear what's happening in their lives, especially when I don't get to see them very often. So, I thought I also better post, but like I said, I'm not sure what else to talk about.
Work's been crazy busy. We had our Great Pumpkin Party last week- the largest event of the year. Over 3000 people came through the doors of our church and we were here til after 12:30 am cleaning up as much as we could. We have many more events and projects on the horizon, so it is not really slowing down at all. But I am grateful for a very supportive boss who takes me into consideration every time before the job.
Some good news on the family front: My family went to a college fair and my brother and sister both found Christian colleges that they will be adding to their list of potential applications. I'm very excited for them as they approach this next stage in life. But I must admit, it makes me feel kinda old. I still call them my little brother and sister!
I'm planning some get-togethers with my small group girls from last year, and that brings over-flowing joy to my soul! I miss them all SO much. It will be GREAT to see all of them and get updates on life. (Email can only share so much)
Oh, one last thing before I go. My friend, Travis, blogged about getting back in touch with an old friend and thought I'd share a somewhat similar experience. A couple of weeks ago, a long-lost friend of mine sent me a friend request on my Myspace page. I was very surprised; we haven't talked in at least 2 years. I also remember looking him up (along with several other long-lost friends) when I first started my Myspace and didn't find him. It was only a friend request, no messages attached, but it was still nice to hear from him. But it also opens a big door of curiosity...So, friend, if you read this, I've got questions...
Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend, especially those of you enjoying some island-time. I'll be back soon...

Fairy Tales

I awoke this morning with a familiar song playing through my mind. It brought peace and was a wonderful reminder that there is more yet to come for me and to anyone who believes:

...Have faith in your dreams and someday
your rainbow will come shining through.
No matter how your heart is grieving,
if you keep on believing,
the dream that you wish will come true.
~Cinderella~

I realize that it comes from a fairy tale/Disney movie, but it still speaks to my heart. I still believe in fairy tales. I hope I believe in them until the day I take my last breath. Fairy tales can come true. But there are important things to remember: most fairy tales do not turn out as expected. Their happy endings do not just happen, the heroes and heroines must prove they are worthy of their "happily ever after". They must endure trials, hardship and many times isolation. Great growth can occur if their faith is sure and steady. They must endure to achieve, persevere to profit.
As many adversities appear on my path, I will cling to these words. I know that my "happily ever after" is coming. I may not have the opportunity to appreciate it while I inhabit the earth, but someday I will enjoy my eternal happy ending.

Appreciation!

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! A giant THANK YOU goes to Brandon Barker for assisting me in updating my blog with links and a wonderful picture of the Eiffel Tower. In all honesty, I shouldn't say assisting- he did it all. (I didn't realize it would take HTML knowledge, of which I have none.) So, Thank you Brandon. I am appreciative, grateful, indebted, much obliged, delighted and beholden.

Survivor Family

Last Thursday was the kick-off of Survivor. I can no longer be called a Survivor rookie. I have now loyally watched two seasons- the second of which I picked the winner for (thank you Aras!)
Every Thursday night during Survivor seasons, we gather at the Barkers house. Karla makes amazing home-cooked meals, something we singletons LOVE! Brandon will grill and engage us in interesting topics of conversation. Now, the past two seasons, it was only the Barkers, Jennifer, Monica for the first, and myself. This past week with the start of the new season, there were a lot of people there- Jon and his wife Kelly came later, Travis, Jeremy, Eric and of course the kids Grace, Seth, and Jayla (sp?). We filled the basement as we crowded around the television to cheer on our favorite players. We (or should I say mostly me) got shushed by Brandon every few minutes, as talking is NOT allowed! A wonderful time was had by all- or at least it seemed so.
I personally look forward to each Thursday night. It doesn't seem to matter how tired I am, I always get excited as I'm driving to the Barker's house. Though I have learned to enjoy the show, this is not my real reason for going; I never watched before joining everyone there. I wanted some fellowship, some friends that I could share laughter and tears with. What I got though was so much more than that- I got a family. They are my Survivor family. We are an odd bunch, much stranger than the weirdest of normal families, but we are still family. And as Brandon says, "Family sticks together." Even when their Survivor pick has been kicked off and the rookie's has won!