Blog FAIL...So it's more than 1/2 way through June and I have yet to post about May...
May was good, and hard. I watched the last of my savings disappear (stupid car trouble and unemployment!). But God was merciful and gave me a brother who shares and a job to help.
I began working at a reservation near my house in group homes with children removed from their homes. It's a really REALLY great job. Challenging and exhausting, but so worth it. I work 4 ten hour shifts a week and mos of the time they're in the afternoon/evening, so I get to tuck the kiddos into bed. It's my favorite time of day, because it's so easy to show love and affection to them individually.
My work schedule is unpredictable and changes from week to week and adjusting to it and being employed again after 2 months off has been exhausting...so I haven't done much besides read, sleep and work.
Sorry about the late entry...
But at least there's not much else to report.
Books this month: Beautiful Creatures, and the Final book in the Wheel of time Series (if you haven't read them, there are 14, check them out! ...It's actually the series that Megan and Jordan's son got his middle name from)
Music this Month: Still on a country kick, and can't get the artist Pink's songs out of my head. She's got a great new one, but her older stuff is still catchy and gets stuck in my head. Also, for some random reason Rubber Ducky from Sesame Street pops in the mix too.
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Thursday, May 9, 2013
April 2013
April was all too quick. I spent the first weekend enjoying, celebrating and participating in the wedding of two dear friends. It was a wonderful, wonderful day. I sent a pic of it already.
I then spent the next weekend in town with family, and my favorite great aunt flew into town too. We had our annual ladies luncheon, 4 generations in one room, eating together. I love LOVE this time each year.
In order to be in the wedding, I had to quit my job, so I spent April unemployed. It was nice and scary. I was able to rest, organize, clean. I spent time at parks, the zoo, in a blanket fort of my own making, etc. I also, however, watched all of my money slipping away. There were many prayers of provision and a plan to pack and move into a family member's basement in CO if necessary.
I also turned 27 this month. I am in a bit of a "quarter life crisis" still being unmarried and childless, so I wasn't really in the mood for celebrating. Instead I had a princess party for all the young girls in the church. We all dressed in fancy gowns, danced, colored, watched Cinderella and decorated (and ate) cupcakes. For my actual birthday a group of women from my church here accompanied me to dinner.
I'll cheat a bit and let you in on a bit of May thus far. I've been offered a position at a local reservation working with youth. Still waiting on approval, so no income and no official job...but an answer to prayer.
Nothing big planned for May, other than starting work or moving into a basement in CO ;) So the next post will tell.
Thanks for checking in. And sorry for the late post. No excuse at all.
>> Books this month: I've started reading Kisses from Katie (a book about a missionary to an orphanage in Africa). Really good so far.
>> Songs this month: Nothing's really struck my fancy this month.
I then spent the next weekend in town with family, and my favorite great aunt flew into town too. We had our annual ladies luncheon, 4 generations in one room, eating together. I love LOVE this time each year.
In order to be in the wedding, I had to quit my job, so I spent April unemployed. It was nice and scary. I was able to rest, organize, clean. I spent time at parks, the zoo, in a blanket fort of my own making, etc. I also, however, watched all of my money slipping away. There were many prayers of provision and a plan to pack and move into a family member's basement in CO if necessary.
I also turned 27 this month. I am in a bit of a "quarter life crisis" still being unmarried and childless, so I wasn't really in the mood for celebrating. Instead I had a princess party for all the young girls in the church. We all dressed in fancy gowns, danced, colored, watched Cinderella and decorated (and ate) cupcakes. For my actual birthday a group of women from my church here accompanied me to dinner.
I'll cheat a bit and let you in on a bit of May thus far. I've been offered a position at a local reservation working with youth. Still waiting on approval, so no income and no official job...but an answer to prayer.
Nothing big planned for May, other than starting work or moving into a basement in CO ;) So the next post will tell.
Thanks for checking in. And sorry for the late post. No excuse at all.
>> Books this month: I've started reading Kisses from Katie (a book about a missionary to an orphanage in Africa). Really good so far.
>> Songs this month: Nothing's really struck my fancy this month.
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
March 2013
March 2013 was perhaps the most stressful month I've experienced in a long time.
Work was hectic and they denied my request for time off to be in a friend's wedding. I prayed and fretted and waited. It was agonizing, stressful and hard! Finally I received the strength and answer to prayer to quit my job.
I also had some fun in March. We began our new Bible Study team, meeting at our house with about 8 of us.
My dear friends' son turned one and I attended his party and pushed their little girl on the swing. It was a great and relaxing afternoon.
Easter was a great day :) I attended church with friends, and then we had a group of friends over for dinner.
And During the last few days of March I began a 2 week housesitting gig in Fountain Hills for old family friends. I fondly call this place my "retreat". It's got a great view of mountains, palm trees and is in a quiet neighborhood. When the weather is nice I enjoy tanning by the pool during the day and star gazing at night.
The beginning of April consisted of housesitting, wedding and family. Pictures to come :)
Books this Month: Secret Garden (didn't read much, due to stress and job applications galore)
Music this Month: None sticks out at the moment.
Work was hectic and they denied my request for time off to be in a friend's wedding. I prayed and fretted and waited. It was agonizing, stressful and hard! Finally I received the strength and answer to prayer to quit my job.
I also had some fun in March. We began our new Bible Study team, meeting at our house with about 8 of us.
My dear friends' son turned one and I attended his party and pushed their little girl on the swing. It was a great and relaxing afternoon.
Easter was a great day :) I attended church with friends, and then we had a group of friends over for dinner.
And During the last few days of March I began a 2 week housesitting gig in Fountain Hills for old family friends. I fondly call this place my "retreat". It's got a great view of mountains, palm trees and is in a quiet neighborhood. When the weather is nice I enjoy tanning by the pool during the day and star gazing at night.
The beginning of April consisted of housesitting, wedding and family. Pictures to come :)
Books this Month: Secret Garden (didn't read much, due to stress and job applications galore)
Music this Month: None sticks out at the moment.
Thursday, March 7, 2013
February 2013
February was a pretty good month. Flew by with the little things of day to day life.
We moved into a new house. It's a 3 bedroom quad and I LOVE IT! It's big enough to host people and I cannot wait to get started! Our church recently reorganized our small group studies into age groups and we will be hosting here often :) We will also be hosting women's prayer night, and I am working to get my co workers and friends to come too.
I spend my Mondays with a friend who moved out from Colorado to join the church here too. I hang out with her and her two kiddos, and found out that she and her husband will be having a third. That makes for 4 pregnant women in a church with only 11 or so young married couples. Our church is a growin' :)
Which is exciting for many reasons, but one of them is that I took over Children's Ministry at church and get to be in charge of toys, curriculum and scheduling. It's been quite a bit of work, but I'll find my groove.
I'm also still trucking along in my online class. Online classes require GOBS and gobs of reading. I didn't even read this much in my senior capstone. But it's been pretty fun things and I am learning some useful things for work, and maybe for a future career.
Work has been busy and stressful, mostly because of several emotional situations. It's hard working with so many broken people and having to maintain boundaries. Sometimes they're blurred and sometimes you just want to leap past them to help a person in need...but of course if I did that I'd wear myself out jumping for everyone, so I keep working towards finding a balance.
In other news, I am still waiting to hear back from grad school to see if I've been accepted. Hopefully I will know by the end of March.
Oh, and that picture of the flowers and chocolate..that was a gift from my boyfriend Josh. We've been in school together since the 7th grade and friends since 9th. We recently began a long distance relationship, and we will see where things go.
Any way, that's my month. I just wanted to let you readers know that I love you. I may be the worse communicator alive (which is why I started this blog in the first place). But in all honesty there isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about each and every single one of you..which is probably why I don't call or email...because it would take me all day to talk to everyone I love in a day. Not very good reasoning, I know. I'm working on it...
Books this month: Case studies...and more case studies...
Songs this month: case studies and more case studies...didn't really listen to much music of note.
We moved into a new house. It's a 3 bedroom quad and I LOVE IT! It's big enough to host people and I cannot wait to get started! Our church recently reorganized our small group studies into age groups and we will be hosting here often :) We will also be hosting women's prayer night, and I am working to get my co workers and friends to come too.
I spend my Mondays with a friend who moved out from Colorado to join the church here too. I hang out with her and her two kiddos, and found out that she and her husband will be having a third. That makes for 4 pregnant women in a church with only 11 or so young married couples. Our church is a growin' :)
Which is exciting for many reasons, but one of them is that I took over Children's Ministry at church and get to be in charge of toys, curriculum and scheduling. It's been quite a bit of work, but I'll find my groove.
I'm also still trucking along in my online class. Online classes require GOBS and gobs of reading. I didn't even read this much in my senior capstone. But it's been pretty fun things and I am learning some useful things for work, and maybe for a future career.
Work has been busy and stressful, mostly because of several emotional situations. It's hard working with so many broken people and having to maintain boundaries. Sometimes they're blurred and sometimes you just want to leap past them to help a person in need...but of course if I did that I'd wear myself out jumping for everyone, so I keep working towards finding a balance.
In other news, I am still waiting to hear back from grad school to see if I've been accepted. Hopefully I will know by the end of March.
Oh, and that picture of the flowers and chocolate..that was a gift from my boyfriend Josh. We've been in school together since the 7th grade and friends since 9th. We recently began a long distance relationship, and we will see where things go.
Any way, that's my month. I just wanted to let you readers know that I love you. I may be the worse communicator alive (which is why I started this blog in the first place). But in all honesty there isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about each and every single one of you..which is probably why I don't call or email...because it would take me all day to talk to everyone I love in a day. Not very good reasoning, I know. I'm working on it...
Books this month: Case studies...and more case studies...
Songs this month: case studies and more case studies...didn't really listen to much music of note.
Monday, February 4, 2013
January 2013
January was a good month. One I desperately needed.
I left for Colorado on the 23 of December and was able to stay in Colorado until the 23rd of January. It worked out that I was able to keep my job, and I missed my girls. I had serious anxiety about how it would be when I returned to work, but so far, so good, and my girls missed me too.
I spend January staying with my Nana, in her newly finished and awesome basement. I was able to spend some more time with her than I would have otherwise. I also had an opportunity to catch up with good friends and had LOTS of time with family. Taking my daddy on dates, eating meals with my family, spending time with Katie and her family too. It was nice to have that normalcy again in my life, despite some really hard things that have happened in CO recently.
Nana is recovering fabulously from her hip replacement and is already back to walking her dog Dickens. My "nieces" and nephews are growing like weeds and, they all still know and miss me. I have to tell you it feels good to have them come running to my arms when they see me :)
I was also able to serve the Alvarado family while I was out there and help with cleaning and child care. The kids are getting so big (except for little Esther, who is doing really well). She has completed chemo and her stem cell transplant and is now onto radiation. Once that is complete, she will be able to return home. She will still have no immune system for about 6 months and they will have to keep an isolated, germ free lifestyle, but at least they will all be together.
We moved to a bigger apartment on the 24th, and I have spent the days since then unpacking, organizing, cleaning and settling in. I have also signed up for an online class and will be spending copious amounts of time reading for the assignments. I am going to really enjoy the class though :)
Not much else I can say about January, but all in all it was good to be able to be home and see to some things and feel some normalcy. I miss it a lot already.
Books this month: I started reading Beautiful Creatures (it's being made into a movie) and it's good so far.
Music this month: I am still on a country music kick, but my brother gave me some Ozzy Osbourne cds for Christmas and I am LOVING having those :) ...just need a cd player in my car.
I left for Colorado on the 23 of December and was able to stay in Colorado until the 23rd of January. It worked out that I was able to keep my job, and I missed my girls. I had serious anxiety about how it would be when I returned to work, but so far, so good, and my girls missed me too.
I spend January staying with my Nana, in her newly finished and awesome basement. I was able to spend some more time with her than I would have otherwise. I also had an opportunity to catch up with good friends and had LOTS of time with family. Taking my daddy on dates, eating meals with my family, spending time with Katie and her family too. It was nice to have that normalcy again in my life, despite some really hard things that have happened in CO recently.
Nana is recovering fabulously from her hip replacement and is already back to walking her dog Dickens. My "nieces" and nephews are growing like weeds and, they all still know and miss me. I have to tell you it feels good to have them come running to my arms when they see me :)
I was also able to serve the Alvarado family while I was out there and help with cleaning and child care. The kids are getting so big (except for little Esther, who is doing really well). She has completed chemo and her stem cell transplant and is now onto radiation. Once that is complete, she will be able to return home. She will still have no immune system for about 6 months and they will have to keep an isolated, germ free lifestyle, but at least they will all be together.
We moved to a bigger apartment on the 24th, and I have spent the days since then unpacking, organizing, cleaning and settling in. I have also signed up for an online class and will be spending copious amounts of time reading for the assignments. I am going to really enjoy the class though :)
Not much else I can say about January, but all in all it was good to be able to be home and see to some things and feel some normalcy. I miss it a lot already.
Books this month: I started reading Beautiful Creatures (it's being made into a movie) and it's good so far.
Music this month: I am still on a country music kick, but my brother gave me some Ozzy Osbourne cds for Christmas and I am LOVING having those :) ...just need a cd player in my car.
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
December 2012
This was one of the most stressful months of my life. By the end of the month it felt like a million pounds had been lifted off my shoulders.
I told my boss on November 30 that I needed to take leave starting December 22 and leave was not approved until 10:50am on December 21...then at 4pm they told me that my leave started December 23 and I had to go to work on Saturday...
After 3 weeks of unbelievable stress and anxiously wating, I was on the road on December 23 back to CO. I spent the rest of December catching up with family and being there for them and with them. It's been a relief and reprieve to be able to be home with them.
My leave is until January 26th, and while I will likely spend the rest of the year paying for this leave, I know it is the right thing to do. I have such a peace about being back here and I am able to help in situations I have been longing to help for a while.
For stress relief I have been hanging out with kiddos and catching up with friends in my spare time. I'm staying with my Nana, whom I have decided is "kick ass". She broke her hip the week before Thanksgiving and on Christmas Eve morning she came downstairs to greet me like it was no big thing. She is already taking her golden retriever Dickens on short walks and I even her physical therapist has been impressed with her progress.
Needless to say, I am glad December is over.
2012 was a hard year and a good year. I am looking forward to 2013 with some trepidation and am working on setting some goals. I am applying to grad school, and am hoping to be accepted into a program at ASU called Infant-Family Practice. It's the program I was initially accepted into when I moved to AZ, and now that I have in state tuition, it seems like a great idea. I am prayerful that I will be accepted. I still need to complete a personal letter, get 3 letters of recommendation and transfer my transcripts. I recently found out that the deadline is January 15th and not February 15th, so I am in a bit more of a hurry. However, in God's goodness, this program has rolling admission.
Christmas was amazing and it was nice to be back with family, all alive and healthy, and enjoy the almost normalness of the situation. I think it will be a while before we're all at ease, but it was a good start.
Not much else to report.
Books this month: Beautiful Creatures ... it's being made into a movie, so I thought I'd check it out. It's good so far.
Music this month: whatever is on the radio at the time ... I am looking into getting a CD player in my car and working on a better playlist on my Ipod.
I told my boss on November 30 that I needed to take leave starting December 22 and leave was not approved until 10:50am on December 21...then at 4pm they told me that my leave started December 23 and I had to go to work on Saturday...
After 3 weeks of unbelievable stress and anxiously wating, I was on the road on December 23 back to CO. I spent the rest of December catching up with family and being there for them and with them. It's been a relief and reprieve to be able to be home with them.
My leave is until January 26th, and while I will likely spend the rest of the year paying for this leave, I know it is the right thing to do. I have such a peace about being back here and I am able to help in situations I have been longing to help for a while.
For stress relief I have been hanging out with kiddos and catching up with friends in my spare time. I'm staying with my Nana, whom I have decided is "kick ass". She broke her hip the week before Thanksgiving and on Christmas Eve morning she came downstairs to greet me like it was no big thing. She is already taking her golden retriever Dickens on short walks and I even her physical therapist has been impressed with her progress.
Needless to say, I am glad December is over.
2012 was a hard year and a good year. I am looking forward to 2013 with some trepidation and am working on setting some goals. I am applying to grad school, and am hoping to be accepted into a program at ASU called Infant-Family Practice. It's the program I was initially accepted into when I moved to AZ, and now that I have in state tuition, it seems like a great idea. I am prayerful that I will be accepted. I still need to complete a personal letter, get 3 letters of recommendation and transfer my transcripts. I recently found out that the deadline is January 15th and not February 15th, so I am in a bit more of a hurry. However, in God's goodness, this program has rolling admission.
Christmas was amazing and it was nice to be back with family, all alive and healthy, and enjoy the almost normalness of the situation. I think it will be a while before we're all at ease, but it was a good start.
Not much else to report.
Books this month: Beautiful Creatures ... it's being made into a movie, so I thought I'd check it out. It's good so far.
Music this month: whatever is on the radio at the time ... I am looking into getting a CD player in my car and working on a better playlist on my Ipod.
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
November 2012
November was a hectic month. Crazy hectic!
This month I was busy:
- Looking for a new place to live as my roommates and I need to be out by December 31.
- Looking into classes at CSU, ASU and MCC
- Coordinating Christmas Vacation... re coordinating Christmas vacation.
This month, my Nana broker her hip, my dear friends in CO (with the beautiful daughter with Cancer) asked me to come back for a bit in January, and a loved one close to me almost committed suicide.
With these three events, I have decided to go back to CO for Christmas and stay most of January. I am waiting to see if I qualify for FMLA (family medical leave act), and if I don't get it, I will be quitting my job to go back to CO for a month.
2 Corinthians says "my spirit was not at rest because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I took leave of them and went on to Macedonia."
And that sums up how I feel. There are some hard things going on in CO and I can't be here without taking some time to be there for a bit. I have no rest, and it's time to go. It's a bit scary, because I may be quitting this job to get that peace...but God has always provided and I know he will continue to.
Prayers that I would get FMLA would be lovely!
On to fun news!
Thanksgiving was AWESOME! I spent Thanksgiving day with about 35 people at one of my pastor's homes and we had so much fun together and the food was great! Then I had to go to work, and I was actually able to organize a bunch of things that had been on the back burner.
Then on Monday we had Thanksgiving two at my other pastor's home. There were just a few of us but the food was still AMAZING and we had a good conversation afterwards.
I love my church and I love the fun things we do together. I love their love for each other and each individual heart for the Lord.
I didn't have much time to read this month, but am hoping to read some this month.
Christmas presents are bought and ready to be wrapped. So very excited :)
Tune in next month for December update and hopefully the resolution to the housing situation, job situation and whether or not I will be taking classes.
This month I was busy:
- Looking for a new place to live as my roommates and I need to be out by December 31.
- Looking into classes at CSU, ASU and MCC
- Coordinating Christmas Vacation... re coordinating Christmas vacation.
This month, my Nana broker her hip, my dear friends in CO (with the beautiful daughter with Cancer) asked me to come back for a bit in January, and a loved one close to me almost committed suicide.
With these three events, I have decided to go back to CO for Christmas and stay most of January. I am waiting to see if I qualify for FMLA (family medical leave act), and if I don't get it, I will be quitting my job to go back to CO for a month.
2 Corinthians says "my spirit was not at rest because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I took leave of them and went on to Macedonia."
And that sums up how I feel. There are some hard things going on in CO and I can't be here without taking some time to be there for a bit. I have no rest, and it's time to go. It's a bit scary, because I may be quitting this job to get that peace...but God has always provided and I know he will continue to.
Prayers that I would get FMLA would be lovely!
On to fun news!
Thanksgiving was AWESOME! I spent Thanksgiving day with about 35 people at one of my pastor's homes and we had so much fun together and the food was great! Then I had to go to work, and I was actually able to organize a bunch of things that had been on the back burner.
Then on Monday we had Thanksgiving two at my other pastor's home. There were just a few of us but the food was still AMAZING and we had a good conversation afterwards.
I love my church and I love the fun things we do together. I love their love for each other and each individual heart for the Lord.
I didn't have much time to read this month, but am hoping to read some this month.
Christmas presents are bought and ready to be wrapped. So very excited :)
Tune in next month for December update and hopefully the resolution to the housing situation, job situation and whether or not I will be taking classes.
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