I'm Glad that I Made It!

This title for this blog was inspired by a song title. Many times I have come through a crazy situation and then expressed myself by blaring Brooklyn Tab singing it as loud as my speakers and the Dean of Women would allow! I currently do not have a the song on my MP3, but if I did I would dance around the hotel with it at a volume higher than the recommended decibels. It has not, by any means, been a bad day. I have simply conquered the unknown and navigated through many unforeseen occurrences. Bet you're ready to hear (read) the story, huh?

Well, to inform the uninformed. After my last post I received two job offers. First, Sears Portrait Studio in the mall. Second, a nanny position that involved a summer relocation to Michigan. The benefits of this opportunity far out way the slight inconvenience of being on call 24/7. I accepted the latter offer. One of the perks is traveling. As it stands now I will spend most of my summer (what is left of it) traveling all over the country. One of my charges is a GOOD tennis player. She is ten and ranks 2nd in the Midwest, for her age bracket and like 19th in the nation. The tournament are everywhere and so I travel along to keep the younger charge occupied and the mother organized. Charge number two has ADD and then some :) She is seven. By the end of today I engaged her in a ten minute "quiet time" some I would have half a chance to catch my breath! She is a blast to hang out with and whether or not the munchkin would admit it, I know she has fun, too. I am rejoicing in the end of today because it was my first official full day. I have babysat for a couple hours for the past few weeks and helped as much as I was asked, but today was the day. I drove all the way to Kalamazoo, MI with a GPS system for the first time (Ever tried it? After I got the hang of it, it was great, but at first...I preferred Mapquest and a printer!), entertained a very hyper seven year old for hours without a TV, and gave several firm commands to our two canine traveling companions, Cutie Pie and Honey Bunnie! Over all, it has been a very fulfilling day.

Change of subject: "Peace that passeth all understanding." Have you ever taken a moment to reflect on a situation and realized throughout the whole ordeal you weren't worried? For the first time, probably in my life, I have been able to rest in God and just realized it. I don't know how to explain it, hence the "peace that passeth all understanding," but I know when it started and I know why. I know that I haven't conquered everything in my Christian walk, but this one thing I know "my Redeemer is faithful and true."

Ok, I think I am done.

On my list of things to do...

Find a job.
Find a job.
Find a job. Had one. Lost it. (Long involved story.)
Post resume on online nanny service.
Respond to email inquiring about an interview.
Set up the interview-Friday night-7pm
Find the house where the interview is to take place.
Enter duplex.
Find the mother of two children sitting in recliner.
Make small talk to aid in good first impression.
Inquire about her health.
Ignore the complaint of really bad headache.
Proceed with interview.
Note pertinent information in notebook.
Observe interviewer drop pen, clench hands.
Update health status.
Note comment about numbing hands.
Listen carefully to given info. about meds and allergies of son.
Observe interviewer clutching chest.
Stay calm.
Inquire about chest pains.
Suggest a trip to the ER.
Call cousin to help.
Stop talking to cousin.
Ask interviewer to respond.
Stay calm.
Stay calm.
Stay calm.
Hang up on cousin.
Stay calm.
Call 911.
Talk to rude operator.
Calm children.
Watch EMT's take now conscious interviewer.
Attempt to give three year epileptic his meds.
Note syringes.
Call trusted friend with medical experience-no answer.
Call another trusted friend with medical experience-no answer.
Call another trusted, smart friend with no medical experience.
Hang up on friend to answer call from trusted friend number one.
Get advice.
Give meds.
Stay calm.
Contact S's father.
Answer call from S.
Note that the Dr. thinks it was a mild heart attack.
Watch Jonah-VeggieTales with children.
Wait for S's sister to arrive.
Take a deep breath.
BLOG!!!!

I am pleased to inform you that I have accomplished everything on my list of things to do.

The Long Overdue Thought-out Post

As I logged in to post the following profound and thought provoking statements I realized that when I changed my background (forever ago) that I didn't reload any pictures, making this site rather boring and unattractive. For those who care, please accept my most humble apologies.

So I asked myself "What shall I write about today?" It is been quite awhile since I posted anything of great significance so today I thought I needed to blog more than random ramblings. Some of it will be random thoughts, but hey, it's my blog and it is in the description.

Band Tour:
Only one word needed-AWESOME! I was really looking forward to tour anyway, but my expectations were definitely exceeded this year. Even though I attend a Bible college and the people around me are supposed to be focused on the same "stuff" as I am, there is no guarantee. Anyway, I looked at this particular tour as an opportunity to grow and set aside time to regain some perspective. I had specific prayer requests that I brought to God with an open mind that He may not provide the answer in the way that I thought was the best. By day two one of the top requests was answered in a marvelous way. Along with the answered prayer came dishearting news, but in the midst of it all I had a very really peace and calm assurance that I was going to see the other side of the storm. A verse from one of the songs we played kept coming to my mind.

Pardon from sin and a peace that ENDURETH.

Thy own dear presence to cheer and to guide.

Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow.

Blessings all mine with ten thousand beside.

Great is thy faithfulness.

Great is thy faithfulness.

Morning by morning new mercies I see.

All I have needed thy hand hath provided.

Great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me.

I made it. Another source of great joy was the prayer times we had together. You know how sometimes a group will go to prayer and all you hear is one person and, at least for me, it is hard to concentrate? Not so, my friend, when this band went to prayer we went to prayer. Overall this was a great tour.

(And you thought I was going to keep it to one word. hahaha)

Substituting and Library time:

Every once in a while the academy will call and ask me to sub when they are in a bind. This occurred not too long ago. I was in the first grade, which is not my favorite grade but for a day I don't care. There is a little boy in the class that stole my heart a long time ago. He calls me Ms. Cookie because I passed out cookies for snack time while he was in kindergarten. He always gives me a hug and smiles the biggest smile. His glasses are usually dirty and constantly slipping down his little nose. Anyway, three different times that day I had to repeat directions at least three times before he would obey. Finally, I pulled him aside and asked, "How many times have I had to ask you to obey today?" He hung his little head in shame and replied "At least a hundred!" It was so hard not to smile, but I think he got the point of the question.

I also interact with the academy for story time in the library every Thursday. It was raining a few weeks ago and a little boy was running after I asked them not to, but I assume the sprinkling was really getting to him. He fell. As any good overseer of children would do I asked if he was okay. Rubbing the arm of his leather coat he exclaimed, "Uuuugggghhh! And this is genuine leather, too!"

The Ah,ha! Moment:

Well, like I previously stated along with the answered prayer on tour came bad news. My grandfather had cancer and wouldn't make it through the week. On the way home from watching his father die, my father got REALLY sick and was admitted to the hospital for a bleeding ulcer. This was just the tip of the iceberg when considering my life for the past two years. One thing after another seemed to happen in our family. It has really stressed me out sometimes. After this past week I was feeling very insecure about life and what it had to offer. Change affects everyone, but for me it really throws me for a loop. For some reason it makes me really insecure and I feel like I have to fix the problem. As I was trying to wrap my mind around all the information I have gathered this past week about my family I had these struggles. Can I handle any more? What if the rest of my life is this chaotic? Will I ever feel secure? Then the moment came. The, "ah, ha! I get it!," moment. God doesn't change. I knew that, but I don't think I have ever appreciated it. In all the chaos and turmoil of living. The life changing situations that we as humans have absolutely no control over. God doesn't change. In Him we can rest assured that He will always be the one constant.

In the words of one of our favorite chapel speakers...."Can I get a witness?"

tagged

What was I doing ten years ago...
well, I was 13 years old living in Houston, TX.

Five things on my to-do list today:
1. go to class
2. unpack and repack
3. finish online class for Math Methods
4. meeting at one
5. go out to eat with Jenny Fikes

Snacks that I enjoy:
popcorn, doritos and french onion dip, anything gummy like fruit snacks or gummy worms (not to be confused with gummy bears)

Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
1. Buy my parents a house
2. Buy a car
3. Pay off school loans and other misc. debts
4. Go back to South Africa

Three of my bad habits:
1. Trying to fix the world's problems
2. Throwing my clothes on the floor :) (my mom would kill me)
3. Procrastinating

Five Places I have Lived:
1. Anderson, IN
2. Evansville, IN
3. Linton, IN
4. Houston, TX
5. Cincinnati, OH

Five jobs that I have had:
1. Shift Manager at McD's
2. Taco Bell Crew Member
3. Administrative Assistant at ProResources
4. Head Teacher in 2 yr. old room at Kidz Zone Daycare
5. Library Clerk at R.G Flexon Library

Break

The rest and recuperation that I desperately needed has finally been made possible by Mid-Winter Break. I have spent my time in South Carolina with a few dear friends. This little man has put many of smiles on my face. We are taking him to the zoo tomorrow so I will post more pictures soon. (and better quality ones, I must say)

I am wornout.

My sentiments exactly

On Practicing

I am suffering from a serious case of blogger's block. There is a sufficient amount of feelings, thoughts, and events to discuss, but I can't seem to form them into a coherent post. Believe it or not I have tried several times. I begin, backspace, begin, delete, and begin again only to click Return to list of posts without maneuvering my mouse close to Publish Post. But alas, I have been dutifully reminded by a loving, faithful, caring, and knowledgeable friend, who leads only by example, to "practice what you preach." That being said I will continue in the way of the bloggers.

A prevalent thought lately is how blessed I truly am. God has been so good to me in many ways. My life has not taken all the turns I would have chosen, but I am reminded daily that God has my best interest at heart. Psalm 56:9- But this one thing I know, God is for me. How amazing it is to know that God is on my side. He is rooting and cheering for me. Not only does He want me to lead a successful Christian life more than I want to, He does everything short of making the decisions for me.

In the midst of all the warm fuzzies of serving Christ, He has also reminded me that I have a few more areas in which to convert myself to His likeness. For the past few weeks we have talked in Wisdom Literature about "abhoring sin." Abhoring is equivalent to hating. Do I hate sin or am I more conformed to this world than I thought. Worldliness is deeper in form than standards and dresscodes. It permeates your thoughts and conduct. As a Christian in a fallen world I must be vigilent not to allow my worldview to be formed by the "world." The way I view sin is part of a Christian worldview. If I allow myself to mock sin by entertaining myself with it in any form I will become accustom to it. Sin will not be a big deal. The ramifications of such I dare not imagine.

Announcer: And that is the end of today's broadcast. If you would like an audio cassette with today's show please write to:

1234 Bloggers Block Ln.

Soapbox, Timbucktoo.

On a lighter note, Pinocchio is Italian for "pine head."

http://www.funfunnyfacts.com/fun-facts/funny-useless-facts.html