BUSY, BusY, busy.

I just wanted to let all my wonderful fans (yes, all four of you) know how amazingly good God is when you just start trusting him!

So I have literally been so busy lately! And I'll tell you that there hasn't been much social interaction with all of my 'business'! I actually think I don't know how to socialize anymore because it has been so long, and I have noticed that when I do socialize I have a lot of problems with it. I forget how to speak. Literally, I stumble over the easiest words and end up spitting over EVERYONE. I also cannot seem to remember how to start a conversation and keep it going. It actually is quite tragic. I think if you saw me when i was in these social situations... You would think that I look like a deer in the headlights. Yes, like that one right up there to the left. In these social situations I actually grow hair all over and some antlers, very suddenly ( ok. not really. it's a joke. LAUGH!)

Anywho, I think you get my point. I have not had much social interaction this summer, because I have been busy doing other, more important things. These things are Math... BLEH. and Packing.... urgh. Sounds like a fun summer, right? Well, I think it is just that I have chosen to use my 'free time' in ways such as sleeping until 10 AM, and that is exactly what I am doing this summer to enjoy it. From 10 AM until I finally drop from exhaustion... or close to it, I am busy, busy, busy. Packing is probably the slowest and most tedious thing... EVER... that is, OTHER than math. Ok. I think you get it. I am B.U.S.Y. Although it may not seem like it, these two things can keep one VERY occupied, for a VERY long time.

This leads me to what I wanted to tell you... So in May, I had several interviews for a summer job. One was for three boys and I would be working about 9 hours three days a week. I was really hoping to get this job... but I ended up not getting it. Another interview I had would be babysitting two kids for about 12 hours each weekend... maybe more... maybe less. This is another job that I did not get, which was a huge disappointment. Another job that i was interviewed for was to watch a 9 month old girl and her cousin (most the time) while their mom's went horseback riding a few times a week. I did get this job... and I babysat for them once... Called about 4 days later to get a set schedule, and she never called back. As you can see, for some reason I just wasn't getting any regular jobs.

Right now, I am so incredibly thankful I didn't get those jobs. I never realized that math would be so time consuming. I also never realized that packing could be so much work. I will admit that although I was upset about not getting the jobs then, I am so happy that I didn't get them, because if I had, I really wouldn't have the time I need for math, and I wouldn't be able to pack and get things done.

I believe that God was really looking out for me when He let those jobs fall through. He knew that this summer I would be busy enough!

I am very content with the occasional babysitting jobs that I HAVE gotten, and I know that coming in August I will have a wonderful job waiting for me!

I met 2 of the 3 boys whom I will be nannying, and they are the most precious little things ever. I know I will be wrapped around their little fingers very quickly!

Times are a Changing

Have you ever noticed how things in life sometimes seem to vanish? How friendships can just fade away? How it seems at one moment your life is one thing, and suddenly it's something completely different? I've been thinking about this a lot lately. Probably because this has been happening to me a lot lately. It's not necessarily a bad thing, but it can make one feel very nostalgic. I've realized during the past few days that my set of friends is almost completely different than it was a year ago. The crazy thing is that when I do hang out with my 'old' friends, it's different, and that seems to be the hardest part.

It's not even my relationships that have changed, but in a few months, my lifestyle will be different. I'll admit it, I am excited about living on my own, making my own choices, and hopefully growing a lot this next year, but it will be difficult as well. With my family living in another country, I KNOW I will be lonely. I KNOW there will be days when I struggle, and that's when all this change will really affect me.

All in all, I know that there will be times when I miss my 'old' friends, but I'll remember my 'new' friends. There will be times that I miss my 'old' life, but through that I will try to enjoy and make the best of my 'new' life.

I pray that next year is a year of a huge growth between myself and my Savior. I pray that when I am nostalgic I remember that He is the one I am living for, and that He is my comforter and my best friend. I have high hopes for this next year, but I must remember that times really are a changing wether they are good, bad, happy, or sad.

Graffiti Falls

This is right after we go out from under the waterfall! Boy was it cold! We left very soon after this picture was taken.

I've been meaning to write about something for the past few days, but I either had nothing to say, or I ran out of time. Now, it's late, but I decided that I would write something real quick and try adding pictures into my post this time. Yes, this is something new for me... although it's only my 3rd post?

Last week I went to a place called Graffiti falls or Rainbow falls. It was my first time going there and I found it quite interesting. The nice thing about it is that it's FREE. Yes, you heard me right, it's free. It's a really nice place to do a little bit of hiking/climbing, get some fun pictures, and cool off.

I recommend coming here on a hot day this summer... not that we have had very many, but hopefully that will change.

The water is definitely very chilly, but on a hot day it wouldn't be so bad. Also, it's an adventure to go under the fall as well, but don't count on staying dry.

We had a really good time at grafitti falls. It was nice to get out and away from things without having to pay for it! It was definitely a different scenery than I am used to!

So, I fail at this picture thing. How do you move the pictures around to where you want them?

Anyways, my life has really been quite monotonous, but I cannot complain. I've been babysitting a lot. Doing a lot of math, and trying to find time in between to do a few things that I enjoy doing such as reading, watching a good movie, and hanging out with friends.

Furthermore last night Jeoff Harris called me and sang to me. Although that probably deserves it's own post, I don't really have the time or motivation to do that. For those of you who don't know who he is, you should! He's a very talented singer, and one day he will be very famous.

I realize this has been a very sporadic post, but I am in a very sporadic mood. So enjoy, and my apologies for any confusion.

My 'New' Life

Summer has started in one big flurry of activity. I just started my second week of summer and until today I have hardly had any time to breathe.

I've been busy packing (or helping my mom pack), helping my parents accomplish a garage sale, and working on math.

By the end of June/ beginning of July, the majority of our house should be packed, and I should be moved downstairs. The reason for this is because everyone, but myself, is going to be in the Michigan and Illinois area for most of July, and about ten days after they return they will be flying out to Ecuador. Of course, there will be about 6 days when I will be in Chicago and in Michigan so that I too can join in on my grandparents' 50th anniversary celebration. Instead of driving there with my family I will be flying out to spend the weekend with my grandparents, uncles & aunts, and cousins, and a couple days with my sister and my nephew. It's overwhelming when I think about all that has to be done in the next few weeks. Although it's stressful, we are all realizing how very good and gracious God is. Our house is now rented to an older couple who is moving to Colorado from Hawaii. I have a roommate! Our camper has been sold, and there are several people thinking about buying our van. As you can see, everything is falling into place.

As I mentioned earlier, I have been working on math. This is because I am taking College Algebra at PPCC. I made this decision when I found out that my mom would not be here next year to help me with math. I know that once I finish the class I will be glad that I took it during the summer, but right now it is a lot more work than I expected, and I am already counting down the weeks (only 9 more!).

After last week, I have come to the conclusion that this summer is going to fly by!

Anyways, in my previous post I mentioned having an interview for a nanny position. Well I had the interview, and it went extremely well. The family has a Christian background which is what makes me very excited. It would mean that they respect me going to church and bible study, and they would understand that. I also had so much in common with the lady I interviewed with. It turns out that she is the oldest of 6 kids, and I can understand that completely since I am practically in the same position. We also seemed to agree on the same ideas concerning raising kids (not that I have my own kids, but I have thought about how I would raise my children, obviously). We got along really well, and I left the interview feeling pretty confident; especially since she had told me that the girl she interviewed with, just the day before my interview with her, left her with some bad 'vibes'.

Although I felt quite confident when I left, slowly my confidence left me. I figured that she still had one or two more people to interview that I could not be the one she would choose as a nanny. Throughout the weekend I was constantly hoping I would get the job, but I had well prepared myself for not getting the job. I knew that even if I didn't get the job that all would be okay. Although I was very worried that if I didn't get the job, I wouldn't be able to find another job. If I got this job, I knew that all of next year would be set for me, and that would be such a great thing to know!

By the time I got an email from the lady I interviewed with, I had convinced myself that I would not get the job, but that meant when I read the email saying that I would be a perfect fit for the family, and that she wanted to get a schedule set and she wanted me to meet the boys, I was shocked and ecstatic. I was so surprised that I had to read the email through at least 3 times before I felt sure I had the job. Even now I keep checking my email wondering if she had made a mistake.

I was definitely very excited to hear that news!

I now feel like next year is set. I have a job. I have a roommate, and I have a class schedule that fits with my job!

God is good. All the time.