I got a job and start tomorrow! Yay! I will be a social worker for the foster family agency division of Valley Teen Ranch. I am really excited - and nervous too.;-) I will let you know how it goes.

Holli was here for a little over a week. Here is what we did in her words:

california was a blast. i had so much fun and got to see and do some pretty cool things. the best part about it was getting to see ashley. i miss her when i don't get to see her that often. i was able to do everything i had wanted and so much more and am blessed to have been able to go. here is a brief recap of the events:

San Fran: Fisherman's wharf, pier 39, west coast clam chowder in a famous sourdough bread bowl and ghirardelli's ice cream. I also got to go to my first Oakland a's game and ride the bart around town. Ashley and I also went to the movies to see becoming jane and it sucked. So if you were thinking about seeing it, don't do it.

Sausalito: got to see a lot of crabs, had an awesome raspberry mocha (like you really care), and went to an awesome store where i was able to purchase a plethora of things.

Monterey: got to go to cannery lane to all of the shops, buy a smores apple that i did not eat, and have a steak and lobster dinner. I also got to go swimming in the pacific with sea otters which was pretty cool…absolutely freezing…but nonetheless pretty cool.

Fresno/Kingsburg: got to hang out with ashley's family and meet her little niece, go to the raisin capitol of the world, eat at in-and-out, go swimming when it was like 105 degrees out, eat at a really good Mexican restaurant, and get my picture taken with a Swedish horse and Viking.

Yosemite: had a blast camping out with ashley. we got to see two bears and a lot of other random wildlife. The views were incredible and it is seriously one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. I also got to climb rocks and hike to the bottom of the only waterfall in the park that wasn't dried out.

LA: got a pretty sweet VIP tour of Warner Brothers studios from ashley's cousin who is a VP there. She took us around on a golf cart and showed us the sets of three and a half men, cold case, and ER. It was cool to see how all of that was done. I also got to see the Hollywood sign, the Chinese theatre, and went shopping on Melrose.

Pasadena: got to stay with ashley's really cool aunt and went to the cheescake factory for the first time. I got to see where the rose bowl parade takes place and hang out in old town.

Anyway, I got to do a lot of great things and am very thankful that I was able to go.

I will try to post some pics soon. Fall is right around the corner. Crazy!

My friend Jocelyn wrote this in her blog today and I loved it so much I have to repost it here. Jocelyn is one of the most amazing people I know. She continues to teach me a lot even if we live across the country from each other. Here is an excerpt:

in my mind, males can be classified under 3 main categories: boys, guys and men. i will explain how i view each as best as i know how...

boys: these are males who think life is a game. or at least they live to play... most, if not all day. they splurge their monies (if they make any) on the latest toys and gadgets, trendy clothes, entertainment, food, drinks. they are often unruly and undisciplined with no consideration or regard for others, only themselves. you wonder if and when these individuals will ever grow up...and sadly, some never do. they tend to look for strong girls who can step in as a mother figure and take charge of their share of responsibility, keep their clothes clean, make their meals, etc. frankly, i find they are the reason why femnazis exist because though they're fun to pal around with, they make poor husbands and fathers. period. woe to the girl who fools around this this male and finds herself impregnated and alone.

guys: this second category is where I notice the vast majority of males past their teens fall into. Guys are good because they have matured to the point that they can and are willing to be considerate for women. But if you are a discerning girl you find that their motives are not selfless at all; guys have an agenda. That agenda might be conquering you. I have met loads of nice guys, however, they want to impress me so that I will somehow want them and therefore flatter them in return. Guys I meet are interested in girls primarily for their looks and how the girl will in turn make them look/feel. They are rather image-oriented. And thus, time tells all when you begin to realize the guy cares more about the image of having a girl that meets his perceived needs than he cares about you specifically. Guys like to date/ flirt with as many girls as possible, hoping they'll get a "catch". One a guy bags you (sexually or your attention) he tends to cool off simply because he's won. you were just a game for him and you gave in. Often guys want trophy wives... simply meaning that you provide some asset that makes him think he's better off (good looks, money, contacts, etc.). My dealings with guys have left me feeling devalued, used and manipulated. They can wear you down because what they offer initially has the appearance of genuine love/care/concern, but their words and actions can be shallow.

men: True men are modern day Boaz figures (check out the story of Ruth). They aren't flashy trying to get attention, they simply command notice by the fact that they are respectable people. Men are selfless, willing to put their life and concerns down for promoting the well-being of women that they wish to protect and provide for. Instead of simply asking women for help and walking away, they help regardless of what the woman looks like or whether she has consented because they live to meet other's needs. A true man is God-fearing, he sees and treats all women with equal concern and compassion. He is not "out to get a wife" because He knows his God will provide for his needs. A true man therefore rests assured in who he is and can simply live to his full potential uninhibited by the need to flaunt himself. He knows that charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting and he admires, respects and values women with character and holiness. You can trust a man's words because he means what he says in that he actively demonstrates his character to be true by how he treats you. A man refuses to play with womens' hearts or emotions for his own gain. Rather, he stands as their guardian and protector demonstrating true love and concern. Men leave a lasting impression on the hearts and minds of women because they stir true longings for a deeper love... a love which God Himself gives. A man will mirror Christ's love and all women commend him in his ways.

now, i am not foolish enough to insist that i can neatly fit every male into these three categories, but i will concede that in my life on occasion i have come across some of the most stellar men. their names are still on my heart to this day because of the impression they left on my life, as my dear loving brothers, i would want a husband that mirrored their own hearts. men are few and far between and people give me flak that i'm "too picky" or i "just need to settle". now i understand that many girls do cheapen themselves or make their priority their appearance rather than character because "that's what guys want". and i have to agree. that IS what GUYS want.

But I don't want to settle for a boy. Not even a guy. I want a man of God. I know it seems next to impossible, but with God ALL things ARE possible...if you just BELIEVE. And, honestly, if a man does not come for me that is ok because I am living not to get married, but I am giving my all for Jesus Christ. Giving your life over to God is a dangerous, adventurous thing because you plan to expect the unexpected. The Lord has been faithful and will be faithful to continue dealing with my heart and emotions.

...but when my day does come, I earnestly hope to be like the woman of character in Song of Solomon who was praised by the daughters of Jerusalem for her virtue as well as that of her husband. that would be my most precious wedding gift indeed... that God would be glorified by my earthly union. amen!

A little while ago I received a phone call that my great Aunt Fran passed away. Since Easter my family has lost my grandfather, my great uncle, and my great aunt - all semi-unexpectedly. It is weird to see the older generation of the family pass away. My parents and aunts and uncles are quickly becoming the matriarchs and patriarchs. It is a reminder that life moves quickly and is precious...

This is a forward I received. It is cheesy but I admit it did make me chuckle. A little Christian humor This is one of the best clean jokes I've seen in awhile! Jesus and Satan were having an on-going argument about who was better on the computer. They had been going at it for days, and frankly God was tired of hearing all the bickering. Finally fed up, God said, "THAT'S IT! I have had enough. I am going to set up a test that will run for two hours, and from those results, I will judge who does the better job." So Satan and Jesus sat down at the keyboards and typed away. They moused. They faxed. They e-mailed. They e-mailed with attachments. They downloaded. They did spreadsheets! They wrote reports. They created labels and cards. They created charts and graphs. They did some genealogy reports They did every job known to man. Jesus worked with heavenly efficiency and Satan was faster than hell. Then, ten minutes before their time was up, lightning suddenly flashed across the sky, thunder rolled, rain poured, and, of course, the power went off. Satan stared at his blank screen and screamed every curse word known in the underworld. Jesus just sighed. Finally the electricity came back on, and each of them restarted their computers. Satan started searching frantically, screaming: "It's gone! It's all GONE! "I lost everything when the power went out!" Meanwhile, Jesus quietly started printing out all of his files from the past two hours of work. Satan observed this and became irate. "Wait!" he screamed. "That's not fair! He cheated! How come he has all his work and I don't have any?" God just shrugged and said, "JESUS SAVES"

Hey Everyone!

Sorry I missed you on Monday and Tuesday. I was away at Cheer Camp. (Really!) It was a 48-hour cheer camp with a slumber party in between. I hope that the girls got a lot out of it and had a great time. I thought it was time well spent - for the most part. :-)

I am back and plan on spending today job hunting and running some errands. I hope that you have a great day as well!

<3, a.

Holli booked her tickets to come out and see me in just a couple of weeks! I am so excited.

When are you going to come and see me???

:-)

Wow...

This makes me tired just reading it!

www.duggarfamily.com

I was going through my old emails and found this. I think it is a great idea so I am passing it along...:-)


Hey, everyone!

I wanted to send a reminder to y’all about my friend’s website where you can go buy a care package for a soldier. Last time I emailed y’all, you had to go to ebay and search for the packages. Now he has his own website at istillcarepackages.com!! You can go to that website, make your purchase, and write a thank you note to the lucky soldier who gets your care package.

As I mentioned before, my friend is a Marine Reservist who spent a year in Iraq in 2004-2005 and definitely knows the effect that care packages have on overall morale over there. He makes no money from this – he just uses the money you provide to assemble and ship the packages you purchase. It is a labor of love and I’m proud of him for doing it.

Today is Aug 1. Can you believe it? Wow. In some ways this summer has flown by and in others it has dragged by. ..

I still don't have a job. I have stopped posting about it because it became too hard having to say what I was applying for and then reporting that I did not get it. So please don't feel out of the loop. When I do land a job I will let you know.:-)

I am tired and need sleep. Night all!

Blast from the past.

This is Amy and I at church camp in the 7th grade. So fun-nay!!!