hope you all enjoyed your holiday weekend! i went to lake champion on a leadership retreat. it was nice. we had great weather and it was fun to simply hang out without any kids...hehehe now i am back and i have my last wyldlife meeting tonight and last young life meeting tomorrow. wow! then my summer will finally be here and life will be nice, but different for the next few months. my parents come out a week from tomorrow. yay!

yesterday was memorial day and i hope you remembered all those who serve us in the military. we truly are blessed to live in this wonderful country of ours. i remember my paternal grandfather who was killed while serving our country. i never met him. i also think of my maternal grandfather who served during ww2. i also think of my good friend chris who is in the army and has been a part of the iraqi war. i am so proud, and thankful, of all the men and women in the armed forces.

i have a confession to make. and this may be a shock, because all of you know how i admire martha stewart and aim to be a suzy homemaker even in my "singleness"...

ok, here it goes. i hate to change the sheets on my bed. not only is my mattress super heavy, but my bed is up against the wall. so, my dislike for changing sheets has changed into a total disgust.

so, i just ignore it. it's just sheets afterall, right? it's not like i wear them out during the day. and i always have better things to do then wrestle with my ginormous mattress and change those stupid sheets.

well the other day i was talking to my mom about them. she was astonished to hear that i have not changed them in a super long time. my mom is very ritual about changing the sheets - every saturday morning she or my dad makes sure the chore is done. and i used to be somewhat good about it as well - i would change them at the beginning of every month.

but...well...here it goes - i haven't changed them since i moved in. in mid december. but wait!!they seem perfectly fine to me though.

hahahahaha will you still be my friend? how often do you change yours?

hello everyone!

i am sitting on my lunch break here in the grad/commuter lounge at pbu. i am taking a summer school class. hard to believe i am taking a summer school class in may, huh? yeah, it's crazy, but possible since my semester ended on may 1. i am taking an intensive course that is just this week - but it is five days in a row from 8:30 - 5. it is on revelation and daniel. while it is hard to listen to lecture nine hours everyday, i am learning a bunch and as of saturday i won't have school again until september. awesome!

i am drinking a diet pepsi as i write this. i am trying to make some changes in my diet, and not drinking regular soda is one of them...well, since monday at least.:) i am not a fan of diet soda, and almost always would rather drink water instead if i had the choice - but soda contains caffeine - which has become my crack as i plow through this school week. i do enjoy regular soda, especially wild cherry pepsi, but it is certainly something that is rather easy for me to give up. next step? fried foods.

i hear it has been high 90's at home. we have been in the high 60's to low 70's. it has been nice, for sure...but it is easy to tell that spring is winding down. i'm sure that humidity is just around the corner. my favorite.

yesterday marks three weeks until my parents visit, and then i am heading to arkansas for a few days. good times. can't wait to have them here.

ok, gotta get going. ttyl (that is just for holli!;))<3

He thinks you're awesome. So do I!

Hannah and I won our second lottery in a row - The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. We had front row center seats...it was awesome! Of course we would have rather had been at home with our moms...but since we couldn't - this came in a very close second.:) 

ok, so since sunday i have found out that three, yes three, people are engaged and/or married. and this is all since each couple met each other since christmas. i'm not knocking the quick engagement and/or marriage cause i think that if you know...you know...but i am battling a case of jealousy right now. i have been doing really well lately, not feeling sad that most of my friends are now married and i am one of the last ones left, but wow, this week has been rough for me. and it just has me asking questions as to why? am i not good enough in this or that department, if i changed this or that will my chances of getting married become higher...in essence - what is wrong with me?

now don't get me wrong, even though it is my heart's desire to be married i certainly will not marry just for the sake of bring married. i am smart enough to know that marriage is not an answer to any problem. i refuse to settle. i refuse to play games. and, like i said, i have been doing so well with being content with where the lord has me. i guess i am just frustrated and i am venting a bit.

i hear that "nice guys settle last." but i am wondering if the same goes for nice girls as well? although, i must admit that all my married girl friends are pretty kick-a** so i don't want you to think that i am not calling them nice - because they are incredible people. i think i am just a little irritated with the whole male race right now.

i have been thinking about this a lot this past week. there are so many things i could do if i were married, that are my heart's desire - things i just don't think i could do as a single person. adopt. lead a ministry team better. etc. so i guess i am confused, and frankly a little hurt, that i am being kept from better serving others and the lord. but i know this isn't a revelation to god. he and i talk about this a lot. and he always wins.

i know that the lord's timing is perfect. i know that he has the best plans for me. i am just hoping that one day i will be able to look back and say, "oh that's why you didn't allow me to be married then!":)

congratulations to my dear friends tiffanie and joe in selma. they welcomed bridget on may 1. so precious! can't wait to meet you little one!

speaking of birthdays...happy blog birthday to me! i am now over a year old - wow! such a big girl!

i want you all to go over and read my roomie's blog...www.hannahsnelling.blogspot.com. as soon as i can get someone to help me i will add her link (and other non-adxers) to my page!! thanks to carrie who helped me to put up the links in the first place.

also, good news! i passed all my classes. yay! i am now an official second year grad student! its so weird to think i am seven classes away from being a therapist... kinda good - and scary!

i am watching martha stewart right now and it is "cupcake day." how fun it would be to own my own bakery. and now it is making me want a cupcake!! yum!

enjoy your day!

Where have I been? Well, I've been here, there, and everywhere! Busy, busy, busy with school, work, and friends - but it has been awesome. Here are some pics (in no particular order) with highlights of the past couple of months...

To start off...here is a pic of me and Kristin at a civil war reenactment. It actually was very interesting!

Holli and me in La Jolla, CA. 

Holli and me sleeping on the floor at the Motel 6. Good times. 

What I woke up to our last morning...<3 

The completed house in Mexico. 

Jesus on the hillside in Puerto Nuevo. 

YL is lots of fun. Here John is holding spam that he shaped to resemble Adam, his leader. 

Wyld Life is going well...here is a pic of me and some of the kids. 

Here is Hannah after she won tickets to see Wicked after her 10th time of trying. Of course I was her guest of honor.;) They were awesome front row seats. It was wonderful!!! 

I got to take Hannah on her first trip to Amish Country. It is tradition that if you go with me to Lancaster County you have to have a whoopee pie. YUM! 

School ended on May 1. Wow, how bittersweet. I am still waiting on final grades. Please pray that I pass everything. (You have to have a 3.0 or better to pass on to the next semester at PBU.) My wonderful friends at school...from L to R are KT, Holli, Aletheia and Jocelyn. I start my one and only summer school class a week from tomorrow. It is on Revelation/Daniel...awesome!! 

...colorado...
good times, mostly. i made friends and they were so fun to hang out with. (and got to connect and catch up with old ones.) i got to go to pikes peak twice. it is incredible. i recommend you hit that up if you are in that area. i also learned a lot and came back feeling like the conference was so worth my time. i was nervous about it but it was a worthwhile trip.
...wyldLife...
we have had two clubs so far. i was praying for at least ten kids to show up and the lord has totally provided in that way and it is growing. the kids seem to be having a great time and the other leaders are great with them. middle schoolers are a breath of fresh air. they instantly like you and get excited about anything. next year i will be combining with hannah and doing an area wide wyldlife. we are excited about that.
...company...
last week kristin came to visit. it was fun having her here to my "new" house. the weather was also decent so it was nice to be out and about. on friday we went to my friend holli's house and hung out with some super fun pbu girls - holli, jocelyn, katie and aletheia. we ate pizza and watched "walk the line." then saturday we slept in, got jelly pedicures, went to our fave store in flemington, had a picnic at mine brook park, went to dinner at chilis, went to bridgewater and did some shopping (got a cute bag and watch!), and saw "failure to launch." it was a full day! sun. i woke up sick (more on that later) but we managed to make it through church and lunch at one of my face places, cracker barrel (although i couldn't eat). it was a good weekend - it went by quickly!
...summer...
oh my goodness. check out my summer schedule. i can't believe how full it is. i am also extremely excited that it is as full as it is...that means it will be an adventure and go by quickly! is it possible that i am already booked until early sept? crazy how time flies by!
sweden assignment june 11-23
campaigner/capernaum service camp june 25-30
rockbridge (hs) camp july 12-17
rockbridge (ms) camp july 25-29
saranac (assignment) july 30- aug.19
california aug.20-sept.4
work conference at champion sept.5-7
...mexico...
less then three weeks until i head off to mexico! we have 6 students going and 4 adults. i am so excited. i have been having a bazillion dreams about it while sleeping because it is always on my mind. i so want everything to work out well and for these kids to have a great time learning how to serve the poor for the lord. many of them have never been to the west coast. one kid even asked if she will have to learn to speak "mexican." this will be such a huge experience for them - and needless to say i am uber excited about being with my old region as well. currently i am trying to find us free housing for three nights in san diego which has been a bigger challenge then expected. any ideas?
...school...
this weekend is a big one for me. i have sooooooo much to do. i keep telling myself that i just need to get through this month and next then i will be home-free. (the semester ends on may 1.) then i am taking two intensive summer school courses in may and then i will have 3 months off. yay! i love grad school, but i have been feeling a lack of motivation lately with my assignments. maybe it is just "spring fever." this last week was our spring break so it was nice having that much needed break.
...spring...
i think we may be done with snowy weather! while it is still chilly here (high of 41 today) i am so pumped that spring is just around the corner. i can't wait to have our green trees back and all that comes with it!! yay for warm weather!
...work...
last night i took some kids to a hockey game in philly. it was awesome. we were three rows up from the glass. the phantoms won 3-2 in overtime. they played wilkes-barre/scranton. many of my kids were cheering for the pens, and so were holli and jeremy (new friends/leaders). the phantoms had special st.patty's day jerseys. (the holiday is much bigger here on the EC.) anyway, i have been trying to do some fun events for the kids this semester. my goal is to offer something "out of the ordinary" at least once a month. next month we have mexico and i think i will have a girls overnight in may. club has been doing well and i have two new leaders who are terrific. next year i would like to try some type of capernaum ministry. still praying about it.
...sick...
i was crazy sick with the stomach flu from sunday-tuesday. besides the ear infection it was the most sick i have been since i moved here. from what i hear it is going around. my advice to you - run away from it or give it a huge karate chop if you think it wants to attack you.
...camera...
so i think i mentioned to you before that i lost it a while back. actually it might have been stolen but i say i lost it so that way i'm not suspicious of anyone. well, i am really missing it. i used it for work to take pics of kids and now that i have been w/o it it has been awful. funny pics aren't being taken and i don't know what i will do for mexico. it was my own personal camera that i just used for work so not only am i out work-wise but personally as well. the thing is is that my area can't afford to buy one - and i can't either. so i have a dilemma. please pray that i can get my hands on one!! (legally, of course.:))
...tax returns...
got my money back. ptl! decided to do the mature thing and repaid loans with all of it. my goal is to be debt free in a year!! but oh how nice it was to have that money back even if it were for a few mins...
...nyc...
oh how i love living 1 hour from it!!! hannah and i try to go in as much as possible - as time and money allow of course. we went in last week and had such a fun day. we saw "dirty rotten scoundrels" which was hilarious, ate at my fave italian place for dinner and had gray's papaya for lunch, and spent time walking around in the museum of modern art. soooooooo fun!