How was your weekend? Mine was good….although it went by quickly! The highlight was the hockey game Jeremy, Holli, and I went to on Saturday night in Philadelphia. It was the Philadelphia Flyers against the Pittsburgh Penguins, and the Penguins won 8-2. It was awesome. Sidney Crosby had a hat trick…and Jer had these awesome Pens jerseys we wore. Although we risked death by wearing them into that stadium full of Flyers fans, it was a lot of fun to support our team! Can’t wait until the next game!

School is busy but good. I just need to hang in there, and stay on top of things, until Thanksgiving and then my papers due reduce tremendously. Yay! This morning I registered for my winter class, and then my last three classes I have to take in the spring. While I do love school, it will be nice to be done.

It is getting really chilly here. Our evenings have (already) gotten into the 30s, and our days are dipping down as well. It has been sooooo windy here the past couple of days that a lot of our fall leaves are gone and it is beginning to look like the beginning of winter. It will be here soon!

My work’s annual fund raising banquet is a week from today. Please pray that everything will go well and that we have good attendance numbers. This is our major fundraiser of the year so it is important that all goes well.

There is now a Chipotle 30 mins. from here. Finally, semi-decent Mexican food is in my area. I think I have died and gone to heaven!!

Kristin is coming to Jersey this weekend. Looking forward to having her here!

Here is something inspiring for you to watch! The Capernaum director sent this to me. (Capernaum is Young Life for teens with disabilities.)

http://cjcphoto.com/can/

Please take the time to visit, sign up, and prayerfully consider what your role can be in stopping this terrible genocide.
http://go.sojo.net/campaign/evangelicalsfordarfur

I love my leaders.

This is guaranteed to make your Monday much, much better.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWs1FF-BS7c

Jeremy, Holli, Lindy, Kelly and I went geocaching today. I had never heard of such a thing before. It was so much fun...you have to check it out!!! Think Amazing Race, but at your own pace and you get to decide where you want to explore. We were able to be outside in the beautiful Fall weather and it was wonderful. A good way to start the new week.:-)

I get to go to a Flyers/Penguins game on Saturday in Philly! GO PENS!

There is a church (Langhorne Presbyterian) that has this displayed outside their building (you know in the little advertising window box thing) and it has me so confused. What do you think it means? "Is it better to be a seagull or a goose?"

Night!

Holli, Lindy, and I hung out last night and went to see Marie Antoinette. The first 45 mins. were decent but the rest of the movie went downhill quickly. (Several people got up and left.) The costumes and sets are beautiful, but the movie is hardly accurate, and I don't know what Sophia Copolla was thinking through about 75% of the movie. Anyway, if you are wanting to see this movie, definitely save your money and rent it!!

But it was fun being with my friends anyway...:)

I have discovered over the past couple of years that, very much like a teenager, I still need about nine hours of sleep every night. It makes such a difference!

I also have discovered how I need to be warm in order to fall asleep. I especially need to have warm feet!!

I didn’t have either of those last night.

What do you need to have in order to get a good night’s rest?

As promised, here is my long awaited update on Amy, Mandy, Kristin, and Janell! I will post pics soon… I only have 15 mins. in which to type this so I gotta move fast.

Amy came out and visited me for a few days. She came on a Tuesday and left on Saturday night. It was wonderful having her out here. She was my first WC friend to stay in my new apartment. Anyway, I tried to show her around and give her the best EC experience I could in the time we had. We went to Lancaster County and had a great time driving and walking through all that county has to offer. I love that place and really feel like God has given me a heart for the Amish. We also went to NYC where I scored us front row, center seats to Tarzan on Broadway for only $20 each (come visit me and I will do the same for you). We also went to Serendipity’s, Rockefeller Center, Ground Zero, and saw other typical NYC sights. It was a fun day. We also spent time in Clinton, Flemington, Langhorne, Philadelphia and Princeton.

When I dropped Amy off at the airport on Saturday I drove down to D.C. to visit with Kristin and Mandy. Mandy had flown out for the weekend and I was excited to spend a couple of days with them. We had a wonderful time talking, laughing, and catching up. We also saw a movie (Little Miss Sunshine) and drove around the district for a bit. We did, of course, take Mandy to Famous Luigi’s, which has become a tradition for Kristin and I. It was so nice to be with sorority sisters.

Then, a few days after that, I flew home to be in my high school best friend’s wedding. I was the Maid of Honor and of course would not have missed the opportunity to support her by being in her wedding. Her wedding was at her house and it was so incredible to be a part of such a special day at a place where I have childhood memories. I got a lot of time with my high school friends and it was like we had never grown up or left each other. Even though I was sad about not being able to see my family that much, my trip was very much worth it. Janell looked beautiful and she did such a good job with the entire planning, etc.

As I was typing this right now I was thinking about how much I am blessed by friends. God is good in that I have been able to make and maintain friends at all stages of my life. Thanks everyone for your friendship and know that I love you very much!

I typed this in 12 mins. Go me!

I was talking to my friend Kristin about this yesterday, and when I read my friend Hannah’s blog today I was reminded about how much this issue impacts my heart. It is the issue of relationships, particularly of those between men and women. Ahhhh, amore.

I just got done reading a book called Sacred Marriage, which I know I have mentioned earlier in my blog. Seriously, you NEED to read it, single or not. This book changed my life and has opened up my eyes to marriage and it has been wonderful. Anyway, it got me thinking even more about the subject of relationships, and particularly why God has me in the state I am now, which is that of being single.

I should mention here that while I would definitely prefer to be in a relationship, and to have a family someday, I really am OK being single. God has really provided for me and I have had many opportunities that I would not have had had I been married. (Although I’m sure that can be said as well vice versa.) And why do I want to be married? There are lots of reasons, but truly my number one reason is because I think it would better enable me to serve God and love others. Really. Someone once told me that you will see your worst sin when you are married. (The book talks a lot about that.) While that totally freaks me out, I want it very much. I want to be refined and I want to be able to grow from the wonderful/challenging/etc. relationship of marriage. It is a desire of my heart, and I don’t think that God would be cruel enough to place that there and then leave me hanging.

But yet sometimes I think I am still single because I am being punished. I am being punished for all the bad things I have done, for not being beautiful enough, for not being a certain size, for not being whatever. While I am content, I still wonder why God has me in this phase of life. Maybe that is the sinful part of me, the part that isn’t trusting in His will and His timing. I don’t know. It is a hard place to be sometimes.

I also get frustrated because I know of a lot of wonderful (and very pretty) women out there who have amazing hearts and love Jesus very much. But, because they don’t fit a worldly idea of beauty, they are often passed by. They are such gems and while this might be part of God’s plans for their lives, to wait for a bit, I often think it is because most Christian men are being sucked in to the very superficial teachings of the world. I have seen this happen firsthand several times over. This makes me very sad indeed.

Anyway, on a related note I am going back on a diet tomorrow. This seems to be the story of my life I’m afraid. And to be truthful I am doing it for superficial reasons. Sure it is a great thing to be healthy, to love your body and keep it at it’s best because it is a temple of God and we need to be good stewards of all that He gives us including food, but really I am doing it because I am feeling the pressure to fit into the world’s standards. Ugh, yet again.

This is me confessing to you that this is a struggle of mine.

Are there really good Christian men out there who will love me for what God designed me to be? Who will take me as I am no matter how I look, no matter what degrees I have, no matter what my job? Who will want to partner with me to love and serve others? Who will commit to helping me grow in Christ?

I am praying that I will be that way when I am a wife, and that my husband will have lots of grace.

I don’t need a man to complete me, or because I am occasionally lonely, etc. I know that marriage is not the answer for that. I am not looking to a man to be the answer to my longings or problems. God is all that and more. God is my soul mate.

I am just writing down the thoughts that are in my head. Your comments and prayers are appreciated.

Delish!

I love food. I love to prepare it, serve it, and eat it. Heck, I also love the food network on TV! It has always been a dream (one of many) to open up a café/bakery of my own. Or to have a job like Rachael Ray – that would be AWESOME!

Anyway, today I had a chicken sandwich for lunch. They asked me what kind of cheese I wanted…swiss or american? When I drove away I thought – wow the only cheese they had were “country” cheeses…too funny! And then I thought about how when I was in Sweden they called thousand island dressing american dressing. I wonder if in places like Canada if they have american cheese too…or if they call it by another name? Dumb, I know, but I seriously thought about this for like 30 mins. today…lol!!

In lab today one of my lab mates brought in some chips. They were, I kid you not, shrimp chips. They were regular corn chips – I mean they were crunchy and shaped like fries, and their first ingredient was wheat. She finally convinced me to try one and it tasted exactly like shrimp. It was sooooo crazy! I love shrimp, but I think I will stick to the real thing. There is just something about eating a chip that has fish listed as one of the ingredients that grosses me out.

In my next blog I will share about my time with Amy, Mandy, Kristin – and CA!

My good, and perhaps oldest friend I have (since 5th grade!) is coming to the EC tomorrow (That is a recent pic of her and her cute family). Yay, can't wait! I am off to clean so she thinks that I am a good housekeeper...hahaha. I hope you get to meet Amy - she's great!

Today Katie, the girl that I babysit, was watching Full House. I have noticed that this is a habit of hers, to grab a snack and watch some tv on TV Land. Well, today I joined her and it took me down memory lane. I used to love that show as a kid. In fact, I began to think of all the shows I used to love: Family ties, Family matters, Step by Step, Full House, Cosby, Perfect Strangers, Growing Pains, and what was that show about all those girls living in a boarding house together? I liked that show too. These are just some of the few. And do you remember TGIF nights? Those were the best!! Anyway, it has been fun remembering some things from the past. What shows did you like as a kid?

And for more fun...this will DEFINITELY take you back. Watch. Laugh. Enjoy. Sing along. LOL

http://youtube.com/watch?v=GQ5eZSa7URA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFd92qnX31w

Pics of my new place...

the woods in the backyard.

the four-plex. recognize my saturn?:)

the walkway to my apt.

my two windows.

the door to the stairs that lead to my apt.

bathroom

bathroom

bathroom

kitchen - that's the door to my spare room.

kitchen

attic off pantry

pantry off kitchen

walk-in closet in spare room

spare room

spare room

my room

my room

living room/entrance to bathroom

living room

living room

It will be a week since I have been home, tomorrow. Wow. It was a challenging transition at first. It kinda felt like a dream. But, it also had a lot to do with jet lag, I’m sure! I will be back home on Oct.3 to be in Janell’s wedding.

I came home to a car that was not how I left it. This has nothing to do with the folks that I left it with though. Poor Holli and Jeremy, it was just poor timing that they had my car when it decided to start acting up. A stone flew up and hit my windshield (or it was a bullet from gunfire, you know how ghetto Langhorne can be…lol…yeah right) while I was gone. And, the bearings and hub decided to start being annoying so I had to replace it immediately when I got home. It is still making noises (in different places), and I think I need to take it back in. But that project can wait for another day, not today.

School (PBU) started on Monday and I think I am going to really like this semester. We are studying marriage and family – and how to counsel effectively within that. It was so great to be back with those friends. It was not so great to get smacked with homework. But that comes with grad school, I guess!

I started my new nanny job yesterday. I basically pick them up from school, run them to their appts, help with homework, and start dinner. It’s not that bad. This family is going through some hard times so I am happy to help them out. I am hoping to show them Christ and really serve them well.

My hopes are to get YL back up and running again in two weeks. I miss those kids and hanging with the leaders!

That’s all for now…back to work for me! Enjoy your weekend!!

I made it to dirty Jersey. When I catch my breath (and feel like it:)) I will update you on all that has been happening. For now it is back to work.

If you know me at all you know how much I love animals. I thought that this blog would be about the Phelan family animals – Mille and Molle (pronounced as Molly). They are both Labrador Retrievers. Mille (pronounced Millie) is black and Molle is chocolate.

Mille was a gift from Ryan (my brother) to my dad on Christmas of 99. My dad opened a card and there was a picture of a puppy in it. As soon as the puppies were weaned it was all his, the Christmas card explained. My dad was so excited, but my mom wasn’t – my brother purposely didn’t ask because he knew she would say, “no.” But he knew that my dad is an animal lover (where I get it from) and would fall in love with the dog the instant he saw the picture. So, the countdown began and Mille arrived in January of 2000.

In fact, her name is short for Millennium. Mille – Millennium, get it? Oh we are sooo clever.

Anyway, I don’t remember how long, but it must have been a couple of years (and after Brooke and Ryan got married), after we got Mille that I had a dream about her. I dreamt that I was in my parent’s back yard and they had two dogs. The were both dark Labrador Retrievers and I was so shocked that they now had two dogs, especially when my mom could barely handle one. In my dream I asked my parents what was going on and they said that they got another dog and decided to name her Molle. When I woke up from the dream the next morning I called and told my parents. They thought it was so funny because their names matched, but they assured me that one dog was enough. Somehow Brooke and Ryan were also told the story. Unbeknownst to me they had been thinking about getting a dog. And wouldn’t you know it – they decided on a chocolate Labrador Retriever and named her…Molle.

I love coming home to CA to see family and friends, and of course I love seeing the dogs too. I still consider Mille my dog even though technically she isn’t. Mille cracks me up. She is the spoiled child now that Ryan and I are gone. She gets a two-mile run every morning (rain or shine) and she loooooves to swim. She is in my parent’s pool more then anyone else. She is quite the swimmer actually.

And Molle is really mourning the fact that she is no longer the only child at Brooke and Ryan’s house. Now that Sullivan is there, Molle is constantly trying to get people to turn their attention to her. She will bring toys and drop them in your lap, and she is always at your heels. She really is a sweet dog and good with the baby, so of course we don’t mind. When I was there yesterday, I was sitting on the couch holding the baby in my lap. Brooke came by and picked up the baby to change her, and as soon as I let go of Sullivan, Molle climbed up, all the way, in my lap. Can you imagine having a full-grown, 70ish pound dog in your lap trying to be a baby? I was laughing so hard I thought I was going to pee my pants. She is just a big puppy who wants to be loved too.

If I could I would have an animal in New Jersey. But, I am gone way too much for it to be fair to the animal. They are so much company though, and I love them so much. When I can get one I will get a Labrador Retriever though, although I think a yellow one. But what should I name her? Mille and Molle go together, but it is hard for me to think of something else that fits. Hmmmm… I don’t think that that's very urgent right now. Ha! I will cross that bridge when I get there, which won’t be for at least a year and possibly more.

goodbye 27, hello 28.

i have now been an adult for ten years. wow. if you had asked me at 18 what i thought the next 10 years would look like, i certainly would have had a much different answer from what has actually happened. but that just goes to show who really is in charge of my life - god!:) it has been an equally good and challenging 10 years. i have had many memorable experiences with and without loved ones, traveled lots, met wonderful friends, and have learned so much.

god is good...and faithful. here's to the next ten.

I am sitting in my hotel room right now with the windows open. I can hear the cable car going by (ding, ding, ding) and all the other wonderful sounds of a big city. On top of that, a cool wind is blowing in and it is fabulous. Mid-60’s weather at the most right now, I would guess. Ahhhh, San Francisco.

My mom and I drove in on Saturday morning and are leaving today. We came in for the holiday weekend and it has been a really nice trip. We have made it a tradition to come into San Fran every summer for the past 3 (or 4?) years. It is a tradition that will continue for sure.

Highlights include seeing “A Chorus Line,” seeing the sea lions (my favorite attraction of this city), the great weather, riding a cable car, getting lost on the bus, Ghiradelli’s and all the other yummy places, shopping, and (of course) spending quality time with mi madre.

The Bay Bridge is closed today (East Bound) so we will be taking the slightly longer route out of the city. No worries. We will be making a stop in Fresno on our way back to pick up a relative and take her to Kingsburg with us.

At this time a week from today I will be back in New Jersey. On Monday I start school and leave that night for Ocean City New Jersey for a work conference. I will be back on Wednesday and then start my new nanny job on Thursday. Then fall will be underway. Wow!

To all my Cali readers: I do have a good four days left and if I haven’t seen you yet PLEASE give me a call. I want to see everyone and don’t want to leave YOU out. This is me asking you to hang out – so call me!

Hope you are having a good Labor day…

It is Wednesday already? Kinda hard to believe. I have been having a good time here in the valley. So far I have spent time with local family and seen a couple of friends. I still have a couple more friends I am hoping to see before I leave. (You know who you are!:)) I also have been doing some shopping, went to one of Ryan’s games, been out to eat at some of our local establishments (go Mexican food!), and relaxed a lot.

I brought home with me four books to read. I am normally not a big reader, although I used to be growing up, and this summer I have really gotten back into it. At Saranac I read Blue Like Jazz and He’s Just Not That Into You. I brought home Redeeming Love, For Women Only (basically the Christian equivalent of He’s Just Not That Into You…but goes beyond dating) and two schoolbooks – Sacred Marriage and another book on forgiveness (can’t remember the name) that I have to read for a class. I finished Redeeming Love and I’m about halfway through For Women Only. I told myself I was going to also read and finish one schoolbook this week and next so I can have a head start on the semester. Better get on that I guess. I also just got an email from my boss asking us to have How People Grow read by Sept.11. Whew!

Anyway, today I am hoping to go to breakfast with my dad and then I am going to be helping Brooke run errands with the baby. It is still kinda hard for her to do everything by herself and of course I am happy to help. The baby is adorable and has quickly become the highlight of my trip home. She is already developing a little personality and is such a good baby. I love her, and it makes me hope that one day I can experience all of this myself.

I am going to San Fran for the weekend. Yay!!:)

A week from today is the big 2-8. Wow.