up, up and away!

we helped justin pack up his house into storage pods that are going to be shipped to his house in va yesterday.
i'm still letting it all soak in...it's so sad. justin has so done so much for wesley and the ppl in it, but life is about change and new beginngs. i am excited for the allen family in their new transition. the whole situation is bittersweet.
....as i felt my eyes start to swell w/ tears out of the oven comes a blueberry cobbler w/ berries picked by alethea and charlie....which made things better.

on another note summer has been going amazingly well. i've been working a lot, have been fortunate to be spending my time w/ wonderful ppl and also have been working on knocking out a pretty lengthly 'good movie' list.

hopefully i will know within the next month if i can look forward to full time employment. cross your fingers and pray.

i continue to thank God for my many blessings and encourage you to do the same.
on a non-related note...i finally let my reefs hit the bucket.
daniel and i made a trek to outdoors today and i am now the proud owner of some chacos.

they were a bit tricky at first to figure out....after trying on about 4 different styles i finally found the fit and later the color that's perfect. if all goes as planned....from what i hear about these sandals i should not have to go sandal shopping for at least another 6-8 years! yaaaay!
the salesman was so friendly and helpful. i told his boss what a great job he did assisting me and his boss gave me 10% off. SCORE!!!!
nice ppl make the world a better place.

new beginnings

my best friend from childhood, jennifer, got married this weekend.
i'm not normally too sappy....but for some reason my eyes just exploded when i saw jenn walking down the aisle during the wedding. my other very dear friend jennifer informed me i did the exact same thing at her wedding at the exact same point during the ceremony.

the best man, matt, and myself were both super nervous about the toasts that we had to give. i think we both did great....and afterwards we both let out a huge sigh of relief.
i came back exhausted and w/ not nearly as many pictures as i would like to of taken...but it was a very busy busy weekend/wedding.
ahhh growing up.

thank God for tomfoolery

this week has been full with vbs and weekend plans of heading home to the burg for jennifer's wedding.
so i'm blogging instead of preparing my lesson for tomorrow night.
i've come up w/ a topic, a mixer....just no scripture or questions yet.
i plan on discussing patience w/ the students.....in the meantime i am listening to the eagles and pondering my day.

above is a picture of my friends sally and sara.....i don't have many female friends, mostly b/c i do not like gossip, catty behavior and drama. these girls however are wonderful.

recently i've been told by a handful of ppl different approaches to life. i appreciate the guidance, but sometimes i feel it is just best to figure life out on your own. some mistakes you need to make and learn from. some chances just need to be taken....you never know when you might win.
just like all that glitters is not gold, all that seems dull is not lacking value. sometimes life is about going out on that limb, following your gut and putting faith into something and hoping for the good in things/ppl.

i continue to thank God for the many blessings and wonderful people he has put in my life.
thank God for patience, understanding, acceptance and love from all the ppl around me.



and most of all thank God for the joy of laughter and downright tomfoolery!
i am blessed beyond measure. i hope i never lose sight of my many treasures....like wonderful friends.

time files

so Denver was already so long ago. Now I have friends getting married and engaged and it's just...time flies so fast.
i've been working like a mad woman lately!

When I returned from Denver I was informed I was on my own with the youth. Lately I've been feeling a little overwhelmed with all the people of the church, the parents and the youth asking me about events, summer trips, fundraisers, volunteer efforts, parent meetings, potlucks, budget stuff, positions to fill, picnics and such.
I've been able to maintain my composure through all of this....while maintaining a full-time job.
and it was last night...while I was downstairs w/ the former intern, folding the youth blankets that I realized not only am I not alone but I've never been alone.
I have the love and support of many dear dear people.

-Daniel has single-handedly (is this a word) planned and somewhat organized a canoe trip for the youth. i knew i wanted one but had NO IDEA where to even begin. Thanks dan.

-Bryan and Kim have made it possible to maintain safe sanctuaries multiple times...and thanks for being there while i was gone to denver.

-Heather...and heather...where do I even start. she's helped to guide and encourage me to learn the Bible more. and help me plan lessons and ice breakers....

-Brad, last but not least...brad. the very goofy, encouraging, and always positive brad. Rev. you're awesome.

....it's a new start :-).