epic adventures in life

again...no pictures. i'm still house sitting and i can't dl anything on the pc.

i just finished reading the allen blog and my eyes still swell with tears at the idea that they will not be with us or wesley when the school year starts. *sigh*

....but lately i've gotten really good support from some great ppl. my lessons have come a long way from when i first started.
i now so appreciate all the work and planning justin did for all of our trips and service days. there are so many little details that i just did not think about that my support team has reminded me of. (thanks to all of you wonderful ppl).

just simple things like....a meeting to remind all the attendees of what to pack, when to be there, when they will be back, and planning a devotional...wow, can't believe i forgot that one.
i love my job.

even my job at fresh...minus the bullshit parts anyway. there are a good handful of great ppl that make it not so bad.

i wish i didn't have/need to push to get things moving a long at the church...tis life.
be assertive and stand your ground lauren and make things happen!
....i hopefully have my meeting w/ the ds at the end of july.....
just another step close to becoming rev.baller!!!

i'm so grateful for people that i can be honest and talk to....about stuff that matters. not just sports, clothing, shoes, handbags, cars.....tv shows....you get the idea. i like people that care enough/trust me enough, to be honest with me....questioning my values and pointing out when i'm wrong... i value that kind of honesty...that kind of friendship and compassion.
people like this make my heart overflow with smiles.
although, i do enjoy the goofy faces and dancing fish too...

i've also realized this week that i don't want an inside dog....
i cut my foot open on a rawhide bone this morning....my fault for not wearing shoes but still....

house sitting adventures

first let me say that i LOVE LOVE LOVE being able to watch wimbledon in HD.
i haven't really watched tv since november and what a way to start back....oh how i love tennis! the grass courts are just so exciting too.
the australian open just is not as competitive. you either ARE a clay court player or you are not.

okay...house sitting. i realize the reason i'm here is for IF things go wrong. so the puppy's bum exploded..no biggie, i clean it up.
the a/c broke yesterday so i txt'ed saja and told her...someone's coming to fix the downstairs unit. i feel kinda bad. i mean i know it's not my fault but still...i'd like it better if things ran more smoothly

hopefully i will not be distracted by the dogs, tennis and the a/c repair person before work...i need to prepare my lesson for sunday evening.
i just wish i had more time to devote to the youth. i knew this would be a problem....it was a problem when my boss was still working at the church.....
for a part time job fresh is not THAT BAD...i mean i complain just to complain...for the most part anyway.
i have good ppl to work with and the work is pretty easy...it's just i could be using that time to be doing more productive things: things i actually care about.

christy made a good point though...we should make the best of our situations.
we may not like our jobs...but we have jobs, and our job is to do the best we can at our job.
it's all about respect. so props to christy for that.

now i am learning how to balance a career, a job, friends, a guy, and life responsibilities....i realize now that i need to prioritize. and that everything and everyone cannot always be my no.1. as with most women i feel like now i am letting someone or something down....and most of the time i end up putting myself last, which leaves me frazzled and frustrated.

things will look up. i'm sure of it....another advantage of house sitting....jacuzzi bubble baths oh yeah!!!

dog sitting, becoming a hippie and the joys of wimbledon

no pictures today....sorry guys.
i'm at saja and pat's house in g'town house/dog sitting.
things are going well so far....lily rose is a bit hyper active and beau is just...large and fluffy. pictures will come later in the week though.

i woke up this morning and started to think that maybe i am turning into a hippie. as i rolled out of bed and brewed my coffee only to pour some soy milk into it....after i finished my coffee i went to get ready in the master bath. there i opened up my nalgene to get a drink of water....and as you read from the previous post i am a proud owner of a new pair of chacos.
....i opened the pantry to look at my reduced sugar, organic peanut butter....
sigh....i'm 'that' friend and 'that' relative....
oh well. i enjoy my life.
and it is that time of year....
WIMBLEDON!!!!
every little girl/boy hopes to one day step foot on the grassy courts (the ones that play tennis anyway)

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 :-).