Hiatus

This is a necessary, but sad, post for me to write. Due to my life being so busy right now (as you can tell, considering the fact that I haven't posted anything since October!), I am going to have to put this blog on hiatus. I simply don't have time for blogging right now, as much as I enjoy it. Working lots of overtime (which will hopefully end soon!) takes up most of my time, and the time that I do have is being taken up with so many other things that are more important than blogging, like spending time with my family, doing stuff at church, etc. As of right now, I do plan to eventually continue blogging once I get more time. I will let you know if that changes. For now, goodbye blog readers :(

Give Them All to Jesus

This video is of a song that I just recently found, but one that has quickly become one of my favorites. Please, watch it, and think about the words.

Disapointment and Shattered Ideals

In my teenage years, I have to admit, I wasn't exactly the "perfect" Christian. I was rebellious, not outwardly, but inwardly, had really no desire to serve God, and idealized the wrong people. However, that all changed when a certain couple joined the church that I was attending at the time. Their names were J. and H. Higgins, and they soon became the youth leaders at my church. They became close friends of mine, and had so much influence in my life, more than they'll ever know. I spent numerous Sunday afternoons with them, as well as time before, during, and after youth activities.

J and H encouraged me to live for God, to get rid of the rebellion and bitterness in my heart, and to become a leader, rather than a follower. They were also a huge part of my surrendering to go into the ministry. They were the ones who put a burden in my heart to work with you. They planted those seeds of the love for youth into my life when I was still a youth myself.

H was the ideal wife. She was someone that I looked to for a model of how I wanted to be when I get married. She was submissive, loving, nuturing, and so much more. I looked up to her so much, and she was someone that I strived to model my own life after.

J was the ideal youth leader. He had so much energy and excitement about working with youth. You could see the burden that he had for youth. He was young, had a beautiful wife who loved youth just as much as he did, and seemed to have it all together.

I found out just this past week that this "ideal" couple is no longer together. J left his wife, and his young daughter, for another woman. When I heard the news, I was devestated and in shock. I couldn't believe that it had happened, not to them. They had seemed like the perfect couple, and I never, ever would have imagined that J would leave his wife for another woman. This was something that you heard about that happened to other people; people who aren't saved; people who didn't have the "ideal" life like J and H had.

I can only imagine what H is going through, suddenly finding herself as a single mom, having pretty much everything she'd known for more than five years destroyed. When I think about it, I am still shocked at what J did, and still can't believe that it happened.

This has made me realize even more how very important it is to really pray hard about who God would have you to marry, and to not rush into anything, and also, how important it is to make sure that you really know someone before you marry them

Turning Back Time

Technically, I should be preparing for Sunday school, working on the Christmas program, and working on my devotional and lesson for my teen girls class, but I decided to take a break from all of that to do this post. I got the idea from it from a blog that I read, Heart and Home. She did a post that I am basing this off of because I liked it so much.

One week ago...

I'd be waiting to talk to a friend on Facebook, only to be disappointed when he wasn't very talkative, which would make me worry that something had changed. I would cry, and then go to bed hoping this would be different in the morning.

One year ago...

I would be down at college, just having moved into my dorm room, excited about the year to come, but also nervous. I would have just spent the previous night at my college family's house, having a blast watching movies and playing games with my "mom," "little sisters," and "big brother." I would be meeting my new roommate, and having fun sharing memories with my old roommate. I would still be very much in love with a guy who did not  like me, and who had no idea that I felt that way about him. I would have no idea that in just a couple weeks, I would be forced to face reality, and would have my heart broken because I carelessly gave it away.

Five years ago...

I would be a young girl of fifteen, not having a care in the world. I would be getting ready to start tenth grade, thinking that I was going to graduate from high school and go to Pensacola to major in Nursing, having no idea that in just a year, my  plans would drastically have changed and I would be instead looking forward to going to Ambassador to major in Church Secretarial Studies and preparing to go into the ministry.

Ten years ago...

I would be just a child, only ten years old, thinking life was grand. I would be getting ready to go fishing with my dad the next day, ever the tomboy. I would think boys were  disgusting. I would be getting ready to start my last year at the Christian school I attended,  going into fifth grade. I would have no idea that the next year I would be home schooled, and  would instead be looking forward to getting involved in sports. I would have no idea that in just over a year, life would change dramatically all over the country due to the World Trade Center, as well as the Pentagon, being attacked by terrorists. I would have no idea that in just over a year, America would be at war, a foreign concept to me because of the peace we'd had since soon after I was born.

Fifteen Years ago...

I would be very much a daddy's little girl. I would be the little girl with a sucker in her mouth and a fishing pole with a fish on the end in her hand, like I was in the picture that is a favorite of my dad's. I would still fall asleep at nights sitting on my dad's lap, watching Little House on the Prairie. I would be excited about getting ready to  start kindergarten in just a few weeks.

What I didn't know 

back all those years ago

is that life is difficult, 

sometimes filled with pain, 

with sadness, 

with loss, 

with joy, 

with love, 

and with change.

Do I wish I could go back?

Sometimes. Some days I long to be that little

girl once again, so proud of the fish she'd caught,

with not a care in the world.

But I think that if I truly had the chance to go back,

I wouldn't. "I could have missed the pain, 

but I'd have had to miss the dance."

(from The Dance, by Garth Brooks)

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Ok, so maybe not, but i have been thinking about Christmas a lot recently. I can hardly believe that it's only about 4 months away!! Time has flown by recently. Before too much longer Christmas will be here...which poses a bit of a problem. You see, I'm in charge of my church's Christmas program at church. And I don't have a program picked out yet.

Right now I'm leaning towards writing my own program. Our church has some rather unique requirements for a Christmas program, which makes it very hard to find a Christmas program. If I were able to find one that I liked, I know that I'd probably have to do some serious rewriting to make it work for us, so it seems like it's going to be just as easy (or should I say just as hard!) to write me own. I'm kind of nervous about it, as I tend to be a bit of perfectionist as far as these things go.

I will keep you updated on my progress on the program! So far, there has been no progress, but I think that I'm just thinking too hard about it. I love writing, but I have absolutely no ideas right now!! Hopefully once I stop stressing so much about it, my creativity juices will start flowing!

I asked God for strength, that I may achieve,

I was made weak, that I might learn humbly to obey…

I asked for health, that I might do greater things,

I was given infirmary, that I might do happier things…

I asked for riches, that I might be happy,

I was given poverty, that I might be wise…

I asked for power, that I might have the praise of men,

I was given weakness, that I might feel the need of God…

I asked for all things that I may enjoy life,

I was given life, that I may enjoy all things…

I got nothing that I asked for- but everything I had hoped for;

Almost despite myself, my unspoken prayers were answered.

I am among the most richly blessed.

- An Unknown Confederate Solider

I found this on one of the blogs that I subscribe to (my sister's blog), and I really liked it, so I figued I would repost it on here. It is so very encouraging, and also very true! It was a reminder to me that while it may seem to us that our prayers aren't being answered, they are, just not necessarily in the way we want them answered. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! 

June/July Update

I'm so sorry that it has been so long since I've updated!!! I've been kept very busy recently. I can't remember if I mentioned it at all on here, but I have been taking a Nurse's Assistant class for the past three weeks, and it's kept me crazy busy!!! They are finally over now, so hopefully I'll have a bit more time to update!

Disclaimer: I am updating this while I am sick, so if the thoughts seem more random or scatterbrained than usual, that's why!! :)

June was a pretty boring month here...not much went on, which was kind of nice as it allowed us to recover from the wedding and everything. The only major thing that I can think of that happened in June is that I started babysitting for a family with four kids. I found out about the job through a mutual friend. The kids were great, and sooo adorable!!! The oldest, Clarissa, or Claire, as everyone called her, was 8, Peyton was 4, and Titus and Timothy were 1. Yes, it was quite a handful!!! Thankfully the kids were pretty well behaved, so it wasn't as hard as it could have been.

July started out rather boring as well, but got very busy as it went on!! The first week in July was my last week babysitting due to various circumstances, which turned out to be a blessing because it allowed me to participate in things that I otherwise would not have been able to do.

The second full week in July we had Bible School at our church. That was a crazy busy week!!! I was in charge of registration, and I also helped Mom, who was in charge of refreshments. Thursday night was definitely my busiest night, as I went from helping with registration to setting up for refreshments, to teaching the missionary story to the kids, then back to setting up for refreshments, then upstairs to teach the misssionary story to the teens, back downstairs just in time to do refreshments for the kids, then rushed to set up refreshments for the teens, then tearing down and setting back up for registration! I was so glad when that night was over! We had a very good turnout of kids each night, which was a huge answer to prayer, especially considering that it was the first time that the church had done VBS. We were able to see four kids get saved as a result of it, which was amazing!

The week after VBS, I started my STNA class (State Tested Nursing Assistant). It went very well, and I learned a lot, but I was very worn out by the time it was over. The last two weeks of class were crazy. We had Monday and Tuesday off the second to last week, then started back on Wednesday and continued every day until the following Wednesday! On that Saturday and Sunday we did clinicals at a nursing home, which was definitely an interesting experience. I still have to take my state test, which is sceduled for the 25th of August, and after that I will be completely done!

That's it for June & July. Hopefully now that the class is done with I'll be able to be better about updating this blog. I'm going to try to see if I can't come up with some sort of schedule for posting so that I don't go so long without updating!! I'm off to take some medicine and a nap now to see if I can't get over this bug that I have.

Stephanie

For some reason I have been really missing Stephanie a lot today. I don't know why, it's not like today is really any date that has any significance or anything. It's two months until her birthday, but I didn't realize that till I looked at Facebook, so I don't know what's causing me to miss her so much today.

It is so hard to believe that the end of this month, she'll have been gone for three months.It still doesn't seem possible that she is gone, even though it has been nearly three months. It still seems unfair, but I am accepting that God knows best, and that He has a reason for taking her home to be with Him.

I was trying to think of some of my favorite memories of Steph, and here are a few that I thought of:

 -Her love of pigs-She raised pigs every year for the fair since I could remember. She loved her pigs, and even won first place in Nationals at Bob Jones University for a sculpture that she did of a pig.

-Her love for her family-She loved her family very much, especially her niece, Megan. Her family ended up adopting Megan for various reasons, and she and Megan were so very close. Steph was also close to both of her parents and her brother Westley. One of the last things she said to me was that when Westley got married, she'd probably be crying like i was at Holly's wedding. Westley is now engaged, and Stephanie won't be there to see her brother get married.

-My very first memory of her is from fourth grade, when she started attending the same Christian school that I did. We nicknamed her the "hairbrush girl" because she always carried a hairbrush in her back pack and was constantly brushing her hair.

-She loved her friends so much. If any of her friends ever had a problem, she was always there for them with a hug. Her hugs always made anyone feel better, no matter what the problem was.

Those are just a few memories that I have of her. You may not care to read this, but writing about stuff seems to help me feel better. Anyways, it is off to bed I go...in a little while, at least. I'm waiting for a reply to a txt to I sent to a friend first, and hoping that the reply is what I'd like it to be, but trying not to get my hopes up too much...Goodnight, blogging world

The Wedding

Holly & Andrew got married on May 15. The wedding was beautiful, even though a lot of stuff went wrong. Setting up for the wedding was blast as well, considering who was all in the wedding party!! The bridesmaids were myself, Jenn Stitt, and Mandy Northcutt, and Grace Thompson was the maid of honor. The groomsmen were Ben Linville, Caleb Getty, and Daniel Brubaker, and Nathaniel Minion (Andrew's brother) was the best man. In addition to that, Christy Godfrey and Nicole Risinger (along with the rest of the Risinger clan) were there to help in various ways with the wedding.

Jenn, Holly, & Nicole with their coffee

Nate and Caleb being, well, Nate and Caleb!

Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Minion

Graduation

On May 8, I graduated from Ambassador Baptist College with an Associate's degree in Church Secretarial Studies. Below is a picture of me with the three other girls who also graduated with a Secretarial degree. Because we all had the same classes, we got to be pretty good friends.



Here is a pic of me with all my "siblings," Kristen &Amanda Stoliker (my "little sisters") Caleb Getty(my "big brother"), and Aaron Barrick (my "little brother")



Caleb also was graduating. Dad Stoliker, who was graduating as well, managed to sneak into the background of this pic.

Oh my!!

I am sooo far behind on blogging!! :( I feel bad! I have to do an update post (I'm striving to do at least one update post a month...we'll see...), my annual Fourth of July post, and at least two other posts that i have planned. So here we go...a marathon blogging session starts tomorrow

Giveaway!

One of the blogs that I follow is doing a giveaway of a Vera Bradley purse, or a custom-made baby quilt and booties. Go here to enter!!

Answer to Prayer

I just had a huge answer to prayer! I have been praying and looking for a job for over a month now with no luck at all. Tonight, when Mom was looking at one of her facebook friend's friend list, she saw that one of those friends had posted as her status that she was looking for a babysitting for her four children. I sent this lady a message on Facebook, and we messaged back and forth for a little bit, and she added me as a friend and looked at our mutual friends. She then offered me the job!!! It is only two days a week, and I'll only be making $45 a week, but it is better than nothing. I start Tuesday.

Please pray that I will be able to find other work as well. While this job is definitely a huge answer to prayer and will be a big help, I still need another job. I know that since the Lord provided this job, He will also provide another job for me.

Thank you all for praying, and please continue to pray!

Goodbye...But Not Forever

Yesterday was the funeral of one of my very close friends, Stephanie Sykes. It was a time of mourning, but also a time of rejoicing.

Mourning, because she was loved by many, and we will all miss her very much. She was so young, only twenty, and it seems so unfair. She was getting ready to graduate from COTC (Central Ohio Technical College) on June 11 with an associates degree in Forensic Science. She had her whole life ahead of her, and it ended too soon, with no warning.

However, it was a time of rejoicing because we who are saved know that one day we will see her again. As was stated at her funeral yesterday, once we are reunited with Steph in heaven, the time that we'll be together will be so much longer than the time that we were apart. This brings comfort, as we know that this goodbye is not forever.

Since Steph's death, I have looked at so many Scripture passages and songs in a whole new light. For instance, the song Zion's Hill, which the ensemble at Ambassador sang so often, and which was sang at her funeral yesterday. The words are:

There waits for me a glad tomorrow,
Where gates of pearl swing open wide,
And when I've passed this vale of sorrow,
I'll dwell upon the other side.

Some day beyond the reach of mortal ken,
Some day God only knows just where and when
The wheels of mortal life shall all stand still
And I shall go to dwell on Zion's hill.

Some day I'll hear the angels singing,
Beyond the shadows of the tomb;
And all the bells of heaven ringing,
While saints are singing, "Home, sweet home."

Some day my labors will be ended,
And all my wand'rings will be o'er,
And all earth's broken ties be mended,
And I shall sigh and weep no more.

Some day the dark clouds will be rifted,
And all the night of gloom be past;
And all life's burdens will be lifted,
The day of rest shall dawn at last.

Stephanie is experiencing all of that right now!!! It makes all of the words so much more real when I think about that. She's seeing the streets of gold, and the mansions that have been prepared for us, and the pearly gates. Above all else, she's seeing God!! What an amazing thought!!

Not only is she seeing all the things that the Bible talks about, and that we sing about in so many songs, but she also no longer has to deal with the seizures and migraines. She no longer has to worry about taking medicine, having tests run, or any of the other things that came along with the seizures and migraines.

Although it is still hard for us left behind, and we don't understand why God only had her here on earth for such a short time, we will see her again. God has a reason for taking her home. As a friend reminded me last night, God knew before she was born that on May 25, 2010, He would take her home after only twenty years of life on this earth.

While I, along with many other people, am going to miss Stephanie, I know that I will see her again. So, Stephanie, goodbye...but not forever.

Stephanie's Obituary

Obituary for Stephanie Marie Sykes

Stephanie M. Sykes, age 20, of Glenford, died unexpectedly Tuesday May 25, 2010 at her residence. Born October 7, 1989 in Westerville, she was a 2008 graduate of Licking Co. Christian Academy, and was an honors student at C.O.T.C. in Newark, where she would have received her Associates degree in June. She was a member of Maranatha Bible Church in Glenford.
Survived by her parents, Victor & Barbara Sykes; brothers, Victor Sykes, Jr. and Westley Sykes; “little sis”, Megan Sykes, all of Glenford; great-grandmother, Lois McCollum; great-uncle, Roger Davidson, and nieces, Victoria & Nicole Sykes.
Friends may visit 2-4 & 6-8 p.m. Friday at the DWAYNE R. SPENCE FUNERAL HOME, 650 W. Waterloo St., Canal Winchester. Funeral service will be 11 a.m. Saturday at Maranatha Bible Church, 5376 St. Rt. 204, Glenford, with the Pastor Stephen Shaw officiating. Interment will follow at Lithopolis Cemetery. Friends who wish may contribute to a special fund in Stephanie’s name c/o the funeral home.

Sorrow

I find myself sleepless tonight. One of my close friends passed away late last night or early this morning, and I am unable to sleep. It was totally unexpected and I am in shock. I just saw this friend a little over a week ago at Holly's weddings,and we were making plans to get together sometime. Now she is gone. It seems so unbelievable, like it should be part of a dream or a movie or something.

As shocked and sad and hurting as I am right now, I take comfort in knowing that i will one day see Stephanie again. She knew the Lord as her personal Savior, and today she is in heaven with Him. Isn't that a wonderful thought? I am looking forward to the day when I will see her once again.

I would greatly appreciate your prayers for her family, as I can't even imagine what they're going through right now. To lose their daughter must be such a horrible thing for her parents to have to go through. A parent should never have to bury their child.

The verse that I've been dwelling on throughout this is "Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;" (2 Cor. 1:3) . I know that however great my sorrow and pain, God will be there with me to comfort me and to help sustain my throughout this.

Please be in prayer for the funeral. I don't know yet when it will be, I'm still waiting to hear, but I do know that there will quite likely be several unsaved people there, as well as her older brother, who has strayed away from the Lord. Please pray that God will work mightily through Stephanie's death, and that He will receive all the glory.

Saying Goodbyes...

I am now in my final week of school here at Ambassador Baptist College...while I am excited about finishing, I'm also sad about leaving all of my friends and "family." Today is my last Sunday at Emmanuel, and I am realizing just how much I'm going to miss this church. I've come to love the people at this church, and am having a really hard time leaving.

Tonight is the graduate's fellowship here at church, and I have to get up in front of everyone and tell them what my plans are after graduation. Those of you who know me know that I hate getting up in front of people. I'm praying that it goes well and is over with quickly!!!

Wednesday I have two finals, and then I am done with classes for good!!! Yay!! So exciting!!

Also, Wednesday will be my last service ehre at EBC, at least, my last one as a college student. I will definitely be coming back to visit everyone here when i visit Holly & Andrew.

Well, I'd better get going for now. I'll try to post more later, but no promises...

God Is Near

God is always near to His children, even we stray away from Him. This is very convicting to me, for I have not always been close to God, and have strayed away from Him many times, yet always, He takes em back and forgives me. We serve an awesome God!

Friends may lead me astray,
But God is always near.
Others may cause me to turn away,
But, always, God is near.

Though I may stray far away,
Still He watches over me.
Though I choose to go my own way,
Still, He watches over me.

When I return and plead,
“Lord forgive me!
You’re all I need.
Please, Lord, remember me!”

Lovingly, my Father said,
“Child, you wandered far away;
From me you fled,
But I was with you all the way.”

It was then that I cried.
I don’t deserve His love.
But still, He was by my side,
My loving Father above.

Child, Rest In Me

Something that I've always had trouble with is resting in and depending on God. I'm a very stubborn and independent person, which I will be the first to admit are two of my greatest weaknesses. Through my (almost) two years here at college, I've had to let go of a lot of my independence due to struggling with my asthma and other physical problems, and I've had to let go of my stubbornness enough to admit that I need help. I was thinking about all this today when I wrote this poem:

“Child, rest in Me,”
My Father gently says.
“Child, rest in Me.”

Stubborn though am I,
I pull away
“I can do it!” I cry.

“Child, rest in Me,”
He says once again.
“Child, rest in Me.”

Still I resist
I want my way
“I can do it!” I insist

“Child, rest in Me,”
Is all that he says.
“Child, rest in Me.”

Suddenly, I stumble and fall!
“Lord, help me!
I need you!” I call.

“Child, rest in Me.”
No chiding, simply,
“Child, rest in Me.”

“Father, I need you,
I need Your help
With all that I do.”

“Child, rest in Me.
I will help you,
Only rest in Me.”

Update Once Again

Yes, it really is me, and I really am updating once again!! I'm on a roll here!! lol :D

It's been very busy here ever since Spring Break. Right after Spring Break was Spring Bible Conference. It was super busy, but it was totally worth it! All the messages were fabulous. There were way too many good messages to pick a favorite.

This past Saturday was Medieval Mayhem at college. This is a competition between all four leagues (Patriots, which is my league, Conquerors, Knights & Maidens, and Watchmen). We play various games such as Jump the Creek, American Eagle, relays, etc. It was a lot of fun, although by the end of the day I was completely and totally exhausted. Thankfully, my asthma pretty much stayed under control and I was able to participate in most of the games.

After Medieval Mayhem, Christy and Nate asked me to take pictures for them, so we went over to the caboose in Lattimore and I had a blast taking pictures for them. They are so cute together!!! I love photography, and it's always fun to take pictures of couples.

Sunday kicked off the Spring Revival at Emmanuel Baptist Church, my local church when I'm down here at school in NC. Evangelist Paul Crow is preaching, and all the messages have been wonderful!! I think each message has spoken to my heart. Although it's going to be super busy, it's going to be a great week. I'm helping in the Welcome Center every night except Thursday, and I'm in the nursery that night. Add to that schoolwork, and classes, as well as trying to recover from Saturday still, and it equals exhaustion, but I don't mind.

As of right now it is 23 days until graduation!! I cannot wait!! Although in some ways (okay, okay, a lot of ways) I'm going to miss being down here, at the same time I am very ready to be done with school.

Coming up right on the heels of graduation is Holly & Andrew's wedding. I'm so excited!! It's going to be a crazy week at our house, though. Nicole gets in on Sunday (She's riding back from NC with Holly). Andrew's family, as well as Christy & Caleb are getting in on Wednesday afternoon, and Jenn is coming in sometime that day as well. On Thursday, we decorate the church, and that evening Mandy will get in. Friday the Risingers get in, and, of course, the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner are that night. Saturday is the wedding, of course, so that will be a crazy day. after the wedding we're having a bunch of people over to our house for a cookout. The next morning everyone who has not yet left is leaving, and Holly and Andrew will be flying out for their honeymoon. That night, the mixed quartet from Ambassador will be at my home church (New Lexington Bible Church) and Laura and Christina who are traveling with the quartet, are staying at our house that night. John and Esther Uit de Flesch, who are also traveling with the quartet may also be staying at our house, depending on if anyone else in our church volunteers to keep them. Then, Laura and Christina will be back at our house on Wednesday and Thursday nights while they're at other churches in the area.

On top of that, one of our dogs is going to have puppies any day now, so we will have our hands full keeping track and taking care of the puppies.

It's going to be a busy few weeks, but hopefully after all that is over I'll have a chance to rest and catch up on my sleep.

As far as a job, I'm leaving that in the Lord's hands. I have submitted my resume to my dad's work, and it will be submitted to another place sometime next week by a friend who knows of a job opening. Once I graduate and the wedding is done with, I will start sending it out to more places, but right now I'm just too busy to start looking for jobs.

When I go home, I will be teaching the children's Sunday School class at my church for the summer, as well as teaching a teen girl's class one Wednesday a month. I will also be doing some secretarial work for the church to help my pastor out. He has needed a secretary for awhile, but because we're such a small church, we do not have the money to pay one. This is the thing that I' looking forward to the most, as I would love to work as a church secretary.

Well, that's about all for now. I will try to update again before the wedding sometime, but don't get your hopes up! I have a lot of projects to finish up before finals, and after finals is graduation, then the wedding, so I don't know if i will have time to update at all.

Sisters

A much-needed update-part 2

Well, here's part two of my update...and yes, i have gotten more sleep since I wrote my last post, so don't worry, I'm not going to go crazy and start talking to my blog again!! :)

I already told you about my classes and the main events that have gone on this semester, but, of course, there's more to college life than just classes and events. There are struggles & trials, as well as blessings and answers to prayer. And sometimes, as I've realized this semester, the trials and blessings are the exact same thing.

This semester has been a rough semester in many ways. Emotionally, physically, and academically, there has seemed to be one trial after another. This semester has been my worst semester yet, but through everything, I've learned to depend on God for everything, even things that seem to be small and insignificant.

I can honestly say that God has become my very Best Friend this semester. When I was going through things that seemed as if they would never end, and when I was exhausted physically, mentally, or emotionally I knew that I could go to God and He would get me through. There were times this semester where I honestly felt like giving up. At the beginning of the semester, when I was going through a particularly difficult trial, I would cry myself to sleep every night because of everything that was going on. It was during that time when I realized that I needed to give it all over to God. Once I finally gave everything over to Him, everything got easier to bear because I wasn't bearing it alone. I had God beside me to carry me when I felt as if I couldn't go on.

Well, I guess this post really isn't an update on my life exactly, at least not liek I meant it to be, but this is something I've been thinking about for awhile, and just thought I'd share it on here.

A much-needed update-part 1

My poor little blog!! You've been so neglected recently!! I'm going to blame it all on Baptist History, which isn't a valid excuse considering I didn't update all that frequently when I didn't have Baptist History, but hey, it's an excuse! :)

(Tip: When you start talking to your blog, you know it's time for you to go to bed!!!)

Well, this post is titled update, so I should probably write an update!! Brilliant, aren't I?! lol

Hmm...let's see here, where shall I start? Well, I guess I'll start at the beginning of the semester, seeing as I haven't really done a major update since Christmas Break. I'll try to skip over the things that I've updated on in the small little updates I've done here and there this semester.

When I first got back to college we had opening Revival, like we always do at the beginning of each semester. This semester Dr. Comfort and Dr. Bill Hall preached. The messages were all really, really good, and I enjoyed all of them, but there wasn't any that really stuck out to me.

This semester, I have a pretty light load, but it's still difficult and stressful, mainly because of one class, Baptist History, which I told you about in Update. It's going a little better now, but I'm still struggling with it some.

Besides that class, I have Spreadsheets, Systematic Theology 2, Pauline Epistles, Office Practices, Procedures, & Equipment, and Database. I'm also taking piano lessons again this semester. Tuesdays are definitely my easiest days as I only have two classes, and I don't have a seven o'clock class, so I get to sleep in!!! Yay!!!

After Opening Revival, there wasn't really anything major until Valentine's Banquet. In case you're wondering, no, I did not go with anyone, unless you count sitting with Andrew and hanging out with him as going with someone, which I do not!!! I had fun, anyways. :)

After Valentine's Banquet, the next major thing was Family Fun Night. It took us till about 1am to finish setting up most of the big stuff, and then we were back at it again the next day after brunch. We finally finished setting everything up right before dinner, which is a good thing, considering it opened up right after dinner!!

Family Fun Night was really our last major event before break, well, besides midterms, that is. Thankfully, I only had two midterms this semester, so that was a nice break from past semesters where I'd had one in every class.

After break, there will only be about 6 more weeks left until I graduate!!!! I am super excited, although at the same time I'm a little sacred, because I have absolutely no idea what I'll be doing after I graduate. As of right now, the plan is for me to come home and look for a job, that is, after all the hustle and bustle of Holly's wedding is over!!

Ok, I'm going to close for now and finish updating later because it is way past my bedtime!!! I'll try to write part 2 tomorrow.

Spring Break

I've been on Spring Break this week (I think I mentioned that in my last post, but I can't remember!!! lol) and it has been SO nice to be able to relax and not have to worry about classes. It's also allowed me to get some much needed rest, which I know I'll be even more grateful for next week during Bible conference, where we have two speakers in the morning chapel and two speakers in the evening service.

I think this is the first break where I am not ready to go back. In the past, I have always been anxious to go back, but this time I wish break were longer. Don't get me wrong, I do love it down there at Ambassador, but it has been so nice to be able to be home. Even just the simple things, like either making or helping to make dinner every night this week, and doing housework, and other tasks that we usually consider menial and mundane are what I've enjoyed the most over break.

I've also enjoyed being able to spend time with my family. This is the last time for awhile we'll have a chance to spend time together as a family, because exactly one week and one day after graduation, Holly & Andrew are getting married. As of right now, we will have people here from the Wednesday before the wedding until the Sunday after the wedding, and I'm sure that whole week will be packed full of last minute details and preparations for the wedding, which will leave very little family time.

This week has been busy, but also not busy. I know, that's totally contradictory, but it makes sense to me!! Let me explain my reasoning: Compared to what my weeks are like when I'm down at college, this week has been a very SLOW week. My typical week down at college is: Monday-classes, homework, piano practice; Tuesday-classes, homework, piano practice; Wednesday-classes, visitation, helping with Master's Clubs, and fitting homework in where i can; Thursday-classes, piano lessons, homework; Friday-classes, homework, piano practice, volleyball games (or whatever sport the leagues happen to be playing, depending when in the school year it is); Saturday-homework, piano practice, & frequently, especially towards the end of the spring semester, a special event or something to do; Sunday-church in the morning, stay at church and do homework in the afternoon, church at night, get back to school just in time for dinner. With that schedule, and the occasional (although this year it's been frequent) special event thrown in here and there, it keeps me busy!!

So, as I was saying, compared to that schedule, this week has been really slow, but compared to a normal week at home (like in the summer, or before i went to college), it's been busy.
On Friday, I didn't get home till almost 12:30 (well, I guess that would technically be Saturday...lol).
Saturday, I slept in till about 11am, got up and kinda puttered (I know, that's a strange word to use, but i don't know what else to put!) around the house for awhile, and then we had something going on that night, though for the life of me I cannot remember what!!
Sunday was church, of course, and since we attend a church that's 45 minutes away from our house, that takes up quite a bit of the day when you include the travel time there and back for both the morning and evening services.
Monday was wonderful; I had absolutely nothing going on except having to make dinner, so i just kind of lazed around all day.
Tuesday, I had an appointment with my asthma & allergy specialist (more about that in a later post), and afterwords, shopping with Mom. We got home around 3:30pm or so, and by that time, I had time to do a few things, and then I helped Mom with dinner.
Wednesday was another slow day, making dinner, and then church that evening. Thursday (today), I had to go to the Verizon store in the morning to get my phone looked at (people were complaining that they couldn't hear me) which was kinda a wasted trip because they couldn't find anything wrong with it, then I stopped at the library on my way home. When I got home, i spent the rest of the day (from about 10am to 5:30pm) making meals to freeze. (I did this to make it easier on Mom & Holly; they both work, so this way they don't have to come home and worry about making something for dinner.) I managed to make 6 or 7 meals worth of food today, and I'm planning on making a few more things tomorrow. At 6pm, the lovebirds (my name for Holly & Andrew) and I went out to eat with my Pastor and his family at Tom's Ice Cream Bowl (the absolute best place in Ohio to get ice cream). By the time we got home, it was about 8 or 8:30pm.
Friday (tomorrow) is going to be another busy day. In the morning I have a dentist appointment (I HATE the dentist!!! I always have and always will!), then doing a little quick shopping. (I have to be home by 10 because the lovebirds have a premarital counseling sessions with Pastor and right now we're down to just 3 cars. (we usually have 4, but one just died.)) When I get home, I plan on doing a little more freezer cooking, as well as finding something to make for dinner...that is if we have anything left after I get done with all the freezer cooking!
As far as I know, there is nothing planned for Saturday, which is my last full day home before I go back to college, so I'll probably be packing and doing last minute stuff to get ready to head back.
Sunday, I'll be going to my church in the morning, and then meeting up with a friend at her church right after the morning service to leave for NC. It's an 8 hour drive, so that means it's going to be a LONG day even though I won't really be doing anything.

Well, that's what my busy/not busy week has been like/is going to be like. I've really enjoyed, and am not looking forward to it ending, but, alas, all good things must come to an end, or so goes the English Proverb. I'm trying to be content knowing that I had a wonderful week (10 days) home, and that in about 7 weeks, after graduation, I'll be home to stay.

Free Music

So, I was browsing the free music selection on Amazon.com today and discovered an album of someone who is now possibly my new favorite singer. her name is Faryl Smith,a 14 year old mezzo Soprano with a beautiful voice!! You would never be able to guess from the sound of her voice that she's not even old enough to drive a car yet. She was a finalist on Britain's Got Talent in 2008. If you go to Amazon.com's mp3 special deals section, click on "free albums: or something like that. Faryl's album is called "River of Light." Unfortunately, the free version only includes one song, The Blue Danube, but it is very good.
Also, if you like classical music, there's a free album download called "X5 Free Classical Sampler: Chopin 200 years: that you'll enjoy.
Well, that's all for now, but I run across more later, I'll probably edit thsi post to include those, too.

Update

Well, it's been awhile since I've updated, but I do have a good reason. I've been busy with school work and church stuff, so I haven't had time to get on here in awhile. Besides that, my life has been pretty boring lately.
January 18, I started the second semester of my sophomore year at Ambassador Baptist College. It started out very busy, with opening revival the first week, and classes as usual.

In contrast to last semester, I am struggling with my classes this semester. Most of them are easy, but I have Baptist History with Dr. Dalton (the hardest teacher at Ambassador), and it's been really difficult for me. I've failed my first two tests, which has really hurt my overall grade. We just started the second book, America in Crimson Red, which is easier and more interesting than the other book, Struggle for Liberty, which was written by Dr. Dalton. Please pray that I do better on the rest of the tests and quizzes in this class, as it is required for me to graduate this spring.

Graduation is less than three months away!!!! I can't believe it's coming up so fast!! I can't wait for it to get here! I have absolutely no idea what I will be doing after graduation, except, of course, for being in Holly's wedding, but it will be nice to be done with school, especially after this semester, which is proving to be a rough semester.

Well, that's about all that's been going on in my life lately. I'll try to update more frequently, but I'm not making any promises!!! :)