Chicago

Almost the Holidays

2011-11-11T05:57:00.000-08:00

It is almos the holiday and we have had our frst snow! Thanksgiving is in two weeks and that means three weeks from Winter break! The air is getting crisp and snow will fall soon and stick. Which means, Snowmen and hockey on the pond, ice skating, skiing, and snow angels. I am determined to make use of this winter and my snow pants! Thats it. Short and sweet. The end.

School

2011-08-23T06:15:00.000-07:00

So, school has started back up and I am back on campus. The days have been beautiful and I can't believe school is already here. Yesterday was the start of my PT work hours and classes. I must say that this semester is definitely going tobe a bit crazy. However, the fact I did schedule myself off one day in the week is going to help oh so much. This year is going to be great and though I can't put my finger exactly on the reason why, I have such a peace in my heart. Only given to me by none other than my Father in heaven. I am so appreciative of the peace and joy he has given me in my heart at the start of this year. He is mine and I am His.:)

I have had a song stuck in my head for the past two weeks called, La Vien Rose, which I'm sure most have heard of. It was stuck in my head that I have learned the french words. :) It has been so much fun to sound like I come from the lovely location of France. My roommate this year is a singer and we have put it together as a duet and it has been oh so much fun. She is wanted us to join forces and lead worship for the school one chapel. Not sure how that works, but even the idea of leading about 1000 students kinds of scares the crap out o fme. haha

God has been so good to me this year and been so patient. So here is another year at school and I pray that again he would guide my feet and that I would be wise enough to follow them. :)

Pictures

2011-08-07T20:21:00.000-07:00

So, I finally got around to taking some pictures of the kids around the house and downloaded them on to the computer. Tomorrow we plan on going for a trip to a park, where more pictures will be taken. Here is the first set.

Sasha is tricky to get smiling on camera, but I got him and thought this was adorable!

Emma lost another tooth!
Everyone ready for church.
Sasha discovering the amazing joy of spitting. hahaha
There is a story to this. I was sitting on the bed starting to clean up the toys with the girls and Sasha climbed up behind me. All of a sudden something swings past my head and all I see is a little but and two feet. I turn and there is Sasha swinging like a monkey from the bed. I had to get a picture then of all of them doing it. :)

Sasha, terrorizing the girls in their room. haha

We had just discovered a new way to laugh. Sticking your tongue out and spitting. hahaha Sasha was ready to use it on the girls.
Mischievous!
Sisters
Kathy reading "Treasures of the Snow" to Emma to get her mind off her itching.

Today at the Park

2011-08-06T00:03:00.000-07:00

Today we all went to the park. Emma was feeling well enough to go out and about. It was beautiful today. The sun was shining and the sky was clear. Mt. Redoubt stood tall and amazing. I was sure to pack the car with the necessities. Extra diapers, pants, crackers, water, even a movie that needed to be returned. I meant to grab the camera and forgot and didn't realize until after we go to the park. I was so frustrated with myself. They had such fun. Emma swung and the little kids tried every slide. Travis met up with us, along with his new friends, and it was wonderful. In order to capture some of the joy, i'm planning on taking them all back there with the camera in my possession.

After the park we went to McDonalds were I treated them to ice cream cones. From there we headed home and the little kids took a nap. I read Lord of the Rings while Emma rested and watched a cartoon. Afterwards, we skyped with mom/grandma. About 30 minutes after that Kathy came over and read treasures of the snow to the kids and from there we all went to a friends house for dinner. The kids are now asleep in their beds and I'm free to clean up the house a bit and relax myself.

We will see how long that lasts, as Emma's leg may very well act up with the itching and she begins to need me.

All in all it was an eventful day and one that I am happy with. If you could, pray for Emma and the itching in her leg. It isn't fun for her and it keeps her up which causes her to lose sleep. Tomorrow we may head to the park again, but we shall see.

Alaska is beautiful and I'm so grateful I was able to come up here. Thats all for now.

Cast on the Leg

2011-08-03T11:56:00.001-07:00

Well, yesterday was the big day for Emma. The two little kids went to a friends while I took Emma to the Doctor with Val. Emma did well. They had to straighten her leg a bit and flatten her foot for the cast, and though their was some whimpering, she did well. The doctor said the bone was healing really well and that in three weeks, after her next check up, she can begin to put pressure on the leg. From there the little ones were picked up and we headed home. She got to pick a color of her choice for her cast and so chose pink.

I spoke to the doctor about what I should do about the itching for Emma and he didn't have one recommendation. I asked him if Benedryl would work and he said that I could try it. You would think that for the past 50 years that we have been putting casts on patients and all of them complaining of the itch, they would have thought of something to help with it. Especially for children who are prone to waking up in the middle of the night because the itch is so bad and they can't itch it.

Today is another gloomy day. A friend of the family is coming to read a chapter of "Treasures of the Snow" to Emma and then we are piling into the car to go see Uncle Daniel. I am trying to think of things for us to do outside of the house. Emma need to get up and moving and get some sort of fresh air. Its just getting her to be willing to get up off the couch. Today is one of those days of getting her out. It will be a simple trip, they get lunch out of it, and see their Uncle Daniel who makes them laugh.

The other two kids are doing wonderfully. They play with each other and by themselves. They are so obedient when it comes to nap time and bed times, it makes it so easy to take care of. They are all adorable nevertheless.

Life in Alaska

2011-08-01T10:39:00.000-07:00

So another day begins. Its gloomy out, but not terrible. Travis, Stacia, and Sasha went for a walk to the mailbox while Emma remains playing with photo booth on my computer. Leaving me to straighten up the house and write up a short blog entry.

Last night went well for Emma. She only woke up once, due to the itching, but fell right back to sleep within a few minutes of telling her a story. Tomorrow she goes in for a cast when I will also ask about whether or not we can give her Benedryl or something of the like, for the itching. We shall see what the doctor has to say.

Today we will see about getting a few of Emma's friends to come over. Hopefully that will help her with the constant sitting she must do. Stacia and Sasha are doing so well. They entertain themselves and play with each other. They love the attention they get when Travis plays with them. They can also be so cuddly towards me and I love it.

GJ and Vicka should have arrived in Moscow and are most likely sleeping. Emma and the kids have requested we attempt to call and get in touch with them later today. We will try and see how that goes.

I have a feeling that these two weeks are going to fly by. Already it seems like I arrived yesterday and its already been a few days.

School starts about a week after I get back and in all honesty I'm actually really excited. I am excited for the challenges that will arise this coming semester and the fact I think I have much better handle on how to deal with them. There has been a lot of growing up done within the past two years. My new theme song is "Everything" by Tim Hughes.

Well, Travis and the kids are back, so I must end this blog. Will write more tomorrow. :)

In Alaska

2011-07-31T18:16:00.001-07:00

So, the days have begun here in Alaska as a mom to three young kids. I must say my respect for mothers with three toddlers has grown. :) The spare time one can grasp is precious! :) Actually it has gone well. I think the only difficult has been getting enough sleep while I'm changing time-zones. Today, I got to take a quick 20 minute nap while the rest of the kids took theirs and I feel so refreshed!

The kids have awaken and I have rice, broccoli, Chicken with onions and tomatos cooking on the stove. I am not expecting them to eat the onions or the tomatoes, but the juices give the chicken great flavor. So they will eat the chicken plane without them.

Today I got a chance to take the kids outside which was nice. It was a pretty day and I think was good for the kids to get out. One of the children has a broken leg and at this time has very little mobility. I'm still trying to figure out the best way to get her out in the fresh air without putting her leg in danger. Tuesday she gets her cast put on her leg and then we will see about getting up and about later this week. She goes through phases of wanting to conquer the world and just sit on the couch. :)

We shall see what the rest of the week will bring. I must tend to the food on the stove.

Mission

2011-07-27T20:29:00.000-07:00

How many times do we hear, that as Christians we enter a spiritual battlefield just by being a believer and shrug it off? How many times do we look at someone sincerely and tell them we will pray and forget? How many times do we tell ourselves, I will force myself to do daily devotions and then don't?

Maybe for some the number is low but for others its high, if one is honest with themselves. Though I know it wasn't the first time, I caught myself recently in all 3 accounts. I caught myself shrugging off the fact that as a Christian we are part of a spiritual war and that every missionary and every missions trip is the entrance to the main battlefield. Yet, unless we ourselves are in the thick of it, we forget. We don't see the attack on those doing the will of God on a constant basis. But everyday missionaries (our soldiers) are being attacked and our strongest weapon from afar is prayer. I have seen prayer in action and its affect on a situation. That one call out to the Almighty is like a military request for an air strike and the enemy being demolished. Like in "Tears of the Sun"........ :) I guess I'm writing this to say, as someone who is mission minded, I have not remained in constant prayer of the missionaries out there already. I have not constantly done my duty in support of them. I didn't even think to maybe just take a moment and pray for the missions and missionaries out there today, because I wasn't on "there". That is going to change.

I have been on a few missions trips and I understand the stresses, burdens, and fear that can arise. At those times, the only thing you can think of to do in the end, is cry out to God for some sort of relief. Knowing this, it is a testimony to watch my older brother remain confident in the Lord, it seems like all the time. He is a missionary pilot to Russia, is married and has three kids. I always appreciate Greg's advice concerning decision-making or my future in missions. It is always sound and constantly reminds me to trust in the Lord. A trust I see him act out. To me, my brother is probably one of the strongest men I know. Not because of his physical strength, but because of his constant courage to remain in faith in the midst of the battlefield. He is a soldier.

I say all this, because He and his wife are headed to the mission field in a few days, along with another one of my brothers. It wasn't till last week, though I knew of this trip a month ago, that I realized the best support I could give at this time is prayer. I realized that as they enter this battlefield they need some back-up. Prayer is not frivolous. It is not another task to add to our list of "What every Christian should do". It is one of our defenses that God has equipped us with.

So let us pray.

Up Early

2011-04-05T05:46:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm usually up by 7am but today I got ready unusually fast. I debated whether or not to just go in early and have decided to post another boring paragraph about life. Aren't you just so lucky? As far as the drama from last time, peace has been restored!

There are only about 5 more weeks of school and I can't wait. I'm already starting to prepare for finals coming up, as I would love to get A's this semester. We shall see how it all plays out. Work is busy but productive and makes me feel like I'm useful, which is nice.

We had a 70 degree spell the other day. It was so warm I couldn't wear a sweater without getting hot. Because of it, a friend of mine went out on the town, down to Michigan. While down there I decided to do something I never do. I bought a shirt. Yes, I decided I didn't like what I was wearing and put us on a mission to find a $10 shirt in one of the stores on Michigan Ave. We actually found one and its wonderful. Its light so its great for the summer, and the sleeves are flowing, so they blow in the wind. Thank you H&M for having a sale! :) I should probably post pictures. I'm so bad about that. I never carry my camera around and when I get tagged in other photos I rarely download them onto my computer. I apologize I'm so boring. I'll see what I can do to change. Perhaps just post pictures! :) Also I think I need a new blog look. Yes, thats coming right up.... ooop, time for work.

Drama

2011-02-23T18:41:00.000-08:00

What is the point exactly? Perhaps its the estrogen but women over-react and create way to much drama. What does it do, after all, other than give you a chance to over use your lungs, emotions, tear ducts, as well as the opportunity to flip your hair in a very frustrated manner. Or there is the silent drama which lingers underneath our everyday lives and then decides to peak its head out at the most inopportune moments. I ask you, what causes us to do such things? The smallest things can ignite these melodramatic moments at any point in time. Its like a time bomb waiting to go off. Its absolutely ridiculous. Now I must confess I've been involved in drama myself, but that doesn't mean it wasn't annoying. The frustrating tedious waiting of whose gonna talk first, how should I say such and such, blah blah blah. Just say it already and live your life. Now this may be just a pathetic rant which could be perceived as a dramatic update on this blog I find so difficult to continually update and check. However, due to some drama that happened today I had to vent over the stupidity of it all. Seriously!

Life

2011-02-17T10:55:00.000-08:00

So, i'm 21 now and I have to be honest, I almost didn't want to be 21 yet. I think I always imagined there would be some point that I would have met or been at before I was 21. Ah the wonderful disappointment of not living up to your own expectations. Nevertheless, life has moved on and I have accepted the new age. :) lol

I was going to end up with family on my birthday weekend, but unfortunately that didn't happen. However, I had a friend who brought me to her house where I got to share her sisters birthday. The following Monday, which was my actual birthday a handful of girls from my floor treated me to Cheesecake at the Cheesecake factory. A complete and pleasant surprise to me. It was so much fun and I felt very loved. Pictures are on my facebook for those who want to see. :)

Other than that, I am slowly preparing myself for mid-terms which are coming up faster than I would like. In fact, one was to be had on Friday, but was pushed to Monday. Grateful for the extension but still in a bit of shock over the realization time definitely goes by fast. So, school is good and work is good.

I'm starting to look into internship possibilities for the summer prior to my Senior year. Per my professor, I'm actually looking into going to Italy. Not many students have gone and its a place in need. France and Spain are two other countries no students have gone too and are in great need. So I'm looking into possibilities, which include looking into this organization; http://www.teamworld.org/. Its a while off yet, but it is a requirement that I will soon have to fulfill so the search will begin. :)

ah, life......

Chicago

2011-01-17T18:13:00.000-08:00

Hello!

Well it has been quite a long amount of time since the last time I posted. I have transferred to the Moody-Chicago campus and am working quite a bit. But, it has been a good transition.

I am writing because I am sitting in a coffee shop listening to people read poetry out loud. It is actually quite entertaining. Some are quite good and some are fare, but either way its been fun.

I hope to post some pictures of my life here in Chicago. Perhaps begin to post more often again.

My CLASS!

2010-07-27T08:43:00.001-07:00

During break. (From left to right, from front to back).....Rachel, Crystal, Linda, Kary, Emily, Denis, Mercury....The girls standing are Meyling....and I can't see the other ones. lol

(Left to Right) Wing and Alice working hard on their writing assignment.
Ah...fun...group assignment...good day. :) The boy staring at the camera is Sunny. :)
My whole class, save for one who was sick. (I can name them all) :)

I have a total of 22 students and they are wonderful, though a handful at times. Nevertheless, I love them all and have enjoyed teaching them.

I do have more pictures of the city, markets, and school but this is all for now. More to come!

The Rest of the Garden

2010-07-27T08:39:00.000-07:00

My Favorite Garden in Hong Kong

2010-07-27T08:34:00.000-07:00

My favorite bridge, in my favorite garden!

This was for you Travis! What kind of bird is it? I just thought it was funny looking with that pointed head.

More Pictures

2010-07-27T08:31:00.001-07:00

Entering a beautiful garden in the middle of the city!

Oh yeah, this was in the the middle of the city as well.....its the entrance to one of the biggest temples in Hong Kong....but it was closed.
The view pretty much anywhere....

In Hong Kong

2010-07-27T08:22:00.000-07:00

Hello all! I apologize it has taken me so long to post. It has been very busy here and my camera died on me! Nevertheless, here is a quick update. Life is crazy! We get up at 7am to eat breakfast and head to school. We are at school teaching for 3 hrs and then take a lunch break where we are able to experience new foods, depending on where our students take us. We return in the afternoon to introduce to the students American culture and then send them all home around 3:30. We(the teachers) stick around till 4:30 to clean up and debrief. We get back to the school at 5:00, eat dinner, plan, meet with the team, and start all over again. One the weekends however, I have had the opportunity to explore the city of Hong Kong and shop in the many markets and bargain with the very determined owners. :) Here are some pictures, of my latest adventures from the past two weekends.

More..

2010-07-12T20:23:00.000-07:00

This is a picture from the ferry looking on to the city of Kowloon in Hong Kong.

Oh...and of course, I had to get a picture of the McDonalds which was on the Island..where would this world be without such a place? :)
These fishing boats were all over the Marina by the Island and all over the water. they were so cool looking, I had to get a picture. :)
And of course, the beautiful scenery provided by the surrounding islands...
And Finally, Hong Kong as we were arriving from the Island.

Some more pictures of the Island...

2010-07-12T20:16:00.000-07:00

This is a pic of three of my team mates as we all headed down from the mountain into the city and to the pier to head to Kowloon Hong Kong to teach. I believe there right in front of a fish market. :) On the far left is Rosalie, in the middle is Alex, and to the right is Amy, our team leader.

Dried fish....mmmm....
Coming down the mountain, as you get closer to the city and pier, you begin walking through store and market avenues, as pictured below.
Walking down the mountain in 90 degree weather with 80% humidity really causes some excess sweat. So, to cool off we stopped at a store to buy a cold smoothy.

First Day of Class

2010-07-12T06:57:00.000-07:00

I apologize I haven't posted in the last two days, but there has been a lot of time crunch going on. Today was the first day working with the kids. Though it wasn't an actual class time period, there was a lot of assessing. The morning began at 7 a.m. and we headed out to the school around 8. Once there, we placed our bags in our separate classes and prepared to assess around 190 students(more than anticipated). After an hour and a half, I along with the team leader and guest teacher(just for this week) tallied scores and began placing students in there appropriate classes. Most of the students were expected to be in High school and have a mid-level range on english. However, though there were High school students, a vast majority were, what in America would be called, 8th graders and most were very very low on there knowledge of english. With the students placed(or rather divided) into there appropriate classes according to there ability, they were dismissed along with there teacher to meet in the classroom. At this point, we had hit the three and half hour mark and so we teachers had very little time to really get to know our students. Not to mention the heightened barrier of language we did not(even the leader) anticipate. I ended up with a mid-level class which in comparison to the curriculum(made for all levels) is low, but a relief in many respects.:) The lower-level classes are having to basically go back to the very beginning for many of them. Even so I do believe the team did really well. I was really impressed with those who taught the lower-level and how quickly they acclimated with their students and with changing the curriculum to fit there level. So, after 30 minutes or so in the classroom till lunch, we dismissed for lunch and while the kids went there way, the team was taken to a Japanese restaurant for lunch. After lunch, we headed back to the school for the last hour and half with our students. For the hour we had in the classroom, I conducted more name games and introduced them to there work books and expectations for class. We then all headed into the meeting hall to end the eventful and busy day with games for the last half hour. After games, we dismissed to head home.

I have to say after getting back, we all felt totally fatigued. We all took time to just rest before planning and meeting to prepare for tomorrow. It is after that meeting that you would find me(if you were in Hong Kong) in my room blogging to you all. I would like to say, though today was crazy, it was good to finally get to meet our students and really figure out where they are at which has actually made planning easier(and difficult). I am excited to pour into these students! As tiring as I am sure these next few weeks will be, I can't help but feel they will be so rewarding. Everyone agreed, that while the ability of the students was below what was expected, they all were already beginning to fall in love with there students. It is for that reason, I do think these the weeks will improve and we will be given that extra "umph" to finish well and feel like the students at least felt loved if nothing else. With that said I would ask that you prayer for these things:

Strength for each of the team members
Health, as many of us are fighting colds
Patience
And the ability to recognize what to focus on most with our students. (what to pinpoint)

Thank you for what prayers you have already said as I feel like God really is present as we teach and has already blessed us with our school(which is a "Church of Christ school") and the other Chinese teachers who have been so welcoming! There is much to Thank God for!

P.S. I will be posting more pictures of the island and our arrival into Hong Kong and exploration in Hong Kong. (stay tuned) :)

A few more

2010-07-09T03:26:00.000-07:00

I will conclude todays posts, due to the fact they ask us not to spend too much time on our computer. But, know I have hundreds of pictures and I will continue to post as much as possible.

This is Brenda, one of my team mates.

More loveliness of the island. I will post pictures soon of the town on the island.

And more...

2010-07-09T03:21:00.000-07:00

The building we got to stay at is hidden in the trees to the far left. (you can't see it) But, we could out and around to these rocks and feel the spray of the ocean as the waves crashed against them.

I love this picture because of the way the sun is coming through the trees. This was behind the building we stayed at.

This is trail we walked up to get to our building...
And this is the view from the balcony off from the cafeteria area of the building.

More Pictures

2010-07-09T03:18:00.000-07:00

Here are more pictures of the island and where we were.... This first picture is from the balcony of the room I stayed in. Looking straight ahead, you can hear and see the ocean.

Pictures

2010-07-09T03:10:00.000-07:00

So...we arrived in Hong Kong quite late and this is what greeted me. I realize some of these are blurry, but I thought it artistically captured a panoramic view of the city I held from the back of the ferry boat. More pictures, to come.....

CHINA!

2010-07-09T02:56:00.000-07:00

(Warning: Very Long Post and some grammatical errors)

07-02-10: Hong Kong

So the day began at around 4am as I tiredly pulled the last minute objects out and placed them into my suitcase. With a long day ahead of me and my hair pulled back into a pony tail I got into the car with my father to get to the airport by 5:30am. Checked in and ready to go I began to feel a sense of anxiousness. This feeling was odd and uncomfortable as this was not the first time I had left the country or been away from my family for any length of time. Nevertheless, I could not shake the feeling in my stomach. With tears of nervousness shoved back in my throat, my father gave me a comforting hug and I went through to security.

The first flight ended quickly and I landed in Chicago not much later than after I boarded. In Chicago, I quickly switched terminals to then head to San Francisco, where I would meet the teams for the upcoming ELIC summer teaching program. Along the way however, I noticed a girl who seemed to be going in the exact direction I was headed for. I also noticed she carried a bible and I began to think how crazy it would be if we were in fact both headed to San Francisco, and then to our ultimate destination, Hong Kong. Aboard the plane to San Francisco I attempted sleep knowing the 13hr flight to Hong Kong was coming up. Though uncomfortable, I was able to get a little sleep, but not enough to my satisfaction. Tired and with sore feet, I got off the plane to meet up with the girl who had boarded in Grand Rapids. Turns out my speculation was correct, she was headed to Hong Kong. Now in San Francisco, both the girl and I met up with a couple others and then finally met with James, the leader. Checked in with passport in hand, a wait of three hours dragged ahead of me. Grabbing lunch with a new friend, I settled my hungry stomach and then waited at the gate for the plane to begin to board. In the midst of all the excitement and the meeting up of around 77 students, my anxiety and nervousness began to subside. We boarded the boeing 747 and prepared ourselves for a long 13 hours of sitting.

After 13 hrs, maybe 2 hours of sleep, three movies, and 5 cd's, we landed in Hong Kong. We then made our way to and through immagration which took almost an hour and then met with the team already in Hong Kong and awaited for our buses to arrive. So in total, we remained at the airport for about 2 hours before we then got on the bus for the hour drive to the ferry which would then take us to Cheung Chau island, on the outskirts of Hong Kong, where we would begin our training. Once Landed on the island, we met up with our team leaders and then made the 20 minute trek up the steep hill to our residence. Sweating from the heat and the long steep walk, we entered the facilities to be welcomed and then brought to our rooms for sleep. After getting settled, I finally laid my head on a pillow in Cheung Chaw after 32 hours and about 3 hours of sleep.

07-4-10

This morning I woke up at around 6:30, to my disgrace. However, I got myself up and made myself ready for the day. With the sun out I could finally see the view, which the dark from the previous night prevented me from seeing. The view was breath taking! The ocean was right outside and a surrounding tropical atmosphere surrounded the housing. I was on a beautiful island in China, in Training to teach English for Jesus Christ. All trepidation and all fear was gone. I was here for a purpose, I was content. The morning began with a breakfast of noodles and toast. Then worship and intro to training and culture. We were then given a break to have a wonderful lunch, which is practically indescribable, and rest before the training commenced. The Day finished after another session, dinner, a time of worship and a team meeting.

07-05-10

Today was actually quite hard to begin. I didn't want to wake up and when I did, I felt a dizziness. Nevertheless, I went to the breakfast hall and then to our first session of curriculum training for the day. After the session we all met for lunch and then a few of us went down to the ocean to climb some of the rocks. Though childish as it sounds, the view and ocean were beautiful. The water crashed up against and let your face feeling damp and salty. With pants rolled up and the wind in my face, I continued to enjoy the surrounding view and breeze, as the day ended up to be quite humid. After discovering a temple above the rocks, we all walked back for our cultural session and then curriculum session. Plans after our training sessions will consist of dinner, a team meeting, praise and worship, and a possible walk down into town. Depending on how tired I am, I may or may not join. Knowing myself, I will probably sleep.

07-08-10

I realize I skipped two days worth of activities but I will have to give you a brief overview and move one. The two days were filled with training and teaching practices. One of the days, we were given two hours to go anywhere and just spend time with God. For my time, I climbed the rocks to the edge of the ocean where the waves crashed loudly and yet soothingly upon them. There I prayed and journaled. It was beautiful and peaceful. However, during the midst of writing in the journal, I was hit with a huge wave that ended up soaking me through. Though inconvenient, it actually felt quite good. After our time with the Lord, the day concluded with some additional instruction and then a commissioning. The following morning, we all woke up to pack and prepare for the long trek down the mountain and then to the ferry and from the ferry to the University where we would be staying while we taught in our schools. It is in the University I am now writing. We have a few more training sessions yet this week and a day where we will get to check out our schools. Other than that, I am fighting a cold and my head is pounding. I am thinking it is due to the drastic temperature changes when I go from outside(hot and humid) into the air conditioned rooms(freezing). I am hoping however, that it will pass fairly quickly, or at least before teaching on Monday. In the meantime, I shall try to sleep as much as possible and keep taking the medicine, Brenda(my team mate) has graciously offered to me. I will continue to keep you all abreast on the day to day goings as much as possible.

Home

2010-06-04T07:24:00.000-07:00

So, I am home. Arrived safely and without delay, which of course was a delight in and of itself. Being home for a week, I already feel as though I've never been away. Yet, there are the fond memories from Washington to remind last year did happen. It was a good year and came to a good close. That chapter is done and it is now time to press on.

Since being home, I have been running errands and getting things in order for both this fall school year and the China trip. I still have some shopping to accomplish and a dentist appointment and probably one more Dr. appointment, but no less, it will get done. I am excited for all that is before me. I feel so privileged to have been able to do so much and go to so many places at such a young age. life is good I have finally realized, even when it does feel like it sucks. God is good!

Well, I shall conclude this rather interesting post as I am taking the younger boys to the zoo. Not having been to the zoo in years I find myself quite excited. I shall attempt to be good and post pictures, but please do not hate me if I do not. :)

I am off, God Bless!

So...

2010-05-27T00:25:00.000-07:00

Though I had wished to quite my life as a blogger some time ago, it seems that in order to cancel ones account with blogger, you must cancel your account with gmail. This would not be a problem accept for the fact I have a gmail account and am not in the mood to delete it.

So until I figure out how to cancel this account, you are all stuck with just me. I may try to post hairstyles for you all but I am not promising anything, cuz we all know I fail at keeping those.

It is the end of school and there are many goodbyes being said. I never thought I was much of an emotional person, but actually I think I very much am. I have had to say goodbye to some special people already and both times, i have teared up. Friday is my housemates and my last night together and we are throwing a party for just us. I have a feeling with the speeches being planned and the presentations to follow, I will have a hard time not crying.

I find it humorous that before coming to Washington for school, while my mother and brother told me I would make lifelong friends etc.., I did not believe them. I was pretty confident I would get here, finish, and get out with no attachments. In fact I kept myself pretty walled up for that very purpose. But, God had other plans. I have been blessed with such friends of whom I do believe I will carry on a friendship with for a long time to come. They have encouraged me, challenged me, and loved me like a sister. I will miss them all and it will be hard to say goodbye. It does help to think however, that I will see some of them again in the future, and this comforts me.

In one of the lectures for a class on discipleship this semester, the professor discussed the 'idol of expectations'. It was a lecture which I will not forget, because it was spoken at me in a way. I(we all) have expectations in this life. What we hope to do, how we will get there and we hold these expectations up so high there is no room left for us to see God's plan. Coming to school I had the expectation that I would only come here to learn and not make friends. I had the expectation that I would become this genius, get all A's and then leave to do what I believe I am meant to do. Yet, in truth, though my expectations were met to some degree, in reality my expectations were drastically different from what God had in mind. I have learned so much this year and the 'idol of expectations' is only one of the many things God has opened my eyes to. Please don't misunderstand me, I do think it is healthy to have goals....but don't allow your expectations to overshadow what God would have you do, be, and understand. I am in college to earn a degree in TESOL, to hopefully one day teach english in China. However, I am also willing to move and follow where he leads no matter what my initial expectations for life may. There is of course much more that could be discussed concerning this very topic, but being that it is midnight and I am fighting a soar throat, I do believe I should go to bed. So, that is all for now....

I know BIG FAIL

2010-04-19T22:56:00.000-07:00

I have been so terrible in keeping up with this blog! I apologize. Blogging, has become more of a chore a pleasure and I do believe I shall be leaving.

I'm Off

2010-03-29T15:00:00.000-07:00

I'm off to Lacey, WA to see my sister, brother-in-law, niece, nephew, and mom tonight. I am so happy and excited to see them.

Its spring break and it has been so nice to get up and not have to worry about dress code. :) I have continued doing homework to get ahead, but I am hoping to completely take advantage of my "break" when I get to my sisters.

Another lovely bit of news is the fact, it has been beautiful here. Spring is here and its been in the 60's and I am loving it so much!

beyond the news above, I would like to announce my trip to China this summer. I am going with an organization by the name of ELIC(English Language Institute/China). We will be teaching high school students in Hong Kong for about three weeks. I am so very excited for this opportunity and experience. Your prayers for the trip would be most welcomed!

Normal

2010-03-21T15:20:00.001-07:00

This is how I typically do my hair.

...

2010-03-20T12:10:00.001-07:00

So, typically I have been straightening my hair since my new hair cut. This is the first time with it curled and the bangs pulled to the side. :)

Here it is!

2010-03-13T16:55:00.000-08:00

So, this isn't the greatest picture, but at hopefully you get the picture. :) I have been experimenting with it and will begin posting hair-do ideas very soon. :)

IM GETTING MY HAIR CUT!!!

2010-03-10T11:48:00.000-08:00

So, just to let you all know....I am getting my hair cut. I'm not cutting it shorter, but restyling it. I will take a pic and post it as soon as it is done, which will be tomorrow morning. :) I am very excited. :)

Heres the latest

2010-02-26T10:28:00.000-08:00

Hello,

I arrange my hair this way last sunday. Its pretty practical and looks like a french twist(because it is) with a little something added. Here are the pics.

So, the first step is to take two pieces of your hair from the front and keep them out of the way. French twist the rest of your hair and pin in place. Then the strand, on your right, you braid and pin in the back. The other, you just softly pin back. Very simple and practical.

Update

2010-02-18T16:07:00.000-08:00

So, I know I have not posted any new updates. But, I did want you all to know I am either straightening, scrunching, or curling my hair in the morning. But, those hairstyles are so boring I haven't had the heart to take pictures. lol Next time a new up do or hairstyle is called for I will post. :)

Besides my hairstyle 'update', I have begun going to gym. Today was the first day and it felt great. I only spent 45min there, but I feel like I got somewhat of a workout and it was good to my feet wet. I hope to continue keeping up with it and hopefully lose some weight and/or tone up.

For this, I usually pin the front section of my hair straight back and pull the rest into a pony tail.

Another one...I know its been a while

2010-02-06T14:54:00.000-08:00

So I straightened my hair and decided I wanted to put it up. So I placed my hair in a half pony tale. And then tucked the rest of my hair underneath and pinned it in place. Simple and sophisticated. :)

New Style

2010-01-30T16:38:00.001-08:00

For me, the day after scrunching my hair, leaves some hair curly, some straight and some wavy. So, here is a way to take advantage of the natural curl and hide the rest. :)

1. step: Your going to begin by pinning back you hair from your face, except for what ringlets you have. Begin on the left side. Once you pick the ringlets you want, tease the hair you are going to pull back. This will give some volume to your hair. Also, be sure to pin your hair back below and behind your left ear.

2. step: Then grab a small amount of hair from the right side of your part. Keep this chunk of hair out of the way while you tease and pull back the rest of your hair, like so.

This is just a picture from the back....

3. step: The third step is take the chunk of hair you set aside and braid it. Then, take the braid and place it over the bobby pins, holding your hair up, and pin in place.

4. step: Once the braid is in place, you will want to kind of move all your hair to the bottom left side of your hair. If you wish, you can end the hairstyle here with a stylish side pony-tail.

5. step: If you decide you dislike the pony-tail idea....twist your hair into a simple side bun and pin into place.

...

2010-01-29T18:40:00.000-08:00

Okay, I do have a new hairstyle I tried today, but I am going to wait to post it till tomorrow. :) Its a hairstyle which can be worn two different ways. :)

Really Simple

2010-01-28T17:13:00.000-08:00

So, as most of you probably noticed, I did not post a hairstyle yesterday. Sorry! However, I did do my hair today. Its something very simple and I do have pictures, but I promise to improve on my styles by tomorrow!

So, 1. step: From the towel on the head, throw your hair over your head.

2. step: You will need mouse. Spray into your hand and scrunch throughout your hair.

3. step: Flip over. Arrange hair and what curls you prefer the way you want and clip back your hair into a half ponytail.

4. step: Pin up all of the rest of your hair into a scrunch mess.

This hair style is simple, easy and gives you a little bit of a curly hair look without the fuss.

The pictures weren't going up right, so I will have to try to post them later.

2010-01-26T16:56:00.000-08:00

This Hairstyle is a bit more simple and romantic.

1. step: You will first just want to curl your hair. Depending on your preference you can go for bigger or smaller curls. In this case, I decided to go for a bigger curl.

2. step: The second step is to just grab a very small amount of hair on the right side of your hair and just twist it and pin it to the side of your face. It should be fairly close to your forehead.

3. step: Finally, you will want to then take a small portion of hair on the left side of your head. Take your hair and again twist it and place behind and yet above your left ear and pin into place.

As you can see, its very simple and yet a little romantic. :)

Another...

2010-01-25T14:37:00.001-08:00

This particular hairstyle works best with long hair, but I have made it work with my shoulder length hair.

1. step: So the first step is to pin your hair back with the appropriate poof you prefer to frame your face.

2. step: The second step is to take a clump of hair from the right side of your head and begin to french braid your hair around the back of your head. Similar to a spiral you will braid until you swirl to the center. Once there continue braiding your hair until you reach your ends. Tuck the ends under your braids and pin.

you may find a few runaway strands which you can also pin into place. However, the back should look like this.

This hairstyle can be a bit trickier to do by yourself so I can take more pictures of the step by step process if you prefer.

2010-01-24T21:10:00.000-08:00

Okay, so this is todays hair style....

1. Step: So the first step is just to take a clump of hair on the right side of your hair and begin to french braid it around the bottom of your head. You will continue to braid until you hit around 3/4 of the way around your head.

2.Step: Once you finish braiding around 3/4 around your head stop and twist the rest of your hair into a bun and pin into place. For some extra spice, pull a few strands of hair out.

New Commitment!

2010-01-23T12:44:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I have decided that this semester I am going to commit to doing my hair every day. I love doing hair but when it comes to my own head I care very little. So, I decided to put what little creativity and talent I have to the test. Here is my very first day.

-Instead of doing a practical up-do, I decided to add a little spice.

1. step: You will want to brush out your hair of course and if you have curly hair, may want to have a flat iron on hand. You will want to take your thumbs and follow from the end of your eyebrow up to your temple a take that much hair.

2. step: The next step can be tricky with short hair, but is much easier with longer hair. Even so, you may want to run the flat iron through the section you have in your hands so that it is smoothly back from your face. It will also look sharper from the back. You will then want to hold the hair with your left hand in a pony tail hold, while your other hand twists the hair around your first finger on your right hand. Once twisted, you will want to then tightly tuck it under the thumb of your left hand. Hold it in place with your left hand and pin the hair in place. It should look like the picture above and below. :)

(As a side note, you could stop at either one of these tucks of hair and curl the rest of your hair if you wish too. It also gives a nice dressed up look as well)

3. step: The next step will be to then take the hair from across the top of both your ears. You will then want to repeat the step above to then tuck in this second row and pin in place.

Again, you could stop here and curl whatever hair is left to give you a lovely evening look. :)

4. step: Finally you will take whatever hair you have left and again tuck into place and pin. As you can see in the final pictures this hair-do provides an easy yet complicated looking up-do which will give you a professional and clean look.

Well, that is my hair-do for today and tomorrow I will follow with a new one. :) We shall see what will happen. :)

TADA!!!!!!!!

Back in Spokane

2010-01-21T11:03:00.000-08:00

So, after a very very long and early morning, I have arrived back in Spokane to begin the next semester of school. I am so excited to be back and to experience and see what God has in store. My books have been shipped and they are slowly trickling in. Still have a week yet till school begins, but its nice to get a good start. This is short, but I know a post was desperately needed, so this is it for now. :)

The Holidays

2009-12-05T12:39:00.000-08:00

So over Thanksgiving, a few of my friends and I spent our holiday with my older sister in Lacey, WA. Though it was a short visit, it was well worth it. It was so good to see family and the girls who went along had a great time. Here are a few pictures. ;)

For Christmas, Elise and I decided to go all out. So, we went to Walmart around 9 O'clock one night to buy Christmas lights. We then made snow flakes out of tin foil and created our own tree using the left over christmas lights. Meaghan, upon seeing our lovely creation decided to add stockings and an actual tree. :)

Sorry!

2009-11-10T21:04:00.001-08:00

Okay so I realize I have been so bad about posting lately! School is almost done and the holidays are just around the corner. I am so excited for Thanksgiving and Christmas and the music of the season! :) So I have a few pictures of my time here and hope you all enjoy them. Life has been great here and its been a great experience. This week is missions week so we just finished the missions conference of which consisted of many encouraging missionaries who spoke and gave great advice. I am so excited for the future. :) Okay, so the pictures as promised. :)

Elise and I being silly
Anna and I before Church one day
Elise and Moriah at Riverfront park one night
Me and Meaghan at Riverfront park one night. :)

Thats all for now, I will try to post more often!

Cat Ballou!

2009-11-10T16:58:00.001-08:00

Watch it! Its HILARIOUS!!!!! HAHAHA! I laughed through the whole thing! :) hee hee-Li

GR youth symphony retreat

2009-09-16T04:37:00.000-07:00

So this past spring I tried out for the GR youth symphony. And miraculously, I made it in!

This past Saturday was the retreat, which basically means we spend 8 hours practicing, with a few breaks to play games and eat lunch. Also it is the symphony's first time playing together, and we had only gotten the music a week or so before.

It was actually a LOT of fun! Our music is really fun, we're playing the Polevstian dances, and some music by Berlioz, and a Hungarian March! After a couple hours of rehearsal we breaked for a game. The game was so impractical for musicians! We were supposed to build a chair, which of course meant that we were hammering a lot of nails. Our fingers were in danger! And we're musicians!!! What a weird activity!! :) But my team won the challenge, we finished ours first, and it was stable enough for someone to sit in! So we won candy that was from 1950! LOL!

At the end of the day we performed for our parents one of the pieces. That was really fun, and I was able to keep up with everyone! :) My dad took a pic with his phone, so it isn't really good, and you can't really see me, but you get the idea. :)

more pictures

2009-08-31T14:53:00.000-07:00

Me and Melanie and the Baseball game
More roommates...Melanie, alex, and anna
Anna and I
These lovely girls are our next door neighbors....Hannah and Moriah..oh and thats Melanie peaking out. lol
And...my bedroom

College

2009-08-31T14:46:00.000-07:00

This next post will just be a bunch of random pics. Enjoy! :)

This is our kitchen and our "love lounge" or rather, our study area upstairs.

This is on the way to Spokane--Pretty---our living room with our couch found at a goodwill for real cheap!!!!

Oh and Missi and Jade before we left that morning. :)

College

2009-08-31T14:35:00.000-07:00

Well Hello...I know its been a while since I last posted, but life has been a little crazy. But nevertheless, I have access to the internet now and am able to post. Here are some pictures of my trip to Ohio before I left and my trip to Washington to attend Moody bible institute.

At Missi's House
Alexander!!! I finally met him...he is soo cute
In downtown napoleon with Nic, mom and Li. ;) So fun!
At the pool-CJ you are so adorable!!!
Coffee and lunch anyone?

Will post more soon. :)

Joanna

......Tears.......

2009-08-19T13:20:00.000-07:00

Jo left this morning for college! My best friend left me!!!

I already miss you Jo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*sniff*

The Beach!

2009-08-08T10:36:00.000-07:00

This is Isaac, my younger brother and Boo, his friend.
This is Nate, my older brother. We were playing soccer with a volleyball. :)
Yesterday, a friend of mine invited me and my siblings to go to the beach! We had a blast! Unfortunately, I forgot that I'd brought the camera so I only got 2 pics, but they're pretty cool, so I thought I'd share. :)Thanks Hope!

Random Pretty Things.........

2009-08-05T14:47:00.000-07:00

So I was at Nani's ( my grandmother ) house the other day, and she gave me this beautiful little locket! I love it, and thought I'd share it with ya'll cause it's soo pretty! :)

Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp!

2009-07-27T09:57:00.000-07:00

Me and my big brother Chris! This was after the performance, I was super tired cause the tchaikovsky's 5th symphony is about 45-50 minutes long!

I am sitting in the last row right next to the red-headed kid who is looking down.
Waving at my family!

HEY YA'LL! Sorry for the lack of posting!

Currently I've been at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, playing in orchestra and listening to amazing concerts! I made it into the highest orchestra at camp, it was the Masterworks Orchestra. and I was super excited to be playing as 1st violin 10th chair! So not amazing but that's okay, I was content. :)

We played Tchaikovsky's 5th symphony, and my whole family ( well those that lived nearby) came to hear me play! I was super surprised!! Thank you family!!!!! Here are some pics from the performance!!

I had an awesome time at Blue Lake, but it feels GREAT to be home!

Sorry

2009-07-21T20:25:00.001-07:00

So I have found that I do not post nearly as much as I thought I would. I find it hard to find time to keep posting new things so....sorry about that.....:) Currently I am training at work and trying to pull things together for my move to WA. My last day at work is Aug 8th and then I leave Aug 19th and time and life keeps seeming to spin faster and faster. I am very excited...but nervous I wont get everything done on time. But I am determined not to worry because....I usually do....lol :) Everything will fall into place....:) *crossing fingers-eyes shut tight-praying* I have another business trip coming up which will end my career as a consumer representative but will be another good experience nonetheless. I suppose this will do for now. I will try to post later.

I'm Back!!

2009-06-30T08:54:00.000-07:00

I'm Back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I had an awesome time in California and Washington! So I'm back to posting!

Beautiful Sights

2009-06-14T11:50:00.000-07:00

Hey all! I am currently in Washington right now, visiting my other sister Missi. We are having a great time! And I would post some pics, but we don't have any pics......yet! But last week I was in California, ( I am such a world traveler...not!) And I have a ton of pics! We went to point Lobos, which is a beautiful view of the ocean with ginormous rocks and breathtaking beaches!

So here are some pics so you have some idea of what I've been doing. :) Enjoy!

Pictures

2009-06-11T20:24:00.000-07:00

Okay, so here are some pictures of my business trip. These pictures were taken inside the hotel the convention was held and where we stayed. Most of the pictures are from the Delta section of the hotel and I believe their may be one each of the garden conservatory section and the cascades. This place was huge.

Alright, thats all for now. Tootles.

Working Out

2009-06-09T05:51:00.000-07:00

Hello,

I realize this blog may not be the most exciting, as there are not a lot of pictures, but i assure you i will start adding some soon. ;)

In the meantime, I thought I would bore you with my life. ;) lolol I am trying to get back into a workout routine and it is not going as smoothly as I hoped. I really want to get used to running everyday or at least almost everyday, but I find I am a lot lazier than I thought. lol So, I have started writing out a schedules for my days so that when I get home I have a set plan. Hopefully I will follow it. lol So, I think I have the food aspect covered to some extent but any suggestions on workout routines that may help me to stay focused on working out everyday would be welcomed. I am a member to a gym but I tend to only go once a week and then go running on the trails at home. I like the gym because it has group classes, but I have a hard time working out on the floor by myself. But I also realize they have weights there and so maybe its a good idea to run at home and then do my weight lifting there, or something of that sort. In any case, I would really like to start toning and losing weight over the summer and fall into some type of routine I can really and truly continue with as a lifestyle. So there you go, an update on me, as boring as it probably was. lolol

Jo

YIPPEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-05-29T07:51:00.001-07:00

I'm done with school, I'm done with school, I'm done with school, so hey hey hey! It is official! Today was my last day of school and I have finished EVERYTHING!!!! And now I am carefree...........well.........almost. :)

Tomorrow I have my very first recital, I am playing a difficult piece, though, so I am very nervous ( again! ) Anyway by Sunday it will be over, and I will by moving on to a different concerto!! Which in fact, I am very excited about!!! I also have my orchestra concert Sunday. But I am not at all nervous about it. I am very excited about it though!!!!!

Anyhow this is the latest! I hope you all have a stress-free weekend!!!!!! :)

Cheers!

Airplanes

2009-05-29T05:22:00.000-07:00

So, I just returned from a business trip in Nashville, TN and while the trip itself was wonderful the flight back was awful. We were delayed in TN but were told our connecting flight was as well. However, that was not the case and we missed our connecting flight in Atlanta, GA. Therefore, we were stuck and didn't get out till the next morning. So, today I am still tired and am wanting to sleep, but actually enjoyed the business trip work experience.

Though i don't have pictures right now, I will get back on later and post a few pictures of the hotel where the conference/convention was held. It was amazing. So, ta ta and tootle-loo for now.

Jo

Oh Dear..........

2009-05-18T04:58:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of posting much, but for the past couple weeks I've been preparing for an audition! I get extremely nervous when I play in front of people I don't know. So pray for me please!

I am auditioning for the GR youth symphony ( a tough symphony to get into). If I don't make it into the youth symphony then they will put me in the classical orchestra ( a step below the youth symphony). So I am very very anxious about today. Pray for me!!! I have and will be practicing my concerto all day long!! Not to mention I have a billion scales to practice that all have to be memorized!

Anywho, that is my latest update, and I will let ya'll know when I find out how I did on the audition! Bye Bye for now!!!!

Hmm...

2009-05-14T09:12:00.000-07:00

Hello! Today I ate lunch outside in the windiness of it all. It was actually quite pleasant, though at times cold. I have TESOL tonight and will hope to get some running in. I think I am going to aim to run 15 min straight because I think that is as long as I ran last time....not sure though...didn't have a watch.....but I think the clock showed around 15 minutes. In any case, tomorrow is friday and i am very happy. I am looking forward to the weekend and sleeping!!!! :) lol

I have recieve at least one of my final grades for my online classs and it ended up being a B+, which is most exciting. The other class I believe, or rather hope, I get an "A" or at leasta B+. My final paper was graded at an A- so I am hoping my overall grade wont be too far off. We shall see.....

Alright well, I thought I would post since it had been a while and no matter how boring this post is, at least y'all are caught up a bit. :)

Jo

Mr. Bear

2009-05-05T16:37:00.001-07:00

This is Mr. Bear. I bought him for one of my violin students. She is turning 4 tomorrow and she requested a big ol' bear for her birthday. :) I LOVE big ol' stuffed animals! They are so soft!
I know these aren't the greatest pics, but you get the idea right? :) I hope you all have a sweet evening!

P.S. I also got her a light pink rose, because she loves flowers! :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KATE! ( That is my student's name )

School

2009-05-04T10:52:00.000-07:00

I AM DONE WITH SCHOOL!!!!! YEAH!!!! I actually get to go to bed at a decent time because I don't have to study anymore. lol

.....Just thought I would announce. ....:)

My Attempt at Poetry. :)

2009-05-01T07:53:00.000-07:00

Yesterday their was a Torential downpour and it was thundering and lightning and I felt like writing something. So I decided to write a poem which, could probably use some help. Nevertheless, i thought I would show you anyway. =) lol

So as the rain drips and falls,
A single girl remains alone.
Underneath the bridge so curled,
A single flower is unfurled.
The breath of life is on its leaves,
The girl just watches and so greaves.
This flower presents a life so dear,
The life which this girl lives in fear.
This flower presents the hope still there,
Though fear is still a growling bear.
Her head she lifts and glances in front,
A scene of green and hope fulfills,
A hovering truth now revealed.
What life can grow without the rain?
Without the thunder, without the pain?
A purpose is meant with every life,
Though every purpose is met with strife.
Eventually so, the rain soon lifts,
And the sun so shines on our fingertips.
The fear once felt is now removed.
The girl stands tall and takes one step,
Daring herself to hope for the best.
What joy is found upon that face?
When the girl looks up and finds true grace?

So, hopefully you all figured out the rhythm but if not.....sry. :) Ta Ta for Now. =)

Coffee!!!!

2009-04-30T08:49:00.000-07:00

Li and I have orchestra on wednesday but decided to go a little early to stop in at Starbucks and have some "pick me up" coffee. :) Here are some pics. lol :)

COFFFEEEEEEE!!!!!!AHHHH Er.....well....SUGARY "COOOFFFEEE""!!!!!!!! LOLOLOL

Oh yeah and NEW ERRINGSS!! THANKS HOPE!!!

our model pose. :) lol

Hola Muchachos!!!

2009-04-27T13:09:00.000-07:00

Li here, wishing you all a happy Monday !!!

Every Monday the same song seems to pop into my head, and I can never remember the name of it. But it is about a Monday morning and being restlessness. ( Random fact) :)

I love Mondays! It's the beginning of a new school week, so I have a clean slate to work off of. Everything just seems so fresh. Though it was a GORGEOUS morning, all that is left now is doom and gloom, but what a great day for sitting in your comfiest chair with a cup of coffee and a great book! After school and work of course. :)

Have a happy Monday evening everyone!!!

A Monday Morning

2009-04-27T09:28:00.000-07:00

While Monday's can be difficult to wake up to, I woke up to a sunny morning and 65 degree weather. I find it amazing how a beautiful morning and warm weather can cheer and wake you up in the morning.

I washed my face, did my hair, dressed, ate breakfast, and walked out the door all on time and in no rush. :) Ah....happy days.....

Their is one more week of school left for me and I am enjoying the light week. A few tweaks required on a paper and then a final exam to take and I am done.

Lalia bought me a beautiful bathing suit, sandals, and also a pedicure. I was also informed of the fact I am accepted to Moody Bible Institute and will be moving to Washington in August. It has been a very very good week.

Happiness!

HELLO!

2009-04-26T09:48:00.001-07:00

Hi!! This is our first time posting on our very new blog. :)

This will be a blog of random thoughts and happiness in Li and My(Jo) life. :) Just the sunny-side of life. :)

Jo & Li