Friday, May 11, 2012

5-11-12

     This has been a LONG time coming, but I am very happy to announce that I am HOME FOR SUMMER! That is such a great feeling! I am so looking forward to really getting my summer under way. Gracious.
     This year has certainly been a crazy one. I started college. I made new friends. I lost old friends. I realized precisely why my best friends mean so much to me. I had fights. I thought I was going to lose my mind (several times). I liked a boy (ok, a few boys). I worked my tail off in school. I had days when I didn't work as hard as I should have. I had fabulous successes. I had magnificent failures. I gained some amazing sisters. I found parts of myself. I lost parts of myself. I learned that I'm ok on my own. I grew up, but learned the importance of being silly. I made it. I'm now officially a sophomore in college. That's crazy, isn't it? Can you imagine that I'm going to begin my second year of college soon? I can't. Some days I still feel like I belong in elementary school, but other days I feel like I'm on top of the world. I'm exactly where I need to be. THAT is a good feeling.
     Speaking of great things, I start my Big Kid job in a few weeks!! I absolutely cannot wait to be a part of the church staff, even if it is temporary. The nerves haven't hit me yet, but I know they're coming. The day before I start working I'm probably going to freak out. I have to admit, this is the first job I've had, and I want it to be perfect. I don't want to mess anything up. I want to be good at this. Of course, there is the part of me that knows that it's God's will for me, but there is the other part of me that can't help but be scared of messing it up. I mean, I know that there will be small problems that arise, but overall I'm hoping it will be amazing. Who knows, maybe this summer is going to change my life :)

Monday, March 5, 2012

Taking Back Forever

     I have begun to notice more and more that girls seem to be consumed by the prospect of a relationship. Especially girls in high school. It seems that every time I turn around there is another girl telling the world how happy she is and how she finally has the guy of her dreams, then the next thing I know her heart is broken because he WASN'T perfect like she thought. So many teenage girls are obsessed with forever. They know without a shadow of a doubt that THIS GUY is the one that will be forever. They just know that THIS GUY will stay around. They put everything they have into believing in their most recent forever and then their world is shattered when that forever only lasts a few months.
     Please don't think that I am condemning these girls or making fun of them. That is the furthest thing from the truth. In all honesty, I was that girl in high school. I had the boy that I honesty thought was going to be my forever. I just knew he was the one. I just knew that he would be beside me through everything. I just knew...until I had to end it. Granted, my 'forever' did last longer than most, but I'm still not sure that I would classify that as a good thing. My forever did last almost two years, but that was almost two years that I could have done so much more than worry about my relationship. That was two years that I was mainly focused on him. Yes, school was important and I loved my family more than anything, but he was the main part of my life. We told each other everything. We were always talking. We were in constant contact. We knew every movement of the other person. Looking back on that now, it seems that I should have known better. Right?
     Wrong. I am a firm believer that girls these days get their ideas for 'perfect relationships' from the movies. If I asked most girls what their favorite movies were I can almost guarantee that most responses would include at least one magnificent love story. You know the one I'm talking about. Girl meets boy, Girl likes boy, Girl doesn't want to tell boy, Girl and boy become friends, Girl and boy fight, Girl and boy ALWAYS END UP TOGETHER IN THE END. These movies make for wonderful entertainment and are always a nice pick-me-up when you've had a bad day, but far too many girls have convinced themselves that these movies show exactly how their relationships will turn out. It's supposed to work out, the girl is always supposed to end up with the boy she likes. The girl is always supposed to end up happy. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but these movies are not always true. The boy you like doesn't always like you back. You may end up with your heart broken. You may have to start back at square one when that 'Prince Charming' turns out to not be who you think he is. You just might have to learn how to be happy by yourself before you can even think about your forever.
     I had to do just that and it has been the most amazing and freeing thing I have ever done. I have had to learn to be happy with my God and my family and, most importantly, myself. I have had to learn daily that I DO NOT have to have a boy to be complete. I still struggle with it, but overall I am so much happier. I can see now that, although not all of them are bad, many relationships can be a huge distractions. Girls need to learn first and foremost to be contented with the God who loves them more than the sun, moon, and stars. Every girl needs to take back her forever. After all, it was never hers to give.
    

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Sweet Summertime

First of all, I know I've been AWOL lately, and I'm so sorry. I have no life because my schedule stays so busy all the time, but I just wanted to give a little update on my crazy beautiful life. I am almost done with my freshman year of college, which blows my mind on a daily basis. It seems like just yesterday that I was moving all of my things into my tiny room and trying not to cry as my parents left, but at the same time it feels like it's always been this way. I never thought I would be that kid who loved being way from home. I've always been a homebody, so loving college this much surprised me, I won't lie. Anyhow, school and everything is going wonderfully :)

Now, onto what I REALLY wanted to tell you about. This summer will be the first summer that I will be officially employed. I have applies to two different positions and I am so excited to see where God will lead me this summer!

One job I have considered is working as a counselor at the summer camp that I attended as a child. This is a very small camp so I would get to know the children really well, and it would just be a wonderful work environment. The director of the camp, whom I have known for many years, is a wonderful woman and it would be an honor to work under her. She is very strict with her workers, but I prefer work envionments like that, especially when children are involved. I love working with children and being able to mentor and lead them all summer would be such a blessing!

The second job I'm considering is still with children, but more involved. There is a possibility that I will be a summer intern with my children's minister, which would be ideal for me. I have worked with the children at my church ever since I have been able to and I honestly can't imagine spending an entire summer without them. If I were to get the internship I would not only have an incoming salary, which would be nice, but I would also get to see the inner workings of our children's ministry. Not only would I be working all the events and camps that we do for the children, but I would be involved with the plannig and set up of everything. I ADORE working with my kids, but I also love being able to plan things. I've always thrived in a position like that and being able to have a summer filled with it would be fantastic :)

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Interview Weekend

I am about to complete one of the single most amazing things that I have ever been a part of. I applied for two positions with the Baptist Student Summer Missions organization and last night and today have consisted of interviews, worship time, and simply getting to know everyone else that is interviewing. I won't lie to you all, because you deserve better, so in the spirit of honesty, I was terrified to come to this weekend. I only knew one person that was coming and, although she is a beautiful, wonderful girl, I was scared silly. I've never been good with getting to know new people and auditions scare the bajeebees out of me. I was certain that I would just be one big bundle of nerves and wouldn't be able to do anything correctly. That is the farthest thing from the truth! Everyone here is very welcoming and the atmosphere is just very calm. I wasn't nervous at all once I got here, got registered, and got settled in. Not only am I not nervous, but I have been extremely outgoing this weekend. I don't know if it's the fact that I know I am exactly where God wants me to be or if college has just changed me that much, but I like it. Last night I was in the activities hall and I started playing a game of Apples to Apples with a group of people there and instead of not talking and staying to myself I was talking to everyone and making jokes just like everyone else. It's the exact same way with the time I've had with the people interested in the DOXA team, like myself. Usually I am very self-concious and do not like hanging out with new people, but the people that I met today were wonderful! I would be truly blessed anywhere God chooses to place me this summer. I pinky that I will let everyone know as soon as I find something out, but until then keep praying!

Pinning

It's official. I am completely addicted to Pinterest. I know everyone says that, but no joke, I can't stop. specifically I have started looking for simple, cute, do-it-yourself(DIY, obviously) jewelry and crafts to make. I had NO IDEA that there were so many gifted women who knew how to make some of the most adorable things, and I also had NO IDEA that they all converged on one website. It truly is mindblowing how many different things you can find on Pinterest. The newest thing that has caught my fancy has been t-shirt crafts. I mean, they are just so simple, and so quick that I can't help but try them out. I have made everything from cute headbands to tote bags. it is insane the adorable things you can produce from an old t-shirt that you have laying around the house. I have wanted an infinity scarf for a while now, but I have never had the money to just go out and buy one(poor college kid, I am), so I was browsing for my next project on Pinterest tonight and I found instructions to make an infinity scarf from an old t-shirt! I WAS THRILLED! it was amazingly simple, and believe it or not, the scarf looks wonderful!  I am so excited to wear it out somewhere I can hardly contain it.