autumn

i love this time of year. it's the perfect temperature. it has the best smells of the year.

markli and i are going home this weekend. mainly to help mom with the neighborhood garage sale, but i can't wait for some good home cooked meals and just to be home. i've requested a few things. it will be nice.

i want to go the the cider mill soon. it's a corn maze and pumpkin patch type place. but they have amazing treats like hot cider and they might even have a breakfast in the mornings. it's only open on the weekends. i never went last year so i have to go this year.

figured some things out for my small group. excited for it to start. i'll make an update but sign ups aren't for another 10 days or so. the small groups don't start up until the 11 or 12th of october. it will be a few weeks.

can't believe this week it will be october. time is flying by.

i'm really in need of another job. i think i might have one watching two girls just two afternoons a week. i had an interview on thursday with them and i think she will be emailing me back. she seemed interested.

i watched darby yesterday morning. loved it. i actually stayed the night at her house because kreisa had to work yesterday morning and had to leave the house at 6:15. brady was gone with the school on a retreat. it was just easier to stay the night and wake up when darby got up than having to wake up and come over at 6am. their guest bed was incredible. also had a cute duvet cover. i asked where the comforter was from and it was from ikea. of course.

i spent the rest of yesterday and some of this early morning helping redo a room in land gym. it's going to be a coffee style hang out/study area. it looks good. there is also a small stage to have occasional shows. it looks great. i am done with my part, i think. (the small group i'm 'leading' will meet in this room.) yesterday was one full day. today i need to do some reading. i'm going to go start that now.

adios

thoughts

are somewhat keeping me awake. i am waking up early tomorrow though so maybe that will be the start of a good sleeping schedule--going to bed early.

thought i might as well write a blog since i'm awake. it has been an incredible day. our God is awesome. that says enough right there. we sang this song at the gathering tonight. just hit right home for me. it's called "Sweep Me Away" by Passion.

Suddenly I feel You holding me (4x)
Sweep me away (4x)
Suddenly I feel Your hand in mine (4x)
Suddenly I feel You leading me (4x)
Suddenly I feel Your heart in mine (4x)

i have been thinking about so much lately. things around me. the small group i'm going to be starting. how blessed i am. it seems like i've thought about just almost every area of life today. great times of reflection. that is all.

byeee

quote

by patsy clairmont

"Being touched by God's extravagant grace ignites something within us that causes others to notice. It's an interior glow that is like an exterior light in that it casts its influence in spite of the degree of darkness in which it finds itself--not only in spite of the darkness but also because of it. In the darkness the light becomes more attractive, more influential, more valuable, and more obvious."

just wanted to post that because it was so good. now i'm going to go watch The Holiday. all the girls are out tonight so it will be nice and quiet. :) i just did a little rearranging in the living room and i like it. today i went to the football game. it was a little warm--got just a little sun. went to dinner and had some ice cream, slice of banana bread and a cup of tea. then went and had some quality time with amber. love her and those times. we went to smoothie factory and i ended up getting a classic shake. ha. it had banana in it. it was so good. it's been a relaxing weekend so far. and. that's all.

peace yos

update

so it's been a few days. pick up where i left off. i sang in chapel and loved it. friday night there were soccer games. hung out after that. saturday at noon i left on small group leader retreat. came back sunday at noon. it was good. encouraging in many ways. sunday was a long day. tried a new church. didn't really care for it. today i felt the effects of minimal sleep--head ache. it is such a rare occasion for me to get a head ache. i will be off to sleep soon.

my raybans finally came in and they are being shipped here along with my gift card/money i won from my bank back home. pretty excited about that package arriving.

last friday i filled out an online application for collegenannies.com. she called back today to have an interview. it will be on thursday at 2:30pm at a good coffee shop. can't wait. i think they will use me for on call nannies since i have the one day i watch darby. it makes it a little difficult for scheduling purposes. but i love watching darby. wouldn't give that opportunity up for anything. i watch her tomorrow. cannot wait.

i think this week will be slow homework-wise. just reading for classes. that is fine with me.

here is a poem we had in our booklet at retreat. thought it was good and wanted to share it with you.

i stand by the door,

i neither go too far in, nor stay too far out, the door is the most important door in the world - it is the door through which men walk when they find God. there is no use my going way inside , and staying there, when so many are still outside and they, as much as i , crave to know where the door is. and all that so many ever find is only the wall where a door ought to be. they creep along the wall like blind men, with outstretched, groping hands. feeling for a door, knowing there must be a door, yet they never find it...so stand by the door.

the most tremendous thing in the world is for men to find that door-the door to God. the most important thing any man can do is to take hold of one of those blind, groping hands, and put it on the latch - the latch that only clicks and opens to the man's own touch. men die outside that door, as starving beggars die on cold nights in cruel cities in the dead of winter - die for want of what is within their grasp. they live, on the other side of it - live because they have not found it, nothing else matters compared to helping them find it, and open it, and walk in, and find Him...so i stand by the door.

there is another reason that i stand there. some people get part way in and become afraid lest God and the zeal of his house devour them; for God is so very great, and asks all of us. and these people feel a cosmic claustrophobia, and want to get out. "let me out!" they cry. somebody must be by the door to tell them that they are spoiled for thee old life, they have seen too much: once taste God, and nothing but God will do any more. somebody must be watching for the frightened who seek to sneak out just where they came in, to tell them how much better it is inside. the people too far in do not see how near these are to leaving - preoccupied with the wonder of it all. somebody must watch for those who have entered the door, but would like to run away. so for them, too, i stand by the door.

by samuel moore shoemaker

that is all for now. peace.

good

just got a phone call from the babies mom i watched this summer. she was telling me how much they miss me and how thankful they were to have me this summer. about the trouble they've had with this daycare they started to take her to. i felt so bad for her and sophie. i hope they can find somewhere great and find people they trust. i was so blessed with watching sophie. it was such a great experience for me and wouldn't trade it for anything (except watching me niece and nephews). :) it was just an encouraging phone call.

school

getting more focused on school. little less hangin' out. have good friends though, so i hope they'll understand. i mean school is the reason i am here, right? i will still be social, but not as much as i have been. i'm okay with it though. i know i have friends. i'm not lonely. i kind of need more alone time in my schedule anyway. ready to really get a good schedule in the works. be more responsible with my time.

had a good weekend. very busy though. ready for days to slow down and they will.

today the weather was perfect. cloudy, raining at times, and in 70's. it's getting me ready for the good smells of autumn. the next room air freshener i'm getting is called "pumpkin cheesecake". i saw it at target yesterday. it's smelled heavenly. i've been drinking more coffee lately too. always a good thing. :) i just love this time of year.

i love reading peoples blogs again. i think since it's not summer anymore it will get better. i hope.

i've been seeking a lot lately--for God's direction with things in life. i feel like i have most things figured out. i know what my major is. i know what i want to do when i graduate. i just don't know what to do until graduation time comes. i also have been learning things about myself. i will all my life, i assume. just very interesting to think about. i'm more at peace about things than i was yesterday--which is also interesting. circumstances change so fast.

i started watching darby today. she is so cute. unfortunately i will only be watching her once a week. i wish i could M-F. she was a little sad today when she realized i was putting her down for her nap and mommy and daddy weren't there to read to her. she was crying. she was just sad, not mad. i felt so bad for her but i tried to keep her mind off of it. i could tell she was tired so i just had to let her cry in bed for a couple minutes until she feel asleep. it didn't take long for her to fall asleep. she is a great cuddler though. i can't wait until next tuesday.

that is just a small synopses of what has been on my mind lately.

oh, tomorrow i'm singing in chapel with a band(worship), but a good one. i can't wait. we'll see how it goes.

peace

laborday

three day weekend. cannot wait. so many things are planned and i can't wait to give you the update after it's all said and done. one thing does include me making dinner for some friends. pretty excited about that. my homework is pretty easy. i just need to stop doing it at the last minute possible. but it all works out. i'll post something in a few days. peace yos.