Christmas Times a Comin'

Monday night Class 15' had a bible study Christmas Party and it was so much fun. I was super sad that Amber, Hailey, and Stephanie couldn't make it. Mary Katherine got to come and i was so excited she was there to join in on the fun. It was a tacky Christmas party which made it even better! Then we ate, and I made something from pinterest!! I made Pepperoni Pizza Monkey Bread and it turned out to be a hit at the party. I added a little parmesan, garlic, and oregano for the tops and it added a little more taste. We played lots of fun games and did a little bit of Christmas trivia, and we took our group picture around the Christmas tree!

It's Christmas in the Lil' Blue House

We brought up some decorations to put in our house this week. We have a cute little tree and Jillian and I decided to put use to our curtain rods that we have up without curtains. At midnight on Monday night we decided that we should hang our extra light's on the curtain rods and then hang up some snowflakes that I had brought up as well. It's a  little redneck, but festive.

Thanksgiving

As I laid in my bed last night with a full belly and my second lifetime move of the break  over, I began to think about the true meaning of Thanksgiving. I was thinking about all those crazy Black Friday shoppers that were shopping, and how its completely crazy that it started before Thanksgiving was even over. I thought how horrible of those people just to totally skip Thanksgiving, but what exactly was I doing. Yesterday I got to have two separate Thanksgiving dinners, and honestly I didn't give much to the whole "be thankful" thing the entire day. Yeah, I was excited that I got to eat a whole bunch yesterday and I was excited about spending the day with both sides of my families. That's all the thought I really gave to it though, which makes no sense considering the challenge James gave us last week. The Friday before our ministry team Thanksgiving Dinner James challenged us to live on $2 a day. Which is oatmeal for breakfast, 4oz of beans and 4 oz of rice for lunch, and the same thing for supper. When he gave us this challenge he passed a piece of paper around for those interested in doing it. I thought "oh why not?' and plus I didn't want to look like a complete slacker by not signing the paper. I decided to start the challenge on Sunday afternoon at 5 because I was eating dinner with my Class 15' group on Monday. It was already getting hard when I walked into bible study on Sunday because Nathan had made fresh brownies and I wanted one so badly.  Monday wasn't that difficult, mainly because I got to cheat that night. However, as the days went on till it ended on Thursday night it got more and more difficult. Wednesday was probably the most difficult day, and having to work all day made it even harder. I would scan things and it would make me so hungry and just desire the things that people were buying. I had to constantly remind myself that even though I was doing this challenge, that there was an end in sight. My heart was often taken back to Peru during this challenge. We were at the child care center when they had their lunch and that is what they had, rice and beans. We often here statics about starving children, and think "oh yeah that's sad", but we don't ever really imagine what these kids go through. These kids ate every bit of their lunch, without complaint. It's real, kids and people are struggling with hunger, it isn't just another statistic. I think it's neat that God didn't really teach me this lesson until several months after I returned from Peru. I knew this challenge would help me realize how blessed I am with food, but I had know idea how God would teach me so many things through this challenge. I worked a long shift on Wednesday, and I was completely exhausted and was ready to go back to sleep. I would assume that my sleeplessness was because of my lack of food. How the women that we learned about through 365/24/7 carry those 40 gallon jugs of water for 7 miles on lack of food is so hard to fathom. Not only was I hungry and sleepy, but my belly was desiring for some tasty food that wasn't bland and starchy. It's sad to say,  but my desire for some waffle fries as I drove home from work on Wednesday was much greater than my desire to spend time with my heavenly Father. I was praying that I would allow the Lord to continue to keep my eyes open after the challenge was over. I did allow him to, but very little. I just sped right through Thanksgiving yesterday, like it was just a day to stuff my face. I didn't take the time to thank my heavenly Father for all He had done for me. I am so incredibly blessed, and yet I just went about my day. I have so much to be thankful for, and I know this is cliche'. However, God has blessed me with so much. Yes, he has blessed me with material things and my necessities, but it's so much more than that. I know this is very spastic, but my brain and heart are still processing all that God is teaching me through this. I am going to leave you with lyrics to a song that comes to my mind. It's old, but yet so true, simple, and perfect.

GIVE THANKS
WITH A GRATEFUL HEART
GIVE THANKS
TO THE HOLY ONE
GIVE THANKS
FOR HE'S GIVEN
JESUS CHRIST, HIS SON


AND NOW LET THE WEAK SAY
I AM STRONG
LET THE POOR SAY
I AM RICH
BECAUSE OF WHAT
THE LORD HAS DONE
FOR US

GIVE THANKS...

A Recap...in a Nutshell

So, I thought doing the ten things a day challenge would work out for me, but work, school, ministry team, and just life in general has gotten the best of me. I basically haven't had a whole lot of time to sit down and write about what is going on in my busy life.
Last Thursday I was off so I got to go to Amigo's with my Class 15' girls, which I was  pretty pumped about. We laughed so much about silly things like the song Crush and pickles in a bucket. I took my camera, but of course I didn't take any pictures of the night. Since I was off I also got to watch Grey's Anatomy, which was so good, even though they are taken what it seems to be a mid season break.

Friday night I got off at seven and Chelsea came and spent the night with us girls. She got a super cool curling iron for her birthday and one of those fancy cameras, so we decided to have a photo shoot on Saturday and get all dolled up. It was a bit of a rush because I had to work at 3, but it was a lot of fun being silly and taking pictures.

Sunday we had a pretty nice day of chilling and doing  homework. I also started my $2 a day challenge on Sunday night, which I will write about more in the next post because it is just too good to be shoved into this one.

Monday I made spaghetti for my Class 15' group and we had a game night, which was super fun. We played Mafia and the girls kicked the boys butt in Catch Phrase.
Tuesday was pretty uneventful with class all day and then work, but Wednesday was a great night at The Well. The past three weeks the series was 365/24/7 which is basically an emphasis on missions. We raised over 13,000 for different local and global organizations. It was amazing to see God work. Also, 5 people were baptized during the service including Damien from my bible study!!

Thursday night we had a potluck Thanksgiving service and plus a Karoke night with the ministry team which was super fun and the food was delicious.

Day 9

1. I am thankful for the opportunity to serve with Meals on Wheels through the Well!
2. I am thankful for the three meals that I had today.
3. I am thankful that I was off work today.
4. I am thankful that I can walk to and from school safely.
5. I am thankful for the shower I had today.
6. I am thankful that I can go out to eat and enjoy much needed quality time with David.
7. I am thankful that I got to spend some time with some great girls driving to the Well tonight!
8. I am thankful that the Lord can provide.
9. I am thankful that the Lord provided even though I had doubt.
10. I am thankful for the pancakes I could make for breakfast tomorrow!

Day 7 & Day 8

1.I am thankful for the opportunity that God has placed on my heart with youthworks.
2. I am thankful for cinnamon sugar toast and simply apple juice for breakfast.
3. I am thankful I was able to get a little bit done despite the nerves I had about my phone interview.
4. I am thankful for the friends that prayed for my interview.
5. I am thankful for Monday nights with my wonderful bible study group.
6. I am thankful for the laughter they give me.
7. I am thankful that Ashley and I got to talk to Mr. Hetzel, but it made me miss Peru.
8. I am thankful for the silly times we had last night together being silly girls.
9. I am thankful that I have roommates to make my laugh.
10. I am thankful that I am filled with Joy from the Lord.

1. I am thankful that I can walk to school in the mornings and witness the beauty around me.
2. I am thankful that I didn't get a ticket for jaywalking, because apparently they are going to start enforcing that.
3. I am thankful that I am not a part of the statistics we talked about in my issues class today.
4. I am thankful for the talk I had with Eliza today.
5. I am thankful that I am good at making things up on the spot and sounding like I know what I am talking about.
6. I am thankful for a boyfriend that buys me sweet tea.
7. I am thankful that I can laugh at myself.
8. I am thankful for the clothes on my back.
9. I am thankful that even though I am a "broke" college student, I have two places to call home.
10. I am thankful that I don't have to go to bed hungry.

That's What I Love About Sunday

I love Sundays, especially now that I have them off since I transferred. This week was pretty crazy for me because I had to work 32 hours on top of school with two tests and volunteering and working on my application for youthworks. So I was really looking forward to my Sunday off work and just chilling at my house. I also got to go to church with the girls, which was great. The pastor read in Galatians 5: 13-26 and he spoke on our flesh and the battle that we must face to fight against our flesh. He also spoke about freedom, and how even though Christ sets us free from sin we then must fight the battle of love. In other words just because we have been set free doesn't mean we should be lazy.
Then, after church the three of us went to Food City to get some groceries. I was really excited about this, and I have no idea why, especially since I work there all the time. I just had this excitement about us being a  little family who goes to church and then goes to the grocery store, yes lame I know. After we got home Carly came over and we made shake and bake chicken, green beans, macaroni salad, and rolls. We even made Mini Apple Pies from Pinterest. They were really good, but we used two pie crusts instead of one and decided it would be better without the peeling.

Then, we just hung out at the house and worked on some homework which was nice. I also got to talk to Jason, Traci, and C which made the day even better!Bible study was also really good this week, because we basically talked on exactly what we talked about at church this morning. I love when that happens, it just makes God even cooler than He already is.  After Bible study Chelsea came over and we all just sat around and talked which was really nice too, and she brought left over birthday cake!

Day 6
1. I am thankful for getting to go to church with my roommates!
2. I am thankful that I can worship with other believers without fear!
3. I am thankful that Christ has set me free from the bondage of sin!
4. I am thankful for that feeling that you get when you are so amazed by God that you wanna run and jump and scream and do the excited dance all at the same time.
5. I am thankful for the yummy lunch that we had today.
6. I am thankful for the day of rest(even though we did some homework) that we had to fellowship with one another.
7. I am thankful for skype so I can talk to my nephew, brother, and sis-in-law.
8.I am thankful for my bible study group, I love them so much!
9. I am thankful for the time we had together tonight to dig deeper in scripture and prepare for tomorrow.
10. I am thankful a boyfriend who says funny things that make me laugh!

Day 5

It's a little late, but I didn't wanna skip it.
1. I am thankful that I got to sleep in till 11.
2. I am thankful that I got to work an 8 hour shift, but still get things done and sleep late.
3. I am thankful I have a mom in my life to argue with.
4. I am thankful for the yummy lunch that I had and the 30cent reduced butterfinger pumkin.
5. I am thankful for laughter at work.
6. I am thankful that my parents placed the values within me that they did.
7. I am thankful that I got to hang out and watch a silly Hallmark movie with my roommates until 2.
8. I am thankful that I can have more than one meal a day and I can choose what I want to eat.
9. I am thankful for the silly giggles we had after we watched the clock change from 1:59 am to 1:00.
10. I am thankful for the extra hour of sleep that the time change gave me!

Day 4

1. I am thankful that I don't have Friday classes! I love getting to sleep a little later than normal.
2. I am thankful for a boyfriend who proofread my 3 page essay and my 3 pages worth of short answers for my application for youthworks.
3. I am thankful for the wonderful food that was provided at Friday lunch.
4. I am thankful for the fellowship that I had with friends at lunch today, especially Chelsea.
5. I am thankful that I got to have my peanut butter marshmellow cream sandwich during my lunch break.
6. I am thankful that I got to celebrate that last part of Aimee's birthday party with her!
7. I am thankful for leftover green beans for my midnight snack.
8. I am thankful for hulu so that I could watch Grey's  Anatomy.
9. I am thankful that I can sleep as late as I want tomorrow!!
10. I am thankful that God loves me at all times!

Day 3

1. I am thankful that, even though I wanted a pb & marshmellow cream sandwich and we were out of bread, I still had other things to pack for lunch.
2. I am thankful that I didn't have my second class so I could spend time studying for a test later in the afternoon.
3. I am thankful for my weekly meetings with Aimee.
4. I am thankful for a jacket to keep me dry in the rain.
5. I am thankful that I have a laptop to do my homework and waste time on facebook and pinterest with, even though its almost broken.
6. I am thankful for a warm and dry bed to sleep in tonight and blankets to keep me even warmer.
7. I am thankful for roommates that put up with my scatterbrained personality.
8. I am thankful for laughter while reading silly poems for kids with my classmates.
9. I am thankful that the Lord gives me gifts to share Himself with others.
10. I am thankful for the beauty of the mountains and the leaves that I see while walking on campus.

My Hero

Here is an essay I wrote for class about my hero. I was a little uncertain about what my teacher would say about who I chose, he informed me that he could not grade me any differently and he didn't. (This was for an educational issues class, otherwise it might have been a different story). 

            You won’t find him with a red cape on, flying through the air. Nor will you find him driving the bat mobile.  He doesn’t hold the record for the most goals in his career, and he hasn’t been in dozens of movies. However, He is a hero in my eyes, because He has every single quality that a hero should have. He’s the ultimate hero, not only because of who He is, but what He did. He isn’t a movie star, but he did create the stars. I’ve never even seen him, but He knows everything about me. I don’t know what He looks like, but I know that my hero is bigger than anything that I will ever face. God is my hero because He gave up his Son for me so that I could receive the ultimate prize, spending eternity with Him. He is perfect and has no blemishes, yet He still loves me unconditionally. He is a Hero because He is the ultimate creator, and will never fail me.

            You hear stories of people doing great things for people. People who risk their lives, some who end up losing their lives to save the one they love. God did just that, but it meant so much more. God gave up His son Jesus to give up His life for all of us, who He loves deeply. He took the fall for us, so we didn’t have to. Jesus died for us in our place so that we could take the prize. This would be like having a person who was completely innocent taking the fall for a criminal and then the criminal being rewarded a prize. However, God is beyond greater than simply being innocent and we are much worse than any criminal could be compared to Him, and spending eternity in Heaven is far greater than any prize on this earth. I don’t have children, but I do have a nephew and I couldn’t imagine giving Him up for someone who had done me wrong. That is exactly what God did; He gave His son for us, even though we did nothing to deserve it.

            We all strive for perfection, but we all fail miserably. God is perfect in every way, He has done no wrong, yet still He loves us unconditionally. I’ve done absolutely nothing to deserve His love, but He doesn’t care. It’s hard to love someone who doesn’t love you back, but God does. His love for us is indescribable and incomparable, nothing could amount to the love that He has for us. God is perfectly holy, and He knows that. Still, He doesn’t think any less of us. He isn’t like a movie star or a sports star. He wants to be your friend and He knows everything about you, even despite all of His greatness. He is a perfect God, but He does not forget all the ones that He loves. Our God has done no wrong, He is perfect in every way, yet still He accepts us just as we are. 

            Our God created the whole universe, the moon and the stars, the trees that go through the changes of the seasons. He created the mountains big and small, and He created the oceans deep. He created me and He created you. As a future educator I love learning about different creative ideas, and being creative. God is the ultimate creator, and I could never grow tired of being marveled at His beauty in His creations. He created everything around me and I can still trust in Him. Most heroes aren’t that trusting, but God is. He will never forsake us or leave us. We can trust in Him more than anything or anyone. Knowing that I can trust in the one who created all things is so comforting.

            God is a hero in my eyes for many ways. There is none greater than He is. He didn’t ride up on a white horse to rescue me, but He did rescue me from a life that I did not want. God is more than a hero, he is: indescribable, omnipresent, everlasting, compassionate, forgiving, and loving.  God is my hero because He gave up what He loved for those who he knew would turn their back on Him. He has done no wrong, but loves me despite my faults. God is my hero, because even though He is the ultimate creator, I can trust Him with everything.

Giving Thanks Day 2

I have a test tomorrow, and considering I spend lots of time daydreaming during this class I need to be studying. However, I couldn't start slacking on the second day, so here are ten more things that I am thankful for.
1. I am thankful for work that works around my school schedule so well and allows me to stay so involved with the Well.
2. I am thankful for a smooth transition into a new store and my new friends that I have made through my transfer.
3. I am thankful for a boyfriend that has a love for saving money and for coupons like I do.
4. I am thankful for the coupon that allowed us to each have a meal and a desert to share for under 20 dollars. (I am also thankful for a boyfriend that pays for dinner without any complaints)
5. I am thankful that I was scheduled next Wednesday off when I normally work an 8 hour shift, so now I can participate in one of the service opportunities with the 365 series.
6. I am thankful for Kool-Aid, Little Debbies, and Pandora, they have gotten me through a lot! Here is a shout out to you!

7. I am thankful for clean water.
8. I am thankful that I do not have to live a life like the girls who are forced into sex trafficking. I am blessed beyond measure.
9. I am thankful that I can read my bible while I am at work without persecution.
10. I am thankful that I even have a bible and that the word of God has been shared with me.

Give Thanks!

To help me not a be a blog slacker and in honor of the month of November because of Thanksgiving I decided to blog everyday about 10 things that I am thankful for. Sometimes they may be simple, and sometimes they may be very important to me. I am very blessed and I can certainly go on and on about the things that I am thankful for, but here it goes.

1.      I am thankful for a great time with my Class 15’ bible study last night and all the laughter!

2.      I am thankful for a car that has a heater and a defroster that works, because it was freezing when I left and I had to defrost it this morning!

3.      I am thankful for a mom that sends left over sausage muffins with me to eat while I am at school!

4.      I am thankful for a friend like Eliza that I can hang out with and eat lunch with on Tuesdays. 

5.      I am thankful for my friend Erin, even though she wasn't able to eat with us today.

6.      I am thankful for a teacher that lets us have an open book test, and for the 100 I got on it!

7.      I am thankful for the opportunity to volunteer at Rise Up! I love those kindergartners and first graders!

8.      I am thankful that my parents read to me as a child. I know I probably took that for granted at the time, but now it means so much.

9.      I am thankful for the ability to get cute pictures of my nephew!

10. I am thankful that the Lord doesn't lose patience with me as easily as I do with others. 

Fall Parties

I love fall! It's so beautiful and you get to dress up for Halloween. I haven't really done it in years, but this year I dressed up for the Ministry fall party and our Class 15' party. We did scavenger hunts both nights. I lost both times, but they were quite fun!

 Carly and I dressed up as Mario and Luigi completely with staches'!

 This was my group for the scavenger hunt with the ministry team. We were so good we were lucky we didn't get arrested!

 Class 15' leaders! I love these guys and I am so glad I am about of this awesome group of leaders.

 This is my Class 15' group during the scavenger hunt on campus! They are so awesome!

 I love these girls to death and I am so glad that the Lord placed them in my life!

The whole gang! They are quite silly, and never cease to make me laugh! I feel like a 5 year old waiting for her birthday party to start when I wait for them to come over on Monday nights!

Pumpkins, Leaves, and Lion King

This weekend was the beginning of fall break and I didn't have to work Saturday or Sunday and I loved it.
I came home Friday night after work and Saturday David came with my parents and I to our Shelton Family reunion. Then we went and rented movies and bought a pumpkin to carve. We watched our movie which was Something Borrowed, definitely a chick flick, but David survived. Then, we carved our pumpkin which was really fun. 

On Sunday David, my parents, and I met Nathan and Liz for lunch at Cracker Barrel because they were in for the UT game on Saturday. It was a good day to get to catch up and spend some time together. After we go home David and I went to Asheville with Carly and OJ. The ride was beautiful because of the changing leaves and the blue skies. We walked around downtown and then went to a Thai restaurant that was really good.
I had never had Thai food before yesterday, but I enjoyed it. Then, we went to the Chocolate Lounge because every time the four of us have went to Asheville we go to the Chocolate Lounge. Then we headed home and since we couldn't decide on a movie to watch I found a tape from eighth grade. We didn't realize it then, but we were all in the county round robin championship and Carly and David were the only two that new each other.
It wasn't as exciting as we hoped because my dad only filmed the very end and we only saw a glimpse of everyone, but me.It was neat though to think about how then we didn't know one another but now we are all connected. We finally decided on Lion King and enjoyed laughing at how old we felt.

Wonderful Weekend!

This weekend I went to Virginia with my parents and grandparents to meet Jason, Traci and C for the weekend! We didn't do much on Friday night because it was passed C's bedtime before we got there. Saturday I woke up pretty early, because C woke me up which is perfectly OK. We stayed at a ski resort in the middle of no where in Virginia, but it was amazingly beautiful. The trees were breath taking, and the view was great. After breakfast we went riding around the resort to this fall festival craft thingy, which wasn't too exciting but it was nice to get out and enjoy the beautiful day.

 Saturday night we played cards. We played Phase 10 and Monopoly Deal. I really enjoy Monopoly Deal, but Phase 10 I despise. It lasts forever, and it is so frustrating. Sunday we just chilled at the hotel room and played with C. This morning he literally woke me up, because I was sleeping in the floor and he crawled up to me. Not many people could do that at 7 in the morning, but he certainly can. It was such a great weekend with my family.