...which will lead to a random blog...so in order to help the readers they are in bullet points
a. i just got back from a random and quick trip to tuscon. my brother lives out there and i needed to make a trip out to get some furniture (see point b.) luckily drea was wonderful enough to make the trip with me. it is a 7 hour (yes 7 hours) drive from my home in the ghetto to tuscon. and it is a pretty boring drive. ugh. anyways left about 730 on tuesday night (which haas us arriving about 3 am on weds...due to many breaks (see point a1). slept in a bit and then used the handy tomtom (awesome by the way for someone so directionally challenged as me) to find brothers work and visited him. watched a movie and played some guitar hero world tour and then went to dinner. went to bed since we were getting up at 5 am on thursday to load up the furniture and make the drive back. like i said. a very quick trip. it was nice to spend some time with my brother. as much as he DRIVES ME CRAZY and hurts my feelings. i love him and do miss him very much and how close we were when he lived here.
a1. road trips with girls are way better cuz you can stop whenever you want and however many times you want. no stress about "staying on schedule" or "making good time". you can just play
b. i am moving. to a new apartment. but in the same complex. just bigger. as of april 1st we will be living in a 3 bedroom apartment. the reason for the move: my sister is moving in with us. (and my niece too ) i havent always been close with my step sister but as we have grown up a lot in the last year and life has given m family some trying circumstances, we have grown closer. my sisters life seems to be coming together and since she is currently living in my parents office, it will be a definite blessing for her to move out and have some space. so i am so excited to be able to help her out and to get to live with my niece. so all that, we are moving. but no worries it is the same place just bigger. so still visit us. :-)
c. pray for my little nephew ty. he is very sick right now (pink eye and 2 ear infections) and the doctors are doing some tests to figure out whats going on with his digestive tract. he is having some pain in his stomach. he is so very special to me so please say a little prayer for him as you read this.
d. community group. have been leading one for a long time. i love it. and God has given me a different dynamic group of people each time. i have learned so many things from each group. the last cycle we did with it my group was large. quite large. some nights almost 20 people were crammed in my living room. which is awesome but makes the small group/community setting very hard to achieve. due to such a large group we decided to split into 2 groups after christmas. the groups are now about 5-8 consistent people in each. this was weird and different for all of us and at first we were not so sure we liked it. as the weeks have gone on it has definitely grown on us. the group is closer. we are studying galatians right now. and my group is moving very slowly through it but it is working for us. tonight was good. really good. one of the girls was sharing some questions she has been having about the chapter we are in. just things she is trying to figure out the answers to. and it was not what i had planned on going over tonight but that was ok. i just kinda let the conversation go where God was leading it. there were only 4 of us tonight and so the discussion was small and nice. we all put in some input about the questions or formed new ones about the topic. as i reflect on the discussion it was so neat to see all four of us in our Bibles searching for scripture that we felt would answer the question or provide encouragement. we were digging!!! so cool. man i am so lucky for my small group girls and the friendships i am making are life long and solid (even if ariel thinks i am too old to be her life long friend...hahahhaha) i am the "leader" i guess but i feel so inadequate sometimes and especially tonight i feel i learned more than anyone i was"leading" i love them...
e. i am slacker of a person. so my small group has decided to memorize a verse each week that God is teaching us with. then we come to small group and recite the verse. and each week you recite your new one and your old one. this was the second week we have done it AND the second week that i didnt do it. ugh. i even picked one out this week but didnt learn it by heart. i feel lame. but my group is challenging me to do it. i have made the commitment to learn THREE for next week. (so keep me in check)
f. james and ruth have been here this week and i have gotten to spend some time with them (and more tomorrow) these two are so very special to me. james was one of my very first friends at cbu. we went to school together, worked at camp, and worked as RA's together. he is like the big brother i didnt have. he made fun of me ALOT (and still does..which i love), made me laugh all the time, challenged me CONSTANTLY, and encouraged and loved me as a sister in Christ. i went through some pretty rough times in life and he was always there for me. a shoulder to cry on when i needed it, a reality check when i needed to be kicked in the butt, a laugh when i was down, and encouragement always. a constant friend for life. and ruth. well she is just amazing. we became friends my junior year and her sophomore year. we worked as RA's together and at camp. man do we have some good stories to tell about our year as RA's (we were pretty much the best ones ever...hahahahaha..oh vegas...) instantly we became friends. she is so kind and selfless. and she is FUNNY. seriously. she has a servants heart and one of the best friends ever. she was always someone i knew i could count on to understand my heart and never judge me when i shared it with her. and i still feel that way now. we shared life together those last two years i was at cbu. such an amazing woman of character. well i had the pure joy of bein in their wedding this last summer (and being the one who called them getting married after their first date..hahahaha). on few occasions have i felt so much joy and felt so proud as i did that day. it was truly an honor to stand beside two of my closest friends as they marry each other. i am so thankful for both of them being a part of my life and for the quality time i have gotten to spend with them this week.
g. had a girls day with ruth and shannon (ronnies (see g1) beautiful fiance). it was amazing. so nice to relax and enjoy each others company. we got manicures and pedicures. there was great conversation and yummy frozen yogurt. i am glad God has blessed me with these two beautiful women as friends. and i look forward to many more girls' days like this one...
g1. shout out to ronnie: ronnie is one of my other very closest friends from cbu. we have also been friends since my freshman year when he farted ON me and i didnt even know him. gross i know. but we have been friends ever since. he has been such a great friend. another big brother i never had. he is an incredible listener. and gives good advice. i have loved our many countless hours of conversation. definitely been an encouragement in my life. he is one of those friends that is there for you no matter what. anytime you need him he is there. there is such comfort and peace in having a quality friend who has your back no matter what. and i love that we have started little traditions amongst us...steak and crab...mmmhhhmmm and i appreciate that he always manages to be there to support you on important days of your life (graduations, birthdays, etc) and he is so so so funny. even if he likes to fart on girls.
h. going on a date with my special boy tomorrow (see h1.). and i am so excited and just smile when i think about it. :-) our week has been so busy that we havent gotten to see each other and really spend quality time together. so tomorrow we get to have that special quality time and i am so excited and giddy when i think about it. i really do love him very much :-)
h1. i just want to say how wonderful he is. so i was feeling so tired when i got back today from tuscon and still had lots to do before small group...making a snack was one of the things on my list. and i hate this list item since i am not good at making yummy things. well my wonderful boyfriend called me today and said he had made a snack(see h1.a) for his group and made some extra for me to serve at mine!!!! seriously. very thoughtful and so nice to have one less thing to do today..
h1.a there were brownies with a layer vanilla cream frosting with peanut butter/chocolate/rice krispy treat mix as the top layer...yummy!!! i think i just might keep him to bake for me!!!
i. well i was just feeling like a lot has been going on in my head and just needed to reflect on some of it
5. amanda (though i am seeing her in a week!!!) she has been someone who makes me laugh no matter what. she affirms me with her words an her friendship daily. i have shared my heart with her and she has in turn loved and cared for me so deeply. i am truly blessed by her and so sad i dont see her enough...but this next weekend will be GLORIOUS!!!
(post was inspired by amanda...cant wait to see you!!!!)
