End of Semester Scatter

It's that time again! The "hurry up and finish all these assignments and finals and final papers" part of the semester. It is quickly drawing to a close. Now just think of all of the time where quitting was considered. :) I have to do all the end of semester assignments and play catch-up with the ones that I am behind on. But, I'm not the only one. This weekend was a share and conquer kind of weekend (in place of divide and conquer). I told Anna... we are in this together. And we spent the whole weekend accomplishing our to do lists. Well, into the early hours of Monday morning as well. :) I didn't want to do my little three page paper so bad that I allowed distraction and took a whopping 5 hours to write it! Haha... yes, it's true. Casey and I went to bed at one. Anna was up til three. And now tonight I have to finish some other assignments... I have a goal of a certain two... one of which I'm now remembering. Whoops. Crunch time the next two weeks!

THIS JUST IN....

ME! For a short space of time. Hahahahaha. I am going to MD next week- Lord willing! I will get to see my family and my extended family hopefully (as in Stephanie and all).

Anyway...I'm thankful for...

5. My job- both of them- I enjoy each one. And I'm also thankful that one of my best friends works with me.

6. My supportive family who are always there for me.

7. My church family who is full of love, what great friendships and support.

8. My friends. Each one is unique. Each one betters and supports me.

9. My pastor and his wife. Who love and support me. Who listen to me over and over. Who counsel and pray with me. Sometimes I wonder if the thought ever crosses their mind, "AGAIN?!"

10. Freedom. Often forgotten and taken for granted. Can you imagine life without it?

Inspiration

Looking at a friends blog I was inspired to have a Thankful post. I can't promise to post everyday, but maybe I can at least post something for each day- as in 30 things total. :) Which shouldn't be hard to do.

1. My Dad- He works so hard, going to to work early in the morning, always more than 40 hours a week, then working on our not finished house practically everyday after. Even on Saturdays and between services Sunday.

2. My "extended family"- as in the people who have let me stay in their house for 18 mths. now.

3. My children at work. Yesterday I stamped their little hands to make turkey place-mats to send home. Their hands are so small. Some of their lives are so hard. I often pray that God helps me with them and they feel the love of Jesus- they don't need me, they need Him- one day they will leave- a lot of people may come and go in their lives, but He won't.

4. Casey- who I called before eight this morning while she was still in bed- just to tell her it's been going on two years since I moved here. Thanks for being a friend. A supporter. And thanks for putting up with me.

God help me to have a thankful heart- for all the blessings I do have, though truly undeserved.

Same-ole-Same

At first it seems I "have nothing to write about." Wow. Really? Part of my life seems same-ole-same. But then there's the other part that there's constantly some event or something going on, coming up, or just passed. Maybe it's because it's not something in my PERSONAL life. I mean it's friend's events or church events. So it is part of my life, but it's not some kinda something that revolves around me-which is totally fine, but I guess that's why life seems same-ole-same. Okay. Anyway.

I'm glad God never changes. That's one person I am thankful that NEVER changes. Things have been a bit rough the past couple days-I have nothing to complain about, Satan has just been fighting hard, but GOD IS GREATER! If God is in the ship it WILL NOT SINK! So Satan can fight all he wants- God will bring me through it, He is not going to leave me. What a blessing, what a promise. He will never forsake His children.

In For Five

Okay, so lets see if I can write for five minutes. Not that long, but plenty of time to catch up on things.

Still CRAZY busy. I could go into details, but seriously, who wants to know?! Fall festival is tomorrow..hoping all the kiddos have fun. Rushing to get things done still (Imagine that!). I'm doing a scarecrow race. Should be fun. I'm going to use kids close to cut down on time and materials. Have to pick up several items tomorrow, working on the posters tonight.

Well, as many of you know, we received some heartbreaking news last night. Our friend, and sister in the Lord, is fighting aggressive breast cancer. But she has such a positive attitude. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure there's times where she's just like- Woah! But we all know that God has it under control. No matter where this path takes us or how long it is- God has it under control. He will bring good out of this- that's a promise! Our pastor said something that I find stirring- if the body is functioning as it's suppose to- we all have cancer! May God help us to carry and share the burden the way he intended us too.

Way more than Five,
Drea

Somebody pull the Emergency Switch!

Running on a treadmill! That's just how life feels right about now. Like I'm stuck on a treadmill that's on fast speed and I just wanna take a break. I like running. I like being a little busy. But this is beyond my stage of enjoyment. I'm whooped! LOL Tutor in the morning. Class and around an hour or so break, give or take depending on the day. Work in the afternoons/evening. Then dinner with the family. Then home to do whatever...shower, cleaning, homework, etc. It's not that bad, I know. I can't complain. Just sayin! Shew! This girl likes her free-time. I have to get work done on my car this week. Visit the credit union to get the car title straight. DMV. Petition for graduation. Apply to the next school. Work on the website. Laundry. Research and all for a school project. Blah blah blah blah blah. Thank God there's no economy in Heaven!!

Anyway though! It's funny cause I feel like I should talk about something other than myself, but everything else requires thought, which I do not feel like putting effort into right about now! LOL

I took off work Tuesday so maybe then I will take some time and put some effort into updating you on the more "not as much about me" part of my life.

Until then

On the Agenda

I liked the title "Amid the Mayhem" better, but.... "mayhem" was not really correct. This week is busy. But chaos, turmoil, and confusion were not appropriate descriptive words. So.... I went the "plain" route. Lol. Busy, yes, but SCHEDULED (key term here). School, work, homework, choir, church. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Although I did have this morning off school- which was wonderful. My step-mother and I explored kitchen and some bath options. Yay! It's nice when you get to spend personal time with people. Love it.

So anyway. Excited for this weekend! Praying the Lord will bless it and prepare hearts!

An Announcement

Are you ready for this?!..... I have switched to different hair care products! Okay, okay so some of you may be thinking that this is no big deal and really it's not. HOWEVER, I am often told that my hair smells good, I think the scent must be strong because people are not THAT close. Anyway though, lots of people have told me that. It's kinda like when you have a really good perfume...except my scent is my hair. So I'm known for having really good smelling hair...for those who have noticed the scent. I have been using Dove Intense Damage Therapy Shampoo and Conditioner (it's the navy blue one!) and I highly recommend it. Then, I use an Aussie leave-in conditioner spray. The Dove is AWESOME! It makes my hair soft and tangle-free. But I've been using it for a long time...I'm thinking at least a year and a half if not as long as two, with a couple breaks in between. So here's time for another break. Wow. Sounds like modern day relationships! LOL. I switched to Pantene Breakage to Strength then to finish off with Infusium23 Repair and Renew Leave-in Treatment. So we will see how this works. I'm tempted to shower just to try this out. And by now you may be tired of reading this. Please do not get the idea that I am conceited or something! Have any suggestions? Any favorites? I would love to have something that made my hair grow longer or faster (I suppose that's basically the same thing).

Anyway though....

Youth Camp was nice. I did experience some drama that my close friends know about. Oh boy! ;) LOL Hahahahahaha. But it was nice to see everyone again. It was a little weird being at the phasing into adulthood age but it was still fun. And volleyball was fun too. Miss it! I would love to play with our group at home more often. We had a party for Kaitlyn (Mrs. Green to be!) in the basement Saturday night. She knew. Not surprised she knew either. She's a smart one. And loved. This was her last time there....single at least...unless she happens to come to the one a month before the wedding. But I think they're thinking that's not gonna happen. We'll see! ;)

And school is way easy this semester...at least the school work anyway. It's interesting that the hardest part of college for me is not the education at all, but rather the...the... (struggle for word here). Well... the world thinks differently than the Christian does...and you have to be careful when you are plunged in worldly thinking... not that education or the facts are bad to know... the views and opinions and (word struggle)... that kinda stuff... you have to be careful when you are "sensitive" or emotional when it comes to stuff like that... careful not to let things creep in. Make sense? If not maybe you have the words I am lacking. But God can help me through it. And help me to grow.

Which reminds me... anyone heard Lauren Talley's, "Just As I Am"? Love it. It says how God loves you to the point that He is not going to leave you just as you are. You came to Him just as you were, a sinner. He forgave you. But it didn't stop there and won't ever stop until the day you die...because He is constantly changing and perfecting you. He loves you too much to leave you just the way you are/were when you came to Him. Thank the Lord!

Love You All

Taking Time I don't Have

Isn't it funny how I was just talking about time, and now I'm using that line for a title. Anyway, I don't really have the time to be posting...meaning there are more important things I could be doing...meaning I really should be doing school work. :)

Well Youth Camp is only a few days away, again. I love youth camp. Some of the girls like to stay in a hotel as opposed to the big slumber party in the basement, which I can understand, but in all actuality, I would PREFER to stay in the basement. Provided there is at least one other older girl and I can stay in a room so no one can turn the light on on me. I've given up the whole "get up at the crack of dawn (literally) to get a shower." No thanks. This year will be Kaitlyn's last year single and I'm looking forward to seeing Breanna too. Love these girls. They've been pillars for me and I'm so thankful for them. Oh, and this year...I'm going to head up T-shirts. Great. This should be fun. Seriously, I don't mind much. :) Thanks to a great friend for getting all the stuff ahead of time so I didn't have to. :)

And school, it's pretty easy this semester not having any Math (that's coming from a on-her-way-to-becoming Math teacher. LOL) And the work I really need to get finished is for a class I'm testing. That's not even counting the assignments I have to complete by Sunday night. :) Which I'm gonna get done....uhh.....tomorrow, maybe some time tonight. Idk. It'll get done.

Love Always

Back to School

It's that time of year again....school! I actually enjoy school for the most part, just not the homework. LOL Training days at work this week, so it's almost like having the week off! LOL And what about this EARTHQUAKE stuff?! We felt it at work...I was about ready to run outside in case the building collaped. Dramatic, I know, but I didn't know what was going on. Anyway though...just a little snip-it of my life for ya. I'm gonna go find out some info! ;)

Ahh! Summer Break is Almost Behind Us!

Time fly's. After hearing some people at work say how they can't wait until the weekend and such I thought to myself about how we shouldn't rush time. How often can you catch yourself saying you can't wait until the weekend? Reality check: What are you thinking?! What about TODAY?! Each day is a gift, a blessing. (Although I'm sure some days seem more of a blessing than others.) Quick rushing it! We are people of time. We need time. We have time (so we think) and we'll do this at this time. Wait. We DO NOT have time. Time is not OURS. Our existence on this earth is granted by God and controlled by Him. Don't get me wrong. Make plans, take some moments to breathe sometimes. But don't forget you are NOT promised tomorrow or even the rest of today. Be thankful for all of your moments, however they may be.

Now onto how I've spent my time recently (it obviously hasn't been on blogging).... Well we ended right after VBS. It doesn't seem that I've accomplished much in the past two weeks. (Speaking of time...how we spend it...there's clearly room for improvement on my end.) I did get the paperwork for school turned in and things are ready to go for the Fall semester although I think I may change it. We'll see. My sisters spent the night with me Monday. Oh wow. Wow. Miss. Trouble moves and moves...and moves and moves. Then Miss. Mature is upset because she's in her face then, has her leg on her. LOL So around fifteen til' four in the morning Miss. Trouble and I move to the futon. Then, I move back to the bed and move Kay to the futon with Trouble. Afterwards we all slept well..until about 8:30. I hurried out of bed and shut the curtains and put a towel over every window to further block out the light. Blinds. Curtains. Towels. LOL This was to ensure Trouble's sleep. We ended up crawling out of bed around 10:30. I could tell you more, but well, I don't feel like it. And you might not care enough to want to read it anyway. Moving on. Worked on the website some yesterday! Yay! Much more to do. And I vacuumed my car out. Oh, speaking of that I did wash my car this past week. There's some accomplishments. Not lasting, but still, they make the list. Had another VBS this week, which went well, thank the Lord. I'll be praying that God works with those that were out and the community there, that He opens doors for the congregation there as well as here.

Oh, and I also have not blogged because my computer had a...IDK...it wasn't technically a virus, but one of those things. It even blocked the internet. I just didn't feel like blogging on anyone's computer at the time. :)

Well, I think that's all folks ;) for now anyway.

No wait, it's not. I had a "city girl" crisis the other day. LOL Read a sign at work and part of it said, "[...] make you a copy." WHAT?! Make YOU a copy?!?!!! Aahhhhh.....Aahhhhhh! Make YOU a copy?! How about "make yourself a copy"..."make a copy for yourself"..."make a copy"....Oh, it kills me. Instances like that kill me! Drive me CRAZY! The accent, fine, I'll handle it. That kinda stuff, though? Maybe I just have a hard time with it because my mother never allowed it. Thanks, Mom! Seriously! For all the times you corrected my grammatical errors and mispronunciation, made me write neatly and spell correctly. Thanks.

Okay, I'm done now.

Love Always

Taking a Breath

Well let me quickly update everyone...

Did NOT get school papers turned in yet, planning on this week, almost finished. VBS is going well, program tomorrow morning Lord willing. Honestly stressful though. I was more stressed about the adults than the kids. I like to please everyone so I was concerned about the crafts wanting everyone in general to be pleased with them. It's okay if they didn't, I would just like to know (you know...constructive criticism). Then, there's always everyone's opinions and suggestions. Some people I honestly don't mind. But there's also those that are a little harder to handle. It's overwhelming when you have it planned out and then you get a suggestion here, suggestion there. (Especially when you're a control freak like me!). And then there's the...I don't know if this is okay or not issues. I just like to KNOW...is this good? or not good?! That way if it's NOT I can do some adjusting and if it IS I can stick with it. Oh, for a balance when it comes to the opinions of others! Of course my MAIN concern is to be clear before God above all!

ANYWAY though...I have cleaning up to do...it's a mess here!

TTYL
:Drea

Checking Off the List...

These three weeks are the "getting things done" weeks.

Cleaning (Working on it!)

School....Register and all the rest of the paperwork. Getting transfers straight. Nearing the first finish line...(In progress)

VBS...much accomplished but please if someone knows where I can find foam stamps, tell me. Cannot find them. (Getting done)

Yay! Feels great to get things ready and in order. Although the feelings not great enough to motivate me to do any of it, otherwise the school stuff would have already been completed. Oh well. Summer is halfway over. And I'm still loving it. LOL

Off to accomplish more!

Cherishing Forever Friends

There are some people in your life that come and go, then there are those that are very dear and close to your heart that you pray will always be there. Even though you may be separated by many miles you always pick right back up where you left off when you see them again. They are always there for you and you know you can count on them, even if you haven't chatted in a while. I am so thankful for these kinds of friends. They are such a refreshment to my soul. Spending time with them is like getting a breath of fresh air after a very hectic day.

The trip to Ohio went well. It was nice to meet more of my friend's family and spend time with the one's I had already met. I personally thoroughly enjoy knowing my friend's family. Seriously. Then, Wednesday I was able to spend time with my Breanna and her family (my adopted family LOL). It was great to see them again. Breanna and I were talking about how weird it was being "grown up", talking about our younger siblings and all and how weird it was with how old they were getting. I know, I know, some people might read this thinking, "Ha! Wait til you get my age!" LOL Morgan and I stayed with Kaitlyn and her family from Thursday night on, that was wonderful! I love visiting them, I always feel so comfortable at their house. No worries. Kaitlyn's one of those forever friends I was speaking of. She is awesome! I've told her time and time again, "I don't know why you're my friend." When we were younger we use to send letters back and forth, which I recommend to any young teenage girl! I always enjoy getting things in the mail. Even if it is a bill! LOL (Of course the bill part rarely happens. ) Now we send cards here and there, which is still nice. And now time has passed and she's getting married! And I get to wear a pretty dress too :) How exciting! By the way, Breanna is a forever friend too. We've got plenty of embarrassing and funny memories! So glad to have them in my life, and the other's too, I can't just sit here and name them! :)

I know it's blurry...but I like it anyway!

Detached and Disconnected!

That's how you feel when your phone is dead, your car charger is no longer in working order (as of tonight...figures), and your wall charger is at your friends house who is out of town. Of course I usually have easy access to this key and would solve the problem easily, but someone else has it. And on top of that the two friends who were going to stay with you now won't be because they can't get a hold of you. (Not like I'd be anywhere else but here or there at their house). LOL And when you stopped by your parents to borrow their phone charger they were already in bed so you didn't want to bother them. Oh and you deleted your facebook so it's not like you could get a hold of them or someone else to text them for you that way. DETACHED!! MAJOR TORTURE!! I actually wouldn't mind it if I wasn't worried one of them would show up or that my parents would go into a tizzy (hehe what a word!!) At least I have my laptop. If not....CATASTROPHE! Death by insanity. (Ok, not that bad.) But this is the twenty-first century. It's like not having a horse back in the old days. Or a clock. LOL Anyway.

One day til' O-HI-O! :) Woo whoo. Happy Fourth of July btw. Time flys, it's already July! Soon enough everyone will be singing "Happy Birthday" tehehe.

So long folks!

A Step Out of the Monotony

I AM FREEZING!!! Talk about air conditioning. Anyway...

Thank the Lord baby Anna had arrived! And she is BEAUTIFUL!! So glad she is finally here. Time flys!

Had a youth get together Saturday morning. Had fun. Played volleyball and sent the ball flying in places other than where I wanted it to go, except of course the FEW good serves that I did get in. Even jumped in on baseball. And guess what?? I actually hit the ball...and made it to home plate eventually. Did not put sunblock on my face, so I am now sporting the raccoon look (at least I wore sunglasses!). Searching for a word to describe the outing, but all I can come up with is lazy and slow. I can't say boring because I did have a nice time, but we certainly weren't all bursting with energy. And we had great weather. I love the youth! Love spending time with other young people that are serving God. What a refreshment! It is such a strength and encouragement.

Speaking of strength and encouragement...Isn't God good?! What a great service we had tonight! Thank the Lord! Shouting and rejoicing! Singing and testimonies! Three went and prayed and gave their heart to the Lord. Praise God! He is so good!

An Update on Monotony

Life is good! The past couple weeks have been kinda crazy, but at the same time things have been pretty normal. No intense drama. Which is definitely a good thing. Thoroughly enjoying the summer, simply because of the lack of school. I could care less that it's hot out. We're putting siding on the house now! Woo-whoo! Things are starting to move again. After a year, what's a couple more months, right?! I'll post a picture soon! Looking forward to Camp Meeting this weekend, and bunking with the girls. Should be interesting. Ha! Nah, we like to sleep too much. Speaking of sleep, 10:45 this morning...that's when I finally drug myself out of bed. Off to work here soon.

Thoughts lately have been on prayer and being a minister for Christ. Trying to focus when I pray to be praying with a purpose and with faith. I've thought before it's kind of like when someone tells or asks a child to do something, but has very little confidence in that child that they will succeed or even try. "Well I'll ask, but I doubt he'll get it done." If that child knows of the others lack of confidence or faith in them, it is likely that they won't even bother, "What's the point? They don't think I can anyway." I wonder if this is how God feels sometimes, why would He have any desire to answer or even hear our prayers when we are praying simply out of form or praying with no faith or confidence in Him? " Why should I answer their prayer, they're not expecting me to answer?" Personally, it would hurt my feelings if I wanted to do something very important and no one had confidence in me and everyone thought I would fail. I just wonder if God feels that way too. When we bring our cares and sorrows to Him, our burdens and our concerns, and have no faith or confidence that He will answer, especially after His word says He will. Not to mention, God won't take something from us, we have to give it to Him. Anyway, that's where my thoughts have been lately and more. Pray for me if you think of it (but please- pray with faith! ;) )

Love Always,
Drea

Trusting while Seeking

Today flew by! Some days drag, but not today! The plan was to get up around nine, go out to breakfast, and go shopping before work. Well, didn't crawl out of bed til a little after ten and went to lunch instead! I really am blessed. Although I don't have money coming out of my ears or growing on a tree nearby, and our house is still not complete, I have it good. There's a roof over my head and clothes on my back. Most importantly there's a God in heaven, and His Spirit down in my heart. He is always there to guide us and teach us. I have recently read 1 Corinthians Chapter 2, which talks about the Spirit of God. The Bible states that the Spirit is our teacher. Recently I've realized how much I try to figure things out on my own (don't get me wrong I know we need to take the time to study and seek God), but I had been leaning on my own understanding and trying to decipher the things of God with my own mind. It reminds me of how we plant and water, but God gives the increase. We study and seek, but allow the Holy Spirit to teach and bring understanding. I have also realized that in doing so I haven't been trusting in the Father. Basically by taking things into my own hands I'm saying, I'll figure out what God wants from me because I don't trust that He will show me. WOW!! Thank the Lord for revealing this to me! It is my constant prayer that God would show me where I am wrong and where I need cleaning. So that I can live pure and blameless before Him, without spot or wrinkle.

The Bible teaches to study and to seek God. This is very important to stay strong as a Christian, but we must trust and have confidence in God for the understanding.

The Time Table

One of the many things I am famous for is trying to fit too many things into a small amount of time. Take this morning for instance: I have two hours before needing to leave for work. And this is my to do list:

• Of course I need to begin as usual with a SHOWER and getting ready for the day which includes ironing.
• And I really wanted to take some time to read my Bible before life got crazy
• Go to Walmart and pick up a couple things (this could have waited til later but I have to ship something this morning...and need something to ship it in)
• Run to the post office and ship this item and buy that one stamp I need
• Have lunch with Kay at her school...which also means I'll need to pick something up
• Leave for work by 12:30.

READY.....SET....GO!!! Another crazy morning.

Take Two

I'd say take one, but this is not the first time I've attempted blogging. Except last time I didn't get as far. Wooo-Whoo. I have officially entered the world of blogging....Now what?!...

Today was a lot like any other. The morning started off...late. My phone died sometime in the early morning hours so when I first woke up and checked the time I decided to return to my peaceful slumber. Waking up a second time, I thought to myself, "It's probably somewhere around ten, so if it is, I definately need to get up." Well, after plugging in my phone I realize it's 11! Whoops! Oh well. That's one of the benefits of not having to be to work until 1. Goodbye, painful alarms!

After a nice evening at work (no joke, it wasn't bad at all), I spent the rest with my family. Poor Haley was so confused. I mentioned eating lunch tomorrow with Kay (which I'm just now remembering by the way) and she begins to cry! "You were suppose to eat with me! I had Friday! You were suppose to eat lunch with me Friday! And you FORGOT!!" Tears streaming down her face. I began to comfort her with the fact that today was Tuesday. I hadn't forgotten and I would eat with her on Friday. Poor thing. I'm gonna miss it when they grow up!