Done! and waiting...

Alright everyone! I finished the semester! Now at the airport.... just waiting.... people watching is very interesting... we'll just say that lol....

FINALS

All I can say is : FINALS!!!!

Projects, finals, work, packing, busy, busy, busy!! Almost done though!

Picnik & Photo Funia

Hey everyone! A couple of my college friends showed me these websites and they are pretty neat for fixing up photos! Check it out!
www.picnik.com www.photofunia.com

By the way, semester is almost over! Heading home!!!

Falicia and I at the beach

Maria on a camping trip

Me =) Neat background huh?

Jo-Ann and I at the the highest point in our valley over Thanksgiving break.



My cousin's little girl and me - isn't she adorable? Only 4 1/2 months old!

That's all folks!

UT, WCBC, CO, WCBC,...

I have been a busy girl! Left home to start my junior year of college, left for CO to be with my family, and came back to CA... I'm tired already! lol

Couple of praises - although I have been given a bit more responsiblility than normal, I can already see God's hand working through everything =) I am room leader this year with four other girls in the room. I am soul winning captain for our end of the floor in my dorm. I'm still doing Parks Team on Saturdays. I will be working about four days a week (I believe I'm getting those hours... we'll see!) at Staples (the shifts work out to be about 20 hours a week) in town. I am also still working Blue Crew on campus 5 hours a week. Feels really busy but between God and I... actually just God! I know I can make it! =))

Hope all is going well for everone!

Hey...

Okay I am really embarassed at how long it has taken me to blog! lol Things have been pretty crazy lately and I've been doing a lot more facebook stuff than blog (sorry blogspot)

The family is doing good. The baseball/softball games are now officially done. Falicia, Juan, Maria, and Joey all played and I think that they all had a pretty good time =) Juan's team has played together as a group for the past two years and it has been neat to watch the boys mature and to get to know their parents better.

I am working at Staples now. I have decided that I enjoy working retail. This is my second week and we have started the Penny Sales, which means more customers and more stuff to remember lol I have not been fired yet, so I much be okay lol A couple times today I felt overwhelmed but that's how you learn. Just pray I don't drive my co-workers crazy with my questions lol

Headed back to school in August. I'm not quite to the "I'm so ready to go back" mode yet but at the same time I miss it lol I think that this is all part of being 20 and entering the adult world huh? =)

Well it's late and I better get offline lol I got caught up re-designing my blog lol

Good night

Multiple Picture Post!

So photos range in category so hang in there with me!

Today was crazy day at the church school and as you can see, the children turn out their best 'craziness!' This one is Maria... gorgeous hair honey =)

Falicia with one of the other students... sticking fingers in outlits has rough outcomes... maybe that explains their hair??? lol jk

My, my, my Juan, what has happened to your teeth???



Joey, buddy, your tummy is having an issue! (blanket stuffed of course lol)

This is Pock-Pock the family rooster.... being proudly uplifted

by her happy owner, Joey... poor rooster.....

Here are our sports kids... crazy...

... then normal =) Aren't they a good looking bunch??

The kids played soccer and baseball/softball this year and really enjoyed it. Actually b-ball season just started but I enjoyed catching the tail end of their soccer season.

Great season kids!!!

The Empty Egg

Easter has come and gone. Lancaster Baptist Church had an Easter musical that was very well done and had many saved. But I believe that sometimes, we let 'holidays' like Easter past by us and we don't give it the recognition that it deserves. The Holy God of Heaven sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, that we, sinful, dirty, prideful human beings, could have the opportunity to go to Heaven for eternity. The following story was sent to me in a forward and I think that it can impact you if you allow it.

Jeremy was born with a twisted body and a slow mind. At the age of 12 he was still in second grade, seemingly unable to learn. His teacher, Doris Miller, often became exasperated with him. He would squirm in his seat, drool, and make grunting noises. At other times, he spoke clearly and distinctly, as if a spot of light had penetrated the darkness of his brain. Most of the time, however, Jeremy just irritated his teacher.

One day she called his parents and asked them to come in for a consultation. As the Forresters entered the empty classroom, Doris said to them, "Jeremy really belongs in a special school. It isn't fair to him to be with younger children who don't have learning problems. Why, there is a five year gap between his age and that of the other students."

Mrs. Forrester cried softly into a tissue, while her husband spoke. "Miss Miller," he said, "there is no school of that kind nearby. It would be a terrible shock for Jeremy if we had to take him out of this school. We know he really likes it here." Doris sat for a long time after they had left, staring at the snow outside the window. Its coldness seemed to seep into her soul. She wanted to sympathize with the Forresters. After all, their only child had a terminal illness. But it
wasn't fair to keep him in her class. She had 18 other youngsters to teach, and Jeremy was a distraction. Furthermore, he would never learn to read and write. Why waste any more time trying?

As she pondered the situation, guilt washed over her. Here I am complaining when my problems are nothing compared to that poor family, she thought. Lord, please help me to be more patient with Jeremy. From that day on, she tried hard to ignore Jeremy's noises and his blank stares. Then one day, he limped to her desk, dragging his bad leg behind him.

"I love you, Miss Miller," he exclaimed, loud enough for the whole class to hear. The other students snickered, and Doris ' face turned red. She stammered, "Wh-why that's very nice, Jeremy. N-now please take your seat."

Spring came, and the children talked excitedly about the coming of Easter. Doris told them the story of Jesus, and then to emphasize the idea of new life springing forth, she gave each of the children a large plastic egg. "Now," she said to them, "I want you to take this home and bring it back tomorrow with something inside that shows new life. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Miss Miller," the children responded enthusiastically-all except for Jeremy. He listened intently; his eyes never left her face. He did not even make his usual noises. Had he understood what she had said about Jesus' death and resurrection? Did he understand the assignment? Perhaps she should call his parents and explain the project to them.

That evening, Doris ' kitchen sink stopped up. She called the landlord and waited an hour for him to come by and unclog it. After that, she still had to shop for groceries, iron a blouse, and prepare a vocabulary test for the next day. She completely forgot about phoning Jeremy's parents.

The next morning, 19 children came to school, laughing and talking as they placed their eggs in the large wicker basket on Miss Miller's desk. After they completed their math lesson, it was time to open the eggs. In the first egg, Doris found a flower. "Oh yes, a flower is certainly a sign of new life," she said. "When plants peek through the ground, we know that spring is here." A small girl in the first row waved her arm. "That's my egg, Miss Miller," she called out. The next egg contained a plastic butterfly, which looked very real. Doris held it up. "We all know that a caterpillar changes and grows into a beautiful butterfly. Yes, that's new life, too." Little Judy smiled proudly and said, "Miss Miller, that one is mine." Next, Doris found a rock with moss on it. She explained that moss, too, showed life. Billy spoke up from the back of the classroom, "My daddy helped me," he beamed.

Then Doris opened the fourth egg. She gasped. The egg was empty. Surely it must be Jeremy's she thought, and of course, he did not understand her instructions. If only she had not forgotten to phone his parents. Because she did not want to embarrass him, she quietly set the egg aside and reached for another. Suddenly, Jeremy spoke up. "Miss Miller, aren't you going to talk about my egg?" Flustered, Doris replied, "But Jeremy, your egg is empty." He looked into her eyes and said softly, "Yes, but Jesus' tomb was empty, too."

Time stopped. When she could speak again, Doris asked him, "Do you know why the tomb was empty?" "Oh, yes," Jeremy said, "Jesus was killed and put in there. Then His Father raised Him up."

The recess bell rang. While the children excitedly ran out to the school yard, Doris cried. The cold inside her melted completely away.

Three months later, Jeremy died. Those who paid their respects at the mortuary were surprised to see 19 eggs on top of his casket, all of them empty.

-- Author Unknown

The whole purpose of Resurrection Sunday or Easter is to celebrate the empty tomb. It was said this weekend from the pulpit that there are many tombs and grave sites that are well known and popular tourist sites because of who's body is resting there. Sites including the Pyramids with the Egyptian Pharaohs, the Westminister Abby with William Carey inside and Sir Winston Churchill outside, the Taj Mahal built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal, are all special because of the people they hold within their walls. The tomb of Jesus Christ is the greatest burial place of all because it is EMPTY! Praise the LORD!

The empty tomb is the proof that we serve a risen Saviour, whom death could not hold. His power is greater than that of any other man because He is God. Just like little Jeremy said - the empty tomb represents new life. Has that made an impact on your life this past weekend? Something to think about.....

A Thought

Not sure how well you can read the font so I will re-hash....

A man and his every-nagging wife went on vacation to Jerusalem. While they were there, the wife passed away. The undertaker told the husband, "You can have her shipped home for $5,000, or you can bury her here, in the Holy Land, for $150."

The man thought about it and told him he would just have her shipped home. The undertaker asked, "Why would you spend $5,000 to ship your wife home when it would be wonderful to be buried here and you would spend only $150?"

The man replied,"Long ago, a man died here, was buried here, and three days later, he rose from the dead. I just can't take that chance."

Now, Praise the Lord that He rose from the dead! If He had stayed dead, there would be no hope for salvation!

Though some people may speak about the Resurrection of Christ as not too big of a deal, always be excited about it!!!!! Christ arose!

WC Spring Banquet

Picture of me and my best friend Rebekah at the Spring Banquet last Thursday night... we look like trouble huh? lol

Have a great day!

Blessings

God is so good! He has been blessing me all week and all I can do is shake my head and love the fact that He cares enough about me to do so! Between providing school bill money to having a friend fill my gas tank unexpectedly to timely sermons, God has proven Himself to me over and over again this week. Thought you all would enjoy hearing that this week. Allow God to use you and work in your life and He will.

Classes!

Classes started today!!! It was very nice to get back into the flow of things again =) I have a lot of projects this semester, but I'm getting started on them now so that I don't stress myself out later in the semester (a very common habit of mine...). Anyway, things are going good out in southern Cali (the rain stopped too). Hope all are well!

It's Raining....

It's raining, it's pouring, the creatures are falling.... lol



It is raining out here in Lancaster and I am loving it! It doesn't happen very often so I am enduring the wet look while it lasts! (Don't worry - I've only tried slipping 2 or 3 times =) The shoes I'm wearing are pretty slick on the bottom!)

Have a great day everyone!

Funnies

Okay, so I'm going through my H drive on the school computers and coming up with a ton of stuff that I had saved and never posted, although I intended to. Hope you enjoy. Mostly they are funnies that I got as forwards and such.....

Marijuana-filled Firewood

'Hello, is this the Sheriff's Office?'

'Yes. What can I do for you?'

'I'm calling to report 'bout my neighbor Virgil Smith... He's hidin' marijuana inside his firewood! Don't quite know how he gets it inside them logs, but he's hidin' it there.'

'Thank you very much for the call sir.'

The next day, twelve Deputy Sheriffs descend on Virgil's house. They search the shed where the firewood is kept. Using azes, they burst open every piece of wood, but find no marijuana. They sneer at Virgil and leave.

Shortly, the phone rings at Virgil's house.

'Hey, Virgil! This here's Floyd... Did the Sheriff come?'

'Yeah!'

'Did they chop your firewood?'

'Yep!'

Happy Birthday, buddy!'

(Rednecks know how to get'r done!!!)

-------------------------

A Godless Week

Without God our week would be:

Sinday, Mournday, Tearsday, Wasteday, Thirstday, Fightday, & Shatterday!

------------------------

Hymns for Speeders

Now, for those who speed on the highway - a few hymns for you:

45 mph..........God Will Take Care of You

55 mph..........Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah

65 mph..........Nearer My God to Thee

75 mph..........Nearer Still Nearer

85 mph..........This World is Not My Home

95 mph..........Lord, I'm Coming Home

and over 100 mph..........Precious Memories

---------------------------

Star Wars Dining

Luke and Obi-Wan went out to eat in a Chinese restaurant one day. Obi-Wan is deftly manipulating his chopsticks with the ease you would expect from a Jedi Master.

Poor Luke, however, is having a hard time using his chop-sticks. He is trying to use the sticks with both hands, dropping his food all over the table and eventually, himself. Obi-Wan looked at Luke disapprovingly and says, "Use the forks, Luke."

Hope you all enjoyed!

I'm back in Cali!

Hey everyone! I am back to school... Sorry I didn't post much over the break! I went home to be with the family for about 2 1/2 weeks and I also got a facebook a couple weeks before school let out. It's official - I'd addicted =))

Anyway, home was normal - us kids sled (me and V, one and two times respectively and everyone else many times!), wrestled (sorryabout that chipped tooth V! lol), watched some movies (Fireproof is such a good movie and Up looked good from the first part I saw), cleaned house (always trying to be a blessing =) lol), and many other things.

It was so cute... the second to last night that I was at home, I had everyone except Veronica sleep in my room, all in my bed at one point of the night or another. My parents bought two bunk beds for Maria & I and Juan & Joey ( we are the kids that share rooms); the top bunk is a twin and the bottom is a double (hallelujah!!! for doubles!). It went Falicia, me, Joey - then Juan and Maria traded off on the last spot. Sleep was slightly different that night lol.

Anyway, I am back now and need to get off the computer. My friends next to me are going crazy and I need to get them out of the computer lab =)

Later!!