Story of my Life: 2009

Hot Chocolate and Roof Tops

Hi all! Christmas is approaching quickly, and I don't know if I could be more excited! Don't forget to remember Jesus on Christmas. Its easy to get caught up in presents and things, but as you spend time with your family, remember that Jesus is the greatest gift of all. :) Happy birthday Jesus.

The last few days at home have been so wonderful, as always. There has been a lot of time spent with family, with friends, and with the piano. On Friday I got to hang out with my bestie, Bianca Sanchez. We went up to the grand Vintage Fair Mall in good ol Modesto to get a present for Tess' wedding. Later that night, after having fried shrimp with my dad and brother for dinner (I know you're bummed you missed that Linds), Bianca and I got back together and headed out to hear her boyfriend play in a jazz band at Galletos Restaurant. We decided to pick up our good friend Glenn on the way so that we could all catch up. We had a blast singing Taylor Swift songs at the top of our lungs. I love spending time with Bianca... she's an incredible woman of God. What an encouragement it is to have her in my life.

My days are all sort of blurring together so I'll just list a few things that I've done lately:
-Wrapped presents and mailed them out to family all over the US.
-Walked around the block yet again with dad and brother to see all the perty lights.
-Played soccer in the hallway with little brother Seth... shh...
-Sat on the roof with dad, sipping hot chocolate, looking at the Christmas lights, and waving to people that walked by surprised to see us sitting on top of the roof.
-Enjoyed sleeping in! Having no agenda for a few days is quite alright with me :)
-Went out to dinner tonight with mama and Kenny at Cool Hand Luke's. Steak and potatoes!!! Yummy! I don't get those luxuries at college.
-Enjoyed fellowship at church on Sunday, catching up with friends and family, and hearing a sermon that spoke right to my heart.

Meet Bianca

Making Memories

These past couple days at home, once again, have been more than I could ask for! Its such a blessing to be home. Yesterday I played "Dinosaur basketball" with dad and brother. What is dinosaur basketball you ask?... I'm not exactly sure how it all came about. While we were out shootin around, we came up with a silly idea to play basketball with your elbows attached to your side. Try it sometime.. its great fun :) and very very hard to do. It takes quite a bit of skill to bend down and pick up the ball, having no arm extension; not to mention the fact that you have to shoot, also with no arm extension. I'll never forget those laughs we shared. Then when it got dark, the three of us took a walk down Christmas tree lane to see what this year's street would look like. There are a couple newbies on the street, so this year, it looks a bit different. What a great walk :) And quite a difference in temperature from Washington. Then the second we got back, I was headed straight toward the food pantry. This is another reason why I love to be home. The house is always stocked with my favorite food! Here are some pictures from the night:

Where's Seth?

Soldados

The Newbies :)

Seth and I built a house of dominos

Today was another great day. I'll just share some highlights like I did yesterday so as to not bore you guys :) Today Seth had an assembly because he was chosen as a Star Student! I'm so proud of him! It was weird being back at my old elementary school. Even the smell of that cafeteria was still familiar and quite distinct. I remembered the cafeteria being much bigger... but I suppose that's because I was much smaller the last time I was in there. Then I headed up to Modesto with mama for a doctor's appointment and some last minute Christmas shopping. I found a dress for Tess' wedding that was originally $80 and I got it for $12!! What a steal! I absolutely love the dress. Its so gorgeous. Here are some pictures from today's festivities:

Proud of you buddy.

The grandparents :)

Well that will be all for tonight! More to come soon. Over and out friends and family. Love you all :)

Home, Sweet Home.

Today probably couldn't have come more quickly. I get impatient the closer it gets to the time when I come home to see my family. The escalator down into the terminal of the Sacramento airport doesn't move fast enough when I see my daddy standing at the bottom waiting for me. Nothing beats the hugs I got today from little brother Seth... who likes to squeeze me so tight that my "head pops off." Silly little guy; or the hug from dad at the airport, from papa and grandma, from Kenny, or most of all the hug from mama. I am so blessed to have such a family that loves me and carries me close to their heart. Its good to be home. Actually, its great to be home. :) I can't wait to have yet another coffee time with papa and grandma to update them on my life and to hear more of their lives. They are both so wise. I cherish every visit with them. I can't wait to be tackled down my brother tomorrow in a tickle race... and yes he seems to tackle me already even though he's only 6 years old. I can't wait to spend time with Bianca taking walks around the block, laughing and talking about life.

There are so many other things I am excited about, and I will do my best to share with you these precious moments of Christmas Break 2009. So with that being said, there are more updates to come... sorry I haven't written in so long. But tune in for more T-town adventures.

Sundays in Seattle

Just about everyone in the Seattle area is obsessed with coffee. We are coffee drinkers up here and it seems that everyone has their own little niche of where they like to go to get their coffee. Some prefer going to the world-wide coffee shops like Starbucks and others like to go to hole in the wall places like Stumptown coffee or Kahili coffee. When you live in the Seattle area, you come to love the atmosphere of a coffee shop. I know that I have. Here are some pictures of coffee shops that make up a huge part of the hearts of the people in Seattle.

Get the wheels a-rollin

This week is a huge week for me and it leads up to a huge weekend and that huge weekend leads up to a wonderful trip home!! This weekend I am going on a leadership retreat for Timberlake Church. I have been trying to discern now for the past couple of weeks of what I want my involvement to be here at this church with the youth group. I have been helping out with worship and being a leader for the 12th grade girls. This weekend is a chance to get to know all of the leaders involved in this youth mission, and its a great way to see what this place is all about! I am so excited for this retreat. Its at a cabin with snow, tons of food, and great fellowship and games! But since I have committed to this retreat, it means that I will be gone from Thursday-Saturday... meaning 3 days of homework gone. So that is what makes this week a busy busy week. I was up until 3:15am last night finishing up the last touches of my geometry project and finishing up my UPG paper that is due on Thursday (I'll send it to you soon Linds). Today I have already written another paper and when this blog is done, I will start working on the next one. I am so proud of myself and my diligence with my homework lately. Because of it, I will have ZERO homework to take home over Thanksgiving break! Woo hoo for the strength of the Lord to push me on even when all I want to do is sit down and watch an episode of Friends :)

Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas! laaa la laaa la laaaaa.

Inspiration... the only way to go.

All of you know that I have a very very strong passion to teach. Teaching children has always been my desire. It has always been what I've wanted to pursue in the future. There's no other way to say it than my passion for teaching pours out of the overflow of my heart.

But over the course of the last 2 months or so, I have honestly been questioning my ability. All of what I once thought was bliss and glow in teaching has turned to fears of inadequacy in myself. All of my classes are education classes, and even though I love them, they discourage me at times. Everyday I hear debates on whether teachers should or should not give homework, and if so, then how much? Everyday I hear about the reality of teaching and of all its imperfections. Everyday I'm reading books that show the clash between cultures in a classroom and how to deal with them. I cannot even begin to describe how broken my heart becomes when I read the stories in these books of the lack of the possibility to compromise in some situations. Everyday I hear about "teaching to the test" and all of the strategies that come with it. The list goes on... and on... And as the list goes on... and on...my passion seems to be pinched more and more. My teachers every single day stress the hardships and difficulties that we will face as teachers. Now don't get me wrong, it is necessary to be educated in these things. For they must be brought to a future teacher's attention in order to be better prepared. But somehow the devil, over the past couple months, has gotten a hold of me in discouragement and turned it into a fear. I've questioned my passion and questioned my ability. I started thinking... there's no way I am going to be able to overcome all of these confusing moral issues.There's no way to be the teacher that I've always thought I could be... its just impossible. And the devil has used this thought to bring down my self-worth and to tear me apart. To make me think that there is no plan for success as a teacher in my future.

But then... I think on Mom and Ken... success. The best teachers I know. Being witnesses to the kingdom of God and working day in and day out to overcome these frustrating issues of teaching. Thinking on Mom and Ken... the Lord gives me hope. The Lord gives me eyes to see my future. The Lord uses these 2 amazing people specifically to break down fear and hopelessness in my life.

Tonight, I experienced freedom from fear. The Lord said to me in my brokenness tonight, "If you walk with Me, I will pave your path, and you do not have to worry." He will not allow me to walk in fear because His perfect love casts it all away. He reminded me of my deepest desires. He reminded me of my purpose. He reminded me of the hope that I once had. Don't let the devil rob you of your deepest passions, because the Lord has already made the way if you choose to walk in His love and in His mercy.

Did you know that when you put your hope in the Lord, He will uphold you? He will lift you up and He will make you strong. He will prosper you. Stand firm in the Lord.

1 John 4:18 "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love."

He's got the whole world in His hands... do you trust that tonight?

The Emblem!

Aside from all the papers I've been writing I've also been working on my final project for geometry. Yes, that's right... final project. The last one. Woot! We were told to replicate Northwest University's emblem for the celebration of our 75th year.

I worked on it for quite some time. Here is a picture of when it was a complete mess.

The clear spot in the carpet is where I was sitting. My work completely surrounded me. Glue was stuck to all of my fingers. Scraps of paper were floating about on the floor everywhere. And ideas of how to construct it were still bouncing off the walls.

Now I am happy to present to you the final product that was inspired by the Cylindrical Shell Method from Calculus and the Polyhedra that we made in class. Explanation of how these mathematical concepts correlate with the design of the project are on the back of the board... but that's probably not of interest to y'all, so I'll keep my blabbing to a minimum. :)

PS- Happy Birthday again grandma Margie :) Love you.

Sundays in Seattle

So what else do I love about where I live, you ask? The city of Seattle; and especially the lights of the city at night. Now don't get me wrong, I love the stars, and certainly the city takes away from them, but the city is truly a neat thing to look at. It seems I lose my breath every time.

A Special Thanks

Although sometimes I look at my blog and think... burden, I really do love having this blog. Its not only a way to update friends and family, but its something for me to be proud of. I love knowing that this page is full of my own thoughts and writing. I love being able to look back on past entries, especially those of my time in Panama. I love being able to share my Wednesday Bible thoughts with people... just one more way to shine the light of Jesus. :)

So here's a special thanks to my sister Lindsay for getting me into blogging and designing a beautiful web layout that I can be proud of. She's the best. I'm so thankful to have such a wonderful sister to look up to. You should hear of all the times I talk about her. Even when I went shopping today, I picked up several things and said, "Ooh this is SO Lindsay. She would love this." I can't wait to see her again. To laugh and be completely ourselves. To be awkward together and laugh about it. To sip on a vanilla latte in a holiday cup with her. To jam to Christmas music and decorate the house.

I love you, Linds.

Papers and papers galore.

Woo hoo!! I just finished a 6 page paper on a book that I read in relation to teaching strategies. I am so happy that I was diligent in getting that done. I'm proud of my work, and it feels so good to have one more paper down! Now I'm starting on my next project/paper for my Church in Missions class on what is called an unreached people group (a group of people who have yet to hear the gospel). This paper, although long, will be very interesting to write because I chose my people group to be youth in Panama, and specifically in the city of Colón. In this project we must research the history and cultural distinctives of the people group. From our findings, we are then told to brainstorm and write about effective ways to reach them. Being that Panama is always heavy on my heart, I am hoping that this paper will not only go quickly, but that the topic of discussion will be well addressed. Stay tuned, and I'll let you know how it turns out!

Apology

I apologize for not writing very much over these past 2 weeks. I have stuck to Wednesdays in the Word and Sundays in Seattle, but as for the rest of my blog... there hasn't been much more. This is because school is burning me out at the moment. Any form of writing has been a complete turn off for me, being that I've been writing several 8 page papers over the past 2 weeks. So when I've thought about blogging, it has seemed more of a burden on me rather than a release. But, I'm feeling less and less swamped each day, so as the days go by, you'll begin to see me writing more and more. Again, sorry for the lack of updates lately. I hope you can understand.

Wednesdays in the Word

"Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning, for in You do I trust;
Cause me to know the way in which I should walk, for I lift up my soul to You." Psalm 143:8

I love this Psalm. David speaks so boldly to God. Cause me to hear Your loving kindness in the morning. When I wake up in the morning.. the first thing I want to be reminded of is that God's love will never fail me. Never ever.

Cause me to hear it... make me hear it... bring it about... let it resound in my heart. David wanted God to be His cause. And I love that David says "in the morning." He doesn't say at night or in the day. He says in the morning. Why does he use the morning? Because the morning is fresh. The morning is new. The morning sets the tone for the rest of the day. For example, if you let yourself sleep in everyday and choose to be lazy... its hard to get yourself in gear to do something productive that day. But if you wake up early... you become alert and productive, and you feel good about yourself. This is the same spiritually. So we need to be wise with the way we use our mornings. We need to wake up feeling refreshed in God's goodness, fixing our eyes on him... ready to be productive for Him throughout the day. Cause us to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning, oh God. Cause us to hear Your word. Cause us to feel the rhythm of Your heart. Cause us to know the way in which we should walk today. We lift up our souls to You, oh God.

Sundays in Seattle

Sunsets in Seattle. This is just a glimpse of the beautiful sunsets that I get to see every night. The sunset reflects off of both the clouds and the water to make such a dynamic picture every night.

Wednesdays in the Word

A compilation of verses from James 5 beginning at verse 7.
     Therefore, be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. (Then skipping to verse 10) As an example, brethren, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. We count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord's dealing, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.
     Though we go through hard times, trials, misfortune, annoyances, and pain... we are to be patient. We are to fix our eyes on the better things to come. Fix your eyes on the coming of the Lord because that will give you the patience to endure. When you fix your eyes on Heaven and all that the Lord has in store for you, you receive an unexplainable strength that brings about patience. And in verse 11 it says... We count those blessed who endured. Those who endure will be rewarded for their patient efforts. Why? Because God is merciful and compassionate on His people. He is not a God that wants to leave us hanging. He is right by our side weeping with us in compassion, strengthening us with his power, and forgiving us with his mercy. So what does it mean to be patient though? It means bearing those things of annoyance, misfortune, delay, hardship, and pain with mental and emotional strength and calmness and without complaint or anger. Be encouraged today in your hardships, because we as Christians have the solution. We have the answer, the final product. If you fix your eyes on the coming of the Lord, the things you're going through right now will only be a speck in time. So be patient and strengthen your heart until the coming of the Lord.

     (Skipping to verse 13) Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises. (Skipping to verse16b) The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. Then he prayed again, and the sky poured rain and the earth produced its fruit.
     There is power in prayer. It says that those who are in suffering are to pray. But what I love most about this particular passage is the follow up of verse 16. It says that Elijah, a man just like us, prayed earnestly. It says he prayed and then he prayed again. Not just one prayer, but he prayed again. Earnestly. And the Lord heard his prayer and answered it. Why would this story follow the command to pray? Because its proof that God does hear our prayers. Elijah pleaded with the Lord, and the Lord was gracious to His son.

The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.

A Happy Halloween

Every year for Halloween, I like to get creative with my costume to cut down on the costs of purchasing one. So this year, like every other year, I decided to piece together my own costume. I was the purple Ninja Turtle! My roommate Krissa was Mormon and my roommate Rachael was pregnant Barbie.

For a fun Halloween night, we went to our school's basketball game in costume. It was so fun and we won 64-59! Great game. Be looking on the Northwest University website because our school photographer took our photo and our names at the game! Then us 3 roommates went out to Pagliacci's for some incredible tasting pizza! Then we ran to Safeway to pick up some candy to munch on while watching a chick flick back at the apartment. We didn't actually end up watching a movie because by the time we got home we were all exhausted from the night and wanted to wake up for church early this morning. Church was great by the way. My friend Laurel from my Saturday morning Bible study was baptized today! Praise God! And the pastor brought a great sermon from the book of Revelation. I love Sundays. Rather than today being a day of rest, today will be a day of diligence. I am committed to my homework today, being that yesterday was all relaxation and fun. Happy Halloween and Happy Sunday everyone.