The Last of 2010

Wow, I can not believe it is the last day of 2010. I know it is pretty cliche to make such a statement, but this year has truly blown by in a complete frenzy of ups and downs and all arounds. It really just has been crazy. I will go ahead and warn you in this opening paragraph that this post will be a long one.

It feels like it has been ages since my last post; even though it has only been about a month, so much has happened since then! My life, seemingly on course, just got flipped upside down, again. I think its a good thing...I think, but I guess when we make decisions, we have to take that leap and trust that it will all work out in the end. And that's precisely what I've done. I've taken a leap.

Let's backtrack a bit. My last post was Thanksgiving. Well, just before my family arrived for Thanksgiving. We had a wonderful time. We stuck with all of our usual Thanksgiving traditions, from watching the parade together, to having all of our usual dinner favorites, to watching football, to getting up before the crack of dawn to shop. We were in pretty tight quarters in my little apartment, so sleeping arrangements were interesting, not to mention cooking such a meal in an apartment kitchen, but it all worked out! We got up and watched the parade together; MG put in a turkey early so it was ready before I had to run off to work. The dinner was amazing, as usual (have any of you ever had a bad meal from MG?). I had to run off to work, but I got home fairly early. We decided to go to bed early to get some rest before shopping, and that didn't happen. We were back up before an hour, watching a movie and snacking on pie (no worries, it was sugar free and light, however delicious!). We left for Little Rock for some Black Friday shopping for Christmas gifts around 130 am, and we were home before 9am. Allison and Emily were assigned to Target, because Em had to buy MG's gift from all of us (we got a really good deal), and Allison had to buy Em's from me and her. It was all very complicated and fun. I was at Walmart (the lucky one of the group who got to hang out inside to wait in line instead of in the 25 degree weather outside Target) to get Allison's gift from MG and DR (who were snoring away in my snug apartment) and Allison's gift from Em and me. So we got what we needed and headed home before too much damage was done, other than the back hatch of my car falling on my head. That was pretty painful. We went to bed and slept a few hours before I had to go to work Friday and the rest of the family went shopping. By the time I got home from work, my wonderful family had set up my Christmas tree and pulled out my decorations for me to decorate my tree, and had my birthday gifts ready for me to open. So Friday night was just some good ole' family time, hanging out and laughing and decorating my Christmas tree, reminiscing, remembering stories from the Christmases when we got those ornaments and that stocking, it was fantastic. MG and DR left Saturday morning, and we went to see GG and the T kids who came down for the game and a visit for the weekend. GG and Collin went to the game and Allie, Em and I watched the boys. We went to the park and played and at lunch time, we got a pizza and went back to the hotel for nap time. Em and I went to visit our friend in Newport and the boys and Allie spent a few hours in the hotel. When we got back, we went swimming, as promised, since the boys napped so well. When GG and Collin got back from LR, we all went to Colton's for a little mini-birthday celebration. I had to work third that night and ended up sick (great timing). So I worked and went straight to bed when I got home. Allison and Em left sometime while I was in bed sick, and I spent the next night and day recuperating. Tuesday of that week was my birthday, and I played hookie to go to the Sarah Palin book signing in LR. I spent most of the day at Sam's Club in LR and then went to Allie's for my birthday celebration with her. It was an awesome holiday and birthday weekend!

The couple of weeks to follow are a bit of a blur, between final projects and final exams and the MAT exam and my Praxis results and well, just a lot going on. I did a painting for my color class that I was actually fairly pleased with. I had exams in both of my undergrad courses, as well as an exam for one master's course and two final papers and a book report for the other grad course. I also had to go take the MAT during finals week. For some reason, I seem to put off things like that until the worst possible time. At any rate, I passed the MAT (for anyone who's wondering, that is the Miller's Analogies Test, which I took instead of the GRE, the Graduate Record Examination, mainly because it didn't cost as much) and I did fine on my Praxis II exams, which I had taken earlier in November. I went to speak with my adviser about my plan of action, since I would actually be 'accepted' into the program now that I had fulfilled all of the requirements, which included the remainder of my undergraduate art leveling courses and those exams, and that's when things went a bit wonky.

I found out that day, before my history final, that my courses weren't all offered in Searcy any longer, which was quite shocking since I moved to Searcy for this program. The program has so many more students in Bentonville than in Little Rock or Searcy that they could no longer justify having full courses on all three campuses. They had decided to cut the courses from LR and Searcy and share them. The students in LR and Searcy would have to drive for half of their courses to one campus or the other, for the remainder of the program. This blew my mind a bit, because the program wasn't offered at all in Bentonville just a year ago when I first inquired about the program. Whatever the case, I had a decision to make. Here was my dilemma: I love NWA and I want to move back, but this was finals week, and if I moved out, I had to move out now with no notice, and I was leaving for Branson the next day for our Family Christmas. Another issue, I have a job. I can't just pick up and leave. Also, moving is a huge expense, believe me, if anyone knows the costs of moving, its me. I had all of this planned out just a week ago: I was going to stay in Searcy until July, then move up to NWA for my student teaching, which was going to be assigned to the Bentonville Harding campus. Well, you know what happens when we make plans. So, now the question was whether I was going to stay in Searcy and drive to LR for half of my classes for a semester, or bite the bullet and move in a matter of days and just deal with it. It seems like I am left with decisions like this a lot. I made a post on my Facebook status: "Just when you start to think you've got things all figured out, God laughs at you a little, then reminds you who is in charge." And that really is how I felt. I really had things all lined up and then a decision like this. I decided to put it to a family discussion, as things normally go, and after we opened our gifts in Branson, we discussed it. We weighed out the pros and cons (yes, I'm one of those-Allison and I made many Gilmore Girl references about the situation). Allison obviously was upset at the thought of me leaving, as were my friends in Searcy, coworkers, church family, and Anna, of course. But I also had this heavy pull from my family and friends in NWA. And this tug of war game was just the people in my life, not the work, live, school aspects of my life. It was really just a weight to even be considering such a decision. Anywho, by the end of the night, we had all agreed that it was most logical to go ahead and move now. For those of you thinking 'wow, why is she still going on about this?!' this was a huge decision, as trivial as it may seem.

Aside from the craziness of decisions and moving, a lot of fun stuff has happened this month. I didn't really get the chance to get into the Christmas spirit, despite my efforts with the Christmas decorations and constant Christmas movies and music, because of school and exams. Once the exams were over and we headed north, that's when the spirit kicked in. Allison and I stopped in Fayetteville on the way through to pick up Emily. We hung out with Mya and Felisha a good part of the day, then went to Emily's Christmas program at her day care. Her class was adorable. Then we headed to Branson. As far as I can tell, there are few better places around to get into the Christmas spirit than Branson. After our gift exchanges on Thursday night (a week before Christmas Eve) we relaxed and had our annual Christmas gift fashion show. We got up the next day and went to Silver Dollar City, which was all decked out in Christmas style. If you have never been to SDC at Christmas, wait no longer. It's amazing. The tree lighting and parade are so beautiful, and the festive decorations and food are just fun, not to mention the Christmas Carol play they put on and the themed song and dance shows. We bought new ornaments, took lots and lots of photos (thanks to my wonderful sisters for my new toy, a fabulous new camera! They may regret that gift before too long...when they can't see from the flash ;)) We had a great time there, then we met our extended family, the Parkers, for our Christmas celebration together. Family time with the Parkers is never dull; we had a fantastic time. We left Saturday; MG, DR and Allie went back to VB, and Em and I made a few stops in NWA to deliver some Christmas gifts to more extended family. We went back to VB for church Sunday; Allison and I went back to Conway Sunday night, then I went back to Searcy Monday to start taking care of the moving arrangements.

I had to inform Harding Housing that I was leaving; they extended the move out date a few days so that I would have a little more time. I had to be out before Christmas, or I would have to pay rent on my apartment for the Spring semester. I also had to disconnect all of my utilities, find a storage unit, arrange for a truck to help me move out, and find some extra hands and a strong back to help me. I got back to my apartment Monday night and started packing away. Most of Monday night was dedicated to my books; I get that trait from DR. I basically have a library in my tiny apartment, three bookshelves plus some, so the books are sometimes the most to move. I packed them up and got them to the storage unit. On Tuesday, my wonderful friend and sister Christena came to help me. Mr Bill came to the rescue on his white stallion...er, white truck, and we moved a good majority of the furniture and big pieces Tuesday. C and I virtually crashed Tuesday night...very little packing was done. Wednesday, I had to work first shift, then we finished moving most of the smaller stuff before church. We actually went back to the apartment and packed and moved more after church. Thursday was my check-out day, so we had to get up early, finish moving and clean the place before noon. Somehow, we got it done, with very little drama, might I add-omitting a few scenes of lock and key knock-down-drag-outs, which I won't go into.

So, for the third time this year, I am once again homeless. It really is a good thing I am so blessed with wonderful friends and family, and a good job. I am staying with Allison, on a twin mattress in her floor with my things all in a neat pile (if you know me, you know this is driving me crazy!) and I'm driving to Searcy to work, mostly on the weekends, but because of the holidays, more than usual right now. Thankfully, I can stay at the hospital when I'm working, so I don't have to drive back and forth every day.

Right now, I'm in a bit of an in between world, in between my two lives. I am still working in Searcy, but I am enrolled in classes in Bentonville, which are scheduled to begin in the middle of January. Once I find an apartment and a job, I will move to Bentonville permanently, or as permanent as my life gets. For now, I'm staying at Allison's, MG and DR's place in VB, or the hospital. Once school starts, I'll stay with wonderful extended family in NWA during classes and back to Allison's for work on the weekends. If it sounds pretty chaotic, that's because it is!

As much craziness as my life entails, I love it! I love the chance to move back up to NWA. I love the time that I spent in Searcy and the life experiences and friends I have gained from that time. I love that I have the options and the choices to make and I'm not forced in one way or another. I love that I get to change pace and scenery when I need or want. I just love it. It's pretty crazy that I thrive off of this sort of chaos, right? Oh well, that's me. Take me, or leave me. :)

So, right now, I'm sitting in Conway at Allison's. Emily and Allison left earlier today to go do some New Year's celebrating with our PV family. I am preparing for a weekend of third shift work followed by a few days in VB next week then about 6 days straight in Searcy next week/weekend at work. The next few weeks will probably be just about as complicated as the last, but I probably wouldn't change it if I could. Complicated is so much less boring than simple.

I don't commit to New Year's Resolutions. I feel like a resolution at the beginning of the year is just a set-up for failure. I try every day to be a better person than I was the day before. Some days I succeed. Some days I fail. But I try every day. And I feel like that's all I can expect of myself. So, in 2011, I am going to be a better person with each passing day. And if I only succeed one day in 2011, at least I'll be a better person in 2011 than I was in 2010.

So, my verse to end this year and begin the next is this:

Isaiah 43:18-19

¹⁸ “But forget all that—
it is nothing compared to what I am going to do.
¹⁹ For I am about to do something new.
See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?
I will make a pathway through the wilderness.
I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.

(New Living Translation)

May God bless each and every one of you in the New Year, and may you make the most of every day you are blessed with!

Love Always.

Happy Thanksgiving!

So, the family is on their way here. Soon the turkey will be in the oven and the side dishes cooking. The parade will be on in the morning. It's going to be great! I love Thanksgiving! Between the family coming to spend a few days with me, good food, the parade, football games, shopping at 2 am, seeing GG and the kids, and birthday celebrations, the next couple of days have definite potential. I'm stoked!

I've been sick pretty much the last week and a half, but before that I went to Little Rock to see Wicked!...twice! It was absolutely amazing. I love that show. I have been on a Wicked! high for the last two and a half weeks, and it doesn't seem to be letting up. I've been listening to the soundtrack non-stop, watching youtube videos of different performances, and making random references throughout the day. It's really quite pathetic, but I can't help myself. Seeing a traveling company perform it just made me realize how amazing it must have been while Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel were doing it on Broadway. I'm a little jealous I never got to see them. It must have been mind-blowing.

Okay, enough about Wicked! Well, not really, I could go on, but I won't.

I don't have any new pictures, so I'll share another Halloween one.

The verse for tonight is a Psalm of Thanksgiving...fitting I thought.

A Psalm for Thanksgiving.

Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth.
Serve the LORD with gladness;
Come before Him with joyful singing.
Know that the LORD Himself is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
Enter His gates with thanksgiving
And His courts with praise
Give thanks to Him, bless His name.
For the LORD is good;
His lovingkindness is everlasting
And His faithfulness to all generations.

Psalm 100

I wish everyone a wonderful holiday with your family and friends. Enjoy your time together and be Thankful for the many blessings in your life. I know I am!

~Love Always

Fall is in the Air!

Alright, so, an update on my life. Here we go...

I went and talked to my adviser to check on the classes I need to take in the spring and realized that I need to take the Praxis II exams like asap. So I called to check on it and the last date to take them before next year is this Saturday. So I paid the late registration fee and I ordered the study book online. Let's hope I do okay, because I have to have passing Praxis scores in before I can take my spring semester courses. I'm also studying to take the MAT, mostly because its cheaper than the GRE. I got a book from the library to study for it. It is more like word puzzles than an exam for me, so it hasn't been too bad studying for it. My Praxis study book should be here tomorrow so I can start studying for that.

I'm still working third shift weekends, so I am getting ready to leave in a little while for work. That will be changing after Christmas break. I won't be able to work overnight next semester with my classes. I will be taking four master's courses and they are all on campus, not online like they are now. So I will be just as busy, but hopefully not with work...

I have been watching football all day, one of my favorite joys of the fall season. I love football! I also love the cool weather and the colors of the leaves! I am also really excited about the coming events, including WICKED this week! It's going to be epic!

Alright, I don't have any new pictures this week, so I'll let you see one from last weekend.

Also, if you're a football fan, you might or might not have seen this hit during the Colts vs Eagles game today. I just think its crazy that these guys are staying in games after they hammer someone with a helmet to helmet hit and knock them out cold. Fining them does no good, because they have endless amounts of cash flow and keeping them out of the next game doesn't do any good for the team they knocked out cold. So anyways...that's my NFL rant for the day. You watch the video and tell me what you think. This wasn't the only hit today. There was one in the Packers/Cowboys game that was intentional, too. Crazy stuff. I'm officially off my soapbox. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-HR335wEhg

I will admit I have gotten addicted to Twitter. The internet is a crazy thing...but this, I think, is a good thing...if you don't get too addicted, that is. I got into it by following some tv shows that I watch...I know, I know. Anyways, I have found some really great stuff through Twitter. One of those great things is Crowdrise.com. You should check it out. With all of the negative publicity technology and the internet get, this is truly a great thing that is using such technology to its best potential, I think.

The song tonight is an oldie but goodie. And MG posted a link on her Facebook wall to some ladies with beautiful voices singing it that I'll share with you. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmUGekcTuLM&feature=share

Here's my verse for the night:

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change and though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. Selah. The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah. Psalm 46:1-3,7

Goodnight and God Bless.

Love Always.

Halloween Weekend!

Happy November! Wow is this year flying by!

I had another exciting weekend! I went up to Fayetteville for Homecoming Weekend to play in the Alumni Band. I went to Van Buren Thursday to hang out with MG and DR; we went and saw the movie Red, which was surprisingly very good! It was hilarious! Friday morning I drove up to Fayetteville and picked up my baby girl, Mya and met my other three favorite kids and their GG at the square for Trick or Treating. We had the most adorable lady bug, a beautiful Pocahontas (or Poca-Collin) the ferocious Cowardly Lion, and the best little fire fighter you've ever seen. The square was all decorated and they had games and fun set up for the kids. They had a blast and I had a blast with them! We went to see Emily at the daycare, and then left for dinner at Mama Z's in Springdale, one of our favorites! Emily, Mya and I stopped at the pumpkin patch on the way, and Mya got to pick out her very own little pumpkin, which she was very proud of. Then we picked up Felisha, and met GG, the kids, and Will and Christena for some delicious Italian food. After dinner, we took Mya home and headed to Bentonville to the haunted house Nightmares. At Nightmares, we stood in line for over two hours...in the freezing cold, which we weren't exactly prepared for. But all in all it was fun. There was a haunted bus ride to the haunted house. Other than Will practically running through the house and Felisha almost breaking my wrist, it was a great time!

Saturday was the game. It was against Vanderbilt and it was Homecoming. I had to be on campus early to practice with the band, but I got a break to tailgate with Emily, GG, Ms D and all the kids for a little bit. The alumni band marched in with the band then played during part of pregame. I haven't played my trombone in a long time, so it was fun of course, but my lips got sore pretty quick. I got to see some old friends, though, and it was a lot of fun. During the game, we got to sit where the away band normally does, and Emily, Ms D and the kids seats were in the same section just above us. There were a lot of open seats around the alumni band area, so they got to come down and sit with me. The kids were pretty intrigued by my trombone (and me playing it) and I got to spend some time with them and Ms D. It was really great. And we won, which was just icing on top of a great day. Emily has most of the pictures from the game, but I included one below. It's of something very special that I got for the game. I went to the band hall to talk to Ms Connie, the band secretary, and she gave me some of the pins that the band wears to honor Tony this season. I was very grateful to her for sharing with me (and my friends). I was very proud to wear that pin for Tony on Saturday. The band wears them on their uniform and they announce before their half time shows that the seniors have dedicated this marching season in memory of Tony. And the band did absolutely amazing on Saturday! They did a skit show for Halloween including the ever so popular Thriller dance. It was really great.


Em and I drove back to Van Buren after the game (and some late night Steak-n-Shake). We got to go to church at PV and out to lunch with the whole gang. Then we went shopping for Halloween decorations and candy. Sunday night PV had Trunk or Treat, and if you know me, you know I LOVE Halloween, so I always go all out. We bought decorations (scary for my car and cutesie for MG and DR's) and lots and lots of candy and masks for me and Em. It was lots of fun. All the kids were adorable, of course, and the food and candy was great, and the company was the best. We rented Boogie Man 3 and the Back Up Plan and watched them after we got home.

I drove back to Searcy for class this morning and I am exhausted! I think I work more when I'm off than when I work. Ha. I just try to fit in so much on my weekends off that I am completely exhausted when I get back. I have a lot to look forward to in the coming weeks. Em, Allie and I are going to see Wicked in Little Rock next week. A week and a half later is Thanksgiving, which includes Black Friday shopping and birthday celebrations. A couple of weeks after that is Finals week and our family Christmas in Branson. This semester has flown by! Well, I am using this blog to procrastinate finishing my presentation on Van Gogh for class tomorrow, so back to it.

Song for tonight is: A Prayer of David. It is on Acapella's Radiance album. I love it. You should check it out.

Scripture is one DR referenced in church yesterday that I love! And its the basis of the song for tonight...so its appropriate. :) I Chronicles 29:10
"David praised the LORD in the presence of the whole assembly, saying, "Praise be to you, O LORD, God of our father Israel, from everlasting to everlasting."

God Bless You and Goodnight.

Love always.

Back to the Grind

Alright, things got crazy there for a while. Between my classes and work and running here and there with things to do...blogging just wasn't on the top of my to-do list. So here's an update on what's been going on.

I've been to Van Buren and Fayetteville a few times. I was lucky enough to score a ticket to the Alabama game to accompany a friend for his birthday. The game was epic; unfortunately we lost it in the fourth quarter (after leading the entire game). It was disappointing, but it really was a great game. (And just a side note: hearing that Alabama lost this weekend pretty much made my week.)

I have been all over the place: had my first set of exams for the semester, finished my first course in my MAT degree, had MG and DR here for the Harding Lectures, went back and forth to Morrellton for a meeting DR held in Plumerville last week, and most recently, went on family vacation this past weekend. I am of course always busy though, so it's not a huge surprise that I've been constantly on the go.

We have been planning this vacation to Branson for some time; it was a last minute change in plans that we were accompanied by our wonderful friend, Christena. She was in need of some much deserved time off as well, so we invited her to tag along. We attended Church of Christ Weekend at Silver Dollar City. We stayed in a gorgeous condo (thanks to our amazing friends Jim and Dixie). We went to church service at the outdoor amphitheater at Silver Dollar City where we met up with a couple of other groups from Pleasant Valley. (The picture to the left is the group at church.) We really just had a wonderful time getting away from everything and forgetting all the responsibilities that waited at home for us, just for a couple of days.

Christena had to leave Sunday to get back for homework, and Emily had to leave Monday to get back to work. Allison and I had to leave Monday afternoon for school and work, but before we left, we went to the Titanic museum with Mom and Dad. That was really cool; I have been to it in the past, so it wasn't exactly a new thing, but its always neat to go so something like that.

Mom and Dad left Branson and went on the remainder of their week long vacation. The lucky dogs got to keep on partying all week long. For us youngsters, the real world was waiting for us at the beginning of the week; the vacation was over all too fast. But it was fantastic while it lasted!

I am still swamped with homework, as usual, and I'm currently trying to get back into my third shift sleep schedule for work this coming weekend. At this very moment, I am witnessing an amazing event: the Chilean Miner Rescue. How amazing is our God?

Song for tonight is: How Great is Our God. A Cappella has a really good recording of it and so does Watershed Worship. If you haven't heard those, you should check them out.

Verse for tonight: 1 Chronicles 29:10-13
This is a prayer of David; I love his words here:
"Praise be to you, O Lord. God of our father Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Yours, O Lord is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all. Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name."

Have a great week!

Busy, Busy, Busy

So, I've been neglecting my blog. Mostly, because I've been, as my title states, busy! I've been to Conway and back and working almost every day this week, not to mention school. So, life never slows down.

I am going to the Razorback game in Little Rock tomorrow, thanks to my wonderful friend Glee for the tickets. I am super excited about that, and I'm positive Allison and I will have a blast!

This week was my favorite baby girl, Mya's First Birthday, and in honor of that, I spent some time editing some photos I took of her into one large composite image. I titled it "the many faces of mya". She is such a beautiful little girl and I am so thankful that her MiMi and Poppa are such generous and compassionate souls to take care of her and raise her like they are. I am blessed to have them all in my life.



I have had a lot more than this going on, but I am so busy I don't feel like I have the time or energy to think about writing too much. Maybe things will slow down enough soon for me to write more...we'll see.

Verse for today is: I Thessalonians 5:16-18

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

It's short and sweet but a good verse to live by.

What a week!

I have been going non-stop since Monday. Obviously, I have classes every day, and after working third shift last weekend, it was kind of interesting trying to get back into school mode. And since this weekend is a holiday weekend, I'm on yet a different shift! I also have a school seminar this weekend, so things are just really wacky.

I went to Conway Tuesday after class to attend a college church group function with Allison. It is a interesting to see the dynamics of yet another college Church of Christ group. I participated some with the Cats for Christ at the University of Kentucky, and I was an all-out member of the Razorbacks for Christ pretty much the whole time I was in Fayetteville, and now I'm getting kind of an insiders view of the Bears for Christ at UCA. They had a luau Tuesday night with sand volleyball to follow. I think my favorite part about their 'house' is the sand court in the back yard. It is also really neat that their student center is actually a house, well two houses: one for girls and one for guys. I think that's great, too. Anyways, we played volleyball for quite a while Tuesday night...and as most of you know, I'm super competitive...needless to say, I came back to Allison's apartment covered with sand and exhausted.

Wednesday morning, I woke up with every intention of fixing Allison's car and heading back to Searcy. That didn't happen. I did get up and drive Allison to work. I jumped her car off, drove it to Autozone, waited for them to charge her battery and test it, then headed back to the daycare to pick up my car. On the way back to get my car, my mom called to tell me that a close family friend had just had a stroke, and he was in the hospital in Morrellton. So, I left from the day care to Morrellton, instead of Searcy. I missed my class, but I emailed my teacher and asked a friend to take notes for me, so that was just fine. He ended up being transferred to the hospital in Conway, so I drove back to Conway, with the rest of his family. I left there and went back to Allison's to clean up and go to church with her. We went bowling with the church group after church, which was also fun, but once again, the competitive in me just won't stay put...and I'm sore from that, too.

We stopped back by the hospital to check on our friend on the way home, then I crashed. Allison had to work early, again, and I went back over to the hospital. News tonight is that he is doing lots and lots better! [Prayers have been answered. God is Good! All the time!] Then I stopped at Kroger for a few quick rations and headed to Searcy for class.

I got a message this morning that a good friend had gotten into some pretty major trouble, and I spent a good part of the day on the phone, trying to see what was going on there...which is in Springdale, too far away for me to jump in the car to go assist...That was stressful and nerve-racking, but prayer is all we can do...and all we need.

After class today, I decided to just run some errands, get rid of some energy and stay busy as not to sit around and think too long about the craziness of this week. So I went to the bank, to get an oil change, to get some groceries, to check out a sale at Penny's...yeah, I just ran around. So this may not have made much sense, but I got it out...and maybe you can decipher what I really meant...

So, my verse today is one that I use often, one that I read all the time, and one that I need tonight:

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." --Philippians 4:7

(I really like Philippians.)

I don't have any pictures today, or songs, but fear not, I will get back in my groove before too long.

~Love Always~

Back to School!

And just as soon as I say I'm going to start keeping up with my blog better, I go almost a week without posting an update. Oh, well, I suppose that's life.

It's been a pretty crazy week, with school starting back. If any of you read my facebook status at one point this week, I said I was 'pretty much failing at life'. I said it as a joke, but I did some pretty brain-less things this week, that are kind of out of character but totally forgivable; they were just frustrating. I overslept a few times, left a door unlocked, got a parking ticket because I forgot to renew my campus permit, among other things. But I'm back to normal! Getting to class on time and getting things done, like I should.

I worked tonight, but I'm up at this hour because I decided to take on the dreaded weekend graveyard shift this semester. This just came about tonight actually. I offered to take it because I figure if I'm working through the night, I will still be able to attend my weekend seminars for school and festivities, when they're close to town. So, I'm hoping it will work out well. And I am trying to stay up for a while so that I can rest during the day and get my internal clock reset. The biggest advantage of this new arrangement is that I'll get to go to all my church services again, which I am very excited about!

My classes seem pretty great so far. I only have one class a day and they're all in the afternoon. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, I have art history, which I love, and Tuesday and Thursday, I have color theory, which also seems like it will be fun. Two of my graduate courses are online, and I just have to sign in and submit discussions and assignments; there are no set 'class' times. My last class is a weekend seminar, next weekend, and a ten page paper to follow. Hopefully it will be quick and painless...if nothing else, it will be quick and painful.

I am missing my kids like crazy, but that's one of the downfalls of living three hours away. They're all getting back to their school-year routine anyways, so I suppose I wouldn't be seeing them all that much. I am definitely missing MG, DR, and all my Fayetteville and Van Buren peeps, too...I got real used to just hanging out with them on those few weeks off at the end of the summer. But as I've said dozens of times this week, "Life Goes On."

Most exciting part of today, besides switching weekend work shifts was that Tony's mom, Sherri, sent me Tony's voicemail recording on my phone...so I can hear him whenever I want. Big Thanks go to Sherri! That pretty much made my day.

Today's verse: I Timothy 4:12-13
Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching, and to teaching.

Comments are welcome. I love you all. Have a wonderful weekend. :)

Catching up

So, I haven’t blogged in a while, but I stayed pretty busy this week. I was home, and I no longer have a laptop, and since my mom got that nice new computer, she isn’t the best at sharing it. ;) Plus, I really didn’t want to get up early to beat her to it. She did manage to get me addicted to a few Facebook games and the Game Show Network, which I don’t get on my white county cable! Ugh! I had some time to catch up on sleep, and visit with friends and have good food and good company. I started to feel guilty about being so lazy and unproductive while I was home, but MG quickly reminded me that summer break is supposed to be a reset before school starts back. Oh yeah. Why didn’t I realize that ten years ago?

I went to Fayetteville for the better part of the week. It was pretty hard being there, especially when I hadn’t taken the time to let things set in. Once I got there, it all set in real quick, and the memorial service Saturday night was pretty much the emotional climax of two weeks. I broke down and I cried a lot (I’m pretty sure I hit my tear quota for the year, so don’t expect it again for a long time), but I made it through, as did everyone else there. Tony’s family seemed to be handling it better than I did…but I assume that is partly because they had a week to process and partly because they had to watch him decline so in the last few weeks. The service was beautiful; it really was a great celebration of Tony’s life. Many of us cried, but we all laughed and we all shared some of our fondest memories of the past few years with Tony. May he rest in peace until we meet again.

The week before the memorial, I spent a lot of time with extended family and friends in the Fayetteville area, and I stayed really busy: from swimming to hiking to volleyball to playing with kids and everything in between. I got to check on Baby Isaiah. He is doing so well. He is now over 5 pounds, eating out of a bottle, and out of the incubator. It’s amazing! He is getting stronger everyday. I got to see my favorite baby girl and her Mimi, Papa, and Tio, W and C, the Collins, the Thompson gang and their GG and lots of other friends I’ve been missing for the past few months. It was good to see everyone and blow off some steam.

I headed back to Van Buren to hang out with Momma Greta and Daddy Roger this past week. We were pretty lazy most of the week, but as I say that, I realize we really didn’t laze around all that much. We had a funeral and funeral dinner, shopping, hair cuts, lots of swimming. Our lovely friend Dixie got her in ground pool, complete with diving board (that sounds like Barbie’s Dreamhouse) installed last weekend, so I spent a part of every day swimming/playing in the water and hanging out with Dix and her gang. It was a blast…since I got back to Searcy, I’ve felt like I was drying out…like a fish out of water. It’s been three days and I haven’t been in a pool! Luckily, I’m going to see Allison tomorrow, and we’ll inevitably swim, since she lives in a Lindsey apartment and their complexes always have nice pools. ;) (No, I’ve never worked for Lindsey Management. Ha!)

I also took the Praxis Exam in Ft Smith this week, so I can actually be accepted to the MAT program…I did fine on the two parts I got grades back on, I just have to wait for the written portion’s grade to come in. Fall semester classes start tomorrow. It’s back to the grind. But I’m a pretty big nerd, I like school a lot…so I’m pretty excited about the first day of classes. J I decided to be a slacker this semester and drop two of the 7 classes I was signed up for. So now, I will have 2 undergrad art courses and 3 graduate education courses. It’s going to be a big change from my course load of 4 studios and a history course last semester.

I think I’ve stayed pretty true to the title of my blog with this post and rambled a whole lot. This is precisely why I need to keep up with my blog and not wait two weeks in between posts.

Song of the day is: “Song in my Soul” by AVB, thanks to Dixie for the AVB cd this week. If you’ve never heard it, look it up. It’s a good one.

Verse of the day: Philippians 4: 4-9

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praise-worthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace be with you.”

No tears in Heaven...

This week has been hard, to say the least. It is so comforting to think about Tony, in Heaven, pain-free, cancer-free, worry-free, in the presence of the Almighty, singing with the choir of angels, walking down that street of gold, probably throwing a frisbee, and rockin' out to some Family Force 5. But as I've told a few people, I haven't really let it hit me yet. I know that he's gone;I'm not living in a dream world, but I haven't really been able to let it sink in. I have found myself doing all sorts of things to stay busy. I haven't allowed myself a free moment; I've even kept myself busy until I am falling asleep sitting up, so that I don't have down time in bed before I fall asleep...which doesn't always work. Like my good friend Whitney, I've found myself in the past few days, longing to be with Tony and our Father. It's not that I don't appreciate the many blessings I have here but that I miss him so much, and I know that he is in the land where no tears and no pain exist. I can't wait for that day when I can be with Tony and Jesi and all the others who have gone on before us and are there with the Lord who has prepared a place for those of us who are faithfully waiting for His return.

I have also found myself almost to the point of anger in the past few days. It's not that I'm angry that he's gone, but that I'm angry that there are people that I see here every day that are wasting their lives away. Tony lived every minute of his life to the very fullest for the glory of the Lord, and there are people with wonderful lives handed to them on silver platters and they're just giving it away for the 'pleasures' of this world. I think maybe my anger is stemming from my lack of grieving or dealing with my own emotions, but I have a feeling once I get to Fayetteville with all of my family and friends, who all loved Tony, it will hit hard. I'm just hoping to avoid a complete emotional breakdown (which, if you know me, is almost incomprehensible), but is fairly likely at this point.

So, here's one of my favorite pictures of me and Tony (its from a few years back), and a great verse to think and dream about.



And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
Revelation 21:4

God Bless each and every one of you, and thank you for reading my ramblings.

Brother, you will be missed...

My good friend and brother in Christ, Tony Collins went on to be with our Father in Heaven today. As you read in my earlier post, he was an amazing person and he had a huge impact on my life. Undoubtedly, his passing has left a giant crater in my heart, but I know that his suffering is over and he is in a better place, the best place. Tony led the kind of life any Christian would be smart emulate. He knew why he was here and he dedicated his life to God and leading others to Him through Christ. I count it a blessing that I was able to be so close to Tony and count him among my closest friends. I know that there will be times that will be hard, things that will remind me of him and all the great times we shared, but those memories are all good memories and I will look back on them and be grateful for every minute we shared.


Tony, my Brother, I love you. I miss you. I know you are in Heaven looking down on us. I will remember you always. I look forward to the day we will be together again. You made the biggest impact on my life, and your memory will live on in my heart, and the hearts of many others. My music collection, my addiction to frisbee, my desire to visit the great land of Alaska, my drive to work for Him, are not only shared with you, but inspired by you. My heart aches for my loss but rejoices with the angels for receiving just one more amazing soul at those pearly gates. I love you so much.

However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual. The first man is from earth, earthy; the second man is from heaven. As is the earthy, so also are those who are earthy; and as is the heavenly, so also are those who are heavenly. And just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shal also bear the image of the heavenly. Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behond, I tell you a mystery; we shal not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, adn we shall be changed. 1 Corinthians 15:46-52

Please keep the Collins family in your prayers as the planning in the next few days will be grueling.

Home Sweet Home

As much as I enjoy living in Searcy, and as many friends as I have made down there, this is still where my heart is. I love being here and spending time with my friends and family. I have had a great time this week, but its going by way too fast.

So far this week, I have done a lot of fun and seen a lot of my extended family up here. I went with Momma Greta Monday to get a computer and wireless router before I headed up to NWA. This is great news for my family; we've all been trying to get her into the 21st century for a while. ;) She has her own facebook and email now, so its pretty exciting.



I went up to Springdale Monday night to see some of my favorite kids in the world and their GG and Ms D, a very close friend. It was a great time for us to visit and play with the kids. We played hide and seek and we played outside once it cooled off a little bit. The three of them are all growing up way too fast and I don't get to see them nearly enough. They are all strong, and athletic, and super smart. They are such good kids. I miss them a lot, so it was great to see them and get to spend some time with them.

I also got to go meet sweet Baby Isaiah Monday night. He is just the most precious baby boy. He is doing really well. I also was able to see him twice more on Tuesday. He was able to start breastfeeding, and he is gaining weight. He was kicking around and he held my finger and opened his eyes; he seems to be getting stronger by the day, so that really is a blessing.

I picked up my favorite baby girl, Mya Monday morning and got to spend time with her. She is growing up so fast. It seems like yesterday I was meeing Felisha with this tiny baby in her arms, and now I go to meet this little girl who is about to turn a year old and is walking and talking and is just so smart. It is amazing. I am very jealous of her Mimi, who gets to see her everyday. I started missing her before she got buckled in her carseat to go home. That little girl has just run away with my heart.

While I was up there, I had the chance to see Will and Christena, Emily, and my favorite ex-bosses and coworkers at St John's Childcare and Cornerstone apartments. We've had VBS at Pleasant Valley this week, too, so we've been busy every night this week. It's been a lot of fun to see everyone at church every evening of the week though, since I'm not getting to spend a Sunday here. Dad taught Tuesday night, so I got to hear him teach, and he got to use me in his illustrations (haha).

I got my eye exam today, which was the reason I had to come this week, but the rest of the stuff was the real reason for this trip. I have been able to catch up with friends and spend time with my mom and dad so its great. Tomorrow I am going to get my hair cut and we have to finish shopping for Em's birthday (which is Monday, by the way, for anyone wondering) and I have to go back to Searcy Friday. It's back to the grind Friday evening, but I've still got two and a half weeks before school starts back, so I can still rest some. It's been an awesome week, but I'm definitely not ready for it to end.

Make sure and keep the Collins' family in your prayers. It is really just a day by day thing at this point, so just pray for their faith and strength and their well-being. Also, Randi is headed back to Arkansas this evening, so pray for her safe travels as well.

Just a verse to think on:

If therefore there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.

Philippians 2:1-2

Surely goodness and mercy...

This week was my last week of this summer session, it was busy. I had three drawings in my anatomy class and about 50 pots to finish for ceramics. The drawing class wasn't too bad. I spent a good bit of time on the drawing but not to excess. I wasn't pleased with the final drawing; I could have worked on it more, but the class is over, so oh well. The pottery class just took it out of me this week. I ended up watching the kilns Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday night, to make sure our pots finished and were fired correctly. The kilns had to be turned up or down about every two hours, so I stayed at the school every night...so I didn't sleep much...all week. The pots all got finished, and for the most part they looked good. Everyone's pots were ready in time, and everyone was pretty pleased. So I take it as a success.

I'm working this weekend, twelve hour shifts. It makes for long days, but I'm taking the opportunity to draw...things I want to draw, not what I have to, so its good. I got through about half of a portrait today. Maybe I can finish it tomorrow.

Tomorrow night after I get off at 7, I'm driving to Van Buren. It is well overdue. I haven't been home since before my trip to Haiti. I am excited to spend time with Mom and Dad, and to go up to Fayetteville and Springdale and see all of my 'family' up there. It will be a packed week, but I'm going to try to rest some, too. I have three weeks off before classes start back, so I'm going to try to take advantage of every free moment.

I hope everyone has taken the time to read my last post and say a prayer for Tony. He is progressively getting worse, it seems, so the Collins' family needs all the support they can get. Just keep them in mind.

Also, my good friend Felisha had a beautiful baby boy last week almost three months early. He is tiny and still in the hospital, but doing well. I would appreciate the prayers for Baby Isaiah, too.

Thanks for reading. I love you all. It seems an encouraging verse is appropriate today (one I included in a letter to a struggling friend today, so its on my mind).

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil,
for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. Psalm 23: 4-6

Prayer Warriors Unite

My three day work week has ended and my 5 day school week has begun. Drawing all morning and working on pottery all afternoon is actually pretty exhausting. It's the last week of this summer course, and I'm finishing up my last two drawing assignments and finishing all my pottery. Pictures of the final work will probably come before too long.

Mom and Dad and I all met in Conway at Allison's for dinner tonight. Mom and I went to Kroger (the Kroger here is amazing! The produce section is just beautiful. We love it!) and Dad put together Allison's new chest of drawers.

So, since nothing super exciting has been going on in my life the past few days, I thought I would blog about something that is a very important part of my life. That's the whole point of this whole blogging thing, right? Sharing your life?

I am sending out a request for as many prayers as I can get going up for a very good friend and brother, Tony Collins. Some of you know who he is. For those of you who don't, I'll give you a quick background. (If you want to get the whole story, you can check out their blog at tonycollinsstatus.blogspot.com) Tony is a friend I met at the University of Arkansas almost 4 years ago. His first year of college, was my second semester in Arkansas and my only marching band season at UofA. It's so funny to think back to that time. Tony was "Alaska" to most of us for months when we first met; he played piccolo in marching band, flute in concert, and was a music major. Over the years, Tony has become like a brother. A good bit of my music has been suggested by Tony [most of the hard stuff ;)]. We have spent many a day playing frisbee or working on volunteer and nonprofit stuff together or just hanging out. He even helped Em and I move on MANY occasions. He's just an awesome guy. Last year, in January, Tony ended up in the ER and found out he had an egg-sized mass in his brain. A few surgeries, a life time amount of radiation and many chemotherapy treatments later, here we are. Randi, Tony's younger sister, is now a student at the UofA, and I love her like a sister. Tony is in Alaska, with his mom and dad, who I also consider family. Tony is an amazing person and I absolutely love him and his family. The latest news from the doctors is that he is not eligible for any new treatments and the tumor is growing in an inoperable area of the brain. So, its in God's hands.

I have said "all I can do is pray" but I've realized that's not true. I know so many Christians who could be joining me in prayer, that not only can I pray, but I can ask everyone else to pray, too! So, right now, stop and say a prayer for Tony. Then, make a mental note to keep him in your prayers, and if you have one, add him to your prayer list. Prayer is our biggest and best and most powerful weapon against the evils of this world. So I'm gathering my army; let's take up our armor and go to battle. Prayer warriors unite for Tony! :)

And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. --James 5:15-16


As always, comments are invited and welcomed. :)

I'm officially a blogger.

So, I friend suggested I start a blog--I'm not sure whether she thinks I talk too much or I might have something interesting to say-- either way, for some unknown reason, I listened to her, and here I am (Thanks, Patti).

I can not guarantee how good I will be at this, how often I will update, or how interesting anything I have to say will be; however, I'm going to give it a shot.

So, for my first blog, I thought I'd share some of my art, since that is what I spent my free time at work today doing...I am currently taking Human Anatomy in Art and Ceramics. The project I finished today was a pencil rendering of the Venus de Milo statue. I am quasi-pleased with it. Artists should never become content with their work, because when you become comfortable, you stop improving. I am the poster child for that statement. I am never content with my work, but I am always improving. This drawing is perfect proof of that fact. (If you've seen any of my past artwork, you'll know what I mean.) I love to see that I'm improving; I guess it is just proof that all this money I'm spending (slash borrowing) on school is doing some good!



I am going to leave you with a verse to contemplate:
Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."
Deuteronomy 31:6

I love this verse, and the song is pretty much on the top of my favorite devo songs of all time, so there ya go.

Feel free to comment. Let me know what you think, if you like it, if you think my life is more or less interesting, whatever.

Thanks for reading!