Driving...

Well, the majority of the day, or at least it seemed like it, was spent driving. Driving to church, driving back for dinner, then driving back to KC. Being that I wasn't in KC, I ended up trying a church near St. Louis called, Windsor Crossing Community Church which was really good. It reminded me of GCC a little bit which is always a welcomed thing in my world. They even did a Nickelback song! That was the first church that I've been to that would attempt something like that since I left home.

After church, and dinner, it was back on the road to head back to KC. The weather was kind of nasty but I've driven through much worse. Plus I had awesome company which always helps! It was raining most of the drive, but we were jammin' to music and talking about random stuff like always. Then I dropped Melissa off at her house, then it was on the road a little longer to my place. Once I got home it was time to get everything done that I normally do throughout the weekend. So I still have a little bit more that I need to get done, but I'm pretty much set for tomorrow and my first class of nutrition & herbology. I'm not exactly sure what to expect, but I think that's okay, then my expectations wont be shattered. Well, I'm beat from driving all day, so I'm off...Over and out!

Lo!

Zoo & randomness...

So being that I'm in St. Louis for the weekend, I made sure to take advantage of the amazing zoo here! Melissa and I headed over to explore and just plain have fun. I haven't been to a zoo in about 7 years...it was actually the St. Louis zoo last time too! It was really great walking around for hours looking at some of these wonderful animals! We went into a penguin habitat area which was frigid, but really awesome...they were so close you could touch them if they permitted it! They're like bullets in the water, it's really great to watch them swimming around playing with the other penguins. Then it was over to find the monkeys, but apparently they were too shy to come out and play today, so the only monkeys we saw were on the signs of where they would be. We decided to venture over to see the elephants, and giraffes...and along the way saw a rhino...dang those things are big! I mean HUGE! Unfortunately we had the wonderful joy of seeing one of them poo! They sure aren't shy about that!...we also so a couple hippos too...I think their head is the same weight of me, or darn close! Then we finally saw the elephants! They are amazing animals! So incredibly huge, but man they're beautiful! They seemed to be laughing at each other at one point, it was really awesome.

After spending a few hours at the zoo, we decided to head home, but we drove around the park near the zoo, and saw, get this....EIGHT...yes, 8 wedding parties! These were big wedding parties too! They were out to take pictures by fountains, gardens, etc. and it was a B-E-A-Utiful day out! There was maybe one cloud in the sky, mid 60's, light breeze! Amazing!

We then hung out at Melissa's parents house for a little bit before heading over to her sister's house for dinner and hanging out. We ended up watching Meet the Fockers, which I hadn't seen before...pretty good movie, but def. not for everyone...funny, but not for everyone. Seriously, hanging out with her family is hilarious! Well, enough randomness for now...Over and out!

Lo!

Road trip! & Goals

Well today was my last day in my first section! I officially have one section under my belt! Only 9 more to go! After finishing up at school, I went home and cleaned up my apartment a little bit before getting thing packed up, and heading over to Melissa's. We were going to take off for St. Louis for the weekend. So we got on the road, and between the lack of sleep (especially on her part from studying for neuro), and lack of brain power (mine...well that's normal, hers from packing so much in for her exams), it was a crazy road trip. It's only about 3 hours from KC to STL, which doesn't really seem that long, especially with someone else in the car. It was so much fun though...at a couple points, I literally was crying I was laughing so hard! (Now, I know that most of our friends don't get to see Melissa...well at all right now, anyway.) So this really is the first time that I've seen Melissa in over a week, and I get to spend the whole weekend catching up! I'm so excited! It's really great! Time for me to re-energize a bit, and re-focus. Time to get away from the norm of class and such, to really sit back and take in the last couple months. I don't feel like I'm really settled yet, but each day it gets a little bit easier for me to be so far away. Don't get me wrong, I miss so many things from home....family, friends, a church that I love, random things like local news, Martins, etc. I know that I'm here for a reason, and I know that some day it will be made clear to me, just not in my time, but in God's time. I have to remember that daily.

On a slightly different note, I'm going to post a couple goals on here, because then I can't just say, oh, I'd like to do that, or maybe some day I'll do that. I feel like if I actually write them down, make them known to anyone who reads this that it will be more of a permanent thing. So here are a few things....

1. Run a half marathon this summer (hopefully I'll be home for the Sunburst)
2. Run a marathon before I turn 26...so in no more than 2 1/2 years.
3. Compete in a mini triathlon (basically its half of what a full triathlon is) by the time I'm 35.

So in order to achieve these goals, I'm going to have to step up my game. No slacking off on working out anymore. I have to go through and log all of my mileage and times. I need to make sure that I am really taking into account what I am eating, as well as how much I am sleeping. This can't be put on the back burner. I am going into nutrition for my next section, so this should help me out some. Now as far as how well I do in these races, well that's up to race day, but honestly right now as long as I finish, I really don't care the time...I would like it to be decent, but I don't feel as if I have to win for these goals to mean anything. Yes, I realize that these are all "physical" goals, but that goes hand in hand with my spiritual life as well. Granted, I really do want to set goals for these too, but I'm not sure exactly these goals are right now, and I really don't want to make them, just to make them. I'll see about making these goals at a later date. Until next time...Over and out!

Lo!

UPS!, Dolls & Weather!

Oh my there is so much that I want to put on here, but we'll see if I can remember it all, and make it make sense too!

Okay, so yesterday after I got home from class I had lunch, checked my e-mail, nothing out of the ordinary and then it happened! What could it be!? Ah, well a knock on the door! I wasn't expecting anyone, (and by anyone I mean Melissa because seriously who else lives near me!?) so who could this mystery person be!? The wonderful UPS man! Why was I so excited to see him...ah, well that's because he brought me my new laptop! I was so excited, especially because I wasn't even expecting it until today at the earliest! So as you can guess I'm using it right now! First blog on the new computer! I did have to make a call to Dell support to get a few things worked out, and might need to call them again once I get home from class because my wireless keeps turning off, which I am not turning off! Hmm! But, props to them, because they really did help out last night!

So I'm in class right now but don't feel very well so I'm not giving a massage today, nor receiving one. Hence why I'm writing this now! Plus this is the last day of class really, because tomorrow its just hanging out and stuff before we move to our next section on Monday. Anyway, so I'm sitting here observing massages around the room and one of my classmates walks in...with a doll hanging out of his backpack! But this was not just any doll...it was the scary, Chucky doll! (Don't worry, I'm not going to put a picture up, I don't want to scare anyone else!) You know the movies were made about, the doll that comes alive and kills everyone! Yeah, talk about being freaked out! Yikes! I mean, why would someone carry that with them? Some questions I guess will never be answered!

Hmm... I felt like there was other stuff that I was going to write about but I can't seem to think of it right now...maybe later! Oh, wait! I heard that it snowed back home today! I know everyone back home isn't happy about it, but I miss it! We are supposed to get our first frost tomorrow! I slept with my windows open last night, so it was about 35-40 degrees in my room, it was perfect sleeping conditions under my warm down duvet! I even managed to actually wake up on time too! I felt like a bear coming out of hibernation...although, I really don't know what that feels like but I can imagine! Over and out!

Lo!

New CD!!!

So I got some awesome mail today! The new Matt Wertz cd, Everything in Between...but what I didn't know was that it was a 2 disc set! So I got a bonus acoustic cd too! Not only did I get the Matt Wertz cd's, but I also got a cd from awarestore.com called, Earsnacks, its a bunch of up and coming artists. Pretty sweet if you ask me! Anyway, I was listening to the acoustic cd and there is this song called Behind a Smile, it's...so true, so raw. I thought I'd post the lyrics on here, but if you get a chance to listen to the song, do it, it will be 3 mintues and 51 seconds well worth your time. **Oh, and if you are lucky enough to be in South Bend, October 18th, I believe, he is going to be at the Morris Civic with Jars of Clay...go check it out!**

Behind a Smile

Matt Wertz

Cause I don't know what I should do now
When I've exausted all I know how
Still all of my efforts, they fail me
Leaving me broken and empty
I can't go on, half living this life on my own
Cause I'm hiding behind this smile
No, I haven't come out for awhile
See there is this place so empty inside me
I keep hiding behind this smile
There must be some place warmer then here
Because my teeth just chatter and I live in fear
But every attempt I attempt just impails me
Leaving me broken and empty
And I can't go on, half living this life on my own
Cause I'm hiding behind this smile
No, I haven't come out for awhile
See there is this place so empty inside me
I keep hiding behind this smile
Cause no I'm not okay
No I'm not alright
Cause I'm hiding behind this smile
No, I haven't come out for awhile
See there is this place so empty inside me
I keep hiding behind this smile

Hopefully you're not hiding behind a smile, but that your smile is because you are so happy, and that you have a joy in your life that you can't really even explain. Over and out!

Lo!

Church on TV!?

Well, I just watched, "The New Adventures of Old Christine", this was my first time watching the show. I had seen some previews of what this episode was about and thought I might tune in. The show was about church, and why she was turned off when it came to church. She explained that when she was in middle school she was in search of who she was supposed to become and so she thought she would give church a try. After attending church for a while, she was completely turned off (more than likely by a human error from what I could tell). Anyway, so her ex took her son to church and he wanted to continue to go, so she decided to give it another try. She went, and once inside it was the whole thing of, singing too many verses, or reading along with the pastor when only the pastor was to be reading, cell phone going off, etc. I felt like they really hit the nail on the head, because I think that so many people are turned off from church because they aren't exactly sure what is going on. Anyway, the whole time she was at church she was searching for a sign, and I feel like so many of us have been, or are in the same place. It was really awesome to see it on prime time television. Who knows, maybe someone who watched the show wasn't thinking they would ever go back to church, but is thinking that they might give it another try. Over and out!

Lo!

Dell, Georgia & randomness!

It's been a couple days since I've posted last, so I thought I'd post a little something!

So my computer is really acting weird, and I don't know how long until it dies completely! About a month and a half ago it crashed and I had to have one of my friends reprogram my entire computer! Anyway, so my laptop is about five years old, and I've already replaced the dvd/cd drive, which I don't want to keep replacing things, so I bought a new computer last night.

"Dude! You're getting a Dell!"

I won't get it until next week, but I'm really excited about it! I will finally be able to to work on my computer without having to wait for programs to load. Waahoo!

My parents traveled down to Georgia to this past weekend to visit my nephew! I've gotten a few phone calls from them, and my gosh, everytime I end up cracking up! Part of it, is his accent, talk about a southern drawl! They went to Six Flags and went on roller coasters and water rides, which Montana got totally soaked from what he told me! Today I got a phone call from them and Tana told me that he had my mom eat a worm! I guess she figured that I'd eaten enough of my own so it couldn't be that bad! I guess she wasn't too fond of the taste, though! Tana thought it was hilarious though, so I guess it was worth it!

The rest of the week for class we'll be doing massage trades because so many of us are already finished with our projects, which is a really great thing! I helped type out one of my classmate's papers because she isn't that fast with typing and I had nothing better to do really, so I typed away! Tomorrow though, I have to remember to bring my supplies for giving a massage. I really need to work on my body mechanics for massages! I think I'll start doing squats to help out!

Sports this weekend...Notre Dame (4-1)won, in an outstanding game against Standford. The Colts (5-0) won, in a terrible game against the Titans. The Bears (5-0) won in an outstanding game against the Bills! Over and out!

Lo!

40,000 miles...& counting!

**Okay, first off, I know that it says 40,102 but when I bought the car it had 102 miles on it!**

So where all have I gone in 40,000 miles? Well, here are a few, along with some memories that can't be separated from the miles!

Ball State/Anderson - travels down to see friends, and catch a Dave Barnes/Jon McLaughlin concert! Awesome, fantastic, amazing times!

New Orleans - Right around Christmas I drove down to visit a few friends, and road trip back with one of my friends. It was an awesome road trip, some amazing conversations!

New Orleans & Valdosta, GA - I was only planning on going to GA, but decided to throw in an extra stop along the way.

Chicago Midway Airport - multiple trips to pick up and drop off Melissa. Of course Melissa and I had amazing conversations! One of the times (Labor Day weekend '05) we were up at St. Joe beach and stopped by Redamaks for burgers on the way to the airport. I found out that Redamaks burgers can be eaten while driving, but takes major skill!

Chicago (just the city this time) - multiple times to visit one of my friends from my high school days...a few Dave Barnes/Matt Wertz/Jon McLaughlin concerts.

Timber Wolf Lake - (a Young Life camp in MI) a few times for work weekends, and such! Love it up there!

Colorado! - (yet another Young Life camp) This was an amazing experience! 6 weeks of being out in the middle of the mountains...5 weeks of working, and one amazing week where I actually was out on the trail! While out there I made some great friends and awesome memories, and I even got a massive burn on my leg...2nd degree burn...Ouch!

KC - multiple trips...some late at night by myself...some with Melissa after visiting the Bend...but all were awesome, and well worth the long haul!

St. Louis - Goo Goo Dolls/Counting Crows concert for Melissa's birthday! Talk about an amazing time! About 13+ hours driving all together, 6+ hours waiting for the concert & hanging out at the concert! Yeah, it was awesome!

St. Joe/New Buffalo - ah, the beach...plus a beautiful wedding! & Of course Redamaks too!

Milford aka "the Cottage" - a few times throughout the summer hanging out down at the cottage... birthday celebrations, and just plain hanging out! Great times! Ah yes, fun times!

I can't wait for the next 40,000 miles and the memories they will bring! Over and out!

Lo!

PS~ I got some snail mail today! Yeah, I'm excited!

Our Greatest Fear...

Here is a quote that is amazing, so I thought I'd share it with you...

Our Greatest Fear

Our greatest fear is not that we are inadequate,

but that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us.

We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant,

gorgeous, handsome, talented and fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be?

You are a child of God.

Your playing small does not serve the world.

There is nothing enlightened about shrinking

so that other people won't feel insecure around you.

We were born to make manifest the glory of God within us.

It is not just in some; it is in everyone.

And, as we let our own light shine, we consciously give

other people permission to do the same.

As we are liberated from our fear,

our presence automatically liberates others.

-Marianne Williamson "A Return to Love"

Another quote that you should check out is on my friends blog. Check it out here. Over and out!

Lo!

Field trip! & Visa bills...!!!

Today, for class we went on a field trip! I haven't gone on one of those in...well, years! Anyway, we were going to a federal building to give chair massages. (I'm not a fan of chair massages, I'd much rather spend a little more money and time and get an hour long full body massage.) So we get there and the security guard tells us that we have to have picture ID with us. I had to go out to get it, but I had it, so no problems. However, there were a few students that didn't have their ID with them...at all! How do you drive around without your driver's license? So we signed in, and got visitor passes, then were off to where we set up for the massages. Being that I am only a "newbie", I was only allowed to clean and prepare the chairs. Most of the time though, I sat on the side because my blister was killing me! So that was class...

**I went and got band aids and Bactine!!! So now I have my blister all bandaged up! Hopefully I won't have to use the band aids often!**

**So I ate about a pound of carrots when I got home! Then for dinner I had about a pound of spinach! Waahoo for vegetables!!!**

Usually when I get home, I eat lunch, check my e-mail, do homework, etc. Then turn the tv on and watch a little bit. Today though, I decided to not turn the tv on until much later than I usually do. So instead, I picked up a book that I've been meaning to finish. I have a couple chapters left, but should finish it in the next day or so. What is this book you may be wondering...Waking the Dead. I highly recommend picking it up.

Alright, so my mom calls me to let me know that my Visa bill came, I still need to change the address. Anyway, so she tells me that it is "749". So I pause and think for a moment. She realizes this, and says, "7 dollars & 49 cents, I thought you weren't sure when you paused after I said it the first time." I was starting to go through everything that I've bought in the last month, and I couldn't think of anything, then phew! Anyway, I figured y'all could get a good laugh out of it, I sure did! Over and out!

Lo!

Randomness...

So yesterday I ended up going to bed really early because my headache was just too much too handle. I slept from 10 pm until 7:30 am! Apparently I needed some serious sleep! The great thing was that when I woke up, I didn't have my headache anymore! That was so wonderful!

I am finished with my business plan drawing!!! I have a couple more things to print off for my business plan, but that isn't due until next week. I think I should finish it up by the end of the week!

Waahoo! I went running today! I think I ran for about 3 1/2 to 4 miles! I didn't run very fast, but I was looking more for distance than time. I figure I'll work them both eventually.

The blister on my toe...well there is a blister under the blister now! OUCH!

Okay well I figured this would be a short blog....and I was right! I'm just so tired to throw more thoughts up here. Over and out!

Lo!

Projects & Temperatures!

So my project is really coming together! I need to print out a couple more things, but I believe I have my business plan pretty well put together. As far as my business drawing goes, I was able to get a little bit more done today, but it was killing my eyes, so I had to stop. I have about a day left of work, which is good because I have two days left to work on it. So if anything is taking longer than I expect, I don't need to worry about it. The drawing is due this Thursday, and the plan is due next Wednesday. We'll see how things go, but I really feel good about it all.

Okay, so all afternoon I've had a terrible headache....not quite a migraine, but still really painful. I don't know what the deal is, I think part of it might be the weather, which is crazy right now. Yesterday it was 94, which broke the record! Today 94, which tied the record! They're forecasting that it will be 94 tomorrow as well, which will break the record, which was set back in the late 50's I believe, and is 93. Well, as much as I would love to post more, my head can't take this much longer. Over and out.

Lo

Projects & Contacts!

First off, check out this story from 60 Minutes, if you have depression, or know someone who is affected by depression. It's really amazing, and shows promising results, which is awesome!

So the entire weekend I've been working on my project which still has quite a ways to go! Partly because I am drawing my business to scale, but that's because I'm a perfectionist and really wouldn't have it any other way! This means I need to get a few more measurements on chairs, couches, tables, etc. before I finish it. I can't wait to turn it in, but that's only because that would mean that it is done! I really wish that so many of my classmates would stop complaining about it though, it doesn't make it any easier! Oh well, it's not stopping me! I am hoping to have the drawing finished by Tuesday, and the business plan finished by the following Tuesday at the latest.

On a slightly different note, one of my classmates came over here yesterday evening to work on our projects. We went to the store to get a few things for her project, which gave us a little bit of time to talk. She told me that she had to work all day Sunday so she wouldn't be able to go to church with me this weekend. Hopefully next weekend though! Please continue to say some prayers!
So today is the first of the month, which means I get new contacts. I took one of my new contacts out of the factory sealed package and look at it to make sure that it isn't torn or anything. It looks a little weird, but I put it in anyway. It was really blurry! So I take it out to clean it off, and when I do that, there appears a second contact! That's right, there were TWO contacts in one case! So weird! Never thought that would happen! All good now though, one contact in each eye!

So if you're a football fan, as I am here are a few updates from the weekend...ND won over Purdue, AWESOME! INDY won over NYJets, SA-WEET! Bears, well they're playing right now, but I think they'll pull it off against Seattle! Okay, well I need to get back to my project! Over and out!

Lo!

Randomness...

Okay, so here are some more random thoughts for you...

For whatever reason my body won't let me take naps! I tried to take a nap after I got home from class because I wasn't feeling all that great, and an hour and a half later was still awake! Arrgh!

I almost hit a raccoon on the way home from Jack Stack, but don't you worry, I avoided hitting it, but I think it had already been hit once because it was walking really weird!

Some of the fountains in the Plaza are just plain weird! (You would have to see them because I'm not going to try and explain why on here!)

While walking around the Plaza there was a man and a few other people standing a corner, on a box of some sort, yelling that we are all sinners, and that the second coming is soon, etc., etc. Well, I'm sure his intentions were all well and such, but his tact just didn't seem to sit well with me. All I could think about was the Bullhorn Nooma. I wonder how many people he actually was reaching.

Jack Stack was amazing...and I actually couldn't eat much, which is really weird because that doesn't usually happen. This means I have a really good lunch for tomorrow!

After spending some time at Barnes & Noble, I ended up in the art section, big surprise I know, and finally figured out the name of the artist I had been trying to come up with since, the middle of August! Frida Kahlo, who was an incredible artist of her day, and was overlooked because she was a woman.

I have to draw up my business for my project, which meant going to Hobby Lobby to get some supplies, and after walking around getting the foam board and paper, etc., I came across the painting supplies. Oh how I wanted to pick up some canvas, paints and brushes and just indulge myself in it again. I miss it so much! Hopefully I'll be able to get back into some of it again soon!

Well before I spend way too much time on here instead of getting much needed sleep, I must go. Over and out!

Lo!

Dizziness & Randomness...

Okay, so for the past couple days I've been feeling dizzy, which isn't fun. It generally when I'm sitting down, so I won't fall over or anything. It's really weird though, I don't understand why I'm feeling this way at all. I think it might be that my iron is low, and I might be dehydrated as well, so we'll see if I can do something about that soon. I tried to lay down today to get some rest and hopefully help me to stop feeling so dizzy, but the maintenance guy came by to fix my balcony door. So I didn't get to actually lay down at all, and then my apartment smelled like WD40, which didn't help. Luckily the rest of the evening I was off to Melissa's for dinner, and Grey's! Melissa made amazing lasagna! YUM!

Some random thoughts...

Good news...I found my name tag! It was in my classroom!

Don't pull out the dresser drawer to its limits, it will fall, and injure your hand...this happened to me today! Ugh!

Hallmark, well it's my weak spot...I bought 9 new cards there today!

Complaining should be held to a minimum in a confined area....classmates shouldn't complain about class so much, they did sign up for it!

My blister is finally going away...so hopefully I can go for a run soon!

Well, I'd continue with my random thoughts, but I really need to lay down, this dizziness is really getting to me. I'll try and update a little more later. Over and out!

Lo!

Spasms & Name tag!

OUCH! So last night after running and trying to relax I noticed that my back was in a lot of pain! I figured it would pass, nothing too serious, right!? Well, not so fast! My lower back was in spasm, and it stayed that way until I woke up this morning. It was terrible though, I was in so much pain, I could hardly walk! I tried laying down on my back to help it out, but that didn't help, it didn't hurt either, but no relief. I thought maybe in class I might be able to get it worked on a little bit, but we had a guest speaker come in and talk about a few things that will soon enough become second nature to us. Oh, and I was sitting in class with one shoe on and one shoe off because of my blister...OUCH!
So I have to wear a name tag for class, which has the school name, and my name on it. Well, they are magnetic, and I totally forgot about it, that is until I got home. I took my shoes off, and when I bent over to set them down, the back of the magnet falls out of my pocket and into my shoe! So I realize then, that I forgot to take my name tag off at the end of class, and it must have fallen off! I go out to my car to check there, and retrace my steps to my apartment, all 20 of them, or so, and am unable to locate the name tag. This means that it is more than likely about five feet from where I usually sit. Hopefully anyway, if not is somewhere between my class and where my car was! This could be interesting...I think that I can get a new if I have to though. Okay, well enough procrastination, time to get back to my business project. Over and out!

Lo!

Blisters & Shoes

Okay, first off...as requested...the websites to both churches referenced recently, just click on the name of the church you want to check out:
Westside Family Church in Lenexa, KS
Granger Community Church in Granger, IN

So today I decided to go drop a few snail mail items off at a near by drop box, then possibly go for a run. Well, after returning back to my apartment to drop off a few things, I decided to go ahead and run. I recently bought a new pair of running shoes because my old ones were, well way over due to be trashed. I mean the soles aren't even there in a few spots anymore! There isn't much traction left to keep me from falling if it's slick, etc.

So when I was out shopping this past weekend I went into the Adidas outlet store! Oh, I was so happy! See, I only buy Adidas brand shoes, and even prefer the apparel too, so I was very happy to find this place! I ended up getting a new pair of shoes for only $30, which is amazing!

I tried them out today for the first time, knowing that I need to break them in and will not be able to run as far as I would like because my feet aren't used to the shoes yet. Well after about 2 -2 1/5 miles, I had to actually stop, and take off my one shoe because I could feel the blister! UGH! No worries though, this is most definitely not the first time I've had blisters before! So after taking my shoe off I walked the rest of the way home with one shoe on and one shoe off, which I'm sure looked funny. There was actually a crew out working on putting up new power line poles and one of the guys asked me if my foot got hot! Well, not exactly! So tomorrow I think I'll give my feet a rest, and try and do some squats or something in my apartment, because I don't want to deal with an even worse blister than I already have. Over and out!

Lo!

An Amazing God story! & dvd drive....

Okay if you haven't read the entry from yesterday, you should it will help out in understanding this one...then come back and read here....

Okay so yesterday I wrote about how I wasn't feeling like I was saying much to the people around me about my faith, and what makes their heart beat fast, well get this! Today for class we had mock interviews, both as employer, and potential employee. I was paired up with one of the girls that I talk to everyday, and have gone out to lunch with before. She started the interview process as the employer, so I was answering a bunch of different questions for her. She came to one question in particular, "What motivates you?", so I said, my faith, my family and my friends. Then more questions from the interview. Then it was my turn to interview, yada yada. After all of this we did some other activities in class; figuring out our dream businesses and such, took a break, etc. I didn't think much of what I had said really, then about 10 minutes before class lets out she asks me what church I go to! I was like, uh, what!? So I told here where I've been going, and a little bit about the church back home. Thinking the whole time nothing of it really. So then she asked me who I go with, so I explain to her that Melissa comes if possible, but I'll generally be going by myself because of her schedule. I then decide to throw her a question to see where she goes with it..."Would you like to go with me sometime?" "Maybe, I'd have to check and see if I work, because I usually work on Sundays." AWESOME! So we keep talking about church and where she used to go back home. Then she said to me that she is ready to go back to church though, and that she wants to go back. So I figured that we might talk about it again some time and see if she still wanted to check it out, and then she said, "When we go to our cars I'll let you know if Sunday works out." AMAZING! So we get to where our cars are and she checks, and she doesn't work! So this weekend it looks like we are going to meet up for church! We're going to talk about it a little bit more near the end of the week, but it looks like we are going this weekend! I'll be sure to keep you updated! Please say some prayers!

On a different note, I just completely dismantled my computer, and put a new CD/DVD drive in! I'm talking I had about 40 screws out, keyboard off, back off (well almost), etc.! I never thought I'd do that! Just thought you would like to know that! It turns out, I'm still handy! I was wondering because I haven't been handy lately. Well until next time...Over and out!

Lo!

Church & extra thoughts...

Well today I went to Westside Family Church which is about 20-25 min drive for me. It's similar to GCC, but on a smaller scale, and not so "loud" with the music. The message was good, and I took a few things away from the service. The pastor said that whenever he leaves his mom's house she always says, "Be careful sweetheart!" and he wants to just one time hear her say, "Go out there, and live life to its fullest! Seize the day! Take all that you can out of each day!" That's it! Why do I try to be so careful all the time? I mean, it's okay to be careful, especially in certain situations, driving, surgery, etc. But why is it that I step back and take the safe road rather than ruffle a few feathers and really dig into peoples hearts. Find out what makes their heart beat fast. I really miss that from home. I know that I'm out here for a reason, but I feel as if I'm not stepping up to the challenge right now. Do my classmates even know that I'm a christian? They know that I love football, they know where I am from, and where I want to be going, but do they really know why? I'm not saying that I feel like I should stand up in the middle of class and profess my faith, but the classmates that I'm close with, that I talk to all the time, why not talk to them?

I feel blessed right now that I am away from home. Don't get me wrong, I miss being home dearly, but I am so blessed. I am away from so many comforts, which is in return having me rely on God more on everything. I'm realizing that now more than I have so far. I think it's good to get away from the place you are so comfortable around, and really stretch your faith, really let yourself grow, and be vulnerable. It's not easy, but it can be done; and when it is done the results are amazing. God does amazing things, if we only trust Him. This weekend was good, but I have tons of thoughts running through my head. (Partially why I'm not getting ready for bed yet.) Over and out!

Lo!

**Please say some prayers for a friend of mine. Thanks!**

Babysitting cont., Art & ND

Ah, well babysitting went well last night, which was nice. One of the girls, the 3 year old, was playing with make up, which we know is not my thing. Anyway, she was playing with some eyeliner and it was quite hilarious. She came out of the bathroom the first time with a "second" eyebrow from the eyeliner. Amusing! Then she comes out a little later with it all over her face, oh craziness I tell you! Then it was time to put this harness thing on her to play dog. Well, I literally was "walking" her around the house, while carrying the littlest one, the 1 year old, in my other arm. We were running around the house laughing so hard. It was great! They ended up falling asleep about half and hour to an hour before their mom got home, so I did get to read for a little bit.

Today I met up with Melissa and Micah at Melissa's house to head to the 75th annual Plaza art fair. This art piece is one of my own. The art at the fair was well, some good, some not so good, it's all up to your own taste of course. There was a lot of photographs, some pastels, a handful or so of pottery, then lots of random stuff in there. It was crazy down there though because there literally were a couple thousand people which means parking was nuts. We walked around looking at the different booths for a couple hours, but we were getting too hungry to keep going. So it was off to the store to get stuff to make dinner. After dinner I headed home because it was getting kind of late.

Once I got home I was able to catch the last half hour of the Notre Dame vs. Michigan State game. I really think it was the only part you needed to watch if you ask me! Well, if you are a Notre Dame fan! ND won 40-37, in an amazing come back! I don't know what the rest of the season holds, but I hope they keep up the wins! Well, until next time...Over and out!

Lo!