Merry Christmas & Happy Engagement

Merry Christmas and Happy Engagement to my friends Kaitlin and John!

Time at home has been especially emotional. I've managed to hit high highs and low lows in the <48 hours I've been here. Okay, so I must share the story of Kaitlin and John's engagement. Well, there isn't much to share on my part, but I did receive a very exciting phone call this morning informing me of the important news. Get this: she even asked me to be apart of their wedding. I'm so honored. I'm just saying, if you want to get married, you might want to become my friend because pretty much all my friends are engaged or currently married.

The Christmas holiday was wonderful. It's been relaxing and really lazy. I've managed to eat more in the last 2 days than I probably have in the past week. Bah, not really. For the first time, I really feel like an adult at Christmas. I had to be dragged out of my bed this morning at 9am.  Then if that wasn't proof enough, my gifts included a crock pot, 4 cookbooks, and some home decor.

As I look into my future, 2011, I see many more opportunities arising.  God has already provided a great deal in my short life.  I'm thinking Wisconsin might be my next place of residence. I'm really hoping and praying for the Lord to make His will known. La La La. Off to spend the last lil' bit of Christmas 2010 with the fam.

Summer 2011 Weddings
Kate and Adam 5-21
Renee and Austin 6-3
Camron and Karenah 6-11
Kaitlin and John TBA

So much celebration to be had. Praise God, but most of all  thank you Jesus.

Cramping and Such

Topic #1. I am an extrovert. Here are the reasons why.

Public places are where I find myself most productive.

Human interaction feeds my energy.

Coming to Bluestem to study > Being at home all day to study

Or at least that is me justifying being here rather than home.

And clearly, I am blogging instead of studying....bah.

Topic #2. Yesterday, I woke up to prepare myself for the day in case I was called to substitute. No call, back to bed. Woke up with crippling cramps. Yes, the type that only women get.  Monthly, I find myself cursing Eve's name and damning her stupid decision to take the apple. You know, among the main circumstance of sin entering the world. I most loathe the woman's situation. Why is it that men don't experience such pain unless they are racked right in the balls? Please, I do not understand. Then, we're also blessed with childbirth. I mean, I've never actually experienced the joy and pain of it all, but really.....? Really! Alright, I think I'll just pop a couple more Ibuprofen and suck it up.

graduation part 2

Graduation. Again. December 11, 2010. 9:00AM. 

Now. Monday, December 6th, 2010. 1:00PM.

Extremely unmotivated to finish 2 modules, 1 paper, and online evaluation. 

Estimated amount of time to complete all 4 pieces: approximately 5 hours.

Ready. Set. No more procrastination. No more. No more. No more.

I lift my eyes to the hills- where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip-he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither sleep nor slumber. The Lord watches over you-the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you form all harm-he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forever more. 

Okay...Here I GOooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

things about the holidays I do not care for

20. stress
19. left-overs that never leave
18. poor road conditions
17. my unprepared winter wardrobe
16. everyone's obsession with holiday weight gain/loss
15. New Year Indecisions people call "Resolutions"
14. family disputes
13. cranberry sauce from a can
12. budgeting for gift procurement
11. too many dessert options
10. family members asking me about my relationship status
9. black Friday chaos
8. the lack of things to do in a small house with 25 people
7. making a Christmas list when I need virtually nothing
6. untangling Christmas lights
5. decorating for Christmas...I like the decorations, just not the activity 
4. the amount of waste gift wrapping generates
3. pie crust
2. post feast flatulence
1. the lack of Jesus in it all

feasting and such

Hmm....the holidays. What is it about them that make most of us all warm and fuzzy inside while many others fill with angst.  The few quick weeks that reel through after Thanksgiving are always a blur for me. I look forward to Pumpkin flavored desserts, snow capped roofs, mittens, Christmas music and egg nog, then before I know it: Poof, they're all gone. Funny how Jesus is not the first thought when it comes around the holidays. Actually, not too funny at all, more ironic than anything. JC is the reason for the season. I just hope that how I celebrate and live my life might make that fact better known to those around me.


La La La. The break from school has always been nice though. Too bad after graduation that whole fact is not kept within the business/working world. Bah, I talk like I know. Psh, I am about as unemployed as I'd like to admit. I work as an uncertified personal trainer and substitute teach with no credentials as an educator whatsoever. Lame. Whoever said that a college degree was necessary needs to reclaim that statement and pour it all over his instant mashed potatoes this Christmas. I'm making crap wages, living in the hood and loving every minute of it. 


Only 6 more months until I'm out of the 'Hat. Hopefully off to other adventures across the U.S. I'll be applying for internships here in the next few weeks and the top states on my list are Missouri (St. Louis), Virginia, Washington, Oregon, or Colorado. God-willing, I'll be out on another adventure soonish. I guess if the internship is not for me, I'll quickly apply for the Peace Corp and hop on down to the lower hemisphere for some more Spanish.

I'm so spoiled by the Maker of Heaven and Earth

Okay, so today started out a little shaky. I decided to wake up an hour late for work. Yes, that is correct. My obsessive plans of laying out my clothes, taking a shower last night and going to bed at a decent hour just prepared me to witness some of God's divinity. In School Suspension was my declared substitute job for the day at Manhattan High and I was pumped. However, not pumped enough to get out of bed when my alarm went off at 6:30am. Flying out of the apartment in less than 5 minutes, I figured I could just sneak in to ISS at 8:15am, relieve whoever was covering me and deal with the apologizing later in the day. On my drive to work, here I am, praying aloud asking God how the hay He might use this situation to declare Himself. Admitting my embarrassment, my shame, I continued to plead to God. Without even speeding, I arrived a few minutes after 8, walked straight back to the ISS room, much to my dismay, there were no students. However, there was a teacher, sitting there, quietly reading a newspaper. Confused, I asked him if he was covering for me or if he was here all day. He looked at me oddly and said he was there for the day, so I sulked on back to the office, expecting a conversation filled with disappointment. Get this...The secretary completely forgot to call and inform me that a full time teacher had been hired for that position and that SHE was sorry for having me come in. YES, she apologized to me! UH, not what I was expecting. I admitted it wasn't a big deal and that I needed to get myself up for the day. Her apology added a half day pay for her mistake of not calling me and here I sit. I enjoyed my morning, read, napped, organized my closet some, and now am blogging. Whew, the Lord really did use the morning chaos to bring Glory to Himself. I think I'll go spend a little time in His word to see what else He has to offer for the day.

Change Is Inevitable

Inevitable is my favorite word. It just  flows off the tongue. Tongue...what a weird addition to the human body. It's used to eat, drink, speak, kiss and whistle. This week has been quite an adventure. The days seem to pass while my condition of state stays the same. I begin the week thinking, "okay, this week I'm going to do something crazy, unexpected or life-changing." And before I know it, it's Friday, I'm tired, have laundry out the wazoo and miss my family oodles. This morning I planned on driving home to see my parents and G&G Thissen before they all left for Camron's football game, but come to find out they were leaving earlier than I expected, so I stayed in town. Thankfully, had the best time meeting with Elyse. She's such a blessing in my life. Love that girl. Talked about life, love, family, school, and our futures. Now, I'm chilling all alone, wondering what the day has to offer. Knowing I have several loads of laundry, a small chunk of homework, and a social bug to cure at some point. My quiet times with the Lord have been few and far between here lately. I am looking for my identity in relationships. Also, in my longing for my family, I am believing the falsehood that they don't love me. I know Camron's football games are probably more exciting than anything I have to offer here in Manhattan, but I do really miss seeing my grandparents and parents as much as he gets to. I have this ugly feeling in my stomach that I just need to break out of my shell. Move away, travel, get into a real uncomfortable place and begin sharing the gospel so that it's as easy as breathing for me. This truly is what I want. Sometimes sin is so appealing. The way of the world is easy to get sucked into: lust, materials, lies, cheating, drinking, etc. But then I ask myself, "when in my life have I ever found lasting pleasure in these things" easy, never. My identity in Christ is difficult to live out sometimes. This is especially true when I am out of the word. Whew. I think it's clear what I need to do today, spend a little time in R& R with JC.