Sooo...

Big news!! Apparently it wasn't my incompetence in my Spanish class last semester that threw my whole financial status under the bus!! ....here is what happened [or at least what the financial aid office informed me happened!]

...last January I had no idea what I'd be doing once the semester was over! I didn't know if I was going to stay in Kentucky for the summer, go to Chicago, California...etc........sooo, in light of that I had registered for a math class that was held over the summer break. [I decided if I was going to be here, I was going to put it to good use at least!!] Then once I decided to go up to Crystal Lake, I had thought I dropped the class...and went on my merry little way! Then about a month into the summer, I just randomly decided to check my school email, for no reason really....and had gotten a handful of emails from my professor, telling me that she was withdrawing me from the class since I had missed more than 4 already! Much to my shock, I immediately wrote her back informing her I had no idea I was even enrolled in it any longer, and asked her to withdraw me right away! ...................Sooooooooooo......the reason my pell grant fell through this semester was because I had an incomplete because of that class. The finance guy said everything from last semester was just fine and my GPA was fine too, regardless of my Spanish class. Then he told me the really good news!!
All I have to do is write a letter to some people in charge of the grants and explain to them what happened and that I will get the government funding back within just a few weeks!!! [And there was much rejoicing!!!]

Needless to say, it was a wonderful way to begin the semester!! Classes were pretty rockin' too! :)
It's gonna be a great school year for sure, I can feel it!
I am also so thankful that God just worked all this out for me!! It's definitely going to save me some change! :)

Tomorrow, tomorrow, I love ya...

Here it is ladies & gentlemen, the day we've [or maybe just me?!] all be waiting for...

[Dun, dun, dun!!!]

School begins tomorrow!!! :D Horray!

I really am so stoked, I just love school! I know that may be a little weird, but I am totally motivated by the end result of not having to have epically lame jobs anymore, doing something that I love to do, and actually making some good money!! So I'm all set!! With my cool new Swiss Army backpack, pink 5Star Binder, and some awesome pens, which I will try not to lose track of this time!! :)

Sad story though... much to my horror, I received a letter from my beloved school just yesterday telling me the worst news. I am not getting my pell grant for this year :/ and, to top it off...I also have to pay back what the pell grant covered from last semester. Needless to say I was a little disturbed, thinking I had it made not having to pay a penny for school till now, only to find out---I was wrong.
You may remember me writing about a certain subject with which I had some unusually bad luck in last semester [no habla espaniol!!!] and I guess that's what finally did me in--in the end. There is hope though, now that I have vowed to never again take any foreign language classes I will not encounter this set-back again, and hopefully get my pell grant back by January...[reallllly hopefully!!!]

'Till then, I shall proceed with my education...beginning tomorrow morning, as well as first thing going to visit my financial advisor, for some advise! :)
[And for a loan!!]

Moral of the story: don't fail, or else they'll take your free money away!!! :)

Love.

I had written this after a night at my church when they had shown "The Passion of the Christ" for our Youth meeting. Amidst the tears and weeping from every direction in the room, all my mind could conceive was the fact that this man must love me so much more than I can fathom to go through all of that for me.

For me? I mean, I can hardly make it through one day with the kind of love that man had in his eyes. And it was his whole existence. The part in the film where he prays for the people who basically hung him on the cross (the Pharisees)...it blew my mind. I mean, I've known this story my whole life, but it's like it hit a new level inside of me this time. I was fully aware of my own shortcomings in that moment, and fully aware that I needed to work on my love. I mean, Jesus told me to love my enemies and pray for those who PERSECUTE me (Matthew 5:44)...Oh my gosh...I can't even love people who aren't persecuting me at times.

What kind of love is this that he has for me? I mean, I know God is love. Because that's what the Bible says. It's just more than my mind can comprehend though. My pastor was in Africa with a minister once, and they were asking this minister, "How do you love like you do? I want that "download" from Heaven like you have!" And the minister just (I'm sure her eyes gushing with love!) just stated, "It's not a download, it's a choice. And once you make that choice enough times, it just becomes your automatic response."

Love is a choice. I can choose to love even when I don't want to. I can choose to love people who have hurt me. I can choose to love people who are unjust towards me. I can choose to love when I am hated. I can choose to love a n y o n e. It's a choice.

If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing. (1 Corinthians 13:1-3)

God is love. If we don't have Him, we have n o t h i n g.

Arise.

I know my posts are usually more lighthearted and just fun...but right now God has just put before me something that is really heavy upon my heart.

Father's need to rise up in the body of Christ and love young men like they were their own sons.
Mother's need to rise up in the body of Christ and love young women...just like they were their own daughters.

There are people coming to know the Lord through many other avenues than being raised that way by their own parents; consequently leaving them with no father or mother to "show them the way"...so to say.
This is an arena that is sometimes hard for me to understand because I have parents that love the Lord, and they raised me to do the same. I never really realized how much of an AMAZING blessing that is, and that it is not something that everyone can say they have. For those who don't have what I did, getting saved and learning to hear God, walk with Him, deepen your relationship with Him and all of that without the guidance that was intended to be there can be really difficult.

This leads me to believe that there really is only one solution to this [aside from the fact that the Holy Spirit can & WILL be that Father if no one stands up] is that we, as the body, need to get out of our chairs, and begin pouring our lives out for the people who are seeking earnestly in their hearts for healing, restoration and love.

Jason Upton is one of my all time favorite worship leaders EVER...and he is constantly singing about father's and mother's....and the heart of God in light of those positions in life that he created the human life to be shaped with. It is how God intended it. And even though relationships like that may have been stolen from some of us...the word of God says that what the devil intended for evil, God WILL use for good. And in this case I believe that good is to rise up from the men and women in the Body of Christ.

It's time to get real and go deep guys. It's now or never.

Eternity's eternal song...

I always find myself getting caught up thinking about eternity. It's going to be so good! It's so crazy to think that this breath we have now is just the beginning. It makes things like death and sadness lessen their sting because I know that those lost to us, are were I can't wait to be. The reason I am thinking about this, is because last October, a precious family that I love so much lost a son and a brother, his name is Luke and he went to be with Jesus then. I remember hearing the news from my Mom while I was at work--she had texted me and told me to pray for Angels' family. Complete shock just swept through my body and once I got home from work I got on facebook [of course!! it's where all the info is!! ;)] and went to his page and the tears began to flow. I wasn't even that close with Luke himself, it was his sister who is a close friend of mine, but I know the Bible speaks about loss and pain as the body enduring it as one...when one is suffering, we all suffer. That day I truly felt the compassion and love of God for my friends, I felt like I had lost a brother with them.

The whole reason I am thinking about all of this is because Angels' family continues to update Luke's facebook page and soo many people continue to write on his wall, telling him & the family how much Luke impacted their life, and what a light and encouragement he was to them. And just to think that he is now in heaven with Jesus, doing...whatever it is we get to do in heaven...is amazing! The fact that he's in the place where there is no more death, no more pain, no more tears...

It causes me to look at life with a different perspective. To live with eternity in my mind. I have no idea the number of days God has counted for my life here--but the thing I do know, is that once they're up here, that truly doesn't mean anything. Thereafter, I shall live forever. And a much better existence at that! Not because I am not giving my all here, and striving for the very best--but because what could be better than living down the street [literally] from God!? Nothing, in my book :)

With that in heart & mind, when loved ones who know the Lord go to be with him, there certainly is an element of grieving. However when all the tears have run out, and Jesus just begins to bring peace to our souls and understanding to our hearts, we know that they're really in a better place. Even though that's like the most cliche thing to say ever, it is true.

That place is the hope of those who live for Jesus Christ. To be with Him eternally. And until then, I don't think anyone on this side of the fence will grasp it fully...just with faith knowing that what God says is true. He is always faithful.

Here we go!

I am pleased to announce my employment at the lovely Qdoba!! There

are a few reasons I am so excited about working here!

a. Mexican food is basically my favorite invention ever!! [and I get 1/2 off there now!!]
b. I get to work with a really great buddy of mine there, Josh Turner! He & his wife are amazing friends here and I love them both so much!
c. I am sooooo happy it only took me like a day to find this job with Joshs' help. Job searching is like on my top ten least favorite things to do...so I am so thankful that God opened this door and it was such an easy process!

As for school; I have officially changed my major from Journalism to English, and I have decided to minor in Elementary Education. I am really excited about this and I truly feel like it's the absolute perfect fit for me! I'm glad it only took me one semester to figure all that out also!

As for now--2 weeks left 'til school begins, and it'll be filled with training, buying school stuff I need...and hanging out with my cousins & aunts who are arriving Sunday!! I can't wait!! So excited for this fall! :)

grace & peace!

There's no place like home!

I am back home with my family! After scurrying around to get shifts covered at my summer job, I was able to take off a week or so early to spend time with my younger brother who came for a visit. I just love my family so much! :)

This summer was amazing, great & so exactly what I needed before I dive into 3 and a 1/2 more academic years of school! At the end of the break though, I felt ready to come back! I'm ready to get focused, and stay on track and then eventually graduate & get a REAL job and be rich!!!!!!!!!!!!! I basically can't wait!!!!!!!! 'Till then I shall live it up like a college "kid" should ;)

This coming week though...I am thrilled to see these precious faces again!!

My cousins!! :D & my Auntie Paula & Auntie Carol are coming as well! They came last summer for a whole month and it was the best ever!!!! So, needless to say I can't wait to see them again!




Family is such a great thing! It was one of the best ideas God had! ;)
I hope everyone enjoys their last couple weeks of summer before school begins!!!