Don't Wanna Go Through the Motions...

As of recent

2010-07-16T23:14:00.001-07:00

Wow...so it's been a while. Here is a short review of my life since my last post.

FEBRUARY
My car, Thornton, died...transmission. So I started driving Mom and Dads truck. A 95 Silverado.
19th - I went skiing with our youth group. Took a stumble, landed on my head and ended up with a splitting headache and some cracked ribs.

MARCH
13th-17th - I flew to Birmingham AL to visit my friend Emily for Spring break.
27th - Marilyn Stainbrook passed away. She left a huge hole in the lives of her family and friends. She was an amazing wife, mother, sister, grandmother, and friend. We all miss her.

APRIL
4th - Easter...I came home from work at 7a and layed down for a nap but woke up 5 min before service started...missed Easter service.
20th-22nd - I went to Cincinnati and stayed with Megan and Roel for a Tues night before going to IHC on Wed and Thurs.

MAY
1st - In the evening while I was at work I got a text that said "Hi, from Pile Junior." Becky is expecting!
2nd - Family day at church with UBC choir and a pitch-in for lunch.
4th - Finals week...
8th - I went to the Atherton's to celebrate Victoria's graduation! Lots of people.
11th - CRASH! A girl rear-ended me and totaled my parent's truck. No one was seriously hurt but later I had some back pain come on. Pictures to come.
15th - GBS graduation. Rebekah and Daniel's wedding.
29th - Elizabeth Milburn had a baby shower for Laura Stuart. Mom's church had a mother/daughter banquet.
31st - Memorial day party at the Atherton's.

JUNE
I have started running! Didn't make it far at first but I am progressing.
1st-6th - VBS! Lots of kids, lots of heat, and lots of fun. We got groups together a few nights after our bus routes and played tennis and volleyball.
5th - A "boy" I use to babysit graduated from High school. Congrats Christian!
Big fireworks party at my sisters house put on by Jimmy Gardner.
9th - I started going to a chiropractor...very helpful.
15th - I went to Megan and Roel's again...love them. We took the kids we use to babysit for to a REDS game. We all had a blast until we were blasted away by the rain and wind. Great memories.
19th - Darla, Elizabeth Milburn and I went to the flea market in Friendship IN. It's huge and lots of fun.
26th- I was a bridesmaid in Emily Harmon and Jonathan Marsh's wedding.

JULY
3rd - Independence Day party at the Atherton's. Got some sun!
13th - Tasha and I went to the Decatur Co Fair. It was my first time to their fair.
15th - Laura and I made our way to Sarah Roach's house to make our little contribution to their yard sale. I made $6.25!! We had a lot of fun just goofing off and playing dutch blitz! I am so thankful for good friends such as those two.

That about sums it up. I want to put pics from my summer up...there are so many.
Until next time...

Update

2010-02-03T20:18:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to give a short update of my life.
Three weeks ago I started a new job at the hospital as a CNA. I am still working PRN (as needed) at the nursing home but not picking up as many hours. So far, I love the hospital...for a few reasons but the biggest being that it is not as strenuous. Yes, the shifts are longer (12 hrs rather than 8) but we do not do the lifting at the hospital like we do in the nursing home. The first day, I was amazed that my back did not hurt when I left. Another reason is that you have a variety of patients rather than the same people day in and out. And the 3rd reason....I only work 3 days a week rather than 5 days and I get full benefits. Love that.
School has been keeping me super busy. I am taking a math class, Chemistry, and Anatomy & Physiology. The last two....are bombing me. I have my first test in both classes next week. Please pray for me because a lot of this stuff is over my head.
We had revival last week with Steve & Nicole Cassidy. Great people.
The transmission in my car went out last Wednesday. I am trying to figure out what should be done with Thorton. He still will run at slow speeds so....If anyone feels a strange urge to test airbag deployment in Buick LeSabres....feel free to use mine. I know of a few cliffs.
I am sponsoring a little boy from El Salvador. He is so almost 7 and soo cute. His name is Jonatan.
That is the latest on my life...pretty much boring with an occasional bump in the road.
God Bless.

Still here!

2010-01-10T19:45:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to drop a quick note to say I'm still alive. I know it's been a while since I posted...life has been keeping me busy. I got the job at the hospital! I will be working as a CNA on the Med/Surg floor. I super excited about that. I got a group together yesterday and we went sledding. Hey, if the snow won't go away....play in it. We all managed to walk away with no broken bones or caved in faces. Bruises however...another story altogether. We had lots of laughs...and a few serious moments. The most fearful moment for me came when someone (maybe the wind) pushed Christian and I down this very steep hill before we were ready. I was in the front and headed right toward the bushes, so I rolled over thinking that would stop us. I forgot that on a hill of that incline...you only stop at the bottom. Ended up sliding face first, on my stomach all the way down....and somewhere along the way Christian steamrollered me. Painful. I'm almost as sore from laughing as I am from bumps and bruises...almost.
This was suppose to be short. Look soon for pictures and possibly videos.

Christmas on the Farm

2010-01-02T16:51:00.001-08:00

Wow, it's been a while!
I had a great Christmas this year. Things were really crazy prior to Christmas, but Christmas day was nice and relaxing. I enjoyed spending a little while with all of my family. Here are a few pics.

Elizabeth, Bekah and I on Christmas day

Luis and I went to Indy to finish his Christmas shopping.

Maria, Laura and Sarah at the Smith's house. Love them!

Spanish Christmas Party!!

2009-12-13T11:28:00.000-08:00

Last night was our Spanish Christmas service/party. There were 150 people there. We had 5-6 different kinds of tamales, lots of cookies and piñatas. The kids had a "blast" with the piñatas, and even a few of the not-so-young people got into it. I thought since I was helping with the kids part of the service, I would be smart and wear my heeled boots. So, needless to say....by the end of the night, my feet were in agony. I had a great time and I'm sure everyone else did as well. You can be the judge of this...I believe the 3 videos at the end will show the kids emotions. Enjoy.

After it was all said and done...we realized Luis was not joking when he said he came hungry.

Bryan

Keagan and Kaedan Spivey

Diego

Class 2 waiting to go upstairs to sing.

I found it slightly amusing that while all the other kids were shoving and screaming to get more candy....this little girl was very satisfied with her 5 pieces of candy.

I believe Miguel was giving this his best effort.

And this is why I said some not-so-young people got into the piñatas!

All About Light Bulbs......

2009-12-04T17:04:00.000-08:00

Pastor Forsee shared this last Sunday with the church....

All About Light Bulbs………….

1. How many Charismatics does it take to change a light bulb?

One to change the bulb and nine to pray against the spirit of darkness.

2. How many Calvinists does it take to change a light bulb?

None. God has predestined when the light will be on. Calvinists do not change light bulbs. They simply read the instructions and pray that the light bulb will be one that has been chosen to be changed.

3. How many TV evangelists does it take to change a light bulb?

One. But for the message of light to continue, send in your donation today.

4. How many liberals does it take to change a light bulb?

At least 10, as they need to hold a debate on whether or not the light bulb exists. Even if they can agree that the light bulb exists they still might not change it, to keep from offending those who might use other forms of light.

5. How many independent fundamentalists does it take to change a light bulb?

Only one, because any more might result in to much cooperation.

6. How many Amish does it take to change a light bulb?

What’s a light bulb?

7. How many youth pastors does it take to change a light bulb?

Youth pastors aren’t around long enough for a light bulb to burn out.

8. How many members of an established fundamental Bible teaching church that is over 20 years old does it take to change a light bulb?

One to actually change the bulb and nine to say how much they liked the old one.

9. How many United Methodists does it take to change a light bulb?

This statement was issued: “We choose not to make a statement either in favor of or against the need of a light bulb. However, if in your own journey you have found that a light bulb works for you, that is fine. You are invited to write a poem or compose a modern dance about your personal relationship with your light bulb (or light source, or non-dark resource), and present it next month at our annual light bulb Sunday service, in which we will explore a number of light bulb traditions, including incandescent, florescent, three-way, long life and tinted-all of which are equally valid paths to luminescence.

10. How many conservative holiness does it take to change a light bulb?

Change???

Sleek......Shiny.....and super FAST!

2009-12-02T20:30:00.000-08:00

Ladies and Gentlemen.....I present to you (drum-roll please) .......

GORDON!!!!

He is one amazing machine. I do not have to wait for Gordon to think...he is very fast. He's great looking too! I have grown so fond of him these last few days. He's amazing!

Don't wanna go through the motions...

2009-11-28T15:35:00.000-08:00

You may notice that I "renamed" my blog. The song, Through the Motions by Matthew West, is a song that God has used recently to speak to me. Here are the words...

This might hurt, it's not safe
But I know that I've gotta make a change
I don't care if I break
At least I'll be feeling something
'Cause just okay is not enough
Help me fight through the nothingness of life.

I don't wanna go through the motions
I don't wanna go one more day
Without your all consuming passion inside of me
I don't wanna spend my whole life asking,
"What if I had given everything,
Instead of going through the motions?"

No regrets, not this time
I'm gonna let my heart defeat my mind
Let your love make me whole
I think I'm finally feeling something
'Cause just okay is not enough
Help me fight through the nothingness of this life

'Cause I don't wanna go through the motions
I don't wanna go one more day
Without your all consuming passion inside of me
I don't wanna spend my whole life asking,
"What if I had given everything,
Instead of going through the motions?"

Matthew West Lyrics are found on www.songlyrics.com

Random pictures from a sad camera...

2009-11-15T13:21:00.000-08:00

I have a 4 Mega Pixel camera...it's old and needs retired. My Mom bought it new, had it for 2-3 years and then gave it to me. I have had it since November of 2006. When I was in Guatemala in 2007, it literally lost two screws. I could open it up and see its insides (not normal)...so I borrowed a piece of scotch tape from the couple I lived with, thinking it would hold it until I got home to get replacement screws. Well, the scotch tape served its purpose well...it's still holding my camera together so the guts are not exposed.

The battery life is another story. I can charge the battery, take 10 pictures and suddenly the battery is dead. So, I turn the camera off for a few minutes to let it charge, have my people pose, turn it on and snap the picture....after which it shuts off cause the battery is gone again.

Needless to say...I don't take too many pictures these days. However, here are a few that I have managed to get from the last few weeks...Enjoy.

Sitting on the cool piece of wood that looked like a little chair.

Taking her turn.

.
We try to set an example as serious and mature young people.

Most of the time...

Are we convincing anyone?...

Our fire!

The Soriano family singing at the Shelbyville Bible Holiness Homecoming.

Darla and I at Homecoming.

Christian, Ben, and Jeff at Homecoming.

Sister and I ice skating!

My friend Grace

Playing Knock-out at the Atherton's.

Plans

2009-11-08T13:17:00.000-08:00

Black Friday is right around the corner and I must say...I am pumped! I love going even when I am not buying anything big or important. I love seeing peoples reactions however ridiculous they may act. Black Friday brings out the childishness in some adults. A few people act worse than two little kids fighting over the best toy in the house. I mean...what would ever make a person punch or shove a total stranger?

This year however...I have a purpose for getting up before the crack of dawn and then making my way to the crowded streets of Indianapolis....I am buying a new laptop! Yes...a new one! I believe that my 6 year old HP has seen better days. He is missing the "k" and the "i" keys...he was painted by the thief who stole him out of my car. It doesn't charge all the time, you have to have the cord in just the right place for it to work. And even then, you may not move it but it suddenly stops charging. Most of the time, you don't realize it stopped charging until you see the blue windows screen that says "Hibernating." He moves slower than the slowest Sunday afternoon driver you have ever been behind. It takes 20 minutes just to turn in on and open the web browser. Then when you do open a web browser, it starts making a strange noise which means its trying to think and will soon be freezing up on you. So, you restart the computer just to begin the whole process over again. So I have decided to retire the old beast and look for a new one. I am overly excited. However, I am going to need to make a decision and I dislike decision making....
WISH ME LUCK!

Get-A-Way

2009-10-26T17:27:00.000-07:00

The Get-A-Way... Owned by the Gardner family, is a place of many memories for many people. It's where my brother-in-law taught my sister how to drive stick shift. The first place I ever climbed down a cliff (actually slid pulling Garvin along with me because he wouldn't let go of my hand). It was a nice view at the bottom, but we went down so that meant we had to go back up. This was the place where we rode in the back of a horse trailer for a hayride! Where we girls decided to see if there really was a bull in with all the other cows. Dumb. Where Laura V, Jessica Carr and I decided to brave the pitch darkness and go for a walk. Laura twisted her ankle in that darkness, Jess and I had to nearly carry Laura back to the cabin.
I would love to say how many acres the get-a-way consists of but....I virtually have no idea. Lots of land...a cabin, cows, and the famous pine tree. My memories of the get-a-way are mainly of church and youth group functions. We laughed, goofed off, and even cried together. Hayrides at the get-a-way were never boring. If older adults were on the ride...they were soon being worrisome about our safety. Someone was always jumping out from behind a tree and attempting to pull another someone off the wagon. If a Gardner was driving...it was never boring. I remember sliding down a hill...Aaron had the brakes on but we were still moving...and everyone's body weight was pushing me closer and closer to the front edge of the wagon. Took two guys holding on to me in order to keep me on the wagon.
I remember one night we had a youth get-together the weekend after closing a youth revival. We built a bonfire with the purpose of getting rid of items that were getting in the way of us being completely sold out to God. We threw clothes, c.d.'s and books in. It was a wonderful night of surrender and worship to God!
This past Saturday, the Westport Wesleyan Church had thier Fall church gathering at the get-a-way. I managed to tag along and enjoyed remembering all the fun times we had there. Thank you entire Gardner family for sharing this beautiful place with so many people through the years!

The lane going into the get-a-way

When I was a kid.....we used these outhouses. They have been upgraded to ones made of metal.

Continuance of the lane...

Bekah was trying to be so brave on the "big round bales"...this is as far as she got!

Bekah and I taking a self pic!

Jimmy's daughter (not Miley, the other one...can't remember her name) and Elizabeth.

So Pretty!

So....on the hayride now. A Gardner is driving...needless to say....notice we are in the creek. A couple two/three times, the creek was about 2 inches from the bottom of the wagon.

Yes, we drove over that.

The waterfalls...pretty but made my pics blurry.

Fuzzy again...

The little kids under the falls....trying not to get wet.

Dead in my tracks...

2009-10-17T13:28:00.000-07:00

Last night I was thinking about a few of my friends who I grew up with. They were raised in conservative churches, yet they have chosen to follow different paths. A few of them have chosen to separate themselves from church altogether. It can be discouraging at times just thinking about how many of my friends are not living for God. I get frustrated with them..."they know better than to live like this"...I say. It is easy to feel very disappointed by their actions and lives. Then it hits me....I have let them down in an even bigger way. I do not pray for my friends like I should. I have no right to be judgmental. My only right it to faithfully pray for them. Who am I to look at their lives and criticize? I know for a fact that I have disappointed God throughout my life... Where would I be without the prayers of family and friends? My goal is to love and to pray for my friends...not to be their critic. If I do my part and pray for them, God will be faithful to convict. When He wants to use me as His tool...I will have an open heart to speak His Love.

I heard the following two songs on the radio a few weeks ago. They both have meant a lot to me.

Among The Thirsty - I'd Need A Savior

How many names can I use to explain the love of my Jesus,
the life that he gave and so many times will I praise you today.
I lift up my life ‘cause you’re always the same
And my offering to you I bring

Chorus:
Your name is Jesus. Your name is Jesus.
You’re the Wonderful, Counselor, my Friend.
You’re what I hold on to; I know that you brought me through
All the days of loss, to the cross you knew
I’d need a Savior.

How many songs can I sing to proclaim your wondrous love and beauty so great?
What would I say if you brought down the rain and everyday
I walk through the pain my heart would still say…

Chorus:
You’re what I hold on to; I know that you brought me through
All the days of loss, to the cross you knew
I’d need a Savior.
I’d need a Savior
I need you, Savior

Glory to God – Steve Fee

Before the world was made, before you spoke it to be
You were the King of Kings, yeah you were, yeah you were
And now you’re reigning still, Enthroned above all things
Angels and saints cry out, We join them as we sing

Chorus:
Glory to God, Glory to God
Glory to God, Forever (2x’s)

Verse 2:
Creator God you gave me breath so I could praise
Your great and matchless name, all my days, all my days
So let my whole life be a blazing offering
A life that shouts and sings the greatness of the King

Bridge:
Take my life and let it be
All for you and for your glory
Take my life and let it be yours (x2) We sing… (back to chorus)

Out with the old...in with the new.

2009-08-28T13:42:00.000-07:00

Hello fellow bloggers! It's me...that one person who has a terrible habit of letting months go by without blogging. I am back! Along with a new vow to become a better blogger.

I am sitting here wondering what happened to the Fall season. It seems as though we totally skipped over the cool days of Fall and went straight to COLD days. Fall is my favorite season. I love the warmth of a bonfire after nearly freezing your ears off on a hayride.

A little update on my life... I am taking 13 hours at Ivy Tech this semester. I am currently working 3, no 4, different places. I still work at Ashford Place Health Campus part time as a cna and in the business office. I also just started at a retirement facility. I still sit with the elderly man a few days a week and babysit occasionally. Having several different jobs can make things a little more confusing than if I worked just one place. I am managing...you gotta do what you gotta do!

Unfortunately I have class in a few moments so I must say "goodbye" for now. Be safe, be courteous, be spontaneous!

Graduation!

2009-06-10T05:19:00.000-07:00

Vanette graduated on May 17th with her RN! It seemed as though that day could not have come soon enough for her. I am very proud of her! Congratulations Vanette!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

VBS

2009-06-08T18:08:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures from Vacation Bible School at Shelbyville Bible Holiness. I was able to work on one of the vans all week and I thoroughly enjoyed it! It felt like old times, which was awesome!
Enjoy!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Megan and Roel's Wedding

2009-05-30T08:07:00.000-07:00

I had the privilege to stand in the wedding of Megan Hollon and Roel Cuaresma. I met Megan when I attended GBS in 2005. She and I were also roommates on our trip to Guatemala in 2007. We have a lot of memories from that trip, mostly memories of laughing but also a few tearful memories. I still laugh when I think of some of those times. Like the time we four girls were trying to cross a still which was flowing with two feet of muddy rain water. Or when she and I had to take a tuc-tuc home because it was pouring rain. The driver over-charged us and then the tuc-tuc kept stalling on the drive home.
Those are memories that I hope I never forget. Thousands of miles from home or just a few miles away, Megan has given me an amazing friendship. She cares deeply about people and has never shown a bit of selfishness to those around her. I'm so happy for her and Roel! They both deserve the best!
Here are a few pictures from their wedding.

The wedding colors were Green and Ivory

Roel's parents

Jesse and I

Seth and Jamie Stephens. Two boys that both Megan and I babysat for.

Megan and her Father

So pretty...

The guys

Getting ready for the kiss

Roel, Megan and I

The adorable flower girl and Jamie

The Stephens family (thanks to my father for making animal noises....everyone was smiling) I miss this family sooo much!

Most of Roel's family

Mexico

2009-01-28T12:27:00.000-08:00

In the middle of December I flew into Texas to be in two of my good friends wedding. Ednita is Mexican but grew up in Texas, and Hector also is Mexican and grew up in Guadalajara, Mexico. Since Ednita is a US citizen, they had to have a ceremony in both the US and in Mexico. I enjoyed having the privilege of being in a Mexican wedding. I also enjoyed seeing some old friends from GBS and also meeting relatives and friends of Ednita and Hector. I have a ton of pictures from my trip, too many to put on here. However, I would like to share a few. There are some that have a story behind the picture, which helps to explain them.

This was at Ednita's house for the civil ceremony.

Kristen and I

Five of the seven bridesmaids

The totally awesome car Ednita and Hector rode in.

Ednita just as she got to the church...she was so beautiful

Josh and Cesar before the wedding. Josh played his cello and Cesar was the usher.

Gabriel and Cesar

Me after the ceremony. We were bored while they were taking family pictures.

Kristen and Jenny showing me how to pose with a "natural" look

Kristen and Joy. Joy was one of the maids-of-honor

Iglesia Evangelica Misionera Mexicana

Hector's parents

Jenny, Cesar and I. They are twins in case you couldn't tell.

The bride and groom and me

Jihae, one of the bridesmaids

Chen and I at the reception.

Jorge, the guy I walked with

Josue...another one of the groomsmen. He's a lot of fun!

It was our last night in Texas, Cesar and Josh decided to put this snake skin in Jenny's luggage. You should have heard her scream when she opened the suitcase up to get her boots out.

Right before Josh took them to the bus station

Josh took me back into Mexico to do some shopping...I found this in one of the stores....

....and this at a side walk vendor....made me laugh.

Finals Week!

2008-12-13T19:56:00.000-08:00

Finals week. The two times a year when I ask myself why I feel this need to put myself through such misery. I guess in the end, when I am finished and have the degree I'm striving for, it will be totally worth it. Worth all the nights filled with little sleep and too much caffeine.
I was talking to my friend Josh the other night and telling him how I needed to start writing my research paper. I think I was complaining about how much work it was going to be. At the same time, I was blog hopping when I came across this a song. It is totally true and could not have come at a more perfect time.

It goes to the tune of Jingle Bells.

College life, college life,
Grinds your health away.
Finals, tests, all without rest,
And reading that’s due today.
College life, college life,
Makes you quite a sight,
Oh, what fun it is to write
That term paper tonight!

I thought it was very appropriate.

Thanks Isaac for sharing that with everyone!

BLACK FRIDAY

2008-11-30T12:49:00.000-08:00

Black Friday

Thanksgiving evening some of my friends came over to stay the night so that we could all go shopping Friday morning. We all decided that since none of us had any certain thing we wanted and that we were all basically going for the fun of it, that we would not leave the house until 5am. Rather than 4am. I stayed up entirely too late talking and only got like an hour and a half of sleep. We all jumped into a cold car at 5 am and headed to Greenwood where our first stop was Wal-Mart. We didn't get to see any fights or false accusations because of how late we got there. I was able to get my nieces checked off of my Christmas list which was nice. I had a lot of fun and I believe everyone else did as well.

Rebekah, Daniel, and I at wal-mart

Jocilyn, Tiffany, and I at the mall!

The getting in wasn't so bad....it was trying to get them out!

Rebekah talked Daniel into playing this nice pink guitar.

This is Rebekah...she is the Hello Kitty Queen.

Death

2008-11-23T11:59:00.000-08:00

This past Friday was a very strange day. I worked my clinical rotation in the Johnson County Er from 8-5. Around 4:30, they received a call that an ambulance was bringing in a 43 year old male in cardiac arrest who had been electrocuted. By the time they arrived, it had been almost an hour since the first responder received the call, the man was gray and they were still doing compressions. I didn't know what to think. Having worked in the nursing home, I have had a few of my residents die. But this was different, the man was so young. I was standing there watching, when one of the Paramedics asked if I would like to do some compressions. This was the first time I had done compressions on a real person, and needless to say...I did not last long. Compressions are very strenuous work, I was soon out of breath and asking for a relief. The man had been putting up Christmas lights, he was moving his aluminum ladder when he hit the power line. He smelled very strongly of electrical burn. The Doctor soon pronounced the death and I high-tailed it out of there.
I was doing pretty good until I called my Mother. My parents had went to Columbus Ohio to be with my Aunt whose husband was having emergency surgery for sepsis. When I asked my mom how Tom was doing...she told me that he had died that morning. It was at this point that the tears came. It's one thing when you see an elderly person die...it's probable. My uncle was only 59 and didn't seem "old enough" to die.
Uncle Toms funeral was on Monday. It was a rough funeral...it's just really hard to believe he's gone. My siblings and cousins and I were reminiscing about Uncle Tom. There were basements in both houses that my Aunt and Uncle lived in (that I can remember). Uncle Tom always had a pool table and a bar in those basements. We kids loved to play with the pool table and make up our own games and rules. I do not ever remember a time when we got in trouble for playing with it. We just all knew that we had to take good care of the things when we got them out, and we had to put them back right where we got them from. Uncle Tom was always teasing everyone about how much food they would eat. He would make snide comments like, "boy, do you think you could get some more food on that plate?" or "whoa, are you sure there is still food out there? Or did you take it all"? He always had a grin on his face and a joke to share with everyone.
I guess the one thing that this last week has reminded me of is that you never know when you will die. You just have to be prepared to go whenever it's your time.

Procrastinate

2008-11-18T10:59:00.000-08:00

Procrastinate - to put off till another day or time; defer; delay

I admit, at this very moment I am...procrastinating. I'm sitting in the library, on the internet when I should be sitting at a desk reading my wonderful EMT book. I find it very interesting how many things I can find to do while I'm procrastinating. You know...things like checking my e-mail, or my bank account, or finding a drawer that needs to be organized. Currently I am head deep in homework for my EMT class. Dispite that fact, I can never seem to interest myself in plunging into all of that homework. It is much easier to just waste the time away rather than use it wisely.
However, I need to create disipline in my life. So, at this time I will turn to chapter 29 and read about Musculoskeletal Injuries. Yes I will!

Update

2008-11-06T09:08:00.001-08:00

Just a little update on Onan. He is doing much better, Thank the Lord! However, he lost a good portion of his face in the shooting. As I understand, he lost one eye, and his lower jaw including part of his tongue. He is still in the hospital.
I would ask that you would please pray for his family. When Onan was shot, he was giving a 27 year old man a ride on his motor cycle. To my understanding, Onan did not know the guy but was simply giving him a ride because he was interested in buying the bike. That man was in some trouble with some other guys. Enough trouble that they decided to shoot the man. Onan happened to be there with him so they shot Onan as well. When Onan was shot, he fell into the ditch where they could no longer see him. When the police came, two hours later, they found the man dead and Onan lying in the ditch. However, once they found Onan, they would not treat him at the hospital until they contacted his mother. So, in all reality, Onan should not have lived through that shooting. All I can think of is that God must have great plans for his future.
Now, the family of the 27 year old think that it is Onans fault that their son was killed. So they have come to the Morales home looking to get revenge. Needless to say, they have not been able to go home. Please pray for their safety and that God would lead them in the right direction. I know that God has everything under His control.

URGENT

2008-10-20T15:03:00.000-07:00

PLEASE PRAY

I have a friend named Elmer who is Guatemalan and who lives here in the states. Last summer I was able to travel to Guatemala and meet his family members who were still in Guatemala. Yesterday, I received a phone call saying that Elmer's youngest brother, Onan, had been shot multiple times. He took two shots to his stomach, two to his legs, and shots to his face. He lost one eye, part of his mouth and nose. They are not expecting him to make it. The other boy he was with was killed. Onan is only 16 years old and is not a christian. Onan has been struggling with negative peer pressure and has started to get in with the wrong crowd. They do not know what caused the shooting to take place. They have not let his mother back to see him due to the fact that she has heart problems and his brothers are scared of what will happen to her physically. I took this picture when I was in Guatemala with them last summer. Onan is the third from the left.
Please pray for God's will in this situation. My heart breaks when I think of this family who has been through so much already. I love all of them. I am praying that God will go and comfort each one of them. Please pray for the Moralez family. His mother, brother Omar, and sister in Guatemala. And also for Elmer, Eric, and Giovanni who are all in the states.

Friends!

2008-10-16T11:05:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I went to GBS for Homecoming and I was able to see some of my friends there. I stayed with Tiffany in her room along with her sister Nicole. Tiff decided she wanted to make our stay as memorable as possible, so...she cranked the AC to max. It was so cold. I (as was Nicole) was not prepared for these extreme weather conditions so I had to ask Tiffany for a hoodie and warm fuzzy socks. Needless to say, I slept with my hood on that night. It was soo cold.

Nicole and I sporting our hoodies.

Me just trying to prove my point.

CHURCH PICNIC

Saturday was our church picnic. We played volleyball, softball (I didn't for simple reasons), and cornhole. And...we had lots of food. This years picnic was different from last years due to the fact that the weather was much warmer. This made the hayride perfect because we didn't need as many layers of clothing!

The amazing Catcher!

Elmer, Aaron and another man whose name I do not know.

Action in the field.

CHEESE!

Me....telling a story...about frisbee.

Oh, oh. This is the best part. I didn't know she was taking pictures of me.

Getting ready for the hayride!

Bekah and I

People

Yay for friends. Sorry, Daniel was not totally in the picture

Oh there he is

Emily and I

Haha, typical southern Indiana harvest.

Friend Day!

2008-10-16T10:37:00.000-07:00

FRIEND DAY

My church had Friend Day on October 5th. Up until this day, our record attendance had been 135. On Friend Day 2008, we had 136 people in attendance! We were so excited to see the many new faces that came as a result of the church people working hard to invite their friends. God is working in a church in a very special way, I am so excited to see what He has planned for the future!

A view of our Friend Day crowd.

The Stainbrook brothers

The beautiful Gardner kids

There was so much food! I was having trouble deciding what to have! (I am muttering to my Mother that, no this picture is no appropriate)

My nieces and their cousin Jadelyn

Everyone stuffing their faces

Now those are some big plates

My friends Emily, Haley, and Rebekah

Our future firefighter

Haley and I

Elizabeth Grace

2008-09-22T16:25:00.000-07:00

POOR THING
My niece, Elizabeth, loves to swing around on their play set like a little monkey. She was doing this Saturday when she fell off and broke her arm at the elbow. Vanette took her to the ER in Madison where they took X-rays and then decided to send her to Louisville for surgery. It ended up being 17 hours from the time of the break until they took her into surgery. And 21 hours until she could eat or drink. That is a long time for a five year old.
For being a drama queen, she did really good. However, the last hour before surgery she decided she had enough. These are a few of the things she said in her despair: "I want to see the doctor, NOW!" "I want a drink, I want a drink, I want a drink, I want a drink." This last one was repeated over and over for several minutes. I understand that these things could make her look like a brat, but put yourself in her shoes. How would you be feeling if you had to lay there in significant pain for that long??
She came home Sunday night. I left this morning and she was still in a lot of pain. I am very proud of her and how brave she has been.

Sunday night after she got home from the hospital. I think her face says it all.

Finally able to go to sleep.

Trying to spend some time with Rebekah who has been a little neglected in all the excitement.

Smiles!

Wind and Humidity

2008-09-22T15:42:00.000-07:00

HUMIDITY
Last Saturday our church had a picnic at one of the local parks. We had a good turnout of youth and young adults. Up until Saturday, the weather had been nice and cool. But the weather gave a slight turn on Saturday and gave us a very sunny and humid, very humid, day. Despite how hot it was, we all had a great time playing games and talking. We played corn hole and softball, and ate very yummy hamburgers!

Katie and I watching the softball game.

Mary and Emily

Providing entertainment

Cornhole!!!!

WINDS
Sunday was an unusual and interesting day. Mostly because we had to anchor down in order not to blow away. I spent the day at my sisters house in Hanover where we had winds up to 75mph. At around 2pm, the wind started to get really forceful. Vanette and were finding great entertainment in looking out the window at the neighbors house (pictured below), watching everything that the wind was damaging. We were amazed at what all was happening. It was about that time that I remembered the tree at the end of the house, positioned so that if it snapped would fall toward the house. I mentioned this thought to Vanette and she just laughed and said "oh, you don't have to worry about it because it's not on your end of the house". About that time one of my nieces came in and said something about a tree and falling on the truck. In our distraction, we simply thought she was asking if it would fall. She was followed with Jeff, who said "did you hear that tree fall on the truck?" That got our attention and we went out to find that the truck was covered by half of the tree. Luckily, it was covered mostly by the small branches and not the bigger limbs. There was no damage done.

The neighbors

Tree and truck

We ended up canceling church Sunday night for a few reasons. Number 1, the state of Indiana issued a state of emergency and did not want people out on the roads for obvious reasons. Number 2, most of our people are from KY and in order for them to come into IN they have to cross a bridge over the Ohio River. The state of KY closed this bridge around 3pm because of it shifting. Scary! So, we stayed home and made pizza!!

Mr. and Mrs. Nathan Smith

2008-09-08T10:52:00.000-07:00

I had the privilege of being in two of my closest friends wedding on Friday. I have known Nathan all of my life. We grew up going to church together. We worked at Garst Seeds as Research Technicians when we were in high school. There have been many times that I have asked Nathan his opinion on something. After all of his preliminary speeches Nathan typically gives, he was always very honest about his opinion. I appreciate the friendship that we have had through the years. Nathan was the bus captain on the bus that I worked on at the Bible Holiness church. I have many memories of the all Saturdays we spent out calling on people from the church and on our bus kids.

Ironically enough, it was on one of these calling endeavors that I first saw Laura. We were calling at a house on Elm St. which is just behind the church. We were standing on this porch talking to a lady when I saw a girl in a skirt walking our way. It occurred to me that Nathan somehow knew her because he walked over to talk to her. I guess the lady we were calling on thought that I may be interested in Nathan. She looked at me and said..."you better get him before Lorie steals him away!"

Several months after my first encounter with Laura, she and her parents started attending our church. We were both 15 years old. Her Father had just left a Baptist church across town and was taking some time off from pastoring. They decided to see what we Holiness people were all about! So, Laura came to church. Laura and I have talked several times about what our thoughts were of each other that first day we met. My thoughts of her? I thought she was stuck on herself. She didn't seem happy to be there at all. And as time passed I found out that indeed she was not happy to be there.

Despite what I thought of her, we started hanging out and became fast friends! We were very different in personalities. Laura somehow brought, and still does bring, the crazy part out in me. I love that about her. Until I met Laura, me hanging out with friends consisted mostly on me going out with my brother and his friends. Laura was the first real "girlfriend" I ever had. I consider our friendship priceless.

I will also never forget the first time she told me she liked Nathan! Once she told me, she went on to make sure that I did not like him. She said she would feel horrible if she liked someone that I was secretly liking. After I assured her that I did not like him and that I never had, she went on to talk about how handsome he was! That was August of 2002. After that point, she was always asking me if I thought he really liked her. And how she thought he treated her like any other girl. This was always followed with me trying to assure her that no, he did not treat her the same. I guess I never spelled it out good enough because the next time she was at my house..."Valerie, I just wish I knew if he liked me".

Most of you know the rest of the story. How they were "just friends" until May of 2006 when they finally started dating. Since then they have been a wonderful godly example of a Christian couple. They were engaged on February 29, 2008. And married on September 5, 2008

Congratulations Nathan and Laura!

Following are some pictures I was able to get of the wedding

This would be Laura (after decorating for too long) and her now brother-in-law, Andrew.

The centerpiece to the tables. They actually had goldfish in the water for the wedding!

THE DAY OF!

Beautifying the Bride!

Laura's mother Pat putting on her veil.

Gorgeous!

Laura with some of her family members.

Laura's beautiful niece Beth Lee

Laura and I.

The bridal party

Nathan and his new niece Beth Lee

Ashley and I waiting for the photographer to finish the pictures

Nathan and Laura with the Groomsmen

Me...shifting on my very tired feet

Cute!

Laura and Nathan with their fathers

Mr. and Mrs. Smith walking into the reception

A few more pics from my summer!

2008-09-06T13:14:00.000-07:00

THE STEPHENS
I have worked for the Stephens family for two years! During that time I have become very attached to the boys. Jamie and Seth are 4 years old and Blake just turned 10! My last week of working for them was a special one. I went out on the boat with them for the last time. On my last day, the boys made a card for me that said.."you can come when you want to see us". Mom said those are the exact words of Seth. Here are a few pics.

I love these boys!

Seth and I

Jamie and I

Getting ready to go out on the boat!

FRIENDS
A few weeks ago I was able to meet up with a few of my old friends that I use to attend church with. It was nice to be able to be all together with them again.

My friends!!

My sister-in-law Becky and her sister Laura

End of Summer

2008-09-01T07:48:00.000-07:00

I'm looking back at the Summer of 2008 and I am totally clueless as to where it has gone. Somehow, without any of my permission, the Summer has played it course.
I have enjoyed working for the Stephens family in Cincinnati. Since I started working for them in September of 2006, they have been wonderful people to work for. I believe that I am a little too attached to the boys. There are 4 year old twin boys and a 10 year old boy. These guys are too cute, I miss them so much. I also have worked for the past year for another family with all boys named the Kreiders. I went with the Kreiders to South Carolina on their vacation to help keep an eye on the boys. We had beautiful weather for the week on the beach.
I started my studies last week at Ivy Tech State College. I am taking a class for EMT-Basic, English and a Math class. There is going to be a lot of reading in the EMT and English classes. I am also working at the nursing home as a CNA and at a little Mexican restaurant called Garcia's. Needless to say I am keeping very busy.
I am finally going to post some pictures of my summer!!!!

GRADUATION

I was happy to have my whole family except for my brother-in-law (who chose to be sick) at my graduation!

This Summer Laura was able to stay with me at my apartment while she was in Cincinnati to work. One evening we went out to eat at Jalepenos and then down to the river to eat ice cream!!! While we were at the river I had a phone call come in, so Laura sat there taking random pictures on my camera. These are some of the results.

This one happens to be a high five!

See what I mean about her being bored?

PA Trip
In July I went to PA with my friend Tiffany to visit some of our friends from GBS. While we were there we went to AYC to work as staff. I was put on a team as the assistant coach.

My team members!

Christy and I waiting for service to begin.

Melissa, Tiffany and I watching the girls Stars vs. Stiffs softball

Heidi and I at Applebees. YUM!

Leanna, Tiffany and I at Chocolate World!

SOUTH CAROLINA
I had the privilege to go with the Kreider family on their family vacation to South Carolina! We spent two nights in Charleston and then a week at the fathers parents beach house on Folly Beach.

Me....on the pier.

Ken and baby Quinn

Pierce and Keene playing in the water!

This is a shark that a man caught while fishing on the pier.

As sad as he may be in this picture I still have to laugh every time I see it. Keene was out in the ocean with his dad trying to boogie board and he got the washing machine treatment by the ocean. Poor little fellow.

Sunrise on the beach

Pierce, Keene and I at Fort Sumter

The beach house

Keene and Quinn waiting for the taxi

Pierce does a wonderful job at reading for a six year old.

SUMMER!!!

2008-06-29T13:13:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe that this summer will soon be half over. There is an apartment above the garage of the people I work for in Cincinnati and I have been living there and working full-time for them. I really enjoy my work and I love the kids. I have been keeping busy running the boys back and forth to their various summer activities. I am planning on living in Cincinnati until the end of this summer and then moving back to Shelbyville. I am going to be attending Ivy Tech State College in the Fall to finish some prerequisites for Nursing. I am looking forward to furthering my education in the health field.

UH OH!

2008-05-12T18:05:00.000-07:00

Argh! I am so bad at this whole blogging thing. I apologize for this. I was reminded yesterday by my dear sister that I do not keep this updated as I should. I keep thinking that as soon as summer gets here I will have more time to do things like this. However, I am afraid that it will not get any better. As some of you know, I am going to be living in Cincinnati for the summer. The family that I currently work for are allowing me to live in the apartment above their garage, I will be working for them full time. I am looking forward to working for them, they are a great family.
This is my final week before I GRADUATE! I cannot believe how fast the last three years have passed by. I am going to miss things about GBS. I love being so close to so many of my friends. I'm also going to miss the spiritual aspect of it. At the same time, I am ready to move on with my life.
I was able to go on a retreat a few weeks ago with some people in my organization. We stayed in a cabin up in the mountains of North Carolina. This was the first time for me to go to North Carolina, I love the state! The retreat was exactly what I needed right then. I was able to relax and forget about everything for a few days. We did some hiking, slept in, and read good books. Mr. Glick gave some sessions on disciplining yourself in your devotion life. I was able to learn some things. God revealed a few things to me that I need to change.
Well, I must bid everyone farewell for now. God Bless!

Worn Out!

2008-04-18T20:35:00.000-07:00

What a busy week. I am sitting in the office and my body is feeling the effects of this week. The father of one of the families I work for here in Cincinnati had surgery this week. So I had to pick up some extra hours at their house watching the kids. Wednesday I went to IHC. It was great getting to see people that I do not get to see that often. Today was VIP day. As I am sitting here I am hearing the buzz of voices outside the window. They don't seem to be tired...how do they do it? Tonight is the beginning of my weekend on call. Something tells me it's going to be a long one.
With all of this being said...graduation day is quickly approaching! In exactly one month, I will have my diploma from God's Bible School & College! This fact makes me excited and curious at the same time.

Rain! Easter!

2008-03-19T15:39:00.000-07:00

If it's not one form of precipitation, it's the other. Rain...will it stop soon? It has been raining for two days now and I long to see sunshine! I hear tomorrow is supposed to be mostly dry...this makes me happy!
As you all know, Easter is this weekend! My church is also in revival this week with BJ Walker. I have never heard Bro Walker preach but I have heard many good things about him. I am excited about this revival and what God is going to do for us in it. I am praying that God would reveal the Easter story to me in a new way this year. I have grown up in church and I feel I know the Easter story very well. But I want it to become alive to me this year. I don't want to forget that Christ died in order for you and I to have Eternal Life. I am so glad that He did not just die, but that He was resurrected! Christ truly made the greatest sacrifice!
I will be posting pictures of our senior banquet soon!

Snowed In!

2008-03-08T18:35:00.000-08:00

Snow! According to Dictionary.com snow is: a precipitation in the form of ice crystals, mainly of intricately branched, hexagonal form and often agglomerated into snowflakes, formed directly from the freezing of the water vapor in the air. There are times when I am very happy to have snow covered roads and then yet other times when the roads are covered in snow and there is some place I would like to be rather than where I am planted. For instance, when one is in the dorm early one morning and a voice comes from across the loud speaker announcing that school has been cancelled. I cannot begin to explain the feelings I get when I have heard these wonderful words, and then I crawl back into bed without a concern about going to class. These feelings are beyond explanation. This excitement was not granted to my fellow students and I this past Friday. Actually it didn't start snowing until late morning, when we were almost finished with our classes. Even though I was very saddened by the delay of snow fall, I am enjoying this beautiful winter storm that God has showered down upon us! Everyone was pretty much stuck here this weekend. It was nice to have a weekend where everyone could relax and have fun. I think that I played more games this past weekend than in the last 7 years of my life! It was truly a relaxing weekend!

Catching up

2008-02-02T18:00:00.000-08:00

Hello Friends and Family! I am truly embarrassed that I have not kept my blog updated. My reason for creating this site was to help keep people informed (if they so desire) of the happenings in my life. I was successful for about a month, then my efforts came to a terrifying crash-landing. However, failure is not final (We were told this in chapel on Friday) so I would like to pick up where the pieces landed...

I am now in my last semester at GBS! I will graduate in May, after which I plan to attend nursing school back in Indiana. I am thankful for the time God has given me here at GBS, I have changed and matured so much since I came as a freshman in 2005. I have named my page Seguidor de Cristo, which in english means follower of Christ, because that is exactly what I want to be. I want to follow in the steps that He has for my life. Since being at GBS I have learned much about who God is. I am grateful for how He has changed my view of Him. The year of 2007 was probably the toughest year of my life. But yet God was there the entire time in a very special way. I do not understand why God allowed some things to happen, but I am not going to ask the question "why", I am going to rely on the fact that God has a purpose for everything He does. I know that through those things, I am a much better person for Him.
I attend the Madison Pilgrim Holiness church where my Brother-in-law is the pastor. I am excited about what God is doing for us. In the last year and a half the attendance has nearly doubled! God is responsible for that! I can't wait to see what He has for the future of the church body.
I have been keeping busy with school and work. I am a RA (resident assistant) here at GBS. I am a nanny for two families (six children) in Cincinnati, and I work as a CNA at a nursing home on some weekends. Needless to say, I keep busy. However, I do manage to find some time for fun! I have a wide variety of friends abroad and I am very thankful for all of them.
This has gone a little longer than I intended, thank you all for reading my blog. I will keep this updated!!

July 24, 2007

2007-07-24T11:12:00.000-07:00

A man preaching outside of the market.

The girls with our teachers at McDonald's.

Friday!!!

2007-07-20T11:26:00.000-07:00

This is along a nature path at the coffee farm.

My teacher Lidia and I at McDonalds.

Us girls at the school.

July 16, 2007

2007-07-16T15:00:00.000-07:00

On Sunday morning Bro Geise came to pick us all up. He drives a ford pickup in which three of the guys rode in the back. We attended both services at the church that Bro Geise pastors. They had us sing some songs. On one of the songs we were singing in English, we forgot some of the words so we were stumbling over them. I guess it’s a good thing they didn’t know English because they don’t know when you are making up words. Haha. Sis. Geise fed us lunch and supper, both of which were very good. We left the city at about 7:30. I ended up riding in the back with Ben and Phillip. It was a lot of fun. Bro Geise had put two lawn chairs in the back for us to sit on, and Ben broke both of them. It was really funny. He was sitting on the first one, when we heard a *snap. So, we went to the second one. Well, the roads are not as nice as in the States and when we came down from a huge bump in the road, the second one snapped. It was funny.