Sharing Space

Since I am working on campus for the summer, I am also staying in the dorms for the summer. That means I don't have a lot of space, and what I do have, I have to share with 24 or so other girls! Now, my summer roommate got married the third week of the summer, so I do have a room all to myself - which I am so thankful for! However, there is only one kitchen, one stove, one large fridge, and one washer and dryer. I keep most of my dishes in a labeled cupboard in the kitchen, but I noticed people were using my forks and leaving them around the kitchen - my utensils are now in my room! I've also had someone take my apple juice and turkey slices. My most recent find is the salt in my salt shaker is extremely low - might be bringing that one into the room too! Currently, I am doing laundry, but that's not always the easiest either - there is usually a wait to get into that washing machine. I guess I just have to learn patience and be thankful for the space I do have!

Home for a Week

There is nothing too exciting going on this week, except the fact that I am making fun plans for next week! I am taking a week off and will be home near Binghamton all next week. In between a couple appointments and getting new tires, I will be spending time with family and friends. I plan to go blueberry picking and make some delicious treats, do some hiking with a friend, play some mini golf, try out geocaching with my sister, grab lunch at Sonic, watch 4th of July fireworks with my sister and friends, go shopping, run in my first 5K race, go to a wedding, celebrate a friend's graduation and welcome home, and just enjoy not having to get up for work every morning. Sounds like a great week to me - now if it would hurry up and get here!

50 Years

My grandparents celebrated 50 years of marriage yesterday! I am so thankful for the family they have created and their love for each other. They each actively serve the Lord and are involved in their 10 grandchildren's lives. We are having an all family celebration at the end of the month! We are getting together at the restaurant in Taughannock Falls. I am looking forward to the special time with my grandparents.

Happy Anniversary, Grandma and Grandpa!!

Maryland Vacation

I was in Maryland for the weekend visiting family. My grandma and one group of cousins live down there. The other group of cousins were visiting from Texas. We had a great time together - swimming in the pool, eating corn on the cob, catching fireflies, and playing games - the toothpick game, the couch game, Blokus, and more! I accomplised another activity as visiting my grandma in Maryland was on my list!

Here's my cousin, Katie, and Julie playing Blokus. Julie got all her pieces on the board once!

Jenny was trying out the stilts. She was also quite the swimmer!

James was real good at catching fireflies!

Me and my cousin, Katie, from Texas. She is the one I went to visit last summer for her graduation.

Grandma took the girl cousins to The Melting Pot for dinner on Saturday. We started with a cheese fondue with bread, tortilla chips, veggies, and apples. Then we had 3 different salads to share. After that came the main course - we had steak, chicken, and shrimp to cook in oil or a broth with tons of sauces for dipping. Last came the dessert fondue! We got pure milk chocolate with cheesecake, brownies, poundcake, strawberries, marshmellows, and bananas. Everything was delicious!

Me, Sarah, and Julie with the dessert fondue. They brought out a birthday candle for Sarah's birthday!

Weekend Travels

Right now, I am home with my family for the night. We are leaving for Maryland tomorrow morning! Part of my mom's side of the family lives down there - my grandma and my aunt and her family. To add to the excitement, my cousins from Texas are coming to Maryland as well - 5 of them plus my aunt and uncle! We are going to have a full 2 houses with 17 of us! My aunt has a pool, so I'm sure we will spent lots of time there. It's also my cousin, Sarah's, 9th birthday on Friday, so we will be celebrating that. It's always fun to get all the cousins together - we will only be missing 2 this weekend. My grandma wants to take us girls to a fondue restaurant called The Melting Pot, so that will be something new to try!

I am looking forward to a great weekend away spent with family, having fun and creating memories for years to come!

There Will Be a Day

Today people felt an earthquake in Rochester. It had a magnitude of 5.5 and was felt in Canada, Buffalo, Syracuse - even the state of Maine! Additionally, a team from Roberts was recently down in Guatemala where they experienced their share of natural disasters. An active volcano errupted, spreading black ash all over the city. Hurricane Agatha hit, and a 100 feet deep and 66 feet wide sinkhole formed in the middle of the city. Our team was stuck in Guatemala as the airport had shut down. And do I have to remind you about what happened earlier in the year in Haiti and Chile? All of this goes on around us, but as believers we can look forward to the day where there will be no more destruction. A friend of mine showed me this song a few years back, and I still think of her every time I hear it. It's called There Will Be a Day, and it's by Jeremy Camp. Listen to it here or check out the chorus below:

There will be a day with no more tears,

No more pain, and no more fears

There will be a day when the burdens of this place,

Will be no more, we'll see Jesus face to face
But until that day, we'll hold onto You always

Zero Motivation

All week I have had zero motivation! I have Friday off so I can travel to Maryland to see family, and I just don't want to do anything until then! To add to that, I have the week of July 4th off, and I am going home to spend time with family and friends. I am starting to plan my week, which makes me think about it and get more excited, but makes it that much harder to be at work and do other things that need to get done. I just have to remember Paul's words in Colossians 3:23,

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men."

Prayerfully, I will be able to work wholeheartedly and then enjoy my time off when it comes!

Summer Is Here!

Happy First Day of Summer! June 21st is the longest day of the year, and today was a beautiful day! I hope you were able to get outside and enjoy it. I have been enjoying summer for a month and a half now, but it's nice to know it's officially here. Summer 2010 is going to be a good one!

Summertime means:

-Watermelon
-Flip Flops
-Sunshine
-Corn on the Cob
-Picnics
-Volleyball
-Roadtrips
-Fireworks
-Fun Times with Friends
-Blueberry and Strawberry Picking
-Swimming
-Vacation
-Ice Cream
-Freckles

I hope you are able to make this a great summer!

The Wiz

A friend from Roberts was in a musical this weekend, so I went to go see The Wiz this afternoon. It was a spin off The Wizard of Oz. It was fun to go watch. Growing up, my school used to do a play or musical every Spring, and I always enjoyed those. I have been to a few held at Roberts, which have been good, and I was happy to find one to go to this summer. The scarecrow did a very good job - he was so animated! I was a little disappointed though because Dorothy's shoes were not ruby red - they were silver?! And she did not repeat, "There's no place like home..." as she clicked her heals together - isn't that the classic line? Overall, it was still enjoyable to watch.

After the show, I went to my Aunt's house to celebrate Father's Day with my Grandpa. We played Bocee Ball and had a yummy meal. After that I came back home to Skype with my dad. I had given him his present last weekend when he was up for my cousin's wedding. I gave him the game Blokus which I had played a couple times and thought he would like. The game is for up to 4 players, each with a different color. There is a board with raised squares, and the colored pieces that look like they are from Tetris go on the board one at a time. The goal is to get the most on the board touching your pieces only on the diagonal. They have a 2 player version of the game that I am thinking about getting for myself. My dad has played his game a few times, so I'm glad he is enjoying it!

How Far?!

Today for my training I had to run 5 miles - a new record for me! I was exited to run it because I was going to combine my 2 mile loop with a new 3 mile loop. I was running it this morning, and it seemed to be taking forever! I was feeling slow, but I was going on 1 hour and was still not done! I finally finished and decided to clock it to see how far this 5 miles really was. I forgot that my 2 mile loop is a little over 2 miles and the same with my 3 mile loop. That means I ended up running 5.7 miles - nearly 6 miles this morning!! I don't think I was quite ready for that, but now I know I can do it! I would not let myself give up this morning - I ran the whole thing (and was almost late for my appointment afterwards!).

Kickball

After a long bike ride on the canal and some dinner, I got ready to go to my first kickball game! I haven't played since high school, but there is a league for adults in Rochester that I joined for the summer. My team's shirt color is Paprika, which is a firey orange color - not too hard to spot us! We lost our game 5-8, but at least I got on base! Plus, it's better than they did last week at 0-9 (I had to miss the game for the wedding rehearsal). My games are on Friday nights throughout the summer - should be a fun time!

Strawberries

I went strawberry picking tonight! Every since I was little, strawberry picking was always a part of the summer. My family would go, and we would make strawberry jam, strawberry shortcake, and other delicious treats! I'm excited to have some yummy berries to snack on - and I'll be home for blueberry season!

On my way home, I stopped by Greece Canal Park. I walked on the canal trail for a bit and enjoyed the pleasent evening. Possibly a place I'll have to take my bike back to!

Vacation

I just found out today that I will be working enough hours to take a vacation this summer!! In order to receive free housing on campus, you have to work fulltime on campus. I am 3.5 hours short of working fulltime, so I am hoping for all the hours I can get to make up the difference. I'm taking a day off here and there to make a long weekend, but I wasn't planning on being able to take a whole week off. I was so excited when I found out that I will be able to take a week off around 4th of July. I was going to go home 2 weekends in a row, so now I'll just stay home in between. Now I will have to start making plans with my family and friends back in Binghamton - I'm looking forward to time away from filing papers all day long!

Jitters

I went to Jitters for lunch today! Jitters is a coffee shop you can walk to from campus. My favorite item from their menu is the blackberry cream milkshake - delicious!! I met Carrie Starr there for lunch today. She is the faculty advisor for SIFE at Roberts, and she lives real close to campus, so it was a perfect place for us to catch up. She recently came back from Guatemala, so she was able to tell me about the trip while I caught her up on the activities in my life lately. We ate our lunch outside since it was a beautiful day. I didn't get my milkshake, so I feel another trip coming in the near future!

Hawaii Vacation

4 months ago I was in Hawaii having a wonderful time while visiting my friend Heather. Her husband, Andrew, was in the Marines and stationed in Hawaii. Of course, I hopped on a plane to visit them during my February Break. It was a great trip - here are some pictures of my favorite activities!

This is the sunrise on morning. We did this twice because it was one of my favorites. We hiked to the top of a hill to watch the sunrise over the ocean. What a great way to start the day!

This is Hanamua Bay where we went snorkeling. It was a great day to be in the water, and we saw lots of fish!

I had an underwater camera, and my pictures turned out great! Another one of my favorite activities for sure!

Here is the view down to the city of Honolulu. We hiked Diamond Head, which is the crater of an erupted volcano. Later that day we ate dinner on the beach down in the city.

This is Heather and I the day we went kayaking in the ocean. It was hard work!! And our cell phones and my camera got wet and ruined by the waves, but we did have a good time!

This was the last day, and another one of my favorites! We took a boat out on docked on a sandbar. We could walk around on the sandbar, then it dropped off to we could swim. We borrowed this paddleboard from a boat that was docked nearby. Everyone gave it a try!

Hawaii was a wonderful vacation and a great way to spend time with Heather! Her husband is now out of the Marines, and they are on their way back to the east coast - I am looking forward to seeing her again soon!

Blessing for Life

I have had this blog for a month and a half now, and I have not explained how I got the name Blessing for Life. It comes from a song by John Waller that I first heard in February last year when I was home on break. I fell in love with it right away. John Waller also does the song Worship While I'm Waiting that I have previously posted about. I had The Blessing playing while I shared my testimony at my baptism in December. I really like the words as they encourage the listener to live a life of blessing to others. Read the words below and listen to the song here.

Let it be said of us
While we walked among the living
Let it be said of us
By the ones we leave behind
Let it be said of us
That we lived to be a blessing for life

Let it be said of us
That we gave to reach the dying
Let it be said of us
By the fruit we leave behind
Let it be said of us
That our legacy is belssing for life

This day
You set life, you set death right before us
This day
Every blessing and curse is a choice now
And we will choose to be a blessing for life

Let it be said of us
That our hearts belong to Jesus
Let it be said of us
That we spoke the words of life
Let it be said of us
That our heritage is blessing for life

For your Kingdom, for our children
For the sake of every nation

We will choose to be a blessing for life

Will you be remembered for choosing to be a blessing?

Wedding Day

My cousin, Becca, got married today!! This is the first grandchild to get married, and it was a lovely day. Her and Tyler had a special day with lots of family and friends. Here's all of us girls before the ceremony.

Here is Becca, her mom, and Grandma. My aunt is celebrating 25 years of marriage this year, and my grandma is celebrating 50! Becca had perfect timing!

The yummy cake!

Me and my groomsman - my cousin, Andrew.

Mad Gabs

I love games! Mad Gab is always a fun way to pass the time. Here's a few to make your Friday more fun:

-Eight Ape Reek Quarter

-Pane Tree Moo Fur

-Ache Allowed Heed Hay

-Red Ear Knottier Hike Hum

-Wad Juice Hey

-Honey Fins Hide Burns

-Won Whee Keg Hoe

-Arrow Lurk Holster

-The Sis Haul Life Cot

If you are having trouble, try saying them outloud or by using a Britsh accent - Enjoy!

Bride-To-Be

Tonight was a girls' night! My cousin, Becca, is getting married on Saturday, and I am in the wedding. All the bridesmaids went out to dinner tonight, then enjoyed some dessert and games. Tomorrow we are all getting pedicures in the morning and have the rehearsal and dinner in the evening. We are all excited that the big day is coming up!

My family is coming into town tomorrow! Amy and Julie are going to spend the night with me on Saturday, then we are celebrating Father's Day with my dad and grandpa on Sunday. I am looking forward to a weekend of celebrations!

Half Way There!

I finished my 5th book last week! I read At Least We Were Married. It is written by Terry Thomas, and it is about his relationship with his wife before they were married and up to their honeymoon. A friend recommended this book to me while we were in Guatemala 2 summers ago, and I have just now gotten around to reading it!

Terry's wife, Nancy, was killed in a car accident while they were on their way to Florida for their honeymoon. The book does a great job of describing their wonderful relationship with each other and the Lord, and shares about tough decisions they had to make as they prepared for marriage. A wonderful marriage was cut short, but Terry realizes God is still in control.

This book just kind of hit home with me more since I know so many people that are getting married within the year. Last weekend my summer roommate got married. This weekend my cousin gets married. Two friends from college are getting married in August and January, and I have a friend from high school who just got engaged and is planning a wedding for next summer. My prayer is that these relationships will be strong in the Lord as well, and that He will grant them safety as they start their new lives together!

Bible Study

At Bible study a couple weeks ago, we picked the next topic we want to study. We chose the book Experiencing Success God's Way by Charles Stanley. It's a 10 lesson book that defines success in terms of how God might view it. I thought this was an appropriate topic as I have set so many goals for myself recently!

We had our first lesson/discussion tonight. We plan to meet every Tuesday, but incorporate some service as well. Every third week or so we will do a service project in the community - we are looking for new ways to actively serve God.

I am looking forward to my Tuesday evenings!

Mendon Ponds

Today I checked out Mendon Ponds for some hiking. At my old church, we went here for a Harvest Party in the fall, and I've always wanted to go back and hike the trails! Kristen was in town for a friend's wedding, so we decided to explore.

We chose to follow the Swamp Trail...

And this is the bridge over the swap!

When we got back to the nature center, a deer came right near us! He hung around for quite a while...long enough for a couple of pictures!

Mendon Ponds is definitely a place I want to keep in mind for this fall!!

Bridal Shower

Yesterday I traveled over to Syracuse for a bridal shower for my friend Rachel. She is also a business major and was my neighbor in the dorms this past year. We played a few games, ate some food, and watched her open lots of presents. I was glad I could help celebrate with her. Her big day is August 13th!

After the shower, I headed to Charlotte Beach for some GAP volleyball! It was pretty windy, but we had some good games. After volleyball we grabbed some Abbott's and headed to a friend's house to watch a movie.

All my activities were a great way to spend a Saturday!

Rhino's Game

Well, Edwin and I have been getting along real well as I find my way around Rochester. Tonight I headed downtown for a Rhino's soccer game and had to circle around a few times before I got to where I needed to be!

Last weekend I picked up a free season pass to all the Rhino's home games! All I had to do was bring a used college textbook - I chose Western Civ - so glad to be done with that!!

I am seated in the student supporters section, which means I'm by the kids with flags, chants, and lots of comments. After I moved once it wasn't that bad. The game was less than thrilling as it was tied 0-0 when I left to beat traffic with 10 minutes to go. My soccer buddy on campus hasn't been feeling well, so she wasn't able to go. I'm sure the games will be more exciting when I bring a friend! But hey - how can you beat a free event?!

Bike Riding

I met another goal on Friday! I went biking on the Erie Canal Trail. It was part of my cross training for the week, and it was very enjoyable.

Today, I had the day off, so I got together with a friend and went rollerblading at Charlotte Beach. That was fun, then we got on our bikes and found the Genesee River Trail to ride along for a while. We saw a large swan on the river and biked a few miles both ways. It was a good way to spend a day off!

Faithful Women & Their Extraordinary God

I just finished reading my fourth book - Faithful Women & Their Extraordinary God by Noel Piper. The book highlighted 5 Christian women from throughout history. Sarah Edwards, Jonathan Edwards wife, was faithful in the everyday tasks as she served her husband and guests to their home. Helen Roseeare was faithful as she served the Lord in Africa. Gladys Aylward was faithful in her work in China. I remember reading a chapter book in second grade about Gladys Aylward, and I asked my mom to bring it up to me over the weekend to read again! Gladys was born in England, but knew the Lord had called her to China. No mission's agency would take her, so she raised her own funds to get to China. She eventually did and spent years learning the language and teaching the people. Perhaps she is most famous for her work of unbinding girls' feet. She herself was small with dark hair, so she fit right in. I am looking forward to re-reading that Trailblazer book (remember those?!) from second grade.

Open Door Mission

I don't know downtown Rochester very well, and tonight proved that fact! Since there was a congregational meeting tonight at church, our Bible study did not meet. However, we were encouraged to serve at the Open Door Mission - something GAP does every other Tuesday night. We were supposed to meet at 7:15, but I was driving up and down Main Street looking for the place. Finally, I found a parking spot and called the girl in charge - there was no answer. I called another girl who I knew would be there - AGAIN, no answer! I decided I would just head back home, then I got a call back from the first girl. She tried to explain to me where the place was, so I went around again - still nothing. I decided to park my car and walk around. (Walking around downtown, alone, at night - maybe not the best idea!) By this time it is a little after 7:45 and I get another phone call from the second girl I tried calling. She gave me further directions and confirmed I was walking the right way. I made it to the Open Door Mission just at 8:00 when they were closing the doors! (I should have turned the OTHER way on Main Street!)

I missed helping prep for the meal, but got there in time for singing and the message. It is mostly homeless people who come, and if they are there for the church service they get a free meal afterwards. I helped plate up chicken, rice, veggies, and bread.

It was a good time of serving - once I found the place!