Memory Boxes

I love being organized! Since moving into my new room, I have slowly felt more and more organized as I find just the perfect spot for certain items.

One area that was lacking organization was my bags and boxes of memories - little things from over the years that I have hung on to. I have old cards and notes from family and friends, wedding invitations, pictures, Christmas cards, birthday locker posters, and more! It was time to organize it all!

I headed over to AC Moore for a couple of cute memory boxes. Sadly, they only had plain colors, so I grabbed two of those and found some fun stickers! I decorated my boxes and sorted through all those cards and pictures. One box now contains memories from my younger years up through high school, and the second box holds my collection from college. I have a few more smaller boxes that have specific events in them, but the two boxes pictured contain the majority!

It was fun to look back through all those memories. While some notes from the past made me laugh and some made me cry, they all reminded me of the many people I know that love and care for me. Now that the past 10+ years worth are organized, I'm ready for more!

You Can Never Buy Back Time

Since moving back to Binghamton, I have been faced with settling into a new routine. My day is spent doing different tasks than what I was involved in a month ago. I am still trying to make the most of my time with these new activities, and an entry in His Princess stuck out to me recently. (See previous His Princess post from April here.)

This is is called, "My Princess...Your Time is Valuable."

The time I have given you is of eternal importance. Your life matters, and the most valuable asset you can give to someone or something is time. Remember, My royal one, I want all of your appointments to be in My perfect will. Not all good opportunities are from Me. Keep in mind, My love, that there may be many ways to make money, but you can never buy back time. So invest your time wisely. Think about what you are doing and how you spend your precious life. Are your days full of the things that matter most to you? Now is the time to take control of your schedule and life a life that matters. If you sit with Me, I will help you remove the things that are holding you back from doing what's most needed in this season of your life. There is never a wrong time to do the right thing, so come and experience success with divine direction. Love, Your King and Eternal Timekeeper

Prayerfully, I will be able to use my time well as I form habits with this new routine. You can never buy back time, but you can make the most of what is to come!

Family from Maryland

Some of our relatives from Maryland are up for the weekend. After a pancake breakfast, we took advantage of the nice weather and headed to Otsiningo Park to walk and enjoy the day. The river was flowing fast with all the rain we've had lately, so that was fun to watch.

Since we were in the area, we stopped over at Life Choices Center to show my family my new office. I had brought a few more items to add to my walls and shelves, and I'm glad my family can now picture me at work.

We ate a late lunch, then went mini golfing at Chucksters. They are known for having the longest mini golf hole on the planet - as you can see from above, Brian, Jason, and Julie had a hard time finding the end of it! Jason won for the kids (but only by one point!), and Aunt Pam won for the adults. They both enjoyed their free ice cream as a pre-dinner treat!

We enjoyed a classic Memorial Day picnic for dinner and a special chocolate cake for dessert - straight from the crock-pot! I tried out a new recipe from the cookbook Michelle got me, and it was pretty tasty.

After dinner we played a new game that Amy and Julie got me for graduation. It has a longer title, but I call it Things. No one had ever played it before, and we had a blast! Let's just say no one is going to be licking the ceiling anytime soon, and it would be a bad idea to teach your pets to jump off a cliff - haha!

It was a fun day, and it's nice to have family in town to spend the holiday weekend with.

Fridays Off

One perk of my new job is that I have Fridays off! Yes, that's right - every Friday!

I took full advantage of my first Friday off and went to visit my roommate, Michelle. She lives near Syracuse, and I had to go up for a bridesmaid dress fitting, so we spent the day together afterwards.

She took me to Varsity to get some delicious pizza, and we got super yummy brownies at Insomnia Cookies afterwards. We then browsed little shops, tried on wedding dresses, and bought cute jewelry. It was a very relaxing afternoon.

We headed back to her house for dinner with her family. Our picnic style meal was a great way to start Memorial Day weekend! It was fun to see Michelle's house and spend time with her family - Michelle is the middle sister of three girls just like me! We played a game of Clue and just enjoyed catching up on all that has happened since graduation.

We had a little gift exchange too! I had been dumpster diving back at school after everyone had moved out and grabbed something for Michelle. All year, I had a little ironing board, and she had the iron - we made a perfect pair! Well, what did I find in the dumpster? A little ironing board to go with Michelle's iron! She got me a gift for graduation - and let's just say she knows me pretty well! She got me notecards and two cookbooks - one was specifically a crock-pot cookbook! They will be fun to use and discover fun new recipes.

It was a great first Friday off, and I'm glad Michelle and I could spend the day together!

Summer Running

I know it's not technically summer yet, but once school's out it feels like summer to me! The sun was shining today, and that helps too!

I ran a lot last summer - I was preparing for a half marathon coming in the fall. The race was great, but sadly, I have not done much running since then!

Life Choices Center (where I just completed my second regular day as a staff member!) participates in a 5K in August. I was working on various promotional pieces for this event and was excited to get out there running again! I had brought my running gear to work to change afterwards and head to a nearby park - the weather was great, and I was meeting a friend there!

After catching up with my friend, I had a great run! I had never been running at Otsiningo Park before, and the shaded paths were very pleasant.

I'm sure my running routine will be much more relaxed than last summer, but I hope there will be plenty more summer runs in the months to come!

Looking Back

"I think I am depressed."

I was looking through an old journal last night and came across this entry from sophomore year at Roberts. It came after a couple of entries discussing recent confusion and regrets.

I was treated for depression starting in the spring of 2009. I had been writing in this journal during the days leading up to the day I finally got help. I had not read these entries again until last night. It was interesting to look back on what was going on in my mind at the time. Here were some of my thoughts:

"Lord, remove the suicide thoughts from my mind. I know they are not glorifying to You and they are starting to scare me and make me wonder. Please do not let me commit suicide! I know that would be selfish of me and so wrong to do. But I am having these thoughts - so please help to remove them from my mind Lord!"

"Lord - I'm in my car again. I've been here a lot lately. It just feels safe to me. It's mine and no one else can bother me here. I've been spending a lot of time by myself lately - perhaps too much alone time."

"I talked to my family yesterday. I did not tell them all the negative thoughts I have been having. I feel like I've already been such a burden to them - how can I put them through more? What would they say if they knew I was having such depressive thoughts/feelings/actions?"

"Stop having these thoughts Laura! You are kind, compassionate, loving, encouraging, hard working, adventurous, and important. Be confident in who you are and what you have accomplished!"

"The care ride home [to get some professional help from my doctor] was hard. I cried a lot - not sure I was doing the right thing, feeling bad for putting my parents through this. When I got home I could tell my mom had been crying - this has been hard for her."

"Lord - I know I've gotten to the end of my rope. I am worn out and tired! This week I've slowly come to find there are others out there who are willing to help carry my load - it's just a matter of me swallowing my pride and admitting it!"

I am so thankful for those that walked with me during this struggle with depression. It was a slow recovery with some bumps in the road, but I can confidently say that those words from my journal have not been in my thoughts lately!

I did have another entry in that journal from the summer I was struggling - it was mostly me angry at myself for not making much progress. The journal was tossed aside, and I just came across it again. It made me sad to look back on how I felt at the time, and I wrote a new entry updating my journal on the past two years of my life - this was an encouraging entry that will hopefully inspire me again in the future. I am still amazed at where the Lord has brought me since those struggles, thinking my life was no longer worth living. I am now full of joy and excitement for what my future holds and thankful for what God taught me through this difficult time.

Towel Animals

Yes! We had those fun folded towel animals on the cruise! Above is the frog, and we also rabbits, dogs, cranes, sting rays, and more!

The last full day on the ship, there was a towel folding demonstration. We all got towels and tried making the animals they showed us. I even got to make an elephant!

Relaxing at the Beach

I am back from the cruise, but still feel like I'm rocking back and forth! It was a fun week in the sun with lots of food and adventures! The picture above is my cousin, Katie, and I in Freeport, an area of one of the islands in the Bahamas. This was my favorite day of the week and so relaxing!

Katie and I were the only ones that did not have a planned excursion. The others were on a bike trip or exploring gardens, so we decided to take a taxi to the beach and do some exploring of our own. We left the boat around 9:30 and made it to the beach just after 10am. The sun was already warm as we found our way to the water. Below is a picture of what greeted us! This is Port Lucayan Beach:

We walked and walked in the water and on the soft sand, just enjoying the breeze and sunshine. Eventually, we turned around back toward where we started. There was a little hut there with food and drinks. We sat in the shade with pleasant views all around us! We decided to walk the other direction toward some big rocks and watched parasailers and boaters.

We wandered back to where the taxi would pick us up and browsed through some shops. That's when we met up with my mom and grandma! They stopped there after their garden tour. To add to it, later we saw my sisters and dad in their taxi on their way back to the ship too! It was fun to hear about everyone's day and our different adventures. I definitely enjoyed my relaxing day at the beach with Katie!

Setting Sail

I spent the day unpacking and settling into my new room at home. As I was unpacking, I began repacking for a trip to the Bahamas!

My family is leaving tomorrow morning for a week-long cruise in the Bahamas! My grandma is generous and loves to travel, so she is treating our family and my cousin, Katie, from Texas to a relaxing week of fun together.

My sisters and I have never been on a cruise, so we are so excited! It will be great to spend the weekend together as a family before we head off to three different states for the summer.

This vacation fits perfectly in between graduation and starting my full-time hours in the office at Life Choices Center. The "real world" begins right after I get back!

A Frown-Smile

I said goodbye to my college years today. These past four years ended with a fantastic trip to Minneapolis for SIFE National Competition! I got to spent four days with some of my favorite friends from Roberts, and we landed among the top 8 teams in the nation after sharing our presentation during the two day competition. I have seen our SIFE team grow and improve over the years as we impact those around us. It's great to go out on top like that, and I'm excited to see where the team goes from here!

A joke some of us had this week was having people show us their frown-smile. It's kind of hard to smile and frown at the same time, and it's very funny to watch people try and do it! Well, the frown-smile came in handy as I drove the three hours back to Binghamton - leaving behind my college years and not knowing when I would see many of my close friends again. I cried and laughed and sang along to songs that hit me right where I was at. Some point along the way I realized I was doing the frown-smile - I was sad about leaving, but so thankful and happy for the memories I have and growth I've experienced. It was such a mix of emotions, and the frown-smile was the only way to express my thoughts.

No. None of those faces above are the frown-smile. Those are the goofy faces of some fellow seniors and good friends Honna, Mike, and Lindsey. As we and other SIFE friends said our "see you laters" (not goodbye!), a few phrases stuck with me.

I thanked Mike for always making me laugh, and he responded with, "Thank you for laughing - laughing is half the joke!" There have been many moments of laughter with friends over the years, and I'm thankful for the way that can help to build a friendship.

A few of the younger SIFE students told me I was the reason they got involved with SIFE. They were thankful for my SIFE spirit and welcoming attitude. I challenged them to choose a freshman next year to reach out to and make sure they "get SIFE'd" too!

Another friend told me I was a huge blessing in her life and in the lives of so many others. I appreciated hearing those words as that is what I seek to strive for - to be a blessing for life. Prayerfully, I was able to impact lives at Roberts for the glory of God.

A final phrase someone shared stuck with me and kept running through my head on the way home, "You are right where God wants you." When looking for a job, my desire was to stay in Rochester. I loved my church, my friends, the area, the independence, and more! My desire was not to come back to Binghamton, but that is where a job opened up - a job that seems to fit me perfectly! While it is sad to see a chapter in my life close, I am anxious to see how this next step plays out, and I am at peace knowing that I am right where God wants me.

I will probably make use of the frown-smile a few more times as I transition into life in Binghamton. However, I am thankful that a smile is part of the deal, and I am so glad I was able to end my college years with such positive memories!

Exploring God's Sandbox

What do you get when you mix a tennis ball, a Rip-Stick, a (freaking useful and amazing) walking stick, 2 miles of trails, and a sunny afternoon? A perfect SUPER FIVE post-school, summer-loving adventure! Amy here (featured in red in that picture above) and one of the five SIFE friends that Laura's been regularly hanging with throughout her last year at Roberts. Although I'm not quite sure when the term 'Super Five' was coined, it sure does fit... Super describes our times together quite appropriately. For one of our last journeys together before the summer really kicks off and we scatter across the globe (literally) we decided to use this lovely afternoon for an exploration of Chimney Bluffs State Park, an hour and 15 minutes east of Roberts. We departed campus in the early afternoon, and hit the Lake Ontario waves by 3! We searched for buried treasure, hit rocks with rocks (... it was much more exciting than that sentence implies...), hunted and even caught snakes. By the time our hike took us to the Bluffs themselves, we were hungry and tired... and still couldn't help but sit for a few moments in awe of "God's sandbox," as Mike called it. The views were g-o-r-g-e-o-u-s. Personally, I'm partial to water, and found myself staring out at the lake's horizon... at least 23,498 times a minute. I think all five of us would definitely recommend this park for a day adventure.
After hiking back to the parking lot, we enjoyed a picnic lunch (ye-heaaah, PBJ's!) followed by one hilarious volleyball tournament... (we used the sign in the picture above as our net!) and a nice ride home, which I slept the whole way through! This day was definitely a great choice to enjoy the outdoors, and each other's company. I don't think you've heard the last of the Super Five!
Amy Bart, over and out.

The Sunrise to Follow

I watched the sunset today at Cobbs Hill Park with some friends. As it was setting, all I could think about was my time in Rochester ending, just as sunset signifies the ending of another day. It has been a weekend full of goodbyes and endings as I pack up and prepare to move to Binghamton.

Today I said goodbye to friends at church. It was my last Sunday at Browncroft for a while, a place I have come to love and call home. I spoke to Pastor Rob at the end, expressing my appreciation for my time there. Afterward, it was a tearful drive to another friend's house, and we enjoyed a picnic lunch at Highland Park. We wandered the park, enjoyed our lunch, talked and reflected, and sent Mother's Day videos to our moms by the magnolia trees - it was such a pleasant afternoon!

Later, watching the sunset with a couple other friends was the perfect way to end such a memorable weekend, and as I reflected on my time in Rochester ending, I thought about the new chapter beginning. Last night I began reading a book that my sisters gave me for graduation - Just Do Something by Kevin DeYoung. It's about finding God's will. Here's a section from chapter two:

"God is not a Magic 8-Ball we shake up and peer into whenever we have a decision to make. He is a good God who gives us brains, shows us the way of obedience, and invites us to take risks for Him. We know God has a plan for our lives. That's wonderful. The problem is we think He's going to tell us the wonderful plan before it unfolds. We feel like we can know - and need to know - what God wants every step of the way. But such preoccupation with finding God's will, as well intentioned as the desire may be, is more folly than freedom. The better way is the Biblical way: Seek first the kingdom of God, and then trust that He will take care of our needs, even before we know what they are and where we're going."

While I have a job and a place to live in Binghamton, there are still a lot of unknowns about this next step in my life. After the sun set tonight, we commented that the same sun would rise tomorrow morning. I am trusting that God has a beautiful sunrise ready for me as I begin my journey in Binghamton! I don't know what it will look like, but that's the fun in watching the sunrise - they are new and different every time!

College Grad!

I graduated from Roberts today! Today was a celebration of four years of learning, being challenged, and growing into who I am today. I could not have asked for a more perfect day - I loved every minute of it! I was able to celebrate with my family and friends, and the weather was beautiful!

The day started with Baccalaureate - a worship service for all the undergrads. I met Honna before the service, and took pictures with lots of friends! The service was filled with music and words to ponder, and it was a pleasent way to start our day of activities.

After Baccalaureate, Honna, my family, and I went to my aunt's house for a lunch with a lot of my favorite foods - baked ziti, spinach strawberry salad, brown 'n serve rolls, and blueberry cream dessert! It was relaxing, and we took more pictures.

My parents have supported me during these years of college - my entire life, actually - and I know their love will continue as I move on to the next big step! I love my dad's expression here - doesn't he look so proud?!

After the ceremony, there were lots of hugs and some goodbyes - a little tougher hug and goodbye when it came to my roommate, Michelle. We have roomed together for two years, and I have LOVED it! Somewhere along the way we moved from being roommates to being really good friends! She has plans to live and work in Syracuse, so there will definitely be some roadtrips planned!

Today was a wonderful way to bring closure to this chapter of my life - what a journey it has been!

Starting Summer Right

Lindsey, Honna, and I are all done with classes! We celebrated today at Lugia's - an ice cream place near campus. It was fun to spend time with these senior business majors and a couple others that joined us.

Last night I was told that we are half way through Spring, so that means it's time to start thinking Summer! I have done that this week by going out for ice cream three times! I've worn capris and flip flops, and I even tried on my bathing suits, anticipating cruising in the Bahamas in a little over a week!

Looking forward to a great summer!

Salutatorians - # 2's

Lindsey, Mike, and I were all salutatorians (# 2!) of our high school graduating classes! We recently realized this and searched for our speeches to share with each other.

Lindsey shared memories of 14 years with her class that included Silly Sally, many field trips, and a number of firsts for her class. She shared some inspiring quotes at the end as well, one about the importance of bringing humor into a situation.

Mike categorized each level of school with a mark. Cooties for elementary school, a "Do you like me? Check Yes or No." note for middle school, and a mother willow tree firework for high school as students are making their own unique paths. He challenged listeners to create their own mark for their life and grab ahold of the many opportunities that are out there.

My speech included memories my class had over the years and expressed lyrics to a song by Mark Harris, The Line Between the Two (click to listen). I challenged listeners to think how they were spending their time and how they would want to be remembered when their life was over.

The lyrics to the song are fitting as I think about graduation and my time at Roberts coming to a close. The line between the two refers to the dash in between your birth date and death date, or for my time at Roberts, August 27, 2007 - May 7, 2011. What does that line look like for you, graduating seniors? Here's the chorus to the song:

And the years go by, how they seem to fly
They'll all be over soon
When our life is done, did we live and love
The way we wanted to
Cause everyday that we leave behind
Goes on to tell the truth
Of how we lived in the line between the two
The line between the two.

I challenge you to life your life the way you want to be remembered.

Laura Tischer through the eyes of her roommate =)

Hello "Blessing For Life" followers!  My name is Michelle Lippert and I'm honored to say that I've had the privilege of living with Laura Tischer for the last two years!! Our story goes way back to freshman year....
Laura and I both had First Year Seminar together.  I never really talked to her then, and I definitely had no idea that I would live with her for two years- its funny how things work out.  So fast forward in time to the end of sophomore year...I was roommateless (if that's a word) and had no idea what I would do for a roommate in the start of junior year, just get a transfer right? Wrong! I was pleasantly surprised to be approached by none other than...Laura Tischer! She suggested we be roommates, and not having any other ideas or better options (just kidding) I willingly accepted. 
Summer of 2009 came and went (quickly) and we moved in together August of 2009.  At first I'm pretty sure she was overwhelmed by my constant talking, I mean I would stay up super late studying my life away, come in at 2am, sleep for a few hours, and be gone in the morning before she woke up only to come back later that night and tell her about the drama of my day.  The amazing part is that me and Laura are so different, but yet we live together so well. I can't remember a single time when we really got into an argument (except of course over that pizza sauce that's totally expired in our fridge that she won't get rid of haha).  And, over the last two years I have come to really appreciate Laura.  She gives me great advice and keeps me grounded.  Laura Tischer is one of my best friends, and definitely makes my list of "Top 10 Favorite People on Campus."  So, what is it about Laura Tischer that I love so much??? This is just a little of what I've come to appreciate over the last two years:
Laura Tischer is...
Very organized, i'm pretty sure she has more bins and storage units than Walmart- but her side of the room is always in order.
A great cook, give this girl a crock pot and some chicken and you won't be disappointed!
A lover of email, I have never met a person who can compose a more professional email- and with that said, when I have to email a professor, I let her do the writing...
A hard worker, she gets her homework done right away, and that's always something I've looked up to as I tend to procrastinate (a little).
A woman of faith, Laura's relationship with Christ comes first- she truly is a devoted Christian, and it's evident in her life and attitude.
A planner, ask this girl to plan a party or event. Anything really! She'll make some killer guacamole for it too :)
A business woman, Laura Tischer is one of the leaders of her business class. She's involved in SIFE and has excellent grades.  Her hard work has truly paid off and she'll go far no matter what she chooses as a career.
Fun, Ok so this one sounds silly, Laura Tischer is fun?? But it's true! Her laugh is contagious, and when she gets really excited about things she speaks to you like you're standing at the other end of a football field, but this girl knows how to have a good time!! (Mashed potatoes and spinach dip anyone??? And, thanks for silent raving with me!)
The Game Master, I have never ever in my entire life met someone who loves playing games as much as Laura Tischer...as a result? I have come to love games, and game nights. 
Caring, Laura truly cares about people- and she's made this clear every time she listens to another one of my silly stories. 
An awesome friend, Laura listens, encourages, spends time with people, is always up for fun and games, will laugh with you, cry with you, and be there for you.  She has truly been an amazing friend to me for the last two years, and I have appreciated it more than she knows :)

SO, I should wrap this up because it's getting lengthy (but she knows I can talk, and talk, and talk...) and I'm sure she wants to go to bed!  But I have to conclude with this...

Laura Tischer,
Thanks for being an awesome roommate.  Your friendship has meant so much to me over the last two years.  I know you'll go far in life and I hope that wherever life leads you, the road will detour you to my front door for some cupcakes and coffee :)  You're a really awesome and beautiful person, please don't ever change!

Love Always,
Your Roomie,
Michelle Lippert
=)

Browncroft Friends

I met Audrey and Jordan, not even a year ago, through Browncroft Community Church. We are from three different states, in Rochester for various reasons. I am so glad our paths crossed during my time here!

I met Audrey in June after service on Sunday. I casually mentioned that I was going to run six miles that afternoon, and she said she would join me! I was shocked, as not just anyone is willing to run six miles. We exchanged contact information, and even though running together didn't work out that day, before I saw her again, Audrey had signed up for the half marathon I was planning to run in September. We became running buddies and shared rides to church since she lived near Roberts. We clicked instantly and have encouraged each other throughout our time in Rochester. Three words to describe Audrey - Ambitious, Thoughtful, and Spiritually Minded. I have appreciated getting to know Audrey, and hope to run another half with her someday!

I met Jordan in November at a GAP game night. I loved her sweater, and she was fun to talk to. I wondered if she would be up for getting to coffee together, and I asked for her number so we could make plans. I contacted her later that week, and we chatted for two hours over coffee at a cafe. It was refreshing to meet a new friend, and I was picturing more fun times with her in the future. We had lunch at my townhouse one Sunday after church, and I stopped by her place after my internship for dinner a couple of times. She is very welcoming and often came up with fun activities for us to do. Most recently, we spent an afternoon being crafty! Jordan used her Martha Stewart knowledge, and we created two fun projects. Three words to describe Jordan - Imaginative, Adventurous, and Passionate about her Faith. I've enjoyed spending time with Jordan, and hope to see her a few more times in Rochester this summer!

Browncroft had opened several doors for me this past year and a half, and I'm so glad these two friendships formed through Browncroft!

Lots of Laughing

"Maybe that just means that you had a lot to laugh and smile about this year."

My friend, Mike, responded to me with this statement the other night. I had just mentioned how so many people had commented on my laugh this year. Things like, "It's so distinct." or "I love it!" or "I'm going to miss hearing it when you move to Binghamton."

So many people have talked about my laugh this year, and Mike pointed out that maybe it's simply because I have been laughing more recently. I definitely see this as a good thing, and I'm glad that people enjoy my laugh because I plan to keep on laughing for years to come!