Remembering the Past

As I waited on my laundry today, I took the time to look back through all my photo albums on Facebook. It was great to look back on the people and memories I have had since graduating high school.

With recently making a list of life goals, I have been spending a lot more time thinking about what the future holds and the activities I wish to eventually do. However, it's good to look back every once in a while, taking the time to be thankful for where you came from.

When I was in Junior High, a friend gave me a bookmark with a quote on it that I have grown to appreciate. It said, "It's the friends we meet along life's road that help us to appreciate the journey." I am very thankful for the friends I have made, memories I have created, and experiences I have encountered. I am also thankful for cameras that can capture those moments along the way.

Take some time to remember the past and be thankful for what the Lord has allowed you to experience in life.

Mistaken Identity

I accomplised another goal as I finished book #10 yesterday! I read Mistaken Identity, by the Van Ryn and Cerak families along with Mark Tabb. I had borrowed this book from my grandparents 2 summers ago and read it on the plane to visit my friend, Kimberly, in California. I was almost in tears as I sat on the plane reading it - I would HIGHLY recommend this book!

Mistaken Identity is about real life events that happened in April 2006. There was a bad car accident that involved students from Taylor University in Indiana. Five individuals were pronounced dead at the scene, and I think three were taken to the hospital. The student who was said to be Laura Van Ryn was air lifted to the hospital and spent the first few weeks after the accident in a coma. Mean while, the Cerak family had a funeral for their daughter, Whitney. However, 5 weeks after the accident, when Laura began to function more on her own, she was asked to write her name - she wrote out WHITNEY. The two girls had been misidentified at the time of the crash! Dental records confirmed that it was infact Whitney Cerak, and it was Laura who had died in the crash. What a shock that was to both families!

Whitney's family came to the hospital to continue to care for their daughter. She made a good recovery and was able to attend classes at Taylor that fall. However, a brain injury left her with a different personality than before, and she struggled to find her place back at school. After many tearful phone conversations with her father, she made it through her sophomore year of college.

I would have to say this is one of my favorite books. I love the example the two families showed of their love for Christ and their trust in Him throughout this time. Mistaken Identity - read it if you get the chance!

Day Off

I had a wonderful day off! It started with sleeping in - so wonderful! Then I got up and ran. I made myself eggs and toast for breakfast and got ready to head out shopping. I bought a couple things for myself as well as a wedding present for a friend. I also stopped and got a free caramel frappe from McDonalds - thanks, Grandma! Then I did some grocery shopping at Wegmans. Once I got back to the dorm, I cleaned up my room and read for a while - I finished another book that I will post about soon! For dinner, I met my friend, Rachel, at DogTown - a hotdog place I have blogged about before. After eating my Pit Bull we headed to Cobbs Hill Park. We walked around for while, played some Blokus, and enjoyed the sunset over the city - notice the picture above. Our night did not end there though! Another park plays movies on a big screen for free every Thursday night, so we decided to check it out. The movie didn't end up being that great, but it was something fun to do. Overall, a great day off!

Swimming

For my half marathon training I have to do some cross training. My cross training includes rollerblading, biking, and swimming. On Wednesdays, I have to either run 2 miles or cross train for 20 minutes - that's the perfect amount of time for a swim! Every other Wednesday I head to the indoor pool on campus and swim laps. I do 4 different laps down the length of the pool and back a total of 3 times.

I enjoy my swims, and it's made me think about doing a triathlon in the future - we'll see about that one...

Answered Prayer

Part of the team hiking Pacaya - an active volcano!

Two summers ago I went to Guatemala - my first time out of the country and my first missions trip. When the trip was first discussed at a SIFE meeting, I through away the paperwork thinking, "I don't know any of these people well enough to travel to another country with them! Maybe another year." Well, for some reason, a couple months later, that trip came back to my mind, and I was prompted to e-mail another student who I knew had been on the trip before. I asked if there was still room on the trip and who I should contact for more information. She gave me the name of someone in the business department, and I got in touch. Next thing I knew I was calling my mom 3 times a day to discuss the idea and figuring out a passport, etc. I prayed a lot about it, but the deadline was coming up so I had to decide fast. Not knowing what I was getting into I signed up for the trip and handed in my deposit! That week there was a meeting with the team to discuss shots, paperwork, and to get to know each other. I went to the meeting, and practically everybody was Roberts alumni! There was only one other student going on the trip - he was a sophomore, and I was a freshman. This was going to be an experience! We saw very little of each other before heading separate ways for the summer. I raised money and gathered donated items to take on the trip. Mid-August I drove up to Rochester and met with the team once again as we prepared to head out.

All that to say, I signed up for this trip not knowing who was going to be on the team. Just before leaving for Rochester, my youth pastor's wife from church asked if there was anything specific she could be praying for while I was on the trip. I asked that she pray I would quickly feel comfortable around the team, as they were older than me, and I did not know any of them.

Well, the Lord sure answers prayer! At the end of the week, our team was having a discussion and I shared the concern I had come into the trip with, ending with how thankful I was that I had quickly gotten to know the team and really appreciated being part of it. One team member later mentioned to me how much he thought I was one of the most outgoing of the group - always trying to include others and get to know them. What an encouragement that was!

Overall, the trip gave me more confidence in new situations. I am thankful I had the opportunity to go with a team I hardly knew. I have kept in touch - somewhat - with a handful of the members, and the trip will always hold a special place in my heart.

Forgiven

I first heard the song, Forgiven, by Sanctus Real, when I was on my way home from the hospital last November. I liked the song and really appreciated it. The next month it was used in the baptism service I was part of. Our youth pastor put a slideshow together of all those getting baptized that went along with the song - what a perfect song for the occasion! It was neat to be able to hear the song again and to have it personalized.

Here are the lyrics, and you can click here to hear the song.

Well, the past is playing with my head
And failure knocks me down again
I'm reminded of the wrong that I have said and done
And that devil just won't let me forget

And in this life I know what I've been
But here in your arms I know what I am
You are forgiven, yeah, I'm forgiven
And I don't have to carry the weight of who I've been
'Cause I'm forgiven

My mistakes are running through my mind
And I'll relive my days in the middle of the night
When I struggle with my pain, wrestle with my pride
Sometimes I feel alone and I cry

And in this life I know what I've been
But here in Your arms I know what I am
You are forgiven, yeah, I'm forgiven
And I don't have to carry the weight of who I've been
'Cause I'm forgiven

When I don't fit in and I don't feel like I belong anywhere
What I don't measure up to much in this life
Oh, I'm a treasure in the arms of Christ

'Cause I'm forgiven, I'm forgiven
And I don't have to carry the weight of who I've been
'Cause I'm fogiven

Taughannock Falls

This is the waterfall at Taughannock Falls - in the past, our family would quite often have family get togethers at this park and hike the gorge to the waterfall, so it was the perfect place to have the 50th Wedding Anniversary Celebration for my grandparents. We had a nice meal served to us at the restaurant/bed and breakfast and enjoyed looking at pictures, letters, and drawings from over the years. After our meal, we hiked the gorge. I had a little mishap and slipped and fell into the water early on! Other than that, it was a nice day and a wonderful event to celebrate.