New York Love

87%

2012-01-26T10:39:00.001-05:00

As I started thinking about support raising again, I felt like it was important for me to know how I did for 2011. I got a printout of every donation that went towards my salary. I compared what came in to what I received as my salary for 2011 and found that 87% of my salary came from church and individual donations! I had no idea I had that much coming in. I felt like I was at about 60%, and felt defeated before even starting another "campaign".

That 87% counts what I received, not the taxes that Graffiti 2 had to pay in order to pay me. For 2012, my goal is to be able to cover all expenses G2 has related to my salary. That includes taxes and I am adding health insurance to my salary expenses this year. If you include that in the percentage, I'm at about 70% of my goal.

I'm feeling a lot less overwhelmed by it all. I know that God will continue to provide for me as long as I am called to Graffiti 2. It is really encouraging when you can actually see that with numbers!

Thank you to the many of you who have been part of that 87%. Whether it was a one time gift of $25 or a monthly gift of hundreds, it is crucial for me to reach my goal. For those who weren't part of the 87% in 2011, you have a chance to be part of 2012! Please prayerfully consider what your role can and should be! Maybe you aren't able to commit to a monthly amount, but you can send a one time, or every-now-and-then gift! Maybe you can commit to a monthly gift of $25. Maybe you can commit to a monthly gift of $100. Whatever your situation, you can commit to praying for me and the ministry of Graffiti 2. To help in that, make sure you are on my email list! If you are not, there is a spot on the top right of this blog where you can sign up to receive my emails, usually about once a month. I will update with stories and prayer requests so you can stay up to date with what's going on up here.

If you feel led to become part of my support team, you can donate online at G2's website, (where you can set up automatic monthly donations or one time gifts) or send a check to:
PO Box 541559
Bronx, NY 10454

Either way, just note in the memo that it is designated for my support. Thank you so much for your love and support!

Support Raising: Round 2

2012-01-16T12:47:00.000-05:00

It has been almost a year since my first major support raising initiative. When I went through all my contacts in the first round, I felt stuck and wasn't sure what my next steps were supposed to be. Now that it's been almost a year, I feel like I need to do another round, updating people on current needs, and seeing if I can get more partners on board.

I'm not exactly sure where to start with this. I did the letter/phone strategy last year and it got me a good start, but I'm not as close to my goal as I'd like to be. Do I try the same thing hoping for better results? That doesn't seem to make much sense, so do I try something different? If so, what is that thing? The entire G2 staff is in the same boat as I am, so I'm trying to think about something that we could all do individually with our contacts, but work together in. I've thought about some sort of video campaign through facebook, etc. that people could easily share with others to get our stories out.

Any ideas would be appreciated!

New Year, New Update

2012-01-16T12:38:00.000-05:00

If you check in with my blog often or rarely, you probably notice the same thing... I'm terrible at updating it! Part of me enjoys writing, but the other part won't take the time to actually do it!

Since I haven't posted since October, I'll try to highlight what's happened since then.

November: Can't remember much about November except for Thanksgiving week. Thanksgiving week at G2 is one of the best weeks of the year. We have Norm and Debbie Cannada's group from West Virginia working with us. Monday we do an evangelism training, Tuesday we host a T-giving dinner for the community (this year we partnered with Betances), Wednesday we assemble and distribute boxes full of T-giving food to families in our programs and others in the neighborhood, and Wednesday night we help serve at the T-giving dinner in Manhattan. This year, I had a guest with me! Jo Lynn is from Texas and read about G2 in the On Mission article nearly 2 years ago. Last year she worked with us for a couple of days while she was visiting the city with friends. This year she wanted to come back and work with us for the whole week! It was fun having her around for the week.

Thanksgiving day we slept in, relaxed and watched the parade, then went downtown to enjoy another Thanksgiving meal with friends.

That night we went out to do black Friday shopping for G2's Christmas! It is always fun shopping for the kids and people weren't even crazy! Everyone was friendly, and employees were super helpful!

December: December was filled with all this Christmas. First was preparing for the after school Christmas parties, also known as "Happy Birthday Jesus Party" (don't get me started on that one...) We were also preparing for the Christmas Celebration with puppet show practices and getting shoebox gifts ready.

I spent some time in Texas with my family for Christmas. It was a great trip, but I was looking forward to getting back. I got back a couple days early before programs started and I was very thankful to catch up on sleep and relax! I spent New Year's Eve with a couple of girls from my community group.

Now I'm back in the swing of things. I'm not setting a goal to blog more, but I might try to think about it more often!

Community

2011-10-29T14:37:00.000-04:00

In August I set a goal for myself to make friends in New York. Even though I've been living here for 3 1/2 years, the only people I hang out with are the people I work with. God has provided me with amazing girl friends that worked at Graffiti 2 also, and I was very content with that. Coming back for the fall, I knew that I had to go out and make friends because the girls that were once here, were not anymore. I was a little nervous about breaking out of the Bronx, but also excited because I knew it was something I needed to sustain me long term. I started by attending a couple Sunday evening services. It didn't take long for me to find Apostles Church. I enjoyed the services and for the first time in a long time, I went because I wanted to, not because I was expected to, or had responsibilities at church.

As much as I enjoyed the services, I knew that I wouldn't really meet people unless I got involved in a community group. Last weekend, Morgan was here visiting. On Saturday we went out to Queens to this farm and corn maze. It was pretty far out there, but it was fun. While we were in the maze, I see the group that leads worship at Apostles. I truly believe God placed them at that corn maze, way out in Queens, to encourage me to sign up for a community group.

That night when I got home, I went online to register. I got a confirmation email, but still didn't know any details about the group except for the day and time they met. Tuesday morning I was thinking about whether or not I'd go to the community group that night. I still didn't know where they met, so I'd have to email to find out. A couple hours later I get an email from one of the leaders saying that they were going to carve pumpkins that night for their community group. I figured that'd be a great way to get started and it sounded fun! Right after work, I dropped my stuff off at home, and picked up a pumpkin on my way to the upper east side. I had a great time and I'm so thankful that I've been able to be obedient even when I haven't felt like it.

Pinterest Reviews

2011-10-10T22:01:00.000-04:00

Since I've joined the Pinterest obsession, I've been trying plenty of new recipes. Some are great and others were disappointing. Here are my reviews for what I've tried so far:

Lemon-7 UP Cake
This was super easy! It tasted yummy and was a light dessert. I would make it again if I wanted something quick and lemon-y!

Weight Watchers Blueberry Peach Cobbler
This one was a disappointment. I love cobblers but this one was more like a cake with peaches in it. I couldn't find blueberries, so I just did peach. I wouldn't make it again.

Green Smoothies
I am in love with these! I've heard of them before, but was too scared to try them. I decided to go for it and I'm a big fan. They are really easy to make, and there are so many options. I put whatever fruit I have (frozen or fresh), a couple spoonfuls of plain greek yogurt, ice, spinach, and a little juice. It's fun seeing the weird colors I can make!

Dr. Pepper Ice Cream
My mom made this before I came back to New York. It tasted just like a Dr. Pepper float. I'd make it again if I had an ice cream maker! Easy to do also!

Snickerdoodle Cupcakes
This was a from scratch recipe, which I rarely do. I like things to be as quick and easy as possible. This wasn't too complicated, but it did take awhile. You have to scoop out the dough/cake mix and coat it with a cinnamon/sugar mixture. I love snickerdoodles and this turned out pretty good. I might try another recipe next time since I've seen a few out there.

Strawberry Shortcake Sushi
This was such a fun thing to eat! It is a bit of a process to make, but it is worth it for entertaining! It tasted great too! You have to do this in a couple of steps. The cake is made from scratch, then it bakes and cools for at least an hour. Then you make the filling and roll it. It needs to set and chill for awhile before you cut it. Make sure you roll the cake right or it will be very difficult for the roll to stay together.

Broccoli Salad
I have made this twice and it has been a hit. If you buy whole broccoli heads, you have to cut them up. If you buy regular bacon, it takes awhile to cook. I did the fully cooked bacon which saved a lot of time. This is something that can easily be made the night before and left in the fridge.

Jello Poke Cupcakes
I made these with a white cake mix and lime jello. I was a little disappointed by these. They tasted fine, but I was wanting more jello texture in there.

I know these reviews aren't very detailed, but you get the main idea. I have a couple more I am planning on trying soon! For recipes, here is my food pinboard. http://pinterest.com/ashley_emmert/food/

All Because of a Piece of Bread and a Sip of Juice

2011-10-06T21:06:00.003-04:00

Last night at Agape Feast, we did the Lord’s Supper at the end, like usual. The way we approach it with kids and teenagers under the age of 18 is if they are not a Christ follower or have not talked directly with Andrew about the significance of the Lord’s Supper, we ask them to not participate. While the juice was being passed, there were 3 of our 3rd grade boys sitting closely to one another. Two of the boys received the bread and juice and the other one did not. The one that did not receive it was Michael. After the Agape Feast was over, he was still very upset and crying. Andrew went over and tried to explain it to him, but he was still upset.

Today when I went to pick up the kids from school, I saw Carol, Michael’s mother. I asked if she was picking him up and she said that he was still upset about what happened at the Agape Feast and he asked her to come and walk with him to after school. After we got back to program, he was mad and was not going to free time. Carol talked to me for a minute and felt like he was just acting out because she was there. I asked her to leave for today and come back and volunteer tomorrow. When she left, I went over and started talking to Michael. He didn’t want to tell me why he was mad, so I started asking a series of questions. I discover that he was still upset about not getting the bread and “wine” as he called it. I try to explain why he didn’t get it, and he tried explaining how he felt about it, but was having a hard time. He started writing things like “I can’t go to church because I get bored and can’t stay quiet, but I love God.” We talk through it a little more and then I received some divine inspiration. I asked Michael if he would like to have Noah, one of the boys that received it, explain it to him and what it means to him. He didn’t want to at first, but later agreed. When Noah walked in, I talked to him briefly and he said he would talk to Michael. I bring him over to get them started, and asked if he wanted me to stay or to leave. Michael said I could go, so the two of them talked the entire free time. By this time, Andrew had come over to the program. I briefly caught him up and he asked if I wanted him to pull Michael aside and talk with him. I thought that would be a great idea, because I knew once we started homework, I’d be interrupted too much. We were about to start Bible study and Michael asks Andrew if he could read the Bible during Bible study instead of doing what the group was doing. From what I heard, I think Noah’s summary to Michael was to read the Bible and God will let you know when it is time for you to talk to your parents, or Ashley, or Andrew about asking God to come into your life. Whatever was said, Michael wanted to do whatever it took! So, during Bible study, Andrew and Michael moved away from the group and talked for a bit. Despite serious distractions from a game the rest of the group was playing and our daily “Move to the Groove” warm-up, Michael prayed to receive Christ!

I am grateful I saw this as an opportunity early, but I was very cautious because I didn’t want him to pray a prayer so he could get the piece of bread and a sip of juice at the next Agape Feast. From our conversation, it was clear that he genuinely loves God and wants God to be in his life. This is his third year in after school and even as a first grader this kid has been soaking up our Bible study lessons. I really don’t know if I can express what he was feeling with my words. He was so sincere about loving God and wanting him in his life, but felt like it couldn’t happen if he wasn’t at church, and that he couldn’t go to church and sit still and stay quiet. I pray we all desire God that much.

A Cinderella Story...

2011-09-18T22:29:00.000-04:00

This weekend I spent a lot of time cleaning and organizing. It started last weekend, but I really got into it this weekend. My apartment stays generally clean, but things were getting cluttered and it was driving me crazy. Last weekend I bought a file box and organized all my so-called important documents. I also cleaned out my bathroom and reorganized it. This weekend I started with the floors. I bought a mop a few years ago, but it broke the first time I used it. Most of the time when I clean the floors I use the swiffer and the wet sheets. This time I used the real cleaner, but that meant I had to use a sponge instead of a mop. :) I literally spent hours on my hands and knees cleaning the floor. I also did my own version of vacuuming. I have a little vacuum that was donated to me, but it doesn't work well. I also have a little dust buster. For my rug in the living room I brush it with the dust pan brush (after I clean it off) to collect the hair. Then I go back with the little dust buster to "vacuum". More time on my hands and knees.

Then I decided I was ready for a window by my couch again. (I've had a temp window made of wood that had my ac unit in it for the past 3 months.) I started taking it apart and pulled the unit out. The last part was the frame that was custom built (and very fitted). I started unscrewing the screws, but they weren't moving and I stripped most of them completely. So now I am stuck with a huge opening in my wall! I called for some help and we ended up breaking a couple replaceable pieces to get it out. I am happy to have my window back and I can enjoy the nice fall weather we've had this weekend!

Later that night I went through my closet and dresser and pulled out things I don't wear anymore to make room for what I do wear! I had a few visitors come by and take most of what I want to get rid of! I'm still not completely finished. My upstairs is still a mess. I'm not sure when I will be motivated to work on that.

After all this, I am looking through pinterest and I see this Martha Stewart cleaning calendar split into weekly tasks and monthly ones. I look through the weekly one and it lists EVERYTHING I spent a whole weekend doing! I have a little 450 sq. foot apartment and it took me a day and a half do get it mostly clean. This list is more than what a weekly maid would do! Martha Stewart, GET REAL!

So that was my glamorous, Cinderella story of a weekend. I know this is the exciting post you've been waiting for since July. :)

Jury Duty

2011-07-07T15:03:00.000-04:00

Awhile back I received a jury summons in the mail. Duh, duh, dunnnnnnnnn!

At first I wasn't very excited because all I ever heard about jury duty was people complain about how boring it was. As it got closer I started to get interested in it. I went to the courthouse on the first day and waited around most of the morning. I was finally assigned to a case (with a whole lot of potential jurors) and we went to the courtroom to listen to the judge and wait for them to ask us questions. I ended up getting a long lunch and only came back for a little bit that afternoon. They hadn't had a chance to question me, so I was supposed to come back the next morning. I did, they had a chance to question me, and I was picked later that afternoon. I was actually excited about getting picked just because I was so curious about the process. The trial wasn't going to start until the end of the week, so I had a couple of days off. I went back on Friday morning and it was only a half day long, just listening to opening statements from each side. The case was a civil case and we were only deciding on whether or not the respondent had a mental abnormality or not. Monday and Tuesday we heard from a witness called by the Assistant District Attorney. Wednesday and Thursday we heard from the other side, and the lawyers closing arguments. We started deliberation Thursday afternoon, but had to finish Friday morning. We decided that the respondent did have a mental abnormality and we were done! We didn't get to hear what the judge ordered after our decision... I'm still really curious!

It wasn't nearly as bad as everyone makes it out to be. I thought it would be hard to listen so carefully for that long, but it was so interesting! My schedule was flexible and we had help at Graffiti 2, so it wasn't a problem to be out for a week! I won't have to go again for at least 4 years, but I definitely won't mind as long as it doesn't conflict with my schedule!

I'm so bad at this...

2011-07-07T14:49:00.000-04:00

I wish I were a better blogger. I think about it every now and then, and I even have a list of things I could blog about, but it always seems to be a lot of effort, and I easily talk myself out of it and watch tv or something else productive...

To get back in the habit, here we go!

By now, it has been a couple of months, but I have been to a couple of Yankees games this season. The two times I've been have been the best seats I've ever had at a game, and will probably only be tied as the best I will ever have in the future. There are only a few sections that are better than where I got to sit, so the chances of me topping that experience are slim. One of the parents in the after school program is in the military, which has many perks. One of those is that they can get great tickets to Yankees games. One day he called and asked if anyone at G2 wanted the tickets for that night, so Lesley and I went. The seats were on the field level about 23 rows up behind home plate!

The next game was when the Rangers were visiting, so of course Lesley wanted to go to that game! This time we made it a girls night and Lesley, Katie, and I all went. These seats were still on the field level, just a few rows back and on the 3rd base side of the field.

I'm pretty sure the Yankees won both games. We didn't stay until the end for either of them because it was a weeknight! I feel so spoiled now. I'm not sure I can go back to the nose bleed section ever again!

New FRIEND!

2011-07-07T14:46:00.000-04:00

Awhile ago, I got an email from Sephora. I get these pretty often and this time I happened to look through it and saw that Jennifer Aniston would be making an appearance at one of the Sephora's in New York to promote her new fragrance. It was on a day that I was available, so that morning I went down to that location, bought a bottle of the perfume (which I am in LOVE with) and got my wristband! That wristband gave me the opportunity to go early and guarantee that she would sign my bottle! I was so excited and could hardly wait until that afternoon. I left right after after school program was finished and rushed down there. I was a little stressed about missing my chance, but I made it in time! I only had to wait in line for about 10 minutes. I walked up to her, said "Hi!", she signed my bottle, and I left! Super easy! I didn't say much, but I really didn't know what to say. I didn't want to be an annoying fan that gushes over her, so I stayed cool and just said "Hi," and "Thanks!" :) She is even more gorgeous in person! It is unreal. Her hair is amazing.

I only have 5 more to meet!

Va-ca-tion all I ever wanted!

2011-03-29T09:53:00.001-04:00

A couple of weeks ago when people started asking me what I wanted for my birthday, I somewhat jokingly said I wanted a trip. The more I thought about it, the more it became serious and more likely to actually happen. Turning 25 is a great excuse to go on a vacation with your best friends, so I decided to talk to them about it. 3 out of the 4 of us have birthdays in the coming months, so that was good to ask for birthday money for a trip. We started looking at dates and I started doing some research. I knew I wanted to go to Las Vegas or somewhere tropical. I’m still working on getting information, but it is all in the works. I’ve got at least 1 other person on board and the other 2 are maybes. All I want to do on this vacation is lounge by a pool and then get dressed up to go out at night (and by out I probably only mean out to eat). ;) All options I’ve seen facilitate that.

I think this whole trip mindset is invading my life. Last week I bought new shampoo. First it was pomegranate soy and then I saw passion fruit and guava kind on sale a couple of days later. I love passion fruit flavored things and the grocery store had passion fruit juice. Then today, I switched my wallflower scent to Island Nectar. I am so ready!

Maybe I am just tired of this never ending winter so I am trying to surround myself with fruity and tropical scents. I’m over wearing a coat every day. I want to wear cute dresses and good wedges! I’m pretty sure the groundhog did NOT see his shadow!

Small Victories

2011-03-22T10:17:00.000-04:00

Today I had a couple of small victories with one kid in the after school program. This 2nd grade boy faces many struggles. He is one of 3 children. He has an older sister in the 5th grade and a younger brother who is about 3. His mom is mostly deaf and his father is not in the picture, but his grandfather is. This boy misses school often and his personal hygiene is neglected from time to time. He is such a sweet kid and generally gets along with others. He is smart, but there are things that hinder his learning that he is trying to overcome. The biggest factor of that is his mom. His speech is influenced by the way he hears his mom speak, which causes problems with spelling and word sounds. His mom also struggles with staying on top of his homework, especially when he misses program. His mom isn’t a bad person. I truly believe she loves him and wants what is best for him, but she has her own struggles she faces which are often put ahead of her children. She struggles with consistent involvement in our programs as well.
Today when I picked up this boy from school I could tell he was in a mood. We went downstairs to get the rest of the group. While we were waiting, he was standing in the middle of one of the doorways. I asked him to move back out of the way. He refused to listen, despite my warnings of losing free time when we got to Graffiti 2. I tried to hold his hand and have him stand beside me, but he pulled away. I didn’t want to force him, so I let him go back to where he was standing and told him what his consequence was. Once all the kids arrived, we left for Graffiti 2. While walking, the other adult volunteer with me tried to talk to him and as he walked in the door, he kept repeating “I don’t care, I don’t care, I don’t care….” I dismissed all the kids to free time except him. A couple of our other adults went over and sat at the table with him and tried to talk to him. They were able to get him to smile and laugh occasionally, but he was still visibly upset.
After some time passed, I finally went over and started talking to him. Normally with this kid, he will shut down completely and it is nearly impossible to work through a problem and go on with the day. I was afraid this was going to be no different and it was just the beginning of the day! This Saturday was his birthday so the first thing I said was, “How was your birthday?” He smiled just a little bit and then continued to tell me about his birthday. The conversation went on and on, about random things. Eventually I brought up the fact that he got in trouble earlier. He knew what he did wrong and told me how he could fix it and then I asked why he was upset in the first place. He told me that a friend from his class slapped him and that’s why he was mad. We continued to talk and even joke about having some sort of hand signal or magic code word so I would know when he was upset about something. After we worked it out I offered to play a game with him. He didn’t want to, so we continued to sit and talk. The whole thing lasted 30 minutes and then it was time to clean up and have snack. He was fine the rest of the day. He completed his homework, I worked with him on some blends, and he participated in all aspects of program.
The first small victory: He showed up!
The second small victory: I was able to respond in a way that connected with him, instead of our of my own frustrations!
The third small victory: He was able to have a great day in program despite a struggle!

Honestly, all three feel like huge victories!

25

2011-03-20T09:05:00.002-04:00

25. A quarter of a century. Quarter life crisis? I have officially reached that milestone. Maybe not a quarter life crisis… maybe. ☺ In honor of my 25th year I wanted to write out a list of 25 things about me. Here we go!

1. I am a child of God. I’m so thankful for that and the fact that there is a Creator that cares for me more than I could imagine and has a plan for my life way bigger than I could ever plan.
2. I love my family. I love spending time with them. Including extended family. I am very blessed.
3. I have great friends. Deidre, Brittany, and Kelsey are such important people in my life and I would be bored without them. I also wouldn’t have as many good and funny stories without them in my life.
4. I love my job at Graffiti 2. It rarely feels like a job that I have to go to. I get to work with great kids, teens, and parents.
5. I’ve always wanted my life to be like FRIENDS. I live in New York, but I need more friends before my life will truly resemble the show- but with Christian values and morals.
6. I think my life would be a great reality show. It would have been best with Kelsey and I together, but I still have plenty of great episodes occasionally. It would be a comedy, drama, and even a thriller every now and then, and very emotional- probably close to Extreme Home Makeover.
7. I enter contests regularly. Most frequently is a Rite Aid giveaway for $10,000. I believe I will win a big one some day. The contest I’ve won most is the “Girlfriend Party” at Bare Escentuals.
8. Speaking of… I am obsessed with Bare Escentuals. Specifically, eye shadows. I have a drawer dedicated to eye shadow with 46 colors. Before you judge and think I spend my money poorly, about half I share with Kelsey and this has been a collection that has grown over time. Because of this obsession, I have really great eye shadow most days.
9. I love sports. I played volleyball for 8 years and love playing basketball, football, and tennis also. I love watching Spurs basketball.
10. I have a growing enjoyment of fresh flowers. I used to think they are a waste of money, but I do enjoy having them from time to time. I bought some for myself for the first time and it might become a small splurge occasionally. My favorites are daisies, tulips, lilies, and orchids.
11. I think New York is the most romantic place and I hope to fall in love and get married here someday. Preferably sooner rather than later. ☺
12. I’ve thought about writing a book someday. It would be about life as a missionary and would basically be an autobiography. I would use stories from my experience at Graffiti 2 and I have my blogs from the past couple years to get me started.
13. I have an incredible apartment. I have a spiral staircase leading up to my bedroom and a balcony outside my room. I painted it green when I moved in. One day I hope to make a video blog with a tour of my apartment.
14. I enjoy cooking and baking, but most of what I eat can be made in 10 minutes or less. I love bagel pizzas and bean and cheese tacos. They never get old.
15. I wash my hair every three days. Sometimes four, but rarely anything less than three. And just by looking, you probably wouldn’t even know what day it was.
16. I speak movie and tv shows. Most common quotes come from FRIENDS and Cougar Town, plus popular chick flicks. BINGO BANGO!
17. I have always been a shy person. I’ve gotten better as I’ve gotten older, but am still very much an introvert. I rarely like being the center of attention and become more of a listener than a talker in large groups.
18. I love fall. Especially in New York City. It is a great season with great weather and clothes! No bulky coat, but cute jackets, boots, and scarves are all wearable. Gorgeous leaves and cool temps make it perfect.
19. I’ve become pretty good at catching mice in my apartment. I don’t know an exact count, but it’s probably been around 10 (in the 2 years I’ve lived in this apartment). I get braver with each one, but it still scares me. The first one would have given weeks of material for the reality show.
20. I love Tex-Mex. I could eat chips and salsa or tortillas and queso every day and never get tired of it. The best come from Alamo Café and Dos Salsas. I can also make some mean homemade salsa. My papa taught me years ago and it is always a crowd favorite!
21. Another one of my life’s ambitions is to open up a restaurant. It will be called “Blanquitos”. Actually, the correct form would probably be “Blanquitas” because it is translated “white girls”. In order for me to do this, Kelsey has to move back to New York and do it with me. We will serve all of our favorite foods that we make. Some items on the menu will include: a variety of pizzas, breakfast tacos, salsa, guacamole, limitless varieties of cupcakes, tortillas, kolaches, cakeballs, virgin margaritas and other slushy drinks, popsicles, potstickers, wontons, and so much more!
22. I’ve passed out a couple of times for no apparent reason. Apparently I have a “cracked melon” as Kelsey calls it. I’ve seen doctors but nothing was figured out. Both times were seizure-like in mild ways. It’s been a couple years since it happened last, so maybe I’m healed!
23. I love the Dixie Chicks and never want them to stop making music. One day I’d like to learn to play “Cowboy Take Me Away” on the fiddle like Martie. I’d also love to sing like any of them.
24. My favorite verse is 2 Corinthians 5:17- Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! I also love butterflies and associate them with this verse.
25. I want to go on a trip for my 25th birthday. I am not too picky on where it is, but I want to celebrate big (which is obviously not happening on the actual day) and that includes going somewhere fun with great friends. Options I’ve thrown out are California, Vegas, or somewhere in the Caribbean. I just want to stay in a nice hotel with an incredible pool to lounge by for a few days. I’m trying to convince all my friends to start saving now and we can all celebrate 25 together. After all, this is a milestone, right?

Obedience

2011-03-10T11:04:00.002-05:00

I knew going into this support raising process that I would learn a lot. I knew it would be a growing experience. I knew it would be hard. I knew it would be rewarding. I did not realize how exhausting it would be.

I find myself sitting on my couch with my list on the ottoman in front of me. Then I usually end up with my head in my hands and I pray for motivation to start making phone calls. There are other times where it isn’t as hard to get that motivation and when that is the case, I often forget to spend time in prayer before I call. Going into this, I knew I had to rely on God, but as the weeks have come and gone, I’m getting more comfortable, which means I tend to rely more on myself than God.

I realized this week that making phone calls is me being obedient to God. As I wrote in my letter, I feel I am called to raise my own support. In order to do that, I send out letters and make follow up phone calls. In order for me to be obedient to God, I have to do what He’s told me to do.

I don’t want this to sound like I do not like having to talk to people (especially if I’ve already contacted you). Many of these conversations are great. Some are people I know and keep up with. Others I don’t know, or I know but don’t keep up with. Some are able to support me and some are not. None of those things are factors of good conversations vs. not as good conversations. I’ve had good ones with all types of people. It is just hard to do this sometimes.

I’ve mentioned that the hardest thing about this is getting a hold of people. Sometimes I enjoy being able to leave a message because that puts the ball in their court for a little bit. If I’ve tried to get in touch with my contact list I can relax for a little bit. It gives them an opportunity to respond. But then after about a day or two, they are still on my list so I try to follow up again. I get so excited when someone responds back by phone, email, or anything!

As far as my progress is concerned, I feel like I am making some. I am at 44% of my goal, so that is exciting, but I realize there is more work to do! It has been a gradual thing, which is nice because it means that I get a mix of answers. I don’t feel like I am in a slump where all I hear is “no.”

Please continue to pray for me as I continue this process. I still have a few more weeks left!

All this dating talk...

2011-03-07T10:14:00.000-05:00

This morning in church we were still in our “Pure Sex” series and this week’s focus was dating. What we talked about was nothing revolutionary. It was all things that I know and try to practice when given the opportunity. Before the sermon I started thinking about it and how I’ve heard it all before, and tried to date the right way. But obviously I’m doing some part of it wrong because the only dating I know has left me in heartbreak. (I am not writing this as a pity party… I just had some thoughts and frustrations to get out) My prayer before the sermon (after these thoughts) was “God, show me what I’m doing wrong.” What was shared in the sermon was all familiar and I felt like I had done a pretty good job with keeping my dating life Christ centered in the past and that is what I desire for the future.

At SURGE tonight, Lesley continued on the topic of dating and focused it towards the teenagers. Again, nothing earth shattering. All familiar and what I believe and practice. I almost felt hypocritical for agreeing with all that was said and taught. We are teaching the teens the biblical view on dating and it makes it sound like if you do all these things right and check off things on your Christian dating checklist, that it will all work out perfectly. In my experience that is not the slightest bit true. At one point I finally thought of the question that’s been driving me crazy with all this dating talk. I wanted to just shout out, “What do you do when you are doing all the things right and how you are supposed to in a relationship and it still doesn’t work out?!?!?” There are many possible answers and I’m sure I’ve considered them all at some point, but none have really answered this question for me. This is something that I’ve prayed about a lot for years. The few serious relationships I’ve had, at the time I honestly thought that I could marry that person one day. The first one was in high school, so it wasn’t super serious, but I could imagine a future with that person. After the first one, it took awhile before I realized that God had something better for me. Then the next relationship came along, years later, and I again was convinced that I was going to marry that person. I had felt like God had drawn me to that person and it wasn’t anything I would have thought of on my own, so when it started to come together, I was thinking, “Ok, this is it!” But again, it ended- I’m heartbroken, confused, and questioning what I felt God had lead me to.

I know that I’m supposed to draw near to God, and let Him fill my life, to find my worth in Him, focus on my relationship to Christ, yada yada yada. I know this stuff! Does it mean that I am successful in everything, NO! But I know what I should be striving for, so I do my best to get there. It is just a natural part of who I am to want an answer that will sum it up nice and neatly. Maybe that answer is just to not date! How about I never date again until God tells my future husband that he will marry me? That sounds nice. A guy starts to pursue me, but I can just say “Until God tells you that you are supposed to marry me, don’t pursue me!” After my high school relationship ended I told God that I didn’t want to date again until I was dating the guy I would eventually marry. If I was going to date, then He must have a really good lesson to teach me through it. I’m still not sure what lesson I was supposed to learn from the second one.

I was hoping writing these thoughts out would give me an “ah-hah” moment, or at least a sense of clarity on this topic. I don’t think I am a step closer in either of those things, so I guess I will go with the answers I’ve heard before.

Draw near to God and seek Him first

Let Him fulfill all the desires of my heart

Focus my life on my relationship with Him

TRUST Him with my future.

“Your heavenly Father already knows all your needs, and He will give you all you need from day to day if you live for Him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern.” Matthew 6:32-33

MSC Update

2011-02-19T15:19:00.001-05:00

I have officially started raising full support! The last couple weeks I have prepared my contact list and written a letter. I sent out the first round of 20 letters last week and have been following up with phone calls this week. Another round of letters went out this week. It is very overwhelming at times, but it is also encouraging. It's frustrating when I can't get in touch with people because the longer I do this, the longer my phone call list gets. Thankfully I've had some people call me back, but others I will continue to annoy with messages until I hear from them. :)

I have had some monthly supporters for the past 2 years so that gave me a head start. I have set a goal for myself that will release some of the financial pressure I've been under recently and I am at almost 20% of that goal. The goal NAMB gave me was really high. It accounted for taxes, benefits, retirement, and salary, but also factored in a higher cost of living in New York City. The total was NAMB gave me felt unnecessary for me, so I set a more reasonable goal. I am still including taxes, benefits, and extra money to pay off student loans and build my savings back up, I am just not factoring the cost of living as much. It is more of a budget based salary (which they advised us against, but oh well!).

The past few weeks have been difficult at times when I start dealing with all of this. It can be very overwhelming and I feel like I have to find the right balance of things. I feel conflicted with my thinking and want to make sure I stay Christ centered and not become materialistic. It's hard though when a big part of this makes me think about money all the time! Please pray for me as I continue through this process. At the rate I am going it will take about 9 weeks to get these letters out and follow up with phone calls. It is exhausting to go home and make calls when I've been at work all day. I know God will provide, and I must keep trusting in Him, not others.

SPURS GAME!!!!

2011-02-19T14:55:00.002-05:00

I am and have always been a huge Spurs fan! The past few years it has been more difficult to be a loyal fan, but this year they are back on top! I have a hard time keeping up with them and watching games because I live in New York where they aren't broadcast very often and if they are, they are on cable, which I don't have. Last year I looked into going to a Knicks/Spurs game but it was while I was home in Tx or something, so I couldn't go. This year, the Knicks/Spurs tickets were really expensive, but the Nets/Spurs tickets were very cheap! Lesley, who is our semester missionary, is a huge basketball fan, so we went to the Nets/Mavs game in January and for Valentine's Day we went to the Nets/Spurs. It was the best V-day ever!!! The Spurs won and we had incredible seats and only paid $18 each!!! At the end of the game people started leaving, so we were able to slide over to the tunnel and catch the players as they headed into the locker room.
Here are some pictures. The video is on my facebook page.

The rest of the Christmas Postings

2010-12-22T15:06:00.000-05:00

Day 2: Black Friday/General Shopping Tips & Tricks
I have only done Black Friday shopping 2 times and it was the past 2 years for Graffiti 2 Christmas. I think it is so much fun! When you are shopping for toys I think it is easier. It is tricky when you want big ticket items and electronics. That’s where all the crazies are! I don’t know of many tips and tricks, but I suggest doing some research and planning before you go. For us, that means getting all the Black Friday ads from the stores we will most likely shop at. Then organize them by opening times. Go store to store until you find what you need, and done! Last year we had done almost all our shopping by 7:30 am. This year we beat that record by 2 hours! It helped that Toys R Us opened at 10 pm, so we went there first, unloaded those gifts, and went to Target that was opening at 4 am.

Day 3: Most meaningful gift/best gift you've received
It is hard for me to think through all the gifts I have received over the years. Last year I think my favorite and most useful gift was the pair of North Face snow boots I got. Winter in New York requires good snow boots.
The year before that I got a Wii, which I still really love, even though I don’t play it very often.

I know I have received many meaningful gifts, but what stands out in my mind is from 2 years ago. My mom’s side of the family decided that we were not going to spend money on gifts for each other because there really wasn’t much that we needed. We gathered and celebrated Christmas at our house and decided to do a last minute white elephant exchange. My mom and aunt Kathy gathered things from around the house (including our cat) and wrapped them up in bags and boxes. We all took turns and had a bunch of laughs at the gifts they came up with. I was last, so when I chose the gift, I opened a card full of cash and checks designated for Graffiti 2. It was to be used however we needed. I was so touched that my family wanted to give their normal Christmas gifts up to give money to G2. When I came back we ended up getting a video camera with the money!

Day 4: Tips/Tricks to a Budget Friendly holiday season
Honestly, I could use a few tips and tricks to a budget friendly holiday season. I don’t have that many people to buy for, so that makes it a little easier.

I think the best way to save money on gifts is to draw names. We started doing this with all the cousins years ago. Instead of getting a couple of small gifts, you get one larger one. It makes it easier to buy for others since you have a smaller list, and I’m sure you save money too!

Day 5: Favorite Holiday Movie/TV Show Special
I think my favorite holiday movie is Home Alone 2:Lost in New York. I love New York movies and I love the first 2 Home Alone movies. There are some other great ones including Elf, Miracle on 34th Street, and The Santa Clause.

My favorite TV special is the lighting of the Rockefeller tree. I love all the performances, especially the Rockettes! This year I completely missed it. It was Tuesday night and it is usually on Wednesday night. I was so disappointed that I missed it, but I am planning on seeing the Rockettes in person this year to make up for it!

Day 6: Gift ideas (what do YOU want? We all have family/friends reading our blogs...so let them know!)
Here are a few things on my list this year:
-Black Glitter Toms
-Season 1 of Cougar Town
-Amazon gift cards (I am a little addicted to buying music- it’s way cheaper than itunes)
-Groupon gift card
-New iphone cover

Day 7: Holiday Craft/DIY (If you don't make anything, what do you WISH you could make?)
I don't feel like doing this one...

Day 8: Least favorite thing about the Holidays
My least favorite thing about the holidays is how crazy people get when shopping and the crowds that come to NYC! Crazy shoppers are everywhere. The crowds are special to New York. I love seeing all the things that make NYC so great at Christmas like the tree, store windows, and ice skating, but it isn’t always as enjoyable with hundreds of people crowded around you.

Day 9: Favorite Holiday recipe
Peppermint Swirl Cupcakes
Red velvet cake mix + white cake with peppermint extract swirled together + peppermint cream cheese frosting = delicious!

Kelsey and I made them and they were so good. It makes a TON though, because it is 2 cake boxes!

Day 10: Favorite Christmas Songs/Caroles
Carol of the Bells- I love all versions of this song, but this year my favorite has been BarlowGirl's. I was also determined to learn the words. I know most of them!

Day 11: New Year Resolutions
I don't make new year resolutions

Day 12: Show us your decorations (indoor/outdoor)
My building has some decorations, so here are some pics of the "outside" of my apartment.

And here are my indoor decorations!

Day 13: Favorite Cookie Recipe

Day 14: Oprah's Favorite Things: What item(s) would you want if you were in the audience?

Just too lazy to think and type the rest! Merry Christmas!!!

Christmas blog #1

2010-12-22T14:48:00.000-05:00

I have a friend that has done blog challenges where you blog every day for a month, and another one was for Christmas. I am terrible at committing to blog every day, but I did try to do the Christmas one. Instead of posting it daily, I started writing them in a word doc and I was planning on posting them later. I was able to work on a few at a time, but still didn't follow through. The next few blogs will be topics from the 12 days of Christmas blog challenge. I don't think I will post all of them, but here are a couple!

Day 1: Christmas/Holiday traditions
My traditions have changed a little bit the past couple of years since I have moved to New York. A recent tradition that Kelsey and I started last year was to watch Elf on the roof of my building. Last year we came up with the idea. We decided that we would take my queen size air mattress up with blankets, layers of clothing, hot apple cider, and my computer to watch the movie. Just to be clear, there aren’t normal stairs to get up to the roof. It is basically a fire escape ladder that is straight up and down. We carefully pass things up and pack a backpack to get everything up there without killing ourselves or falling off. Last year it was very cold and windy. By the end of the movie we were asking ourselves why we thought it was a good idea. It was a fun little experience and something that not many people can say they have done!

This year we decided to continue that tradition. We invited our friend Danielle to watch with us. We thought we were going to get fancy, so we decided to go to Graffiti 2 and get a computer from there that has louder speakers and a couple of other things. We thought about making a fort out of some folding chairs and blankets. We ended up getting some barrel clips from G2 while we were there and the camera to document the occasion. We get back to my apartment and layer up and pack our things. We start passing it all up the ladder to the roof and get set up. We worked on the fort for a little bit, but the clips we had weren’t quite big enough. We decided to just add that blanket to us and forget the fort. Fail #1. Then we go to plug the computer in and realize that it is a 3 prong plug and the extension cord I had was 2 prong. Fail #2. I go downstairs to try and find another solution and end up getting my computer instead. We bought a hot pot with cider in it and were planning on heating it up while we were up there if it got cold. Hot pot cord is also 3 prong. Fail #3. We brought the camera up also to take pictures, but Danielle had her camera with her, so we just used that one. So everything we made a special trip for was not used. We should have just stuck with what we knew.

We drank the semi-warm cider quickly as we started the movie. It didn’t take long for the cold to catch up to us and we were once again asking why we thought it was a good idea. Again, good memories make it all worth it.

Hopefully this will be a holiday tradition I can keep even though Kelsey is leaving me. I hope to have new friends by next Thanksgiving to share this with!

Another recent one I started myself was getting a real tree. I get smaller ones that I put on my end table, but I love having a real one. It smells great!

Some other longer standing traditions I have are the following:
-Christmas Eve service and then Christmas with my dad’s side of the family, including white elephant gifts.
-Waking up early (no matter how old we get) and looking through our stockings while waiting for parents to get up so we can open the rest of the gifts
-Christmas with the Rushing family, including a very special white elephant game that involved my poor cat
-Peppermint hot chocolate/mochas

Pictures from last post

2010-12-22T14:40:00.000-05:00

Tool Time

2010-11-16T12:31:00.000-05:00

My room is small and a strange shape. My apartment is 2 levels and my bedroom is upstairs. The stairs are a spiral staircase so there is a hole in the middle of the floor. The floor of the upstairs looks like a backwards C. There are only 2 spots my bed can fit. In one spot, the bed is in the corner and the opposite corner of the bed is inches away from the railing. The other spot I didn't even know it could fit in until last December when Tera Hampton helped "Simply Redesign" my room. In that place, the bed is along 2 walls and the stair railing. Along the bottom of one of the walls, my heater sticks out. This causes a problem for the bed frame and the risers. Tera just made my frame smaller and the mattress sat on top of the frame instead of inside. Problem solved...but only temporarily.

After some time passed, the frame began to fall apart. Eventually it was rigged to where the frame was resting on boxes underneath my bed. Not the most sturdy. Especially when Kelsey and I had sleep overs. It was questionable with one person on it, and we added another. At one point the wheel of the frame even popped off. I don't even know how it happened, but I managed to do it all by myself.

We had talked about finding a construction person from the next mission team that came along, but that hadn't happened and I started thinking of what the frame would look like. I even dreamed about it. A couple weeks ago I came up with the design of it to make it work with my heater. I told Kelsey about it one day while we were at lunch and so after lunch we went to Home Depot. There is a hardware store down the street from me, but I thought it would be cheaper at Home Depot and they could cut the wood for us. We get to HD and find out that they don't have 4x4 wood and they don't cut it for you. So, we buy a saw, some wood glue, and nails.

Let me explain the design of this bed frame... At the head and foot of the bed there would be a 2x4 on the ground. Then at each of the corners, we would put a 4x4 as the risers. Then on top of the risers there would be the rectangle frame of more 2x4's. The risers along the wall will be inside a few inches to accommodate the heater. It was perfect. Alright, so HD didn't have 4x4's, so we decided to put 2 2x4's together to create the risers. Problem solved.

We took pictures of the whole adventure, but I can't upload them at the time. Hopefully I can get this worked out because these pictures really are worth a thousand words.

We decide to go ahead and get the wood and take it back to the Bronx via subway. Yes, I said SUBWAY! These 2x4's are 90 inches long. We get down in the tunnel without any casualties and wait for the train. We go to the end hoping it would be less crowded. The train comes and it is definitely too crowded for us to get on. We wait for the next one and it is a little less crowded but still too many people than we hoped for. We decided to go for it. We took up some room and got some crazy looks, but we managed. We get to the Bronx and as soon as we got above ground the comments came flying! My personal favorite was "White girls carrying wood, that just don't even look right!" We get the wood upstairs (to my 4th floor walk up, mind you) and catch our breath. It was already getting close to being dark, so we take it up to the balcony and start sawing! Kelsey measures the first piece and I start sawing. It was hard work! I get close to cutting through and Kelsey says, "That doesn't look long enough!" So I ask, "How long did you measure it?" Kelsey: "50in." Me: "It's supposed to be 60." Kelsey: "Get the wood glue!"

We squirt some wood glue in there to fill the gap. It wasn't a big deal because we could just use that piece on the bottom. We remeasure and continue taking turns with the saw. Eventually we got to where we were very efficient and it was a lot easier. Two and a half hours later...all the wood was cut (somewhat straight) and the risers were glued together. We tried nailing the risers together for reinforcement, but when Kelsey tried, the nail only went about half way in and we couldn't get it in or out. Hopefully the wood glue will be enough. We called it quits for the night because we figured actually putting it together would need to be a day project.

We had Thursday off for Veteran's Day, so we decided to finish then. We take apart the bed and clear out space. Since we had trouble nailing before, I brought a power drill from G2. I start drilling but don't get very far. We then try using a drill bit and it breaks and half of it is stuck in the wood. This looks promising...

Then I decide to try the old fashioned way again with a hammer and nails. So easy! We nail the riser into the base on each end and then the support risers in the middle. Then we put the top frame on and it is finished! We signed it with the nicknames we gave ourselves (I was "Tool Time Teresa" and Kelsey was "Bad Measurement Barbie"), and I also dedicated it to my Papa who would be so proud of my construction skills!

We put things back under the bed and the box spring and mattress on top and guess what?!?! It held! It is way more sturdy than before and we aren't fearful of our lives when we get up there! We were so impressed with our work and I still get excited and proud of myself when I see it. Next project is to sew a custom bed skirt to hide all my stuff underneath. Stay tuned!

The Prophet

2010-11-16T10:08:00.000-05:00

Last Sunday Kelsey announced to the teenagers that she will be going back to Texas after Christmas. They were shocked and sad, but they were able to understand why she felt she needed to go back. Monday she made the announcement to the rest of the teenagers who weren't at SURGE the night before. We also told the kids in after school this week and Sunday we were going to announce it to the church at the business meeting.

Last Sunday during our women's small group, one of the ladies shared a prayer request for Kelsey. She said she just felt like Kelsey had this burden on her and she needed prayer. This was before anyone knew, and it was true that Kelsey did have a burden because she was not looking forward to telling the teenagers. We both thought it was pretty crazy and were wondering how she knew!

Then this Sunday....
This lady tells Andrew that she had been praying for Kelsey all week. Then Kelsey and I walk in and she tells Kelsey the same thing. During the service we had a personal prayer time and then Andrew opened it up for anyone to voice their prayers. The woman prays for Kelsey very emotionally and powerfully. After the service we have our business meeting and Andrew announces that Kelsey will be leaving. Most people in the room already knew, but this woman did not. You can hear her gasp across the room and after the meeting she tells Kelsey that was not what she was praying for!

It is a bit of a crazy story, but it is true. It is also an example of how sensitive someone can be to the Holy Spirit and the power of prayer.

Papa Memories

2010-11-09T18:55:00.000-05:00

Here is something I wrote the other night. I was encouraged to share memories while we were with family and friends, but I could hardly stand to think these things, much less say them out loud. Here is what I would have said.

As I was gathered with my family, we were all reminiscing of Papa and our favorite memories of him. I had a hard time thinking of memories of just the two of us because we didn’t spend much time together without the rest of the family around. I continued to think about it and I kept coming back to 3 things. The first two are memories of him and my favorite times with him, but the last thing is something that I learned from him. First, I remember Papa by his boots. When I was little, I remember going in the closet and putting on Papa’s boots and walking around the house in them. We even nicknamed the giant pair of cowboy boots outside of North Star Mall in San Antonio “Papa’s Boots”. The second thing I have great memories of is playing games with Papa. Most trips or family get-togethers included games of Wahoo and Chickenfoot. I still love playing games with friends and family and I can attribute that to the great memories I have playing when I was younger. The final memory I have is more of a lesson. When I was younger, I knew he was the music minister at his church. At that point, ministry only meant that we could access the CLC whenever we wanted. I remember going up there with the cousins and how much fun we had playing. Then he retired. But to him, retirement wasn’t a chance to just sit at home and watch tv. It was a chance to minister on your own time frame in whatever way you chose. Nannie and Papa continued to travel across the country and take advantage of retirement, but they also continued to serve and do mission work. I never realized how his example of ministry influenced me. It wasn’t this light bulb moment where things suddenly made sense, but it was just instilled in me in a way that went unnoticed. He was in ministry for decades, and my mom was in ministry for over 10 years. I am now in ministry and I don’t really think of it as being this radical thing. It seems like such a natural part of life for me and I think that is largely because of the examples I have seen in my own family. I’ve never seen any arrogant attitudes towards those who are not called to ministry and I pray that I won’t ever feel that way towards others. I just want to follow Christ and leave a legacy like my Papa left for me, and so many others who knew him.

God's Timing

2010-10-27T14:00:00.000-04:00

Last Monday, I received a call saying that my grandfather, Papa, was at the hospital for an aneurism. He made it to the hospital and made it through surgery with a pretty positive outlook ahead. He was on sedation and a ventilator and after he had gotten some rest, they were going to try and get him awake. Various complications occurred with his kidneys and other organs and they could never get him to wake up. Sunday night, and Monday morning it became evident that he had fought all he could fight, and even if we proceeded with other options, it would be a very long and difficult recovery with slim chances of survival.

Monday I was still in New York. I had a flight to Chicago for Tuesday evening for my MSC training and support school. Last week when all this began, I started thinking about God’s timing. I know his timing is perfect, so I committed to not stressing or worrying about how I was going to do Chicago, especially if I needed to come to Texas. I knew it would be hard for me to be in Chicago if I was distracted by things happening in Texas.

There were more conversations with my family and they had decided to let him go Tuesday morning. The family and close friends were going to gather at his bedside and send him off to heaven with prayer and praise songs. After making some calls, I started trying to switch my Chicago flight to a Texas flight. It was going to cost more to change the flight than it would be to purchase a new one. I decided that I would try and talk to someone in person and hopefully they could make some arrangements. I stayed through after school and then went straight home to pack a bag and head to the airport, in the hopes of getting on a flight that night. As I am on my way to the airport, my whole family is on computers and phones trying to get me a flight out that night. I get to the airport and a little while later I am on my way to another terminal because my family had found a flight that left at 9 that night. The flight went to Dallas, so I just needed to figure out how to get from Dallas to New Braunfels. The simplest thing was for someone to just drive to Dallas and pick me up. My dad and Clayton headed to Dallas while I flew. God’s timing was perfect even in that. They arrived at the airport right as I landed and we headed back to New Braunfels. I landed about midnight and we got back to New Braunfels about 4am.

Tuesday morning was a heartbreaking morning, but it was good to be with my family. We went in the room about 9 and spent time in praise, prayer, and sharing good memories. We watched as he struggled to breathe, until 11:30 when he went to be with Jesus. Afterwards, we went to my aunt and uncle’s house for the rest of the day and just had fun sitting around talking…oh and eating! As plans were being made, it was decided that a memorial fund would be started and would go towards ministries that he was a part of, including supporting me and Graffiti 2. I was so honored and relieved. I was supposed to be in Chicago, learning how to fundraise and was planning on starting that campaign after I returned. There are other trainings, and the next one is in Boston in January, so it is not a big deal to miss, but it will just delay when I start fundraising. I don’t know what will come from the memorial fund, but I do know that God’s timing is still perfect and I missed the Chicago training for reasons that I don’t know yet. I still need about 40 contacts, so I have an extension to get all of those!

Keep our family in your prayers. We will have a memorial service Saturday and a time on Friday night for people to gather and share memories.

Contact Update

2010-10-18T13:01:00.001-04:00

After gathering up names and addresses I had on file already, my contact list is a little over 125, which means I still need 75 more contacts. 200 seems pretty attainable, especially when I look at my facebook friends list of more than 500, but it has been a challenge. I am asking my friends and family to think of people they know who would be good contacts for me to add. I have one more week to get 75 contacts! I need names, addresses, email addresses, and phone numbers for each contact. I will be Chicago bound next Tuesday!

ashley.emmert@gmail.com
www.graffiti2ministries.org

Empanadas and Cranberry Orange Muffins

2010-10-18T12:54:00.004-04:00

Our latest food challenge was empanadas. We wanted to do pork, but could only find a roast. We cooked the meat in the crock pot all day and then made the dough from scratch. We rolled the dough out and filled it with meat. We folded it up, which causes a few cracks, but we managed to make it work. We baked them instead of frying them because we later found out that the recipe we were using was supposed to be baked. We get them out of the oven and are ready to try our newest creation.

We cut into it, which took some effort. The dough/crust was really hard and thick. We taste it and decide that our dough we made could have been used as a pie crust. It was so dense and heavy we ended up eating the meat out and leaving most of the crust on the plate. So we can’t master everything. We did look really cute in our new aprons though!

We also made cranberry orange muffins/cupcakes. We got orange cake mix and mixed in craisins and made them like normal cupcakes. We decided to get fancy and glaze the tops with egg whites to make them shiny! They turned out pretty good. They were dense as well, but tasty!

Friendraising

2010-10-01T11:24:00.002-04:00

As many of you know, I am transitioning to a Mission Service Corps (MSC) missionary. Being a MSC missionary means that I am responsible for raising support to cover my living expenses. At the end of October, I will be attending support development school in Chicago, hosted by the North American Mission Board. It is a 4 day training event that will better equip me to fundraise. Before I get there, I am expected to have a list of 200 contacts that I will send letters giving information about becoming a ministry partner with me. If you would be interested in getting information about becoming a ministry partner with me, please send me an email with your name, address, and phone number. This doesn't mean you are obligated to start sending money, but simply gives you information on what a ministry partner is so you can consider what your role might be.

Thank you for all your prayers and support as I start this faith challenge!
Ashley.Emmert@gmail.com

Asia's Next Top Chef

2010-09-27T10:00:00.004-04:00

Friday I was able to do some grocery shopping at Target. I felt like my eyes had been opened to a completely different shopping experience. I’ve shopped tons of times at Target, but this time I went specifically for grocery items. I got so many things that Pioneer doesn’t have and I was excited about the possibility of eating things other than bagel pizzas and bean and cheese tacos (which I love). Then Saturday Kelsey and I were out and we were near World Market. I had only been there once, but I was hoping to go while we were close and expand my food options even further!

I was able to get some veggies that are hard to find around my block, so that was enough to excite me. Then I told Kelsey about how I’ve wanted to try and make homemade sushi for awhile now, so since we were at the right place, we decided to get the stuff to make sushi! We didn’t really know what we were doing, or what kind of fish to get so we asked someone what they recommended. It was a good thing we asked or we might have made ourselves sick! He said that he wouldn’t recommend eating any of the fresh fish they had because it wasn’t fresh enough to eat raw. We ended up getting crab and salmon that had been cold smoked already. I also grabbed some wonton wrappers because I’d also wanted to make potstickers. Then we headed back to the Bronx to start our experiment.

We put avocado and cream cheese with the salmon and crab. The salmon was best and we did a pretty good job with making our rolls. They were tasty too! We also ate some edamame that I got from Target. Homemade sushi= success!

Sunday afternoon, we continued our asian cooking experiment with potstickers and wontons. We used the leftover crab to make crab and cream cheese wontons and then we made beef potstickers- half fried, half steamed. We knocked this one out of the park as well ladies and gentlemen! Blanquitos has outdone itself again! (Blanquitos is the restaurant Kelsey and I talk about opening in the Bronx with all the amazing food we cook, featuring cupcakes, pizza, tex-mex, fake margaritas, hummus, and now including sushi, potstickers, and wontons!)

Here is our Sunday lunch and all its glory. Too bad you can’t taste with pictures.

Any other suggestions for food challenges? I think we could handle it!

Mice Friends

2010-09-27T09:59:00.000-04:00

So New York City is known for its mice and rat problems. I’ve had my own stories of mice in my apartment and there are plenty other stories from Graffiti 2. Here are a couple just from this week!

We have noticed more mice than usual since we came back from vacation, and mostly in the basement. I was down there working one day while the other church did a food pantry upstairs. I was by myself and I heard some scurries. I saw 2 getting into a care package that was sent to Proof (don’t get me started- her fame is getting ridiculous) that had some dog treats in it or something. Then a couple minutes later I saw one come out of a closet, which was a little too close for comfort for me. Andrew went out and stocked up on sticky traps, real snap traps and bait. A couple days later we came in and we had caught 2 on the 3 sticky traps we had out. That same day we did a shopping trip for program and one of the items on our list was the plug in pest repellant that run them off. I found a 3 pack, so we put one upstairs, one in the basement, and one for the SURGE spot. I was told that when you first plug it in, you may see an increase in mice because they are coming out of hiding and trying to get away from the little plug in that makes some sort of white noise that drives them crazy. Let’s just say I think the plug ins are working!

Here is my favorite/most traumatic story in recent history…
So Monday- first day of program- the plug in had been in for 2 days. I am getting things cleaned and set up and part of my set up includes a big carpet rug that had been stored in the basement. See where this is going yet? So I go downstairs to get it, forgetting how big and heavy it is. I first kick it a couple of times because this is near the closet where I saw a mice come from a few days before. There is a sticky trap in the corner and a string from the carpet is stuck to it. After I kick it, nothing comes out, so I start to pull it down towards me. It gets to about a 45 degree angle and the edge of the roll flaps open and a mouse jumps out. I scream and drop the carpet on the floor, hoping that the mouse jumped right onto the sticky trap. What are the chances? Kelsey had been in the basement with me, but was already on her way up when I screamed. I’m pretty sure she heard me though and didn’t come back to save me. I step back and watch for the mouse to move- I don’t even know what to do with myself or this carpet.

Then I hear footsteps coming down and this time it is Andrew. I told him what happened, and we find the mouse. Eventually it gets partially stuck to the trap which also gets stuck to part of a canvas banner we had nearby. Andrew is holding the rolled up canvas, looking at the mouse through it, terrified that it might escape and run up the roll into his face. We get the canvas off the trap and kill the mouse with a hammer. There was a little blood shed, so I was given the task of cleaning up the massacre while Andrew went upstairs to throw out the mouse. I go up when I finish and after a couple minutes, we both go down to get the carpet. At this point I am terrified that another one is going to jump out while we are carrying this carpet. We start to pick it up and part of it opened up. There is so much mouse poop in this- it is ridiculous. So now I am even more terrified and not convinced at all that there was only 1 in there. We (really meaning me) muster up enough courage to take it upstairs- straight outside! This bad boy was going to be swept and shaken out. We drop it on the sidewalk and he kicks it to unroll it. As soon as it unrolled, 2 MORE run out! I scream again, yelling things like, “Oh my gosh! I can’t believe I just carried that! Ewww! Gross! Oh my gosh!”

After I recover from shock, I grab a broom and start sweeping all the poop off. It was absolutely insane. And disgusting. I couldn’t believe it. I bring it back in and needed to clean it. Andrew picked up a couple things while he was out. One was a carpet cleaner, but you were supposed to vacuum it afterwards and the other was Lysol. Since we didn’t have a vacuum, I just doused it with Lysol. Later that day, I sat down on the carpet to play a game with a kid. As I was sitting there, I could see more mouse poop buried deep in the carpet. So the next day, I bought my dust buster and did a more thorough cleaning with more Lysol and Febreeze, plus the actual carpet cleaner.

Kelsey has counted 11 or so that we have seen or killed in the past week. The pest plug in said it could take up to 2 weeks, so we are one week down! Hopefully after this week we will be pest free!

Spanish

2010-09-27T09:58:00.000-04:00

It has become very evident to me that I need to learn to speak Spanish. There are more and more parents that have their kids in G2 and they don’t speak English. This becomes problematic when they are expected to help kids with homework, and I need to tell them important things like where to walk kids home. So I came to the conclusion that I need to learn Spanish. This is not really something that I want to do, because frankly, I don’t really enjoy learning. Especially when it is something as difficult as a second language! So to conquer this, I started looking at Spanish textbooks on Amazon. I found an old edition of the one I had in high school for about $3.50, so I bought it. It came in this week, so I am ready to review my Spanish!

I took Spanish 1, 2 and 3 in high school, plus 4 semesters in college, so I think I have a pretty good head start. I can understand enough of a conversation to get the general idea when I hear people speak in Spanish, I just can’t figure out how to respond. With the amount of kids, teenagers, and parents who speak it, I think I have enough help to learn, I just have to actually practice. Another thing I started this week was instead of watching FRIENDS in English when I go to bed, I put the Spanish subtitles on. ☺ I really wanted to change the language to Spanish but I didn’t have that option. It is really entertaining actually. I can now quote FRIENDS in multiple languages!

Back to the parents who don’t speak English… I was thinking about it more this week (especially when I have had countless parents come in for after school info who don’t speak English) and I couldn’t believe that a parent would sign their kid up for a program when they can’t communicate with the people who run the program! It blew me away in a good and bad way. As a parent, I would never sign my kid up for a program where I couldn’t communicate with the director. And if that weren’t enough, sitting through a training where I have no idea what they are saying would put me over the edge. The good thing I guess is that Graffiti 2 is well known enough and respected enough in the neighborhood that parents trust it, regardless of whether they can speak to us.

This week was the first week of after school programs. It was a great first week! I was actually pretty amazed with how smoothly things were considering we picked up from 3 instead of 1 school, and started a new youth after school program. I love the changes we made for this year and I think it is better for all. For Andrew and Kelsey, it is more of an adjustment because they don’t get to spend as much time with the kids, but for me it is great! I still get to be with the kids and I don’t have to be with all 30 teens at the same time!!! ☺ I can handle them in small doses.

One surprise this week was to find out that one of the 4th graders doesn’t speak English. I was not prepared to handle that. There is a 1st grader also but he is able to speak decent English and I think he understands most of what I say. I was surprised when he pulled out his homework and it was in Spanish! Yikes! All more reasons for me to learn quickly! Thank you Jesus for teenagers and parents who speak both.

Back in the Habit

2010-09-20T08:24:00.002-04:00

I’m so glad to be back in the Bronx. I enjoyed my vacation in Texas, but I was ready to get back. Since I’ve been back, things have been busy… very busy! The first week back we had a school supply sale to keep us busy and this week we have been prepping for after school. This year we are tweaking a few things for programs. We are back in one location for the after school program. The past two years we have used the basement of the church we meet in on Sundays. This year, we are choosing to stay at our regular Graffiti 2 location. We are still doing the G.S.A.L.T. youth volunteer program, but instead of having all of them with the after school kids everyday, they will have their own after school program and be on a rotation to work with the kids. We are excited about a new year of programs and the changes that will come this year!

We had our first registration meeting on Tuesday and 30 kids signed up. Before the meeting, I had in mind 20 spots. After the first night, I was trying to figure out how I could include more kids- especially when many on the list were ones we got to know this summer and would love to have in our programs year round. The second registration meeting was a lot smaller, so it relieved a little bit of stress. I settled on 24 kids and have a waiting list of about 11 kids right now. I guess it is a good problem, but I don’t like having to call the parents on the waiting list and tell them their child can’t be in the program.

Our theme this year is C.I.T.Y. Square with cars, roads, and city life. CITY stands for Connect with Jesus, Intersect with others, Transfer wisdom and Yield to God. Here are some pictures of the room.

Today is the first day of after school! I'm very excited. It's hard to believe I am starting my 3rd year of after school! I can still remember my first day 2 years ago and how I didn't feel old enough to run my own program. I still don't feel old enough, but I am comfortable with being in charge of a program.

Since I’ve been back the weather has been pretty amazing! It is much cooler than it was last year and it is getting closer and closer to fall, which is my FAVORITE!!! I love that I can sleep upstairs without sweating and I can even use blankets! I have been enjoying my balcony a lot more too! It is a great place to read or have dinner when Kelsey comes over.

Summer 2010

2010-07-29T20:13:00.003-04:00

I'm sure you are thinking...the world must be coming to an end because Ashley is updating her blog. I don't think that is the case, I just have some updates and some internet at home, so I am taking advantage of the opportunity.

So summer is in full swing at Graffiti 2. It has been for a couple weeks. It started at the end of July with a road trip to West Virginia with our teenagers. It was a great trip full of fun, but also lots of encouragement from the teens. Many if not all had great encounters with God throughout the week. It was a great chance for all of us to "refuel" (which was our theme). After driving back on a Friday, I had 2 days to regroup before I made a second road trip to Virginia to take the 4th grade girls to Camp Crossroads. I spent the week there helping out and then drove back on a Saturday. Monday morning started our summer programs. This is the 6th summer for sports camps and 5th for fine arts, and FIRST for SUMMER TOTS! Summer Tots is the first preschool program at Graffiti 2 and I am in love! Preschoolers make my heart sing, so I am thrilled that we finally have them involved. They are so precious and we have lots of fun! The program is only on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9-12, so it has been a good pilot program to get our feet wet with that age group. For pictures of the summer programs, visit the Graffiti 2 facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=358255678250&ref=ts

Here is a pic that I love. This is one of the Summer Tots and he is so funny and has the greatest laugh and smile I've ever seen. This was taking while we were playing catch today.

Here are pictures of our puppet shows we do every day for bible studies and the kids watching them.

One question I am getting a lot recently is "So what's next?" As many of you know, my US/C-2 position ends which means I have to figure out funding if I want to stay in New York. Graffiti 2 Church received a grant that can be used to fund my position, but there are plenty of things that needs to go to instead. I personally want that to be a plan B or C. It is also not a long term solution, so I will need to find something that will be able to sustain me for longer than a couple months. Right now, my most probable option is to continue to be a missionary though NAMB, but instead of a US/C-2 missionary, I could be a MSC missionary. MSC stands for Mission Service Corps and it is a self funded position. NAMB does not provide funding of any kind, but serves as a support system and helps to equip you to raise your own support. They hold what is called "support school" a couple times a year where you are trained in fundraising. This seems like something that would be a great benefit to Graffiti 2 even if we didn't have to fundraise for salaries. It focuses on building partners in ministry, not just focusing on asking for money. The next support school will be in Chicago in October, so I am planning on attending that. The great thing about MSC is that because I am already a US/C-2, I can be easily transitioned to a MSC, even as early as September. The biggest thing about that is the insurance. My current insurance runs out when my funding runs out, and as an MSC, you can get insurance through NAMB, but you have to pay for it. I'm still looking into it, but it will probably be cheaper through them than finding it on my own. There is not a requirement to attend support school or they do not have a fundraising requirement before you can be qualified as an MSC, so I can have insurance in September! YAY!

In the coming months, I will be searching for churches and individuals to become partners with me as I minister in New York. As it looks right now, I think I will need to fundraise about $1000 a month. That does not include any support from churches or individuals I am already receiving. The $1000 a month will cover what I will lose with the expiration of my US/C-2 position. As many people often say, I will ask that you prayerfully consider your involvement. I think it's a silly thing to say, because really... if you pray about supporting a missionary, will God really tell you that you shouldn't? That wouldn't be polite to say in a support letter, but this is my blog! :)

In all seriousness though, if you want to talk to me more about this, please call, email, facebook, me and I'd love to talk to you.
ashley.emmert@gmail.com
646-467-1784

Long Time Gone

2010-03-08T10:13:00.002-05:00

About 2 months ago I made a goal to blog more. So I'm a little behind, but I am finally sitting down and sharing some stories. There is so much that has happened that I feel overwhelmed trying to share everything, but here are some highlights.

This weekend we took a group of 28 to a youth retreat in Pennsylvania. We had a great group of teenagers and they were all at different places in their lives. We had some that are highly involved in after school and church, some just involved in SURGE (a youth service on Sunday nights), and some that were brought by friends that aren't yet involved in anything. It was so great to see many of these teens enjoy a chance to get away and simply have fun, without the worries of their home lives, or school struggles to bring them down. They participated in large group worship services as well as small group discussions with other teens their age. There were many stories that were encouraging and we saw God work in powerful ways in the lives of many of these teens. We had many that made the decision to become a Christ follower for the very first time! Continue to pray for the next steps for these teenagers. We had all the teens write down what their next steps were so pray that they will be able to follow through with those steps and bring what they learned this weekend back home.

I have one particular story that stands out to me from this weekend. Last Sunday at SURGE, we had 2 brothers that were interested in going to Pinebrook. We told them if they turned the forms and money in, they'd be on the waiting list and if we had space, we'd let them know. One of the brothers told us that if there was only 1 spot, give it to his brother, because he doesn't get to do things like this often. This same brother accepted Christ in his life Wednesday night. Later that night, they had all their stuff turned in and we had space, so we told them they could go. They were so excited and one of them started yelling, "I'M GOING TO HOLLYWOOD!!!!" While we were at Pinebrook, this same teenager was so happy. I would see him around and every time he had a smile on his face. I know many struggles he faces at home, and I'm sure there are many more that I am unaware of, so it was great to see him that way. Saturday night in worship, he was sitting next to me. I had to get on to him numerous times for talking, or touching others around him. At one point while we were singing, the music was loud and I could only hear the two of us singing. It was a neat experience and gave me a little glimpse of what heaven will be like. Later that night, the camp speaker asked if people wanted to have Christ in their lives to come to the front. The teenager asked me if he should go up there and I told him to do what God was telling him to do. He looked at me and said, "Oh man, my heart is beating so fast!" Then he stood up and went to the front. After he went to speak with a counselor, he came back into the room and gave me a hug. I asked him what the hug was for and he started to get choked up. Once he started crying, I lost it as well.

Later that night we had a discussion time for students to come to if they chose. During that time, both brothers were there, and it was so encouraging to hear the brother who had accepted Christ last week talk about how thrilled he was that his brother is a Christ follower as well! He said that was the highlight of his weekend!

That was a recap of this weekend and hopefully I will be better at keeping you posted with other happenings!

Goodbye baseball, hello basketball!

2009-11-12T10:10:00.008-05:00

There's a lot that has happened since I last blogged, but I guess that's normal since it has been a month. :)

In my last post I was blown away with God's provision. That continued for the rest of October and I felt like I was going to be able to use what was left over to make a payment towards my credit card. Then came the 30th. My phone was stolen. We were at our fall festival and my costume left me without a pocket. I felt like I had to have my phone out for parents or teenagers to call, especially since the front door of the school was locked. I kept up with it most of the day and then had to set it down while I dealt with a situation. After I was finished, it was about time to go, so I started dismissal. Then I moved on to clean up and when we were ready to go, I started wondering where my phone was. Kelsey called it and it went straight to voicemail. I knew that it had been stolen but wasn't ready to believe it. The fall festival was only open to our kids and teenagers, so I was really bothered that it had gone missing. I still don't believe any of them took it. I guess God could have made it disappear to teach me an expensive lesson. I went a few days without a phone, in the hopes it would show up, but it didn't. I debated on how to replace it for awhile. With the help of a donation from Brittany, I decided to replace the iphone. I got to the apple store and realized that it was going to be more than I thought to replace it. The last time I bought it, I was a new customer, so I got the best deal on it. I was eligible to receive a partial discount, but it was still painful.

For Halloween, Kelsey and I decided we wanted to experience the Village Halloween Parade. I had heard that it was crazy and would probably be a little inappropriate, but we wanted to do it once. I had a friend, Charlotte- my roommate from my first summer in NY, come in town, so we all went together. I have a small costume collection, so I packed them up and we dressed up before we went to the parade.

It ended up raining and we got soaked by the time we got back to Graffiti to change clothes.

Earlier in the day we spent some time in Central Park enjoying the fall colors. We went by the carosel and Kelsey and I decided to ride it. It was fun and reminded me of days at Fiesta Texas.

I just realized I left out an update from October. I experienced my first Baylor Homecoming as an alum, alumni, alumnae, whatever. I don't know the difference. I had a 6:00 flight, which is becoming the usual for me. The good thing is that I arrived about 11. I had a delicious lunch at Chuy's and then I was on the way to Waco with Deidre, Brittany, and their friend Jessica. We went to Deidre's parents house first and then ran around Waco. We ate dinner at the Olive Branch and then went on campus for the bonfire and Pigskin. I finally got to see Tri Delt's 1st place Sing act! It was fabulous! We went to the late showing, so we weren't out of that until about 12:30, and it was 2 before I went to bed. I had been up for 23 hours by then. We took what I would consider a good nap and were up again to get to the parade. I went to the Tri Delt homecoming breakfast and then met up with them at the parade. After the parade, I went to the Olive Branch again, but this time with my mom, Morgan, and my cousin Hannah. We did some more running around Waco and then headed back to Georgetown. Sunday I went to church and lunch at Dos Salsas and was on my way back to NY. It was a quick, but busy and fun trip and I'm glad I got to go.

Now it is the middle of November and we are in the holiday season- getting things ready for Thanksgiving and Christmas. This is such a busy time of year, but also very fun!

Last week the Yankees won the World Series and people were loving it in the Bronx! I'm not a huge baseball fan, but I watched the playoff games when I was home. Now that that is over with, I'm ready for some basketball action!!! Tuesday there was a half day for elementary schools, so we didn't have after school. I ended up playing basketball with a group of teenage boys. I love their reactions when I come out to play. For those who haven't played sports with me before are surprised and start talking smack. Then we start playing and they are even more surprised. Tuesday was no different. My team won both games and I was named MVP at one point. :) I either got lucky, or I have somehow improved over the years with all of my not-playing or practicing. Maybe all my athleticism has built up since I haven't played much of anything in awhile. Whatever the reason, I had fun! After about 5 minutes my chest started hurting and I couldn't breathe as easily, but I got over it and survived.

God is GOOD!

2009-10-13T21:28:00.003-04:00

When I wrote my last update, I was stressed out about money. Since then, I did a devotion that talked about experiencing God's peace. That encouraged me, but I was still stressing. Last Monday, I had another discussion about finances and wasn't feeling the peace yet. I continued to work on it throughout the week and then the flood gates opened. Friday night, I got a package in the mail. It included a rebate check and a check from my parents. Then Saturday, I received a check that someone sent to Graffiti for me anonymously for $250. I was blown away. Tonight I received another check from my sister that she was paying me back for, but she added a bonus to the check. I have been overwhelmed with God's provision and I know he will continue to provide for all of my needs, not just financial needs!

Thank you so much to all of you out there who continue to pray for me. Thank you for all of the financial support given, so that I can do a job that I love!

Back to AFTER school!

2009-10-04T21:39:00.002-04:00

So after school program has begun! We started on Sept. 21st and things are going pretty well so far. We changed the way we are doing it and I like it much better. We went back to just one program with all grades together. We still use both locations though- one is for homework and the other is for enrichment. Roles have shifted some, so I have more responsibility with the after school program. There are plenty of other things I could update about, but I want to make this brief tonight. We have seen growth in our adult and youth small groups. Youth small groups are bursting out of apartments and we are praying for a better solution to come soon. Adult small groups are working through more intensive bible study and personal devotions that have been encouraging so far. We celebrated a year with Graffiti 2 Church and are averaging 30-40 people on Sundays.

In personal news...

I am so very thankful that the new seasons of tv have arrived. I enjoy coming home to my nightly tv shows to unwind and eat dinner in front of. My new favorites are FlashForward and Modern Family. Great tv!

I am so thankful that it is October. I love October for many reasons, but the most important reason right now was the payday that came at the beginning of the month. I kept track of my spending and tried to keep a tight budget for the month of September. I felt like I did a really good job and I hardly ate out. I even brought my lunch to work most days. Even still, when I calculated my expenses, I spent exactly what my paycheck was. Actually it was .49 over. That wasn't including a payment on my credit card, or the plane ticket I bought to go to Baylor Homecoming. It is the 4th, and I feel like I have already spent my paycheck on bills, food, or things I will be buying soon. I really don't like to think about it because I get so discouraged by the fact that I am trying to live simply, but it seems like there is never enough money in my account. Yesterday I made a commitment to pay my tithe now, before I can even think about the rest of the month (which also wasn't included in Sept. spending). I wrote out my check and left it at Graffiti while I was there. Today at church, it was the once-a-year message on money. I didn't realize it was today-even though I make the power point every week. I knew it was generosity, but didn't really pay close attention to the things I was copying and pasting into the power point. Anyways... I felt so convicted by the message. As Andrew was speaking, I thought about reacting a couple of ways. I could have easily had an emotional breakdown and stressed about not having enough money. There were definitely phases of that, but verses kept coming up that combat those thoughts. I know that God will provide all my needs, but I also know the realities that I will be facing, i.e. credit card payment and student loan payments in the next couple months. I hate having to think about money. I hate having to think about next September when I won't have NAMB funding. I don't have a clue where that will come from and it stresses me out to think about finding it. This isn't just a personal issue now either. Graffiti 2 is having to search for more funding for all programs, and specifically special events coming up. There aren't easy solutions and we don't know where it will come from, but I am confident that God will provide what we need.

Right now we are participating in a DotOrgAThon. It is a fundraiser our teenagers are doing and we are doing a website push as well. This is similar to a walkathon, but it is benefiting many non profits. We are collecting donations and for every dollar we receive, the DotOrgAThon will match what we've raised. For more information, or to give online visit the link below:
http://register.dotorgathon.com/mission/orgprofile.asp?orgid=12

I will leave you with a verse that I am claiming for the next week at least.
"Test me in this," says the Lord Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it." Malachi 3:10

The Mouse Diaries

2009-09-14T23:09:00.005-04:00

Alright, so today I officially started Operation Mouse Trap. After work I went to Rite Aid and got some new traps that were recommended to me. They were the last of their kind, so it was a divine meeting. I also wanted some sticky traps to put where it goes in and out of the heater, but they didn't have any, so I went to the dollar store and got some. On the way home, one of the traps snapped in the bag and made me nearly pee my pants. I got home and set them all up. I put one of each in the corner where it destroyed my other traps and the other ones at the other end of the heater.

I put the sticky trap between the wall and my staircase so it would have to go through it to get across. I sit on my couch and watch tv, and wait for my mouse to come out. I see it and it explores the new things. It knew something was up and didn't fall for my trick. It goes to the staircase and sees it, then goes around my staircase to get to the kitchen. Right after that, I take one of the sticky traps from the corner and put it on my stove where it comes in and out. Then I start watching over there. I see it and it realizes what has happened and doesn't fall for my second trick. Fail #2! Then I decide that the mouse is too smart , so I move my trap by the stair to right under the heater that it goes up in. I take a shower and a little while after I got out, I was sitting on the couch and was startled by the sticky trap moving around on the floor. 3rd times a charm! Ok, mouse is finally caught. Now what?!?

I was really really really nervous. It would still move around a little and try to get out of it which really freaked me out. I got my broom to move the tray away from the wall. Then I got my dust pan and a plastic bag. I was able to sweep it into the dust pan without touching anything. Then I held the bag open with the stick of my broom and dumped the tray into the bag. I squealed a few times and I think my heart was about to burst out of my chest. I tied the bag up, took a victory picture, and was ready to get rid of it!

I had already decided how I was going to get rid of it. I wanted to throw it off of my balcony! I went and got some shoes, and while I was getting them, it moved around in the bag a little bit. I freaked and dropped it. Once I gathered myself, I proceeded to my balcony. I tossed it off the balcony and watched it land in the lot next door- plastic bag and all! I shamelessly littered!

Now I can relax a little bit. I'm still nervous that there will be another one. I'm just not ready to go through this again. The first sight was Easter weekend, so this has been a long battle! I feel like I deserve a lifetime achievement award or something.

He has RISEN!

2009-09-13T22:11:00.003-04:00

Ok, so I know in my last blog I shared another mouse story. I thought I had caught it the morning I left to go to Texas for 3 1/2 weeks, but now that I am back, I am fully convinced I threw out an empty trap or my mouse has risen from the dead. I am not upset that I threw it out, because I believe that God allowed that trap to close so that I would not worry about a mouse taking over my apartment.

Alright, so here we go...

I first saw "evidence" (droppings) on my kitchen counter. I was annoyed and frustrated. I got back on Wednesday and Saturday Kelsey came and was staying with me until Tuesday. At some point while she was here, my traps moved from where I put them, the bait was missing, and we finally spotted it. I saw it first and let out a small gasp and then she saw it and let out a bigger one. I discovered a new place it went up in my heating, so I rebaited a trap and set it by the entrance. The next morning, the bait was gone and another trap was moved. This mouse is continuing to blow my mind and I am trying to figure out what is going on.

In the past when I've seen the mouse, I am sitting on the couch watching tv at night and I usually see it run around my kitchen, only once or twice on the counter. This weekend I have had quite a few sightings. I was sitting watching tv and I see it come out. I sit very still and quietly and just observe. It goes over to a trap and starts eating at it. There was some old bait still on there that was stuck under in a hard to reach place. I tense up and am just waiting for the trap to set off and scare the bejeezus out of me. My heart is racing and my eyes are starting to hurt from focusing on the same spot for so long. It is going at it and tearing up the trap and I am not taking my eye off of it. I don't know how long this goes on, but it was quite a while. Then it decides to go to the kitchen. I discovered where it comes in and out to get on the counter now. There is a space on my oven where the clock is and it gets in through there somehow. It searches around the range, near the microwave, and near my clean dishes on the drying rack and then goes back through the same spot.

Just saw it come out- for the record.

Let me back up a minute. Saturday for lunch I was making a grilled cheese. I got my bread out and set it on the counter. I buttered one piece and set it down. I pick up the other piece and there are 2 mouse droppings stuck to it from the counter! I nearly throw up, then I get another piece of bread out. My countertops are granite and they are speckled. Mouse droppings conveniently blend in. After my appetizing lunch, and seeing how often the mouse visits the kitchen, I no longer use my countertops. I will do a thorough cleaning when it is all said and done, but for now, I am staying away.

So back to my trap. I take a closer look and see pieces of my trap all over the floor and see how much the mouse has eaten through. Here was what it looked like.

I was watching Friends dvds and stopped and just stared at my wall for a long time. I am so consumed with this, it is ridiculous. My eyes go back and forth from one corner to the other just waiting for it to come out again, with an occasional glance in the kitchen. Later on in the day I rebaited it, hoping I could see what happens with the bait. Sure enough, it comes out and it just takes the bait like it's no big deal. It doesn't matter if it's smushed in there or not, it just takes it with so much ease!

Alright, so I go to sleep and I have this dream. I was at my parents house and while I was sleeping, there was a mouse in my bed. In my dream, I grab it with my bare hands and I am just holding on to it while I figure out what to do with it. It is biting me and everything and I'm just talking with my mom about what I should do! Completely consumed I tell you!

I was gone all day today and didn't have a chance to get any new traps. I've thought of all these plans on how I could get it, but the problem is... I don't know what I'm going to do once I catch it. I'll have to get rid of it somehow and that part makes me nervous. Anyway- so I'm gone all day and wasn't sure what to expect when I got home. I looked at the trap again and here is what I found this time...

Tomorrow I plan to begin "Operation Mouse Trap" in the hopes of winning this war! I feel like my life could be a reality tv show right now.

2 more stories...

2009-09-03T21:01:00.004-04:00

I have an update that I have forgotten to mention. And a new story from today. Here it is!

So the first week in August I discovered that my mouse was back and it was braver than ever. I was sitting on my couch and I watched it climb up on top of my counter and try to get into my banana bread that was on top of the microwave. I didn't even realize it could get up there. It couldn't get in, so it found the pan that was still on the oven. It climbed all around the edge of my bundt pan and I finally decided to throw my shoe towards it. I didn't really want to hit anything in my kitchen, but I threw it to scare it away. Sure enough, it was scared and I saw it run back to its spot up into my heater. After that, I moved my banana bread up on top of the refrigerator, on top of a basket. I think this was Monday when this happened. Tuesday night, Katie had stayed with me and Wednesday morning I was getting some banana bread for breakfast. I got my plate down and cut a couple pieces. I was about to put them in the microwave when I saw my mouse leap from behind the refrigerator to behind the microwave. I screamed and jumped back. Katie was on the couch and I told her what happened. It was really funny despite the fact that it scared me so bad. It looked ridiculous flying through the air like that. After that, I didn't eat banana bread. I saved it though so I could use it as bait- this time, it was stored in the microwave. So I changed my bait and got some "high tech" traps since mine weren't working well. I got the kind that are covered so you don't see the mouse and it goes in a little hole, then twists shut. I put banana bread in one, and cheese in the other. I put them in key places and checked often. I continued to see "traces" of my mouse, so I knew it was still around, but not in the trap yet. I was getting nervous about being gone for 3 1/2 weeks with a mouse running around, or catching it and having a dead mouse stinking up my apartment for 3 1/2 weeks. Monday morning, I get up to go to the airport and before I leave, I check my traps. Good news! I finally caught a mouse! At least that's what the trap said. I picked it up and tried to shake it to hear something, but I couldn't tell, so I'm assuming it was in there. Yay! Ashley-1 Mouse-DEAD!

Now for my second story. So over my vacation, I ate a lot of mexican food and drank lots of Dr. Pepper. I noticed on my parents scale that I gained a couple pounds, no big deal. About half way into my vacation I put on a pair of jeans I brought and they were noticeably tighter on my hips. So I continued to enjoy my mexican food and Dr. Pepper, without walking anywhere or going up 4th floor walk ups. I was curious to see what the wii said when I got back. I had done it a couple days before I left, so I did it yesterday when I got back and sure enough, I had gained 9 pounds in 3 1/2 weeks. Awesome. It is good to be back to the land of walking, stairs, and a limited food budget.

So today, I go into work. There was a lady that came by who I had helped out some during the summer. We are talking and mid conversation she tells me, "You've gained weight!" What are you supposed to say to that? Yes, 9 pounds to be exact, thanks for noticing! It was funny and I didn't take it too personal. :)

So there you go... two posts in two days. Don't get used to it.

A wedding and vacation

2009-09-02T21:19:00.002-04:00

I think the only reason I am blogging is to get my dad to stop bothering me about not blogging.

So I went home for vacation and as soon as I got in town, the busyness began. It was Megan's birthday, so we went out to dinner to celebrate (as if she wasn't getting enough attention that week) :) Then Tuesday the wedding marathon began. We had errands to run and things to get ready. Wednesday was the lingerie shower and bachelorette party. We got 2 hotel rooms for the night in downtown Austin and went to dinner and dessert/coffee downtown. Thursday morning we got up and went to Salado for the bridal luncheon. After, we went and got mani/pedi's and then got ready for the rehearsal. The rehearsal dinner was gorgeous. It was in the Carnley's backyard by the pool. The weather was great also, so it didn't feel like August in Texas! Friday we spent the day getting ready until the ceremony. Megan and I got our make up done (which I absolutely loved!) and then went to get our hair done. Most of the other girls already had their hair appointments, so once we finished, we went to the church to get ready and take pictures. Then it was time! At this point in the week, I had only shed a couple tears at the luncheon. I was doing well and then we got downstairs and I looked back and saw Megan and my dad and nearly lost it. I looked away and then all the other bridesmaids saw me, so they all started tearing up. Later I learned that nearly everyone was crying as they came down the isle. I held it together for the most part (even though it was obvious I was trying to hold it in) until I got down to the end of the isle. It came and went throughout the ceremony, so I had apparently bottled up all my emotions until they burst. Surprised anyone? :) The reception was gorgeous. There was a candy bar that was gone before we got there and some great food. The flowers and decorations were incredible. I'm not just saying this because I'm family... it was truly the prettiest wedding I've been to. After the reception we all had to clean up and tear down fast. We had an hour to get everything outside of the building. We got it done and spent the day Saturday getting things back to their places.

The rest of my vacation was much more relaxing. I had Megan's car while they were on their honeymoon so that gave me freedom to visit people and of course, make a trip to Waco and the Olive Branch! Megan and Clayton came back Thursday, so I got to spend time with them before they went back to school. The next Monday, Davis and Morgan started school, and the Carnley's were going back to Lubbock on Tuesday, so we had a family dinner together and went bowling afterwards! It was a fun night. Tuesday was the start of the real test. I would be home without a car all day, so I was expecting to get bored. I actually enjoyed my time and read and watched movies. Friday and Saturday I spent time with all of the grandparents, and then spent some time with Deidre and Brittany.

Today I got back to New York and got resettled. It is back to the real world, but I'm excited about seeing people and what's coming ahead!

It is finished...

2009-08-07T22:18:00.003-04:00

It is Friday night and the Graffiti 2 summer program is officially over! Whooo hooo! I love the summer program, but it is exhausting. The schedule is tiring, but it is the pressure of a block party performance that puts me over the edge. I'm not going to relive it for my own well being. Maybe after some time has passed, I will share a more detailed version of this week and specifically, today. I will just say it was a very frustrating day in fine arts, but things came together and we had a great performance at the block party.

The last two weeks of sports camp went pretty well. We were full every day, which made my job harder when I had to turn people away. In art last week we drew and painted a mural that we hung at the block party. This week was drama and we tried to learn a skit to do at the block party, but that was part of the struggle this week, so we didn't end up performing it.

The real reason I wanted to blog was to share an experience I had this morning that nearly ripped my heart out. We were at basketball camp and we had a kid get 3 dots on his armband. That just means 3 time outs, which means he was going to be sent home without a prize. It has actually happened before to this kid, and he usually gets a couple dots a day. He can be such a sweet kid, but has a hard time following instructions. So, Andrew brought him over to the registration table and talked with him a little bit, and eventually I called his mom. We was upset that he wasn't getting a basketball, but he calmed down. By the time his mom got there, he was fine. His mom comes over and gets so upset with him. She wasn't handling it how I would, but it wasn't too bad. Then she starts telling him that he needs to call his father to come pick him up, because she can't handle him anymore. She said that it is just too much, especially on top of all these other things going on in her life right now. She continues and says that he needs to go to his father because if she handles it, she will kill him. (Before you get upset with me for not calling the cops or ACS, the way it was said did not sound like a serious death threat, just words spoken out of frustration). After those words came out, this kid looks over at me with the saddest eyes I have ever seen. After some more yelling, she slaps him in the face right in front of me, and I get the same look again. I didn't know what to do really, but I knew that I couldn't let him go yet. I asked Katie to go tell Andrew that his mom was hear to pick him up, hoping that he would come over there but he didn't right away. Then the mom started to tell me the problems she was dealing with. She had recently lost her job, and right before I called her, she was dealing with an eviction notice. She struggles with her children as well. She is obviously upset and dealing with a lot, so I suggested she go over to our prayer table. Side note: this year we had a sign up for people from church to come sit at a prayer station at camps for parents to come if they need it. I think we had it set up 3 times all summer, so it was a God thing that someone was there today. So the mom goes to the prayer station and I get to talk with the kid some more. She talked with Andrew and one of the ladies from church and they prayed with her. By the time they left, I felt like things were much better and no one was upset. They came back for the block party tonight and seemed happy from what I saw.

I still can't get that look out of my head. It scares me to think what that little 1st grade boy goes through at home. This is the reality for so many children in this neighborhood. They are constantly being yelled at, hit, or worse. Pray for the children in this neighborhood and peace in their homes.

Summer!

2009-07-25T18:05:00.003-04:00

So it has almost been 2 months. I'm sorry. Blogging isn't at the top of my priority list. Let me update you chronologically.

June:
I went home for my cousins wedding. It was a last minute decision and I am so glad I was able to go. It was a very quick 40 hour trip, but I squeezed a lot in.
We finished after school program the following week and took the teenagers to Bear Mountain State Park about an hour away. The next two weeks were filled with a variety of things, most of which was preparation for trips and summer program.
June 27th I brought 3 of my teenage girls to Texas for a week. We were supposed to leave at 6:30 am but our flight was cancelled, so we hung out at La Guardia until 1:15 when we could get another flight. We finally arrived in Texas about 6:30 and went straight to Megan and Clayton's shower. We ate lots of good food that week, but I was very disappointed in the girls' choices at Dos Salsas and Alamo Cafe. Chicken and burgers at the greatest Mexican food restaurants in Texas! Seriously? Monday morning we left for San Antonio along with 9 girls from the youth group at FBC, and 2 chaperones. We went to Six Flags and Schlitterbahn and stayed at my aunt and uncles house. It was a lot of fun. Wednesday we came back to Georgetown and went to Shockwave. The girls liked it a lot and afterwards we did a shaving cream fight with some of the youth. Thursday we went to the pool for the afternoon, and then out to the Black's house for dinner. There, the girls took a tour of their land, DROVE TRACTORS (all by themselves), and rode 4-wheelers. They loved it. Friday afternoon we left and got back to the Bronx about midnight.
July:
Saturday I recovered from trip one and prepared for trip two. For the 4th of July, we went to watch the fireworks along the Hudson. They were great. You could see them from 4 different spots along the river, so it was 4 times bigger than usual. Sunday afternoon I picked up the van and drove around Manhattan and Queens getting things done. Monday morning we left for Virginia with the 4th and 5th grade girls. We arrived at camp that afternoon and spent the week there. I had a little hospital adventure with one of my girls, but other than that, everything went well. One of the girls hurt her knee playing capture the flag, and her mother wanted us to have it checked out. She was fine and even slept through the examination. We got back from that trip Saturday night and then Monday morning was the start of our summer program.
Now we are halfway though with the summer program. Week one was baseball and dance, last week was football/cheerleading and music. This week will be tennis and art, and next week will be basketball/cheerleading and drama. We have had over 90 kids each day in sports camps and one rain out. This week the forecast shows thunderstorms everyday, but hopefully they are all afternoon and not morning.

So there you go. That is what's been going on in my life for the past two months. I uploaded the video I made from our Texas trip. Enjoy!

1 year!

2009-05-27T22:58:00.002-04:00

One year ago today I moved to New York! It doesn't feel like that long ago at all. I remember how extremely excited I was and how surprised I was when I got to the Osborne's and found out that I would be sharing a one bedroom apartment with a family of 3. I remember going straight to the Bronx and completely interrupting bible study when I arrived. Let's do a quick recap of my year!
May 27th- Moved to NY
June- finished after school program, spontaneously joined in the Missouri trip for teenagers
July- Sports and Fine Arts Camps
August- stayed at the Field's and enjoyed vacation at home with family and friends
September- started a 2nd after school program (and the journey begins...)
October- enjoyed what a real fall felt like, Fall Festival in after school
November- coordinated Thanksgiving baskets, enjoyed a NYC Thanksgiving with the fam
December- G2's Christmas celebration and holidays with the fam in Texas
January- Back to after school, things are much slower and not as busy
February- Started summer trip fundraiser, spent countless hours on video editing
March- fun month with 2 college mission teams, turned 23 :)
April- Easter Egg Hunt was rained out, but was still a success, Dad came to visit
May- Amanda came to visit to check out G2, started planning for summer all over again

I can't believe this will be my third summer here. I feel like such a veteran.

This weekend I saw Shrek the musical. It was good, but I'm not sure I would recommend it. There are just so many others that I like better that I would recommend before it. It was pretty funny and entertaining, but still not at the top of my list. After the show, I was walking to the subway on 57th or so on a quieter block. I saw a couple people taking a picture with someone and I looked and saw that it was Nicolas Cage. I almost didn't recognize him. He had longer, dread-like hair. I had my camera with me, but I didn't want to ask to take a picture. I didn't really care to have a picture with him, but it would be cool to have one of him I guess. He followed me for a little bit and then went into a trailer. I rarely see celebrities out and about, but it is really fun when you do see someone.

So this last part as nothing to do with New York, but I watched the George Strait special on tv tonight and it was so great. I absolutely love him and I am reminded of how amazing he is every time. I have been listening to only George Strait songs since it was on.

No more good tv!

2009-05-21T23:13:00.003-04:00

I always feel like I need to pick up where I left off...

So my mouse story... I did move my sticky trap to the spot I saw it go up in the cabinet. The next night I am watching tv and I see it. It goes right past the sticky trap. It explores a little and even ventures out to the rug for a second. Finally, it was scared and went under/behind the fridge. After I was assured the mouse was not interested in the sticky trap, I bought the real ones. They were a little tricky at first, but I figured it out without losing any fingers. I set them out in key places and waited. And waited. And am still waiting. I'm convinced my mouse is smart because I haven't caught it or seen it in weeks. I think I scared it away.

Earlier this month, I had a visitor. Her name was Amanda and she was coming up here to look into working with G2 full time. She is from Texas and she has been a teacher for the past 2 years. She spent an extended weekend with me and we had a lot of fun. It was so good for me on many levels. I enjoyed some great fellowship that I had been craving. We had lots of great conversations and really connected in a short period of time.

The other night I got home and checked my mail. I finally received a bill from ConEd, the utility company. I was nervous to open it because I hadn't gotten one since I moved in. I started opening it and by the time I got to my door, I had it opened. I look at it and the first thing I see is that I have a balance of $1311.64. I laugh to myself because it was so ridiculous. It was a moment where I could have easily panicked, but I didn't. The notice said that if I didn't pay soon, my electricity would be turned off. I called the next day and they said they never received my fax. I had Andrew fax it again, and I still didn't hear from them. I called today to check on it and they didn't get it a second time. This time, I went to a check cashing place and had them fax it for me. It cost $9 but they finally received it. I have now gotten my electricity set up and will be receiving my bill in the middle of June. It will be from February till then. I'm not sure I will be eating much for the next couple months. I don't know what to expect, so I am going to aim high to lessen the shock. Right now, I don't see how I will be able to pay all my bills, but I know God will provide. On paper, things never work out like they should, but I've been alright so far!

Now that it is the end of May, all of my shows are over. I have enjoyed the past 2 weeks of season finales, but now I am really bummed out because there was nothing on tv tonight! I had a tv line up for every night of the week Monday- Thursday and it is all over. I was very pleased with all the season finales too. Grey's was good with a good cliffhanger, but nothing too agonizing. One Tree Hill wrapped up too nicely without any cliffhanger, which leads me to believe the show will be cancelled. I was so glad Shawn Johnson won Dancing with the Stars, and I was glad Kris won American Idol. Now all I have are Netflix. It is all I watch on the weekends, and it looks like it will carry over into my week now. The other night I received a documentary on The Dixie Chicks. I was really excited about it and stayed up late Tuesday to watch it. I started it and it wasn't too long before I realized it was going to be a disappointment. There were all these white trash nobody's talking about the Dixie Chicks like they knew them or giving their opinion about country music. They filmed them in weird places too. One of them looked like it was in a cubicle, another in a garage, one at a sketchy bar, and a couple others. They hardly had any footage of the Chicks themselves and it was all really old footage that they probably got from another source that wasn't copyrighted. There were no actual songs in the background or concert footage. I fast forwarded through the commentators and I still couldn't stand to watch it. It was the worst done movie I'd even seen. I could have put together something much better. If you need proof, visit www.graffiti2ministries.org and check out all the video editing! I sent it back first thing the next morning and gave it a horrible review. :) Tomorrow I will be receiving "Shut Up and Sing" which will make up for the wanna be documentary.

We are wrapping up after school program in the next couple weeks and gearing up for summer. I am looking forward to summer because it is something different, but not looking forward to summer weather. My current household project involves changing a plug to fit my air conditioner. I need to get some pliers to continue working, so that may be on my list for the weekend. Other plans include a free broadway show, netflix movies, and Memorial Day in Central Park.

Paranoid

2009-04-27T22:44:00.002-04:00

First of all- it's been almost a month. This is unacceptable. Especially when I think about blogging, but don't feel like it.

A lot has happened since last month. Easter came and went. It was a great week, but the only rainy day was the day of the hunt itself, so we had to cancel it. It all worked out though because we were able to still pass out the nearly 700 gift bags that were assembled. Easter Sunday we baptized two new members into Graffiti 2 Church. They are both teenage boys in our program. My dad came to visit Easter weekend and was available to do a few things around the apartment. I didn't have many projects, but one goal was to get an air conditioner and install it. We went and bought one on Good Friday and it was delivered on Saturday morning. Sunday he installed it and we realized that the plug was the wrong kind. First of all, when we went, we showed them what kind of plug it was, but I somehow got the wrong one. Second of all, this ac is HEAVY and there's no way I'm going to take it back and get another one installed by myself. My dad went to the hardware store down the street to see if they had a converter of some kind and they didn't. That left it to me to get taken care of. I did not like the sound of that. In my defense, I take a lot of pride in doing many things by myself. There are countless things I have done in my apartment so far that I am too stubborn to ask for help. I have painted, put together tables, entertainment centers, hauled microwaves, and screwed many things in the wall without a power drill. I like the satisfaction of saying I did it by myself. There are still a few things that I have no desire to do for myself. So I go to Home Depot while I was out on Friday and see if they have a converter for my ac. They didn't, so I didn't know what to think. By the way, this weekend started to feel like summer. Saturday it was highs in the upper 80's and Sunday it was 93. I don't have any fans either, so it was difficult to get circulation. I was wanting to find a solution quick, but wasn't sure what to do. I was going to resort to having my dad look for one at home. Saturday I had to go to the bi-annual meeting for the Metropolitan New York Baptist Association. It was out at a church in Long Island, and on the way back, we stopped at a Home Depot to get some storage solutions for G2. I got some help there, and purchased a replacement plug. I have to change the plug in the wall with the one I bought. This means I have to deal with electrical cords and things I have no clue about. I wanted to get it done Saturday and especially Sunday, but I was too scared to do it by myself. I keep thinking, "What if I get electrocuted and no one is here to help?"

In other news, I finally bought a bed!!! Friday I bought it and it was delivered Sunday! Last night was my first night in it and it was pretty amazing. It would have been better if I wasn't hot most of the night, but I'm working on that!

My main reason for blogging was to share a little paranoia with you. Easter weekend, my dad saw a mouse when we first walked in one night. He said it went into my heating along the wall. That made me nervous and I was paranoid all night. I got over my paranoia because I hadn't seen it. Then last Sunday, I was sitting on the couch watching a movie and I see it go along the wall behind my tv, and then back again. That motivated me to get some traps. I bought some sticky traps because I am too scared of the real ones. I've seen Andrew nearly snap his fingers off and I think he knows what he is doing. I am not about to mess with those bad boys. So I put my trap out by the refrigerator near the wall and check it every time I walk by. Nothing. Then I move it under the stairs. Nothing. Then I move it by the tv where I saw it run by. Still nothing. So it's been over a week, so I'm thinking, maybe it's moved on to someone else's apartment. Until.... tonight. I was watching tv and I see something out of the corner of my eye. I turn to the kitchen and all I can see is a tail going up into a corner in my cabinets. I still cannot figure out how a mouse gets up there. I was unaware of any opening, but apparently there is something big enough for a mouse. One cabinet is were I keep kitchen stuff I don't use everyday or larger items, and the other cabinet is my "under the sink cabinet" with random things, and mostly cleaning supplies. That cabinet makes me nervous every time I open it because its deep and dark and it looks like a place roaches and mice would like. I get my sticky trap and move it right where I saw it go up. We'll see how this goes. I think I need to switch to the real ones. I think my mouse is smarter than the trap.

Walmart Adventure

2009-03-29T20:46:00.002-04:00

This week has gone by quickly. I was afraid that it would be a tough week in after school after having back to back mission teams, which means lots of extra attention for the kids. It was a really good week, so that was nice. Thursday night, Andrew rented a zip car for the night and took a teenager to an open house at his school. Afterwards, he wanted to take full advantage of the car, so we decided to go to Walmart to get some things for my apartment. I found a couple of options and got directions. We headed out to New Jersey around 10:00. We get to Walmart and walk up to the door, only to discover that it is closed. Apparently not every Walmart is a supercenter that is open 24 hours. So we look up other Walmarts on Andrew's blackberry and there is another one 40 miles away or something. I was up for the late night adventure, and eventually Andrew agreed. We head to upstate New York and I start to feel carsick. I had the window down for a little bit, and eventually I just had to throw it out there, and I told Andrew, "Just so you know, I feel like I'm about to throw up." He went ahead and pulled over and I opened the door and leaned out. I threw up some and felt better afterwards. I had a towel in the back that Proof had been on earlier, so I cleaned up a little with that. We kept going and finally reached Walmart. I started to feel sick again when we got closer and as soon as we parked, I got out of the car and threw up even more. A lot more. I don't remember the last time I threw up that much, if ever. It is very rare for me to throw up. So, I finally finish and we go inside and start shopping! I find a tv stand, lamp, and some groceries that I can't get in the Bronx. I was so excited about the Lofthouse cookies I found. They are those thick soft sugar cookies with lots of icing that is usually pink. MMMM... delicious!

We finish our shopping trip and get back to the Bronx around 3 AM. It felt like a random road trip from my college days and it was a lot of fun!

I got home and threw out the left overs from my dinner. I wasn't sure if it was me just getting car sick, or if there was something wrong with my food. I made this bowtie pasta with chicken, and alfredo sauce and pesto sauce. It was really good going down, but not good coming up. :) I looked in my refrigerator on Friday and discovered that the pesto sauce I used expired November 6, 2008. I think I solved the mystery. It was strange because I had used it a couple weeks ago on some veggies and I don't remember feeling sick at all. I threw it out. I think it will be a little while before I eat pesto.

Friday I put together my tv stand. It was hard! My hands hurt so bad afterwards. I had to screw a bunch of screws in and they weren't wanting to go in all the way. I got frustrated and just started hammering them in.

I have had a relaxing and productive weekend. I wish I could have more Sunday afternoons. I came home today and took a nap while watching basketball, did a little work while watching bball, and watched some Friends. Now it is 9:15 and I'm ready to take a shower and go to sleep.

23 sounds a lot older than 22

2009-03-20T23:12:00.002-04:00

When I have answered the question, "How old are you today?" my answer continues to sound strange. 23 sounds much older than 22 does. I'm pretty sure I thought the same thing about 22 and 21.

I was woken up around 8:45 with my phone going off telling me I had a text message. It was from Morgan, who was on the other side of the country and up crazy early to go back to Texas. Lucky for me, I am on the east coast, so it wasn't quite as early. She and Davis sent me a series of texts, and I finally got out of bed. I made chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast, and did a little wii fit. It was one of my favorite happy birthday messages of the day. The balance board was wearing a party hat and it shot streamers out. I had a hair appointment at 12, so I went and did that, and got a manicure with this gift certificate package. It was the perfect time to use it. I enjoyed getting everything done, but it wasn't as pleasant as I hoped. The staff there wasn't very friendly and I was really missing Mecca, where I can go in and know people. After that, I made a stop at Bed Bath & Beyond to pick up a cake pan (which turned into a couple other things too). I got back to my apartment and I had some boxes waiting for me. I finally have my real curtains. I plan on getting them up soon. I also got some housewarming things! Later on, I went to dinner at a mexican restaurant that was pretty good. They had some of the best chips and salsa that I've had in the city, but don't worry- I only have tastebuds for Dos Salsas, so it could never replace the Dos. After that, we went to a restaurant and bakery for dessert on the upper west side. I found it online as one of the best places in the city, and when we got there, we realized it was from You've Got Mail, when they meet for the first time. They had a ton of dessert options. I chose the Tiramisu, which was good, but I'd rather have it from The Olive Branch.

So that was my birthday. It was good. Now I am ready to sleep.

Curtains

2009-03-15T22:06:00.003-04:00

I had such a productive weekend! I was feeling stressed from the constant state of unorganization I've been living in for the past month. Friday I had a list of things I could have done and my goal was to get as many crossed off the list as possible. I needed to get back to Target to return my broken microwave, do laundry, finish painting, get a haircut, go furniture shopping, go to Old Navy, and pick up somethings from different places. The first thing I did was go to Target. Target is only about 10 minutes away if you are driving and there isn't any traffic. But, I am too stubborn and cheap to get a car, so I took the microwave on the bus and train. It takes at least an hour that way. So I carry the microwave all over and by the time I get to Target, my hands and arms hurt so bad! My hands were cramped up like on Friends when Chandler plays Ms. Pac-Man too long and can't move his hand. After getting it there, I decided I didn't want to go through that again, plus I needed to make a stop or two on the way home. I did a little shopping at Target and actually found some curtains that I liked, but they were out of stock. On the way home, I stopped at Jennifer Convertibles to look at couches. I found one I'd seen before that was a great deal, so I ordered it. I will have a sofa bed delivered next Sunday between 8-6! Yay! Somewhere comfortable to sit and watch tv! After I got back home on Friday, I started unpacking the miscellaneous boxes I had left. I sorted through lots of keepsakes and cards from people that I had, which was encouraging. I finished painting the kitchen also. There were still quite a few things on my list, but I felt accomplished.

Saturday I woke up to the sound of voices. I thought maybe it was in my dream, but I heard them again and they were getting louder. Next thing I know, there is a man outside my window, climbing up the ladder to the roof. I hear him say, "There's a lady sleeping in there" and that was about all I could understand. I have no idea who they were or what they were doing, but it creeped me out that someone was that close and could see inside my apartment. I wasn't too scared, but I was hiding out in the bathroom in case they came by the window again. I heard lots of weird noises, and it sounded like some power tool. My only explanation is maybe it was someone from this new store downstairs that just opened up. Maybe they had to do something on the building or installed something on the roof. Needless to say, this motivated me to get curtains real quick. I have been looking everywhere I can think of but haven't found any yet. I am bothered a little by the fact that I can be seen through my windows, but not bothered enough to do much about it. Now it's a different story. I had curtain rods that I bought a couple weeks ago on my Ikea trip. I just didn't have any extra sheets to put over the window. My mother told me to go out today and find something. I'll get to that story later. The rest of my Saturday continued to be productive. I had some work things to do, then I made a trip to Manhattan. I had a coupon for Old Navy for 30% off, so I wanted to take advantage of that. I did, then I went to Graffiti to pick up things for church and print flyers. After that, I went to Kmart on a microwave mission, yet again. I found the same one I had before, and headed back to the Bronx. This trip with a microwave was much easier. It was still heavy and my arms got a good workout.

Today after church, I really wanted to take a nap, but I had things to do, and continued in the productive spirit. I got ready for my small group, took a short nap, and watched a movie (ok, so those weren't productive, but still). I ended up not having my small group, so I took that opportunity to get more things done. I went to the hardware store to buy screws for my curtain rods (which by the way, I have about 485 left because they only came in a big box). Then I went to another local store on a mission for sheets. I could only find sheet sets for about $10 and I was not about to pay that much for cheap sheets to cover my window. Then I saw shower curtain liners for $1.99. I had a brilliant idea. I would take the shower curtain, and put it on my rod and there you go! No more seeing into my apartment! I get home and I start to work on my new project. I screw all the curtain rods in and pull out the curtain. The holes on the shower curtain were a little too small. No problem... I just made my own holes. I cut circles in between and it worked out great. It looks like its supposed to be that way when you aren't close. The shower curtain covers my window perfectly. I feel much better now.

Frustration + Stress = Fragile emotional state

2009-03-11T22:38:00.002-04:00

Is it Friday yet?

I have been asking myself this question a lot this week. It's not that is has been a particularly bad week, I am just ready for Friday- for a day off to catch up on lots of things. I started a list this morning of possible things I could do, now I need to prioritize and get some done this weekend.

Last weekend was the youth retreat. It was a lot of fun to get away, but I came back exhausted. Who schedules a youth retreat the same weekend as spring forward Sunday? NOT SMART! I got back Sunday night and didn't even go upstairs. I decided I'd rather take my chances with the air mattress downstairs that leaks than go upstairs to the good one and have to put the sheets back on and everything. I was asleep by 9:30.
I survived driving in Manhattan both times this weekend when we picked up and dropped off the cars. I did have a close call with a delivery guy on a bike who was riding the wrong way and came out of nowhere from behind a car. I got real nervous. It was so great to drive! I want to drive more.

This week we have had a college mission team helping out. They are from upstate NY from a couple different colleges. It has been really nice to have them helping out. I feel like I can relax a little, especially during after school because I have so many other adults around to supervise. Tuesday I had a particularly difficult day. I had one first grade boy who was trying to leave during the program that I sat with and occasionally held back from escaping. Eventually he settled down and ended up getting his work done with a good attitude. Later on things were more difficult at the end, when one of my first grade boys got upset. With this boy, when he gets upset, it is like a switch that goes off. You can see it almost immediately and once it goes off, you can't switch it back. We were going to the park and he lost some free time. He did not want to follow my instructions and started to walk away. He was walking into an enclosed area where I could still see him, so it was fine. Then he left that area and went to an area that wasn't as safe. I followed him and asked him to come back and he wouldn't listen. He wouldn't talk to me and kept trying to get away. I eventually situated myself behind him so that I was moving him with my legs as I walked towards the rest of the group. We sat down on a bench and I tried to talk to him. I was holding onto him and he was fighting to get away. After a few minutes of screaming, kicking, and fighting, I let him go to see if he would run. He just walked over to a tree not too far away, so I let him stay there for awhile. He then decides he wants to go back to where he was, so I follow and we went at it for Round 2. Same thing, but with screaming. This time it is getting close to time to go, so I had this debate in my head on whether I should pick him up and take him over there or not. I decided that even though the general rule is to not pick a kid up, that I needed to pick him up so I could gather up the rest of the kids to go. I sent a teenager to go get the mom to pick up her kids and sent the rest home. At this point I wasn't too upset or frustrated. I felt like I stayed calm and handled the situation as best I could. We get back to Graffiti and I recruited Andrew's help while we were waiting on the mom. We had a meeting with the mom and both of her kids who are in my program. It didn't take long before all the stress from the day that had built up to start pouring out in the form of tears. For those counting, this is the second emotional breakdown in after school.

Today was a better day, but it wasn't without problems. After work, I get home to find a UPS notice on my mailbox. This was bad news. I got one on Monday, signed it, put it back and Tuesday morning when I left it was gone. Tuesday night I have another notice, so I take it with me this time. I sign it, and put it back on my box this morning. I get home tonight, expecting to have a box on the ground, but instead, I see 2 notices. One was the one I signed this morning, and the other is another one they put on this afternoon. I was so annoyed and frustrated. I get upstairs and get on the website to try and figure out what is going on. I call and talk to someone and they told me that it is the delivery person's discretion whether to leave a package even with the signature on the notice. He told me that since it was the final notice today and that it was past 7:00, that the package was already scanned to get shipped back to the sender. I turn into a disgruntled customer real quick and go off on him, asking what I am supposed to do when I sign for the package twice, since I am unavailable to receive it because I am at work all day long. AND, by the time I even got the final notice, it was already on some truck! Seriously?!? How was I supposed to know that I needed to call them before 7 to change my address or something, when I assumed it would be left because I signed the notice?!? AGGHHHH!!! I am getting worked up again. I get off the phone and want to scream. This package is the coat rack I ordered last week that I really would like to have so I have a place for my coats, so I can make room in my closet for other things that are lying all over my apartment and driving me crazy! So I get off the phone and let out a frustrated noise that wasn't enough, so I start crying to relieve all this frustration. I am telling myself how ridiculous I am but feeling a little relieved. For the record it was 6 tears or something, so I wasn't a complete wreck from a UPS package, but still.

Tomorrow is going to be a great day. I can't wait. And if it isn't, well then it will be FRIDAY!

Some progress

2009-03-05T21:17:00.002-05:00

I have made a little progress on my apartment recently. I have finished unpacking almost all of my boxes, but not everything has a place yet. That is what drives me crazy. My apartment isn't very storage friendly. There is only one closet. ONE. Not one clothes closet, one closet all together. This makes it difficult for me to place random things in what would typically go in a utility closet of some sort. My closet isn't big enough for all my clothes and jackets, so this week I ordered a coat rack online for my coats. I made a trip to Ikea also, so I have a couple other organization things for the closet. I blew up an air mattress for the living room, so I have a place to sit that is a little more comfortable than the floor. I got a cable for my tv, but I didn't have an antenna. Today I got one that was down at Graffiti that we used for the Super Bowl Party. I set it up and I can finally watch tv! I started watching Friends this week because I needed to relax and watch something at night. The picture is fuzzy, but I am getting my tv fix! I got a microwave a couple weeks ago, and last week I was going to set it up. I was about to pull it out of the box and discovered that the front glass panel was shattered. I was so disappointed and frustrated. It is such a hassle to get to Target on the bus and subway. I have to wait until I have a big block of time to get out there and back, unless I wanted to pay for a cab, which I don't.

This weekend we are taking the youth on a retreat in Pennsylvania. We are taking 15 teenagers and I will be driving! I am excited about driving, but I must admit I am a little nervous about driving in the city. Tomorrow Andrew and I will go pick up the vehicles and then I will be driving the girls in my car and all the stinky boys will be in the van. Pray for safety and that we will all be transformed from this weekend and really grow in our faith.

Savannah

2009-02-22T14:20:00.004-05:00

This weekend I was in Savannah, GA for my commissioning service. I'll get to that later. First an apartment update since the move.

I moved last Monday with the help of Andrew, Lee, and Shamar. They were my knights in shining armor as they muscled boxes and boxes up and down 2 4th floor walk ups. Monday night I made a late night trip to Home Depot to buy paint. I had an idea of the color I wanted, but I made a quick decision without any consult from others. I chose a green color, that is a little brighter than a sage green. I started taping the walls Monday night and more on Tuesday. Wednesday I started to paint. I painted for about 8 hours and wasn't close to finished. It didn't look to great, because most of it had one coat, but parts of the trim had two, so everything was uneven. I came to a stopping point and my hands were so sore and blistered. I got up Thursday morning packed for the weekend, and then painted a couple more hours. I got a second coat on most of it, so now it looks much better and almost finished. I left Thursday afternoon with my apartment a complete mess. Everything was still in boxes, except for some things in my closet that I had to unpack out of my suitcase. I wish I had another week off to get settled in.

Thursday night I arrived in Savannah. I got to the Westin Savannah Harbor Resort, which is the nicest place I have ever stayed in! It is amazing. I didn't want to leave. My room had 2 amazing beds, a huge tv, and a great shower with 2 shower heads. There was even a bathrobe for me to use. I've never really used a bathrobe before, but I am a huge fan now. The hotel/resort is on a little island, right across the riverwalk area of Savannah. I love the view from my room at night. There are huge ships that come through occasionally. There is also a ferry that takes you across the river to all the shops. This town is so pretty too. They have so many squares with grassy areas and lots of trees.

Friday we went to this pregnancy center called The Living Vine. It is a place where pregnant girls can come live until they give birth. It was great to hear stories from the staff there. Saturday we visited the Savannah Baptist Center and helped with a block party that afternoon. Saturday night we had free time to explore. I walked through the riverwalk area, and had dinner with a few other missionaries. I got back to my room after dinner and got ready for bed. I was so exhausted and I think I went to sleep before 10.

Sunday I went to church at First Baptist Church Rincon. This is where we had our commissioning service also. I went to the service, then went to kids church and got to tell them about what I do and answer their questions. It was quite an experience. They were so funny. They asked so many questions and eventually asked if I had kids. I said no, so they asked if I was married. I said no, so they asked if I had a boyfriend. I again, said no. No juicy details for them. The children's minister laughed and made a comment that they would pray for me and my search. :) Later on, towards the end, I sat in a chair and all the kids came and laid hands on me and prayed for me. It was the sweetest and amusing thing! After a couple prayers, one little girl prayed for me to get a boyfriend. From then on, every other kid prayed the same thing. I got a kick out of it. On a more serious note, a girl came up to me afterwards and told me something that broke my heart. I had mentioned what life was like for many of the kids I work with, and one of the things I said was that most of them don't have two parents. This girl comes up to me and says, "I know how those kids feel, because my mom died last year from cancer." I could hardly say anything back to her. I thought it was so sweet of her to empathize and share that with me. After kids church, I was invited to eat lunch with the GA's and their families. I spoke with them a little bit and answered a few more questions. One little girl had a question but she was too shy to ask, so her mom asked me. Her question was, "What's the hardest part of being a missionary?" It was such a deep and difficult question to answer and it came from a little girl.

After lunch, I had a couple hours to spare before our service, so I found a plug and got some work done on my computer. We had our commissioning service, which was good, then a reception afterwards. Honestly, it was more meaningful with 40 K-5th graders prayed for me than hundreds of adults. After being at the church for 12 hours, I was ready to get back to my hotel for one last night in that amazing bed (or a couple hours at least). I got back and packed, and went to sleep as soon as I could. I had to wake up at 3:30 so I could get to the airport for my 6:15 flight. I got back to New York around 8:15 and was back to my apartment in an hour. I was tempted to sleep, but I knew if I sat down, I wouldn't get up. I went into work around my usual time, just like any other day. I was so tired. I ended up coming home, eating, showering, and I was in bed by 10.

Speaking of home, my apartment is still a mess. It is driving me crazy, but I'm hardly here to work on it. I need a chunk of time to knock out the rest of the painting before I can tackle the rest. I don't have any furniture, so I sit on the floor and eat, in front of my computer because I don't have a cable to connect to my tv, so I can't watch tv yet. I listen to the radio a lot, and I go to bed after I eat and shower. I am living a simple life I guess you could say. My refrigerator is very empty. I rotate between grilled cheese, pb&j, and pancakes. Tonight I mixed things up and ate a whole pouch of potatoes and a box of strawberries. Balanced, I know. I can't wait to get back into a normal routine. I haven't done the Wii Fit since I moved. I'm sure it is wondering where I've been and will get onto me for missing so many days.

1st grade boys

2009-02-13T00:08:00.002-05:00

Before I share some stories from my day, I first want to give a full update on the apartment status.

I called the guy about the apartment on Monday. We talked for awhile and long story short, I got him to go down to $1100. I told him I would have to think about it and look at a few things and I would get back to him on Tuesday. I thought about it a lot and was trying to make a smart decision, without getting too excited about the possibility of having an apartment. The apartment doesn't include utilities, so that is another expense to factor in, plus it is already a little over my budget. I wouldn't have to pay a broker's fee, which almost evens out with the extra $100 per month. Tuesday came and I finally called him that evening and told him, "I think I am going to take it." He kind of chuckled and I couldn't really tell why. Maybe it was just the uncertainty in my voice. We set up a meeting Wednesday to go over paper work. I found out that I could access my bedroom by going one floor higher where there is a fire escape route (that was what the hallway was I saw before). That was good news, so I won't have to get a bed up a narrow spiral staircase. We agreed that I would get the key on Sunday and I am moving in on Monday!!! Next week there isn't school, so it would give me an opportunity to get things settled in. I am so excited and I also found out that I can paint! It would be a pretty big job because there aren't any walls separating the room, so if I do it, I have to do everything. The color now is a pretty bright yellow-gold color. It's not bad, but I would love to change it to fit exactly what I want. I just have to decide what I want. That is the hard part.

I have got so much going on right now and not much time until Monday. I would have loved to start packing this week, but have been busy doing other things instead that I haven't gotten to it. I was hoping to get a little done tonight, but I got home late, ordered Thai food (at 10:00 by the way) and watched tv until 11. Then it was time for my usual shower and wii fit (50 days straight). I did a little video editing, but was too tired to keep working on it. Tomorrow I have many things I would like to accomplish, but I'm not sure how much will get done. I would love to pack as much as possible, return my shower ensemble to Bed Bath and Beyond, and even go to Home Depot to get paint ideas. I also need to get a few things for this weekend. Saturday night I am having the teenage girls over for a girls night. I scheduled this before I decided to move, so that makes things a little more complicated. Saturday we are doing more interviews of the teenagers, so I want to be finished with last weeks before we do this weeks, but it isn't looking promising. When we are finished with interviews, we are coming straight back to my apartment, so everything has to be ready before Saturday morning. Then Sunday is here and I get my key! I have more thoughts about moving and being in a new place, but that is for another blog at another time.

Back to my stories from today. Oh, first grade boys...
I have 3 stories and they are all pretty different.
#1. I was given a Valentine by one of my first grade boys. It was cute. I cherished it, and then ate the sucker.
#2. The same first grader said something really funny later. He was watching another kid play on this website called edheads.org I think. You can perform surgeries and learn medical things on the website. This first grader was grossed out by the website and make a comment about it. I asked if he wanted to be a doctor someday and he said, "No. I don't want to be a doctor, I want to be a bus driver." Very plain and simple, serious, and random! I laughed and asked why he wanted to be a bus driver. I don't think I got a complete answer, but I asked if he would take me places in his bus, and on field trips and he said yes, but not now, when he's older.
#3. A different 1st grade boy is the subject of my third story. This first grade boy has daily, and sometimes twice or three times daily, violent outbursts and other struggles in after school. Today was no different. Andrew and I combined our programs today, which was good, because I was able to give my full attention to this first grader. It was a pretty good day for awhile, then something happened between him and his sister. They ended up hitting and kicking a little, and he was mad at her for starting it. I am between them, holding the boy so he can't go after his sister. I try to calm him down by talking to him, but he keeps trying to get away. This goes on for close to 5 minutes. Then he starts to cry and I could feel him shift from trying to run through me to just hugging and holding on to me. I am on my knees this whole time, so we are at about the same level. He has his head buried into my shoulder and is sobbing. His arms are around me tightly and we are just hugging it out. After a couple minutes of that, I ask him if he wants to go to the other side of the room and read a book. He agrees and we go to the bookshelf and then to the back of the room. The whole time, he has his head buried in my stomach now and is still holding on. He calms down and did a great job with reading. He was even invited to play with a teenager and another kid, but told them he was going to read first. I was so impressed and encouraged by that small, simple comment. He did alright for the most part for the rest of the day. There were little incidents, but he didn't go back into the rage I saw before. Yesterday he was upset and I didn't know what else to do with him. I was at my own program, so I had to balance running the rest of the program and handling him, and eventually sent him over to Andrew's with his sister. He ended up calming down and even finishing his homework and came up to tell me about it afterwards. I have my own daily personal struggles with dealing with him, and I am continually trying to think of what I can do to help him. I don't mind dealing with the outbursts and violence when I can see him transform into a different person. Those actually bring me joy. It is the days when I feel I am getting nowhere that get to me and I feel hopeless. There was something about sitting there with him sobbing and holding on to me that just made me feel good. I don't know how to describe it. It felt like I was holding a baby. It is sometimes easy to forget that this child is a first grader when he acts like a rebellious teenager. I guess it just reminded me that he's just a kid and needs so much support and love.

That was a much longer story than I planned. It is now time for bed before a full day tomorrow.

Apartment Update

2009-02-07T23:10:00.003-05:00

Today I went and looked at an apartment. For those who are familiar with Mott Haven, it is on 138th, between Brook and Willis, a block and a half from the 6 train. This apartment was one of the first ones I was interested in and I found it last March on Craig's List. I walked by it last week when I was looking at another apartment and it had a sign on the door advertising a 1 bedroom and a studio. I called and it was the same guy from before. He told me basically the same things I already knew. The apartment was $1200. I said I could only pay $1000 and asked if it was negotiable and he said not really. I didn't feel like I was getting anywhere, so I said thanks, bye. Then I started thinking about it and thought of a few more questions to ask. I called back yesterday and scheduled an appointment to see it today. He couldn't show it to me, but I met the super and he showed me the 1 bedroom and the studio. First we went to the 1 bedroom which was on the 4th floor (in a walk up, but no big deal). It looked just like the pictures. The building was really nice and the super kept apologizing for the mess from the snow that people tracked in, but it was super clean and I didn't even notice a mess. The apartment is called a "penthouse apartment". It is two floors and the bottom floor consists of the kitchen, living area, bathroom and closet. When you first walk in, the kitchen is on the left and it is just in the corner and open to the rest of the room. It was nice and had lots of cabinet space. It had new appliances also. The bathroom was next to the kitchen- you kinda make a U-turn from the door. The closet was on the right when you walk in and the rest was the living area. It was pretty big for New York standards. My favorite part about this apartment is the spiral staircase that leads to the second floor. It is on the left, past the kitchen and has shelving on the bottom part of the stairs. I went upstairs and discovered that the staircase is extremely narrow. As I am walking up, I am trying to figure out if you could fit a queen size mattress up and around these stairs. I reach the second floor and look at the bedroom. I was stunned. It was nothing like I imagined. There were not pictures of the upstairs, so I had my own idea of what it would look like. I am at the top of the stairs and I could take maybe 5 steps until I got to the opposite wall. Then I could turn and take about 12. Then I could take a few more. It was an upside down L shape. It was big enough on the smaller part of the L for a twin bed. I'm not sure if you could squeeze a queen in there or not. The bigger part of the L may be big enough, but I wouldn't go buy a bed until I did some accurate measuring. If it did fit, there would be some space on the little L for a bedside table or something, but you wouldn't want to put something you needed easy access to because you would have to crawl over the bed to get to it. I realize this probably doesn't make any sense, but I am trying to let you get an idea of what I saw. Also upstairs there was a door in the corner close to the stairs that led to a small terrace. This is my second favorite part. It's not quite a rooftop, but it is close enough. There is room for a couple chairs, maybe even a small fire pit. :)

I also went ahead and looked at the studio, which was listed at $975 I think. It was the exact same layout as the bottom of the 1 bedroom, just without the staircase. It was a good size studio, but I just do not want to live in a studio. I was thinking about it most of the evening and I came to the conclusion that it would be fine if I was in school and trying to save money or something. I feel like a studio isn't a grown up apartment and I really want a grown up apartment. I want to have people over, but not feel like people are all over my bedroom. That's just a little weird. I also want a queen bed because that is a grown up bed. I started to consider getting an Aerobed so I could get it up the stairs, but those are $300, so I feel like if I'm going to spend that much on a blow up bed, I should just get a real one. I am thinking into details way too much, because right now I can't even afford this apartment. I am planning on calling him on Monday and letting him know that I loved it and would move in right away if the rent was $1000. I am praying for a understanding, sympathetic Mr. Chung who will just want to get someone in the apartment. Please join me.

Yesterday I mentioned I went to Bed Bath and Beyond and I bought an entire shower ensemble. I got home today and realized that this apartment I saw today has sliding glass doors and I wouldn't need any of that. I have drawn 2 conclusions. 1) This is a sign that this isn't the apartment for me, because I need an apartment where I can use my new shower curtain. 2) God is just being funny and teaching me a lesson about my shopping habits. I like to think it is the second one. I'm not too attached to the shower curtain. It was just a great deal and I figured I would need it eventually.

Considering my apartment updates since May, this one is the biggest yet. Maybe I am getting close. I'm trying not to get my hopes up too high. I will keep you updated.

Random

2009-02-06T19:44:00.002-05:00

I can't seem to think of a theme, or main story for this blog. I think it will consist of random thoughts and short stories from my life recently. So, here we go...
(They will probably not be in any particular order)

-I am thankful for February for a couple reasons.
1. Strawberries are in season, so they are pretty cheap. Last week I bought 2 packages of them for $5. Today I went back and it was $6. Not too bad. I bought some chocolate last week to make chocolate covered strawberries and ate a whole package at a time. The chocolate didn't harden, which was fine. I discovered that I'd rather dip it like fondue.
2. Sweethearts. Not to be confused with conversation hearts. I look forward to the day the stores put out their Valentine's day stuff so I can buy Sweethearts. I could careless about sweettarts, but I will eat sweethearts until my teeth rot away. I also enjoy the Easter edition with chicks and bunnies. I looked at the candy isle in Duane Reade but they didn't have them, so today I had a mission of finding them. I was successful and bought 2 bags for $1.08. They were on sale, but I'm not sure I was charged for two.
3. Lots of good chick flicks are coming out. Now I need to make friends with some girls to go see them with me. I really want to see He's Just Not That In To You and Confessions of a Shopaholic.

-Last night I grabbed Subway on my way home and was given 2 free cookies.

-Last night was the Grey's Anatomy/Private Practice "crossover event". I should sue for false advertising. There was no crossover at all. Derek received a phone call from Addison, but she was not shown in Grey's. Then in Private Practice, there was no connection with Grey's until again, the very end when Addison calls Derek, but Derek was not shown in Private Practice. Now next week looks like it will actually be a crossover event. I think this is foreshadowing the merge of Private Practice and Grey's.

-I am ready to move to the Bronx. Many of you are probably thinking that I am stating the obvious, but before I have wanted to move, but wasn't looking forward to the packing and moving part. Now I am in the mindset where that sounds fun and exciting, instead of tedious. Maybe that is because I feel like I am getting closer. Tomorrow I am going to look at an apartment that was actually one of the first things I found, but I couldn't afford. I still can't afford it, but I am hoping to negotiate. I am praying for a confident, bold attitude, with a little bit of New Yorker. This is not my specialty, so we will see how it goes. Maybe I need a charming attitude too. Today I went to Bed Bath and Beyond to look for a hot pot, and left with a shower curtain, liner, and hooks. I found a curtain on sale that I liked, so without too much thought about colors and decoration, I decided to go with it. I also looked at bedding and I think I have decided on my colors. First things first... apartment. Then furniture. THEN bedding and decorations.

-Last week we had a Super Bowl Party with the teenagers at Graffiti in Manhattan. It was so much fun. We were in the worship room and brought down the ping pong table, and we set up my wii. We had the game on the projector screen and on two plasma screens. We had to use an antenna so it wasn't in HD or anything, but it worked. One of the highlights was when people started playing my American Idol games. I took down everyone's predictions for the game and I ended up being the closest with my 27-24 prediction. I was pretty impressed with myself.

-This week we announced to our teenagers where the summer trip would be this year. We have been planning for awhile now, so it was exciting to finally let them in on all the secrets. The girls will come to Texas to spend time in Georgetown and San Antonio and the boys will be going to Colorado to do outdoorsy things that do not interest me at all.

-I bought the new Fray cd this Tuesday when it came out. I listened to it a little, but then got on this George Strait kick and I couldn't bring myself to listen to my new music over the great George Strait.

-I am wishing I was doing Disciple Now this weekend like the rest of my friends. I'm not sure I actually want to take part in the Disciple Now, as much as I just want to see my friends.

-Thursday I made a short video from some clips we had from our new video camera. I was discovering how to edit video on my computer and discovered a new hobby. I must say I am pretty impressed with how it turned out. I think I could do better with a theme and more thought out plan. I also only spent a couple hours on it. Tomorrow we are doing video interviews of teenagers interested in going on the summer trips, so I will have a project to work on for the website.

I think that is all for now.

Consider it pure joy

2009-01-28T22:56:00.004-05:00

To actually read my blog, go to www.graffiti2ministries.org

I don't usually think to blog there, because most of my postings are more about my personal life, with ramblings that are out of the context of ministry. But this time, I thought it would be a good time to let other people in on some insights I've had recently. I think it is worth reading. :)

PS, my last post was post 100 since I switched over to this blog.

Real Winter

2009-01-17T17:32:00.002-05:00

I am currently experiencing a real winter for the first time in my life. My "winter" experiences from the past have been about 10 days of 30 degree weather a year. Now, I am experiencing much colder temperatures for much longer periods of time. I am loving it! Yesterday and today there were temperatures in the single digits with highs in the teens. When I woke up this morning my computer said it was 7 degrees outside. I wasn't about to go feel for myself. I went out yesterday when it was in the teens, which wasn't too bad, but I wasn't out there long, and I had quite a few layers on. I haven't stepped outside my apartment door today and am not planning on it until I go to church tomorrow morning.

A couple days ago I started getting congested and sneezy. I have learned that these are the symptoms of a cold that is soon to come, so I stocked up on medicine (which could cause me to go broke if I get a cold too often) and enjoyed some quality time with my bed. I moved my dvd player into my bedroom and connected it to the tv that the Osbornes left me. I have been watching seasons 2 and 3 of Friends and loving it! I don't feel too lazy because I can play the sick card and the cold weather card! I have still been doing the wii, so that means I'm not THAT lazy, right?

This week was much better in after school. It was a relaxing week for the most part. Andrew's kids had testing this week, so most of them didn't have homework. He let them watch movies this week, so I decided to let mine watch a movie if they finished their homework. It was good motivation for them to do their work and it was more relaxing for me! Don't you worry though, I still had my usual encounters which included a head butt to the cheek. Some things never change...

Thursday night when I got home I finally took down my Christmas tree. I kept it up because I felt like I didn't get to enjoy it for very long and it was just too pretty to take down. It hadn't been watered since I left to go home for Christmas, so it was pretty dead, but still smelled good. It left quite a mess by the time I finished with it. There is still a little trail down the hallway from when it wouldn't quite fit through the door frame. Now that I have experienced my first real tree, I don't ever want to have a fake one again! I absolutely loved it!

That is all the updates for now. I think I am due for more Friends in my bed!

What is this feeling?

2009-01-11T21:43:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I had a strange and very unexpected realization. I saw quite a few status updates over the past few days related to Tri Delt and rush. Yesterday was bid day. I kept seeing pictures pop up and I felt myself wishing I was still in that world. To say it surprised me was an understatement. You can talk to Deidre and Brittany- they wouldn't believe you if you told them I said that I missed Tri Delt days. I can't say I miss everything, because that is definitely not true. But bid day and pearl jam are some of my fonder memories. If I just had an excuse to dress goofy and dance around with a bunch of girls all night, I'd probably get my fix.

This week was the first week of after school. I honestly wasn't ready to get back into the swing of things, but once it started, I was fine. The first week back wasn't as crazy as I expected. I'm not saying we didn't have our issues, but I thought the kids were going to be on vacation mode and be crazy all week.

Saturday I went to New Jersey for lunch. Andrew got a zipcar membership and couldn't wait to use it. We had birthday dinners for 3 teenagers that we needed to catch up on from the holidays, so we went out to Red Robin in New Jersey. One of the boys is obsessed with burgers, so it was like heaven. It snowed most of the afternoon and evening Saturday, but I went out and finally got some groceries. This week I survived off of a variety of food. One night I ate crackers with nutella for dinner, and another night I ate tater tots. I almost ate popcorn for dinner one night also. Good news now! I have more nutritious items to eat, but I still haven't eaten a complete meal. Last night I made roasted veggies, corn bread, and an apple with nutella. I'm getting closer. Tonight I ate left overs and a grapefruit with splenda and it was amazing. It only took me about 30 minutes to peel the grapefruit though. It is worth it when I actually have time to put into it. It would definitely not work out for breakfast.

Today we had church and small groups. In church we launched The New Testament Challenge, where we are reading through the new testament in 63 days. In my small group I started a new bible study from the book "Lies Young Women Believe". I am really excited about it and I felt like it will be received really well.

Now that the Osborne's moved out, I am alone in this association building. People asked me if it was scary and at first it wasn't, but I think I have been thinking about it too much and it is a little creepy when I walk around the building now. I was especially creeped out by the basement, which has always been creepy, just extra creepy now.

That is enough updating for now... I would like to do a little Wii Fit yoga before bed. :)

Texas!

2009-01-03T20:45:00.003-05:00

I have wanted to update, but once again, I haven't been in the mood. I finally got to Texas around 4:45 AM on Monday, when I was supposed to get in at 11:45 PM Sunday. My mom and Megan (and Bentley) came to pick me up, so I got home around 6. I ate some breakfast and hung out for a little bit before my dad went to work and then slept a little. I hadn't gotten much sleep at all on the plane, so I was exhausted. I woke up before lunch and got ready for the day. I went to see Brittany and Deidre and had a sleepover with them. Tuesday I was picked up and went to Austin to shop for bridesmaids dresses. While we were shopping, Debra got a call saying they had 4 tickets to the Spurs game that night if Cailey wanted to go. As soon as I heard that I chimed in and said I wanted to go. God really wanted me to go to the game, so a few minutes later I got a call saying that my hair appointment for that afternoon needed to be moved because the girl went home sick. So we ate lunch at Chuy's and went back to Georgetown to pack a couple things. Lucky me, I brought my Spurs t-shirt in the hope that I would get to go to a game! We got to San Antonio, ate at Alamo Cafe for dinner, and went to the game. Our seats were AMAZING!!!! We were sitting behind Eva Longoria Parker with 2 rows between us. We were so close to the court and you could actually tell that the players were really tall. We got some great pictures that I am so proud of. Here are two of my favorite action shots.

Here is one with me, Megan, and Cailey.

We stayed in San Antonio Tuesday night and came back Wednesday morning. It wasn't until Wednesday that I could actually relax a little at home. Christmas Eve was the first night I slept in my bed at home because I was gone so much. Christmas day we had Christmas with my dad's side at lunch, and with my mom's side later that afternoon and evening. I got a Wii for Christmas with a few games and a Wii Fit. I LOVE it and I am kinda obsessed with it. On the Wii Fit, it tracks your weight and BMI, and how much time you exercise/play each day. You also can unlock more things the more you do it, so I was trying to unlock new games and exercises. It also encourages you when you do it every day, so I don't want to miss because I'm afraid it will gripe at me.

I did some shopping and hung out with friends in my last week, and tried to make sure I had a chance to eat at every restaurant I miss. I saw a couple movies, and had a very enjoyable vacation. I was not ready to come back quite yet, but I do miss everyone. I am still not ready to go back to work. I could handle another week off to readjust or clean or something.

Taking the Long Way

2008-12-21T19:52:00.003-05:00

(That title is the name of a song by the Dixie Chicks for those who can appreciate it.)

I am currently on my way to Texas! And by on my way, I mean that I am in the airport watching my departure time get later and later. There was a snow storm that hit New York today that is causing delays. It wasn't as bad as it sounded, but there are still plenty of delays to deal with. I looked online at the status of my flight and it said it was delayed until 11:45 tonight. It is supposed to leave at 8:05 and ARRIVE in Austin at 11:45. I went ahead and came to the airport in case anything changed and when I got here it said it was on time. I grabbed some dinner and got to the gate to find out that it was delayed 30 minutes. Not too bad. I ate, and eventually it was delayed to 9:00. And now it is delayed until 9:30. I am flying Jet Blue, so I can get free wi-fi internet and I will get DirectTV on the plane. I am so excited AND I have a non stop flight.

Earlier I stopped to check the flight and this guy came up to me and grabbed my shoulder. I turned around and it was a friend from Austin. He is a pilot and was trying to go to Austin on the same flight as I was. Small world!

Before I go into "vacation mode" I want to update from the rest of the Graffiti 2 Christmas marathon! Friday was the big Christmas celebration. It was a very busy day full of organizing and reorganizing. Pause...

Check that... my flight is now delayed until 11:45

Back to my story. We had all the gifts ready to be bagged. We went through each family and pulled out gifts for each child. We finished and somehow had things left over and were missing other things. We then went through and double checked everything and still had extras. We gave up trying to figure out what happened and just prayed that everything was right. We also encountered another small dilemma. Friday there was a big snow storm that brought 4-6 inches. This caused problems for the Goubran family that was providing the entertainment for the Christmas celebration. They were unable to make it from Long Island, so Andrew came up with the entertainment and we recruited a little extra help with music. Overall, the evening went pretty well as far as I know. I missed most of the celebration because I went to put the gift bags in order to be picked up. We finished cleaning up afterwards and went to People's Park for a big snowball fight with a couple teenagers. It was a lot of fun, despite getting nailed in the face real hard.

Saturday was another busy day. We had our small group Christmas party, so I spent the entire day getting ready for that. I was supposed to get my fresh direct delivery between 9 and 11, so I set my alarm for 9, and then went back to sleep until the delivery guy called to be let in the building. As soon as that got there, I went to pick up a couple other things I still needed. When I got back I started to prepare the food. I took a short break to eat some lunch, but the rest of the day was non stop. I was still in the clothes I slept in and finishing getting things ready when everyone arrived. I got them started on appetizers, then went downstairs to get ready. We had a good time and played a little Chinese Christmas/White Elephant. I ended up with some Diego bubble bath. :)

This morning was the big Christmas performance. It went really well and I was happy with how it turned out. I tried to get it on video but my battery was almost dead, so I only got the song in the end. I really wanted to have the rap on video because it cracks me up every time. We had a teenager doing a beat box with a 1st grader adding a little "ewy-ewy" in there. After church we went down to Graffiti in Manhattan for a baptism service. We added two more members of Graffiti 2 Church and celebrated with lunch afterwards. Then I went home for a little bit before I left to go to the airport.

I am now hesitant to look up at the gate, because it seems that my flight time gets later every time I look up. I am now scheduled to arrive in Austin at 3:30 AM. This will be fun!

Let it SNOW!

2008-12-16T23:25:00.002-05:00

The weather has been crazy lately. Not only here, but in Texas too, from what I hear. I was getting jealous of seeing all these facebook status updates about snow in Texas when it should be snowing in New York too! So, I know Texas weather is crazy and it is becoming normal for it to be 70 degrees in the morning and snowing by night. Apparently, New York is crazy also. First of all, it is crazy for it to be much higher than 50's. So yesterday it was a record high of 67 or something. Then today highs were in the 30's with a wintery mix in the forecast. While I was at work I noticed it started to snow so I went and watched it for a little bit. I have never seen that much snow falling at one time and they were huge flakes. It snowed a little in the afternoon, but it really started later this evening. I was leaving work and headed by Brandy's house for birthday cake, and was so happy that I was walking in the snow! I even enjoyed waiting for the bus while snow was falling on me. I was thinking about going to see the Rockefeller tree while it was snowing, but I didn't want to go by myself, so I just went home. Then I had another brilliant idea.

I have been wanting to go on the roof of my building for months, but I haven't because of no good reason. So tonight I decided I wanted to go to the roof and enjoy the snow and the view. When I got back to my apartment, I didn't take off any layers and Danielle and I went out on the roof. (Danielle is visiting and staying with me this week.) So we went out and played with a little snow and then I made a snowball and threw it off the roof to see how far it would go. Then we started throwing them at objects, like cabs, buses, cars, restaurants, and bikers. We convinced Mackenzie to join us and she started throwing them towards people on the sidewalk. It was soooo sooo funny. Our hands were so very cold, but it was totally worth it. It was really funny when a snowball would land near someone on the sidewalk and they would just walk right by. It was even funnier when they looked up and we hid. We only got the finger twice, but we are pretty sure the first guy was laughing. Not everyone finds dropping snowballs as funny as we did. :) I did actually graze a dog with the snowball, which was pretty funny as well.

This is now my favorite winter memory. I highly recommend it if you get a chance to play this fun game. I am also in love with my roof. Maybe this is why God hasn't given me an apartment in the Bronx yet. :)

Busy busy Christmas!

2008-12-14T21:27:00.002-05:00

This week was the start of the Christmas marathon that is Graffiti 2 this time of year. Thursday we had our last day of after school of 2008. This week was a much better week than last. Friday we had our Christmas party for the kids in after school. We had it in the gym at PS 30 and it was a lot of fun!

Saturday we took the teenagers ice skating in Bryant Park. It was a lot of fun as well. They were hilarious. I was with Brandy, a 6th grade girl most of the day who had never been before and was pretty apprehensive. We started with her holding on to both of my hands behind me and I was pulling her like a train. Then we graduated to holding one hand on the side, and after a few hours, she started to actually pick up her feet and the next thing I know, she had gone out on her own without me! After we got back from that, we had a rehearsal for our Christmas performance that a group of kids and teenagers are doing on Sunday. Then I took Brandy and Anali out for Brandy's birthday dinner. I spent close to 4 hours on the subway by the end of yesterday. It was ridiculous.

This week we will be wrapping presents and stuffing stockings, and getting everything else ready for the big Christmas celebration on Friday. Then another rehearsal for Sunday and then a small group Christmas party that I am hosting! I am so excited about it! I have been thinking of what food I want to have for the past couple days. I am probably the most excited about showing off my tree (which by the way, I was given some green strand lights, so I will be replacing them this week before Saturday)!

The Christmas marathon wraps up next Sunday with church, including the performance, and a baptism service at Graffiti in Manhattan. Then, by this time next week, I will be on a plane (probably sleeping) on my way to Texas for a couple weeks! I am excited about seeing friends and family and eating delicious mexican food at least once a day. I know I will miss New York, but I will definitely enjoy being at home for a vacation!

O Christmas Tree!

2008-12-08T23:10:00.004-05:00

Saturday I bought my first real Christmas tree. There were a couple different places on the street near my block that sell trees, and I have been eyeing them ever since I saw them. I went to Kmart and bought decorations and probably spent too much money, but it was totally worth it. I got home and started putting my tree up. It was a little tricky getting it into the stand, but I got it to work.

When I got home, I realized I bought lights with a white cord instead of a green one. I thought about taking them back and getting green ones, but I was too excited to decorate my tree, that I went ahead with the white cord lights. I found an ornament set that had purple, dark pink, light pink, and gold sparkly ornaments. I knew it was destined to go on my tree. The colors were perfect for me. I also found some purple tool and these gold swirly sticks. I put it all together and it looks beautiful. I love sitting in my living room with the lights out, staring at my tree. (I don't really do that a lot, but I do enjoy seeing it.)

Here is a picture, but it doesn't to my tree justice.

Sorry it is sideways, you get the idea though.

PS, it smells soooo good.

Good times, Hard times

2008-12-05T22:43:00.004-05:00

I really haven't been in the mood for blogging recently, as you can tell by looking at the dates. I have had things to blog about, but haven't been motivated to sit down and do it. Now, with nothing distracting me or giving me an excuse, I am finally thinking through the past few weeks.

I finally got over my cold that lasted over 2 weeks. Yay!

I went to the premier of a movie called "The Project" that Clifford (my simba friend) is in. It was such an interesting movie. It is a movie that is about two people making a documentary on the lives of 2 members of the NYPD and a family that lives in the projects in Brooklyn, and how their lives intersect. It was very graphic with language and some violence, but if you can get past the incessant "f's" and "n's", the story is really good. The person who follows the family in the projects is a young white girl, who obviously encounters some problems because of that. Afterwards I was thinking about the movie, and I found myself asking "Why would she do that? Why would she put herself in those situations?" Then I realized my life is similar in some ways to that character and it all made sense. I'm sure people ask the same type of questions about me and what I am doing. I really hope the movie comes out in theaters so everyone can see it.

My family came and spent over a week with me. Clayton came also, so there were 7 of us living in my one bedroom apartment. Here are a few pictures of my apartment. You can use your imagination and see how cramped we were.

The boys slept in the living room, where we had a queen air mattress that also served as sitting space, and then they pulled out a twin air mattress that Davis slept on, and he was about halfway in the kitchen most nights.

The girls slept in my room. My mom got the top bunk while the Megan, Morgan, and I all slept on the bottom bunk and my bed that were pushed together.

We (and by we, I mean my mom) cooked our Thanksgiving dinner in my little kitchen with about 6 sq. inches of counter space. It was pretty impressive. We could only cook one thing at a time, but our meal was all hot or at least warm when we ate. And it was delicious.

The first part of their visit, I was busy with work for 4 full days, so they went sightseeing. Thursday we went to the Thanksgiving parade, which was an experience in itself, and probably a once in a lifetime experience. Friday we went to see Wicked and then went to the South Street Seaport for dinner. After dinner we walked by a Gap that was advertising sweaters buy one get one free, so naturally I had to stop. While we were shopping, this guy came up to Megan and I and asked us if we would be interested in being on Made. For anyone who doesn't know, Made is a tv show on MTV where high school kids want to be made into something or someone else. For example, this particular kid wanted to be made into a ladies man. We agreed, because seriously, how can you turn down a chance to be on tv, AND get a good story to tell? We go outside and his friends were having a light saber fight and asked us if we wanted to have one. Long story short, the kid comes over and starts talking to us and asks us out and for our numbers. Megan used the "out of town" card, and left me high and dry. I didn't want to look rude, so when he asked for my number, I gave it to him. He hands me his phone to put it in and then goes away to check on something. The camera man was gone too, so after awhile, he comes back and says he didn't know what was going on, but that we could leave if we wanted. We don't know if they will even use the footage, but they said they would call if it was used.

Thanksgiving week was very busy at Graffiti 2. We had an evangelism training Monday night with about 20 people attending, a Thanksgiving meal on Tuesday with well over 100 people there, and then the big hurrah on Wednesday. Wednesday morning we assembled and distributed about 65 Thanksgiving boxes full of food for a Thanksgiving meal to people in the community, as well as people from our programs. Later that day, we took 10 teenagers to Graffiti in Manhattan to help serve a Thanksgiving meal. It was a great week for Graffiti 2 with lots of encouraging things happening.

Then there was this week....
This week was pretty discouraging for me. I had 3 rough days in after school and one that was better, but still not ideal. I struggled with some kids daily, and others just on certain occasions. I felt like there was nothing I could do to change the situation. It was stressful to say the least. I made it through the week and now I only have this next week left of after school. Then it will be another crazy busy week getting things ready for our Christmas celebration. Then vacation!

I can't believe it is December. It hasn't felt like Christmas season to me yet, but I think it is starting to. I am planning on getting a Christmas tree tomorrow and some decorations for it. I am getting a REAL tree and I am so excited!

This week I started listening to podcasts on my ipod that I have had, but never really paid attention to. It is a free one from Highland (the church I went to in college). I had one series that I got hooked on like a good movie or tv show. It is called "Your Very Own Chick Flick" and basically talks about doing relationships God's way. This is all things I have heard before, but this time it was different and captivated me even more than my favorite chick flick. I am considering listening to it again, but I am trying to branch out and learn new things. I decided that these podcasts were more meaningful than the same playlist I listen to on my daily commute. I find myself getting frustrated though when I trains go by and I can't hear it. The podcasts aren't as loud as my music, so even when the volume is all the way up, some things drown the sound out and I get so annoyed.

I think that is enough blogging for one day.

Sleep and Medicine

2008-11-12T21:28:00.003-05:00

The past week or so I have been on a mix of Benadryl, Sudafed, and Mucinex. Don't worry, I don't combine. Yesterday I was rudely awaken by the most excruciating earache ever! I woke up at 5 AM and couldn't go back to sleep. I tried until about 7 and then took some medicine which helped. Later on that afternoon the other ear did the same thing. It wasn't quite as bad, but I took medicine a lot sooner. Last night I got 12 hours of sleep and my alarm still had to wake me up this morning. People think that I am just not used to the cold weather, so my body is responding with a constant cold. I'm not sure what it is, but I should probably look into finding a doctor or clinic soon.

There have been some difficult situations that have surfaced over the past week. I won't go into much detail, but there are 3 people dealing with different levels of depression. Pray for each of them as they are going through a difficult time in their lives.

I've been watching the CMA's tonight, and I just have to say...George Strait is such a stud. 1) He is getting older and still so handsome. 2) He still gets CMA's over newer young guys. And 3) He still makes awesome music, even if he doesn't write it. I really want to be his friend.

I also want to be friends with George W. This has nothing to do with politics and I wouldn't even want to talk about any of that with him. He just looks like a nice guy. I saw this thing on tv that was talking about Obama's first meeting with George a couple years ago and George squirted some hand sanitizer and made a comment that went something like, "Hand sanitizer? This is good stuff. It keeps the colds away." I hear him saying it in a funny way too.

The highlight of my day today was seeing multiple times in different papers that the Knicks lost to the Spurs. If you have been following basketball, you will know that the Spurs are off to a horrible start. I was joking around with a teenager yesterday and told him that if the Knicks beat the Spurs, I might consider switching to a Knicks fan. A true fan would never say or do such a thing, so I was kidding of course. He walked in today and the first thing he said was that the Spurs beat the Knicks. I don't have cable, so I can't watch any basketball, so I didn't even know the outcome of the game until he told me. It was funny that I saw huge spreads about the game, and I was proud of the Spurs today!

Last Thursday I got a package from Megan. First of all, I love getting mail, especially packages. She sent a mix cd of wedding music and then a book about being a bridesmaid. I read most of the book Thursday night and finished it on Friday. The book was so secular that parts of it were funny. It did have some good tips and information though, and I must admit, I enjoyed reading it. :) Yesterday Morgan sent me mail. I was real confused and had no idea what it was. I opened it and found a piece of notebook paper. Before I even read it, I said, "This must be for school or something." Sure enough, the second sentence said, "I'm sure you are wondering why I am writing you. It is for school..." The letter made me laugh a lot, but I appreciated it. I sent her a text message and found out that it is for a test grade, so I guess I should write back.

It is getting closer to by bedtime and I won't be able to get 12 hours tonight, so I should get in bed soon!

Already November

2008-11-05T22:37:00.002-05:00

I always love October for many reasons which I've named before. I feel like October went by so fast this year. It is already November and there is planning and talk about Christmas already.

I haven't felt like I've had much to update about until the past few days. Things have been going well for the most part. Last Friday was our Fall Festival. The Fall Festival is always on the last Friday of the month, which happened to be on Halloween this year. I can't even tell you how many people were concerned that we were celebrating Halloween. Halloween is a dangerous time in the South Bronx. People do stupid things and it is wise to just stay inside. Luckily, I haven't heard any bad stories. It was also gang initiation for certain groups, so that was a concern as well. I think it is good for me to hear these things sometimes. It gives me a reality check and I am reminded of the fact that I am not guaranteed safety, no matter where I am. It keeps me aware of my surroundings.

Church has been going well the past couple weeks. We launched our small groups a couple weeks ago and we are working on building those and growing them to reach more people. The first two Sundays I didn't have any teenage girls show up which was discouraging, but this week I had 3, which was really exciting. We only have 5 teenage girls working with us, so I don't know as many girls as I do guys. I am still trying to recruit more.

We found out last week that the mission team we had lined up for the week of our Christmas celebration couldn't come anymore. We are trying to find a group to come help, but we are also planning on using people we have around here to help out. Either way it will work out, but if you are interested in coming up December 15-19, let me know! I may even have a place for you to stay for free!

Speaking of holidays... I am getting more excited about Thanksgiving the closer it gets. My family is coming up for a week and a couple days, so that will be fun. The other night I was talking with Teresa (who lives on the 6th floor, who I lived with this summer) and she said they were inviting people over on Thanksgiving, and we thought it would be fun to have a progressive Thanksgiving dinner. We could go to different floors in the building for different parts of the meal. I think we should have a fire pit on the roof to finish it off, but we will see. :)

Some random things that I feel like sharing... I have been looking for sugar cookie dough all week for our bible study tomorrow and apparently New York City doesn't eat sugar cookies, because I couldn't find it in the Bronx, or in my neighborhood. I guess I will have to be creative between now and tomorrow at 2:30. While I was at the store, I noticed that cherries are $8.99 a pound right now! My cherries from the summer sound like a steal now!

I am still looking for an apartment in the Bronx. Sunday afternoon I walked around looking for any for rent signs in windows and didn't see any. I get so discouraged and frustrated about the whole situation, especially when I am in a situation where having an apartment in the Bronx would be so convenient (which, let's be honest, is basically all the time). Please keep praying for an apartment. You should probably pray more for me than the apartment, because I need patience while waiting for all this to sort out.

Baggage

2008-10-14T21:27:00.002-04:00

So I know I just posted yesterday, but I have had a lot of thoughts racing through my mind the past couple of hours. Since most of my blogs are fun and lighthearted, I feel like I should warn you that this isn't one of those.

Tonight we had the first women's small group bible study. For the first one I just wanted to do an introduction and let everyone get to know each other better. I started off by asking easy questions like what is your favorite food, movie, place to visit, etc. Then we all went around and shared what I called our "life story". I asked for everyone to share about their life, including where they grew up, their family, and experiences that shaped them into the person they are today. The first one that went was really short, but the rest of the group elaborated a lot more. They shared so many deep hurts and struggles from their lives. I have known most of these women for over a year and hardly scratched the surface into the details of their lives compared to tonight. I was so blown away and encouraged by how open they were. They have some similar experiences and they could all understand what each situation was like.

I also couldn't help compare my life story from theirs. Mine is a completely opposite story. I have only had a couple "rough experiences" in my life and they are so minor compared to what these women have been through. I feel so blessed to have had the life I was given and all that comes with it, but I also feel like it is unfair. I can't imagine how I would be today if I had to deal with traumatic experiences from my past like so many of these women have. They talked about baggage and how something can stay with you and continue to affect you. They talked about the financial struggles of raising a family with very little resources. So many have lost family members and been to countless funerals. I have been to 3, none of which were family members or close friends.

Tonight was really good for me to see how this neighborhood has such an impact on the people here. I hear stories of the struggles, but it was always at a distance. I had never been truly effected by those stories because I didn't know any of them personally. These women have come a long way from their past, but they are still struggling with it every day. I was able to get a taste of what their lives are like and all the baggage that comes with it.

Another strange question I have thought about is "Why am I here?" I mean, I know I have been called to serve here, but why would a suburbian white girl with such a charmed life, be called to move into what has been named "the worst neighborhood to raise kids" to work with people so different than her? What does my life story have to do with Mott Haven and the life stories of the people of this neighborhood? I don't want anyone to get the feeling I am having doubts about my calling, because it is just the opposite. It is just interesting to me to think about how I got here, because it is NOT at all what I had planned. I know that I have had (or not had) experiences for a reason and the experiences I have had have shaped me into the person I am, and God will use those to influence others. I also know that each of those women have had their experiences for another reason that God will use to influence others.

We ran over on time tonight, so I told them I would share my story next week. They all had kids to get in bed, so I knew they were ready to go, and I didn't want to rush through any details, so they can get my complete story, like I got theirs. I felt like this was a great start to launch our small groups and I am very excited about where this will go next!

Beautiful fall

2008-10-13T20:07:00.006-04:00

I have been taking it easy the past few days. Thursday was another school holiday, so we didn't have after school program. We had a session for 8th graders on choosing a high school, and I did another test prep session, and that was about it. I came home on Thursday and cleaned a little bit. I was having the first guests of Apartment Ashley on Friday. Friday I stayed in my apartment all day watching Friends and catching up on laundry. Friday evening my guests arrived and invited me upstairs for dinner. I hung out with them for awhile and then went with them to the Top of the Rock. I had been before during the day and I definitely think it is better at night. I LOVE looking at the lights. The weather was also great. It could have been a little cooler, but it was still great. I continued to play tour guide and we walked around to Grand Central. We were out later than I have been out in awhile. I had a lot of fun though. It is so strange how I just met these people, but felt like I had known them for awhile by the end of the night.

Saturday was very similar to Friday. I actually never left my apartment on Saturday. I watched some AMAZING football and was only a little bit productive. Sunday we had church. We were invited to go to the Christian Missionary Alliance service later that day because they were having a special service to install the pastor of their church. It was a spanish speaking service, so that was different, but it was good. After church, we ended up playing a little kickball and football.

Today is Columbus Day, so once again, there was no school! This time I had the day off, so I went with a couple teenagers and Andrew to this place called Wave Hill. Wave Hill is a garden and landscape area in the Bronx that has a couple of historic houses on the property. Mark Twain and Theodore Roosevelt's family both lived there at one point. It has gorgeous trees, plants, and flowers. Afterwards we went down to 34th street for some shopping. I would like to note that the past two times I have been "shopping" I went with a group of guys and hardly looked at anything. It is not quite the shopping experience I enjoy. I must say though, that today I picked out a shirt that one of the teenagers really liked and ended up buying.

After shopping, I invited the guys over for dinner. I made fajitas and "strawberry yumminess" as Brittany calls it. I loved having people over! I just wish it was more convenient for people to visit!

I want to leave you with some of the beautiful sights I saw today!

It's Official

2008-10-08T23:54:00.002-04:00

Alright, it is now officially fall. I know the calendar said it was fall a couple weeks ago, but it wasn't officially fall for me until this weekend. Saturday I received a long over due email with the recipe for pumpkin brownies. I went to the store and bought everything to make them. Side note- I thought cherries were expensive. I had to buy a little thing of cloves and nutmeg and THAT was expensive! My cloves were $10.50 and the nutmeg was $6 or so. I couldn't believe it. I got home and made pumpkin brownies and learned something about my oven. It is definitely too small to fit a jelly roll pan. I put the pan in the oven and tried to shut the door. It wasn't even close. I took it out and scraped the batter into a smaller pan with my hands because I couldn't reach to get a spoon. It was quite a mess. Everything turned out and I have been enjoying amazing pumpkin brownies all week long.

Saturday night I also introduced fall by dying my hair darker. It always gets lighter in the summer from the sun, so I like to go dark for the fall. I also enjoyed most of Saturday with my window open, taking advantage of beautiful fall weather!

Sunday I met two girls who are NYU students that live near Graffiti 2. They came to church and then I went to their apartment for lunch afterwards. It was good to meet new people and hang out. After that, I was headed home, but then got an invite to play kickball with some of the teenagers. This was the second week in a row where we have hung out after church and ended up playing a sport. Last week I had some rainboots at G2 that I changed into. This week, I thought about bringing clothes to change into but didn't. I am a sucker for hanging out, so of course I went along, regardless of the fact that I was wearing a shirt dress with leggings and loafers. We went to play kickball in St. Mary's and the closest thing to a kickball was a semi-flat basketball. It was fun for a couple kicks, then it started to hurt...BAD! Let me remind you that I was wearing loafer-like shoes, without socks or anything covering the top of my foot, or my ankle. By the end of the game I was kicking with my left foot and dealing with a blister on my right. I wasn't about to just quit though! Now I have a big bruise that covers the top of my foot and parts of my ankle. Note to self: Bring clothes and shoes to change into every Sunday!

This weekend I will have some guests staying with me. I don't know many details yet, but I know they will be here Friday and I will need to clean and get the apartment ready tomorrow and Friday.

Today I got my computer back. I took it to the apple store because there was a piece that chipped off where I rest my wrists. I have a protection plan, so it was covered, which was good. They also fixed the backlight that was flickering. I took it in on Saturday and had to leave it there for 3-5 days. It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be to be without a computer. I just didn't have the internet to entertain me when nothing was on tv.

Today I had two really good conversations with friends. I am not much of a phone person, but I really enjoyed both of those phone calls today. I always think to call people on Friday when I am off, but I usually put it off because most people are at work or in school. I enjoyed getting updates on their lives and telling them about what is going on with me also. So, if you haven't heard from me in awhile, give me a call! Especially on Fridays!

That is all for now, it is way past my bedtime!

October

2008-10-02T20:53:00.003-04:00

First, here are some pictures from our private tour of The Lion King stage, WITH the star of the show.

Now for an update on the rest of my week...

This week was different. Tuesday and Wednesday was Rosh Hashanah so the kids were out of school, which means no after school. Tuesday was a cleaning day for the basement. It was a disaster area and had things that needed to be taken over to the storage unit. We worked on that most of the day and then had the last chapel service that night. We are now transitioning to small groups, and with church every Sunday, we wanted to start small group bible studies. Wednesday we played flag football with the teenagers. I had been excited about football for weeks! I had a lot of fun and probably got a little too into it. I was pretty hardcore and even took quite a hit. I scored a couple touchdowns too! I am definitely sore today and I think I am getting a bruise from when one of the teenagers tackled me. Today was back to after school, which completely threw me off.

Earlier this week I had a little scare. I have already mentioned the mosquitoes and how I kept getting bites on me. So I was still getting bites and I started to wonder if it was something besides mosquitoes. I did a little research and thought that I had bed bugs instead. I got scared and paranoid and didn't sleep well that night. I didn't want to even think about what to do about it and I just prayed they would go away if that is what it was. So far I think my prayers have been answered because I haven't found anymore bites on me.

It is now October and I am excited! Today it was pretty chilly outside which always makes me happy. October is also the month when basketball season starts. I am excited about the fall festival and dressing up for halloween.

SIMBA...I know him!

2008-09-27T22:33:00.002-04:00

First I want to give an update from my last blog. I got power back in the bathroom the other day. I had to go upstairs to the Osborne's and I told them about my problem and I had two guys come to my rescue. The looked around for the fuse box and couldn't find it, so they went to the basement. They didn't find it down there, but they did see it right behind the door to the 4th floor in the stairwell. Larry flipped the switch and my lights came back on!

Something else I still can't figure out is these bites I keep getting. I haven't seen any bug or mosquito in a couple days, but I got about 6 bites since yesterday.

In other news, I bought a tv yesterday! Since I have a place of my own to put a tv, I went ahead and spent my graduation money on a new tv before it went to rent or food. I also bought a dvd player and a couple movies. I am loving it, but I am looking forward to getting cable so I can enjoy high def!

Today I went to see The Lion King on Broadway. The boy who plays Simba was in some of our programs this summer, so we have been trying to go see him for a couple weeks. It was so fun to know the star of the show. I felt like a proud mom and I hardly know the kid. After the show, he took us on our own private tour of the stage. :) Oh, the perks of my job...

Fall, Mosquitoes, and Orange Juice

2008-09-24T23:26:00.002-04:00

I have a few random things I felt like blogging about the past couple days, so here we go...

1) It is officially fall and I have noticed something about the wardrobes of a lot of people. As soon as it gets the slightest bit chilly, everyone is busting out in their snow boots, scarves, hats, and coats. It usually isn't all together, but it is definitely more than I think is necessary. People in Texas do this sort of thing all the time, because it doesn't get below 80 very often, so people get excited about wearing their winter clothes. But New Yorkers have 7 months or something of cold weather. You would think they would get tired of wearing winter clothes.

2) Another thing that has confused me recently is that I have killed mosquitoes in the past couple days. Last week I noticed some bites on me and I didn't know where they came from. Then the past couple days I have seen mosquitoes flying around. I saw them at Graffiti 2 and last night I opened my window to enjoy fall and one flew into my apartment. I think I solved the bug bite mystery. I also killed it by catching it in mid air. I know, I have many talents... Now I am a little paranoid about having my window open. I may look for a screen or something. I thought mosquitoes didn't like it up here. I never saw them in the summer. And I feel like it is too cold for them.

3) Today when I got back to my apartment I heard a smoke alarm beep. I heard it again a minute or so later and realized it was the one in my apartment. I had a quick flashback to Friends where Phoebe can't get her smoke alarm to stop beeping, and then I tried to figure it out. I successfully got it off the wall and took the battery out without setting off any alarms. Now I am living on the edge in an apartment without a smoke detector.

4) For dinner tonight, I made sloppy joes (and yes, I was singing the sloppy joe song from Saturday Night Live in my head while cooking). I do not have many beverage choices right now, so I chose orange juice to go with my sloppy joes. As I was enjoying my dinner, I couldn't help but think about how disgusting sloppy joes and orange juice was together.

5) I had another apartment issue tonight. I was drying my hair in the bathroom and I was just about done when the lights went out and my dryer turned off. I walked out and saw that the living room light was still on, but the bedroom light was off. I guess I blew a fuse somewhere, so I started to look around for a box. Half of the apartment had lights, but I had to use my phone in the other half of the apartment. I couldn't find a fuse box in the apartment, so I will hopefully be able to figure it out in the morning when I can see more. I'm really hoping it will magically come back and I won't have to mess with it. I don't like having to deal with all these apartment things by myself.

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

2008-09-21T21:18:00.003-04:00

I feel like a lot has happened in the past few days. First I have to start by saying I had a great first 2 days of after school program. Then Wednesday came and I had my first (and probably not last) rough day. Long story short, I had a difficult kid that I should have sent home, but didn't which caused stress to build up until I had a complete emotional breakdown. I was so discouraged for the next 24 hours until I had an opportunity to replace that experience with a better one. Thursday went very well, but Wednesday still left a bitter taste in the week as a whole.
Friday I didn't do much at all. It was a beautiful day and I thought about going to the park, but I was lazy and just sat next to the open window instead. I ordered some groceries from fresh direct. It is basically an online grocery store and they deliver to you. It is one of my favorite things about Manhattan now. Once I finally had food in the apartment, I decided I was going to actually cook. I realized there were a couple small things I needed to complete the meals I had in mind, so I ended up getting out of the house for the first time Friday evening to go to the store. I came back and made pigs in a blanket for dinner and they were delicious. The apartment is furnished, but it doesn't have a completely furnished kitchen. I made it work and I am now starting a list of things I will gradually buy.
Saturday I got up early and went to the Bronx. We were meeting a small group of 7th and 8th graders to take them to the high school fair in Brooklyn. High schools are so different here and the process is insane. This high school fair was an opportunity for students to come get information about every high school in the city. They all have a table with information and people to talk to you about their school. Going in there I started wondering if I looked like I was an 8th grader. Apparently I do look like it to come people. I was talking with one of the teenagers and we were keeping track of how many people asked me if I wanted to know about their school, or handed me some information. I didn't count everyone who gave me something, because some were giving things out to everyone who walked by, but there were still quite a few that were trying to recruit me. I'm sure I will appreciate that one day.
Saturday night I did more cooking! I made some pasta I learned from Megan. It was tricky and took awhile because I couldn't multitask as much. I don't have enough pots and pans, so I would do one thing, wash it, and then go on to the next.
Today was church at Graffiti 2 and it went really well. I really liked the service as a whole today. I'm not sure what it was but I enjoyed it! After church, I went with a couple of teenage boys that Andrew was taking shopping. We went to Manhattan Mall, which was a new experience for me. I was glad I went because I have found some more shopping options. :) We went to lunch near the mall and ended up trying Korean food. It was quite the experience. We didn't know what to order, so after asking a couple of people, we finally ordered a variety of dishes. Right after we sat down, we were flooded with plates and bowls and didn't know what any of it was. We figured out what it all was and how we were supposed to eat it all and started enjoying it. This restaurant was authentic because they didn't even have forks as an option. I can now say that I semi-successfully completed a meal using chopsticks. :) Tonight I continued my cooking streak and got ahead of the game. By the way, I also made pancakes this morning. For dinner I made my own variation of the veggie special sandwich from the OB. First I cooked some zucchini and squash and then added the pesto. I went ahead and made a lot and I put the rest in the freezer. Now I have so many left overs and I should be good for the rest of the week. I am so proud of myself. :)

The weather the past couple of days has been A-MAZING! Today it was a little warm, but it will be cool again tomorrow. I absolutely love fall weather and I am excited that I will experience a lot of it! Some other things I am excited about are my new pomegranate cider candle, fall clothes, the fact that I painted my toenails a dark color for fall, the idea of dying my hair darker brown soon, flag football next week, sitting in my living room with the window open, college football, and the start of the NBA season in a few weeks.

First day in charge

2008-09-16T12:26:00.002-04:00

Yesterday we started our after school programs. I have the 1st-3rd graders and Andrew has 3rd-5th graders. We split the 3rd graders in half, and we have 15 kids enrolled in each program. I was feeling a range of emotions yesterday. None were bad though. I wasn't ever nervous, it just felt so surreal. Even though I had known I would be running a second after school program for months now, it hadn't sunken in until yesterday. Part of me felt like a teacher as I was deciding on how to set up the room and where to hang decorations. It feels weird being in charge of an after school program. I don't feel like I am old enough to be doing something like this. I also never pictured myself doing something like this. Even with all those emotions running through me, I was excited about yesterday. We went to pick up the kids from school and once we rounded everyone up, we headed back to our new site. The kids had some free time first while we waited for a couple other kids to show up. My only struggle for the day came when one of the kids came from another school. As soon as he came in he decided that he didn't want to be there. He tried to leave, so I was holding onto his arm for awhile. This went on for awhile, and he even tried to bite, hit, and step on my feet. I immediately had flashbacks from Talitha Koum, but it wasn't nearly that bad. :) Andrew happened to come by and check on things as he started screaming for juice. I was trying to transition into bible study with the rest of the group, so it was great timing. Andrew took him to the other program and I kept on going. The rest of the day went really well. We didn't get as much time for homework, but the kids worked well in the time they had.

Other exciting news is that we had our first official Graffiti 2 church service on Sunday. We met at a church at the end of the block (where we also have the other after school program) and everything went well. We had 2 guys leading in worship for us which was great! I am looking forward to seeing us grow over the next few weeks and months!

Even more exciting news...(you thought the rest was exciting enough)...I moved out of the Osborne's living room! Last week was a very rough and frustrating week with apartment things. I found out that I did have the option of moving to the 4th floor of the association building (that I was already in, just on the 6th floor). I went back and forth and couldn't make a decision until Saturday when I called and got a key. Within a couple of hours I was all moved in into my own one bedroom apartment. It was such a relief to finally have a place of my own. I have a big closet and HUGE bathroom! I am enjoying it, even though I still want to find a place in the Bronx.

I think that is the complete update on my life right now. It is very exciting and I am loving life!

Back to school, back to school...

2008-09-02T22:01:00.002-04:00

But not for me!!! :) Today was the first day of school for kids and teenagers in the Bronx. I was so excited this morning about today. I was walking down the street, on my way to Graffiti 2 and I really had to keep myself from smiling really big (and looking creepy!) I was excited about seeing kids and teenagers I hadn't seen in weeks. We also were going over to the school to pass out flyers and pencils advertising for the school supply sale, so I got to see a lot more kids there.

After we finished with that, we started getting ready for the school supply sale. The mission team cleaned Graffiti 2 and we stayed busy until about 8:30. I drank a Dr Pepper for lunch and kept working. We had the school supply sale from 2-5:30 and then switched gears to get ready for the information meeting for teenagers who want to work with us this year. The next couple days will be full of prep work for the after school program and church. We will have teenagers come in for interviews and we have to decide which 20 teenagers will work with us out of the 25 or so who came to the meeting tonight. We also registered kids for the after school program today. We filled our 30 spots and have a waiting list that is 8 kids long. We got so busy today that I didn't even get a chance to look at all the kids we had sign up. I know we have a lot of new faces this year which is exciting!

After 2 long days and with another early morning ahead of me, I am off to bed!

Va-cay!

2008-08-25T16:14:00.002-04:00

For the past 2 weeks I have been home on vacation. I got home on the 10th which was Megan's birthday, so the family went out to dinner to celebrate. We went to the Oasis, a restaurant on the lake and it was beautiful. The food wasn't that great though. Megan had to go back to school early Monday morning, so I didn't get to spend much time with her. That first week of vacation I spent a lot of time with Brittany. She doesn't have a job yet, so we ran errands together and played her Wii a lot! I got to see and catch up with some other friends as well. I slept a lot, which was really nice. My second week of vacation looked similar to the first. I went to Waco one day to see some more friends and I really enjoyed it. Brittany, Deidre and I played more Wii, and I am actually decent now, which is exciting. Last Thursday I went to a Natalie Grant concert which was really good. I honestly wasn't expecting it to be as good as it was. I have also been to some of Morgan's volleyball games. They haven't had much competition which isn't as exciting, but it has still been good to watch some volleyball. Speaking of volleyball, I have also been watching the Olympics. I loved watching them and I will miss beach and indoor volleyball and gymnastics so much! Yesterday I drove down to New Braunfels to see my grandparents, as well as my aunt, uncle, and cousins. We went to dinner last night and hung out for awhile afterwards. Today I left New Braunfels and came to San Antonio to see my other grandparents. I'll go back tomorrow to get some other things done before I go back to New York.

Since I have been home, I have been driving the Lexus. I don't want you to be misled. This Lexus is a great little car, but it does not have the same appeal and luxury that you typically associate with that name. This Lexus is as old as my brother. It is a '92 that has had its share of problems. Lucky for me though, it is perfectly fine right now. This car has also had its fair share of drivers. It started (in our family at least) with my dad. Then it went to Megan, and then to Davis. When I moved, Davis got my old car, so the Lexus has been sitting around for a couple months. I drove it in May while I was home and it was shaky and smelled like gasoline. Needless to say, I was not looking forward to driving it while I was home. But I didn't really have any option, so I started driving it and fell in love. It is not shaky or smelly anymore, so it is much more enjoyable to drive. I decided that I like being low to the ground, like I was when I had my camero in high school. It has a few dents, and a couple other things that are falling apart, but all the features still work, like all the automatic things and the sunroof. I haven't enjoyed the sunroof much because it is so hot here, but I still like having it available. I love driving right now and I volunteer to drive everywhere.

There has been a popular theme to my vacation. It is the fact that Morgan looks just like me. I have always known this, but now that she is all grown up, it is even more obvious to everyone who sees us. There have been so many occasions that I finally told my mom that if I had a dollar for every time someone made a comment about us looking alike, I wouldn't need a salary. Our own brother gets us mixed up. That isn't saying a whole lot, because, come on...it's Davis, but still! Morgan told me that a girl on her volleyball team almost ran up to me and gave me a hug because she thought I was Morgan. I was wearing street clothes and Morgan was in her volleyball clothes. Seriously, people!

This time next week I will be getting ready for the school supply sale. Hopefully this time next week I will be moving into an apartment, but I wouldn't bet on it. To give a quick update on that situation, they needed more proof of income, so I gave it to them and haven't heard anything since last Tuesday, despite a follow up email. Among other prayer requests, we are still looking for someone to lead worship for us when we start our full church launch on September 14th.

Other prayer requests are for 2 of my friends who are jobless. Brittany needs a teaching job and Amy needs something as well, but is more open to what that might be.

It is finished...

2008-08-08T23:14:00.002-04:00

Today we wrapped up the summer programs at Graffiti 2. This week we did basketball and cheerleading camp in the morning and dance in the afternoon. We had a really good turn out this week, which was expected. Today we filled up completely and had 102 kids. We had to go buy more basketballs so we could let some kids in who had been there all week, but showed up late.

This afternoon we worked on our dance performance and then headed over to the park to have our "dress rehearsal". It started to rain while we were out there, so we went back to Graffiti 2 until the rain stopped. It stopped right in time for the block party to start, which was great. I would have been really sad if it got rained out for the second year in a row. Especially since we had this production to put on. It was a hectic afternoon, but I survived and the block party was a huge success. We had a basketball juggler perform and present the Gospel and had around 8 kids respond.

I have video and pictures that I hope to put up soon! Tomorrow we are going to Graffiti 2 to clean up and organize and I will be leaving on Sunday. Today was the first day that I have been really excited about going home. I think I am finally ready for a break and some sleep, and I am of course looking forward to seeing people!

$10 of DELICIOUS!

2008-07-28T20:27:00.002-04:00

Last week we had baseball camp in the morning and music in the afternoon. We had to cancel Thursday because of rain, but the rest of the week went pretty well. We had 79 kids on Friday and it seemed like all the kids had a great time. In fine arts, the kids learned the words to Lean On Me and each got their singing parts for the show. I get even more excited about it every time I hear them sing the song.

Saturday I went with Andrew, Aaron, Courtney, and Courtney's roommate Nicole to see Rent. It was really good and I loved the music.

This week we have tennis camp in the morning and drama in the afternoon. We are taking the kids on a field trip Thursday to a concert in Union Square. Saturday we are having teenage fun day at Coney Island. I am excited to get to hang out with them outside of work where we can just enjoy ourselves.

Today I went to the grocery store after I got back to the upper west side. I really don't like going because it is so expensive and I feel like I can't buy everything I want. So anyways, I go and it is super crowded. They have a ton of produce, so I couldn't resist some fruit. I have been wanting some for weeks. Every time I pass a fruit stand I want to buy it all, but again, I feel like it is just so expensive! They have had cherries at most stands and I have come close to buying some, but never have. I always regret not stopping, so I decided that if they were $3 a pound, I would definitely stop, and if they are $3.50 I might give in. So I passed a stand on my way to the grocery store and they were $3.50 a pound. I convince myself that I am going to get some, so I grab a bag. They are already bagged, so I pick one out. They guy takes it and weighs it and that's when I realized I am retarded. I look on the scale and it says it weighs 3 pounds. I'm sure my eyes got really big and then the other guy at the stand said, "$10 is good." It was supposed to be $10.50, but I got a GREAT deal. At this point, I was set on my cherries, and I wasn't about to give them up. They were all in these bags, so I'm not sure I could really dump any out. So I fell for their schemes and paid $10 for cherries. Don't worry, I am enjoying every dollar of these cherries... right now actually. And they are DELICIOUS! I also bought some peaches and have already eaten one of those, so I think I'm going to get sick soon.

I booked my flight home today. I will be in Texas from August 10th-29th, so you can book your appointment with me soon. :)

I turned in all my stuff for the apartment and I should find out something by the end of the week. I will keep you all updated when I find out something, but continue to pray for that to all pan out.
You can also pray for good weather this week so we won't have to cancel sports camp.

Fine Arts Pictures

2008-07-20T16:05:00.001-04:00

Here is a link to the pictures from fine arts camp this week.

http://picasaweb.google.com/ashley.emmert/LeanOnMe

Football, Cheerleading, and Art, Oh My!

2008-07-19T15:30:00.002-04:00

This week we started our summer program! We had a great week and everything went very smoothly. I am the fine arts coordinator and I am glad to say that everything went well with that also! We did art this week and created a backdrop for our block party. Our theme for the summer is "Lean On Me" and we are going to have this big production by the end of the summer. We are using the song and having singing, dancing, and a drama, all incorporated into the song. We had Alex from Graffiti come up and help us with art. He had the kids sketch and brainstorm on the first day. The second day he took their ideas and sketches and the kids came up with the layout of the backdrop and started drawing it on the canvas. The third day they began outlining and painting the background color. Yesterday was the last day and I was actually in charge of art. We had the kids fill in the rest of the lines and we finished the backdrop. It looks amazing. I have some pictures that I hope to put up soon. I really didn't think we could have finished the entire backdrop in 4 days. It is pretty big. I'm not good with dimensions, but I'd say it's about 10 feet high and 20 feet long.

Football and cheerleading went well also. Yesterday during their bible study time, Andrew presented the gospel and we had 6 kids accept Christ yesterday!

Next week we have a team coming from Texas to do baseball camp. Aaron will be leading the fine arts in the afternoon with music. Pray for good weather next week so we don't have to cancel sports camps.

Apartment update- I met with a guy this week and actually saw a studio apartment in the Bronx. I am not really interested in the studio, but he also has a one bedroom in the same building that will be ready in a couple weeks. At this point, I am planning on waiting until September to get my own place since I will be gone most of August. I love the building it's in. It is a smaller building, with a 4th floor walk-up, which isn't too bad. It is really close to Graffiti 2 and right across from the grocery store! I am praying that this one works out. I am turning in my application and other information Monday and will go from there. The owner is a really nice guy and very helpful. I talked with someone who lives in the building and he had nothing but good things to say about it. I don't know how much it is yet, but I think it may be based upon income, which is great for me!

A traumatic experience

2008-07-10T20:10:00.002-04:00

I am still a little shaken up from the most traumatic experience I have had since I have been here. I got home and ate dinner, watched a little tv, then decided to take a shower. I had just gotten in the shower and I see this huge nasty cockroach crawling up the wall in the corner of the shower. I scream pretty loud and jumped out of the shower. For those who are newer readers of my blog, 1) I am terrified of cockroaches/water bugs, and 2) I have had a few traumatic experiences with them in the past, including another incident when I was in the shower. This time I grabbed a towel before running into the other room for a shoe. I come back to the bathroom with 2 shoes, because I never hit it on the first try. I find the nasty creature on the shower curtain and try to knock it off. It lands on the side of the tub and so I throw my first shoe. I don't know if I actually hit it or not, but my shoe went into the shower and the bug went to the cabinet and I screamed again. I threw my second shoe at the cabinet and knocked it on the ground with my shoe on top. Then I reluctantly stepped on the shoe until I heard a pop. It still makes me shiver just thinking about it. I left the shoe over it so I wouldn't get scared when I saw it. Now that it was dead, I got back into the shower, with my heart still racing. I became so paranoid and jumpy and could not enjoy my shower.

Normally I do not scream when I get scared. Most of the time it is a gasp, but never a scream. This was truly a traumatic experience because I screamed twice!

This was not the first time I saw a cockroach in this apartment. There are tons of dead ones in the basement, but I never expected to see any on the 6th floor! The other night I was just watching tv and I heard what sounded like a bug hitting a window. A few seconds later I see a big nasty cockroach crawling along the wall. The Osbornes were already in bed, so I tried not to freak out and I tried to get it quietly. I chased it around with a couple shoes but missed, go figure! It went behind my dresser and I couldn't see it. I moved my suitcase around and it came running after me. Then it went over to the desk behind some things and I never found it. I have been paranoid all week about it but never saw it...until now. I am going to assume it is the same one and now that I killed it, I can relax a little. I doubt I will be able to relax for awhile.

This week Andrew and Courtney have been at camp, so Aaron and I have been holding down the fort. We have been getting things ready for the summer program to start next week. Church on Sunday went well and we had a good turnout. There were a couple families who came for the first time, which is always good. We start our summer program on Tuesday, so pray for the mission team that will be helping us, as well as us- that we get everything ready. We will be doing football and cheerleading in the morning, and art in the afternoon.
Also pray for my living situation. I have a place for August, but there are still 3 weeks in July. I'd love to have a place, but I also want to take advantage of free rent while I can. It looks like it will be a crowded 3 weeks.

Other than that, you can pray I don't have any more traumatic experiences!

Car + Greyhound + Plane + Bus + Subway = Home

2008-07-02T13:21:00.002-04:00

I got back to New York yesterday after quite a journey. I was in Poplar Bluff, Missouri with the teenagers at camp. I had a great time and the boys were loving it! We left Friday, but I was on a different flight. There flight would be getting in a little before mine, but only by 20 minutes or so. I decided that I wasn't checking my bag to speed things up. I got on my plane and we had to wait in a long line to take off. We finally get to the front and we turn the opposite way that everyone else was going. We are headed back to the terminal and I knew that wasn't right. They came on and announced that they found a mechanical problem with the plane, so we would have to go back to the terminal to get it checked out. We get back to the terminal and they decide that we have to get off the plane. Luckily, they had a "spare" that we could get on. That made me feel real good that there was a spare. It sounded like it was some beat up junk plane they had in the back. The plane is out away from the terminal, so we have to get on a shuttle bus to get there. We finally get on the spare plane and we have to wait for paperwork to be filled out and picked up. We finally took off, only 2 hours late. So at this point, I call Andrew and leave him a message telling them how I'd be late, so they didn't have to wait for me. The spare plane made it safely to Memphis and I had a message saying that they were waiting for me when I got off. They ended up going to eat and killed a little time while waiting on me. After all that mess, we drove about 3 hours to get to Andrew's parents house. The boys immediately started with a big game. Friday night was spent getting settled in, eating dinner, fishing, and playing more games.
Saturday morning the boys spent time shooting BB guns, riding horses, and playing this variation of horseshoes. After lunch we went to swim in the river. It was pretty chilly Saturday, so I decided I did not want to get in the water. We stayed out there for a couple hours, then came back for dinner and more games.
Sunday we went to church in Poplar Bluff and went to a water park afterwards. It was a small water park, but they had putt-putt and go karts. The boys loved the go karts and rode them most of the time. Sunday night they did a night fish.
Monday they rode 4 wheelers, and did canoeing and archery. Monday afternoon we went to a pool to swim. After swimming there, we went to Ci Ci's for dinner. After dinner, we came back and the boys had some free time.
I had to leave Monday night to get back to Memphis for my early flight on Tuesday. Andrew's brother drove me to Sikeston, about an hour away where I was going to get on a Greyhound to Memphis. We had a hard time finding the station and when we got there it was closed. Right after we got there, someone pulled up who worked there so it wasn't a big deal. I bought my ticket and waited for the bus to arrive. It was 45 minutes late. Once it got there, everyone got off for a short break. Then almost everyone got back on. There weren't many seats open, so I sat in the front next to someone. I finally got to Memphis at 1 AM where Brian (the other summer missionary from last summer) was waiting for me. He had a room for me to stay in for all of about 4 hours. I took a short nap and then we left at 5 to go to the airport. I get to my gate and sleep in a chair until my plane starts boarding. I was completely out. I woke up to get on my plane and then fell right back to sleep once I got on. I slept the whole way to New York. Then I got on the city bus to get back to Manhattan. I get to my stop close to the subway I take to get home, hop on the red line, and finally got home around 12. It was quite the trip. I don't really want to travel that much for a long time.

Yesterday I was in charge of leading Chapel. We started 40 Days of Purpose and it went pretty well. It will be interesting to see how this works out and who will stick with it.

This weekend Brittany is coming to visit! She is going to DC to visit Michelle and they are driving up here for the weekend. I am excited about them coming and I am really excited about taking them to Magnolia, as well as other places I don't usually go unless visitors are here!

Sunday we have a group of 4th and 5th grade boys leaving for North Carolina for Camp Caraway. Then Monday morning there is a group of 4th and 5th grade girls going to Virginia for Camp Little Crossroads. Aaron and I will be here next week, getting everything ready for summer programs to start the following week. Things are starting to get busy around here. Sunday is another preview service for Graffiti 2 Church.

Prayer requests:
Safety for the teenagers getting back on Thursday
Safety for the 4th and 5th graders getting to and from camp, and for spiritual transformation while at camp
Church on Sunday, as well as a place for future church services beginning in the Fall
I still am looking for an apartment. The sub let for July was already taken.
Summer programs starting July 15.

Gearing up!

2008-06-23T16:51:00.003-04:00

I realize it has almost been 2 weeks since I have updated. It has been pretty busy when I am at work, and I don't get internet at my apartment unless I borrow the Osborne's computer. I'm sure so much has happened in the past two weeks, so I will try my best to cover it all.

In my last blog I mentioned we had a meeting later that week. We met with some of the staff from Saddleback in California, including Kay Warren. Andrew shared with them information about Graffiti 2 and the vision for the neighborhood, including programs we are doing, and they shared with us their AIDS initiative that they are passionate about. It was mostly an informational meeting, so we will see what comes next.

I am still looking for an apartment. I have had a couple things come up that look like possibilities, but haven't seen anything yet. There is a place right around the corner from Graffiti 2 that is $725 a month, that I am very interested in. There is someone in it right now, so I am not sure how long it will take for them to get out. Another option I found out about yesterday was that someone needs someone to sublet for July. It is down by the other Graffiti, but that's not too far away. I don't know much information about it yet, but hopefully I will find out soon.

I spent a quick weekend in Texas for Kyle Kriegel's wedding last weekend. I feel like such a jet-setter. When I think about how much I have flown in the past year or so, it is ridiculous, much less the flights I have been on in the past two months. I'm about to add another one to that...

Last Thursday after the last day of after school program, I was sitting around with Andrew and Aaron talking. We started talking about the camp that the teenage boys are going to at Andrew's parents house. We talked about how I wanted to go and how we should have raised more money for all of us to go. Then I mentioned that I am not paying rent right now, so I have money that could go towards a plane ticket. As soon as I got the OK from the boss, I spontaneously booked the cheapest flight I could find. So this Friday, I will be going to Missouri for a few days to be at camp with the teenagers. It sounds like they will be playing lots of fun games.
Sunday we made a video to tell about the rules for camp. We had a blast making it and I ended up playing the part of "the bear". Anytime someone broke a rule, the bear would come out and attack. I was wearing a fro wig and I'm pretty sure this movie will be hysterical.

This morning I went to the "graduation" for the 5th graders. I must say that I enjoyed that graduation way more than the last one I went to (that would be mine). It was 1/3 of mine and more entertaining. This week we are just getting things ready for the summer programs. It is nice being able to work most of the day. I feel like I have gotten so much done today!

Thursday is staff fun day. We are going to Coney Island which should be fun.

In my last update I mentioned that my US/C-2 position had been approved. Now there are some complications with all that because I have been raising support. Originally I was told that since the local association couldn't support me, I would need to raise support to cover the additional expenses. Now that is not a good thing and is causing some problems. Just pray that the whole situation would get worked out so that I can receive support from NAMB, or wherever, so I don't starve or live on the streets.
Also pray for my apartment hunting. I know that is something that everyone is concerned about.
Another prayer request is for our summer programs at Graffiti 2. It will be a busy summer, but a great opportunity to minister to this neighborhood.
You can also be praying for the start of Graffiti 2 church. We still don't know where we will be having services starting in September. The school is an option, but it will cost about $1200 a month to rent out that space, which is something we don't have the financial resources for.

Excessive Heat Warning

2008-06-10T12:22:00.002-04:00

The weather the past couple of days has been ridiculous. It has reached the 100's every day since Saturday. Saturday was the appreciation banquet at Graffiti 2. For those who may not know, the building Graffiti 2 uses is not air conditioned. We were expecting to pack the room out, which would make it even hotter. We bought a few fans which made a HUGE difference. I don't even want to think about how it would have been without those. The appreciation banquet went well and we didn't run out of seats!

Sunday was really hot again, so I tried to stay inside as much as possible. Monday was still hot and today there is another Excessive Heat Warning. When you walk by stores, you see air conditioning units and fans all over, and people on the streets who have just bought them. I don't remember being this hot last year. Maybe I got used to being hot by the time it got as hot as it is right now. I don't know, but I am such a baby when it comes to heat. At least I live in an air conditioned apartment this year. :)

I got an email yesterday saying that my US/C-2 position has been approved and it will start in September. I am still looking for an apartment, so you can continue to pray for that. We have a meeting later this week with a church to discuss a partnership that you can also be praying for.

New York Resident

2008-06-06T21:50:00.002-04:00

I am now a resident of New York City. I may not know my full address, or have a bedroom, but I am living in New York City.

I got here last Tuesday and it has already gone by so fast. I got to my new home on the upper west side and dropped off my bags. I was surprised to find that the apartment I would be staying in was only a 1 bedroom. I am staying with a family of 3, which is only 2 for a couple more weeks. Right now, Larry is in Sri Lanka, so Mackenzie is sleeping in her mom's room with her and I am in the living room. At first I was really overwhelmed and I didn't know what to do with all my stuff. I had already been living out of a suitcase since I moved out of my apartment in Waco, and I had to keep living that way. It was driving me crazy, but this week I went to Ikea with Glaucia from church and bought a dresser. Now all my clothes have a place and I am very relieved. I am still looking for my own place in the Bronx and I am hoping to find something in the next few weeks. Otherwise it will be pretty crowded around here. I absolutely love this neighborhood though! It is so nice and there is so much around here. It is half a block from the subway and I feel like I can get anywhere in 30 minutes or less, which is a huge deal!!! My commute to the Bronx is 1/3 of what it was before which I love! I wouldn't mind staying around here if I had my own apartment, but I can't afford any around here. :)

I found out this week that I am officially a semester missionary. I will be a semester missionary while I wait to become a US/C-2 missionary. This means that I will receive some support from NAMB, as well as other benefits. I am supposed to find out Monday morning if the trustees at NAMB have approved my US/C-2 posistion, so pray for that as well.

Tomorrow we have our appreciation banquet for our volunteers. We have over 100 who have RSVP-ed but I am not really sure how that many people will fit to have a meal. Pray for that situation tomorrow and that we will be able to accomodate everyone.
Also continue to pray that I find the perfect apartment soon.

It's finally here!

2008-05-27T01:07:00.003-04:00

I can't believe it is finally here. I am moving to New York in a matter of hours. It doesn't really feel like it's happening. I am so excited! I leave at 7:20 and should be arriving around 1:45. I am planning on taking my stuff to my new home and then heading up to the Bronx. I will stay for chapel and then hopefully get back just in time to watch the Spurs play!

I opened a Jones soda I got as a wedding favor and they have little fortunes on the inside of a cap. I opened it and saw that it had something written and here's what it said: "Tuesday is an especially important day for you." How crazy is that? I usually just open fortune cookies for fun and get a laugh about what it tells me. This one was definitely the creepiest I have ever gotten.

I am expecting the first couple weeks to be crazy. I will have family and friends around and I will be trying to get settled in with all my stuff. Who knows where it will all go. Part of me wants to get my own place ASAP, but I also want to take advantage of living with the Osbornes. Pray for smooth transition.

We have orientation on Saturday with all the summer missionaries. I am actually leading part of it, which is a little weird. I am really excited about it though. I am also responsible for ice breakers and I have some good ones.

That is really all the updates I have for now. Pray for safe travel for me and others who are coming in a matter of days. Pray that I find an apartment for later on this summer.

It's been awhile...

2008-05-12T20:12:00.002-04:00

I didn't realize how long it's been. So... a lot has happened.

I finished my last class at Baylor. I finished my last final ever and I am finished with school forever. I must say, I am loving life right now. I currently have a 4.0 for the semester. That is because the only grades that have been turned in are from racquetball and poverty in Waco, both 1 hour classes, which won't mean much.

I have been packing and cleaning out my apartment. It is a complete disaster right now and I can't wait to move out. We have seen a couple roaches, mostly dead, but I still can't wait to get out of that place.

I chopped all my hair off last week. It is really nice and a little weird. I feel older.

Now I am in Atlanta/Alpharetta for the next couple days. I am here for my US/C-2 interview. I got up this morning at 4 and got on a flight at 5:45. We had sessions all day and had the night off. The hotel I am in is really nice. I have this suite with 2 beds, a couch, ottoman, desk, and kitchenette, all to myself. I wish I could stay here all week!

I get back to Austin Wednesday night, go back to Waco on Thursday and graduate and move on Saturday. Then I will be home for about a day and then head to the beach with the Stevens for a reunion before I leave! Then I will be in Georgetown for a couple more days before I go to a wedding in Houston. After that I will be back in Georgetown for a couple more days before heading to New York! Life feels so crazy right now, but it will go by so fast!

That is the short version of the update for now.

long update

2008-04-13T19:09:00.002-04:00

This week has not been the best. I don't think I would say it was a bad week, but it wasn't necessarily a good week.
First I want to give an update about the bite I got from a child on my arm. It definitely bruised and looked pretty gross. I still have the bruise, nearly a week after the incident. Thankfully it doesn't hurt anymore.
Wednesday at Talitha Koum was fine, I don't think anything significant happened. Friday was a different story. The first hour was fine, but the second hour was a nightmare. There were a few small problems I had with kids not listening, and then it turned in to a lot of problems. I had to break up two 4 year olds a couple of times when one did something to the other, the other got mad and started chasing after the other one. One of the teachers came over to me once when I was holding a kid back and gave me a little girl that was in the middle of solving a problem. I go sit with this little girl and just as we are finished solving the problem with another girl and the teacher, the teacher quickly gets up and runs to the gate. In the gym they have big doors that open up to get some air flow, and there is a gate about 5 ft. tall to keep the kids in. A couple of the kids figured out how to open the gate and took off down the street. I follow the teacher to the gate to try and help, but then I realize that I can't leave the gate, so I stay right by it, making sure no one else gets out. There was another teacher in the gym but he was talking to a kid the whole time. Then I realize that there are a couple of girls missing. I hear them snickering around the corner and they run and hide in this storage room. I pull them out and they run to the gate, trying to unlock it. Then they go back to the storage room. We did this for awhile until I saw the director and asked if I could lock the door so the girls would stay out. We stayed in the gym for a few more minutes and then another teacher came and everyone went outside. We were heading outside and the teacher asked me to wait. She closed the door and asked if I was alright. I said yes, but I wasn't completely sure what she was talking about. She said that the director told her it looked like I was having a problem with one of the little girls. I told her I was, and what happened. I got a little worked up about it and felt like I had to be defensive. I didn't cry, but it was close. I went outside to play for a few more minutes before I had to leave. One of the teachers came over later and said that he was sorry I had to deal with so much today, and that I shouldn't have to deal with problems with the kids, and that I should just be able to play with them. It was time for me to go, so I left and as I was walking down the hallway, another teacher asked if I was ok. I told her yes and kept going, while I was about to completely break down. I get outside and to my car and completely loose it. I still don't understand why I was so upset about it, but I was such a mess that I decided not to go to class. I came home and had calmed down. A little bit later Deidre walks in and I start telling her the story. Almost immediately I lose it again as I go through the day with her. I really wish I could figure out what bothers me about it. Hopefully I was just extra sensitive that day and everything will be fine this week. I only have 2 more days there, so I am very relieved about that.

Last Sunday I started losing my voice. I sounded like a man the entire week but never felt bad. Jacob even told me one day that I sounded like his dad. Friday my throat started to hurt and I didn't sleep very well that night. Saturday I woke up feeling bad, so I considered going to the doctor. I never go to the doctor because I never get sick. So when I do get sick, I would rather not go. I knew the SLC was open on Saturdays and so I called and got an appointment. I knew that if I waited until Monday, it would be harder to get an appointment and that I might feel worse by then. I was very proud of myself for going without anyone telling me. :) Turns out I had an upper respritory virus, and I got a couple of prescriptions. When I was at the pharmacy counter the lady said, "You're allergic to minocycline?" I told her yes, and she said that there is a small chance that I would be allergic to the Z-pak they were giving me. That made me feel real good inside as I was having flashbacks of hives all over my body. I was scared to take it, but since I paid for it, I thought I might as well try it. I haven't had a reaction yet, so I think I'm ok. I have felt better, except for one thing. I felt this bump on the inside of my mouth, at the top, but towards the back of my throat. When I swallow, it puts pressure on it and it hurts. I don't know what it is, but I am hoping it will go away soon. I don't have such a deep voice anymore which is also nice.

Yesterday I was planning on cleaning out my closet and getting rid of some things. I went through my closet and only found about 10 items of clothing that I want to get rid of. It didn't take very long, so I wanted to keep going. I never really found another project to work on. I feel like it is too early to start packing things or getting rid of things that I am selling/giving away.
Yesterday I thought I broke my computer. I have been getting these messages that say my startup disk is full. My computer had some automatic updates that it wanted to I tried to update it, but it gave me that message again. I have tried to figure out what the startup disk is and how to fix it, but I am afraid that I will erase important things. Smart me, I decide that I should just restart my computer. I restart it and the first thing that comes up is a picture of a folder with a question mark over it that flashes the whole time. I wait for awhile hoping something would happen. After a few failed attempts I frantically look through my desk for the user info that came with my computer. I find something that may help and try it. It made something else happen, but it wasn't really fixed, so I try another option. I get my computer to come on and everything is fine. I haven't seen that message since, but I am still going to try and solve this problem.

This week I finished 2 books. One was for class, which was not very interesting or exciting, and the other one was for fun. I finished reading Same Kind of Different As Me and absolutely loved it. I highly recommend it. It is a true story of a rich art dealer who becomes friends with a homeless man and their journey. I also started reading a new book Friday. It was given to me as a gift last Sunday and I wouldn't let myself read it until I finished the school one and then the other one. It is called The Irresistible Revolution and Kyle and Charlotte both read it last summer and always talked about how great it was. I have been wanting to read it but never bought it. I am so excited about it, but I am trying to finish writing a paper before I read it.

This upcoming week will hopefully be good. I have a speech on Tuesday, but it is with a partner, so hopefully it will be fine. I also have a paper due Wednesday. Thursday is Diadeloso (day of the bear for my non-spanish-speaking friends) which is a Baylor holiday.

Today I went to a bridal shower for Beth, a girl who lives with my former roommates. It was fun, even though there weren't a lot of people there. We played fun games, and I made some pinwheels that were a huge hit. Next weekend I have 2 more showers but I can't go to one of them. There are so many people I know getting married. Last week when I got paid I paid bills and then bought all my gifts for these showers. Needless to say, I don't have any paycheck left.

This has been a long detailed update. I wish writing my paper were as easy.

rough start

2008-04-07T23:05:00.002-04:00

This weekend I got to go home for the first time this whole semester. I have been home for Disciple Now and for a few hours to vote, but this weekend I spent the entire weekend home. It was nice and relaxing. I finished all my homework for Monday before I left, so I didn't have anything to worry about or get back for. Friday night we made Dr. Pepper floats and Amanda and Raley came over. Saturday I didn't do much all morning and finally got ready for the day by mid-afternoon. I did make a shutterfly book that is almost finished. Saturday night I watched basketball. Sunday I went to church and to Dos Salsas for lunch. After lunch I went shopping with my mom and finally found a replacement purse since mine is falling apart.

I got back to Waco around 8:30 or so and Deidre wasn't home yet. I dropped some stuff off in the kitchen and went to my room. I went back to the kitchen later and I see a huge nasty cockroach in the sink. There were some dishes in the sink, but not too many. I grabbed the spray and went after it. This one was bigger than the one on the spray can (which by the way, scares me when I look at the fake one). I am spraying this poison all over the sink, not even taking into consideration the cups and silverware that may be reused after I get this roach killed. There was so much spray stuff in the sink by the time I was finished with it. I stayed there spraying until it quit moving. After it didn't move for awhile I left the kitchen and didn't go back in. Deidre got home later and I showed her. She got it out of the sink with a spatula and flushed it. Afterwards I cleaned up the sink, throwing away 2 cups I covered with poison along the rim. I am hoping the smell of all that spray killed any that are hiding somewhere in that kitchen. Why is it that I have seen 2 in the past week and Deidre hasn't seen any? I think they are out to get me.

Today I went to Talitha Koum and was welcomed by one kid, Steven, when I went out on the playground. He was really excited to see me which was unexpected. We played for awhile and then another kid came around to play with them and they started cussing a lot. I hear them directing some towards me and make a couple comments, but they didn't stop. Later on this same little troublemaker that came to play with Steven, was still upset with me. I am squatting down playing with another little girl and I hear these boys behind me. I look down and there is a huge brick right behind my feet, almost underneath me. This little boy had thrown a brick at me, that luckily didn't hit me. It would have hurt really bad. Then we are bringing the kids back inside and Steven tries to run past the classroom. I grab him around his waist, which he apparently did not like because he bent down and took a huge bite out of my arm. I try to pull my arm away but he has such a tight grip on it that he doesn't let up. I grab his cheeks and squeeze them together to loosen his jaw and this insane grip he had on my arm. Luckily he didn't have sharp teeth, but it still hurt sooo bad. I had teeth marks in my skin for awhile that went pretty deep. Later the marks started to swell pretty big. My arm has stayed red all day and it is still so sensitive. I am expecting a nasty bruise soon.
It was really frustrating because they do not have much discipline there. They problem solve but they don't have time-outs or any consequences, so there was nothing I could do about this kid biting me. I'm glad I get a break tomorrow. I don't think I'm ready to go back yet.

trickster :)

2008-04-02T00:07:00.003-04:00

Happy April Fool's Day!!!

Today I was thinking about how I wanted to pull a prank on Deidre. She will believe anything, so it is really fun. I was thinking this morning and I couldn't really come up with anything. The only thing that came to my mind was faking an eviction notice. I decided to write a letter from "The Oaks." Here is what it said:
Dear Deidre Haun,
We have not received your rent check for the months of March and February. We have filed a claim and you will be receiving an eviction notice if this is not paid in full by April 3, 2008. You owe $595.00 in rent charges, as well as $300 in late charges. We hope you will take care of this situation promptly.

I put it on the clip outside our door where they put notices, hoping that she would come home after school and see it while I was gone. I got back home from babysitting and it was still on the door. I found out that she had to work tonight, so she wouldn't be home until later. I left the note out just in case, but I got home first. I decided to make it look like I saw it and opened it, and just left it for her to see. I put it with her mail and when she came home I saw her opening some mail that was under the letter. Later on, after I hadn't gotten any response, I asked if she saw the note. She went in the kitchen and read it. I start laughing to myself in my room and she starts yelling, "what? What? WHAT?" She goes into her room to find her checkbook to prove that she had paid rent and when she walks out of her room I bust out laughing and tell her April Fool's! hahaha! It was really funny. She was starting to flip out. I wish I could have let it go on longer, but it was too funny for me to keep a straight face.

Today I submitted my application for the US/C-2 position. Whoo hoo!

This morning I was startled by a cockroach in the kitchen. It wasn't in there the first time I went in, but it was there the second time. It was on its back which was great. It's nasty legs were flailing around and I grabbed my trusty roach spray and attacked it. It is now dead and still on the kitchen floor. I don't want to touch it. Maybe tomorrow. I am NOT happy they are coming around again. I was hoping to make it until move out date without another incident.

Poverty Simulation

2008-03-30T17:20:00.002-04:00

This weekend I participated in a poverty simulation for my Poverty in Waco class. I was kinda nervous going into it and I wasn't looking forward to it. I thought it was going to be a lot worse than it was.

Friday we got there at 8 and had to wait around for another group to arrive. We went over a few things, but they didn't tell us any kind of schedule. We couldn't have watches, phones, or electronics and we could only keep 4 items with us. I kept my rubber band for my hair, my sleeping bag, my sweatshirt, and deodorant. The other girls I was with kept different things like gum and hand sanitizer to share. After that we went to a clothing closet type place where we bought our clothes for the weekend. We were given $40 in fake money and had to buy a shirt, pants, and shoes for $3. After that we went back to where we were staying. This place is right behind the house of the director of Mission Waco. It is a building they use for many different things and it has a couple rooms filled with bunk beds. If we wanted to sleep inside, it would cost us $20. No one slept in the first night. We all pull out our sleeping bags onto the grass and go to sleep. I don't think it had been very long because I was still half awake, and it started to rain. I debated on whether to get up or not and then I saw a mad rush towards the awning on the porch. I get up and get a spot on the concrete and stayed there the rest of the night. It was miserable. We were cramped, cold, and I didn't ever feel like I was completely asleep. The night seemed really long and I guess it was because I wasn't asleep much.
Saturday we got up and if we had bought a ticket for breakfast the night before, we had breakfast. My friends and I had bought tickets, so we go inside to enjoy our delicious and nutritious breakfast of various types of chips and soda. I was just glad to have something to eat since I didn't know what the rest of the day entailed. After breakfast we went and did what they call Kids Kingdom, which is like a VBS they have each Saturday in the projects. It was fun and I loved the kids. After that we walked back to our "home" and were given a scavenger hunt type activity for the afternoon. We were supposed to be back by 4, but we didn't have watches. We walked all over Waco in groups trying to find things, or answers. One of the tasks was to get lunch. We went across from Baylor where all the fast food places are and found some girls to buy lunch for us. I knew one of them and another girl in our group knew both of them, so I think we cheated. We didn't call them though, we just happened to see them driving. Some of our tasks were to interview a homeless person, collect 100 cans and find the redemption rate, write a letter to a prisoner, ask for a quarter, find something useful from a dumpster, and record unpleasant things using all senses. After that we came back together and debriefed. Later that night we had a world dinner where we ate from certain parts of the country. I was in Latin America, so I ate pretty good Mexican food. There was a beggar going to all the areas and when people tried to give him anything, our waiters would take it away and try to get rid of the beggar. It was kinda creepy when he came around. It was an interesting situation because I didn't know how to respond. One girl tried to give him coffee and our waiter was going to take it away. She said she wanted him to have it, so the waiter took the cup and threw it all over him (and some on me). It was just a demonstration, but it was very thought provoking. After dinner we had to take a chance card and it said whether we earned or owed money. I owed $1, and I still had $24 left. My friends and I decided we wanted to sleep inside for the night and not have breakfast the next morning. It was worth every dollar. We slept in bunk beds and were warm and relatively comfortable.
Today we got up and watched a video before we went to church. We walked to Church Under the Bridge which was pretty far away. For breakfast this morning they had waffles and juice. I was really jealous, but I was still happy with my decision. After church we walked back and had an opportunity to buy lunch. Lunch was good and then we took a post-test and filled out evaluations. We got to keep our clothes we wore for the weekend, which was unexpected. I like the shirt I got, but I never want to see the shoes ever again. Ashleigh laughed every time she looked down at my feet. We left and I came home and showered. I didn't feel as gross as I thought I would. I am still really tired though and I am not looking forward to doing homework for the rest of the night.
I think the hardest part about this weekend was knowing I had things I needed to do, but I couldn't do anything about it.

rough start

2008-03-25T14:55:00.002-04:00

First of all I forgot to mention two significant things yesterday.

1) I am so glad to be back in my our apartment with my own bed, shower, and closet. I am not living out of a suitcase anymore and I can watch tv whenever I want, and eat my own food! I was very grateful that I had a place to stay in the Bronx, but I really appreciate my own apartment now. :)
2) My luggage was a little delayed yesterday. I got back around 1 and was waiting for my luggage. Some came out and then this lady said that if you don't see your luggage they had to pull it off because the plane was too heavy. I go fill out a claim and hope that it was coming on a later flight that afternoon. They were going to deliver it when it came, so that was nice. Sure enough, it came last night so I didn't have any issues with it.

Today has been a rude awakening with school. I got up and went to my first class. Everything was fine and I checked blackboard to get something from that class and I saw an announcement for my speech class. It had the order of speeches and on what day. I was gone when they signed up for days, so I was about half way ready to do my speech if I needed to. I was planning on going home after class and practicing some, just in case. I saw the order and found out that I was supposed to go today, AND that I was FIRST. I am reading this while I'm in class, so I couldn't completely freak out, but my eyes got really big! I went home and practiced it a couple times and then I looked over our rubric and realized that I completely forgot about having a visual. I got even more stressed out and put a short slide show together with pictures. That was about 30 minutes before my class started. I was so thankful that I saw that though. I get to class and felt like I was a little overdressed, but it wasn't a big deal. I was unsure if we were going in the order on blackboard or not, but I kinda wanted to go first and get it over with. I hadn't seen anyone go and I just didn't want to think about it anymore. I went first and got it over with. I think it went pretty well. Now I am really glad I had it today instead of Thursday. I have a test Thursday morning, so it wouldn't have been fun to worry about both things that day.

I don't think I have anymore surprises this week. Hopefully not. I don't think I can handle anymore surprises.

The rest

2008-03-24T23:33:00.002-04:00

I just got back from New York today and there is so much more I feel like I need to update. So much has happened since last Saturday.
Last Saturday I went to Kung Fu, but was not in charge, which was a bit of a relief. After Kung Fu, I went down to Manhattan to work on some things while Andrew did an orientation with a mission team. After the orientation we ended up going to dinner with a group of people. After dinner we were headed back to the subway and we heard someone say, "there's Andrew" and then "and Ashley!" It was Danielle, Charlotte, and Charlotte's friend Jen. They were headed towards Graffiti to catch a ride with the Osbornes to Queens. I love that even in New York you can experience random run-ins with people. That is the 4th one I have had before.
I also tried Pinkberry Saturday. I had been wanting to try it because I saw it on The Hills and didn't know what it was. It was alright. It was really sweet and I started to get tired of it.
Sunday I went to church at Graffiti and afterwards I was responsible for taking the teenagers to lunch and keep them occupied for a few hours. We ate at Chipotle after I convinced the majority to go there. Afterwards we went to the park and the boys played around on the playground like little kids. It was raining some and I was freezing by the time we went back.
The week was busy with getting things ready for the Easter egg hunt and the first Graffiti 2 church service. We bagged popcorn, made cotton candy, and gift bags. Tuesday was chapel. Thursday was fun for me to be with everyone up there for my birthday! Andrew got a cake for the after school program and I got to see most of the adults too because there was a meeting for the first church service later that night. I was supposed to get things in the mail, but they didn't even come in before I left. Now I will probably have to wait a lot longer, but I guess it will give me an excuse to celebrate my bday again! Friday I didn't do much until later in the afternoon when I went to G2 to gather up everything for the Easter egg hunt. After that I went to dinner with a group of people, and then came home and watched a movie with Brandy and Chris.
Saturday was the Easter egg hunt! It went really well. I was in charge of leading registration, which was a little crazy at first, but everything worked out alright. There were over 600 people that showed up and a lot responded to the Gospel presentation. The weather was great and it was a lot of fun.
Sunday was the first Graffiti 2 church service. It was another early morning, but I survived. We had our service at 8:30 so that we would be out of the building by 10. We had 40 people there and everything went very smoothly. It was a great start and I'm sure it will continue to grow. We were done by 10, so I went back home and was planning on taking a nap. I got a short 30 minutes until I was abruptly woken up by blaring spanish music. Needless to say, I didn't sleep anymore that day. Later on I went downstairs and Nelson and I watched the Spurs/Mavs game. After the game I went to Manhattan with Andrew to hang out with Taylor and Susan. It was fun and I was very happy that I didn't stay in my room all day!
Today I woke up at 4:15 Eastern time and I was at the airport by 5:15. I was not happy this morning when my car ride was more expensive than I hoped. Before when I went from Queens to LGA it was $20 and today it was $48 with tip. I'm still upset about it actually. It was a 10 minute ride. That is ridiculous. I was mad at myself for passing up an offer from Larry. Note to self...
I slept the entire time on my first flight. I had to rotate positions because everything was falling asleep or cramping, but I still slept a lot! I got to Houston and had a couple hours to kill. I was not productive with my time because I am also bitter that I have to go back to school this week. I am starting to get over it and deal with it, but I think I am going to have a bad attitude most of the week. Just a few more weeks...

In case I don't update before this weekend, pray for me as I am participating in a poverty simulation. I also do not have a good attitude about this, even though I know it will be a great experience and I will gain a different perspective from it. I will basically be homeless for the weekend. I'm sure there will be more details next week on how it goes.

big week

2008-03-14T22:23:00.002-04:00

There has been so much that has happened this week. I didn't realize it until I sat down and thought about it.

Last Saturday was a little crazy at Kung Fu, but we all survived! Sunday I went to church at Graffiti and what do you know...I got stuck with train issues. The one I was on stopped one early, so there were a couple options, but I couldn't decide what was fastest. Eventually I took another train to get a little closer, then I walked. I got there a little late, but I made it. I sat in the back since I got there late and then a few minutes after I got there a few others walked in. Two of them were girls that I had been with all day last Friday on both flights, the bathroom, and the taxi line. They go to Baylor and were visiting the brother of one of them. It was so crazy and we had so many random connections. After church we stayed for the fellowship meal and then I walked around some and headed back to the Bronx. I got home and watched the Spurs game, then went to hang out with Ashley.

Monday I got up and went to G2 and did stuff around there until the after school program. When we were finished with the after school program some of the teenagers were staying after to work on homework. I was trying to help one of the teenagers, but I couldn't remember how to do it. It was algebra and I couldn't remember the formulas. Andrew came over to try and figure it out but he couldn't either. We worked on it for awhile and finally had to look up stuff on the internet to figure it out. While I was helping with homework, Andrew was talking to a couple of teenagers. Last weekend they were on a retreat, so he was following up with them about that. He ended up talking with 2 of the teenagers and one of them accepted Christ that night and the other one is still processing some things.

Tuesday was the same thing in the morning and afternoon. There was a cat in the kitchen when I walked in there that startled me a little bit, but some guys from the mission team got it outside. Chapel was Tuesday night and after chapel, one of the 5th grade girls talked with me and she accepted Christ also!

Wednesday was more of the same thing and then I saw WICKED. It was really good. I got home late and was so exhausted.

Thursday there wasn't after school program because the school had a half day. Instead the teenagers came to G2 and hung out for awhile and then we went to the park to play football. It was a lot of fun and I must say, my team was victorious! :)

A lot of this week has been busy with getting things ready for the Easter egg hunt and figuring out how to have a Easter Sunday church service. Different things have happened with the church service, including significant hurdles, but it will happen, it just might be earlier than desired.

Today I slept in and hung around the house most of the day. I got a little bit of homework done and then I went to dinner with Ashley. I took her to Max Brenner's since she had never been there. It was delicious of course and now I am ready for bed again!

This next week is going to be even busier. Pray for all the happenings around here with the Easter egg hunt and church starting next Sunday.

back HOME

2008-03-07T23:49:00.003-05:00

I am finally back in New York! YAY! Chris likes to tell me welcome home. I got to my current home around 10:30 tonight. I have spent a lot of time in airports today. I got to the Waco airport around 11:45 and found out my flight to Houston was delayed, so I waited around there until 1:30 or so and then started going through security. We left Waco at 2 and got to Houston at 3. My flight to LGA was supposed to leave at 3, but I found out earlier that it had been delayed also, so there wasn't going to be a problem. I went to my gate to check on things and sure enough it was delayed...even longer than it was supposed to. Now it wasn't leaving until 5:15, so I went and got some food and hung out in a bookstore. I went back to the gate around 4:45 and boarded. We left around 5:45 and landed around 9:15 New York time. Then I went and got my luggage and battled the taxi line. It was insanely long. It took about 30 minutes and I got to the Bronx at 10:30.

My first flight from Waco to Houston was ridiculous. It was a little plane as usual, but today it was crazy windy, so the plane was bouncing all over the place. It was funny listening to everyone's reactions for awhile, then I started to feel sick. I was really afraid I was going to throw up all over the place. I gagged a couple times and then the third time I threw up... just in my mouth though. It wasn't a lot, but I didn't know what to do. I was afraid that if I tried to swallow it that it would make me throw up for real. I couldn't keep it in my mouth though, so I decided to swallow it, while praying I didn't throw up again. I felt awful. The worst of it was after we had landed and were taxi-ing in. And again while I was on the shuttle going to the terminal. I haven't felt that motion sickness since the little "cruise" that we took to get to the Bahamas in high school. After that flight, I was glad to have a delay. My second flight was great. Nice and smooth and I watched August Rush on the screen. I think this was the first flight where I didn't sleep at all. I guess it's different when you don't have to wake up early for those morning flights.

Tomorrow I am kinda in charge of kung fu. It will be interesting, I'm sure. I am so excited about seeing the kids and parents tomorrow!

By the way, it snowed in Waco last night and is supposed to snow again tonight. Crazy Texas weather. It should be snowing here too!

sing is over!!!

2008-03-03T17:54:00.002-05:00

YAY! Sing is over! I have my free time back! I am so excited and relieved. I could possibly get bored eventually, but I wouldn't bet on it. Sing went pretty well. Then we got the results and they were disappointing. We made it to pigskin, but we felt like we should have placed. Oh well, its over and it's not the end of the world. I am still reminding myself of that because I get really bitter when I think about it too long!

I am going to New York this week! YAY! I'm so excited it is finally here! I am also really excited about seeing Danielle and Charlotte again. We are going to have a fun reunion. Hopefully we won't be too busy to hang out!

I just have to make it through a couple more days and I will be good to go! I think the hardest part will be writing a book review by Thursday. I really want to just get it done with, like today, but I am not motivated at all and I don't feel like I know enough to write 5 pages about it. Maybe later tonight I will get motivated. I really hope so...

I have some good NY news that I don't think I have updated about. G2 received the request for a US/C-2 position for me! The not so good news is that they can't fully support me, so I will continue to raise support. Over the past few weeks, I have received lots of support. I have about $800 in one time gifts and about $650 in monthly support. I haven't heard back from the majority of the people I sent letters out to, so I'm confident that more will come in. It is such an interesting experience and I am glad that it doesn't really stress me out. At least not yet...

kids say the darnest things...

2008-02-16T00:05:00.002-05:00

So it's been awhile...
Last weekend I did a disciple now in Georgetown. It went really well and I had fun. I had 11th grade girls. I liked that age a lot. They didn't have that senior attitude yet, but they were old enough that we could relate more than younger girls.

This week has been pretty busy, nothing new. I had my first round of tests and I had 3 this week. I think if you added up the time I spent studying for all 3 it would come to maybe 2 hours. :) I wasn't worried about 2 of them and the third one I just didn't want to study for. I really just don't care. I know I what I can do to get by with the grade I am satisfied with. I have better ways to spend my time than studying for hours on end. My classes aren't that hard, so there is no need to freak out about anything.

Sing is still taking over my life and I am sooo ready for it to be over. I'm sure it will be more fun when we are performing, but right now I could careless about it. Just 2 more weeks!

This morning I started volunteering at Talitha Koum. I was in a classroom of what I think was 3 and 4 year olds. The kids were cute and I had fun. Something interesting and actually expected, was that I was called more 4 letter words this morning than in my entire life. It was all from the same kid in a matter of minutes. I don't really remember why either. This little boy got mad at me for some reason and called me a B, stupid B, and a few F bombs were included. I didn't know how to handle it because at orientation I was told that they would use language like that, but that the teachers didn't say they were bad words. The reasoning behind it was that the kids might think that if you say those words are bad that you are saying their parents are bad because they use those words. I basically ignored it until I heard one of the teachers tell the boy that we don't use those words at school. It is so sad that these little kids have this vocabulary. They have no idea what it means and they say it like it's no big deal.

This weekend will be full of great basketball (hopefully)! Tomorrow I am going to the boys game and Sunday I am going to the girls game. Tickets for the game were available to pick up this morning at 11 and people were lining up before to make sure they got tickets. I went this afternoon and got mine. Apparently they are now completely sold out. General public tickets were sold out Monday. This is crazy. I don't know if people have been this obsessed with a Baylor sport in a long time, even ever! The game is on ESPN tomorrow which is exciting. Look for me on tv!

Some storm has just blown in and it feels like my apartment is going to blow away. Thunder is shaking it. Hopefully it will hold up! :)

What happened to the weekend?

2008-01-30T00:06:00.000-05:00

I feel like so much has happened since Thursday. Friday morning was the poverty breakfast. I got up at 5 AM which was a little rough. We got there and started making breakfast and/or visiting with people who were there. I sat down at a table and talked with a couple of guys. Then this other guy came over who was a lot more talkative than the other two. We talked about a lot of things and I found out he is from Buffalo. He told me about the garment district in New York where you could buy things for really cheap. He says, "you like to shop, right? You're pretty, so that means you like to shop, right?" I told him I do like to shop and he said, "well I guess I am stereotyping you" and I said, yea, but its true. He was funny. After the breakfast I came back home for a bit and then started some laundry and ran a couple errands. I got back and finished laundry and put it all up and then cleaned the rest of my room. By 11 when I went to class, I felt like it was 2 and that I had accomplished so much already. My 12:00 class was just a quiz, so I came back and took a nap before I had to pick the boys up from school. Friday night I went to a concert at Baylor. Jon McLaughlin and Matt Wertz played. It was really good. Jon plays piano REALLY well. I was amazed by how fast his fingers were going. He didn't have anyone else with him, so it was just him singing and playing the piano. I have his cd and I wish it was just him and the piano also. I loved it. I leaned over to Deidre and told her that I bet he does a mean Carol of the Bells.

Saturday morning I went to a volunteer orientation at Talitha Koum. It is a non profit childcare center, but they don't call it that. They call it some sort of therapy center. It is a really neat place and I am excited about volunteering there. They take care of kids in the neighborhood that are living in poverty. It reminds me of Graffiti in some ways, but there are different aspects to it that Graffiti doesn't have and Talitha Koum doesn't have some things that Graffiti offers. After that I went to sing practice and then came home to work on school stuff. I didn't get much done and then I took a nap because I was still tired from Friday. Then my phone rang and I went in to cater early than planned. I worked a catering until 11 and came home and crashed. That night my arms hurt so bad. We had been carrying trays of food or other things all night. I would wake up in the middle of the night and my arms were aching so bad. It was a different kind of sore. It felt like all my arm muscles were flexed constantly. I couldn't relax them at all.

Sunday I went to church and then to work for a little bit, until I had sing practice again. We had our stage time and then had an hour and a half off before we had to come back and practice our singing. Then we had big sis rev, where all the tri delt families find out who the new members to their family are. Then we went out to dinner and I came back home to finish the homework that I had hardly started. I had 2 short papers to write, so I got that done and went to sleep.

Yesterday I had class as usual. After class I went to meeting and then sing practice later that night. Yesterday and today I have been trying to get all my homework done so that I can get ahead for next week. Danielle will come Friday and stay until Tuesday, so I don't want to have to worry about homework while she's here. So far I have impressed myself. Today I finished all my stuff for tomorrow and started my stuff for Thursday and I am almost done! Tomorrow I will hopefully finish everything for Monday and maybe even start on Tuesdays! This is so nice and my to do list is a lot smaller. I don't feel as stressed either. It is almost like a competition against myself. Hopefully this motivation will last for awhile! I am so accomplished!

Last night I booked my flight to New York! There was another flight added on the Friday I am leaving, so I will get there at around 7:30 instead of 11. My returning flight is still leaving at 6:30 AM which I am not excited about, but oh well.

Today at community group we did a spiritual gifts assessment. I always enjoy doing those. This time my highest was helps and second place was a tie with administration and service. I wasn't very surprised, but one thing that was different from the last time I took one was administration. That is something that I am realizing I enjoy a lot more than I thought.

I am really thankful this week isn't as crazy as last week was. Especially after this weekend, I needed a slower week. I am glad I am taking full advantage of it as well!

busy life

2008-01-24T22:56:00.000-05:00

Today has been another busy day. I had class at 9:30, came home for a lunch break, and had class at 12:30 and 2. I picked up the boys after class and was there until 5:30 or so. I came home for a little bit and made a quick dinner. Then I had sing until 9 and luckily a mixer was cancelled, so I got to come home early.

This morning I walked outside and the nasty chicken had been ripped out of the trash bag, and then ripped out of the bag containing the chicken. Then each chicken breast was individually packaged and I think something got into some of those too. I think whatever ate that is dead somewhere now. The smell haunted me once again when I was walking back inside after class. I gagged again and tried to forget that awful awful experience.

In my first class this morning we were talking about the game last night and how great it was. Then at the end of class my professor initiated a sic em and the class participated in a sic em bears! I am not one of those who does a sic em for everything, so I did not participate, but I thought it was funny. I had never seen a sic em done in class.

Yesterday I brought Melanie with me to pick up the boys because she might pick them up on Mondays because I have class. Today Andrew asked me if she was going to be their babysitter, so I said that she might. He asked me if she liked them and I told him that I didn't ask, but I think she did. Andrew said, "good, I liked her. She's nice. Like you." I was glad to hear that they still think of me as nice, regardless of how much they get in trouble with me.

Tomorrow morning my poverty in Waco class is making breakfast for this homeless breakfast Mission Waco does every Friday. We have to be there at 6AM!!! Once I get over the fact that I have to get up at 5, I am excited about it and I think it will be a good experience! With that said, I am going to bed now. :)

The Smell

2008-01-24T01:28:00.000-05:00

So here is a good story. It would be better if you could have seen it happen and the reactions. I will try to explain it as well as possible.

The past few days Deidre and I have noticed a smell in the kitchen. This is normal because our kitchen is always disgusting and we have weird smells all the time. But this one was bad. It only came around occasionally. Since we are hardly home at the same time, we didn't discuss this until tonight. She asked me if I knew what the smell was and I said I had noticed it, but I hadn't investigated yet. I started by opening the freezer and nothing smelled in there. Then I opened the refrigerator and smelled around. It took a second to smell anything and then I found it. It was just what we expected. I had a bag of chicken breasts that had been in there for awhile, but I didn't think that they would be bad yet. I was very very wrong. Once I smelled it I grabbed the bag to take it out of the refrigerator and when I grabbed it, there was a crack in the seal of the bag and I got a huge, disgusting whiff of the smell. I immediately turned away, collapsed from squatting to laying on the floor (which is also gross), and repeatedly gagged. It was like nothing else. I put it into the trash bag and we put it outside until tomorrow. It reeked! Deidre was in the kitchen also when this happens and she sees it all. When I go down, she starts cracking up, to the point where I thought she was going to pee in her pants. Later on I was reliving the experience-don't ask me why- and I start gagging again. I don't throw up very often, but I came pretty close.

On a better note...

Baylor basketball beat A&M in 5 overtimes! At College Station! Baylor is now 4-0 in conference. This week they were ranked at number 25 which was the first time they have been ranked in 40 years or so. This is also the first time girls and boys basketball has been ranked at the same time. We had sing practice tonight, so I was checking my phone at every water break. When the game was over, people's phones were going off like crazy and so we stopped and celebrated for a bit, then got back to dancing. What is ridiculous is that this game wasn't even televised. There was so much hype before the game and then it wasn't picked up. I think my favorite part about this is that when I watch sportscenter, Baylor is making headlines for good reasons and not because someone killed someone. They are talking highly about the coach and the entire program. I am so proud to be a Baylor bear! :)

Post Office Frustrations

2008-01-23T00:58:00.000-05:00

Today I feel like I have been going non-stop. I had class at 9:30 and then came home for lunch and went back to class at 12:30. After that class I went to HEB to get a few things and then came back home to drop everything off. I left again to go to the post office before I had to go pick up the kids. I went to the downtown one that is closest and the line was almost to the door. There was 1 person working and then 1 other person just selling stamps. I wait in line for about half an hour and I see this girl go up with a box full of smaller packages to be mailed. It is 3:00 by now, so I have to leave and I was only halfway down the line. It was insane. So I go pick up Jacob because Andrew went home "sick." I stay there until 5 and then stop by the post office in Woodway. I drive up and go in and there isn't a line at all. There were 2 people working and I waited about 30 seconds. I mail my book I sold on half.com and get back in the car. The song on the radio was still playing from when I got out of the car. Note to self: Always go to Woodway to mail something. It is worth the drive. I would have probably waited for an hour at the other one if I had the time. Ridiculous.

After the post office I came back home to get everything together for the rest of the day. I had a meeting at 6, community group at 7, and sing at 9. I got home at 11 and did some homework and now I can't wait for my bed. I think that my life will be this crazy for awhile...