And so it begins...

So tomorrow I move back to Recreation Unlimited, which will be my home for about the next 9 weeks. I'm super excited to get started and to meet new friends and learn some good stuff about life along the way. This past weekend my brother graduated from high school. I can't believe that I have been out of school already for 2 years and that I am half way done with college. I saw 2 really good friends at graduation and we took pictures together. It was later that I realized that I have not taken pictures with these 2 individuals since our own high school graduation exactly 2 years prior.

Graduation was a fun time. My cousin Josh who moved to Austin, TX last year and surprised us all and flew in for Tyler's graduation and party. We were all so excited. We got a picture with all 6 grandkids on my Mom's side of the family and it's my new favorite picture :) I'm so proud of my brother and all that he has accomplished. He will be attending Louisville Bible College in the fall for youth ministry. I know that he will help shape the lives of many young people who need Christ.

week one down!

So this week at camp I had the best time! Going into this week I was so nervous and so worried. I wasn't worried about being able to do my job and take care of the campers, but I was worried that I wasn't going to make friends from within the staff and that nobody would like me. I was SOOOO wrong! I had a blast with all of the staff and I fell completely head over heels for all of my campers! This week was Prader-Willi Syndrome Week. It was a very successful week with so much fun wrapped into it. There were moments when I wondered what in the world I was doing, and there were a few moments where I seriously was trying to figure out why I was about to devote my whole summer to this job....but then a camper would smile at me and I would remember so very quickly why I was doing what I was doing. It was for that hope that I saw in that single smile.

This week was an emotionally and physically draining week for me. After the week was over I had 2 days of Tower training. I was dead set that I was NOT going to climb the tower. However, after some encouragement from some fellow staff members I decided to try it. I made it to the first platform which was high enough for me!! The hardest part wasn't climbing up the tower though, it was trusting the ropes and my fellow staff members to lower me down. I was TERRIFIED! I had a hundred things running through my head and I was ready to set up camp up there and just stay there...but then I got to thinking about some stuff. First of all, this is probably how many of our campers feel just when we are getting ready to lift them out of their wheelchairs for the first time, or the first time we are helping them into the paddle boats, or the first time that they jump to us in the pool. They put their faith in us, so I needed to do the same. So with huge tears in my eyes, I counted to three and pushed myself off the platform. My heart was in my throat and I was hanging in the air....and was slowly lowered down to the ground. I was safe. And now I am so happy that I did it.

I know that camp will be full of these "a ha!" moments, and I can't wait to experience it all! Here are a few pictures from the week :)

and so it begins...

So today I am packing and getting ready for my first week at camp this summer! I'm super excited for it but at the same time I feel bad to leave my mom here with a broken foot. I know that my brother and Dad will take care of her, still feel bad for leaving her here though. I am really excited for the opportunity at camp though. It's going to be a great experience I'm sure. So here goes nothing...one week at camp, then home for Tyler's graduation party and graduation, and then back to camp for official training for a week and a half then the summer really starts!! 8 weeks of glorious camp :) I love camp. That's all there is to it. I love being outside and i love being able to be in a camp where I'm helping people all at the same time. Prayers would be appreciated for the summer! I'll keep you all updated as I can! :)

Do you know what the relationship is between your two eyes?

They blink together,
they move together,
they cry together,
they see things together,
and they sleep together,
but they never see each other;
....that's what friendship is.
Your aspiration is your motivation, your
motivation is your belief,
your belief is your peace,
your peace is your target,
your target is heaven,
and life is like hard core torture without it!




I got this in an email today and I'm still thinking about and thought I would pass it on....

"you can always go back, but you can't go back all the way"

So yes, once again, I am back. After a short break from blogging and a few little mishaps, I'm back. I guess to give you an update...things have been really crazy here. I have been helping my Mom a lot because she has broken her foot, I have been trying to get ready for camp, and keep my sanity at the same time. I have had a hard time adjusting this summer for some reason. This is really the first time that I have lived here in Scottsburg for any long period of time. I have had a hard time coming back here and finding out who my friends are, and who I need to let go of for good. One of my friends had a quote on her facebook yesterday that said "God doesn't put the people in your life that you want, but the ones who are going to love you even when you are unloveable." This really spoke to me and made me very blessed to have everyone that I do have in my life. This made me realize that each and every person in my life is there for a reason, and when they are gone, that's for a reason too.

things are changing

So it's not surprise to everyone that a few months ago I was considering transferring from Wittenberg for various reasons. After a series of tough events I came to the conclusion that Wittenberg is where I need to be. Shortly after I thought my world was crashing around me because my plans were changing, I was given an amazing opportunity to live in a house full of Christians next year. It's going to be an amazing experience and we are going to have a great year or 2 all living together in a house where the center of it is Christ and Christ's love. I am so excited for the opportunity to have this chance to focus on the things that I need to...education, family, friends, and Christ.

Although I have figured out where I need to be, I was very upset to find out that one of my closest friends has not. I know that she is not happy. And I know it's hard for her here, but if she leaves, I feel like a part of me will leave too. However I need to remember that she needs to be happy for herself and not stay in an environment because she wants to keep other people happy. So I guess I need to remember that just because there is distance between 2 people, it doesn't mean that there has to be a loss of friendship.

I guess part of me never wants anything to change and I want to live in a little bubble with all the people that are close to me. However, I know that's not life. So if this is God's will...let it be. If not, I pray that He changes it.

back on track

sooooo I have been awful at this. I seem to lose myself on the "treadmill of life" and forget to make posts on a regular basis. So I figured that since school is coming to a close again I should start to get back on track. Anyway, the weather is quite beautiful outside continually reminding me of the beauty of God and the things that He has blessed me with. I am super anxious for summer and the great things that it's going to bring! For right now I am going home for the first half of summer and then starting the last week in June I am going to be working at Recreation Unlimited. It's a camp for disabled kids and adults in Ohio. It's going to be a great experience. I can't wait!! I am going to be a Resource Counselor. It's going to be a fantastic opportunity and a great learning experience. Ia m still looking for a small job to have while I'm home for the first half of the summer so I'm not just hanging out. But I know that God will provide in due time.

This week I have really been focusing on the sermon that Craig preached on Sunday. He's going through a series called "Live Like You Are Dying". Focusing on the song by Tim McGraw. Last week he preached a sermon entitled "Love Deeper" and this week he preached a sermon entitled "Speak Sweeter". I have really been trying to put that into practice in my own life this week. I am not a "mean" person however sometimes I speak before I think. I want to make sure that I am spreading words of encouragement and praise around people so that I can help them to grow in Christ and in life. I am so thankful for the family that I have and the amount of support that I have around me. Anyway, I guess that I need to remember that everything I say and do is a direct result of a blessing of life that God has provided for me. We talked about in small group the other night how loving someone is a choice. Love is not an emotion. Well I choose to love deeper and to speak sweeter this week and for the rest of my life with the help of God. Yes, I will fall down, but I can get right back up again with the help of my loving Savior.