Back

Well...I arrived home from China last Tuesday (December 14th) at around 10 pm. Since then I've been dealing with jet lag, emotions over being home and trying to catch up with family and friends. I'm trying to catch up on the blog too. I couldn't access blogger from China so I switched to Wordpress. In the middle of November I stopped being able to access my Wordpress blog either. China apparently blocked all the blogs in the middle of November. So now I'm finishing the China blog and trying to figure out what's next. I loved blogging while I was there. I hadn't kept up with it much this past year or two, but I'd like to get back into it more. I guess we'll see what happens. At any rate, you can read all the blog posts at Then Something Tookish. I'll continue to finish posting about my time there and then I'll decide if and where to blog after that. I doubt anyone is reading this blog anymore, but in case someone stumbles across it I send you my wishes for a very blessed Christmas and New Year. :)

Countdown...

So...in less than three days I will be on my way to the airport to board a plane for San Francisco where I will switch planes and go to Shanghai. And that will begin my study abroad adventure! A special adventure calls for a special blog! Or at least, that's what I'm telling myself. I'm going to be blogging all about my trip over at:

Away We Go

I may or may not be updating on this blog too...so much has happened in such a short time that I wish I could fill everyone in on, but telling you all that God is absolutely amazing and loves us so much even though we don't deserve it is all I have time for right now. Seriously, God has been pouring out love and provision on me and I am in complete awe and I feel so unworthy of it all. But I'm incredibly thankful too!

Okay...if you want to keep up with me head over to the new blog for now. I'd love to hear from you all while I'm in China so feel free to leave comments or email!

:)

Right now...

I am re-reading this book...
In the throes of packing...the room looks much better than this now...just keeping it real...
Begging to braid people's hair for them...I'm quite in love with braids these days...


I'm also:

• considering cutting my hair when I get back from China and donating it...

• feeling a little unsure of all the changes coming up and freaking out a little...I get mean when I freak out and it makes me hate myself...

• waiting for my visa to come back...

• updating the blog...

• starting a China blog...

• loving that my niece loves praying at meals...she tries to hold hands and when you say "in Jesus' name..." she says "ammeh."...I don't think she gets it but I love that she wants to pray...

• wrapping up last-minute things before I move back to school on Wednesday...

• having a lot of neck/upper back pain...I think it's from falling off the merry-go-round/twister at the park a few weeks back...wish I had a good chiropractor...
  

• thinking I want to double focus in ceramics and photography...I seriously need some instruction in photography...my photos are proof...
  

• excited to see my roommates, friends and new apartment...

• excited to get back involved with Campus Crusade for Christ and church back at school...

• feeling homesick before I've moved...

• thinking I want to move to Idaho or someplace out west if I ever graduate from college...

I am not sure why but I'm feeling all sorts of emotions about moving back to school and going to China. On the one hand I'm excited, but on the other I'm scared and sad. I know I'll miss my family. I guess it's normal to feel a little bit torn. As much as I want to believe that I'm really open to change now I still fear it quite a bit. And I'm sad that I'll miss fall in the USA. And worried that when I get back everything will be totally different and really hard to adjust to. Am I overthinking things?

Well...that's all for now. Goodnight...

rainy day snapshots

We had our first good, soaking rain in weeks this weekend. I normally don't like rainy days...they make me sad. I was very grateful though for this rain. As I mentioned before, we needed it so badly!
I was feeling kind of bored...I felt like putting off packing so I grabbed my camera and took a few pictures. The light was kind of cool in the room so I was trying to capture that. I didn't really achieve it but I got a few photos that I liked anyway.

Our friend Kristi made this print for my sister when she got married. Isn't it gorgeous? We're trying to convince her to start an Etsy shop and blog...I think she's considering it!

This was the creamer pitcher from my "Alice-in-Wonderland-inspired-tea-service." I like that handle...it's quite comfortable. :)

Adam's party

We painted faces on marshmallows using food coloring gel and then dipped their heads in chocolate to give them hair. When I saw ''we'' I mean Jacqueline. The inspiration came from this blog!

We gave them out as party favors!

I made a 7 layer salad...although my salad may have had more than 7 ingredients.

Matt and Jacqueline bought a helium tank and we blew up balloons. And some of us may or may not have swallowed helium during the process. When I say ''us'' I mean me.

We actually had quite a turnout. Friends from Bible study came, friends from old times came, family members were there...it was lots of fun! We roasted hotdogs and made s'mores and had lots of salad. Adam's friends Matt and Jonathan stayed until 11:30 at which point I kicked them out because everyone else had gone to bed and we were ready to get some sleep too. When I say ''we'' I mean myself. Adam and Holly probably could have stayed up longer but I'm a pansy during the summer...during the school year I get very little sleep so I take summer sleeping seriously. Overall it was really fun. I enjoyed hanging out with everyone and talking and catching up.
I think Adam enjoyed himself too. He is starting up at university this fall so we wanted to have a little party to celebrate with him.

On a brighter note...

Happy 25th Anniversary to my parents! I love you guys!

Nothing

I really have nothing to say right now. Not that a lot isn't going on...I'm just too frazzled to write very much! Thursday is my last day at work...my parents and siIblings are coming up from NC tomorrow...it is also my parent's 25th anniversary tomorrow...I go back to college next Wednesday...I have not packed at all...I'm leaving for China in early September...I'm filling out my visa application for China...

Here is a picture of some daisies. :)

I'll probably be kinda MIA for while. I guess I've been MIA most of the summer! I just feel like I have so little time left before school starts and I regret not spending more time with my family this summer so that's what I'm going to do before I leave next Wednesday.

Picnik.com

So I'd seen people use this site before but I never bothered to look at it. Now I'm not sure why because I'm having loads of fun with it! I just think it makes showcasing photos a little more fun! :)Spring break fun with my friend! We have been friends since 7th grade. We will be roomies this year too!Me along the river at school.Walking the rail-trail...good times!

Thai food with my friend!

Harper's Ferry trip from 2008! I tried to make this look like one of those verydemotivational.com posters. ;)

Django...what a handsome devil!

Me and my favorite Olive!

My sickeningly photogenic little sister...

The fair...

Old photos of me...

Fun times with my roomie!

Friends and gorgeous places...

I thought editing the photos was super fun! You can even whiten your teeth in photos with it (which is always a cool thing for this dental assistant!)! Easy, free fun. What more could a college student want?

I went somewhere beautiful...

Last weekend I travelled to the middle of nowhere (figuratively speaking) to visit my roommate in her hometown. I think it may have been the most gorgeous place I have ever seen! I had a wonderful time visiting my roomie, her family and friends who were also there! It made me realize how much I miss my school family. :)

Is that not absolutely gorgeous?

My friend Amanda and my roommate Whitney. We went hiking.

We met this stalking rooster named Norman!

Whitney got a summer job at a stable so she treated us to a horseback ride! She has the coolest job ever! I had never ridden on a horse before but I loved it!

My horse was named Goldie. :) She was a slow-poke, but I think that was good since she was my first ride.

It was a wonderful visit. In addition to hiking and horseback riding we stayed up late talking, hung out with Whitney's family, went to a big picnic where we saw old friends and met new acquaintances and got rained on (but luckily there was a pavillion so we had shelter. It was still really fun!) and listened to live music! We went to church and to a cool little restaurant. Fed sheep at 10 pm. Saw the stars more clearly than I ever have, rode up and down mountains and just had a wonderful time. I'm so grateful that I got to visit my roomie and friend Amanda! Amanda is leaving for China in 4 days! She is going on a missions trip with Campus Crusade for Christ. I am hoping that we will be able to meet up while we're both out there.

We need rain!

My friend and I went to a local park yesterday to walk around. I've been there before for a wedding and another time for a baby shower but I have never walked around to see the rest of the place. I got to become acquainted with these geese...I think they were hoping I would feed them.
Look at how yellow that grass is! It's so burnt. It looks like that everywhere. We need rain so badly! I'm a blue-skies-sunshine-loving kind of girl, but I am really hoping it will rain a lot! Soon!

Happy Birthday, Holly!

Today my little sister turned sweet 16! I can hardly believe she's that old already! She's halfway finished with being a teenager. Boy, we're getting old! :)

These are some pictures of Holly that I've taken through the past couple of years. Some of them are very recent, others are a bit older. They aren't in chronological order.




She's such a cool person. I don't think she has any idea how special and unique she really is, which is probably partly why she's so cool. She's sensitive and sweet but edgy too. She reads biographies on Beethoven and enjoys his music and also listens to Guns and Roses. She has her own sense of style and knows what she likes. She's very down-to-earth as well. Much more so I think than I was at 16. And she used to always pose for the camera if I told her to. Now she tells me no sometimes. I'm losing subjects for photography every day! :) She's her own person and I love who she is and who she is becoming.
Happy Birthday, Holly! I hope this year is amazing!

Happy 20th Birthday, Adam!

Today is my brother's 20th birthday. I cannot believe that he is 20 years old now. So I compiled a few photos in honor of his special day.

I feel like these pictures show a little bit of Adam's personality: he's cute and has a sense of humor and a serious side and he sure loves his guitar. :) Other facts about Adam: He can do impersonations like no one else I know. I love the way he impersonates Willie Nelson and he does a good job of talking like President Bush too. When he was really little he would call the little girls on the playground "toots" like Curly from The Three Stooges would. He was one of the students at my school that tried to help start a Campus Crusade for Christ ministry at our community college and his dedication and commitment to trying to make that work was an inspiration. He can do almost anything he puts his mind to and is usually one of the best if not the best at what he likes to do. He has natural leadership qualities. We sure love him!
Happy Birthday, Adam! I hope this year is the best one yet. :)