Well I got to see my Aunt Heather for a breif time. I drove to Olive Garden after choir practice to sit and talk while they finished eating. Then we went back and hung out at the house for a bit before I went home to bed. The next day I tried to accomplish some things around the apartment that I had been putting off. Then we got to see Wall-e in the theaters. It was such a wonderful movie. I highly recommend it!

I then got to go to Lake Genva on Saturday with Emily Stringer and Molly Keenan. Jill couldn't go which was sad, but it was still a lot of fun. We didn't meet up till almost three and well the dan ryan was already backed up all the way to O'Hare and well we got to sit in lovely traffic till we got past the airport. Then it was smooth sailing all the way up there. When we got there it was dinner time so we didn't get to go out on a boat and it was extremely windy so we couldn't have enjoyed a boat ride anyway becasue we would have been a very bumpy ride. So we enjoyed some amazing food and fellowship. Gosh I miss JBU. I miss the community there. I am so lonely here in Bolingbrook away from a lot of my friends. I am still trying to comprehend why God led me here. Anyway, after the event ended we met at a Starbucks in downtown Lake Genva and met up with some more JBU people in town visiting Chirs. So we got to catch up with more JBU people. I also met Mr. and Mrs. Strong. Their son went to JBU and they live like ten minutes from me in Bolingbrook. I have started going to their Bible study and man it is something that I have needed and it is also helping me understand what more I need to do for the Bible study I started with Oakbrook.

I also got a new fishie and he was so beautiful. I named him Tamaki because I am sort of on an Ouran High Host Club kick because they are now getting around to dubbing it in english and well I couldn't think of a better name for the fish becasue he was such a drama queen. I tried to put him into a cup to pour him into Daiske's tank (my nauty little clown fish) and he proceeded to jump out of the dang cup!!!!! I was freaking out and scooped him up in my hand and put him in his cup and put my hand on it. I poured him in. He was fine for a while, I guess, Dai didn't know what to do with him. But then he proceeded to pick on Tamaki and well to make a long story short, because of Dai's agressiveness....my poor Tamaki died. He broke his back or neck on a rock and well he was curved not straight like fish usually are. I was so mad at Daiske I was ready flush him with Tamaki. But it was bad research on my part and thinking that Dai's semi-aggressive nature would not manifest itself well...bigger tank with no damsel fish and I will get another firefish. He was a firefish. They are sooo beautiful.

This is a firefish...the picture does not do it justice. It also has neon yellow and purple on its head.

Sherrie also came to hang out on the weekend of the fourth, I went to her place for the fourth and then she came to hang out on Saturday and Sunday, and the poor dear got sick. Her stomach was acting up (something wrong with the Ikea Mac and cheese...) So we just chilled out and watched Vantage point. That was a good movie. We also went and walked around the Promenade. Just like the one in Rogers, Arkansas.

And now I am working at the Mokena store for a few days to help them get ready for their soft open on July 27. It is GORGEOUS!!!! A really beautiful store and there are a lot of associates from Joliet that transferred to the store so it has been great catching up with them. And then I also get to go home this weekend and visit with my parents and sister and some friends coming out from Maryland. I am so excited to see them!

Well I guess that is all for now since this turned out to be really long! Thanks for reading!

Sure has been a while!

Well the trip to JBU was awesome! Sherrie and I had a lot of fun roadtrippin it down to JBU. We didn't get to see nearly all the people we wanted to, but it was great to see and catch up with the people we did see.

Work is going well. Just waiting for placement at this point and trying my hardest to run my end of the Home Department and help do stuff for Rose (my new boss)while she is on vacation.

Guatemala was wonderful as always. It always feels like I am going home. We got to work with the community that lives and works in and around the dump of Guatemala City. The poverty in this area is unbelievable. We held a medical clinic for the people in that area, took the kids to play in the park for an afternoon, helped build a classroom on the third floor of the church, we also got to hang out with the kids that are apart of El Castillo street kid ministry and we also got to go play with the kids at Mama Carmen's (she also shelters street kids, I believe about eighty or ninety kids are apart of her ministry) and I got to meet two beautiful girls that I am sponsoring through Tita Everetsz who runs a school in La Limonada, a ghetto in Guatemala City where gangs and drug lords run the place for the most part. I also spent the good part of the trip sick. I ate something that upset the stomach from Monday to Friday. All I was really good for was translating in the pharmacy. I didn't have the energy to help with the construction which I was really bummed about. But it was a great trip and a lot of people got the medicine and medical help they would have otherwise not had. One lady would have died if we hadn't been there. She came in and looked like death warmed over and Ruthie, one of our nurses, was convinced it was a gall bladder rupture. Well it turned out it was her Apendix was close to bursting and had been wrapped around apart of her intestine causing a blockage. Had we not rushed her to the hospital, Berta would have died. She is now doing very well and praising God we were there to take her to the hospital.

My Aunt Heather is coming in about a week to Chicago. I am not sure how much I will get to see of her because I have to work and then I am going to Lake Geneva for a JBU Alumni event with Jill Easterlund and anyone else we can convince to come with us.

And I MAY have a roommate, but I won't know for a few days yet so I am hopeful but not getting my hopes up.

Other than that trying to survive the lovely economy that we have now. Gas is killing me!!

Well we didn't get a corporate visit, but I had to go help set up another store for one. I went to Niles, IL....that is an hour north of where I am at. ALL routes to and from the place are on highways that are notorious for horendous traffic....and that was a total of five days there too....great to get to know trainees in the North and South districts but damn did the drive suck....then I found out I could have stayed with my Aunt's sister and cut my drive time to almost nothing. They aparently live about ten minutes from the store I was working at...ohhh welll next time I guess....

I just finished my first day in the home department! I am so happy I can 't even discribe it....I'll be nice and leave it at that. It was definitely time for a change. I think I will like it even better once I get to know everyone a bit better and the merch.

The Bible study is going well. We added one more to our ranks so there are five of us. We are now meeting at a Starbucks in Hinsdale and on the way there I get drive by these amazing houses I wish I could afford. Hinsdale is one of the most expensive places to live up here. Very nice huge homes over in that area. But we are making our way through Ephesians and it has been a great study so far.

And JBU here we come!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sherrie and I are roadtrippin it down to JBU and I will be staying with my former roomie and her roomie. I am so excited! It is going to be one loaded weekend that is for sure.

The Passion went amazing! I was actually able to sing both services and I still had a voice. I also got to see the Westminster Christian Academy Band from St. Louie... so I saw some familiar faces in the audience. It was fun! The music really has a wonderful message and leaves me wondering why some people in the choir don't really like to do it...I know it is for musical reasons but still....it is so beautiful I highly recommend listening to it if you get the chance. Sometimes its intimating singing in the choir becasue some of the people around me are trained opera singers and are extremely good at singing. But I enjoy the challenge of trying to sing better. Now I just need to restring my violin and practice for June 29th when I will play my violin for the service.

Anyways time to go to bed...t minus one month till Guatemala!!!!!!!!!!! WOOOO!

Currently Reading Sex, Sushi, and Salvation: Thoughts on Intimacy, Community, and Eternity By Christian George see related

So it has certainly been a while.

I am still here in lovely, COLD Chicago. Wishing that it was spring out so it would stop snowing! I can't remember any time in my life where I have seen so much snow. Not to mention someone jacked my hubcap so I am missing one... I really don't want to have to replace the bolts and stuff due to the lovely, caustic salt they put on the roads up here...so that is another thing I have to do to my car when I get my tax refund back...

Work is going well. I FINALLY had my review which went better than I expected it to. I will eventually transition to the home department but I am not exactly sure when that will happen. Right now I am working till Wednesday at the Matteson store setting up another Sephora. Its always fun to take a break from the store I am at and get to see new and old faces. Our former training supervisor is at this store and I got to catch up with her a bit. And we also have corporate in the district coming to both the Matteson and Joliet stores...^^; so I think everyone is running around with their heads chopped off getting ready for that.

And in other news Sherrie and I are gonna be roadtrippin it down to JBU for the first weekend in April to visit everyone and see Nate Davenport in concert. I haven't decided if I am gonna stay on campus or off. The McCulloughs wanted me to stay with them when I was back in town. So I am stoked about that but sad I will miss a wedding that weekend. Long story short, the family responsible for introducing us to Twin Oaks, the father of that family is marrying the wife of the late founding pastor of Twin Oaks (His wife died of brain cancer a few years ago). They really do make a sweet couple and I am so happy for them. So for a bit I had a war raging in my head about which one I want to do more, the wedding or JBU. JBU won out mainly because I wasn't sure when I would be able to see everyone again after this since more of our friends are graduating and moving on to bigger and better things.

Other than that I think I have finally gotten used to living on my own here in Bolingbrook. Christ Church has helped a lot with choir and the singles group. We are singing the Passion for Palm Sunday and I have really enjoyed the music and the challenge. Hopefully I will have a voice after the concert...^^; I have also started a Bible study group so we shall see how big that gets. Right now it is just three of us. I am praying that we get bigger, but for the time being it works and it is fun getting to know the people that do come.

So Happy Palm Sunday and Easter everyone if I don't post before then...

I also highly recommend this book. It has really given me some food for thought and had me laughing.

Snow where?!

 So it is snowing outside. Like Blizzard snowing. And it is SOOO windy too. Which should go without saying but when the wind is strong enough to blow snow into the apartment through the cracks in the insulation in the windows...hmmmmm....why did I want to live here?

I was talking to my mom on the phone and was trying to figure out if the air was blowing more through the air conditioner which is mounted on the wall or through the windows. I knew the windows sucked in the apartment in the first place...so then I was standing by them and was feeling the snow hit my hand.... I raise the blinds and find snow all over the windowsill in my family room and in the spare room, both of which are taking the brunt of the 30 to 50 mile an hour winds...and I was worried about my car....lol....so this was just an amusing little find I discovered tonight. Not sure what we shall do about this...my uncle is coming over in about an hour. yay for randomness during a really really COLD snow storm. I think the windchills up here are like -20 to -30 very very cold...*shivers*

Other than that life has been interesting as always. Lovely stuff going on between the parentals and my sister...mainly my dad and sister can't get along right now and my poor mother has to deal with both of them acting like asses right now. Makes me very glad I am five hours away but I feel really bad for mom. I am trying my best to be a mediator but not sure if it is actually working. Definitely a situation to keep in God's hands.

Work is going well I guess. I still haven't had my review and they haven't placed me in my "little assignment" before they plop me in a department as a manager. So just trying to get as much experience in before I do get placed or my boss drives me up a wall....

And for your viewing pleasure....the snow in my apartment....