Haven't blogged since I was 24, give me a break! :)

So, not much is new.

I go to work. I come home, do what I have to do- study, ready, see people, do this, that and the other. Go to bed, rinse, repeat.

I've been working about 30 hours a week, which makes for a decent paycheck, but getting up at 4am makes me really tired, and going to bed at 8pm, though I've been making valiant efforts, still makes me feel like I'm not able to accomplish much in the evenings.

Oh well. I'm not meaning to complain-- I'm trying to figure out a way to better make use of my time.

I recently sent out a newsletter, though some of you will be getting that in the mail this week. If you don't normally get a newsletter, be sure to comment on this and let me know. I'll get one to you!

This week, I'll be working on lots of stuff, including putting together folders for a presentation, working on that presentation, a power point for speaking next week, working on that speaking thing, and making phone calls.

I also have the opportunity to do some one the side translating for a public school district this week, so I'll spend an extra couple of hours doing that. I'm excited to get to use some Spanish... I don't want it to get rusty.

What else... what else?

Well, I'll try to post again later this week, try to be more interesting. It's also on my theoretical to-do list a certain video. We'll see how that pans out, but you know- there's a lot on the plate for this week.

Sorry to have been so absent lately. But you haven't forgotten about me... have you??

Working Hard; that's why I'm away... :)

So, it's 8pm and I'm going to bed, because I get up now at 4. Wow! It's painful just to say that!

Anyhow, today I got a compliment from a manager-- who had talked to my manager saying that she wished she could keep me (as permanent) after the holiday season. However, I'm going to Japan!

But I was encouraged, because I pray to be a good worker so I can be a light to others. After all, a bad worker can't be an example, right?

Anyway, I'm going to bed so I can be a good worker! I'm praying for opps to speak to certain coworkers and shed a little of Jesus' love!

Checked off the List

Yes, blogging was on my to-do list for yesterday. And it didn't get done.

So, on a side note, before I even get started- cats don't like me. Well, two at least. A friend's cat who from kittenhood would jump at me with claws beared and teeth showing still hisses at me. I once watched their house while they were on vacation and I braced myself with leather gloves to handle that furry bundle of joy. Leather gloves.

My brother and I swapped houses with my grandma the other night when we were going to do the garage sale at her house. Her cat is a bit skittish, which is not a problem for me- since I'm a bit allergic to them. Everything was fine until I went to go to bed in her room. Her cat hissed at me repeatedly from the doorway and would stare me down. Ever since then, any time I come in the room or pass by the door to the room that the cat is in, it hisses and does that deep errrrr sound. I'm not fond of those kinds of sounds coming from animals.

Don't know what it is about me.

I started work late last week after finishing going to the conference. I do have to say they are good trainers, which I am thankful for. I enjoy being employed, even though my alarm clock sounds at 4:15am. The difficult part is not so much getting up early as it is going to bed early. So, I've been a bit sleep deprived lately. Add that to the fact that I've had plans for every evening and things to get done during the day and that makes me a busy girl!

Life goes on. I promise I'm not complaining, I'm actually happy to be busy and on-the-go. I just need to adjust myself to the sleeping thing.

The Hispanic Outreach on Saturday was cool. It was great to see so many hispanics in one place and representing so many countries, though having American as their commonality now. It felt like home, and I believe they really were ministered to. I didn't do much beside some translation to English for some ministers from the Bahamas.

The tamales were good too.

Well, I have Japanese class in about 2 hours and I need to do a bit of studying and take a shower before heading over there.

Digital Post-its

Blogging is on my to-do list for tomorrow.

It was on it for tonight but I got to chatting and got distracted.

Sorry!

Rendezvous with my Eyelids

Last night and all day today I've attended the Foursquare Gateway District meeting here in St. Louis, and I really have to say that I've completely enjoyed it. The speakers have been great; the pastors from all over five different states are a joy to meet and get to know their stories; and the worship is just awesome.

Last night Wayne Cordiero (I think I may have spelled that wrong) spoke and it was an incredible message on speaking the language of the people; tonight Ricky Temple taught with much wisdom and a very practical message noting some of the things that he's learned through his many years of ministry. During these things and just in talking to the different people that I'm meeting around-- I like to glean from them their experiences. Why? Because they have many years serving, much wisdom that I could learn from. I always feel that way going to missionary conferences as well.

I have much I could say about all that I've learned and the people that I've met-- some dynamic, very sanguine people; some reserved people full of experience and richness-- all anointed with a passion for what they're doing and reaching the cities where they're serving-- we're all walking down the same path... just separated a bit by location.

One of the things that is interesting about here at the conference is that most people assume that I'm one of the teenagers who is here tagging along with a pastor parent. I'm trying to dress older (you're probably laughing, but it's true), but I've been asked everything from, "So, is she [me] your daughter?" (a couple asking another couple I was sitting with); "So, how old are you?"; "Are your parents pastors?"... The list goes on. I just smile and try to explain in a sentence or two the journey that's brought me here recently. So apparently, the dressing older thing isn't working.

It's good though-- Thankfully, God has blessed me with the ability to be sanguine when I need to be... a facet of my character that hasn't been pulled out in a while. I'm not normally a sanguine person-- I'm more melancholy/phlegmatic-- if you've done the studies, you know what I mean by those terms... I'm more the question/thinker/planner... But as I once heard it said-- a melancholy can wear all the hats. And that I can certainly do when placed in those situations.

I don't know how I got into that spiel. Sorry about that. But anyway, I'm going to get to bed... Each day this week, I progressively get up earlier and earlier and the day seems to get longer and longer (which would make sense)... Today in fact, I had an hour and a half free until dinner at the conference and so I curled up in the back seat of my car and took a nap out in the parking lot. I was tired and could feel my body beginning to drag (despite much coffee) and that nap was just what I needed.

However, I don't want to do that tomorrow. So, goodnight.

Pumpkins Everywhere!

October has come!! I love the fall! Beautiful colors, everywhere! Multi-color hues; leaves scattered across green lawns... I think it's more beautiful than spring, even though I love that first appearance of green when spring comes after a long winter.

Yesterday my brother and I got up at the crack of dawn and set up a garage sale and worked it all day. It was long and cold as would be expected for October, but we managed to get rid of a lot of stuff! At the end of the day we made around $100, which comes to a grand total of $600 in garage sales and will probably buy my one-way ticket to Japan. There's one start-up expense covered!

So yesterday as I was getting ready to go collect the signs for the sale (it was close to the end of the sale and I left my grandma in charge for a few minutes), I noticed a few sales by where I had hung the signs. And lo and behold-- our signs were missing and their signs were up in it's place. Hmmm... Turns out, all of our signs were down. Every single one, and they weren't blown off by the wind either. So, we were a bit sabotaged, but not defeated! To make a hundred dollars (well, 99) when you don't even have any signs up is pretty good.

And I don't ever want to see another item for a garage sale ever again. At least not for the present.

Among other news, I went out with Frankie last week which was a lot of fun and got to know her a little better and we discussed how I could be of service to her with her small group. We went to Starbucks and had pumpkin frappuchinos, which are really good and smell just like a pumpkin pie. Of course, it doesn't taste exact (though it's still very good), but it smells exact.

I also went in for the said-interview and got the job! I'm pretty excited to be employed again (though I am still employed through WIM), but it's nice to have another source of income to help with current finances that way I can save all support coming in for Japan.

So I start this week, on Thursday (though I did some training on Friday), since I have a conference Monday through Wednesday. Actually, this entire week is just jam-packed, but I'm excited to get at the week.

For the rest of the evening though, I hope just to relax and catch my breath in between two giant weeks.

An Eclectic Blurb

So last week was pretty cool. What a long week though. For real. I had meetings and Japanese and went here and there... And even when I was home I was working on lots of stuff.

I was kinda glad for a second there that tomorrow is Monday because in Mexico that would have been my day off... but alas, tomorrow is pretty full on my post-it to-do list. In fact, the whole week is.

One of the things I'm looking forward to (well, there are a few things) is: [blowing of trumpets] an interview! Woo-hoo! I'm really hoping I'll get the job... the hours are perfect and I heard from Pastor Debbie about the job. It's seasonal/temporary anyhow, so I'm not too concerned about the fact that I'll be moving in January.

Another highlight of the week is going out for coffee with Ms. Frankie... I'm looking forward to getting to know her a little more and helping her out with her small group for young girls. This morning, one of the girls was reading a Scripture on the lost sheep and how Jesus left the 99 to go find the 1. As I was picturing it in my mind, I imagined the sheep in some hard to find place, down, in some gutter type thing with its foot caught and all I could think of when I read it was-- no matter where you are, Jesus can and will find you. That was something that really stuck with me today and I thought, hmm-- Jesus will make it to any place to find and pull out His sheep... I can just imagine Him throwing it around His shoulders and walking back with a smile of relief and happiness that He found His sheep. Good to be that sheep.

Friday evening, since the Ice Cream Social is postponed (in case you didn't know-- it just turned out to be an inconvenient weekend for so many), I'm going to relax a little and hang out with Tammy and watch some Jane Eyre (because I love that whole period of movies and the stories)... I love, and I do mean love, all things Jane Austen (though Eyre is Brontë). I think Friday will probably end up being my day off this week.

One of my friends got home last week from overseas. He'll be in the States for about 6 months, doing the same kinda thing like me-- but he's been gone now for over a year. It'll be kinda interesting to hear how it goes for him-- everything from being back home in a strange world to raising funds. The whole being back home thing can be a weird experience that can be hard to articulate; but I hope it will go well for him so that he can accomplish everything he needs to.

Also on last week's agenda was a different friend's wedding- Grace. It was a beautiful, but untraditional wedding (Congrats!). I was going that day for a haircut anyhow and asked my stylist to put a little curl in the hair afterward to give it some pizzazz. She showed me how to do it, and this evening, I was trying it out (it's with a flat iron) and I burned my hand! I figured out how to do it, but wow-- that was painful!

Well, if you would, keep praying about the whole fundraising issue. Opportunities are coming up, and I'm eager to see them work out to get over to Japan!