Bullet Points Update

I know I haven't updated in a while, and I do apologize for that. I am busier now than I ever remember being, so blogging has taken a back seat. Its actually kinda sad for me because I have a lot of thoughts spinning around in my head that I would love to blog about. So, hopefully in the coming days I will carve out some more time. I have realized that this semester will challenge my time management skills immensely. I am up for the challenge though! I am really committed to doing this with God, making my schedule based on HIS plans for me and not letting the important things take a back seat (which is what usually happens). We're almost in February and so far so good!

Unfortunately, this is a very busy time for both AIM and Cornerstone. Generally the two alternate busy times, which is why I rarely get overwhelmed with both jobs, but that's not the case right now. I work non-stop from 9-3 for AIM, and then immediately get started on Cornerstone stuff, usually finishing that up around 9 or 10 at night. The 10 hour days are definitely overwhelming, but God is being SO good to me. I am taking time to cook and eat healthy, making sure I actually get sleep at night, taking time to talk with Him daily and I am exercising regularly...all of which are keeping me in a really good state of mind despite my busyness. And, I'm holding on to my Saturdays (my ONLY day off) like my life depends on it (which it kinda does). I am struggling with a little bit of guilt as I turn down things so I can keep my time off, but I know that this is what God wants me to do.

Okay, so that's my general update. Here's some more fun facts for you:

* I spent last weekend in Birmingham, Alabama with my friends Jess and James Hawbaker. We haven't seen each other in over 3 years, but you would never know it from last weekend. We had SO MUCH FUN! We went hiking, played Wii (I LOVE the surgery game!), laughed A LOT, ate yummy (healthy) food, and best of all; we encouraged each other in the Lord. They are such a HUGE encouragement to me! They are actually moving to Denver this summer so Jess can attend seminary and I am planning on spending one of my vacation weeks with them sometime after they get settled. That's how great they are!

* I am traveling a lot more right now, partly because of AIM and partly because of some great support raising opportunities. In the coming weeks I will:

* Spend Valentine's weekend in South Boston, VA where I will speak at a church and a
women's group. I will also get to hang out with my brother the whole weekend!

* I am leading an AIM Spring Break trip in Philly in March. They will work with Cornerstone for the week, so it should be fun. The team is actually a college football team, so it should be interesting!

* AIM is sending me to Chicago in April to teach a one day seminar for youth pastors.
The seminar is all day Friday. After it's over I am going to drive to Urbana, IL (about 2 hours away) and spend the rest of the weekend hanging out with Brooke!

* Starting next Tuesday, Bonita and I will begin training for the Broad Street Run. I have to admit that I am EXTREMELY nervous about this and totally unsure if I can actually do it. But, I am committed to trying!

* Several weeks ago, just after Christmas, Beth (Jen's dog) bit the mailman. Its a crazy story, but Beth saw the mailman as a threat and was not restrained by anyone at the door (neither me nor Jen were home at the time, a friend was staying at the house with us). The bite was not severe and barely broke the skin. Unfortunately, the mailman is now suing for the "muscle spasms" he now suffers, and even though the dog belongs to Jen, the lawsuit falls on me because I own the house. My home owner's insurance should take care of it, but I'm researching all of it and asking a lot of people a lot of questions before I just hand things over. Please keep that situation in your prayers!

* A really good friend of mine just found out his mom might have ovarian cancer. Its just the 2 of them in their family, so he has a lot of decisions to make (he lives about 4 hours away from her), and neither have a lot of support from other people. I am hoping to get the chance to spend some time with him and possibly help him and his mom out sometime soon. They find out for sure on Friday, so right now I'm just praying that all the test results come back normal! He isn't a believer, but we've been able to have some good conversations about things since I'm dealing with my dad's cancer while he is trying to handle his mom's. I feel like I'm being surrounded by cancer right now, and that is not fun!!

Okay, that's all I can think of right now. Its WAY past my bed time, so nighty night!

Staff Retreating

Sunday-Tuesday of this week was our annual Cornerstone Winter Staff Retreat and it was so much fun!! We had a really awesome time hanging out as one big family, laughing at each other and laughing even harder with the kids. Man am I thankful all the staff have such adorable kids!!

We did have a few meetings, but most of that time was spent being open and honest with one another about what's been going on in each of our lives. A lot of our staff have some really heavy burdens weighing on them and it was really nice to be able to help carry those burdens for one another. The unity we are experiencing right now is nothing short of a miracle and incredible blessing!!

As much fun as the retreat was, it was still a little hard for me. Our August retreat comes at the end of the summer when I am ready for a break. This one, however, comes a week before we start everything up again, so I was constantly thinking about all the things I need to finish before next week. I know I should have enjoyed the hours of free time, but I found myself frustrated that I lost 2 days of work. I also got out of my normal exercise routine (although I did manage to find ways to exercise), so that made me kinda frustrated too.

So, today has been a great day so far! I was able to get up and go to spinning (which is still my absolute favorite way to start the day!! I missed it on Monday!) and have been working basically nonstop since then...and I have gotten a lot accomplished!! Yay!!

I think part pf my stress at the retreat came from the fact that I am going out of town again tomorrow night. I will be flying to Alabama to spend the weekend with 2 of my friends that I haven't seen in at least 3 years. They were with me my first year in Philly and I was a bridesmaid in their wedding 5 years ago, so I can't wait to see them!! But, that means I only really have 2 work days this week, and WAY too much to do. Kids Club starts next Tuesday!!

I guess I should get back to work then, huh? Off I go! I do love to be productive!

One Step at a Time

I have been taking a spinning (stationary bike) class 3 days a week and I LOVE it. It kicks my butt every time and I always leave the class dripping in sweat, but its a lot of fun.

I have the same instructor for my Monday and Wednesday class and she is by far my favorite. She is motivating and encouraging and just makes the class fun. At the end of every class we finish with some intense sprints. After 40 minutes of up and down hills, and several sprints at different resistance levels...the end of the class turns out to be a really hard push.

On Wednesday while we were pushing through the last of the sprints, the instructor told us to put our heads down and focus on out feet. "Its not about the finish line, its about putting one foot down, and then the next".

So, that's what I did. I stopped looking at the clock, counting down the minutes until the sprints were over. I stopped looking at myself in the mirror and being shocked by how much sweat was pouring off of me. I just looked down, and peddled.

And you know what? I pushed through farther and faster than I ever had before. It was AWESOME!! I left the class exhausted, and invigorated.

So often in my life I just want to see the finish line. I think I can push through the hard times as long as I have some idea of when it will end. I think that seeing the light at the end of the tunnel will motivate me to keep walking toward the light.

But, what I discovered on Wednesday is that I can go even faster and farther if I just go one step at a time. Instead of looking at the light far in the distance, I want to focus on the light right at my feet (Psalm 119:105)...and go wherever it takes me, no matter how long that takes. (Isaiah 42:16)

Beautiful One

Yesterday at church we were singing the song "Beautiful One" by Chris Tomlin.

You opened my eyes to Your wonders anew
You captured my heart with this love
‘Cause nothing on earth is as beautiful as You

Beautiful One I love
Beautiful One I adore
Beautiful One my soul must sing

During that song I realize that my God was singing those words over me.

All is well

Bonita and Linda both came to church and are spending the night with me. I took a shower this morning and my bathroom did NOT leak. The Eagles are only one game away from the Super Bowl.

Everything is as it should be. :)

Not Much Going On

I haven't really updated this week because there really hasn't been a lot going on. And I have to admit, its one of the best week's I've had in a really long time. :)

Most days consist of AIM from 9-3 and then spending my evenings doing whatever I feel like I need to; from cleaning to reading, to exercising. I am really enjoying some freedom in my schedule!! Unfortunately, its not all great news...

The biggest news of the week has been the work on my bathroom. The original plan was to simply clean out the old caulk and re-caulk everything and hope that holds for a while. However, while Frank was working on the bathroom, several tiles started to fall off the wall. It was then that he discovered where the majority of the water was leaking. So, what was supposed to be a one day job, ended up taking all week (as usual!). Thankfully, I have wonderful friends!! And, hopefully this new fix will last even longer than the original plan. Thanks Jesus!

On Tuesday Frank fixed the leak from the washing machine and started on the tile. First, he removed the tile and got all the water out, then let it dry.

On Wednesday, he got some tile from Pastor Joe and put it in.

(I love how it not only doesn't match the other tile, but they are also 2 different shades of blue! I honestly couldn't care less how it looks, as long as it works!)

Yesterday Frank came and grouted the tile.


And finally today he caulked the tile, and everything else that needed it. It looks really nice! I am really praying that this lasts for a while!!

Of course, during this whole time we haven't been able to use the shower, and we have to wait 36 hours for the caulk to dry so we can't shower in the house until Sunday morning. Its been good motivation to go to the gym though (I have been showering there...I haven't been getting sweaty and not showering, I promise!)

The leak has been annoying and I really want it gone, but that isn't the main reason that I am praying this fix will last for a while. I got my gas bill in the mail today, and let's just say it was outrageous. The problem, however, is not the price of gas. The problem is, I have HORRIBLE windows. You can actually see the curtains moving with the wind, and in my bed you can feel a breeze. I have tried putting plastic over them, but it doesn't really help. I NEED new windows.
So, I will be pricing them this weekend and working to save money for that (I only have 4, maybe 5 that need to be replaced). I certainly don't have the money for new windows AND a new bathroom and judging by my gas bill, the windows need to be a priority. I will shower at the gym for months if necessary! :)

(This is Giz hanging out right by the heating vent. You know its cold when your cat, who is covered in fat and fur, has to warm himself at the heating vent! And yes, he really is that big!)

According to the people that I talked to, while I keep the thermostat at 60 (yes, I know that is cold...I can't afford more), my heater is having to work as hard as if I kept at at 75 or 80 because of all the heat escaping through the windows.

I did say I loved my house, right? ;)

A few other random things happened this week, but nothing huge to report. We had a dog trainer come on Tuesday to help with Beth (let's just say she's a bit rough around the edges, which is not unusual at all for stray dogs. It looks like she has been abused in her past), so we have been spending some time this week training her. Its kind of a slow process, but she is a really smart dog. I also took Bonita and Linda, along with their mom, to the jail to visit their dad (whom their mom is NOT still with) this week. We had some interesting conversations before and after. I am SO not ready for them to not be little girls anymore!!

That's about it! So exciting, huh? This weekend and next week I plan to really get working on my Kids Club, Prayer Pals and Children's Church planning and actually preparing for the spring semester. I have a lot of ideas, hopefully I will at least half of them accomplished! My plan for tomorrow, however, is simply to sleep in and then FINALLY clean the basement. I have a whole day with no plans, so it really should get done. Let's hope should becomes does. :)

Its Quiet Now

Things have been a whirlwind of activity since I came back from North Carolina. Over the weekend I had 4 guests at my house (that only has 2 bedrooms, both occupied, haha), and it turned out to be a really great weekend!!

Kirsten, Lindsay, Jenna and E all stayed with me and Jen and every day some combination of that group ended up doing something fun together. Friday night, Jenna and Lindsay joined me and Shera at the movie theater to see the movie "Marley and Me". It was a really sweet movie, and yes, I did cry. (I also had some annoying people sitting behind me, which further solidified my support of this incident in my mind).

On Saturday we all slept in pretty late (most of us until at least noon) and spent pretty several hours just hanging out and enjoying each other, laughing a lot. Finally around 2 we decided to try and move the treadmill to the basement. At the same time we decided to take showers so we could eventually go out and maybe get some lunch. This whole process (4 girls showering, taking the treadmill apart, moving it to the basement and then putting it back together again) took about 4 hours. Kirsten and I were pretty proud of ourselves after we carried the treadmill to the basement though!

We only got as far as the kitchen (and that took 4 of us) before we realized it would definitely need to be taken apart.
Kirsten and I were so impressed with ourselves! The steps are way too narrow for more than 2 people to carry anything, and that treadmill was heavy!

Here is the finished product! We even remembered where all the screws went! (and you can see all the work I need to do on the basement! Whew!)

Since the treadmill process took so long we ended up going out to dinner instead of lunch. We still had fun, and the treadmill is now out of the dining room!! The fun wasn't over yet though; that night J came over with E and we all played Cranium and really had fun! (We played on my new dining room table!!!)

Sunday was a pretty normal day, with Sunday School and church. They were having a special lunch after church, but Jenna and I had Olive Garden gift cards that we wanted to spend, so she and I; along with Shera, Melissa, and Bonita went there for lunch. After lunch we headed to a Bone Marrow Donor Drive in Delaware to get ourselves listed on the National Bone Marrow Donor Registry. It was VERY easy to do this! All we had to do was fill out some forms, swab our cheeks with q-tips and we were finished! We may never be needed as donors, but its really nice to know that if we are a match for someone, they will be able to find us.

After the Marrow Drive we all headed home, and I was exhausted. I had been surrounded by people all day, every day for 4 straight days and while I had a blast and loved every minute of it, I was ready for some rest and alone time. In fact, I actually went to bed around 9:30! I was exhausted! It was a really great feeling though. Not only did I get to have a lot of fun with people I really love, but I got a lot accomplished on my house as well. My living room and dining room are clean, and cleaned out of junk. The dining room table is put together and the treadmill is in the basement. It feels so nice!!

Unfortunately, Monday brought a return to a normal work day, and with it a lot of busyness. I actually got up early and was able to accomplish a lot, but I feel like I pretty much worked non stop all day, which was pretty tiring. Its never bad to feel tired after you have actually accomplished things though. :)

I also finally had a plumber come out yesterday! Unfortunately, he had some good news, and then some pretty bad news.

The good news is that the leak with the washing machine is a simple fix and my friend Frank Varaso is coming over this morning to take care of that! The bad news is that the shower leak isn't a plumbing problem at all. The leak is happening because water is getting into the walls because the walls and the tiles are so old. That's pretty much what we thought it was, so I guess it was nice to have it confirmed, but it also means that the only way the leak will ever stop for good is to completely redo the bathroom...ripping out tile and walls and replacing everything.

Needless to say, I don't have the money for that right now, so we will have to work on temporary fixes until I can save up some big bucks. Frank is also going to re-caulk everything in and around my tub while he is here today, which should be a good temporary fix for a little while. I am SO thankful for the friends I have here!!!!

I'm trying not to be too bummed about all of this, I know my house will be a work in progress for a really long time. Still, I haven't had a ceiling in my kitchen for a year and a half now, and I can't put a ceiling in there until I can redo the entire bathroom...so its going to be a while. Someday though...someday...

Kirsten left to go back to college on Sunday, Lindsay also went home on Sunday, E left yesterday and Jenna left today; so the house is back to me, Jen, Gizmo and Beth. It feels kinda strange actually to have it so quiet. Of course, Frank is on his way over to work in the bathroom and we have a dog trainer coming this afternoon to help us with Beth, so it won't stay quiet for long. Beth attacks anyone that comes to the door, as well as anyone touching each other. She bit the mailman (didn't break skin, though), and Frank (again, not hard) and tried to bite J. She only does it if she feels like someone needs protection, which makes us think she came from a home with a lot of violence or abuse. The dog trainer is going to help us break her of this habit. (Though it has somewhat worked to our advantage since now everyone on our block is terrified of coming near our house because "the wolf might come after them").

I still also have a lot to accomplish on the house before clubs start up again. The basement needs to be cleaned out, and the dining room primed and painted, and then the paint on the banister needs to be stripped and then the banister stained. I have about 2 weeks left, and with more than half my to-do list checked off I'm still feeling good about everything!

OH! And I forgot the most exciting part!! Look what I got yesterday:

That's right! No more chewing up computer cords and phone chargers for Gizmo!! I only bought one because I wanted to make sure they were worth it, but I will be buying more soon. They work like a charm!! Gizmo just sniffed my computer chord and then wanted nothing to do with it. I also have one over my phone charger. I need to get a few more to cover another computer chord as well as Jen's chords...and probably have a spare one or two in case we have guests that want to protect their electronics (they are easily taken on and off, which is really nice!). My cat is ridiculous...but will NOT win this fight! :)

So far 2009 is....

AWESOME!!!

Seriously, I am loving 2009. I'm sure the Virginia Tech Orange Bowl win has something to do with my feelings, haha, but its not the only reason.

Of course, top on my list of favorite things about 2009 is the Virginia Tech Orange Bowl win last night! It was our first BCS bowl win!! Despite the fact that the commentators were madly in love with Cincinnati (it was their first bowl appearance ever, so that is somewhat understandable), I really enjoyed watching the game. It was nice to see us win!!

I also had a lot of company last night! Kirsten, one of the teens from Cornerstone (who is now in college in NC), is in Philly for her break and is staying with us. She usually stays with the Hinsons, but they have 11 people at their house right now for the holidays, so Kirsten is hanging out with us! We have been having a lot of fun, and she took care of Beth and Gizmo while Jen and I were out of town. Thanks Kirsten!!

Yesterday, around 10 a.m. I got a text from my friend Jenna saying that she was hoping to get a last minute flight to Philly for a few days and was wondering if she could stay with me. Of course I said yes and we started getting more blankets together to wash. She texted me about an hour later saying that she would be in at 10 that night!! (Incidentally, her plane arrived at half time...perfect!!). So, we got ready for two guests!

Then, about an hour after that I got a text from my friend E (known to close friends as "J's Girlfriend") that she was coming into town last night as well (she stays with me whenever she is in town). So, we added another to the party!!

Jen and I kinda freaked out for a minute because the basement is a mess and we weren't sure about having people sleep down there. Cleaning it is on the to-do list for this weekend, but obviously that wasn't soon enough. Thankfully, the girls' had recently cleaned their room, so it didn't take long to make that room available (and smelling nice). Really all we had to do was wash a lot of blankets and sheets.

And of course, the payoff was totally worth it. We had so much fun last night!! After celebrating the Hokie win (well, I was really the only one celebrating, haha), we all had a really awesome conversation about the Lord that we are hoping to continue. Jenna is just coming from a conference that talked a lot about the end times, so we are having a lot of fun just talking about Jesus. It is SUCH a blessing to be surrounded by these ladies!! Oh, and J was around for a while last night too and, as usual, added a lot of awesomeness to the conversation. Its a blessing to have him around too. (He will now be known to his close friend as, "E's Boyfriend"). :)

And, to top all of this off...my wonderful friends put my dining room table and chairs together!!! I came home on New Year's Eve to the table, and a few chairs, being put together! Thank you Jen, Kirsten, and Melissa! Then, last night J and Jenna decided to put the rest together, so now my dining room table is finished!!! (Well, we found 3 screws lying around after it was all finished, so they still need to be added to whichever chairs they belong to, haha, but everything is up and stable!). It looks wonderful!!! Here is an overhead shot:



The chairs are barstool height, which is what I was really wanting. They even have leather (and very comfortable) cushions! I love Craigslist!! I bought this for wholesale price, which meant I bought this at 70% off!

This is the coolest part. The leaf pulls out from underneath the table! You just pull the table apart with the gears and then pull the leaf out of the middle. Its so easy to do!!

The leaf pulled out! Now it seats 6 comfortably!

This is "base" of the table. It has drawers and shelves! It also has an optional wine rack...I don't think I'll need that though. :)

Kirsten modeled the finished product for me (without the leaf). :)

I LOVE it!! We will be painting the walls soon (feel free to suggest colors, I have no idea yet...), and I am looking for a nice (and cheap!) rug. Then the dining room will be complete!!

Its becoming more and more like a big girl house every day. :)

Oh, and tonight the fun will continue as Lindsay joins us! I'm not sure if E is staying or not, but it will at least be me, Jenna, Jen, Kirsten and Lindsay. Maybe I can talk them into helping me take the treadmill apart, move it to the basement and then put it back together. ;) My to-do list is actually being checked off!! I'm really liking 2009 so far!