AH! It's December!

So, today on the phone my mom told me that I need to update my blog. So this is for her! :)

I can't believe it is already December. Time flies. I don't feel like it's December though because the grass is still green, and yesterday it was in the 50's. Being from northern MN, this is still spring weather, not winter. One thing that cracks me up is seeing people's yard decorations... like those huge blow up snowmen...ON GREEN GRASS. Looks kinda funny. I also think it's funny to hear southerners complain about the "cold." One girl I know from SC has been wearing a winter coat, scarf, and boots for months now, because it's so cold out! haha. I have yet to wear my winter coat. A light fleece is suffice, and even warm at times. I've worn my gloves once, and that was just because I think they are cute and felt like wearing them.

This semester has been crazy! The workload has not been too bad...only bad at times. This semester has been one of growth though. It has been hard, because it has really brought me out of preconceptions I've had. It's increased the depth of my knowledge about and passion for God, but has taken some work to get there and I'm still working through a lot of things. It's not really anything I can describe with words in a blog. But, I have made some amazing new friends this semester and grown closer to friends I had already and am so thankful for them!

Through a long chain of events happening, this year I run two different girl scout groups in youth centers in downtown Lynchburg. I was never in girl scouts and really know little about it. It's not your normal girl scouts, it's more just me going into these places and having crafts and activities for the girls to do. I really enjoy it because I love these kids and have a real heart for them. This past week, while at one site, I brought in mini gingerbread houses for them to make... they came in a kit. You would think that 3 inch tall gingerbread houses would be easy as pie to make....but this is not the case! There were 5 styles of houses, and 2 of the styles were impossible to make with the materials they gave, so after working for a long time with the girls trying to make the houses look like the do on the box, I resorted to telling them that it is their house and they can make it however they like! haha. Here are some of the results:

Some girls were way more interested in eating the houses than actually making them, so I told them they could eat them after they made them, but I think most of them ate them while making them. They are so fun to work with!

Well, today is Friday, which is my day off, so I'm going to go try to be productive! Hope everyone has a great weekend.

Monday

Tomorrow, which is Monday, is a big day. First, Rob has an interview for a new job which would be quite a significant promotion for him. We are really praying for him to get this new job. He would no longer be working in student accounts which is something that he doesn't enjoy all too much. It comes with great amounts of stress, which would be reduced if he got this new job. As a wife, I am praying so hard that God would give this job to him, because I hate that nearly every day he comes home from work frustrated.

Tomorrow my brother Matt leaves for Taiwan where he will be for about three weeks. I am excited for him. I think that he and his ministry team will have a wonderful experience there. I'm just praying for their safety as Taiwan has been receiving a lot of large typhoons lately. They will be living in downtown Taipei and performing there. I can't wait to see his pictures and hear about his trip! I am so proud of my brother. I'm so happy that he loves what he is doing and that he is serving God with his talents.

It's been a while since I've posted. My life has increased immensely in intensity in the past month. My summer was very relaxed and low-key, but since starting the Fall semester, my life is nowhere close to the same. It has been sooo busy! But I must admit that I am enjoying it quite a bit! I've become much more disciplined and productive. I started a new job in the Sport Management office at school. I work about 20 hours a week, which has gone well so far. I'm also taking more grad classes residentially. I have already been so blessed through my classes and it's only week 5. God has really been teaching me about three things lately: Himself, myself, and our relationship together. He's been showing me how to think of Himself outside of the small box that Christians and churches often put Him in. He's revealed to me a lot of things that I've been taught that limits Himself, and it has made me realize how much I really need to examine why I hold to the beliefs and views of God that I do. This is definitely going to be a semester of growth.

Today is Wednesday, and Rob has been out of town since Sunday morning. I've never been home alone overnight, so I was not excited to be home alone for three nights. But, it's hasn't been bad at all, thanks to friends who hung out with me on Sunday and Tuesday, and being so busy that I haven't even had time to breathe. But I have realized that I could never be single and live alone for more than 3 days. haha. I love being with people, and living home alone with noone to talk to or do things with every day would drive me crazy!

Anothing thing we've taken on in September is this cake decorating class every week. It's been a lot of fun. Tomorrow is our last class. I would post pictures, but I'm actually making cakes right now for our class tomorrow, so I'm going to go finish that. Just wanted to give a quick update since I haven't posted in a while. :)

Bekah

Back to School

Summer is officially over, and for once in my life, I am happy. This summer was good, but I was definitely ready to be back to school and get back into a routine. Not only did I start school, but I also started a new part time job as an Office Assistant for the Sport Management office of LU. And yes, it is Sport Management, not Sports Management. I was made aware of that the second day I worked! I really have enjoyed it so far and think it is a good job for me! My classes are good so far. I have already learned a lot, in just the first week, and am excited to challenge my mind further. I have already read 8 chapters in my textbook for my Integration of Theology and Psychology class, and it has brought up so many new concepts that I had never considered before now. It is completely blowing my mind right now! I love learning new positions, and then exploring what position is correct to adhere to for myself as a Christian. I know that it is going to be a busy, yet exciting and profitable semester!

This afternoon Rob and I are leaving Lynchburg, and heading to Baltimore for the weekend! We were planning on going out of town last weekend, before school started, but then our church held this big event that we wanted to help out with, and some friends asked us if we wanted to go to a Lynchburg Hillcats baseball game, so we decided to do those fun things and save our trip for this weekend. It will be so nice to get away and be together. We both worked hard to finish our homework before we leave, so we will not have to worry about doing homework, and just have fun and relax together!

So... that is a small update on what is going on in our lives. Now I'm going to go pack for our trip. This will be Ruby's first real trip! The only other trip she's been on was back to the dealership in Fairfax... but that was a chore, not a trip! We are so happy with this Versa! It's amazing!

Hooray, I am so glad that this week is finally here. How come? It is the last week of my Counseling Statistics class! I feel like I've been in this 8-week class for 4 months. This class is not the hardest class in the program that I'm in, but it is the least relational class. I would much rather do harder work on a relational topic than easier work involving only math and stats. Thankfully, only a quiz and paper revision left to complete, then I am done!

Only two weekends left before school starts, and before I start my new job. This upcoming weekend Rob and I are going to Charlottesville, VA with another couple to have lunch at Chipotle. Chipotle has been a top favorite of ours since we accidentally stumbled across it in Washington DC's Chinatown shortly after we started dating (ironic that there is a southwestern cuisine place in chinatown). Fredricksburg, which is where Rob's parents live, has one, so we'd go there a lot when I'd come visit Rob there when he lived there for a year before we got married. We were able to go to one two weekends ago in Fairfax and decided we needed to make another trip to a Chipotle before school started. Our friends Michelle and Justin are equally in love with Chipotle, so we'll make a trip of it. In the later afternoon of Saturday, after lunch, we are going to Moneta to serve with the youth group we work with at our church, at a Youth Bash outreach event. So... busy Saturday. On Sunday night, Rob is speaking at youth group on Bible study as we continue studying spiritual disciplines.

That all will be fun, but the real fun comes the next weekend as we are planning a weekend trip to the beach. As of now, we haven't decided on where we are going, but this will be our first trip where we won't be seeing family or friends...it'll just be us. I'm so excited. We are thinking of either going to the Outer Banks or else VA Beach. To be honest, I don't really care, I just want to get out of Lynchburg for a relaxing mini-vacay before school and work are back into full swing. We had been planning on taking a trip in August all summer, but after having to spend two weekends in Fairfax with buying our car, and other events coming up, our trip got pushed back to late August, which will be a perfect break before school!

Well... I'm going to go knock out some work and hopefully finish this class up early so as to give me an over a week long break from classes. Then I'm going to go pick Rob up from work and have lunch with him. I love him! :)

So Long Summer...See Ya Next Year

So... although school does not start for another two weeks, summer is nearly over. Starting this upcoming Sunday Lynchburg will be blanketed with college students once again as LU leadership returns, then soon all LU students will be back. I must admit, I like Lynchburg so much more during the summer than I do when school is in session. During the summer, it feels like a normal town, not like one giant college campus. It is actually possible to find parking spaces, Walmart lines are not nearly as long, coffee shops are quieter and not packed with people, and things are just quieter and nicer altogether.

There are things I am looking forward to this fall, however. Like...
-Football games, gotta love those! I get into them. :)
-I'm excited to start up my new classes. I absolutely LOVE residential counseling classes and am taking two this semester! Very excited to learn all that I can!
-I'm looking forward to the leaves changing colors before winter. I've never been a fan of fall until moving to VA. Now, it's one of my favorite seasons (along with summer and spring, all tied for my favorite). I love driving down Lynchburg Expressway looking at the amazing leaves. My friend Michelle showed me this sweet walking trail downtown that is in a canopy of trees, and I'm definitely planning on taking some fall pictures down there while the leaves are vibrant.
-Rob and I are starting our own Bible study together on the book of Psalm this fall. We've always done our quiet times separately as we both learn different ways, but we decided to go through the Psalms together this fall at the same time that Rob is taking a class on the book of Psalm. I think it will be a great time of growth and praise!
-I am looking forward to going to some of LU's Theater productions. Rob and I love going to plays and Liberty's theater department puts on some quality shows. In fact, one of our early dates before we started dating was seeing "Guys and Dolls." We saw one show this summer, and it was awesome, so I'm ready for more!
-Date nights! For some reason, fall always seems slower and less crazy than winter, spring, and summer, and I have some new ideas for some great fall date nights with Rob!
-Cake decorating class! The class that Rob got for me for my birthday was pushed back to September, which actually works out better than when they were originally scheduled. I'm so excited to take these classes and continue to develop my new hobby of cake decorating.
-My parents are coming to visit in October, and I am looking forward to that a lot! It's always great to have them here to visit!

Hmm... after looking at all these things I am excited about in the fall, I'm not so sad about summer ending so soon after all. Just goes to show that there is always something to be happy about and look forward to. I'm going to Barnes in a little bit to get my books for the fall semester....I know, I'm a nerd, but I always get excited about getting my books, especially counseling books! Just need to finish some homework, take a shower, and be on my way! :)

Always Dreaming...

I am a dreamer! I always have been. Fortunately, I'm also a very practical person. I say "fortunately" because I do not have the money to carry out most of my dreams and my practicality often keeps me from irrational actions! :) Part of being a dreamer is simply the fun of dreaming with every so often having dreams come true! I thought I'd share a few of my dreams today.

My dream vacation: Australia! I've wanted to go there since 2nd grade, then I married Rob who has had the same passion to go there since he was little. We've even talked about moving there one day to start a family. We will see where the Lord leads...

My dream job: a.) gourmet chef b.) psycological profiler

My dream house: Modern-style, sided, 5br, 3 bath, HUGE kitchen, rec. room basement, modern stone fireplace, wrap-around deck, fountain-wall, and open for me to paint and decorate as much as I please!

My dream husband: Oh wait... that dream came true when I married Rob! :)

General dreams:

-I've always wanted to be part of a God-revolution or movement.

-I've always dreamt about adopting one or two children out of orphanages. In fact, when I was in middle school, I signed my parents up to adopt a child....unfortunately my parents found out about it when they started receiving forms to fill out in the mail, and that was not their dream as it was mine.

-Since being married, I've dreamt about dishes, clothes, and rooms cleaning themselves with no help from me! Wouldn't that be amazing! Think of how much extra time it would create!

Well, I have many more dreams, but right now I'm dreaming about being with my amazing husband tonight, and need to run some errands before picking him up from work! Dreaming about crazy things is fun...but I feel that God has really blessed me with so much in my life! I never want to dream so much that I become unhappy with what I have. God has given me an amazing family, fantastic husband, great friends, has met all of our neccessity needs (food, clothes, shelter) and has given both Rob and I great opportunities to get higher education from a great University! Most importantly, I have a relationship with my Heavenly Father which allows me to never have to worry about things other than sharing His grace with others so that they can have a relationship with Him as well!

Peace out dreamers! :)