Today Was The Day (Day 166/167)

I've fallen off the bandwagon a bit here in the past few days. It's because I've been driving all over the US. Friday started my journey to Searcy where I spent my last day as a college student. It was just what I needed to say goodbye. My trip with friends before was too hectic and there wasn't any time to be by myself. This time I was able to go off and do what I wanted. I went a picked up my cap and gown and then spent a few hours relaxing on my favorite couch of all time; the one that sits in Midnight Oil. There I sipped on a chai latte, chewed on a chocolate chip scone, and put the finishing touches on Alex and Dylan's wedding invitations. It was the exact way I wanted to say goodbye to my home of four years. Then I was reunited with Alex for about an hour and we talked like we had never left each other. Friday ended with a trip down to Scott, Ar for some Cotham's burgers and onion rings. If you're ever in Little Rock go ahead and put Hwy 161 and Cotham Rd into your GPS and head on over to Cotham's Mercantile. I promise you you won't regret it.

Many Reunions (Day 162/163/164/165)

Monday equaled my last full day in Tulsa. I was able to spend some real quality time with Becca which was a necessity since she'll be leaving the country in September and their's a chance I won't see her again.

Wrapping Up Summer (Day 159/160/161)

Friday was Bowling Night!! I made the joke that we could easily be picked out as a church group since you never find that many single people over the age of 21 at a bowling alley. But anyways, it was fun and I loved spending time with people I already knew and meeting new people as well. I also bowled over a 100 for the first time ever! Actually, I did it twice! I know it's not much to brag about but it's nice seeing my bowling skills finally coming together. You be seeing me at the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Little Ones (Day 158)

Not having plans tonight actually turned out to be a good thing. Two of my little cousins came in to town and I got to play with them for about one hour. I don't get to see them very often and even though it was late and I was tired I enjoyed it. Highlight of the night was when Maddie calmed down a bit and we sat in the same chair and talked. It was her idea and she opened up with the question "how was your day." So smart for a four year old! I told her what I did and then asked her the same question. After she was done telling me every detail, down to what she ate, I asked her what her favorite part of the day was. She leaned her head against my arm and said, "Getting to see you." I don't think my heart can handle much more than that. I didn't really know she thought so highly of me since I see her maybe twice a year. Then Michael came back from getting a bandaid and the rowdy playing began again. I love having little cousins. They something special. And now I'm completely worn out so I'm off to bed.

Conqueror (Day 157)

I once again learned a lot about myself last night. I had a friend pull me aside and wanted to talk to me. A few minutes earlier we had been enjoying a nice post-church Braum's when he went noticed a lady in the corner who looked upset. This friend has a talent at seeing people like that. After going over and talking to her he found the problem and came over the our group to ask if we had any cough drops. No one did so I ran over to the gas station and bought her a bag. After my friend and I shared a prayer with the woman he told me what I did was amazing. I just shrugged it off. I didn't think buying $2 cough drops was that big of a deal. Throughout the night he kept on telling me the same thing, that it was amazing. I kept on giving him the same answer. As we were all leaving he asked if I wanted to go to Sonic to talk about a design project he would like me to do. I agreed and didn't realize what I was getting myself into.

Hearing Him (Day 155/156)

My prayer from the post Finally the Direction was answered pretty quickly. At least I think it was answered. A friend of mine who read the post suggested I went to a program called Pathways. I've heard a lot about the program and seen the good it's done for my friends who've graduated so I went to their website to check it out. I got very discouraged when I saw the price tag was over $2000. I'm not really making the kind of money where I can spend that much on something like this. Heck I'm not making any money at all! I shot up a pretty honest prayer and told God if He wanted me at Pathways then He would have to send me the money somehow because I wasn't going to ask my parents for it.

Contact (Day 154)

Can I just say that without a doubt I love my church? And that's an understatement. I think today I literally only spent three hours without friends from church. Those three hours, I was sleeping because I was so worn out. Biggest highlight was Contact Missions Church of Christ. It's a sister church of Park Plaza across the river. It's full of children and the best kind. The ones who need a lot of love. They're the ones you know soak up every ounce you give them and man am I willing to give them love. Note how I said I was worn out.

Finally the Direction (Day 152/153)

Friday I headed to Searcy. This time it wasn't school related. Actually, I went for Campus Ministries United and I didn't learn anything about campus ministries. That isn't to say that the convention was a bust. God just decided to open my eyes in a different way. I think I can now say I'm almost positive I know what He meant when He told me He would be stretching me. I say almost positive because I don't know if this is His final stretch or if another one is to follow. What I do know is this was what He wanted me to see.

Done Done Done (Day 151)

So I know I said I was done with college last Friday when I finished my internship. Well, that was sort of a lie. Today was my official last day. Now I'm done done done. I still had eight reports to write and today I busted them all out. It wasn't a fun task, daunting actually, but now they are all done. No more college. It's in the rearview mirror and ironically I'm headed to Searcy tomorrow. And with that said I'm off to bed. Wake up call is at five tomorrow morning. Goodnight all and God bless.

Self Control (Day 150)

Today I could talk about how I had a wonderful talk with Becca as we sat at Shades (favorite coffee shop in Tulsa), or about the fun I had a Stephanie's with a large group of friends, but instead I'm going to talk about how for once in my life I had self control..

I Think I Can (Day 147/148/149)

Well, I did it. I went three days without posting. Shame on me. Well, the reason for doing it was Sunday's blessing was exactly the same as Saturday's except add a bike ride with two friends so refer to that day to understand Sunday.

I Just Know (Day 146)

Oh what a carefree day! You know what I did? Things that I didn't have to leave my house to do. Things I didn't have to shower to do. And you know what, I loved it. Even when I went out I didn't shower or really even put makeup on. What a day.

The beginning portion was me organizing all my design projects on my computer which actually took several hours because there are so many of them, watching Soul Surfer (excellent choice), doing a Bible study, and writing the More About Me section (which you should go check out if you don't already know me) of my blog. Then around 7:00 I got out of my bed, put a clean pair of running shorts and a tshirt on, washed my face, dabbed on a bit of blush and mascara, and headed out the door for some serious catching up with friends. My dear friend Kelsey has been out of town for two weeks so it was necessary we spent the evening together. And even though I just saw Kayleigh and Jessica recently, I can never get enough time with them.

New Look!!

I finally got to design my site which is good since I'm sort of a designer and that's sort of my job. I promise I have talent and now you can see that a little more! I might change it again later just to keep things new. And go check out my new page "More About Me" up in the left corner. Thanks for reading!

Last Day (Day 144/145)

I thought I should post before going out tonight so I don't rack up another three day post. I'm trying to get better at sticking to the original plan of once a day. Forgive me if you find that to be too much reading. Honestly, I don't care. ;)

Keep On, Keeping On (Day 143)

First off, I feel like if I don't say this I'm not an American.. Happy Independence Day! The fireworks in Tulsa were great and the cookout which turned out to me more of a cook-in since not many of us went outside was wonderful. So many people showed up! I love when people participate! It warms my heart.

So great day right? Well as I drove the two miles home I started having a mental breakdown and by the time I was outside my house I was balling as I prayed to God. If you've been reading since at least day 7 (Don't Take My Couch) you know that God specifically told me He would be stretching me.. if you haven't read it, I would recommend it since I literally had two profits come talk to me. I'll even make it easy for you. Here's a link.

Alarm System: Check (Day 142)

Got home from work today and took my time watching a sparrow jump around my front yard. It's been quite sometime since I've taken a moment to sit back and marvel at the little things. After entering the door to my front porch I noticed something very off about my house. My front door was wide open. I did what most people would consider a stupid thing. I went inside. Don't worry, I first looked around to see if anything just inside the door seemed out of place and it didn't. I took a step inside and saw the Tv was still there so I ventured farther in. I got back to my aunts bedroom and saw her cat sitting on her bed which seemed like a good sign nobody was still there since he would be hiding if the case had been different.

Nothing But Shocking (Day 141)

I promised I would let you in on my internship and since today was one of the loneliest days this summer there isn't any huge blessing I wouldn't be sharing with you.

Last Tuesday, my boss called me into his office and pretty much told me he was unimpressed with me and that I had no passion. He then proceeded to tell me that I should of been competing with a freelance designer he hired to work for him for a few months the entire time I was here. He told me I was more talented but she was still designing circles around me. He said I should of been doing anything possible to get hired. His examples were how she stays overnight to get things done, does things she's not getting paid to do, and jokes with him. I was in complete shock. I thought that coming in on time everyday, getting everything done that was given to me, and staying past three (which is when I'm scheduled to get off) almost everyday was good. It also really upset me that he was comparing me to a paid employee. I just wish he would of said something earlier because I wasn't trying to come across as apathetic. My last day was supposed to the third but after he told me that I reluctantly decided to stay until the tenth.

Trust That He Will Protect(138/139/140)

Well, Friday was a dear friend's birthday. She turned 22 and thankfully her family lives in Tulsa so I got to meet four adorable children! I've been missing kids in my life so for them to open up to me and want to play with me was just what the doctor ordered. I've been a coach since I was thirteen and since that time I haven't gone many days without being around kids. I always knew I loved them but I didn't realize how much until the realization hit me that I won't be coaching again anytime soon. That was a huge shock and disappointment. I've found myself acting like I'm still a coach or a Sunday school teacher. When I was in those positions it didn't matter if I knew the kids. I could just pick them up and move them, talk to them, help them, etc. At swim meets I would always be down with the four through eight year olds and if one wasn't in the right spot I would literally just pick them up and move them. I would also squat down and talk to them making sure they knew what they were swimming. I'd check to see if their suits were secure so we wouldn't find them floating in the pool after they dove in, and I would get them excited by jumping around with them. Well now that's just creepy. I can't go and pick up a random child I don't know. Their parents might think I'm kidnapping. And not many kids think it's normal for some random adult to start talking to them. So you see, being with four kids who trusted me was over joyful. I got to be more of who I really am.