Starbucks

Yesterday someone gave me not one but two $10 Starbucks gift cards because they'll "never use them". Today I used one of those gift cards to buy myself a drink, something I have refrained from doing since being jobless. Free Starbucks is definitely worth rejoicing in! 

Blood

Fun title, huh? :) Today was a good day. I had the privilege of volunteering at the Red Cross Blood Drive our church was having. I got to be the greeter/checker-in-er. And, at the end of the evening, I got to donate blood for the very first time. Since I've left the country every year for the last ten years it has made me ineligible. As much as it bums me out to know that it's been more than a year since I've been anywhere, it was a decent consolation prize to finally be able to give. I rejoice in the opportunity to play a part in helping to save lives!

Here's a few pics from the day...

The transformation of the fellowship hall

Where I spent most of the afternoon and evening

On the table, ready to give!

My first time donor sticker :)

His Heart for Our World

Tonight at church we had a missions night, looking back on the opportunities people had to serve this past year and sharing opportunities for the coming year. It was a wonderful night. I am blessed to be a member of a wonderful church family that has a heart for serving the world and sharing the truth of God's love with those close to home and around the world. That is something definitely worth rejoicing in!

Old Friends

Said goodbye to an old friend tonight, since she and her boyfriend are moving to Utah. At the party I got to spend time with lots of other old friends as well. I rejoice in the chance to catch up with friends who you don't get to see very often.

A Good Laugh

I shared a good laugh with my  mommy earlier tonight as we discussed possible ideas for things my bridesmaids would have to wear should I ever get married. It was quite entertaining:) Laughter is definitely worth rejoicing in. If you have potential to be a bridesmaid someday, beware...

New Class and Cute Boys

First of all, sorry to all those who noticed and missed my lack of post last night. I was at a sleep over with my high school girls and in the midst of hanging out forgot all about blogging. I do however rejoice in the joy that comes from hanging out with those crazy girls :)

For tonight I rejoice in the first night of a new class. It was nice to have a week off but good to be back in the classroom and with all my fun classmates. And, this is going to be a great class! Psych and Spiritual Development. So excited to continue learning and growing.

I also rejoice in the return of the Talbot Seminary students ;) It's been a long summer without them. Cute boys wandering the halls makes break time just that much more enjoyable. And who knows, maybe one of those boys will someday be my husband...

Happy Birthday Baby Brother! (and a late night bff denny's run)

Today my "littlest" brother turned 15! Crazy! So proud of the amazing young man he is becoming. I rejoice in having a baby brother who I adore. I also rejoice in having a fun family to celebrate and overfill drinks with :)

I also rejoice in having a best friend who knows I will meet her at Denny's at 9:30 at night because she's had a hard day and needs some bff time. I love knowing that we are always there for each other, no matter what and the joy that comes from spending time together in conversation!

Cute Kids and a Classic Movie

Tonight I was treated to dinner by one of my favorite family's from my old site. It was so good to see them. All three of them are hilarious and absolutely crack me up. There mom is amazing and one of the best single moms I have ever met. I rejoice in the blessing of catching up with old friends. Here we are enjoying dinner...

After dinner I came home and watched one of my favorite movies ever. Anne of Avonlea. Here are some of the best scenes...

I rejoice in the fact that even hard days have bright spots in them.

Conversation

Sitting and chatting with my dear friend Ann is something I will always rejoice in:) However, because we did that it is now quite late. So, this is going to be my shortest post yet...

Garage Sale-ing and Goodbye

Getting up early, to me, is almost never worth it. Today it was worth it though. Not only did I get the chance to spend time with great people, checking out other people's "trash" to see if we could find any "treasures", I also became the proud owner of the following stack of books and cute decor...

That entire purchase cost me a mere $2.25! Rejoice in the purchasing of cheap books!

This afternoon I said goodbye to a great friend. While I don't really find the fact that I won't be seeing her again until June to be a good thing, I do rejoice in the fact that my dear friend Sara has the amazing opportunity to spend the next ten months in Italy! I know she is going to have such a great time. Sadly, I do not have a picture from today because I forgot my camera in my car and I went to the party in Mom's car. However, if you want to know who Sara is you can read about her here Anytime kind of friend. The Bible says to celebrate and rejoice in other people's joys and I am doing just that :)

College, Community, and Caching

My baby sister moved into college today and I was there to help. That is for sure a bitter sweet thing for me, but something I rejoice in nonetheless, because I know how much it is going to stretch and grow her. I'm excited for what an amazing experience it is going to be for her.

Then, tonight at church I had the wonderful privilege of helping out with a community outreach event, free dinner for those who need it. I was assigned outside with the kiddos and it was tons-o-fun! :) Britney was my little shadow and a joy to be around. Her mom said that her and the kids are going to come to church on Sunday. That is definitely worth rejoicing in!

Lastly, I rejoice in a fun end to my evening. Hanging out with good people, driving around town searching for hidden treasure, and simply enjoying one another's company. The perfect combination for joy.

(I know I haven't had many pics the last few days, I'll get on that again)

Sun and Soak City

I spent the day at Soak City with my fun high school kids today. I rejoice in the fact that I was there to "hang out" with high schoolers and not "work" with elementary school kids :) As much as I miss those kiddos, it was so nice to be able to just relax and have fun and not be stressed out about head counts and such. It made it even better when I ran into staff and campers from my old program. As I said to one of them, "good to see you, glad I'm not you". I also rejoice in the fact that being jobless this summer has allowed me to spend so much time with the youth group. I'm convinced that since that was the last event of the summer, a job should be coming along sometime soon:) I rejoice in the fact that God will provide in his perfect timing.

Thankful

So tonight at high school group we had this cool experiential worship night. It was so refreshing to just sit in the quiet, with soft music playing, and be able to worship God in a variety of forms. I am by no means a good artist. However, tonight I actually drew a half-way decent picture, symbolizing the new life we have in our Savior (if you saw it, don't make fun. haha). I was just reminded of how much I have to be thankful for and rejoice in because of the free gift of salvation that I have been given.

Anytime kind of friend

This is Sara...

I'm sure you remember her from a few days ago. Sara is getting ready to leave me and head off to Italy for 10 months, hence the messy room :) Now, her leaving for that long is not really worth rejoicing in. But, having the kind of friend that you can just sit on the bed and talk about boys with while she packs, is. Having someone that you can go on adventures to Target with, is. Having someone you can eat breakfast for dinner with, is. Having someone you can share your sins and struggles with, is. So tonight, I'm rejoicing in my friendship with Sara once again.

Dreaming for His kingdom

Tonight at church we had a meeting for our new vision 800, an emphasis on the importance of the great commission. For those of you who don't know about it or would want to know more, ask away:) But, sitting there talking about who we know that needs Jesus and ways that we can share his love with them gets me so excited! The meeting tonight was definitely the highlight of my day and something worth rejoicing in!

Safe return and summer nights

The Guatemala team returned home safely today. How could I not rejoice in that??? Here's a few pics from their arrival at church...

Then this evening I hung out with great friends, Oliver and Laura. Hanging out with them always results in tons of laughter:) So, I'll say it again, how could I not rejoice in that?

The talented grill master.

The typically annoying cat Rory who, thankfully, did not really bother me much tonight, nor did my allergies of him. That is also worth rejoicing in. 

 Laura's amazing salad. Those who know me well know that I for sure rejoiced at the site of this :)

 Lovely hostess hard at work.

My salad as a finished project, waiting to be eating. Yum!

The empty chair for my future husband, whom Oliver so graciously prayed would hurry up and figure out what is going on! :) Rejoice in the promise of answered prayer, even if it hasn't happened yet.

And lastly, a self timer group shot. Always fun:) Thanks for the Asian touch Oliver!

The Wedding Planner's Assistant :)

So tonight I had the super amazing privilege of watching my very talented best friend in action, while getting the chance to help her out with this and that. The afternoon started out with hanging out with Ava, my most favorite one year old little girl, for those of you who didn't know that:) In the midst of pre-wedding craziness Ava and I walked, explored, ate, and chatted. Once the wedding began then I became Kristi's right hand gal. So fun! It was cool being able to be a part of all the craziness that makes a wedding happen and see two very happy people promise their lives to one another in the presence of our Lord, all while being surrounded by beautiful decor a la Kristi. I was totally not expecting it, but Kristi very generously shared a portion of her payment for tonight with me. What a blessing! And, to top it off, I got to chat with not one, but two cute single boys. Something I don't get to do very often so that is definitely worth rejoicing in :)

Generous Friends

So today I was cleaning my bathroom and this happened. I knocked this off the wall accidentally...

And my earrings ended up all over the floor. But, instead of being upset, I chose to rejoice in the fact that I even have that many earrings to end up on the floor in the first place. And the main reason I have that many earrings is because I have so many great friends who know what to give me as gifts:)

Then, this evening I got to hang out with this amazing friend who spoiled me rotten.

I'm pretty sure this is the most generous woman I know and I rejoice in the blessing of knowing her. 

Freedom and 24

As of tonight I am officially finished with my crazy summer of classes. That is worth rejoicing in!

I also rejoice in the fact that this man has kept me entertained and kept my mind off of not so fun stuff for the last few days...

Eavesdropping, Choking, and Hand Holding

Tonight I got to hang out with a very special friend. This is her...

Sara and I have been friends since the summer before 8th grade, when she decided to eavesdrop on my conversation at camp. See, sometimes eavesdropping has it benefits :) So tonight I'm rejoicing in the fact that Sara is nosy. hehe


For some reason, suddenly our moms have also become very close. Now there is nothing wrong with this, it's just funny that it's happened about 15 years into our friendship. But, since that is the case, tonight we had a double date with our moms and grandma tagged along too.

We went to dinner and then to this cool theater that shows old movies once a month and saw "7 Brides for 7 Brothers." It was wonderful. Except for the part where I swallowed a peanut m-n-m whole. I rejoice in the fact that I didn't die and also that I was able to provide Sara with a good laugh (our moms had ditched us for the "good" seats since we got there too late. Apparently 1/2 an hour isn't early enough). I also sat next to Grandma and she held my hand the entire movie. At the end of the movie she said to me, "I bet you've never held anyone's hand for that long." Now, as much as the truth of that statement hurts, I'm rejoicing in the fact that Grams is still around for me to hold her hand and for her to say stuff like that :)

Clean car and Ice Cream

Today started out well. I washed my car. Haven't done that in awhile:) While I was doing it I was thinking a lot about how blessed I am to even have a car. Made me thankful.

Besides that, the day wasn't really all that great. Which is why I'm rejoicing in this...

Ice cream makes everything better!!!

Groceries and Girl Talk

So, I've been needing to go grocery shopping for quite some time now. But, it is definitely one of those things that I do not like doing alone. And tonight I didn't have to. My beautiful sis-in-law invited me to tag along with her while she did some shopping of her own. So much better when you have someone else there. Here's a sampling of some of my favorite's...

Then we came home and had some nice girl talk. We're having a sleep over since her hubby is in Guatemala.

Sisters!

It's nice to know that my fridge and cupboards won't be bare anymore. And even better to have yet another sister to hang out with, on those days when I've spent a majority of the day all alone.

All church beach trip

So I've realized, at least these last couple of days, that it's hard to pick just one "best thing". That must be a good thing. Means I have a lot to rejoice about :)

Spending the afternoon and evening with these three makes for a day full of laughter and joy.

And then of course, cute kiddos to hang out with...

My birthday buddy, who hardly acknowledges me with a hi on most occasions, asked if he could walk down to the water with me and we had a nice little chat. I didn't get a picture of the two of us, but here he is with his buddies. That's Daniel on the left :)

And lastly, I got to end the day with this...

Bible, Bowling, and Bubbles

The day started off oh so splendidly. It was my last day of Old Testament survey. Which means...

I never have to see these books again. 

Unless of course I decide to on my own free will. Now don't get me wrong, I absolutely loved learning so many things about the Old Testament, and more importantly God, that I didn't already know. But, cramming info from 39 books of the Bible into 7 weeks, not fun. I was pretty nervous about our final, as our professor warned us that it's the most challenging. However, I'm fairly certain that I did better than I did on any of the other tests. Go figure. 

On to the afternoon. I got to not care about whether what I was wearing matched or not and go have some fun bowling with my high school kids from church. Here's a few shots of our wild and crazy outfits...

And to end the day, I got to hang out with this cute kid...

She spent the afternoon at a birthday party and missed her nap, so she had to go to bed early which meant not much hang out time. But, I was able to capture this...

Can you see the bubble??? :)

Today was a good day. Definitely one worth rejoicing in. Thank you Lord!

Goodbye Guatemala Team 2010

As hard as it was not to be a part of the team that left today, this was by far the highlight of my day. It was so exciting to see my "little" brother Ronnie leading the team, my even "littler" brother Randall headed off on his first international mission trip (besides Mexico, but Mexico doesn't count when you live in So. Cal), and my dad getting the opportunity to do something that he has wanted to do for quite some time and something that he has become quite passionate about recently. I am confident that the Lord is going to use each of them, along with the rest of the team, in amazing ways in the days ahead. I am truly blessed to be part of a family who serves our Savior!