Skype and Shannon

Tonight I rejoice that both of them exist :)

Food and friendship

I hung out with my BFF today. And she fed me. Twice. That's love to a struggling, single girl. I rejoice in a best friend who is a good cook :)

Christmas twirl

So we have this family tradition. That started a very long time ago. And it used to occur every night in December. Then we got older. So now it only occurs on December 1st and Christmas Eve. Tonight it occured a little differently than it ever has before. Half of us at my house and half of us in North Carolina, via Skype. I rejoice in the existence of Skype (that's a bonus rejoice). More importantly, I rejoice in family traditions. And in being able to keep them going even when we can't all necessarily be in the same room.

Back...for good?

I know, I know. I'm obviously not back in the habit again yet. But, I'm going to try to finish out the year strong in the rejoicing department :) tonight I rejoice in a long day at work. Because although it means utter exhaustion, it also mean lots of hours on the paycheck. Def a need these days.

Sister Day

I spent the majority of my day with my sis. We ran some errands. She made a yummy dinner and I cut the veggies for the salad :) We watched her hubby kick booty at volleyball. It was a good day. I rejoice in having a sister who I enjoy spending time with.

Party Planning and Photo Booth

I went over to my best friend's house today so we could work on planning my graduation party. She offered to help with it and I am so grateful. I'm excited for the night. It's gonna be fun! And decorated oh so cute. And, while there, I also got to hang out with her cutie patootie lil girl, my Ava :) And take fun pics with her. I rejoice in time spent planning for a special ocassion and hanging out with a good friend and her cute kid.

Ladies Bible Study

Since I'm finished with my Wednesday night class, I got to go back to ladies Bible study tonight. I rejoice in the chance for fellowship and discussion with lots of amazing women.

Extra Hours

I have been getting lots of extra hours at work lately. Tonight was one of those nights. I rejoice in God always providing.

Happy Birthday Michael!

Although Michael's, my brother in law, birthday was a couple weeks ago, today we had a little party for him. Well, actually, his lovely wife, also known as my lovely sister, had a party for him :) It was at their house and included lots of yummy, homemade food. Like homemade salsa. And burgers with bacon in them. Can you say yum? It was also the first time that all us Cali Joneses had been together since my parents left and brother. So that was pretty great. We skyped with Mom, Dad, and Randall for a bit which made it even better. I rejoice, as I have many times before, in having a family who I love spending time with.

30th Birthday Adventure

So, my amazing friend Sara gave me a day of adventure for my bday a few weeks ago and today we had that adventure. It started with her telling me that she got permission from my brother Randall to break for the day from our no sweets bet. And she handed me a whole bag of candy cane Hershey kisses! Yum! After that we headed to Irvine Spectrum where she completely spoiled me. I got $30 to buy stuff with and I got this adorable new coat. Then, after walking around a bit more and doing some ridiculous people watching we headed to Red Robin for dinner. From there we went to the movies and saw Footloose. It was pretty cute. And so was the main character ;) Sara also had treats for me in there. When the movie was over we headed over to Claim Jumper and had dessert. And my sis was there! Sara finished off the night with giving me some super cute earrings. I can't wait to wear them and my amazing coat! I rejoice in the chance to spend time with a friend while she spoiled me rotten. So blessed!

Coffee and baby love

I FINALLY got to catch up with a good friend tonight. Due to the craziness of life she and I have not had much chance to spend time together recently. But, we remedied that tonight with a nice little visit to Starbucks. And, she brought her baby boy along. What's not to love about that combo? I rejoice in a great evening catching up with a great friend.

Sanding, scraping, and steak tacos

First off, I'm definitely still getting in the habit of "rejoicing" again so, please forgive me for the nights I forget:)

Tonight I rejoice in a fun time with my sis and sis in law. My lovely sister Rebecca came over today and helped me start on sanding and scraping all the old paint off a bookshelf I want to paint. Then, after we spent a couple hours working on that, Jess came over and we had dinner together. I made steak tacos with lettuce shells and they were super yummy. I rejoice in a good time with people I love.

Pumpkin carving

I carved a pumpkin tonight. And I didn't use a stencil. For those that know me well you know that is a big deal. I am for sure artistically challenged. But, more importantly than carving a pumpkin, I got to hang out with good friends who I don't see very often. I rejoice in the chance to spend some time with some very important people. And their cute kids.

Where's Starbucks?

I just spent the last couple of hours driving around with my sis, trying to find a Starbucks that was open. We finally found one. And hung out for awhile. And now we're watching a movie. Which is why this is late. I rejoice in sister hang out time.

Urgent Care

So my brother Ryan hurt his arm a couple days ago and it was still bothering him pretty badly today. Because of that Mom decided it would be a good idea to take him to get it checked out just in case. Thankfully, his arm is not broken. But, it was nice to get the chance to hang out with him a bit and go to dinner afterwards. I rejoice in oldest/youngest sibling time :)

Homework at Starbucks

For some reason it's just so much easier for me to focus at Starbucks than it is anywhere else. And because of that, I rejoice in the fact that once again I was able to spend the day there working on my homework. It really wasn't all that difficult of homework to do because a majority of the time I was writing a book report about an amazing book I had to read called The Peace Child. I highly recommend it if you haven't read it. I rejoice in ipads to do homework on and in good books to read and write about.

I'm back! With an iPad!

I just have to take the time to rejoice once again. After 3 months of being computerless, I am back online. With my very own iPad! I could not be more thankful. I rejoice in student loans. And not having to go to the library at odd times to do homework :)

A Life Well Lived

Since I'm at mommy and daddy's house tonight, I had to take advantage of the computer access and rejoice in my amazing grandmother's home going. She is safe in the arms of Jesus as of early this morning. No more pain, suffering, or confusion for her. Only praising our Savior and catching up with old friends :) I rejoice in the amazing woman of God she was and the great example her life was to me. And in the promise that I will see her again someday!

My Disappearance

This is not my year when it comes to computers. Meaning, I don't have one right now. Again. When I get that issue resolved I will resume rejoicing :)

A Bed

To sleep in. After a week of sleeping on the floor while on the high school mission trip. Now don't get me wrong, it was a great week! But, I rejoice in the fact that I don't have to sleep on the floor anymore.

Tacos and Ping Pong

Family is here from out of town, for our cousin's wedding. So tonight we hung out at the fam's house, ate tacos, played a ping pong tournament, and laughed a whole super lot. I rejoice in having a family who is fun to be around and in getting the chance to spend some time with family I don't see that often.

Pool Party

With the youth. So fun. I rejoice in the chance to swim. And hang out with "kids" I love. And play a giant game of keep away :)

Balboa Birthday

I went to Balboa today to celebrate the birthday of a good friend from work. It was so much fun, just hangin out with co-workers, outside the work environment. We indulged in a late lunch, taffy from the candy store, a Balboa bar, and most of all, great conversation! I rejoice in a great afternoon on the island!

Vacation Bible School

So, because of work scheduling, I can't work in VBS every day. But, I got to be there today to help out. And I loved it! There's just something so exciting about a week with a church full of kiddos, learning about Jesus. I rejoice in the chance to be a small part of it.

Baby Nursery

Before I get started on today's post, I have to say that I did blog last night. I'm not really sure what happened to it. haha. But, I rejoiced in finishing my stats class :)

And as for today, this morning was my first morning in the baby nursery at church. Big difference from high schoolers. But, it was great. I love those lil babies. I rejoice in the chance to get my baby fix every Sunday morning.

Reunited and it Feels so Good

This friend is one of the best a girl could ask for...

My only complaint would probably be the fact that she keeps leaving me :) But, tonight we got to spend some precious time together and it was soo good. She reminds me how to laugh. She reminds me how fun it is to continue to find some boy to crush on ("am I lowering my standards or do I just think a lot of guys are cute?"). She reminds me what it means to love Jesus. And why we do. And what serving him looks like. She reminds me to look for the adventure in life. She reminds me that I'm going to be 30 in a couple of short months. Which means it definitely wouldn't be weird for me to date someone in their 30's. Weird. And the list could go on. But that's good for now. I rejoice in the Lord blessing me more than half my lifetime ago with a great friend, all because she decided to eavesdrop. And I rejoice in the chance to hang out with her tonight!

Birch Street Symphony

The Orange County Symphony has had a show on Birch Street in Brea the last 3 nights. Tonight I got to go and enjoy some incredible music, both instrumentally and vocally. In my opinion, the theme for tonight was the best of the three nights. Broadway! So fun! I also got to hang out with my super awesome roomie, a great work friend, and some of my incredible family. Good night. I rejoice in good music and good fellowship.

Self Esteem

Yesterday I had 2 different conversations about my struggle with self esteem. Today, a random guy came up to me at Starbucks and gave me a piece of paper with his name and phone number on it. It also said "you are sexy". Now, while I am not the least bit interested (he was old and his approach unacceptable), it did wonders for my self esteem. I rejoice in self esteem boosters.

Convos

With my long lost sister, aka Rachel, catching up on life. And a lil heart to heart with my bff, aka Kristi. Conversations like these do my heart good. And make my love tank feel full. I rejoice in having people in my life who I can really "talk" to. About the good, the bad, and the ugly of life.

Freedom

In and of itself it's worth rejoicing in. Especially freedom in Christ. Thank you Jesus. I also rejoice in the freedom to hang out with my fam (well, some of them at least) and watch a pretty cool fireworks show. A fun, many year tradition that will probably soon change. But, at least we got to celebrate that way one more time.

America's Favorite Pastime

There's just something so fun and exciting about going to a baseball game on a warm summer evening. And tonight was the perfect night for it. I had the super great chance of going to watch the Dodgers play the Angels. And, even though sadly the Dodgers lost, it was still tons of fun. I rejoice in the chance to go and enjoy one of America's favorite pastimes. And in the chance to eat some yummy snacks. But most of all, I rejoice in good people to hang out with...

Work Dinner

I love when I remember to bring food to work and I don't have to buy something expensive and not good for me. I especially love it when most of what I bring is pretty good for me. Tonight I rejoice in good (tasting and nutritional value) food making a work dinner break that much better.

Smores

For the third time this week. I rejoice in summertime treats.

Beach Day!

Today I went to the beach with the youth group. I love the beach. And the ocean. And when my nature loving brother finds cool things like sea anemones. And hanging out with some of my favorite high school students ever. And getting just enough sun to give me some color but not enough to get burnt. And I could go on. But I won't :) I rejoice in a great beach trip enjoying lots of parts of God's creation!

Night of Worship

Tonight at youth group we had a night of just worshiping through song. It was so good. I love opportunities like that. To just praise our Savior with music. It really helps to bring perspective back to life. I rejoice in a great night of worship.

Spur of the Moment

Hang out with a friend today. And we had some great conversations. I rejoice in the chance to spend some time with someone I love very much (and her adorable new son) and to talk about things that are very important to me.

SUYL

Tonight I rejoice in the fact that I have an amazing sister-in-law who loves me enough to do this  for me :) She's the greatest!

Life Group BBQ

My life group know how to eat. And tonight was no exception. We had a yummy bbq complete with corn on the cob and baby artichokes (though we forgot the hamburger buns) and ended the night with some good ole' s'mores. I rejoice in good food and even better conversation.

BYT

What is it about you? :) Tonight was my brother's, Ryan and Randall, final show of "Annie" with Biola Youth Theater. It was so good! I have been going to see BYT shows for as long as I can remember and they never cease to amaze me. I love watching all the talented young people up there, especially my siblings. It brings a big sister joy to watch her younger brothers entertain the audience and make them laugh. I loved every minute of the show tonight. I rejoice in the chance to support my lil bros and the chance to be entertained while doing so. Thank you God for quality entertainment!

Ava Jean

Hanging out with her pretty much always beats out any thing else for the best part of my day :) I rejoice in the chance to baby sit my Ava girl today. She is getting so big and smart! Man I love her!

First Dinner at the Kridner's

I went over and hung out with my sis today in her new house for the first time since she's been married. It was great fun. And, she invited me to stay for dinner. Burritos! Yum! One of my favorites. I rejoice in the chance to spend quality time with a very special person in my life. And in the chance to join her, her hubby and her MIL for dinner.

Quick Work Shift

I love it when my shift at work flies by! I rejoice in the time going by very quickly tonight.

Grad Party

For my dear, sweet emmers. Love that girl! I rejoice in a fun night celebrating her high school graduation.

Godly Father

I rejoice in the fact that I've been blessed with one. And the chance to spend time with him and my wonderful family today.

Stats

Has actually been much easier than I expected. And today marks the halfway point of class. Both definitely worth rejoicing in.

Talented Brothers

Debuted in Annie tonight. They did so good! I love watching my brothers perform, as Drake and a cabinet member (aka, the comic relief). I rejoice in the opportunity to be entertained by my brothers. Oh, and in the chance to spend the evening with my family. We we're just missing our Rachie...

Day of Graduation

I spent the day going to graduations :) 3 of my beautiful small group girls graduated today and I had the privilege of attending two of their graduations. I am so proud of these girls. My babies are growing up :/ I rejoice in the chance I've had to spend the last four years with them and in the exciting things I know God is going to do in their lives in the years to come.

Visit at work

My cute sis-in-law and her cute sis stopped by to visit me at work today. I like when I have visitors. I rejoice in people who love me coming to say hi :)

Work Hours

I got quite a few this week. And worked 6 of them tonight. I rejoice in lots of hours that means money to pay the bills :)

Senior Dinner

We had our senior dinner for the graduating seniors from youth group tonight. It was a great time celebrating the students and the coming next steps in their lives. I have loved EVERY minute of being the small group leader for these girls and I don't know what I'm going to do when they graduate. Time flies. But, I rejoice in the opportunity to serve the Lord in this way over the last 4 years and the chance to reflect on all that tonight.

Graduation Petition

I submitted my paperwork to petition to graduate today. It's going to be here before I know it. So exciting! I rejoice in the fact that I am in the final stages of school before I graduate.

Mrs. Kridner

That's my sister's new name :) And I got to see her tonight for the first time since she got back from her honeymoon. She had lots of great gifts that need opening. I rejoice that my sis is back home and we can hang out and talk about how great her wedding was.

Sampling

Lots of different, yummy food at the food trucks tonight. With good company, aka Oliver and Laura. I rejoice in fun things to do and fun people to do it with :)

Walk with Mom and Dad

They think they're pretty funny. That makes going on a walk pretty entertaining. I rejoice in being blessed with humorous parents.

Love Tank

Mine's full tonight. I spent some time with my fam which obviously makes me feel loved. But, above and beyond that, I had lunch with a good friend, and then stopped by 3 different elementary schools to see some of my old students and some good friends and former co-workers. Almost nothing makes me feel more loved and special than 20+ elementary students running at me yelling "Miss Robyn! Miss Robyn!" and then tackling me in a big group hug. And, good conversations with good friends who I haven't seen in awhile also mean so much to me. I rejoice in a very full love tank! :)

Welcome MK

I rejoice in the fact that I have a new brother, my sister is a wife, and life can go back to normal (at least somewhat). I rejoice especially in the love, peace, and joy I saw in my sister and her new husband and in all the special people in their lives over the last few days.

I should be back to the blog world now :)

Sister Home

My sissy came home from choir tour today! I rejoice in the fact that I get to spend a few special days with her, celebrating the marriage of our other sister. And then she heads off to camp...hope I can survive the summer without her!

Happy Birthday Mommy

I rejoice in a day to celebrate my amazing mom, even if it was kind of a crazy day. I rejoice that my mom loves me. I rejoice that my mom sees the lighter side of life. I rejoice that my mom gives great advice. I rejoice that she prays for me. I rejoice that she works hard. I rejoice in the great example she is to me. And above all, I rejoice that she loves Jesus and has taught me to do the same. Happy Birthday to the best mom ever!

Jungle Theme Baby Shower

For my great friend Lissette. My life has been inundated with bridal and baby showers lately. But today's shower was an extra special one for a great friend. So excited to meet baby Daniel in a couple of months! I rejoice in the chance to celebrate coming new life.

Mall Hunt Madness

I love my youth group kids. I also love the fact that none of them could find me in my disguise at the mall tonight, not even my brothers. I rejoice in fun times with students and yummy free Joghurt after the hunt. It pays to be a youth leader :)

So close...

To being done. Tonight was my last night at my normal major class and tomorrow I have a final for one of my ge classes. I rejoice in the fact that I'm that much closer to being finished. Graduation will be here before I know it!

Also, I haven't blogged all week? I just saw that. Things have been crazy...my sister is getting married in just over a week...weird...but exciting :)

Small Group

I really love mine. And discussing God's word with them. I rejoice in the chance to spend time each week with people who love God and love one another. And who love good food :)

Prom Pics, Food Trucks, and a Cheap Movie

My baby brothers went to prom tonight. Weird. They're growing up so fast. But, I rejoice in the chance to be a special part of their lives and be included in the special days. And be there to take pictures :)

After picture time, Ash and I headed to the weekly food truck meet up in Fullerton, for our very first time, and tried out some yummy food. We also took some to mom and gram. I rejoice in good food and the chance to experience something I've been wanting to experience for awhile.

Lastly, I rejoice in $2 movies. And the chance to hang out and catch up with Ash while driving all around town and enjoying food truck food :)

Movie Day

Spent the afternoon and evening just watching movies with a friend. I rejoice in the freedom in my schedule to do stuff like that.

Slow night at work

Means not having to do much and getting the chance to chat with co-workers. I rejoice in a slower evening at work (though I definitely do not prefer them).

An Amazing Mom

I rejoice in being blessed with one. And in the chance to celebrate her and hang out with fam today and eat yummy food. I love the family God has blessed me with, especially my mother!

Ladies Tea

At church tonight. Good food (except for all the nutty things I couldn't eat), good people, good music, and a good speaker. That makes for a good night :) I rejoice in opportunity to be blessed like this, through my amazing church and more importantly, the love of Jesus, my prince...

Afternoon at Starbucks

No matter what I'm there to do, even if it is homework, I just love the feeling of sitting at Starbucks learning, networking, or simply being. I rejoice in the amount of time I have on my hands in order to spend so much time sitting at my local Starbucks.

Accomplishing Stuff

Like working out. And eating right. And doing laundry. And praying for our youth kids. I rejoice in a good day, filled with good stuff.

Remembering $

Tonight I randomly remembered an account that had over $200 in it. I rejoice in God continuing to provide for me, in the most unexpected ways.

Corporate Worship

It's good for the soul. I rejoice in the freedom to gather with other believers every week for fellowship and praising our good God.

Former Co-Worker Lunch

I love those days of catching up with people I love and don't get to see very often. Today was one of those days. I rejoice in last minute lunch plans with special people.

Goodbye Friends

First of all, I just have to say, not having a computer and then being out of town for a few days really threw me off. I will be back to faithful blogging from here on out :)

Tonight I rejoice in the blessing of having good friends in my life who are a great example to me. My rejoicing is bittersweet because those dear friends, Nathan, Shannon, and Josiah  left for Hong Kong today. Forever. Well, not forever really but three years is going to seem like forever. And that is probably the next time I will see them. Three years is a long time. But, I rejoice in the fact that they are choosing to follow God's leading. They have given their lives over to serving him and he has led them to go train pastors in Asia. I know he is going to use them in amazing ways. (If you want to hear more about their ministry or how you can get involved in supporting them, let me know. Trust me, God's gonna use them in a big way and you just might want to be one small part of that). Anyway, saying good bye was hard, but I know it was right. I rejoice in the fact that I didn't get scheduled to work today and that I could go to the airport to see them off. Can't wait to hear that they made it there safely...

Risen Savior and Sister's First Home

This morning I enjoyed a great time of worship and celebrating the resurrection of our Savior. I am so unworthy, yet so thankful.

Our fam had plan to go to the beach (since Mom and Dad may not get to go as often sometime very soon) but had to change our plans due to the weather. So, we ended up at Rebecca and Michael's new place, which they just got this weekend. So, it wasn't really set up yet or anything but it was a great time spent with family. Mom played some fun games with eggs filled with money. It didn't even matter that I ended up with only $1.25. Ha ha. The joy and laughter from it was totally worth it.


I rejoice in Christ's resurrection. I rejoice that my sis and her husband-to-be have somewhere to live. I rejoice that my family can be silly together. And, I rejoice that we like taking pictures...

Prayer Retreat

I went on one this morning. With a group I am a part of at church. We spent about 6 hours mostly in prayer with a bit of discussion. Good stuff. I rejoice in the chance to spend time alone with God surrounded by his beautiful creation.

Good Friday Service

We had one tonight at church. And it was great. So wonderful to spend time with your church family, reflecting on what Christ did for us on the cross. I rejoice in being part of a great church family, but even more importantly, I rejoice in Christ's death on the cross. "It's Friday, but Sunday's comin!"

Worship led by the Clifton's

So, if I hadn't had my little computer incident a couple weeks ago, there probably would have been quite a few blogs over the last couple of weeks involving the Clifton's. Thankfully though, I still have a few more days to include them. Like tonight, when I rejoice in the fact that they led worship in youth group tonight. Man, I love seeing the passion they have for music, and, more importantly, for the Lord. It was a good night of singing praise together to our Savior.

Emily Love

So getting back in the habit of this is going to take some getting used to. But, tonight I rejoice in good hangout time with Em. And the amazing massage and hair braiding that she gave me today :)

I'm back...due to a rejoice worthy occurrence

So, for those of you who have not heard, I spilled coffee on my computer about a week and a half ago. And sadly, it killed my beloved Mac Book. But, in spite of that, I have a few things to rejoice in. First and foremost, I rejoice in the fact that I had just recently backed up to my external hard drive. So, thankfully, I did not lose very many important things. Secondly, I rejoice in the mere fact that it happened and the things that God has been teaching me because of it. I was talking with an amazing friend today and she pointed out the fact that, she's not really sure why, but she's pretty sure God had a reason for this happening. The circumstances of how it happened are just too unusual. And as much as it stinks, I think I agree with her. Lastly, I rejoice in the generosity of my "little" brother and his amazing wife. My brother recently got a new laptop and was in the process of deciding what to do with his old one, that still works (the purchase of his new one was just made with others from work since it's cheaper to buy in multiples). I'm pretty sure he was hoping to sell it and at least get a couple hundred dollars for it. But no, they very generously decided to simply give it to me. So now I have something to get me through my last few months of school. And to aid me in rejoicing regularly once again :) I rejoice in God's constant provision!

Issues

With my computer. I'm currently on my itouch. So, not quite sure when I'll be back to daily rejoicing...

11 Hours

Of catching up on sleep. That's what I woke up from this morning. And boy did it feel good! I rejoice in the chance to get some good, solid rest.

Butterfly and Eskimo Kisses

From miss Ava Jean Cox. That's for sure worth rejoicing in:) Goodness I love that child!

Amazing Landlord

So this morning we had an interesting experience in my house. My roommate walked into the kitchen to discover these nasty little bugs all over our kitchen floor. We had no idea what they were, so I quickly went and grabbed our landlord Elvira from the front house so she could help us determine what had invaded our kitchen. And she went straight to work the second she walked into our kitchen! We still had no idea what it was that we were dealing with, but she didn't care. She was determined to rid us of them. We quickly discovered that these little bugs had created a nest behind our refrigerator (ew!) and seemingly had hatched and were overtaking the kitchen. Elvira seriously did an amazing job of killing all these little bugs and then deeply cleaning our kitchen floor and behind the fridge. She hardly let me or my roomie help at all. We didn't do a very good job of handling the strong bleach but Elvira says she is more used to it because she is always using chemicals (as she told me later) so she made us go outside and wait while she did all the work. Such an amazing act of love! I honestly don't know what we would have done without her. Oh, and we found out later, they were queen ants. I also found out that this has happened before. But, it's supposedly happens when there is a lot of rain. So, hopefully that means it won't be something we are dealing with again anytime soon. Tonight I rejoice in being blessed with a landlord who not only feeds me yummy food on a regular basis (which she actually did today) but who also takes good care of us by eliminating our bug infestation :)

Waking up

And having breakfast with mom. I rejoice in the chance to do that today :)

Reunion

I rejoice in the arrival of this lil guy today to Cali...

And in the chance to spend numerous hours of hanging out with him and his mommy and daddy (you can read about all of them here) over the next month. Hurray!

Unexpected Plans

Today was a good day of plans that I didn't really have very far in advance. I started the morning with breakfast with a good friend who I have seen in awhile. Good food and great conversation. Then, I headed out to Riverside with my mom and sis-in-law to visit my baby sister. We brought lunch for her and most of her roomies, hung out with them for a bit, and then had some nice girl chat time over tea lattes in downtown Riverside. Love spending time with those 3 amazing women of God. After we got back, Jess and I headed to the store and did a bit of shopping and then made this succulent dinner for the fam (Jones, not Gallina)...

It tasted so amazing, but most of all, the time spent with those I love made it a special ending to an awesome day. I rejoice in having a family I can't imagine living without and in the ways God continues to work in our lives.

Good Example

I watched my mommy take amazing care of her mommy today. Now, this isn't really something new, but today was extra amazing. I rejoice in the great example I have been blessed with in my life.

Back at school

After a 5 week break from Biola, it felt so good to be back tonight. I rejoice in the chance to spend time at a place I love, with people I love, learning about things I love :)

Studying

Funny how much you can enjoy it when it's something you're interested in. Once I again I rejoice in the opportunity to spend time learning and growing. So, so thankful for Biola and the Bold program!

Another one bites the dust

A class that is:) Finished my World Civ class tonight! And, I got a B in the class which is way better than I was hoping for, since I bombed the first test. So glad to be done with it. I rejoice in time passing quickly for something I wasn't too thrilled about.

Talking

It's so good for you :) And I rejoice in the fact that I have a great Christian woman to just talk to every Monday morning. Those times are good times.

Youth Room Transformation

I had a fun morning (before I had to head off to work) of working in our youth room at church, giving it a whole new look! I was bummed that I had to leave early but I'm super excited to see the nearly finished product tomorrow morning. I rejoice in the amazing feeling you get from a new paint job, but even more than that, I rejoice in the blessing of serving with a great group of people who give up their Saturday (part of it or all of it. All of it if you're my brothers apparently. They were there for roughly 12 hours) to transform the look of a church youth room. All part of serving our amazing Savior and most importantly, watching lives be transformed for Him!

Blondies

I hung out with 2 cute lil kiddos for most of today. It was fun. I rejoice in the chance to fulfill my mommy desires.

Happy 28th Bec!

Tonight I rejoice in the birth of my beautiful sister Rebecca, 28 years ago. She is a blessing in my life and someone I am truly thankful for. I'm excited to see the way God is going to work in her life in the coming years.

Time at Starbucks

Sitting at Starbucks reading, or listening to music, or catching up on blogs, or having a quiet time, or studying (I do that a lot unfortunately), or simply people watching has slowly become my new favorite past time. I think I could spend all day there and be fine. I had a nice evening there tonight. I rejoice in a comfy place to, above all else, work on becoming more of who I desire to be and who God is molding me into.

Ikea and Hans

Tonight I made a trip to Ikea with 3 good friends to get some stuff to redo our youth room at church. Then we made a quick stop at Hans Ice Cream, one of the best places to get ice cream that I've ever been. It was a fun night, especially after a not so great day. I rejoice in the fact that shopping and spending time with good friends makes things better :)

Yesterday

I didn't blog last night. Man, I've been doing not so great lately. But, it's because my routine keeps changing. I had a good day yesterday though so I want to take this morning to blog about it.

My day included morning prayer at church, breakfast with good people, a nice workout, meeting with my counselor, a great quiet time at Starbucks, getting some things taken care of at Biola, a trip to Target for some essentials, thoroughly cleaning the house with my roomie, a quick lil nap, a V8 spirit-led culture meeting at church, bits and pieces of the Bachelor finale, frozen yogurt with great friends who I haven't seen in forever, and finally, going to sleep with the comfort and goodnight kisses of a majority of my family. I rejoice in a day well spent and lots of great things to fill that day. 

Sunday Lunch

I had lunch with the fam today. I rejoice in good food and great company :)

Invitations

So I worked on the invites for my sister Rebecca's bridal shower today, with our good friend Laura. I just have to say they are super cute. I rejoice in having a creative friend, the chance to spend some time with that friend, and that my lil sis is getting closer and closer to the big day :)

Dodge Ball

First of all, yes, my blogging has been a little off the last week or so. It's because I've had internet issues, or have stayed at Mom and Dad's and not been in normal routine, or gotten home late. Haha. Lots of random reasons. But, don't worry. I still rejoice :)

Tonight I rejoice in a fun time had by all at youth group dodge ball night. Three hours of dodge ball in a variety of forms. Good stuff. I rejoice having a great group of students to serve AND play with and in having great fellow leaders to do that with.

Mother/Daughter Lunch

Today my mom, Bec, and I went out to Riverside to visit Rach. We had yummy lunch in the cafeteria, then walked around campus for a bit, and finally got to watch her choir rehearse for awhile. It was a wonderful afternoon. I rejoice in the blessing of an amazing mom and sisters, and that I got the chance to see my Rachie for awhile :)

World Civ Paper

I rejoice that I finished it, just in time :) All I have left is an easy test and I'm finished with another class. Hurray for being one step closer to the end!

Oh, and I didn't blog the last 2 nights because our internet was down...

Happy Birthday Laura!

Tonight I went out to celebrate the birthday of my great friend Laura. I'm so thankful for her. I could just stop with rejoicing for her friendship. haha. But, I'll also share a bit of the evening. We started with dinner at Octopus Sushi on Birch Street. It was good stuff. Then we headed next door and I had my first experience at The Melting Pot. Seriously, fondue is where it's at! Laura's super generous hubby treated us all to dinner and dessert (with coupons in hand, but still so great. haha). I rejoice in great food but mostly just in having amazing people to spend time with.

Um

I dunno. I rejoice that Jesus loves me :)

Happy Hour

No, not for drinks. Haha. But for super yummy appetizers! I went to the Yardhouse tonight with some work friends and got some great food for super cheap. I rejoice in good deals and the chance to hang with new friends.

Visit at work

I think tonight at work was the slowest night we've had since I've worked there. But, my bro and sis-in-law came to visit during my shift. That made the night a whole lot better. I rejoice in family being the bright spot in my day.

Taxes

I did my taxes today. And I'm getting a nice little refund, since I'm a student. I rejoice in the Lord continuing to provide for me, in lots of unexpected ways.

Spirit Filled

Those are the words I would use to describe my brother Ronnie up at the pulpit this morning. He preached today for the first time on a Sunday morning and did an AMAZING job. I rejoice in the chance to bear witness to the working of God in the lives of my siblings.

30 Hour Famine

The youth group and I went 30 hours without eating this last weekend. And we raised almost $2,000 to donate to World Vision in order to help put an end to hunger and illness around the world. I rejoice in the opportunity to help make a difference in the world. And to hopefully help our students see how blessed they truly are.

Sleeping in

I haven't done that in forever. But I did today. And it felt so good. I rejoice in the chance to catch up on sleep.

Spinach/Asparagus

I made another new recipe tonight! 2 for 2 on my monthly goals for that:) It was a yummy penne/spinach/asparagus dish and my family loved it. I rejoice in the chance to make yummy food and enjoy it in the company of family.

Tribe Planning

Today I had another meeting with our youth pastor to finalize plans for 30 Hour Famine this weekend. I'm so excited! I hope and pray that the Lord uses this event in our student's lives to impact them in big ways. I rejoice in the chance to be involved in preparing a very special event.

Tri-lingual

We had a tri-lingual service at church today. Not only was the service unique in that it was tri-lingual, we also heard from Andrew Loveall, the missionary down in Guatemala and had communion. It was a great morning of worship and praise. I rejoice in the opportunity to worship God with believers from all different backgrounds, especially culturally. The love of Christ is bigger than any difference :)

Guatemala Reunion

So the missionary from Guatemala, who our church goes down and serves with, is here to share with our church. Tonight we had a little get together with all the people who've been to Guatemala or who are interested in going. It was a fun little setting with the opportunity to hang out and reminisce a bit, and to hear about how the ministry is going. I rejoice in the opportunity to serve with great people, and to get together and celebrate our common bonds.

Family Dinner

For dad's birthday. Need I say more? I rejoice in being part of one amazing family! Thank you Jesus!

Cake Girl

I spent hours at church today, hanging out with Emily, while she worked on yet another amazing cake. You can see a few of her amazing creations here. I rejoice in the chance to keep that cute girl company, grow closer in our friendship, and even get some homework done. It was a great afternoon/evening.

Hangin with my sis

Rebecca. This morning and afternoon. It was fun :) I rejoice in good sister time. The Lord has definitely blessed me with siblings who are also my friends.

Skype Date

With Shannon. Those always make me rejoice. I rejoice in the blessing of being able to keep in touch with friends who are far away. And in the chance to both encourage and challenge one another on this journey called life. And that she is on the lookout for a cute boy for me ;) I simply rejoice in my amazing friend.

V-day Love

My friends Oliver and Laura (mostly Laura. haha) always do a great job of making me feel loved on Valentine's day. And this year was no exception. She brought me See's candy to work. And left a box of conversation hearts on my car. Is that cute or what? I rejoice in a good friend who wants to make me feel special, on day that's not necessarily so great.

Small Group+Pics

Whoa. I didn't blog for two days. Weird. I've been tired. haha.

Tonight I rejoice in my super great small group girls and the amazing discussions we've had the last few weeks. I love watching them growing and actually "getting it". Makes the last 4 years totally worth it :) Not only did we have a great discussion today, we also had a lil photo shoot. You can check out all the pics here, but here is my favorite...

Another step closer

I finished another Bold class tonight. Which means I am one step closer to being done. Crazy! But so exciting. I rejoice in the opportunity to get a great education and the knowledge that I will be finished before I know it!

The day is over

And boy am I glad. I rejoice in sleep...

The little ways God Provides

I babysat kids for my friend's Mops program today and got paid. Then I got asked to work a few extra hours at work. I rejoice in the chance to earn bits of extra income in a variety of forms.

Free Starbucks

I got a survey a couple weeks ago at Starbucks and all I had to do was go online and answer a couple questions and I got a free drink for doing so. Today I redeemed that. I rejoice in the chance to spend time studying while enjoying a super yummy drink that I would never pay that much for. Free things are for sure rejoice worthy :)

She gets it

I had a great, rather long conversation with my dear Emily tonight. We talked about a variety of things involving many different topics. But, most of them had to do with the journey we are on in following Jesus. I love seeing her heart and desire to know him more and become more like him. I rejoice in the evidence that the things we've talked about for the last 4 years actually mean something to her :)

To Save a Life

Is a great movie! And we watched it tonight with the youth group. I think it really challenged many of them to think about what they are living for and how they can make a difference in the world for Christ. I rejoice in the opportunity to experience a great movie with them and, more importantly, to watch the wheels in their head start spinning.

Friends AND Free Food

I had another day of double blessings :) My day started out with breakfast with my good friend Randi, who I haven't seen in forever. It was soo good to see her and catch up. And, she paid for my breakfast. Then, because I was in the area of my old job, I went by and saw some good friends there (Vern and Alissa). We ended up making lunch plans so I did homework in my car while they finished working. Then we went to a super yummy Thai food restaurant. It was so great to see them too! And, once again, Vernadette paid for my lunch. I rejoice in the chance to catch up with special people and for the Lord providing for me in very special ways!

Not one, but two

Skype conversations today. With 2 great friends. Catching up with good friends who are far away is definitely worth rejoicing in. And it makes the fact that I didn't work on homework during that time like I was planning on, that much more bearable:) I'll just remember the great conversations.

Walk for Ice Cream

With Kristi and Ava. That was the best part of my day. I rejoice in having a good friend to go hang out with spur of the moment. And I rejoice that she has an adorable kid who always makes me smile :)

Suprise Convo

It really does work out well when one of your good friend's mother-in-law is your landlord. That way, whenever her and her hubby are in town you can have an unexpected visit:) Even though the reason she's down isn't necessarily the best reason (pray for my amiga Anabella's mom!), it's still nice to see an old friend from time to time. I rejoice in the opportunity for unexpected visits.

Lunch with mommy and daddy

I enjoyed time with both my parents all to myself at lunch today. It was a great time of conversation. I rejoice in being blessed with amazing parents (who are great to hang out with on a Sunday afternoon when I have nothing else to do. hehe. jk!)

Some things never change

Like hanging out with these people and having tons of laughs over board games.

There was a time when we would spend many nights of the week together, hanging out and having fun. Then we grew up :) And sadly, we rarely hang out. But, I rejoice in the fact that we still have a great time together! We even made it staying up til 1:30 and when I left I wasn't the party pooper. haha.
I'm glad that good friendships outlast time, even when you don't see each other very often :) I'm also thankful I have a group of friends who enjoy board games just as much as I do, if not more

Planning

I met with our youth pastor at church today to work on plans for our group to participate in the 30 hour famine, sponsored by World Vision. I am so super, duper excited to have this event with our students and to help raise money to put an end to hunger around the world! I rejoice in the opportunity to be a part of life change, both here and around the world.

Popcorn and Peanut Butter

That's what I'm eating right now. It's making a not so great day so much better. I rejoice in late night snacks.

Graduation Meeting

I had a meeting with my counselor today to discuss my last few classes and my official graduation date. December 16, 2011 I will be an official college graduate. Hooray! I rejoice in the opportunity to get my degree and that it will be happening less than 11 months from now!

Doing nothing

The last few days were crazy busy and exhausting. So today I pretty much just sat around, relaxed, and rested (except for the few hours I had to work tonight. haha). I rejoice in the chance to re-energize.

Change of scenery

So today, during small group time with my high school girls, we went to Starbucks. It was so amazing the positive affect the change of scenery had on the atmosphere of the group and the participation of the girls. I think it was probably one of the best, most focused discussions we have ever had. We were talking about the Holy Spirit and I'm convinced He's the main reason it went so well. I rejoice in meaningful discussion!

Long days that are worth it

Like today. Where I started the day with my amazing New Testament class. Then headed straight to a youth conference (on the same campus at least so that helped) with my high school kids from church. Then to dinner with the fam. And finally, seeing my amazingly talented brothers in their closing show for Les Mis. How can I possibly pick one thing to rejoice in? :)

Sleep

That's what I'm about to do. That's for sure worth rejoicing in :)

Speech Class

I petitioned one today. And I got in! Crazy considering the amount of people I heard were trying to petition in some classes. But, I am very thankful. I now attend three different schools. It feels weird to be back at a community college, but I rejoice in the opportunity to be one step closer to graduation in December. Woo hoo!!

No longer seasonal...

...at Banana Republic. They told me tonight they are keeping me on. That's worth rejoicing in :)

Bell Peppers

I made a new recipe tonight, one of my monthly goals that I listed here. I think it turned out pretty yummy, which was the consensus from mom, dad, and a brother, though the other brother was not as impressed :) Here's what the finished product looked like, and it was served atop wheat pasta...

I rejoice in healthy food, that also tastes good. I rejoice in accomplishing a goal and the feeling that goes along with that. And I also rejoice in my mommy supplying the funds for my adventure in cooking.

Supportive peeps

I rejoice in the fact that I have lots of those in my life. Who show their support in various capacities. I'm tired from a crazy day and weekend, so that's all you get :)

Les Miserables, et al.

Blogger was NOT cooperating last night. That's why I didn't post. Don't worry, you didn't miss much. I was just going to talk about homework, in an attempt to have a good attitude:)

Today was a long but full day. It started with class early in the morning. I headed to class super excited for another session with one of the best teachers I've had so far, learning about the most important book in the world, God's word. But instead, I walked in to find a substitute teacher, who also happened to be the worst teacher I've had during my entire time in Bold. Thankfully, I had two good friends sitting next to me in class. I rejoice in great friends and classmates helping you survive a not so great class.

After class I headed home for a quick lunch and to change into cooler clothes (80 degree weather in Jan. Who knew?). Then I headed back to Biola to watch the BYT production of Les Miserables, which both my brothers and my dear, sweet Emily are in. Upon arriving at at our seats with my great friend Ann, to see other people sitting in what we thought were "our seats" we discovered that I had somehow purchased the tickets for next week show. Way to go me. However, with the help of the wonderful house manager at BYT, (who, as a side note, has no idea what my first name is but definitely knows I'm a "Jones", resulting in her always calling me "Miss Jones") we were able to switch out our tickets for some not much further back from what we thought were our original seats. And boy am I glad we did. The show was so good! My "baby" brothers did an amazing job as Brujon and Montparnasse, members of Thenardier's gang, along with a variety of other roles, resulting in costume changes every few minutes. I seriously think they wore at least five different costumes each today. Emily was the most beautiful girl up there and had a huge smile on her face the entire time (except when she wasn't supposed to of course). The story of Les Mis is just so great and I absolutely loved the show! I can't wait to see it again with the whole fam next weekend! I rejoice in the blessing of great entertainment, along with the power of words and music to portray a compelling story. I also rejoice in great time spent with my amazing friend Ann!

The evening ended with yummy dinner at friends from church's house. I rejoice in people who want to bless two single young ladies.

Like I said, a good day :)

Free Food

I went and helped out with Tots at church today. And then I went to lunch at Chick-Fil-A with my friend Jackie. And we got free food. I rejoice in free food. haha. Totally wonderful for a starving college student like myself :)

Card from Mommy

My mommy sent me a card. In the mail. And I got it today:) It was an encouragement card about my new business pursuits and just life in general. She's the best. I rejoice in the fact that I'm blessed with a mom who is so good at encouraging me!

Slowly but surely...

I had my second Premier Designs show tonight. Since it wasn't with "my mommy and her friends" it was a little more nerve wracking, but I think it went well. And it made me excited to do more shows! I rejoice in the opportunity to support myself while selling one of my favorite things :)

A Good Day

Today was filled with lots of good, ordinary, but good things. Like early morning prayer. And a free breakfast sandwich. And spending time in God's word. And catching up on blogs, especially one's that speak of life change. And working out. And eating a healthy lunch. And finishing a book. And doing some homework (yes, even that was good. haha). And researching possible missions opportunities. And dreaming of the future with my siblings. And hearing testimony of God working. I rejoice in an all around good day. It's nice to have to many things to pick just one...

Lounging

I spent the afternoon with my bff and baby Ava, who's really not a baby anymore. She seriously grows up more every time I see her. We all just hung out in the living room while Ava acted especially cute...and smart. I rejoice in adorable kids who make me smile and laugh. Especially that one:)

New Testament

Yes, I know it didn't blog last night. But I have a good reason. I had my first show with Premier Designs! It went really well. But that was after having worked at Banana earlier in the day. So, needless to say I was exhausted when I got home. I went straight to bed. And didn't even think about my blog. Until I was just about asleep...but by then it wasn't worth getting up. I rejoice in the existence of grace and the fact that I don't "owe" anyone a blog post every single day:)

But, on to today. I started a new Bible class with Bold. New Testament. At 8 in the morning on a Saturday. And the teacher was late. Now all of those things might seem like things I would not rejoice in. But, the grand thing is, none of that matters in comparison. The teacher is seriously soooo good. He is a pastor at The Fields Church down in Carlsbad and is seriously passionate about the word of God. And it shows in his teaching! He started with some of the basics of inspiration and composition of the New Testament and such, along with some of the important aspects of studying the Bible. I'm so excited to get into the meat of the New Testament next week. I'm sure there will be quite a few things I already know, but hearing it from a fresh perspective, from someone who knows what they are talking about and is excited about what they are talking about, is always good. And, I know there are still tons of things I have left to learn so that will be awesome too! My teacher is also a dad to six kids, so that may have had a tiny bit to do with why I liked him so much:) Either way though, I rejoice once again in the opportunity I have to attend such a great school and to learn from so many smart, well educated, passionate teachers. Ones who are also genuinely interested in my life and regularly want to know how they can pray for me. Oh, and in my teacher's defense, he wasn't actually late. We just met in a room, in a building, on a campus that he wasn't used to meeting in.

Back to the books

I started on my homework for the new semester today, as you can see from my pile of books...

I rejoice once again in the opportunity I have to attend a Christian university and to continue to learn more about my wonderful Savior and his amazing Word.

The Power of Prayer

Tonight was youth leader meeting night. We spent most of the time just praying for our students. So many of them have so many difficult things they are facing and going through in life. I rejoice in the promise of the power of prayer, that God has each of them in the palm of his hand, and the chance to lift these students up with other people who love them and care about them just as much as I do!

Let the festivities begin!

Tonight we had the first bridal shower for my sister Rebecca. It was super fun and everything came off without a hitch, which was nice since I was one of the people throwing it:) The best part is, Bec had a good time. I rejoice that my sister has found a great guy to marry and that I get the privilege of being a maid of honor and to share in this special time with her.

A Day at Home

I didn't really do much today, other than a few things around the house. And I rejoice in having nothing to do, after a couple of weeks of crazy busyness.

Testimony of God's Hand

A week ago today my good friends and fellow youth leaders, Jared and Tiffany, were in a pretty bad car accident in which their car rolled at least 5 times. They came out of the accident almost completely unscathed. And today I heard firsthand the details of exactly what happened. It was such a testimony of the Lord having his hand of protection on them and keeping the circumstances from being much, much worse, like they very well could have been. I rejoice in the blessing and encouragement that comes from hearing how God works. I also rejoice in the fact that my friends are ok :)

12 x 12

So if you know me well at all, you know that 2010 was not the greatest of years for me. So, that being the case, I am very excited to embark on a new year and I rejoice in the chance for fresh starts and new beginnings.

As a sort of "resolutions" I have made a list of 12 things I would like to accomplish by 2012. I thought that was a cool way to do it, though I do have to admit, I stole the idea from Jonathan Acuff, who blogged about a similar concept here. I'm thinking he probably stole the idea from someone else though, so it's totally fine :)

Below are the 12 things I hope to accomplish by the end of this year. If you are personally a part of my life, feel free to hold me accountable to any or all of these.

1.     Fall back in love with my Savior

2.     Memorize the book of James

3.   Share the basics of the truth of God's love and the free gift of salvation with the 8 people God has laid on my heart

4.      Finish school at Biola and graduate with honors

5.     Eat right, by shopping here, and exercise regularly here, in order to lose at least 15 pounds and look amazing at my sister's wedding

6.     Read at least 24 books

7.     Be in the process of obtaining a full time job that is ministry oriented

8.     Make at least one new recipe a month

9.     Write Tania, the child I sponsor through Compassion International, at least once a month

10.  Go on at least two trips, one being a road trip, to somewhere I've never been before

11.  Work hard to be successful at Premier Designs

12.  See a Broadway musical, preferably Wicked

I'm super excited to look back a year from now and see how each of these panned out. I rejoice in the knowledge that the Lord has every step of my life in His hand and the promise that he works all things out for good for those who love him. It's going to be a great year!