My Room Smells Like a Campfire

Since I know your all dying to know the rest of my Spring Break Adventure...buckle up because it's quite the tale!



We left for Kansas City from Indiana with no problems. The mini-van we were using for the trip was equipped with a sweet dvd player and wireless headphones. So time seemed to pass quicker for me. I saw Bad Boys 2, a lot of Alias, Anne of Green Gables, and Anne of Green Gables the Sequal. We stayed the night at family member's house with the intent of taking off the next morning. However...lots of snow was predicted for the area we were going to be driving through and the weather channel warned that part of 70 had been shut down. So we opted to stay in Kansas City. The weather wasn't bad there so we went out and discovered Cabelas. It's a sporty store with a lot of dead taxidermied animals. In the store we saw everything from Polar bears to Elephants. We then had lunch at Ted's Montana Grill. We all ordered burgers...bison burgers. It was actually good. A first for me. The restaurant had great pickles too! We went out to dinner and enjoyed pizza made at d'Bronx. Very enjoyable.

The next morning we embarked for our destination of Colorado Springs. We got there in one piece. We ate dinner and then unloaded the moving van. We worked as a team and my arms got a little buffer ;)Really, don't be jealous of my guns! We then crashed in a great hotel called the Drury Inn. The next day was a bit cloudy but we hung out with Peter and Mindy. We visited Focus on the Family and the Garden of the Gods. We got to see more of Colorado Springs and eat at some great restaurants. We enjoyed some authentic Mexican and exprienced: The Elephant Bar and Grill. The Elephant had an African theme to it. The decor was really cool. They also had the best oriental chicken salad. It was amazing. It had some of my favoriate things: mandarin oranges, mangos, and cilantro. Plus grilled chicken and it was topped with rice noodles. Anyway, we then went back to the hotel. While in Colorado we discovered that there was a problem with the coolant part of the van. I don't know much technical jargon but if we would have traveled back to Indiana the engine would have been damaged severlly. Thank God for getting us there safely!

The next day we said good-bye and enjoyed Jamba Juice. A wonderful and healthy smoothie. And of course there are none in Kentucky. We made it to Kansas City for the night at another Drury Inn. The next morning as we were getting ready to depart...there were helicopters and police. Well...supposedly. I never saw the police but Rachel's mother saw them and felt that they were looking for someone in the hotel. We left after the police were gone and were, "On the Road Again". We made it back to Indiana in great time.

On Saturday...I enjoyed some Panera and spent some time in a bookstore. We were looking at Bibles and I was looking for a small pocket-like size Bible...meaning one that's about the size of a normal photo (4 x 6). I wanted to take a small one with me to India because of limited space. However, I'm in the predicament of deciding on a version/translation. I have 2 NIV Bibles, the TNIV (it was given to me), and The Message Remix. I'm most familiar with the NIV but I don't need another one. So does anyone out there know anything about the ESV or NLT? Those are the two translations I am considering between. Anyway...while at the bookstore I came across a great book that I can't put down. I'll share more when I finish the book...but I will say this. It's about one of my giftings and it's been neat to learn more about it. I'm not as scared of it as I was before. I know that sounds weird but my mind keeps telling me that I am unworthy to have been given this gift of the Spirit. And that thought is crap...put nicely. My good friend reminded me that's it's time I started accepting who I am and stop thinking that I'm unworthy.

Today we went to church. And then had a last meal with Rachel's parents. What I liked best about them was that they were real. There wasn't any show or pretend kindness. It was the real deal. They were very accepting of me and I felt like I fit right in. I witnessed the love of Christ through these people. After church we had lunch, spent some time reading, and then traveled back to the 'bury. Rachel and I took turn picking songs from our ipods. It was fun b/c the genre changed frequently and we both experienced new songs that we liked.

Well...I start my new shift tomorrow in the caf. And I have to do some un-packing. However, there is a movie party going on in my room currently so I can't un-pack. Hopefully, the movie won't last too long.

Question of the day: Which version or translation of the Bible do you like reading the most and why?

Me: I'm most familiar with the NIV and I like it alot. I have an appreciation for The Message though. I like that it uses comtemporary language.

Oh and the movie just ended so looks like I'll have time to un-pack some.

Spring Break...aah

Well my Spring Break started as of yesterday. I am currently in the state of Indiana before we embark out west to Colorado tomorrow. Today has been really laid back and relaxing. A nice change to the constant mindset I have of keep going and busyness galore. I have an unrealistic goal of finishing 2 of the many books that I am supposed to be reading for my classes. I am enjoying the art of skimming but it's not always applicable to the books I have to read.

This week I've really been into the word. I was "challenged" to read 1 Corinthians 13 every day this week. I failed but I did read it more than once. I actually started at chapter 12 for context and ended at the beginning of 14. Anyway, I pulled some interesting things out of the readings. I read from three different versions: the NIV, the Message, and the Amplified Bible. Anyway, I'm going to reflect on what I pulled out. I was also challenged to metitate over the first 3 chapters of Proverbs. I read chapter 2 last night but I was really tired and didn't get very far.

I've been wrestling with the fact that I am a selfish person. I have spent a lot of time recently talking about myself and caring more about what others think about me. Maybe that's not being selfish per se. Is it bad that I get excited when my roommate leaves for several hours and I get the room to myself? Don't get me wrong, I love my roommate but sometimes it's just nice to have a space to your own. Or how about that I spend a lot of time praying for myself? I do pray for others often but I don' think I do it often enough. I realize that only myself and God could really know my motives when I pray.

Question of the day: When you wake up in the morning, how do you start your day?

Me: I usually start it with a shower and I make decaf coffee. Currently the coffee choice has been decaf espresso from Starbucks with Hazelnut creamer. Although this week was a bit different. I drank water on most mornings and had coffee in the afternoon.

Good Day Sunshine :)

Aah...I just got back tonight from a weekend spent in Florida. I didn't see any beaches but I enjoyed visiting Tampa and Clearwater. I actually down south for a group trip. The Salvation Army Student Fellowship I'm in had our Spring Ministry Weekend. It was an enjoyable time. My roommate for the weekend, Nicole was great! The beds in the hotel were incredible too. I became well aquainted with the percussion section of the brass band. Since I sing in the tour group and space was limited I had the grand pleasure of sitting in the midst of the percussion section for every performance. It was a little awkward to sit in the band and not play. We went to the nicest ARC (Adult Rehab Center) that I have ever been to on Friday night. On Saturday, we went to Busch Gardens in the morning. Overall, it was fun. I went on some rides and took some pictures. That night we had a concert at the Clearwater Corps. I actually saw 2 familiar faces in the crowd. The former Divisional Commander and his wife (WPA) are retired and soldier at the Clearwater corps. It was great to see the DeMichael's again! This morning, we played and sang in the service at the Tampa Corps. We had lunch at the ARC in Tampa and then went to the airport to fly back to Kentucky.

I've decided after this weekend that pantyhose is dreadful. I really don't enjoy the whole process of putting those things on. Not that I know anyone who does. I've also decided that I am in need of a new blouse before this summer. The problem is that my blouses fit me funny and they are expensive. I want to pick one that will last a while and fit well. On my list of things I need to do before the mission trip, I also need to get my other skirt hemmed. I'm hoping that it fits better than my current one.

This weekend I got to read a chapter in a book I started recently. The chapter was about Imposters and how the author compares his faith with Santa. It got me thinking about how I view God and it challenged to think about how I present by beliefs about God to other people. There are Christians that mis-represent God and end up turning people away from God. The author talked about a tele-evangelist named Robert Tilton as an example. More thoughts on this chapter to come.



Question of the day: What kind of toothpaste do you use?

Me: I am currently using Crest Whitening with Scope. It's fresh and minty.

I'm curious

So I'm curious what you all think...please check out this site for me!



Thanks!

http://kevan.org/johari?name=abizzle

Question of the day: Are you able to use chopsticks when you eat Asian cuisine?

Me: ha. no. I have no idea how to even hold the things in my hands.

It's official!

I am spending 8 weeks in INDIA this summer!!!! I can't believe it! Please be praying for the team I will be going with and for the people of India that we will interact with while there!

I think someone's going to have to pinch me...I feel like this is unreal...



Question of the day: Have you ever been caught day dreaming or sleeping in a class or meeting?



Me: I've been caught not paying attention several times and probably once or twice sleeping. For the not paying attention it was usually the teacher asking me a question about something and me having no clue what he or she just asked me.