I went to the car dealership today with a load of books ready to plop in some horrible waiting room for the alotted two hours I had before class hoping I could at the very least get a new headlight out of it. I listed all the crap I needed them to check on and asked if I needed to wait to get most of it done since I didn't have a lot of time that day he said. Umm do you need a car? and I was like well yah I have classs. He was like meaning you need another car? Cause your car is still under warranty, a rental is covered. I was like WOAH! sweet dog! So for the next few days I am jammin out in a new malibu until my car is fixed. It actually makes me quite nervous but its better than worrying about not getting my car fixed before Cali! Woot!

I am sitting in the library after Linguistics. I have to study for my french test and start some research for my spanish class before Ahndria gets here to work on our stuff for ESL. Craziness. But I gotta tell you being at a computer with a full screen makes me pumped for my new lappy to get here.. which should arrive in the next few days.

Brrfday

So one week from friday is my 21st birthday.WOOPEE!!!

I am utterly stoked for my birthday for the first time in a long time. Brooke and I are goiing to go to FW Zoo and then go see curious george. Others are invited but I am perfectly excited if not moreso to spend this blessed occasion with my best friend. I enjoyed dinner and a movie with her on hers.. It will be nice to spend mine together with her. She is the best present money could buy and I am so proud of her for becoming such an amazing woman of God with such a great heart. God has blessed me so much these past months with her!! Thanks girl!

So much as I can tell the love interest has fizzled. Not from my end but Im down with honesty from people I trust.. and thus I am satisfied alone with the fact that I do feel ready to date again but am rather glad I have avoided it. or been avoided by it rather.

Speaking of the subject, communication with stephen has slightly resumed. or so the few emails here and there show me. One of the things I want to do this semester is heal that friendship. I understand he and I may never be able to be best friends, but I miss the person that he is and I wish that didnt have to disappear totally.

RM phil and I found a dog today. It was in his yard all cute and scraggly with nasty mattted black hair. It looks like toto but cuter. It is still a wee pup and will not be formally named hathchet as phil and others decided without my presence. Deb is keeping the sweet thing for a while until we decide what to do. My cats didnt like it so much, Z ran for the hills and Ada came to check it out with hair straight up and poofy. She looked like a big grey marshmallow

Tonight at work was frustrating. Rob was breathing down our necks all night long and recorrecting everybody like six thousand times. I understand and the new system he is impementing is working, but I get protective of my staff and frustrated like Im not being allowed to do my job. Hopefully it will improve. The raise was nice at least.

I will have a new compy by the end of the week. Thank God. I am sick of small font and half a screen. Right now half the words are missing so please excuse typos on the far right or left of the screen.

I started my Grad School App for SIT in Brattleboro VT today. I just wanted to see what it felt like. And I really liked it. I decided against the school in Phillie cuz when I read all the bieos these people were like superheros who had conquered the world then decided to go back to school. So right now Im looking at the one in VT. It was the one I found like 2 years ago and almost cried when I found it. It feels like the right fit, and it isn't uber expensive. Plus it is in like a small town area and in the midst of some beautiful countryside. I could use a breather from the town life and moving to a big city didn't sound very pleasing just yet. So we shall see where God leads my path to straighten.

Weird Weekend

So this was a weird weird weekend. It went by slowly and quickly. Friday was a flash. Then Sat morning I had Sing Song practice.. Jenna Lucado and the other girls are so sweet.. It has been such a blessing to get to know them.. I went home and caught up on some sleep I needed after a week of being sick. Then Hooked up with Brooke for a walmart run, quick dinner and a dash to JCPenney to pick up lingirie for Rachel.. we found some cute stuff there.. After that we headed to the Shower and pretty much got lost for like 30 minutes or so.. it was scary a nd dark and BFE. For those of you who dont know what that means.. think Boonies, Nowheresville etc. Well we eventually made it and there were like 45 people there.. it was packed. We watched her blush as she opened presents, played a relatively tame game and then I .. twentyfive minutes later.. had to leave for work. I really did! I felt bad for leaving after so quick.. I wanted to atleast be there for like an hour before having to go.. but there were so many people ther I didnt feel too bad. Anyways.. I got to work and EVERYTHING was under control.. they were doin awesome.. it was clean and neat and efficient. It felt good to feel useless!

I headed over to Sarah Easters house for some Gilmore Girls, lost miserably at the trivia game but it has been great to be welcomed into the friendship of these girls. I am to the point where I am about ready to give up my cats to be able to live with Andrea next year. We'll see. God is Good and I trust him. After that we swung by the boys house where they were watching the Exorcism of Emily Rose. We caught the last part of the movie and then I had to sneak back to work to help them close. We got out by 1:30 which was pretty impressive for a Saturday night.

This morning I accidentally slept through church and went to the nursery. I got to see Lindley and Gracie dance like penguins and watch lil jackson make me nervous as he strutted through the room.. weirdest baby gait ever! but so cute! Holland didnt come. Sad.

I did some homework and headed over to the boys house to bring ERRm to Megiddo for the Superbowl party. I brought brett my NY Times to trade for his Econimist. We are big nerds. It was a good NYT though.. Im excited about the new issue of the Economist!! Then off to the Sullivans for dinner and back to Brookes for studying

It is now 11:11. I saw that this morning and last night. My Grandma is saying hello I think. Or God is trying to tell me something. I dont know but I am at peace about it.

Now I am going to go read some of my frighteningly sweet book. Its so sweet and delicate it is like therapy. Goodnight all!

Worthy of the chase I am!

Today was a weird day. I slept through my morning class. Which I hate. I feel so worthless when I skip class. But I am sick and I needed to rest badly. I made it to my one oclock although it wasnt worth going to becuase my head was so foggy I could have worn beer goggles and seen better. Then I went home and did homework. I was proud cuz I didnt go to sleep I actually did my homework. Thats a first. I have been catnapping a lot lately. Its bad.

I went to work tonight and it was weird. My head was still a little screwy so I wasnt efficient at all. Plus I didnt want to touch any of the ice cream and had to wash my hands a thousand times.

I got a promotion last night. Yes another one. I am now the general manager of the store, and second in command. There are a lot of reasons for this promotion but I am soo proud. It is kind of a political thing. Basically so that I can keep an eye on everyone including the other management.. ehem. But its still pretty cool. I am nervous though because I am not higher than a lot of people that are older than me. I was used to that this summer, but its different when its business versus ministry. I still have to change my mindset about that. Losing money is a big deal in a business like this.

God is so good for blessing me with this opportunity and seeing how much he is watching out for me and also lighting the path before me. Everyday the vision becomes clearer.

This weekend is Rachels Lingerie shower. I dont think I can go which stinks. Well sort of. See the thing is I despise lingerie showers. Mostly because it is one of those "advice" sessions and honestly I just dont want to hear it until its my marriage and right before the wedding. Its a personal thing. I struggle with lust a lot and having to hear details and stories and tips about sex for hours isnt my cup of tea. I love you Rachel and you are an amazng girl, many blessings on your wedding but for the sake of my own mental purity I cant go. The main reason is because of this promotion I have to go in and do spot checks at work for like an hour on sat night. But I honestly didnt fight it.. Im sorry.. I am a horrible friend.

So I have a love interest. No names will be revealed but its kinda freakin me out a little bit. I feel like a highschooler. And I never realized how much of a go getter I am as far as dating is concerned. I am so bad at the waiting game. When Im interested I show it and wait for a response. But I am SOOO sick of being the pursuer. I would kill to be pursued. The most attractive thing a guy can do is pursue a girl, pull out all the stops, be open. There is a difference between being one of those overconfident guys who ask you out cuz they KNOW you cant say no. Then there are the guys who go out of their way to say hey, Im interested and I think you might be someone special.. lets find out. SOmeone who does something creative to grab yourr attention cuz they know you might be a catch. I dont know..

All I know is there are a lot of guys who just walked out of my life.. and if they had chased me I might have let them stick around. But its not worth being with someone who doesnt make you feel like your worth the chase.

Girls? Are you with me on this one?

Payday. Good day.

For those confused by the previous post:

A not is something brooke and I came up with last night. Our own category. When people ask me what Im like I never know what to tell them.

Im not a jock but Im athletic.

Im not girlie, but I like to be pretty.

Im not butch but I can wear sweats and short hair.

Im not a nerd, but Im intelligent.

Im not OCD but I like to be clean

Im not a scrub but sometimes I dont take a shower.

Im not a pushover but Im also not a B*tch.

Im not lazy, but I like to relax.

Im not a workaholic but I have a good work ethic.

Im not cocky, but Im confident.

Im not popular but I like who I am.

Im not a musician, but Im musical.

Basically this group is for those of us well rounded folk who arent molding ourselves to one category or another. We decided that although it is ok to be a part of a group such as the above mentioned, some people cop out and pick one because they are too lazy to figure out who they are. So.. Word to all the NOTS out there.. Are you a Not?


Other than that today was pretty crappy.. other than lunch.

I slept through my french class.. yep.. I did. I made it to chapel and was blessed with a lunch with marcus, phil, ahndria, sarah and well.. me. It was tasty and I like them. They are such sweet happy people. I hope to get to know them better..

Then I finally got a hold of my dad after a boring afternoon class. And hell opened. I told him about how I was looking at grad schools and michigan..so he'd know I was listening to him and putting away some of my pride.. I told him about how Rob basically offered me the future position of running one of his stores, so that he would see that I am enjoying my job and am talented at it.. And what happened? He blew up. He yelled and got pissed, and kept sying all this stuff about how I dont knwo what Im talking about and how I ignore what he says about maybe liking corporate stuff, and not letting me say a word at allllll.. I just stopped listening. I was so pissed.. SO pissed. He has burst my bubble and hurt me too many times. How long will it take for him to realize that although I understand his motives are pure.. or almost pure, it is still my life that I am trying to make something of and I may have to do it MY way.

I cant even explain to you how mad I was.. I got to the point where I almost.. ALMOST screamed F&!K you and hung up. NOT EVEN KIDDING. But I calmed myself atleast til I could get off the phone. He has never brought me to tears before, but this did it. OH this did it.

I am finally to a point in my life where I see a direction I want to go. And although I dont know the next step in the path I can see the general direciton. Its like when you are driving and night in a blizzard and although you cant see ten feet ahead of you you can make out the direction of the lines on the side of the road enough to just keep going. If you were to call someone and say hey what direction do I go.. taht wouldnt help you. Only staring at those lines on the road and being focused on what adventures lay ahead of you will work. Wow.. That just came into my head.. God is good. ANyways..

Work was alright tonight. Not busy. Even though the people I worked with were convinced that was the busiest it had ever been. ahhaha. funny.

Oh last night and this afternoon I had some pretty cool convos with my friend from Mexico City. Man I want to go down there SOO bad. I want to have a vacation so bad. By myself or with a friend. I dont know. I just NEED IT. So I think I am going to save up some of my money from work and fly down to Mexico City this summer for like a week and hang out with my friend. He's a pretty cool guy and I wouldnt feel weird about it. He's a great man of God and is always an encouragement. Plus he said he'd take me on a tour of the pyramids and all the cool museums!

I am a NOT.

Short and Long

For the simple minded:

I got lost in Abilene today.. actually I just missed a couple exits. I was distracted. I apparently like taking Treadaway to school.

I set off the alarm at work last night. I am an idiot. Oh well. First closing alone time. I was proud of everything else. Hey its not my fault he only showed me how to leave not how to go back in when I forgot my wallet and car keys inside the locked alarmed building. Woopsie.

Today in chapel we found out that the Soulforce is coming to ACU. Im not sure exactly what theyre about but it has something to do with Christians and admissions bans agains Gay, Lesbian, Bi or Transexual people. We are one of 14 institutions singled out by their campaign. Not that it makes a difference, but we dont have a ban on GLBT students. Well anyways.. as this was discussed in Chapel Dr. Money (sighing and heart palpitations did in fact occur) proposed different responses to this. He said we could charge them with trespassing and have them arrested. This was said in sarcasm but was followed by a Woop by some dude joking around (I would hope) and followed by laughing and cheering, something I hoped was in response to the woop but I fear was also in favor by some to the arresting of the campaigners. He then offered the option of treating them like any other guests on campus, with kindness, interest and dialogue. I heard some Thank yous yelled by others like myself and I realized I was clapping and saying the same thing before I realized the passion and disgust the previous response instilled. There are some things I can tolerate in the world, hating people with different opinions is not one of them. Thus.. I am excited to see the discussions incurred by the presence of Soulforce on our campus. Some of these students, including myself, need a challenge.

Long winded Phyllis.... If you are bored.. click the next blog in your favorites.. this is for my own personal catharsis. Although some of you may find it interesting. I wont take offense if you dont.

Today I found out that I cant be certified in ESL with my degree not being in education. That would have been a duh type situation had my advisor mentioned to me that he was not sure what the requirements were rather than just telling me that yes it was true and I should go ahead and jump into the 12 hours of courses. So I found out tonight. Its not a huge deal.. I get an endorsement rather than a certification. But still. There are other classes that might be more useful to me than read/write/connect or English Grammar. Seriously.. perhaps a business class, or something that would be helpful to future endeavors. So Im stuck. Do I stick with it and get an ESL endorsement in hopes that some highschool will emergency certify me and Ill be good to go.. Or do I only take the two classes I am now enrolled in and get certified later when I know I want to teach it. I can always take a summer course and get the cert. So Im stuck. The cool thing is that after chapel on Wednesday when they talked about owning your own dream instead of running on the coattails of someone elses (in response to MLK day and his dream) I realized that I have already taken ownership of this dream. To the point where I have openly told a couple people my dream. That freaked me out a little bit but it felt right. And that means a lot. Today in my ESL class I wrote on my Self Portrait page that my dream was to open a cafe as a starting point for a ministry that encourages service and missions in an international context. Wow. That is like only a sliver of the mission statement but it feels right.

So. What does this mean? I am taking serious consideration of the things I would need to get there. For the first time I am considering going and getting an MBA. I think for a long time I avoided it because my dad pushed it so hard even though he wasnt happyin his own business adventures. SO .. we'll see.. but God is pulling rugs underneath me left and right...

Finding Home

Classes started today. But thats nothing.

For the first time in a long long long time, I found home in myself again. I have finally found who I have not been for such a long time, and for such a long time has missed being.

If that doesnt make sense to you, dont worry. I feel at home with myself. And how did I find it? Well I have found where God fits in me. Or rather where I fit in God. I have struggled with it for so long. Do I have to be a missionary to be a good Christian? Can I only go to church once a week and still be a Christian? Can I be an unfaithful person and still be ok in God's eyes? The answer. I don't have to fit God into whatever turn my life goes in. I don't have to cut a God shaped box in my heart and slip Him in. What I need to do is allow myself to live IN HIM. That is such a cliche thing but I have realized it today. How? Well I dont know. But let me explain a moment to you.

I was in chapel today. I got there and felt the grumbles begin. I didn't want to be there, or I didnt want anyone to think I did. I didnt know whether I wanted to be there or not. I had had so many moments over the past years full of cynicism: All they do is sing no one cares what they say. And then the times where I could see the people with eyes closed and hearts bursting for God and think Showoffs.. they dont mean it. Rediculous.

Something happened in chapel today however. Blessed be thy name. The version where it talks about Blessing Gods name when the world is right or if the world is all wrong. Every time I hear that song I think of my life and see how much God has blessed my name. And I kind of realize as well how little glory I give to God for it. I thank him for the perseverence and character he gives me, but never really ask for more. I never really want to trust my life to more of his "teachings".

The other half of it is this: I am kind of scared to become a "christian girl". The one who glows with love and character, with hospitality and gentleness. The girl who goes on mission trips and babysits for free. I don't want to slip into the "cliche christian girl". The girl all boys think they can bring home to mom cuz they are the "right kind of girl". I dont want to be cast as that girl. Its not that I dont want to be a good person, a person who loves God, or a person of good moral character who is good enough to bring home to mom. I do however want people to see me, see my character and see the flaws as well as the perfections. I want to be a servant of Christ but not one that blindly follows cuz its in the church bulletin. So how do I set myself apart. Well now theres another thought. I am desiring to set myself apart. From good Christian people. So what does that mean? Am I a holier than thou? or do I just desire a genuine faith so that people can taste and see that the Lord is good? My family wont find God because I am "good to bring home to the fam". Thats too "transparent". Rugged Christianity is what I want. And yet that requires truth, confession, and brutal forgiveness, mercy and humility. Much of which I am also petrified.

So I am struggling with where God fits in my heart. Or I was anyway. Until I closed my eyes and sang "Blessed be thy Name" your GLORIOUS NAME! and it all melted away. It was good that I was wrestling with my faith, but even better knowing that God was glorious whether I was Cookie Cutter Christian or Rugged Hardcore Christian. Hey maybe I can just be Phyllis Chill aspiring to be more like the Christ who has been with me from creation.

A song that breaks my heart in a good way:
JARS OF CLAY LYRICS
"Worlds Apart"
I am the only one to blame for this
Somehow it all adds up the same
Soaring on the wings of selfish pride
I flew too high and like Icarus I collide

With a world I try so hard to leave behind
To rid myself of all but love
to give and die
To turn away and not become
Another nail to pierce the skin of one who loves
more deeply than the oceans,more abundant than the tears
Of a world embracing every heartache

Can I be the one to sacrifice
Or grip the spear and watch the blood and water flow

To love you - take my world apart
To need you - I am on my knees
To love you - take my world apart
To need you - broken on my knees

All said and done I stand alone
Amongst remains of a life I should not own
It takes all I am to believe
In the mercy that covers me

Did you really have to die for me?
All I am for all you are
Because what I need and what I believe are worlds apart
[Additional lyrics:]
I look beyond the empty cross
forgetting what my life has cost
and wipe away the crimson stains
and dull the nails that still remain
More and more I need you now,
I owe you more each passing hour
the battle between grace and pride
I gave up not so long ago
So steal my heart and take the pain
and wash the feet and cleanse my pride
take the selfish, take the weak,
and all the things I cannot hide
take the beauty, take my tears
the sin-soaked heart and make it yours
take my world all apart
take it now,take it now
and serve the ones that I despise
speak the words I can't deny
watch the world I used to love
fall to dust and thrown away
I look beyond the empty cross
forgetting what my life has cost
so wipe away the crimson stains
and dull the nails that still remain
so steal my heart and take the pain
take the selfish, take the weak
and all the things I cannot hide
take the beauty, take my tears
take my world apart, take my world apart
I pray, I pray, I praytake my world apart

Um. I got a promotion. And a raise. Yum.

So I went in this morning for my first day of work at Third Rock Creamery and Coffee. The Ice Cream consultant had come in from Fort Worth and spent the day teaching us (the manager and assistant managers.. um yah apparently Im one of those!!) how to run the machine and different recipes. It was a fun but long day. 9-5. Literally. The craziness of opening a store ensued. The electrician n came to fix the espresso machine. I talked to the seller on the phone to figure it out. I got it turned on and heating up when the ELECTRICIAN decided she needed to move the machine. That cracked a pipe and it stopped working. This is a five thousand dollar italian machine. There are no manufacturers in texas to fix it in three days. SOOOOO we called the supplier again and the other asst manager had to drive to and from FW to bring it back tonight to be hooked up tomorrow so i can FINALLY start running recipes. Ugh. Well so the day was spent learning ice cream stuff. The machine is easy and the ice cream is AMAZING. man. Im gonna be FAT.

So the fun continued for hours untill about three oclock in the afternoon when the plumbers came to fix the ice machine and turned off a water valve that happened to also be connected to the ice cream machine we were about to run another batch through. Well twenty minutes later after the plumber had left.. the ice cream machine wasnt working. We called suppliers and technicians. It wasnt fixed when I left but will be.. apparently.. tomorrow. So Third Rock Creamery and Coffee has neither the former or the latter.. and we open on wednesday. Umm. wow.. BUT all will come together in the end. I trust that it will.

It has been a bewildering day. An eye opener. But a great light is at the end of so many tunnels..

I am excited to return to work tomorrow and continue the adventure.. for now.. sleep.

A blank day...

Have you ever woken up and wished the day you were beginning would not exist. Not that you want to die, but just that you wish it would be the next day already. That was today. After a long night of not great sleep I woke up and turned off my alarm. At about 10am I woke up again and forced myself to get ready to take a shower and wait for the call from my boss saying I could come in to work. Its not often you are eagerly awaiting that call. Well I got the call as I turned on the water for my shower. It was not the call I expected. Rather the shipments of coffee and other things we would need for the day wouldnt be there til tomorrow, Thursday. Well I chuckled and said "no problem, see you tomorrow". And slumped. I turned off my shower threw my pjs on again.. ehem.. and then fell asleep again. This time I slept relatively well until about 1pm. Due to paws and meows I finally got up and made my self presentable to the world. Not that I presented myself to it.. I didnt. Instead the day was spent setting up my schedule board, eating crappy steak express, and attempting to Oxy away the nasty stains on my carpet. Fun.

Well all of my chores were done hours ago so now I am watching Smallville and sending weird messages to Brooke who I am jealous of for being at work.

Its strange. I know that it is probably not the best use of my day.. you know wishing it didnt exist... but I am so anxious for having something to do. Idleness is not my cup of tea. Patience isn't either. Maybe because I am so excited about this job God is teaching me a lesson. I don't know. All I know is that my dreams were all about coffee last night and they were restless. I am nervous. Noone should feel nervous to be a coffee barista, but I am. Like I said yesterday, I feel like this job is going to make or break my dream. Basically if I end up hating it I dont know what I will do..find a different dream.. or maybe keep going with my dream and assume it will be different when I am fulfilling God's will for me.

Here is a little nugget to chew on for those of you who are curious:

Connecting missions with real life is something that will always be incredibly valuable to me. I grew up in a youth group that tried its best to follow up on mission trips and other acts of service. Unfortunately there was never a real tie between the foreign countries we served and our lives as highschoolers. So how do we make the tie. That tie is what awakes our desire to help those in need, those around the corner and those in the far corners of the world. Win Build Equip Send was the motto for our youth group in highschool. My youth pastor did a great job doing the first three, but in order for the equipped to be sent, that connection must be made mentally and spiritually. A person needs to see the eyes of the person their life choices affect. Serving those who sew the clothes we wear, loving the children who live on the wages their parents make from those jobs, and opening opportunities for improving the lives of both. So how do we do that? Well I dont know exactly quite yet. But my vision is to find it. And my dream is big.

Hotter than Hades.

So it is January 3 and it is 90 degrees outside. HOLLY CRAPP! yes craziness.

So I havent posted in well.. awhile.. so here I am.

My new years was fantastic. Brooke Jules and I went to IHOP for dinner at about 11pm. Brooke and I made it back to her place by the dropping of the ball and hung out making fun of stupidface Haley Duff while silently enjoying her music and being jealous. The past few days has been full of girl lunches, sleeping through church, Mona Lisa Smile, and Coffee. Yes Coffee.

SO MUCH COFFEE. Actually I havent gotten to the point of consuming it yet. I start that tomorrow. This week I have been putting together my training packet for next week when I Phyllis Chill train the employees on how to operate an espresso machine and create beautiful jitter starters.

Im kind of perplexed by the position I have been put in. One I havent actually made an espresso drink since 2 summers ago. Two I have never really been the one to know the ins and outs of the machine, that was all taken care of by management or corporate. And Three I have never worked at a privately owned cafe. All of this leads me to the conclusion that this is going to be an adventure. I am caught up in a fairly complicated but interesting situation.

The other part that kind of freaks me out is that this is preparing me for my future dream. Yes that dream that I have yet to mention on my blog despite its overtaking of my mind and thought process. This is the dream that has invoked a hope and desire to succeed and depend on God cuz there aint NO way I could ever do it by myself. Lydia, my darling, I hope still aspires to be my partner in this dream although I will be quite understanding if God takes her in another direction. Im stalling. I really am. It is one thing to talk and dream about something. It is quite another to confess it and type it out in front of me. I dont want to jinx it. I really dont.

This is a dream that has only just become something conceivable in my eyes. It has always been in the background as a fallback if I never know what I want to be when I grow up. I have always wanted to make a difference in the world. To build great relationships but most importantly influence people, especially youth and college students, to be world changers themselves. In my eyes there is no better way to change the world than multiply yourself into hundreds of world change focused youth. The church of tomorrow, the church of today. Man.

So my dream. Do I dare confess it? Do I? I fear the rejection of my peers as well as my family. Although I already have so many supporters in my mom, sister and even my aunt who I love dearly for literally giggling and bubbling with excitement when I told her. Much better than the horrible answer and discouragement I got from other parts of my family. Although they really never got to see the vision and Im not sure they would approve of it if they did. Either way. Its my dream.. and its a big one.

Because of this dream I have been thinking about stephen a lot lately. Not because I want to get back together with him, but because we dreamed a lot together. We would spend hours talking things through, ideas, hopes, questions what have you. I miss that. I wish I could sit down with him and talk this through for hours. I dont think thats possible. but maybe. Thank God for Brooke who brings up my dream daily to remind me its possible, and its a great dream.

I dont think I will divulge my dream just yet. Maybe tomorrow. Or next week. Maybe in ten years when it has come true. Until then. Be praying and keep your eye out for it. You'll know it when you see it.. You'll know it when you feel its effects on the worldchangers of today.

God only you have the power and the might to do this. You planted this dream in my head. Give me the vision, drive and confidence to follow through with something for once in my life.

Coming Home..again.

Wow.. my vacation in Michigan is coming to a close. I got to see Shyle and Lydia. Man. I missed them soooooo dearly.

Spent most of the weekend back and forth between family stuff. Drinking lots of Mountain Dew, Dayquil and tea. Playing lots of Poker, Craps, and BlackJack. Frosting lots of Xmas cookies and watching LOTS of Alias. All of Season four to be exact. MAN I NEVER SAW THAT ENDING coming from aMILE away. Sheesh.

It has been great to see everyone. BUT I miss Atown. I miss my bed, my cats, my compy. I miss relaxing. I wont miss the small talk. I love my family and I love that they want to know how Im doing but I wish sometimes I could just wear a sign. It would probably read:

Phyllis Nicole Chill
Abilene, Texas (yes.. Bush country.. No I dont think he's an angel)
20 yrs. Junior at Abilene Christian University (yes people do party)
Spanish/International Studies/ESL
GPA 3.66
Graduate in May 07
I dont know what I am doing afterwards.
This semester was really rough. Worst Class: Mexican History Best Class: Gymnastics
No Stephen and I arent dating anymore.
Yes he spent this summer in Africa and he didnt die.
I live alone in my apt. with my two cats: Ada and Z.
I am staying in Abilene this summer for classes and work.
I will be working at a Cafe/Creamery.
I was in Uruguay studying last spring.
I worked in Mexico this summer.. missions.. high school students.
I wont be travelling abroad for awhile.
I will be back in Michigan for a wedding in May.

For more information: talk to me directly or check my blog

hahah.. Seriously.. now lets cut to real conversations and card games.

PS. Craps is officially really confusing but LOTS of fun. As is Texas Hold em.

Ya regrese, ya me voy

Well I just got back from Juarez last night.

Man it was so amazing to see everybody again. I forgot how much I love everything about that city. I was real nervous driving my car around there, but it was easier to drive my little cochita than the big 15 passenger van. Crossing the border went smooth. Thank God for the gift of Gab when it comes to stressful situations.. we got inspected coming back from Juarez. Thats what happens when the passengers both have michigan IDs and a Michigan license plate and say they came down for a Quincenera.. one night.. thats it.. hahah.. he was like your nuts!

I got some great pics. It was hysterical to see Eileen in a dress and hating life. SHe hates being the center of attention. Oh was she!!!

The whole things started with a church service. The sanctuary was done up like a wedding.. Tulle-rific. Blue and white with these candle thins that kept falling over. About 30 minutes was spent greeting people. Some had come from far away.. others lived there. Then it started. The three escorts came in. This was hysterical because they are three of the most gangsterish, dark long haired, black finger nails, marilyn manson listening boys. They were in TUXES!!! they had to like wedding march in with the funny slow walk and stuff. Then Eileen was escorted in by her mom and dad. They had to help her from not falling cuz here heels were.. oh my gosh.. 4 inches and BRIGHT BLUE STRAPPY SCARINESS.. I about cried... She had her, eybrows, nails, makeup, strapless dress with like beaded blue and white corset.. FRIGHTENING.. but she was so pretty. She had a crown on and she was hiding behind all her straightened hair.. She sat down in a chair facing away from us and fidgeted through a 40 minute sermon about waiting to find the guy has for you, and living for what God desires etc. I had a hard time paying attention.

After the sermon he called up the parents and the godparents. They presented the bible, the ring, and a pillow that she then knelt on. Liz and I joined 9 other people (to represent fifteen in all, one for each year of her life) as she was prayed over and blessed. The ceremony ended and the next 40 minutes was for pictures and greetings again. Almost every candle got knocked over. hahah..all the kids were fast asleep on shoulders..

We all jumped in vans and cars and headed over to the reception hall. Ours was in the Penthouse suite. Basically the top floor with an amazing view of the city and it was private. We hung out for awhile until Eileen came in. They served cokes and dinner.. which wasnt very good. It was like this weird chicken that you had to eat with a spoon. a lot more difficult that worth the taste.. hahah.. it wasnt typical mexican dish. After that they did the waltzs. THIS WAS HYSTERICAL. Eilleen and her three escorts had to do all this choreographed waltzing.. All for of them wanted to cut themselves. they stared at the floor with zero rythem or desire to be there.. After that they had people go up and make some speeches. NOBODY wanted to. A couple of the gringos did, then a brother and a cousin. But neither parent did. it was weird. Dessert was served.. ehem.. I didnt eat any.. I was still reeling over dinner. People started to leave after that and the "dancing" was supposed to begin but it never really did. Everybody was exhausted so we all just mingled and talked. It was kind of dissappointing but it was cool.

We went home at about 2 in the morning and left for abilene at like 11 the next day. 2 and 1/2 hours were spent trying to cross the border.. the line was SOOOOOO long.. longer than I had seen it all summer. Everyone was leaving to xmas shop in El Paso. nuts.

Long drive. Long weekend.

I need to go repack for Michigan.. I go to dallas soon then off to Ann Arbor tomorrow.

Done and Done!

I am finished! Finally! This semester is over! Woot! Woot WOOOOOOOOT!

This semester has been full of so much.. drama, studying, dancing, singing, craziness.

I feel like I should recount it.. but Ill save you the death.. I mean boredom.

I will however EXCLAIM that I got an A on my term paper!!!!! If anyone needs to know anything about Day of the Dead and Mexican Catholicism.. YOU LET ME KNOW!!

I have also learned that fighting with someone over IM in Spanish is way more infuriating that would normally be expected. Arg.

One night down one to go...

Well last night was opening night for Eth05! It was fantastic!

Our rehearsals this week were exhausting but the show went GREAT!

I have video of our tango (thanks jules!) and our brazilian dance. I am SOO proud of our tango I feel like it turned out really well. My partner rules! hahah..

It is so amazing to be a part of something so great! I feel like I have gained a thousand new friends from all over the world. Oh wait I have! Friends from India, Africa, Brazil, Madagascar, Colombia, Guatemala, Argentina, Mexico, Honduras, and so many other countries I cant remember right now! Craziness!

Well tonight is our last night, afterwards is the celebration and I am so READY for it! man!
Starting tomorrow I am in work mode again for this term paper. I really have to buckle down and get something written. Im hoping to turn in my Intro/Thesis for review fromt he Professor on Tuesday but I dont knwo if Ill get that far..

Well I need to start cleaning my house.. Its a disaster after this week!

See ya!

Clearwire rules.

I am at starbucks. i have been here since about 5pm. it is pushing 8:20. I will be here another couple hours. I am on a study break right now. My mind is a flurry of spanish grammar... I have a test on tuesday and I am superdee duperdee nervous about it.

Friday night I went to Freshman Follies. No offense to those of you who were in the show.. but it wasnt worth 9 dollars. It was fun however to hang out with James. Hes fun.. itll be nice to have another crazy friend next semester.

After that I went over to Isaacs and watche he, jeremy and austin play some starwars video game. It was a blast. I miss watching Drew play for hours on end. Its like a movie I can get involved in. Plus it was fun to make fun of them when they sucked like I couldve done better... hahah not likely.

Saturday morning I went to Healing hands to help fold close for my Service Hours. I love it there. Kat is amazing and the girls that go from our class are so funny. I think Ill keep going to help out even after my hours are done. Kat has great stories and it is an amazingly impactful and passionate non profit!

I hit the Homer Hiccolm concert on Sat night.. that despite the crappy beore and after bands was SO worth the 10 bucks to get in. THey are amazing in concert. Wow. And great guys too!

After THAT.... the fun began. I went with jeremy and austin, to meet up with Isaac and a bunch of people I didnt know at this girls house who I didnt know. They were having a Salsa party, and it was SOOOOOO MUCH FUN. It has been so long since I have been in the social scene... let alone with a group of people I dont know. I didnt realize how much I missed hanging out with new people, groups of people, doing social things. Something God has pushed me to do this semester is spread out my time between lots of different people.. push my bubble a little bit to include people Im not used to, people that think differently, and people that intimidate the hell out of me. I have learned so much. I am so grateful to all the opportunities I have had to do it thus far this semester. It is busy and hectic, but I wouldnt trade it for anything. Its nice to have the challenge of a schedule, work, school, social..

crap ok Im off to studying again.

A hard day to be alone

Today was a hard day. I had a bummer of a test this morning. Ithink I did alright but it was really depressing to feel so stressed and unprepared despite the hours of studying I put in.

I also realized that this week is roughly the five year anniversary of the death of Ryan, Adam, David and John. Those of you that dont know they are four friends who died in a car accident my freshman year of highschool. I havent really thought about it in a long time. I havent really had to. Along with that comes every thing else. Dan and Andy who drown freshman year of college, my friend adam who died of cancer, my grandma whom I miss so dearly. It is hard to have them all within the same couple months. It just lumps together and hits so hard sometimes.

I sound like a downer. I am a downer. Oh well.

The past week has been a week of odd emotional rollercoasters. One minute I feel content and confident, the next I am in a sea of confusion and emotional inadequacy. Usually my feet land on the ground but today has been a tough fight for it.

I missed my mom last week. I needed one of her wonderful back massages soooo bad. I hated that I couldnt go home and get one, and then talk for hours. I miss my mom. Dearly.

Take Two

Abilene is taking in evacuees again.

Prayers for the families and the people still stuck in houston and surrounding areas.

More,..

Things just add up so quickly...

So I in October Youthworks is coming to promote the summer employee stuff.. which means I "get to" help with promo stuff for their showcase meeting. Basically just fliers etc. and then going to the meeting and fielding questions.

Im also on the Costume Design team for Ethnos now. The crew is awesome and these designs are kickin! Its gonna be an amazing show! Itll be busy though. They want a photo shoot on Sunday. That seems pretty pronto for putting a whole design together but we'll see how it goes..

I have a test in my Mexico Growth and Culture class on monday. Not excited about that.

Oh yah.. singing went pretty well on Wednesday. I think we sounded pretty good. The perfectionist in me has to say we screwed up pretty bad on our third song.. they also apparently didnt know we were doing a closing song and turned off our mikes.. Oh well. It was a good first performance. We sing for Hispanos Unidos Chapel tomorrow.. hopefully that will go better.

It has been so amazing getting to know all these new people this semester. It is really liberating. I dont think I realized how much I sheltered myself. I think thats what I needed the last few years. But right now I can feel that I am right where God wants me to be. Busy and courageous, initiative and completely humbled...

ESL was fun today.. we dont have class on Friday. That makes me sad. But I also dont have nutrition class so its a free afternoon for me. I think. Oh yah except we have a Majors retreat this weekend. So if I dont answer my phone thats why.

My cats are cute.

Today I was looking through my pics of this summer and miss Juarez SOO much. That was the hardest summer ever, and I dont know if I will ever have the strength to do it again, but man it was amazing!!!

I updated some pics onto my webshots... check em out. Ill put apt. pics up soon too. I promise!

News

Lots of new stuff has come about this week:

I aced my tests in French and Nutrition. That was quite exciting

I am going to be in the Culture Show.. Support Ethnos! Woot Woot! Ill be dancing with the Brazilian group and maybe acting/singing some as well. We'll see.

I am on the Praise team for Hispanos Unidos. Our first performance is wednesday in chapel. Yah thats right. I and my 7 or so teammates will be singing in front of hundreds of people. Im sorry but that is really weird. It has been years since I have sang in public.

We had a tango "workshop" on Friday night in the UP parking lot. It was a blast. Word to Isaac, Maria, courtney, Tisha and Alex who caught on quick! Y'all rock!

This week is the Study Abroad fair... I get to be susie studyabroad again..

ESL has been going great... We learned colors this week. Try explaining the difference between silver and grey, tan and offwhite, chocolate and brown, and why grey isnt light black or dark white.

My apartment finally smells good again. That makes life easy. Im not going to explain why it smelled so bad.

Thank you to Justin something freshman kid who found my cellphone outside of moody and called Ali. If you want her number gimme a hollah... Alibear rocks. Hahah.

I have no food in my house right now. none. literally. Ok well except soup, stale tortilla chips, and potpies.

I am sick of studying already.

Its been awhile

Man it has been awhile since I have posted.

Classes are going pretty well.. it has been a crazy busy couple of weeks. On top of classes I am assistant teaching an ESL conversation class. It is a lot of fun.. I have three students . Alberik from Burundi, Serge from Rwanda and Pascal from the Congo. They are all sweet guys. Their english is pretty low but we are working on it and they have already improved!! It is weird having an actual job. But it feels really good on the same note.

This week has been a week of new things. I have been trying to go out on a limb socially.. you know like I went to a concert friday where I wasnt sure if I knew anybody going. I have been going to Hispanos Unidos chapel.. where I know people but have met many new faces. I went to the first Study Abroad interest meeting this week and yucked it up about Study Abroad with freshmen, alumni, what have you. It has been really cool. I have made some really good friends, and I am excited about it. It is nice to meet people who are excited about the same things.

God has been stretching me these past few weeks. In so many ways. I have been tested a couple of times too. That has been interesting. Some of you know what I am talking about. Some of you dont..

My mom got hurt last week and I didnt know about it. That is a terrifying feeling. I hate living so far away and being out of the loop. It is so hard to know how she is doing. I worry.. a lot.

My dad is in China. I hope he is enjoying it.

I love my apt. I love living alone. It is amazing. It is messy right now and that drives me nuts.

Un Dia Normal

Pues, hoy decidí que quiero escribir algo en mi blog pero en honor de mi tarea, mi tarea del español, voy a escribirlo en español. Entonces...


Mis clases empezaron ayer.. tengo alguien que conozco en cada clase, y por eso mis clases estan bien. En mi clase de relaciones internacionales, vamos a trabajar con una organizacion que se llama Healing Hands. Esta organizacion ayuda a los misioneros de la iglesias de cristo en todos partes del mundo. Estoy animada que puedo trabajar con esta organizacion.. tambien quiero trabajar con International Refugee Committee, pero no se si voy a tener bastante tiempo por los dos.

Estoy hablando con Eilleen por MSN. Con todo mi ser les extraño a mis amigos en Juarez Mexico. A Juan, a Chiquis, Eilleen, Rosa, Anahy, Raquel y Uliel, sus hijos, a Octavio y Blanco, mi otro novio Viktor y Isai.... y todos! Al Pastor tambien! Quiero visitarles pronto pero tengo que esperar hasta octubre cuando tenemos vacaciones.. que lastima.

Lo siento a los que no se pueden leer en español! Pero que divertido!

An odd day

So this morning I drove back home from a great two days with mom. The drive home was amazingly easier, despite having the cats too... Yay for having cats now! They will come especially in handy now that I am single. Yes that is right.. stephen and I broke up. It was a hard ending to an amazing relationship. But I really felt God calling me to a season of singleness that I have never had, that I really really need, and hope will bear much fruit. Stephen know I love you dearly. It is my own fault for not taking this time before. I was selfish. I pray for you and your continued wrestling match with God. I hope to see you on the Frisbee field.. I would hate to miss opportunity to be blessed by such awesome role models as the grad guys.. aka you and your roommates and friends. But I understand either way.

I have cats in my apartment.

I have an apartment.

I have a 19 hour semester coming up.

Livin it Sola!

Well I made it back from J town to A town on Tuesday. Stacy and I drove into Abilene from Juarez, got here around five, spent some time with dad and chillaxin around town then eagerly went to bed early. My new apartment is awesome! I love it! And it is amazing being alone! I hope I dont get sick of it! I dont think I will! I have gotten to see brooke, ali, stev and marcus, oh and luke but not really anyone else. Its still kind of early and people are crazy busy.

Our farewell to our community was so hard. I have such amazing relationships with our community in Juarez. The church families, my little KC monsters. It was just an amazing summer with lots of love poured out of all directions. I have been recieving emails from youth all summer, and now from community members!!! I miss Eilleen my favorite enemy! She is like 17 and feisty.. I had such a hard time breaking down her wall but once it crumbled we had so much fun. I miss Rosa, her friendship, our sisterhood and beautiful Anahy. I miss Chito, Chiquis, Reyna, Raquel and Uriel. I miss all of our weekend fun with clubs and soccer games. It is so strange to know the amazing family I have in that city. I hope they come to visit! I hope I can go back soon! Once I get some of these pictures on my computer Ill post them. I dont know when that will be my camera is in the shop again. But hey it has had a rough couple of months ya know?

It is strange to know that I am not going to be living in another country in two weeks. I feel like I should be leaving again. Well tomorrow I am going to missourri but I mean to like you know LIVE. It has been an amazingly challenging 7/8 months.

Spiritually I have really been faced with a lot of challenges. God has been showing me some things.
First is that 4 years ago, one spring break in mexico he ignited a fire in my heart that will never go out. It is a fire for hispanics, spanish, mexico and everything regarding that. God showed me that this passion is a gift and something I need to regard as precious. I see that now. That is obviously something that I need to remember when making decisions and thinking about my future. It is a factor. It is God's will. I don't know what He is going to do with it, but I can't wait to see!

Second I need to find out who I want to be in Christ. Christ is supposed to transform my life into something lovely. I have never given the chance for Him to do that. I need to take time to figure out how my life is integrated into His eternity, not how I integrate or fit Him into my lifestyle.

Third. God is all about relationships. I knew that but this summer made that so clear. This summer I often was running on about 2 hours of sleep because I had been up with community members and then had to keep working the next day. I always wondered when I would be tired. Then it hit me. These relationships are filling me more than actual rest. They are so important that I dont need sleep to ill me all the time. not necessarily that I can abuse my body with the expectation of his continual strength. But that when it comes to building relationships and loving on people, God will always fill you up more than you could ask for.

Four. I know nothing. I am weak. I struggle all the time. I am poor in spirit. and I absolutely do not deserve Gods faithfulness. And yet. He gives it freely. I am still wrestling with what exactly that means. But I do know that it is beautiful.

Five. God is in the midst of it all. He is in my school, my town, he is in Juarez, he is in the clubs, he is in the churches. He was in my Kids Club, and our worksites. Man. He just IS. Thats why he is the I AM. Cuz its true.

Prayers

My sister was in the hospital last weekend. I am still pretty frazzled. She was basically paralyzed from the neck down for a decent period of time. I flew mymom out to Phillie to be with her last week. I almost had to go myself. It was a hard hard few days not knowing what was going on with my family. Now my mom is still sick and out there. She is talking about possibly moving/staying in phillie for good. That makes me happy, My mom needs to be around family and friends. More than just gma. Prayers for strength, healing and a good finish to the summer are coveted.

Here I go start the end week of summer.
I love you all.
See you soon

Dios les bendiga!

Tired, exhausted, encouraged, and hopeful.

So we calculated today that we are literally working about 100 hours a week. Despite being exhausted, roasting, farmers tanned like woah, and dirtier than possible, life is amazing in Juarez/El Paso. We have had two weeks of programming at our site so far and it has been amazing. We have had some amazing youth come in, some amazing adult leaders, and an awesome community. Last week we talked about the protection God gives us. We enjoyed dramas and crafts and games about Daniel and the many times God protected him. Our kids have been so adorable in kids club. Some days there are 10 kids, some days there are around 50. Ages range from 1 - 14, and It has been awesome.. I got three full days this week without having to kick anybody our or really discipline much.. it has been great. Our thursday nights we do a footwashing ceremony where we wash the feet of the adult leaders, and then the adult leaders wash the feet of the youth. Every week some of the youth and even adult leaders have washed our feet and prayed over us! What a blessing!!!!! What an encouragement! This week two senior guys named pat and chris washed our feet and prayed the sweetest prayers.. I had been so discouraged but after his prayers, again God showed me why I was in Mexico! It has been so amazing!

I talked to brooke today, bryant this week, and the padres a couple times.. it is good to share stories and let them know Im doin ok.

Stephen left for Africa on Monday and I have already gotten an email saying he is safe that is good to hear. We are in a strange season right now. Doubts about our future are in the air but it isn't a hostile thing, just possibilities to think through. God only knows what will happen and thats the truth.

Well I need to go to the pool and relax... many prayers and much love to all!!

Greetings from Juarez

Man this place is so amazing. Our first week of Youthworks training its over and we are chillin in El Paso before our first week begins. We will be working with site one this week .. Im totally pumped I feel like I am pretty ready to get started. Our community is so awesome.. I love them all so much all already. My staff is awesome. Stacy is amazing.. she is a great girl with a heart striving for God. Josh is awesome, he is such a punk and has a big heart for the people and social justice. Matt is a crazy kid and is so much fun. It is a perfect team.

I got my final grades.. all A's and a B in Pensamiento.. which really infuriates me but Ill deal. The other class that I had to do for the study abroad semester.. the one where I had to write a paper over xmas and a reflection at the end of the semester.. well he didnt ever get my paper when I sent it.. I have no idea what happened. I am really frustrated because I cant get my blasted ACU account to let me send emails.. ugh I hate MyACU.. anyways.. Kevin if you read this I sent you an email from my hotmail account... crap I just realized I never attached the paper.. hahah.. ok Im about to resend it.. heheh

Weirdness

So I am sitting here at Melody/Deborah's house on the computer with two of the 4 dogs licking my toes and 3 cats running around.. its like heaven.. hahhaha

Yesterday Deb and I went apartment hunting.. by that I mean for about 6 hours we drove around town and got info from like 8 different Apart. complexes... saw some apartments.. and then eventually despite our previously made decisions are now considering being roommates because..like my dad is right.. BLAST... it is So much cheaper.. so now we are waiting for my dad to come into town on monday and help us decide which complex would be the best.. we narrowed it down to two places.. Parkridge Place and Willow crest Apts. They are totally different.. like TOTALLy.. but one is more expensive and nice.. the latter is cheaper but we got to actually see an apt and they are nice.. plus it has a creek! Which is so uncommon in Texas that we want to sign a lease today! hahahahha.. anyways..

Other than all that I got to play disc last night..so much fun.. it felt good to play well.. although I lost energy about a third of the way through and was a lazy bum...

Today we leave for Dallas for my First Aid class tonight and hangin with Bret and Summer this weekend.. I am pumped for that.. I hoep I have neough cash in my account to pay for gas, FA and Six Flags.. Im rather worried actually.. We'll see.. either way itll be fun

I leave for Juarez in Two weeks.. less than that actuallya nd it is making me really nervous...

Ahhhhh.....

Ok.. it is like 7pm sunday. The past few days have been fantastic!

Thursday night.. post Trabajo Final Turn in for Pensamiento.. we frantically searched the Net of Inter for a cabin to stay in when we arrived in Dayman Springs the next morning (the bus left 4 hours later.. 11:30 we were frantic).. at about 9pm we called the lady we had made prior arrangements with and turns out we had a cabin all along. We packed, caught our bus, and 6 hours later deboarded the bus.. turned around and realized we were in the middle of nowhere.. One way was a bridge, the other two streets.. and nothing open. It was afterall 5 in the morning. We walked around the itty bitty town of dayman, picked up some stray dogs, and eventually got invited into a reception area of a cabin that we.. eventually.. ended up staying at because the other place wouldnt let us come in until like late that evening.. SO we got into our newly acquired amazing cabin and slept... ahhh.. then off to the Termas.. which were all pools heated by Hot Spring water and amazing.. for like 10hours we just chilled, sat, talked, laughed, roughhoused in the water and had a blast.. Later we got dinner and jsut all sat around talking and laughing and listening to music..

Yesterday morning I got a Professional MASSage.. it was A - Mazing! then off to the Parque Aquatico. We had a blast there running around, breaking rules on the slides and gawking in nausea at the old OLD men in speedos.. SICK.

We eventually caught our bus back home and arrived early this morning. It was amazing to just chill out and not HAVE TO DO ANYTHING!

So the week begins.. I am tired, but I can sleep and sleep and sleep.

Today we watched Dead Poet's society.. I miss that movie.. it is SO good.

I talked to my mom on the phone I miss her

Sometimes I wonder if I fell off the face of the planet with my friends in Atown.. I know that Jules, Phil, Stephen,Brooke etc didnt forget me.. kristen too.. but I remember when somebody fromt he group left and I didn't hear a WORD about her til she returned, and even then it was different. Maybe this is just me being stupid.. probably... Im alright with either.. it was just a thought..

I miss my mommy

Finished finished finished!

Just finished my paper and all of the homework I still had to turn in.. Now all I have to do is go to the Catholic University and turn in the paper. Woot! We leave tonight for the Termas.. which is like a ton of pools and waterparks that use the water from the hot springs.. its exciting.. Ill be back sunday morning ready to start packing and relax! I can't believe it is almost time to go home! I am actually kind of nervous to go home which is strange. I am excited to see stephen and such, but I am not looking forward to entering the real world again. I know I will start ordering food in spanish, or answering questions in spanish or the like.. It should be interesting.. I am in the process of making a Compilation CD of pictures from everybody and it is kind of depressing.. we have an amazing group of people here, I will miss everybody so much. It has been an awesome experience and place to spend four months of my life...

On another note.. I have a Spanish interview on Monday for Youthworks. I got an email a few days ago from Leah (YW) asking when I would be home so I can do the interview. I don't get home until the day they send out final placements so they are pulling some strings and calling me all the way in Uruguay to do it. That is insane to me. Five days before final placements are sent out they are interviewing me for the possiblity to work in either Juarez or Tijuana. Thats insane. Oh well.. It is in God's hands and whether I get to work in MX or not Itll be an amazing summer. I was already assuming I wasn't going to be able to. We shall see.. it would be so awesome! and a great way to keep my spanish up. That would be a real test too!

Avid Mate (mah tay) Drinker..

I am officially Uruguaya... Dont know what Mate is? Check it out.. awesome.. you can try some when I come home.. its so good... the only tea I have ever considered enjoying... yummmm...

Merienda Fun!

The past few days have been really awesome.. Thursday night a bunch of us went out to a restaunt called the spaghetteria 23 that had amazing Italian food and awesome service. Despite leaving my purse there (of which I retrieved today) it was great and then we all went home and watched Gladiator.. Great movie.. A nice lil chill night. Then last night ... Friday... we all went to a hill down by the beach that has an amazing view and had a merienda.. aka mate, snacks and such. We sang some songs, played funny games like the HA HA game and then went over to a little lake and rolled down hills.. it was great.. We came home to the guys setting up the projector in the foyer to watch Man on Fire on the CEILING. it was so weird but cool. We layed out mattresses with blankets and pillows and all layed down and watched. Half the people fell asleep at some point but we ddnt start watching it til like 1am so it was warranted..

Today has been a day of homework. I am trying to get my Pensamiento paper started. Ive already had to change my topic, of which im not even sure I can do.. I had to email my teacher to find out if it is ok. I hope it is cuz I have already been researching it.. anyways.. Im pretty pumped for the next week to be over. Cuz its exam week so when it is over I am so almost home! We have some small travel plans but other than that its all relaxing, and packing!!

Levelling out

Is that spelled right? Levelling? oh well.. it looks like a cool word. The point is things are going better this week. Getting homework done. Studying hard. We went to the beach and played frisbee some yesterday. I feel sore and its great. We had a scavenger hunt around town for our Art class today. We went around town to go find buildings of certain architectural designs. It was fun. I was with Jeremy and Quaid. We wouldve won.. maybe.. if we hadn't taken that slow bus.. but then again spending more money on a cab for the sake of the victory (of which no prize was given) wouldnt have been worth it.

Oh yah. I woke up this morning went to the bathroom and Haley was like uhh.. go back to the room and look in my bed. I did. Daniel slept in her bed last night. She slept in his. He wanted to hear this so called "phyllis talking crazy in her sleep" for himself. It was a very strange morning. Im a little off. It was really funny though.. Samanta wants to sleep in here tonight. I feel like a freak show. It doesn't feel too great. But atleast my life has purpose. hmm...

Projects Galore...

We got back grades on our first big project of the semester.. It was a presentation on MERCOSUR.. not an interesting topic at first, but you add in some jeopardy and you got some flare.. we put a LOT of work into it, and I was proud of the powerpoints I made for it.. we had a great group who worked hard to get it all together.. We got a 100%. Crazy what hard work'll get ya. I have my second big group project this afternoon.. I still have a lot to research and get prepared but it should be interesting. The project is on New Age and how it relates to Christianity and Culture. I went to a Santeria shop yesterday with Cristina and bought a deck of Tarot Cards. Haven't seen any in about 7 years or so.. kinda nostalgiac for me. It was funny to walk through the store and go we had that book, we had those candles, that insence, those oils are good for this ailment, Runes! It was funny. Cristina was a little bewildered by it all. I am so grateful for all the epics of experiences I have had. It is amazing how much I more I appreciate the faith I have come to claim in my life. Being able to see it in relative to other things and faiths I myself have been a part of. It really helps you see why you believe what you believe. My faith has a foundation I have never experienced before. There is Truth there, not just ideas swirling around... Anyway.. I am allowed an opportunity to share a little bit of these ideas today.. I hope we can do a good job of representing New Age Spirituality well and what Christians should consider when thinking about it. Its another easily generalized religion lumped in with wicca and satanism. It is very much different from those although its histories can be traced to both and other neo pagan religions. If you want info... email me.. ask me.. whatever.

What it all comes down to is that God is my shelter, bedrock, salvation. Thats all. And I am glad.

Estancia Fun!

Yesterday was a blast! We went to the Estancia Arteaga for a day and it was so fun! We had a total of about 5 hours of riding, bfast, asado for lunch, mirienda,dancing, music, and we got to play with a wild tarantula! Craziness! Today Haley and I were planning on a day long beach relaxation.. but we went for an hour and it started sprinkling.. so now I am condemned to homework.. yuck.. oh well..

Topic of conversation on the two hour van rides yesterday:

- corny ways we have been "asked out" in high school, middle school etc,
- prom invitations/assumtions/activities
- dumb breakups.... mostly "worst" stories
- he said- she said middle school conversations
- embarrassing moments


its amazing the things that can define you, change you, loosen you up a bit... As much as I don't miss all the drama of high school.. I appreciate how much I learned from it. I think I came out ahead... I don't feel tarnished by a crappy high school experience, despite painful days, weeks, months.. and uncomfortable situations. Bad decisions ended up opening my eyes to so much of the world, and so much of who I was and want to be.

It always reminds me of how lucky I am to have been able to go through the experiences I have. I am not jealous of the rich, or the families who "grew up in church" or anybody who has never "lost" anyone. I am not jealous of people who haven't experienced anything traumatizing or painful. I feel bad for what they have missed out on. I am not trashing those groups of people. I know many in each category who are wiser than I could ever hope to be.

Brooke for example is someone I have so much respect for. She has had great life, but lived it... and she is wiser for it. She has her head on straight and it didn't have to get knocked around to get there... You are a blessed girl and Im proud to be your friend.

Then there are the people whom I have sympathy for. Daniel was one. Ive talked to him about it before. He has had a relatively easy life and knows it. Christian family, happy home, normal siblings, good highschool, good friends, never really had to persevere through much. (Daniel you know Im not doggin ya. youre a great guy, we've had this convo before:P) Yet with the amount of blessings he has he missed a lot as well. I remember him saying he felt like he was never pushed into finding himself cuz he just never had anything to face. That sucks. Im not saying I hope people die around him, or whatever.. but I hope that he will have to face obstacles soo that God can open his eyes to who he is.. for his sake. Not saying he's a big fat jerk and I wish he would see that. Not saying that! I do mean that he deserves to be able to struggle with God a little, not against, but beside God. The "pure joy whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."(James 1:2-4). Man I love that verse. I feel like it represents a lot of me. My hope is that I can be come complete through trials. That in every trial I can see which part of me is being molded, or atleast trust that it is happening whether I see it or not. It makes the rough times bearable, and it makes this world a lot easier to live it.

Anyway.. That is my thought train of the day. I seem to be thinking about this a lot. Throughout life this verse and verses like it come back to me. I wonder why :P

Love to all

Planners... yay

Wow.. this weekend should zoom... Today we have lunch..yum..then all are planning on doing a walking tour to the Prado to see the Museo de Bellas Artes, the Botanical Gardens and go to an upscale tea house.. apparently. Then we are all gonna come back and later tonight we are going to a lounge/club thing... it is supposed to be really cool. Nice and chill but a lot of fun and an awesome view of the river/ocean thing. Next week I have two big projects due and a lot of little homework stuff. Yuck. We only have two weeks of classes left.. thts insane. Ill have another project due the following week, and next weekend is our 'survival' weekend.. yuck. Im not looking forward to that at all.. but oh well.. Ill take it for what it is.. Last night after dinner and a couple episodes of seinfeld with Lucas, we watched Wimbledon... Man.. I love that movie... I was the only girl in the room that thought the guy was beautiful. They were all like "too skinny" "too old" "receding hairline" "weird looking"... I was like blond,blue eyes, athletic, tall, and just beautiful.. I couldn't believe it!! Maybe Im just weird... I dont know... but hey I think I have great taste.. and if not.. oh well.. I still like it! hahah... 28 days..... (Insert stephen blush here)

WOW Congrats to Phil and Jenna..

Doo Doo Doo.. another one bites the dust!

So Phil and Jenna are engaged. WOW. Being gone that one was a total surprise. Congrats kids!


So this weekend has been pretty nice. All day Friday and Saturday constituted of me relaxing, shopping or sitting. Very nice. I am just an exhausted person. In general. Overall things are going well here though. I have been a good girl and have been pretty industrious getting projects worked on and getting details hammered out for Youthworks although I STILL DONT KNOW WHERE I WILL BE THIS SUMMER. No frustration there though.. The longest drive is 19 hours.. I can hack that with a pit stop in Nashville or Mommas house in KC.

Ive been trying to put together some of my Powerpoint for my scholarship follow up project. I realized that that will be due in like november, but that it isn't just due, I have to present it by then. Which means it needs to be prepared by school starting in August. Yah thats a lot of time, but it kind of isn't when you take away May through school starting cuz of Youthworks and moving into the apartment Ill be getting.. when I ever get it, if I find it .. which I will.

Not that he'll read this, but it is Thomas, stephens brothers, birthday today. I assume he is 17. I think that is right. Not sure. Thats awesome. Makes me feel old. Bet stephen feels REALLY old. haha. Anyway.. Hes a crazy fun kid whom I am proud to know!!! Plus he has great taste! Woot! so HAPPY BIRTHDAY THOMAS!!!!!!!

Tomorrow is Tuesday. I swear yesterday was thursday and I was excited for the weekend. This weekend went by like lightning. This week is gonna be busy too. We go to the Estancia this weekend too.. that means a ranch, so we'll be riding horses and seeing a show and such. I'm super pumped for that. should be fun. Ill be home a month from Wednesday. That sounds like a lot. And then you say Ill be home four weeks from Friday. That sounds like nothing.

I found out we are having exams the week BEFORE we leave. Which means I technically only have two weeks of classes, exam week, and fun week. Thats NOTHING. Craziness.

As you can tell I am rather pumped to come home. Its great here and all. But Im restless. This has been one of the most amazing experiences, and it continues to be a blast day by day.. but when the day comes to get on that plane, fly home, see stephen and sleep on somebody's couch, I will be smiling. A lot.

Goodnight to all. Sleep tight.

Its April.. Wow

Umm... not really sure what to think today. Its April Fool's Day. I hate April Fool's Day. Im so weird about pranks. I used to be soooo up for them. But this year I have purposely decided to be party pooper Phyllis and stay out, WAY out of the prankage. I put threats on lives last night as we locked our door (and window) in order to keep at bay the possibily of property prankage. So far I have come out unharmed. I am such a weirdo.

Today is a weird day.. not doing so well on the feeling well scale. Again I praise God I am female, but wish I could deck Eve for makin life so freakin difficult for the chicks! I mean really.. millions, and billions and billions of women around the world probably want to twack her ear for every emotional rollercoaster, every irrational thought, every cramp, every pair of jeans that didnt fit once a month, and every child they had to endure birthing. (Can I get an Amen Ladies? and those males that also had to endure) End.

So back to april...
that means that basically next week we have a trip to an estancia
the week after is our survival weekend at our peoples houses
and then there are two weekends free... to sit. doubtful.
Then I come home... Thursday the fifth we fly out and get to Dallas on the morning of the 6th..

So I will be in America on my sisters birthday! Surprise!! hehehe...
Crazy, five weeks from today. I have a lot of gifts to buy. Yikes.

I love you and miss you all..

Vegetable Day

Today was pretty chill...

Did homework, took naps, got hamburguesas with buds, watched about a boy on tv, a little Joey, and some One Tree Hill to chill. Later we are apparently dying easter eggs although Im kind of thinking about just crashing way early tonight to catch up on needed sleep. Who knows...

I did my presentation on the stuff earlier posted today in class. I think it turned out pretty dumb. I just dont stop talking, and it is boring to the world except for me... so anyway apparently dualism isn't the most interesting topic to most people. I liked reading it, its stuff Ive never thought in those ways before.

Got to talk to stephen the other day for a REALLY long time. That was so nice. I miss that kid. I miss people who understand my humor and I can just totally be myself with. I love everybody here but I can't really be me here. Noone gets me, and its hard to show to them cuz we are all so different.

On a different note I am on a mission to carve out time for God now. I have started a prayer list that has different things for different days. Like different people, ministries, even areas of the world. I am going to try to pay attention to it as much as possible but I dont expect perfection.

I am officially impatient about Youthworks, I still dont know where I am goign to be this summer. I am trusting that I will find out soon enought to figure out how to get there but it may be a freaking long road trip. Oh well God is good, and I am trusting Him ith this summer completely.

Happy Easter and whatnot...

Today has been a weird day thus far. Had some strange dreams involving flying, and other strange things. Lunch was good as usual. I missed Raquel. Im just in a funk I think. Im so not up for doing homework tonight.. YUCKY...

Last nights UK vs. MSU game was AMAZING!!! I couldn't believe it! I was up in the TV room with Andy and Alex (both of whom were UK fans). Craziness! That crazy three point shot into overtime, then MSU kickin in Double OT for the win! Man! I was very happy. Jumping screaming, trash talking the works. hahahah... Ive only become a basketball fan since last summer, but I have missed watching anything other than socer. Which I haven't watched much of either. We did watch the Chile/Uruguay game sat. night which was awesome. The restaurants all have big screens on for big games and they get PACKED. The game didn't start till midnight and everyone was crazy until it ended at like 2! We go to a Uruguay game on Wednesday in Montevideo... Should be nuts!! Im pumped for that! If anyone has any times for the final four games this weekend let me know! Im out of the loop....

Ended up talking to stephen for a really long time yesterday on the phone.. man this Skype thing is crazy cheap.. we only spent like 3 euros on the plethora of calls yesterday! Insane.. that wouldve been like a 200 buck phone call...

Christ vs. Culture

So for my Christianity and Culture class we are reading a book that explains different views on the subject of Christianity and/or/both/with culture. The chapter I have to present is on what they call a dualistic approach (not the same as Dualism, just a term they are using for this idea). Some of it is ringing within me and makes me smile that I would get this chapter rather than ones on gnostics, synthesists or others. God is continually showing me more of what I believe in concrete ways, putting words to feelings, etc. Here are some things I have read:

" The conflict is between God and man, or better, between God and us: the issue lies between the righteousness of God and the righteousness of self. "

On Culture:
"He knows that he belongs to that culture and cannot get out of it, that God indeed sustans him in it and by it; for if God in His grace did not sustain the world in its sin it would not exist for a moment"
Pauls ideas: " As far as this world was concerned it was their task to work out their salvation, and their gift to live in the spirit of Christ in whatever community or station in life they had been apprehended by the Lord."

As Christians in Culture:
"As Christians we want to be the forgivers of sins, the lovers of men, new incarnations of Christ, saviors rather than saved; secure in our own possession of the true religion, rather than dependent on a Lord who possesses us, chooses us, forgives us. If we do not try to have God under our control, then at least we try to gve ourselves the assurance that we are on His side facing the rest of the world; not with the world facing Him in infinite dependence, with no security save Him."

"He is standing on the side of man in the encounter with God, yet seeks to interpret the Word of God which he has heard coming from the other side. In this tension he must speak of revelation and reason, of law and grace, of the Creator and Redeemer. Not only his speech is paradoxical under these circumstances, but his conduct also.

He is under law, and yet not under law but grace; he is sinner, and yet righteous; he believes, as a doubter; he has assurance of salvation, yet walks along the knife-edge of insecurity. In Christ all things have become new, and yet everything remains as it was from the beginning. God has revealed Himself in Christ, but hidden Himself in His revelation; the believer knows the One in whom he as believed, yet walks by faith not sight."

I don't know.. this is a lot and kind of all out of context for y'all, but they were just some ideas that stuck out to me... I think the tension the author speaks about is real and needed for Christians to appreciate the gift of Grace they have been given, but also the sturdy Rock they stand on. We need to be confident that we are dependent on someone else, but confident that that that someone else is completely and utterly faithful in return. Our faith is only a reflection of His unending faithfulness.

This is really the only part of the book I have enjoyed, although some of the other viewpoints are kind of interesting. If you want to read it:
Christ and Culture by H. Richard Niebuhr.

Bob Mersereau.. always a light.

I just got an email from a youth group leader back home saying that one of my favorite people is in the hospital and isnt going to make it. His name is Bob Mersereau, he is an amazing old man, husband to an amazing woman, and a pillar of faith in my life. When I was in highschool he came with us to Mexico. They were like 70 or something and were amazing. He has always remembered my name and given the best advice and the best hugs. He let us use his cottage for youth group so he could be around us, pray for us and serve us. Despite the fact that I hate to hear he isnt going to make it. I praise God that he is the man that he is. He deserves to rest from his life of service. I hope he knows we are proud of him and are impatient to see him again. Thank God for amazing people like Bob and his family. I hope someday I can be as proud of my life and service as he is. I hope someday people are happy for me to go rest too... God be with that family, continue to encourage them and others with their faith....

Bariloche SBO5

So here we are in bariloche. Been here since saturday night and have had a blast. we leave tomorrow... im sad to miss the relaxin and the cool people but pumped for an empty house and banana splits..

so far we have done some tours, "fishing", death by rafting, and some horseback riding. Plus hittin up the popular pub and meeting some awesome people.. shopping galore and relaxing ALOT. Its amazingly beautiful here and nice and cold.. mmmmmm..... no snow though..

I will post more tomorrow when we get back but know that I am alive and will return tomorrow. Parentals and Stephen feel free to call or email to be called on sunday.. we may go to the beach in the afternoon but night will be open untill late most likely.. LOTS O HOMEWORK

Love yall!

St Paddy's Day fun!

We all went to Ciudad Vieja last night and had a lot of fun! Went out dancing after and me some cool people... all in all it was pretty nuts. There were soooo many English speakers out cuz of the holiday party at the Irish Pub.. The Uruguayans thought it was some sort of birthday party. Nobody knew what St. Patricks day was, and it was hard to explain to them.. needless to say it was fun...

We leave tomorrow morning for Bariloche, Argentina. It is our spring break trip. I am sooo excited to go. There is a lot to do and it will be nice and cool while we are there. We get back next saturday so don't expect much email or blog action until then. I will post pics when I get back...

I got my hair cut. Its ok.. I like the color more than the cut but its cool.. It looks a lot like it did like a month ago.. but a little more textured.. Uruguayans cut their hair weird. Atleast its cheap.

Nostalgia

So today was spent attempting to nap in my room, whilst my roommate attempted the same, much to our dismay this said nap did not occur due to constant nostalgic(sp?) longings that were swirling uncontrollably through our minds....

Hence lists:
I miss:
Taco Bell... oh double decker supreme no tomatoes and a mountain dew with REFILLS
Walmart.. anything, everything
Target
McDonalds.. though they are here, they dont understand me!!
Quiet, alone time, being alone, being lonely,
My cats, my mom, stephen, brooke, RM, Jules, Whit, Stev, Erin, dad, stephen's roommates.
My cochita... driving, leaving ON TIME.. arriving ON TIME.. my CD's
Ultimate...mmmmm.. physical activity in general seems to have ceased.
English libraries, magazines, tv, radio

I cant wait to:
see people when I get back..
get my apartment when I get back in august
buy a coffee maker... I feel so domestic
have my cats in my apartment (SOOO PUMPED)
Live next to Brooke and Michelle (if Im so lucky:P)
chill out with stephen, go to abuelos, see bret and summer etc.
leave for youthworks and have an amazing summer
be active.. at anything.. I want to play volleyball more next sem! or tennis!
sleep in my OWN ROOM

Im too lazy to think of anymore...

Our friends from Mendoza are in town tonight. we're gonna hang out with them after our last tango class tonight.. sad.. oh well we're going dancing again this weekend before spring break stuff! WOOT WOOT!

not looking forward to:
19 hours next semester
not talking to stephen whilst he is in Sudan/Uganda/Europe(arg :P)
driving across town to classes
taking Adv. Spanish Grammar YUCKY YUCKY
no dulce de leche, crappy steaks and less dancing
flat texas compared to amazing SA
not seeing my parents until... whenever.
RM deciding not to come to ACU next semester
coming back to half my friends graduated or "married off"

Poor kid..

I just got off a creaky internet phone with stephen... well this was last night, but still.. that poor kid was sick as a dog, and sounding pitiful. He has a midterm today too! These are the times it makes it difficult to be away! If I was home I wouldve been at his house last night whether he liked it or not... sprite, crackers and lots and lots of sympathy. I also probably woulve shown up at his house with something insane today.. like a new squirtgun for him, or cowboy gear.. you know all those fun things the dollar store has to offer. I have always wanted to get and keep for more than five minutes a princess crown.. that or a cowboy holster... maybe some handcuffs to add some FLAVA. Nonetheless.. i did not purchase these items, there was no sprite and crackering... Sorry honey... feel better.. I miss you.. I love you dearly!

Schedule for next semester... looks.. fun.

So I figured out my schedule for next semester.. sadly.

Monday(MWF) Tuesday Thursday
8am 8am Adv. Spanish Grammar
9am French I 930 Mexico: Growth and Culture
10am Nutrition
11am Chapel 11am Chapel
Lunch
2pm German
3pm Gymnastics(MWonly)
630 International Relations(M only)

What does all that mean? 19 hours, classes in 4 different languages including english.

BUT! I have Tues, Thurs, Friday afternoons totally free after lunch. Which is INCREDIBLY exciting. I have almost an identical schedule to last semester. I almost attempted to have tuesday thursdays free, but upon reconsidering I realized if I plan to live across town there IS NO WAY i will want to go to chapel on TR's.... so here it is. Im excited. RM is taking tumbling with me... and the language classes will be fun. I might even let stephen audit french since there is only one section (much to my dismay :P). Who knows.. maybe a little competition will be good for me... Id love to beat the "grad student" and wouldnt feel too bad if he did better.. he does have his bachelors after all.. either way despite, uncomfort.. it would be win win for me.


We found out today that the Roanes are no longer going to be doing study abroad Montevideo after this semester. Which means the program might "die unless we can do something about it. That makes me sad. We are having a meeting tonight for ideas. I hope we can do something. Besides I have to do a project anyway for my Gilman Scholarship.. if theres no program.. what can I promote?

Feeling Techno Savvy

So I added a banner on my site, and for short that means I feel so cool that I know how to do that! Woot! anyway.. its for Skype.com. Its this program you download and if other people are on it too (and have microphones) you can chat and talk free like phone calls. Plus even if they dont they have SUPER low international call rates worth using. i spent the past hour calling family from UY for less than 2 or 3 bucks... thats HUGE.... so check it out.. I recommend it. My prof here in UY told me about it and uses it for work/business stuff. and family too.. hehe...

PEACE

So fun

So last night we all went out to some tango clubs... oh my goodness so much fun. We met a group of people.. and danced with them a lot. It is so much fun to learn from them! The guys we danced with were tango teachers too and so they were so nice and i learned more last night than all 4 of our classes. I learned the milongue too! I am incredibly sore today though, butt hips, arm calves,, EVERYTHING.. dancing is rough man! Im pumped to go again sometime!

Motorcycle Diaries

Yes ... this movie is REALLY GOOD.. the group watched it last night. Good message, good content... it was neat to see places we've been in the movie too! And places we'll go!

Today we went to the beach.. ahhhh it felt so good. Did some tumbling, a lil vball, a lil swimmin... good stuff...apparently we are going out dancing tonight, tango then the normal club... Im hungry and off to get some comida....

Tomorrow is dia del pelo for me.. im getting a haircut.. woot woot! Not sure what Im gonna do.. Im so tempted to chop it all off again, but I miss my long hair too.. hmmmmmmmmm

CasaPueblo in Punta del Este ... yah thats right.. i took that picture..  

Me and my horsy Clarita... in the Andes.. in Mendoza Argentina...  

Best Birthday cake ever!!!  

Hot Phyllis and Haley... yes... those ar heels, a skirt and even makeup... RARE 

ARG

Drama ensues at CasaACU.

God we all need a little patience, a little humor, a touch of maturity and some time to breathe.

I love everybody here, I am sad drama is occuring. I guess it will blow over. We have made it this far with nothing too big happening. Oh well. Thats life with 12 college kids in one house. We haven't quite made Real World status yet. Not even close. Thats a relief.

Interesting possibilities

So I was thinking today about the trip we made last week, and the cool people we met in the hostels.

What an amazing ministry you could make of hostels. Most people that go there are from all over the world and are basically looking for their purpose, their desires. Many people are "escaping" from purposeless lives in order to be "free" from the world. I think God has opened my eyes to an amazing opportunity here. I don't know if it is something feasible.. but it is a different way to look at travelling. I wonder if there are any people in the world looking for a relaxed internship or mission field that is incredibly flexible and fun. Just hop a plane to whereever and start ministering. Just go anywhere, find a hostel and start meeting people.. start making friends, developing relationships, groups, getting contact info, and spending time with people that are searching for inspiration in other people, nature, anything. What an amazing thing it would be to go trekking for a few days in Gods beautiful creation and have the opportunity to share your purpose and your desires with people who need it. Hmmmm...

Something to think about. Something to offer up for discussion. Something to offer up to God in prayer.

On another note. I am sick today. I think my allergies are attacking because its rainy and crappy. This is the first time I have been sick sick in awhile. Sad. oh well.. im off to stuff!

Home

Hey y'all, I have returned from Mendoza with Alex. I just got off the phone with Padre and things are going well. It feels amazing to have a quiet house.. So the weekend went:

We got on our Buquebus and Bus to Mend. fine. I met a girl on our bus that was from South Lyon Michigan.. she knows russ somehow but doesnt know how.. very strange... very very strange. We met A LOT of michiganders and Californians... We also met a bunch of norwegians and belgiums that were awesome people. Our hostel was nice, had lots of winetasting and a pool. It also had a lot of ants, but only in MY BAG. SIck. My legs are now spotted with fire ant pussy bites that itch and make my legs swell. oh well.. theyll go away eventually. Thursday we went to the Parque General de San Martin and got to just chill walking, relaxing, in the beauty of mountains, lakes and TREES MMMMM.... We went out to dinner and got Birthday ice cream and tried some amazing wine.. Mendoza is famous for their wines and was in the midst of the Vendiminia.. or wine festival. CRAZY. Friday was awesome.. we went on a day long excursion by horseback into the andes mountains. BEAUTIFUl. Pics will be posted ASAP... Our guide Cecilia was a sweet funny lady and ALL GAUCHO..(cowgirl). The guy that owned the estancia (ranch) was named Cata and wore a blue beret and cooked AMAZING asado! and this vegetable thing that had steamed carrots, zuchini, onion, potato, pumpkin, eggplant, and oregano.. oh MAN it was good. then that night we went out to the winetasting/ tango party at the hostel, met a tn of norwegans and belgiums and then went out with them to the pubs. It was a lot of fun. No I did NOT get wasted. I did however take a sip of this drink from Chile that was soooo sweet and sour. Saturday we accidentally wasted three hours on a bus with an angry driver trying to go to a vineyard to no avail. Blasted bad directions and unhelpful people. It was an adventure nonetheless. We bought some wine to take home to people, I bought a few awesome handcrafted necklaces... a good day altogether.. a great weekend. Now we are back home chillin. I am tired a little. I am hungry and craving hamburguesas.. mmmmmmmm...... k Im gonna go get some money and some food... PEACE

Oh yah.. and Im 20 now. Yikes

Try Again

So I have been attempting to posty pics of the Presidential Inauguration and a post about it but it hasnt been working.. so I will attempt when I return from Argentina. but for now...

We leave in about 5 minutes for Mendoza Argentina. Our tickets were finalized yesterday, our hostel was reserved about an hour ago. Other than the rushing its all coming together and I am totally pumped about it....

If anyone needs to get a hold of me the number and details about the hostel we are staying in are at:

www.lifehouse.com.ar

Love yall! Hope you have a great weekend!

Happy Bday to me tomorrow.. oh and I will be able to check email all weekend.. so send away!