Life and All that it Brings

Life is good. I disagree.

dancingmylifeaway43 — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 03:23:06 +0000

Well not everything is going wrong in life. Actually up until the weekend I would say life was going great. The first full week of school and dance was this past week and it went really well. I had a lot of fun in all of my dance classes and school is actually enjoyable this year. And except for a few things my weekend was actually really awesome too! I got to spend some time with Katie and Lizzie and that was a ton of fun and then I spent the night and this afternoon with Emily and we had an amaizng time! We even planned out our road trip which is actually going to happen. We’re going to go to the New England area, hitting up Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and maybe even Rhode Island. It’s going to be pretty sick.

But life isn’t going too well right now. Yesterday while pulling out of Katie’s driveway I backed into a pole (which I truly did not see) and now there’s an extremely prominent dent in my car I pretty much felt like I was gonna puke when I saw it. And then my parents hit us with even worse news tonight- my father was laid off from his job. It’s a devastating blow to our family, especially this year when money is going to be a large part of our lives with college and everything of that type. Tonight just that you’ll pray for us, a lot. I need those prayers like crazy. Night.

A New Day Has Come

dancingmylifeaway43 — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 19:31:51 +0000

Or should I say a new year has come? I LOVE IT! Everything is going to work perfectly I just know it! My schedule is amazing for school and for dance and there’s nothing I can complain about. I love, love, LOVE my life right now! There’s not much to write here…I want to get back to reading my book (Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer)! I’m so excited about the song I chose for my solo. And there’s a story here because I was distraught today…I had no idea what song or kind of song I even wanted to do so when I heard this song plaing on my iTunes I automatically put repeat on. I can’t stop listening to it which will be good because I’ll have to hear it every week for who knows how long This song has a good message to it and a very dance-able feel. It’s a miracle! I swear! Hearing this song was God telling me that it’s the song I have to do Here are the lyrics to Hallelujah by Paramore.

somehow everything’s gonna fall right into place
if we only had a way to make it all fall faster everyday
if only time flew like a dove
we gotta make it fly faster than I’m falling in love
this time we’re not giving up
let’s make it last forever
screaming “hallelujah”
we’ll make it last forever
holding onto patience, wearing thin
I can’t force these eyes to see the end
if only time flew like a dove
we could watch it fly and just keep looking on
this time we’re not giving up
let’s make it last forever
screaming “hallelujah”
we’ll make it last forever
and we’ve got time on our hands
and we’ve got, got nothing but time on our hands
got nothing but, got nothing but
got nothing but time on our hands
this time we’re not giving up
oh, let’s make it last forever
screaming “hallelujah”
“hallelujah”
“hallelujah”

End of Summer :(

dancingmylifeaway43 — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 23:34:02 +0000

Well tonight is officially the last night of summer vacation. Yes I know, it’s extremely sad! I guess really haven’t had much to say lately. Life has been going, and that’s pretty much it. I finished all my AP work with time to spare on Sunday, I was extremely overwhelmed with it all! Throughout the rest of my summer I’ve had some fun times.

Emily and I went to the MAG one day and did artsy stuff with out time She also slept over that night too which was a lot of fun. We bonded a lot and she’s definitely one of my best friends! I went to the State Fair with my family, lots of cute guys there! I love going to the fair and doing simple stuff like that. My sister and I got closer too, it was really fun. I went to 98 PXY’s summer jam with my friends Emily, Max, and Morgan! It was amazing. The acts were The Sunstreak, Chris Williams, We the Kings, Tyga, and Secondhand Seranade. They were all so good and I had such a fun time with the girls! We spent some time at my grandparents house, we had to dig my dog’s grave :\ and then this morning we had to put her down. It was probably one of the saddest moment’s ever for me. Meeka was in our family for a little over 11 years, and she was such an amazing dog. I loved her so much and so did my dog Daisy, I think she’s lost without Meeka. Daisy has always had Meeka around and we’re not sure how depressed Daisy will be when alone. We are looking at puppies though so that Daisy can have a companion. I got to visit my friend Shianne at U of R the other day and it was so fun to hand with the church girls for the night. Walking around the campus, and not being on tour while doing it made me want to go to college so bad.

I’m bracing myself for this year; the school schedule is actually really good and I get to drive to school which will be awesome! Dance is going to be great too, I chose to only take Fagan class on Thursdays because I wouldn’t be able to make it to pointe on time if I did it on Tuesdays. And I’m at Danc’letics every single day of the week except Saturdays, and I’m there a ton of Sundays so again it will be my second home all year! I can’t wait to get started but I am a little anxious. We’ll see how it goes tomorrow!

Finally!

dancingmylifeaway43 — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 00:16:02 +0000

I’m so glad I can finally sit down and write a post! I feel like I haven’t done this in forever, when really it’s only been a little over a week. I’ve had a great week while I’ve been gone: camping, seeing my brothers, AP work, and lots of other things. I think I’m going to start with camping!

We went camping from early on Sunday to early on Friday and those 6 days were so good! The one thing love most about camping is spending time with my family. Like the last 3 years I was there along with Lauren, Mom, Dad, Nana, Papa, Deb, and Walter. We had so much fun just hanging with each other and doing other fun activities. We all played tennis together 3 times during the week, we went tubing (well Lauren and I did), we played games and laughed and really just enjoyed the company. The site had a small path to the water that opened up to an amazing view! The first day being there I took my Bible with me to a spot on the shore and found a big rock to take a seat on. The view was breathtaking and I figured I would start out with Genesis and the creation of everything I was staring at. I was overwhelmed with a feeling of praise when I would read each passage and look out into the water and the sky. The week was amazing and although the weather could have been nicer I wouldn’t ask for anything else!

Getting back on Friday not much happened other than the usual unpacking and such. Brandon and Ryan, my brothers, came over and it was good to see them. I drove for the first time in two weeks and it felt so good to be back in my car! The brothers left Saturday afternoon and I pretty much did AP work the entire day. I’m feeling the pressure with all the work from AP Art History, AP Economics, and AP English. I shouldn’t have waited so long to get it started but my summer has been extremely busy so I have excuses!

Tomorrow should be fun. I get to see Josh again for the first time in ages and I really can’t wait to be able to talk to him again! After that I’ll probably be working on AP stuff again for the rest of the day. I can’t believe the school year is almost here! Just over 2 weeks and my senior year will be starting! I am extremely anxious and I will admit that I am not ready at all! I just have to put my trust in God and I’m sure everything will go amazingly!

I leave tonight with some lyrics from downhere. The song is “Little is Much” and it is my current favorite!

What is the measure of a life well-lived
If all I can offer seems too small to give
This is a song for the weaker, the poorer
And so-called failures
Little is much when God’s in it
And no one can fathom the plans He holds
Little is much when God’s in it
He changes the world with the seeds we sow
Little is much, little is much
Who feels tired and under-qualified
Who feels deserted, and hung out to dry
This is a song for the broken, the beat-up
And so-called losers
Consider a Kingdom in the smallest seed
Consider that giants fall to stones and slings
Consider a child in a manger
Consider the story isn’t over
What can be done with what you still have

Back from Chicago!

dancingmylifeaway43 — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 22:04:22 +0000

Wow where do I start when it comes to Chicago? There were so many amazing things that went on on this trip that I just need to start from Saturday night. WARNING! It will be extremely long So Saturday the 2nd of August my brother, sister-in-law and niece were over all day. It was so great to see them again and when we went out for dinner at night we were told that Kristi is expecting again! We’re so excited, atleast I know I am! To have another niece or nephew is going to be awesome! So we went to dinner at Fridays and then headed for the train station! It was crazy when we got there and we were all anxious to get to Chicago! The train was about an hour late and when we got on the train we were all in sleepy but excited moods which sometimes isn’t the best mixture! I sat next to Morgan on the way there and we had fun and tried to sleep as much as we could because we were going to be busy the next day! We got to Union Station in Chicago at I think around 10ish on Sunday morning and all of us weren’t in the best moods due to lack of sleep.

Sunday was pretty fun, we had breakfast at the train station as we waited for the drivers to pick up the vans. Max, Em, Morgan, and I got sticky buns and Jamba Juice for our breakfast and it was delicious! We chilled for a while and then we had to waste some time before we got to the church we were staying at so we ended up spending a good 3 hours at Navy Pier. It was fun to walk around with the girls and the four of us just wandered for most of the time until it was time to head over to the church. When we got there we immediately started to set up, I was in the basement (Girl’s Overflow) along with like 7 other girls and 3 from North Dakota. It was interesting but fun and then we had dinner. The leaders had made us pulled pork which wasn’t too bad actually. Then we had all the fun random things people do on the first day; orientation, rules and all that stuff. And then it was bed…

Monday morning we woke up at 6:30ish and got ready for an extremely busy day. We had cereal for breakfast (of course!) and then my site group was assigned building clean up after breakfast so I was stuck cleaning one of the girls’ bathrooms which wasn’t too bad but being alone doing it was not fun! The we jumped in our vans and headed to our work site. My group consisted of me, Julia, Rachel, Dan, Steve, Jenny, Libby and Mrs. Dahl. It was so much fun. Two 18-year-olds were in charge of this summer camp in a predominately Mexican area and they were so much fun. Melissa and Melanie (twins) and there were a ton of kids there! The first day we all just tried to get to know the kids as well as we could. We learned how to make oragami (sp?) flowers and the kids made their workout videos. Then we were introduced to Mighty Mighty, a game that was one of the funnest things I’ve ever played! The full name is “Mighty Mighty Scoop Noodle Challenge” and it is so hectic, especially with like 50 kids! They all enjoy it so much though and it keeps them busy for a good amount of time. We then left around 3 and headed to the showers! The showers were horrible and nobody was too comfortable with them, we were just glad to be showering after a few days! Our group was like the last one back to where we were staying and we hardly had any time until it was dinnertime. Dinner was good, we had pasta and then we were going to go to China Town but Mere decided we would just hang back for the night. So I was able to do my devotion!!! I was really excited for it until Mr. Bob and Mrs. Dahl prayer for me alone, I started to get extremely emotional and nervous. My devotionwas all about coming together as a youth group, as one body of Christ in order to even bring anyone else into the body. I cried throughout the entire thing because it was nerve-wracking to talk to 56 kids about how wrong they are in their life! So many other people got emotional and almost everyone came up to me afterward to tell me that it was what needed to be said. I felt like God really talked through me that night and almost as if all the crying was a cleansing for my heart and mind. The intensity didn’t stop after my devotion, we got into a circle to pray and it was raining a little bit but suddenly it got extremely bad and we ended up having to go and be in the basement I was staying in. All 56 of us packed into a tiny little basement. After that we were all okay and stuff and we did the normal nightly devo’s and stuff. It was time for bed and we were all comfortable in the basement (just the girls this time) and then Mrs. Dahl discovered that all of her stuff was soaked, the basement was flooding as the storm was getting worse! So all fo us girls had to move our room into the dining room, which took forever because we had to take down all the tables and chairs and it was just insane. The storm that ngiht was intense and horrible and we heard that there was actually a tornado that passed through that night. Luckily we all got sleep and Tuesday was just around the corner.

We woke up and got ready for a new day. The girls that had to move that night were the groggiest because we were all just so distraught by the nights happenings. Again we had cereal, but I didn’t have to worry about cleaning that morning. So we went off to the work site and met up with Melissa and Melanie again and we did some stuff on Tuesday that really is quite a blur to me. I was a little upset that day and a little out of it so I didn’t participate in Mighty Mighty for the entire game. And we had just been doing crafty things the entire day, making flower pots and butterflies for their final celebration decorations. Then we had the normal shower after, dinner (which was Mexican food!) We met a homeless man who spoke to us along with a lesson from the pastor form the church we were staying at, it was almost life changing because it really made you sympathetic for the homeless. And then we went to Scoops! which was an awesome icecream place and it was really good, and fun. And then we had all the church and devo time. Then it was time for bed and time to rest for Wednesday.

Wednesday was amazing! It started out waking up early to help put breakfast and lunch together. That made some of us really tired. We then headed to our sites. We helped our kids with their final recycling projects that day and they were all so wonderful! Their imaginations were insane! Everything these kids did was awesome! Wednesday was the day of the Yippee Olympics which was a great thing to watch. I got closer to Saul and Enoc, two twelve year old boys who had amazing personalities and such maturity for their age. That was the day that I found out that Saul hadn’t had power since Monday’s storm, I was so sad to hear this and since we were going on a field trip that next day and had to be there early I let him borrow my watch to be able to tell what time it was. He really appreciated it and I could tell I had touched his life atleast a little bit! He also hadn’t had dinner in a few days which almost made me cry! It was time to go and we said our goodbyes and headed over to Kmart to let Laura (from North Dakota) look for a bathing suit. And that’s when we spotted Baskin Robbins (which is a long story about the amazing timing it was to see it so if you want to know ask me through a comment or something!). We had some good icecream while we waited (I had Strawberry Cheesecake!) and then we headed to the showers. Again we were late getting back but we were in for an awesome night! We stayed in our groups and headed over to one of the members from the church’s house. Wow! The food was amazing and the fmaily was great and the Bible study that we had afterward with Nick and a few other members was soo amazing! Then we headed back and did the usual, club time and church time. It was a fun day!

Thursday was our last day with the kids We went to the beach that day and spent lots of time in the sun. Most of us had pretty bad sunburns after that day and it was sad to say goodbye to those kids. I put together a care package for Saul, lots of food because his family didn’t have much food to eat after the power went out. His parents work all day long too so he has to fend for himself most the time. I grew so much closer to Enoc at the beach, he didn’t have any swimming clothes so I sat out and talked to him forever! He used to take dance classes at his school and he is just a really sweet kid so we were able to talk a lot. I’m missing those kids a lot right now. After we said our goodbyes we stopped at Target, still looking for a bathing suit and most of us went in anyway to pick up some stuff for our prayer partners. When we got back we had about 10 minutes until we had to head back out to the beach! We had fun and I grew a lot closer to Ali from North Dakota, I shared secrets with her and with Dan and talked to a ton of wonderful people that night. We had Little Caesars pizza and watermelon and lots of fun! When we got back we had a foot-washing ceremony and again I got extremely emotional. I think I drained everything I needed to during this trip. After that we had church time and it was time to share prayer journals! I was so excited to find out Liz had me and so excited to tell Julia I had her! I spent so much time on her journal so I hope she likes it! And that was the end of Thursday…

Friday started out earlier than the toher days because we had to pack up everything. It was sad to pack everything up but I was like one fo the first to be done! That was exciting! Then I bought two shirts and a necklace, and a third shirt during their auction thingy. We then finished getting stuff together and soon it was time to leave! We just did a ton of cleaning and then left! We headed to the zoo for our first part fo the day. It was really fun especially with my group; Jon, Jordan, Max, Morgan, Em, and me! We had a good time and left with a good spirit. I fell asleep in the car on our way over to Millennium Park afterward and just chilled for about two hours. It was great to just hang out, I got to talk with Jordan and Jon and Em a lot which was good. Then we walked over to the Art Institute of Chicago which was amazing! Emily and I spent the most time together but Jordan and Jon were with us for other parts of the time. We really had good tlaks about some of the paintings and drawings and pictures. Then we went into the store and got a few little cute souvenirs from the store and it was time to go back to the train station! We got to the station at a little after 7 and settled down in the same spot we had when we got there. Me and Em got Chicken Selects from McDonalds and Jamba Juices which were amazing! And then we all just took time to hang out before leaving for home! When we got on the train it took em and Em like 5 minutes before we fell asleep and then we woke up at like 6:30, and then 8:30 and then 9! It was a good ride and we got home in good time. It was so great to see my parents and my house and take a good shower and unpack and clean my clothes. Now I’m comfortably at home until tomorrow at noon when I go off until Friday for camping! So I congratulate you for getting through this huge post and won’t be back til Friday afternoonish! God Bless!

Oh my gosh!!

dancingmylifeaway43 — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 23:34:34 +0000

I really can’t believe that I will be on a train headed for Chicago in exactly 24 hours! Like it will be moving right now and we’ll all be going crazy with excitement! Today has just been filled with excitement around Chicago for me. The day started with VBS again, the last day! I really can’t believe an entire week passed by! The kids were all so amazing all week, but today they were a little insane. All of them were full of energy and I must say I was a little overwhelmed! They were really great though and we got through the day with a ton of smiles and lots of hugs! I’m really going to miss those kids!

After the VBS day was done I chilled with Liz and a few others for a while. We spent a lot of time talking about Chi-town and all that jazz. I got to talk to Jordan! I haven’t talked to him in quite a while. He’s going camping at the same place I go camping every year! I think that’s exciting but yeah… So I gave Liz a ride home after we chilled for a good hour or so and then I went back toward the church because the tanning place is right near there. This was my last time tanning for quite a long time…I’ll be in Chicago for a week and then camping for a week so I won’t go. Hopefully I’ll be able to stay tan though! I got a little burnt today but it’s all good. I got home and feel asleep forever, like 3 hours or so!

We had a good dinner and cake because it’s my daddy’s birthday! He’s 46 now! I love him so much along with the rest of my family. I’m so excited because my brother Brandon, his wife Kristi and their baby Alyssa are coming over tomorrow. I wish Brandon’s twin, Ryan was coming too. I love my brothers a ton! I haven’t seen Justin in forever and Steven I haven’t seen in a little bit. They’re all great though and I enjoy seeing them whenever I can. The rest of the night has been rather uneventful and I plan to go and work on my prayer journal now! I can’t wait for Chicago but I’ll make an entry before leaving tomorrow! Bye!

Blessings

dancingmylifeaway43 — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 23:41:18 +0000

Today was great! It went by so fast though! This morning I did the usual in getting ready for VBS and headed out at about 7:40. I stopped at Wegmans because I had to pick up some treats for the kids because a few girls aren’t going to be there tomorrow. So I picked up a few bags of Dum-Dums and headed toward the church! The day started out normal; slow and steady. Jessie and I had fun just sitting around and talking until it was time for the kiddies to get there. Everything went so great at VBS! The kids had a wonderful time and even though crazy Nick did a few bad things the day went well. Those kids really are great and I’m so sad that tomorrow is my last day! It’s crazy to think that I’ve already made it through another week!

Again I went tanning, pciked up a free iced coffee and headed home. When I got home I don’t even remember what I did…oh wait! I talked to Julia for a while and it was funny because we were talking about packing for Chicago and that made me pack! So now I’m almost completely packed for the trip…and it’s in only 2 days!!! Then I worked on my devotion. It turned out perfect and I printed out just one copy of it. I’m really excited to share on Monday! Then I worked on the VBS postcards that we have to send to each child after the week is over. That took forever but it was well worth it. Writing to them makes me think about all of the fun stuff we’ve done this week! I headed out to Alpha & Omega to pick up a gift of thanks for Jessie which I’ll be giving to her tomorrow and then headed back to the church!

I got there and made copies of my devotion for all of the people that are going to be in Chicago. After that I just did small things around my VBS room until they put the slideshow on of all the pictures from this week and there are some really great ones! I love VBS so much, really like it is just an amazing experience! There were only ten kids tonight which was expected because you never have everyone there. The concert thingy went really good and we were done in no time! So I got home to watch SYTYCD and write in my prayer journal. I have 51 pages done already! I hope my prayer partner likes it and appreciates all the work I’ve put into it! Now it’s time for bed because tomorrow will be just as amazing! I’m ready for all the experiences the Lord has in store for me. Night!

A Real Summer Day

dancingmylifeaway43 — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 22:57:50 +0000

Today is what I’d like to call a real, and normal summer day! It was pretty great if I do say so myself. Starting out this morning I was at VBS at the usual 8:00 AM and I was met with three Take 5 bars and a note from my prayer partner!!! I was so excited when I got them, I was telling everyone! Take 5′s are like my all-time favorite! Me and Jessie were stuck waitingaround for a good while, but that’s okay because we always manage to keep busy. Are kids were wonderful today, and we had 19! Yay! All of the wonderful kids were there, and we were missing crazy Nick which put me and Jessie at ease for the day! All of the kids were absolutely wonderful! There were a few problems with the wall because the children on the other side were pushing the dividers into my kids so when all of our kids were gone we rearranged the room and it worked out perfect because we ended up with more space! It’s so exciting! VBS ended on a great note and I was so happy with how the day ended up going.

I got home and watched 3 movies; The Labyrinth, Rent, and Across the Universe. The Labyrinth has been one of my favorites since who knows, since when I was obsessed with David Bowie! =] I love all the songs from Rent and Across the Universe so I did a lot of singing along with each one, even The Labyrinth because there are a lot of songs in it! During the movies I spent a lot of time playing The Sims 2 which is extremely addicting and also a ton of time putting treats and goodies and the actual journal together for my prayer partner! I’m getting so pumped for Chicago and it’s really all thanks to my prayer partner because I spend so much time praying for them that it helps me keep my mind on the trip and the fact that we’re going to Chicago to share the love of Jesus with everyone we meet! I’m so excited for tomorrow and to see what it will bring so for now I say goodnight to all!

Tuesday…

dancingmylifeaway43 — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 22:16:05 +0000

Today was a lot like yesterday. Which means it was actually pretty good! It started out a little early because somehow I woke up about 15 minutes before my alarm clock went off but I didn’t try to fall back asleep because there wouldn’t have been a point. So I was ready to head off to VBS right around 7:40 today. When I got there I set up the room like usual and then me and Jessie just hung out until it was time for the kids to start getting there. Our class was slightly smaller today with only 17 kids. We were missing Jonny, Luke, Isabella, and Abigail (who switched classes to be with a friend). Our class was good today and they were all very well-behaved. We taught about thnkfulness and loving with our actions which is a good lesson for the kids to learn at an early age. Everything was extremely fun and the day started and ended in no time!

Again I went tanning after VBS and headed home right after. I sat around for a bit until I decided to lay down for about 20 minutes. That nap ended up being for about 3 hours! I set my alarm but I must’ve slept through it! I don’t know what happened! When I woke up I just did a few things and I read a little until I decided to work on my prayer journal. I had fun with it today because I dedicated a page to their favorite book of the Bible- Job. It was cool to look up some of the best verses from the book and also searching for some fun facts about the book. After working on my prayer journal I pretty much just did whatever.

I just finished working out and decided I would write out my days work and then I’m going to take a shower. This is how my summer should be! Very relaxing and not so crazy like it was for the last 3 weeks…even though I enjoyed them so much and miss the SMI program. So I’m leaving tonight with a ready heart and mind, ready for tomorrow and everything that the Lord has for me. Thank you all!

A New Week

dancingmylifeaway43 — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 22:53:24 +0000

Well I would say that this week has gotten off to a great start! I enjoyed my day so much today, it was relaxing and chaotic all in one and that makes it perfect! The started with going to VBS right around 8 in the morning. Jessie, my helper and I had a slow start but everything quickly picked up. We didn’t ahve any kids arrive until about 8:50 and that’s when we had a sudden influx of children. 21 kids today! My classroom is tiny and I have so many kids! They’re all really great though and I’m so glad God has blessed me with this opportunity to meet and help so many great kids. The day actually went really smooth. We had worship at around 9:15 and then we had our lesson, craft, outside time, and snack and then before we knew it the parents were there to pick up! I ahd a ton of fun and I’m ready for a new day tomorrow!

I got to see Jon, whom I love so much because he’s so great and we have so much fun together. I’m really glad we get to see eachother for practically 2 whole weeks! Starting yesterday and ending like next Friday I will see him every single day! Isn’t that crazy! Like he said it’s like a Jon and Meghan marathon! I can’t wait to see him tomorrow.

The rest of the day was pretty normal. I went tanning right after VBS and then ended up sleeping for a good 2 to 3 hours. Then I cleaned my already clean room, did my prayer journal and got ready for tomorrow’s VBS. So I’m all ready for tomorrow. I’m leaving tonight with a light heart and a thankful spirit; thankful for my God, my family, and my friends. Especially thankful for the 21 K/1 children who are part of my classroom this week.