There's Light at the End of the Tunnel

...and by-golly it's huge! A few weeks ago I learned fall of 2005 would be my last semester befoer I graduate with my second degree, a Bachelor's of Applied Sciences. My major is in Applied Sciences and I have a minor in Human and Family Development. Before I learned it would be my last semester, I was a bit overwhelmed to say the least. I was starting to come down with "Senioritis", and was anxious to be out in the preschool environment on a more permanent basis. These internships are nothing but a tease! But they are wonderful.
Have you ever felt, the closer you get to working in your field of study, the less you seem to know. It has been that way for me lately. I feel great about my direction as an intern, but when I sit in my classes, I feel as though ther is so much more I need to know!I heard it said in an education course I took recently, "As a teacher, you become a lifelong learner". Stages in development of children and what is supposed to happen and when is something I feel like I'll forever struggle with. My fear is that I will get into a classroom and realize I should have studied harder in college.
At the same time, I know I am blessed because God has brought me farther than I ever thought I would, or could go. Many things I swore I would never do, like teach, or move out of California. I am anxious to see what happens to me five, ten, even twenty years down the road. But I'll leave it to God to surprise me. I have my dreams, yes, an long to see them fulfilled, but knowing I have placed them in God's trust, and as much as it pains me to say it-His perfect timing, leaves me satisfied where I am at. I just wish I felt that way about being thirty and single!

Some of God's Greatest Gifts...Are Friends

Friends are friends forever

If the Lord's the lord of them

And a friend will not say "Never"

'Cause the welcome will not end

Though it's hard to let you go

In the Father's hands we know

That a lifetime's not too long

To live as friends

The chorus from Smitty's song 'Friends' has been going through my mind as I got off the phone with Kasey. We have known eachother since it was my first semester in college. We roomed together and have been great friends since. I received an e-mail today from Candace, a friend of mine who is a former XA Girls House roomie. I was blessed to have had her as a roomie as her relationship with God is partly the reason why I became so passionate about mine. As I sit here and write, I think of just how blessed I am to have the many friends that I do.

I have many a friend I have lost contact with. But just because I don't see or hear from them anymore, doesn't stop me from saying a quick prayer for them every now and then. There was a girl named Melanie I knew wa-a-a-a-y back when we were eighteen months old and in the same hospital room (not that I remember, but mom has told me about when we first met.) I lost contact with her shortly after she had moved to Grand Junction, Colorado and I to Corvallis, Montana. I still think of her, and miss her terribly.

There s a friend whom I met my junior year of highschool and whom also talked, no, more like forced, me into joining the GHHS swim team. I have great memories of that today. We lost touch for three years anf it scared me. Didnt know if something bad had happened to her. Our friendship is a long story. To this day, however, she credits our frienship to her staying out of trouble. She just recently became a Christian, after being raised Catholic.

I stayed in touch with an ex-girlfriend of my brother's. We both are so close that we think of ourselves as sisters. We still talk on teh phone, or over e-mail, giving encouragement to one another.

If I could list the many friends I have now or have had over the years and how we met, I could give my self a headache from looking at the computer screen for so long, and you'd be bored to death after sitting here for hours reading about a bunch of people you have never met, or are already familiar with. (If you are reading this it's bnecause you are one of my many friends)

A great scripture in the book of Proverbs of the Holy Bible states that "No greater love has a man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. I look at this scripture adn think of teh times I have come to the defense of my friends, or vice versa. It doesn't matter to me if I met you just five minutes ago, or that I have known you for almost 25 years.

Oops! Yeah, um...my bad.

As the old saying goes, I learn something new every day. So I am in the courthouse waiting on a roomie to get done with turning in a job application for the fair. I happen to ask an older woman at the info desk about people with disabilties and having to put money into the parking meter. Growing up in California I never had to. People with disabilities parked for free if they had a placard in their window. Well, the woman at the desk said "yes, you do have to pay", but didnt specify the reason as to why. I sat there with a surprised look on my face and noticed that my roommate had come back so I proceeded on my way back to the van. It dawned on me later as we were driving home, "I have lived in Montana eleven years and can't remember a single time I have ever put money in the meters. Funny thing is...I have never received a ticket for not putting money in the meter (It must have been a God thing).
I guess I'll start now.

My First Blog

Wow! My first blog. Cool! For all you bloggers out there (and all you wannabe's) check back often for adventures in the life of you-know-who. Ramblings of the mind, God moments, and maybe an occasional prose every now and then...plenty of Divine Inspiration or Holy Hilarity (I'm doing an internship this semster with preschoolers so look for crazy and yet awe inspiring moments hanging out with the little ankle-biters ;) ). Ally-isms may even pop up here a time or two.
Happy reading!