New Beginnings

 

I did one of the hardest things yesterday... said goodbye to my little primary kids. I was tough and didn't cry (until after), but when they all attacked me with the biggest hug I've ever received, I didn't want to let them go. What a tremendous blessing these kids have been to me over the past few years. They may not know it, but they have brought more joy and laughter to my life than I could ever express. Every week, being in their presence gave me new hope, especially during some very hard times I experienced this summer. There have been a lot of endings in my life lately. Goodbyes to people I wasn't quite ready to say goodbye to yet and endings to what seemed to be an otherwise perfect situation. Yet, with endings come new beginnings. New opportunities, new hope, and new friendships. I will be honest and tell you that I am absolutely scared to death for the new beginnings. But I also know that if we can move forward in the time of most fear, we WILL succeed. It is during those times that we will grow exponentially. I truly believe that the way we act during the hard times and how we handle our trials shape us into the person we become. We cannot sit and cry and do nothing during the hard times and expect to get anywhere. I'm sure we all have done enough of that. We must find the joy that comes with experiencing a major disappointment in our lives. Can we have joy DURING that time? YES!! So although things seem to be falling apart, don't give up. Trust that the Lord has a unique and incredible plan for your life. I love this quote... "When you come to the edge of all the light you know, and are about to step off into the darkness of the unknown, faith is knowing one of two things will happen: there will be something solid to stand on, or you will be taught how to fly." - Barbara Winter

I left my heart in San Francisco

I can officially say I left my heart in San Francisco. This trip has been in planning for quite some time and I can't believe it has already come and gone. It was so much fun and quite an adventure. Us 5 girls can now say we have experienced all the ins and outs of San Francisco first hand. We weren't prepared for some of the interesting things that happened along our journey... but I think we'd all agree we have officially grown up because of this trip. We survived the streets of San Francisco and enjoyed every minute of it! We spent way too much time laughing and playing, and absolutely no time sleeping. I know I am slower than the other girls who already have their blogs updated... but to share the excitement of our trip, we have compiled a list of unforgetable quotes that bring tears to our eyes as we have laughed over and over about our journeys. For the full explanation, you may have to consult one of us, but for now, sit back, relax and enjoy sharing part of our journey with us.

Unforgetable quotes:

1. "Get Out" - Liz
2. "Pangea!!!" - All
3. "I have an irridescent wedgie." - Sara
4. "I just love them dots and that dress" - Mr. Fleet to Sara
5. "You mean ya'll don't have s--" - Mr. Fleet
6. "Ya know ya want to" - Mr. Fleet
7. "Ya'll don't look like mormons to me!" - Mr. Fleet
8. "Ya'll don't need numbers, ya'll need addresses!" - Mr. Fleet (by far our most popular guy)
9. "What do ya do? What do ya do?" - Becky/Liz
10. "We made a real connection" - All
11. "Oh S---" - The man trying to break in
12. "There's always Leann's" - Jen
13. "Even trax goes through the dirtiest parts of town" - Liz
14. "Liz, don't say that!" - Jen
15. "I ain't loadin' " - Shaniqua
16. "Get out! Get out now!" - Shaniqua
17. "You IS lookin' good though!" - 14 yr old street boy
18. "Ya'll have to pay for that excitement!" - Bush man
19. "Handcuffs aren't heavy, I've been to jail twice. - It's my ex" - Chris the jumping dude
20. "I can't wait to blog about this!" - All
21. "Time to venom-ize!" - Jen
22. "I felt my body being transformed" - Liz
23. "What is is with flying and peeing? I think it's the change in pressure" - Jen
24. "Let's make like a baby... and head out" - Sara
25. "It's spelled Darell, but it's pronounced Da-rell" - Darell
26. "Hggg Sssss" - Devil kid on Serendipity

Oh, it was an adenture of a lifetime!!!

 

I love you girls!!

Barn Dance

We recently had our barn dance for Alpha. Thanks to Sara's Grandmother... we were able to snatch some authentic square dancing outfits. I'm pretty sure everyone else was jealous of our amazing dresses! Ha. The best part was twirling in those things! It was such a fun night! A special thanks to our dates who put up with crazy girls in crazy dresses.

Girlfriends

Kenzie is my little ray of sunshine. Every day with her is a new day of hope and an exciting new adventure. She loves to dance and we often find ourselves blasting music and dancing until we can barely move. It's funny that most of my very best friends are under the age of 8 and I couldn't ask for better best friends! Kenzie could just talk to me for hours about anything on her mind. I must share one cute example with you... Just the other day, Kenzie and I were coloring and she asked, "Liz are you married?" I said, "No." She replied, "I'm going to marry a prince when I'm older." When I asked her why she said, "Because girls are princesses and they marry princes." To all of you who say there is no such thing, I want you to come and talk to miss Kenzie. At such a young age, she understands in her own way that we are daughters of God and deserve to be treated like the princesses we are. I truly believe that one day my prince will come and we will live happily ever after...

My new blog

I have done it! I have officially joined the world of blogging. The real intention of creating this blog was to hopefully improve my computer skills... I somewhat feel as though I was not made for this era of technology, because even though I am one of the young ones that supposedly knows all about computers and ipods, I really don't know a thing!! But I have already learned some fun things since creating this blog. Be patient with me as I get it put together. I think having a blog will not only be good for my computer skills, but will also be a blessing as I share thoughts and memories of life with all of you. And so it begins....