~He's Got My Back!~

Went to my dentist this morning...I sure do like them more than any other dentist I've ever had.  It was only a cleaning, but I chipped my tooth a little while back and had to set up a time to get it fixed...so, 2 more weeks of waiting it seems.  Not too bad.  And it doesn't hurt or anything, so I'm not worried- and that's saying something!  

These guys are so much better than my last dentist.  I am still paying off the bills from them, but God has used it for good!  Allow me to explain :) This past year God has been speaking to me and Donny about giving more.  We have seen his provision in many ways since starting to be obedient to His leading.  It has not always been easy, but God has always provided.  This year we both feel like He is wanting us to up our game...so to speak.  He had put on Donny's heart to help out a family with $500.  I'll be honest, I hear that and my first response is "Can we afford that?!"  But because we are making this a habit, it was easier to give it to God and allow Him to provide the funds.  You may be thinking "How does this have to do with the bad dental office???"  Well, I had to open a credit card account strictly for paying off my dental bills through them...but it was zero interest for 18 months and we would have it paid off well before then.  Part of what I hated about this office was that they were so confusing!  I am pretty careful to know what I am paying for, but I did my best and still didn't realize that they had charged me the full amount of everything they wanted to do to me before they had done any of it.  Oh and by the way...they were going to fill 3 cavities I didn't have!  My current dentist looked over it again and again and couldn't find any other cavities!  ugh...anyway...  I received my billing statement from the credit card company today, knowing I still owed about $400.  When I opened my statement it said I owed -$495.40!  WHAT?!  It seems that since I didn't have the rest of the work done and transferred my files to another office (another frustrating story) they did the first good thing they had done for me and gave my money back!  Had I been paying interest I still would have been a little frustrated, but it was essentially like God was holding the money for us to give away.  And He made a way for us to follow his will!  It has been one of the most trying months we've ever had and yet moments like these remind me that I serve a faithful God who can handle my life much better than I can.  It would be so easy for me to complain all the time, but God's provision and blessing and presence are much more enjoyable to focus on.  And bonus, it's giving me better perspective and strength to keep going when I've run out of my own strength. I'm so thankful for His presence in my life!

Oh and we had a resident meeting tonight and watched Nacho Libre afterwards, so this is my pic for the day :)

~Vacation~

I will not complain.  I will say that everything within me says I need a vacation, but the thought of planning one even stresses me out right now.  So after dinner clean up I went to my parents house to wind down.  They are at Network Intermission til Wednesday (A pastor's retreat) and Traci was in class, so I had the whole house to myself.  I watched Rick Steve's European Christmas (so happy my parents saved it on their tv) and made caramel corn (worst food to make the night before a dentist appt).  I need a vacation. That's all.

~Church~

I love my church.  I love the pastors, I love the people, I lave the worship, I love the message, ...I love it.  The thing I love most about it is that I anticipate the presence of God when I go there.  It has been fun taking the residents with us.  7 of them have been coming with us and they seem to be right at home there.  They haven't had a lot of opportunity to check out other churches in the area, but after the first week they all asked if they could keep coming.

~Chores~

I finally put all the Christmas decorations away.  I had them boxed up and ready to go, but hadn't gone through the motions of pulling my bed apart to put them away yet.  It's a bit of an ordeal.  But that's why I store Christmas under the bed.  I only have to get them out once and put them away once :)

Christmas storage

Looks like my freezer needs to defrost :P  

I'll be gone for dinner tonight so I had to leave something in the fridge.  Usually I plate everything and they reheat the whole plate.  This time I made it a DIY meal of Chicken Gyros.  I put frozen (fully cooked) chicken strips in a bag, mixed greens in a bag and both those bags in a big ziplock with pita and a brownie.  In the fridge they will find Tzaziki and olives to add to their gyros.  I thought it was kind of fun. 

Also, Sarah's funeral is tonight.  attending the funeral of my students should really never be something I have to do.  I really dislike death.  Though I am thankful for the life we will live with God if we serve Him.  I am thankful that she is no longer in pain.  I'm thankful that I will see her again one day and that no tears will pass between us.  God's promises bring so much peace and I am so incredibly grateful for them and His presence right now.  

~Mentoring~

I have been a part of a mentoring group for about a year and a half.  I absolutely love it!  We only meet once a month, but during the month we are all spending time in the same passages of scripture and in the presence of God. When we come together we typically eat a meal and then talk about our meditations on Scripture or devote time to a spiritual or leadership topic.  There is a lot of accountability in a group like this and I appreciate the extra nudge to be spending the time I need to in God's word each week.  It has helped me build a habit of spiritual disciplines into my life that has literally changed my life.  My anxiety has gone WAY down over the past year and a half and I have increased in conscientiousness as well.  I have also become more open to thoughts and ideas other than my own.  I know other things have changed but I am constantly seeing these in play in my life.

Last month we had a guac off where each of us brought guacamole so we could show Marco and Amber what real guacamole really was....it is not the avocado dip they had brought the month before :).  This month we decided on Chicken and waffles.  Actually we decided on waffles, but Randy got so excited about the combination that he came with a bucket of KFC! We all brought something for the meal.  I was in charge of the waffle batter.  Oh it was so good!  One of the best meals we have shared!  Next month is b.y.o. steak to bbq...Leia will of course be bringing a meatless side :)

The vegetarian is hogging the chicken?!

Meal time

According to Randy, the perfect combination.

Found out some sad news while at the meeting.  A dear, dear friend of ours has been diagnosed with stage four  renal cancer and has been given 29 months.  I have known this woman since I was a very little girl and her and her husband are so special to me...perhaps more than they know.  The news hit hard last night and I began to cry immediately.  Of course this has already been a tough couple of weeks, but news like this has certainly not helped.  I can say this though, I am not relying on my own strength right now.  I am very aware of the grace of God in my life this week and so grateful for his strength.  My verse for the week is 1 Timothy 1:12.  I am tired from it,  humbled by it, and grateful for it all at the same time.

~Burgers and Tea~

Had lunch at Five Guys with Leia today.  Some of the best burgers ever!  The fries are pretty amazing too...so unhealthy though...ugh.  

We couldn't finish the fries

 It's Thursday, which means Jane Austen movie and crochet with the girls.  It also means yummy tea, mmmm.  Tonight was Sweet Cranberry Melange.  It was a small group tonight, just four of us, but quite relaxing and chill.  I worked on my blanket.  I'm so close to being done.  I think I started it towards the end of November last year. It's nice to be able to use the blanket while you are crocheting it :)

Kayla and Lorraine

My blanket project

~The Viewing~

Sarah's family set up a viewing at the funeral home.  The funeral will be Saturday, but today was a good opportunity to come to grips with the fact that her spirit is no longer her.  Traci, Lorraine and I went and stayed with the family for almost 2 hours.  We were met there by Debbie and later by my dad.  I think it was good that so many people from the school were there for the family.  She was wearing her Salem Bible College shirt.  That was touching to see.  I definitely cried, but not as much as I was expecting to.

 Before the viewing I took the girls to Starbucks to catch up on some reading.  I suggested they do this before and not after.  It's hard to know how to go about normal life when you are grieving, and yet life keeps coming.  This is an attempt to not throw in the towel later when it could be overwhelming to look at everything you missed while going through the grief process.

Starbucks Study Time

~Strength~

Long day.  Long Week.  Rough Year.  But God is good.  He is faithful and merciful.

I won't tell the whole day's story, but in a nutshell there was a major leak in the kitchen, walls that had to be prepped for painting today, students that needed counsel, students that needed perspective, dinner that needed to be made (ok, that's normal), and a student taken to the hospital...oh and I found out today that people are coming from the Kirkland campus tomorrow which means I have a big list of things to do before they get here.

Me writing this blog...first (and only) pic of the day.

It's actually 12:46 am on Wednesday as I'm writing this, but I just sat down and I needed to do something relaxing before heading off to bed.  I'm doing surprisingly well for the amount of things going on...still, rough day.  I can tell people are praying for the school and the staff because of all the strength we still have.  It is not something I posses on my own.  I am so very grateful for your prayers.

~Washing Machine Broke~

The washing machine broke as I was trying to wash my towels...sigh...I had to take them out, sopping wet, and throw them in the bathtub.  Luckily I can use the resident washing machine in the mean time, but sharing the 2 machines with 3 girls and a family of 4 is going to get interesting real quick.  I try to do one load of laundry a day/every other day, which works well when you can start it in the morning and finish it at night. Not a huge deal, it just throws a kink in my carefully laid out schedule.  Glad volleyball was there afterwards to work out my frustration over the brokenness. :)

~Worship with 'The Band'~

Went to see Leia and her band lead worship at the Ike Box in Salem. It was fun to hear their sound, even though they added a few people for the night.  Usually the band (to be named later) consists of the keyboard player (who started the band), Leia, and the harmonica player.  She says they are going for a folky, hymns sound.  I like it, and it fits her beautifully. Afterwards a few of us went to Applebees and goofed around.  Overall, quite a refreshing night. 

 

~BFF~

Got to spend some much needed time with Leia today.  We tried to take our own picture, but fail.  Donny was nearby and so I had him take one of us.  It's not one of my best shots...but the memory is well worth posting.

Attempt at self-portrait

~Cereal~

I have been dizzy all day.  Hope my head feels normal by tomorrow.  In the mean time, I shall read a book and snack on my new favorite cereal...it is organic granola with berries and dark chocolate.  I've fallen in love.

~Grief~

What started out as a much needed day off to refresh and prepare for another week, ended up being one of the most difficult days I have experienced here.  The rains have continued to fall and seeing the damage is heart wrenching. Though it has not been too bad where I am, the damage is not far from us at all.   But the bigger shock of the day is finding out one of my students has passed away.  She was a resident but was at her parents house when she passed.  My dad, Debbie, Dan and I called a resident meeting to let them know.  I never expected that this would be part of my job.  The whole thing is surreal.  We spent time praying for the situation and for her family as well as thanking God that He had brought her into our lives.  The rest of the day has been a little bit of a blur.  Please pray for her family and for our students as well.  I'm not gonna lie, I could use some prayer as well.

~Rain Day~

 School cancelled for excessive rain?!?!  lol!  I live in a place where it rains most days of the year and this is the first "rain day" I think I've ever experienced.  It has been a pretty dry winter so far, but the last 3 days it has poured non-stop.  Tuesday we had the first snow of the season and was school canceled for snow???  No, of course not, but rain, yes.

The new swimming pool on campus

River in Stayton (courtesy Kevin Denton)

Salem Street (courtesy Brittany Thew)

~Costco~

It was time to make another run to Costco.  I was going to have to make the trip by myself today...which means I would have had to go back next week (cause I can't make that big of a trip on my own), but my sister graciously offered to come help.  She has been helping me around here lately and I so appreciate her!!!  Occasionally she helps with dinner, since she has her food handlers card and I have been training her in the kitchen.  The load wasn't huge this time, just expensive!  I bought a lot of necessities.  What you can't tell from the picture is that the back seat of the truck is stuffed full of stuff too :)  I'm a pretty good packer though.  It's like a giant puzzle.  I pack everything neatly into boxes before I get to the checkout because otherwise I cannot fit enough on the flatbed!  And I tend to pack everything with the bar code facing up to make it easier on them, but without fail, they think they can pack it better and take everything out.  After 2 1/2 years of Costco runs, I will confidently say that my cart packing skills are top rate.  I'm thinking of adding that talent to my resume. 

Traci helping with Dinner

A typical load

Lots of fresh fruit and veggies- I love this site!

Stocked pantry

 Made 4 cheese white pizza for dinner tonight.  I have no words for how delicious it was!  Well, one word...mmmmmmmmmm...wait, that's not a word.  The sauce was garlic and olive oil.  The cheeses were mozzarella, feta, ricotta, and parmesan (added in that order).  After it came out of the oven, I drizzled olive oil over and topped with fresh cut basil.  Definitely making this again!

4 cheese white pizza

~Pancakes~

Pancake breakfast for the residents this morning.  We all watched the snow fall while eating our yummy warm breakfast!

~Snow Bus~

Long slow drive home in the snow.  There was no snow over the pass on the way to Bend, but about a foot on the way back home!  We had to put chains on the bus and drive super slow the whole way.   At one point it took us 45 minutes to drive 17 miles!  We paid close attention because we all had to use the restroom!  We ended up being about 3 hours late.  I was glad I had asked Rebecca to cook dinner for the students that night.  I do love the snow.  It's always a fun adventure when it slows you down and messes with your schedule :)  That wasn't sarcastic either!  For the most part, I love it when the weather slows you down.  It's a nice change of pace.

Bus full of PK's

~Scavenger Hunt~

We went on a scavenger hunt this afternoon.  We had to find something that started with each letter of the alphabet...in order from A-Z.  We had a blast, but it was SO COLD!  When we got back to the room I taught all the girls how to play pounce.  Good times to be had :)

~My PK Escape~

Left for PK (Pastor's Kid) Escape this afternoon.  This is my 2nd year as a counselor.  Last year we have 5 girls plus me in a unit that slept 4.  Crowded is an understatement.  This year there were 4 girls and 2 counselors including myself in a unit that slept 8.  So me and Sandra (the other Counselor) slept in the room that had 2 beds, a tv, bathroom and mini fridge and had the girls sleep in the living room which had a queen murphy bed and a queen pullout couch.  They also had their own bathroom.  Each unit has a kitchen and this year we had a dining area as well...last year we did not.  The space was a pleasant surprise!

My bed...so comfy!

The girls watching some pride and prejudice