Brain Dump: Job Edition :)

Wow…has it really been THAT long since my last post?  I feel like I just blogged my official notice of leaving Haiti yesterday.  Where has the time gone?!

Actually I know exactly where its gone:  to one of the 5 different jobs I'm working this month! And yes, I really do write that with excitement!

Most of the last three weeks have been spent working part-time at Michaels. I'm not super proud of myself for this position, but it's paying the bills, and the employee discount is pretty sweet! I am very grateful for this job though, and I am so thankful for God's provision and timing with this placement.  It won't be a forever job, but it's what I need right now. I also love the staff there, and it has been fun so far which makes working that much more enjoyable! Getting out of the house and back to some normality with life/my back has also been wonderful.

I'll also be working with/for three other people this month (and hopefully part of next) doing various different jobs for them: i.e. errands, data entry, cleaning, child care, etc.  I hadn't planned to take these small odd jobs, but God placed them in my life at just the right time - don't you just love how he does that?!  I was beginning to worry about my student loans and other bills, and literally within days of each other, these offers opened up.  I'm trying SOOO very hard to get my budgeting goals in line as well as get my student loans paid off quicker rather than later so these three jobs are a huge blessing!

With that in mind, I am also really excited about a part-time commission based position I was offered -- or rather am in the process of being officially offered. I'm pretty excited about this one seeing as how I could pay off my student loans in the next year or two if I can get good at it!!!! That would be SO amazing! I will also get to work from home and make my own hours with this position, and depending on my success it could potentially become something full-time later down the road.  The best part is that this position is with a company I believe in and has a missions emphasis; how perfect right?!  What a dream come true it would be to get paid to do missions!  The future part is in God's hand, but for now I am just grateful for the opportunity and excited to see where it leads. More details to come on this once the offer is official and accepted :)

The last couple of weeks have certainly been a whirlwind, but it sure does feel good to get back into the workforce.  I can't wait to see what comes next!

Summer Whirlwind

Sorry to have taken yet another long break from blogging.  This summer has been jam packed with work, fundraising, traveling, visiting old friends, & more!  It has flown by, but here are some pictures from the last few months.

 Jodi came to town for a quick visit!

 Staff trip to Myrtle Beach.

 The girls

 Courtney & me.

 Sisters.

 Barefoot Landing fun with Eliza.

 & with Erin.  We couldn't resist!

 Quick trip to Maryland to visit these beautiful ladies!  A much needed ID5 reunion!

 Fun on the boat.

 Love these girls (and Andrew!)

 Found my future dog.

 Stopped in VA to see Jessica Deen!

 Erin & I got slimmed by the group that raised the most money for my move to Haiti.

 Things got a little messy with Andy.

All done in love of course!

 Held our first fundraiser for Haiti, a Spaghetti Dinner & Silent Auction.

 Family came out to support!

 We had over 200 people attend that evening.  I was so amazed with the support from everyone!

 Raffling off goodies!

Kathleen helped run the Silent Auction table.

It has been such a wonderful summer, I'm not ready for it to end! The next step is to begin planning our next fundraiser.  Thank you again to everyone that donated items for the Spaghetti Dinner!  And thank you to everyone that volunteered and came out in support!  It means the world to have so many people standing behind me as I begin this journey.  Here's to the next few months full of fundraising!

My Month in Numbers

1 dog watched for  5 days.

5 days until my 23rd birthday!

13 days until I'll be back in Haiti!

20 hours put in during my first week at work.

10 field trips booked.

30 clubs planned.

10 students registered.

1 new camp office decorated with: 14 feet of fabric and 3 canvases; which were made into 1 curtain & 3 art pieces!

$1000 of product sold at our recent Thirty-One fundraiser.  

Meaning we raised $200 for my trip to Haiti.

All  $998 for my trip is now covered, with an extra 

$60 to save for the next trip!!!!

2 brightly colored spring dresses &

5 new pairs of shorts added to my wardrobe over the last few weeks 
*Happy Birthday to Me!!*

 All equaling 1 very happy, content, & busy girl who can't wait to get back to Haiti!!

Weekend Recap

What an amazing weekend this has been!!

My weekend started off with a trip to High Point to spend Valentine's Day with my old roommate, Jessica Rose.  Neither of us had plans, so we decided to get dinner, see Safe Haven, and catch up.  I haven't seen her since October and have really missed hanging out with her every day!  I forget how long the two of us can sit and talk, without ever running out of things to talk about.  We sat on her bed for like three hours catching up.  It was SO nice to spend some time with her.  I couldn't have asked for a better valentine's day lol!

I also spent Friday and Saturday with Grey Stone's youth helping out at Metamorphosis.  A few weeks ago, I was asked to be a small group leader for our church's Metamorphosis Weekend.  I said yes immediately, because I have always LOVED Metamorphosis (formally known as D-Now).   When I was in the youth, this was an event I always looked forward to.  I loved having college aged group leaders come in and teach us, I loved the scavenger hunts, and how it always seemed to make our youth group grow closer together.  I still remember the small group leaders who taught me and how much of a difference they made in my walk with Christ.  I was SO excited to, again, get the opportunity to have that kind of impact on a young person's walk.

Our theme this past weekend was Upside Down.  We taught the students how Christ came and turned this world upside down.   How he changed our world forever, and how it was our job to continue that cycle.  We went through a study teaching students how they can turn our current world upside down and that the change must start with them.  It was so cool to watch God work in their lives!  This was the first D-Now event, that I've helped with, where the students genuinely seemed to want to know more about Christ.  Almost every student really wanted to be there, not to socialize with their friends (even though that was a perk), but to learn and grow in their own walk. 

I led the High School Girls with Sheena & Lauren.  The three of us leaders hit it off right away and really clicked on our teaching methods.  We met before each lesson to make sure we had a plan and were all on the same page.  I loved getting to hear their thoughts on how they interpreted the message and then getting to add my own thoughts into the mix.  What would have been a great bible lesson with just one of us teaching, turned into an AMAZING time for the girls to learn.

Our girls asked some very difficult questions, and pushed us leaders to not simply teach the lesson provided, but to truly teach them about every area of Christ.  I was genuinely blown away by their willingness and eagerness to learn.  I think we all made some great connections this weekend, and I truly hope and pray something we said will stick with these girls forever. 

We challenged each of our High School girls to find one thing that stuck out from the weekend, more than the rest, and to really take the time to explore it further and help it grow in their life.   I also loved that one of the lessons challenged us leaders to ask every student where they wanted their walk with Christ to go, and how they planned to get there.  Hearing these girls' dreams and steps they planned to take was so encouraging.  We have some GREAT leaders that are about to turn this world upside down!  I just ask that you would all join me in continuing to pray for the students who participated this weekend.  That they would no longer be comfortable living how they currently are, but that they would have the courage and boldness to turn this world, their world, upside down for Christ!

Today, and over the course of the weekend, God has truly blessed me by letting me see some of his plans for my life come together!  As you all know, I'll be moving to Haiti sometime in the next year.  When I told everyone that, I still had a lot of unanswered questions, and still do.  However, the opportunity to go to Haiti in April has opened up, where I'll get to meet Amber and really try to get some plans put into action.  She and I have been talking about living together, and will be looking into apartments/housing options during that week.  We are also going to work on getting that building, or at least getting an idea of how much money we'll need to raise for it.  I know God has HUGE plans for this trip, and I am so excited to meet Amber, work with her, and watch His plans unfold!

I posted a note on facebook last week, asking 5-10 small groups/Sunday School classes/churches/ businesses/etc if they would be willing to sponsor $100-$200 for this trip.  I've already got some people on board (a pampered chef party, a parent's night out event with camp, and some Sunday School classes donating) and have been so blessed to watch God take care of the financial needs.

God is absolutely amazing, and blows my mind away EVERY day with his love, guidance, provision, and grace!!  Please continue to keep this journey in your prayers!!

Haiti here I come (again)!!!!!!!!!

Haiti-Sick

This is a new term Amanda came up with to describe how much we miss Haiti. Instead of being home-sick we are all Haiti-sick.

I miss it so very much.  My heart longs to be there every single day.  I feel like I belong, like I'm doing what I'm supposed to with my life, and like my purpose is clear when I'm in Haiti.  While it is one of the most challenging places for me, Haiti is also like a second home where I feel more at peace than anywhere else.  I know my journey is just beginning, but I am so anxious to get back down there.  We've been home a week and a half and I'm more than ready to be back.

Phase one of preparing for my move to Haiti has begun.  Thanks to a generous donor, I was able to purchase the first set of material to learn Creole.  I'm going to work my way through the "Creole Made Easy" workbook and audio material.  Once I've mastered that program (the basics of Creole), I'm going to begin phase two of the language process.  Mom and I found this highly rated system, similar to Rosetta Stone (which doesn't carry Creole by the way), called Pimsleur.  They've got a 30 lesson course that guarantees you'll be speaking at a conversational level by the end.  I'm pretty excited to start this part of the journey.  Creole is fascinating to me, and I'm hoping I'll be able to pick up and retain it all pretty quickly.

I've also begun trying to save up for Haiti.  I still am not sure how much I'll need to have, but through working some random jobs, until camp starts full time, I think I can get a good start on things. I posted on Facebook the other day that I'm looking for random jobs to help in this process (babysitting, design assistance, running errands, cleaning, organizational help, etc), and the response has been amazing!! Friends I haven't talked to in years have contacted me with opportunities, and others have put me in contact with some great jobs.  God's faithfulness never ceases to amaze me.  Thank you to everyone who has contacted me and are helping to get these positions.

Another random update: I've decided to put all of my pictures from the last three trips to Haiti into picture books.  I'm hoping this will be a great way to save my pictures, retain all of the memories, and serve as a resource when speaking to people about my journey to Haiti.  Plus it's been a lot of fun walking down memory lane, and looking into all of the details God has orchestrated up to this point.

I'm not sure if I've ever really written my testimony or all of the specifics God has done to get me here.  I'll try to make that my next blog post.

Thanks again to everyone for your support, love, and prayers.  The feedback I've gotten already has been extremely encouraging and uplifting.  Y'all are the best!

Escaping the Limbo: I'm Moving to Haiti!

My biggest God moment of the entire week in Haiti was Tuesday night when I sat down with mom, Donna, Jim, & Debbie to discuss how I felt called to Haiti.  The conversation started with just mom, Donna, & I over a game of Rummikub.  I don't really remember how it got started, but I vividly remember how it went and how it ended (lots of tears, excitement, expressing of fears,  overcoming those fears, and lots of encouragement through it all).

Donna (Jim's sister) is a motivational speaker, and is now working with Jim Debbie at their House of Hope in Haiti.  To say that she has a way with words is an understatement.  She asked me some very difficult questions and really pushed me to get out of the limbo of not knowing.  When she and I started talking, I was in a place of maybes, what if's, and I don't knows.  I wasn't 100% sure of God's calling or if I was able to do what He was asking.  I knew God had been laying some pretty big stepping stones up to this point, but I felt like I had run into a wall.  I was questioning where I'd work in Haiti, where I'd live, what I'd be doing, how I'd raise the money, etc.

It wasn't that I didn't want to go, I just felt like the journey had come to a stand still, and I wasn't sure how to get it moving again.  I was also still in a place of exploring working as a designer here in the States, and trying to mesh the two together somehow.

Basically I was full of excuses.

Donna put it bluntly (which I most definitely needed!!) that if I were raising these questions about anything else in life, I would go get on the web or begin getting connections to answer these questions.

Duh Allyson!!

I had let my fears, and overwhelming amounts of questions paralyze me.  Instead of taking steps forward I just froze and stopped trusting that God would show me the way.  Donna pushed me to let go of the "I don't knows"  & "I don't cares" and to begin taking steps forward.  She, Jim, & Debbie all encouraged me by saying, that once I began taking steps forward to follow God's call, whatever they may be,  that the ball would begin moving again and it would all fall in place.

So, here I am now saying to you all that I am no longer pursuing a career in design, I am no longer letting the fears or questions paralyze me, and I'm taking the first step forward by announcing this:

I'm moving to Haiti to do full-time Missions!!!

I still do not know when I'll leave, where I'll be working, where I'll be living, or how much financial support I'll need to raise, but the move is going to happen!  My hope is that I'll be down there by the end of the year.  I've already started talking to some contacts Jim, Debbie, & Donna gave me about possible opportunities.  Nothing has been decided yet, as there are a lot of details that need to be figured out first.  I'm pleading with you to cover this journey in prayers.  The power of prayer is a POWERFUL tool that we all have access to.  I would be so appreciative if you could remember me each day as you pray.

One specific prayer I'd like to ask you to lift up is for Amber Hasson & the ministry she is trying to start in Haiti (Amber is one of the contacts Donna gave me).  She is trying to start a trade school for young men & women in the Ravine (see previous post).  From what I understand, she is hoping the school will provide them with access to education learning basic skills that can assist them in getting jobs.  She is also hoping to provide a daycare area for parents, so they can work without having to leave their little ones at home alone.  I haven't heard the full expanse of her dreams for this place, but what I do know is right now she is in her own place of waiting.  There is a building right by the Ravine that she is hoping to buy and fix up to run this trade school in.  She is in the process of trying to figure out if it is for sale, if so how much, and if it is something she could afford.  As I spoke to her about the possibility of teaming up with her in this journey, she seemed excited, but explained that nothing can move forward until the building is purchased.  She asked that I pray with her over this, so I am asking you all to do the same.  If it is God's will that this building become a place for his work, I know it will come to pass.  Here is the building she is hoping to buy:

Please join me in covering Amber, this building, and her mission/dreams in prayer!

I don't know yet if this is where God will have me work, but it would be an honor and a joy to partner with Amber.  Until then, I will do my part, and that is to pray and support her.


As for some other steps I am beginning to take in following God's call:  
-I'm planning to start learning Creole.  Every missionary I spoke with last week urged me to learn the language before I come full-time.  They all said it makes life much easier and your work more effective.  So here's to learning Creole!! I'm pretty excited about this step!

-Begin creating more contacts in Haiti and exploring mission opportunities for me.

-Take a trip back to Haiti alone to do this networking & exploring.

-Begin trying to save up as much money as I can, while I try to get a better understanding of how much I'll need to raise before I can go.

-Pray, pray, pray, & Pray some more.  Along with faithfully trusting God every step of the way.

-Begin taking on more mission opportunities here at home.  Jim made a very good point that if I'm not sharing God's word at home, then there's no way I'll share when I'm there.  I need to make an even bigger effort to share God's word every chance I get here.  I need to break through some of my self-doubts and insecurities and just go full force.  Practice makes perfect right?!  A couple of ways I've already agreed to are by being a small group leader for our church's upcoming youth Metamorphosis weekend, and by agreeing to be the Director at Grey Stone Kids Camp again this summer.  These are two HUGE witnessing tools, and I'm excited to go even further than I have before with them both.

-And then, along this whole journey I will be trying to discern God's specific call for me in Haiti.  I seriously cannot ask you enough to cover this in prayer! It is a HUGE step in the process, and one I find myself worrying about often.  (That's the planner in me!  Trying to let that go and trust God with the plans!).  Once details are figured out the fundraising and specific logistical plans will begin happening.


I am so so SO very excited about this next chapter of my life.  I have never felt more at peace about a decision before, and I cannot wait to see how God will use, challenge, and grow me through it all.

I'm moving to Haiti!!!!!!

Mom for a week :)

That's right, I'll be playing mom for the next few days!   My aunt Wendy and her husband are going on a little (I'm sure much needed) vacation without the kids.  Since it's school time, she asked that I come house sit and you know, make sure the kids: get fed (without burning the house down), do their homework, wake up for school (not skip like I would've at that age if left alone), and in general don't do anything crazy while the parents are out!  Haha it's going to be a fun few days!  I'm used to babysitting kids age 8 and under, and even got pretty good with handling rising 8th graders this summer. However, high school age is going to be a new and hopefully fun adventure for me this week!  I love my cousins, and always enjoy when they come spend a night at our place, so I'm sure it's going to just be an extended sleepover with a few extra rules enforced. :)

I've always heard babysitting is great birth control, and that's definitely proved true over the last few years.  I'm sure watching teenagers will be even more of an incentive to never have kids!  Haha only kidding. But seriously. 

Don't worry Dee, we will be just fine!  I will make sure they do everything that needs to get done, and have a little fun while doing it :)

Let the adventure begin!

Not Me Monday (On Tuesday)

After spending a glorious four days at the beach hanging out with one of my best friends, I did not struggle at all coming home.

It's super easy to come back after being at the beach.  After all, who would rather stay at the beach than come home?  Not me.

And because it was so easy to come home, it was even easier to go back to work this morning.

I did not push the snooze button twice, or throw my hair in a pony tail to allow myself to sleep in an extra ten minutes. After all, I was so looking forward to my 8am alarm clock and hanging out with kids all day. Like I said, who would rather stay at the beach than do that? Not me.  I love everything about my job.

And because I loved everything about going back to work, I did not enjoy my hour of sanity and relaxation at the hair salon today. Being pampered and having your hair done is no where near as fun as being at work.

I mean come on, there's no way I caught myself at least 100x today wishing I was on the beach, with my best friend.

That would just be silly.

After all, it was so easy to come back.

Nope. Not me.

Oh You Know...

Nothing too exciting happening around here the past few days.  I've just been working away at camp, anxiously awaiting Wednesday afternoon when I get to be reunited with three of my best friends!  I'll be driving up to Maryland Wednesday afternoon to have dinner with my roommates from last year.

 I just realized this is the most recent roommate picture we have which was from last year.  

I'll have to fix that this weekend!!

Then I'll be heading to the beach for the weekend with Jessica Rose.  For those of you who do not know, I have a huge dream to see a blue whale, in person, in the wild before I die, and because Jessica is SUCH a great friend, she jumped at the opportunity to snag a GroupOn deal for whale watching in Maryland! To say I was excited at the news would be an understatement!  While they cannot guarantee that we'll see a whale, I'm REALLY hoping we will!  I cannot wait!  Plus, not only do I get to go whale watching with one of my best friends, I get to spend a wonderful 4 days at the beach with her and her family.  I'm so excited! What's not to love?!

On another note, I've got even more exciting news to share with you!

Wait for it......

I'm going to Haiti again!!!!!!!!!!!!

That's right folks, I have been blessed with the opportunity to take my third trip to Haiti this year.  Cassie, and Jessica will be joining me again, along with Amanda Cutts, my mom, and about 15 other people from our church!  We'll be joining Jim & Debbie Hambrick at their new compound, assisting them with various projects, spending time at Dorothy's, and working on a bunch of other little things!  I am so excited to travel with a team again.  As much as I love going ourselves and the freedom it creates, I also love the unity and spirit that comes when you're a part of a team.  I'm excited to share my love for Haiti with my mom first hand, as she'll get to see everything I love about the Country.  I'm excited to share the experience again with Cassie and Jessica, because who wouldn't love to share such an amazing trip with their two best friends!  I cannot wait for the new opportunities God will open up for me and the team while we are there and I cannot wait to see what exactly He has in store!  Last time I got back from Haiti I was still very confused about where/if I was supposed to move down there.  I'm hoping working with some other organizations will open more doors and lead me down the path I'm supposed to go on. December 29th I get to step back into one of my favorite Countries and spend another 7 days loving on the people there!  It's going to be amazing!

The job search, unfortunately, is still going...going...and well...going.  I feel like I have applied for every possible opening I can find, and have heard next to nothing.  God is truly pushing me to grow in my Faith and patience.  To say I'm having to depend on Him completely is an understatement.  In three two & 1/2 weeks I will not have a job unless something comes through here pretty soon.  To say I'm stressed would put it lightly.  I have no idea what I'm going to do after August 17th.

Absolutely. No. Clue.

How is it that I'm not moving back into college in a few weeks?  It's weird I tell ya.  Just weird.

So yeah... that's about all happening in my life at the moment.

Fourth of July

Happy 4th of July everyone!!!  

While I'm a little bummed out that the fourth fell on a Wednesday this year, I was very excited to have a day off in the middle of the week.  I love day camp, and I love the kids, but this break has been lovely!!  I got to sleep in this morning, enjoy some TV time with a Criminal Minds marathon (my favorite show ever if you did not know that), did some grocery shopping, and went swimming with mom.  I'm really sore today, from swimming and doing strengthening exercises this week, but I still managed to get 45 minutes of swimming in.  I'm up to swimming 18 laps now in 45 minutes which is half a mile.  This is the furthest I've ever swam and it's a great feeling!! I'd love to get to where I can swim a mile in 45 minutes, but for now I'll take 1/2 a mile!  I haven't seen many pounds falling off these last few weeks, but I think it's because I'm gaining muscle weight. That can easily be discouraging, which is why I keep track of my inches. I haven't measured for this week yet, but I'll let you know once I do!

The job search is still going.  I haven't heard from the Charlotte position yet, and I've applied to about seven other places since.  I'm getting antsy and really struggling with my patience while waiting for the right job.  Right now I'd just love to get an interview and get the process rolling.  I'm dying to have a full time job, get an apartment, and get the next stage of life moving.  Unfortunately right now I'm stuck waiting.  This is not my strong suit.  Nonetheless, I still must wait it out and trust God has a place for me.  Please keep me in your prayers!

Well I'm off to enjoy the rest of my night! Hope your 4th has been fun!

Friday Five: Personal Growth

Over the last two weeks working at camp I have learned a few things about myself. Some of them I knew, I just never took the time to really acknowledge it. So because it's been so long since my last Friday Five post, I thought it was an appropriate topic to cover.

I've learned that:

1.  I am an organize freak. Now you're probably thinking, duh you already knew that! And you would be correct, I know how much I love organization and rely on it.  However I learned this week that I don't just rely on organization, I thrive off of it.  It keeps me sane, it helps me be productive, it relaxes me, and it helps me remain stress free.  I've noticed myself this week using organization as a tool to relieve stress, instead of expressing unnecessary emotions to my staff or campers.  I've always known this about myself, but I never really gave it any thought.  The more I think about it though, I realize that over the last few years organizing/cleaning has become a very therapeutic tool for me.  Whenever I have a bad day, am stressed out, or just frustrated I clean.  It seems to always cool me down making me feel much better afterwords.  However, I've also learned that it goes the other way. When things are unorganized or dirty, it makes me anxious beyond belief.  In my mind it's very simple to keep a space clean and organized, but to others it's not as easy.  That frustrates me.  And while I know it shouldn't, because I can't expect everyone to see things as I do, I still find myself flustered when I walk into a space that is not kept up to par (my par).  I have learned this week that I need to be more patient and understanding with those who do not see organization the way I do.  While I still don't believe there is any excuse to have spaces look chaotic or messy, I am learning to realize that my shiny, fresh, everything in it's place outlook is not realistic at camp.  While I will always hold our staff and campers accountable for putting things where they belong, and protecting our belongings, at the end of  the day if the games in the game cabinet, or the balls in the equipment room are not how I would choose to place them, I have learned to simply be pleased that they are put away and not destroyed.  Baby steps. I'm working on it!

2. I need to be more intentional in my efforts to praise, before judging.  This is a lesson I've realized needs to be applied to every aspect of my life, not just camp.  The other day I found myself  looking around in one of the rooms for things out of place or someone misbehaving.  Then I caught myself, and thought why on Earth am I doing this??  I should be looking for kids to praise or encourage.  I should look for the people doing what I've asked and take pride in those who are doing great.  I don't know if it was just a bad day, or if I've always done this, but I had a huge reality check with myself right then and there.  What a terrible attitude I create in myself when I intentionally look for the bad over the good. That is not a characteristic I want people to relate with me. I have tried very hard  since then to make sure I'm praising our staff, giving encouragement, and loving the kids rather than showing unnecessary judgement.  While part of my job still requires me to handle the more difficult or extreme disciplinary situations, I am trying to make an intentional effort to love, listen, and care even when I have to discipline. I think Cassie said it best:  "For every time you have to discipline someone, make sure you go out of your way to praise them twice later that day.  That way the child (or whomever I'm having to get on) feels love and encouragement from me twice as much as anything negative."  I wish I could take that moment back from the other day, but boy was it a much needed wake up call to myself!

3. I don't like criticism.  Ok, I've honestly known this about myself for a long time, I've just noticed it a lot this week.  Criticism makes me highly uncomfortable.  While it is easier for me to dish it out, than receive it, even having to give direct criticism is difficult for me.  I can easily point out faults when they are obvious, or potentially harmful to others or the camp.  However, when I have to really address bigger issues, I get uncomfortable.  I don't like making people feel bad about themselves, nor do I like to appear as if I'm judging them. This also goes the same way when the tables are turned.  I have a hard time taking criticism.  Not in the sense that I become overtly defensive or deny it, I just become very sensitive to the situation and begin questioning myself.  I will admit that I always try to defend myself when criticism arises, but it's more of a front I put on to protect myself and how I think others view me.  There is always a much larger internal battle happening than what I show externally. While I know constructive criticism is good and necessary, I simply do not enjoy it at all.   I don't like being the one to give harsh criticism, nor do I like to receive it.  I'm having to learn at camp how to balance all of this, and handle criticism correctly. I think it'd be safe to say we all struggle with this one a little bit!

4. I need to work on my patience.  This again is one of those things I've always known about myself, and something that I'm constantly working on.  This week I've just noticed a large testing of my patience.  While I can say I handled some situations with grace, I must also admit that there were others that I did not handle so well.  I was quick to respond harshly, rather than listen and respond appropriately.  I apologized in both situations, but that did not make my actions justified.  I've really been pushing myself to remain patient this week.  I haven't been feeling well, and had to deal with some difficult situations, but I tried to not let either of those become an excuse for a lack of patience on my part.  Camp is really testing what I've learned in this area, and I think God is trying to show me that while I've gotten better, there is still a large area for improvement.  I think changing my attitude how I mentioned in #2 will be a huge step in this process for me. Not only do I need to work on my patience when it comes to interacting with people, but I need to work on it in every area of my life.  My relationship with God, waiting on His timing not my own, while searching for jobs, etc.  This is a characteristic that I need to get down and keep!

5. Facebook is nothing more than a procrastination tool.  Yes I know this one is not nearly as profound or inspirational as the others, but a lesson I've learned this week nonetheless. I've noticed that I spent drastically less time on the computer, Facebook specifically, during the summer than I did while in school.  At school, my day at times would revolve around Facebook.  Updating, posting pics, etc.  However, now that I'm home I find myself checking it maybe once a day if that, and when I do there's nothing exciting going on.  I honestly think it was nothing more than a time filler and procrastination method for myself while I was at school.  I hope to keep the short Facebook visits going.  I don't need to spend nearly the amount of time I did in school on that website.

It's been a great two weeks, challenging, but great.  Maybe there are some lessons you learned?  I'd love to hear about them.  I'll try to keep you updated on how I do on each of these things.  I've learned some very important things about myself this week, and I intend to make it a priority to work on every single one.

Good night everyone!  I hope you had a wonderful Friday!

Oh hello again

It's been so long since I have written, I almost forgot about my blog.  Whoops!  Sorry about that!  For a quick little update on my not-so-interesting-life here it goes:

I have been working away like crazy at Day Camp.  Last week was our first week, and despite a few minor issues it went about as smooth as I think Stephen or I could have hoped for.  This week Stephen and Erin are in California, so my job duties have tripled.  I'm not feeling too hot this week so it has been a minor struggle, but I'm pushing through and trying to smile my way through it!  It's wacky tacky day at camp and I think our counselors enjoyed the freedom.  Here see for yourself:

We have great counselors!

Mom and I started swimming yesterday.  The Duke pool was a bit more crowded than either of us had hoped for, but we shared a lane so it wasn't too bad.  I was quite entertained watching mom swim for the first time in a while.  I may or may not have made fun of her once or twice :)!  It's all in love!!!  Faith is going to join us today, and then tomorrow I get to take a break since it's church night!

On another completely random note, if you are tuning into my blog about Haiti click here, here, here, here, and here for the posts I wrote during our trip.  Thank you again for all of your support!

Oh and one last thing, I'm still waiting to hear about the job in Charlotte.  Please keep it in your prayers!

That's about all I've got for you today!