The Last

I feel like I need to write one last blog post for the year.

This year hasn't been the best as far as blogging, but you know, it's not the most important thing in life. And I think this is always how it will be, just sporatic and inconsistent. :)

I'm excited that tonight, New Years Eve, I get to spend it with Larissa and also Princeville young group. I'm branching out a bit. :)

Here are a few of my favorite Christmas photos this year, just in case I never get around to the detailed version.

So Happy New Year to each one of you! Blessings to you in 2012!

Praise the Lord!

This post is a bit belated, and most of you probably know and have heard... BUT...

I RECEIVED MY INTERNSHIP! I found out about a week and a half ago, and it was my Christmas present. And truly an answer to prayer.

I was trying to tell myself that I was going to be thankful for whatever, even if I didn't get the job. And I was still going to praise God no matter what, even if it wasn't what I wanted.
Honestly I think it would have been good for me not to get the internship, and let God really test my patience and trust in Him.

But He has blessed me, so so much. Everything is working out better than I could imagine!

I start at the beginning of the new year. I think I'm working for one week in the afternoons while I finish up the mini-mester I'm taking right now. (Which btw, is easy and I have a friend in it!)
Then I'm headed for Florida with Darcy for a week.
Then.. the next day after I get back, school and work both start up.


Today was my last day of work at my aunt and uncles farm. I've been doing bookkeeping work there for about 3 years, and it was kind of bittersweet! I LOVED the fact that I got to work for them and stay caught up with what was going on there. I'm going to feel out of the loop now!

It's amazing how when I started there I really didn't know I was even going to go for accounting. I was considering it, but wasn't so sure... I decided just a few months after working there.
I learned so much at the job too. I actually applied a lot of stuff I would learn in school, helping me not to forget it. I feel much more prepared for this internship because of this job I had, thanks to my family.
My cousin Emily, who was pretty much my boss, has dealt with so much with having me as an employee. She has taught me so much and was always so patient with me. And flexible... especially around my school stuff. So thankful I had her as my first boss, and that type of a job as my first job.

I feel like everything has worked out so perfectly as far as timing, etc.
God certainly had a plan for me even before I truly knew Him.

I also quit my bi-weekly cleaning job. I'm still planning on teaching my students, as long as they're willing to be flexible around my work schedule.

It's going to be a crazy semester... especially since it's tax season and I'm taking 15 credit hours on top of it... plus teaching. But I'm so excited to see where this internship takes me as far as learning goes!

Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name. ~1 Chronicles 29:13

Starting? Makes me a little nervous the more I think about. I know I'm going to be over loaded, but I'm excited. And I know God will provide!

But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. ~Phil. 4:19

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone! I had wanted to send out this Christmas card that I created for fun, but there was problems when I tried to print it. So just click to enlarge my year in review. :)

Yes, it was a busy year, but so good. Lots of traveling, a new little addition to our family,a best friend getting married, but ultimately, God has been so good and I'm so thankful that He is never changing.

Finals + pictures!

Finals start Monday morning at 8am. I'm just having a ball studying for them this weekend! :/ This post is a result of procrastinating. :)

I'm done Thursday night and it really couldn't come soon enough...

Yesterday I spent the afternoon at Heidi's before I went crazy from studying. :)

Bridget just makes me laugh. She is the most entertaining kiddo! In the last few pictures she's sitting in Carter's bouncy seat and playing with her feet... I think she reverting back to babyhood. :)

I will be back hopefully on Monday when I am informed about my job. Bad news though. Bridget was playing with my phone yesterday and called his cell phone and it says it was connected with him for 2 minutes. I hope he didn't have my number saved and doesn't know it was me!! :/ :)

Patience

Patience. Something I have had to work on these past couple of weeks.

Some people tell me I am a rather patient person. Maybe when it comes to people… especially kids.

But when it comes to my future and plans in life? ….. not really. At all.
I like to have everything organized and planned out whether it comes to my daily, weekly, monthly, or semester schedule.

I blogged about how I was going to have an accounting interview for an internship I need VERY badly a couple weeks ago.

I had my interview, and I felt like it went pretty good. But two weeks have gone by and I haven’t heard a thing.
And two weeks has felt like a LONG time since my phone has been by my side 24/7 in one of my pockets, and even on during class waiting for a phone call. And every time my phone would ring? My heart would skip a beat. :)

Anyways, today marked two weeks since my interview. Thanks to some good advice from family members, they told me I should call and follow up with them.
So that’s what I did. There was no answer, so I left a message. Thank goodness they still called me back today. But they really didn’t tell me any information. Except that they didn’t know yet, and they should let me know by Monday.

Monday? That’s like another week! A friend who works there who actually got me the interview told me that they are hiring a lot of new CPA’s right now too, and they are just crazy busy. So that makes me feel a little bit better… But for some reason I feel like I’m just not going to get the job.
I have my resume turned in someplace else too, just in case.. but I don’t think that will probably work out. I’m also trying to contact another accounting firm but I haven’t been able to get a response.

So what has been MY plan? Take a minimester over Christmas, have an internship this coming Spring while going to school full-time with 15 credit hours. And be DONE with school and have a full-time job in May!

God’s plan? I don’t know. I’m waiting. Trying to be patient.
But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. ~Romans 8:25

If this job I interviewed for falls through, unless a miracle job shows up, I probably won’t officially graduate next spring. I would be done with all of my classes except the internship though.
I guess I’m just getting way nervous because I would need to be starting my job in about a month or so. It’d be amazing if something worked out before then.

I was reading about Christ’s birth last night. We don’t understand why God would have HIS Son be born on this earth, all for US.
But God had a PLAN; and He has a Will for each one of us.

I feel like this applies to my life in so many different ways, not just the internship. It’s something I always have to remind myself of.

And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David. ~Luke 1:31-32

These verses show that God had a plan for Christ’s Birth. And I know He has a plan for me too, even if it’s not what fits in my schedule or plans just how I would like.

...Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. ~Hebrews 13:21

Brooke's 21st

Last Saturday Michelle and I drove up to Princeville for Brooke's 21st Birthday Party.

We were going to play Ultimate Frisbee in the afternoon but it rained all day, so we were stuck inside.

We made and decorated a TON of cut-out cookies. We had quite the disaster..although it's amazing it went so smooth with so many different people.

Cutting out cookies

Decorating time!

And the finished product

It was so fun because I didn't know very many of the girls very well. And some I had never really met. But I definitely got to know them! We had so much fun and I'm pretty sure I was crying from laughing so hard several times... especially during some of the games.

Everyone brought a chocolate dish to share, so needless to say there was a ton of chocolate. Brooke got her face smashed into the cake by Amber... which led to a chocolate fight between these two. Crazy girls.

It was a late night, but so fun to be with Princeville girls!

Thankful

This post is a few days late. But it doesn't really matter. The holiday of Thanksgiving is a day to thank our Lord for all He has done and the blessings He has given us. But we should be thankful every day, and that I am.

First of all I'm thankful for Salvation. For His Grace, Mercy, Forgiveness, Love, and the list is never ending.

I feel so blessed. I could go on and on with this post.

I am so thankful for my family. They are my biggest support group... especially mom!

I'm so thankful I am an aunt. :) Bridget & Carter have brought so much JOY to our family.

I am also thankful for my friends. The ones that we've been friends since before I remember and still are... and the ones who have just gotten to know in the past year.

I have made so many new friends this year that have had such an impact on my life. I believe God put all of my friends in my life for a reason. I rely on all of them so much.

.... O Lord my God, I will give thanks unto thee forever. ~Psalm 30:12

Other Fall News

I just realized I have one post so far for the whole month of November.

... and that I had started this post but never finished it.

Phil & Jessica had a new little girl, Summer. She is just darling.

I went and visited her with Nate & Lynette just a few days after she was born.

Amber, Holly & Laura

So precious.

Now onto my own niece and nephew. :)

Mr. Carter

This picture is already outdated... he just keeps getting cuter than this!

And then the crazy Miss Bridget!

This is a bit old, but a few weeks ago our young group had a huge invite. Kendra and I figured out all the food and did all the shopping on Friday night. We made 2 entire meals plus 2 snacks for 200 people! Thank goodness we had wonderful help on Saturday to help make the 13 pans of Lasagna!

Kendra & Lori working hard

Michelle & Kristin cooking the noodles

Let's just say it was a very chaotic and exhausting weekend, but so much fun at the same time! It's amazing Kendra and I are still friends. ;) Hahaha.. just kidding. :) But we did have our disagreements. :)

I don't know what we would have done if some of the mom's hadn't come and helped us out. Because we really don't have that many girls in the young group to help with this kind of thing. Why we invited so many people in the first place? Don't ask me... but I think it should probably be the last time we do that, although it is kind of fun. It's just a little extreme though... if you only would have seen our food bill.. :/

The girls I kept all night. We had so much fun. Good thing we had an extra hour of sleep that night! :)

Up to Belvidere

A lot of people think I've been "up to Belvidere" (as they say), a lot. Well.. I happened to go twice in two weeks, so yes it kind of seems like it. :)

First time was basically just for church.
Second time was to spend some good quality time with the newlyweds. :)

Friday afternoon we left right before dinner. The "We" includes Michelle, Brooke, Larissa, and me.
The only person missing was Kendra. She had to work which was such a bummer!
We had this weekend planned since before Ellie even got married. :) So we weren't about to cancel it.

Friday night we got there in good time and hung out and talked. Just like the good ole' days except with a man in the conversation too. :) Their apartment is pretty small but we survived... even all of us sharing one bathroom!

Saturday morning we had planned to go to downtown Chicago. Ellie made us pancakes before heading to Elgin to catch the train. I had never been to a train station or on a train before. Crazy I know! It wasn't really any different than any other kind of transportation though. :)

Waiting for the train

Yes, Troy came with us... not sure how he felt by the end of the day with all of us girls. :) I think one of the reasons he came was because I don't think he trusted us girls in downtown chicago by ourselves. :) Oh, and he probably wanted to spend some with his wife. :) It was good to know that we had a guy to protect us if we needed it. :)
Darcy came with us which was super fun. Good thing too, otherwise we would've been super lost everywhere we went! She was so excited that this was my first train ride. :) She made sure we went up to the 2nd level so I could have a good first experience. :)

Me & Rissa

There was something about the train conductors that I didn't realize. They really do wear uniforms and hats just like the books and movies. Lol. I know, I'm so naive. :)

The Girls

Another first for me was just the whole downtown Chicago experience. I was there when I was like 8, but I barely remembered it.

Michigan Avenue was a distance from the train station so we got to do a lot of walking.

Our first stop was the Cheesecake Factory for lunch. (I had never been there before either!) We had to wait for an hour and a half, but it was so worth it. Some of us girls did some shopping while Troy & Ellie waited around.

Lovebirds.

The meal was delicious and supposively the Cheesecake was too. But I hate cheesecake so I wouldn't know.

Darcy's birthday was the next Tuesday so Troy told the waitress and we sung to her. She got a dessert topped with a candle. She was a tad bit embarassed.

We only had about an hour to shop after the Cheesecake Factory before we had to to start walking back to the train station. I only bought one thing, but it was just fun to walk around, see the sights, and hang out with the girls.

We kind of got lost on our way to the train station, but we were helped by a homeless man... kind of creepy but he really was helpful.

We got back to Troy & Ellie's at about 7:30 and ordered pizza. We just hung out and talked again. The greatest thing about the weekend was that we didn't even have to do anything to have fun. This may sound cheesy, but it's true... just being together and talking was the best part.

Sunday morning before church

Church was good... I love small churches. And I think everyone there knows me now which is kind of fun. :) We left straight from church and got home in good time.

An awesome weekend with no studying...

...to an extremely overwhelming week with 3 tests in 24 hours.

But good news. I just finished my last test, and I am pretty much on Thanksgiving break now! I only have to come to class twice next week for my 2 easiest classes. :)

Oh.. I have a job interview on Tuesday. I'm kind of nervous because I've never had a job interview in my life. I've been searching and calling around a ton asking who will take an intern and that word "intern" kind of scares people off. They want to hire you full-time. So I am hoping the job works out. It would be an answer to prayer!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. I know I will!

A Great Sunday

Sunday morning a group of us went up to visit Troy and Ellie for the day. It's really not that far of a drive at all which is SO nice. We didn't leave until about 8:30 to get there in time for church.

So we went to Belvidere for church and then went back to Troy and Ellie's. I had seen their little apartment from the outside but I had never seen it once they moved in and got it all decorated. Ellie defintely can make anything look cute! :)

We just hung out at their house for the afternoon. We ate some snacks, played some banana grahams, and laughed. A lot. :) I miss hanging out with them every other weekend!

Group picture! We realized that we were all sibling "couples"... or something like that. :)

We all went out to eat at Granite City and then headed home. It was a great way to spend a cold and rainy Sunday.

Random Fall News

Just so you know, I'm still surviving.

Barely.

This week was the worst week of school so far... even worse than midterms. It was just frustrating with the chapters we're working on... in ALL of my classes. I hope I don't have another week like it!

But the good news is... this coming week will be #11 of the semester! Which means I only have 6 more including finals!

Nothing else is really new. Just loving being an aunt like no other. :) Going to Hyde & Luke's and playing/holding with the kiddos on the weekend is seriously my reward for making it through the week. :) Yesterday I went over there and took a nap on the rocking chair while holding Carter the whole time. I loved it. :)

A few pictures & happenings from this fall:

Babysitting Bridget- she's such a cheese!

Adam shot this turkey in our front yard the other Saturday morning... in his pi's. :) He butchered it himself and now we have a huge turkey in our freezer for our Thanksgiving dinner. :)

A couple weeks ago I went to Holly's orchestra concert with Kristin. Why? Because I miss being in an orchestra sooo bad (and because Holly's my friend and she wanted me to come. :). I think it'd be so fun to join the Bradley orchestra or something. You know, freshen up on those violin skills of mine since I don't ever play anymore? Ha, yea right. If only I had the time...

The concert was really short, but I was pretty impressed for a high school orchestra.

Afterwards we went to Steak N' Shake to chat. Both of these girls crack me up... they're so full of energy!

I can't believe it's almost November already. I was telling my mom how the days really do drag on, but looking back, the semesters fly!! I really do love to go to school, just fyi. :) I'm not really complaining about it (well maybe I kind of am... because this semester is definitely my worse so far... :) I love the socializing and I really don't mind the homework either. I just hate the actual studying part... and feeling like I always have tons to do. But it will be over before I know, I'm sure!

Anyways, enough about school. I have a life besides school so I guess I should only blog about that part. :) SO I promise I won't even mention it in my next blog post. :)

Hope you all have a wonderful week!

Life as an Aunt

How I love snuggling with these two. They are my two favorite kiddos ever.