See ya June 29th

After months of preparation, Im taking off for Africa. Tonight I will be boarding Kenya Airways and heading to Rwanda, Africa to work with kids who have lost their parents in the fight against HIV and AIDS. Definitly not looking forward to the 24 hour plane ride but I guess that will be some good resting time before we hit the ground running for the next three weeks.

I couldn't have asked for a better team! We get along great now and we are as sarcastic as you can get. I look forward to the experiences we will be sharing together and watching them as God works through and in them. Above all else, Im stoked that I have this opportunity to travel across the world to share God's love with kids that have never experienced love period. God's love exceeds more than we can ever fathom and my prayer is that these kids will be overwhelmed with the love of the Lord that will be pouring out of us. As i sit here and look at the look I get from my parents, I can't imagine growing up without the love of my parents. I am so blessed in so many different areas! It's going to be so much fun watching these kids get the love and attention they deserve these next few weeks.

As for my friends! I will miss you all so much... especially you, James! It's been a couple weeks of hellos and good-byes for us that I'm looking forward to a few weeks together!

I hope that you all have a great month. Your prayers would be greatly appreciated. I will see you all June 29th or there after!

2007 Graduation Cruise

10 girls on a cruise to Mexico. Need I say more. 9 of my friends and I went on a 4 day, 3 night cruise to Ensenada Mexico this past week. for graduation. We stopped in San Diego, Catalina, and then of course Mexico. We had so much fun just relaxing and enjoying the rays out on the top of the deck of the ship by the pool and walked around the destination sites each morning.

San Diego-


Cataline-


Mexico-


My favorite part would have to be the dinners though. Each night we all got dressed up and when to dinner where our waiter, Jose would bring us more then we really wanted and at times food that we didn't want... LoL. Im hate seafood and each time he would talk me into ordering fish or shrimp which i ended up not eating... cuz I dont like seafood. Lol, why i did that, Im a pushover. What can I say? But, Im working on that.



Im glad all in all that I had this experience w/ the girls that were apart of my college life and hopefully for the future as well. It was sad to say goodbye when getting off the ship cuz the reality is that most of us will not be able to keep in contact w/ each other as much as we want. No more running over to their apartment to just say hi at midnight or going for late night donut runs.
Like my dad always says, all good things much come to an end.
Im not saying my friendships cuz I know that I will stay in contact w/ them as much as I can, but the college life with my friends is over.
Just yesterday I took a job at CBU as the resident assistant director in the dorms. So, I definitly will be experiencing the college life, just in a different way. Im sad that this next year I will not be experiencing some of the traditions I have created w/ my friends but I am excited to introduce these traditions to the new freshmen... like tortilla runs to Albertos at midnight and introducing them to Yogurtland :) LoL
Im going to miss all the girls that I lived life w/ in such close proximities this next year but I know that these girls that you see in the pictures will be close friends of mine for a long time! I look forward to starting a new chapter of life w/ each and everyone of them!

I just got back today from an amazing week w/ 9 of my girlfriends from a cruise to Mexico. While this was a great week and tons of stories, which I will share in another blog, I must say that trips like these become so much harder to go on when there is someone of significance to leave. This meaning James Rogers, my best friend and boyfriend. He has brought a joy to me that I can’t even begin to explain. I have so much fun whenever being around him and he has been such a huge encouragement to me in so many different ways. The saying, “time flies when you are having fun” has never been so true till I met him. 10:30pm always sneaks up on us.
Well, needless to say, these past 4 days have been amazing yet so hard at the same time. I missed him like crazy! Talking on the phone is one thing, but for some odd reason there is no phone service out in the middle of the ocean :P Not being able to talk during the evenings or while in Mexico killed me. I so badly wanted him to experience the fun and excitement that I did while on the cruise. But, now I’m back and seeing him again was priceless. We have only a few more days till he leaves for a conference and will get back hours before I leave for Africa till the end of June. It’s funny how I use to love traveling and leaving to go places, but these days things are a little different now that James is in my life. He takes the joy out of leaving for my trips when he isn’t going to be there. Not that I don’t have fun, cuz I definitely had fun on the cruise and loved being w/ the girls, but I just missed him.
Reality hit hard while on the cruise that him going to Arizona is going to be so hard on me. I knew I was going to miss him, but I guess in the back of my mind I was in denial that he was leaving. I’m starting to get a small taste of what it’s going to be like when he moves to his new job in July. While I’m confident that this is where the Lord is leading us both in our relationship and jobs, its definitely going to hard saying good-bye and relying on the phone for our relationship. His face will be greatly missed!