Keep a Watch

“Set a watch, O Jehovah, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips. Incline not my heart to any evil thing, to practice deeds of wickedness with men that work iniquity; and let me not eat of their dainties.”

~Psalms 141:3-4 (ASV)

My current job is working full-time at a dry cleaner as the customer service attendant. I enjoy working with the customers and meeting all sorts of people. For the most part I also enjoy working with my co-workers. Only, there are a few problems, the biggest is that they all have a very “French” vocabulary, if you know what I mean. They are constantly using cuss words even in their regular conversations, not to mention when they get angry which is quite often. It is very difficult in that environment to keep that language from slipping into my thoughts and worse, my own speaking. I find myself getting angry and words pop into my mind that I know shouldn’t be there, thankfully they’ve only slipped out once, and even then I was horrified.

I was trying and trying to come up with a verse or something that would help me to get rid of the thoughts swirling in my mind. The anger, the frustration, the words, the disgracing of my dear Savior’s name, I was tired of it. I was praying but that didn’t seem to be helping much, I needed a reminder. Then, out of the blue Psalm 141:3 popped into my head. Thankful for a bit of relief I quickly found the passage and read the whole Psalm, discovering that the entire chapter was exactly what I needed for my situation. Verse four seemed to fit so well, and I have decided to put that to memory as well. Keep a watch dear Father, keep a watch is now my constant prayer.

I know I am not the first, nor am I the only person to work with people like that, sadly, it’s the way out culture is today. Most don’t think twice about using some words and they are very destructive to a Christian’s thought life. This is just one area in which the world tries to penetrate our minds and souls. There are so many other things out there that can ruin our walk with Jesus Christ. Keeping a watch over our thoughts and words is a mere beginning of keeping our lives pure and clean before God.

Major Changes...Again

It seems my life never, ever likes to sit still for long. Or perhaps it's me that can't sit still. I don't know. It seems I'm never content with the current level of my life, I want something more, something better all the time. I'm not content to sit idle when there is so much more to learn and do. A good thing? I hope so. This leads me to the current changes. I think they are what God wants for me and they are definitely for the better. They will bring with them a lot of hard work and effort, they will stretch me, making me into someone better than I am. This is what I want out of my whole life, to be constantly stretched into a better person, but more importantly, I want to be stretched to be a better Christian so I can serve my God in a more meaningful fashion.

The first change is my job! Yep, I'm leaving the bank. This is a shock to a lot of people, but it is something I've been considering for a very long time; I was just waiting for the right opportunity to come my way. This presented itself in a job offer from a dry cleaner. I know, you're probably thinking, "Changing from a bank job to a dry cleaner is a better thing?!" It is. I was starting to go nuts sitting in an office all day, I need to be with people. I love to meet new people, get to know the "regulars" and make the new customers feel welcome. It's what makes me "tick." God gave each of us different personalities that require different stimuli, mine include people. (Have I gotten my point across yet?)

On to the next change: school. I know I had posted earlier that I was going to be attending Baptist College of America, but I honestly didn't have a peace about it. I couldn't focus on the classes and I just felt like I was drifting off course. I didn't really know what to do so I prayed about it. I really like this politics thing and I've wanted to be in it for a very long time. So, I'm quitting the whole "Christian college" thing and switching to Thomas Edison State College and a degree in History. So yeah...it'll be a little while until I finish, but I'm ok with that. I don't have anything I have to do so I'll just enjoy my time, enjoy life a little bit (although I have a feeling all I'll be doing is work and school), and see what else God has in store for me.

It seems my life is in constant upheaval, if it's not one thing, it is definitely another. I'm so glad to know that I have a Heavenly Father who cares for me and has everything perfectly figured out. In His time all things will come together, all I need do is take each step in faith, trusting Him alone.

Tax TIME!

This post may seem a bit odd to you. After all, April 15 was tax day, right? That's when American's all over the country were frantically rushing to pay their taxes, post offices are open until midnight, and all in all it's a crazy day...for most people. However, I have a slightly different twist.

You see, my company (more specifically my department) processes property taxes for Kosciusko and Elkhart Counties here in Indiana. The tax deadline for those is May 10, TODAY! We are inundated by 7 to 10 (or more) two-foot mail trays full of payments that we must open and process, mostly by hand! It's a blessing and a curse at the same time. A blessing because I work extra hours and make money, but it's a curse because I work extra hours when I'd rather be doing something else. Ah wells, the blessings are greater than the curses.

A Call to Courtesy

I work at a fast food restaurant. I make minimum wage. That does not make me less of a person simply because I am the one working in a horribly greasy environment just to make the food you eat. In fact, if it weren't for me, you would have to go home and make your own meals.

I think the stereotype of fast food workers is that of irresponsible teenagers or adults who couldn't find a better job so they had to settle for what they could get. That is not exactly the case. Many fast food workers are like me, college students who have a college bill to pay. We go to school full-time, and most "respectable" employers don't want to work with our class schedule. Others are adults with families who, in the present state of this economy, lost their jobs; they are simply trying to work to provide food and shelter for their family rather than taking money from the government. Yes, some are high school students, but I give them a lot of credit for working a job to earn money instead of bumming it off their parents.

Fast food workers are subjected to a lot of mistreatment by our patrons. We are often made to feel like second class citizens just because we happen to be on the opposite side of the counter. Many times it seems as if people vent the frustrations of their bad day on us...hey, it's not our fault you had a rough time at work. Oh, another thing, if you move tables around in the dining room, fine, but please put them back where you got them from! And for goodness sakes, we aren't a full service restaurant which means that if you make a mess, clean it up! If your order is messed up, please be polite about it. We aren't perfect and sometimes, especially when we are busy, we try to get your food out so fast that mistakes are easily made. We will correct it, I promise, the nicer you are to us in the process, but nicer we will be inclined to be to you.

Working fast food isn't exactly the easiest job, but it can be enjoyable. Having courteous customers makes our life easier. If people would just relax they would realize that dealing with us can be rather pleasant. It is our responsibility to try our hardest to be nice to our customers, but it's much better when our patrons are decent in return.

Day 28: A Scar and its Story

Somehow I have made it through life without many scars. I don't know how this happened (or should I say didn't happen) because I was a rough and tumble tomboy growing up. Amazingly I have never broken a bone, although I have come very close on several occasions.

The scar I'm going to tell you about did not happen while I was growing up, in fact it came about last March, less than a year ago. When I am at school one of my jobs is at an ammunition factory. I have assembled thousands of bullets for all kinds of guns. One day I was working in the casting room making lead balls. When I work in there I have to wear safety glasses, a leather apron, and leather gloves. At this point the lead is nearly 700 degrees Fahrenheit!

One day the machine got stuck so I took my gloves off to fix it, BIG MISTAKE. As I reached into the machine to fix it some of the hot lead got on my middle finger of my left hand. OUCH! The lead left a hole in my finger that went nearly to my bone! It hurt really bad. It took about 4 or 5 weeks to completely heal and now I have nasty scar on my finger.

Ps. I never fixed the machine without my gloves on again.

Some Good News

Today has turned out a bit of good news! These were some things I was expecting, but the plans are now in full swing, which is incredibly good. This news actually ease my boredom.

The first bit was an email I got from the Dean of Academics at Shawnee. I have been working to get things lined up so that I would be able to take some online classes and therefore hopefully keep up with my studies. Shawnee does not offer classes online, but earlier in the week during a phone conversation with him, Bro. Nicholson told me of a few colleges with online programs that would possibly let me enroll to take a few classes. I did the research and discovered a college that would let me take a few classes without actually pursuing a degree from them. I had to email Bro. N again to figure out which classes I needed and today I heard back from him officially! I will be taking between 8 and 11 credits this semester! I am so pumped! Not so much boredom!

Another bit of good news, I am officially back on the schedule at Wendy's! I start back on Monday! Woo hoo! So far I don't have many hours, but chances are they will start calling me in and will probably give me more hours as time goes on. Still, it's work, and money, two very good things!

Oh, yet another exciting occurrence, I have been asked to teach a literacy class in the county jail. I am supposed to give a definite answer tomorrow. I am sure that more will follow on this subject later on.

That Dreaded Last Week....

Ah yes! School is winding down and alas! this is the last week of classes. For some reason professors seem to get some sort of joy out of dumping a million projects and assignments on their students for this lovely last week. I think that I have more things due between yesterday and Friday than I've had in any one month all semester! YIKES!!!! I'm sooooo looking forward to Friday because I have the day off work and I can sleep after class!! Finals start next Monday, but I don't have a final until Wednesday! Praise the Lord!

I'm not gonna lie, I feel really overwhelmed right now. I have two 2,000 word research papers, a presentation, a seven minute story to tell, a high school science lesson to peer teach, a file project, and two notebooks ALL DUE THIS WEEK! Right now all I'm able to do is rely on God...He's the only way I'm going to make it through! I would greatly appreciate your prayers during this week.

Oh and I forgot to mention, tonight is the first night that I manage by myself! Yet another YIKES! I'm on the schedule to manage Thursday night as well!

New Position!

Recently a managing position came up at my job at LEE's Famous Recipe Chicken. I had thoughts of the possibility of being chosen for the job, but I wasn't going to really pursue the matter. The other day I was working with the assistant manager and out of the blue she said, "Hey Hannah! Have you ever thought of being a manager?!" I said, "Well, I had, but I didn't know what the plans were, or who was in the running for the job." Her response was that they really didn't know who to have fill the spot because most people weren't eligible for various reasons. She talked to the GM who spoke to me about it today. I was offered the job and I start training on Saturday! I'm sooo excited! The only bad things are that other than being home for a couple of days over Christmas, most of my break will be spent down here; also, tomorrow is my last day at the ammunition factory - I can't swing a second job along with managing. But it's ok, because this is an excellent opportunity to not only make some good money, but it also looks great on my resume. Please pray that I'll be able to learn my new responsibilities quickly.

A Few Prayer Requests

Hey everyone! This is just a really quick post to ask everyone to pray for me right now. I have a lot of stuff on my plate and it's getting rather overwhelming.

First on the list, and really this request is for every college student, pray for finals. I know that mine start tomorrow, and most colleges have already started or will be starting within the next week.

My second request is because on Saturday I took a really bad fall at work and landed smack dab on my rear end. Sunday I went to the doctor and they did x-rays and stuff, nothing is broken, but I'm bruised really badly, my hip is insanely swollen, and I'm hurting like crazy. Orginally the doc just told me to take ibuprofen every 4 hours. Well, that wasn't working so I started rotating asprin and ibuprofen every 2 hours and still that wasn't helping. I called the doc's office today and asked if I could get a prescription from them, which they did give me one. The only problem is that it's making me REALLY dizzy and nauseated, which makes studying almost impossible. So please pray that all those little complications go away and I can once again focus on what needs to be done.

Finally a third request is for what God wants for me this summer. My original plans were to stay down here in Louisville for the summer and work. However, in the past 4 weeks I've been off 2 of them from the ammunition factory because they keep running out of supplies! I haven't worked there in over a week and I have a school bill to pay. I'm praying about finding another job down here, or possibly trying to find a job at home for the summer. A really good friend of mine told me about a restaurant where they are pretty sure they can get me a job waitressing.

So right now I have a lot of things on my plate. They seem so overwhelming, and to be honest I've cried more lately than I have in quite awhile. I know that God will get me through all of this and I've been praying almost constantly. You're prayers will be greatly appreciated.

"Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things thou knowest not."

~Jeremiah 33:3

It's What I Do

Many people are quite shocked to hear that I work at a factory, and on top of that I work at an ammunition factory. It's really not that big of a deal to me, in fact I kind of like the job. The work can get REALLY tedious sometimes, but other than that, I have a lot of fun working there!

Yesterday I was doing the most dangerous job, making the lead balls for the shells. I took a few pictures and thought I'd post them for all to see. As time goes on I'm sure I'll take more pictures of the various tasks that I do.

These first two pictures are of the ball making machines (I don't know what else to call them). Large hunks of lead are placed in the top of the machine and are melted. The melting point of lead is 621.5 degrees Fahrenheit. As the lead melts any impurities rise to the top, which, depending on what is in there, gives off a rainbow effect, it's kinda cool!

Once the lead is heated the lead is then poured into molds for the balls. This tends to take quite awhile, because only two balls at a time can be made. Depending on which machine is used it takes between 3 and 7 seconds per 2 balls. Maybe that doesn't sound like much, but when there are several hundred or a thousand balls to make, it takes FOREVER.


*****This first machine is the fastest. All that is needed is to fill the molds, wait for the lead to harden and then pull the lever, and wahlah! two balls are made. It is also the safest of the machines.

*****The second machine is the most dangerous and hardest to work, for several reason. First of all, the lead pot is much lower, which makes it easier for lead to come in contact with me! Not a good thing! Secondly, it requires much more hands on with the heat and lead. Sitting on top of the machine is a set of molds. I have to take that and place it under the machine and pull a lever to fill up the mold. After the mold is filled I wait until the lead is hardened, about 2 seconds. I then have to hit a lever with a rod to break the mold open and the balls then fall out.

Sometimes the balls are deformed in some way and lead gets onto parts of the mold where it shouldn't be. This is where it gets really dangerous. I have to use a little screw driver to scrape the hot lead off the mold. I usually am wearing leather gloves, but for this part I have to take the gloves off because they get in the way. So pretty much my bare hand is maybe 4 inches from over 600 degree metal! One wrong move and I could be burned pretty badly!


*****I have to wear safety glasses, a leather apron, and gloves! It's a funny picture, I know, and I laugh every time I have to put on that wonderful outfit, but at least I haven't hurt myself yet!

It's Been Awhile...

I just recently realized how long it's been since I posted about the happenings of my life. Probably because the happenings of my life haven't been all that exciting lately, but I will at least attempt to give you a few details of my rather bland existence.

School has been going pretty well. I'm enjoying all of my classes, however, I'm once again struggling in science this semester. I'm taking Biology, which is a subject I love, but for whatever reason I'm having a hard time getting good grades. US History II is by far my favorite class. This semester is pretty much focused on 20th century history, which is very interesting. My instructor LOVES history, therefore the class is jammed packed with all sorts of historical facts. It's not exactly taught in the most traditional way, but I've learned more in that class than in any of my other history classes. My other classes are also going well, nothing extremely out of the ordinary happening in them.

Work is not going as well as I was hoping it would be. I'm working 2 jobs, but I'm simply not getting enough hours/money to make ends meet. So I'm in the hunt for another job. I had a really good interview at a trucking warehouse on Friday, I'm supposed to hear back from them this week, and I have an interview set up tomorrow at a place that manufactures ammunition for police officers. I had a phone interview today, and pretty much the guy said that when I come in tomorrow to fill out the application, and meet them, if they like me and I like them then it's a deal and I can start ASAP. It has really good pay, and I could get a raise in 90 days! If I can get both jobs then I'll quit my other 2 jobs, but if I can only get one or the other, then I'm going to have to keep my other 2 jobs. So pretty much I'll be working either 2 or 3 jobs through out the rest of the semester. Oh the joy! Either way it's looking more and more like I'll be staying down here in the Louisville area for the summer. I really want to go home, but it's better to stay down here where I have work versus going home where I have none. I'm hoping to be able to go home for a vacation at some point, but if any of you guys so desire to come down here and visit me, I won't be complaining! (hint, hint)

Next on the list: social life, or rather a lack of social life. Pretty much since I started working 2 jobs I haven't had as much of a social life, mainly because I work Friday nights and all day on Saturday. I've managed to hit up a few college and high school basketball games, which have been quite delightful, and I did get to watch the Super Bowl, even though my beloved Colt's lost. But other than that, chillaxin with the girls has been pretty much non-existent.

In family news I'm going home for a visit in 11 days! THAT is exciting! I haven't been home since Christmas break, and I'm ready to get away from school and be home. Daddy is turning 50 on March 6 (Shhh...don't tell him I said anything) so we are gonna have a little birthday party for him. Really, it's nothing exciting, just a family affair, but it's still gonna be nice to be able to celebrate it with him - even if it is a few days late. Also, Kyle is on Spring break, so he's coming out for the weekend. It will be a blast, and I'm sure it will be WAY too short!

In family ministry news, Samuel is getting on a plane tomorrow to fly to Florida. He is going to Missionary Flights International in Fort Pierce. He'll be spending time learning all sorts of missionary aviation stuff from them, as well as going to Haiti for a few days! Please pray for his safety, and that the Lord will use this in his life to draw Samuel closer to Him. Also, pray for mom as she will have to put him on the plane from Detroit to FL all by himself! ;)
Next weekend my parents are going to Illinois for some Reformers Unanimous training. They are hoping that this will give them more insight to the jail ministry, and working with people who have some pretty heavy addictions.

So that's been my life lately. Hopefully soon I will be posting about what the Lord has personally been doing in my life. It's been pretty rough, but through it all He has taught me a lot and is continuing the lessons.

My New Job

On Friday I started my new job at McAlister's! I think I'm going to have a blast working there! Right now I'm a "runner/busser."
When a customer comes in they walk up to the counter and order what they want and then sit down. That's where my job starts. I deliver the food, which is an interesting job because I have no idea where these people are sitting! They are given a number, but sometimes I walk all around the restaurant trying to find the correct number. Let's just say I get my exercise that way!
The second part of my job is refills and making sure people have everything that they need. I have to pay pretty close attention to peoples drink situations and if people have empty plates and stuff I take them away. It's a lot like being a waitress, which was what I really wanted to do originally.
Finally, I buss the tables once people leave. Clearing dishes, wiping down tables, sweeping floors, etc.
I really like this job, I think it's because I'm doing a LOT of interaction with people, which is what I enjoy doing anyways! :)
The negatives to my job are: I'm constantly on my feet which is fine for the first hour or two, but after that I start hurting. Today we were really busy and after my shift I got into my car and it was like, "Ahhh!!! Relief!"
The other HUGE negative is that a lot of times people leave tips, and we aren't allowed to keep them! THAT STINKS! One table left me a $5 tip, but could I keep it? NO! ARG!
So there are some positives and negatives, but overall I think I will like the job! Everyone seems to like me, and so far I like everyone too!! :)

I GOT A JOB!!!

As you can tell by the title this post, I GOT A JOB! Praise the Lord! :)
I had an interview and was hired at McAlister's. It's a deli chain that is in this area. It's a homey type of restaurant. I'm really excited cuz I love working in the restaurant business. As of right now I will still be keeping my LEE's job, and I've heard rumblings of the US Census bureau also doing some hiring so I'm going to look into that as well!
I start at McAlister's on Monday. It's looking more and more like I will be staying down here for the summer. It's not exactly what I wanted to do, but it will probably be my only choice.

Back to School

I arrived at Shawnee late last night and today was registration and book buying and all of those fun things. I'm now officially a second semester sophomore...isn't THAT thrilling?! The sad thing is that I'm only 6 credits from being a Junior! Oh well...that will come soon enough.

Here is my schedule for the semester:

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday: US History II, 8-8:50
Thursday, Friday: Biology, 8-9:40
Biblical Ethics, 10-10:50
Friday: Christian Womanhood, 11-11:50

I'm also taking 3 independent studies, they are "Intro to Youth Education," "Handwriting," and "Prayer." I will also be interning in the Christian school, I'm just not sure which class I will be in. I'll find that out sometime this week.

I'm only taking a total of 17 credits this semester!! I wanted to take more, but they weren't offering very many classes that I needed.

Please also pray that I find a job with a lot of hours. My job is hardly giving me any hours and I can't really afford to do that. I already spent 3 hours today filling out applications. I have 2 good leads so far, one at a consignment bookstore, which sounds like a lot of fun, and would be something I would really enjoy. My other job possibility is at Office Depot. I filled out an application today and the manager said that he would get back with me tomorrow. I'm also planning on filling out applications at several restaurant. Please pray that God will provide for me.

*****All of my books except for Biology and Prayer*****

"Homemaking"

When posed with the question about my philosophy of homemaking, I really had to stop and think about it, and to be quite honest, I’m still not totally sure if I know exactly what I think about this topic. However, I am going to attempt to do my best to put my thoughts into words. I’ve heard many people claim that a woman’s place is in the home, some believe that a woman is to do nothing but be at home, cooking, cleaning and taking care of her children. Others believe that it is okay for a woman to work outside the home before children come into the family, but after children come then she should stay at home with them. Still others think that it is all right for a woman to work outside the home during all stages of life and children. So the question remains, which is choice is the right one? Is there a standard in the Bible that tells us one way or another, or is it just a matter of preference on the part of each couple?

My mom was what could technically be called a “stay-at-home-mom,” but at the same time she volunteered at a full-time level as my church’s secretary. We would leave my home for the office around nine o’clock every morning and not get home until two-thirty, or three o’clock in the afternoon. Even though my mom was not at home during the day, she still homeschooled me from kindergarten through the twelfth grade, and she is still homeschooling my brother! I must admit that there were times that I hated being homeschooled, and sharing that time with ministry work, but now as I look back, I see that I was able to learn many valuable lessons through seeing Mom work in ministry every day, and also I learned a lot of valuable office skills at an early age. I learned that it is possible to balance a ministry and a home life at the same time.

I know other women who stay at home all the time to raise their children. Many of them believe firmly that women are “To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home…” (Titus 2:5). They believe that it is the man’s responsibility to go out and work and it is for the woman to be at home raising and training their children. But on the other hand there are families who have children and both the mom and dad work. I could not find any verses in the Bible that say that it is a sin for a woman to work outside the home, in fact there is evidence that it is okay for a woman to work in the Bible, “She maketh fine linen and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant.” (Proverbs 31:24).

In conclusion, I firmly believe that the matter of homemaking is up to each and every couple to decide for themselves. Their family should be considered, and what works best for everyone. If the woman is working simply so that they can live “beyond their means” then I believe that is a wrong motivation, especially if it is at the expense of her children. I believe that the children should come first in this decision. “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6).

My Wonderful Week By Myself!

This past week my family deserted me for parts unknown. Well, actually they deserted me for Wisconsin! So I spent 8 wonderful days ALL BY MYSELF! :) Let me tell you, it was a very nice experience. :)
Sunday morning I spent as usual in the jail. It was kinda interesting cuz Peggy was gone and I didn't know that before hand, so there was no keyboard, or anything to accompany the music, and naturally, since Peggy wasn't there, I was put in charge of the music. That was interesting. On top of that John put me on the spot and had me sing a solo, OCAPELLA!!!!! AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!! When he first told me to do it, I just stared at him like he was a fish out of water, then I said, in a very scared/shocked voice, "Are you serious??!!" He said, "Yeah, you can do it!" I was like, "Uh, ok...." So I did it! UGH! Everyone said it was really nice, whatever! Sunday night was the "premier" of "Israel 101," the big graphic design project that I was working on this summer. I hadn't seen the finished project up until then, and I thought it was really nice! Dave Ditton, who was the guy who took my graphic work and put it all together on the DVD, and I were trying to figure out how many hours combined just the 2 of us put into it, and we figured it was over 200 hours! That's not including everyone else! Talk about craziness! All of that for a presentation that is just over an hour long! It was a lot of work, but well worth it, and I know that through the hours upon hours that i put into it, that I was able to learn a lot about Israel.
Monday and Tuesday were spent going through all of the stuff that I brought back from college last year and figuring out what I wanted to take with me to Shawnee this year, and what I didn't, and what needed to just be thrown away, etc. I can tell you this much, I know that I'm not taking nearly as much stuff with me this year as I took last year! I well remember how packed the minivan was when I went to NY!! LOL! Fond memories...
On Wednesday I had a show, and sold a Rainbow!! I was THRILLED!! :)
Thursday I drove an hour to go to a show and didn't sell a Rainbow...sigh...Oh well, it was a nice day, so it was a nice drive....
Friday I finished up my first scrapbook, it's not very good, but I enjoyed doing it, and I think that I will continue working on those skills! :) I like doing it cuz I can be scrap booking and watching a movie, or talking on the phone, or doing a million other things! I hate just doing one thing at a time, my mind moves too fast I guess...I don't know, maybe I'm just crazy! :) Oh yeah, I got to talk to Jason on Friday night, which of course was WONDERFUL! :)
Saturday I cleaned up the house and then my family got home about 9 at night! I got a box in the mail from Jason as well, and that totally made my day!
It was really nice to have those few days to myself. I got some extra Bible reading done, and lots of time to pray! I was more than ready to have my family come home because during the week a really good friend of mine's mom died, and I had gone to the viewing and stuff by myself, and some other things had happened, and I just needed a really big hug!

Nothin too exciting

Not a whole lot of excitement has been going on in my life. I guess that is probably why I haven't really been posting much about my life lately.
The other day I did sell a vacuum, that was exciting! I can't wait to get my check from that! :)
Friday my aunt Beth came from Mishawaka with her son, Jayde. We all went to the jail Bible study and then went to the fireworks! They really weren't all that good this year! It was kinda sad cuz normally we have AMAZING fireworks, especially for a small town. I did get some good pictures though! :)
Saturday I slept in! It was WONDERFUL! I really felt like doing absolutely NOTHING so that's what I did! I didn't wake up until after 9 and didn't really start moving until 10! It was amazing! :D We went to a friends for a cookout, and had some SERIOUS ribs!! Then we went on a boat ride! It was a LOT of fun, but too short! ...sigh...
That evening we went to a patriotic concert! It happens every year, and is usually outdoors with about 5,000 people in attendance! Well, it was raining this year, so we packed into an auditorium that seats about 1,500 people! There weren't 5,000 people, but there were at least 2,000 and probably more! Standing room only! People were standing in the back, up against the walls, and even sitting on the floor in the isles! It was crazy! The concert was AWESOME though! As a tradition 2 verses of "The Star Spangled Banner" are sung. If you've ever heard several thousand people sing the national anthem, you will understand why I got a major case of goosebumps! It was INCREDIBLE! The orchestra played "Stars and Stripes" which is COOL with an entire orchestra, and not just brass. The WWII veterans were recognized, there were about5 or 6 in attendance! Then they did an armed forces medley, recognizing each branch of the military separately, then all together! That was COOL as well! There were also some Broadway songs, and "God Bless America," then as a tradition, they closed with "The 1812 Overture" that is always SOOOO cool, cuz they use canons, (or at least canon sounds) and make it loud and bangy! :)
I didn't go to jail on Sunday, instead I went to my church.
Monday I was convinced to work at the county fair for Rainbow! That stank! I was there for 5 hours! I will be there for the same amount on Thursday, and Friday I'm working for the National Right to Life booth at the fair! I'm a glutton for punishment

Whatever in general!

My brain has been kinda blending everything together the last several days, so I'm gonna try to remember everything, but no promises!!
Yesterday I actually got out in the sun a little bit! It was sooo nice and really the first time that I had been outside all summer! I've been so busy that some things just don't work out the way that I want them to! It's kinda funny cuz here it is already nearly the end of June and I'm still REALLY white!! LOL! I also got to mow a little bit of the lawn that Samuel didn't get to on Monday. :) That was the first time I've mowed all year too!
I had a 6:30 demo in South Bend (the one that was supposed to be shown on Friday) and Damon went with me. During our drive he told me that he and Chris had decided that Damon would do some major in depth training with me over the next 2 months until I go to college, and then they would let me lose in the Louisville area, pretty much on my own. They would still keep tabs on me, and they would ship me Rainbows whenever I needed them! How cool is that?!
Today was a little on the wacky side! I had to be in Fort Wayne, which is about 45 minutes east of me to go to the dentist! My appointment was at 9:00 so I left about 7:45 and stopped at the Dunkin Donuts in Columbia City! Gotta love the iced lattes....sigh... Dentists are just royal pains, so no comments on that! I put a some gas in the van cuz I was almost out and then drove home. I got home about 11 and at 12 I met Wes at Courthouse Coffee about the PowerPoint. I got another latte, this one blended, so it was more like a slushy, and worked for about 2 hours for him. At 2 I was supposed to go with Damon on one of his shows in Middlebury, which is about an hour from Warsaw. We left about 2:30 (the show wasn't until 3:30). It took us a little bit to find the house cuz the road that it was on was SCREWY! We were going to show it to an Amish family, which I know sounds really funky, but they actually show to a lot of Amish people, AND they buy! Totally whacked! So, we get to this house and get all the stuff out and walk up to the door and the guy comes to the door and said that they called and cancelled it earlier this week! AAAAAHHHHHH!!!! The office didn't know anything about it! GRRR! Sooo, there were a couple of things that needed delivered and stuff up in that area, so we did all of those things. We were supposed to go on one of my shows in Milford at 7:30 together. The original plans were to do the show in Middlebury and then go to Milford which is about 20 minutes from Warsaw, and right on the way home from Middlebury. We still had plenty of time, but it was pointless to go all the way back to Warsaw, so we stopped at Burger King, and YAY they had free WiFi!! :) I think I killed about an hours worth of time on the internet, which made me happy!! LOL! We were on our way to our show when we decided to call the office, just to make sure that it had been confirmed. Long story short, we didn't do that show either! UGH! We went back to the office and Shayna, who is the marketing director, had the 2 of us sit down and try to set shows....we ended up managing to get her side tracked, so that we could get out of that!! LOL! Tomorrow night we are having a "phone-set party" everyone is getting together and making phone calls and setting up shows! There will be food and the theme is the 60's and 70's! We have to dress up like something from that time period....it was WAY before I was born, so I ain't got the foggiest what to wear! I was hoping to get a poodle skirt and go with the late 50's early 60's thing, but that didn't happen, so I think I might wear a denim skirt, flip flops, a bandana, and a tie-dye t-shirt (if I can find one)!

Life in the Fast Lane

Ok, I know that if I put every little detail about my week down in writing it will take a LOOOOONG time! So, I will just briefly sum up each day.
Thursday I worked for Wes in the morning and in the evening I attempted to sell a vacuum! It came SOOOOO close! Seriously, I'm still trying to figure out why in the world I didn't sell one! At the end of our shows we almost always do a "phone closing" where we call some of our bosses and they will talk to us and sometimes the customer, and they can a lot of times convince the customer to buy. Ben and Krista were already really close, then I called Matt, who is the manager of the store in Valpo. He talked to Ben, and got him even more interested. After the phone call Ben all of a sudden decided he didn't want to do it! UGH!! Soooo, no sale. It's too bad cuz that would have been my first sale on my own. It was so close that Matt called me while I was on my way home asking if had done all of the paper work! Neither one of us are sure what happened! :(
Friday got really exciting! All day it had been stormy and yucky! We were, at the least, under a severe thunderstorm watch all day, and a couple of times it elevated to warnings, and tornado watches. Nothing new for Northern Indiana, it happens all the time. I was supposed to go to South Bend in the evening to do a show. Where I was going in S. Bend was about an hour away. I really didn't want to drive up there all by myself in the wacky weather. So, I talked to the people at Rainbow and they said that Damon could go with me. I was very relieved. We were supposed to meet at the office at 5 and then proceed to S. Bend. As I was leaving home dad called and said that there was a tornado in Mentone, which is about 6 or 7 miles from us! Oh well, I had a show to go on. So, I got to the office and the tornado sirens were going off when I got out of my vehicle. Creepy. Soon after we left the office I looked in my rear view mirror and saw the storm that had gone over us, it was BLACK! We didn't sell a vacuum, nor did we even show it, which is a really long story.
I went to the jail Bible study Saturday morning, but had to leave early cuz I had a show in Logansport, which is about 1 1/5 hours south of us. Damon went on this one with me as well. We did sell a vacuum which was WONDERFUL!! PTL!! Then Damon, bless his heart, drove a few miles further south and went to Kokomo and stopped at Dunkin Donuts for me!! YAY!! I got a large iced latte, with whipped cream, of course, and totally enjoyed it! ...sigh... We got back about 5:30 and I went to the Hampton Inn in Warsaw where Wes was showing the PowerPoint to a group of his friends so that they could critique it! UGH! It would have been one thing if these were all people who understood what you can and can't do in graphic design, but most of them weren't! There were only 2 people there, mom, and a recording engineer, who understood. I only got in on the last half of the presentation, which was actually a good thing, cuz if I had been there the whole time I would have been crying! By Saturday I had only gotten about 14 hours of sleep the entire week, cuz I was trying to get this project completed for Wes, and then to have people who had NO idea what they were talking about critique it, well, lets just say I was slightly frazzled!
I went into the jail on Sunday morning. It was really good. Unfortunately one guy, Michael, who is actually one of my former bus kids and neighbors was in the solitary confinement cuz he had been wrestling! I told him I was gonna smack him for doing that, but I couldn't cuz he was locked into his cell. Pray for him, he has a lot of potential. We had several people over for Sunday dinner since it was Father's Day. That was fun.
I took yesterday off. I did NOTHING when it comes to work. YAY! At 6:3o there was an open house for Rainbow, so I did go to that, but there was really no work involved there!
Today it is nice and hot and sunny!! I was outside for a loooong time, just enjoying the sun! :) I also did a little bit of mowing, which was fun cuz I haven't mowed at all this year!!

Running around and cousins

Wednesday I took the day off! YAY! It had its wonderful pros and some pretty bad cons as well...I think the pros outweighed the cons.
Pro #1: I got to sleep in until 10:00! That was AWESOME! I didn't think I would sleep that late, but I sent my alarm just in case, it's a good thing I did!! I had a little bit of running around to do and then I did a few things at home.
Pro #2 (and by far the best 1): Around 1:30 I left for Mishawaka to see Aunt Beth!! :):):) I haven't seen her since Christmas when they were living with us. It was SOOOOO good to see her and the kiddos again! She has been through so much since I last saw her and yet the love of Christ and the complete peace that she has about her circumstances amazes me! I know that I haven't had life treat me nearly as bad as it has treated her, and yet I also know that I don't have the peace and love towards my enemies and circumstances as she has. I love her to death! We had some really good chats, thankfully she TOTALLY understands some of the things that I went through this past semester cuz she's been through a lot of it before.

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*****Kim, she is 15 and quite the bookworm, so was I at her age, it must run in the family :)******

*****The neighbor boy came over to play and brought his rather extensive frog collection (there were at least 5 frogs)*****

*****Sorry this is sideways, I couldn't get it to flip, this is Adreonna, and if she had blonde hair without the freckles she would look just like me at her age (she is either 7 or 8) the scary thing is she acts like me...her poor mom!! LOL*****

*****Aunt Beth*****

*****Wil*****

Pro #3: Mom and I, mostly mom cuz I was gone, were able to clean the house and then vacuum with the Rainbow that I have as a demo model!! YAY! I mostly just did my room, I think mom did the rest, but I had to clean the Rainbow once we were done, YUCK! Oh well, the house is clean at least, and it is still clean cuz dad and Samuel went somewhere (Ohio I think, but I'm not sure on that) overnight to do something with an alarm syster! So the counter is still cleaned off, and there isn't junk all over the place!! LOL!! :)
Now for the con, there is only one, but it is pretty BIG!
CON #1: I stayed up all night working on the PowerPoint for Wes. I briefly explained in an earlier post what I'm doing but I will go more into detail now. Wes is a missionary of sorts. He leads a LOT of Christian tour groups into many countries all over the world. He also has smuggled Bibles into Communist countries. I'm not quite sure all the detail on that though. One of his main countries is Israel. (YAY!!) What I'm doing is a PowerPoint presentation for him to use when he speaks at churches. This is actually like his sermon notes, he thinks the entire presentation will take about an hour! He wrote a script that I'm taking key things from and putting on slides. It's like a travellog of a trip through Israel. It is REALLY cool and since I want to go to Israel SOOOOOOOOO bad, I find it very interesting. Well, Wes has a little "debut" thing scheduled for Saturday evening! I need to have it completely done, or at least almost done by then! I think I'm on page 25 or 26 of 34 his notes, and at slide 128! UGH! So, I was up ALL night long working!! Finally at 6 AM I decided to stop working. I ran to the store and got milk, and then ran to the coffee shop and got a latte!! :) I got back around 7, did a little more work and then was able to read my devotions and get ready to meet Wes at 9. I worked with him for about 2 hours before I decided I couldn't think anymore...LOL! I got mom her favorite drink from the coffee shop that I do most of my work at, and then ran next door to Subway and got a foot long sub for mom and I to split for lunch! It was really YUMMY!
I then came home about 12 and went to bed. At 1 I was rudely awakened by Rainbow calling me to see if I would come in and work on setting up appointments for this weekend cuz there is a contest going on for dealers, and we are supposed to do at least 3 shows from Friday through Sunday....anyways told them that I would do that, so I ahve to go in at 2:15 for that.
I have a show in a town about 1/2 an hour away at 4 and then I have to come home and work more for Wes this evening.
Soooo, I'm not bored at all...if any of you have a boring life and would like to switch, just for ONE day, I think I would consider the prospect! I JUST NEED SLEEP!
Anyways, the Lord is still good, and He's gonna have to get me through cuz there is NO other way that it will happen!