Busy Bee vs. Being Still

Many of you know that I keep late hours to try to keep up with the never ending flow of schoolwork and in the last few nights have not been able to sleep anyway due to receiving sad news back home.

 
Well, tonight, I instead chose to work on items for the upcoming retreat at the beach that I've been planning. 



Even Dusty Shamrock is excited about the retreat!

A small voice in the back of my mind kept telling me I should be working on my literature review or on my syllabus for the course I'm teaching in the fall or this or that or that over there.  I chose to block out that voice and focus on my work for the retreat.  When I finished w/ the retreat preparation for the evening, I picked up a meditation book I'll be taking to read on the beach and on a whim turned to July 9th (not realizing it was after midnight). 

Here is what it said:
    Stop worrying long enough to hear My voice. I speak softly to you, in the depths of your being. Your mind shuttles back and forth, hither and yon, weaving webs of anxious confusion. As My thoughts rise up within you, they become entangled in those sticky webs of worry. Thus, My voice is muffled, and you hear only “white noise.”
    Ask My Spirit to quiet your mind so that you can think My thoughts. This ability is an awesome benefit of being My child, patterned after My own image. Do not be deafened by the noise of the world or that of your own thinking. Instead, be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Sit quietly in My Presence, letting My thoughts reprogram your thinking.

I wonder if Shaun heard Jesus calling him 5 days ago.  I hope he is able to sit quietly in God's presence now and have the peace he deserves. 

On Retreat....at the Beach!

One week from today I will be on  my way to what I hope will be the first annual Women's Retreat at Outer Banks!  

I had been wanting to do something like this for a long time but didn't think it'd actually come to fruition until this past January.  That was when I started officially planning this retreat weekend with two other friends.  Ironically, those two friends can no longer join me for the retreat but as only through the providential guidance of God, three other, maybe four, women will be joining me!  I'm so so so excited for this relaxing yet growing experience for all of us.

I don't want to divulge too much information as I have a few surprises in store for the retreatants but I have a feeling this will be an experience that the girls won't soon forget.  We plan on volunteering, socializing, and growing in our spiritual lives as we explore our Faith on the sandy shores of the Atlantic in Outer Banks!  

Please keep us in your prayers and maybe think about joining us next year! 

Crazy for....??!!

I am so super duper excited for this Thursday night!  I'm going to see the opening night production of Crazy For You!  The last time I saw this play was (gulp) 14 years ago when we put this play on at North Schuylkill.  I was a junior in high school and actually had a line....it was......wait for it....."Good night, Bobby!".  Yes, yes, I know you're probably blown away by the amazingness of it all but it's true.  ;)

My show-stopping portrayal as one of Bobby's Folly Girls...I'm the 2nd one on the left, from the front.

 So, when I found out in March that this play was being put on a mere 90 minutes from here, I just HAD to go see it!  In addition to that, 15 other friends are joining me!  How cool is that??!  Friends from church, UNCG, and even home are coming to this play.  We all must be crazy for fun and good times!!

Speaking of which, what are you crazy for in your life?  Here are just a few of the things I'm crazy for in my life!

Love tickling my middle oldest nephew, Clark, and hearing his giggles!

My newest nephew, Thomas Mark, whom I will meet next week!!

Fall, both the season and the foliage, makes me happy.

....Summer concoction to celebrate almost the end of summer classes...!

I'm crazy for fun times with wonderful friends!  Yay for MUSEP!

Education...I will most likely always be involved in the field in some way shape or form...

Babies and Puppies....doesn't get much better than this!

Butterflies....I'm crazy for the butterflies you get in your stomach when falling in love!  <3

My sweet sweet niece!

I'm also crazy for random fun incidents with my little brother...like this one.  We just had to go buy some nail polish at Walmart....and wait in line for what felt like 20 minutes to buy a 99 cent nail polish.  ;)

...For the chance to get it right another day if I screw up today...

Finally, I'm crazy for the opportunities to try to see the silver lining in circumstances, no matter how bad things may seem, they are not always how they appear to us, even if we can't see the end result now, it'll be worth it in the long run!!  

 This last point rings especially true for me this week.  On Thursday, it will be one year since one of the darkest days of my life.  June 21st was when my car was totaled in a car accident while on a road trip.  You can see pictures of my trusty old Saturn Ion on my Facebook page by clicking here.  A year ago today, I couldn't see beyond the physical pain and the fact that I didn't have a car any more.  I would have found it hard to believe, last year, if you had told me that I'd be excited about going to a musical with friends on the last day of summer session 1 classes 1 year to the day of the accident.  I'm grateful to have such a fun evening planned on this "anniversary" of the accident.

That car represented so much more than just a car to me.  I bought it during my second year of being a teacher in the "real world".  I was brand new to Harrisburg and York and just starting out in my career.  I worked six long years to pay off that car and it was the first one I owned.  I remember nights of sitting with a friend, listening to trance music, and staring at the stars outside the sun roof as we talked late into the night.  I recall road trips with my best friends to the beach, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, and pretty much anywhere else you could name.  Two weeks after buying the car, I was rear ended on Paxton Street in Harrisburg while on my way to Schuylkill County to go to a funeral of a family friend.  However, that didn't stop my friends and me from driving to Cedar Point Amusement Park in Ohio that weekend.  My Dad and I "broke the car in" by taking it for a spin from Frackville to Erie, then on to Niagara Falls, Canada, to make sure the car worked properly..hehe.  It was the car I took to bring Dusty Shamrock home in one spring night 5 years ago.  One time, I accidentally drove onto an off ramp exit in Massachusetts when an ex boyfriend and I attended a family friend's wedding.  That was fun.  ;)  Many phone calls were made to my students' parents between schools during the work day and that little Saturn was what took Meredith and me to our best friend's funeral.  That was, by far, one of the hardest drives I had to make.  The Saturn also carried me back and forth on weekly trips from PA to NC for 3 consecutive summers of babysitting my niece and nephews.  So, as you see, that car was much more than just a car.  It represented an era in my life that I'll call my "Southcentral PA days".  It sure did cover a lot of ground from Harrisburg to York to Lancaster to Baltimore to Frackville to High Point and many many many miles beyond those areas for 7 years.

Summer lovin'...had me a blast!

Soooo, as many of you may know by now, summer started for me on May 3rd, the day after my spring semester ended at UNCG.  I kicked off my summer by traveling northward to Philly to attend a Young Adults Retreat that Friday and Saturday.  While in Malvern, I spoke with Fr. Jeff about some concerns I had.  He suggested that I stop worrying and that I look for the blessings I am given in each day.  I decided, since it was the start of my (brief) summer, that I would focus on the good in each day and figured why not keep a somewhat pictorial blog about it as the summer days drift away...uh huh huh uh huh...(bonus points if you know what song I'm thinking of as I write this)?!

Hope you have as much fun as I did in approaching each day in a different way!!  Also, maybe you might want to look for the daily blessings in your lives too?!

May 3

I'm thankful that Dusty has a canine cousin he gets to play with when we go to Philly.  These smiling doggies spent Friday night together as I was off at the retreat.

May 4

The retreat was rejuvenating and I learned a lot.  My only wish is that more of my friends could have attended...maybe next year!  

May 5

It was awesome getting to spend time with my twin tonight.  We don't get to see each other as much as we used to when I was living in Pennsylvania.  He is always the ultimate host when Dusty and I stay with his wife and him.  It's awesome knowing that we have a place to stay and are always welcome in his home!  I'm grateful for having had the chance to spend time with him after the retreat late into the night and visiting a little bit in the morning before mass on Sunday.

May 6
Seeing this sign always makes me happy!  It takes me back to the many childhood trips to the beach with my family when we used to camp at 3 Seasons Camping Resort not too far from Rehoboth Beach in Delaware.   Then, as a first year teacher, I moved to Lewes right after college graduation so seeing the sign now, remind me of my first "real world" experiences.  Now, the sign represents a bit of a reprieve and that I'm not far from my little brother since he currently resides in the First State!

May 7

It was wonderful seeing my little brother and visiting him in his brand new newly built house!!  It is so cute and I can't wait to back and see what else he's done with it.  He and I usually travel to new places but it was nice visiting with him in his new home and hanging out in Dover. 

May 8

I'm thankful that Dusty Shamrock was returned safe and sound after a rendezvous runaway when he escaped from the back deck!


May 9
Today's blessing came in the form of an unexpected note.   :)

May 10 
I got to travel to Harrisburg, PA today!  I made it in time to attend Theology on Tap and get together with friends.  I'm so thankful for friends who time and time again, find the time to see me during my quick trips/random visits to the best state ever, even if it's inconvenient for them (i.e., driving to Harrisburg on a work night to have drinks!)  You know who you are and thanks for the love!!

May 11

Today, I made it back to NC just in the nick of time to see Mason Noelle perform in her first dance recital!  I may be a bit biased but she did a WONDERFUL job and I look forward to many more recitals in Mason's future.

May 12
After attending my friend's baby shower this afternoon, I'm thankful for pro-LIFE choices!!

 


May 13
I headed to Asheville this afternoon with a dear friend.  We had a great time exploring the city in spite of our hot air balloon ride getting cancelled the next morning! 

May 14

Asheville was full of artsy and beautiful things such as these window decorations.  I absolutely loved being surrounded by so much beauty & creativity and can't wait to return to this awesome city!








May 15

I made it back to High Point in time for Clark to blow out his candles on his birthday cake for his 3rd birthday!  Hard to believe my first nephew is three years old!  It feels like yesterday that I was sitting at a York Revs game with my crew when I got the word that I had a nephew from my little brother by reading his text that said, "BAMC".  My best friend, who was sitting to my left, and I were ecstatic upon receiving the news!!

May 16
Tonight I did Zumba for the first time in a looooong time.  I forgot how much I enjoyed it!  It takes me back to when I first started taking classes at West York High School in the home ec classroom after school, a few years ago, with one of my favorite high school nurses I worked with teaching the class!

May 17
I'm grateful for a research opportunity that I'm involved with in California!

May 18
Finally got a tick bite I received on my first day of summer checked out by the doctor.  Apparently I was bitten by a Bailey tick.  This sort of tick is known for carrying Spotted Fever rather than Lyme's Disease so that was GREAT news to hear this morning! 

May 19

I got to spend time with my parents today.  They came back to NC (after having been down here last Friday & Saturday for Mason's recital) for Clark's birthday party.  I'm soooo lucky to have parents who are willing to make the long drives just to see us, even if only for a day or two.  Everyone should be so lucky to have parents like ours!!! 

May 20

Today's blessing, on the last day of summer for me, came in the form of spontaneous spending of time with friends.  One joined me at Panera for brunch while another invited Dusty and me to the dog park with her dog and her later that afternoon.  I guess like the characters in this video I took in Delaware earlier in the month, we all get by "with a little help from our friends".  ;) 

May 21
Even though I feel like I don't have enough of it....I'm grateful for the blessing of time.  Each day is the chance to tackle something new...specifically, everything on my "to do" calendar list, including the items I left off of it, intentionally or not!

May 22
Today's blessing is my support network at school...wouldn't be able to do it without them!

Lastly, I need to try to remember to do what Father Jeff suggested to me at the retreat....to live..

Bad Romance Baseball?!

Well, now that it is May, my mind is moving forward and thinking about summer nights, baseball games, picnics, the beach.....what do you enjoy doing during summer time??

Something my friends and I did at the start of Summer 2010 was to participate in the surprise flash mob dance at a York Revs game in York, Pennsylvania during their season opener.  It was so much fun doing something like this and I hope to do a flash mob again elsewhere in the future!

*  I wore my white Aspito tshirt with a 28 on the back, Ash wore black, and Melanie wore a bright pink jacket (to my left) while Ralph and Bryan were behind us.  You see us pretty well at the 57 seconds mark,  then at the 1 minute 34 seconds mark, and again at 2 minutes and 11 seconds.  Oh, and Melanie got thrown up in the air at 3 min. 47 secs.  Hehe.  

Relaxation is on the horizon!

If all goes as planned, I will get to enjoy one of my favorite views one week from today!  


Can't wait to sink my toes in the warm sand and stare out at the sparkling blue water!

"Please go read Psalm 42:11"

The title of this blog comes from a text I received tonight.  The psalm asks, "Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God."  I felt compelled to write about the events leading up to receiving of this text tonight.  I've been meaning to blog for a while but just haven't made the time for it.  Hopefully this summer will allow extra time to share some more with those of you who take the time to read my ramblings!

Today was a particularly trying day...actually the last several weeks have been but it's easy to get swept up in the hustle and bustle of everyday life and the end of the semester happenings.  I'm definitely looking forward to a semi-slower pace of living in 2 days when Summer 2012 greets me.  However, looking at my agenda of traveling to 2 different states (Pennsylvania and Delaware) by this Sunday seems to contradict this but as anyone who knows me will tell you, I must travel to go see my family, friends, and new places for my own sanity.  ;)

So back to the battling of the blues business....somehow even with being 382.21 miles and 407.36 miles away from me, 2 of my closest friends back home reached out to me this afternoon.  Thank goodness for email, texting, and instant messaging because it (almost) helps to make me feel as close as if we were sitting across the table from each other in a cozy little coffeeshop.  I love how we can go for a few days without talking but can pick up right where we left off and be there for one another when we need the support.  Everyone should have such great caring friends in their lives. 

Tonight, I went to Adoration at a local chapel since it's the last Monday of the month.  A few of us in the Young Adults group I'm a part of at church try to go together on the last Monday of each month.  Tonight, I struggled with whether or not to go since I've been feeling pretty alone in many aspects of my faith/life (see earlier Theology on Tap desert blog post).  This afternoon, when talking with my friend, I realized just how devastatingly distant I have been feeling.  It seems that everything/everyone is moving forward while I feel stuck in a rut.  I should be overjoyed by the fact that the semester is coming to an end, that most of my family and friends are happy and healthy at this time, that I have a roof over my head thanks to the extreme generosity of my brother and sister in law, that lots of exciting and fun events/destinations await me this summer, yet somehow...I feel disconnected & lonely from it all. 

Anyhow, I was wanting to just stay in and wait for my family to return from PA tonight but I forced myself to go to the chapel because as Jesus said, "Could you not keep watch for just one hour?" and I thought who am I to blow HIM off and not go tonight?!  I got in the car and drove the 10 minutes to the chapel.  As soon as I entered the foyer area, a woman greeted me and asked me to step into the darkened sanctuary with her.  In the peaceful empty church, with the altar aglow by the softly shining lights above it, the woman introduced herself as Sister Lucy.  She is one of the nuns who helps run the chapel, which has been a perpetual adoration chapel for 17 years and will soon celebrate the 18th year come June. 

Apparently, a notice had been placed in my church bulletin about the young adults' adoration hour tonight and Sister Lucy had read of it after mass yesterday.  In an effort to welcome us, she had created packets of brochures and bookmarks to share with us.  This gentle, caring woman spoke to me about service, appealing to Jesus through His mother, Mary, and remembering that God is always with me, especially when it may be difficult and lonely, and when I may not feel His presence!  She had no way of knowing of my earlier conversations with Jason and Ashley nor that I had debated even going to the chapel tonight.  By the end of our half hour conversation, she had excitedly agreed to be a speaker at our Theology on Tap series next year, offered up the grounds for a possible retreat, and also assured me of the sisters' support in helping with the showing of DVD series/bible studies. 

After my adoration hour ended and chit chatting with some of the other young adults, I returned to my car, still amazed by the recent turn of events through meeting Sister Lucy tonight.  I checked my phone to find yet another round of comforting words via a text message:  "...He brings suffering, discontent, and sadness into our lives to bring us to Him.  It's horrible but on the other side of this we will recognize how good He is...."  These words hit home for me as I've been struggling with why there is so much pain affecting my friends lately....a friend from high school dying unexpectedly, another set of friends tragically losing their 11 month old son in an accident, a close friend moving to a new state, another friend's mother-in-law passing away unexpectedly.....my heart aches for these losses/changes my friends are experiencing and the pain that many others are facing.  I know that we aren't given too much that we can't handle and that there is a purpose for everything but still, it seems so unfair at times.

As I drove home tonight, the first song that played on the radio was one I've heard before but it took on different meaning due to recent conversations/events.  Here are the lyrics....I just need to do a better job of believing that I'm not alone, no matter how quiet or distant He is or may feel to me.  One more interesting twist?  When I looked up the video to post on here on Youtube, I learned that this song is on an album that was released on February 28th...my birthday.  ;0)

                                                                                       

When the path is daunting
And every step exhausting
I'm not alone
I'm not alone, no, no
I feel you draw me closer
All these burdens on my shoulder
I'm not alone, I'm not alone
You pull me me from this place

Hellelujah
You carry me every day
You carry me all all the way
Hallelujah
You carry me to the
You carry me to the cross

How your love has moved me, yeah
To the foot of all your glory
I'm not alone, I'm not alone
I'm not alone

Hallelujah
You carry me every day
You carry me all all the way
Hallelujah
You carry me to the
You carry me to the cross

All of these cities you have built
And every cathedral you have filled
To all of creation you gave life with your hands
And with those hands you comfort me
You lift me up from my knees
And carry me
You carry me

Hallelujah
You carry me every day
You carry me all all the way
Hallelujah
You carry me to the
You carry me to the cross
The cross
You carry me to the
You carry me to the cross