BBQ, Homeschool, Graduation, & God's Blessings

This weekend was a busy one. It began with a barbeque at the Lillian Rolf house. Some of the girls' parents brought food and a grill. I brought potato salad to add to the mix. We ate, decorated with sidewalk chalk, some of us went for a walk, and we took pictures. All but one of the girls that lived in the house graduated this weekend.

One of the underclassmen who wanted to stay for graduation but had to check out of the residence hall on Friday stayed with me last night. I continued the tradition of housing underclassmen the night before graduation! On Saturday, I represented TUFW at the Fort Wayne Area Homeschool Convention at the Coliseum. I was a bit disappointed that I would have to miss graduation. However, God decided to remind me that He will provide for me even in the small things! (Something, that I really needed right now!) One of the current students came by with her mom and said that she would be willing to help out if I needed/wanted her to. I asked her how serious she was and if she would be there all day. She said yes and when I asked her if she was going to graduation, she said no. She covered the last 70 minutes of the convention for me and brought the display material back to TUFW for me! I basically only missed the graduates walking into graduation! I really wanted to be at this graduation; this was the class that I seemed to connect with more than any of the other classes since I have worked here. I did get pictures with a lot of the students...

My student assistant for the past year.

The male graduate in this picture always told me that he was my favorite homeschooler. While I don't really have a favorite, I always joked back with him that he was not my favorite, but the girl in the picture was my favorite homeschooler.

One of the professors who has become a good friend

Today...

Today I had two farewell parties. The first one was a gathering of TUFW employees to say "good-bye" to those who will be leaving at the end of the month. It was nice to have so many show their appreciation.

The second one was just our office. This party was for Leo, Myka, and I who will be leaving soon. Palmer, the Assoc. VP for Enrollment Services took us to a Wizards game and we got to be in one of the suites. (The Wizards are the local minor league baseball team.) Since it was a day game, we were out of the office a good portion of the day. We were treated to a lunch of hotdogs, popcorn, and pop. The guys watched the game while us girls sat around and talked! The Wizards won the game against West Michigan. This is the first Wizards game that I was at that they won...and I didn't even see much of it!

some of the girls from the office

Sitting in the seats outside of the suite. Leo and Paul (to the left of Leo) are doing the motions to "YMCA".

My boss...probably one of baseball's (especially OH teams) biggest fan's... as well as one of the best supervisors one could ask for.

Transitions can be rough, but God promises to be faithful!

"Whatever challenges you encounter, God has promised to help you. When your faith is tested or circumstances are uncertain, you can rest confident in these guarantees from God's Word. Read them. Meditate on them. Let them soak into your spirit. And then, with God as your perfect companion, every adventure of your life will be better than you've ever imaginged."

-Introduction to God's Promises for Graduates

I received the above quote the other day in an e-mail. It was a great reminder to me to remember what I have been taught through out my life, especially during this time of transition. I am winding down my time at TUFW. (My last day is May 30th.) I am still looking for a job. It is easy to trust that God has a plan for me when I feel I have a stable life. It is in this time of not knowing that is the test of my belief. In my head I know that God knew that this was going to happen and that He knows what my future holds and He has it in control. Sometimes my heart has a hard time trusting the unknown. I really need to find a job soon. God will provide, He always has. I just want to know how, NOW! (That's me being honest.) I have a spirit of adventure, but I also have a fear of the unknown. I like to plan ahead and know what is going on. This is one of my biggest setbacks in life. I guess God thinks it is time for me to work on this area of my life...trusting Him even in the unknown. Isn't it ironic that one of the first verses I memorized back in 7th grade was Jeremiah 29:11!?! There is a job that I would really like to do. It would start in August and last until this time next year. I have not had an interview for it yet, but after sending in my resume, cover letter, essays, and letters of recommendation, the director of the program said that he enjoyed reading what I had sent and requested that I fill out the application. I did and sent it yesterday. This job would take me out of the country for 8 of the 10 months. It is a job as a Residence Life Director for the Irish Studies Program. I am praying for this job. It would be a dream come true. I have wanted to go to Ireland for a long time. It is one of my top five countries I want to see. The others are: Germany, Austrailia, England, and Austria.

Thought for the day

"Let us be silent that we may hear the whisper of God"

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

My May Michigan Adventure

SATURDAY...

This weekend I had the opportunity to attend my uncle's wedding. It was a nice celebration! We had a lot of fun getting together with family and friends. On the way up to the wedding, my parents and youngest brother stopped at a scenic overlook of Lake Michigan.

My sister, brother-in-law, and niece drove up and back in one day. It was really nice to have them there.

My uncle and aunt saying their vows.

The happy couple! My parents, brother, and aunt's nephews decorated the get-away car... ...and labeled almost everything inside the car. (More on that later...)

Since the keys were MIA, my mom and I escorted the newlyweds to the reception in get-away-car #2...a.k.a. my parents' car. The keys were in my aunt's purse that was in the box that her dad had already taken to the reception at the house.

Arriving to the reception at their house.

Back to the label story...My new aunt's sister took the keys and went to get the car from the church. It was raining and she hadn't driven her sister's car before and needed to turn on the windshield wipers. She ended up having to pull-off in order to find them. When she arrived back at the reception, she said, "They labeled everything, and I mean everything except for the windshield wipers! That is what I needed to find and it was not labelled!" My brother said that he tried to label them, but the post-it wouldn't stick to it.

The first dance.

They have "live" trees in their yard!

Another tree with their house and the Betsie River in the background.

SUNDAY...

On Sunday, my parents, a cousin, and I went to Holland for the Tulip Festival. The day started out really cold but warmed up as the day went on.

I tried to join the orchestra and choir on one of the corners in downtown Holland while...

my dad took a stab at conducting them.

If you look closely, you will notice that there are multiple tulips growing from the same stem!

Some children dressed in dutch clothing. I thought they were so cute, I asked their mom if I could take their picture.

We met up with my brother and another cousin at Dairy Queen where I think my brother's choice of cone was rather on the giant size.