Talking, Planning, and Paying Bills

Those are kind of the three things I have been doing this week. Mainly the first two, but that's okay.

The last two weeks has been pretty sweet. I think that God has been teaching me quite a bit. Last week, I worked at Clare High School's marching band camp with Dave Shepherd and a guy named Eric. It was a lot of fun, and it was cool to build relationships with the highschool kids. I think that it was a remider for me about what highschool was like. It helped me appreciate college quite a bit more. :)

For the first day of the camp, which was five hours a day, we taught the kids the music and also some marching basics. The next three days consisted of fine-tuning the music, learning the drill on the field, perfecting marching technique, and then learning how to play and march at the same time. (The last one proved the hardest of all............) On the last day, Friday evening, the band parents put together a potluck, and a whole bunch of relatives and family and friends came to watch the kids perform what they had learned so far. Even my family showed up to watch :D

On Tuesday, Amy and Dayna and Drew came to Mt. Pleasant to go tubing down the Chip River with us, and afterwards we got Slurpees. Amy's car that really wasn't hers was acting up, but luckily they made it back to the cabin in one piece, with Josh and I following to hang out with them that night and have dinner too. We ended up playing volleyball and Aggrivation, and other things. While they were playing aggrivation, I went down to the lake and just observed, noticing the sweet silence that hovered over the water, and the cool breeze in the branches of the pine trees and the full moon. It was a great time for me to spend with God, and just talk and then listen. Then Mom Hill came out and we talked a while about this and that, then talked a bit about the planning for the reception.

The next day, Amy and Mom came over to our apartment in Mount Pleasant and we talked and did more serious planning for the reception. Josh had to go to a volunteer thing, so it was just the girls planning, until Dad Hill showed up. We did some more planning and they did some car stuff, and then we went to the cottage (Josh had come back by then). At the cottage, we played some three on four volleyball (mom and dad hill, me VS amy, josh, Dayna and Drew).

Then, on Thursday, we ended up going to Clare, and just kind of hung out. I got to have a nice talk with my dad, and that was really nice. When mom got home from work, we ate some burgers, and the went over to the grandparents house and saw the baby kittens then came home and hungout for the rest of the night. The next day, Friday, Josh and I went to the Amish store to do a little discount shopping and then headed to the field for the performance.

I think God has taught me to be more patient, and to listen, especially to Josh. So often I find him as a threat, or someone that I have to prove right, when really, when I listen to him, and then think about what he says, I can process more easily what he says. Its been a good week of being able to talk for the two fo us two. We've had some really good conversations and God is definitely working through that. It is cool how once we give the relationship to God, He just kind of takes over and shows us what needs to be done.

The sermon at church last Sunday was cool too, because it was about the walls that we build that keep us away from God, or turn us around when we are going toward God. It really made me think about walls that were put up in my path, and walls that I constructed myself. Like my wall of fear, for instance. I am sure that I went out, bought the bricks, and the concrete, and all the tools to make the wall, then worked long and hard to put it up so that I couldn't knock it down. But I am slowly learning to let God just kncok it down, like the walls of Jericho, and it is cool to listen to what He tells me to do.

This is pretty long now. And I still have half an hour until lunch time is over....

Drama Time

I have tons of ideas in my head for dramas and stuff for the drama ministry next year. I am pumped to be able to serve the community by using drama and skits and stuff. I can't wait. I feel like I am repeating myself, but I wanted to write a blog and I didn't have much to write about, so I decided to tell you how excited I am to lead drama. It is definitely a place where God has put me, because all these ideas are not ideas from my own mind, but from His. I don't really have much else to write about, besides Josh's awesome bookshelf that he just made out of old dresser drawers. He is very creative. It actually looks like it might be able to be a bookshelf too.

I am starting marching band camp next week at Clare -- helping out the band director, Melissa, who just recently had a baby girl (YAY!). It will be pretty fun, because I get to work with my old drum major from the Central Michigan Marching Band. He was a student teacher at Clare last Spring, and that is where I graduated from, so it's pretty cool. It will be lots of fun, and I get paid to do it!!! Dave (my old drum major) put me in charge of the flutes, clarinets and alto saxophones, so I will be helping them with music as well as finding their spots on the field during drill practice and what not. Sweet! I wasn't expecting that much responsibility, but then Dave handed me a packet with the scores in it and a CD with the music on it, and told me what he wanted me to do. So thats cool that he trusts me with all three sections!!!

Alright, I am going to look at that music now, I think.

Giving Blood is Painless... ????

So, I gave blood last Thursday. I like to tryt o give blood every once in a while because even though it might cause a bit of discomfort, maybe it could help someone out somewhere. So, why not? Now, I tend to have small veins or something, because every time I try to give blood, the phlebotomists all hover around my arms trying to figure out which vein to use, then somewhat absently stick the needle in my arm and root around for a while, searching for the vein they thought they found. Gross. But worth it. I usually never bruise up or anything, so thats good.

Now, the last time I gave blood, not counting thursday, I searched in both of my arms and couldn't find a vein to use. That was pretty discouraging, s oI waited a while to try again. On Thursday, I was prepared -- I ate breakfast, and I drank about 48 ounces of water, most of that in the two hours before I went to give blood. (Stall number 3 in the bathroom is a nice stall... ) So i went to the bathroom right before I went in, and you have to do all the testing stuff and then the finger poke and whatnot, so by the time I got to the table, I had to use the restroom again. But I thought I would be able to hold it. It wouldn't take too long.....

The lady doing it puts the armband compressor thingy on my arm, and starts looking for a vein. Then she puts one on the other arm and starts looking there, too. Then she called over another phlebotomist and she was looking. Finally, they decided on my left arm, a vein that "wasn't as deep as the other one, and should work alright".... poke -- dig dig dig --- tape --- squeeze every four seconds.

Its all going well, minus the fact that my bladder is about to explode, when the lady said my bag was full -- yes!! -- and she just needed to fill the tubes.. well, apparently my blood didn't want to fill the tubes, because they just wouldn't fill. There were two people over there again, trying to get them to fill, and by this time, I felt like I was going to pass out not from loss of blood, but from having to pee. (I was sure that if I passed out, I wouldn't have to go to the bathroom anymore... my bladder would have quit trying to hold it and would have let loose right there.. ew).

So the tubes get filled, and the lady takes out the needle and puts the gauze on it, telling my to lift my arm up. So I do, and blood starts gushing down my arm. Oops, forgot to take the compressor thingy off your arm. Lay back down, you are fine... I think she was trying to read to me what not to do for so many hours, and all I could think about was that loving stall number 3. Josh was there when I got done, and I waddled past him to the bathrooms. He was probably laughing at me silently. I would have been had I not been in so much pain from having to pee. The best part of the whole experience was the cookies and the nice girl sitting at the cookie table who gave me lemonade and talked to me. It was fun. Oh, the bruise is pretty sweet also :)

So, I think that you should give blood if you can. The blood getting used to help was definitely worth the uncomfortable state I was in for 40 minutes of my life. Really. I just wanted to share the story with you :)

Green Licorice

It has been a pretty good weekend, I would say. Most of the weekend was spent in Clare, where my Grandparents had a re-wedding to celebrate their 50th Anniversary. My aunt from PA and my aunt from TX flew in to help with the festivities and the planning, while my grandma's brothers and sisters came from all over Michigan, and from Florida to celebrate.

The wedding was a gorgeous wedding, complete with flower girl and ring bearer. My grandparents never got to enjoy a nice wedding, so this was the wedding my grandma had always dreamed of. She had a great day. She was stunning in her beautiful white gown with red accents on it, and my grandpa was looking snazzy in his white shirt with red suspenders... oh yes, they had suspenders :)

It was a lot of fun, and the people ate ten dozen deviled eggs!! that is crazy. After the reception, which was held right behind the church in the new-ish reception hall, grandma and grandpa had a 'chariot' awaiting them outside to take them to their home (which was just down the road): a john deere tractor with a very decorated hay wagon on the back of it.. complete with love seat for the "newlyweds", and straw bails for all the little kiddies who joined them on thier ride down to the house. It was very cool. I think they ended up going around the section before actually heading home, where the real party started -- music, more food, more fun, and some other stuff. My grandparents had a great time -- the day was a success!!

Sunday was a good day too -- Josh and I came home to go to church, and church was great. Afterwards there was a "goodbye Tony" picnic for one of the pastors who is getting married and headed wherever God leads him and his fiance. His name is Tony. And today Josh has a meeting with someone, and then we are headed to Mecosta to enjoy some time with family at the cottage, and we'll probably do a little jetskiing as well :)

Reading and Cross Stitching

This week has been interesting, I would say. I think that I have learned a lot, and I think I have a lot still to learn.

Josh and I have been going to a couple's life group, which consists of about 7 or 8 married couples... It has been really cool to get to know other married couple in the area and with in the church, and to talk about all the stuff we are going through, or at least have the support or people our age who are going through similar things. We we started watching a video sermon type thing by Mark Gunger (I'm not sure how to spell his last name...) called "How to Laugh Your way To a Better Marriage". It's pretty funny, and for the most part, he speaks about all the stereotypes about men and women, and elaborates on them. I feel like a lot of the stuff he talks about isn't quite the same for Josh and I, because I feel that we are anything but stereotypical, but I have found some stuff interesting.
One part that really made me think was a part about forgiveness. Mark talked about how forgiveness is an act, and not an emotion. That was pretty cool to me, because it is so true -- I usually try to make it an emotion, and when that happens, I tend to hold it over the subject's head. He also said that forgiveness is more of a tongue thing than it is a heart or a head thing. Its getting over your pride, manning up, and just apologizing and letting the situation go. And once I just do it, and apologize and forgive, I usually feel so much better! Crazy.

Also, I am really trying to connect with God again. I kind of-- no, I DID -- put him on the back burner for a while, and then tried to start relying on myself to get things done, which led to a need for earthly possessions and material things. And that wasn't good. Then I realized what was going on. And God was there, waiting for me to come back. He has been teaching me to listen, to really listen, to Him and for Him and his presence. He has also told me to start listening more to Josh instead of just filling silences with talk and babble. And that has been harder than I thought. I tend to frustrated over silly things, and have to just stop and not say anything. And just let it go. And I realize that it is starting to get easier to listen to him when I am not talking. And I am excited for the future... :D

The reason I mentioned reading and cross-stitching is because I am reading two Ted Dekker books right now... One is called "Kiss" and the other is called "Boneman's Daughter". The first one is okay, but it is kind of confusing right now, and the second one is super good, but really creepy. I think after this, I will be ready to read something that is more along the lines of informative and helpful to everyday life rather than a ficticious thriller. But they are good non-the-less.

I have also just picked up cross-stitching again. I have a blanket that I started a few years ago, but haven't done anything on it since. The other day, I was looking at some magazines that we order supplies from at work, and they had cross-stitching stuff, and it made me want to cross-stitch again. And I am glad, because it is really cool-looking, and I feel very accomplished for being so patient with it and actually sitting for more than twenty minutes to do it :)

I probably should get off the internet now, seeing as how I am working. I think I am going to try to drink another bottle of water and then go give blood after work. There is a blood drive right down the hall today in the University Center. Cool

The New Morning

It's 9:23 in the morning and somebody is drilling while someone else, on the other side of the apartment, is weed whacking.. Good Morning!! Josh was up earlier this morning to go do a study thing that he gets paid to do, so thats kind of nice. And, I am getting ready for work.

I posted not that long ago, but it's exciting to post now because my old blog got deleted or something, so I just started a new one. That is exciting. Today will be good.. I can feel it. I hope it is. I guess it is what I make it.

Josh and I are memorizing Philippians 3 together, and we are on verses 15 and 16. I admit that he is much better at it than I am, but I am slowly getting better at it. It is pretty cool to know verses like that. I never did memorizing growing up, so it is cool to start it, and see the effects working :)

I should probably make my lunch now -- I have to leave soon.

'Tis the Season

I guess it's the season for something, it always seems to be.. I am not sure what, however, but my first guess is change. I guess change can be good all the time, or most of the time, but in my life, it is the season of change.

I guess I started off well, by getting married. That was a great change. I have a great family on both sides, people who love and support us in all we do. They are awesome.

But it has been difficult lately, the rest of the changes. I have learned that God does speak, we just have to learn to listen harder. God is teaching me a lesson about listening lately. And I am not the best at it.

Change is something that needs to happen, I believe, because if we just get comfortable, we start relying on ourselves, and not God -- we get our own routine, our own way of doing things, and God somehow ends up on the back burner.. Hold up, that's a problem.

It's amazing how great and patient God is with us, isn't it? God always listens to us, but we tend to get so caught up in our ridiculous little lives that God sits patiently, waiting for us, and we ignore him the whole time. Then, finally, I think that he just gets impatient, which I don't blame him, and he shows us that he is not messing around.

I think that sometimes we get caught up in change, and it takes away from the here and the now, but I also think that it is hard to find a balance of change. I mean, We should live in the moment, and not let any of God's opportunities pass us by, but at the same time, we have to prepare for the changes to come.. Well, I guess that is why we have to live in the moment. Because those opportunities are probably what will prepare us for the future.. heh, there's a thought :)

Matt preached about change yesterday, and it got a lot of people thinking, myself included. I think that is good. Everyone needs change, and God knew that it was time for that around here. God is amazing and never fails to amaze me.

I have been reading a lot lately, which is nice . Oh the joy of pleasure reading. I haven't done that in a while. I am learning a lot about food and stuff too. Like the fact that you can eat celery leaves. They taste ALOT like celery in leaf form. But they aren't too bad tasting in salad. Also, Josh is growing green onions, and you don't even need to put them in dirt.. At least not yet..
And, we have a baby parsley plant. It's really cute, and it is tasty as well :)