september.

Well, it's officially been a whole month without me posting a single things.  So much has happened, and yet not much has changed.  Let me see if I can wrap up this month...

1) The month kicked off on a Wednesday, which was also my second week of driving to LA for class...and every week since then, of course.  I've been able to see a few friends, as well as have a little fun shopping.  Wednesdays are pretty much my only day off, so I try to make the most of it.  Of course, if I'm really being good, I work at least an hour in the morning before heading down and then do some homework while I waiting for class to begin.  Usually, though, I kill my time doing other, much more exciting, things.  School is going well.  I enjoy the class I go to (Intro to Spiritual Formation for Educators), my online class I'm just trying to get through for the grade (Philosophy and Values of Education).  That might sound terrible, but so far, not so interesting. 

2) One highlight of going down to school is getting reacquainted with places I used to go all the time.  Namely, Pick Up Stix (Chinese) and, as I've mentioned previously, Berry Cool (awesome frozen yogurt).  We definitely need a Pick Up Stix here, and at least something similar to Berry Cool.

3) I thought that after a couple weeks of school I would start to get calls for subbing.  I've had a few so far, but I haven't actually taken any of the jobs.  I'm thinking tomorrow might be my first day, but I've been wrong before.  I've been staying extremely busy (which is why I haven't posted all month), so it hasn't really been all that bad. 
4) I found out a couple of weeks ago that I am headed on a missions trip in January.  I'll share more details later.  And, if you're really lucky, you might even get a letter from me about it...
5) My parents' anniversary was on the 18th.  We basically spent all of that weekend in the car.  Or, at least it felt that way.  Drove the grandparents to Morro Bay on Saturday and helped around the house over there.  I cleaned inside while my parents tackled the front yard.  Sunday we took a somewhat impromptu trip to Tulare to exchange a few items at the outlet mall, as well as acquire a few new treasures.  I got one of the most comfortable sweatshirts ever at Gap...it just needs to get cold so I can wear the thing!
6) That Sunday night (19th) was also the first team meeting I had for my trip.  I got to meet most everyone on the team (minus a few absentees) and I'm pretty excited about it.  It still seems so far away, so the reality of going honestly hasn't set in yet.
7) The next week was much of the same old thing: work, work, work, school, work, work, work.  Yeah, it's a super exciting thing I've got going on right now.  Unfortunately the weekend away took away from time I needed to stay caught up with homework and work-work.  So I started (and ended) the week feeling behind. 

8) The level of messiness in my room is a direct correlation to the busyness I've been feeling.  I could pretty much work sun-up to sun-down and still have things to do most days.

9) The Amazing Race, Glee, Survivor...just to name a few...all started back last week.  There's a few summer gems on TV, but mostly not.  So, when I have nothing else to do (ha) , at least I have some shows to watch that I enjoy.
10) I have never considered myself a terribly clumsy person, but in the last few weeks I have spilled two full drinks in cars. The first was lemonade all over my car. The second was root beer all over a friend's. It's never water, of course...at least not for me. My mom spilled a glass of water all over the floor in my room. Also, I smacked my leg incredibly hard into the corner of my desk at work one Tuesday. Since then, I can't tell you how many things I've run into...in that exact same, sore, bruised spot, of course.  It's been 3 weeks since that happened, but I can still feel the pain.

11) The Lord has been so good to me this month.  I have more work that I can keep up with, which is a financial blessing.  I have the opportunity to go back to school to further my education.  I've been healthy, as has most of my family.  (Today my dad said he felt like he is getting sick, so I hope it doesn't begin to spread.)  I need to stay healthy in order to take the place of all the sick teachers. 

12) There it is, a whole month summed up in eleven, fairly brief, points.  I can't believe it's already October...

refuge.

Sometimes life is just downright tiresome.  We are always on the move, always trying to get something accomplished.  It's nice to stay busy or have things to do, but often we overload ourselves to a point where we can no longer relax. 

As I read through the Psalms, one word strikes me over and over.  Refuge. 

Think about what that word means.  A refuge is a place of shelter, protection, or safety.  A place of relief, escape. 

"My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge.  Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge."  Psalm 62:7-8

"I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust." Psalm 91:2

I imagine a man, in the throes of battle.  He's been fighting as hard as he can, but soon realizes his enemies are about to overtake him.  The man turns to the one safe place he knows: "Be my rock of refuge, to which I can always go; give the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress." (Psalm 71:3)  He turns to the Lord, his place of safety and protection. 

May we rest in the truth that God is our refuge from the battles of life.  He will always be there, standing strong.

'God is our refuge and strength, and ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging...Come and see the works of the Lord, the desolations he has brought on the earth.  He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear, he burns the shields with fire.  "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.'  (Psalm 46:1-3, 8-11)

a monumental day.

Wednesday was one for the record books. And I'm not just talking about Bakersfield setting a new high temperature for the day (110...in the shade, of course).  Wednesday was an important day for two other reasons: I started my first day of going back to school and Papa came home for the first time since he left at the beginning of June! 

I got on the road to Biola right at 11 and I made it down there right around 1.  Class didn't start until 4:30, so I had a little time to kill.  I tried to hang out with a couple different friends, but it didn't work out this week, so hopefully in the coming weeks we will make that happen.  Anyway, I decided to "tour" the area, visiting some of the places and stores I had frequented not-so-long ago.  In case you're wondering, some things were different.  Most notably was the Panera put in right by my old apartment.  That would have been lovely.  And, of course, my favorite stop was at Berry Cool (awesome frozen yogurt).  I journeyed back to campus around 3:45, got a parking permit and my ID card, and had just a few minutes to waste until it was time to go to class.  Class was good, my professor is great, and I was thrilled to see some familiar faces.  We got out at 7, about 15 minutes early, and I got on the road.  I think I set a new record, at least my personal best: I made it through LA in record time, literally tapping my brakes once between La Mirada and Santa Clarita.  I'm praying this traffic was not a fluke and it will be similar each week. 

As I mentioned, Papa made his first trip home to Bakersfield since leaving at the beginning of June.  He and Gramma were looking forward to a few days of doing their own thing, running a few errands, and just being home.  After arriving home with my aunt, they dropped off their bags, turned down the a/c, and went to grab some dinner, giving the house a chance to cool off.  When they got home, my aunt left and they decided they should run to the grocery store to get a few items for the long weekend home.  When they returned home after that, they discovered the house was hot and the a/c was no longer working.  Please bear in mind that Wednesday was the hottest day of the year, at least here in Bakersfield.  Anyway, my grandma calls my dad, he goes over to check to see if he can replace the fuses, hoping that would be the fix, even if only temporary.  After an unsuccessful attempt, Gramma and Papa loaded their bags into my dad's car and headed over to our house for the night.  It really wouldn't have seemed so bad, except for them wanting to be home so badly.  At least they were in Bakersfield, right? ;)  Our neighbor across the street, Matthew, who was our saving grace a few weeks back when our own a/c went out, went out to their house Thursday morning, fixing it temporarily, and then went back on Saturday morning to fix what needed to be fixed.  It was good to see them, though, so at least it provided us that opportunity.  (By the way, Papa is doing much better.  However, last week, or maybe two weeks ago now, a brain scan revealed a small blood clot, which, if not better on another scan that will take place tomorrow morning, will require surgery this week.)

the transformation: final product.

Finally, the room is complete with finishing touches. The following pictures are taken from the doorway of my room and scanning around to the left:

You may notice that I love pillows. Also, the new dresser is on the right.

Moving to the left, please notice the curtains that, after much comparison, are almost perfect.

Again moving to the left, the new bookcase. One of my favorite parts of the room are the pitcher, vase, plant, and books sitting on top.

This painting is one of my absolute favorites.  It worked out nicely that it is hanging next to my favorites on top of the bookcase!

For the final shot, I stepped back next to my bed to get a better view of the desk and wall above it.

Well, there it is. I love my new room. This is the first time in my life I've had all coordinating furniture, which makes me feel so grown-up. Hope you enjoyed the tour!

Next projects: Continuing the closet saga, as well as redecorating Lindsay's room...eventually...

the transformation: it's a process.

Saturday was the big day, full of cleaning, moving furniture, putting up new blinds, rearranging, organizing, and reorganizing.  As an added bonus, I got two new pieces of furniture, both of which needed to be assembled.  It was a long day, but worth it for the results.

This picture was taken 8:15 on Saturday night. As you can see, we are in the midst of putting together the new dresser and my bed is covered in drawers.

Fast forward about a week. My room is nearing completion with all of the finishing touches. I bought new curtains, as you can see hanging. As you can also see in this picture, the pattern runs horizontally, but the four panels I bought didn't match up. Call me anal, but I knew this would drive me crazy, especially since the two windows are so close to one another. So, I pretty much bought every panel in existence, at least in Bakersfield, and began matching the pattern until I successfully found four panels that line up almost exactly.

Stay tuned for the finished product.

the transformation: before.

Awhile back I promised to show you pictures of my room since I've rearranged and somewhat redecorated. This has been a long time coming, I know, but I finally remembered where my camera cord was. I'm having a hard time uploading all of the pictures in one post, so I'm going to have to do separate posts.  Here are the before photos:

This was Wednesday, July 28. This was pretty much Day 1 of the process, although some stuff was already moved out at this point.

This was Friday, July 30. As you can see, most of the excess junk has been removed from the room to prepare for moving day tomorrow.

Also Friday. Same day, slightly different view of the "Before" room.

The transformation continues in my next post.

mixed up.

I try to be content, I really do.  But there's part of me that can't stand it.  I need to go somewhere new, do something different.  I wish I could be irresponsible for a week or two and just go.  I'm happy where I am.  I really am.  I just need to shake things up, do something different.  Or something.

Maybe I'm just anxious for the changes about to take place in a little over two weeks.  That's when I become a student again.  I'll also become a teacher again (substitute, of course) as soon as my begins to ring again.  My mom recently observed that my life is going to be so busy as I go to school as both a student and a teacher again, as well as continue to work for her.  Maybe that's what I need for awhile. 

I have only a couple of friends here, and I'm anxious to see the ones down in LA again.  Sorry to the friends here, as I've been MIA this summer as life took over.  It happens to the best of us, you know.  I need to get out and be more intentionally social.  Maybe then I won't feel so discontent.