Louisville

I absolutely love being in Louisville for the summer (and every other part of the year as well). I feel like I am at home here, and I know everybody and everything. It's my home, and I hope that it stays that way for a very long time. I have not been doing much lately. I've worked at Steak 'n Shake 3 times since I've been home. I've unpacked nearly everything, put all my textbooks up for sale, taken Colby to get his yearly check-up, etc. I've just been doing a lot of little stuff. I've gotten a few pet sitting jobs in here and there. It's easy way to get some extra money in and not actually have to go into work. I have been using this advertising website recently, and I just thought that I should do a little advertising! It is called Care.com, and it is a website that you can go on and either advertise for babysitting/petsitting or look for different jobs. I obviously don't have any reason to advertise for childcare, but I talked to many parents of children (and dogs) that need some extra help. That is where I met the couple that was looking for a full-time nanny this summer. I didn't end up getting that job, but I have had really good experiences with the site so far, and I recommend it if you are looking for some extra cash and have some extra time! It is completely free to post a profile and resume, and the only reason you would have to pay is if you are advertising for help. Obviously, as with any other social networking website, you should be cautious and use sound judgement when responding and arranging to meet possible employers. But it is a really good site, and you should check it out if you're interested!

Other than just getting used to being back home, I have been volunteering with the Jr. High at Southeast. I haven't gotten seriously involved yet, but camp is next week, and I am going to be a counselor there. I am so excited, and I cannot wait! I just pray that God places the right students into my family group and that he uses me to impact their lives somehow. I remember how much I looked up to my camp counselors, and I just hope that I can be that for these guys and girls. Please pray for me while I will be there and for the students that God is bringing to this camp for a reason. Hopefully I will have some great stories to share when I get back on Friday! :)

Being away from Alex has been tough, and even though we get to video chat on our laptops, I still miss being with him. I am going to get to see him next Saturday in Lebanon for his 21st birthday, so I am really looking forward to that. What I am more looking forward to is him MOVING TO LOUISVILLE at the end of December! :) He has been studying to take his GRE to get into graduate school at UofL, and hopefully he will pass! He told me tonight that he took a practice test and passed it so hopefully that is a good sign. ;) He's so smart; I know he can do it!

Well, it has been a long and boring few days. Me and Danielle had our wisdom teeth out on Tuesday morning. I was SO scared and terrified of what was going to happen, and Danielle was as calm as can be. My procedure ended up being the easier of the two, and I had much less pain than she did. I am fine now, and she is getting there. She had better get there soon though because she is taking the ACT in the morning!! But other than a little swelling and pain, the procedures went fine, and we are both doing great. Thanks to everyone who was praying for us! I don't really have much else to say, but pray for me while I am at camp! Pray that it doesn't rain all week, and that God really shows up among these middle schoolers!

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Proud Big Sister

Saturday afternoon, my brother, Nick, took his black belt test for karate. My mom, sister and I went to cheer him on, and while we knew it was going to be a difficult test, we did not know HOW difficult and intense it really was going to be. After almost three hours, a black eye, a scraped shoulder and bloody nose, my brother passed! He is now a black belt in karate, and I could not be more proud. Here are some pictures from the day! The students first had to do all their forms and kicks and punches. Next they had to fight 8 men in a row for 1 minute each. That is where Nick got all his bangs and bruises. After that, they had to do 50 good push-ups, 50 sit-ups and then 50 balance kicks on each foot. They had to grapple, and then after they were done with everything, they had to do 10 minutes of jumping jacks in a row. When they had 30 seconds of jumping jacks left, their teachers decided that they needed to do 15, and they extended the time. The boys finished their jumping jacks with much sweat and tears, but they finished. It was the hardest thing that Nick has ever had to do, and I am so proud of him! We celebrated at dinner that night, and then today we had some cake in light of all he has accomplished.




















Congratulations Nick!

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Memorial Day

I know it was over a week ago, but I just now got my Memorial Day pictures uploaded to my computer. On Memorial Day some families have cookouts and some families head to the lake for the long weekend, but my family does something different. Every Memorial Day we head to the grocery and pick up some flowers, and then we drive over to the Zachary Taylor Cemetery off of Brownsboro Rd. and pay our respects to those who have served our country and died because of it. Not all those who are buried at Zachary Taylor died during the time that they were fighting, but nevertheless, they served our country and have passed away since that time. It seems that we go more than once a year, and it is hard to just go, look at the graves, place our flowers down by a few and then leave. But this year I really wanted to feel more than just the same things that I feel every year. I was looking out across all of the graves, lined so neatly and orderly, and I made myself picture one thing. I made myself, in my mind, replace each grave stone with a young man (or woman) standing up in attention. When I did this, I was overwhelmed. I was overwhelmed at how many people had really died so that I could be free and live the comfortable way that I do now. I was overwhelmed at many of the dates I saw on the tombstones. Many of these young men were barely a year or two older than I am. Making this substitution from a gravestone to an actual person made me really see and value Memorial Day in a way that I could have never imagined. Here are a few pictures from that day, and I hope that in the future, instead of just grilling out and hanging out with friends, you will really remember what Memorial Day is all about.






A freshly dug grave.. :(


Age 20


Age 21

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