Can you say BUSY?!

Yes. I sure can... and that is definitely what my life looks like right now! I'd say it's both the internal AND external kind of busy. You know when you are just THINKING about a million and a half things so you feel busy even when your schedule is fairly manageable? No? That's just me? Yeah, well... maybe I'm  unique when it comes to my crazy-analytical mind. But probably not. ;^)

Anyways... there has been a lot happening! I was blessed by a wonderfully relaxing trip to Montana to visit a dear friend, Brianna. We were roommates the first year I lived in Texas and lived in the same house the next year. Bri is SO special to me! We spent a lot of time laughing and completing each other's sentences. :-) I could have done without the 24 hrs of sitting in a car to and from Laurel, MT... but it was definitely worth it to spend time with such a great friend!

I can feel it! Spring is here... summer is coming... and there's only 4 more weeks of school! I'm on the final stretch. Working on two group projects, a 12 pg research paper, and various other tests, quizzes and smaller papers. Whew! I will be SO relieved when this semester's over. I keep thanking myself for deciding not to take classes this summer. That was a good decision. :-) ***Also, I just registered for FALL classes today! I am pretty excited about this schedule! 15 credits, full Tues/Thurs and Wed nights - that means NO Mon or Fri again! AND it still works with my schedule to watch Channing and Gannon. Thank you, Lord!

Another exciting development is that I decided to start a girl's small group on Saturday mornings in the summer. I don't really know what all this will entail just yet, but I know that this is something the Lord has put on my heart... so I know that it'll be good. I still need to ask around and see what kind of interest there is (maybe so many people will want to join that I'll have to find a couple other leaders to form multiple groups!) and I don't know WHAT to study yet... a book of the Bible, a book like "Set Apart Femininity" or "Lady in Waiting," or some kind of topical study. I haven't been drawn in a specific direction yet, so I want to ask around and see if maybe there's something specific that a group of women would benefit discussing/learning together. I am REALLY excited about this... please pray that the Lord would continue to guide me and that I would step out boldly in leadership.

Well, that was just a quick update! The Lord is teaching me a lot in this strange season of life... but my desire is to be content where He has me and pour everything I am into knowing Him more. There's so much more I could say, but I should probably get to studying for my interpersonal communication test that I have in less than 3 hours.

I heard this phrase in a song on Sunday: "This is so beyond me, but it's not beyond You." I'm grateful that NOTHING is beyond the Lord. He is working ALL things together for the good of those who love Him.

Summer is Coming!

The weather in Boise is AWESOME!!! I spent the day yesterday with Channing and Gannon and their two friends. We played basketball, soccer, had a picnic, watched a movie (we needed some down time in the afternoon... I sympathize with mothers everywhere when it comes to "play dates." I was mostly just the referee, problem solver, conflict manager, entertainer, and chef. Whew! Those four kids definitely kept me on my toes!), and finally went to the park. The walk to the park was a little longer than I thought and the sun was a little warmer than I thought... on the way back I ended up carrying Gannon's helmet and scooter and gave him a piggy back ride. He said, "Miss Kaween... my power's getting low." I think this is a sign that he watches too many super hero movies. I couldn't help but laugh. :-) They were exhausted - such a fun day!

I don't have to work today, but I got myself out of bed as early as I could to make sure to take advantage of the second (and last) sunny day! I found a comfy little chair at this great downtown coffeeshop, The District. It's new and I love it! I'm going to work on homework, phone calls for Extreme Life, reading, writing, whatever else I can think of. In a few hours I'm going to meet a group of friends from church at Table Rock for some hiking + climbing. I'll probably mostly just hike and climb very little, but that's okay. I'll be the one with the camera. :) I just want to be OUTSIDE... so I'm super excited for this adventure. Emily and Heather would be excited... we used to go on adventures in the Back 40 at Teen Mania all the time. In fact, that's how we spent my 21st birthday.

Even though I decided NOT to drive home and see my family this weekend, I'm still going to make good use of the last few days of spring break. That decision was hard, especially when my Dad texted me pictures of my brother and nephews playing basketball together... and then later said they watched old home videos... and had steak for dinner. Ah! I wish I could have been there. :-( I think it's hardest being so CLOSE, but still so FAR. It's a different kind of hard than when I lived in Texas... then it was just a given that I couldn't go home. Now it's just a quick 7-8 hour drive. I miss them!

My next decision is to figure out how to spend my summer. My current two options are: 1. Get a second job and work as much as possible to save as much money as possible. This is a very practical option considering how much I need to save! I don't have any particular job lined up... I would just apply anywhere and everywhere. I would still work for the Miller's - but I'd be getting paid less and have way fewer hours. 2. Raise $2000 ASAP and go on a mission trip with Global Expeditions as a Team Leader. I'd LOVE this. I could visit my friends in Texas (The Lay's, Crist's, Nicole + Andrew, Sam + Lisa Hasz, former interns of mine, etc). I love to travel. My TL training and CPR/First Aid certification expire after this summer, so I might as well utilize them.

Hmm. We'll see. Decision making is always an interesting process for me. :-)