Catching up!

So I feel like a terrible friend, you know that friend who "lets the ball drop" on her end of the relationship. I have not had a chance to blog in a really really really long time and there is so much to tell! So much is happening and that is part of the problem! This past month has been intense, joyful, filled with sorrow and sadness, filled with excitement, stress, worry, tons of prayer and so much more! I don't even know where to begin telling you all that is going on my life. I was in Africa from September 2nd-18th which is another huge reason why the blogging has been so little.

Tonight I'm going to change that because I miss blogging and I miss all of you! So won't you join me while we sit and catch up like old friends who haven't seen each other in a while! I'm sitting here at Starbucks with my Carmel soy frappuccino and pretending like you are sitting across from me and we are having a wonderful chat about life! Wouldn't that be great if we really could hang out in Starbucks together?

I don't want to overwhelm you so I'm not going to share a whole lot tonight but trust me when I say I have many,  many post's to follow up after this one! I will start with the most recent and that is this, I'm realizing that I am in a really awkward stage in life. By this I mean I have graduated from college over a year ago and have "entered the adult world." AKA I have a 'real' job, I work as a RN and I love my job, I really really do! I am also single and have no family of my own. (meaning husband, children ...) So that puts me in this weird awkward category. I have a lot of free time because I don't have the responsibility of having a family to take care of, sometimes this is great because I have the freedom to do whatever I want and other times I hate it because I waste so much time being bored. I hate being bored, I love to be doing things, being with people, enjoying life!

My work schedule has recently changed I now work MWF 11:30am-3:30pm and TR 9am-3:30pm at two different elementary schools as the school nurse until they can find a permanent nurse. I work for an agency so I just fill in as needed. I am really excited about this schedule because I am involved in college ministry and events occur at night so that frees me up to be able to attend. I have always wanted to work days because for the past year I have worked 2pm-10pm which is not very fun when all your friends hang out at night when you are working!

On Wednesday nights I am part of a group called 77 which meets at the university I attended. It is a new group that offers a Bible study and other various events such as cookouts, bonfires, movie nights, etc. to help build community. We basically just want to tell others about Jesus! On Thursdays I attend CRU (formally known as campus crusade for Christ.) a group that I have really come to love! These two nights are great and I so look forward to them every week but it's just not enough for me, I want more! So I joined a "growth group" at the church I attend, it's basically a small group Bible study which will be taking place on Tuesday nights, I am really looking forward to this as well, my first meeting is tomorrow! I really want to get involved in Church again, (this summer I moved about 30 minutes away from where I was living so I joined a new church in my new location.) so I signed up to help out in the nursery! I can't wait to help out! I want to fill my time here on earth wisely and serving my King! I try to keep from being idle because that is when not so good things happen!

Wow this is a loaded post and I think is enough for you to read for one night. I really, really hope to be writing more often! I hope you have a wonderful week! I have missed you all so now I'm going to spend sometime reading your posts!

XoXo

Valerie

I'm Back!

I know I've been gone for sometime now. I got home yesterday from my wonderful trip to Benin, Africa!! I have so much I want to share that there will be more than one post about Africa. I'm still trying to adjust to being back home, the time change is really messing with me! In Africa were I was they are 7 hours ahead of us that and about 26 hours of airplanes/airports makes for a really long day! I've missed reading your blogs and can't wait to catch up!

It's finally here .... well almost!

Hello friends!

I'm sorry I have been so bad at writing and keeping up with what is going on with you! I promise I will have fill you in on all that has been happening at the end of September! Tomorrow I am leaving for Africa for a missions trip!!!

XoXo
Valerie

My week...

It's been almost I week since I've posted. I have been so busy preparing for the fall. I really love fall for many reasons I shared in this post. Tomorrow and Saturday I have a leadership meeting for a college group I am helping out with. I am so excited for the new semester and just want to meet all the new students and tell them about our group called 77, it is a Christian group on campus and is very new, this is only our second semester! You can check out what we are all about at our  web site. I have also been working night shift this week, 11pm-7am. I'm not going to lie, it was been terrible! I hate night shift because it is so hard to sleep during the day, I get home around 8am, eat breakfast and than sleep until around 3-4pm, wake up eat dinner and hang out for a few hours. I am so happy that tonight is my last night shift for a while, hopefully a long while!! Also a week from tomorrow I leave for AFRICA!!! So crazy!! I hope you have all had wonderful weeks!

XoXo,
Valerie

Two Weeks!!!

My dear friends and fellow bloggers,

In two weeks I will be disappearing for a while because I will be in Benin, West Africa!! I can't believe it is just two weeks away!! I still have so much yet to do before then, so please pray that I can get everything accomplished before I leave. For example, I still need to prepare most of what I am teaching!! I am teaching about basic first aid, hygiene, how to treat burns and who knows what else! It will be interesting because they speak French and I don't know any French!! I'm praying for interpreters!

Today I meet up with three of the other women who are going on the trip and it was so exciting to discuss how much God has already blessed this trip. We have received so many precious donations such as beads, bead making material, first aid kits and money. All of which make this trip possible! TWO WEEKS!!!

XoXo,
Valerie

My Prayer Journal

In the book, Let prayer change your life, the author Becky Tirabassi tells of a prayer journal she created with different sections to keep your prayer life organized. So today I created mine and have some pictures to share with you thanks to Hobby Lobby and their wonderful crafts!

The first section is called My Part which consists of 4 sections.
Praise - which consists of devotional reading and suggets rewriting psalms as your own personal prayers.
Admit - Confessing to God.
Requests- Prayer requests. (within this section is another section called My Prayer list).
Thanks - Thanking God.

Gods Part has 6 sections.
Listening - Listen to God in silence and write what He speaks.
Messages - Notes from sermons, outlines and verses.
New Testament, Old Testament and Proverbs - listing verses that comfort and convict you.
To Do - things I need to get done during the day. You write them down and then you don't have to think about them while you are meeting with God.

Forgiveness & Prayer

This summer I've been meeting up with a group of ladies every Monday night for a Bible Study and it has been so great! At the beginning of summer I didn't know these ladies very well but over the summer that has changed. I'm excited every Monday to hear how their week has gone and how I can be praying for them. I have been challenged through this study as well, which is always a good thing! This week our "assignment" is to forgive somebody we need to forgive. Doesn't sound too hard on the surface but actually doing it has proven to be difficult. The person I chose to forgive has hurt be a great deal and I'm not even sure if they realize they have. A part of me wants to be selfish and stay angry and with hold forgiveness ..... but who am I to with hold forgiveness from someone? Why do I think that I am so superior to this person and therefore I can make an exception and not forgive this person. Ouch! This is not a pretty place to be and I don't like being here!

So this week I am on my knees praying hard to my heavenly Father because I need His help with this one. I can not do this alone. Speaking of prayer, I haven't been as diligent and as faithful as I would like to be with my prayer life. I want to be know as a "prayer warrior." So my friends and fellow bloggers, how can I be praying for you this week? I recently started reading this book called "Let Prayer change your life" by Becky Tirabassi and it is amazing, I find it so hard to put down. In fact I think I'm going to read some more right now!

Have a lovely Wednesday!
XoXo
Valerie