WILD!!!

So these are just some pictures of the wonderful power of God last night. In case you don't live in Ojai, last night the wind was WILD!!!! I have never experienced wind that wild before and it was so humbling to know that I could do nothing to stop it. So last night I went out to rent some movies because my friend is lame and doesn't want to hand out with me while she is here (not you Katie, you're cool). I rented 4 DVDs and we were watching one of them as a family. I had just let my dog out to go to the bathroom when the electricity went out. It came back on really quickly, so we grabbed all of our flashlights and stuff just in time for the lights to go out for good. Luckily we still had most of our candles out from Christmas so we were fairly well prepared. I let my dog back in because he was super scared from the wind.

I went out to my room to grab another flashlight and I saw that the fence separating our property from the trailer park next door had come crashing down. Needless to say I opted to sleep in the house in case anything else happened. Most people are saying that around 6 transformers blew last night which caused the wild blackout.

This morning we awoke to find that two large pine trees had fallen into our backyard, one large branch had fallen on top of my room, and the fence was worse then we thought. But everyone is safe and the insurance people are coming out either today or tomorrow. I just thought it was pretty wild and I hope everyone else was luckier then we were.

Merry Christmas!!!!!

Merry Christmas everyone. I hope you all had a wonderful day today and yesterday. Christmas was in a word... interesting... for me. First of all we had Christmas eve dinner at our house last night and we had been prepping all week. My mom isn't the best at communicating what she needs done when she is focused on something else so this whole week has been super stressful with trying to help her, finishing up finals, and trying to manage with only three cars (Sarah's car needed a new transmission and it was in the shop all week). But Christmas eve dinner ended up just fine. Lots of great food and family drama that I really can't go into detail about on here because I don't feel like writing a novel, but feel free to ask me about it sometime. My grandma decided to give me the "what were you thinking grandma" gift this year. She gave me a flashlight. Now this wasn't even a cute flashlight or like an awesome mag-light; Oh no. This was an ever-ready, big, fat, ugly flashlight that you can buy at Ace for about $10 (yes I used to work at Ace Hardware).

Christmas eve I also sang with Amber and Ryan at the Christmas eve service. It was fun even though I am fighting off a small cold that Dalton gave me. I also told the children's story which was kinda funny cause it was so short. I was seriously up there for like 2 minutes. It was awesome!

Today was not as wonderful and merry as I would have liked. I woke up to my cell phone ringing at a around 7:30. It was a blocked number so I knew it was my house (I sleep in the garage), but whenever I would go to answer it they hung up. So I went into the house and poured myself a huge cup of coffee. Apparently Sarah was woken up a little bit more rough then myself and she was REALLY upset. So upset in fact, my mom opted out of opening presents right away to go for a run so everyone would cool off. So while my mom went out on her run, my dad went for a walk, Sarah went back to bed, and Janae and I stayed in the living room and watched Happy Gilmore. Finally at around 9:00 everyone was calm enough to enjoy giving and receiving. I got a hat, the rest I have to return.

After presents we made breakfast and made plans for the rest of the day. We decided to go to the beach since we are Southern Californians and well... we can. So we headed off for Bates with the family and Toby. It was Toby's first beach trip and he loved it. He was terrified of the waves, but loved the water and the sand and all the other dogs. It was cute. I was able to catch some pictures in between it all. Later we made Tamales (Christmas presents for everyone basically). Making the tamales was great fun but later my mom's friend came over and that kinda sent everyone into a tail-spine again which I can't go into detail about but ask me about it and I will be more then happy to share. But all in all Christmas was fine. I hope everyone else had a better time. Again Merry Christmas to all!

All Done!

Finals are finally over and I am done with this terrible semester. Ok, I wasn't that bad; I like to exaggerate things. Thursday was sort of annoying just because I was so over school, but my finals went alright. My speech final went really well. I didn't study for it at all and I know I did well on it. I ended up getting an A in the class so it all worked out.

My other final was much more difficult, but like I said, school's done and that's I don't want to worry about it anymore. Work was good today. Dalton has a bit of an ear infection, but he was super happy. He has this funny obsession with my cell phone and today I took some picture of him.

I now get a little break for Christmas and New Years. I don't have to work for a week because Alia is off all next week. It will suck financially, but I'm not driving anywhere really. My friend Stephanie is flying in tonight so I hope to spend most of next week catching up with her and maybe Katie (call me Katie). We'll see what happens. Merry Christmas!

Mid-Week Update

ALMOST DONE!!! I have two more finals tomorrow and then my semester really is over. Tuesday's finals went better then I had imagined. The first one was a four-minute presentation for my sign language class. All week my partner was trying to get me to drive down to Northridge to practice our four-minute presentation. I kept avoiding her because I didn't want to drive all the way down there to practice for 30 minutes. I felt bad, but she didn't seem to mind it. We practiced before our class started and it turns out she needed to practice more then me. But the presentation went well and I think I got an A on it.

After that short presentation I tried to sell my books back to the library. They were only using one of my books again next semester so that sucked; but hey, I got $12 out of it! So I waited around for about an hour and a half for my next final, Human Anatomy. It went so well I can't even begin to explain it. I finished the final in about ten minutes and I know I got them all right.

Today was good. Dalton got his cast off yesterday and he seems to be doing well. I guess the whole experience with the doctor was pretty traumatic yesterday. First with the saw and then they had to pull out the pin that was holding his thumb in place the whole time. His hand is still super sensitive and you can totally see this huge hole at the tip of his thumb where the pin was. But he is in great spirits (as always) and I think he's gonna bounce back really quick.

So two more finals to go and I'll be done. I wish it was done already, but what can ya do?

Weekly Prayer Requests

Wow, what a week. If you don't know what I am talking about, read my last post and it might give you an idea. But for now, another week and another set of prayer requests. So here we go:

• This Semester is finally over; Hurray!!! But now it's time for finals. Dang it! So please pray for wisdom and patience during this week.
• This morning I woke up to a dead car. It's fine now after a full day of charging, but it really shows me how I need to start looking for a new car. Please pray that after my finals I will be able to focus on finding a car that is right for me.
• Please pray that I will have patience as I look for a new job. It is one of my least favorite things in the world to look for jobs and I kinda have to get on the ball after finals.
• Today in Community we talked about what or favorite part of the holidays was and it really made me think. I really don't like the Holidays. Everyone gets all stressed out (including me) and there are so many people out shopping and stuff. The only thing I like to do is give presents to people. Unfortunately this sometime comes off as me being a Scrooge. Please pray that I will be able to get into the holiday season and try and enjoy it despite all the crappy things that have been going on.

I think that is all. My main focus right now is my finals. Once I get past those, I can start to get down to everything else.

Crazy Week...

Well what a crazy week I have had. I guess I can't really say week because it has only been the last three days that have been kinda crazy. Like I said Wednesday I lost my job (I didn't really lose it, they just can't afford to pay me starting at the new year and I can't afford to work for that much) which still sucks cause I am stressing major about what to do. Thursday there must have been a warp in the space time continuum or something cause super weird things happened. I was walking to class when out of the corner of my eye I saw something fall out of a tree across the street. All of a sudden I herd this loud "SPLAT!" I looked across the street and saw a squirrel get up off of his belly and run back up the 20 foot tree that he just belly flopped out of. It was awesome, but I couldn't really laugh because I was the only one who really saw it and I would look like a loser (even though I am) walking and laughing when no one else knew why.

After the Squirrel incident, I was waiting for my Anatomy class outside (I was early and another class was still going). While I was sitting there waiting, my professor came over to the drinking fountain in front of me. He started to drink out of it and then he kinda swished it around in his mouth like you do when you are using mouthwash. He was at that drinking fountain for seriously 2 or 3 minutes. It was awesome! Later that night at youth group we had another incident. During one of our less violent games, Ray, one of our kids, fell and broke his arm. Now I don't mean break like a little "Ow! I think I just broke my wrist." No, this was like his elbow bent backwards all the way around so his forearm was doubled back (up-side-down) on his humerus. It was the most knarly thing I have ever seen. So that was a fun little risk management exercise. All practiced up for summer there Dillon!

Needless to say I couldn't sleep last night because of all the adrenalin pumping through my system. After the little sleep that I did get I went to work. Dalton was great and while he was sleeping I attempted to register for my classes. My registration date wasn't until today (they schedule your dates so everyone doesn't register all at once; I got screwed with mine because it was one of the last ones). I looked up the classes I needed/wanted to take and arranged them into a nice schedule and went to register. All but two of the classes I wanted were full. I started to panic and stress out which I am still pretty stressed about. It did work out though and I think I will be ok. My schedule looks kinda like this:

Tuesday and Thursday:
8:00-9:15 BIOL 281 Human Physiology
9:30-10:45 HIST 161 Survey Latin America
11:00-11:50 KIN 244 Movement form Dance
12:30-1:45 TH 110 Plays and Players
Tuesday
4:20-6:50pm HIST 111 World Hist since 1500
7:00-9:50pm HIST 271 US since 1865

A lot of History classes which might suck, but I am trying to be positive. The Theater class is just to keep me sane, but the rest are all undergraduate stuff. Fun Soup; only 3 more years of this!

It'll Work Out

Today started out great. I finished my part of my group presentation and most of my group members sent me their parts. Dalton was great today. The last couple of days we have been playing peek-a-boo (it's so cute, I sit him on my lap facing me and I put a blanket up between us; he laughs sooo hard; it's hilarious). He is now 6 months old (which is crazy cause I met him when he was 4 weeks old). He is still skinny (10th percentile with his cast on), but they started him on carrots and he loves his rice cereal. He seems to be spitting up less and less every day (great for my clothes). Today I was thinking "man I have such a cool job; I get to lay on the ground and play with a baby all day, and while he naps I can sit and do my homework." I was also thinking how cool it was to be a part of Dalton's growth process. I was looking at him today and it was so cool to see him looking like a little boy. Unfortunately, Alia had some troubling news for me when she got home. Due to their financial constraints, they will no longer be able to pay me the $65 a day.

I know I can't survive on $45 a day (I am barely making it with the $65) so this New Year will start a new job for Michaela. I am so bummed out because I have watched this little boy grow up for forth months now and I doubt that I will have the opportunity to see him anymore. It sucks, but I know God has a plan for me and He will work everything out. Already Alia said that Jessica (Kendall's mom; Kendall was the other girl I was watching for a while) works with someone (a doctor who lives in Rancho Matilija; The Golden Ghetto) who is looking for a nanny. Maybe it will work out, maybe not, but it is nice to see God working already despite my lack of enthusiasm in needing to find a new job. Anyway... that's my fun news for the week. The semester is almost over like I said in my last post. I should get some sleep for my boring day of school tomorrow.

I'm Done... Almost

Thank the Lord I am almost done with this semester. Today was a pretty positive day. I had a test in my Sign Language class that didn't go as well as I had hoped, but I did get a very valuable tip from the smart girl in class. She showed me digital post-its. First of all, I love post-its. I think they are absolutely one of the best inventions ever. Second of all, I basically live on my computer; whether it be school, leisure, or writing in my blog, I am almost always on my computer. But to combine two of my favorite things into one is just sheer brilliance.

The day went on as normal. I sat through speeches in my speech class, and sat through a short lecture in my Anatomy class. I did however bag a study date this weekend for my Anatomy final. Don't get too excited... it's just another girl in my class who lives in Santa Paula. We're gonna go to Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf and try and get some studying done.

Now the only thing, besides finals, is a group presentation for my KIN 305 class. I have only one more day of this semester (finals don't count as part of the semester) and it will be a fairly easy day. I get to sit through presentations all morning in my first two classes. My Anatomy class in an optional study session and my last class is just our group presentation. I am almost done with this semester!!! Yeah!!!!

Weekly Prayer Requests

Hello all and Happy Sunday! Yes it's Sunday already... this week went by so fast! But now it is time for more prayer requests so here we go.

• Finals are coming up next week (I have this week of classes and then finals the following week) and I am really starting to stress out. Please pray that I will be able to focus and study in order to do well on my finals and actually pass my classes.
• In my KIN 305 History and Philosophy of Sport class we are all separated into groups in which we have to write a research paper on some part of sport (either historically or philosophically). I am the un-official group leader so I am compiling all of the group member's information into one paper. Please pray that I will have patience with my group members and that I will be able to finish this paper with as little stress as possible.
• Please pray that I will remain healthy; at least until the semester is over.

I think that is about it. Mainly finals are my number one concern right now. Thanks for all of your prayers and have a great week everyone.

Mid-Week Crisis

Well... it's been a while since my last post. Everything just gets so busy when it comes time for finals. So this week has not been that great and I will tell you why. Monday was fine... nothing outstanding to report. Tuesday started out with some bad news. Every semester I have to go see my academic adviser and every other semester I have to see an adviser in the athletic training department. So Tuesday morning I went to see Dr. Shane Stecyk, the adviser for the athletic training department. He told me that I was supposed to be applying for the athletic training program this spring, but there were about 14 units of really tough classes that I had to take in order to apply. I had already found out that I needed around 12 units to finish my undergraduate work, but he said I needed these additional 14 in order to apply. He said it was up to me whether I wanted to charge it out or not. I could have taken a couple of these classes over winter break (ew that would suck), finish the rest in the spring semester, and still apply for the program which, if accepted, would start that summer'07 and run through fall '07, spring '08, summer '08, fall '08, and finally finish up spring '09. Because I would rather enjoy my sanity I opted out of this suicidal schedule. Unfortunately this means my graduation will be postponed a year which really sucks, but I gotta learn to deal with it.

Wednesday was alright. Alia was sick so she was hanging out at home while I watched Dalton. It's always a little awkward when Alia stays home. I always feel like she's watching me and I can never get anything done (even when he is napping). So Wednesday was unproductive. Thursday was not fun. I woke up feeling gross (I had a terrible headache and my throat was hurting). I pumped every medicine known to man into my system to try and feel better. But I had to go to school because I had to give a speech. Once I gave my speech I drove home and went to bed for the rest of the night (I got home at about noon and slept the rest of the day). Friday I was feeling better (must have been all that Sudafed, Zicam, Excedrin, NyQuil, and ibuprofen I took the day before). I went to work and Alia was still sick (poor thing, I should have told her about my medicine combo... it seemed to work for me). That night I got to hang out with my good friends Sage and Aspen. We had a little Little Mermaid party which was probably the highlight of my week.

Now it's the weekend and here I am avoiding my paper like the plague. I started it, but I can't seem to get into it like I need to. I work better under pressure anyway.

Weekly Prayer Requests

Another week has come and gone and now it's time for new prayer requests. So lets get right into them.

• The semester is almost over (two weeks and then finals) and I am majorly stressing about all the things I have to get done. Please pray that I can manage my stress levels and get everything done. Also pray that I will do well on my finals and that I will pass all of my classes.
• My parents have been supper stressed lately about money and the holidays which is making me stressed about money and the holidays. Pray that everything will work out as it should and that we won't be stressed out anymore.
• Please pray for Sarah as she is applying for colleges. She already applied to a few but she still has a couple more due. Pray that she will get into the colleges that she is supposed to get into.
• Please pray for Janae during the soccer season. She is trying her best to get everything done on time (school, practice, games, health stuff...) but has been getting kinda stressed. Please pray that she will be able to relax and get it all done.

I believe that is all for this week. A lot of stress has been loading up so that's basically all I can think of right now. Have a great week everyone.