On Saturday I hosted a little goodbye fundraiser Coffeehouse. I was SO blessed by the turnout. It was such a good time of sharing my heart, some music, and hanging out with dear friends and family. I received so many awesome books to take with me for the library at the school and also was blessed to receive some money too. Almost all of which is going to buying some other books and paying to ship them. :)

In fact, it was delightful. I was so blessed by my church family for helping purchase lots of coffee and teas and donuts. Also, the Goods made me a scrapbook which I'm taking with me and will save me on many a sad homesick day. I had a plethora of friends far away praying for me who couldn't make it. Chabod was soooooooooo wonderful to work with when planning it. Marcia came early to help set up, helped pick out my outfit and was the photographer of the evening capturing so many great memories!! Also, the amazing Lania Clark was my flutist and otherwise security blanket. 

If you missed it, sorry! Maybe another time, or maybe not! hahahha....I'm not actually a singer, so.....this was a stretch and perhaps not one I'll repeat. :)

I spent most of today putting all of my younger siblings to work on finalizing my prayer cards and helping me pack. 

Yesterday some wonderful men in my life moved me. Seriously, I did nothing. I sat and chatted with Melissa, while they lifted and hauled box after box and heavy thing after heavy thing. They were all gross and sweaty afterwards, and they didn't care, they just loved seeing me and helping. It was SUCH a wonderful gift. Thanks dad, joey, dave, darren, josh, and sean. You guys rock!!!

Tomorrow I have a very long list of things to do. The last thing on it, is supper with my dearest friends and hanging out the rest of the evening. Then Wednesday morning I'll journey to the airport and board my 17 1/2 hour flight to Joburg!!!

WOOOO HOOOO

The Office

Joey came home yesterday! It was a glorious day for hugging and celebrating and catching up! I was blessed to spend the entire day (well, most of it) in Scranton with him. We've wanted to see the Office sites since we got hooked on the show a few years ago but never made it up to visit.

I am in shock how many things in the show really exist. Needless to say, we were giddy little five year olds the entire time.
We saw in no perticular order:
The Steamtown mall
Farley's
Osaka's
The opening shot
The electric city sign
Gerrity's
Sal's pizza
Alfredo's Pizza Cafe
The police station
and courthouse
Scranton college


(isn't the photo of Joey channeling his inner Dwight amazing!?!?)

also, Kerry Hayes is now on Itunes! Since some of the songs were inspired by me, I am biased when I say it is amazing!!!! :)

ahhhhhh.............it was delightful!!!

I leave for Africa in 5 days!!!!!

brother!!!

Tomorrow I'm seeing my brother!

Tomorrow my bother comes home!!! One of the hardest things has been missing him this entire summer. By the time I returned from Africa we had only 5 days together before he left. Now, we'll have exactly one week and one day to spend living up the summer before I go back to Africa. 

I'm so proud of him and what he's been doing this summer. He's been on an all male leadership mission trip with InterVarstiy in North Canada all summer. The things he's been going through have been crazy. I CAN NOT wait to see him tomorrow and see his photos and hear all his stories. 

I'm taking the bus and meeting him in Scranton. We're gonna see some Office sites and drive the rest of the way home together. I am very excited to see him (first!). 

Wooo HOO brother coming home!

de prayer card

It is finished. The prayer/support letter is almost finished.

I have exactly one week and 3 days left to finish (ahem...start packing) my apartment and move things to storage.

Praise the Lord my parents have said they can keep some things for me!!!

...I am in the final home stretch....

I did something super fun this past Friday. One of my closest girlfriends just got some new camera equipment. She needed someone to test out the fun new options. I needed a prayer card photo. I also own many dresses, curtsey of the 10 times I've been in weddings and goodwill.  :)

We spent 2 glorious hours in the city snapping and laughing away. I think I have my prayer card photo down to 3 options. It is very hard when so many are so fun and good.

The rest of the weekend was terrible. Well, only Saturday night. It seems that satan knows exactly what buttons of mine to push and push he does. If it wasn't for immediate prayers (THANK YOU!), and some quick Godly counsel (thanks Janet and mom) I'd be even more a wreck then I am now. I spent most of Saturday night up crying and rocking myself to truth. The lasting effects are felt in the still present headache and very tight muscles in my body. 

Few people are as blessed as me to be able to send a text message needing dire prayer at midnight and get so many fast responses. Jesus sure does love me.

Today

Today is a day I wish never came.

But it did.

So here I sit at my little macbook telling the world my sob story.

of how life didn't go how I wished. 

how I wanted.

how I dreamed.

Instead, it is more full than anything I'd dream or imagine....

Including the selling of my beloved wedding dress.

The very first dress I put on.

It fit perfectly.

Like a glove.  

It needed to alterations. Or hemming, Or fixing. It was perfect.

Created for me. 

And I wore it proudly. Joyfully. Delightfully.

For the groom I thought I'd spend my life loving and being loved by.

.................................................................................

The dress is now listed to sell. 

It seems silly and pointless to keep. I will never wear it again. I'll never have the little girls I dreamed about playing dress up in it as they grew. And it only symbolizes all the lies and betrayal I try so desperately to put behind me each day.

The time has finally come. Saying goodbye to that is saying goodbye to the dreams all over again. 

But thats ok. 

I'm beginning to have new dreams again. 

It's good to clean out and make your life fresh. 

Full of love and good things.

Chasing love and good things.

Please pray I get a GREAT price for the heartache attached to that dress and that I can use it to buy some great books to bring with me to Africa. 

This past weekend was simply delightful.

Going to the fireworks at Shillington is probably one of my favorite things to do every year. I even videotaped this year's show because I will miss it next year. I am that pathetic. 

However, the week has hit with a vengeance. The list of things that needs to be finished before I leave July 29th keeps mounting. 

There is

just

so

much.

So much fun to cram in. So much packing to do. So much hugs to be given. So much deciding what stays and what goes. So much editing of support letters. 

Just so much.

It's overwhelming. 

My head and hurt are starting to hurt...

TICKET purchased

Wow. Last night around 11:45pm I purchased my ticket to return to the place that has stolen my heart. I still can't believe I am going to be LIVING in South Africa for the next little season in my life.

It is almost to much to take in.

It is almost to much goodness to celebrate.

It is almost to hard to pack up my life and say goodbye! :)

I will be leaving July 29th. 

I can't believe the Lord's goodness to me in allowing this all fall together.

On my list of things yet to do:

1. Get support letters out.

2. Finalize coffee house fundraiser and prepare for it.

3. Pack up my life. Sell what I'm not keeping, and put the rest in some type of organized system at Grandma's house so I can access it easier later.

4. Spend more time with family and friends.

5. All the school stuff I'm working on needs to get finished...

6. Decide what beloved books will make the journey with me. (sadly) put the rest in storage.

7. Convince at least 5 more people they need to come on vacation to visit me. 

8. Hug Seana and Sadie 20 million more times.

9. Paint portraits of myself to hang all around the house and for each of my friends so as not to allow them to forget me or my terrible skill with a paintbrush.

10. Rest.

11. Bus trip up to where brother is and make the final drive home with him after spending the day in Scranton.

12. Continue healing and working through my grief issues. :)

13. Learn (better) how to drive a manuel car!

I can't believe it is onto the 4 week countdown. Life couldn't be more hectic or more rich then in these moments!