Lindsey has quickly become one of my favorite people at TMC! She started working in my office three years ago. We have grown close through these years. Lindsey and I meet weekly for breakfast to catch up, encourage, and talk about Godly things. I love this girl! It's been a joy for me to see how she has grown in her love for the Lord and is maturing into a Godly woman!
We have a lot of laughs together and common interests that have bonded us together. She's going to be graduating in a semester and it will be a sad day when she leaves TMC. She will truly be missed. I love you Linds and am so thankful for you in my life.

College View Weekend

I love College View Weekend. This is a great time for students and parents to come check out the school. We had over 150 people come Thursday-Saturday. It's a lot of work and tiring but really fun. There are so many people who help with this event and take charge I was overwhelmed with gratitude with those in my office and other departments. It was definetly a success. We had a lot of great feedback from parents and students. I love my job. It's exciting time at the college with a lot of changes coming up. The Lord has truly blest me with The Master's College.

*Today I'm thankful for a washer and dryer in my house.

A Favorite...

I love this camera. I got it right around Christmas and it has been a great purchase. I love pictures and wanted a good quality yet easy to use camera. This has many features (which I don't know how to use.)
It also has a video feature (which I accidently realized at the Gavin DeGraw concert.) If you're looking for a great camera, check this one out.

*Today I am thankful for the sweet note and treats that I got from Summer yesterday. So thoughtful girl!

Would You Rather Wednesday?!?!?!?!

You're fifteen years old. Would you rather call your parents from the police station to pick you up for shoplifting or have a severe dandruff problem for two months? Death is not an option.

*Today I am thankful for a great walk and talk with my roommate last night! (love you sis)

A Favorite....

This is one of my favorite pictues of Megan and I. It's not a great picture of me but I love her in this picture. Megan and I have worked together the last 3 years. She is the Office Manager in my office and I dont know what I'd do without here. I love her not only as a co-worker but a close friend.


*Today I am thankful for trials that bring us to our knees. These are the times we really grow.

This weekend was absolutely gorgeous in Southern California. I had my first official 2008 beach day. I went with two friends from work (Jackie and Jen) to Newport Beach for a little fun in the sun. We've always talked about taking a road trip and decided to do it last week. It was fun. We went shopping, stayed at a hotel (were in bed by 9:30!) and had some good eats. It was a nice little 24 hour get away.

*Today I'm thankful for my church family. I love being at my church and spending time with those I love and cherish.

I'm back...

You've probably been wondering where I've been. I have been one busy girl. Work was super busy this week getting ready for all our visiotrs next week and then when I wasn't working I was at home working on my house. Tricia and I decided to paint our living room and dining room. I love my guest house but it needed some color. We have a lot of wall space and the white walls was starting to bother me so we found a color we loved. (soft wheat)
I spent 4 hours on Thursday night doing all the frames and baseboards only to find out the next day (after painting everything else) that we had two different colors. Tricia and I spent a good portion of our day on Friday going back over everything.
We woke up this morning and we love it! Here are some pictures of the finished product. (and one of what we left behind)

*today I am thankful that it is a beach day!

Would You Rather Wednesday?!?!?!

Would you rather have one giant tooth or hundreds of little teeth?!?! Death is not an option.

*Today I am thankful for some quality time with Maryann last night.

A Favorite: JR-Life By Stereo

I heart this CD. It's a goodie! It's a mix of R&B, hip hop and urban pop. Check it out!

This is one of my favorite memories. We had such a good time at this photo shoot for some of our marketing pieces. We laughed a lot.

*Today I am thankful that Ivy is going to spend the night with me tonight.

Gavin Degraw

Last night my sister Kelli, Melissa Brooks, Tricia and I went to a Gavin DeGraw concert. I was introduced to Gavin almost four years ago and have been a big fan ever since. His album is probably the only album that I can listen to over and over and not get sick of it. He's had a couple big hits so if you don't know the name you've probably heard his song.

This was the third time I've seen him in concert. His new album should be coming out this spring so check him out. We got up close and personal last night so it was a sweet concert.

*Today I am thankful for my coffee to go cups.

God's Faithfulness...

I never thought the day would come when I would be out of debt. When I moved out to California 6 years ago it seemed like my income decreased and my bills increased. I really don't know how i survived the first couple of years other than the grace of God. The Lord has truly blest me since I've been out here and over the last couple of years I've been able to buckle down and I just sent off my last check to be debt free. HOLLA!
It's such a blessing and feeling of freedom. It took me a little longer that I had anticipated. I have been fortunate to travel, have a nice home and help out my friends when needed and this has been important to me. Three years ago I was thinking that I will always have these outstanding bills but I wanted to share how God has faithfully provided a way out for me.
I have a couple "big" things coming up that will add to my plate but i will be talking about that another post.
"Make a joyful shout to God, all the earth! Sing out the honor of His name;
Make His praise glorious.
Say to God, How awesome are your works! Through the greatness of your power Your enemies shall submit themselves to you,
And the earth shall praise You and sing praises to You;
They shall sing praises to Your name. "
Psalm 66:1-4

*Today I am thankful that it is Saturday!!!

Essential Qualities...

I'm a little suprised I'm actually writing this Blog today but you are all my friends and I get asked the questions about "what type of guy am I looking for?" so I thought I would write about this essential quality checklist. This was an overview by Carolyn Mahoney and I love it so here it is. This would be good for all of us and for those who have already chosen a mate it would be good to evaluate if you have some of these qualities.
1.Genuine passion for God. (Matt 22:37) A mere profession of faith is insufficient. A godly man/ woman will display love, obediance and increasing passion for our Savior.
2. Authentic humility:(Isa 66:2) Is he/ she teachable and humble.
3. Love for the church: Must be serving and in fellowship.
4. Biblical convictions for manhood and womanhood: A succesful marriage is due in large part to a couple's grasp of their respective roles found in scripture. (Eph 5:22-25)
I added the following:
5.I need a man!: I've taken this one from my pops! (holla pops!) I have been independant for awhile so i need a strong guy who can put me in my place when I need it. (hopefully it's not often)
6. Appearance: He must smell good and take care of himself.
So there is my list. It's good for me to think through these things and prepare myself if marriage is what God has planned for my life.

*Today I am thankful for Maryann. I enjoyed our conversation last night. You are such a special friend in my life.

Thankfulness...

I love it when my "favorite friends" world collide. A few nights ago I had two of my closest friends over. Lynn Leonard and Lamya Reynolds are some of my most faithful loving friends. I met Lynn when I first moved out here. She was my first friend in California. We have begun to spend a lot more time together over the last year and she has been a great testimony to me of what it means to persevere in trials yet has been one of the most giving and loving people despite her own trials. She has been a huge encourager and lover of me over the last six months.
I met Lamya a little over a year ago. We still talk about how weird it is that we've only known eachother for a year. She is a dear friend that I feel like I've known forever. She is so faithful and has pursued me, encouraged me, cried with me and rejoiced with me through numerous situations. She is constantly calling me to check on me and to tell me she loves me.
I am so blest! It was fun for me to have two of my favorite friends come together to get to know one another better. It was a great night to talk about the trials the Lord has put in our lives this year but to also see how He has faithfully provided for us, sustained us, and has answered our prayers. I am so thankful to my Lord for the friends he has given me. I have never felt as loved, cared for and encouraged as I have this past year. I truly see how the Lord provides and cares for me through His people. I love you girls and treasure our time together!!!

Would You Rather Wednesday?!?!?!

Would you rather have one leg shorter than the other or arms that don't bend? Death is not an option.

*Today I am thankful that the Lord has been gracious to me in giving me time to figure things out!

Happy Birthday Hugh Jackson!

Happy Birthday Hugh. I can't say enough about Hugh. I met him four years ago when he showed up for the Week of Welcome at The Master's College. I remember seeing him with his 6 brothers and sister and thinking that I wanted to adopt him and look after him. I viewed him as this little naieve kid and I felt the desire and need to somehow protect him. A week later he applied for a job in our office, was hired and I knew this was my opportunity to teach him a thing or two. Boy was I wrong!

Hugh has truly become part of my family and is considered a brother to me. I have learned more from Hugh than he has probably learned from me. He is wise beyond his years and I have watched him grow from a young teenager to a Godly man.
Hugh has helped me learn to be more patient, has given me Godly advice (on more than one occasion), has taught me to ask for help when I need it and to let men be men and take care of the "man" things that come up without always trying to do it on my own. (i.e.moving boxes, opening the doors for me etc.) I may be the "older" one, the big sister or even his boss but Hugh isn't afraid to gently and lovingly bring things to my attention that need to be addressed and ask me questions that make me reflect on decisions or actions I make.

Hugh I love you and appreciate you. I am so thankful to the Lord for you in my life. Thank you for loving me, caring for me, praying for me and wanting nothing but the best for me. I'm so excited to see what the next 10 years hold for you. This sista will be missing you next year.

Person of the Week: Katie Penberthy

I love Katie! She has quickly become one of my favorites. I love her little voice and I love it when she calls me "Holla". She is very well behaved and loves her mommy and daddy.
The second picture is of this weekend. I stopped by to see the family and she was riding her scooter with her backpack and diaper on. She was too cute. I love you Katie!

This is my brother and kiddos. Miss you guys. Shepherd's conference is this week (www.gracechurch.org) and I've been working there so haven't had time to do a real post. It's been a good fun week and i will try to post more later.

*Today I'm thankful for beautiul weather since I've been standing outside for the past two days.

Would You Rather Wednesday?!?!?!

Would you rather hace one eye fall out at random times or have uncontrollable constant drool? Death is not an option.

*Today I am hankful for my cute new J CREW shirt that I got in the mail.

Girls Night...

I love the Gebhard family. Kurt (Julie's hubby) called me to tell me that he wants me to take his wife out for a night. He said she is such a hard worker and he wanted us to go out and have a nice time together. He asked if I would be willing to go out with her... his treat.....I said HECK YES.
Julie has five kids and is a hard worker. She is one of the most patient laid back people I know. I learn from her example. I love my time with Julie. It's always such an encouragement to me and we have good laughs too. She is a Godly woman who loves her family and others.
Last night we had dinner at her house (yummy tri-tip girl), went and got pedicures, and then we were going to get coffee. We thought it would be fun to go see our friend Wendy so we grabbed the coffee to go. Julie thought it would be fun to scare Wendy. We snuck into her backyard and as Wendy was on the phone Julie started pouding on the windows. (if it was me I would not like that at all!) Wendy was talking to my sister so Kelli came over for some girl time. The picture is Julie and I showing off our new toes. I love you Julie. Thank you for an enjoyable evening.

*Today I'm thankful for getting to spend time with the Gebhard family last night.

Person of the Week: Mason Gorsh

I love my little Mason. I wish I could see him more than I do. He is so loving and tenderhearted. I got to stay with my brother and family back in October and every morning little Mason would come crawl in bed with me and cuddle. He loves his big sister and is a good big brother too.


Mason I love you. I wish I could see you today and play with you. You are so special to me. Come visit me again soon. I look forward to seeing you soon.

Ivy looks so cute here. I wanted to share it with you. (I really do have two other neices and one nephew. If they sent me pictures I would share them too.)

*Today I'm thankful for humor.

I love the weekends. It was so beautiful out this week. The weather gives me more energy and helps me to anticipate the summer and beach! People in my office love the benefits of it. I let them go home early two days this week and gave them two days of jeans. (it's the little things that make them soo happy..SWEET love it!) I also spent some good time with my interns this week which encouraged me. I tend to get so busy and bogged down with my responsibilities that the thing that gets neglected are the staff and students and I hate that. We had some good talks about it and I've made a committment to make more time. The part of my job where I find the most joy is the people so I need to invest in that a little more. Every Thursday I also have a Directors meeting and this week my boss had all the directors meet outside and he had lots of goodies for us. The whole meeting we just went around and shared where we were at in life, what we are struggling with and we just encouraged one another. It was such a good time. There are few places where you work that will take the time to do that. It's a blessing and I'm grateful.

The picture is from a barbeque last weekend. My friends Jen Holmes, Becca Burke and Heidi Keller.

*Today I'm thankful that my body hurts ohhh sooo bad from the Body Sculpting class last night. Pain is Gain!