throwback thursday.

[ Headed to the Arrowhead game (2008) with Kate, Spencer and Ryan ]

throwback thursday.

[ Senior year of high school with my friends Keysha and Tiffany ]

texas and back.

This past weekend Michael and I drove to Texas for his dad's 60th Birthday. We left early Saturday morning and made sure to stop at Oasis truck stop for breakfast. For those of you who don't know our first date end there and so the first weekend of the month we go there to eat. I enjoyed some biscuits and gravy, which are always very tasty. Every time we go there Michael surprise me with a rose and I love that he still does it.

[ this rose made it to and from texas alive ]

After Oasis we hit the road to Texas. Our first stop was the Oklahoma boarder to take a picture or two.

We decided that we would stop at each states boarder and take a picture. I think it would be fun if we would take a picture at each state boarder each time we travel.

[ it was so windy ]

From Waynesville to Fort Worth, Texas it is about a nine hour drive, so it was a long drive, but I enjoyed myself, because Michael was there. Needless to say I was nervous about meeting his family, especially his son, James. 

The first of his family members I would be meeting though was his Mom and his Stepfather, because that is where we stayed for the night. It was good. I think my mom and his mom, Connie would get along. We ate dinner and played marbles and Mexican Train. Michael and I then went to bed early, because we had been up since about four that morning.

Sunday morning we got up and Michael made some breakfast tacos and than we headed out for Salt Grass Steakhouse where the birthday party would be. We got there a little early so we decided to roam around the mall near by. 

[ michael decided to try on a tie while we were in macy. ]

When 12:00 pm hit when went over to Salt Grass Steakhouse and by the time we got there most of the group were already there. 

I was nervous.

We first saw his dad, Jack who didn't know Michael was coming down for the party. He seemed surprised. Than we moved into meeting the rest of the family that was there. Michael didn't make it over to James (his son) right away, but when James saw Michael he ran over and jumped into his dad's arms. As there were hugging James looked over at me and asked 'Are you Sasha?' and I replied 'Yes' and he said 'Okay.' After that there wasn't much of a chance for me to really interact with James much, because there was too much going on and he was spending time with Michael. But that's okay, because I will get a chance over the summer to get to know him better. ( He'll be spending most of the summer with Michael. ) 

Overall the dinner when well. I was a little overwhelmed with all the was going on. I do WAY better a getting to know people in a smaller setting. So hopefully next time I will get to know some of his family better, because I'm excited too.

Before Michael's dad left he came over to me and said 'Take care of my son.' and I responded with 'Of course I will.'

The drive back home went really well I think. It gave Michael and I a chance to talk about life and other things. I let him know how glad I was that he invited me to go with him to meet his family and that he thought me important enough to introduce me to them. I sure love him and can't wait to get to know the people most important to him better.

throwback thursday.

I am doing this on Instagram, but I thought it would be fun to do it on here too.

This is a picture of me and my brother, Cody at Tae Kwon Do. Oh how I miss taking Tae Kwon Do.

favorite tumblr posts from 2010

So, I thought I would do a post from my old blog on Tumblr. Here are some of my favorite posts from my Tumblr blog in 2010.

November 8, 2010

this is erin.

she is one and only other designer i have for yearbook.. and i love her. i’m not sure what i would have done without this weekend. you can’t tell in this picture, but i wasn’t feeling well at all this weekend.

November 6, 2010

erin drew this. so cute.

November 2, 2010

where do i begin?

i feel like there is a lot going on or maybe a lot that has happen.

so where do i begin?

this summer i got to spend ten lovely weeks in orlando with some amazing people. i need this past summer, i fell in love with God all over again. i needed to be reminded of his love too.

but, i came back from orlando with only a week at home and then i jumped into school, yearbook, cru, and life back here at northwest. there wasn’t enough time for me to adjust from being in orlando to being back at school with a busy schedule.

somewhere along the way God, somehow ended up in the back burner. and i grew detached from Him and from people in my life. part of me was aware that it was happening, but i didn’t care to do anything about it. i was okay with sitting in my room alone. but then there was part of me that knew i need to crawl out of the funk i am somehow gotten in. and some nights when i laid and bed, praying i would ask God to pull me out of this funk, because i realized i didn’t have the strength to do it on my own. i also realized that maybe this was a time that i need to go through, that maybe God was trying to show me something.

i started meeting with my friend Lauren during this time, because i realized God had laid her on my heart. i’m so thankful that He did, because she is an amazing woman of the Lord and i’m glad that i get to share life and God with her. she has helped during this period of my life. and i’m thankful for that.

at this point in time i’m not really sure what God has been teaching me, but i’m still struggling with detaching myself for those in my life. it’s something i’ve slowly started to fix.

last week i find out that my parents are getting a divorce. at 22 years old i would have never thought this would have happened to my family. i knew my parents were going through somethings, but i thought that they would work they always do. my mom told me they weren’t happy anymore and they wanted to do something before they got to the point where they couldn’t be friends anymore.

it’s been hard. at times i’m not sure what to think. at others it seems like only a distance thought as if it was something that’s not happening. and yet it is. to fast. my mom is already moved out. when did we become that family?

October 1, 2010

the new summer project website is up!
you should check it out.

i worked on a few of the bummer stickers. 

August 3, 2010

a month.

it’s crazy to think in less then a month project will be over.
in less then a month i’ll be back at home.
in less than a month i’ll be driving back to school.
in less than a month i’ll be starting my final year at northwest.

crazy.

i’m coming to that point where i’m ready to be back at home, but at the same time i’m not sure if i ever want to leave project. okay, maybe it’s not that i don’t ever want to leave. it’s that i don’t want to leave these people. i’ve grown to love each and everyone of them. it’s weird to think in 2 weeks we won’t be together. 

it’s also strange to think that i won’t be here in two weeks, but i’ll be home and back to reality.

am i ready?

July 7, 2010

gator's with painted nails.

the staff asked what we wanted for our women’s time to be and we told them we wanted an adventure. we asked for an adventure because the guy’s during their time always seem to do something adventurous and the women usually end up staying home and painting their nails.

we got our adventure, that is for sure.

the staff didn’t tell us where we were going. they just loaded us into the cars and started driving. all we knew is that we weren’t staying in orlando for this adventure.

while driving to our adventure we pulled up to a red light and all of a sudden we see amanda run behind us from the first car in out caravan and then the rest of the girls in that car start running as well. we were having a chinese fire drill. so we jump out of the cars and run to the nearest car. only did it that once on the way down there, but twice on the way back.

once we were outside of orlando we finally reach our destination, a restaurant called the lone cabbage. walking up we could see a large plastic alligator and we saw air boats on the river in front of the lone cabbage.

finally one of the staff told us what we would be doing, we where going on the air boats. i don’t think any of us would have every guessed that going on air boat would be our adventure.

and it was an adventure. riding the air boats was a lot of fun and we got to see a few gators and some of the other wildlife native to this area.

after our little air boat adventure we find out that the staf had ordered fried gator for us all to try. it looked like fried pieces of chicken. everyone kind of stared at it for a moment and then decided to try it. it tasted like chicken, but just a little chewier.  it wasn’t bad, but it’s not something i am going to want to eat all the time.

we then drove back to the gross’ house to have soup, salads and some of kris’ homemade bread. it was pretty tasty.

then we had a short dance party, before we got into the serious stuff.

lauren and dawn talked about skeletons in our closets. the skeletons are stuff about ourselves that we keep for other, stuff we don’t want others to know about us.  it was so good. i would go into more detail, but it was pretty personally for all of us.

after lauren and dawn’s talk we moved into the girly part of the night. we started to paint each others nail and put on face masks. and then some of us started to play phase 10, which is one of the best card games out there, by sides nerts.

so pretty much the best women’s night ever.

July 5, 2010

this is everyone, students, staff, and staff kids.

and i love all of them.

June 29, 2010

“we can admire and worship Jesus without doing what he did. we can applaud what he preached and stood for without caring about the same things. we can adore his cross without taking up ours. i had come to see that the great tragedy in the church is not that rich christians do not care about the poor but that rich christians do not know the poor.” - shane clairborne (the irresistible revolution)

June 29, 2010

20 dollars and a bible.

friday for outreach we went to the waterford lake shopping area and the group i was in was put at the area around the movie theater. for anyone who knows me, might know that i’m a shy person. so, for me to walk up to a total stranger and start a conversation with them is hard. luckily i paired up with kris gross, who is such an awesome woman of God. we walked around the theater for a minute and then decide that we would go to the coffee shop and get something to drink and kind of scope out the area a little bit. we ended up walking back to the movie theater and talked to a man who we went through soulariums with him. we were there for a little while talking with the man, but he was busy so kris gave him the knowing God personally book and we moved on.

as we walked, kris saw three boys standing in front of us. i wasn’t sure about talking to them, but kris walked up to them and started to talk to them. we then did soulariums with them and then started going through parts of the knowing God personally book with them. two of the boys were in middle school and went to church and the other one was 16 and a high school drop out. the 16 year old was quite and you could tell that there was something going on inside of him. kris asked if he had a bible and he said no. she then asked if he had a bible would he read it and he said he would. so kris then asked if she could buy him and bible and the boy said yes. so we walked over to the christian book store in waterford and kris bought the boy a bible.

as we were walking back to the movie theater we ran into part of our group. as we tell them what had just happened, nate pulled out 20 dollars and hand it to kris and then went on about he and nathan came to have the 20 dollars. they had seen this woman who was having trouble getting somethings to her car, so they decided to help her. they found out the woman was a christian.  and she end giving them 20 dollars for them helping her.

so the 20 dollars the woman gave nate and nathan end up paying for the bible kris bought for the 16 year old. this woman probably has no idea was her twenty dollars went to. it’s crazy how God even takes care of the little things.

[ soulariums is a tool cru uses in outreach to help start conversations with people. ]

June 21, 2010

nine to five.

excited. that was what i was yesterday when i realized would be going back to work today. it’s crazy to think that. i don’t think i have ever been excited about going to work before. something i have i’ve realized is how grown up i feel when i’m there. i am dress nice, getting up early and going to bed early, which is all kind of new for me.

working at cru headquarter is different, but a good different. for one, i don’t think at any other internship i would be doing working on the projects that i am working on (summer project website stuff). and two, you can tell God is present, which is the best part (more about this later).

between working nine to five and the other things the staff has planned for us, it is sometimes hard to catch your breath. but i am loving every minute of it and so glad that i am here. i am learning so much about myself and God and it’s only been two weeks. i can’t wait to see what happens next.

there are only 20 of us. which i am glad for, because it is going to give us a chance to get close. everyone is awesome including the staff. i am so curious to see where God is going to take us this summer.

well, as much as i would like to write more, sleep is calling my name. i will try to write more soon.

June 8, 2010

the first day.

i wrote this last night, but wasn’t able to post it until today.

well, i have finally made it to orlando. wow it has been a day. i was up at 7:30 to finish packing. at the air port at 11:00 and on the plan by 11:20. i arrived in orlando at 3:30. then once i got my suit case i was picked up and taken to the staff condo. once i was checked in i left to head to my condo.  my room well lets just say looks like pink flowers threw up everywhere and the condo looks like it’s stuck in the 70s. now, for the most part i’ve finished unpacking. i will have to get some hangers tomorrow for my business clothes though. and now i am ready for bed.

i have met three of my four roommates and they seem like great girls and i’m excited to be living with them this summer.  all of the other students and staff seem really great as well.

i know God has big plans for this summer.

May 20, 2010

April 13, 2010

a orlando summer.

i still am having a hard time believing that i am actually going to be spending my summer in orlando working at cru headquarters.  it’s a bit crazy. after spending a week in florida while i was in high school for a mission trip i never would have thought i would end up back down there. but it seems i will.

i have been wanting to do summer project for the past two summers, but God has taken me else where. this summer though God is sending me on summer project to orlando. this project is a little different then other projects, because it is a headquarters and it is an internship. i am so excited to be serving God in this way. to be using this talent that God has given to help further His kingdom. if i could find a job like that after graduating from northwest that would so amazing.

March 25, 2010

“God loves us not because we’re lovable, but because He is love. Not because He needs to receive, but because He delights to give.” - C.S. Lewis

March 20, 2010

orlando, i will see you this summer.

i’ve been pre-accepted for orlando summer project. now i just have to be placed :]

February 13, 2010

i’ve been playing with my new camera.

February 11, 2010

February 2, 2010

a photo from dcc. 

i miss denver!

January 20, 2010

now. later.

sitting in java city.
eating peanut butter m&m’s.
drinking a dr. pepper.
getting ready to try and finish my summer project app.

class until 5:30.
home.

quite time.
take pictures for class.

basketball game. maybe.
afterdark meeting.

bed.

January 10, 2010

mark 9:24

Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”

favorite tumblr posts from 2009

So, I thought I would do a post from my old blog on Tumblr. Here are some of my favorite posts from my Tumblr blog in 2009.

December 14, 2009

finals.
it’s finals week.

i woke up for my 7:30 a.m. final to come out on my door and almost fall. a thin layer of ice was covering everything. what a great way to start the week off.

at the moment i’m sitting in java city trying to study for my comm law final at 2.

then i don’t have another final until thursday. what i am going to do with all that free time. oh wait i know. packing, cleaning, yearbooking and studying.  but i do get to sleep in for once.

it’s just hard to believe the semester is over. were did it go? i don’t feel like i got to enjoy it.

and maddison is graduating. :(

well i must get back to studying. oh boy.

December 12, 2009

we finally won the championships!
it’s a good day to be a bearcat.

that’s number 27 he is a beast!

December 12, 2009

the people i spend my weekends with.

tower yearbook staff.

November 30, 2009

“Being a Christian is not a Sunday thing, not a “when I’m in trouble” thing, not a “when I’m sick” thing, or “when it’s Christmas” thing. It’s a 24/7 thing.” - Pastor Israel

November 23, 2009

(source)

November 2, 2009

August 12, 2009

summer at home is coming to an end.

had a bonfire last night. the last one before everyone goes back to school.
it was bittersweet.

summer at home has been fun and very unexpected. i have made some great new friends. have gotten to hangout with my brother more. been to too many shows to count.  i’ve been to springfield more then i have ever had before. and i got mono, but not a job.

i would’t change any of it. :]

July 25, 2009 

Lucky.

We put her down today. :(

She was a great dog.

And she will be missed.

July 12, 2009

“Your worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of His grace. And your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of God’s grace. Every day should be a day of relating to God on the basis of His grace alone.” - Jerry Bridges

June, 11, 2009 

“Once upon a time there was a boy who loved a girl, and her laughter was a question he wanted to spend his whole life answering.” - Nicole Krauss - The History of Love

May 5, 2009 - Darlin'

Italicized words are song title.  I hit shuffle on iTunes to get the titles.

Darlin’ what are we doing here?
With all this time & confussion
All seems unwell,
As we sit here on top of the World.
Sorrow will take a little of your time
With Kindly Unspoken words.
A cadence plays to tell you
Never take friendship personal.

Darlin’ you’re ever so inviting to some,
Their foreign language.
But you are my everything.
I just want to try make you feel my love,
Even if is just for a moment.
I find you a beautiful disaster,
About to collapse,
Trying to catch my only hope
On the unwinding cable car of this love.
Is this really our real life fairytale?
And you keep saying
I am your Miss Universe.

bible ethos.

At Youth Group we have challenged the youth to come up with their own Bible ethos and this got me thinking, I don't really have one myself. I think the closest thing to a Bible ethos I had was back in college and it was Matthew 6:34 which says,

"So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today."

But I feel like that isn't what it would be today if someone asked me what my Bible ethos was. I have been pondering for the last few weeks what mine could be when I came across Deuteronomy 10:12 which says,

"And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you? He requires only that you fear the Lord your God, and live in a way that pleases him, and love him and serve him with all your heart and soul."

I haven't quite decided if this is what I want my Bible ethos to be, but I think it does a good job in explaining how I live my life.