Goin' Home...

So I am headed back to the CO for Christmas tomorrow. Cayley and I are flying out tomorrow morning and I don't have to be back until the day after Christmas! AMAZING. I am so excited I can't even truly express it. Last night my three roommates and I went out for a nice dinner (money provided by my brother, he's amazing). It really was just a fun time with each other, a time to love on each other and spend a good amount of blood money (kyle you know)! Here is a pic of us at the restaurant...

(from left to right: me, Drace, Cassie, and Cayley)

Over the last few weeks it has been a whirlwind of work and play. For Thanksgiving I was able to drive up to Knoxville, Tennessee, where 10 of my friends from college (Colorado State University, in case that was up for debate) met and celebrated this day. I cannot tell you how unbelievable this was. To have my closest friends from college all together all the way across the country is amazing. Here is a picture of us at a little park in Knoxville...

Great crew right there. I was able to stay two nights with Pamela and David and John and Melissa. So on Friday we decorated Dave and Pamela's apartment for Christmas and listened to the blessed Christmas music.

Here is the 5 of us after a hard day of decorating. I love this picture, because I am right where I love to be, in between my two favorite couples in the world!

These are my girls, Lolo and Kat, from Starbucks, in our new (Red) aprons. These two girls have made my 3 and a half months at Starbucks some of the best months of work ever. I have enjoyed getting to know them and especially getting to laugh with them so much during a typical work day!

And lastly I just thought I would put this picture in, so you could see our Christmas decorations for our apartment...

Cassie got a little crazy and decorated one night. It's nice, huh? Anyway this is just a small look into my life in Birmingham (and Knoxville) the past few weeks. I am so excited to go home and spend time with family and friends, snowboard a little, and just be around snow. But as I look at my life in Birmingham, I feel so incredibly fortunate to have met the people I have, to live with the girls I do, and to have acquired the job I have...it really is a Wonderful Life :)!!

Birthday Joys and more...

Man I haven't written in awhile, and I have had a wonderful couple of weeks. My 25th birthday was October 9th and was so honored by so many people. To start out about a week and a half before my actual birthday my parents, grandparents, sister and roommate took me out to eat at a restaurant called Sumo. It is a hibachi grill where you watch the chef cook right at your table. SO FUN...and I was able to get up there and flip a few things. I was laughing the whole time, I am not at what, but it was fun! Here are some pictures from that...

Here is my grandparents and I, I LOVE THEM!! I am not sure what the gramps is doing, but they are sure wonderful, eh?

Then on my actual birthday my sister and my roommate and their friends (and mine) took me to a restaurant called Iguana Grill. The way they celebrate birthdays is by apparently dropping a big tray behind you, scaring you half to death, then while singing (keeping you distracted) they smash a little whipped cream right in your face! Quite the celebration...as you can see below...

Currently have no clue what is about to happen...

OH, yes there it was! It was a big ol' surprise!!! After dinner we went back to our place and my friend Aaron's roommates came over and we had birthday dessert and played Rock Band...which I will say I am NOT good at! But it was such a fun night and I really appreciated everyone who came and celebrated me turning a quarter of a century old (or as some would say 1/4 dead).

Just thought I would put this on...this is Cayley and I the night of my birthday. It is so fun having this with my little sister (and mom)! Cayley's ankle looks good, huh? Yeah bad bad sprain.

Other than my birthday I have been doing a lot of things. One night we had a pumpkin carving contest and my partner, Zach Shipps and I tied for second place! It was awesome!!! We had to carve a scary story and then present it with the story. Here are a few pictures of that...

The top picture is Zach and I working away at the masterpiece. And this picture is the presentation. Man we just blew people away! He's a little taller than me (just a something to note).

In addition, I have gotten involved in a church and within that a small group. The people are wonderful and all around my age. It has just been fun to get to know people who love the Lord and love each other and have totally invited me into that! So yeah that is my current life in a very very small nut shell, maybe even a pistachio shell. I apologize to all my fans, I will try and stay a little more current with this from now on.

A Very Proud Older Sister

And why? Well....
I just had to share this with the world! Cayley's picture was found in the University's cafeteria on a pole. It was life-size, no scratch that, it was well beyond life-size! In fact, standing next to it, I was about to her hip, true I am short, but that is BIG!! Truthfully, she is going to hate that I put this on here, but I just had to show her off to the world, because she won't do it herself. Which really is why I think she is so amazing, right?

Life As I Know It

Wow, I mean so much has happened since I last wrote! My parents left the south, just left me here in a different place, no clue where I am going or who I am going with and....

OK so here is the truth I have begun to love my life here in Birmingham...the people I get to work with everyday at Starbucks have brightened my life! They have amazing hearts and desire to share them with anyone and everyone. It has been so fun to meet and become friends with those with southern hospitality.

Last week I was able to go with some students from Samford University (where my sister goes) to Juvenile hall to sit and talk with, read the Bible with, and pray with young women who have gotten into some kind of trouble. I was amazed that God had directed me to this place. I mean after all, I would love to be doing work in the inner city, with girls just like this. It was a surreal and honestly a hard night. I was so glad that I was able to pray out loud for them, that they were able to hear the Word of God from my lips. That they were able to hear the truth that God LOVES them so much, no matter what they have done. When we were about to leave a girl asked me to come back into the room so she could ask me to pray for her. I of course said I would and that she could pray as well. It was like a light bulb went on! I am not kidding, I loved every single part of that time with those girls, as hard as it was. God is so good!!!

I also went to this big old gathering called The Basement. There were like 3 or 4 thousand people there and here is the crazy part, they come every week to this place. I gave you the link if you want to check it out. Here is the thing, I laughed almost the entire time to myself. When you get there there are strobe lights and rap music. The music is generally the background music to different popular rappers, such as Dr. Dre, Eminem, you know the goods! So here come these rapping Christians changing the words to all these songs...saying stuff to effect of JESUS JESUS JESUS, drivin to church drivin to church!!!! HILARIOUS!!! I was laughing so hard. I was trying to decide the whole time, is this good? I mean I realize that the words that are normally to most of those songs are trash, so why not put funny christian words to them...I mean it's the beat we like, right? I don't know, all I knew was this is so funny, I wish someone was here that would appreciate it with me!

Well anyway that is me...I will write again, thanks for reading and thank you for your prayers!!

My Little Roommates

Cayley and Cassie, my new and wonderful roommates! I mean one is my sister, who I have lived with before, but to be living with her again as adults is great. We all were given these purses, don't we look awesome!!??

They are a blessing and I am so grateful for them. Here is a picture of Cayley and I as well.

Anyway just a quick update on my life and the girls I am able to live with.

My Dear Nuggets

As a quick shout out to my beloved Nuggets and Mr. Allen Iverson himself I would like to start by saying I am so sorry for leaving you. Please know and believe that it is not you, it's me. As I am gone this year in Alabama, know that I will be checking on you daily. I was sad to see that Marcus, Eddie, and others have been traded or have gone to different teams. With no warning? Hurt I was, but I know and believe there is always a bigger plan than my own. Thank you to J.R., so glad to have you back this year and some to come! And welcome Sonny Weebs to the Mile High City! Good luck to you all! But to Mr. Iverson, I am a your big no matter the distance. Here is a tribute to you sir!

Good luck this year boys...I will be back to the promise land someday!

Home Sweet Alabama...

Well I guess I finally found my home for now. And I will say I NEVER thought I would say home sweet Alabama. I got to Birmingham, AL a little over a week ago and started working at the 'Bucks (Starbucks that is). First I would like to say, I love working there. I love coffee and I love that I get to make drinks for people. On a sort of different note, I went to work at 5:30 the other morning to learn how to open the store. When I was getting ready so early in the morning I was not excited about going outside, because as any good Coloradoan knows, the mornings are freezing, even in the summer. So I bundled up and was ready to go, but as I started thinking, I'm not in Colorado anymore, I'm in 'Bama and it is NOT cold here, even in the early early mornings. And I was right, it was warm...at 5 in the morning. Talk about culture shock, I was in it!

But I will say B'ham is a fun place, it's beautiful and so full of trees, which my Colorado is not so much known for. I am trying to figure out what to do about friends, and how to make some here. If any of you have ideas, I would love to hear them :)!! I went to a Bible Study with my roommate Cassie the other night and met a lot of cool girls. I problem is I don't if that is the church (the B.S. is through a big o' church), Brookhills Church, that I want to be apart of. I really want to be involved in a multi-cultural church, so I am not really knowing what to do. So if you think about it, will you just shoot a little prayer up to the Big Guy for wisdom for me? Thanks!

Anyway so that is my life, work, reading a many a book, and thinking of how to make friends. And may I repeat, just thinking, not acting...;)! Ok guys that is all for now!

Oh except for my newest addition to my foot and that is my tattoo. It is from Joshua 1:9 (or 1:1-9), "have I not commanded you, be strong and courageous..." and it is the Hebrew characters for strong and courageous. I got it with my cousin, Laura. We decided over a month before that wanted it when we were talking about our previous years and how both of us did not exactly have a good one and we wanted something to mark that we trust God, no matter the trials and that we will walk in strength and courage! Love it! And her little brother, my other cousin, Chad got it with us as well. It was a fun day.

This is Laura and I before we got our tats, a little scared I guess. At least she was, I was just trying to be nice!

Here is my tattoo, not the greatest picture but you get it!

Laura, Chad, and I after the deed was done, see how dang happy we are!!

Ok now for real...bye

Oh What is Home Sweet Home Anyway...

I haven't written in forever...I do apologize. The rest of the trip ended real well. We went on a glacier hike and hung around the hostel for the last week doing Bible Studies, reflection, hikes, and hanging out in town with the local kids. The trip home was so long and the dang American Environmentalists took away my whale sausages I had bought at the fish market in Bergen. They had gotten through customs in Newark, NJ and then the plane door was about to close and they called me to the front and told me they had to take the sausages (40 dollars worth of sausage) and I had a few words and told them I didn't care if they got sued, it was stupid. I did end up signing the paper and letting them. I guess it was either that or being contained, so I chose the seemingly "better" option! Oh the humanity!!

Anyway since I have been back I have been living at the parent's new house in Keystone. Helping them move in and just hangin out, doing not much of anything!! It's pretty cool, but I am for sure ready to get going on life! I have been able to spend alot of time with my family, including my cousins, aunts and uncles, and grandparents.

In fact in a little under 2 weeks, I will be driving out to my new home...Birmingham, Alabama...with my parents and grandparents. I am for sure scared and unsure about what to expect moving to a completely new place, but I am so excited as well! Cayley's friend Aaron is helping me get a job at Starbucks, which is an amazing gift to have. Turns out I need health insurance, who knew?

Anyway, please pray for a safe trip as we drive down south. And also that I do get this job at Starbucks.

I am thrilled to see what God is going to do with my life down in B-ham!

Life at Zosna Camp

After a long bus trip and then flight we got into Riga, Latvia. For a couple days we got to see the sites and hang out with our whole team (including the Brits). We got to go to fun resturants, site see, and go play in the Baltic Sea. On the 6th we headed on a train across the country to Rezekne (it only took 3 hours). After we got there we took a very scary Latvian car ride to Zosna camp. It was shocking how uncomfortable the camp was. The bathrooms were smelly, dirty and buggy. There were mosquitoes everywhere and they were feisty (they love Jewish girl blood). The kids came the next day, Cayley, me, and the rest of the team were very tired and not quite sure what to expect. About 15 kids came from an orphanage outside of Rezekne. They looked like they were years younger than they really were. In my Bible study, I had all orphans and it was amazing to see the lack of love and attention they got and wanted. But at the same time it was fun and a privlege to love on them and share the gospel with them. Cayley's Bible study included 17 and 18 year olds. It was very neat for her to lead a Bible study for her first time and through Russian translators. She had one girl named Kristiana that was her shadow the entire week but she did a great job with her. Every day we had Bible study then team games then cupatza (swimming in a lake). Cupatza for us meant either nap or bathe in the lake. After cupatza we had lunch at 3 pm! We like to call that Latvian time which means hours past what we think is normal time. Every night we had a campfire where we had testimonies, skits, singing, and sharing from the Word. The mosquitoes came out to play and eat at this time so Cayley and I wore our sweet mosquito head nets (thanks mom and dad). After campfires, whether it be 9 or 12, we had chai and snacks. Then we stayed up as long as we could talking to the kids (they stay up until 4 every night!) The days went by faster towards the end of the week but it was so fun to see these kids grow in their understanding of the gospel. We saw God working in a huge way and how He drew people to Him. At least 3 kids accepted the Lord as their Savior and others are on the verge. Cayley and I found some people that we want to continue to build relationships with. I fell in love with the orphan kids and have not been that broken in a long time. The last day of camp after the kids left we got to do the Russian tradition of the Banya. Its an extremely hot sauna where Russian men are beating you with branches as long as you can take it. When you have had enough you run out and jump into a dirty pond. Then you go back for more. I loved it and want to do it every week!! But I lost my contact so that has been hard. The day after camp we got to spend one last day with the kids that lived in Rezekne. This ended up being the best conversations Cayley and I had. It was a great day! The next day we left Rezekne and the British team for Riga. We spent a couple days there reflecting on the camp then flew back to Norway. In Norway we are resting, climbing mountains, reflecting, spending lots of time as a team, and spending mucho amounts of time with Jesus. It was a great week at Zosna and changed our lives. We are ready to come home and see all of you.

Please pray for:
- The kids that chose to commit their lives to Christ in Zosna and those still on their way
-Good week of rest and time with the team
-Safe trip home on the 25th

See you all in less than a week...Love you

Work Week of Demolition

I cannot even explain what has been going on here. There is heavy demolition going on all around me. Our international team came in with two construction guys from California and a Norwegian family that are part owners of the house and have just done heavy work. The guys are working with jack hammers and slug hammers, the girls are carrying heavy logs and wood and painting (in fact Cayley was called a Burly Mountain Woman, not totally sure she likes that ;) but she is sure a tough one), and I am baking cookies, brownies, and making lunch and dinner for those hard working and very tired, dirty men and women. I love it I am like the house mom or something. But really I wish I could explain to you how much HARD work is being done to this house. I am so proud of how good this team works together. I mean the basement doesn't even look like it did 2 days ago!!
Anyway, our team is getting closer, internationals and all! IN two days we all leave for Latvia (where we will not have any internet access at all, so I will write after I get back on July 17th) where we will be working at a English/Bible Camp for mostly ophanage kids. So Friday morning we will leave for Oslo on bus and then we will catch a plane to Riga. After a couple of days in Riga, we take a bus across the country to Rezekne where the camp is. It is an old government school building and not much else. But the kids love this camp. I am going to be working with the youngest kids (Cayley with some older ones), but we have no clue how old that will be maybe 8, maybe 15. NOt a very organized camp I am gathering:)!

Please pray for:
-A safe trip to Latvia for our team
-For open hearts at the camp toward the Lord
-Rest for our team and going with health. Apparently you don't sleep much at the camp!

Thank you all so much! Miss you and love love love you!!! Can't wait to tell you all the Lord does in Latvia!!!!!!

Discipleship Week

Ok so not only are we in one of the most beautiful places in the world, we are also with some amazing people from throughout Europe. Last friday we had some of our International friends come for the start of our Discipleship week. We had two guys and a young women come from Latvia, two women and a man from Norway, and 2 women, a man, and a couple from the UK. We were also supposed to have 5 people from Belarus come, but due to the government problems they were not able to come :(!
But this week so far has been so fun as each country has been able to share their culture with all the rest of us. Last night was American night and we had a grillfest (that's the Norwegian term for BBQ) and then played Ipod Idol, which we renamed Elvhiem (the hostle we are staying at) Idol! It was pretty funny seeing people sing their hearts out with no tone what so ever (actually very horrible sounding, usually), me being the absolute worst. Cayley was a judge and was, as always, brutally honest, which was really so so funny!
Along with all of this sharing cultures, we have also been able to pray as a big group a lot and I cannot tell you how cool it is to hear the Latvian and Norwegian and British and American languages and accents while we are praying. It is a pretty neat picture of what it will be like in Heaven, when it is every tongue, tribe, and nation!
We were also able to hike a few mountains, one to a huge HUGE waterfall and the other, this big old mountain that you can see across the fjord from our home. And we went to see the oldest church in Norway, WOW!!! Pretty dang cool.
Tonight we are having a taco bar and then playing soccer and volleyball with the local kids. Please pray as we interact that God's name would be known! There are just simply not very many believers here at all...
We end our Discipleship week on Friday and then in a week (July 4th) we leave for Latvia to do the Bible/English camp. I will for sure write before that, but then will most likely not be able to write again until I am back to Skjolden on July 17th.

We love you so so much and miss you. Thanks for keeping updated on our lives. We really appreciate your care and prayer.


P.S. Kyle send me that dang Coldplay CD. Adam said it was amazing too, PLEASE!! :)

The Longest Fjord in the World

On Monday morning we got on a ferry that would take us from Bergen to Skjolden (pronounced Sholden). It was a beautiful and wonderful ride as we went through so many fjords. Also a lot of fun getting to spend 4 hours together on the ferry playing games and just relating to each other. (In fact, there was a beautiful young Norwegian man on the ferry that Cayley and Kelsey thought would be fun to talk to about me and tell him to say hi to me :) oh those girls!) We got off the ferry and took a few buses to our final destination, SKJOLDEN! It is a small small town of 200ish people. So beautiful and at the end of the longest and largest fjord in the world. I cannot even explain to you how beautiful it is. Where we are staying is a youth hostel co-owned by Darrel and Annette (our leaders) called Elvheim. It is right next to a big river that is wonderful to listen to at night (that is for you, dad). That night we were able to play soccer with a couple of the local kids. Cayley loved it and I didn't play (hurt achilles, you know). It was so fun to be able to play on this beautiful grass with real Norwegians :)! Also since we have been here there has been a club started. It is called the 20-20 club. This means 20 verses memorized by the end of the summer and 20 jumps in the fjord. Now here is the catch, the fjord is FREEZING! But it is breathtaking and exhillerating at the very same time. We were also able to clean up and garden Edvin's (a big Nav guy, I think, in Norway) house yesterday.
We have been able to spend a lot of time in the Word, studying Galatians together, and listening to each other's testimonies. It is really such a restful time with God so far. Tomorrow about 20 international students from Latvia, Norway, Belarus, and Britian will join us for our Discipleship Week. OH and Cayley has been able to set up her hammock and take naps in it, WHAT A BLESSING!!

Please be praying for:
Our time in the Word and in Galatians as a team, that God would continue to open up our minds to what He desires us to learn.
The International students coming, that they would get here safely and we would really be able to connect with them.
The Norwegians here in Skjolden would be open to relationships with us, but more importantly to a relationship with Jesus.

Thank you all for your prayers. Cayley and I love you all very much!

Oh Dear Bergen

Here we are after a 26 hour train ride from the northern town of Bodø to Bergen. MAN it was long, but God got us through. This town is a wonderful place. The people are beautiful and friendly. I am currently at our Norwegian friend's house, his name is Olav. Anyway today we went on a hike up this mountain which overlooked the whole town, beautiful. Then it started really raining and we had to get down as soon as possible, which was a feat because it was SOOO rocky! Last night we met a lot of the Bergen Navigators at their last meeting of the year, they are amazing people and so smart, so many doctors and nurses.
Well I gotta go, but keep on praying for us as we spend the weekend here and then take a boat through the fjords to Skjolden for our international program to start on Monday morning.
Love you all! Oh and mom, dad, and Kyley, Cayley wanted me to give a special shout out to you guys and say she loves you (I do too, a lot)

The Lofoten Islands...

We got to Bodø just a few hours ago on ferry and went immediately to try and find either a youth hostle or a hotel. Turned out we were coming up empty on everything, all the hotels were booked and there were no youth hostles. So we decided to pray and guess what God found us a much cheaper than anything we could have found in a hotel and a nice, roomy enough space for all 5 of us. We are all exhausted and have just taken showers for the first time since last wednesday!
This week at the Islands was unbelievable. The first night I was not wanting to be there at all, and was almost angry that I decided to come on this excursion. But we found a camping spot finally at about midnight our first night in the middle of this lake on a penninsula in the middle of a town. But after that night we got on a bus and walked and hiked for about 2 or 3 hours to get to this secluded beach where we spent the next two nights. It was surreal, the most beautiful beach, with green green grass and sheep and huge mountains all around us. This beach, Kvalvika is deamed the most romantic beach in Europe on the 2nd most beautiful islands in the world. God was so good to have helped us find that. It was a relaxing couple of days and we even got to see the midnight sun, weird.
After a couple days, we decided to walk 10 km to the next town, Ramberg, and get another camping spot near this other beach. It was a good idea we left that day because the next morning it was so windy and started raining and we were already planning on going on a bus back to the town in which the ferry comes to, Moskenes. So we set up camp and started walking in the rain, trying to hitchhike to the next town, Reine, to get dinner. Much to our dismay, after an hour of walking, the restuarant was closed and my achellis tendon felt like it was going to tear. So Kelsey and I got a ride with a German couple back to town and waited for the others.
The last night was a bit of a nightmare, with TONS AND TONS of wind and rain. I didn't sleep the whole night, it was interesting. It sounded like there was a hurricane outside our tent. But to make a very long story a little longer, we got on the ferry at 6am and braved the rough seas, got sea sick and made it here to report back to you!

Please be praying for us as we get on the train tomorrow to make our way to Bergen to meet the rest of our team. And please pray for my achellis (spelling, I know), it is in a ton of pain. Thanks, I love you all!! Cayley also sends her love...

WOWSER!!!

So the last two days have been insane. After I left you all yesterday we rode a bus downtown with 5 BIG bags of luggage that we had to put in a locker for our friend Patrick to pick up and take with him to the place we are staying the majority of the time in Norway. Let me just tell you...everything here is SOOOO expensive, including but not limited to: luggage lockers, food, and transportation. But alas when in Rome (or Oslo), huh? Well we were exhausted and spent the whole day roaming around downtown with nothing to eat and barely any water. I was dead to say the least. But we finally got some bread and peanut butter and a little water and refreshed ourselves. We also took a delightful nap in this grassy park in the city and went to an old fortress that overlooked the water, it was pretty cool. At about 10:30 or so that night we got home and it was still very light and very warm, quite the summer night if you ask me :)!

We woke up this morning in the mid morning kinda of after noon and began our day by riding the bus again downtown (with less luggage this time). We stopped on our way to get some substance into our stomachs. Some like to call it IKEA Swedish food, we call it the best meal we had for the last 2 days and will have for the next week! As we got downtown we met up with our friend and summer teammate, Patrick (the one picking up the bags) and we went to town. We got a 24 hour unlimited transportation pass and took the train to the Oslo ski jump that they use in the olympics and then took a ferry over to this little town where we were trying to go to museums that were closed :( sad, but it was a fun trip over there.

Anyway it has been interesting and tiring and truthfully I am ready to see more of Norway, which is good because at 6am we are off to the Lofoten Islands. Please pray for us as we go, that we will have enough nutrients to survive and energy to have fun and rest to...rest! If you are at all interested, Google Lofoten Isands, Norway and you will get to see the beautiful place we are going to! Love you all!! Hope to write in a week or so!

We're Here!!!

So we just got into Oslo, Norway and are staying with the Norwegian national Navigator staff right outside of Oslo. It is so so green here and the people are amazing so far. We are getting ready now to go into downtown Oslo. The plane ride was crazy and long. We were delayed so many times just sitting in the plane waiting for them to fix different problems, but alas we got here. Well I better be going, we're off to town!
Oh here are some Norwegian letters from this Norwegian keyboard: øØæÆ (enjoy)

Weekend of Accomplishments

I am so proud of my little cousins!! Nathan graduated from Heritage High School, Emily graduated from Arapahoe High School, and Chad graduated from Denver Christian High School. Oh and Amy (my cousin-in-law) graduated from University of Colorado in Denver as a nurse. It was so much fun going to their graduations and their parties. I am just so so proud of these kiddos. I got to see all my family and hear where they were going and what they were doing.
I was able to spend some good time with my cousin and amazingly great friend Laura. She has been through it all with me, through thick and thin. I love her oh so so much!
It was one fun weekend and so fun to see the whole family.
Thank you family, I love you so much and am going to miss you when I move to the 'Bama!

My Going Away Party

WOW!! So, my students threw me a going away party and about 40 of them (including all of my fellow staff) showed up to Fargo's Pizza to say their goodbyes! I felt so blessed and loved by these fantastic people!

This was one of the first pictures of the night right after two students gave me a present they had made, which is why I am crying. It was really quite amazing!!!

And these are them, Shawn and Emmy! Emmy and I met all year one one one and this is her boyfriend Shawn. They are very fun and were the ones that planned this whole party. Oh man I'm going to miss them!

Andrew and Bri, love these guys!

Whitney, her boyfriend, Kyle and I. These two are probably the funniest couple I've ever known! Thanks to them I have an imagination again!!

Jamie, Emmy, and I. These were the two women I met with all year. I have just fallen in love with and been so incredibly encouraged by them.

Whitney, Kyle, Shawn, Emmy, and Jamie. Some of my absolutely favorite people in the world!
This was the greatest way to end my time here at UCCS. I love these students and they have blessed my life more than I could have ever thought. I am going to miss them and my time here at UCCS!

Good bye UCCS students!!

Last EDGE Summitt

This was an incredible week. The people I was able to be with was so encouraging and wonderful. I am going to miss them all so much, but trust that I will see some of them again in my life. So many fun times, good talks, and life long memories.

These 3 women were my LIVE IT UP ladies, Kristine, Robin, and Maryn. We got to have a day in Colorado Springs where we got pedicures, got lunch, shopped, and saw a movie! Such a girly, but wonderful day! Yeah we LIVED IT UP!!!! I love these girls.

This woman right here, Laura Dennis, is one of the most amazing women I have ever met. She has blessed my life so so much in the short year we have known each other. Her and her husband Jeff live and work in the inner-city of Chicago with the Navigators. They are wonderful people who care so much for everyone they come in contact with. I love love love this lady!

This guy is Brad Jones. He is staff down in Tuscalusa, AL at the University of Alabama. So we took this picture of the Bama crew!

Mike, Steven, and Nick! AMAZING guys. These men have really showed what Godly men are supposed to be like. I just love them. I thank these guys for being so encouraging and loving. I am really going to miss them., but trust I will see them again!!

OH dear Laurainna! What a wonderful wonderful teammate. I love you so much and am going to miss you A LOT! This was just me and Lauren dancing our lives away at the EDGE dance party 2008! Probably one of the most fun dance partners EVER!!!

At the dance party Robin, Maryn, and I choreographed a dance and then performed it. Very fun for sure!

Los, such a funny guy, but so wonderful. So these were my friends and really not even most of them, but I had a great week with them. I am going to miss EDGE, but still trust that this is exactly what God has for me.

GOOD BYE EDGE!!!

My Last Days on Campus

This will more just be a lot of pictures just to warn you! I had a great last 2 weeks being here at UCCS on Nav staff. Amazing, really. I love these students so much, they have blessed my life a lot!! This crew I was able to go to lunch with on my last day on campus. Viki, Andrew, Patrick, Kodi, Lars, and Brian, awesome kids!!!!

Two amazing young women: Whitney and Jamie at our End of the Year BBQ.

Viki and Kodi, man I love those girls!!!

Miss Emily Buikema! Tall, funny, I love this girl!

And some time with these fun guys, Andrew, Patrick, and Brian. Praying for those guys for next year. They are sweet men and I just hope they stay that way :)!!

Oh the Changes

So I have officially decided that I am leaving the Navigators. I am moving to Birmingham, AL where my little sister lives and getting a job down in the south. I am finishing out my year with the Navs with a trip to Norway. I am incredibly excited for this opportunity. My life is changing a lot in the next few months and I have a million emotions, ranging from scared out of my mind, to excited, to sad. Please join with me in praying that I would just continue to listen and follow the Lord's leading!

The Reason I Do What I Do...

These girls are the girls in my Bible study. They are all freshmen and just amazing young women. I have easily grown to really love these girls. These pictures are from a night we went bowling with a bunch of people. WHat a night....!

We have spent a lot of time together lately and I am getting to know them better and better and enjoying them more and more! I thank the Lord when I think about working with these girls! What a huge blessing!!!!!!

EDGEy Weekend

What a time we got to have. 13 of Rocky Mountain's finest were able to live up in Keystone for the weekend. It was a blast getting us all together again and being around people who are in the same place. I love these people so much. The Wyoming team (Alec, Sandy, Danielle, and Jonathan), half of the UNC team (Dana and Elizabeth), the CSU team (Adam and Renae Sperling), most of the CU Boulder team (Ben, Nathan, and Gavin), and of course most of the UCCS team (Lauren and I) were all able to make it up to spend the weekend skiing (or snowboarding), eating, watching the Superbowl (GO GIANTS), and just spend time talking and laughing and loving each other.

This is the team minus the Sperlings (they had to leave early I guess)! Good lookin group of people I would have to say, eh?

Here are the Sperlings with our honorary EDGE friend Davey F!

Well that is the weekend, with literally some of the coolest people this side of the Front Range!

Wonder Weekend

I sure did have a wonderful weekend. I got to go to a Nuggets game with a student and his friend. He loves the Nuggets and especially Allen Iverson about as much as I do, so it was a blast. A.I. takes so many free throws each game, I had to just get some, right?

We actually got to go on Guys Night Out, what a treat! I was probably one of four girls in my section...but definitely the only one sober! You know, I gotta say Guys Night Out is not the most edifying or wonderful time to go to the Nuggets, but those guys on the court make it all better! I just love those Nuggies!!!

After the game three of my UCCS students (Sarah, Patrick, and Shawn) and I drove up to Keystone to my parents condo, met two other students, and stayed the weekend and snowboarded and skied. Seriously I have never had so much fun snowboarding. They widened my stance and fixed my bindings so it would be moce comfortable and it was and I just love love loved it! So really it was one amazingly fun weekend!


Here is the crew...well back to work!!!

So Proud...

I am just so so proud of my cousin! He is playing for the CSU basketball team as a walk-on. He is a senior and this is his first year. As a highschooler, David was an incredible baller, but hurt his knee and couldn't go play in college. He has been playing pick up all these years and decided to try and walk-on to the CSU team and HE MADE IT!!! I just really can't say enough how excited and proud of Davey I am! That #11 is such a stud. Love him!!!!!!

Guess what...

Guess where Cayley and I get to go this summer...NORWAY! We are so excited and can't believe we get to go there together. It is a 6 week discipleship program. These pictures are where we will be staying for 4 of the 6 weeks. The other 2 weeks will be spent in Latvia. I absolutely cannot wait to be overseas with my sister.