Oh boy...

I have been arguing with myself over whether or not I should write this post, and in the end you can see which side won...even though it was after extensive negotiation. So when this post seems maddeningly vague to you, remember the negotiation :)

The past week has been a bit of a rough week for me and a few others, we are experiencing first hand having to trust God when it seems like He has withdrawn his promise. Yes, a few of us here at the farm have had our dreams crushed or are waiting while they are in serious jeopardy of being crushed. I am at the moment, the luckiest person in this exclusive little group because although my dream is in great danger of disappearing, there is still a shred of hope. While I am thankful that I have this reason to hope, being completely helpless as I watch and wait isn't the easiest task in the world. But here I am, watching and waiting for other people to decide...sigh...

If it hasn't been made abundantly clear...I'm in need of prayer ;)

For the sake of an update...

So, things at "the Farm" have been going pretty well these days. The weather's been a good 10 degrees warmer here than at home, so that's something to smile about! (Sorry home people)

As for the 'real work,' I'm plugging along learning as much as I can from the sessions and from others...I am possibly spending too much time and effort on the others category. It is sometimes hard to focus on my assignments and goals when there are just so many people around to "learn" from. There are over 300 people on campus with me and that is significantly more people than I'm used to having around, so distractions abound. I have yet to find a routine that balances out friends, fun and work, so that's a definite prayer request for those of you checking up on me (thanks by the way!).

So here's an interesting thing I learned about myself this week... According to the Myers-Briggs Personality test, I am Extroverted, Intuitive, Feeling focused, and Judging (which means I like planning things out). We were all required to take this personality test before we arrived here in Virginia, so we got our results on Friday. The hot question this weekend has been, "So what's your personality?" My answer to that would be: "I'm an ENFJ."

A Day Out

So, today was the day that Susanna and I got to leave campus and drive somewhere fun. At about 7:30 am we took off in a borrowed van headed north to Alexandria, VA to finish up some Visa requirements, and after getting there early and done in about 10 minutes we thought..."why not make this trip worthwhile and see something?" Manasass Battle Field here we come! We had a great time checking out the civil war era buildings and that awesome statue of Stonewall Jackson. After an awesome lunch of non-cafeteria food, we decided to head back in time to get some serious quilting done (I'll explain that statement later).

About 70 miles from campus Susanna says, "We have a serious problem." Now, Susanna is not one to exaggerate, so I knew at once that we had a serious problem. Yes, we joined the ranks of the "great we have a flat tire" crew. I've seen it in movies, but here's a confession...I have never actually had a flat tire or even been in a car with a flat. So now, I guess I'm a better person...more well rounded! Needless to say, it all turned out ok and after a not-so-quick call to AAA, but I'm not interested in repeating that experience any time soon. I will definitely be avoiding van 2 for the rest of my time here.

And yes, these pictures have nothing to do with our trip...but I hate to have a post without pictures. Look at that Virginia soil...yuck...

And so it begins!

After over a year of waiting and hoping, I've finally made it to orientation! Today is my first full day on campus, and so far things have gone pretty well. Although, since things don't seem to really get started until tomorrow, most of us are just wandering around thinking that we ought to be doing something productive...we just can't figure out what. Especially since we know that in less than 24 hours we will be overwhelmed with everything that we will have to get done (or at least that's what I've been told).
So, even though I've technically started my journey, I guess I still have to wait a bit for the real thing to start. But here's what I do know...I'm extremely excited about having my own room!!!

My fuzzy friend even got his own bed!

Yes, this room may seem a bit bare, but I prefer tranquil...

South to North Carolina

Yes, I'm behind, but better late than never I always say. A couple weekends ago I took a trip to visit a friend from Liberty University who lives in Boone, NC. She's actually the one that told me about the missions program that I will be training for in about a week. Thank goodness for old friends! So, since I'm not much of a writer, here's some pics from my travel journal about my trip...
(warning, these pictures didn't turn out so well...resist squinting, it's not your vision)

I think Boone is very very cute...but there are a lot of trees...

Back to South Dakota!

Who knew I would be driving up to South Dakota for two weekends in a row! But I did, and I'm very proud of myself, especially for making it up there the second time in my car. A road trip in my car always involves some memorable moments, here is an example...


For about 6 months now, I have held the drivers side section of my bumper to the rest of the car with a bit of well-placed duct tape, but all good things must come to an end and my duct tape retired at the beginning of my trek from Kansas to Mitchell. I let it flap in the wind for most of the trip while I tried to figure out how to secure it without duct tape and here's what I ended up doing at a gas station in Hartford, SD. I happened to have some steel toed shoes in my backseat and was able to make use of a shoe lace. Not as attractive as the duct tape though...I will have to fix that before too long.

So that was my drive to Mitchell...my drive home was also a memorable experience. As I merged onto interstate 90 outside Mitchell, my speedometer quit. Good grief...I love my car, but sometimes...

Well now I've seen it!

I am in South Dakota, and yes, I did see Mount Rushmore. I find it funny that anytime anyone says that they will be visiting South Dakota, people ask if they will be seeing Mt. Rushmore, since they're so close. It is on the very west side of the state! And the state isn't exactly the size of New Jersey. But here I am, furthering the assumption...yes, I'm visiting South Dakota and Mt. Rushmore has been crossed off the list. Enough talk...here are some pictures...

The Classic Entrance

The Less than Thrilled "wild" Mountain Goat

Mens Capri Pants--available in Germany?

The Last Show
and a very cute (and cold) couple

In case you were getting worried, we did not stay at Rushmore the entire day, but I will go into the rest of our fun-filled adventures later.

i have roomates...

So, I know I said that I would probably be ready for a roommate after living alone for a couple weeks, but when I thought roommate, I was thinking a friend...or at least a human being. But no no, here are the four interested parties that I got...

Well, needless to say, I decided that we weren't compatible and after all...I am paying the rent.

what's this???

So, after 8 years with my trusty Nike running shoes, I decided it was time to go out and buy new shoes. If this fact hasn't tipped you off to the hard truth of my complete lack of regular exercise, let me be blunt...I rarely exercise. However, it is time to change things and so my first step is getting new shoes...easier said than done. The sports shoe walls at the local mall were covered in these:

What in the world? I suddenly felt very old standing in front of one of those walls...

Flight Plans!

First, I suppose I should apologize for my lack of posting in the past few weeks, but really, it's hard to post about events that don't seem too interesting to me, let alone to everyone else. However, I do have some Scotland-related news now. I have my itinerary for my first ever international flight! As it stands now, I will be officially starting my new life phase on January 6th, 2009. What makes this even more exciting is that last week, there were a few misunderstandings in regards to my flight plans, and I was beginning to get a little nervous. For some reason my e-mails weren't getting to the people they needed to get to, so things were moving much slower than they ought to be. I also had been told that I would be flying out later than my partner which made me very very nervous! I had expected us to fly together...I mean, that makes sense doesn't it? Anyway, after a week of uncertainty and a bit of anxiousness on my part, I received my new itinerary and it looks great. I will be flying out of the country with my partner now and can breathe a sigh of relief!

Having my itinerary also makes this whole thing seem more real. Lately it feels like more of a dream than anything because it seems too good to be true. I wouldn't blame people if they thought I was making the whole thing up! But now, I have my route to Scotland on paper....ahhhhhh...

And, apologies for the lack of interesting pictures on this post...but I intend to post a picture of the very very pink, recently painted foyer of my new house. I know I know, pink is scary...just wait and see!

is this a dream?

For the last year I've had this dream of moving out into the beautiful victorian house at the other end of our small town. As time crept on and on, the dream faded and faded until I had all but given up on it. Well, after many obstacles, here I am in my new (old) house feeling very independent. Here are a few pictures of my house!

My bedroom...

My...um...other room.
My beautiful loveseat...a gift from my new neighbor!

I just love my new house, but am quite certain that I will be more than ready for a roomate in a few weeks...

This is what a finished Art Journal looks like...

It seems like it's been forever, but I started this thing in October, so that's not really the case. The fact that I should've been done with this months ago is irrelevant...

A new friend

I know that I shouldn't buy any more knick knacks that will just gather dust when I leave for Scotland, but just look at this cutie!

I know what some people might think, but I don't see this purchase as a knick knack, this is definitely the perfect traveling buddy for me. He's small and very low maintenance, and adorable! Yes, and if these attributes weren't enough...here's another...

He's got a compass! What a wonderful traveling buddy...now, just what do I name him? I have no idea, but I've got a little time :)

Movie Night!!!

One part of my life here in Kansas that I will really miss when I leave in October is my church family. When I came home from school 2 years ago, I really had no clue how blessed I was to be a part of this church, even though I had grown up in it. Now, I am completely in love with this family and I think they are all just wonderful! On Sunday night, we had movie night at my church and watched Facing the Giants. I had a great time! In retrospect, I know that the movie wouldn't have been half as much fun to watch had it not been for the friends I was with. We had a plethera of goodies to snack on, and that combined with the funny comment, outbursts of laughter and even some tears (no, I was not one of the teary-eyed few) made the night a HUGE success in my book.
Yes, the event literally made it into my book:

The very intimidating first post...

I think the worst part about setting up a blog must be writing the first post. But unfortunately it is a necessary part of starting out so here we go. With this blog I will do my best to chronicle my journey into the world of serving as a journeyman overseas. In the Isle of Lewis, Scotland to be more specific. Although I won't be technically leaving for Scotland until January, the real life journey has already begun as I prepare for this new and exciting phase of my life. Yay!!!! I must say that after spending two restless years waiting and watching, I was starting to get a little nervous!
Since I like pictures in blogs, here's a map of the UK that shows my destination:


And here's my little rendition of the island: