I'm Getting Married!

Yes, its TRUE! Josh proposed to me on Nov. 16th at Tyler St. Park - a favorite of ours, as well as the first place we hung out together. I knew it was coming, but was completely surprised when he pulled out the ring and knelt before me :o) Josh had asked two of his friends to come before us to the park and set up to take pictures - I had no clue until after he proposed. They took a good 330 pictures - so we have a great treasure to share for many years. We are planning to get married August 17th, 2008 in Houston, TX area. Josh and I have both been blessed with God's healing and grace. We are excited to spend the rest of life together. God is faithful and deserves all of the glory - now and forever!

Tomorrow is my last day of class! I just have one more paper to finish before monday and four finals next week. Tomorrow afternoon, I'll be going with some friends to Houston area for a wedding on friday - one of our friends from LETU is getting married! I am definitely looking forward to Christmas break. I'll be spending time with Josh's family as well as flying to Idaho to visit my own family! I miss you guys and love you! thanks for all of your support and prayers and believing with Josh and I in this miracle.

Fall Times in Texas

My Prince Charming gave me daisies last sunday! And they're still looking good! Last night was Fall Fest Banquet and Longview Symphony. Meredith and I had fun dressing up together! The lovely ladies in black :o) The Cute Couple had a really fun night out! The rare normal picture :o) With the more common goofy picture! I guess I am slowly making progress on my mean face :o) So, less than four more weeks of classes before finals! Crazy because I have 4 papers, 2 presentations, and one binder project to turn in! But God is faithful and I am relying on His strength to get me through. I have also been blessed with quality time for my friends too. I am trying to learn the balance of doing my best in school as well as keeping my priorities with God and relationships. Today, Josh got to come to church with me and then we ate out with the Matthews - my adopted church parents. And this thursday, my Uncle Matthew came for a surprise visit while he was returning from a work trip. A very nice surprise to see a family member in Longview, TX. I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving break with Josh's family and finishing this semester!

It's about TIME!

So in honor of Josh and I dating for 6 months, Josh made me an Italian dinner and then we played a goofy ABC game - I'll explain later, but to give an example - this picture was for the letter "I" - Indians. It was a ton of fun with lots of laughter! So its a Friday night.....what do we do??? I made the mistake of pulling out my small water gun. Josh happily filled it up with water and easily got me wet. Luckily, my suitemate, Kristi had 3 other water guns! So another friend of ours, Katie, joined in and we had a water fight on my dorm floor! Yup and Kristi is the RA! Good memories! Last weekend, Josh and I went to our favorite Tyler St. Park for a relaxful time away from campus. We hiked some, took some more goofy pictures (but as you can see, this is one of the rare - "normal" pictures!) , and watched the sunset - so beautiful! For Fall Break - which isn't over yet! - My friend, Kristi, and I went to my Aunt Rhoda's in Forney, TX. Saturday morning, we took a nice walk in the neighborhood. On Sunday, we went to the Alliance Airshow in Ft. Worth. In this picture, you can see some of the Blue Angels parked near the runway. They were the last to perform - and what an awesome job they did! We spent the whole day walking around the different planes and seeing them perform. Lots of sun! Aunt Rhoda's friend - "Tink" has a grandson that flies for the Navy. He flew in from Florida -so we got to board his plane and take a look inside.

God is faithful! Thanks for all of your support and prayers. I am sorry its been quite a while since I have blogged. I can't believe I am already a quarter of the way done with my junior year! God is definitely at work in my life and has been my help through some stressful times already. I only have 8 more weeks before Christmas break! I'll try to keep you guys better updated :o) I guess I should stop procrastinating and get back to work :o) oh the joys!

Em's summer...

The season for the Van Essen nursery ended last week, but surprisingly, they kept me on to work at least this week. I have worked there for the past three summers, and currently, this is my fourth week working this summer. I was ready to be done, but I can't turn down the work. Yesterday, I got a blood blister from the clippers and then stung by a bee and soaked by the sprinklers! - other than that, it was a really beautiful day! And I got to go on a nice run :o) I'm excited to have the fourth of July off. I finally get to sleep in on a week day again. I am hoping to spend some time with my family at the river or lake since it is supposed to be really warm. My family and I will be moving on July 13th to go to Star, ID. Our new house will be just a block away from my sister, Katie - who is expecting her baby girl around July 20th. Please be praying for us as we are going through our home and boxing everything up. Please also pray that I will have a good attitude and be a blessing during this major transition for everyone else as well. I am definitely going to miss Oregon. It will be good to see more of Katie, Ben, Owen, and Baby Reese though :o) My niece is doing really well. She is over 2 weeks old! and quite cute! Some exciting news is my sister and her husband in Alaska - are seeing to it that I get to come visit them in august as well as give Josh the chance to drive me back to Texas! He'll be flying into Boise on Aug 20th - yeah!

More on road trip to Oregon

Josh is trying to teach me the skill of making funny faces - as you can see, he is a pro at it. We played around the river at Fernview campground in OR. Josh actually jumped in the water later a couple of times. Besides being cold, he said it was Awesome! really refreshing and supposedly fun :o) I decided I was content with just watching. Finally home in Lebanon, OR. Mom had made us o'henry bars - yummy! We got to spend a day at the Oregon Coast - Jordan loved chasing the waves back and forth. This is Josh's first time being in the northwest at all. He of course jumped in the pacific ocean as well - despite the freezing temperatures. He is quite the texan because all of the oregonians were like - "you're crazy!" no one else was swimming in the water. Look who's taller! (for Josh's sake, I'll let everyone know that his feet are actually buried in the sand :o) We had a great trip together on the road as well as spending time with family and friends. Thanks so much for keeping us in your prayers! Today, we had a garage sale - getting rid of quite a bit of stuff, especially clothes. Mom, Amy, and I will probably be moving to Idaho in July to be closer to my sister, Katie. Amy is due any day now with her second child - a little girl. Katie is also having a baby girl at the end of July. Amy also just picked up Cruz from the Portland airport. He will be visiting for two weeks to see the baby and then will be going back to serve in Iraq. On monday, I'll start working at the Van Essen Nursery - 50 hours/week. It will be a busy job for about 3 or 4 weeks. God worked it out perfectly just incase we are moving in early july. Lots of new changes in our family this summer - but I believe God is working it all together according to His plan and his good purpose. Kimber and Ben will also be moving to Palmer, AK in July. Ben already got a job as a second grade teacher!

Home in Oregon

Dress up for the tea party at Josh's home in Woodlands, TX. We got to spend a couple of days at Josh's home before leaving for Oregon. On our way, we stopped at the Big Texan restaurant. I got to sit in the largest rocking chair ever! The seat was as long as my legs! In Amarillo, Texas, we stopped at the palo duro canyon - such a beautiful place! We would have loved to have more time here. Thanks to my brilliant idea, we walked barefoot down stream in the little river at the bottom of the canyon. You couldn't see thru the water - scary! A snake actually swam by my leg - yikes! Finally, on our way over the cascade mountain pass in Oregon! lots of laughter! The trees smelled so good! fresh air!

Coming Soon: Crazy Roadtrip

I finished my speech class on tuesday -all went well and I actually have fond memories of the class. God definitely helped me not be stressed about the speeches and gave me much confidence. Since then, I have been working some hours in the office with Mrs. Ames and getting random things planned out for the road trip. Today, Josh and I got to have lunch with Laurel and Manny and their two kids -super cute. Tonight, we are hanging out with the Ames' - grilling hamburgers and watching an old time movie. Tomorrow night, Josh and I will drive to Houston to spend a couple of nights with his family before heading out on either monday or tuesday. Please pray for our trip -safety, car will stay in good condition, enjoy time together, honor God with our decisions, quality time with my family along the way....We'll be hopefully stopping in Amarillo, TX at a friend's home and exploring a nice canyon there. We are also planning on meeting up with Kimber and Ben in Colorado Springs and then on to Star, ID to see Katie and Ben, then to Bend, OR to hang out with my family there, and finally to good ol' Lebanon, OR. God is good. I'm thankful for this opportunity to get to know Josh even better. Thanks for your love and prayers!

A much needed update!

WOW! Feb. 26th (my last blog) was a long time ago! Let's see, the journey God has me on has continued at a quick rate. His blessings continue to transform my life into something I never thought was possible - definitely a God-thing. Since deciding to stop instrument flight, God has been faithful with giving me my every need as I face so many new things. With some extra time on my hands, I have been able to be more involved at Crossroads Community Church. I have enjoyed attending an "equipping marriages" series based on the book Love and Respect as well as going to a lifegroup on sunday nights where we have been working through a series called "downpour" - involving a need for personal revival. I have also been encouraged to get back into running and have even raced in three 5k's -which have been really fun. And every now and then, I have been able to pull out some colored pencils and sketch something for some simple enjoyment and downtime. God has also blessed me with a great friendship. Since the beginning of March, I had the opportunity to get to know this amazing man - Josh Lyon. He has been a blessing to hang out with him, whether going to a beautiful park or craming for finals. So officially since April 2nd, we have been dating. We both are seeking God's will for our lives and would appreciate your prayers and/or advice. By the way, he is also a pilot and just passed his instrument rating check ride!! And with Josh's help, I have been able to enjoy some plane rides and get back up into the air. (even though I have accepted the fact that as of now, God has something else in mind for me instead of being a prof pilot - I still miss flying) Finals are over! Last week, I survived four finals and started packing up my dorm room - which turned into a 3 day event (not sure why so long). I got to attend the letu graduation and a friend's ballet performance. On monday, I spent the day with some friends in a nearby town - we got to go out on the lake as well as go fishing! Now, I have moved into the home, belonging to the lady that I work with on campus, with another friend for a two week speech class. Please pray that I will use this class as an oppoturnity to grow in this weak area of mine as well as be used for whatever God would purpose. If you know me, I tend to not enjoy public speaking, but would desire to still enjoy this class and get a lot from this time. After the summer class is over (may 22nd), I will be driving back to Oregon. YOu can also be praying that some details with the long roadtrip will work out - the best route, good places to stay, safety, timing.... I am looking forward to seeing home again - its been a good, yet long 4 months. I'll try to post pictures later - right now, I am using someone else's computer, but i have some great pics to share :o) Thanks for your prayers and support. God has blessed me with some great friends and family.

Freedom Comes through SURRENDERING

My friend, Kristi, just turned 20 on sunday. I got to take her to church on her birthday. We decided to take a picture of us with our cute headbands :o) We had fun celebrating the night before - going to the oh-so-great Longview Mall (in actuality, its kind of scary) and starbucks. She has been a great blessing and fun suite mate.

This year, I have had the joy of getting to know a freshman who is now working on her private certificate. Its been fun helping her with the oral questions and seeing her improve as well as gain confidence with flight. As we grow closer, we relate how similar we are with our flight experiences and struggles. She is an amazing woman and sweet friend, as well as one of the letu woman bball players! crazy how she can manage with flight....

On sunday, since texas' weather has now transitioned from cold and overcast weather to sunny and warm weather - meredith and I decided to do some homework out by the "lake" (pond) on letu's campus. However, after trying to focus on reading material for about an hour, and being entertained by some ducks, we headed over to watch a couple of minutes of the woman's softball team - who have been winning most of their matches!

Now for the more serious yet exciting update on me: Last Friday, with God's help and lots of prayers, I finally surrendered my plan of becoming a professional pilot to God and am trusting that He has a bigger plan for my life than what I had originally imagined. For a long time, I had been hoping that God would first show me what He had in mind before I chose to stop flying. However, my heart was convicted that I needed to first surrender and give up this burden before God would reveal to me the next step. After talking to a professor who had been praying for me about flight, the professor helped me sign the drop form, and I officially turned it in on Monday. Trust me, this last weekend was probably the most free that I have felt since childhood. I am so thankful that God gave me the opportunity to pursue flight for a short time and actually become a pilot, but I can see where I was doing it for the wrong reasons - and it had left me burnt out to where I was dreading each flight. God gave me complete peace about my decision though and has continued to reassure me that He is working His plan as I chose to wait on His leading. I find it exciting to see God's work around me and within me, but at the same time, I am naturally concerned about all of the unknowns. Through these two years, God has continued to heal me. He has taught me so much about myself as well as the perspective He wants me to have about life. Who knows, after having surrendered my flight career plans, God may chose to then renew in me my own passion for flight. I would hope that some day I could use my private pilot certificate for fun and gain more experience in the northwest flying, but all in God's timing.

Today, God really met me where I was at and blessed me with more loving assurance that He hasn't forgotten me as I now feel that my goal at college has disappeared. On Thursday, I had prayed that He would give me some type of message in the morning when I woke up. So on Friday, the first thought that ran through my head was, "I'm going to give you a new song in your heart, a new song in your heart." I was filled with hope and encouragement, believing then that God could help me go through the necessary steps to stop instrument flight. Despite the peace and the burden lifted, I have obviously had questions of now what? After holding firm to what I know God has been showing me, a song majorly stuck out to me from my itunes play list. Its by Brandon Heath and is called "Don't Get Comfortable." You can go to his website and listen to part of the song if you have not heard it before. The lyrics go like this though:

Comfortable

Don't get comfortable

I am gonna move this mountain

Then I am gonna move you in

Yesterday

This is not yesterday

You were standing on my shoulder

Now you're standing on the edge

You have been looking for a sign all this time

Chorus

I am gonna show you what I mean

I am gonna love like you've never seen

You are gonna live like you used to dream

THIS IS YOUR NEW SONG

So afraid

But you don't have to be afraid

Even if you make mistakes

You know that I'll remain

You been looking for a sign all this time

If you seek you find me every time

(Chorus)

Can you feel the call of love

Is it moving you

To be a child of God of love

Is it reaching you

Its everywhere the call of love

I just wanna show you what I mean

I just wanna love like you've never seen

Do you wanna live like you used to dream

THEN I GOT A NEW SONG FOR YOU

YOU'VE GOT A NEW SONG

These words definitely spoke to my heart. I would encourage you to actually hear them being sung. Please continue to pray for me as I seek God's plan. I desire my heart to stay focused on Him as well as completely surrendered to what He has in mind (even if that means changing my preferred time line :o) God is good! I'm excited that God is giving me another chance to enjoy this college experience and learn even more. Thanks for all of your support!!! Even though, I am thousands of miles away from some of you, it really helps.

Yes, my 20th birthday is on March 1st! I will be celebrating with my friends at the Winter Jam concert nearby - lots of Christian artists will be performing like Jeremy Camp, Newsong, Aaron Shust....I'm excited :o)

Freeze Your Fanny 5k

The highlight of the first month back to college happened this morning at the bright and early time of 8:30am with temperatures in the mere 20s. After learning of a 5k race in longview from a professor, I registered for the Freeze Your Fanny race and recruited two of my wonderful friends to run with me. The money went towards the special Olympics team in longview - so besides having the pleasure of running with some friends, we were also supporting a great cause. As part of our intense training - we ran a total of one time together on the previous Saturday - but it was well worth it! Right, ladies??? I hope to do another one before the semester comes to an end. Midterms are only one month away. So besides experiencing the joy of running again, I have been busy with classes and instrument flight on the simulators. Last Wednesday, I passed my first stage check and now will be working on flying instrument approaches. In this past week, we actually had two occurrences of snow! yup, in Texas! it didn't stick :o( but we actually could see white snow flakes. I am really enjoying my Bib Lit class - its been good to study and learn more about God's Word in a class setting again. God has used the class/professor to remind me more of His truths and promises and how His reasons are above our own. Let's see, in my airframe lab - we have been soldering wires to electrical terminals. The first time trying did not go so well - the professor said he could just pull them out "like weeds!" But I believe I succeeded the second time - we'll see come Tuesday. Physics has brought up memories of high school. I have enjoyed the chance to take a class with my friend though - Meredith (on far right of picture) - we have been bonding all the more as we complete hours of "CAPA" - online program for physics problems. The lab for physics isn't that bad though - fun, hands-on stuff. My first couple of tests are coming up in the next week - yikes. I'm still going to the crossroads church in longview and am going to try to attend one of their life groups tonight with a friend. I appreciate all of your prayers and encouragement. The semester has already had its challenging moments, but I know I also have a lot to be thankful for through God's work in my life. Please continue to pray for me as I train for my instrument rating as well as try to find time for everything else. I really have been convicted to set aside time for things that I really enjoy - like reading a novel, drawing a picture, running, chatting with friends, calling a friend or relative....(its been easy for me to get burnt out as well as tired). I'm just a sheep trying to listen to my Shepherd's voice and learning to follow Him when all I see is the challenges, risks, and doubts surrounding me - But He is capable, I just have to be willing. (and in reality, my dorm floor is the Davis Lambs :o)

In Honor of a Special Friend, Mentor, Teacher, Coach.....

Life keeps me busy, but I have a ton to be thankful for. God helped me survive another semester at LETU. Even though I had my doubts, I ended well in all of my classes and earned my tail wheel endorsement. I also passed my FAA Instrument ground test and will be learning how to fly by using only instruments next semester. I was very glad to fly home and see family and friends, as well as get some rest. Besides catching up with people, I have gotten to travel through some mountain passes and see some of God's beautiful creation. Its great to actually see some snow. I celebrated Christmas with family in Idaho. I had a good time with my precious nephews who are now skating, coloring, talking, singing, running, laughing, hugging.... and now and then - hitting, screaming, fighting, crying, pouting, and going in time out - but I think overall, they enjoy being two. They already have very distinct personalities and have many differences between them. I am also looking forward to having two more nephews or nieces - Two of my sisters are pregnant, and both are due in the summer. (I'm secretly hoping for some precious nieces this time around :o) Besides traveling, sleeping, reading, visiting with family and friends, watching movies, and of course shopping - since it's almost non-existent at college - I had the privilege of having my wisdom teeth removed. (notice no picture is included) No, it really wasn't that bad. After hearing so many terrible stories of people's experiences, I was expecting a lot worse. At least it gave me a good cause to lay on the couch and watch the Monk TV marathon. For new years, I got to spend it at Papa Wight and Martha's home with Mom. I relaxed on the couch with some hot lattes and cookies, while applying a heating pad to my barely puffy cheeks. Mom crotcheted a hilarious hat that she'll sell to the highest bidder. We got to watch the ball fall in NY and TX when the count down began. I also got to spend an evening with my "aunt" molly and "uncle" john - we got to watch the end of the fiesta bowl - it was intense the last 3 minutes - the miracle of Boise state defeating Oklahoma by one point in overtime. (Thanks to my bro-n-law, Ben B., I have been educated on the undefeated record of Boise state and the "underdog" story that they have) And for the past three nights, I have looked over 240 questions for a CLEP test in order to receive credit for an English elective. And thanks be to God, I passed the test this morning!!! many smiles. In two days, I'll be flying back to LETU to start my fourth semester. I'm glad to have had this break and get to see the people I love. I am expecting God to do great things this year, but know it will be a long and difficult journey. Please continue to keep me in your prayers. Enjoy the rest of the pictures :o) One night, after lots of debating, we decided to take the nephews skating at the local rink. I haven't been to such a place since junior high maybe. I'll admit that I was a bit skeptical, but it turned out to be a fun night. Everybody skated too! Even my pregnant sisters (one had just dealt with some morning sickness too that day) and my extremely old brothers and my mom - the grandma - and of course the two-year-old nephews. Jordan progressed from unable to stand to doing it all by himself during the all-boy skate. Owen preferred to just use his heelys (the shoes with a wheel in the bottom of the heel that pops out) - which he is amazingly good at. Katie bought Ben a pair of heelys, so Owen had fun showing hid dadda how to do it. Both of the Bens raced in the "20 and above" group - they got pop as a prize. Good memories. Amy and Ben B. did the limbo too.... Notice the special shirt my mom is modeling: "LeTourneau University MOM." She is quite proud. So in the fall, I earned my tail wheel endorsement by learning how to fly -mainly land- this citabria. Basically the difference from my previous experience is that the tail has a wheel instead of the nose of the aircraft - making it more difficult to taxi and land. The tail wheel can easily swivel and will have you facing in the opposite direction if you aren't on top of it. I also got to fly up front and my lucky instructor sat behind me. There were only the basic instruments located in the cockpit, unlike the Garmin 1000 in the C172. For their early birthday presents, with the help of mom, I got Ben and Kimber LETU sweatshirts - so now they can think of me as the comfortably advertise my college up in Alaska. So far, I don't believe anyone in their small town knows what "LETU" stands for. Sorry for the few posts last year, I hope to improve this year :o) Thanks for the many encouraging talks and hugs - I loved being home.