Dallas Love

I LOVE Dallas. I really do. It truly is my new home. There is so much to do and see. I've made some fantastic friends here and I love my job...well...most of the time :) Sometimes, when I tell people I live here, they grimace and ask why. My reply: Why not? Most explain that there is too much materialism and that it is pretentious, which, not gonna lie, I completely understand. This is something that I have struggled with, and most likely will continue to struggle with as long as I live here.

Something you should know about me...I absolutely love to dress up. Dresses, high heels (at LEAST 3 inches), skirts, trendy outfits...I love it all! In New Mexico, if I had worn any of these things to, I dunno, buy groceries or go to the mall, everyone would've thought I was crazy! But not in Dallas. I fit in well here. My high heels and dresses fit right in...and it feels so great. However, now I face a new problem. My heels are plenty high, but my outfits have to be killer. If I'm gonna wear a trend, I have to nail it. At least, that's what the Big D is telling me to do. I have bought into the Dallas lie that money matters, status matters, beauty matters, materials matter; and sometimes, I buy into the horrible, despicable lie that if I don't have these things, I don't matter. RED.FLAG. Yes, that might be the culture here, but that doesn't mean that I have to let it faze me. I matter because I know Jesus...and let me tell you something...He is ALL that matters...period. Even within the past year, I have been down this rabbit hole many times, and Jesus has graciously, lovingly, and mercifully pulled me out every time. Because the ultimate truth of it all is that I am putting my hope and my identity in this society and this way of life that doesn't matter. I know that this will be a constant struggle for me because of where I am, but by focusing on Him and knowing that HE is the One who matters, I can steer clear of the materialism and the pretentiousness of it all. Besides, there is soooooo much more to this city than these negative things. You just have to get your head out of the clouds to see it sometimes; and in my opinion, it's totally worth it.

Truths and lies...

Tonight's sermon at church hit me hard. I realized I've been listening to a lot of lies that Satan has said about me, and tonight, Jesus redeemed those with truths. I am not deserving of anything except death because of my sinful life, but Jesus died for me and made me into a new creation. He wiped my slate clean and made me white as snow. He has purified my heart...all because He LOVES me. And all I can do is glorify Him and sing His praises.

Books Books Books

I love love LOVE to read! On my list...

I may or may not be demolishing these while laying out in the sun this week...happy reading!

Identity Crisis

i-den-ti-ty [ih-den-ti-tee]

noun, plural i-den-ti-ties.

1. the state or fact of remaining the same one or ones, asunder varying aspects or conditions: The identity of thefingerprints on the gun with those on file provided evidence that he was the killer.
2. the condition of being oneself or itself, and not another. He doubted his own identity.
3. condition or character as to who a person or what a thing is: a case of mistaken identity.
4. the state or fact of being the same as described.

I've always struggled with my identity, especially as it pertains to my faith. If identity is what defines you and what people recognize you for, then I want that to be Jesus...right? Want?...YES! Is He actually my identity?...rarely.

Throughout my life and my walk with Christ, I think I've fallen into step with the definition #4 of the word "identity." I focus on how I am described by others. For many years, and even still, I have striven and desired to be remarkable, to be a head-turner, to be worth remembering. And wouldn't you know it - that fits right in with the "Big D" mentality that is my new home. I L-O-V-E Dallas, but I have been sucked into the rabbit hole of status and outward appearances. Truthfully, the only way out that I have found is Jesus. 

While trying to find my way out of that rabbit hole, I have sought other things for my identity. The most recent one is my job. This is my first "big girl" job and I didn't quite realize what came with that title - the woes of coworkers, the crushing weight of failure, and the constant need for approval from your boss. After a year of working, I feel like I'm pretty good at my job. Actually, if I'm brutally honest, I think I'm great at my job. Nobody's perfect, but I think I do a really good job - and therein lies the problem. I have become prideful in the work that I do. In my head, I lord all of the good things I do over my coworkers and my heart is mean and prideful and gross all of the time. I gossip like crazy because deep down, I am a mean girl and it makes me feel good that I am on top of things and can put others down. Pretty darn ugly and sad if you ask me.

Anyways, my identity has become so intertwined with my job that I expect other people to think it's really important too! I was talking to an acquaintance tonight who is in human medicine and I made a comparison between veterinary and human medicine. This person doesn't quite share my love of animals...which is completely fine! However, the look on her face and her apparent disgust toward my comparison made me really sad...like REALLY sad. I felt judged and hurt and misunderstood. My heart was really hurt...

But Jesus is merciful and gracious and loving and compassionate and He met me where I was. As I was getting ready for bed, He entered in and showed me that I was putting my job in front of Him. I realized that work is all that I have talked about in home group. It is all I talk about when people ask how I'm doing. Yes, my job is a huge part of my life, but it isn't my identity. Jesus is. He chose me and called me to follow Him. His love is what defines everything about me because that love includes His death on the cross for my gross, idolatrous heart.

"Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God's people, Once you received no mercy; now you have received God's mercy." -1 Peter 2:10 NLT 

I am God's. I am loved by Him, and that is all that matters, and it is the only thing I need to identify myself.

My church posted this link on their Facebook page and it was the cherry on top of my identity crisis. It's a great read, so once you're done with this novel, check out this slightly shorter story. 

Hello There, Stranger...

For a blog that's supposed to tell people about my life in Dallas, I sure haven't written many posts since I moved here! My bad! So where do I even begin?! 

For starters, I've made some pretty awesome friends through work and through church. 

I have also had the opportunity to volunteer with a wonderful animal rescue organization called Paws in the City! Please take a moment to check it out! I have fostered and worked with so many of these sweet animals that are just looking for loving homes. This is the sweet girl that I was blessed to foster from last July to the end of October. Her name is Allie and she was adopted just before Halloween! 

I've seen my family a lot more than I thought I would. Sometimes, it's on a computer screen via Skype, but I still think it counts! They all came for Thanksgiving and my mom and I were even able to go to the Cowboys game!

I went home for Christmas and then got to see my parents a bunch in February!

Anyways...here are some other odds and ends:

• I was baptized on February 19, 2012
• I ran the Cowtown half marathon on February 26, 2012
• I have officially become a Covenant Member of The Village Church
• I have begun training to become a veterinary technician (one step closer to my dream!)
• The Lord is continuing to be gracious and merciful toward me as I step out on my own...but more on that later :)

Lam 3:22

The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end

Advent

Can I just say how much I love my church? I've met some great people, participated in an intense theological class, gone through a women's Bible study of Genesis (amazing!) and I've found a home group. To top it all off, I'm taking the membership class in January and I'm so excited to find even more ways to connect in the church.

Right now, we're going through Advent. It's one of those words that you think you know the meaning of, then someone asks you what it means and you realize you have absolutely no idea. Growing up in the church, I've heard the word used over the years, but never actually understood what it meant. Here's the definition given by the Village Church in the Advent guide the church is doing as a whole: "Advent, formed from a Latin word meaning "coming" or "arrival," is about the coming of Christ. It's the celebration of the first advent of Jesus and the anxious awaiting of His second. The season is a time for remembering and rejoicing, watching and waiting, and a time to reflect upon the promises of God and to anticipate the fulfillment of those promises with patience, prayer, and preparedness." WOW. I never knew that!

One of the questions in the guide one week asked "How does anticipation increase joy?" Honestly, I never thought of anticipation bringing joy. I always placed anticipation in the same category as worry because as I wait and think about the promises to come, I worry that something will go wrong or that I didn't do something right or that the promise just won't be fulfilled. It's like being stood up for a date or not making the team. But then you dive deeper. Where was I placing my hope in these situations? What were the "promises" that I was waiting on? The "promise" of a great date and many future dates? The "promise" of the recognition of being on the team? In these cases, hope is placed into earthly things that will always fail...ALWAYS. In Advent, we can be confident and joyful in the anticipation of Jesus' second coming. Why? Because our hope is in the Eternal God. He has yet to fall through on a promise He made and the evidence is all over Scripture. We also know that "hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us" (Romans 5:5). In other words, the season of advent cannot end in disappointment or worry. We know that we get Jesus in the end; that He will return and that the promises He made will be fulfilled! Our anticipation in this regard can only bring joy at the thought of being with the One who knows us inside and out and is still willing to love us despite our wretchedness. The anticipation of being with Him is too great not to love.

Come, thou long expected Jesus,

born to set thy people free;

from our fears and sins release us,

let us find our rest in thee.

Israel's strength and consolation,

hope of all the earth thou art;

dear desire of every nation,

joy to every longing heart.

Born thy people to deliver,

born a child and yet a King,

born to reign in us forever,

now thy gracious Kingdom bring.

By thine own eternal spirit

rule in all our hearts alone;

by thine all-sufficient merit,

raise us to thy glorious throne.

-Come Thou Long Expected Jesus

Spider - our other receptionist

This is the 10-week old kitten from our clinic! So cute!

Training and Tacos

Hello again! I've been in Dallas for 2 weeks now and I have learned so much already! For the most part, my learning has consisted of professional phone skills, but there have been some other lessons too. But, we'll talk about that later...for now, I'm just gonna do an update :)

Let's see...where do I even begin?

• Work: I am loving my job! It's been so great so far and the people are wonderful! I'm excited to continue to get to know the doctors, the technicians, and all the furry faces that come in the door. I work at Vickery Place Animal Hospital, but the week, I went over to Highland Park Animal Hospital to train and get a feel for working at a fast pace and still be able to keep my cool. The past 2 days at Highland Park were a little overwhelming, but I learned so much. I generally work Monday, Tuesday, Thursday Friday, and I'll work about every other Saturday during the month. My first solo Saturday is this weekend and I'm a little nervous, but I think it'll be alright. I must say that it is wonderful having a day off directly in the middle of the week. So far, those have been my recovery days, but once I get into the swing of things, I think they will turn into productive days. At Vickery Place, we work very closely with a rescue group called Paws in the City. We're currently acting as the foster parent for a 10-week old kitten. He's the cutest thing ever and we usually let him come hang out with us in reception area. His name is Spider and he is such a boy in the sense that he is easily distracted and easily amused. He also likes to take naps on my lap. I am not a cat person, but he's giving me a lot of reasons to become one...but don't worry Dad...I'm safe for now :) It's really nice to just wear scrubs every day to work. Most days, I wake up 30 minutes before I have to leave! Although, I've gotten into the really bad habit of going to Starbucks for coffee and food every morning. There's one right around the corner from where I work so I go in, grab my coffee and some banana walnut bread and I'm out the door. They'll probably know me by name pretty soon! Anyways, to sum it all up, I love working at the clinic and hopefully I'll get a grasp on things soon.
• Church: I can now say that I have been to the Village Church twice since I've been here. I went once with my friends Colin and Laura to the main campus in Flower Mound. I got to see Matt Chandler preach live which was so great! It's really cool to know that he's just another guy doing what God called him to do. That campus is HUGE! We went to the 7:15 service on a Saturday night, but I can't even imagine what that place looks like on a Sunday morning! Laura said that sometimes, they have to turn people away from services! They renovated an old Albertsons so it's located in a shopping center which is kind of funny. This past weekend, I was able to go to the campus I will be going to in Dallas. I first attended my class which is awesome! I signed up for it so I could meet some people since I can't get into a home group until later in the fall. The class is called "Christ in the Old Testament" and it's at 5 on Saturdays, which is great because then, I can just go to the 7:15 service afterwards. The class is super theological, so naturally, I love it a lot. We discuss Biblical theology, redemptive history, and so much more! I prayed that God would allow me to meet some friends during the class and He definitely came through. He's so good to me :) A girl came over to me after class and told me she was going to the 7:15 service with some of her friends from her home group and asked if I wanted to sit with them. Of course, I said I would love that and continued to tell her how she was an answer to prayer. It was s o nice to meet some of the girls! They all seem really down to earth and fun! Anyways, I'm excited to continue going to the Village Church and to meet even more people. Maybe someday, I'll even meet a guy...and when I do, I'll be sure to call a very special Zeta sister :) I may also go to a church called Watermark with a friend that was made through a connection of my Dad. She's about my age and her and her family go to this church and really love it! I'll probably go with them a few times, but ultimately, I think I'll stay at the Village.
• Fun times: I haven't gotten to do too many "fun" things here yet because of work, but I have gotten to do a few. When I went to church with Colin and Laura, I stayed the night at their place and we went to the Ft. Worth Zoo the next day with our friend Kevin and his friend Mitch. I was so glad that I was able to do this on my first weekend in Dallas. I also watched every game of the NBA Finals which was so great since the Mavs won it all! Not gonna lie, I've always been a fan of the Mavs, but I do feel weird saying it because I don't really follow basketball. I feel like I need to know more about the sport in order to be a fan haha! However, my friend Caroline assured me that it's ok and that I am a fan even if I don't know a ton about basketball.
• Spiritual life: Spiritually, I've been all over the place. I've had times where I'm overwhelmed at work and then I go home and that's all i think about and it just weighs me down. Prayer helps...a lot...as does encouragement from my parents. I have enjoyed my quiet times and I've loved reading the book for my class. I'm learning so much and it just makes my day so much better. Throughout all of this, God has been steadily reassuring me that He is my rock, my refuge, my shelter, my deliverer, and my friend. He is the best friend I could ever have (no offense to my mom, Reagan, or Olivia). I am safe in His arms and He is constantly with me. He is so good to me.
• Lessons Learned: be poised and professional when answering phone calls from clients...just kidding! That is actually something I've been learning/working on, but it's not what I wanted to write about in this section. I'm learning to trust more and more in the Lord every day. I'm learning what words like "kerygma" and "hermeneutical" mean. I'm learning to budget my money. I'm learning to make sure I leave early so I can get to work on time. I'm learning to grow up :)

All in all, I'm enjoying it here, but I definitely miss New Mexico. 8 years ago, I never would've thought I'd be saying that if I ever left NM, but I guess it grew on me! It is, after all, the land of enchantment.

Oh and as for the "Tacos" part of the title, I went to a great place called "Taco Diner" in Preston Center tonight with my "new" friend Caroline. I say "new" because our dads are best friends and have been since, well, let's just say they've been friends for a very long time. If we had stayed in Dallas when I was younger, Caroline and I would have been close because our families would've hung out a lot. It was so much fun to hang out with her and it is hopefully the beginning of an awesome friendship.

Remember: Love God first, others second, and self third.

Greyhound #5: Shreveport, LA to Charleston, SC

So it's been a long time since I've posted about my adventure on a Greyhound bus from New Mexico to South Carolina, but I'm going to do my best to finish it up.

In Shreveport, we had met 2 guys named Shawn and Michael. Once we got on the bus, Katie and I just wanted to be by ourselves and sleep, so that's exactly what we did. We still had a few more stops and one final bus change in Columbia to go. We stopped in Atlanta and had about a 45 minute wait for our connecting bus. The only outlet we could find was the one next to the bathroom, so that's where we waited because Katie had to charge her phone and her computer. When our bus was called, we promptly got in line. Then, the guy behind us politely told us that we had just cut in front of a ton of people. He said that he didn't mind telling us, but he figured the people behind him were probably glaring at us...which they were. We apologized and got out of line to wait until the end passed us. Our friend Shawn was just a little behind the place where we had cut and as he was about to walk by, he nodded for us to get in line in front of him. We jumped in line and honestly, I'm thankful that we did because I think they might have left people behind in Atlanta because there were more people than there were seats. I believe this is also the entrance of another character in our story. It might have been a few stops down the road, but I don't remember where her entrance was specifically. Let's call her Grandma Annie. Annie was an older woman who was going to Charleston to visit her daughter for the holidays. She was southern, had blond hair, blue eyes, lots of jewelry, and she just loved to talk. She befriended the large black man sitting behind her and talked his ear off for awhile before turning to Katie and me. We sat across the aisle from her and she just wanted to tell us her life story. Unfortunately, all we wanted to do was sleep. Katie eventually went to sleep, although I think she may have been faking to get out of the conversation. I decided to wait for a pause in the conversation and then thought I'd shut my eyes to try and fall asleep. Grandma Annie, however, just kept talking. This may sound bad, but I finally just closed my eyes and pretended to be asleep, so props to Katie for figuring that out before I did. We made a few more stops and at one gas station, Annie had a slight freak out session when she thought the bus left us. Some of the men on the bus explained to her that the bus had gone to the other side to fill up on gas and would be right back around by the time we needed to depart. Katie and I went right back to sleep, but I'm sure Grandma Annie continued to talk to anyone who would listen. She really was the sweetest lady.

We reached Columbia, SC around 5 or 6AM and we were exhausted. We went into the bus station to wait for an hour before our final bus to Charleston arrived. As Katie and I are sitting there, disgusting, smelly, and tired, Shawn walks over to us and hands me this little corner that was ripped off from a piece of paper. He may have mumbled something, but then he just meekly smiled at me and walked away. I looked down and on the paper was written "Facebook" with his name underneath. I didn't want to be rude and throw it away, nor did I want it to look like I seemed overly interested. I mean, I want to meet a guy, but I was kind of hoping it would be at church - not in a Greyhound bus station. So, I just slid it into an outside pocket of one of my bags. Finally, our bus arrived and we boarded for the last leg of the trip. I think I slept for a little bit, but I might not have because soon enough, we were there. After 2 days on a bus, we were finally there. We got our bags and Grandma Annie promptly introduced us to her daughter. I think her daughter couldn't believe that she wanted her to meet people she'd met on the bus, so she tried to shuffle her away, but Annie insisted that we stop and talk for a few seconds. Nicole (the bride and the reason we made the trip) came to pick us up and we could not have been happier to see her. Once we got into her truck. Katie saw Shawn talking up another girl, pointed it out, then proceeded to do one of her many voices and talked about how she couldn't believe he could do such a thing when I hadn't even left the bus station. I didn't care; all I wanted to do was shower. We all just laughed and drove off to have our weekend of celebration and left the Greyhound people behind...for the weekend :)

Moral of the story: Thank God for every single moment and never forget how fortunate you are. In humility, love those around you. You never know, you might make a few friends along the way.

New City. New Blog. Still Loving Jesus.

Today is officially my second day in the beautiful city of Dallas, Texas and my first day of work at Vickery Place Animal Hospital. It's hard to believe that I'm actually here. I've been looking forward to moving here for so long and it's so weird to actually be here to stay. Since I moved away from the desert, I thought I would change my blog up a little bit. It's a new phase in my life and I wanted my blog to represent that.

For those of you who don't know, "Pressing On" is a song by Relient K and it's one that I've always loved. It's based on Philippians 3:12-14 and talks about not looking back, moving around adversity, and finding joy in Jesus. It's about keeping your head on straight so you can press on towards the beautiful goal that is Jesus Christ. Now, I don't think that the past can be severed from the present or the future. I believe in learning from your mistakes because they glorify God, and being confident in the knowledge that God takes you through the tough - and stupid - times in life to draw you back to Himself. However, I want to leave sin in my past and look to Jesus in everything I do. That is why I am pressing on. I'm also pressing on through the pain of leaving my family and many of my friends in New Mexico. I want to be here, but I'm having a hard time reconciling that with the fact that I don't get to go home at the end of the day and pick up my wonderfully crazy mom from her daily 10-mile run. I don't get to come home and have my dog Fudge wag his little nub of a tail with excitement. I don't get to see my beautiful sister and be super weird with her everyday. I don't get to play tennis with my dad or go visit him at Noodles. I don't get to see my brothers kick a** at their concerts. It's so hard to sit here and think about all of these things I left behind, knowing that I have a life here now and I have to press on through the tears and the pain of my own decision. Ok, so I know that is super depressing, but God is making me stronger through this. He is drawing me back to Him and I am relishing in the glory of that fact alone. I love that I want to get up in the morning and spend time in the Word! I love that I'm praying more and worrying less! I'm loving that I am stepping into a whole new phase of my relationship with Christ! I will miss every single person and thing that I left behind in NM every single day, but if this is what I need to be closer to Jesus, then I say bring it on! The goal is to keep my head on straight through this transition and in clinging to Jesus, I am doing just that.

In addition to Philippians 3:12-14, I am loving another verse in chapter 4. It says:

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." -Philippians 4:6

I love this verse because right now, there is a lot for me to be anxious about. I'm trying to budget my money so I can figure out what I can afford, looking for an apartment, getting ready to go to a new church, trying to make new friends, and on top of all of that - thanks to many of my Zeta sisters and some family members - I am now anxious about meeting a guy. Yup. This verse is so helpful when I get overwhelmed by all of these things. I am turning my anxious feelings into prayer for the first time in my life and I must say...it's pretty stinking awesome!

Oh and I'm going to do my best to finish the Greyhound stories after this post since it has been 6 months since the last story. It's crazy how time flies, but the stories are too funny not to tell!

Until next time...Go Mavs! :)

Greyhound #4: Shreveport, LA

This is definitely one of the craziest parts of the trip. Katie and I arrived in Shreveport around 6:30AM and Katie's awesome phone needed to be charged. We walked into the station and found the charging station along the wall so that she could plug her phone in. Little did we know that we were about to have a very interesting conversation with the next two characters in our story. Katie was wearing a New Mexico State hoodie, even though we didn't necessarily want people to know where we were from. Keep in mind that we have been on the bus for almost a full day at this point. We are gross and still in sweats and so tired because we were fast asleep before we stopped in Shreveport. All of a sudden, this guy (later, we would find out his name was Michael) said, "Y'all are from New Mexico?" We looked up and said yes and he goes, "I f***ing hate that state." This is the conversation that followed:

Me: Why?!

Michael: It's so ugly! It's brown and flat and ugly.

Me: It's beautiful!

As we talked, we found out he had spent a year in Socorro, NM.

Me and Katie: Well that's why you don't think it's beautiful!

Me: The sunsets are so pretty and the mountains turn the most beautiful colors!

We continued to argue about the beauty of New Mexico. At this point, another guy had joined in the conversation (I'm pretty sure his name was Shawn). Anyways, Michael just kept asking questions and the weirdest thing was that most of them were directed at me. Where are you going? Why are you going there? Where are you from in NM? How old are you? What are you majoring in? Then it got really interesting...

Michael: So you're like hispanic right?

Me: Um yea (with a very shocked look on my face).

Michael: But only half. Because you act like a white girl but you look hispanic.

Me: (look at Katie thinking, "Is this guy for real?") Yea.

Michael: So your mom is hispanic and your dad is white?

Me: (laughing) No, it's actually the opposite.

Michael: So what's your last name? Mendoza or something?

-At this point, all of us laughed. I knew that was the one question I would not answer. The sweatshirt I was wearing had my first name on it so I definitely didn't want anyone except Katie knowing my last name.-

Michael: What? That's a popular name!

Katie: No, Gonzales is a popular hispanic last name! I don't know anyone with the last name "Mendoza".

Michael: Ok, so what is your last name?

Me: (laughed nervously, but didn't say anything)

Then, I'm pretty sure Shawn changed the subject and I don't remember much after that. Michael introduced himself to me when we went to get back on the bus. I just got back on the bus, not believing what had just happened, when Katie told me that Michael had a tattoo of baby feet on his neck with a name next to it. Katie couldn't believe he was talking me up when he had a baby. I never spoke to Michael again, but Shawn has at least two more stories in our journey.

Moral of the Story: Be smart when talking to characters in a bus station...you never know what they'll try to get out of you.

Greyhound #3: Sweetwater to Dallas, TX

After hitting Big Spring, we continued on toward Sweetwater, TX which is actually where my grandparents live! It was so weird driving through the town and not stopping to see them, but it was 11PM and we stopped for about two seconds when no one was at the bus stop. Before we got there, we passed my grandparents church (shout out to Lamar Street Baptist Church) and we passed the Dairy Queen my Grandpa always takes us to for treats. We even passed the hospital my brother had to visit years ago when he was infected by poison ivy and his eye swelled shut. Oh the memories. Anyways, once we hit Abilene, we changed bus drivers and drove straight through to Fort Worth over the next 4 hours. I was so excited to see the bright lights of Dallas when we finally got there! And then it was time to transfer buses. Katie and I got off the bus, grabbed our bags, and went to the bathroom. It was there that we met another character. Let's call her Shirley. Shirley was probably younger than she looked, and she looked to be about 55 or 60. Most of her top teeth were missing and her blonde hair was stringy and thin. she was wearing a dirty long sleeve shirt, jeans, and a vest and I think something was wrong with her mentally/physically because she kept rocking back and forth on her feet and she was holding onto her left wrist with her right hand and her left palm was turned up. Katie went to the bathroom while I stayed with our bags and Shirley was almost crying as she asked us for money. She told us that she had no money and she just needed a little bit so she could get some food. Unfortunately, I had just given all of my change to a Salvation Army red kettle outside of a Las Cruces Wal-Mart, so all I had for the trip was my debit card. I had absolutely nothing to give her. It was my turn to go to the bathroom since Katie got out and Shirley continued to talk to Katie. When I got out, I fully intended to buy her a sandwich from the shop, but when we left the bathroom, we found out our bus was loading. Katie and I had to run to the terminal and out to the platform. We were at the end of the line, but we made it, checked our bags, and boarded the bus. We sat right behind the bus driver and fell asleep as soon as we were on the road. It was about 3AM and we were exhausted and just happy to be on the bus.

Moral of the Story: Always take the time to help others out in every situation, unless your means of transportation is about to leave you behind in a big city. Then, I'm gonna go ahead and say that it's safe to just catch the bus. :)

P.S. I had to take the picture through the bus window and it was far away so I had to zoom in...not the clearest picture, but I liked taking these at the stations that had them.

Greyhound #2: Big Spring, TX

When you do not take an express bus, you make a lot of stops in small towns on your route to pick people up or drop them off or whatever. Katie and I did not take an express bus, so we stopped in Pecos, TX and Midland and Big Spring and Sweetwater and Abilene until our driver who got on in Abilene said we wouldn't stop again till Fort Worth. Anyways, by the time we got to Big Spring, Katie and I had fallen asleep, but were woken up when the bright overhead lights came on and the bus driver shouted where we were over the PA system. We woke up and after everyone got off the bus for their smoke break, we stood up and stretched for a bit. We had no intentions of getting off because it was 10PM in a sketchy part of a small town and also because of the truck in the picture. It's not a great picture because I took it with my phone through the bus window, but this truck had a sign on the side of it that listed different food products for sale and a single flashing yellow light. Oh yea, and if you wanted to order food, you had to go into the truck where there were no lights. Are you kidding me? I believe that is the definition of sketch! On top of that, the truck operator had a PA system of his own and was shouting, "Hamburgers! Hot dogs! Tacos! Burritos!" over it. The whole thing was so ridiculous and I was so tired that all I wanted to do was go back to sleep. Finally, everyone got back on the bus and we were off to Sweetwater.

Moral of the story: Avoid sketchy trucks that try to sell you food. Especially at 10 o'clock at night.

Greyhound #1: El Paso and Border Patrol

Recently, I had the pleasure and honor of being in a dear friend's wedding in South Carolina. How I got there was a totally different story. My friend Katie and I decided to take a Greyhound bus to South Carolina because it was by far the cheapest route. The bus was $189 for a round-trip from ElPaso, TX to Charleston, SC while everything else was $400 and up...including the train. So on Wednesday, December 15, we departed from El Paso on the bus heading to Charleston. These next few blog posts are about all of the crazy characters we met and events that took place on the 2-day bus ride there and 2-day bus ride back.

We left El Paso at 12:40PM on the 15th and it was a trip from the beginning. Katie and I got our tickets then headed into the terminal to wait for our bus. Keep in mind that we were both in sweats with our hair all wet because we had just showered. All of a sudden, this guy starts hollering at us. "Hey! Hey, hey, hey, hey!" We ignored him until he came over to us. "Hey, so, uh, we just were wonderin' if we could take a pitcha' with y'all because we just wanna have some proof that we know some models." Katie and I looked at each other and I wanted to roll my eyes so badly. I mean, we seriously looked like crap and this guy is saying we're models? Please! So I laughed and told him no thanks, then he says, "Come on girl! We need the curls!" I laughed again and said no thanks, then we decided to go back out to the parking lot and wait in our friend Tori's car. Our bus finally got there and we loaded our luggage underneath then got on the bus. By the time we got on the bus, everyone had taken their seats and there were no double seats left. So Katie and I made our way to the back looking for some seats and a guy asked us if we wanted to sit. We got excited until we realized that he was moving over so that one of us could sit there. I didn't think it was a big deal, but I wasn't thinking about the fact that we would have to sleep next to these people we didn't know. Don't worry though...Katie was thinking about it. There was one girl sitting in the 3-seater in the back so we decided to just sit with her because at least we'd be together. However, she told Katie she was waiting for someone. This is how the conversation went.

Katie: Hey, we were just wondering if the two of us could sit back here with you.

Girl: Oh uh well I'm waiting for someone. Uh, I think he's in the front.

Katie: In the very front seat on the right?

Girl: Oh yea tha's him. You can send him back here.

Katie: Ok, what's his name?

Girl: Psh, I dunno.

Katie: (makes her way to the front) Hey there's a girl in the back who says she's waiting for you.

-Guy looks to the back. Girl in the back waves and yells, "Heeeeyyyy!"-

Guy: (turns to Katie) Don't touch my s***. (Heads to the back to sit with the girl)

So finally, Katie and I are able to sit in the front together and relax. Our bus driver then began to make his announcements which included announcing that there would be no smoking, no drinking, and no sex on the bus. Definitely a good way to start the trip.

Now for the next part, I have to give a bit of a back story. While I was packing, I decided to lock my suitcases while on the bus. I already had 2 luggage locks, but I didn't have keys for them. So my roommate, Olivia, and I looked up how to pick a luggage lock on the internet. We made a makeshift key out of a paperclip and I decided to use it on my backpack that I would be carrying onto the bus. I bought 2 locks with keys from the store for my other 2 bags. As we're heading east in the bus, we were stopped by border patrol. Two officers came on the bus. Apparently a lady in the back of the bus got up because one of the officers firmly yelled, "Sit down ma'am! Everyone remain in your seats." They walked through the bus, got off, then came back on and asked to see everyone's ID's and tickets. Unfortunately, I had decided to take a nap before we were stopped and stuck my wallet with my ID and my tickets in my backpack, which I locked and was planning to unlock with the makeshift paperclip key. Of course, for the first time on the trip, the makeshift key decided not to work, preventing me from opening my backpack so I could present my ID and ticket to the border patrol officer. I looked up at the officer in front of me and asked if he had anything that could pick a lock.

Border Patrol Officer (BPO): Why would you need to pick a lock?

Me: Well, I don't have a key for my luggage lock on this bag so my roommate and I looked up how to pick a lock on the internet last night...

BPO: (looks at me questionably)

Me: Ok this is coming out poorly. My wallet with my ID and tickets is in the bag which I locked with a luggage lock. My other 2 bags have locks with keys, but I needed one more lock for this bag and this lock was on another bag and I didn't have a key for it. So I picked the lock with a paperclip and put it on this bag and it has been working all day until this point.

BPO: (looks at my luggage tag) And your wallet is in here?

Me: Yes.

BPO: (takes out his knife and pops the lock off my bag)

Needless to say, the lock was broken after this and I did not lock this bag again. After this happened, I was able to get my wallet out and prove that I was who I was and show him my tickets. After that, Katie and I could not stop laughing.

Moral of the story: Sometimes I'm smart and sometimes, I don't quite think things through...it's generally better to be smart.

This is only within the first few hours of the trip. I'll try to keep the other stories short, but be prepared for some interesting and entertaining stories and maybe a few pictures!

Just remember to stay smart and don't lock your luggage when you don't have a key!

Hello, my friend

Oh my! As of today, I have neglected this thing for 4 months! I guess part of it is because I don't feel like I have anything noteworthy to write about and also, this is the first chance I've had to just relax for the past 4 months. This semester has been crazy, exhausting, quick, hard, busy, and full of ups and downs. As of Wednesday afternoon, all that was finished, and now, I officially have one semester of college left! I cannot believe it's almost here! This is something I've dreamed about for so long and now I'm actually making plans and getting stuff all figured out! I know that in the end, it'll be really bittersweet, but now, I'm just flat out excited!

The plan is to leave this beautiful place I call home and venture into something totally new - a city. I was born in Plano, moved to a small town in Maryland when I was 6, and moved to Albuquerque when I was 14. After 8 wonderful years in New Mexico, I'm packing up and moving to Dallas. Why? I'm not quite sure. It's a fresh start and it's familiar, but the unfamiliar part is that I'll be on my own. I'm excited to start planning everything over the next six months and pumped to see all that God has in store. He moved me to New Mexico for a reason and has taught me so much in my time here. It is strange to think that in just six months, I will leave the place where I truly grew up - physically, mentally, and spiritually. He has given me a fantastic group of believers as friends who are so passionate for the Word and some of them are already living in Dallas! I'm heading out there for spring break to visit and I cannot wait! I am thrilled to start this new chapter of my life with Jesus leading the way. He truly is my Rock and my Light and I cannot imagine life without Him. I am so thankful for all of the lessons He has taught me and all of blessings He has so graciously given me. His love and mercy and grace have pulled me out of the pit time and time again. He is so good.

I am currently praying for a roommate for when I go out there. I honestly have no problems living by myself in a studio apartment or loft somewhere just outside of the city, but I also know it would be easier financially and socially if I had a roommate. I am just about as social as they come, but it would be great to have someone to go out with. I would love to bring my current roommate with me, but unfortunately, she has one more semester of school left after I graduate. I am dreading leaving her because God placed her in my life at the perfect time and she has truly become one of my best friends. We know each other so well and I'm going to be so sad when I don't live with her anymore. Anyways, if you're reading this, I ask that you would start praying for a roommate for me for Dallas. I want to move at the end of May/beginning of June, so it would be great if I found one before then. I am also super pumped to attend the Village Church in Dallas and to start getting involved there. God is doing great things through the Acts 29 movement and it will be so neat to be able to experience it first hand.

Before any of that happens though, I still have one more semester. I have 3 classes left for my major and the rest are workout classes. I'm taking jazz 2, ballet 2, beginning weight training, and pilates. It's going to be great! But even before that, I have my Christmas break. On Saturday, I'll go to Tuscon with my parents, come back on Sunday, then stay in Las Cruces until Wednesday the 15th. On that day, I will leave for Charleston, South Carolina on a Greyhound bus. I know it's going to be quite an experience, so I'm definitely going to blog about it and post pictures! But get this-!- they have wi-fi on the bus and plugs! At least I can update this thing right from the bus! After 2 days on the bus, I'll arrive in Charleston for my friend Nicole's wedding! I'll get there on Friday morning, get ready, hang out all day, then do the rehearsal and the dinner that night. The wedding will be on Saturday and I am so privileged to be a part of this special occasion. I'll leave Charleston on Sunday night and get back to El Paso around noon on Tuesday. Then, I'll drive back to Las Cruces, pick up some things, and will FINALLY be on my way home to Albuquerque for the break! I'll spend the holidays with my wonderful family, and on New Year's Day, I get to celebrate my grandparent's 50th wedding anniversary! Then, after 2 more weeks, school starts again on January 13th. Bleh! I don't even want to think about that right now! I am, however, looking forward to this much needed break from school. I'm excited to talk theology with my mom and football with my dad, to shop with my sister, and to (hopefully) see my brothers and their band perform! It is going to be a jam-packed, but phenomenal, winter break.

Until next time, remember to eat a little something out of all of the food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corn, and syrup.

Enyedesign

IT'S FINALLY HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! For months my mom has been making bags and purses and planning to sell them on Etsy.com, but we could never figure out the website. So last night, after working on it all day, we finally got the site up and going! It is called Enyedesign and right now, we have 12 bags available for sale! They are super cute, very unique, and extremely well-made and durable! Please check it out and let us know what you think!

www.enyedesign.etsy.com

Crazy Love

Wow! I can't believe it's already almost August! I have not written in forever so here it goes! This past month has been so fantastic! I got home from San Diego, worked a bunch at Nothing but Noodles, and got to attend our college small group at Sagebrush Community Church. We read this book called Crazy Love by Francis Chan and it was seriously an incredible book. It was extremely convicting, but at the same time, extremely encouraging. It was so good to learn about God's crazy love for us. I know that God loves me as an individual, but I don't think that I ever thought about the depth of that crazy love or what it actually meant. I also never thought about what my response to that crazy love should be. Tonight, one of the things we talked about was what kind of legacy we wanted to leave when we died. I immediately thought of the song "Legacy" by Nichole Nordeman. I thought about putting my favorite lines on here, but I really think the whole song speaks volumes, so I'll just type the whole thing on here. :)

I don't mind if you've got something nice to say about me
And I enjoy an accolade like the rest
You could take my picture and hang it in a gallery
Of all who's who and so-n-so's that used to be the best
At such'n'such ... it wouldn't matter much

I won't lie, it feels alright to see your name in lights
We all need an 'Atta boy' or 'Atta girl'
But in the end I'd like to hang my hat on more besides
The temporary trappings of this world

I want to leave a legacy
How will they remember me?
Did I choose to love? Did I point to You enough
To make a mark on things?
I want to leave an offering
A child of mercy and grace who
blessed your name unapologetically
And leave that kind of legacy

I don't have to look too far or too long awhile
To make a lengthly list of all that I enjoy
It's an accumulating trinket and a treasure pile
Where moth and rust, thieves and such will soon enough destroy

Not well traveled, not well read, not well-to-do or well bred
Just want to hear instead, "Well Done" good and faithful one...

I really do not want to rely on the temporary trappings of this world. I want my funeral to be a night of worship, because in the end, it's not about me - it's about Jesus. I want to be obsessed with Him. That's the legacy I want to leave. I want to be so obsessed with Him that people look at my life and are pointed directly to Jesus. That may mean that I spend the rest of my life overseas or it may mean that I live on mission in the corporate world. Whatever I do, I want to serve and love others with the heart of Christ. I want to have a crazy love for Jesus.I want to think of eternity (the other world) so that I can be effective in this world.

"If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next.It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this." -C.S. Lewis

Killing Giants

It is tradition on the San Diego Summer Project to have a week that is titled "Killing the Giants." Basically, this is the week where we share our faith multiple times every day and tackle the uncomfortable situations in our lives. This took place last week, but now that it's over, I have taken time to reflect on it and realize how great it really is. The passage we look to for this week is found in 1 Samuel 17:45-47 were David is telling the Philistine about the LORD and how He is David's help and strength and is stronger than anyone or anything. However, the verse that struck me from the overall passage was verse 48 which says, "Then it happened when the Philistine rose and came and drew near to meet David, that David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine" (NASB). I just was so impacted by the fact that David RAN QUICKLY toward the battle line. What a great picture of what we can do in the name of the LORD Almighty! Last year, I viewed Killing the Giants week as a pain in my behind. It made me uncomfortable and I'm pretty sure I made up some fake "giants" in my life or the "giants" were real and I just chose not to do anything about them. This year, with the vivid picture of David running toward the Philistine, I was able to tackle my giants, or at least begin the process. It felt so great to trust God in these areas where I had never really done so before.

As the project continues, I am continuing to process through many things as God continues to refine me. Not gonna lie - it has been pretty rough because I have been believing some wrong things about God and drawing life from wrong places. However, God is so merciful and gracious to me and He continues to pour His love on me and He blesses me with great days out here in San Diego. God is just so good and I just don't deserve it, but I am so thankful for His love and mercy and grace.

"And He has said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.' Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me." -2 Corinthians 12:9 NASB

By the way, I am loving the World Cup and Wimbledon! It's probably not the best thing because the TV in our condo is always on, but it has been so much fun bonding with the rest of the staff over watching the USA team play at 7 in the morning! And now that Wimbledon is on, I do all of my work in front of the television! Ok, that is definitely an exaggeration, but I am watching tennis as I am writing this. As a matter of fact, Soderling just beat Ginepri in 3 sets in the first round of the tournament. Just thought I'd throw that in. The World Cup has also inspired the soccer players on project to play every week. It has been so much fun, except that I don't have my cleats! I play in running shoes and it's a big bummer, but I have so much fun! I also play some tennis out at the rec center and I love just goofing around as well as playing seriously. That's how I relax: by exerting more of my energy through sports. It has been a crazy time out here so far, but it is also insane to think that we only have 10 more days here before we leave! Then we are in Disneyland for a few days and then it's home to Albuquerque on the 7th! Until then, I have a lot to do,but it's going to be great!!!!

Peace and love from Sandy Eggo! (See what I did there? haha)

San Diego

What an adventure I'm on! I don't even know where to begin! I have learned and done so much out here that it all just kind of runs together in my mind. So I think I will make lists.
Places I've been:

• In-n-Out
• La Playa
• Clairemont Emmanuel Baptist Church
• San Diego State University
• Grossmont Community College
• Mesa Community College
• Mission Beach
• Mount Soledad
• Cafe 976
• Ralphs
• Trader Joe's
• Yogurtland
• Petco Park

Things I've Learned:

• Humility
• Living Spirit-filled (Galatians 5:16-26)
• Biblical history and prophecy (Daniel)
• and much more that is not necessarily coming to mind right now

Being here in San Diego as staff on Summer Project has been such a blessing. I have been so encouraged by the women in my condo and the rest of the staff. I have also been reminded daily of the importance of time in the Word every day. It is living and active and I need to be in it every day. For the first time in a long time, God is flooding me with peace and understanding and it is unbelievable to experience it all. This is the passage I have clung to since I've been here:

"You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men; being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. Such confidence we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life."
-2 Corinthians 3:2-6

What a great reminder of where our worth and adequacy comes from! What a beautiful picture this passage paints! Since my "trainer," Abbie, showed me this passage, I have prayed it daily and God has reminded me daily that I am nothing without Him. I am all bad and He is all good.

I have about 3 more weeks here in San Diego and I am so very excited to see what else God has in store for me and for the rest of the project!

God is with us
In His loving arms, we are safe from harm
Blessed with His almighty love
May you find strength from Him above

Humility

Humbling. That is the word that sums up the first few days out here on project. I drove with my friends Rachel, Brittney, and Cody out to San Diego at midnight on Wednesday the 19th. We got into town around 1pm Pacific time and had the rest of the day to get settled. The next day was soul-to-souls and I thought I was ready, but God knows me better than I know myself and completely brought me to my knees in humility. I came out to San Diego thinking I was in this awesome spiritual state. However, as I began to do my soul-to-soul, I started to realize that I was the exact opposite! I'm not in a good state at all! I am not consistent with my quiet times and now, I have to lead girls who will look up to me spiritually this summer. How can I lead them if I'm not in the Word daily? Not good. God has shown me that I need to completely let everything go and give it all to Him, but also that His opinion of me is the only one that matters. My identity should be completely and solely in Him.
This weekend, I had to go to a wedding in Albuquerque and God showed me another area where I'm lacking. My sister called the house to tell me that there were some Mormons walking around the neighborhood. Like the callous, shallow person I am, I decided that I wouldn't answer the door when they came. However, my brother answered the door and I started to feel a know form in my stomach. You see, on Friday, the project went to UCSD to go out and share their faith. I was sad I was missing it, but was excited to go home for the wedding. So when these guys left, I realized what an idiot I had been! God gave me an opportunity on my doorstep to share my faith and I was a coward. I felt so horrible once my brother closed the door and the guys were gone and my heart aches with embarrassment when I think about it. Then, I went to the wedding yesterday and was completely moved by my friends. My roommate and I always talk about how much we love our friends and it was so much fun to celebrate this amazing event with all of them. The ceremony was beautiful and it made me so excited for the day when I, God-willing, will get to experience that. The toasts at the reception were fantastic, but one thing was said that I knew, but never really took to heart. The matron of honor ended her toast by reminding the couple that their marriage was to glorify God in every aspect. She reminded them that they needed to love God first, and through that, they would grow closer every day. It was such a great reminder and it was so encouraging for me. I know that I need to love God first and then everything else will happen according to His plan.
Today, I got back to San Diego around 10:15am and got back to the project a little later. My day started with a Bible study that was amazing, but made me realize that a lot of times, I view salvation as a secondary need when it is really the primary need. We were in Luke 5:17-26 when Jesus heals the paralytic. Jesus forgives the man of his sins first and then heals him. By doing this, Jesus meets the man's primary need before his physical, secondary need. So often, I witness healing and prosperity and I am reminded that God is there. However, this results in the fact that I am so focused on the secondary needs that they become a primary need to me. This is so sad and I am fervently praying that God will turn this around for me.
Lastly, I also got the applications of my growth group girls today and I have never felt more insecure. One girl in my group is way more spiritually mature than me and I am so nervous about having her in my group. How can I lead a girl spiritually when she is more spiritually mature than me?! Then, a few minutes ago when I started writing this post, I realized that I have to give it over to God. I believe that He can enable me to lead these girls and meet their needs that He wants me to. I believe that God can use me in their lives no matter the level of spiritual maturity. I believe that He will give me the confidence and the words that I need to disciple these girls well this summer.

God has used so many events in the past few days to show me so much and to truly humble me. I know that I need to fully rely on Him. Without Him, nothing is possible.

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"Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing."
-John 15:4-5
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Needless to say, San Diego Summer Project 2010 is off to a fantastic start. It is not at all the start I expected, but it is amazing! My condo is great, my training group is great, and my ministry team is great! I cannot wait to see what else God has for me this summer!