Recent Pictures

Enjoying the nice weather on the back patio

Jackson and Jenson

Me and the boys on one of my last days to watch them.. I love those guys!

Me and Austin! He is such a sweet and happy baby!

The Colts are coming to train at AU. This is me in front of the NFL Officials go-cart :)

Leeland and I.

Recently....

The last couple weeks have been crazy!! I did finally get a job! :) I'm working at a day care. I help out with the school age kids! This has been my first full week. It has been great. I'm loving it so far. Yes, the days can get long and tiring. We usually have over twenty kids every day. Just after working there for a few days, you can pick up on the bullies, the good kids, the ones that are craving attention, and etc. I know there is a reason for the way they act. I'm wanting to take a class on child psychology. Maybe, I can squeeze in my schedule somewhere.
We are getting new carpet at church, so this week has been crazy. I haven't hardly seen my Dad all week. Plus, I don't get home till about six or after every evening.
Life is going good and it's getting better. It takes time to work through relationships. I still have the haunting memories. Which isn't all bad. My memories are good and maybe that is why it is so hard sometimes to move on.
I am doing junior church Sunday! I'm really excited about that. We are talking about David right now. Because, in a couple weeks we are going to do a program on the "Twenty-Third Psalm". It's about a twelve week course. So, we want the kids to know about the author. My lesson Sunday is when he becomes king. I already have tons of brain storms. I hope it goes ok. I think I am going to go to Burger King and see if they'll give me a bunch of their crowns. I'm going to "make" a throne. For the memory game, whichever kid answers the question correctly he can come up front and sit on the throne. I'm hoping to have a crown, scepter, and I'll probably take a bathrobe for the royal garments. :)
My newest endeavour is to lose weight... I know you're prob thinking, she doesn't need to lose weight but I do. I put on thirteen pounds my last semester at GBS. And, I've come to realize that it is very hard to get off. I've lost 7 pounds, but I'm having a hard time getting the rest off. But, I am determined to lose it!!! I just want to get this weight off. I can't put anymore on. I've been walking almost every day. I usually walk for twenty to thirty minutes. I'm hoping to start running soon. I'm really wanting to get into tennis, too. So, we will see!
Anyway, hope y'all have a great weekend!!!

Excitement!!

Ah, I am so excited!! And, I need to let it out!! :) I was board appointed as assistance junior church leader. I am thrilled beyond words! If there is any calling or ministry that I have a great passion for, it is with children.
I am just so thankful that God opened this door in my life. I love my kids and I want to see them get saved and make it to Heaven. I get to learn under some of the best. Brenda Leach and Barbara Baker are the best to learn under. I am just so excited.
I know God has allowed this for a reason. It's an affirmation to me that my passion for children's ministry is God's doing and not my own selfish interest.
I also know that it is a great responsibility. I can only do it with the Lord's strength and help. I am dependant upon Him!
I am excited about what God is doing in my life and where He is leading me! I can't wait to see what He does with my life.

Hope you had a wonderful weekend! I sure did! It was more of a relaxing weekend which was nice!
We got invited out for Sunday meal, so that was nice. No extra cooking for Mom and I!! :)
I am doing some babysitting this week. Both of the boys are sleeping now. I love naptime! :) I had a new record. I got Jackson asleep in ten minutes. It only took about 3 books! I think that is the quickest he has fallen asleep for me.
Our church starts VBS this week. I plan to be there as much as I can to help. Since, I am babysitting three days this week, I'll probably be late all those nights. I know I will be tonight. I am hoping that we will get some new contacts for the bus ministry. We usually do. I love working with the kids, they are all special. I am glad I attend a church that believes in outreach!

Just another day.....

I really do not have much to write about. I just got back from bus calling. I'm encouraged by the number of kids that was home. We are having VBS next week, so I hope we have a good turnout!
Life is going good. Just getting adjusted to changes and being single again. All the emotions and feelings you go through, is just crazy. I have had enough heartache for awhile.
I am still babysitting. Haven't gotten a "real" job, yet. I am still praying about it. I really am hoping that I get the one at the hospital, but it has been a week since I've had my interview. So, who knows!!
It' hard to believe that summer is going by so fast! Anyway, hope you have a wonderful weekend!! :)

Falling in Love

It is a mystery why we fall in love.
It is a mystery how it happens. It is a mystery when it comes. It is a mystery why some loves grow and it is a mystery why some loves fail.
You can analyze this mystery and look for reasons and causes, but you will never do any more than to take the life out of the experience. Just as life itself is something more than the sum of the bones and muscles and electrical impulses in the body, love is something more than the sum of interests and attractions and commonalities that two people share. And just as life itself is a gift that comes and goes in its own time, so, too, the coming of love must be taken as an unfathomable gift that cannot be questioned in its ways.
Sometimes-hopefully at least once in your life-the gift of love will come to you in full flower, and you will take hold of it and celebrate it in all its inexpressible beauty. This is the dream we all share. More often, it will come and take hold of you, celebrate you for a brief moment, then move on.
When this happens to young people, they too often try to grasp the love and hold it to them, refusing to see that it is a gift freely given and a gift that just as freely moves away. When they fall out of love or the person they love feels the spirit of love leaving, they try desperately to reclaim the love that is lost rather an accepting the gift for what it was, then moving on.
They want answers where there are no answers. They want to know what is wrong with them that makes the other person no longer love them, or they try to get their lover to change, thinking that if some small thing were different love would bloom again. They blame their circumstances and say if they go far away and start a new life together their love will grow.
They try anything to give meaning to what has happened. But there is no meaning beyond the love itself, and until they accept its own mysterious ways they live in a sea of misery.
You need to know this about love, and accept it. You need to treat what it brings you with kindness. If you find yourself in love with a person who does not love you, be gentle with yourself. There is nothing wrong with you. Love just didn't choose to rest in the other persons heart.
If you find someone else in love with you and you don't love him or her, feel honored that love came and called at your door, but gently refuse the gift you cannot return. Do not take advantages, do not cause pain. How you deal with love is how love will deal with you, and all our hearts feel the same pains and joys, even if our lives and ways are very different.
If you fall in love with another and she falls in love with you, and then love chooses to leave, do not try to reclaim it or assess blame. Let it go. There is a reason and there is a meaning. You will know in time, but time itself will choose the moment.
Remember that you don't choose love. Love chooses you.
All you can really do is accept it for all it's mysteries when it comes into your life. Feel the way it fills you to overflowing, then reach out and give it away. Give it back to the person who brought it alive in you. Give it to others who seem poor in spirit. Give it to the world around you in any way you can.
This is where so many lovers go wrong. Having been so long without love, they understand love only as a need. They see their hearts as empty places that will be filled with love, and they begin to look at love as something that flows to them rather than from them.
In the first blush of new love they are filled to overflowing, but as their love cools they revert to seeing their love as a need. They cease to be someone who generates love and instead of someone who seeks love. They forget that the secret of love is that it is a gift, and that it can be made to grow by giving it away.
Remember this and keep it in your heart. Love has its own times, its own seasons, and its own reasons for coming and going. You cannon bribe it or coerce it or reason it into staying. You can only embrace it when it arrives and give it away when it comes to you. But if it chooses to leave, from your heart or from the heart of your lover, there is nothing you can do and nothing you should do.
Love has always been and will always be a mystery. Be glad that it came to live for a moment in your life. If you keep your heart open, it will come again.

By: Kent Nerbum

Changes

A lot has went on in my life, since the last time I blogged. Some changes you can see and some you cannot. God has been working in my life! Some of it only I know about, and some of it others can see!
The last week has been hard. I had some decisions to make! I had been praying for a long time about some of them. And, I wanted an answer from God. I did not want to make a mistake, so it had to be very clear and plain for me. And, it was. Even though it was hard, I had a peace and I finally knew what I had to do. God is good!
Anyway, summer is almost over. I am seriously dreading going back to school. That is another scary, unknown part of my life. But, it is also exciting. I am trusting the Lord to help and to give strength.
I am still looking for a job. I had an interview last Thursday. I am really hoping that it will work out. I would love to work there and I think it'd be a good opportunity for me. I am still doing babysitting for right now. I am very thankful that I least have some sort of income coming in. :) Hope y'all have a wonderful week!!

Growing Up

So, I have had a crazy and tiring week. I have started another week, tired. I have been kind of sad lately. Sometimes, growing up is no fun! I am really bummed about not being able to be at youth camp. I love youth camp, and I am really missing not being on a team. I will be able to get to go to all the evening services, and I do know that I will be able to be up there all day Tuesday and Thursday. So, I am really happy about that. I guess I am learning not to wish my life away. Sometimes, I wish I was older and already had a degree. But, I know I will miss these days, just like I miss childhood and high school years. I am learning to enjoy each day and this time in my life! :) Someday, I'll wish I had these days back!

Ahh... It's been a good day!

I am just sitting behind a computer desk just waiting for my boyfriend to get off work so that we can talk!! :) I have had a fabulous day!!
I babysat today! :) We did a lot of playing outside. The sandbox and the little swimming pool were big hits!! I just stood there wishing I could get wet too.. Next time I am taking extra clothes!! ;) Children can bring so much joy into your life, whether they are yours or not!
I enjoyed the rest of my evening here at home with my family. I started a new fiction book and listened to Odyssey with my sister. Just a few moments ago, I cooked scrambled eggs and had my devotions while cooking and eating. :)
It has been a wonderful day. Nothing out of the ordinary, it's just a usual day around home.
I'll leave you with a Scripture verse that spoke to me tonight. Luke 11:27, "...blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!" We are promised that we will be blessed if we obey God's Word!

Devotions

My heart is overflowing with joy. I am so thankful that I can worship my Lord not only in church, but at home. I had some of devotions in my room tonight and then I went outside. It was such a beautiful and peaceful evening. I love how I can feel God's presence at home. I can worship His greatness and yet also trust Him for what is troubling me. I am so grateful that He is a personal God.
I am grateful that He chooses to speak to me in His Word. I am reading through 3 books of the Bible right now. I am reading through Luke, and just tonight He spoke to me. I was reading about Martha and Mary. We all know the story. Mary sat at the feet of Jesus, earnest to spend time with Him. But, Martha was distracted! The Lord convicted me and spoke to me from just that little phrase. I get distracted so easily with problems, work, facebook, books, and etc. But, I want to make sure I spend time with Jesus everyday. I can't imagine how it must have been to actually sit at His feet. Martha had Jesus right in her very home, and yet she was distracted. How much easier it is today.
I am so thankful for God's Word and His presence. And, for how He chooses to meet with me and to speak to me through His Word!

Tanning

http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20100620/sc_livescience/whyskincancerisontherise
This article was pulled up in our web browser this morning. The article caught my attention and so I read it. It really got me thinking about tannning. I occasionally go and probably would go more if I had the money. But, I am not so sure if it is something that I would want to make a weekly habit of. It seems so stupid to pay money to get a nice tan, but then later end up with skin cancer. It is like paying to get cancer. After just having two relatives die with cancer in the last year, the last thing I want is cancer. Yes, I like having a nice tan, but I don't think it is worth it!!
What do you think??

Long Week

This week has been a very busy and exhausting week. I buried my Grandpa Wiford this week. One of the hardest weeks in my life.Sometimes, it doesn't seem real that he is gone. Other times it seems so real that you can not handle grief. It wasn't exactly reality for me until I seen him laying in the casket. It was my grandpa, but yet it wasn't.  His body was cold and lifeless. I felt his hands, they were cold and lifeless. It is only his shell, his spirit is in Heaven. I had to remind myself of that when I looked down on his face, longing to wake up and realize I was dreaming, but I wasn't. I said my goodbye and reminded myself he isn't in that casket, but he is with Jesus.
Of course seeing them in the casket gone from this world and it's troubles, creates those haunting questions. Like what really happens when your spirit leaves your body, what did he experience, and it can even make you wonder about heaven. No one knows until they experience it themselves. I wish he could have talked when he left. I wish he could have assured us with his words that there was a Heaven and it was just like the Bible says it is. I do not doubt at all that he is there. I have to leave those questions, and go on what I know from God's Word.
It is so hard to say goodbye. Knowing that they will shut that casket and that will be the last time you will see their face on this earth again. I can't explain the grief and sorrow. It is so hard to imagine your life without them. It is so hard to imagine going to the farm and never seeing him sitting at the kitchen table. It is hard to imagine him not calling on my birthday like he has every year. He has been my favorite grandpa. I miss him so much.
No one understands unless they have been there before. That is the hard part. People say they understand or they just think they do, but they don't. When you lose someone, you are never the same. There is such a void. And, when you hear of other people who have lost loved ones, your heart goes out to them like it had never before. You can understand and you feel the awful grief that they feel.
I am depending on the strength of my Lord to carry me through. I am so glad I have Him to rely on. I can't imagine going through this without Jesus.
Just please keep me and your family in your prayers!!

I have had a great weekend. Cortney got to come in!! :) Friday Night we went out to my youth pastor's house for a get together. I have the best youth pastor ever.
On Saturday, Cort and I went to Conner Prairie. Even though the weather was whacked, we still had a lot of fun. We got to see a lot of cool animals and how they used to live in the 1800's or so. I packed a picnic lunch and it was lots of fun!! I enjoyed spending the day with him!
Of course we went to church on Sunday! :) We had lots of company over at our house after church. We had our camp cooks over. It's kind of a tradition. They come to our house every Sunday night before ICHA camp starts. We had about 23 people over including my family!! :) We had lots of fun and shared lots of laughter.
I am babysitting right now for a church family. My sister came along to help out. My sister knows them better, since they started coming when I was away at college. Cortney is in New Castle at his uncles working. I get to see him again tonight!! :)
I am still looking for a job. I miss my job in Cinci and the money I made :) Just pray that I will get a job, but most importantly that I will get the job God wants me to have.

No, I am not Anti-Kids

I have learned so much from babysitting. I have babysat for many different families. And these are a few phrases I have heard or things I have learned:

1. No matter how little the boy might be, they still think it's funny to burp
2. You can hit me like I hit my sibling, it wouldn't hurt me at all
3. My mommy or daddy lets me do this (never fall for that one)
4. TV never entertains a child for very long
5. New toys became old very soon
6. They find delight from annoying other things or people
7. It's not fair, I never get to do this (after they have done it for the last ten minutes)
8. My mommy always lets me splash bathwater all over the floor

Usually at the end of the day, you will are exhausted and promise you will never have kids, or your kids will never act this way!! 

I hope you all had a great Memorial Day weekend. Our family went to the ICHA Campgrounds to help get it ready for camp. I mainly focused on the girls dorm. Actually, I did not feel like going and kind of complained about it. But, deep down I knew that someone had to do it. Later on when praying and apologizing to God for my grumbling. The Lord showed me that I was giving back to the camp. I have went every year, since I was baby and I've went to youth camp every since I was old enough. This camp has been a big investment in my spiritual life. So, I am thankful for being able to give back to the camp. I do not have a lot of money to give, but I was able to give of my time.
God has been giving me such a greater desire for His Word. I realized that I was not going to Him for my problems and I tried to find happiness and comfort from other things and people. God has been showing me a lot of areas that I need to work on. Another lesson that I am learning from watching lives of people, is that sin never pays. And, it can devastate one's life. God has been teaching me through this, that Satan is truly a lion; seeking whom he can devour. I am learning that I must truly seek after God and His heart everyday. And, that I need to be vigilant and not to let my guard down. I do not want to be deceived or to loose my way. God has just been really talking to me and I have been watching different situations. I see how sin never pays and how it takes you farther than you will ever will want to go. Not to be all discouraging, I am thankful for Jesus and his sacrifice. I know he can save and forgive, but that doesn't fix everything. You still have your consequences and scares that it can leave.
I am thankful for Jesus and how He speaks to me!! My prayer especially for this summer is draw closer to God. I really want people to see Christ through me in everything I say and do. One way that I really want to minister this summer is through out bus ministry. Someone will need to take over since the Bakers will be gone. I really have such a great love for those bus kids. They hold such a special place in my heart.If you think about it, pray for me this summer!! :) I would appreciate it!!

I feel like writing, so here goes!! :) I am sitting at home bored, but I should be thankful for free time!! :) I have been doing job hunting all week. I have turned in three applications so far, and I picked up another one today. I do babysit Jackson and Jenson tomorrow, so that will help. I have been praying about it, and I am leaving it in God's hand. He has always provided for me in the past, and I believe Him to do it again! Tonight is the awards banquet for our church school. I am planning on going to that, so be looking for pictures later!! ;)

Jenson and I :)

Early Morning

I am excited about today!! I get to babysit the little boy that I have babysat for at least two summers now and school breaks. Even though I want to find a different job this summer, I am still happy that I get to watch them occasionally. So, hence I got up at 7:30 this morning. I wanted to make sure the house is clean, especially since my siblings know how to make messes, but not exactly how to clean them up. So, I was running the vacuum cleaner this morning shortly after I woke up while my dear sister was trying to sleep in. I am now waiting on the little guy to arrive. I'm sure he has grown up so much,. I'm looking forward to all the new tricks and words that I get to experience today. :)