PTL

Guess who is a huge fan of Starbucks?

Praise the Lord! (PTL) :)

drank this amazing Passion-fruit Tea Lemonade today.

Thank you Starbucks, I have given into your multi-billion dollar company goodness.

*Did you know that Starbucks first opened in Seattle as Starbucks Coffee, Tea, and Spices in 1971.

*The Starbucks name came from Starbuck, Captain Ahab’s first mate on the ship in Herman Melville’s classic 1851 novel Moby Dick, who was depicted as an avid coffee drinker. Interesting.....

Pictures from Phone

Here are some pics I found on my phone from the last few weeks... enjoy!

ready for fall... pumpkins and Yankee Candle fall line.. :)

Norfolk sunset

view from our balcony

more sunset

Virginia Beach day!

staff meeting...

mermaids of Norfolk.. these things are everywhere!

Interns for life!

Matt, Amy, and me

I *heart* Christopher Newport

I really look forward to my days at Christopher Newport University. My staff team spends Tuesdays and Wednesdays at CNU, and I LOVE it!

On Tuesday I lead my Launch Group where I get to spend an hour in the afternoon with 10 amazing girls. During this hour we hangout in fellowship, study some from Ephesians, and we are now starting some CoJourners training. During this time we learn how to share our faith with our friends and people around us. I just love this hour with these students, they are so faithful to in coming and I love our discussion.

Today (Wednesday) was a pretty day at CNU. I spent some time on campus just praying and people watching then grabbed dinner with a sweet student, Sarah. Then at 8pm is my favorite part of the week, our weekly Cru. meeting. I love the energy of the students. We have between 30 and 40 students that come out to learn about Jesus. How fun! Especially since its our first official year on the campus of CNU. So excited to see how God unfolds this year in this campus. I look forward to getting to know the students on a deeper level and to see the girls from my Launch Group fall more in love with Jesus.

Staff and Students at CNU during our first Weekly Meeting.

Yes, we planned the yellow thing. haha

My second favorite part on Wednesday is Tidewater Staff Team bonding! The great thing about launching ministries in new cities is that we are each other's friends. We spend ALOT of time together... aka we work together, we hangout together, we go to church together, we eat together, we sew together, we go to walmart together....and more! We all drive to CNU together in once car... with our trusty piolet Brian who drives the half-hour each way. At the end of the night, we are all sooo so energized from the day. We love to "debrief" and share what God did that day on campus. It has become a norm to have this debrief time in the car at 10:30 at night. Most importantly we bust out in song and dance to our theme song, "I Got a Feelin..." (black eyed peas). Tonight was a good, good night. :)

I love my team. :)

Laboring and Retreating in WV

how I've miss those country roads. I spent Labor Day weekend in good ol' Morgantown, WV. How fun to drive into Morgantown with the mountains all around. I didn't think I would miss this place as much as I do! This place holds such a sweet place in my heart. Here are a few reasons why:

• The people! My friends here are so dear to me. From my crusade brothers and sisters to my fieldcrest buddies. You all mean to the world to me and wish you could all move to Norfolk with me.
• Mountaineer Football. Duh. There is nothing I love more than game-day saturday. Everyone in town is a football fan on game-day. I look forward to seeing a sea of blue and gold around town.
  
• sunsets over the mountains.
• the culture. the natives of morgantown are just nice, hard working people. i love the laid back nature of the people here.
• familiar coffee shops like zenclay, blue moose, and the [morgantown] starbucks.
• quirky things like the PRT and the Alley Cat Shop on High Street.
• it's Wild and Wonderful!
• this place will always remind me of my sweet conversion. How I *first* fell in love with my Creator. How my Creator grabbed hold of my heart. How He redeemed me from death and gave me life.

I guess more than anything, I miss the familiarality of the place where I spent the last five years. It was a great weekend to soak it all in and just "live." I am so grateful for my time in Morgantown. I have learned so much from being in this place.

I am excited to start a new adventure here in Norfolk. Excited to fall in love with a new unknown place. To make coffee shops seem familiar, to embrace the culture, and fall in love with the people. I'm ready!

Apartment 5L

Here are some pics of the apartment. It is still a work in progress. But it is coming together!

Matt working in our kitchen.. Home-made cookies. Check out that apron. ;) Sorry Matt!

Here is my lovely bathroom. It is a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom.

One corner of my room.

Here is one side of my room

bed, dresser.

I need a bedskirt...

Here is the lising room. Check our the new tv stand! 30 bucks on craigs list.

Other side of the living room. Tan chair from a thrift store. LOVE it!

Norfolk or Bust!

We'll I have officially arrived in Norfolk. After a summer of trusting God with financial matters, He has provided the funds, and I am here!

Where is a picture of my mom with our unnecessarilay large Budget truck. We ordered a 10ft. and ended up with a 24ft. 14 feet too long. Poor mama Rita had to drive it the 6 hrs from West Virginia to Norfolk. She was quite the trooper!

Below is the Old Dominion Campus, one of the main campuses that our team will be on. The campus is beautiful and so new!

Here is Christopher Newport University. Another awesome campus. If I was going back to college, I would choose to go here! It is about 5,000 students and really fun! This picture was taken on a day when the freshmen had a lunch on the lawn. We had our first Cru. meeting ever at CNU on Wednesday night. We had about 40 students! How cool.

The Tidewater Team!

Brooke and Brian

me, Matt, Ginny, Alan, and Amy

We are excited to have some interactions on the ODU campus next week as students move back to campus. God has been providing in bigger ways than we ever imagined.

Oh how life passes you by...

Hi friends!

Sorry it has been so long since i have blogged. Since my last post much has been going on...

• Finished my senior year of college! see ya later undergrad!
• Had a bridal shower for my roommate Allison.. she is getting married on Aug. 3 to Zach... i share the role of Maid of Honor with her sister Katie. so fun!
• Moved out of my dear apartment on University Ave. major sad face :( This also included leaving my dear roommate, Allison..
• I celebrated my 22nd birthday!
• I finished the semester with my third graders. another sad face. They were such a great class.
• I spent 2 weeks at home in New Jersey, where I substitute taught at Avon School and RELAXED! It was a great 2 week refresher.
• Saw 'Mary Poppins' on Broadway! amazing!! Thanks mama :)
• I bought a new car! a VW Jetta -- red! and I LOVE it. great on gas...
• Now I am in Hampton Beach! I arrived here Sunday afternoon to a crazy memorial day weekend crowd.

The last 2 months in pictures:

Me and my friend Lauren at our Year 4 Brunch

Katie, Allison, and Me at her bridal shower

My awesome third graders on my last day. They made me cards!

Allison in our [very] bare apartment on move out day.. sad.

Heather, Allison, me and Brooke at my birthday BBQ, thanks Barnetts!
Mary Poppins!
The new wheels.

I will try to update more now that i will have a little more time!

Much love to all of you.

:)