Out with the old and in with the new!

Hello all!!  A lot has happened since my last blog.  Well the BIG news first.  I'm sure most of you saw this on Facebook, but I bought a car!!

The Black Hornet

Hornet Butt

Great new view!

Lot's of space for traveling!!

I love this vehicle and I thank God that He made all things possible for me to purchase it.  It's a 2010 Toyota Matrix.  It's EXACTLY what I wanted!  I have been desiring after this car for some time.  And God says He will give you the desire's, right?  Well this was a great desire in my heart.  I sure needed to trade in ol' Bessie.  She was not safe.  You all remember what happened when I moved here to Stockton...

Ol' Bessie AKA The Beast!

I almost DIED here!

 I love how God turns tragedies into His glory!   What the enemy has meant for evil He has turned around for His glory!....Love IT!!

Anyway....what have I done since then?  Last weekend I took the Hornet for a drive.  The original plan was for Renae to come and visit me and we were going to go see Yosemite, sine I have never been there, but plans changed.  She told me that Sherri Youngward was going to be singing at her fiancee's church on Sunday, so I jumped at the opportunity to see her.  Sherrie and I have been trying to meet up for some time and it just never worked out.  So this was a great opportunity that I could not pass up and  I got to visit my Bestie in Mill Valley!  It was a great and much needed get way. On my way there I had to go through some toll bridges.  The only toll bridge I had ever been on was the Golden Gate Bridge, so this was quite an adventure.

Toll to the Richmond Bridge.  $5 toll!!

I was a beautiful sight to behold, that's for sure.  I love going over bridges!!

 

Renae had some prior engagements that she could not get out of, so I though it would be nice to spend some quality time with my other mother, Mama Springle, and we cooked. She gave me some great idea's for cooking, since I seem to cook the same things ALL THE TIME!!  I'm experimenting with a quinoa recipe that I found on allrecipes.com. I'm making it tonight, so I'll let you know how it tuns out.  Back to my weekend....

My contribution to the meal, sauteed squash fresh from their garden.

Later on that day, I drove down to Renae's fiancee's parent's house to spend the night.  They are quite hospitable.  Their house was amazingly adorable!  The room that I stayed in was done up like a little hotel.  She even put little candies on the night stand.

My little "hotel" room in Mill Valley

Church was great!  Her fiancee is a wonderful  teacher and seeing Sherri was great!  I love hearing her worship!!

Sweet Sherri

Love this lady!

After church we found THE best burger joint in Mill Valley.  It's Called Super Duper, but Renae kept calling it Super Burger. Wasn't that on that Nickelodeon.  Silly Renae!  

Amazing garlic fries!

The Bride to Be! (on the right)

After this lovely lunch we drove out to Fort Baker where she might, finger crossed, have her wedding.  But only time will tell.  There  is a great veiw of the Golden Gate Bridge.  It's a tradition to take a picture with the GGB in the background.  I think this is the 6th or 7th year we've done this.

I was quite winy though.

My Bestie and I!

So much wind!!

The beautiful Bride to be!

We then drove through the Marin headlands to look at all the old military buildings.  We came to a beach and there were some crazies surfing in the 30 degree or below ocean water!  Crazy surfers!!

Good waves I guess...

But this is not a bad way to spend a Sunday either!

This was the 1st deer I'd ever seen in real life!  I know I'm a city girl!  Don't hate!

This was what we waited at to go into a one way tunnel under the mountain.

There IS light at the end of the tunnel!!

The End!

Thus end's a great weekend! 

What adventures will I have next?  Next weekend, Garlic Festival in Gilroy!!  My Uncle is driving up from So Cal to come with me!  YAY!!  

Until next time!!

Evening Blog...

Good evening my beautiful friends!!  Yes it is 9:30 PM when I started writing this blog.  Why am I up so late you may ask???  Well, I had this GENIUS idea to take a nap right after work before my home group and in the middle of my nap I got a text message from the leader telling me home group was cancelled, so what do I do??? CONTINUE SLEEPING!!  I'm such a sloth sometimes!!  GEEZE!!!

Anywho!!  So what type of adventures have happened in my life since my last post???  Well, not much happens in lovely Stockton!!

I found this to be THE funniest sign I had ever seen!

 A couple of Friday's ago I hosted  a purse party at the home of my home group leader.  Not to many people came, just a few friends from work, but it was fun nonetheless.  I was able to get some good credit and got a three purses and a wallet.  These are actually really cute purses, and I'm not just saying that because I'm a girl.  If you know me at all, you know that I'm not a girly girl that cares about fashion.  But these purses are a purse within a purse.  The outside in interchangeable, so you don't have to keep switching your things into anther purse.  Pretty neat idea if you as me.

On the 4th, I was invited by a friend from church to go to a barbeque that she was invited to, but at the last minute her plans had changed.  Then a friend from work invited me to go watch the fireworks at one of the fields in Manteca.  That seemed like a good plan, but i absolutely HATE crowds and traffic on the 4th and combine that with it being in a Wednesday and in an unfamiliar area.   I didn't want to be stuck being out super late when I had to work the next day...and lets face it.  Who wants to be out and about in Stockton when the sun goes down???  So this was how I spent my 4th...I don't know if you could tell, but it was the capitol's firework show in TV..better then nothing I guess!

 

Last Sunday, the church that I have been attending  had a church picnic in the park.  I knew about three people, so I decided to go.  How are you going to meet people if you seclude yourself, right?  Going, I found out yet again how small the world is.  And it gets even smaller when you factor in Calvary Chapel and Bible College.  I was waiting in line and I started talking with this girl about random stuff and I told her that I was a traveling therapist and she tells me that she is a Recreational Therapist for disabled children in Lima, Peru.  So I said, "Oh, do you know so and so..."  And her reply way awesome!  "Everyone knows so and so."  OMG!  NO WAY!!  She was a good friend of mine in Bible College.  We had drifted a little, but she was still a friend of Facebook.  So we chatted a little bit and we were talking about missionary work and things of the like.

I was never led to go to other campuses while in Bible College.  I felt and still do feel that your mission field is right out your front door.  I think it's one of the reasons I chose the field that I am in.  I enjoy so much just sharing God;s love with people.  The Bible tells us to "let you light so shine before the world that they will see your good deed's and glorify the Lord."  That is what I intend yo do every day.  Shine a little light in the lives of others that don't get the opportunity to see it as much.  

Working in a SNF (Skilled Nursing Facility) I have come to see (and not see) this joy in the hearts  and faces of so many of the elderly.  You can't fake the joy of the Lord.  At that age you can tell who has the Lord in their lives and who doesn't.  Thoes that don't have such a haggard and withered look about them.  It's so sad.  But those that do, have this radiance about them.  You don't even have to ask them, they just shine with the joy of the Lord.  It's so refreshing!!  I believe God has placed me there to spread a little of His love.   

I don't know where the Lord will have me go next.  I just talked with my company today (who I absolutely LOVE) and told them of some areas that I would be interested in traveling to.  So we shall see!  I thank God every day for leading me to such a great group of people!!  It's such an honor and privilege to be working for them.  So if any one is interested in traveling, just hit me up for details!

160,000!!

My Ol' Bessie reached a milestone last week!  160,000 mile!!  And that got me thinking.  I think it's about time to trade her in for a newer model.  Last Saturday I went to the Toyota dealer here in Stockton to see this one car that I found on the internet.  I have wanted a Toyota Matrix for a long time.  It's a great traveling car that get's great gas mileage.  So I went down and got to test drive the one that they had.  It was nice and drove very smoothly.  Actually, ANY car other then mine drives smoothly!  But have no fear, I did not but it.  I shall heed my fathers advice and not make any rash decisions.  Tomorrow I will drive to another dealer and look at a couple more Matrices (as my father the math geek would call them.)  So just keep me in prayer that God would lead me to the perfect car that He has picked out for me.  And that Ol' Bessie will last a little longer.  

Thank you all for your prayers...until next time!

Friends, Life and Tattoos!

Yesterday I got a call from a friend of mine that I graduated with from Loma Linda.  She is a traveler like me, actually we work for the same company.  She lives down in King's City at the moment.  She asked me if I would like to meet up half way and have lunch.  So we met up in Milptas. I was a little nervous to drive that far, being that car is not in the best shape, but I did it anyway because  I missed my friend.  So we met up at El Torrito, but ended up going to Red Lobster instead.  It was great catching up.  Here we are at Starbucks!  This is one of the best two person photos I have ever taken on my phone!

Gina and I enjoying the sun

So my life here in Stockton is pretty good so far.  I feel like all I do is work and on the weekends I am recuperating from the week.  I am beginning to meet more people while I'm here.  Last Friday I hosted a purse party at a friends house.  Not many people from work showed up, but the ones that did enjoyed themselves I'm sure.  And as a bonus, I was able to get three purses and a wallet for a great price.  It beneficial to host parties like that.  

I am discovering new delicacies..

So...why didn't anyone ever tell me how delicious this is!!

Pampering myself...

My fingers look chubby here

All toes should be loved

And watching others get pampered...

Best Father's Day present ever!

And in other news....

Tetelestai

I feel that I need to clarify this one..

So I got this tattoo right after I graduated Bible college.  I thought long and hard  for a year about what I wanted because I knew that it would be with me forever, and forever is a long time.   People ask me all the time what it says/means.  My reply is always the same, it's one of the last thing Jesus said on the cross before he died.  I am realizing that not everyone knows what that is.  Here I thought that it was common knowledge.  How wrong was I? 

Literally translated the word tetelestai means, “It is finished.” The word occurs in John 19:28 and 19:30 and these are the only two places in the New Testament where it occurs. In 19:28 it is translated, “After this, when Jesus knew that all things were now completed, in order that the scripture might be fulfilled, he said, ‘I thirst.’” Two verses later, he utters the word himself: “Then when he received the sour wine Jesus said, ‘It is finished,’ and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.”

The word tetelestai was also written on business documents or receipts in New Testament times to show indicating that a bill had been paid in full. The Greek-English lexicon by Moulton and Milligan says this:

“Receipts are often introduced by the phrase [sic] tetelestai, usually written in an abbreviated manner...” (p. 630). The connection between receipts and what Christ accomplished would have been quite clear to John’s Greek-speaking readership; it would be unmistakable that Jesus Christ had died to pay for their sins.

 I heard it once said that Jesus took our debt, that was so high that there was NOTHING that we could ever do to repay it, and wrote on it "paid in full" with His blood. 

All this to say...Jesus Paid  it All!  There is nothing that I need to do to be a better Christian.  In the eyes of Christ, I already am bought and paid for.  I can't "earn" my way into heaven.  There is no amount of doors that I can knock on, no amount pamphlets or magazines that I can had out and no amount of people I can evangelize to that will "win" my way into heaven.  There is ONE way into heaven and ONE way to know that you know that you will be there.  By accepting the free gift of Salvation that is offered to us. 

John 3:16-17 says, "For God so loved the world, that He sent His only begotten Son, that whosoever should believe in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the would would be saved through Him."

God want's everyone, the WHOLE world, to be with Him forever in heaven.  All we have to do is accept it.  It's a FREE gift.  Trying to "payback" Jesus for this free gift is like a slap in the face.  Let me put it this way. Say you gave your son/daughter a gift for no particular reason, but just because you loved them and wanted to show it. If your son/daughter freely too that gift, said "Thank you very much, now how much do I owe you for this gift?", would you not be offended??  I  would think so.  That's how I would imagine Jesus reacting to it. 

So there you have it! The explanation behind my tattoo.  Until next time!!!

Remember that Jesus Paid it ALL!!

6 weeks already!

Good morning everyone!  I hope everyone is doing well!  It seems that I don't blog as much as I should, but what they heck, I'm a busy lady!  Somehow I'm busier in my mind then in real life!  So what's new with me?  Well, I have been in my current position here at Manteca (Man-tee-ka) Care and Rehab for about 6 weeks now.  One of those, of which, I was down in So-Cal on vacation.  I am really liking it here.  Everyone I work with is great and treat me well.  I forget sometimes that I've only been doing this PTA thing since late February.  It feels like I've been doing it FOREVER!  But I guess that means that I'm doing what I was meant to do. So what has happened since my last post??  Well, I have a praise report!  On my vacation, I took a little trip with my dad down to America's Tire so he could give them a piece of his mind.  He's better at that then I am.  Unfortunately, the one that we went to couldn't help me, BUT they did advise me to go back to the original place I went to and talk to them about it.  So while I was down in Murrieta, I stopped in to speak with the manager.  He was very nice and took copies of EVERYTHING I had and sent all the paperwork to corporate.  While on my vacation, they did call me, but I was on vacation danggit!  I was not going to deal with that, but I was quite surprised that they called me back so quickly.  So after my vacation it was phone tag trying to get a hold of them, partly because I work 8-5 and have my phone on silent all the time, and partly because they were never at their desks when I called.  Anyway, after weeks of phone tag, they reimbursed me for not only the amount that I spent to get my car fixed, BUT the cost of the rental while my car was in the shop!  PTL indeed!!

The small group that I am attending is going good.  It's a "single's group."  Usually, I shy away from those kinds of groups, but the lady that runs it is very nice.  We are going through a book called "Boundaries in Dating."  Not that I date much, but it's good perspective.  The last couple Tuesday's were "movie nights" for summer.  I guess they're good because I'm meeting people.  The only other people that go are kids college age. So I don't feel so intimidated about going to a "single's group."

One of my favorite parts of Saturday!

So here I am sitting here on a Saturday enjoying my day off!  After working so many years on the weekends, it's so nice to be able to enjoy the weekends.  I love the fact that I have a M-F job!  Thank you Jesus for directing my every step!! 

I have a confession to make!  I am becoming addicted to fruit stands!  There is a cherry stand that I pass by everyday and it calls to me.  So one day I stopped and bought an 18# box of cherries for $12!  Such the deal!!

That's like $1.50/lb

So what was I going to do with all these cherries?  I obviously can't eat them all before they go bad, unless I want to be very sick.  But it may be worth it, I do love cherries!  Wendy, the lady that run's the home group gave me a great idea.  She told me that I could freeze them but I'd have to pit them 1st.  So she taught me how to pit the cherries with a straw!  Yes, a straw!  But it has to be a big straw with a pointed end, like a Boba straw.  You hold the cherry in you left hand and poke the straw all the way through the cherry with your right hand and the pit goes into the straw/  Pretty clever, huh?  So I pitted about six baggies full of cherries to freeze for smoothies, but I still had a bunch left over.  So I took a bunch to work.  Cherries for every one!!

Everyone wins when cherries are involved!

I took a stroll down by the Marina in downtown Stockton. Looks nice nice, huh?  While I was standing on this Marina, some RANDOM guy comes up to me and tries to give me his business card.  Being a female in an unknown city, I jumped back!  He got all offended and asked why I was afraid of Black man...REALLY??  Um, sorry dude, that's defiantly not the reason.  I'm sure you would have done the same thing...

That's all for now.  Until next time!~ L

Update from Stockton

So I haven't blogged lately because A) I've been busy B) I've been on vacation and C) Not much to tell.  We, I figured since I had some extra time this Sunday, I figured now's a good a time as any!

Tomorrow marks a month that I have been in Stockton.  Work is going well, every day is the same yet different at the same time.  I am learning something new everyday and it's quite exciting.  I'm still trying to get a hold of America's Tire company to try and get them to reimburse me for the damage to my car.  I just don;t think it's a coincidence that this happened to my car 4 months after they worked on it.  I have been told that it you have your lug nuts over torqued that it can cause a shearing force on your lug nuts and bolts.  So just keep in prayer that something will happen with this situation.  It's quite frustrating!  Here are some picture of  my new apartment.

Bedroom

Dresser

Cute little bathroom

I was blessed with a flat screen TV!

Comfy couch

Dinning room table

Love this kitchen!

I am quite blessed with an awesome job that provides me with all this!  I was just thinking about where I was this time last year...It's amazing where God will take you if you just let Him!

So I worked 2 weeks in my new contract and then took a week off for vacation.  I rented a car and drove down to Southern California.  It was busy and relaxing at the same time.  I went everywhere!! But it went all too quickly!!  I wish I would have taken more pictures.  My sister laughed at me when she saw it; breakfast, lunch and dinner x 5!  But it was fun.

My schedule was quite full!!

On Sunday, Mother's Day, I had the privilege of being with my Grandma!  I love her so much!!

 I loved seeing all my friends and family.  I forgot how much I missed them until I saw them them all again, but I know that I am where God wants me right now and that's what's important.  I think one of the best parts, there were many, but one of the best parts was seeing my nieces, Isabel, Julia and Olivia, and MY FAVORITE nephew Ryan!

Julia

Julia is a ham!

Isabel is getting so beautiful

Olivia

Love that Ryan face!!

Thursday I got to have lunch with one of THE most amazing woman that I only knew from the phone until then!  We had such a great visit and I'm looking firward to the next visit!

I must say though, the highlight of my trip was driving down to Irvine to see all the wonderful people that work for StaffRehab!  I have never met any of them personally.  I got this job trough emails and phone calls.  Crazy, huh?  I love this amazing company that hired me.  I'm still trying to figure out why!!  So, if any of you fellow PTA's would like to travel, give me a call.  It's grand adventure!

On Friday, not only did I get to visit StaffRehab, but  I got to have lunch with Jasmine.  I hadn't seen her for at least a year!

Driving back was THE WORST!!  The I% is a long strip of NOTHING!!  What a boring drive!  Thank you Renae for talking with me on that long drive back.  I left at 9 am on Saturday, because I wanted to visit a friend of mine in Corona.  But that's ok.  We can always write.  I ended up leaving Corona about 11:30 and got into Stockton about 5:30.  It was a LOOOONNNGGG drive!!

I finally found a church down here!  YAY!!  It's a small body that meets in the gym of a Christian school. This morning one of the ladies asked me to attend a home bible study on Tuesday.  I'm looking forward to it.  I will keep you all updated on how things are going.  Well, that's all for now!!