New.

Well hey there bloggers I hope that you are having a relaxing and fabulous weekend! I am greeting you from the love seat watching She's the Man with one of my roommates Bean while waiting to go play some volleyball with staff.

Let me just say that the Lord is so good and I am learning so much this summer. Today I had the opportunity to go to Austin Stone Community Church in Austin. It is the church that I usually attend when I am home or at camp, and I loved it! I was great to get some worship with one of my favs Aaron Ivey.

So after church while waiting for a table and tasty Kerby Lane, I was texting one of the besties Jessica Adalian. (Yes, this is the Jessica that just got married!) And I realized that this upcoming year is going to be a new beginning. New outlook. New major. New focus. New church. New roommates (so excited!!!!). New apartment. New time commitments. I am changing my perspective and focusing on what the Lord is putting in my way, not what I want to put in my way. Camp is amazing and I love it and everytime I think about the fact that there is only 3.5 weeks left I want to weep. BUT I cannot wait to get back to my bffs in Dallas. Girls (amanda, jessica, ashley, beckett, zeta babies) I miss you all and cannot wait to see you!

Well just got back from volleyball and going down the tube shute (no tube + at night = scary but soooo worth it!) So I am tired and one of my "news" is to wake up for quiet time consistantly!

Live abandoned,

Amanda

Post Script: here is a little diddy by one of my fav artist Ray LaMontagne.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRotMzTuKzo&feature=fvwrel

Life is a changin!

Welp.... two weeks later and I have 4 friends who are now married to one another and probably the most precious people that I know.

Jessica and Aron were married today and I love every second of being in their wedding. Including the Armenian dance that we got to do which was SO fun! (If you know me well you know that I LOVE to dance, and my future husband better be ready to dance a LOT at our wedding!) As I have said before they are probably one of the most solid couples that I know and I am so excited that they are husband and wife. And yes between the ceremony and reception I switched to chacos but that was because they were the only other shoes I had and my heels were definitely not broken in. haha

It has been a lovely weekend in Dallas. I was able to have dinner with Beckett and Ashley at Village Burger bar and move into my new apartment with the lovely Amanda Mills! I am soooo excited for our new venture in the 2207! This weekend has been amazing but I cannot wait to get back to camp and to see my summer roommates! Bean and Ashley I miss yall. And have to catch you up on my cry count!

Live abandoned,

Amanda

And 2 months later....

Okay so I have had so many people ask me how summer is going and I haven't been able to catch up on phone and text conversations so here it is in a blog post. I think a major reason why I haven't blogged in forever is that I write the blog for day camp everyday so I forget about writing about my own life!

Well... Summer is going so well! I am loving leadership and camp and the Lord is truly teaching me a lot. Right now I am learning about depending on God. I think that I am doing well depending on myself but when I truly look at how I feel and how I think that the week went I realize that I am so empty and I could be doing so much more! I really think that this is a valuable lesson that I am learning. I know that I do this all the time, depending on myself and only me is a dangerous road. Within the last year I have been brought back to the life of the Israelites and how they took everything in their own hands and didn't follow the command of God. Instead of wandering in the desert for 40 year I feel like I have been wandering in a desert for over a month and I can't believe wandering through any longer than I already have it would be miserable.

As my marathon of weddings begins I am so thankful for the season that I am in right now in life. Tomorrow one of my close friends Rachel Gotcher will be Mrs. Frank Armstrong and I am ECSTATIC to witness it. I love Rachel so much and if you ask her about our friendship she'll tell you that she thought I didn't like her at first.( something about her glasses i think. ;D) She has an amazing heart and I love spending QT with her!

Second is one of my best friends, Jessica Penney. Jessica is the girl that when she walks in a room she lights it up with her precious smile! Some may even say that she is perfect! She will be marrying Aron and they have been dating for 6 years! I love them both and have loved the memories that we have made in the last 3 years of college! Slurpies, Dane Cook, watching High School Musical 3 three times in a row, going to sushi... I could go on and on. I cannot wait to be in her wedding and Amanda Mills and I will be standing next to each other balling our eyes out. I just cannot wait and wish that it was Thursday already so that I could drive up to Dallas to see them.

So I have dished about my life and to my followers I would love to hear about yours so send me an email or find me on facebook and give me an update about your life in chacos(or sperrys, converse, flip flops, nikes, keds.....etc.)

It may not be chacos but I wish that these were real boots so badly! And if you look closely you can see that I am wearing my chacos behind the boots.

Live abandoned,

Amanda

End of the weekend

Well this weekend was a great one to spend with my family! I really enjoyed having some time to relax before finals demolishes my zest for life! I also got to spend sometime hanging out with my friend Shawn at camp. Which made me want to skip the next two weeks and fast forward to CAMP!!!!!!!!!!!!! I hope you all had a great week and are enjoying the little rain that we are getting, and if you are not in Dallas I hope that you get some beautiful rain! Oh and I got to drive through Austin tonight with the windows open listening to Passion Pit. FAV!

This weekend I got a wolf t-shirt and......

Last night I got to spend some time in Landa Park. This is located in the lovely town of New Braunfels, Tx, that I had the great privilege of basically growing up in. Unfortunately because of the flood that we had last summer it is undergoing some remodeling, which has included getting rid of my favorite bridge that was the location of me taking prom pics and senior pics and just having memories there.

Besides that i had sometime to sit and to think and have a quite time. I was brought back to a verse in Numbers that talks about that "At the command of the Lord they camped and at the command of the Lord they went out...." So it made me reflect on my life and how I continually eager to just run and live life, but the Lord needs me to wait sometimes and to stay where I am. And sometimes when we stay and listen

to what he has He will bless our socks off.

Basically, I am changing my major and in continually praying for the Lord to close doors if it is not where I am supposed to be he has just blown some completely open! So, on Monday instead of being a Biology major I am going to switch to...................................Camp and Sport Ministry!

Completely random I know but it is a brand new degree offered by DBU and honestly I have been praying for this for MONTHS! It is insane how I have just been praying that the Lord will show me where I am supposed to be and he fulfilled it!

Post Script: This is Mark and Scheel. Last weekend the got ENGAGED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so excited for them and blessed by their friendship. Cannot wait to see what the Lord has in-store for them!!!

pistachio- mustachio.

So heres the deal. I am sorry that for my 3 followers that I have not updated in like a week but I am working so that it will not happen again! The upcoming end of the spring semester is quickly approaching and I am personally freaking out. But I am so thankful that I have a little more down time this week to do things like clean and to find my mustache tattoos!!!! (Oh! and watching Footloose.... on of my fav. movies!)

Anyways as the semester comes to a close I am completely reminded of the faithfulness that the Lord has. I keep having to remind myself that this week is the passion week and about the miraculous events that happened so many years ago but are still alive today. Jesus willingly sacrificed his life for us and it continually blows my mind. I just cannot understand how he can love us so much.

Well, I hope you have a blessed week and enjoy your easter holiday with your families! I cannot wait to leave and drive home this weekend and see my family! I love you all and hope that you have a great night!

So go pull out an oldie but a goodie movie and clean you apartment!

Counting down the days

So heres the deal. I am so excited for summer that I can hardly contain myself! Like I just want to skip the next month and land myself back at camp running around setting up for theme days. By the way I am sooooo excited. Like I cannot believe that it is almost here again!

But more than anything I am so excited to see what the Lord has in store for me. Little update on my new position this summer. So I was completely content with going back to sports camp this summer and being in a cabin with campers. But the Lord had a completely different plan for me. That plan is Day Camp leadership! The Lord definitely needed to take me out of my comfort zone to show me something better than what I could have planned. So anyways now my days are consumed with thoughts of mission impossible, noah's ark, and throwing a giant Birthday party...... basically I am sooo excited. and more than that I am thankful that the Lord wants to plan something out for our lives. Just so thankful that he loves us.

I have found a trust that teaches how to rest.
I have found a grace that guides me by the hand.
I have found a strength that stands like a mountain.
And I have found, I've found You!
You are all I want, You are all I need,
Everything my heart could hope for.
We are longing for, the Glory of the Lord,
Cause we know there's so much more!

Ephesians 3:20

Live life.

Last night I had the privilege of spending time taking some pictures with my two good friends Christy Tittle and Holle Tubbs. They are amazing and I love them so. The Lord has truly blessed me with their friendship!

Hermano en Christo.

This is Mike.... He is one of my Peruvian brothers and today is his Birthday. The Lord is doing so many things in Mike's life and has given him a beautiful gift of music. And we share a favorite color of purple.

Ephesians 3:20

How deep the Fathers Love

How deep the Father's love for us,

How vast beyond all measure

That He should give His only Son

To make a wretch His treasure

How great the pain of searing loss,

The Father turns His face away

As wounds which mar the chosen One,

Bring many sons to glory

Behold the Man upon a cross,

My sin upon His shoulders

Ashamed I hear my mocking voice,

Call out among the scoffers

It was my sin that held Him there

Until it was accomplished

His dying breath has brought me life

I know that it is finished

I will not boast in anything

No gifts, no power, no wisdom

But I will boast in Jesus Christ

His death and resurrection

Why should I gain from His reward?

I cannot give an answer

But this I know with all my heart

His wounds have paid my ransom

what, what, WEEKEND!!!!

Okay, so here is a random fact about me.

• When I have something that I am passionate about I go at it full force.
• when I get tired of school I begin wanting to go to one place.... camp.

I cannot wait for camp to start. Seriously had a great weekend learning about the role that I will play at camp this summer and loved every minute of it! We have a great team that is really going to work hard to do their best to make this summer the best ever! The Lord has truly blessed me with a great opportunity to work with day camp this summer. He has provided something that is far beyond what I thought and planned to do this summer and I am so thankful.

This morning I was reading my devotional "Jesus Calling" and I feel like it was really something that I needed to hear.

"In me you have everything.. In Me you are complete. Your capacity to experience Me is increasing, through My removal of debris and clutter from your heart. As your yearning for me increases, other desires are gradually lessening. Since I am infinite and abundantly accessible to you, desiring Me above all else is the best way to live."

I think that within the last few weeks my view of life has changed. The view of the way that I live and need to live my life has altered in soooo many ways. And I thank God for how he has taken things from me so that I may grow. He has caused me to look at my life and see that I am so in need of Him. He is taking away the desires I have to please man and to serve man with intentions of showing them the light of Christ and how he can take hold of our lives for the better.

I thank Him for breaking my heart in so many ways. I thank Him that he has caused me to change how I see the world and people in the world and to know that Christ came to save us. He came to save those who others look down upon. He is a God of love.

So needless to say it was a great weekend and I am so thankful for what the Lord is showing me and I can't wait for the summer so I can earn back this chaco tan!

God you are so good.

There are just some days that I just really miss my brothers and sisters in Peru. I am always praying for you!I know that the Lord is doing amazing things through you and He truly changed my heart while I was there! There has not been one day since I have been back that I have not felt a void without having a quiet time with the Lord. The Lord is so good in wanting to change our hearts and turn us back to Him.

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think,according to the power at work within us.

Ephesians 3 :20

Spring in my step.

Buenos Noches bloggers and a happy Tuesday/ its 1 am so its Wednesday to you! I hope that you are well and having a great week. It has been a hectic one on my side and I have really had a hard time in the motivation area of school. 1) because DBU's annual competition of song and dance, Spring Sing! is on Thursday so campus is going crazy trying to get ready... and 2) I need camp to get here. Like tomorrow. I cannot wait any longer it is insane! One perk to the insanity of not having camp yet is that on Friday I will get to head down to New Braunfels with some very special peeps to LEADERSHIP RETREAT! I am so excited to finally start planning and bonding with Day Camp leadership staff. And I have been warming up my volleyball skills for some fierce competition. But amidst all of this I have been feeling like there is no point to school. Literally the thought that I have to take an anatomy and physiology test tomorrow is driving me nuts and I am at the point where, it just doesn't matter. And no lie I have been praying for the Lord to return before this next round of finals. Every round just gets worse and with taking 5 classes and one of the finals being a 10 page paper, I'm preparing for this one to run me into the ground.

But anyways back to Spring Sing! This years will definitely be a run for everyone's money with their being 9 different organizations performing there will sure be some creative twists with the Motown theme. Tonight I had the lovely pleasure of practicing with my Zeta Chi sisters in Sadler hall... and just let me tell you, we're bringing the competition!

Fun fact about Sadler: the carpet to the right is from a prestigious and historic landmark in the US. Would anyone like to guess??????????

Well if you guessed the White House you would be CORRECT! DBU sure does like to class things up! And honestly I like that were classy!

Post Script: Where did this cold weather come from? I thought I had made a good deal with winter that when I got back from Peru he would be gone. I would rather be sweating!

Currently listening to:

Brooke Fraser mix of albums: Albertine and Flags

Day 1

Well for most of you, this is the second blog that I have started and the first one was a total bomb. Why? Because it did not truly have a theme to it. There was no spark! But as I was walking home from work I thought about the fact that I wanted to rip off the dress shoes that I was wearing and glide my foot into what some would call my "clunky" chacos. Now, I understand the right that people have to not like my chacos but the fact that they have been faithful to me for almost 2 years is a big deal. There going onto their 3rd summer at camp, 4th semester at DBU, just finished their second trip to Peru, and countless floats down the river, OH and swimming in the AMAZON RIVER!!!!!! So heres the deal. I love my chacos and not just the fact that they get me through day to day life but the fact that no matter how many times I wear them I will never get tired of them. They are in fact the best $112, with tax, that I have ever spent. They will always fit because they are adjustable, (side-note advice: when traveling in long plane rides, say 6hours from Mexico City to Lima, Peru; be sure to get up and walk around a couple time. Your feet will swell and it makes them a little uncomfortable while running through customs. But take heart your feet will return to their normal size so don't bother in the adjust of straps!) and after about two days of breaking them in they will be the most comfortable thing that you own.

So when think about how much I love my chacos, I thought about the fact that they are just shoes. (I know I talk them up and then cut them down so quickly.) There will be no really gain from them and there will be absolutely no use for them when I go to heaven. But I guess I like the fact that they have been with me through some of the big events in life. Like my first time evangelizing and going hut to hut in Libertad. My first gospel presentation at camp. The first time I even left the country in 2010 to go to Tarma. And PLEASE don't look at this and

think that I feel like these shoes are possessed. But i guess what I am trying to say is that I am blessed that the Lord has decided to use lil' ole me to do these big things. When I look back at what he has taken me through it makes me grateful that we have a God that has a plan for our life and takes time to know how many hairs we have on our head. He sent his son to die on the cross for us just so that we could spend eternity with Him and be cleansed from our sins. I am just grateful.

Here are some suggested music listenings:

"I have found" Kim Walker-Smith

"His Glory Appears" Hillsong United

"Aftermath" Hillsong United

• actually the whole Aftermath CD it has been on repeat for me for 2 weeks its great!

Well I love you all and hope you have a great day.

Peace, love, chacos,

Amanda