Hawaiian Party

Look at Dad and Mason in the back row learning a dance from Hawaii

Dad I think it is too late for that...




And a fun time was had by all... well except maybe the pig...

Lexi

It was so nice to see my family from Alaska again.

I have been watching Lexi, my cousin's baby, grow up via pictures over email but it was so good to see her in real life. Even though I had never met her in person it was like I already knew her because of all the great technology we have now.

I love Lexi and Amy!

Amy, my cousin, cut my hair and it looks so good.

Mom and Tracy's Wedding

It was a wonderful wedding. We had a great party afterwards with all of Mom's and Tracy's friends. It was a day to remember!

Two Families becoming One


You may kiss the bride...


For the first time Mr. & Mrs. Tracy Davison


Bubbles

My mom looks so beautiful.

Have a good Honeymoon


The Maddy Face :) I love this picture


And now I have another little sister, Jessica. Another little sibling that is taller than me... yeah! :) But I love them all.

College for Mallory

Wow do I feel old... My little sister is going to college.

We moved Mallory into Columbia. She is on the 7th floor of the University Center. Which is smack dab in the middle of Chicago, right on Wabash and Harrison. She's got everything with in walking distance.

Her dorm is really nice and she has a roommate and two sweetmates; they have a connecting bathroom.

It was a little nerve recking during move in day but it always is. Mallory did well and she has played cards both nights she has been there. This week is 'Welcome Week', where she gets to learn all about Columbia.

How exciting... Oh to be a freshman again...

Wedding Planner

I think I have been missing my job of planning events...

My mom has willingly allowed me to take over the planning part of the wedding. She has laid the ground work and now I am putting it all together :) Making schedules, Target runs, decorations, phone calls.... I love planning things!

This wedding is going to be so much fun. But I am also really excited for my family from Alaska to come in. I get to see Amy and Andy (my cousins) baby, Lexi!

On one of my Target runs for ribbon, I conveniently passed by the baby section and just happen to find a cute little summer outfit. I figure living in Alaska Lexi might need some summer clothes. Can't wait to see you guys!

International Teams

After much searching, filling out the applications, a few phone interviews, a psychological evaluation, another written application, and one last interview, I have been accepted as a career missionary at International Teams, also known as ITeams.

After consulting with the Lord, I accepted the position with ITeams and signed up for the first training session.

How exciting! I am going to be a missionary! I just can not wait!

Now I am sure you are wondering what is the time line of me leaving for Africa... Now this can change according to God's plan but for the moment this is my plan. I will work a little this semester while taking two training session with ITeams and raising support. During January and February are the intense training sessions. I will take a vision trip (check out what is going on, meet the team there, look at my house before I buy it) to East Africa, Rwanda and Uganda. I will come back for the summer and make the last minute preparation. Then I will move to East Africa around October 2011.

I alway thought I would graduate form college and move right to Africa but that is not what God's plan is for me. I will be in the US a little longer than expected but it will be nice to spend some time with my family and friends before I leave.

But again this is just my plan, God can change it. Who knows maybe I'll end up in Africa sooner... :)

Camp

I love working for Western DuPage Special Recreation Association, WDSRA.

I get to be a one on one aid for kids with special needs in a camp. That means I do not have the responsibility to plan and organize all the fun trips but I get to go on them. This week is the end of the summer bash and that means lots of field trips and fun.

We got to go down town to Navy Pier and not only play miniature golf but we also go tot go on a boat ride. I have been away form Chicago for a while and I forgot how beautiful the city is. I love Chicago. I took this picture with my phone while we were out on the boat.

We also went to a water park. It was great! The participant I was with went down the big water slide! I could not believe it, it I was so proud of him.

Garage Sale

So today my siblings and I had a garage sale. We opened at 8am and there was a light flow of people all day long. My goal was to sell as much as possible, even the house. That way it would be less to move when we find a new house.

One man came and I thought he might be interested in buying the house so we talked for a while. He said he could not buy it now but would spread the word that a house is for sale :)

It was 95 degrees outside and I just could not take it any more so we closed up shop around 3:45pm. It was pretty successful: sold some stuff, made some money, finished a scrapbook, did a bible study and talked with some people.

Oh and I am still pretty itchy. I went back to the doctor today and he said I still have poison ivy. Instead of oral drugs he game me creams. Lets hope this works!

Dad and Sue

On August 9, 2010 my dad and Sue got married! It rained in the morning which will bring them luck but for the ceremony the skies were clear and beautiful. It was a great day. It was really nice to see my dad so happy.

Decorating


Getting Ready


The Ceremony


Wedding Party

Mallory, Me, Brittany, Sue, Dad, Mason, Brad, Scott

The Happy Couple

Tooth

In the middle of wedding planning, preparation and getting better from poison ivy one of my teeth broke. It was a back molar and it hurt pretty bad. Good thing I was home for all of this.

Quick visit here and there and now I have a whole new root to my tooth. The best part is that the doctor put in an orange root :) I was wearing my orange shoes and an orange shirt and he thought I should match. That was very nice of him. We also talked about his adventures in the peace core (he was in Africa).

Now that I will always have orange with me, I now need to get a cap for my tooth. So, no one will ever see this orange root but I will always know it is there :)

Beautiful Night

This was my last night in Philly. I just had to share it with you all.


This was a great summer, a great experience and I am thankful for each moment of it (even the poison ivy).

I met great people, traveled to new places, learned new cultures and got to see God work in it all.

I learned that I am a very independent person but I heavily rely on God to guide my every move. And every day He took care of me, whether it was due to a tornado, what to do for the morning, patients, or just sitting and listening to Him.

And now for the next journey of my life. Weddings...

Fun in Philly

My last night in Philly, I had to do all the tourist stuff!

I went to the land of giant game pieces...


And I got a push in the Monopoly wheel barrow.

That is Jen. I was living in her room for the past summer. She is awesome and took good care of me when I was very itchy.

Then we climbed up the stairs Rocky trained on.


And of course I had to find a fountain. I love fountains.

This fountain is in the middle of Logan Square. It may not be as cool as Buckingham Fountain but it was pretty nice.

It was a great night on the town, even though I was really itchy.

Had to Come Home

After a few hours in multiple doctor offices, some confused looks and a change of medication, I realized it would be best for me to head home and get better.

It was a hard decision to make but I realized I was not going to get better and would only hinder my team and myself if I continued.

I said my good byes, packed up my bags and headed home. It has been two days and the swelling on my wrists and ankles have gone down greatly. I am still pretty itchy and very red but doing much better.

It is nice to know that there will always be a safe place to come if anything every happens. It may take a day or two to get home but it is possible and I am welcomed with open arms.

Love Park

The city of Brotherly Love.

I love this place. Not just because it is in the middle of a big city or because it is a fountain but so many people come to hang out here.

One of my favorite memories was bringing about 100 sandwiches and passing them out to all the people who would not otherwise eat that night. Yeah you can say they were homeless but I like to call them friends.

It brought me back to the good old days of Sunday Snacks. Oh and for all of you who have met Foots before, well I found the Foots of Philly. Her name is Sharron. Wild and crazy but you just have to love her :)

A Mix of Groups

Back at Wyoming Baptist we had three different groups there this past week.

One group was from Massachusetts.

The leaders were Tim and Ann. There were 8 energetic high school girls; Allison, Melony, Emily, Hannah, Allison, Kimmie, Hannah and Maddy. I got to do a little bit of ministry with them and they were a lot of fun. Lots of changes coming up for you girls but don't worry God will show you the way.

One group was from Indiana.

Brad and Karen were the leaders. There were 5 high school students: Megan, McKenzie, Natasia, Micheal and Steven. It took a little pushing to step outside of comfort zones but once they did God really used them. Keep on being bold.

The other group was from Connecticut.

This was a group of junior higheres who were very excited and ready to serve the Lord. Leaders: Tim, Karen, Ugo, Megan, Priscilla, Scott, John, Katie, Julie, Rachel, John, Patty and studetns: Michael, Emma, Emily, Carolyn, Jayla, Jackie, CC, Katie, Lizzy, Michael, Erin, Josh, Eles, Katherine, Collin, Steven, Sam, Phinous, David, Elena, Cameron, Jackson, Olivia, Zack, Josiah, Zack, Rommel, Michael, Peter, Ryan, Hassan. It was awesome to see them grow through out the week.

Now that you are all back on your mission field, use what you have learned on the training ground a be bold for the Lord.

It Itches

So here I am in the middle of the big city. I am in the middle of Philadelphia.

We had a work project last week to pull out some weeds form an over grown garden. I did not think twice about helping out. Pulled out a few pairs of gardening gloves for my team and I, and we started pulling, and pulling and pulling. It was like a jungle in there.

At the end of the day I saw a few mosquito bites but it was not bad. Just do not itch it... well the itching got worse and my mosquito bites started to multiply...

I started to second guess myself...Then put it all together...Yep...I got poison ivy!

It is not too bad now. I have spray to dry it out and I am washing all my clothes and sheets to help stop the spreading. One of the church members is a nurse and he is taking really good care of me.

I also told all the students here not to let me scratch. Hopefully it will get better soon.

Back to Wyoming Av. Church

I am back at Wyoming Av. Baptist Church in Philly.

One more week here.

Then I have one week in Roxborough, one week in DC, and then home.

This summer has gone by very fast.

Chciago Group Shot

Cathy, Ryan, Jimmy, Allen, Matthew, Zack, Drew, Austin, Sarah, Allie, Nikki, Jessie, Halsey, Sonny, Brandon, Jim, Dolly, Timmy, Aubrie, Zack, DJ, Andy, Rachel, Megan, Jon and Ms. Pearl (she owned the Day Care we stayed at)

North Carolina Group

Group shot!
Top row: Zack, Izzy, Rabecca, Alisa, Kevin, Matt, Matthew
Middle row: Jordan, Sarah, Anna, Katie, Nikalas, Brandon
Botton row: Sammie, Mikala, Nick, Mark, Pastor Ron (from chruch in Roxborough)


They worked hard. And see that back room that is yellow... That is the nursery and they painted it.

Prayer

We took some time and prayer for the community of Roxborough. In many different ways. The students really got in to the prayers and by the end the whole wall was full of prayers.