Yesterday marked the first day of my last year of school! As you can imagine, I'm eagerly counting down this year towards a much bigger event than graduation. :-D
As usual, the first week is quite overwhelming. Trying to find my classes, and on time, can be difficult with all the construction obstructing the very center of the campus forcing everyone to go the long way everywhere. But, all is going well and I think I'll enjoy the many classes. I've also been given two jobs on campus! I'm now the Aide for the Social Science department and the Aide for the Music department. It will be nice to have a little income but also have the convenience of working right there for my instructors.
Also, amidst the craziness, I found time to make Zucchini Bread today. By far, THE best recipe I've ever found! You can find the recipe HERE...
Now I'm off to Pilates class.....I have to say that working out for college credit is pretty awesome. :-)
Before Benjamin came out here to surprise me with a proposal, I had scheduled to meet with our photographer just to go over paperwork and details. Little did I know the Ben had already talked to her and scheduled our Engagement session! I'm sure she was laughing as she scheduled our meeting. :-)
Caren Morris was an incredible photographer! I cannot praise her work enough. She found an amazing spot right at the Mukilteo ferry that included a light house, dock, and cute white fence. Can't wait to see what she does with the wedding next summer. :-) We'll get all the photos in a couple of weeks, but for now, here's a sneak peek!
A little over a week ago the love of my life flew in from the other side of the country to ask me to marry him. What a whirlwind of a week it's been! At the beginning of the year if someone had suggested that by September I'd be walking around with the look of love plastered on my face I probably would have laughed in disbelief. God does work in mysterious ways!
Needless to say, my week went a little differently than I expected! I had a long list of things to accomplish before school starts and my intention was to cross a chunk of things off. Well....that didn't happen. I mean, who wants to be studying music theory and practicing scales when you could be walking on the beach with your fiance or taking engagement pictures! :-)
God has been so good to me. I can't wait to share more about what he's done in bringing the two of us together. But I'll save that for our joint BLOG which will be opening shortly. For now, I'll just say that it's the most wonderful thing when you finally meet the person that God has created just. For. YOU!
So...to my single friends who read my blog, I want to encourage you. I know it seems like such a cliche thing when you hear married or engaged people say "Wait for God's timing and He'll bring you the perfect one!". But I can honestly say...it's worth the wait. Every minute of your single years, God is preparing you to be united with that special person, even though you can't see it at the time. So take courage! And make the most out of these growing moments in your life.
I'm baaaaackk! :-) Finally getting back to this blogging thing. It's been an exciting summer and I can't wait to share with you some of the things the Lord has been doing in my life. I think it will take a series of posts to cover it all but I WILL tell you all about it. :-) Things have finally slowed down enough for me to process it all!
While you are anxiously awaiting future posts....I give you a few videos to watch. These were taken over the summer and somehow never made it onto my blog. Enjoy!
Each year, the Skagit Valley hosts the Highland Games, a festival put on by the Celtic Arts Foundation. Featuring various traditional games (such as stone throwing, hay tossing, etc.), bagpipe competitions, and clan pride, the kilts seem commonplace! If you are of Scottish or Irish heritage, you are likely to find a tent with your clan's name bannered proudly at the front. Vendors selling their wares are scattered throughout, but these aren't your usual fair vendors. Not only will you find curly fries and root beer floats, you'll find haggis and meat pies. Along with "I love Ireland" t-shirts, you'll see kilts, swords, daggers, celtic jewelry, and an array of traditional apparel. Quite intriguing!
Josh and I spent some time wandering around, observing some dancers and musicians, choking down some Haggis for the first time, and cheering on some of the athletes. And after several days of rain and thunderstorms, we were blessed with a beautiful blue sky. :-) It was definitely a splendid day!
I hoped to have something extraordinary to blog about on my 200th post. Hmm.....I'll just tell you about my Monday. ;-)
Busy as usual, I was able to accomplish quite a few things. I got a good head start on a rather large printing project that's set for this week. With only one minor setback, I'm hoping to finish it in record time! If you're at all familiar with the thickness of "Manuscript Evidence" you may be skeptical.....but I AM determined. :-)
The thought occurred to me yesterday that our lavender may be ready to harvest -- our lavender that we planted several years ago and is finally producing a good size harvest! Last year, since I was in Thailand I missed the harvest so no dried lavender for us. I barely caught it this time! I absolutely LOVE the dark shade of the Hidcote Blue lavender. Definitely my favorite variety.
The evening concluded with a FABULOUS concert featuring violinist Joshua Bell. I have been wanting to see Joshua Bell live in concert for years now, so to finally have the opportunity was incredible! It was actually a late birthday present for Christopher, but he confirmed my thoughts.....it was worth the wait. A few months ago I was listening to the classical music station (at a time I wouldn't normally) and I happened to hear them mention that Joshua Bell would be in Bellingham! *Gasp!* He usually only comes to Seattle and the tickets are outrageous. Well.....you can't beat $30 tickets at the Mt. Baker Theatre in Bellingham! I know....I was shocked myself. And of course, the place was sold out. :-)
This is a piece that Joshua Bell performed last night. It was unbelievable! His music nearly brings me to tears, it's so beautiful.
Well, my blog may continue to remain quiet in the coming month or so. I am preparing to go as a counselor to youth camp next week and I am SO looking forward to that! Then....take a breath......I'll have a weekend to prepare for a lengthy trip to Mexico. More about that later.
