quick trip & SUN

one of my favorite pics of Linds & I tubing at staff retreat :)

On saturday I went to the pool with Lori. it is finally NOT 100+ degrees, therefore I can layout without having a heat stroke. :) it was still hot, but not terrible. Sunday, teddy & I swam/layout too! We had a good time.


last tuesday night teddy had his fire academy orientation. it went really well! there are 30 people in the class. Teddy was really pumped after it all. He will be done in January! This allows him to apply for a department in feb/march! That's very exciting for lots of reasons :)

weds-friday: teddy & I went to ft.worth to visit our familes. it was a SHORT trip. not much time with each family. my parents are coming into town this next weekend to see me get baptized. i'm thrilled they are coming!

Last night we went over to my sister/brother-in-laws house. We grilled out steaks & hung out. I had fun with them. We played guitar hero for a while too. I will be house/dog sitting for them next weekend for about 3 days. i loooooooove those puppies. I'm pumped!

I'm going to start packing this week. boxing up crap & throwing away crap too. The only reason I like moving is solely to throw away crap that needs to be tossed. This includes cleaning out my closet yet again. If I haven't worn it in a year, it's gone. No budging. Same goes for shoes...goodness I need to get rid of LOTS of shoes. I'm not really looking forward to having to clean this dang apt. but very excited to get into my new apt with kimbo & cotter! Less then 2 weeks.

-Kells

struggles

my summer project :)

this happens frequently when people step away from a summer project. they become spiritually dry. i'm experiencing that. i started experiencing this a week before summer project was over. i think part of that was me "shutting down" & stepping away from everything. i was ready to be done with everything & back in Lubbock. well nothing has really changed since i've been back. I haven't been in the Word at all & not connecting with the Lord throughout the day. This is something that would happen DAILY on summer project. Not because it was apart of my job, but because I couldn't wait to get in the Word to find out what He was going to teach me that day. Why does it come and go? I know this is normalish. even people in ministry can struggle in their walks.

I almost didn't want to write this. but i'm a very real person/honest person you might say. I might as well just write it. it's ok. Plus, it allows more people in & praying for me. I hate how the devil uses isolation to get people trapped. NO MORE. I need a community of believers to surround me & encourage me.

-Kells

lazy

my pretty sunflowers from my baby!

i've been way lazy since i've been home. But I think thats ok, mainly because I'm still recovering from being kinda under the weather. I have come to the conclusion that I'm dehydrated. I feel bad a lot & feel hungry allll the time. Apparently, that is my body telling it's actually really thirsty. I'm trying to drink water...but I still feel hungry a lot. painfully hungry.

went to Shelley & Antonio's wedding shower last night with Lori. They are leaving for Jamaica on wednesday to finally get hitched after 5 years! I'm excited for her & bummed I couldn't make it. I've known Shelley since 9th grade...so it's crazy to think the girl has a baby & about to get married. Yesterday I was sitting in a room with only 3 single people....the rest were engaged/married. When did I grow up? There are around 6 people that i'm aware of that graduated in 2004 from HS that are getting married this summer. GOODNESS!

just hanging out tonight with friends. i'm excited!
-Kells

texxxxxxxxxxxxxxas

i'm back in texas. but it took A LOT longer then what I thought it would

monday night I noticed my ear feeling a little bit weird. i thought maybe I had swimmers ear so I went and bought rubbing alcohol to help get the water out of my ear. it felt better for a little bit...but then 1:30am I didn't feel to excited about my ear. quite frankly it was hurting. I had my roommate put more rubbing alcohol in my ear & tried going back to sleep. I didn't get much sleep that night and I was suppose to wake up Tuesday morning at 7:30am to drive for 10 1/2 hours. I woke up & I was like...ok I can do this.

at breakfast that mornign with my team I had a spell of getting dizzy. that's when I got scared that I wasn't going to be able to make the drive home. i cried because I just wanted to get home. & i didn't want to call Teddy to break the news & disappoint him. I called him & just cried the second i heard his voice. I told him I was going to try to make it home...and got on the road.

I made it 2 hours feeling just ok...but VERY tired. I was going to continue on, but I got out of the car to get gas & felt really weak. I called Carolyn (my director from the summer) and told her I can't go on. I met up with her & her boyfriend and went to his house to sleep for about 2 hours. I felt better after I woke up & decided I would drive to Norman, OK and stay the night at Taylor & Nathan's. I made it to Norman alright. I didn't feel great...but I made it. I decided that morning I was going to go to the doctor the next morning at8am. I went...and yes I had swimmers ear. The doctor noticed some wax in my ear & decided to try to get it out. Well after digging around in my ear 3 times I got really REALLY dizzy & then I passed out. I have only passed out. Then it took me a good 30 mins to be able to sit up & walk. They put a wet wash cloth on my forehead & gave me water & crackers

Luckily, Taylor went with me to the doctor so she got to take care of me the rest of the day. We went to get my ear drops & breakfast...then I went back to their house & fell asleep again. I needed that rest. Around noon I woke up & decided by 2 o'clock I was going to get on the road to make my last leg of the trip. That is what I did & I started my journey to Lubbock. It took me right at 5 hours to get home. I felt Ok the whole trip...not 100%.

I showed up at my apt with Teddy waiting on me. He met me outside & we just stood there hugging each other for SOOO long. It felt so freakin good. I couldn't believe it. I cried because I was so excited to be back in his arms. he bought me some pretty sunflowers too! He had planned to cook us dinner at my apt, but I really wanted Chicken express. So he drove us to go get dinner. It was great...i just couldn't take my eyes off of him. :) We came back & just hung out. My roommate Kristin was home too...so we got to hang with her a little bit.

Teddy went home early because he had a 12 hour shift on the ambulance today...7am-7pm. I'm ready for my baby to get off work so we can hang out more. :)

Not only am I'm excited to do life again with Teddy...I'm really excited to do life again with Lori & Mary. Mary is back until the end of August & Lori is about to get married! yay!

i've been sitting here all day on the couch, watching the bachorlette :) catching up on the entire season. It helps make the day go by quickly! .....the joy of no work for about a month. i'm going to enjoy it!!

-Kells

i'm ready

this was my view from dinner every night in our cabins. SOOOO pretty!


yep, i am. ready to go home.

i can just tell that things that don't normally bother me are starting to. it's because i've been in a hotel room & this city for 6 weeks. :) there are things I'm really going to miss, don't get me wrong. But I will enjoy being back in my room...even though I will be packing it up. it doesn't matter, i'm ready.

i've had to use spiritual breathing a lot recently--mainly with what i'm thinking or how I want to respond towards something. Really, i'm working on not being passive aggressive....there is definitely more room to grow here.

tonight is the Staff Farewell Banquet. it should be a good time! :) the whole staff team is going to dinner down at the Branson landing at a nice restaurant. i'm excited...because even though I just spent the last 3 days only with them, I can definitely do it some more! i like my staff team SO much.

the retreat was unbelievable. You should go right now and look up Big Cedar Lodge online. HOLY CRAP. it's called a wilderness resort. it really is! it's so pretty & nice! I spent everyday out on the lake, at the lazy river, pools, and on the dock laying out. it was WONDERFUL. my body hurts though after knee boarding & tubing so much. I got pretty beat up, that's for sure. But I'm tan again! Oh & we ate some YUMMY food the whole weekend...

I got some work stuff to take care of so I'm gonna do that. Got paper work to turn in tmrw during our LAST staff meeting.

texas: 2 days!
-Kells

retreat!

here are all the staff women that i LOVE!

i'm leaving in about 5 mins for staff retreat at Big Cedar Lodge. This equals 3 1/2 days on the lake & boat with the team that i love! :) i'm really excited to relax & enjoy the last couple of days with them!

We will return home early afternoon on Sunday & that evening we have staff farewell banquet. Monday I we have staff meeting and stuff to do together from 9-3pm. Then I will pack & clean (ish). Tuesday morning we have to be off the property by 9am. And I will start my 10 hour journey back to good ole' Lubbock TEXAS!! :) i have to admit that I do love the scenery here in Missouri & Arkansas...it's REALLY pretty. But I'm looking forward to wide open skies & NO humidity.

see ya soon TEXAS!!! :)
-Kells