Grandma & Grandpa

I am so excited! In about one hour, my grandma and grandpa will be arriving here in Wilmington to visit me! I can't wait to see them! They're coming over for dinner tonight, and then we'll spend Thursday, Friday, and Saturday here in Wilmington, and then Sunday we're going to Charleston, SC for a couple days, then Beaufort, SC for a couple days, and then we'll come back to Wilmington for a couple more days until they leave on Sunday the 24th. I'm so excited to see them, and to travel a little bit and see some cool things :) It's going to be so much fun, and I'm sure I'll have tons of pictures to blog by the end of the trip!

God's Will

"Then they asked him, 'What must we do to do the works God requires?' Jesus answered, 'The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.'"
- John 6:28-29

I've been thinking a lot about God's will lately. What's God's will for my life? Was it God's will for me to come here? Is it God's will for me to stay here? Is it God's will for me to move back home? Can I screw up God's will for my life? How do I know if something is God's will? So many questions, and it left me feeling so confused and frustrated. Then I began to realize something- God's will is simply for us to believe in him. To know that he is Lord of all, and to put our complete trust in him. To live every day for him, and for everything I do, to be for his glory. No matter what city I live in, what job I have, who I'm friends with- as long as I'm living for God, I am in his will. I don't know where I'll be 10 years from now, 5 years from now, or even 6 months from now, but I know that I believe in God, and I trust him, and in the end, that's all that matters.

20.92

20.92- that's how many inches of rain we have had here in Wilmington since Sunday. 20.92! And it's still going! On Monday alone we got 10 inches! I have never seen so much rain in my life. I love the rain and all, but I need the sun!

Living the Dream

Okay, so as I was just now driving home from the post office, it suddenly hit me- I am LIVING my DREAM! For a whole year all I dreamed about was moving out here and I looked forward to being here every day, and now I'm ACTUALLY HERE! I did it! And not only that- I did it ALONE! For so long I've let that bring me down and it's kept me from realizing the fact that I'm REALLY living my dream! Yeah, it's been hard, but mostly because I've been making it so hard on myself. All I've been thinking about is that fact that Ashley didn't come and it's been keeping me from enjoying life! So from now on I'm not focusing on that anymore- there's nothing I can do about it and I shouldn't let it affect MY life! :) I'm LIVING MY DREAM!

First Paycheck!

Okay, so this isn't REALLY a paycheck (as you can clearly read, stamped on the paper...I just get direct deposit to my account) but it shows all the information and I HAVE to document this momentous occasion :) haha.

Land of Bugs

I am in the land of bugs. They are everywhere. I hear them constantly. Thankfully, I have managed to keep a safe distance from them and I have yet to have been bitten or stung by anything *knock on wood* lol. However, here is proof of the kind of things I am now living amongst. It gives me the heebie jeebies if I look at the picture for too long. I mean seriously- what the heck kind of a bug is that?!

I'm Just A Girl

I don't know what I want, So don't ask me, cause I'm still trying to figure it out.
Don't know what's down this road,
I'm just walking.
Trying to see through the rain coming down.
Even though I'm not the only one,
that feels the way I do.

I'm alone, on my own, and that's all I know.
I'll be strong, I'll be wrong,
Oh, but life goes on.
Oh, I'm just a girl, trying to find a place in this world.

Got the radio on, my old blue jeans,
And I'm wearing my heart on my sleeve.
Feeling lucky today, got the sunshine.
Can you tell me what more do I need?
And tomorrow's just a mystery, oh yeah,
but that's okay.

I'm alone, on my own, and that's all I know.
I'll be strong, I'll be wrong,
Oh, but life goes on.
Oh, I'm just a girl, trying to find a place in this world.

Maybe I'm just a girl on a mission,
but I'm ready to fly.

I'm alone, on my own, and that's all I know.
Oh, I'll be strong, I'll be wrong.
Oh, but life goes on.
Oh, I'm alone, on my own,
and that's all I know.
Oh, I'm just a girl, trying to find a place in this world.

Oh, I'm just a girl.
Oh, I'm just a girl.
Oh, oh.
Oh, I'm just a girl.

Wilmington, NC

Okay, time to catch up on my blog...*deep breath* haha. (I decided to just keep using this blog too, not starting a new one). Okay, where to begin? Well, I left Lake Tahoe on July 27th and flew out of the Reno airport at 4:15 PM. From there I had a layover in Phoenix, then Vegas, then Charlotte, and then FINALLY landed in Wilmington on July 28th at 8:30 AM. It was the longest, most exhausting dang trip I have ever taken in my life! I was a zombie for like the first week, all I did was sleep, I barely even ate because my food schedule was off and I was never hungry. It also had to do with the fact that I was so utterly homesick that I was literally sick to my stomach. That first week was not a pretty one for me, we'll just leave it at that. Then on August 8th, I got a car and things started to get semi-better. I was able to go out and do things, apply for jobs, and I spent a lot of that week helping out one of my aunt's friends, Kelly, set up her classroom. I started going to a church that I really like on Sundays, and then on the 17th their college group started back up again, so I started going to that. I like it a lot, it reminds me a lot of what chapel was like at school. Then on the 19th I had two job interviews- one at Charlotte Russe and the other at Kohls. Then other interview on the 20th for Sears Portrait Studio, and I got hired right then and there for that job! I started work the next day, the 21st. And ever since then that's pretty much been my life. I go to church Sundays and Tuesday nights, and the rest of my week is filled with work. So even though things have definitely gotten better since that horrible first week because I'm busy and have other things to focus on...things are still pretty hard. I'm still homesick every day. I still want to go home. I'm still not sure I'm meant to be here for very long. But those are things I'm trying to figure out. I'm just getting through day by day, doing my best, praying that God will show me the answers.

Downtown Wilmington

Some battleship lol...took this pic for you Kels, knew you would appreciate it haha.







First day of work :) lol

Backyard

I spent A LOT of time on this swing that first week.

Swinging :)

Starting again soon!

I know, I know... I've been a horrible blogger lately! Things have just been kind of crazy, and I'm still adjusting and trying to figure things out. I've barely even taken any pictures since I've been here either. I know, I'm bad lol. But I get my Internet hooked up on Monday, so I promise I'll start back up again! I set up a new blog a while ago that I planned to start blogging on once I got here, so I'll post the link to that one once I start it! :)

Adjusting

I've been in Wilmington, NC for 10 days now. There have been some really bad days, and some really good days. It hasn't been easy. Lots of homesickness, but I know things will get better. I'm adjusting.