My hidden talent!!!

Tonight we had a cook-off at my church that was between my church and another. We had 3 quest judges and my pastor as the judges. I was not going to enter anything since i hardly ever cook...but I spent the day with Natalie and she was going to be cooking all afternoon so I figured I would cook too...last minute mind you. I picked up all the ingredients I could remember for my "special dish" and cooked really just for the fun of it. And to prove that if need be, I can cook...I just choose not to on a daily basis. Well, there were 54 dishes entered into the cook-off and they were broken down into several categories....appetizers, salads, sides, main, and desert. My dish was a main dish. I warned everyone that I wasn't in it for the competition...just wanted to contribute! After the judging we had a big pot-luck where we got to eat all the good food... and let me tell you there was some STiNKING GOOD FOOD there!! Griff, my pastor, started reading off the winners. I was laughing it up with everyone winning, not expecting anything and BAM!! He announces that my dish WON 1st place for the main category!! Yes, you read right... i WON!!! hahaha. Guess what my "special dish" was....CHICKEN SPHEGETTI!!!! HAHAHA I won with Chicken sphegetti!!! hahaha. I mean, I hardly ever cook and I beat people who are like pro chefs!! We have some stinkin good cooks in our church! It was hilarious! And to top that off, the judges picked one person from all the winners to win the grand price and guess what??!!! I WON THAT TOO!!!! I NEVER win everything! And boy did I rub it in....specially to all those who laughed when they saw that I entered! =) Oh just call me Betty Crocker Jr. from now on!!!
I thought you guys might get a kick out of that like I did! It sure made me laugh hard!

I feel the need to do a few bullets like Amy before I close....
~Did i mention that I have RING WORM!!! How gross is that? Thankfully Les, its not on my face but on the inside of my arm.
~Did I also mention that the blisters on my foot have blisters on top of them...so I have multiple layers of blisters. Can we say PAINFUL!!!
~I find myself wanting a "friend" more today...especially after dinner last night and a day with music man. But wait, maybe now if boys know that I am Betty Crocker Jr. they might come running!! haha... i won't hold my breath on that one!
~I get paid tomorrow!!! YEAH--oh wait it all goes to rent....nice.
~My eyes are a little swollen and incredibly itchy tonight. I mean, please, like I need something else freakish to happen with my body these days!
~I won the cook-off!! haha..that still cracks me up!

Well, it's bed time for me! I hope you all have a great Monday!
Love and Miss!

A little break...but not for long

I went home for a few days because I needed a break. We kept my neice all week and it was so fun to be with her. I don't ever get to see her. It was also nice seeing my parents, Nicolette and her baby, Ollie and my Amy Ott Schneider. I did not desire to come back...but you know, I had to. Luckly today has been full of adventure. First, I brought my bike back...Les, I am READY for our bike day...but I don't know if I can handle it if it is like your and Amy's adventures at the gym. Anyways, I had to stop 3 times just to fix the bike on the rack because it looked like it was coming off. I was running late... i got to Nat and Griff's, took a quick shower and then began the day of wedding hopping! We had one at 12 and one at 2:30. Both beautiful, but totally different. As much as i would love to be in those brides shoes today, I couldn't imagine myself there right now. After the weddings. we had to do a quick change and then head out to the construction site. Our church is building this house for a minsitry we are involved with called House of Hope. It's neat. We worked out there in the rain the rest of the afternoon and then headed back to have dinner with Brandon. A good friend of Nat and Griff's and a short "fling" and friend of mine. I haven't seen him in a while and it was good to see him...different, but nice.
Unfortunalty, it made me lonely. Made me want more...with him??? I don't know. Maybe...but not possible. I think he is a great guy...but he is about to move...with someone else? I think I could like someone else...but of course, he is unavaliable too...then I don't think i like him at all...Amy, your little prank the other day...which was hillarious!, has really got me thinking. Something like that really COULD happen...will it? Who knows. We just have to keep faith that it will happen one day for each of us. In God's timing. Which right now is hard for me to wait on. I dreaded leaving the 3 I had dinner with tonight to come back to my house. It's not that bad...but it doesn't feel like any part mine. I feel like I just have a room. It's weird. But it's what I have now.

I do have some bobo updates....
1) the bottom of my foot is COVERED with blisters. I keep having to get it frozen (because of a planters wart) and it hurts like CRAP!!! I have blisters on top of blisters and it cramps!!
2) I have contracted RING WORM on my arm..... how? WHO FreAKING knows! But it is there and itches like you would not believe...well, i think I know where I got it. From my sweet dirty babies that i mentor...well their mom at least.
3) I have NO money! yeah!

Well, that's a quick update for now. I am sleepy. I pray you are all well!
Seriously, lets do something soon!!
Love ya'll

I need something.....

A change
A vacation
A different job
A plan for my life
A friend
A life
A move
A happy face again
something....I need something.
I am so freaking tired I can't sleep. I just got home from a youth trip. Overall the trip was fine....
There was MORE drama than i have ever experienced in my life though...and you all know how much drama occurs in my life. Something very bad happened that involved me. And it will alter my life here in Tuscaloosa. I don't know how to fix it nor do I really think i care. it wasn't my fault...and all I can say is I AM DONE. I might have to quit my job though...just to avoid more drama. I don't think I care about that either.
I need some direction. School starts soon....NOT excited.
I want to go back to Ecuador....like yesterday.
I need some sleep. I am so very tired. I have been in the car (and driving most of the time)probably about 55 of the last 72 hours. Or so it feels.
I have to go to Birmingham tomorrow to return the rental... I wonder what will happen. Actually at this point, I wonder who will take me.
I have no friends here...that stinks! But not like Mr. Poopy Pants I am sure.
I enjoy reading about your lives. I wish mine was more interesting.
Hope you are all well.
Miss ya'll

Everytime I go to the 'Ham....

Well, almost every time I go to Birmingham something random happens. Today I had to go pick up a rental car for our youth trip tomorrow. Some of my parents are being difficult, so we had to rent a vehicle to get everyone there. Ideally we wanted a minivan, but no such luck. So, we settled for what we thought we were going to get...a dodge magnium...I was so excited to go pick it up. Of course, when we got there, they did not have anymore and we needed it for the luggage space...so instead I got a pacifica...which will hold 1 more person, but does not have ANY luggage space. AGH!! That's what we needed. Anyways, I left the airport, made a phone call to one of my main parents, he told me I had to go back to fix something...bla bla bla...so after 2 trips to the rental place, my friend and i were on the way to the mall. She was following me and then BAM...I lost her. I looked over and she was getting on the WRONG interstate. Here I am in B-ham...Melissa does not have a cell phone and i know she has no idea where she is going. I have to get off 65, get onto 20-59 in hopes to find her. I can't....so I go to the Galleria praying she will make it there. Of course, all 20 million people who live in B-ham decieded to go to the mall today too. I can't find her. So I say a little prayer, and 20 mintues later...I spot her!! YEAH God for that one. She was a little upset...but it all ended well. She made it there, I found her and she got a cute new shirt!
Tomorrow we leave to go to TN to white water raft and then up to Chicago for a Cubs game. I could care less about the game, but here we go. I am taking the bare minium...a pair of pants and t-shirt because we are so short on luggage space. I am SICK as a dog...have been ever since Ecuador. I think I have contracted some bug...I pray it's not staff like your youth Jules!! I feel as if I have mono again...no energy...bad cough...congested head. I have gone to the Dr. and gotten a shot and 2 antibotics. Hopefully I will survive this trip. I have to drive the rental the whole time cause noone else could go with me to pick it up. Pray that we have safety in it and nothing happens while we have it....you girls know how that can be!!
So, Jules, I agree with you....a vacation would be GREAT!! D, I think I can make it to the beach that weekend. I have to figure out when school starts...not excited about that one. Plus there are some weddings and wedding stuff coming up in my life....i thought summer was supposed to be relaxing, but mine feels so hetic!!
Even though I am sick from Ecuador, i miss it terribly and am looking forward to hearing more about me going in December. I REALLY am starting to think hard about next year and doing a year internship with SIFAT so I can go there and work for a while. Anyone want to learn Spanish with me????
Please pray for our youth travels this week. I am praying for you guys!
Miss ya'll!!

Ecuador Pictures take 2!

Here are some more pictures. I have too many that I want to put on here. It was such a good trip for me to go on. God really refreshed a lot of things within me and He has started my wheels a turning again. I am really praying and seeking about doing missions again for at least a year after I finish school. I for sure am going back in December. It was just amazing. I will have to blog more about it later. I unfortunatley have gotten sick since I am back. I have a bad sinus infection. I suppose it's from all the dust down there. I had to go get a shot in my butt today as well as some antibodics and other medicines because on Sunday I leave again to take my youth white water rafting and to Chicago for a Cubs game. I am sleepy now, but wanted to share a few more precious memories with you guys. Maybe I will learn how to add more than 5 pictures at a time. I'll explain these...and then I am out! Hope you enjoy!!!

1st picture--is me and Natalie (my preachers wife) at the Equator...or ecuador. The middle of the world! I thought that would be a kind of bobo touristy thing to do, but it was really neat!! I have more fun pictures of that...but thought this would do!!

2nd picture--me and griff outside the SIFAT bus! There are AU fans everywhere!!!! =) That was a big joke about that magnent. We had several AU fans on the trip and it was fun!!

3rd picture-- HOTTIE Ecuadorian and translator for us Mario!!! He was my amigo the whole week. We took a lot of pictures and played....if only he wasn't in love with a girl from his church. They are not boyfriend/girlfriend yet...but he has plans. DANG!! He is a Godly man...and a hottie!!! He was a lot of fun. Latino men are SO dang romantic. It's unreal!! God, spread the wealth in the USA!!!

4th picture--me and Nat after we climbed this freaking huge mountain! We were at 12,000 feet above sea level there. The scenary was amazing! It literally looked like you could reach out and touch the clouds! There were three volcanoes surrounding us....one is a snow capped mountain. Then the hillside is unbelieveable. You can kind of see the city Quito behind us. It was hard to breath standing still because of the altitude....but climbing that mountain was like death!!! Our lungs were on FIRE!!

5th picture--Ecuador is one of the rose capitals of the world! Amazing!!! During a soccer game, those little boys literally picked this bush dry for me. They kept running back and forth bringing me flowers. If one feel on the ground, they would pick it up and give it back. It was heart wrenching. I could have taken all three of them home with me. It brought them such joy to give me flowers and it brought me such joy to see their love. Isn't God amazing?!!!

Well, that's all for now. I might put some more up later. Wish you all could have experienced it too.

Good night

Ecuador Pictures!

The first picture is a view of the mountain we worked on called Atochucho. We were surrounded by mountains on all sides and it was absouletly beautiful!!

The second pictures is Mama Yoli's house, which is the day care that we helped work on. We worked on the 3rd floor walls as well as built some bathrooms inside.

The 3rd picture is of two PRECIOUS babies! Aren't they beautiful?!!

The fourth picture is at a day care. We would do a bible story with puppets and then do crafts, sing songs, and play until lunch when we would go back to the construction site to eat with the rest of the team and stay the rest of the afternoon. In the afternoon, children and teens from around the construction site would come play for a while and we would do the same thing we did in the mornings at the day cares with them.

The 5th picture is a view of Quito from the mountainside. I wish pictures would do justice, but they just don't. The scenes were breath taking. God's beauty was so evident to me this week. Unreal!!

AMY!!! I need your help! I can't get more than 5 pictures on here at a time...it says it uploaded them but then they won't appear. I am computer dummified. I guess I will just post mulitple posts of pictures.

On to the next one.....

Ecuador...NOT bobo!

I am in Ecudor and I absolutely LOVE it here. I can not even begin to explain what it is. It is so beautiful. Even the poverty and all. I just love it. It has brought back a reminder to me of God´s love for us...and the beauty that He posseses. I have an opportunity to come back in December for a week to help bring Christmas to the children here and I am all in!!! I can not wait. I also have been asked about coming back for a year...well in and out of here during that year. I am really thinking about it. I love it that much. Only problem is that I know very LITTLE spanish!! I don´t know if any of you remember my struggles with trying to learn it in college!! But I am trying and picking up a little. A woman from Spain told me the little I know, I speak well. My hope is to learn more by Decemember. Man, I would love to come back for longer than a week. It´s funny how little I miss about the States...mostly it´s things like my pillow or Ketchup for the food. But I don´t miss my phone or my car...by the way, I would NEVER drive here...SCARY!!! I have met a lot of women who work for SIFAT, the mission organization, who are social workers and even one local who is a social worker and the need on the mountain is so big. And the people are so willing. We are building a day care and also going to day cares and sharing the gospel as well as helping with community kids in the afternoon.
Again, I can´t express enough about how beautiful it is! I wish you could see it for yourselves. I will try to learn how to put some pictures up, but I am afraid they just won´t do justice! By the way, there are also some Ecuadorian hotties here!!!
Gotta Run.

I don't really have any bobo stories to tell this time...well one maybe. I have several PAINFUL blisters on the bottom of my foot, thanks to the dermatologist...and I am leaving TOMORROW to go to Ecuador. I pray that I don't get any nasty infections due to having sores on my foot while I am in a foreign country! Not to mention how painful it is to walk sometimes! But I am excited to be going non-the-less. I really pray that God opens my eyes and ears and even heart back up to Him again this week. I need Him.
Some things that have been going on for me.
-I went home to help tend to my mom for a couple of days--she had surgery on Thursday. It was nice to be home.
-I got a new bike!! Leslie, we for SURE are going to have a day of bike riding in the near future!
-I hit a no parking sign with my car--you would be surprised at how much damage a still sign can do! I guess that was pretty bobo!
-I leave tomorrow for Ecuador--please pray I don't get an infection and our (my) luggage doesn't get lost!! =)

I think that is it for now. I have to finish the last few things of packing.
Amy T., Les, and D, have any of other friends decieded to join us on our blogging adventures? If so, please let me know their names. It has been fun to read about your lives this way. I do feel a little more connected and kept up. I miss you guys. Let's plan an outing soon!! Memphis soon???
Love ya'll