Remember Archive International??!?!

So I've realized that in half of my blogs I say that I will write about things later and I never do. Well, I thought I'd give a quick update on one I wrote awhile ago. Archive International is officially a non-profit!! Mark has done an amazing job of building up the business plan and dealing with all the paperwork to get to this point. I just get excited about hearing of all that's been done. I think the first place he's going is Puerto Rico. He goes later this year to work on it some. Hopefully it can grow...I already see it in Honduras and Haiti. Ha :)

it's in the eyes

When I look at this picture I see her beautiful eyes...I wonder what she's seen, what she will see, what she saw in us?????

 

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people,and his incomparably great power for us who believe.
Ephesians 1:18-19

it's getting late....Randomness

What I'm listening to----->




- I love it when I catch all the green lights, that happened tonight. It was glorious.
- Currently, there is a silly band on my wrist...I got it from the most incredibly brave and adorable little boy from the hospital today. Kids like that remind me why I want to be a nurse :)
- I really am growing fond of running...if only it would stay nice outside I could get into shape!
- I'm contemplating getting a tattoo this month...oooOOOOoooo so many choices!
- I can't wait for the warm weather---picnics, camping, fishing, swimming, stars
- It feels weird not getting summer vacation off for the first time ever. I don't like this whole, being grown up thing. ha
- I have been up for 20 hours. Probably should go to sleep

It conquers the world

The love for equals is a human thing---of friend, brother for brother. It is to love what is loving and lovely. The world smiles. The love for the less fortunate is a beautiful thing---the love for those who suffer, for those who are poor, the sick, the failures, the unlovely. This is compassion, and it touches the heart of the world. The love for the more fortunate is a rare thing---to love those who succeed where we fail, to rejoice without envy with those who rejoice, the love of the poor for the rich...The world is always bewildered by its saints. And there is the love for the enemy---love for the one who does not love you but mocks, threatens, and inflicts pain. The tortured's love for the torturer. this is God's love. It conquers the world."  --Frederick Buechner--

Costa Rica

I can't believe it's already been 5 years since I went to Costa Rica!!! CRAZY how fast time goes. I was just looking through pictures and have never really wrote about my experience...so I guess I'll do a little bit of that here before I forget!
---How I got there??---> It was my 2nd semester freshman year and I was not really enjoying college, I'm pretty sure I cried a lot and remember signing up to go after a particularly bad week....It was time to get out of Kentucky, away from UK and do something different. I had always wanted to travel and wanted to learn Spanish so bad...I left my first semester sophmore year!
---When I left---> I was scared to death. I had never traveled alone, I had never been away from my family for more than a few weeks, and I did NOT know Spanish. The plane ride was awful, I was so nervous and thought I had lost my mind!!!
---When I got there---> The first I'd say 2 1/2 weeks, I might have cried every night. I really didn't know the language, I felt SO alone, I had to live with a new family, and couldn't stay in touch with my real one that often. I didn't know many people...I definitely felt like I had made a huge mistake and was stuck there for 3 1/2 months. LUCKILY that all changed! I had some of the most amazing experiences while I was there, met some beautiful people (Mya, Keisha..etc), and gained a new love for my culture. Believe it or not I also learned some Spanish while I was there, which has changed my life...
----some pretty awesome things I got to do/see--->
- I learned how to be independent...I traveled across the country, sometimes alone!
- Bungee Jumping with Mya---funniest thing ever!
- Dancing on the beach at night, finding dozens of shooting stars.LOTS of beach days
- Message Therapy school...hilarious
- volunteer at elementary school with some pretty cool kids
- searched all night on the beach in the rain for baby turtles hatching and going to the ocean...found some!!
- tons of CHEAP hostels, yummy fruit, awesome music, lots of dancing!
- saw crocs, monkeys, waterfalls, volcanoes, some of the most beautiful country ever
- AND SOOOO much more!!!
----This experience has changed me. I can speak to my family now which is one of the best feelings EVER and I can connect with people that I never would have been able to without it. It also affirmed my LOVE for travel and has helped me continue on my path towards what I am doing today. I never thought this shy girl (that used to make my parents ask for ketchup at restaurants for me) would be able to make it...I am so glad that I made that jump despite my fears, I am so thankful for having such an amazing opportunity...for all the support I had from home and from the awesome people I met there. I just love God's beautiful plan..if it wasn't for a bad semester at UK, I might have never been brave enough to go and because of my Spanish I've been able to get closer and see God in a different way. :)

oh he makes me smile.

So it's been about 6 or so months (which is a long time for me) since I began dating this really great guy and I'm soooo happy. He still makes me so nervous and excited...
It's crazy how things fell together for us...for example--He was going to move to his favorite city ever and for some reason decided to change his mind and stay here!! (God) Although that company missed out on a super great person, I am definitely thankful for his decision!!!
He really is an amazing person and he treats me so great...it's kinda weird but I'm not complaining ;)He does so many things with me and he loves missions! we got the chance to go to Haiti together. The fact that he loves my passion is so wonderful. I especially love his love for God and for people. He has such a wonderful heart and is so intelligent. He definitely is going places...I just hope I'm going with him. (and that he feels kinda the same way)

this is hard

I just got back from Haiti Saturday and I already miss it. Every time I think about Haiti, the kids or Shane I cry...so I've cried a lot. ha. The week seemed so short but it was packed with amazing"ness". I will write more about my days there later. My heart has been hurting today, it's so hard for me to come back after my trips like this...I don't know how to describe the feeling, maybe kinda empty?? I think it just means that I can't stop with just that...that I cannot go back to normal, that I have to continue to find ways to love with my life. I hope I can get back into things here this week and I use this new experience of God to strengthen my faith and relationship with Him.