FLOWERS!!!!

This week has been... 

INCREDIBLE!!!   :)  

Monday:  When I went out to my car to go to school in the morning, it was dreary and raining... and tucked under my windshield wiper was a card... a love note from my Ryan.  :)

Tuesday: I wrote an email of thanks to Ryan and in return got an incredible poem about how he's still ok with waiting to kiss me!  :)  Then, when I got home I found these incredible tulips on my porch with stickers and another little note.  :)  My car broke down on my way to Columbus tonight... but I got a phone call about a job interview at Waldenbooks and we set that up for Thursday in Columbus!

Wednesday:  Today completely caught me off-guard... the lady who fills in for me during my lunch break had found a position in the newspaper for a social worker and gave me the information at lunch, and I was so excited about the job and scrambling to see if I could apply for it that it took me a while to get my food warmed up.  When I finally sat down, I'd just taken a bite or two of my apple when Mr. Bowman, our school principal, burst in the room saying "Where have you been?  Did you forget?  You can eat that... or I still have lunch for you by the concession stand if you want?"  I felt dumb... but so excited!!  Free lunch with the other adminstrative ladies!  They served us lasagna... and then Mr. Bowman gave me a huge hanging basket of pink flowers as a thank you for being a part of the Middle School's Administration team.  :)  That was so neat!!  Ryan and I got to eat dinner together, which we don't normally do on Wednesdays... and then when I went to pick kids up, my car was doing a lot better.  (I worked on it Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon... I think it's got a leak in the radiator and needs a lot of fluids to keep it cool.)

Thursday:  Ryan sent me a weird text saying "Today is a day of surprises!"  I thought he was crazy... YESTERDAY was a day of surprises!!  :)  I had a job interview in the evening so kept my focus on that thinking nothing really about his text and excited about all that had happened the days before... when all of a sudden in seventh period, I had three girls in my room doing their detention... another girl walks up with this huge thing of yellow roses.  I just stared at her and finally said, "Is that for me?!?"  She handed it to me... and when she turned the vase around I realized the vase was a box of crayons and there were crayola crayons in the boquet!!!!  I immediately started crying... and the girls were all so excited with me and I walked around the room and talked about Ryan and made the girls smell the flowers (lucky for them they had a rather fun detention!)  And then when another teacher walked in to see them, I held them up and she said, "Kara, you're shaking!"  :)  I can't believe him!!!!  Ryan is the most incredible, amazing thing that has ever happened to me... and to think... he gave me a boquet of my absolute favorite flowers mixed with my absolute favorite smell... he is so special to me!!!  I feel SO incredibly blessed, and loved, and spoiled, and lucky to be with such an incredible man... who is wonderful and loves Jesus and people and wants to live his life to serve God.  AH!  I'm so overwhelmed!!!!!!  HOW WONDERFUL IS THAT!?!  Oh, and!  My interview went really well!  We'll see what happens with that in the next few weeks!  And Ryan and I watched that earth day movie last night... it was so good!  Except there was a little boy behind us, about 4, and when the Daddy Polar Bear died he was really upset.  :(  I felt so bad for him... and felt bad for his Mom who will probably hear about the poor bear for days!

And then Today, Friday:  I packed us a lunch of one of his favorites... egg salad... and we're headed to Olivet for Kate's bridal shower and then to be with our families all weekend.  My Dad, Anna and Mom are coming for the shower.  Ryan's Mom is coming to Olivet for Ladies Day with her church so we'll hang out with her tomorrow... and then we're staying at Ryan's Dad's house and going to church Sunday morning with his Grandparents.  Minus my car breaking down and my being stranded in a parkinglot at a factory... this has been the best week EVER!!!  :)  I'm so in love with Ryan Goode!!  :)

Check out all my wonderful flowers... I kinda went picture crazy!!  :)  

They smell so good!!  :)

some pictures to share!

I have some pictures to share!

First... I have some roommates! :) The other day at school there were leftover gold fish from a science experiment. So, I took Bodo home. He's the fully orange slightly larger goldfish in the bowl below. However, he seemed tramautized from school as he hopped around the bottom of the bowl, hid behind the tree, and would not swim up or eat. I thought he needed friends to remind him how to be a fish again, so Saturday night Ryan and I went to Seymour and brought Zulu (the white and orange lady fish) and Zurich (the orange and black guy) home to be his friends. Bodo head-butted both of them for at least an hour after they joined him in the bowl... but eventually he settled down and he's swimming around the bowl and today I caught them all eating! :) I like my little friends... I just wish they weren't so afraid of me! Enjoy the pics...

left to right in the picture above and below: Bodo - Zulu - Zurich

And here's a few other pictures...
Mom, Dad, Caleb and Anna came down and spent Easter weekend with Ryan and I. We had a ton of fun... we had dinner and then went to the Good Friday service Friday, Saturday we went to a used video store where Caleb made 22 dollars and 2 cassette tapes on some of his nintendo games, and then Caleb and Ryan hung out while Anna, Mom, Dad and I went to the park for a little hike. They left Sunday afternoon after we ate lunch together. It was so good to be with them all!! Enjoy these pictures too!! :)

Spring... Growth... Life!

You've turned my mourning into dancing again

You've lifted my sorrows!

I can't stay silent I must sing for Your joy has come!

Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay.  You have made known to me the path of life; youwill fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.  -Psalm 16:9-11

Today I seriously just feel like dancing!  :)  With the rain comes the Spring, and I see growth and life everywhere!  From looking outside my window at Mrs. Bluejay... to the flowers peppering the earth... to the ladies in my Bible Study... spring, life, rebirth is in the air!  

A story about growth...

March 16th I started a Bible Study for teen girls at my house... and no one showed up.  I was super disappointed, but decided not to give up, and the next week 4 girls came!  We've been meeting each week since then and are talking about how to become the woman God created us to be as we study women throughout the Word.  I have this rule when we pray that I've used since college... that we don't just share requests for an hour and then one person pray at the end... but that we go around the circle and each girl shares something she wants to pray about, and the girl sitting next to her immediately prays for that request.  It's neat because we all pray, not just one person, and we spend more time that way actually talking to God and not just talking about him.  And it's difficult because most people struggle to pray outloud, but I find that it seriously strengthens us as pray-ers.  :)  My favorite part about Bible Study on Monday nights is our prayer time.  It's been so crazy cool to watch these girls learn how to pray!  The first few weeks were super awkward.  The girls were not comfortable with praying outloud, and it was difficult for them to think of words to pray.  Week two the girls were struggling a little bit with their prayers, and after one girl prayed who hadn't been to Bible Study before, another girl blurted out, "Isn't it HARD?  I'm totally out of my element!"  And they all laughed and agreed and another girl said, "Yeah, but I think it's good for us!"  I just sat there... stunned... and SO excited for them!!  They hit the nail right on the head... yeah, praying is hard!  And sometimes learning to be a Christian does take us totally out of our element!!  But it is good for us... and this week I was so excited and impressed with the girls.  Their prayers were so long, and I know they've been praying more on their own, and they weekly challenge me to desire to grow closer and deeper in my relationship with God because they want to!  These girls may not realize it, but major growth is happening in their lives... and since it's Springtime and major growth is happening everywhere, I thought it appropriate that I share this story and celebrate that growth here on my little blog.

Sometimes I get anxious about where I am in life.  It's easy to focus on things that are out of my control and let them bring me down.  It's easy to see the areas in my life where change is not happening, and where growth is not present.  But why spend my time there?  I miss out on the green, on the flower buds, on the eggs Mrs. Bluejay layed ;), on the slow subtle soft change that's happening all around me, and I overlook fully appreciating things for what they've become through their slow growth.  Spring is here!  Today I rejoice because God is working, God is moving!  He turned my mourning into dancing again, He lifted my sorrow!  I can't stay silent... I must sing for His joy has come!

there are bluejays in my tree!

Ok... so I know that 

I don't like birds.

Honestly, they terrify me.

But Sunday afternoon I noticed a pair of blue jays out my window.  I had noticed one a few weeks ago when I was eating dinner with Ryan... their nest is visible from my spot at the table.  And then on Sunday I watched as the female layed an egg.  (Of course, I didn't see her lay an egg... but I'm sure that's what she was doing!  She looked in pain and everything!)  The male scared off other birds during this time, and at one point went and sat in the nest for just a bit while the female sat nearby and ruffled up her feathers at him.  

Then he returned to his chasing of other birds in the neighborhood and the female climbed back in the nest.  She has been there or close-by ever since.  Monday I saw the male flying around and he brought her a worm... I know he's nearby and if I'm right about that female laying an egg in the nest in my tree Easter Sunday, there will be baby birdies in my tree soon!!  

Here are some facts about blue jays...

Breeding interval

In the north, only one brood per year may be produced. 

In southern regions, however, 

Blue Jays may raise two broods each year. 

Breeding season
Blue Jays breed from March through July. 

Eggs per season
3 to 6; avg. 4.50

Time to hatching
17 to 18 days

Time to fledging
17 to 21 days

Time to independence
3 months (average)

Blue jays mate for life and the male and female take turns incubating the eggs, although the female sits on them most and the male brings her food. Once the babies hatch, they share in feeding the baby birds up until they become independent.  So... 

Mrs. Bluejay's due date is Wednesday, April 29th!  :)  

Maybe I'll even get to see the little guys learn how to fly!  Insha'allah (God willing) I will get some pictures of the actual Mr. and Mrs. Bluejay up here soon in my tree... for now, these pictures are ones that most closely resemble them.  Mr. Bluejay is on that green backdrop and I like how his head is cocked as he's always looking around for something to squawk at. And Mrs. Bluejay was pretty fat when I first saw her, so that's a good picture for her!  She is a little more grey than white, though.  When I was little Grandma Nelson used to point out her birds in the backyard to me.  I didn't like them then except for the pretty cardinals and bluejays and hummingbirds because they had such bright colors.  Bluejays are pretty mean, and I'm scared that sometime Mr. Bluejay will swoop at me after he catches me checking out his nest from my window or porch... but they are kind of interesting to watch!!  :)  More bluejay news to follow!  

Spring Break at the ZOO!!!

Tuesday of Spring Break I took these four lovely ladies to the zoo in Cincinnati... we had so much fun!! And then we went to this International Supermarket and then watched a movie and had a sleepover when we got back. It was super fun! Here's some hot shots from the day...

The girls (and Ryan) came over for lunch before we left for the zoo. Here we are in my driveway, ready to hit the road... from left to right it's: Caitlin, Sheryl, Hannah, me, and Kayla!

A shot of the girls as they adventured into the Reptile House! (Not one of my favorite places!)

These dudes were SO fun to watch!! They were probably the first thing I saw when we got to the zoo, and then you could see them most of the day, just swinging away!

These lions were SO loud! I thought they were roaring into a microphone!!
Not sure, but I think lions are Ryan's favorite animal. Funny... when he was in Korea the little kids would call him Lion because they have a hard time with r's and want to make them all an l sound. I guess every day Ryan would write his name on the board next to Lion with a big x through it so they'd remember he wasn't "Lion" but "Ryan". :)

Flamingos!!! I wish I could sleep while standing on one leg!! :) Ha!! Such crazy birds!

These polar bears were cool just wandering all around. Sometimes the animals are just laying there... it's fun to see them get up and wander around. I hate that they don't have much space though and are caged up. :(

Ok, ok... so this zoo didn't have my favorite animal: the camel. But they did have this awesome interesting crazy beast!! It's called a takin. It's a mix of an ox and a mountain goat. I LOVE IT!!! Totally my favorite beast at the zoo!! And it wandered all over and had this ball thing it could play with!! Such a cool creature!! I want to meet one someday. (Except they live in China!)

And here was big lazy Mr. Takin. The little guy was way more interesting to watch... but they both captivated me!! I've never seen anything like them!!! (Check out the slight hump on this dude's back... I bet he's a distant relative of the camel!!) I love camels. And takins!

Sheryl swinging from a tree like a monkey!

Caitlin in front of a monkey... monkey's were her favorite!

Hannah waited ALL day to see the manatees!! And check out this awesome butt shot I took of her and the manatees!! Such a cool picture... and such a sweet creature!

And then Kayla chased a peacock...

I was hoping it would open it's feathers and run at her or something!!
(But not hurt her, of course!)


Zebras!! :)

These elephants were pretty awesome!! They had just been given piles of peanuts... it was really fun to watch them scoop the peanuts up with their trunks and shovel them into their mouths!

Ok... so as we left the zoo there was this massive rhino and a little rhino we wanted to get on and have our pictures taken on. I jumped up the big guy first and then helped Sheryl up...

Then we had to trade places so I'd be in the back and could then help Kayla up...

but I fell off!! That's me right after... and you can see Kayla's foot trying to keep Sheryl up there!

Here I helped Sheryl get her balance and then got myself back up with her...

Now we start to get Kayla up with us... but we needed Caitlin's help...

HA HA HA!!!! Is this picture hilarious, or what!?! :) Caitlin... where's your head!?! :) Ha!!
Needless to say... Caitlin got Kayla up...

And here we finally are... happy and atop the ginormous rhinocerus!! :)

Then Hannah and Caitlin got their picture taken on the little rhino!

So then, we were off to the International Supermarket... and this dragon was in the entrance to the parkinglot... I stood on top of my car and took this picture...

And then I tried to put Kayla on my shoulders so she could get in the mouth of the dragon... it didn't quite work out as I planned!! :) Ha! Sorry, Kayla!! :)

The place was MASSIVE!!!!!!! Check out this one aisle... devoted to CHEESE!!! From all over the world!! Ryan told us about this store... and about the aisle full of cheese... so this shot was for him!

Ryan also wanted me to bring him back something... so I debated lots of things... including this wonderful pigs head and nice little sheepy face...

And then I found Kimchi! That's what Ryan had at meals daily in Korea! But then I thought if I got it Ryan would make me try it... and that's a really big jar... and I'm not sure I could willingly eat rotten cabbage... unless I was in Korea...

so I brought him home some coffee and some chocolate I've had when I traveled overseas and we had that a few days later. So much better than pigs head, lamb face, or kimchi! :)

It was an excellent day and a great way to spend Spring Break!! Thanks ladies for letting me take you to the zoo!! :) I hope you had as much fun as I did!! :)

P.S. Next time... we're going to Louisville. There's camels there! ;)

I am a resident of the beautiful state of Indiana!

It's official, folks.

I passed my driver's test (finally) today. And now I have a license in the State of Indiana... I am an Ohioan no longer!! (Except at heart... a Buckeye forever.) And my license plates say:

INDIANA; In God We Trust.

:) Alright!!

I AM A LEGAL RESIDENT AND VOTER IN THE STATE OF INDIANA!!!!!!!! :)

a good week!! :)

I FOUND THE CORD TO MY CAMERA!!!!!
yay!! that means i can post pictures again... and you should totally scroll down because i went back and added pictures to my old posts!! :)

this week has been really fun!
here's a picture of ry and i beautiful in blue... he loves blue. i never wear it. so we went shopping last weekend after my birthday and i got a blue shirt. it does look ok, he's right. it's an ok color.

this is ryan and his puppy dog, claxton... who amy accidentally called grover. so now i'm calling him claxton grover. ;) but isn't this hilarious? i can't belive one, that claxton would let ryan pick him up like that, and two that ryan could pick him up like that. the dog is massive. i can't pick him up! in fact, i let him sleep with me a few nights and he pushed me out of the bed and i couldn't move him to get back in! i had to wake him up and yell at him! poor guy. :)

chris and amy stopped by on their way to ft. wayne thursday night and i made us all dinner... it was so much fun!! this was the first time they'd been to north vernon and seen my apartment! :) here's a shot of amy and i!

here's our hot fellows...

and here are all four of us!! :)


yesterday, friday, right after school ryan and i took off for ohio where my little brother caleb was the lead in the play little house of horrors. he was seymour... and he did SO good!! :) this is cabes and audrey II. that was quite the play!

then we hung out at my house a little and got to see anna and austin, a boy from our church who i used to babysit, perform at solo and ensemble contest. we missed anna's ensemble by like 2 seconds. that was quite the bummer!! but she did so awesome... she got a 1!!


and austin did really well too on the trumpet... he got a 2 but later they said he'd have gotten a 1 had he told the judge he was playing with braces. what a bummer... but that was really neat!! :)


and now we're back home again... getting ready for church in the morning... and all next week i'm off work for spring break!! i'm excited to lounge, clean, work on taxes, jobs and bills, and i'm hoping to go to the zoo one day with a few girls! :) more pictures to come!! :)

love you!
-kara joy