{Where Have I Been?}

Some of you may have noticed that I have been a little MIA in the past month.

Well I have been.

Here's what's been going on:

I am taking 18 credits this semester; I am working 11 hours this semester (not as much as usual, but still...); one of the classes I am taking this semester is my Ministry Practicum and for that I need 150 hours this semester of work, so I am volunteering 8.5 hours a week with Daybreak Crisis Pregnancy Center; I have had a good amount of reading for my Philosophy class; I have been going to the chiropractor every Thursday night - it's an hour drive one-way; I have been doing my 30 hours of CSL (Christian Service Learning) at Calvary Chapel on Sunday mornings; January and February are birth months for my entire family, so we've been doing things for that; I have been grocery shopping, and keeping the tank filled, and writing papers, and doing research, and meeting with friends, and inviting friends over, and forgetting about last minute assignments, and studying for one exam after another, and trying to find the off button for this perpetual world-sized treadmill that I am finding myself on.  I have just been going and going and going and going, and I'm trying to find time to rest because I feel physically right now like I am out of breath.  I sometimes unconsciously rule out the need to eat because it's just another thing to do.  I don't want it to sound like I'm complaining about, or dissatisfied with, what I've got going on; I find pleasure in learning, meeting with friends, and volunteering at church and at Daybreak.  I love everything that I'm doing.  The problem is that I am doing sooo much.  And it's wearing me out.  Blogging, as I've mentioned a million times before, is one of my biggest and favoritest halftimes.  It's an outlet for me to be creative and to share neat things with the world.  However, I have hardly had time to stop and enjoy this little past-time of mine, because every chance I get to just take a breath, I literally do not do anything.  I literally just sit on the couch and look out the window.  These few chances I get usually only last for about 5 or 10 minutes before I'm going on to the next thing that needs to be done.  So, sadly, I will still not have a whole lot of time to blog throughout the rest of the semester, but I will still share some things as I have time and energy to do so.  In the meantime, if you are a friend and/or prayer warrior, when I happen to cross your mind, please pray for these things:

• That God convinces me to slow down so that I can enjoy His rest.
• That I learn to say 'no' to more than I can handle.
• That I retain the physical, mental, and emotional strength to keep going and avoid falling behind.
• That Frank and I do not lose sight of each other, an our marriage, amid everything going on.
• That I keep up good communication with Frank and others around me.
• That we continue to be faithful to God, knowing that we cannot make ourselves righteous, but God brings us to His righteousness in His time.
• For the ladies that come into Daybreak, scared and wondering whether or not they should keep their unborn babies; let their hearts be softened and molded by God so that they know they are taken care of and loved.
• For the girls at the middle school I go to for Daybreak, that they will discover their identities in Christ, not boys or babies.
• For the girls in the middle school small group at church, that their hearts be opened to the passion God has for them and the plans He has for their lives.
• And for my dear professors who love us and care about our relationship and understanding of the Lord; give them strength and rest as well.

Thanks for the prayer, and I will see ya when I see ya!