Deer... ugh.

So, as I'm sitting here in the high school building in math/algebra class as a substitute during my conference period, I had to call my insurance company to make a statement about the little accident that happened a couple of weekends ago. My very first accident, and, of course, it had to be a deer.

Marcee, Tayt (her boyfriend), and I left for Wheeler around 9:30pm on a Saturday night to drop Tayt off after he and Marcee had hung out that day. After we dropped him off, Marcee and I started driving back to Canadian. Around 10:30pm, a semi-truck was coming towards us, so I turned off my brights and about 25-30 feet later, there was a deer, not just any deer, but a buck, standing right in the middle of the road on the yellow striped line. Luckily, I was already going 5 mph under the night-time speed limit (which put me going 60 mph).

I barely saw the deer, slammed on my brakes, and probably go to where I was going around 50 mph. I knew not to swerve because that could lead to flipping the car. I knew to just slam on my brakes and take the hit. At first, the deer took off the other direction, but decided to run right in front of my car. So, I hit the deer. Shaking terribly, I called my parents. I had just called them about 5 minutes earlier to let them know we were on our way back. So, dad tells me to pull over to check out the damage. Much to my surprise, it wasn't too bad, but bad enough. I got an estimate on the damage done and it looks like it's going to cost about $2,200 to repair the damage done to my FJ.

Unfortunately, my deductible is $1,000. Luckily, I don't have to pay for that. But, my sister does, which is that bad part. Dad had decided that Tayt coming down to visit was unnecessary and proceeded to say that it puts our family and his family in danger of hitting a deer or having a wreck that it doesn't need to happen again. So, he then tells her that she will be paying for it because it was her "fun time" and didn't ask for permission for him to come down to begin with. YIKES!! Guess it's very understandable. I'd expect him to do the same towards any of us, including myself, had that happened to someone else.

So, Marcee is stuck with the $1,000 payment. I get a fixed car out of the deal. And, dad and mom have the peace of mind that I will not drive that highway unless I absolutely HAVE to.

It could have been so much worse too. Had the deer hit me in any other way it could have:
(A) gone through the windshield -- leaving us possibly injured.
(B) thrown my car into a spin and we could have hit the ditch and flipped my car or spun into the other lane where the semi-truck was -- leaving us possibly in an ambulance on our way to the ER.

Drastic and possibly exaggerated things that could happen, but hey, like I said, it COULD HAVE happened. God was watching over us and had His hand around us. I thank Him for that and am so thankful that Marcee and I are okay and didn't get hurt! He kept us safe.

Just some news...

My brother is getting married to Mauri!!! :) The projected date is March 6th!

An Overdue Update

Hey everyone! So it's been a REALLY long time since I've been on here. Sorry for that! I haven't had internet since the moment I arrived in the States so this is my first time I have been able to give any sort of update. I'll tell you this... I've had a hard time living without internet for the past three months! hehe! :)

I've been working at Alexander's and as a substitute teacher for Canadian Elementary, Baker Elementary, Canadian Middle School, and Canadian High. On the days I don't substitute, I put in about nine hours at Alexander's. On the days I do substitute, I work from 8 A.M. to 3:30 P.M. and head to Alexander's after school is let out and I work at Alexander's until 8:00 P.M. That's about twelve hours worth of work and I had two and a half weeks worth of twelve hour days! It was tiring, but I was loving every minute of it and I still am.

I was accepted into an alternative certification program through Region 4. My certification area is EC-6 Generalist/ESL. My online classes start on October 7th and will end January 31st. So, I'll be pretty busy for the next five months! :)

I just recently moved into a rent house! It had a LOT of work to be done on it and I've finally finished the painting, cleaning, and more intense cleaning because it was horrific! It's starting to look like home. :)

That's about all I have for now and actually all the time I have for now, too! But, until next time... love to you all...

Gone to TEXAS

I'm sitting here on two mattresses in the living room between my best friend, Kayla, and my roommate/teammate, Melanie watching 13 Going on 30. During the movie, we finished off our pints of ice cream, which consisted of Ben & Jerry's Cookie Dough and Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Fudge Brownie. Tonight is the night that we will be staying up all night long to prepare and pack our bags for home -- TEXAS.

So far, I have 3 big suitcases filled with clothes, shoes, jackets, and hoodies, a smaller bag filled with tea bags, haggis, chocolate, and biscuits, and 3 carry-on bags. Luckily, Kayla is here to take on a couple of my bags! It's ridiculous the amount of stuff I have accumulated over the year I've been here.

We leave the flat in the morning around 5:45. Melanie's flight leaves at 9am and we have to be there 3 hours before her flight takes off. Mine and Kayla's flight leaves at 10:40am and heads towards London to Dallas to Amarillo. I'm looking forward to FINALLY seeing my family after 49 long weeks!! I look forward to seeing the rest of you as well whenever that time may be! I'll still be blogging from time to time about my life "after AIM" and as a missionary. I hope to hear from you all still.


Until next time, love to you all...

Random story for you. Really random.

Yesterday, Melanie and I went to eat at an Indian cuisine place called Spice. It was my first time to eat there and I ordered a spicy dish, of course. If anyone knows me, they already know that I love spicy food. A LOT! Anyways, so this dish comes out with the green chilis and "special" sauce (that's what it said on the menu) and it was absolutely delicious. However, it was about to kill my esophagus, stomach, and intestines. I thought they were going to catch on fire and I had the worst indigestion ever! Anyways, long story short... you know you're getting older when you have to take heartburn/indigestion pills right after eating your meal... hehe. :) That's my story.



Until next time, love to you all...

..::..Melanie..::..

I'm going on the last few days that I will have with my roommate, teammate, and one of the best friends I have ever had: Miss Melanie.

The journey began when we became roommates for the first two terms at AIM. I remember emailing her about what she was bringing and what I was bringing; we found out we had both graduated from WTAMU; and, she was from a small town and so was I! We already had more in common than I thought I would have with any of the roommates I have ever had in my lifetime! And, I had 4 in college! hehe...

I remember the first time I met her. I had just moved in all my things into the apartment. My parents, brothers, and sister were sitting in the living room and in walks Melanie. I introduce myself, she introduces herself, and if any of you know her, she's got this "eye thing" that she does and it looked like she had rolled her eyes at me once we met and I was thinking, "oh my goodness, she HATES me!" But, it turns out, it's just some abnormality that happens from time to time and became something I'd entertain myself and give her a hard time for!

We were both in the same group to go to Sudan, TX for our area church, which I was thankful for just because she was one person I actually knew and got along with very well. Little did I know, the Sudan area church group would become the best of friends I have ever had! I'm so thankful for all of them and very thankful for the memories we have together.

The time came to pick top 5 teammates (5 boys; 5 girls) and then top 5 field places and 5 nightmare field places. Melanie was my number one girl on my list and she has told me I was as well. So, I just assumed we'd be on a team together because we actually lived together, got along, we're about the same age, and we were the best of friends! She had Scotland on her list, but Scotland was on my nightmare list. It was actually the first on my nightmare list. (Funny how God works, eh?) Anyways, the time came for team announcements and we weren't on the same team. I was devastated. I fell completely apart and thought I was happy with the field choice I had been given: South Africa, which was my number one top field choice.

We each went our separate ways. I left for South Africa on June 2 and she left for Scotland mid-July. After a couple months went by in South Africa, I started to feel like it wasn't working out (safety, work, connecting, etc). That's when I really started to think about just going home and finishing my field time in the States, but the phone rings the next week after I had been seriously thinking about leaving South Africa and doing something different. It was Melanie calling me from Scotland!! I was overjoyed to hear from her! That's when I found out that Ashley and Jessi (the two girls who were supposed to come to Scotland) weren't going to be going to Scotland to join her and she wasn't sure if she was going to be able to stay in Scotland or even afford to stay. We talked seriously about me coming to join her and I started talking to Kris. Things started rolling and I had a plane ticket back to the States and paperwork waiting on me to fill out for my visa to join Melanie in East Kilbride, Scotland.

After 3 weeks of staying in the States preparing to go to Scotland, I was on a plane in Oklahoma City headed to Chicago... then to Dublin... and, finally, into Glasgow where I would meet up with Alex, Melanie, and Justin. I was excited, scared, nervous, and just not knowing what to think about the whole thing. Melanie greeted me with a huge smile and hug and we headed straight to the Starbucks in the airport where Justin bought our drinks. :) What a fabulous teammate. hehe...

Melanie and I have been together for 13-14 months and now it's time to say goodbye which is something I am definitely NOT ready for. I'm going on my last few days that I will have alone with her because I have a friend coming in on Wednesday afternoon and after that, we'll be on our own separate ways. I'll be on one plane, she'll be on another. Unfortunately, we were unable to book her the same flight because I booked my flight quite a bit earlier than she had. Things are coming to an end and I haven't really been able to cope with having to leave her. I've been trying my best to be the best roommate, teammate, and friend to her. We've had our fair share of fights, bickerings, good times cooking together, having tea and lots of tea cakes together... we've been through thick and thin together. It's been quite the journey and it makes me super sad that it's coming to an end.

I am VERY grateful that she lives in the same state as I do and will be within driving distance... Amarillo, TX! Hooray for closeness! I plan to see her as often as I can and hopefully plan several movie and dinner dates, Starbucks dates, etc. It will be so weird to not live in a flat with her, but in a home with my family and she won't be there. There are things that annoy me about her: whistling, humming, singing, smacking... and I told her last night that there's probably going to be a day when I really miss that, but it's not today. :) And, I'm sure there are lots of things that annoy her about me, but that's just how it goes with roommates and with people in general. You're not going to find someone who is exactly how you want them to be, but I am incredibly thankful that I have had her as my roommate. She's been wonderful. I'm thankful for the ups and downs that we had, because they made us grow as individuals and as friends.

Melanie, I just want to say thank you. Thank you for being you. Thank you for being there for me in my times of need. Thank you for EVERYTHING! I could seriously never thank you enough for being who you are and for everything you have done. You have been a great roommate, teammate, and friend. I couldn't have asked for a better one! God really blessed me when he allowed me to come to Scotland to join this team. You're wonderful! And, you will be missed so much! I love you and care about you tons! I'm here for you always.

Preparing for Texas: 11 days left in Scotland!

I'm sitting here enjoying a hot cup of tea and realized, time has really flown by! I know I say this a lot, but it really has! I had my last work days at ShopMobility and Kirktonholme Primary School this week. It was a very emotional time and I was okay until I had to give a farewell speech on Tuesday for those at ShopMobility and that's when I absolutely lost it.

It hit me hard and I realized that this is for real. I really am going back to Texas and won't be around the friends and family I've made while being here in Scotland. I'm still VERY excited about going home, but it's kind of a bittersweet type of thing. I'm sad to leave everyone, but happy at the same time. Who would've thought that those two emotions were possible to have at the exact same time?!

For the past two days, I have been packing my bags and cleaning up my room. The room is bare. The wardrobe is almost empty. All my drawers in my dresser are empty except for two of the five drawers. Pictures are gone. Books are gone. Bags are covering one side of the room. The cabinets in the kitchen are starting to become empty. The living room is missing the pictures and "homey feel" to it now that everything is gone. But, it's all a good thing. It's a new step in my life and I am very excited about it and can't wait to take on this part of the journey. I have had a wonderful experience while being here in Scotland and I feel like I have really found myself. I know what I want out of life. I know where I want to be. I know exactly who I want to be.

It has made me realize that I really want to be near my family. I love them so much and can't bear to be so far away from them. You go through life saying, "I just want to go and do my own thing. Get out of this town and never come back." But, this made me realize that I want to be back in my hometown: Canadian, TX and right there with my family. They are so precious to me.

I had the opportunity to volunteer as a teacher's aide at a primary school for children around the ages 5-6. I was scared to death at first, but knew that this would be a great opportunity to overcome my fear of teaching and helping with Kindergarten aged children. I learned that I want to be around children. I want to possibly teach ages Pre-K to 2nd or 3rd grade. I absolutely adore the little children and thanks to being here in Scotland, stepping out of my comfort zone, and doing what I have been doing with the class I worked with has really opened up a lot of doors for me and I am really looking forward to working in the school system in some way or another... even if I'm just a substitute teacher! :)

I want everyone to see Jesus in my life every single day. I want to be the example I need to be and doing this has made me realize that there are eyes on me at all times and I do make an impact and make a difference on those around me. I never really realized it until I came over here and received cards and compliments from staff members or the friends I've made over here about the difference I had made by being here and how much I will be missed because of my personality and willingness to do anything and everything they asked me to do without complaints and even better than what they had expected. I'm not bragging at all, just stating what I was told and to prove to you that there are eyes always upon you... always watching what you are doing and saying... even what you don't do or say. You do make a difference. So, my goal in life is to be just like Jesus. I want to be a servant.

I wish everyone could have the opportunity that I have had. The opportunity to spread your wings, live in another country, experience a completely different culture, stepping out of your comfort zone and being a servant to those around you knowing that you aren't getting anything in return and being completely okay with that.

I came into this knowing that I don't need to expect a "thank you" and knowing I'm not getting paid for this. Yes, I'm supported by local church congregations, family, and friends, but it's not a "full-time paying job," which is what most people my age already have, or they're still in college getting their Masters or Doctorate. I have loved and hated my time here in Scotland, but I will mostly remember the good times. The hard times grew me and made me stronger. The good times just enhanced my time here and made me fall in love with the place even more.

Being a volunteer has really opened my eyes to a lot of things and I will take so much back home with me than I would had I stayed home and gave up after my time in South Africa. I remember having my doubts while in the Oklahoma City airport. I remember thinking twice about going once I reached security and almost turned away, ran to the car, and gave up. Thankfully, God was there with me the entire time and there was something inside of me saying, "Go!" So, I kept walking. I cried so much and kept thinking, "what if this turns out to be another dead end? What it I hate it?" God turned those "what if's" into something so much more. I could reach out to the people here. I connected with them. I fell in love with the place, the people, the culture, the church family, the people I worked with, and yes, I think I may even miss the weather even though I was incredibly cold and miserable 75-80% of the time, hehe. But, there were moments when God really opened my eyes and I became thankful for everything around me. I mean, REALLY thankful.

I couldn't have done this without God and the help, encouragement, and support from everyone back home in the States. There's absolutely no way! I have needed God and each and every one of you every single minute of the day... through the good and the bad, you all were always there and I appreciate you very much for all that you have done and continue to do for me. I am really looking forward to seeing you all again! Thank you again! Many, many thanks!


Until next time, love to you all...