My Birthday

I just recently celebrated my 18th birthday on Saturday, the 29th. As some of you may know, I am attending Glendale Community College. My plan is to receive my AA degree, then I will transfer to ASU to study kinesiology to become a physical therapist. Although, lately, I have been realizing what is so wrong with that statement, "My plan." It's not up to me, or my parents.

Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

And so I must trust in Him. It's so much easier said than done. So often I find myself worrying about what I will do with my future. I have to pray constantly and remind myself it's not what I will do with my future, but what HE will do with my future. I do believe he has given me the desire to become a physical therapist for a reason, as well as wanting to adopt and have a large family. Whether either of those happens is entirely up to Him, no matter what I think I can do about it. I am so thankful to have a God that loves me so much to plan the best for me, better than I could ever imagine. And that he has put so many loving people around to guide me.

Psalm 25:4-5

Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.

This is my prayer, Lord.

Here are some pictures from my awesome, sports-themed party! :)

My awesome cakes made by my amazing mother!

Coral And I both missed it...

She's just as good!

HEISMAN!

AWH! My favorite!

Summer Camping

I sat in our packed GMC Yukon, staring into the black and mysterious abyss of the surrounding forest. With no sound but the rain pouring down, hitting the windshield like cannons. My sister, cousins and I were trying to get comfortable in the seats of the car. There we would spend the rest of the night waiting out the rain. It was getting stuffy and we felt as if we were nearly suffocating from breathing in the same oxygen over and over again. It was at this point that I realized that camping is not for everyone.

My mom, siblings and I along with my aunt and cousins had begun our adventure on Sunday earlier that week and the twelve of us were planning to stay until the upcoming Sunday. It was now Thursday and I was already miserable, as any teenager would be with the loss of cell phone service. I was cut off from my social life, ten miles off of the highway, and I had to endure it for a whole week. The day had been the same as all the others since we had arrived. Early awakening from the monstrous sqawking crows; the aroma of breakfast consisting of pancakes, eggs, sausage, and if I was lucky, leftover French toast. As the afternoon crept in, so did the dark, gray, and gloomy clouds. At first it was a light sprinkle, but by early evening the raindrops were multiplying and growing even larger. The moms were preparing our spaghetti dinner, which was spent in our tents sheltered from the rain.

It was after dinner that we started experiencing the worst. As the rain started to come down even harder, the tents began to leak and flood. My cousin and sister's tent went first; soaking the mattress and sleeping bags. Sopping wet sheets, even shoes and socks. There was no hope of being dry for the rain had just begun. Fortunately for my cousin and I, our tent had only leaked down the side leaving just the edges of our mattress wet. Not so fortunate for my mother and aunt, whose mattress was like an island oasis in the middle of their tent. No matter how much hope we had, the rain was not letting up.

Wet dirt and the stench of waste from the nearby out house all around. We began packing up our things because our mothers had decided that if got any worse we'd consider checking into a hotel. At last there was hope. A warm, comfortable bed, a toasty hot shower, and of course, cell phone service. We loaded into the vehicles, girls in one, boys in the other, while the moms cleaned and tried to save as much as possible. We enjoyed the radio until the car battery died. Since there was still a chance of leaving, my aunt and brother risked their lives to jumpstart the vehicle in the pouring rain. We were able to start the car again, but were no longer able to listen to music because we couldn't let the battery die again.

After enduring another hour or so, my hope was shattered when my aunt came to tell us, "We are going to stay here and wait it out."

Those words echoed in my mind for the rest of the night. We were stuck here. All of the girls got out our Bibles to find some encouraging words. One of the first verses we came upon was about the rain being a blessing. That was like a hard slap in the face. We had been complaining, too ignorant to realize how great this rain actually was. Regardless of its blessings we were still miserable. We couldn't go anywhere. I slept upright in the driver's seat of our vehicle. Perhaps the worst night of sleep in my entire life for I got little of it. Thankfully, we had more hands to help clean up in the morning. My dad and uncle had driven up to meet us late that night and managed to find a place to sleep; dad in his car and my uncle in my cousin's and my tent.

I awoke to the pitter-patter if rain still. Our camp and everything in it was still dripping wet. It was about five o'clock in the morning and my eyes were burning. We stayed in the car trying to catch a few more hours of sleep which eluded us. At about seven o'clock we decided to get up and eat breakfast. As the morning went on, the rain had slowed, and slowed, and slowed, until it stopped. Finally, my torture had ended. But only long enough for us to rinse out the muddy tents and rebuild them. My dad and uncle strategically placed and staked the tents having hope that it would allow less water in the event of another downpour. Of course it did start to rain again. I felt as if I was in a nightmare that would never end. It kept coming back like a nagging fly, but for now it was just a sprinkle.

The girls spent midday and early afternoon playing tactical board games awaiting our turn for fishing with my uncle. When the time finally arrived for us to fish, my aunt drove us down to the lake to drop us off and pick up the boys. As we waited on the peaceful shores for them to pull the boat in, it started to rain intensely. It was almost more powerful than the night before and lightning was flashing all around. I had to think twice before entering this death trap. Here we were, soaking wet in a metal boat, holding up metal rods in the middle of the lake, with lightning striking nearer and nearer. Our quest for that one fish was a failed attempt; we left empty-handed. Friday evening was approaching and I knew that I only had to endure one more day for we were leaving Sunday morning.

I cannot recall what happened on Saturday because my day was spent packing and dwelling in the excitement of returning home. Sunday morning came, but so did all the camp clean-up. We had to wash out all of the grimy, stinky tents. This was no where near as exciting as it sounds. After helping with the cleaning, all I could do was sit and wait while my uncle meticulously packed the trailer. My mind was running at what seemed like five thousand miles per hour. What was I going to do first when I got home? My pleasant daydreams were interrupted when my uncle yelled, "Let's hit the road!" This, of course was even more pleasant for me to hear. I was finally getting out of this pit of despair.

As we drove down the mountain I turned on my cell phone, anxiously waiting and watching for the moment when I got five bars. My heart jumped when I heard that "Bloop!" My first text message had arrived, followed by roughly thirty more. I had my life back and everyone in it. I sent text messages to all my friends just to let them know that I was still alive.

Although I was excited to leave, the traffic was not so thrilling. Sunday was the designated departure day. It seemed like the rest of the state of Arizona was on the same road as we were. It took a couple hours and we made a pit stop at Chili's, but I arrived at home at last.

I have never been so excited to step into my home. I finally took that hot shower that I had taken for granted before camping. I changed my smoke-filled clothes and gave myself a spa treatment. When I got into my warm bed that night, not at all cold or wet, I came to a conclusion: camping was not something that I wished to experience again, especially in such unpredictable conditions.

My Essay: "Adoption"

Like the sea tosses waves onto the shores of the surrounding beaches, adoption tosses waves of emotions onto the shores of the surrounding lives. Anyone who has experienced the adoption process is aware of the emotional tolls it can have. For those who have not, I want to give a few personal examples of situations and emotions that I have experienced in the adoption process. In having a close relationship with an adopting family I have learned that adoption can touch family friends and certainly the family itself, but adoption is most life altering for the child or children who are being adopted.

One way that friends can be affected is simply through connection and having a close relationship with the adopting family. From fundraising garage sales, raffles, and spaghetti dinners to preparing a place in the home; there is plenty of work to be done. I can recall nights that some of us would have to spend outside to guard the garage sale merchandise because of the vast donations. Adoption also opens doors for others. When a family adopts, it gives others a chance to see how they, too, can change lives. It goes outside the "normal" that is usually associated with the way of life. The typical idea of a family would be a man, wife and their biological children living together as a unit. Bringing in an outside, so to speak, gives everyone a completely different perspective.

There are numerous adjustments, both physical and mental, that a family must make when adopting. They have to reorganize their lifestyle from rooming to buying greater quantities of breakfast cereal. There will be one more child to care for, feed, clothe, educate, and discipline. Adopting alone costs a great amount of money, but the of one more child's-worth of all the essentials has to be considered. Despite the financial modifications, the rewards are so much greater. I find nothing better than getting the opportunity to show a child something that they have never known, felt or seen; in this case, love. In that sense, there are many emotional tolls that adoption has on a family. First of all, they have to be accepting and understanding of the child in this situation. This, however, is a learning process because the life of an orphan is nearly impossible to imagine unless one has been through this experience personally. They also have to "show them the ropes" of how things work around the household. Such as traditions and routines like washing the dishes and caring for the family pet. There is a form of discipline that must be established. Because the child has, most likely, spent his or her life without a parent-like figure, they become independent. It is the new guardian's responsibility to teach them to respect and abide by the rules.

The whole purpose of adoption is to change the life of a child and it certainly does so. They have to transition from one way of life to another in so little time. Situations, as well as emotions, can vary from child to child. For example, a child can be adopted at a very young age, understanding and experiencing little of life outside of the orphanage. All that they have ever known in the first months or years of their lives is the orphanage and caregivers. The day that they gain a new family is the day that they begin experiencing new everyday life experiences. Children can also be adopted at a later age, spending most of their early childhood in the orphanage. As they mature they gain more knowledge of this thing called "family." Their nights are spent dreaming of the day when someone will hold them and say, "I love you." Unfortunately, in some cases, a child can be placed in a home and the result is a non connection. In which case they would be removed. More often then not they eventually find their "forever family" to share the rest of their lives with.

After all the time and effort that is put into the adoption, the journey of bringing the child home forever is a clear reminder of its eternal worth. The emotions are almost indescribable and incomparable. It goes without saying that adoption affects every individual involved in the extremely long and testing process.