Three Things I Plan to Do Before I Die
1. Be married and raise a family
2. Go on a mission trip overseas
3. Go on an big family vacation

Four Things I Can Do
1. Teach
2. Sing
3. Be a friend
4. Sew

Six Things I Cannot Do
1. Talk to strangers
2. Draw
3. Play guitar
4. Be organized
5. Love all people all of the time
6. Not sin

Seven Things That Attract Me to the Opposite Sex
1. Godly
2. Family Oriented
3. Compassionate
4. Forgiving
5. Solid
6. Accepting
7. HOT!!!! well you know... you have to be able to look at them you know :)

Eight Things I Say Most Often
1. I'm so confused
2. Seriously
3. I'm so tired
4. Ugh
5. Whatever
6. I don't know
7. What?
8. Sad

Nine Celebrity Crushes:
... Sorry I don't fall for people I don't know... Am a really odd???

Three Cool Things About Becca
1. She is a wealth of information
2. Easy to talk to and voice concerns to
3. She is a beautiful woman of God

I don't have anyone to tag because I only have a few blogging friends and they have all done this already... sad.

The Crazy Life I Am Living

Oh my goodness you guys that still check to see if I am alive... I cannot believe how busy I am. There is so much to tell all of you so I guess I will just start from the top... when I left you last I was leaving Idaho for the summer.

lets see if i can get this all down briefly... my grandma thought that my jeep was a piece of crap so she decided to buy me a new car (great for me eah)... I came home and my dad and I found a 1994 grand prix at the local dealer in town... it was owned by a women from our church and in excellent condition so we bought it... than i had to leave for sioux falls for school... i drove there and it was really boring... they let me stay in a dorm room for free... i went to class and spent way to much money on gas and food... i saw my friends why too little... i went to omaha ne to visit my best friend from college... that was great fun... we were driving in the dark and i thought it was raining but it was really bugs (ewww)... my sister had surgery to remove a tumor from her side while i was in sd... it was scary... she was in icu for a day or so and than they moved her to general surgery... than they od'ed her on morphine so she almost died... very scary (my family did not tell me this until after the fact)... than my mom called and said joy had to go back in to surgery... at this point i was setting up my credential file so was in the education office and my professor asked how my sister was and told me to go home 2 days before my class was over... so i drove to rapid city and checked into a motel and than i left at 3 am... the clerk at the desk was dumfounded that i was checking out at such a time... well i made it to sit with my family during the surgery and got to see my sister... ugh... i hate the hospital... she is doing well now though so that is a big blessing... i started my student teaching and that is going well... i have taught a few lessons and will be gradually taking on the whole load in the next 5 weeks, this week i have reading and will add lanuage next and so on and so forth... yesterday i was telling some people that i would really like my jeep to sell this week because the registration was coming up... than my dad showed me this check for $1600 and i was so excited... what a blessing... than i went to school today and will tomorrow... oh i got a job at the grocery store too... that is crazy in itself... like i have time to work... pray that i will find a way to serve in the church... i need time... well thanks for reading the crazieness that i call my life... love to you all and i will try to update sooner next time! ps... i have been reading your blogs... just have not had the desire to write...

A List

I am posting a list of things that I hope to write about. As much down time as I have on my hands right now it is hard to get all the words down!

• Hurricane Katrina
• Sisters Surgery
• Time in Sioux Falls
• Trip to Omaha
• New Car

Well... we will see if I get any of this written about. Sorry if it does not interest you... well actually I'm not sorry because I should write about what I want to... eah!

So Much To Say

I have so much to say about many different things. I have to go to class now though. I will post more later. I have not fallen off the face of the earth.

Busy!

Well I am back from Idaho but have been really busy since I got home. There is just so much to do. I have been painting mostly. I am also car shopping and think I have found the car I want (1994 Grand Prix, Marron). I get a 24 hour test drive tomorrow so will be driving it to Billings for my birtday party at my sister's. In the evening tomorrow I will be 22 years old. How exciting... well not really... 22 is not really to special... it's just a year older. Anyway... that is a short update on The Life. I hope that all of you are doing well and are enjoying the last part of summer.

ANNOUNCMENT!

I have an announcement... I am going to be an aunt again! I am super excited. The baby should be here in March sometime. Congratulations Dawn and Marc!

I would like to propose a question.

Why is it that the Catholic bible has extra books? Why are they not used by the Protestent Church?

* This is really a question as I have no clue.

2 Weeks

In 2 weeks I should be back home in Montana. I am so excited! I talked to the teacher I will be working with Fall Semester and just am so happy to be working with her. The experience is going to be so wonderful! What a blessing it will be to work under Ms. Tande (she was Mrs. Hanson when I had her for a teacher in 5th grade). I hope to do a new blog documenting my experience with student teaching. We will see if I have time!

* UPDATE - Here is my new blog... The Teaching Journey (http://tracisteachingjourney.blogspot.com/).

Crazy

So I just talked to a friend from camp and retreat stuff and she told me that she is getting married in September. This is something that I really didn't expect her to be saying to me. Crazy! For you single people that read my blog... do you ever get sad when you hear someone else is getting married. I need to explain that better I guess. It's not that I am sad... I am happy for my friend I just get a sense of loneliness when I hear that kind of news. This was supposed to be a happy post so I will end with congratulations Shauna!

Exhausted

I am so exhausted! It has been a long couple of weeks with camp and than my family here this weekend for my grandma's 80th surprise birthday party. I haven't had a good nights sleep for a couple of weeks and it is really catching up with me. It was fun to be with my family though. I wish that I wasn't far away from them again. I hate it! I miss them so much. I'll be back home again in just about a month though so I am looking forward to the end of my summer job (which I DON'T love) and the beginning of my student teaching. I just wonder how I am going to survive money wise in the fall. There seems to be no where to get a job in Roundup these days. I could work at the Busy Bee but if you know what I am talking about you know that would be horrible. Anyway. Just an update of my recent life. I have been busy busy busy and I am tired tired tired and I have TONS of school work to finish up before the end of the month.

Such and amazing time!

I had such an amazing time at camp this week. I am sure that God's plan was for me to be there because I couldn't have been there without His help. I wanted to share something really cool. Those of you that know me personally know that I am a pretty shy and quiet person. That is just who I am on the outside I think though. The question proposed to the staff at the beginning of the week was what are your expectations. I was thinking and all I could think of was myself. I knew that God had called me there to do something and I was expecting myself to come out of the shy bubble that I often live in and just speak His words. Well I was definitely a different person this week. I have never talked and laughed and been so encouraging in my life and I loved it. I loved that people noticed a difference in me. We had a question and answer time for the campers separated by genders and I would have never said anything in those times in the past but I had things to say and I was able to say them and say them well. I am just so happy with the person that God has made me and am so happy that He has given me the opportunities to work for Him and spread His word in this way. I am so excited for the things that He is going to continue to use me for. He is just so good!

My Cabin

Well... this was an amazing week. This is my group of girls. Starting in the back row we have Amanda, Carolyn, Corinne, Blythe, Lauren, and Jessica. In the front we have counselor Amanda, Xenia, Nicole, counselor Me, Katherine, and Chelsea. What a wonderful group of girls. They were really a blessing. We didn't have any problems that I know of amoungst us. It was a really smooth week. Praise God!

Noah's Ark Building

We were given 4 things... another cabin to work with, cardboard, a few plastic bags, and duct tape. Our goal was to build a boat (Noah's Ark) that would hold 2 people and float. The girls had the excellent idea of filling the bottom with empty plastic bottles. I think it may work!

Noah's Ark Transporting

Transporting our creation to the dock. We are all hoping that it will float.

Noah's Ark Sailing

Well... it got a bit of water in it but it served it's purpose!

Squish in time!

The girls gather on my bed for a photo. Sadly we are missing Kat and Amanda whom had to leave early for a state softball tournement. I have never had campers in my cabin leave early before and this year I had 3 (Carolyn left at 5 am to catch a plane to her new home in Hawaii). It is really sad to lose campers early. I don't particulary like it!

High Ropes

The high ropes course is such an amazing part of camp. This year it was optional so I was able to go up with some campers. I had such a good time. I did some things that I had not done on the course before. It was great to push myself to go new challenges.

Climbing UP

Climbing up the net. I think it would have been easier if I had longer legs.

Resting At The Top

I finally made it up the net. Oh my goodness... my upper arms are still hurting!

Vine Walk

This is called the vine walk I think. It's a bit hard.

Hesitation

I stand here getting ready to jump. See the hesitation on my face? It was really scary.

Leap of Faith

I finally do the "Leap of Faith". I didnt' land very well but I did it! I still hurt :(

Burma Bridge Flipping

We flipped the bridge together. How super fun!

Almost Off

My last obstical before reaching the platform to get on the ground again.

Swinging!!!

It's time for me to exit the course. How exilerating!

Serinading

The last night the boys come and sing to the girls and than the girls decided to return the favor. We cramed about 55 girls into one cabin and than went out to see the boys... sadly the directors informed us it was to late and we would be to noisy due to city noise laws. It was sad!

Praise the Lord

Well, I will be gone next week for a week of camp counseling at Ross Point!!!! I am super excited. I have tons to do before I can go though. Homework and planning for my substitute teacher next week. Pray.

The Purpose Driven Life

I bought a journal yesterday thinking I could use it with out the book, "The Purpose Driven Life", but I was wrong. So now I need to go find a copy of the book and that is okay because I have been told that it is amazing. I am kicking myself thought. Someone donated boxes and boxes of that book to my college and they have been available to the students for free for like 3 years. Did I ever go get one?? NOPE! Silly me.

Why do I lack motivation??

I am taking 2 classes online this summer to finish up my undergrad work. One class has definite deadlines (not late work accepted) while the other is just "do whatever". I am really struggling with that class. I am really far behind and really need to get caught up. That is my goal this week... to get caught up. Pray for me! I have 3 papers to write and a 6 question essay test to do. I am going to need some motivation.

Extreme Dodgeball

I was just watching extreme dodgeball on the game show channel. It is soooo funny!

What did I do today? Well a bit of nothing really. I read a book and than went to the mall with my cousin. Than I went back to the mall and got my hair cut and my brows waxed. It was really good (it took about 20 minutes total). I am really happy with my hair! It was so long and bugging me a lot! I think I shall do homework this afternoon. Oh... I watched the movie Hitch as well and laughed a bit. It's good for the soul.

Bothered

Is anyone else bothered by anonymous posts?? I love that people read and comment but I do like to know who is reading and commenting. Just an annoyance for today. So if you read and comment please leave your name:) I hope you are all having a wonderful Saturday.

So this is the awesome group of people that I worked with all summer last year. I just got a call requesting my services for camp counseling and am so sad that I had to say no. I miss Ross Point more than anything right now. I am so homesick for camp it is ridiculous. Templed Hills was good but Ross Point has so much more to offer and I'm not talking facility wise. God is definitly the center of everything. I want to ask for the 4 days off that I would need but don't know if it is appropriate. Hum... the delima. It's in 2 weeks so I guess I better figure out if I can ask for it off. Pray for me in my decision making.

Heat Stroke...

It is so hot here... I hate the heat for one and you don't have much energy for two. It was probably 95 degrees today and I don't think it is going to get better anytime soon.

My summer... so far has been

busy and frustrating and good all in one. I am now in Idaho and am busy busy busy. I am finally seeing what it means to work and not get paid (teaching). Not that I don't get paid, its just that I work quite a bit while not on the clock.

Having gone through my first full week with my kids in the classroom I now know to expect the unexpected and to be flexible. Like on Friday I had about 10 pre-k kids in my room and I had to entertain them and my school age kids sorta got put on the back burner. It sucked for me and for them. But now I know that I need to expect that kind of thing to happen and be prepared for it.

Anyway... thats all the time I have (well the energy I have) folks. Hope you are all doing well and enjoying the summer!

Open House

Party with my oldest sister... so many people were there... why do people attend an open house when they don't even know you? It was at the youth center so a few people just came to play... it was really annoying cause it was a party for Joy and I... am I being to selfish?? I love my sister though and that we graduated the same year!

It's blurry but I got my diploma folder... no diploma until December 

Moving Out

Oh what fun it is move out! NOT

Graduation

It felt as if I was just playing dress up

So much has been happening!

Hello all of my friends:

I have been away for quite a long time. I am now in Idaho and will start my job with my students on Monday. I spent the last week getting prepared for them. I need to get to my homework so will just say that I am still alive and around. Hope all is well in your worlds.

Why I will miss camp this summer...

1. I have been there for about 14 summers in a row
2. I love camp counseling!
3. It brings me out of my shell
4. It means I don't have to be fully grown up yet
5. It is something I am good at and can use my gifts for
6. I have developed relationships, good ones, over the past few summers

My handsom nephew Bradley. He will be finishing up third grade in the next few weeks and I will be in the same pod as him next year... his classroom will be right across the hall from me! He is such a smart boy. This year he told his mom that he wished I didn't go to school so far away. My family is so sweet!

This is my lovely niece Alyssa. She will be finishing Kindergarden in a couple of weeks. I am looking forward to being in the same school as her next year. She is such a sweet girl with a huge heart! My first year at school in South Dakota she wished upon a star that I would come home soon. How sweet is that?

Two Down and Three To Go

Three more tests and than the semester is done!

This is me with my sisters. I am so happy that I am able to move closer to them. Our friendship grows as we become older. They don't sit on me and do the typewritter on my chest anymore, instead we talk and laugh and have fun together. Dawn is in the shirt with lacing and Joy is the other one. Joy just graduated from MSU in Billings and Dawn is a Sophomore. They both have huge dreams and I know that they will be able to accomplish anything they put their minds to!