April 18th, 2011

Does it feel like a Thursday to anyone but me?

Odd.

The calendar says Monday, but my little brain is *pretty* convinced it's a Thursday (or Friday!) and the weekend is just a few hours away. Alas... reality is trying to tell me it's not so!

Is everyone ready for a new week? Only 2 weeks left in April! Which means, only 2 weeks left in classes for this SEMESTER! Wow. Two weeks, and then it's over! Well, okay, to be *technical*, after those two weeks we have a week of finals (minor detail) and a week of Conference leading up to the graduation. So, that totals it to 4 weeks till I say goodbye to Oklahoma City for a month of traveling abroad! Yeah!! =)

Although I will be sorry to leave, in a tiny way. Right now it is very beautiful on campus. The huge oak and beech trees have exploded into green, sweeping the manicured lawns and sidewalks with heavy leafy shade. The tulips and pansies are in full bloom. =) It is sunny, and just the right touch of humidity blending with the warmth to make it just *delicious* for a nice stroll or to sit on a bench reading a textbook or the Bible.

In other ways, spring is less than appealing. Tests. Long hours. Little sleep. Atrocious moments with the roommates. Deadlines. Stress. LOTS of stress... And a lot of changes in the making. To be completely honest, I hate spring. It is, by far, my *least favorite* season.

But there is a really neat verse that my little brother Dmitri showed me once, a long time ago. It says "For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; the flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land; the fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell..."

Is that not the most lovely passage? It is from the Song of Solomon 2:11-13.

The past week has been very difficult, but God is always the same, always good. And I know that even when I can't see the spring, He is still the Creator of all the seasons and will send it in His time.

I hope everyone has been having a good month.

I received some really exciting news at work! Now that I am certified in all the modules across the bakery & cafe, I was selected by my manager to be promoted to a store-wide trainer! WOW!!!!!!!!! This is really quite huge. The other girl selected has been working at PaneraBread for a year. It's incredible that I was chosen among the many other employees. I was stunned when I heard the news, let me tell you, and overcome with God's blessing. It will be a hard road ahead. I go through training and testing starting May 7th (a Saturday) so I would really appreciate some prayers for this new step! I, the new girl, will be not so new much longer... I'll be in charge of officially training and inducting others. Wow. Time is amazing.

P.S. The mint crinkle cookie is no longer being sold at PaneraBread, but has been replaced by the chocolate duet cookie. I prefer the mint crinkle. This is sad. I have considered quitting. But..... maybe I'll stick it out a little bit longer. I hear we're getting a strawberry-poppy seed salad just as soon as the blueberry crop comes in! Yeah! =D

April 11, 2011

I'm afraid that people may have forgotten about my blog. =( I suppose it's my fault for not posting more regularly! I just hope they haven't forgotten about me. Spring is here. My least-favorite season of the year. Sigh. I still feel like the new girl around. So it is difficult to realize that the semester is quickly fading to a close, and I will be filling out papers as a "return student." And I'll no longer be brand-new, I'll be one of the affiliates of Heartland, Panera Bread, Oklahoma City. Wow. It seems incredible. I find myself missing what I had. I don't like change very much at all. But God has been very good to me in this new place. He has given me the most amazing job, a safe and comfortable place to live, food and health, and good grades in my classes. He has also put me in a church with incredible sermons and music that has really helped my spiritual growth! What have I been up to? Not much, I apologize with a small laugh. Everyday I am up before dawn to get ready for my classes, do my chores, and prepare for work. Classes from 7am until 2... and I have 10 minutes to be in my car driving to work, in full uniform. I work 40 hours a week, so I'm there until 10:30 every night, except for WEdnesday nights of course, because I go to church. =) When I do have a few free minutes - and I mean as many as 10 minutes - I find myself curling up anywhere, to just take a baby nap. I am so tired these days, as my body and mind try to keep up with the crazy pace. How has everyone been? I have a few papers due this week, and several big projects. On Friday morning, I am teaching a science class. I'm very apprehensive about this. It's worth a large part of my grade for the semester, and I'm also not very comfortable with my subject and the students, so it will be diffiult. I would please ask some prayer that I can get properly prepared and that God would bless! Well, break is up at work and I"m going back inside to work till close tonight. It's sunny outside, about 80 degrees, and I've been writing this sitting in the sunshine, sipping ice sweet tea and eating an asiago bagel, toasted, glazed over with honey and a dash of nutmeg. =) Mmmm. Working at Panera sure has its perks =) I'm also training a new girl today! Times have definitely changed since I was the newbie wandering around cluelessly. I sure do love my job. I hope everyone has a good day. Please keep in contact! I think of you all fondly.

April 7th, 2011

My COMPUTER IS FIXED!!!!!!!! =D Thanks to my dad and mom, and my best friend, and a person God tossed into my life just recently, I officially have a working computer again!!! So happy!!!!!! =D Expect posts to follow soon! I missed my blog and my readers. H0w is everyone????