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