Haircut?

Should I get my haircut?  

This is how I had it cut last time:

What do you think?

This is what it looks like now:

I feel like it's too long...(I realize that may be funny to some people with LONGER hair than mine).

Opinions?

Read more...

Today's Precious Moments

getting to work early

free lunch at our department meeting

laughing at lame jokes

feeling a baby grip my finger with his hand

painting my fingernails a new color

catching up with good friends

smelling flowers outside my window

having the house to myself

watching good tv shows

cuddling with my cat, Clawde

knowing that God is good all the time

Read more...

Amazon Love!

Wilson and Lori, the missionaries we worked with in Brazil last year, came to Wisconsin this past week for their son's wedding.  I feel so blessed to have been able to see them before they return to Brazil.  It felt like reuniting with family after a year apart.  I absolutely love this couple and the mission they do in Brazil for people on the Amazon River who have never heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

It was wonderful to fellowship with them yesterday and spend time catching up.

I'm still not positive that I will return to Brazil quite yet, but I am definitely planning on contacting Wilson and Lori when I go back to spend time with them.  Lori told me that she wants me to stay with them for a weekend and we can go into town to shop and have a "girl's day".  

I know that God has a wonderful plan for my life.

I believe that everything in life works out for the good of those who love the Lord.

And I know that God's timing is always better than my timing.

That being said, it is still my heart's desire to return to Brazil and serve with missionaries in Manaus.

I feel called to return to Brazil and offer myself as a servant of the Lord in helping those in need.

I will continue to pray and wait on God's timing, but it is increasingly difficult when I feel such a strong connection to Brazil and the people there.

Please pray for me, that I am able to discern what God's timing is and have peace knowing that God's plans are to prosper and not to harm me.  Prayer that He will use me wherever I am and that I will be open to the Lord's leading.  And that whether or not I return to Brazil (now or in the future), that the missionaries there will continue to be encouraged and faithful in doing the Lord's work for those who have yet to hear about Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

Thank you.

Read more...

Elvis

Each year at my grandfather's older adult apartment complex, the agency hosts a fundraiser night called "Elvis & Ribs".  An Elvis impersonator, Tony Rocker comes to perform Elvis' hits.

During the show, attendants can eat their rib dinner and participate in a silent auction.  During the Elvis performance, Tony Rocker will pass out scarves to women in the crowd and kiss their cheeks.  It is so precious seeing older women blush and squeal over Tony Rocker.  :)

The last time I saw Tony Rocker, my grandmother was still alive and my grandparents were both planning on moving to the Regency.  Now, every time I hear an Elvis song, I think of my grandmother and become saddened by the fact that she passed away not long after the rib dinner several years ago.

This year, despite the reminder of my grandmother's passing, the event was a lot of fun.  

I got to hang out with my little cousin Sienna again.

We made a house of dominoes:

Sienna and I went down to see Tony Rocker perform.  And wouldn't you know it?! Sienna got a pink scarf from him!

So, we went after the show to get a picture and autograph from 'Elvis'.  Sienna wanted her full name on the scarf, so I spelled it out for Tony Rocker to sign:

 Right after this picture was taken, a random woman in the line to meet Elvis comes up to me and says:

Woman: "I just wanted to tell you that you are a wonderful mother.  You are so good with her."

Me:  "Oh, I'm not a mom."

Woman: "Aunt?"

Me: "Second cousin." (laughter)

Woman:  "Well, either way...someday you will be a terrific mother."

Me:  "Thank you."

That comment made my entire week.  It was so sweet and encouraging.  If I am blessed with children someday, I do believe I will be a good mother and am excited to experience motherhood if it is God's will for me to have children.

This is just another picture of Tony Rocker working the crowd.

It was a lot of fun seeing 'Elvis' and spending time with my family.

My grandfather always cracks me up when we go to his apartment complex.

As I spend more time with my grandfather, I feel so blessed to know him more and see his personality shine. I'm looking forward to more good times with family and making wonderful memories over the next months and years.

Read more...

Rain.Thunder.Lightning.Tornado

This week has been CRAZY.BUSY.

I've been interning at Children's Hospital 4 days a week and have been running around all over the place to do errands and get things done.

To top off my busy schedule, yesterday we had a torrential downpour, severe thunderstorm, and tornadoes around the area.

In the midst of nonstop lightning and pouring rain, I couldn't help but think that the God I serve is a God who created beautiful, delicate hummingbirds and butterflies and who knows the number of stars in the sky; yet our God is also a God who controls the thunder, the lightning, tornadoes, and all of the earth's natural disasters.  It was amazing and beautiful and frightening and humbling all at once.

Due to the intense amount of rain we got, there is a HUGE sinkhole on the corner of North Ave. and Oakland in Milwaukee.  An entire SUV was swallowed up by the sinkhole, and THANK GOD the man inside the vehicle was removed safely and he is okay.

(sinkhole pictures courtesy of the Chicago Tribune)

I decided that on my way home from getting a bridesmaids dress altered (yet another errand I had to do this week), I would stop and take a few pictures of our parkway.  Usually, you can't see the water from the sidewalk and obviously the field is not supposed to be flooded.

If you are in the affected areas from this storm, I'm praying for you and your families.  I hope that there wasn't too much damage done by the rain and severe weather. 

Read more...

Birthday Girl

Today is my field supervisor, Anissa's, birthday.

In celebration, I baked her red velvet cupcakes.

I am waiting until the cream cheese frosting cools and then I will add some more to this cake tray.

P.S.  I just bought this glass cake tray (for $9) and am absolutely in love with it!

I also wrote Anissa an encouraging note in the form of a birthday card and also put together an encouraging picture frame/quote craft.

The quote in the frame is taken from the inspirational magnets you can purchase at places such as Barnes and Noble.

It is by an anonymous author and I just wrote it out and put it in the frame for her to keep in her office (or at home) as a reminder that she is loved and cared about.

So, in celebration of your 30th year, Anissa:

I wish you all the happiness and love that you can imagine,

I wish you good friends and family and memories to last a lifetime,

I wish you joy that is overflowing,

I wish you the best in everything you strive to accomplish,

and I wish that all your dreams would come true.

Thank you for being an inspiration and encouragement to me while I'm at Children's Hospital.

I appreciate your wisdom and wit as we work together each day.

You have made this experience one-of-a-kind and one that I will never forget.

Read more...

Visions of Fort

Pansies outside the dining hall

The summer staff making frybread on the first night in camp

Craig plays Snowshoe Baseball in Lake Tomahawk.

His family, including his wife, Tina, and their 6 children, often attend the games each week.

Mutton-busting. Notice the child on the sheep.

The goal is for the child to hold on as long as possible and ride the sheep around the pen to the other side.

The wranglers on their horses.

By the Hodag in Rhinelander, WI.

My dad and I playing carpetball at the tournament. 

I took 3rd place.

Shooting a bow and arrow for the archery competition.

My dad took 1st place.

View of the moon above the trees by the Canteen one night.

Sunset above the trees by the Canteen.

Shooting a .22 Rifle for the riflery competition.

My dad took 2nd place.

View of Spider Lake from a paddleboat with my mom.

The clouds were awesome this day.

Another view of Spider Lake, with a rowboat in the shot.

A picture with Stuart Briscoe, our speaker for the week.

Visit:  Telling the Truth to see what his family is doing in the ministry.

Read more...

Fort Wilderness

dear readers,

i am back after a wonderful retreat up north. i was at fort wilderness, stronghold of Christian adventure.

i have been going to fort wilderness for 21 out of my 23 years of life. i have been to junior high camp, family camps (most often), leadership lab, worked on staff, and gone on project serve weekends.

it is a wonderful place filled with God's presence in the midst of His creation. when you enter camp, you feel like family. it is easy to relax and refresh and become more connected with yourself, each other, and most importantly with the God who created everything in the universe.

during my week-retreat, i was able to re-examine my life and what God has called me to. what i have discovered is that i desire to live a radical life for Christ.

what does this mean for me? well, i've come to the conclusion that i need to do things daily that step out of my comfort zone; that test my faith and allow God to work mightily in my life and that are a witness to those around me that i am changed because of my relationship with Jesus. for starters, i want to give more of my time and resources to those in need. i want to step out in faith that God will provide all i need when i trust in Him completely.

it would seem rather contradictory to say that there are "practical ways to live radically", but i believe that there are steps each one of us can take each day to live a radical life for Christ.

so, that is most of what i took away from this week at fort wilderness.

i will update my blog as i embark on this adventure of trusting in the Lord to provide opportunities for me to live radically for Him.

Read more...

Week Break

dear readers,

i will be taking a week off from writing in my blog to go on a vacation.

please excuse my absence.

i will write when i return and tell of my adventures.

have a wonderful weekend/week,

anne

Read more...

Bastille Days 2010

Thursday marked the start of Bastille Days in Easttown Milwaukee.

I went with my friend Becky on Friday to spend some time with her, see the Eiffel Tower, and enjoy some good music and food.

It was a wonderful morning.  

We heard a guy by the name of Ryan McIntyre play music at a stage there.

He is incredibly talented.

So much so that I bought his CD at the end of the set.

I love experiencing everything that Milwaukee has to offer over the summer.

There is always something to do, see, and attend near the lake.

Hopefully I'll get more opportunities to spend time with friends and enjoy all that Milwaukee has to offer.  :)

View of downtown from sitting on the curb under the Eiffel Tower.

A super cute ladybug cookie that came in a goodie bag at Bastille Days.

Read more...

Blackout

There were thunderstorms in Milwaukee today.

It was sunny and bright...then dark and pouring.

Lightning and Thunder and sideways rain.

Our power went out at about 3pm until 7:30pm.

In that time of darkness, I was able to take a nap and appreciate

some of the things I normally take for granted.

Such as:  lights, clocks, noise in general, a refrigerator and freezer, microwave, and other cooking appliances, a full-battery cell phone, and air conditioning.

Granted, I can live without all these things, but in the moments of silence and dark, I came to appreciate what I do have in my life.

God is good.  All the time.  

Regardless of the circumstances, God always has my best interest at heart.  I'm so excited to see where He takes me in life and pray that I will always praise Him in every situation.  

With or without power...with or without a plan...I know that God is in control of everything in my life and I have no reason to fear the unknown.

I pray that someday, if not today, you come to know the amazing love and mercy that God desires to lavish on you; and the awesome power He has over our entire existence.  You will never be alone or abandoned by God.  Unlike our earthly friends and family, God will never let you down or stop loving you.  Isn't that an amazing concept?

Read more...

Girl's Night

My Tuesday consisted of some wonderful (and not-so-wonderful) moments.

I started my day by preparing my final exam project for my summer class.  This is the last week of class and our group had to present on our client in front of everyone today.  Our made up client, Jessica, had alcohol dependence and borderline personality disorder.  As a group, we had to diagnose, assess, treat, and follow-up with Jessica from start to finish of our interaction with her in our hypothetical agency.  I feel like the presentation went well, but it certainly wasn't "fun".

I then went to BW3s (Buffalo Wild Wings) with Liz and Amanda to get 45 cent wings.

My first 6 wings had Honey BBQ sauce and the second 6 wings had Asian Zing sauce.

They were delicious with chive potato wedges, celery, and blue cheese.  :)

After dinner, us girls went to Target - where I made an impulse purse purchase - and we decided to see the New Moon Saga- Eclipse.

I'm not sure about any of you, but I read all 4 of the books in less than 3 weeks...during exam week of my Junior year of college.  I fell in love with the series.  It was the first time I really enjoyed reading a series of books.  I never read Harry Potter or the Lord of the Rings, so I was surprised to find out that I really liked the books.  Anyways, the movie was really wonderful-true to the books and visually interesting.  So, if you are contemplating seeing it, I would highly recommend it.

This Tuesday turned out to be a great day...busy, but great.  I loved seeing the girls again and going spontaneously to the movie.  What a way to "start" the week (since I had yesterday off).  Hope you are having a wonderful week too!

Liz and Amanda in the theater.  Notice: Amanda is eating her leftover BW3s wings.  

Read more...

Fireworks

Lisa and I got back from up North around 3pm today and then I headed, with my parents, to my Aunt Catherine and Uncle Brian's house to celebrate the 4th of July with them.  

I love being with my family.  My adorable 2nd cousin, Sienna, is so precious.  She's 4 years old and loves to play with me.  Today, we colored some Disney Princess pictures and talked about the Crayon names.  Her favorites were "Blast Blue" and "Burnt Sienna".  She would say "I'm coloring with Burnt Sienna.  I'm just Sienna, not burnt".  While we were coloring, she turned to me and said "Annie, you're my best friend".  I almost died.  She is so cute!

This is Sienna.  The first picture is from last summer and the second is from this summer:

(She has marshmallow on her lip in this picture)

Then, my Grandpa, my cousin Sarah, and I played Cribbage.  My Grandpa won 2 games and Sarah won 1 game.  I lost every game we played...

My Grandpa Tony:

After all these years, my Grandpa still plays a mean Cribbage game.  :)

On the way back from my Aunt and Uncle's house, I was able to catch part of the Hart Park fireworks.  Here is what I was able to capture:

I absolutely LOVE fireworks!  I'm so happy I was able to catch a glimpse of the big fireworks show in town before bed tonight.  The fireworks up North were wonderful, but don't really compare with the shows in Milwaukee.  Hope you all had a great holiday weekend and have a wonderful week to come!

Read more...

4th of July weekend

I spent my 4th of July weekend this year with Lisa and her family.  They own a lakehouse near Minocqua, WI and we went there to celebrate the holiday and Lisa's grandmother's 94th birthday!

I spent the holiday with Lisa, her mom and dad, her sister, her brother and his wife, Lisa's grandmother and her grandfather, plus two dogs:  Chloe and Maddie.  It was a full house (to say the least), but it was a lot of fun spending time with her family and getting to know her grandparents, who are both now 94 years old.  Did I mention they are both 94 years old?!

We played Scrabble, Cribbage, Wii bowling, watched "Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day", swam at the lake, shot off birthday fireworks for Lisa's grandmother on the 4th of July, went to a flea market, and ate wonderful food.

Pictures from the weekend:

View of the pathway leading to the lake

At the flea market-I found this straw hat with feathers hanging off the back

Lisa found this hat with a veil at the flea market

Eating a sno cone at the flea market

Lisa's siblings floating at the lake

Us girls eating fondue (unfortunately with Melissa's face cut in half)

Lisa's grandmother and grandfather (both 94 years old!)

Fireworks to celebrate Lisa's grandmother's birthday

Lisa and my Scrabble game

Read more...