banana pancakes

It has been quite a while since I've updated this thing. It's going to be bullet style today...

• I finished up my classes. Got my grades. Got all B's this semester which is pretty good considering I'm married, working 2 jobs, and going to school full time. I was excited that I got a B in Statistics and Nutrition. I'm glad this semester is over with. Now all that's left is my internship. I'm also going to take a Photography class next semester, just for fun. I'm excited since I have always wanted to take a photography class and now I've got the chance.
  
• Matt has 5 more days left of teaching. I know he is relieved since this has been a very stressful year. He is still looking for a job though so pray that doors will be opened.
  
• We had a wonderful weekend. I had strep throat but struggling though it all. Saturday we went to Carowinds with our Sunday School class. It was exhausting but still lots of fun and good fellowship. I was feeling really bad after that so Matt & I went home & crashed for a while. Then we went to the Winthrop baseball game with his parents and grandparents. We had an enjoyable time. Sunday morning we went to church at the Parks' church (Christ Ridge in Fort Mill) and to our great surprise Jeff Ferguson was preaching. After the service we went back to the Parks' house for a delicious lunch. It was Mother's Day but also Mr. Parks' birthday so we celebrated both. We listened to some more war stories from Matt's dad and realized how thankful we are to have him home. Later we went to Paul & Kelly's & hung out, went to church with them, and had dinner at IHOP. It was a busy and exhausting weekend but we had good times with good friends and family.
• Right now all I'm doing is working--at Impact and with Carlos. I'm working about 45 hours a week total but still have plenty of time to relax. Many days I don't have to go in to work until 5 pm so it's be nice to sleep in, go for a walk at Cherry Park, go to the tanning bed, and shopping. :)
  
• So...I'm in a contest with this lady at the gym to see who can lose the most weight by July 1st. We started yesterday and I've done great with the balanced eating and exercising since then. I really have no problem exercising since I work at a gym 5 days a week but it's the eating thing that kills me. I love french fries, hamburgers, chicken strips...any kind of fast food. I'm really working on it though. This competition is good for me because it gives me some motivation. It'll be fun!

Guess that's it for now. I'm headed to Cherry Park for a walk.

and it begins...

One exam down, three more to go. And then there's nothing left but my internship! Holy mess I'm exchited!

Indulgence

I had the most glorious peppermint mocha from Starbucks this morning. It was smooth, mocha-ey, and peppermintey. :) Who cares if I paid $4 for one cup of coffee. It was devine. Sometimes you gotta live a little!

the promise

He humbled Himself and was fully obedient to God, even when that caused his death - death on a cross. Philippians 2:8

When human hands fastened the divine hands to a cross with spikes, it wasn't the soldiers who held the hands of Jesus steady. It was God who held them steady. Those same hands that formed the oceans and built the mountains. Those same hands that designed the dawn and crafted each cloud. Those same hands that blueprinted one incredible plan for you and me.

Take a stroll out to the hill. Out to Calvary. Out to the cross where, with holy blood, the hand that placed you on the planer wrote the the promise, "God would give up His only Son before He'd give up on you."

Max Lucado
Six Hours One Friday

Why I love my job...

This is why I love working at Impact...last night one of our members called me at the gym just to tell me who got kicked of American Idol since they knew I couldn't watch it. I sure do love those ladies!

aaahh...papers!

If I have learned one thing in college, it's how to bust out some papers quickly. I am a master paper writer. Yesterday afternoon I wrote a 6 page paper in about 75 minutes. Then last night I wrote a 7 page paper in 90 minutes. Only one more paper to write this semester. My paper writing madness is coming to an end.

encouraging quote

“If Jesus gives us a task or assigns us to a difficult season, every ounce of our experience is meant for our instruction and completion if only we'll let Him finish the work. I fear, however, that we are so attention-deficit that we settle for bearable when beauty is just around the corner." ~Beth Moore

It's Friday!

It's Friday...finally! And it's a beautiful day as well. Matt's on Spring Break now. Unfortunately I have quite a few papers and projects due next week. At least we'll get to spend a little more time together.

Tonight we're having a cookout at Daniel & Jen's with Kelly & Paul. Fun times with new friends. It's fun to have more married friends...we're "adults" now. Scary!

Life is still crazy. I've just got to keep reminding myself...

"Satan, get thee behind me!"

a little sad

So, Mandisa got kicked off American Idol last night. Boo! That's okay though because I heard she already has a record in the making. Now I'm rooting for Chris, Kellie, & Taylor.

In other music news, I've been addicted to Carrie Underwood lately. Matt bought me her cd and I'm loving every single song.

Matt's still looking for a job. Continue praying.

praise you in the storm

So Matt & I have been really blessed this year. We have had a wonderful first 10 months of marraige. I was starting to wonder when this "rough 1st year marraige" stuff was going to happen. And then it came. Last Thursday Matt was informed by his principal and assistant principal that his contract with the district would not be renewed after this year. Matt is apparantly an "incompetant teacher". Whatever. The entire dismissal packet is full of lies. The school never did anything to help Matt this year. The first year of teaching is supposed to be an "assisting year" and the second year is the "evaluative year". No assisting happened to my husband this year. The superintendent and the assistant principal (his "mentors") would come in to observe him and give him no feedback at all. How is he supposed to improve if he is given no feedback. Anyway--this is the part where Matt & I are pretty bitter. He was fired for no good reasons at all and most of the reasons they gave were lies. This leads us to figuring out where our future is going. Matt doesn't really want to teach anymore and is looking into many options. I will be working at Impact full-time this summer to save up money for my internship in the fall. Please pray for Matt & I as we make these transitions. Also pray that we will not be bitter about this whole situation. We know that God has a purpose and a plan for it all. We are trusting in Him. He is in control.

And I'll leave you with my life song right now...

Praise You in the Storm by Casting Crowns

I was sure by now
God You would have reached down
And wiped our tears away
And stepped in and saved the day
Once again, I say Amen, and it is still raining

As the thunder rolls
I barely hear you whisper through the rain
I'm with you
As your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away

I'll Praise you in this storm
And I will lift my hands
You are who you are
No matter where I am
And every tear I've cried
You hold in your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will Praise You in this storm

I remember when
I stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry
You raised me up again
My strength is almost gone
How can I carry on
If I can't find you

I lift my eyes into the hills
Where does my help come from
My help comes from the Lord
The maker of heaven and earth

encouragement

"My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me."
Psalm 63:8

This verse has been such an encouragement to me recently. There are lots of things going on in and around my life and right now I just don't know where it is all leading to. But that's not for me to know. God knows the future and holds me in the palm of his hand. What a comfort!

We interrupt this marraige...

I saw this bumper sticker the other day that said, "We interrupt this marraige to bring you racing season". What truth this bumper sticker holds in how our society looks at marraige. We interrupt our marraiges for anything. We put anything and everything, including our kids, in higher priority than our spouse. This is not what God intended. When I married Matt, I made a covenant with him and with God that I will love him and be his wife until "death do us part". Nothing, except God himself, should be held in a higher priority than this covenant. That is why I had the word "hesed" engraved in Matt's ring. "Hesed" means covenental love...not just love in the good times when I feel like it. A hesed type of love is not just a commitment, but a covenant. Our society has made marraige a covenience, not a covenant. This saddens my heart.

In other news, Winthrop won the Big South Championship again. Go Eagles! Going to the "Big Dance" once again.

I am so thrilled about my placement with Lutheran Family Services for my internship next fall. I will be working with their therapeutic foster care department. Basically, I will be doing home studies for families who wish to become foster families, home visits and check-ups on foster homes, and mentor some of the kids. I'm so ready for this new adventure!

Next week is Spring Break. It's hard to believe the semester is more than halfway over, but I am thankful. I'll be working Monday and Tuesday but on Wednesday I will head up to Lake Waccamaw to visit my parents. I haven't seen my parents since January and couldn't miss them more. I truly hate the fact that they live 3 1/2 hours away and I work all the time. I'm going to leave my sweet husband in Rock Hill and spend some quality time with my parents. It kind of sucks that Matt's Spring Break is a month after mine. But I am excited to see my family.

End of my ranting.

my internship!

So, ignore all the stuff about the Red Cross in my last post. I have officially been placed for my internship next fall & I'm going to do it with Lutheran Family Services. I will be working in the therapeutic foster care end. I'm thrilled and wish it was already fall. I'll write more about it later.

the future is here...well, sort of

I just turned in my application for graduation--11 months away. It seems like forever, but I know it's gonna come quickly. I've already done my pre-placement interview for my internship. Right now I'm looking at doing my internship at the Red Cross. Doing my internship there could bring lots of opportunities for me after I graduate. It is also an ever-changing internship. No day will be the same. One day I may go to an elementary school and teach kids what to do in case of a hurricane, the next day I may be helping a family whose house burned down. The Red Cross just seems like a good fit for me. We'll see if they think the same. I'll be setting up an interview with them soon and I'll go from there.

Matt & I traveled down to Columbia last Thursday for the Chris Tomlin/Matt Redman/Louie Giglio concert. I knew going down there it was going to be amazing and I was right. I was smacked in the face of how amazing my God is and how he calls me by name. It is one thing to know that God has an intimate plan for your life, but a totally different thing to truly believe it. I relish in my Savior's love. It is such an honor to sit at His feet and call Him "Abba, Father". I wish all could experience my Savior's love as I have.

I am getting my wisdom teeth out next Friday. Sounds like fun, huh? I am kind of excited because Matt is taking the day off work to be with me and pamper me. Haha. We'll see how excited I am at 11 am next Friday though. Nothing like cutting your gums open and yanking those teeth out!

Just wanted to let you guys know...

I am burnt out but completely and utterly blessed by my amazing Savior. I am in awe of His amazing grace.

Heck yes!

I LOVE working 11 hour days!

slacking on the blog

Man oh man, it's been forever since I've written on here. Life has been busy as always.

*The end of the semester went well. I got a B in Philosophy! Woohoo! Only one more semester of classes until my internship. I can't wait!

*Matt & I celebrated our first Christmas together (well, being married). We had a wonderful Christmas eve service at Westminster and then headed over to his parents house. Matt & I cooked potato soup and ham rolls (my family's traditional Christmas eve meal) for his family (all 9 of them that were there)! It turned out well and we had a wonderful time together. We then opened presents since Michael & Amy were leaving the next morning. We both got some awesome stuff from his family (and a chunk of money which we spent on a Gamecube and some games...haha). Christmas morning Matt & I got up and had our Christmas together...he got me a diamond necklace! Whoa, I totally wasn't expecting that! And I got the Full House season 2 dvd--how exciting! We had a wonderful time celebrating together and then we headed to church to continue the celebration of our Saviors birth. We had yet another amazing service focused solely on God's greatest gift given to us...His son. We spent the rest of the day with his family and had a nice relaxing Christmas. The only thing that would have made it better would have been if my family could have been here. My dad was sick and they couldn't make it down. I miss them terribly and can't wait to see them this weekend!

*In other news, they are starting a new Sunday school class at Westminster for "Young Married/No Children" couples like us. We have been asked to serve as leaders in this class and we are so excited about this opportunity. We love the Sunday school class we are in now and are going to miss it greatly but what an amazing opportunity to start a new class and minister to young couples like ourselves. God is going to do amazing things in this class!

*While Paul & Kelly were in California last week, Matt & I took care of good 'ol Kerry & Fiona. Let me recap the crazy things these cats did during the week: Kerry pooped a nail and a ribbon and pooped on the bathroom flour a million times (poor cat just can't seem to get potty trained), Kerry & Fiona knocked over the white roses 3 times, broke the wedding candle, peed on the treeskirt, dug up the potted plant, peed on the carpet by the closet and knocked down the banner on the wall twice. It was a crazy week with these cats--but we love them to death!

I've written all this while at work at the gym, so I guess now I better get back to work and clean up so I can get outta here.

Too twisted for color tv...

Wow, it's been over a month since I've updated! Let's just say things have been mad crazy in my world. I've basically been either in class or working every single day (yes even Saturday & Sundays...it sucks). Since I last updated I celebrated my 22nd birthday. 22 feels old. I feel like an old married lady. Haha.

I'm entirely looking forward to Thanksgiving. I'm taking 6 days off of work! We're going to the beach with Matt's family for a few days & then going to Lake Waccamaw to visit my parents. I'm looking forward to pumpkin pie & my favorite...chocolate chip pie!

I registered & got all the classes I need for next semester. It's hard to believe that I only have one more semester of classes & then my internship. It's crazy how time flies! It feels like just yesterday that me & Ang were living up on the 7th floor of Wofford & going to Denny's at 2 am.

We had to take Tigger to the vet the other day because his ears were just nasty & emitting gross fluids. Turns out his ears are infected. He is doing well with the medicine & we went for a recheck yesterday. His ear canals are clear and looks great! Yay! Tigger is the best looking 20 year old cat ever!

Matt & I went on our first marraige retreat a few weekends ago with our ABF (sunday school) from Westminster. We had an amazing time and learned so much! We feel so blessed to be a part of such an amazing group of couples seeking the Lord.

Since it's so close to Thanksgiving I'm going to list things I am thankful for...

• my family (Mom, Dad, & brother)
• Matt & his family
• my cats (Tigger, DJ & Peaches)
• my Savior
• my education and all I am learning about how to help others
• Westminster & Legacy Builders ABF
• warm, sunny days
• fleece blankets
• coffee & green tea
• all my amazing girls at IXF
• friendships that endure time
• the Word of God
• music
• my digital camera & ipod
• Hawaiian Breeze Glade plug ins
• the smell of fresh laundry

That's all for now.

Mackey out.

an early morning of yoga

This morning, for my 8 am comparitive religion class we went to Peabody and were led in some yoga excercises. This was fun and relaxing, but I sure learned that I can't stand on one foot for 30 minutes!

Praise God I have this Saturday off! Matt & I are going to go to the SC State Fair! Yay! You know I've been every year since I was a toddler and I cannot miss out on the funnel cakes, elephant ears, corndogs, fries, and of course my favorite ride, the Feuer Ball! I love love love the fair. If any of you guys are in Cola and wanna join up with us there let me know!

I spoke with my friend, Karina, last night. She's the one that lived in New Orleans. It was great to talk to her and hear that she is okay. And the Friendship House (the transitional housing center for women & children that she works at) got out with not too much damage. Of course there were some people that came to their Bible studies every week and others they ministered to that didn't make it out alive. Please continue to pray for this ministry and those involved.

Pray for Matt as well. He's having a rough time with teaching. Pray that he will find himself and have the strength to go on and do the best he can do.

I got my iPod nano!!! This thing is freakin awesome. I'm loving it! It's definitely a fun toy to invest in!

The African Children's Choir is coming to Westminster next Friday. I'm really excited about this--I saw them when I was younger and they are just amazing. If you don't know who they are, they are a group of African children from ages 5-12 years old who lived in poverty. The tour the world singing and sharing their lives. As most of you know, it is my dream to go serve in Africa and seeing these kids just encourages me more and more. These kids have been given such an opportunity to shine the light of Christ around the world and impact others. It's amazing.

You said, "ask and you will receive whatever you need."
You said, "pray and I'll hear from heaven and I'll heal your land."

You said Your glory will fill the earth like water the sea.
You said, "lift up your eyes; the harvest is here, the kingdom is near."

You said, "ask and I'll give the nations to you."
oh Lord, that's the cry of my heart.
distant shores and the islands will see

another day gone by

A few minutes ago I was walking across campus over here to the computer lab. As I pass Byrnes I see a guy sleeping on the concrete steps. This I do not understand. There are plenty of couches/comfy chairs on this campus. How hard is it to walk a few hundred yards to Bancroft or across the street to Dinkins? But this guy chose to sleep on the hard concrete using his bookbag as a pillow. Whatever.

Guess what? Matthew bought me an iPod nano!!!! Yippee!!! I have been wanting an iPod for quite a while now (ever since Kristi got hers I've been jealous) and now they have come out with the iPod nano. It's an iPod that is quite small (a little bigger than a credit card). And it holds 1,000 songs! And pictures! Matt ordered it off the website (he got a teacher discount) and it should be here in 1-2 weeks. I cannot wait! If you want to see it you can go to the apple website: http://www.apple.com/ipodnano/

My life is still rediculously busy. I wish I had more time to spend with Matt & our kittens. You gotta do what you gotta do though.

Now I've got to run to class. I have a Philosophy quiz this afternoon--aaahhh! I don't think I'm gonna do so hot. I just get all the theories and people and everything mixed up. We'll see.