Easter Weekend Part Two

Saturday wasn't anything too exciting! I slept in, as usual, ran errands with my parents, came home, then got ready for church. I didn't have much down time in between, but that was good.

I got to the church at the same time, changed, and waited just like the night before. For some reason, things seemed a bit crazier in the "dressing room" on Saturday; the little kids were also in there getting ready, which made for a lot of noise and laughter, in a good way. I was talking to one little girl, who was very impressed with the fact that I was 21, and kept asking me all sorts of questions about it. In my own way, I felt like a superhero. I'm finding that I'm also not as bad with kids as I thought...It seemed like they were actually sort of gravitating towards me, and I didn't mind at all. I was enjoying their enthusiasm and conversation.

When the kids left, it was a bit quiet, so me, "Joseph" and "12 year old Jesus" were talking about who knows what! All I really remember is that I couldn't stop laughing and sometimes at times when things should have been a bit more serious, and I couldn't help it! *oops!*. And then it was our turn to go onstage. This time, the projector screen wasn't working for the video that was played right before we'd walk on, so we had to wait on stage a bit longer, to make sure that we made it on time. I don't know that the lights shined on us that time either, but we did our thing and it seemed to work out.

This time, I left pretty quickly after my scene in the service was over. My mom picked me up and we ran to the store to get eggs, so we wouldn't have to brave it on Sunday (ain't nobody got time for that), then went home to see what my dad wanted to do for dinner. On the way home, we saw another sunset, and it just blew me away at how BIG God really is and how He's everywhere. It gave me peace in the midst of over-thinking and over-analyzing my life and what's to come in the future. I've been worrying so much about the most pointless things and anxious about who knows what? Even if just for those few minutes, I knew that God was going to work it all out.

We ended up ordering a pizza, so I went with my dad to pick it up, then we ran to Walgreens to pick up a few things. We came home to eat, then ran back out to the store, and came home. I cleaned my room because it was way too messy and watched Felicity...Until around 2 or so a.m.

Sunday:

My alarm went off to Shania Twain's "Up" at 6:45 a.m, and I was SO not ready to get up after going to bed much too late the night before, because I was busy watching Felicity. But, I knew I needed to do it then or I never would. I put on my makeup, curled my hair, and changed into my "Easter outfit" which was nothing new or fancy this year, since I was going to be helping out for most of it.

I got there at 8, and it was the same routine, which I liked knowing exactly what I needed to do at that point. I got into costume, then headed out to the waiting room where everyone else. One of the little girls I had been talking to the night before was asking me more questions about being 21...And said, "Do you have your own house?" I said, "No, I still live with my parents." A few minutes later she responded with, "You're 21, you should have your own house!" and was telling the other lady standing right by us. The other lady came to my defense and said that I was just starting out and saving for that...It was cute, but it had me thinking more into it, naturally. I'm 21. I should be at a very different place in my life, and I feel like I'm years behind everyone else. But, I suppose there's a reason everything happens the way it does. And it's time that I start doing something to change the things that I can at this point in time.

The service started a few minutes later than the two previous nights, so I was feeling a bit anxious, and needed to just remind myself that it was okay...Instead of being impatient for no reason at all. I needed to remember to take a few breaths and know that everything was going to be okay.
This time, all of the lights and effects were working for the skit, which was exciting! And the kids were extremely responsive with everything that was going on, which was so cute to hear.

After the first service, I met up with my friend, Viviyan and we walked over to the Starbucks across the street. Those are some of my favorite moments for us; We always have some of the best heart to hearts over coffee and breakfast! This time was no exception! Life talks and realizations are always going on, which is really liberating.

It's the little things...

We walked back over to church, where the first service was starting to get out, and others were coming in for the next one. I ended up running into my aunt in the restroom, and not too long after, saw my parents coming into the family room. Viv and I talked with them for a few minutes, making plans for the dodger game the next day, etc.
Pretty soon, it was time to head to where we all needed to be, so we all split up and said I'd catch up with them later. I went back to the children's church, and got ready for the next service. Everything went great once again, and I had the rest of the service to hang out. Usually, I would go into the main sanctuary with my parents to listen to the sermon, but felt like it was too far into it, so I didn't want to disrupt anything and feel awkward. I went to the coffee shop and hung out with Viviyan and a few other friends from around the church, which was fun.
In between the second and third services, I always have quite a bit of time to kill, so I did a lot of talking and catching up with whoever I found. I was especially glad I got to talk with our friend, Makenzie, who was just in a really bad car accident, but is a walking miracle. Looking at her car, it's amazing to me that she didn't have very many injuries and is doing so well right now. We talked about how she was doing and feeling, and it's incredible to me that she was even at church. God has big plans for that girl!
I talked with a couple other friends, and it had me asking myself a lot of questions about what ministry I want to be part of, because I feel like I'm in limbo with what I really want to do right now. But, maybe that's a good thing...It's a time to experiment and see what fits best. I guess I have a lot of thinking and praying to do after that.

At 12:00, the next and last service started. I was pretty sad to see it all coming to an end. Although, I was starting to feel a bit tired, I was SO glad to be part of such a big weekend in a way that I haven't in quite some time. I guess that's part of stretching my faith and trust in God...Going wherever He calls me. It's scary and exciting!

I talked a little more with everyone before the service, we did our thing, and that was it. I headed out early to have lunch with my family, after saying goodbye to the new friends I'd made, and faces I might not come into contact with again...Which is always bittersweet. 

I rode with my aunt to meet up with the rest of our family at Hungry Hunter for lunch. My other aunt and uncle were already there, and my grandpa pulled up not too long after us. We went inside and snacked on bread and just waited for my cousin and her friend to get there. We all ordered, caught up with each other, and of course, talked about American Idol. Though, my cousin and I don't agree about most of the same people! 

The rest of the afternoon consisted of coloring easter eggs and an easter egg hunt with my parents. It's sort of our tradition. Some may say we're "too old" for it, but I couldn't care less. I know plenty of people who still do Easter baskets and all that jazz...I say if you're into it, go for it. And I have to say that these were probably some of the prettiest eggs we've ever done! Also, I found the money eggs in our hunt and got some money, which was quite nice ;)

It was one of the best Easter's I've ever had! Christ is risen and He gives me the hope that I don't have to be perfect or carry the weight of the world on my shoulder! All I have to do is give it to Him, and it'll all happen the way it's supposed to. I find my confidence and purpose in Him. In this ever changing world, His love is the only thing I can be certain of ALL the time.

That's all for now,
Shelby

Easter Weekend Part One (Good Friday)

Friday, I was able to sleep in, then my mom and I had a few errands to run. Well, going to Target a couple days before Easter was probably not the smartest move, but it wasn't too bad. We only needed a few things, and then we were out of there. My aunt ended up calling and asking if we wanted to go to lunch, and we hadn't seen her in awhile, so that was cool. We went to a small local place that is Hawaiian themed with burgers, fish, soup, etc.

When we finished, my aunt wanted to look at the store, Home Goods. I didn't have money, so I wasn't really looking for anything. But, it's always fun to look around at their furniture and other goodies, so I can mentally decorate in my head! We weren't there for too long, because I wanted to have some downtime at home before the church service that night. We parted ways with my aunt and headed home.

I watched Felicity for a bit, then it was time to go. I was a bit nervous, but there was nothing to be nervous about; it was more excitement and adrenaline of anticipating how everything would all come together. I got there at 5:30, when we were expected; immediately changed into my costume, then had quite awhile to hang out with everyone, which was nice. The kid that played "12 year old Jesus" was hilarious, so he kept us entertained for the most part, telling us jokes or showing us something on Instagram. That helped the time pass off quickly.
It was nice to be able to see how things were going to work in its entirety, straight through, since in some ways, Friday and Saturday would be like "dress rehearsals" for Sunday morning. There were a couple scenes before ours, mainly with narration, sound effects, and video, then we were up. I was Mary, so I was part of the nativity. The whole idea of what we were doing is that we were behind a curtain type thing, and a light would shine on us, so the audience would just see our outline. It sounded really neat! The first night, the lighting didn't work, so you couldn't see us, but it was all good. It still prepared us for what we needed to do.
After our scene, I changed and hung around for a few minutes, in case anyone needed anything else. I talked with Joshua (who played Joseph) and our music pastor's assistant who had come back there to visit for a few minutes. The kids went to their classrooms after the skit was over, and I headed home.

On the way home, I saw this incredible sunset and couldn't take my eyes off of it. It just overwhelmed me with the reminder of what Christ did for us so many years ago; it filled my heart with hope, which is something I've been struggling with again lately. I've been bitter and doubtful, and honestly, not a real joy to be around. But, this had some things stirring in my heart that God is still good and remains the same, no matter what my emotions are.

My mom and I got home, I watched a little more Felicity and my dad got home pretty soon after, so we ate dinner. It was such a good night and I felt pretty positive about everything, which hasn't happened a lot lately. We were laughing and joking, then I went back to watching Felicity the rest of the night...Oh yes, I have quite the crazy Friday nights!

That's all for now,
Shelby :)

Stay tuned for part two!

Gearing Up For Easter

What a busy Easter weekend it has been, and technically, it started on Thursday night for me. I had signed up to help in the children's ministry, after going to a meeting involving leadership awhile back, which was something I was thinking more about getting involved with. I thought it would be good to sign up. I was trying to branch out of my comfort zone more, and this was a good way to start, and thought it was sort of a requirement. So, I signed up for the "drama" that would be taking place. I thought, if I was going to be helping out, it should be with something like that...It's what I'm good at and what I would feel the most comfortable doing, with the least amount of mistakes involved.

I felt a little up in the air about everything, to be hone

st, and wasn't sure of what to expect. As a kid, I didn't really go to children's church very much. I think the whole idea of it intimidated me for whatever reason. Therefore, while a lot of my friends have helped out back there, I never have been involved back there. I feel extremely out of my element, or like I'm not very good with kids..I used to feel like I would always say the wrong thing around them. But, after having spent time in several classrooms lately, I felt more at peace and confident (and looking forward to it a bit), even though I didn't know what I was getting myself into.

I don't know many people in the children's ministry, so I was wondering how the meeting Thursday night was going to go, as well as what the rest of the weekend would be like. Thursday was an interesting night, as other ministries in our church gathered together to get acquainted with their teams, to go over what each person would be doing on any given night of our Easter services. First, a few of the pastors talked to us about how important our part would be in this weekend and they said a few prayers. There was food off to the side, but I didn't think it would be that long, so I decided to just wait. I did a lot of waiting around after we split up into our sections, not really sure of what was going on. Then, changed into my costume! Eventually, I ran into the other "cast members" that I would be working with over the next few services. It gave us a chance to get to know each other better, which was great, and made everything feel less awkward.

It still took awhile to start practicing, so we waited around, just watching everything get set up and all the little kinks getting worked out with lighting and sound. The guy playing Joseph and I stood on stage and ran through what we would be doing for the show, and then we were done. It was extremely quick, but I am glad I stayed the entire time. I mean, one of the best parts about being involved is the friendships you make along the way, and the only way to do that is to actually hang out with them.

I came home, and by that time I was starving. My parents had picked food up for me from Del Taco, so I ate while I watched American Idol. I felt a lot more confident with everything we'd have to do, and I was really looking forward to being part of the "Superbowl" weekend and all that was going to happen. I knew God was going to do big things, and I was looking forward to all of them.

That's all for now,
Shelby :)

April Inspiration Board

April Inspiration Board by nashchick09 featuring topshop

Topshop
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Beach Tote Cool Mosaic
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Free People Taps Flower Girls Fei Fei Sun, Martha Hunt, Alana Zimmer...
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Free Photo Frames, Free Picture Frames - Main Page
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Dodger Stadium
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Wednesday

Wednesday was a lot of fun! I ended up going over to my friend, Viviyan's, house for the day. We watched The Office and played the Clue board game that I had gotten for my birthday with her sisters. It was so much fun! It was a little time consuming at first, realizing what every card and move of the game meant or did. But, once we started playing, it was easier to get into a system. It's amazing how something so simple like that can turn into one of the greatest days! We wore our pjs/comfy clothes, snacked on food, and just hung out. It was perfect!

Later on, Viviyan dropped me off at home and I had just enough time to get ready for dinner with some other friends that night. My friend, Liz, picked me up, and off we went to meet up with some our high school friends. I don't really hang out or talk to them as much as I'd like, so it was cool to catch up with them. Maybe it's a good thing that our friendship isn't the same in high school...Maybe it's better that way for reasons I might not quite understand right now. But, I'm glad they're still there to remind me of who I was or who I might want to be. We talked about each others' lives; some of have girlfriends, some have broken up, some are getting ready for another semester of school, some have jobs, etc. And then there's me...Not really having changed much when it comes to things like that. But, that's okay. My time will come.

When we finished dinner, we hung out in the parking lot for awhile, after saying goodbye to Cory. Liz and I were able to talk, just the two of us, while the guys went off for a bit and hung out in Liz's truck. It's amazing to me how even after awhile of not seeing each other that much, some friendships really can just pick up where they left off. There may be a lot of catching up to do in between, but that's okay...You're still the same people, and changing is a natural thing that happens in life. You just have to take it for what it is, which is a harder concept for me to grasp than I realized, but I'm getting there.

I don't know where we'll all end up five years from now...Ten years from now...So on...But, for right now, they're still in my life. And whatever moments we spend together, or don't, I have to treasure them. Because staying friends for a long time this day in age is rare to come by, so the fact that they still care is something I have to hold on to. Maybe in some ways they're like the glue; a sort of puzzle piece that I'd be missing in my life if they were completely out of it. Other people have come into my life, and others have almost permanently disappeared, but there have been a core 4 or 5 people that are still in the background, no matter what happens.

That's all for now,
Shelby