Happy Birthday!!

Today is my little brother Andrew's fifteenth birthday! :-)




I made him a four-layer chocolate cake. *smiles*

End of summer...

Today I found a sign of the end of summer. The black flip-flops from Old Navy that I have worn almost every day - almost meaning maybe I skipped one or two - have had a heart-attack. The left has a hole in it and the right is so thin that if I wore them again tomorrow it would have a hole too! They have been such a great pair of flip-flops thought. Only costing $2.50, available in tons of different colors and lasting an entire summer of use - I highly recommend them!

Quote of the post:
"Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes." - Unknown

Full Swing?

A couple days ago - Saturday the 12th through Wednesday the 16th - I had a real vacation. My Aunt Linda and Uncle Ed, former missionaries to Bulgaria, invited my little sister Jessica and I to come stay at their house in Canton Ohio. I enjoyed it immensely. I got a lot of reading done, was able to actually catch up on sleep, and just relax. Even though I got to go out of town for ECHO and Covie, those were fun, but they weren't very relaxing - if you know what I mean?? ;-)

Thursday the 18th was our first worldview class of the year. We watched a bunch of Schaeffer movies and looked at art. It was fun, though most of it was review and I'm more looking forward to the rest of the year. We have to read the Divine Comedy: Hell this week, and the Divine Comedy: Purgatory the week after, so we'll have a rather fast pace.

August 22, which is tomorrow - my Spanish 2 class starts. I guess I just gotta say it. I'm not looking forward to this class. I did well last year, but it was hard because we didn't have much of a schedule or syllabus, so it was constantly spontaneous. This year we have two teachers, one for the spoken part and one for the written part. I would appreciate prayers!

Overall, I'm going to be busy this school year, but I'm excited to get it started because then it will be over sooner and I'll be closer to graduating!

Quote of the post:

"The future is as bright as the promises of God." -Unknown

Verse of the post:
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us." - Hebrews 12:1

Harry Potter???

I don't know how many of you have read the Harry Potter books. I know there is definitely some tension surrounding them because of the whole wizard / witch issue and the magic surrounding them. This summer I decided I was going to read them and I just finished the fifth one. All the books are captivating, as they keep you wondering what's coming next. I became thoroughly engrossed in the fifth one and even got tears in my eyes when one of my favorite characters was killed. According to one person I talked to about the books, "Harry Potter does not have a strong distinction between good and evil, good does not always triumph over evil." I agree with this because obviously God is in control and we don't need magic, which would make the wizards and witches evil, coming at it that way. However I also disagree. In this fictional series there are both good and bad wizards, and even though the evil does win sometimes, good is always victorious at the end of the book. Personally, I found them very agreeable. I would like to know your opinions on this, because its a somewhat touchy subject in Christian circles.

Quote of the post:
"It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." - Professor Dumbledore

Today is a new day...

My mom, Andrew, Daniel, Philip and Jessica are coming home today. It has been a nice quiet weekend without them here. I talked on the phone without being interrupted for at least six hours (not straight, that's all the times I talked on the phone) while they've been gone. My dad and I went and saw "lady in the water", which I would give a pretty good review. I also got to cook for my dad and then just the two of us greeted at church yesterday. It's been good.

Philip - my little brother - is terribly excited because he entered honey in the county fair and the honey is now going to the state fair. I'm really proud of him. Jessica - my little sister - also entered some things in the county fair, her kitten poster received a reverse champion ribbon and I'm incredibly proud of her as well. I also also very excited for the state fair. Last year I had a blast and actually if I remember right, I think it was the first time I ever went on more than one ride.

Quote of the post:
"Tomorrow is always fresh, with no mistakes in it." - Anne of Green Gables

Well...

I've known I needed to update since Covie, but actually sitting down and writing something worthwhile to read has been really hard. I have a lot that probably needs to be said, however, I can't make it come out the way its in my head.


What does saying you're sorry mean to you?

To me, sorry had always been close enough, but not the same as asking for forgiveness. Its like regretting something and having a sense of loss over whatever happened. In the past I've been told that I say I'm sorry too much, almost that it looses its real meaning because I just throw it around. There have been times when I've asked for and been given forgiveness about something, but the person still hasn't truly forgiven me and I find myself just saying that I'm sorry again and again. I want to just say that when I say I'm sorry, I truly - with all my heart - mean it.

Quote of the post:
"Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Others stay awhile, make footprints on our hearts and we are never, ever the same." -Unknown

hi

Life is going, not much to report. Tomorrow morning I leave for Covie. I'm excited and I hope it ends up being a good time. When I come home, there's only one week on summer swim team left and then around half the employees leave for college and I'll be working their hours until school starts. Some summers I look forward to school starting, but I'm taking a ton of classes this year - and I'll leave that for another post, cause I don't want to think about it more than I have to! ;-)



Quote of the post:
"Maturity is often more absurd than youth and very frequently is most unjust to youth."
-Thomas A. Edison

What do you think of this quote?

Song of the post:

"Awesome God" by Michael W. Smith

- I just bought this CD and I LOVE it !

Psalm 146

Hallelujah! O my soul, praise God!
All my life long I'll praise God,
singing songs to my God as long as I live.
Don't put your life in the hands of experts
who know nothing of life, of salvation life.
Mere humans don't have what it takes;
when they die, their projects die with them.
Instead, get help from the God of Jacob,
put your hope in God and know real blessing!
God made sky and soil,
sea and all the fish in it.
He always does what he says—
he defends the wronged,
he feeds the hungry.
God frees prisoners—
he gives sight to the blind,
he lifts up the fallen.
God loves good people, protects strangers,
takes the side of orphans and widows,
but makes short work of the wicked.
God's in charge—always.
Zion's God is God for good!
Hallelujah!

I'm so excited! I get license on July 19th! And the insurance isn't too much that I can't pay for it myself!!! Only $168.20 a month! :) I'm so happy I can't describe it! :)

Song of the post:
"Soak up the sun" by Sheryl Crow

Mayberry

Sometimes it feels like this world is spinning faster
Than it did in the old days
So naturally, we have more natural disasters
From the strain of a fast pace
Sunday was a day of rest
Now, it’s one more day for progress
And we can’t slow down ‘cause more is best I
t’s all an endless process

Chorus
(Well) I
miss Mayberry
Sitting on the porch drinking ice-cold cherry Coke
Where everything is black and white
Picking on a six string
Where people pass by and you call them by their first name
Watching the clouds roll by
Bye, bye

Sometimes I can hear this old earth shouting
Through the trees as the wind blows
That’s when I climb up here on this mountain
To look through God’s window
Now I can’t fly
But I got two feet that get me high up here
Above the noise and city streets
My worries disappear

Sometimes I dream I’m driving down an old dirt road
Not even listed on a map
I pass a dad and son carrying a fishing pole
But I always wake up every time I try to turn back
- Rascal Flatts

What do you think of this song???

Storms

There are two especially nice things about being a life guard. 1) Even when its +90 degrees out, I can always remind myself that I am getting a tan, and 2) when it storms I usually get to go home! Which is what just happened, almost as soon as I got to work the sky started to get dark and the wind started blowing harder, the only thing I really got to do was to put down the umbrellas and take the lost & found and the towels inside. Chris - my boss - said he'd call me later if he needed me to come back, but that won't be until at least five. I suppose I could be mad because I'm not getting any hours, but truthfully I don't really mind.

Verse of the post:
"The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O LORD, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands." - Psalm 138:8

Pictures

You know how hard it is to pick out only a couple pictures from over 150??? Well, I did it and here are several that sortof show how much fun we had. I would have put more of us while we were working, but sadly, I didn't always have my camera! ;-) I hope you enjoy these! :)

Our whole team w/ the interns & Danny 

Cathy and I laying in the grass  

Ruth and I on the phone 

All the girls w/ our matching shirts  

Ruth and Jacob :) 

me and my snake Hecktor 

Home Again

We're back. Suddenly I feel like I have no life.

This ECHO trip was so different than both the ones that I went on before. Although there were definitely times that it was hard to have a good attitude, God taught me so much! The interns were incredibly fun this year and they were so encouraging to me because they were so on fire for God! I am also closer to my friends, ECHO is definitely one of those places where you build friendships that will last for a lifetime. This year though, I am going to be much more diligent about keeping up with those friendships! I can't wait for Covie to see you all again, I miss you so much and luv you all! :)

Song of the post:
"You are Holy" - Michael W. Smith
- This is the only version that I could find that was even kinda close to the song we sang the entire ECHO trip. I LOVE it so much because I feel so close to God when I sing it.

Leaving...

Tomorrow morning at 7:00 AM, I am leaving for two weeks to Florida! I am so excited I can't even describe it. If you feel like sending me a letter while I'm gone, *hint*hint* here's the address:

Ellie Cutter
c/o ECHO
17430 Durrance Rd
North Fort Myers, Florida 33917

Quote of the post:
"The world is full of willing people; some willing to work, the rest willing to let them." -Robert Frost

Please pray that:
1) Our trip would have unity
2) That we would be like the people in the quote ^__^, willing to work hard
3) That I would be leader and an example to the younger people on the trip

Song of the post:
"Everytime I hear your name" - Keith Anderson
- This song has nothing to do with the post, I just really like it. :)

Summer

I am now officially finished with school for my sophomore year. For some reason my Spanish class seemed to go on forever and ever, but we went out to eat and my teacher gave my whole class certificates that said we completed Spanish 1. It hasn't really sunk in yet that I don't have Spanish next week, but when Tuesday rolls around I know I'll be very thankful. :)

My summer is so full of things that I'm doing I'm almost afraid to write it out because I'll become overwhelmed. To begin with, I'm working at Highland Country Club and substituting at the Riviera Club as a lifeguard. I'm also the nanny of twin boys that live behind me on Tuesdays and Thursdays and Wednesdays I'm cleaning Dr. and Mrs. Blackwood's house. Hopefully I'll survive between these four jobs.

Next Thursday - a week from today - I am leaving for ECHO. It has come up so quickly and I'm only now starting to get things together. Last year I was much more prepared beforehand. My leaders are Ben and Laura Turner, Rochelle Moore and Heather Baumgarder. I am really excited because this year I get to be one of the "older, more experienced" people on the trip. I just know that God is going to teach me a lot and I'm looking forward to whatever he has in store.

I am planning on attending Covfamikoi in July, that will probably be a greatly needed break from all my work. I am excited because I've always heard so much about it, but I've never been that I can remember... most of you probably know my "drawer" story. :) I am also planning on swimming on the Riviera swim team as much as I can. I haven't been quite as faithful as I should be recently, but I'm planning on squeezing in as many practices as I can.

I probably should have posted this actually on his birthday, but hopefully he'll be surprised that I posted about it at all. My little brother Daniel turned 13 this past Tuesday. (I suppose since he is now thirteen I shouldn't call him my little brother.) I just want to say that I am really proud of him. He has grown up so much in the past year and I can really see God's work in his life. I love you Daniel! :)

This is quite a long post for me so I should probably end it now. Luv and miss you all!!!

Song of the post:
"This I swear" - Nick Lachey

Quote of the post:
"I hate the way you talk to me and the way you cut your hair. I hate the way you drive your car. I hate it when you stare. I hate your big dumb combat boots and the way you read my mind. I hate you so much it makes me sick - it even makes me rhyme. I hate it when your always right. I hate it when you lie. I hate it when you make me laugh - even worse when you make me cry. I hate it when your not around and the fact you didn't call. But mostly I hate the way I don't hate you all - not even close, not even a little, not any at all." - 10 things I hate about you