WOW!

This has probably been the longest I've gone without posting. Things have been a little... intense. A lot has changed... I even have a new computer!! Another HP, of course... my favorite! Rivers, you served me well, and your death was honorable after 4 years... but I have to admit, Gilda is pretty slick. Haha. I'm such a nerd... But anyway, might I update you all with my life? (If anyone even still checks this thing... lol!)

I graduated with a final semester of straight A's, including on my Thesis, so that was pretty sweet. Then, it was straight to Chapter Camp. My experience was different this year than any other year, and honestly, it could have been better... but that's nobody's fault but my own. And through it all, God was still able to teach me and love me, because he's just that awesome. :)

Nadia and Jessica moved in with us, and it's been a little crowded and loud at times, but like I said, it could be much worse. Overall, I think it's going really well, and it's teaching me some about letting go of control, and of not stressing over things that aren't important. But I still can't wait until we move into the new place and have some more space! haha.

Aaaaand I got in to grad school!! USF College of Public Health, for Maternal and Child Health. I was super excited, because it took FOREVER to hear back from them. Now the question is, how will I pay for this?? I have some money saved up, and that will probably suffice for the first semester... but after that, I don't know. I'll either need a full time job on campus so I can have tuition reimbursement (I've already applied for two of those!), or I'll need scholarships... which are pretty hard to come by on the grad level, I'm beginning to discover. Or there's loans. Ugh. I've avoided them up until now... but I don't know if I'll keep that up. We'll see...

And also, Mexico was cancelled. Kind of seems like old news now, but it's worth mentioning. There was a lack of interest (a concept that still boggles my mind), and so they cancelled it... and then the whole swine flu thing happened, so more people probably would have dropped out after that. I've come to terms with it by now... I mean, as you see in my previous post, I sensed that it was coming, so I was prepared to hear it. The good news is, there's sort of an extended JJP type thing for all us college kids, called TMX, that I'm super stoked about. And the price is pretty sweet too... $138 or something (And remember when my parents gave me $150?? How convenient... Funny how things work out, lol). My JJP experience last year was really, really powerful, and it was only a weekend long. It truly impacted and changed my life, no exaggeration... read the post I linked to, if you don't believe me. So needless to say, I'm super stoked about this year! (If anyone wants to register for this year's JJP weekend, it's not limited to our church, so hit me up!! It's slightly less than $40 for the whole weekend, food included... you can't beat it! Check out www.jesusandjustice.com for info.)

Oh, and I'm taking a Summer Institute class with the Underground... I'm taking Brian's class on the New Testament. We've only had one class meeting so far, but I LOVE it already. I'm going to learn a LOT... maybe I'll start makign up for the fact that I don't have years of Sunday School knowledge like so many other people. I'm really looking forward to knowing the Bible better by the end of this, and understanding the culture and history that surrounds the stories of Jesus and of the early church. I love learning. :)

That's all for now. Pretty superficial, just to catch up... hope I can write something more significant soon. And I hope someone still reads this.

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500!

$500 for Mexico!!! YESSSSSS, oh how I love the USF Honors college! I know that God will provide for this trip... I have total faith in him. :)

My busted knee from soccer last night suddenly seems to hurt a little less...

AAAAHHHH Mexico!! I'm coming back!!

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One-Track Mind

Since Jeremy informed us about the Mexico/JJP project this summer, it's all I have been able to think about. Seriously. I. Am. So. Excited.

Please, please, please, God, let me go on this trip. Please.

I am not planning on mentioning any of this to my parents until after the break. I know they are gonna be upset about me potentially going to Mexico again, especially 'cause I'll be gone on my birthday (it's not a big deal really, but I KNOW they're gonna act like it is!). So I'll just keep my mouth shut for now. I don't want to ruin Christmas for them... lol.

But MAN, it is gonna be really hard to keep this quiet! It just keeps popping into my mind, over and over, and I get so excited feeling whenever I think about it. My stomach gets all butterfly-ish, haha.

It worries me a little to get this excited when it's not definite whether I'll even be going. But I'm gonna pray, hardcore. Oh man. Please God. Please let me go to Mexico again this summer!!

AHHHHHHH!!!

Short and Sweet

Sorry for the lapse in updates-- I blame finals. Yeah. That word pretty much sums it up.

A couple bits of news:

• I have just today learned of an AmeriCorps opportunity with a school in the Ybor area. They sound amazing, and I'm definitely gonna research them more. Check out this article about the school... it's worth your time! The school is quite unique, and reading about it just excites me. :)

• Theresa and I created a dessert: Chocolate Chips-n-Dip. It was decent, but could stand some improvement. Basically, chocolate chip cookies crumbled in chocolate pudding. It probably would have been better if we had whole milk on hand to make the pudding... On a side note, I made grits for the first time in my life, and absolutely ruined them. Haha. They were so salty they burned my throat... I think they got saltier and saltier as they thickened though, cause when I first tasted them, they weren't bad at all!!

• Biggest news of all: I may have the opportunity to go back to MEXICO CITY this summer!! Oh my gosh. I am so so so excited for this, and I hope and pray I will be able to go.
  

Basically, IV has created a second Mexico trip specifically for the Tampa Bay area schools, and it will be combined with a week-long (I think) JJP conference upon return. So it's a combo trip. The whole thing will last from May 28 to June 23. Seriously... seriously. I had no clue this was in the works. None of us did. It was a total surprise. It almost feels like a Christmas present!

Jeremy told us at leadership today, and everyone was excited to hear it, but everyone who had gone before was positively ecstatic. Specifically, me and Kim were FREAKING out!! Across the room, she looked at me and was like "Robin... ROBIN!! AAAAHH!!" and then we did happy dances, and I squealed, and then I was bouncing for like 2 hours afterwards!! And Jeremy is gonna go too, which will be really cool, and he might bring one of his daughters, and Stacy I'm guessing will be there, and OH MY GOSH I might get to go back to Mexico!! This is still sinking in. I will, of course, pray about it... but just the thought of going back sends little jolts of excitement through my body. I need to work on my Spanish speaking/listening skills!! Oh, I hope this works out! Please, please God, please take me back to Mexico this summer!!

That's all for now. Not quite as short as I had thought. But that's okay. :)

P.S.

Please God, if there is ANY way I could return to Mexico City this summer... just for a week...
it would be amazing.

Obstacles that need to be overcome:
-Space open at Armonia
-Timing it so that it doesn't interfere with classes, research, or my two jobs
-Finding someone to go with me
-Money
-Last but CERTAINLY not least, the 'rents!

If God wants me there, I know those obstacles will be overcome...

I just pray he DOES want me there, because let's face it, I want me there! Haha.

We shall see...