Dear Bloggers,
Please excuse me for my abscence! I've been so busy getting ready for school (Yes, in only 19 days!!!) and now we have company over from Lousiana. I can't beleive how soon we will be leaving for Crown! I am so excited!!!!!!! Yes, this is a short, pointless blog entry, but I do not care!
Caitlyn

Where to begin? We have been so busy! I can't imagine that in only 36 and 1/2 days, we will be on our way up to Georgia for a week followed by CROWN!!!!! We have been running here and there shopping for dorm supplies, and today Mum and I started shopping for clothes. So far, we have bought three new shirts, as well as a new bag for my laptop! It's really nice to be getting everything ready! I love Crow, and I can't wait until I get there!

I have an appointment with my new optometrist tomorrow, and hopefully I will only need some reading glasses.

Crown Shopping!

I just got back from my first Mummy-Daughter college dorm supply shopping trip! With only one month and 27 days until we leave for Crown, I am becoming more and more anxious to leave. First we went to Anna's Linens and bought a nice mattress pad and a mattress topper. this is EXTREMELY important for adequate comfort. School would be really bad if I couldn't sleep, so I am prepared with a comfy mattress topper and my Advocare Nighttime Recovery! Next, we went to Ross and we bought a hot pink and grey container to hold my shampoo, conditioner, hair products, soaps, razors, and my blow dryer and straightener. (I have very thick and curly hair, so these are not even optional. lol) This will make it easy to store in a pantry or closet so I don't have a problem with trying to find everything I need in the dark.
Next, we went to Target and went bedding crazy! lol We bought a hot pink comforter with white polkie dots. We also bought a decorative round pillow that is white with pink, green, turquoise, and aqua polkie dots, so we bought a set of pink sheets and a set of aqua sheets. We next bought a pink towel set and an aqua towel set. I am just so excited about school!!!!!!!! I absolutely love The Crown College of the Bible!

In less than two months, I will be at home in Georgia. Words can not express how much I have missed "The Peach State"! My family moved to the Atlanta area when I was only three years old, and we lived there until after I turned fourteen. I absolutely love Georgia! While we're home, I would like to get to spend some time with my old friends, including some that I haven't seen in years.
After a few days in Georgia, we'll be on our way to Tennessee!!!!!! I am estatic about starting school. I feel so blessed to have been accepted in one of the best Baptist colleges in the country! At times, two months seems so long, and at others, it feels as if I should be leaving in the morning. I can't wait until we can start shopping for my dorm stuff; you know, bedding, a good coffee pot, all that jazz. This might sound extremely boring to some people, but it sounds sooooo fun to me!

I'm heading up to Texoma, TX today to work at the Texoma Baptist Youth Camp. This Bible camp was becoming extremely liberal, and numbers of campers were dropping significantly, so the group that owned it gave the whole camp over to Crown. What a blessing to Crown! This gives teenagers in the Southwest region a great Bible camp to go to without going all the way to Tennessee. It also gives the Crown Southwest students a camp to work at in the summers. They've needed some extra hands to finish up the small things before camp starts on Monday, so we're headed up there to probably paint! I'm excited to see my Crown friends that are working up there this summer! Please pray for this camp and for Crown.

This post is here to simply tell you that in 2 MONTHS AND 5 1/2 DAYS, I'LL BE ON MY WAY TO CROWN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Calm in the Chaos

Recently, several things have occured in our lives that are far from ordinary. It seems that every day, something comes up that puts a damper on our view. For example, a few weeks ago, my father had to have a heart cath, something that none of us expected. Did I expect my father to have to have two stints put in? Definiatly not. Did the Lord bring our family through it? Of course He did. I am so happy to say that my God is still on the throne. He is still in control! Many other circumstances (that will remain unspoken) have dragged my spirit down, but I am estatic that the Lord Jesus Christ picks me up and carries me along when I need Him most.
Sometimes, heavy burdens seem to weigh us down; it is as if the whole universe has been placed onto your shoulders. Sadly, so many people miss the fact that God wil not let anything happen that is not in His perfect will. The devil can not touch a single hair on my head (And trust me when I say there are many on there!) without asking permission from the God who made him. I'm so glad to know this!

I apologize for my absence; I just got back from a LONG trip to Louisiana. It only actually lasted six days, but it seemed a LOT longer. Haha
Well, last night, I recieved my Crown College orientation booklet via e-mail. This makes me even more excited to go than I already was. In 2 months and 10 days, we will be leaving for a week in Georgia before heading up to Crown!!!!!!!!!! Man, I have waited for this since my freshman year, and it is finally happening! Praise the Lord! I am so excited to see what God has planned for me at Crown!

Happy Birthday to ME!

Well, it's official. I am legally an adult! Saturday was my eighteenth birthday, and the curse is broken. For some reason, every birthday I have had since I turned thirteen has been ruined by something. Thankfully, nothing went wrong this time! In fact, we had a great day. In the morning, Mum and I went to go pick up Daddy from the hospital. (He had to stay overnight after having two stints put in due to a blockage near his heart.) I am praising the Lord that he is feeling better and was even able to go to work today. Next, Mum and I went to our favorite nail salon and had some pampering time! After Mani-Pedi time with Mum, we went back home. When my brother, Casey, came home from work, he gave me a new Sarah Brightman CD and a Freddi Fish game. Freddi Fish is a little lame kid's computer game, but I love them! They bring back great memories and made me laugh. No one else would have ever bought me something like that; haha my brother's awesome! Next, I went to Blockbuster and bought my final birthday gift from my parents: THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON 2 DISC SPECIAL EDITION! Ahhhhh words cannot describe how much I love the Twilight Saga. The books and movies are amazing.
It was a very amazing birthday!

Last night, I attended the graduation for Crown Southwest and Norris Seminary. (Crown Southwest is a branch of The Crown College of the Bible that was opened a few years ago here in Dallas.) Our friends, Jordan and Kara (who we call Kay-Ruh) graduated last night. I'm so proud of them. They will be getting married in August of this year. I'm so excited for them.
After we went to the graduation, we went to Don Pablo's Mexican restaurant in Fort Worth. That place is AMAZING!!! The Smiths and Taylor went with us, and we all had tons of fun! My mum and Miss Jonna got the waiters to sing "Happy Birthday" for me and my brother, Casey. He turned 23 last Wednesday and this Saturday will be my 18th birthday. YIPPY!!! Oh, do you know how heavy real sombrerros are? man, they are extremely heavy! It was so much fun.
Tonight, our teen group will be going to Cassie's Fro-Yo for a special treat during class. I love that place!

Last night, I went to what would have been my last choir concert in public school. I was reminded of my ife before my family decided to finish my education through home schooling. It was so nice to see my choir friends and receive long awaited hugs from them, but it felt so strange to be there. I realized how much I missed them, but I still have no regrets about homeschooling. I believe it was a great decision, no matter what some of my public school friends think. A few of them (although they didn't look down on it) did not understand my decision to homeschool. It's just not the "normal" thing to them. When you know a lot of people who homeschool, it seems as normal as going to public or private schools, but in the city, it is thought to be weird.
Another thing my friends at public school don't seem to understand is the decision I made in tenth grade to not wear pants. I am probably the only person who many of them have ever met who doesn't wear pants. Even now when I go back to my old stomping grounds, I get strange looks from them. Even when I see my old friends, it is as if they forgot what it looks like to see someone wearing modest clothes. It makes me laugh, actually. I am not offended by their looks; it just makes me remember how feminist our world is. Of course, I am all for equal rights for women, but I am not a feminist. I am a young lady who wants to please the Lord by my actions and wardrobe. I am extremely proud of this!!!
I am so proud of my choir friends, especially the ACCAPELLA seniors. Congratulations guys; I love you! You are my ONLY regret for leaving public school. I miss you and hope to see you again soon!

Cassie's FroYo

I would like to write a review for a great place that opened in Grapevine, TX recently. If you are ever in the DFW area, make sure to take a trip to Cassie's Frozen Yogurt on Main Street in Grapevine. This self-serve FroYo place is very lovely to visit and the yogurt itself is delightful! I have only been to Cassie's twice, but I will recommend it to anyone! The employees are very kind and helpful, and the environment is VIBRANT! I love all of the neon colors on the walls. In addition to the several flavor options, there's a great topping bar, complete with your favorite candies and fruit. My favorite treat from Cassie's is a cup of Yellow Cake Batter yogurt topped with Mango, chocolate chip cookie dough pieces, pineapple, Oreo crumbles, and some jimmies. (For those of you who don't use random British terminology on a daily basis, "Jimmies" are sprinkles!)
Drop in to Cassie's next time you're in Grapevine!