Erica's Place

Ok first off I want to say that I WOULD have pictures if it were not for my talent of leaving things places. I still am looking for my brain... Anyone know where it is? If you find it please turn it in to the lost and found! I think it has my number on it. So anyway, on with Family Day. IT WAS HOT YESTERDAY!!!!!!!!! That's pretty much the most of it. Church yesterday was different for me, due to the fact that I woke up late because I thought that it was bilingual service that day so I wouldn't have to Praise Sing.... Well as I am trying on clothes deciding what to wear, I get a txt asking if I was planning on Praise Singing, so I said no since it was Bilingual, it is then that I was notified that it was NOT Bilingual Service, and since I had my black dress on, I grabbed my new red belt and my black shoes and made it to church 7 minutes before service started! Eek! And then, Bro. Stringfellow was still not there after Worship Service, and Jana found out that she would have to si...

So, I thought that life would get a little slower once school let out. YEAH RIGHT! Looks like it has only had a "phase change" and gone into rapid speed. This past Thursday and Friday was our Youth Connect services. Each service was so awesome, and the altar call was the highlight of each! Thursday night afterwards marked quite an interesting time with friends and fellowship. Let's just say.... I was quite loud! In fact I believe the words Bekki used were "Pipe down!" Lol. Oh my... It was funny! And then to think the things I learned about people and places and things (oh my!) from overhearing the wrong parts of the conversations. Awww and then... then I tried to make Joe re-ask Heather out cuz I missed it! And then I had problems in general. But... Bekki and Jennifer helped my night become interesting... Poor Kim and Shavon (spelling?), Kim has been around me before, but Shavon has not seen much of me and saw me in all my glory! Anyway, Friday was fun too, Bekk...

Wow... and wow... You know, I have never realized how full my life is. I used to complain about our church not doing a lot and how bored I was and blah blah blah. lol well, *WARNING WARNING* You may get what you wish for! I have been so busy this whole YEAR pretty much. I can only remember a few Saturdays that I have had to myself! It has been crazy, between school, work, and church practices, dramas, services, etc. I have not been able to get done what I need done. For awhile there I only saw my parents at dinner and then that was it! Really sad! So I figured after last weekend, I would get to come home and relax a little and help pack. Did that happen?? Well I did take a nap on Monday (I normally do NOT like to take naps), but the packing has really not been happening for me. So I got to thinking... Is there anyway to stop time??? Joshua did it, yes I understand that was an emergency, but THIS IS TOO! If I don't get to packing and cleaning, I will be banished from my house. Lol o...

"When God unfolds the Rose He always gets it right When the petals are in place It's such a beautiful sight He knows when to hold on And the perfect time to let go So let God have His way And watch God unfold the Rose" That has to be one of my favorite songs. I have been singing it a lot lately, and when Sister Trevino sang it Friday night at Camp Meeting it really hit me hard. I capitalized the "r" in Rose for a reason. Most of you know that my middle name is Rose, so I was personalizing the song to me :) It is so hard to just "let go and let God" sometimes. I think that is what I struggle with the most. I have found it so easy to just sit around and let the world and just everything pass me by while I wait for... who knows what, My future maybe? At times it can honestly be the hardest struggle of a Christian, waiting on God. The saying my grandpa used to say is so true "It is hard to live for God easy, but it is easy to live for God hard." ...

Wow... The weekend isn't even over and I already have done so much!!! Read Bekki's blog for the play by play, I am going to highlight on some main events and outline the rest at least that is my story and I'm sticking to it. Starting off, Courtney, Bekki and I left Friday morning at 7 from my house for Ventura (poor Bekki had the longest drive, to get to my house), and had many exciting experiences on the way to Ventura family and youth camp meeting. It was so much fun! We got there for the morning service, and Bro Booker preached on "You Just Never Know" I thought it was hilarious because Bekki and I had mentioned something about that earlier that day, and also a few days before! We hung around the dorms for awhile then went to get ready (I had a bad hair day, had to take my hair down a few times, but oh well). At church that night, Bro Phil White preached such a powerful message, (as mentioned in Bekki's blog) about taking goats to church. It was so powerfu...

It is so hard to believe it has been almost a week since my final Final! :P lol. If you assume I have been sitting around all day since I graduated, well.... You're almost right! Monday and Tuesday I worked at my job from 1-8 organizing an end of the year workshop/meeting and then Wednesday was pretty calm. I did have time to lounge around each morning, and even had time to get my eyebrows waxed! Yesterday was a clean up day for my office, so I really feel as if I sat around most of the day. My poor mom has been pretty much unable to do a lot until today. She took her cast thingy (I'm a graduate from CSUSB and I don't even know the name) off and found out she is allergic to either the iodine or the Vicodin! (MOM this is where you do NOT tell the story about the vicodin) So she has had it pretty rough. Anyway, I am excited! I leave tomorrow morning bright and early to head up to Ventura Camp Meeting for the morning and evening services! Bekki got us a hotel room, and Courtne...

And here are a few taken from my phone during the ceremony Me, Ashley and Cynthia Ashley and Cynthia Me and Ashley

I DID IT!!!! I was going to wait til tomorrow to post this and pictures, but I could not wait. I will put pictures on tomorrow, but this needs to be done NOW or else I will go crazy. As you all probably know, today was the day that I have been waiting for all of my college life! I graduated with my Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies. That is right, I am now legally a certified liberal! Lol well not really, but it just means I can start substitute teaching and now all I need is my Teaching Credential to teach at public schools. I can not express to you the joy I felt as I began walking out onto the floor of the arena, it was all so unreal to me. I never thought this day would come. But it has and did and is gone! But the ceremony was SO SO SO boring, I'm so glad I sat with my friends and we entertained ourselves by texting each other pictures and by getting on the internet on our phones. Lol. Only in California do they not care if you call people while the ceremony is in progress l...

Wow I sure shocked a lot of people with that last blog! Lol! I haven't really given much thought to blogging until someone *cough * katie * cough* so graciously told me that I needed to post. So here I am! I actually should be studying but I just went over the study sheet and realized that I know over half of the identifications on there. And those I don't know he probably won't put up since he's only going to put up 1/3 of what he gave us. Teachers like that are crazy they make us study so hard and then don't even use the stuff we studied hardest on. Wow.... Sorry... Lol I think that is considered rambling! Anyway, Today is my LAST DAY!!!!!!!!! WOOHOO!!!!!!! I have taken two finals and turned in 3 papers, and today I just have 1 paper and 2 finals (at 2 and 4). I am so excited, I just want to get this over with, and then tomorrow is my pahtay!!!! Oh yeah oh yeah! You will definitely be seeing a lot of pictures of this weekend! I graduate Sunday at 2! When I started...

Bekki tagged me on her blog and I feel rather forced into doing this! Ok so not really forced. Lol although I do love randomness. Ready??? 1st Random fact: I have never had a boyfriend (You are not alone in this Bekki!!!) I believe God has someone out there... way out there.. somewhere.... maybe over the rainbow :P but he is out there nonetheless and I am to the point where I am willing to wait however long it takes for God to either take me to him, or bring him to me. 2nd Random fact: I am actually a very Random person!!! Not only in some of the things I say but also in the things I do! But hey it keeps ME entertained 3rd Random fact: My family is moving in a few months (yes that includes me)... Sad but true! 4th Random fact: I am on the phone a LOT!!!!!!!! Texting and talking (I love my new phone!!! I got the BlackBerry Pearl in pink!!! so cute!!) 5th and final Random fact: I love olives. I have six cans of them at home! Lol just kidding that was for Bro. Montano! For real my 5th and...

Of all people, I never would have thought that I would be able to do it! When I started this I seriously had such horribly tempting cravings for anything and everything I saw but kept talking myself out of it! I am glad I did, but I do not EVER want to do this diet again. Lol. It was seriously like fasting (and Nicole knows my pain even moreso than I can feel!) I didn't eat except for in the morning yesterday and when I got home around 9:30 or 10ish last night and for 2 reasons because it was Music Dept fast day, and because the brown rice became unappealing to me lol! Oh wasn't it such a wonderful feeling eating that last bowl of cabbage soup (which was really good still) and then throwing the rest of it down the drain with a wild cry of delight and victory! But needless to say I have completed the 7 day program! I kinda blew it this morning with rice cereal, but I am having a salad and diet coke for lunch and the soda is so sweet I almost can't drink it! And to think I no...

I can't believe I have made it this far! I still have only lost 8 pounds, I will check tomorrow after it is over. This has been quite an interesting time for me... I don't think I would ever do it again, unless I gained a lot of weight. But I will eat cabbage soup again. That stuff was really good! Today is my rice, vegetables and fruit juice day. The no sugar added kind of juice of course. And is it good or what??? I bought the Apple and strawberry medley at Stater Bro's last night!!! MMMM it tastes really good! Other than it doesn't have caffeine! Up above is a picture of my lunch brown rice, carrots and juice! It's not too bad, but I am not too hungry after my rice for breakfast! I just hope I can survive till I'm out of classes tonight (at 7:30 :P). Ok I will stop now and get back to "work"! I'll get you posted on the outcome of this!

I'm almost done, I'm almost done, I'm almost done, I've made it this far I can go all the way! I almost gave in last night because Dairy Queen Blizzards are my BIGGEST weakness! But then I got this text from Bis- I mean Bekki and it said this " Remember, it won't taste as good as thin feels." She also posted this in my comments. It is so true. It made me not even give that Dairy Queen another thought! Hmph blizzard schmizzard! As of this morning, I have lost a total of 8 pounds on this "eating program". I am extremely missing the sweetness of the fruit and the milk and bananas combo! You should have seen me eating bananas at the table at Chili's Sunday night! It was incredible lol! Today is my beef and veggie day! It is so much easier than the beef and tomatoes. That one was rough on me since I love love love stewed or cooked tomatoes, but could only have fresh ones. However, the steak my Daddy grilled was incredible!! Now after this is over...

Well... 4 days down 3 to go!!! I am almost finished with my banana and milk day! It's all down hill from here. I've been asked how much weight I've lost, and my standard answer has been 3 pounds BUT... BUT BUT BUT BUT!!! :-D I have just recently weighed myself and have actually lost 3 more and now have lost a total of SIX POUNDS!!! Sigh... I miss food! lol Just kidding I'm actually doing really well, being more dramatic than usual especially when food looks good... but then it happens!! Tomorrow is my beef and tomato day I can do this! And YES PRESTON talking to yourself DOES help! lol it boosts my ego knowing that I care about myself lol! I'll keep you posted on my last three days!