Crazy Life

My life has been a little crazy lately and it doesn't look like it will be slowing down anytime soon. But, here are some updates of joy from this past week.

Halloween!!

The Soccer Team

Scott ♥

Roomies

Gail Dirksen a.k.a. Mr Potato Head

Jana Merissa Mary Me

On Tuesday we also won our first conference round game against Doane 3-0. Now we advance to conference semi-finals on Saturday vs. Hastings the number one team in the conference. So I'm pretty excited. We tied them earlier this season so we will have to be on top of our game to beat them this time.

Last night I enjoyed a girls night through Chocolate Hour hosted by the Women of Promise club here at Dordt. This hour consisted of indulging in several chocolatey goodies followed by talking with a panel of men from Dordt's campus and asking them all sorts of questions. It was such a blessing to be in community with all those women talking with God-fearing men.

Another joy I encountered last night was a clear starry night reminding me that God calls me his beautiful daughter and that he finds me captivating enough to walk me back to my dorm with the stars.

And, my joy today is that there is NO WIND!! It is beautiful. It has been miserably windy and cold for soccer practice, but today is looking better :) Also, I am particpating in the Big Brother/Big Sister program and I got to meet my little today. Her name is Miranda and she is hilarious. I get to spend my lunch hour with her every Wednesday.

I love and miss you all like crazy,

Aubs

Snuggled by God

My joy today was watching soccer in crazy high winds and chilly temperatures being snuggled up tight under a hoodie and fleece blanket. First I played my game in this crazy weather and we won 4-1. It was a fun game. And then, the boys played and Scott got their only goal to win the game 1-0. Watching him play today I was so thankful for life. I don't like being cold, but I love being snuggled under layers of sweats and blankets enjoying God's creation and the company of those around me. And when it was time to leave the cold and enter into the warm haven of Rindy's mom's car (a girl on my soccer team), I fell peacefully asleep. I think this is what it will be like to enter heaven. We have been enduring the coldness of earth snuggled by the ones He sent to take care of us and love us, and entering into the warmth and peace of God's presence. It's kind of a weird analogy, but it worked pretty well with my thoughts today :)

Special

This weekend was FULL of joy!

Friday night I got to go out with the girls for our friend Brittany's birthday. We went to Red Robin in Sioux City. It was so good to have a night out with the girls!





And when we got back, Dordt was hosting the Fall Fest which consists of decorating cookies, a pumpkin carving contest, pie eating contest, and warm beverages :)














Saturday, many things brought me joy once again but mostly what brought me joy was volunteering for the special olympics in the morning. We went bowling today. They just love it and they are actually really good! Many of them do better than I do usually :) One of the ladies that was on my lane in the first group was so soft spoken and sweet. I got talking with her and she reminded me of this important aspect of life. This is what she said, "I like to smile all the time because they told me that if I smile I will have a better day. So, I smile all the time." What a blessing! This was such a good reminder to me of what a difference something as simple as a smile can make. And she definately brought a smile to my face on a dreary Saturday morning.

The joy of Saturday night was getting to go out to eat with Scott's family. They came out to suprise him last night, so they took us out to eat :) After supper we went to the volleyball game and then said our goodbyes.
So now it is pouring rain, and I mean DOWNPOURING rain! with thunder and lightning (and we haven't had rain in about a month here!) So, me and Scott ran back to his room in the rain and were completely soaked. Then, we raided our friends room in search of "The Last Song" which I had yet to see. And, we met Ryan and Merissa for a movie date :) It is such a sweet movie, but be sure to have your tissues handy because it is a tear jerker. This movie reminded me to not take any day for granted and to make sure that the people we love KNOW that we love them.

So, to all of you reading this...I love you so much and I wish I could be closer to you to be telling you this in person rather than over the internet...

love always,
your Aubs

Color

In one of my classes today, we got split up into groups based on our favorite color... dillema what is my favorite color? There are way too many of them! Think of all the shades of green trees there are when they are lined up in a row or in a forest. There are too many shades to even begin to count. I chose yellow today because I am enjoying the bright sunshiny weather we have been having. But I wouldn't really say that I have a favorite color. I would say that I love color! How dull would our lives be without the colors we encounter each day no matter where you go. There is color everywhere! So today what brings me joy is color and today I looked for the colors I saw all around me. It was absolutely amazing! Our God is so creative!

I want to challenge you to take just 5 minutes out of your busy schedule and notice the color in your life. Where do you see it? Do you see it in a tree with changing leaves, or a jar full of colored pens, or a rack of towels at Walmart, or the socks on your feet, or painted toenails? Notice color today, it is all around you.

This weekend was full of joy! My mom and dad come to visit for parents weekend along with Scott's parents. I got to show them a few of my classrooms and stock up at Walmart. We got to go out for dinner at the adorable Casey's Bakery and Deli. On Saturday we woke up and went out for breakfast and then ran over the participate in the Goheen Gallop, a 5k race. Mr. VanWylen had been training for it since March and was ready to get it over with. Me and my dad, and Scott and his dad ran together and we all finished! So congratulations Mr. VanWylen on finishing your first 5k race! It was so much fun! Then both me and Scott had soccer games in the afternoon which we both won 6-0 and 5-0, and Scott had a "blistering right footed shot" to make the first goal. After the games we went to the local Mexican resaurant Los Tulipanes for supper and enjoyed a relaxing evening. My parents left early this morning all to quickly. I wish I could spend more time with them, I wish I wasn't so far away from all those I love so much. But it brought me joy this weekend to have them here with me. It was a very successful weekend ♥

I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!
aubs

Parents Weekend at Dordt College...

This weekend is parents weekend at Dordt. It is so fun to see everyone around campus out with their families. The atmosphere is changing from one of studying and cramming to one of hospitality and eagerness for the activities of the weekend. There are our two soccer games, a basketball competition, hockey game, football game, a 5k race, and a brunch for the parents to do. It brings me great joy that my parents will also be joining me this weekend for the festivities!! :) I only wish our time together could be longer, but I am way excited for the time that we do get to spend together.

xoxo
approximately 14 and half hours until they arrive
love,
aubs

Today what brought me joy was taking down our rival school Northwestern College in soccer!! We won 1-0 although it should have been like 3 or 4-0. This brings our record to 5-2-1 in the conference and 10-3-1 overall. It also brought me joy that the boys also pulled out a win!I love soccer, but I especially love winning. God created me to be a competitor and compete is what I do :)

1 day and 13 hours till I get to see mommy and daddy again :)

love always,
aubs