MelissaShirelle

I love this..and I am in desperate need of it. Best thing? It cost less than $6 to make!!

Seriously?! Totally doing these! Paint chip greeting cards!! Best thing? You can use whatever colors you want and put them in whatever design you want. Man, some people are creative!

(via aubreew)

whoever thought that a pallet could turn out this cute??

i would also like to make these lamps. seriously. i want to be crafty. i want to make something!!

kamot-lihok:

It’s that simple

(via kamot-lihok-deactivated20111006)

Cocktail Umbrella Lamp Shade

I. Like. Love. This. I would love to recreate it! Summer DIY project?

(via craftdiscoveries)

(via aubreew)

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made
perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. ♥ 2 Corinthians 12:9

Wow. This verse has hit me in a way in which i was not prepared for tonight. I am extremely blessed to be on a staff with 10 amazingly beautiful, strong, encouraging, faithful, honest women. We meet every Monday night and talk about life. We cry, we encourage, we are vulnerable, we are real with each other. This week, our amazing RD Merea read this verse to us. It was like a slap in the face..the good kind.

I have felt so overwhelmed the last few months. so….lets back up all of the way to this summer. I was blessed to be able to go on a trip to Indonesia this summer. I was able to meet new people, show them His love, teach them English, and learn about their culture. It was THE most amazing 3 weeks i have EVER spent. I was challenged in SO many different ways, and I am so thankful for that time. However, I left feeling like I could have done so much more. I could have made more relationships..I could have made deeper connections..I could have shared about Him more..I was left with this empty feeling that I didn’t do as much as I could, and as best as I could have. I was challenged by 1 Corinthians 3:6-9:

“I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.”

Wow. Really, Melissa? You do not have to do everything. Sometimes I feel as though if I do not see the fruits of my labor then I have not accomplished anything. This leaves me feeling empty and like I’m not being fruitful..

Yet the Lord says, “My grace is sufficient for you…”

The rest of my summer flew by, and sooner then I thought it would come, RA training started. I have the great responsibility of being a Resident Assistant to 25 amazing young women this year. I am so thankful for this opportunity. However, I feel myself relying on my own strength to get through the day. Young women are faced with SO many different challenges their freshman year of college. Everything is new and exciting, and they can’t wait to try everything, and get involved. I love my girls so much. I am so thankful for the relationships I am building. I am so thankful for the honesty that they can have with me, and how they just want to be real. I enjoy the conversations that we have that show me into their hearts, as they talk about their family, their faith, and their friendships. I’ve had amazing times shopping at Target, spending hours in Barnes and Noble, watching movies, walking the “Lancer Lap”, and just eating together. However in the back of my mind I think that I could have approached that situation differently, I could have loved her more during this time, I could have stayed up later just so I could see more of them, I could plan better events, I could ask more questions. And sometimes at night I am left with the feeling of emptiness..

Yet the Lord says, “My grace is sufficient for you…”

Another part of my life that I have really been struggling through is marriage; engagement in particular. I have been dating the most awesome man for 4 1/2 years. Never, ever, in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine myself ever dating someone for this long. My parents met when they were older. They didn’t date for a long period of time before they got engaged, and then married. Since that is my impression on marriage I never thought 7 years down the road I would still be dating someone. However, it is not very realistic to stick to that tradition when you meet the one you love in high school. Our journey has been a roller coaster of a ride since the day that we met. I love Kyle with all of my heart. I love the man that he is in God. I love the way that he smiles at me. I love the way he kisses me on the forehead. I love the way that he makes me laugh. I love the way we can have an honest and real relationship. However, lately I have been struggling with, “When will it be my turn Lord?” “When will you bless us with the ability to get married?” Of course I have been learning that His timing is NEVER on track with mine. :) haha. It is difficult for me to see my friends around me getting engaged, and getting married. Although I couldn’t be happier for these people, it is something that I have to work at. I know that Kyle Edwin Scott Rodgers is the man for me. I know without a doubt that if he asked me to marry him today, my answer would be yes. I also know that in our case we need to finish school and be set in a job so that we can afford it. Yet, it is still a struggle for me. Some days I feel like it will never be here..

Yet the Lord says, “My grace is sufficient for you…”

I also feel like I am not connected to my family. I rarely talk to them, if I talk to them at all. My family is not exactly that tight-nit family you see that has family reunions every few years. My mom and I keep in touch with some of my family, mostly her sister’s family, and my Grandma (her mom) comes out to California for about 7 months out of the year. There has been a lot of things that have gone on in my family. I mean, no family is perfect. I’ve recently been struggling with a relationship that I never imagined struggling with. It kills me to know that this is really happening. It just…sucks, if i’m being honest. At the same time, I have been completely blessed by the Rodgers family. They have really accepted me and and made me feel like part of the family. Not just Kyle and his parents and sisters, but his aunts and uncles and cousins as well. I love that I have them as my family. However I still feel an emptiness in my family. I feel like there is more I can do, yet my heart is broken..

Yet the Lord says, “My grace is sufficient for you…”

Wow, Lord. How amazing you are. Thank you for your Grace. Thank you for your Compassion. Thank you for your Love. Thank you for your Patience with me. Lord I pray that I would grow closer to you. I pray I would lean on you..and not on myself. I can’t do this alone. I need you. <3

So I have officially been on summer break for 14 days and I don’t think that I have actually stopped moving.

This year was crazy busy for me. I was blessed to have been given an internship in the admissions office at my school. I knew that it was going to be time consuming, but I underestimated it..many times. I learned that it is not easy to work 20 hours a week and complete 16 units one semester and 17 units the next. Don’t get me wrong, I really did enjoy the experience that it gave me, but it was taxing as well. I learned so much from this internship

• I had to find directions to each place
• I had to pack a bag with enough promotional material to pass out
• I had to get to every place on time (meaning early)
• I had to talk to high school (and some times junior high) students and parents from anywhere from an hour to three hours
• I had to explain why going to a private school, specifically CBU, was ultimately a better choice then public
• I had to learn information about the majors, activities, cost, and financial aid that we offered
• I had to find my way back to school (which didn’t always work out as planned..)

These are all great aspects that I will need and use when I graduate and become the teacher that I have wanted to be for the past 13 years. I obviously need to be able to make it to my school every day..lol. But I also need to make sure that I have all of my materials for that day. I need to make sure I get there on time to set up for my day. I have to be able to communicate with not only my students, but also their parents. I need to be able to explain to parents how their child is doing and make sure they are in the loop of what is going on. I obviously need to know the information that I am going to be teaching on. And then I guess finding my way back to my house would be helpful :) lol. Second semester I worked my 20 hours in the office working the “behind the scenes” work. This made me really appreciate when I was applying to CBU. There is way more work that goes into the whole process, and it really does take a team effort to get the job done.

This year also marked my second year living with my 4 roommates..and also my last. It is not very often when you can find 5 women who will willingly live with each other not just one year..but for two years. I love these girls. They have each poured into my life in more ways then they might think. We have been through alot; heart ache, death, late nights, frozen yogurt runs, bike rides, engagement!!! :), birthday celebrations, secret santa breakfasts, late night breakfasts, roommate dinners, laughs, tears, chore charts ;)..and I could go on and on. This year two of my roommates reached a huge milestone in their life..graduating college!!! :) I was so proud of them and enjoyed watching how happy they were at graduation when they walked across the stage and shook our President’s hand. :) Now Jordyn is starting the credential program and Jill is moving over seas.

Next year is going to be so different. I will be serving as the R.A. on 1D in the freshman dorms, Kaitlyn will be living with her nursing friends, and Kristin will be living with her running friends. We will all be splitting up..not one of us will be going in the same direction. It is really sad to me. Even though we were all on different paths these past two years we all met up in the apartment. It will be weird not seeing these 4 girls every day. I’m happy for Jordyn and Jill for graduating, and i’m excited for new opportunities, but it is sad to have this part of my family splitting up. :(

Well..this is all for now. I am super excited for the San Diego Zoo on Friday!! :)  I’m going with Jill and Taylor and I seriously cannot wait.

Thank you Lord for the wonderful job opportunities and friends you have placed in my life.

<3