Bike Race

I completed my very first bike race! It was a ton of fun. I did not place but I did not finish last either! It was a great experience for me and I learned alot.

She's back and she's sick!... again!... Romania to look forward to!

Well, I am back from Hume and had a great week with the 6th grade girls! Just as KJ said, I am pretty wiped... after a grueling schedule of night games, and camp-wide hide and seek, offlong (where the kids get smacked with sock filled tube socks by their counselors), and milk shakes and french fries, and well, you get the point.... We had a lot of fun, but the best part was seeing God moving in the students' lives. A few took a bold step and accepted Christ for the first time. Praise God. Several re-dedicated their lives to Christ after realizing that they were walking away from Him. All-in-all it was a great week, and I am already looking forward to next year!

Yes, I am sick again! Goodness! Just when I thought I was in the clear! I went to the doc to rule out swine fever, and NO, I do not have it! ( Grandma should be at ease).  It is a simple case of the good 'ole influenza, and I will be just fine.... in a week or so.

As the reality of my mission trip to Romania gets closer, the team has been meeting to grow together and to prepare for our ministry overseas. We will be serving orphaned children in Romania and serving our God in whatever way He has prepared for us! We are growing more and more excited as we plan our activities and skits that we will be doing with the children. We have several upcoming events that will help us get to Romania financially! We are selling more cinnamon rolls (buy some, they are yummy yummy!) and a car wash this Saturday at Laurelglenn Bible Church. However, we are still in need of financial support! Please pray that our finances will come through and for God to bless our team and our trip!

 

Em at Hume Lake & KJ's First Race

This past week Emilee went to Hume Lake with the 6th graders from Heritage Christian Academy, which is the school she works for. She had a good time but is definitely tired from staying up late and running around with a ton of 6th grade girls! Em and I got to talk everyday for literally two minutes. She forgot a calling card and had to use change every single time she called me. So we got cut off after two minutes of talking hahaha Today, I was able to talk to her for thirty minutes! She said she had a good time this past week but is pretty tired.
For those of you who do not know, I bought a road bicycle and have begun riding. It's the type of bike that has the really skinny tires with the curled handlebars. Well tonight there is a race in Bakersfield that I have entered. It is my very first race! There are 68 spots open for this race and I have heard that all of those spots should fill up. I do not necessarily plan on placing I just want to finish the race and finish it in one piece! It will be a good opportunity for me to get my foot into the competitive side of road bikes! (in Video below: KJ is wearing black and grey)

Bridesmaids and a Day of Shopping!

Yesterday was a wonderful day with my Bridesmaids! Shannon came over from the coast, the Powell girls and Renee, and Sam all got fitted for their dresses! All the girls looked so lovely in their dresses, I can't wait until our wedding day to see all of them gorgeous in purple!!!! After dress fittings, we went to the Country Rose Tea Garden and had a wonderful lunch. The little tea rooms were so adorably decorated and we had a really lovely visit. 

After lunch the Powell women, (and the soon-to-be Mrs. Powell) all went to the Tulare outlets to shop for the rest of the day! It was so great to spend time with everyone and figure out that Rebekah and I have very similar shopping taste.... this could be dangerous! :0) 

I had a wonderful time!

Our New Lives!

We are really excited to start our new lives together! Our wedding date is October 10 at Avila Beach Golf Resort! Even though we will be having a really small wedding, EVERYONE will be invited to a Bakersfield reception to celebrate our union! We will be hosting this upon our return from our honeymoon. This will be an exciting time to share our new lives with so many of you that we love and cherish!

We love you all! See you soon!

"Love Story"

This was written by KJ's mom, Renee and is a wonderful description of how our two lives came together...

Once upon a time, in a land far away, a handsome young prince was born into a small village, in the county of Kern.

As the young lad grew in stature, he began his quest to discover  the true purpose of his royal life. His journey led him first to the far off land of Riverside, where he increased in wisdom and knowledge, working toward obtaining hisdegree in theology. One day, while reflecting on his princely future, he realized that, while his life seemed so promising, he was lacking in one area…his heart was so lonely.

 Then, on a fine October evening, he met his one true love, Princess Emilee. The princess had been in the employment of a private school for 2 years, teaching the young children reading, writing and arithmetic. The prince was certain that this fair maiden was the very soul mate he had been searching for near and far, in all the land. After four months of courtship, this young man knew that the time had come to ask the lovely young lady to be his beloved bride.

And so, on the nineteenth of February , he accompanied his love to the edge of the ocean and finding an opportune moment, with the melody of Taylor Swift in the background, under the moonlit sky, he dropped to his knee,professing his undying love for her and asking her hand in marriage.

 The wise and beautiful princess knew that the prince was sincere and that his love was pure. She took his hand in hers and pledged all her love to him. Together they knew they had found the love that would unite them together forever.

As the lovely couple look forward to their upcoming marriage, they are planning an outdoor wedding with their closest family and friends at the water’s edge in the village called, Avila. Because the month of October is when their love story began, that is when they will exchange rings and vows with each other, and so, will began their happily ever after.