It’s JULY?!?

I know… I’ve been the worst blogger ever lately! I wrote once in June and sporadically in May, and I have a feeling July might be looking about the same. Here’s why:

* I have my Arabic Final July 13th…. and I’m a bit stressed and overwhelmed about it.

* I have to renew my visa at the end of the month, which has already caused me some headaches and trips to immigration.

* I’m trying to plan and put together a VBS outreach for the month of August. By myself. In Hebrew. Enough said.

Hopefully when I make it through this month I’ll have lots of good reports to write about….. stay tuned

Major School Changes, Part 2…

Last year, I blogged about some HUGE changes in my life regarding schooling.  I had applied to the “regular” university at TAU, which meant I would be a Hebrew student instead of an overseas English one…. and I WAS ACCEPTED!  While I am still at the same school and still studying, it means big changes for me.

For one, all my classes will now be taught in Hebrew, not in English.  My language classes have always been taught in Hebrew and Arabic, but the core classes were in English.

Secondly, I will no longer be studying History, as I was before; I will be studying Arabic Literature.  I really am excited about this change, but it also means A LOT more dedication and studying for me.  This semester alone I have 10 hours of Arabic and 6 of Hebrew, purely language classes.  YIKES!

I haven’t been blogging as regularly as I used to, and I fear that with my new courses it might only become more sporadic… but please know that I’m not abandoning it all together.

I’m feeling so many emotions about this whole thing: excited, scared, nervous, hopeful, overwhelmed that I just can’t seem to muster up a post.

I hope I will still have some readers during this process, and just know that I am continually reading your blogs… even if I’m not writing my own. Thanks for sticking with me, all my blogging friends! ❤❤

Trying to Keep up

I haven’t been blogging much lately on here, cuz I’ve been blogging a lot over on my ministry site, Shine International.  It’s not that I don’t WANT to blog on my personal blog site, it’s just that it’s become easier to blog over on the Shine one.

Maybe it’s because writing about my personal life has become more complicated than it used to with all the craziness going on…. or maybe it’s because most of my personal life has been devoted to ministry life, and there’s more to say in that respect.  Either/or, if you miss me or just want to know what I’m up to, you should subscribe to our Shine Blog, and you’ll get more of me than you ever wanted! (hehehehehehehe)

And just in case your curious, here’s some highlights from the last couple weeks:

• Went up to Haifa for 3 days to get out of Tel Aviv.  Fabulous!
• Started playing Basketball every Monday Night with Refugee kids from my neighborhood. Fun!
• Returned to “room-mate less” status once again. Sad!
• In the process of switching majors at the university before the year begins. Frustrating!
• Preparing for Mexican Fiesta 2: The Sequel at my house this weekend. Yummy!
• Dreaming of Pumpkin Spice Latte’s and Fall Family Bliss. Always!

What’s your’s been looking like?

Brain Blockage

As you’ve probably noticed, I haven’t been writing much in the past month.  I could use all the excuses of being busy with work, school, life etc., (which are all true) but the biggest truth is this:

I just don’t know what to write!

I have NEVER had problems writing before; usually its a matter of what NOT to write.  But I’m suffering with a major brain blockage!

And the worst part is that its not just blogging…. its stemming from the THREE MAJOR PAPERS I have to write for school.  I’m down to my last few weeks, and sadly I must admit I haven’t started on ANY of them!

It’s not like I don’t want to.  I sit down to write and nothing comes.  I research topics I think about discussing and nothing feels right.

I’m Frustrated. Stressed. Annoyed. and most of all Wordless!

How do I get over this Brain Blockage????

End of Week Update

This week has been a crazy one, and I haven’t even thought of blogging. or reading blogs. So here I am, trying to catch up.

Sunday: I moved all my stuff to the new place.  It wasn’t even close to being finished, but I had to move it from the old place. Sometimes schedules don’t mesh, and this was one of them.  I ended up sleeping on the couch at my old place for the night.  Also, a housewarming party for an ex-flatmate, who moved to an amazing place.

Monday: After a few bus trips back and forth with the rest of my personal stuff, I moved into the new place in the one room that was finished.  It was chaos and mess (still is) but I thought, “if I can live in tents in Africa for weeks at a time, I can do this.” (hmmmm, I’m wanting to take that thought back)

Tuesday: The workers continue to come but make baby-step progress. I’m starting to get used to the new bus routes and routines, and being the only white person in the area again is reminding me of being back in Africa.

Wednesday: It literally breaks 100 degrees so the workers only work at night.  6-midnight. Which means that I also need to be out of the place in order to preserve my sanity.  I end up staying up till 1:30 am talking with Alex, one of the Russian workers, about life in Israel versus Russia versus The States. Little sleep and loss of patience is not boding well with me.

Thursday: V.P. Joe Biden comes to Tel Aviv, and through school I am invited to see him speak. Why is it that when important people speak they blast the air conditioning and freeze out everyone else in the place?  We’re the ones sitting and waiting for 3 hours!

Friday: As I type this there is scraping and hammering going on in the next room.  They are telling me it will be done tonight, though I don’t quite see how.  I’m sooooo ready to get my life organized again.  Scrounging through bags/suitcases looking for something to wear everyday is tiring, and I still haven’t found my box of nail polish.  How can a girl live without her nail polish???

Thank God its the Weekend!!!!

Lovely Lady, Lovely Blog Award

Thanks to @Holly, I have actually won an award here on my blog!  It’s exciting, yet humbling at the same time.

Here’s the great thing about this award: I can now choose 5 more lovely ladies to honor those who encourage, inspire, lift me up, and just bring happiness into my life on a day to day basis.

@Alece: Alece is a wonderful friend, who has not only helped me through a difficult time in my life, but has shared her heart to the world during her own struggles.  She is an amazing writer, and my dear African friend!

@Angie: Angie also lives on the mission field, but on the other part of the world (Bolivia).  Another fantastic writer, and such an inspiration to all women on the field.

@Bonnie: Bonnie is a new blogging friend, but one that I identify so much with.  We share the same love for movies, Star Wars, and of course… blogging!

@Chrystie: Chrystie has an incredible way with words, and her posts are always so uplifting and honest.  One day she is going to be on the Top Sellers List, thats for sure!

@Jill: Jill is one of my oldest friends, all the way back from elementary-school.  She is brand new on the blogging scene, and always has amazing projects or home ideas to glean from.

So, there you have it…. now go check out their blogs for yourselves!

(Ladies, click here to accept the award and pass it on…guidelines on Cassandra’s site.)

Blogger Book Review: Reflections of God’s Holy Land

Some time ago I became a Thomas Nelson Book Review Blogger (it was actually over a year ago).  The problem was this: I moved to Israel right after I joined.  The book that I was supposed to review came to my stateside address, but I was on the other side of the ocean.

A year later I was able to read this book and now here I am finally writing my review. The book is all about Israel (a topic I know quite well now), so I was actually anxious to read it with a perspective of someone who lives in the Holy Land.

I must admit that when I read Christian material on Israel I am often disappointed and frustrated….it isn’t always portrayed as how it truly is over here, but how it looks good for Christian fundraising efforts.  This book was different though!

Each section was broken down into three sections:

• Did You Know?:  Facts and pictures about the area
• Reflections: The authors personal reflections and journals regarding to times she was visiting that area
• Verses and Biblical References to the Areas: This was just another little added feature that I personally enjoyed

Overall, I really enjoyed reading through the book, being able to personally relate to all the areas mentioned.  The pictures were great, and the reflections were wonderful.  This book would make  lovely coffee-table material!

(book written in collaboration by Eva Marie Everson and Miriam Feinberg Vamosh)

My 1st Guest Blogger Gig!

Today, I’m over here as a GUEST BLOGGER!  Yep, that’s right….my first gig as a guest blogger!

Not only am I excited for this cool opportunity, but I’m even more excited about WHY I was asked to be the guest. Here’s a little preview:

Do you remember life back in elementary school? (Some of you might have to think real hard!)

What were your favorite games? Who were your friends? What snacks did you like to eat?  Where did you hang out?

For me, growing up in a smaller-sized city in Eastern Michigan, I remember LOVING coming home after school… grabbing a snack… hopping on my bike…. and riding around with my friends.  Some days we would turn our garage into a roller rink and roller-skate around and around for hours, (With this info. you can probably age me easily).  In the winter, we would go out and play in the snow, building forts and having snowball fights.  Fall would mean lots of leaves, great for constructing huge piles in the yard and jumping in them.

Yes, I really have such fond memories of my childhood; but I have come to realize that in our world, growing up like that is one in a million. There are so many children who NEVER experience half the joys I had when I was young….

To read the rest, and find out the TRUE REASON for my presence as a guest blogger, click here.

My online community

I’ve heard many people talk about online communities vs. real life communities vs. social networking communities etc. People blog about it, debate over it, and discuss whether your online community is as valuable as your in person community.  While it differs from person to person, let me tell you about mine:

I recently sent out an email about a personal prayer request and issue that I am facing at the moment, and I have been overwhelmed by the support and encouragement I received from my online community (emails, fb, twitter).  I do not have a strong support group where I live (for many obvious regional reasons), so I have come to depend on my online community. While I wish that I had a stronger community where I live, I would never discount my online community as just a “social networking tool’.  They are my friends. They are my family. They are my rock.

So, if you are one of those people that think of the online communities as an artificial, surface group of people, who only communicate in a non-personal way, THINK AGAIN!  And if you are part of my online community, let me just tell you this one thing: YOU ROCK!

What’s wrong with this picture???

According to my stats page, I get over 100 views per day on my blog…

…yet, most days I’m lucky to get 1 or 2 comments per post.

Is what I write about really that boring, or do you just have nothing to say???

You can be completely honest with me. Why doesn’t the majority of my readers leave a comment (that’s you if you’re reading this)???? I am just curious…

New feature

I have added a new feature to my blog: Guest Book.  For those of you who are no longer guests and already frequent my site, please feel free to go there and sign anyways: its the thought that counts.  This way you will now become an “official” guest of mine.  If you are a first-time guest: go sign too….

Blogging…the truth behind the madness

So, this past weekend I was introduced to how crazy blogging has truly become.  For me, it was a means to an end…a way to reach some of my supporters who were having difficulties downloading and opening my monthly newsletters.  Ok: that’s how it started, but now its become a bit more than that.  I do admit, I find myself writing about things I would never mention in my newsletters, ie: circus life, chips n salsa etc.  Have I become “one of them?”

Anyways, back to the scene of the crime.  Alece decided to have a “comment” war with Niel on what type of dog they would get: big vs medium.  Niel wanted a big and Alece wanted a medium sized.  One of her bloggers suggested they have a contest to see who could get the most comments on their blogsite, and that person could choose the size.  Sounded fun and innocent….not so!

Alece had around 200 comments when Niel had maybe 20.  The staff decided to help Niel out a bit, and Friday night we all got online and started commenting for him.  Let me remind you one thing: Africa internet is NOT as fast as America’s internet.  Even when you think your internet is slow, its still not as slow as ours here.  We found that out by sheer numbers.  

As soon as Alece’s bloggers found out we were online, commenting for Niel, they went to war. Unfortunately, their weapons were too much for us.  In the time it took  4 of us to post one comment, 1 person in the states could post about 10 comments. (Just to give you an example of the speed I was mentioning) Needless to say, they caught up to our UNBELIEVABLE 585 comments in less than 2 hours.  We realized then that we were out of our league and threw in the towel.  (Not to mention it was already 1am our time and only 6pm their time)  

All this to say that we then began a conversation on the craziness of blogging!  There are serious bloggers out there, and even though I thought I blogged quite frequently, I realised I am an only an amatuer blogger. Do I want to join the status of professional blogger?  Am I willing to give what it takes?  Do I like spending my Friday nights on a computer?

Here’s the conclusion: I think I’m happy being connected to the “outside” world, and still have some internet friends too.  I love both worlds, but I need a balance.  Will I be doing anymore all nighters on the blogging scene? ABSOLUTELY NOT!  That really took a lot out of me, and I think I am ready to retire from that type of blogging madness.  hehehe  Don’t get me wrong, I love to blog.  Just in moderation.  

I end this topic on this thought:  to blog or not to blog…that is the question?!?  (our world has changed a lot in the past century, hasn’t it?)

P.S. Any of Alece’s blogging friends: I still love you!

P.S.S.  Those of you involved in the comment war:  you must admit our comments were soooo much more creative.  I mean come on,  we had big names like Snoop Dog, Randy Jackson, Ryan Seacrest, The entire cast of 101 Dalmations, Snoopy (just to name a few) drop by.  Now thats impressive! 

P.S.S.S. Check out the Anti-blogger for those incredible comments if you’re intrigued.