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Pearlofjoy
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Name: Joy
Birthday: 9/5/1984
Gender: Female
Interests: Camping, traveling, being outside in the country, being with the family, meaningful conversation, learning from life and loving it. Learning from people by truly listening and watching how they live. Living simply. Good friends. READING- doing a lot of good reading these summer days. flowers...growing them, cutting them, and arranging them! meeting new people. scrabble, scatagories, and boggle. I like word games!
Message: message me
AIM:  JoyPJG3
Member Since:
8/26/2005
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| Yeah. The day after I last posted I learned that I was missing a required social work class in order for me to graduate. I was already at 17 credits so this class bumped me to 20. It'll be a lot but I'm really trying to work ahead. The other bummer is that this particular class that I needed was over the times I babysat. Fortunately the mother was super understanding and I can still sit on Fridays. I'm thankful for these things: that it was caught so soon, this is really a miracle. I have heard stories of Temple students not be able to graduate when expected because of overlooked classes that advisors didn't catch. I'm thankful that I had that peace (about being sure this is what I wanted to be doing) before the storm kind of thing the night before I found this out. And since I can't babysit, I have more time on my hands- I can make dinner for friends, and do things I enjoy without always being on the go.
I love my church in Philly. I'm getting more plugged in there- my small group is awesome, the church has movie discussion nights that I'm excited about, they are giving me babysitting opportunities, and last sunday in the bulletin there was a request for a sign language interpreter?! Yeah, I think it's the right place for me.
I wouldn't have planned it this way but I intend to enjoy it and am looking forward to the unexpected.
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| Tonight, I had one of those confirming moments. I had a night class called HIV & AIDS. We watched a documentary called "A Closer Walk." It was really well done. It's lengthy but every minute of the film is worth watching. After class was done I walked outside and had one of those moments where I love where I am. The city and all that it holds was beautiful to me. Majoring in social work was the right decision for me- I enjoy so much learning about different situations people face in life, though they may be challenging.
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| Holidays, holidays. Whew what a busy time. Thanksgiving in Indiana was great. Saw the movie Ratatoulie with the cousins, did the black friday thing with Uncle Myron, mom & dad, and just hung out with family.
The last two weeks of school I had 4 ten page papers to write. That was THE most stressful semester I have ever had and it still exhausts me to think about...and makes me kind of dread going back next week. BUT I comfort myself in thinking these things: There is simply no way it could get worse. It is my LAST semester. I can and will finish well. Also I have gotten through it and learned: how to make a crazy schedule work.. with many meals of on the go granola bars (previously one of my favorite foods but not so much anymore :), that sometimes it is worth sacrificing sleep for hanging out with friends and sometimes its not, if you are aware of it God teaches on the go lessons...subway and bus time are great for that.
However, the craziness of the past semester made me appreciate and anticipate being HOME so much more. Right after I got home from school I got sick which made me even more incredibly thankful to be home. I had a pretty stubborn case of strep throat...and I don't even have tonsils. I was happy for an excuse to hang out around home though- Phillip was only going to be home for a couple weeks before moving to Kentucky so it was fun chilling with him. Christmas stuff: I got to spend the day with my YES team that I lived with in Lithuania whom I hadn't seen in 4 years, we spent Christmas day with the Gehmans, got to see a lot of good friends over break! New Years eve: I spent with my Temple friends in Philly. We went to Penn's Landing and watched fireworks- such a good time.
First week of January we moved Phillip into his new apartment in Louisville Kentucky. Definitely a great family trip. There were a number of things that didn't go as expected which normally would have made us anxious, stressed, and frustrated but instead we worked together so well. There was a lot of grace, patience and we were able to support and encourage Phillip in his new endeavors. This was something I had specifically prayed for before going down.
After getting back I went on a ski trip with my Temple friends. It was really wonderful. Again so much fun.
list of highlights from 2007.
* God teaching me so much about myself. One of the beautiful things about being a follower of Christ is that we are constantly being transformed.
* I've wanted to go to Chicago for a long time and I finally made it there during Labor day weekend with my friend & cousin Joshua whom I hadn't seen in a while!
*celebrating my birthday with my roommate Emily at Rittenhouse square- one of my favorite places in Philly.
*Embracing, and appreciating my time, friends, and the experience of living in the city
*with the kids I sit for : fall fest, reading Ramona Quimby Age 8, helping them write and draw their own books, making snow flakes. Seeing progress in their respect for me!
*Having Philly friends come to Lancaster for the Fall party and Corn maze in Lancaster.
*Christmas ball with Philly friends.
I have NO idea where I will be at this time next year. I am very excited to find out where I end up and to learn what I will be doing.
and some pictures to end this very long post.
after fall fest.
My roommate Emily, and good friend Bethany at the Christmas ball.
the brother and I at his new apt.
The girls on my YES team. Maria, Mary Anne, Katie and I.
the gang that celebrated New Years at Penn's Landing.
the annual thank you grandpa & grandma shot with the gehman cousins.
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| Only a couple more weeks until it is the end of my last fall semester ever! From there it is one more to go...its hard to believe but so exciting. I've been planning my next semester and I think I am going to do an independent study: deaf studies of some sort. I'm doing my senior project for senior seminar on relationships between teachers and deaf parents with hearing children so it overlaps well! Today I had the opportunity to go to Pennsylvania School for the Deaf to do some networking. It was really really cool. All these things I wasn't really planning on for my senior year but just kind of fell in place. It has renewed my desire to become a certified interpreter.
My trip to VA was wonderful and relaxing. It was so good to catch up with two of my close friends from Hesston. My winter backpacking extravaganza never took off... it just kind of fell apart...something about coldness making people losing interest. I was bummed. But we've already started planning for hiking the AT this spring so I'm pumped for that.
My family just informed me that we're going to Indiana this week- that'll be nice. Grandma's going to be 85.
This is at the Chilli festival in Harrisonburg. 
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| I decided I'll try to pretend that this weekend is my "fall break" since Temple doesn't actually have a designated one. In Philly I kept watching for signs of fall-- at the farmers market the began selling mums, and the kids I sit for have started collecting colored leaves but really I didn't see anything that said whoa fall is definitely here. But it IS here in Lancaster! Maybe thats because you can actually see trees. Today was so nice. Dad made eggs for breakfast, I went shopping with mom, I made pumpkin bars to take back to Philly, and then I spent the rest of the night at a coffee house with friends. Now, I'm just waiting for the brother to come home and watch a movie. I asked God if he could help me find a ride back to Philly since my original plans fell through, and I went to the grocery store and met up with a friend who was picking someone up at the Philly airport tomorrow. That was really great. Megan's wedding went so well. It was so much fun, very exhausting, but so beautiful and memorable. I learned much about planning for a wedding. But I don't think I'll have to use that information for a long while. 
School is as demanding as ever, but it feels good that most of it revolves around my internship which makes it the most practical and rewarding school work I have ever done. It's good to have roommates that are very capable of distracting me from the mundane school stuff. This is us at a Bebo Norman/ Shane & Shane concert.
Things I am looking forward to: winter hiking, trip to EMU, crossing more things off my things to do in Philly list...if you come visit we can do one of them...hows that for a bribe?  . | | |
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