My experience of this thing called "life"

The Bess Family 2011

2011-11-26T06:10:00.000-08:00

David deep in thought...

This may have been my favorite from the day.

Sweet new family..

The "no longer newly-weds" :)

The WHOLE crew...

Dream Big - day 2

2011-10-11T20:11:00.000-07:00

If I had to describe today in one would, it would have to be - emotional. When the event planners got together to plan "Tuesday" I am pretty sure they said, "hey, lets make these people just cry all day." Well, if that was the case, they were successful.

The morning started out with my workshop choice, Donna Peavey. Her voice was as sweet as a pecan pie and her accent as thick as honey. Aside from being truly hilarious (she reminded me of my momma) she talked about how to "destress" your ministry. She gave lots and lots of info that should that true stress can cause your body true harm. I decided during this session that I am no where near stressed. I mean I took a quiz. How could that be wrong. :) Here are a few things that I took from her session:

"One second into eternity, is this going to matter?"

"Any situation that you encounter has already been sifted through the hand of God."

The next session I attended was by Brian Haynes. It was entitled "Shift your children's ministry to connect church and home." I really enjoyed this one as well. He discussed different milestones that children face as they grow up. Here are a few things that Brian spoke on:

"We have created a generation where their faith doesn't bleed into every part of their lives. Its "compartmentalized."

Parents often feel super defeated when they are told or reminded that THEY are the main spiritual discipline and teacher in their child's live. I like to think this takes a little bit of pressure off my position of work, but instead, I now have the responsibility of making sure that my parents are prepared to take on this challenge. (Parents get ready. We are about to start working together to better prepare your children for the relationship with Christ they were designed to have.)

Different milestones of live:

1 - Parent/Baby dedication

2 - Salvation and Baptism

3 - Preparing for Adolescence

4 - Purity for Life

Next we went into the general assembly where we heard the amazing story of Michael Kelly. He spoke on John 11 all the while sharing his story of how his young son was diagnosed, at the age of 2, with leukemia. Through his heart tearing story, his main goal was to let us know how to handle situations, like his, with grace - as well as honesty. Kelly reminded us that even though it is in our nature to cast off cliche saying such as "God just wanted your son in heaven" "This is for the best" "Your child is in a much better place".. and so on and so forth. Now all of those things are extremely true, but what parents really need is for someone to be real with them. Sometimes they need a shoulder. A silent shoulder. Maybe a prayerful shoulder. None the less, a shoulder that, eventually, can remind that parent that no matter what happened, God received glory for that circumstance.

The rest of the afternoon was fulled with stories just like this. Ways that God worked in the lives of people. True, honest, sinful, convicted, people. Here are the blogs of some of the people that spoke. Enjoy..

http://angiesmithonline.com/

http://tinahouser.net/

http://legacyblog.org/

Oh... and we ended the night with this. Thank you Gigi's Cupcakes...

Dream Big.

2011-10-10T20:34:00.000-07:00

This week I have been blessed with the opportunity to attend the 2011 Kids Ministry Conference in Nashville Tn. I use the word blessed because I truly can not even explain how I KNOW God is going to use this week in my life. Since this is my blog, and I get to be totally honest, I'm going to do just that. For the past few weeks I feel like I have been stressed to the max. And I feel like the word stressed is now so cliche. We say it all the time, use it as a cop out, and blame our problems on the fact that we are "stressed." So maybe I shouldn't use the word stressed. Maybe, instead, I should say that I feel like I have placed other things in front of my relationship with Christ. Therefor, my relationship with Him has struggled and as you may know as well, nothing in life can function correctly when our relationship with Him is off. So, you get my drift! Needless to say, this week came at the PERFECT time. I mean literally yesterday, after my children's worship time I left wanting to just cry. I can not visibly see what God is doing in my ministry and it so discouraging. I feel like I am doing my job for nothing. Let me just say - that was Satan. Jerk.

I am up here with my dear, sweet, amazing, friend and mentor - Linda Baxter. Mrs. Linda was my children's minister and now I get the opportunity to watch what she does and learn from her. I road up to her house on Sunday afternoon and then we drove the rest of the way here on Monday morning (We left at 6:00 am).

When we got here I was not really sure what to expect. The only thing that I knew about the week was that the Duggars were going to be here. I was immediately concerned with seating.... Let that sink in. :) haha

Since 1:00 pm I have heard speakers from all over the country. All have different backgrounds. All look drastically DIFFERENT. But their common denominator was this: their passion for children and their passion for Christ. Some of those speakers included Ed Stetzer, Jon Acuff, Tim Elmore, and Shane Garrison (just to name a few). We talked about everything from change to theology to modern day children and how they are maturing... or not.

The day was amazingly tiring, spirit filled, encouraging, enlightening, and convicting. God is good. But I am already anticipating the crazy scared feeling that is going to come when He shows me my next puzzle piece.

Seeing His hand. Trusting his hand.

2011-09-14T17:07:00.000-07:00

Have you ever longed to have a one on one, face to face, fill in all the blanks, conversation with Christ. I mean truly, sit down and just talk. I have. All the time. Especially lately. I just want so badly for Him to tell me what it is He wants me to do. He continues to fill in little blimps here and there - and truly that all I should ask for. My life is nothing like I imagined it would be a year ago. I went from dating a guy, who I thought I would marry, to being as single as can be. I traded in my dreams of wedding planning for crayons and boogers (which I love every second of, dont get me wrong!) Even my tooth paste has changed, and for what? I think God had to take me so far away from everything that I had ever wanted so that He could show me what it is He wants me to do. And now, in the midst of surrender, He throws me yet another challenge. Foreign mission. I have never been this girl. I have never though of myself as the person you read about in your missions organizations at church. There are people right here in Albany that need Christ, right? Who is going to stay here and witness to these people? Although my questions are valid and very realistic, they arent the questions that I should be asking myself. Instead, God has me cleaning my slate of all selfish desires right now. Instead, I find myself praying, "Father, where, when, how long?" And the crazy part is, I DONT HAVE TO HAVE ALL THE ANSWERS. I know, right? crazy for me to think. I had a conversation with a dear friend of mine about 3 weeks ago and it was if the Holy Spirit just spoke through her. It was the most awesome and strange thing I had ever encountered. We were talking about my future, what I wanted, what I thought God had for me to do and out of no where she just said, "Lauren, you arent going to be tied to Albany. You are single right now because God is going to take to places that you wouldnt go if you were dating someone that wasnt willing to go with you. You are going to find someone that shares your passion for children, music, and mission and the two of you will be a strengthened body - working to spread the story of Christ." As you can probably imagine, I was blown away. It was as if God and I were having this conversation, not me and this other person. He CLEARLY spoke through her. Since that conversation I have spent a lot of time just searching and being open to where He wants to take me. I feel like these heavy, muggy blinders have been taken off my eyes. I can see now that God wants me to fully put it ALL in His hands. He has not given me a passion for the Hispanic people so that I can sit at my house and wish I could use it!! NO. He didnt give me a passion for marriage and children so that I could envy all those who bask in it daily. NO! He has a plan for me too. And it is so evident. I just don't have all the details yet. And you know what... that is okay! :)

bright lights... big city

2011-02-15T10:48:00.000-08:00

This past weekend, my best friend and I ventured North for a fab weekend in the big Atl!! We really did have a blast getting to see my other close friend, Stephanie Roberts and her husband!! The weekend consisted of: lunch with a girl we graduated with, photo session in Atlantic Station, dinner and a movie, lunch at JCT - and of course another photo session, Hawks game, shopping, and lastly, looking for a place to park (which was sort of an every day thing!!!)

Here are a few shots from the weekend...

Anna and Nathan...

Anna and I have been best friends since the sixth grade! Now that she is dating Nathan, I have to share my time with her, but he understands that I am part of the "Anna Burns Package."

Anna, you look like a fab model!

And Stephanie and Randy...

Stephanie and I have been friends for... well forever! We grew up together and now that she lives in Marietta I do not get to see her as often as I would like, but I take every chance I get!

For those of you that have been hiding under a rock for the past 23 years, the camera loves Stephanie, and Stephanie loves the camera! Personal favorite from the day...
This weekend was a blast! Thank you my friends that bore the cold as I made you pose.

Happy Tuesday...

this philosophy of mine...

2011-02-04T11:34:00.000-08:00

When the word “teacher” comes to mind several other words immediately follow: passion, determination, patience, success, motivation, and caring - just to name a few. I think that all of these words cohesively travel hand in hand! In order to express my philosophy of teaching I must use all previously stated words to describe my personal beliefs. My philosophy is, “I believe that teaching is a God given passion that motivates us to patiently care for our students. In turn, our students will then be determined to succeed throughout their education which leads them to impact the future in a positive manner.”
When I was younger I always tried to imagine what my life would be like when I “grew up.” The funny thing is, I never once looked into the future and saw myself teaching. My true dream was to become a wedding planner and major in communications, but those plans all changed one day while I was in Vancouver, Canada. I felt like God was telling me that He had other plans for my life, so I decided that I would listen and follow what He told me. Since that day I have constantly searched and deciphered exactly what it takes to be a successful teacher. The truth is there is no book, essay, or person that can answer that question. There is not a master check list that one must follow in order to successfully impact the lives of children! However, as an aspiring teacher, it is vital to my success that I pay attention to the teachers that have come before me and observe exactly what it is that they have and the techniques they use to on a day to day basis.
Teaching is so much more than simply “showing up for work and corralling children.” It is about striking a revolution within a child. Seeing that child grow from interested to enthralled, all the while making sure that the child knows he is loved, cared about, and important. This sort of task takes devotion and passion; two words I just can’t get enough of. When we walk into our classrooms passionately devoted to our students and to their future, statistics are changed as well as lives.
Although I still have two more years until I finish my bachelor’s degree, I am already ecstatic about starting my career. And I believe that that sort of passion is what one needs to look for if they are considering going into the education field! It’s a passion that knows no end and will not be quenched until its recipient is changed for life.

Majestic Monday...

2010-12-20T10:51:00.000-08:00

Yes, the anticipated arrival of my best friend, Alissa Jane Bess, has finally come!!! She embraced Albany with her presence last night at around 10:00 and I could not be happier! For those of you that do not know, Alissa lives in Clearwater, Fl - therefore I do not get to see her very often!! And when I do, I clearly cherish the time I get! :)

So, I woke up this morning and we met at Starbucks - like we generally do - and enjoyed our usual treats. However this morning I branched out and tried the "Perfect Oatmeal." In the words of Randy Jackson,"It was just aight for me dog!" Apparently one of the fellow employees of Starbucks was having a "going away party" this morning and CLEARLY we were the only people in Albany that were not invited! I promise you there were 20 some odd people that were crowded around 2 tables! Aside from taking up every chair they could get their hands on, they also, apparently, forgot to read the segment from Emily Post that states, "EVERYONE ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF ALBANY DOES NOT NEED TO KNOW YOUR CONVERSATION!!" But - to each his own I recon!

While we discussed everything major that has gone on in our lives for the past 3 weeks, (since of last coffe date, which was over Thanksgiving break) we both discovered that there are several movies that neither one of us have yet to view. So we have come to the easy conclusion that this MUST change! We are going to take a day and/or night and view said movies so that we can be up to date on all "good movie convos" that may take place in our near future!

I will fill you in when this special day commences!

Happy Monday!

For This Season...

2010-12-17T11:58:00.000-08:00

With the passing of time comes change. Change in scenery. Change in direction. Change in hopes, dreams, wants, needs... the list is truly unending! I know this seems like an obvious concept - but for the sake of my blog (and your time) lets pretend that this easy, understandable concept is of great interest to you and that you have little knowledge about the changes of life! Deal?... SWELL!

If you have read any of my previous blogs you are very aware that my life has changed SIGNIFICANTLY over the past few months! God has brought me to a place of sheer surrender and has taken my wants and desires and totally transformed them! Or maybe they never changed; maybe, I am just now realizing what they are! Nonetheless, I am walking around with my head up in the clouds, some days, because I have no idea what God is doing!

However, one thing I know He is doing is bringing people into my live that have changed my course. In my eyes, these people are fanatical, extraordinary, spectacular, sold out, slaves to the word of Christ! They do not care about the opinion of man, nor do they worry about the future! They are drenched in the presence of God and I simply can not get enough of them! I strive to be just like that! I long for people to "need" to be in my presence! And not because I want people to love "Lauren Stotler," or think that "I" and great. Rather I want people to love how I exemplify Christ! I want them to see Jesus in every single aspect of my life! I want to hold them accountable the same way they are holding me accountable!

I am so stinking thankful that God has blessed me with the opportunity to meet this fine folks and get to know them, and LEARN from them while I stumble through this season of my life!

Thats all! Have a great Friday! :)

Empty Vessel...

2010-09-07T13:04:00.000-07:00

Today is just like any other; I am still me, and God is still God. But the thing that is so different about today, is that I have a new outlook on this crazy thing called life! You see, for so long I have tried to figure out just what it is that "God" wants me to do with my life, who He wants me to be with, and where I am supposed to go. But the irony in all of that is that I am not the one that has to figure it out! He promised me that He would take care of me! Shouldn't that be enough!?! Yes, it most certainly should! You see, I do not know what tomorrow holds! Heck, I don't know what the next 20 minutes hold, but what I do know FOR FACT is that my God holds all of it! And I don't have to worry about ANY of it!

This is a really hard concept for me to grasp, because for those of you that know me, you probably know that I am a planner! I like to have my plans for EVERYTHING! Well, over the past few months, God has taken "my" plans and done away with them! I was oh so not happy about the at first, but the longer I wonder around, though it feels aimlessly, the more I find comfort in NOT being in control! Sure I can make things happen the way I want them, but isn't that what I was doing before... with my plans... that God took and revamped!

You see, God has awakened my heart to things that I can not explain! I have no idea why I am supposed to be a teach, IT WASN'T MY PLAN!!! My plan was to plan weddings until the day I died! Its what I wanted to do and its what I thought I would be good at. Well, not so much! I also have no idea as to why I am single right now! Not a clue! I had been dating the same guy for 3 stinking yeeeeears! That is a crazy long time for those of you who haven't heard how long a year is!!! But again, He took my plans and changed them all around! And now I'm left with no plan and what feels like no direction. And that is totally okay! I never thought I would be able to say that I am okay with feeling hopeless, but the truth in a hopeless feeling is that you have handed over every selfish desire to the throne of an unseen creator! ... yeah take a second and process that amazing thought!

I don't know why I am spilling my guts to you right now, maybe you needed to hear it. Maybe this is just how I express my emotions! Whatever the case may be, I want you to know that you do not have to live your life fretting over what is going to happen. The truth of the matter is that no matter how much you worry, what happens.. happens! Worrying changes NOTHING other that the acne on your face and the number on your scales!

God has this!..... just let Him

In Another World! Day 1

2010-02-24T16:15:00.001-08:00

Well my friends, over the course of the passed two days, I have managed to find myself in a completely different world. I am no longer thriving within the confines of my cozy bed and daddys cooking. Now I am sleeping on the ground and eating food that is so strange I just rather starve.

So I guess I should tell you fine folks where I am! God has brought me and nine other individuals to Vancouver, Canada to spread the word to the Canadian people.

Yesterday was the beginning of our journey. We met at the Albany airport at a woopin 5:00 am!!! I was not a happy camper to say the least! Once we made it through security and all the checks that go with flying, we sat on the small pack of gum Delta likes to call an airplane. Nerves were flying (pardon the pun) for those that had never experienced the joys of traveling by air!

Up, up, and away!!! We were very soon in Atlanta! and I do mean soon! It was a 29 minutes flight!!! but somehow we ended up arriving late to Atlanta, so we had to run to our next flight, which was Atlanta to Seattle. We made it with literally 3 minutes to spare! but hey, at least we made it!!! As we made our way on to our next flight we noticed that this plane was exceedingly larger - compared to pack of gum at least!!! This flight was very long... a grand total of 5 hours long! And when the third hour came, the baby in front of us became very irritable.
Once we landed we went to the rental place only to find out that the van we were supposed to take over the boarder, was not allowed to be taken over the boarder. Instead they gave us 2 vans but we didn't mind at all (at this point we would have taken anything with wheels!!)
The ride from Seattle to the boarder was quite peaceful seeming how I slept the ENTIRE ride!! but once we got to costumes things got a little crazier! THEY ALMOST DIDN'T LET US IN! It was really very sad! The Canadians could not figure out why we would spend our money to fly up and do a missions trip - and they really weren't going to let us in! But God did... well He did His thing and they let us cross. By the time we got to the church where we are staying we were really exhausted. I mean whoppppiiinngggyyyyyy tired!!!!!!! to be honest with you I really dont remember much else about that night other than we got in, changed clothes, and crashed!! lucky for us the church had air mattresses we could sleep on!!! And after my head hit the pillow it was lights out.... literally.

baby, baby, baby!

2010-01-12T06:32:00.000-08:00

Work, school, back to work, check the afternoon agenda, gym, pray I get home on a full stomach, sleep, wake up, repeat! Life these days is FAR from boring in the life of this overbooked, over scheduled, highly exhausted teen! I often wonder whether or not my life will ever slow down, then I remember that I wouldn't my life any other way!
Christmas break as however, very relaxing!! I worked most of the break but the week of new years I went to West Virginia on a ski trip with my youth group! It was a BLAST! This was really my first experience on ski (except for when I was a youngster!) And I must say, I wasn't half bad! Now let me explain "Laurens Rules for Skiing!" First, you start off VERY SLOW, then once you pick up even the slightest bit of speed up plow with your skis so that you slow down. You do this until you get to the bottom and then repeat... easy enough right??
No seriously, Christmas break was a LOAD of fun!!! But it ended ever so soon!! And now I am back to my regular schedule of work, school, work, school, work, school!
This semester I'm taking Statistics with Strickland! So far she seems SUPER sweet and really explains things on my level (which we all know is EXTREMELY LOW!!!) I am also taking English II with Ms. Gassel again! What an amazing person! She really does have a passion for her students! Next we have psychology with Daniells! I think this calls is going to be....... special! The teacher is a bit..... corky to say the least! But I'm excited to see how it turns out! I am taking public speaking "online", I know I know... How in the WORLD can you take that online! Well I am! and I have a feeling its going to be a breeze! Well at least I hope it will be! haha! and Lastly we have the EVER SO FAMOUS LATIN DANCING CLASS!!!! Which if you could not already tell, I am SO excited about! The teacher is great, the students are funny and I think I'm really going to learn alot!!!

Its over! ...Yet its just begun!!!!!

2009-12-10T12:35:00.000-08:00

WHEWWW! First semester...DONE! All the anticipation, all the sweaty palms, and all the late night starbucks runs finally paid off! Well, lets hope so! I haven't yet received my final grades for the semester, but when I do I will certainly let you know.
So to begin with, allow me to elaborate on the semester a little more! After all, that's what this blow is here for! Lets start with Algebra, with Ms. O'keffe. Boy was this class a challenge. Besides the fact that I HATE math with an ABSOLUTE passion, my teacher was not the most interesting person to have to be around! Some people liked her (the ones that wanted to suck up to her) and others, like me, found her very strange! So my advise would be to NOT take her class! There was SOOOO much homework and the tests were not a walk in the park either!
Next we have U.S. History after 1877. This class however, was an absolute blast! My professor, Mr. Latona, was a hoot and 1/2! He made me want to learn about the dates and times that I once considered a waste of my time! Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 10:00, I became engulfed in every small inadequate detail of American history, and believe or or not, I actually enjoyed that! So, advise on Latona... TAKE HIS CLASS, TAKE HIS CLASS, TAKE HIS CLASS!!!!
English 1101 is a MUST with Ms. Gassle! She is young, yet she knows exactly what she is talking about! I love English, writing, and reading so the class was not that hard but the logistics of the class could often get monotonous. But she made them so easy and actually fun! I am taking her 1102 class next semester and can not wait to hear more of what she has to say!!
GRRR yes, I have to talk about this one! Physical Science = waste of my time! End of story...... need I say more? Ok no, I do not... so I am not! Thank you and good night!
This semester was filled with excitement and TERROR! but I made it through! and learn a lot! Can not wait to see what the next few hold!

Give them HOPE

2009-11-18T13:42:00.000-08:00

It was cold, wet and miserable Friday night. I could not feel my nose and I was praying my fingers had not fallen off due to the bitter cold I was experiencing on the rigid night. As I opened my eyes I looked around and all I could see was the soggy brown box that would be my home for the next 7 hours. I lifted my frozen body off the box only to see many other boxes, all cold and soggy, with other members of my homeless village in them. At that very moment it hit me - This could be the live I led; No future of a college education, no beautiful wedding, no spectacular home to come home to and raise my children in. Just in a snap I could be out on the streets, in a cold, wet, soggy box, with a old t-shirt to lay under my head.

Last weekend I participated in a "sleep out" at the Albany Mall call "Hope For the Homeless and the Hungry." We ate soup and drank water as if to put ourselves in a soup kitchen for the night. But the real kicker was where we all would lay our heads for the night. You see, we didn't bring nice tents to set up, and we didn't have trailers to sleep in! No! Everyone that came would sleep in brown cardboard boxes and pray that they didn't leave their blankets at home.
This was such an eye opening experience for me. I got a total of about 78 minutes sleep that night due to my tossing and turning about. I am SO BLESSED! I have a house I can go to. A bed a can crawl in, a warm shower I can use! I mean as I was laying there in my "home" I couldn't help but PRAISE God for all He had blessed me with! Every time I would wake up I would thank Him for blessing me so! It really blows my mind to think that in the blink of an eye, that could be me! I could have it all taken away and I would be left with nothing but the clothes on my back!
Thank YOU GOD! You have blessed me BEYOND my wildest imagination!

Why Me...Why Now?

2009-10-13T12:38:00.000-07:00

Ahh! There was no day like that day. I woke up early, got ready quickly, and arrived at work promptly and on time! IT MUST HAVE BEEN A FRIDAY! And it was! I love Fridays! I can start my day a little easier knowing that the weekend is just hours from sweeping me off my feet! But I was particularly excited because on this FABULOUS FRIDAY I was going to the beach with my wonderful boyfriend and our families!
The day piddled along, like they always do when you want them to be over!!! Well I went to lunch with Michael at Corner Cafe, and was having just the best time when I received a call from my next door neighbor. I answered the buzzing phone and Don (my neighbor) said, "Lauren, I'm talking to your dad!! Gotta go NOW!" Well I immediately started to panic! So I called my mom, no answer. I called my dad, no answer. They were already down at the beach so I am really starting to worry here.. Finally my mom called me back and with the call came some rather disturbing news. MY CEILING HAD CAVED IN IN MY LIVING ROOM!!!!! My neighbor had gone over to check on our dogs and found the mess! Well after composing myself and finding a few last words I headed back to work to finish out the day so I could then go home and see what the mess was about!

When I got home, I was NOT prepared for what I am about to show you! It was more then a mess, it was a nightmare! All the pictures, all the books, all the lamps, chairs, couch, rug.. EVERYTHING was ruined! We later found out that their was a water pipe that had exploded and then.... well I'll just show you!!!

The couch

The ceiling!!!

The floor

The room

The chair

The floor again

Everlasting Love!

2009-10-02T10:34:00.000-07:00

God is love. God is eternal. God is true, just, mighty, peaceful. God is love. Whenever I think of attributes of God, I also ways come back to love. God could not be true, just, patient, or jealous if He didn't love us. Well, I guess He could, but what would be the point? Why would God need to be patient, or peaceful if He did not love us? He wouldn't!

I say all of that to say this. Just when you think all hope is lost and you want to give up, close every door of your home, and shut off the rest of the world, God opens his arms to you and says, "You are still mine. Even though the rest of the world has turned their backs on you and disappointed you once again, I WILL NEVER FAIL YOU." He promises that!

Thank you God, for being my love!

Crazy, but BEAUTIFUL!

2009-09-14T13:45:00.000-07:00

These past few weeks have been a little more than chaotic for me! (that's the reason I have not written to you beautiful people in so long) Lets see, there was a beach trip, a failed test, a passing test, an anniversary ring, and a little of EVERYTHING in between!

Lets start with the beach! - Labor Day + me, Michael, Emily Reynolds, and Jason Hunnewell + a free place to stay + a back to school retreat = an amazing time! Michael, Emily, and I left that Friday at about 3:00 and we didn't get there a minute to soon. Jason and his band were playing at a back to school retreat so OF COURSE we were more than willing to go down and lend our moral support for them! The reason we got to stay for free and yes this is a little confusing! but.... my mom has a friend who has a friend that lives in PC and she willingly opened her home to us and let us stay with her for the weekend! I was a little skeptical at first, not having met the women, but it turned out to be an AMAZING weekend with amazing friends!

Next comes the tests! WHOOOO ok so we have math and science.. and then we have Lauren! And they DO NOT go together, they do not like each other, and they certainly should never be graded together! But unfortunately there is this unfortunate place called college, and despite my despised desires of these subjects we still have to meet once a day, five days a week! Well I have my Algebra test first.... and I wont drag this out.. it was a 55!!! :) and I told my teacher that at least I knew 1/2 the material! haha o well! but I made a 71 on my physical science test and let me tell you!!!! I have NEVER in my life been so excited about a C in my ENTIRE life!!!

But now, for the moment you have all been waiting for.... THE RING! lol! and no it is NOT an engagement ring! goodness, goodness no!!!!! But on Wednesday, September 9, 2009, Michael Stahl and I celebrated out two year anniversary! And here is the funny part, we started dating on his little cousins Malorie's birthday, so when I tried to tell him that our anniversary was on AUGUST 10Th, he said no.. remember Malorie's birthday. Well on September 8Th, Michael's mom walked in his room and asked him if he had remembered to call Malorie and tell her happy birthday. He, assured of himself, replied, "No, her birthday isn't until tomorrow!!" And his mom promptly corrected him! WE HAD BEEN CELEBRATING OUT ANNIVERSARY ON THE WRONG DAY FOR THE PAT 2 YEARS! Well I got a kick out of it! By this time it was about 9:00 so we decided to "change" out anniversary to the 9Th and just keep it that way forever! lol Well the next day rolled around and I was so ready to find out what my honey had done that made him so proud of himself!!! That night he picked me up from my house, with 3 roses in hand (he said the store wouldn't just sell him 2) and we then headed to Mikatas for dinner! It was such an amazing meal! I love that place!!! After dinner we went to the Veranda because that is where we stared dating! I love my little sentimental man!!!! When we got back to the car he asked if I was ready for my gift and I OF COURSE answered YES!!!!!!! so he told me to close my eyes and he handed me this little ta and black box! I was about to scream!!! I then turned to him and politely said," Michael, if this is an engagement ring... I'm going to hit you then request you take me home!!!" But to my delight when I opened the box, there sat a BEAUTIFUL blue topaz, emerald cut ring!!!! I was so happy I could have screamed! and well.... ok I did scream! lol! It was so amazing! What a wonderful way to end a wonderful evening!

Well, I have to go for now! but I promise I wont wait this long to write again!

Gang.. Bang.. Shoot Em' Up!

2009-08-26T12:54:00.000-07:00

The day started out like any other- hit the snooze 16 times, showered, dressed and out the door by 8:30! Just a typical morning in the life of one not so excited college freshman, until I got to school. While I'm sitting in my first class I see my mom and dad calling me, and then again, and then again, and then again.. and again.. and I think you are getting the picture here!!! I was getting text after text, call after call, and started to get a little freaked out! If I hadn't been in the middle of one of the hardest problems OF MY LIFE I would have gotten up and called whoever it was back! But I decide to wait till class was over and take care of business then! I picked up the phone and called my dad back first and after only one ring, he picked up! "Lauren, is that you??" he frantically asked. "Yes dad, it's me! Is Nana alright, and mom, and everything.. why the heck did you call so many times?" "Lauren you need to get a stomach bug and come home NOW!" Okay so by this time I am seriously wigging out! Then he finally told me that not only had Darton called our house, but also the sheriffs department to let us know that there was to be expected gang related activities at the school today! I MEAN COME ON PEOPLE! You have nothing better to do then hang out at a college and scare people. But non the less I was scared and decided then to go home. Well that impulsive idea was then shot down by my next thought -"English Quiz!! So instead of getting to my save haven, I had to stay and wait out the day with all the potential killers around me! haha! But as you can already tell...nothing happened! Because I am sitting here writing to you about it!

Julie & Julia...

2009-08-18T18:55:00.000-07:00

From the Eiffel Tower to the city scape's of Queens, New York, Julia Child and Julie Powell are fearlessly united despite time and space.
If you have seen the movie, then you know that Merril Streep and Amy Adams play impeccable roles as two women that profess their love for cooking through books and blogging! Julie Powell and Julia Child both learn fairly quick that the art of cooking, once obtained, is something that is not easily let go. They take their daily struggles and release their stress with their cooking- somehow together. There is no problem to big or small for the two ladies that a little chicken, salt or BUTTER wouldn't fix!
Some of my favorite quotes from the movie include:
"I was drowning, and she pulled me out of the ocean." - Julie Powell
"What do you love to do?" - Paul Child, "Eat, and I'm so good at it!!" - Julia Child
"Are you home?" - Julie Powell, "Whats for dinner?" - Eric Powell
So all in all, this was ABSOLUTELY the best movie I have seen in forever! You will leave the theatre, or your couch with a warm fuzzy feeling that will entice you to fly into your cozy kitchen and screw up.... I mean mix up any and everything you can get your hands on! It's late for me now so I will have to do my experimenting at a later date, but when I do I will let you know- whoever you are! Instead for now I leave you with this thought...,"Bon appetit, and good night" - Lauren Stotler

Cats and Cheesecakes!

2009-08-17T12:07:00.000-07:00

Saturday was spent like most of the rest, wake up early, clean, clean, clean, nap, and then clean some more! This past Saturday required even more cleaning because our pastor and his amazing wife were coming to our house for dinner! So you can imagine how fun preparing was! Well, my dad did the cooking, as he always does! He takes his culinary skills VERY seriously - even more so then my birth! So instead of helping my mom and I clean up that morning... he began cooking! He started with his famous cheesecake! Once it was done, he laid a towel over it and let it cool, while he went to the store to buy the rest of the needed items for the meal. I then walk into the kitchen to get something to drink and saw the most HORRIFIC SIGHT OF MY LIFE! MY CAT WAS LAYING ON TOP OF THE CHEESECAKE!!!!!!!!! How or why I do not know, but I couldn't run fast enough over to him to get him off! I pulled the towel off to see the beautiful cheesecake mushed and holey! (He has punched his little foot right in the middle!!) Well I immediately scream for my mom to come see the catastrophe, and so she then comes running! If you have ever been to our house you know that our kitchen is open to the foyer and it separate from the den. Well I was in he kitchen and went into the den, while my mom went into the foyer looking for me in the kitchen. Then we switched, she went into the den and I went into the kitchen. This went on for about four more times until my mom finally screamed, "BE STILL!!!" So I followed directions, and she came to where I was! She immediately busted into laughter as well as I!! When we finally reclaimed our composure, we had a quick prayer (for my dads temper) and then proceeded to "fix" the problem! In the end, the cheesecake was fine and tasted delish! But have you ever heard of such a thing! Cats and cheesecakes... devastating but delicious!

The Start of Something NEW!

2009-08-14T13:22:00.000-07:00

White or black??

Awake at 6:36, showered by 7:00, dressed and ready by 8:00, and coffee in hand by 8:30; I was finally ready! I woke up earlier than I had expected, but could not make my feet hit the floor for fear that reality would soon take over! IT WAS MY FIRST DAY OF COLLEGE! Every other suspenseful "first day of school" had taken place only to prepare me for the one that would really matter! Encouraging texts came swarming in from the people who loved me most (Fowler, Anna, Mrs. Cathy Lynn, Mrs. Rhonda, Emily, and Michael- just to name a few!) As I pulled onto the college and I felt terrified! I was so nervous; not of my classes at this point, but rather of hitting one of the dodging pedestrian's that were shooting out right and left! Luckily I found a spot near the front of the parking lot (which still meant that I had to walk 1/2 a mile to reach the building!) I waited for my partner in crime, Christina, to arrive and we walked in together.

I thought my first class was English, but much to my dismay it wasn't!!! It was Algebra which meant I had to run to the other building as fast as I could, only to find that I wasn't as late as I thought I would be!! I was met by a room full of girls - none which seemed as excited to be there as I was! I walked in and found an empty seat.... in the VERY front. Yes I could have snagged one in the back but my attention would have most likely been on everything besides the review of the syllabus and WEBTC!!! The next 50 minutes flew by and before I knew it.. class was dismissed! YAY! One down, two to go! I quickly grabbed my things and headed to U.S. History- after grabbing my phone and checking my texts and fb of course!

When I arrived at room 210 I was relieved to find an open seat in the back which my tush quickly claimed!!! I met some people, whose names have escaped me, that were very friendly and before I knew it, I was engrossed in conversation! But the acquaintance was ended by the voice of my second professor, Mr. Latona! A jolly fellow who I believe is going to be an amazing teacher! We looked over the syllabus and then had a time "bonus discussion". He called out dates and if we could tell him what was significant about them, we got an extra credit point. I am not really a history buff, but did however manage to snag July 4 :). After history I walked over to the student center where I met my loverly boyfriend, and some other friends! We then walked inside the student center and "chatted" until English comp. We waited outside the English room for FOREVER, but the time was not spent in vain for we (Anna, Emily and I) met a new friend! :) The new 50 minutes were spent laughing, leaning, and lecturing over the material that would help us get through the next nine weeks of our lives! But soon enough, that class too was concluded all to soon!

So overall I have had an AMAZING first day and I can not wait to go back! :)

Small fish in a big pond!

2009-08-12T10:32:00.000-07:00

Today I went with some of my besties (Rachel Adams and Christina Rose) to scope out the perimeter and find our classes! "HAHA" sums up the experience! We must have been asked 11,000 times, "You ladies appear lost, can I help you?!" And of course we gladly took the help and were then on our way!

When we got there Christina and I parked in the student parking and waited on Rachel to arrive. Well a few minutes later we see little Rachel flying by to zip her little tush in the teachers parking lot! (she is such a rebel) After we gathered our composure from laughing (because she didn't even notice where we had parked) we all walked in, holding hands, and skipping. Okay that last part was a lie, but we did begin our search "together." - a word I have come to love and respect.

The first class we arrived at was my English Comp. class.
Next we have FYE (first year experience)
Then Algebra

Followed by Physical Science

And we ended our journey at U.S. History after 1877!!!

I am VERY glad that I took a lunch break to go check this out! I may still be lost, but at least now when the stranger asks me if he can help me.. I'll feel a little better saying, "I came and looked at my classes, I don't know why I forgot!" SHEESH! haha I did find out too that Rachel is not in my Algebra class or my U.S. History.. Sad event! :(

Anticipation....:)

2009-08-11T07:49:00.000-07:00

"There is no terror in a bang; only in the anticipation of it." - Alfred Hitchcock
Nerves are kicking in, and breakfast is setting in. Four days, and a few meals from now I'll be sitting in my first real "big girl" class at college. WHAT THE HECK??? I know! I didn't think I would be this nervous, but the truth of the matter is that I have never anticipated anything so much in my life. Graduating from a tiny school in SW Georgia did not prepare me for the monstrosity that I fear will slap me in the face on August 14, 2009. Okay so I AM over reacting a little, but who cares.... it's my blog :)
Nerves were put at a slight ease Sunday when I found out I would not be COMPLETELY alone in this first year jungle. I was comforted by the fact of finding out that some of my "tight peeps" would be walking the halls with me! College Algrbra as well as U.S. History after 1877 will be tackled with my dear friend Rachel!

Anna and Emily will be by my side in English,

and Michael will be pulling my attention from every word that escapes my professors mouth in Physical Science. YAYYYY! However, I do have to take DART (First Year Experience) alone, but I think I can manage!

How it Began...

2009-08-10T14:02:00.001-07:00

"Ending on chapter and starting another", "Finishing the high school book and being the college novel", "Simply a new beginning". All these quotes are examples of what I have looked forward to for the past four years of my life. Getting out of the "high school scene" and escaping to adulthood turned from a dream to desire to now a goal in the forefront of my brain!I have always had a passion to do something spectacular with my life, I just never really knew what that was - until my senior year of high school. To be perfectly honest I wasn't exactly "excited" about graduating until about my senior year either. I loved the thought of freedom and adulthood, but leaving everything I had come to know was not exactly filling my stomach with roses, but instead butterflies.But as that graduation day came and went I began to feel at ease with my future plans of attending Darton, and then transferring to Georgia State University in Atlanta. My ULTIMATE DREAM is to one day own my own wedding planning firm (STURNS & CO.)

But to begin with I would love to work at another firm or with an organization such as Girl Talk, which is a non profit that targets middle school girls in helping them get through their "drama defining days."So where do I start on this journey... well 2400 Gillionville Rd. sounds good to me! I filled out all my papers and was accepted to Darton in early April and since then I have spoken with someone at the college probably once a week. WE ARE ALL ON A FIRST NAME BASIS!!! :) Okay not really, but I have tried to stay up to date on everything I need to do and everything that needs to be done. The first big issue I ran across was filling out my HOPE application! HAHA describes the experience so very well! ok no really it was a nightmare! I had called the college several time and could not get a definite date on when my financial aid information was due. So I made a few more calls and finally reached a lady that knew enough to give me a "for sure" answer (which was something that was not easy to come by!!) My next step was then to actually fill out the information with GSFC so I proceeded to fill out the application online - like any other AMERICAN would have done!!! I filled it out and as I press send I notice at the bottom of the screen there is a little warning that states..and I quote,"Any false information will result in 5 years in federal prison and a fine up to $2,500 for participant." So I checked over my information once again - just to be sure!!! I proceeded to press send and when I looked at my e-mailed receipt I noticed that it said I had a bach degree and that I was independent on my taxes. BOTH WHICH ARE """""WRONG""""":) As you can probably guess I began FLIPPING OUT!!! I e-mailed GSFC and called and got it all worked out, but my word! Prison and a fine! It was a scary situation!
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