Saturday, December 29, 2007

Winter Wonderland

After spending a few days in Oregon, I have come to realize that I am a California girl through and through. Although I love spending time here with family when I come to visit, the lack of sun and constant drizzle start to get to me after a while. I know the rain keeps things green, but I'll take the dry and warm. I'm sitting at my Grandma's computer sipping hot coffee and appreciating God's creation...from inside a warm house. Yesterday I went with my parents, sister, and extended family to play in the snow. It was really fun and I had a wonderful time throwing snowballs, building a snowman, sledding, and taking lots and lots of pictures. I'm not sure my camera will ever forgive me... It was seriously cold, but so amazingly beautiful. The snowflakes were HUGE! On the way home we stopped for hot chocolate at a really cute country store. It was a wonderful day of memory making, and it made me especially thankful for my family. I'm off to hang with my sisters. I'm taking them to our church's New Year's all-nighter on Monday night, and I'll probably have some fun pictures and stories to post about that later.









Amazing!








We ended up playing in front of a ranger station.











The Fam.



















My adorable cousin Emma playing in the snow.














My cousin Amanda with blue lips.



















A sled that actually rolled up on itself.


















The amazing (and tall) snowman we built...














The Dal Soglio Family...I'll be living with them in So. Cal.

Friday, December 28, 2007

I Didn't Wipe It Off

I know many people have been wondering what my plans are for next semester, and I'm happy to announce that I finally have an answer to your questions! I received my acceptance letter from The Master's College in Southern California on Wednesday, and I will be starting there on January 21st. I will be majoring in Biology with an emphasis in Pre-Nursing. I'm planning to live with my Aunt, Uncle, and cousins in Valencia, CA, which will be about 15 minutes from campus. Sadly, I'll be forced to get a car to be able to get to campus...;o) My sister and brother-in-law are moving from Tujunga to Santa Clarita, so they'll be only 10 minutes away from where I'm living. My younger sister Katie will be starting there in the fall, and I have a few other miscellaneous friends who already attend. I'm really looking forward to seeing what God has for me there. I definitely know that this is not how I had pictured my college career going, but I am encouraged by Romans 8:28 which says, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." I am certain He will use my time at Master's to work all things together for good, and I'm really excited to find out what that entails. The one tough part of moving is leaving behind San Luis Obispo and all of my wonderful friends there. My roommates this quarter were incredible, and I was privileged to continue seeing two of my roommates from last year. I said goodbye to my church choir, my newly acquired job, my condo, Cal Poly, and some adorable children I had been blessed to babysit for. I stopped by their house to say goodbye and give them a Veggie Tales movie, and they gave me a present as well. We took pictures together, and as I left the youngest gave me a big, wet kiss on the cheek like he always does when I leave. He said, "Bye Emily! I love you!", and of course I couldn't wipe it off.:o) I'm going to miss them A LOT! It's crazy how attached you get to kids. I can't imagine how nannies are ever able to leave. I'll post a few pictures of them soon, as well as tell you about my fun day at the snow today.