Merry Christmas

It sure has been awhile since I update this thing for you guys. Life has been so busy this month. Between having a week of finals, year end audits at work, and the Christmas season-I barely have had time to do much of anything. Someone please remind me to take the week of finals off from work next semester! Working and studing and then testing was just too much for one week. I had some serious bags under my eyes by the time Friday came around. After finals week, we did sneak off to St. Augustine to Winter Wonderland for a fun night of ice skating though. Keri, Jessie and myself skated for nearly 2 hours and my ankles were killing me! Important fact to note- I did not fall down once!!!! Go me!

Gooey Butter Cake...yum!

Okay so this is the most kick butt recipe EVER, I'm 99% sure. I made this last year around this time of year and everyone loved it so I decided to make it again this year. It was a huge hit at the family Thanksgiving dinner and at the bonfire! umm, umm good :)

Gooey Butter Cake

Ingredients & Directions:

Cake: 1 18 1/4-ounce package yellow cake mix 1 egg 8 tablespoons butter, melted
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine the cake mix, egg, and butter and mix well with an electric mixer. Pat the mixture into the bottom of a lightly greased 13 by 9-inch baking pan. Prepare Filling.

Filling: 1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened 2 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla 8 tablespoons butter, melted 1 16-ounce box powdered sugar . In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the eggs, vanilla, and butter and beat together. Next, add the powdered sugar and mix well. Spread over cake batter and bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Make sure not to over bake as the center should be a little gooey.

Its GREAT to be a Florida GATOR!!

The past few weeks have been really busy, so there is a little bit to catch you guys up on. Two weekends ago Florida played The Citadel (win 70-19) and it was my best college football experience yet! Our seats were in the student section on row 45, and by the 4th quarter we had worked our way down to the first row. The point of this was to high five Tim Tebow after the game when he runs by the student section-mission accomplished. The group was myself, Keri, Melody and Grace and we were all squealing like 13 year old girls. I posted a few pictures above and plan on posting the video below. If you need a good laugh please watch our video, its a classic for sure! The victory made the weekend even sweeter! Last weekend Florida played FSU (Florida State=Gator Bait!) at FSU and that game was awesome as well. We all watched the game at The Richardson's house and Mr. Tony made some awesome chicken wings that we all enjoyed. Keri was shocked that I was eating meat off the bone, it was quite a breakthrough. It was also Curtis' birthday and we had birthday cake to celebrate him :)

Back in the day...

Recently the new thing is yearbookyourself.com. Everyday I see more and more pictures pop up on facebook and myspace from people doing this. I thought it was silly, until I participated. It is actually a fun activity if you have some downtime to kill one day. All you have to do is upload a picture and the website does the rest. You can pick what year or decade you would like to see yourself. Its pretty interesting, here is what I got:

God is so GOOD!!!

Some of you guys may have gotten a text message from me last night about this and how awesome our God is, but if not-here is a short story here for you:

Last night when something like this-I came home from school thirsty for the word, so I prayed and asked the Lord to lead me to the passage that I needed to read. I had no idea where to even start (I have been studying Acts). So I sat down with my Bible, Journal and Pen and opened to Ephesians. WOW, is all I can say. How amazing is it that he can show you exactly what you need to see/read when you need it most? If you are looking for a good passage to read, I defiantly recommend Ephesians Chapters 4-6, or just read the whole book! It truly is amazing and I hope you are blessed by it!

In case I have not updated everyone about this, Access is doing two launch/mission trips next summer. One is to Haiti and the other to Amsterdam, and they are going to be in June and August I believe. The information should be available next week. I have been praying for things to come together and for guidance as to where I need to go and how I can be used to advance the kingdom of God. Please pray for this, and for everyone considering one of these trips so that he may use all of us to reach the lost and provide for the needy in these countries. I will keep you posted as I get more information about either trips.

Moral of all this, GOD IS SO GOOD!
Be blessed!

Charleston :)

Last weekend Jessie Burgess, Keri and I packed and went to Charleston to see Jessie and Matt for the weekend. Curtis surprised all of us and drove up on Saturday too! We had a great time with the newly married couple in their cute apartment. There is nothing like being with your best friends, even if you are not doing anything. We did some cool things on this weekend trip though: ghost tour, shopping, tour of downtown, pumpkin patch and carving just to name a few :) It ended up being a wonderful weekend, and we all are looking forward to more in the future.


We took way too many pictures to post on here, so go to this link if you want to see the facebook photo album: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=172122&id=562445190&ref=mf . We are all picture freaks (well, minus the guys) so this is still only a handful of the pictures we took!

PS: We are going to plan a trip in the spring to go skydiving in Charleston, so let me know if you are interested!

i SHOULD be working...

I posted this from Laura's blog:

What were you doing 10 years ago?
10 years ago I was in Junior High-so basically doing homework and going to cheerleading practice everyday. My best friend was Keri and we were still at the same school :)


List 5 things on your "to do" list today:
1. Listen to the 9 voicemails on my phone, left by angry clients.
2. Get something accomplished at work.
3. Meet Jess for Access :)
4. Fold laundry at the house.
5. Go to bed.

Favorite snacks...
I really like fruit, my favorite is pineapple-but I also like popcorn!

What would you do with an unlimited supply of money?
I would purchase the new insulin pump with CGM (continuous glucose monitoring), a house, pay off my car and all my debt-then help family and friends out before investing it.

Where have you lived?
Middleburg and Orange Park.

Where have you worked?
YMCA, La Petite, Grady Williams P.A, and Magdalein Stratton and Associates.

Who are you tagging?
No one

No Fear

Fear is something that everyone experiences. Both as children and adults, there is always something in our life we are fearful of. It may be the dark, the monster under the bed, snakes (my personal fear), or something completely immaterial or tangible such as pursuing a relationship with Jesus Christ and working to advance his kingdom in everything we do.

I am going to be honest and say that this is a fear I struggle with. Why? Simply because it is in our nature to fear rejection and it is inevitable going to happen. No matter how many people and how clearly you share the Gospel with them, they have the opportunity to reject it and also you for believing this. That does not mean that we should fall back on our beliefs, but instead stay steadfast and strong in the Lord. I think that once we accept the challenge and begin living our lives simply for Him and no one else-that is when we can really begin to impact the world and change lives. Romans 14: 7, 8 says this: "For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord." Therefore, we need to stop living for ourselves and our own selfish pursuits. We need to be real, and stand up for our beliefs-no matter how many people may reject them! We belong to him and he laughs at our plans. He had a plan for our life before we even knew how to breath, so lets allow him to show us his way.

I know it is easy to hit roadblocks and get discouraged. Stay focused on the cross! "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." Galatians 6:9. Our prize is an eternal live with Jesus Christ, remember that :)

Thanks for reading.

UF vs. LSU

After all the trash talking from LSU and their fans, the Gators dominated (heck yeah!). I ended up getting a ticket at the last minute thanks to Mr. Milligan-good thing too because this was not the game to watch at home on the couch. The energy in the swamp was different than any other game I have been too. It was simply amazing. I think we all paid for all our screaming in church this morning...singing was out of the question. No matter what, this game was totally worth it. LSU=Gator Bait!

Here are some pictures from the game:

Jessie Japzon was here with us in spirit before the game started! Go Gators!
Jessie and her excitement at the game was contagious!
Gooooo Gators!

Work, work, work

Work has been CRAZY the past few weeks with all the negative activity in the market. People calling constantly, and on top of that-we have also done a few seminars and a training for other agents...needless to say I have been super busy. I love being busy though, it is much better than having nothing to do. My boss is leaving today to speak at a convention in Kansas City until Friday. The timing of this trip is perfect, because I have a lot to do in his absence. Hope I can complete my to-do list before he comes back on Monday!

...now I am done with my blogging break, and back to work!

Gator Football Pictures :)

The crowd parted and there was my friends Libby and Ashleigh! So random to run into them in a crowd of 90,000 Gator Fans!

This is me and Curtis before our hike to the stadium for the Miami game. I love this picture because it accurately describes our personalities!
I love Jessie Burgess and she loves Gator Football, this is one reason why we get along so well :)

...so it's been awhile

I just realized this week how long it has been since my last blog post. I guess between everything going on with work, school and church I just never thought about it!

Speaking of work: We have been super busy the past few weeks with almost all of our clients calling daily FREAKING our because of the market. Yeah, the market has really made my job harder the last week or so. I understand every one's concern with their IRA's and investments, but really there is not much we can do other than move your money to a fixed account. However, no one seems to like this option because then they are not going to make any money, but they are guarantees a certain interest rate-a low one. So basically, everyday we are fighting with senior citizens that have worked their entire lives for this money and are not being faced with the threat of loosing it or parts of it due to a falling economy.

School is another story! I started my internship with Libby a few weeks ago doing mostly Family Law in Orange Park, and that is going really well to date. We have both been really busy with our lives so we have not gotten to spend much time together, but working together one day a week gives us an opportunity to catch up on each others lives :) Plus, I get to learn at the same time!

Church is great! I starting going to Southpoint Community Church several weeks ago, and have really enjoyed it. We just finished a series called 'One Month to Live" which was outstanding, and this week a new 4 week series is starting that is based on the Rocky movies. The church is great and I am meeting new people there every time I go. One of my best friends Ben goes there, so he has been able to introduce me to some people. Also, I have been getting involved with a non-profit organization/ministry that was started by a guy at SCC; Chance Craven. The organization is called itsChance, and I encourage you to check the website or myspace to see everything this organization stands for. www.itsChance.com and www.myspace.com/itsChance I am sure you will be motivated and encouraged to make a change and advance the kingdom of Christ!

That is really all the recent happenings in my life since my last posting. Oh, well I have to mention Gator Football! The season finally started with a game against Hawaii. It rained, and there was no escaping the water so we were all soaking wet the entire time! We kicked off tailgating for the Miami game (also a Win!!!) which was great! I will try and post some recent pictures for you to enjoy!

In Him,
Em

How things change...

Today is eight months exactly since Grandpa passed. I cannot believe how much time has passed, on one hand it feels like forever and on the other it feels like a week. Things have been moving pretty quickly this year-my life has changed so much since December. Opportunities keep presenting themselves that I never thought were even remote possibilities. I have grown spiritually in so many ways! In November and December my life was completely devoted to my family and spending time with them, then suddenly the family fell apart so to speak. Sure we are all still very close and involved with each other lives, but the thread that held us all together is gone. So, what do you do when someone that required so much of your time is gone? How do you cope with the loss? How do you go in their bedroom? How do you do anything?

These were all concerns I had for weeks, but now I know what to do. I have learned to depend completely on the Lord for all my needs. Through Bible studies this year, so many things have stuck out and helped shape my testimony. While I miss Grandpa everyday, and it is never the same pulling into his driveway and not seeing him-I am grateful for the experiences I have gained in losing a second father. My life has changed in so many ways that I know he would be immensely proud of me and who I am becoming. Grandpa was always the one who told me to do whatever I wanted to, and that I would be able to do it with the strength of the Lord. When I look back at pictures from this year or think about all the traveling that I have done-I know he is not in the pictures, but Grandpa was there with me. I am sure the girls on the road trip would agree with me, how else would I have been able to fix the door on Jessie's CRV? (LOL)

With the help of the Lord, I have been able to reshape my life this year. My friend have been an awesome support group and a great source of encouragement throughout everything. I love you guys more than you know, many of you are like brothers and sisters to me! Thank you all for challenging me to step out of my box and do new things...It has been a wonderful experience and I am excited to continue on the road he has paved for me. Whether that means moving to Chicago, joining the Peace Corps, going on international Missions, or just staying in Jacksonville to advance his kingdom-I am ready! I am so thankful for all the opportunities I have been given, and the ones yet to come. Please keep me in your prayers as I continue to follow his Will.

Love to all, Emily

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4: 8,9

1 day!

This time tomorrow I will be boarding my flight to Indy...well technically ATL, but then onto Indy :) I cannot wait to land and see you know who ;) Have a great weekend everyone!



P.S. I loved these sunglasses, but they broke :( It seems every time I find a pair I love they get destroyed. Oh well, I should view it an excuse to go shopping, right?

Are you serious?

Today has been one of those days so far...Started out tired and sore (workouts are killing me), and is continuing to be a test of my patience. This morning at work was busy, and I am still working on getting some important papers out to a client. Granted these papers equal a lot of money and they MUST go out by 5 today. The catch is that the package is not quite ready to go out, I still need 2 forms that are being faxed to me; however our fax has decided not to work. Wonderful, I just have the best luck!



You know the people who think they are the only people on earth and that you were put here to serve them? I am surrounded by them today in the office-not fellow workers but clients...I am so ready for quittin' time! I often wonder why they think they are so high and mighty-like what have they accomplished in their lifetime that makes them think they should be treated like royalty? I easily think negative thoughts about people of this nature, but then I realize that all I need to do is pray for them. Perhaps they do not share the Love of Christ as I do in their daily activities and that is why they are so cynical and depressing.



I am trying to keep a positive outlook on the happenings of today, because I know this is just the small stuff! I am sure this is just a test of my patience...I can do this, I can make it, and I an pray for the people that I come in contact with today!

First Blog...here goes!

Hello everyone out there in the blogging world! This is my first blog and I quite excited about it, as ridiculous as that may be. I feel inspired to blog about all the things that are going on in my life right now. I feel like this is a great way to stay in contact with friends as they graduate college and being living their lives miles away. We are in a changing period in our lives, so get ready! I have shared so many amazing moments so far this year with outstanding friends and family, and I think they should be documented!

Check back for updates and please leave comments. I would love to know what you are all up to as well!

EM