It's me, Charity

I just had to share the most exciting thing that will happen all week long! MY friends from church Ben and Janet Whipple have been in the process of adopting a baby boy from Ethiopia for well over a year. I think last May I blogged (here or mypace) about going to their Adoption Benefit Concert. Well yesterday they finally got to meet their precious baby boy, Issac. This is the first picture of their new family of three. When I saw it I immediately started crying. Its just beautiful. And what is even more beautiful is God's provision for them this entire time. There have been ups and downs and i'm sure more hard days then they have told us about, but yet their faith in God and his plan has remained rock steady and even grown. They are such an inspiration to me and my faith. Rejoice with us Issac is coming home!!!!!!! P.s. to Ben and Janet. MY apologizes for stealing your picture. I'm not stalking you. Seriously. Well ok, maybe kind of a little!

So the really exciting thing that has happened at work this week. I have been working with our college's recruiter, Teresa, to design a blog for our ambassadors. I finally tweaked it to my liking, and we went live on Weds!!! We have gotten over 140 hits so far! And several in different countries! SUPER EXCITING!! Now, right now you're probably thinking, Really Cherry? You designed a blog? For Purdue? And um, your blog looks like this??!! Yes, well, thats what happens when I get paid to do something and have several weeks to work on it:) Start paying me, or better yet, commenting! and I just might spiff up this place. Anyways, our blog is getting very popular! And we have heard nothing but praise and compliments for it, which has been AMAZING! T, has been showing me all the compliments for it and that has made me feel sooo good! This morning I met the Recruiter for a different college at Purdue and she was asking me questions about how I did it and if it was hard and praising us...

1. My current favorite country song right now is "She's Country" by Jason Aldean. It makes me want to get up and rock out, and drive my truck fast on a country road with the windows down, radio turned up, amist the corn. 2. I also happen to think Jason Aldean is pretty hot. Just sayin. 3. I really need to remember my Mom reads my blog now. Sorry Mom!! 4. MY abs hurt.(wherever they are. I haven't seen my abs in eyars now.) Like seriously. I guess thats what happens when you actually work out? Not fun. 5. I'm rather upset its going to snow this weekend. I put away my sweaters and my toes have been loving the fresh air and flip flops. NO MORE COLD WEATHER!!! 6. I'm getting really excited for Memorial Day weekend. Time off with my family and warm weather!! Well, one can hope!! 7. I found Danny Gokeys churches website tonight. I guess that does make me a cyber stalker.. Maybe I shoudn't admit that?

So tonight was day one of the 30 day shred. Yes, I succumed and bought Jillian Michaels 30 day shred last night after bible study. I figured if I"m working so hard on my inside I might as well ramp it up and get my outside to match too!! (that and I have a bridesmaid dress to wear in august!!.) ) SO I tried it tonight, and I"m not gonna lie. it was rough. I was panting by the 4'th minute. But I strangely enjoyed it. Well, again I didn't like the push ups but I was pretty danged proud I could actually do some! That shocked me!! I have to say I actually liked the squats. And the punching. got out my agression:) So keep checking back in, soon you will be seeing alot LESS of me!!!

So if you know me, shoot, if you've read my blog in 2009 you probably have guessed that I am not the healthiest person in America. Thats putting it lightly. While I don't have any serious life threatening problems I do have alot of health issues that I struggle with. I take a good amount of medicine on a daily basis and even that doesn't keep me well so I got in touch with a woman from my old church who is very healthy and into healthy things and has an extensive knowledge of herbal thingies. :) Friday night before heading to Katie's I ventured into Nature's Pharm and was overwhelmed by all of the choices!! Thankfully I got help, and came out with the above purchases. After my body gets used to taking these supplements I'm going to add some more to the mix and try and get as healthy as I possibly can. GO HEALTHY!!!

I realized I forgot to post pictures of Friday night with my bubbies, so here you are, bask in their cuteness!! Here is Momma Katie with her boys.Bellys are big in their household.. How can you just not MELT at that smile??!! He kills me.. Me and my cuddle buddy watching Wall-E. As you can tell he was slightly fixated on the TV..

Well I see that I've had tons of blog viewers in the past week so I felt guilty and thought I should probably post something! Life has been pretty crazy busy! Last week was Spring Break at Purdue and for us it was Spring WORK! We got nice uninterrupted time to work on projects, and that was really nice!! I was able to crank out a HUGE project and I was so proud of myself!! This week the students are back and our office has been hopping!! I love it though, it just confuses me when they come back more than once in one day. I can remember faces, but not names and it just gets CONFUSING! OK, so I'm easily confused!! :) Last weekend was good. I spent friday night with Katie and the boys. They have grown so much since I last saw them a few weeks ago!! Sammy is hilarious, he is turning into such a little BOY versus a baby. Its amazing to watch him change. He almost fell asleep in my arms again.. *sigh* Joey is of course his cheesy hammy little self. I can't wait to see what he...

So I am really loving my Women's Bible Study at my church on Weds nights. I was wanting to meet people and get connected since I don't know that many people at my big church, and it is really helping. We're doing a study on becoming Women of Excellence and I cannot tell you how much I needed this! I am learning so much and growing, well hopefully growing, as a result of it! I have met so many wonderful women of all age groups and experiences and I LOVE hearing their take on scripture and where they are at in their lives and walk with God. Tonight we talked about Discretion. Whew, boy howdy, did I ever need this chapter! I was hoping we could spend a few weeks on it because I knew I really needed it! When I think of discretion I think of my Mom, she never says anything improper and always has a graceful classy way about her. I aspire to be like that but am sadly nowhere close. What I got out of tonight was about TALKING. I do alot of talking. And I've realized, thanks to...

A whole stinkin lot!!! Seriously, I get quite excited when he comes on AI. Not only is he cuter than cute! He has an amazing voice and a really awesome story. I'm so excited that there is finally a GOOD ROLE MODEL out there for kids. Who would have thought a Music Pastor would be on AI? I hope he wins. And I pray that he keeps his morals and faith and doesn't let them fall by the wayside now that he is famous. Keep the Faith Danny. Stay Strong! And please, keep singing to me!! Just no more of those dance moves like last week. We're white my friend, and we can't dance..

Today I found out the hard way that my lips are allergic to nickel. (just like my ears) I was wearing a big butterfly, long chained pendant that Katie got me. Really cute and looked adorable with my flowered shirt, but I digress. I have this bad habit of playing with my necklace when I'm thinking at work, and I APPARENTLY put it on my lips often. By the time I came home I realized that my lips kind of hurt, and wow, they are pretty red. Fast Forward to about 2 1/2 hours later. MY lips are throbbing and burning so bad its not even funny. I look like the lovechild of octomom and angelina jolie.. Please, if you see me playing with my necklace, STOP ME!!

Tonight was my first visit to an apt complex to find a new apt. Let's just say if the choice was to sleep under the wabash bridge in a box, or live at this place, I would definately be living under the bridge. First of all, we get to the building of Condo's and it looks NOTHING like the advertisement. The buidling is old and "well used by the elements" Thats what Katie said at least. If it were up to me I'd say it looked like crap and I was ready to leave right then and then. We wait forever and finally the guy comes and gets us, only to inform us that oh, these aren't the apts that are 650 for a 2 bedroom, oh no those are on another street. Even though when I talked to him on the phone he TOLD me it was these. Fine, whatever. So we decide not to be rude and to go see the one bedrooms here which were 650. We go up to the 6'th floor in an elevator that barely held the three of us, and go into an apt which is NASTY. There are no other words for it but NASTY ...

So I'm pretty excited. Today after work Katie is coming with me to go look at this FABULOUS apt I would LOOVVVVEEEE to move to this summer!! My year and a half lease is up in July, thank goodness I don't have to move in the winter.. AGAIN!!! And I am looking for a new place. A quieter place. A Peaceful place. A place without students that like to crank their ghetto thugging music up so loud that it overpowers my television. Somedays I wonder if that place exists other than in the country! There is definately something to be said for peaceful country living.. But untill I have money to buy a house and land in the country, I live in town. In apartments. yay. As Apartments go these are very nice. Hard wood floors, granite counter tops, windows, security enabled entrance, COVERED PARKING!! YESSSSSSSSSS!! And heat and high speed internet is included. now I just have to make sure there isn't a maximum on the heat. Like those crazy people who set theirs at 68. I would freeze to de...

Yesterday started out on a horrible note... Our first appointment Ma'am'ed me.. I'm not sure at what point in my life I crossed that invisible line from being called Miss, to Ma'am. Wherever that line was, I would like to go back and jump across to the Miss side. It seems like no matter where I go these days I get ma'am by everyone I come across. Cashiers, random people running into me in the store, EVERYWHERE ON CAMPUS. Its startnig to freak me out a bit as I walk the halls of our building, students are coming up to me calling me ma'am and asking me questions! Sometimes I know the students, and sometimes I don't. For those whom I don't know I seriously wonder what it is about my look that makes them think I am ma'am worthy. Do I have a sign on my forehead that screams STAFF MEMBER??!! Don't get me wrong, I LOVE it when my students see me out and about and talk to me, and wave when they walk by. It warms my heart. I have began to really feel like...

I should really stop being so friendly to every.single.person.I.meet. Last night I was at Payless getting groceries, and I noticed that my cashier had a wordless book bracelet on. I got excited to know that my cashier was a Christian and couldn't stop myself from saying something. THANKFULLY I waited untill he was giving me my receipt and I said, "oh, by the way, I really like your wordless book bracelet, I think thats awesome!!" He looks at me and says, what? What are you talking about? I said, your bracelet, and as he looks at me with a non comprehending expression, doom went over my entire body. He said, oh this, Yeah I made this in third grade. I don't know what it is. What did you call it? Wordless book, google it. And with that I ran out as fast as I could with my cart and vowed not to go back to the w.laf payless for awhile..

This morning I got the pleasure of going to have a CAT Scan of my Sinuses at one of our Hospitals. Shockingly, I wasn't very acclimated with this hospital so I wasn't really sure where I was going inside. I came in the door and went to the information desk and there was no one there. So I finally had to call on a help phone to find out what I was supposed to do and where to go. So I go over to the registration booths which were basically hidden, and sit down with a distinctly unfriendly woman whose pants were so high I am pretty sure they were touching her bra. (Maybe thats why she was so unhappy?) As she is dinking around putting me in the system, I look and see a Policeman with a young guy in handcuffs. And where do they come, but of course right next to me. So now I am smack dab next to a convict and a police officer. I start to get a tad nervous, and wonder what the convict is guilty of and if he is a violent offender.. I start praying that my register person will hurry it ...

Saturday night I had an interesting opportunity to Chaperone a formal dance that our Student Council was putting on. Truthfully it was more like being there in case something went wrong that they needed a staff member for, but it was hilarious we were called Chaperones. I really don't think I LOOK that old, but apparently I do. Even the students I didn't know treated me like an old staff member. It was a little dusturbing. Anyways this is me before the formal. And no worries, I did wear a shruggie over my halter so I looked appropriate for work!! Betsy and I had a really good time talking and watching the kids dance and have fun. Of course talking got a little hard because 1. her voice was going and 2. they blared that music so loud that it wasn't even funny. I thank God that I'm a Christian and don't go out to clubs or anything because I am clearly NOT cut out for that life!! Sunday I didn't even turn on the TV i was so craving QUIETNESS!! Sadly, it was reall...

My co worker Sara broke her second pair of glasses THIS WEEK, today, so she rigged up an interesting contraption so she could see. To protect the (not so) innocent, it is only a picture of her eye..

I think if Dr Offices knew how much I want to play with the instraments they might actually start keeping them put away.. I just have this insane need to use one of the ear looker inner thingies!!

Unfortunately I don't have any pics of me and Kim together on Monday:( We ran around town and I took her to Purdue and showed her where I worked. After all of that she was pooped so she took a little nappy. While Kim napped, I decided to make Angie's famous baked mac and cheese for dinner. Since me cooking is a rarity, I of course, took a picture:) It turned out good but still not as delicious as Angies. I think i need to add more cheese or something:(

Sunday morning was of course, church! We had a great church service and I think Kim wants to move to IN just so she can go to church with all the cute guys:) Alas, she would not let me take a picture inside! Here I am with my SHWEEEEEETTTT hair that Kim did for me! My hair pretty much only looks this great when she is around..:) And not to be left out, my festive outfit! Katie got me the shirt, we actually have matching shirts!! And I LOVE my jacket!! And of course, a self portrait at my apt!! :)

Saturday, My parents, Grams, and cousin Joyce, came to town to have dinner and a small birthday party with me and Kim. It was tons of fun!! Here I am with my new WHITENING toothpaste. It also foams, its rather enjoyable! My Mom just LOVES our photo ops!! So does my Dad. Disclaimer, I did try to rip this (UGLY) hat off of his head. I managed to get it off but alas, he is stronger than me so he got it back. :( And here are the Women in my family. Aren't we gorgeous?

This is what a 27 yr old looks like!!! This was the morning, ok early afternoon, of my birthday, Kim sweetly bought me the sweater and jewelry to wear on my special day!! Here we are at the movies, We saw Confessions of a Shopaholic and it was SO GOOD!!! Didn't exactly follow the book but it was close enough! And of course after seeing a movie about debt, what did we do but go shopping!! Here I am with my good friend Lins while she is working! I was happy to get to visit with her for a few minutes since she had to work through my party:( Finally we made our way to Olive Garden not a moment too soon. We had not eaten all day long! Let me just say it was the first time i have cleared my plate at OG!! Our waiter and the other waiters sang to me! YAYS! Me and Kim at OG, I was having a great hair day!! And Kim just looks beautiful all the time. Curses upon her!! me and Jacquie (Bud) with her gift to me.. We call eachother Bud, its our nicknames!! And the whole party!! Sadly, Jen...