Catch Up

Catching everyone up to speed....seeing as those good intentioned phone calls never seem to pan out (sorry)...

I am officially moving up to Fresno in a month and going to willow international (junior college). I am living with this awesome Christian family who has an extra room. The parents are in their 30's and then there is Grace (9) and Ryan (6). I'm a little nervous that for some reason I won't be a good fit and they won't like me or something....but if I don't recognize God's fingerprints all over this and that He definitely knows what He is doing, I am an idiot. So I trust Him. On good days...we are still working on the other days and their mild freak outs. Thank goodness the Man upstairs is patient. Anyways, it is a beautiful little family positioned withing a few streets and five minutes of everything and everyone I really care about in Fresno. Plus, it will be nice to be the older one for once seeing as I was always the youngest, extended fam included. Hope I'm a good 'stand in' sister.

I am now employed by Fruit Patch Inc (was one of the biggest fruit distributors in the U.S.) in shipping mostly and some receiving. Yay fruit!...and in all honesty the cash flow it brings to a summer job. Basically, I work directly with the truckers and make sure we have the fruit and load it on the right truck and the millions of details that go into all of that. So far I have only ALMOST shipped fruit to Texas that was intended for Malaysia. fingers still crossed :). I have tried to brainwash myself into liking it and it being wonderful, but the reality is I hate it. A lot. BUT I also know God has placed me there and is using it to train me and prepare me (think Karate Kid having to do the jobs that annoyed him and seemed useless but were defensive moves etc). And knowing I walk through the day with Him who will never leave me nor forsake me, brings joy. So, wax on, wax off. Bring on the preperation.

Headed to Texas the third week of July to watch my stud of a brother graduate from boot camp. So proud of him, and so glad it is in Texas. Can't wait to visit. Part of me thinks I left pieces of my heart there when I was 8 and have never fully retrieved them. It doesn't help that a lot of people I love very much live there. I am biased but I just think people are better quality out there typically, or at least my kind of people. My job this summer is allowing me to not have to work so I can catch up on classes that didn't transfer from VU and hopefully still be able to transfer to a University in a year. In the back of my head is that little voice that is desperately hoping God has A&M in store for me. It is a long shot I know, and I'm not really into making secure plans anymore, as they have clearly not worked out thus far.

I am the proud owner of Rosie, a ford avalon (yes ford! take that US socialism) who desperately needs a bath and is missing her right front hubcap (not for the first time either). Seriously, hubcaps and cellphones hate me. But in my defense we have some huge potholes on these country roads. We, Rosie and I, like to blare our country music with windows rolled down particularly on summer nights to "small town USA" bu Justin Moore, "Hell on the Heart" Eric Church, and anything Jason Aldean and Lady Antebellum...top picks lately.

I have been proposed to, asked if I have extra medical marijuana, and called honey or mamouselle(sp? btw that is by the french canadians) more times than I can count. Ah the joys of working with truckers. I put 'em in their place if they need it and have nailed the "Don't even go there" look. It is definitely entertaining to say the least. I am well mannered and friendly to most, I promise. Go people skills with pouchbellied, smoke stained, accents of all kinds, men!*grin* Every now and then a driver will bring his son, or wife and kid with him. Very cool. Oh and I almost killed my office co-workers by feeding them saltine crackers from hell. Seriously death in small square form. It is far worse than the black spot from that muppets pirate movie back in the day with miss piggy and kermit. I knew they could get stale but rotten? really? Okay, they were from the back of the cupboard and I didn't check the expiration date. Still haven't. No doubt in my mind, they were expired. Definitely laughed a lot over that one. However, they could come in handy in handy with some truckers...definitely a couple I would like to offer those death bites too.

It is weird to think I will be moved out and quite possibly never moving back in to my parents house in one month. I am treasuring my spot on the roof, great view, but sucky mosquitoes who inhaled my legs the other evening. And I am treasuring all the craziness that is the Goetz house. For example: watching a Father of the Bride 2 with the parents...ya know, quality family time...when we see a small rodent run by our glass door outside. Naturally, the movie is paused while my dad gets up, gets the gun off the wall (I hand him pellets) opens the door and shoots it, then hangs the gun up and we hit 'play'. Typical family night. This is why i feel like we were misplaced as a family and belong in Texas. It just fits.

Missing softball, missing my friends, excited to take on this new adventure, and excited to look back in 10 years and realize all that God did out of the last year and the next one. That is where I am at as of June 26, 2009. I have also been really loving that passage that talks about the mystery of God has been revealed, it is Christ in me, the hope of glory....just realizing that that is the key to it all, Christ is in me, He is the hope of glory. Which brings me to the campaign song Everything. God in my living, there in breathing, God in my resting, God in my waking....dreaming, hoping, hurting....the list goes on. But it talks about God being our everything, all those little things all day long, and Christ being in us and that is our hope of glory, Him.

That, dear friends, is what my life is looking like of late, what I am learning, etc. I love you all, pray for you often, and love love love reading your blogs. Keep writing :)

~~Hannah Michelle
p.s. one of you ought to feel sorry for their very technologically unsavvy friend and teach her how to put pictures up and make it look better....just hinting.