tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12847788289361344772023-11-16T10:00:32.549-08:00"Here I am, Lord" ...Seriously though, France??Sarah Rumelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15815276173076562301noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1284778828936134477.post-68152105658705391312011-04-21T03:34:00.000-07:002011-04-21T03:55:05.148-07:00Last Day with my Kiddos!<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Last night I had my last night of "Baby Volley." I have helped coach a group of 9-11 year olds every Wednesday all season. I LOVE THESE KIDS! I always looked forward to Wednesday's so that I could see them. We had a blast even though I could barely communicate with them. I used my limited French and when it made sense in my head, I would still get confused looks from them. I tried and it was sad that I could never really talk to them. O but we tried our hardest every single week. Some of the girls would come up to me and start telling me a story and it saddened me to tell them "Je ne comprends pas." These kids really have a special place in my heart and I am really going to miss them greatly.</div><div><br /></div><div><div>So on our last night together I bought 3 big chocolate bunnies. I also brought 2 of my t-shirts from the club and a pair of sweats that I won't be able to fit in my bag on the way home. We had competitions. The first was for a chocolate bunny. They each had a ball and they had to pass-pass-set-set to themselves in that order. If they messed up the order of the ball fell, they had to sit down. The last one standing won! It was a long competition and in the middle the last 3 boys could not be stopped. So we changed it to pass-pass-pass-set-set-set and then even to pass 4 times then set 4 times. After about 5 minutes we had our winner!</div><div><br /></div><div>The second competition was a serving competition. We had a boys side and a girls side. There would be a boy winner and a girl winner and each would win a chocolate bunny. They were in a line and they had to serve the ball in the court. If they made it in, they came back to the end of the line. If they missed their serve, they were out. This was intense!! I'm telling you, kids will do anything for candy.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>Our last competition was for my clothes. We layed them on the court and then it was a free for all. If they served the ball and it hit the clothing, they got to keep it! I didn't really think this would be devastating for some of them. One of my girls was so upset that she didn't win my t-shirt. She wanted it so badly. It broke my heart and she was in tears. But I gave her a pep-talk (kind of) and tried to motivate her to beat the boys at the end of practice! And she did! </div><div><br /></div><div>These kids have been such a blessing to me in my time in France. They brought me so much joy and they really made me feel loved so much. They brought me gifts for my birthday and drew me pictures and wanted to have pictures taken of me! It is going to be harder to leave Nantes than I thought...</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Me and all the kiddos!</div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSXH9XShqDJuMewFs4bpNTOTiwSlHodMlJ-aAoVQ1ZvpkoaunbLWedrERNv7UIKqtt7D8LLrDcSydtkBVrGU032a1TtjB4GH9iShUZ3g2kMHVoH43h_fmaO3OD0OeJ0Ksi9umhnqdYxE6h/s320/IMG_4046.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5597986529063997826" /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Me and the boys. Pierre-Lupe was proud to win those pants!</div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5u20xkHpLO_T7feGDSv1_ACI3tGf1r6x3a81jQ8dtsmLW1Axa_n-ahxYZ7qkGerIUtt3BxNmoVpKHfX1v5J-4XIjcWaP9eqjdURWwX9j50cKqlFhh9DqolIT8zEbFcVAeDEm8Zw_2hx41/s320/IMG_4048.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5597986525523570978" /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Me and my girlies! I miss them already. Cici, Kenza, Liza, Audrey, Chloe, Clementine, Lona, and Juliette.</div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNcWyu_NMLNtHMxPrKKRLK24SlMJkuxRjGP-2lLVE9lviUKIRQf8gi4tnUcg69HjmIB-cqvHWmQcbxlBAnyvjeM_300hUJjmoKfm1JNdknbMfdRSOIyukYM8A04BxJLZxfygpO2G4MSRac/s320/IMG_4044.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5597986517552351026" /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Clement, one of the boys, got me this beautiful bouquet of flowers. How sweet!</div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5xBFWwn-qiw7mFXmsAcPI6vRmjHPWnqXSfGDqXjkOjLoEOjOyoFig2QwFDgOq6cNoT_GhIIOxC2HOTE-C750mB33tL5yaR4-MVU00ZFEEM2ltqQMrYJa2PXlgGk1f1ZiXFZe5Ksi2nkL4/s320/IMG_4050.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5597986530553435170" /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></div>Sarah Rumelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15815276173076562301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1284778828936134477.post-8901285786667747082011-04-17T10:05:00.000-07:002011-04-17T11:05:18.796-07:00The Last Week of My Life<div style="text-align: left;">Last Saturday, we had our last regular season match. We played against Istres (the 4th place team). No one thought we could win... the fans, the club, the players, our coaches. But I did and maybe one other player on our team. We ended up shocking everyone in the first 2 sets. We won 25-23 and 25-19. We lost the 3rd 26-28 and lost the 4th 23-25. We ended up losing the match in 5 11-15. We had to win the match to make it to playoffs. We had our chances and we played really well as a team, but we just couldn't get it done. It was a bummer but I really enjoyed playing in the match. It was also bitter sweet for me because that was the last match of my career. I take this moment to announce my retirement from playing volleyball. Haha. I always wanted to say that. Around February, while I was processing what the next year of my life would look like, I really felt God was leading me away from playing and into coaching. I prayed a lot about this and I definitely felt confirmation of this. So the next chapter of my life is college coaching. I am really excited for what the future holds and where the Lord will take me with this, but I just want to say "Yes Lord" wherever that may be.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>As I was processing through my last match, I really started to look back over my whole playing career. I started officially when I was in 4th grade, even though I was playing with my family in the backyard and at my sister's volleyball practices way before then. In 4th grade, I remember one match where I served the entire match 15-0 (side-out scoring). In 8th grade we won the city championship as a super small school and got to shave my dad's head. It was hard leaving my grade school teammates and friends going into high school to start new. But we won 3 sectional championships while in high school. My sophomore year, I started playing club seriously. My senior year high school season we played in Regional's and almost stunned Muncie Burris who had won a million state championships in a row. We lost in the 5th 15-11 after being up 11-9. Yes I remember this and still have dreams about it. My 18's year of club, I was forever changed as I had the opportunity to play for Mike Lingenfelter at Munciana. I will forever be a Samurai. Then I started on my adventure at UK. I loved EVERY second of it. My athleticism was trained and I developed into a volleyball player and a setter through lots and lots of reps. I got stronger, faster, and more fit thanks to Coach Tracey. I learned how to get neutral, get my feet to the ball, and how to finish my set from Robby. I learned how to block aggressively and how to play Grandma defensive from Beerman. And I learned how to lead a team, run an offensive, and how to trust my abilities and just play from Skinner. I had an amazing experience and will never forget a single second of it... well I may forget the 2 sets of 7 minute wall sits with medicine balls because girls were missing class and tutors. I love UK and I will always bleed blue through and through. As I finished my career in the states, I knew I wanted to keep playing and I decided on Nantes Volley Feminin here in France. I learned a lot about playing at the international level. I was definitely thrown into a new environment. The food, language, driving, comforts, and volleyball were all different. But I learned some life lessons while I was here and I met some truly great people that I will be very sad to say goodbye too. As I look back, I realize how much God has blessed me. He has given me so much more than I could ever ask for or come up with on my own. He gave me a passion for the sport of volleyball, and he followed that up with playing abilities so that I could carry out all of my dreams. I have had the most wonderful experiences as a volleyball athlete and I thank God for everyone of those experiences. I also see how God has used the sport of volleyball to draw me closer to Him through relationships I have built, places He has taken me, lessons I have learned, disappointments and successes, and I stand in awe of his love for me. I have truly been blessed.</div><div><br /></div><div>Well, I'm just getting started with this blog post so bear with me. Saturday after the match, since we didn't make it to play-offs, the informed us that we didn't have practice until Thursday. I still don't understand the whole practicing when you don't have any matches left, but they are paying me to be here and it's just part of it. I have to stay until May 6 because we have sponsor events. Anyway, when I heard that we had a huge break, I got home and started searching places to travel to. Nicole and I decided we would head to Athens, Greece. WHAT? Greece was always some place that I always dreamed of going but I never thought I would ever travel there. So Sunday, we took the train to Paris, slept in the airport Sunday night (or tried... that's a whole blog post in itself), showered in the sink at 4am Monday, hoped on our EasyJet flight at 6 (which wasn't so easy... once again, a whole blog post for that story) and arrived in Greece at 10. Happy Birthday to Me! I turned 23 on Monday in Greece. We spent the day walking around the Plaka and doing a little shopping and really just getting familiar with the city! It was a relaxing day but so much fun. We had greek salad and lamb and other really great Greek food. We went to Hard Rock Cafe for a birthday dessert because I really wanted chocolate cake or something of the like. So we split a Brownie Ice Cream Sundae thingy. Yumm. I can't believe I am 23.</div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibGRCZwBwd1uOLDFAr9NARX3tsNM05yyRRuY3n-WYsL5uIrBkDcTUIRKFlg134yOc-Ht_1Kw4z1ZIACdq8fbwS1BwBQsAmw-4HYD0AJAlfyHOW0PGznhZB_xuANIEEKyn9DEO1iaOHx6Tw/s320/IMG_3902.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5596609120089475938" /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div> Tuesday we woke up, I had some greek yogurt (yumm) and we took one of the bus tours. You could hop off and hop back on any time you wanted. We first went to the Acropolis Museum. Then we went to the Acropolis itself. It was really really cool to see. The whole city of Athens is pretty much built on old ruins. So everywhere you look, there are random ruins from something 2000 years ago. Then we had lunch in the Plaka (gyro and greek salad). We then went to the Temple of Zeus, then jumped on the bus that took us to the port Piraeus. It is the biggest port in Europe and it was pretty to see the coast. Then we took the bus to the Archaeological Museum. We got there around 3:30 and it was closed. WHAT?? It closes at 3pm everyday. What kind of famous museum does that? We were pretty bummed because Nicole and I both like stuff like that. So we grabbed some coffee from Costa coffee and bought some Greek Sandals.</div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaUH2Pz1HQK1kgEL4KZonNucAke_HWjiy1M808MCBAe905gZjN2L24oMV3pLOPa1YmyecHknAmAEJyEUx9iLw2B_SXzM1XUzZWfVbwbcfCela9ccC4A3zkhOCp6RAlEKmMMeqa2Cfjl9ip/s320/IMG_3959.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5596611502457746690" /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>We then headed to dinner for our last night in Greece. :( Dinner was unbelievable. We went to this restaurant with a view of the Acropolis and the Ancient Agora. It was beautiful. We sat outside and just took in the view. We ordered Lamb Soulvaki, a meat combo dish and of course Greek Salad. Delish. Then we went to a different place and got Baklava! So so good! Then we headed back to the hotel to prepare to leave the next morning. Ok so I LOVE LOVE LOVE Greece. I really want to go back some day. I think I want to go to Santorini for my honeymoon. Hopefully my future husband is down with this! I love Greek Salad. I loved Greek salad from the states and I order it everytime I go to Panera, so I was in heaven eating actual real life Greek Salad!! :) I'm kind of addicted I think.</div><div><br /></div><div>So here was our schedule Wednesday. We walked to the metro in Greece (15 mins). We took the metro to the airport (45 mins). Flew from Athens to Paris (4 hours). Took a special train from the airport to the metro in Paris (10 mins). Took the metro to the train station (30 mins). Took the train from Paris to Nantes (2 hours). Took the tram from the train station to our stop (20 mins). Walked to our apartment (15 mins). LONG DAY! So worth it though. I had a blast in Greece!</div><div><br /></div><div>Thursday I made fruit pizza for my team to celebrate my birthday at practice. Friday I went to the center to walk and shop a little. Saturday we went to the market in Nantes and I went to the Park. And today we went to La Baule (the beach). It has been a great week!</div><div><br /></div><div>Next weekend, I am going to Prague to meet my friend Liz for Easter. She is STINTing with AIA in Berlin and we are meeting up in Prague. The weekend after Easter is still up in the air (talks of possibly Milan with Nicole). My dad arrives here May 3. We are going to London May 7-9. We are going to Barcelona May 10-12, and Rome May 12-14. We fly out of Paris on May 15 and I will be back in the good Ole US of A!!!</div><div><br /></div><div>Ok that was the world's longest blog post ever. Hope you didn't get bored. I'm hungry so I am going to go make myself one of these!! Yes the first thing I did upon returning to Nantes was buy feta cheese at the grocery store :)</div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixonj5FeiFDOwBaQ8C0ek6F5JgdacT2jKpklW8WT2Vk9TiBG2d5S8h99wJ8o9E0drmWQuTkgQPbouw2seDoTFOWSEdAq6m0UduNmXHE3hnGnjQq6dwCqU3XOvnT_QVx71nXtZy5wNu5K66/s320/IMG_3873.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5596613332301549234" /><div><br /></div><div>Please be praying for wisdom for me as I am processing through and starting to make decisions about my coaching future! Thanks!! Also, my cousin Kelly had her triplets at 26 weeks 3 weeks ago. Please pray for their family and especially Ella, Luke and Wilson. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Sarah Rumelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15815276173076562301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1284778828936134477.post-75051259720706618752011-03-08T12:43:00.001-08:002011-03-09T00:34:20.698-08:00I am a terrible blogger.<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>I <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">am</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">going</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">to</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">try</span> harder. And I <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">am</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">going</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">to</span> do <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">better</span>. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">This</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">blogging</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">has</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">just</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">not</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">happened</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">lately</span>. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">My</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">sister</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">was</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">here</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">last</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">week</span> in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">February</span> and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">brought</span> me <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">my</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25">new</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26">MacBookPro</span> (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27">which</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_28">is</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_29">beautiful</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_30">by</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_31">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_32">way</span>). And <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_33">then</span> I <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_34">just</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_35">didn't</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_36">feel</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_37">like</span> I <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_38">had</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_39">anything</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_40">to</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_41">talk</span> about. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_42">Volleyball</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_43">has</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_44">been</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_45">frustrating</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_46">recently</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_47">because</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_48">we</span> have <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_49">lost</span> 3 in a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_50">row</span>. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_51">We</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_52">beat</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_53">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_54">last</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_55">twoteams</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_56">we</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_57">just</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_58">lost</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_59">to</span> in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_60">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_61">first</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_62">half</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_63">of</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_64">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_65">season</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_66">so</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_67">it</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_68">was</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_69">not</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_70">good</span> for us <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_71">to</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_72">lose</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_73">to</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_74">them</span> in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_75">the</span> second <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_76">half</span>. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_77">We</span> are <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_78">currently</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_79">tied</span> for 8<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_80">th</span> place in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_81">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_82">league</span> and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_83">we</span> have <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_84">to</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_85">be</span> in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_86">the</span> top 8 in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_87">order</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_88">to</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_89">make</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_90">it</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_91">to</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_92">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_93">playoffs</span>. Butas <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_94">you</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_95">can</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_96">see</span> 6<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_97">th</span>, 7<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_98">th</span>, 8<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_99">th</span> and 9<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_100">th</span> place are <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_101">all</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_102">really</span> close <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_103">together</span> in points.<div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 193px; height: 189px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq4xrHPzufAXmE2uoXjJJzcPZDpxU-e0YNb1gPBX0ddegvxOGQwOceeAv8dHSTKfA1P3v3bAar4aYJX0aCc4qIdbBj-IA7zT3VdZFuhPfyq0lLiRbIbZBxwXgxcQ_VstLKmTj4uE5l3UYD/s320/Screen+shot+2011-03-08+at+9.48.17+PM.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581813799809446546" /></div><div><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_104">When</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_105">my</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_106">sister</span> came <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_107">to</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_108">visit</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_109">we</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_110">had</span> an <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_111">absolute</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_112">BLAST</span>! <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_113">She</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_114">flew</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_115">into</span> Paris (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_116">yes</span> a direct <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_117">flight</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_118">from</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_119">Boston-sooo</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_120">lucky</span>) and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_121">then</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_122">took</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_123">the</span> train <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_124">all</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_125">by</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_126">herself</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_127">to</span> Calais. Calais <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_128">is</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_129">Northwest</span> France as close as <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_130">you</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_131">can</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_132">get</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_133">to</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_134">England</span>. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_135">She</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_136">saw</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_137">our</span> match <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_138">against</span> Calais and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_139">then</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_140">she</span> came <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_141">back</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_142">with</span> us on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_143">the</span> train on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_144">Sunday</span>. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_145">We</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_146">hung</span> out in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_147">Nantes</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_148">Sunday</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_149">afternoon</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_150">until</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_151">Friday</span>. I <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_152">took</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_153">her</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_154">to</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_155">all</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_156">of</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_157">my</span> favorite places and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_158">showed</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_159">her</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_160">around</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_161">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_162">city</span>. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_163">She</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_164">has</span> about 100 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_165">espresso's</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_166">while</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_167">she</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_168">was</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_169">here</span> and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_170">she</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_171">claims</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_172">they</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_173">just</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_174">taste</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_175">sooo</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_176">much</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_177">better</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_178">here</span>. I <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_179">wouldn't</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_180">know</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_181">since</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_182">it</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_183">is</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_184">my</span> goal in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_185">life</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_186">not</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_187">to</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_188">get</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_189">addicted</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_190">to</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_191">coffee</span>. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_192">Then</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_193">Friday</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_194">after</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_195">practice</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_196">we</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_197">headed</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_198">to</span> Paris for <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_199">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_200">weekend</span>! <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_201">It</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_202">worked</span> out <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_203">perfect</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_204">because</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_205">we</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_206">happened</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_207">to</span> have <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_208">one</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_209">of</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_210">our</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_211">very</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_212">few</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_213">free</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_214">weekends</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_215">while</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_216">she</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_217">was</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_218">here</span>. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_219">We</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_220">saw</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_221">all</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_222">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_223">sit</span></div><div>es in Paris <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_224">Friday</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_225">night</span> and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_226">Saturday</span>. And <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_227">we</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_228">even</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_229">had</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_230">time</span> for <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_231">some</span> shopping :). I <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_232">was</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_233">so</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_234">sad</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_235">when</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_236">she</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_237">had</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_238">to</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_239">leave</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_240">Sunday</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_241">morning</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_242">because</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_243">we</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_244">had</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_245">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_246">best</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_247">time</span>. But I <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_248">stayed</span> in Paris an extra <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_249">day</span> and a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_250">half</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_251">which</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_252">was</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_253">nice</span>. I <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_254">was</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_255">finally</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_256">able</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_257">to</span> explore a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_258">little</span> on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_259">my</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_260">own</span> and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_261">see</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_262">some</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_263">of</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_264">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_265">not</span> super <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_266">touristy</span> spots. I <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_267">went</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_268">to</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_269">Hillsong</span> Paris for <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_270">church</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_271">Sunday</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_272">morning</span> and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_273">I'm</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_274">not</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_275">going</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_276">to</span> lie, but I <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_277">was</span> in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_278">tears</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_279">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_280">whole</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_281">time</span>. I <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_282">haven't</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_283">gotten</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_284">to</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_285">worship</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_286">God</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_287">with</span> a group <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_288">of</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_289">believers</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_290">like</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_291">that</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_292">is</span> a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_293">very</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_294">very</span> long <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_295">time</span>. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_296">It</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_297">was</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_298">so</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_299">great</span> and I <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_300">was</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_301">completely</span> in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_302">awe</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_303">of</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_304">how</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_305">God</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_306">used</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_307">the</span> sermon <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_308">to</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_309">speak</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_310">to</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_311">my</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_312">heart</span>. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_313">The</span> sermon <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_314">was</span> about <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_315">Paul's</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_316">shipwreck</span> in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_317">Acts</span> 27. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_318">The</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_319">pastor</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_320">pointed</span> out a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_321">few</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_322">things</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_323">that</span> have <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_324">stuck</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_325">with</span> me <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_326">since</span>:</div><div><ul><li><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_327">We</span> are <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_328">going</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_329">to</span> go <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_330">through</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_331">storms</span> in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_332">our</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_333">life</span>.</li><li><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_334">While</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_335">they</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_336">were</span> in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_337">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_338">storm</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_339">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_340">tied</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_341">ropes</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_342">around</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_343">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_344">boat</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_345">to</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_346">hold</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_347">it</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_348">together</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_349">they</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_350">lowered</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_351">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_352">anchor</span>, and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_353">they</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_354">threw</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_355">some</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_356">of</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_357">their</span> cargo <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_358">overboard</span>. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_359">When</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_360">we</span> are <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_361">going</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_362">through</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_363">storms</span> in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_364">our</span> out <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_365">life</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_366">we</span> have <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_367">friends</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_368">who</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_369">can</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_370">help</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_371">hold</span> us <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_372">together</span>. I <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_373">am</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_374">so</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_375">thankful</span> for <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_376">my</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_377">wonderful</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_378">friends</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_379">who</span> have <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_380">stayed</span> close <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_381">by</span> me <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_382">through</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_383">any</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_384">storms</span> I have <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_385">faced</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_386">here</span> in France <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_387">so</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_388">thank</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_389">you</span>. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_390">Also</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_391">they</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_392">lowered</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_393">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_394">anchor</span>. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_395">When</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_396">going</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_397">through</span> a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_398">storm</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_399">we</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_400">need</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_401">to</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_402">anchor</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_403">ourselves</span> in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_404">God's</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_405">truth</span>. I <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_406">want</span> no <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_407">one</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_408">else</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_409">to</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_410">be</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_411">my</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_412">anchor</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_413">except</span> for <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_414">the</span> Lord. And <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_415">thirdly</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_416">they</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_417">threw</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_418">some</span> cargo off <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_419">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_420">ship</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_421">to</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_422">make</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_423">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_424">load</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_425">lighter</span>. I <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_426">need</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_427">to</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_428">ask</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_429">myself</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_430">sometimes</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_431">what</span> do I <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_432">need</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_433">to</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_434">get</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_435">rid</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_436">of</span> or <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_437">what</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_438">is</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_439">getting</span> in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_440">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_441">way</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_442">of</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_443">my</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_444">walk</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_445">with</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_446">the</span> Lord. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_447">There</span> are <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_448">very</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_449">good</span> questions <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_450">to</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_451">constantly</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_452">be</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_453">asking</span>!</li><li><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_454">God</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_455">spoke</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_456">to</span> Paul <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_457">DURING</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_458">THE</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_459">STORM</span>. And <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_460">what</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_461">did</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_462">he</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_463">say</span>? "Do <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_464">not</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_465">be</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_466">afraid</span>." <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_467">Those</span> simple <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_468">words</span> are <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_469">spoken</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_470">over</span> and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_471">over</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_472">again</span> in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_473">the</span> Bible but <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_474">yet</span> I <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_475">still</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_476">fear</span>. I <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_477">think</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_478">that</span> I <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_479">just</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_480">need</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_481">listen</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_482">while</span> I <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_483">am</span> in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_484">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_485">storm</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_486">instead</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_487">of</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_488">trying</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_489">to</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_490">control</span> and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_491">fix</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_492">everything</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_493">myself</span>. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_494">Because</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_495">God</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_496">definitely</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_497">has</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_498">it</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_499">under</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_500">control</span> and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_501">will</span> figure <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_502">things</span> out <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_503">wayyy</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_504">better</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_505">than</span> I <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_506">will</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_507">ever</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_508">be</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_509">able</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_510">to</span>. </li><li><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_511">The</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_512">storm</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_513">lasted</span> a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_514">really</span> long <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_515">time</span>- 14 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_516">days</span>. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_517">Even</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_518">though</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_519">God</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_520">spoke</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_521">to</span> Paul, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_522">He</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_523">didn't</span> stop <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_524">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_525">storm</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_526">right</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_527">then</span> and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_528">there</span>. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_529">There</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_530">were</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_531">even</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_532">days</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_533">when</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_534">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_535">sun</span> or <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_536">the</span> stars <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_537">never</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_538">appeared</span>. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_539">Can</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_540">you</span> imagine total <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_541">darkness</span> for <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_542">days</span>? <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_543">During</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_544">storms</span> in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_545">our</span> lives, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_546">we</span> must <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_547">be</span> confident <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_548">that</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_549">God</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_550">who</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_551">began</span> a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_552">good</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_553">work</span> in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_554">our</span> lives <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_555">will</span> carry <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_556">it</span> on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_557">to</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_558">completion</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_559">until</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_560">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_561">day</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_562">of</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_563">Jesus</span> (Phil 1:6). I <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_564">often</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_565">get</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_566">so</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_567">eager</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_568">to</span> have <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_569">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_570">storm</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_571">end</span> and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_572">end</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_573">right</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_574">now</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_575">that</span> I <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_576">forget</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_577">to</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_578">see</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_579">how</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_580">God</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_581">is</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_582">trying</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_583">to</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_584">equip</span> me or <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_585">sanctify</span> me.</li></ul><div><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_586">This</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_587">was</span> a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_588">very</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_589">very</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_590">encouraging</span> sermon for me. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_591">When</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_592">my</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_593">sister</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_594">hopped</span> on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_595">the</span> plane <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_596">earlier</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_597">that</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_598">morning</span> I <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_599">so</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_600">wanted</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_601">to</span> go <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_602">with</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_603">her</span>. I <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_604">wanted</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_605">to</span> go <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_606">back</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_607">to</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_608">America</span> and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_609">see</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_610">my</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_611">family</span> and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_612">my</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_613">friends</span> and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_614">eat</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_615">Mexican</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_616">food</span>. But <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_617">this</span> sermon <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_618">just</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_619">really</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_620">reminded</span> me <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_621">that</span> France <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_622">is</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_623">where</span> I <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_624">am</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_625">supposed</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_626">to</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_627">be</span>. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_628">Personally</span>, I have <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_629">grown</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_630">so</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_631">much</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_632">while</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_633">being</span> in France and I continue <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_634">to</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_635">pray</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_636">that</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_637">God</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_638">will</span> use me in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_639">the</span> lives <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_640">of</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_641">other</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_642">to</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_643">help</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_644">build</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_645">his</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_646">Kingdom</span>. But I must <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_647">also</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_648">remember</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_649">that</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_650">God</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_651">doesn't</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_652">need</span> me. I <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_653">am</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_654">humbled</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_655">at</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_656">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_657">thought</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_658">that</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_659">He</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_660">would</span> use me! :)</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_661">So</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_662">my</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_663">days</span> have <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_664">had</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_665">ups</span> and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_666">downs</span>. But I <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_667">am</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_668">constantly</span> holding on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_669">to</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_670">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_671">ONE</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_672">that</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_673">will</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_674">be</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_675">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_676">same</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_677">yesterday</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_678">today</span> and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_679">tomorrow</span>, and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_680">forever</span>. B<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_681">ecause</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_682">that</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_683">is</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_684">all</span> I have and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_685">all</span> I <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_686">need</span>!</div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipupb_K1l8xZorL8ALf2NurU6kQpQAnXMGXmVfedi6ShQbU3M9YjZUf8sx6q0FKBqeQTErqJfRmPbWjS5sBX95b8oXSs3i8fRjQVre63QdJdPiSsIKp4pkYi8KMacjn4DHWG-abB3Lu5_L/s320/IMG_3769.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581822649315386914" /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div>Sarah Rumelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15815276173076562301noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1284778828936134477.post-12516782046072331992011-02-02T02:38:00.000-08:002011-02-02T03:23:46.887-08:00It's not my faultI was doing so good about blogging but then my beautiful MacBook decided to die on me. I would get this annoying blue screen that would just ring every 2 seconds. It would never power up. Needless to say, it has been a rough couple of weeks with my only form of communication to the world being broken. I do have a Kindle (which has been GREAT) and I can connect to my email and facebook but that's about it. I haven't really been able to talk to my family in a few weeks which has been rough. But I am trying to take advantage of all of this ALONE time... my favorite thing if anyone knows me. But it has been really great for solitude with the Lord. My sister is coming to visit on February 19th for a week and she is bringing me a new computer, MacBookPro! Yahh!! She flys into Paris and then will figure out the train system in Europe and immediately hop on a train to Calais, France. We have a game in Calais that night. Calais is in the northwest of France and it is actually the city where you can jump on the chunnel to England. She will stay in Calais at the same hotel as us and then she has the same itinerary on the way back to Nantes with us. She will be in Nantes all week and then we have a free weekend the second weekend she is here so we are planning on venturing to Paris for a few days before she flys out.<br /><br />Here's what's been going on with me:<br /><ul><li>We played against Venelles 2 weekends ago and we won 3-0. In case I haven't explained the scoring system for our league, I will do so now becase it is important. For every match there are 3 points up for grabs. If you win in 3 or 4 sets, you get all three points. If you win in 5 you get 2 points and the losing team gets 1 point. The rankings for the league are all based on number of points, so it is really important to win matches in 3 or 4 sets. The first half of the season, we won a lot of matches but they were all in 5 except for 1. So even though our record may have looked good we were missing out on a lot of points if we could have won matches in 3 or 4. Currently we are in 6th place out of 12 teams which is where we should be. I think we should finish the season in 5th place, but the coaches think that 6th or 7th place is more realistic. After the double round robin (we are in the second half) we have the play-offs. The top 4 teams go into a bracket and the 5th-8th teams go into a bracket. Then the top bracket competes for 1st-4th place while the second bracket fights for 5th-8th place. Hopefully all of that makes sense!</li><li>We celebrated King's Cake. In France they bake this special cake and they put a figurine in it. Then everyone takes a slice and while you are eating if you have the figurine, you are the "King" or "Queen" and you get to wear a crown. I think that if you win, you have to make the cake for the next year haha. I did not win :(</li><li>We went to this really really long awards ceremony where we were nominated for Professional Team of the Year in the Nantes region. We did not win :(</li><li>We have American family night every Tuesday and Thursday. Tuesday's we have dinner together and watch Modern Family and on Thursday's we get together and watch Glee. It has been really fun and it breaks up the week a little bit.</li><li>This past weekend, we had a free weekend so us American's decided to venture to Normandy to see the D-day beaches. It was a 3 hour drive from Nantes and yes Bertha (the car) did make it! We went to Omaha Beach, Gold Beach, and Juno Beach. At Omaha Beach, 34, 250 Americans landed there on D-Day and there were 3,600 casualties. Gold Beach was where the 24,970 British landed and there were 1,050 casualties. At Juno Beach, 21,500 Canadians landed there and there were 1,270 casualties. We also saw the edges of the other 2 beaches, Utah and Sword Beach. Utah was an American Beach and Sword Beach was a British and French Beach. We also visited the American Cemetary which was really crazy. There are rows and rows of white crosses at the cemetary. There are 9, 387 Americans buried in the cemetary. Seeing those crosses made me realize the impact of the war and it was really moving. Most soldiers on D-Day knew that they were going to die as they paved the way for the others. Hard stuff. We also saw Arromanches which is near Gold beach. The allies brought over huge concrete slabs and dropped them in the ocean before D-Day in order to help calm the waters for the ships. The concrete slabs are still there. We also went to Point du Hoc which was by far the most astonishing. There were tons of Nazi bunkers up on this hill with huge cannons. The American Army Rangers scaled this 100 meter high cliff to somehow take out this area. Pointe du Hoc is definitely one of the places where you know that war took place. The beaches are just beaches. But at Pointe Du Hoc there are huge huge holes in the ground everywhere from bombs being dropped. It is really crazy. Many of the bunkers are still in tact and others were completely destroyed. I learned so much this weekend and it makes me wish I would have paid more attention in history class. We also went to Caen which was a city that the allies conquered about 3 months after D-Day which really paved the way to advance to Paris and Germany. You can click here <a href="http://www.worldwar2history.info/D-Day/">http://www.worldwar2history.info/D-Day/</a> for some more information. We also watched Saving Private Ryan while we were in Normandy. It details the story of Niland brothers and 3 of the 4 are buried in the American Cemetary. It was really cool to see the movie after visiting the cemetary and the beaches because they did a really really good job of keeping it authentic.</li><li>We play in the south of France this weekend against St. Raphael. It should be a good match!</li></ul><p>I hope everyone is doing well. I will try to continue to update but who knows when I will be able to borrow a computer next! Have a great rest of the week. Hopefuly I can post pictures soon! </p>Sarah Rumelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15815276173076562301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1284778828936134477.post-26310729072862649952011-01-18T11:52:00.000-08:002011-01-19T00:53:32.962-08:00It's OfficialI went to the Mediterranean Sea. And it was beautiful!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYyoFL7E1B7Df8zqFZkhRGghJpa1PEeKWFYJV78EuzcmyrOcfvnAAGKAtKuVaySSKyBP_eKTExcjpjTilLb0uZjmcQ75-IPbvUhhdV26Qx8L31wV-YiDJwzQV11ETZ7paI7bMOV3ARmoxx/s1600/IMG_3504.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYyoFL7E1B7Df8zqFZkhRGghJpa1PEeKWFYJV78EuzcmyrOcfvnAAGKAtKuVaySSKyBP_eKTExcjpjTilLb0uZjmcQ75-IPbvUhhdV26Qx8L31wV-YiDJwzQV11ETZ7paI7bMOV3ARmoxx/s320/IMG_3504.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563639545101347042" border="0" /></a><br />We played in Cannes on Saturday. We left Saturday morning and played Saturday night. We actually played really well and the match was really fun. We lost 0-3 (which was expected) but the scores were 18-25, 21-25, 18-25. So it wasn't embarrassing which I am very happy about! Everyone played hard and we played together which hasn't happened in a long time. So it was a fun weekend!<br /><br />Our hotel was a 10 minute walk from the Mediterranean and we took a walk Saturday during the day to get the blood flowing in our legs! I loved it so much I went on a walk again with Laura, my Checz teammate and roommate on road trips.<br /><br />We got back Sunday evening and the internet was out... ughhhh. It is starting to get annoying and it is inconvenient. I was supposed to skype with my parents on Sunday but I couldn't. Monday we had 2 practices and after our second practice we had a mock volleyball practice for all of our sponsors. It was actually really fun and funny at the same time. Our sponsors acted as the players and we put them through some drills and similar things to what we do in practice! It was fun to coach them (with my very limited French) and great to watch them attempt to play. But it was a fun evening. Today we had morning weights, practice and then French class. After weights we went and looked at our new gym for recuperation. We are allowed to go 3 days a week. They have an aqua massage table, sauna, swimming pool, and a bunch of cardio equipment and free weights. We can use whatever we want. We will still have our normal musculation at the other gym, but if we want to supplement it with anything, we can use this new gym.<br /><br />Also, I am very naive in case anyone didn't already know that. There is this new billboard up around Nantes and it is a picture of a girl and guy without shirts on embracing. The girl has long dark hair and the sign reads "Salon Erotisme." For about 3 days I thought it was a sign for the new hair salon in town. WOWWWW! It is actually a sign for the strip club. But I guess that I am getting used to the half naked girls on billboards here in France and it is becoming normal to me. WoWW!Sarah Rumelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15815276173076562301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1284778828936134477.post-958097776521008532011-01-14T12:53:00.000-08:002011-01-14T13:23:45.286-08:00Cannes!<div style="text-align: center;">This is where I am going tomorrow!!!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-nV6rvh83yFNV_XKUqG0xZzC7WuQyYGdPwzFC-6PA8HorWCRBaK0fEjtXqwLGdQx1qu8W0flUdHpYdITb1z6JgY0Y7lNgA9jb-XVSP5blM5Uf96TN-nzxcdwRFcNWpVddN529sBGkNE_W/s1600/Picture+1.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 211px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-nV6rvh83yFNV_XKUqG0xZzC7WuQyYGdPwzFC-6PA8HorWCRBaK0fEjtXqwLGdQx1qu8W0flUdHpYdITb1z6JgY0Y7lNgA9jb-XVSP5blM5Uf96TN-nzxcdwRFcNWpVddN529sBGkNE_W/s320/Picture+1.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562154996669882450" border="0" /></a><br /></div>Tomorrow morning (Saturday) we are heading for Cannes for our match. Our plane leaves at 6:45am which means we have to be at the airport at 5:45am which means we have to leave the apartment at 5:25am. We will arrive in Nice at 9:40am. Nice by the way is beautiful. We were just there last weekend for a match against Le Cannet. It is gorgeous and stuck right between the Pyrenees and the Mediterranean Sea! BEAUTIFUL! Our match is at 8pm Saturday night and we will come home Sunday.<br /><br />Travel is much different than NCAA volleyball where you would leave Thursday afternoon and practice in the gym on Thursday night. Then you would wake up around 10 on game day and have a good breakfast, go to practice, watch film, have a pregame meal, take a nap and head to the game. I don't mind traveling the day of the game, but it is just a little hard when you don't get a good nights rest before your match. If I went to sleep right now I would get 7 hours, which is much less than my normal 10 haha. It is just an adjustment you have to make and get used to and when game time rolls around it's on!<br /><br />Also, we are expected to lose to Cannes. Everyone is expected to lose to Cannes. There is a weird vibe that goes around the week you have to play Cannes because it is "impossible to beat them." That is something I will never get used to. I love to play against the best teams and come out fighting hard and shocking people. That is what you do. That is what sport is all about. But apparently we are just supposed to have fun. All week in practice we have been preparing for next weeks match. Cannes week is just a weird week. But I am excited to play against a great team and I am going to give it my all! Maybe we can pull together as a team and shock some people!!!!! Have a great weekend!!!Sarah Rumelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15815276173076562301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1284778828936134477.post-73391502863467323192011-01-12T07:54:00.000-08:002011-01-12T08:10:15.390-08:00New Year's Resolution- Starting 12 days late...So I basically suck at this blogging thing but it is my New Year's Resolution to update it more often. I think that if I update it every few days then it won't seem too overwhelming to update my life over the past month. <br /><br />So...<br />I'm back in France in my new apartment and we finally have internet. We didn't have internet the whole month before Christmas break which was beyond miserable. <br /><br />We are currently in 9th place in our league and we start our second round of competition this weekend. We started out the season really great and then we struggled the last part of the first half. But after a much needed break at home, we are ready to get back at it. <br /><br />My best friend Megan, flew back to France with me and stayed for a week before school started at UK. I'm so happy she came because if not, it would have been extra hard for me to leave the states after Christmas. We took a 6 hour trip to Paris and saw the Eiffel Tower (at day and night), the Arc de Triomphe, all the key paintings and sculptures in the Louvre, and Notre Dame. Not bad for 6 hours. The rest of the time she was here we explored Nantes and just hung out trying to adjust to the time change.<br /><br />The real reason I am writing this blog entry, is because I want to tell you what happened today at the physical therapist. I arrived at the PT (I have some nagging plantar fasciitis which won't go away) about 15 minutes early. I am always early because I never know how long it will take me to find a parking spot for Bertha since parking in all of France is ridic. Anyway, I was sitting in the waiting room and the second I walk in and sit down, the lady next to me with her foot propped up on another chair starts telling me her life story in French. I didn't even have 2 seconds to butt in and say "Je ne parle pas francais." I kept hoping my PT would come get me because I knew that any second she would ask me my life story. O but no... she talked for 14 minutes straight, and I interjected with the ooh's and aah's when necessary. She was probably wondering what was wrong with me and why I wasn't saying anything. Well, then again she didn't ever pause to breathe so she probably didn't notice much. Then with one minute until my appointment started, I thought I had made it home free when it happened. She asked me a question. But, I understood that she asked what was my job. So I said, "Je suis volleyuse." We have practiced this phrase over and over in French class and I was happy to put it to some use. She immediately looked at me and said, "Do you speak English?" I shyly replied yes, but I did inform her that I understand French... lie. She apologized and we both kind of laughed since she talked for 14 minutes prior without a single breath for air. But the problem was that she couldn't understand that my job was to play volleyball. I had to show her my sweatshirt that said Nantes Volley Feminin and then she kind of started to get it. She asked, "Professional??" I replied yes and then everything started to click for her. Then my PT came to get me. Ahhh one minute too late. I still laugh everytime I think about it.Sarah Rumelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15815276173076562301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1284778828936134477.post-77464144631155900282010-10-20T06:34:00.000-07:002010-10-20T12:44:52.212-07:00Strike!My parents arrived on Saturday and they got to see my first home game against St. Raphael. We won 3-0 and it was really fun to play at home! I am so excited that they are here! My mom made peanut butter cookies before she came because they don't really eat peanut butter here and everyone LOVED them!! Sunday we woke up early and took the train to Paris! We first stopped off to take pics of the Eiffel Tower and then the Arc de Triomphe! Then we hit up the Louvre! My dad apparently loves art (which I never knew) because he was taking pics of almost everything we passed. Now the Louvre is pretty big so it took a while! We grabbed lunch in the Louvre cafeteria and then we went to check in at our really cute hotel! It right near the Opera! We took a 30 minute cat nap and then headed to Sacre Coeur and Montmartre! We walked through the beautiful Basilica and then decided to go see the crypts and go up to the top of the dome! Well the crypts were closed but we decided to take the stairs all the way to the top of the dome. It was soooo cool and I am really happy that we decided to go. As we walked and walked and walked up the stairs the bell tower started ringing because mass was starting below us. We could see the entire city from the top and we got some really cool pictures! When we went down we decided to see how far into mass they were. The priest was in the homily and so we decided to stay for the rest! After mass we went to dinner at an Italian restaurant. It was good food but our waiter was rather "surly" in the words of my mom. Then we took the metro to the Eiffel Tower to see it lit up at night! It was really really cool and I am so glad we went back at night! We walked from one side, underneath it, crossed the Seine river and then made it to view it from the other side. We got some great pictures! We also saw it all flash like it does on the hour. We decided not to make the venture to the top because it was FREEZING! I'm pretty sure I convinced them that since we already saw the city from Sacre Coeur, that we didn't need to do it again. I knew how cold it was from when Nicole and I went in the daytime. Monday morning we went to Fauchon (the famous chocolate shop) and then to Notre Dame. Then we jumped on the metro to head back to the train station. Our train left at 12:45 and was supposed to arrive in Nantes at 3:15... perfect timing to make my practice at 5!<br /><br />Well, we arrived at the train station and our train wasn't on the board... Hmm. We asked and someone told us, "O, it was cancelled because of the strike." OK. I started to freak out a little because I had to be back for practice. They told us just to get on the next train with no seat. Weird. But we did it and the train was scheduled to arrive at 4:15. I had to be at practice by 4:45. It I am late, I get charged. So, I made some calls and finally we figured out a plan. My teammates boyfriend picked me up from the train station, swung me by my apartment to grab my things and took me straight to the gym. I arrived at 4:45 on the nose! Talk about stressful! Wow!<br /><br />Tuesday, I had to go to a special medical visit for my visa. Nicole and I headed to our appointment at 1:30 and proceeded to sit in a room until 3:30 without our name being called. People who arrived after us were getting called before us. WOWW! So finally we said something, and they told us they had forgotten about us. They got us in to see the 4 different doctors. After a very interesting topless chest x-ray and seeing the other doctors, we finally left at 4:45! O France!<br /><br />This morning my parents were headed to Geneva so that they can make it to my game near there on Saturday. They had a flight out of Nantes. We left way before the flight to try to find some gas however we did not have any luck. I wouldn't have had enough gas to get them there and back so we went to plan B. I brought my parents back to the hotel where they called a cab. Well they tried multiple places and finally one agreed (all because of gas and the strike). So the taxi came and took them to the airport! Here is the text word for word that I received from my mom:<br /><br />"OMG. We just arrived at our gate. The plane is flying but stories to tell about how we got here. The airport exits were closed both directions off the interstate so the cab driver took us through the countryside for 30 min to find the back way in. We arrived at the airport greeted by numerous armed guards, a fire somewhere in the vacinity and a 56 euro cab ride. But we are here!! BTW, there was one gas station open on the interstate but the line was about a mile long. Love you and hopefully we will see you on Saturday!!"<br /><br />That about sums up strike. Today all the workers decided to block all the entrances of all the airports today so that passengers couldn't get inside so that is what my parents were dealing with! <br /><br />I went to a gas station that my teammates told me about and waited in line for over an hour to get gas! But Bertha (our car) now has a full tank of gas and she is ready to go! So that is life in France currently! Tomorrow the Senate will vote on the bill again! Everyone is on strike because the government is changing the retirement age from 60 to 62. And since the government pays all the retirement salaries for all the workers, everyone is upset! I hope the vote tomorrow goes well or else we may have some problems getting to our game this weekend. We are supposed to take the train, but they informed us that if it is cancelled then we will drive the 10 hours in buses there. But "with what gas?" is my question!!Sarah Rumelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15815276173076562301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1284778828936134477.post-86673015839572569702010-10-14T13:14:00.000-07:002010-10-14T13:34:53.140-07:00Eighty!Did you know that eighty in french is quatre vingts... which literally translates to 4x20. WHAT?? As I try to learn French, this is what I am dealing with. Or did you know that I am une americaine, but my dad is un americain? Yes because I am a girl, I get 2 extra e's. Or did you know that a dog is masculine and a car is feminin? Who decided that? Well I am learning French slowly and I really want to learn. I practice with my teammates all of the phrases I know, and they laugh because it is so basic and funny to them! But I am hoping with 3 1/2 hours of French class a week, that I can learn something!<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Here is what I know:</span><br />-Je m'appelle Sarah.<br />-J'ai suis americaine.<br />-J'ai 22 ans.<br />-Je suis volleyeuse.<br />-J'habite a Nantes.<br />-Je suis nee le 11 avril 1988.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Other phrases that are useful:</span><br />-Je ne sais pas. (This means "I don't know" and I use it very frequently.)<br />-J'ai faim. (Literally meaning "I have hunger" and yes the m in faim is silent so the pronunciation of this would be "jay fah")<br />-Big mac grande avec frites et coca-cola (You can figure it out.)<br />-J'ai froid ("I'm cold" pronounced "jay fro-ah"... silent letters are everywhere.)<br />-Je ne comprends pas. (I don't understand.)<br />-A quelle heure? (I thought it meant "what time is it" however, I just looked it up so I could figure out how to spell it and it actually means "at what time?" Haha funny)<br /><br />So today I had a busy day... practice 11-1:30, class 2-4, practice 4:30-6, reception 7. I am sooo excited for Saturday when my parents will come!!! Yahh!!! And we play our first home match on Saturday night! So excited!! Also last night I downloaded the first book in the Narnia series on my Kindle... I am so excited to reread them since I read them as a child. I am sure that everyone wanted to know that, but these are the things I get excited about!!! <br /><br />Au revoir!Sarah Rumelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15815276173076562301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1284778828936134477.post-35192287169259531912010-10-11T11:34:00.000-07:002010-10-11T12:09:31.786-07:00My Life... Updated!!Ok yes it's been FOREVER since I last wrote, and I was doing so well with keeping up with it. So here is what you all need to know!<br /><br /><ul><li>Sonja Newcombe arrived on September 24! Ahh it was so great! The whole team went to the train station to pick up her and Kyle (her husband). I am soooo happy she is here!!! You have no idea!</li><li>That night Nicole, Alex and I went to the FC Nantes futbol (soccer) game! It was really really fun and they actually won too!</li><li>The following day (Sept 25) Nicole and I hoped on the tram bright at early (like 6:30am) and headed to the train station to head to Paris! When we arrived we headed straight to the Eiffel Tower where we stood in line forever! We finally got our tickets to head up! When we made it to the 1st floor, we realized a) that is was FREEZING and soooo windy and b) that we had to wait in another line for 45 mins to actually take the elevator to the top. My hands were numb and Nicole thought she might die from the cold (yes southern Cali girl). But we survived and made it to the top and it was beautiful!!! We left there and headed straight to the Louvre! We made a quick run through it to see all the sights and then after about 2 hours left. We walked around near the Opera and wandered to some shops and this huge mall. Then we met up with Nicole's cousin who happened to be in town and went to dinner! It was really fun! After dinner we walked around and checked out Parisian night life! We made it to our hotel late and woke up early Saturday morning! Nicole agreed to go to Hillsong Paris church with me so we headed there Sunday morning! It was really really great to sing and worship our King in English! The whole service was entirely in English and French which was really really cool! I had an absolute blast and I can't wait to go back! After that we headed to lunch and to a shopping district! And finally we made our way to Notre Dame and did a quick walk through! Sooo beautiful! Then we had to make our way to Paris Orly airport where we were meeting our teammate Ati who was also in Paris for the weekend! We met her there and she drove us home! Yes I live in France and can randomly head to Paris on an off weekend! It was sooo refreshing!</li><li>After that weekend we started to prepare for our first match of Championship season (the French league Pro-A). We played Cannes on our first match of the season on Saturday the 2nd! They have won the league every year for about 15 years and they are also in Champions league! All week at practice the coaches kept saying, just have fun this weekend. There is no way we can win. WHAT?? Hello? I've never heard that in my life. So the three of us Americans were out of our element a little with that mentality. But we played well in our match and yes we lost in 3. But we played well as a team and it was very fun to play together... FINALLY!!!</li><li>We got back on Saturday night late and I felt sooooo sick! I woke up Sunday morning and turns out I had a stomach virus. Ugh... I felt awful all week. I practice Monday, layed in bed all day Tuesday, practiced Wednesday, went to the doctor Thursday and practiced in the afternoon. I was feeling a little better come Friday when we had to leave, I just hadn't really been able to eat anything except the BRAT diet (bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast). Friday we headed to Venelles and we played on Saturday! I was finally feeling better on Saturday and got to eat real food!! Yahh!! The match was so exciting! We lost the 1st, won the 2nd and 3rd, lost the 4th and pulled it out in the 5th. We were up 10-5 in the 5th and Venelles came firing back and tied it 10-10. We could have chosen to give in then but we kept fighting and pulled in out 16-14!! It was a great great win for us!</li><li>So that is a recap! My parents come on Saturday and I am soooooo excited!! My mom is bring a huge suitcase full of all of the things I left at home! Thanks mom! I can't wait to spend 2 weeks with them!</li></ul>Other things to note:<br /><ul><li>France likes to go on strike! Tomorrow there will be a gas strike so all the girls informed us to fill up our tanks tonight because we won't know how long the strike will last. So after waiting in line for about 30 minutes, we have gas... yes it costs about 80 euros to fill up a tank! OUTRAGEOUS!</li><li>I am currently making pasta salad! The pasta is cooking as we type! I hope it is good!</li><li>When we returned home from Venelles, we found our car (her name is Bertha) in a different place than we left her. Yes Yes we put the parking brake on. So we asked around and turns out there was a farmers market and someone needed to move her. We aren't exactly sure how this all went down but Bertha was parked sideways in a parking space about 30 feet from where we parked her. Funny!</li><li>I've been making some delicious delicious salads lately! I find every veggie I have, cut it up and throw in on my salad along with avocado and pears! Pears in a salad are sooo good!</li><li>On the road we eat at cafeteria's. Red meat is not allowed to be eaten.</li><li>Yes my jersey may look cute in pictures, but it is really small. It is super tight and the spandex are uncomfortably short. I feel super self conscious but I mean what am I gonna do about it?</li><li>It rained for about 6 days straight last week :(</li><li>We aqua bike every Wednesday. Yes we bike in the water and also swim. But when we swim we are only allowed to use our arms or our legs. <br /></li><li>O How could I forget?? We started French class last week! It is every Tuesday and Thursday right in between musculation and practice. My favorite expression: Je ne sais pas... which means I don't know!</li><li>Drum roll please!!! WE ARE MOVING ON DECEMBER 1!!! Yes Nicole and I are moving to studio apartments in the same complex as Sonja and Kyle!! I am sooo excited!!</li><li>Did I mention that my parents will be here on Saturday and that I can't wait?</li><li>In France when you are sick, they don't think you should eat crackers. I had about 4 people tell me that crackers were bad for my stomach. Weird.</li><li>I was watching French survivor and they had a challenge between the two teams. The winner won baguettes, Nutella, pain au chocolat, cheese, crepe's and butter. It made me laugh!</li><li>I really miss all of my friends and the community of Christian friends that I had a UK! I was very lucky to have that environment and I hope my friends that are still at UK realize how blessed they are!</li><li>I miss my teammates!!! Ahhh we had so much fun and I miss everyone that supported UK volleyball. <br /></li><li>There is so much else to write but I can't think of anything! I will hopefully write soon!</li></ul>Have a great week!!!!!!Sarah Rumelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15815276173076562301noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1284778828936134477.post-18451993061237360012010-09-21T13:12:00.000-07:002010-09-21T13:27:08.674-07:00Taco Tuesday!Yes 3 days in a row!!! STAR!!<br /><br />Today I discovered why panini's in France taste so good. I had a doctor's appointment and we arrived a little early so we went across the street to the little panini/croissant/pastry shop to grab a sandwich for lunch. I got the jambon fromage (yes ham and cheese). It was really delicious and at first I thought it was just because the baguette it was served on tasted really good. Then it hit me! They put butter on the baguette and then they load on the ingredients. Butter is the answer. Now, I am the type of person who never adds butter to anything... I give my butter from my pancakes at Cracker Barrel to my dad, I eat bread plain, and I just don't really see the need for it. Well since living in France, I have a new found appreciation for butter. Because France loves butter!<br /><br />Also tonight for dinner we decided we needed to satisfy our Mexican craving, so we decided it would be Taco Tuesday! Nicole and I have family dinner almost every night and tonight we decided that we would invite our teammate/dorm mate Alex over for dinner because she had never had a taco before! It was really fun! I showed her how to make the meat and then we showed her the best strategy for rolling your taco so you wouldn't lose all of the ingredients. She commented that taco night seems that it would be really enjoyable in America... I don't think she even can begin to imagine my families love for taco night because we do enjoy it. PS Aunt Marcia I miss you and wish you could have been here tonight! Sorry we enjoyed our taco's without you! But Alex really enjoyed her first taco experience and I think we have her hooked!<br /><br />Tomorrow we have water recuperation (I'm not really sure what that means) and practice. Thursday we have a 2-a-day. Friday we have practice, pictures, we pick up Sonja from the airport, and are going to the FC Nantes soccer game. And Saturday morning Nicole and I are jumping on the train to head to Paris for the weekend!!!! Life is good here! We think we will visit the Eiffel Tower, Louvre and Notre Dame on this trip!! And we are trying to figure out where to stay... any thoughts??Sarah Rumelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15815276173076562301noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1284778828936134477.post-20682031023806921132010-09-20T12:34:00.000-07:002010-09-22T05:55:13.298-07:00Thanks Dad!!Yes I am updating my blog two days in a row! Yah me!<br /><br />So most of you know that my dad got into a motorcycle accident over the summer. In the beginning of July, I was his personal chauffeur to all doctor's appointments, work, etc because he couldn't drive because of the meds he was on. One day I took him to the hospital where they put the cast on his thumb. As I carted my (sling on the left arm and cast on the right arm) father home we heard a weird noise coming from the car. I pulled over and sure enough, I had run over a nail and I had a flat tire. GREAT! But it was a perfect time for my 22 year old self to learn how to change a tire because my father could be of no physical help. He walked me through it step by step and only helped me to kick the old tire a few times to get it to come loose. It was the perfect teaching strategy... dad tells you exactly what to do but he can only stand on the side of the car and take pictures to text to family members. I felt pretty accomplished after changing my first tire back in July!<br /><br />Well as of today, I have now changed two tires in my life. A couple of weeks ago, the club gave me and Nicole a car... and yes it is a manual. Sylvain our assistant coach took us to a parking lot to practice for about 30 minutes and said ok you are ready and handed us over this bright gold huge car. The first week, we were scared to drive it because we couldn't get it into first gear without stalling it. And soon after we struggled with parking and reversing the car. I am finally starting to get the hang of it and I finally feel comfortable driving it! It is even fun! I rarely stall it anymore (maybe once a day) and it isn't even jerky when I drive.<br /><br />So today Nicole and I were returning home from the grocery store and I was driving the car. We were almost back to our apartment when all of a sudden a huge truck veers into my lane. I have 2 choices... hit the truck head on or veer to the left and miss him. I chose option 2 only when I swerved to the left I heard a huge pop and Nicole says, "Uhh I think you popped the tire." I was still shaken up from the near on collision with the truck and then the pop.<br />So I pulled over (right outside our favorite pizza place) and assessed the damage. Sure enough, I had popped the tire. But I would still choose tire over collision any day. So I said, "Nicole I got this. I know how to change the tire." So we open the trunk and can't find the spare tire anywhere. We see the tool to loosen the nuts on the tire but no tire. Hmmm... We have no cell phone or anyone's telephone number to call to help us. As we try to figure out what to do, Nicole spots the tire underneath the car under the back bumper! YES! Ok now how do we get it out? We try and try and try and can't figure it out. Finally we decide to go ask our pizza guy friend who we know really well because we eat pizza there at least once a week, and he speaks excellent English. So I went in and told him our dilemma and asked if he could help us figure out how to get the tire loose so we could change it. Luckily he was able to figure it out and we got it out. Then he informed us that he must return to work and change his clothes since he was laying on the ground under the car. Whoops! Thanks pizza guy!<br /><br />Now it was time for the real work to begin. I first jacked the car up. Then I loosened the bolts little by little and made sure to loosen them in opposites and not in a circle. Then I took the tire off and put the new tire on. I put the bolts back on and tightened them little by little in opposites again. And then I made sure to get them really really tight so I stepped on the tool thingy to tighten them all. And then we were on our way! SUCCESS!! The tire is a little flat, so tomorrow we will attempt to find air somewhere to put in it!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglH9jzWdrFSAo2uKcu6qFc0hLR14jMfcks8AU32kOX5R1KlXeLVsTkTgXU27RRyFk5wOUYqPCIgsGQnKwrX3pzV_J7ptnNOEWrsJp69HcdVL8YpvPKo3nKVX5AIY7mUj-xyfcnUdL-5HXD/s1600/IMG_1461.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglH9jzWdrFSAo2uKcu6qFc0hLR14jMfcks8AU32kOX5R1KlXeLVsTkTgXU27RRyFk5wOUYqPCIgsGQnKwrX3pzV_J7ptnNOEWrsJp69HcdVL8YpvPKo3nKVX5AIY7mUj-xyfcnUdL-5HXD/s320/IMG_1461.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519720493085693698" border="0" /></a>So thanks Dad for life lessons only a father can teach!Sarah Rumelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15815276173076562301noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1284778828936134477.post-57536180183151660172010-09-19T02:24:00.000-07:002010-09-22T13:45:19.908-07:00Weekend in QuimperSo I know that I am really terrible at updating my blog but I will try harder and do better. On Thursday morning we left at 8 am and drove to Quimper, France for a tournament. (Quimper is pronounced Kam-Pair.) It is about 2 1/2 hours away. We took 3 cars there so it was a tight squeeze. On the schedule we were given it said we had reception at 11:30 when we arrived. I took that to mean serve and pass so I was already when we left, spandex on and everything. Well it turns out, we had an actual reception with the mayor of Quimper to kick off the tournament. That just gives you some idea of how as an American, I never know what is going on here. So we had the reception with the mayor and then we went to check into our hotel. Well turns out we aren't staying at a hotel, but rather we are camping. By camping they mean, you stay in a mobile home in a campground by ocean! This was my house that I shared with Nicole and Alex.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLKZi8kmyRmvsvKZGvGWnUXPl3MawHqCNxiUdf04z1-7jCZRP4JC5w-QkKkndil3kuTdLq9gsWwXXR7pvlgYVR6Oy-PGiBVJvwpZ3426f0zobUVsTNCwi4qzVyWzNkATQwdSpPdHrzd3FM/s1600/IMG_3036.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLKZi8kmyRmvsvKZGvGWnUXPl3MawHqCNxiUdf04z1-7jCZRP4JC5w-QkKkndil3kuTdLq9gsWwXXR7pvlgYVR6Oy-PGiBVJvwpZ3426f0zobUVsTNCwi4qzVyWzNkATQwdSpPdHrzd3FM/s320/IMG_3036.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518554289019150802" border="0" /></a><br />We ate all of our meals at the campground. It was a really really cool place. You could see the ocean from our house and there was a pool with waterslides, a basketball court, ping pong tables, a playground and much more fun stuff! I wish it was summer and warm cause this place would have been awesome! I mean it was pretty cool, but I wish the weather would have been a little warmer! Here is Valeria (she is an OH from Hungary but played at Kansas State) and Ati (she is a MB from Spain) in front of the playground!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0or21q0Vl-GmYPEU-lYihiZqlIOIN9eoLuAaviHckVX_mWzKjn2IbB2Sddv1IAAkUFXw0cHV_Ngg34wrsI56EsEAPtYdpQ8xYwVVqfjmlIzLBkO5lv_uY8YYc2dMUWXjhpYpKb2nSlBDv/s1600/IMG_3033.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0or21q0Vl-GmYPEU-lYihiZqlIOIN9eoLuAaviHckVX_mWzKjn2IbB2Sddv1IAAkUFXw0cHV_Ngg34wrsI56EsEAPtYdpQ8xYwVVqfjmlIzLBkO5lv_uY8YYc2dMUWXjhpYpKb2nSlBDv/s320/IMG_3033.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518555216170311586" border="0" /></a><br />The pool had this sign... only in Europe would you see a sign that said no swim trunks allowed, only speedos. Hmmm...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR8oFTA-4CM8VuXufZrrrhYb2XVYoMdE1UtcQc2ncuz0DAwmA21XgyyjNd8J_dl_2-Vky7gASPPgduPIqsQ-wNaEGm2h-DUqHP_cfNQW1ELUdTrBPgWrBA-U7WbCMmZ5HZoshPvSliuLcw/s1600/IMG_3031.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR8oFTA-4CM8VuXufZrrrhYb2XVYoMdE1UtcQc2ncuz0DAwmA21XgyyjNd8J_dl_2-Vky7gASPPgduPIqsQ-wNaEGm2h-DUqHP_cfNQW1ELUdTrBPgWrBA-U7WbCMmZ5HZoshPvSliuLcw/s320/IMG_3031.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518556012234060866" border="0" /></a>I had to take this picture for Doza... a pirate and his rhum. It just makes me laugh!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLwh53YY83PgcWc_tiWfb7lgq0s4hoUOkJztZZOhFY0fNtraSBF4Pf_hzjLjW9E8vhNTz8pBrnnbRx1nFDTZpheeQUJSYmHOBwvqyc5pqTKQGm46Sp_1YamN2grcf1BnmNDELfIQre0GrZ/s1600/IMG_3032.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLwh53YY83PgcWc_tiWfb7lgq0s4hoUOkJztZZOhFY0fNtraSBF4Pf_hzjLjW9E8vhNTz8pBrnnbRx1nFDTZpheeQUJSYmHOBwvqyc5pqTKQGm46Sp_1YamN2grcf1BnmNDELfIQre0GrZ/s320/IMG_3032.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518556849209129666" border="0" /></a><br />Once we arrived we ate lunch and took a nap before heading to the gym to play our first match against a team from Spain, Majorque (pronounced May-York-uh). Michel explained that our other tournaments we played in were for them to see everyone play in different positions and with different lineups, but this tournament was more to prepare for when the Championship starts in 2 weeks. So going into our match I was wondering if Nicole or I would start. I was hoping that I would but you never know. The coaches informed Nicole and me and they wanted to run a system with 2 setters. So they hired 2 setters of equal ability and at any time could switch us in and out to change the style of the game, or also switch us with the right side to potentially do a front row back row switch to change the flow of the game. They told us to trust them. I do. It is just hard being so competitive and wanting to play all the time. It is a new role for me but one that I am embracing. I work the hardest I can at practice everyday and that is all that I can do. The coaches will decide who they want to play. Anyway, Nicole started in the match against Majorque and I was a little bummed, but ok with it. We we winning in the first set and then lost it at the very end. In the second set, he ended up putting me in for Nicole halfway through, but we weren't able to pull it off. I started the 3rd set and we won. I started the 4th set and here is a funny story. Toward the end of the 4th set, which we were ahead in most of the set, Majorque was going on a run and it was getting a little close in the very end, so he put Nicole in for whoever was in right back. I was in left front. I thought that she was going to pass and play defense, but NO she was setting and I was in left front... YES HITTING! So of course we pass the ball and the only person she can set is me and I swing and hit a floater with my wrist (great haha) but I kept it in play and then in transition Nicole could only set me again and so hit the one shot I have in my repertoire, face cross and roll shot down the line to the corner. AND YES I GOT A KILL!! I was pretty pumped. We ended up winning the 4th set! In the 5th set we controlled the whole set and were up 13-10. Then of course we had a mental breakdown and couldn't pass the ball. We were in rotation 5 so of course I keep setting every ball outside or backrow but ughh they ended up winning the set 15-13. Very very frustrating. But I played well and we just didn't get it done.<br />On Friday, we played a match at 2:30 against a French team in the 3rd division. Nicole set the first 2 sets and we won. I set the 3rd set and we won! Yippee we actually beat a team 3-0 or 3 nil as they like to say here. It was really fun because a ton of elementary aged kids came to the match as a field trip or something and they were sooo excited. They were cheering for our team and they were being sooooo loud! Personally if they weren't there, I'm not sure we would have won the 1st set because we were trailing and staged a serious comeback! After the match, all the kids came down and we played with them for about 20 minutes. It was really fun! I really enjoy stuff like that! So after the match we were all starving because we ate lunch at 11 and then played a match which ended around 4:30 and our coached wanted us to stay and watch the match that started at 6:30. So we went into the center of town to a bar (that is what you do in the middle of the day in Europe) and all got something to drink... not alcohol but coffee, hot chocolate or juice. But no food. ugghh. Luckily when we returned to the gym, they were selling sandwiches outside that we bought. We watched 2 sets of the next match and then headed back to the campgrounds for dinner. Dinner is eaten sooo late in Europe and it is really hard to adjust to.<br /><br />On Saturday we woke up, had breakfast and headed to the gym for musculation (lifting). The coaches thought it was more important to prepare for the actual season and they didn't really care if we were tired for our match that night. After musculation we headed back to the campground for lunch and then took naps. We played our match against Quimper at 6:30. I was really excited for the match and was having one of those warm-ups where you just are "feeling that you're gonna play well." So I hoped that I would get to start cause I didn't want to lose it. I got to start! We were controlling the first set, and Quimper had a late comeback but we were able to shut them down to win the first. I started the second and we killed them 25-15. Nicole started the third and we couldn't pull it together and lost 25-22. Nicole started the 4th and our passing was really terrible and we lost 25-15. And then in the 5th, I was hoping that I would get to play Nicole played and we lost 15-12. It was really frustrating especially since I won the 2 sets I played in, but I did my job and did what I was supposed to do. The coaches get to decide who gets to play. But like I said earlier, I don't think they really cared if we won the match or not. O well. After the match we went back to the campground to eat dinner and then got on the road. We didn't even leave until 11:10 and arrived back in Nantes at 1:45. It was a late night.<br /><br />Me and Val at the campgrounds with the ocean in the background!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMjjD9hcK8RIL9YCzyFsVdG2R6II9-Me1KdeB6e8SAuwds_zCq3HJtYcGeCWauRVA5U0eotRZTb8dD0-J-XCx-vRaUMXNCgMytdkM7eShvio2F2Thz8_Da6GEQxPUig0RToKFmNvo44VDx/s1600/IMG_3035.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMjjD9hcK8RIL9YCzyFsVdG2R6II9-Me1KdeB6e8SAuwds_zCq3HJtYcGeCWauRVA5U0eotRZTb8dD0-J-XCx-vRaUMXNCgMytdkM7eShvio2F2Thz8_Da6GEQxPUig0RToKFmNvo44VDx/s320/IMG_3035.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518558899426427954" border="0" /></a><br />So I thought I should fill you in on my teammates:<br /><br />#1 Alice Persinova<br /><ul><li>She is an OH from Czech<br /></li><li>30 years old</li><li>We call her Ala</li><li>She speaks English fluently and washes mine and Nicole's laundry at her house so we don't have to pay the 8 euros per load</li></ul>#6 Laeticia Lagarde<br /><ul><li>She is the libero and is from France</li><li>She is 24</li><li>We call her Lay-tee</li><li>Her English is very good and she also speaks Spanish</li><li>She eventually wants to be a translator since she is tri-lingual</li></ul>#7 Me<br /><br />#8 Jennifer Chalumeau<br /><ul><li>She is an OH from France</li><li>She is 21</li><li>We call her Jen<br /></li><li>She is a smaller outside but somehow manages to tool the block almost everytime and her defense is really good</li><li>Her English isn't the best but she want's to learn</li></ul>#9 Alexandra Dascalu<ul><li>OH from France</li><li>She is 19 and the youngest on the team</li><li>We call her Alex</li><li>She speaks English and Spanish really well<br /></li><li>She will be studying in school this semester and playing vball</li><li>She is a very very good hitter but just young</li></ul>#10 Nicole Vargas<ul><li>Setter from USA!!</li><li>She played at Long Beach State University</li><li>She just turned 24</li><li>She lives across the hall from me and I don't know what I would do without her here... you need another American for sure!</li></ul>#11 Noelle Chevigny<ul><li>Middle from France</li><li>She is 24</li><li>He English is really really good!</li><li>She is really fun to be around</li></ul>#12 Valeria Hejjas<br /><ul><li>OH from Hungary</li><li>She played at K State</li><li>She is 30</li><li>She is our captain and she always takes care of me and Nicole!!! Thank Goodness!</li></ul>#13 Ati Garcia<br /><ul><li>She is a MB from Spain</li><li>She is 31</li><li>She doesn't speak French, but a little English. She thinks that we understand her Spanish and speaks to us really really quickly and I just look at her and tell her I don't know</li><li>She is CRAZY! The things she says make me laugh sooo much!</li><li>I recently learned that she has 7 siblings and they all have 2 names except from the youngest two who got left out I guess. The names crack me up:</li></ul><ol><li>Juan Carlos</li><li>Jose Luis</li><li>Victor Manuel</li><li>Antonio Jesus</li><li>Maria Elena</li><li>Maria Estel</li><li>IncarnATIon (Ati)</li><li>Nicholas</li></ol>#14 Laura Bonnerova<br /><ul><li>She is a MB from Czech</li><li>She is 20</li><li>Her English is really really good and she is a lot of fun!</li><li>We get along really well</li></ul>#16 Sonja Newcombe<br /><ul><li>She is from USA and an OH</li><li>She played at Oregon<br /></li><li>She is 22<br /></li><li>She just got married yesterday and will arrive in France on Friday!</li><li>We are soo excited for her to get here!</li></ul><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4nmA98ppxz9LVD4xqeuQCc71-B9xeuVc2PRscbTwlYsjjSlOH9q_5V-mo9SjXE4ovHhV3jupWZ3oyCgfj-UTkzrDStv9w_KBiYab35-hzKq1OwHoVlwAnBU-XkjK4tEtsBrcU2yKAxymL/s1600/Ph2equipeLAF.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4nmA98ppxz9LVD4xqeuQCc71-B9xeuVc2PRscbTwlYsjjSlOH9q_5V-mo9SjXE4ovHhV3jupWZ3oyCgfj-UTkzrDStv9w_KBiYab35-hzKq1OwHoVlwAnBU-XkjK4tEtsBrcU2yKAxymL/s320/Ph2equipeLAF.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519840916556533522" border="0" /></a>My team: (Front row from left to right) Laeti, Jen, Nicole, Me, Alex (Back row from left to right) Michel, Valeria, Ati, Noelle, Ala, Laura, Sylvain<br /><br />So that's my team and my weekend! I made it to mass this morning at 9:45 in case anyone was worried! Nothing interesting to report! Haha! I will try to update this more often! I miss everyone at home so much!Sarah Rumelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15815276173076562301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1284778828936134477.post-57150571853560159502010-09-05T06:41:00.000-07:002010-09-05T08:12:08.192-07:00My SundaySo, last Sunday I decided to find a church to attend, so I was searching the Internet for any church service in English. But, I forgot that I was in France and the odds of finding an English service were slim to none. So I decided to attend St. Gregory's which is about a 12 minute walk from my apartment. I searched online and saw that mass started at 9:45, but I also saw that it said 10:30 too. I was confused because I couldn't read the French so I decided to be there at 9:45 and if it was at 10:30 then I could just read until it started. Well sure enough it started at 10:30 so I just read and prayed before church started. Then about 15 minutes before mass, I went inside and the priest greeted me because he could obviously tell that I was new. He was speaking French of course and I said "Anglais?" and he said uhhh "Welcome!" That was nice. About 5 minutes later this older gentleman maybe about 65 came up to me and said, "I hear you speak English. Where are you from?" We started talking and he introduced me to his wife who doesn't speak English and then they sat by me at mass. He told me that after mass they were going to have a small going away gathering for one of the nuns and that I was invited. I said, "oh, ok" not knowing what else to say. Mass started, all of which was in French. But the thing I love about the Catholic church is that I knew what was going on. I looked up the readings online before I left so i followed along in my Bible and during the homily, I just read some parables in Luke. Once mass was over, the man said to me in his broken English, "You come with me, right?" Since he did ask me a leading question (yes I know all about these because I do have a lawyer for a father) I couldn't say no. So I said that I would go to the gathering. After mass this man knew everyone and he had to greet and say hello to everyone (reminds me of my family after church.) So I just stood patiently waiting for him so we could go to the gathering. Once he was finished chatting, we went into the room for the gathering. I walked in and everyone was clapping to welcome ME. I had no idea what was going on but the man told me to say a few words... WHAT?? I told them I was happy to be in France and that I could attend their lovely church. I didn't really know what was going on, because I was entirely caught off guard. The man translated what I said and I did catch the part where he called me shy. HAH! Well, the church was very happy to have this girl from America who spoke zero French worship with them. I talked to one other family who spoke English and they all wanted to know my life story. The priest kept walking over because I could tell he really wanted to talk to me but he didn't speak English. :( Once the gathering was finished, about 20 minutes later, the man finally asked me my name, which in France is pronounced Sare-Hah. He told me his name was Yves (pronounced Eve) and his wife's name is Annic (pronounced Ahh-Neek). The only reason I remember this is because I repeated it over and over in my head until I left the church and then I immediately made a note in my phone with pronunciations and all. Right before I left, Yves asked me, "We will see you next week, right??" I said yes of course. How could I deny the welcome I had just received?<br /><br />So today is Sunday and I woke up and left my apartment at 10:10 so that I could be at church for mass at 10:30. I was excited to see Yves and Annic and be able to go to church and sing and worship. I get there and mass already started and is in the middle of the consecration (for those that aren't Catholic that is 3/4 of the way finished with mass). WHATTT?? Last week it was at 10:30 so why did it start at 9:45 this week?? UGGHH I was really sad because I feel like I lied to Yves and Annic and I wanted to go to church. So I left because I did not feel comfortable walking in 45 minutes late. I was weighing my options and as I was walking back I decided I would jump on the tram and go downtown and see what time the mass at the Cathedral was. If I missed it too, then I could go to a coffee shop and have some quiet time with the Lord. The tram is right by St. Gregory's and it is the end of the line so I could see it waiting for me. I was about 20 seconds from getting on it and it pulled away. NOOOO!! It's Sunday and the tram only runs every half hour so I would definitely miss mass. So I decided to walk to this little park that I had wanted to visit that was about a block away. I would walk and pray and have quiet time there.<br /><br />Well, first of all this park was NOT small. It was huge. And it was beautiful. It's called Parc floral de la Beaujorie and there are a ton of rose gardens everywhere. Mom, I can't wait to take you there because you will LOVE it!! It's gorgeous!! I had a great time exploring. I saw people running, elderly couples walking and holding hands, a dad and his teenage daughter running together, children riding bikes, parents pushing strollers, and then I came upon the playground!!! I decided to sit on a bench and just watch. (Yes I took this picture by myself since I was alone).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9yX_RYcuZc1upFQmM6M2AydBWZ8OrOZ1QkWmux1loZOWrUweikL8Y23j_cX-s0rFnrZeAf5x2abKFVSkVBNPeGVbR2UUp90Rq9D7FwoJuhH4tMqelrqo9MjAbmyDejqoP-wRZnL23sGPL/s1600/IMG_2996.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9yX_RYcuZc1upFQmM6M2AydBWZ8OrOZ1QkWmux1loZOWrUweikL8Y23j_cX-s0rFnrZeAf5x2abKFVSkVBNPeGVbR2UUp90Rq9D7FwoJuhH4tMqelrqo9MjAbmyDejqoP-wRZnL23sGPL/s320/IMG_2996.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513445193756847842" border="0" /></a> I was drawn to Matthew 18:3-4.<br /><br />"And he said, "I tell you the truth, unless you become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven."<br /><br />So I sat, watched and learned. Children are really fascinating. They get so excited about anything new or any new accomplishment.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi74kTpJzJYx7JawecxPYiisJfimOzmzAEktnB_hg6vYg8jwR-qHcKCuiKZlfxd-7dEUHHJNx-ZC2VQxkaYiDRjHHjIhEI92bP8EOrRkiyJyD903SUsYKgpO4pL2oIcQQP9rAqMi0EIx0m5/s1600/IMG_3016.JPG"> </a><br /><br />So here are some of the things that I saw today. First, the little girl and her older sister. (Picture below). They were playing in this little house. The whole playground is made of sand and the dad, who you can see sitting and watching, brought a little shovel and bucket. The older sister was trying to get all of the sand out of the house and the little sister was trying to bring handfuls of sand into the house. Now every time the little sister would grab a handful, she had to step up the step to the house and droped about half of it in the process and then she would finally empty it into the house. She would get sooo excited that she would flap both of her hands up and down really quickly. :) Now the second she would get the sand in, the older sister would sweep it right back out, but she never did get upset with her sister. She just PATIENTLY let her sister have fun, and then she got rid of it. It was fun to watch.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjfxd2UhQhRcZykhK4KOmhD3upANDWDplIpyHQ3FEwrrK-9AECDyR1hnt3cP-ItSOoyncrCrEgb2HGzcfenuGE9j61rgUXLGuFTMbqm5sfRuhFEKj9mDr49SUJ9zGJXOcX11mWhumHSTqC/s1600/IMG_3016.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjfxd2UhQhRcZykhK4KOmhD3upANDWDplIpyHQ3FEwrrK-9AECDyR1hnt3cP-ItSOoyncrCrEgb2HGzcfenuGE9j61rgUXLGuFTMbqm5sfRuhFEKj9mDr49SUJ9zGJXOcX11mWhumHSTqC/s320/IMG_3016.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513437252300267362" border="0" /></a><br />The next picture is the same 2 little girls. The older sister is on the slide, and the little sister is on the second step climbing up. Now I watched the little sister for a long time. She would climb up on a step and had to completely flatten her little body in order to get up. Then she would stand up and flap her hands up and down because she was soooo excited that she had conquered the step. Then she would have to do it all over again. She gave the same excited arm flaps each time, for all three steps. Then she would stand at the top of the slide and flap her hands from excitement as her dad proudly was taking pictures with a huge grin from ear to ear. He was so proud and excited for his daughter's excitement and accomplishments. Hmm... sounds just like our Father!!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglqCvd1PQPkrvtdNPGHtyCllZsC7URumD7GYuo2y-jNkBYlKB9eG2r_2n1rNlNsUfjyynZaknanLhiwNW-NjpnCX5PUz85mjbbIHPOXRn2nLSRWKyp-vmH-RzlUq4BXF4CDbbkrTaeFGQh/s1600/IMG_3017.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglqCvd1PQPkrvtdNPGHtyCllZsC7URumD7GYuo2y-jNkBYlKB9eG2r_2n1rNlNsUfjyynZaknanLhiwNW-NjpnCX5PUz85mjbbIHPOXRn2nLSRWKyp-vmH-RzlUq4BXF4CDbbkrTaeFGQh/s320/IMG_3017.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513438784769737090" border="0" /></a><br />The next image is of the shy girl. She was the cutest thing I had ever seen. She had pigtails and hot pink glasses. At first she would not leave her Father's side because she was shy and didn't know any of the other children on the playground (well none of the children knew each other but they acted like they had known each other all their lives). But her father played with her and another girl came over and wanted to join in on the fun. So after a little while, the father left his daughter's side and the two girls played on the sea saw together. Then the other girl lost interest and ran away and played in the sand by herself. The shy girl, walked back to her Father's comfort and I could see him tell her that it was ok and to go ask her to play. As I watched all of this happen, I hurt for the little girl because I just wanted to her have a friend to play with. She just stood and watched the other girl playing in the sand and she kept making glances every 20 seconds back at her father. Finally, the other girl stood up and saw her friend standing by the play house and they started playing in the sand together and sharing the toys. :) Finally, friends again.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPlPeSv6geAunVMhRqnVNO4b3YzGJxF6yMmWV_6UFwAQ05VfJ368dNTvspLE7OwpHcWHtIhES1lTLOAV2dtYpTa9a1zKfPxWW9nQWD0JBW2TzlJAkOJnrNHFiep18J25PJCD9RrLY8dItb/s1600/IMG_3019.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPlPeSv6geAunVMhRqnVNO4b3YzGJxF6yMmWV_6UFwAQ05VfJ368dNTvspLE7OwpHcWHtIhES1lTLOAV2dtYpTa9a1zKfPxWW9nQWD0JBW2TzlJAkOJnrNHFiep18J25PJCD9RrLY8dItb/s320/IMG_3019.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513441559667060194" border="0" /></a><br />Next there are the little boys climbing on the huge jungle gym. The boy on the far left is at the top and was yelling, "Mama!" He wanted his mother to see him all the way at the top! His mother was taking pictures! Then on the jungle gym is the boy with the red cape, sword on his belt, and feather on his head. He was an explorer and exploring he was!! He sprinted to the top of the jungle gym and just stood at the top and looked at all that he had conquered, stopping to wave at his mom.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTUpjsSLzmTZwVogSvPxGNq8_R4hAjHlOCQzLMXSw3KVSmL4WAdotookvIRqi-nMy1bMHc1IlgFFEuwdHVdiXyVprcxsU6orA7fDRbYT8ppILF2azWXJ6RuqRe-NKOsPZYZ2kF5Jtp08le/s1600/IMG_3021.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTUpjsSLzmTZwVogSvPxGNq8_R4hAjHlOCQzLMXSw3KVSmL4WAdotookvIRqi-nMy1bMHc1IlgFFEuwdHVdiXyVprcxsU6orA7fDRbYT8ppILF2azWXJ6RuqRe-NKOsPZYZ2kF5Jtp08le/s320/IMG_3021.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513442670094355378" border="0" /></a><br />I had a great day at the park today. I realized that we need to be patient. We also don't be afraid because our Father is always watching us. He is excited for us when we accomplish something new. We need to look out for the outcasts and make sure that we include them. We are free to explore because we can conquer anything with God and He will be there to wave at us. But in all of these children, they trusted in the love of their parents. They knew their parents were always watching over them, protecting them, keeping them safe, and they felt their love.<br /><br />We need to trust the love of our Father. I hear over and over again, unconditional love unconditional love. But as a mere human it is so hard to grasp. Everything in our lives is conditional. Everything. You play badly in a game, you come out. You don't study for a test, you get a C. You break the rules, you get grounded. So how are we supposed to trust the love and grace that is being showered upon us daily? I learn more and more what that love feels like daily. I just have to continue to spend time with Him to hear him call me His Beloved.<br /><br /><br />p.s. we won our first scrimmage yesterday in 5 sets! yahh!!Sarah Rumelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15815276173076562301noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1284778828936134477.post-57157340741310838472010-08-23T09:36:00.000-07:002010-08-23T11:05:57.374-07:00Pictures of my room<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnzIcoeM02_BTr9Ydd6oKBJsT9Uvw_2VwQqL3Dhs_sGU1B9UKPlCq2muwHuvcJXr0yY6Z_mBevXxEerhDI1jOOyKRESpAvVsZ-nMrbBxbo-Y1wYgea0e6BUEJ-lkTMqCDO2sokQ9CL2C4K/s1600/IMG_2970.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnzIcoeM02_BTr9Ydd6oKBJsT9Uvw_2VwQqL3Dhs_sGU1B9UKPlCq2muwHuvcJXr0yY6Z_mBevXxEerhDI1jOOyKRESpAvVsZ-nMrbBxbo-Y1wYgea0e6BUEJ-lkTMqCDO2sokQ9CL2C4K/s320/IMG_2970.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508648678899514370" border="0" />My Bed</a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyckoCwmNO43KqR3jJ52TIZFJ13uAKvdi7gjKL_JoDnXg9q-0U55zTkWp9eSr_MryKynXxMHnp6Wne9RKVJSY4orufM82_gYGR5DN4Ij9LFmbB1XOdCz3jOa_FL6zOASFpw0Y7hl2TJ8wN/s1600/IMG_2971.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyckoCwmNO43KqR3jJ52TIZFJ13uAKvdi7gjKL_JoDnXg9q-0U55zTkWp9eSr_MryKynXxMHnp6Wne9RKVJSY4orufM82_gYGR5DN4Ij9LFmbB1XOdCz3jOa_FL6zOASFpw0Y7hl2TJ8wN/s320/IMG_2971.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508648672365251378" border="0" /></a>My Shower<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjafi7y2mseAoHL2y6m9WOKCYZA24sCRyl_TWHgmCs7CmQdAcqurKmq8Eyl8h3VEPheq6bGe6JFJ9t4epVgfWOc73jHpjaBxxosDmNFwffEmnHtjGefIBI4O5nFGjVhKc6Klh8lHmXxKpax/s1600/IMG_2972.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjafi7y2mseAoHL2y6m9WOKCYZA24sCRyl_TWHgmCs7CmQdAcqurKmq8Eyl8h3VEPheq6bGe6JFJ9t4epVgfWOc73jHpjaBxxosDmNFwffEmnHtjGefIBI4O5nFGjVhKc6Klh8lHmXxKpax/s320/IMG_2972.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508648667841420466" border="0" /></a>Kitchen<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiOS2id6j_K0PHvjclLrXW6RqMgMpi9Mm4QLvgN6EY17s5hqExEjkFzRb8tayXEqUOTQNr0YXycXtCLTmcDmeUvr6T8C6uIOcYZmxzBAf5wGvxcEEhwxeGPv67lthm04WdoJ4DIF30ZZaw/s1600/IMG_2973.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiOS2id6j_K0PHvjclLrXW6RqMgMpi9Mm4QLvgN6EY17s5hqExEjkFzRb8tayXEqUOTQNr0YXycXtCLTmcDmeUvr6T8C6uIOcYZmxzBAf5wGvxcEEhwxeGPv67lthm04WdoJ4DIF30ZZaw/s320/IMG_2973.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508648657955523314" border="0" />My Room</a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqvhDkTGFzUTOY4FN89FxXYJdJrr_jf2lbuUcCchyoKKPdyoPOhUAbyETjTNt5BVR3RJrrsTgMMd4raBr0l-Q9MajAASSeOX1WX5ZEo_lgTqBw3eQ8EZV8Fu6PQaLN17drRIXsQrW6CW_P/s1600/IMG_2974.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqvhDkTGFzUTOY4FN89FxXYJdJrr_jf2lbuUcCchyoKKPdyoPOhUAbyETjTNt5BVR3RJrrsTgMMd4raBr0l-Q9MajAASSeOX1WX5ZEo_lgTqBw3eQ8EZV8Fu6PQaLN17drRIXsQrW6CW_P/s320/IMG_2974.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508648649431173442" border="0" /></a>Table<br /><br />Here are some pictures of my room. It is much more homey since I was able to go to IKEA.<br /><br />Today I did laundry and it cost me $8 for one load. Wowwww!!<br /><br />We are headed to La Baule tomorrow after we run our fitness test.Sarah Rumelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15815276173076562301noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1284778828936134477.post-79032513121110731362010-08-21T12:44:00.000-07:002010-08-21T13:34:17.888-07:00Words to live by from MichelThings are great here in Nantes (pronounced Nahn-tuh)!! We've had meetings, doctors appointments, practices, fitness, and even a team building scavenger hunt through the woods. This team is much different than what I expected, but in a good way! The coaches demand so much out of the players and they demand excellence. They do not allow you to get away with non-effort. From what I've heard about teams in Europe this is usually not the case and causes many Americans to pull their hair out because it is different than NCAA volleyball. So I am very lucky that all of my teammates are very hard workers and super committed to making themselves and everyone around them better. Every practice starts with some sort of fitness. We usually have running with agility stations in between! At first I dreaded this part of practice but now I am starting to enjoy it because it reminds me of training in the States! Then we have a proprioceptive circuit with a lot of balancing. This is good for my unstable ankles for sure! This is followed by a band workout to warm up our shoulders! Then we start training which is very intense. :) I am thankful for this.<br /><br />My coaches are great! And I love love my teammates. They all speak English which is a huge blessing because I will actually be able to become friends with my teammates! Practices are usually run in English (who would have thought?). My coaches are funny and they take really good care of us! The club president and staff threw us a welcome party after the first day of training and they got all of the players flowers and we had refreshments! It was very nice! Once again I am very lucky to be a part of the Nantes Volley Feminin family... it truly is a family.<br /><br />We will get our team cars soon... and yes they are manuals. uh-oh. Luckily one of the girls volunteered to teach us and she will probably get a huge laugh out of it! We made a trip to IKEA and got some things to make the room a little homier! I am starting to like my room more and more and my apartment is in a great location! It is about 5 minutes from the gym and very close to the tram station!<br /><br />Nantes is a great city! Nicole and I went to explore one day in the center (downtown). It is really cute and there are really cute shops all around! We also discovered a Castle where the Duke of Normandy used to live! That was crazy to stumble upon lol!<br /><br />Tomorrow (Sunday) we will have training in the morning and after all of us girls are going to the beach for a picnic. I believe that it is about 30 minutes away! We asked what we should bring and they replied "Chips and Dips!!!" Apparently that is American... I didn't realize. So Nicole and I are making a 7 layer taco dip. On Tuesday we will run the beep test in the morning (yes interesting for volleyball I know) and then we will head to La Baule until Saturday. La Baule is a beach and we will all stay in a house and train there! I am pumped for that!<br /><br />Ok so there is what I have been up to, now on to the reason that I wanted to write this blog entry.<br /><br />On Wednesday at our first team meeting, Michel gave a speech about the upcoming season. It got me really fired up!! The whole time he was talking about volleyball, all I could think about was Jesus. He gave us 4 terms that he wanted us to remember the whole season and I think they help me be aware of my walk with the Lord. So here they are:<br /><br />1. <span style="font-weight: bold;">SPIRIT</span>- We have the Holy Spirit with us always. It made me think of Romans 8:11: "And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you." That is sooo legit. We have the same spirit that overcame death living inside of us. We have the Holy Spirit. How often do I forget that I have God living inside of me? How many times do I wish that I truly walked and was led by the Spirit? How would my life be radically change if I submitted to the Spirit daily?<br /><br />2. <span style="font-weight: bold;">GIVE</span>- God <span style="font-style: italic;">gave</span> us life and then we sinned. Then he <span style="font-style: italic;">gave</span> us Jesus so that we could be saved from death. Someone in your life probably introduced you to Christ. They <span style="font-style: italic;">gave</span> you truth. Now it is my turn and your turn to <span style="font-style: italic;">give</span> to someone else. Tell someone about Jesus. That is the greatest gift you could ever <span style="font-style: italic;">give</span> someone. But why am I so scared to tell someone about the one thing that is most important in my life? Do I not realize the importance and the magnitude of the Gospel? That is not ok? I want to be able to have spiritual conversations with family and friends even if it is uncomfortable. But why do I let my comfort decide whether or not I could possibly introduce someone to Jesus? I need to be a <span style="font-style: italic;">giver</span> of the Gospel.<br /><br />3. <span style="font-weight: bold;">COMPARISON</span>- Michel told us that we can not compare our present team with teams in the past or to our experiences in America. This is so true! I am on a new team now and this is an entirely new experience. When he was talking about this I immediately thought about being content. God has led me to France for a reason. I need to be content in my current situation and know that God has a purpose for me being here. I must continue to walk by faith and not by sight. I want to be content with what God is doing in my life, but I never want to be content in my walk with God because I want to always be growing and never stagnant. Are you content in your present situation?<br /><br /><br />4. <span style="font-weight: bold;">SMILE</span>- We need to smile! I have Jesus. And I have joy because of that. Pure joy. Happiness comes from your circumstances, but joy is despite your circumstances. Do you have joy?Sarah Rumelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15815276173076562301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1284778828936134477.post-33077676867564081782010-08-16T12:04:00.000-07:002010-08-21T13:34:57.938-07:00Au Revoir USA, Bonjour France!Well, I don't really know how I feel about making this whole blog thing, but it's been on my heart so I thought I would give it a go and use it to pass some time. Yesterday (Sunday) at 10am I left my house in Indy and headed to the airport. I flew from Indy to Charlotte and there I met up with my future teammate Nicole. We boarded our 8 hour flight to Paris and upon our arrival (6:50am Monday) we had to locate our bags and the train station. After finding the train station we had a few hours to kill so we relaxed and observed the French. I think our first hour sums up France pretty well... we saw a dog on a leash poop in the middle of the train station and then we saw about 5 people walk through it. We saw people inside smoking. And Nicole already got hit on by a rather creepy French boy. Welcome to France. I was so happy Nicole was with me so that we could experience those things together as well as find our train and make sure we got on the correct car. We finally got situated and 3 hours later we arrived in the beautiful city of Nantes. We saw our head coach Michel (pronounced mee-shell) towering over everyone else and he was accompanied by assistant coach, Sylvain, and player Valeria (who played at Kansas State but is from Hungary). We were greeted with a kiss (well double kiss) and welcomed into the family. I really love my coaches and I think that we will have a lot of fun this season! They took us to our apartment and we dropped our stuff. We are living in more of a dorm room. We have our own room with a bed, bathroom, desk, table, and small kitchen. I do sort of feel like I am a freshmen in college again but this will be my home for the next 10 months. We dropped our bags and went to see the volleyball facilities where we met the president and secretary and various other important people with the club. After about 8 more kissing introductions we were on our way. They coaches took us to a Target sort of store (but bigger) for us to get a few groceries. Then they dropped us at our new "home" and we were on our own in France. Nicole and I unpacked with out doors open randomly yelling things across the hall at one another. I was super frustrated for a while because my internet would not work for anything but I finally figured out the touchy ethernet cord. Nicole and I later walked back to the Target (actually called Carrefour) to buy a few things to make our "dorm" rooms feel a little homier. We also grabbed our first panini and it was delish!! Now it's 9pm and I am soooo tired.<br /><br />Ok so there was my day... now I promised a friend (Nova) that if I ever started a blog that I would include my deep thoughts for everyone to read. So here you go Novs... I was sad, nervous, and a bit anxious as I left the good ole US of A, but I am happy to finally be in France. It still doesn't seem real, because I do feel like I am kind of on vacation. I have been praying since January that no matter what I felt God calling me to in my life, that I would reply, "Yes, Lord. Here I am." I'm not sure why France, but I am completely (well 99.8%) trusting in His plan for my life and time here in Nantes. I am really excited to see how He will use me, and more importantly how He will use this time to refine me daily. I have a feeling there will be some lonely and hard days and nights but I pray that in those times, I would truly have to depend on my Lord and Savior. My comforts have been taken away once again but I am looking forward to it. Even though the thoughts of being alone in my dorm room seem so terrifying to my extroverted personality, I pray that I will learn how to enjoy solitude more. I already miss my friends and family dearly, but I have my Rock.<br /><br />"As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him. For who is God besides the Lord? And who is the Rock except our God? It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect." -Psalm 18:30-32Sarah Rumelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15815276173076562301noreply@blogger.com1