New Beginnings

Wow! This is incredible!! I haven't written a blog post in over a year!! And SO much has happened since then...I can't even describe everything good that has God has blessed me with in the past year!!

Firstly, I would like to make a shout out to a very dear friend/mentor (whom I have almost lost touch with); she just got engaged!! Jami Jensen, my babysitter back in the olden days of 2006, (not so long ago haha) has grown up and fallen in love! I'm mentioning her because she is subscribed to my blog and she just announced it. (Thanks!!) So congratulations to Logan and Jami!! I hope God blesses you both, your marriage, and your future beyond what you deserve or expect!! Praying for you guys :)

Secondly, wow my life has changed for the better since I last posted! I have learned so much from mistakes, gained new friends, bettered friendships, strengthened my relationship with Christ, been blessed with a whole new church family, gotten my braces off, made some important decisions, and received two new jobs.

Not to mention that I just got back from summer camp a week ago!

I would love to tell y'all about everything exciting and so positive in my life right now! I feel like everything is such a blessing!! Like nothing bad has happened in a while!! My dad finally got a stable job, my boss is so flexible with my hectic schedule, and I'm taking an online summer class that is pretty easy.

Lately, I have been blessed with many trips this summer and I had a great junior year...hopefully senior year is even better!

I went to Louisville this April and had an awesome experience; right after school got out I received the opportunity to help out the tornado victims in Oklahoma; in the middle of June I went camping in the Ozarks, and I just got back from my first time in Chicago!!
God is too good. (Jk he can never be too good.)

My second big news is my transition to a different church. Last summer I worked as a lifeguard at Spring Hill Aquatic Center. I had to work everyday I was in town because I was out of town so much. Since this included Sundays, I honestly stopped going to church. My dad started going to Life Church because he wasn't happy with ours. So when my seasonal job as a lifeguard ended, my dad and I went to Life Church together...and I LOVED it!!! Everything about it!! Great pastor, great people, great messages, and it was so alive and real compared to my old church.

One thing that I struggled with, though, was the youth group. I didn't know any people in it, and I was scared to join because my old church's youth group was very exclusive and left me out even though I had gone there my whole life. I was a wimp and kept refusing to go when people invited me. (I think I scare people with my enthusiasm about how great it is now; how ironic.) Anyway, I finally started going with my new friend, Dana, and it was life-changing!! Amazing!!! The student ministries pastor was so alive and energetic. It was just the beginning of my renewed relationship with Jesus...I continued going there and have made many new friends since and invited tons of people I was already friends with :)

Along this new exciting path, I had met this crazy girl named Dana. We met when I started babysitting her siblings and they had just moved to town. At first I was so jealous that she had a car (truck) and had an inspiring relationship with Jesus. I found out we went to the same school AND church, so we saw each other a lot. As I got to know her better, we became friends, and now we are best friends :)  She is my closest friend, and my mentor. It's amazing how the quality of a friendship determines how close you are, not just how long you have been friends. We are truly best friends and we just have fun everytime we hang out. She is such a blessing in my life and I hope we remain friends for many years to come.

Another new thing about my physical self is that I have had my braces removed, my teeth whitened, new sealants on my teeth, and my teeth added to. All of this happened between November last year and April this year. I missed school every Wednesday for a dentist appointment during that time. It was worth all the cost and time in the end, though, because now my teeth are white, my bite is correct, and 

I don't have gaps anymore. I really appreciate it because I grew up with terrible teeth. Such a blessing in disguise.

Following along with my opening paragraphs, I mentioned some important decisions being made. One of those decisions is that I decided to attend College of the Ozarks after I graduate college. I have three top majors: graphic design, education, or missions. I have no decided on what I want to major in yet.

Another important decision I have made is to not date or have a boyfriend until I am in college. I have made this choice because I believe I, and most boys my age, are still maturing now. Also, because I want to wait until God sends along the perfect match, my one true love, who he has chosen. Although I do have "crushes" and will continue to have interest in guys throughout my senior year, I will try to be as patient and trusting with God as I can. For now, guy friends are my best friends. 

Lastly, I have gotten two jobs recently since last fall. Both are related to lifeguarding and I still hold the same postitions. In November last year, I became irritated when I never had spending money. (I didn't have a job for two months and I couldn't handle it). So I applied at a gym and hoped for the best. As you know, I got the job! My boss told me my pay would increase if I took a class and got certified as a WSI. So I did, and I started working there in January teaching swim lessons. I did that until the end of May. Then I had a meeting with my boss and we found that I couldn't teach swimming lessons during the summer or lifeguard on a regular schedule because I was going to be gone so much. She suggested I become a permanent sub for the aquatics staff. I took her offer and felt relieved. Then, a few days into June, my mom was annoyed about me sitting around the house doing nothing, so she pushed me to apply for another lifeguard job. I applied quickly online just for fun, closed out, and didn't give it a second thought. Then in the morning I got a call. The lady on the phone was from that job and she wanted to interview THAT day! I was so surprised I had gotten the job so easily and quickly! 

Anyway, that's about all that I have to talk about myself, I just wanted to update anyone interested :)

In the future I would like to do more interesting blog posts, especially anything y'all reccommend :) so leave me some suggestions in the comments below or email me at: imanna95@yahoo.com

Thanks for reading and please comment or follow me :)