A new blog for a new phase of life

Hello Everyone! Yet again it has been months since I posted anything. I really want to get better at consistent blogging and I hope my plan to change blogs will help. I have grown weary of blogspot and how it sometimes doesn't allow me to post pictures or insert hyperlinks. SO I am committing mutiny and switching over to tumblr. For the last 3 hours I've been struggling with technology. What's new? I went back and forth between wordpress and tumblr and finally decided on tumblr because it seems the most straightforward and user friendly. And boy do I need that! I feel like I'm compromising a little on style but I think you all know me well enough to imagine a better background :)

I am finally here at UC Davis and have lots to tell you...come visit my new blog at

www.forgingfaith.tumblr.com

Etsy At Last!

It took me 5 stinking months but I've finally done it! My etsy shop is officially up and running. I haven't sold anything yet but that's why I'm posting it on here! To get traffic :) Spread the word! The link is the last one under "Blogs I'm following on the right or you can copy and paste this link into the bar:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/EvyLou?ref=seller_info

Summer Lovin part 2

Jumping off the San Simeon pier with Peter!

Rug Show in Cambria with Yvonne :)

These past two weeks have held so many great memories with so many friends. Last weekend my good guy friend Conner took the train up for what was supposed to be our camping trip. I'm pretty much cursed when it comes weather. It rained all weekend so instead of camping we just hung out at Sarah's house. We had a fun game night and all kinds of other crazy adventures. It was sad having to say goodbye to Conner on Monday but I'm so glad he came to visit. On Wednesday my friend Yvonne and I went up to the Cambria Pines Lodge with my mom for the annual rug hooking show. It was great getting to introduce Yvonne to the wonderful world of rug hooking :) And to top off the week Hannah came for a spur of the moment visit on Friday and Saturday. We spent lots of time at the beach and I got to see Kelsey too while she was back for the weekend. We've officially had what feels like our 15th bonfire of the year at port san luis and it was fun to reconnect with people who are back for the summer. All in all this summer has been fantastic so far. Now I just need to get my etsy site up and running. Why am I so lazy?????

Summer Lovin part 1

I've been so blessed to have already had so many awesome adventures with great friends in just one month of summer!

Going to the Rodeo in Santa Maria

Eating Watermelon at Avila

Baking spontaneous cupcakes with Melissa and Ky

Pirates of the Caribbean 4 Premier!

Celebrating the last day of school at Guiseppe's :)

Crazy for Pysanky

I have been making traditional Pysanky eggs for years now. Even though I'm not the slightest bit Ukrainian I absolutely love this art form. The process is long, and slow paced but so rewarding. I find it fun and quite relaxing! This year we've been going all out. My mom ordered all new dyes and some goose eggs to experiment on. I'm so happy with how my goose eggs turned out. Hope you like them :)

Also my mom's good friend and my old teacher Kim wrote an article about Pysanky eggs and interviewed me for it. Here's the article that got published in an online magazine. Go here and click on magazine. It's the third or 4th "dot"

http://heartofthematteronline.com/

Good Times!

Guilty Blogger

All you poor followers. I'm sorry for having neglected my blog for so long. It seems like so many of my friends are giving up on their blogs and I don't want to fall into that category! I have some exciting news to report...I am OFFICIALLY going to UC Davis in September. Ok well it's not OFFICIAL until I sign my intent to register dealio next week but I'm planning on signing it! I finally got the letter of acceptance along with a very nice chunk of financial aid. God definitely came through in answering my prayers regarding money. I can actually afford to go there now :) Yipeee. I have been edging around the subject of college in my mind a lot lately. I am going to miss my family and friends so much it scares me. For now I'm just going to try to focus on all the positive aspects of college and not how depressed I might become once I have to leave.
This is going to be one heck of an amazing summer though. I get out of school on May 17th and I won't have to start school again until September 20th. Craziness! I've willingly given up the phlebotomy job hunt even though I had an interview at the United Blood Services. I decided it just isn't feasible to get a phlebotomy job before I leave for college. No one would want to hire me if they knew I was leaving in September and I didn't want to deceive anyone. So now I'm back on the restaurant job hunt which has proven frustrating and very competitive. So if God wants me to have a job I'll get one and if not I'll just be super spoiled this summer hahah.
Speaking of the summer...Wes, Gretchen, and I have all decided to go on the Grace Church Mission trip to the Czech Republic! Sarah is going again this summer and I'm so excited to see how God will work in my life through this trip and in the lives of the high school kids we will be meeting in Czech. We are going to be leading an English camp for high schoolers and building some awesome relationships!
Lately I've just been so thankful for all my amazing friendships. God has blessed me so richly with friends away at college, friends at home, and new friends through bible study and campus crusade. I look forward to meeting even more friends next year at Davis :)
Right now I'm in Dammeron Valley, Utah visiting my grandma Nana for Easter. I don't have any photos with me because my laptop is at home having a new DVD reader installed soo....I will post some pictures from the last few weeks when I get back. I hope you all are doing well!
xoxoxo Evie

Jam Packed!

These last couple of weekends have been great. I went snow camping in Yosemite Valley, got to visit my good friends Hannah and Conner in LA, and went to a campus crusade event called Night at the Oscars! SO fun! I'm happy to report that the next few weekends are going to be just as awesome. My birthday is on Thursday and then on Friday I'm heading up to Shaver Lake to spend the weekend with my bible study in a cabin! I'm still hunting for a job but God has been gracious in giving me a nice on and off job at Et Viola for the time being. I'm still pretty sucky at uploading photos so this post is meant to go with the photos hahah.

What a day!

I apologize for not having blogged in what feels like FOREVER! Life has been utter craziness, even though I'm only taking two classes this semester. They include Microbiology and Art History. My days lately have consisted of very minimal homework (heheh), sleeping in, being addicted to Etsy and working slowly but surely towards opening my own shop there, religiously checking the websites for all the hospitals on the central coast for phlebotomy job openings, shuttling Gretchen to and from work (but that just ended because she got a suuuper awesome Toyota Avalon!) and going downtown to apply to restaurant jobs. I was really starting to get frustrated last week with the whole job search. I wasn't getting any bites phlebotomy job wise so I decided to try applying to restaurants for the time being. I went downtown and applied to a dozen restaurants all of which weren't hiring! Feeling thoroughly discouraged I've just been doing my daily phlebotomy job search. But God has totally come through! Today I actually had an interview for a phlebotomy job at Arroyo Grande Community Hospital and I have another interview on Monday for a lab in Templeton! My interview today went well but I definitely should have gone over my phlebotomy notes before hand. They even pulled a fast one on me and had me draw someone's blood which I was totally not expecting! It all worked out and I consider today a good practice round for my next interview on Monday.
Through all of this I've just learned how much God is really looking out for me and how I just need to be patient and have faith in Him. Again it comes back to the title of this darn blog-Forging Faith! I know I haven't gotten a real job offer yet but I just know things are all going to work out. Today was one heck of a day. I had a financial aid appointment at Cuesta at 9am then my interview in AG at 1pm and then I worked for the first time at a french restaurant called Et Viola from 4pm until 9:30pm. I'm thoroughly pooped! Working at the restaurant was a totally knew experience. I really didn't know exactly what i was getting myself into with this job opportunity my mother procured for me but it was great! I was basically a sue chef. I chopped ingredients, separated 30 eggs, prepared salads and desserts, and did lots of dishes. I'm working tomorrow night and Valentines day and I still have no idea what I'm getting paid for this whole thing. Hahah.
Well yet again you've experienced another one of my jam packed blog posts. I just can't seem to be one of those artsy, contemplative bloggers no matter how hard I try. I hope you are all doing well.
xoxox Evelyn

p.s I have a prayer request. My really good friend Hilary Christ has been in an out of the hospital over the last few months due to a collapsing lung. She is back in the hospital undergoing a very invasive surgery this weekend and I ask that you pray for her physical healing and her spiritual and emotional healing. She is feeling very hopeless right now. Thanks.

Back to Reality

Our trip to Kauai was fantastic. For the most part the weather cooperated and I no matter how hard I tried I couldn't fully soak in the beauty of the garden isle. It was sooo green! I felt like I was living in Pandora for a week:) It was so nice just spending time with family for a week and getting to relax after a hectic month. The trip highlights included:

1. Meeting Pierce Brosnan at Hanalei Bay-my mom and him used to be neighbors :)
2. Hearing Wesley gush over catching the best wave of his surfing career, then being almost killed by a 10 wave set of double overheads, and getting to surf with extremely hot pro surfer girls Alana Blanchard and Bethany Hamilton (she's the girl with one arm)
3. EAAATING! Going off the "Hole in the wall" list from a lady at our condo we ate our hearts out. I will NEVER forget the pork tostada I had at "Verde". It was heaven.
4. Pool Poaching. Our family has got it down to a science. We poached the St. Regis in Princeville, the Marriott on the south shore, and the Hyatt in Poipu. They were all amazing pools. It's all about foraging for pool towels so you look like a guest, and ordering $10 lava flows at the bar so you don't feel too guilty for being there!
5. Taking a single wing air bus tour of the island with Wes. It was so cool seeing the island from the air!

Once we got back to California Wes and I were still rearing to go! The day after we got back we headed up to China Peak for round two. It was Gretchen, Coco, Scott, Wes and Scott's dad. We all had a great time and I got even better at carving. I'm kind of addicted to snowboarding now.

School starts on Tuesday :( I'm only taking two classes because I'm praying I can get a phlebotomy job. I just filled out an application to Central Coast Pathology so I pray I can snag something!
xoxo Evie