oh dang oh dang.

only two whole days left in germany. time just seems to be slowly ticking by.

i took down my suitcase from the attic and began going through my stuff... i have a million hats... not sure how they'll all fit in my bag. i remember it being a lot bigger than it looks. let's hope and pray i can fit everything back in. i went through my clothes to see what i wanted to put in the "give away" box. i pulled out like 3 shirts but still haven't put them in there yet. i'm forcing myself to give away another sweater and pair of pants. but it's always good to let go, you know. the mood is a little strange around here. some people are crabby, other's are in a daze, and a few are a bit stressed. i'm just trying to have a good time... haha.

sorry this post is without photo's again. i'm working on it. next post, i promise.

love you guys, and for those in Hawai'i.... see you three daysss!!!!!!!!

a lovely day.

i ended up having a beautiful day today in Cologne. the weather was super cold but there were times when i was warm enough to stay alive... barely. probably the coldest i'll be for awhile. i'll be home soon enough. back to the sunshine (hopefully) i hear it's raining a ton over there, will someone let me know what's going on? i just need to know if Hawaii will sink. anyways, i had a lovely time, ate really good food, hung out with some of my best friends here, and didn't take any pictures (horrible, i know.), and i got presents for my whole family! with 3 euros to spare... what an accomplishment!

so yes, a really great day in all, praise the Lord. He is good even when i try and ruin everything.

my last week in Germany...

and who knows the next time i'll be here... or traveling again... or seeing these amazing people.

life is such a grand adventure. it's so cool how God gives us these pleasant opportunities to enjoy life in such a way.

this week seems to just be dragging along... which is good thing in a sense cause i really want to enjoy every moment of it but at the same time i want to close my eye's and when i open them be at home again. that would be so lovely. 

i think everyone's a little antsy to go back home, wherever that may be... for most it's the states, for one Japan, another New Zealand, one more to Belgium,  a couple in Holland, and a lot going back home to various villages here in Germany. For me,  lucky i live Hawaii. i miss the sunshine, but i hear its been raining non-stop over there. but still... to smell the warm air and that island breeze. i never thought i would miss it this much. so i think it's safe to say that my island fever has reduced to a cool temperature.

  i'm ready for home again.

tomorrow a couple of my friends and I are going Köln for the Christmas market! i'm pretty excited about it. i was there for an hour or so a couple weeks ago but it was kind of just a passing through type of thing. so it'll be sweet to actually spend some time there and pick out presents for my family. maybe get some coffee at Starbucks. (: that's always nice, even though it's super expensive here. it'll probably be fuh-reeezing... that's the downside. i'll have to bundle up... 

utter amazement...

alright, i won't talk about  about how it's nearing the end. how i'm excited to go home. how i'm sad to leave this place that i so desperately want to call home. how cold the weather is outside. or even how amazing gummie bears are! but what i will talk about is something i never tire of speaking of and i hope you never tire of hearing of.. .and that is how faithful, kind, and gracious our God is! 

I think it'd be safe to call this semester a "roller-coaster" experience. not so emotionally, but more so spiritually. it's been kind of crazy how many highs and lows there have been, yet through it all God has held my hand tightly and never let go. His faithfulness is immeasurable. There has been many a time when i have consciously made a decision to meditate on something less than who He is. I've had so many wrong thoughts and realize that it's not what He desires for me, He desires the best and it hurts Him when I choose the 2nd best... or nothing even close to it. But His loving kindness seeks me out and draws me closer to Him than ever before. It's incredible! and on top of all that, I'm a sinner... so unworthy of any attention from One so Holy. Yet His grace covers me in robes of righteousness and before Him I stand pure, spotless, and undefiled. how amazing is that? He can take a weak, cracked, and ugly pot and make it into a vessel of honor. He is so good! so gracious! so amazing and incredible! so deserving of praise and everything that is worthy to give!

i love Him.

I've got my life in a suitcase.

life is going by faster than ever... i feel like i say that every entry. but it's true. unlike the title implies, i haven't packed to go home yet. but it's only another ten days or so until that happens. but what that statement does imply is that the Copeland cd is still more amazing than everrr.

i'm not really sure what to "update" on. i'm still alive. still healthy. God is good. always. school is going well, pray for my New Testament final cause that's what i'm worried about... it just seems like there's not enough time for class... but if i could go back to the beginning of the semester i pretty much would have started studying the first week of school for the final i'm supposed to take next Thursday morning... intense, to say the least.

I had another döner last night... one of my last for who knows how long. but sooo good. i took photo's of it too for any of you questioning peoples... it's pretty much the most amazing thing you could ever eat. and so filling. it's ridiculous. but i love the way it brings joy to people... haha. seriously. 

i miss Ho'okipa... ah, it's so beautiful over there... i can close my eyes and see the ocean and the little windsurfers out there. lovely. 

Fifteen mo' days!

wow, another week has pasted by and in two weeks i'm going to have tears rolling down my cheeks. it'll be so sad to say goodbye to the dear dear dear friends i've made here. Melissa always yells at me whenever i mention the countdown to going home... i'm just really excited to be home for Christmas and to be with my family and Caleb. but i know i'm going to miss it here so much, maybe just as much as i miss home? eh, i don't know. i guess we shall find out soon enough. 

Anyways, enough of that. Today I sang with some of the other students (Jason and Sammy) for devo's, it was lots of fun. Jason even made me bust out the tambourine, that was cool. a bit intimidating... but i tried to be inspired by the way i saw Anathallo own every single instrument they played. (amazing!) ahem. so yeah, we did some Christmacy songs such as, "Angels We Have Heard On High" and "O Holy Night". Then for the last song we sang, "Great is Your Faithfulness" it reminded me of Val, singing the echo and harmony... and of course it reminded me of that annoying little guitar ditty that plays on the cd at CCSM. but good times. Oh! and i'm so excited cause Annie and I are doing worship twice this week! once for Friday morning devo's (i lead every other Friday) and then on Saturday for the Bible College Ladies Brunchen (is that a word?). So it'll be fun, just like the good 'ol days of Wien. ♥

I only have like 9 more classes. cwazy cwazy. and 6 more M1 shifts *sniff* that means only 6 more mocha's in Germany from this lovely coffee bar... i think this has been the fastest semester by far. First semester went by at such a good pace, beginning, middle, end... second semester went by a little faster, yet at the same time it didn't seem like it was going to end... and now third, here and gone with a snap of my finger. hopefully next semester will slow down a bit. i know there will be a lot more to keep myself busy with... but i'm sure i'll be able to enjoy the time and use it well. Bible College has been such a blessing... God is good. (: 

and of course it's a bit chilly here in Siegen... it started snowing again today! well... kind of. i believe it is called sleet. but i don't really know... pretty much the sky opened up and sludge started falling from it. right now i'm looking out the window and i see snow, it looks lovely. hooray! i can't wait to sit in my room by the heater and read my book. that's always so nice. i'm almost done with Apologetics... only a couple more chapters to read! then that's 2 classes down and only three to go....

I'll be home for Christmas, you can count on me...

what a week.

my table for Thanksgiving; Leah, Will, and me.

hello all, i hope everyone's Thanksgiving was great. I know that for me it was very nice (and very tasty!)... i made another thankful tree for Thanksgiving day in the church coffee bar, Hannah asked me too. it was a lovely tree and it was lots of fun to make. actually i think they kept it and it's now in the student cafe... interesting. haha. i guess most people liked the whole idea of a thankful tree... perhaps the tradition has gone international? that's cool. (:

So after we ate dinner a handful of us took of for the next great adventure... an Anathallo concert in Offenbach! it was uh-mazing... to say the least. i felt so inspired walking away... but still knowing that i'm not that good. haha, it was a really great show. i'm so thankful i had the opportunity to go. My Saturday was filled with train rides. Another group of us went to Belgium! that was a blast as well. (: we spent about 5 hours on a train which was interesting to say the least... there's a ton of people traveling on the weekends cause of the Christmas markets and such. but the train into Belgium was fairly smaller and less people were on it. We went to a place called Liege (i think...). I learned how to count to ten in French, that was cool. I had a waffle... that was pretty amazing. seriously though... it was the best waffle i've ever eaten. pretty much. I was going to go on a Ferris Wheel, but my "friends" wouldn't let me or Melissa go on it cause it was too expensive. and yes, i suppose €3 is a lot for a ferris wheel ride... i dunno, it would of been cool. anyways, after that we went to Köln  and spent about an hour and half there. just kind of walking around the Christmas market and such. I got Starbucks, a dark cherry chocolate latte'. mmm, it was delicious. we got home around 11:30 and when we walked into the Villa it was all decorated for Christmas. and on the girls floor we had an advent calendar that Melli made us counting down to the last day of the semester... it was pretty cool. 

the main attraction... Anathallo.

Belgium!

(from L-R: Izzy, Will, Tamiko, me, and Melissa.)

Melissa was so excited to get some "Barbe papa" (cotton candy in French), she learned how to say it over a month ago 

and has been dreaming about eating it in Belgium.

it was pretty much the best weekend ever.