Post Kaleo Update :)

Hello everyone out there in Internet land.....
Sorry I took so long to re-post from the June 17th one, however things got extremely busy. And I realized that apart of the experience I was wanting was to not be too attached to my phone, the computer, tv, etc. So along with being busy, I kinda boycotted the blog for a bit. Kaleo was 100% amazing, and extremely worth every second of homesickness, tiredness, and being stretched out of my comfort zone. Being back in Conway is so nice to see my friends and family, but nevertheless it is busy. Considering the fact I am in the process of moving out and moving in to my own place, and squeezing in time to see friends is pretty hard but it also comes in handy, more hands to carry more clothes from one house to another, ah the friends i have are good ones! :) I am currently jobless, the job at the student center fell through, due to budget cuts, sooo I am on the prowl! A friend of mine told me about a babysitting job that I am praying will work out, but God's got it in control. I was going to answer some common questions i get about Kaleo on here so anyone who is reading may get a question or two answered.... here we go...
Q: What was your favorite thing about Kaleo?
Answer: My favorite thing about Kaleo was being around young people my age who were challenging their walk with Christ, fun people, and not socially awkward. Haha If that makes sense?
Q: Hardest part of Kaleo?
Answer: Giving up my workout time for more important things like getting more into the word, having longer quiet times, etc. Giving up my "Abbey Time" was very hard, but also effective. :)
Q: Will I go back next summer?
Answer: Thats all in God's plan for me, If my sorority sisters want to go and need a D-Group leader, and I get accepted, then yes I would go back in a HEART BEAT but if not I may not be going back.
Q:What is the most influential thing I learned this summer?
Answer: The importance of daily quiet times in the scripture, people who love Christ obey his commands, and how UN-SELFISH Jesus was.
Hopefully If you have anything you would like to talk about or hear more about Kaleo you can Facebook me Abbey Marie Eckert or you can post on here!

Love yall! 1 Peter 3:8

Ahhhh no facebook.....
So tonight we had stumo ( praise and worship, food, talk, more worship, done) and i LOVED it. It is always extremely amazing and something I continually look forward to every week. Something I plan on attending regularly hopefully in the fall because it is AMAZING. This week talked about the difference in meeting God and KNOWING God. I feel like a lot of my prayers in my heart were answered tonight and truly felt God speaking to me, to the point of tears. But good tears, tears of confirmation, tears of understanding and tears of grace. God is amazing.
Tomorrow I get to see Toy Story 3 at 8pm with Mary Ann and I am sure other people will join us. Cause we're amazing. I am thoroughly excited, I don't care if you think I am a child. I love it. Also tomorrow is Flip Flop day at Tropical! One of the busiest times of the SEASON! Dun Dun DUNNNN! I am so excited to get to work with Kelsey and MAV though :) And everyone else thats not with Kaleo!
Like the heading states...no facebook this week, as an application I decided to get rid of facebook for a week to help me spend more time in the word and prayer, so far it hasn't been too hard but still a challenge.
Off to bed because I need lots of rest for tomorrow! :)
Love you all,
Abbey Marie*

Oh yeah I got a card from Mom and Dad today, nothing better than that to warm the heart. Love and miss you guys.

A nice non busy Friday

Hello Everyone! :) Sorry it has been so long! So I'm not going to fill you in on EXACTLY everything that has happened since June 2nd but I will hit the high points :)
D group weekend:
Super fun, went to Pensacola, which is okay but i mean lets be real here, we're staying in Destin. That's like living in Little Rock and going on vacation to Vilonia or something? Right. Minus the whole beach factor, which is pretty much the main thing so anyways forget I even used that analogy. The lighthouse was super sweet! It really is haunted but the haunted tours are at night so I'm looking into doing one of those tours before we leave here. Only cause I love spooky stuff! :) However when I actually started walking up the stairs to get to the top of the lighthouse my fear of heights took over and I stopped like a baby and went back down the stairs....ha-ha. I know its sad and pathetic but I didn't mentally prepare enough for that, I didn't realize how small the space was and how many other people would be there and that the stairs were made to where every step you took you could see the ground beneath you...not cool. But that's okay, I can't be legit all the time, right? Hehe! That night we went to the beach at Pensacola and some other D groups met up with us and we all went crab hunting and got to see some sweet sand castles sculptures. Then we came back home to Destin the next day, which was so great. Destin and the topsl is a great place to get to call home. I love it here.
Definition of "D-Group" for Kati:
Everyone at Kaleo is in a "D group" There is a leader (D group Leader) and normally 3-4 "d group'ees" which is me, kelsey, and julia. Our leader is Rachel, and normally the leader is just the one we go to for ANYTHING. She answers religious questions, rooming assignment questions, she makes sure were on time to kaleo stuff and work, she helps with anything or everything. Needless to say we call her Mom 98% of the time. Normally people who go to the same school or if you bring girls from your sorority then yall are all in the same d group. But since there are no other Sig K's and the other girls from UCA are ASA'S, I got put with U of A girls. Any other questions Kati, ask me on here I'll post more! :)
Lately I have been thinking a lot about SOS and how i'm missing SOAR and how much I wish I was there doing that. But then I think about how sad I am going to be when I have to leave Destin for good. Although I miss everyone so much, I love Destin. I am actually considering moving here after graduation perhaps, there is something about the beach and the beauty here that is so calming. It is easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle in life but I feel like here after a busy day and so much stuff needed to get done, 1 hour at the beach can be a mini vacation. Its a breath of fresh air. Arkansas is beautiful too but most of the stuff thats so pretty isn't within 5 minutes from my house like here. And as much as i do miss everyone back home, I also have made lots of deep friendships here, it's going to be sad leaving them. But for now I am going to focus on the present :)
Glee is over and i am officially depressed. I LOVE that show and I normally never get attached to shows, oh wait except for One Tree Hill when it wasn't a little ridiculous like it has gotten or was. I can't believe Vocal Adrenaline won Regionals and I can't believe Jesse was such a jerk. Boooo Jesse. Anyways I'm off here for the night! :) Working out in the am then work from 8-5 :)
Things to pray for me this week:
1. Bible Discipline
2. For God to help me to set myself apart.
3. Not to worry about petty things or worry about anything in general.

With all the love in the world, seriously....
Abbey Marie

Running out of time.....

Alright I'm not exactly sure where I left off but this is what has been going on in my life lately...

So I wished for a routine and got one...As I mentioned earlier I work part time at Polo and Tropical Smoothie Cafe, this week I worked at Polo on Tuesday from 6am-3pm then today from 10am-5pm. Yeeep, 6am...the early shift, which is pretty nice to have, although the fact that I had to get up at 445 to start getting ready since we have to be cute and polo'ed at 6am lol. It's nice because I got off at 3 and got to be on the beach tuesday from 4-530! Wooo finally some time to myself :) it was much needed. Today work seemed to take FOREVER, until i got to work the register at the end of the shift, I am prettty fast. Considering I have to say "Welcome to Polo would your like to be apart of our online database that sends out coupons and discounts via email?" and then they reply...with their answer and then I say "Okay, great, last name then first name please?" After this statement I heard all kinds of spellings and found lots of rajin cajuns :) We talked a lot about the tigers! :) They were surprised I wasn't a razorback fan, then I had to explain that the razorbacks were my second choice! Yesterday we had our d-group bible study on the beach. It was the most heart touching experience I have ever had, I'm not sure what It is about the sunset and families together and hearing the word of God but it defiantly got to me. The waves and the birds along the shore, the white sand...all that can come to mind is, "God of wonders beyond our galaxy, you are holy, holy." It is crazy how amazing he is, i cant even find the words to type on here to describe it haha! Tonight we had inductive, which is a method of observing, interpreting, and applying the bible to our walk with Christ. It is very tedious and picky however, it is really good to look at scripture. I look forward t going back to TSC tomorrow until Saturday. I have made lots of friends at tropical smoothie, we laugh a lot while were making our wraps and flatbreads. :) Anyways this weekend (saturday-monday) is D GROUP WEEKEND! We get to go away from Topsl for an entire weekend and bond with our d group. No beach evangelism, no world prayer on sunday night, we get a break and no schedule. Kaleo gives our leader 200 buckaroos for us to use for lodging and we can go anywhere we want. Some groups are going to New Orleans, Some are going to Georgia, Some are going to key west, my group however is choosing the less traveled road(literally) and is going to PENSACOLA! hahah! We're going to a haunted light house and going to take d group pics on the beach in all white :) Pretty much were just going to relax and eat out in a different scenery for free! I am excited. Things are getting better down here, not that they were ever bad, but I do miss my friends and family so much. Maybe that is something God is trying to teach me? How much I mean to them and how much they mean to me? Who knows. But it is very hard, anytime I am away from my family and or friends I realize how blessed and lucky I am. On the other note, I am making a family here. My d group and I are slowly getting closer, and laughing more and more everyday. It's nice getting home from work with a greeting and smiley faces saying "Sisterrrr your home :) " I like it, especially cause I am normally exhausted. My d group brings so much joy and laughter to my life it is unreal, which is something that is so simple but in much need in my life. Sure we can talk and deep conversations but more than anything we laugh. It is nice to laugh a lot. If you wish to pray for me you can pray for these things....

1. Self Discipline to get into the word more often.

2. Figure out answers in my own life regarding friendships/relationships.

3. Future Bible Studies for my Sorority, Sigma Kappa

4. For me to help realize if the devil is trying to attack me with spiritual warfare.

i love you all :)

abbey mare*

hey yall!
I haven't forgotten about updating but I am real busy and in the process of making over my profile/blog :) love you and keep posting!
abbeymarie*

Ready for Routine...

Hello All :)
Today wasn't very eventful however there were SOME events. :) I was supposed to work at Tropical Smoothie Today but the manager emailed me and told me she didn't want me to start until Thursday (Tomorrow) Sooo... I figured I could go in to Polo with the rest of my co-workers at the 6am shift in the am today. But when I called this morning to explain my situation and double check to see if I could go ahead and come in or if they didn't need me, the manager said I didn't have to come in, so I went back to sleep :) Then I woke up, had a yummy bowl of cinnamon pecan special K cereal (mi favorito) and read some of my quiet time, and it was great. Then I changed, headed to the gym, did my usual intense cardio and then to my LUCK, Sage helped me with Abs today. I don't know why I just chose the word HELPED when I described what Sage did, I think a better word choice would be HURT. Haha just messing :) It was a good workout. Then I went back to the condo and made a quick turkey sandwich, ate some apples, and headed to the beach! :) I got to lay out, get in the water, and play some beach volleyball. It was a lot of fun, but as much fun as it was, I was pretty homesick all day. I miss all my friends and family a lot, I guess I am still adjusting. Tonight we had Induction, which is a method of studying the Bible. Theres 3 steps to it, and the First one is observation, which we learned tonight. This was VEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRYYYY frustrating, and tedious. Then I came home and talked to Eric on the phone because TODAY IS HIS BIRTHDAAAYY! YAYY! I am lucky to have as good as a guy friend as Eric. He is a great listener, something that is extremely hard to come by in this day and age. Especially in guys. If your reading this Eric, I hope it really is fun, you deserve every bit of fun and happiness on your birthday! I wish I was there to celebrate but know that I am very thankful to get to have you in my life :) Then I tried to call Sam back but she didn't answer :( Hopefully we'll talk soon! Tomorrow I start work at TSC!!! I hope it is not too busy, and hopefully not too overwhelming. Oh well, I can handle it!
I am starting a new addiction for Key Lime Pie Yogurt, the generic great value, low fat kind. Yep, its amazing, just had some before bed! It's only 80 calories too :)
Although it is a A LOT of fun here, I really am struggling with missing everyone and everything. It's hard living away without at least 1 person to run to, although I know there is most likely a reason for me being here alone, when it will come to me? I do not know.
love you all,
abbeymarie*

No Time for Glee....

Okaaayyy... so I left off on Sunday night...I'll catch you up on Monday and today then I gotta hit the hay for work in the AM BOOOO..

Monday:
Turpie Turp is in town (Lauren Turpin, Sorority Sister, for those of you who are reading that are confused) I was so happy to hang out and have some girl time with turp. I picked her up around 1030ish and we went back to Topsl and I showed her around where I stayed and then we decided to head back to her place and lay ouot on the beach and swim in the pool then we ate lunch and she showered then we headed back to my place for her to meet my roomies and me get ready for dinner. Then we drove around Destin looking at places to rent out for her 21st birthday, just an idea she was thinking she might do, nothing serious, anything to drive along the coast with the windows down during just the right time of the afternoon in Destin is fine by me. We started getting hungry so we were trying to decide where to eat and we couldn't pick a place that we were both just gah gah about so then I remembered how bad I wanted to eat at Margarita-ville in Panama City but every time I attempt, it is always too crowded. So I figure it's not tourist season yet really and it was like 630 when we got there so I figured on a Monday night, we would have a good chance of getting to eat there with out too terrible of a wait....WRONG. There was a line out the door just to hear how long you then had to wait so me and Turp just ate next door at the back porch. The service was not very good but the quality time was what mattered more :) then we went back home and I dropped turp off and I went back to the condo. When I got back I tidy-ed? my room a bit then went to sleep. I was pretty tired and my bed here is amazing.
Today I woke up around 845ish? Yes, on my own, like that is sleeping in to me now, which i LOVE. Had a big bowl of ceral, finished reading a chapter in a book I have started and then did my daily devotional. Took a little cat nap after that until 10:30 then started getting ready for orientation at Polo. Picked up the boys (Tommy and chase) and met Lindsey in the lobby and we all headed to work. Like a little family :) it was sweet. Orientation lasted longer than expected so afterwards we were all starving so we got water-burger and it was muy delishioso however i was miserable afterwards. Also, there are certain ways we have to wear our clothing at the store to promote certain looks so I had to buy some threads. But i got some pretty ridiculously mom wearing dresses that I know all you will enjoy seeing pictures of when I decide to post them. I got back to the condo and talked to holly a bit :) yay then took a nap until bible study at 630. Kelsey (my roomie) ended up waking me up from my nap for dinner and bible study and Rachel cooked enchaladas!!! yuuummm. Bible study lasted until about 915 then me and kelsey and julia went on a long walk around the villas and the beach since the gym closed at 9...lame i know!! Then I started this post :) today in our bible study we read about Peter and how great of a disciple he was....It made me want to be more like him and helped me realize my actions should be more similar to his. I love my d-group, they are a breath of fresh air and extremely funny and relaxing. Today I missed moo moo a lot, I bet he thinks I am the worst mom ever. Tomorrow I work at Polo from 6am-10am, just working inventory but everyone say some prayers for my roomies, Kelsey and Julia, they are having hard times finding jobs. I love yall so much and thanks for all the support AGAIN!

Getting Adjusted

Okay this one won't be as long but still pretty lengthy!

I will be working part time this summer at Tropical Smoothie Cafe and Polo Factory Outlet. I am super blessed to be fortunate enough to have 2 different jobs! Yay! Tuesday I go in for training at Polo at 12 and Wednesday I go to Tropical Smoothie for my first full day of work!
Saturday:
Mary Ann and I went to work out earrrlllyyy. I haven't been to the gym that early since high school. Then we had orientation from 9-12... This was like super information OVERLOAD. Lots of rules, which is totally fine but still a little nerve racking. However, I am sure they all serve great purpose. After orientation my d-group went to eat at Subway (my pick) yay! :) Then we went back to the condo and answered some get to know you stuff like pet peeves of ours and favorite foods and if we were allergic to anything. Everyone was pretty exhausted so we all took a nap for about 2 hours then I headed down to the beach to meet up with the UCA crew. It was fun, I played in the sand like a 2 year old. Played a game of beach volleyball and lost by 2....so ticked....and threw the frisbee around! Then after that my d group went to walmart and finally got groceries and household items...we were there from 6:20-8pm... needless to say Abbey was hungry and tired. I finally got to finish moving in all my stuff and unloading all my food so when I was done I went up the Cason and Kelsey's condo and visited them before I headed to bed.

Today:
Missed my morning alarm to wake up to run on the beach with MAV so we decided we would go later today since we both had early church and we didn't want to be rushed. Went to a Methodist Church with my d group today, it was at 8:50, so it was nice to have some time after church to get some stuff done around the condo. I really liked the church, it was nice and everyone was extremely welcoming. Then I wrote some thank you cards, ate lunch, changed, and got ready for beach evangelism training and beach evangelism!!! So exciting/nervous. I ended up sharing the bridge Illustration with 2 people and both were already proclaimed Christians so that is good! Then I had a break until 815 so me and Mary Ann went to the beach to run. We ran for 15 minutes straight on the beach and then walked the way back. After that we had world prayer where you pray for other countries to hear the good news about the truth and God. Then we picked up Kelsey at the air port!!! YAAAAAAY! I have missed that mommy of mine. Tomorrow is my day off! wooo! Turp will get to meet everyone! YAY!

Love yall and keep following!
Abbey

A Fresh Start

Okay Everyone! Wow I am so glad to finally have this website to keep you all updated! This first post will be lengthy I must warn you because I have so much to catch you up on. Mom and I left this past Monday Night/Tuesday morning at 3am to head to Destin, FL to spend the last couple of days together before I had to leave for the entire summer. It was amazing. Yep, I had a blast with Mom. It was nice to get to talk and catch up on life, since when I am home I am normally sleeping, eating, or occasionally being grumpy...yes it happens, contrare to how you might think i am perfect. HAHA! JK! It was also nice to look back on memories our family made on previous vacations and laugh at them. I am so blessed to have the family I do. My mother is a saint. Yes, Mom I know your reading and I do love you so much. More than you realize, and the past 4 days were amazing with you, it was nice to get to hang out with my mom again. Maybe it was a lesson for me from God to learn to make more time for the ones I love, and not give them the back burner. Mom and I got to stay at the Embassy Suites in Destin until this past Friday. Let me tell you this place was NIIIICE. Everyone morning they had continental breakfast for free, with eggs, bacon. sausage, ceral, fruit, create your own omelets, etc. I got up for breakfast needless to say. The first night we just ate room service and unpacked everything, we laid on the beach for about 2 hours so we were just pooped. The first night in the motel was hard, Mom passed out early so I was up pretty late. Up late enough for my mind to start to wonder me to tears and stressful thinking. What if Kaleo isn't for me? What if I don't like it here? What if my boss is a jerk? This just made me miss everyone and I pretty much cried myself to sleep. The next day we laid out all day then went to eat at AJ'S then drove around a bit. It was nice and yummy :) The last day we laid on the beach and MAV and Cason came to visit, us girls had a blast and then went to eat at Joe's Crab Shack that night. I ordered fried pickles....YUUUM! Then me and mom went back to the hotel and talked about everything, why I was nervous about kaleo, why I was excited, what I wanted to accomplish this summer, everything. We laughed and we cried, but only because it will be the first time we'll ever be apart for longer than 2 weeks in our entire lives. This morning I woke up, packed, showered and got ready then set off to the airport to drop mom off for her flight. Never in my life have I felt so scared, and vulnerable as I did when I held onto my mom for the last couple of seconds that I could before she left. I love her to death and hope that I won't miss her this much the entire time, that way we can both enjoy ourselves lol. Now as far as kaleo goes....
I checked in today at 4pm and loaded everything in my room by 445pm. All by myself! It only took 3 trips, however, I was soaking wet with sweat afterwards. It was a little awkward at first cause everyone was kinda quiet but like always, people warmed up. I am in room 306 with 5 other girls that I have never met before. However 3 other girls are in my D-Group (Disciple Group) and the other 2 girls go to the U of A. My roomie is from NLR and her name is Julia Wood. She is the ultimate roomie, I mean shes sleeping now with the LIGHTS ON! Because I'm typing away, she said it doesn't bother her so it doesn't bother me! :) Yay. My leaders name is Rachel Golden. She is more reserved but still fun and talkative. I like her quiet nature. The other girl in my d-group is Kelsey. She is ballin! She always laughs at my corny jokes, which as you all know, is necessary to my social functioning. Haha! Lauren & Katelyn are our other roomies however I do not know them real well yet. Hopefully that will change! Except Katelyn works with Veronica, Kelsey, and Paul at Marble Slab so she liked that connection we had. Tonight we had kaleo olympics aka a relay race and I played ultimate frisbee and i threw the fball with em for a bit. In the olympic events I played leapfrog and we got 2nd in that category so boo on them! Then me and the roomies but talked and unloaded and unpacked. Now i'm about to get off here because I am exhausted and me and MAV having early morning workout! More to come! Love yall!