What I have been Up To

First of all, I feel like I should apologize for my lack of blogging. It's not that I haven't thought of you guys, but I just haven't been taking pictures and I am not sure how to express all that is going on here in my life and in my heart. My transition has been fun and amazing and I really feel like I am fitting in well here...however, I would be lieing if I wasn't struggling with culture shock and life in America. So here is some idea of "the what" I have been doing....



1. Last week was ash week...thanks to the Santa Anna winds and the dry weather conditions, Southern California was up in flames. I was pretty much surrounded by fires all around which created an off week for everyone. The air was soo smokey and most activities were canceled outside due to the poor air quality. But I am thankful that we were not one of the million that had to be evacuated. I am more convinced that it doesn't matter where you live...America or overseas...natural disaster and things will always find you.

2. I went to my first hockey game. It is a little unfortunate that my first game was to go and support a Cali team...the LA Kings to be specific... I would've much rather it have been a Texas team...like the Dallas Starts. The Kings did win...4 to 1.

3. I have been meeting lots and lots and lots of people. I think this weekend, I kind of hit my limit of meeting people and introducing myself. I have had lots of coffee dates with students who are interested in going overseas. Yay!

4. I worked at the Kaleo Conference which was hosted by CBU and put on by the North American Mission Board. I was able to dialogue and meet a lot of students.

5. I have sent lots of email trying to make networks with Baptists here in California...which I would say hasn't been too successful.

6. I spoke at my first Sunday night service in Hemet, California. Lovely little baptist church it was.

Well...I hope this gives you a better idea of what I have been up to. I took some pics today of my office and other co-workers. I will try post more pics soon. I am really trying to get better at this!

Love you guys!

Faces of New and Old Friends

I still haven't gotten really great at taking pictures in the moment here in California...but I am trying...here are some faces of new and old friends. I have been spending a lot of time with college students...especially at my new church...Sandals. Enjoy.


Brady and Stevie...this was at a Halloween party...so really Cruella Devil and Buddy Holly... Sandals friends.

Me and my amazing roomie...Coop! I love this girl!

My co-workers Kinsley and Kyle... other CBU grad assistants.

Me and Katelyn... a Sandals friend.

My friend Evan. He's an old friend I met from Sandals India Team. This was also a Halloween party...i don't usually wear b-ball jersey and he usually doesn't have a gun all the time...although I am sure he wishes he could.

Minnie Mouse and I...or my friend Natalie... a friend from Sandals.

My new friend Kiran! We were automatically bound because her name is Kiran (an indian name...her dad was pakastani) and she is from the DFW metroplex!! She is a freshman at CBU.

Kim and Derek Imai. Kim is my old friend from Indian but I finally got to meet the hubs. She is also amazing and my new accountability party...kelley...your accountability partner legends continues on...let's see if kim can live up to you...kidding.

My CBU bubble.

Here are some pictures of the campus of CBU. Notice the palm trees and mountains....umm...nice....

The Student Center

Academic building...

more academic buildings...

This is my favorite view from campus as I leave...notice the mountains and palm trees...again...beautiful....i love it!

The Cottages. I live in on the left side past the big tree in the middle. More detailed pics of my cottage to come...stay tuned.

If you want to see pictures of crazy Californians...here they are! Just kidding. This the staff in the Office of Spiritual Life where I work now. They are all great and have been sooo incredibly welcoming. The girl on the left is Kristen and she is my supervisor!!

More Cali pics to come!!!

He's Got My Back

I would like to apologize for my lack of blogging. Sorry faithful readers. I really enjoy blogging in "the moment" and it seems like "the moment" came and then went before I got a chance to sit down and blog. What to do....? I can't ignore the blog feelings any longer! So here I go.....

Yesterday, I finally got my first full paycheck for my new job. Let me just say that it was slightly disappointing. It was about $50 less than I thought it would be and let me just say with how little I am making...that $50 was pretty important. I began to kind of slightly freak out and panic and this overwhelming amount of stress came over me. Then I felt the Holy Spirit very sweetly say to me... "Alicia I called you to this job and I know exactly how much you make and I am not concerned about it... you need to trust me." After that, He gave me peace and I was fine and just really understood that He was worthy of my trust.

Today, I was sharing with a friend my financial struggle and what the Holy Spirit spoke to me. In the same breath of that conversation, I got a text message from a friend asking me if I was interested in babysitting weekly for an extra $30 a week!

Sometimes the Holy Spirit is really romantic. What I mean by that is He knows my deepest desires and my concerns and seems to always find ways to remind me that He knows them and that He's got my back. He is soo sweet to love us and to show it in the most unique ways.

I feel this is just one of so many small testimonies of how God has showed me his faithfulness to me in this new transition. I freak out about something and the Holy Spirit combats it with something small and thoughtful. He's got my back.

I have never been so confident in my calling to be in a place as I do here in Southern California right now! Hmm...I wonder what God has for me here....

Alicia "the California resident"

Today marks my two weeks of being a California resident. Here are some random pics of my time in Cali so far. I honestly haven't taken hardly any pictures...I will work on that.

Hunnington Beach

The famous In and Out burger joint.

My cousin Erica and her husband nick.

Shanny and I freezing our butts off at Hunnington Beach. It was sooo stinkin' cold!

Malibu Beach

It was so amazing having shanny here for my first week! It's also great knowing that she is the one who knows my life here!! She is a blessing!!!

California Bound....

I returned back to San Antonio this afternoon after spending the past 4 days debriefing my time in India in Richmond, Virginia. There were about 55 of us (some new friends, some familiar friends, and of course my India family) from all over the world who came together to fellowship, debrief, share stories, and try to understand our time overseas. The best part for me personally was the fellowship... (shocking i know).

I will have to say that today has been a pretty emotional day. I got on the plane today and felt so sad. It was the same feeling I had when I drove my car off campus from DBU for the very last time...ending my college career. The only difference this time was that I was on a plane full of other passengers and I couldn't let my tears flow in the way I wanted to. Man, it's so hard to say goodbye to such an amazing season in life. So hard. I am no longer a journeyman and I honestly don't know when I will see my India family again. (maybe future weddings?)

As one door is closed today, I will walk through a new door tomorrow. Tomorrow, I will be driving to my new home, ministry, life, community, and culture in Riverside, California. I couldn't be more excited about this new, fresh and completely God orchestrated season in my life. But I would also be honest and say that this transition is a little rough. So if you would please pray for me, I would give you a huge hug and huge word of thanks!!

Please pray for:
Safety travel the next couple of days
Transition to a new job, school, community, and church
Discipline in schedules, health, time in the Word, and time in prayer
A new passion and vision for my students in Southern California
For the leadership of the Holy Spirit


Some of my best friends that I met along this journey...sisters really.

Transitioning...

Please please please bare with me. This blog as you can see is in new transition. I need a new theme..and a new look...and i like what i have but in order to customize it all i have to do it in the tricky and complex coding. So I just haven't decided what I want to do. So it is on hold for now.

Tomorrow I leave for Virginia again for my journeyman debriefing! It will be amazing to see some of my best friends and people i haven't seen in a couple of years and to meet some new peeps. I will be back on Sunday evening and then will try to head off to Cali by 5 AM the next morning. So...you might not hear from me for quite some time. One day this blog will be back and in full function...but just not yet. My life is in transition..so I guess it would make sense that my blog is too!!

Love you guys! Do you miss me? I miss ya'll!

Prison Break- Season 3

Prison Break.... what can I say? I am addicted, obsessed, and in love with Prison Break. It is a simple joy of mine. I have tried to rationalize why it is that I love this show so much. It is seriously one of my favorite tv series EVER. I woke up this morning especially excited because I knew that at 7 PM I would get to watch it. I know...rediculous.

I watched season 1 and 2 after they aired...so I got a little spoiled by watching one episode after another. I was a little disappointed tonight after the first episode to think that I actually have to wait a WHOLE week before I can see the next one... seriously?

I will say that I was a little curious what they were going to do with this new season, but the way the set it up today...I am very hopeful and excited about...

See you next week Michael Scoffield!!

Back In Texas

It is good to be back in Texas! This past week, I was in Richmond, Virginia at the IMB headquarters for job training. Then we hopped a few states over to South Carolina for some hands on training at North Greenville University for their Global Missions Conference. I spent about 5 days in South Carolina and would have to say I experienced a little culture shock! Not from being in America, but from being in the deep south. I loved everyone and their country accents and their amazing southern hospitality. At the North Greenville, I even stayed in this awesome log cabin...it was quite wonderful.

Let me just say this...let me put this out there... I LOVE my new job!! This new job is a perfect job match for me. I will write another post about it all together, BUT I get paid to use my gifts, my passion for missions, my love for relationships, and my love for students!! I am starting to get a little anxious about moving and getting to meet my students and the staff there. However, I am STILL enjoying my last couple of weeks in Texas BUT also kind of counting down the days till i get to move to California (exactly 2 weeks tomorrow)!

Random things about me since I last posted:
1. I wrote my first check since I have been back in America which was also my first car payment I have ever made. yikes.

2. I found out I get my own business cards...I am officially grown up now.

3. I still have not been to Wal-mart yet.

4. I bought a planner...it looks like I will actually have a schedule at my new job...so I get to write stuff in a planner! Planners are a simple joy of mine. This time I went for the grown-up planner...you know the really thick ones that are leather and have places for business cards and pen holders.

5. I have been asked to go back to India next July to help supervise and to lead some teams!! Um...can't tell you how excited I am.

6. I officially have a place to live in California! I will be living on campus in a cottage with one of my best friends...Lindsey Cooper. It's just the two of us in ONE big cottage!!

7. I also officially have a California address and cell phone number. Let me know if you need it!

8. I ate at Sonic for the first time last week..yumm.

Here are a few pics from my time away....

My new co-workes and the famous Eloise!! Any of you know about the hip granny that does video for the IMB? Yep...that's her in the middle.

My new supervisor- Melody! She is AMAZING!! I love her and she is very talented at her job!

My sweet sweet fun crazy friend Chesed. You might remember her...I visited her in Singapore last New Years. She was also at my training!

Off to Virginia and South Carolina

Howdy. Howdy. I leave early tomorrow morning for Virginia and South Carolina. I will be gone till the 13th for training for my new job in Sunny California! yay. I will also be attending a missions confernce at North Greenville University and will have an opportunity to speak in a church. So...my new job already begins! Yay.


A fun exciting thing too is that I will be only 40 minutes from my friends Jonathan, Kelley, and little Kiran (she is walking now) !!! Isn't that amazing?! So I will hopefully get to see them and their new house! Wahoo. This was a sweet little gift from the Lord...God is good...all the time!!

See You soon Caskeys!!!

I will try to blog and post some pics if I can...if not I will see you after the 13th!!!

Blog Makeover

As you can tell...my blog needs a little blog makeover!!! I am no longer in India and I just think it needs an overall new look....

I need a new theme, but I have thought for a long time and I am un-inspired....HELP!!!

Anybody out there have any ideas?

The JOYS of Texas....

The JOYS of my Texas hands down are those you love...friends and family. This weekend 5 of my college best friends came to see ME all the way in San Antonio! This was the first time we were united to just hang out since I graduated in May 05. My college friends are like sisters...so seeing them is like coming home. It was a JOY to see them again and I already miss them. I am realizing the older I get how unique and rare these opportunities are so I try to cherish every moment!!

My parents were also really sweet and threw a "Welcome Home Alicia" party for all my extended family. It was nice to not have to miss out on a family get-together...another JOY of Texas.

I heart Texas.

Uncle Tye, Aunt Traci, Kiley, and me at a Mexican Restaurant!

Outside my house... I had to show them my new wheels...no more 1986 White volvo....

Trying to re-in-act a picture from years ago....

Kiley's favorite thing to do all weekend.... "I don't know"

To keep tradition alive...we went to Chick-fil-A for dinner! High class...I know. In college, Chick-fil-A was kind of our default place. For lack of creativity and lack of money in college, we always ended up eating at CFA. I guess not many things over the years have changed.

We are CHICKENS at Chick-Fil-A. Don't we fit the part?

Chillin' at my parents house. I love this pictures. I might have to print it and frame it.

A group shot outside of CFA...also a frameable picture. Its nice to have new pictures of these beautiful gals.

Don't we look like we should be in a magazine! We are so candid. These are also the gifts I gave my friends from India.

our attempt to be creative with the camera...

My amazing parents that helped make the weekend so fun...

At the Mexican Restaurant

In honor of Amber....

C-U-Later...Kiley kept doing this cheer for us...this is for you Kiley...

Waiting

It's almost midnight and I am waiting for the first batch (Hannah and Cortnee) of my college best friends!! My sweet parents are throwing me a welcome home party this weekend with my best friends and family!!!

All of us from college are finally going to be reunited...I can't wait!!! Pics to come!!!

Missing India

Lots of people ask me if I miss India. Which I always find difficult to answer. The problem is that nothing about my life in India and my life in America are the same. It's almost like when I moved to India, I went back in time and now I am coming back to the future. So unless I really stop and think and pause long enough to even think about India...it's hard to miss it. Does that make sense?

Today was a day of missing India. I got an e-mail from my roomie, Laura, in India describing the ends and out of her day and it reminded me so much of my life there. And I missed India terribly. She also shared this....

"Oh, I don't know if B & E told you, but they're planning a jal diksha (baptism) ceremony for next monday. There's several people wanting to take it!! Pretty exciting, but guess who said they wanted to? Deepa's dad!! They've talked to him once and will talk to him again, but Saddhu thinks he's genuine. When I was talking to Deepa yesterday we were talking about stories, and she was adamant in saying that she knew all the stories! She told me creation through the fall in Hindi just because! I was asking her what she thought about them, and she says they're not just stories they are true. She said it with real conviction, they are true, we know it. We all believe the stories, and in Yeshu, my mom, dad, sister, we all believe. And I asked her if she was trying to follow Jesus (or something like that) and she said yes."

Translation is that the family that I invested all my time in is ready to be dunked and their whole family has come to know Jesus!!! This made tears well up in my eyes. So today...I missed India so much my body ached. I also wrote my last newsletter...so India was on my brain today.

Here are some fun cultural things that I am experiencing....

1. I went to the grocery store in shorts. Yes, I went out in public in shorts. I am such a ho.
2. Today, I helped my mom take groceries out of the car and unload them. Is it weird that I enjoyed it?
3. I cleaned house and it actually looked clean when I finished!
4. I have voicemail on my phone. I can check them and leave them.
5. I am still freezing in my parents house...

My Dallas Road Trip

I made a whirlwind trip to Dallas pretty unexpectedly. I focused more on quality then quantity. The Lord was really faithful to work out schedules and I really enjoyed my time with everyone. Sorry if I didn't get a chance to see some of you. I had a short time and just didn't have the time I wanted to see everyone...sad. Anyone willing to make a road trip to San Antonio in the next month is more than welcome!!! Come on Down!!!

I was in a slight funk- so I didn't take hardly any pictures...what was I thinking? Here are some of the pics of what I did get.

Ben showing off his muscles for me. He melts my heart.

Tammy my cousin and sweet Kirra.

Blake and I playing Uno together and Kirra trying to steal the cards and put them in her mouth. She says my name like "Sesha".

Just a few of my favorite ladies at FBC Irving. I got to visit my home church. I didn't have enough time to really re-connect, but it was good to see people that I did.

My cousin Kiley that has TONS and TONS of personality.

Aunt Tracy, Kiley, and my Grandma.

Attention Dallas-ites

I will be gracing Dallas with my presence this weekend. I will be at FBC Irving on Sunday morning and just plan to hang out after church. Leave a comment if you want to try to hook up. Let me know!!

See some of you very very soon!!!

I bought a Purple Car!!!

On my SECOND day of being in country, I purchased myself a brand new Madza 3 2007!! I drove it off the lot with just 17 miles on it! Isn't it beautiful?! The only car I have ever driven before is a 1986 Volvo so this is quite the upgrade!

It was slightly overwhelming to purchase a vehicle with only being in country a few days. So by the end of the day I had a slight melt down. The poor sales guy, but maybe it got me a better deal...tears always work...right?

I am in LOVE with this car and can't believe it's mine!!!