Changes

Hello bloggers! After almost 3 months without access to a computer I'm finally back! And yes, I really just posted a David Bowie video at the beginning of today's blog. As the song (and blog title) might suggest, I've been going through alot of changes these past few months. Some good, some that could probably be considered bad....but overall I feel like each change has been for the better.

The 1st change was deciding to branch out on my own and slowly get a wedding and event planning business started on my own. I still haven't gone through my certifications class yet, but plan to as soon as I can come up with the money. Luckily you don't technically have to be certified to be a planner, it just gives you a "professional edge" as peole call it. After alot of thought and a meeting with my friend Kendra awhile back, I've decided to use the name of my blog for my business as well. I look forward to having Simply Shay Wedding and Events up and open for business hopefully by the beginning of next year (which doesn't give me alot of time!) I also hope to eventually be able to branch out the business (if I can get it off the ground) and eventually hire extra people who are just as passionate about weddings and events as I am. I'd also like to be able to do yearly events for charity:water, amd maybe some kind of Christian event (like a HUGE concert or something) to raise money for Journey and other local churches. If anyone has any ideas or would be willing to lend a helping hand to make these events a success, please let me know. :)

The next change I've been through is deciding to switch volunteer positions at Journey. I love, love, LOVED being a greeter, and miss it greatly. Its only been two weeks, but I miss being one of the 1st people that people see when they walk through the doors, especially our VIP's. But I LOVE my new position just as much if not more (if that's even possible!) I am now a volunteer on our Next Steps team. Next Steps is the station they send new Christians (or people rededicating their lives to Christ) to turn in their information and get bags with info on what it means to accept Christ, a cd on baptism, a postcard from Pastor Matt, and a new Bible. We're there to be their support team, to answer any questions they might have, talk to them about their decision and baptism, and to pray with them if they ask or seem to be overwhelmed. We also talk to people who are interested in signing up to be baptised. Nothing beats November 6th....the day we launched our new campus (and my 1st Sunday on the team!). Between both services we had over 50 people decide to accept Christ. Not all of them came to our Next Steps table, but it was amazing and uplifting to talk to those that did.

As I mentioned in the last paragraph, we launched at our new campus on the 6th. This by far is probably my favorite change! The new building is amazing, and it was an honor and a privledge getting to help get it ready for the launch! I even got to help rip up tiling....anyone who knows me knows I'm a girly-girl to the fullest extent, so doing this made me feel really odd, but in a brilliant way!! I also helped paint and move stuff in, it was a really fun but long week the week we did everything. I can't believe we've been in the new building for almost a month now...its quickly became home to us, and I've almost forgotten what the old building looks like (until I drive by it on the way to the new one that is! ;p)

There are tons of other mini changes I could mention, but I'll save those for another blog. I hope you guys enjoy this one, and look forward to many more to come now that we have a running computer again! :)

~Shay~