JUNE

Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! Psalm 135:1

June, what a month! I have been blessed with great friends.

First, David Lim came to town and that was flash back! We still are goofy together---nerd and nerdier (what we like to call ourselves).



I moved out of the poolhouse and into a house a couple miles away from my place of work. Then, I went home to Torrance, California to visit my Papa and Yaya for a few days. My time with Papa and Yaya was great! I miss them so much and feel blessed to have grandparents as loving and encouraging as them. Not only, did I get good time with Papa and Yaya, I also spent time with friends:





Amber, Alison, Melinda, and Johnny- We all grew up together (next door neighbors). It's strange that even though we don't keep in the best contact, we can always step into each others lives without any awkward tensions (except Johnny trying to kiss me..;) Jk...I love him!


Kate, Mike, Johnny and I went to the Rivera for dinner and then rode bikes to Hermosa Beach.





The next day I went to the AVP at Hermosa Beach--- Katy Butler and I met up with Nickie Sherman. It was great to see Hudson, Katy and Matt's new son! He is so precious, cute and amazing! I love him.
Nickie and I went to Breakfast the next morning...she is doing well and dating a really great guy, Bobby. I loved every moment with them and am excited about what the future hold for them. ;)





















My mom and sister drove down from Chico to pick me up and bring me Chico.








My heart still throbs for Chico and California in general. I suppose it always will because the people I dearly love are there. There is something that fits right when I am at home--- Megan, Jon and me always have so much fun! They truly are my best friends! I love being with them. Mego and Jon, I love you so much and miss you everyday!!!!!!!
Pics of us having FUN! (as usual)

A Special Surprise!

Yesterday I was in Washington and today I am in Chico, CA!

I have always wanted to be one of those people with a great surprise story and last night I became one of them.

My mom has been in and out of the hospital with cancer problems; she had her thyroid removed last week. Wednesday was her birthday and I thought it would be wonderful to fly back to Chico as a surprise. Being that Bart and Linda are in Ecuador, it made sense as far as work goes--- so, I began to look into possibilities. Unfortunately, the flights were very expensive, so I decided against it. Then, Linda got in touch with her sister, an airline stewardess, and I got companion passes.

With all that said, I took at 6pm non-stop flight from DC and arrived last night at 8:40pm. On the way back from the airport Megan and I discussed how we would surprise mom. We had an idea, but when we walked in the door, my dad had an idea too, so we went with my dad's idea.

He went into kiss my mom goodnight and he kissed her, then he said "Wouldn't you like a good kiss goodnight?" and then I popped in the room and said "From Me". My mom was freaked out and so excited. We hugged and hugged and hugged and hugged. She had NO idea.

So, that is my surprise story. Thanks for reading about my special time with my family.

Washington Life, School, Work, Friends and Kicked Out of the Poolhouse

This past week has been epicly eventful in a hectic and emotional sort of way.

1) I had a paper due, so most of my background thoughts were consumed with the fact that I should be writing a paper.

2) Work is good, as usual. I love Bart and Linda. Holding down the fort is one of my specialties and it seems that they like me to hold down the fort, so we are a good fit.
Fitting into the work area, taxes. I got my taxes done today. Just in the nick of time and I have a refund comin', which makes the world seem a little better.

3) My friends in DC are great! We have a ton of fun. Fun is usually consisting of going to get something to eat and then a drive around the city.

4) Michelle and I are kicked out of the poolhouse as of the end of April. I shouldn't say we are "kicked out" because we have been given two extra months in the poolhouse. Plus, everyone is helping us look for a place to live in the area.

With all that said, things are going well.

Successful launch!

Abie Curry is my friend. She is here in Washington DC with me right now. We are having fun! She is a true Nabber of the nugget! If only we all had nabber skills like abber.
She is truly a phenomenon.

Jen Ronconi is better than macaroni. Her heart is like a fluttering little flutter. Don't make her laugh or she will flutter away. She wants to out nab abber, but so far all she can get is macaroni.

If you don't get this then you need to inspect your underwear and label them with your number. Then I will find you.

Peace......mmmm...I love reeses pieces!

Misty's Wedding

Dinner Rehearsal

Let's try this....for more pictures go to this website:

http://web.mac.com/amberrader/iWeb/Site/Library.html

Some of these pictures are horrible because Misty and I were taking them of ourselves. But, as you will see, we had a lot of fun.

Florida is very beautiful and it was great to get out of the DC cold and into the FL sunshine!!

Karaoke AGAIN!

Click on the little "?" to see my photo Library!






More pics- These are some of the worst pictures of me...but once again, the display of fun times over beauty overrides. As you will see...fun things happen in DC at Karaoke Night!

A bunch of us went to karaoke again. This time there were a few little twists! Let me show you.
DEAREST FRIENDS~
William Hung REALLY thinks ya’ll outta come to Karaoke Night.



And if you can’t make it to Karaoke, then William wants you to know that he WILL kick your…Ask me no more questions. ;) Hurry…try and escape the wrath of William….go to the Karaoke Night.



He says “BE THERE OR ELSE!”

And to be honest, I, Amber Rader, would REALLY love your presence at Karaoke Night too!

So, please join us (William and I) for a POTLUCK (that means you bring something to eat) at the Cedar’s Poolhouse at 7pm.

I will need to know if you are attending by 12pm tomorrow. Also, feel free to invite friends, but I will need you to respond for them as well.

SIDE NOTE: You will need to dress up….or at least wear something COMPLETELY out of character. For example, I might choose to dress up as William Hung or I might wear Bart’s snow hat or my HUGE glasses or…you get the picture.

WHO: You

WHAT: Potluck and Karaoke

WHEN: Friday 7pm Potluck, Karaoke at 9pm

WHERE: Cedars Poolhouse and Caf� Muse in Annandale

WHY: Because William Hung says so

Look forward to hearing from ya!

Amber


RSVP to amberrader@gmail.com

Let's Try Again

So, my last post was over a month ago! Posting blogs is not that difficult, however finding time to post is very difficult. With that said, I am going to try and post more often, which means I will MAKE time.

Right now I am in a really cool coffee shop called 'Murky Coffee'. It's the coolest spot in town, in my opinion. It's nearly three stories tall and its really old and they have free wireless internet, so every person has a laptop...literally. And I noticed that everyone downstairs is of the male race. I think there are a lot of men who use this location as their office. If you ever visit me, I will show you Murky Coffee.

One of the most annoying things happened a minute ago....here at Murky Coffee. These men decided to take over the entire table, he literally say right across from me and is trying to get me to move. WELL, guess what, I am still sitting here. yep, I am and I'm not moving either.

Korean Karaoke

So, Last night was Korean Karaoke and it was a blast. Before the singing we decided to eat Korean food and it was soooo good!!! I definately encourage everyone to try Korean food.

A bunch of people from Georgia invited me to Karaoke with them. Hopefully, we will do it again soon.
Here are some pictures of the crazy Korean night! My friend Trent Walters was definately the star of the night!!! SPOTLIGHT ON TRENT WALTERS!!! He is from Georgia and works at the Cedars in the Carriage House. This picture is awesome and really displays the enthusiasm of his singing.

Office Fun

So, I have made some great friends! These are some wacky pictures we took in the office one night. Basically, my friends Sean and Trent dressed me up in some clothes that have been in the closet!
These are funny pics.

The National Prayer Breakfast

Saturday was a beautiful day!

Things are getting crazy in DC as the NPB approaches!! Starting tomorrow there will be 3800 guests, 600 internationals, from 180 countries! Please be praying for us as we build relationships in the name of Jesus with people from all over the world.

This past weekend I went to the monuments with some Chico folks (working at the Cedars). It is an absolute blessing to be able to walk the mall of monuments whenever I want to....I am really loving DC!


Michelle Anderson and Amber with the Washington Monument in the back!!!

Amber, Michelle Anderson and Hilary Ely in front of the Lincoln Monument.

Megan's 25th Birthday dinner!! It wasn't the same without Amber, but very special.. especially Dad's baked beans, Jon's hamburgers, and Mom's white cake with chocolate frosting. We miss you and love you, Amber!

Hello this is Jon...I wanted to get in on this post...Megan is upset because of this...Well enjoy the picture. I really mean enjoy..not just a casual enjoy but one that you can spend hours looking at the picture and come away feeling satisfied. Enjoy.

THE BIG MOVE!

I arrived in Washington DC a little under two weeks ago. My parents and I approached the pool house of the Cedars (where I am living) and there was a sign on the door that read "Welcome Home Amber!" My roommate, Michelle, warmly welcomed me and I am very thankful for her. Michelle is from Seattle, WA and she has been in DC for about four months (I think?). Being that she has been around the joint for a bit longer, she knows a lot of people and has included me in her circle of friends. Thanks Michelle! You are the best!

Washington DC is Washington DC. I really don't have much to say yet about my feelings, thoughts, etc because I haven't been here that long. I am big on processing until I arrive at the most accurate descriptions of my feelings. Until I have pondered a bit longer, know that I like it here. The people are wonderful and I find myself in awe of Jesus as he continually shows his love to me in undeserving ways.

Here are some pictures with more to come!
Blessings and Peace in Jesus,
Amber

The best gifts ever!

It was a great Christmas this year! I got everything I asked for..a new bike, power ranger triple threat action figure, and a toe nail clipper. How did some one know I needed a toe nail clipper? Psychic? Or Psycho?