so i said i'd blog more...
i haven't done a great job of that...
i'll try and get my act together :)
my heart is adjusting i think.
the past two summers i've spent in Virginia Beach, living a summer fully dedicated to Jesus and the Gospel....
the adjustment comes in the fact that i haven't made that transition to the place where my heart feels most at home during the summer...
i'm not surrounded by new friends at the beach...
i'm not holding hands with my dearest friend Karin...
but God is preparing me for something....
for bigger transitions...
and He has so much to teach me this summer...
and i think i'm excited about that... i think...

oh... nice to see you again

...i haven't blogged in a while.
mostly because it was hard for me to gather the encouraging words that i usually fill my posts with.
this semester was ridiculous....
ridiculously stressful.
i cried more this semester than i probably have in my entire life...
but i've grown.... and i know that.
God is good... and my heart is still enthralled with his love and his continual pursuit of me..
i don't have much to say right now...
other than ... i have the summer before me...
and that is almost too much potential for me to handle...
so far it's been perfect... despite the waking up at 5:10am the past two days (and the rest of the summer) to go to work..
but do you wanna know a secret... i think i might love my job...
keep in mind it is day 2...
but with so many of my favorite things combined it's hard to believe that i will get too tired of it...
my goal this summer is to blog more...
we'll see where that goal takes me...

this is the good word today....and everyday...

today... didn't really start out that great.

my heart didn't feel all that wonderful.

i didn't feel like myself, and i couldn't seem to get a real smile on my face.

if you know me, that isn't a normal occurrence.

i knew that i needed something...

and of course that something was some alone time with my Jesus.

i haven't been very good this week about stepping away from the busy-ness of my life.

but today opened up, and so Jesus and I had a little coffee date.

and my heart felt alive again.

it's funny how my heart can so quickly be overflowing when only a few hours earlier it had felt all dried up... so thank God....

it really was only from him...

so here is a little something of how my heart is feeling...

"on your feet now - applaud God!

bring a gift of laughter, sing yourselves into his presence.

know this: God is God, and God, God!

He made us; we didn't make him.

we're his people, his well-tended sheep.

enter with the password: 'thank you!'

make yourselves at home, talking praise

thank him! worship him!

for God is sheer beauty,

all-generous in love,

loyal always and ever."

psalm 100 (the message)

confessions...

i do enjoy a diet coke every once in a while. silly carbonation...

i love wasting time with my dear friend ashley...

i just want to create all day... and not do my school work.

i love people.... and the people around me give me butterflies...

muncie, indiana has stolen my heart, and when people laugh about staying in muncie after graduation i get kinda angry...

i love spicy foods...like make your nose run and eyes water spicy...

i enjoy a good beer...wanna enjoy one together someday?

i'm attempting to memorize more scripture...attempting....

i love the winter...or at least this week.

the kitchen is calling my name...

something you should know about me:

these last couple days of wintry weather have made me want to spend most of my time in the kitchen...

yesterday, i looked forward to making homemade chili and cornbread all day.

and then i got to share it with some of the people that are dearest to me...

what shall i make today?

from: The Nesting Project

i'm thinking these heart shaped biscuits would be lovely...

all of this to say...

it is hard for me to not dream of what my kitchen will look like some day.

bright colors, chalkboard paint, so many cook books, aprons...

the list could go on and on...

but we should stop because you're gonna lose me in dreamland...

so on this very cold, yucky day how are you going to be caring for those around you?

making some heart-shaped biscuits? washing some dishes? making some hot chocolate?

cuddling with them?

whatever it is... make sure the ones you live with know that you love them...

and i you..

and i love you....

from: LoveSugar

some days my heart gets a little kick in the pants...

some days i find that there are some points that i don't trust community with...

and that isn't fair...

if i expect the people i call my friends and family to entrust me with their deepest hurts, desires and insecurities i should trust them with mine...

so i am broken...

but i'm trying to learn and grow and be better...

thankfully God is full of second, third and fourth chances...

He knows how messy my life is, and thankfully still loves me ...

oh that I could learn to be like Him...

just know that I am trying each day, and it gets a little more difficult each day...

"When it comes to friendships, I experience a curious combination of respect and fear. I respect people simply because they are human beings. But I also respect them for what God has done in them - who He has made them to be. If God cared enough to make that person, to have a call on their life, to weep when they weep, then who am I to not care?"

- John M. Perkins, "Follow Me To Freedom"

snow love.

so i here there's some fierce weather coming this way...

and when i hear news surrounding the news i try to ignore it, because i never want to get my hopes up about professors cancelling classes...

but i just got an e-mail from my boss and said that the event i was scheduled to work wednesday at 7:30am got cancelled!!!!

and you know why.... because of this inclement weather we're supposed to be getting!!!

WA-HOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

i love my job, but 3 days in a row of having to be up before 7am.... that's not exactly something i get super excited about.

i do love me some snow though.

i love it because it usually gives me an excuse to chill inside all day with some tea and read....

and i pray that this week has a morning full of just that.