Snowed In!

I just spent the last 3 and a half days at my friend Katie's apartment because of the snow. I am not comfortable driving in snow and it was really bad out after Jason and Dre's wedding on Saturday so I went home with Katie and left my car at the church.

But then the weather kept getting worse and worse so I stayed another night. And then another night after that.

It was great fun, but I began to wish I could get home. Today the roads were clear enough so Katie and I went to get my car from the church. The parking lot was full of snow and my car was covered top to bottom. We couldn't even get into the lot. So Katie took me home, but my car is still there.

My plan is to call my dad and have him get a snow shovel and take me out there so I can dig my car out. I hope that works!

Twilight Revisited

So...I don't really love Twilight anymore. Nope.

I finished the series tonight.

What a disappointment.

The first two books were great - very entertaining and fast-paced. The second two were...dry. The story didn't change a whole lot and the last book in particular was just very...weird.

I don't think I'll be reading them again. I'll go see the other movies when they come out, but yeah, definitely not reading them again.

Eesh.

Twilight

*sigh*

I started the series Wednesday night and I'm already into book 3. I resisted for months, but I caved because everyone wanted to go see the movie Friday and I wanted to read the book before seeing it.

The worst part? I LOVE IT. It's so ridiculous, emotional, over-the-top, and fabulous.

And I have a book crush on Edward. That is only the second book crush I've ever had in my life...next to Aragorn.

I'm a nerd. :o)

Heavy

One of those days when life catches up. When I realize that it's too big for me, but I can't seem to hand it off to the One who can handle it.

Ever have the physical ache of a heavy heart?

Ugh.

The White Tree

1. Put your iPod on shuffle. (or in my case, iTunes - I don't have an iPod. Yet. :P )
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS!
4. Tag 10 friends who might enjoy doing this.
5. Or not, if you're feeling ornery.
6. Which I am.

IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY" YOU SAY?
You Said (Shane and Shane)
--That would get annoying fast!

WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
Barren Land (Shane and Shane)
--Oh sad!

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
Miracle Man (Bow the Knee - Easter musical)
--Uh...hmmm.

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?
Revive Me - Psalm 143 (Shane and Shane)
--Yes, I think this works.

WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
This is the Day - Psalm 118 (Shane and Shane)
--I think my shuffle function is broken, but this one works.

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
Gone (Switchfoot)
--Sad day!

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
I Can Only Imagine (MercyMe)
--Interesting...

WHAT IS 2+2?
Waging War (Shane and Shane)
--Huh

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
Acres of Hope (Shane and Shane)
--This is true. :o)

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
I Will Not Be Silent (David Crowder Band)
--Actually, I think I will be for the time being. :P

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
Let Me Fall (Josh Groban for Cirque du Soleil)
--Hahahahahaha! This is funny and if you wish to know why, ask and I will tell. :P

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
What if His People Prayed (Casting Crowns)
--I think this song definitely speaks to the way that I aspire to live when I 'grow up.' :o)

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
You Raise Me Up (Josh Groban)
--Sweet.

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
May it Be (Enya, from the Fellowship of the Ring soundtrack)
--Interesting

WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
Crazy Times (Jars of Clay)
--HAHAHAHAHAHA! :o)

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
Praise the name of Jesus (Shane and Shane)
--Amen!

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
This Road (Jars of Clay)
--This road and none other! Ha. :P

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
The Return of the King (from the Return of the King soundtrack)
--It's not exactly a secret that He's coming back and it's certainly not one that I'm keeping from anyone! :o)

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
Be Glorified (Chris Tomlin)
--Hmmmm...

WHAT'S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?
Still Here Waiting (Todd Agnew)
--If only that were the worst thing to happen. :P

HOW WILL YOU DIE?
Saved by Grace (Shane and Shane)
--Amen and amen!

WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?
What Did He Die For? (Twila Paris)
--Do I regret the things He died for in my life? You betcha.

WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?
Rain Down (Delirious)
--I think rain up would be funnier. :P

WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?
Per Te (Josh Groban)
--Not so much. :P

WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED?
O Praise Him (David Crowder Band)
--Obviously, I'll be singing a song of praise and celebration when I do get married, so the answer must be yes. :P

WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST?
Gollum's Song (from The Two Towers soundtrack)
--It is a rather strange song.

DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?
The Great Adventure (Steven Curtis Chapman)
--Does that mean yes? :P

IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?
Mercy Reigns (Shane and Shane)
--Heck no! I would never change that. :o)

WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?
Fringes (Shane and Shane)
--My fringes hurt? Do I have any fringes?

WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
The White Tree (from The Return of the King soundtrack)
--Cool because it's from Lord of the Rings, but it's far from the coolest piece from the films. :P

Overworked and Overwhelmed

Whew!

It's been a week of discovering the pace that God has set for me. I've taken on way too many things and I've spread myself so that none of my commitments are getting all that I have to offer.

Praying for wisdom, discernment and a joyful attitude! Lord help me to be. :o)

Busy!

So I haven't spent much time on this thing in awhile. My last entry doesn't count as a real entry either. :P

I have a busy life. And I'm not really sure anybody reads this anyway. Is this thing on? :o)

An excuse...

...to post. Katie was tagged by someone, I'm just doing it for the heck of it. And so that my blog looks cool and updated. w00t!

10 years ago.....
1.) I was 13
2.) I was in the 8th grade
3.) I wasn't driving anything...silly driving laws. :P
4.) I didn't work anywhere yet, but I did manage the girls' track team - woohoo!
5.) I moved down the street a couple of blocks.

5 Things on my "to do list" today.....
1.) Begin working on my end-of-the-week aging report at work
2.) Find the bottom of my inbox (I was successful in this venture, I'll have you know!)
3.) Shower
4.) Think up a game for Girl Power on Thursday night that emphasizes communication (may have had some help from Koby on this one - but once again, successful!)
5.) Read a chapter in a book

5 Snacks I enjoy.....
1.) A veritable cornucopia of fruits
2.) Milkshakes (not really a snack food...but I still like them!)
3.) Coffee
4.) Wheat Thins
5.) String cheese

5 Things I would do if I were a millionaire.....
1.) Finish paying off the credit card and the student loan a whole heck of a lot faster than I am now
2.) Buy my sister and her family a nice big house so they can fill it with more babies <3
3.) Buy a new car, for sure
4.) Buy myself a house
5.) Go back to school - heck yes!

5 Places I have lived (to quote Katie: only 5? We'll go with the 5 states I've lived in :P )
1.) Texas
2.) Colorado
3.) Michigan
4.) Florida
5.) Washington

5 Jobs I have had.....
1.) Babysitter
2.) Cashier
3.) Preschool aide for 2 year olds
4.) Camp counselor/kitchen staff/housekeeping/etc./etc./etc.
5.) Lead GSR at the hotel

Revelations

Do you ever say something and as you're saying it you realize that God is giving you a revelation while you're speaking? That you would never have gotten the point He's trying to make to you if you hadn't said it out loud, even though you didn't know it beforehand?

Yes, I know this sounds weird, therefore I shall explain what I mean through an example of exactly what I'm talking about.

Tonight at Bible study we were talking about a variety of things so I don't really remember how we got onto the topic, but somehow we got to the topic of relationships and how we love God. I said something about how our relationships show us more about God and how to love God in new and different ways.

As far as that goes, I understood that, but God made it real to me tonight and revealed a deeper understanding of His purpose for having relationships with people in the first place. I said something like about how I know how to love God in certain ways because I am a daughter, sister, friend, and mentor, but that there are more ways and deeper ways to love God that I don't even know about yet because there are certain relationships that I don't have yet, such as that of being a wife and a mother and a grandmother. In turn, there are ways that I don't understand about the way God loves me back because I don't have these types of relationships yet.

And the more I talked about it, the more God revealed to me how I need to view these relationships. Not just something for myself, but yet another way to love God and another level that He loves me. I can't even fathom the fullness of His love simply because He is God and I am not, but I don't grasp even a fraction of what I am to understand in this life simply because I'm not there yet.

I can't wait to get married and see the new ways that God is revealed to me through my husband, the deepness of love that I will be able to understand of God when I enter into that covenant. And through realizing that tonight, it's helping me to appreciate that time of waiting that I am in right now. I've been doing pretty good for awhile now, but every once in awhile I begin getting impatient. Realizing that this future relationship is going to define yet another aspect of God's love for me that I will never understand until I enter into it, helps me to rest in what I understand it to be in the here and now. Regardless of the relationships I make and whatever form I understand God's love, He is always faithful to me. All glory to God, my friends, all glory to God. :o)

Exhilaration

Pastor Larry said on Sunday that God will move mountains to reach His children.

Here's to holding fast to truth and to the faithful promises of the Lord.

Rwanda, here I come.

I think my work place is cursed...

5 managers in less than 2 years is a tad excessive if you ask me.

That's right...the fifth manager I've worked under since being hired at the hotel starts after next week.

But it's a guy this time. Never had a guy manager at the hotel before. Obviously women weren't working out too well - I guess we'll give him a try. :P

(I'm not being sexist...just observant)

Until next time!

Priorities

"Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it."

~Matthew 10: 37-39


Have you ever read a piece of Scripture that was hard to take in during the initial reading of it? But then as you read it again and pray about it, you begin to discern what the passage is really saying and even if it's still hard to swallow, that understanding brings you hope.

Well friends, this passage isn't one of those for me. It's one of those passages that is not only hard to take in at first, but after praying about it, I'm still in the same boat I was before. The passage hasn't somehow revealed something I didn't see before. Rather, the passage is obvious in its meaning and I am the one that has to change.

Scripture is quite clear in this passage that God must be loved more than all other things or we are not worthy of Him. Now, I think this is one of those things we all know, but do we ever take the time to really think about what that means for our everyday life? What does it mean to love God above everyone, including our family?

I'm a relational person (aren't we all?) and I love my friends and family. But as I meditate on this passage of Scripture I'm convicted over how much of myself I dedicate to working out these relationships and how little of myself is leftover for God. Leftover! I should be giving Him myself first, not what's left in the foil from last night's dinner.

I spend so much time trying to keep my relationships alive and in tact. I even pray about the ways that I can be a better friend, sister, daughter, whatever, but even when I'm having my quiet time, God gets the last part of me, if there's any left. It sounds good with 'thank yous' and 'I beseech you Gods' and any number of other phrases that make our prayers sound more relevant and worthy to be brought before our King.

But the whole time I'm missing that still, small voice whispering to me, "Love Me first and with all you have. I have done everything for you - just give me all of you in return and see what I can do with it."

Too often I forget that this life isn't about the relationships I form over the years, but rather the glory I can bring to God. We are relational to bring God glory, not to make sure we ourselves have an easier time of things while we're here. I need to give myself, my love, my devotion completely to God and what a blessing in return if there are some great people alongside me. But even if I stand alone, the Cross is before me and my God, my King, my Savior, my Lover, and my Best Friend is waiting for me with outstretched arms.

Adam made me do it

Okay he didn't. But he did tell me I should post more on this. :P

I've been a bit busy and don't have time to sit and write, and if any of you have ever read any of my various other blogs you'll know they come few and far between but tend to have some substance to them.

This one is not so much, but a story worthy of retelling even if it is only funny to the parties involved. :o)

So tonight my roommate and I were playing Lord of the Rings Trivial Pursuit (woo hoo!!!). I was probably getting a little too into it (to quote Susan: "you're an over achiever") and just before we finished up our 3rd game (yes, we are that hard core) I got a question I was CERTAIN I knew the answer to.

Susan: How many horns does a balrog have?
Me (before she finished asking the question): Two!!!
Susan (who didn't miss a beat, by the way): No, it's four.
Me: *insert the most horrified and confused look you can imagine*
Susan: *insert huge belly laugh* Just kidding...it's two.

Okay...so apparently I need to lighten up a little bit. ;o)

And for my fellow nerds out there, at least the card didn't say: How many wings does a balrog have? Because we all know what that can of worms looks like. :P

Inspiration is contagious

So, after both Adam and Katie started one of these I decided to do one too. I like the layout of this blog better than other ones I've had, so I'll test drive this and see how it does. :o)