Of all the Things I wanted to say and couldn't ...

Of all the things I wanted to say and couldn't ...

                   Life is like a roller coaster ride.

It isn't always pretty, and it isn't always fun. But if we stick it out through all the loop-de-loops and twists and turns we'll wind up at the end.

Nonsense & Such

“I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, It's a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope. Which is what I do, And that enables you to laugh at life's realities.”       --- Dr. Seuss

                                        

6 Things that made me laugh today.

1. Samuel was jumping around in a mushroom chair. Daddy says, "That chair'll cut your fingers off, boy."
2. I said, "Don't drowned." To which came the reply, "Haha! You are funny."
3. Kenna and I were teasing Elaina and I said, "My favorite color is Violet, Kenna." We cracked up insanely much.
4. Mommy said, "Honey, what books did you need to get again?" I heard myself say, "Parenting for dummies." Oh no! Did I for real say that in my people voice? I look at daddy, he's smirking | trying not to laugh. Epic fail! I must be careful what I say.
5. I'm driving like a nut. Mommy says, "I swear, girl! Oh did you just ask me to drive?"
6. We brought Baklava home. One of the girls asked, "What in the world is Vodka? I thought it was bad." I die. Really I do.  

Nothing Profound.

• Went to Target and got my Mommy some Starbucks coffee to warm her insides.
• Found a sunny yellow shirt thingy and it made me wish for Summer time. WHY are they selling summery stuff in the dead of winter anyways?!
• I'm sitting in the middle of this thing called a Chair & a Half. It makes me think of Dr. Seusse. But its a comfy thing and the internet is good. Remind me this doesn't do much to keep your brain alert and enthusiastic ...
• Trying to remember if I've ever seen Iron Man?
• So I randomly decided to break my neck skiiing or ice skating or something semi-cold pretty soon.
• Had 5 Guys Burger & Cajun Fries for lunch. Oh my goodness, bad-for-you food almost never tasted so yummy!
• I found a pair of dark purple Argyle socks today. They are the cutest in the world! Least, that's my opinion right this minute.
• Currently questioning my use of capital letters. Oh well ... I don't hear an English profession calling my name. Lucky for me, too.
• I can't send more than one text message at a time, I'm not sure why I try. I wonder what kind of old people our generation will be, you know ... with the whole texting thing and whatnot.
• There are 1, 533-ish verses in Genesis. If anybody was wondering.
• Moved some furniture out of my room last night. I don't typically make a habit out of that, but they were driving me nuts. Running into things the moment you sleepily roll out of bed isn't my cup of tea, exactly.
• Today was busy, tomorrow will be full of a lot of nothing-ness. I almost like that, but haven't quite decided.
• I miss NC drivers. VA drivers are scary and wild. lol
• My sister may attempt to drive my stick-shift. Scariness! If you wandered what my nightmares entail, I just gave you a hint. I love her.
• I owe a lot of people a lot of things. Hugs | Kisses | Candy | Shopping Trips | Knowledge | Lunch dates | TIME in general. I love it.

Nothing Profound ... as of two days ago.

• The TV gets insanely loud sometimes.
• Conversations around the supper table are still warm and funny.
• It isn't in my head. Would it be insanely rude to say, I told you so? Just wondering.
• Dissapointments are sometimes stepping stones to better things.
• Quiet is still very much appreciated.
• I could really, REALLY go for a Chicken Basil Pizza. Not the whole thing, not even half. But I really could go for some.
• Organization on the brain. Beware!
• Contemplating my newest project ... idk, just thinking about doing somethin.
• Randomly decided Reeses should have more peanut butter. Yay!
• Why can't all chocolate be dark? Since we were almost on the subject anyway.
• LOVE the corkboard above my desk. It is unadulterated inspiration; it begs me to fill it with all kinds of random goodness.
• Shutting my door when I'm organizing something makes daddy worry less.
• One day I really will send snail mail to everyone I'm thinking about. Someday ... but for now that stack of cute stationary is just going to collect dust.
• My collection of special B&W photos is growing. They are lovely.

Nothing Profound.

• After six days, it feels good to re-connect with the worldly wide web.
• I really didn't think I would be sick on Christmas, but I am. I'm all sniffles and smiles.
• Love being with my family for Christmas.
• The snow is just coming down.
• That vintage kitchen table I found is sitting in a corner of my room. I love.
• We've all improved with age ... or at least I think so!
• My opinion of Egg Nog is still ugh. Reminds me of a gallon of paint.
• My mother really is capable of putting a pool table together. Wonder of wonders.
• Watched 2 episodes of NCIS.
• Never mind about the Egg Nog. I can't taste anything at the moment, so I just tried some of my Papa's. It reminded me of a milk shake. Go figure. 
• Papa says he "nick-nacked" all day yesterday, meaning he munched on Christmas goodies. That makes me smile. 
• I've slept an awful lot lately. 
• My fingers are crossed.
• Abby's giving me a mini-sermon on our differing opinions. Joys of sibling-hood. 
• My grandparents 10 foot tree is absolutely amazing. Just like when I was little.
• Daddy gave me a pair of tights that are the cutest!
• The boys are dashing around the den playing Hyper Dash! No fooling, it's SO funny watching them.
• The first Merry Christmas I was wished this morning was my favorite. 
• My Papa's so smart, he's full of interesting facts and ... smartness!

Nothing Profound.

• The whole baking thing wasn’t epic failure.
• Locked the keys in my car. Smartness.
• It happens sometimes. He didn't seem to be terribly depressed about it, either. ;)
• Drank me some of the Purple Powder and I was ready to roll, Jack!
• Got a white hoodie that smells pretty much amazing.
• Phone calls kept me awake and smiling.
• Got a ZILLION hugs the moment I walked in the door. It was freezing but they all ran outside to meet me. Aw.
• Discovered I left my phone charger in NC, and then my car charger decided to snap on me. DEPRESSION! No phone | No schedule | No life. How does one survive? Jk
• Met the newest little man for the first in my life and fell in itty bitty pieces of love with him.
• Unpacked all my stuff, and hung it in that awesomely large new closet.  *Sigh*
• Missed waking up to my lovely roommates this morning. 
• The amount you can miss someone is astounding. 
• The bathroom floor isn’t cold! Nice change.

Nothing Profound.

• I made it through a WHOLE semester. This sudden realization made me tear up a bit.
• I have zero confidence in my baking skills just now. 
• I couldn't have made it this far without God.
• Camera phones make me smile. Go figure, yeah.
• Drea gave me a necklace for Christmas with lots of little things on it. I like muchly.
• This ain't nothing. Really, it's not.
• Everyday struggles make me stronger.
• My Passion & Purity book is so underlined it's insane. I love that book.
• I met a little boy yesterday. I could make him laugh forever. It was contagious!
• Smells like some sort of goodness. That really makes me smile.
• "Your hair grows faster when you're in love." I like that. 
• Heard the Beach Boys Little Saint Nick twice this week. 
• I went to breakfast without my dear Jenny-fur today.
• It's still real cold outside and I'm loving the fuzzy socks.
• I'll be making blue-eyed gingerbread men VERY SOON! 
• Quiet is good, but lots of little voices shouting above each other, telling me how much they miss me are going to be pretty much amazing when I get where I'm going.
• One day at a time ...

Nothing Profound.

• Alarm went off at 5, got up at 6:50.
• We didn't really fail White Glove.
• The HARDEST Deatrick final happened today. Nobody saw that one coming.
• On the peak of exhaustion, a friend offered to buy me a perk-me-up. Aww.
• I'm on the other side of 3 consecutive finals. Only 1 left, that makes me smile.
• Student body chapel cracked me up! Hello?
• Chipmunks ARE roasting on an open fire. 
• Laughter relieves all kinds of crazy stress.
• Crowding into the breezeway is fun. If not a little bit loud. 
• My shoe fell off in the Commons, Candice laughed. I like her laugh. 
• Grabbed Chinese from the Mall, some random guy across the restaurant waved and says "Hey Chick."
• A nice old man opened the door for me, and kept right on walking with me for a whole minute just chatting up a storm. He's from Myrtle beach and I'm from Richmond. It all started with "You ready for Christmas, little lady?" to which I said, "Yeah, I am! How about you?" Amazing isn't it? 
• Something in me screams, "Shut up, and just say thank you for opening the door." Oh well, hopeless. 
• When did I become an insanely friendly-chatty sort of individual?!
• A spacey old lady sat down beside me, starts up a conversation about how her Christmas program might get canceled on account of a storm. And did I know if they'd really cancel for a reason like that? I shrug and tell her I'll cross my fingers. She patted my hand. Apparently, she liked that.

Nothing Profound.

• Stating the obvious is sometimes fun. It makes me smile. alot.
• It's really, really COLD outside! Brr ...
• People in this McDonald's shout, that's not really awesome.
• Talking things out is huge. Communication is a must in life.
• I spotted Santa's twin today. No lie.
• People are watching you when you least expect.
• Twisting the ring around my finger feels good. 
• The chapel message this morning was unbelievably convicting.
• I'm really not getting anything done sitting here like this. Getting annoyed with MD's employees really doesn't count.
• The couple sitting to my left just held hands as they prayed for their food. I think that's pretty sweet.
• I was encouraged to be aware of my surroundings. An absolutely fantastic idea!
• Worry is a good thing sometimes, and greatly appreciated it.
• Laughter relieves a bunch of stress. I thank my roommates for this.
• If your printer says you've got a Paper Jam, check for a mechanical pencil wedged between the paper. Seriously.

First day of Finals

My roommates and I stayed up until midnight. Papers were scattered all over the room and it looked like 5 year olds had torn the place apart. We ate chocolate and drank spark.

We compared notes, and fell asleep one by one. Hours later as some sort of wet stuff -- whether snow, rain or sleet we'll never know -- tapped against our windowpane and air unit, we sleepily crawled, scooted and rolled out of bed.

I glanced at the clock an hour after crawling out of bed, and randomly decided to go to breakfast for the third time since the beginning of semester. The moment I opened the door, a big old gust of icy air hit me in the face with unbelievable force. It took my breath away. I contemplated not going to breakfast after all, but the thought of hot breakfast sounded like a pretty good idea.

I studied for a few hours, cleaned up our little room and drank another spark. Did I mention I sort of, kind of, maybe like that stuff a little bit? I tried it for the first time last night. It's supposed to give you mental focus rather than energy and I thought, Hey why not?

Heart races. Brain registers a new funny kind of feelings. You're suddenly reminded of grape Koolaide from when you were a kid, etc.Yeah.

So I sat in the middle of my room, downing spark and writing like mad. I have no idea how much info I was really retaining in my multi-tasking state of being, but I wasn't lounging around in my Pj's that's for sure. Note: at 6am, I'm typically curled up with my blanket begging time to stand still. So this was really progress.

By the time I braved the cold once again, I still had no clue how I would do on this whole Theology final. I prayed | I glanced at my notes feverishly reading every little thing I could cram in | I checked the clock counting down to mere minutes | I took a deep breath.

I finished my final. I walked out of class, sighing with relief to check one off my list. It felt good, regardless of the grade I would make. I think I did alright. And so long as it was my best, I know the Lord is pleased. :)

Psalm 27:14

"  Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD."

Nothing Profound.

• I woke up to a cloudy, wet world. 
• God's word amazed me, again.
• Loving encouragement was a big ray of sunshine in my soul.
• I left the dorm on time. 
• A sweet little baby fell asleep on my chest this morning. 
• The Children's Christmas play went well. 
• Church let out early and my coffee was still warm.

Not So Random.

Of all the things I wanted to say but couldn't and shouldn't, I will say this ...

I am so tired. 

I'll be Home for Christmas ...

""  I'll be home for Christmas, you can plan on me"

...  and that's no joke. 

In seven days I will be chucking all those lovely belongings into my car and hitting the highway like nobody's business. I'm going to make dozens of blue-eyed gingerbread men, listen to *fun* Christmas music till my sanctified ears can't take it another minute which probably won't happen for a long time yet ...

And then I'm going to sleep in, hang out in my jammies and be a real strange heathen that doesn't make my bed the second I get up, and stay up hours after midnight, maybe.

So I've just got to get through these finals and pack up my stuff. Packing up is no problemo, but the finals are pretty much a big old burden on my mind right now.

But there's nothing like hanging out with some friends, watching a Christmas cartoon -- about Santa's elves no less -- and priding myself in drinking a whole cup of coffee.

Stopping to Consider

• I'm an adult now. 
• I have to make a lot of my own decisions.
• Jesus is God!
• I'm still a big fat sinner. 
• I've got an unbelievable amount of Blessings. 
• I have a sudden love affair with cute tights.
• Making (above) decisions isn't always fun.
• Tiny things are cute, with the exception of bugs & such.
• Coffee is a miracle drug.
• Leaning over, pointing out the Check Engine light to Dad is fine, not so Joe when I'm on my lonesome.
• The night sky is Amazing!
• I owe God SO much. He gives me every breath, loves me, strengthens me and amazes me daily. 
• Good Things are worth waiting for, this I know!
• I take heat for granted until my fingers remind me of Icicles.
• Fuzzy Socks are a good thing first thing in the morning on a COLD bathroom floor.
• repeat the last one, because it's just so good.
• The snooze button is a dangerous thing.
• $3 deals are something else. 
• God is always there. Sounds simple, but it randomly hits me in a profound way.
• Psalms is chucked full of awesome-ness. 
• Trials make you pray a whole bunch, and make you a lot stronger. 
• 148 days doesn't ever seem like it's going to come. But it will.
• FREE Quizzes in class are surprisingly terrific!
• Christmas music in the car makes for a pretty happy gal.
• Same goes for PB&J wraps on the sly, and random smiles. 
• ... and my mama & daddy are laughing because my first consideration was being an "adult".

In the Shadow of thy Wings

   ¹ Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast.
   ² I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth all things for me. 

20 Thanksgivings

1) God first and foremost.       

~For without him ... I would have nothing.

2) Godly Parents who love me for who I am.

 ~ who consistently encourage me!

3) My sister Kenna. I have so much fun with her.

 ~ She makes me laugh, she makes me cry.

4) My sister Lana. I loved watching her grow this year!

~ She's my Rough 'N Tumble girl.

5) My sister Abby. Aw my, what words to describe her? 

~ Earrings! She got hers early. She thrills my soul to death. 

6) My brother Samuel. My little superman dude | a lover boy at heart.

~ He just makes me smile. I appreciate every kiss I get. xoxo

7) My brother Joshy Washy | The Little Casanova.

~ I cherish his cuddles and baby dimples. I like his pictures he sends me.

8) My Memaw. A ray of sunshine in my mailbox, and an amazing cook!

~ I love shopping with her. She's so much fun.

9) My Papa.The best fried apple maker in the whole world.
~ My favorite pictures are catching a random smile.

10) My Best Friend.  The most amazing friend and one of my biggest blessings.
~ He always encourages me | especially to patiently wait on God's timing.

11) Letters in my Mailbox. Like a ray of sunshine.
~ You can't fully appreciate this until you're at school away from home.

12) Long Walks and comfortable Silence.
~ It's nice to just walk and think. It's good for the soul.

13) The ability to Pray anytime | anywhere | for any reason.
~ When I don't know what to do, I know I can pour my heart out to Someone who does!

14) The book of Psalms. Encouraging and Comforting.
~ No matter where I randomly flip, it's always what I need.

15) Smiles. There are so many this year | my face hurts.
~ A bad thing? I think not.

16) Only having 22 days left until I go home.
~ I can't wait to see our Christmas Tree and bake Blue-eyed Gingerbread Men.

17)  My wonderful little Car. An unforeseen blessing.
~ I never expected to have a car, but it's an amazing little Honda Accord.

18) The way Scripture I've read all my life suddenly jumps off the page and hits me hard.

~ It's real. The feeling is amazing. Sends me scrambling for paper to jot it down.

19)  Cat Naps and Sleep in general. I'm not joking!
~ You don't appreciate either until you've gone a long while without it.

20) The single guys winning the Turkey Bowl today! Whoo Hooo!
~ It's been five years and I was cheering them on. Happiness.

How do we do this Blogging thing again?

Whew! September and October have come and gone.

Where to? Well, I really couldn't tell you ... the past two months have really been a blur for me.

One of my professors at school told us at the beginning of the semester to blink and we'd be home for Christmas. Like everyone else, I laughed and thought he was crazy. I didn't even give it a second thought, Christmas was months away | Summer sunshine and flip-flops awaited me at the end of my school day. No, I certainly wouldn't be blinking away nearly a whole semester | finding myself bundling up and counting down to Christmas.

But here I am, winding down from my pre-Thanksgiving fun and realizing there are only 23 days before I happily -- and very unceremoniously -- chuck my belongings into the back of my car and hit the road for Home. 

School has really been a blast though! I'll be the first to admit it was better this year than last year. One difference being, I finally just gave things over to the Lord and let him mold and shape me till the mud and droplets of water flung from this piece of clay. God has taught me so much in such a little time! I can't really believe it, even when I've sat down long enough to think about it. But I'm thankful.

My day consisted of a 2.5 hour long Praise chapel that was totally awesome | some amazing Pumpkin Cheesecake | a round or two of Ping-pong & Checkers --- one of which I happened to win | and a lesson in Chess -- pretty much almost lost, but I'm catching on ya'll. ;)

  So the Walk for Life went extremely well on Saturday. After three days of Reconciliation -- the LONG drawn out process of double checking records, donations and deposits, etc -- we have brought in $20, 347 which is pretty much a terrific thing!

  We ended up having a few extra volunteers come by to help, so I ended up floating around. I parked myself in the kitchen for a good deal of the morning, helping the ladies make sausage biscuits, coffee and cleaning up after everybody. We had originally planned to have two ovens, but we had problems with one so when I went to check the status of the one that worked I ended up burning my arm.

    .... I now have matching burn marks on my arms. lol ;)


   But it was a fantastic (however hectic) day, but the Lord blessed our efforts.

    It being 9/11 we also ended up having a few interesting characters stop by Chick-fil-A. We had a big burly man come in drunk as a skunk, basically. He had a whopping check, and had a few ideas of how it would be spent. Including in no small part, taking my female manager and myself out to dinner somewhere. :o

     The guys quickly took his order and had him on his way. Needless to say, our night was interesting and not without a topic of discussion. ;)


     I'm really thankful God has allowed me to work with some great Christian guys. As far as school goes, everything is going fantastic! I'll be sure to update SOON! :)

     Faith is choosing to step past uncertainties, doubts, and fear--all feelings. 

Faith is choosing to abandon the place where I know I'll be safe, where I know I'll be comfortable, where I know I can provide for myself...

   

Faith is choosing to put myself in a place where I cannot see what's next, but I know that I can rest on the promises of One whose promises are never broken.

Just a little update.

  Wow. It's been a few days since I've connected with the living breathing world ...

   God has blessed beyond measure both at school and at work. My job training for Chick-fil-A started last week and it went well. Can I admit my surprise?

    I was insanely nervous about running the register, but it turned out far better than I could've hoped. I've fallen for 1 of 3 manager pranks to date, but they were pretty funny. I watched one transaction, then within 20 minutes of clocking in, they put me behind the register with a smile. I'm told I looked like a deer in headlights, but everything went alright ... or got there eventually. ;)

     One older lady -- my third transaction -- stared hard at the menu for a good 2 minutes and finally said, "I'll take that chicken sandwich thing with 10 and a half pickles."

     10.5 pickles. Really? I pulled up the proper screen and then I was lost. How in the world?

     "I'm on a diet, you know." The lady volunteered, watching my struggle.

     "Mmm." I nodded with a smile. "Those are always fun."

      I explained I was new, so it might take a few minutes. She laughed and said, "Oh honey, don't worry about it. I didn't like that diet anyway. 10 pickles would be just fine."

      And no, I didn't bother hiding my smile ... or my relief. ;)

   So basically, things have been going well. I got off work at the Pregnancy Center a little late today, which made me about 45 minutes early for church. I haven't had the time to check my mail or anything, so it's actually kind of nice. Even if I AM sitting on the gym floor, dodging bouncy balls as the kids chuck them across the room. lol.

Hitting the Books

   Today marked my first official day of classes. Surprisingly, I loved all my classes and with the exception of my roommates and I all trying to decide what to wear, everything went fantastic. My first class was Voice, but that ended up being one of my favorite classes of the day! Who would have thought. ;)

   And on a side note, we've got verses up all over our dorm and the one on my end of the hall is Galatians 2:20. how cool is that?!

   Tomorrow, I'll start my harder 3 day (Monday. Wednesday. Friday.) classes so I'm little nervous about that. But God knows and I'm sure it will almost be as nice as today. Maybe. lol

Home Away From Home

    I packed my boxes with a big knot in my stomach. Everything was simply going by far TOO fast! I had a whirlwind summer and here I was ... packing to head back to college.

    Around Noon today, we pulled the van and the car up to the Jordan dorm and began to unload. What had I been thinking? Where would all that stuff go? Would I like my roommates?  My mind was plagued by questions I didn't have the energy to answer.

     And then, my Mom and my amazing sister K got in there and together we worked a miracle amongst that big old pile of mess! Within an hour's time, everything was in its own little place and the only thing I had to stress out about was what I'd do with my free time until our 10:45 curfew.

     I crashed on my neatly made bed -- a smaller version of my own comfy bed at home -- and pulled out some stationary. Last semester, communication with anyone outside of school was pretty much nonexistent so I have predetermined to redeem myself if at all possible. ;)

    Surprise. Surprise. Some of you just might end up with a little bit of snail mail from N.C.

    So I addressed my envelopes and after discovering I could go off campus without a pass just for this weekend, I grabbed my bag and hit the road. My friend Andrea -- who doesn't know Right from Left when giving me directions (only because we're so caught up in talking, mind you) -- her brother Joe and I stopped by Wal-Mart before heading to their church. Andrea is the RU secretary so she had to make her lovely appearance. :)

     We chatted for awhile and then I left, in hopes of finding some amazing deals at the Goodwill. I ended up finding a black and white Toile dress from Ann Taylor LOFT for under $5. I did a little window shopping, and ended up at Broad river Coffee Shop to check my email and all that fun stuff.

   So I'm sitting here in the dark, cozy little loft of the Coffee Shop all by myself and loving it entirely. There's a group of Gardener web girls in the living room area below me and they're just talking, talking, talking up a storm! Thankfully, it's a semi interesting conversation ;) jk

  

"Love is an act of endless forgiveness, a tender look which becomes a habit."
 – Peter Ustinov

   I'm babysitting tonight, and as I was washing the supper dishes VT runs into the kitchen and asks if she can sing me the new song she learned at Bible Study. The song was Marching in the Lord's Army and it went something like this ...

     "I inna Loood's ooomeee. I inna Loood's ooomeee. I not goooona moaaaaach in the trees. Wide up the couchery. Soot the oatery. I inna Loood's ooomeee!"

    And then she smiles up at me, her little blue eyes just sparkling with two year old pride. Now, if that doesn't just melt your heart I really don't know what will. I thought it was absolutely adorable! =)

A Victory Tower, indeed.

  I don't typically post politically, but there's an issue at hand that is simply growing by leaps and bounds. The American people are outraged at the mere mention of builing an Islamic Mosque on Ground Zero.

  I wasn't too keen on the idea when they were playing around with the possibility several years ago, and I'm really disgusted that the American Government isn't doing anything to stop it. In my opinion, its a disgrace to the memory of over 3,000 Americans who lost their lives at the hands of the Islamic terrorists on September 11th.

   Why was building an Islamic Mosque on Ground Zero ever considered?!

   We can sit back in the comfort of our everyday, ordinary lives and shake our heads at the government. But it can only get worse from here. If more people STOOD UP for what is right, the government might actually start shaping up and taking notice.

   The American Center for Law & Justice (ACLJ) is currently taking the lead in this critical rising case. They represent Tim Brown -- a decorated firefighter who lost nearly 100 friends on 9/11, as well as a firsthand witness to the horrors of that day.

   Tim will never forget, neither will many Americans across the nation. But the memory isn't as sharp as it once was, and we've begun to let things slide. After all, preparations are underway for this Islamic Mosque and Americans have only just begun to stir.

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2010/08/03/john-tantillo-ground-zero-mosque-islam-anti-defamation-league/
 
    I don't know. It sounds like the makings of a Victory Tower for the Islamic people. But check out the link and feel free to voice your opinions. I'd love to hear what you think.

    I was reading in Luke 4 this morning and was struck by one verse in particular.

         18. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised.

     I began to think about all the things that we've been able to do through the Lord, and how He has chosen to use us to reach out to the people all around us. The poor, the brokenhearted, the blind as well as the bruised.

     All those opportunities to minister would never have been possible if we hadn't opened our hearts to the moving of the Holy Spirit. It sounds pretty simple, but it really just blew my mind in a profound way.

     Since becoming a Christian, what are some ways you have most enjoyed serving God?

Victory is won not in miles, but in inches. Win a little now, hold your ground, and later, win a little more."

Everyday Frustrations

  Mmm. Frustrations seem to be a larger-than-life part of the routine lately. At first, my method of dealing with these problems were to just grin and bear it. It hit the downward spiral of pure aggrivation and then, just as I was teetering on the precipice of insanity ... God brought to mind James 1:2-4

   "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing."

    I don't know how many times I've looked at that verse and not thought a thing about it. But when the Lord brings storms, trials, or just simple everyday testing it always seems to come to mind. Through all the craziness life throws our way, He's slowly-but surely working in us and perfecting us into the people HE wants us to be.

The Little Steps

  So often God brings little steps into our lives that lead to even greater opportunities than we could have ever expected. This past Spring, God brought me to the Pregnancy Center as a volunteer. I have semi-acclimated myself to how things are run around here and absolutely love it! :)

   For the past month or so, I've been talking to the N.C Pregnancy Center director about possibly transferring to their Shelby center when I return to school this fall. I met with him on Friday afternoon and was given the job. I was thrilled to death, to say the least.

   God went over and above in answering my prayers! I'm so thankful.

   I also had an interview at Chick-fil-A where one of my friend's works and I got that job as well. It sounds like a lot of craziness between schooling and working, but the Lord has brought me to it and He'll bring me through it as well. I'm so excited to see what the Lord has in store for me. :)

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched , they must be felt with the heart.

Rambling on ...

 Good morning, world!

  It's been slow going at work today, which that isn't necessarily a bad thing. It gives me the time to catch up on files or follow-up cards, or just find little things to do around the office. I'm sitting at my desk listening to the train and watching as the clock on the wall rattles in it's wake.

  My sister left for Camp Barnabas yesterday morning, which kept both of us up until midnight the night before packing last minute. We checked the list twice, but not five minutes after she pulled out of the driveway I noticed a folded pile of clothes on my bed.

  One of her favorite shirts, a denim skirt and that green and brown plaid shirt she looks so cute in. Bummer. Hopefully that's all she forgot. If not, I'm sure the friend of mine she's staying with will be more than happy to help her out. ;)

  Little bits and pieces of my wardrobe have gone AWOL on me. Pretty sure they're sitting in a big red suitcase on the dorm floor in North Carolina right about now. If not, K is probably wearing them.

   I don't mind. Girls are girls, sisters are sisters and we love sharing clothes ... most of the time, I'm the one doing the sharing. lol. The girls and I think Dad should just put in a big "closet room" to dump all our clothes in so we won't have to be so dissorganized by splitting the clothes into three different closets.

   He just smiles and says, "Um, I don't think so."  :D

   Can't wait to have my sissy back, but I'm really glad she has the opportunity to go to camp and help Mr. D in the kitchen. I did the same thing last summer and loved it!

Don't Move The Mountain!

"Lord, don't move the mountain ... or I may grow weaker. Give me the STRENGTH to climb! Give me trials that I may not stray. Lord, reach down and show me the way!"

Wherever we are.

"... Lead me to the Rock that is higher than I. For THOU hast been a shelter for ME, and a strong tower from the enemy." Psalm 61:2~3

 This verse has been such a big encouragement, as well as a comfort to me over the past few weeks. Things are seemingly rising up out of nowhere and could really be disheartening. But the Lord gave me this verse in my devotions several weeks ago and it just seems to stick.

 I LOVE it when God puts something in my path to remind me of His unending love and protection, regardless of whatever I'm going through! We serve an amazing God, I'm beyond thankful and sometimes it just gets me ... That Big | Amazing | Wonderful God is my God!

The Chick-fil-A Cow

So yesterday, Mom and I stopped at the new Chick-fil-A that opened up in Waynesboro.  I love the food, the atmosphere and the friendly people ... but there's only one thing that I really HATE.

                                     The Cow.

Don't fall on the floor in shock! You're not the only one who's asking how in the world can anybody hate the Chick-fil-A mascot. I've often wondered the same thing, mmkay? :)

Everywhere we turned there were people! It's the opening week, so obviously there's going to be a lot of people showing up. Mom and I found a table by the door and not five minutes into our meal, the cow came hustling through the door.

A handful of ideas popped into my head without warning ...

1) Chuck my styrofoam cup of Tea over my shoulder in the direction of said mascot.
2) Excuse myself and head to the bathroom to wash my hands -- that aren't even close to dirty.
3) No eye contact. Maybe he won't pick up any friendly vibes and pass me by, yeah?
4) Suck it up and take it like a man -- just hug the dumb cow already!

Ok, so number four would have definitely been my last resort. But I settled for the lesser of two evils, and avoided making eye contact. And yes, my mother is of course dying laughing. I wasn't about to put it past her to call the cow over and say, "Excuse me, she'd like a picture with you."

Ah, what horrors. :P

The 4th of JULY

We girls took advantage of the time we had while waiting for the parade to start, and climbed up in a tree.

The girls and I being silly -- I was mocking E's natural pose and she's faking a smile like mine. Maybe we were just high on popcicles or soda's ... or something.

My mad face |  K is laughing at me.

P & T lighting Sparklers for the little guys under the big tree.

 Mom bought a big pack of 500, so the guys stayed pretty busy.

Terribly posed | This is before we decided to do a

SILLY POSE!

... yeah, no way I'd post that one. Or five other people would

so be all over me!

All in all, it was a great HOT day. We passed out all but about 60 of our popcicles with tracts.

Mountain or Wave?

 Okay, so I was looking at my calendar the other day and suddenly realized VBS is next week! Next week? Can it really be? Where. on. earth. has. the. time. gone?!!

  The little peach colored slips have all been passed out at church and everyone is figuring out just where they fit in during the crazy wonderful week of Vacation Bible School. Peter & I are running games, and have pretty much planned a fantastic week of games. Secretly, I'm not sure who will enjoy the games more ... the kids, or Peter and I. ;)

  I got home from work last night to find a big roll of sky blue tablecloth on my bed. Completely clueless, I asked Mama what it was for. She said that the girls had been assigned to cut out the waves to decorate the walls of the church auditorium. She asked if I'd mind helping them out this morning while she took the boys into town to run errands.

  So, Elaina and I spent about forty-five minutes unrolling and making "waves" across the kitchen floor. I was thrilled to death when we reached the end of the roll and had finished winding it all back up on the cardboard roll it had come on.

  But really, they don't look like authentic waves to me ... they look like little blue humps, or big blue hills. Elaina says we should glue mountain goats on the top of the peaks. ;)

  Who knows, maybe the munchkins won't REALLY come in and ask "Hey! What's up with the blue mountains, people?!"

   Regardless of WHAT I think the mountains waves look like, I'm looking forward to next week. I'm praying that we have a turnout that will absolutely blow our minds, and that many munchkins as well as their parents will come to know the Lord.

After 9 months of waiting ... they're FINALLY here!

  

  I was at work Tuesday, when I heard my phone vibrate under my desk. I could barely contain my excitement as I read the text announcing the birth of the twins just an hour earlier. I was thrilled beyond words! I watched the clock crawl towards 8 ...

  Visitor hours were over by the time I finished work on Wednesday, so when I finally stepped inside the hospital elevator Thursday afternoon, I had more excitement than I knew what to do with.

Mommy. Daddy. Jared Grant & Jenna.

I can hardly believe that Eric and Lori who babysat me when I was

teeny tiny finally have two sweet bundles of their own. I love them bunches!

This is one of my favorites ... Adorably Sweet.

They're so tiny, it amazes me!

Tiny fingers, hands, toes ...

... And the cutest little noses.

That's one proud Daddy!

Did I mention how much fun I had photographing Jared Grant & Jenna?

I'm so thankful the Lord has blessed Eric & Lori with these two sweet little babies.

It was a long time in coming, but so very worth the wait. Good things come to those who wait

on the Lord's timing. God has everything in control and His time is so much better than ours!

   "Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth."

                                                                                             -- Psalm 127:3,4

A Sitter's life for Me

I'm babysitting this week, so I thought I'd post some pictures for you guys.

Yesterday, we all went outside and played in the yard for a good deal of the day. The weather was gorgeous, and the kids had fun. :)

IT loves her big brother, but she's more interested in getting to the Sandbox.

So much for everybody looking at the camera ... ;)

I took the munchkins around the yard in their wagon.

IT loves riding in her swing ...

IT has suddenly discovered ...

GRASS!

*Note: Being the good babysitter that I am ;) ...

She wasn't allowed to eat it. 

VT had enough of the grass, and wanted to

take her sissy inside.

She could play in the sandbox for hours on end. 

She and FT built a big Sand Castle for me, then smashed

it and built an even bigger one.

... They threw sand into the air and said, 

"Look Miss Bruntey, it's sand from Heaven!"

Who do we think we are?

"And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God."   1 Corinthians 6:11

   I stumbled upon this particular verse the other day and that first part just struck me. Sometimes, without thinking, we are quick to judge others around us. We see someone different than ourselves and think negatively.

   Blaming it on our human nature, we continue to respond to differences in that way without really having a second thought about what we're really saying and doing.

   But that verse got me to thinking ... Jesus wouldn't do it that way. He wasn't quick to judge EVER! In short, wouldn't it be great to look at people in a positive light -- through the eyes of Jesus?

    Lord, give me Your eyes for even a little while so I can see the hurting people. Give me Your eyes so I can see everything that I keep missing. Lord, give me Your HEART for humanity.