This week has sure had its share of ups and downs. I've babysat my brother every day which I thought would be monotonous but it's been really fun. We've swum almost every day and even though I have skinned knees from the bottom and sides of the pool, it's always the highlight of the day. Also, I've been finally figuring things out for school, such as how I'm going to get all my stuff down there and buying books. I took my bridesmaid dress to the lady who's going to alter it yesterday so that was another thing to check off the list. The Lord's been teaching me a lot through I Corinthians and that has been an immense blessing.
There have also been some hard things this week that I've had to deal with. On top of that (or maybe because of it), I haven't been sleeping well. I've learned that I'm a worrier-something that constantly needs to be brought to the Lord-which definitely robs me of sleep. I'm often tired and feeling emotionally drained. Some things just really hurt and as much as you try to ignore them, you can't. It partially makes me want school to hurry up and get here already so I can escape certain problems (which makes certain other ones worse though), but I know that I can't ever run away from problems because that does no good in the long run.
And then tonight. I ended this hard week hanging out with three great friends from high school, who all really love the Lord and desire to serve Him. It's great to hang out with people and have the chance to reminisce about the good ole days, and to both laugh a ton and have good conversations. I needed that tonight, and the Lord always is faithful to give us what we need.
Lamentations 3:22-23 says, "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness." I love this because it reminds us that His love is steadfast and unceasing. No matter what comes, good or bad, the Lord loves us the same way and gives us enough mercy for both the good days and the bad.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Thursday, August 11, 2011
A hymn that has helped me today
Some days life is just peachy. Even when the tough things come, you're ready for them and can handle them.
Other days, not so much. On these days, it seems like so many things affect you more than normal and you just need comfort. Well here's the comfort I've found because today (actually the last several days) has been hard.
What a Friend We Have in Jesus
What a friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and griefs to bear.
What a privilege to carry
Everything to God in prayer!
Oh, what peace we often forfeit,
Oh what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer.
Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged-
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful,
Who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness;
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Are we weak and heavy-laden
Cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge-
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Do thy friends despise, forsake thee?
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
In His arms He'll take and shield thee,
Thou wilt find a solace there.
Blessed Savior, Thou hast promised
Thou wilt all our burdens bear;
May we ever, Lord, be bringing
All to Thee in earnest prayer.
Soon in glory bright, unclouded,
There will be no need for prayer-
Rapture, praise, and endless worship
Will be our sweet portion there.
I love that the second half of the last verse ends with hope. We are assured that heaven will be sweet because we will forever be praising our great God.
Monday, August 8, 2011
This is my personal blog, and though I often talk about things I like or what's going on in my life, I don't always talk about myself. I think. Anyway, here are some things about me that you might not know.
-I've always liked school. I've always looked forward to summer ending and school beginning. This increased in high school and college. Though class is often boring and homework is a pain, school is what I know. I'm used to seeing my friends daily and having random funny things happen-especially now that I'm in college. [Sidenote: this summer has been the exception. After coming home from a month in Maine, I had a few days of nothing before starting my job at the fair. This took up 2 and a half weeks, often with crazy hours. After the fair ended and we took everything down, leaving Cal Expo at 3:30 am (of course with a trip to Denny's to hang out one last time with fellow carnies until 5 am) last Monday morning. I babysat with Lindsay all day Monday, then came home early that evening, to spend one night at home before heading to Santa Cruz with the Stoevers. I got back on Friday afternoon. Anytime asked, I answered that I was not ready to go back, not ready for summer/freedom to end. Until today...when I got that itch for education back.] I love learning and I love the social aspect of school. Now that I'm in college, there's also dorm life to look forward to. [Sidenote #2: I don't know who my roommate is going to be this year-it's in God's hands. Needless to say, I'm apprehensive/nervous/excited to see who God has in store.]
-I love food packed with flavor. Anything really sweet, really salty, really sour, really spicy...you name it, I like it! Bold flavors are what I crave. On the other hand, pasta and saltines (though salty, they're still pretty bland) are some of my favorite foods.
-I love kids. I believe in the tradition of getting married and then having kids. But I used to see marriage as a means to an end (read: having my own kids). Thankfully, as I've grown older, I've learned that in a family, the most important relationship is between husband and wife, not parent and child. But I still love kids just as much.
-I love bright colors. But lately I've loved bright colors that have been muted. I don't know if that's the right term for it. This is what I mean:
-I eat my burgers upside down. I don't know why I do it. I just have for a long time. I think it's because it's easier to put my thumbs on the top and the rest of my fingers on the bottom. It's awkward to pick up and put down a burger that's right side up.
-Shots freak me out. Giving blood doesn't. Make sense to you? Me either.
-Cupcakes. Cake pops. Red velvet. Cheesecake. Love them all. Love making them, looking at them, talking about them, eating them.
-I'm not huge into flowers. I mean, don't get me wrong, I think they're pretty. But I don't know lots about them, or have a favorite, or have a particular desire to have a garden. I'm not even huge on getting flowers from people. I do appreciate the gesture, but I'm just not much into them.
-I'm unusually indecisive.
-Country boys/cowboys will always be appealing to me. I love the simplicity of the lifestyle, appreciate the hard working lifestyle, and happen to find them pretty attractive. Story time-last year for Outreach Week at TMC, I went to Bear Valley which is in Tehachapi, CA, which is in the mountains. It seems like almost everyone who lives in Bear Valley owns horses. Some of the boys in the youth group were authentic cowboys (no, I was not attracted to them-they were like 4 years younger and I was there to serve) and one had a rope with him. One of my friends asked if he'd teach her how to "lasso" and he looked at her almost like she was an idiot and said "Lasso is Spanish for rope. It's just called roping, not lassoing."
-I'm a jeans & tshirt kind of girl. Not really huge on makeup either-my every day routine is my Clinique 3 step facial washing/cleansing/moisturizing system, then eyeliner, then mascara. Truth be told, I'm not really into fashion/trends, as you can see by what I wear on a daily basis. When it's cold, I'm a huge hoodie person...so I pretty much look the same every day. Sue me, call me boring, do whatever you want. It's just how I am.
-Love socks. Cute socks and plain black socks are my favorites. I've gotten socks for almost every birthday/Christmas/Valentine's Day/Easter in the last few years.
-Food network and crime dramas. Pretty much all I ever watch on tv. Oh, and I watch the Bachelor/Bachelorette on hulu too.
-Bows. I love them. Ribbons tied into bows, headbands, bows on shoes, bows on baby clothes...I just think they're all adorable.
-I remember song lyrics from when I was a little kid. It's bad. Like remember-songs-from-Patch-the-Pirate-we-sang-in-church-when-I-was-6-years-old bad.
-Telling jokes is my thing. I have like 8 that I reuse and recycle all the time. It's bad when I'm in a group and I forget some of my jokes and then my friends tell them for me. Not kidding. I use them a lot. But I always like to hear and share jokes! So if you have any good ones, send them my way. Okay, they don't have to be good. Mine sure aren't.
-Cheetos and cheese stick nachos. Take a small bowl of cheetos, tear up a cheese stick and put it all over the cheetos, and microwave. Try it-seriously. It's good. Recipe compliments of my friend Andrew my senior year of high school.
-I always use blankets, even in the summer. I especially do while watching tv or reading-any time I'm on a couch. When I'm sleeping, I like lots of pressure on me, so I use lots of blankets then too. I don't know if it's partially because I'm always cold or if it's just that I always like pressure. But I love blankets.
These are some of the things that make me, me. Sorry if this is incredibly boring. Also, sorry for any grammar/punctuation mistakes. It's getting late and I'm tired! Proofreading (which I generally love) is not high on my list of priorities.
-I've always liked school. I've always looked forward to summer ending and school beginning. This increased in high school and college. Though class is often boring and homework is a pain, school is what I know. I'm used to seeing my friends daily and having random funny things happen-especially now that I'm in college. [Sidenote: this summer has been the exception. After coming home from a month in Maine, I had a few days of nothing before starting my job at the fair. This took up 2 and a half weeks, often with crazy hours. After the fair ended and we took everything down, leaving Cal Expo at 3:30 am (of course with a trip to Denny's to hang out one last time with fellow carnies until 5 am) last Monday morning. I babysat with Lindsay all day Monday, then came home early that evening, to spend one night at home before heading to Santa Cruz with the Stoevers. I got back on Friday afternoon. Anytime asked, I answered that I was not ready to go back, not ready for summer/freedom to end. Until today...when I got that itch for education back.] I love learning and I love the social aspect of school. Now that I'm in college, there's also dorm life to look forward to. [Sidenote #2: I don't know who my roommate is going to be this year-it's in God's hands. Needless to say, I'm apprehensive/nervous/excited to see who God has in store.]
-I love food packed with flavor. Anything really sweet, really salty, really sour, really spicy...you name it, I like it! Bold flavors are what I crave. On the other hand, pasta and saltines (though salty, they're still pretty bland) are some of my favorite foods.
-I love kids. I believe in the tradition of getting married and then having kids. But I used to see marriage as a means to an end (read: having my own kids). Thankfully, as I've grown older, I've learned that in a family, the most important relationship is between husband and wife, not parent and child. But I still love kids just as much.
-I love bright colors. But lately I've loved bright colors that have been muted. I don't know if that's the right term for it. This is what I mean:
-I eat my burgers upside down. I don't know why I do it. I just have for a long time. I think it's because it's easier to put my thumbs on the top and the rest of my fingers on the bottom. It's awkward to pick up and put down a burger that's right side up.
-Shots freak me out. Giving blood doesn't. Make sense to you? Me either.
-Cupcakes. Cake pops. Red velvet. Cheesecake. Love them all. Love making them, looking at them, talking about them, eating them.
-I'm not huge into flowers. I mean, don't get me wrong, I think they're pretty. But I don't know lots about them, or have a favorite, or have a particular desire to have a garden. I'm not even huge on getting flowers from people. I do appreciate the gesture, but I'm just not much into them.
-I'm unusually indecisive.
-Country boys/cowboys will always be appealing to me. I love the simplicity of the lifestyle, appreciate the hard working lifestyle, and happen to find them pretty attractive. Story time-last year for Outreach Week at TMC, I went to Bear Valley which is in Tehachapi, CA, which is in the mountains. It seems like almost everyone who lives in Bear Valley owns horses. Some of the boys in the youth group were authentic cowboys (no, I was not attracted to them-they were like 4 years younger and I was there to serve) and one had a rope with him. One of my friends asked if he'd teach her how to "lasso" and he looked at her almost like she was an idiot and said "Lasso is Spanish for rope. It's just called roping, not lassoing."
-I'm a jeans & tshirt kind of girl. Not really huge on makeup either-my every day routine is my Clinique 3 step facial washing/cleansing/moisturizing system, then eyeliner, then mascara. Truth be told, I'm not really into fashion/trends, as you can see by what I wear on a daily basis. When it's cold, I'm a huge hoodie person...so I pretty much look the same every day. Sue me, call me boring, do whatever you want. It's just how I am.
-Love socks. Cute socks and plain black socks are my favorites. I've gotten socks for almost every birthday/Christmas/Valentine's Day/Easter in the last few years.
-Food network and crime dramas. Pretty much all I ever watch on tv. Oh, and I watch the Bachelor/Bachelorette on hulu too.
-Bows. I love them. Ribbons tied into bows, headbands, bows on shoes, bows on baby clothes...I just think they're all adorable.
-I remember song lyrics from when I was a little kid. It's bad. Like remember-songs-from-Patch-the-Pirate-we-sang-in-church-when-I-was-6-years-old bad.
-Telling jokes is my thing. I have like 8 that I reuse and recycle all the time. It's bad when I'm in a group and I forget some of my jokes and then my friends tell them for me. Not kidding. I use them a lot. But I always like to hear and share jokes! So if you have any good ones, send them my way. Okay, they don't have to be good. Mine sure aren't.
-Cheetos and cheese stick nachos. Take a small bowl of cheetos, tear up a cheese stick and put it all over the cheetos, and microwave. Try it-seriously. It's good. Recipe compliments of my friend Andrew my senior year of high school.
-I always use blankets, even in the summer. I especially do while watching tv or reading-any time I'm on a couch. When I'm sleeping, I like lots of pressure on me, so I use lots of blankets then too. I don't know if it's partially because I'm always cold or if it's just that I always like pressure. But I love blankets.
These are some of the things that make me, me. Sorry if this is incredibly boring. Also, sorry for any grammar/punctuation mistakes. It's getting late and I'm tired! Proofreading (which I generally love) is not high on my list of priorities.
Cute Things
This picture's been on my phone since January and it still gets me.
sleepy little guy
ice cream log cake
bee cupcakes
This kills me it's so cute/funny/pathetic.
Reminds me of someone...
Old couples holding hands.
Lord, may this be me in 60 years.
Sunday, August 7, 2011
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