A Happy Workplace.

Do you ever just have those days where you are so happy that it borders on manic?
I had a pretty long day today. Internship from 8-1 and then straight to work where I stayed late until a little after 8.
But I ADORE the people that I work with.
They make me so happy.
They lift me up.
It sounds cliche to say that you should surround yourself with people who make you happy.
But we often do not take this advice.
Envelope yourself with people who make you smile.
People who make your spirit glow.
People who bring out the best YOU.
People who praise Jesus.

Sweet dreams.

Fervently Praying.

One week ago from today I found out that my cousins brand new wife has stage 4 cancer.
She found out the day before.
Heather is a beautiful, intelligent, God fearing 22 year old woman.
She is a marines wife.
She is a newlywed.
Heather has so much in life to look forward to.
Luckily we know that GOD IS GOOD.

Psalm 107:28-30

Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses.

He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.

Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven.

Lord, please quiet the storm for Heather and Brandon. Help them to feel your presence and love. While they are in the storm, give them the strength and the grace that they need each day, minute by minute, hour by hour. May they keep their focus on you, and may they seek you as their source of strength. Lord, help us to be an encouragement and help to them. Help us to pray for them fervently each day. Lord, YOU alone can heal Heather, and we pray that you WILL!

Heather and Brandon, "Cry out the the Lord in your trouble" and He will "calm the storm" that seems to be all around you. Heather, may you have strength today as you are undergoing Chemo, and may you walk further and feel even better today! We love you BOTH, and we are lifting up prayers for you to the ONE who can heal your body! Keep up the fight, Heather!


Please visit, like, and commit to PRAY for my cousin Heather

A Walk In My Life

I thought it could be fun to do a bit of a "day in the life" style entry today. 

My plan is to update throughout the day and then post tonight when I return home from my final class. Here it goes...

8:37 I woke up because I had to go to the bathroom and guess by the dimness out the window it was around 5 am.  When I looked at the clock I swore it was after 10 so I thought I had better get up.

9:15 After putting on a pot of coffee and tinkering around on the computer it hit me it was just after 9, I actually was making much better time than I thought.  So I cut up some fruit to have with yogurt for Mike and warmed up some leftovers for myself (I tend to prefer leftovers for breakfast rather than breakfast food)

11:00 I cleaned up the kitchen, fed Maggie, made Mike lunch, visited with Mike and talked about the odd dreams that he has been having, saw him off to work, and checked all my emails. 

11:45 Just realized I have homework due tonight in my 6-9 class...going to grab my book from my car and get a move on with this homework. Then I suppose I should hop in the shower!

12:55 Just finished writing up a blurb about gender stereotypes and fairy tales. (Specifically on Snow White)

2:43 Getting ready for class and listening to the Walt Disney station on Pandora. The musical is obviously completely magical.

3:29 Heading to my Soc. Class and to buy Mikes Stats book.

3:40 My dad calls me with a testimony of God working in his life the last 2 days. My mood, which had been a bit sour for no good reason, completely turns around. Sometimes we need to be humbled and reminded of Gods great work!

4:00 My soc professor talks too fast, walks too much, and sweats profusely for an hour.

5:30 I realize that I am going to be late to my next class and consciously slow my roll (figuratively and literally)

6:15 My Legal Studies professor is super understanding of me being late and we have a great class discussion.  I am really eager to get home and see Mike though so time ticks by semi-slow.

7:00ish We are on break during my class and while waiting in line to use the restroom I start thinking about howI sit in class shaking my leg all eager to get the heck out of there when great women before me had to fight for the right for me to even have the access to my great education.  And how people all over the world would do anything to be as privileged and blessed as I am.

8:50 I come home to an empty apartment.  Mike is out grocery shopping and helping my sister with her car. I realize just how very blessed I am!

Left on the agenda? Finish up some reading and homework for tomorrow, shower, paint my nails, maybe eat some more leftovers, cuddle with my boy, and finally SLEEP! (All while continuing to listen to the Walt Disney station on Pandora : ) )

Anxiety.

I want to live a transparent life.
In the nature of being transparent...

I get really bad anxiety.
For all different reasons.
And sometimes for no reason at all.
It annoys me because it keeps me up at night, makes my tummy upset, makes me cry, among other things.
But you know what else?
It brings me closer to God!
I don't take any anti-anxiety medicine, but I sure do pray a lot.
The Lord walks with me during times of panic.
The Lord challenges me to push past situations that cause me anxiety and to overcome them.
The Lord helps me sleep at night.

There is such power in prayer!

Blessed Memories.

I think that this Christmas break may have just been my best to date.  I have to credit its enjoyability (It is a word!) to the comfort that I am experiencing within my relationship with Christ.  It is spilling into every nook and cranny of my life...making everything warm and cozy.  I realized that what has been making all the difference is finding joy in all the little things that normally I just do.
You know what I mean?
You just get ready. You just tidy up the house. You just drink coffee.
I have so much fun getting ready and picking out my makeup for the day. I am proud of the look and feel of our apartment.  I enjoy breathing in the thick aroma of my coffee brewing, sipping it when it is piping hot, and then quickly swigging it down as it begins to turn ice cold.
God has been opening my eyes as to how deeply and truly blessed I am.

Blessed Memories of Christmas Break.
- Extra time for cuddles with Mike and Maggie, and then with my mom and siblings when I was home!
- Baking for hours and hours with Mike and Chelsi's help (Even if the only tasks I would give them were dishes)
- My dad enjoying my baking as much as I had hoped he would
- Giving presents to all of the people I love and watching them open
- Mikes mom being so appreciative of the blanket we had made for her and showing it off to everyone
- Having a giant dinner and exchanging presents with my girlfriends from home. Trying to get in as much talking as we possibly could before the food came. (Turning away the waiter 3 times because we were too busy talking to look at the menu)  Once all 5 dishes (for 3 girls) arrived there was not as much talking going on. (Our friendship in a nutshell)
- Time to sit in my apartment and burn all my yummy candles
- Discovering Plants Vs Zombies and literally playing it until I fell asleep
- One of my best friends getting engaged on Christmas!!! And becoming slightly obsessed with her wedding
- Cooking dinner for our newly engaged friends
- Cooking dinner almost every night
- Working (as an employee, not an intern) at Safe Haven
- Mikes mom selling me her car for dirt cheap
- Having important conversations with Mike about out faith

Now it is back to school, which I am not-so-secretly loving. I know I am such a nerd. But, I think this is going to be my best semester yet!

Loving differently.

I finished Sisterhood Everlasting by Ann Brashares. It is basically a grown up ending to her Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series.  The women are all about 30 years old now and their lives are changing. I definitely do not want to ruin the plot for you (I dislike spoilers as much as the next guy) but grab your kleenex.  ESPECIALLY if you read the original series.
I remember reading all 4 of them in like 2 days when I was a freshman in high school.  I got on a kick of checking out books everyday from the school library.  I'm pretty sure I was the only one checking out books from the school library for fun, if not at all.
Anyway, when I read the original series and about halfway into Sisterhood Everlasting I really detested the character Carmen.  This was really annoying because Carmen narrates the books.  It would be like loving Sex and the City and hating Carrie.  Carmen just bothered me.  She complained a lot and seemed really lost in her life.  About halfway through this one though, I realized something big that we had in common.

(Real quick, because you need to know: These books are about 4 girls who were all born within a month from one another and had been best friends ever since, they loved one another as sisters.  While the original series centered on this pair of pants they all fit into, the real story has always been about their relationship.)

"There was a certain skill some people used when they needed to hunt and gather people to love and to love them.  Well, that was not a skill Carmen had developed."


"It wasn't that her heart was small.  She knew that.  It was big.  If anything, it loved too violently, too much.  But she couldn't expand its membership.  If she asked herself honestly, she'd have had to admit she didn't really believe she could."

Well that is me folks!  And it took me a really long time to realize it and come to terms.  Its not that I'm not friendly, I am.  But I really only consider a handful of people my true friends.  I think in high school it may have come off as snotty sometimes, and after I graduated and moved away from my friends it turned into seeming shy.  For a little while I got really depressed about it.  What was wrong with me? Why couldn't I make new friends? (Sidenote: I did make one amazing, lifelong friend in college)  And after I joined (and then quit) a sorority it finally hit me.  I have fabulous friends! I felt pressured, like something was wrong with me if I didn't have this artillery of friends at my disposal.  But, that is just not me.  I don't love in that way.  I give my whole heart to the people I love.  Every little bit of myself.  I am the friend that texts you things I think would make you laugh all throughout the day, every day.  I write you notes.  I cry when I talk about how much you mean to me.
I am certainly not trying to say that people who have 100 friends don't give all of themselves.  My sister is that way, and she is a wonderful friend to so many.  It seems everyday she has a new friend.  But her and I love in different ways.  My mom told me the other night she missed a call from my sister.  She got really worried and told her boyfriend (Chris) "I get nervous when I miss a call from Chelsi because she only calls about things that are important.  Not like Myranda. Myranda calls me to tell me she ate a good piece of broccoli." (I have never called her to talk about broccoli by the way. Asparagus maybe, but never broccoli)
But that is just me and Carmen, loving violently.  And thats okay. Everyone is different.

Buy Sisterhood Everlasting, its wonderful. Better yet, go check it out at the library!

Dynamic

I am a major bloggaholic. I admit it. I am not ashamed.
I read blogs of all shapes and sizes.
Blogs about food, blogs about faith, blogs about cheating partners, blogs about makeup and fashion, blogs about motherhood. (That one might seem the strangest seeing as I am not a mother)
But these women, these bloggers, they are powerful! Whether I am at the same place in my life as they are or not, they are blogging about life; real, messy life.
And that inspires me.
So much so that I began to consider blogging. If nothing more than to document my own story.  So, I asked my friend (who blogs) "Should I be blogging?"
Her response was an enthusiastic DEFINITELY!
I got excited!
I asked my boyfriend what he thought I should blog about.
I'm not sure what I was expecting, but he was not much help.
"Whatever you want Schloops." (You should know this about us, we are real nerds and can get really ooey gooey and cheesy.)
Now here I am. My first entry. I am blogging about blogging. Impressive?
Probably not.
But, I am going to do this. And I have decided I don't have to choose a theme, because I am dynamic. Thats right! Dynamic! I love cooking and eating, so I'll probably blog about that. I also love Jesus and I work everyday at developing a closer relationship with Christ, so I'll probably blog about that.  And I am obsessed with my little family made of up my boyfriend (Mike) and our fat kitty (Maggie), so Im sure I'll blog about them too.  I enjoy crafting, reading, relaxing, organizing, makeup, candles, babies, music, shopping the sales rack, and sleeping, so maybe Ill blog about those things too. And did I mention I am on the verge of graduating with my BSW? I will definitely blog about that.
A lot to look forward to. And a lot less use of the word blog/blogger/blogging too because I think I used a years worth in this post.