Saturday, December 11, 2010

12.11.10


today i had the pleasure of going to austin with some of my most favorite women in my life! they are my lovely, amazing, and wonderful ra's. they each hold a special and precious place in my heart. they have taught me so much about myself, my job, and my relationship with the Lord. they challenge me, encourage me and push me to be a better woman for today. i hope i am giving them as much as they are giving me - Lord help me to be the best rd for them!
we had a blast shopping, eating, grabbing starbucks, and singing out hearts out. there was dancing, video taping, crazy pictures, and most importantly a whole lot of laughter. throughout the night we went around giving highlights and things we had learned about ourselves over the last semester. the number one thing that continued to come up was the relationship and bond this staff holds. these girls depend on one another, pray for one another and absolutely LOVE to be around one another. wow, i am blessed to live life with such a God-centered group of young ladies. thank you, Jesus!

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

building ME for someone else.

i was challenged with the idea of building your relationship with Jesus so you can be strong for those around you. not to show off or be boastful, but to be encouraging and of good spirit. i've really been taking that to heart the past few weeks and i feel like my quiet time has been so much stronger. i think i get excited about the idea of being strong for my future - my future husband and children (possibly). but i really WANT and NEED to be strong for NOW. i have so many young people looking up to me and colleagues depending on me. sometimes i feel overwhelmed because i feel like i am not the person of christ they need me to be.

at the same time, i want to be patient with this process. i want to make sure my heart is in check and i am doing it for the right reasons - not to be "better" than others or boastful, not to do it "to" them, but to do it for them. more than anything i believe my desire needs to come just by wanting that deeper relationship with the lord which will in turn grow me and hopefully be of influence to others.

god, i pray you grow me into the woman for christ you intend for me to be. i pray you strengthen my knowledge and understanding of you - allow me to live in and through you so that i can see this world through your eyes and with your heart. build me strong so i can be of YOUR influence to those around me. use me lord.
amen.

Sunday, August 22, 2010

nutty bars and love letters

today was a day full of reminiscing. not only did i buy nutty bars (which are a favorite past time and i am currently engaging in its yumminess), but it was finally time to clean and organized a closet full of boxes i moved in with, yet never had time to do anything with. many of these boxes were full of nothing less than useless "stuff", but many contained pictures, notes, and cards filled with sweet memories. for a majority of the day i sat in my closet looking through all of these precious items and my heart was full.

sometimes it is good to look back at where we came from so we can see and appreciate where we are today, as well as where we are going. one of the items i found was a journal i have written to my future husband (since this time i have changed journals as that one is purple and pink - i am thinking he won't like that much!). it is filled with love letters, hopes, dreams, and excitment. well, 4 years and 11 months ago to the day i promised my future love that i would not kiss anyone until the day i say "i do". i had made this promise because it was a time in my life when i totally gave up dating and wanted to pursue my relationship with the lord with my full heart - no distractions or interuptions. looking back my intentions were so pure and good and i knew that i had to do something extreme so i would commit to it fully. do i necessarily agree with that now? not for sure. have i stayed true to it? well, until about a year ago when i slipped up one time. even while reading that entry today, i had forgotten i had made such an extreme promise. my heart hurts knowing i did not live up to that - but my heart was also filled with excitment knowing that God has grace and mercy every day. even after almost five years, i am still patiently and anxiously waiting for my prince charming to sweep me off my feet. God is a good god and i am thankful he has worked on my heart and in my life to prepare me for this time. i'm excited to see what is to come.

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

what's in that frige of yours anyway?


i never truly understood how people's refrigerators could get so darn packed. i mean, how is it possible for things to get lost way back in the back - wouldn't you realize you hadn't taken a look at it in a while and would think to throw it out? plus, how many items do you actually need a fridge? surely not that many.

tonight i decided it would be a good idea just to rumble through my items in the refrigerator - knowing that with the caf closed for the summer i would need to go grocery shopping soon and wanted to make sure i wasn't going to double up on anything. plus, kevin and kara dropped off a lot of items earlier because they are moving (sad day - more to come in another post).

WELL, i threw away have of my refrigerator. i could not believe how many items had expired - it was quite disgusting. so i went from three stuffed shelves to about one. what was even worse is that i hadn't opened most of the items and realized i probably threw away at least $60-$70 worth of untouched groceries.

it's terrible.
thus, i am going to start fresh and new TODAY. i am going to plan out what i want to eat for the week and not over buy when i go shopping - there is no need for that and it is just wasteful.

no more wasting here. nope, i won't do it.

Sunday, May 9, 2010

happy momma's day

my mother means the world to me.
she is the woman who encourages me every single day and always inspires me to be better.
she loves me even when i am ugly to her (and when she calls me every day, lets be honest - it happens too much).
she has many years under her belt and much experience, which only ads to her wisdom and guidance.
she is learning every day to love the Lord more and more and loudly shows her faith through her every day life.
she is strong and independent, yet tender-hearted and sweet.
she's my mom - and i love her.




thank you for being who you are mom, i love you!

Saturday, May 8, 2010

oh golly, oh gee

today has been a great day. a day of celebration. a day of excitement. a day of busyness. but what is mostly on my mind and my heart is the fact that this is a day of goodbyes - bittersweet goodbyes.

today marks the last day of my first "academic" year at howard payne university. i have loved my job since day one and nothing has changed to this day. i was blessed with a great group of students to work with, to serve with and to do life with. this evening we had our end-of-year ra party where we got together to chat about and reflect on this past year - we also honored our students with gifts, awards and words of thanks. i am not one to cry in front of people so i knew i could handle a few words tonight; however, being by myself this evening is another story.

sometimes i wish i would have stopped and have a conversation with a resident - to be there for a lending ear, a huge hug, or an encouraging moment. sometimes i wish i would have spent more time in the evenings walking the halls, knocking on doors or going to all of the campus events. sometimes i wish....

but i live with no regrets - only hopes to be "more" next year.

to my ra's - i say thank you. i will miss you terribly this summer - our talks, our bonds, and our learning from one another. i send my prayers and love with you as you begin a new season of life.

Sunday, May 2, 2010

my sunday friends.


these three amazing people (Joe, Sara, & Sarah) are my favorite sunday friends. well, they are my friends every day of the week but we set aside sundays for a group get together. the first few months i was in town, i sat at church all alone in the front row. luckily, God has given me a inner confidence (or a way to fake it) by myself when needed; however, i never felt i was getting the full "community fellowship" experience. THEN i met sara and joe at small group and finally had church-sitting-buddies. sarah goes to another church, but we always try to get together for a sunday lunch.
i love these friends and am SO super blessed by them. thank you jesus for sundays, but even more so for sunday friends.