Lessons of Life...

Just a short update about an epiphany that I had last night.

In the past few years, I've found that I comprehend lessons better when there's an analogy linked to them.  It just so happens that the Lord gave me one last night as I was pulling weeds in our garden.  I was thinking about the parable of the sower from Matthew 13 and how weeds choke the life away from the plant.  As I kept thinking about us being seeds, I thought about how the plants don't actually remove the weeds around them: the gardener does.  Then it was like the Lord whispered in my ear, "I'm the gardener.  I love you enough to spend time pruning you and removing the weeds in your life."  Isn't that a truth that's hard to understand?  God loves us despite our weeds aka sins.  He will spend time clearing the garden of our hearts from the weeds that hold us back from being who He created us to be.  He will fight for us!  He will defend us.  Wow!  This reminder was very timely in my life. 

Have you spent time with God recently to let Him prune you and pull your weeds?  I know this is something that I find hard to make a priority in my life.  It's needed though.  If we don't take that time how do we expect to be growing in Christ? 

Seasons

Life is so full of seasons. Transitioning from a hot Texas summer to a cooler fall. From suntan lotion to moisturizing lotion. From Flip Flops to Boots. From iced lattes to warm yummy drinks. From tank tops to jackets and scarves. From busy times to times of rest. 

I feel like this is a description of what's about to happen in my life. In 3 days, my time at TM will be over. WOW! That's a crazy thought! In 9 days, I will be traveling to Europe to spend 12 days on vacation in London, Edinburgh, and Ireland. It's still a little surreal that I'm actually going. In 20 days, my brother will be coming to Texas. So excited to spend time with him! In 23 days, I will be on my way to move to Ohio. SO much change in so little time. 

A lesson that I learned in my 3rd year at the Honor Academy comes to mind: Life is going to throw you circumstances. You need to "grab life by the horns" and decide what your attitude is going to be during that time. I feel like this will be the theme of the next season of my life. Transition is hardly ever easy but your attitude will determine your experience. 

I definitely have to be on guard about being anxious or being scared of not finding a job. But I know that "my God will provide for all of my needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus." (Phil 4:19) I've also seen and experienced how good the Lord is. I need to remind myself of that. (Ps 116:7)

I'm so excited to spend time with my family. 

Silly Brothers

Fun pic.

So as the time draws near for all of this change, it makes me excited to see what the Lord is about to do in my life. He has a bigger plan and bigger dream for me than I have for myself. Praise Him for that. I heard a quote that said, "If you can do it without His help, you are not dreaming big enough.... Your dream should be so big that it takes your breath away, makes you temporarily weak in the knees, and makes you cry out to God for help and guidance." WOW! Hopefully this challenges you to dream bigger than you can even imagine as He takes you through your different seasons in life. 

God bless!

Blessings from the Lord

So I got to thinking and realized that the Lord has blessed me so much the last while. He always blesses me with breath in my lungs and a new beginning every morning, but in the last couple of months His blessings have become more materialized. About a month ago, an alumni of the HA decided to bless our house with $175 that we could use for whatever we chose. We chose to buy a Wii since we've wanted one for a little while now. We really enjoy playing it and being able to use Netflix with it!

Last week, one of my interns, Kendra, blessed me with a personal coffee maker/grinder. It's something that we had talked about as an office. Thank you, Kendra!

The last night, my brother core blessed the sister core for Valentine's day. They had a limo pick us up on campus and take us to my house. 

When we got there, they had the table set and an appetizer waiting for us to enjoy it. They then went on to give us a full 3 course meal. In the meantime, they blessed us with sparkling grape juice and sparkling cider. Throughout the evening, they read a poem and Scripture to us, sang for us, affirmed us as sisters, and made us feel like princesses. They gave each of us a red rose. Then to end the evening, we watch Pride and Prejudice. I forgot how sweet of a story it was. All this to say that the brother core went above and beyond anything the women of Transparent could ever have dreamed of. There were lots of happy tears and kind words shared. 

Throughout the evening, I just kept thinking about how this was such a picture of how the Lord loves us and wants us to know we're special and beautiful in His eyes. His plans for us are all good and we can trust in Him. He answers prayers and knows our heart. He knows what will make us feel treasured and loved. I thank Him that He knows me best and I can fully rely on Him for my identity and confidence.

I'll end with these scriptures that I love.

"But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit." Jeremiah 17:7-8 NLT

"I will be filled with joy because of you. I will sing praises to your name, O Most High."

Psalm 9:2 NLT

Weekend

Last weekend was one of the most relaxing weekends I've had in a long time! It all started with Friday night.


Friday night I came home from work to an empty house. It was so peaceful! I talked to my mom for a little over an hour. After that I just sat in our living room listening to Christmas music, reading a book, and enjoying the peaceful atmosphere. We put up our Christmas decorations on Thursday night so I was able to turn on all the Christmas lights and read with only those on.


On Saturday, I got up early and headed to Teen Mania. My core was having a Pumpkin Bread bake-off. We had so much fun with this. I had cream cheese goodness to add to it. Yum!! Needless to say we didn't win but we really enjoyed the bread. 

Afterwards, the girls headed to my house and we had lunch and chilled. We watched Hitch and had a great time enjoying one another's company. After the girls left (around 5), I studied for my Analyzing and Interpreting Lit Course. I don't care for this subject at all so it took some discipline to try to read and comprehend. :) 


After studying, we just chilled in the living room and watched Bones/TV. It felt almost too good to be true to have such a chill Saturday.


Sunday, Crystal and I went to church. After church, we went out to eat with Abby Conaway, Haley Schubert, Hope Simpson, and Katie Socia. After a great lunch at Genghi's Grill, we headed to Starbucks to enjoy some goodness in a cup. :) After hanging out and talking for a while, we headed to Target. After shopping and having fun with the girls, Crystal and I headed home.


On our way home, we noticed that MegaMind and Red were playing at the drive-in. So we decided that was an amazing movie combination and asked our housemates if they'd like to go. Ingrid said she would so we packed up her little SUV and headed to the drive in. We packed out the car with snacks, pillows, and blankets. It ended up being pretty chilly. It was so much fun! :)


All this bundled into one weekend...man what fun!! :)

Babysitting Adventure

Last night Crystal and I babysat the Hasz kids. I love them so much! Crystal had this brilliant idea of making ice cream in a bag. It was so much fun!! Below are some pics.

Beginning of our adventure

Henry shaking his bag

Finished product

Bridget with her Ice Cream in a Bag

Crystal wiping her freezing hands

Boo and Crystal

Me and Jo

Jo proud of his creation

Henry and I

Me and Boo

Boo feeding Crystal. Yum!

Jo trying to feed me

Group Pic

Silly Group Pic

Needless to say, we had a lot of fun. If you ever want to make Ice Cream in a Bag, the recipe is below. It’s super easy, a lot of fun to make with kids, and very tasty. Enjoy

What you'll need:

·                         1 tablespoon sugar

·                         1/2 cup milk or half & half

·                         1/4 teaspoon vanilla

·                         6 tablespoons rock salt

·                         1 pint-size plastic food storage bag (e.g., Ziploc) 

·                         1 gallon-size plastic food storage bag

·                         Ice cubes

How to make it:

1.                       Fill the large bag half full of ice, and add the rock salt. Seal the bag.

2.                       Put milk, vanilla, and sugar into the small bag, and seal it.

3.                       Place the small bag inside the large one, and seal it again carefully.

4.                       Shake until the mixture is ice cream, which takes about 5 minutes.

5.                       Wipe off the top of the small bag, then open it carefully. Enjoy!

Tips:

A 1/2 cup milk will make about 1 scoop of ice cream, so double the recipe if you want more. But don't increase the proportions more that that -- a large amount might be too big for kids to pick-up because the ice itself is heavy.

Lesson from Cinnamon Rolls

Last night was my first time to make cinnamon rolls. They turned out pretty good. It was time consuming but a lot of fun. It's at those times that I realize how much I enjoy baking and cooking. Often in the busyness of life, I forget.


Here's a picture. I apologize about the bad lighting. 
While kneading the dough for the cinnamon rolls, I was reminded of how God will stretch us and pull us into places that we don't want to go because it'll hurt or be painful. But we forget the He has our best interest at heart and makes us into something beautiful in the end. The pain is all worth it in the end.


Hebrews 12:2
Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

First Post

Life of Adventure...oh man. I feel like this captures my hopes and dreams in a nutshell. I desire to do things that surprise people. The Lord has already done so many crazy things in my life that I didn't expect. I've lived in Texas for a little over 4 years. I came down in August of 2006 and never ever thought I'd still be here in November of 2010. The Lord is so good though! He's provided for me to go through 3 years at Teen Mania's Honor Academy. 

So all this to say, I like trying new things. Next October I'm headed to Ireland with my best friend, Crystal Ross. I look forward to fulfilling this dream of mine. I love checking things off my bucket list. :)

Crystal and I in San Antonio

This is my life in a nutshell. :)