chris

I love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love my boyfriend.

overwhelmed

I am completely overwhelmed by God's generosity. I am still in awe of my new car and new living arrangement.

I knew God would provide for me--He always has, He promises to do so, and He always will--but I didn't expect Him to provide in such a huge way. I just needed Gizmo to be fixed but God provided me with a 2009 car...seriously, a few months old car. This was much better than I ever expected. I needed a new place to live and God provides me with a FANTASTIC place to stay, closer to the church, that is cheaper, with an incredibly God-ly family.

I have heard it said that you can't out give God. I agreed with it each time I heard it but I didn't expect tangible blessings here or now. It's not that I doubted God could do it, I just didn't think I would receive it...

God has done great things for me and I am filled with joy.

Alas, poor Gizmo!

Gizmo (not of gremlin fame) was with me for the past decade...he was only two when he became mine. Over the years, I loved him with all I could--the best i could. He was more than a car, he was a friend. We had adventures...some planned, some spontaneous. He was with me when I moved to college & was faithful during those years. He was with me when I moved to Texas & to two different houses while here. He tried his best to take care of me, keep me safe. I love him to this day...but Gizmo was sick. Very sick. He needed more care than I could give him.

I prayed God would work a miracle. I wanted Gizmo better. I wanted him to be restored to his glory days...our adventurous days. This, however, was not part of God's perfect plan. Today (after spending about $900 in the last two weeks to help Gizmo) I took Gizmo back to the lot where I bought him...and we said goodbye. God had performed a miracle in keeping us both safe on the 3 hour drive. Gizmo's front tires where moments away from going out. He was leaking...he needed new shocks/struts...it was more than I could give him.

God worked another miracle and gave me Sullivan. Sullivan is my new baby now. I promise to love him, protect him, and keep him beautiful. I will be faithful to Sully...and we will have new adventures--but Sully will never (mark this), never take the place of Gizmo as he was part of my family.

So goodbye dear Gizmo...and welcome Sully. (this is his twin...we haven't taken family pictures just yet--trust me, Sullivan is even cuter!)

father's day

Do i buy a present for chris' dad? He's not my dad but i love him. We get along really well. Lord willing one day he will be my father in law. Hmmmm....no idea.

ouch

My pastor & his wife wrote a book called The Marriage Mirror. When it came out months ago, my boss bought a copy for everyone in the office. Not being engaged or married, I wasn't sure if I should read it yet...but curiosity got the better of me & I read a little bit of it (not all of it as guilt then got the better of me).

The parts i read talked about how being married you see all of your qualities reflected by the other person. Over the last week, I have been able to see some very ugly qualities in myself that Chris has pointed out. I hate it.

I am not a fan of being bad at things. I'm even less of a fan of people knowing that I'm bad at things. Now twice (count it: TWICE) in six days Chris & I have talked about me not being gracious to people who don't respect/appreciate me...sure I'm polite but I'm not kind or loving to them. Ouch.

It hurts so incredibly much to know that...and even more to know he sees that in me. Realistically I can't be perfect but I can be kind....and I can let things go. This has now joined with unpacking/making my room pretty as my new goal.

what's new!

I've been trying to post for a solid week...trying to put down the changes, my random thoughts, document another sugar rush (yeah, crazy but true), and just let you know how good God is.

Update: I have moved. I now live in a different suburb that is only 5 miles from the church. Yes I have shaved off about 7 or 8 miles from my commute. I have also shaved off quite a bit in the rent department. Thank you Jesus! I can save some money (this is fantastic as my car has become a death trap & needs a lot of repairs). I also get to live with a lady from church. She works in the same department and is a tremendous prayer warrior. I now live with her (Aliya) , her husband (Clifford), and their 14 year old daughter (Cassidy)...oh and their four pets: Annie (spunky little black dog), Jack (overweight mellow black dog), Oliver (gray striped cat that likes people), and a fish whose name is escaping me at the moment. This move has been a tremendous blssing and I am so thankful God opened up a new place for me to live. I'm still unpacking but am down to about three duffle bags to sort through...considering I had 9 duffle bags, 10 suit cases, a couple of boxes, and a few random bags I am quite proud of myself. I still need to organize my books & movies but that shouldn't take too long...i hope.

My car is officially a death trap at the moment. I have had to replace the entire brake system--calipers (i hadn't even heard of them), pads, rotors, you name it was replaced. That was a very pretty penny. I also had to get new axles. I still have to replace three more things too...but that will have to wait for a bit. The guy fixing the car said I could wait about six weeks so I'm going to be saving up so my car can be ok.

Prayer meetings the last two weeks has been INCREDIBLE. Steven led us in a discussion of grace prior to praying. I want to be the type of person who is dripping with grace. I want to be so incredibly full of grace when I meet someone they immediately feel loved and welcomed. This is my new goal...ambitious but I think attainable (this is because my precious 94 year old grandma is this type of woman). Today we talked about community within the first church. We were challenged to carry each others' burdens.

In Chris news, he's still amazing. We went to the Rangers/Astros on Tuesday (thanks to rain delay tickets from when I took him to the Yankees game). We had even better seats this time. :-) He very kindly helped me move on Monday night too...that man loves me a lot. My bed is freakishly heavy (seriously! the headboard is a bookcase & it has storage shelves on the side) and he lovingly moved it for me. I could talk your ear off about how wonderful he is & how THANKFUL I am to be his.

We're gearing up for church camp...it's a month away. How is it so close? I will be out there for two of the three weeks and I look forward to it! I might be a princess for the stage production AND get to teach Bible study again. Have I mentioned how much I love my job? In about ten minutes I'll head out to a production brainstorming meeting. I love brainstorming meetings. They make me super happy.

Yesterday we celebrated LauriAnn & Rachel's birthdays. We had La Hacienda Ranch (the sundance fajitas will blow your mind....rice & fajita goodness smothered in spicey queso) and got pedicures. I think I got the longest leg massage ever...and it was wonderful! My toes are currently gold with a sparkly gold heart on the big toe.

Through all of this, God has been incredibly kind to me. He provided me with the funds to get work done on my car. He provided me a new place to live so I can save up some money & finish the repairs on my car. He has so graciously placed me in FC Kids where I get to show kids God's love & help them love church on a weekly basis. He has given me a gentleman who loves me. God allows me to take some time from work to celebrate the lives of two ladies with whom I get to work. At prayer meetings I am being challenged to be more than what I am.

So that's my update for now....more to come soon (i hope!)

Abs

Last night I had a very precious Abby date. Abby & I met at the one and only OBU. Just three short weeks ago she married a very kind, laid back, wonderful man named Chris (not my Chris mind you...we each have our own). We met up at Qdoba for some yumminess (plus I had a buy one get one free coupon...and coupons are cool).

I got to hear all about what the transition into married life is like, how wonderful the honeymoon was, and just about how day to day life is. It's beautiful. I love to see how this precious woman is being blessed.

Another thing I absolutely love is how incredibly wise she is. I feel that I'm in a holding pattern as of late & haven't been waiting as patiently or even as expectanctly as I should. Despite me having difficulty communicating what was going on in my life, she nailed it. This lady speaks the truth...which left me with a lot to think about.

I am convinced that everyone needs someone like Abby in their life. After all, who else is going to pretend to be a red hat lady with you when you're only 22?

holding pattern

Artist:	The Benjamin Gate
Album:	Untitled
Song:	How Long

Stand and I wait
And I see
See you move
Move around me
Nothing is as
It would seem to be
Stand and I pray
And I feel
Feel you move
Move around me
Is it all
Coming clear to me

How long can we wait, will we wait for You to come (2x)
And lay ourselves down before You

Stand and I wait
And I see
See you move
Move around me
Nothing is as
It would seem to be
Stand and I pray
And I feel
Feel you move
Move around me
Is it all
Coming clear to me

How long can we wait, will we wait for You to come (2x)
And lay ourselves down before You

I will wait for You (2x)

How long can we wait, will we wait for You to come (2x)
And lay ourselves down before You
********************************************************************************

"The Lord directs our steps, so why try to understand
everything along the way?" --Proverbs 20:24

I'm getting antsy & waiting is more difficult...
so as I stay in this holding pattern, I am comforted by songs
& scripture.  My goal is to be obedient as I wait.

"So Noah did everything exactly as God commanded him."
--Genesis 6:22

Next Weekend

What are you doing next weekend? We are doing this. You can be a part of it! Please come and join us--we can't wait!

waiting

I read this blog about waiting & it was really encouraging to me...I hope it encourages you as well today!