a few of my favorite things...

1) family dinners- every night my mom cooks and we sit down as a family of four to eat together. and this is nothing new...for as long as I remember, I've eaten dinner with my family almost every night. so many friends have told me that they rarely sit down to eat together and I've come to see this as a rare yet wonderful blessing in my life.  when I was younger it didn't seem weird, but the older we get, the busier we are and every night that we get sit down together to eat, talk and laugh is a great memory.

2) sweet tea- I just went to mcdonald's, bought a large sweet tea, and stayed there to read my Bible and spend time with the Lord just so I could get a free refill.  'nuff said.

3) college basketball- This is my favorite and not favorite part of the year. I love the idea that for a few weeks you can see basketball almost all day almost everyday.  But then the sad part is the withdrawl I experience when it's all over. I love seeing Ohio State make it all the way to the championship of the Big 10 tournament and seeing Ball State women do something no other women's team had done before... beat Tennesee in the first round.  You just never know what to expect and it's exciting!!!

4) being outside- I breathe better when I'm just sitting outside. There's something about fresh air and sunshine that is life-giving.  In fact- on the first day of Spring my family had a spring dinner where everything we ate was cooked on the grill.  so combining #1 and #4.... brilliant.

5) nail polish- painting my finger nails makes me feel girly. and being a girl who loves being outside and sports I don't always feel girly. but I love looking down at my fingernails and seeing a pretty color there. :)

the song

I'm tired. and like most everyone else, I too don't write on here much. but here's a song I like as of late... given to me by the one and only, Nifer.  it's a Josh Garrels tune called "Words Remain".  I recommend checking it out.

Heaven and the earth will pass away
But your words all remain
And my hands are growing old
And weary with pain
Still I fold them to pray
To the one unchanged
Yesterday and today
Oh YHWH
I will try to stay awake
Take my last breath of faith
As I wait for you to come
Take me beyond
This land undone
Over the flood
By your word, spirit, and blood
It was prophesied long ago
Every word set in stone
Not one will pass away
Or walk alone
All that I own does not compare
To the love that we share
Please remember me
When the hour arrives
And you must decide
If you’ll wait for me to come
Take you beyond
This land undone
Over the flood
By my word, spirit, and blood

if you're interested in praying, you can be praying that I would daily see the Lord in all His glory more than I would see anything else. And that I would seek Him more than anything else and realize that He is more than anything I need.  thanks friends. til' next time... :)

what a difference a year makes.

well i'm currently watching ohio state basketball and ball state football lose.  it's been a rough week for sports in my life. colts lost the first game of the playoffs. ohio state lost in the fiesta bowl.  i'm currently reminding myself that my identity is not found in my sports teams but Christ. and i feel like i have to tell myself that throughout football and basketball seasons.  why am i so hardcore?

anyway- i've been recently reflecting and remembering the Lord's provision for me over the past year.  it's so crazy to think this time last year, i was leaving school and trying to find a job.  God provided a job so quickly and it was the best job i could've asked for during that season of my life.  even though i'm back in kokomo, missing friends and my job back in ohio, God's provided for me in a different way here.  incredible family and incredible friendships that i didn't have last year. a job- substitute teaching- while i'm working on raising support. (which by the way- i literally prayed for God to provide a job for me and that same day, i got the hook up. He's so good.)  even though most of my friends don't live in the same town as me, it's okay because it makes the time we get to spend together so sweet.  and then there's an incredible man out there somewhere that i've never met who wants to give me a very VERY large donation! so i'm seeing God work in my support. He has been so good to me.  so i'm about halfway there. slowly but surely it will come in. i'm so excited for that day.

so today.  i'm choosing to remember how good God is and how good He is to me.

people i love

football has sucked today. i mean every game i watched was a blowout. i mean i'm glad osu beat michigan and purdue really beat indiana but i wish it would've been a little more interesting.

anyway- i'm in my usual (as of late) melancholy mood. it's really weird. so i just thought i'd post some pictures.

a sister picture. most of you know my sister, alyssa. also, here's my half-sister, sera

and i don't know what i'd do without these two. they're great :)

beautiful distractions and growing pains

so as i mentioned in the last post, last week was really hard. it ended with a long weekend and then off to a conference for four days with people that i hadn't seen in three months.  talk about overwhelming.  at first, it was hard to be myself and then after awhile, the conference itself and hanging out with these people became a way for me to escape my hard week. it's not like i didn't share with them why my week was hard, i did and they understood and loved me- then i think they just helped me remember how much fun they are and how blessed i am to have had them enter my life only four months ago.  they were a beautiful distraction.

last night, we went on a hayride at this conference...so. much. fun. and someone had a great idea of singing tv show theme songs... and the first one we sang was from the tv show- growing pains.  and i think after that i somehow began to realize the pain i was experiencing last week is all apart of the growing process.  they're growing pains. the Lord is using these hard things to challenge me into trusting Him. and He's bringing up these things as a way to help me to learn and grow into the woman He eventually wants me to be. i'm excited for this.  it's going to be really hard because i know how hard it's already been, but i'm excited. because i've realized just how much the Lord has loved me in the process thus far and how much He's going to love me through it and even after it.

"...therefore we do not lose heart. though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. for our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. so we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.  for what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

-II corinthians 4:16-18