Monday, May 31, 2010
Our God Provides :)
CRAZY weekend! Orientation went really well Thursday-Friday and I'm so excited about going to Memphis in the fall! :) As of right now, I'm uncertain of my major ... it's somewhere between nutrition, art and dental hygiene. Yes I know, it's quite a broad range but I know God will show me what His plan is. And I found a part time job!! I will be a Nanny for two adorable girls four days a week :) I met with the family tonight and they're the sweetest Christian family. I'll only work about four hours in the afternoon so this gives me time to find another part time job in the mornings! :) I have a complete peace about this job and I'm so excited about what God has planned :) Even though I know I will be insanely busy, there is a sense of peace in the chaos. :)
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
A cup of tea with Frank Sinatra :)
Praise God! This week has been so much better than I thought it would be! :) Since Monday, I've actually been motivated more than usual to get up and have my quiet time and read a few chapters in this book I got for graduation called "Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire," by Pastor Jim Cymbala. This week has been sooo busy and it's only Wednesday! The mornings have gone something like this: quiet time, pilates, run, decorating my room, lunch, thank you notes, cleaning, getting ready for orientation and job hunting. Not to mention seeing Letters to Juliet with two of my guy friends on Monday and seeing Shrek the Fourth with a group on Tuesday. My friends are such a sweet encouragement to me and I would honestly be lost without them. Tonight, my best friend Erin comes back from Florida and we both have orientation at Memphis Thursday - Friday :) Then Saturday, my other best friend Kendall comes home! So much excitement and running around - yet I wouldn't trade it for anything!
On a side note, I realized a few weeks ago that the older I get, the more I enjoy older music and movies. Maybe I can appreciate that particular genre now, but I'm really enjoying listening to Frank Sinatra, and watching movies like "Funny Girl" with Barbra Streisand. :)
I've also been able to write some more poetry lately! I might share some of my poems on here sometime, but right now they're just not ready to be posted on the internet. ;)
"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10 :)
On a side note, I realized a few weeks ago that the older I get, the more I enjoy older music and movies. Maybe I can appreciate that particular genre now, but I'm really enjoying listening to Frank Sinatra, and watching movies like "Funny Girl" with Barbra Streisand. :)
I've also been able to write some more poetry lately! I might share some of my poems on here sometime, but right now they're just not ready to be posted on the internet. ;)
"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10 :)
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Putting What You Know In Your Head . . . Into Your Heart.
Wow. Well, sometimes you can't beat around the bush: I haven't been this down in awhile. It's been one of those weekends where everything you do seems to be in vain. There is no real need to go into extravagant details, but I feel alone. My two best friends are in Florida and along with a few other things eating away at me... I am emotionally and physically drained. God is my comfort and my strength, but sometimes He's hard to find and difficult to rely on. I can't physically feel His hugs like I feel my mom's hugs. I can't hear His voice like I hear my friend's voice. I can't see His face like I see everything else. Yet even though I can't see Him, touch Him or hear Him, I know He is there. Lately, I've been trying to put what I know in my head, into my heart. It's hard to put something new into an old heart that is heavy and tired. Teaching an old heart a new (yet somehow familiar) beat is difficult but not impossible. I don't feel the way I know I should and that's driving me crazy. In these circumstances it can be very difficult to find joy.
I find myself staring at the wall with no real thoughts going through my mind - just resting and seeking God's comfort. I'm hoping and praying that this week will be different, but if it's not, that I won't be discouraged and that I will lean on God instead of the people and things of this world.
I came up with a little quote and I'm trying to keep it running through my head:
"God's hands can hold your worries better than yours... So let Him."
I find myself staring at the wall with no real thoughts going through my mind - just resting and seeking God's comfort. I'm hoping and praying that this week will be different, but if it's not, that I won't be discouraged and that I will lean on God instead of the people and things of this world.
I came up with a little quote and I'm trying to keep it running through my head:
"God's hands can hold your worries better than yours... So let Him."
Friday, May 14, 2010
To: Sarah - Love, Your Heavenly Father
Amidst all of the running around and mailing invitations, God did something so amazing and I'm still in awe of how attentive He is - even to our small desires. May 6th was the Senior banquet and I went with a group of my friends. My date was my good friend Cassie who looked SO stunning! :)
During the months leading up to the banquet, Satan was trying to discourage me with the smallest thing: I didn't have a date. My two best friends were both asked by two of their guy friends. I know it doesn't seem like a huge deal, but to me it felt like no one wanted to be seen with me at my senior banquet, and that really got me down. I gave it all to God and focused on other things (like registering for orientation and spending time with my friends who are leaving for college this fall). About two weeks before the banquet, my friend Amy told me that my friend Cassie didn't have a date, so I asked her. :) The day of the banquet, all of my friends and our dates met at Bellevue to take pictures.
(Front row: Cassie, Olivia, Georganna, Kendall, Erin, and Me
Back row: Zach, Ethan, Kaylor, Jake and Aaron)
I rode to Woodland Hills with Aaron, Erin, Jake and Kendall and I had a blast! Non of us were dating, so it was just five friends in a Mercedes blasting music. The evening went by smoothly, then after dinner all of the couples started taking pictures and I was the one taking the pictures. Satan tried to discourage me but then I was distracted by having to concentrate walking down the staircase in front of 500 people, in a floor length dress WITHOUT falling. After the seniors were recognized, the dancing began. My two best friends Erin and Kendall grabbed me and we all went on the dance floor and started to dance to the jazz band. It was SO much fun! Then the slow music started and my friend's dates came to claim them for a dance. I was left at the side of the dance floor without a partner. Watching my friends and their dates laugh and seeing them having fun is what broke me down right then. I stood there for about two minutes and then I couldn't take it anymore. So I went back to our table -which was empty- to pray and compose myself. I knew it wasn't a big deal but it kept nagging at me. After a few minutes, I felt a little better and went back to the dance floor to find Cassie. She was dancing with another guy so again I stood by myself, taking pictures of everyone on the dance floor. Then my two best friends -Kendall and Erin- came on either side of me and put their arms around me and just stood there with me watching the dancers. Nothing was said but everything was loud and clear. They knew that I had really wanted someone to ask me to the banquet and they knew he wasn't there. Refusing to ruin my makeup, I choked back the waterfall of tears threatening to burst forth. All of a sudden, I felt God's love and comfort as Erin and Kendall just stood there hugging me.
I knew that even though I was by myself at my senior dance, that I was still loved and cherished by my Heavenly Father and my best friends. Then, I felt a tap on my shoulder. It was my good friend Aaron - who was Erin's date for the evening. He held his hand out and said "Come on, let's dance." I froze. Then composed myself and took his hand. Neither of us are good dancers, but we still had fun! Then after dancing with Aaron, his younger brother Ethan asked to dance with me. I ended up dancing almost the whole night alternating with Erin, Aaron, Zach, Ethan, Kaylor, Jake and Kendall. Again, I know it sounds small and even silly, but to me it was a huge hug from God telling me that I am worth time and effort. He used my friends to show me that He hasn't forgotten me and that He can see the small desires of my heart. Looking back on my senior banquet, I wouldn't have had it any other way. I am so thankful for my incredible friends. And what an AWESOME God we serve!
Here are a few pictures from the banquet!
The girls
My two best friends! Erin and Kendall :)
hahaha Aaron and Erin!
Reverse! Aaron and Kendall
Me and my friend Aaron!
During the months leading up to the banquet, Satan was trying to discourage me with the smallest thing: I didn't have a date. My two best friends were both asked by two of their guy friends. I know it doesn't seem like a huge deal, but to me it felt like no one wanted to be seen with me at my senior banquet, and that really got me down. I gave it all to God and focused on other things (like registering for orientation and spending time with my friends who are leaving for college this fall). About two weeks before the banquet, my friend Amy told me that my friend Cassie didn't have a date, so I asked her. :) The day of the banquet, all of my friends and our dates met at Bellevue to take pictures.
Back row: Zach, Ethan, Kaylor, Jake and Aaron)
I rode to Woodland Hills with Aaron, Erin, Jake and Kendall and I had a blast! Non of us were dating, so it was just five friends in a Mercedes blasting music. The evening went by smoothly, then after dinner all of the couples started taking pictures and I was the one taking the pictures. Satan tried to discourage me but then I was distracted by having to concentrate walking down the staircase in front of 500 people, in a floor length dress WITHOUT falling. After the seniors were recognized, the dancing began. My two best friends Erin and Kendall grabbed me and we all went on the dance floor and started to dance to the jazz band. It was SO much fun! Then the slow music started and my friend's dates came to claim them for a dance. I was left at the side of the dance floor without a partner. Watching my friends and their dates laugh and seeing them having fun is what broke me down right then. I stood there for about two minutes and then I couldn't take it anymore. So I went back to our table -which was empty- to pray and compose myself. I knew it wasn't a big deal but it kept nagging at me. After a few minutes, I felt a little better and went back to the dance floor to find Cassie. She was dancing with another guy so again I stood by myself, taking pictures of everyone on the dance floor. Then my two best friends -Kendall and Erin- came on either side of me and put their arms around me and just stood there with me watching the dancers. Nothing was said but everything was loud and clear. They knew that I had really wanted someone to ask me to the banquet and they knew he wasn't there. Refusing to ruin my makeup, I choked back the waterfall of tears threatening to burst forth. All of a sudden, I felt God's love and comfort as Erin and Kendall just stood there hugging me.
I knew that even though I was by myself at my senior dance, that I was still loved and cherished by my Heavenly Father and my best friends. Then, I felt a tap on my shoulder. It was my good friend Aaron - who was Erin's date for the evening. He held his hand out and said "Come on, let's dance." I froze. Then composed myself and took his hand. Neither of us are good dancers, but we still had fun! Then after dancing with Aaron, his younger brother Ethan asked to dance with me. I ended up dancing almost the whole night alternating with Erin, Aaron, Zach, Ethan, Kaylor, Jake and Kendall. Again, I know it sounds small and even silly, but to me it was a huge hug from God telling me that I am worth time and effort. He used my friends to show me that He hasn't forgotten me and that He can see the small desires of my heart. Looking back on my senior banquet, I wouldn't have had it any other way. I am so thankful for my incredible friends. And what an AWESOME God we serve!
Here are a few pictures from the banquet!
Our crazy friends :P
Reverse! Aaron and Kendall
And So It Begins...
So I decided to start a blog. I never thought the day would come when I would click "make an account," but here it is. I guess the reason I'm starting a blog is to have a way to write out my thoughts, plans, dreams and hopefully provide encouragement to someone who is in the same situation. However, I do not label myself as "entertaining." Most of what I will post will be about:
- Being in the world but not of the world
- Starting my freshman year at Memphis
- New crafts, ideas, hopes and dreams that I stumble across in everyday life
- Sharing new music
- Posting photos
- Basically what's going on in my life
So I hope anyone who reads my posts will find encouragement, new ideas, hope and maybe a chuckle or two. :)
Jeremiah 29:13
- Being in the world but not of the world
- Starting my freshman year at Memphis
- New crafts, ideas, hopes and dreams that I stumble across in everyday life
- Sharing new music
- Posting photos
- Basically what's going on in my life
So I hope anyone who reads my posts will find encouragement, new ideas, hope and maybe a chuckle or two. :)
Jeremiah 29:13
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