Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Several excuses are always less convincing than one. ~Aldous Huxley

I realize that my blogging has been sporadic lately, and I'm here to apologize. I'd love to be able to tell you that I went on a technology fast, or I escaped to an exotic island somewhere with no computer, no phone, or no mosquitos, but none of that is true. However, I do have my reasons....

10 Reasons I Haven't Blogged in a Week

10. It's tournament week
I've been coaching cheer, which has eaten up a lot of my free time.

9. The Bachelor is back on TV
I haven't even watched an episode, but I feel like it might be worth mentioning.

8. I'm having Blogger's Block
I'm considering seeing my doctor about it, but I'm not sure that it's a real disease.

7. There haven't been any snow days this week.
I haven't had to work a regular 5 day work week since the week of December 13th, so I got used to having extra blog time. Cut a girl a break. 

6. There is a major bathroom re-model going on around here.
I'll be honest, I've done very little to help in this effort to this point, but I provide moral support. Trust me, Internet, my moral support is really good. I'm not sure if my dad would be able to dry wall without it.

5. My dog ate my blog.
Okay, this one is not real, but Kody likes it when he gets mentioned on the blog. 

4. My camera is broken
I haven't been taking a lot of pictures lately, and I think all blog posts need a picture, so it's tough for me to blog without the pictures.

3. My friends and family aren't as exciting as they used to be
That's not true at all, but I'm running out of excuses.

2. You all set the bar too high
They say when you can't blame some thing, blame some one, so I'm blaming you, Internet.

1. I've been busy
Did you think I was going to come up with something exciting for number one? So did I, but I couldn't come up with anything....I'm blaming blogger's block.

:j

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

He says to the snow, "Fall on the earth," and to the rainfall, "Be a mighty downpour." Job 37:6


I'm snowed in. I want to blog, but I'm having blogger's block. So instead you can listen to the same music I'm listening to as I watch the scene above out my window.



:j

Monday, January 17, 2011

Goals are dreams with deadlines. -Diana Scharf Hunt

It's time for a 27 things update! Some of you may remember my list of 27 things I want to accomplish before turning 27 (on October 17th), but if you don't just click the link and you can read the list.

As I was reading over the list for this post, I pondered in my heart why on earth I told the entire internet that I would run a 5k, knit a scarf, or give up sweets. Why didn't I commit to walking Kody around the block once or twice, buying more yarn for my ever growing collection, or giving up broccoli? Those are things I could do. None the less, the list has been made, and I am sticking to it.

Onto the things I have accomplished.


#9 - Finish decorating my mud room - DONE
        The final product can be seen here.

#11 - Take 1 photo every day - Eh.
        This was going really well, but then my "good" camera broke. (aka my non-point-and-shoot) It's getting fixed, though.

#15 - Read 50 books - 2 down, 48 to go
        I have read: Matched and The Cupcake Queen (both teen lit). I am not counting books that I'd already started before writing the list, so that rules out 6 other books, and I am certain that I'm forgetting a lot of books because I average 3 books a week.

#18 - Try a new restaurant - DONE
        Since writing the list I have tried a couple of restaurants. The first was West Side Grill in Lee's Summit, and the second was Fire Side Subs in Overland Park. The sub place was AMAZING. Seriously. I may have dreamed about them later. Oh, I also had a sandwich at a coffee shop that was remarkably good. Not really a restaurant, but worth mentioning.

That's all I've accomplished so far. I'm going to start goal #19 tomorrow. Wish me luck.

:j

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Nobody ever outgrows Scripture. The book widens and deepens with our years. -Charles Spurgeon

My first year away at college I learned a lot of things:
1. I learned that community bathrooms really are the best way to get to know the girls on your floor.
2. I learned that if you were creative, you could sneak an entire meal out of the dining hall without the use of a purse or book back. 
3. I learned the real value of free food, and whenever any organization was having a cook out or free chili dinner, it was worth attending.
4. I learned that no matter how crazy your room mate is, it's worth it because you end up with really good stories in the end. Seriously, I have some REALLY good room mate stories.
5. I learned that trying 8 am classes just weren't a good idea. Period.

One of the most important thing I learned though, was how to form real friendships. I am a lucky girl, and I had 3 incredible friends in college. The four of us met within the first week of us all being at Missouri State, and began having breakfast together. It started as once a week, but ended up being closer to 3 - 5 times a week. During our breakfast we would talk about what the Lord was doing, the boys we were or wished we were dating, the classes we loved and hated, the ins and outs of our day to day lives, and weather or not we were going to the Icthus event for that weekend. We would encourage each other and be accountable to each other. It was the best picture of true Christian community that I've experienced.

We were honest to the core. It was at those breakfasts that I could truly be myself. I could talk about anything and everything. I could listen to Jayne, Leah and Lenzi (I have to spell it that way, Lenz!) talk about their anything and everythings. There were are so many memories I could tell you about. We became so close that we were given the nickname B4 because there were 4 of us and we met before the day began. (We may or may not have made matching shirts....twice. And we may or may not have had our own Xanga page.) They were my college sisters, and I miss them so much.

The exciting thing for me right now, is that B4 is back...kind of. We don't get to see each other every week because we all live in different cities with very different lives. We don't even call or Skype or write, although we all wish we would, but right now we are working toward a common goal of memorizing Scripture this year. With the help of Facebook and Beth Moore's Scripture Challenge, we are holding each other accountable once again, and I'm thrilled. Together we are each memorizing 2 verses a month. Today marks the second verse of the challenge.  I thought I'd start sharing the verses I'm memorizing here because it's my blog, and I want to.

Here are the two I'm working on for the month of January:



:j

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Thankful Thursday!


I'm getting ready to go back to work after 3 unexpected snow days. Part of me is ready, and part of me is grumbling. This is for the part of me that is grumbling because it just needs to learn how to suck it up.


  • Momma's and Grandma's Basements - My brother moved out which leaves me with an empty room to decorate. Thankfully I was able to score all the furniture needs from my gma and mom.
  • Encouraging Blogs - During my snowed in days, I got to spend a lot of time reading blogs. (Yes, Internet, I should have been cleaning, reading library books, organizing, etc. You don't have to point it out.) Anyway, it's so encouraging to read Christian blogs and hear a family's story. I love seeing God's providence in other people's lives.
  • My Uggs - When the temperature is below zero, there is no better shoe. Period.
  • My Small Group Girls - Once a week I have small group, and it is the highlight of my week. Not only are the girls beautiful, lovely and Godly women, they are also hilarious, and they put up with me and my ridiculousness. I leave there every week encouraged, challenged, and loved. It's super-fabulous.
  • Knitting Girls - I can't mention my small group without mentioning my knitting group. (I don't actually knit. I can, but I choose not to. I usually edit photos.) It started out as 3 girls, and has expanded to include a few honorary members. I love just chatting about our weeks and laughing at each other's stories. It's pure bliss. 
God has blessed me abundantly.

:j