MIA

I am sorry that I have been missing for the past two weeks. The Lord and I needed some extra time together to sort through some junk that he revealed in my life. I had to cut out a lot of things that I used as distractions including blogging. But I'm back!

So much has happened in the past two week. After our week off from snow getting back into the grove of things proved quite difficult for teachers and students. But we are rolling into second semester. It is my goal this semester to love my students as Christ loves me. My humanities friends and I presented at the SCCTE (South Carolina Council for Teachers of English) Conference this past weekend in Kiawah. I learned many new strategies and techniques that I plan on implementing into my classroom as soon as possible (Edmodo, QR tags, and writing without words to name a few). Our presentation went great and we actually won an award for "Best Use of Theme"! Yay us! We had beautiful weather in Kiawah as well as great food. It was a nice time to remember why I went into education in the first place. It's very easy for teachers to get bogged down by all the must attend meetings, negative parent interaction, and other "paperwork" that comes with teaching that has little to do with being in classroom serving our students. I was inspired this weekend to be even more creative and take risks for my students benefit.

But probably the biggest piece of news that I have from the past two weeks is......



I AM GOING TO LONDON!!



I am going to London with World Changers International this summer. The Lord provided me with a way to go serve the college students of London with a group of college students from our ministry at Shandon. I couldn't be more excited. I have been praying about being involved with this trip since it was announced at the beginning school and was thrilled when it worked out for me to go. I am in the process of writing and sending out my support letter. I will have to raise at least $2300 to take care of the expenses of the trip, but I know the Lord will provide. Please join me in prayer for the city of London and the university campuses that we will be serving. In the near future I will be posting specific prayer requests regarding our trip.

Celebrating One Year

Today the fabulous boyfriend and I are celebrating one year of dating. Those of you in marriages might find this silly, but I love it. Not to brag or anything, but my boyfriend is fantastic and here are just a few reasons why:

A visit to my great-grandmother's house in AL

Us, About 1 year ago!

1. He is a man of God. Seeking to hear the Lord's voice and grow in him.
2. He loves his family like nobody I have ever seen.
3. He is true to his friends and makes friends incredibly easily.
4. He is one incredibly talented musician. I admire him so much for the hard work and time he puts in to his craft.
5. He is aware of those around him and makes sure everyone feels welcome.
6. He is oh so funny and makes me laugh all the time.
7. He is so smart and interested in such a variety of things.
8. He loves me even though it can be hard sometimes!
9. He challenges me on a regular basis and supports me when my "chicken" tendencies try to take over.
10. He listens and is incredibly patient with me and others.
11. He can carry on a conversation with anyone, something I admire being as shy as I am.
12. He is thoughtful and caring in ways that no one could ever imagine.
13. He is willing to admit when he has made a mistake and works hard to fix it.
14. He will put his foot down when necessary. He says no to me when I need to hear it and have a reality check! (I need this more often than I would want to admit!)
15. He is just one awesome guy! (I could go on and on!)

Dancing in between songs at Sweethearts Banquet

His Fantastic Family

My Fantastic Family

With my brother and sister-laws dog

Christmas 2010

Celebrating at a friend's wedding

PS. On his day off, he is playing at a funeral and then taking me to Greenville to get my computer fixed! Now that is love!

Belated Delurking Day 2011

As I was reading through my favorite daily blogs, including Seeking Love First (formerly One Day at a Time with Leigh) I learned that yesterday was Delurking Day 2011. Delurking Day was created as a time for silent followers of blogs to reveal themselves to the blogs they follow  (You can read a whole article on it here, at BlogHer). Sounds kinda creepy I know (and the logo is just about the definition of creepy).  Everybody does the silent follower thing including bloggers themselves. We have a list of blogs we click through quickly and never think to respond to. Then we go have conversations with other bloggers about how we wish our readers would interact more with the blog through commenting.   We want to know our readers. I want to know who follows me, where you are from, what you like to do, how you found my blog, what you would like to see me write about etc. etc. But I can't know any of these things if you don't comment. Like my friend Leigh said, it does not freak me out I don't know you, don't know you well or didn't know you followed and I am sure other bloggers agree. So take a few minutes to introduce yourselves to your favorite blogs today!

Psalm 7:17 Friday

I will give to the Lord the thanks due to his righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High.
-Psalm 7:17

Things I am Thankful for This Week

-4 snow days useful for lots of relaxing and reading.
-Teacher workdays where I can grade, plan, and semi watch Jessica's provided entertainment for the day on her smartboard.
-A fantastic boyfriend who is helpful when it comes to fixing my computer and driving in the snow/ice ( and making me laugh in the process).
-A cozy, warm bed to sleep in at night or any other time of the day.
-The Bible, God's word given to me that I may know him and glorify him.
-The super awesome group of women that I get to study the word with each week!
-Trader Joe's Spicy Chai Latte Mix! YUM!

Check out Jessica's Psalm 7:17 post for today!

What are you thankful for?

If you blog feel free to link our posts and have your own Psalm 7:17 Friday!

Reading Wednesday

At school on Wednesdays our students use their academy time to read. Some of them enjoy it, while others find absolutely every excuse possible not to. I decided Wednesday's on the blog would be reading days for us as well. Some weeks it will be a blog, others a website, occasionally a book review/post and every now and then it will be online magazines like Lonny.

Let me introduce you to Lonny. I am not sure which decorating blog introduced me to Lonny, but it was love at first sight. Lonny is an online decorating and design magazine/website that is entirely too fantastic. Once I finish drooling over the most current issue I can never wait for the next one to be posted.

So on your snowy Wednesday t enjoy flipping through Lonny. I promise you will love her.

Stir Crazy Snow Days

If you don't live in the Southeast (and you don't watch the news, read the news, or hear the news...we need to talk) you might be unaware that we had quite the snow/ice storm for our area over the past couple of days. I understand that our amount of snow/ice is nothing compared to just about anywhere else in the US, but for us it was a good bit. It was even enough to cancel school for not just 1 day, or  2 days, but 3 full days (who knows what will happen on Thursday).  Needless to say most of us, teachers and students, were pretty excited about our snow day on Monday. I am also sure the students were pumped for the snow day today and even more excited about the snow day tomorrow, but I (and many others) are becoming a little stir crazy! I can only do so many loads of laundry, read so many books, watch so much tv/movies, and be on facebook so long.

Recently I was talking texting with my fabulous friend Jessica about how stir crazy we were both becoming not being at school (we are both teachers). We were discussing all the things we had already done and what we were possibly going to find to do with our day tomorrow. As we were texting I was also reading her latest post on her blog "Single in love: My Year of Me"  ( You should all read her blog. You will love her!). As usual her post challenged me to think about my stir crazy snow days in a different light.

In her post Jessica writes about how last Wednesday the Lord answered her prayer for desiring him by giving her this overwhelming sense of joy and "head over heels giddiness" in her time with him. She mentions how she didn't want to have to go to school, not because of her "talkative or unmotivated students", but because she couldn't wait to spend more time with Jesus. And that my friends, is when it hit me.

Why am I not relishing the fact that I have extra time to spend with the Lord? I have been able to catch up on my Bible reading (hopefully getting ahead soon), finish the book Radical by: David Platt (posts to come soon on the impact it is having on my life),  and have extended non rushed time in the word and prayer. Looking back on it, its been FANTASTIC!

I have been desiring this extra time to eat up God's word and his revelations to me since school started and yet I was blinded by my boredom and lack of ability to travel to the blessing God had given me in snow.

Thank you Jesus for giving me friends like Jessica to remind me to look in the little things for your blessings to be found. Thank you for giving me this precious extra time to spend with you. Continue to open my eyes to the time wasted when I could be spending it with you. Thank you for reminding me in your gift of snow that in your scripture it says that I will be purified with hyssop and washed whiter than snow. ( Psalm 51:7)


PS. Be on the look out for a combo post between Jessica and I this Friday.

Praise Jesus!

Passion 2011 went down in Atlanta, Georgia earlier this week. I was unable to attend this year, but was able to watch the main sessions online. Boy were they powerful! Oddly enough I was also experiencing great amounts of anxiety from an unknown cause. I slept horrible, woke up sick, and cried all the way to work many times this week.

The first night Chris Tomlin led a song with a lyric, "All my fountains are in you". This single line kept rolling over and over in my head during my times of anxiety. I clung to the fact that everything I am is in him, glorifying him is my joy, and fear/anxiety is not a product of Christ.
  

As the week progressed the anxiety eased up and then today was a day of complete joy! I could not stop smiling and meditating on how blessed I truly am in the Lord. He has given me everything I could ever need or want. He created me to glorify him and when I am my joy is complete!

It's amazing how when we focus on Christ and do not dwell on our emotions or circumstances we are set free!

Thank you Jesus for freedom from anxiety! Thank you for holding me in times of fear! You are my rock and my foundation, my joy is in you!

Trials= Gold

"But he knows the way I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold."
Job 23: 10

A couple of days ago I wrote about how I was memorizing two verses a month based on my Bible reading through the year. Since I started in December Job was on my list to read. Most everyone who has grown up in church knows the story of Job. Here's a brief refresher. One day Satan came to God and God asks him if he has considered his servant Job. God continues telling Satan that Job is upright, blameless and shuns evil. Satan responds to God by saying, "Of course he is you have blessed everything he has," (my paraphrase). So God offers Job over to Satan as long as he does not "lay a finger on the man himself,". Eventually Job has lost everything and even his friends and family are telling him to turn away from God. Job continually cries out to God and never turns away from him. Job even goes as far as saying "But he knows the way I take; when he as tested me I shall come forth as gold".  

Can you imagine losing everything you have? All your possessions, your home, your family,  your friends...EVERYTHING! It blows my mind to even consider thinking about it,  much less considering my emotions towards God if that did happen to me. I can hear myself now... Why me God? Where are you in this situation? Did you abandon me? What did I do to deserve this? Did you have to take everything? What's the point of serving you if I lose everything in return? Did I not do all as you asked of me? If I promise to do (fill in the blank) will you give me my family back? I can almost guarantee I would not have the capacity to look beyond my emotions and consider what God's plan might be in the heartbreak.

God knew where Job was during this trial. God was right beside him the entire time. God never looked away or lost track of the circumstances. Job professes to know that is true in this verse. What incredible faith! Job goes even father to say that he knows good will come of this, that he "shall come forth as gold." What a statement! How much do I need to remember that in the times of testing, discipline or hardship God has a plan for me and his plans are good! When God tests me it is to strip away anything that is hindering my relationship with him so that I may become gold! We should not fear hardships or a trial because it is one of God's ways of growing us.


Lord I pray that when a trial comes my way I will remember that you are always there with me. You know the way I take and when you are finished with me I shall come forth as gold!

Really Bachelor?

Last night I invited a friend over for dinner (Yay! First of two dinner dates this week, look at me go!). We enjoyed another Pioneer Woman recipe, Grilled Chicken with Lemon Basil Pasta. YUM! While I do agree it is more of a summer dish, it was fabulous none the less. After dinner we decided we would watch the first episode of the new Bachelor. This is not something I would normally do (I'm not too into reality TV), but it seemed harmless none the less.

OH MY GOODNESS!!

First off the Bachelor for this season is from a previous season in which he left two girls standing at the podium. Then the producers go through this sob story of how he has changed and gone through therapy, which included numerous pictures of him shirtless, working out (because when someone goes through intensive therapy to get over commitment issues this is what it looks like). But the fun began when the girls showed up to the "mansion". Yes, that is what it is called. Of course they throw him a twist and bring the two girls he left at the podium back for a brief conversation before the other 30 girls arrive (I'll give them that, I did really want to see how they reacted and he reacted!). Then like a playbook one girl, Jenny, was very hopeful/smiley and the other Deanna was more skeptical of his change. Seriously, I could write this show.

But it got so much more laughable when the 30 girls arrived. The last 30 minutes of the 2 hour show is why I don't watch these shows on a regular basis. These girls either (a) were so nervous it hurt to watch, which I would have been too, (b) were so full of themselves I wanted to vomit, or (c) were practically throwing themselves at a many they knew nothing about causing me to yell at them from my couch! Dresses were leaving nothing to the imagination (except for a few...Ashley S. the nanny from NY and Emily the event coodinator at the children's hosptial from Charlotte and maybe a couple others). The claws came out within the first five minutes of the girls being there. Girls were stealing Brad (Yes, that's the bachelor) away left and right. One poor girl got him stolen from her after 30 seconds like 4 times. At this point my friend and I truly believed Brad should have said something, but of course that would not have made for good ratings.

Then it was time for the roses. Ashley S. got the first impression rose and then 19 other girls got roses including a girl who has fangs (Yes, she wears fangs on a regular basis, like a vampire from Twlight, not even kidding you). Then they showed a quick montage of video from the rest of the season to get you hooked. If I wasn't careful it could have worked on me. Boy, are those video editors good!

But honestly, if that is the way to find love I want no part in it. These girls are throwing themselves at a man while compeating with 19 others. The majority of them are kissing him or doing more. They have to live in the same house as the other girls who are "dating" the same man they are. If this is not a recipe for self esteem disaster I don't know what is. He is pursuing multiple girls at the same time. Everything is wrong with this picture.

But as you know the Bachelor and Bachelorette are both extremely popular shows. Girls across America watch and wonder what it might be like to be on the show or meet the Bachelor. They wish they were as pretty, engaging, outgoing, flirtatious (the list could go on) as the girls they see on the show. But this is so far fetched from reality.

The Lord of heaven and earth loves every girl just the way he made her to be, whether that be outgoing, shy, tall, short, redhead or blonde. He has a plan for each girl that may or may not include getting married. But until we (girls) find our satisfaction in him we will not be prepared for the godly relationship that God may have planned for us. You must work through God's grace and power to become the woman he would have you to be, not the woman you think a certain guy would like. God is so much bigger than that guy. He has wonderful plans for you if only you would let him work them out through you.






PS. I just had a long, emotionally-charged conversation about last night's episode with a coworker! Seriously!

He Deserves so Much More

New Year’s Resolutions. I know it’s January 3, 2011, but I have not gotten around to posting about resolutions. You may or may not be a resolution person. You may start them at different points in the year or vow to never make them because you always break them (you didn’t know I was a rapper did you :)) You may call them promises, changes, or commitments, but I’m going to call mine a goal/commitment.



My goal/commitment for 2011 is to read the Bible through in a year and memorize two verses a month from those same readings. This is something I have tried to do on many occasions and failed. With this being the year of taking on failures and fears I decided to give it another go in Christ’s power and grace.



In previous years I would pick up my bible and begin reading on January 1 without giving much thought to it (I definitely avoided asking someone for accountability. Why would I need that? I am independent and strong. Hear me roar!). I would make it a month or so and then lose track of where I was because I was always behind. In my mind I would justify why I should move on to something else instead of keeping to my commitment. So much for commitment huh?



Recently in my time with the Lord I have been convicted of the lack of discipline in my life,  specifically in my relationship with him. What does it say to the lost world around me that I can’t even commitment to read the very words my savior wrote for me? How prideful am I that I can’t even seek out accountability for this step of growth in my life? How selfish am I to not hunger and thirst for the words he has given me? The creator of this world is worth so much more than this. His glory and renown deserve more attention than this. All of these questions and reflections led me to enter this season of reading with a different mindset. This year is about about him, his glory, and his name. Its an act of discipline and obedience through his power and grace working in my life. This is not about me doing something great, but God working through me and in me to make me more like him.



A wise old man (Hey Dad!) once taught me that all goals should be measurable, attainable (but not too easy), and time sensitive, so I made sure to make my goal in that way. I will read the bible through in a year using the Discipleship Journal’s plan. As I am reading I will pick two verses a month to memorize (1st from the reading on days 1-15, 2nd from days 16-25). I started in December 2010 when the Lord laid these goals on my heart. I hope to be able to share some of what he is teaching me through this journey with you. If you see me don’t hesitate to ask me how it is going or to quote to you my current scripture memory :)



What about you...do you have any resolutions, commitments, or goals for 2011?

My Love/Hate Relationship with Cooking

I love cooking. No matter what my checking account may suggest.
I love the sight of a clean kitchen ready to be used. The organization of a pantry (or mine at least). The way butter sizzles when it hits a hot pan (yes I use real butter, my mom and grandmother would have nothing less). The smells of baking bread or bacon frying for that matter.

But here is the problem...I hate cooking for one. It seems like a lot of work to do for just one person. Picking out the menu, going to the grocery store, prepping the ingredients, cooking the meal (only to have more work putting away the leftovers), and then cleaning up. Seriously, am I worth that? (To those of you saying "Of course you are!" I do realize I am.)

I suppose there are some practical solutions to this problem. I could cut the recipe in half or have leftovers. But,  I hate leftovers. Period. I am not exactly sure why and I would love to like them for my budgets sake, but it just does not work for me. Also, for those of you suggesting I cut the recipe in half do you realize just how many halves or fourths my fridge would be filled with? Not my cut of tea.

So how do I plan to solve this dilemma? I have resolved to cook for others more often than I have in the past. Every now and then I will cook for the boyfriend or offer the other half of dinner to the roommate, but I want to be more intentional about my time in the kitchen. I want to plan dinner dates and parties for my friends and family. I want to explore all the recipes that my many cookbooks have to offer. I want to practice my skills and learn new ones. I want to bake (yes friends I said bake) and take it to others.

So here's to offering my love of food to others.




What about you...do you have any recipes you love to cook for others or others have cooked for you?





I already have two dinner dates set up this week :)






PS. I cooked a full recipe last night for myself, The Pioneer Woman's Meatballs with Pineapple and Peppers. Delish! I will also be having it for dinner tonight. Maybe leftovers aren't so bad after all.

Turning the Page to a New Year

January 1, 2011. 

A time for new beginnings, resolutions, and changes. 

This is my beginning, my change. 

I am a twenty-something girl learning to live life on my own (with my parents not too far away :)) My foundation and joy is my savior Jesus Christ. My perfectionist tendencies and organizational drive have kept me from blogging because I was afraid I would fail.  But really what is failing in a blog, who sets the standard? Here is the truth. It doesn't matter. Fail or not. Random posts or not. This is something I want to do without fear. I will write about turning the pages in my life; whether that be pages of the Bible, cookbooks, decorating magazines, blogs, books, or my journal.

So here it is. Imperfections and all. Turning the pages to living the story the Lord has in store for me.