The Best Friends a Girl Could Ask For....

This past Saturday evening I was up in Simpsonville, near Greenville, visiting with/reuniting with some of the best friends a girl could ask for. Pretty quickly after school started my freshman year, I joined a Bible Study that Campus Crusade for Christ was starting in my freshman dorm. Little did I know that when I joined that Bible Study, that I would be making some of the best friends in the world- the kind that last a lifetime. We all stayed in the Bible Study from freshman year through graduating.... losing a few people along the way and gaining others as the years went by. Saturday night, most everyone was there. We were missing a few people, but it was great to see these friends who I love like family.....

I am so blessed to have these women in my life. God chose these people and put them in my life for a reason. Each one is unique and special, each one a wonderful example of a Godly woman. All I can say is Wow. I am so blessed!!!

Christmas Lovin......

So I saw this on one of the blogs I frequent... so I decided to do it here!!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper (unless it is a weird shaped gift, then MAYBE a bag... but only maybe) I like to wrap presents so that they are so beautiful people don't want to even open them!!!
2. Real tree or Artificial? REAL... the fatter the better and must must must be real!
3. When do you put up the tree? no set day... just depends. Sometimes right after thanksgiving some times only a week or 2 before Christmas. Just depends.
4. When do you take the tree down? New Year's Eve-ish
5. Do you like eggnog? Love it! Especially Egg Nog Milkshakes!!!
6. Favorite gift received as a child? probably baby dolls.... one year I asked for anatomically correct twins (a boy and a girl) I still have them for my kids one day. And a few years later I asked for the boy twin to match the girl twin I had gotten for my birthday that year. Still have those twins too..... I had a thing for twins!!!
8. Easiest person to buy for? My niece... she is only 7 weeks old, so I can buy her the cutest little outfits!!!
9. Do You have a nativity scene? Yes, several. One from my childhood, and then 2 that Brad brought us back from Ecuador.
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail...
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? probably when I was about 15 years old... no I was a sophomore in college and my dad's mom got me this little 6" long baby doll...... weird. I was in college and had long since stopped playing with baby dolls, but she said it reminder her of me. So I smiled and politely said thank you for thinking of me. I think my mom probably gave it away to goodwill or something....
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Miracle on 34th Street
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? usually a last minute shopper for the most part.
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? not that I can remember... but I have nothing against it. One man's trash is another man's treasure.
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Christmas Cookies
16. Lights on the tree? Lots and I prefer classic white lights.
17. Favorite Christmas song? "O Holy Night"
18. Travel for Christmas or stay home? Depends... some years we stay home and some years we go out to Washington to spend Christmas with my mom's family!
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? Yes... but I would have to sing the song to do it!
20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Usually a star but this year a bow... my mom did it because the star that we usually use is mine and therefore at my house. I forgot to bring it home. so. bow it is...
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas MORNING!!! and we have strict traditions.... we come down stairs and open our stockings in the living room. We go around the room, one at a time. Then we eat breakfast and then we open the presents under the tree. Again, going around the room one at a time. We savor the moment and enjoy seeing what everyone gets!!! Plus it makes Christmas last close to all day!!!
22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? Rude people and people forgetting the REAL reason for the season! It is not about Christmas presents or Santa. It is about the birth of our Savior!! Jesus's birth is what we celebrate!!! not Santa.
23. Favorite ornament theme or color? My tree at my house is red, green, white/silver but my parents tree, which is also sort of my tree in that I help decorate it every year and I have some sort of emotional attachment to the idea of the Christmas tree at their house and a deep emotional attachment to the ornaments, it is just all glass ornaments with sparkles of red..... I will post picture of it all soon!!!
24. Favorite Christmas dinner? Beef Wellington
25. What do you want for Christmas this year? I asked for mostly stuff I need, but because of my pea-sized budget as a student I cant afford.... make up (i am almost out of concealer and foundation), shoes, a bra, thumb drive.... nothing too exciting. Just stuff I can actually use and need!!!

Enough for now. I am heading to bed!!!

DONE! D-O-N-E!

DONE! Yay for being done with this semester... officially half way done with my degree!!! Yay!

I will post more this weekend once I have had a normal nights sleep. This week has been a crazy week, but God has really revealed himself to me in some crazy ways so I will post some about that.... But since it is almost 3am... I am off to bed!!!!!

Long time no post

Long time no post. Sorry. This semester is coming to an end... so I am in crazy school mode. I promise I will write something and get back on track over the weekend when I will be officially done with school for the semester. For Now... a picture of me and my niece from Thanksgiving and then another of just her sleeping!!!

(sorry her head looks a little greasy... it would be because we have a problem with petting her sweet little head....)

A day of Thanks from a Very Blessed Girl

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!!!


Thanksgiving is probably my favorite holiday of the year. What a better day than to give thanks for all the many blessings in our lives? I have so much to be greatful for and, though I dont always say it enough, I am so thankful for every last blessing that God has bestowed on me. Below is a list of 5 things I am thankful for. These are things I am thankful for today and everyday. For the most part, they are not really in any particular order...... Except 1. The first thing I am thankful is at the very top of my list becuase it is the most important thing that I am I am most thankful for.


I am thankful for....

1. Serving an awesome God who sent his only son to die for me, an imperfect person who falls short of His glory, yet loves me just the same. For that I am so grateful! Wow. God is so good!

2. My family. My parents are my biggest cheerleaders. They rejoice in the good and they pick me up when I fall. They love me unconditionally and do more for me than I could ever deserve. As we have grown older, my sister and I have grown closer, for which I am so happy and thankful for.

3. The chance to purse my dreams. I have always wanted to be an architect, and God has provided means and a way to go.

4. My friends. God has put so many wonderful people in my life who support me, love me, and challenge me. The know my ins and outs and I am so thankful to call them my friends.

5. Freedom. We live in a country where we are free to express ourselves, to chose our faith and beliefs. Right now, while I type this in the company of my family, there are soldiers around the world who are fighting right now for our freedom. Thank you to all the service people serving our country here and abroad.


What are you thankful for today?

Beautiful

So, I admit, I have not actually physically gone to church in a while. I know... I should go. But, I am full of excuses... I am not in town, I am too tired, I need to do school work... Excuses. Not good BUT, even though I have not physically gone to church, I have been listening to some pretty awesome sermons from a church near where I live (all available online for free through podcasts on Itunes). Perry Noble, pastor at Newspring Church in Anderson, SC has been doing a series called Beautiful. It is a series for women. Last year they did a series for men called Sex, Money, and Power. It was very good. But, as a woman, this series has been AMAZING. I highly suggest it!!!!! Single, Married, young or old, it is is for everyone, both men and women. The first sermon in the series was called Me, Beautiful? where Perry talks about how God see women. The second sermon was A Wife Worth Finding where Perry talks about what kind of woman is worth pursuit. The third in the series was a "candid conversation with Shaunti Feldhahn, the author "For women only: what you need to know about the inner lives of men." Last week's sermon was by Clayton King, the teaching pastor at Newspring who spoke on the contrasting lives of Mary and Martha. This week's sermon is not yet up. I am looking forward for tomorrow so today's sermon will be up!!!

Again, they are all available for free on ITunes!

A cool quote

I was reading the Living Proof Ministries Blog (Beth Moore and her two wonderful daughters are the faces behind the different posts). Any ways, Beth's youngest daughter Melissa was posted a quote out of a book she has read this fall. The book is Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense by N.T. Wright. Wright gives what is possibly the best description of what the bible is. He says “the Bible isn’t simply a repository of true information about God, Jesus, and the hope of the world. It is, rather, part of the means by which, in the power of the Spirit, the living God rescues his people and his world, and takes them forward on the journey toward his new creation, and makes us agents of that new creation even as we travel” (191). Wow.... wonderful!

Faith....

So everything about our economy is not looking very good. The dow finished up yesterday (I think I heard 552+) but today, as CNN put it, it is in a "nosedive" again. The experts say that if GM fails, it will be a domino effect, "it rapidly takes out all the other dominoes." Scary. by some standards yes. My parents I think are very stressed as their retirement is in the stock market. But through it all, while it is a bit overwhelming at times, I am just not stressed about it. God says so much about money and life, I just cant worry about it. Hebrews 11:1 says "Faith is being sure of what we hope for, and certain of what we do not see." Gods painting this wonderful picture that none of know what it is going to look like when all is said and done, but He knows why our economy is not doing well. Faith is coming to total darkness and not knowing whats ahead, but walking forward knowing that there will either be solid ground to walk on, God will catch you, or you will learn to fly. God is not going to let you hit the bottom. His plan is greater than we could ever know. On top of faith, He says very clearly in Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." These are just 2 of hundreds of examples of where God tells each of us not to worry. His plans for us are greater than we could ever imagine.

So here I am, following his plan for my life. I am in school and not going to worry about the economy or money. I am going to live by faith knowing He will provide for me today and tomorrow as he has every day before. What about you?

been a while.. but for good reason!

Its been a while.... I am not very good at blogging on a regular basis. While I have many excuses, the best is that I am now officially an AUNT!!!!!! That's right... my sister, who I know I have never mentioned before on my blog as this only my second post, any ways... my sister and my brother-in-law welcomed a sweet little Girl on October 25, 2008 at 7:54 PM. Her name is Sarah Boyd! She weighed 7lbs 5 oz and was 19" long. She is so sweet and I totally love her!!! I will add a picture of her below for everyone to admire! :)

1. About 12 hours old, and in her mommy's arms!

2. One of her First nights home.... In her Daddy's arms!

3. The family admires that sweet baby girl!! Even her Great Grandma Baba who came in with Great Grandpa Jack from the west coast!

For now, I am going to get back to working on school work. I have a test in 12 hours and a few more hours of studying to do to get ready for it!

Hopefully, in the coming days and weeks, I will get better at blogging regularly and hopefully with something exciting, thoughtful, and/or worthy of writing about.

The Very First Post.....

The very first post..... ON MY NEW BLOG!!! I decided to start this blog as a place to write down my thoughts, share my ideas, and express myself. My intent is that it will be a place to just relax and connect with the world. I hope that people will leave comments, find new experiences and fellowship in this modern medium.