4.30.2007

Stephie was here. now she's gone. it's always sad when she leaves.... but then, i know she'll come back soon. because she always does come back.


we went miniature golfing...
















and participated in an inside joke for Drew.



4.27.2007

i promise, it's not st. patty's day. we just happened to both be wearing green.
weird.
but so adorable. :)

Stephie's coming today!!!!!
oh, and i have no homework!
well, i could study for a couple of tests. but i'm not going to.
i am taking a much-deserved day off. and i'm waiting for Stephie to get here.
yay!! :)

now for some coffee and a little bit of a jog to get the blood flowing...

4.20.2007

helping my sister

so, my sister is getting her house ready to sell.
she, along with her roommate, has been working non-stop for the last 2 weeks getting it ready..

painting, sanding, yard-work, getting rid of old furniture, more cleaning, more painting, shampooing carpets... you get the idea!

here are some fun pictures from the 2 days i was able to help.
















































Easter


mom-in-law Grace with nephew Noah.
so stinkin' cute.

















me, Grace, and the 2 cutest kids in the world.











ah, brothers.
what more needs to be said?











me and my new sister (okay she's Matt's sister. but she likes me better anyway)













"look at my muscles!!"
(niece Betsy)









my favorite picture.
self-portrait of me and Noah.
"CHEESE!!!!"

4.19.2007

sufficient

i'm afraid i'm not well at the moment.
i need recharged. like an overused battery that you plug in for a couple minutes just to make sure it doesn't die. but after a couple hours, it's about to run out of energy again.
that's what i feel like.
t-minus 12 days.
not that i'm counting.
than i get to rest for a while.

Your grace is sufficient. i've rarely felt such a physical/mental need for that as i do now. emotionally, i definitely have.

You are good.
i know You will sustain. You don't give more than we can handle.. and You give us what we need to get through. i trust in this promise.. in You.

4.18.2007

pictures of the dress will come. this i can promise.
if it's not too big, Matt's going to put on his suit, i'll put on the dress, and we'll have someone take some pictures. just for fun. just for us. and for the blog, of course.

it was a good morning. i didn't have to be at work until 12:30, which is always a plus!
i got up a little after 8am, ate a bowl of cereal, and headed to Starbucks on my bike. i drank a good cup of coffee while reading Luke, jounaled a bit, and rode home. then i met my honey for lunch downtown.. we picnicked at Conagra Park, enjoying a perfect day! sunny, slight breeze, and in the 60's.

now i'm at work, bored as usual. someday, i'll get to quit my job to be a mom. i'm so excited for that day. but for now, i can just hope a customer walks through that door!!

4.16.2007

nothing like a good dress (except maybe a good pair of jeans)

what a wonderful weekend.
my mom saved up her pennies and sent me and my sister on a shopping spree.
i'm really not used to spending money on myself. it was kind of hard. but i ended up with lots of cute stuff. it's nice to have a wardrobe with clothes that are not only cute, but they fit! go figure.

my favorite purchase so far (i've only spent about half my money):
a dress!!!
besides bridesmaid dresses, i have not bought a dress since my senior year of high school. and that was 8 years ago!
i can't wait for you all to see it.
i told Matt he should take me somewhere i can wear it. and then he can wear his suit. we would be one hot couple! (well, we already are, but it would just make it that much more obvious).

the dress comes along with a fun story as well.
i was at Kohl's with Kate (Anna says i'm a "Kohl's junkie".. i will wear that title proudly!). i mentioned really wanting to buy a dress. she told me about all the dresses that JC Penney had on sale.. it didn't take much convincing for me to get in the car and drive the five miles to the westroads, Kate in the passenger seat.
we walk out of the elevator, and lo and behold: there was Ranae and Anna!! my 2 friends who are fashion experts and see shopping as an art form (i mean both of those as the best of compliments).
so off we go.... into a crowded dressing room... with three girls saying things like, "too short", "too big", and my favorite, "too juniors". but we finally found the perfect dress.

now to find a good reason to wear it...

(Steph.. you should bring dress-up clothes when you come next weekend.. we could go out on the town! :) )

4.11.2007

a journal entry from this morning that i thought would be better to share than to write something new on a similar topic...

that's the whole point, isn't it?
that you can't quite see His purpose
or find a reason why
hope... for things unseen
faith... in things impossible
as much as i want answers
or to see a reason in all of this
my hope is in Him
in believing
He has a plan and a purpose

i don't want to be angry with You - or offended by You. how do i learn to fully trust You? is that part of Your purpose in this time - to teach me relentless trust?
i need You to do this in me.
i will say i trust you - and mean it as much as i'm able.
"i believe... help my unbelief"
i don't think i've every understood that statement as much as i do now. of feeling powerless to do what i want - what i need - to do.
more important than everything.
more important than sleep.
refine me. make me more like You. everyday. until You look at me and see a reflection of Yourself. that is what i desire.

4.10.2007

Easter power

wow.. i'm blogging two days in a row. what's going on??

i was listening on my iPod this morning to p.Les' first message on "what Easter means".
i'm telling you, that man has a gift.
a gift of hearing the Lord's voice, and then delivering that message to His people.
he talked about there being hope in life, no matter the circumstance, because of "Easter power".

(Easter power = Resurrection power: that same power that raised Christ from the dead is the power that has been given to us )

so no matter what, there is hope.
but we won't find that power offered to us unless we make the decision to do so.
unless we decide to walk forward.

"don't give up.
the enemy wants you to give up.
Easter power,
Resurrection power is available.
but you've gotta take a step of faith. you've gotta walk toward the wholeness.
i urge you, if you're going to defy all the odds that have been stacked against you...
you've gotta make up your mind, this day
to make your spiritual life and growth the absolute priority in your life."

-Pastor Les Beauchamp on April 8, 2007

4.09.2007

so i guess i'm pretty bad at this blogging thing. i'll go a couple months and post at least once a week, but then i'll got for months without even as much as a thought.
hopefully, once school is done, i'll be better.
i feel like school is my life right now. so maybe when i have my life back, i'll be able to do more of what brings me life and joy...
i'm still spending time with Him. that's one thing i haven't slipped on.
but everything else. it feels that life has kept going on... but i've been mostly absent.

with exceptions, of course.
the wedding last weekend, for instance.
i had the wonderful privelege (and joy) of spending nearly 2 full days in the presense of the now-Mrs.McIntyre. and her amazing friends (many of whom were already my friends; some of who i now would consider my friends).
and spending time with someone i've known since elementary, but haven't spent much time with since high school, and who now lives about 2 hours away.
seeing a good friend get married. and extremely happy.
taking lots of pictures.

but then back to "normal" life. or what normal has become for me this semester.
i have hope that it's only 3 more weeks. that i'm growing through this time.
that i'm learning a lot, and what i learn will make up for what it feels that i've lost (and am losing)

i don't know. maybe i'm being a bit melodramatic over the whole thing.
all i know is, i can't wait until that first week of May.
maybe i'll actually get to go to girls' night. :)