All Scripture is God-Breathed and repeat!

Last week our Core Team decided to memorize a scripture verse together and now I can officially say that I have this verse put to memory!  Now…we’ll see how long I can keep the verse memorized

2 Timothy 3:16, 17

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Options :)

New house. New room. New decorations. Maybe I’ll get crafty? I kind of like this…

Or maybe I’ll get hungry and make this…

Or I’ll be lazy and watch a little of these ladies…

Planet Earth

I am loving on God’s creation lately.  Saturday night consisted of an amazing night filled with leftovers, brownies, banana bread (minus the middle…special baking by a certain boy), “Planet Earth”, friends, Target, and seat warmers.  We watched the Ocean and Desert episodes of Planet Earth.  The filming blew me away and I’m still in awe.  Now I just want to travel all over!  Who wants to come!?  Then, at church, the sermon started out with a comparison of the Sun and the Earth.  Incredible numbers and visuals. I  am astounded at how many earths would fit inside the sun–I’d tell you the exact numbers, but they’re too big for me to remember.  Go wikipedia them   Anyway, creation has so many neat things and I love it!  Probably why I love running, walking, hiking, biking, waterskiing, stargazing, meteor showers, sunsets, sunrises, and all those other outdoor activities.  Now if only the cold temperatures would go hide so that summer can come right in!

Best Friends

I remember as a little girl going the whole nine yards with the “best friend” frenzy. From necklaces, to bracelets to matching things, we flaunted the “best friend” status. Unfortunately, in those years sometimes people get left out and hurt by the whole “best friend” mania. Plus, the manufacturing companies never made life easy by only allowing a girl one best friend. Although, if we want to go technical, there should only be one “best”, right? Maybe we just need different types of “best” because that’s what the distinction comes down to sometimes. A best friend to talk with, a best friend to do sports with, a best friend to go dancing with, ect.

Last night, I really needed one of my “best friends.” I tried some of the other “bests” and they filled their spots wonderfully, but not quite what I wanted/needed. I needed that person to talk some sense into my negative, messed up head and to speak light and truth into the darkness with all encompassing love. I fell asleep with tear stained cheeks feeling a bit defeated. Yet come morning, my “best friend” spoke the healing words I needed. I am so thankful to have such amazing people in life. I am so glad that I have all sorts of “bests” to walk with me through the different struggles and triumphs. I am so thankful to have enough relationships that go beyond the proximity and affinity type (those are important too, but in a different way!). So, here’s to all the “bests” in life who let us lay it all down, drop anything to get there for us, and help us rise into the light at the end of the fight

Just lay it all down, put your face into my neck and let it fall out

I know, I know, I know, I knew before you got home

This world you’re in now, it doesn’t have to be alone

I’ll get there somehow

Cause I know, I know, I know

When even springtime feels cold

But I will learn to breathe this ugliness you see

So we can both be there and we can both share the dark

And in our honesty, together we will rise out of our nightminds

And into the light at the end of the fight…

You were blessed by a different kind of inner view: it’s all magnified

The highs will make you fly but the lows make you want to die

And I was once there, hanging from that very ledge where you are standing

So I know I know I know, it’s easier to let go

But I will learn to breathe this ugliness you see,

So we can both be there and we can both share the dark

And in our honesty, together we will rise out of our nightminds

And into the light at the end of the fight…

…and in our honesty, together we will rise out of our nightminds

and into the light…at the end of the fight

“Nightminds” by Missy Higgins

100

Happy Day :)

What a day!  Work has been crazy busy because guess what!? graduation is in less than 2 weeks!  The caps and gowns have been here for a while (a huge blessing in of itself!), but today was the day I officially made sure that every graduate had a package.  I found out after I sent in the cap and gown order that two people were not on the list…yikes!  Thanks to some lovely graduates who did not want to participate (exactly two people, mind you), I was able to use these packages for the two who were missed.  Amazingly enough all four had the same package–no extra cords, no special tassels.  Huge relief!  Now I just have to get the programs for Baccalaureate and Commencement edited and ready to print

In other news, I ended up running really random, but fun errands tonight after my run (yay for warm weather!).  I went bike shopping!  I went to three different shops–including REI of course.  Kind of depressing at how much I could spend…we’ll see what happens, but I’d really love to get into road biking and maybe even do the bike across Minnesota ride someday.  My next stop was Barnes and Noble since I still had a gift card leftover from Christmas.  I spent a good while perusing the journal shelves and finally picked one.  I used my last page on my happy green one on Sunday.
My last stop was…Victoria’s Secret for lingerie. Yep. Ha, no actually I am going to a bridal shower on Friday.  Unfortunately, I didn’t find anything worthwhile.  Oh well, keep looking I suppose–or just skip out on life and hit the road like in “Into the Wild” or not

Hiding Behind a Rim

I’m obsessed with crazy, crimped, wavy, flared, pinched, spiked, and well basically every kind of non-normal rims in terms of pottery.  Pretty much every teacher has commented on my love for unique rims.  I’m not artsy in the draw an amazing bird on a vase kind of way so I make up for that in other ways–like rims or glaze.  I also hate wasting clay and throwing away pots.  I will do almost anything to make the clay work itself into something decent.  I’ve forced wavy tops down with a needle tool.  I throw in more clay if I cut through somewhere even though this technique is unorthodox.  All of this to say, I use rims to hide the off-balance, off-centered pieces.  With a wave or a flower type design, you have to hold the pot or be skilled to really notice.  Hence, I hide my inability to center perfectly behind my love of rims–mind you, I can center! Sometimes things just go awry.

In relation and going Bible-y on you, I can totally relate this to my life and the analogy of the potter (God) and the clay (me/you/us).  Often I’m the stubborn clay wanting to be off center and veering out.  I want to bow and thin rather than stay uniform and even.  At church, we’re started a series called “Be Killing Sin or Sin Will Be Killing You.”  As we went over the definition of sin, many of my rebellious and stubborn clay attributes came to light again.  Sometimes I don’t even let the potter spend time with me because I’m too busy flirting with the slip or the glaze.  Ha, I feel like I’m taking this a bit too far and could come up with a ton more cheesy clay jokes/references/analogies so I’ll stop there while my hole is only a bit deep!  You get the idea

Celebration Pancakes!

I officially have signed on the dotted line, paid the deposit and received a set of keys!  Beginning Tuesday, I can start moving my stuff in    We had our first official “Family Dinner” at Amy’s after we got the keys and of course it was breakfast! Yum.  I love breakfast food and love pancakes with peanut butter even more.

Unfortunately, the camping trip was cancelled due to rain; however, we made the best of the situation by having a movie night and then walking around Lake Calhoun and Lake Harriet today.  Lots of fun!  Walking and talking and yummy food.  Plus, we watched “Into the Wild”–love it!!  I’m already ready to watch the movie again, that’s how much I liked it.

Memorable quotes from the movie and book (I REALLY want to read the book now!):

“When you forgive, you love.  And when you love, God’s light shines upon you.” -Mr. Franz

“When you want something in life, you just gotta reach out and grab it.” -Christopher

“Happiness is only real when shared.” -Christopher

“You don’t need human relationships to be happy.  God has placed it all around us.” -Christopher

“It is easy, when you are young, to believe that what you desire is no less than what you deserve, to assume that if you want something badly enough, it is your God-given right to have it…I was a raw youth who mistook passion for insight and acted according to an obscure, gap-ridden logic.  I thought climbing the Devils Thumb would fix all that was wrong with my life.  In the end, of course, it changed almost nothing.  But I came to appreciate that mountains make poor receptacles for dreams.  And I lived to tell my tale.” -Jon Krakauer

“So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more dangerous to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future.  The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure.  The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon for each day to have a new and different sun.” -Christopher

Sign Here

By 5:00pm tomorrow, I’ll know if I for sure have a place to move! Yikes!  I’m ready

A hit!

Perfect choice. A little bit of healthy with a little bit of dessert-y feel. Plus, no leftovers! I get to make a salad for Sunday…I’m brainstorming ideas already