I love my

MKA

romans 5:1-12

therefore since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God, not only so but we also rejoice in our sufferings because we know that suffering produces perseverance and perseverance character and character hope and hope does not disappoint us because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit whom he has given us. you see at just the right time when we were still powerless, Christ dies for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die but God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ dies for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from Gods wrath through him! For if when we were gods enemies were were reconciled to him through the death of his Son. How much more having been reconciled shall we be saved through his life. not only is this so but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ through whom we have now received reconciliation.

cozy friday

It's been a rough week.. I am exhausted and dreaming of:

in the beginning

I've been reminiscing lately about 3 years ago what my Jan-April looked like. As a sophomore in college, living with 2 amazing women of God who were in relationships God had placed them in for a purpose, I had a bitter/sweet Fall term. I loved living with them, I learned SO much from them; by watching healthy, God-centered relationships. I watched their struggles and their selflessness and seeking Christ in it all. I was also jealous. I wanted this for myself, and as I was "not dating for a year" it was hard to have this beautiful thing in my face all of the time. The more and more that I am distanced from that situation the more I see SO clearly how God was working in my life and in my heart. These women taught me so much just by letting me observe and listen. They went through it before me. SO when it came to be my time; it was a simple, comfortable transition.

These are the first pictures that Brian and I ever took together (classic) in April/May 2007 when our relationship really began. It was a sweet winter, spring and summer. It was full of giddy conversations, impromptu visits (I was in Eugene and he was in Salem at the time), nights of Nerts with Morgan and Jenna, funny facebook comments, witty humor and lots of flirty sarcasm.

I miss this time. Every season of a relationship is good in it's own way but I remember such happy feelings from this season. So much comfort but still having so much fun learning about each other. So many late night phone conversations and butterflies in my stomach every time we kissed, or held hands, or looked at each other. Ah young love..

wish I was here

new favorite place

Tiff and I went to lunch today and she has been telling me about this soup place that is amazing. So I thought today would be the perfect day to try it. I am still dreaming about the Butternut Squash soup that I had at Fresh Thyme Soup Company. The staff was super friendly and the environment was awesome. It's tucked back in a funny strip mall (like we have all over Cedar Mill) by Burger King on the corner of Cornell & 158th. You should check it out!!

pictures

my sweet sister made me these back in the summer and remembered them and wanted to share. she rocks my world.

by your side- tenth avenue north

Why are you striving these days

Why are you trying to earn grace

Why are you crying

Let me lift up your face

Just don't turn away

Why are you looking for love

Why are you still searching as if I'm not enough

To where will you go child

Tell me where will you run

To where will you run

And I'll be by your side

Wherever you fall

In the dead of night

Whenever you call

And please don't fight

These hands that are holding you

My hands are holding you

Look at these hands and my side

They swallowed the grave on that night

When I drank the world's sin

So I could carry you in

And give you life

I want to give you life

let it fade

Have you been standing on your own feet too long?
Have you been looking for a place where you belong?
You can rest, you will find rest.
You can rest, you will find rest.

Let this old life crumble, let it fade.
Let this new life offered be your saving grace.
Let this old life crumble, let it fade, let it fade

Let if Fade- Jeremy Camp

wish I was here

love letter

"I know you have an idea in your head on how everything should unfold in your life. Even today you have an agenda. because I love you, i need you to give Me back all your plans for today and for all your tomorrows. If you let Me have your day, I can then intervene with something special. My intervention will give you more joy in you journey than your good intentions. I know all that you heart longs for and I want to do more for you than you could ever do for yourself. So give Me a chance to change you agenda from ordinary to extraordinary, because that's the kind of life I've destined you to live. " - His Princess

energized

I love being energized by God and the ways in which He is moving. This weekend at Breakaway they talked a lot about the "breaking point" that you get to on work crew. The girls were asking me if this was true and if so what it was for me. I don't think I ever really had a "breaking point" I learned a lot and looking back even more so now I see how much I learned. I explained to them that I thought for me it was more of point where I knew I couldn't move my muscles in the morning if I didn't have Jesus helping me.

I remember one night in particular when we worked after dinner up until club started (back in those days the new club room wasn't built and the left side of the Iron Kettle was the club room :) ) and we had to take a break while club was in session. So to pass the time we went out to the lawn to wait in the dark. We were so exhausted, had worked hard all day but had this unreal amount of energy. Allison and I were doing cartwheels and Chris was telling his jokes that rocked. We were dying laughing and having so much fun bonding together as a Dining Hall staff. I remember thinking to myself "why do we have so much energy right now"? There is no other reason we could be happy or laughing or had the energy to finish busing tables and doing breakfast pre-sets without Jesus's strength guiding us and there for us to lean on.

It is a crucial lesson to learn. Once I experienced it physically I knew it would be there to get me through anything emotionally, spiritually or relationally. He IS there and does want us to lean on Him and rest in Him.

i want to own this

Spring 2010...
super cute ribbon/chain/gem/necalcce
{jcrew}
sheer cardigan. i love all cardigans in general. I think every outfit can add a cardigan to it
{jcrew}

Longer cuffed jean shorts

{old navy}

Elastic waisted plain skirt
{old navy}

Cropped, roll up jeans

{old navy}

Cropped black jeans

{jcrew}

clasp on bracelet. I want to wear more classy bracelets in general

{jcrew}

loves of my life

i want to own this

waking up

Still not feeling awake at almost 11...

this is pretty awesome though. love me some Labyrinth!!

already drank tea and ... nothin!

your story

Once again, church was incredible. I am continued to be fed and filled by the word and Spirit. The guest pastor Mike Erre yesterday did a great job of taking an account from the Gospel, making sense of it through historical/geographical context and then showing us a clear picture of what Jesus was teaching and what the Gospel is saying to us. SO AWESOME.
{listen to the message}

What an encouragement to hear of a whole town who looked down upon Jesus and after one encounter with one person in the village who then spread the word about what Jesus had done for him made the whole town believe. What Mike wanted to communicate was that the most convincing and compelling story about who Jesus is is through the Gospels and our stories. Why do we make it so much more difficult than that? {What's hard today is "righting" all of the "wrongs" about what "Christians" have done which now replace the idea of Jesus in the minds of unbelievers.}

How come it is so hard for us to say "this is what Jesus has done in my life, this is who He is". That can't be argued with. No one can say "you didn't experience Him in that way"! And when we start to think about what "God Has.." done for us, the list could go on for days. Some things are big and somethings are small but there are countless things. A fun exercise (that we did yesterday at church) to do other than to write out a whole testimony was to finish the sentence "God Has...".

My card read:

God Has...
set me free from captivity and lies
loved me unconditionally
showed up
made me new
fed me truth
let me live life to the full
given me blessing upon blessing
healed my broken heart

{i stole this from Tiffany's facebook, I just love it}

not a fan of...

Taylor Swift. I think I would like her more if everyone in the world didn't love her so much. She's nice, and sweet and cute but I don't get what all of the hype is about. She isn't super spectacular in any... Seeing her on SNL and in Valentine's Day was painful. She was so awkward and just trying to hard. I feel as though I could never say this to anyone because of the crazy love that so many of my girlfriends have for her. So I'm sharing it here to get it off of my chest. Taylor Swift, you're sweet but I just don't get the whole thing.

psalm 27

The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life- of whom shall I be afraid?
...
One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.
to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord
and to seek him in his temple

For in the day of trouble He will keep me safe in His dwelling;
He will hide me in the shelter of His tabernacle
and set me high upon a rock.

Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me;
at His tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy
I will sing and make music to the Lord

Hear my voice when I call, O Lord;
be merciful to me and answer me.

My heart says of you, "Seek His Face!"
Your face, Lord, I will seek.
...
Teach me your way, O Lord;
lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors.
Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes
for false witnesses rise up against me, breathing out violence

I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living

Wait for the Lord;
Be strong and take heart
and wait for the Lord.

today I had a thought..

What are you supposed to do when the best friends you've ever had were when you were in high school? Unlike most people, my best friends from high school ARE my best friends. I look back and have nothing but warm, fond memories. Everyone says that you never stay close with your friends that you grew up with, that those relationships fade and that you make new friends. We were not a part of that statistic and I am proud to say so. The hard part is, when you know the best, everything seems so much less everywhere else you go.

We don't all live in the same state and we didn't go to college together and most of us are married now with our own lives but these women are still my best friends. Growing up with them was a privilege. To change and mold and go through hard times, I had the best people surrounding me at all times. I hope and pray that 30 years from now these women will still hold this special place in my heart. Even if we don't see each other for months at a time that we can still speak truth into each others lives and sit and talk for hours on a kitchen floor. One of the most special things about growing up with these ladies was I have gained so many wonderful moms and families that are now so close to my heart as well.

i want to own this

Nine West

isaiah 43:19

"See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making way in the desert and streams in the wasteland"


God is moving. He is so much at work in the lives of my dear friends right now. Committing for real for the first time,seeing itin a new light, encouraging one another... I am amazed and impressed with my God. How could I ever doubt Him? How could I ever think thatHewouldn't provide. It is never going to look the way that we want it to look or think that it is going to look. He knows so much better and will always do what he knows. I feel energized and excited to see what He does next-- to sit on my heels and wait and observe, I need not run anywhere but into His arms.

have you ever...

looked at your "wall-to-wall" on facebook with anyone? It's awesome..
SO funny to see the awkward times of getting to know each other and then to being friends. I love Brian and my awkward flirting times before we started dating..

I love "Monica"

I have an insane obsession with FRIENDS, I like to think that they are MY friends. I know most every episode and know I have seen each one at least 3 times, and some at most.. 28 times. I can't choose favorites so don't ask me that.. I don't know what I would do without them and this show that I wish each day I was a part of. Lifelong fan.

Pretty sure that Monica and Chandler are an exaggerated versions of Brian & I: opposites with a passion for being committed to each other, Chandler & Brian with their jokes and Monica and I with our... well AWESOME ability to organize :) Best engagement show EVER:


Other than ours of course!

hebrews 10:23

"let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful"

i want to own this

I love my...

BABY GIRLS
I truly love what I do so much. I am so fulfilled by these wonderful women that I get to do life with and walk alongside. They have each taught me so much. I thank them for letting me in to their lives, their hearts, their stories, their hurts and their walks with our Lord. These girls energize me, they motivate me and inspire me so much. I love spending time with each one of them so much.


LUH YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What am I going to do next year without them??

Love, MOM

style icons

BLAKE LIVELY : I love her comfortable and conservative look. I love cardigans and plain t-shirts spiced up a bit with vests, purses, necklaces or boots. (pictures from my favorite site: frugal-fashionistas.com... we all know this is what I strive to be- frugal and stylish)

LAUREN CONRAD: similar to Blake with her simple style, LC is a little more "fun" mixing in bring colors and fun pieces. Just love her all around (except I think I need to teach her how to do her hair sometimes... particularly with headbands)

HILARY DUFF: oh who doesn't love Lizzie McGuire. Nat and I used to watch her show everyday in 6th grade, were we too old then? maybe...

Mary-Kate & Ashley: it's nothing but love. always has been.