Learning, Falling, Failing, and Being Forgiven

It's Friday. That statement alone should put you in a good mood. :) This has been a pretty stress free week luckily. My weekend started Wednesday afternoon which has been quite nice. I have been relaxing a good bit and laying by the pool....Have I mentioned I love this weather? Even when it rains I love it because it is warm out. My favorite.

On Wednesday I finished my book of choice for April. Yes, I am sticking to at least one of my new years resolutions! The book for this month was actually my very first Nicholas Sparks book. Brett got it for me as part of my Valentine's gift because I had said that I wanted to read a couple of books during this next year that weren't necessarily "Christian" books. I read

The Choice.

I have to say....I loved The Notebook (the movie...I haven't read the book) and this book was pretty similar in that it was a good love story. I mean...I'll admit it, I am a bit of a hopeless romantic so I am all about a good love song, story, etc. It thrills me to hear engagement stories, go to weddings, and all that jazz. It was the typical love story....girl meets boy....they eventually fall in love....a tragedy occurs....but in the end, a happy ending. Girls swoon over books and stories like these. I won't lie, I liked it. I was able to picture the story and put myself in the girls shoes.

But...As I was reading I kept asking myself, "why are you reading this?" While the overall story line was good I can honestly say it felt pointless to read it. I mean, there were sweet things in the book, things that the guy said to the girl that every girl wants to hear. But, there was also so much of the world in that book. There was cheating and sex before marriage and things that I am trying to keep myself from. By the end of the book I felt like I was fed a worldly love story that made my heart stir. Bottom line...I don't want the world to ever make my heart to stir. I know that it does and it does everyday but I choose what I put into my mind and my heart most of the time.

I am learning a lot about what it means to pursue holiness. I am also seeing how, so many times, I struggle to pursue it. I am grateful for a Savior who, I am confident, has forgiven me of every sin I have ever committed and every sin I ever will commit. That is a tough pill to swallow and one that I struggle to understand. I know all that He has done for me and I know all that He suffered. It is tough to understand how He doesn't look at me and think, "Seriously...you screwed up again? You have done this before and you know it's not fulfilling. What is wrong with you?" But, I know He doesn't. I am thankful. I am happy that He chooses to show His never-ending faithfulness, grace, forgiveness, and love.

What an awesome God we serve!

On that note, I hope your weekend is wonderful! :)

Opportunities and Expectations

So, as the semester is winding down I have been anticipating the arrival of summer! As I thought about it I realized it was the first summer that I made a decision to really do nothing. I don't mean nothing really....I just mean that I wouldn't be leaving for the entire summer. My first two college summer's were spent in Panama City Beach for Summer Beach Project and last summer I had the amazing opportunity to spend 2 months in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Because I have had such crazy summer's, the idea of spending a summer at home sounded nice and relaxing. I prayed about it for a while and decided it was really what the Lord wanted me to do.

About a month ago my mom, brother and I began talking about the possibility of Sam and I going to Africa for a couple of weeks. We have friends who are missionaries in Kenya and knew they would LOVE to have visitors. So....in literally a matter of about a week we decided that we were going to go!

We will be spending two weeks in Kenya and I could not be more thrilled!

We are going to visit this sweet couple, Michael and Lesley. They will graciously be opening up their home to us for those two weeks and showing us where they live and what they do. They have been in Kenya together for about a year. Michael teaches school and Lesley has a ministry where she teaches AIDS victims how to grow and cook vegetables for themselves. I am excited to see all that the Lord is going to teach both Sam and I as we travel. I am praying that we will be stretched and also that we will be able to be an encouragement to Michael and Lesley! I am so thankful for this unbelievable opportunity!

I have also been presented with another possible opportunity for when I return from Africa. At school, our professors presented us with an opportunity to participate in a summer enrichment program. If chosen, I would be working with 3rd-5th grade students. I would get lots of experience in my very own classroom but there would be no pressure. I would also get paid which is really just an added bonus and there is a possibility of a scholarship. I have applied but don't know if I will be accepted. I know that it would be a great opportunity and a great experience before I enter student teaching in the fall.

That is the update on a couple of my summer plans. Only 3 more weeks! Woo! Almost there! Have a happy Friday!

Hello Hello

Okay...so I have pretty much slacked the past couple of weeks. I'm going to be honest...there hasn't been much to say. My weeks in school have gotten pretty light which is awesome. I have been learning a lot which I promise I will share later. Right now I am watching GLEE!! Mmm...love it! Also, I have exciting news which again..I promise to share with all of those who don't know but it will be in another post. Right now, I have to go. Glee is calling my name. Also, I made 5 minute mousse today. Delish. Let me know if you want the recipe. Sorry so short and boring. A better post will be here soon. I suck. Sorry!

The Azalea Trail Run...

I hope you all are having a great weekend. Mine has been so nice and a much needed break. I have gotten to spend a lot of time with my family and Brett. That has been good because we do not get to see each other much during the week. Last night, we relaxed and did homework. The homework part wasn't awesome but...we were able to spend time together and for me, I don't really care what we do as long as we are together.

Now...let me share with you a decision I made just 26 days ago. I decided that I wanted to run the Azalea Trail 10k race that happens in Mobile every year. I have never run an actual race...other than the fun run for the Azalea Trail when I was younger...but I wanted to do it. I wanted to do the 10k even though they were having a 5k as well this year. I didn't inform the blogging world about this decision because basically, I figured I'd back out. haha. My pride wouldn't be able to take breaking the news that I quit. Just another reminder of my sin and how prideful I am. Anyways, I have been training for the past 20 something days and although I run pretty consistently...I was forced to start running longer runs. Training had been going good. My endurance wasn't too bad but my legs have been sore throughout the process.

Fast forward to this morning. I woke up around 6 am...immediately thought, "what a terrible idea this was" haha. Just kidding....but seriously, it was early. We headed downtown and began warming up. Jeff, Amy, and I were the ones who ran today. Amy and I stretched and took a short jog around the block. My shins began to throb and I thought...."ahh...not today." We got back and were about to go line up to start. I was thinking it was going to be a rough run. Brett came up behind me and said a quick prayer for me and my shins. :) I started getting nervous as we lined up and finally...the gun was fired and we were off.

It was such a great run. My shins really did not hurt at all and I was pushing myself the whole time. I felt great. It was tough...don't get me wrong...but I did pretty well. Bottom line...I finished and I loved it. I want to run more races for sure. I completed the 6.2 miles in just about an hour..maybe like a minute or a minute and a half after an hour. I was going for under an hour but I felt like I really pushed myself so I can't complain!

Here are a few pictures from the day....

My sweet sister who ran with me the whole time...even though she

probably could have smoked me! :)

The three racers...

My face pretty much tells how I was feeling before we started. :)

Jeff finishing wayyy earlier than us. What a stud. 46 minutes. Baller.

Never has a finish line looked so sweet....

Sweaty. Hot. Happy to be done and have finished!

As for the rest of the day.....Spot of Tea for breakfast, back home for a shower, a three hour nap (me on one couch...Brett on the other...haha), and a relaxing day. It was the perfect Saturday. I hope yours was just as good!

Enjoy your Sabbath tomorrow!

A Friday Night Date..

That is right. I had a date tonight. In fact...I had two dates tonight. We went to some adventurous places. We dressed up. We danced the night away. We watched a movie together. We read a story together. It was a glorious night. Who were my dates you may be wondering.....

Only the cutest red-headed children you have ever seen...

I had the privilege to spend my Friday night with these two and truly loved every minute of it. When I got to their house they were watching, The Swiss Family Robinson. LOVE it! Naturally....we pretended like we were fighting off pirates. Then...we headed to MC's room for a dance party. Alvin and the Chipmunks music. Sadly..I remembered these songs from when I was younger and watched these movies. I knew the words better than them. We had so much fun!! Obviously from the pictures above.....we enjoyed dressing up. Then...with a story and a prayer...it was sadly time for bed. All in all, a fabulous Friday night!!

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

I get to see this sweet face on Sunday and I cannot wait!

Mmm...Edible? I think so!

A Sick Day

Unfortunately, my hump day turned into a sick day. How unfortunate. I skipped all of my classes. That is when you know I am sick. Since I have been in this season of school I haven't skipped a class. It's seriously been a year. Anyways, I am actually feeling better tonight, thankfully. My teachers were all understanding which was a huge blessing as well. Other than feeling terrible, the day was pretty decent. The downside was that it should have been a crime to be inside on such a beautiful day. Oh well. I did get some homework done and was able to spend some good time in the Word this morning.

As I have mentioned, I have been studying through John and this week we jumped to 1 John. There is some encouraging and convicting stuff. I just thought I'd share a couple of things that stuck out this morning.

"Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world--the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does--comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever." -2:15-17

There was a question in my study asking us to explain what the three things in verse 16 were talking about. I was discussing it with my mom and was just amazed. I have read these verses so many times but they say and mean so much more than I even realized and my mom really gave me some great examples. The cravings of sinful man basically refers to idols. This is anything that comes before God. This is the feeling of wanting to watch television, play on the computer, sleep, etc. instead of spending time with God. These things aren't bad but when they take priority they become bad. I am so guilty of this. The lust of his eyes refers to wanting anything that someone else has that you don't. For so long, I guess I thought it just was talking about physical lust. It is desiring to look like someone else, desiring to have that car, those clothes, that house, etc. Boasting of what he has and does is simply what it says. It is being prideful about the good things we receive or our accomplishments. These verses were convicting this morning, particularly the part about the cravings of sinful man.

Luckily.......

"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God. And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is." -3:1-2

I believe the question that followed reading these verses was, "what do you find encouraging about these verses?" My response: What can you not find encouraging about these verses? I love this! Not only does He love us...which is in itself an amazing thing, but one day we are going to see Christ for who He is. One day we will get to experience what it is like to be like Christ! I was encouraged. It is amazing how the Lord can take the days that we feel the worst and make them so restful and uplifting. We serve a great God. I am thankful that He knows me and my needs and He fulfills those needs!

An Early Weekend

Hello folks! I hope your week has been good so far! I just couldn't be more excited because it is officially the weekend for me! For the rest of you, I am sorry but it is hump day so that is something to be happy about! Also, I have a new addition to my room.

We have these all over our house. They are wall words. There are all sorts of quotes and verses that you can get printed in all different fonts and colors. I had been wanting one for a while and finally got one. I think that this verse is suitable and I will see it every night before I go to bed. I LOVE it! I am so thankful for the promise that my Father will make me dwell in safety. I plan on having these verses everywhere in my home one day!

Sorry for the short, seemingly pointless post... :)

Enjoy the rest of your week!

Today Was A Fairy Tale..

"But can you feel this magic in the air? It must have been the way you kissed me... Fell in love when I saw you standing there it must have been the way... today was a fairy tale. It must have been they way.. today was a fairy tale!"

I don't know why but I felt that this song was appropriate for today...I like Taylor Swift and I don't mind admitting it! :) Well, as you know...there was a bit of magic in the air today! It was one of those days that I just have to give an A+. Last night we heard that we were going to get some snow on the ground today so we were as excited as ever! Okay....let me just say this about myself. It does not take much to excite me. I am the type who, at 21 years of age, would still wake up at 6 am on Christmas morning, knowing all I was going to get was clothes! I just get really excited! So..with just the prospect of snow I was a giddy girl!

I woke up at 7....and nothing. Rain, rain, and more rain. I did not give up! As I waited...I spent the morning in bed spending time with the Lord and reading! It was so nice to just relax. We serve a graceful and forgiving God and I am so thankful!

Around 10:30 I glance out the window and finally that rain turned to some beautiful white flakes!! I throw on my boots and grab the camera and run downstairs. I called Brett, woke him up, and told him to HURRY AND COME OVER!! He wasn't nearly as pumped as I was... :)

It snowed pretty steadily for a little over 2 hours. No, none of it stuck at my house but I was thrilled to have flurries and flakes just the same!

Okay....now to change topics a bit.. I have been studying through the book of John in my personal time in the Word. I have been studying with Bible Study Fellowship and one of the questions this week was, "What is one truth you have learned this year but haven't believed or put into action?" I don't remember exactly how it was phrased but it was something like that. I immediately knew what truth I had learned and one that has really been on my mind so much lately.

"Faith without deeds is dead." -James 2:26

This is so simple and I know it is a well-known verse. I just feel like I need to be a bolder witness for Christ and need to be striving to serve others more. If I am simply studying God's Word and both being poured into by others and self-feeding that is really not enough. I have to act on the things that I learn. I have to serve and love others well. I am sure we all need improvement with this but it has just especially been in my thoughts lately.

I hope you all had a fun snow day in Alabama! I know we certainly did! Enjoy the rest of your weekend friends and stay warm! :)

Simply Delightful

Ah...how good it feels to be halfway done with the week. Actually, my weekends start on Thursday afternoons around 3 o'clock which is quite nice. Tomorrow is a big day though. I will be teaching two of my own lessons. I have taught plenty of my teachers lessons but tomorrow I will teach my sweet fourth graders about equivalent fractions and about WWII in Alabama and attempt to make it as fun and interesting as possible. Bless their hearts!

This week has flown by but I have to say, I am ready for the weekend. Why? Well, probably the main reason is because I get to see this sweet angel for the first time in over a month...

I cannot wait to squeeze her! Oh, and the camera is ready to go...I am certain that her Aunt Amy and I will not miss a moment of her visit. :)

I do have a busy weekend ahead of me though. I have to say, my to do list will be full of both fun and not so fun things.

1.) Lesson plans and homework (boo)

2.) Plan for Brett's birthday

3.) Organize this room of mine that has gotten oh so cluttered! (I hate that it is this way

cause I am normally organized but school has taken over!)

4.) Create my list for the dayzeroproject

(This was inspired by Bayleigh and "Inspiring someone to make a list"

was on her list! So go ahead and scratch this one off! Actually you may want to wait till

I actually make the list! Hopefully this weekend!!)

These are just a few of the main things I have planned but I am looking forward to it!

An Inspiration

Happy Friday! Yay! Weekends are going to be what I long for this semester..I can already tell. I am having early days every single day except for Friday. This is definitely preparing me for the rest of my life as a teacher :) I was back at my school this week and it was so great to see those smiling fourth graders again. I loved being back. This week was actually really good but definitely was tiring. Only about fourteen more to go. I know that doesn't seem like many but I am sure that this time will drag on....

Can I just say that the weather outside was beautiful today! I went for a run and it was so good to run outside again. The weather made me wish it was summer so badly. I love the cold weather but I definitely am more of a summer girl. I especially love running when it is really hot outside which is crazy I know. Needless to say...hurry up summer! :)

Anyways, so a couple of months ago I came across a blog about a girl who is my age and lives in Uganda. Katie went to Uganda for the first time in 2006 and God put it on her heart to start a child sponsorhip program, matching orphaned children who are unable to afford schooling with sponsors anywhere in the world. Katie began Amazima ministry. I am so encouraged my her and all that she has done. I have been following her blog for only a few weeks but love reading her stories. Pray for her. I am the same age as her and cannot imagine taking on all that she has taken on in the last few years of her life. She has fourteen adorable little girls living with her in Uganda. 21 years old...mother of fourteen plus more on some days. Her servants heart and willing spirit is so encouraging to me. She has inspired me and I would encourage you to pray for her.

Have a great weekend everyone!