We are Family....

Today I:
-Ran
-Read
-Shopped
-Cried
-Cleaned
-Rearranged
-Ate
-Laughed
-Baked

And a few other things too.

It was a great day.

I spent a good portion of my day at Starbucks reading, journaling, praying, reflecting... Jim Botts brought a great word yesterday at the Stirring. All about Family. The main idea was that, when God becomes your Father, God's family becomes your family. He talked about how we need to embrace family and community in it's fullness and realness... AKA it's messiness! But the truth of it is, we need each other. We need the health of our family when we are in need of healing. When we are damaged and hurting, we need the health of our family to guide us and keep us alive. The same goes for other members of the family. When others are lost and hurting, they need us to come along side them and help them! We can't do this alone!

I was reminded last night of the amazing family I have at the Stirring.
The men and women who have come along side me over the past few years, ESPECIALLY over the past several months have changed me forever.
The importance of family is evident in my life.
I would NOT be where I am today if I went at it alone.
This is one of the hardest topics for me. Family. For a lot of reasons, but I'll save that for another day.

Family is what got me through.
Family and God :)
I'm in. 100%. Sold out. This is my family.

Today, I am thankful for family.
And sunshine.

Love

I am a sucker for love.
Every love story
Every love song
Every love poem
Every love movie
Everything that is love,
I'm in tears, every time.
Maybe it's because love is hard for me.
Or, should I say, love WAS hard for me.
To be loved, to love in return, to show love, to accept love, to feel love, to KNOW love, to BE love. It was impossible.
Months ago, if I had to describe my biggest insecurity, hurt, wound in ONE word, it would have been "unlovable."
I simply was unlovable.
It was something that ran extremely deep in my life.
Something that was reinforced time and time and time and time again.
For years, I felt that everywhere I turned, every relationship I was in, ever mirror I faced, all I could hear and see was that I was unlovable.
Simply, utterly, completely unlovable.
Until the Father got a hold of my heart.
He showed me what it means to truly be loved, and to truly love in return, and to truly accept love.
As I've said in previous blogs, God began to reveal to me just how much He loved me.
And it changed everything.
So now, when I hear a love song or see a love story, the tears are not the same tears of pain and
sorrow and
hurt and
longing and
betrayal.
But instead, they are tears of understanding.
I now understand what it feels like to be SO loved, that songs and stories would be written about your love.
God has changed that.
And He has forever wrecked me for love.
I am a sucker for love.

Today is Saturday

I got to spend the day with a room of leaders today learning about leading.
It was simply wonderful.
I loved every minute of it.
Dave Kraft lead the conference. He's a pastor at Mars Hill church in Seattle and the author of this book.
Dan has some great stuff to say about today. Check it out!
As I sat there, learning a TON of valuable and helpful information, I realized a few things...
-First and most importantly, I am led by incredible leaders. They have taught me so much about how to grow. How to lead. How to hear God's voice. I consider myself extremely lucky to be serving side by side with them.
-There's always, ALWAYS more to learn. Just because things are going "smoothly" doesn't mean a thing. Things should be ever-changing. I should NEVER be satisfied with the "status quo." Ever.
-I don't ask enough questions. I feel like one of the best ways to know if you're learning is if you're asking questions. I don't ask NEARLY enough questions.
-I love learning and growing and being challenged and stretched.

It was so great having some of my amazing Stirring Kids team there. I can't wait to pick their brains about what they took away from the conference.
What a great day.
I need to go process some of the info from today... so much stuff!!

One of my FAVORITE questions that Dave asked today was "Who are you and what are you doing here?"

I hope this questions constantly comes back to me.
WHO am I? What's the cry of my heart? What is my life screaming?
And WHAT am I doing here? What am I doing with the passions in my heart? With the dreams I have? With the strengths and gifts God has given me?

SO, who are YOU? And what are YOU doing here??

Today I am thankful for tough questions, and amazing leaders.

Snagged the picture from here. So great!

Today is Friday

Today was a good day.
I got to stand before a group of women tonight and bear a little bit of my soul.
It was not easy.
I fought with God for about 2 hours last night about it.
The things he was calling me to share... I just wasn't ready.
It felt too hard
too soon
too much
too uncomfortable
too heavy...
I just wasn't going to do it.
Something else. ANYTHING else. I'll talk about whatever ELSE you want.
Just
Not
This
Two hours of this. Back and forth. But one thing was certain: God wanted me to share.
So I did.
I stepped out in faith that God would show up, and use my words, use my story, use my pain to work in someone else's life.

Sometimes it's hard, though, when you step out and never really know the result.
I'm not sure if my story helped another in their journey.
I guess this is the part where I trust God. More.
It's easy to trust God with our story and our past hurts and wounds when we are the only one who knows about it.
It isn't until you bear a little piece of your soul in front of 80 women that you REALLY have to trust God.

I read this tonight, and I love it-
"Nevertheless, that time of darkness and despair will not go on forever... The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine."

Tonight, I'm thankful for God's great light in my life. I'm thankful that this promise, the promise of darkness being forever vanished in the presence of light, in my life.

Day 6... I think?

I started the day off with a list of 10 things I love about today.
It was a good list.
I think I'll end the day with a list of 10 things I'm thankful for today.

1. Wise friends who make delicious BLTs.
2. The smell of a new baby.
3. Discovering a new band and falling in LOVE with their music.
4. Randomly finding $100 in a desk drawer.
5. "Together alone time" as Shelby would call it.
6. Moments of reflection.
7. Valentine's Day decorations.
8. Random conversations with the stranger and her little daughter in front of me at Trader Joes.
9. Making it to the gas station WITHOUT running out of gas :)
10. Love stories (I'm a huge sucker for a good love story).

10 things I LOVE about today

I woke up discouraged this morning.
For no particular reason, just discouraged. A bit sad. A little overwhelmed. Maybe a hint of loneliness in there too.
As I was getting ready for the day, I had this moment with God. I was thinking to myself "I'm discouraged. Today's going to be awful." Then God, in all of his loveliness, spoke to me, "Emily, you're discouraged, but I'm still here. Ask me for encouragement. Ask me for joy. As me for peace. Ask me for my presence today. I WILL say yes! Today will only be awful if you let it be awful."
Boom.
Just like that, perspective.

"...Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable." Philippians 4:8

SO, I've decided to make a list of 10 things I love about today. I hope you enjoy them, and maybe you'll make your own list.

1. I love that my Dutch Bros. peeps know my drink. Even if I'm not ordering. And notice that I dyed my hair. They're so presh.
2. I love that my cat thinks his GIANT body can fit in tiny spaces. So funny.
3. I love that my alarm clock is a Weezer song.
4. I love that I got to use my BRAND NEW vanity today.
5. I love that I woke up without any allergies.
6. I love that the sun is shining SO beautiful and bright outside.
7. I love that I found a dollar in my jeans.
8. I love that Jenna is in the office with me today.
9. I love that I get to have lunch with Julie Read.
10. I love that my heart is content.

I will fix my thoughts on these lovely, wonderful things. I will fix my eyes upon the truth my Father reminds me of. He WILL say yes.

Day 5

Today, I'm overwhelmingly thankful for my Life Group. Only the second week, and already God is moving. I thought to myself tonight, THIS is what community is all about! Opening up your home, eating dinner together, praying together, laughing together, crying together, sharing struggles and pains and wounds, but also sharing joy and encouragement.
My favorite part of the group is the way we begin: We share our "highs and lows." We go around the room and everyone shares their high for the week and their low. It's beautiful to hear the hearts of these amazing women, as they share their low with their eyes brimming with tears. And in the same breath, we get to celebrate their most joyful moment of the week.
This really is what it's all about. Living life together. Reminding each other of the CONFIDENT HOPE we have in our Savior.
Tonight, I was reminded why we sometimes go through the crap we do: it's so that we can be a glimmer of hope to another woman who's heart is hurting and lonely and wounded and broken and who feels like she can't possibly go on one more day.
I've gone through the incredibly hard and horrible things I have so that I can be a face of someone who lived through it. A reminder that this is only a season. We can trust in our Father to redeem those broken places.
My heart is full of hope tonight. Hope for the women in my Life Group. Hope for my own life and story as God continues to shape it. And my confident hope in Jesus.

Today is Monday...

Today was a day full of many firsts.
Okay, maybe not MANY firsts, but a couple!
I got my first bloody nose (kinda nasty, and not such a stellar thing) but I also did my first cartwheel! I spent the entire afternoon doing cartwheels in my living room. I'm pretty sure I pulled a muscle in my booty, but it was well worth it! What an exciting day :)

Confession: I often have the urge to eat Play-Doh. I recently had a big ole bag of homemade Play-Doh dropped off at the office by an amazing Stirring Mom, and it took EVERYTHING in me to not take a big, huge, giant bite out of it! Weird. I know.

Day 4

I've said it before and I'll say it again; I love Sundays.
Sure, it's a long day.
Sure, there's a lot that goes into it from start to finish.
Sure, there are bumps along the way.
Sure, I need a quad-shot americano to help me function.
But every Sunday, I'm reminded of why I do what I do.
I get to see kids come alive.
I get to watch them learn about their place in this family.
I get to experience God revealing Himself to these little ones.
I get to encourage other leaders of the calling on their lives.
Yeah, it would be nice to sleep in.
Yeah, I'd love to have another day to check things off of my "to-do" list.
But I couldn't imagine my week without the moments I have on Sundays.
Like the mom who told me this morning that her two daughters were up at 5 AM pulling her out of bed, asking if it was time to go to church. Five. Oclock. In. The. Morning.
That's really early.
Or like the mom who told me that her 3 year old told her, while walking the beaches of Costa Rica, that she wished they could go to the Stirring in Costa Rica. They are strolling along amazingly beautiful, sandy beaches, and she's thinking about the Stirring Kids. Amazing.
Or the dad who told me that his son NEVER goes ANYWHERE without a kicking-and-screaming-and-clinging-to-his-shirt match. Except the Stirring. The look of pure joy and victory on this dad's face was enough to make me cry. (Doesn't take much, but STILL!)
Or the mom who asked me how to start a conversation with her daughter about Baptism, because the mom can see how much God is working in her daughter's life. This all coming from a mom who just met Jesus herself. And already, she can recognize the transformation in her daughter. Wow.
Or the little boy who gazed up at me with big, brown eyes and declared "Jesus lives in my heart. Forever. Did you know that? I can't wait to tell my daddy! He doesn't know Jesus yet, but he will. Because I pray for him, and so did my teacher this morning!"
Or walking with a leader who has more favor and anointing on her life than she knows, and who just pours her passion for Jesus out during the 2 hours with her class.
Or the OTHER teacher who is changing the lives of the hard-to-reach students in her class by talking to them like they MATTER, and by showing them the love and compassion of Christ.

THESE are the moments that remind me that ever early wake up, every sacrifice, every frustrating moment, every ounce of stress, every single moment of work is worth it all. Just to hear and see these stories. Just to help shape a generation to have confidence in their relationship with Jesus, and to show them the love God has for them. Just to call out the potential in a young leader who I believe has a calling on her life to change the lives of kids around the world. It's all worth it. Just to see lives changed.

My biggest prayer is for my passion to bring God fame. He's the one who has placed this passion in me. This is merely his love and desire and passion for his children living in my heart. May God get all the glory.

Today, my heart is full.
Today, my passion burns.
Today, I am thankful.

Here's a great shot of two of the littlest Stirring Kids.

Day 3

I did it! I made it to 7,000 views. This is a big day for me. Wow, I didn't even have a speech prepared or anything. Such a rookie mistake.

I've got a lot to be thankful for today, however I don't have much time to share it... I'm currently 42 minutes overdue for a date with my pillow. Yep, 10:00 sharp on Saturday nights. That 5:00 am alarm clock is pretty brutal.

Today, I'm thankful for:
-The creative imagination of children
-The way Mo twirls his hair. I hope he does that for life. I know, it might be a bit weird when he's a teenager and is still twirling his hair, but right now, as a 2 year-old, it's pretty darn cute!
-Unexpected weeks of sunshine and lovely weather in the middle of January. I mean, seriously you can't beat Redding's weather for the past week or so!
-The way Mt. Shasta looked today. Breathtaking.
-The way I feel after completing my last set of push-ups after a good jog. Especially a jog that leaves my legs burning a little.
-Being able to sleep with my window open again.

I sure hope Saturday was good to y'all.
I'm now going to bed.
Shalom.

Confessions:

I love making my bed.
I bite my nails.
I rearrange my room on a monthly basis.
When I sneeze, I usually sneeze an even number of times, and always over 4 times.

I don't know how to do a cartwheel.
Is it too late at 26 years old and 6 foot even to learn?
Who wants to teach me?
They have instructions here, but I just don't think that would do the trick...

Day 3

I'm only a few views away from 7,000. So fun! I know, I know, to some that may seem like a VERY LOW number of views, but for little ole me it is a big deal!

Anyway, I was so excited about my Gratitude post today. Throughout the day, I've been scribbling down a few things here and there that I'm thankful for.
My list was pretty long.
I was so excited to share it with all of you.
Funny thing about it is.... I left it at work.
Bummer.
But here's what I remember:
-Paperclips
-Pilot 27G pens (or is it G27...?)
-Sharpies (especially brightly colored ones!)
-Colored copy paper (my favorite part of the week is when I get to pick the two colors that the Stirring Kids sign-in sheets are printed on. Oooooh boy, I look forward to it every week!)
-Avocados
-Sticky notes (second time I've listed them... they deserve a spot on EVERY day's list!!!)
-New lotion and body wash (I have an entire drawer dedicated solely to my Bath & Body Works lotion and body wash... sad but true).
-My many quirks (I shared one earlier... more to come. Don't you worry!)

I have no idea where this love for office supplies came from, but ask my mom. She'll tell you I've always loved it. When I was good (which was VERY often) I'm pretty sure she'd reward me by taking me to the local Staples (Arcata doesn't have an Office Depot, okay?!) and let me pick something out. I'd usually go with a new pen, or a pack of sticky notes. Sometimes I'd get a new folder or a Sharpie to add to my collection. What 7 year-old has a Sharpie collection? Most 7 year-old girls collect Polly Pockets! Not me. I stuck with the office supplies. So great.
Clearly, these guys share my passion for Sharpies. Love the picture!

Just a lil somethin'

Fun fact:
I love grammar.
It's a secret passion of mine.
I notice it when people talk to me, or in e-mails or Facebook messages.
I like to secretly edit their e-mails. I find misused words in lots of stuff. It's quite fun.
Now, don't hear me wrong. I don't secretly judge people for misusing words or for putting punctuation in the wrong spot. It's all quite confusing. Trust me, I get it. But I do enjoy it when I find a little misused word... it's like a little treasure to me.

Just one of my many quirks.

What's a fun fact about you??

Day 2

I've decided to blog for thanks again. 30 days to be exact. I'll be posting one blog each day with one, or more, things that I'm thankful for.
Today, I'm thankful for:
-Coffee. This whole cleanse thing is really killer. No coffee. Cold turkey. I'm dying.
-Warm blankets. When winter hits, I pile up the blankets on my bed. The thicker, the better!!
-Baby carrots. I know, random thing to be thankful for, but think about it; baby carrots are the easiest, healthiest little snack EVER.
-Music. I love music. All kids of music. I love hearing a new song for the first time and listening to the way the beautiful melodies weave in and out of the lyrics. If you know me, you know I'm usually always dancing, humming, singing, whistling, snapping... Music kind of LIVES in me. Today, I'm really thankful for music. Hmmm, I think I'd like to come back to this topic when I'm NOT on the verge of falling asleep.
-Sun roofs. Enough said.
-My running buddies. (quick, how many times have I been thankful for them?? Probably over 17... and that's only counting the times I've blogged about it!!). They're the best. And my waist line thanks you as well ladies!
-Pint-sized office visitors. I had one two yesterday, and two more today. They make my day. What can I say, I love children.

That's all for now. I hope y'all had a fantastic Thursday.

Let the cleansing begin...

After hearing Alyssa's plan to do a 4 day cleanse, I've decided I just might give it a go! I don't have a juicer (bummer) so it looks like I'll just be eating my weight in raw fruits and vegetables. Country Organics has a few different "box" options, so I'm headed over there as soon as their doors open to purchase their "large basic box" which consists of a mixture of fresh and organic fruits and veggies. I'm pretty stoked. I'll keep you posted.

My goal: A 3 day cleanse.

If I can make it 3 days, and I'm feeling good I might shoot for 4 days.
Wish me luck!

My New Challenge.

It's not Thursday, but I'm feeling the need to post a few things I'm thankful for. I've found that since November and my Gratitude Challenge, only posting once a week on the things I'm thankful for has left me feeling a little empty. I miss the daily goal of finding one, or more thing that I'm truly thankful for. It was a discipline that I'd begun to really love. Having that posture, the posture of thankfulness, began to do something in me. It began to really change me. It changed the way I viewed my day. The way I viewed my conversations, the way I viewed my morning cup of coffee. It really began to shift my focus. And suddenly, I see my focus switching back. SO, I think I'm going to start another challenge. I'm calling it the Gratitude Challenge II. I'm going to blog another 30 days of thanks. And, to go along with my thanks, I'm going to blog one thing I learned. Every day. For 30 days. Who's with me? Maybe you need to do a 30 days of organizing challenge, or a 30 days of silence (from some kind of noise in your life) challenge, or a 30 days of creativity challenge instead.
Me?
I need to do this Gratitude Challenge. It's where I need my focus to be. It's the lens I need to view my days through.

Today, on day 1 of my challenge, I am thankful for new hair-dos. I got my hair cut and colored today. There's just something about a cut and color that changes a girl's life. I always walk out of the salon thinking "MAN, I feel good!" I may have walked in with a bad attitude and a poor perspective on my day, but I sure left on top of the world, and looking good to boot! Here's a shot of my new do...


And, the one thing that I learned today is that tomatoes are a fruit. I think I already knew that. But I guess I RE-learned it. Wonderful!

A new season

I love the first night of Life Group.
Who's going to show up?
What will they say?
How many awkward silences will there be?
How many people will I know?
How many NEW people will be there?
Who will do most of the talking?
How badly will I embarrass myself?

Tonight was the first night of Life Group.
Shelby (my roommate) and I are leading a Women's group this Spring.
In one word, tonight was perfect.
What an amazing mix of women!
Some married, some single, some with kids, some without, some newly married, some divorced. It's perfect. I can't wait to see what God does with this season and this amazingly unique group of women. The overwhelming cry coming from the women in this group is that we ALL want to be united and connected with other women in our community. My hope for this group is that strong bonds are formed, friendship begin, and God works in powerful ways through those relationships.
I'm excited.
Excited for a new season
Excited for what God is going to do in and through this Life Group
Excited for the stories that will come out of this group
Excited for the possibility of lives changed through this group
I'm just plain excited.

A new book for the new year?

I love reading.
I read blogs
I read magazines
I read the news paper
But my first love is books
Over the Christmas vacation, I found out that when I was in second grade, my reading test scores put me in the "Not A Native English Language Speaker" category. Seriously, that's a category, and I was in it. No joke. My mother, a long time teacher, told me of her panic at the results. How could I, the daughter of two educated parents (one of which a teacher herself) score so low in her reading tests? The funniest part to me is that I don't even remember any of it. I don't remember struggling with reading and spelling. I don't remember being in the EXTREMELY low reading groups. I don't remember any of it. All I know is that I now LOVE to read and LOVE to write. Funny, isn't it?
Anyway, I've got a LONG list of books I'd like to read this year. It's much easier to read for "pleasure" when you're not in school :) But even being done with college (for now), I find that I get overwhelmed with my desire to knock out these "Must Reads" in a timely manner. So, instead of listing the books I so badly want to read, I'll let you all know of the ones I'm currently reading.
I'm about half way through with Captivating. I've read the first few chapters of this book more times than I care to admit... but I've never ACTUALLY finished it. That's the goal this time around.
I've also just started reading Secret Message of Jesus. This one, I'm really excited about. I plan on sharing my favorite parts of this book in later posts.
And my "just for fun" read, you ask? None other than a Nicholas Sparks fave- The Choice.

What are you currently reading? Or what are some of the books on your "2011 Must Read" list? I'm dying to know what everybody else can't wait to read this year!

Here are just a few of my hopeful reads this year:

Thankful Thursdays... on Sunday... my bad.

I forgot to post for Thankful Thursdays.
Shoot!
So, a day (or 3) late and a dollar short, I now will post my Thankful Thursdays blog on Sunday.

I am thankful for:
The way children give out hugs so freely
Friday Night Lights
"Just Dance" dance-offs
Leggings
Meeting a new family, and watching their kid LOVE the Stirring Kids
Quad-shot Americanos
My cat and the way he falls asleep on just about anything and everything
Fire pit nights with great friends
S'mores

I'm pretty sure it all comes down to the fact that I live a charmed and blessed life. There's so much to be thankful for in every moment of life. What are YOU thankful for today?

The story of the bracelet

I had this bracelet.
It was more than a bracelet.
It changed me.
It reminded me.
It helped me.
I wrote about my bracelet in another blog.
A woman gave it to me.
A woman I hardly know.
She changed me forever.
The Lord used this bracelet to speak to me
In a powerful way.
Every time I looked at the bracelet, or twirled it, or nervously took it off and slipped it back on, or ran my fingers over the delicately etched word "Loved" there in the middle, God spoke to me.
"You, my daughter, are loved."
That's all.
Over and over, God spoke those words to me.
Over and over and over again.

Now, you see, when this woman so boldly handed me this bracelet 7 months ago, she told me "You'll know when you're ready to pass it on. You're not meant to keep it. Someone gave it to me, and I knew the day would come when I was to give it away. You'll know. God will tell you."

There were days when I thought I'd NEVER be ready to give the bracelet away.
How could I?
I was still learning the words God was speaking through it.
YOU ARE LOVED.
I didn't quite believe them yet.
Sure, there were MOMENTS when I believed them. But they weren't my identity. Not yet. Maybe one day, but not yet.

So, on Wednesday, when I was hanging at Starbucks, listening to my music, reading my new Bible, journaling, and just hanging with God, He spoke to me. And I knew I was ready. He told me it was time. Those words had finally become my identity. I no longer questioned their truth, or their limits.
I am loved.
By my family
By my God
By my friends
By children
By adults
By strangers

I am loved

There's nothing that can change that. Ever. It's more than WHAT I am. It's become WHO I am. It's no longer a verb to me. It's a noun :)

So, back to Wednesday. God spoke. I listened. He told me who to give it to.
I figured it would be a stranger. Someone who I hardly knew. Since that's who gave this precious gift to me.
Nope.
God told me to give it to a dear friend. Someone I see almost everyday.
Someone who needed to be reminded
Everyday
Of her value
Of her WORTH
Of the great calling on HER life to know she is LOVED. (noun, NOT verb.)

Presented to me by a stranger. Passed along to a wonderful woman who I call a great friend. I'm excited to see how God uses this bracelet to change her life like He changed mine. I'm excited to see if it stays with her for a year, a week, 4 years... and where the bracelet goes next. I realize that God can use ANYTHING to change lives, but right now He's choosing to use a beautiful, simple, silver, delicate, bracelet with the word "Loved" perfectly carved in it.

My Life Is...

Beautiful
Wonderful
Full of joy
Full of love
Hard to handle
Exciting
Healthy
Peaceful
Always an adventure
Ever-changing
A testimony to God's faithfulness
Full of FUN
Better than ever
Full of laughter
Challenging
Dynamite



This past Sunday marked the 4 year anniversary for the Stirring. What a remarkable day. During worship, a video came on that was a montage of the past year. All of the most intimate moments captured on tape. Footage of lives changed. It had me in tears within seconds. There's something so powerful about a changed life. You can't help but celebrate. I always seem to celebrate with tears. No big deal. But it got me thinking... My life is full- full of love. Full of joy. Full of laughter. Full of incredible people. Full of opportunities. Full of God's goodness. Full of gratitude. Full of PASSION. Full of happiness. Full of celebration. Full of encouragement. Full of forgiveness. I can't remember a time in my life where I felt this alive. This content. This thankful. I can't wait to see where God will take the Stirring in this next year, and I am excited to say I'm along for the ride. God has placed some hard stuff on my path over this past year, but I've come out victorious. With freedom and peace. I'm so thankful for the hard seasons, because without them the great seasons, THIS season I'm in now, wouldn't hold the same amount of excitement, the same amount of joy and celebration as it does. Without the pain, there is no growth.

My life is EXACTLY where God wants it. What a beautiful thing.

P.S. The Stirring staff made an AMAZING music video. If you haven't seen it, OR just need to watch it one more time, check it out HERE.

Thankful Thursdays

A friend of mine (the same friend who inspired me to take on the Gratitude Challenge) had a GREAT idea: Every Thursday, she posts a "Thankful" blog, listing the many things she's thankful for throughout her week. I've decided to, once again, follow in her footsteps and take on this mini-challenge.
Today is my very first Thankful Thursday.
How exciting!
Today I am thankful for:
-The lovely ladies who I share an office with. They make me laugh, constantly. We share in a love for sassy sticky notes and sarcasm and coffee and Jesus :)
-Encouragement from unlikely sources
-The stranger who bought my coffee the other morning. So kind!
-My running buddies. We get our booties out on the trail EVERY Tuesday and Thursday morning at 6:00 am. Before the sun is even up. And run and talk and laugh and FREEZE together. My health and my skinny jeans thank you ladies.
-New Year resolutions.

Until next Thankful Thursday....

Back to Blogging

I've been making a MILLION excuses as to why I haven't been blogging.
I'm busy
I'm out of town
I'm tired
There's too much to catch up on
There's too much to SAY
I'm out of town (again)
My computer's dead
And the list goes on.
Well, I decided to jump back on the wagon again, after almost a week of silence. Here it goes:
We (my roomies and the Flecks) went to San Francisco for New Years Eve. In a word, it was INCREDIBLE. I had the best time ever. An amazing city paired with a killer group of people makes for one unforgettable time. I woke up Saturday morning with sore feet (5 hours of dancing in 3 inch heels) and hit the road for Chico to celebrate two of my favorite people in the world. Josh and Chelsea are officially married, and I cried the entire time. There's something so beautiful about a wedding, especially when you know the couple well, and have shared in the crazy adventure with them. Chelsea has been serving with the Stirring Kids for well over 2 years now, and I can't imagine Sundays without her. I'm beyond excited to see what God does in their marriage! After dancing my booty off for the second night in a row, I hit the road AGAIN to head home. It was a rainy and miserable drive, but I made it. My bags had hardly touched the ground, and I was in bed fast asleep. Only to rise BRIGHT and early this morning for church. Sundays really are my favorite day of the week. I get to see and interact with so many wonderful families, and serve with such a passionate team. Not to mention getting to see all of the beautiful children. (Let's face it, the kids are my favorite part!!) I walk around on Sundays praying for all of the kids, and find myself moved to tears with the love and passion God has for these little ones. I can't explain it any other way except that, on Sundays when I see all of the kids coming and learning and growing, I actually feel like my heart is full. Full of love and passion and dreams and joy and happiness and excitement. It's an unreal feeling.

So, with a new year ahead of me, I've got a few resolutions to announce: 1. I want to train for and run another half marathon. After the one I ran in 2010, I never thought I'd say those words. But it is time. I'm ready for another fierce adventure. For more blisters and sore muscles and cold, rainy jogs. Now all I need is a partner to train with me, seeing as MINE is in Jordan...!
2. I want to travel out of the country... or even just across the US. Until recently, traveling was never something that sounded interesting to me. But suddenly, I'm struck with how little of this beautiful world I've seen, and I'm ready to fix that problem! Any suggestions on where I should head first?

2011 is bound to be the best year yet. I can feel it in my 26 year old bones that this year has great things in store for me. Cheers, to a new year!!