7.13.2011

i love jesus.
i love an eternal perspective.
i love peace that passes understanding.
i love hope.
i love that god is abba.
i love that he loves me.
i love that he's so freakin' kind.
i love that jesus is the most famous person to ever live.
i love that the zeal for justice makes me totally dumbfounded at what his love is really like.
i LOVE his character.

this is God--his way is perfect; the word of the lord proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him. psalm18:30

7.07.2011

not being debbie downer, but i dont think dental hygiene school is gonna happen this year.
i called them again today and they said that all 30 spots have been filled.
they'll call me if someone doesnt show up for orientation aug2.
4 people have to not show up for me to get a spot.
so yeah, that doesnt seem too likely to me.

if i dont get in, i kinda want to move. not sure where, but yea.

mmm.. wonder what the year holds? im not really surprised. i dont feel like dh school is a never, but i did feel like he told me not-this-year a few months ago. so yea he's good like that.

and i trust him:) good things in store for me.

7.02.2011

warning: lots of complaining.

its been a rough week:
1. worked 41 hours in 3 days.
2. found out im on the alternate list for dental hygiene school. #4 out of 10. all 10 got in last year. but still its not guarenteed. so i keep waiting. and maybe they'll call me. and maybe they wont.
3. have to move out of my apartment aug 1. since my lease is up it's now $700 a month. which is just dumb. so yeah. moving... grrrreat.
4. lost my iphone last night. the only place i went was this church so i wasnt too worried about it. thought i prob left it on the seat. but then some dude called emily and said he had it and wanted $50 so he could buy cheese for his family. and if i didnt give it to him then he was gonna sell it for $200. of course when we called him back he didnt answer. and since i did have the "find my phone" app.. there's no way to find it and he has access to all my info. (throwing up).

5. my back has been killing. and i think my dr thought i just wanted drugs bc im pretty sure he gave me advil. which doesnt work.
6. and im turning twenty effing six in a few days. which is ok. but not exciting.

on a positive note.
i have really awesome people in my life.
and a god that is good. and madly in love with me.

6.28.2011



i wanted to play around with imovie, so i made this video of taking garcia for a walk.
betty crocker.
what a phenom.
its bound to happen at least once if you bake something that someone comments, "oh look at you, betty crocker!"
what if that was your name? thats pretty crazy.

... after writing that first part i googled ms. betty and found out this sad news. letdown.
haha ohwell.

6.18.2011

jesus, the perfect high priest.


so we see that they were unable to enter rest (the promise land) because of unbelief (disobedience). [heb3:19]

for we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weakness,
but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are,
yet without sin.
let us then with confidence
draw near to the throne of grace
that we may receive mercy
and find grace
to help in our time of need.
...he can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward,
since he himself is beset with weakness.

in the days of his flesh, jesus offered up prayers and supplications
with loud cries and tears
to him who was able to save him from death
and he was heard because of his reverence.
although he was a son,
he learned obedience through what he suffered.
and being made perfect
he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him.

these verses in hebrews4/5 are messing me up this morning. man, i love jesus. so much. i love god's ways. so perfect. abba, you blow my mind.

5.19.2011

how fun are these little cake bites?
i cant wait to try making these.

5.14.2011

really

i need to get a life.

feeling lame.

5.05.2011

significance. the heart.

striving for significance will undermine your significance.
we are never significant because we want to be,
we become significant when we do what He says.
pure, simple obedience.
no one on earth may even know your name,
but heaven records your victories.
[bill johnson]

it usually happens when i listen to a bethel podcast that the issue im dealing with or the verse ive been pondering over or just a thought im having about god or life, is addressed. last week was no different. and i love that about bethel. and the holy spirit. ;) when i saw that the title of the sermon was, "the battle for significance" i knew i was bound to get encouraged.

as hard as i tried to pull myself out of the feeling-insignificant-hole, i seemed to be falling in deeper.
i feel anxious when i start going by the worlds system and not heavens.
when i decide that the external matters more than the internal.
when i decide that success is based on what i can see.
when i decide that my value is determined by what i do.

deep in the hole,
i find myself laying on the floor
surrendered

and he showed up
as usual
and meets me where i am
he sits with me at the well
and tells me everything i ever did

and its not condemning at all
i realize im covered in his feathers
and under his wings
and its the safest place to be

he reminds me for the millionth time that his kingdom is completely opposite of the world.
he reminds me that, "the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field."
everyone can see the field.
everyone knows about it.
how beautiful it is (or not).
if there's a river.
or good trees.
or animals.
if it produces lots of fruit.
or pretty flowers.
all good things.
but there's a diamond hidden.
a huge diamond under pressure.

and when the fire comes, everything is burned.. except the diamond.
our heart will live forever.

im significant because found in him. period.
our hearts are what is valuable.
the fruit of the spirit being formed in us.
the unseen reality of our person becoming like jesus.
yup.

5.03.2011

strawberry salsa


came up with this delicious concoction this weekend.
no specifics.
just eyeball it.

strawberries
tomatoes
avocado
red onion
cilantro
salt (pinch)
lime juice (about 1 tbsp)
balsamic vinegar (about 1 tbsp)


how beautiful are these?! i love it. so inspiring. from my new favorite blog.

4.26.2011

a refreshing saturday.

i went to nomad's land.
it's about 45 min from bham.
the whole time the only word that came to mind was
"dreamy."
i need to spend more time there.

i had my first hammocking adventure next to a creek.
it was short, but pretty prefect.
could have laid there for hours.
have a feeling some good jesus time will go down in that thing.
it's like a cocoon.
my new little hiding spot.

i also spent a few hours with this little girl, hope.
halfway through our time i asked her if she knew my name.
"mm..no."
"do you want to know my name?"
"i mean, whatever."
i love kids.
this was her "hot tub."

a few of us hung out at stuarts that night & made cinnamon items (aka rolls).
its tradition.
and tommy brought his flip so of course
videos were made.
i love my friends.
so much.
these are good men. :)

4.21.2011

snuggle puggle


he's not the best snuggler. and doesnt really like to be pet (which i dont mind),
but early in the morning or late at night (aka when he's really sleepy) i can get some pug lovin.
love hugging that mug.
so much.

4.20.2011

passover seder

this
will be a
day for you
to remember and
celebrate as a festival to
ADONAI,
from generation to
generation you are
to celebrate it..
Ex 12:14



the matzah reminds us of the haste in which our ancestors left egypt,
for the dough had not the time to rise, but baked hard and flat in the desert sun.
the parsley reminds us of the bitterness of the bondage of slavery.
we remember also that messiah, our passover, set us free from the bondage of sin.

we dip twice --first as a symbol of replacing our tears with joy,
and second to season the taste of bitterness,
knowing that Yeshua is our sweetness in the bitter times of life.

reclining is a symbol of the free man who can eat in leisure.
so this pillow reminds us of our freedom,
for in trusting God we are secure.



blessed are you,
o lord our God,
king of the universe,
who sustains the world with goodness,
with grace and with infinite mercy..
through your great goodness,
provision has not failed us.
may it never fail us at any time,
for the sake of your great name.


may our eyes behold your return to jerusalem in holiness.
blessed are you, o lord, who rebuilds jerusalem in his mercy.
amen.



at each passover since the children of israel were in exile in strange lands, it has been traditional to say,
"this year here, but next year, lord willing, we will celebrate it in jerusalem."

for a long time, that was just a dream. now since the lord has restored the land of israel, it is possible.
jerusalem is being rebuilt and the desert has begun to bloom.
the second coming of messiah yeshua is drawing near.
when he comes, there will be a new jeruslaem as he establishes his kingdom here on earth.


n e x t y e a r i n j e r u s a l e m ! ! !

(i got all of these excerpts from jewishvoice.org)

4.14.2011

graham cooke

it is in the valley
that our lives are truly adjusted to
the pleasure of god.
on the mountain
we have sovereign encounters
with majesty and beauty,
and then we must return to the scene of the devastation
and begin to plant what god has sown into us.
this is where we encounter the incomparable delight of the comforter,
who steps into our devastation with his own precious touch
and renovates us from the inside out.

3.26.2011

dreamboat houseboat

i almost cried when i saw this

one day.
one day i will live on a houseboat.
ah.
life is full.
i am abundantly blessed with good friends. and am continually in awe of knowing each one and their amazingness. especially through some hard as crap things.
b l o w n a w a y today by one friend in particular. cant go into it. but she has forever impacted me with the grace she is walking in and her heart through it all. it is not normal. nothing about her response is normal. it is 100% supernatural to respond in love when betrayed. whew.
so supernatural.

--
i want to do something great.
he wants me to run with him.
not sure where to yet.
or if my plan is still the plan.
pretty sure he said, "not this year" though.
pretty sure.
time will tell.
realized people that have a great impact usually put most of their energy toward something specific.
it feels like im passionate about so many different things. and some i wouldnt say are passions, just more so things id like to do.. i dunno.
cheers to the never ending story of my life ha.

3.17.2011

i loved today.
so very much.

lazy morning
good talks
coffee
good talks
more coffee
thrift store
good jesus time
more good talks and walks
tennessee river
sunset
more coffee
$5 burger

satisfied.

i feel blessed.
i know, and continually meet the coolest people god created.
it blows my mind.
so many of them out there.
so many of them cross my path.
hallelujah.

psalm 93.

3.13.2011

fletcher and i are in asheville until tuesday. we drove up sat and have had a blast! riding around the land and just enjoying the country.

sunday morning, we were going to look at a pasture on the other side of the mountain. there is no official trail but a pretty well marked path. it was really steep and a little muddy and since we're 4wheeling experts (siiiike), turning back didnt even dross our minds. dumbmistake 1 out of a million for the day.
we end up getting stuck by this rock, but were finally able to get out. and then for some unbeknown reason fletcher drives it right back into the same spot. except this time it gets wedged against a rusty barbed wire fence. after, i dont even know how long, of pushing and pulling we get free. again. ptl.
at that point i decided to forget our exploration and go home.
"yeaaariiight," said nature mockingly.
and another slippery slope awaited us.
another hour or so of pushing and pulling had begun.
and we're out.
finally, the main road is in sight.
just one more little rocky hill to go. or so we thought.
we get about half way up and by this time we're use to the routine. so we start moving rocks and me starting and stopping the engine and fletcher pushing and pulling from behind. only problem is this time the front tires are on top of the rock, while the back right is in mud and the left is suspended in the air.
and well... then this happened..

me and the 4hweeler rolled down the hill. literally.
and landed in a brier patch.
in all seriousness, i am thankful to be alive.
it was kinda traumatic and a miracle i have no serious injuries.. just minor scrapes.
somehow the 4wheller didnt touch me.
psalm 91:11-12
i started rolling first and it followed me, flipping at least twice and landing here.
i dont remember much except fletcher yelling, "noooo sanndraaa!" he really thought it was going to land on me, but i just "popped up behind it," as he says.
we just started crying and shaking and like. what. the. heck. just. happened.
craziest feeling.

at that point, i could have cared less about the 4wheeler. funny how priorities changes when life seems fragile. we regrouped and walked home.
the more i think about it, the more in awe i am.
and the more freaked out i am.

OHYEA. and stuart is the best friend ever. him and his roommate, john, drove 2 hrs to help fletcher flip it over, even though they already had plans that night so they couldnt stay. literally drove here, flipped it over, ate some spaghetti, drove back.
true friend for life.

today we were both incredibly sore and tired and just not feeling good.
but somehow we still managed to spend an entire day shopping, eating, walking, and touring. i think maybe it was good to move around. i dunno.

so many other little things have gone wrong on this trip.
ive had fun with fletcher
but
all in all
im ready to be home
but that doesnt happen until sunday :(

3.07.2011

new favorite color

is it weird that i daydream about colors? ive been on a teal kick for a while now. and remember purple always in my mind last year. but recently its..
orange.
orange.
orange.
orange.

never liked it. seemed harsh. and was my rival team in highschools color. lame, i know.

but i love it now. and am trying to figure out how to incorporate it into my life more..ha




a warm, happy heart.

I woke up at 3am for no reason. Usually id be annoyed but I was really happy.
I love when the lord draws things out of you through talking to friends. Last night it was via my neighbor, Channing. We had a great convo about.. everything.
convictions.
injustices.
how we're suppose to live in light of those combined.
birth control.
kids.
deceptions.

Basically just stirred up LOADS of questions about life in both of us. After the fifth time of saying, "we should really go to bed," I ended up telling her about the season I'm in. I've talked about it before in various forms with various people but last night was different. It felt like spring was coming out of my mouth..however that works. The first warm day when I just sit outside in the sun and thaw out from winter. maybe a cool breeze every now and then, but mostly pure warmth.
the south winds.
times of blessing.
desires fulfilled.
delighting.
rejoicing.
tangible hope.
deep joy in my soul.
hearing his sweet voice romance me like never before.
he really is gentle and kind.
he really does have a plan.
and it really is manifesting in my life.

i am rich.
so rich.
royal, actually.
he honors me.
HE honors me.
he honors ME.
he HONORS me.
humbled.

Blessed be the name of the Lord when the suns shining down on me.. Where the streams of abundance flow.
the giver of all good gifts.

(It's 408am on 3/7/11 and my heart is full..priceless gift)

3.02.2011

white & pink

goodbye winter. the first batch of trees have bloomed in birmingham.
and the are all white. and pink.
loveit.


as always, ive been craving adventure and two things got set this week!
1. im gonna have a whole week off which will consist of asheville, knoxville, and gaitlinburg.
2. june12-22 taylor&LA, fletch, and i are renting a van and driving to arizona to see the parents. oh yea and garcia &hazel are coming. HA! it will be quite the adventure. with a stop in DALLAS. hopefully.


poor garcia-pia-baby-boo might have a scratch on his eye:( i think its from playing at the dog park. poor guys been squinting it a lot and its kinda red.
i REALLY need a vet-friend.
a "call anytime and bring him by the house" friend.
if someone could get on that, it would be much appreciated.
$40 just to take him there. mine is only $15. something about that isn't right.

tongue.
spaghetti. naked.

robbin's egg. kitchen door.

2.18.2011

my Delight :)

i have loved this week.
even though i worked 47 hours.
jesus has felt so near.
just been delighting in him all week.
THANKYOU.

ive had the phrase, "i delight myself in the richest of fare trading all that i have for all that is better" in my head all week. its a shane & shane song that i didnt even have on my computer. ha. not sure where i heard it. but i love it.

and the verse, "delight yourself in the lord and he'll give you the desires of your heart" has also been ringing in my ear. honestly, ive never really liked this verse. it's like oh so if im not getting what i want, does that mean im not delighting in you? or people say it with this weird attitude of like oh well you would have x, y or z if you delighted in the lord. i dunno. just never was a fav of mine.
but i seriously CANNOT get it off my mind. and whenever i think about a verse to paint on my wall this one continually comes to mind.
so yea, jesus loves this verse. so i asked him to tell me about it. i love when he changes my perspective from harsh-annoyed-god to really-kind-and-gentle-god. it's like DUH! haha.

ok, so it's actually not, "love me and ill give you what you want" (in a harsh voice)...
it's more like, "while we're just in love and enjoying each others company, ill show you whats in your heart" (in a really sweet voice with a smirk on his face, implying lots of wonderful, good, unimaginable things that are going to make you so full of joy you might just explode).

so yeah. i love this verse. and i love delighting in jesus. and i love that he's not a vending machine. he's a person. the kindest, most humble, gentle, fierce, exciting person to ever exist. and he lives in me.
and im gonna marry him forever.
and our wedding is going to put the bhldn website to shame. haha

2.15.2011

few things on my mind.

a good camera.
ocean.
africa.
open skies.
salty air.
a love thats sweeter than honey.

2.04.2011

although i just posted the other day on fb about anthro's outrageous prices, it doesn't mean i don't love it. in so many ways. and this makes me really glad i'm not married yet. haha.

holy moly.

1.27.2011

its been a long week.
emotionally.
physically.
mentally.
my second seemingly "perfect" living situation of the month fell through this week.
thats exhausting. in all the ways i just mentioned.
if i look at one more apartment i might just explode.
last night i was at a friends house. and god bless her, she was being so sweet looking up places for me to live. and we even drove around and looked at a few. but i was worthless. i could feel myself fading. fast. especially after that glass of wine.
anyways. you can pray for me.
need a place today.

so its looking like puggy and i will be getting a 1 bedroom apartment in the next couple of days. lord willing, with a balcony. ive had some stressful times figuring out where to live.
but none compares to this.
although i think in the end its going to turn out sweet.
ive always wanted my own place.
and well, im about to get it.
so thats exciting.
really.

HE KNOWS ME. dang.

even to them (gentiles) i will give in my house and within my walls a place
and a name better than that of sons and daughters;
i will give them an everlasting name that will not be cut off.
isaiah 56:5

1.21.2011

technically..

every day we're more alive than we were the day before.

so we do not lose heart.
though our outer self is wasting away,
our inner self is being renewed day by day.
2corinthians4:16

i started thinking about this a couple weeks ago.
decay felt tangible.
i could see it in everything i looked at.
and felt like it was on me like a heavy fur coat.
as i felt the slime of a fallen world, i thought about this verse.
to the world each day we're closer to death.
in jesus, each day we're closer to life.
true life.
eternal life.

"i am the way the truth and the life." jc

he's the most hopeful man i know.
singers and dancers say alike, "all my fountains are in you."




1.15.2011

finally. verizon.

CANnot wait for one of these bad boys. so glad ive held out on my upgrade. it will be worth the wait im sure.

1.13.2011

our beloved, our friend.

the letters to the 7 churches in revelation each start off with a description of jesus. they stuck out to me today. yea, this is the one we love!

THE WORDS OF...
Him who holds the seven stars in his right hand,
who walks among the seven golden lampstands.

the first and the last, who died and came to life.

Him who has the sharp two-edged word.

the Son of God,
who has eyes like a flame of fire,
and whose feet are like burnished bronze.

Him who as seven spirits of God and the seven stars.

the holy one,
the true one,
who has the key of david,
who opens and no one will shut,
who shuts and no one will open.

the Amen,
the faithful and true witness,
the beginning of God's creation.

1.08.2011

thought this website was worth sharing.
every recipe has a picture.
and leads to other good sites.
enjoy!

http://www.tastespotting.com/