Happy birthday to my best friend! I hope your twenty-first birthday is the most special so far. I am so thankful to have been part of your life for the past three years, and so very thankful you were born 7,650 days ago.
I love how silly you are, how you are the most ticklish in the universe, that you are always happy, and that you don't think I am the most strange girl ever when I meow Christmas carols. In fact, you meow with me! Most importantly, I love that you have the Lord as the center of your life and you strive to love like He loves us. You are something special, Potato! Enjoy your birthday and I cannot wait to celebrate many more with you and for all the adventures to come!
I finished my molecular biology class.
I have one more exam left, which means one exam from keeping me from home.
I don't have to worry about organic chemistry for a month.
I had Schlotzsky's for dinner last night and there is still some left in the fridge.
I'm wearing knitted socks and Keds, just like I do every day in the winter.
I updated the design of the bloggy a little bit.
I only got three hours of sleep last night, but am still feeling awake!
I have roommates for next year.
I am reading Phillipians and it's wonderful.
Promise I will give you a real update soon, but for now it's study time. And by study time I mean no sleep, no eat, sore throat, sinus infection time! Good luck to everyone on their finals!
Wednesday I got some wonderful news.... I was hired to be a counselor at Pine Cove Ranch!
I was quiet about applying, letting only a few people know. After last year I was apprehensive about applying, but I felt God was calling me back. And luckily, I followed the call! I think the Lord knew I wasn't ready last year and was teaching me a little thing called patience in the time afterwards. Let's just say I am still working on that. I will be working the second half of summer as a counselor and working the ropes course. I am so excited but also nervous as well. I read 2 Corinthians 3 the night I was hired and it gave me so much encouragement.
You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody. You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. (vs. 2-5)
Glory belongs to God alone. He can make hearts of stone soft through the Holy Spirit. Anything I do I do through Him. It gives me such relief. On my own I know I am nothing. But with Him and through Him I can be an instrument for proclaiming His love.
If you think about it, keep me in your prayers. That I am prepared to share Christ's love with a bunch of middle school girls. That I am equipped and ready and willing. I am so excited about this summer and I can't wait to see how He moves!
Puppy stores (even though there aren't basset hounds).
Buying new a new cardigan and scarf with a birthday Target gift card.
Being an old woman. Kind of.
Spinach strawberry banana smoothies.
Laundry.
Text book reading. Should that count?
Two day weeks.
Cleaning.
List making.
And that is why I like today.
Speaking of lists, I am in the process of making a Christmas list for my family. And I want some new books. I know quite a few of you are quite the bibliophiles. Suggestions, pwease?
I have spent a good portion of my Friday morning reading through each of the possible Presidential candidates websites in order to familiarize myself with their stance on certain issues. I am taking a PoliSci class right now, and it has actually been incredibly interesting to me. I hope that if you plan on voting that you base your decisions on issues rather than what might be easier, such as voting party lines, whether Democrat or Republican. Challenge yourself to see the good and bad in both stances. Think about repercussions for everyone- not just yourself. From the poorest of poor to the most wealthy. It really makes you think and solidify why you believe what you believe.
In high school I didn't take the "normal" route. I mean, think about it. I grew up in East Texas. I couldn't vote at the time, but you bet if I backed someone I backed them for a reason. That is one thing that I respect. If you are passionate about a candidate because you are informed about their stances then you go and vote what you want to vote! Ignorance in this arena, I am afraid, is not bliss.
Go! Read! Inform yourself!
*Sidenote: Rick Perry doesn't have an "education issues" tab on his website. Just throwin' that out there.
Today I started the first step in starting my own line of headbands/other things. Ordering supplies. I can't wait to receive them and get started on my first project: headbands! I've been doodling lots of different ideas in my Moleskine. It should be fun.
The one thing now left for me to consider is if I want to sell on Etsy or Big Cartel. Etsy charges per listing, as well a (small) portion of the profits. However, you can list as many items as you want as well as post many pictures. Big Cartel on the other hand has a free option. No charge to sell whatsoever. The catch with the free option on Big Cartel is you can only have 5 listings up at a time with one picture each. I like my pictures... I like my details. Does anyone have a preference? Any insight? I would love to hear it.
In other news... today is a big game day. That's right-- gross OU versus the Fightin' Texas Aggies. I'm very nervous. Very nervous indeed. If the game was at Kyle Field the boys would have a whole stadium backing them. Being in Norman.... scary. Win or lose, it will be a fun game. I just really, really, really hope we win. Funny to think. Last year I came down to A&M for the OU/A&M game and was heartbroken when the Sooners lost (such an upset) and now an upset is ALL I want! Gig 'Em AGGIES! You did it once, now do it again!
Last year. Pre game. Not ashamed to be a Sooner. Just scared of the crazy fans. I wore a OU jacket and an A&M shirt. Conflict of interest.
Our group. I was probably pretending to be happy that A&M won this game. Let's be real. I was a pot of boiling bitterness. OK. Maybe that's a little extreme.
Also. Last night I watched the first Lord of the Rings for the first time. Ever. I know, I am sheltered and silly and a disgrace. BUT I FREAKIN' LOVE THEM. Can't wait to finish the next two and then watch them all over ten million times! Why have I waited so long for this?
Something to chew on on this beautiful Friday afternoon:
Therefore, since we are surround by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes of Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before Him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
Let's start with my jam for this week.... it's a tie between this Sara Bareilles cover of Little Lion Man (make sure to listen starting around 2:35) and one of my favorite winter songs, rightly named The Winter Song. November starts tomorrow (crayyyy!) so it's right about time for me to bust out the Christmas tunes!
I have a hard time eating my green vegetables, so when Emily told me about spinach smoothies she makes, I gave it a try. Let me tell you. They are wonderful. I can't even taste the spinach. In order to prevent my strawberries/bananas/kiwis/pears from going bad (I make about 2 smoothies a week) I precut all my fruit and freeze it--- an idea I first saw here. I will put up a quick recipe in the next day or so.
I really, really, really, really hope that one day I can see the Northern Lights. Apparently on October 24th there was a huge light show stretching from Canada to Arkansas.
This might be the most wonderful thing I have ever read.
It's about time for wooly sock weather. This whole board makes me giddy. I can't get enough of my maroon and grey striped socks. These things rock. Wonderful wooly goodness when my toesies get a little frozies.
The Holiday was being played on the Lifetime channel yesterday afternoon. Need I say more? Yesterday was just asking for me to be a lazy bum all day.
Playing broom ball and scavenger hunts (or duck calling) with a ton of friends from Young Life in Brazos valley.
An interesting article from National Geographic about Food Arks and their importance as we keep climbing in number. Current population of the world as I type? 7,000,054,385. Yes, a seven, not a six.
And lastly, I love me my ENO and hanging out in it with this guy!
Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. Isaiah 40:28
